8:00, September 24th, 2045 CE | New Boston College Prep School / Central Courtyard

  “Hmm, what do we have here?” Itau Kiean – the definition of a bully – says to me, “Just a worthless puppy, all on his lonesome? How unfortunate, did your master finally realize your worthlessness and ditch you?”

  His long red hair waves in the early morning breeze. The sunlight filtering through the nearby buildings makes it look like he is some sort of fire demon. A faint mist hangs in the air, a hangover from the rain we got last night.

  I try to form words through the tears threatening to come out, but fail. He is right, Ray isn't here, and I am just a worthless human being. I knew it was a bad idea to come to school without Ray, I should've faked sick so I could stay home. It's not like the academic system does anything for me anyways.

  But nope, Ray insisted that I go to school. Try to socialize and such, perhaps learn some new tricks to show her later on. For some foolish reason, I decided to listen to her. For klacks’ sake, why couldn't she have taken me on her fancy university visits. I would have hacked my grades to make it look like I was qualified to go along with her.

  I am worthless.

  Bad grades. No social skills. No meaningful abilities beyond helping Ray.

  Without Ray here, I am truly worthless. Nothing more than a puppy that follows her around and asks for attention.

  I'm sure if I had some stat card somewhere it would read: Kovon Ducker, age 16, worthless loser with no talent. Subservient to the all powerful and cute Ray. Worthless alone, hopeless and utterly incapable of anything.

  Alongside Ray I can feel like I am meaningful. I can tag on with her banter, her genius plans. I may even come up with an idea every once in a while. But alone, I am just worthless. No hopes, no dreams, no talents.

  My hand tightens on the hem of my shirt. I slowly raise my head, my shaggy purple hair drooping down to cover half of my face. My dull gray eyes lock with Itau’s red eyes and I see his party of trolls standing behind him.

  “Oh, what's this? Is the little puppy actually going to speak without his master? What an oddity that would be. Quick, someone record this, It’ll go viral on the net!” he taunts, a vicious sneer on his face.

  I take a small step forward and open my mouth. “You're not a real nice guy.” I say, weakly.

  I see a faint glimmer of rage come across Itau’s face. “A not nice guy huh? Well, how about I show you what a truly not nice guy is like.” He says, lunging towards me.

  I try to escape, but my unathletic disposition causes me to trip and Itau grabs onto the collar of my shirt and lifts me up.

  “You are one ugly person. I can't imagine why that saint deigns to hang around with you. You are not worthy of her.” Itau says, with a sneer.

  “Well, if I'm not worthy, then you must be even un-worthier.” I say, the moment it leaves my mouth I realize how stupid it sounds. I am worthless at this whole insulting thing, that's Ray’s department.

  Can just add that onto the list of things she excels at. I truly am unworthy of her. I have no clue why she even looks at me, let alone talks to me. Then again, I'm not exactly going to ignore a miracle. But, she isn't here right now.

  She is off touring some fancy university on Mars. She is so exceptional they even paid for her travel and accommodations to go all the way there. Compared to my worthless self that is only going to graduate because of my fathers money, she is a saint.

  Of course, I could pass if I wanted. But why put in the effort? It's not like I'll learn anything from this abomination of a school system. Easier to just have my father send a few idollars over, it's not like he will even pay attention to what it's for.

  In response to my attempted insult, Itau just laughs. I'm so bad at insulting people that I make people laugh, instead of cry.

  “What a truly worthless puppy you are, you can't even try to defend yourself. Perhaps I should just put you out of your misery. After all, you'll be completely and utterly alone once your master goes off to someplace far, far away.”

  He is right. Soon Ray and I will graduate and she will go off to some fancy university. She will meet new friends, have lots of fun experiences.

  She will forget all about me.

  The little puppy she adopted to have some fun in her childhood. Completely worthless now that she has gone on to bigger and brighter things.

  I stay silent, unable to think of anything to say. Instead, I just look right into Itau’s eyes.

  We just stare at each other for several seconds, I can see his party getting all excited behind him. Probably waiting for him to deal a lethal blow and put me out of my misery or something.

  “*scoff*, you are even more worthless up close. You truly deserve to be alone, so get lost, you loser.” He says, and then throws me back on the ground.

  I land in a puddle and get completely soaked, my uniform ruined. At least my backpack serves to break my fall a bit.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Itau looks down at me and then kicks me hard in the back. I scramble away as fast as I can and manage to escape. I can hear Itou and his party laughing manically as I scurry out the gate, tripping over myself several times in the process.

  I run as fast as I can, the hard concrete pavement under my soles feels nice. Solid and steady, just like Ray.

  Ever since that fateful meeting all those years ago, sheer dumb luck if we are being honest. Ray and I have been inseparable. But, it's clear that I am not worthy. After all, how can I compare with her?

  The definition of perfect student with perfect looks with perfect social capability. Always attending fancy debates and conventions. She probably only drags me along to make herself look far better in comparison to my worthless self.

  I run and run, until I end up at the river. I lean against the railing and watch as the crystal clear water rushes by. I wonder what it would be like to be water.

  You get mercilessly boiled from some body of water and then rise high into the sky. Only to stick to some dust particles and come plummeting back down to Earth. If you're lucky, you get whisked away down a fun water slide. If you're unlucky, you get frozen for millions of years.

  I really am a worthless human, aren't I?

  A couple run of the mill bullies try to talk to me and I freeze. I fail an insult and cower in fear. Then I run away, thinking about how I wish my super strong friend would rush in to save me.

  Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to end up frozen for eons. Just drifting somewhere, perhaps in interstellar or even intergalactic space. You’d unfreeze to find everything changed. Perhaps I wouldn't even be worthless anymore. Humanity could have degraded to a point where I was lauded as some genius.

  I start walking back towards my home, the largest tower in the city. Owned entirely by my father of course. Not that he ever bothers to come home, let alone back to this city.

  I am all alone, on this planet with billions of humans.

  No one would care if a worthless human like me were to just disappear, fading away as though I was never here.

  I enter my building and take the elevator up to the top floor, my house.

  I quickly rush to take off my clothes, only to let out a sneeze when I finally manage to get free. Oh great, my worthless self caught a cold. I quickly take medicine and feel it working its magic through me, doing who knows what to my body.

  I don't even deserve this medicine. Miracles of modern technology are wasted upon me. It would make far more sense for me to suffer for my ego in thinking I am worth anything.

  I shuffle into my room, my eyes dead and my face grim. I practically collapse into my link terminal.

  I go through all of my accounts. Games, contacts, social media. Even my school account. I delete everything. I block all communications.

  I enter the building controls and lock everyone out. Besides my father, who I can't lock out. Not that it matters, I won't see him for another year at the least.

  I pursue the internet and try to find any mention of me. It's rare, but I am only ever mentioned in reference to my father or Ray.

  ‘The boy who follows the greats around’

  That's basically my entire reputation. No one thinks of me as anything but an accessory. I make others look fancy and cool, like they are doing some charity work by merely keeping me around.

  I found a few pictures that Ray posted. She looks so beautiful and fancy, touring some prestigious university. The halls are made out of marble, pairing well with her platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.

  It fits her.

  I could never actually belong anywhere near her. We are basically completely different species. Her – perfect, stunning, flawless, smart – and me – worthless, ugly, flawed and uninspired.

  I drop out of the link and crawl up into a ball on my bed.

  I try to fade away.

  I am no one, nothing. No one will notice or care if I just vanish. I will be like a single spec of dust floating through an opulent palace. Just worthless, nothing, something to be swept under a rug and forgotten for eons.

  I reminisce about the good times. Adventuring with Ray. Going to the moon, Pluto, Venus.

  I remember that time when she nearly drowned in the Venusian oceans, all due to a foot cramp. Even after nearly dying, she managed to be fantastic in every way.

  Meanwhile I just sit on the sidelines, helpless as I can do nothing but ask for others to help. I just sit, worthless, as my only friend is in danger, too afraid to do anything more.

  I am worthless.

  Maybe some day, I could've become something. I found some talent that I'm actually good at. But, that's hoping for the impossible.

  I open my eyes and stare out the window. The city comes to life as the sun rises into the sky, casting its brilliant and all powerful light over humanity. Meanwhile, I shelter in the darkness of my bedroom, far away from anything considered brilliant.

  The worthless son of humanity’s greatest inventor.

  Kovon Ducker.

  That's my name. No one knows it, only knowing me as ‘the guy that hangs around excellent people.’

  I remember something that Ray and I’s childhood idol, Kek, used to say.

  ‘It is not one’s worth that determines their value.’

  What a load of klackery. Pandering to all the worthless people that were stuck watching them, wasting their lives away with no meaningful talents. Just like me.

  It makes sense why they fell from grace. After all, worthless people can't possibly prop up someone. We are by definition, incapable of doing anything.

  I'm sure reality has a whole load of nothing planned for me. Just one worthless guy, alone amongst an endless sea of talented people.

  At this point, a hero would probably say something like ‘bring it on.’

  Too bad I'm no hero. I'm just a worthless puppy, clinging on to my betters. Hoping that someone will recognize me as something worth their time.

  In the end, I'm no hero. Just a worthless piece of junk.

  I am truly worthless. It's far better if everyone simply doesn't interact with me. Forgets that I exist entirely. I am not worthy of them, so I will remove myself from their presence.

  After all, I am just Kovon Ducker, a worthless piece of trash.

  End of Chapter 118

  Next: Chapter 119 | Reconstruction

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