Spoiler
This short story is based on the premise of "An Administrator at the top of a brain groaning at a bad pun"
The question blared out over the neuron communicator: “Shall I initiate the conversation?” The administrator sighed. These lackeys in the speech division, they couldn’t pick their nose without first asking him his advice! He pressed the communication button.
“Yes, initiate, and what is more, I would like you to take a joke-y, informal, but yet mature tone to this conversation please.” He thought it best to instruct them clearly in this matter, for these sorts of conversations- conversations with girls! - were of a delicate nature. It was on days like these where he had to remind himself that to hold the position of the Administrator of the Cerebrum of the Boy named James (the most important part of the brain no less!) was an honour, and one that he should be grateful for.
He checked his screen, upon which he could view a direct stream from the eyes, and turned the sound of the conversation up, so he could properly monitor the conversation. Normally he would not have bothered to pay that close attention to a conversation, but this was special, this involved a girl, and they did not want to lose this one- she was a real catch- above and beyond the boy’s standing. His superiors at the Head Office of the Boy Named James would not be happy if he allowed her to get away. He tuned into the conversation.
“…And I was saying to my friend Shelly, there is no way I am hot enough to enter into that fashion show” the girl- Ruby- was saying.
“Nahh, I reckon that you would get in easy” James drawled. The administrator allowed himself a small smile. Finally, the speech division had got something right, mastering the reply, not too keen to sound weird, but keen enough to make a good impression on the girl.
“Awe thanks! You are so cute James” Shelly beamed at him. The Administrator noticed on the expression-o graph that the expression division had made James grimace. Good work, he thought, the last thing we want James being called is cute! He noticed that she was speaking again;
“So if I do enter into this fashion, I err…well, was wondering- would you like to come?” she said, all pretty smiles. James’ face lit up (top marks again to the expression division the Administrator thought).
“Oh yeah, of course, that sounds pretty cool to me, I would love to come” said James, positively beaming. Hmmm, thought the Administrator, probably a bit too keen from the speech division for his liking. He would have liked to have shown a bit of consideration first, regardless of how excited James seemed to be by it. The rest of the people in his office cared not a jot though, and were high fiving and cheering each other- there would be some sort of party later no doubt! James continued to talk;
“Oh yeah, that reminds me – I got a funny fashion joke, want to hear it?” The administrator frowned- cracking jokes was a risky business indeed! He hoped the speech division knew what they were doing. He doubted they did.
“Oh yeah okay then, go for it” smirked Shelly, as if she knew what was about to come.
“Did you hear about the man who put on a pair of clean socks every day?” Began James, confidently “By the end of the week he couldn't get his shoes on!” The administrator groaned loudly, as did the rest of the Office of the Cerebrum- it was a bad joke, make no mistake! Shelly seemed to feel the same way, and just kept smirking in reply. The administrator felt, rather than saw James’ face redden in embarrassment at the very bad pun. The Administrator’s annoyance quickly turned into anger, and he got straight on the neuron phone to the speech division.
“I’m sorry, but what the **** was that may I ask?!” he shouted down the link. “We both know only to attempt puns rarely, and when you do, only when they are actually funny ones!”
“We thought it was actually a quite funny one-liner, and it was about fashion!” protested the Head of the Speech Division, albeit sheepishly. It appeared to observers that the Administrator almost visibly swelled up in rage at this.
“FUNNY? I have never heard a more unfunny pun in my entire life, you may have just ruined our chances with the DELIGHTFUL SHELLY” he continued to roar down the line “And WHAT’S MORE I will be RECCOMENDING a change of post in your CURRENT POSITION, to someone much more COMPETENT than YOU!”
“But-” the Head of the Speech Division, Rory was his name, never got a chance to finish, as the Administrator had already cut the connection.
He turned back to the conversation, fearing the worst. It was as he had expected- the conversation was dying and Shelly looked like she was about to make her apologies and leave. The problem was that neither James, nor anyone else who controlled his brain, was able to effectively recover after such a bad pun, and the conversation reflected that.
The Administrator’s day was well and truly ruined. The head’s at the Main Office of the Brain of the Boy Named James would already be formulating something snide and gloating to say at him, as they always had had it in for him, he reckoned. What’s more, he felt sorry for James, and everyone else involved with the boy’s brain, as Shelly was a lovely girl and they had wasted a perfectly good opportunity to get to know her.
Still, there would hopefully be other opportunities, he reflected somewhat gloomily. It was on days such as these where he had to remind himself more than usual that his position was an honour, and he should be proud of it. He didn’t feel too proud at that moment.
--and generally the dialogue was very interesting! I like your style of writing. Your use of long sentences gave the story a calm vibe to me, which I didn't mind. 