I don't see dead people, I see people die. That just sucks...

I don't see dead people . . . Chapter 9

Chapter 9

                When we finally got to LA, Evan got dropped off first, then Eddie, then me and Nate, since we lived next door to each other.  "Bye, guys!  See you next Monday!" I said as we got out and took our bags and tents from the trunk.  Thankfully, Derek was going to a college campus that was pretty close to the high school, so we'd see him, too.

                "I'll see you later, Nate.  I have to assure my parents that I'm not dead."  They sent me literally two-hundred texts and voicemails but, since there was no service, I didn't get any of them until later on, and I didn't feel like dealing with them while I was in the car with my friends.

                He laughed.  "'K. By the way, I'm gonna get you back for messing with my phone."

                I smiled.  "You always do."  With that, I walked up the steps on my porch and unlocked the door with my house key.  My dad worked a lot, and though my mom's car was in the driveway, she went out a lot with her friends to the spa or shopping.  They were good parents, though, and they were always there for me when I needed them.

                As soon as the door was open, I was attacked.

                "Whoa, Skip!  Calm down," I laughed, as my dog jumped on me and licked my face like crazy.  Skip was the golden retriever my parents surprised me with when we first moved here.  I named him 'Skipper' because when we got him, his leg was broken, and it looked like he was skipping when he tried to walk or run.

                Following behind him were his two puppies, Snowball and Angel.  About two and a half months ago, Skip got one of our neighbors' Labradors pregnant, and they couldn't keep the puppies, so we took two of them.  Unfortunately, the other three got sold since we couldn't take care of all five.  We had Skip neutered right after that, much to his disappointment.

                I went inside, put my bags down on the floor, and shut the door behind me so they didn't try to go outside.  Their muddy footprints were not something I wanted to clean up later.  "Hey, guys!  I missed you!" I said when they tried to climb up my legs.  Sitting on the hardwood floor, I scratched their heads and played with them, letting them jump all over me and lick me.  I needed a shower anyway.

                Snowball was very hyper and troublesome, and she had lighter fur from her mother.  Angel, on the other hand, was very calm and liked to be pet and cuddled a lot.  Her fur was darker and had more of an orange tint that she got from Skip.

                "Michelle, sweetie, is that you?" Mom called from somewhere upstairs.

                "Yeah, Mom, I just got back!" I shouted so she could hear me.

                "I'll be right down!  Can you feed the dogs for me?"

                "Sure thing!" I called back.  Then I asked the dogs in a baby voice, "Are you guys hungry?" as I stood up and went to the kitchen.  We had three separate bowls for them because when we tried letting them share one, they fought over it and got dog food all over the kitchen floor.

                "Hi, sweetie," my mom said, smiling, as she walked in the kitchen.  She embraced me in a hug, making me feel super short, before she let go and kissed me on the cheek.  I was a pretty average 5'5", but both my parents were almost 6'0".  They were also very affectionate.  "Did you guys have fun?"

                "Yeah, tons."

                "Why didn't you answer your phone?  I was worried sick!"