Repaying Her Blood

Chapter twenty: The kid genius

Marissa

My ginger cat loved to play tricks on me. He always meowed in one room, causing me to dash to it but he had always moved to another before I could even get a glimpse at his bright orange fur.

Frederick had been annoying me lately because of that, so I definitely needed a new cuddle buddy.

That was why I was standing starstruck in front of a white rabbit cage. I loved them all and I couldn't pick between them. They were just so cute.

"Difficult, isn't it?" A woman with brown, but greying hair, said. Her hair was held in a tight bun and had freckles dotted all over her cheeks.

"Yes, they're all just simply adorable!" I complained, pouting at the indecisive choice I had to make.

"So, what's your reason on getting a pet then? My daughters have been pestering me a for a while. Really they wanted a dog, but they know that they're father's allergic to their hairs," she told me, smiling kindly.

"Oh, well my cat isn't giving me much affection at the moment, so I thought, "Hey, why not get another pet?" Silly idea, I know, but my cat's always ignoring me."

The woman's eyes widened and she nodded briefly before bidding farewell. She must have found what she had been looking for. I certainly hadn't.

I huffed with irritation and exited the store. I couldn't choose. Plus, my parents would probably get angry at me if I bought a pet just like that, considering I hadn't told them.

"Marissa?" A voice called out as I was just about to turn away from the store and walk back home.

Spinning around to the owner of the voice, I spotted Madeline strolling towards me with a shopping bag in one hand and a Starbucks in the other.

She wore a red flannel shirt and denim blue shorts. Her glittery sandals glimmered in the sunlight whilst she beamed with friendliness and recognition.

"Madeline." I nodded, remembering what she had told me in the classroom the other day.

"So, what are you doing..." She glanced at the store I had just exited. "At the pet shop."

"Oh, just looking at all of the pets that I can't have," I replied. "Madeline, can I ask you something?"

She looked at me with curiosity and narrowed her eyes. "It depends on what you want to ask."

"Nothing too intruding. It's just the other day, in the art classroom, you spoke about getting texts that threatened to hurt your brother if you didn't ditch my sister. I was just wondering if you had those texts still..?" I trailed off, feeling instantly bad about bringing it up.

"I didn't delete them if that's what you're asking," she responded, slipping her phone out of her shorts' pocket.

Handing the phone to me after she had brought up the texts, I individually read them all.

"I didn't delete them just in case you would ask why I hurt your sister and I would need proof to support my reason," Madeline said, readjusting her shopping bag that dangled off her arm.

"I don't even know a person who can locate the texter's phone." I sighed hopelessly, slapping the phone into her palms.

A thoughtful expression crossed her face and she glimpsed at her watch before speaking,

"I know someone who can."

"Who?" I quickly asked.

"Some guy." She bit her lip, unsure whether to speak more.

I backed away from her slightly and pretended to be interested in the commotion between the mother and her whining child.
Madeline noticed my action and her eyes widened. "You'll regret insinuating that for sure."