seven parts of me [on hold]

don't be stupid

the second time.

(pt. III)

February 2012

I was practically shaking with excitement, even though my top was covered in splotches of mud. The small fluff of happiness was trotting along in front of me, occasionally tugging on the blue leash that I had picked up at the supermart before picking him up. Lucky for me, there was a nice animal shelter only a twenty minute cab ride from where River and I had been shopping.

The girl at the shelter was sweet, and had happiness scrubbed into her skin.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" the girl with the name Clover tattooed to her name tag asked me as I entered the establishment. The putrid smell of dirt filled my nostrils. I saw she had her hands wrapped around a midsized golden retriever, who had a top coat of damp earth.

"I'm looking for a birthday present for my cousin," I confessed, taking a look around. There was a homey feel here, even with the silvery metal encaging the animals that I could see peeking out from the back. I could practically hear the elated tails wagging from the moment the bell chimed when I entered.

Clover's eyes were intoxicated with glee. Even though her arms couldn't fully fit themselves around the animal she was wrestling to clean, she looked content. I wanted to ask her if she had to take her happy pills every day, or if she was just constantly at ease. I wasn't foolish, I knew that no one's life was fully consummate, but she wore her smile like a priceless accessory, worn and loved. I briefly wondered if she forgot it was there, like an old hand-me-down that one wore to remember a loved one. Always there, but never attention seeking, never demanding and always content.

"If you'd like, just go around back and take a looksee, I just have to finish up here-," she squealed as the dog interrupted her instructions by twisting out of her arms and jumpin up, so that its front legs were on her shoulders.

"Do you-," I paused. I often didn't take chances, opting to never speak to others my age, which wasn't hard, being homeschooled. I decided that Clover seemed nice enough, and decided to ask, "Would you like some help?"

Clover's mouth formed into a tight 'o' before nodding vigorously. "Are you sure? Yes, I mean, I'd love the help."

I smiled at her blushing face, and walked over to help wrangle the hyper pup.

I smiled when I thought of how much fun I had ended up having at the animal shelter. I learned the golden retriever's name was Rhino, and that her name wasn't Clover. It was a nickname given to her by someone who used to be her best friend. Everyone was used to her going by Clover, and since it wasn't a huge town, everyone obliged to addressing her as such. In the forty-five minutes I had learned a lot. She said that she tried to be a very happy person, and the only one who knew how to bring out the worst side of her was the nicknaming ex best friend.

He was her best friend from primary school until eigth grade, when he chose popularity over Clover Minx. His name wasn't disclosed, but his eye color was. "It's the color that you see right before you fall asleep, that split second where the sun's open and allow you to see a color unknown to the human eye. It's like a bit of melted sun dripped into his irises, and they'll put you under a trance." I could tell that Clover had put a lot of thought into this guy's eyes, and probably all other aspects of him. Her own ice green eyes lit up while talking about him, with a certain amount of passion. By the time I left, I was sure that this guy had a certain hold over Clover's subconscious, and I silently hoped that he fixed the mess he had created.

After we washed Rhino, Clover had helped me find the cutest puppy I'd ever seen. I wasn't good with breeds, but the top of him was black, and from his head, to nose, to underbelly was a strip of white, and his cheeks and paws were tan. He was small enough to hold, but Clover told me he would get big. He was hyper, often he'd twist himself up in the collar as I walked him back to Aunt Ana's. The party would be starting in fifteen minutes, and I was still a good twenty minute walk from the house.