Welcome to Ohio

Four

A/N: IF YOURE SAD ABOUT ZEUS, DONT READ THIS FOR TWENTY YEARS. IM ALREADY CRYING AND IM NOT EVEN WRITING YET. I lost a dog like Zeus when I was in the sixth grade. Losing Zeus just reminded me of when I lost my best friend. He had parvo though...
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I sigh as I sit in the back of the car with Zeus, he puts his tennis ball in my lap and a sad smile makes it's way onto my face as I pet him. This poor guy. He probably has no idea what's going on. He's probably just as scared as we are, if not more.

"Is he alright?" I hear mom ask and I look up at her in the driver's seat as she drives to the vet.

"Yeah." I say before kissing Zeus on the head, giving him his ball.

"I don't know who'll take losing him the hardest. You or dad." Mom says and I sigh. I want to reprimand her for speaking such words, but I know that Zeus has about reached the end of his road. So instead of reprimanding my mother, I stay silent and purse my lips as Zeus looks at me with those eyes of his.

-

At the vet, I sit with mom and Kane with Zeus laying in front of me, and when Zeus is taken back, he refuses to go back without me, so I follow everyone back despite my plans to just sit in the waiting room and sob. I sit on the floor and just hug him, I sit on the floor and hug Zeus to make sure he's comfortable. When the vet comes in, I let go of Zeus and just curl up in the corner I was in, blocking out every word the vet spoke because I couldn't accept the fact that he was dying. Such a lively dog, such a loyal being, so close to leaving this world.

"Jules?" I hear mom ask as she sets a hand on my back and crouches in front of me. "Are you okay?" She asks and I look her in the eyes. I try to say yes, but no sound comes out, so I try to say no, but the same thing happens, so finally I try to say I don't know and I say exactly that.

"I don't know." I say and look to Zeus, who is wrapped in a tight hug from Kane, his ball still in his mouth.

"Well the vet said-"

"I don't want to know. If he isn't going to live, I don't want to know." I say and mom hugs me tight.

"Jules..."

"This is my fault, isn't it? I show up and everybody starts dying. Your grandpa, now Zeus. You should've left me in New Mexico. Where I wouldn't be ruining your family." I say, looking down at the shoes dad got me.

"Julie." I hear mom say as she softly cups my cheek, making me look back up at her. "Don't say that. It's just bad timing." Mom says, pulling me in for another tight hug.

-

When we get home from the vet, I help Zeus out of the car and let him go do his thing before going up to my room and locking myself in there. I grab a notebook and a pencil and sit on my bed. After a while of sitting in silence, I start writing, I start writing and I don't stop until there's a gentle bark at my door, so I get up and let Zeus into my room before locking the door again, he gets up on my bed and curls up in his usual spot while I continue writing, after a while, Zeus rests his head on my knee and I use my left hand to pet him as I continue to write. About an hour after Zeus came into my room, there's a soft knocking on my door that halts my writing.

"Go away." I mumble, my hand still on Zeus's head as he looks up at me.

"Jules. Come on. Come eat." Dad says and I sigh.