“The Snowball Dance will be on the Friday the 23rd. Tickets will be sold that week. Make sure to get some for you and your date!” The announcements clicked off and I slouched back in my seat tapping my pencil lightly against my desk. I seemed to be the only one in my group of friends that didn’t have a boyfriend. I looked over at Mary as she sat holding hands with Harold, Jane was sitting next to me texting Jerome, and I could bet that Sylvia and John were doing the same.
“Hey, I’m sure somebody will ask you.” Jane said nudging me gently noticing how upset I was. I put on a fake smile, Jane only shook her head knowing exactly how fake it was, and closed her phone wrapping her arms around me.
“I’ll make sure to save a dance for if not.” Jane said.
“With you’re two left feet? I’ll pass.” Jane only laughed because we both knew she was a good dancer. It was Sylvia who had the two left feet, but it seemed like John had two right feet, so they made up for each other. People seemed to think I was untouchable because in seventh grade my boyfriend who I dated for only two months died in a car accident. Truthfully, I hadn’t been traumatized by the experience, sad, but I barely knew the kid. What we had was nothing special, but since he had been the most popular kid at the time people thought it affected me so much. Deaths are sad, but you move on.
“Don’t blame it on George.” Jane said noticing my thinking expression, when my eyebrows scrunched together, my lips pursed, and my nose scrunched.
“I’m not blaming it on anybody. Just the fact that people can’t get over the fact that I had been his girlfriend when he died bothers me.”
“Hush.” Ms.Andy said eyeing us. “Study hall is for working not talking.”
“I’m sorry Ms.Andy. I was just thinking about my dead boyfriend.” I said putting on an act. Ms.Andy immediately shut up and looked down at her papers her face turning red.
“That’s not going to help you any.” Jane said laughing.
“Get’s us to talk.” I always used the dead boyfriend excuse on substitutes because they didn’t know how long ago it had been, so they thought he had just recently died. I was a good actor.
“Hey, you want to come with us to the movies?” Mary asked rubbing Harold’s hand with her thumb. I managed to pull my eyes away from them and looking at my group of friends as they all clung to each other.
“No thanks, I have to do some Christmas shopping.” I used to have Mary be a loner with me, but just a two weeks ago Mary and Harold started dating and they were already getting close. Now I just felt like the 7th wheel. I waved goodbye to them as I climbed into my bug throwing my book bag across the seat. I had just got my license last summer, I was the oldest kid in 11th grade. Turning 17 on Christmas. Lucky me, not really. My family, besides my grandma, always got me Christmas oriented gifts for my birthday, or just got me one gift in general for my birthday and Christmas. It was a rip off.
I headed down to the mall, which was an hour away, and headed right for the electronic game store for my little brother and dad. They were both obsessed with Xbox and were constantly feuding over the T.V. My mother died when I was three, so I didn’t have any memories of her. When I managed to get my own job, my father was able to take some time off of work, but I was stuck getting the “big” presents for my dad. My dad got the “big” presents for Owen and me. Soon Owen would be fifteen and old enough to get his own job and help support the family. At this moment though, I was currently unemployed. The restaurant I worked at got shut down, and nothing local was hiring.
I had already done most of the Christmas shopping on Black Friday, but I still needed a few small things to put under the tree. In which I made a mental note to remind my dad they we needed to go get one. He had promised that this year we would get it more than a week in advance to Christmas. Last year we ended up getting a small, scraggly tree, with barely any green on it.
The next store I had to go to was the pet store to get some toys for Rascal, Owen’s golden retriever. As soon as I entered the store somebody ran past me.
“Dog on the loose!” The boy yelled running down the place. I looked the other direction to see a dog running in the complete oppisate direction. People just watched as it ran by, but nobody attempted to catch it. I started running after the dog not wanting it to get loose. People whistled at me as I ran down the way. Somebody opened the door and I ran outside into the cold snowy air.
My boots had barely any traction on them and I was slipping everywhere while I ran, but I had to catch the puppy. Finally he squatted to relieve himself on a car tire. I slowed down coming to a halt, and I saw the boy on the other side of the dog. Behind the boy was where the parking lot area was the busiest. So he headed off in that direction on purpose, to block the puppy from getting hit. He put his hands to his lips as if to motion to be silent and I slowly crept up behind the puppy. He was looking at me. I started to lunge for him but I fell into the snow face first. I saw the puppy run the other way and right into the boys arms, as he attached a leash to the puppy.
I pulled myself up from the ground feeling completely embarrassed. My whole front was soaked.
“Leo.” The boy said nodding his head. He certainly looked like a Leo. Leo-lion, his hair was the exact color of a lions mane and he was tall.
“Holly.” I said with a smile. I didn’t know if I wanted to go back inside like this. I could always come back tomorrow.
“If you’re willing you just got yourself a job.” The boy said his smile growing. Mine grew with his.
“Tell me the hours, pay, and if I can start today and I’m in.” I wanted to start today because Leo was wearing a outfit that all the workers had to wear. If I could start today I could get out of these cold, snow filled clothes.”
“That, you’ll have to ask my manager. So you’re going to have to come in.” The husky pounced around in the snow as we headed inside.
“You wouldn’t happen to want a dog would you?”
“Not a puppy, although I’ve always had a soft spot for huskies.” The puppy dug his nose into the snow as he walked then scooped it up quickly flinging it into the air. No, not a puppy. Rascal was hard enough to take care of. Some of his bad habits were still there.
“Well, perfect. The mother of this little puppy is mine, but because we’re moving we can’t keep her. The house were renting says no pets. You can have her for free.” We were heading inside now and people stared at me in my wet clothes and Leo walking with the puppy like it was allowed.
“Are you serious?” My father always said I could have a dog when I wanted, but I always said no because of the price of how expensive they were.
“Totally. She’s actually in the back room if you want to see her.” My excitement was getting up. I felt like a little kid on Christmas. I had always wanted a husky. Now just if she was really friendly it would be perfect.
We headed in the door and a husky sat there looking at me intently.
“Come her Snow.” Leo called over to her. She came over sniffing her puppy before rubbing up again Leo. I placed my hand out for her to smell. She smelled my hand and looked at me with a tilted head before coming up to my rubbing her head against my body.
“She’s perfect.”
