Zoo // Louis Tomlinson

//2//

            Lydia’s P.O.V

            “C’mon you know at least one animal, don’t you Tyler?” I strained to keep my voice high and cheerful, the popsicle slowly melting into sticky orange pools around my hand.

            “No!” The little brunette boy screamed even louder, his hair sticking to his face in a sweaty tantrum.

            “You just need to say one animal Tyler, one, and you’re going to get your popsicle and you can go home with your mommy.” I gritted my teeth, the cheerful baby-fake tone of my voice was diminishing faster than the population of panda’s.

            “I don’t know any!” He screamed even louder, kicking his light-up shoes against the concrete repeatedly.

            “Fine. Then I guess you’re going to have to stay here.” I stood up from my kneeling position and wiped the dirt that had imbedded itself in my skin back onto the ground.

             I was so done with these damn toddlers and tours.

            “Tyler Bradley where have you been!” A shrill voice pierced the air and Tyler’s tantrum abruptly came to a halt as I snapped my head to the side and sighed deeply.

            The tall silhouette  of an incredibly blonde woman was outlined as she stormed quickly towards us. She was elevated nearly six inches off the ground in a pair of heels that looked far too expensive to bring to the Zoo, and her expression was less than pleased.

            “Where has he been?” She demanded, stepping over Tyler like he was the dog’s toy rather than a child. Her eyes were squinting at me as though she couldn’t make sense of a person and it took me an extra two seconds to even process the question.

            “He’s been right here obviously?” I raised my eyebrows, motioning down to make sure she’d seen him.

            “Why is he still here? Don’t tours end at three? It’s three-oh-four and my son is still here, did you ever maybe question that I had places to be?” The woman spouted out questions like she expected me to remember them, when the entire time I was just focusing on the fact that someone had slept with her.

            “Yeah, they end at three. Here’s his popsicle,” I drifted off in thoughts about why on Earth anyone would even think to create a child with this woman.

            “I don’t want his popsicle! Get up Tyler Bradley, get up right now or I swear to god-“

            “Is there a problem here?” The familiar, motherly voice of Cindy broke into the conversation, coming to stand right next to me as she observed the mother-son meltdown.

            “No problem at all, thank you for the tour with the Youth Group. Our church greatly appreciates your generosity, have a nice day.” The woman’s mood snapped just like that, making a complete 160 to a cheerful church-goer and not the flaming ball of crazy that had just displayed itself.

            “Have a nice day!” Cindy called after the mother, who was walking away with her son in tow just as quickly as she had came.

            “Bipolar.” I muttered, pulling one of my curls over my mouth in an attempt to hide the impending giggle.

            “Lydia.” Cindy scolded my under her breath, attempting to sound firm but the crinkles around her eyes told me she at least found it amusing.

            “Little brat, I see where he gets it from.” I continued to whine, throwing the popsicle into the garbage can in a lucky shot.

            “Besides saving you from what seems to be the hundredth child that doesn’t take well to your ‘sense of humor’-“ Cindy quoted the last bit with her fingers, rolling her eyes in half-hearted scorn. -“I need you to clean the Mammalia exhibit extra well tonight once you’re done with Nora.”

            “Extra well? Isn’t it just going to get dirty again? It’s not a Penthouse suite, they shit in it.” I informed her as if she didn’t already know. Continuing to scuff the concrete absentmindedly, still lost in thought.

            “It’s come down straight from the boss, I don’t know why but I’m sure you and I both would like to keep our jobs.” She patted me on the back before taking one look at her watch and waving goodbye to me.

            “See you tomorrow, Cin!” I called cheerfully after her, pushing my hands into the pockets of my shorts and walking down the familiar grassy path.

            It was a lot easier for me to take the muddy slopes down to the exhibit and risk falling on my ass and ruining my already dirty pants, than it would be for me to take the heavily travelled, man-made paths that were offered for regular tourists.

            It brought a certain sense of security rushing through my veins to be walking alone through the mossy, half wooded path. Like I was completely surrounded by my own tiny piece of heaven, breathing life into my thoughtless mind.

           My shoes endlessly pounded the stamp of humanity into the perfectly inhabited realm of my own. It was as terribly beautiful; as it was painfully sad to see the marks I’d left upon the soft Earth marring it like a bad scar.  

            I continued on the short path to Nora, completely unaware that I was caught in a cobweb of tree branches and my own skewed mind.

~~

A/N

Hey guys! Sorry it's such a short update but it is an early one at least? :) I find it quite hard to write a whole lot in one perspective at the beginning of a story without giving away a whole lot.

Super excited for the next update, and you all should know why! :)

Now I'm going to start a thing, and I hope it works out :) My favorite comment will get a dedication (that is if someone comments and I don't just embarrass myself by having the same three people being the only ones who update...)

Also, comment songs that remind you of this fanfic (even though it's early) and hopefully I'll be able to start an 8tracks!

Thanks for stickin around to read this if ya did!!! Give it a vote or a comment if you want.... :)

Next update: Wednesday Feburary, 12th

12 votes for an early update!