Dog Days

14 ~ surprise guest

WANDERING IN THE PARK WITH MAX REMINDED ME WHY I LOVED THE SINGLE LIFE.

I didn't have to live up to anyone's expectations, I didn't need to remember the important days or make surprises. I was free of drama, jealousy, and the feeling of unworthiness. Besides, I didn't have time for a girlfriend with my hectic schedule. The older I got the more will to freedom surrounded me. Commitment started to feel like a taboo, a scary word that I didn't want to hear for the rest of my life.

When we arrived home, I first gave Max's meal and got myself a bowl of cereal since I couldn't bother to cook. Nick would normally come to watch baseball on Saturdays, but our plans started to waver since Sarah appeared in the picture. I was happy for him; he found himself a nice girl and he was living the best of his life. However, this also made me realize I was actually alone without him—I didn't have anyone else to call and invite over.

Plopping on my large couch, I grabbed my phone and scrolled down my contacts to find myself a friend to call. My eyes tugged at several names, but none of them intrigued me for a call. When I passed Derek Chun, Kara registered into my mind in an uninvited moment. 

Did they meet today? 

I shook the thought away but my thoughts still revolved around her, moving into a more interesting side of the story: the source of her hatred.

I opened Instagram and searched for her name. Her profile was private with five posts, twenty followings, and fifty followers. 

Who are you, Kara? 

I googled her name and scrolled the results. Since she wasn't the only Kara Bennett in the world, the results weren't so pleasing. However, I discovered her obsolete MySpace account. Her theme song was Wake Me Up When September Ends. Cute. There wasn't much to see but it surprised me that she was from Northampton.

We hadn't conversed properly so it was valid that she hadn't mentioned her past. She was from my hometown. I noted to ask her about this later. Northampton wasn't that small, but we may have crossed paths. Wait, Mila might know her?

I opened Messages to text Mila, but the door stopped me. Putting my phone aside, I went to answer the door. 

"Nick," I said, not bothering to hide my astonishment. "You said you're not coming."

"Sarah had an emergency," he said as he made his way into the parlor and threw himself on the sofa. He zapped through the channels with the clicker and stopped at a baseball game. I sat beside him with a smile as he turned at me. "Got beer?" I nodded. "Can you be a good host and bring me one?"

"No."

Nick sighed and went to grab two cans of beer from the fridge. 

I checked my phone and by the time he was back, I happened to be shutting the windows and he saw Kara's Myspace profile open. He passed me one of the cans and settled on the sofa. "You're pushy," he said out of nowhere. It didn't take me long to understand what he was on about.

I cast a glance at Nick and put my can on the coffee table. No matter how many times I'd tried to shut the topic off, he kept saying that I should stop bothering Kara like her advocate. I already explained to him a dozen times that she hated me for no reason and I was keen on finding what pissed her off about me. "She hates me."

"So, what?"

"Nick," I sighed. "I'm tired of explaining. If you want to play the perfect boyfriend, go for it but taking her best friend's side over me is cheap, man."

That made him pause for a second but didn't completely waver him from the subject. "I'm not taking sides. I'm trying to have your back. You looked desperate trying to go on a date with her. Drop the act and say it: do you like Kara?"

"Fuck. What? No." I let out a breathy laugh. "I don't." He gazed at me with a frown. "Come on, I don't even know her enough." 

He opened his mouth to protest but my ringtone came to my rescue: Darth Vader. My screen lit up with Mila's beaming face.

"Austin!" Her voice came off too cheerful for a drastic Saturday night—well, not all of us were single, losers, and spent our night with our demanding friend. "What's up?"

"Fine, Mila," I said with a tone that didn't match her enthusiasm. "We're hanging out with Nick. He says hi,"—Nick gave me a nod—"where are you? It's loud."

"Out with friends from college. We are celebrating the end of our finals." She sighed. "Speaking of it, I know I promised you I'd visit you soon and I swear I planned to visit you this weekend but there's a change in plans. I have to stay here for another week, maybe a bit more."

"So, you're saying you lost the dare?"

"You said as soon as possible." I laughed. "I'm trying, brother. Jared says hi, by the way."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of her boyfriend. "Yeah, whatever."

As if I didn't just say that, she passed my nonexistent greeting to Jared. "Oh, by the way, I can't come but I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Nick tilted his head from his screen and frowned. "What surprise?"

"Must be there soon," she murmured. "Just wait." The door rang. Did she send me something? She must have heard the ring because she chuckled soon after. "Have fun, Austin."

Once I ended the call and put the phone aside, Nick turned to me. "Who's that?"

"I don't know. Mila's surprise." We both rose up and walked to the door in sheer curiosity. A range of possibilities was swimming in my mind in the meantime but none of them made sense. What could she have sent me to make up for her absence?

I opened the door with a sigh but froze as my eyes landed on the person. The person that called me once every month and complained about me not visiting. Mila, what did you do? "Mom. What are you doing here?"

Hello!

Please let me know your thoughts. We are getting somewhere, I promise.

Leave an emoji here that defines how you feel about Mila.

Love,

Sev xx