RIKKI
January 11, 2014 10:30 a.m.
“Here we are guys, the Edina Animal Shelter,” said Bailey. Then the girls saw a yellow Camaro pull up next to Bailey’s green Mustang.
“Hey, it’s the guys!” exclaimed Lacey. “But what are they doing here?”
“Maybe they’re here for the same reason we are,” I suggested. “Hey, Kade!”
“Hey, Rikki! What are you guys doing here?” he asked.
“We came to see if Scooby-Doo is ready to be adopted,” I said.
“That’s why we’re here, too. I was going to adopt the dog,” said Kade.
“That’s what I was going to do, too,” I said.
“Maybe we could share the dog,” suggested Kade.
“Yeah, that would work. You could keep him one week and then I could keep him the next,” I said.
“That’s just what I was thinking,” Kade smiled as he walked over to me and put his arm around me. “Let’s go see if we can adopt our dog.”
“I like the sound of that word,” I said as I leaned my head on Kade’s shoulder and looked up at him.
“What, ‘adopt’?” Kade asked, sounding confused.
“No, ‘our,’” I replied with a smile.
“You know what, I like it too,” Kade said as he leaned in to kiss me. One of our friends coughed in the background, and we pulled apart. “I guess we should probably go do what we came here for.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” I replied as we started walking to the door.
When we got inside, I went up to the lady at the front desk and said, “A few months ago or so, a big dog came here for therapy. Is it ready to be adopted yet or not?”
“Are you talking about the dog that looks like Scooby-Doo?” the receptionist asked.
“Yeah, that’s the dog,” replied Kade.
“Yes, that dog was just approved to be adopted today. Were you interested in adopting it?” asked the lady.
“Yes, we were. Could we do that?” I asked.
“Yes, you could. I’ll just grab you the papers to fill out, and then I’ll go get your new dog,” the lady said with a smile as she pulled out a pile of papers and handed them to us.
Kade and I began to fill out the papers while our friends wandered around the waiting room. “So, Rikki, can you tell us something about Kade that nobody else knows?” asked Zayn, trying to cause problems.
Of course I knew things about Kade that nobody else knew, but I wasn’t about to say any of them out loud. “Um, he snores really loudly when he sleeps?” I suggested. Everyone just laughed, but nobody asked a question like that again.
A few minutes later, Kade and I had finished all of the paperwork. The kind lady walked up out of the back with the Great Dane of a teal colored leash. The dog still had its teal collar on like before. “Here’s your new dog,” the receptionist lady said with a smile.
“Thanks,” Kade and I said together. Then our friends and we left the shelter.
“Hey, guys,” said Kade. “Do you want to catch a ride with Bailey? I kind-of want to just give Rikki a ride home.”
“I’d be fine with that,” said Bailey.
“Wait a second, but Bailey only had five seats in her car,” said Taylor. Then everyone stared at Zayn while Zayn looked confused. Finally, he figured it out.
“Aww man, are you guys gonna make me go in the trunk again?” moaned Zayn.
“Yup,” said Lance. “Now get in there.”
“Dang it, guys, I should just walk home,” said Zayn.
“Whatever you do, Bailey, don’t open the trunk if the cop stops you, okay?” I said.
“Okay,” replied Bailey with a smile. “Now you two behave.”
“We will,” I said with an eyeroll as I climbed into Kade’s car. Kade put the dog in the backseat before climbing into the driver’s seat.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yup,” I replied as I cranked up the radio.
“So what do you think we should name him?” I asked, even though I already had a good idea of what Kade was going to say.
“Well, don’t you think it’s obvious? Let’s name him Scooby-Doo. That's what we've been calling him this whole time, anyway,” Kade said pointedly. At the sound of his new name, Scooby howled in delight.
“I guess it’s settled then,” I said. “We’ll call him Scooby-Doo.”
“So I guess all that’s left to talk about is who’s going to take him home first,” said Kade.
“You can take him the first week,” I said.
“Are you sure?” asked Kade. “Because you can take him home today if you really want to.”
“No, you can take him. I’m sure of it,” I replied.
“I can’t wait until we don’t have to worry about this anymore,” said Kade. “When we don’t have to worry about sharing things or seeing each other enough.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, I know it’s way too soon to be talking about this, but I think both you and I know that it’s going to happen. I’m talking about when we’re married,” explained Kade.
“Oh,” I said, realizing what he meant. “I see what you mean. I can't wait until then, either. I don't care how long I have to wait, I just want to be with you.”
Kade smiled and said, “I seriously just love you so much. I know I’ve said it a lot, but even if I say it a million times more, it’ll never be enough. I love you, I love you, I love you.”
“Pull over,” I said.
“What?” Kade asked.
“Just pull over or park or something,” I said again. Kade did so and then looked over at me confusedly. I just unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned over to kiss Kade. He was surprised, but he kissed me back and wrapped his arms around me in order to pull me closer to him. It was a little awkward, kissing in a car, but we made it work. After we were both out of breath, we pulled back.
"I love you," I whispered as I leaned my forehead against his.
"I love you, too," Kade whispered back. "I should probably get you home now."
"Yeah, that might be a good idea," I laughed. Then he put the car in gear and backed out of the parking space. After a few minutes, I was home. "I'll see you later then?" I asked Kade.
"Definitely," he replied with a smile before he leaned in to give me a quick peck on the lips.
"Thanks for the ride," I said as I got out of the car.
"Anytime," Kade replied with a smile. Then he waved and pulled out of my driveway.