First Love

It was the hottest day of the year. I was walking home from school after another day of being bullied. Anxious, depressed, in 100° weather. What more could I ask for? Just a loner with one friend… Oh yeah, and my period just started. I can feel my pad falling down my leg. I was supposed to drive home with my other “friends”, but they ditched me. Every year, they pick someone to leave, and of course, today, of all days, they pick me. Figures. I was running after the car while they laughed at me. What a joke. It’s so hot that the sweat is dripping down my face. My clothes feel damp. It’s so humid that my fingers are sticky. My shirt is stuck to my wet body. There’s a swarm of bugs that keep following me. Suddenly, I hear a slight cry from the bushes. When I check, I see a little puppy! All alone, looking at me with bright brown eyes. He’s panting. I take out my water bottle, and he drinks it. Do I take him or not? I need to flip a coin. I don’t know what to do. I can’t just leave him. There’s no way he can survive in this heat. So, I pick him up and wrap him in my sweatshirt. I walk the rest of the way home and peek into the window to make sure no one sees. Then I go right up to my room.

“Hi, honey!” My mom calls from the kitchen. “How was your day?”

“Good!” I yell as I put Cuddles down. That’s his new name.

I pull out a cup and fill it with water. He gulps it down in a minute. It’s so hot my room’s AC won’t even go on. He lets out another cry. I hear footsteps approaching my room. I quickly hide him under my bed behind my stuffed animal. I see the doorknob turning, and I start to sweat. My mom trots in.

“What do you want for dinner?”

He lets out another cry.

“A-chu!” I fake sneeze.

“Bless you!” My mom laughs.

“Just pizza. I have a lot of homework, so I’m gonna be in my room all night.” I say, twiddling my thumbs.

“Okay, honey! I’ll call you when it’s ready.

She leaves. I hear her walk down the steps. Phew! I think to myself. I jump down and look under my bed.

“I need to take you for a walk!” I say as I grab him and wrap him in my sweatshirt. I walk down the steps and yell, “I’m gonna go for a walk!”

“Okay, sweetie!” My mom yells back.

I quickly walk to the side of the house and take Cuddles out. He sits down in the wet grass and rolls on his stomach. I pet him as I see a car drive by.

“Piper! Who’s that?” My best friend, Mila, yells from the car.

Her parents just got divorced and she hasn’t seen her dad in months. I’ve been her on-call therapist.

“Shhh! My mom can’t see!” I walk up to the car holding Cuddles in my arms. “I found him walking down from school…”

“Did you get a new puppy?” Her mom asks.

“No, Mrs. Smith, we’re just dog sitting,” I say with a smile.

They drive away, and I walk back inside to my room. I pull out my homework and start working. I don’t understand it. What else is new? He starts to fall asleep in my sweatshirt. I check the hallway to see if anyone’s there. I open my brother’s door and see him with a girl.

“Kyle!” I yell. “Seriously?”

Ew! That’s the 5th one this month!

“Dinner’s here!” My mom calls from downstairs.

Uh oh. What am I gonna do with Cuddles? I quickly put him under my bed with a blanket. It’s margarita pizza again. I rush downstairs and gobble down a slice before I go back up. He’s still sleeping on my bed. I finish my homework, then go on my phone. What is he gonna eat? I go down to the kitchen and find some old bird food. I hope it’s safe. I bring it upstairs on a paper plate, and he walks over to eat it.

“Good boy, Cuddles,” I whisper.

The day turns to night, and it’s time for me to shower. My mom is already in bed. And my brother’s asleep. I take him into the bathroom with me, and he sits on the rug. After the shower, he starts to fall asleep, so I bring him back into my room and put him in my closet with a cracked door. That night, he gets up at 3 am, so I sneak downstairs to take him for a walk. It’s dark and empty outside. You can hear every animal making their noise. When we come back, he looks at me with those cute eyes. I must let him sleep in my bed.

Beep, beep beep! That’s my alarm. It’s the morning. I set it an hour early so I could take Cuddles out. You know the drill: sweatshirt, shoes, out the door. I tiptoe past my brother’s room, so I don’t wake him. If I did, he’d be the biggest bully in my life. Right when I get to the door, I hear..

“Where are you going?” It’s my mom. She’s sitting in the kitchen.

“Um… I’m just going for another walk.”

Her eyebrow raises.

“This early?”

“Yeah, I want to get an early start. Bye!” I say, swiftly shutting the door behind me.

Same routine. Walk Cuddles, go inside, go to school. Shoot! School? I didn’t think about that! What am I gonna do now?! That’s it. I’m pretending to be sick. He finishes going, and I scoop him back up into my sweatshirt. Then walk back to my house. Good. She’s gone. I walk up the steps, put him under my bed, and lie down.

“Mom!” I yell out.

“Yes, dear.”

“I’m not feeling too good. I think I need to stay home.”

“What’s wrong?”

“My throat’s hurting really bad, and I have a headache.”

“Oh dear. Sure, honey, I’ll make you some tea.” Ruff!

“A-chu!” I’m getting pretty good at these fake sneezes.

She leaves. It’s time for me to fake a fever. I check on Cuddles, then get a thermometer and run it under hot water.

“Mom! I think I have a fever…”

“Coming, sweetie!” She says as she rushes in.

“Oh dear.” She says as she looks at the 100.

“I know.”

“Get some rest, your tea's almost done, and I’ll make some soup.” She leaves. I check under my bed for Cuddles. He’s gone. I start frantically looking everywhere. I throw all my clothes off my bed, open drawers, closets, and pick up my blanket. Nowhere. He must’ve slipped out when I was faking the thermometer. I rush out of my room and down the hall. I stop by my brother’s room, but don’t see anything. I make my way to the laundry room with both doors open. Still nothing. I finally get to my mom’s room. There he is! But I forgot my sweatshirt. I grab him and put him under my shirt and race back to my room, slamming the door behind me.

“Are you thirsty?” I ask him, petting his soft fur.

I get out the cup from last time and fill it from my water bottle. He gulps it down per usual, and then I have this thought. What if someone’s out there looking for him? Have I taken someone’s dog? He doesn’t have any tags, but he could be microchipped. What if he just slipped out of someone’s backyard? Am I a dog thief? Gosh, I don’t know what to think now. I go onto my phone and search for missing dogs. I put in his size, color, and— breed? I think he’s a mix. I start scrolling through all the missing dogs and puppies. There are a few similar, but not near me. I hear someone walking towards my door, so I put Cuddles in my closet and jump in bed.

“What happened in here? It looks like a tornado came through!”

“Sorry, Mom, I lost my phone.”

“It’s okay. How are you feeling?”

“The same. I’ll just drink my tea, and you can check on me later.”

“Will do.” She says as she slowly shuts my door.

There I was, all alone, hottest day of the year, with a stolen puppy…