Before I Was Seen

First Friend

I knelt there, my hands on my knees, my face totally limp. I wasn't frowning, I wasn't smiling, I wasn't doing anything.

I was focused entirely on watching the boys in my class playing, kicking around a football.

I wanted to do that.

I wanted to get up there and play with people I could call my friends, with a bright smile on my face, and I wanted to do that every day.

I felt fur brush my arm. Was it even fur?

I turned my head to check the feeling, and there I saw him.

A cat.

His cream fur with spots of ginger, his big round eyes looking up at me, brightly, like a light was shone beneath them, shining through to me. But still...

I was scared.

I began to shake, and my body instinctively nudged slowly away, but he rubbed his back on me all the same, and he walked a circle around me, still purring and rubbing his back against me. His fur rubbing against me somehow calmed my panicking nerves, and I found myself growing warm, as if this small cat had hugged me.

After a full circle, he stopped himself a few feet away, by my side, and stood there, expectantly. It was like he was smiling at me.

So I reached for him.

I thought cats liked to be petted, but I hesitated, after all until just moments ago I was very fearful of this animal.

Then I felt my hand grow hot, a nice kind of hot, and I realized the pleasant feeling of soft fur. His head, he had volunteered his head to me.

I was amazed, and I gladly stroked him, as he purred joyfully.

I didn't even stop to think that people would see me there, wide eyed and glowing, petting a stray cat.

When I returned home that day, I laid in my bedroom, and it was as if this weight I had never even acknowledged was taken off my chest. And after hours of pondering what this carefree feeling could've been, I settled on it. This was the feeling of company, I had a bond.

That's when I decided.

I would go see that cat again.

So... That's what I did.

Every day after school, I'd go to where I first met him, by the playground. Every time I went, he was there, loyally, just like a friend.

After around a week of visiting my friend, I began to ask for an allowance from my Mother which she kindly gave me, and this money was promptly spent on gifts for my friend, food, toys.

I'd lay down a bowl for him, and when he had finished eating, if he wanted to, I'd play with him using a toy I had purchased. Whenever I went to see my friend, I was guaranteed a brilliant time. He couldn't answer back, but everything I told him, I felt heard, I felt understood.

Whenever I had a hard time, I ran to that spot, even when I wasn't actually allowed to leave the house, like past my bedtime. I never told my Mother that fact, obviously, she's the type to worry a lot, and there's the added factor she would likely be very frustrated at me for leaving without permission in the middle of the night. I just went to my friend whenever I was troubled.

And I was troubled often.

I'm running out of ideas at the moment, I'm not going to quit writing this, but chapters will probably be slow. Plus I'm thinking of starting a new fan fic. One that I actually plan ahead for a little, so I'm not stuck for ideas like I am right now. I wrote this chapter last week, I don't know why I haven't posted it until now lol. I think I saved it because past me wanted to write more. I'll probably add more to this specific chapter soon, at a later date, because I like the idea of this chapter more than the rest. This and the first chapter.

Also, thank you for 100+ reads total on this story!!^^ I wasn't expecting to get so many, wow! I wrote this for my own self indulgence so it's strange seeing so many people actually read this :)