Annoying Adam

Working With A Bandit

I paused, half in terror, half in wonder.

I got a puppy! And it was adorable and fluffy and-

And licking my face. Again.

I set the box down, where the puppy immediately started to whine and try to escape. I looked at Adam and pointed to the puppy.

"Explain why you got me this little ball of doom," I deadpanned.

He chuckled nervously, as if I were about to explode and kill him. Which I might have. "Well, you see, the thing is, I-okay, you know what? You need some happiness in your life. And this puppy is just what the doctor called for."

I narrowed my eyes. "This puppy is going to suck up all of the money I have. Do you even know the kind of dedication a puppy takes?"

I watched him, giving him my death glare. He started to back up, then turned tail and ran, leaped over the balcony and landed neatly on his, then opened his door and closed it, all within approximately two seconds. I think he locked his door too.

I allowed my self a deep sigh, then looked down at the little ball of fur that was trying to eat its own tail. I rolled my eyes and walked downstairs.

I grabbed newspaper, some old towels, and a rope. I walked back upstairs and rolled my eyes again.

The puppy had rolled over the box and escaped to the bathroom, where he was in the process of trying to crawl into the bathtub. I picked him up, when I noticed he had something in his mouth. I opened his mouth, then decided to start his training. I let him close his mouth, and he fixed me with a scowl.

"Drop it," I said to him sternly. I waved a towel in front of his face, and he dropped it immediately, reaching forward to gnaw on the towel.

"Drop it," I repeated, and he let go, although he looked kind of sad. I gave him a pet, then set him in the bathtub. I doubt he could escape from there. He scrambled a little bit on the slickness before falling on his butt and staying there, letting out small, quiet whimpers every now and then.

Meanwhile, I spread out the towels in the cardboard box (which I had tipped onto its side by my bed) and spread out some newspapers in the bathroom. After a little bit, I cursed Adam out, then walked out onto the balcony.

"Adam!" I yelled to him.

I heard something unlock, then his head cautiously poked out.

"Yes?" he asked.

I gave him my best glare. "When you bought this thing, did you buy dog food, bowls, a collar, and a leash? As well as pay the first vet bills, shampoo, conditioner, or anything else?"

He looked sheepish, as he should. "Well, I think I have some bowls, dog bowls, and I bought some puppy food, but no, I-uh, didn't buy the collar or leash, or any of that other stuff..." He trailed off, and I decided to help put him out of his misery.

"Well, then, I need that right now. He seems hungry, and I need to get out some water for him. Those are metal bowls, right?" The last thing I needed right then was a teething puppy to start chewing on a plastic bowl and choke to death on a ripped off piece of plastic.

He nodded and went back into his room, then came back out, hefting a bag of (what I hoped was) puppy chow and two metal bowls. He carefully sent the bag of dog food over, then handed me the two bowls.

We got really close during the last exchange, and what I wanted more than anything was to close the space between us and ki-hit him. But I restrained myself. He had set a leech on my money, and I was angry at him for that. I turned my back on him and marched right back indoors, locked my balcony door, closed the blinds, and sighed.