Balto and Nikki - Young Love

17. Joy and Fear

Welcome back, my friends. We hope you are all doing well.

An old German adage says: "April, April, who does not know what he wants." There is a grain of truth in every one of those sayings, as we could experience it for ourselves during this month. Unfortunately, I am not talking about the weather. Nikki and I had some joyful days, but nothing could prepare us for what was coming.

To start with this entry, we will go back to April 2nd. Friday afternoon, school was almost over for this week. All of us, including our teacher, were only waiting for the bell to ring. At 3 p.m., we were finally dismissed. While I left the classroom, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I took a look at the display, which revealed that it was Nikki who called me. I took the call on my way out.

"Hi Nikki! Do you need something? School just ended. I am on my way home," I said in a cheerful voice.

My cheetah was in a good mood, as she replied:

"Hey Fluffy, how was school? I just wanted to ask if you would like to go to the mall with me. I want to buy a VR headset. You could help me choose one."

I wagged my tail as I heard her talking about getting a VR headset. I have always wanted to try out one of these.

"It was ok. But at the end, everyone was happy that the day was over. Even Mr. Wertenson just wanted to go home. Did you say that you want to buy a VR-Set? That sounds so cool! I am in front of my school now. I will be home in about thirty minutes."

She quickly answered to me, while I heard the sound of an engine in the background:

"No, Balto, please wait at school. I will pick you up there in a few minutes. Just send your mom a text about where we are going, so she doesn't get worried. See you soon, sweetie."

She hung up, before I could say anything else. What a coincidence that I had to take the bus that day, as my bike was not fit to ride after a long winter in our garage. I wrote my mother a short text, then I sat down on the edge of our Athena fountain in front of the school. While I was waiting there for my girl to arrive, I decided to play a little puzzle game on my mobile.

Five minutes later, a sudden voice from behind startled me.

"Hey, Balto. Did you miss the bus today?"

The bus was gone by that time. I thought I would be all by myself here, which is why I was so surprised to hear this voice. I turned my head around to see who was talking to me. It was a certain gray fox. Mikey, who some might remember from my entry about the comic con last October. To that point, we never talked much together. Always only a few words during break time.

I yawned softly with my hand covering my mouth, before I answered his question:

"No, Mikey, I didn't miss the bus. A friend is picking me up. We will go to the mall. She might get a VR headset."

His eyes became bigger, his ears trembled.

"Really, a VR headset? That is so cool! Wish I could have one, too. But they are so damn expensive."

I used the opportunity to take a closer look at this nerdy fox. He is cute. Well, for a boy. Slim body, cute paws, a sweet muzzle. The only downside with him is that he clearly lacks volume control for his voice. But overall, he is a nice and friendly fellow. Perhaps, we could become friends.

"Yeah, would be too expensive for me, too. But she has the luck of having richer parents," I replied to Mikey's comment. A second later, I noticed Nikki's car coming closer to the spot where the school buses usually stop. I looked back at Mikey, wanted to say goodbye.