The Cat's Out Of The Bag

Chapter Twenty

"So, this is it." Riley says, and I look up. It's the shelter, a light blue building just a couple of blocks away from the park and our school.

Even from all the way out here, the barks of dogs and angry yowls of cats are prominent.

We walk inside and see a worker at the front desk who has her hair dyed a very bright orange. She looks to us and gives us a surprised smile.

"Well, hello and welcome to the shelter! Looking to adopt?" She asks, and Riley responds before I can.

"No, we're looking for a dog, she was actually mine before my parents left her here. Her names Night." She holds up her phone with a picture of Night, and the worker stares at it intently.

"Oh, I know that dog! Such a sweetie. Yes, you can see her." The worker suddenly leans in as if sharing a secret.

"I'll let you pet her and play with her, just don't tell anyone. I'm not supposed to do that unless they are considering adoption!" She laughs, and I notice the name tag on her suit.
Amanda

She leads us to the dog area, and stops at a kennel. I stop and there she is, Night. She's sitting on a pink bed, seemingly just staring at the wall until she sees me and her ears perk, but then she jumps up and down like a monkey when she catches sight of Riley.

"Oh, sweetie. Night, come here!" Riley cries, crumbling on the ground as Amanda opens the door and Night comes running out, giving Riley a big lick on the forehead.

She hugs Night for a few more seconds, and then looks up at Amanda with teary eyes. "So, she hasn't been adopted yet?" She asks, and Amanda shakes her head sadly.

"No, surprising. She's a very athletic dog and loves affection, she'd be perfect for a high energy family."

Riley stiffens as if she's made some connection in her head, turning her head to me and back to Amanda.

"Can I take her for a small walk?"

Me and Riley walk Night for a few moments, and we stay silent, both of us enjoying the scenery of flowers and different people connecting with their potential future pets.

It makes me yearn for what's to come.

"I'm getting a cat soon." I blurt, realizing that I haven't even spoken to Riley about this, despite the fact it's been eating at my mind since I learned about it.

Riley looks shocked, but then smiles deeply. "Really? That's awesome!" She nudges me playfully. "Maybe that will stop you from stealing my pets now that you have your own." She smirks, and I nudge her back, laughing.

"Hey, that was only once!" I say, giving Night a small pet on the ears. I then look back to Riley skeptically.

"I saw that face you made after Amanda talked about Night been good with a high energy family. Who were thinking of?" I ask, and Riley looks away, fiddling with Night's leash.

"Oh, I was thinking of Millie. She talks about her family a lot, and how energetic they are. She has two little brothers, so I was just thinking... I don't know..." she trails off with a light blush on her cheeks.

Then it clicks.

"Oh. My. God. Did you really develop a whole crush while I was gone?" I laugh, at first as a joke, but Riley doesn't respond, seeming more gleefully uncomfortable.

"Wow, you so did. You have a crush!" I tease, and Riley slaps my hand away.

"Okay, maybe I do! Don't need to make such a big fuss."

"Oh, yeah I do. Now I really need to meet Millie. She needs my approval before you two get married."

Riley looks at me like I just turned into a dog and started standing and talking.

"Um, no! That's not going to happen!" She yells, and I poke her arm.

"You so wiiissshhhh..." I whisper, and she pushes me so hard I almost loose my footing.

"Enough about this! More about her adopting Night, please!" She yelps, and I laugh, finally regaining my composure.

"Okay, okay. I don't know anything about Millie, so tell me more. She needs to be perfect for Night."

"Well, like I said she's got two younger brothers. She alone is very energetic, always cracking jokes. Her parents are really chill but also like to throw parties for the most random reasons. Like one time, Millie told me they threw a party for the anniversary of their first time they picked up each other's book in the library. And I'm not talking like a romantic day out. I'm talking about a whole fiesta and invited over half the family over!" Riley laughs, seeming more distant by the second.

"I wish I was there."

"Stop. Come back." I say, snapping my fingers as her eyes refocus.

"Okay, Millie's family sounds awesome. But can she have dogs?" I ask, and Riley nods eagerly.

"Yes! She actually has a pet husky. She's shown me a picture. He's adorable! His name is Frosty, isn't that so sweet!" Ugh. She just keeps swooning and swooning over Millie.

"Okay, noted. She sounds perfect for Night, but you of course have to ask her. You can't just dump Night on her."

Riley's shoulders suddenly slump. "Of course, I will tomorrow. She'll probably say yes. Hopefully." Riley turns to me with an anxious look in her eyes.

"She'll say yes, right? Because if I was to choose anyone to adopt Night, it would be her."

"Yes, she probably will." I shake her shoulders to loosen her up. "Let's just spend some quality time with Night right now, and we'll worry about it later."