Study Troubles

March of the Mutts

AN: Hello everyone! Thank you for reading <3 Sorry I updated so late, I haven't determined a writing schedule yet... Be sure to vote for this story and part of you like it :)

Danny walked down the street on a Tuesday morning, music bumping in his ears and being escorted by an entire army. He felt like he was royalty of some sort. Dogs can make you feel that way. The streets of the city were peacefully noisy and the smell of fresh air, no matter how tainted with the smell of humid garbage it was, was absolutely satisfying. It was a perfect day... Until she came.

As he made his way around the corner past the dorm building, he spotted another person walking about 10 dogs, all with colorful leashes stringing out from their hand. As they neared closer, Danny realized this person was a small, short haired Asian girl on a longboard zooming towards him, and she did NOT look happy.

She skated up towards him and started pushing him with questions all at once. He didn't even know this girl!!! "WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU WALKING MY DOGS?!??!" She screamed at him

"Your dogs? These dogs don't belong to you, lady. I don't understand why you're getting all mad" Danny replied with a chuckle. She was getting worked up over nothing! Her dogs?? As if she owned every dog on the block.

"I've established my own business for myself here on these two blocks  for months now and you just go and take the dogs away from me and walk all over like you run the show?!?! I DONT THINK SO!!!!" She pulled down a flyer from a light post next to her and shoved it in his face.

"OLIVE'S DOG WALKING SERVICE!" She pointed angrily at the paper. "MY DOG WALKING SERVICE. NOT 'SCRAWNY NEW COLLEGE KID'S DOG WALKING SERVICE!' STOP STEALING MY BUSINESS!!"

"ITS NOT MY FAULT CLIENTS LIKE ME BETTER THAN YOU! MAYBE BECAUSE I DONT WALK UP TO STRANGERS SCREAMING AT THEM TO STOP DOING WHATEVER IT IS THEY'RE DOING! DO YOU WALK UP TO PEOPLE ON THE PHONE AND YELL AT THEM TOO?!?" Danny screamed back.

He could not believe this was happening. This chick thought he was stealing her 'self proclaimed business'. Was she serious?  He was having such a good day.

She screamed back at him and both of them were so worked up that even the dogs started barking at each other. It was a situation of mass hysteria and too much noise for 8:30 in the morning, someone had to tell them to shut up sooner or later.

The window they were standing a little ways in front of opened with a bang.

"Ok what the fuck is going on out here?" A head pops out from the open window. "Danny?"

"Ben?" Danny examines the area. 'So that's his room' he thinks. Good to know.

"This girl here thinks I'm stealing and sabotaging her dog walking business on purpose. Ridiculous, I know but-"

"Look I don't know who you are but I've been on this block and the block after for months walking people's dogs and this... This... This kid just shows up out of nowhere strutting down the sidewalk like he's hot shit. I make my money like this! I will not stand for rivals, and they will be ruthlessly taken down according to what I think is right punishment." Olive proclaims defensively.

"Listen, I don't care what you guys do to settle this but no one is stealing anyone's business. Can't you just walk your dogs on the same damn sidewalk or find another area to walk? As long as you guys argue quietly I'm fine with it. Please shut up, I'm trying to study." Ben explained. This had happened twice already with the same person. He was not sure if he would be mentally prepared for this again in the future.

"Again? You're studying again???" Danny asks, giggling. "You're like an old man."

"Hey well, at least I'm a smart old man. We are living in a dorm building, you know. Like ones that are used for college, at which we are both enrolled for an education." Ben retorted with a smile, face blushing. "Now hush and find some place else to argue."

"Yes sir!" Danny exclaimed with a little salute, while Olive boarded her longboard again.

"Whatever man, just stop stealing my dogs." She deadpanned as she skated away.

"They're not your dogs!" Danny shouted after her. He looked down at the dogs that were all wagging their tails in delight from what seemed to be the energy in that confrontation.

"Alright puppies, doggie drama is over. Time to go home." He said to them, because they totally understood what he was saying.

As he walked all of them back to their respective houses, he couldn't help thinking of the boy who peeked his head out of his bedroom window, who fell asleep on his couch a week before, who was clearly adverse to any sort of noise whatsoever. As Danny thought of that beautifully simple boy, he vowed to himself his own mission: to give Ben, easily the most boring, yet gorgeous kid he's ever met, the most amazing night of his entire four year college experience.