Turning Things Around

•••Chapter 3••• Ally

        I start heading home to tell my parents that I was going to hang with Gwen. 

        My parents both have brown hair. My mother has green eyes, and my father has brown eyes. 

        I continue the walk up the street thinking about Gwen. I walk on the sidewalk. A truck passes by, the person inside, waving at me. I slowly wave back, not fully in the outside world. I am in my head again. Gwen is one of my BEST friends. I hate it when she is sad. What can I do? I sigh. 

        I am lost in thought. 

        How long will Vivian be in the hospital? Will Gwen be like this everyday, sad?' I try to think about all of the possible answers. 'Vivian could be back tomorrow.  I sighed. "I wish I could tell the future." I tell myself.  I was so carried away thinking about Gwen, that I only just realize that I had already passed my house. I laugh when I see Cody, my dog, when he came running up. He knocks me to the ground. 

        Cody is a beagle, with dark brown eyes. Cody is a great friend that I can always trust. Cody jumps onto my lap, barks twice and licks my face for a long time. He is a really playful dog. I hear the side door open, and my mother yell, "Alexandra! Is that you?" I shout back, standing up, "Yes mother!" I start walking to the door, my beagle follow me. 

        I suddenly remember when we got Cody. 

        My little brother, my father, my older sister, my mother, and I entered the pet shop. We were each allowed to have one pet. JUST ONE. We begged for two but the only answer we got was, "No." So my father said, "Jackson, you can pick your animal first since you are the youngest." I didn't argue, because if I did, I might not get a pet at all. My mother led Jack over to a turtle and said, "How about this turtle," She paused to look at the name. "Jed?" Jack responded almost immediately. "No. I want to go look at the birdies!" So we went to the 'Birdies'. My five year old brother started jumping. "I want that one! I want that one!" He pointed at the cardinal. "Please mommy? Please?" 

        Our mother said something to our father and then said to Jack, "Let's go pay for the birdie." 

        My father said to my sister and I, "Let's go find you a pet, Alexandra." 

        I just nodded my head excitedly. "I want a puppy, father!"  

        He said to me, "Are you sure? Puppies are HARD work!"

        I replied to excited to care, "Yes! Of course I am very sure!" 

        So we looked at the puppies. At first I looked at a german shepherd, but then I saw a husky. It was SO cute. I was going to get it when I saw the beagle, staring at me. When it saw me looking at it, it howled and rolled onto its back. "I said to our father, "I want this one!" 

        By the time I had picked one out, my mother had finished getting Jack's bird payed for. She headed over to see that I had picked out the beagle. My father said to my mother, "Alexandra and I will  go pay for..." I said to him, "Cody. But can you pay for him? I want to watch Lucy pick out an animal!" He sighed. "Fine." He walked off with Cody. 

        Lucy went over to the cat section, and found a lot of cats that she wanted. She finally settled on a himalayan cat. It was white and black cat with light blue eyes. Lucy said to the cat, "Your  name shall now be 'Whiskers'! 

        And then we left the store. We got in touch with our animals and-

        I was pulled out of my thoughts when Jack came up behind me and and put his hands on my shoulders. He shouts, "BOO!!!" I jump and scream. It even scared Cody! I turn to Jack and say, "Don't you ever do that again. I need to get back to my best friend."

        My brother, Jackson, is nine, but still tries to scare people in our family more than ever. Jack has brown hair, and dark green eyes. He is wearing a dark blue shirt, a basketball in his hands. He loves playing basketball. We had a basketball court made just for him. He uses it all of the time. His best friend, Logan, is over there on the basketball court, shooting hoops. Logan has dirty blonde hair, and dark blue eyes. He is wearing a red shirt. 

        I say to him, "Can you tell Lucy to come meet me outside? Please?" It looks like Jack has only one answer that he can say, so there was no point in asking the question. But it was the polite thing to do. His answer was, "Yes." so that they wouldn't get into a fight like yesterday. 

        I wait. I look around. I see my mother's red car parked on the hill. I recite the name of our street. I have to tell our mother the neighbor I was going to, in case anything happens. A few minutes pass. 

        My sister, Lucy, has dirty blonde hair, and brown eyes. Lucy texts her friends a lot, but has a great personality. Sometimes, at least. 

        Three minutes turned into seven, and seven into ten. I am suddenly aware of the wind, brushing against my face. Leaves rush by. It feels like I was in the sky. I feel as if I am riding my horse. I look over at my stable. The track next to it isn't as big as Vivian and Gwen's, but it was perfect for me. 

        Lucy walks out of the house, with her phone settling into her pocket. My sister is thirteen, a teenager, only one year older than me. "You're so slow, Lucy." I say. 

         She looks up to my face. "At least I came. What was so important that I had to come out right this minute?" 

         I mutter under my breath, "More like ten minutes ago." 

         Lucy noticed that I had said something but pretended not to notice. 

         "Come to Gwen's house with me. Now." 

         "Why should I, Ally? What do you want?" She was in one of her sour moods.

         I quickly explain what happened to Vivian and what I want to do. Lucy looked horrified but nodded in agreement. Of course, I had already asked Gwen if I could bring Lucy over. And she said yes. 

        We start to walk up to the house, with Lucy by our side. 

         I quickly explain what happened to Vivian to my parents. I ask if Lucy and I could go to the hospital to see Vivian with Gwen. Both of our parents looked horrified because of what I said, but they both said yes.

        My father is a baker and brings home five loafs of fresh bread each week. One for each weekday. He made them himself, the bread as delicious as a cupcake. He looks at me and says quietly, "Wait." So Lucy and I wait. He exits the room.

        He returns with a loaf of bread. He says to us, "Give it to her family, sounds like hard times." We nod our heads and off we go.