INK [ongoing]

3. Water

When Andrew enters his house, he notices it's completely empty; other than Caine, his 7 year old border collie. His mother takes the night shifts on Mondays, the next time he'll probably see her is tomorrow afternoon— that's only if she's able to avoid having the night shift again. His father had left a few days before for a business trip, attempting to find an advertiser down in Seattle for Edenton's logging company. That leaves Andrew alone, but that's nothing out of the ordinary. He has Caine, and a good dog is all he really needs to settle his loneliness.

"Hey, boy!" Andrew closes the door and  dips to his knees.

Am overjoyed black and white border collie races to the door, wagging its tail almost violently. Small whimpers escape it's snout as it licks Andrew's face up and down with the utmost affection.

"Ew." He mutters while standing and wiping the dogs saliva off his face. "Did mom feed you?" He strolls to the kitchen to see a silver bowl licked clean.

His eyes make their way to the puppy-eyed dog, "Did she forget again?"

The dog pokes his tongue out and releases a small yelp. With a sigh, Andrew goes through the same old routine and fills the dog bowl up with food. Then, he lazily throws his bag onto the carpet and falls on the couch in the living room.

The last thing he wants to do is attend the dang bonfire, but, in a way, he felt like becoming someone new. Maybe mingling with a few classmates he's always ignored will help him finish his high school career on a strong note. 

-•-

Aubrey's house is the polar opposite of Andrew's and Sean's. Her two younger sisters, Sasha and Breona, are always sprinting around the two story house while her mother cleans during her off-hours from the hospital. Her father is the most notable doctor in town, so the house definitely holds some expense to it.

After hanging up with Sean, she places her phone on her neatly made bed and sprawls across with a yawn. Granted practice was definitely shorter than usual because of it being the first day back, the tired and worn out Aubrey just wants to sleep through the afternoon. Yet her desire to socialize at the school's bonfire drives her to bounce right back up and into the shower.

Showers are Aubrey's time to take a break from school, from cheer practice, and from all other responsibilities. Every time she massages soap into her thin dreads she forgets about every other priority in her life. Yet, this time, the water cuts off completely. She's left standing in the shower with a half washed body, even after her many attempts to turn the water back on.

"Mom!" She yells past the curtain, "Why isn't the water working?!"

Her mother strolls into the bathroom with a frown over her eyes, "What do you mean its not working?" The woman turns back around to flip the sink handle up, but not a drop comes out. "Weird... Why don't you get out and wipe yourself down with a towel. I'll call Judy and see if she knows what's join' on."

"Can I at least rinse my hair with a water bottle or something?" Aubrey asks and her mother takes note of the soap still twisted in his hair. 

She nods and smiles, "Alright sweet pea."

After returning with the bottle, Aubrey quickly rinses her hair through and then dries herself with a towel. The next decision she needs to make is what to wear?

The usual.

She pulls up a skirt and throws on a nice light sweater to keep her warm in case a breeze accumulates during the night.

"Dear!" She hears her mother's voice shout from the first floor, "The waters back on. Judy said that the sheriff's office told her it was a broken pump."

Aubrey replies carelessly with a smile, "Whatever you say mom."

She stares hard into the mirror, adjusting her skirt and sweater until she feels it looks perfect, but a buzzing phone on the bed distracts her.

"Yo, Aubrey."

"Yes Andrew?"

"On a scale from 1-10, how bad would it be if I brought Caine?"

Aubrey frowns at the phone, "You mean Caine as in your dog?"

"Yeah, why not. My mom's not going to be home all day and poor Caine is left all alone." His voice sounds sympathetic, making Aubrey smile.

"Look, if you want to bring your dog to a bonfire that's your decision. He won't run away or... jump into the fire right?"

"Of course not!" Andrew's intense tone almost causes Aubrey to jump.

"OKAY, okay. I guess you can bring Caine-"

"Hell yes. Also, would you mind picking me up? It's kinda lame rolling in on a bike ya know?"

"Why not, I've already promised Sean a ride too."

"Thanks, Aubs."

Without a formal goodbye, Andrew hangs up the phone and leaves Aubrey in silence. However, she's not offended. If anything, she's laughing.

After few more hours of procrastinating, reality TV and tidying her attire, she then grabs her keys  and heads to her car in the star-filled sky. First stop is to grab Sean, then she'll be on her way for Andrew and his collie.