Walking a thin line

Chapter 2

I always loved cats. Whenever people would come to the Shelter the dogs were always the first thing to see, and I love dogs, but for some reason I was drawn to the cats. There was a calmness to them, that simply relaxed me. People see cats as aggressive, sneaky, and unfriendly, but when I look at them, I see so many different personalities in each one. There was a need for nurture and love behind their thick coat of fur, that many people don't get the pleasure of knowing.

"Hey darling", I heard my grandfather speak behind me. I turned to see him carrying in a clean newborn kitty, and handed it to me.

I smiled and cuddled her to my chest. "Awwww. Gracey is soo adorable", I mooned over the tiny white kitty in my hands, the curled perfectly in my arm.

My grandfather smiled as well, and followed with a sigh. "Yeah. It's too bad she's so sick". He was right. Gracey was sick from birth, being abandoned and found alone on the street corner. My grandfather and I were taking her home to take care of her and shelter her since she was so delicate.

"Ohhh, I just wish I could make her all better", I frowned.

My grandpa, Harold, grabbed Gracey from my hands and turned, placing her in the pin to feed on  bowl of Milk. He then turned back to me. "So, Annie. What do you have planned this evening? Are you staying here till close with me?" he asked.I usually stayed here until closing, or almost till close, unless it was a night before a test.I really didn't have much else to do.

"Ummm, no actually. I'm meeting someone here in a minute actually", I told him.

I saw a grin upon his face, as well as a mix of surprise he tried to hide. "Really? Is it with Kara?" He asked. If I did go out, it was to Kara's house, and it wasn't often.

"No. It's with... umm.. Colton", I told him hesitantly. My grandfather's face fell out of a grin. My grandfather knew him when we were younger, and Colton and I were close, but I haven't talked about him to grandfather since mom died.

"Oh. He's out of Juvie"? Grandpa questioned, taking a seat in a far left chair, across from me. My grandfather wasn't young and kept pretty good health, but there was no denying he was getting older as time passed.

"Yup", I huffed going and sitting next to him. "He said he's sorry for everything that happened and..."

"What exactly happened?" Grandpa asked. "If you don't mind explaining". He added at the end. Grandpa knew the gist, but some details I never told him and he never asked.

"Well, you know how we used to be close when we were younger, right"? Grandpa nodded his head listening closely. "Well, when he came into high school, he started doing drugs, but my mom told me to be there for him... because she said he was just going through a hardship in his life. So no matter how many times he would ditch me to get drunk, or come around me high from coke, I still looked out for him, and enjoyed the little moments we had when he wasn't all doped up". I took a pause to think about how we would meet up for lunch, and although I knew he would go sniff something up right after, he made me laugh the whole time we were together. I just enjoyed the little moments.

"I remember that year. Your mother had told me about Colton. She always believed that people could get better. As long as they were surrounded by people that cared". He was right. My mother always saw the best in people, no matter how messed  up they were.

"I know. When she died, that's when Colton completely disappeared. I mean, I was all sad and depressed after the crash, so a lot of people avoided me. Then I started spending all my time in church and Colton was never religious, so we just distanced ourselves. But I just can't help being angry that he just gave up at our friendship. And then he came into Prom and... well, you know what happened". I ended referring to how he threw up on my dress and embarrassed me.