Criminal for You |On Hold|

Prologue: Friendship

Summer's POV

It all started with a meow.

At first, I heard the faint sound near the gym. I shouldn't have bothered, and I should have kept walking. I should have just ignored the whole thing and dismissed it.

But then I heard it again. Louder, clearer... as cute as ever. As a teenage girl, I could not resist a cat.

No, today would not be the day I stopped obsessing over felines.

So there I was, carefully making my way towards the school's gym at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. I had just finished my homework in the library and would have started making my way home by now.

"Here, kitty kitty," I called out gently, worried that I might startle it. My light blue and white sneakers made soft tapping sounds against the concrete.

My eyes scanned the gym equipment, trying to find it. Where could it be? Everything was silent now. I leaned against the wall, and almost blacked out because of it.

It wasn't a wall, it was the freaking door to the boy's locker room!

My butt feels like it visited the depths of hell. I had landed straight on it with a thump, and it took me a second to realize what on earth just happened. The good news is that there's nobody in here.

I used my grazed palms to push myself up again, only to stare at the kitten.

The kitten. It was right in front of me.

"You're so adorable!!"

I recieved a rude hiss in response. The charcoal coloured kitten flattened its ears and glared at me, but I couldn't feel intimidated even if I tried. How could I, when a ball of soft fur with the most innocent eyes was trying to look scary?

"It's okay, little one," I coaxed, taking a step back and squatting. It's a little trick I learnt. You'll find that animals will trust you more if you take a step back rather than a step forward.

The most striking thing about the kitten was how there was a patch of white fur around its nose and mouth, as if it dipped its mouth in milk.

"I just wanna be your friend," I whispered, holding out my hand. To my surprise, the kitten neared me. It jumped off the bench it was staring at me from, and stalked towards me. Little steps at a time.

I should have noticed its thick, fur-raised tail. A classic sign of feeling threatened. I should have paid more attention to the flattened ears.

But no. I didn't know that kittens could scratch you that hard. It used its claws to take a swipe at my fingers.

"Ah!" I withdrew my hand on instinct, staring at the fresh scratches.

Geez, my hands have been so assaulted in the space of three minutes. First, getting grazed from that stupid fall. And now this.

"You are a bad kitty," I said, shaking my head crossly. "But you're still a cat so I forgive you."

I stood up. Most of the students are probably at home right now. I should get going too, but not before I give this kitten something to eat.

After leaving an unfinished sandwich from lunch on the floor (which hopefully the kitten eats and leaves no evidence of) I start to head out of the gym. Maybe I'll only see that kitten once. It sure doesn't like me.

I always wanted to keep a pet. I would have liked to raise that kitten, but I don't know if that's such a good idea after seeing how much it loathes me. At least it'll have something to eat, I think to myself as I cross the grounds.

My thoughts crash when I see the kitten darting outside the gym and towards me, but it stops halfway. It just watches me, perhaps curious.

"Mew," it finally let out softly.

Why is it so flipping cute!?

I've decided that I'm going to try to win it over whether it wants me to or not.

And that, folks, is how I started befriending Cookie the kitten. If only I knew how much trouble Cookie would cause me.

I'd have run for my life the moment I heard the first meow like it was the plague.