The Key to my Heart

Chapter 13: Marty (Keefe's P.O.V.)

I drew Sotam (sorry it's so blurry, it's a screenshot)(And there's no eybrows...😞)

 Our originally innocent game of Truth or Dare turned into "who likes who". From what I had picked up, Sophie and Linh both liked me, but nobody else did. Dex and Fitz both liked Linh, but Fitz also liked Sophie and so did Tam and I.

The whole thing turned into an intricate mass of a web.

To be honest, thinking about it made my head spin, so I tried not to think about it. I tried not to think about how Sophie had chosen Tam over me, over Fitz. Tried not to think about how Linh was the only girl who really liked me. It really hurts to watch the only girl you ever loved be taken by somebody else. It wasn't over yet, I knew, but somehow it felt like Tam had already claimed her.

"You-who! Keefe! Are you still there?" Linh asked as she repeatedly poked my shoulder. Of course. Linh.

"Truth or dare, Keefe?" she repeated.

"Dare," I told her. I always picked dare, whether my better judgement told me to or not.

Linh grinned evily. "I dare you to go without extra hair products for as long as I tell you to."

I gasped. " Ugh, you're so mean. How dare you strip me of my precious hair products! But the Keefester will never turn down a dare. How long do I have to do it for?"

"A week."

I'm pretty sure I screamed louder than the triplets could've all together.

It was about five O'clock when suddenly the second verse of the Baby Shark blasted through the room. Sophie blushed and scrambled for her phone. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, mom?" Sophie said, blocking her other ear. "Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes." she put the phone down and hung up. "I've got to go home. Marty got out of the house again and my parents can't find him."

 "Oh no, not Marty!" Fitz, Dex, and I all said at the same time. 

"The poor thing," Biana sympathized. "I want to help."

 "Me, too!" I agreed. Fitz and Dex joined in.

 "Um, what's a 'marty'?" Tam asked cautiously.

"My cat," Sophie told him.

Linh gasped. "No! We're coming, too!" she said before grabbing Tam's arm and dragging him out the door.

~*~

"We're going to find you, Marty!" Biana cried, actually on the verge of tears.

"Yes, we're coming, baby, hang in there," Linh agreed, just as emotional as Biana.

"What does Marty look like?" Tam asked Sophie, turning away from his sister with an eye roll and a look that clearly said 'this is stupid.'

"He's grey and fluffy," she told him, refusing to meet his eyes. I wonder why... I thought sarcastically.

Tam nodded. "Is there any place in particular that he likes to hide?"

Sophie smiled. "Well, he likes to eat potting soil, so we could check in the shed," she suggested. Seeing that that made sense, I followed her and Tam to the back corner of the yard where the shed was. "There's a Marty-sized hole in the side of the shed that has to get fixed," Sophie explained. "He's snuck in here before."

I reached the shed first and pulled open the door. There was potting soil all over the floor and my podium was lying on the ground. I ran over and stood it up against the wall where it belonged, and lo and behold, Marty was underneath it.

"Marty!" Sophie exclaimed when she saw him in all his potting-soil-faced glory. She picked up the fluffy grey cat.

"You naughty kitty," she mock scolded, nuzzling his nose.

This is *almost* completely off topic, but have any of you read Cookie's Week? The part with the potting soil is just- this cannot be explained in words. I'm fangirling over a preschool-level book (that I have refused to donate yet) helpppp meeeee...