Delinquent For Christmas

Chapter Two

        I was forty-five minutes late by the time I walked into the rescue center. By the time I returned downstairs, Banks had already bailed. Dad said he fled after my "outburst," and gave me a talk about respect and self control. Whatever, the waste of time got me late for work. But I'm here now, and I can finally relax. With a deep breath, I take in the senses of the building.

        It was noisy, but I reveled in the sounds that were the dogs. As a bonus, it wasn't smelly. We kept it constantly clean, and you could tell by sight, smell, and touch. Everyone works so hard to keep this place in tip top shape. It's probably my favorite place to be.

        And it does help that my best friend Molly and her family owns the rescue. It was originally a small ranch, land passed down over many generations. Lots of land, a mansion a little ways up the property, a small house, sheds, barns, just a whole lot of everything. Once upon a time, it was used to nurse and rehabilitate farm animals. Fresh ideas were Incorporated, and it became what we have today. Farm animals, pets, domesticated animals, and some exotic ones, too. We take in them all! We do it all, too. Rescues, rehabilitation, adoptions...And the whole thing is non-profit. Animals are brought to us or get adopted from us, and the money all goes back to the animals.

         "Hope, Hope, Hope, Hope, Hope!"

        I pretend not to hear, which, in reality, was impossible. Nobody could ignore Molly! "Can someone please check the lighting? I hear some kind of annoying buzzing noise."

        "Oh my God, answer her, please!" Molly's older brother Max entered the room, juggling a stack of boxes. He puts them down on the floor in front of the processing shelves, and scoops me into his arms.

        "Put me down, you freak!" My laughter breaks through the demand, and he holds me in the air even higher, just smiling up at me. He has a really nice smile....Max is really handsome...Him and Molly are both naturally pretty people. Blondes, armed and dangerous. Girls go weak around Max. Molly can make all the boys go crazy. Whatever they want, they pretty much get. With little to no begging. It's actually a pretty funny sight. Max isn't that kind of person, though. Unwanted attention gets old fast for him. Molly, not so much...It's asked for, and pretty much expected. If Molly's in the room, watch out, people.

        Very much the exact opposite of me. I get attention, not because of myself, but because of who I know. Like a "popular by the fault" kind of thing. Or maybe because I'm a girl and I'm certainly not ugly. I'm not beautiful, but above average looking, I suppose you could say, even though I don't think so. My looks are naturally very out of the ordinary. My hair is close to copper, a reddish brown-blonde color, an odd shade, but I assure you, very natural. Much like my eyes, being hazel. They are a whirlwind mixture of blues, greens, and grays. I guess you could say it's unique. I say it just makes me stand out more, like being an adopted freak isn't enough, like being labeled as a goody-good showoff isn't a bad thing...

        I'm tall, taller than Molly, and Max towered over both of us.

        "Max, put my best friend down! Hope, stop flirting with my brother and explain yourself!"

        He rolls his eyes, but lowers me to my feet. It takes a second for my nerves to return to normal. My face was on fire! "I wasn't flirting," I defend myself as I walk back to my best friend.

        "Who cares! What matters is, I totally started to think you weren't coming today! I was freaking out! If I start to show worry lines, I'm so blaming you!"

        She's also very dramatic...

        "Yeah, I guess you could say she was loosing hope in you, Hope."