Downpour

It had been a couple days before we finally went to the pet shelter. Baylin had been sick. I told her that it could be the stomach flu or her cooking wasn't just as great as she thought and she got food poisoning. Which couldn't be true, Baylin was an amazing cook, but that doesn't mean that the food was amazing. Meaning when she bought it.

She'd wake up in the middle of the night to puke or do it during the day. But afterwards, she'd feel fine. I tried to keep her inside, but she's just as stubborn as me. She needs to milk it and chill back instead of going out.

The pet shelter was full of animals. But that was to be expected when going to a pet shelter. There were puppies, kittens, cats, and dogs. Evil cats, nice cats, mean dogs, nice dogs.

"Baylin, I don't know what to pick!" I frowned at the site of all the options to choose from. "You could pick one of the puppies over here." Baylin suggested as she looked at the brown, scruffy puppies wagging their butts at the site of us and others walking by. I frowned.

Sure, the puppies were cute, but what about the old dogs? The puppies won't last long, they'll be gone within a week, but what about the older dogs? Some places put them down if they don't get adopted in time. This made me grow sad.

"What's wrong?" Baylin asked me as she put her hand on my shoulder. "We're not getting a puppy," my voice was stern and my face emotionless.

"Rain O'Connel not wanting a puppy?! But we just drove 40 miles so we could get one because you wanted one!" Baylin started to throw a fit and I lifted my hand up, motioning her to shut her trap. "We're getting a dog."

"Hello, Copper," I said through the fence, "you're going to have a home. We will feed you, clothe you if you get cold, water you, give you warm baths, and promise to spoil you rotten." I notified the lady that he was the one I want and she looked at me, then him, and smiled. "Looks like you're going to have yourself a lovely home, Copper!" said the lady in the smock, "I'll get the paperwork."

Copper licked my hand through the cage and shook his butt vigorously. His tail didn't wag side to side, it wagged in circles. "Well, aren't you cute?! I can't wait to take you home and cuddle with you!"

"Are you sure this is the one you want?" Baylin asked as she stared down at Copper. He probably got the name from his copper-colored fur. "I'm positive."

"How positive?" Baylin asked me as she petted Copper through the cage too. That lady better come back with those papers, I want to take this old fart home!

The lady finally came back with the papers and I signed them without a second glance, I just wanted to to get that poor thing out of that cage, into my arms, and into Baylin's car. She finally opened the cage and put on a collar and leash.

He wasn't that old, but he wasn't a puppy either. He was the only one that was going to be put down tomorrow. I could not let that happen, if I could, I would become an old cat lady and adopt all these cuties. But, I'm not a fan of cats and I won't be growing old.



I lied on the couch with Copper while Baylin went to the bathroom, probably to get sick for the millionth time. As I petted Copper, Tayden walked in and stared as me and the dog. "You got a dog?" Tayden asked as he walked towards the couch.

"Not just any dog! A weiner dog. This is Copper. Isn't he the cutest thing?!" I scratched him behind the ears as he sat on my stomach.

"A weiner dog? Really? What if someone breaks in? What's he going to do? Attack their ankles? Can he even get on the couch without you picking him up?" He wasn't exactly a little dog fan. He liked big, strong dogs such as labs, pitbulls, and rots.

"Quit insulting my baby." I pouted as I squeezed him gently. "Yes, you're just an old baby. Oh, yes you are!" Tayden shook his head and looked around the living room. "Is Baylin here?"

"She's probably in the bathroom. I think she has food poisoning. You can go check on her if you want? Old Copper here won't stop following me. Isn't that right? " I talked in a high-pitched voice. I don't know why. I don't even know why most people did this. Maybe it just grabbed the little guy's attention more.

Tayden looked in the direction of Baylin's room. "I shoed him away as my phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sweetie, it's me." The voice on the other end of the line announced as I sat up a bit, "Hi Momma."

I went into my room and shut the door as I talked to her. I walked to my bathroom, turned on the faucet , and shut my bathroom door as well. I talked to her about what the doctor said and could barely get another word in. All I could hear was her sobbing on the phone, her blowing her nose, giving the phone to my dad, hearing him sniffle up, and give the phone back to my mom. They weren't just crying because I was dying, but because they were going to bury their daughter before I buried them and it shouldn't be that way. No parent should have to look down at their child in a casket.

I wiped my face, I hated when my parents cried. I was going to have to get Chemo soon, but all the stories I've heard about it. I need more time to think. Even if I don't have that much time left.



Copper was waiting outside of my bedroom door and walked in as I opened it. Just then, my voice went off again. I really didn't want to talk to my mom and dad again about this. I just didn't want to deal with it anymore. I hated hearing them cry. I looked at the phone and saw his name. Without meaning to, a smile found it way to my lips. Just seeing his name pop up on my phone put me in a better mood. I answered it as if I only had two seconds to.

"Hey, Gorgeous. What are you doing right now?" I replied with a laugh and told him that I wasn't doing anything. I told him that we just got a dog and everything about him. "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out? " I agreed and told him to meet me at my place as soon as possible. I rubbed my temples before getting up and went to my room and popped a painkiller.

In a rush, I got dressed and did my make up in 30 minutes tops. Someone might think that's a little long, but for a girl? Doing all that and trying to be perfect about it? That's a pretty short about of time. Especially picking out an outfit! I placed Copper on my bed and tapped my fingers on my chin. Teeth! I ran back to my bathroom and brushed my teeth. The doorbell rang just as I was finishing brushing my teeth.

I hurried to open the door and slipped on the rug in the process, it was okay though, I caught myself and casually walked the rest of the way to the door. I opened it and Patrick looked up from the ground and smiled. I smiled back and him and smiled even wider as he pulled DVDs from behind his back. "I'm really not a chick-flick kind of guy, but I could deal with at least one." He waved a movie in front of me, I assumed it was the Romance movie.

Copper sniffed Patrick's foot and licked his leg. "How about we watch them in my room? That way we have a little more privacy? Baylin's sick and Tayden's here too." Patrick quickly agreed. Though him and Tayden were friends, their last encounter wasn't a friendly one. Copper followed us to my bedroom and I shut the door. Copper couldn't get ontop of my bed without help so he stayed on the floor as Patrick lied on my bed. I put the disk in the player and grabbed the remote.

I lied on the bed in front of Patrick. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. I felt my face get hot. We weren't even dating, but it sure as hell felt like it. I liked this feeling. I couldn't remember the last time I felt like this. Except the night we were on the beach. I know I told him that this wasn't going to be a thing after our one night stand. But, right now, I wanted it to me. I wanted him, all of him.

Patrick kissed the back of my neck and goosebumps appeared on my body, my hair standing on end. He kissed on the side of my neck and I groaned, "Pat, as much as I would love to do dirty things with you, I can't. Tayden and Baylin are home and that's just awkward. I'm sorry." Patrick laughed, "I was only kissing you. I rather not get punched in the face again by your cousin. " I blushed and turned my attention to the tv. Gosh, the things this boy did to me without even trying.

Dozing off was the last thing I wanted to do while Patrick was here, but I couldn't help it, I was cozy and he was warm. The last thing I heard before I finally dozed off was a loud, "Whatever." And the slam of the front door.