black roses | rewritten version | the lost boys (1987)

v.

I woke up sometime in the late afternoon if the sun's position in the sky was correct. I covered my eyes at the few rays of sunlight that managed to hit my face, moving through the slots in the curtains just to annoy me. I dragged myself up, wiping at my face before staring at my surroundings. A few of the curtains surrounding the bed were pulled back, the scene making my brain catch up fast.

What the fuck? What the fuck?

I threw myself from the covers, scrambling to throw back on my clothes that I had thankfully made a small pile of, before climbing the steps out of the cave so quickly I didn't even have time to be scared off the rickety, wooden stairs. Would it have been more polite to leave a note? Probably, but right now, I was in flight mode as I straddled my bike before taking off.

What the fuck was wrong with me? One night of attention, and I'm letting boys I had never met before see me half naked? Hell, I let one kiss my neck and another make out with me! This was so out of character, I wanted to scream.

I needed to do something – needed a distraction – when it hit me. The dog I had been thinking about the other day. Maybe a pet would make me more mentally stable. Right? Right?

I powerwalked through my house, rushing through a shower and getting dressed, trying to calm my though process as I berated myself over and over for my actions. I slipped on a similar outfit from the night before: a short black skirt paired with a forest green cropped tank top and mid-thigh black socks, a pair of black combat boots completing the outfit.

I threw my hair into a ponytail and left my home with a single thought on my mind: a dog. My feet led me down the old beaten paths of the woods and into town, taking the all-too-familiar roads down until I was standing in front of the city's pound.

I entered the building cautiously, and I was immediately greeted by a teenage boy behind the counter who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but here. "Welcome in. What can I do for you today?"

I plastered a small smile across my face, trying to be polite. "I was wondering if you had any dogs up for adoption right now?"

The boy let out a sigh underneath his breath before nodding. "Follow me." He motioned for me to do so as well, and I quickly followed the instructions, trying to match his pace as he led me into a long hall, each cage filled with dogs of all kinds.

I let myself walk down, looking over all of them, before I stopped about halfway through, dropping into a crouch so I was eye level with one of the bottom cages. In the back, curled up and obviously tired, was a huge Doberman, one that was clearly older. The dog, after noticing me, stood slowly before stretching his two front paws in front of him, yawning, and coming to the door. The tag on the door read that he was an unnamed, eight-year-old boy with all of his shots.

I reached my hand out, letting him sniff me first before pushing my hand through the bars. He immediately pressed his face into the palm of my hand, rubbing against it like a cat would. I chuckled to myself as I pet him, watching him practically melt at the affection.

"How much is this guy," I questioned, looking up at the boy who was now leaned against a wall, eyes closed.

"All puppies are one hundred, adults are fifty."

I nodded, pulling the money from my bag and following the boy to the front again so that I could fill out paperwork. Soon, I was setting off on a journey with my new dog that I decided to name Rain. The sun began to dip below the horizon as Rain and I made our way to the boardwalk. The dog was ecstatic at the situation, sticking close to me as he looked around curiously, tongue lolling out of his mouth and head held high.