Chapter Thirty Three: Abandoned Parking Lot
Danny
Gracie has her face in her study guide Thursday night for our seventh period economics exam on Friday. We have an exam half the day and the other half is spent at a pep rally. Grace's Dad and my parents said if we can sneak out for the pep rally, they won't care. As long as we're there for the exam.
I leave the bedroom and walk into the living room where Scott is. I need to talk to him and I've been thinking about this for a while, but I'm not sure how he's going to react to it.
"Can I talk to you about something?" I ask, sitting down on the couch across from him.
"What is it?" He asks.
"Do you know what an emotional support animal is?"
"Yeah." He turns to me. "Why?"
"I think Grace would really benefit from one."
He hesitates.
"What, like a hamster?" He asks.
He knows I'm not talking about a hamster.
"No, like a dog."
He sighs.
"Grace doesn't need a dog."
"She still misses Jackson. She loves Dozer. When she has a nightmare, she'll have something to calm her down when I can't, or when you can't. Or when her roommate in college can't. She needs something that can be there for her all the time. With emotional support animals, you can live anywhere with them and you don't have to pay a pet deposit. She won't have to ever feel lonely, she'll be able to calm down...emotional support animals are even known to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, triglyceride levels...whatever that is, and it increases physical activity. It reduces stress, improves mental health. They can even make you recover faster from being sick. And there's more benefits than just that."
He sighs, rubbing his temples.
"Danny, I can't really afford to get her a dog right now."
"I'll pay." I insist.
"Dogs are expensive." He says.
"What if we split the cost?" I ask.
"I don't know." He says.
"What if I get my parents in on it? We all spilt the cost."
He sighs.
"Fine. Whatever. If you find a dog for her, I'll split the cost for you, but don't find anything that gets as big as Dozer." Nothing bigger than...a beagle or something. Medium sized and no bigger. I don't need a bear walking around my house."
"Okay. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
I turn to walk back to her room.
"Danny?" He asks.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." He says.
"For what?" I ask.
He gestures towards Grace's room with the TV remote.
"For taking care of her. Loving her."
I smile, "You're welcome."
*****
I sit at the pep rally. Grace's head is against my shoulder.
YOU ARE READING
Everything Has Changed
Teen Fiction"If you asked me three months ago what heartbreak was, I would tell you it's losing somebody close to you due to unspeakable circumstances. But right now, in this moment, I would say it's you. I would say it's the feeling I got in my chest when I re...
