A Dog Named Bear

thirty-four

Iris

iris | jay

I stare at the mass amounts of students already wanting to go back into the shelter of my room. It was my safe place where I could ignore everyone and wallow in peaceful silence. Here, everything was loud and messy, with people filling every square inch of visible sidewalk.

My eyes catch on a familiar dark-haired girl who was being swung up by a taller boy. 

Today, Kaia looks nothing like the person I saw last night. She has on a bright smile, and her laugh rings through the air as she screams at the boy to let her down.

I'm so captivated by the scene that I don't notice Eliza until she reaches around to tap me on the shoulder. "Hey."

Jumping, I turn to look at her. "It's so loud."

"I know," she mutters. She scans her surroundings with a mix of admiration and disgust. "It's amazing how annoying people can be. You're lucky to be homeschooled."

"Not really. I have too many social problems."

Eliza laughs. "Trust me. These people have more social problems than you. If your social skills are up here-" She moves one hand to eye level."These people are down there. In hell. That's how bad it is."

I smile a little, feeling slightly better. "I doubt that."

"One thing you need to learn, never doubt me." She tilts my head up to look me dead in the eye. "Never."

"Alright." I move my hands up in defeat, slowly inching away from her.

"Great. Because everyone who has is now currently regretting their decisions." Eliza leads me to a small black car. "I am now kidnapping you, just like James has kidnapped your boyfriend."

I blink, not used to hearing that word. "My what now?"

"Boyfriend." She beams. "This is going to be amazing!"

I hope so.

. . .

Jay

"Okay, I don't think I thought this through," I say as I come out of the shower.

James looks up at me through his eyelashes while also huddling further into my blankets. "Why?"

"What if she doesn't know how to ice skate? What if she hates the cold? This is truly one of the worst ideas-"

My friend sits up. "Excuse me? For your information, I came up with this idea. And when I come up with something, it's always a damn good idea," he says threateningly. "So, you better get your ass dressed and stop insulting me. Also, if she doesn't know how to ice skate, then you'll have to teach her. It gives you so many opportunities to be romantic and all the mushy stuff."

I look at him doubtfully. "Are you sure? Because I'm going to be perfectly honest, I don't think I can teach someone to ice skate. I might just kill us both."

I see him open his mouth to shoot me down, but before he can get a word out, he closes it. His eyes scrunch a little as he mulls over my words before he sighs. "You know, you're probably right. Sometimes, you have less coordination than me. And you're the one who plays sports."

"Exactly!" 

"But, that's beside the point," James mutters as he shoves me to my closet. "Just don't fudge up and everything will be great."

"Since when I have not fudged up?" I question.

James rolls his eyes. "Well, babe, there's a first time for everything."

"And you think that's going to happen today?"

"Miracles do happen, you know," he says laughing. "Maybe it'll happen with you."

I smile a little when I hear him quietly mumble, "Though it'll have to be a big one when it comes to you."

It just goes to show how much confidence my best friend has in me.

"I think I need a better friend," I call back, letting him know I heard.

James's laugh follows me. "Babe, you wouldn't give me up for anything."

Dammit. Why is he always right?

"But I wouldn't give you up for anything either," he continues.

Well, if my date with Iris goes badly, maybe I'll just go and date James.

 . . .

um ew. i think imma delete this story later. sorry this is short. and dumb.

thanks for reading! if you enjoyed, please vote, leave a comment and i'll see ya later!

~ Jells ♥