Pawtners in Crime | Skephalo

.:My life is also yours:.

CHAPTER 8

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I sat at my desk, tapping away at the keys on my laptop's keyboard. It made a very satisfying click with each press, leaving me feeling content, and at peace for the moment. Rat was very happy to be back home, and was currently laying in the middle of my bed, taking a well-deserved nap. I will admit, I was worried to let her sleep while I was awake- as selfish as it is, I always feel like she would miss an alert and I could get in trouble. While I'm fairly sure that I'd be safe even if I did end up fainting, I could hear my paranoia loud in my head.

I jolted at the sound of my phone going off-- I must have gotten a text message. I took a minute to giggle nervously to myself. What a fool, I can't believe I just jumped out of my skin because my phone went off. I sighed and fought the urge to slam my head into my laptop, picking up the device and reading the contact.

It was Zak-- and reading his name alone made my heart flutter. Why am I like this?

'do yuo want to go to the park with me tonite??' Was the text, which earned a subtle look of confusion from me. We had already seen each other a few hours ago. The bright orange sky was still darkening with each passing moment, leaving my room shrouded in semi-illuminated darkness if it weren't for my desk light. I was planning to go back to school tomorrow, finally, now that Lucy was with me-- so I had hoped to finish a few essays for one or two classes I missed.

'Zak? It's 6pm, why do you want to go to the park?'

The reply back was fast. 'QUICK. I have something I want u to here!!!'

'hear* I'm presuming'

'YEAH WHATEVER COME ONN MEET YOU IN 20?!'

'Wait hold on, which park?'

'The one near North Valley DR' 

'k'

I tugged my scarf to my nose, covering my cold ears as harsh wind bit my exposed skin. It was so cold, I could've sworn it would have started snowing. Even so, Rat walked happily beside me, as if the temperature was ordinary. Must be nice. I let out a sigh, focusing on the ground in front of me as I made my way down to the park that Zak wanted to meet at. It would have been completely dark out if it weren't for the streetlamps illuminating the sidewalk. Occasional cars zoomed by, and with each passing it made me more and more anxious. It was only around 7pm, but it was so quiet and empty that I could have sworn it was 1 in the morning.

I stopped in front of the entrance, trudging through the gate which was never closed anyway. I shivered as I pushed on into the park, noticing how dark it gets once I'm away from the entrance. There were no lights inside the actual park, which made this slightly more ominous.

I stood by a tree and pulled out my phone as Lucy sat patiently at my feet. I stared at the time flashing back at me-- 7:02pm. It was so dark for 7pm-- maybe it had something to do with the seasons. 'I'm here' I texted to contact name Zak Ahmed, waiting for a response.

'im 5 minutes away'

'Ok.'

I tapped my foot, less impatiently and more to make it more comfortable standing in the dark, unprotected. I blinked anxiously, running my cold hands over the sleeves protecting my arms, as if it would help regulate my body temperature.

I think I heard rustling over there. I wasted no time, snapping my head in the other direction. I covered up my fright with a curious look-- replicating emotions on my face was something I was good at, even if it contradicts the feeling in my head and heart. I stared for a while, taking a step forward before freezing up completely. It might've been an odd sight, but after a few seconds of staring off and feeling stuck in place, Rat pressed all her weight onto my foot as best she could.