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“How could she do this? All I ask of her is one simple thing and she goes completely over, just like she always does!” I mumble to myself.
Walking around my van, Cat kept trying to sleep while Poodle, who was now pink, bugged him.
As I walked out of my van, leaving Cat and Poodle to lay in their beds; the wind softly blew. I didn’t want to be alone but I couldn't stand to be near anyone else. I hoped a walk around town would help me cool off. I knew people would probably be out, it wasn’t bad out. I hoped if anyone saw me I’d be able to wiggle away with an excuse. Soon I passed by Crumbs’ bakery.
“Oh, Storm E! Hey!” she yelled from the window.
She looked really stressed out. Her hair was tied back in a loose bun and her face seemed to be all red.
I sighed, not wanting to seem rude, “Hey Crumbs, what’s up?”
“I’m frazzled, could you help me with something…?”
“Uhh, yea…sure?” I said walking up to her door.
She opened the door for me and slammed it so hard behind me that I jumped a little.
“Sorry! I’m just so stressed out right now.“
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Crumbs took a deep breath, “I wanted to make Dot something nice, you know, bake her something. I remember her saying that her favorite cookies are Almond Coconut.”
“Oh? What’s the occasion?”
“I don’t think there has to be one to do something nice.” She smiled.
“Touché. So what’s the issue?”
“I hate almonds and I’ve never baked with them before! I need someone to taste them so when I give them to Dot she doesn’t hate them!”
“I’m sure anything you make would taste great, and I’m sure Dot would think so too.”
“Awe, thanks.” She handed me one of the cookies she placed on a plate, “Could you please taste it. I just want to make sure…”
“Of course, but I’m telling you, Dot will love anything you make.”
I bit into the cookie. It was soft and still warm from the oven. The coconut was a nice compliment to the sugar in the dough and the almond added a nice crunch.
“Wow that’s…that’s really good Crumbs!”
“Really? I’ve never used almonds before. I got them from Sunny.”
“Yea! Dot is gonna love them.”
“Oh, thank you Storm E! This means alot!”
“Of course. If you ever need anything tested, you the doll to call.” I joked, “Well, I have to go. Hope that thing with you and Dot goes well !”
We both waved goodbye as I left, walking down the road. Suddenly, I heard a faint voice cry out and a thud come from around the corner. I turned to see Spot on the ground underneath an acorn tree next to a ladder.
“Spot! Are you ok?” I ran over to help her up, Zebra was nudging her arm.
“Oh, I’m fine!” She laughed, “Just getting some acorns for my sculpture! I already picked the low hangers. That’s what I got my trusty ladder here for!”
“Are you sure you’re ok? That thud sounded pretty bad.” Zebra nodded.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” She went to walk back up the ladder and stumbled.
“Ouch!” She cried, “Heh, it’s fine. Probably just a small sprain.”
My plans to take a lone walk were back firing on me.
“No, I can’t let you stay here alone. Let me take you to see Rosie.” I said.
“Really, I’m fine. I don’t need to se-” She tried to walk again but fell over.
“Ok… maybe I should see Rosie.” She sighed.
I groaned, knowing this would take more time out of my day, but I couldn’t leave Spot there with an injury.
“Here let me help you.” I picked her up and swung her arm over my shoulder.
We stumbled to Rosie’s with Zebra trailing behind us.Soon enough, we reached Rosie’s house.
“Knock, knock! Who’s there?” Spot laughed.
Rosie opened the door, “Hey girls! What’s up?”
“Spot fell out of a tree. I think she might have sprained her ankle or something.”
Rosie immediately grew worried, “Oh my! Let’s get you in here and take a look at that!”
Rosie and I dragged Spot in and sat her down on a bed. I didn’t want to seem rude, so I tried to hurry it up a little.
“Well, I have to go, hop-”
“Wait! You can’t leave yet!” Spot begged.
I grumbled. I didn’t want to leave Spot but I just wanted to be alone. Spot must’ve noticed because she then waved me to go ahead.
“Uhh actually, it’s fine, you don’t have to stay. I don’t wanna force you.”
“No, I’ll stay.” I said, sitting next to her.
Rosie did her typical check up. She slightly massaged Spot’s ankle.
“Yep, something’s definitely misaligned. You must have popped it out of its socket when you fell, but no worries! I can pop it right back in place!”
“Uhh, what..?” Spot and I questioned.
Before we could think another thought, Rosie got down and snapped Spot’s ankle back into place.
“Ow!” Spot yelped.
“There you go! I’ll go get you a splint and some ice so it can heal quicker.”
Rosie walked out and came back with a piece of wood and bandages, with bear behind her carrying an ice pack. She wrapped up Spot’s ankle, making sure to align it properly, and gave her the ice pack.
“I want you to stay here for a while so I can check up on your ankle.”
“But my sculpture-” Spot tried to intervene.
“Will still be there when you get better. Just relax for a little bit.” Rosie booped Spot on the nose and covered her with a blanket.
“Well uhh, I gotta go. Get better, Spot.”
“Thanks Storm E!” Spot waved as I left.
“Oh, Storm E. Before you go, do you mind helping me with something?” Rosie asked.
I sighed in more frustration, “Yea, sure. What do you need?”
I just need help organizing these drawers really quick. If you don’t mind of course!”
“Uhh, yea. I can do that.”
I’ve never been the best at organization. I kinda just throw my stuff where-ever and find it again later. Needless to say, everything I did still looked jumbled, no matter how hard I tried. Some spaces looked too empty and some spaces looked too full.
“Oh dear… Is everything ok?” Rosie asked.
“Yea, I’m sorry. I’m not very good at organizing things.”
“Oh it’s ok! Bear and I will tidy things up. I won’t keep you here, go on and enjoy your day.” Rosie waved.
I left, feeling worse than I did this morning with Jewel. This day wasn’t going as planned. I hoped I could just lay low for the rest of the day; but my thought was interrupted once I stopped by Dot’s house.
She was setting something up outside with a small pile of flyers on a table nearby. She had a small pile of flyers in her arms. Once she saw me, she walked over to the table and grabbed one of the flyers.
“Hi there, Storm E.” She waved.
“Hey Dot. What’s going on?”
“I’m setting up for a star gazing event. It’s happening in a few days if you want to join!” She handed me the flyer.
“Hmm, maybe. I’m not quite sure. I think I’ll be busy that day..” I lied.
“But you’re busy every time there's an event! Please?”
“I can’t, I mean, I don’t know. I need time.”
“What do you mean, everything ok?”
“I’m just a little zoned out. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“Do you wanna talk about it?”
“No, it’s ok, Dot. Really, you seem busy and I wouldn’t wanna throw you off track.”
“Storm E, if it’s bothering you, you should talk about it, get it out.”
“I said, I’m fine. Just drop it!” I snapped, “I’m… I’m sorry. I-”
“No it’s ok! I was kinda pushing you. If you wanna talk, don't be shy.” She patted me on the shoulder.
Dot turned and walked back to where she had everything set up. I folded the flyer neatly as I walked off.
“Maybe the nature trail would be more peaceful.” I thought.
I followed the trail deeper into the woods and came across an old tree stump. It was covered by the leaves of nearby trees, making a cozy shaded area. I walked over and sat down, leaning back on my hands. The wind blew smoothly through the branches. I finally had the peace and quiet I needed all day. Taking deep breaths, I looked around the area. The sun shone through spots where the leaves and branches couldn’t quite catch. All was quiet until I felt a small nudge hit my hand.
“Oh, hey there, Beaver.” I said, patting him on the head.
“Hey Storm, what’cha doin’ all the way out here?”
I noticed that voice and nickname from anywhere. I turned to see Forest carrying a pile of wooden logs.
“Just cooling off, you know. Thought I’d come out for some peace and scenery.”
“Rough day?” He asked.
“Maybe… How can you tell?”
“You seem gloomy.”
“I’m always gloomy.” I scoffed.
“No. Not that I can see.” My face felt warm as he said that, “Do you wanna talk about it?”
“Nah, I wouldn’t wanna interrupt you. I’m sure you’re busy with something.”
“I’m never too busy for you. Come on, I’ll listen if you want.” He set down the pile of logs and Beaver sat on top of it.
“It’s pretty stupid, it’s in the past.”
“I don’t judge, but I won’t force you to talk if you don’t want to.” As he turned to walk away, I reached out and grabbed his hand.
As much as I wanted to be left alone, I didn’t want him to leave.
“Wait!” I yelled, a little too loud, “Please, don’t leave.”
I immediately dropped his hand as we both looked at each other with red, hot faces. He sat down pulling me next to him.
“Ok… I’ll stay. You don’t have to talk.”
“I’m sorry. I just don’t want to snap at you..”
“No, it’s alright. I probably should’ve known. You only come out here to get away from people.”
“Not true. I come out here to talk to you.”
“Nope, you come out here and end up talking to me because I start bugging you.” He joked.
“Hmm, maybe I come out here in hopes you bug me.” I lightly nudged him with my elbow.
“Soo… Anything big happen lately?”
“Well… Jewel and I had another argument, but that's not really surprising."
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t do anything wrong. I just… I lost my temper. She asked to watch Poodle and, it's just stupid, the whole thing is dumb.”
“Nothing is truly dumb if it upsets you.”
“Pfft, this was. I know I’m still ‘new’ or whatever and everyone is so nice, but I lose my temper so easily. I just want everyone to like me, especially since I don’t know when the next rain storm will be.”
Forest sat there quietly, ”I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t like you.”
“Jewel definitely doesn’t. I don’t really talk to anyone else. I made Spot feel horrible, and I’m sure Dot does too.”
“Woah, where’s all this coming from?” He frowned.
I sighed, “After that fight with Jewel, Spot got hurt and I had to take her to Rosie’s. I wanted to be alone but I couldn’t leave Spot alone, she wanted me there.”
As I rambled on, Forest sat there, listening to me. I was so distracted with ranting that I barely noticed him placing his hand on top of mine.
”Then Rosie asked me for help and I couldn’t do that right. I snapped at Dot for never showing up anywhere. They all said it was fine, but I felt horrible.”
“I’m sure they’ll understand. We all have difficult days and that’s ok.”
“You always know what to say, don’t you?”
“It’s a gift.” He joked.
“I should probably be heading home. Poodle and Cat don’t mix well together."
“Here, I’ll walk with you.”
“You’d do that? I thought you had stuff to do.”
“Like I said, I’m never too busy for you. Plus, Beaver’s got it handled, right Beaver?”
Beaver nodded as they rolled the logs away. Forest turned to me, holding out his hand to pull me up.
✰⋆｡:ﾟ･*☽:ﾟ･⋆｡✰⋆｡:ﾟ･*☽:ﾟ･⋆｡✰⋆｡:ﾟ･*☽
We stopped in front of my van, with Cat sitting by the window looking out.
“Well, this is my stop… I'll see you tomorrow.”
“Hey, before you head in, “ he stopped, “uhh, could I talk to you? I know you had a busy day an-”
“Sure, you know, you can come inside if you want.”
“I guess that would be a better idea, huh.” He laughed.
As soon as I opened the door, Poodle came running out. She barked, yipped, and jumped everywhere.
“Hey there, woah! What happened to you?” Forest chuckled, petting Poodle's pink fluff.
“Jewel happened. That's… kinda what we were arguing about.” I sighed, “Well, come on in. I don't wanna keep you too long.”
I opened the door for Forest as Poodle followed behind him. We sat comfortably on the couch, well, Forest did. Slightly embarrassed by the distress of my living area, I decided to pick some things up.
“So, what did you wanna talk about?” I ask, innocently.
He took a deep breath, “You said you didn't know when you'd leave… right?”
“Yea, Dot is still trying to help me with that. I feel bad, she's been working pretty hard on it.” My mind started to fizz, “I guess that's why she wants me to come to these events so badly… “
“Please don't leave.”
I froze, “What… ?”
“Please don't leave. I want you to stay here.”
“I can't.”
“Why not.” He said, getting up.
“I just can't.” I snipped back.
“That doesn't answer, what's stopping you from staying?”
“What's stopping me from leaving?”
“I am.”
Why does he care so much if I leave? There's plenty of other people in town. He can talk to any one of them.
“I care about you, Storm. I can't let you leave without tryin’.“
“You don't know what you're saying.”
“Yes, I do. Even if no one in town likes you-”
“I know, nobody likes me.”
“I do.”
“What..?”
“You're one of my closest… friends.”
“You've barely known me for a month.. “
“And yet you treat everyone like you've known them forever! I see how you treat everyone else. You're not harsh like you think you are.”
My knees felt weak. I wanted nothing more than for this uncomfortable conversation to end.
“I don't stay in one place. I'm mean, I don't-”
“Don't say that.” He frowned.
“Don't say what?”
“You're not mean. You just don't see yourself the way others do. You and Jewel bicker like sisters, you and Spot are always together, you visit Crumbs like every day, you help Rosie even when she refuses.”
“That means nothing. If I'm gonna be stuck here for god knows how long I might as well make a good impression.” I rebuttaled
“That's not a good impression, that's a bond, and it's not easy to make them the way you have.”
“Well… I..”
I was at a loss for words. I couldn't argue with him, because deep down, I knew he was right. I didn't want to leave, and I didn't want to leave my friends.
“You don't want to leave, I know you don't.”
“I've done it for so long. Why would I stop now?”
“Because you've traveled, who knows how far, and haven't found a single place you enjoyed? I doubt that.”
I stood there, a mix of nausea, embarrassment, and defeat swirled in my stomach. We stood there for what felt like forever while I stared at the ground. To be honest, I was worried about the emotion I'd see on Forest's face.
“Just… think about it. Please.” He said, crossing his arms.
As he went to leave, I grabbed his hand and pulled him into a tight hug. I don't think I've ever hugged anyone this tight, let alone hugged anyone at all. He stood there for a few seconds, like he didn't know what to do. The only thing I wanted all day was to be alone and have a bit of peace, but now, I wasn't sure what I wanted.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay or leave. If I wanted to be with someone or alone. If I wanted noise or quiet. As he hugged me back, I could feel tears start to well in my eyes.
“I don't know what to do.” I sobbed.
“Hey, hey, it's ok…”
“No, it's not. You're right. You've always been right. You can read me like an open book, I hate it.”
“What do you mean…”
“You know exactly what to say and you talk about everything like you know exactly what it's like. You always have the perfect argument for everything everyone says. You're always there for me to talk to.”
“Storm-..”
“It's always been just me and Cat, and now that I've met everyone else… I don't want to let them go.”
He didn't say anything, like it was the first time he had no idea how to respond. He pulled me to the ground and hugged me closer as I continued to sob. The times I pulled away, he wiped off my tears and patted me on the shoulder.
“I'm always here for you, and it's not just me. You don't have to worry, you don't have to bottle up your emotions for anyone.”
He pulled me up and led me to the couch to sit down.
“I'll leave you alone for a few. If that's what you want…”
“No. Please don't leave…”
“Ok.. I won't.”
Forest sat next to me as I rested my head on his shoulder. Tear streaks stained my face and my eyes still watered. Soon enough, we were relaxed and fell asleep. The last thing I remember is feeling a small peck on my forehead before I off.