Advance - Chapter Two

Andrea's friend, Tammy, was standing on the front porch, waiting patiently for me to open the door. I sighed heavily. I had been hoping for a quiet evening home with my thankful girlfriend, who was sure to be in such a great mood because she had finally gotten a dog, and I was the one sho had gotten it for her. I had images in my head of us getting into bed together and snuggling, with the dog locked outside of our room, but now all of those dreams were shattered. I wondered what Tammy wanted, why she wasn't with Brian. Brian was my friend, sort of, but at times he could be a bit annoying, when he talked and talked and talked, offering his opinion. I didn't mind that he offered his opinion, it was just that whenever I tried to offer mine, I was always wrong.

Okay, I was wrong a lot, but that didn't mean I was wrong all the time. I mean, half the things we talked about, I knew what was going on and what the actual answer was. I was sure that if I said that the sky was blue, he would argue with me and protest that it wasn't, that it was actually a light, sky blue/white color with a hint of gray.

"Who is it?" Andrea asked from her perch on the couch, Sky's head resting on her lap from where he sat on the floor. Good, dogs belonged on the floor, not taking over my couch.

"Tammy," I answered, and pulled the door open. I put on a smile--until I saw the look on her face. Tears streamed down her face, and I found that so shocking that I could only stand there, gaping at her, my mouth literally hanging open. "Whoa--uh, I mean...whoa. What happened to you?"

She sniffled. "Bastard," she said, and then brushed past me into the room. I scowled after her. I was the bastard? How so? I had hardly ever spoke to the woman! She was crying, standing on my doorstep, and I was the bastard? Where did she get off saying THAT?

"...Excuse me?" I asked, scratching the back of my head nervously as I kicked the door shut. "Who's the bastard?"

"Trent," she sniffled. I blinked. Okay, I was confused. Who was Trent? Andrea seemed to know who he was, for she gasped and rushed to her friend's side, nearly knocking Sky over in her hurry.

"Uh...c'mon, boy," I said to the dog, heading toward the kitchen. "Let's leave the ladies to talk." he followed obediently at my side, licking at the fingers of my right hand. I moved my hand away instinctively, afraid he was going to bite me. Dogs and me just didn't seem to mix well. But he just licked at it again, lifting his head to reach it, and finally I relented and gave him a small pat on the head. He seemed to enjoy that; his tail wagged and began to beat against the side of my leg.

I sat down in the kitchen chair and pressed my index finger and thumb against my forehead, rubbing in small semi-circles. Sky put his head on my knee, and I opened an eye to gaze at him. He was looking up at me with his eyes, and I sighed and closed my eye, not wanting to feel as if he was looking into my soul.

It was said that your eyes were the gateway to your soul; I was beginning to believe that. I could still feel his eyes on me, though, and opened my eyes, scowling at him. "What?" I asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

He just began licking at my jeans. Great. A dog who had a taste for jeans. I was sure that soon he would start tearing up my pants and I would be forced to wear some of Andrea's tight pants until we went to the store to get more.

"Who's Trent?" I wondered allowed. I shrugged to myself and closed my eyes again. Great, I was beginning to talk to myself. Was I talking to myself, though, or the dog? Either way, it looked bad for me. Next thing I would know, I would probably wake up in the nut house, with all the other crazies.

Sky suddenly looked at the doorway that led out of the kitchen. I frowned and followed his gaze, but didn't see anything. He bared his teeth and let forth a small growl, but still, I saw no cause for concern.

I got up. "What is it, boy?" I asked.

He whimpered when he looked at me, and then eyed the chair. After a second, he looked back at me, and then at the chair. I frowned and sat back down. He wagged his tail and yipped happily. Why had he wanted me to sit? Okay...so maybe Andrea was right, maybe this dog was smarter than he looked.

Sky looked over by the refrigerator and started to snarl, his hackles raised. I got up again and began to move toward the fridge, but he nipped at my pantleg, succeeding in biting my ankle. I yelped and went down, holding my leg tightly. Blood began to stain my pantleg, and I gripped it, glaring at the dog.

"Damn dog," I grumbled, and got to my feet, hobbling toward the sink. I grabbed a dishtowel and got it wet, before I stumbled over to a kitchen chair and sat down. I put my leg up and pulled my pantleg up to examine the wound. I put the towel to the bite marks. "Why did you do that?"

He whimpered and crawled toward me, his tail tucked between his legs, his eyes pleading for my forgiveness. I glared down at him and turned my head away, shunning him.

He whimpered again, louder this time, and licked at my shoe, before he nudged it with his paw. What kind of a dog was this? He seemed so smart...No, I couldn't get caught up in him. He may have seemed smart, but he was still just a dog. Just another dog...

...Who had just bit me. For no reason whatsoever.

"Bad dog," I said lowly. "I bought you, rescued you from that shelter, and this is the thanks I get? Nice to know."

He barked and licked at my other pantleg. I moved my foot away, but he crawled toward it, whimpering.

I sighed heavily. I had to be crazy, but I was beginning to see that this was no ordinary dog. Or was he? Did ordinary dogs act like this? Did they crawl around, seemingly pleading for forgiveness? It all seemed so strange to me.

"Fine," I sighed. "You're forgiven. Just don't do it again."

He barked happily and got to his feet, where he jumped up and put his front paws on my shoulders, licking me in the face. I scowled and pushed him away, wiping the drool from my face.

"None of that," I protested. He sat down and wagged his tail, looking at me with his sky blue eyes. What a strange dog he was.

And what a strange day this was turning out to be. This dog was just so...unusual. I wondered what kind of dog he was, truly. He looked like a wolf hybrid, mixed with a bit of husky, but then I wasn't sure. I didn't know my dogs; why would I? I never interacted with them, unless I was getting chased by them for no reason at all. I guessed my mom ate a lot of meat while she was pregnant with me, and they were smelling it on me or something. I wasn't sure. Honestly, I didn't care.

Sky looked toward the kitchen doorway as Andrea entered the room. My leg had stopped bleeding, and now I pulled my pantleg down. She looked over at me and smiled weakly, coming toward me. "I have to take Tammy home. I'll be back in a little while, okay, sweetie?" she asked, kissing me on the cheek.

I nodded. "Okay, honey. See you soon."

"Take care of Sky, make sure you take him out to use the bathroom," she said, and then turned to leave. I heard the front door open and close, and then looked at the dog.

"I could have told her about you biting me, you know. You owe me one."

He barked and wagged his tail again.

'Oi,' I thought to myself. 'I'm talking to the dog. It's official: I'm losing my mind.'

I was still a bit confused as to why he had bitten me in the first place, and why he had looked at certain places and growled. He was a confusing dog, to say the least, and proving to be quite complicated. Was I ready for this?

I hoped so.