Having Myra over for the weekend was going to be exciting, considering they haven't seen each other in almost three years. The two of them caught up with each other, filling in the other on what happened between the years they didn't get to spend together.
Olivia arose early that Saturday morning, around seven o'clock, wishing she had slept in. She and Myra both went to sleep really late, and since it was the weekend, she could've slept in. But this weekend was going to be busy, that's for sure.
In big letters, her chalkboard had the words "Animal Shelter re-opens Saturday!" and she had forgotten all about it. Dealing with school and Noah and the art scholarship, helping out at the shelter totally skipped her mind. She loved to volunteer at the NOLA Animal Shelter; it's been a hobby of hers since she was in elementary school and forgetting that they re-opened today made her face palm. How on Earth could she forget?
She had planned to buy a few chew toys and two bags of dog and cat food to help out Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey set up the shelter after going through some construction.
Quietly, Olivia got out of bed to get dressed. Today was a lot sunnier than usual, so she decided to go with the first pair of shorts that were in her drawer. Black shorts, along with a gray flowy tank that she didn't know she even had. Her glasses sat on the bridge of her nose and she clipped half of her hair up, trying to get out fast so she could get back on time for her dentist appointment and her "Special Day".
After buying all the chew toys and pet food she could afford, Olivia drove over to the animal shelter to see that it was a full house. Balloons were floating by the entrance, along with people flooding the doorway. She parked across the street, wishing she hadn't done so. The bags of pet food were almost as heavy as she was, and who knew what would happen to her during the walk from her car to the shelter.
"Olivia!" Mrs. Ramsey yelled from across the street once she caught sight of her. She waved at her, a smiled plastered on her. Holding tightly onto one bag of dog food, Olivia looked both ways before a car stopped, letting her cross. With all her might, she tried her best to make it to the other side of the road while carrying the dog food, hoping Mr. Ramsey or someone else would come and help her. Once she made it to the sidewalk in front of the shelter, she let out a huge breath, setting the bag on the floor. Olivia hugged Mrs. Ramsey as she and Mr. Ramsey walked over to her.
"Thank you for coming! It means so much." Mrs. Ramsey said with a smile. Olivia giggled, nodding. "Oh! I have a 'NOLA Animal Shelter' shirt just for you!"
"Aw, thanks Mrs. Ramsey. And it's no problem, I love coming here. Let me go get the other bag, okay?"
"No no no, let me." Mr. Ramsey stopped her before crossing the street to Olivia's car.
Once Mr. Ramsey retrieved the second bag, Olivia slipped on the shirt and the three of them headed inside with some of the other guests.
Noah put on some basketball shorts and the first thermal he saw in his room. Austin was coming by to pick him up so that they could go and practice a bit at the school, along with a few other members of the team.
The sound of a car horn could be heard outside. Noah looked outside to see Austin's car resting in his driveway, Austin rocking out to whatever song was playing on his radio.
He quickly headed downstairs and grabbed his water bottle with his running shoes. Noah walked up to the passenger seat to see that Austin wasn't alone in the car.
"Sorry man, I gotta drop off Erin to the bowling alley downtown. The backseat is actually clean today." Austin laughed as he unlocked the doors.
"It's cool. As long as we get to practice on time." Noah buckled his seatbelt, resting his head on the window. He was still tired from practice during the week and stressed over everything that's been happening in his life.
The drive going into downtown New Orleans took a few minutes, and as they were passing by through Main Street, they came upon a busy street. Turns out the animal shelter was re-opening today and everyone had come by to see it. The traffic down that street was really slow, with everyone crossing the street and all the cars parks along the sidewalk.
The bowling alley was across the street from the animal shelter, so Austin parked on the side opposite of the NOLA Animal Shelter. Erin Hayes, Austin's little sister, got out of the car.
"Hey, call me once the party is over okay? I'll be done with practice in about three hours and then Noah and I are gonna go eat." As Austin was talking to Erin, Noah looked over at the animal shelter which was filled with people.
People were walking in with big bags of pet food, cages, toys, and of course, their pets. Noah had heard that one of the owners was a veterinarian and that he worked as an animal shelter owner and as a pet doctor when the occasion occurred.
Austin went on and on about telling Erin to make sure to call him and a whole bunch of brotherly stuff, while Noah watched everyone pile into the newly built shelter. His attention was caught by a girl walking across the street to the shelter, lifting a heavy bag of dog food. He could sense she was struggling but she made it there at some point. The owners of the shelter smiled at her, and as she set the bag on the floor, Noah's eyes widened.
Black Sheep helped out at the local animal shelter? That was probably what she did during her free time; take care of dogs and cats, groomed them, picked up their poop. Her clothing seemed like her typical Black Sheep clothes. Black on black on black. She smiled a real genuine smile at the owners as they helped her out with the goods she brought to help out the shelter on their first day. They hugged her and laughed with her and it was just weird for Noah to see Black Sheep socialize with others. He watched as they walked inside and Noah snapped out of his daze when Austin clapped at him.
"Hey, Noah, come sit in the front." Noah nodded, moving over to the passenger seat. The two headed off towards Benjamin Franklin High School.
Eleven o'clock was getting closer and closer as Olivia stood in the midst of all these animals looking for homes. If only she could take them all, she would in a heartbeat. The shelter was even bigger than before, being able to hold about one hundred more stray animals. The thought of more pets having to be put here made her a little sad, but Olivia knew they'd all be in good care with the Ramsey's taking care of them.
In the lobby, it was a little less packed than when they had just opened. All the furniture was in place, along with cute little pictures of animals hanging on the walls. Mr. Ramsey was setting up the plants when Olivia came into the lobby.
"I think I'm gonna get going, Mrs. Ramsey. It was great seeing you both." Olivia grinned at the two.
"Aw, thank you sweetie. Be sure to come again, alright?" Mrs. Ramsey replied from behind the counter. The sound of all the animals back there was like music to her ears. Olivia was about to leave when she remembered she had left her bag in the room with all the puppies. That was probably her favorite room.
She pushed open the door to the room full of homeless puppies to find a little girl admiring them as they rested inside their open-top cage. The little girl looked at Olivia as she entered the room.
"Hi there. What's your name?" Olivia greeted the little girl. She was about seven or eight, and looked somewhat familiar.
"Hi, I'm Erin. These puppies are so cute." The girl chuckled to herself as the puppies lay there asleep.
"I'm Olivia. They are so adorable. And they need a good home. Maybe you'd like to ask your mom if you can take one home, doesn't that sound nice?" Olivia said.
"I think I will. It'd be cool to have someone to play with at home." She replied.
"Aw, are you an only child?" The tone in Erin's voice seemed so sad, it made Olivia's heart break.
"No, my brother Austin is always out with his friends or doing sports. He's supposed to come and pick me up soon."
That's when it hit Olivia. Erin looked exactly like Austin Hayes, and it turned out that they were siblings.
"Well, I'm sure he'll be here soon. Do you want to see some of the other dogs? There are a lot to choose from." She smiled at Erin, as Erin nodded in agreement. They walked into another room, which was much louder than the room for puppies. Barking filled the room and Erin seemed a little tense.
"It's okay, they're all nice." Olivia reassured her. Erin nodded as she let her shoulders relax a bit. "This is Coco and she's been with the Ramsey's for over two years and she still doesn't have home." The golden retriever was up on all fours, wagging her tail as Olivia and Erin approached her kennel. "Hi girl, how are you?" Olivia said in a high voice.
"Can you take her out?" Erin's eyes were wide with excitement, and Olivia could tell that Erin was taking a liking to the dog.
Olivia smiled, "Sure, but be careful, she'll try to hug you." She picked at the lock on the cage and out came the golden retriever, tail wagging in full speed. Just as Olivia let the dog free, she was welcomed by Coco attacking her with hugs and licks. Erin began laughing as Olivia tried to set Coco down on the floor. As she freed herself from the dog's grip, her glasses came flying off her face and headed straight towards the ground, breaking in half.
"Oh no, your glasses!" Erin exclaimed, picking them up and holding one piece in each hand.
"Great…" Olivia sighed. Erin handed the glasses over to her, feeling guilty for asking Olivia to open the kennel.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to open it." Erin hung her head low, causing Olivia to giggle a bit.
"It's okay, it's not your fault. These animals just want someone to play with…" Coco lay comfortably next to Erin, "and I think she really likes you."
Erin grinned widely, petting Coco on the back. "I hope my mom lets me get her."
"She will, trust me."
"You're really pretty without your glasses. You should keep them off better." Erin commented. Olivia tilted her head, feeling like it was a compliment and an insult at the same time. But Erin was a kid, so it was okay.
"Thank you. I can't see, but thank you." Olivia laughed. She took out her phone, squinting her eyes so she could see what time it was. The time was eleven thirty-seven, and Olivia had her dentist appointment at one o'clock. "I have to get going. Hopefully the next time I come here, Coco has you as the owner."
Erin smiled, hopeful that she would be the one to take Coco home. "Bye Olivia!" She sat there still petting Coco. The sight of Coco being noticed warmed Olivia's heart.
Olivia couldn't see very well at the moment, and her glasses were too broken to wear, so she tried to manage without them. She passed by the lobby desk and could hear someone asking about Erin. Her vision was too blurry to see who it was, and as Olivia was about to push the door handle, it was being opened on the other side. A tall figure stood in front of her for a while. Olivia smiled, although she didn't know who it was.
"Thank you." She smiled before passing by him to get outside. He still didn't say anything as she left.
She had to get home quick to get ready for her appointment, but most of all, for her "Special Day" with her mother and Myra.
"I'm so full." Austin leaned back in the driver's seat of his car, rubbing his stomach.
"Same here. That was some good food after a tough practice." Noah chuckled, holding onto his stomach as well.
Austin checked his phone, seeing Erin had called about thirty minutes ago. "Ah, crap. Erin called me half an hour ago." He started the engine and they headed downtown to pick her up.
As they parked on the sidewalk, Austin got out of the car, as well as Noah. They both headed inside the bowling alley to see that only a few people were bowling at the moment. No birthday party in sight, which made the two of them start to worry.
"Excuse me, have you seen a little girl with light brown hair, wearing a light blue shirt with shorts?" Austin asked the worker, who sat there looking uninterested in what Austin had to say.
"Is she your girlfriend?" The employee mumbled.
"No, dip wad, she's my sister! Have you seen her or not?" Austin yelled. Noah tried to contain his chuckles after hearing Austin say the words 'dip wad'.
"Um… yeah, I think I know who you're talking about." Lucas, so the nametag says, sat up straight. "She went across the street to the shelter to look at some cats or something."
Austin didn't respond, quickly leaving Noah behind to run over to the shelter. Noah followed after him seeing that Austin was already inside the shelter as Noah exited from the bad smelling building. He looked both ways before crossing, and just as he opened the door, a girl stood in front of him. She looked at him as he pulled the door towards himself, and her hazel eyes popped out. Something about her stood out to Noah, especially her face. He knew her from somewhere, but he couldn't put his finger on just where he's seen her before.
"Thank you." She said as he stood there not being able to speak. He snapped out of the little trance he was in before entering the shelter completely.
"Yeah, her names Erin. Is she here?" Austin questioned the old lady at the front desk.
"She's looking at some of the pets for sale, darlin'. Go and head on back there." Mrs. Ramsey pointed towards the door that led to the land of stray animals that needed homes.
Both Noah and Austin entered the door, and looked for the room that held puppies and dogs. Once they found the right door, they opened it to find Erin sitting next to a golden retriever. The worried Austin went away as soon as his eyes landed on Erin.
"Damn it Erin, you should've waited at the bowling alley!" He scolded her as she let her looked down at the dog.
"I just wanted to see the puppies, why are you getting mad!" She responded.
"You crossed the street by yourself? What if there was a car that didn't see you!" They both yelled back and forth as Noah stood there in silence. What was he supposed to do?
"I looked both ways! The people here were nice and let me look at the dogs. I even met a nice lady who helped me find this dog! She was pretty too, Austin! Prettier than that Haley girlfriend of yours." Austin furrowed his brows in disbelief that his own little sister just said that to him.
"I'm not lying. She had pretty colored eyes and she had a pretty smile. I wanna look just like her." Erin giggled, forgetting that she and Austin were just in the midst of a little sibling fight.
"Alright, Erin. Let's go, we gotta get home." Austin shooed the dog into an empty kennel and locked it. The three of them made their way out of the shelter.
During the ride back home, Austin and Erin talked about the birthday party she attended, and Noah sat in the back again. His mind was occupied by that girl he saw at the animal shelter once he entered. She had pretty colored eyes too and when she smiled at him… it was a nice smile. All he could think about was that he had seen her before; he knew he had, and he wanted to find out who she was.