Hey, fellow Wattpad-ers. It's me, ! You may know me from my supernatural thriller "Her Terrifying Love," here on Wattpad, and "This Girl's Secret" http://amzn.to/2CAPQBu available in paperback and eBook on Amazon.

For the Summer Block Party (thank you, Kelly Anne) I decided to challenge myself to write something different. So I give you, "Mickey," a short story about loss, compassion, and most of, all, the value of a great friendship. I hope you like it. Check out "Mickey" below! Please leave comments and votes!

I dropped my bookbag onto the cafeteria table. I wasn't the least bit hungry but I was operating on autopilot. I unzipped the pocket and reached for the lunch my mom had packed for me. There it was. The ham sandwich I would never eat featuring some mysterious new cheese that, according to Mom, was gonna change my life. I doubted it. I slumped into my seat and pulled a baggie of apple slices onto the table along with a container of caramel dip. I could pretend to be healthy while ingesting a few hundred grams of sugar.

A note was stuck to the bottom of my sandwich bag. In Mom's cheerful handwriting it said: "It's going to get better. You'll see." I knew she had the best of intentions but I wished she wouldn't do stuff like that. I felt tightness in my chest. My stomach churned.

The familiar scent of a pepperoni Hot Pocket fresh from the microwave turned my head. Yep, it was Bryson. In one hand was a steaming Hot Pocket. With the other hand, he fixed his bangs. Stop with the bangs already. Since spring break he'd been obsessed with his damn bangs. I wondered if there was medication for that.

"S'up," Bryson said. He plopped down at the table next to me. I shrugged and peeled the foil cover from my apple dip.

"How'd you do on the Chem quiz?" he asked.

"Prob'ly not too good." I dipped a corner of an apple slice into the caramel.

"Hey, Aaron." A sing-songy voice lifted my eyes. It was Kennedy. The summer sprinkle of freckles across her nose faded beneath her deep brown eyes. Her scent was intoxicating. Was it body spray? Shampoo? Lotion? Or was it just her? My heart raced.

She purred, "I thought you were gonna ask me something last week?" When she tilted her pretty head a curtain of auburn hair slipped from her shoulder.

"Oh. Yeah," I muttered.

"You forgot?" Her smile widened.

The room slowly began to spin. I took a deep breath.

"No. Uh... something sorta came up. And I..." I couldn't think. It was as though my frantic thoughts had clogged the pipe that sent speech to my brain.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that," she continued. "But you weren't at school."

All sorts of emotions came bubbling up but no words.

Kennedy leaned forward. She swiped her finger into my dip and tucked her caramel-coated finger between her supple lips. "Was it about the weekend?" She grinned around the finger she gently clenched between her teeth. "You know, there's another weekend at the end of this week."

Bryson sat paralyzed. He knew where this was headed and he couldn't figure out a way to stop it.

"Yeah, I know," I finally managed. I cringed when I heard my voice crack.

She withdrew her finger from her mouth. "What's wrong with you?" she sighed.

There was no way around this. I needed to come right out and tell her. But I didn't think I could actually say the words. "I... uh." I could feel something inside me breaking. "I lost..." No, that was not the way to say it. Just be direct. Get it out. Short and to the point.

She grew impatient. Her brows furrowed.

I stared down at the table top, gathered myself, and then looked her in the eyes. "My dog. Died."

"What?" she said with surprise.

I wanted to finish the sentence but I couldn't. My throat had closed. I could feel my eyes brimming with tears.

"Oh, my God!" she said. "You're crying about a dog?!"

She couldn't have caused greater pain had she driven a white-hot poker through my chest.

"Yeah," Bryson filled the space where I was expected to speak. "His dog, Mickey. Awesome dog. So awesome."

I knew he was trying to help but hearing him say "Mickey" forced me to drop my head to hide the tears that ran down my cheeks.

"Oh, my god," she repeated. "Crying over a dog!"

I wiped my face with my sleeve before I glanced up to see her walking away. And I didn't recognize her. The Kennedy who appeared in my dreams, the girl I had longed for, fantasized about was gone. What I saw was a dark figure, empty, without a soul. Without an ounce of compassion. And it hurt.

"Come on." Bryson patted his bangs into place against his forehead. "Let's have a cigarette."

"Since when do you smoke?" I mumbled. Saliva had thickened at the corners of my mouth.

"Seems like a good time to start." He shoved a handful of napkins at me. I blotted my blotchy face and wiped my puffy lips.

He was doing his Bryson best to cheer me up. And although I wanted to thank him and tell him how much I appreciated him – especially then – I couldn't say the words. But he knew. He was my best friend. And he understood how broken I was and maybe unrepairable. But just the same, he was there for me when I was hurting badly, and vulnerable, and in desperate need of protection from a world without Mickey.

.......................................................................

So, that's "Mickey." I hope you enjoyed it. (Could you pass the Kleenex?)

I'm working on some ideas for my next story. In the meantime, if you're up for something a little spooky, check out my supernatural thriller "Her Terrifying Love," here on Wattpad, and "This Girl's Secret" http://amzn.to/2CAPQBu available in paperback and eBook on Amazon.

Also, to celebrate the Wattpad Block Party (August 2018), I'm giving away "This Girl's Secret" eBooks to three (3) lucky winners. This giveaway is open in the U.S. The giveaway link will be posted at the bottom of this post as well as on my profile!

Thanks for reading. Your votes and comments are greatly appreciated!

Enjoy the party!

greggerguy