SPLAT!

In disgust, Jamie removed his hand from the two flies he just killed and wiped their sticky guts on jeans. "Nice", he said, sticking out his tongue. It was the first time he had ever successfully killed a fly. It was much more satisfying than he thought, despite the mess.

Looking up from his mess he remembered why he was in the garage. Cat food, he thought. Where is it? "There's nothing here!" he said allowed, frustrated. He went back in the house. His dirty white Nike's trailing in dirt and gasoline.

MROOW! came a hungry sound from his bedroom up the stairs.

"Don't be such a drama queen! Just drink some damn milk!" Jamie said sarcastically, setting out a bowl of cold milk from the refridgerator.

The sound of a bell could be heard from the cats collar as it marched down the stairs. A speckled cat with ice blue eyes and a mint green collar wafted through the kitchen door. He stopped at Jamie's pant leg to show its affection. It was only for a second. As soon as he spotted the bowl, he clumsily raced over to it and started lapping the ice cold milk into its mouth.

"Mintaka... " Jamie said. He tried to think of something to say, but instead just shook his head. Jamie collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table. He was bored. He had already seen every new Anime episode on the net. (Last he knew, Naruto and Sasuke had gotten eloped and the ninetails had babies.) Try as he did, he failed to find any good music despite hours of searching. He couldn't hold his alcohol. He couldn't eat a carrot without getting full. He didn't know how to play sports and he wasn't about to go jogging through city traffic.

What Jamie really wanted was girlfriend. All of his dates ended with him deleting the girl's number from his phone. It was either the girl wasn't good enough for him, or she was too good.

Just then two clawed paws crashed just an inch away from what his brother called the 'family jewels'. "TAKA!" Jamie yelped almost smacking the cat off his lap. Mintaka purred twice and laid down. It got a piece of dust in its nose and sneezed on Jamie's favorite Jellyfish T-shirt.

SIGH... "Mintaka... everytime I turn around one of my friends is having a child. Everytime I sign online, another of my friends is getting married. None of my friends are single - If I could even call them friends anymore. Family seems to be the most important thing in the world to them. I feel left out..."

Ahh! Jamie thought, his hand feeling under the kitchen table. Gum!! He pulled the gum from under the table and began chewing on it. After a minute, he stopped, spitting out a tooth. Crap! "Baby tooth... last one too."

Jamie carefully stood up, setting Mintaka on the ground. Jamie watched as Mintaka scurried back up the stairs to his bedroom. "Better get you some food then, huh."

He set the tooth on the kitchen table and stepped outside, locking the front door behind him. "Such a nice day!!" It was the first day of spring. Little yellow and purple flowers were sprouting in the grass that had been hybernating.

He drove a few blocks, looking around at the blossoming trees. Cherry and Magnolia. It was hard for him to hold in his excitement. His birthday was just around the corner. School would be letting out shortly after that. He would be graduating college and probably leaving town. His head itched from the stress
of the thought of leaving his childhood behind. He turned up the car radio to drown out the sound of his worrying.

Pet Supplies R' Us. He made it. He walked inside, putting a hat on to cover his prematurely thinning hair.

"Can I help you find anything today, sir?" said a blonde boy, no more than 16.

"Thats okay, I think I got it," Jamie said, pulling a bag of Ayams cat food off the shelf. Chicken. Sweet...

Jamie walked towards the checkout line and stopped as a quarter rolled towards his foot. untied... He got down on one knee to pick up the quarter, tying his shoe while he was down there.

"Later Jordan!" said the cashier.

Jamie looked up to see the back of a girl's head as she was leaving the store. Beautiful... What he was looking at was the back of the first girl he had ever gone out with. The date was amazing. They had gone to the arcade together one night after graduation. Racing, street fighter, and big buck hunting... Jamie remembered winning her a stuffed bear in one of the crane machines. The bear's tag had just barely caught on the claw. She had gotten sick from the food and had to go home. Jamie left for school shortly afterwards and they never spoke after that.

Jamie stayed on his knee for a minute, holding the quarter in his hand. He looked at it. Good old Mr. Washing machine... he chuckled, remembering how he and his friends used to make fun of him in elementary school.

"Hey Jordan! Wait up!" Jamie called from the store's double doors. She kept walking. Jamie ran to catch up with her. He had left the cat food on the floor in the store. "JORDAN!!"

He finally got up next to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "JORDAN!" He exclaimed, smiling.

"Ah!" Said the girl, startled. She paused for a second and then her face lit up. "Jamie! Its you! how have you been?" She said, stopping excitedly in the middle of the parking lot. Jamie opened his mouth to respond but she continued, "I think we go to the same school now! I am pretty sure I saw you in the hallway but I didn't want to go up to you if you were a stranger!" She rearranged the items in her arms, clutching her purse and the rabbit food she had just purchased. "I'm in computer programming there!"

Jamie smiled and blushed and started to answer her question again but then said nervously, "You know, Jordan, I wanted to ask you..." He noticed his mouth was rather dry. "It would make me the happiest man in the world if... you'd go on another..." He looked down and got very quiet and finished, "date with me."

Jordan stared not saying anything for at least 30 seconds.

Jamie was nervous and held out his sweaty hand and added "Oh, I think you dropped this..." He showed her the quarter.

Jordan still didn't say anything and was rather embarassed herself. She finally took the quarter and held it in her hand, staring at the Tails side of the quarter.

Jamie couldn't stand it anymore and was about to take back what he said and try to get out as fast as he could.

Before Jamie could open his mouth, she handed him the quarter and kissed him on the cheek. "You're too cute Jamie... Yes I will go out with you."

He blushed and didn't know what to say.

Jordan once again saved him from his total embarassment. "I'm free right now. If you're not busy, do you want to come over and play some video games?"

Jamie nodded and drooled a little. "Oh!!" He said almost spitting on her. "I forgot! I need to get Taka some cat food!"

She laughed and took his hand and said, "okay. by the way that cat of yours is so spoiled!"

"Yeah... you're telling me" :)