Smile

"Umm..." Zach thinks for a moment. "It's the one down on Fern Street. Briarville Shelter I think. Kinda hard sometimes when a pet doesn't get adopted but... I do like working with the animals and giving them some love, no matter the outcome. I'd adopt them all if I had the space."

He grins, taking a sip of his frozen coffee before using his finger to catch some of the whipped cream and lick it off. "I've got a little black cocker spaniel named Button. She's only about ten months old so she's quite a handful, lemme tell you." He rolls his eyes. "So what about you? Got any pets?"


Reese returns a smile, enjoying the look on Angelica's face. Still holding her hand, he cocks his head. "Have you... ever thought about..." He shrugs. "I don't know... further down the road? Like... where you'd want to be next year? Or five years from now?"


Eli quirks an eyebrow, slinging his arm over Ryan's shoulders. "That he does. Let's hope it stays that way, eh?"

Not explaining, he lets her go and heads for his bike. "Enjoy the glory. I'll see ya back at the apartment."


Eric listens to Ashlee, understanding where she was coming from. He'd seen her and Dylan hanging out together a bit and knew that even though Dylan was a few years older, he was the closest friend to Ashlee's age that she had around here. Losing him must not feel very good, especially how it happened. Then to have her mom upset... yeah, he could understand.

Though Ashlee pauses her work, Eric doesn't, just continuing to rub oil into an old leather halter. He lets a few moments of quiet pass before eventually responding.

"Well... we all disappoint people we care about sometimes. We just can't let that keep us from trying again and doing our best anyway. We can't change the past... but we can change our future."

He pauses, still working. "And if I had to make a bet, I'd say your mom was just more scared than anything that day. When a parent gets scared like that, sometimes it comes out like they're mad at us, but they're really just upset for not having seen it coming." He gives Ashlee a sidelong glance. "Your mom was probably more mad at herself for not seeing where you went, than at you for running off without telling her."

Finally setting aside the halter, he turns his head to look at Ashlee, giving her a gentle smile. "Growing up sucks. Just don't let it get ya down too far, okay? I miss your smile."