I didn't want to hold Caleb back with my anxiety but I couldn't help it.
We'd been friends since diapers. Yeah Amber was close to him but she didn't have to watch him go through all that shit with that douchebag Jeremy.
I knew why Caleb was denying his crush on Pierce. It was because he didn't want to admit it to himself.
When Caleb falls for someone he falls for them hard.
I don't care if he's gay or not, one look at Pierce and I knew he was a heart breaker. I didn't want that for my best friend.
I continued thinking as we strayed from the sidewalk into the forest.
The street lamps fading as we began having to rely on just the moon and Amber's phone flashlight.
I was shook from my thoughts when we reached the kennel.
It was an abandoned prison which probably hadn't been used for anything for decades.
That is before we came along and turned the cells into dog kennels and the cafeteria into a veterinarian office.
Barks and growls of various pitch and volume echoed through the woods behind us.
I glanced over at Pierce. The look on his face was confusion.
"What the hell is this."
"Used to be a prison." Caleb answered, his voice strained.
"This is only half of it, the rest burned down awhile ago." He bit his lip after he finished his answer.
The prison was now merely three giant tunnel like hallways scattered about fifty feet from each-other filled with cells/kennels with the largest hallway having an extra room connected to it.
The room was the only enclosed part of the prison other than the cells and the only part that had electricity.
It used to be a cafeteria.
Now it was my administrative office and Caleb's veterinarian office.
He used three of the four tables as exam tables and I used the fourth as a desk.
Pierce nodded. He was oddly calm, and strangely enough hadn't messed with Caleb at all during our walk over here.
Still, I watched him closely, I wasn't about to let him try anything.
Amber wiggled her way in between them before speaking. Pierce looked slightly annoyed, Caleb looked relieved.
"Show him Lady." She chided.
Caleb sighed. I knew he didn't like the fact that he needed someone else's help with one of his dogs, one of the dogs HE rescued.
It was his own fault really though, he wasn't disabled like me and Amber, if he quite smoking and vaping every five minutes his asthma wouldn't be so bad.
He turned towards Pierce before resting one of his slender wrists on one of the studded belts strapped around his bony hips.
"None of us can run, Amber had fibromyalgia, Oscar... well." He chuckled gesturing to my prosthetics.
"What about you?"
"I was getting to that." He snapped.
"I have asthma." He muttered. Looking away again.
"Plus I'm just not athletic at all."
Pierce chuckled.
"Don't laugh at me!" Caleb was fuming. He was letting Pierce get to him. Amber bit back a smile, she really was sadistic sometimes.
Pierce threw his hands up in fake surrender.
"I can't help it when your being such the comedian." He chided.
Caleb clenched his fists firmly against his scrawny thighs.
"Anyways." He said through his teeth.
"Yes?" Pierce said this in the smoothest most flirtatious tone he could muster.
Caleb immediately blushed, I motioned to Amber to move the flashlight off of him. When Caleb blushed he blushed like a mother fucker, it was like a face boner, everyone knew he was flustered.
I knew it would help him calm down if he didn't have to worry about Pierce being able to see.
Amber ignored me in-till I slapped her and demanded it yet again this time spitting it through my teeth.
"Turn that thing off."
"Ok fine!" She rolled her eyes at me.
Caleb finally found his voice about thirty awkward seconds later.
"Lady is a dog that we rescued recently, she's suffered a lot of abuse and is extremely active, if she doesn't run at least a few miles every day she'll get aggressive." He looked back at Pierce tentatively.
Pierce nodded.
"So you need a handsome athlete such as myself to tire this lady out?" He smirked as he said this.
Caleb huffed.
"More or less." He paused for a second before continuing.
"It's a symbiotic relationship Pierce. Lady gets the enrichment that she needs and you get service hours, that's pretty much all there is to it."
"We'll see about that."
Caleb crossed his arms angrily. The barking had simmered down leaving more silence for his awkwardness to manifest in.
So he did what he's always done, masked the self doubt with aggression. Sometimes it was dirty jokes or substances but right now it was anger.
"These dogs have been through shit and so help me god if you do anything to put them through any more I'll-"
"What Caleb means to say is there are rules you gotta follow for the dogs safety." Amber playfully shoved Pierce as she said this.
She then turned on her heel and began walking down the lines of cells towards the end of the hallway.
We all followed her some of the dogs greeting us with yips and others with growls.
CALEB'S POV:
Amber halted in-front of the last kennel, Lady's kennel.
She was one of the only dogs remaining silent. Which anyone who knows anything about canine behavior knows can be far scarier than growling or barking.
Her ears were laid flat against the shiny obsidian fur of her head and her lips were curled into a silent snarl, her neck was positioned a bit lower than shoulder level signaling she was ready to fight.
She stared at Pierce with unwavering onyx black eyes.
"This- this is Lady."
Pierce blinked at the her, he obviously had no idea what she was trying to tell him.
"She doesn't seem aggressive." He pointed out stupidly.
"She's literally using every part of her body right now to tell you she hates your guts, I swear you jocks are so stupid." I crossed my arms as I said this realizing too late that I was being a bit bitchy, and maybe asking for trouble.
Pierce turned towards me his eyes narrowed, he took a few steps towards me.
"Y'know I'm getting a little sick of your attitude-"
That's when Lady lunged at the bars, snarling like a mad man, barking so vehemently that her spit splattered itself on everyone on the other side of her cage. Her teeth gnashed together pure rage reverberating off her body.
Pierce stumbled backwards obviously shocked.
"What the hell!" He barked now taking a step towards Lady's cell. I grabbed his tank top and yanked him backwards with all my strength, which wasn't much but it caught him off guard.
He stumbled backwards coming back towards the cell as soon as he got his footing.
I quickly got in-between the metal bars and Pierce's but hurt damaged masculinity.
"You take one more step towards this dog I'll make damn sure you never get back on that team you understand me?" I stated my tone low and scarily monotoned but still extremely grave.
He stared back at me, the aggression fading from his face.
"She startled me, ok!" He stated arms crossed, his voice slightly defensive.
I folded my arms as well whilst taking a step towards him.
"If you want to help us you have to act right, if you make her see you as an enemy she will never let you near her much less run with her."
He looked away.
"Ok."
I don't know why I was expecting an apology, he wasn't the type to humble himself like that.
But it was almost like I could hear the words echoing in his mind, like he wanted to say it but couldn't.
Oscar rolled his eyes.
"I knew this guy wouldn't work."
Amber pinched him, he squealed.
"Their having a moment Oscar don't ruin it!" She whispered loudly through her teeth.
He rolled his eyes again.