Finally,it's WEEKEND. No school,no homework,no Brianna and her annoying minions. I called my Mom last night and she approved of my sleepover at Claudia's. She also gave me a ton of chores to do today. I've to take Coco out for a walk, clean the house including Owen's;just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. Next,I've to go to the supermarket and get some supplies needed for my solar system project and some snacks for Owen's sleepover party with his friends. And then,I've to do the laundry. But first things first,I have to arrange my bedroom. It's a bit messy but not as hideous as Owen's. Gloves on,mask too,broom,mop ready. It's time to clean. I arranged my clothes and kept them in my wardrobe. Threw away the crumpled papers lying on the floor and recycled a few things I no longer need. My bedroom is finally clean and that's one thing crossed out of my list. Next... Owen's!
"C'mon Jocelyn,you got this. This is just like a video game, nothing is real. You can do this"I said confidently, opening Owen's door
"Or maybe not"I said, closing the door immediately
I took a deep breath and counted backwards from five to one. I reopened his door. Oh My Gosh! This is a mad house in here. It was a complete mess. His dirty laundry piled up and smells really awful. I took his dirty laundry to the washing machine down to the basement. I picked up the crumpled papers littered around his rug. Some of them contain love poems he tried to write. I tidied up his bed, replace the dirty laundry with clean ones, reorganized his pens,books, headphones,paper clip and jackets. I behaved just as my mom would. Later on,I washed the bathroom,made breakfast for Owen and I ,took a shower,got dressed and ate breakfast. Owen,on the other hand is a lazy champ. His job is to mow the front lawn,clean the gutters and he hasn't done any of that. He is in his PJ's texting Yvonne and giggling about it. I got Coco on a leash and ready to go on my errands.
"Owen I'm off to the supermarket. Would you like me to get you anything?"I asked
"No"Owen said focused on his gadget
I was about to leave when he called me back.
"Um... can you get me some chips? The good one and some root beer"Owen said
"Okay, anything else?"I asked to confirm his choice
"No..."Owen said
I opened the door, halfway through the door when Owen called me back, again.
"Jocelyn?"Owen said
"Yes"I replied
"Nevermind, just messing with you"Owen teased
I slammed the door really hard and left.
"Ready for our adventure Coco?"I asked
She barked and wiggled her happy tail. We went to the bus stop,then the subway station and boarded the train. We got off at 56th Street. We went to Bill's Mart to get supplies for my project and Owen's sleepover snacks. Mr Bill has a NO DOG POLICY in his supermarket,so Coco had to stay outside the supermarket. I felt sorry for her but The Rules are the rules. I went to craft section and got some markers, paper clips, coloured papers, a big grey cardboard and a new perforator. I went to the food section and got some chips, ketchup,some avocadoes to prepare my special guacamole , crackers,whip cream, vanilla ice cream and two chocolate bars for Agatha and Rita and some puppy cookies for Coco. I went to the counter to pay for the goods. I stood in line waiting for the cashier to finish up with the two customers in front of me. The two customers left and the cashier yelled
"NEXT!"
"Good morning"I greeted
"Your money comes to a total of $150.00"The young female cashier said, blowing a bubblegum
"Okay"I replied, reaching for the money from my purse and gave it to her
"Thank you"She said
"You're welcome"I replied
I left the supermarket with two brown bags which was really heavy. I tried to untie Coco's leash from a bike rack and luckily,I succeeded. I held her leash in my left hand and supplies in the other. I was really hard to control with just one hand. She's all jumpy and playful when I'm with her. I tried to control her but she won't listen. I had no other option than to yell at her. I dislike yelling at Coco but it was the only way for her to obey my commands. This made.y burden less. Suddenly my phone rang. I tried to reach it from my purse with the bags and leash in my hands. Luckily,I was able to get hold of my phone but answering the call was a tough pickle. I tried to click the answer option with my thumb but missed at every opportunity. I finally got the hang of it and was able to answer the call.
"Hello"I said
"Hey Jocelyn,it's Angy"the caller said
"Hello Angy,um... I'm kind of busy. I'll call you back later"I said
"Jocelyn, please don't hang up. I've a big problem. My mom's birthday is this Thursday and I haven't gotten her a gift"Angela complained
"Have you thought of a gift yet?"I asked
"Now you mentioned it,I was thinking of getting her a new wrist watch"Angela said
"Okay,I think that would make a perfect gift. Just go to the store,buy the watch and wrap it up. Don't forget to get a birthday card attached to it"I advised
While on the phone,Coco smelled a hotdog cart moving right pass us. She began so impatient and began barking. She got lose of her leash and ran after the cart. I was still busy on the phone and didn't see her leave. I barely felt it because of the heavy groceries I was carrying.
"Remember to send me some pictures from the party"I said
"I will"Angela said
"Byeeee"I said and hung up
"So Coco, let's go"I said and noticed she was gone
"Coco! Coco!!"I yelled, calling her name but got no response
This made me really worried. I was totally freaking out. I ran with the groceries in my hands searching high and low for Coco. I shouldn't have taken her with me. I was really worried. I asked a lot of passer-bys,shop keepers if they had since her with my description but only got negative responses in return. I almost felt like dying. Coco was the only friend had since I was 6. I can't live without her. I stood in the middle of the sidewalk,thinking of what to do next when I felt a cold tap on my shoulder.
"Excuse me"Xavier Martinez said
"Yes"I said
I turned around and saw it's was Xavier. The Xavier Martinez standing right next to me. I froze like a statue. I didn't know what to do or say.
"I believe she belongs to you"Xavier said, handing Coco back to me
"Oh,Coco. I thought I'll see you again"I said
"I saw her roaming around a trash bin. I noticed she had a collar and you're name on it"Xavier said
"Thank you"I appreciated
"You're welcome"Xavier replied
"I'm Xavier"Xavier introduced
"Jocelyn"I replied
"Let me help you with that"Xavier offered to carry my heavy groceries
"No,I can carry it"I denied his offer
"I insist"Xavier replied and collected the groceries from me
This relieved me of the pain in my arm and I was able to reattach Coco's collar to the leash.
"Thank you"I said
"It's a pleasure. So are you from Florida?"Xavier said, starting a conversation
"No,I lived in Washington DC till my family and I moved here"I said
"Okay. That's nice"He said
And you? Are you from Florida?"I asked
"Na,I'm from Mexico. I used to live with ma familla in Mexico till my aunt came up with an idea of me studying in a boarding school. I didn't like it but I had no other option than to go for my Abuella. I went to Bears Legend boarding school, Massachusetts but got kicked because of my bad behavior. The school was boring,no fun,no excitement. Just some boring strict rules"He narrated
"And then what?"I asked,eager to know more
"Then my aunt scolded me for being expelled from school. She threatened to tell my Abuella if I get expelled from school again"He concluded
"That's awful"I said, trying to sympathized with his story
"I know, right?"He said
"Umm..I guess I'll continue my journey from here"I said, collecting the groceries from him
"Let me walk you to your house"He offered
"No!"I said
"Why?"He asked
"'Cause...my brother is home and he doesn't like unannounced guests"I lied
"Oh, okay"He said
"It was nice meeting you"He added
"Phew! That was close"I said silently
I walked back home with Coco. I opened the door and dropped the groceries on the kitchen counter. I sat down on the couch and relaxed my tired feets. I kept on reliving my first meeting with Xavier. Remember all those things I said about Xavier,I change my mind. He's really a sweetheart after all.
••••••••••
"Jocelyn thinks Xavier is a good person but could there be an evil motive attach to it? What is Brianna going to do next? Let's continue this journey till we reach the end"