The dog represents all that is best in man.

.

"Listen, I'm in no state to emotionally support anyone right now."-Dan closed his locker-"I've been spending most of my free time with Skye until she recovers and honestly, I love her, but she's unbearable. At times, I want to suffocate her with a pillow."

Brendon chuckled, briefly forgetting the agony he felt due to the finale of Stranger Things. Dan took off his backpack and placed it near his legs. He then leaned against his cold locker and groaned loudly. "She made me type fan-fiction, Brendon."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"Smut!"

"Oh."

"Would her murder worth the jail time?"

"Well, at least you finally learned something about Sex Ed."

"Brendon."

"Yes?"

"Perish."

Brendon casually flipped him off and continued laughing. He then proceeded to grab his own bag and the two boys walked to Chemistry class. Minutes later came Charlie with Matteusz. Dan was certain that if Skye was there, she would lose her mind over Matteusz taking Charlie to class. Now Dan was way less thrilled because of a small detail he noticed.

They weren't holding hands.

This certainly wasn't a big thing to notice but Dan found it very weird that although their fingers were constantly brushing against each other, they were never intertwined. Besides, the two of them had already made out more times than you could count on two hands and they were officially boyfriends so this lack of physical contact was very odd.

Especially since Charlie was the embodiment of physical contact. After Phil, of course, who still failed to fully understand what 'boundaries' and 'personal space' meant. Dan used to mind that a lot about him. Now he's gotten used to it. Maybe even like it a little. Just a bit.

Perhaps in the Marlie relationship, it was Matteusz that had the problem. But that couldn't be it because in every party that Dan had witnessed the extremely uncomfortable tension between the two Matteusz seemed everything but reserved. Maybe he was looking too much into it. Everything were fine.

.

Skye could be reckless.

Sometimes.

Not very often because Skye was a logical, down to earth, serious young girl who always thought twice before doing something.

"You're literally a five year old trapped in the body of a teenager."

"How dare you?"-she grabbed a fork and pointed it at Adrian-"I'm very responsible."

"How did you break your leg, again?"

"No idea, I just thought it was a cramp."

"My point exactly."Adrian told her"Please Skye, just go back  to bed. Don't you remember what happened the last time you disobeyed doctor's orders?"

"Those deaths had nothing to do with me!"

"Debatable."-Skye scowled-"I'm going to work, rest and wait for Dan to return."

"Fine, dad."she mocked.

"Don't make me ground you."

.

Okay here was a known fact for Grant Ward; his friends could be idiots. No, not when it comes to behaving properly because if he was honest he was an idiot too with that part but like, his friends were the stupid kind. Unlike him, the Hudsons and Puckermans didn't want their child to be good at everything and were happy enough to have skilled athletes for sons. Therefore, both Finn and Noah rarely-actually never-opened any school books.

And this was casually going to blow up on their faces.

"You know me, I don't follow the directions."

Literally.

"There was a fucking explosion!"

It went without a question that Puck should never be left unsupervised in the chemistry lab but Finn just preferred texting Kara-Grant was still bitter about it-than actually pay attention to his friend who mixed sodium with water because 'it seemed fun'. The result was a small explosion and the fire alarm sprinkling water on all of the class.

"Details, man, details."

Grant was mad. Mad because he was all wet, mad because who would mix sodium and water but mostly mad at Finn because jealousy got the best of him. He wasn't really mad at Kara or with her behavior, he was mad because Finn was a friend and there was an unspoken rule about bros and ex-girlfriends. Sure, he tried to ignore it but at the moment he felt so angry at everything.

"The solution is simple,"Brendon Urie announced from the other corner of the room"we need to take our shirts off."

"Bren, you don't--"

"Can't hear you! I'm already taking it off."

"Charlie! Throw something at him! Preferably a table!"

Grant smiled at the exchange. Well, not smiled per se, but the corners of his mouth were turned up a bit. It was weird to him how a group made out of introverts, people closed to themselves who couldn't function properly on their own and had a much different way of thinking compared to others, managed to be that happy. And tight and loud.

He had first noticed this behavior in Skye. Skye who was always intimidating, yes, but she was usually quiet and mysterious. She was always there but she was the type of kid you wouldn't notice being there. Now ever since the little group formed, Skye was finally herself. And it was amazing.

She was amazing.

She was beautiful, smart, rebellious and kind. She was weird sure, all of them were, but it was the kind of weird others would appreciate if they got to know her. She was also a bit stubborn, sure, but that would get her places.

At first, Grant liked her because of Kara. Because of the hatred the two girls had for each other and because, if she wanted to, Skye could be as good as Kara. Even better. In this bitter battle of the exes, Skye was a brand new weapon. Then, somewhere along the line, something changed. No, he didn't fall in love with her. He wasn't going to.

But he appreciated her to a certain extent.

He still wanted to crash his ex but he wasn't going to use Skye for just that. She was a nice girl and since there was a small part of him-more tiny than an atom-that liked her he was going to fight for her with only that in mind. However, if this plan eventually lined up with his previous one, he wouldn't complain.

Still, there wasn't much that could go wrong.

It wasn't as if they were going to fall in love.

(Because love is a weakness and he has his head in the game.)

.

Skye wasn't a thief.

She wasn't stealing Adrian's car, she was borrowing it.

And sure she wasn't really in the right place to drive but the house was suffocating her and she had writer's block. So who could blame her? Plus, if Adrian didn't want her to take his car he shouldn't have left his keys inside a small box located behind some books in his shelves. It was right there constantly visible-after of course you removed the books and opened the box-and Skye couldn't help it.

"Finest girl I ever met in my whole life,"Skye sang at the top of her lungs"want to take her home, make her my wife."-a car passed her in incredible speed and she honked him while making unfriendly gestures-"Knew she was a freak when she started talking, she said--"|

In her small life, Skye had learned some things about her.

For starters, she was a ballad kind of girl so her guilty pleasure being The Lonely Island was very heard to be dealt with. Secondly, she was a very passionate singer. Thirdly, she should really be more aware of her surroundings.

Thud!

Now there were two possible scenarios.

One; she just hit an old lady. She is severely injured, she is going to die before the ambulance comes, she'll give Skye a letter and thus her adventure will begin as she will search the grandma's long lost grandson who was given up for adoption after the grandma paid the nurses to pretend that the baby was dead.

Two; she hit a turtle. Therefore, a turtle army will be formed to seek revenge. In about sixty years when she will be in her house at the top of the hill, many turtles will come on her doorstep and say 'The turts sent their regards' before murdering her in cold blood. Later they will put her head on a stick and use her as a scarecrow.

Unfortunately, what actually happened was way worse.

"Oh my God!"Skye cried as she run to the side of the small fury creature."Why couldn't it have been the old lady?"

The dog didn't seem to share her dramatic moment as it tried, and failed, to move its legs. Skye decided at that moment that if that dog died because of her, she would close herself in a monastery and lock herself in a room for the rest of her life. She had to think and she had to think fast. Without wasting, anymore, time she called the police.

.

"Dear, you know I love your visits more than anything,"-Mrs Ward told her son as she continued sterilizing her tools-"but today is a very stressful day."

"I can imagine."Grant mumbled"But the house felt so--"

"Stressful?"

"You have no idea."

"Is your father giving you a hard time again?"

"He and Christian. The insufferable duo."

"Don't be so hard on them. They just want the best for you. For us."

Grant tended to disagree with that logic. His family didn't want what was best for him. They just wanted to achieve their goals. His father, being an important figure of the town, had to maintain a good public profile. A loving family with a successful wife, a daughter studying abroad to become a lawyer and three sons that ought to be excellent at everything. Both his father and his older brother, Christian, believed that all Wards are by nature perfect at everything. And if they aren't, then they're just being lazy.

(And his family is not tolerant when it comes to laziness.)

"Can you help me hold him down?"

"Yes, of course."Grant rushed to his mother side and held the dog from its waist with one hand while he stroked it with the other.

"He reminds me of Max,"his mother whispered"you remember Max, right?"

"Yeah, I think."

Oh, he remembered Max. He was his family's dog when he was a kid, a chocolate lab similar to this one, all the Ward kids loved him but mostly  Grant. He adored the puppy and was entirely focused on him. He would feed and water him, bathe him, play with him and take him on long walks. It was the first time he had felt love for something-as if it was big part of who he was.

Then he lost that one game and Max was considered a distraction.

(He was never told what happened to Max but one day he just came home and he wasn't there. The Ward children never brought him up.)

"What happened to him?"

"A girl hit him with the car. Luckily it wasn't severe, his left leg is slightly wounded but he will recover soon."

"Does he have an owner?"

"He's full of flees, so I think he's a street dog. Otherwise, he's owner is a very terrible man." after his mother had wrapped up the dog's leg, Grant picked it up and the two of them walked outside. And there in the hallway stood the last person Grant would imagine when thinking of crazy ladies traumatizing innocent creatures.

"You hit a dog?"

"Your mum's a vet?"

"Ah, you two know each other?"

"Yeah,"-Grant put down the dog and handed Skye a brown leash-"but last time I saw her, she couldn't walk very much."

"I could walk just fine."

"You almost run over a dog."

"That had nothing to do with my leg."

"Sure it didn't."

"I'm sorry to interrupt."Mrs Ward chuckled"But as I was telling my son, miss,"

"Skye. Skye Howell."

"Skye, what a pretty name,"-if the woman smiled at her son with a grin as she spoke, neither Skye nor Grant noticed as they both looked at each other or at the dog-"as I was saying, this little guy will be fine but he should rest his foot for as long as he can. If you want, we can call an organization and they could take him in a dog shelter so he can fully recover."

"Will he find a home there?"

"If I'm being honest, not anytime soon. He's a very pretty boy and well-behaved, but we don't know for sure if he's purebred and I doubt people will be interested in him for the time that he only has three functioning legs. He might be adopted eventually but not soon."

"Oh."next time Skye wouldn't ask for an honest reply."Could, um, could I take him?"

"Well that would be, very kind, but there's a procedure and you'll need to be very responsible--"

"I'm willing to do it. I promise I'm not as a lousy animal taker as I am a driver."

"Well then, come we'll make the papers."

It appeared the day Skye Howell would stop surprising Grant Ward hadn't come yet.

.

"Hey Dan."

"Hey Skye."

"It was quite lonely here without you and Adrian."

"Was it?"Dan laughed warmly and opened the fridge.

"Yeah, so I figured I needed a little company."

"Not to be mean, but you literally have like five friends."

"I have more."Skye tried to defend herself"So I invited a buddy to sit with me, make me feel less lonely."

"Really? Cool."

"He's a bit more fury than most buddies though."Skye laughed awkwardly"And not very talkative but loyal."

"Skye?"

"Yep?"

"Did you get a cat?"

"Cat? Who? Me?"Skye continued laughing"I got a buddy."-Skye whistled two times and a dog sprinted towards Dan.

"Skye! That's a dog!"

"He isn't a dog. He's Buddy."

"That's it! I'm moving in with Charlie and Newt!"