Heather quickly packed her things. She had just gotten a call from her dad that Bruiser was taken to a veterinary hospital because he had passed out. It was six in the morning on a Sunday, so Courtney hadn't been awake yet. That was until Heather dropped her suitcase to the ground with a loud thud.

"Heather," she groaned tiredly. "What gives?"

"I have to go. Bruiser's very sick. I don't know when I'll be back." She took deep breaths, preparing herself for anything that could happen.

"Oh no..." her friend frowned. She knew Heather was super close to her cat. Closer than she was with anyone else, including her. "Heather, I'm sorry. Hopefully, everything goes well."

"I hope so too," she sighed in distress. "I'll update you as much as I can."

"Thank you."

Heather nodded and headed for the door. "Hey," Courtney said softly, holding her arms open. "Hug?"

"Court, I don't-fine..." she walked over to her and hugged her. "Bye. See you later."

"You too."

She quickly left the building and finally got to her car after walking to the parking lot. She cursed every step it took. She sped to the hospital, not caring about anything else now.

Heather found her mom and dad in the lobby. And they were...eating? She angrily marched over to them. "What the hell?! How can you guys eat at a time like this?! Where is he?!"

"Heather feather, calm down, sweetie," her father began. "The doctors are taking care of him."

"He'll be fine. You're being overdramatic, dear," her mom told her.

She scoffed. "No, I'm not! Bruiser is my best friend!"

"What about Courtney? You know, the one human friend you have?"

She gritted her teeth, knowing that was an underhanded comment. "Well, Courtney's not hurt right now, is she?!"

"No, but you need to relax. It's just a cat. You can get a new one."

"You're such a bitch! I can't just replace him with any cat!"

"And this is exactly why I considered not having your father call you. You always must make everything so over the top, Heather! And then you start calling me names!"

"Because you're always a bitch! My cat is literally dying, and you tell me I'm being overdramatic!"

"You're so selfish; you know that? Bruiser isn't just your cat. We bought him for you!"

"But you hate him, don't you? Just like you hate me!"

"You're my daughter. I don't hate you."

Heather laughed sarcastically. "That is such a fucking lie! I know you wanted me gone for a long time!"

"And there you go again, making everything about you. Maybe we'd actually like you if you were nicer!"

She felt sick. Every time her mom jabbed at her like it, it felt like someone was tearing her apart, little by little. She suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. This is too much. "I-I need to sit down." She got in one of the lobby chairs a few seats down from her parents. She rubbed her stomach.

"God," she heard her mother mutter to her dad. "It's always something with her. She expects everyone to bow down to her. I can't believe she's making her own cat's sickness about herself."

"She's just upset, Martha," he replied. "She will cool down."

"Will she, Tom? Because something else will come up, and she'll get angry at us for it. She always blames us for her problems."

"Well...there was that time we did the electroshock therapy-"

"We never speak of that. That was for her own good."

Heather immediately shut their words out. She got out her phone and texted Courtney. 'I'm in the lobby, and my parents are talking about my "issues"🙄'

'Oh no :( how's Bruiser?'

'I don't know yet. They've got him in a room.'

'Ok, just let me know♥️'

'Yep' She put her phone down. Her stomach still felt queasy. She buried her head in her hands, hoping the pressure she was putting on her forehead would make her less nauseous.

The doctor came out a few minutes later. Heather immediately got out of her chair, ignoring the extreme dizziness she felt when she stood up. "How is he?!"

She turned her head, looking at Heather sadly. "I am so sorry, ma'am, but he had a stroke. We couldn't save him in time."

Heather couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Wait...what?"

"I have his body if you'd like to bury him," she told her parents.

Her eyes darted around the room. Nothing seemed real now. This has to be a dream! This can't be happening! She began hyperventilating, only making her nausea worse. "I..." she ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. She sobbed, her whole body aching. Bruiser was the only reason she'd ever visit her parents. He was the only one who listened and cuddled up to her when she felt sad. I never got to comfort him. What do I do now? He was my first and longest friend.

"Is she alright?" The doctor asked Heather's parents after watching her run to the restroom.

"She's just distraught. That was her cat," Tom explained.

"Yes, she was very close with him," Martha feigned sorrow.

"Awe, it's always tough to lose a pet. I'm sure she would want to have a burial for him?"

"Oh no, I don't think her heart could handle that. She always told me that when he dies, she won't be able to look at his dead body," she lied.

"Are you sure, ma'am?"

"Positive."

"Alright then. I will dispose of the body with my team. Again, I am sorry for your loss. My condolences."

Martha nodded with a pout on her face, which disappeared when the doctor turned away. "Martha, why didn't you say yes to the burial? You know our feather would want that," Tom said.

"There is no way I'm having a funeral service for a stupid cat. Besides, I don't want her over our house. Not with the way she's acting today."

"Well, to be fair, she is very upset about Bruiser. Should we cut her some slack?"

"No. She never gave any slack when we were having a hard time. Think about all we did for her, and she was still ungrateful."

He sighed. "That is true, I suppose."

Heather came out of the bathroom, hiding her head down so no one would see her tear-stained face. "We need to have a burial for him. Did you tell the doctor?"

"We told her we don't need to be doing one."

"...W-Why?"

"Because I don't want a dead cat in my yard, Heather. Do you know how much your father and I paid for that land?"

"Are you serious?! It won't even matter because he'll be buried! He deserves to have a proper burial!"

"He was a cat, Heather. A cat! The overreacting needs to stop."

"You don't understand! He deserves to be buried in a gold casket! He wouldn't want it any other way!"

She rolled her eyes. "He's already dead, so he won't know. Stop being a diva about everything."

She glared at her. "How could you do this?! You know I wanted a burial! You know it!!"

"Sweetie, I tried to convince her," Tom frowned, feeling sorry for her.

"You're fine, Heather. You're always fine. You'll get over it."

Heather felt more tears fill her eyes. "I-I hate you," she choked out. "I never want to see you again!" She angrily spun around, marching out of the clinic. She got back to her car and slammed the door, crying. Her mom knew well about her love for Bruiser. And she just dismissed her feelings, as always. She got out her phone and looked at her lock screen, which was a picture of her kissing the cat on the head. She smiled, breaking down even more.

She thought about texting Courtney but was too mad. I bet my mom poisoned him. But he had a stroke. Does that even make any sense? Whatever. She hugged herself. She kept shutting her eyes, praying she'd wake up from this nightmare. Her mom had said and done many cruel things to her, but nothing like this. This was a whole new level. She thanked God she still had Courtney. If she and Courtney never became friends last year, she would feel so alone all the time. Even then, she still felt alone most of the time. She never let anybody in because she didn't trust anyone enough for that. The only "person" she ever told all her issues to was Bruiser. And now he was gone.

After another hour of sitting and crying in her car, she headed back to the sorority. She had three missed calls and a text from Courtney, but she could wait.

"Heather! What the hell?!" Courtney came running up to her the moment she stepped foot on the sorority property. "You scared me to death!! Why didn't you answer me?!"

"Bruiser's dead," she mumbled, hanging her head.

She gasped. "Heather...oh no. I am so sorry." She placed a hand on her shoulder.

"My mom...she told the doctor that we didn't need a burial. She knew I wanted one. That bitch fucking knew!!"

"Hey, hey, let's go inside," Courtney said. Heather nodded and followed her up to their room.

"I hate her. I hate her so much." Heather stared at the wall intensely.

"That's terrible. I can't believe she'd stoop that low."

Heather frowned. Courtney had no idea about most of the things her mom had done to her throughout her life. "Bruiser was the only reason I visited. It's not fair. I never got to say goodbye."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," she shook her head. "I just want him back."

"I know, I know." She rubbed her shoulder. "He's in Kitty heaven watching over you."

"I don't even know if cats go to heaven." She pouted, laying down in her bed. Then she moaned uncomfortably. "My body aches."

"Experiencing a loss will do that to you. You just need some rest."

She shut her eyes. "I'm exhausted. That was too much. I literally can't deal with my mom anymore. I can't."

"You don't have to deal with her. Just relax for now. Don't worry about a thing."

"It's impossible not to."

Courtney sighed. She felt awful for Heather. But this was inevitable. Things in life always came and went faster than anyone could keep up with. She decided to leave Heather alone for now. That was all she knew to do to help her feel better. Heather was never a touchy person and was definitely not a people person.

Heather pretended to sleep, but her mind was racing with anxious thoughts. I'm alone now. I'm all alone. There's no one to talk to about how I feel anymore. She knew deep down that Courtney would listen, but a part of her was still scared. Courtney was the only one she trusted yet didn't trust well enough to let inside. The very thought of opening up to someone terrified her. Her mother had somehow ingrained it in her head that she was not worthy of love or affection. No one will ever truly love you if you act like that, Heather. Her mom's mocking voice replayed in her head over and over.