At the mall

I saw a sign

that said,

Free puppies.

I walked over to it,

and saw 5 adorable

Beagle pups.

I looked around,

and saw no one looking after them.

My heart swelled

and pounded wildly in my chest

when I saw the runt of them.

It was a girl.

I picked her up

and brought her close to my face.

She yipped

and licked my nose.

I couldn't resist

the puppy eyes she gave me,

so I took her

and named her Macey.

After that,

I went to the pet store

and bought everything I thought

I needed.

I got her a little light green collar

with a heart tag

that read,

Macey,

Owned by: Daiha Smith

555-231-7295.

And then

I brought her home with me.

* * *

My parents

weren't too happy with me.

But it's not like

they punished me.

They just told me

I had to take care

of the dog by myself.

It's not like

they were going to help anyways.

They're never home

enough to.

* * *

I brought Macey to the vet,

to get her shots.

The vet said

Macey is doing great,

and she's very healthy.

He said I did

a great job in picking out the dog,

and that Macey is going to grow up

and be

a very sweet, and loyal

companion.

I smiled,

and nodded my head.

I almost whispered

a small thanks,

but I choked on my words,

and swallowed them.

So I stayed silent.

* * *

I took Macey for a walk

the next morning.

She was very excited,

and yipped happily.

She pranced around,

without a care in the world.

She was very funny.

But then,

I looked at the time,

and I realized

I was going to be late

for school.

But then I thought

why bother?

No one would notice

anyways.

So I continued

walking down the beach

just watching Macey

as she goofed off.

When we got back

to my house,

it was empty.

I knew

my parents

wouldn't have noticed my absence.

I brought Macey

into my room,

and gave her a little

squeaky toy to play with.

Then,

I changed

into a white tank top

and jean shorts.

My cuts showed

but I didn't care.

* * *

My room is still white,

and it doesn't have

a lot of furniture in it.

In fact,

I'm using a blow-up bed,

and that's it.

So my room

is practically empty.

I didn't want it

to be empty

so I picked Macey up

and brought her to

Home Depot,

Home Goods,

Bed Bath and Beyond,

and Hobby Lobby with me.

At Home Depot,

I bought light blue, green, and yellow paint,

and painters tape.

At Home Goods,

I bought

a soft cushion daybed,

2 night stands,

a dresser,

those round lamps

that hang from the ceiling,

a desk,

a swivel chair for the desk,

and some paintings.

At Bed Bath and Beyond,

I bought

a Mila quilt

for my bed,

a green fuzzy area rug,

a black double saucer chair,

a small table,

a hot pink single saucer chair,

and sheer yellow curtains.

At the Hobby Lobby,

I bought a bunch of knick knacks,

and pictures,

and things like that.

When I got back home,

I put Macey outside,

in the small fenced in yard,

before heading back to my room.

I might as well

paint my room

since I have nothing

better to do.

So I take out the paint,

and tape,

and start painting.