four
"golden retriever"

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   AFTER THE REST OF CALL with the baby girl, who arrived safely alongside mother at the hospital, the team of firefighters were sent to an apartment building where a woman was being choked to death by a huge yellow snake. But after Buck extravagantly cut off its head, the body constructing against her throat was now dead and they easily wiggled it free.

   And apparently, Buck scored points from the woman during the rescue, because Bobby found the two young adults going at it on the roof of the fire station.

   And that was when Bobby fired Buck on the spot.

   Lynn wasn't surprised that Buck was fired, I mean, the boy lacked certain discipline and was too cocky for his own good. But, what she was surprised about is how suddenly her feelings changed about him. Seeing him sulk in the locker room as he slowly starting dragging things from his locker, tugged at her heart strings. How disappointed he looked when he was forced to change out of the uniform into a pair of blue jeans and a grey sweatshirt.

   "He's a sad puppy now," Lynn commented, glancing to both Hen and Chimney, who were on opposite sides of her. They were all staring at the broody boy sitting on the wooden bench, with clear pity stretched on their faces. "It's kinda heartbreaking."

   "The kid had it coming," Chimney spoke up, crossing his arms over his chest as he continued. "I mean, he's a good kid, just..."

   "Too undisciplined?"

   "Too cocky?"

   Hen and Lynn gazed to each other with a short laugh as they interrupted Chimney at the same time, each with a different yet totally the same answer.

   "I was gonna say impulsive," Chimney concluded, and the small crowd let out another little laugh, but it faded once they realized how they were making fun of someone who was no longer their coworker. "He could've been a damn good firefighter."

   "Damn straight," Hen agreed, nodding her head alongside Lynn's. "So, who's gonna talk to him?"

   Lynn narrowed her blue eyes in confusion, couldn't they all just say their goodbyes as Buck was leaving out the door? Why did one single person have to give him the goodbye speech of everyone.

   "Not me, man, I did it last time with Dave," Chimney responded, raising his arms in self defense as he started to back up on his heels towards the workout center.

   "Well, looks like you're up, Lynn," Hen smiled, but it was quite obvious that it was fake, and Lynn let out a slight scoff in disbelief.

   "Me? I hardly know the guy," Lynn pointed out, extending her slender index finger towards the sulking boy with low shoulders still in the locker room. "What in the hell would I say?"

   "Good luck!"

   Before Lynn had the chance to mutter even another word, Hen grabbed ahold of both of her shoulders and pushed her towards the glass door that led to the inside of the locker room. She would've just jogged away after Hen let go of her body, but it was too late, because once he heard the door open, Buck's eyes landed on Lynn. And she glanced back over her shoulder, she saw Hen had already skipped away from the dreadful situation.

   "They tell you you gotta do the goodbye speech?" Buck murmured, glancing back down to the shirt of his old uniform that was folded neatly in his hands.

   Lynn opened her mouth to argue against it, mostly because she didn't want Buck to think that Hen and Chimney didn't care for him-which they do-but more that they just didn't want to bid their goodbyes. But she clasped it back shut, shuffling quietly towards the wooden bench Buck was stationed at.

   "Look, um, I don't really know you that well. And I have no idea why they thought it'd be a good idea for me to give the goodbye speech," Lynn spoke up, taking a silent seat next to the boy, who still hadn't glanced back up since she first entered. "But, I really could see the potential you had at becoming a great firefighter. I'm sorry you have to go."

   "It's not your fault," Buck responded simply, not much emotion written in his voice, and Lynn nibbled down on her bottom pink lip; something she did whenever she was getting anxious.

   Just as Lynn was about to rise from the bench, thinking there was no hope in talking to him because he was only going to answer in short responses, a tightness wrapped around her hand to pulled her to a stop. When Lynn glanced back down to see that Buck had wrapped his soft fingers around her hand, she felt a sort of electricity spark where their skin brushed up.

   "Thanks, for, uh, saying I'd make a great firefighter," Buck stated, glancing up from his grey locker to make eye contact with Lynn. Once he realized he hadn't quite released his palm from Lynn's, he quickly let go of her hand and respectfully placed it back on his lap. "It means a lot."

   "On the first call, I told Hen that you looked like a puppy," Lynn chuckled, her eyes gazing from his piercing blue ones to fall to the floor, and then back up towards the man. "And she said when you first started, she called you a dalmatian, but then I said you were more golden retriever."

   Buck and Lynn let out a short laugh together, and she took a moment to realize it was the first time she'd heard a nice laugh come from him. It was attractively cute, just like everything else that came along with Buck.

   "You'll make a good firefighter," Buck blurted after a second of silence from the break in their laughs.

   Lynn gazed down to the boy, since this would be the only time he was shorter than her due to his sitting and her standing up. The words meant a lot to Lynn, because she wanted to make her father, her moth, Lizzy, and quite everyone proud of who she's becoming.

   "Thank you," Lynn smiled, trying her best to hide the redness that was starting to peek through on her cheeks due to the compliment.

   And just as Lynn peeled open her mouth to say something else to the boy, she was cruelly interrupted by ringing of bell, meaning they had another call to go on. Lynn flashed the boy a sad smile, knowing this was more than likely going to be the last time she'd see him.

   "I'll see you around, Eve," Buck concluded, sending the woman that same sad smile she had just made.

   "Lynn, come on."

   Lynn glanced over her shoulder to see Bobby standing in the doorway, and she immediately sent him a nod for understanding what he was saying. She turned on her heel to follow her captain out the room, but then peeked over her shoulder for a second.

   "You too, Evan."

•••

"So, you work with a cute guy, what's the big problem?"

Lynn rolled her blue eyes at her older sister, knowing that the girl wouldn't be able to understand what she was going through. Lizzy always got whatever she wanted growing up, she was the academic one with a great gpa, the attractive one all the boys loved, the one everyone always picked first to be on their stupid dodgeball team. She loved her sister, no doubt, but sometimes she was just straight jealous of the girl.

"The problem is I work with him, Liz," Lynn countered, taking a nice, warm roll from the plate she was transporting from the counter tot he table. "Plus, I totally went all soft when I thought he was fired, I basically told him he was cute to his face."

Currently, the two sisters were preparing dinner in their small apartment. Both were decently good at cooking, since their father always had them tag alone and do tiny chores whenever he was in the kitchen so they could feel apart of something. Tonight, it was homemade mashed potatoes and dill meatballs, one of their fathers favorites that soon became theirs.

"Wait, really?" Lizzy snickered, raising her hand to cover her mouth so Lynn wouldn't be able to see her smirk. "What'd you say?"

"Well," Lynn trailed, shrugging her shoulders softly as she nibbled slightly at her tasty roll. "I told him he was like a golden retriever..."

"Evelynn, what!? You told the boy he's like a golden retriever? Wow, I mean, I knew it's been a long time since you went on a date but your game purely went to shit," Lizzy teased loudly, and Lynn let out a huge groan as she started to get second hand embarrassment from herself.

"It's a long story! One of my coworkers said he was like a dalmatian but then I said he was more golden retriever," Lynn protested, but hearing the words come out of her own mouth just seemed to make the situation dumber. "God, I really have lost my game."

"All you need to do is go on a date," Lizzy explained, raising the spatula she was using to flip over the meatballs. "Look, Joe's roommate is super cute, and we could totally hook you guys up on a blind date."

And who is Joe, you ask? Another perfect part of Lizzy's perfect life; Joe Miller is her longtime boyfriend. They've known each other since high school, but didn't start officially dating until they reconciled in college. And now, they've been dating for the past three years.

"A blind date? Man, Lizzy, those are so old-fashioned," Lynn explained, giving the girl a sideways stare. "My luck, the second he'd see me he'd dart out the door."

"Evelynn Kennedy! You need to stop putting yourself down, girl," Lizzy scolded, placing a plate on the left side of the table; where Lynn always sat for any meal. "Any guy would be lucky to be able to call you his own, just accept that you're breathtaking beautiful already."

"Aw, why so sappy, Liz?" Lynn joked, sticking her tongue out at her older sister as she took a seat down in front of the delicious looking food. "You know what, if you and Joe want to plan a date with a total random guy I don't know, then go right ahead. I'll give it a shot."

"Wait, really!?" Liz clapped her hands together excitedly, and suddenly Lynn was already regretting agreeing to the stupid idea in the first place.

"Just please make sure he isn't a high school janitor, like last time."