>> Bitten Ankles

[>> kitty]

"Ahnk, no!"
The tall girl shrieked, nearly tumbling forward as the whiplike leash thrashed free of her hands at the fury of the knee-high black and white terrier speeding away. "Agh!" Cat moaned, staring after her wayward dog for a moment before half heartedly taking off after him. "Ahnk!" She called, her plump pink lips pursed, frustrated. "Stupid mutt." She groaned, now racing after the escaped animal at top speed, a difficult task in flip-flops. She moaned to see Ankle Biter wagging his stump tail atop a bench, eyeing a poor old man eating a burrito. Finally, Catalena caught up to him, heaving, resting her palms on her knees. Cat lashed out with her long fingers and sharply caught Ahnk on the rump, her jade eyes stern, and grabbed firm hold of the leash, looping it around her slender wrist. "I'm really sorry sir," She murmured sheepishly, ducking her head and trotting back the way they'd came. It was almost a guarentee someone she knew would be sitting at the benches around the Sumreighn Coffee Hut, and she could do with a dose of the luxerious warm liquid now anyway, in the retched pouring rain.

[xx lillian]

Zac

Sitting there quietly, he read the Sunday paper. Nothing interesting, as usual. He quickly read through the Happy Ads, letting out a sigh as the child inside him took over as he read the comics. His eyes wandered up over the edge of the paper. He spottted his friend, and his crush. "Cat!" he called. He stood up, setting his paper down on the bench, and strode over to his good friend. "Taking the dog for a walk?" he said, laughter in his voice, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "I can take him," he said. "If you want." he added quickly, trying not to sound persistent or demanding.

[>> kitty]

Cat, approaching the Coffee Hut, sighed and smiled, seeing Zac sitting there reading his little paper, she wanted to laugh, but held it in, and let Ahnk tug her to her friend. "Hey Zac," Catalena smiled fainty,"And your still sitting around reading your paper like an old man, hm?" She grinned, reaching forward to flick a beetle off her friend's shoulder. "You don't want him," She warned, her grin big and playful. Passing past Zac, Cat walked over to a bench. "You got a couple bucks for me?" She asked, laughing.

[xx lillian]

Lillian

She looked up at the clock. She had an hour left of work at the shop. One glance out the window and she instantly recognized her friend. She saw Cat, and the one boy that lived down by the beach. Zac was his name. She opened the door, the bell rang as she did so. "Aren't you going to come in?" she teased, knowing Cat would. "I can get you some free coffee, since I'm still on my break." she called, looking back in the shop checking the clock once more. She stepped outside, letting the door shut. She could hear the almost silent whoosh of air as it closed tight. She walked over towards Cat. Then, she saw Ankh. "Agh!" she grunted as she stopped in her tracks. "Evil little dog." she whispered, knowing Cat would hear. She smiled. "Let's go! I only have a few more minutes of my break."

--

Zac

Zac looked to the girl that had called to them from the coffee shop. He had seen her before at school. He knew that Cat called her 'Lily'. "Uh... Hi Lily." he said, not knowing he would get such a hateful glare from her because of it. "Zac, isn't it?" she had said. "Only my friends can call me Lily." Zac nodded, making a mental note not to call her anything but Lillian.

[>> kitty]

Cat whipped her head around and looked over her shoulder at the sharp bell ring that sounded behind her. "Lily!" She shouted, jumping up,"Hey!" Her smile was radient and happy, her steps light as she dashed over to her younger friend on long legs. "It totally blew my mind that it was your shift," She laughed, turning to Zac. "Come on," She coaxed, smiling. "Lily's bites so hard it's numb, so it won't hurt," Catalena shot Lillian a deep green glare. "Be nice," She said, reaching forward to finger Lily's necklace, then dropped her hand away. "Oh yeah, Ahnk." She groaned, glaring down at the dog. "My mom made me take the nasty thing," She told her friends jokingly, pausing for a second. "Umm.. what if I carry him in?" Cat asked hopefully.

[xx lillian]

Lily chuckled. "That will be fine." she replied, grinning. She started walking towards the shop, stopping to get the door for the old man Ankh had almost stolen a burrito from. "I'll be in in just a moment sir." she called in, still at the door. She looked at Zac. He seemed reluctant to come, but then he saw how eager Cat was to go. She watched him sigh as he stood up.

--

Zac sighed. This Lillian girl was a bit annoying, but hey, free coffee! He stood up, and walked towards the shop, a little reluctant at first. He noticed Lillian was watching him. He winked, with a teasing smile on his face. The salty sea air embraced him, as he walked inside of the coffee shop. He shuddered. It was much, much warmer. He yawned, the warmth making him a tad bit sleepy. "Thanks Lily-Lillian."

[>> kitty]

Cat trailed the old man shyly, still feeling terrible that her demon dog had been so maliciously begging from the poor guy when he was just trying to eat himself some condensed heartburn. She heaved Ankle Biter into his arms, and, with much squirming, he finally, begrudgingly, settled. The dog perked, intriqued by the new scents of the coffee shop, and Cat further encased him in her arms, softly scolding him. "Mm. You can snag me a couple of those truffles can't you?" The tall senior laughed, jerking her head towards the basket of chocolates on the counter. She siddled up to the counter and stared at the chalkboard, shifting the small dog in her arms. "Umm.. I will havvee.. A grande banana mocha cappuccino, with, um, sprinkles because you love me," Cat laughed at Lily.

[xx lillian]

Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh, of course." she said, laughing. She hopped over the low counter, grabbing a cup for Cat's drink. She fixed the drink and added sprinkles, laughing as she did so. She walked around the counter, setting down Cat's drink with another eye roll. She looked up to the clock. Forty five minutes. She hurried and got one of the truffles, and delivered it to Cat. She raced over to grab a pot of black coffee, grabbing another cup. "Here you are sir." Lily said, setting down the cup and filling it. It was the man's usual order.

--

Zac sat down with Cat. He looked around. The place was cozy, warm, and it smelled like heaven. "Uh, Lillian," he called. "Can I get a french vanilla cappucino?" As soon as he said it, Lillian had whipped around, heading towards the counter. She got his drink and delivered it just as she had made it. "Ugh. I have a little over a half hour left in this place." she groaned to Cat.

[>> kitty]

"Eh! Eh!" Cat whined, laughing, she turned to Zac and pouted. "Will you grab that for me? I have my hands full," She asked, pushing out her lower lip playfully, adding to the effect, Ahnk turned and looked at Zac with big sad eyes as well. The look disappeared from Cat's face as she broke a grin and turned her head to look over her shoulder at Lily. "I've got nowhere to be, me an Zac will just stick around outside until your shift is over, we could go over to the park afterwards." Cat shufffled out of the door and plopped Ankle Biter down, grabbed Zac's arm, and checked his watch. "It's only three," She announced.

[xx lillian]

Zac sipped his cappucino, burning his tongue. "Owth. I burthed my tom." he said, joking. Then, Cat touched his arm, looking at his watch. His face was hot, and he hoped she wouldn't notice. His face got even hotter when he saw Lillian roll her eyes, almost laughing at Cat's being oblivious to it.

--

Lillian smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Good thing Maria had homework or she'd be tagging along too." she murmured the last part, happy that her sister couldn't come. She walked back behind the counter, cleaning out the empty pots. She looked up when she heard the bell's sharp ring, the old man leaving. She took the pot and the cup, dropping them off in the sink. She rushed bacl to the table, grabbing the money and throwing it into the register. She looked to the clock. 3:10. Could time go any slower?!