When I unlocked the front door to our townhouse, my dog Puddles greeted me with his stubby tail wagging away. I had only been gone for about two hours, but he must have thought I abandoned him by the heartbroken look on his smushed in face. I looked over to his food bowl to realize it was empty and sighed. He didn't miss me; he just missed the organic cuts of beef I fed him throughout the day.

"Hey, boy. Who's a good boy?" I dropped down to my knees and scrunched his little fat face in my hands. Puddles was one of the ugliest mutts in the shelter, but that was why I got him. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder and the little guy had a hard life before I met him. Just like me, he was slightly damaged when we found each other. We both were looking for something and it turned out we were meant to be.

Now Puddles was just spoiled rotten and super obese. I loved my little pug mix. I think the other half of him was a possum or an armadillo. We hadn't figured out exactly what he was mixed with yet, but it was fun trying to guess. Stells had even offered to get his doggy ancestry analysis done to find out what cryptozoological creature impregnated a porcupine to create my hideously handsome little guy.

Her money was on him being part Chupacabra.

Even if we didn't know exactly what he was, Puddles was still my roly-poly baby boy.

I went to the kitchen with Puddles scurrying behind me, begging for food. I pulled out the dish that had his dinner in it and set it down in front of him. I grabbed a bottle of water and some leftovers from the fridge for me too. They were from some weird chic little restaurant we had for lunch. I opened the container and turned my nose up.

It didn't look any better than it did at lunchtime. It was too colorful and looked like a patch of wild spring flowers. I hated when I let Stells choose what was on the menu for me. I swore the woman did not have taste buds.

After giving up on food, I pulled my phone back out and went through my contacts. I scrolled straight to Jax's name. It had been a long time since I talked to that little twerp. He was a freshman in college now studying some sort of computer design degree or some nerdy shit like that. Jax wanted to make video games for a living. I had to admit it; it sounded like a pretty cool job. He even had this new internship where he tested them while they were in development. Who knew being a dweeb was going to pay off for him in the long run?

Not me. I never guessed it. Not once.

I pressed the phone to my ear and let it ring. It was midnight here, which meant it was three in the morning there. He was a nineteen-year-old college student; he would still be up. If he wasn't, then he really needed to get his priorities straight.

"Hey, there is you, my shishter. What do you call people for?" He slurred into the phone.

Oh geez. Those were not even real sentences. Jax was shitfaced.

"It's my lush of a little brother," I replied. He wasn't really that bad; he didn't inherit the same addictive genes I did from Dad. He never craved the escape the way we both did. He was more like my mom when she drank. She would be the one voted most likely to put her shoes on the wrong feet after knocking a few back.

"Hey everyone, be quiet. I'm talking to ceressa, I mean my ceressa Jessa. It's my shishter." He yelled. I pulled the phone away from my ear while he screamed way louder than necessary.

"Your sister is hot! Tell her to come sit on my dick." I heard a guy yell in the background.

"Hey, you shut your fucking mouth, Tony!" Jax was puffing up. That part he did inherit from my Dad. Jax was developing the legendary Miller temper. It was about time he joined the dark side a little. One could only be so perfect.

"Jackson, focus, please. I need your help." I said, struggling to get his attention.

"Whatcha do this time?" Jax was crocked. I prayed he would even remember this conversation when it was finished.

"I need you to run interference with Mom and Dad for me until I get home," I begged.

"Why? Wais just a second, you are comin' home?" He sounded surprised and still very, very intoxicated.

"Yeah, I think I need a break for a bit. I punched a guy tonight and broke his nose. Well, he said I broke it anyway. I think he was just being a big baby about it." I rolled my eyes like Jax could see it.

"Why?" He asked.

"He grabbed my ass." I was not ashamed of what I did.

"Lemme guess, is in the news so you-er skippin town til it blooowsover?"

Every word out of his mouth was either way too long or missing a lot of letters. I understood what he was trying to say. I was an expert at translating the drunken boy language.

"Yup. Calling the police station after I hang up with you to tell them where to find me in case the guy presses charges. I don't want to be accused of fleeing the country or anything. I am hoping Link can work something out while I'm gone."

"Whada I get fur helpin you?"

"My undying gratitude?"

"Jeeeeessssssssssaaaa." He whined.

"Fine, how much do you need for tuition this semester?" I sighed.

"Infinity thousand?" He said.

"Liar and not a real number, I might add. Last time it was $6,000." I snorted.

"Infatuation, shishter."

I should be recording this conversation to use against him later. This was too good. Jackson Miller was on fire tonight.

"I think you mean inflation and how about I just buy you a new video game instead." I laughed.

"Yous gotta yerself a dealio schpelio."

He was beyond annoying, and yet, I missed him so much.

I hung up the phone and grabbed my computer, looking for the next direct flight out. It was nice to have money that I didn't have to worry about the cost of something so last minute. I could hit the red-eye tonight and still make it there by late morning.

I scribbled a quick note to Stells. She was going to be pissed that I was skipping town. We had another tour scheduled to kick off in six months and she was trying to recreate the magic of our hit single by writing another song for us.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that I think our ship sailed on the duet front. I didn't mind singing backup harmonies when she needed me to, but we were starting to move in different musical directions. She wanted to go a little more mainstream and I was content staying with my indie-rock vibe. It allowed me a little more freedom with my music.

I heard a snort and a grunt coming from the floor. When I looked down, Puddles was rolling around on his back. He was rocking his body, trying to stand himself back up, but got stuck like he had a turtle shell holding him down. I sighed and picked up the helpless little guy. What on earth would he do without me?

He kissed my face relentlessly to thank me as I tucked him under my chin. I impatiently waited for the travel confirmation alert to ping on my phone as I held him close. It rang through with one loud, clear ding.

The knot in my stomach began to build as I looked down at the message.

Puddles and I had just booked a first-class ticket on a red-eye back to Nowhere, Ohio.

"Come on, Puddles. Let's pack your things. It's time to go home."