Mr. Frizby regarded me with pity as Reed and I approached him and Dad. Still clinging onto the towel, I tightened my grip on it and bit back a scowl. Not this sympathetic crap I knew was coming... Since it was Mr. Frizby, I kept a forced smile on my face.

"Mel, sweetheart. I'm so sorry about Obsidian. Someone will find her soon, no need to worry." He set a wrinkled hand on my shoulder, sending a tingle of warmth down my arm.

"I hope so." I mustered, my voice cracking.

Reed glanced over at me, cocking his head in a confused gesture. Right, he doesn't know. I found myself wanting to explain everything, but honestly, I just wasn't in the mood. I was never in the mood anymore. Anway, I still was holding a grudge for his weirdness. If he wasn't going to tell me anything, neither was I.

I stubbornly turned my face away from his, ignoring the extra pair of eyes peeking out from the hair framing his neck. Stupid, adorable ferret.

Needle snuffled my hand, stretching the leash as far out of Dad's hands as possible. Reed's eyes lit up, and he bent down to scratch the dog's ruff. The mutt leaned into his hands, whining with joy.

"Hey, dude. What's up? They treating you good? Like your new family? Good." He was grinning so widely, I considered the thought of possible face splitage. To be fair, Needle was also looking pretty excited.

I huffed, busying myself with pushing my hair behind my ears. Pfft, no, I wasn't jealous. Why would I be jealous? And of whom? The dog, or Reed? Both? Noooo, that's crazy...

I pursed my lips together, watching them with tired eyes. Where was Obsidian right now? Scavenging for food? Living it up in a shack in the woods with a new family? Or... No. I missed her. Who needs boys?

The ferret didn't seem to appreciate Reed's open affection of Needle. She stood on her owner's head, baring her sharp little teeth in a threatening way. Reed reached up to calm her down, but she danced out of his grasp.

"Hey, I remember you. Reed, right?" Dad asked, nodding in recognition.

Reed stood up, brushing off his pants. "Yes sir. And you're Mr. Riller, am I correct? I'm actually from the animal shelter. My dad runs it, if that wasn't clear before hand." He stuck out his hand for another hand shake, which my father took.

Mr. Frizby smiled at me, patting my hair. "So, you've got a new best friend now, hmm? This fella is an interesting little guy. Very intelligent, I can tell. There's something about him... I just can't place my finger on it."

I vigorously shook my head, causing the elderly man to pull away his hand quickly. "No, no. He's not- No, Obsidian is the only best friend I'm ever going to have. Other pets are just- other friends. Not..." I tried to find the correct words, and Mr. Frizby shook his head knowingly, a big grin on his face.

"I wasn't talking about just Needle, you know. Reed is a weird lad, but I like him. Something about him and Needle that is different than others. Good to see you've met them both."

I gazed at him, utterly confused now.

"Putting yourself around people who are different is a great way to discover who you truly are, Melody. Not to sound philosophical, but I think you need that." He gave me a final pat, and turned back to Dad. "New dog supplies are in the second aisle to the left." He spun around and hobbled back to the front desk, bending down to pick something up.

I looked back over at Reed, who was now holding Needle's leash, staring at him intently. Like...they were having a conversation. In their heads.

The thought sent a cold dash of fear across my face like a bucket of water. I licked my lips, too nervous to say anything. Fortunately, Reed took care of that for me.

"Hey, Melody." He stood from his crouched position, flipping back his curly hair. I have to admit, he was pretty attractive. In a general sense. I mean- WHAT?! WHAT HAS POSSESSED ME? SNAP OUT OF THIS, MEL!

"Uh, did something happen? I'm sorry, I don't want to be nosy. I mean, not to offend, but I feel like you gave me the cold shoulder. And I'm sorry for cussing, if that's the problem. I-" I cut him off with a hand, rolling my eyes.

"It's fine. Actually, my cat ran away a week ago. That's why we're still here. We were supposed to be in Washington State by now. But since Obsidian is gone..." I shrugged, holding back more tears. Not in front of Reed. No no no.

Instead of carrying on about how sorry he was, Reed stepped towards me and gave me a half hug. I tensed, and he pulled back, embarrassed. "You know, I would know how that feels. Um. Uh, my dog ran away when I was five. So I'm sorry."

To my utmost surprise, I actually smiled at him. Maybe Reed wasn't so bad. Maybe I was over exaggerating everything. Maybe I just needed a friend to confide in. Was that my problem? But oh, the irony that bites back at such awful times.

"Oh, believe me, he's not what you think he is. Neither am I. We certainly are different. And I intend to show you just how different we are."