"Annabell. Come on. You can't lock your own brother from his own room."
A muffled voice came from the other side of the door. Most likely the same two words the tween had been saying all day. "Go away."
"Well, Anthony. I guess you can sleep in my room tonight. I have to head back to the university after dinner anyway." The twenty year old looked back to the locked door. "We miss her too, you know?"
"GO AWAY!"
"Annabell, we can't leave you like…" The doorbell rang. "Ugh. I hate the fucking doorbell. Anthony, try to get your twin out of there."
"Kay sis. Annabell, please. My comic books are in there."
The older girl walked downstairs, while the bell rang again. "I'm coming. Sheesh." She swung the door open to reveal 4 boys the same age as her younger siblings. "Oh hey guys. What's up?"
"Hey Ella. We noticed Annabell wasn't at school today, and Anthony didn't really want to talk about it, so we came over to check on her." The one in the green hat answered.
"No wonder you're the one she likes." Ella muttered.
"What?" The green hat one lifted an eyebrow while the other three tried to stifle their laughs.
"Nothing. It's nothing huge. She's… well… Our cat died early this morning. And she's… at the moment… not letting anyone in her room."
"Oh. That's too bad."
"She's fine. She's just… I don't know. Probably hormones or something. Being 12 sucks."
"No kidding." A muffled response from the one in the orange hood.
"She'll probably be fine by tomorrow. Just not so chipper. Thanks for dropping by."
"Ok. Later." And the four of the walked down while the one in the red coat started talking about how it really was pointless, and the other three proceeding to punch him.
Ella closed the door as her brother walked down the stairs.
"Who was it?"
"Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman."
"Oh yeah. People kept asking me about Annabell today. But she was my cat too. It isn't an easy subject."
Ella hugged the boy. "I know. Come on, might as well start dinner."
Annabell held onto the cat's collar until her knuckles went white. She wouldn't let this be true. That cat was her pillow to cry on, when she didn't want a human. And now, because of that pillow, she needed that pillow.
She couldn't take it anymore. She popped open the window, and ran out. Throwing her shoes on while she ran.
Where was she going? She didn't know. But she almost fell in Stark's pond, with her tears blinding her eyes.
She sat on a nearby bench, and stared, through watery eyes, at the sunset over the pond, and going below the mountains. It really was a nice town. She didn't have to worry about explaining her tears, because she literally passed no one.
She almost decided to go back home, when she heard footsteps. She stepped on the bench, and reached for her sword, that wasn't there, fuck. When the footsteps made themselves visible.
"God Damnit, Broflovski. You almost gave me a fucking heart attack."
"Are you reaching for a weapon? Really?"
Annabell leaned forward, so she would fall on her feet, sat down, and pulled her knees to her chin "Defensive mechanism, don't take it personally."
"Ok then." Kyle sat on the bench, but as far away as possible. Partly to give her space, partly because he feared for his life.
"What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question."
"I asked first."
"So, answer first."
Annabell pulled her face out of her legs and looked at the boy. "That's my thing."
"It's handy."
"Still my thing." She mumbled back into her legs.
"You're avoiding the question."
"I had to get out of my house, and… I don't know, think I guess." She put her legs down and looked at the boy again. "Now you answer."
"Well, your sister told me about your cat, and I was about to head to your house, but I thought I saw you here, and I was right so I…"
"Why are you looking for me? And will you stop holding your hands behind your back. You look stupid."
"I was actually hiding something."
"What?"
"This." He pulled his arms to his front, and showed a kitten that barely was bigger than his two hands.
"Oh my god." Annabell smiled for the first time that day. "Whose is it?"
"Yours." Annabell stared at him. "If you want it? I know it may be a bit soon."
"Wait, what. Mine, but… how?"
"I found him the other day in a parking lot in a box labeled 'Free Kitens.' They forgot a t, can you imagine? Anyway, I'm guessing they all were taken, because she was all alone. I couldn't let her freeze to death, so I brought her home, and cleaned her, fed her. Found out she wasn't dirt coloured. And, yeah."
"She's yours then." Annabell wanted to give her back, but she couldn't let the little puffball go.
"No. Dad's pretty allergic. I've been keeping her in the bathroom, and washing my hands and clothes a thousand times a day, and he's still sneezing."
"Kyle I… I couldn't."
"Why not? Do you want my dad to die?"
"Well, no, but…"
"Then take the cat. It will do as all a favor." Kyle stood up and started walking away.
"Kyle, wait." She stuffed the cat in her hat, to keep it warm, and ran into him. Pulling him into a hug. "Thank you."
"You're crying again." Kyle turned around and hugged her back.
"I don't care."
The two stood like that for awhile, when the cat meowed.
"You should probably get that thing home. It can only survive in that hat of yours for so long."
"Yeah. Uh, thanks. Again."
"You coming to school tomorrow?"
"Yeah." And she ran off.
Fuck, that boy was too good to be true.