Chapter 4

"So, you've saved my life but I know nothing about you," Abeke says as she and; Conor stroll down the street. "Other than that you're cute, of course."

Conor blushes before answering, "You know, my story's actually not that interesting." His insecurities getting the better of him. Why would anyone like her want to know about street scum like him?

"I don't care what it is, as long as it's about you." She reassures him with a soft smile.

"Well, I live with my family and Rollan. You met Briggan." Conor starts.

"Where is Briggan? I would love to see him again, he's so sweet."

"I left him at home today. Though I'm sure he would enjoy seeing you too. He's never taken a liking to someone so quickly before." Conor tells her. He can see why, as he looks at Abeke smiling at him. She was beautiful and brave. He'd never met someone quite like her before.

"Well, next time we hang out you should bring him." Abeke says.

"So there will be a next time?" Conor asks hesitantly.

"Of course, if you want to, I mean." Abeke's smile falls at the thought of finally seeing Conor again only to lose him.

"No, no that's not what I meant. I love spending time with you." Abeke's eyes light up and she leans into him as they continue walking.

"So, you wanted to hear a story?" Conor asks. When Abeke nods he continues, "Well, I actually found Briggan on these very streets. A few years ago, before I joined the gang, I was roaming the streets trying to find something to do. I was walking along when I heard this whimpering. I was curious and had nothing better to do, so I followed the sound. I found a puppy stuck in a box, no food or water. His fur was mangy and he was just lying there. I slowly picked him up, trying not to hurt him. My parents had always warned me not to go near stray animals since we wouldn't know if they bite or not, but I couldn't stop myself. I felt this connection and I knew he wouldn't hurt me. He was so weak that even if he had wanted to he wouldn't have been able to.

"I brought him home with me, giving him water and food scraps. My family took a bit of convincing but they just couldn't turn the poor guy away. It had been two days and he still hadn't moved much other than to eat, drink, or go outside, but then I walked into the room and he got up as if it was the most normal thing in the world, came up to me and licked my hand. We've been best buds ever since."

"That's so sweet," Abeke says when Conor stops talking.

"So, what about you?"

"Well, I do have a cat. She's a tabby with dark spots on her fur. Our meeting's not nearly as interesting as yours and Briggan's, but I love her. She loves to be outdoors, sometimes she's gone for days at a time but she always comes back to me." Abeke tells him. "Ok, your turn. It can be like 20 questions."

Conor laughs, "Okay, what's your favorite color?" They continue to talk and enjoy each other's company, oblivious to the pair of watching eyes behind them.

Spiritanimalsspiritanimalsspiritanimals

"What do you think they're saying?" Meilin asks as she and Rollan follow quietly behind their best friends.

Rollan sighs, wishing the pretty girl next to him would pay attention to him instead. He looks ahead at the two and then back at Meilin. He hadn't really wanted to go with Conor today, but now he was glad he did. "Meilin, let's go do something else."

"Just a little longer, I need blackmail material." Meilin replies with a smirk. Rollan stares at her before stepping in close to her. "What are you doing?" Meilin asks as he stopped an inch away from her.

"You're beautiful," he says quietly as he touches her cheek. He leans in and Meilin leans in too, forgetting that she was going to play hard to get. Just before their lips touched, Rollan stepped back with a smug smile.

"And that is how Rollan does it." Meilin huffs as she realizes that he had pulled the same trick on her that she had on him.

"This is ridiculous." She told him before boldly walking up to him and kissing him before he can do anything. Once he gets over the shock, Rollan kisses back. When they finally break apart for air, they both have goofy smiles on their faces. "That was way more fun than trying to tease each other," Meilin tells him and Rollan just nods, dazed.

A/N: Hey guys, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry this is late, writer's block sucks. Thanks for the reviews, they made my day, and kept me fighting to write this chapter. Does anyone have any ideas about Jhi? I have no clue how to stick a panda into this story and I can't think of any other animal to put in Jhi's place.