Cheeks of Glitter
Chapter Five
Stan's hope increased after hearing the wonderful news from Heidi, because it meant they were a step closer to finding the dog. "You did?" he asked, his voice full of excitement.
"Yes," Heidi replied with a grin. She didn't wait for the boy to react, and she grabbed his arm to drag him toward the front entrance of the school building.
Peering around the school grounds, Stan kept his hands in his pockets as he patient waited for Stitch to show up. It took almost a minute before Heidi pointed near the street. The dog was scrounging for food.
Stan noticed that the dog identified the one on the picture of the flyer. There was no doubt it was Stitch, and the boy wanted to catch him as soon as he could. "I wonder how affectionate he is," he said.
"He isn't," Heidi replied like she owned the dog. "At least not yet. He's a very scared and shy creature, which is why we need to approach him carefully."
Stan watched the dog sniffing the ground and slowly shifting in circles. "Can't we call the shelter?"
Heidi shook her head immediately. "The car will scare him off. We need to do it ourselves." The girl stepped in front of Stan and turned to him with a confident smile. "What's the one thing people use to gain animals' trust, besides love?"
Stan didn't have to think about that. Seeing it in movies and with his own pet made it all too clear. "Food!" he whispered loudly with a smile as he threw his fists out in front of him.
"Right!" Heidi dug through her pocket and pulled out a bag of carrots, which caught Stan off guard. "We slowly approach him and offer him these."
"Do you really think he's gonna go for carrots?" It was the least Stan could do to keep himself from giving rolling his eyes or giving the girl a funny look. He couldn't imagine anyone enjoying something as bland as carrots. However, it was food, so it could work.
"Yeah, it's from my lunch. Dogs love carrots. And they are good nutrition." She slowly handed Stan the bag. "I think you should be the one to do it."
Stan wasn't sure why it had to be him, but he took the bag anyways without questioning Heidi's plan attempt. He slowly shifted forward and toward the street as he kept his eyes on Stitch, who found a spot to do his business on.
As he creeped forward, one thought occurred to Stan. What happens after I get him to like me? How do we catch him and where do we go from there? The boy stopped, which got Heidi to frown.
She wondered why he had frozen but didn't insist on calling on him because she didn't want to frighten Stitch away. Still, it concerned her and made her wonder if Stan was going to quit on Heidi. She hoped for the best and shut her eyes, waiting for Stan to make a move.
Finally, he did. After just getting ten feet away, Stan went to his knees and opened the little bag of carrots, which got Stitch's attention. "Hey buddy," the boy said softly as he held out one baby carrot and grinned at the dog. "You want some?"
Stitch seemed alert and more hesitant than Stan felt at the beginning. However, the dog didn't turn away or make a step backward. He only stared at Stan, then glanced at the carrot.
Stan decided to make the extra effort and placed the carrot on the ground. Afterwards, he crawled back slowly on his hands and knees, and watched as Stitch finally creeped over.
The boy made enough space between him and the dog; about five feet. Then he watched the dog sniff the carrot, and instantly munch on it. Stan's smile grew as he jerked his head over at Heidi, who was just as happy to see what was happening.
Stan took out another carrot and dropped it on the ground in front of him and backed up just slightly. Stitch didn't hesitate. He moved forward and began to chow on his second snack. So far it was a success, and that got Stan hopeful.
The boy pulled out another, and this time held it out to the dog so he could hand feed him. He didn't turn his head at Heidi because he didn't want to startle the dog. Stitch eye bawled it for a good ten seconds, and Stan shut his eyes. Come on.
Finally, Stitch took it gently, and chomped away. Stan opened his eyes with a smile still on his face. "Yes!" he whispered. Now that he was close enough, Stan got a good look at the dog's weak body. It was worse than the picture, and it concerned the boy.
We must gain his trust, Heidi thought. It's the only way.
Stan pulled out another carrot to feed the dog, and at that instant, Butters wandered out the front and caught sight of Stan. However, his reaction showed that he didn't see what he was up to. "Hey, Stan!" he called.
No! Stan watched Stitch scurry off, obviously startled by Butter's voice. The boy glared, feeling unsuccessful. He was so close, and yet he just got sent backward.
"Watcha doing!" Butters said with a smile on his face. He didn't even seem to notice Heidi, who was watching Stitch disappear into town.
"Dammit, Butters!" Stan exclaimed.
It wouldn't have been enough because their recess ended soon afterwards. Although Heidi told Stan otherwise. "I just wanted to gain his trust," she had told him in the hall. "We made progress. I'm hoping next time we spot him; he will trust us more and will give us a high chance of catching him."
Stan thought about that as he sat in his desk during the next period. He hadn't even noticed what subject Mr. Garrison was teaching at that point, because he was in deep though. Thinking about what Heidi said, though, gave Stan hope. They just needed to find Stitch again.
If it was true that the dog liked to hang out around Kenny's house, then that's where they would look.
"Can you find him after school?" Heidi had asked. "I have things to do after school."
Stan didn't pry the girl on what she was up to and had agreed to that request.
"How's things going with the dog?" Kyle asked at lunch. He had his eyes on his friend, but his expression seemed alert, as if he were waiting for Stan to confess something important. It made Stan feel uneasy.
"We are making progress," he replied as he barely touched his steak. He thought about what Heidi said about nutrition and that carrots were healthy. He even glanced over to Heidi, who was sitting with the rest of the girls at their table. He noticed everything in front of her was meat-free. He understood now.
"What are you looking at?" Kyle asked harshly.
Stan glanced at him. He could see anger in his friend's eyes, which startled him. It was decided that he needed to talk to him about whatever was bothering him right away. "Kyle, what's with you?" he asked just as harsh. He didn't care how he sounded, because he was starting to get frustrated with his best friend.
"Nothing, I was just asking," Kyle said as he took a bite into his lunch. He ignored the conversations around him by the rest of the boys.
Stan shook his head. "You been distant ever since I told you about Heidi's plan."
"Well, I'm not!" Kyle was now glaring, which put a shocked expression on Stan's face. "You're the one who's been distant. All you can think about is what you are doing with Heidi!"
"What?" Stan watched Kyle, who was playing with his food in an awkward way. He was hiding something, and in a way, Kyle wanted Stan to know, but tried to not make it direct. "Dude, I'm sorry. I just care about saving Stitch." Does he feel neglected?
"Yeah, okay," was all Kyle would say. He avoided eye contact, and by the tone of his voice, everything was not okay. However, from Stan's perspective, Kyle didn't want to talk about it anymore. So, he didn't.
The two didn't notice Eric, was just three seats down from Stan, watching them suspiciously. He was sure he heard Heidi's name, and that made his heart throb. Still, at that moment, he kept quiet.
After Heidi finished her meal, she got up to throw away her trash, when she heard footsteps from outside the cafeteria. So, she stepped out into the hall, and immediately noticed Clyde hustling in circles and leaning against the lockers, facing them intently.
The girl didn't have any sort of relationship with Clyde, except maybe she had gone out with him just once sometime ago. However, she barely remembered their time together. She had no feelings toward the boy, and still, she felt sympathy for whatever was bothering him.
"Dammit," Clyde muttered, and after that, sniffled softly.
It was enough to push Heidi forward to see what was going on. She remembered Stan telling her that he and Craig were up to finding Stitch for money, and to turn him on for the dog's possible end. However, Heidi's sensitive and kind feelings told her that she had to approach him.
Just stopping a few feet away from the boy, Heidi tilted her head in concern as she noticed slight tears in Clyde's eyes.
He softly glanced at her, and to her surprise, reacted in a harsh manner. "What do you want?" he said.
It didn't scare her off. When Clyde lashed out, he was upset. And when he was upset, it was probably a big deal. "What's going on? You are stressed."
Clyde wiped his tears while sniffling with his head still against the lockers. "Yeah, well, I don't know what to do," he said.
Heidi was glad he was opening instantly and stepped closer. "What is it, Clyde?" her voice was so soft and sweet, the boy couldn't help but spill out his struggles.
"Craig wants to look for that dog," he said, "but I don't feel right about it. I don't know how to tell him without him thinking poorly of me."
Heidi was shocked. From what Stan said, Clyde was on the verge of doing something horrible. But seeing him now made it clear that it was not the case.
Peer pressure was always an issue, even for a ten-year old. In fact, it seemed to be a huge deal throughout the whole school. Even Heidi had felt peer-pressured in her life, and she couldn't help but feel sympathy for the boy. "Clyde," she started, "Craig is your close friend, right?"
Clyde looked at her but didn't reply. He didn't need to.
"He will understand, and he's not a monster. If he's really your friend, he will not make you do this." After that, she hugged him to show him comfort. Clyde accepted it. "It's okay, it will be okay, I promise."
Stan is wrong, Heidi thought as she held Clyde close. Clyde and Craig are not terrible people, and they wouldn't hurt this dog. I know. I know they won't.