Winterzwiebel: what did you mean with "picture"? I wrote you a PM, but you didn't react. ^^

Strangerer Things: When I decide to :P

Enjoy this one :)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and I write for my own pleasure and that of the readers.


Mike had now been living at the house for three weeks. Three weeks he considered amazing and better than the entire two years he had shared an apartment with Thomas. While Thomas had been a great friend and roommate, living with the four girls was something else. The whole vibe was different, with their frequent squabbles that never turned to outright arguments or the way they could so passionately watch TV programming that he considered a crime against sanity.

His comfort translated into action, the words flowing through his fingers onto his laptop and he managed to write a whopping twelve chapters for his new book in two weeks, whereas it had taken him eight months to write three. He was reaching plot points and after checking his storyboard, he found that it would only take a couple more chapters to reach the end point, which he had already written and made ambiguous enough to be considered an ending or a cliffhanger, should he get the offer for another one. While he wrote, he didn't notice how the door to his room opened and his four roommates entered, sitting down on his bed and looking at him.

"Mike?" El got his attention and Mike let out a high-pitched scream, slamming his laptop shut, feeling glad that he had written a macro that would save his work before the laptop went into stand-by mode.

"Jesus!" Mike cursed. "A boy's going to get a heart attack."

"Sorry." El giggled, finding his girly scream incredibly funny and cute.

"What's going on?" Mike asked, looking his roommates. "Normally, if I found four girls in my bed, I would like where this was going but I don't think you're going to take off your clothes now."

"In your dreams, Wheeler." Max scoffed.

"Mike, we need to talk." El stated.

"Oh oh, do I have to pack my bags?" Mike worried, trying to sound jovial.

"No, no." El shook her head. "Believe me, you're the last one I'd kick out."

"You spoiled her with your cooking." Stacy accused jokingly. "She'd rather kick us out, her best friends, than you, some random guy."

"Hey, I'm definitely not random." Mike chuckled. "What's up?"

"Mike, you've been living here for three weeks now, right?" El asked.

"Yes." Mike nodded, wondering where this was going. "Am I getting more TV privileges now?"

"Quiet." El grinned. "We were wondering, what are you studying?"

"Oh, my major is in criminal psychology, but I also minor in literature." Mike told them. "I wanna help people get back on track, to return to a lawful life again."

"That's interesting." Jennifer nodded. "So, you and El study almost the same thing."

"I thought you want to become nurses?" Mike wondered. "I have seen your class overview."

"I'm switching to psychology." El said. "We could compare notes and help each other if we get stuck."

"Yes, we could." Mike nodded.

"And how do you earn money?" Max asked. "We have never seen you go out to a job."

"Oh, I have money coming in from some things I did a while ago." Mike smiled and saw their worried faces. "Absolutely nothing illegal."

"Good." El chuckled. "I would hate it if my dad came into my house again to arrest another of my roommates."

"Don't worry, I don't have a rap sheet." Mike laughed.

"Why do you always slam your laptop down, when someone gets your attention?" Jennifer wanted to know.

"Safety precaution." Mike gave part of the truth. "Other students often try to copy my work or that of others when they get stuck."

"I can see that." El accepted. "We also wanted to know if you are cooking tonight or if we should order in."

"When I got home at lunch I made stacked cabbage with meatballs." Mike said. "There's more than enough left over for all of you. Just have to cook a few potatoes."

"I'm game." Stacy nodded. "Don't know what stacked cabbage is but if Mike made, it can't be bad."

"I'm touched by your trust in my culinary skills." Mike laughed and got up to go into the kitchen where he began peeling a bunch of potatoes.

Since they had to cook for about twenty minutes, he went back to his room and reopened his laptop again. Knowing that if began writing again, he would forget time, he settled for reading the latest chapter again, fixing some typos and wrongly structured sentences. He set his watch for twenty minutes and when it beeped, he saved his work and properly shut down the laptop before returning to the kitchen.

He used a small knife to poke into the potatoes to see if they were done and he put the large container with the cabbage into the microwave. Then he shut down the stove and poured out the remaining water, shaking the pot to fluff out the potatoes before putting them onto five plates and waited for the microwave to finish, taking out the container to shift the cabbage before putting it back into the microwave for another few minutes so all of it heated evenly.

"Dinner is served." Mike acted like a butler, putting the large bowl on the table he had poured the cabbage in.

"With meatballs?" Stacy looked at him.

"Sure." Mike nodded. "Gives it flavor. And meat is always good."

"Agreed." El giggled and stabbed one of the meatballs with her fork, popping it into her mouth. "Are those from a box?"

"No, I rolled them from raw ground meat." Mike shook his head. "I like to use less salt and some different seasoning on the meat than the boxed stuff has."

"God, I'm gonna chain you to this house." El hummed. "I won't let you move out again."

"Maybe I don't want to." Mike winked at her and kept eating.

The next weeks passed in more or less of a blur. Everyone was busy with their classes and Mike regularly went to the boys to play games, sometimes even simply paying poker. He suggested that one weekend, they could meet at the girls' house to play poker, since all the girls could play too but rarely did for lack of opportunity.

As the semester finals rolled closer, the stress levels rose. Mike still cooked food but the meals became simpler in favor of speed. The girls still appreciated his work though, since it beat takeout food on any day. They also got closer, the evenings spent watching TV together or just talking everyone telling stuff from their childhoods, where even Max was interested since Mike and Lucas were best friends in their childhoods.

Nevertheless, they made a date for a poker night. El and Mike went shopping, buying drinks and snacks for the people who would attend. They would be eight people in total, the four girls, Mike, Lucas and their friends Dustin and Will. She couldn't wait to meet them, hoping to get a few juicy details from Mike's teen years he hadn't told her yet.

"Guys!" Mike greeted his friends when they walked through the door.

"Paladin!" Will and Dustin shouted, Lucas making a beeline for Max to give her a kiss.

"So, to the introductions." Mike said and pointed to the two guys the girls didn't know. "These are my friends Dustin and Will."

"Hey there." Will waved and Dustin shook everyone's hand.

"And these are Jennifer and Stacy." Mike introduced the two roommates before turning to the owner of the house. "And this is El."

"Nice to meet you, El." Will shook her hand. "Mike talks about you all the time."

"Does he now?" El smiled and looked at Mike who blushed.

"Not all the time." Mike mumbled.

"You sound funny." Stacy said to Dustin.

"It's a condition called cleidocranial dysplasia." Dustin explained. "It's a genetic disorder that delays bone growth, in my case, my front teeth until I had pulled them out surgically."

"Pulled them out in making them appear, not pulling them out as in not having teeth anymore." Will added.

"Alright, anyone wants a drink?" El asked. "Who's the designated driver?"

"Um..." Dustin hesitated.

"Uh, El." Mike gave her a gentle tick in the ribs and she was damned if he almost touched the side of her breast. "Spending the night?"

"Right!" El remembered. "You guys are staying here."

"Not me." Will said. "When we're done, I'm calling Chris and I'll spend the night with him."

"Okay." El nodded, mildly surprised that Mike's friend was gay.

"Dustin, you'll be sleeping in my bed." Jennifer said, making him gape.

"Um... what?" Dustin finally found his breath and heard two clicks.

"Oh man, that's going on the wall." Mike laughed, he and El holding their phones and having photographed Dustin's expression.

"Jennifer is sleeping in my bed, because mine is big enough for two people." El laughed as well. "You get Jennifer's, so you don't have to sleep on the couch."

"I'll give you some earplugs later." Mike winked at him.

"Why?" Dustin wondered, sitting down at the round table, Jennifer taking the chair next to him.

"Because Lucas will spend the night with Max." Jennifer winked as well.

"Why do I get the feeling that I won't like what I'm going to hear?" Dustin looked at the couple in question.

"We're not that loud." Lucas argued.

"Riiiight." Jennifer scoffed.

"Are we really?" Max asked, blushing.

"Oh yeah, fuck me hard! Pound my pussy with that black dick! Ram that thing into my tight hole!" Jennifer quoted, mimicking Max's voice. "Oh yeah, suck that thing! Ride that cock!" she added in a deeper voice to mimic Lucas.

"Oh god!" Lucas hid his face behind his hands.

"Yeah, those two words are shouted a lot as well." Jennifer nodded. "From both participants."

"Alright, I'm embarrassed." Max wanted to sink into a deep hole but sat down at the table. "You guys won't let me forget that, will you?"

"Not in a million years." El laughed and started shuffling the cards to deal the first hand as Mike placed snacks in the middle of the table and handed drinks to everyone, a tray with more drinks on it in easy reach of his long arms.

Mike would be acting as the dealer after El had finished shuffling, his longer arms making it easier for him to place the five cards into the middle of the table. El gave everyone two cards and looked at her own, Will to her left throwing in the small blind and Stacy to his left the big blind, everyone else matching it, except Lucas, who folded immediately.

She looked at her cards, trying not to react when she saw the king and queen of spades. She noticed Mike glancing at her as if to gauge her hand while Will and Stacy tapped the table twice to indicate checking, an action everyone else copied, then Mike took away the top card and put the next three into the middle of the table, showing a ten of spades, a seven of clubs and a three of hearts.

So far, El had nothing on her hand, she'd need either a nine and a jack or a jack and an ace for a straight, or even a royal flush if both were spades too, which would be best hand possible in poker. She looked at Mike who kept his expression neutral while waiting for Will to make up his mind. Will folded, Stacy as well and Dustin, Jennifer and Max raised, Mike joining. El did too.

Mike brought the turn card, a jack of diamonds. Now El was a nine or an ace away from a straight. Dustin and Jennifer folded, Max raising again and Mike calling. El decided to stay in too, hoping for the missing card and Mike dealt the river, which was the ten of clubs, looking at Max for her bet. Max stayed in, Mike even raising her. El folded, having nothing.

"So, Maxine." Mike emphasized her full name to annoy her. "Chickening out?"

"I'm gonna take your pants off, Wheeler." Max grumbled and raised again.

"That might make Lucas a little angry." Mike chuckled and matched her bet, waiting for her to show her cards.

"Three of a kind." Max said proudly, showing her seven of hearts and seven of spades.

"Not bad." Mike nodded but El could see in his confidence that his hand was better. "Four tens."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Max huffed, seeing Mike's ten of heart and ten of diamonds.

"Come to papa." Mike laughed and grabbed the chips before taking the cards to shuffle them, taking over the dealing for the rest of the game.

"So, what are everyone's plans for Summer Break?" El asked around during their fourth hand.

"We're going home." Dustin said. "Me, Will, Mike and Lucas will share two cars."

"Couldn't you share one?" El wondered.

"Not if we want to take luggage too." Mike chuckled.

"Also, I'm going to drive a bit further to spend some time with my grandparents but I'll return to Hawkins before we all come back." Lucas added.

"I'm visiting my grandparents in Van Nuys for a few weeks." Max said.

"Going to family too." Stacy said. "A month in Texas should give me a good tan."

"Vacation with family as well for me." Jennifer mentioned. "Four weeks with my folks in Vermont."

"Which means I'll be alone for how long?" El asked.

"We're planning a month too." Dustin said. "It's rare enough that we get to see our folks in person."

"Will be nice to spend one of those... special weeks without having to fear for my life." Mike chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stacy wanted to know.

"Why do you think I spend almost every night of last week with the guys and only came home late to sleep?" Mike looked at her poignantly.

"Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Dustin asked.

"Yep, their mensies have synchronized." Mike nodded. "And as much fun it is to live with four gorgeous women, when all of them have their certain days of the month at the same time, I get afraid for my safety."

"We're not that bad." El huffed.

"Really?" Mike scoffed and laughed. "Remember last Saturday, when I said 'Good morning' and you almost bit my head off before slumping to the couch and complain of all the water you retained?"

"It's not that bad." El repeated, moping.

"So, can you survive a month without my cooking?" Mike grinned at her.

"If you find my decomposing skeleton with one hand on the fridge door, you'll know it's your fault." El pouted, Mike quickly grabbing his phone and photographing her.

"That looked so cute!" Mike laughed. "Your lower lip was so far out, you looked like Beavis."

"I resent that." El gasped. "I don't look anything like him."

"Yeah, you have lighter skin, more hair, a higher voice, more breasts and less penis." Mike laughed again. "Thank god." he added in a low voice but she could hear it, smiling to herself.

For the next few hours, the gang played and laughed, ate and drank. Everyone won a few hands, Mike and El sharing the most wins among them and the head-to-head was between them as well, Jennifer acting as the dealer for that. After Lucas and Max had lost all their chips, she had dragged him into her room and Dustin had groaned when they could hear the banging that accompanied their lovemaking, thanking Mike in advance for the earplugs.

"Makes me aware that I'm single again." Dustin sighed.

"What exactly happened?" Mike asked. "Lucas only told me that it happened in a humiliating way."

"You could say that." Dustin nodded. "She cheated on me with a guy who recorded their fucking without her knowledge and he posted it online. Then a friend of mine sent me a link to the video and you can guess my surprise when I saw my girlfriend in a homemade amateur porn video while she was sitting on my bed, watching TV."

"Ouch." El winced.

"Yeah, that's when I decided to transfer here." Dustin shrugged. "I just wanted to get away."

"I can understand that." Mike nodded. "Don't worry, you'll find love again."

"Excuse me for doubting the promise of someone who hasn't found love at all yet." Dustin chuckled but El could see that Mike didn't take it personally. "I mean, you would still be a virgin if you hadn't that..."

"Be quiet!" Mike gasped. "That's not something that the others should hear."

"Got it." Dustin nodded but now, El would be unable to think about anything else but that for a while.

"But you told Dustin, didn't you?" Stacy asked, equally curious.

"And me too." Will grinned, coming out of the bathroom, carrying his phone.

"Because they're my best friends."

"Chris will be here in ten minutes." Will said. "Dustin, if you want, we could give you a lift and you could come back home with us."

"Nah, I'll let you and Chris have the apartment for yourself tonight." Dustin waved him off.

"Thanks." Will smiled thankfully.

"Don't forget to clean any surface you do it on and stay out of my room." Dustin pointed a finger at him.

"Noted." Will laughed and sat down, taking his half-full bottle of beer to empty it.

"What do I have to do to make you tell me that thing?" El sat down next to Mike, grinning at him and almost sitting on his lap.

"Get me very, very drunk." Mike laughed and playfully pushed her away.

"Mike, you want glass of vodka?" El asked, getting up.

"No, thanks." Mike waved her off, chuckling. "I'm going to bed soon."

Almost ten minutes later, someone knocked on the door. El opened it to find a tanned, young man standing outside, smiling and she could clearly see that he was gay. She wasn't in any way bigoted but this one seemed to fill a lot of stereotypes that gay people had, wearing rainbow colored clothing and even a flower in his hair.

"Hey Chris." Will smiled at the man and gave him a kiss. "We have my place to ourselves tonight."

"Oh, great." Chris cooed and El could only chuckle at his nasal voice.

"Have fun and don't forget to clean up!" Dustin said when he came to the door. "Hey Chris."

"Dusty-bun." Chris grinned.

"Hey!" Dustin complained. "That name is reserved for my special someone and you're not it."

"Okay." Chris giggled, but everyone in earshot understood that he would never not use the name again.

"Bye Will, it was nice to meet you." El hugged Mike's friend.

"Will, after finals, one more D&D session before we leave, alright?" Mike clasped his shoulder.

"Definitely." Will nodded and waved at them before taking Chris' hand and both walking to his car.

"Okay, where do I sleep?" Dustin asked.

"Left hallway, the room on the end, right next to the one where all the banging is coming from." Mike pointed.

"Are they still at it or again?" Dustin groaned.

"Again." El told him. "Since they only get to do each other once a week and last week was, as Mike said, our time of the month, they always catch up on the weekends."

"Great." Dustin sighed and took the earplugs Mike handed him.

"There's a bathroom next to your room, if you want to shower, you have to do it in there." El said. "The master bathroom is only for the people living here."

"Noted." Dustin nodded. "Thanks for letting me stay. And thank you Jennifer, for letting me sleep in your bed."

"No problem." Jennifer smiled at him.

"Night, Dustin." Mike said as Dustin walked to the bathroom.

"I like him." Jennifer said.

"Me too." El nodded. "You have nice friends."

"I know." Mike smiled. "I don't like douche bags or mouth breathers."

"Who does?" El chuckled. "Except for Stacy and Jennifer."

"Hey!" Jennifer complained. "I don't like douche bags."

"Well, your boyfriends usually prove to be." El pointed out. "And Stacy is dating one right now."

"That I agree with." Jennifer nodded. "Troy's an ass."

"Well, we should get some sleep." Mike said, El giving him a funny look. "Separately."

"Just pulling your leg." El giggled. "Although, you can try to fall asleep knowing that me and Jennifer will share a bed tonight."

"You're flirty tonight." Mike pointed out, unable to hide his amusement and wrapping his arm around her waist, giving her a gentle squeeze.

"Well, she sometimes gets that way when she's tipsy." Jennifer laughed and took El's hand. "Come on, it's late, we should get some sleep."

"Night, Mike." El waved at him.

"Night, El. Night, Jennifer." Mike waved back and went into the bathroom.


"Look who's here?" Max shouted as she opened the door, being pulled into the house by their new house guest.

"Bella!" Jennifer whooped and ruffled the large dog's fur when Bella ran to her to greet her.

"You guys have a dog?" Mike asked, looking at the animal while El stood up too to pet Bella, who jumped on the armchair that El had vacated.

"No, we take her once in a while from old man Tillis, since he's in a wheelchair and his kids can't be around all the time." El shook her head.

"This will probably the last time we can take her." Max said.

"Why?" El asked.

"Haven't you heard?" Max looked sad. "Old man Tillis has died two days ago."

"Oh no!" Jennifer gasped. "Was Bella alone with a corpse all the time?"

"No, his kids are here to clear out the house so they can sell it." Max explained. "They agreed to let me take Bella so they can do it in peace but unless they find new owners, she'll have to go to the pound."

"We don't really have the time to take care of a dog full time." El sighed.

"You could, you don't have a job." Jennifer said to El.

"But Bella's not listening to me." El argued. "As much as I love her, I can't walk a dog that doesn't listen to me at all."

"I find that hard to believe." Jennifer said.

"Watch." El said and turned to the dog who was sitting on her armchair. "Bella, off the chair!"

"Wow." Jennifer chuckled when the dog didn't even look up.

"Alright, this can't stand, time for a little Cesar Milan magic to see if it works." Mike chuckled and took the leash that Jennifer had taken off.

"What are you trying to do?" El asked as Mike walked into his room, coming back with inline skates in his hands, which he put on at the door.

"Bella, come here!" Mike called and whistled loudly.

To everyone's surprise, Bella actually lifted her head and, after looking at Mike for several seconds who stared right back directly into her eyes, she jumped off the armchair and walked towards him. Mike attached the leash to her collar and took her outside, the girls running out to look what he was doing.

"Come on Bella, go!" Mike shouted and began moving his feet, Bella starting to run with him.

"What's this Cesar Milan thing he mentioned." Stacy asked.

"Don't you know?" Jennifer looked at her. "He had that show where he trained problematic dogs."

"And Mike is doing the same thing?" El wondered.

"On that show, the guy always talked about the pack principle, since dogs are descendants of wolves, so the owner should act like the alpha animal." Jennifer explained.

"Easy for Mike to do, he's built like a tree." El huffed. "Bella almost reaches my waist, she probably sees me as food."

"Nah, it's not that bad." Jennifer laughed. "But having a dog may discourage some of those guys who always hit on you."

"Don't need a dog for that." El chuckled. "I don't know. I would love to keep her as a pet but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to control her."

"But if Mike can?" Max asked.

"But what if Mike goes home to his family, I mean he will in a few days." El looked at her. "What then? Do we want a dog that barely listens to us in our home?"

"Still, I'd like a pet and I love Bella, she's so beautiful and graceful." Stacy sighed and looked down the road to look if she could see her. "Look at that."

They stepped onto the patio, watching as Mike rolled past on his skates, a running Bella at his side. To the girls' surprise, Bella wasn't dragging him but obediently running beside him, Mike holding the leash close and not giving her the room to run further ahead. Her tongue was hanging out, the exhaustion clearly showing but Mike kept rolling down the street, turning at the end and going the other way before he stopped and took off his skates, switching them for his slippers he had carried around his neck, carrying the skates with him until he reached their property and simply let them fall behind the fence.

El smiled at him as he winked at her and kept walking, simply walking the dog. Bella sniffed at trees and peed at some spots but always returned to Mike's side. He even stopped a few times, Bella simply looking up at him and sitting down for as long as he was standing. Mike did that for almost an hour before he returned to the house, ushering the girls inside before he brought Bella in and stood with her at the door.

"Can one of you spread out a blanket in the corner?" Mike pointed to the corner where the kitchen door was. "And fill a bowl with water?"

"Sure thing." El nodded, getting a blanket and spreading it out while Jennifer went into the kitchen to fill the bowl.

"You guys have dedicated dog bowls?" Mike looked at the two bowls that Jennifer had put down, one full of water and one with dry dog food.

"Yeah, as we said, we had her for a few times." Jennifer told him.

"Is that kibble?" Mike pointed to the dry food.

"Yes, why?" Jennifer nodded.

"Throw that out!" Mike ordered aghast.

"Why?" Max asked, having heard it, the other two girls joining him.

"Because why would you feed your dog a food that is processed and less than half meat?" Mike asked. "Dogs are meat eaters."

"But we can't feed her fresh meat several times a day." El argued. "And it's not our dog."

"I'm not saying you should feed her fresh meat every day but there's dry food available that is much healthier." Mike told her. "If you want, we can go right now."

"Can't we keep her?" Stacy pleaded. "I don't want her to go to a pound."

"If she behaves, we can keep her." El nodded. "But if she doesn't, we won't have a choice."

"How about we take her with us for buying food?" Mike suggested. "We could ask those people if they're fine with us taking her and then go on to buy the dog food."

"Okay, if she behaves on the way, we can keep her." El stated. "There's a pet store two miles from here and you could maybe teach me how to handle her like you do."

"Let her drink first." Mike nodded, pointing to the dog who was slurping the clear liquid.

"Mike, how do you know so much about dog food?" Max asked.

"Like so many others, when I was a kid, I wanted a dog. My younger sister too. But my dad always told me that we couldn't take care of it and he didn't want to walk it all the time." Mike explained. "So, to show him that I could take care of one, I learned everything about dogs, how to walk them, how to train them, how long to walk certain species and more importantly, what to feed them to keep them healthy. That's when I learned that kibble and other dry dog foods are actually bad for your pet because of what else they contain."

"I get it." Max lifted her arms in surrender.

"Alright, Bella, come on, time to get you some food." Mike smiled at the dog and showed her the leash, leading her out of the house again and waiting for El to join him.

"Can I?" El asked, holding out her hand.

"Okay." Mike nodded. "Keep her leash tight, don't let her run too far forward. Keep her walking next to you and don't let her steer you until you feel that she submits to your control."

"Like this?" El started walking and looked to the dog to see if she was doing it right.

"Yes, but look straight ahead, not at her." Mike advised. "Dogs look at their owners often for guidance, so if you look at Bella, it's like asking her to guide you."

El did as he told and held tight to the leash, looking straight ahead while Mike was on her other side. For the first half mile, it was a chore, Bella straining against El's hold, which began to hurt her arm but she kept up her pull until she felt it loosen. Bella began walking alongside El, not straining against the leash anymore and also not falling back unless she sniffed at the ground to pee again. On their way, they got permission from the sons of the owner to keep her.

Another mile later, El let her arm hang down loosely, Bella not even trying to take advantage of it anymore. She couldn't believe how simple it had been to train Bella to not pull her into every direction and after another fifteen minutes, they reached the store El had mentioned. They bound Bella to a bicycle rack, El ordering her to sit, which, to her surprise, the dog even did and both walked into the store, seeing the rows of cages with small animals in it.

"Welcome." the clerk or owner approached them. "My name is Alex. What are you looking for? A nice lizard?"

"No, thank you." Mike laughed. "We need some freeze-dried dog food and some wet."

"Certainly." Alex said, leading them to the side of the store where a myriad of different foods for every animal were located and showing them a certain bag. "This one provides the most balanced diet for your pet. It contains high-quality animal protein, a blend of omega three and omega six fatty acids and being freeze-dried, it's easy to store. Just keep it in a dry environment after you open the bag."

"What's the difference between those?" El pointed to the various brands, some more expensive than others.

"I sorted them by nutritional value." Alex explained. "The one on the left has the most, sixty-five percent protein, the most right one has the lowest we have on offer, which is twenty-eight."

"I guess the more the better?" El asked.

"Yes, since dogs are carnivores, animal protein is the foundation of their diet. The more they have, the better." Alex nodded. "Can I ask what breed you own?"

"Actually, I don't even know what she is." El said after a few seconds of thinking. "She's sitting out there."

"Huh, from her shape I'd have said she's a great Dane but the head is wrong. Maybe some German Sheppard in it, maybe even some Golden Retriever." Alex mused. "Then I would recommend this brand."

"Why this one?" Mike asked, holding the bag.

"It's specifically designed for large breeds." Alex told them. "It has still the third highest protein count but it also contains the most omega three fatty acids, which helps to keep her joints healthy."

"Alright, we'll take this one." Mike nodded. "And a cup to portion the food."

"A female Dane needs about six to eight cups a day." Alex nodded, putting the cup on the table.

"We thought about feeding her once in the morning and then raw, wet dog food in the evenings. Mike said. "We don't always have time to come home at noon."

"Then you might be interested in this." Alex said and pointed to a contraption behind him.

"What's that?" El asked.

"It's an automated food dispenser." Alex smiled. "You simply put feed into the tank, which is not transparent so the dog doesn't get any ideas, and you can set the amount of food it's supposed to release and when."

"That's so cool." Mike laughed. "We'll take that too."

"Mike, it's a hundred bucks." El whispered.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Mike smiled at her took out his debit card while Alex scanned in the dispenser and the five bags of dog food.

"What's that thing?" Mike asked, pointing to what looked like a flat beanbag with a hole in the middle, looking almost like a frilly doughnut.

"It's a dog cushion." Alex pulled it down to hand it to him so he could feel its softness. "It's designed to be as comfortable as possible for a pet and it's essentially for every size of dog, except the dog is truly enormous, like Zeus."

"Zeus?" El asked.

"It's the largest living dog in the world, forty-four inches height at the shoulder."

"Jesus!" El gasped.

"Could we test the cushion?" Mike suggested.

"Sure." Alex nodded and handed Mike the cushion, who brought it outside to Bella, El right after him.

Mike put the cushion down and pointed to it while looking at Bella. The dog sniffed the cushion all over and took a tentative step into it, turning around several times before sitting down in it. As if evaluating if it was dangerous or something do eat, Bella laid her head down and began turning to the back, grunting as she moved her back along it like a bear scraping against a tree to scratch an itch.

"What's she doing?" El asked Alex who stood at the entrance and watched.

"She's marking it as hers." Alex smiled. "She's essentially rubbing her scent all over it."

"I'll guess we take that too." Mike laughed and ordered Bella off the cushion, handing it to Alex so he could scan that in as well before he gave it to El so she could wait outside.

"That'll be two hundred and fifty-nine dollars and ninety-three cents." Alex said and took the card from Mike, swiping it in and handing Mike the device so he could type in the pin. "I would also advise you to get a few bones for her to chew on, they provide calcium, phosphorus and other nutrients so your dog's teeth and bones stay healthy as well."

"Isn't there a butcher close by?" Mike asked.

"Yeah Miller's, on the other side of the street around the corner." Alex nodded. "If you see someone with the name tag Holger, tell him that Alex has send you, he'll give you some nice bones."

"Thank you." Mike smiled and grabbed the three bags, two containing the dog food and one the dispenser carton.

"Look what we do for you, Bella." El giggled at the dog after Mike had come out of the store, the animal waggling its tail in greeting.

El took the leash again and walked across the street, Mike right behind her with his carry-on, with El carrying the cushion on her back. El went into the butcher's shop while Mike waited outside, El returning two minutes later with several wrapped bones in another bag and fresh meat for tonight. Bella sniffed the bag but El pulled it away, leading her back to the house, the dog dutifully at her side and never trying to get to the bag again.

"Jesus, that became heavy after a while." Mike panted as they entered the house.

"What the hell did you buy?" Max asked, looking at the bags.

"Dry dog food, a dispenser so she can get food when we're on campus and a cushion for her." El told them and put the cushion on the blanket she had put out earlier, the dog immediately jumping into it to make itself comfortable.

"Does that mean we're going to keep her?" "Stacy perked up.

"Yep, I decided to allow it for now." El nodded.

"Oh, thank you!" Jennifer squealed and raced to pet Bella, who enjoyed her cushion.

El just hoped that Bella would keep behaving, especially in a few days, when everyone was leaving for summer break.


Well, now the gang has a dog :) I modeled Bella after my own pet, which is apparently a mix of twelve different dog races but it's pretty tall (and hungry) and at a whopping ninety pounds. What is strange, my dog is best friend's with a neighbors dog. That dog is the runt of a chihuahua litter. So, my dog is essentially best friends with an animal the size of his poop...

Used to have a Dachshund as a child, was much easier to take care of ^^

Review please :)