Chapter 20: Family

"M-Mira!?" Leo gasped.

"Hey…" She began with a nervous smile.

"I… Uhhh… H-How long have you been standing there?"

"Not very long. I was actually coming to check if we had any salt, but then I heard you guys were talking… so yeah… I hope you don't mind if I pass by."

"W-Wait! Leo cried while reaching out his paw. "I... I really don't know how to put this… I was being a jerk to you, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those mean things, it's just that-"

"It's fine…! I know I was being a little too nosey anyway, so you don't have to apologize. I'll just be on my way and leave you guys be." Mira replied as Leo felt his heart sink.

"N-No, wait! It's not like that at all! I just… Look, can you please stick around? There's something I've been meaning to tell you, and… I don't think I'll ever forgive myself if I keep it a secret."

"Wait, you're gonna tell her everything?" Colten asked.

"Yeah... Everything… So, what do you say?"

"Umm... Sure. I guess."

"Really!? That's great! I mean… Uhh… Thanks. I wasn't sure if you were going to say yes."

"To be honest, I really don't know how I should be taking this. It's like having a bunch of mixed emotions, and… I just don't know what to say."

"I know. I promise I'll make it up to you one day. I swear."

"Heh. Well, I guess your apologizing does make me feel a little better." Mira smiled as she approached them."

"Then I guess I'm on the right path, huh? A-Anyways, this all started way before you met me." Leo began.

Meanwhile with Chase In the Lobby:

"Hmm… I think he's finally starting to calm down. That's a relief... Ah-! Ahh-Choo!"

"Wait… Chase, are you still there!?" Katie asked from a distance.

"Uhh, Y-Yes ma'am!"

"Gosh, I'm so sorry! I completely forgot I had you waiting out here this whole time. This is going to take a while, so you should probably head back. I'll let you know when I'm ready."

"Oh, alright!" He said before heading towards the storage room."

"You mean, he was actually waiting there the whole time?" Skipper asked.

"Yeah, I'm impressed! I was thinking by now, he would just leave on his own, but I guess he's not like the other pups."

"His parents must have taught him well."

"Yeah. Poor thing… Even after losing them, he still tries to be professional."

"Well, he's a lot tougher than I am, but I guess that's something I can always look up to."

"Yeah! Totally!" Katie agreed while patting Skipper on the head. "Well, I'm going to see if I can come up with anything for them. I honestly didn't think it'd be so hard…"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure something out."

"Thanks. I'll see you around."

"See ya!" Skipper waved as Katie went back into the office. "As for me, I should probably check and see if Leo is ready to talk…"

(12:52 PM In the storage room)

"Let's see… Maybe if we use a single hole-puncher, we can get a perfect circle." Rocky claimed as Skye stared at the cover.

"Would that even work on plastic?" She asks.

"Only one way to find out." He smiled as Chase knocked on the door. "It's open!"

"Hey, guys! Did I miss anything?"

"Chase! You're back! Oh, thank goodness!" Skye rejoiced. "You're not in trouble now, are you?"

"Well… I mean I did kinda push him into a shelf…"

"Oh come on! You were just trying to defend yourself!" Rocky whined.

"True, but the fact is that he could have gotten seriously hurt, and it would have been my fault regardless, but let's not worry about it for now. I take it you already started on the hourglass?"

"Umm, yeah! Skye wanted us to make our own individual ones, so that's where we're going. We just need something to cut a hole through these plastic pieces, then we'll just wait for Mira to come back with the salt."

"Sounds great! Where do I start?"

"Just take two ornaments from that bag next to Skye, and we'll go on from there."

"Hey Rocky, you wouldn't happen to have any glitter, would you?" Skye asked with a smirk on her face.

(Mini flashback: 2 years ago With Mira and Leo)

"Wow, you're really good at this, Mira! Where did you learn how to kick like that?"

"Oh, I used to practice all the time when I was younger. It's a little tricky at first, but you'll get used to it eventually."

"Mind if I give it a try?"

"Sure, why not? Just try not to hit any windows, alright?"

"Heh heh. How hard can it be?" Leo chuckled before he accidentally kicked the ball to his right. "Huh?"

"Yeah, I know right? It's like soccer balls have a mind of their own, so that's why I find it easier to kick it while it's in the air. Here, why don't you try doing this instead? Use your back legs and do like some kind of superhero pose while jumping. That's how I usually practiced."

"A superhero pose?"

"Yeah! You know… Like how they do on TV."

"Uhh… to tell you the truth, I don't really watch much television."

"Really? Well… Ummm… It's basically like this: You make the ball go as high as you can, then you back up and kick it as if you're trying to bust through a window. See?" Mira explained as she did a demonstration.

"Whooooa! That's amazing! I wish I could do that."

"What do you mean? Of course, you can! Just give it a try. I mean, you have a lot of energy, so might as well."

"A lot of energy, huh? I guess things really have changed." Leo thought out loud as Mira tilted her head.

"What was that?"

"Huh? O-Oh! Don't mind me. Come on, pass me the ball! Let's do this!"

(Present: After Leo's explanation)

"Wow… Just… Wow… " Mira said in disbelief as Leo rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah. I know it's a lot to take in, but I guess that's another reason why I wanted to keep it a secret from you. I'm really sorry."

"No, no. It's fine. It's just… To think you could have died because of him… And your emotions… It's just crazy."

"Yeah. I was thinking the same thing. I still find it amazing how you survived, Leo." Colten agreed.

"Yeah… Not many pups are as lucky as you were. At least… I know someone who wasn't." Mira sighed as they turned to her. "I don't really know much about my parents, but all I know is that they were gone when I was younger. I grew up in a daycare that wasn't very far from here. Every day, kids would always come and play during the day, then leave at night. It was weird considering I was the only pup over there, but I guess I didn't really mind it at the time, because there was this one kid who would always come to hang out with me from time to time. His name was Marcus. We didn't really talk to each other, but sometimes, he would just come around, pet me first, then walk away. It kind of felt like an everyday routine, until suddenly, something terrible happened. I don't know why he thought this was a good idea, but one day, he tried to climb on top of a heavy cabinet while nobody was looking, and... I'm sure you already know what happened next…"

"He didn't…! Leo gasped in horror as Mira wiped a tear from her eyes.

"Yeah. He did… I'm guessing it was because of the extra weight, it couldn't remain balanced any longer. And by the time someone realized something was going on, it was already too late. He was trapped under there for who knows how long, and all I could do was bark to get the staff team's attention."

"That's terrible!" Colten cried.

"I know… But thankfully, he's still alive. He was quickly rushed to the hospital after they got him out, but as soon as his parents were informed, they decided to take legal action against the building."

"So that's why you were sent here."

"Yeah. They sued the company for everything they had, which led them to permanently shut down. And as for me, I was put under adoption and sent over here, but hearing that he's still alive means more than a lot to me. That's why I decided to move on because not only can't I change the past, but I still have a future that lies ahead of me, and so does he. The doctors said he's not going to remember things as he used to, but as long as he's still alive, I'll be fine."

"G-Gosh Mira, I don't know what to say…" Leo faltered.

"It's alright, you don't have to say anything. I know it's hard for you to control your emotions, but trust me. You're not the only one. To me, that place was like my home, and I still get pretty sad whenever I think about it, but usually, when it happens, you're always there for me, so this time, I want to be there for you, because from now on, it's going to take a lot more than words to chase me away."

"Mira…"

"Well, I'm just glad you're not angry at us for keeping it a secret." Colten sighed as Leo looked away.

"Y-Yeah, I was kind of worried you'd be afraid of me or something." He mumbled with a nervous look on his face.

"Heh heh. I'll admit, it was pretty scary seeing you go after Chase like that, but now that I understand everything, you don't have to worry about it. We just have to make sure it never happens again." Mira smiled before leaning her head against his shoulder. "And besides… I've heard that cuddling also relieves stress."

"Oh! Uhh…" Leo spluttered before turning to Colten, who was nodding his head. And as soon as he leaned his head against hers, Peter entered the kitchen.

"Hey Leo, you there?" He asked as they quickly turned around. "Oh… Sorry, am I interrupting?"

"Uhhh!" He blushed as they both separated. "N-No! Everything's fine! Wh-What's up?"

"Umm… I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You know... You guys were fighting... And I was just sitting there, laughing… Instead of trying to do the right thing. I guess I am just like the others…"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. Honestly, I rather have you guys laughing at me instead of being afraid of me."

"Oh, so we're cool?"

"Yeah, there's no sweat."

"Phew! That's a relief. I was kind of worried you were going to say no or something. At least that's one thing I needed to get out of my chest. And now, for the next…"

"Oh, you're finally going to talk to Sarah and Joey?" Mira asked as Colten tilted his head.

"Yeah. I would have done it earlier, but I couldn't stop thinking about what Chase said."

"Yeah, he also told me not to be sorry for what happened. I wonder what that was all about..."

"Umm, I hate to interrupt, but do you guys hear that?" Colten asked.

"Huh? What is it?"

"I don't know… I think it's coming from the vents."

"The vents? That's odd… I don't hear anything." Mira replied.

"Yeah, me neither." Peter followed.

"Wait… you don't think it's…" Leo gasped as he made his way towards the vents.

Meow!

"Oh my gosh, is he insane!? H-Hey! Over here! Can you hear me!?"

"Huh? A cat...?" Mira wondered.

Meow!

"Grrrr… It's stuck! Guys, can you help me out with this thing?"

"Yeah, sure!" Peter replied as they all began pulling together.

Meow!

"Almost… got it…!" Suddenly, the vent flew open, causing a bunch of dust to cover the air.

"Ugh… disgusting." Colten gagged as the kitten peaked out of the vents.

Meow!

"Awww! He's so cute! What was he doing inside the vents?" Mira giggled.

"Oh...look at you! All covered in dirt like this. It hasn't even been a day yet! What were you thinking?"

Meow!

"Oh come on, don't give me that look. You know we're not supposed to be seen next to each other."

Meow…

"Wait, you know him?" Mira asked.

"Y-Yeah, I was going to mention it earlier, but right now we need to get him back before anyone notices!"

"Uhh, I think you're a little too late for that." Peter pointed out as Amelia and Mr. Poland entered the kitchen.

"What!?"

"Oh phew, he's over here!" Amelia began as Mr. Poland rolled his eyes.

"You've got to be kidding me…" He mumbled as Leo started panicking.

"No no no, wait! I can explain!"

"Calm down, it's fine. You're not in trouble."

"But I swear! He just really wanted to-! Wait… huh?"

"You surprised? I told you I'd convince him." Amelia smiled.

"Tch. Look, I'm still not okay with it, but if you think it's going to help, then I suppose I'll allow it, but whatever happens to the cat, it's your responsibility, got it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good, now if you'll excuse me." Mr. Poland said before turning around.

Meow!

"Wait… I'm confused. What just happened?"

"Let's just say, I'm doing you a huge favor. It took me a while to convince him, but eventually, he just gave up and said you can visit as long as I don't let you out again. Speaking of which, what actually happened?"

"Uhhh… It's kind of a long story, but I pretty much snuck out, and he somehow found his way through the vents. Twice!" Leo explained as the cat climbed onto his back. "It's like he always wants to stay by my side.."

Meow!

"Awww! He thinks you're his mommy! That's so sweet!" Mira smiled as the others laughed...

"But I'm not even a girl though…" Leo thought out loud before staring at the cat.

Well in that case don't you think it'll be better off if he stays with you?"

"S-Seriously!? You mean it?"

"Of course! I'm sure Mr. Jordan won't mind! So, what do you say?"

"Uhh… I don't know. I mean, look what I did to this place. All of this… just because I couldn't control my anger."

"Yeah I know, but listen, you don't plan on staying like that forever, do you? And besides, I don't think he'll understand if you say no."

Meow!

"What about the others? Wouldn't they just try to scare him off?" Colten worried.

"Oh come on. You guys have known them for a while. I'm pretty sure you can handle telling them to stop." Amelia said.

"Well, in that case, I'll do it," Leo vowed.

"That's great! If you ever need anything, you know where to find me. Other than that, you guys take care!"

"Bye Ms. Amelia!" The pups waved as Amelia left the kitchen.

Meow!

"You hear that, little guy? You get to stay with us from now on! Isn't that amazing?"

Meooooow!

"I guess this means you now have a son! So, have you come up with a name for him?" Mira asked.

"Actually, I was going to ask you guys. What do you think?"

"Oooh! Why don't you call him Leo Jr. so it can be like one of those Barkingburg families?" Peter suggested.

"Hmm… I feel like that'll be too confusing. Got anything else?"

"How about Billy? I've heard Billy is a great name." Colten said.

"Hmm… That sounds familiar, but I don't think it'll suit him. What else?"

"You know like how they used to pick out names from those 'Rhino' magazines? We should try doing that instead." Mira proposed.

"Oh, that's a great idea! Are there any laying around?"

Meow!

"Huh? What was that, little guy? You're okay with Rhino?"

Meow!

"Well, okay then. I guess we can't really disagree if that's what you want."

Meow!

"Really? I'm taking credit for that!" Mira stated as Colten and Peter chuckled.

"Right, well, it's great to have you back, Mira. I promise I'll never push you guys away ever again. And as for you, little guy, I'm going to do my best to take care of you, alright?"

Meow!

"Heh Heh. I can definitely get used to that." Colten said.

"Yeah, me too! I just hope everyone else will be okay with it."

"We'll try to convince them somehow. Don't worry about it." Mira assured as Peter sighed.

"Maybe if I had realized it sooner, none of this would have ever happened. Maybe they were right… Maybe I am just an idiot…" Suddenly, the sound of someone running and crying could be heard from the hallways.

"P-Peter? Peter, where are you!?" Sarah cried before entering the kitchen."

"Huh? What's going on?"

"Peter…" She whispered before hugging him tightly. "I know you're still angry, but please come back! Things just aren't the same without you, and I'm sorry for everything I said, just please…!"

"You're… crushing… me…"

"Oh! S-Sorry…" She apologized as Joey entered the room.

Meow!

"You're here as well." Peter noticed as Joey rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah… At first, we were going to give you some time to calm down, but then we got a little worried that you might not want to talk to us ever again, so we wanted to say something before it was too late… If you don't mind."

"You guys…"

"Ever since we met, I've really enjoyed my time with you two, but knowing that I'm responsible for making you upset is really starting to hurt my chest," Joey admitted.

"I know we've said a lot of mean things to you, but that doesn't mean we actually meant it! You're our friend Peter, and no matter what we say, nothing is ever going to change that, so please… come back. We miss you." Sarah sniffled.

"Wow… I'm definitely not used to seeing you guys like this, and I really appreciate it, but I think I'm going to have to decline-"

"N-N-N-No! Please! I'm begging you-!"

"Wait, wait wait! It's not like that or anything. It's because… I just realized I've been doing the same thing to Rocky, and it feels sorta wrong having you guys apologize when in reality, I'm no different."

"Peter…" Joey whispered before lowering his head.

"I… I just wish he didn't have to call me out like that. I didn't mean to trick anybody, I just… I don't know…"

"Hey, you guys don't have to be sad. Why don't you think of this as an opportunity to change?" Mira suggested.

"Change? Is that even possible...?"

"Of course! Just be nicer from now on, and see how it goes. I know you can do it."

"Well, I don't want to be the bully anymore, so I guess I'll give it a shot." Peter agreed.

"Does this mean… you'll come back?" Sarah gasped.

"Yeah. Let's just put this whole thing aside for now and go back to hanging out."

"Oh, Peter!" She cried before hugging him again.

"Hey! T-Take it easy! I'm not a napkin, you know?"

"Don't worry, I promise we'll become better friends from now on," Joey assured while joining in.

"You're crying too!? Oh geez…" Peter sighed with a faint smile as Avery and the other pups peaked through the door.

"Oh, there you are, Peter! I was wondering where you ran off to." She began. "I take it you're all friends again?"

"Yeah. Everything's gonna be alright." He replied.

"That's awesome! Well, we just wanted to check and see if Leo is doing okay."

"M-Me? Oh, I'm fine. I'm... sorry you guys had to see me like that earlier." Leo said.

"Are you kidding? We should be the ones apologizing for making you do all those things." Another pup claimed.

"Ummm, actually, it wasn't…Uhh… N-Never mind."

"By the way, what's with the cat on your back?"

Meow!

"Oh yeah, I was pretty curious about it too. What's it doing over here?" Joey wondered.

"Oh right! I almost forgot. Everyone, I'd like you to meet Rhino. He isn't much, but he'll be staying with us from now on, so I hope you don't mind."

"Really? Is that even allowed?" Another pup asked.

"Well, Mr. Poland said it was okay. And besides, Rhino likes staying with me."

Meow!

"Well, that's odd. I thought he was all against us hanging out with the cats."

"He was, but Ms. Amelia was able to convince him into letting him stay. I really don't want to make her regret her decision, so can you guys bear with me? I really want this to work out."

"Heh heh, you don't have to ask me twice." Avery smiled.

"Yeah! I'm sure he's going to love it here! It'll take some time to get used to, but you'll figure it out." Sarah said as the others agreed.

"Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it."

"No worries! Just trying to help out."

"Hmm… That reminds me, Ms. Amelia said she was doing me a favor, so do you think she already knew everything?" Leo asked Colten.

"Probably…"

"Oh wait, there's something else I need to tell you guys."

"What is it?" Another pup asked.

"Well… if you haven't already noticed, I tend to lose control over myself, and over the past two years, Colten has been helping me out, but… you know."

"Umm, actually, we already knew that." Peter chuckled.

"Wait, what?" Leo, Mira, and Colten said in sync.

"Yeah, I thought everyone knew about it," Joey said as the others nodded their heads.

"Well, not exactly everything. We knew you were always fighting in the kennel, but I thought you were just doing it for fun or something." Avery followed.

"Yeah, me too. It looked pretty cool if you ask me."

"Wha... Am I the only one who didn't notice?" Mira wondered as the others turned to her.

"You didn't!?" They all gasped.

"But, you're with him almost every day. How would you not notice?" Peter asked.

"I don't know. I guess it never really caught my attention." She said.

"Uhh… I don't know how to respond to that..." Leo hesitated.

Meow!

"Hey, it's alright, dude. We still think you're pretty cool," Joey replied.

"Yeah, and it's also very nice of you to help him out, Colten! Way to go!" Sarah acknowledged.

"Heh heh, it was nothing! After all, that's what friends are for." He smiled.

"Geez... I really feel like I should have done something, but at the same time, that fight was way too intense. One mistake, and you'd probably tear off my limbs." Avery said.

"Oh come on, I wasn't being that violent, now was I?" Leo asked.

"Umm… you kind of were." Mira demurred.

"Oh...W-Well, I guess that's something I need to work on."

"Don't worry, dude, We've got your back, right guys?" Joey said.

"Right!" They all replied.

Meow!

"Wow…. I knew I never should have doubted you guys. Thank you all so much."

"You're welcome! I'm just glad that everything is back to normal. Now, as for Rocky, I don't know what I'm going to say to him. It feels sort of awkward having to apologize for everything I said about him." Peter mentioned.

"Well, if you think about it, he hasn't really done anything wrong. I mean, sure, he's said a lot of questionable things, but haven't we all?" Sarah added.

"Yeah! And let's not forget about the game yesterday. His plan was amazing!"

"Honestly, I didn't think it was going to work, but it was actually pretty fun! Don't you think?" Mira asked Colten.

"Well, it definitely caught me by surprise. Overall, he's not really much of a bad guy. In fact, if you look at it from a different perspective, we actually became the kind of bullies we said he was."

"Oh, you're right! Now I do feel kind of bad." Avery murmured.

"So, what do we do now?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know… I guess I'll try apologizing the next time I see him." Peter replied.

"Yeah, me too." Leo decided. "Deep down, I knew I was doing the wrong thing, but I always kept telling myself that it doesn't matter, because he deserved it, but even if he was that kind of guy, nobody deserves to be treated like this, so I have to apologize."

"Leo…" Mira whispered.

"Well, I'm glad we're all on the same page. Let's all wait in the lobby so we can apologize whenever he gets out." Peter suggested as Rocky passed through the hallways.

"Huh? I thought the kitchen was off-limits." He thought to himself before standing still.

"I don't think that's a good idea. If we try that, then he'll probably think we're up to no good." Colten argued.

Yeah. There's even a chance that he might not accept." Sarah added.

"Alright then, so what do you guys have in mind?"

"Hmm… We need to be cautious, so I suggest we go at separate times. That way, we're not putting any pressure when we see him." Colten replied.

"How do you think he'll react?" Another pup asked.

"I'm not sure, but no matter what happens, we need to stay calm and respect whatever decision he makes."

"Wait, are they talking about me…?" Rocky gasped before slightly peeking through the door.

"Still… don't you think that's a little under-doing it? I mean, we've been at him ever since we became a part of this shelter, so at the very least, we should do something special for him." Avery said.

"Yeah, I'm with Avery on this one. Why don't we throw him a party?" Peter agreed as Joey nodded his head.

"Look, I get where you guys are coming from, but there's really no need for that. We just need to let him know that we're sorry, then move on. Nothing more, nothing less." Colten countered.

"But where's the effort in that? I mean, yeah, sure, it worked out for me, but these are like two different scenarios. Who knows how things will turn out."

"Isn't that the more reason why we shouldn't do it? Come on, Leo, back me up!"

Meow!

"Uhhh… I don't know. I have a feeling you're right, but at the same time, I feel kind of bad..."Leo nervously mumbled.

"...Seriously?"

"No, guys, I think Colten is right. We need to be a little more confident in ourselves. We can't just assume everything is going to go well after we throw him a party. " Sarah commented.

"Well, we'll never know unless we give it a try!" Peter assured.

"Or, I can just ask him! I already know where he is, so it shouldn't take too long." Mira proposed.

"Nah, there's no need. I want it to be like some kind of surprise. That sort of thing."

"You really don't want this to work out, do you?" A different pup snickered.

"Hey, get off his case, man!" Joey barked as everyone began to argue at the same time. And without hesitation, Rocky quickly entered the room.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Guys, chill out! There's no need to argue over it!" He exclaimed as they all turned to him.

"Rocky? What are you doing over here?" Mira asked.

"Ermm... Well, I was actually coming to look for you, then I heard all of you guys talking, so… yeah…"

"Well, this is awkward." Avery sighed before Joey shook his head.

"Yeah, but it can't get any weirder than this."

"I-I just didn't want you guys to argue over me, so I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to hear anything…"

"So much for making it a surprise," Peter mumbled as Leo shook his head.

"No, this is fine! Now that you're here, I might as well get this off of my chest." He said before clearing his throat. "So… I know I've been giving you a hard time over these last two years, and I really wanna apologize for that. I know I shouldn't have started calling you names, and I'm really sorry, dude. I hope you can forgive me."

"Yeah, me too." Peter joined in. "We can still have a party if you want. We just want to make it up to you somehow."

"Aww… Well first, you can start by taking it easy. You don't have to do all of that to apologize. In fact, hearing you guys debating over it really tells me that you actually mean it." Rocky smiled.

"So… we're all good?" Avery asked.

"Yeah, we're cool. To be honest, I can't believe this is actually happening."

"Well, you better get used to it, because from now on, things are going to be different. I promise." Leo assured as Rhino climbed onto his head.

Meow!

"Is this the part where we all do a really big group hug?" Sarah wondered as her tail began wagging.

"...Sure, why not? Bring it in, you guys!" Colten announced as they all huddled together. Slowly, Rocky felt his body becoming warmer. The thought of everyone becoming nicer to him was more than enough to make him satisfied. A small tear came across his eye as Chase and Skye noticed him through the hallway. Once they had an idea of what was going on, they watched with a smile until Rocky noticed and extended his arm out for them to join. This marks the start of a new beginning as Skipper smiled in the background.

"I guess I should just leave this to them." He thought to himself.

(2:30 PM) In the hallways with Chase and Leo

The hallways were silent as the two waited for Katie's arrival. There, Leo sat with a nervous look as Chase waited patiently. He wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but whenever he tried, nothing wanted to come out. Eventually, Katie arrived with a small piece of paper in her hand.

"Alright, I'm gonna cut straight to the point: Mr. Jordan said I should handle this however I see fits, so for the next few weeks, you guys are going to be helping out with some chores." She said before handing the paper to Leo. "Here, I made a small list of things that need to be done, so hopefully you guys can learn how to manage."

"Hmm… Doesn't seem too bad, right Leo?" Chase asked as Leo tilted his head.

"... Clean the rooms, set up the activities… Wait a minute, don't I already do most of this stuff?"
"Yeah… I didn't want to give you too much work, because I have a feeling you've pretty much learned your lesson. Am I right?"

"Katie…" He whispered. "That doesn't seem right at all."

"Anyways, I'm expecting good results, so please don't make me regret this, alright?"

"Yes ma'am!" Chase responded as Leo nodded his head.

"You've got it."

"Great! That's all I have to say. You guys are free to go." She waved before they headed out.

"Umm… hey, Chase?" Leo called out as Chase turned around. "You don't have to worry about the chores. I'll handle them by myself."

"Are you kidding? We both got ourselves into this mess, so we're going to get out of it together."

"But I pretty much dragged you into this. It doesn't seem right."

"Look, I know it might seem a little odd, but trust me. I believe things are better off this way, so don't even bother trying to talk me out of it."

"I… Okay, I guess."

"That's the spirit! And if it makes you feel any better, try not to think of it as a punishment. Instead, think of it as if we were volunteering to help out. That way, it won't bother you as much."

"Wow… You're really different from most of us…"

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now come on! You've still gotta finish making your pizza." Chase smiled before heading into the kitchen.

"Oh right! I almost forgot about that. Hey, wait up!"

Season 2: Coming soon! (To Be Announced)