Chapter One-Hundred and Thirty-One

John clipped the leash to Chance's collar, walking with the pit bull and Claire to school. It'd been weeks since he'd had a nice walk, and he loved to take the opportunity to relax this way. He breathed the scent of the ocean breeze, closing his eyes behind the sunglasses he always wore to farther enjoy the walk.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Claire asked, leaning on his shoulder as they walked.

He chuckled, patting Chance on her head as she growled at a dog across the street in his yard. "Just happy." He smiled, kissing Claire's nose.

Claire looked up at him, able to see that his stress was slowly fading with every day he spent with his new pet. "I'm glad."

John stopped mid-step, his muscles going rigid as his eyes landed on something a few hundred yards off. His breath changed, and Claire knew that he'd seen something that wasn't right.

"What's wrong?" She asked, dropping his hand as he became protective of her.

He walked forward slightly, keeping Claire behind him as he tried to get a better look of what he'd seen. "Thought I saw something in the bushes…" He stated, taking her hand again as they continued on their path to school. He pulled her hand close to his side, letting her slip her fingers under his shirt to touch the skin of his side. Her fingers fanned over his ribs, the feeling of her skin on his grounding him as she traced the smaller scars on his body. He blew a long breath through his nose, feeling Chance's shoulder on his leg as she did her best to help his anxiety in her wonderful fur-baby way. "It was probably nothing."

Claire nodded, giggling when Chance paused in the middle of the sidewalk to growl at a squirrel. "Chancie, it's not a threat." She stated, patting the dog's hips as John pulled the leash slightly. "I'm glad that Mr. Anderson lets her come to school."

John smirked, letting the pet lick his hand as he pulled a treat from his pocket to give her. "I think everyone's gonna be happy that I'm bringing her. Dogs make the whole day better."

"And you make it even better." She smiled, kissing his neck.

Mrs. Hernandez huffed as John walked into her class room, seeing a muscular pit-bull at his hip. "No dogs in this class." She snapped, as John made his way to his desk.

John rolled his eyes, scratching Chance behind her half-chewed ear. "I have a note from Mr. Anderson. If you would like to take it up with him, be my guest, but I know damn well that Chancie can be in here with me as long as I make sure she obeys my commands." He took his seat, giving a short whistle to get Chance's attention and using a clicker to reward her for obeying the command to heel to his side. "She's training to be a service dog for me, so I suggest you learn to get used to her being here."

"Pit bulls are vicious dogs. They should never be allowed in schools." She stated, getting a small reaction from the other students in the class.

John rolled his eyes, feeding a treat to Chance as she laid down on his jacket to relax for the class. "Aggression is a learned trait, not one that is bred into a dog. A dog, no matter its bread, will always have a want to please its master. Humans are the vicious ones. Humans, don't give a shit about what or who gets hurt. As long as they get their money, or satisfaction, they're happy. My dog, will be happy just to be beside me. So, I ask you, who is the vicious one?"

Dominic snorted a laugh, able to see the shock on Mrs. Hernandez's face. "She's a sweet pup. Just give her a shot."

John leaned down and pulled a bone from his backpack, letting Chance take it to chew on so she didn't get bored and start chewing on his coat. "Not that that's your specialty."

She glared at him, sighing in defeat as she began the lesion.