𝙲𝙰𝙺𝙴 (𝙰 𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙱𝚡𝙱 𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕) 🍰

① 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙷𝚄𝚂𝙺𝚈

► 𝙰𝙲𝚃 𝙸: 𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂 ◄

~~~

Charlie

AUGUST

Tears streamed down my face as the open road ahead of me seemed to move underneath the wheels of my car. I left in such a hurry that I forgot where I was headed for a second. My paws clenched the steering wheel as I watched the sun rise over the landscape of neverending trees and greenery, and a barren road that led to my impending destination.

Am I really doing this?

Did I really run away from home?

Shut up, Charlie, you've been planning this for months. You can't turn back now. You left Dad a note. I'm sure he'll understand.

But he won't.

You know he won't.

That's why you ran away in the first place.

What have you got to lose anyway? You're headed to one of the best colleges in the state of Cloverland. They read your admission essay. They accepted you. Why are you crying?

Dylan and Jonathan will be there waiting for me. My "best" friends from high school. Back in June, Dylan suggested I hitch a ride with them, but I have my own car. It was graduation day when he asked me. None of my family members attended. Sorry, let me rephrase that, my only family member didn't attend.

I'm in the same dorm as Dill and Jonathan. Well, not really, I share a dorm with an animal I've never met before. They live in the same building, is what I meant.

They were thrilled to find out they got into CIVA. It's the best college in the state. Didn't I say that already? I didn't know where I wanted to go, but before I knew it, Senior year came and we had to pick someplace. So, they encouraged me to join them in applying for the Cloverland Institute of Visual Arts. I was hesitant at first, but I had no other options. Either CIVA or home.

Actually, Dad didn't expect me to leave.

He wanted me to stay home and help him with his career. He's an architect. He's a very rich and famed public figure. On the outside, that is.

I'm actually really excited. My obsession with this college grew each month that passed during the summer. I even made a wish on my birthday. I never make wishes. I never get presents, anyway. I don't even get parties.

When I got accepted, I was overjoyed.

Okay, I should probably stop bullshitting myself right now.

I don't exactly have an obsession with this college and I'm not that excited.

To be honest, I just really needed to get out of that town.

I really needed to get away from my dad.

My name is Charlie Cooperton. I'm a six-foot, white, Siberian Husky. Well, really I'm a crossbreed between a Siberian Husky and an American Eskimo dog. I know, the name sounds insane, but it was my mother's breed. Since it's a weird name and she's not really in the picture anymore, I just call myself a Siberian Husky; but my fur is fluffy and white as snow. That's the only trait I picked up from my mom. I'm not too skinny, but very tall; six-foot, like I said.

That's the main reason why I'm such a girl magnet.

I really hate that I just said that.

Don't worry, I'm not the cliché bad-mouthed jock type-of-animal. Not really. I'm just tall.

A few hours later, I finally arrived. I pulled into a small but lively urban neighborhood. Every house was basically a brownstone and there was a whole new community park every few miles. I drove into campus.

Big, red letters on the side of a massive building read 'CLOVERLAND INSTITUTE OF VISUAL ARTS'. Sheesh, they sure do know how to advertise.

I pulled into a parking space close to campus central and took a look around before unpacking my car.

The moment I stepped out of the Mini Cooper, the warm and freeing air of summertime hit me, brushing through the many bristles of my fur. It was very populated, animals were everywhere, living their lives. I saw a group of friends playing with a frisbee, others coming in and out of buildings, some adults dressed in business suits with clipboards speaking to other adults who were having problems... I don't know what to say other than just picture a normal college campus and this is it.

I opened the trunk of my car and pulled out my suitcase and backpack. I only had one of each. I don't have a lot of possessions other than my clothes. I grabbed my camera bag and slung it around my shoulder. My main hobby is taking photos. Film and Photography is my major this semester. It's a visual arts institution, so there are all sorts of creative classes here. I hope I can direct a film one day.

I walked down a concrete pathway surrounded by likely fake grass to meet up with my friends.

And there they were, Dylan Harrison and Jonathan Greenwood, sitting on a bench, searching for my presence.

Dill is a bit of an asshole. He's a tall hyena with somewhat of a set of muscles. He's actually really annoying, but not in a little-brother kind of way, no, more like a cliche bad-mouthed jock type-of-animal. Of course, he's wearing his Letterman football jersey from high school.

"There he is!" Dylan called, grabbing my hand and pulling me into a bro hug.

"Finally, he arrives!" Jonathan mocked.

Jonathan is definitely calmer than Dylan. He's a well-mannered lion with a tough exterior, but a sympathetic interior. We're all about the same height. That's probably why we're all friends. I don't know why I keep making jokes about height.

Jonathan has been my best friend since middle school. We have a deeper bond than most would expect but we don't like to admit it.

"I seriously don't understand why you didn't just cruise with us? We could've sung along to High School Musical, gotten high, cried, you know, the usual." Dill joked.

"I'd rather not live in a tortilla-chip-scented minivan for a whole day," I replied.

"Fuck you, dude." Dill chuckled, punching my shoulder.

"I guess we shouldn't keep you waiting any longer. Wanna check out the apartment?" Jonathan suggested.

"Yes, please. Let's go." I said, enthusiastically.

Jonathan and Dill turned and lead the way.

As we walked through campus, I got a better view of the life inside of CIVA. I saw some couples, some animals playing games, some eating lunch, some carrying books and papers, and some tugging luggage to move in, just like me.

And that was when I saw him.

The blue cat with pink stripes.

He was sitting, his back leaning against a tree, headphones over his ears, drawing on a tablet.

I don't know what intrigued me so much about him; he was like, twelve feet away from us; but, oddly, I wanted to take a photo of him. Animals like him, living their normal lives, interest me so much. That's why they're mainly the focus of most of my work. I always say that normal people are the most colorful subjects for photographs. You can ask the most questions. What could he be drawing? Listening to? Thinking about?

He was picture perfect.

I wonder who he is?