Chapter One

ALL THE THINGS I'VE YET TO DO (1): ADOPT A RESCUE PET

I once saw a post with a video that had seemed completely normal without the sound on. Once you clicked on it however, it began to play the sound of one of the iPhone alarms. You know exactly which one I’m referring to. The speed at which I closed the video was unmatched. What was it about that sound that just made you want to die as soon as you heard it?

These are my thoughts as I roll to the other side of my double bed and reach for my phone. Eyes still half shut, I struggle to touch the correct part of the screen to silence the blaring alarm. When I finally get the blasted thing to turn off, I snuggle my face further into my pillow. After what had to only have been seconds, the sound starts up again. I groan loudly, realizing that I had only put in on snooze.

After rubbing my eyes with the back of my hands, I do a dramatic stretch, causing my bum to clench and my legs to shake. Satisfied, I peer at my clock through my dark lashes. How is it already noon, when I feel like I only slept for a grand total of five minutes?

Flinging off my covers so hard that they fall to the ground on the opposite side of my bed, I once again drag my caramel coloured hands down my face. Time to start the day.

Before I could fully get the thought out, I’m interrupted by my phone lighting up. I skim over the message from Ariel, and suddenly my eyes go wide.

How could I forget? Today is the day! I quickly type a reply, throwing off my bonnet. I rush through my morning routine, finishing it off by getting dressed and tying up my hair. By the time I finish my last spoon of cereal, I get another text.

Grabbing a denim jacket and a pair of black shoes, I rush out the door and lock it behind me.

“Best friend!” I squeal, throwing open the passenger door to Ariel’s car.

She chuckles and pulls me in for a hug. “Hey, you.”

As I buckle up my seatbelt, I hear an annoyed huff behind me. “Best friend!” the voice mocks in an overly pitchy voice.

I turn around and smile at the pouting boy. “You’re just mad because you didn’t get the same energy.”

“No,” he rolls his hazel eyes, “I’m mad because Ari made me move to the back.”

“Sisters over misters ‘till the end!” Ariel shouts, fist-pumping for extra emphasis.

Adrian’s jaw drops. “I literally shared a womb with you!”

I begin to laugh wholeheartedly at the interaction between the twins. “At least now you see where her loyalty lies.”

He replies by turning up the music to a near deafening volume. Ariel yells at him, flicking her sunglasses up and shooting him death stares. Adrian replies by throwing up his middle finger, to which she ignores and puts the car in drive.

“So where is this place?” she asks, turning to me with the same beautiful brown-green eyes as her brother.

I show her the directions and she nods, finally pulling out of my driveway.

The ride is around fifteen minutes, and of course, the two argued an average of two times per minute. I grew used to it after the first time we hung out when we were in middle school. Now, I’m able to ignore them without feeling the urge to rip my own head off.

We arrive at a rundown looking blue building. I smile with myself and hop out of the car. The three of us follow the path up to the door, a bell chiming as we step inside. Immediately, the sounds of various animals fill my ears. I approach the front counter and am greeted by a girl either my age, or a bit younger.

“Hey, there!” she chirps. Her blond hair is pulled into a high ponytail and she wears a blue shirt, around the same shade as the building’s exterior. “What can I help you guys with?”

I open my mouth to answer, but Adrian beats me to it.

“My friend here is looking to rescue a cat,” he says, and I roll my eyes at the stress he put on the word “friend”.

“Oh! That’s great!” she beams, coming around the counter to where we are. “Follow me.”

I wait for her to begin leading the way, before linking my arm with Ariel and skipping behind her.

“So, have you ever rescued before? Or have you had a cat?” the girl questions, showing us through a door that leads to a large room full of cages.

I nod, ready for her to stop talking and move out of my way so that I can lay my eyes on the precious little puff balls. “My family rescued a dog and cat from here when I was younger.”

The bell at the front door chimes once again, and she finally steps to the side. “Take a look around, I’ll be right back. I’m Steph, by the way.”

With that, she rushes past us with long strides, Adrian’s eyes on her ass the entire way. I take that moment to approach the meow closest to me, catching the sight of Ariel smacking his head from the corner of my eye.

“Hi there,” I coo, crouching to get closer to the older looking tabby cat. He appears to be blind in one eye, but he gazes into mine, nonetheless.

Do you believe in love at first sight? I didn’t, but believe me when I say that in this instant, my mind has changed. The cat slowly approaches me, sticking his pink nose through the bar to smell my index finger. He lets out a short, “Mew,” and attempts to nudge his head closer to me.

“That’s Mango,” says the girl, appearing behind me. “He’s a grandpa now, and most people come in looking for kittens, so he’s been here a while.”

I stick out my bottom lip and grab Ariel’s arm, pulling her down to my level. “His name is Mango!” I repeat.

“He’s completely blind in his left eye, and to be honest, he probably doesn’t have much time left,” Steph continues.

The words echo around in my head. Not even a second later, I shoot up. “He’s perfect.”

“Really, Maya? You don’t even want to look at the others first?” asks Adrian.

I shake my head rapidly and almost cry when Steph unlocks the cage and places Mango in my arms. His soft paws rest on my chest as he once again just stares into my eyes. Scratching the spot between his jaw and ear, I am unable to take my eyes off of him. He begins to purr quietly as he nestles his little head into my hand.

“You two look like you’re meant to be,” says a low voice behind me. I didn’t even notice that someone else was here.

Good job, Amaya, standing in the middle of the place about to cry over an old cat, great first impression.

Well, to be fair, I’m pretty sure that this cat is my soul mate.

I turn around to see the owner of the smooth voice and am not disappointed by what I find.

The boy is a bit taller than average, while his slim fitting hoodie accentuates his broad shoulders. He flashes me a grin, and I blurt out, “You don’t look like a cat person.”

While it is true, I’m not entirely sure as to why I said that. His thick eyebrows furrow in a cute way before he replies, “I’m not. I’m looking for a kitten for my little sister.”

“You know,” I say, smiling down at Mango, “you should go for an older one. They are extremely underrated.”

“An older one, huh?”

I nod and look up to meet his stormy grey eyes.

“Well, I’m 20, how old are you?”

Adrian snorts loudly behind me. “Was that the best you could do? A line like that won’t work on Maya the Man Eater.”

“Adrian! Shut up!” I yell, my face heating up in embarrassment.

The boy chuckles deeply, a sound that warms my ears. I quickly begin to think of places that I saw on our way here that could be a good spot to dump Adrian’s body later. Clearly Ariel would be fine with helping, as she was already spewing countless threats in his direction.

Steph interrupts their arguing by asking me, “So, you’re sure about taking this little guy off our hands?”

“Is that even a question?” I reply.

She laughs lightly, and gestures towards the cat who had at some point fallen asleep in my arms. “Looks like he likes you too. I’ll go grab the paperwork and the carrying cage.”

A few moments later, she returns and takes Mango so that I can sign the necessary forms. Soon, we are ready to go. “Good luck finding a cat!” I holler to the boy from earlier, who was now holding up a kitten to his face.

Maybe he does look like a cat person.

“Hey, you never did tell me how old you are,” he smirks, holding the black cat in one hand and running a hand through his matching coloured hair.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” I reply slyly, running out the door before he could respond.

I definitely don’t need another guy in my life right now, I already have three of them. Speaking of which…

“Weren’t you supposed to pick up Eli and Justin before you came to get me?” I ask Ariel when we settle into the car.

“They went to some party back in Mayley last night and ended up staying the night,” she answers.

Mayley is the small town where we all go to university. We met Elijah and Justin at the beginning of the school year, and found out that they live pretty close to us. It’s crazy that we’ve never met before, but apparently they knew Adrian from playing basketball with him at the community center. Throughout the year, we had all become pretty good friends, and since they lived so close, I had decided to involve them in my little summer experience list.

Last week, I came up with a list of fifteen things that I need to do before the end of summer. Why specifically before the end of summer? Well, because August 31st is my birthday, and after that, everything will be different.

“Hey Maya,” Adrian says as we stop in front of my house. “Did you even tell your parents you were getting a cat?”

“Oh yeah…”