Strays by Jennifer Caloyeras Page A

didn’t make sense!
    I looked at Kevin. “Considering the fact that he almost bit my arm off, shouldn’t you be mad at him instead of feel sorry for him?”
    â€œBut I do feel sorry for him. He’s been through a lot. Remember, he was abused. Beaten repeatedly. When you brought your hand down, did you bring it over his head where he could see it? Or over his back?”
    I tried to remember. “Over his back, I guess.”
    â€œThat was probably it,” said Kevin.
    â€œSo it was my fault?”
    â€œI’m not placing blame,” said Kevin. “I just want you to start viewing things the way Roman sees them. When he saw a hand coming out of nowhere, from his own life experience, it was a signal that he was about to get beaten up. The hand wasn’t a part of you. Do you understand?”
    Nothing made sense anymore. Trying to understand this dog was a waste of time. “I guess.”
    â€œSo you know what you have to do next time?”
    Next time! Did he seriously believe there was going to be a next time?
    â€œCan’t I have a new dog?” I asked.
    â€œRoman needs you,” said Kevin.
    â€œCan’t I switch with someone else?”
    â€œRoman needs you .”
    â€œWhy do you keep saying that?” I asked.
    â€œIt’s no coincidence you two are paired up together. I think you have a lot more in common than you realize,” said Kevin. Then he left to help the rest of the group with their dogs.
    The waters were rising , churning in my stomach like rough ocean waves. Why were this dog’s needs more important than my own?
    *
    â€œThat was heavy,” said Talbot, once the other dogs had been collected and we were officially dismissed.
    â€œI’m over it,” I announced.
    â€œOver what?” Talbot asked.
    â€œThat dog.”
    â€œHe’s so cute!” said Talbot.
    â€œYou think everyone is cute,” I said.
    â€œYou should see me with guys.”
    We laughed.
    â€œSo, you coming to my place tonight?” asked Talbot.
    â€œYup. Can I bike there?”
    â€œYou better take the bus. It’s up a steep hill at the top of Bay.”
    â€œWhat time?”
    â€œSeven. And don’t be late. My parents are nuts about dinner starting on time. Speaking of which, there’s my dad. See ya!” She ran off and hopped into her dad’s car.
    Tonight, I would be having a real family dinner.
    As I was unlocking my bike, Oak approached me. “I think I would have been scared, too,” he said.
    â€œOf what?” I pretended not to know what he was talking about.
    â€œActually, all things considered, you stayed pretty calm. A lot calmer than I would have been.”
    â€œI don’t really like dogs,” I said.
    He loosened the hood around his face, exposing his chin. “The queen of the animal kingdom doesn’t like dogs? How’s that for ironic?”
    I never would have expected the word ironic to come out of Oak’s mouth. He was the school bad boy—not that I thought he’d be speaking in grunts or anything.
    â€œYou wanna go to Pergolesi and grab a coffee?” he asked, straight out of left field.
    He knew about my passion for bio and my love affair with coffee? This guy was observant.
    â€œI do, but I can’t,” I said. “I have homework. Summer school. And then I have dinner plans. Rain check?”
    â€œSure.”
    I nodded and Oak waved and got into his truck—an old, faded, cherry-red Chevrolet.
    On my bike ride home I wondered if Oak was just being nice to me because a three-legged professional killer almost attacked me—or if maybe, just maybe, he kinda liked me? I couldn’t decode Kevin’s message about Roman and me—how we apparently had a lot in common. Besides both being mammals, I couldn’t think of one thing. Roman had fear-based aggression. What was I afraid of? I guess I didn’t love speaking my mind, but I still got