MARLEYBilly's Burgers is the most popular fast food diner in all of Redwoods.It's safe to say that every popular click comes here to eat after school, including Luca and his posse. And wherever Luca goes, I go. Not because I stalk him, but because he has great taste in food. Lilith sits across from me as she patiently taps her forefinger against the table. Although it's routine for us to race here before the after school traffic can beat us, to wait for Luca and his friends to arrive, Lilith is always grumpy until we order. And me, not being Luca's stalker, always forces us to wait to order until he arrives so that I can stand behind him and pretend I'm a part of his group.Lilith likes to call me insane. I prefer the term strategic.The front bell goes off and I glance over my shoulder, biting my lip when I see him walk in with his football playing friends behind him. I swear his contagious smile brightens the room. His blonde curly hair shines in the sun's light, and I swear

Thunder sounds loudly from outside. Peering outside of my bedroom window, I take in the dark clouds in the sky. Another deafening boom and then a stream of blue lightning strikes down, creating an eerie glow on the woods outside the house.I love this kind of weather. It gives the trees a haunting aesthetic and I love nothing more but to sit at my window with a good book.Lightning streaks across the clouds once more and I spot a shadowed figure at the edge of the tree line. Squinting my eyes, I peer down at it, and make out the black dog with blue eyes that seem to glow in the darkness.What is a dog doing out there? Could it be a stray looking for shelter from the poor weather? Grabbing my coat, I quickly run downstairs."There's a dog outside!" I exclaim to my mother from where she sits on the couch. "Can I bring it inside?"The skeptical look has me speaking once more before she can answer, "Just until the storm passes, please!" She sighs and brings a hot cup of tea to her lips