Cy rang the doorbell, with Jared solemnly waiting behind him, trying his hardest not to be seen by anyone else. He wasn't sure which made him more uneasy: the idea of Cy trying something with Cassie while he was forced to watch, or the idea of Cy going through on his threat of having him “fixed”. After about 20 seconds of waiting the door opened.
Instead of it being Cassie or either of her parents, it was her ten-year-old brother, Alex, who was stood in the doorway. Alex was an interesting individual, as he was renowned all over town as some sort of “wonder-kid”, having already entered middle school after skipping three grades due to his high intellect. Jared had never met him in person, but from what Cassie had to say about him, it was clear she cared about him as his older sibling. Alex looked up at Cy, confused.
“Um… Hi? Can I help you?” Cy grimaced, obviously annoyed by the overwhelming lack of Cassie’s presence. “Yeah. Your sister home?” Alex shrugged. “She went out with my mom. My dad’s here, if that’s okay.” Cy shook his head, frowning. “No. Did… Did she say what time she would be home?” “No. They left, like, two minutes ago. Why?”
“Look, kid. Just… Tell your sister that Cy-” Alex’s face suddenly went from neutral to visibly bitter. “Wait, you’re Cy? Cy Whalen? From Cassie’s school?” Cy smirked, expecting something positive from the way Alex knew his name. “Yeah, Cassie tell you about me?”
“Enough, yeah for me to know I don’t like you.” Jared, still hiding behind Cy to avoid detection, felt a chill go down his spine. He had never heard anyone younger that his age talk to Cy in that way. He was sure Alex was a smart kid in his own way, but saying something like that to ‘Whaling Whalen’, the meanest kid Jared and half his classmates had ever met? It seemed pretty stupid.
Cy’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say, you little punk?” Alex folded his arms and adjusted his shirt, unphased. “I said I know enough about you from Cassie to know I don’t like you. She says you’re a real jerk, and I can tell why just from this brief encounter of ours.” Jared wasn’t sure if he wanted to cheer for joy or try and get in between Cy and Alex. On the one hand, he was happy that Cassie thought so little of Cy. But on the other hand, Alex was dangerously close to losing all of his baby teeth, if he had any left. Cy had been known to do much worse to younger kids than Alex over less than calling him a “jerk”.
Cy raised his hand, as if to form a fist, but Alex stood his ground, smiling. “Go ahead. Do it. It might hurt, yeah. But if my dad or mom or CASSIE find out you hit me?” Cy froze, and reluctantly put down his arm. Jared was impressed. It was one thing to stand up to Cy, and a very easy thing to outsmart him. But to stand up to him AND to outsmart him in a way that didn’t result in your head being dunked into a toilet the next day, or the day after that? Jared was starting to see why Alex was viewed as a “wonder kid.”
Cy grumbled, and turned around. As he began to leave, Alex saw Jared before he had a chance to hide again, as he was too stunned from the encounter that had just taken place before him to think straight. Alex’s eyes widened as he looked at what he thought was a normal sheepdog. “Oh, my gosh!” Before Jared could do anything, Alex had his arms wrapped around him. “Are you okay, boy? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Jared, too confused for words, didn't move or say anything. Cy pulled on the leash, and Jared broke from Alex’s grip. “Come on, BOY, let’s go.”
Jared began to unwillingly follow Cy, when suddenly Alex spoke up. “Wait. Stop. Does that dog belong to you?”
Cy stood in place, his face turned away from Alex. “Um… Yeah. He does.” Alex folded his arms, unconvinced. “Tell me that while looking at me.” Cy, unable to do anything against what Alex wanted without Cassie forever hating him (more than she already did) complied, and said the same thing while looking Alex in the eyes. Alex shook his head. “No. You’re lying. Your face gives it away. Now, I don’t know who’s dog this is, or if you found him, but I can tell he’s not yours.” Cy gritted his teeth ad Jared watched, awestruck. It felt good to watch Cy get a taste of his own medicine for once, and from someone who hadn’t even hit puberty yet, no less!
“What’s it to you?”, Cy asked. Alex frowned, a serious expression crossing his face. “I want you to give me him. I’ll look after him, and return him to the people who own him. And if he’s a stray, then I’ll give him a home here. I don’t want someone like you doing who knows what to a defenseless dog like that.”
Jared felt very conflicted about this turn of events. He sure didn't want to be stuck with Cy, but who knew what Alex would do with him? He might be able to relay to Alex that he was a human boy in a dog's body, but who knew what Alex would do with him? He might even... be able to get close with Cassie... BUT WHO KNEW WHAT ALEX WOULD DO WITH HIM?