A new responsibility?

With how busy I was becoming these days, there was one thing I wanted to firmly maintain. Something I refused to let go. No matter what happened…

…Sundays would remain a day dedicated to resting, as God intended.

I needed to have my homework and other obligations done throughout the week so that I could actually rest at least one day a week. School, gym and work, combined with a social life to maintain… It was a lot.

Things were only just starting and I was already missing my days as a shut in. Kind of. Not really. I kind of missed playing video games all day, mostly. So that’s what I did that Sunday. Or planned to do, more like.

I had a liter of iced tea, 76 hours in an RPG I had yet to finish, and at least eight hours to myself to finally put an end to the demon lord. But before I could get an hour into my journey or even down half my first glass of iced tea, I heard many voices coming from the first floor. They were whispering loudly, defeating the purpose of whispering.

I recognized the voices easily. Isabelle and her friends, Alice and Noelle. Mom wasn’t home, but unlike Mila, Grace and Sarah, those two girls had been coming over for a long time by now, so mom gave them free pass to come over whenever they wanted.

But you see, that wasn’t a problem by itself. The girls went into Isabelle’s room hurriedly, and it had nothing to do with me. I was just going to continue playing my game and leave them to their business.

The issue arose when I went to the bathroom. I went out of my room and passed in front of Isabelle’s bedroom. The door was slightly opened, but I didn’t dare try to look inside. No reason to, and more trouble than it was worth. I entered the bathroom, relieved myself of the iced tea I’d been drinking so far and washed my hands. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Until I stepped outside and found a tiny kitten sitting outside, looking up at me. When I say tiny, I mean it. That cat could probably sit on my hands, if not a single hand. It was white except for the orange fur on its butt, tail, head and pointy ears. Large, golden, wide-open eyes stared up at me. It looked… skinny, too. Malnourished, more like.

“Where did you come from?” I asked it.

It answered in a single, high-pitched meow.

Then I suddenly heard a screech. Three screeches, actually, followed by the girls running out of my sister’s room.

“Where is she!?” Isabelle cried.

“One second she was there, and the other…!” Noelle stopped herself short when she saw me standing there in the hallway. She tensed up, but followed my eyes down and saw the kitten there.

“Oh thank God!” She rushed to it and picked it up, cuddling it against her… ample… AMPLE bosom.

Noelle Summers, the secretary of the Student Council. She had red, wavy hair that didn’t quite reach her shoulders and bright green eyes. She was short, shorter than me, even, standing close to 1.60 meters, but maybe less than that.

I was about to nod once and walk past, like I had done many times before. They were Isabelle’s friends, not mine. However, I couldn’t keep doing that. It was rude, I knew, but there was nothing else I could do before. But now I could at least exchange a few words. I think. I’d have to try.

“...Is that cat yours?” I asked Noelle, in a tone I tried to make casual but ended up a little too serious.

She flinched. “Eh? Ah, n-no, not really. You see…” Noelle grimaced and bit her lip, casting her eyes downwards.

“We found it abandoned close to her house,” Alice said, coming up to us. She took the kitten from Noelle’s hands and cuddled it against her also impressive chest. She smiled down at it and scratched it on the side of its neck. I thought I could hear it purr.

Hesitantly, Isabelle joined the conversation. “Noelle’s parents dislike animals in general, and Alice’s mom is allergic to cats, so we… brought it here. We were feeding it in my room.”

I raised an eyebrow, following that line of thought. An abandoned kitten neither Noelle or Alice could keep, brought to our house. I stared at Isabelle, waiting for what I was sure would come.

As expected, she clasped her hands together in front of her and pleaded. “Please, please! Help me convince mom to let us keep it!”

“Please, Oliver!” Noelle joined her, much to my surprise. “I’d keep it if I could, but my dad would go crazy if I asked. I’ll help with it, I promise.”

Even Alice was looking at me with pleading eyes.

I sighed. “Sorry, Isabelle. I can’t.” If I focused on talking to her, it’d be easier to refuse. “Not in good conscience. I’m more busy now than I’ve ever been. I can’t help you take care of a cat.”

“But you’ve always wanted a pet!” my sister said.

I winced. “I can’t, Isabelle. It’s too big a responsibility.”

The faces of the three girls fell. The kitten in Alice’s arms meowed again, making me look at it. It had a roundish face, and its large golden eyes kept looking at me, almost like… it was pleading, too.

I shook my head and walked past them, going back to my room and closing the door.

A cat was too much responsibility, and I always thought myself as more of a dog person, anyway. I had a job now, meaning I’d be coming back late some weekdays and be away almost all of Saturdays. Besides, if Isabelle hoped to continue her outings as she did with a kitten in the house, she’d be asking me to stay to look after it. I wasn’t willing to stay home taking care of a cat instead of going out with my girlfriends. Honestly, I felt bad for Alice and Noelle more than anything else, but I couldn’t take on even more responsibilities.

I couldn’t, even though I wanted to.

Dammit. That cat looked cute.

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