Me and George.

We've been best friend, since God knows when. It all started when Mom met his mom at the park one day, and they just sort of clicked. Like me and George.

There were days we used to run around together at the park, laughing like a bunch of hyenas. Sometimes he would climb trees and I could only scramble at the bottom. Or we would swim in the pond and got chewed out by his mom together too. His mom always took the role of disciplining me since Mom never got around to do that.

Then there were nights we would just share a bed together after a long exhausting day, so long his mom didnt catch the two of us squirming in that one tiny space. I still remember the thrill of hiding beneath his bed whenever we heard the stairs creaking, indicating that his mom would be checking on us within seconds. The rushing about without a sound. We werent always successful, of course. Every now and then, his mom made me go home alone. I didnt hate her or anything. She's a nice lady, an excellent cook, I wont irk her on purpose, not when she produced the best steak around the neighbourhood.

That never stopped us from making her the "monster" or "villian" during our role-playing though. And her character always turned out to be worse after a forced bath. The way she handled us was just mean! But it's all George's fault I got dragged in each time. He would scream something like "I'm not going in quietly unless Cola comes too!" and his mom would then look at me with pinched lips, and hauled me in, telling me if I was to play with her son, I better be spick and span too. So the two of us would be jostling about in the bathtub, creating such a chaos its a wonder his mom survived it all. But she's a great lady alright. After a shower was always a plate of wonderful Chocolate Chip Cookie, which I sometimes only get crumbs, thanks to the greedy tyke named George. And I'm the one who gets chided for rude table manners for licking the leftovers off the plate. Sad!

Yes, those crazy days when we were younger. Then we matured a bit, and opted for quieter activities like strolling at the park where our moms met. Sometimes we would still go for a run, whenever George's game, since he's the one who's getting more and more half-hearted about our friendship. On weekends things were better, we sometimes played frisbee. But I suspected George had ulterior motives, since the game only started if and only if there's a bunch of squealing girls around. Not that I minded their presence, I just did not enjoy how George's eyes strayed to them so frequently. And he's always using me to attract them too. You would think he would be jealous that they're fawning all over me, not a feat for me since I'm always a charmer when I please. But as soon as the gals were surrounding me, he would approach and talk to the "sweet ladies".

And of late, he spent less time at home than ever and he no longer allowed me to tag along whenever he was out. We shared so little quality time that even his mom came about reassuring me that he would have to return eventually, of course I had to be the one looking for him, since he never visited me anymore. I wonder if his mom thought I was rather pathetic and desperate, but I really treasured our friendship above everything else. I wanted to be around, even just to say "hey, you're home!" when he came in to show him that no matter what happened there's still me, his ever smiling buddy. But more often than not, he would ignore my welcome and just stalk into his room. Whenever I was feeling more hyper, I would follow him in, and bug him while he sat his lazy a** in front of the computer. He would then lose his patience and snapped at me curtly. So I would still end up returning home, rejected and forlorn.

And recently, he's bringing a girl home a lot. Some clumsy thing called Apple, who hates me, the feeling was mutual. Not only she pushed the blame to me whenever she broke another of his mom's vase, she would also cuddle up tightly to George whenever I'm around. And she even went as far as to tell George, in my face, that she didn't like me. And George just unceremoniously shooed me away so they could be on their own. What sort of treatment is this, to a buddy who's been with you for years? I wanted to be angry at him, but each time I saw him sad, I want to try to cheer him up. And when I see him happy, we would sort of revert back to our friendly ways in the past, inducing me forgive him for everything he wronged me. I just wanted to go back to the good old times, when we really did everything together. All that laughter in the sun, and 'tears' in the tub. Sticking our heads out of the car to feel the wind, chasing rabbits down their holes, licking our chops while waiting for the hot dinners his mom prepared, refusing the vegetables in our plates, being scolded for any crazy ideas we cooked up and took action... Those days... Sigh...

Apple is going home again, after hours in George's room making lots of weird sounds. I look up at the room hopefully, trying to see if George wants to chill together. But the door is shut, a big fat NO. I sigh and look out of the window instead. Apple is walking back and I watch her sashay down the street, envious of her possession over my best buddy. If only she would just disappear. I hate her so much. George had never neglected me for weeks no matter how busy he was previously. Since her presence in our lives, it seem that his entire life revolves only around her. When she's around, George is all smiles. When she's not, he's down in the blues. And I'm not even allowed to show my disliking of her. Any sign of unfriendliness from me would get George to frown at me, which upsets me terribly of course.

Even deep in my thoughts, something catches my ears. A very faint sound that stirs an unease in me.

I begin to run out to the streets, streaking as fast as my legs allow. If I dont rush, there might not be enough time. Apple is still taking her time on the road. I call out in the distance to her, and she's taken back by surprise and hasten her pace. But the distance she needs to cover is still a long way, there is a faint chance she could make it in time. I want her to be gone, yes. But I know George loves this creature a lot, and her actual disappearance in his life would not necessarily turn out to be good. There is only one choice left of me. I stand in the middle of the road, and yell at the speeding driver to slow down. He hears me and tries to brake. The truck reduces the speed, but its not enough. I see it approaching like a flying bird, unstoppable. My heart is racing, feeling like there's a trapped rat in that small space. I cant feel myself breathing although I'm panting heavily. The air seems to be scarce all of a sudden, and the road was trembling slightly... It is so easy to just walk away and ignore everything. I make myself imagine the smile on George's face whenever Apple walks into the room, and that helps calm me down a bit. I hold on strong, knowing that while there's a possibility that girl could avoid the accident, but this is not a chance I could take...

Then, I hear a thud and the world is black.

Just as I fall into the comfortable darkness, I hear a distant wail. It's George. He's calling me! My heart soars with joy, he still remembers me! I am very much contented, and struggle to smile at George, but I... I am... so...

"COLA! What happened?! NO! SOMEONE HELP ME!! APPLE! APPLE! WHAT HAPPENED HERE?! COLA, OPEN YOUR EYES NOW! DONT YOU DARE LEAVE ME!"

Sorry George, but a dog that no longer can hold his best friend's heart, is better off dead.