Friday the thirteen

Friday. The thirteen.

One foot out the door, and there she stood.

Her feline black paws leaving little traces of dirt.

Perfect.

I crouched down.

A bad sign? Really?

I roughly patted her head, and it yearned to hide in my backpack.

Alright, it’s time for that afternoon shift!

She just leaped right in.

Her small claws clung to the zip.

A free ride around the city, I guess.

Those little ears wavered silently in the wind.

I mean, I would be already half a mile away from this creature, but it was what helped my patients.

People bustled in through the doors.

Talking non-stop about their lives, which mostly included...

crazy ex-boyfriends, confusion about what the future had in store for them, and worst of all, couples wanting a divorce.

They just never stopped fighting. Even being a psychologist, nothing I said, would change their minds.

And here’s the truth, if I were you, this grumpy man you see over here, would never sit here for another two hours after the end of his shift.

But that was until...

Those legs folded over one another, right on the table.

A typical teenager.

She had those Gen-z vibes, and SASS.

Man, wasn't this day going to get any weirder?

Her arms crossed, and that lollipop somehow managed to survive, as she talked... something about school life.

I honestly never felt pity for an object in my whole entire life.

That lollipop really deserves to be eaten by another teenager.

"Hey doc, how can you manage homework stress?"

"Just do the homework!"

"What if you're too lazy to do it though..."

I slammed my head against the desk.

Children these days... they've somehow got their own dream worlds to live in.

"Hear me out first doc! I'm just like any typical 17-year-old girl who is struggling with homework... what's got you so mad?"

I frowned.

Time to pet the cat... time to calm down.

I grabbed the cat out of the bag.

But she.

"Oh! A cat? Let me just carry it..."

She snatched it out of my hands.

Keep it cool. Play it cool.

"Thanks doc! Having a cat is a much better solution!"

The cat's paws curled around her fingers.

Hey! Did you forget about me?!

But isn't she supposed to snarl?

The girl laughed, as the cat swirled around her shoulder.

Its eyes focused on that lollipop

Apparently, this cat has decided to ditch me just for that piece of candy.

Don't you know candy is bad for your health?

***

Midnight...

Come out little kitty.

I scrambled around the office the next day.

She was supposed to be near that coffee machine... reminding me to drink coffee because it's coffee drinking time right now!

And apparently... a notification came on my phone.

'New couple needs advice because the wife wants a divorce.'

NOT AGAIN!

NOT NOW, WHEN THAT CAT IS MISSING!

I barged through every door.

How curious is this little cat?

Wait, actually... how bored is this cat?

And you pretty much have already guessed where it was.

That girl was literally playing with it.

Yes, right outside the office.

She froze.

The cat froze.

I just stood at the entrance.

The bombastic side-eyes' competition was in session.

That girl frowned.

I crept closer to her.

And with a small 'meow'...

Both lunged out of the scene.

Apparently, the girl seemed to be dragged by something.

She got dragged through the park's pond.

And somehow that cat was leaping on water.

Her face slammed right into a tree.

OUCH! That hurts!

Dogs began chasing after her.

Where is that cat taking her?

And she nearly got...

Actually, she got smacked by a grandma for just pulling a bench.

Wait, is that bench being pulled now?

I wonder how that grandma's holding herself together with this mess... especially having those sunglasses.

Wait.

Am I dreaming or did that grandma just fall out of that bench, the very next second?

Is that bench flying?

Is that girl flying right now?

Her face was in utter shock.

Someone beside me was apparently shouting her name.

"Friday!"

I turned around.

"Her name is Friday?"

She froze, before scoffing.

"That's just a random nickname any best friend would give her..."

"You're her best friend?"

She simply nodded.

"YOU'RE COMING WITH ME.."

I grabbed her.

If I couldn't get that cat, then maybe she would give it, in return for her bestie.

***

Thirteen days.

Nearly two weeks have passed with her on the run.

I had filed a police case, but they reported something unusual...

A cat had started dancing, and it was slaying.

Somehow, the police couldn't catch that little kitten.

Her parents?

No news.

I guess she's an orphan? Or maybe a fugitive of the law?!

No wonder the police is so keen on searching for her?!

This was definitely getting very interesting.

Ok, you know they say it's better when you do everything yourself, so... let's do this!

That best friend of her's also agreed with me.

We scrambled around the city.

Seeing videos of that cat slaying with every groove.

Is this a cat or a human who has been cursed into a cat?

Five hours in, and apparently, almost every cat was dancing in the city.

Is this a cat dancing apocalypse?

I should have been a dentist.

Candy is a way simpler thing to deal with.

***

Thirteen weeks in.

And news? Well...

Five states had reported a strange phenomenon affecting cats.

Apparently, they were all busting crazy grooves.

Nobody knew why.

Nobody knew how.

And apparently, nobody knew how to stop them.

Where was this cat running to, though?

Is my cat a celebrity now?

Where's my share of the money?

After all, I took care of her.

I just slumped on the couch, in my house.

When something else on the news caught my eye.

That girl...

she had been dead.

Yes, five weeks ago.

Was I dealing with a ghost?

Did that cat kill her?

THAT CAT IS A MURDERER!

Obviously, I need to catch that cat first.

Then I'll figure out the rest.

But then, a knock came on the door.

A figure in an oversized hoodie just stood there.

Don't tell me, I have an appointment with another one of those crazy teenagers...

The figure just hugged me.

A warmth of closeness that I had never felt before.

You can't blame me for being very lonely all this long?

The voice was breaking apart with tears.

"Hey doc! You don't know..."

I froze.

And just yanked that hoodie off.

She hugged tighter.

“I'm not 17, you know... and I'm also not a ghost...”

I slammed my head against the wall.

When will this teenager ever stop being so sarcastic?

"I'm just a 13-year-old girl whose parents don't have any care for her... but you..."

She held up the cat.

That creature purred proudly.

"You never stopped tracking me down... this cat somehow just..."

"Made a bench fly?"

She slowly giggled, wiping away her tears.

I crouched down.

"That cat is really mysterious... she basically knows how to help with anything..."

She smiled.

"... and come here!"

I lifted her high and twirled her around; with that cat stretching, as it lands right on the couch.

"You know that those dancing cats were my idea, right doc?"