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[itwillbeokay]

There was a little puppy at her feet.

Clementine had fallen in love with the dog the second she'd seen it in the shelter, and for good reason. For the day she'd had her so far, the little mutt had barely left her side, and she was happy to shower her with all the attention she could give her. It was day two, and she thought, at that point, the dog was ready to see more than just their little apartment. She originally tried to go visit Jesse - she wanted him to be the first person the dog met outside of Andrea and her, for good reason - but he wasn't home. So she sat outside on the steps of the apartment building instead, the leash firmly in hand. If he wasn't there, she could just wait for him to come back.

The dog didn't seem to mind at all, chasing the few remaining leaves still on the street as some cold winter gusts blew them around. She couldn't stifle the giggle that came out of her when she started to bark at one that the wind smacked into her. It flew past them both, far out of her reach, and Clementine watched her whine quietly and try to tug on the leash to follow after it.

"You'll get the next one," she promised, and she smiled when the dog seemed to promptly forget all about it when she spoke. A few moments later, she had returned to Clem's side, her little paws on her knees, trying to lick her face.

It was more than distracting enough that she didn't even notice anyone approaching her.

Comments

[has_nothing]

Jesse'd only stepped out for a minute or two. After reaching into his pocket for a cigarette a little while earlier, he'd realized the pack was empty and went down to the convenience store on the corner.

He's finishing up the first one when he rounds the corner to his building, stopping for a second to stamp out the butt on the sidewalk before he even notices someone's sitting there.

"Hey," he says, amused, though he doesn't know why Clementine's on the steps, "Whose dog?"

[itwillbeokay]

The puppy's attention immediately zeroed in on Jesse, and it took only a few moments for her to go over to sniff around his feet, her little tail wagging furiously. Clementine was so happy to see the dog already seemed to like him, especially since he'd been exactly the person she wanted to see.

"It's mine. We just got her yesterday," she said, hopping up to her feet. She'd been wanting to give him a hug and thank him ever since Andrea told her what he'd given them, and she took the opportunity right then and there. After, she looked up at him with a big smile. "Andrea said you gave me and her a gift, an' we were able to get her because of it. Thanks a whole lot!"

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Jesse hadn't told Andrea not to tell Clementine about the money, even if he had kind of hoped that she wouldn't. He figured that in the long run, it'd probably be better if she didn't know where it all came from, even if it's not all that much money, in the grand scheme of things or whatever.

"Yeah, uh... don't mention it," he says, trying not to feel awkward about it as he hugs her back.

[itwillbeokay]

Clementine didn't notice anything amiss. In fact, she was still smiling when she pulled away a moment later. The dog didn't take long to go back to sniffing at his shoes, her little tail wagging.

"Don't you like her?" she asked. She seemed to like him, at least. "We got her from the shelter yesterday!"

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"Uh, yeah," Jesse replies, "She's totally cool. Like, the coolest, yo."

He bends down to pet the puppy and scratch behind her ears. At least Clementine's puppy seems to be super friendly, though he wonders if all dogs are like that when they're little.

"What's her name?"

[itwillbeokay]

"They named her Bailey, but I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it," she explained, still practically beaming, especially after hearing his approval of the dog. She liked the name and Bailey already knew it, but she had made a decision right after Andrea had told her about what Jesse did. "I thought maybe if you wanted to help me come up with a new name, we could."

It was only fair. She wouldn't have her at all without him being so nice, so involving him in that felt right.

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"Well, does she already know that's her name?" Jesse asks, "'cause it'd be kind of a crappy thing to do, just changing it, if she already thinks that's her name, you know?"

He's never had many pets himself, but he doesn't get how people can just do that. Poor dog thinks its name is one thing, then suddenly everything gets all confusing and shit.

[itwillbeokay]

Jesse had said what she'd kept thinking about. She didn't know how she'd feel if it were her, being given a name and then suddenly having to learn a whole new one.

"Uh-huh, she comes when we call her that," she explained. Looking down at her, she said, "Bailey?"

The dog immediately looked up at her, her tail still wagging.

"Do you think she likes it?" she wondered. She didn't want to make learning to live in a new place any harder for her.

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"Her tail's wagging, so that's probably a good sign," he says, and while Jesse's no expert on kids and dogs, either together or separate, it's seems like the decision's already been made.

"I think she's already picked it out herself. Smart dog. It's a good name. I mean, I like it anyway."

[itwillbeokay]

"I like it, too," she admitted with a soft giggle. Clementine thought she must like a lot of things if the tail wagging was an indication. But that was good, right? It meant she was happy.

"Have you ever had a dog?" she wondered. He seemed like he knew a lot, but maybe he was just guessing, like she was. She had a book on how to take care of them, at least, but maybe finding people who had dogs would help, too.

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"Wasn't really allowed," Jesse responds, shaking his head, even though that's only half the truth. He was pretty busy with other stuff though, so it's probably good that he never had one, when he was a teenager anyway.

"Unless the possum that used to live in my aunt's wall counts. I'm guessing that doesn't count."

[itwillbeokay]

"Probably not," she agreed, making a face. She didn't like them very much. Sometimes they ended up in the trash cans back when things were okay and scared her mom when she went out to put things into it. One time she found one in her treehouse - she made sure to close the entrances as best she could after that.

"Do you want to take her for a walk with me?" she asked. That had been what she told Andrea she was doing in the first place, and the dog seemed itching to go.

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"Yeah, sure," he says, because it's not like he's got anything else planned. He was maybe gonna watch TV or something, but there's not really all that much on anyways.

"Yo, you should get some of those pee pad things. They look like grass or whatever. It helps teach dogs not to pee in the house."

[itwillbeokay]

"Oh, we got those! I don't think she knows how to use them yet, though," she admitted. She hadn't had too many accidents, but she thought that was because she tried taking her out a lot. Overnight was a different story, but she'd get it.

"We got her toys, too," she explained as she started walking. The dog was quick to trot along after her. "One's almost as big as her!"

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"Yeah? Like a ball or something?" Jesse asks, and the more they talk, the more he's realizing that he doesn't mind so much now that Andrea went ahead and told Clementine where the money came from. Considering how happy the little dog's made her, it doesn't matter so much, in the end, that she knows.

[itwillbeokay]

"It's a stuffed animal," Clementine supplied. She had gotten it because she thought maybe she'd like to cuddle up with it. She'd been with lots of dogs before, after all. "I wanted to get a dog but they were all out, so we got an elephant one. I don't think she minds, though, because she uses it as a pillow sometimes."

As she explained it, it was clear how much the whole thing amused her. She did a whole lot of cute, funny things she liked watching.

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"She doesn't try to chew on it or anything? Sometimes puppies just rip up stuff like that," Jesse says, and even though he's not an expert on it or anything, he's had friends with dogs who did that.

"Looks like you picked a good one."

[itwillbeokay]

"She chews on its' trunk, but it doesn't do much damage," she confessed. She probably would when she got older, had bigger teeth, but for now it was okay. It wasn't a big deal, either way. They could always get a new one. "But that's because she's teething. That's what Andrea said, anyway. She's a good dog, though. I think she's even learning a trick. Sometimes when I tell her to sit she does it!"

That alone made her think the dog was really smart. Sure, it wasn't perfected yet, but she knew it'd only be a matter of time.

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"For real? That's awesome. I always thought it was cool when dogs know how to roll over, you know? I bet she could do that too, if you worked hard enough at it," he replies, and thinks that maybe he'll hit up a bookstore or something, see if they've got some dog training books. That is, if Andrea hasn't already done it.

[itwillbeokay]

"When I teach her to roll over, I'll come her to show you," she promised, her smile still bright. She wanted the dog to like him as much as she liked Andrea and her, honestly. She wouldn't have been able to get her without him, so it made sense to Clementine he be part of the dog's family. "That'll be the next trick. Though maybe I should teach it lay down before. But after lay down, okay?"

Bailey kept looking back at them as they walk, completely unaware of Clementine planning all these training things for her. She got treats for all the work, at least, so she didn't think she'd hate learning that much.

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"Yeah, right. Get the easy stuff out of the way first," he says, because what she says makes sense, working up from the easy tricks to the hard ones.

"Have you ever seen those dogs who will hold a treat on their nose for like... ever? That could be cool too. You know after lay down and all."

[itwillbeokay]

"I wonder if there's a special way to teach them that, or if you just gotta keep telling them not to take it 'till they listen," she wondered outloud. There was a whole lot about dogs she still didn't know for sure. "She doesn't know 'no' yet. I said it when she had my sneaker and she kept eating it. See?"

She held out her foot just a little with every step she took, so he could see the little bit of the chewing Bailey had done on it. Andrea said they were going to go buy new sneakers soon, but Clementine didn't mind wearing these still from now.

"I don't even think they taste good," she added, making a face. Of all the things they had available for her, eating dirty sneakers didn't seem like the best choice.

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"I don't think it's about taste or anything," Jesse says, looking down at Clementine's chewed up shoe. She probably needs some new ones or something, but he figures maybe Andrea just hasn't gotten around to it yet. She's got a lot going on.

"Dogs just like to chew stuff, you know? It's what they do. I've heard about some dogs that'll eat the socks too. She'll learn though. It just takes time."