Loyalty.

One cold day in the middle of winter a school's final bell rings. All the students came out running with excitement to their cars and drove off back home, thankful that school is finally over for the year.

A boy walks alone out of school behind everyone with his head down holding his backpack walking home alone. On the sidewalk going home passing a house surrounded by buses.

He heard some noise under one of the buses and the boy got curious. So, he went to find out where the noise was coming from.

He looked under one bus and saw a dog cowering further and further back under the bus.

The boy reaches out his hand saying, "it's okay, it's alright I'm not going to hurt you."

A few minutes passed of him trying this, but eventually he gave up. sighing, he gets onto his feet and turns around to see Mr. Victor, the bus owner, standing with his arms crossed.

In a grumbly voice he says, "what are you doing?"

The boy looked down saddened saying nothing.

Mr. Victor says once more "what are you doing?" but before the boy could speak a word the dog let out another whimper.

Mr. Victor knew straight away what was going on.

He gets down on his knees and looks under the bus "oh, that's what it is."

Getting up and looking at the boy saying, "is this your dog?"

The man continues pointing telling the boy "Do you want the dog?"

The boy smiles and nods his head with excitement.

A smile formed on Victor's face also "right you stay there, and I'll go around and grab him, from around the bus, okay?"

So, the boy gets down on his knees once again, looking at the dog, as the man walks around the bus. The boy could only see his weird looking shoes.

Getting behind the dog he grabs it but as he does the dog crawls to the boy. With the boy getting up in shock and the dog hidden behind his legs.

Victor walks out from around the bus "did you get it?" he asks the boy.

Turning around smiling as he put his hand on the top of the dog head rubbing its floppy ears, the dog looked up at the boy and it seemed to smile.

The man said, "that dog there is a beagle, that one doesn't have a name though, I was going to sell it anyway."

The boy says quickly "no, no, I'll keep it!"

Victor smiles and nods his head "it's yours, I have to say though, this dog is a girl."

The boy picks up the beagle raising it high up in the sky saying, "your Ana!"

Victor smiles ushering the boy home. He walks off with the dog in his arms petting it as he walks off.

Getting home, Ma & Da were surprised when I brought home Ana "ah... Dillon where did you get that dog, hun?"

Dillon hugs the dog tighter saying, "I got him from... from the bus man, please let me keep her please!"

Ma & Da looked at each other and hesitantly agreed "first thing first, you have to wash it because, it looks filthy." With excitement he runs down to the bath and turns on the tap, filling up the tub and with help with Da.

We washed the dog from top to bottom.

We took the dog out of the bath and Ana shook her entire body making all the water splash on us in the process.

Ana sticks beside Dillon's. Da says "why won't you take him outside to dry out?"

Dillon says smiling at the dog "no, da it's a girl." so he runs outside the back yard grabbing the football and Ana preparing to jump up at the ball.

Dillon throws the ball against the wall with the dog running after it that went on for a few hours. Nighttime arrived quickly with Ma calling for dinner. Dillon comes in the dog in toe.

Sitting down, eating his fill, finishing most of it, throwing the leftovers at Ana with Dillon then going to bed soon after. Ma and Da tucked me in bed as the dog jumped up on the bed laying at Dillon's feet. Ma was about to shout but Da put his hand on her shoulder smiling shaking his head going back up to the kitchen.

A week later Christmas arrives, excitedly Dillon jumps up out of bed, waking up the dog in the process running down to Ma & Da room jumping on them "hey! hey Santa came, come on let's go see!" waking them up running to the sitting room with Ma & Da following close behind.

A big smile on their face Dillon sits down on the floor as the dog walks in the room sitting under Ma's feet.

Dillon opens a big box to find a remote-controlled car, Ma & Da give another gift to him as Ana looks up curiously at what's happening. The dog gets up and walks to Dillon's side, as she does, there was a present lay down in fount of her.

She sniffs the box, trying to open it with a couple of bites. It was a bed she quickly lay on and fell asleep.

Da pulled me over to the corner to make more room for Dillon opening his gifts. Looking at him now and then seeing the smile grow wider and wider on his face the last box that was opened he looked at me, calling me over.

He showed it to me, and it looked funny, a round looking thing he threw out at the hall, and I just wanted to go after it, so I ran to bring it back to him with a rewarding pat on the forehead and scratches under my ear.

Dillon gets up and goes outside with the ball in his hand and Ana following behind him. Outside he throws the ball once more against the wall with the dog running back and forth after it as the boy goes grabs a small bit of rope and flails it about for the dog to go after.

For the full length of that day, they played outside in the lonely quiet corner of their very clean house. Ma and Da cleaned up around the Christmas tree then started to cook Christmas dinner while watching Dillon play with the dog.

The doorbell rang and Da opened it, Victor stood there smiling "Merry Christmas, I just came to see how, Ana wasn't it. The dog I mean."

Da let him in showing him to the sitting room where Dillon is still playing with Ana

"he’s happy with her, that's good to see." Da spent a few hours talking to Victor before he left.

At dinner time, the best meal of the year Dillon was called in the house.

Uncles and Aunts where gathered all around the table and were he sat Ana sat directly behind.

They all ate their fill with a lot left over for the dog. Later that day, from waking up early, Dillon fell asleep very early.

Weeks pass after that point and school begins once again. Dillon heads off, as the dog sits at the door seeing him off.

He gets to school as the rain pours down outside getting in before it starts. Sitting in class in those uncomfortable chairs for another day, going through the repetitive classes teaching the same thing over and over again.

Teachers shouting at the same faces doing the same thing "sit down be quiet that sort of thing." Finally, the lunch break arrives yet again. Another day sitting alone reading a book.

As Dillon was reading a group of people came up to him surrounding him "what are you doing, little book worm." one of the boys says pushing his head banging it against the wall dropping the book.

One of the bullies picks up the book, ripping it throwing it on the ground saying nothing. Dillon looks on the ground as the bully, unsatisfied with the result of what he got, walks of calling back his so-called friend away with Dillon.

One stays behind as her usual trying to sympathies with him to try to get any reaction. She walks off unaccomplished; he tries to put the book back together by force shaking his head, giving up, then putting it back in the bag as the bell rang for the last few classes.

The last bell rang Dillon walks out and goes home with his head down opening the door greeted by Ana panting, jumping up playfully that made Dillon smile. He throws the bag at the wall near the front door running outside to play. Throwing the ball around until that bad day passes.

Two nights later Dillon takes the dog out for a walk. He ties the lead out and Ana starts walking right next to Dillon.

He walks down the road and through the town. The bully was standing at the corner talking to the woman Dillon bumps into the bully.

"What are you doing, short stack?" Still Dillon says nothing to the bully.

The dog looks up at the boy seeing he's close to tears she looks back at the bully and growls angrily.

The bully noticed the dog "what an ugly looking dog isn't it?" he says looking around for clarification.

He reaches for the dog with Ana growling, which made the bully jump back. Looking back at the woman reaching at the dog again at that point Ana bites the arm of the bully. Screaming, the bully starts crying at that instant Dillon grabs the collar around his neck of the dog and walks off.

The woman laughing at the bully on the ground crying. The next day in school lunch time arrives and instead of sitting alone reading a book people crowded around Dillon asking questions about his dog. What bread? what name? and with other questions such as that.

The bully sits alone at the back of the canteen sulking, Dillon looks at him and they both locked eyes for a second.

Dillon smiles sympathetically gesturing to him to come over to be a part of the group and he does with sadness soon after leaving. He smiles as he feels included.

The bell rings for school to be over and the door opens with the sun shining on Dillon's face, he is surrounded by people that were still asking questions. He splits off with the group for Dillon to walk home.

But some new friends surrounding him ask even more questions about the dog he gets to his house and the sun shines through the clouds. He walks to the door, opening it and a smile on his face as Ana sat beside Da's chair. She looks at him, seeming to smile.

The End