“I hate dogs.”

“Aden.” My mother held her new puppy in the air. The Shih tzu’s tail went wild as it tried to lick her cheek. “How can you hate something so adorable?”

I would never understand dog lovers. “Easy, I just do,” I replied, not looking away from the computer screen. That tongue had been in one too many places for me to want it near my face.

“It’s been six years, Aden. I thought you were over it.” 

“It’s kind of hard when you have a scar on your leg that keeps reminding you.” I spun around in my chair with an eyebrow raised.

“Does this look like a vicious animal?” She held the puppy up.

“A dog is a dog. They all bite.” I turned around and clicked on a video. 

She walked over and placed the dog next to my head. “But look, you two match. You even have the same puppy-dog eyes.”

“Get that little demon away from me.” I dodged a flying paw as the puppy swiped at me. “He smells horrible.”

“He does not. They bathed him before I picked him up,” she stated, sitting on my bed. “I like that name, though, Demon.” She scratched the little dog’s head. “I think it fits him.” She laid the puppy down and started tickling its stomach. “Little Demon.”

“You’re not funny.” I clicked on a new music video. 

“I still like it. Right, Demon?” 

The dog barked.

My mother gathered the puppy in her arms. “So”—she sat up straight while petting the dog’s head—“what are your plans for the summer?”

“You’re looking at it.” I slumped down in my chair.

“Why don’t you go hang out with some of your friends? Sitting in your room by yourself doesn’t exactly sound fun.” 

“I don’t really have a choice,” I muttered. “Everyone ditched me.”

“What is Chris up to?”

“Family vacation before he heads off to some wrestling camp.”

“What about Jack, Andrew, or that blond boy that’s been hanging out with you lately?”

“Summer football training, and Jared moved. I told you that last week.” I turned around and watched as she searched for another name. 

“Emmet?” said my mother with a hopeful expression.

“Baseball tournament.” I slid lower in my seat, realizing my true loser status. All my friends were off doing something productive while I sat in my room watching random videos online. 

“Why didn’t we sign you up for one of these camps?” She placed Demon to the side, and the dog ran straight for my pillow. 

“Mom!” I jumped to my feet and shoved him away. “It’s going to shed. Get it out of my room.” I held the pillow to my chest and checked for dog hair. 

“Calm down. Demon is a non-shedding breed,” she stated proudly. “And even if he did leave behind a couple of little hairs, you wouldn’t be able to tell yours from his.” She stood and took the pillow from me. Picking up a wavy black hair, she gave me a smile. “Looks like yours, honey.”

I plopped down on the bed. “You’re not funny.”

“Aden, why didn’t you sign up?” She grabbed Demon, who had been jumping around on my bed. 

I placed my hands in my lap and stared at the floor. “You have to be on the school team, and I’m not exactly physically inclined.”

“What’s so special about this year? You didn’t have this problem last summer.” She scooted closer to me and brushed my hair out of my eyes. 

“They’re all on varsity now and trying to get scholarships.” My shoulders slumped forward. Being the nobody friend of the star-athletes club wasn’t something I liked talking about.

She turned my head, and I looked into her light blue eyes, something we shared. She gave me a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. We never expected you to do sports, and we’ve already talked about this. We’re going to help you with college.”

I fought to hold in a smile. “I still wish I had tried harder. I think Dad would’ve liked me to at least have done football.”

“Your father never cared.” She rubbed my back. 

“He played in college. I didn’t even make it through Little League.”

“Football isn’t for everyone.” She sat upright. “Katy!”

I flinched and leaned away from her. “What?” I hid my face. “No, mom.”

“She’s such a nice girl. I really like her.”

I flung myself back on the bed. “I’ve been friend-zoned. She dumped me.”

“What?” My mother pursed her lips. “You took her on a date last week.”

“That was last week; she dumped me yesterday.” I rolled onto my side. “I think she has a thing for Chris.”

“Oh, Aden.” She patted my leg. “There are plenty of girls out there. You’ll find the right one.”

I turned onto my stomach and buried my face in a pillow. “No, I won’t. Every girl I like wants someone like Chris. They end up dumping me when they find out my friends are better.”

“That’s not true.” She tugged on my shirt until I flipped over. “I heard Chris broke up with his girlfriend. You just need to keep looking until you find the right girl for you.”

“There’s a difference. He broke up with her.” I stared at the ceiling. “I bet you heard that at your book club.” I sat up and eyed her. “I thought you didn’t gossip and only discussed the flaws of literature in a cultural setting.”

She gave me a look that clearly stated she was not impressed. “We do not gossip. We simply talk about our family life.” She patted my leg as she stood. “You’ll be on next week’s topic list.”

“Mom.” I flopped backward. “Why is it necessary for you to share all my problems with a bunch of old women?”

“Excuse me. I’m a part of that book club, and I’m not an old woman.”

My head rolled to the side. “I wasn’t being serious.” I felt something touching my leg. “Mom!”

She snatched Demon before I knocked him off the bed. “Aden, he’s a small dog. You have to be careful with him.”

I rose onto my elbows. “Then keep him off my bed and out of my room.”

“Don’t listen to him.” My mother gently squeezed one of the puppy’s paws. “You’re adorable.” She turned to me. “I’ll have a word with your father. He’ll think of something for you to do this summer. I’m sure the Forest Service has some part-time jobs available.” She gave me a smile and stood there, looking at me.

I shrugged. “What am I supposed to say? I hate camping.”

Shaking her head, she adjusted the dog in her arms. “Demon, I don’t think Aden likes anything.”

I fell back. “Don’t talk to it like it can understand you.”

“Come on, Demon.” She walked to the door with the dog licking her face. “Let’s leave Aden alone. He’s not in a very good mood.” Before closing the door, she waved a little black paw at me.

I rolled my eyes. “I really hate dogs,” I muttered, rubbing my face.

Returning to my desk, I sat down and scrolled through my video lists. I wondered who the next internet sensation would be because it sure wouldn’t be me.