Another Hairy Tail

by Campbell, Jamie

  “Is that a good thing?” She wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or complimented yet. Logan just might end up wearing the remainder of her punch yet.

  He laughed. “Yeah, of course it is. Who wants to be like everyone else?” He took a few breaths and calmed down. “It’s a noble cause to stand up for those that can’t speak for themselves. Good on you for choosing to make a difference.”

  Hannah wasn’t entirely sure why, but his approval made her unreasonably happy. She tucked that thought away for analysis later on. “So why did you choose your career?”

  Logan shrugged nonchalantly. “I love animals.” They laughed together until Hannah’s side hurt. She hadn’t felt that relaxed in a long time.

  Across the room, however, she spotted something that made all her happiness suddenly evaporate into thin air. Standing in amongst all the people was Harry. And he was talking to a very pretty girl.

  CHAPTER 4

  Hannah tried not to watch Harry. She didn’t need to, that relationship was over and done with. Yet a part of her was hurting to see that girl hanging off his every word – and arm.

  She was beautiful, all blonde bouncing hair and big blue eyes. Her smile was perfect and she was using every opportunity she could to flash it at him. Harry’s eyes were solely fixed on her, creating a bubble just for them.

  At some stage Logan disappeared from Hannah’s side. She wasn’t sure when he left or if he said anything. She was too focused on the happy couple and how close they were.

  She knew she didn’t have a right to be jealous. She had her chance with Harry and they’d had some fun together. They broke up for a reason and she didn’t want to repeat all that heartache all over again.

  But there was still something that tore her apart seeing him with another girl. It was like she was seeing him and Jessie together for the first time again. It was that stabbing pain that shot right through the heart and then twisted around to inflict the maximum amount of damage possible. It just seemed wrong.

  And there was nothing she could do about it. It wasn’t like she could tell Harry not to date anyone else ever again or something. He was an adult, just like she was. They were free to do whatever they liked. She just needed to get over it. Which was far easier said than done.

  Realizing she was standing alone at a party like a sad loser, Hannah tore her eyes away. She spotted Logan at the catering table, piling a plate high with food. He was the only person she knew at the zoo so far but she didn’t want to stick to him like a sucker fish. She needed to mingle.

  The problem was, Hannah sucked at the social stuff. She was too used to the company of her books to actually know what to do. The thought of going up to someone and talking to them was enough to make her palms sweaty and her heart pound a little faster. Which only made her tongue tied and even more of a social idiot.

  “Hey, you’re Hannah, right?” The voice startled her as she was still debating in her head whether she should just slip out of the party or not.

  Hannah turned to face the voice. It belonged to a girl of about the same age. Her short brown hair framed her face. Her black rimmed glasses made her look nerdy but it also highlighted her bright blue eyes.

  “Yeah, I’m Hannah. How did you know?”

  The girl pointed to her name badge. “Kind of gave it away. I’m Alicia. Are you an intern too?”

  Hannah nodded, remembering all her manners. “Yeah, today was my first day.”

  “I started yesterday. Although, I was supposed to start today but I thought I would take a leaf out of the bird’s book.” Hannah must have looked confused as she went on to explain further. “Like the early bird? It catches the worm? Sorry, not many people get my jokes.”

  She didn’t realize it was actually a joke. Still, there was something disarming about the girl. She seemed… nice. “I get it now, cool. So did you catch any, um, worms?”

  “I spent the day shoveling poop. Perhaps not all early birds are so lucky to get the worm.” She chuckled to herself. “But who wants a worm anyway, right? What did you do today?”

  Hannah found herself chuckling too. “I shoveled poop.”

  “We’re probably going to be doing that a lot over the summer, right? But who cares? We work at a zoo! How cool is that?” Alicia’s eyes were wide open with excitement. It was infectious.

  “It’s very cool. I’ve been coming here since I was little, it’s amazing to get so close to the animals and see how everything works.”

  “I never got to come here, we never had enough money. My dad always said it was a frivolous expense we couldn’t afford. I guess I’m making up for that now, right?” She looked hopeful, but there was still sadness in her eyes that Hannah instantly recognized. This girl was from her world.

  “Every time we came here, it was because my mom found a coupon for half off. I’d say we are definitely going to make up for it this summer.” Alicia beamed at her in response.

  “Ooh, look at the hottie at ten o’clock.”

  Hannah didn’t want to look, she already knew who the hottie at ten o’clock was. “He’s a bit preoccupied at the moment.”

  “You mean Anna? She flirts with everyone. I saw her making out with Tony earlier behind the bird enclosure,” Alicia said flatly. “I wonder what his name is. Not that I have a shot with him, but I like to know who’s who in the zoo.”

  “His name is Harry. I met him earlier,” Hannah quickly added. She did not want her prior relationship with Harry to be public knowledge. She would rather start with a clean slate.

  “Was he nice? He looks like he’d be nice.”

  “He’s nice.”

  Alicia clapped her hands together. “This is going to be such an awesome summer.”

  Hannah nodded. It was going to be an awesome summer. That is, if she could get the thought of Harry Shephard out of her head.

  She stayed at the party only long enough to be polite. The moment she could, Hannah slipped out the door and made it to her car before anyone could question what she was doing.

  Billy greeted her at the door when she arrived home. Her mother, Coco, did too – although not with as much wag in her tail. “Hey, honey. Come, sit, and tell me about your first day. How did it go?”

  So many questions and yet she had so little energy to answer them. Still, Hannah went to the sofa and sat beside her mother. Billy quickly jumped on her lap and settled himself down for a pat.

  “It was pretty good.”

  “Once more with feeling?” Coco prompted.

  “Okay, it was really great,” Hannah said, perking up a bit as she remembered her excitement from much earlier in the day. “I got to hang out with elephants and all sorts of animals. I’ve never been that close to them before. It was pretty amazing.”

  “Wow and all that on your first day. Just imagine what you’re going to do in an entire summer.”

  “I know, right?” Just the thought of all she was going to learn about the zoo animals was enough to restore Hannah’s energy. She was reminded why she had signed up for the internship in the first place. And it was nothing to do with meeting new people.

  “And how was the party?” Coco looked at her expectantly, although she never expected her daughter to have actually partied hard. She knew she wasn’t the type, no matter how much she tried to convince her it was fun to socialize.

  “It was good.”

  “What about the others? Did you make any new friends?”

  “There was a girl named Alicia, she seemed nice.”

  “Was there anyone from your school interning?” Coco asked. If she had a lamp, she would have made a great police interrogator. But Hannah was used to it, eighteen years of it tended to prepare you for dealing with your parents.

  “No, but Harry was there. Remember him?”

  Coco’s mouth hung open with shock. “The Harry?” She waited to see her daughter nod. “Oh my gosh. Did you talk to him?”

  “We said hi.”

  “That’s it? After three years it was jus
t a hi?”

  “He had some girl all over him at the party. I wasn’t going to interrupt their little conversation.” Just the thought of Harry and that blonde girl gave her the creeps. She wished her mind wouldn’t keep replaying it for her like a terrible movie.

  “Maybe you should have,” Coco suggested. “Was he still hot?”

  Despite not wanting it to, a smile crept across Hannah’s lips. She so didn’t want her mother to see it and yet there it was anyway. “He looked pretty good.”

  Coco poked her in the ribs. “That look on your face says he was more than pretty good. And now you’re blushing. You should have given that girl her marching orders.”

  “I’m not into him anymore, Mom. Harry is my history.”

  “You were both only fifteen, that’s very young. Maybe your history isn’t quite done yet. Maybe fate has something more in store for you yet.”

  “I don’t believe in fate,” Hannah reminded her. She was a woman of science, not a big believer in anything that couldn’t be definitively proven.

  “Well, fate is a bit like the weather, it doesn’t care what you think,” Coco replied. “Now, describe him in great detail and tell me how much he’s changed.”

  Hannah stared at her mother, wondering how much detail she could get away with before she was released from the conversation. Coco would probably want way more than she was willing to give.

  Still, she took a deep breath and went into as much detail as she could remember. It took her almost six minutes to get through it all.

  CHAPTER 5

  “So if you hold them like this,” Logan started as he repositioned the meerkat pup in his hand. “They can’t bite or scratch you. See? Try it.”

  Hannah nervously accepted the baby meerkat and tried to imitate exactly what Logan did. They were in the back of the meerkat enclosure, away from the public’s view but she still felt self-conscious. Perhaps it was Logan’s stare making her nervous. Or the meerkat’s teeth.

  The pup seemed to settle down in her hand a little. “It’s not fighting me anymore.”

  Logan’s face lit up. “See? I told you, simple. All you have to know is how to put them at ease and you can do whatever you have to. Now, here’s the bottle. Try feeding her.”

  Hannah tried to keep her hand steady as she slipped the bottle of formula into the meerkat’s tiny little mouth. She had been hurt by the pack shortly after her birth and had to be hand raised by the zoo staff. So far, she had been doing well. Hannah didn’t want to set her recovery back.

  The baby started suckling, actually enjoying being fed. “She likes it.”

  “Of course she does, it’s food.”

  “I’m feeding a baby meerkat.” She could barely believe it, even though it was actually happening to her. “This is awesome.”

  “Of course it is. We work at the zoo, how many people get to say that in the world?” Logan joked. He never took his eyes off the baby.

  “Have you raised it from birth?”

  He nodded proudly, like a happy father. “I saw her being born… and rejected. She’s been my little sweetie pie ever since.”

  “Sweetie pie?”

  “Leave me alone, you never heard that.”

  Hannah laughed. “My lips are sealed.”

  The door to the lab opened, interrupting them. They both looked up at the door to see Harry standing there. He hesitated, unsure whether he was in the right place. “Hey. I was looking for some dried maggots?”

  Logan nodded toward the cupboards in the corner. “Third shelf from the top. Did Stacey send you?”

  “Yeah, it’s for the frogs. Or lizards. Or something. I’m not entirely sure,” Harry replied as he rifled through the containers. “Ah, here they are.” He pulled out a plastic tub with creepy crawlies in it that Hannah wanted nothing to do with.

  He left without another word being said. The intense silence did not go unnoticed by Logan. “Frosty. Did it get cold in here or was that just me?”

  Hannah had no idea what he was talking about. “I think the temperature’s okay.”

  “So you didn’t just get all arctic when Harry entered?”

  She finally got it. “Oh, no, it’s not like that. Harry and I… used to know each other.”

  Logan raised an eyebrow in response, questioning her. “Used to know each other? Is that code for something?”

  “We dated. A long time ago.”

  “Oh. What happened?”

  Getting into details of their history was not something she really wanted to do. Mainly because it had taken her so long to forget it all. Opening up that Pandora’s box was dangerous.

  Yet she did it anyway. “We were going to different schools and lived in different worlds. We just no longer really fit into each other’s lives. There were no hard feelings or anything. It just happened.”

  “And now you don’t talk?”

  “Yesterday was the first time we’ve really seen each other in three years.”

  Logan whistled, like that was a big deal. “Now I understand the frost. Have you told your current boyfriend about working with your ex?”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend,” Hannah stated bluntly.

  “That’s a coincidence,” Logan replied. Once again, he was completely baffling her. “I don’t have a girlfriend either. I guess us singletons need to stick together.”

  “I guess.” Whatever that meant. Hannah tidied up the bench after the meerkat feeding as she grew accustomed to the layout of the room. There were so many drawers that she thought for sure she would never be able to remember where everything was. The place needed a label maker like the earth needed the sun.

  Later that morning, Logan left Hannah with some tasks for the penguins’ enclosure. She was surrounded by little frozen fish as she prepared their next meal. It was a smelly, messy job. Her only saving grace was having Alicia there to help her.

  “I don’t think I’m ever going to eat fish again,” Hannah joked. Although, it wasn’t entirely a joke.

  “I know, right? This is like ugh.” Alicia stuck her tongue out with disgust. “The smell is never going to get off my skin.”

  “I read that tomato juice might help.”

  “I might get caught red-handed.” Alicia chuckled at her own joke. “Oh well, at least we have Logan as our intern coordinator. He’s so cute, don’t you think?”

  “He’s alright.”

  “Are you serious? He’s more than alright. He’s a major cutie, and he’s funny. Plus, he’s not really that much older than us.”

  Hannah figured Alicia was probably right. Logan was good looking, and he did make her laugh a lot considering she had only been there for two days. She blushed when she realized just how cute he really was.

  “Okay, he’s nice looking,” Hannah finally agreed.

  Alicia grinned as she slid another fish into the food pile. “He’s single, you know that? I heard one of the other keepers talking about him.”

  “He told me he was single too.”

  “I’m thinking about asking him out. Would that be a total disaster?” Her eyes flicked up to meet Hannah’s to gauge her reaction.

  “Do you think he’d go out with an intern?”

  “Apparently he hasn’t gone out with anyone for a long time. So maybe he’s desperate enough for an intern.” Alicia laughed again. “Do you think he’d say yes?”

  Hannah wasn’t sure what to say. Considering she had only met Logan a few days earlier, she didn’t feel she knew him well enough to know his likes and tastes.

  She did, however, know that he was a nice guy. If he didn’t want to go out with Alicia, he would probably let her down gently.

  Yet the thought of Alicia and Logan out on a date did not fill her with happiness like it should do. She wasn’t entirely sure why, but Hannah knew she should be more supportive of her new friend.

  She plastered on a smile and hoped it looked convincing enough. “If you want to go out with Logan, then you should ask him. I’m sure he’ll be a gentlem
an about it.”

  Alicia’s face lit up. “You really think so? I mean, I’ve never asked anyone out before, but I figure I’m an adult now, I should be doing things like that. I can’t be a wallflower forever, right?”

  “No, being a wallflower isn’t fun.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll get up enough courage to do it. Maybe he’ll fall madly in love with me and ask me out so I don’t have to. A girl can dream.”

  “Of course, dreaming is always a nice distraction,” Hannah replied as she slipped into a daydream of her own. At the very least, it took her mind off the fact her fingers were deep in fish guts.

  CHAPTER 6

  There was a faint hint of a fish smell in the administration building. Even though Hannah had washed her hands a million times already, she was paranoid the smell was coming from her.

  To make it worse, she was only a few feet away from where Harry was working. They were both assigned to filing duty and updating the animals’ details on the main database. As Logan had put it ‘even animals need paperwork’.

  The silence in the room was deafening but Hannah had no idea what they could talk about. She could ask about Jessie and see what was new in his life, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear all about it. If she didn’t know anything about Harry’s current life, then she couldn’t feel anything about it. Like sad, or happy, or pleased.

  Harry was obviously going through the same thought process as he remained equally as quiet. The sound of typing and the files shuffling around were the only noises. It was painful, especially when Hannah was conscious of his every move.

  The door suddenly burst open, shattering the silence. Their heads shot up to see Coco standing there with a paper bag in her hand and one of the administration staff beside her.

  “Mom?” Hannah asked, as confused as she could possibly be. “What are you doing here?”

  “Oh, Hannah, I’m so glad I found you. I’ve been searching everywhere until some nice boy told me you were in here.” Coco was puffing a little as she fought to regain control over her breath. There was no denying she had been searching for a while.