By: Nina He

“Andrea!” I tried to peek in through the crack between the doors. “Hurry up! The mall closes in three hours!” I knocked on the door a few more times.

“Okay, okay! Give me a second!” came the muffled reply. I rolled my eyes and checked the time—5:20. The mall closed at eight and we were supposed to be volunteering at the Mini Cat Town. Our shift was from 5:30 to 8:00.

Finally, Andrea came out, wearing her usually pink outfit. Pink tank top. Light pink cargo pants. Her perfectly silky hair tied into a perfectly round bun on the back of her head.

“Is Ellie there already?” she asked.

“Yes, because unlike some people, Ellie is always early,” I replied.

She stuck her tongue out at me, no guilt whatsoever on her face.

As we walked to the Uber, I scolded her. “You’re 15 already, you should manage your time better.”
“Okay, okay,” she grumbled.

When we finally arrived at the mall, it was 5:40. Ten minutes late. Barely any people were still in the mall. “This is going to look horrible on our resume!”

Andrea gave me a look. “Are you seriously going to put your volunteer hours at Mini Cat Town on your resume?”

Slightly embarrassed, I mumbled, “Well, maybe I will.” She laughed, and I punched her lightly on the shoulder.

Ellie was waiting outside the shop, scowling. Even her shoulder-length hair seemed to be gleaming with anger. “Oh, there you guys are! I’ve been waiting so long I have white hair!” She pointed to her jet-black hair.

I glanced at Andrea and pointed an accusing finger at her. “She made me late!”

“Well, whatever! We have to keep the cats occupied. No one is coming anymore—they’re getting bored.”

“Ok! I’ll keep them occupied!” Andrea said. She pulled her shoe covers over her sneakers, sanitized her hands, and went into the area where the cats were. Mini Cat Town was a shelter where people could visit the cats at daytime and adopt them. Our job was to close the store and keep the cats occupied for the last few hours of the day.

I glanced in to make sure nothing was out of place. Half a dozen cat toys, several poles where toys hung, a box with several more toys, a few food bowls, and, of course, the litter boxes.

“Nina,” Ellie said, addressing me. “Noodle, Reild, Butterball, and Coffee Bean need their claws to be trimmed. And I have to handle their litter boxes.”

I gave Ellie a pat on the back. “Good luck to you, Ellie.” And good luck to me as well.
~

“Ouch! No, Butterball! Don’t scratch me!” I yelped and Butterball slashed an uncut claw down my arm. “Butterball!” I glared at Butterball, who was in one of the cat tree boxes. She was the oldest cat there, at five months old. And one of the feistiest.

Noodle and Reild were younger, and they didn’t struggle as much. “Fine, I’ll do you later,” I said, turning my nose up. Coffee Bean was one of the gentlest cats there.

At 7:30, I had finished cutting the cats’ claws, Ellie finished cleaning their poopies, Andrea had kept them entertained, and all the cats were groomed after being given baths.

“Starbucks break?” I asked.

“Yes, please,” Ellie said, still washing her hands. “I’ll have a Strawberry Truffle Latte.”

“Lavender White Mocha Frappuccino,” Andrea said. She was still trying to teach Purrlock Holmes how to sit. Thankfully, the Starbucks at the mall always opened late.

Before I left, I did a head count. There were 12 cats in total. Let’s see…there’s Sir Whiskers, Purrito, Caption Meowvelous, Noddle, Purrlock, Queen, Waffles, Reild, Butterball, J.O., Coffee Bean, and Marshmallow.
Okay. Time for Starbucks!

~

As I walked back to Mini Cat Town with the drinks, I could see Andrea and Ellie through the window.
Marshmallow was batting at Andrea’s hoodie straps, with the unhelpful help of Reild and Captain Meowvelous. Andrea was playing with Waffles, Butterball, and J.O. with a teaser.

Coffee Bean and Purrlock were curled up in Ellie’s lap as she lovingly stroked them. Sir Whiskers was kneading on her pants.

“Here’s your caffeine,” I said, handing Ellie and Andrea their drinks and sitting down with them. Purrio came over to us, sniffing at our drinks.

“Hello, Purrito,” I pulled her into my lap, where she attempted to bat my Caramel Ribbon Crunch over. “Not today, Purrito,” I said, placing the drink out of her reach.

Suddenly, there was a hiss. I glanced at Noodle and Queen Elizabath, who were hissing at each other.

“You guys, come over,” Andrea called, patting the ground next to her. The two prideful ones came over.

Queen loafed next to me, while Noodle sat on the direct opposite side. Ellie and I giggled.

Andrea sighed. “Those two are going to hate each other for eternity,” she mumbled.

After a moment of silence, Ellie said, “You know, Nina, Andrea, I love doing this with you guys.”

“Same,” I replied.

“Even if we are a bit late sometimes,” Andrea agreed.

“But just a little bit,” I said, grinning. “But hey, at least we got our priorities straight—coffee, cats, and being besties.” We all giggled and clinked glasses.

The mall might’ve been empty at that time, but in our little corner of the store, it felt like the best place to be.