Today is a big day for Travis Briggs
Travis looked in the mirror, examining the dark circles under his eyes. He was used to insomnia and a long late night relaxed him. But last night he tossed and turned, fidgeted, and couldn't stay in one place long enough to enjoy the night. The next day was looming. There was a knot in his gut that Travis just wasn't used to. And as he straightened his tie he couldn't help but wonder if this was really what he wanted. He had spent years dreaming of the day his father thought he was ready for an internship in his building in the architecture department. Then why was he feeling so anxious over it?
Sighing, he stepped back and looked at himself. His father had sent over a the dark gray suit earlier in the week after his interview had been confirmed. Despite fitting perfectly, it felt strange. Travis missed the way his loose t-shirts felt. He felt constricted and tied up in his fathers world and he hadn't even entered it yet.
"Maybe this isn't for me," he signed, pulling at his collar. But then he caught sight of his abandoned sketch pad. His fingers itched to pick up a piece of charcoal and begin a new model. The feeling swept over him and settled back over him, loosening the pit in his stomach. Travis felt like he could breathe again.
Travis grabbed his wallet, car keys, and jacket and ran downstairs. He wasn't going to wait around, risk running late, for the feeling to return. This was his life he was starting. This was his dream. He wasn't just going to let that go for some silly butterflies. He was Travis Briggs. He was going to be an architect. He was awesome.
The faint sound of bells followed him down the stairs and into the living room. As Travis looked for his mother in the kitchen, the jingles turned into a high pitched yappy bark. Instantly, Travis' ears began ringing. Amanda's dog was just as annoying as she was.
"Go away...." he said, trying to shake the pooch. Peanut, the emasculated, pink collared, needy Chihuahua (or maybe it was a Pug? or some other small, foo-foo dog) would not let up. Finally, Travis bent down to pick him up. He held him up, stared him in his big bulgy eyes. The dog's expression was emotionless. His tongue hung down, dripping saliva onto the floor. If he hadn't been so stupid, it could have been cute.
Just then he dog looked satisfied. Travis looked down to see a bright yellow stream trail from the dog all the way to Travis' light blue dress shirt. His shirt soaked in every last drop, a large wet mess spreading. He rolled his eyes and put the dog down - he had to stop himself from throwing the annoyance across the room. It was going to take him at least twenty minutes to find his wand - then another ten thinking of the right spell. Just then he thought he should stop sketching so much and spend more time with his magic....