Don't Hate The Game by Anna Huscha (best pdf reader for ebooks .TXT) 📖

He smiled as he hugged his little girl, wrapping his large arms around her as her little arms were just able to go at his sides. She smiled widely up at him as she giggled.

"Daddy, I think I got one, I think I got one!" Alex's little voice chirped up at him, he glanced from her to the pole in her hands, the line extending out to the water; pulled taught.

"It looks like you do, want my help?" He asked, it was a rhetorical question as she was far too little to take a fish on, especially when it was a mystery at its size.

"Of course daddy!" Alex exclaimed matter-of-factly, sticking her tongue out and biting it before holding firmly onto the pole, he placed his one hand over hers while using the other to start reeling in.

"This one's a big-un" Her father stated, pulling the pole back gently, alert to not whack her on the head with it, while still reeling in. Alex stayed focused on the water, curious as to the size of what she just caught. She was happy, though unaware, that in time they'd have a challenge. That it would matter as to who got the bigger fish; of course in just fun and game. Though in only her five years of age, the fact that her father hadn't caught a single bite in the last two hours while she was on her third bite and second catch, she was winning.

"Alright, here he comes" He said as he reeled in the last of the fight, up jumped a large mouth bass, approximately eight inches in length and eight pounds. He fell back, stumped. Alex squealed excitedly as she stared at the fish.

"Wow" He said happily, hugging her as he held onto the pole.

"He's a beauty!" He said with a smile, she looked up at him with a giant smile.

"Thank you, daddy!" Alex said in her small voice, her smile beaming across her face.

"Wanna keep him?" He asked, Alex seemed to contemplate this for a moment before confirming.

"Yes!" Alex said surely, staring at the wriggling fish, she was unaware that he meant to stuff it, not domesticate it.

Her eyes opened as she stretched, yawning before hugging her pillow to her face and staring out the window. It was yet another night that she had the dream of the past, of how much she missed it. She rolled over onto her back. It was only seven-thirty in the morning and she couldn't find the will to go back to sleep. Sitting up, she put her legs over the side of the bed, stretching her toes out in the soft of the rug before stretching once again. Alex was used to waking up early, if she wasn't it was due to having stayed up all night long.

"Morning, Elvis" Alex said with a smile as she stroked her orange tabby cats head, he purred immediately and fell over onto his side, his tail flicking. She smiled bigger before standing up and searching her drawers for her running shorts.

"Now, where did I put those?" Alex asked herself aloud, remembering they're in the bathroom. Leaving the drawer open, she headed for the bathroom and found them hanging on a hook on the wall. She pulled them on before exchanging her shirt for a sports bra. She walked outside and stretched before starting her annual run.

She passed many elderly people who were early birds, waving at each one and when she didn't, she smiled a friendly greeting. Each morning, she ran a mile, bought a water and a different fruit depending on her mood, and exchanged a greeting with the cashier; whoever happened to be working at the time.

"Ahh, hello Alex. How are you this fine morning?" Darlene asked, she was a woman in her mid-years with a crooked smile due to an accident in her childhood, she was short and stocky but beautiful none-the-less.

"Hi Darlene, I'm doing great but feel a little stiff, think I didn't stretch enough before coming out this morning. How are you?" Alex asked, placing a banana and large bottle of water onto the counter in front of her.

"I'm doing just fine, beautiful morning" Darlene said as she checked her items, taking the exact money.

"Thank you, it really is. You have a great day now, I'll see you later" Alex said with a smile, Darlene gave an appropriate answer and smiled in return before watching Alex leave. Once outside, she downed a quarter of the bottle before sitting on the bench, stretching out her legs in front of her. She took in her surroundings as she peeled her banana and started eating away. It'd help with the stiffness.

A man in his twenties passed by, humming to himself, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the world as he did a fast walk in tight, yoga shorts, he had short combed-back hair and a tight shirt. An absorbent outfit. Alex chuckled to herself once she knew he was out of range, though he had headphones in, she didn't want to risk the chance of him thinking she was laughing at him. It was always funny to her when she saw a man in yoga shorts.

Once the banana finished and more than half the bottle gone, she stood up again, stretching more than before. She finished the water and threw both the peel and the bottle away in the side garbage before starting off in another jog while pacing herself. She returned home shortly.

Sweaty, breathless, and filled with adrenaline, she walked up the stairs silently and went to her room for a shower. Her parents were still sleeping in their bedroom. As she showered, she didn't think of anything, just let the water wash away her worries as she relaxed her tensed shoulders. After washing the last of the soap off her body and the conditioner out of her hair, she turned the water off and stepped out, she toweled off and wrapped it around her body before clearing off a spot of the mirror. She glanced at herself, seemingly in a trance.

She had deep blue eyes that were always alert with shoulder-length black hair, a soft smile, and was unmistakably beautiful with a scar along her cheek bone and left arm. She ran her fingers along the scar on her cheek before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"No, today is starting out great, lets not let bad memories ruin that!" Alex said in a happy tone to her reflection before walking out of the bathroom, dressing herself in jean shorts and a plain green t-shirt. She didn't have to work until ten but she felt like going in and checking on the animals; so she grabbed her keys.

She quietly descended the stairs and made her way into the kitchen, checking the cabinets before searching the refrigerator but finding nothing.

"Looks like I'll have to make something quickly" Alex thought to herself before closing the door and taking bread out of the pantry, she slid two pieces into the toaster, plugged it in, then pushed the small lever down. Opening the cupboard to her left, the one with the lazy Suzanne, she pulled out the peanut butter and placed a butter knife next to it. While waiting for the bread to pop up, she dumped the filter in the coffee pot and put in a new one, putting the appropriate amount of grounds into it, she filled it with water then turned it on, watching it brew before turning towards the now popped up bread.

She pulled it out and applied a thick amount of peanut butter to one of the pieces and making a sandwich out of it. She placed her used knife into the dish washer, the peanut butter back into the cupboard before taking the pen out of the cup next to the fridge, writing on the piece of paper attached to it. Writing the following:

Out at the aquarium, checking on the animals quickly, if I'm not home before you get up I might be doing some errands, call me if you need anything. Love, Alex.

They all wrote notes and because they all had to go into the fridge to get things for a cup of coffee, or some breakfast, or simply grab something for someone else they would all see a note. If dad was gone before they all got up, he wrote a short note of his love for everyone on it, if Alex was up first she'd write what she was doing as to not worry whoever woke up and found her missing. And mom, she would write what she was up to in case anyone came home and didn't find her.

Alex took her sandwich and left, taking bites as she walked down the street. The aquarium rested at the end of the beach, set across the bridge and bordering the water. It was a large building that housed many animals that were being nursed back to health. Alex loved her job more than mostly anything, she loved helping animals and putting them back into their homes once they were better. She hated when one didn't make it but it didn't cause her to go into any depression.

She took the back entrance, swiping her key over the censor pad that was resting on the door before going in. She lingered near the door longer than usual, making sure to finish her sandwich before proceeding down the hall towards the tanks.

"Hello, you big brute" Alex said with a smile as she got to the tank that housed a fat sting ray. It swam around slowly, making its way towards the bottom as it rested there. It had been brought in after it had been harmed by unexplainable events, it was left with a messed up fin and a broken tail. Alex had been the one to nurse it back to health once it was brought into the special tanks at the back. It couldn't be shown off because of it needing help. They had tried to put it into the show tanks but at the first sign of a human, it would dart into the back corner and hover there.

"How are you doing? That fin looks much better" Alex said to the sting ray, fully aware that it couldn't talk back but luckily, it was warming up to her. Alex watched it as it laid at the bottom, not moving.

"You're probably hungry" Alex walked over and picked up a small, portable, fish tank. This small fish tank had trout the size of your hand. Once she returned to the sting ray, she was speechless. Along with the one in there, there now swam three babies and another one being birthed.

"Wow" Alex said as she squatted down. The babies swam around happily, seemingly unaware of the tank they were in.

"Aren't you guys completely adorable!" Alex stated, smiling at the tank, she stood back up as she opened the small tank, pulling out one trout at a time as she slid the fish into the tank with the sting ray. The mother having spotted the trout, came up and gulped up the fish. After feeding the entire case, around seventeen fish, she returned to swimming around.

Alex placed the tank back onto