(Just as Matt finishes speaking, the cat, who had been silently following, suddenly bites his leg from behind. Matt yelps in surprise and lifts the cat up.)
Matt (gritting his teeth): "Ow! What the—"
(He holds the cat up by the scruff, turning to Emma.)
Matt (annoyed, but trying to keep his cool): "Here, take your cat back."
(He hands the cat to Emma, still wincing from the bite.)
(Emma, somewhat understanding the situation, nods.)
Emma (softly): "Yeah, sure."
(Matt's sister, Luna, seems a little disappointed.)
Luna (tilting her head): "What? You have to go? Can't you join us for dinner?"
(Emma looks genuinely apologetic.)
Emma (smiling softly): "I'm sorry, I really have to go. Thanks for inviting me though."
(Matt, feeling the need to wrap things up, nods.)
Matt (quickly): "Oh, yeah, you should go."
(Luna turns to Matt, giving him an inquisitive look, but says nothing.)
Emma (smiling and waving as she begins to walk away): "Then, see you guys!"
(Luna, with a teasing yet serious expression, looks at Emma.)
Luna (with a sly smile): "One thing, as a precious person to Matt, I thought you should know... He's allergic to cats."
(Matt immediately tenses up, his face turning red with frustration. His eyes widen in disbelief.)
Matt (angrily): "What's with you, Luna? Emma, please ignore this."
(Emma stands there in shock, processing what Luna just said. She looks at Matt, clearly confused and a little uncomfortable.)
(Without saying another word, Emma begins to step back, nonverbally indicating that she's leaving. She gives a polite wave, not wanting to make things more awkward.)
Emma (softly, without words, just a small nod): I should go now.
Matt stands there, still trying to process the awkward situation with Emma. Luna, who had been watching, now looks at him with a mischievous smile.)
Matt(turning to Luna, frustrated): "So... again... what are you doing here?"
Luna(grinning, not at all phased by his tone):"I'm just here to give advice. Didn't know you'd take it so quickly."
Matt(muttering under his breath, annoyed): "Yeah, well... it's not like I had much of a choice."
Luna(playfully teasing, raising an eyebrow): "She's beautiful, huh?"
Matt(hesitating, then groaning inwardly, but not saying anything):
Luna(watching Emma as she walks away, her tone more observant now):
"Seems like she was missing you... did you see how she kept looking back at you while walking off?"
Matt (slightly frustrated, avoiding eye contact): "She was Chris's girlfriend."
(As Emma begins to leave, Matt quickly takes out his phone and starts typing a message.)
Matt(texting Emma): "Thanks for understanding, very sorry. Please leave him near the street end, I'll pick him up."
(Matt waits for a reply as Luna continues to tease him. His phone buzzes.)
Emma(texting back): "That's okay, I can't leave him. If it's fine, I'll take him home."
Matt(eyes widening in surprise, texting quickly): "You'd do that?! Thanks. I'll pick him up at your house."
Emma(replying casually): "Sure, no problem."
Luna (raising an eyebrow, intrigued): "What? *Is* she or *was* she?"
Matt (sighing, trying to brush it off): "Doesn't matter. She's just a friend."
Luna (mocking him, smirking): "I should've known. You're dumb, huh? But seriously—look at Chris... *wooo*." (She gestures with an exaggerated look of admiration.)
Matt (groaning, getting visibly annoyed): "What time's your bus?"
Luna(smirking): "Fine, fine, I'll let you off the hook this time. Got a bus to catch. Just came to give you this."
Matt(glancing at the item Luna handed him, confused): "What's this?"
(Luna, already turning to leave, waves and calls out over her shoulder.)
Luna(quickly, before running off): "Bye!"
(She runs off, leaving Matt standing there, staring at the small box in his hand. He opens it slowly, his eyes lighting up as he reveals a mini drone.)
(Matt looks up, watching as Luna walks away. He calls out to her.)
Matt(calling after her): "Hey... thanks!"
(Luna turns back and blinks, surprised. Matt smiles at her as she continues to walk away.)
(Matt watches Luna leave, a small smile on his face as he looks at the mini drone. He then hurries down the stairs, holding the gift in one hand as he checks his phone with the other.)
Matt(glancing at his phone, his pace quickening as he heads toward the street):
"Oh, God... shit, almost 9."
(He picks up the pace, rushing toward the street, clearly running late.)
(As Matt nears Emma's Street, he starts to slow his pace, breathing heavier from rushing. He sees Emma and Maya standing at the street end, chatting casually. Emma is holding the cat in her arms, gently cradling it.)
(Both Emma and Maya look up as Matt approaches, their eyes meeting his as he comes closer. Matt, trying to catch his breath, continues walking toward them.)
Matt(breathing heavily, grateful): "Thanks. Big help."
Emma(smiling, handing him the cat): "No problem."
(As Matt takes the cat from her, Emma looks down at the cat and speaks softly.)
Emma: "So, bye, Candy."
(Matt freezes, his eyes widening as he looks at Emma, clearly surprised by the name.)
Matt(confused, his voice trailing off): "Candy?"
(Emma looks up at Matt with a mischievous smile, as he slowly realizes what she means.)
Emma(grinning): "So, how do you like the name?"
Matt(eyes widening in realization, chuckling nervously):"Oh... the name... ohhhhhh, I get it now. Great..."
(Maya and Emma chuckle at Matt's delayed reaction, clearly enjoying the moment.)
Matt(still smiling awkwardly, trying to change the subject): "See you tomorrow, guys."
Emma and Maya(together, waving as Matt starts to leave): "See you!"
(As Matt walks away, heading across the street, he feels something sharp on his hand. The cat, still in his arms, suddenly bites down hard on his hand.)
Matt(yelling in pain, dropping the cat):"Ouch! Bro!"
Narration:
From now on, the cat—Chris in his transformed state—would be referred to as "Candy."
(After landing on the ground, Candy, still in cat form, tries to steady himself and stands up on his legs.)
Matt(shocked, looking back): "What the...?!"
(Matt quickly starts running away, trying to distance himself from the cat. Candy immediately starts chasing him.)
Matt(shouting over his shoulder): "Bro, cool off! Come on!"
(Candy pauses for a moment, but then stops chasing Matt. Matt slows down, turning around and bending down towards the cat.)
Matt(trying to calm him down): "Cool, okay…"
(Just as Matt bends down, Candy unexpectedly gives him a sharp slap across the face with his paw.)
Matt(staggering back in shock): "Seriously?!"
(As Matt recovers from the slap, his phone suddenly buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and checks the screen.)
Matt(frowning as he reads the notification): "Wait... what?"
(The notification reads that Emma has changed her bio to "Single.")
Matt(showing the phone to Candy, looking for some sort of reaction): "Hey, check this out."
(Candy glances at the phone, then turns his head away, giving Matt a disinterested look.)