Another treacherous day in the seventh grade had passed as I ran out of the bus towards the back door of my house. I scrambled for the key to unlock the door as I blindly walked into a spider web. As I swung open the door and the security alarm chimed, I dropped the single gold key into the brown pile of leaves. I had become slightly agitated at this point. I didn’t have time to look for the key because I only had approximately thirty-five seconds left to disable the alarm before the cops would arrive at my house. I slung my book sack into the kitchen and hurriedly ran up the stairs into our dining room. As I typed in the security code and the ringing of the alarm stopped, I felt a slight ease; then I remembered that I still had to look for the key, which would be similar to trying to locate a needle in a hay stack. As I passed my book sack on the way outside, I reflected on Mr. Keith’s horrendous math test today that I most likely did not do well on. I had a huge weight on my shoulders; if I do not make at least a ninety-seven on the next test, I won’t be able to make the A Honor Roll. To make my day even worse, I had a huge argument with my best friend over some immature guy that I said was cute and she said was her boyfriend. I apologized, but she was still mad at me. As I sat on the ground to look for the key, I began to cry. I felt so alone, as if I didn’t have a companion in the world. I sat there by the back door for a while crying, until I gathered up the courage to stop. I found the key after about a minute of looking and headed back into the house.

Later that evening, my dad came home in a rather good mood. I was still angry at the world, so I wasn’t in being very talkative, which was odd for me. Dad could always tell when something was bothering me; he told me to cheer up because I was getting a surprise when Mom got home. This did excite me because Mom hardly ever brought home surprises. As I sat down at the dining room table to begin my homework, I noticed a heaping Wal-Mart bag that looked like it had a dog bed and food in it. I shrugged it off and figured that it was something for the cats we had outside. At about 7:30, Mom called and said that she was pulling into the driveway and for us to be ready. I didn’t see how big of a deal this surprise could be to make my parents act like giddy little children. As I heard the kitchen door open, I looked around the corner to see my mom holding something in the palm of her hand. I got up from the dining room table to see what this great surprise actually was. As I walked closer towards her, I noticed that the little ball of fluff in her hand was in fact, breathing. I extended my hands, and mom smiled as she put a miniature toy poodle into my palm. The small animal breathed slowly as I inspected her apricot fur and tiny pink nose. I decided to name her Daizie Mae, after my favorite flower, but with a unique twist. It was definitely love at first sight. I felt this great feeling of acceptance as I held her close to my chest. I knew that she could never judge me or make me feel as if I weren’t good enough. I knew that this would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Four years later as Daizie Mae sits on my lap encouraging me to finish this English assignment so we can play with her squeak toys, she has become more than just a companion; she’s my best friend. No matter what kind of mood I am in, she is always there to wag her cute little tail and smile with her pretty brown eyes to make me feel better. It’s as if she can read my mind or understand how I feel when she puts her paw on my leg and looks up at me with sympathetic eyes. When I come home from school every day—no matter what kind of day it had been, she is waiting for me by the door, wagging her tail and jumping up and down. It makes me feel so accepted to know that someone loves me unconditionally, no matter what. Diamonds may be another girl’s best friend, but my shining beauty has apricot fur, a little pink nose, and polished toe nails. After all, what kind of diamond can offer unconditional love?