Dry Luck [Prologue + Chapter 01]
prologue
Two small foot paws jumped into the chilling white snow. The chilly breeze of the morning rustled through the fennec fox's fur as he looked ahead and admired the season's first. Only on the television had he ever seen snow. He had just immigrated with his family from a country of only heat and sand. It was exciting to experience such an abundance of lush green nature and cold weather. Trudging through the newly fallen snow he had set off on his way to his first day of American high school. Turning the corner just around his house he intersected a group of three others. He subconsciously pulled his scarf above his mouth to hide as he tried keeping himself a safe distance from them, but there was an immediate reaction to his arrival.
"Hey, I don't recognize you," said a chocolate labrador whose ears flapped as he turned his head to study the fox, "Are you new?"
Those words didn't make any sense. Oh god, what do I do? Marlo's nervous smile was hidden beneath the cloth of his scarf and he waved silently. The folk in front of him stared and seemed to be waiting for a response. He looked around to search for the words and muttered the best English he could remember.
"Hello, my name eez Marlo," his face flushed with embarrassment.
"Whoa, are you an American? Exchange student?" asked a girl. She was a cardinal bird. Marlo had never seen someone so vibrantly colored and her feathers were beautiful.
"I speak French," he replied.
"Bawnjur," said the lab smugly. Marlo smiled again.
He could hear a big yellow bus arrive down the street and turned to watch it. He turned back around, bowed a little to the folks in front of him and continued walking beside them shivering with his hands in his pockets.
"So, where are you from?" asked the chocolate labrador.
"Afreeca," answered Marlo.
"Oh, aweso--" the lab was cut off by the cardinal girl.
"Why're you here?" she asked.
The attention was unexpectedly fun; they seemed friendly enough.
"I moved here weeth my family."
"My name's Aaron," he said.
"I'm Crystal," she followed up.
01
When Marlo first arrived he resorted to hiding behind his scarf during what he saw as a very harsh winter of a whole two inches of snow. However, he noticed the more he hid the more attention he drew to himself. He was a fennec fox that had recently moved from Africa with French as his mother tongue. He had rather quickly grown accustomed to speaking English and worked hard to shape his accent. Girls would tug his tail and tease him for being so small. Many saw him as a kid and treated him as such although he was already 14-years-old. Being such a rare species he often got strange looks and questions about where he was originally from.
Marlo started every morning with sly peeks at the form fitting briefs that Mitchell Turney (also the principal's son) wore during P.E. class. The way the squirrel's toothy smile pushed his cheeks up almost hiding his thin almond eyes, the way his fluffy tail flicked as a sign of deep concentration, Marlo fell head over heels when he was introduced to Mitch his first day of high school. He was accompanied by Mitch who shared the same class schedule in order to show him around the school and provide any help if needed. He was Marlo's first friend being everywhere he was during the school day. It had been his prime concern before moving that he would be alone with no one to talk to. There would be no one to sit with in class or at lunch. Not only was he lucky with having an early acquaintance, it was the cutest guy he had ever seen at the school. However, he knew his luck had run dry when Mitch would snicker with the guys and gawk at girls' breasts bouncing during P.E. in the morning. Eventually Mitch had gotten a girlfriend named Alex, but that didn't last long. Still, Marlo savored the divinely opportune moments to sneak looks at his crush in the locker room every morning.
He wore white briefs--tight_white briefs. For a squirrel his body was rather slender and muscular. He was popular and was nice to even the geeky students. Alas, the fact that Marlo was uncommonly born as intersex was also no hope of attracting Mitch. His parents had thought him female before he filled out with a flat, slender chest and lowering voice. After countless interviews and exams, his gender was legally changed to _M. He had always felt like a boy whether or not he was attracted to them. Admitting such a thing would be a life sentence of ridicule and questions. He would lose his friends and be completely rejected as some mutant freak. Half-way there, he thought to whatever greater being put him in this situation_, half-way_. At first, his struggles in accepting this fate frustrated him, but after a while he came to terms with it and even tried to distance himself from Mitch. Painful as the thought of doing so was, it didn't work anyway. It just always seemed like whenever he thought luck had stricken, he was pushed back down to a mere wishful reality.
THURSDAY [MIDDAY]
"You haven't been really talkative lately," said a smooth voice sitting behind him before English class started.
Marlo shrugged resting his face in his paw and staring forward.
After a few silent seconds the squirrel spoke again, "Well, hey. I was wondering if you're going to the football game this Saturday?"
"Mm, I don't know..." Marlo replied nonchalantly.
"Alex is coming. No hard feelings if you wanted to--you know..." Mitch grinned.
"Wait, what? N-no," Marlo started.
"You always seemed frustrated when she was around. Come on man, I thought you were jealous. You like her, don't y-"
"No way!" Marlo interjected, but realized it might have seemed a little too aggressive. He flushed. This sort of conversation pushed him on the edge of how close, but so far he was to being able to ever have someone of his own.
"Uh... oh, OK... Sorry..." but Mitch never dropped anything, "So, you have to like someone. Who is it? Catelynn, Sam?" he interrogated.
Marlo gave up and frustratedly muttered, "Yes... I do like someone."
"I knew it!" replied Mitch, "All this time I was thinking you were like, gay or something. You don't ever show interest in anyone."
The demeaning glare on Marlo's face occurred before he realized what he was doing. Stopping himself he turned back around to face the blackboard, "N-no. No way."
"Dude... you can tell me, I'm your best friend."
It had been a few months into school already, but everyday the rush of seeing him in the morning was enough to wake him up before P.E.'s morning exercises. At first shy, he soon became excited at the thought of revealing his body to Mitch changing into his gym clothes. He never faced him though, for he feared his eyes would become glued to what he saw. Hormones... He had to admit they got the better of him. He knew it was fruitless, but he still wore tight underwear just in case his crush might have noticed him. Fantasies... He kept one of his small socks stuffed in front to fool the others into thinking there was something else there. Lies... He wondered if he could ever tell anyone... if anyone'd understand. Sometimes, as he lied in bed at night, his thoughts trailed off and he dreamed up scenarios where he would admit what he was to that someone. Naturally, it would only bring them closer and maybe even... provoke some something between them. Maybe even if Mitch liked girls, he would still be interested in trying--No, it's gross to him. He doesn't want to touch you. You're his friend.
Well, it turns out that tomorrow there would be no wondering what might happen to their relationship if such secrets had been revealed--and not on Marlo's own terms.
FRIDAY [MORNING]
On this particularly cold and grey morning, Marlo trudged into the gym doors wiping his feet on the carpet in the entrance. Once he found his way inside he dropped his books and stretched. The bell rang. Other guys were filing in behind him and stripping down for class. It was just the moment he had his shirt stretched over his head that it happened.
It happened.
What just--?
He looked around... then down to the floor. Aaron the chocolate labrador had apparently pantsed him as a practical joke, but was on his knees frozen. Marlo saw that the sock he regularly stuffed in his underwear had fallen to the floor.
They were staring... Shit.
That quick moment of silence lasted for an eternity, but was suddenly broken with the full realization of what had happened. This joke went completely wrong.
"What the hell?"
"Dude."
"Holy shit," they all started speaking at once.
"Marlo's a fucking girl."
He stared straight into Mitchell Turney's eyes, but a paralysis kept him from saving himself from embarrassment. He stood there like a deer in headlights.
My life is over.