FSE

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Strawby presents:

-PERIT HIGH-

Chapter 1 - Beginning

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"Jesse! Come on, get up! You have school in ... 12 minutes!" a normally soft voice barraged against Jesse's bedroom door. His mum always exaggerated things... wait it actually is 8:48!

Jesse bolted up out of his slumber after confirming the time on this alarm clock. He had 12 minutes to get dressed and go to his first classes at 9 o'clock. He cursed under his breath at his sleepiness and leapt at his dresser, already knowing exactly what he was going to wear to school. In a few quick movements he had everything he needed to wear in his arms and threw them at the bed. Thinking as fast as his sleep-addled brain would allow, he yanked his underwear off and silently thanked his fortune at the room not being cold today. His tail quivered all the same from the absence of a cosy blanket, slightly bushing out to keep him as warm as possible. Jesse's yellow-and-black arms were working at an incredible speed to open up his jacket, then pull on some briefs, and then slip on a shirt... his jade eyes weren't even bothering to keep up with the movement. Luckily, his body fur wasn't long enough to get ruffled by a night's sleep: the soft, dense fuzziness that patterned his body with black rosettes on a canvas of goldenrod gave his skin the perfect buffer against the world he touched. A moment's thought of how tired he was going to feel after this adrenaline wore off triggered an unexpected yawn to escape from his maw.

"Something else... umm..." he pondered to himself.

He was now fully clothed: a solid blue tee clung to his torso and was itself wrapped in a light grey half-zipped sweater. His legs were covered by some monochrome-patterned shorts, and he had some sturdy runners supporting his hindpaws. Something was missing, but he couldn't think what that something was. He hesitantly began walking out of his room and as soon as he left the room he remembered. He pounced back over to his dresser and grabbed his glasses. One paw manoeuvring that wire frame into position in front of his eyes, the other holding his bag and keys, he paced out of his room and through the house to the garage.

"Hi mum, bye mum!" he blurted at his mother without slowing pace as he walked through the kitchen past the breakfast bar and out to the lounge room, then through the internal garage door.

Anne, Jesse's mother, looked up as Jesse's tail disappeared through the garage door.

"Well goodbye to you too, honey." She said for only her ears before sighing and returning to her crossword.

"Seven down ... 'rushed'. I wonder if 'Jesse' fits." She chuckled to herself.

Jesse was oblivious to his mother's remarks as he ran his finger over the dashboard of his car. It stopped over the button marked 'start/stop' which he pressed gently. The backlit dashboard sprung to life and dials jumped to the right then settled back down. He clicked a button on his keychain that opened the vehicle door for the garage, and gripped his paws around the perforated leather steering wheel emblazoned with four interlocking rings in a line. He smiled.

"Four minutes to reach an eight-minute destination? Bring it on." He challenged himself.

He backed out the driveway until he was out of sight of his family's house then stamped on the accelerator, causing him and the rest of the car to leap forward - it almost felt like he just left the rest of his body behind.

Jesse pulled into the student parking lot at 8:59 and sprinted from his car to the lone building just a few hundred metres in front of him.

The building before him was an immense ageing red-bricked box, looking like a draconian reminder of times long gone when corporal punishment and overzealous discipline ruled the school. Jesse was honestly sick of that building's look and was eager to enjoy the new facilities that had been constructed the past summer at his school.

Dear parent/guardian,

Please be aware Ensfield Preparatory School has received a steadily increasing number of applications over the past decade and the size of our student body now exceeds the facilities we have available. To address this problem while maintaining our student body growth policy, we are enacting the expansion plans drafted over the past year. The Ensfield School will be broken into Hart, Schae, and Perit divisions. You can think of each division as a school of its own, complete with all the facilities and staff your child will need to receive the best preparatory education in the country.

What this means for you and your child is that they will be assigned to one of three new campuses on the first day of semester. The assignment is based on a progressive algorithm balancing their educational needs, friendship circles, and several other factors. It is important that your child attends the first day of semester in order to receive instruction regarding their new campus layout and new class list. Special dispensation is afforded at the discretion of administration.

We look forward to your child receiving the best preparatory education in the country this year.

Regards,

Stefan Malowell, Faculty Head and Perit Headmaster

Jesse had re-read that letter the previous night so he knew where he was going and when a heeded to be there. So much for those plans, he thought to himself.

Jesse made his best effort to blend into the truly immense crowd that filled the auditorium. There must have been thousands of students in this one building. He had no hope of finding his friends in the throng. Best to just find out which division he was in, and hope his friends were there too.

It took ages to find a free seat that wasn't next to one of those mental kids, but he managed to sit somewhere on the far side of the room, the furthest of the stands from the main doors. Once the majority of the students were seated, a tall and sturdily built jaguar approached the stage and adjusted the microphone stand to his exceptional height. Jesse recognised Mr. Malowell as he tapped the microphone once with a large, thick paw to assure himself it was working.

"Good morning staff and students. I'm pleased to see so many of you actually read the notices about changes to this school."

A wolf at the back of another stand stood up and shouted "You mailed them to us!" to which those nearby gave a reserved chuckle.

"Let's get to it, you all know we are dividing the Ensfield School into its three houses and promoting each one to an independent school of itself. This is not to say Ensfield is done. The divisions will still meet on occasion and compete in sports and academic challenges." The jaguar's voice was steady and deep, implying he was a patient fur. Jesse, having met with Mr. Malowell several times, knew that was a true reflection of his personality. You could shout at Stefan Malowell for an hour and he would take a breath and gently reply to your tirade with the same deep, well-paced voice he used now.

"You have all been emailed, as of five minutes ago, your new division and class list." As soon as he said that, Jesse watched hundreds upon hundreds of students check their smartphones to be the first to see their assignment. He would check his in a minute, maybe when the school's Wi-Fi wasn't being taxed by all this traffic. "We tried our best to fit students into environments that we think they will most benefit from, but if you do have any problem with the assignment you've been given, we will be happy to reassign you to a division of your choosing." Stefan continued. Jesse tuned out of what was being said when his gaze wandered from the headmaster to glossing over the assembled student body. He was honestly not even trying to look for his friends, just looking at face after face after face after...

Whoa, hold up.

Wait, wait, wait.

There.

Jesse's acute gaze fixed on one face in the sea of furry heads. What grabbed his attention the first time around was that this face was looking in his direction, almost like it was looking at him. This face ... Jesse could barely describe it with words to do it justice. A husky with those classic, intelligent, electric blue eyes and a perfect white and black fur pattern was looking his way. More than that, he had an expression on his face that Jesse knew well. It was that half-inattentive look like he was dreaming awake, with a stupid oblivious smile on his face. Jesse could see though that calling that smile 'stupid' was just insulting. Those lips curved in just the right way that complimented the husky's features so beautifully. Jesse himself couldn't help but think that husky was the closest thing he could imagine to perfection. Before he knew what he was doing, Jesse was imitating that stupid dreamy look on the husky's face. He didn't know who this guy was or how long they had been in the same school but there was one thing he did know. He wanted to find out. He wanted - no, needed - to find out whatever he could about this beauty he saw sitting a stone's throw from him.

The husky's eyes widened and he quickly averted his gaze, pretending to read some book he held in his paws. Jesse froze for a moment. Was that gorgeous guy - that hunk of a husky - just watching him? Just having a personal daydream of his own about ... Jesse? He supressed those thoughts for a moment and continued to watch the husky, now officially intrigued. As if he wasn't before then. The handsome fur fidgeted in his seat, went still for a moment, and then briefly flashed his eyes back up to Jesse. It was only an instant that the two shared a curious and appraising gaze from across the auditorium, then the seemingly bashful husky looked down again and much to Jesse's surprise and amusement started to turn an adorably cute shade of pink.

Jesse knew he had a stupid grin on his maw, but did he really care that his fur knew that he knew? The answer was yes. Most definitely yes. He wanted this adorable dog to know he was interested. More than interested, enchanted. What he did not realise, though, was that the husky was not the only fur looking at him right at that moment.

"Dude, gross. Are you about to drool?" The horse to his immediate left had apparently noticed the expression on his face. Jesse turned to the palomino and asked "Hey, it's William, right? You were in my English class last year."

"Yeah I know who you are, kitty." The horse replied "You're the one who set up the bucket of ice water for Ms. White to walk under. Mad props for that prank, dude. Um, Jarvis - yeah?"

"Friends call me Jesse." The leopard replied, sticking out his paw to make the greeting official.

"Well Jesse," the golden horse said, taking the outstretched paw "have you checked out which division you're in yet?" The leopard had forgotten almost completely about that, having been distracted by that beauty across the auditorium.

"Ah, not yet. I suppose I should do that. Helps to know exactly where I should go after this." Jesse said, not really putting much thought to the conversation. His mind was still replaying the exact moment the husky returned that look of interest.

"Why not grab a coffee with me after this?" William asked. Jesse was taken aback "Aren't we supposed to go straight to classes after the assembly?"

"Hah, you really were zoned out there, weren't ya? Malowell just said classes start at noon today to give us a chance to get to our campuses." The horse chuckled.

"I... er... yeah just a bit." Jesse stammered, the embarrassment over his little episode sinking in. He didn't mind this horse's manner; he seemed like a genuine kind of guy. It was William's turn to grin at Jesse's embarrassment.

"Tell ya what; I'll buy if you tell me how to block out that jaguar's speech voice." Jesse was surprised at how immediately friendly this horse was, especially since he started the conversation asking if he was drooling. "Alright Will - can I call you Will?"

"No problem, buddy." The palomino reassured, seemingly cool with whatever Jesse called him. "It's a deal." The leopard smiled in return. Jesse stopped for a second, the smile slowly wiping itself off his maw and he looked over to where that husky was. The husky seemed to be in conversation with the fur next to him, his body language clearly demonstrating some degree of nervousness.

Jesse wondered if he had been assigned a division he didn't like. He remembered hearing Mr. Malowell saying there was some specialisation between the schools to make it better or something... he didn't care about the details as long as he could do the things he wanted with the people he liked.

"Oh no I think we've lost ya again, dude." Will chuckled, not even bothering to make Jesse snap out of it. The leopard returned to reality by himself soon enough and checked his email on his phone.

Jarvis, Jesse - Perit,

Yr: 10

Classes:

_ English B_

_ Foreign Studies_

_ Mathematics (Advanced III)_

Music (performance)

Physical Sciences (Advanced III)

Sports (TBA)

---attached: Timetable_JarJes014.xlsx; Campus_Map_Perit.pdf---

"Hey, I'm in Perit." Jesse remarked, silently impressed that he had been assigned classes he enjoyed.

"Snap, dude." The horse replied. "Gonna be an awesome year, this one. I can feel it."

Stefan Malowell was still standing on the stage talking, but clearly he was about ready to wrap up this assembly. "- and hopefully we're all happy with this new direction. That's it from me; now go have some time to acclimate to your new campuses." When he stopped speaking, the noise in the auditorium immediately transitioned from a soft hum to a loud buzzing of chatter between students.

Jesse and Will made their way slowly out of the auditorium with the flow of the crowd. It was impossible for Jesse to keep track of that husky in this crowd so he simply resigned himself to remembering what he looked like, in case he ever saw him again. "Did you drive here?" Jesse asked Will.

"Nah, bro. Got my sister to drop me off. Thought I'd walk wherever." The horse replied in a nonchalant tone. Jesse appraised the horse. "Let's take my car then."

"Cool, definitely faster than walking to Perit campus." Will said, again his demeanour Jesse would describe as 'chill'. They passed through the main doors and out into the strong sunlight. Jesse squinted at the sudden brightness, but soon adjusted and located his car.

Will let Jesse lead him though the parking lot; looking at all the flashy cars he walked by. He was looking at a particularly choice Audi RS5 with an immaculate crimson gloss finish, when Jesse stopped and opened the driver's door.

"Nice ride, bro." Will said with a low whistle before getting in and letting this leopard show off what was clearly his favourite toy.

Over coffee, Will and Jesse spoke about their classes, passions, and their plans for the future. The two clicked, and both decided the other was a worthy friend. Jesse really enjoyed the company of this stallion. His sense of humour was definitely how he'd define the toned palomino to a stranger. Will was a little bigger than Jesse in height and overall musculature, but it was clear to Jesse that Will didn't rely on his good looks as much as his personality. The topic of exes inevitably came up and Will began "How many girls have you left in your wake then, Jesse?"

The leopard took a moment to think about his reply "Ah. None, to be honest my friend. I'm more of a gentleman's gentleman if you catch my drift."

"Ha ha, well shit you could've just said you're gay to begin with, dude. That's snap for me too! Love them dudes." Will guffawed. Jesse couldn't believe how casual he was about his sexuality. "Are you fucking with me right now, Will?" he asked.

"Nah, bro. I'm totes into the wang!" The horse chuckled. Jesse was really not sure how to take Will's tone. "Okay just say it straight, are you a homosexual?"

"Well it'd be hard to say it straight if I was, but yeah. I'm gay." Will replied, his usual joking tone almost completely gone.

A silent moment came and Jesse saw an opportunity to broach a topic he had been thinking about for the past hour. "So Will, this may sound a bit weird but do you know-?"

"JESSE! There you are, buddy!" came a booming voice from the entrance to the coffee shop. Jesse turned to see the only guy he knew who had such a loud voice: a gigantic, jet black, thickly-built bull strode toward their table and sat down at the end, facing the leopard and the horse. Jesse was surprised. "Noah, were you looking for me?" he questioned the bull.

"Well you didn't answer your phone." The bull retorted. Jesse checked his phone and sure enough, there was one missed call from Noah. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't even hear it ring."

"It doesn't matter, We're here now. Who is this delicious golden slice here?" Noah asked in genuine intrigue masked by innuendo. Will took the initiative and responded "I'm Will and hello yourself, stud."

"Jesse I like this one. Are we keeping him?" Noah said without moving his gaze from Will's body.

Jessie rolled his eyes. "Jesus Christ, Noah. I make one new friend and you're immediately all over him. Anyway, don't you have a certain feline someone with you? Where is he?"

"Getting drinks." The bull replied sheepishly. "With the others." Jesse's ears perked up at that statement. At least he could catch up with his friends and find out if they were all in the same division. Jesse badly hoped his friendship group had not been split up by the school's reform. He loved every one of his friends to bits; they had been together as a group since their preteens. He didn't think he could take the group being broken up; he wasn't ready to deal with all the drama that would ensue. Jesse forced himself to take a deep breath and slow his worried thoughts.

He sometimes felt this way, a creeping grip over his heart and lungs. It was an icy shroud over his centre, but wasn't a literal cold feeling. He could feel his heart begin to pulse faster. The anxiety attack was taking hold over him. "Noah. Could I borr-" he began but was cut short by his own coughing. To Will, this looked like Jesse had just maybe taken his coffee down the wrong passage, but Noah recognised Jesse's tone and calmly moved over next to the smaller fur and placed one hooved hand on Jesse's shoulder and another squarely in the middle of his chest. "Jesse, chill. I know what you're thinking and trust me, it's all good." The bull directed to Jesse in an even tone. His friend's reassuring grip was driving back that cold feeling. Within a few moments, the episode was averted and Jesse gave a slight nod to Noah, intimating he was okay now.

"Um, do you guys need a room or something?" Will asked, looking a little surprised by the exchange. Jesse, quickly returning to his normal demeanour, explained "Sorry about that, sometimes I worry about things and I get little anxiety attacks. Nothing to worry about, and Noah's known me long enough to know how to help effectively."

"Ah, are you okay now?"

"Yeah I'm fine. It's never really bad." Jesse lied to Will, hoping he wouldn't notice. Noah was still watching his friend, in case he started again. When he didn't, the leopard eased the group back into conversation. "Aren't you a little worried about your friends not being in Perit too?" Jesse looked genuinely curious about Will's answer.

"Ah, no. Not even a little. My 'friends' didn't take my coming out last year very well and they..." He trailed off, the rest of that sentence not needing to be finished. Jesse and Noah both moved in to comfort the suddenly humourless equine. Will didn't completely understand why these furs he'd met today cared about his bitching. His veil of nonchalance swiftly returned. "Thanks guys, but really I don't think a threeway's gonna fix it." Jesse and Noah both laughed at that, Jesse even giving the horse a friendly arm punch. "I'm pretty sure I'm not that easy. I can't speak for Noah, however." The bull threw up a mock offended expression and was about to retort when he was swiped to the side by a brightly coloured furball colliding with him.

"What's up, sluts? Noah honey, you've got a little something on your face there." The neon yellow cheetah greeted as he sat down next to Noah, his lithe body sliding up close to the bull.

"Will, meet Gary - Noah's other half and possibly the most offensive little twat that you'll ever meet. Gary, this is my new friend Will. He needs some new friends." Jesse introduced the two, grinning at Gary.

"Pleasure to meet you, Will. Wow you are trim aren't you?" the cheetah paused and shot his mate an overdramatic accusatory glare. "How long did it take you to start hitting on this one?" the cheetah mockingly growled at Noah.

The bull hugged his mate tightly to prevent him from escaping. "Just a bit of banter, my love. Nothing you wouldn't do yourself." Noah said to his smaller lover, trying to suppress a laugh. "Jesse, this one has my approval. Tapped it yet?" The cheetah asked, flicking his violently red hair out of his left eye.

Jesse started going red despite brushing off the question with a smile. "Not like that, Gaz. We met this morning, and I don't think I could bring myself to tap anyone" he checked his watch "not even three hours after waking up."

"Who's tapping whom and why aren't we involved?" a bright voice called from behind Jesse. The leopard turned to see three familiar furs strolling toward them. "Will, meet the last of my circle of close friends: Ben and Harry are the twin otters" Jesse said to the golden stallion, indicating the pair of lutrans eyeing off Will "And the wolf behind them is" Jesse paused momentarily "Alan."

The ash grey wolf's ears flicked at his name. "Jess." He said in a tone Will found hard to describe but easy to recognise. "Still not talking to me?" the wolf asked in a voice that was mixed between angered and mournful. It was clear to Will that Jesse's relationship with this lupine was complicated. He certainly wasn't about to go blundering into that mess. "Al, come on. I'm not avoiding you or anything; I just needed a little space this summer. That's all." Jesse attempted to say in an appeasing way, but the wolf seemed to not hear it. He grunted and sat between Ben and Harry, looking a little dejected ... or was it annoyed? Jesse couldn't tell and didn't want the drama that would come with pressing the matter.

"So Will, is it? When does this tapping start exactly?" one of the otters asked the stallion. "That's me, dude. Not any time soon I reckon." Will replied, trying to inject more joviality than usual into his response. "But you're gonna have to help me out here, which one are you and how do I tell you and your brother apart?"

A fair question, the otter considered his response for a moment - not sure if he should try messing with him or not. "I'm Harry, and my right ear's pierced." He said, showing the equine a tiny golden stud near the tip of his ear.

"And I'm Ben, my left ear's pierced." The other twin piped in, grinning and showing his identical studded ear. Will made the mental note "Ben's left, Harry's right. Got it" he said aloud to confirm.

Gary took the focus of the group, sitting quite relaxed in his mate's lap. "So the big question on everyone's mind, which division did us each get?"

The otters were first to respond "Perit!" they chimed in unison.

"Perit." Gary added for himself.

"Perit." Came the relieved voice of Jesse.

"Alan?" Gary looked over to the wolf. "Perit." He said with a grin, his sulkiness banished by the thought of the group sticking together.

"Mr. William Goldenboy?" Gary asked teasingly. "Perit, no doubt!" the horse replied, chuckling at the tease.

"Well that's great guys," Gary continued "now - my man here was initially put down as Schae" the group gasped in unison and were about to voice their protest, but the cheetah held up a paw to stop them "but we spoke to Mr. Malowell and he said it was probably an error because he knew we would want to be in the same division. He fixed it for us which means -"

"The gang's all together again!" Jesse exclaimed, delighted and relieved. "Dah-nah-naaah, dah-nah-naaah, dah-nah-nah-nah-naaah!" Ben and Noah chimed in after that comment, causing every fur in the u-shaped semi-secluded booth to cackle and guffaw. Will knew immediately that if he stuck with these guys, he would be in for the best years of his life.

The group continued to chat and joke about anything that popped into their heads, well after everyone's drinks were empty. Harry waved his paws to get the group's attention. "So I heard a rumour-"

"Oh my god, it was just one time and I was bored!" Ben interjected, getting a giggle out of everyone. The other otter continued, stifling a giggle himself. "-a rumour that the decision to divide up the school was in response to those fights last year. You guys remember when Tim was attacked by those dickheads last year because they baited and outed him in one of the locker rooms?" the group's mood immediately became sombre and Alan added "Yeah, he's such a nice guy too. He didn't deserve that. No-one deserves that."

Will looked down at his empty coffee cup. He was one of those statistics. Some guy that got bashed because he liked guys. He felt ashamed that he was a victim of such bigotry. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he let Harry continue "Well I heard that when Malowell found out several of these attacks had happened, he went berserk and started talking about expelling students and enforcing mandatory background checks. Obviously that's not what ended up being done, but I heard that he decided to separate those prejudiced heteros from the queer kids. That's why we're all in Perit. It's an all-boys haven from gay-bashers. Hart is the same for the lesbians."

Gary spoke up "You talk a lot of shit, Harry. You know that? What about the bisexuals?" The cheetah had a point; the whole idea did seem a bit far-fetched. "I dunno Gary, maybe they got to pick? But honestly if you're not some heteronormative twit, why would you pick to be in Schae? I'm gonna assume every guy I see on campus is gay or bi." The otter reasoned. "Harry, you assume that anyway!" Jesse quipped. Even Harry had to laugh at that one. "I guess we'll find out in about..." Harry checked his phone "20 minutes. We should probably get going, guys." The group collectively agreed and stood up to leave.

"Jess, Could I ride with you to campus?" Alan asked Jesse.

"Um... I've been driving Will around today and my car's only a 2-seater, sorry Al." Jesse replied. Alan genuinely looked hurt and probably felt it was confirmation that Jesse was avoiding him. Will overheard this and butted in "Hey, hey Jesse - you've been a great bro about taking me into this friendship circle. I'll catch a ride with Noah and Gary; they said they had room in Noah's car for another." The stallion said to Jesse, thinking that these two probably needed some time to work out whatever it was between them. "Oh, alright Will. You're brave for wanting to go with them. Complete horn dogs, they are." Jesse let his eyes do all the thanking to Will, and then turned back to Alan. "So I guess I do have room for a cute wolfy." Alan's tail wagged and his ears perked up. "Thanks Jess." He responded, making sure to not appear too thrilled at the prospect of some alone time with Jesse.

Will, Noah, and Gary left the café first in Noah's Lexus SUV. The twins jumped on their brightly coloured Ninjas and strapped up their riding gear and helmets. Jesse and Alan slowly paced over to Jesse's coupe and seated themselves in silence.

When Jesse pulled out of the parking lot, Alan spoke - not even looking at him "I'm really sorry it ended the way it did, Jess. I wasn't trying to hurt you, I swear. I just ... lost control. Once. And it was a mistake. I regretted it straight away. And... please say something."

"Alan, you fucked some trampy bunny. Worse, you fucked him when I was still in the house. Even for you, that's low." Jesse's manner was flat and as uncaring as he could manage.

"Jess," Alan pleaded, sounding like he was choking back tears. "I wasn't thinking straight."

"You're damn fucking right you weren't." Jesse snapped. He sighed and glanced over at the wolf he used to call his lover. The poor pup was trying his best to hold back tears, yet still they came - slowly trickling over his muzzle and onto his jeans. Jesse took a breath and fiddled with the climate control. "I am very happy to call you a friend, I really am. But you betrayed me in the most intimate way you could. I want to be your friend, but I can't be your lover. You cannot ask me to do that to myself, not for a second time." Jesse was beginning to feel a lump in his throat now. He wanted to stop the car right now and comfort his friend, but that stupid fucking wolf needed to hear what Jesse had to say.

"I still love you, Jess." Alan whimpered. It seemed that was all he could muster. Jesse had no idea what to say to that. Certainly he didn't feel the same way, but he wanted to keep this friend. "You can't expect me to drop all this baggage and drama and say 'I love you too', Wolfy. You just can't." Jesse made his position as clear as he could. The wolf looked on the verge of bawling his eyes out, so against his better judgement Jesse pulled the car over and brought them to a stop. The wolf's eyes widened and he turned to look that beautiful leopard in the eye. Without a word being spoken, Jesse put his arms around Alan and gently hugged him. That hug contained all the sympathy Jesse could bring himself to show Alan. Alan reciprocated, circling his arms around Jesse's waist and burying his muzzle in Jesse's chest, letting whatever tears came happen. All Jesse could do was hold that wolf as he cried. He softly dragged his claws through the wolf's headfur, remembering the times they were in this position and how happy they had been. "Cheer up, Wolfy. We'll still be friends if you want to." Jesse reiterated gently. The wolf was no longer sobbing so Jesse took that as a good sign. Alan looked up into those gorgeous jade eyes he knew too well. "Kitty..." he whispered, before leaning into Jesse, his muzzle on a collision course with those soft feline lips. He remembered how Jesse tasted... that sweet earthy musk that danced on his tongue.

Jesse didn't even realise what was happening. Everything felt so natural and familiar. He began to lean into the kiss too... then he remembered the moment he walked in on this wolf hammering his cock down into some moaning lapine slut... and he watched as his lover's knot popped into that wanting tailhole... the exact moment he felt his heart stop and shatter into too many pieces to count. That night he had an extremely serious anxiety attack. He remembered the words they exchanged that evening.

***

"Kitty, slow down, breathe. Let me help you."

"STOP *cough* DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME *cough* I WOULD *gasp* RATHER *gasp* LET THIS THING KILL ME."

"Kitty-"

"I AM NOT YOUR KITTY."

***

It was enough to bring him back to the situation he was in now. The wolf's lips were barely touching his own when he not only realised what he was doing, but what Alan was doing to him. A paw was slowly trailing along his inner thigh in an extremely sensual and familiar way. Were the circumstances different, Jesse might have just given in and made out with Alan right then, but he was too smart to think things could go back to the way they were. He pulled away in an almost knee-jerk reaction from the lustful wolf, building up some needed space between the two. He stared at Alan, exasperated. "Are you kidding me? Is this why you wanted to ride with me, to try to force your way back into my pants?" He demanded.

"Kitty, I want you back so bad." Alan pleaded with the shocked leopard. "You're the best thing that's happened to me and I know I don't deserve you. I just want a second chance to show you how much I love you." There was a brief moment where Alan gazed longingly at Jesse, hoping beyond anything his love would change his mind. Jesse could only stare back in disbelief. "Wolfy, I..." he started. He took a moment to control his breathing and try to maintain control of the situation. "...I am not... your kitty... anymore." He said, managing to curb his anger and project despondence at what was and is no longer.

"I... Jess... I accept that." The wolf finally seemed to understand he had no chance. At least not today. He withdrew to the passenger seat and resumed his subtly forlorn expression. "Okay," Jesse said "now let's get to campus and get this day over with."

Jesse pulled back into traffic, not saying another word to Alan the entire way to Perit. His mood caused him to accelerate and brake through traffic a little harder than he intended, but Alan didn't seem bothered by anything that was happening outside his mind.

Bzzt Bzzt.

Cause I want it all - I can't get enough. Yeah I want it all - I can't get enough.

Jesse answered his phone with the paws-free function "Yeah?" he answered curtly.

"Hey we're all going to our classes now, are you guys nearly here?" Noah's voice rumbled through the speakers. "Yeah I think so." Jesse replied. "You guys go ahead. I've got Maths first so I'll catch you up later."

"What about you, Alan?" Noah asked, knowing he was on loudspeaker. The wolf had assumed a somewhat cheery façade for the call. "I've got Drama."

"Don't we all." Noah jokingly replied. "That's cool; I guess Gary and the twins will see you there. Will and I are in the same language class. You guys have to see this place, it's the bomb!" Jesse could detect barely masked excitement in the large male's voice. "Alright see you two later!" Noah ended the call, leaving the car in silence yet again. The silence was punctured by amazed utterances of "Whoa" from Jesse and Alan as they came into view of their new campus.

A huge space had been felled out of the densely forested area and populated with several massive buildings and a decently-sized sports ground. Each building, while not identical in size, shape, or colour contained design motifs common to all the buildings. They were primarily constructed from tinted glass and steel, and gave a very professional and advanced impression with their geometrical shapes and patterns on the exterior. The building closest to the car park Jesse drove into was tall and square. Etched into the glass at the front were the gigantic words 'PERIT HIGH' and directly beneath it - 'Hall & Fine Arts'. The engraving was beautifully reflecting the sunlight at different angles to the rest of the glass, which gave the illusion the words were floating mid-air on this building.

Jesse and Alan were both impressed by what their parents' funding bought. As they left Jesse's car and walked toward the collection of impressive buildings, they gave each other a brief awkward hug and said good luck. Alan entered the front building to find his drama class and left Jesse to make his way along the concrete path toward a slightly smaller building with the engraving 'Mathematics & Sciences' above the entrance.

His first class was a boring drone of welcomes, introductions and 'back to the basics' crap he wasn't interested enough to listen for any significant amount of time. His thoughts were more focused on how much of a duplicitous cunt Alan was. He honestly thought Jesse would even want him back after he betrayed him? Jesse was more than over him, he was ready to forget their short relationship even happened. But why did he find it so easy to succumb to that moment where Alan tried to kiss him? Did that mean he still subconsciously wanted to forgive that wolf? Jesse was confused by his own actions more than Alan's.

He sighed and cleared his mind. He didn't need to think about that crap right now. He pictured himself walking in darkness, comfortable there was no distractions. His comfort was quickly disturbed when the image of that husky from the morning's assembly floated up into his consciousness. God, that face was perfection. That shy smile was like some kind of narcotic to Jesse, drawing him in closer and closer - mesmerising him. He opened his eyes and the spell was broken. He was back in his seat, still bored and still annoyed at Alan. It was reassuring he could daydream if he wanted to, even on a day like this.

Before he knew it, the class finished and he was walking to the cafeteria to meet his friends. Gary, Ben, Harry, and Alan were all giggling at some kind of impression Gary had just made. At least they all look happy, Jesse thought to himself - preparing for the chatter to last their entire lunch break. He sat opposite the four at a glossy red table that looked more like it belonged in a trendy café than a school cafeteria. They exchanged details about their first classes - with the drama boys doing most of the talking since Jesse hadn't been paying a great deal of attention to his class.

"We totally needed this change years ago." Ben said, his enthusiasm for the interior design and vibe of the new campus obviously showing. "This place is amazing! I went to the bathroom and they have the sensor taps so I didn't need to touch anything at all!" he excitedly shared with the group.

"Except for any fur that looked better than a 7 that walked into the bathroom with you!" Gary joked. The group giggled and looked to the tall figures of Noah and Will entering the cafeteria.

" What's crackin', boys?" Will shot to the group, approaching the table ahead of Noah.

"Just checking out that fine bull over there." Gary said, looking at Noah.

"How sweet. What have you done with my boyfriend?" Noah responded, smiling at his mate. Gary gave the huge fur a confused look.

"What? Oh I meant that guy over there. You see the one with the huge di-" the bull chuckled and cut him off with a kiss.

Gary and Noah make such a great couple...

The cheetah and bull's personalities complimented each other beautifully; Gary's outspoken sass paired with Noah's reserved no-nonsense language made them a wonder to watch as a couple. Jesse was very happy they felt such a strong connection to the other. The twins poked at the lovers "Get a room, you two!" breaking their romantic moment.

"Don't tempt me." Noah warned, giving Gary's hindquarters a soft squeeze and provoking a surprised yelp from the cheetah.

Will sat next to Jesse and beamed "You know, you've got some great friends, Jesse. I don't know why I've never met you lot before."

"Well are you glad you have now?" Jesse replied.

"Totally." The horse couldn't stop smiling. That kind of smile proved to be infectious, as soon Jesse was grinning along with Will and the two were happily yapping along with their friends. The conversation soon turned to their next get-together.

"We should do something fun." Harry absentmindedly stated, twirling a pen in his paw.

"Well duh, it's always fun when it's the six - seven of us" Ben swiftly corrected himself, giving Will a wink and a sly smile. "We definitely have to do something memorable for our newest buddy. Something other than an orgy." He quickly headed off his brother on that punchline.

Noah smirked and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, making a steeple with his outstretched fingers "How about a party this weekend, then maybe something in a few weeks' time? I know I'm dying to go on a road trip."

"A road trip could be sweet." Harry agreed. "How about interstate down to our parent's holiday house? Dad said he and mum weren't planning to use it this season, and there'd be plenty of room for all of us to stay a week or so." Ben silently nodded his agreement, their parents would be an easy sell especially since they needed to clean that place out a little.

"Nice. Decided then?" Jesse asked the group, who all nodded their approval. "Sold to the fur in the tight pants." He added, teasing Harry for his choice of jeans. "Fuck you, kit kat." The otter grinned back, blowing a fake kiss to Jesse.

Noah ran a hand through his headfur and said to Jesse "Are you right to host this weekend, then? Your basement is usually great for that kind of thing." The leopard thought for a moment "Yeah that'll be no problem, just gotta move all that recording gear out of there." Will turned to face Jesse. "What do you play?"

"I play the throat-o-phone." The leopard replied flippantly. "but I'm also not bad at the drums when Mr. I'll-drink-you-under-the-table over there" he pointed to Harry "passes out of a night." The otter, hearing his name, gave Jesse the finger and kept listening to what Gary was saying. Jesse chuckled, and then asked "Do you play?" The stallion nodded, maintaining that grin.

"You're looking at the prettiest bass player in all the land!" he exclaimed, pretending to majestically shake his mane in an imaginary breeze.

"Alright Fabio, how about we head off to the music department now? It's almost time for class." Jesse said, reading Will's watch.

"It's class time already?" Gary repeated. "I swear today has gone by so fast! Catch you guys later then!"

"Later!" Jesse said, and with that the rest of the group said their goodbyes for the day - heading to their last classes.

For Jesse, what was left of the school day was a blur of new faces, new details, and new places to learn and remember for the next day's classes. Jesse found that Will was indeed a talented bassist, and considered asking him to play in his band. Maybe another day - I'm so tired, he thought as the final class of the day reached a conclusion. His friends all seemed to be revelling in the new environment, which he was glad to see. He enjoyed the new buildings and equipment too, but something felt unfamiliar about this new campus. Something was out of place, and it wasn't a feeling just from the new surroundings.

_ Bzzt._

_ --- 1 new text message ---_

_ Sender ID: Ensfield Head Office_

_ Dear Student,_

Please report to your campus' assembly hall tomorrow at 9:00 AM to meet your division principal.

Jesse read the text on his way to his car, very much ready to have a quick nap before dinner with his family. He was so absorbed by his device that he failed to notice the leopard leaning against his car until he was too close to avoid him.

"You know, mum was planning on borrowing your car today." The leopard chided Jesse. "Hello to you too, Zane." Jesse greeted his older brother. "How did you get here?"

"You're kidding, right? This place is not even an hour walk from our house. I was in the neighbourhood anyway."

"We're in a forest, Zane."

"Well yes, but maybe I needed to go for a walk in a forest. Or wanted to see how my little bro is doing on his first day back. This is a nice place though. Wish it was like this last year." The older feline remarked. Jesse regarded his brother for a moment. Zane was like Jesse in many ways. A tall leopard with a wide chest and broad shoulders - definitely an athlete's frame; heavy arms that may not have been as toned and defined as Jesse's but definitely matching and even surpassing Jesse in sheer muscle mass. Where Jesse was athletically proportioned with tight, obvious muscles - Zane was more of the brutish build and without a 'twinkish' six-pack as he referred to it. Zane may be Jesse's senior by one year, but he acted like he was the younger often enough to sometimes be mistaken as such. Where Jesse inherited his father's black/yellow colouring, Zane was closer to their mother's colours; his fur was a paler, truer yellow with chestnut rosettes that were larger but sparser than Jesse's.

Jesse knew his brother too well to think that comment was a superficial remark about the new campus. "What do you mean by that?" Jesse pressed his brother. "Well," Zane began. "I heard this rumour-"

"Oh stop that, Harry was going on about that rumour this morning." Jesse interrupted his brother. The older leopard paused, and considered his response for a moment.

"How many girls are in your classes, then?" he challenged his sibling. It was Jesse's turn to pause the conversation briefly, racking his brain to remember any female faces in his classes. He couldn't, much to his surprise. Did that mean this rumour was true? The staff somehow knew which students were queer and conspired to separate them from the intolerant heteronormative furs? If so then Jesse was seriously impressed with the covertness of this plan and the execution. "Okay so I didn't notice any girls today, that doesn't necessarily-"

"Face it, little bro: you now go to a school full to the brim with guys who wouldn't mind a go with you." His brother teased.

"I'm sure not EVERY guy..." Jesse started, but his brother cut him off. "EVERY SINGLE GUY la la la, I can't hear you." Zane said, covering his ears with his paws and grinning. Jesse rolled his eyes and opened the driver's door.

Zane continued to question his younger brother as Jesse pulled out of the car park and drove them home. "So how's the gang? You haven't had them all over in a while. Not since Alan..." Zane trailed off.

"Its fine, I'm over him." Jesse reassured his brother. "We'll figure out how to stay friends, for the group's benefit at least. I'm having them all over on the weekend, we're gonna have a bit of a party, probably invite a few other people so feel free to bring some friends of your own and join us."

"You want to use the basement? I've got a ton of equipment sitting in there. I guess it's no problem to move it for the night." Zane asked, briefly checking his phone.

"Yeah we'll make room. Oh and guess what?" Jesse said coyly.

"Um, you participated in some kind of fetish parade?" Zane replied in jest. "Give me a clue."

"I made new friend. He's now our seventh group member." Jesse chirped. "His name's Will, a stallion and he's really cool." Jesse added.

"Aww, your little gang is growing." Zane cooed in mocking adoration. Jesse hissed at his older brother and gave him a soft punch in the arm.

"You're such a bitch sometimes, you know that?" Jesse exhaled at the cheekily grinning leopard. Zane couldn't help but be impressed by his brother's ability to attract others. Zane had friends, sure, but Jesse had an indescribably quality that simply made people want to know him. Jesse always acted unaware of this but for Zane it was a very distinguishing difference between the brothers; not that he ever felt particularly jealous or threatened by Jesse's popularity.

"Ah, I love you too. So what is the plan tonight? Want to play some games or rehearse a few songs?" Zane queried the younger leopard.

"Sorry, Zane. Today's activities really tired me out. I'll have to raincheck that gaming session." Jesse replied. It was a lie, of course: Jesse was perfectly alert and awake; he was just really not in the mood for ... anything. The drama with Alan had taken its toll on his mind. He needed time tonight to just plot out what would happen if he stopped being friends with Alan. The thought of breaking up the friendship group in any way frightened him, but he needed to distance himself from that wolf. It would do Jesse no good to be around him and risk falling back into his honey trap of a relationship.

"That's alright, Jess. We do have to practise sometime soon. Just say when and I'll get Harry's skinny arse over here. That otter owes me a new tuner." Zane rambled.

The conversation went back and forth a few more minutes until they came in sight of their house. The Jarvis' were rich, if it wasn't obvious from Jesse owning a luxury sports car and attending an elite prep school. Jesse's parents co-founded Jarvis Biotechnologies, a billion-dollar-valued company that made... things. Jesse wasn't too interested in his parents' business. The Jarvis' tried to appear as modest as they could about their wealth. To that end, their house appeared to be a slightly upscale two-story suburban home. Not out of place in this neighbourhood. Hidden from plain sight, this house contained two subterranean floors that were Jesse and Zane's bedrooms, and a huge "basement" that served as a perfect location for a party as loud as they liked without fear of any neighbours being disturbed.

Jesse parked the car in precisely the same spot he took it from in the morning, and the boys went inside to greet their parents. Thomas Jarvis, their father, was a leopard who was profoundly blunt in all of his verbal exchanges. "Afternoon, boys. How's the new campus, Jesse?" he asked, his voice half an octave deeper than either of his sons.

"It's great, dad. My close friends all made it into Perit, I couldn't ask for more!" Jesse responded eagerly.

"That's great. It'd be a shame if you hated it after the directors, your mother included, funnelled all that money into executing this 'diversification'." Thomas said, making air quotes with two padded fingers at the last word. "Better now without the dumb jock douchebag bigots?" The father asked.

Fuck me, does everyone but me believe in this rumour?

"Ah, yeah? Maybe?" Jesse replied, a little put off by the question.

"And how was your day, Zane?" Thomas directed his gaze to the older brother.

"Wasn't swept off my feet by a beautiful fur but I can't complain." Zane replied sarcastically. Their father's retort was equally sarcastic. "Well, you can only try, right? Dinner tonight is whatever the hell I can do that involves putting it in the oven and forgetting about it." He simply stated, and with that he went back to highlighting some papers.

Jesse went promptly to his room and locked the door, wanting to be alone with his thoughts for a while. Jesse flopped onto his bed and laid there, tail curled up through his legs so he could absentmindedly groom it while his mind went over the events of the day. He still couldn't believe Alan had tried to make a move on him today. He honestly thought the wolf had moved on too, but apparently Alan's feelings for Jesse weren't as trivial as he had made them out to be by sleeping around. This would make things difficult for a while, but Jesse knew Alan would eventually get over it. Then they could get back to being friends and sharing whatever was on their minds, like how it was before. Jesse was pulled out of his thoughts by a knock on the door and a Zane-sounding grumble "Dinner." Had it really been three hours he laid there thinking about his relationship with Alan? He needed a better use of his time.

After he had his fill of dinner, some kind of 'freestyle' tuna bake his dad seemed proud of despite the overzealous application of herbs, he returned to bed and laid once again in silence. This time, his mind was calm. He was in the right zone to meditate but before he knew it he was dreaming about whatever his subconscious fed to him. He drifted in his thoughts, skipping between fantasies and bizarre scenarios. His slumberous mind was working overtime most of the night to synthesise a passable likeness of that husky he saw that morning. "That husky. I'll be his one day." Jesse's dream-bound mind kept reiterating.

A most curious thing, as only a few dozen kilometres away another mind was doing nearly the exact same thing. This mind was firmly attached to the brain and body of a young blue-eyed male husky who had that same morning seen the most beautiful creature in his life.