FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 9

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Normally when I started my day, it felt like I had lead weights attached to my legs, but today something was different. I felt electrified.

When I flew out of bed my body protested, aches and bruises reminding me of yesterday's ordeals. Nothin' a mild painkiller can't fix.

I chowed down on some microwaved biscuits and gravy before heading out down the street toward McDougalls.

I passed a tired-looking guy in coveralls. Without thinking I said, "Good afternoon."

He nodded and said, "Afternoon," as he walked past. Seeming marginally happier.

Did I really just say hi to a stranger? What is gettin' into me?!

Eventually, the McDougalls sign appeared over the horizon, normally it looked like a tombstone, filling me with dread, but today it looked different, almost like a shining beacon.

As the glass front doors came into sight my skeleton felt like it was gonna burst outta my skin. I felt like I could run a mile in a minute.

I suddenly realized why. _Tay… Kiss… _The place where her lips touched my cheek warmed, as though she had somehow left a permanent mark there.

I was hesitant to go in, not because I was scared of work, but because I was nervous, almost embarrassed at the thought of having to see Tay so soon after she kissed me. What if she wants to kiss me again? What if she kisses me in front of everyone?! Maybe I wouldn't mind it all that much… AHHH!

I took a deep breath and pulled the door open.

"Hi, welcome to Mc— Oh, what's up, dude," Ash said from the front counter.

"Don't let me stop you from finishing that canned greeting, heh. How's, uh, business."

"Not too bad for a Monday, honestly. Been steady, but not _too _busy."

"Cool, cool." As I was clocking in at one of the POS terminals, Tay appeared in the corner of my vision. She was observing me.

Our eyes never left each other while I walked up to my station. "H-hey, Tay."

She smirked. "Hey, Vince."

"How are you?"

"Mmm, alright. You sleep good last night?" She asked mischievously, turning her attention to the griddle.

"Uhh, yea. I slept good, real good. I feel great today."

She chortled. "Really? I feel like I got into a fight with a muton."

"We practically did... Uh, thanks again for—" I suddenly realized Ash wasn't far behind me and could hear everything I said. "Thanks for that thing, you know. It did help."

Her smirk grew wider. "Oh right, _that _little thing. You're welcome. Don't think I've forgotten about it so soon. You still owe me for it, remember?" She playfully bumped the side of my calf with her tail.

My cheeks warmed up when she touched me. "Uh yea, right. So, you gonna collect on that anytime soon?"

She tilted her head back and forth, mulling it over. "I'll let you know." A spark of mischief fluttered in her eye.

"Aight."

I tried to get back to work, but I couldn't focus. I kept glancing over at Tay, not to, like, look at her massive heaving snreasts, or how her skirt hugged her wide hips and outlined the shape of… Scratch that, I don't know if she even has an ass, being a snake and all that. Point is, this wasn't something pervy, I just wanted to see her. Her face, her eyes, her… smile. Every time she caught me looking she smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. It didn't feel weird, it felt good, I felt… happy?

"Dude, are you gonna take that order to the window, or what?" Suddenly I realized Ash was standing next to me.

"Huh, what? Sorry. I'm, uh - _tired _I guess."

I walked over to the drive-thru alcove to hand off the food to a man and his family in a rusty SUV.

"Here you are! Enjoy your food, sir!" My customer service voice was so high energy that it caught both me and the guy off guard.

He took it from me. "Uhh, yeah thanks. Have a good day."

I said. "You too." As he drove off.

"Dude, what is _up _with you today?"

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"You're acting weirder than usual." He lowered his voice, standing between me and the grill, his big head took up most of my view. "Tay is acting weird too. Did you and Tay do something this weekend?" He itched at his long blonde hair he had stuffed into a McDougalls cap.

"Yea, we, uh went to a concert. Why?"

"Really? You two - hung out?"

"Yea, I mean we did it that other time at the mall. Is it that crazy?"

He raised his hands. "Look dude, it's none of my business, but you gotta focus. It's the dinner rush, and you two can't be _fucking _each other with your eyes all night."

"Huh?"

"C'mon dude, you know what I mean. Anyone with two brain cells to knock together could see what's going on between you and her."

"What?"

He sighed and slapped his forehead. "Dude. I'm saying it's none of my business if you and Tay are dating. I honestly don't care about the whole interspecies thing, least - not as much as Carlos. But, you've gotta do your job. Like wake up, dude… are you high right now?"

"Dating," I mumbled to myself. Shit! Wait, is he right? Are we dating? What about Thorn?!

"Ground control - to - Major Vincent."

_He's RIGHT! What am I going to do? _"Yea, sorry, man. Guess I've just been spacey today."

"Oh thank God, you're back." He grabbed my shoulders. "Just try to finish out your shift with some grace, dude. There's four orders lined up that need fries."

"Yea, I'll get on it."

The rest of the shift went fine. I pushed my thoughts aside and managed to focus somewhat. Tay and I said goodbye to each other in the parking lot before we went home.

She fluttered her four-fingered hand at me and said "See you today dipshit. Have a good morning."

"Yea, you too. Enjoy your heat lamp."

She put her hands on her hips, in mock offendedness. "What, you think just because I look like a snake that I have a heat lamp, xenophobe?"

I chuckled, shoving my hands in my jacket pockets. "You actually do, don't you?"

She shook her head and smirked. "Of course I don't, _dipshit… _I have a heated blanket. It's way better than a heat lamp."

Awe that's cute. _I matched her smirk. "Awe that's..." _Shit, I can't say that. What if somebody overhears? _"Uhh, you fuggin' wrap yourself up like a _burrito, or somethin'?"

That earned me one flipped bird from her. "Fuck you. You would _imagine me in bed, _sicko."

"Uhh, it's not like that. It's a joke."

She raised an eyebrow. "Suuuuure it was. I'm sure the idea of joining me doesn't appeal to you at all, dweeb."

Well… She's not wrong. Me - her - giant bed - soft heated blanket - she coils around my legs, or maybe just lays on top of me. Surrounded by her… surrounded by warmth… maybe I lean in for a…

I came back to reality for a moment. Tay's head was cocked, confusion and concern swirled in her blue reptilian eyes. I was not paying attention at all and assumed she said something. "Yea, uh, yea. You're so right. Uhh, Igottago bye."

Before she could respond I started jogging home. I was illuminated by the occasional streetlight I ran under before the sun rose enough to make them all shut off. The cracked sidewalk I treaded on was barren, and the sounds of crickets chirping were occasionally broken up by cars that drove past.

Fuck! Why do I like her? Do I like her? Do I like her more than Thorn? But, I met Thorn first. Oh, what am I gonna do?! I'm gonna have to tell both of them. Oh shit, I'm gonna have to tell both of them!

I stopped jogging at an intersection to catch my breath. Cars passed me by as I waited for the walk signal. None of them had any idea what I was going through. For a moment I looked into the cars, at the people driving them, and wondered if some of them were having the same issues I was.

Dammit! I can't do it. I can't tell either of them. I can't break anyone's heart. I can't do it. Why did I have to end up in this situation? No girl has ever expressed any interest in me in my whole shitty life. Aside from maybe Sammy, and that time in middle school…

The walk sign flipped on. I looked both ways before walking across. I had to make a decision, that much I knew. I had to know if I liked Thorn or Tay more. I had to find an excuse to hang out with Thorn.

Maybe I could find some way to let one of them down easy… There's no way they'd ever meet, I'd just have to avoid McDougalls or Hot Topic forever, so maybe I could get away with it.

-

Why did I do this? Why did I ask her to come here? I panicked. I… I dunno what to do.

It was only a couple of days after I had gone on what could only be called a _date _with Tay. I found myself sitting in a cushioned wooden booth, twiddling my thumbs across from no one, regretting my decision.

At least I was in a decent sandwich shop that was close to my house. A place called Reggie's. The inside was plain, an old crusty black menu board that was one rusty screw from falling down, hung above the metal deli counter at the back. That menu was covered in yellowed lettering and ancient pictures of sandwiches long since eaten. A cash register from like 2018 that hadn't been cleaned once took up a lot of space on the counter. There was a huge crack in the deli meat display glass shaped like a furrowed brow. According to Reggie, an angry customer once hit it with a chair when he told him he was out of honey mustard. The greasy walls were covered with textured white linoleum that had browned at the edges. In the middle of the dining area sat tables accompanied by chairs not pushed in all the way. Old booths were placed along the sides in a row. All the seats were worn down by countless people coming through here to have sandwiches and chat. Maybe even before the war. Though I'm sure most of the people who sat in these seats were here under better pretenses than I was.

Ol' Reggie was a fickle man, there was no customization really. You picked a sandwich from the menu and told him what sauce you wanted on it. I usually favored a hot pizza sub, with extra marinara. This place was a real hole in the wall because of him; I think he liked it that way.

However, neither Reggie's eccentricities nor a delicious pizza sub were what occupied my mind. It was Thorn… and Tay. Tay and Thorn. My time with Tay had thrown everything outta whack even further than I could have imagined.

Fuck… I can't let Thorn know what I'm thinking. I just gotta relax and try to enjoy myself… But… Tay KISSED ME! How can I hide that? I shouldn't have done this. I should have waited until the weekend.

The bell hanging above the door jingled and I bolted my head up to see who it was.

Thorn, dressed in her usual subtly goth attire: a graphic grey sweater with a picture of a cat on it, dark jeans. A black wig seamlessly covered her head, she always had a way with the wigs, making her head look a lot smaller than it was. The wig was medium-length and had bangs. The back and sides were straight cut all the way around equally. Her large void-like eyes were hidden behind a big pair of sunglasses.

She waved at me and the 12 bracelets she wore on her arm jingled. "Heya, Vince."

I walked over and we hugged. "Yo, uh, howsitgoin'?"

"Thanks for inviting me out for lunch, but don't you work today?" A touch of concern in her voice.

"Nah, I mean I do, but my shift isn't for a few hou—"

"Hey!" A stern voice came from behind the deli counter. It belonged to a burly man with greying hair in a filthy apron. "You two lovebirds gonna order some'tin or are you planning on loitering in my establishment til' the cows come home?"

I looked between him and Thorn. "We're uh, we're— I mean, come oooon Reggie, do you really think _I'm _gonna leave here without a pizza sub? I've only been here for TEN minutes; lay off."

He put his hands up. "Ahright' ahright'. I'm just bustin' yer balls." He gestured to Thorn. "Who's the girly anyway? I' never seen you bring anyone in here except those retarded friends ah' yours."

Thorn gestured to herself. "We're friends. _Real good _friends, wouldn't ya say, Vince?"

_Friends? Is that good or bad? Is she friendzoning me? Then wouldn't she just say friends, what does the real good part mean? _"Uh, yea. Yea."

Reggie sighed. "Well, that's real nice... You two gonna order in the next half an hour? I wanna sit in the back and finish watchin' the game."

I looked at Thorn to see if she was ready.

She nodded. "I'm starving."

We walked up to the counter and examined the hanging menu.

As soon as I opened my mouth Reggie cut me off. "Don't botha'. I know what you want. Extra marinara and peppers. And for the lady."

"Can I get the Club sandwich, no bacon, an—"

"NO BACON?! Are you outta your mind?"

I gritted my teeth. Normally by this point, any normal person would be running for the door, or falling backwards, but Thorn seemed completely unfazed. "I don't like it typically, it's too salty."

"Heh, too salty she says." He wiped his nose and leaned forward on the counter. "What you've had is poor product. Me, _I'm a man of _integrity, I stand by my product, my ingredients. I've been making sandwiches for 30 years, girly, and I promise you'll like it betta' with my bacon on it. This ain't none of that synthetic crap. This is real bacon, from a _real _- cloned - hog."

"Ya willing to put money on that, mister?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, tell ya what. If you can keep yourself from finishing the whole sandwich, I'll give you a full refund."

"Deal."

"Alright. That'll be 1440 for the both of yous, or 720 each."

Thorn started to pull out her phone, but I stopped her. "I got it."

I felt surprise radiate from her, but she didn't argue.

"Look at you being a, uh, gentleman," Reggie said with a chuckle. "I'll holler when it's done."

I found myself sitting in the booth I was sitting in before, only Thorn was across from me now.

"So, uh, how's work at Hot Topic?"

She shrugged. "Fine. We're stocking new Space Banditz shirts, and my boss made a deal with a manufacturer to get more pop culture plastic baubles. So it's been busy. How's McDougalls?"

"Oh, you know, nightshift blows, but it's not so bad, I'm not fighting with my coworker anymore."

She leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands. "Oh wow, so you two made up?"

_More like made OUT! _"Uhh, yea, you could say that."

She smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. It's much better to have a friend than an enemy."

_I gotta take this conversation somewhere. She knows I'm feeling awkward. I have to know if she's giving me the cold shoulder. _"So, uh, Thorn, weird question, but uh do you understand metaphors?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Sometimes when we text, I dunno, it seems like you don't understand what I'm saying."

She waved a hand. "Oh, that." She shrugged. "I can be so obtuse sometimes, ya know. I… rely on my psionics more than I should for social situations. I guess when I can't sense folks' aura or their emotions it'd be like if you were missing a sense. I'm not the best at determining intentions without it. Tone and body language don't mean much to me."

_Is that why she didn't get scared when Reggie was yelling at her? She knew he didn't really mean it? _"Oh, I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah, I know I'm a little weird. Just part of being a sectoid I guess. I feel like I understand humans better than others of my kind, better than some humans even. I know how to smile." Normally if someone said that you'd expect them to smile like a pitbull next to an unattended toddler, but Thorn _was _different. Her lips curled upwards slightly to form her trademark warm smile.

"You really do, you have a nice smile."

She nodded. "Thankya', it just takes practice. I see a lot of folks at my job. I see a lot of expressions and it gives me a lot of time to practice my socialization. Texting and talking over the phone is more difficult for me."

_So maybe she wasn't intentionally giving me the cold shoulder? _"Well, that answers my question."

She tapped one of her pink fingers on her chin. The black nail polish glistened under the warm lights. "Though you have made me curious. What was it you were trying to tell me in text? You'll have to be direct with me, like I said, I can be a little obtuse." She smirked at me.

I felt her eyes looking directly at me. She was putting me on the spot. "I, uhh, oh… it uh - wasn't anything important. Just little things I guess." My face warmed.

"Alrighty."

"Hey! Sandwiches'r done!" Reggie yelled from the front counter.

We both stood up at the same time.

I gestured for Thorn to sit back down. "Don't worry, I'll get them."

She said, "ok." And immediately sat back down.

I walked over to the counter and grabbed the blue plastic tray with our sandwiches on it. "Thanks, Reg."

He nodded in response.

After I sat back down, Thorn and I tore into our sandwiches like vicious wolves. Marinara squelched out of the crunchy bread, as I gnawed through spicy peppers, crisp onions, savory salami, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. It was interesting to see Thorn eat. She pretty much ate like a human, however, her teeth were slightly off. It looked like she had more than me, but I never bothered to count them.

All the while Reggie observed us.

After getting a quarter the way through her sandwich, Thorn swallowed her bite and said, "You can keep your money, Reggie."

He smiled. "Thhhank you. You're welcome back here anytime, Thorn. I've got plenty more sandwiches to try." After that, he waved at us and went into the back of the store.

I chuckled. "Pretty good isn't it."

She nodded. "Very. He really shouldn't be insecure about them."

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Oh." She swallowed and wiped her thin lips with a napkin. "I could sense some insecurity from him when we talked. It's a relatively normal emotional response to creating things, especially if it's your livelihood."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Oh, sure. I've met folks that feel that way about things they make. Some outright admit it. The ones I find really fascinating are the ones that feel insecure, but don't let it affect their behavior, and they'd never admit how they felt even if I confronted them. I think the humie expression is: faking it until you make it, hehe."

"Yea, somethin' like that."

"Your species is so emotionally complex, all non-humans are too. It's a shame ya only get to experience the surface of it."

"I guess."

"Ya know, this reminds me of Cowboy Bebop. All the characters have so much depth to them, they're all hiding some aspect of themselves, it's all in the background..."

What Thorn was saying was sorta interesting, but I started to drift from it. As she went on one of her tangents I unintentionally started to tune her out a little, my mind began to wander. I thought about whatever crossed my mind, how good the pizza sub was, about Reggie being insecure. How did I never realize that? I even thought about a funny game of _Heroism: Medieval Warfare _I had with my friends. However, my mind kept moving in a certain direction, touching on something for a moment before recoiling.

Out of curiosity, I embraced it. I saw myself going to the concert with Tay, her hugging me when I let her inside the venue, her in the lights, the music, the mosh... her kissing me in my car. The way her hard scaly lips gently touched my cheek. She looked so uncertain, her eyes sparkling deep blue...

"...about that?" Thorn's tone caught my attention. The image of Tay I held in my mind faded away to reveal her.

I blinked. "Uhh, sorry what?"

"What do you think about that?" She said, looking at me expectantly.

_Ah, shit. I don't know what the hell she was talking about. _"Uhh, I, uhh... I think you raised a lot of good points, and I agree.

She seemed to examine me for a minute before speaking. "You're pretty happy today. Did ya have a good weekend?"

A spike of anxiety crawled through my skin. "Uh, yea. Actually, I did. Hung out with a friend. We went to a concert."

She smiled. "That's nice."

We continued to talk about anime for a while before I had to leave so I could change into my uniform and get to work. We hugged and I told her I'd see her around.

My mind was muddled as I walked to McDougalls. I couldn't stop thinking about what happened at Reggies. I can't believe I was thinking about TAY when I was with THORN. That's terrible. I wasn't even listening to her, I was just saying shit so she thought I was listening. MAN, I suck. Now I'm gonna see Tay and it's gonna make me feel WORSE.

I pushed through the glass doors and limply waved to a guy and a girl leaving the restaurant.

"What's up, Vince?" Ash said energetically. He smiled at me from behind the ordering counter.

I shrugged. "Usual. Here to get this bread."

He side-eyed me as I clocked in on the touchscreen terminal. "You good, dude?"

I nodded, brushing him away. "Yea, I'm fine."

He didn't press me further. As I got to my station, I was greeted by Tay. "Heyyyy~, dipshit."

All I could muster was a somber, "Hi, Tay."

A fleck of concern popped in her eyes. "Are you alright? You seem… glum."

Normally, I would brush her aside like Ash. I mean, who really needs to know about my problems and she was kinda part of the reason why I was feeling shitty, but that concern had worked its way into her tone. It plucked a part of my brain and made me tell the truth without thinking. "Nah, I'm not feeling the best today."

She cocked her head, concern morphing to worry. "Are you sick?"

"Not really. Nothin' like that, just - you know… Got some shit going on."

She nodded. "Say no more. I get it."

"Yea, thanks."

I worked the fryer for a few hours, keeping up with demand. There weren't too many people coming into the dining room, so Ash was able to send out orders in the drive-thru. I helped take the drive-thru orders that came in on the terminal across from the fryer by the drive-thru window.

I didn't have much energy in my voice, but I doubted anyone cared. It was late, most people coming around this time were hungry and wanted something to stuff their face with fast. They didn't care about 5-star customer service.

All the while, Tay would glance over at me occasionally. I could see the gears in her head turning every time she looked, but I couldn't tell what she was planning.

Eventually, there was a lull in business and I got my answer.

I was standing by the drive-thru window, looking out at the dreary parking lot blanketed in darkness, when she slithered over. She waited to talk until I noticed her presence. "So, Vince."

_I'm still not used to her using my name. _"Huh? Yea, what's up?"

Her tail tip started to lightly slap against the ground. "I know you said you weren't feeling great. But I wanted to tell you I'm going to a party this weekend…"

_Is she gonna ask me out again? Fuck, she really does like me, doesn't she? She wants to hang out all the time now. I can't, I… I like Thorn more, right? Thorn said she doesn't understand text, maybe she's not giving me the cold shoulder. _"A party? I, eh, sorry, I'm not big on parties."

She seemed to deflate a little, her hood pulling in for a moment, before energy surged through her. She waved her hands. "Oh, it's not like a party. You know. It's not what you're thinking. It's gonna be real chill. Like me and seven of my friends. Gonna have a bonfire in the junkyard and listen to loud music. Cool stuff."

"I—"

She blurted, "There'll be booze there!" before I even got a chance to talk.

I wasn't all that interested in booze, but it was funny seeing her put herself out there like this. She didn't even wait for the privacy of the break room to ask me. _It's like she's a completely different person. _"Am I really _cool _enough for your friends?" I asked with a chuckle.

"I don't give a fuck what they think…" She snapped.

The anger in that caught me off guard. She looked like a deer in the headlights for a moment, taking a second to collect herself. "Well, em, that and I think you'll match the vibe. A few of my friends are pretty big dorks."

"So they're not all goth?"

"No... I mean they are, but you don't have to be."

I sighed and looked at the floor. "I don't know…"

"You don't have to go if you don't want to…" She sounded disappointed. "Let me know if you change your mind. We're gonna cook hotdogs and shit, and I need to know how much stuff people need to bring."

That perked up my ears. "Hotdogs you say…"

Tay looked reinvigorated. "Yeah. A lot of hotdogs. Baked beans. It's gonna be a little cookout. You can have as much as you want." She paused for a moment, trying to appear not that excited. "I mean, _if _you wanna go."

I scratched the back of my neck. "I'llllll - think about it."

There was a glimmer of hope in her eye. "Alright, let me know before Saturday." She glanced around the kitchen and yelled. "I'm taking my lunch."

Ash, Carlos, and I all responded with, "Alright."

Having received permission, she slithered over to the break room.

Once she was out of sight the spot she occupied was filled by Ash. He looked concerned. "Dude."

"Hmm, what?"

"You're not gonna go to that party, are you?"

His question annoyed me. "I don't know, maybe. Why do you care?"

"Dude, she's trying to get you to go to a junkyard. That sounds like a bad idea."

"Man, didn't you say yesterday that what I did with Tay was none of your business?" I spat.

He raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. "Yeah, I did." He shook his head and sighed. "Do you remember how many times I've told you I'm trying to look out for you?"

"Tsk. Sure."

He nodded. "This is one of those times, dude. You _can't _trust her."

My blood warmed, I furrowed my brow. "Oh, what do you know!"

Like a shark smelling blood in the water, the commotion of our conversation had attracted Carlos.

His sudden appearance caught me off guard. He didn't look happy. "Is this true, Vince? Are you really dating the snake?" He said, brushing some of his greasy black hair out of his face.

"Jesus, you'd think I worked in a _fuckin' _hair salon with how nosy you guys are."

He pointed at me. "Hey, don't take the Lord's name in vain."

"Fine… _You know you're not the only one who's _Catholic around here? It's not a fuckin' contest. Maybe I'll say a Hail Mary when I get home. Is that better?"

"It is God's job to judge if your repentance is genuine, not mine."

Ash butted in before the conversation got sidetracked. "Tay is trying to get Vince to go to a junkyard."

Carlos shook his head and clicked his tongue. "_Tsk, tsk, tsk. _See I knew I needed to come over here. This _is _a bad idea. _Vince, _my cousin met this girl at a bar once, they talked all night. She convinced him to go to a junkyard and when they got there, he got mugged by five cholos that hid in all the junk."

"Well, I've known Tay for longer than one night."

Ash held up two fingers. "Two months."

I looked at him in disbelief. "What?"

"You've been on night shift for like two months, dude." Ash gestured to himself and Carlos. "We've known her much longer than that. I didn't tell you this when you first started because I didn't want to spread rumors. But _Tay _is the reason our last fry guy quit. He couldn't deal with her. The only reason she didn't get in trouble is because she said she'd do fries until he was replaced."

Up to this point, I was neutral to Ash and Carlos. We're coworkers, I mean, I never thought about either of them outside of work. I might've even seen Ash as kind of a friend… But, they were really pissing me off right now.

I felt my left eye twitch. "You guys don't know jack shit. I know her better than either of you! I'm the only one working here that fuckin' ever—tried to get to know her…" I paused for a moment. The words I said soaked back into me after they left my lips. It gave me pause, long enough to collect myself. My outburst made Ash and Carlos look like a couple of terrified guinea pigs. "Tay isn't like that. She'd never do anything like that to me. She's _not _a bad person."

Am I really being protective of her? What is going on with me? Why am I defending her? Do I… do I like her as much as she likes me?!

I sighed. "You know, maybe if you guys tried to be her friends, instead of being scared of her all the time, you might've learned something about her."

Carlos shook his head. "Is' not like we never tried. She never liked either of us."

Ash nodded in agreement with Carlos' statement. "Maybe you're right, dude. Maybe we should've tried harder. But we're not trying to fight you, we're trying to help. We're giving you advice."

I gritted my teeth. "Maybe I don't want your advice."

Ash lowered his gaze in defeat. "Fine." Carlos looked like he wanted to say something, but Ash stopped him. "No. We've wasted enough time talking. We need to get back to our stations before orders start piling in."

Carlos didn't argue and walked into the kitchen. Ash went back to his post in the order bagging area, giving me a disappointed glare for a moment.

Tay eventually came back from her break, completely oblivious to what had transpired in her absence. She smiled at me and threw frozen burger patties on the grill. Clearly reinvigorated from her break and ready to finish out the shift.

When it was time to head home, I said bye to her, but not to Ash or Carlos. I had avoided looking at them for most of the shift because I was still mad at them for judging Tay like that.

It's all I could think about. Even after I got home and got into the shower.

My bathroom wasn't anything special. The floor was made of tan square tiles. A big frosted glass shower stall sat across from the sink. The sink was a hard, grey acrylic counter set atop a wood vanity. A well-used toilet was between the shower and the sink. My favorite feature was the big mirror above the sink that you could watch yourself shower or piss from. Something I did more than I'd ever admit.

The hot water felt amazing on my skin. It always helped me wind down before bed, even if I didn't completely scrub myself every night. The sounds of the water hitting the shower tiles were relaxing as the warmth I felt. It had a way of turning me into a philosopher-poet because there was nothing to distract me from my thoughts.

I imagined I was interrogating that white serpent that had somehow slithered her way into my life. Tay… why have you invaded my mind? I tried to talk to Thorn. I tried to rekindle things, but I failed. All I could do was think about you. You - and your stupid cute face, the way you kissed me. You were so nervous… Even today you were nervous asking me to hang out again… You really like me, huh? I wouldn't mind kissing you again. She observed my musings silently and disappeared like suds down the drain before saying anything.

I saw myself at the sandwich place with Thorn. I didn't even defend Thorn from Reggie. Maybe she didn't need my help, but the fact I didn't try…

I was back in McDougalls, Ash and Carlos silently mouthing an argument. It's not like Tay needs me to defend her either, she probably doesn't give a shit what Ash and Carlos think. But I was not gonna sit back and let them talk shit about her behind her back.

"Fuck." I said with a sigh.

Maybe it's time I finally face the music. I can't ignore what happened at Reggie's. I can't ignore what happened tonight. I think… I think I'm in love with her… I'm in love with Tay.

What am I gonna tell Thorn… do I just break it off with her? Do I let her down easy? What about Tay? Should I tell her about Thorn? No, better neither of them know about each other. It'll be fine, they'll never meet each other. And if they do, they'll never figure out I was dating them at the same time.

I finished washing my hair and turned off the water. Taking a few minutes to dry myself off with a towel in the bathroom before walking naked into my living room.

There was a sense of power I felt from being able to walk around my house naked. I lived alone, so it wasn't like anyone was gonna see me.

As I lay in bed another thought came to mind.

Maybe I - don't - have to break up with Thorn. It's not like we were ever officially a thing. It'd be easier if I didn't tell her. It's not like she texts me much anymore. If I don't text her, maybe she'll forget about me.

-

When I woke up, I had come to a decision about Tay's invitation. My friends were about as supportive as Ash and Carlos were.

"I'm going to that party," I said sternly into my mic. "I don't care how stupid it is."

"It's good that you're getting outside for activities, but maybe you should find a _better _place to do it with her," Dan suggested.

Ray laughed. "Have you ever heard the thing that's like: my dick has taken me to places I wouldn't go with a gun? That's _you, _dude."

"You're one to talk, Ray." Josh sneered.

"There is a _big _difference there. An apartment with roaches in it is _much _better than a junkyard." Ray retorted.

Josh snorted. "You guys should let Vince do his thing. It's working out fine so far."

"Thanks. I was basically in the fuckin' ghetto when I went to that concert with Tay and I was fine. I doubt a junkyard will be any worse than that. If anything it'll be way better because there'll be way less people."

Dan's picture lit up as he commented. "Don't you find all these random places she's taking you - to be weird? You go to a concert in the ghetto, now you're going to a junkyard. I had no concerns when you hung out at the mall."

"I don't know, man. She's a fuckin' alien snake and she's goth too. That's like two things I've got no experience with. I'm learning more about her, so maybe this is, like, normal for her?"

"Alright, dude. You're sure you wanna go?" Ray asked.

"Yes."

"I know I wasn't all for this idea. But it brings a tear to my eye to see my lil' Vinny growing up. All my training wasn't for nothing."

I laughed. "Shut up, vro. I'm gonna have a long-term gf here soon and you'll have to become my apprentice."

"Yeah, and what would he learn from your school of rizz?" Josh asked. "If you see a girl, try to fight her for a month until she likes you?"

"Honestly, when you put it like that, it does sound kinda retarded."

We all had a good laugh at how absurd my developing relationship with Tay was.

"Dude, I'm happy for you, but maybe tell us where the junkyard is. You know, just in case we need to bust in and save your dumbass."

"That's smart. I'll text her about it right now." I grabbed my phone off my desk and started texting Tay.

"So, have you made a decision yet? About which girl to pursue." Dan's voice was accusatory.

"Yea. Yea, I think so."

"When are you gonna tell Thorn?"

"Eventually, vro, eventually."

"If you need some breakup advice, I gotchu, dude." Ray butted in.

"I'll… keep that in mind."

We played games for a couple of hours before I had to go to work.

I was practically ambushed by Tay when I was clocking in for my shift. "I got your text. I'll let everyone know you're coming." She was excited, but clearly trying to suppress it.

"Yea. Cookout sounded fun and I didn't have anything else going on."

She nodded. "It's gonna be a lot of fun."

She slithered off back to her station past Ash at the front counter.

I smirked at Ash, knowing he had overheard our conversation. He responded with a slow shake of his head.

-

The week flew by and it was finally the day of the junkyard BBQ. Tay had told me where it was. And it was close enough to my house that she wanted to walk there. She had asked me for my address when we were trying to figure out how to get there. I could only assume she was gonna show up at my door soon, so I had already changed into jeans and a jacket.

My question was answered when I heard a knock at the door and a muffled voice. "Hey, dipshit, you up?!"

I opened the door to a smirking Tay. She was dressed pretty casually in a black sweatshirt and a loose skirt that looked more like a sock that covered her body down to where it touched the ground. "I guess you are."

I rubbed my eyes. "Yea, I am."

"You look like hell." She joked.

"Whaddya' want from me?! I just woke up like an hour ago." I pointed at her eyes. "You can act all energy, but I can tell you just crawled out of your heated blanket."

"As if." Much like Thorn had the first time she came over, Tay not so subtly looked inside past me to see inside my house. "You ready to go?"

I nodded. "Yea."

"You sure?"

I cleared my throat. "Yes. I'm sure."

"I need a glass of water."

"What?" I looked down at her body. "But you're so long. Don't you have water in that tail of yours?"

She raised a scaly brow, unsure how to answer my question. "Yyyyyes? But, I'm still thirsty."

It felt like she was just looking for an excuse to come inside, but whatever. "Fine, I'll get you a glass."

She followed me in. She glanced around the room as she patiently waited for me to get her some water. "Your place is pretty clean."

I stopped in my tracks. "Why do people keep assuming my house is gonna be dirty? Do I look like a grimy guy?"

She pulled her head back in surprise. "Woah… Sorry. I meant nothing by it, just that it's cleaner than my room." She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Does that happen a lot?"

I shrugged. "It's happened before… Doesn't matter." I walked over to the sink.

I wasn't sure how much she wanted, so I grabbed her a giant plastic cup I got from the movie theater. It had a faded image of a _John Soldier _type from an action movie I saw last year.

When I finished filling up the cup I turned around to see Tay examining my living room. She was touching the arm of my couch and flicking her tongue out.

"Tay!" Her hand retracted instantly. "Here's your water."

I handed her the big cup and she held it with both of her hands. She tilted it upwards and I watched as she opened and closed her mouth in a weird way as though she was chewing. I didn't hear any slurping sounds from her.

She stopped when she noticed the curious expression on my face. "What? _This _is how I drink."

"No it isn't. You're fucking with me."

Her brow furrowed. "I have a different mouth than you. It's… shaped differently."

"But I've seen you use a straw."

She cocked her head and said, "Do you have a straw?" In a mocking tone.

I shrugged. "No."

"Then this is how I drink." She snorted and started to drink again, but as soon as I saw her start, I laughed. She tossed the half-full cup in the sink. "Alright, we're leaving."

"You get enough?" I goaded with a smirk.

"Yes. Now c'mon."

We left my place and after I locked the door we began our journey.

It was that time of fall when the trees had lost a lot of their leaves and the ground was littered with them. The maple trees had all turned vibrant oranges and reds, looking bathed in a perpetual sunset. A brisk wind blew, whipping up the leaves around us.

Tay kept her hands in her hoodie's pockets and had a pleasant air around her. A far cry from the perpetually cranky girl I first thought she was. She chuckled to herself.

"What'r you laughing about?" I asked

"Oh, nothing." She side-eyed me for a moment. "Just thinking about that time you lit the griddle on fire."

I rolled my eyes. "One paper airplane doesn't mean the whole griddle was on fire."

Her hood widened and she cocked her head. "There was a fire on the griddle because of you. What would you call that?"

"Well, if you hadn't dodged it, then it wouldn't have landed on the grill. So it's your fault."

She shook her head. "I don't know why you don't understand you can't hit me with shit. I'll _always _dodge it. I don't like you enough to be hit by a paper airplane."

I chuckled. "Rrrrright. But, you like me enough to invite me to a junkyard BBQ?"

Her mouth clamped shut in an instant and she looked away. "Shut up."

"Since we're bringing shit up… I remember last week some _jadrool _forgot to hook up the soda syrup."

She snorted. "I was tired that day."

"Uh huh. People were complaining about how terrible the Citrus Sprud was all day. And what'd you say?" I let that hang in the air for a moment. "If they eat here they have terrible tastes anyway."

"Was I wrong?"

I shrugged. "I mean, no. But, you were kinda ignoring them."

"If anything, I saved them from drinking a glass of sugar. I'm practically a _fucking _hero."

I yawned. "Sure, sure. How much longer do we gotta walk?"

"Well, you're the one who's walking. I'm slithering." She was practically grinning from earhole to earhole.

"You've been waiting for a while to turn that back around on me, huh?"

"It'll be a few more minutes before we get there." She had ignored my question, but I didn't need an answer to know the truth.

We were still on the outskirts of the city. There weren't many buildings in this part of town to block my view of the 32-foot tall steel reinforced concrete city wall. Its construction was one of the few things Advent did for this city that was good.

Tay's estimate was accurate. A few more minutes passed and we were outside a junkyard.

A chain link fence with barbed wire at the top ran around the outside. Pieces of rusted sheet metal, warped particle board, and old plywood were leaned against the fence so you couldn't see inside. Through the cracks in the makeshift cover, I could see piles of cars and old metal on top of dirt. A plume of smoke billowed from somewhere in the middle. The sun was getting lower in the sky, casting a slight orange glow over everything.

I can't believe I agreed to go to a cookout in a junkyard. Probably the most retarded thing I've ever done. Maybe it'll be fun.

We hung out by the locked fence gate while Tay typed on her phone. After about a minute, a dude in a grey coat showed up.

"Hey, got'chur text." He undid a padlock on the other side of the gate and swung it open.

He watched us both walk inside and closed the gate behind us. He seems pretty normal. Not getting any bad vibes.

He turned his attention to me. "You must be her work friend. Didn't think you'd actually show up. What was your name again..."

I answered for him. "Vince."

He snapped his fingers. "Right, Vince. That rings a bell."

Tay answered a question I had yet to ask. "This is Nathan. He's like you: a... dork."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Jeez, really hyping me up, huh? Everyone games these days, if anything _you're _the _dork _for _not _doing it."

She gestured to him. "See."

I smirked at Tay. "I don't think you're a dork, Nathan."

He sighed. "Thank you. You two are the last ones here. C'mon, I'll show you where everyone is."

We followed him down a dusty path, weaving through a maze of overflowing piles of scrap and stacks of rusty junk cars. I caught a wiff of the sweet scent of smoke before we reached a clearing of dirt. There was a huge bonfire in the middle that licked at the air six feet above it, the heat it radiated warmed my face even from this distance. Coolers were set up on a rickety wood picnic table. Heavy metal played loudly out of a speaker next to the coolers. Chairs were scattered about with no thought put into their placement. People and aliens were situated around the fire, talking and drinking in small groups.

I scanned them. The one that caught my eye first was the mech suit with a person-sized swirling, green glass orb. It looked like an old diving suit with a giant crystal ball situated in the middle of it. An Andromedon?! They're really rare, aren't they?

There was a muton chatting with a human and someone else who was mostly obscured. I could make out part of a bulbous pink head. A sectoid? My mind obviously thought of Thorn, but there was no way…

I couldn't help but stare at the sectoid while Nathan announced our arrival. I zoned out until he mentioned me. "…this is Vince."

I sheepishly waved my hand now that all eyes were on me. "Hey, guys."

Nobody seemed to care about me, but they acknowledged my presence. The sectoid popped its head out from behind the muton…

My blood ran ice cold. My heart bounced in my chest like a car's engine chugging to start on a cold day.

Capital F! F-U-C-K! Fuck!

I couldn't deny it was her. It looked exactly like her, and I knew that tits on a sectoid wasn't normal. My troubled emotions were reflected back to me in an instant. It felt like I was experiencing them twice. She clearly was as nervous as me.

It's SO over! It's never been more over!

Tay grabbed my shoulder and practically dragged me over to the other group by the fire that didn't have Thorn.

She sighed before introducing me to everyone. "So this is Glorka." She gestured to the Andromedon.

The diving suit mech towered over me and Tay by about 2 feet. It did a little wave with its arm. "Ple-sure, to me-et you." Its 'voice' was robotic, it sounded like text-to-speech.

"She works for the scrapyard." Tay continued. "That's why the owner lets us have bonfires out here."

"O-oh, cool. I bet you're pretty good at your job." I said to Glorka with a nervous chuckle.

"Ver-y good." She responded.

When Tay gestured to the hybrid next he spoke for himself. "Name's Flynn." His wide-set orange eyes viewed me with indifference.

Tay put her hands on her hips. "Tell him more than just your name." She sounded annoyed.

The bony, hairless brows above his eyes shifted, causing the deep grooves on his forehead to become even deeper. "Look, I've been working a lot of overtime at the shop." He took a swig from a brown bottle. "All I wanna do is stand around and have a few beers."

I always felt bad for the hybrids. They were all once human; forced to become something else by Advent to create a class of slave soldiers they could control better.

Tay looked like she wanted to lay into him, but I spoke up to spare him. "It's cool, I get it man." I'm trying to play it cool, but Thorn is only 80 feet away from me. I came here with another girl!

He nodded at me in gratitude. "See, it's fine."

Tay shook her head slightly in defeat.

The last one in the group was a really tall, thin man in a suit. He bent over in a graceful bow. When his head moved down to my level I noticed he was wearing a leather choker. "I am Thilbert."

His face was strange, he looked more human than the hybrid, but his skin was tinted a sickly green and he had gold reptilian eyes.

I didn't just want to say _what are you? _So instead I said, "You seem familiar."

He held up a finger "Ahh, perhaps you've seen one of my performances. Have you been to the circus downtown?"

"Uh, n—"

"I'm an acrobat!" He leaned backwards, planted his hands on the ground, then lifted his legs into the air in one smooth motion to a handstand. He walked around on his hands for a moment before pushing off the ground into the air and landing on his feet. "Ta-dahhhh! Jazz hands."

Tay crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and mumbled to herself.

Flynn put his beer in his armpit and clapped sarcastically. "Nice moves, dad."

"Dad?" I asked.

Thilbert stood up from his jazz hands pose. "Oh, that's just what these youngsters call me. I'm no one's father. Well… not that I know of."

"Oh… Well, I've never been to the circus before, but that was cool..."

His thin lips curved into a smile. "If you think _that _was impressive, you should see me do it on a tightrope."

"Have you been anywhere else? You _really _seem familiar."

He scratched his short chin with an elongated finger. "Hmmmmmm, perhaps you've seen one of my kin before. There used to be a lot more of us, but we weren't built to last like the others. Believe it or not, I likely came from a similar gene-line to our friend here. We're cousins." He gestured to Tay.

Her hood shriveled up and she tapped her tail on the ground. "Yeah, haha. We might be related…" her voice trailed off.

Thilbert grimaced. "Oh right. Sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Why is she... Is this related to her being scared of having legs?

Tay grabbed my hand. "It's fine. I gotta introduce Vince to the others."

She dragged me to the other group that was talking. Nathan had sat down in a folding chair between the muton and the human girl.

Thorn and I stared at one another, the emotions between us a miasma of confusion and terror. Tay's tongue flicked out. She wasn't psychic like Thorn, but the vibe between us was so thrown off anyone could sense it.

Before Tay said anything, Thorn stuttered out "H-heya, Vince."

Tay scrutinized her with squinted eyes.

_There's no point in hiding. I knew I was fucked the moment I saw her. _"Hey… Thorn…" I croaked.

Tay's eyes widened. Her head darted between us. "You two_ know _each other?!" Her eyes focused on the ground for a few moments. Like she was putting things together in her head. Her snake-like face morphed into a scowl before she latched onto Thorn's shoulders. "We _need _to talk." She commanded before practically shoving Thorn away from the group.

Thorn looked over her shoulder and grinned at me before they rounded a huge pile of junk and were out of sight.

I was left alone with a guy I was barely introduced to, plus a girl and an alien I wasn't introduced to at all. My social anxiety pricked at the back of my neck. Things were quiet for a while, the others acted like nothing was wrong, but I could only look in the direction Tay and Thorn had disappeared in.

I know I'm fucked, but what about Tay, what about Thorn?! What's happenin' back there? Are they just gonna come back in a few minutes and tell me I'm an asshole? Is everyone here gonna beat the snot outta me like Ash and Carlos thought?! If I knew Thorn was here, I would've never came...

Nathan picked up on the awkwardness and introduced me to the other two. He gestured to the muton. "This is Rose," he moved his hand to the girl, "and Bethany."

Is the muton a girl? Rose is a girl's name.

Rose was pretty standard for a muton, built like a roided-up bald, pink gorilla with a metal gas mask covering its mouth. Except its face was done up with black makeup, eyeliner, and eyeshadow. Nothing really screamed _girl _at me. Either way, Rose didn't seem all that interested, sparing me a nod and focusing on Nathan instead.

Bethany was different. She was on the edge of her seat observing me with a discerning eye as she chewed gum. It was hard to tell by the light of the fire, but she looked Asian. She was tiny, done up stereotypically goth, with spikes, chains, some sort of a ripped-up black dress, big leather boots, black lipstick, and eyeshadow. It was enough to make me wonder if she was compensating for something.

Yelling in the distance echoed over the scrapyard. I couldn't make out any words, but I could tell the voice was Tay's. No one even bothered to look in the direction of her tirade.

Tay's yelling? Why? Shouldn't they both be back already to yell at me?

My hands were firmly planted in my pockets and my eyes had long since drifted down to my feet.

Maybe I should just leave. No one seems to care about me and I'm gonna be back to being single soon. I'd probably be doin' everyone a favor.

"Don't worry, this is pretty standard for Taz." A girl said casually in between chewing.

"Huh?" I mumbled, meeting Bethany's gaze.

"Taz, she does shit like this all the time. Making scenes, yelling. Don't worry."

I raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell is Taz?"

She covered her mouth and her eyes went wide. "Oh damn! She hasn't told you her name?" She started kicking her legs, giddy with delight. "Go on, ask her when she gets back, it'll be _so _funny."

"Ooo-kay?"

I had resigned myself to being silent, but Bethany kept probing me with questions. "Sooo, are you her boyfriend then?"

"Uhh." My cheeks warmed up. "Well I wouldn't say that, I mean we are really good friends…"

She smirked, smacking her lips once. "So, you're single? As in, on the market?"

_How can she be this annoying? _"Oh, I, uh, I wouldn't say that, either… You know what, why don't you ask _Nathan _if he's single and leave _me _alone."

The two of them looked at each other in surprise. Nathan was the first to react. "I could never date her I mean she's so… so—"

"Beautiful - amazing - brilliant?" She suggested.

"I was gonna say egotistical."

"Well, you're boring, so mlegh." She stuck her tongue out.

I handled that well, bet I'm in the clear.

Her smirk grew wider. "You're not distracting me that easily. Just admit _you two are dating." _Shit.

Rose spoke up in a husky but slightly feminine voice. "Oh leave the poor guy alone, would ya, Beth."

She crossed her arms and pouted. "Oh, you're no fun. I was just trying to get to know him."

Rose chuckled. "Why don't you ask him about his hobbies instead, hmmm? Instead of prying."

Nathan nodded, looking at me with interest. "Yeah, what do you like to do?"

I shrugged. "Uh, I like to game but you could've probably already guessed that. I mean… I guess I used to make furniture."

All three of them perked up.

Nathan was the one to speak up. "What, like chairs and stuff? That's kinda cool."

_Are these guys actually interested in my furniture?! _I nodded. "Yea, exactly. Chairs, tables, I made a sofa one time. Or the frame for one, I didn't make the upholstery, I just bought it and stapled it on."

"How do you even do that?" Bethany asked a sparkle of curiosity in her eyes.

I regaled the three of them with the intricacies of furniture making. I couldn't even stop myself from talking, and they drank my every word. I didn't even notice when Tay and Thorn returned.

"…if the legs aren't all level, depending on the pattern on the legs, you can sand down the ones that are too long until it feels like it sits right."

I watched the two of them out of the corner of my eye. Thorn seemed pretty pleased with herself and Tay's frown was so pronounced she looked like a cartoon character. They were both standing away from everyone.

I ended the conversation unceremoniously and walked over to Tay. Thorn smiled as she passed by me. She sauntered over to Rose and started chatting with the group in my place.

I cleared my throat. "So, what's up?"

She crossed her arms. "Nothing. Everything is fine." She huffed. "I need a drink." She slithered over to the coolers on the picnic table and haphazardly ripped a brown bottle out.

"Wait, so what happened? What did she tell you?"

She held the lip of the bottle against the table and slammed her fist on the top to pop the cap off. She drained the whole thing in one second.

"Tay?"

She reached into the cooler and pulled two bottles out. She pushed one into my hands. "You want one?"

"Uh, sure."

She did the same bottle-opening motion again and chugged another beer.

"Woah, slow down!"

She chortled. "Please, with my weight, I've gotta drink over _twice _what you do to feel a buzz."

"Is - is everything alright?"

She sighed. "Look, I just need to not be myself right now and I didn't bring any weed. Give me a minute."

Seeing her like this was lighting my nerves on fire. I cracked open my beer and started sipping on it.

Man, this tastes like ass.

She downed two more beers at once, let out a loud belch, and slumped down contentedly on the picnic table. "Oh yeah. I feel better already."

"Holy shit, are you drunk?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I'm just on the presssipisss'."

I sighed. "Are you gonna tell me what you guys talked about, now?"

Her smile disappeared. "Thorn... She told me the truth."

"So… you know everything…"

"Yes."

_If this is how it ends, I'm gonna lay it all out there. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna… _I tipped my bottle back and forth, watching the beer slosh around. "I'm s-sorry, Tay. I should have told you. I just… I dunno. I know it's stupid, but I wasn't really sure how to do it. I _convinced _myself things would be better if I didn't say anything." I took a deep breath. "I know I fucked up. I'd understand if you want me to leave. I can go if you want."

Tay looked surprised as I spilled my guts to her, but only spoke when I finished. "Hmm?" Her features softened, for once in a long while, compassion presented itself in her icy reptilian eyes. "Oh Vince, it's not _entirely _your fault. We were both played for fools."

"W-what do you mean?"

She sighed and shook her head. "You really should have told me, but Thorn also really should have told you."

"Told me what?"

"_Tsk. _She knew about us the whole time. Me and her, we live in the same apartment." Her mouth curled into a grimace. "I'm sorry, but back when you were more of a dickhead I used to shit talk you to her... And then when you stopped that I - _kept _talking to her about you..."

"What…"

"She figured out for certain you and I were coworkers when you let her read your mind at hot topic."

"She's known since the beginning?"

"Yeah."

I took a big swig of my beer, trying to kill my nerves like Tay had. "W-why? Why did she do all this?"

She sighed and glared in the direction of Thorn, who was still chatting with the group. "You'll have to talk to her about that. I don't even want to think about it. I'm so... _pissed _at her right now. If she talks to me again tonight I'm gonna—"

A shrill voice yelled from across the clearing. "Hey, Vince! You gonna ask Taz what her name is?"

Tay's eyes were lit ablaze as she shot up and pointed at the small goth. "Shut the fuck up! We ARE having a SERIOUS CONVERSATION, Bethany!"

Beth wasn't affected by Tay's rage. "Come on, you gotta tell him, I'm not letting this slide!"

Tay plopped back down on the picnic table and rubbed her head.

_Beth needs to learn how to read the fuckin' room! _"Are you ok?" My voice was quieter than I expected.

"What do you—" Her words were full of venom before she stopped. "Sorry. No. I knew I was gonna have to tell you my real name today. That I was prepared for, but I didn't think Thorn—whatever." Her face was a mosaic of emotions. I could usually get some kind of a read on her, but not now.

I sat down next to her and whispered. "You don't have to tell me if you don't wanna. I get it. I mean, I didn't know any of this was gonna happen."

She glanced at me for a moment and scanned my face. "I'll tell you if you want to know, but don't make a show for - Beth." She clenched her fist as the small goth's name left her scaly lips.

"Aight." I held up a hand. "I promise. So, your name isn't actually Taylor I take it?"

She sighed. "My name isn't Tay or Taylor. I go by Tay because it sounds normal. My real name... is Tatzelwurm." She made a disgusted face as she said it.

"Tat-zel-vurm? Is that like an alien name?"

She cracked open a beer and sipped at it as she explained. "No, it's an earth thing. When I was in prison, we were all tasked with picking our own names by the government. That is the name _I _picked. It is a word I saw in a mythology book. The creature was like a snake cat with arms. It sorta looked kinda like me, so I picked it."

"Do you have a last name?"

"Darknessssss…" She hissed through a clenched jaw.

"Your full - legal name is Tatzelwurm Darkness?" It really was weird, but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it for Tay's sake.

"Yes. I was a retard _when I was in prison. I didn't know jack or shit, or what names were like. They gave us huge lists of normal _human _names. But I wanted to be _special. Now I'm stuck with it. Non-humans aren't allowed to change our names, it's how the city government keeps track of us."

"You bullied me and Ash for our names, and this whole time you've been walking around with the name Tatzelwurm Darkness?!" I asked, keeping my surprise as quiet as possible.

She tensed up. "The hypocrisy is not lost on me."

"Should I start calling you Taz now?"

"No, you _will _keep calling me Tay." She commanded. "My friends call me Taz because they're assholes." She chuckled.

"Did she tell you yet, Vince?!" Beth yelled.

If looks could kill, Tay's glare would've made her drop dead.

I spoke up on Tay's behalf, injecting sarcasm in my tone. "Yea, she did! Was really _funny! Oh yea, I'm laughing _so much right now!"

Beth's smirk dissipated. Clearly disappointed by my lack of interest in Tay's 'real name'. As far as I was concerned, Tay was her name.

Tay offered me a grateful nod. After a few minutes of us sitting alone sipping on our beers, she spoke up. "You can go mingle with everyone if you want. You don't have to hang out by me all night. I'm not in the best mood right now. I don't want—"

My pulse quickened. I was about to say something bold. "You call me dipshit all the time, but you're the one that needs to get a clue." I chuckled. "No offense to your friends, but I _came here to hang out with _you, not them."

Her eyes darted away. "Oh..."

I took a swig of my bottle of liquid confidence. "Look, I-I'm just happy you're not mad at me. You're not ruining my night. Shit, I'd be fine with just sitting here with you."

She smirked. "Who said I wasn't mad at you?"

"Uh, y-you did."

She squinted her eyes. "I said: it wasn't entirely your fault. That doesn't absolve you of guilt."

_Is she mad at me? _"I'm sorry. Like I said before I shoulda told you. I just didn't realize what was happening until it did, and I didn't know what to—"

Tay cut me off. "I don't want to talk about it right now." She drank from her bottle. "I just want to forget it."

"Oh, aight."

We sat in silence watching the party play out. People talked and drank, having laughs and telling stories. Tay and I were still on the outskirts. Her friends would come over to grab a drink and say hi but didn't talk to us that much. Her eyes were distant, I could tell she was deep in her thoughts, despite how much she was trying to drown them out with beer.

I decided to break the still air between us. "Is this usually what you do at parties? Just hang out in a corner watching everyone?"

"Not always. Most of the time I'm standing by Thorn, letting _her _do all the talking."

"Wouldn't you rather be involved?"

She shrugged. "I don't have much to say."

"Yea, sometimes I don't either."

"Well, we could talk about that." Tay gestured over to Nathan and Beth making out on a folding chair. "Those two have been sucking face for the last 5 minutes. It's crazy."

"You've been watching them?"

"Sorta. Not much else to do. And they're not being subtle."

Sure enough, Beth was sitting in Nathan's lap and they were feeling each other up. "Wow, they're really going at it, huh? I even made a joke about them and they both acted like they didn't like each other."

"Yeah, hehe. Beth is a total slooot. Could you imagine, like mashing your lips together and putting your tongue in someone else's mouth?" She flicked her bifurcated tongue in between two of her fingers to illustrate her point. "In front of everyone."

She's so BAD! I'd do that right now if she wanted to. _"Heh, that'd be _craaaazy..."

"It's hotdog time guys! Grab a stick and a couple o' wieners!" Flynn the hybrid yelled from near the bonfire.

Suddenly everyone rushed over to where Tay and I were sitting all at once. Like a ravenous pack of hyenas, they ripped at several packs of hotdogs. Dropping them back into the cooler and on the dusty ground.

Once the hungry creatures had vacated, Tay and I cautiously examined the cooler. There were a few hotdogs floating in the melted ice water, but none in the packs.

We both winced at each other.

"The water will cook off," Tay suggested.

"Probably."

Tay and I stood next to each other cooking our hotdogs on the bonfire. I tried to enjoy the moment with Tay, but I couldn't stop myself from staring at Thorn the whole time. I felt my blood boil and not just because I was standing by the fire. It was my fault this happened at all, but what Tay said echoed in my mind. We were both played for fools. What did it mean?

I had to work up the courage to confront her tonight, if not for my own curiosity, then for Tay's sake. What kind of a friend could do something to stress Tay out this much? I needed an answer from Thorn.