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"All The Right Places"

By Calypso

CHAPTER ONE - CAMERON

For as long as Cameron could remember, he had wanted to be a cheerleader. When he was in second grade, he had begun training; gymnastics courses, a learning of basic routines from his older sister, and the reading of any cheer magazine that he could get his paws on. He had joined a junior squad when he was 12, determined to be the best. Inevitably, his squad went to All-Star nationals, and won fourth place, Cameron front and center. His squad won third the next two years in a row and first in Cameron's last year on the junior squad.

Cameron was slightly depressed from having to leave his squad. They had all hugged him and told him how much they'd miss him, and thanked him for his help in all of the success. Cameron didn't know where he could possibly utilize his skills after he had to leave the junior squad. That was just after his sixteenth birthday.

Cameron was about average height for a 16-year-old boy, roughly five-foot-nine, though this was fairly short for a growing lion. Also, before he had ever had dreams of being a cheerleader, the cub had been severely burned on his neck and shoulders, almost to the point of his throat bursting open. He had to have massive skin-and-fur grafts from other parts of his body, and now was unable to grow a mane, as most lions his age had started to. The irony in him being burned at his throat, though, was that he had an amazing singing voice. However, most people that knew Cameron only knew of his cheering talents, not his singing abilities.

The young lion also had some other amazing features about him; he had gorgeous green eyes, long, loosely curly, burnt auburn hair, and rich, caramel fur. These features, along with his slender figure and spectacular legs, had him mistaken for a lioness on more than one occasion. Once, he had been sitting cross-legged in his gymnastics shorts on a bench at his gym, and a muscular wolf gym instructor had started hitting on him. He had enjoyed the attention, but he told the wolf that he was male, the instructor being thoroughly embarrassed. Suddenly, Cameron had wished he hadn't told the guy. He had understood he liked men about age 14; he realized that the other boys didn't look at each other as much as he looked at them while stretching.

At the end of his sophomore year, right after he had had to leave the squad because of his age, Cameron had been sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal and thinking, when he suddenly smacked himself in the forehead. 'My new school has a cheerleading squad!' he thought. 'They may not be All-Star material, but at least I can cheer.' Cameron was told by his mother that they were to be moving, and that he had to change schools, which he didn't really care about. He decided that he would stop by his new school in the afternoon and see if there were any summer cheer tryout flyers.

Once Cameron drove into Cravendale High School's student parking lot, he immediately followed the signs to the front office, then around to its side to see if there was some type of message board. Sure enough, summer cheer tryouts were posted not only all over the bulletin board, but along the walls as well. As Cameron read the flyer, however, his heart sank; the flyer read:

SUMMER CHEER TRYOUTS

If you think you've got what it takes to be on the Varsity or Junior Varsity Cheer Squads this August, make sure and come to the cheer tryouts July 9-14! All girls will be welcome to compete for the available spots on the squads. If you want to try out, meet in the gym at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 9. Good luck, ladies!

Cameron sighed deeply. 'An all-girl team,' he thought bitterly. 'That figures...must be a real fun, traditional school. Well, there goes my last hope.' He trudged back to his Lexus SC430, shaking his hair out of his face as he sat down in the driver's seat. The soft, cool leather felt nice through his fur and on his skin, and he thanked his mother for buying him such a nice car.

Cameron had never admitted it outright to anyone, but he was extremely wealthy. His mother was the heiress to a vast fortune, which all came from several tremendously wise investments Cameron's grandfather had made, such as his decision to buy an enormous amount of Starbucks stock when it was just starting out, or his realization (just before he had died) that Bill Gates had the right idea of moving from hardware to software; his further investments in Microsoft had him literally teetering on the edge of becoming a billionaire before his untimely death a few years after Cameron was born, and just before the young lion's parents divorced. Though Cameron's father Russell had seemed madly in love with Veronica, Cameron's mother, it came to Veronica's knowledge that he only wanted her for her money. After she filed for divorce, he had of course expected half of the marital assets-that is, until Veronica provided security tape of Russell having a very lengthy, groping, and-in Veronica's words-disgusting kiss at their own front door. Russell had been left with nothing after confessing to an affair, and had abandoned ever seeing his ex-wife or son again; Cameron had been only four years old. He remembered his father as a horrible egotist and arrogant control-freak, as lions tend to get when they either have or think they have power. Cameron didn't exactly cry his eyes out over his father's absence.

As the young feline started his brand-new Lexus convertible, he sighed again, and began to ponder to himself as he pulled out of the parking lot. 'Well, that really sucks about the squad...I wish the young adult competitive squads were near here, but they're not, unfortunately...so what can I do to keep cheering?' He rounded the corner of Greencrest Villa, a small street that ended right near a freeway entrance. 'I mean...' he wondered suddenly, 'I have been told that I look like a girl...many times. No, that's crazy, you're stupid Cameron.' He put the top down on his car at a stoplight and hopped onto the freeway, making his twenty-minute drive home and thinking hard the whole way.

"So, when are tryouts, honey?" Veronica asked him. She had been on Level 2, but had come downstairs at the sound of the front door opening. Veronica was a tall woman, graceful and thin like her son, with high, beautiful cheekbones and a thin, yet pretty and shapely mouth. Her eyes were her son's also, large and bright green, but her hair was down to her shoulder blades, perfectly straight, and black as pitch. Overall, the woman was pleasant, but intimidating, always wearing high heels to make her even taller (though she still stood a few inches above her son barefooted). She had much lighter fur than Cameron by far, the beige-tan strands shimmering from the light of a foyer window as she approached. Veronica Jameston, formerly Veronica Jameston-Matthews, had had an enormous salary as head of her own law firm, established without the help of her father, further adding to the funds at her disposal, and of her own merit. She was so successful that she had retired at the age of 34. However, she still had the air of a lawyer, not to mention remembered every single detail she had learned about the law as a Stanford graduate. The woman was shrewd and observant, but absolutely loving, when given the chance.

As Cameron approached her, he noticed, even after living with her for 16 years, that her step was quick and businesslike, that her blouse was designer, expensive, and more formal than most would wear while lounging at home, and that her perfume was light and pleasant, like she had spritzed it into the air and stepped into the wafting mist. "I'm afraid that the school's squad is for females only," he replied.

"You're joking!" Veronica said with a sort of annoyed tone.

"Nope," Cameron replied sulkily. "I don't know what I should do...I mean, I really want to keep cheering, but the nearest young adults squad is some 40 miles away...and I'm not a bloody girl, for Christ's sake..." It was obvious, both to himself and to his mother, that Cameron was very bitter about the situation.

"You very well could be," said Veronica jokingly, patting her son on the head. Then, her eyes lit up in such a way that Cameron glared at her, for he knew this was the look she got when she had just given herself an idea. "Yes, I'd say you very well could be..." she repeated, though there was no joke in her voice this time, but more a dreamy tone.

"You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking, can you?" Cameron retorted, trying to sound like it amazed him that his mother had thought of the same idea as he, despite the fact that it was extremely predictable for his mother and him to be right on the same track.

"Of course I am!" she replied. "We can dress you up like a girl so you can try out! I'm absolutely positive you'll make it." She chuckled a little, her body still slightly stiff, but her manner relaxed.

"There's a problem with that that I've already thought of, however," said Cameron. "If I show up to tryouts and practice looking like some chick, then go to school as a guy and see the squad in the halls, it's going to be suspicious."

"Well, we'll just have to register you as a girl, then," Veronica said offhandedly, as if it were obvious the whole time.

"Register me as a girl? Are you insane? I'd have to cross-dress all the time!"

"Precisely, my dear boy-er, girl!" she said excitedly. "I think it's a marvelous idea, if I do say so myself. Honestly, what have you got to lose? No one will know who you are at your new school, there's no way anyone would find out you're a boy, and it's a chance for you to cheer!"

"There's always the locker room, mom..."

"Just don't change in there. Get there early and change into your practice clothes, then leave directly in them. You know you can shower and change at the new house as easily as the locker room."

"I still don't know...being a girl? I mean, c'mon..." Cameron mumbled.

"Well, before you say no, let's go to Level 3 and get you into something of mine...I have a deal for you, actually. If you like what you see when I'm done with you, we immediately go shopping for girl clothes for you, and I mark your registration packet all female. If you aren't satisfied, you won't cheer, and I'll keep you as male. Deal?"

Of course Veronica wanted to make a deal; she was a lawyer, after all.

"Well...oh hell, why not? Deal!"

"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Veronica said happily, though she didn't show much emotion bodily, as was her nature. She took her son's paw, and within minutes, they were in the main hall of Level 3. Level 3 was his mother's own personal floor, with eight rooms, four of them being closets. It was carpeted in the finest lilac plush, the walls painted a very pale chartreuse, giving the Level a pleasant and feminine look. They strode along past the first two doors, which were opposite each other, and entered the second door on the right. This was where Veronica kept all of her casual clothes, which she rarely wore. At once she was picking out skirts, tops, cardigan sweaters, airy scarves, beautiful hats, and all the rest. Cameron didn't even bother looking; he realized that it was no use inserting his thoughts when his mother was on a fashion rampage. She came to rest on an off-the-shoulder tight black top and smiled warmly, removing it from the rack and matching it with a white skirt with thin, diagonal black pinstripes. "These should do nicely...this black top was one of my first experiments with Versace," Veronica said, apparently to no one in particular.

"They're cute," Cameron commented, eyeing them. He reached his paw out to take them, and Veronica hooked the hangers on his outstretched fingers, walking around him while saying, "I'll leave so you can try them on." She shut the door behind her noisily, and Cameron began to undress quickly, slipping into the skirt and top. There were three full-length mirrors in the room, and Cameron smiled at himself in them, blushing. He had worn dresses as a little boy because his sister had forced them on him (not that he didn't adore them), but he hadn't worn female clothes since, and the sight made him feel rather timid. However, secretly, he also felt very pretty.

"Come in, mom," he said quietly.

Veronica stepped in just as Cameron turned to face her, and her face lit up as Cameron hadn't seen it do in a while. "Oh Cameron, you look absolutely beautiful!"

Cameron blushed visibly. He had figured his mother would say "cute" or "adorable," but no, beautiful.

"Now, if we're going to convince people that you're a woman, we're going to have to come up with breasts for you...I think I've heard that balloons filled with pudding are quite realistic. What do you think?"

"That sounds fine..." Cameron didn't even want to question where his mother had supposedly heard this information.

"Now, for my favorite part...shoes!" Veronica rushed out the door, though her walking could hardly be considered rushing, as she walked that pace all the time. Cameron knew she was going next door, which was her shoe room. Veronica had over 300 pairs of shoes, and needed a whole room to fit them.

Cameron followed his mother into the next room, all the shelves stocked full of every type of shoe, from the most elegant to tennis shoes, and he couldn't wait to see what his mother had in store. She looked around, but unlike the clothes, it seemed she was looking for a particular pair. After a minute or two of searching through the black section, she found them.

"Ah, these will look lovely on you!" she said as she pulled down a pair of strapped, leather, pointed heels. "They may be tight since my feet are smaller than yours, but you'll just have to make do until we get you your own shoes." It was Veronica's way to assume that things would be going the way she wanted.

"Okay..." said Cameron coyly. He walked over and took the pair of shoes from his mother, then sat down, sliding them onto his feet. They were indeed a very tight fit, but he figured he'd only need a size or two bigger, most likely. "They're gorgeous, mom..."

"I thought you'd like them," Veronica responded. "So, what do you think? Are we going shopping, or are you not cheering this year?"

After a moment's pause, Cameron mumbled, "Do we have any pudding?"

CHAPTER TWO - FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Monday, July 9 was going to be a clear, sunny day. Cameron looked up at the sky, having to shield his eyes already, though it had yet to reach 9:00 a.m. He was just getting out of his car in the parking lot, and it looked as though most of the girls wishing to try out had arrived, judging by the number of cars. Cameron was already blushing; the leggy lion was dressed in very short blue shorts, a bra stuffed with about B-size pudding balloons, and a tight white top, his long curly hair up in a ponytail, his eyes lined and shadowed, lips thoroughly glossed. He was also wearing panties, inside of which his genitals were hidden by a sort of curved pad that disguised them quite well. His mother had come up with the idea.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was a girl..." Cameron said to himself as he began walking to the gym. He got lost once or twice on the way, and as he checked his watch, he noticed he was almost late. He sprinted as fast as he could, following the directions a sign gave him until he reached the rather overly large gym, panting as he rushed through the doors and pounded in.

"Oh, one more..." Cameron heard the coach say. As he looked up, he saw a middle-aged leopard woman standing in a circle of girls, holding a clipboard and a pen. He gently padded over, all the girls and the coach staring at him, and blushed, completely embarrassed. As he came closer, he noticed that the leopard coach was rather short, with a very lean figure and hardly any chest. She looked amiable, and she smiled at him as he walked forward, then stopped at the outermost ring of girls. Her brown eyes gleamed, and her short brown hair shone in the lights of the gym. She was pretty for her age.

"Welcome!" she said. "What's your name?"

"Cameron Jameston," Cameron replied effeminately. It wasn't very hard for him to make his voice sound girlish and shy; the lion already was girlish and shy.

"Jameston...that sounds very familiar..." the coach commented vaguely.

"If you've heard of Jameston & Sullivan, it should. Or of Jerome William Jameston," said Cameron softly and sweetly.

"Jerome William Jameston! The multi-millionaire? You're related?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Well, yes...I'm his grands-granddaughter," Cameron corrected himself. Mentally, he was beating himself in the forehead.

"Oh! So you must be Veronica Jameston's daughter then," she supposed aloud. "Well, welcome to tryouts! Just so I have it written down, were you shooting for Varsity or JV?"

"Varsity," Cameron replied hastily.

"Okay! Go ahead and sit down, Cameron. I was just telling the girls how the tryouts will be going in the next week." Cameron obliged, thankful the girls had stopped staring at him. It made him feel like they'd find him out if they looked too long. "Now ladies, as I was saying, today is going to be an assessment of your individual talents. I'm going to be asking you to perform any routine you may know by yourself, then I'll ask who wants to be tumblers and fliers, and those girls will be given specific tasks to perform. The following four days will be spent learning one of the routines we'll be using this cheer season, and whoever has done the best by my standards by the end of the week will make the squad. Any questions?"

No one raised their paw. Most of the girls looked excited and were smiling, the minority looking sullen, tired, or nervous. Cameron wasn't nervous about his cheering ability at all; rather, he was more nervous about the girls finding out he was a guy.

"All right ladies! Let's get started! JV over here," said the coach, pointing to her right, then her left, "and Varsity over here!"

Tryouts went quickly. It turned out that the coach, who Cameron found out was named Coach Fisher, had decided to let the girls perform routines in whatever order they had been in line. Cameron, of course, had stayed at the back, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Right when Coach Fisher had said that they'd be doing routines they knew, Cameron had selected one from his former squad. He remembered all the moves perfectly, but went over them in his mind, just to make sure. As he watched the rest of the girls trying out, he noticed that most of them had mediocre to poor routines. He shrugged, just continuing to watch.

Finally, Coach Fisher said, "Cameron, you're last up!" The JV team had already finished, as Coach had decided to alternate between Varsity and JV, so Cameron was very last.

"Okay," he replied, stepping forward. All the girls were looking at him again, some of them almost entranced, others with sneers on their faces. He didn't really care, though; he just wanted to cheer.

"Go ahead," Fisher said enthusiastically, and Cameron complied with a, "Five, six, seven, eight..." He began his routine, moving to every practiced position, every flowing dance step, and eventually every flip, twist, cartwheel, round off, and back handspring. All the time, he was only focusing on the cheer, hoping his sports bra kept his faux-breasts captive. By the time he ended his routine and looked at all the girls and Coach Fisher, they had fixed amazed expressions on their faces, even the nasty sneering girls. Coach Fisher looked the most impressed. The leopard shook her head after a moment, as if waking herself from a dream, and said, "Well...thank you, Cameron! That was...fantastic!"

Cameron smiled broadly and bounced just a little, happy with himself as he joined the Varsity girls. One small, blue-eyed fox girl came up to him, smiling broadly. "Wow," she said, "that really was amazing! You're definitely on the squad!"

"Thanks!" Cameron replied. She didn't notice he was male! "I'm Cameron. What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Katherine. Friends call me Kath," she replied. "This is Lindsay," she added, pointing to the stringy-haired greyhound girl next to her.

"Hi," Lindsay said, yawning.

"She's tired," Kath explained. "We stayed at my house last night, and she couldn't sleep."

"Nice to meet you both," Cameron said, a smile on his muzzle.

"Not to be weird, but you're really beautiful, Cameron," Kath complimented honestly. She smiled back at who she thought was a lioness, her blue eyes glimmering.

"Th-thanks!" Cameron responded. He could feel himself blush.

"She's right, you're really pretty," Lindsay commented offhandedly. Lindsay was being genuine, but she didn't sound like the type to get too excited about much.

"Thank you both so much!"

"All right, I've finished writing down all my comments. Now, I want tumblers over here, fliers over here, a few girls to catch the fliers please...and the rest of you just stay where you are."

Cameron slowly padded over to where Coach Fisher had directed the tumblers. One of the snotty-looking girls was the first to stop, looking aloof. Cameron already didn't like her. She was a tallish, strong-jawed cheetah, with small features, blonde curly hair, and piercing hazel eyes. 'Bitch,' Cameron thought. 'I'm pretty much the only one she glares at. What's her problem?'

"We're going to start with tumbling. Girls, if you'll line up behind Marissa here," Coach said, pointing to the cheetah girl. Cameron kept a smile, just to be a nice person, and lined up right behind whom he knew now was named Marissa. She had given him a particularly unpleasant glare. "Okay. Now, I'm going to give you all something simple to do, in order, and I'll slowly get more and more complex. As you can see, we've got the mats, so no one should get hurt unless they attempt something they know they can't do. If you feel you can't do what I ask, simply step to the side, and I'll be marking your progress. If you mess up, I'll give you some credit for trying, and the option to try again, and if you choose not to, you may step to the side. Everyone clear on that?" There were a few mumbled yeses, and she said, "Great! Okay, first thing is a round-off back handspring. Go ahead, Marissa."

Marissa stepped forward and performed the round-off back handspring perfectly. She gave a curt smile when Coach Fisher said, "Excellent!" then turned it to a smirk of satisfaction as she looked at Cameron. Her eyes said, "It's on."

He only smiled back at her, thinking, 'You're going down.'

"Okay, go ahead Cameron! Judging by your earlier performance, this should be easy!"

Cameron tumbled just as perfectly as Marissa, but with a much prettier smile. "Great job!" Coach commented. Cameron headed to the back of the line.

This is how the tumbling went. Girls eventually began messing up and stepping out of line, but Marissa and Cameron were perfect every time. Soon, they were the only two left tumbling, and it was becoming a competition. Girls were beginning to cheer for one or the other, and Cameron hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Okay, ladies...last one. How about a round-off, triple back handspring, back twist, back handspring, double aerial?" Some of the girls winced and made "ooo" sounds.

"No problem, Coach Fisher," Marissa said snidely. She stepped up, began to run, and tumbled. She rounded-off nicely, back handsprung, back twisted, back handsprung again, but just as she was in her second aerial, her body twisted a little awkwardly, and she gave a very stumbled, sloppy landing, barely staying on her feet. She looked a little exhausted and very frustrated.

"That was really good, Marissa, thank you! Go ahead, Cameron," Coach said.

Cameron knew this was his moment to shine. With a jumping run, he flipped perfectly, everything looking smooth and beautiful; then, at the last second, he decided to have a big finish, and ended his second aerial in the splits.

"Wow! Now that was tumbling! Cameron, that was excellent! I'd say you're our top tumbler!"

"Thanks a lot, Coach Fisher!" Cameron replied happily. He walked over to Kath and the other fliers, who were all gaping.

"That was incredible!" Kath said with enthusiasm. "How did you learn to tumble like that?"

"My sister was a cheerleader and taught me everything she knew when I was little, and I've been practicing ever since," Cameron replied. From behind him, he heard, "Bitch," and turned just to see the back of Marissa's head as she was walking with her friends.

"She's seriously jealous," Kath commented when Cameron looked enraged. "That's Marissa Tyre. She's a senior, and she's up for captain this year, if her little friends have anything to do with it. Captain is by popular squad vote, so yeah...she'll probably win. She thinks you're a threat."

"Am I?" Cameron asked genuinely.

"In all honesty...yes. I've never seen anyone tumble better than Marissa before, and your routine was way better than hers. Plus, she's a bitch, and I think a lot of the girls would rather see you be captain."

"But they don't even know me! And I'm only a junior!"

"Well, that doesn't matter. They'll get to know you. We'll see what happens after the first week of practice during the year."

"Okay, fliers, you're up!" Coach said.

Tryouts were again going quicker than Cameron had anticipated they would. The lion assisted in catching and tossing the fliers, and he had to admit that though Kath was a mediocre tumbler (as he saw in her routine), she was an excellent flier, and would surely make the squad, disregarding the fact that she had made it the previous year. All in all, tryouts were pretty uneventful after that, and Cameron got used to Marissa glaring at him.

The next days followed smoothly. They began learning their new routine, and Cameron had to admit that it was rather easy. There weren't too many complicated dance moves, and the tumbling was simple enough. The only bad thing about the routine was that Coach Fisher had placed him and Marissa right in the front, next to each other, so they constantly were glaring back and forth. Cameron didn't even know Marissa, but if she was going to dislike him just because he was a better cheerleader, than he was going to dislike her for being so stupid.

By Friday, all of the ladies had done rather well, and they had just practiced their routine for the final time. The JV and Varsity teams had been split each in two, making a total of four groups. Each group had to perform the routine in succession, and finally, Coach Fisher spoke.

"That was excellent, ladies. Right here," she said, pulling a piece of yellow paper from her clipboard, "is the list of girls who've made it to the squad. I'm going to tape this on the gym door before you leave, so make sure to check if you'll be back with us this year. I'll leave a pen so you can write down your uniform sizes next to your name. Thank you all for trying out, and if you didn't make the squad, better luck next year!" With this statement, Cameron realized that Coach Fisher was a rather blunt woman. He somewhat liked that about her.

Of course, as the girls were grabbing their things, they were all anxious to rush over to the door. There were delighted squeals and moans of upset and disgust as some girls realized they had been accepted, and others not. Cameron didn't really rush over to the posted list at all; he merely sauntered over after he made sure he had grabbed everything.

"Hmm...Varsity," he read on the right side. Right under "VARSITY" was his name, the first on the list. He smiled with satisfaction, and scanned the list. Kath's was also on there, as was Lindsay's. Lindsay was a tumbler, and though not as good as Cameron or Marissa, was right in the top ten on the squad. Cameron was glad that the only friends he had made so far would be joining him on the squad. He also spotted Marissa's name on the list, and scowled. He wasn't so fond of the idea of Marissa being there, especially if she was going to be captain, but he figured that being able to cheer was worth it.

"We made it!" Kath squealed as she read over the list. "I guess I'll be seeing you this season, then!"

"I guess you will!" said Cameron happily.

CHAPTER THREE - ABSENT SUSPICIONS

Cameron's summer flew by him. The whole time, he had been practicing his old routines, keeping up on his tumbling, his dance moves, and his cheers. He and his mother continued to go shopping for him, providing him with a whole new wardrobe of girl's clothes in Gucci and Versace. His mother also bought him make up by MAC and multiple high-end hair appliances, such as a flat iron and blow dryer. All in all, Cameron became more and more feminine by the day, dressing like a girl full-time for practice.

A few times at tryouts, Cameron had almost revealed his secret. Once, he had started rambling about the hunky gym instructor who had hit on him, only to mentally smack himself in the forehead when he almost said, "He thought I was a girl." Instead, he covered it up with, "He thought I was single. I had a boyfriend then, but we broke up later." Slip-ups like this led him to constantly practice being a girl, all the way down to squatting in the bathroom. By the time the school year came around, he wanted to be ready.

Suddenly, it was upon him. The Sunday before school was to begin, Cameron was pacing his room nervously. Convincing a bunch of cheerleaders that he was female was fairly simple; now all he had to do was convince a whole school. He figured boys would be harder to convince than girls, but he didn't know why.

"Cam?" said Veronica as she approached the doorway to his bedroom.

"Hey mom...what's up?" Cameron replied, trying to be calm and indifferent.

"Honey, you seem worried about tomorrow. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nah, I'm fine..." Cameron responded slowly.

"You sure?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Well, if you need anything, I'll be in the East Wing," the lioness offered with a smile, then departed. The East Wing was Veronica's personal wing of the house, seeing as how they had now moved. Their new house was less stacked, having less levels, but was more spread out. Cameron had the South Wing to himself, the North Wing was living area, and the small West Wing contained the kitchen, dining room, another living room, and the most convenient door to the huge pool outside. All in all, the house was beautiful, and Cameron loved it.

The young lion decided that he'd go to bed early, though he didn't sleep much. He even awoke before his alarm clock went off. School didn't start until nine o'clock, but he was already awake at five. He had breakfast, did a one-hour workout with his personal trainer, showered, dressed, did his makeup and hair, and had just enough time left to get to school.

As Cameron approached Cravendale's student parking lot, his insides did a somersault. There was a multitude of students in the lot, chattering excitedly to each other, admiring new cars, or even smoking, though the smokers were probably the furthest from campus. As the lion turned into the parking lot, his car got stares. It was by far the newest and most expensive that he could see, and suddenly he wished his car wasn't so nice. Some students, mostly male, stared with their jaws dropped as he pulled into an open space. Cameron hesitated to get out of the car; what if they found out he was a guy? After a moment, however, he convinced himself that they wouldn't know, and got out of his car. The lion got even more stares than his car had.

"Hey!" he heard a familiar voice call. He looked to his right, spotting a small fox trotting toward him, who he recognized as Kath. "Nice car!" she commented, awed at his vehicle.

"Thanks...But I have a question. I can understand why everyone stared at the car," Cameron responded, his voice quieting with each word. "But, why is everyone staring even more at me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kath asked with a smile. "The guys are drooling because you're beautiful, and the girls are jealous."

"Very funny," Cameron said sarcastically, grinning back.

"I'm serious! Look at them!"

Cameron gave a quick glance around, and he noticed that many guys had their lustful eyes fixated on him. Also, he spotted a few girls that sneered and looked away. Kath's theory seemed very plausible.

"Let's get out of here..." Cameron mumbled. He didn't want to be stared at any longer.

"Alright, let's go get our schedules then," Kath replied. She looked happy to see him. "Lindsay is probably already here."

Kath led Cameron to the Upperclassmen Courtyard, which forbade freshmen and sophomores from entering, and told him to wait in the "G-L" line. As he waited, he got more stares, and blushed visibly, his cheeks matching his red dress, shoes, and lips. As he neared the front, a tall brown bear in the line beside him gave him a wink and a grin, and he only flushed further.

"Last name?" asked a stout woman sitting behind a table.

"Jameston," Cameron said quietly.

"Jameston? Like Jerome Jameston?" she asked curiously, shifting through her papers to find Cameron's name.

"My grandfather," Cameron said in a bored way as she gave him the schedule.

"Oh really?" she asked with interest. Cameron nodded and turned away; it got annoying to have everyone know your name. Just as he turned, however, he ran right into someone, stumbling a little backward. Before he could fall, he felt two arms wrap around him, stabling him so that he didn't run into the table. He realized that they were powerful, muscular arms, and he looked up to gaze at one of the most handsome men he'd ever seen.

"Nice one, babe," said a deep, husky, silky voice. It made Cameron shiver slightly. It was a brown-eyed lion looking down on him, far more masculine than himself, with a handsome mane to prove it. He was much taller than Cameron, towering over him at what Cameron would guess could only be six feet or more, the big lion's shoulders broad, and his sculpted body that of an athlete. The two lions just stared at each other, as if measuring each other up, before the larger, whose touch was surprisingly gentle and warm, righted Cameron.

"Babe?" Cameron said, raising an eyebrow. "Why'd you call me that?"

"I say 'babe' to the ladies I like," the gorgeous vision of a male commented with a grin.

Though Cameron's voice was steady and slightly sarcastic, his face gave away what he was feeling. It was in a constant state of red now as this-for lack of a better word-stud stared at him.

"W-well..." Cameron began to respond. "I n-need to go...bye..." He had lost his nerve to ask the lion his name. With that farewell, he turned and stalked off in the direction of the center of the courtyard, not looking back. He spotted Kath and tried to act as if nothing had happened. What he didn't know was that she'd seen him caught when he fell.

"What was that!" Kath exclaimed. She looked highly excited. "Roger White just hugged you!"

"Roger...White? You mean that lion guy?" Cameron said, feigning disinterest.

"Look, don't play dumb, I saw the way you were looking at him," Kath said.

"He didn't hug me, he caught me because I fell!" Cameron replied defensively.

"She's telling the truth, you know," said a velvety deep voice behind Cameron. Kath's eyes went wide, and Cameron turned to see Roger White standing right there, gazing down at him in a way that Cameron could only describe as lustful. As Cameron got a better look at the lion, he saw he was casually clad in a muscle tee and jeans, perfect for a jock. His backpack was slung over one shoulder, and his schedule seemed so much smaller than Cameron's-in reality, Roger's paws were just infinitely bigger.

"Can I help you?" Cameron asked, gaining his confidence back. He wasn't about to blush twice.

"Nah, babe, just defending your honor. If people thought we hugged, it'd be around school that we're dating in less than no time." Roger had a calm, rational way of speaking, and there was always a gentle growl in his voice that gave Cameron the urge to begin fanning himself.

"And how would rumors of dating some guy I don't even know affect me?" Cameron asked. He was trying to be a bit sarcastic and mean, but his voice was coming out pleasant and sweet-even sexy.

"Well, you wouldn't want a low-life like me for a boyfriend. I'd get sweat all over your designer labels and nice leather seats," Roger answered. He had no hint of malice or sarcasm in his voice, only what Cameron would again feel was lust.

"I doubt you're a low-life, and I doubt I'd complain," Cameron said unblinkingly. The bell rang just as Roger took in these words, and he looked a little surprised. "Oh, well, that's the bell. See ya, stud." Cameron turned, arm-in-arm with Kath, and began to walk off.

"Hey, babe! What's your name?" Roger called to Cameron longingly.

"Cameron," the effeminate lion replied over his shoulder.

'Cameron...' Roger thought with a grin. 'She's absolutely gorgeous...and there's something about her that is so much different than any girls I've dated.' Roger walked to homeroom, pondering Cameron all the while.

Cameron sighed as he sat down in his homeroom class, grateful that Kath was there beside him once again, Lindsay on his other side. Not only had no one found out he was male, but he had talked to one of the most gorgeous men ever, and the best looking guy in the whole school, according to both Kath and Lindsay. He found it hard to pay attention to his new teachers that day.

The first week of school had breezed by before Cameron could blink; that had been happening to him a lot lately, time flying by. In any case, he hadn't seen the gorgeous Roger since that first day, which disappointed him. Thankfully, however, no rumors had started about him and Roger being a couple; barely anyone had noticed when the lions had momentarily embraced.

As it was Friday, it was time to vote for the Varsity and JV cheer captains, and Cameron was slightly nervous. He'd made friends with about half of the squad now, so he was somewhat anxious that they'd pick him as captain. Still, he'd rather have himself than Marissa, who'd only gotten nastier as the vote drew closer.

"Alright, I've got a list of all your names here. I want you to line up, and each of you will come up and tell me personally who you think should be captain."

The cheer squad, JV and Varsity, all lined up single-file. One by one, they whispered to Coach Fisher in excited murmurs who they wanted to be captain. Cameron voted for Kath; he thought it was conceited to vote for himself. When the last girl had voted, Coach Fisher immediately began totaling, which only took a moment. She then smiled at all the girls and said, "Well, without further ado! This year's JV captain is...Carla Lopez!" An enthusiastic collie girl bounced up and down as she heard her name, and all her friends cheered her and went into fits of congratulations. "And, though the captain won by one vote, this year's Varsity squad captain is Cameron Jameston!"

Cameron blinked once...twice...Kath, Lindsay, and his other cheerleader friends were all mimicking the underclassmen of the JV squad, while he stood there, as if he hadn't heard Coach Fisher. Once it sunk in, however, he grinned and thanked everyone for choosing him.

"I've decided, however, that since the vote was so close this season, that Varsity would have an assistant captain." Cameron's jaw dropped. 'Not Marissa!' he thought. "So, with second place in the popular vote, the assistant captain to the Varsity team is Kath Sweetwater!" Coach chimed happily.

Everyone looked stunned. Cameron was the only one who was gleeful and congratulating Kath for a moment. "We get to be captains together! Congratulations!" Part of his glee was relief.

"Thanks..." Kath said absently. She was reacting just as Cameron had. Lindsay looked very happy, and confided in Cameron that she was reveling in that Marissa didn't even get second place. Cameron had just realized this when he heard Marissa storm off with a loud and angry, "Whatever!"

After practice, as Cameron and Kath were chatting and walking to the parking lot, Cameron heard his name behind him. As he turned around, the sight he saw made his knees weak. Roger was walking toward him, his feet clad in football cleats, legs still wearing his uniform pants and lower pads. However, Roger's jersey, helmet, and shoulder pads were completely missing, leaving him shirtless and damp with sweat from the September heat, his long, shiny mane swept out of his face. Cameron could see that the lion's mane trailed all the way down his body in a thin line between his pectorals and along his muscular stomach, broadening as it curved down into the recesses of his pants. Cameron's heart beat faster, and he willed himself not to get an erection as Roger closed the last few feet between them, giving Cameron the look of sizing him up once more.

"I heard you're cheer captain," the hulking lion said softly, gazing into Cameron's green eyes with his own amber brown ones. The smaller feline noticed that Roger's fur was much lighter than his own, and less rich in color, but that his mane, trail, and tuft of his powerful tail were all as dark as his own hair, but brown instead of the blood-auburn color.

"Yep, that's me." Again, Cameron tried for indifference, but again, his blushing muzzle gave him away.

"Well, I've been made Varsity football captain and first-string quarterback this year," Roger commented, as if it were a related topic rather than an achievement.

"Congrats," Cameron offered.

"You too, babe," Roger replied. Their eyes hadn't left each others.

"So...well, I'd better get home," Cameron half-sighed. He was entranced by Roger's beauty.

"Will you go on a date with me?" Roger asked bluntly, seeming just as spellbound by Cameron.

"Wait...what?" Cameron asked. His eyes were wide as they'd been when he was announced captain, but this time, he didn't recover so quickly. He merely stared at Roger, amazed and faintly confused.

"I want to go on a date with you. Do you want to?" Roger reiterated. He looked determined and more beautiful than ever, and Cameron's heart only raced faster.

"I'll...I'll get back to you. I'll think about it."

Roger didn't look phased at all; it was as if he had expected this answer. "Alright," he said. "Sounds good. Here's my number." He handed a piece of paper to Cameron, which had been in his paw the entire time. "Call me, babe."

"Will do...maybe," Cameron replied. "Bye," he said with a smile.

"Later, beautiful," Roger answered heartily. Cameron blushed again as the handsome hunk sauntered off.

"Are you out of your MIND? That was ROGER WHITE asking you on a DATE!" Kath exclaimed loudly, hitting Cameron in the arm. "Roger White!"

"I know it was Roger, okay? No, I'm not out of my mind. I don't even know him! Besides, did you see his reaction? It was as if he knew I wouldn't give a straight answer." He rubbed his arm and mumbled, "Ow!"

"You deserve it for not immediately saying yes." Kath glared at Cameron, then chuckled and grinned. "Just playing. I know it's your decision, but personally, I would've snatched up that opportunity."

"Well, I was true to my word. I'll think on it. See ya later, Kath."

"Later Cam. Call me tomorrow!"

"I will."

Cameron sighed the loveliest sigh and tossed his things carelessly into his car, flopping down and laughing to himself a little. 'I'm Varsity captain, I was asked on a date by the hottest guy in school...could this get any better?' he thought to himself, finally starting the ignition. 'And, Roger isn't just hot...there's something about him that makes my toes curl...'

"When I look in his eyes," Cameron said out loud, "I don't see my reflection in them...all I see is his depths. It's like he knows me...like we're connected."

'Wishful thinking,' a voice said in Cameron's head, which he recognized as his own. 'All the same,' said his voice in a more optimistic tone, 'Roger asked me on a date! Not even the most popular, good-looking guy in school has any suspicion that I'm a guy! This is as good as it gets.'

CHAPTER FOUR - TOO CLOSE FOR DISCOMFORT

Cameron pondered. It was Saturday morning, and he'd just woken to find that he was happier than he'd been in a long time. As the chef made him breakfast, he thought of Roger's date offer, which led him into a reverie of possible outcomes. Was this some kind of cruel joke to tease the new 'girl?' Was he really interested in Cameron? Did he just want to get some? Cameron couldn't figure it out. He recognized that the more he thought about it, the more mysterious Roger became, mainly because as the feline presented himself with each new possibility, he realized that he had no idea if this possibility was what Roger was truly thinking, feeling, or doing. This mysteriousness gave Cameron the urge to say 'yes,' just to see what would happen.

After reflecting on his answer for a few hours that morning, during breakfast, his morning workout with Kirsten (his personal trainer), a trim to his hair and a few highlights added, a manicure, a pedicure, and a facial, Cameron decided his answer.

"Hello?" came an adolescent boy's voice, obviously in the process of changing.

"Hi, is Roger there please?" Cameron responded nervously.

"Yeah, who's this?" asked the boy.

"This is Cameron Jameston."

"Alright," the boy said. "Hey, ROGER! ROOOOGEEER! PHONE!" he screamed away from the receiver, making his yelling sound a bit distant.

After a few moments, a husky, silky, deep-throated voice answered, "Hello?"

"It's some chick named Cameron," Cameron heard the boy say in the background.

"Cameron?" asked Roger, and Cameron could almost sense the smile on his face.

"Yeah, it's me," Cameron said, trying to sound lofty, but only managing a semi-excited pitch. "Was that your brother?"

"Yup, that's Dylan the Dweeb," Roger commented matter-of-factly.

"Oh real clever, Roge! You come up with that one all on your lonesome?" said a sarcastic Dylan.

Cameron chuckled gently into the receiver.

"You have such a beautiful voice...and a wonderful laugh..." Roger said softly, almost mumbling, as if to hide what he was saying from his little brother.

"You flatter me," Cameron said derisively, though he was blushing. 'That was...adorable! And so sweet!'

"Regardless of whether flattery is involved, you're obviously calling to confirm our date tonight at the drive-in, of course seeing the action flick combo they've got going," Roger purred.

"You're too cocky and arrogant for your own good," Cameron replied acidly.

"I am absolutely not. Your reason for calling is just blatant. Why would you bother calling unless you were interested? I'm logical is what I am, and I'm picking you up at eight tonight. What's your address?" Roger sounded amused.

"10410 Dupree Boulevard," Cameron answered hastily. "And I want you no later than seven-thirty."

"I'm never late, babe," Roger said seductively. "See you tonight."

"Bye stud."

"Bye babe."

Cameron melted. Roger's voice seduced him, and his attitude, though slightly rough around the edges, made Cameron's knees go weak. He had been sitting on his bed in his room, and as he sighed and slumped, he accidentally slid off. This only sent him into fits of giggles, though he felt that it was more the straw that broke the camel's back, rather than something that was actually funny. He ran to go tell his mother the news.

"Football captain, hmm?" she said skeptically. "And obscenely handsome? Great body, smooth voice, cocky, a total babe, eh?"

"Totally," Cameron sighed happily. "He's...great!"

"Just don't get too infatuated...this boy doesn't know your secret. If he ever found out, you know what would happen...I don't want to have to worry about you, sweetie," Veronica said with a little curl of a smile.

"Don't worry about it! I won't get that close or anything, I just want to see how this goes," Cameron lied flat-out. He most certainly wanted to get "that close," if not closer.

"Okay, okay...have fun!"

"Thanks mom! I love you!" Cameron said elatedly, hugging Veronica.

"I love you too, Cam," Veronica said sweetly, though her body had its usual stiffness to it that Cameron had grown used to (and fond of) over the years.

Seven-thirty came annoyingly slowly. Cameron kept watching the clock as he tried to find things to do until then, deciding to get ready at five-thirty. He showered, blow-dried and styled his loosely curly hair, did his makeup, dressed in a short jean skirt and a thin peasant top, which was black. He slid his feet into a beautiful pair of strappy sandals, black leather of the finest quality, and threw some things into a matching purse. He put on a dab of some Very Sexy For Her perfume by Victoria's Secret, and just as he was looking himself in the mirrors of his wardrobe room, deciding if he should change, the doorbell rang.

"He's here!" Cameron told himself as he rushed out of the room, heels clacking down the hardwood floor hallway. As he ran out of the South Wing and into the Grand Foyer, he spotted his mother at the front door, just letting a stunned-looking Roger inside.

"Oh, here she is!" Veronica said as she spotted her son.

"Hey..." Cameron said shyly. Roger was wearing a wife beater and flannel pants, and nothing else. His soft mane was combed and shiny, and he looked more handsome than ever. And, as he looked at Cameron, his expression of mild surprise contorted into a pleased smile.

"Hey," Roger replied coolly. "You look great."

"Thanks," Cameron responded softly.

"Well, enjoy yourselves!" Veronica said and swiftly left the Grand Foyer.

"Nice digs," Roger observed as he looked around. "You must have a lot of money."

"My mother has a lot of money. I'm broke." This wasn't entirely true; Cameron had an enormous sum of money in his own name in a savings account for his college tuition, not to mention that a portion of it was his own spending money.

"So modest," Roger said with a grin. "Your modesty is just one more thing that makes you more beautiful than any of these material possessions could ever hope to become," he complimented courteously with an emphatic wave of his paw.

"You flatter me," Cameron responded with a deep blush. "Why do you feel the need to make my knees go weak and my heart start to race every time you're near me?"

"Why do you feel the need to make my tail twitch nervously and my palms sweat every time you're near me?" Roger countered.

"You're seducing me," Cameron answered. He realized as he gazed into Roger's deep honey-brown eyes that they were standing incredibly close to each other, but couldn't remember how this had happened.

"You started it," Roger shot back. He had the most wonderful and playful grin on his face, and Cameron felt the urge to kiss him, though he squelched it.

"Let's go, shall we?" he said slightly nervously, changing the subject.

"Milady," Roger replied graciously, offering his bent, muscular arm.

"Kind gentleman," Cameron said as he intertwined arms with the man he was beginning to develop a crush on.

The two of them exited the house by way of the front door, walking down the front steps to Roger's parked Ford F-150 truck. The red metal body of the looming vehicle looked shiny and clean, and Cameron smiled as he stared at it, thinking, 'Typical guy with his big truck.'

Roger walked Cameron to the passenger side and opened the door for him. Cameron wasn't surprised so much as he was impressed; he thought that chivalry and the last of the gentlemen had both died long ago.

As Roger climbed into the driver's seat, he noticed that Cameron was staring at him.

"Do I have something on my face, or am I just that handsome?" Roger asked without a note of jest in his voice.

"You're just that handsome," Cameron answered in a sincere tone.

"Thought so," was the response.

The two lions grinned and chuckled softly as Roger started the engine of his truck, easing it forward with his right foot on the accelerator. The trip consisted of a whole eight-and-one-half minutes of small talk. All the while, Cameron had a thought lingering in the back of his mind. He was fairly certain that Roger knew his last name was Jameston, but he hadn't asked the questions most people blurted out almost instantly: Are you Veronica Jameston's kid? Are you related to Jerome William Jameston?

"So, you want to know if I'm a relative of Jerome Jameston's, right?" Cameron said with a sigh.

"Nope," was the simple response from Roger as he pulled into the driveway of the drive-in.

"Really?" Cameron said after a moment. He was so overcome with relief by not having to relive the "Yes, I'm related to Jerome William Jameston" conversation that he was stunned.

"Nah. Why would I care if you're related to some rich guy? What I care about is you being happy." Roger looked very genuine, and he looked at Cameron across the bench-like seat of the truck.

"You don't even know me," Cameron said softly. 'Stop stealing my heart away...'

"I want to know you...truly know you." The hulking feline looked incredibly sincere, and Cameron was grateful that he was sitting, removing the hazard of suddenly collapsing.

"I want you to know me...and I want to know you."

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before a car honked behind them, giving them a rough shove back into reality. Roger pulled up to the booth and paid for both admissions, against Cameron's protest that he could pay for himself.

"It doesn't matter that you're capable of paying for yourself, babe. I know you are. I'm paying for you because I'm polite, and because you deserve to be treated like the wonderful princess you are," Roger had said to quiet Cameron's objections. It had worked.

Despite all of Roger's sweetness and caring, he was true to his word about the movies. The first scene was someone's head getting blown off, and Cameron made false retching noises.

"Oh c'mon, it's good!" Roger said with his eyes glued to the screen; when Cameron turned toward the movie, however, Roger's focus became the lovely lion next to him.

After ten minutes or so, Cameron finally got agitated with Roger staring at him, and said, "Do I have something on my face, or-"

"You're really that beautiful," Roger interrupted.

"Look, Roger..." Cameron said slowly, facing the lion. "I'm...I'm seriously attracted to you, and so far, this has been great...but I just don't know if-"

"It would work out?" Roger finished.

"Yes...There are just some things that-"

"I don't know about you."

"And I'm not so sure-"

"I'd like you so much if I knew them," Roger completed again. "Whatever they are...I don't really care. You're wonderful to me. You're beautiful, you're smart, you make me laugh, you get my humor, you know how I think...you're amazing. You're not like any girl I've ever known."

"But you don't even know me, Roger! You don't know anything about me!" Cameron was trying to discourage Roger, but all the while, he was scooting and leaning closer to the lion. He was close enough now that he could smell Roger's musky natural scent, which he was sure would have made a lioness "get wet" over.

"I told you, Cameron...I want to know you. Know you like no one else knows you...know all the little things about you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have held on to you so long when you stumbled in front of the schedule table." Roger looked heartfelt, and Cameron was so close now that they were within kissing range again.

"Look, Roger, I...I..." Cameron groped. He was looking for some other excuse to stop what he knew was coming, what he wanted with his whole heart...

Roger eased toward Cameron, and the younger lion only had a moment to blink before he felt warm, soft, smooth lips on his own, Roger's massive right paw resting atop Cameron's left on top of his thigh. A whirlwind of thoughts had been going through Cameron's head in the second before Roger kissed him, but now his thoughts were clear and focused; the focus was kissing Roger.

Cameron's eyes fluttered closed, and his mouth opened, inviting Roger deeper. The football captain took the invitation with what seemed like gratitude, his head tilting as his tongue slipped into Cameron's mouth, who lapped at it like the sweetest of candies. Their kiss was intimate, yet passionate, and Cameron felt the gap between them close as both their bodies moved closer and closer. The experience was thrilling and arousing for both, though they both withdrew together, not wanting to make pornography of their first kiss.

"You're...such a great kisser..." Cameron whispered, as if it were some secret.

"Only because I'm kissing a great kisser," Roger replied quietly.

"Lay with me..." Cameron said breathily, patting the seat behind him.

Roger eased himself down, wrapping an arm around Cameron's waist and rolling, so that the slender lion landed atop him, their legs bending and intertwining as their lips locked again. Though the two had felt it necessary to end their first kiss after a few moments, their second lasted throughout the two movies, and half an hour afterward. Roger had been stroking along Cameron's back and rear with his paws, but he never once went further, which Cameron was both grateful for and proud of him for. One of Cameron's paws had been stroking down Roger's buff, sexy chest, and the other arm had been wrapped around the hunk's thick neck as they made out.

Finally, Cameron noticed the quietude and darkness around them, gently easing his muzzle away from Roger's to look around. There was no one left in the lot, and Cameron giggled.

"No one's left...the movies are way over," he said to Roger.

"I'll bet they were great," Roger replied lazily, running his broad fingers along the small of Cameron's back. "I had way more fun with you though."

"And I you, stud."

"You need to go home, babe?" Roger asked, a note of disappointment already tingeing his otherwise velvety, purring voice.

"Yeah...can't worry mom." Cameron seemed just as dissatisfied with their having to leave one another, but was happy about the outcome of their date.

"Alright...let's get you home then," Roger said with a sweet smile, giving Cameron a gentle kiss on the lips.

The drive home was quiet. Both lions felt too happy to speak for a while, reveling in their newfound relationship. However, Cameron's palatial mansion approached much more quickly than it had withdrawn, and the two found themselves grasping for words of farewell.

"Well...I guess...I'll call ya, babe..." Roger said, smiling at Cameron.

"Okay...that sounds good, stud..." Cameron said back. "Um...good night..."

Roger leaned forward in his seat and locked Cameron in a gentle, open-mouthed kiss for a few moments, then drew back. "Good night," he said.

Without any excuse to stay, and without anything to say, Cameron undid his seatbelt and exited the truck with a huge smile on his face. As he walked up the front steps, he heard his name.

"What's up?" Cameron asked as he turned around, the passenger window rolled down so that Roger could speak to him.

"Am I your boyfriend?" Roger asked bluntly.

After a moment's pause, Cameron answered, "Yes."

"So you're my girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"So we're going out?"

"For the love of God, YES!" Cameron yelled back, giggling.

"Just checking. Bye Girlfriend!" Roger said with a wave, grinning enormously.

"Bye Boyfriend," Cameron replied happily.

And with that last farewell, Roger drove off into the night, and Cameron rushed inside his house and to the South Wing to go write down the night's events in his journal.

CHAPTER FIVE - SHOCKED

Cameron waited around half of Sunday for Roger to call before realizing that he'd forgotten to provide Roger with his phone number. He felt silly, and assured himself that he'd simply talk to Roger the next day.

For this reason, Cameron was surprised when Roger was standing at the front door ringing the doorbell. When Roger had come the day before, the maids were given the night off. However, today, they were busy tidying the Jameston residence, and one of them answered the door, saying sweetly, "Hello sir, and welcome to the Jameston residence! May I ask your name please?"

Cameron had been just passing through the Grand Foyer on his way to the kitchen for a bite to eat when the doorbell had rang, and he heard Roger's voice say, "Roger White. I'm here to see Cameron."

"Let him in, Cindy," Cameron said softly.

"Oh, Mist-ss Jameston!" Cindy stuttered. Cameron winced at the way the "t" of "Mister" had slipped its way in. "I didn't know you were here!" The tall rabbit woman gently padded backward and allowed Roger entrance. The rather bulky lion looked even more muscular than the night before, and his smile was all the sweeter as he walked into the Grand Foyer, paws held behind his back. He had a t-shirt and shorts on, with sandals on his feet, all of which Cameron got a very close look at as he hurried over and threw his arms around Roger's neck, giving him a passionate kiss.

"Mmm..." he could hear Roger mumble and purr. "These," he said as their lips parted, "are for you, babe." Roger pulled from behind his back a lovely arrangement of stargazer lilies and pink roses, which smelled heavenly and made Cameron blush with gratitude.

"They're beautiful!" Cameron complimented the practically glowing flora, taking them from his boyfriend's paws.

"My mom's a florist...She arranged them for me...for you." Roger had a confident smile, but Cameron could see the tiniest hint of a blush on his muzzle, and his heart melted.

"Cindy, could you please put these in some water for me and put them in my bedroom please?" Cameron looked over at the rabbit, who looked fairly stunned by what she'd seen.

"Y-yes, miss," she said. She didn't falter in saying "miss" this time. She took the flowers with an emphatic nod of her head and padded off into the West Wing.

"I realized that I didn't have your number, so I thought I'd just drop by instead...hope you don't mind, sugar," Roger said with a handsome grin, touching his nose to his "girlfriend's" and placing his enormous paws on Cameron's hips.

"Not at all," Cameron replied with a positively candy-coated kiss. "Would you like Le Grande Tour?"

"Lead the way, beautiful," said Roger. As Cameron turned and began heading for the West Wing, Roger brought a hand whooshing down to Cameron's rear, giving it a light slap.

"Urgh, pig!" Cameron chuckled as he felt it and jumped slightly.

"Nah, lion, but glad you liked it," was the rumble of a reply. They both laughed.

As Cameron showed Roger his house, starting in the West Wing, then on to the North, East, and finally his own wing, Roger kept sneaking in kisses, embraces, paws-on-hips, and other affectionate contact, using such excuses as "Felt like it" and "You're irresistible." Cameron was becoming more and more comfortable with Roger's sweetness and sexy attitude, and blushed less and less, though he enjoyed the attention more with every kiss.

"Finally, this is my room," Cameron said as he opened the door at the end of the South Wing corridor. As Roger stepped inside, he immediately thought, 'Not as frilly and fairy-filled as I expected.' Actually, the room was rather blank. It was carpeted in white, as most of the living space of the house was, with pale green walls and a soft-looking navy four-poster. The room was rather large, leaving a lot of walking space, and had a furniture set of pine, all the wood glossy and light. There was a dresser with a vanity mirror, which was covered in makeup, an enormous closet, two cutely small nightstands, a writing desk, and a full-length mirror on the wall. There weren't unicorns and stuffed animals, no pop music posters, and an absence of perfume. In fact, if it hadn't had makeup and a vanity, it could just as easily have been a boy's room.

"I like this room," Roger said after a moment. "It doesn't cause me to gag."

"I suppose that's a good thing..." Cameron said with a chuckle.

"It's just that my other girlfriends always had all this frilly pink and fairies and unicorns and sickening perfumes...your room is...comfortable."

"Well, thank you. I'm not some girlie girl," Cameron replied, smiling softly. He walked over to his bed and sat down, sinking into the softness with an audible "murr."

"I think that's why I'm so drawn to you," Roger said, sitting next to Cameron, the bed giving much more under the hulking feline's weight. "You're not like other girls...there's something about you, something I can't pinpoint, that's just...different. I want to find out what it is."

Cameron went wide-eyed. "There's nothing different about me than other girls!" he said defensively before he even realized he had been thinking it.

Roger looked a little hurt as he responded, "I thought that was a compliment...sorry..."

"No, I'm sorry," Cameron replied hastily, rubbing his boyfriend's thigh. 'This isn't just some guy...this is my boyfriend,' he thought. "I didn't mean to sound rude. That was sweet of you...I just meant that I'm a lot like all the other girls."

"Well, I stand by what I said, if only because you're ten times more beautiful and smart and funny than any girl I've met," Roger complimented, kissing at his "girlfriend's" cheek.

"You're such a sweetheart," Cameron said in answer. He didn't have time to blink before he felt his handsome hunk's smooth lips on his again. As the younger lion's eyes closed, he knew Roger's had closed at the same time, and as their chests pressed lightly together, he could swear that for a moment, their hearts had beat as one.

The next day at school, Kath was beyond ecstatic as Cameron told her the news in the Upperclassmen Courtyard.

"You're going out already?!" Kath had exclaimed.

"Shhh...no one knows yet, and I don't know who Roger wants to tell, or when," Cameron had replied in a hushed whisper.

"So...how is he? I mean, I've heard he's a great kisser..."

"Amazing," was Cameron's very truthful reply. "He's probably the best kisser EVER."

"Thought so," Kath replied with a grin. "Omigod, I'm so excited for you!" She giggled and hugged Cameron, at which point the lion was glad he had double-ballooned for durability.

"Thanks, Kath," Cameron responded.

"Excited for her about what?" Lindsay asked as she approached behind Cameron; the lion gave a start.

"She's going out with Roger White!" Kath exclaimed before Cameron could stop her.

"You're what?" Lindsay reacted with wide eyes and a huge smile.

"Yeah...he's my boyfriend..." Cameron giggled. "But don't tell anyone! Roger and I didn't talk about who we would tell or when. It's kind of soon..."

"I can't wait to see the look on Marissa's face when she finds out this..." Lindsay grinned.

"What do you mean?" Cameron asked.

"You didn't know? Oh, yeah, you didn't go here last year...Marissa and Roger went out for like five months or something last year, then he dumped her on the last day of school. She was pretty pissed. Now she's going to be furious," Lindsay relished.

"Roger and Marissa?" Cameron asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, but I just pitied her. You, I adore," came Roger's husky voice from behind Cameron. Lindsay, Cameron and Kath had been sitting on a bench in the Courtyard, so Cameron only had to tilt his head back to see his handsome boyfriend swooping down on him, their lips meeting and Roger's muscular arms wrapping around Cameron.

"Ah, so you want to go public with this relationship, do you?" Cameron asked as their mouths parted, smiling.

"I'm not ashamed of you, I'm proud of you. I want everyone to know how much I already care for you." Roger began to nuzzle at Cameron's neck, and the smaller lion sighed softly, though his sigh sounded like it was in surround sound. In reality, Kath and Lindsay had both sighed with him, and they had adoring looks on their faces as they watched the happenings between them. In fact, many people had begun to stare at Roger and Cameron's embrace, and Cameron felt his first blush since Sunday.

"I feel like I'm dating a celebrity," Cameron mumbled to Roger. "Look at them all."

"Let them look. You're too beautiful to not be noticed," Roger responded.

"Awww!" Kath said to Cameron's left.

"Heh," Roger lightly chuckled, pulling back from Cameron. "I remember you...Kathleen, right? On the cheer squad?"

"Katherine, actually. Pleased to finally make your acquaintance, Roger, now that you're not on the arm of that psycho-bitch," Kath replied, extending a paw. Roger shook it.

"I apologize for not getting your name right...Marissa didn't like me socializing with people she didn't like...which is probably why I broke up with her."

"Who wouldn't?" Lindsay commented.

"Oh shut up, Linds," Roger chuckled.

"You two know each other?" Cameron asked.

"We're in several of the same classes," Lindsay answered. "He's also my lab partner in AP Bio."

"You take AP Bio?" Cameron asked Roger. He felt like he knew less and less about the hulking lion by the moment.

"Yup, that I do. I'm good at science and math, so I figured I might as well get some AP on my college applications."

Suddenly, the bell rang. Cameron, Lindsay, and Kath stood up, and Roger asked, "Can I walk you to class, milady?"

"Certainly, kind gentleman," Cameron replied with a wide smile. He tried to ignore the fact that he didn't know much about Roger. He was slightly comforted in that he was fairly sure that Roger didn't know a lot about him either.

"English, right? With Tently?" Roger inquired as he offered his paw. Cameron took it, interlocking fingers and smiling more shyly.

"How did you know that?" the faux-female asked.

"I'm observant, babe," was the response as they began walking in the direction of Cameron's English class.

"Apparently so," Cameron said as they walked.

Time did what it had become accustomed to around Cameron; that is, it flew by. In no time at all, Cameron was dressing in the locker room for cheer practice, and just as he was putting his hair up in a ponytail, he heard the usual mass of girls enter, chattering away.

"Hey Cameron, congratulations on Roger!" he heard Carla say.

"Thanks, Carla!" Cameron replied.

"Yeah, congrats, Captain," Cameron heard Marissa's voice say. He turned and saw her with two of her glaring, prissy friends, and smiled acidly. "Look, bitch, you may have everyone all kissing your feet, now that you stole my title and my boyfriend, but I will never like you. Ever. Let's just get that straight right now." Marissa was up in Cameron's face, and he didn't flinch, nor did he back up.

"Look yourself, bitch. I didn't steal anything. I worked hard to become captain, and Roger likes me for me. He's the one that came on to me. So, if you're done whining and crying about how I'm better than you, I'd suggest you move so I can go to practice." The lion shoved his way past Marissa, then turned and said, "And PS: If in some parallel universe you ever did realize you dislike me for no reason, I don't think I'd be too forgiving anyway." With that, Cameron stalked off and out the doors of the locker room, proud of himself for standing up to Marissa, and even more so for defending himself.

Despite the conflict in the locker room, practice went very smoothly, and Marissa put up a good front for Coach Fisher, smiling and doing everything the coach, Cameron, and Kath said, shockingly enough. Cameron was happy after practice as he began walking from the gym to the football field, where Roger was still practicing. As he sauntered off, Marissa watched him go, and thought to herself, 'I will find out whatever secrets that girl is hiding. No one dates Roger but me!'

"Hey, check out that chick," Bruce-a boyishly cute hyena junior, and running back for the Varsity football team-commented to his friend Shannon, nodding his head toward the bench. Shannon was a tall and beefy member of the defensive line, his mass seemingly stretching his tiger stripes much longer than they would normally be. The feline turned and looked around for a moment, spotting Cameron sitting on the football players' bench with his long legs crossed, still in his practice clothes.

"I think that's the cheer captain," Shannon replied with a look of lustful recognition. "She's a fuckin' ten man. Hot as hell."

"Fuck yeah!" Bruce added in agreement. "That chick has legs from here to-Hey, is Roger going over to her?"

As Bruce and Shannon watched, their massive, if not massively handsome team captain was ambling over to the vivacious beauty, who stood up and threw his arms around his boyfriend's neck, kissing him more than generously.

"They're goin' out? What a lucky bastard!" the hyena commented and chuckled. "She's way hotter than that Marissa chick. Man, she was a bitch!"

"That's for sure," Shannon agreed. "I've hated her since second grade, dude. She's evil. When I asked Roger why he went out with her, he said he felt sorry for her. I wouldn't."

"Hey Shannon!" Roger called as he trotted over. Shannon was slightly startled, having been looking at Bruce and not paying attention. "That was an awesome play. You're the best, man."

"Apparently you're the best, Roge! That is one helluva girlfriend you got there!" Bruce said, grinning.

"Isn't she?" Roger answered as he closed the last few feet between them. "She's not like any other girl...she's the best."

"Best how, exactly?" Shannon asked with a tone that could only be insinuating perversion at its worst.

"Dude, it isn't like that," Roger said very gravely. "She really is an amazing person. The only thing we've done, and I think we're going to do for a while, is made out."

"Ah, gotcha," Shannon said. He was sort of stunned by Roger's sincerity; usually, Roger sort of "fooled around" with girls rather than getting close.

"Well, Cameron and I are gonna head out, so I'll see you guys later. Keep it up in practice, and we're gonna kick some ass this year! Later." With that last abrupt goodbye, Roger jogged off toward his lovely "girl," not even waiting for a response.

"Lucky sonuva bitch," Bruce chuckled, his Southern drawl obvious.

"Agreed," Shannon replied, watching as Roger picked Cameron up like he was going to carry him over the threshold and began walking off with him in his arms, Cameron laughing and kissing and holding on tight.

CHAPTER SIX - ROGER'S SECRET

The next few weeks went perfectly for Cameron. Coach Fisher, Cameron, Kath and Carla were formulating the perfect routines for the Homecoming game; though the young lion was excited about the game, he was positively thrilled about getting to go to the Homecoming dance with Roger on his arm. Practices continued to be without instance, and Marissa was unusually cooperative and even cheery. Cameron was cautious of her-Marissa being happy was far from normal.

School was going well for the lion. He had begun to expand his amount of friends through Kath, Lindsay, and Roger, and was becoming fairly popular in his own right, not just as "Roger's girlfriend" or "Kath's friend" as he had been in his first couple weeks. Cameron's classes were challenging, but fun for him, and he really enjoyed his teachers. Life was great.

"Hey Cam," Veronica greeted coolly one Thursday afternoon as Cameron came through the front door, after having to kiss Roger goodbye in the school parking lot nine times. He smiled his happiest, most joyous smile, and replied with, "Hey mom! How was your day?"

"Actually, it was pretty nice. I had brunch with the Pristines-you remember them, dear-then went and..." She took a moment to pause, grinning. "Picked up your dress."

"Omigod! Where is it?" Cameron squealed.

"It's hanging in your wardrobe room," Veronica responded, her grin softening as much as was possible with respect to her nature.

"Thanks mom!" Cameron said quickly, rushing off to his wing. He practically ran down the corridor, throwing open the double-doors to his wardrobe room.

In the center of the room was the dress he'd picked out for the Homecoming dance; actually, he hadn't picked the dress out so much as picked the fabrics used. His mother had commissioned the entire dress designed specifically for him to wear, and had demanded only the finest silks and satins be presented to Cameron for selection. After careful thought, the young lion enthusiastically chose a blood red theme in color, the dress made of mostly silk, with an interestingly asymmetrical cut and a somewhat lengthy slit along the right leg. The silken dress had a loose sheer skirt around it, giving it a tastefully unique look, and a matching silk wrap. It was fitted upon a torso that was just his size, and upon the neck of the figure...

"Oh...my...God..." Cameron gasped. There upon the throat and breast of the mannequin was one of his mother's favorite necklaces: a total of five karats in beautiful, shimmering, square-cut diamonds, their sparkle incomparable.

"I thought you should look your best, dear," Veronica said from the doorway.

"Oh mom!" Cameron turned, and was beaming. "It's so...it's just a high school dance..." he fumbled. He couldn't find words.

"It's your first dance as a young woman, and your first dance with a young man. I want you to remember it forever."

"Mom..." Cameron said softly. He rushed over to the door and wrapped his arms around her stiff body, his cheeks hurting from his smile.

"I've also got these for you," Veronica added, patting her son's back with one paw, the other holding out a shoebox. Cameron released his mother, and with curiosity and excitement, practically tore open the box. Inside were a pair of stunning shoes, stiletto-heeled, red, and delicate, with a small, inset diamond near the hem of each.

"These are wonderful! Mom, I freaking LOVE YOU!"

"I know," Veronica said with a chuckle.

Cameron was in a giddy mood all through the following week, his nervous anticipation of Homecoming inciting his happiness. On Friday evening, he was practically shaking in excitement as he slipped on his cheerleading uniform. He pulled back his hair into a ponytail, sprayed it with hairspray so that it would hold, and added gold glitter to it, smiling attractively in the mirror once he had applied his makeup. This done, he rushed off to the game with his mother, who commented that he looked "frankly adorable."

Upon arriving at school, Cameron rushed off to the locker room, while his mother went to go buy a ticket for the game. The young lion panted as he burst through the doors; he was late, as Coach Fisher was not so happy to point out.

"Cameron! You're late! Get at the front of the line with Kath!" Coach spat.

"Yes ma'am," Cameron complied, stepping next to Kath, who was similarly dressed and made-up, and who smiled at him nervously.

"Alright ladies, we're going to do the opening routine after the players' names are called, like we planned. After the Homecoming floats go by during half-time, we'll have the half-time routine by Varsity right on the field. I gave them our music this morning. Everything should go smoothly. You all ready?" Coach Fisher explained, then asked.

"Yeah!" came the fervent cheer from the two squads. Cameron had been the loudest.

"Let's get out there and show our support for our boys, then!" revved the coach.

Everything was marvelous. As the announcer was calling the football players' names, the cheerleading squad backhand sprung onto the field, then ran to the track on the home team's side, getting into formation; Cameron didn't have time to look for Roger. The squad heard their first song, and immediately started performing for the cheering crowd, the whole routine going absolutely splendidly. Cameron was so excited that he put in an extra high kick at the end, screaming as he moved to the sidelines. He congratulated his team, along with Carla and Kath, then sat down to watch the beginning of the game.

One thing about Cameron that he couldn't help was that he loved football. While all the other girls only seemed interested in certain players, Cameron was shouting out things like, "Defense!" and "What the hell was that play?!"

The cheerleaders did two cheers during the first quarter, both the football team and the squad excited that the game was starting off well. Cravendale had scored two touchdowns already, and it seemed that the opposing team would be easy to beat. Roger was of course doing a wonderful job, and Cameron could tell right from the get-go that his boyfriend was the team star, however cliché it was to say so.

The second quarter went well, also. Another touchdown was scored, and only a few plays got fumbled, to the relief of Cameron's throat, which was already getting a little raw from screaming. It was half time before he knew it, and he was rushing on to the field as the Homecoming floats circled the track, their dancers excited, the displays beautiful.

"You're gonna be great! Just don't be nervous," Kath said at his side, then hurried to his left as he posed his body, all the stadium lights going off.

"And now, for your viewing pleasure, Cravendale is proud to present the Varsity Cheer Squad!" the announcer's voice boomed.

Cameron exhaled just as "Dip It Low" by Christina Milian began to play, and a spotlight that had been set up in the stands shone on him. He started shaking his hips, and as he turned his head in one of his moves, he saw the whole football team staring at him, and he smiled all the wider. More lights began to shine on the cheerleaders, and they all began their performance, a wild combination of enthusiasm, dance, and cheer. The dance was sexy, and Cameron was in the center, singing the whole song to himself as he bent, crouched, tumbled, and all the rest. All around there were cheers and whistles, and once the song was over, and the cheer was finished, all the stadium lights turned on, and the crowd went wild with cheering, even the opposing team. As the cheerleaders ran off the field, Roger sprinted at Cameron as fast as he could and took him into his arms, kissing him deeply right in front of the hundreds of people watching. Cameron could care less; he was just happy to be in Roger's arms, to feel the lion's gentle lips against his, to shiver as his boyfriend's skilled tongue worked its way into his mouth over and over again...

The rest of the football team ran onto the field (or so Cameron heard, as he couldn't see with his eyes closed), and Shannon patted Roger's shoulder while saying, "I know it's hard, but you gotta let 'er go, bud. We've got a game to win," with a grin on his face.

With that, Roger eased up, gave Cameron a little parting kiss, smiled, and ran to his teammates to huddle, while his "girl" bounded off the field in sheer joy.

The rest of the game went very smoothly. Cravendale won by three touchdowns, and Cameron was purely elated, pouncing onto his muscular boyfriend and returning his half-time kiss. They kissed for what seemed like forever, and right as they parted, Roger nuzzled his mouth against Cameron's ear and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too!" was Cameron's heartfelt reply, just as both were lifted into the air by the football team, the two lions beaming at each other and holding paws.

After such a wonderful night, Cameron didn't see how his life could get any better. They won the football game, the cheer went fabulously, and his boyfriend was in love with him. Even if they had lost, even if the cheer had sucked, he would be absolutely delighted. His boyfriend loved him.

Cameron spent most of Saturday getting ready for the Homecoming dance. He got his hair done, a manicure and pedicure, his makeup done, and a massage to relax him for the dance. His dress fit him wonderfully, the shoes were perfect, and he was sensational by evening, nervously pacing in the Grand Foyer as he waited for his lover.

Roger arrived right on time, as usual. When he came to the front door, Cameron ran into his wing and told his mother to answer the door, so it didn't seem like he had been waiting around. Veronica complied with a chuckle, and invited Roger in, asking him to wait while she called for her "daughter."

"Cameron! Roger's here!" Veronica shouted down the South Wing, trying not to laugh.

"Tell him I'll be right there!" was Cameron's distant response from his wardrobe room. Though Cameron had planned on seeming like he was getting ready, he actually was; he had completely forgotten to adorn his neck with the cumbersome diamond necklace his mother had bestowed upon him. As he clasped it in the back and looked at himself in the mirror, he sighed to himself, and with a smile mumbled, "I look like a movie star on the red carpet."

After a moment's pause and reflection, he gathered his purse, which was sitting on the vanity, and walked over to the double doors. With a deep breath, he exited, and slowly made his way down the hall, spotting Roger conversing with the smiling Veronica. Roger looked happy, and Veronica seemed entertained; both, however, stopped any kind of motion once they heard Cameron's tall heels click into the Grand Foyer. As Roger stared at Cameron, he was absolutely lost for words. That's what's so different about her, he thought. She's not just some girl...she's a woman.

"Hi," Cameron said simply as he approached his boyfriend, smiling widely.

"You're the most beautiful creature in existence," was Roger's reply. He had a clear plastic case in his huge paw, and took this time to open it, revealing a marvelous corsage of red roses. Cameron's eyes lit up as he saw this, but he didn't say anything as Roger slipped it on his slim wrist, other than "Thank you."

"Stand in the doorway, you two, so I can get some pictures!" Veronica commanded lightheartedly. Seeing her son so happy was making her giddy.

"Okay..." the two young lions said absently, staring into each other's eyes. They padded over to the doorway, and as they posed, neither had to fake their smile; Cameron's was stretched so wide he thought his cheeks would fall off.

"Beautiful! You both look wonderful! Have fun!" And with that last quick and slightly awkward comment, Veronica hurried out of the Foyer. Once she had gone, Cameron turned to look at his boyfriend.

Roger was dressed in a black tuxedo, and had a deep red vest underneath, to match Cameron's dress. His white shirt was stretched handsomely over his slabs of muscle, and the tux was very form-fitting, giving him an elegantly masculine look. His mane was slicked back, and his tail was preened and combed, his whole aura that of maturity and class. Cameron wanted to just hold him all night, he was so stunning.

"Shall we go, milady?" Roger asked, staring into Cameron's eyes, then slowly kissing his lips, not breaking his gaze.

"I think we shall, kind gentleman," Cameron replied happily. He turned in the doorway, as they had been facing inside for Veronica's pictures, and saw Roger's F-150 sitting there, as shiny and beautifully masculine as ever. If it had been a limousine, Cameron would have been privately saddened; Roger's truck meant worlds more to him than any limo ever would.

"Oh...my God..." Kath mumbled under her breath. She had been dancing with Bruce, Roger's teammate and the boy who had asked her to Homecoming, when Roger and Cameron arrived. Normally, no one paid any kind of attention when new people came to dances late, other than their friends. However, Roger was the most popular guy in school, and Cameron was well-known by association, so that already gave them leverage; plus, both lions were so absolutely gorgeous that everyone was shocked. Kath and Bruce were dancing right in the middle of the floor, so as Roger and Cameron approached, and the crowd parted for them, they headed straight for the couple.

Kath noticed that Cameron was flushed and embarrassed for being so noticed yet again; Roger looked content in being in the spotlight. Kath knew then that it was her responsibility to help everyone get a grip, even though she was as stunned as they were by Cameron's entrancing beauty. She called out, "Hey girl! C'mere!" to Cameron.

"Hey Kath!" Cameron replied, shuffling up and giving his fox friend a hug.

"Cameron, you look so beautiful!" Kath said. Everyone turned away and danced once again. Thank God, Kath thought.

"So do you, girl!" Cameron complimented in return. He blushed again; Bruce still hadn't gotten a grip.

"Hey dude," Roger said to grab his attention. Finally, the hyena snapped out of it, and he shook paws with Roger, grinning.

"What up, Roger? Lookin' smooth!" he chuckled.

"Yeah, well, you know, I try," was Roger's response. "I don't think you've met my girlfriend Cameron, have you?"

"No, actually," Bruce said. He turned toward Cameron, and made a conceded effort not to stare too much. "A pleasure, Cameron."

'His Southern accent is so cute,' Cameron thought. "Likewise, handsome," Cameron teased a little. Bruce blushed, and Kath laughed internally at how everyone was so affected by her lovely best friend.

"Let's go get our ladies some drinks, 'ey Roge?" Bruce suggested. And with that, both boys wandered toward the drinks, leaving Cameron and Kath alone to talk while they danced together.

"Girl, I love that necklace! Pretty good costume jewelry there! Looks real!" Kath complimented.

"Actually...it is real," Cameron said. "It's my mom's."

"WHAT?" Kath practically screamed. The people close to them stared for a second. "I mean...what?! Those are REAL diamonds?" Kath asked, lowering her voice slightly.

"Yeah...they're pretty, huh?" said Cameron.

"PRETTY? They're gorgeous! That must be, what...four karats or something?"

"Five."

"Jesus! Well, they look great on you!" Kath said amazedly.

"What does?" Bruce asked. The boys had returned and handed the ladies some punch.

"Everything looks great on her," Roger said with a smile, kissing Cameron on the lips softly.

"I was talking about the rocks around her neck," Kath said. "Five karats in diamonds!"

"DAMN!" Bruce said in amazement. The people around them stared again. Roger, Cameron, Kath, and Bruce himself all laughed at the scene they were making.

The night was very fun for everyone. Cameron was constantly getting compliments on his looks, his diamonds, his shoes, his dress...everything. Roger too could scarcely avoid the comments. Everything was as perfect as Cameron could have ever wished, and he felt like crying when he and Roger got to dance their first slow dance together.

"You know, I meant what I said last night," Roger mumbled into Cameron's sensitive ear. "I love you."

"I meant it, too," Cameron whispered. "I love you, too."

"Do you want to come over after the dance? My family's away visiting my grandma," Roger asked softly.

"You know I do." Cameron was elated. Then he realized he had never been to Roger's house. He felt like a bad girlfriend for being in love, yet not even knowing where his love lived, but the feeling melted away instantly as Roger kissed him again.

Late into the night, after the very last slow song, the dance was ended (Roger winning Homecoming King, of course, and Cameron the Queen, however ironic). On the way to Roger's house, Cameron was thinking how exciting it would be to be this alone with his boyfriend; then it hit him: if Roger went anywhere past second base, his whole secret would be ruined, and Roger would hate him forever, right after they had just confessed their love. After that horrifying realization, Cameron was constantly on edge, nervous about every little thing.

"Well, we're here," Roger said with a smile as he pulled into the driveway of a small suburban home. Cameron hadn't expected anything big, but this house was bordering on tiny. He didn't say anything.

Roger opened his door for him and escorted him out of the car like a gentleman, and they walked to the front door together, paw in paw. Roger unlocked the door, and as he stepped inside and turned on the light, Cameron's notions about the size of the house were confirmed; it was a rather cramped sort of living space.

"I know, it isn't much compared to your mansion, but it's home. Two bedrooms, one bath. Home." Roger chuckled, slipping his paws onto Cameron's waist and kissing him.

"It's wonderful," Cameron responded truthfully. Though the house was small, he thought it was perfect simply because Roger lived in it. And despite its plain look, the house was clean, organized, and cozy. Then, as the coziness settled in, so did the nervousness. Roger's paws were on his waist, so close to his...

"So, why don't you show me around?" Cameron said a little anxiously, pulling away from Roger and feigning interest in all the details about the house.

"Well, we're in the living room," Roger shrugged offhandedly, as if Cameron's actions were perfectly normal. "The kitchen's right there," he explained, pointing to his right. "The door in the hall in front of us is the bathroom, and if you go left, it's my parents' room. But..." he mumbled, taking Cameron's paw into his and beginning to walk toward the hall. "I'm taking you right..."

"Oh?" Cameron replied. He was getting all the more apprehensive.

"Yep..." was Roger's simple answer. He tugged Cameron into the hall, then right, then into the doorway there, flicking the light switch to what was most certainly a boy's room. The walls were covered in football posters, the floor was a mess, and the little desk was untidy. Cameron noticed that something seemed out of place; he remembered that Roger had a little brother named Dylan, yet there was only one bed in the room.

Roger seemed to read Cameron's mind. "I know what you're thinking. Dylan and I share a room, but there's only one bed. Well, we just sleep together, because it saves floor space. I know it may sound weird and gross you out, but he and I cuddle up together when we sleep...we've always been together. I love my little brother." Roger was exposing part of his heart, and it did exactly the opposite of "grossing out" Cameron. Rather, he thought it was sweet that the two brothers could be so close. Roger was thoroughly embarrassed.

"It isn't weird...I only wish my sister and I had been that close," Cameron said to comfort his love. "She and I got along great, but she's just like my mom...not really comfortable with touchy feely stuff. I can imagine how cute that'd be, seeing your little brother latched on to you like that...awwww!" Cameron giggled.

"Oh shut up, I hate you," Roger chuckled. He put his paws on Cameron's waist again, and there a second time was that electric shock of nervousness.

"What's on your mind, handsome?" Cameron asked, trying to stall.

"You...everything about you...I thought love was something that happened when you'd been with someone for years, when you were an adult, when you got married and had kids...but I love you...and I've only been with you a few months. We're just kids ourselves. We're not getting married. Yet I love you." With that final confession, Roger kissed Cameron passionately, and Cameron's apprehension almost doubled. We're just kissing, he tried to confirm to himself. However, Roger's paws began to travel up his back, and soon, he felt his zipper being tugged down slowly. 'Oh God,' Cameron screamed in his head. 'Oh God, oh God, oh God, he's going to find out, I can't stop, I love him too much, and he's going to hate me, he's going to...huh?'

Roger pulled away from Cameron's mouth, burying his face in Cameron's shoulder. And...he sobbed. He was crying. He clutched Cameron close, and he cried. The young faux-lioness was stunned. He was in shock. Roger was crying.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Cameron asked softly. He rubbed Roger's back and hugged him tight, momentarily forgetting about his predicament. Roger only continued to bawl. "You can tell me, sweetie..."

"That's just it!" Roger moaned. "If I told you...we'd probably be over. You'd probably hate me. You'd be hurt and offended and hate me!" Roger lifted his head, and the tears glistened on his cheeks in the lamplight.

"Hate you? I could never hate you, you know that..." Cameron tried to comfort him. Me, hate him? I thought he would hate me! What's he hiding? Cameron pondered.

"You could...and you would, if I told you...told you why I can't do this..." Roger whimpered, looking distressedly into Cameron's eyes. Roger looked in pain, and Cameron couldn't stand seeing him like that.

"I promise I will never hate you, ever. I love you. Just tell me what's wrong, sweetie, please...I can't take seeing you in pain, it kills me..."

"Well...I honestly can't hide anything from you," Roger sniffled. His voice lowered, getting more secretive by the minute. "This has happened with every girl I've been with, but most especially with Marissa...when...uh...we fooled around...and stuff...um...I uh..." For once, Roger seemed struggling for the words. "I...uh...imagined...that I was touching and kissing...a guy." The hulking lion blushed very deeply. "I...I can't help it...I think I might be...gay..." he sighed. "Even with you, I imagine you're a boy...and I love you..."

Cameron was in shock. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. He was simply stunned. Those were the words he had been praying for, the words he had wanted to hear from Roger since the first time he had seen him. He's gay, Cameron finally thought, though he didn't speak. Roger was looking at him expectantly. He imagines I'm a boy...well...he won't have to imagine any more.

CHAPTER SEVEN - ECSTASY

"Honey? Do you hate me?" Roger asked without assurance or hope.

"You're...gay?" Cameron asked softly. He was still in complete shock.

"I...I think so...are you mad? Do you want to leave?" This was the least confident Roger had ever been around Cameron; he couldn't wait to restore his man's self-esteem.

Cameron let his voice fall to normal. He took off all pretense of femininity, of higher tone, of anything. He simply spoke in his normal, male voice, for the first time in months. "So am I."

Roger didn't even seem to notice the voice change. "You're a lesbian?" he asked confusedly.

"No..." Cameron sighed, smiling a little. He reached behind himself, able to unzip the rest of the way, and gently peeled his dress down. He slipped his paws into his exposed bra, easing out the pudding balloons, and showed them to Roger. Then, without a word, he unsnapped his bra, revealing the curves of his lean pectorals, blushing and sighing again. "You aren't the only one with a secret...I wanted to cheer this year so badly that I pretended to be a girl...I even fooled the man I fell in love with." Cameron felt relieved, but also ashamed. "I hope you don't hate me as much as you thought I'd hate you...because I love you with my whole heart."

Roger looked absolutely dumbfounded. His mouth hung open in a state of awe, and he just stared, stared as he'd never stared at anything. After a few moments of awkward silence, he stuttered, "You're...a...boy?"

"Yes...I'm sorry I lied to you, I'm sorry I kept secrets, I'm sorry...Maybe you should take me-"

Cameron didn't finish his sentence. It becomes difficult to speak with a lion's tongue in your mouth.

Roger was kissing Cameron more fervently than he had ever kissed anyone, even Cameron himself. He was kissing him with everything that was in his soul, every emotion he could muster, and Cameron slumped in the big lion's arms, returning his kiss with equal sincerity. Cameron felt hot, burning, on fire, rushed with blood and sensation, and he knew he was blushing practically all over. The lions' mouths parted with a gentle sweep of lips, and Roger smiled at Cameron.

"I..." was all he could say.

"You don't care that I've been deceiving you this whole time?" Cameron asked fretfully. Even though the kiss he had just experienced had rocked his whole body, he still felt the need to hear it from his boyfriend's own mouth.

"Why would I care? You've just given me what I've wanted for so long...I knew you were perfect, I knew you were the one..." Roger mumbled to his lover. "I love you so much..."

"I..." was all Cameron could say. He mimicked his boyfriend, only to have his mouth smothered again by the warmth of his partner's, their tongues colliding with a sweet and passionate momentum. There would be time to answer all questions later, time for thought, time for planning, time for change...now, all the two could think about was being as close to each other as possible.

Roger's huge paws began to slide themselves down Cameron's bare back, a sensation the young lion had been craving to feel since the first time they'd met, and they slid his silky dress down and off of him, tracing every curve of his gentle body. Cameron's own paws were slowly working off Roger's bowtie, and as they tossed it aside, his dress fell in a pool around his ankles, and he shivered, pressing even closer to Roger.

Sensing his love's cold, Roger separated lips with Cameron, swooping him up in his arms and carrying him to the small-yet-cozy bed, pulling back the sheets and blankets and laying the girlish lion down. He climbed atop his love and straddled him, stripping right before him, and Cameron thought he was going to faint. Every spectacular muscle, every inch of soft fur, everything, was ten times more gorgeous than he remembered that seemingly long-ago day when Roger had greeted him shirtless. Cameron felt he could only watch as Roger removed his pants, left only in a pair of gray briefs, which were bulging significantly. However, Cameron stopped his love before he made any moves to remove anything else, wrapping his arms around Roger's neck with a playful sweetness and giving him gentle, soft kisses.

"I...want this to be...perfect," Cameron whispered, smiling at Roger.

"It couldn't be more perfect...it's with you..." Roger replied. With that last sentiment, he slowly sat up, deciding to reveal himself first, to help Cameron be more comfortable. He got back on his knees and slipped his thumbs into his waistband, slowly pulling down until his thick, hard lion cock sprung out, followed by his sizable balls, dangling sexily. Roger's shaft was around seven inches, thicker than average, and very handsome...and as Cameron stared, he wanted it, he wanted to be naked with Roger.

Before long, the bigger feline had removed his underwear and his lover's completely, and they continued to stare at each other. Then, Roger eased his hips forward, and with tender fingers, clasped his paw around both his and his boyfriend's cocks. As he slowly stroked them together, having never experienced another man in this way, he visibly blushed...and not just because Cameron was a boy. Cameron's cock was about half an inch longer than his.

"Mmm..." Cameron murred. All he had to do was reach out his arms, and Roger knew what he wanted. He immediately thought he had been stupid to worry about dick length when he looked into Cameron's eyes, and he laid atop him, smothering him in kisses, muscles, and love.

After a few minutes of cuddling and kissing, Cameron's thick, warm thighs began to spread, and Roger could feel himself sliding lower and lower, his body begging to fuse with that of his smaller lover.

"Are you...?" Roger began.

"Yes," Cameron replied simply. "Yes, I am."

Without another word, Roger reached over to the night table. His brother was old enough to realize why there was Vaseline in the nightstand's drawer, for he used it more often than Roger himself; Roger brought it out, unscrewing it as quickly as possible and grabbing a dollop on his fingertips, beginning to sit up again. He knew where he wanted to put this first lube.

With his dry paw, Roger stroked along Cameron's inner thigh, easing it back for easier access to the recesses at its base. And, with his much slicker set of fingers, Roger reached down, and for the first time, felt another boy's hole. He purred as his fingers touched the soft, warm, tender flesh of Cameron's butt hole, and Cameron shivered from the cold of the Vaseline, only to moan as two thick fingers began prodding inside his anal ring.

"It's...so tight in there..." Roger mumbled very quietly. Of course, Cameron heard, but he said nothing, only moaning slightly more. Taking that as a sign to continue, Roger very carefully fingered Cameron for a few minutes (not knowing exactly what he was doing, as he'd never done so before), then slipped his masculine fingers from his lover's tight butt, his cock practically throbbing. Though his body was aching to be with Cameron's, all Roger could think was, "I love this boy, I love this boy," over and over again.

With another momentary pause, Roger reached back into the Vaseline jar, then put his paw to his hard cock, moaning even at his own stroking of it, it was so aroused. After lubing his meat properly, he sighed a loving sigh, and stared into Cameron's eyes. They really didn't need to speak: they understood what each other wanted.

With a slow, methodical motion, Roger eased his hips into place, lifting his boyfriend's pretty rump in the process, and very carefully began to penetrate his tender butt hole, purring even more deeply than before and clinging Cameron close.

The first few minutes were the slowest and most precious for the two. They could literally feel as their bodies merged into one, and though slightly painful for Cameron, his tears were of joy. He had so been anticipating hatred and rejection, been so nervous, that this pleasure was making him break down, and he loved the feeling of being broken in so many ways at once.

Once Roger was hilted in his little love, he kissed him deeply, and began to withdraw, then thrust inside again, very surprised at just how tight Cameron's rear was. It felt like a vagina...yet felt completely different at the same time. All he could think was that he loved it, and he only continued his rhythm, the two's moaning and whispering quiet and loving.

Climax came for both at the same time. They had been very carefully making love for about twenty minutes when neither could take the suspense any longer, and Roger really began to thrust, Cameron's hole easily able to take it. The friction between the feline's bellies had been increasingly pleasurable to Cameron's own cock, until the two released their lion seed together in harmony, the both roaring with a carnal ferocity.

As they lay together, Roger's weight snug atop Cameron, Roger chuckled slightly, and mumbled, "Now that was a lion's roar, baby."

"I try," Cameron sighed out, kissing Roger softly.

At around three in the morning, after the two had recovered from their love-making, Roger began to nibble and lick at Cameron's neck, and the little lion giggled.

"You're so beautiful," Roger complimented softly, nuzzling Cameron's jaw. "You're even more pretty as a boy than you are as a girl."

"Oh stop!" Cameron said with a blush.

"You know I'm telling you the truth," Roger replied.

"Yeah, well, can't deny that..." Cameron chuckled.

"Mmm..." was all Roger said as he cuddled his love. "I could lay like this forever, with you in my arms..."

"Me too, honey..." Cameron yawned out. He was absolutely famished after the night's exertions, and his eyes began to slowly flutter closed. The last thing he remembered hearing before he drifted off to sleep was the sound of Roger's heartbeat, the big lion's breathing, and the words, "I love you," right in his ear.

CHAPTER EIGHT - TRUE COLORS

When Cameron woke up, he was lying right against the snoring Roger's chest, and he had to restrain himself from dancing around the room. His boyfriend really liked him for who he was! The concept was amazing to him, and he only watched Roger sleep, smiling.

Eventually, Cameron kissed Roger's soft mouth, and the hulking young lion awoke to the beautiful face of his lover, Cameron's thick, curly auburn hair framing his lovely visage, his eyes bright and happy, his pretty lips curled in the sweetest smile he could muster.

"Good morning," Roger greeted, returning Cameron's kiss eagerly. They both closed their eyes as their lips met, and both kept their eyes closed as their lips parted once again, their arms enfolding each other, Cameron burying his face in the fur of Roger's chest.

"Honey, where's your family?" Cameron said after a long while of cuddling and relaxation together.

"They went to visit my grandma. I wanted to go to the dance, so I stayed here. They said they'd be back around noon..." Roger trailed off, kissing the top of Cameron's head, then smelling his soft hair and smiling.

"Noon?" Cameron asked, sounding a little shaken.

"Um...yes...is there something wrong?"

"It's twelve o' five right now!" Cameron exclaimed, jumping up into a sitting position. He had been looking at the alarm clock on the bedside table, and was panicking now as he rushed out of bed, grabbing his underwear and bra off the floor.

"You've got to be kidding me! We slept that long? They'll be home any minute!" Roger was telling Cameron as he grabbed some shorts and a shirt from his closet.

"We've got to get me home. In this dress, they'll obviously know I spent the night. Plus my hair's still half up..." Cameron rambled, clasping the huge diamond necklace on his neck. He slid on his shoes quickly, and as he raised his head, Roger's ear twitched.

"No!" Roger gasped, running out of the room. He had heard his parents' Yukon pulling into the driveway. As he ran back in, he thought of an idea. "Honey, I've got some clothes of mine that are way too small. I was going to sell them, but you can wear them and you'll look like you came over right now. Here!" The lion dug into a box that was at the foot of his bed and pulled a small t-shirt and a pair of jeans. "Go in my bathroom and take down your hair, put your dress and other stuff in the bathtub and shut the curtain. We'll move it when it's safe, okay?" He shooed off his love, then ran back into the living room to stall his family.

"Hey sweetie!" Roger's mother, Christine, greeted as she entered. Roger had seated himself on the couch and tried to act natural, smiling and standing up to kiss his mother on the cheek. "How was the dance?" she asked.

"Oh, it went really well. Cameron looked beautiful," he reminisced, trying to block out the image of Cameron's naked body so he didn't completely blush.

"Oh, did she? I hope you guys had a lot of fun. When do I get to meet this mysterious young woman, anyway?"

"Who?" Dylan asked as he walked in, his father directly behind him.

"Cameron," Christine said. "I'm curious about her."

"W-well, she's in the bathroom..." Roger commented softly. Christine, Dylan, and Roger's father, David, all looked at him reproachfully. "I picked her up this morning. We went out for breakfast, then I showed her around here," Roger lied.

Just then, the whole family heard the bathroom door down the hall creak open, and moments later, a very beautiful, yet casually dressed Cameron wandered into the living room, blushing and putting his hair behind his ear. His hair was messy, but it made him look a little exotic, his stuffed bra back on underneath the form-fitting t-shirt, the jeans a little loose. He had on his formal shoes, but the jeans covered the diamonds, so they looked like regular pumps.

"Hi...I'm Cameron," he said with a smile, using his effeminate voice. "You must be Roger's mother!" He held out his paw politely, and Christine took it.

"Yes, I'm Christine White...it's so nice to finally meet you, Cameron!" Roger's mother greeted. She had a smile on her face, and was glad to hear Roger's explanation of Cameron's presence.

"David," Roger's father said simply, offering his paw to Cameron, who shook it with a good grip. As Cameron looked up at David, he felt like he was looking at a more mature version of his boyfriend. All of David's features were Roger's, except his eyes. David's eyes were smallish and blue. Roger had his mother's large, honey-brown eyes.

"I can see where my boyfriend gets his great looks!" Cameron complimented sweetly, smiling at David. He, looking a little startled, flushed a little on his muzzle, but otherwise took it in stride and said, "Thanks!"

"What about me?" Dylan asked. He was beaming energetically, then as Cameron looked at him, made a bicep-flexing pose, which made Cameron giggle.

"Oh yes, I remember you, Dylan. Nice to meet you," Cameron said cordially, holding out his paw. Dylan shook it, chuckling a little at his own gesture, at which Roger had rolled his eyes a bit, smiling. "I have to say," Cameron said softly, looking slightly up at Dylan (who at 13 was already taller than him by a few inches), "I've got to disagree with Roger. I don't think you're a 'dweeb' at all...I think you're totally cute." Cameron had said it soft enough that only Dylan could hear, and he blushed all over, looking startled, flattered, and attracted to Cameron. While the White family looked slightly confused, Cameron laughed and wandered back over to Roger, slipping his small paw in his boyfriend's and interlocking fingers.

"Well, you seem like a great person, Cameron. Couldn't ask for a nicer girlfriend for my son," Christine said, smiling again.

"Thanks, Mrs. White," Cameron replied, thinking, 'You could have asked for a girlfriend for your son that doesn't have a penis...'

"Hey mom, Cameron and I are going to take those clothes to Salvation Army, then I'm going to go to her house, okay?" Roger said.

"Okay, sweetie. Can you grab my box, too?"

"Yeah, sure." With that, Cameron and Roger went back into Roger's bedroom, Dylan following also.

"So Dylan," Cameron asked as Roger left to get his mother's box of clothing, "How old are you? Why haven't I seen you around campus?" Cameron knew Dylan was only 13, but he liked flattering the young lion. He crossed his legs as he sat on the bed, sitting seductively and smiling.

"Umm...I'm only 13, I'm in eighth grade," Dylan answered. He clearly liked the way Cameron looked, and that made Cameron chuckle softly.

"Oh, no wonder! Well, you were just so mature looking and handsome, I thought you might be my age."

"Nah..." was all Dylan could respond with, scratching the back of his head a little nervously. "Um...I'm going to go get my stuff out of the car." With that, he rushed out of the room, blushing a bit.

"What got him so in a rush?" Roger asked as he walked back into the room. "What'd you say to him?"

"I told him he was really mature-looking, that he looked like he was my age. He got nervous and fled," Cameron said amusedly.

"Baby, you sure know how to be a big tease," Roger laughed. His expression hardened a little, though, when he realized this was a good opportunity. "Go get your stuff out of the bathroom. Hurry!"

Cameron rushed off, and moments later, he had stuffed his dress, diamond necklace, purse, and the bobby pins from his hair into the box of Roger's clothes, the hulking lion closing it quickly before Dylan even returned. Then, Roger hoisted both boxes, and the two walked out to the living room.

"Later dweeb," Roger said to his brother as they passed each other.

"Later loser," replied Dylan, hitting Roger in the arm and grinning. That was when Cameron noticed that the thin, tall lion had a mouth full of braces. 'He looks like his mother,' Cameron thought.

And, finally, after saying goodbye to the Whites, Cameron and Roger left, thankful they hadn't been caught.

Roger and Cameron were true to Roger's word. They went and dropped off the old clothes at the Salvation Army, as they said they would, then went to Cameron's house, as they said they would. Cameron was beaming the whole time, kissing Roger as often as possible and acting very excited in general. Roger wasn't so hyper, but he was very content to kiss and touch and love as much as Cameron wanted. He was just glad to be with Cameron.

"Honey, I'm going to get in the shower. I need to wash all this hairspray and stuff out," Cameron said to Roger as he closed his bedroom door behind him.

"Okay," Roger replied. "Hey, did you ever show me your bathroom?"

"I don't think I did, actually...I guess I didn't think about it. You can see it if you want," said Cameron.

The two walked over to the door on the far side of the room, across from Cameron's bed, and Cameron opened it quickly, letting Roger walk ahead of him. Roger said, "Wow," in an amazed way, and with good reason. Cameron's bathroom was enormous, the size of a normal master bath, and had a Jacuzzi bathtub, a glass shower stall, marble countertops and floors, and the shiniest chrome fixtures Roger had seen. The whole thing was very white, and looked a little sterile, but beautiful at the same time.

"You like?" Cameron asked, wrapping his arms around Roger's waist from behind.

"Yeah..." Roger trailed, rubbing his lover's paws on his stomach. "Umm...Cam?"

"Yeah stud?" Cameron responded.

Roger turned around in Cameron's arms, bending down and kissing him. "I want to share that bathtub with you."

A very bright blush went over Cameron's face, and he smiled. "Okay, honey...let me go lock my door."

Moments later, the bathtub, easily big enough for the both of them, was filling with very warm water, and the two were slowly stripping each other, Cameron putting his fake breasts and bra on the countertop, the rest of their clothes falling to the floor.

"I have to admit," Roger whispered, "you're the first guy I've ever been with. But you're more beautiful than any girl I've dated." He kissed Cameron softly as he slid the little lion's panties off, and Cameron grasped on to his boyfriend's back, thinking, 'I love this man...'

As the two submerged themselves in the warm water, they couldn't stop staring at each other, and Cameron gave a sigh.

"You know, we have to talk about this. It isn't like nothing's changed. I mean, I'm a boy. For you, it's like I've completely changed genders or something. What are we going to do?"

Both of their shafts sat at full attention between their legs, which was a major distraction for both lions. "Well, at school, everything's got to be like nothing's happened. I don't want either of us getting harassed. But...well, I don't know. Is anything really going to change? You can't dress like a boy in public, or someone that knows you might see you. Other than that I know...is anything really going to change?"

"Huh...when you put it that way, I guess not. I...I'm just so grateful to have you...I thought you were going to hate me forever..." Cameron waded over to Roger and slipped his arms around his neck.

"I thought you'd hate me, babe...but I guess our love was just too strong," Roger said softly, giving Cameron the smallest of kisses.

"You know, you act like you're so macho, but you're really just a sap underneath it all," Cameron chuckled, licking Roger's cheek.

"Oh yeah?" Roger countered, grabbing on to Cameron's rear beneath the water. "Not macho, huh?" he said as he slid his hard shaft against his boyfriend's entrance.

"Mmm...nah, not...macho..." Cameron sighed with pleasure, his eyes closing.

The two made love in the bathtub for almost an hour before they climaxed. This time, Roger took Cameron in his mouth once he had finished in Cameron's ass, and the younger lion came harder than he had in his life, moaning loudly. In the giant Jameston estate, no one would be able to hear.

Afterward, the lions washed each other lovingly, and couldn't stop kissing each other, which made their bath last even longer. By the time they got out, they had had to add hot water three times.

"That was nice," Cameron said to Roger as he nuzzled the lion's thick mane, the two lying on Cameron's bed naked together.

"Yeah...it really was," Roger agreed sincerely, holding Cameron to him.

"I'm so in love with you," Cameron whispered.

"About as much as I am with you," Roger whispered back.

The two lovers spent Sunday apart. They both knew that it would be bad for their relationship to spend all their time together, but after their secrets being freshly revealed and their love expressed physically, they were longing for each other all day, and ended up talking on the phone for an hour that night. Cameron spent his Sunday seeing a movie with Kath and going to her house to meet her family and have dinner, which was fun for him. As the two went into Kath's room, Cameron absolutely had to tell her about sleeping with Roger. She was his best friend; he felt like he was lying to her if he didn't tell her immediately. Of course, he decided to leave out that he was a boy.

"Kath," he said as she closed her door. He sounded serious.

"Yeah?" she asked casually, not noticing his tone.

"On Homecoming night...I slept with Roger," Cameron let out quickly. He wasn't one to beat around the bush.

"WHAT?!" Kath exclaimed loudly, taken aback.

"Shhh!" Cameron hissed.

"You guys had sex? Oh my God, why didn't you tell me earlier? How was it? How was he? Was it your first time? It was, wasn't it? Give me all the details!" Kath pounced on her bed, intent on listening to every word.

"Well...yeah, it was my first time. He was...amazing. He was so gentle, so loving...I cried a little, it was so good." Cameron smiled and blushed just remembering the experience, not to mention the previous day. "And...we did it again yesterday afternoon...in my bathtub."

"God! Don't waste time, do you?" Kath said jokingly. "Jesus...I imagine he'd be great. You bled a bit, right? Was he grossed out?"

"Oh...um...yeah, I bled, but he didn't mind," Cameron lied. He had forgotten girls bleed when they have sex for the first time.

"Didn't it hurt, though?" Kath asked.

"Well yeah, at first it hurt a lot. But by the time it was over, shit...it was just awesome. But oh my God, his family almost came home in the morning..." And Cameron told Kath all about how the Whites had almost caught him sleeping over at Roger's house, how they had stashed his dress in the box, and then described their experience together in the bathtub, again conveniently changing his story to make himself female.

"Dude...that's crazy. I'm really happy for you guys! And he told you he loves you?"

"Yeah...we've said it a lot, and I think we both mean it...a lot." Cameron and Kath both sighed.

"That's so romantic," Kath said with a smile. "You know, Bruce better ask me out. We were having a lot of chemistry going on at the dance, and I really like him."

"His accent is adorable!" Cameron giggled.

"I know, right? Urgh, he's so cute! It's almost disgusting!" Kath laughed.

Kath asked no more questions about Roger and Cameron's first sexual experiences, and Cameron was relieved to not be keeping it from her. However, the fact that he still had one big secret was gnawing at him.

"Cameron!" Roger yelled across the Upperclassmen Courtyard as he jogged over to his boyfriend.

"Hey sweetie!" Cameron greeted, just as Roger swept him up and kissed him.

"I missed you so much," Roger mumbled.

"I missed you too," Cameron said back, clinging to his boyfriend tightly.

Just then, the bell rang, and Roger, Cameron, Kath, Lindsay, and Bruce went off to class, Kath and Bruce not able to keep their eyes off each other, Cameron and Roger their usual affectionate selves, Lindsay telling them how disgusting they were in a sarcastic and joking voice. Little did the group of friends know that they wouldn't be as happy that afternoon.

As the bell rang for lunch, and Cameron gathered his things, he was glad to get to eat, as his stomach had been grumbling since second period. He walked outside of his classroom, and the first thing he noticed was that there were white papers everywhere. It looked as though someone had strewn about a ton of copy paper all through the halls, and as Cameron picked one up, his face contorted in horror.

There, on the paper, and on all of them, was his mother's and his own face, with the headline, "Veronica Jameston and her son Cameron at the Grand Opening of the Museum of Natural History." The picture was about two and a half years old, and showed Cameron in a suit next to his mother. He remembered the picture, the article about the Grand Opening, and how it mentioned his and Veronica's attendance. He suddenly felt sick as he read the words, hand written, "Your cheer captain!"

Everyone stared at him as he looked up. He was absolutely frantic, his heart beating twice its normal pace, his lungs not getting enough air for him to breathe, his throat closing, his stomach turning over. He felt tears in his eyes as he stood there, everyone in the hall staring, some pointing and talking to their friends, some laughing, others saying things like, "Oh my God!" and "I can't believe it!"

Cameron ran. He pumped his legs as fast as they would go, regardless of the fact that he was wearing heels and a skirt, his tears streaming down his face, his heart aching. People pointed and stared at him as he ran, but he ignored them. He just ran all the way to his car, throwing his bag in and sitting in the driver's seat, sobbing loudly. He started the engine, pulling out of his parking space quickly and speeding forward. Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes. Roger had jumped in front of his car.

Cameron hit his steering wheel and sobbed into his paws as Roger ran to the driver's side door and opened it.

"Honey, come here," he cooed, unbuckling Cameron's seatbelt for him. He picked his lover up, Cameron howling all the while, and rocked him back and forth in his arms, letting the car run, letting people from the Courtyard watch, allowing everything to happen around them. Roger just wanted Cameron safe, he didn't care about anything else. "I love you, I love you, I love you...I don't care who knows it, Cameron...I'm going to be here for you...I'm going to protect you, with my life if I have to..."

Slowly, Cameron calmed down. People that had been watching from the Courtyard were absolutely silent. Eventually, Cameron lifted his head, his eyes swollen with crying, his mouth frowning. "I can't stay here," he said. "Everyone's just going to hate me. I have to go home."

"Cam, you can't just run away. Look, are you proud of me?" Roger asked him, grasping him by the shoulders.

"You know I am," Cameron said.

"Well, I'm proud of you, too. I don't care what you are, you're mine. I love you. And I'm going to tell everyone in this fucking school exactly how I feel about you. I don't care about them, I care about you." Roger was very serious. "Now go park your car so we can go eat lunch." Roger smiled at Cameron, and Cameron, as he stared into his boyfriend's eyes, couldn't help but smile back.

Cameron did as he was told, and within a minute, they were walking into the Upperclassmen Courtyard, paw in paw, everyone staring in awe. There was a small stage at the head of the Courtyard for lunchtime ASB activities and band performances, and Roger guided Cameron to it. Everyone remained silent.

"Look, I know you've all seen these flyers," he said, picking up one that was near his foot. "It says Cameron's a boy. Well, it's true. He is. Cameron is a he. And you know what? I love him. I'm more in love with Cameron than I've been with any girlfriend I've ever had. In fact, I've never been in love before him. And I don't give a shit which one of you knows it. We love each other. And even though Marissa Tyre felt the urge to try and ruin mine and Cameron's lives, she failed. I don't care if you all hate me and Cameron forever. At least I have him." With that, Roger hugged Cameron close and stared out at the crowd, as if daring them to say anything. He saw Marissa sinking to the back, looking embarrassed at being found out, though no one else noticed. He glared at her. He had recognized her handwriting easily.

After a few moments, there was a sound. It wasn't a jeer, it wasn't an insult, and it wasn't people storming off. It was a clap. Bruce, who was off to the couple's right, had begun clapping. And many of the people there joined him, applauding the two with smiles on their faces.

After a moment, Bruce ran up on stage, Kath on his heels. "I've known this guy since we were kids, and believe me, he knows how to pick 'em. Anyone says anything about him or Cameron, I'll kick their ass!" he announced, throwing his arm around Roger's shoulder.

"That goes double for me!" Kath said. They didn't need to, however; many people, the majority in fact, supported Cameron and Roger's love, surprisingly to Cameron.

"Well, I guess we got to see Marissa's true colors shine through," Bruce mumbled. "Seriously, what a bitch! Who cares if Cameron's a guy? He's totally nice." Bruce looked at Cameron and smiled. "Look Cameron, don't let that whore Marissa ruin your life. You're beautiful, darlin'...I mean, uh, dude." He blushed and laughed a little.

"Thank you, Bruce!" Cameron cried, practically flinging himself at the cute hyena boy. He hugged him tightly, and Bruce only became shyer, holding him just as tight. Normally, Cameron wouldn't cling to someone he'd just met, but he was so emotional, he couldn't help himself. Kath gave Cameron a hug after the little lion released Bruce, and Cameron couldn't help but cry again. This had to be the worst, best, saddest, and happiest day he had felt. It was so confusing, so emotional, so dramatic, so frightening, and so wonderful.

"Roger White," Cameron said seriously, standing erect in front of his beaming boyfriend. By this time, friends of theirs had congratulated them, expressed their surprise but support, and the Courtyard had gone back to its normal hustle and bustle of hungry students eating their lunches.

"Yes, Cameron Jameston?" Roger replied formally.

"I'm so in love with you," Cameron said, holding himself close to Roger's hard, sexy body.

"Not as much as I am with you," Roger replied, and dipped down, giving Cameron a deep and long kiss.

EPILOGUE - HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Though it seems rather unlikely and highly unrealistic, Cameron and Roger really were supported by almost all of their friends. The ones that didn't support them, they found, weren't real friends anyway, and they didn't regret losing them. No one dared speak against Roger and Cameron's relationship, either. Roger had almost the whole football team supporting him, and Cameron the cheerleading squad, both of whom would have beat the pulp out of anyone that threatened or hurt their teammates. Coach Fisher found out about Cameron, of course, but shrugged as if it was nothing and said, "You're going to be at practice tomorrow, right?" When Cameron said he would, she said, "That's all I care about, kiddo. You're an amazing cheerleader and an amazing person."

After revealing Cameron the way she did, Marissa wasn't exactly well-liked. Even those that thought homosexuality was wrong thought Marissa was shallow and morally devoid for being so hurtful in what she did, and not many people talked to her the rest of the year. The plan that she thought had been so perfect to ruin Cameron had only made him stronger, and in fact had ruined her.

Of course, some people Roger and Cameron stayed away from, particularly the Christian Club. And though there was awkwardness among the school for a week or two, they got used to Roger and Cameron, and Cameron chose to sometimes dress as a boy, sometimes as a girl. This took a little more getting used to, but the student body was able to handle it.

Roger's and Cameron's story was inspirational to some of the students at Cravendale, and many came out of the closet because of it, including Roger's friend and teammate, Shannon. Shannon said that it had hurt so badly trying to pretend he was something that he wasn't, and he was glad to finally get it off his chest; the day he had told Roger and Cameron, Cameron and Roger had whispered to each other, then each given Shannon a small kiss on the mouth, which made the hulking tiger blush deeply and grin.

Roger's and Cameron's relationship lasted. They went to Winter Formal and Prom together, Cameron wearing beautiful dresses on both occasions, and Cameron continued as head cheerleader, the whole school knowing that he was their little secret at sports games as he donned his girl's outfit and returned the faux-breasts to his chest.

At graduation at the end of the year, Roger and Shannon both graduated with Honors. No one cheered for Marissa as she received her diploma, which she expected. Then, near the front row of the audience, Cameron stood up and screamed, "Yeah Marissa!" Everyone stared at him, and she smiled a little.

After the ceremony, Marissa came up to Cameron.

"Cameron...I'm so sorry for what I did to you at the beginning of the year," she apologized. "It was super bitchy of me, I was just so mad about losing captain and everything...but I know you're better. You're amazing. I just wanted to apologize..."

"Marissa, I forgave you a long time ago. It's cool, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." He smiled and patted her arm.

"Well, I suppose if Cameron's forgiven you, I will," Roger chuckled and smiled at her. Marissa smiled back, and he pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Roger..." she whimpered as she hugged him.

"It's cool, like Cam said, Marissa." He let her go. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"You too," she replied.

They both did. Roger had been accepted into a local university, so he and Cameron could see each other whenever they wanted. Veronica, who of course had been supportive from the beginning, paid for the two to take a two-week vacation to Hawaii for Roger's graduation. Marissa started as a freshman at NYU with a new outlook on life, and was dating a handsome black labrador boy within a few months of starting her first semester. She's majoring in business.

Cameron is now a senior at Cravendale, and he and Roger are still madly in love. But...what now?