Changed - Chapter 3
#3 of Changed
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Changed
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Chapter 3
(Damien)
I couldn't focus, something felt wrong, like I wasn't suppose to be here. Football practice went on and the only thing I could focus on is something unknowingly wrong. Every time I ran the ball in the wrong direction coach yelled, alas, I wasn't focusing on him, nor football.
Have you ever had that feeling where you were doing something but your mind wanted to do something totally different, and your body rejected whatever you were doing? Well, that's the feeling I experienced. I wanted to play football, yet my mind and body rejected me.
I looked around and saw everyone in their position.
"HUT!"
The ball was handed to me.
*Dodge*
I avoided one tackle; one more guy was coming up, I knew I could shake him, if only I could get to the side...
*SLAM*
The guy tackled me, hitting my guarded body so hard my helmet flew off. After seeing that performance coach yelled, "DAMIEN! Get your ASS off of the field!"
Coach was yelling, and cussing, that only meant I was about to get a lecture.
"What's wrong with you, son?" He said as I made my way to him. "You've been out of it all day, this sort of stuff is not acceptable for the team captain. You're suppose to be calling the shots. That last play...you shoulda dodged that. What's gotten into you today?"
"I-I don't know...I just don't feel right today, coach." I said facing the ground. "Maybe if I sit down for a while I'll be able to think straight."
"Go ahead, but don't take too long," Coach instructed. "We have a few plays we need to go through before practice ends." I nodded and made my way to the bench, where I sat down and grabbed a water bottle and squirted a few swallows into my muzzle.
This weird behavior...it came out of nowhere. I was doing well today, without a care in the world, until...
Until...
Duster. Today Duster confronted me after lunch. He apologized for being rude during our last encounters and he asked to be my friend. Normally a person would be happy to get what they want, I wanted nothing more than to be his friend, for some odd reason, but instead of being happy, I felt confused and out of place all day.
Unnamed feelings came into place. This strange feeling deep inside makes me want to protect him...but from what, exactly? He wasn't in danger, or that's what I would have liked to believe. That boyfriend of his, the Mustang, gave me chills. Every time I saw them together sirens would go off, they just weren't a match for each other.
"How could you protect someone who doesn't want your help?" I froze, every thought I had paused, as a voice behind me spoke. I turned around slowly catching sight of a small fox. "What makes him so special to you, I wonder. Is it the fact that he's gay, small, and easily manipulated? It's really a mystery... I really like mysteries. Maybe by asking you I'll get some answers."
I looked at the fox, shock presented on my face. Who was this guy?
"Excuse me...but who the hell are you?" The fox stood straight up.
"Is that really important? Knowing my name isn't going to help you with your problems, now is it?" The fox stuck his paws into the two front pockets of his jeans. "Asking such a silly question during a time like this? Tsk Tsk."
"How do you know I'm having problems?" I asked, standing up myself.
"Asking more ridiculous questions?" The fox sighed. "How about a more affective questions... Try again."
The fox attitude started to make me a little upset, and that is really hard to do. I'm naturally a very calm and loving guy, no one in the history of furkind has ever made me snap or come close, yet this kid sat in front of me acting all high-and-mighty. Not to mention I was already having a confusing day.
"Ok," I sighed. "How about this one. Why are you here?"
He smiled. "That is one I can answer, sorta. I'm here to help you find your way around your new way of life."
"New...way...of life?" I sat there confused. What was this guy talking about?
"YES!" He raised a finger. "Your new way of living in this godforsaken world! I'll be your guide...your mentor, and help you and your partner through all of the trails and errors. Sorta like a guardian angel."
To be honest, this guy was starting to freak me out. He comes out of nowhere and knows exactly what was bothering me, it's like he's in my head.
"Then help me out!" I demanded. If he knew what was bothering me and had an answer then I wanted it. "I don't care who you are, no offense, but if you have an answer to my problems then tell me, or else leave. Honestly, I don't know who you are, you've been rude. How could you walk up to someone and not give your name?"
The fox nodded. "True, but I can't give my name out. I'm truly sorry. But to help with your problems...You want to protect that little Dalmatian? He seems to not want helping, or at least not now. Maybe if you show him just how much he needs help you'll win his trust."
"But how?" I asked.
"Hmmm..." The fox closed his eyes. "Maybe...you should go to the bathroom closest to room 193. That is how you'll do it."
"Room 193?" I tilt my head. "Why..."
"You and your questions?" He shook his head. "Look, if you want to help that kid out then you should go check out that bathroom. I'm not sure how long you have to do that, so you should hurry. This could be your one and only chance, don't waste it."
I looked at him. Should I stay or should I go? What if this guy was a lunatic? I didn't know him, yet he knew me, and of my problems, was that enough to actually believe him. If I left then I'd be skipping practice, but if this guy was giving me correct info...
"You may wanna go now..." The mysterious little fox said.
Doubt filled me, rather or not this fox was trustworthy is beyond me, but I really didn't have a reason not to believe him. True, he was a random guy I've never met and not to mention he set the first impression off as being rude, but something about him seemed believable. This could possibly be the reason why I felt out of place, being here isn't meant to be. I'm more needed somewhere else.
Without a second thought, I ran off the field and toward the school. I dashed through the parking-lot, dodging cars and poles until I made it to the building. I glanced to my side, and surprisingly, the mysterious fox was next to me, keeping up with my fast pace. Foxes were always quick, little creatures, but I never would have thought one could keep up with a Running Back.
"What is this Dalmatian to you exactly?" He said. "Is he that important to you...like you could lose your spot on the team for this, is it worth losing? I'll say you're starting to like this kid, and the reason why you're are getting all protective of him is because..."
"HEY!" I growled. "Don't say it, as if I don't have enough to worry about right now. Don't really need extra stuff to think about right now."
"Hehe.." I could hear him chuckling. "Don't deny it...you're actually starting to fall for this guy, someone who doesn't even want you... A lost soul who doesn't want to be found, but instead you want to help."
In a way the fox is right. Duster didn't want help, he was lost in a fantasy world, I could even see this. My Dalmatian friend had been blinded by false love, yet, I couldn't leave him... No one liked being alone, and being with that Mustang was just the same as having no one.
The fox and I continued running side-by-side through the halls. We were almost there...
"If you find something you don't want to...what will happen?" The fox continued. "Don't get me wrong, Duster is definitely in that bathroom, but what if you see something disturbing, huh? I'm guessing you just took my word, and that's good. You'll definitely win over Duster's full trust, but you have to conduct yourself in the appropriate way, which I don't think you will after seeing what you're about to see."
What was this guy going on about. The worst I could walk in on was...him and that Mustang having sex in the rest room. No. That didn't make sense, how would me catching them in the act win Duster's trust? Maybe it was something much more drastic, like abuse? I couldn't bare the thought of someone hurting him like that; my teeth grinded, my fist clenched into an even tighter ball as I ran. If that Mustang guy hurt him...I...will...kill him!
I'm guessing my face expression gave me away, because the next response from the fox hinted toward what I was thinking.
"You can't doing anything a delinquent would do, but I can't control your actions." He sighed as we came to the bathroom closest to room 193. I looked at the door, then over to him. "I can't stay any longer, this isn't my place, but remember your actions speak louder than words, remember that." He turned around and walked away with his paws in pockets. I watched him walk down the hall until he turned a corner, disappearing from sight.
After the mysterious fox left, my attention went back toward the restroom. I hesitated, not knowing what awaited me on the other side, and as I sat there thinking about all the bad outcomes, it hit me. This was just a door to the restroom. The only thing behind this solitary door was stalls and probably Duster, I had nothing to be afraid of.
"Please stop..." I heard a faint whimper from the other side. I burst through the door to find Duster being forced down by a tiger slightly larger than him.
"GET YOUR FUCKING PAWS OFF OF HIM!" I yelled, running over to the tiger and Duster. I felt someone grab my shoulder. I quickly spun around and saw the mustang, and for once I was happy to see him, well... my paw was. As I spun around, I swung my paw, connecting with his nose. The mustang feel back onto the floor, and I turned around to handle the tiger. I lift the Tiger off the ground by his shirt, pushed him back a little and uppercut him, knocking him back to the floor.
Next thing you know I was hit in the head. I fell back and quickly turned around to see the Mustang back on his hooves. I glared at him. Anger had completely taken control, I was beyond mad, what I saw had destroyed me and left utter anger. Out the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of Duster on the floor, in the fetal position. This sent me over the edge. I charged at the Mustang. He threw a hook, but I was too quick, dodging his punch and threw a few punches of mine to his mid-region.
The Mustang had gotten into a fight he was surely going to lose, I trained everyday at my local GYM for fights, this was a cake walk for me.
I dodged a few more punches before I decided to finally finish the fight. The Mustang swung wildly, determinded to hit me. I dodged them and landed one punch to his chest and two to the face, he went down like a burning building. I looked around to see the tiger still on the ground holding his face, Duster in the fetal position, and a human kid staring at me. The kid didn't concern me, he obviously didn't want any trouble. I walked over to Duster, pulled his pants up, and picked him up before walking out of the restroom with him.
Where would I take him? How would I explain what happen? This was surely something I couldn't handle, I needed help, but no one could come to my rescue right now. I looked down at Duster; his eyes were shut closed and tears ran down his cheek. Beating down the guys who did this to him should have calmed me down, but seeing this face only brought back the anger, and even more fierce than ever.
I walked with Duster in my arms, if there was one place to take him, it would be out of school. In no time we were outside, I found a bench and laid him down on it. He still had that innocent, hurt look on his face, but once he settled into the afternoon's warmth his mood changed: he slouched over, his paws moved to his face and wiped the remaining tears that were there away. I didn't know what to do for him at this moment.
"C-can," Duster looked up. "can you p-please get me something t-to drink?" He asked with such a hurt look upon his face. I nodded and walked over to a random drink machine, bent over, took a dollar out of my shoe (I leave money in my shoes during football practice), and bought a water.
I leaned down and took the water bottle, and when I came back up the sight of that mystery fox greeted me.
I flinched, a little shocked about his sudden appearance. "I'm sorry, but I can't really talk at the moment."
"Good," He leaned against the drink machine. "You just need to listen. Your bathroom act, that wasn't what I expected from you. There are two beaten down guys in a restroom in that," He pointed to the school. "building. What will you do next?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I smiled and turned around. "I'm going to make sure Duster is ok, that's really the only thing I can and WANT to do right now. And you can't judge me for my actions, I did what seemed necessary. Those guys...they were..." I shook my head. The thought of what those bastards were attempting to do to Duster made my stomach turn.
The fox just closed his eyes, shook his head, and smiled. "You're really something else, you know that? Don't lose this chance, it's probably your one and only opportunity you'll ever get."
"Don't worry, I won't." With that, I walked back to Duster, sitting next to him before handing him the water bottle.
I watched Duster take remove the water bottles cap and gulp down half the liquid it contained. He seemed thirsty, I'm guessing his mouth would probably be dry. No telling what they made him do before I came. Thinking about what he went through made me want justice.
"Duster, we have to tell..." I started...
"No!" Duster's grip around the bottle tightened. "Y-you can't tell anyone! If you do I'll get in so much trouble, and...and... Steve... he'll be mad at me.... Please don't tell anyone, I'll do anything."
Whatever this kid went through in the relationship with that Mustang, seemed to leave him mentally dependent on him. This came to a shock, only relationships in movies were like this, when one person would do anything for another no matter how much they hurt. It wasn't love, just lust on the other guy part.
"What if he doesn't want to be saved?" I remembered the fox's words. They made me think. What if he didn't want my help...
No
I had to try, if there is a small possibility that I can save him from a meaningless relationship I had to take it. There was only one way to do that, to assure his safety and keep him happy forever.
"Is he that important to you...like you could lose your spot on the team for this, is it worth losing? I'll say you're starting to like this kid, and the reason why you're are getting all protective of him is because..."
After seeing what that Mustang did to him, and his face afterward forced the conclusion on me. The mysterious fox spoke the truth. The reason I had been so protective over him is because... I was starting to fall in love with Duster. That was the only solution to the way I've been feeling: Having dreams about him, awaiting Weightlifting class every day, watching romantic movies... If this is what it felt like to be in love then I was in it ten times over.
"I won't tell, but I'll take you up on that last offer." He tilt his head. "You said you'd do anything, so what I want you to do is give me five minutes of your time and listen to me. Can you do that?"
He looked me in the eyes and nodded. "O-ok?"
"No interruptions."
"Ok."
I sighed, closed my eyes, then took in a deep breath. "When I first saw you in the gym I saw two gay guys; one wanted to be happy, and the other wanted the other guy to be miserable... you can only guess which one you were. I watched you and your boyfriend, seeing how badly he was treating you. It hurt me to see such a sweet guy be treated like nothing, and it pissed me off to see that guy treat you that way, that wasn't fair to you.
"I began to wonder if there was a way to help you, you know, make you happy instead of miserable. I thought of every way possible, and what I came up with at the time was being your friend. If only I could have hung out with you and treat you like the Prince that you are...maybe...just maybe you wouldn't have to put on a fake smile." Duster looked down, resting his two little paws on his legs.
"Duster," I continued. "You try so hard to make him happy, and he try even harder to make your life hell." I moved my paw over his and lifted it up. "It doesn't have to be that way, you can be just as happy...with me..."
Duster looked up into my eyes with tears starting to form in his.
"D-Damien." Duster said in the softest voice.
I wrapped my arm around his waist, as we gazed into each other eyes. Everything which happened at this moment shocked me. In under an hour I had saved a guy, found out I was gay, and confessed my love for a guy, this was one hell of a way to begin my school year.
"Duster, what I'm trying to say is that...I love you...and will never, ever...hurt you the way you've been hurt in the past." I leaned in closer, closing the gap between our furry bodies. He looked up at me, never taking his eyes away from mine, but when they did, our lips pressed against one another and our eyes closed.
This was it, the missing link, what I've been looking for to make this school year the best I would ever have: Captain of the football team, grades, Debate Team captain, my reputation, and now...Duster. He was that void in my life, and the reason why I would never date anyone else. From the moment I saw him everything about me felt different... I was changed.
Right here. Right now. I would never forget this moment, my first kiss, my first love. I held him with an arm, while my other paw held his. All of my feelings I had stored deep inside now made their way to the surface. This kiss was special, it held something different in it. I felt not only love in it, but 'forever' in the kiss as well. Our kiss lasted forever...but I knew it would end too soon...
Thank you guys for waiting! Next chapter will be up ASAP! I wrote this one in a hurry, actually took me three hours to do, so please tell me if you find any mistakes! Don't forget to fav and comment! XD Until next time!
Damian © Ace Wolf
Duster ©millenius