Changes - Part 1.5
Changes
Part 1.5
by Dego
Author's Note: This is a very long story about a fox. If you're not interested in sitting in for the long run, don't read it and don't give me a bad vote. The story is split into 10 sections and numbered 1.0, 1.1, 1.2... and so on. I will post a new section each day. Please enjoy.
*****
The next day Charlie got up, ate a breakfast of cereal while no one was home, and made sure to be on time for the bus. He found Lucas again that day, and sat down in the aisle seat next to him. Lucas was in the same somber mood and never actually said anything to Charlie. Finally Charlie got annoyed enough to ask: "Are you always this way? Why don't you ever talk to anyone?"
"Because the world is shit!" Lucas replied.
Charlie pryed. "How do you figure?"
"Because... Because people aren't allowed to be happy!"
Charlie noticed a tiny little cut on Lucas's brow. "What happened there?"
"That's the point. Forget it."
"No, tell me about it. What happened?"
"Look, kit, it's none of your business."
"Don't call me a 'kit!' I'm the same age as you." Charlie guessed.
"Whatever. Forget it."
Charlie looked at Lucas like he really wanted to know, so finally the tiger relented: "Look, I'm bisexual, ok!?" Charlie was astounded. He had never had someone tell him their sexuality. But he didn't see anything wrong with it. "So?" he asked.
"I told my parents the day before school started. I'd been thinking about it for quite a few years and I wanted to come to terms with it."
"And...?" Charlie realized he was really prying the tiger, but he was curious.
"So I told them and... they didn't really take it too well."
"What do you mean?"
"My mom just kind of went silent and has trouble talking to me and my dad was outraged. He broke a lamp when I told him and I heard him raging and yelling when I went to my room."
"Wow."
"Yeah. This morning I was reaching across him, during breakfast, just to get the butter, and he swung his paw up when I touched his arm. His nail cut me. I guess he freaked out when I touched him."
"Oh... I'm so sorry. Will you... you know... be ok?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I'm not gonna commit suicide or anything."
"That's good." Charlie sat back and stared straight ahead, folding his paws in his lap. He was thinking pretty hard and he didn't notice that Lucas was still staring intently at him. Suddenly the tiger reached up and took hold of his head, turning it towards him. He went in for the kiss, but Charlie stuck his paws up and placed them on Lucas's chest, pushing him away. "Oh, god, no!" Charlie exclaimed. He really did not mean for that to be his reaction. He was just so surprised and really wasn't expecting that so he reacted much stronger than he meant to. Lucas looked really hurt and turned back towards the window, placing his chin in his paw. Charlie didn't know what to say, so he just faced forward and stayed silent. He thought he heard some sobs from the tiger, but he didn't know how to deal with them. The bus ride was silent; neither fur knew what to say to the other.
When the bus arrived at Northledge, Lucas and Charlie split up. Charlie went off to theater and Lucas went towards the school gym.
The fox went upstairs to his locker to gather his textbooks, but was disappointed to see locker 217 vacant. He figured Jack must have either come and gone or not arrived yet. Oh well.
At theater, Charlie was happy to see his seat still vacant at Ethan's table. Ethan, however, was engaged in a conversation with someone else and never even noticed Charlie until class started, which annoyed Charlie quite a lot.
English was pretty fun, as it had been last class. But not the class, of course. Charlie sat right next to Jack after a friendly greeting from the akita, who always seemed to get to class first. That day the old tiger was going on about some major assignment that was worth 30% of the overall grade and it would be due in the last few weeks of the semester and it was hugely major and not to be forgotten and whatnot, so Jack and the fox didn't really get a chance to steal a whispered conversation as they frantically scribbled notes about the important assignment.
Charlie headed off to his computer class after telling his bud that they'll see each other at lunch. The vixen was at it again today; just as Charlie was completing his daily assignment he was directed to the vixen's digital notepad, which read, "Do you want to have sex ? ?" Charlie looked at the vixen, frowned, and shook his head. "My first time will not be with a slut. I'm not that desperate." he thought.
Lunchtime! Charlie rushed down to the cafeteria and was one of the first in line, again. It appeared that he was faster than Jack at this. He sat down with some bowtie pasta covered in alfredo sauce. As he stirred his pasta he thought "I don't know what everyone was talking about with the shitty cafeteria food; I love this stuff!" Jack came by and sat down across from the fox, like last time, but he had a lot on his mind. "Hey, Charlie," he said. "I know we've only been friends for, well, not that long now, but I wanted to ask you something."
"Mmhmm," Charlie hummed, through a muzzlefull of pasta.
"Since you're my only friend in this school, and I'm your only friend since you just moved here, um, right?
Charlie thought of Ethan, but said "Yeah."
"Well I just thought I really like you and I was wondering if I could come over some time?"
Charlie was silent.
"Uh, err, I don't mean to just, you know, invite myself over, I was just, uh..." Jack stumbled over his words.
Charlie interrupted, "No! No. I just... that's great! Yeah I'd love to have you over!" Right as he finished his sentence Charlie mentally slapped himself: "Agh, you idiot, that sounded gay!" He thought. The akita didn't really seem to pick up on it, though, and said, "Great! I'll clear it with my mom and you can clear it with yours. If it's ok, I'll come over after school tomorrow."
"Ok, great. I look forward to it." Charlie smiled a big grin at his friend.
The rest of the day was foggy in Charlie's memory. His Spanish teacher explained that sometimes it's best to only speak Spanish on the first day to a chorus of 'oooooh's. He also remembered talking about video games with Jack during study hall, the period that directly followed Spanish class. He remembered the black panther from history class being just as obnoxious and not shutting up while the professor tried to teach. Everything else was a blur as Charlie imagined having a new friend over for the first time.
When he got home, Charlie immediately began to tidy up his room in preparation for the akita. His parents were happy he had already made a new friend and told him Jack could come over. Charlie went to bed heavy with anticipation.