A Lizard's Tail...Part One
It was September 1st. That could only mean one thing; College. After 4 years of hell at High School, the punishment continued. Not that school was all bad, but Gage had never really excelled in academia. He had been an average at best student but there was something about him that made him succeed regardless. People liked him. He even obtained a scholarship for gymnastics which luckily was enough to pay his way through college. He couldn't get into Yale or Princeton but Orlando State was good enough for him.
When starting school, he was a skinny, bespectacled waif of a boy, who struggled to even get noticed. His geeky styling and appearance gave people the impression that he was clearly a nerd, he must be really smart. Alas, his talents did not lie in looks OR academia. It wasn't until he reached puberty that he really began to blossom. When the final year of Jr. High came to an end, this young lizard boy waved goodbye to his old school and headed home for a summer he would never forget.
June 28th 2010.
"See you at High School Gage!" called a shrill female voice.
"Yeah, see you Harriet..." he replied as he waved to his feline friend. Harriet was a nerdy looking domestic cat with her walnut hair tied neatly into two plaits, trailing over her shoulders down to her chest.
Gage sighed as he pulled his rucksack onto his back, walking toward the bus stop. He was one of only 4 students in his year that hadn't got his own car. He passed driver's ed, but money didn't grow on trees and if it did, let's just say his garden was barren. His mother, Gwen left him and his father when Gage was a mere cub, and his father struggled with two minimum wage jobs to keep things afloat. Gage didn't complain though, he knew his dad loved him and he knew that money wasn't everything; though it would be nice to have new things once in a while. He shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts and tossed his lucky coin in his paw as he waited for the bus to arrive.
Not many kids were waiting, as most of them were heading out with friends to celebrate the last day of school. Gage was one of those kids that didn't really gel with "those" kinds of people. "Oh well..." he said softly to himself as he saw the bus approach. He grabbed his wallet so that he could flash his student pass as he clambered onto the rusty yellow tin that the council called a "bus". Sitting alone at the back, Gage cleaned his glasses and whistled a tune to himself. He had just turned 17 and starting to enjoy modern music but didn't have an mp3 player. He heard the latest chart hits whenever he went to the Wreckage, a local internet café that he went to in the evenings to study. Tonight would likely be no exception. A few minutes passed as the bus drove through the streets of Tampa, towards the urban streets where Gage grew up. After noticing his usual stop whizz past, Gage grabs his stuff, swearing to himself as he presses the bell hurriedly. "Crap...missed it..." he exclaimed as he got off the bus, a stop late. He groaned as he started his walk back a couple of blocks. "Typical..." he moaned out.
"Afternoon" called a voice as Gage opened his front door. He was startled and taken aback. "Uh...hey dad. What's up?" he asked, not used to his father being home during the day. His father, a tall but ragged looking lizard, green in colour, unlike Gage's blue. His scales a little dry looking and his eyes grey and forlorn. "Well, I got some good news today! Work promoted me!" he said, to his son as he poured some OJ for them both. Gage smiled. "That's great news dad! Which job?" he asked, pulling up a stool at the breakfast bar and grabbing the now full glass of juice. His dad sat down next to him, pulling off his checked farmer's style cap and placing it on the counter. "The garage. They want me to run my own auto shop!" he said, reservedly. "Problem is...they want me to run it in New York...so...I'll be moving there" he said, wincing for the outcry of his teen son. Gage frowned a little but shrugged. "Well, I'm going to college in September anyway dad, so I'll be moving to Orlando anyway" he said with a quiet smile. His dad nodded. "I know Gage, but I need to head away next week and you aren't old enough to stay home alone...so I'm going to have to arrange for you to stay somewhere while I'm gone, alright?" he asked, though it was more of a statement than a legitimate question.
Suddenly, the summer of routine reading, gymnastics and sponging free wifi off the neighbours had disappeared from Gage's mind and he began to worry. "Well, where am I going? Who with? Why? Huh? When?" he blurted out in no real semblance of order. His dad shrugged, waiting for his son to stop asking questions. "Well, you'll be going to camp. You'll get to meet loads of people, do lots of fun stuff and because you're 17, your age group are allowed to go into town and stuff and be grown-ups!" he said, as if he had even the slightest chance of winning his son over with this idea. A stunned silence filled the room. "You're serious?" asked Gage, gulping as he realised he had no choice. "Fine dad...if that's what you want...I'll do it." He said, sulking a little but knowing his dad would not have done this if he didn't need to.
The next few hours involved sulking, awkward silences and eventual cuddling. "I'm sorry dad, I know it'll be fun and I could do with meeting some friend, you're right." His dad hugged him and grabbed his hat once more. "Right, I'm off, still got my job with the taxi firm, may as well work as much cash as I can before I leave." He said with a smile as he says his goodbyes and heads out, leaving Gage to himself.
Placing his glass in the dishwasher, Gage cracked his neck a little. His dad always told him he'd get arthritis if he did that but he wasn't there to see. Small rebellions are what it's all about. He trudged up to his room and dumped his bag at the foot of his bed. He pulled off his shirt, throwing it into his linen basket before heading out to the bathroom. Gage loved water, as soon as he could in the evenings he would head for a shower, not only to relax but to be clean and warm too. The bathroom was an adequate size and clearly one belonging to boys. No flowers, pink or silly ornaments, instead there was shower gel, deodorant, shaving products and although he wasn't supposed to know, some "dirty" magazines in the airing closet.
After turning the shower knob to start the water running, Gage looked at himself in the mirror, checking his smooth, scaled skin. He was rather cute without his glasses on, his skin a bright vivid blue, his eyes a lustrous purple. He had short blonde hair which he kept as tidy as he could but it tended to get a little out of control sometimes. He had considered shaving it off but worried he would have nothing to "hide behind" and saw it as some kind of security blanket. His physique was slight, his chest was undeveloped and his stomach had no sign of musculature, his clothes still from the kids section though he'd never admit it. He sighed. Seventeen years old and he looked like a 7th grader. Maybe camp could be the start of something new that his dad thought it would be. He pulled off his cargo pants and briefs, tossing them to the floor as he stretched. His thighs were stronger than the rest of him due to the amount of walking he did and they led up to his smooth, boyish slit. He scratched his butt a moment before grabbing his favourite shower gel, his long tail swinging as he headed into the cubical to wash. "Camp could be fun..." he thought to himself as he lathered himself up.
Indeed it would be...
To Be Continued.