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Slowly, Arden padded over to the sinks and picked up the phone. It was a similar model to his, so he found his way around it with ease. Without any more hesitation, he opened up the call history; what he saw caused him to gasp and almost drop the phone.

The last entry read: 'Chris.'

His heart started beating faster; he went numb with shock.

Fortunately, he had enough sense to close the phone and place it back on the sink. Just in time, too, because Andy walked in then, grabbed the phone and stormed out again.

Arden didn't hear the door slam; he just stood there, struck dumb by a single five-letter word: Chris. But how could it be? He was so nice; he supported Mark, stood up for them in front of Andy...

"Arden!" Mark's voice snapped him back to reality. He realized that he had no clue how long he'd been standing in one spot. "I'll be right out." He did his best to shake the daze.

The bathroom door opened; Mark stood there with a worried look on his face. "Are you okay, hon?" He led Arden out into the hallway. "You've been gone for so long. I went out to look for you."

"I'm... I'm fine." Arden tried to act like nothing happened. "Just had a bit of indigestion, I guess." He wanted, badly, to tell the wolf about what he saw, but decided that he needed more proof. At this point, even he refused to believe that Chris was behind everything.

They went back downstairs and caught the last ten minutes of the movie. Mark seemed too engrossed in the ending to notice Arden's disjointed state. The otter just sat in his seat and stared blankly at the screen. It took a small tap on the shoulder for him to realize that the movie was over and everyone was leaving.

Still in a haze, he followed the wolf out of the theater. It started drizzling then, but that did nothing to dissolve his present state of disconnectedness.

"Want me to drive?" Mark must've finally noticed the fact that his boyfriend was not all there.

"No, no it's okay." Arden unlocked the doors and climbed in. "I'm fine, really." He forced a smile. What else could he do? Tell Mark that he suspected that 'maybe' one of his closest friends orchestrated the attack on Danny? No; he had to confront Chris directly.

Mark just nodded, clearly not convinced, and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Arden tried to start the car, only to realize that the engine was already running. He pushed his mind to focus as he shifted into reverse and pulled out of the parking lot.

Neither of the boys spoke much during the ride; Arden was grateful for that because he needed every bit of concentration he could muster up.

Mark continued to shoot worried glances at him, but remained otherwise silent.

He made it to the wolf's house without incident - although he did blow past a stop sign once. Fortunately, the intersection was empty.

Once they were safely in the driveway, Arden breathed a small sigh of relief. He put the car in park, killed the engine and got out.

"We should probably go see that movie again." Mark nuzzled the otter and put his arm around him. "You missed all the best parts."

"It's a date, then." Arden smiled again; more truthfully this time. He would confront Chris, get everything straightened out, and then maybe things would be okay again.

They went into the house without another word. Mark heated up some Microwave-Pizza, which Arden attacked with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Up to that point, food was the least of his worries, but the aroma of a Supremeo Pizza made him think of nothing but.

"Hungry much?" Mark giggled; he was only halfway through his first slice as Arden was picking up his third.

"Haven't eaten since lunch," Arden managed to say between bites.

"Well, you should've said something; we could have stopped somewhere before the movies." Mark petted the otter between his short ears and went back to his slice.

"MMPH..." Talking with a muzzle full of pizza didn't work well, so Arden chewed, swallowed and tried again. "Didn't have time."

"Oh, we would have made time."

The conversation went into a standstill until both boys had finished eating.

"That was... amazing!" Arden sank back in his chair and patted his belly. "I'm pretty much stocking my freezer with these."

"Yes, because all you have to eat at home is delicious, home-cooked awesomeness, you poor, poor thing!" Mark finished off his slice and put their plates into the sink.

"Yeah, but sometimes I just kinda crave junk food, you know?"

"Well, I'll be more than happy to share mine with you." The wolf put his arms around Arden and looked him in the eyes. The warmth and comfort made Arden want to tell Mark everything; but he couldn't; he needed proof.

He returned the embrace cautiously, not wanting to be pulled into the comfort to a point beyond his control.

Mark didn't notice; the wolf seemed perfectly content just holding on to Arden and sharing the warm silence.

This embrace gave Arden all the more resolve to confront Chris. Everyone had the right to feel the way he did at that moment - warm, safe and loved... especially Sam. The otter didn't talk much about what had happened to Danny; but Arden could tell that he was, at the very least, shaken. Arden couldn't think of any way to make his friend feel better, but he would make sure Sam never had to feel this way again.

Their embrace lasted just a bit longer before they parted and went downstairs.

Slowly and quietly, the boys undressed and got into bed. Sleeping in the nude became a tradition of sorts when he stayed at Mark's. Arden enjoyed the freedom and the feeling of the wolf's soft fur against his. Mark wrapped his arms around the otter's body, and Arden slowly fell asleep.

He woke up sometime in the middle of the night from an overwhelming feeling of fear and sadness; he could just barely recall a dream... something about running.

Arden tried fishing for more details, but the more he tried, the more they slipped away. He turned over carefully to get a look at Mark.

The wolf was asleep with a hint of a smile playing on his muzzle.

Seeing his boyfriend sleeping peacefully abated the fear and sadness enough for Arden to fall asleep again.

The next thing he heard was the loud ringing of Mark's alarm clock.

Instinctively, he reached his paw over to the bedside table but found it empty.

"I used to keep the alarm there." Mark's eyes were slitted open, and he was watching Arden's feeble attempts at silencing the alarm. "But I would just push snooze and fall asleep for a few more hours... needless to say, I overslept quite a bit. So," he lumbered out of bed slowly and walked over to his dresser, "now I keep it in here." Sliding one of the drawers open, he pulled out the still-ringing alarm clock and shut it off.

"That's actually a pretty good idea." Arden sat up in bed and rubbed sleep from his eyes.

Once they were both sufficiently awake, the boys went to the bathroom to clean up.

Mark didn't have any otter-fur shampoo, so Arden settled for a brief rinse and brushing his teeth.

"Hey, at least you get to shower in the mornings," Mark teased him as they were getting dressed. "If I wanted to shower, I would have to get up at least three hours earlier than I usually do."

Arden pondered that and realized that he would never want to be a wolf. Morning showers were something he held sacred; having to wake up an extra three hours early to do it would have made him quite miserable.

Dressed and scented, they headed upstairs to grab a quick breakfast.

"Waffles with maple syrup's all we have left," Mark reported, checking the freezer.

"Sounds good." Arden sat down at the kitchen table and stifled a large yawn.

The wolf nodded and put a pair of waffles into the toaster.

"Maple syrup's in the cupboard." He waved his paw in the direction of the cabinets.

Arden got up to get the syrup and made a stop at the refrigerator to get some orange juice as well.

The waffles popped out of the toaster a few minutes later, and the boys chowed down. A combination of hunger, sleepiness and having too much to think about, kept things silent.

Arden finished his waffle and put his plate into the sink. He checked the clock on his phone. "We'd better go." He put the phone back into his pocket. "Fifteen minutes 'til school starts."

Mark nodded, cleaned up the table and followed Arden outside. "Crap! Forgot my keys!"

"That's okay, I'll drive." Arden unzipped his backpack and fumbled inside for the car keys. "I have got to reorganize." He finally puled the keys out several minutes later. "This thing's a mess."

"Not as bad as mine, don't worry." Mark chuckled.

They got into the car, and Arden started the engine.

As they drove down the street, he spotted Sam.

The otter was running clumsily down the street, holding onto the straps of his backpack with both paws to keep it from flopping around behind him.

Arden pulled up along side. "Need a lift?"

"Oh my God, I love you!" Sam opened the rear door and clambered inside.

"Oversleep?" Arden smiled briefly at him through the rearview mirror before pulling into traffic.

"Yeah." Sam was still panting. "My dad leaves early for work, so it's up to me to wake up and get to school. And I missed my college-prep program, too."

"So that's why you never pick up when I call to offer you a ride, I thought I just had your number wrong." Mark pulled his cell phone out and brought up Sam's name. "776-8809, right?"

"Yup." Sam lay back against the seat and breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah well, I think I deserve to sleep in at least once, right?"

"You bet!" Arden said, still keeping his eyes on the road. A thought occurred to him then; should he tell Sam about Chris? Sam wasn't friends with him like Mark was, and maybe he would offer some support. At the very least, he would tell Sam where he was going; he would feel much safer if someone knew his plans.

When they pulled up to the school, he nodded for Sam to stay in the car as Mark got out. "I'll see ya in history, hon." He gave the wolf a quick kiss. "Go on ahead, I'm gonna try to find a space a tad further from the dumpster."

Mark nodded and walked off in the direction of the school.

Sam waited until the wolf was out of earshot. "So, what's up?"

"Sam, I know who's behind the attack on Danny."

The otter straightened up, instantly alert. "Who?"

"If I tell you, promise you won't do anything rash." Arden wanted Chris put away as much as Sam did, but not yet.

Sam stared at him for a few moments, sighed and looked away. "Fine."

"It was Chris." Arden told him about overhearing Andy at the theater and about Chris's name in the call history.

"I can't believe it." Sam sat back in the seat, breathing hard, processing the whole thing. "He didn't seem that bad; why would he want to do all this?"

"That's just what I plan to find out." Arden spoke quickly, not wanting to let Sam interject. "I'm going to confront him, Sam."

Sam didn't interrupt, but Arden could see the look of worry in his friend's eyes.

"I'll be careful. I'll just tell him what I know and ask him to explain himself."

"Have you told Mark?"

"No, I haven't."

A fleeting shade of disapproval passed over Sam's features; Arden noticed it and added. "I need proof. He's best friends with Chris; he wouldn't believe me."

"Why wouldn't he believe you? Arden, you're his boyfriend. He loves you." Sam's aggravation showed in his tone and stature.

Arden knew that had Sam been in the wolf's place, he would have believed him without question; but Mark was different. "I- I don't know." He sighed. "I just don't want to take the chance."

"So, when are you going to do it?" Sam's voice grew a bit more calm.

"After lunch." Arden formed his plan as he answered. "He eats at the same time as us; I'll follow him afterwards and corner him." He didn't know what he wanted to hear from Sam; all he got was a sigh and a nod.

"I'll be okay, Sam." He assured himself more than his friend. "He wouldn't do anything on school grounds."

"I just don't want to see you hurt." Sam put his arms around the driver's seat, embracing Arden from behind. "If you get put in the hospital too... I'll... I'll kill him."

"I'll be okay." Arden petted Sam's arm with his paw.

They parted the strange embrace and jogged to the school.

Arden got to his class just as the late bell rang; fortunately, Florin was absent.

The sub, a large bear, whom Arden had initially mistaken for the principal, was sitting behind the desk, leafing through a newspaper. "Take down the homework that's on the board and do it quietly," he grumbled, lowering the paper momentarily to glance at Arden.

Arden did just that. The homework kept him from thinking about what he had to do later that day. He realized after talking to Sam that he didn't have much of a plan for what he was about to do; even telling Sam was a last minute decision. Something that seemed so solid and foolproof just a day ago was falling apart at the seams; but he didn't care. He would go through with it for Sam's sake... and Mark's... and his own.

The bell rang just as he was finishing up the last problem. He stayed after for a few minutes to finish up and jogged to History.

He froze in the door; Sam was sitting next to Fresto and the two were conversing in hushed tones.

Resisting the urge to intervene, he went to his desk and sat down.

"I didn't tell him, Arden." Sam sat down next to him.

Arden let out a sigh of relief and looked away self-consciously; he felt bad about not having trusted Sam. "Thanks. I just didn't want him to get the authorities involved; not before I've had a chance to talk to him."

"I know. I'll have to talk to Danny before deciding what to do, anyway." Sam patted his paw. "Just don't get into a fight."

A familiar voice reached Arden's ears. "Fight?"

The otter's blood froze for the second time in those few minutes; Mark was standing directly behind him.

"Florin was out sick today and gave us ten pages worth of homework." Lying was so easy, but the guilt that followed made him sick to his stomach. "I was going to confront her and give her a piece of my mind."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be smart." Mark chuckled; hook, line and sinker.

With the wolf next to him, Sam didn't say anything else about Arden's plans; for once, Arden felt grateful for the silence.

Biology was a different Matter; Sam sat next to him and shot him worried glances, but remained silent until Danny walked in.

The cheetah had been released from the hospital early and even allowed to attend class. Several scars were still visible on his muzzle and his jaw made a cracking sound occasionally, but he was otherwise alright.

Sam told him the entire story.

Danny listened quietly, but his smile slowly vanished. He sighed. "Please don't get the police involved."

Sam put his paw on the cheetah's shoulder. "But-"

"No." Danny shook his head. "I told you already, I don't want any trouble. They'll know that it was us who sold them out. If we let this go, maybe they'll leave us alone."

Arden could see how badly Sam wanted to interject.

The otter opened his muzzle several times to start a lecture, but settled each time for a quiet sigh. "Fine. Maybe you're right."

The bell rang, but Arden's normal blind rush to the cafeteria was replaced with a slow walk. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stomach food at this point, anyway; there was no need to rush.

As he walked into the caf, he glimpsed Chris. The coyote was sitting at the table with the rest of the soccer team, laughing loudly at a joke someone had just told. He didn't seem guilty or paranoid at all; it was as if he was completely innocent... maybe he didn't do it.

The hateful glare Sam shot in Chris's direction brought him back to the reality of things.

They sat at one of the empty tables and munched on some chips from the vending machine.

The normally hectic and brief lunch seemed to stretch on for hours. Mark was nowhere to be seen, but since he wasn't at Chris's table either, Arden assumed that he was at the library again.

Finally, it was time to go.

Arden got up slowly and followed Chris out of the cafeteria.

He walked slightly faster than normal to catch up with the coyote. Once he was within speaking distance, he froze; he was four, and on the high-dive again. His father was at the bottom, cheering him on; his logical mind told him that everything would be okay... he dove. "Hey Chris." No turning back now.

The coyote turned momentarily and smiled. "What's up?"

"Can we talk?"

"Sure." Chris motioned for everyone else to go ahead as he fell back in step with Arden. "What's up?"

"I was at the movies last night." Arden saw no reason to approach things gently. "And I overheard Andy on the phone." He looked over at Chris; the coyote's smile was still there; but this time, he could tell just how fake it was. "I know you did it." He finished, looking Chris right in the eyes.

"Why don't we find a quiet place to talk." Chris motioned him to an empty section of the hallway; it ended in an emergency exit and people seldom went there.

"I'm assuming you haven't told Mark," he said, once they were alone.

"So, you did do it!" The fear-tempered calm was giving way quickly to anger.

"That's right, I did!" Chris laughed dryly. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"But why?" Arden forced his paws to unclench.

"Because mark's gayness was threatening my entire team."

"Your team?!" Arden wanted to say so much more, but Chris cut him off.

"Yes, my team! Oh, sure, Mark is the captain... but only because I asked Coach to promote him. I saw his potential, me! And I will turn him into a champ!"

"What does Mark being gay have to do with anything?"

"Everything!" Chris walked around, blocking Arden's exit. "I've seen too many teams fall apart because of faggots. The guys feel uncomfortable with a faggot on the team, and the coach might be a homophobe too. I was not gonna let some queer ruin my chance at getting to the nationals!" He took a step towards Arden. "I spent three years building up my team, picking the best players, the best captain; just imagine my frustration when some cock-sucking otter comes along to ruin everything!"

It took all his effort for Arden to stand his ground and not lunge at the coyote. How could anyone be so selfish?

Chris evidently saw the gleam in the otter's eyes, because he took a step back. "Everything started to fall apart, then. I sent in Katelyn, but she wasn't enough to fix things. I sent in Andy; but even seeing another queer get beaten up wasn't enough..."

"I'm not worried," Arden lied. "Mark will find you out; if he hasn't already."

"Oh don't worry." Chris laughed. "When everything else failed, I took things into my own paws. I've got him so afraid of his own queer shadow, he won't dare suspect anything." He adopted a softer, more caring tone. "I'm his friend, Arden. That's right, I'm closer to him than you ever will be; I advise him." He smiled nastily. "And he believes every word. He believed me when I said that the coach was a raging homophobe. He believed me when I said that he would never play in college if his queerness got out. He believed everything."

"So it was you! It was you that kept him from coming out!" Arden was yelling now, but he didn't care.

"Yep. And now it's all so ingrained in his brain he won't believe anything else; not even you." He smiled at Arden one more time and walked off, whistling happily.

"You won't get away with this!" Arden yelled after him "The police-"

"Fuck the police!" Chris laughed again. "My dad's got more influence in this town than the mayor, so I think I will get away with this pretty nicely."

Arden wanted to run after him, tackle him down and beat the living shit out of the person responsible for all of his suffering; but he didn't. He just stood there and watched Chris walk away.