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Boys Like You

Chapter Three: The Secret's in the Telling

It didn't occur to Mercer until he was already seated in his next class, Advanced English II, that Jude had known his name when he'd bid him farewell in their shared chemistry class. He chose not to dwell on how the other boy had managed to know such a detail when the lemur didn't recall introducing himself. He'd shaken it off and forced himself to pay attention to the boredom that was his English class.

During the class, he found that he had indeed been sitting next to Jude in chemistry and that just who had experimented with the slender neko was a particularly touchy subject. Apparently, the other students had no problem slapping the whore lable on the other boy, but were much more vague when it came to who exactly had helped him to earn the reputation. The gossip of the school was interesting as it seemed that Jude clashed with nearly every clique and yet was known by all of them in one way or another.

The lemur listened idly to the chit chat, learning the names of the members in the popular groups, his particular interest being in the group of females he'd seen earlier that morning, more precisely, the leopardess that was clearly their leader. He learned that she was dating Tanner, the PE aide that had also apparently been seen with Jude the previous day. It seemed that Kristie was still unaware of the rumor, though for how long was a mystery. With the way gossip seemed to travel in the school, Mercer assumed the inevitable would take place at lunch, when Kristie would be made aware of her boyfriend's transgression and would subsequently dump Tanner like last week's trash.

He was not disappointed as he stood staring at the poor excuse for nutrition on his paper plate sitting on the tray in his hands. He dumped the unidentifiable slop into the trash and ditched the tray just as the clash between the leopard and the rat that had been her boyfriend took place. One minute they were sitting close, kissing and cuddling, the next, another of the girls from the group was whispering in one of Kristie's round, spotted ears, and then she was standing and dumping her chocolate milk over Tanner's head, screeching curses at him before storming out, followed by her dolled up drones. Mercer gave a half-smile, already planning how he would secure a date with the newly single feline.

He gave a glance over the cafeteria once more. Unimpressed by any of the lunch items on the menu, his amber gaze caught on the wonderful golden arches beyond the window. He figured he could begin his pursuit of the leopardess the next day. For the time being, McDonald's was beckoning him. Perhaps not the most healthy of choices, but at least edible unlike the cafeteria sludge. He was out of the packed lunch room and on his way through the parking lot momentarily, focused on the familiar fast food restaurant.

Jude's hypersensitive ears picked up the sound of gravel crunching under foot as someone came traipsing into the parking lot. He glanced up, thick lashed eyes widening as he spotted the lemur, Mercer, heading towards the mickey d's.

He wrinkled his nose, "Don't you know that crap's bad for you?" he called out from his perch on the hood of his car, tail curling up behind him as he stared across the parking lot at the other male. A breeze ruffled his short ebony hair and he lifted a hand to brush it back out of his face out of habit. He cocked his head at Mercer as he leaned back on his palms, the guitar still sitting in his lap, one booted foot tucked under him, having abandoned his cross-legged pose from before. The rips in his jeans were obvious as the sun made the white of his skin look even paler in contrast to the shredded black denim.

Mercer gave a start, his concentration abruptly disrupted by the sound of Jude's voice ringing out behind him, pointing out the obvious. McD's was just as bad nutritionally as the school's food, probably worse in fact, but at least it was edible. Turning on his heel and walking backwards for a few steps; he hunted the Neko with his eyes; finding him reclined on the hood of a car. He rubbed the back of his head, responding in the most friendly tone as he could manage, "True, but at least I can choke it down. Not eating would be worse."

The distance and the brightness of the sunlight reflecting against pale skin gave the impression that the neko was wearing Zebra-striped trousers, though Mercer knew that that wasn't the case having spent a fair bit of chemistry class sneaking glances at the other male; it was simply the illusion created by the contrast, his skin being white, his pants being black.

A coy grin spread across Jude's mouth when the lemur's gaze zeroed in on him and Mercer turned and slowed his steps to speak to him directly. "There's a cafe just up the block. Their wraps are to die for," he suggested. Jude didn't eat fast food; it didn't agree with him, too much grease for his sensitive, feline stomach.

"Thanks for the tip, though quick and cheap seems more practical at the moment," Mercer began, his eyes sliding over the other male's reclined position before he could stop himself, "What are you doin' out here anyway?" Mercer questioned with an underlying tone of interest he had not meant to colour his voice, his curiosity and the need to cover his staring getting the best of him. He gave a quick look over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't going to run into anything, still walking backwards towards the fast food joint. His gaze went back to watching the other boy, pace slowing further as he waited for Jude's reply.

Jude shrugged a slim shoulder, "Suit yourself," he replied in response to the lemur's decision to stick with the fast food. The neko's grin broadened briefly as he noticed Mercer's eyes crawling over his body.

"Mm, just relaxing and soaking in the sun," the neko spoke easily in response to the lemur's inquiry, clearly unfazed by the other boy's perusal, reveling in the attention.

"Instead of sampling our delightful cafeteria menu?" the lemur said with a smirk, refusing to blush as he tried to brush off the fact that the neko had clearly caught onto his staring. Jude, for his part pulled a disgusted face at the mention of the unidentifiable crap the cafeteria passed off as food. He would rather eat McDonald's than that as well, given no other option. He shook his head, the disgusted expression melting off his feminine face once more, replaced with a heated flirty glint in his eyes and a coy half-smirk.

"You know, if you don't want to eat around here, I could drive you somewhere to pick something else up..." he let the offer trail off, lashes lowering over pink irises, pupils slitted in the bright light of the noon-day sun. His tail moved lazily in the air behind him as he focused his sultry stare on the taller boy. He was sure Mercer had heard the rumors by now.

At the offer for a ride elsewhere, Mercer chuckled, the sound echoing hollowly. The rumors drove his next response, without much thought, his mouth moving on auto, "Who will end up giving who a ride? No thanks, think I'll pass." He winced inwardly at his complete lack of tact. Though it could have been done with a little more finesse, he felt it necessary to get it out in the open, to make it perfectly clear that he was not interested in what Jude had to offer, regardless of how attractive the slight neko may be. Jude was trouble with a capital 'T' and if Mercer didn't keep his guard up, he would probably end up in a compromising situation, given Jude's "persuasive" nature.

A delicate brow rose towards the neko's hairline, surprised by the lemur's next comment. He hadn't expected such a blunt response so soon when he hadn't even so much as groped the other male yet. He chuckled huskily, leaning back further on the hood of his car. "Your loss. It'd be the smoothest ride you've ever had," his voice was nonchalant, a charming smile remaining on his lips. The challenge that had just been issued by the lemur only made excitement spark in his eyes, even though his posture remained completely unmoved. The game had begun.

Jude's fuschia gaze followed Mercer as he turned on his heel and continued on his way to the McDonald's, a shake of his head and a simple farewell gesture of his hand without turning back as he made his hasty escape. Jude sighed and flopped back further onto the windshield, pulling his guitar onto his chest as he let both legs dangle off the front. He played a few chords, smiling to himself. The year had just gotten a whole lot more interesting. Mercer would give in; they always did...

"Pfft... Yeah, not happening bub. Least not in this lifetime," the amber-eyed lemur muttered under his breath as he left the other male's vicinity, closing the issue in his mind, at least for the moment. The neko appeared completely unfazed by his blunt handling of the situation, not even putting forth the slightest effort to deny the move he had tried to play on Mercer. The ring-tailed youth may not be the most experienced when it came to the art of getting laid, but he knew full well how to say no. Still... The lack of denial from Jude proved most disturbing to the younger lemur, though he couldn't be sure why it made him so uncomfortable.

He continued on his less than merry way, arriving momentarily at the fast food restaurant. He idly waited in line, staring into nothing as his thoughts rolled over each other, mechanically placing his order and waiting for his McNuggets. He decided to stay in the McDonald's to eat, lest he have to converse with Jude again so soon after their first run in.

He wasn't the only one who'd decided that the fattening fast food was a better alternative to the cafeteria garbage. A few members of the football team that he'd met in his Gym class before lunch were also eating there. They were quick to invite him to sit with them, chatting him up, recognizing him as one of their own immediately. There were a few mutters about Jude; and one of them denying the fact that Jude had moved in on him and vehemently refusing to admit that he had taken the neko up on the offer. Mercer couldn't help, but chuckle as he listened to the teasing and the banter of the other boys around him.

The kinds of things the jocks said about Jude were a mixture of crass, vulgar, and altogether obscene, but expected and somewhat deserved in most furs' opinions, though Mercer was still uncertain about his own perspective on the matter. The reiteration of some previously heard rumors and new ones added to the ones he already knew, Mercer was beginning to become even more intrigued by the feminine male. At least the Neko was honest and apparently immune to ridicule.

***

The neko's reputation had begun in his very first year of highschool when someone had started a rumor that he was offering blowjobs under the bleachers during lunch periods. From there, it was gangbangs in the showers, hand jobs in the janitors' closets and any number of other nefarious acts, most of which were completely untrue. It didn't matter that Jude had done nothing more than kiss his very first crush.

Of course, the youth wasn't made aware until later that it was that same crush that had spread the very first rumor. He'd been a senior and Jude had fallen for him immediately, following him around like a lovesick puppy. It had only lasted a couple months. After he'd slept with him for the first time, the guy had avoided him like the plague, even going so far as to post pictures of him around the school labeling him a stalker and having his friends tease him ruthlessly until he was in tears. The fourteen year old Jude had been devastated. He'd spent all of winter break stewing over the whole ordeal, his distraught turning into rage as the chilly days passed. His dad had let him stay home an extra week and bought him new clothes, ones he'd asked for, the kind of clothes he wore now.

He'd closed himself off and told himself that highschool was only four years out of his life and then he would be free. His father had always been awesome about everything, being a rock musician; he'd seen it all and when his son had come out to him, he'd merely shrugged and handed him a package of condoms, simply saying to 'stay safe'. That had been the extent of their conversation about Jude's inherent sexuality and the change in his personality. When he'd returned to school, he'd made the rumors true, though he never had done anything in the janitors' closets; it was pretty gross in those closets. The more his peers ridiculed him, the more whorish he acted; it was retaliation. And he revelled in the knowledge that the rumors made him infamous in the school. No one could hurt him anymore because he was in control.

He didn't actually sleep with most of the guys he fooled around with, usually just blowing them, an act he had become particularly talented at over the past couple years. Most guys, especially the straight ones had no fucking clue what to do with him once they had him bent over anyways. After his first few experiences actually getting fucked by clumsy, inconsiderate dicks, he'd pretty much given up hope on enjoying intercourse, none too fond of being bedridden for days after each rough experience. He'd even been in the hospital once. Yet those few incidents had been enough to churn out rumors that he'd let the entire football team fuck him during tenth grade, one after the other. They just kept building from there, even after the senior who'd started it all had graduated.

Mercer's own love life hadn't been particuarly active. A few girls had managed to chase him down, two that had seduced him, the first being out of curiosity and the simple male need to say he had indeed lost his viginity and the second because he'd gotten tired and run out of excuses to refuse her. Neither had been particularly enjoyable at the time, though they'd seemed rather satisfied, though Mercer had been left with an empty feeling, even if he had liked them as people. He'd never confessed love for any of the girls he'd dated, nor the ones he'd had sex with; he just couldn't see himself going much further, making that deeper connection with the types of girls his father approved of. Sure, they were all beautiful in their own right, and some had been smart, furmanatarians even, but there'd always been something missing, some level to him that they just couldn't meet him on. No guys had so much as attempted anything on him so far, at least aside from his few run ins with the flirty neko. He'd only considered the fact that he might be gay in the darker corners of his mind and on those quiet nights when he just couldn't get to sleep. Eventually, he'd simply decided to view dating as a way to move up in social circles, instead of anything more intimate.

As for friends, he'd always had plenty or at least what passed for friends, mostly furs he could interact with, make useful connections with and appease his father. His father's money meant that when he'd set his mind to it, he could throw one hell of a party. His dad's position in congress meant that he spent a lot of time at the office, meaning Mercer didn't have a curfew, so he could stay out late, attending all those little social functions that were held so dear to the priveleged. As long as his grades were above average and he didn't do anything that would carry embarrassment over to himself; Mercer had free reign. It was a good system, one that he did his best to maintain. No rocking the boat for him, especially after the incident with his first car.

***

Thinking he had made his way free of Jude for the time being, he put his confused considerations of the other male to the back of his mind and had a pleasant meal, shooting the shit with the jocks. They were the same as any other jock types he'd hung around before. No, he didn't play football himself, more of a wrestler instead. That little tidbit got the usual response, some jokes about wrestlers, good-natured teasing to test him, but he laughed them off instead of violently denying them. And so he was painted as a chill guy, some fur that would fit in just fine with the group, not a spaz, and not a queer.

He laughed with the others as they left the restaurant, making their way back to the school. A few of his new 'friends' shielded their eyes and gestured, pointing out Jude, making sure to warn Mercer to keep away from the fag if he knew what was good for him. They said he was easy, a whore and tempter of wholesome, Christian boys like themselves, including Mercer in that statement as well. They denied any such affair personally, but they assured him that what they said was true about the dark-haired neko. It was a sure sign in Mercer's unvoiced opinion, that somewhere along the line, someone was lying about something.

Jude packed his guitar away as lunch period was ending, smoking a last cigarette as he watched the members of the football team leaving the McDonalds, gaze catching on familiar faces, including Mercer. So he's made nice with the jocks... Smart boy, Jude thought with a smirk as he flicked his cigarette, resting his backside against the front of his corvette as he watched them shoving each other and laughing like the idiots they generally were.

He blew a kiss at the football captain when he saw them pointing him out to Mercer. Gregory Houser was a broad-shouldered white tiger who'd hooked up with Jude at a party at the beginning of the year, begged him to blow him even. Later he'd said he'd been drunk and thought the neko was a chick. Jude snorted; the other boy had the mental capacity of a gift-wrapped box of gravel and a tiny prick. It was really no wonder his cliche cheerleader girlfriend had dumped his dumb ass.

Jude's fuschia gaze followed their approach as he picked up the spiralled notebook and pencil from the hood, flicking away the butt of his finished cigarette before tossing the notebook and pencil into the backseat of his car. He closed the door and hit the automatic locks, cocking a hip as the group moved towards the school. He waited for the inevitable, poorly thought out taunt that would be on their lips once they were in close enough proximity for him to hear them without any of the authority catching wind of it.

Gregory, having been made a fool of by the blown kiss and feeling the need to reinstate his masculinity decided it would be best to tease the neko a bit before next class began. "Got AIDS yet?" was the terribly distasteful and offcolour remark that came from the jock's wide mouth, a nasty sneer marring his otherwise handsome features. Jude's tail bristled. AIDS wasn't a joke. Jude didn't take too kindly to the remark, being that he was an avid condom user. His dad had taught him better than that, safety first. Being a slut was no excuse to be stupid after all.

"Piss off Greg," was the curt reply as Jude turned to walk into the school purposefully.

"Or what?" the tiger antagonized, following after him. Jude's eyes darkened with anger, turning a deep magenta.

"Gregory, it would be unwise to make me angry." They were now in the hallway of the first floor, students mingling in the vicinity stopped to watch, snickering and whispering amongst themselves as the feminine neko faced off with the large jock.

"Why? Who's gonna be afraid of a prissy little faggot?" Greg questioned, smirking, proud of himself as he looked around the congregating crowd cockily. The gathered students laughed, giving the bully what he wanted. Jude's jaw clenched, ears flattening in irritation. Leave it to the retarded neanderthal to start something to impress his new friend.

The neko moved very quickly, pressing his slim frame right up against the other boy, grinding their pelvises together as he tiptoed to speak in a calm, quiet tone in the tiger's ear, "If you don't fuck off, I'll post the video of you crying my name like a little bitch while you came in my mouth on youtube and furbook for all your little buddies to see. You wouldn't want them seeing that now, would you?" His breath caressed the older male's neck and ear, Gregory's form stiffening as Jude's words hit their mark. The neko's eyes widened unexpectedly as he felt hardness against his lower abdomen and he smirked wickedly as he stepped back. Anyone who cared to look could see the erection tenting the other boy's loose jeans.

"Never took you for a masochist," he remarked as he turned on his heel, eyes narrowing until the other kids moved out of his way, parting like the Red Sea. Whispers and laughter erupted as soon as he'd disappeared down the other end of the hall.

Mercer had watched silently as Gregory, more brawn than brains, mad that he had been flustered, bested into silence had said something out of line to Jude. Even to the lemur, the comment didn't seem like a particularly nice thing to say; that sort of openly hostile attitude belonged in another era entirely. He couldn't help, but think it was rather hypocritical of the football player, seeing as Mercer was fairly certain if Jude's gesture was any indication, that Greg had been one of the guys who'd 'experimented' with the other male.

What happened following the entrance into the school hallway had left Mercer picking his jaw up off the ground and he moved aside quickly as Jude walked passed. Wow... Mercer thought as he watched the neko disappear around the opposite corner of the corridor. Jude had balls of steel; he had totally destroyed the larger male, backing him up with a few whispered words and pointed looks, the lemur couldn't help, but notice something pushing out of the front of the jock's jeans and Gregory looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

After that little episode, study hall and stats seemed boring; his day had been colored by the incident at lunch. It had made it clear to Mercer that despite the rumors running rampant throughout the school, Jude indeed had some measure of power, perhaps even because of them. The school's dynamic was quite the puzzler to Mercer, something to ponder when the inevitable wave of furbook friend requests came rolling in.

Jude went to English in a sour mood, the good mood he'd been in previously completely ruined by the asshole of a tiger. He wanted to throttle something. Though, he supposed, Gregory had gotten his. Surely his new girlfriend would be pissed off once she heard about what had happened in the hall. It served the dumb jock right. He smirked, feeling just a little bit vindicated. Class was boring and he ditched study hall during his next period, opting to wander around in the back field while no gym classes were taking place. He read over his copy of Twelfth Night before drama began next period.

Jude sighed audibly, resting his chin on one soft palm. His drama class was packed with mostly guys, only a couple of the theater geek type girls that didn't like being in front of an audience, but were more than willing to be behind the scenes filling the quota for estrogen in the class. The rest of the idiots in the class had taken it simply for the easy pass or because they too were theater geeks. Jude actually enjoyed the class more than he let on most of the time and had taken it to learn about sound tech, lighting, and stage presence. He had aspirations of someday following in his dad's footsteps and being a musician, so the class couldn't hurt. He'd taken the one the year before as well, learning quite a bit. It helped that he actually enjoyed Shakespeare as well.

The drama class took place in the auditorium rather than a classroom and the teacher who ran it was a beatnik spinster of a skunk, middle-aged and with way too much energy. But Jude got along with her just fine, maybe because she'd once told him a story about her wild streak during the sixties, apparently seeing herself in him or something. He'd sat himself in a seat near the middle of the third row from the stage, upon which Mrs. Munroe sat, smiling brightly as the other students filed in. Most of them sat on the sides of the first and second row, avoiding Jude as much as they could, some of them glancing at him, whispering and gawking as the story of what had happened at the end of lunch traveled. The neko ignored them, using a pink highlighter to highlight the character names in the play. His tail coiled in his lap, the tip flicking back and forth just next to his hip, the ankle of his left leg resting on his right knee, moving to a beat no one else could hear.

Mercer was late entering the drama class, slinking into the auditorium while the teacher was speaking from her place on the stage, slipping silently into a seat in the fourth row right off the main aisle. Though the class was in the auditorium, the schedule had listed it as being on the third floor and so Mercer had wandered around aimlessly until finally breaking down and asking a passing student where everyone was for Mrs. Munroe's class. Luckily, the teacher didn't seem the type to take attendance, so he simply sat himself down inconspicuously and pretended as if he'd been there the whole time. He gave the class a quick once over, catching sight of an increasingly familiar set of ears. Jude...

He'd felt like he should say something to the slim male, to somehow apologize or make amends for Gregory's behavior during lunch, but in the end, mostly out of uncertainty, he'd said nothing. Asking how Jude was doing would give the neko the impression that Mercer was interested in him more than he was willing to admit and that was the wrong kind of message the lemur wanted to send. Sure, Jude seemed like an okay guy, albeit one that may or may not attempt to jump Mercer's bones at some point, but Mercer had already made it clear that he wasn't interested in Jude that way; it would be stupid to make the neko suspect otherwise.

The class composition had been as Mercer'd expected. A small group of quiet, shy-type girls sitting together, larger group of theater guys sitting to the other side, a brave soul or two sitting behind the girls, obviously failing to work up the nerve to say anything to any of them. Jude's presence wasn't quite a surprise, though not quite expected either. He was hard to place as a whole. Mercer was quickly learning that the neko was anything, but your standard highschool whore.

Unaware of the amber gaze boring into the back of his head, Jude had kept to himself during the entire class, simply reading through the lines he had been given out loud when it was his turn, unbothered by the fact that he had been given a female role to read. He seemed comfortable enough with the old english whilst other students in the class struggled through their respective lines during the reading. His mind was elsewhere, his new mark's presence in the row of seats behind him going completely unnoticed.

Mercer's brows rose as Jude pulled another surprise out of his hat, breezing his way though some old English that hurt the lemur's head just thinking about reading. He snorted quietly, shaking his head a little. Jude was a clever one; at the very least, clever enough to make use of the reputation that he had built, turning what had appeared to be a near zero approval into a good thing. The lemur hadn't thought it possible to pull off, but there was Jude managing it with a balance that simply blew his mind. Obviously, there was more to the lascivious neko than met the eye.

The following day was Friday and Jude had been offered a chance to play at a bar, a real gig finally. He really wanted to put the finishing touches on the song he'd been working on earlier that day so that he would be able to perform it at the show. The bar was one that was fairly popular as far as he knew, though he'd never been there before when it was actually open to the public, only to audition for the opening. He didn't know that it was a place several members of the popular cliques frequented using fake IDs they'd bought with their parents' money. Jude didn't own a fake ID, only allowed to play at the bar because the owner knew who his dad was. He was a bit nervous, but more excited about it than anything. It was a chance to start moving towards his future career, to escape the world he'd been living in up until then. There would probably even be talent scouts there.

As fate would have it, Mercer had been invited to that very same bar by the group he'd met at lunch. He had every intention of attending the outing as well, good PR and all for his integration into the popular crowd. He just hoped that his stance and confidence would allow him to simply walk into the place without identification, otherwise he'd be screwed, having lost his previous fake ID when his father had went through his room after the car accident. He made a mental note to find out where to get a fake just in case.

Mercer didn't drink all that often, not in public anyways. He had a knack for making an ass out of himself when he did drink, unable to stop after a reasonable amount. Generally, his nights of underaged drinking ended with friends more or less carrying his sorry drunken ass somewhere safe. Usually the safe place was a friend's house where other furs could poke fun at him at their leisure. He had woken up on more than one occasion with a smashing headache and a queasy stomach in an unfamiliar area, requiring a pickup or a ride back to his house to sleep off the hangover. The most recent time being the going away party his friends had put together for him the week before. He had sworn off liquor the morning after, suffering through a brutal hangover and several bruises he hadn't recalled receiving.

He had sworn the same thing several times, none to any avail.

The anger Jude had carried since his altercation with Gregory slowly ebbed as the class wore on, the time ticking away at a snail's pace until the final bell sounded. Upon the shrill ringing that signified the end of their day trapped in the institution, students flocked from the auditorium quickly. Mercer scooped up his bag and started on his way out of the auditorium, aiming to check out the cafe Jude had recommended. He figured he had at least an hour to kill before his ride would show up to collect him, so he might as well get himself used to the area around the school and the surrounding eateries. Jude stood, ears falling back as he stretched cramped muscles and turned to leave, rosy eyes finally caught on his new target. He grinned, hurrying his pace so he could catch up to Mercer.

"Did you enjoy your first day?" he questioned amicably, stepping up next to the lemur, appearing as if he'd forgotten all about what had happened at lunch. He wanted to force the other to pay attention to him. The more Mercer had to see and speak to him, the more he'd think about him and that was what Jude wanted.

While his mind was lingering over the neko, the phrase 'Speak of the Devil' earned its roots in truth, nearly making Mercer jump when the other male had made his presence known, sauntering up next to the lemur. "Mmm? It was alright I guess," he replied with a shrug, "It's another high school, not really any different than any other. Forced to attend, boring as it may be." The response hadn't been aimed at dismissing the other, on the contrary, Mercer found himself holding open the door for Jude as he followed after him. Jude seemed to put up with a lot from his classmates, something that Mercer didn't care to take part in, granted, he didn't care enough to make a stand to prevent it. He just wouldn't contribute to what was in his opinion, a problem.

Jude smiled at the lemur impishly as he held the door open for the feminine neko. It seemed the scene from earlier had actually helped his cause as the lemur was not nearly as standoffish as he had been previously. Mercer rolled his eyes at the grin. Give 'em an inch... he thought, though he wasn't offended, more amused by the other male's antics than anything. Mercer was unfazed though, moving in sync with Jude as though nothing had really happened or changed.

"Thanks," Jude said as he stepped out into the parking lot gracefully, glancing over his shoulder to see the male following.

"It's only as entertaining as you choose to make it," Jude said in response to Mercer's rather astute opinion of the highschool. His hips swayed as they walked, tail waving unconsciously back and forth over a perfectly rounded rump.

"Never found myself able to enjoy it. You show up; you're given stuff to do at home; you do it; bring it back; do it again. Can't see where you can get entertainment... I almost cut study hall, but decided against it, finished chem instead. I heard from the gym teacher that you cut again. Seems like a regular thing," the lemur's tone was inquiring, a single brow raised expectantly.

Jude watched the other male as he spoke, ebony ears swiveling in the nest of dark hair atop his head, actually listening to Mercer's words. "I cut because that class is the bane of my existence, always full of horny little ninth graders with grabby hands," he grimaced as he made a groping gesture with his unoccupied hand. "Besides, I've no interest in the clumsy fumbling attempts to get some action from immature children," he sighed, running painted fingers through his hair idly as they approached his car, not bothering to hide his disdain for his ninth grade gym class. He had been stuck in the same class for the last three years, same bullshit, different faces.

Mercer bit his tongue, holding back a comment about 'standards.' It would be in poor taste for sure. Still, with looks and a reputation like Jude's, hormones as rampant as the ninth graders' would make him a prime target. Grabby hands indeed... "Gym isn't that bad. Gives me an excuse to exercise. I probably wouldn't otherwise," Mercer said with a nonchalant shrug and a lopsided smile.

"Hm, it's not the actual exercise that bothers me, just the unwanted interest," Jude replied with a shrug of his own before changing the subject entirely. "You've sure made some useful friends already," he gave the lemur a knowing look over his shoulder as he referred to the group of jocks Mercer had eaten lunch with.

Mercer gave a half grin, glancing sidelong at Jude. "My dad's in the congress, registered with the GOP, only works with the Dem's when it's convenient. He taught me that it's not what you know, but who, you know what I mean?" he tilted his head, still looking at the other male from the corners of his eyes. He figured it would get out soon enough anyway.

"So you're dad's a politician... No wonder you didn't care for me much. Even our parents are opposites. My dad's an activist and a musician. My mum was too..." he paused as though he hadn't meant to say the last few words about his mother. He didn't talk about her. Ever. He covered the awkward expression quickly, replacing it with a smile, "Though I must agree that connections are the real key to success, not education. How else do we end up with idiots like George Bush in office?"

He stopped next to his car, unlocking it and tossing his books into the back seat. The interior of the corvette was immaculately clean for being a teenager's car, and one that was known for being loose at that. You'd think the car, particularly the backseat would be well-used. Jude's car was actually nice, though an older model, the paint was new and the upholstery well-taken care of. The corvette had been his mother's and red at one time before it had become Jude's on his sixteenth birthday and his father had had it repainted.

"Yeah. He's not around much really, politician's are pretty busy. I haven't seen my mom since the divorce," Mercer's good natured smile melted from his mouth as he shrugged. It didn't bother him anymore, or at least that was what he told himself. His dad had suddenly had more money after she'd walked out of his life. Mr. Tashcott had focused on his career as if nothing had happened. Mercer, being who he was, with his background, caught Jude's look and simply assumed a similar story to his own, if not worse from Jude. He wouldn't press him, not being one to pry into the private lives of others. He recognized that look; it was similar to the one that sometimes stared back at him through the mirror. Unwilling to dwell on the past, numbed nerves that he had no desire to bring back to life, instead he grasped onto the other topic, "Don't even get me started. My dad helped put Bush in office and he still doesn't like that half baked moron. Even in the party, he was only good because he appealed to the right dynamic of voters."

Jude closed the car door and leaned back against it, chuckling as he pulled a crushed pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his jacket pocket, placing one to his lips and lighting it. He took a drag as he slouched nonchalantly, in no hurry to be anywhere. "So where are you headed now?" he questioned curiously, a delicately pointed, onyx ear twitched idly as a breeze fluffed his hair.

Mercer didn't smoke, never really having much spending money to cover such addictive habits. "I was just going to loiter around town. The bus doesn't go by my house and my ride won't be able to pick me up until five or later," he replied with a half shrug, "Was thinking about going to that cafe you were talking about." As he spoke, the lemur looked over the sleek corvette. Jude's car was impressive really, especially for a seventeen year old. Mercer no longer had a car of his own and the one he had written off had been nowhere near as nice nor as expensive as Jude's was."Nice car."

Jude smiled around his cigarette, offering one to the other male politely. He hadn't been surprised to hear that the other male's dad had been involved in Bush's election. Politicians of like minds all seemed to stick together and help each other climb the political ladder as necessary. He cared little about it really. It made no difference to him; he still wanted to suck Mercer off, maybe let him fuck him too if the lemur played his cards right.

Mercer took the cigarette, figuring it would be rude not to and he couldn't think of any real reason to refuse, even if he didn't generally smoke. It would make it the fifth or sixth he had ever touched. Being that he had only ever smoked a handful of cigarettes in his life, it stood to reason that after he had it lit and took his first hit, he'd cough a bit and be slightly awkward with it between his fingers. He could understood why some people smoked, gave them something to have in their mouth, something to occupy their minds instead of whatever idle thoughts they'd rather not be having. He was similar when it came to puzzles and the like, almost craving that distraction at times.

"Thanks, it belonged to someone really important to me," the neko said, glancing at the car he leaned on, running reverent fingertips along the top of the door before focusing his fuschia gaze back on the lemur. Jude gave Mercer an apologetic look when he mentioned how late his ride was going to be. Being stuck without a ride until after five was well, pathetic really. It was only quarter to three.

"Hm, I was thinking of stopping there myself. Wanna ride? I promise to keep my hands to myself, scouts honor," he promised, raising the mandatory two fingered salute and winking at the other male, using his other hand to flick the ash from his cigarette.

When Jude offered him a ride once more, complete with a promise to keep his hands off, he couldn't help but grin. It wasn't an offer he could easily bring himself to turn down, since chatting with Jude had been much more entertaining than hanging out alone outside the school until Trevor showed up to collect him. "Sure. Thanks," he said, inclining his head gratefully as he watched the ash flick away, coughing slightly as he took another small drag off the smoldering stick of tobacco.

Jude chuckled softly as the other male choked on the cigarette smoke, clearly not an avid smoker as the neko was. "I don't smoke in my car though, so we'll go when we've finished," he said, lifting the cigarette held demurely between his nail polished fingertips to his lips once again and inhaling with practiced ease.

The lemur nodded his understanding about Jude's no-smoking in the car rule as he blinked watering golden depths. He cleared his throat before attempting to take smaller puffs of the nicotine laced smoke. Of course, the lesser inhales meant he was smoking about half as quickly as Jude, but he supposed it wasn't as embarrassing as the choking at least. "Yeah, wouldn't want to ruin the interior," he agreed honestly; it'd be a real shame to destroy the interior of a car that nice with cigarette smoke.

"Do you plan on following in your dad's footsteps when you graduate?" Jude questioned idly, watching the lemur from beneath lowered lashes, cocking his head slightly to let the smoke filter out from between pouty lips away from Mercer's face. He was actually a little interested in the other male, not just for fooling around with him either. The other seemed genuinely decent and held the same opinion on highschool that Jude did. The neko's tail curled around his thigh unconsciously, the tip flicking just behind his booted calf as his unoccupied fingers slid into the waistband of his jeans just the tiniest bit, fingertips resting there against soft skin instead of the tight pocket where his cell phone was.

The lemur stood there in amiable silence for a moment or two, getting comfortable talking with the other. When Jude asked if he wanted to follow in his father's foot steps, he choked on the cigarette once again, gasping and snorting with laughter. He cleared his throat again. When he'd finally regained his breath, he shook his head. "No way. I'd rather eat my own foot," he made a face that clearly showed his disdain for the possiblity of having a career in politics like his dad, "I don't think I could handle a desk job like that. I think I'd rather do something like act or dance, you know, something more exciting and less restrictive." He watched wispy tendrils of smoke curl away above them for a second as if he was debating on what else to say. "Don't tell my dad that though. He's already introduced me to at least half the party, already assuming I plan to take after him in a respectable career like his, nevermind the fact that I don't care for the policy makers much. Both sides look the same to me."

Jude laughed at the other male's reaction. It was cute watching him choke on the smoke, already taking smaller drags as most non-practiced smokers did. "I doubt I'll ever meet your dad, so you needn't worry. You're secret's safe with me," he assured, laughter dancing in the rose-coloured irises of his eyes. "As you can imagine, republicans and I don't mix too well," he glanced down at himself. He was the farthest away from being conservative as a fur could be.

"I would never have guessed," Mercer replied with a smirk. He had assumed as much; standing side by side, it was clear that their upbringing had been miles apart. His ensemble was, for lack of a better word, uptight: dark-washed, boot cut jeans, light blue and white striped polo tee, and a simple black jacket, all of them seemingly recently pressed. "If you took even a step into a party meeting, I think you'd kill at least half of them old geezers if they so much as got a good look at ya."

Jude snorted at the lemur's words about what the party members' reactions would be if he ever sauntered into one of their meetings. "Yeah and the other half would have heart attacks as soon as I dropped to my knees in front of them and asked which wanted to go to heaven first," he said with a chuckle.

Mercer snickered; the imagery Jude created was somewhere between amusing and arousing. It would be a quick way to get a new wave of elections going, one way or another. "That's one way to change the world," he said laughingly, shaking the picture from his head.

Jude grinned, "That's me, pushing boundaries and changing lives one BJ at a time," he quipped. It was a strange sort of flirtatious, yet amicably innocent atmosphere between them as all the other students had seemed to evaporate from the school.

Mercer rolled his eyes, shaking his head again. Jude had apparently taken his reputation to heart. Well, to each his own, the lemur thought inwardly, pushing any curious thoughts about Jude's skill in that particular area from his mind forcibly. "Whatever makes the world go 'round I guess," was his outward response, closing the topic. He was hardly aware of the other students as they filed out. Soon enough, it was just the two of them left leaning against Jude's corvette.

"So you'd rather be a performer?" Jude was intrigued by the notion of the seemingly straight-laced lemur being something so completely opposite of his upbringing.

"Well, yeah, I mean I guess so. I want to do something fun, you know. And people on stage always look like they enjoy what they're doing. My dad just seems tired when he comes home. He always says it's worth the stress, that he's content with his life, and maybe he is, but he just seems to be in denial. I don't wanna be miserable like that everyday."

"I getchyou. Being on stage is..." he bit his lip, trying to find the right words to describe the feeling, "It's like having the best orgasm of your life. It's so exhillerating, like finding cloud nine and then jumping off and free falling without the fear of hitting the ground." He dropped his cigarette on the ground, crushing it under his boot heel before running a hand through his hair once again, a habit of sorts.

"Interesting way to put it," the taller male said, flicking the half burnt cig aside before stepping on it as well. Needing another, safer, topic of conversation, Mercer decided to ask more about Jude's life, figuring it was only fair since he'd shared a bit about his own, "What's your dad do?" He'd missed what Jude had said about his father earlier, but he figured he must have a pretty lucrative job if he could afford to give his son such a nice vehicle.

"My dad's a musician, used to be in a popular rock band in the eighties, now he's retired and does various things, recording mostly, some songwriting, producing, stuff like that," the neko replied in a fond tone, shrugging one shoulder, "He's the one who taught me to play guitar." Mercer nodded, taking in the information and filing it away for later. He could see why Jude was as laidback as he was, made sense, being that he had a rockstar for a dad.

"Ready to go?" Jude asked, his soft voice breaking into Mercer's thoughts as he ran slim fingers through his feathery raven hair once more.

"Yeah, sure. I'm ready. Is it far?" Mercer's gaze followed Jude's hand as it travelled though his hair, watching how the delicate-looking fingers moved amonst the fine strands before he realized what he was doing and shifted his eyes back to Jude's face. One of his rounded black ears twitched restlessly with a feeling he couldn't place, a sort of itch that he couldn't quite identify.

"Nah, it's not far, just up the block. I can drop you back off after if you want. I have to come back this way on my way home anyways," he replied, not noticing the eyes that traced his unconscious movement. He straightened up, sauntering around to the other side of the car and opening the driver's door, sliding in with a natural feline grace, his tail curling over his lap so as to escape being crushed between himself and the leather seat. He dug his car keys from his pocket, starting the car as he waited for the other boy to get in. They were lucky; it appeared no one saw the two of them leaving together, or so it seemed. Jude hoped so, otherwise a whole slew of new rumors would be born overnight and he would lose any chance of even simply hanging out with Mercer, not to mention trying to seduce him.

Mercer pulled the passenger door open after Jude had opened his own. Slipping into the comfortable seat, his tail wound around his legs as he pulled the door shut behind him. He adjusted the seat a little bit to accommodate his taller frame, allowing him to recline back and settle in. "Alright, sounds like a good deal to me. If it's just a few blocks away then I can walk back. You don't have to stay, if you don't want to or you know if you had other plans or something," he floundered, feeling pathetic for sounding so needy. It was obvious to him and probably to the neko too; an indirect invitation to hang out. He'd tried to word it carefully so as to ensure he didn't send the wrong kind of invite, but it was an invitation none the less and he'd been the one to initiate it.

TBC...