Skipping
"If I had to make this to be zero point 475 ... but if you don't do that ... by the way, this is two standard deviations below ... "
Oh. My. Gosh. Groaned Oliver in his head. This was intolerable. This class was intolerable.
"That looks like it's about point 8. So, we go to the Z table ... below Z is point 788. So, what's the black, then ... it's equal to point 788 minus point 25, and we have ... "
The squirrel squirmed in his seat. In statistics class. The lights were dimmed in the huge lecture hall, the professor writing something ... which appeared on an overhead projector slide. Something that was all numbers. Something that made no sense.
Add that to the fact that Oliver was getting a cold, and he was a sad, sick squirrel.
A sad, sick squirrel, he repeated in his head. A sad, sick, sleepy squirrel, he revised. And after a pause ... a somber, sad, sick, sleepy squirrel. A somber ... but he couldn't think of any new adjectives that started with S. So, he sighed, sniffed. Stopped.
Why am I so good at annoying myself, he wondered? Well, he countered. At least you're diverting. He shrugged at that. Unsure.
"What is the other? We're talking about question 30 ... "
Oliver debated slipping out. He was in the back row, at the top of the room. It was dim. No one would know, and even if they did ... what were they gonna do about it? And, considering he wasn't learning anything anyway ... well, he might as well go. Just ... skip. He should've skipped in the first place. Shouldn't have even come at all.
"Times two. And, now, we set the margin of error ... zero point 43. And, therefore, what we should do ... "
He couldn't take it anymore. He quickly, quietly gathered his things, padding to the door, opening it, and stepping out. Breathing a sigh of relief.
"You skipping, too?"
His bushy, brown tail twitched. Twitched. His eyes fell upon the voice. The voice's owner. Another squirrel. Female.
"Why be so sneaky about it, if you are? I mean ... well, if you're skipping, you obviously don't care. You're obviously apathetic. So, if you're apathetic," she reasoned, shrugging, "You shouldn't be self-conscious about getting caught. You shouldn't be slinking about. You shouldn't," she told him, "Have a second thought about shrugging off your responsibilies."
Oliver blinked. Sniffed. "I don't ... I don't think that made any sense." Though it sounded a bit like an accusation. He wasn't sure what to make of it.
She shrugged, smiling.
"But, yes," he eventually told her, answering her question. "I am skipping."
"High five," she said, putting her paw out.
He laughed lightly, slapping her paw gently with hers, giving a high-five.
Pause.
"So, where are you going now?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Don't know."
"Do you have another class?"
"Not for another two hours, at least."
She nodded.
"I'm sorry," he said, tilting his head. "But what's your name? I'm Oliver," he offered.
"Adelaide."
"Interesting."
"What?" she asked.
"That's an interesting name."
She nodded. "I guess."
"Well," he asked. "What about you?"
"Hmm?"
"You're skipping, too?"
"Well, I hadn't even gotten in," she said, nodding at the lecture hall. At the door. They were on the second level of the building. "I got here late. So, I was lingering here ... mulling over my options. But, yeah, chalk this one up as a skip."
He laughed. Bit his lip. "Would you like to ... "
She waited. Smiling.
"Would you like to get something to eat? Or something?"
"Or something?"
He blushed beneath his fur. "Pizza?"
She nodded. Smiled. "Okay."
They were sitting on opposite sides of a booth.
"You don't like pepperoni?" she asked.
"I don't eat meat," he replied. "Not generally."
She nodded. She was eating a slice of pepperoni pizza. He was nibbling on a slice of cheese.
"You nibble," she observed.
"What?"
"You nibble when you eat. Like a mouse. Instead of taking big bites."
He shrugged. Smiled shyly. Nibbled again.
"Why is that, do you think?" she pressed.
He shrugged helplessly, becoming too self-conscious to eat. He put his slice back on his place.
"You're probably like me. Afraid to take big leaps. Big bites. I can't take big bites of anything ... in terms of life matters, you know. I'm speaking metaphorically. Or something. You know what I'm saying?"
"No," he admitted.
"Big bites. Big leaps. Risks."
"So ... because I nibble my pizza, that means I ... nibble at life?" he concluded.
"I'm just saying that you'd have to think that a creature's behavior, even the way he eats," she said, nodding, "Tells you something about his character."
He swallowed. Sipping his cherry soda. "Never thought of it."
"Anyway," she said, chewing. Swallowing. "Anyway ... I'm the same way. I'm afraid to take risks. In fact, I'm surprised we're even sitting here eating together. We're total strangers. I normally don't eat with strangers." She chewed some more, swallowed again, the slice of pizza in her paws. "What do you think the odds were, huh, of us meeting like that ... and having pizza? I mean, I didn't know I was gonna make a new friend today," she said, shrugging. "Statistically-speaking, what's the probability of that happening?"
Nibbling on the crust of his slice, Oliver shrugged. "I wouldn't know," he said quietly. "I'm not good with numbers."
She sipped her own soda. Hers was vanilla. She hesitated before saying, "Well, would you like to?"
"Like to ... " He swallowed, sniffling. "What?"
"Take a risk," she whispered. "Do something stupid," she said, whispering even more lightly.
"Stupid?" he whispered back.
"Or, maybe not ... maybe not stupid. But ... something young. Something reckless. Risky," she repeated.
He leaned forward. "Like what?" he said. His voice was still at a whisper.
She was leaning forward, too. She said nothing. Just met his eyes.
"Oh," he went. Swallowing. "Oh," he went again. And he took a deep breath. And he nodded.
"Yeah?" she asked.
He nodded again. "Sure."
She leaned back, nose twitching. "My place is about ten minutes from campus, by foot-paw."
He nodded. "Okay."
They went. They walked. The sky was gray, overcast. The air was cool.
"What happened to your backpack?" she asked. He had it slung over his shoulder, but it only had one strap. The left shoulder strap. The other one was missing. The bag looked torn and tattered.
"Well ... " He blushed. "It's really stupid. I got it caught in this locker at work. Or, rather, it was on top of the lockers, but the strap was hanging down. And someone used the locker below it, and locked it ... and the strap got stuck. Well, regardless, the strap was stuck in a locker. And I was gonna be late for class. So I yanked and yanked, and it wouldn't tear free. So, I had to gnaw the strap off."
She laughed.
"Anyway, by the time I got it free, the strap had ripped and it was useless, and I decided not to go to class. I went and got ice cream. Which ... it didn't really help my mood." Pause. "So, that's why my bag only has one shoulder strap. And the reason I'm still using it ... is cause I don't wanna spend the money on a new one."
Adelaide laughed again, slowing her pace. He slowed his pace to match hers.
He smiled, biting his lip.
"That's great," she said, beaming.
"It wasn't at the time," he said, laughing. "But ... I guess." He nodded.
"As for skipping class ... you're habitual with that, then, huh? It's a pattern," she teased.
He shrugged. Not denying it. "I'm not a good student."
"I'm sure you could be. You seem like you could be."
He just shook his head.
She said nothing more, but still smiled. And they continued walking.
They reached her apartment.
"You live alone?" he asked, looking around.
"No. But my roommates have class 'til five. We won't be caught," she said, as if they were about to commit some kind of crime. As if they were involved in a conspiracy.
He just nodded and swallowed.
"Well," she said, taking a deep breath. Standing in front of him and shyly meeting his eyes. "How are we gonna do this?"
"Um ... " He hesitated, and then leaned forward. And tilted his head and kissed her lips. A brief, delicate kiss.
"A bit watered down, that one," she teased, blushing. And she put her paws on his arms and leaned into him, returning it. Her kiss was better.
He nodded as they parted.
"I wanna do something to you," she suddenly whispered. And seeing his eyes said, with a laughing smile, "Not that. Not yet. No," she said, and she slipped away, returning with a ...
"Blindfold?"
"I wanna put it on your eyes."
"Why?" he asked. He frowned a bit.
"So you can feel. I mean, we rely on sight more than anything, but ... here," she said, and she put it over her eyes. And began to undress him. She could see his flushing ears swivel. "Don't be embarrassed," she whispered. "We're being bold, remember?"
"Yeah," he said, nodding.
"Well, we are." She slipped out of her own attire. So that they were both bare, in the fur. Both of their large, bushy tails twitching very lightly. Adelaide took a step back, admiring him. "That's what I love about a squirrel," she said. "About us."
"What?" he questioned, ears swivelling. Unable to see for the blindfold.
"The nimbleness. The grace. Agility. The energy. Your tail is glorious, by the way."
He blushed.
"I'm gonna go somewhere in this room. I want you to find me," she ordered.
"But ... " He stopped, realizing she'd gone quiet. He would have to use his nose and ears to find her. So, he took a deep breath. Sniffed. Sniffed. Twitched. Padded a few steps this way, careful not to bump into the coffee table. He crawled carefully over the couch, ears swivelling. He had her scent. But it was all over the room. It had permeated across the room, but it had to be focused somewhere. He carefully shuffled, nose and whiskers twitching, sniffing. And he paused. He could hear her. He could hear her breathing.
Paws and arms wrapped around him from behind, to his belly. He nearly jumped from the start.
"It's okay," she shushed, whispering. "Didn't mean to scare you." She kissed the fur on his back.
"How did you sneak up on me like that? I mean ... I always thought I had good hearing."
"Well, you seem to forget," she said, sliding around to his front, keeping the blindfold over his eyes. Rubbing his hips. "I'm a sly, silent, sensuous squirrel," she said slowly, the words slithering off her tongue. It was such a nice sound.
She playfully shoved him to the couch, literally pouncing on top of him. He let out an oomph of air. And she wasted no time in rubbing his furry chest, his sides.
Unable to see, he felt her paws roving. Felt her deliberate touches. He almost whimpered. "I want to see you," he pleaded.
She tore his blindfold off, and before he could blink, had him in a kiss. Which left both of them panting and breathless, falling back into the sinking cushions. Her foot-paws rubbed and bumped with his, playing with his. And their tails twitched and fluttered. And Oliver's paws rubbed at her breasts, and he quickly maneuvered her to his side ... before wriggling on top of her, pinning her down.
"No fair," she panted, smiling. "I was trying to get the top."
"I know," he panted back. "Do you ... do you mind?" he asked, breathing out onto her cheeks. Kissing them. Licking them.
She tilted her head and sighed, her eyes fluttering weakly. She shook her head. "No," she breathed.
Oliver buried his nose in the fur on her neck. Breathing in. He sighed, kissing.
She wrapped her paws around his back, scritching up and down. Up and down. And she bumped her hips up against his as she felt his erect member sliding through the fur of her lower belly.
The feeling of his member in her fur ... caused him to shiver. And, gently gripping her sides, he scooted and wriggled on top of her. She wordlessly allowed her legs to part, giving a yelp as he drove into her.
He blushed horribly. "Am I ... is that ... " He had thrust in hard, having been swamped with arousal. With eagerness. He stopped.
"No," she panted. "No, you're fine." She swallowed. "Just ... took my by surprise." She panted, smiling at him. "It's okay." She brushed a paw on his cheek. "Just start out slow, and then build up ... to fast." Her head fell back against a pillow that was on the couch. She closed her eyes.
He nodded, his whiskers twitching weakly. And began to slowly, gently slide in and out of her, parting her furry folds as if his throbbing member were melting through some kind of butter. Just sliding in. Deep. Pausing. Pulling back, and then going back in. It felt so smooth, the motion.
She squeaked softly beneath him, clutching at his sides.
He squeaked with each hump, notching the pace up, up. Getting a bit faster. Paws fumbling on her breasts, the pads of his paws running across her nipples.
She sighed.
He sniffled. "You're gonna ... " He squeaked. "You're gonna ... catch my cold." He squeaked again.
"I don't ... mind," she said. "Anyway, I'd rather ... " Another squeak. "Rather get it from you." Her eyes were closed. She felt her body rock back into the cushions from his grinding hips. She heard his tail swishing the air.
He fell into a steady, steady motion, bucking into her. In and out. She was warm and wet, and it felt so natural. He kept going.
Her breath rose, being driven into. Being rubbed by his fur. His paws fumbling on her breasts. She squeaked softly, and then a big louder. He kept going, his warm, strong weight on top of her. And she felt a severe flush. And going weak, she barked out. Feeling the spasms. "OH. Oh," she went, descending into a chittering, and then a moan. And, finally, a whimper.
Knowing she'd hit orgasm, Oliver hurried his pace. Mouth hanging open, drooling a bit. And, feeling his member throbbing and twitching, he let go and sighed. Giving his own squirrel bark, squeaking with each spurt. Feeling his seed sowing itself inside her. He squeaked, starting to sag from the feeling. Going weak. And, gasping for breath, he collapsed softly on top of her, still inside her. After a minute, he wriggled out, sniffling and crawling beside her, breathing onto her cheek. Kissing her with closed eyes.
She turned her head, own eyes half opened, and kissed him back. "That was nice," she whispered into her ear, kissing his ear. Feeling his hot fur, grasping one of his sweaty paws.
"Yeah," he whispered, glowing with a smile. Breathing.
Neither of them said anything for a moment. Neither of them knowing what to say. They just laid with each other. Recovering.
"I guess we should go," she told him.
He nodded, biting his lip.
They both sat up, blushing.
"I don't ... I don't regret this," she told him sincerely. Looking to him.
"I don't," he said, shaking his head. "I don't, either."
She nodded. "Good," she whispered. "Because ... it felt ... " She smiled. "Well ... you know."
He sighed. Nodded. "It felt better than class."
She laughed, leaning back into the cushions. Giggling. And nodding again. "That's for sure." And she sniffled. And looked to him. "You still have some time, don't you?"
"Yeah," he went. He was looking at his foot-paws.
"Only, cause we probably smell of ... sex," she said, a bit sheepish. "I don't know. Of each other. Maybe we should shower."
A shy smile crept onto his face.
When they were finally finished with each other, they walked back to campus. Feeling lighter. A spring in their steps.
"How about we skip statistics on Thursday, too?" she offered. "Grab some pizza, and ... " She shrugged. "Anyway, they post the notes online. It's not like we need to attend."
"So, it wouldn't be a date. It would be ... "
"A skip."
He laughed. Nodded. He breath showing in the air, which was still gray and cool. He sighed. And then took a deep breath.
"Good," she said, as they reached campus. Reached the point where they had to part. "We'll meet at the food court. The pizza place."
He nodded. "Okay."
She leaned forward and kissed his twitching nose.
"You're gonna get my cold," he said again.
"Probably already did. But I don't care, remember? Anyway, I would've gotten it sooner or later. Better sooner."
He laughed. "I guess."
"Later, Oliver," she whispered gently. And she filtered away, back through the crowd of other students. Her bushy tail bobbing as she went.
Oliver sighed and sagged. Looked up to the bell tower and saw the time. His next class was in ten minutes. He would sit in the back row, as always. And zone out. But, today, for the first time ... his daydreams would be a bit more vivid. They would be in full-blown color. He smiled, biting his lip and scurrying through the crowd.