The First Book
(I apologize in advance for the lack of chapters, I really didn't have the chance to put them in. Just remember where you left off, and you should be okay. Chapters may or may not be introduced later.)
(CHARACTERS USED WITH PERMISSION OF KREZZ KARAVAN AND ZIM999)
“Tommy Fox” called the teacher, and an Arctic Fox raised his paw, mostly white, with a few splotches of dried blood that wouldn’t come out of his fur. His black ensemble- baggy jeans, a club shirt exposing his chest, and his black boots- well offset his fur, and brought quite a bit of attention to himself. His black glasses would’ve done the same, but they were taken from him earlier in the day. He wasn’t a rebel, or a troublemaker, but he refused to do anything he considered unjust or unfair- or, frankly, anything he didn’t like.
He put his paw down as the teacher called on the next student, “Johnny Gorilla”, and he quickly went back onto his laptop, checking his websites for any updates on his role-playing sites. He was a loner, and didn’t care what anyone else thought. He saw that there were no updates, closed his laptop and paid attention to his professor as she explained interactions between elementary particles.
An hour or so later, the bell rang, and he quickly got his materials together, putting his AirBook into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder, and sticking the homework into the front pocket hastily. He walked out of the door without speaking to anyone, as was his usual routine, unless he needed to talk to the professor for some reason or another on some material he didn’t understand.
‘One more class left, then I head home. About time” he thought to himself, as he sorted through his locker and retrieved his Psychology book. As he closed his locker, he saw one of the local idiots and so called ‘tough guys’, Jose, a lizard of some sort with some oversized claws, trying to hit on some young lioness that obviously didn’t enjoy the attention. Jose was clad in his usual colors, green and black, while the young lioness wore a pair of grey sweats and a dark brown tank that accented her eyes.
“C’mon, chica, what’s your problem? You know you want some” he said, laughing to his buddies.
“I told you no, now leave me alone” she said, closing her locker defiantly. But the fear in her eyes was obvious, even from where Tommy was standing, and lizard-boy and his friends picked up on it.
“And I said yes” he replied, and grabbed her by the arm. “Let’s go”
“Hey, moron” said Tommy, hoping that lizard boy would be smart enough to leave. “She said no. Leave- now” he said simply, waiting for him to let her go.
But he didn’t, and only laughed at him, a hissing laugh. “Who the hell are you?” he asked, lifting her arm higher and holding it all the tighter. By this time, classes had already started, and everyone was gone.
“Ow, you’re hurting me” she said, trying to pull away, but he wasn’t having any of it. He grabbed her by the other paw, and quickly ran his tongue over her nose.
“You’re mine” he said, but he didn’t get the chance to say much more. Tommy put down the idiot’s friends in the time that he has pulled her closer, and punched him in the jaw before he had a chance to do more. He followed through, grabbed him around the neck so that he was leaning backwards, and pushed one of his claws into his back, right where the spine was.
“Now, you’re going to leave quietly, or you’re going to die- literally” he said, pushing the claw a bit harder. “If I ever see you harassing anyone again, you’re going to die. You may be somewhat strong, but foxes eat little lizards- don’t forget it” he said, letting go of the lizard and letting him crash down to the floor with all the grace that he deserved. “Now get out of here” he said, and watched as Jose and Co. left with what little honor they had left, before he turned to the young lioness.
“Are you okay?” he asked, lifting her head slightly to examine a cut there. He quickly licked his paw and put a small bit of saliva onto it, to seal the wound.
“I’m fine, thanks for getting rid of him” she said, allowing him to cover the cut. “I would’ve been in a lot of trouble if you weren’t around. He’s always causing us trouble” she said, crossing her arm in front of her chest to hold her other upper arm. She was suddenly shy, and took her caramel eyes away from his electric blue ones to look at the floor.
“Come find me if he’s giving you or anyone else problems, okay?” he asked. He at least wanted to make sure the idiot knew how to treat women.
“I’ll make sure to do that” she said, flashing a smile. He didn’t return it, he simply walked back to his locker and put his Science book back in there. She was looking on uncertainly, before she asked from where she was “What’s your name?”
He looked down at his boot-clad feet, and sighed. “Tommy” he said simply. “Tommy Fox. Like I said, if that idiot is ever causing you trouble again, you come and tell me” he said, closed his locker, and walked to class, with fresh blood on his paw, red against his white fur.
Psychology passed far too quickly, as usual, and the day ended as usual. Again, he went to his locker to drop off his stuff, but found the lioness waiting there for him, holding her books to her chest.
“Hey Tommy” she said, moving back a step as he opened his locker. He quickly pulled out his necessary books, putting them into his bag as she spoke. “I never really got a chance to thank you properly” she said, leaning in close, her muzzle by his ear.
“I don’t need your thanks” he said, sticking his last book in his bag and closing the locker. He stepped away from her, and saw the hurt in her eyes at his rejection. He sighed, shook his head, and put a paw to his muzzle as he spoke. “Look, I’m sorry. You’re a beautiful young woman, but I’m not interested in a relationship- not to say with you, but with anyone” he said, and wiped away her tears, surprised she did not move away from the bloodstained paw.
She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them she asked “Do you think there’s any chance maybe we could see each other at a later time? You seem like such a nice guy…”
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to be blunt with you- you could find a much better guy than me” he said solemnly. “You’re a beautiful young woman, with a long life ahead of you. I’m just some punk who knows how to treat a lady. Quite a few men know how to, and I’m sure you’ll find one of them” he said, laying a hand on her shouder, and catching her chin as her head fell in defeat. “Look, I’m sorry. I can help you along, help you find a nice guy, but I can’t be that guy for you”
“And why not?” she said, backing up, suddenly angry. “You may know how to be a gentleman, but that doesn’t mean anything if you can’t put it to use. And me being beautiful doesn’t mean anything except that I’m going to pick up more guys wanting to get lucky. What, are you broke or something, and don’t think you can afford me? Well, I can te-”
“Shut up” he said quietly, and her muzzle dropped, but no noise came from it. “Stop you ranting, and you listen to me. I’m not going out with you, and that’s the end of it. I said I’d be here for you as a friend, and if you can’t accept that as enough, that’s just too damn bad for you. If you need help finding a guy, or keeping one off, find me. Otherwise, if you’re just going to keep acting like this, leave me the hell out of it” he said, and walked away, leaving a poor, young lioness standing in the hall all alone.
Within the hour, he was back home, at his parent’s house in the suburbs nearby. Before he could retreat to his basement sanctuary, he heard “Tommy! Can you come in here?” from the living room. He sighed, laying his bag by the foot of his door, and walking into the sitting room. A beautiful white, plush carpet, a widescreen TV with entertainment system(including surround sound), black leather furniture, and of course, their Beddlington Terrier, which was named Schloop for various reasons.
“You needed something?” he asked, being careful to stay on the hardwood with his shoes. His parents were strict with him about dirtying the carpet.
“Bank statement just came in. We wanted to talk to you about-”
“Reading another person’s mail is a federal crime, Dad” he said, turning around and picking up the mail off of the granite countertop in the steel-clad and rosewood kitchen. He quickly picked up his mail, and put it in his pocket without looking at it.
“Look, there’s no reason to be paying for-”
He never got a chance to finish the sentence, for in that moment, his son gave him the most piercing, hating glare he had ever seen.
“You know why” he said simply. “And it’s my money. Leave me be.” With that, he walked back to his room, and laid down on his bed. He opened up his bag, and quickly sorted out and completed his homework, then put his bag in the corner and looked around. His parents had given him the room of his dreams, everything he had ever wanted- he had piles of collector’s items of varying types, all stacked neatly in one closet, and in the other, he had a wardrobe full of nice clothing. A laptop sat next to a desktop in his office-style desk, that covered a quarter of his room. His books enclosed the area, as the desk only covered one side out and the wall. On top of his dressers stood more collectibles, but on his free wall… was his most prized possession, though probably his cheapest. It was about three hundred dollars worth of butcher paper connected to a rolling device, both embedded in the floor and ceiling. It was on this that all of his work, no matter artistic, mathematic, or scientific, that it went. He had the freedom to do whatever he pleased here, and nobody would ever see it. If anyone did look at it, he would know.
His parents didn’t completely understand him, and tried to give him all that they could. They knew he needed outlets for all of his ideas, but they weren’t sure of how to push him forward, how to help him, when his ideas moved so quickly.
He thought of the young lioness, and pushed her out of his mind. He quickly submerged himself into meditation, and spent the next few hours clearing his mind of the source of his anger, before he went to bed that night.
He was surprised to again find her at his locker the following morning. As per his normal routine, he dropped off most of his books into his locker, only leaving his first hour book in his bag.
“Name’s Shari, by the way” she said as he approached his locker. As he was swapping out books, she finally just came out and said what he knew she was waiting to.
“Alright, look- I’m sorry for going off on you yesterday. You didn’t do anything wrong, and I shouldn’t blame you” she said. “I was being immature, and I apologize. That’s something you’ll probably never hear from me again, but there it is. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d still like to get the chance to know you sometime, as a friend” she said, smiling and hoping.
He stopped putting his books away, and looked at her incredulously. “You want me as a friend?” he said, then laughed. “Good one, you almost had me convinced that you were-”
“Telling the truth?” she responded. “I am. You’re a nicer guy than you give yourself credit for, and I’m sure there are more than a few girls that would like to get with you, if you’d give them the chance” she said seriously.
“I doubt it” he said, finishing putting his books away. “Not once they knew the real me” he said, closing his locker, and looking into her eyes. “You’re beautiful, and even that scaly moron could see it. But I… I’m a wreck, inside and out” he said, looking away. “Few people can deal with me at all- for someone to stay in a relationship with me would be impossible” he said. “Now drop it”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked to his first class of the day, leaving a befuddled Shari to walk to her class by herself.
Again, she was waiting for him outside his locker after his first class. He sighed and opened his locker as she looked on.
“What makes you think that there wouldn’t be a woman willing to deal with some of your issues to have a relationship with you?” she asked, picking up their earlier conversation. “Do you really think all women are so shallow?”
“Not all, just most” he said, causing her to laugh, a completely carefree laugh full of lightness and joy. “Besides, a lot of women are just… well, they expect a lot of their partners. I have nothing left to give, not to anyone” he said.
“Now what do you mean by that?” she asked, but he shook his head halfheartedly.
“Doesn’t matter. I just don’t want to hook up, I don’t want to yiff like most of the idiots around here. I don’t want a partner. For the most part, I just tell people I’m gay” he said, smiling as she laughed out loud.
“You… you’re kidding right?” she said, trying to catch her breath. “You don’t honestly tell people you’re gay, do you?”
“Only at the clubs, where nobody knows me” he said. “Gay guys usually go to gay clubs, and I usually avoid them unless I’m really thirsty, and if I do go, I always wear a ring” he said, fetching a gold band out of his pocket and holding it up. It was only truly gold around the edges, as diamonds took up most of the middle spaces all the way around. He slipped it onto his paw, and smiled. “Usually works no matter what guise I take, in fact” he said, looking at the ring thoughtfully
“Shari, do you mind if I talk to you on a more personal level?” he asked. “I’d have to ask you to keep this between you and I, though” he said.
“Sure, I don’t mind” said the younger lioness, leaning her right shoulder against the locker.
Just then, the minute-to-get-to-class bell rang, and he quickly shoved everything in his bookbag. “Didn’t realize how much time had flown. Meet me after school here? I don’t come between periods anymore until after sixth”
“See ya then” she responded, nodding, as she took off down the hall quickly, and he in the opposite direction.
As promised, they didn’t see each other until it was after sixth hour, getting ready for their last classes of the day. As usual, she was the first to speak.
“I was wondering if you’d like to head over to the mall after school” she said, smiling.
He snickered. “The mall? Why there, of all the places in the world?” he asked. To him, the mall was a waste of time, unless you needed a number of things that couldn’t be found at the pawn shop or the trade store. The children running around and being loud, the overpriced stores that everyone filled with no intent of buying, the greasy food- there was simply no reason to go there.
“I was going to pick up the latest Red Fang album” she said. “You ever hear of him?”
“Hear of him? He’s one of the best DJs I know” he said. “If there was ever a guy to remix tribal, it was him” he exclaimed, smiling.
“Wait, you know him?” she said. “As a DJ?”
“Yeah, he’s one of my business partners” he said. “Actually, he’s coming nearby soon, I’ll have a couple extra tickets, I hope, if you want to go” he said, and smiled as she growled with delight. “But don’t tell your friends yet, I’m not sure how many passes I can get”
“YOU’RE GETTING BACKSTAGE TO MMMPH MPHH” she nearly yelled, before he closed her mouth and looked around.
“I just told you not to tell your friends, do you think I want you telling everyone else?” he said, but before she could respond, a young falcon came up to them.
“Hey, how’s it going? You have backstage to someone?” he said. “Sounded like she was pretty excited, must be someone good” he said, winking at her, then looking back to him.
“First off, watch it- if you’re going to try for her, do it respectfully, or there will be hell to pay” he said, watching the falcon for any aggression, of which he showed none, except nodding. “And secondly, I don’t have backstage to anyone yet. I’ll give you a call if I get anything, alright?” he said. “Name’s Tommy”
“Gary” he said, shaking his hand, and looking back to Shari. “Sorry about the gesture, mam. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to treat you to dinner sometime.”
“I’ll get back to you on that, next time I see you” she said, smiling as he walked away. “Well, he certainly seemed like a nice guy”
“Once they’re put back in their places, they’re always nice guys” he said, grinning. “We’ll figure out plans for after school… well, after school” he said, laughing as he closed his locker. “You’ll be here?”
“As usual” she replied, laughing. “See ya soon”
“See ya” he said, and they both walked away to their final classes of the day.
Again, he got to his locker and found her waiting there. He dumped all his books into his bag, and slung it over his shoulder.
“You ready to go?” he asked, finally speaking before she did. He fetched his car keys out of his pocket, and held them up.
“You have a car?” she asked. “What kind?”
“You’ll see when we get out there” he said, laughing, as they walked out to the parking lot together.
“So,” he asked, “What do you do in your spare time?”
“You first” she said, smiling, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.
“What do I do? I’m either writing up my ideas, or meditating” he said simply. “I don’t have much of a social life to speak of. Your turn” he said, now taking his turn to smile.
“I’m either completing all my homework-”
“I said spare time”
“Ok, ok” she said, smiling. “After completing my homework, I’m usually exercising at the gym, or I’m just lounging, maybe doing extra research into a topic that caught my interest” she said, shrugging as they stopped in front of a 90s IROC-Z Camaro.
“This is your ride?” she asked, impressed.
“No, that is” he said, pointing to a car behind her. She turned, and got an eyeful of the ugliest car she had ever seen. It had no tags, it’s paint was now replaced by rust, the roof had more holes than a field of gophers, and it looked as though it could fall apart at any minute.
“You’re kidding, right?” she asked, looking back at him. He laughed at her expression, and pressed the alarm button, which made the Camaro beep.
“I’m not that lame” he said, smiling as he climbed into the car. The outside was just plain black, but the inside was as customized as anything she had ever seen. The seats were a black leather, with red stitching, a GPS sat embedded into the center console, surrounded by bronze trim, and a Sparco racing wheel topped it off. As he put the key into the ignition, she heard a slight hum, followed by the GPS coming on, and lights coming on by her feet.
“Let’s hear how the engine sounds” she said, smiling.
He didn’t smile. “That’s it”
“What’s it?” she replied, confused. “You’re kicking me out already?”
He laughed. “No, I’m not kicking you out. You hear that humming?”
“That’s your engine?” she asked, as he pressed down on the gas, and the hum only got slightly louder.
“Put your belt on, and we’ll be in Pouncefield within ten minutes” he said, shifting the car into first, slowly pulling out of the parking lot.
“Pouncefield is half an hour away” she said, confused, until he pulled out of the lot and hit the gas, slamming her against her seat as the car hummed it’s way to Pouncefield.
The car pulled up to a house and turned off while she was still catching her breath. Even for a lioness who was ready for suprises and danger, that was beyond anything she had expected- by a long shot.
“Hey, Shari” he said, breaking her concentration. “You want to wait here? I’m just going to say hi to some family of mine” he said. “If you want to, you can stay in here, and we’ll head wherever afterwards”
“You mind if I come in?” she asked. “I want to meet some of your family”
“Sure, I don’t mind” he said, and shut off the car as he climbed out. He looked up at the house, and smiled. He remembered this place, but hadn’t been here in years since… well, since the accident took place. He stepped up to the door with Shari trailing close behind, and knocked on the door.
“They’re not exactly blood relatives, but they’re just as close, so… oh, and whatever you do, don’t mention-” he got cut off as the door opened to an older bunny.
“Hello?” she said, seeming not to recognize the fox. “Do I…”
“Angel? It’s me, Tommy” he said, smiling. “Now, are you going to stand there, or are you going to give me a hug?”
“Tommy?” she repeated excitedly. “Tommy! Oh my goodness, I haven’t seen you in years!” she said, jumping up on him and giving him a hug worthy of a Bunny.
“Angel, this is Shari” he said, once she let go. “Shari, this is Angel Bunny, she used to be my nanny” he said, grinning.
“Pleasure to meet you, mam” said Shari, holding her hand out.
“Likewise” said Angel, shaking her hand. “Come on in, we have to catch up a bit” she said, ushering them in the door. They all sat down at the kitchen table as Angel made tea, and set it down in front of the pair of them, then sat down herself with a cup.
“So, how have you been?” she asked. I’ve been talking with your mother recently, and she told me you’re getting the grades you should’ve been for the past however many years” she said, smiling.
“I know, I know” he responded, smiling, and taking a sip of his tea. “Earl Grey? Didn’t think you liked the stuff” he said.
“I’ve recently grown a fondness for it” she said, smiling. “How’s everyone at home doing?”
“Butting into my business as usual, but otherwise okay” he said. “How about around here? Where’s Ashley at?”
“Oh, she’s off with her new boyfriend, the love of her life. He’s such a nice boy, he almost died trying to save Ashley”
“What?” he asked, stunned. “Someone tried to hurt Ashley? Who was it?” he asked angrily.
“Some croc who wanted his way. From what I heard, her boyfriend- he’s a peacock- flew overhead, plucked him right out of the water, and threatened to drop him a couple stories at high speed if he didn’t admit to what he did, and stop acting like a bully” she said. “He’s a real hero, that one. They make a cute couple”
“You know if the pair of them will be by later tonight?” he asked. “I’d like to say hi to Ash while I’m here, though I doubt she remembers me” he said.
“Oh, she does. I showed her the pictures, and she remembers you well enough. I heard you guys were talking on the phone a lot a couple years ago, with you giving her advice on boys” she said, laughing. “Or, rather, advice on avoiding… I’m sorry” she said, for he was suddenly mute with what looked like sadness.
“No, it’s alright” he said, shaking his head. “Just needs time. You mind if I stop by later?” he asked, drinking the rest of his tea down quickly.
“Sure, I’ll keep the pair of them here tonight so you get a chance to meet them” she said, smiling. “Do you know what time you’ll be around by?”
“I was thinking around seven. That’s okay with you, Shari?” he asked, for they had pretty much left her out of the conversation, though such was to be expected.
“Sounds good to me” she said. “Thank you, Ms. Bunny for the excellent tea” she said, holding her hand out to shake again.
Angel shook her hand as well as her head. “Just Angel, sweetie. I hope to see the pair of you tonight” she said as she led them out the door.
“I’ll see you soon, Nana” he said, kissing Angel on the cheek and smiling. They hugged, and Angel had tears in her eyes as they pulled away.
Shari looked back through the dark tinted windows as they moved out of sight. “That’s hilarious” she said simply, sitting back in her seat as they drove on.
“What?” he asked.
“A Bunny taking care of a Fox” she said, and they both laughed after trying to hold it in.
“Y’know, I never looked at it that way” he said, smiling. “I think she would find that funny, as well. At any rate, here’s the dreaded mall” he said, exaggerating his dislike of the place.
“Oh, stop it” she said, smiling. “It’s not that bad.” She stepped out of the car, and looked up at the stairs, then turned around and looked back. “What are you…
“I’ll go park the car” he said, and drove off without waiting for her to respond, the door closing sharply as he drove quickly to a parking spot in the back. As he walked back, he saw some zebra harassing her.
“Please, mam, can I have just a twenty? I’ll pay you back, I promise” he said, holding out his hand.
“You don’t even know her” he said, grabbing her around the waist. “Get lost”
They walked into the mall, and she looped her arm through the one he offered, and they walked with a quick pace, such as was dictated by him, though she tried to make it obvious that she wanted to slow down. At last, she finally just picked a store, and led him into it. It just happened to be Hot Topic, and there just so happened to be a Peacock inside.
As soon as he saw the feathers, he moved quickly to the register, and waited, only to find a young girl with a bag full of pins for the upcoming school year at Pouncefield. She caught him looking, and cocked her head.
“Do you need something, mister?” she asked, and he shook his head back to reality.
“I’m sorry, I was told my- one of my friends was dating a Peacock, but…”
“You were looking for Kevin, right? Hero boy?” she asked, smiling. “Wait, you’re friends with Ashley? Aren’t you a bit old?” she asked, looking at him suspisciously.
“Her mother used to be my nanny” he said, smiling. “I never got your name, Ms. Peacock” he said. “Mine’s Tommy”
“Sally” she said, smiling again. “I’m not sure where Ash and Kevin are now, but they’ll be meeting me back at the entrance in an hour or so, if you want to wait” she offered.
“I would take you up on that offer, but I’m afraid my timetable doesn’t allow for it” he said, frowning. “Would you mind telling Ashley to head back home? I want to meet the pair of them, but I don’t want to intrude by coming to your house” he said.
“Sure, I’ll tell her. Do you want me to tell her why?” she asked, grinning.
“No, not why. Just tell her that her mom told you to tell her” he said. “Thanks, Ms. Sally”
“No problem” she said, as she bought her pins, and they went different ways.
Shari laughed and shook her head. “Everywhere we go, you find someone to talk to about a past I’ve never heard of” she noted good-naturedly.
“I’m sorry” he said, blushing slightly. “It’s just that I always considered myself Ashley’s guardian” he said. “I guess I never gave up on that role”
She smiled in return, and they walked through the mall, just window shopping. They left a few hours, a pair of smoothies, and couple slices of pizza later.
“Have a good time?” he asked, as they climbed into the car, quickly turning it on.
“Yeah, I’m surprised you dealt with it as well as you did” she said, grinning.
“A Fox remains hidden, even in the open” he said, quoting his family motto. “I’m always going to remain calm and cool on the outside, no matter what” he said. “Now, I was wondering if you’d like to head back home” he said.
“Actually, my car’s at the campus, still” she said, blushing slightly.
“Not a problem” he said, quickly putting the car into reverse, and tearing out of the parking garage.
“Slow down, there are always cops at this mall” she said, looking around as he slowed down and pulled out of the area slowly, and remained as such until they left Pouncefield.
“Wait, didn’t you need to go over to the Bunny’s house?” she asked as they sped up on the highway.
“I’m going to go later, once I drop you off” he said. “I’m still pondering why you enjoy that experience. No offense or anything, but the place smelled like wet dog, and it was just beyond loud" he said with a grin.
"It's easy to get everything there, though" she said, a bit defensive. "And all my favorite stores are all there in one place. Besides, the cubs are fun to watch" she said, laughing.
"Oh, so now you like spying on people?" he said, laughing. "All the cubs do there is yiff anyway."
"Hmm" was her only response, and with that, the conversation was dropped, until they reached the school.He sped into the parking lot, pulling right up to the front door for her.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, hoping she'd actually say yes.
"Ummm.... not really. I don't come to school on Saturday" she said, laughing at the expression on his face as he checked the GPS.
"Oh geez... well, here" he said, giving her one of his cards. "Just call me if you've nothing to do this weekend" he said, smiling.
"Sure" she said, smiling as she closed his door and walked to her car. He didn't wait to find out what kind of car before he took off, leaving marks all the way to the street, and a bit down the street to boot. She watched him burn rubber for a bit, before rushing into the school, and into the gym.
"Sorry I'm late girls- have we been working on the routine?" she asked, looking to her co-captain, a tigress by the name of Kiki.
"Think we've got it down, captain" she said, gesturing for everyone to get up. "The girls have been working hard on it. You sure you don't want to join?" she asked.
"You know I can't this semester" she said, pressing the button on the radio once they were all in position and ready. She watched as the girls- her girls- went through a complicated routine, a couple mishaps, but not much else wrong with the performance.
"Good job, girls" she said. "Kiki, watch the Paw twins- their front rolls aren't quite what they could be" she said. "Girls, we'll take Nationals this year, don't you worry about it!" she said. "Kiki, make sure they stay in shape- I have to go check on the swimming team, then the cub team" she said, and Kiki nodded, then shook her head as Shanari left the room. That girl works too damn hard she thought to herself as she watched her captain stride out of the gym to check on the other two teams she ran.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tommy slowly pulled up to the Bunny's house, and parked in front, sitting in the car with the engine now off. He waited a few moments, thinking about what he was going to say, before getting out of the car, and walking up to the front door and knocking. A few moments later, and Angel opened the door. "Hiya, Tommy, c'mon in" she said happily, closing the door behind him. He took off his shoes and jacket, putting them by the door.
"Still remember the old routine, hm?" said Angel, smiling.
"You know it, Nana" he said, giving her a big hug, which she happily returned. "So, where's Ash?" he asked, looking around.
"Oh, she'll be back in a few minutes. The Peacocks are giving her a ride over here from their house" she said, motioning to the table. "A cup of tea?" she asked as he sat down.
"Sure, I'll take a cup" he said simply, as she put a cup down in front of him. He sipped the tea for a little while, before speaking.
"What's Ash been up to since I left?" he asked, just trying to make conversation.
"Oh, not much, to tell the truth. I don't really keep up on her social life, except recently, with that jerk attacking her and all" she said. "But since then, she's been with Kevin almost all the time. He's actually a really nice boy" she said.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Tommy looking out the window, before a car pulled up to the front, and a young Bunny that Tommy instantly recognized stepped out, followed by a Peacock that Tommy assumed was Kevin. The kids said goodbye to the parents in the car, before closing the door. They stood talking for a bit, before heading inside, still talking. He noticed that they both took notice of the car, looking at it multiple times on their way in. Ash opened the door, before noticing Tommy and his mother.
"What's up Ash?" asked Tommy, smiling.
"Umm... I'm sorry, I'm not very good on memory. Do I know you?" she asked, honestly confused, and even more so when Tommy laughed.
"C'mon, it wasn't that long ago that we were running around in the backyard a few doors down. Playing PawStation in the winter?" he said, and seeing that she was still confused, he took a red bandana out of his pocket, and tied it around his neck. "Any better?" he asked, noticing that her expression had changed, and was changing by the second, to one of recognization.
"Wait, you aren't.... Tommy!" she asked, running up and giving him a big hug, almost knocking him backwards out of the chair.
"Alright, calm down Ash!" he said, hugging her back. "It's good to see you too. Jeez, but have you gotten big. You're still smaller than me though" he said laughing.
"Of course I am, but I'm still faster than you" she said, and they both laughed. He noticed that the Peacock was hanging back, and stood up for a moment.
"I guess I have you to thank for keeping Ashley safe, am I right?" he asked, holding his paw out, which the Peacock took and shook.
"Yep, he's my hero" said Ash, going to his side, and she was quickly enveloped in his wing.
"Stop it, Ash" said Kevin, smiling. "She saves me just as much as I save her" he said, looking into her eyes.
"Anyway," Tommy said, trying to break them out of their 'moment', "Thanks. I don't think I'd forgive myself if something happened to Ash" he said, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the statement, but knowing it was completely true.
"So, Ash, what's been up with you? Your mom wouldn't tell me anything" he said, smiling at Angel.
"Oh, geez.... well..." she said, and began her story of what had happened- in detail- since he had moved away.
"....And then he took me on a shopping spree at the mall, with the money he earned in the hospital from beating up the croc" she said. "Since then, things have been pretty tame around here" she finally finished, almost out of breath as she collapsed into Kevin's lap. "So, what about you? I haven't seen you around in forever. What's been going on with you?" she asked him, and he just shrugged.
"Not much, to tell the truth. I've just been doing school and back. Not quite the adventure you were hoping for, I know, but still" he said. "Tell you what, though" he said, dropping a buisness cards on the table, before writing his personal number on the back of each, and giving one to each of the others. "Call me later this week, and I'll tell my ma and pa that you're coming over to say hi" he said, getting up.
"Aw, you have to leave already?" asked Ash, frowning.
"Yeah, it's about time for me to go" he said, giving Ash a hug. "But you can come over any time you like, just give me a call first, so I know you're coming" he said. "And Kevin, give me a call sometime. I gotta do something to pay you back for keeping Ash safe" he said.
"How about a ride in that car of yours?" he asked, looking back out the window.
"Sure" he said, then shook his head. "The stupidity... hold up, Ash" he said, before running out to the car, and coming back in with a box. "This is yours, Ash. I would've gotten one for you too, Kev, but I didn't know you were coming" he said truthfully.
He watched as she happily ripped through the box with ease, before finding a PawStation box. Hearing her squeals of delight were enough to make him happy, and he accepted her jumping hug, almost losing his balance.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!" said Ash, still holding on.
"Alright, Ash, cool down" he said happily as he set her back down on the ground. "I got a few games in there for you, and there's still a few more on the way" he said. "Make sure you share it, you hear?" he said, smiling as she hugged him again.
"C'mon now, Tommy" said Angel, standing up. "This thing must have cost you a fortune" she said, unwilling to simply take it back from Ashley. "Why'd you do all this?" she asked, walking into the living room.
"I haven't been here in forever. I felt as though I owed you and Ash something" he said, following her into the living room, leaving the two cubs in the kitchen. "It was because of you guys that I got pulled out of the gutter I was in. And I won't take it back- you saw how happy it made her. I'm not going to take anything away from her, like I did when I left" he said. He didn't elaborate, and it didn't seem that he needed to. He just gave Angel a hug for a long while, before letting her go.
He didn't say anything more as he walked back into the kitchen, where Ash was already taking everything out of the box.
"Hold up, Ash, let me get it" he said, smiling as they hooked up the system in the living room.
Before long they finished, and the cubs were playing on the new system, going straight to co-op mode.
"Alright, guys" he said after watching them play for a while. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you all later, and I expect each of you to call me at least once" he said, giving Ash and Angel hugs, before shaking Kevin's hand. "I hope to hear from you later, as well" he said. After a few more goodbyes, he mananged to actually get out of the door, and got into the car, smiling as he drove away from the house.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
As he got home and walked in the door, he noticed that his parents were watching a movie, "Big City Love", something he had gotten for them last Christmas. He watched them for a few moments longer, one of the few times he had seen them together so lovingly, before silently walking downstairs to his room. Well, in truth, his room was upstairs, but he never used it- it had just become a room full of collectibles. This was now his room, his sanctuary.
He put his boots by the door, and quickly got undressed, throwing his clothing in a hamper. He threw a pair of black silk slacks on, just sitting on his bed, thinking about what had been going on the past few days, and his promise. That was one he didn't want to break... but she was pushing him closer and closer towards that brink...
________________________________________________________________________________________________
A few years earlier...
Tommy Fox- state swimmer, popular, nice guy at school, perfect grades, all the good stuff. And with rich parents to boot, what was not to love?
Well, that was what she thought. Kilizia, some sophmore kitty. Usual popular bitch, but when they were together... he bled into her. She was nice to people, something unusual for her. A few months later, she had gotten better, and by her junior year, and his senior, she was up for prom nomination. She had some volunteer work under her belt, and she was loved by students and staff alike, many of whom talked behind her back not a year before.
They went to prom, had an amazing night... everything was perfect. The night ended, and he sent her off in a limo, before doing a bit of volunteer work, helping to clean up prom.
The next morning, no calls, no blog updates. A bit concerned, but not much. The news came suddenly, though a bit underhandedly. Suddenly, she was single, according to her blog. Any record of their being together was suddenly gone. Monday came around, their last week of school. She wouldn't talk to him, everyone gave him odd looks- suddenly, he was an outcast. A week later, and he was told why- she had started a rumor that he had tried to rape her at the party.
As much as he would have liked to transfer, he was unable to, and had to spend all of his senior year at the back of the class, nobody believing that he hadn't done a damned thing to her. And then it just got worse- halfway through the year, she died in a car accident, flung off the side of a mountain road while she made her way home. And again, everyone decided he was guilty. He was almost convicted for it, but there wasn't a smidge of evidence against him, so it never even went to court. Not that it mattered to them. They always blamed him.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Monday, and back at school. And an interesting day it was turning out to be. For some reason, his father decided that he could take the car, the nice car, to school. A beautiful car, a BMW 7 Series that he kept in his garage. (image here: http://fancytuning.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/wald-international-body-kits-2011-bmw-7-series.jpg )
He felt good as he drove the beamer to school, getting awed looks from just about every angle. The customized rims, the body kit- everything on the car screamed beautiful. He didn't pull it into the normal parking lot, but instead around the school, to the auto mechanics class garage. He honked, and a moment later, the door was opened by a suprised looking student, who simply watched, awed, while the beautiful car pulled into the garage.
"Twenty bucks if nobody takes the cover off" he said, as he opened the trunk and put the car cover over the vehicle, taping a few locations as something of a tell-all, if someone took it off.
"Sure. Got it, sir" he said, taking the twenty and returning to work under another car as Tommy exited the garage, and ran smack into a young rabbit, maybe a year younger than him, and made her drop all her books.
"I'm so sorry Miss..." he said, starting to grab all the books.
"Mia. Mia Rabbit" she said, picking up the last of her books, and smiling at him. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going, and... well, I'm just generally clumsy" she said, as she picked up the last of her books.
"How about I walk you to class to make up for this?" he asked, grabbing the books out of her arm, which she didn't resist.
"I... I'd like that" she said, smiling, as she lead the way to her class, which wasn't too far down the hall. She grabbed her books at the door, and smiled. "I hope to see you again soon, Mr..."
"I hope to see you again as well, Ms. Mia Rabbit" he replied, walking away, and probably leaving her confused, before going to his locker.
He looked around for a bit, before seeing Shari come in, looking a bit off-balance. Worried for her, he dropped his bag, and walked right up to her, grabbing her shoulder, steadying her.
"Shari? You okay?" he asked, looking into her eyes, before checking her body. No bruising or anything, but that didn't mean anything. There were plenty of ways to hurt people without laying a hand on them.
"Yeah, just didn't get much sleep last night" she said, rubbing her eyes. "My pa was mad, I was home late last night, one of the kids' practices got off late, and I had to pick up some stuff. All the stores were closed, and I didn't even get it..." she mumbled, shaking her head.
"C'mon, let's get you to the lounge" he said, grabbing his bag along the way. "Oh, and where's your bag, missy?" he asked, noticing that she wasn't wearing one, or carrying anything, really.
"Oh, geez, I musta left it on the bus, it had all my homework and my journals for class..." she muttered some more, and they entered the student lounge
"Sit down" he said, seating her. He quickly took out his phone, and called the bus company, telling them about her bag, as she described it to him, before sitting down next to her, and trying to comfort her.
"Now, tell me what happened" he said, looking directly at her.
"Nothing, nothing" she said, rubbing her eyes. "It's just something I deal with every once in a while. Don't worry about it" she said, turning away.
"I do worry about it. And you" he said. "If you're being abused at home-"
"It's my buissness, don't worry about it" she said, with a slight growl.
"Alright, then" he said. "But if you need to talk to someone..." he said, and let it sit for a moment before speaking again. "At any rate, you still up for the mall today?" he asked casually.
"I... sure" she said. "There shouldn't be any rush today" she said.
"So, whatcha up to doing? I only need to buy a few things, and I'll be fine. You need something?" he asked, as he stood up and offered his hand to her.
"I'm not sure. I'm sure I'll find something" she said, taking his hand and standing. "I suppose I'll see you after sixth?" she asked
"See you then" he said, and led her to class before going himself.
Throughout class, he kept worrying about two things- Shari and his car. Rather, his father's car. Nonetheless, by the time sixth came, at least one of his fears had been alleviated as Shari came jogging up to him, a bit later than she usually was.
"Sorry, had to talk to my teacher about 'reporting bullying'" she said lightly, as she smiled. "So, what do you have to get at the dirty, loud, stinky mall?" she asked, teasing.
"A couple games, a new hacky-sack, and... geez, I keep forgetting the other thing. I'll probably remember when we get there" he said. "So, what do you want to get at the mall?" he asked.
"Probably just a new handbag or something. This one is getting really worn down" she said, taking out the bag from her locker. Worn down to the rubber in most parts.
"Geez... alright, then" he said, as he grabbed the last of his books. "What's your last class?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Ethics" she said. "Why?"
"Wondering if your grades were good enough to forget your last class, and we could get out of here" he said simply. "Not something I do often, but hey- if we leave now, we'll beat the crowds out of here" he said.
"Well... Alright, then. I'll meet you out front. I have to grab my assignment from my teacher, though" she said, as she turned around.
"Alright. Meet me by the Auto Labs, on the south side of the building" he said, as he grabbed all his stuff, and made his way down there.
He got into his father's car without a problem, and made his way outside, into one of the staff parking spots. So long as he was in the car, or near it, it shouldn't be a problem. He informed the instructor just inside to tell Shari where he was.
Before long, she came out of the garage, confused, before he beeped, and she jumped in.
"What's with the change of vehicles? One for every day of the week?" she asked teasingly, as she sat down, tossing her bag in the backseat.
"Nope. My father's car. For some reason, he insisted I use it while he's away for a meeting" he said, shrugging as he pulled out of the lot.
Before long, they were at the mall. Not Pouncefield, but the nice mall just north, Riverside Mall. It had all the nice stores that weren't at Pouncefield, the more expensive ones.
As he pulled into the parking lot, he made sure that there were no other cars near him, and alarmed the car as he climbed out.
"So, you said you wanted a new handbag? What kind have you always wanted?" he asked simply, as they walked in.
"No. You're not buying me anything" she said, smiling.
"Who said I'm spending money on buying you anything?" he asked, looking at her like she was nuts.
"Oh. Just making conversation? I don't really know name brands, outside of Gucci and Prada" she said, shrugging. "The one in my locker was a ten dollar Prada knockoff" she said, as she was handed his phone.
"Look up your purse. I want to see what it looked like when it was new" he said, and they walked along as she web surfed on his phone.
"You wanna grab a bite?" he asked, as he led her to a table and sat her down.
"There it is" she said, handing it back to him. (( http://sellbest.net/Designer-Handbags-Articles/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mybags-ru-prada-resort-2011-01.jpg ))
"Ooh, that's nice" he said, shoving the phone in his pocket. "So, you want something to eat?" he asked, as he stood up.
"Ummm... you mind if I look around at what they're offering?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Alright, then" he said. "I'm going to go and grab my games quickly, wouldn't want to bore you with that" he said, as he walked out of the food court, as she explored around for which food she'd like.
About ten minutes later, he was back down in the food court, and she had sat back down, waiting for him. She jumped up at his arrival, and hugged him. "Alright, I found what I want" she said, and they went to go get her some orange chicken and fried rice, while he just got a big fruit smoothie for them to share.
"Why don't you go and grab a bite to eat?" she asked, and he shrugged, sipping on the smoothie.
"Foxes don't eat very much. We get by on a little food at a time" he said, as he passed her the smoothie.
"So, you haven't talked about your family much" she commented. "Outside of Ash and the Bunnys. So, who else is in your family?" she asked.
"My ma and pa. Both of 'em are a bit boring, though they'll certainly act nice if they met you. But to me... well, they're just my mother and father. They're both successful businesspeople, and my mother's career is behind her now. She was a homemaker while she had to be, and... well, she still is kinda, but she's got a lot less work since I started college" he said. "What about your family?" he asked. He knew it was a delicate topic, but it needed to be broached at some time.
"Not much to say. My father stays at home, while my mother earns the money to pay the bills, and rent, and put me through college" she said, obviously staying tight-lipped about the whole thing.
"Hey, it happens sometimes. You wanna go shopping? It doesn't look like you're very hungry" he said, as she stopped eating.
"Yeah, I can always eat it later" she said, as she closed it up in the container, and they carried it to the car.
A few moments at the car, and she was looking at her feet. "I'm sorry I'm so sensetive about my family, but I'm sure you can imagine-" she was cut off, as he put a single finger over her lips.
"Everyone is sensitive about something. There's no need to apologize. Now, c'mon. Let's go see your suprise" he said, closing the trunk and walking back towards the mall.
"Suprise? What suprise?" she asked, confused. "You're not buying me that purse, are you?" she asked, suspiscious.
"Nope" he said, grinning. "Just shush and let's go" he said, holding the door open for her, and covering her eyes as they entered the mall.
"Hey, that's not fair!" she said, going with it nonetheless. He spun her around a few times, then led her to a designer clothing store, where they had her purse stashed behind the counter.
"Is Celina around?" asked Tommy to the cashier, and she nodded, and went to the back.
"Who is Celina, and where are we?" she asked, confused, trying to remove his hands, but not really trying all that hard.
"Here I am, hon. Tommy, let her go already" said an older she-wolf, grey and white, but looking excellent for her age in a designer white outfit.
"Celina, thank you. I want Shari to look even more amazing than she already does. You have my suggestions already, so let's see what we can do. Don't worry about the bill, just shove it onto my mother's account, and I'll deal with it later" he said, as Celina unwrapped measuring tape from around her neck, and started measuring her every limb and length.
"You are a very beautiful young lioness, Shari" said Celina as she was measuring, having(obviously) not allowed Tommy into the back room. "You should be proud of the work that you've done to keep your shape. You should be even more proud of that Fox on your arm" she said, as she measured Shari's leg length.
"What do you mean?" asked Shari, as she was turned around, and her other leg measured.
"I mean, that Fox has been haunted for a long time. It's good to see him again. He's the bravest animal I know of. His mother is probably one of my best customers, and I used to see him as a kit. I remember, one time, when he saw a big kid taking away some little kid's lollipop. He hit the kid in the gut, and gave the other kid his lollipop back. That's one of the earliest reminders I have of him. He was always polite and nice, except to bullies, of course. But... well, it's not my place to talk about his reasons" she said, and remained quiet for the rest of the measuring, excpet to tell her assistant Shari's measurments.
The measuring must've taken at least an hour, and then she brought out at least a dozen outfits for Shari to try on. She tried them out, and before she even got on her first pair of pants, Celina quickly said "No. Try this one" for what must've been at least another hour, before Shari ended up with about six outfits, and other assorted bits of clothing.
As Celina's assistant was putting them in a bag, she came out with one more outfit. Light brown silk slacks, a dark brown silk shirt, and a silk jacket to match her slacks. She also held a pair of two inch heels, brown with some darker jewels- rubies and the such.
"Try this last outfit on" she said, and the way she laid it on the rack, she had a feeling that this one was special, for some reason. She put it on, and it fit perfectly. She felt quite good in this outfit, and as she modeled it for Celina, the she-wolf nodded. "Perfect" she said quietly.
"Here. A couple last accessories" she said, handing her a short scarf, and... the purse. That purse Tommy told her to look up, only the real thing.
"No, I can't..."
"I didn't spend the money on it. He did. You go and tell him you can't" she said, as she walked into the "employees only" door, and left her to walk back out into the store.
As Tommy turned around, he was welcomed to the sight of Shari, beautifully dressed in a light brown outfit, with her handbag on her arm. He wasn't able to relish the sight for long, before she gave him a big hug.
"Thank you, so much" she said, as she kept hugging him, as she felt tears running from her eyes.
"It's nothing" he said, and was cut off before he could say anymore.
"No." she said, as she backed him up to arm's length. "This really means a lot. I haven't felt like this since... well, since I can remember. Just... thank you" she said, as she hugged him again, tightly. He felt good having done this for her. He hadn't known it would mean quite this much, but in a way, he was glad that it did. He was glad that he could do that for her.
He simply hugged her back for a few minutes, and patted her back as he felt her crying, just a little bit.
"Alright" she said, turning for a moment to wipe her eyes off, before turning back around, and smiling. "Let's get back home, shall we?" she asked, looping her arm through the one he offered as they walked out of the store.
"What time is it?" she asked, as they walked to the car. She was looking around, confused. It looked early yet, but she felt she had been in there for hours.
"Only about five" he said, similarly confused. He was sure it was going to be later as well. "Well, we have time to kill. What should we do?" he asked, as he put the rest of his bags in the trunk, and closed it, alarming the car again.
"Not really sure" she said, not wanting him to spend any more money on her.
"Well..." he thought, then smiled. "You wanna go and grab a movie?" he asked, shrugging. "I heard that Romance Again was supposed to be good" he said, mentioning the biggest chick flick currently in theaters. "If you wanna go and see it, it's not that much" he said, smiling.
"Well... fine" she said, shaking her head. "But this is THE last bit of money you get to spend on me today. Got it?" she asked, smiling as they walked back into the mall. He bought the tickets just in time, and they got a bucket of popcorn to share, and a drink for her.
"What about you?" she asked, as he paid for the food.
"I have a bottle of water" he said, opening one of his cargo pants pockets and pulling it out. "See? I'm fine." he said, as he grabbed her stuff, and walked into the theater, sitting down nearer the back. They were far enough away from the back not to be bothered by the yiffing cubs, though, as the movie started.
It was a typical enough romance- overly cool stud that didn't exist in real life, going out with every woman he met, and dumping 'em all, before the main character, some bunny girl, came into his life, and he started to fall in love with her, before dumping her for a model, all the while thinking about her, as she tried to get over him leaving.
Thus far, Tommy wasn't really into the movie. Instead, he was having fun watching the people in the theater. It seemed every male in the theater was bored with this flick, while every female stank of emotion towards it. As the movie dragged on, he noticed a blatant change in emotion towards the stud. She began feeling more sentimental towards him as he tried to win her back, and became more mad at the female as she rejected his advances, and even more so as she went out with some other asshole to get back at him.
He was literally getting tired from this movie, and yawned, his arms stretching up, before he set them back down as he always did in his car- one arm on his lap, the other over the passenger chair. Only this time, it wasn't a passenger seat, but Shari's. He didn't even realize it until he felt a paw grasping at his wrist. He saw Shari grabbing his arm, and looping it around her neck as she leaned up against his chest. He sighed, and let her, as she looked up to him.
"You don't have a problem with this, do you?" she whispered, smiling.
"No, go ahead" said Tommy, happy that she was happy, as she continued to watch the movie, grabbing his arm as the stud almost died trying to reach her at the top of a cliff in her grandfather's villa. The movie ended as predicted, them getting together, and living in the villa. The credits came on shortly after, but Shari didn't move as everyone filed out of the theater, just sitting there for a bit.
"C'mon Shari, let's get going now" he said, smiling as he slowly pulled her up, despite her protests. She finally gave up at making him sit, as she pulled her knees to her chin and hmph-ed loudly.
"C'mon, Shari" he said, grabbing her hand, and she just smacked it away and hmph-ed again.
"No. I was comfy" she said, poutingly. She had a twinge of a smile, but only just as she sat there.
"Well, it's only about 6:30... guess you don't want to do the next activity I have planned" he said, shrugging dramitically as he began to walk out of the aisle.
"What activity?" she asked suspisciously, still curled up.
"Oh, it couldn't possibly be anything like a rave, with glow sticks and dancing" he said, pulling an extra glowstick that he had from who knows when from his pocket, and tossing it at her as he left, walking back towards the door.
"Wait!" she said, still curled up. "Come and get me" she said, smiling as he groaned, and came back for her, offering to her a hand to get up. "Ok, let's go" she said, leading the way back towards the car, as Tommy dragged behind, before he stopped and grabbed her hand. "Wait, we need to get you some rave clothes" he said, pulling her another direction, to a shop filled with blacklights, and some clothes perfect for raving- similar to what he was wearing.
"Pick something- anything. Hell, everything, if you feel like it" he said, gesturing about the store. She moved quickly, not even trying anything on, and stuffed it all in a bag. She tried paying quickly, but Tommy was quicker, paying the cashier by hand as he kept her money pinned under his claw.
"Not fair" she said, pouting with a smile as she walked out with the bag, where they finally made their way to the car.
"You wanna change now, or later?" he asked, as he unlocked the car, and popped the trunk.
"Well... fine. I change now, but you can't see me until we get there" she said, jumping into the backseat with her bag. He shook his head as he leaned on the tail light, just waiting for her to finish getting dressed.
"Alright, I'm done" she said, opening and closing the back door quickly. He shook his head as he shut the trunk, and climbed into the driver's seat. He looked into the back, but wasn't able to see her, but for a gloved hand that pushed his head forward. "Drive that way" she said, smiling.
"There's a wall that way. I have to back up." he said, trying to turn his head again, and again failing.
"Back" she said simply, and he shook his head as he did so, until she said "Stop. You got enough room now?" she asked.
"Yeah" he said. "Let's get going" he said, as he pulled the car into drive, driving slowly to the club, as he didn't want to scratch the car.
Before long, he was at the club, pulling up to the front door in his father's car. He pressed a button in his glove compartment, locking it before handing the valet a special copy of his key, almost dropping it as he saw Shari. A black tube top with thin shoulder straps, black fingerless elbow gloves with chains crossing across the top. She also wore a pair of black hot pants, almost the kind that you'd expect to see in cheerleading practice, except it was made of leather, had pockets, and was perhaps a bit longer, about a quarter way down her thigh. She also had long, black boots, extending up to her knees.
"Wow" he said, whistling. She blushed as she smiled silently, as she more or less led him into the club, as they passed the lines, the bouncer waving the pair in as the people in line moaned in discontent. He finally got his bearings as they entered the club proper. Lights flashing from every direction, the bass thrumming the eardrums, the floor being shaken from the people dancing... this was it. The Life, where only the coolest got in, and it never quite left you once you'd been in once.
Shari pulled him towards the bar and the bartender asked them what they wanted. "Water" they said at the same time, as they sat down on the barstool. The bartender grabbed them both a glass of water, smiling as he went on to another customer just down the bar. They both drank their glasses pretty quickly, eager to get onto the floor. Tommy handed the barkeep a bottle, signaling to fill it with water by tapping on the side of his glass. His bottle filled, he was easily led onto the dance floor by Shari, her lithe form leading him through the mass of bodies as he followed her, keeping up easily enough, until they got to the relative middle of the dance floor, and began dancing.
It was just a little swinging at first. The hips barely moving, as they felt the music move through them. Before long, they began moving a bit more, their hips flailing a bit more wildly, but still afraid to move too far. Tommy made the first move, a few small two-steps. Nothing impressive, just something to move forward on. Shari had some moves of her own, though, quite a bit wider in her footwork, easily blowing him out of the water without drawing too much attention. He smiled as he admitted defeat, closing his eyes and feeling the beat flow through him. Before he could make another attempt at out-dancing her, she got the jump, and definitley outdanced him- she began grinding up against him, smiling as his head came over her shoulder.
"You definitley have me beat" he said, smiling at her, their muzzles only inches away.
"Well, I think I deserve a prize" she said, bringing her hand up and holding his head lightly. "I choose you" she said, as she kissed him, and they sank into a world of their own, the music and themselves the only ones there. The only thing they knew was the beat, and it flowed through them, every bit of them, as she twisted to face him, and looked up into his eyes, her arms around his neck, his arms around her waist. Not a word was spoken between them.
He began to move backwards, still holding onto her, and thinking of only her. That was, until, he tripped backwards over a particular wolf that was crawling around, looking for his glasses. Shaking it off, he looked up into Shari's eyes and smiled, as he got another unexpected kiss that took his breath away, before she got up off him, smiling. He slowly got up, and offered a hand to the wolf that he tripped over.
"Sorry, man, should've been looking where I was going" said Tommy, shaking his head.
"Nah, it's mine" said the wolf, getting up. He had dark grey fur, and his glasses now sat just a bit crooked on his muzzle. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, and a nice Skrillex shirt, of which part of it glowed in the dark. "Got knocked on my ass by a Husky bitch, guess I shoulda been watching where I was going" he said, smiling as he scratched the back of his head guilitly.
"Not a problem in the least" said Tommy, smiling as he pulled Shari close to him. "Don't think I've seen you around here before, and I'm pretty regular here. What's your name?" he asked, offering a paw. "I'm Tommy"
"Alec" he responded, smiling. "Nice to meet you, man. Umm... if I may ask... is that oil in your fur?" he asked, turning over Tommy's paw to show some dark spots against the now-neon fur under the blacklights.
"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what it is" he said, smiling. "That stuff usually dissapears with a good trimming, though" he said, smiling. "Probably motor oil, though. Sorry about that" he said, shaking his head.
"So you work on your own car?" asked Alec, shifting from leg to leg. "Here's my card, man. Give me a call sometime, I'd like to see your car"
"Same" said Tommy, smiling as he took the card. "I'll talk to you soon, man" he said, shaking Alec's paw one more time before he watch the wolf leave, dancing like a maniac, but in a good way.
"He's not half bad at dancing" said Shari, smiling. "I wonder-" she began to say before she was cut off, Tommy spinning her before bringing her face to face with him.
"Don't wonder. Just dance" he said, smiling, and they spent the rest of the night dancing to a hundred songs, never stopping, as they let the beat take them far away.
___________________________
Eventually, after a long night of raving, they made their way out of the club, tired, but satisfied and happy. Tommy had his arm wrapped around Shari's waist, and she had her paw on his hand as they made their way back to the car. He noticed an Acura parked next to his car, and looked it over for a second, before nodding. Nice... for an Acura. He opened the door for her, and she stepped in, smiling, before he made his way around and into the driver's seat.
"I wanna drive" she said, smiling, bouncing in her seat like a cub.
"No, not tonight" he said, smiling as he turned it on, and heard her start pouting.
"Why not?" she asked, her arms across her chest
"Dad's car, remember?" he asked, as he was about to put it into drive, but found her paw there.
"You know perfectly well I couldn't drive your car, even if you had let me" she said, smiling. "Please? I promise I'll be extra careful..."
"Alright, alright" he said, getting out, as she smiled and jumped over to the driver's seat. He sat down, and she quickly shifted it into drive, pulling slowly out of the parking lot, and onto the street. Before too long, they were at the school, without incident.
"Well, I guess I'll talk to you Monday, right?" she asked, as she got out, and watched as he hopped over the center console.
"C'mon, it's late. I'll drive you back home" he said, smiling as he leaned over and opened the door. She sighed and shook her head, but still walked around and got in. "Wish I didn't have to go home after all of this..." she said, looking at her phone, about to call her father.
"You don't have to, y'know" he said. "We have a guest bedroom that you can use. A bit cramped, but bigger than my room" he said, smiling.
"I don't know... I think I'd best be getting home for now" she said, scratching her head
"Alright, then. Where do you live?" he asked, pulling out of the parking lot.
"Go down here.... further... alright, take a right here..." she said, eventually leading them to a trailer park. She told him to stop in front of one of the few houses in the area, a little worn-down house set a ways back. Dead grass covered the front lawn, and a broken railing assisted the way up. The light blue paint was chipping, as was the white around the windows.
"Alright, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow?" he asked, smiling as he got out, as though he was unfazed.
"No, I'll be busy until Monday" she said, leaning on his window.
"How about tomorrow instead?" he asked. "I'm sure you'll have some time off, and if you don't, then I'll make you some by helping you out with whatever work you have to do" he said, confident, but she shook her head.
"Don't come by unless I give you a call, okay?" she asked, smiling sadly before turning and walking inside. He noticed she forgot her bags, but he didn't want to make her any more upset, so he just left, the GPS guiding his way out.
He thought about what she had said the way home, and even as he walked into the house, having parked his father's car in the garage. He didn't say hello to his mother, even as he passed through the living room, and made his way down to his room, and sat on his bed. He knew there was something going on there, but she obviously didn't want to talk about it. What was he to do? He laid down, looking at the ceiling for a while, before finally drifting off into a fitful sleep.
He was awakened in the morning by a loud buzzing... what was that noise? He covered his ears until he realized it was his phone. He threw the pillow off his head, grabbing his phone just in time to hear the click of the other end hang up. He looked at his call history, and... nothing new. Damn. Should've just let it go to voicemail. He threw the cell back on the desk, walking around for a bit to warm up his muscles, before grabbing his wallet from his pants from yesterday, as something fell out. A card for an auto shop? That guy yesterday, who he and Shari had tripped over. Well, if she wasn't going to call him, he might as well make use of his day. He looked through his closet, deciding on what he should wear. For a garage?
He picked out a pair of plain dark pants, and a dark work shirt he had lying around, and threw them on, pocketing his wallet, along with his phone, and his gold band. He jumped into his father's car again, calling Alec before he started it up.
One ring... two rings... he finally got something on the third.
"Hello?" said a familiar voice.
"Alec? What's up, it's Tommy, from last night?"
"Yo, man, what's up?" he asked, the slightest hint of delight in his voice.
"Didn't have much to do today. You up for something?"
"I'm really freakin hungry man. Wanna grab a bite?" asked the wolf in response, and the fox thought for a moment. "Sure man, that sounds good. Where at?"
"Meetcha at The MotoDiner" he said, hanging up quickly. Luckily the diner was right down the block, otherwise he would've had to take the car again. He slipped on a pair of boots and some clothes from the hamper, walking the couple blocks down to the diner, and was surprised to find only one booth occupied by the time he got there- occupied by none other than a Bunny and a Peacock, who were both drinking a milkshake. He sat in the booth behind the bunny, leaning over the seat.
"A bit early for sweet stuff, ain't it?" he asked, smiling as Ash looked up from the drink and smiled.
"Hi Tommy" she said, giving him a somewhat awkward hug around his neck with a peck on the cheek, Kevin giving a nod, which was returned by the fox. He dropped a credit card on the table, smiling before slipping back into his own booth, before Ashley took her turn leaning over the seat.
"Tommy, you can't just give us your credit card" she said, holding it in front of his face.
"It's yours, sis" he said, smiling. "Happy Sunday" he said, smiling, as he waited for his compatriot to show up, taking his turn giving her an akward hug. Stupid booths he thought to himself, as he saw a really, really expensive car pull into the parking lot, the kind that probably wasn't legal but on a racing track or the Autobahn. He poked his head in, waving Tommy over before stepping back out. The fox quickly gave the bunny behind him a suprise peck, gave Kevin an unexpected and akward hug, and walked out, opening the oddly pivoting door, and practically crouching to sit in the seat of the car, before it took off, much faster off the block than anything he had, though perhaps a bit louder.
"So, what's been up with you? asked Alec, focusing on the road, both hands on the wheel as he drove through the fortunately empty streets in the early morning hours.
"Not much" he said briefly, still thinking about a particular lioness, and... what had happened. The wolf must've picked up on it, as he didn't say much until they pulled into a small garage, and stepped out of the car they were in, only to be surrounded by exotics and high-end tuners galore. His eyes caught a bike in the back, only the wheels visible underneath a tarp. "Hey man, what's the deal with this bike?" he asked, noticing a lock on the tarp as he got closer, the faded white body evident even this low to the ground.
"Oh. Just an old project, man. You want it? It's yours. I've been looking to free that space up for a while now" he said, digging through a desk and throwing the fox a key. He unlocked the tarp, and pulled it off, revealing a... unique bike, to say the least. ( http://sportbikemoto.info/motorcycle-custom-suzuki-hayabusa-white-green-line-paint.html#more-712 ) A white road bike, with a dulled green stripe and a velvet green seat... nice bike, all around.
"Here's the key, man. Take it for a ride, see if you like it" he said, tossing him the key. He kicked up the kickstand effortlessly, glad he had worn jeans today as he started up the bike, even quieter than his Camaro.
"Don't worry about how long, man. I actually gotta stick around most of the day anyway. See ya back in a bit" said the wolf, spinning around in a chair and going on his computer as the fox rode out on a motorcycle, getting used to the bike as he rode it about, before giving it all the gas he could and zooming down the street at high speed, before he pulled past her house again, and kept going.
What was he going to do? Go over without her permission? She'd probably get in trouble for it. He just felt so... helpless.... he hated feeling that way... he wanted to help her. He was deep in thought as he drove down the road, swerving past cars idly, when he heard the sirens behind him, moaning loudly as he pulled over. Great, now Ma is going to have to come bail me out again he thought to himself, sick of his parents' interference in his life. Why couldn't he have the girl? Why couldn't he have it all? Why.... couldn't he run from this cop? The bike didn't have plates, he just remembered. And a white fox... he could get Alec to claim he was at the garage all day, no issue. There were other white foxes around, right? Maybe someone out of town?
I'm going to regret it
Oh well
He hit the gas, flying down the road away from the police car as adrenilene coursed through his system, probably keeping him alive as he flew through the suburban streets, which were just starting to really wake up as he pulled the bike back into the garage, putting the tarp back over it and hiding it as far back as he could, as he started pacing the floor, pretending to look interested in the different cars, flinching as a cop siren went by. The wolf at the computer noticed rather easily, and walked over to the fox, slowly moving around him to cut him off.
"Yep. I'm out" he said, jumping into some car or another and taking off, heading home immediately, just glad he didn't see any other cars. He made his way home, locking his suddenly new red sedan in the garage, and dragging out a large strip of butcher paper, ripping his shirt off, and putting on a pair of painters' pants as he got his paints out, drawing nothing and everything all in one, lots of angry lines to start with, then connecting them smoothly, the drawing becoming more and more smooth with every line drawn, the tension dissapearing with every line drawn.
(CHARACTERS USED WITH PERMISSION OF KREZZ KARAVAN AND ZIM999)
“Tommy Fox” called the teacher, and an Arctic Fox raised his paw, mostly white, with a few splotches of dried blood that wouldn’t come out of his fur. His black ensemble- baggy jeans, a club shirt exposing his chest, and his black boots- well offset his fur, and brought quite a bit of attention to himself. His black glasses would’ve done the same, but they were taken from him earlier in the day. He wasn’t a rebel, or a troublemaker, but he refused to do anything he considered unjust or unfair- or, frankly, anything he didn’t like.
He put his paw down as the teacher called on the next student, “Johnny Gorilla”, and he quickly went back onto his laptop, checking his websites for any updates on his role-playing sites. He was a loner, and didn’t care what anyone else thought. He saw that there were no updates, closed his laptop and paid attention to his professor as she explained interactions between elementary particles.
An hour or so later, the bell rang, and he quickly got his materials together, putting his AirBook into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder, and sticking the homework into the front pocket hastily. He walked out of the door without speaking to anyone, as was his usual routine, unless he needed to talk to the professor for some reason or another on some material he didn’t understand.
‘One more class left, then I head home. About time” he thought to himself, as he sorted through his locker and retrieved his Psychology book. As he closed his locker, he saw one of the local idiots and so called ‘tough guys’, Jose, a lizard of some sort with some oversized claws, trying to hit on some young lioness that obviously didn’t enjoy the attention. Jose was clad in his usual colors, green and black, while the young lioness wore a pair of grey sweats and a dark brown tank that accented her eyes.
“C’mon, chica, what’s your problem? You know you want some” he said, laughing to his buddies.
“I told you no, now leave me alone” she said, closing her locker defiantly. But the fear in her eyes was obvious, even from where Tommy was standing, and lizard-boy and his friends picked up on it.
“And I said yes” he replied, and grabbed her by the arm. “Let’s go”
“Hey, moron” said Tommy, hoping that lizard boy would be smart enough to leave. “She said no. Leave- now” he said simply, waiting for him to let her go.
But he didn’t, and only laughed at him, a hissing laugh. “Who the hell are you?” he asked, lifting her arm higher and holding it all the tighter. By this time, classes had already started, and everyone was gone.
“Ow, you’re hurting me” she said, trying to pull away, but he wasn’t having any of it. He grabbed her by the other paw, and quickly ran his tongue over her nose.
“You’re mine” he said, but he didn’t get the chance to say much more. Tommy put down the idiot’s friends in the time that he has pulled her closer, and punched him in the jaw before he had a chance to do more. He followed through, grabbed him around the neck so that he was leaning backwards, and pushed one of his claws into his back, right where the spine was.
“Now, you’re going to leave quietly, or you’re going to die- literally” he said, pushing the claw a bit harder. “If I ever see you harassing anyone again, you’re going to die. You may be somewhat strong, but foxes eat little lizards- don’t forget it” he said, letting go of the lizard and letting him crash down to the floor with all the grace that he deserved. “Now get out of here” he said, and watched as Jose and Co. left with what little honor they had left, before he turned to the young lioness.
“Are you okay?” he asked, lifting her head slightly to examine a cut there. He quickly licked his paw and put a small bit of saliva onto it, to seal the wound.
“I’m fine, thanks for getting rid of him” she said, allowing him to cover the cut. “I would’ve been in a lot of trouble if you weren’t around. He’s always causing us trouble” she said, crossing her arm in front of her chest to hold her other upper arm. She was suddenly shy, and took her caramel eyes away from his electric blue ones to look at the floor.
“Come find me if he’s giving you or anyone else problems, okay?” he asked. He at least wanted to make sure the idiot knew how to treat women.
“I’ll make sure to do that” she said, flashing a smile. He didn’t return it, he simply walked back to his locker and put his Science book back in there. She was looking on uncertainly, before she asked from where she was “What’s your name?”
He looked down at his boot-clad feet, and sighed. “Tommy” he said simply. “Tommy Fox. Like I said, if that idiot is ever causing you trouble again, you come and tell me” he said, closed his locker, and walked to class, with fresh blood on his paw, red against his white fur.
Psychology passed far too quickly, as usual, and the day ended as usual. Again, he went to his locker to drop off his stuff, but found the lioness waiting there for him, holding her books to her chest.
“Hey Tommy” she said, moving back a step as he opened his locker. He quickly pulled out his necessary books, putting them into his bag as she spoke. “I never really got a chance to thank you properly” she said, leaning in close, her muzzle by his ear.
“I don’t need your thanks” he said, sticking his last book in his bag and closing the locker. He stepped away from her, and saw the hurt in her eyes at his rejection. He sighed, shook his head, and put a paw to his muzzle as he spoke. “Look, I’m sorry. You’re a beautiful young woman, but I’m not interested in a relationship- not to say with you, but with anyone” he said, and wiped away her tears, surprised she did not move away from the bloodstained paw.
She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them she asked “Do you think there’s any chance maybe we could see each other at a later time? You seem like such a nice guy…”
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to be blunt with you- you could find a much better guy than me” he said solemnly. “You’re a beautiful young woman, with a long life ahead of you. I’m just some punk who knows how to treat a lady. Quite a few men know how to, and I’m sure you’ll find one of them” he said, laying a hand on her shouder, and catching her chin as her head fell in defeat. “Look, I’m sorry. I can help you along, help you find a nice guy, but I can’t be that guy for you”
“And why not?” she said, backing up, suddenly angry. “You may know how to be a gentleman, but that doesn’t mean anything if you can’t put it to use. And me being beautiful doesn’t mean anything except that I’m going to pick up more guys wanting to get lucky. What, are you broke or something, and don’t think you can afford me? Well, I can te-”
“Shut up” he said quietly, and her muzzle dropped, but no noise came from it. “Stop you ranting, and you listen to me. I’m not going out with you, and that’s the end of it. I said I’d be here for you as a friend, and if you can’t accept that as enough, that’s just too damn bad for you. If you need help finding a guy, or keeping one off, find me. Otherwise, if you’re just going to keep acting like this, leave me the hell out of it” he said, and walked away, leaving a poor, young lioness standing in the hall all alone.
Within the hour, he was back home, at his parent’s house in the suburbs nearby. Before he could retreat to his basement sanctuary, he heard “Tommy! Can you come in here?” from the living room. He sighed, laying his bag by the foot of his door, and walking into the sitting room. A beautiful white, plush carpet, a widescreen TV with entertainment system(including surround sound), black leather furniture, and of course, their Beddlington Terrier, which was named Schloop for various reasons.
“You needed something?” he asked, being careful to stay on the hardwood with his shoes. His parents were strict with him about dirtying the carpet.
“Bank statement just came in. We wanted to talk to you about-”
“Reading another person’s mail is a federal crime, Dad” he said, turning around and picking up the mail off of the granite countertop in the steel-clad and rosewood kitchen. He quickly picked up his mail, and put it in his pocket without looking at it.
“Look, there’s no reason to be paying for-”
He never got a chance to finish the sentence, for in that moment, his son gave him the most piercing, hating glare he had ever seen.
“You know why” he said simply. “And it’s my money. Leave me be.” With that, he walked back to his room, and laid down on his bed. He opened up his bag, and quickly sorted out and completed his homework, then put his bag in the corner and looked around. His parents had given him the room of his dreams, everything he had ever wanted- he had piles of collector’s items of varying types, all stacked neatly in one closet, and in the other, he had a wardrobe full of nice clothing. A laptop sat next to a desktop in his office-style desk, that covered a quarter of his room. His books enclosed the area, as the desk only covered one side out and the wall. On top of his dressers stood more collectibles, but on his free wall… was his most prized possession, though probably his cheapest. It was about three hundred dollars worth of butcher paper connected to a rolling device, both embedded in the floor and ceiling. It was on this that all of his work, no matter artistic, mathematic, or scientific, that it went. He had the freedom to do whatever he pleased here, and nobody would ever see it. If anyone did look at it, he would know.
His parents didn’t completely understand him, and tried to give him all that they could. They knew he needed outlets for all of his ideas, but they weren’t sure of how to push him forward, how to help him, when his ideas moved so quickly.
He thought of the young lioness, and pushed her out of his mind. He quickly submerged himself into meditation, and spent the next few hours clearing his mind of the source of his anger, before he went to bed that night.
He was surprised to again find her at his locker the following morning. As per his normal routine, he dropped off most of his books into his locker, only leaving his first hour book in his bag.
“Name’s Shari, by the way” she said as he approached his locker. As he was swapping out books, she finally just came out and said what he knew she was waiting to.
“Alright, look- I’m sorry for going off on you yesterday. You didn’t do anything wrong, and I shouldn’t blame you” she said. “I was being immature, and I apologize. That’s something you’ll probably never hear from me again, but there it is. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d still like to get the chance to know you sometime, as a friend” she said, smiling and hoping.
He stopped putting his books away, and looked at her incredulously. “You want me as a friend?” he said, then laughed. “Good one, you almost had me convinced that you were-”
“Telling the truth?” she responded. “I am. You’re a nicer guy than you give yourself credit for, and I’m sure there are more than a few girls that would like to get with you, if you’d give them the chance” she said seriously.
“I doubt it” he said, finishing putting his books away. “Not once they knew the real me” he said, closing his locker, and looking into her eyes. “You’re beautiful, and even that scaly moron could see it. But I… I’m a wreck, inside and out” he said, looking away. “Few people can deal with me at all- for someone to stay in a relationship with me would be impossible” he said. “Now drop it”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked to his first class of the day, leaving a befuddled Shari to walk to her class by herself.
Again, she was waiting for him outside his locker after his first class. He sighed and opened his locker as she looked on.
“What makes you think that there wouldn’t be a woman willing to deal with some of your issues to have a relationship with you?” she asked, picking up their earlier conversation. “Do you really think all women are so shallow?”
“Not all, just most” he said, causing her to laugh, a completely carefree laugh full of lightness and joy. “Besides, a lot of women are just… well, they expect a lot of their partners. I have nothing left to give, not to anyone” he said.
“Now what do you mean by that?” she asked, but he shook his head halfheartedly.
“Doesn’t matter. I just don’t want to hook up, I don’t want to yiff like most of the idiots around here. I don’t want a partner. For the most part, I just tell people I’m gay” he said, smiling as she laughed out loud.
“You… you’re kidding right?” she said, trying to catch her breath. “You don’t honestly tell people you’re gay, do you?”
“Only at the clubs, where nobody knows me” he said. “Gay guys usually go to gay clubs, and I usually avoid them unless I’m really thirsty, and if I do go, I always wear a ring” he said, fetching a gold band out of his pocket and holding it up. It was only truly gold around the edges, as diamonds took up most of the middle spaces all the way around. He slipped it onto his paw, and smiled. “Usually works no matter what guise I take, in fact” he said, looking at the ring thoughtfully
“Shari, do you mind if I talk to you on a more personal level?” he asked. “I’d have to ask you to keep this between you and I, though” he said.
“Sure, I don’t mind” said the younger lioness, leaning her right shoulder against the locker.
Just then, the minute-to-get-to-class bell rang, and he quickly shoved everything in his bookbag. “Didn’t realize how much time had flown. Meet me after school here? I don’t come between periods anymore until after sixth”
“See ya then” she responded, nodding, as she took off down the hall quickly, and he in the opposite direction.
As promised, they didn’t see each other until it was after sixth hour, getting ready for their last classes of the day. As usual, she was the first to speak.
“I was wondering if you’d like to head over to the mall after school” she said, smiling.
He snickered. “The mall? Why there, of all the places in the world?” he asked. To him, the mall was a waste of time, unless you needed a number of things that couldn’t be found at the pawn shop or the trade store. The children running around and being loud, the overpriced stores that everyone filled with no intent of buying, the greasy food- there was simply no reason to go there.
“I was going to pick up the latest Red Fang album” she said. “You ever hear of him?”
“Hear of him? He’s one of the best DJs I know” he said. “If there was ever a guy to remix tribal, it was him” he exclaimed, smiling.
“Wait, you know him?” she said. “As a DJ?”
“Yeah, he’s one of my business partners” he said. “Actually, he’s coming nearby soon, I’ll have a couple extra tickets, I hope, if you want to go” he said, and smiled as she growled with delight. “But don’t tell your friends yet, I’m not sure how many passes I can get”
“YOU’RE GETTING BACKSTAGE TO MMMPH MPHH” she nearly yelled, before he closed her mouth and looked around.
“I just told you not to tell your friends, do you think I want you telling everyone else?” he said, but before she could respond, a young falcon came up to them.
“Hey, how’s it going? You have backstage to someone?” he said. “Sounded like she was pretty excited, must be someone good” he said, winking at her, then looking back to him.
“First off, watch it- if you’re going to try for her, do it respectfully, or there will be hell to pay” he said, watching the falcon for any aggression, of which he showed none, except nodding. “And secondly, I don’t have backstage to anyone yet. I’ll give you a call if I get anything, alright?” he said. “Name’s Tommy”
“Gary” he said, shaking his hand, and looking back to Shari. “Sorry about the gesture, mam. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to treat you to dinner sometime.”
“I’ll get back to you on that, next time I see you” she said, smiling as he walked away. “Well, he certainly seemed like a nice guy”
“Once they’re put back in their places, they’re always nice guys” he said, grinning. “We’ll figure out plans for after school… well, after school” he said, laughing as he closed his locker. “You’ll be here?”
“As usual” she replied, laughing. “See ya soon”
“See ya” he said, and they both walked away to their final classes of the day.
Again, he got to his locker and found her waiting there. He dumped all his books into his bag, and slung it over his shoulder.
“You ready to go?” he asked, finally speaking before she did. He fetched his car keys out of his pocket, and held them up.
“You have a car?” she asked. “What kind?”
“You’ll see when we get out there” he said, laughing, as they walked out to the parking lot together.
“So,” he asked, “What do you do in your spare time?”
“You first” she said, smiling, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.
“What do I do? I’m either writing up my ideas, or meditating” he said simply. “I don’t have much of a social life to speak of. Your turn” he said, now taking his turn to smile.
“I’m either completing all my homework-”
“I said spare time”
“Ok, ok” she said, smiling. “After completing my homework, I’m usually exercising at the gym, or I’m just lounging, maybe doing extra research into a topic that caught my interest” she said, shrugging as they stopped in front of a 90s IROC-Z Camaro.
“This is your ride?” she asked, impressed.
“No, that is” he said, pointing to a car behind her. She turned, and got an eyeful of the ugliest car she had ever seen. It had no tags, it’s paint was now replaced by rust, the roof had more holes than a field of gophers, and it looked as though it could fall apart at any minute.
“You’re kidding, right?” she asked, looking back at him. He laughed at her expression, and pressed the alarm button, which made the Camaro beep.
“I’m not that lame” he said, smiling as he climbed into the car. The outside was just plain black, but the inside was as customized as anything she had ever seen. The seats were a black leather, with red stitching, a GPS sat embedded into the center console, surrounded by bronze trim, and a Sparco racing wheel topped it off. As he put the key into the ignition, she heard a slight hum, followed by the GPS coming on, and lights coming on by her feet.
“Let’s hear how the engine sounds” she said, smiling.
He didn’t smile. “That’s it”
“What’s it?” she replied, confused. “You’re kicking me out already?”
He laughed. “No, I’m not kicking you out. You hear that humming?”
“That’s your engine?” she asked, as he pressed down on the gas, and the hum only got slightly louder.
“Put your belt on, and we’ll be in Pouncefield within ten minutes” he said, shifting the car into first, slowly pulling out of the parking lot.
“Pouncefield is half an hour away” she said, confused, until he pulled out of the lot and hit the gas, slamming her against her seat as the car hummed it’s way to Pouncefield.
The car pulled up to a house and turned off while she was still catching her breath. Even for a lioness who was ready for suprises and danger, that was beyond anything she had expected- by a long shot.
“Hey, Shari” he said, breaking her concentration. “You want to wait here? I’m just going to say hi to some family of mine” he said. “If you want to, you can stay in here, and we’ll head wherever afterwards”
“You mind if I come in?” she asked. “I want to meet some of your family”
“Sure, I don’t mind” he said, and shut off the car as he climbed out. He looked up at the house, and smiled. He remembered this place, but hadn’t been here in years since… well, since the accident took place. He stepped up to the door with Shari trailing close behind, and knocked on the door.
“They’re not exactly blood relatives, but they’re just as close, so… oh, and whatever you do, don’t mention-” he got cut off as the door opened to an older bunny.
“Hello?” she said, seeming not to recognize the fox. “Do I…”
“Angel? It’s me, Tommy” he said, smiling. “Now, are you going to stand there, or are you going to give me a hug?”
“Tommy?” she repeated excitedly. “Tommy! Oh my goodness, I haven’t seen you in years!” she said, jumping up on him and giving him a hug worthy of a Bunny.
“Angel, this is Shari” he said, once she let go. “Shari, this is Angel Bunny, she used to be my nanny” he said, grinning.
“Pleasure to meet you, mam” said Shari, holding her hand out.
“Likewise” said Angel, shaking her hand. “Come on in, we have to catch up a bit” she said, ushering them in the door. They all sat down at the kitchen table as Angel made tea, and set it down in front of the pair of them, then sat down herself with a cup.
“So, how have you been?” she asked. I’ve been talking with your mother recently, and she told me you’re getting the grades you should’ve been for the past however many years” she said, smiling.
“I know, I know” he responded, smiling, and taking a sip of his tea. “Earl Grey? Didn’t think you liked the stuff” he said.
“I’ve recently grown a fondness for it” she said, smiling. “How’s everyone at home doing?”
“Butting into my business as usual, but otherwise okay” he said. “How about around here? Where’s Ashley at?”
“Oh, she’s off with her new boyfriend, the love of her life. He’s such a nice boy, he almost died trying to save Ashley”
“What?” he asked, stunned. “Someone tried to hurt Ashley? Who was it?” he asked angrily.
“Some croc who wanted his way. From what I heard, her boyfriend- he’s a peacock- flew overhead, plucked him right out of the water, and threatened to drop him a couple stories at high speed if he didn’t admit to what he did, and stop acting like a bully” she said. “He’s a real hero, that one. They make a cute couple”
“You know if the pair of them will be by later tonight?” he asked. “I’d like to say hi to Ash while I’m here, though I doubt she remembers me” he said.
“Oh, she does. I showed her the pictures, and she remembers you well enough. I heard you guys were talking on the phone a lot a couple years ago, with you giving her advice on boys” she said, laughing. “Or, rather, advice on avoiding… I’m sorry” she said, for he was suddenly mute with what looked like sadness.
“No, it’s alright” he said, shaking his head. “Just needs time. You mind if I stop by later?” he asked, drinking the rest of his tea down quickly.
“Sure, I’ll keep the pair of them here tonight so you get a chance to meet them” she said, smiling. “Do you know what time you’ll be around by?”
“I was thinking around seven. That’s okay with you, Shari?” he asked, for they had pretty much left her out of the conversation, though such was to be expected.
“Sounds good to me” she said. “Thank you, Ms. Bunny for the excellent tea” she said, holding her hand out to shake again.
Angel shook her hand as well as her head. “Just Angel, sweetie. I hope to see the pair of you tonight” she said as she led them out the door.
“I’ll see you soon, Nana” he said, kissing Angel on the cheek and smiling. They hugged, and Angel had tears in her eyes as they pulled away.
Shari looked back through the dark tinted windows as they moved out of sight. “That’s hilarious” she said simply, sitting back in her seat as they drove on.
“What?” he asked.
“A Bunny taking care of a Fox” she said, and they both laughed after trying to hold it in.
“Y’know, I never looked at it that way” he said, smiling. “I think she would find that funny, as well. At any rate, here’s the dreaded mall” he said, exaggerating his dislike of the place.
“Oh, stop it” she said, smiling. “It’s not that bad.” She stepped out of the car, and looked up at the stairs, then turned around and looked back. “What are you…
“I’ll go park the car” he said, and drove off without waiting for her to respond, the door closing sharply as he drove quickly to a parking spot in the back. As he walked back, he saw some zebra harassing her.
“Please, mam, can I have just a twenty? I’ll pay you back, I promise” he said, holding out his hand.
“You don’t even know her” he said, grabbing her around the waist. “Get lost”
They walked into the mall, and she looped her arm through the one he offered, and they walked with a quick pace, such as was dictated by him, though she tried to make it obvious that she wanted to slow down. At last, she finally just picked a store, and led him into it. It just happened to be Hot Topic, and there just so happened to be a Peacock inside.
As soon as he saw the feathers, he moved quickly to the register, and waited, only to find a young girl with a bag full of pins for the upcoming school year at Pouncefield. She caught him looking, and cocked her head.
“Do you need something, mister?” she asked, and he shook his head back to reality.
“I’m sorry, I was told my- one of my friends was dating a Peacock, but…”
“You were looking for Kevin, right? Hero boy?” she asked, smiling. “Wait, you’re friends with Ashley? Aren’t you a bit old?” she asked, looking at him suspisciously.
“Her mother used to be my nanny” he said, smiling. “I never got your name, Ms. Peacock” he said. “Mine’s Tommy”
“Sally” she said, smiling again. “I’m not sure where Ash and Kevin are now, but they’ll be meeting me back at the entrance in an hour or so, if you want to wait” she offered.
“I would take you up on that offer, but I’m afraid my timetable doesn’t allow for it” he said, frowning. “Would you mind telling Ashley to head back home? I want to meet the pair of them, but I don’t want to intrude by coming to your house” he said.
“Sure, I’ll tell her. Do you want me to tell her why?” she asked, grinning.
“No, not why. Just tell her that her mom told you to tell her” he said. “Thanks, Ms. Sally”
“No problem” she said, as she bought her pins, and they went different ways.
Shari laughed and shook her head. “Everywhere we go, you find someone to talk to about a past I’ve never heard of” she noted good-naturedly.
“I’m sorry” he said, blushing slightly. “It’s just that I always considered myself Ashley’s guardian” he said. “I guess I never gave up on that role”
She smiled in return, and they walked through the mall, just window shopping. They left a few hours, a pair of smoothies, and couple slices of pizza later.
“Have a good time?” he asked, as they climbed into the car, quickly turning it on.
“Yeah, I’m surprised you dealt with it as well as you did” she said, grinning.
“A Fox remains hidden, even in the open” he said, quoting his family motto. “I’m always going to remain calm and cool on the outside, no matter what” he said. “Now, I was wondering if you’d like to head back home” he said.
“Actually, my car’s at the campus, still” she said, blushing slightly.
“Not a problem” he said, quickly putting the car into reverse, and tearing out of the parking garage.
“Slow down, there are always cops at this mall” she said, looking around as he slowed down and pulled out of the area slowly, and remained as such until they left Pouncefield.
“Wait, didn’t you need to go over to the Bunny’s house?” she asked as they sped up on the highway.
“I’m going to go later, once I drop you off” he said. “I’m still pondering why you enjoy that experience. No offense or anything, but the place smelled like wet dog, and it was just beyond loud" he said with a grin.
"It's easy to get everything there, though" she said, a bit defensive. "And all my favorite stores are all there in one place. Besides, the cubs are fun to watch" she said, laughing.
"Oh, so now you like spying on people?" he said, laughing. "All the cubs do there is yiff anyway."
"Hmm" was her only response, and with that, the conversation was dropped, until they reached the school.He sped into the parking lot, pulling right up to the front door for her.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, hoping she'd actually say yes.
"Ummm.... not really. I don't come to school on Saturday" she said, laughing at the expression on his face as he checked the GPS.
"Oh geez... well, here" he said, giving her one of his cards. "Just call me if you've nothing to do this weekend" he said, smiling.
"Sure" she said, smiling as she closed his door and walked to her car. He didn't wait to find out what kind of car before he took off, leaving marks all the way to the street, and a bit down the street to boot. She watched him burn rubber for a bit, before rushing into the school, and into the gym.
"Sorry I'm late girls- have we been working on the routine?" she asked, looking to her co-captain, a tigress by the name of Kiki.
"Think we've got it down, captain" she said, gesturing for everyone to get up. "The girls have been working hard on it. You sure you don't want to join?" she asked.
"You know I can't this semester" she said, pressing the button on the radio once they were all in position and ready. She watched as the girls- her girls- went through a complicated routine, a couple mishaps, but not much else wrong with the performance.
"Good job, girls" she said. "Kiki, watch the Paw twins- their front rolls aren't quite what they could be" she said. "Girls, we'll take Nationals this year, don't you worry about it!" she said. "Kiki, make sure they stay in shape- I have to go check on the swimming team, then the cub team" she said, and Kiki nodded, then shook her head as Shanari left the room. That girl works too damn hard she thought to herself as she watched her captain stride out of the gym to check on the other two teams she ran.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tommy slowly pulled up to the Bunny's house, and parked in front, sitting in the car with the engine now off. He waited a few moments, thinking about what he was going to say, before getting out of the car, and walking up to the front door and knocking. A few moments later, and Angel opened the door. "Hiya, Tommy, c'mon in" she said happily, closing the door behind him. He took off his shoes and jacket, putting them by the door.
"Still remember the old routine, hm?" said Angel, smiling.
"You know it, Nana" he said, giving her a big hug, which she happily returned. "So, where's Ash?" he asked, looking around.
"Oh, she'll be back in a few minutes. The Peacocks are giving her a ride over here from their house" she said, motioning to the table. "A cup of tea?" she asked as he sat down.
"Sure, I'll take a cup" he said simply, as she put a cup down in front of him. He sipped the tea for a little while, before speaking.
"What's Ash been up to since I left?" he asked, just trying to make conversation.
"Oh, not much, to tell the truth. I don't really keep up on her social life, except recently, with that jerk attacking her and all" she said. "But since then, she's been with Kevin almost all the time. He's actually a really nice boy" she said.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Tommy looking out the window, before a car pulled up to the front, and a young Bunny that Tommy instantly recognized stepped out, followed by a Peacock that Tommy assumed was Kevin. The kids said goodbye to the parents in the car, before closing the door. They stood talking for a bit, before heading inside, still talking. He noticed that they both took notice of the car, looking at it multiple times on their way in. Ash opened the door, before noticing Tommy and his mother.
"What's up Ash?" asked Tommy, smiling.
"Umm... I'm sorry, I'm not very good on memory. Do I know you?" she asked, honestly confused, and even more so when Tommy laughed.
"C'mon, it wasn't that long ago that we were running around in the backyard a few doors down. Playing PawStation in the winter?" he said, and seeing that she was still confused, he took a red bandana out of his pocket, and tied it around his neck. "Any better?" he asked, noticing that her expression had changed, and was changing by the second, to one of recognization.
"Wait, you aren't.... Tommy!" she asked, running up and giving him a big hug, almost knocking him backwards out of the chair.
"Alright, calm down Ash!" he said, hugging her back. "It's good to see you too. Jeez, but have you gotten big. You're still smaller than me though" he said laughing.
"Of course I am, but I'm still faster than you" she said, and they both laughed. He noticed that the Peacock was hanging back, and stood up for a moment.
"I guess I have you to thank for keeping Ashley safe, am I right?" he asked, holding his paw out, which the Peacock took and shook.
"Yep, he's my hero" said Ash, going to his side, and she was quickly enveloped in his wing.
"Stop it, Ash" said Kevin, smiling. "She saves me just as much as I save her" he said, looking into her eyes.
"Anyway," Tommy said, trying to break them out of their 'moment', "Thanks. I don't think I'd forgive myself if something happened to Ash" he said, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the statement, but knowing it was completely true.
"So, Ash, what's been up with you? Your mom wouldn't tell me anything" he said, smiling at Angel.
"Oh, geez.... well..." she said, and began her story of what had happened- in detail- since he had moved away.
"....And then he took me on a shopping spree at the mall, with the money he earned in the hospital from beating up the croc" she said. "Since then, things have been pretty tame around here" she finally finished, almost out of breath as she collapsed into Kevin's lap. "So, what about you? I haven't seen you around in forever. What's been going on with you?" she asked him, and he just shrugged.
"Not much, to tell the truth. I've just been doing school and back. Not quite the adventure you were hoping for, I know, but still" he said. "Tell you what, though" he said, dropping a buisness cards on the table, before writing his personal number on the back of each, and giving one to each of the others. "Call me later this week, and I'll tell my ma and pa that you're coming over to say hi" he said, getting up.
"Aw, you have to leave already?" asked Ash, frowning.
"Yeah, it's about time for me to go" he said, giving Ash a hug. "But you can come over any time you like, just give me a call first, so I know you're coming" he said. "And Kevin, give me a call sometime. I gotta do something to pay you back for keeping Ash safe" he said.
"How about a ride in that car of yours?" he asked, looking back out the window.
"Sure" he said, then shook his head. "The stupidity... hold up, Ash" he said, before running out to the car, and coming back in with a box. "This is yours, Ash. I would've gotten one for you too, Kev, but I didn't know you were coming" he said truthfully.
He watched as she happily ripped through the box with ease, before finding a PawStation box. Hearing her squeals of delight were enough to make him happy, and he accepted her jumping hug, almost losing his balance.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!" said Ash, still holding on.
"Alright, Ash, cool down" he said happily as he set her back down on the ground. "I got a few games in there for you, and there's still a few more on the way" he said. "Make sure you share it, you hear?" he said, smiling as she hugged him again.
"C'mon now, Tommy" said Angel, standing up. "This thing must have cost you a fortune" she said, unwilling to simply take it back from Ashley. "Why'd you do all this?" she asked, walking into the living room.
"I haven't been here in forever. I felt as though I owed you and Ash something" he said, following her into the living room, leaving the two cubs in the kitchen. "It was because of you guys that I got pulled out of the gutter I was in. And I won't take it back- you saw how happy it made her. I'm not going to take anything away from her, like I did when I left" he said. He didn't elaborate, and it didn't seem that he needed to. He just gave Angel a hug for a long while, before letting her go.
He didn't say anything more as he walked back into the kitchen, where Ash was already taking everything out of the box.
"Hold up, Ash, let me get it" he said, smiling as they hooked up the system in the living room.
Before long they finished, and the cubs were playing on the new system, going straight to co-op mode.
"Alright, guys" he said after watching them play for a while. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you all later, and I expect each of you to call me at least once" he said, giving Ash and Angel hugs, before shaking Kevin's hand. "I hope to hear from you later, as well" he said. After a few more goodbyes, he mananged to actually get out of the door, and got into the car, smiling as he drove away from the house.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
As he got home and walked in the door, he noticed that his parents were watching a movie, "Big City Love", something he had gotten for them last Christmas. He watched them for a few moments longer, one of the few times he had seen them together so lovingly, before silently walking downstairs to his room. Well, in truth, his room was upstairs, but he never used it- it had just become a room full of collectibles. This was now his room, his sanctuary.
He put his boots by the door, and quickly got undressed, throwing his clothing in a hamper. He threw a pair of black silk slacks on, just sitting on his bed, thinking about what had been going on the past few days, and his promise. That was one he didn't want to break... but she was pushing him closer and closer towards that brink...
________________________________________________________________________________________________
A few years earlier...
Tommy Fox- state swimmer, popular, nice guy at school, perfect grades, all the good stuff. And with rich parents to boot, what was not to love?
Well, that was what she thought. Kilizia, some sophmore kitty. Usual popular bitch, but when they were together... he bled into her. She was nice to people, something unusual for her. A few months later, she had gotten better, and by her junior year, and his senior, she was up for prom nomination. She had some volunteer work under her belt, and she was loved by students and staff alike, many of whom talked behind her back not a year before.
They went to prom, had an amazing night... everything was perfect. The night ended, and he sent her off in a limo, before doing a bit of volunteer work, helping to clean up prom.
The next morning, no calls, no blog updates. A bit concerned, but not much. The news came suddenly, though a bit underhandedly. Suddenly, she was single, according to her blog. Any record of their being together was suddenly gone. Monday came around, their last week of school. She wouldn't talk to him, everyone gave him odd looks- suddenly, he was an outcast. A week later, and he was told why- she had started a rumor that he had tried to rape her at the party.
As much as he would have liked to transfer, he was unable to, and had to spend all of his senior year at the back of the class, nobody believing that he hadn't done a damned thing to her. And then it just got worse- halfway through the year, she died in a car accident, flung off the side of a mountain road while she made her way home. And again, everyone decided he was guilty. He was almost convicted for it, but there wasn't a smidge of evidence against him, so it never even went to court. Not that it mattered to them. They always blamed him.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Monday, and back at school. And an interesting day it was turning out to be. For some reason, his father decided that he could take the car, the nice car, to school. A beautiful car, a BMW 7 Series that he kept in his garage. (image here: http://fancytuning.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/wald-international-body-kits-2011-bmw-7-series.jpg )
He felt good as he drove the beamer to school, getting awed looks from just about every angle. The customized rims, the body kit- everything on the car screamed beautiful. He didn't pull it into the normal parking lot, but instead around the school, to the auto mechanics class garage. He honked, and a moment later, the door was opened by a suprised looking student, who simply watched, awed, while the beautiful car pulled into the garage.
"Twenty bucks if nobody takes the cover off" he said, as he opened the trunk and put the car cover over the vehicle, taping a few locations as something of a tell-all, if someone took it off.
"Sure. Got it, sir" he said, taking the twenty and returning to work under another car as Tommy exited the garage, and ran smack into a young rabbit, maybe a year younger than him, and made her drop all her books.
"I'm so sorry Miss..." he said, starting to grab all the books.
"Mia. Mia Rabbit" she said, picking up the last of her books, and smiling at him. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going, and... well, I'm just generally clumsy" she said, as she picked up the last of her books.
"How about I walk you to class to make up for this?" he asked, grabbing the books out of her arm, which she didn't resist.
"I... I'd like that" she said, smiling, as she lead the way to her class, which wasn't too far down the hall. She grabbed her books at the door, and smiled. "I hope to see you again soon, Mr..."
"I hope to see you again as well, Ms. Mia Rabbit" he replied, walking away, and probably leaving her confused, before going to his locker.
He looked around for a bit, before seeing Shari come in, looking a bit off-balance. Worried for her, he dropped his bag, and walked right up to her, grabbing her shoulder, steadying her.
"Shari? You okay?" he asked, looking into her eyes, before checking her body. No bruising or anything, but that didn't mean anything. There were plenty of ways to hurt people without laying a hand on them.
"Yeah, just didn't get much sleep last night" she said, rubbing her eyes. "My pa was mad, I was home late last night, one of the kids' practices got off late, and I had to pick up some stuff. All the stores were closed, and I didn't even get it..." she mumbled, shaking her head.
"C'mon, let's get you to the lounge" he said, grabbing his bag along the way. "Oh, and where's your bag, missy?" he asked, noticing that she wasn't wearing one, or carrying anything, really.
"Oh, geez, I musta left it on the bus, it had all my homework and my journals for class..." she muttered some more, and they entered the student lounge
"Sit down" he said, seating her. He quickly took out his phone, and called the bus company, telling them about her bag, as she described it to him, before sitting down next to her, and trying to comfort her.
"Now, tell me what happened" he said, looking directly at her.
"Nothing, nothing" she said, rubbing her eyes. "It's just something I deal with every once in a while. Don't worry about it" she said, turning away.
"I do worry about it. And you" he said. "If you're being abused at home-"
"It's my buissness, don't worry about it" she said, with a slight growl.
"Alright, then" he said. "But if you need to talk to someone..." he said, and let it sit for a moment before speaking again. "At any rate, you still up for the mall today?" he asked casually.
"I... sure" she said. "There shouldn't be any rush today" she said.
"So, whatcha up to doing? I only need to buy a few things, and I'll be fine. You need something?" he asked, as he stood up and offered his hand to her.
"I'm not sure. I'm sure I'll find something" she said, taking his hand and standing. "I suppose I'll see you after sixth?" she asked
"See you then" he said, and led her to class before going himself.
Throughout class, he kept worrying about two things- Shari and his car. Rather, his father's car. Nonetheless, by the time sixth came, at least one of his fears had been alleviated as Shari came jogging up to him, a bit later than she usually was.
"Sorry, had to talk to my teacher about 'reporting bullying'" she said lightly, as she smiled. "So, what do you have to get at the dirty, loud, stinky mall?" she asked, teasing.
"A couple games, a new hacky-sack, and... geez, I keep forgetting the other thing. I'll probably remember when we get there" he said. "So, what do you want to get at the mall?" he asked.
"Probably just a new handbag or something. This one is getting really worn down" she said, taking out the bag from her locker. Worn down to the rubber in most parts.
"Geez... alright, then" he said, as he grabbed the last of his books. "What's your last class?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Ethics" she said. "Why?"
"Wondering if your grades were good enough to forget your last class, and we could get out of here" he said simply. "Not something I do often, but hey- if we leave now, we'll beat the crowds out of here" he said.
"Well... Alright, then. I'll meet you out front. I have to grab my assignment from my teacher, though" she said, as she turned around.
"Alright. Meet me by the Auto Labs, on the south side of the building" he said, as he grabbed all his stuff, and made his way down there.
He got into his father's car without a problem, and made his way outside, into one of the staff parking spots. So long as he was in the car, or near it, it shouldn't be a problem. He informed the instructor just inside to tell Shari where he was.
Before long, she came out of the garage, confused, before he beeped, and she jumped in.
"What's with the change of vehicles? One for every day of the week?" she asked teasingly, as she sat down, tossing her bag in the backseat.
"Nope. My father's car. For some reason, he insisted I use it while he's away for a meeting" he said, shrugging as he pulled out of the lot.
Before long, they were at the mall. Not Pouncefield, but the nice mall just north, Riverside Mall. It had all the nice stores that weren't at Pouncefield, the more expensive ones.
As he pulled into the parking lot, he made sure that there were no other cars near him, and alarmed the car as he climbed out.
"So, you said you wanted a new handbag? What kind have you always wanted?" he asked simply, as they walked in.
"No. You're not buying me anything" she said, smiling.
"Who said I'm spending money on buying you anything?" he asked, looking at her like she was nuts.
"Oh. Just making conversation? I don't really know name brands, outside of Gucci and Prada" she said, shrugging. "The one in my locker was a ten dollar Prada knockoff" she said, as she was handed his phone.
"Look up your purse. I want to see what it looked like when it was new" he said, and they walked along as she web surfed on his phone.
"You wanna grab a bite?" he asked, as he led her to a table and sat her down.
"There it is" she said, handing it back to him. (( http://sellbest.net/Designer-Handbags-Articles/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mybags-ru-prada-resort-2011-01.jpg ))
"Ooh, that's nice" he said, shoving the phone in his pocket. "So, you want something to eat?" he asked, as he stood up.
"Ummm... you mind if I look around at what they're offering?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Alright, then" he said. "I'm going to go and grab my games quickly, wouldn't want to bore you with that" he said, as he walked out of the food court, as she explored around for which food she'd like.
About ten minutes later, he was back down in the food court, and she had sat back down, waiting for him. She jumped up at his arrival, and hugged him. "Alright, I found what I want" she said, and they went to go get her some orange chicken and fried rice, while he just got a big fruit smoothie for them to share.
"Why don't you go and grab a bite to eat?" she asked, and he shrugged, sipping on the smoothie.
"Foxes don't eat very much. We get by on a little food at a time" he said, as he passed her the smoothie.
"So, you haven't talked about your family much" she commented. "Outside of Ash and the Bunnys. So, who else is in your family?" she asked.
"My ma and pa. Both of 'em are a bit boring, though they'll certainly act nice if they met you. But to me... well, they're just my mother and father. They're both successful businesspeople, and my mother's career is behind her now. She was a homemaker while she had to be, and... well, she still is kinda, but she's got a lot less work since I started college" he said. "What about your family?" he asked. He knew it was a delicate topic, but it needed to be broached at some time.
"Not much to say. My father stays at home, while my mother earns the money to pay the bills, and rent, and put me through college" she said, obviously staying tight-lipped about the whole thing.
"Hey, it happens sometimes. You wanna go shopping? It doesn't look like you're very hungry" he said, as she stopped eating.
"Yeah, I can always eat it later" she said, as she closed it up in the container, and they carried it to the car.
A few moments at the car, and she was looking at her feet. "I'm sorry I'm so sensetive about my family, but I'm sure you can imagine-" she was cut off, as he put a single finger over her lips.
"Everyone is sensitive about something. There's no need to apologize. Now, c'mon. Let's go see your suprise" he said, closing the trunk and walking back towards the mall.
"Suprise? What suprise?" she asked, confused. "You're not buying me that purse, are you?" she asked, suspiscious.
"Nope" he said, grinning. "Just shush and let's go" he said, holding the door open for her, and covering her eyes as they entered the mall.
"Hey, that's not fair!" she said, going with it nonetheless. He spun her around a few times, then led her to a designer clothing store, where they had her purse stashed behind the counter.
"Is Celina around?" asked Tommy to the cashier, and she nodded, and went to the back.
"Who is Celina, and where are we?" she asked, confused, trying to remove his hands, but not really trying all that hard.
"Here I am, hon. Tommy, let her go already" said an older she-wolf, grey and white, but looking excellent for her age in a designer white outfit.
"Celina, thank you. I want Shari to look even more amazing than she already does. You have my suggestions already, so let's see what we can do. Don't worry about the bill, just shove it onto my mother's account, and I'll deal with it later" he said, as Celina unwrapped measuring tape from around her neck, and started measuring her every limb and length.
"You are a very beautiful young lioness, Shari" said Celina as she was measuring, having(obviously) not allowed Tommy into the back room. "You should be proud of the work that you've done to keep your shape. You should be even more proud of that Fox on your arm" she said, as she measured Shari's leg length.
"What do you mean?" asked Shari, as she was turned around, and her other leg measured.
"I mean, that Fox has been haunted for a long time. It's good to see him again. He's the bravest animal I know of. His mother is probably one of my best customers, and I used to see him as a kit. I remember, one time, when he saw a big kid taking away some little kid's lollipop. He hit the kid in the gut, and gave the other kid his lollipop back. That's one of the earliest reminders I have of him. He was always polite and nice, except to bullies, of course. But... well, it's not my place to talk about his reasons" she said, and remained quiet for the rest of the measuring, excpet to tell her assistant Shari's measurments.
The measuring must've taken at least an hour, and then she brought out at least a dozen outfits for Shari to try on. She tried them out, and before she even got on her first pair of pants, Celina quickly said "No. Try this one" for what must've been at least another hour, before Shari ended up with about six outfits, and other assorted bits of clothing.
As Celina's assistant was putting them in a bag, she came out with one more outfit. Light brown silk slacks, a dark brown silk shirt, and a silk jacket to match her slacks. She also held a pair of two inch heels, brown with some darker jewels- rubies and the such.
"Try this last outfit on" she said, and the way she laid it on the rack, she had a feeling that this one was special, for some reason. She put it on, and it fit perfectly. She felt quite good in this outfit, and as she modeled it for Celina, the she-wolf nodded. "Perfect" she said quietly.
"Here. A couple last accessories" she said, handing her a short scarf, and... the purse. That purse Tommy told her to look up, only the real thing.
"No, I can't..."
"I didn't spend the money on it. He did. You go and tell him you can't" she said, as she walked into the "employees only" door, and left her to walk back out into the store.
As Tommy turned around, he was welcomed to the sight of Shari, beautifully dressed in a light brown outfit, with her handbag on her arm. He wasn't able to relish the sight for long, before she gave him a big hug.
"Thank you, so much" she said, as she kept hugging him, as she felt tears running from her eyes.
"It's nothing" he said, and was cut off before he could say anymore.
"No." she said, as she backed him up to arm's length. "This really means a lot. I haven't felt like this since... well, since I can remember. Just... thank you" she said, as she hugged him again, tightly. He felt good having done this for her. He hadn't known it would mean quite this much, but in a way, he was glad that it did. He was glad that he could do that for her.
He simply hugged her back for a few minutes, and patted her back as he felt her crying, just a little bit.
"Alright" she said, turning for a moment to wipe her eyes off, before turning back around, and smiling. "Let's get back home, shall we?" she asked, looping her arm through the one he offered as they walked out of the store.
"What time is it?" she asked, as they walked to the car. She was looking around, confused. It looked early yet, but she felt she had been in there for hours.
"Only about five" he said, similarly confused. He was sure it was going to be later as well. "Well, we have time to kill. What should we do?" he asked, as he put the rest of his bags in the trunk, and closed it, alarming the car again.
"Not really sure" she said, not wanting him to spend any more money on her.
"Well..." he thought, then smiled. "You wanna go and grab a movie?" he asked, shrugging. "I heard that Romance Again was supposed to be good" he said, mentioning the biggest chick flick currently in theaters. "If you wanna go and see it, it's not that much" he said, smiling.
"Well... fine" she said, shaking her head. "But this is THE last bit of money you get to spend on me today. Got it?" she asked, smiling as they walked back into the mall. He bought the tickets just in time, and they got a bucket of popcorn to share, and a drink for her.
"What about you?" she asked, as he paid for the food.
"I have a bottle of water" he said, opening one of his cargo pants pockets and pulling it out. "See? I'm fine." he said, as he grabbed her stuff, and walked into the theater, sitting down nearer the back. They were far enough away from the back not to be bothered by the yiffing cubs, though, as the movie started.
It was a typical enough romance- overly cool stud that didn't exist in real life, going out with every woman he met, and dumping 'em all, before the main character, some bunny girl, came into his life, and he started to fall in love with her, before dumping her for a model, all the while thinking about her, as she tried to get over him leaving.
Thus far, Tommy wasn't really into the movie. Instead, he was having fun watching the people in the theater. It seemed every male in the theater was bored with this flick, while every female stank of emotion towards it. As the movie dragged on, he noticed a blatant change in emotion towards the stud. She began feeling more sentimental towards him as he tried to win her back, and became more mad at the female as she rejected his advances, and even more so as she went out with some other asshole to get back at him.
He was literally getting tired from this movie, and yawned, his arms stretching up, before he set them back down as he always did in his car- one arm on his lap, the other over the passenger chair. Only this time, it wasn't a passenger seat, but Shari's. He didn't even realize it until he felt a paw grasping at his wrist. He saw Shari grabbing his arm, and looping it around her neck as she leaned up against his chest. He sighed, and let her, as she looked up to him.
"You don't have a problem with this, do you?" she whispered, smiling.
"No, go ahead" said Tommy, happy that she was happy, as she continued to watch the movie, grabbing his arm as the stud almost died trying to reach her at the top of a cliff in her grandfather's villa. The movie ended as predicted, them getting together, and living in the villa. The credits came on shortly after, but Shari didn't move as everyone filed out of the theater, just sitting there for a bit.
"C'mon Shari, let's get going now" he said, smiling as he slowly pulled her up, despite her protests. She finally gave up at making him sit, as she pulled her knees to her chin and hmph-ed loudly.
"C'mon, Shari" he said, grabbing her hand, and she just smacked it away and hmph-ed again.
"No. I was comfy" she said, poutingly. She had a twinge of a smile, but only just as she sat there.
"Well, it's only about 6:30... guess you don't want to do the next activity I have planned" he said, shrugging dramitically as he began to walk out of the aisle.
"What activity?" she asked suspisciously, still curled up.
"Oh, it couldn't possibly be anything like a rave, with glow sticks and dancing" he said, pulling an extra glowstick that he had from who knows when from his pocket, and tossing it at her as he left, walking back towards the door.
"Wait!" she said, still curled up. "Come and get me" she said, smiling as he groaned, and came back for her, offering to her a hand to get up. "Ok, let's go" she said, leading the way back towards the car, as Tommy dragged behind, before he stopped and grabbed her hand. "Wait, we need to get you some rave clothes" he said, pulling her another direction, to a shop filled with blacklights, and some clothes perfect for raving- similar to what he was wearing.
"Pick something- anything. Hell, everything, if you feel like it" he said, gesturing about the store. She moved quickly, not even trying anything on, and stuffed it all in a bag. She tried paying quickly, but Tommy was quicker, paying the cashier by hand as he kept her money pinned under his claw.
"Not fair" she said, pouting with a smile as she walked out with the bag, where they finally made their way to the car.
"You wanna change now, or later?" he asked, as he unlocked the car, and popped the trunk.
"Well... fine. I change now, but you can't see me until we get there" she said, jumping into the backseat with her bag. He shook his head as he leaned on the tail light, just waiting for her to finish getting dressed.
"Alright, I'm done" she said, opening and closing the back door quickly. He shook his head as he shut the trunk, and climbed into the driver's seat. He looked into the back, but wasn't able to see her, but for a gloved hand that pushed his head forward. "Drive that way" she said, smiling.
"There's a wall that way. I have to back up." he said, trying to turn his head again, and again failing.
"Back" she said simply, and he shook his head as he did so, until she said "Stop. You got enough room now?" she asked.
"Yeah" he said. "Let's get going" he said, as he pulled the car into drive, driving slowly to the club, as he didn't want to scratch the car.
Before long, he was at the club, pulling up to the front door in his father's car. He pressed a button in his glove compartment, locking it before handing the valet a special copy of his key, almost dropping it as he saw Shari. A black tube top with thin shoulder straps, black fingerless elbow gloves with chains crossing across the top. She also wore a pair of black hot pants, almost the kind that you'd expect to see in cheerleading practice, except it was made of leather, had pockets, and was perhaps a bit longer, about a quarter way down her thigh. She also had long, black boots, extending up to her knees.
"Wow" he said, whistling. She blushed as she smiled silently, as she more or less led him into the club, as they passed the lines, the bouncer waving the pair in as the people in line moaned in discontent. He finally got his bearings as they entered the club proper. Lights flashing from every direction, the bass thrumming the eardrums, the floor being shaken from the people dancing... this was it. The Life, where only the coolest got in, and it never quite left you once you'd been in once.
Shari pulled him towards the bar and the bartender asked them what they wanted. "Water" they said at the same time, as they sat down on the barstool. The bartender grabbed them both a glass of water, smiling as he went on to another customer just down the bar. They both drank their glasses pretty quickly, eager to get onto the floor. Tommy handed the barkeep a bottle, signaling to fill it with water by tapping on the side of his glass. His bottle filled, he was easily led onto the dance floor by Shari, her lithe form leading him through the mass of bodies as he followed her, keeping up easily enough, until they got to the relative middle of the dance floor, and began dancing.
It was just a little swinging at first. The hips barely moving, as they felt the music move through them. Before long, they began moving a bit more, their hips flailing a bit more wildly, but still afraid to move too far. Tommy made the first move, a few small two-steps. Nothing impressive, just something to move forward on. Shari had some moves of her own, though, quite a bit wider in her footwork, easily blowing him out of the water without drawing too much attention. He smiled as he admitted defeat, closing his eyes and feeling the beat flow through him. Before he could make another attempt at out-dancing her, she got the jump, and definitley outdanced him- she began grinding up against him, smiling as his head came over her shoulder.
"You definitley have me beat" he said, smiling at her, their muzzles only inches away.
"Well, I think I deserve a prize" she said, bringing her hand up and holding his head lightly. "I choose you" she said, as she kissed him, and they sank into a world of their own, the music and themselves the only ones there. The only thing they knew was the beat, and it flowed through them, every bit of them, as she twisted to face him, and looked up into his eyes, her arms around his neck, his arms around her waist. Not a word was spoken between them.
He began to move backwards, still holding onto her, and thinking of only her. That was, until, he tripped backwards over a particular wolf that was crawling around, looking for his glasses. Shaking it off, he looked up into Shari's eyes and smiled, as he got another unexpected kiss that took his breath away, before she got up off him, smiling. He slowly got up, and offered a hand to the wolf that he tripped over.
"Sorry, man, should've been looking where I was going" said Tommy, shaking his head.
"Nah, it's mine" said the wolf, getting up. He had dark grey fur, and his glasses now sat just a bit crooked on his muzzle. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, and a nice Skrillex shirt, of which part of it glowed in the dark. "Got knocked on my ass by a Husky bitch, guess I shoulda been watching where I was going" he said, smiling as he scratched the back of his head guilitly.
"Not a problem in the least" said Tommy, smiling as he pulled Shari close to him. "Don't think I've seen you around here before, and I'm pretty regular here. What's your name?" he asked, offering a paw. "I'm Tommy"
"Alec" he responded, smiling. "Nice to meet you, man. Umm... if I may ask... is that oil in your fur?" he asked, turning over Tommy's paw to show some dark spots against the now-neon fur under the blacklights.
"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what it is" he said, smiling. "That stuff usually dissapears with a good trimming, though" he said, smiling. "Probably motor oil, though. Sorry about that" he said, shaking his head.
"So you work on your own car?" asked Alec, shifting from leg to leg. "Here's my card, man. Give me a call sometime, I'd like to see your car"
"Same" said Tommy, smiling as he took the card. "I'll talk to you soon, man" he said, shaking Alec's paw one more time before he watch the wolf leave, dancing like a maniac, but in a good way.
"He's not half bad at dancing" said Shari, smiling. "I wonder-" she began to say before she was cut off, Tommy spinning her before bringing her face to face with him.
"Don't wonder. Just dance" he said, smiling, and they spent the rest of the night dancing to a hundred songs, never stopping, as they let the beat take them far away.
___________________________
Eventually, after a long night of raving, they made their way out of the club, tired, but satisfied and happy. Tommy had his arm wrapped around Shari's waist, and she had her paw on his hand as they made their way back to the car. He noticed an Acura parked next to his car, and looked it over for a second, before nodding. Nice... for an Acura. He opened the door for her, and she stepped in, smiling, before he made his way around and into the driver's seat.
"I wanna drive" she said, smiling, bouncing in her seat like a cub.
"No, not tonight" he said, smiling as he turned it on, and heard her start pouting.
"Why not?" she asked, her arms across her chest
"Dad's car, remember?" he asked, as he was about to put it into drive, but found her paw there.
"You know perfectly well I couldn't drive your car, even if you had let me" she said, smiling. "Please? I promise I'll be extra careful..."
"Alright, alright" he said, getting out, as she smiled and jumped over to the driver's seat. He sat down, and she quickly shifted it into drive, pulling slowly out of the parking lot, and onto the street. Before too long, they were at the school, without incident.
"Well, I guess I'll talk to you Monday, right?" she asked, as she got out, and watched as he hopped over the center console.
"C'mon, it's late. I'll drive you back home" he said, smiling as he leaned over and opened the door. She sighed and shook her head, but still walked around and got in. "Wish I didn't have to go home after all of this..." she said, looking at her phone, about to call her father.
"You don't have to, y'know" he said. "We have a guest bedroom that you can use. A bit cramped, but bigger than my room" he said, smiling.
"I don't know... I think I'd best be getting home for now" she said, scratching her head
"Alright, then. Where do you live?" he asked, pulling out of the parking lot.
"Go down here.... further... alright, take a right here..." she said, eventually leading them to a trailer park. She told him to stop in front of one of the few houses in the area, a little worn-down house set a ways back. Dead grass covered the front lawn, and a broken railing assisted the way up. The light blue paint was chipping, as was the white around the windows.
"Alright, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow?" he asked, smiling as he got out, as though he was unfazed.
"No, I'll be busy until Monday" she said, leaning on his window.
"How about tomorrow instead?" he asked. "I'm sure you'll have some time off, and if you don't, then I'll make you some by helping you out with whatever work you have to do" he said, confident, but she shook her head.
"Don't come by unless I give you a call, okay?" she asked, smiling sadly before turning and walking inside. He noticed she forgot her bags, but he didn't want to make her any more upset, so he just left, the GPS guiding his way out.
He thought about what she had said the way home, and even as he walked into the house, having parked his father's car in the garage. He didn't say hello to his mother, even as he passed through the living room, and made his way down to his room, and sat on his bed. He knew there was something going on there, but she obviously didn't want to talk about it. What was he to do? He laid down, looking at the ceiling for a while, before finally drifting off into a fitful sleep.
He was awakened in the morning by a loud buzzing... what was that noise? He covered his ears until he realized it was his phone. He threw the pillow off his head, grabbing his phone just in time to hear the click of the other end hang up. He looked at his call history, and... nothing new. Damn. Should've just let it go to voicemail. He threw the cell back on the desk, walking around for a bit to warm up his muscles, before grabbing his wallet from his pants from yesterday, as something fell out. A card for an auto shop? That guy yesterday, who he and Shari had tripped over. Well, if she wasn't going to call him, he might as well make use of his day. He looked through his closet, deciding on what he should wear. For a garage?
He picked out a pair of plain dark pants, and a dark work shirt he had lying around, and threw them on, pocketing his wallet, along with his phone, and his gold band. He jumped into his father's car again, calling Alec before he started it up.
One ring... two rings... he finally got something on the third.
"Hello?" said a familiar voice.
"Alec? What's up, it's Tommy, from last night?"
"Yo, man, what's up?" he asked, the slightest hint of delight in his voice.
"Didn't have much to do today. You up for something?"
"I'm really freakin hungry man. Wanna grab a bite?" asked the wolf in response, and the fox thought for a moment. "Sure man, that sounds good. Where at?"
"Meetcha at The MotoDiner" he said, hanging up quickly. Luckily the diner was right down the block, otherwise he would've had to take the car again. He slipped on a pair of boots and some clothes from the hamper, walking the couple blocks down to the diner, and was surprised to find only one booth occupied by the time he got there- occupied by none other than a Bunny and a Peacock, who were both drinking a milkshake. He sat in the booth behind the bunny, leaning over the seat.
"A bit early for sweet stuff, ain't it?" he asked, smiling as Ash looked up from the drink and smiled.
"Hi Tommy" she said, giving him a somewhat awkward hug around his neck with a peck on the cheek, Kevin giving a nod, which was returned by the fox. He dropped a credit card on the table, smiling before slipping back into his own booth, before Ashley took her turn leaning over the seat.
"Tommy, you can't just give us your credit card" she said, holding it in front of his face.
"It's yours, sis" he said, smiling. "Happy Sunday" he said, smiling, as he waited for his compatriot to show up, taking his turn giving her an akward hug. Stupid booths he thought to himself, as he saw a really, really expensive car pull into the parking lot, the kind that probably wasn't legal but on a racing track or the Autobahn. He poked his head in, waving Tommy over before stepping back out. The fox quickly gave the bunny behind him a suprise peck, gave Kevin an unexpected and akward hug, and walked out, opening the oddly pivoting door, and practically crouching to sit in the seat of the car, before it took off, much faster off the block than anything he had, though perhaps a bit louder.
"So, what's been up with you? asked Alec, focusing on the road, both hands on the wheel as he drove through the fortunately empty streets in the early morning hours.
"Not much" he said briefly, still thinking about a particular lioness, and... what had happened. The wolf must've picked up on it, as he didn't say much until they pulled into a small garage, and stepped out of the car they were in, only to be surrounded by exotics and high-end tuners galore. His eyes caught a bike in the back, only the wheels visible underneath a tarp. "Hey man, what's the deal with this bike?" he asked, noticing a lock on the tarp as he got closer, the faded white body evident even this low to the ground.
"Oh. Just an old project, man. You want it? It's yours. I've been looking to free that space up for a while now" he said, digging through a desk and throwing the fox a key. He unlocked the tarp, and pulled it off, revealing a... unique bike, to say the least. ( http://sportbikemoto.info/motorcycle-custom-suzuki-hayabusa-white-green-line-paint.html#more-712 ) A white road bike, with a dulled green stripe and a velvet green seat... nice bike, all around.
"Here's the key, man. Take it for a ride, see if you like it" he said, tossing him the key. He kicked up the kickstand effortlessly, glad he had worn jeans today as he started up the bike, even quieter than his Camaro.
"Don't worry about how long, man. I actually gotta stick around most of the day anyway. See ya back in a bit" said the wolf, spinning around in a chair and going on his computer as the fox rode out on a motorcycle, getting used to the bike as he rode it about, before giving it all the gas he could and zooming down the street at high speed, before he pulled past her house again, and kept going.
What was he going to do? Go over without her permission? She'd probably get in trouble for it. He just felt so... helpless.... he hated feeling that way... he wanted to help her. He was deep in thought as he drove down the road, swerving past cars idly, when he heard the sirens behind him, moaning loudly as he pulled over. Great, now Ma is going to have to come bail me out again he thought to himself, sick of his parents' interference in his life. Why couldn't he have the girl? Why couldn't he have it all? Why.... couldn't he run from this cop? The bike didn't have plates, he just remembered. And a white fox... he could get Alec to claim he was at the garage all day, no issue. There were other white foxes around, right? Maybe someone out of town?
I'm going to regret it
Oh well
He hit the gas, flying down the road away from the police car as adrenilene coursed through his system, probably keeping him alive as he flew through the suburban streets, which were just starting to really wake up as he pulled the bike back into the garage, putting the tarp back over it and hiding it as far back as he could, as he started pacing the floor, pretending to look interested in the different cars, flinching as a cop siren went by. The wolf at the computer noticed rather easily, and walked over to the fox, slowly moving around him to cut him off.
"Yep. I'm out" he said, jumping into some car or another and taking off, heading home immediately, just glad he didn't see any other cars. He made his way home, locking his suddenly new red sedan in the garage, and dragging out a large strip of butcher paper, ripping his shirt off, and putting on a pair of painters' pants as he got his paints out, drawing nothing and everything all in one, lots of angry lines to start with, then connecting them smoothly, the drawing becoming more and more smooth with every line drawn, the tension dissapearing with every line drawn.