Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hello? Can you hear me? Look, you may remember my voice, but just know that I’m sorry. I wasn’t the best kind of help for you. I wish I could have been a different person, but I’m just a terrible guy—the world’s worst boyfriend, too. Olivia, I... I always loved you, but I’m going away now. I’m turning myself in to make sure I can keep my distance from you. I’m not the person you want to see. Hopefully, you can find someone who can give you happiness. But there is one last thing I need to say…”

“Mr. Nito, 1 minute left.”

“I know! Please, Olivia, find someone to trust again and try to become the painter I once knew.”

“Goodbye…”

…

~Year? 201M2023 B.C.

God damn it, what a morning it’s been already. I nearly slept in, forgot breakfast, and almost ended my bloody life. Just goes to show who I am: Red H. Erring, the simple human who wants to be a stuntman. And guess what? I nearly blew up Volcano High for cutler night!

Now here I am, freshly transferred to the last half of senior year at what? A fucking art school? Oh well! The drama team isn't insanely bad, but holy shit! This is my last chance to get something real—friends, maybe, but more importantly, my chance for a free golden ticket to college!

I can see it now: Mr. Daring Erring in the credits for Rocks and Ruckus 8!

But I’ve got to keep myself from trying to use this school campus as a movie set again… hopefully the folks here aren’t too crazy.

VRRUM VRRUM!

Incoming call Dad

“Fucking hell!” I grumble as I pull out my phone to confirm the call before groaning aloud and answering on the car speaker.

“Hello, son,” my father's voice says through the car speakers. I nod in acknowledgment—wait, fuck!

“Hola, Pops,” I say.

“Are you on your way to school, Red?” he asks. I can practically see the smoke leaving the speakers as he rubs his head in annoyance.

I groan aloud before muttering, “Sí, Pops. Had a slow awakening, still a bit tired from unpacking last night,” I say, turning the corner. I can see the school not too far now. I hear my old man snort at my comment.

“You? Tired? Heh, I’ll have to see that for myself when I have the time,” he says smugly. I feel my anger creep in.

“Don’t get too cocky, bitch,” I mutter.

“Now, son, I’ve told you not to speak that mierda vil to me,” he says. I sigh and apologize. I love my dad, but holy hell, can he be a pain in the ass. I still can’t really be real with him. If he were even here…

“Anyway, I’ve got to go, Pops. I'm in the parking lot. I’ll make sure to text you if anyone dies,” I say, eliciting a chuckle from the old man.

“Okay, son, you know who to call. But please, make sure not to get kicked out. Don’t want an enraged Ptero to kill my son.”

“Okay, whatever. Te amo, viejo.”

“Tú también.”

Click

God why the hell does he still have to mention her… 

I groaned as I closed my car door, grabbed my bag, and slowly made my way to the front entrance. I quickly turned to snatch my skateboard and headed inside. Humming at the sight of the school, it's actually not that bad for a cool movie set. Hell, maybe it could be used for some cool "drug-free" video shoot. Eh, who gives a shit?

I could hear the other students as I slowly opened the door. Once it was fully open, dozens of eyes stared right at me. The attention slowly died down as I walked by—hell, they were even making a path for me! Was it the hair? I knew it was attention-grabbing! It’s all in the hair and looks.

Maybe I look like Ryan Gosling!

… No, wait… that’s not it. There's something I can sense in the atmosphere… awkwardness? Or… hang on a fucking second. Is it because I’m new here? Oh well, screw them!

No, no, wrong idea to have on the first day. I started to feel a bit more comfortable when I heard them speak again, but they were saying odd things.

“Woah, another skinnie?”

“He's still the only one, remember?”

“Hopefully prom won’t be a crime scene.”

I rolled my eyes at the comment and felt my hand clench my board. Maybe... ah, screw it! I pulled my skateboard out and started skating down the halls. The students all gasped and called out as I passed by. Sorry, but this guy is on a rocket to a high school education!

As I neared the principal's door, I hopped off my board, catching it and sliding it back behind my bag. Glancing behind me, I saw a few students giving me mean looks, but they quickly returned to their own business. I chuckled and walked up to the door, giving it a light knock.

A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing a blue parasaur. He was well-dressed, a bit too fancy for my taste, but oh well. He seemed surprised?

"Inco? What are you doing here?" he said.

I furrowed my brow in confusion and crossed my arms. "Hey now, it’s Red, not all humans look the same, pendejo," I grumbled. That made him flinch before he adjusted his nerd glasses and cleared his throat. "Oh... uh, sorry, it’s just, uh... you look like-"

"Mr. McKnight," the principal interjected with a tired voice and a hint of irritation. The blue parasaur quickly glanced at the principal and nodded, stepping aside to let me in, but remaining in the room as the door closed. I paid him no mind and took a seat, crossing my legs. She looked a bit annoyed but took a sip of her dark caffeinated drink before speaking.

"Mr. Erring, welcome to St. Hammonds. I’ve received word from the principal back at Volcano High that you were 'properly' transferred here for the rest of the school year," she began. I waved a hand at her—wait, fuck!

"Yes, ma'am," I said properly. I could hear the Dino behind me pull at the scruff of his shirt as the principal sighed. 

"I hope your walk to school wasn’t too bad," she said apologetically. I unfolded my legs and leaned forward with my signature grin.

"Nah, it was fine, miss. They just like the look," I said, fixing my hair a bit. That got a snort from her, and a small grin appeared in her tired eyes. The other Dino behind me did nothing.

"Well, I’m Ms. Scaler, young man, so make sure you behave," she said, prompting a light chuckle from me. I nodded while she pulled out a page and handed it to me.

"Here is the schedule for your classes," she said, nodding at the blue Dino to approach. He did so and seemed more relaxed now. As I glanced at him, Ms. Scaler leaned back with her smile still on her face.

“This is our student council president, Ben. He’ll be the one to show you to your first period,” she said, wincing at the page. I looked at it and saw PE as my first period. Well, there’s the wake-up call. I folded the page and put it in my wallet for safekeeping, then stood up to look at Ben. He nodded towards the door, and I followed.

“Thanks, Principal Scaler, for your help,” I said, eliciting a genuine smile from her. She waved a hand as we both left the office. Once outside, the student council president sighed lightly and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Man, that was hard," he muttered.

"What's that?" I said, furrowing my brow. Is this guy seriously judging me? He flinched at my voice and waved a hand with a nervous smile. "Oh, it's fine, Inco— I mean Red," he said. I kept glaring at him before I rolled my eyes and simply walked away.

"W-Wait! I'm supposed to—"

"Nah," I said, waving him off. This guy is not my cup of tea. He hurried to catch up, adjusting his glasses and camera. Oh, when did that get there?

He continued rambling as I simply tuned him out, going on about the school mascot and some kind of accident at a school dance. Yeah, stuff I didn’t know and didn’t care about.

“And that’s why we’re called the Feathertails,” he concluded. Oh, shoot, I must have tuned him out too much. I stopped and shrugged at him. “Well, amigo, thanks for the 'Ted talk.' I definitely remember all of your words about how great this school is,” I said.

He frowned at that and scoffed at my “enthusiasm,” but that all changed when the bell rang.

“Oh! Well… uh, bye?” he said. I shrugged and walked away. If there's one thing I’ve learned from my time at school, it's don’t ever be friends with StuCo. There are always bitches… Thank God I’m not at VH anymore.

As the halls cleared, I suddenly realized one thing I regretted about that StuCo guy—I should have asked where the hell the gym is! I wandered around, watching more and more Dinos disappear into classrooms or head upstairs. Seizing the moment, I hopped back on my board and rolled down the halls until I spotted the gym door. Yes! I won’t be—

Ah, fuck!

I should have looked more carefully. A damn Dino turned the corner, and I tripped over them. I was sent flying and landed face-first on the ground. I heard the other student grunt before they spoke out.

“Watch where you're... going…” the voice, sounding female, suddenly stopped, a bit scratchy. I grunted, rubbing my head before slowly getting up and cracking my back, feeling it pop. Adjusting my jacket, I turned to look at the victim of my crash.

She had messy long hair, adorned with a purple hoodie and baggy black sweatpants. Green scales of a Dino and... was that a chair? Oh, a wheelchair! Shit, I bumped into her. Her eyes stared right at me, a mix of confusion and anger. I could almost feel the icy stare through me, before I shook my head.

Quickly dusting myself off and walking over to grab my board, I turned and approached the Dino. “Hey, sorry... I didn’t mean to crash into you. I was rushing not to be late for class. It’s my first day,” I explained, hoping to defuse the tension.

“Who are you?” she asked, her tone guarded.

“Uh... Name’s Red. What’s yours?” I asked politely. She looked at me for a moment before rolling away without saying another word. I frowned at the brief encounter. Okay then... just gotta get to class now...

I looked over my board one more time before sighing and pushing the doors open. Up ahead, I could see a few students and what looked to be a very unhappy coach. Aw, fuck. I laid my bag down and slipped off my jacket. If it’s gonna be hot, I don’t want to ruin my favorite jacket. Just as I turned around, the unhappy chimp was right in front of me now.

“SON, YOU’RE OUT OF UNIFORM! WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES!?” he roared loudly. I only shrugged.

“Don’t have any,” I replied. I could hear the students gasp and whimper. Maybe I should have been more careful about what I said to this guy; he was like a full metal jacket sergeant right now.

“Heh, 'Don’t have any?' YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT, MAGGOT?!” he roared again. I stared up at him dumbly, putting a hand in my pocket. I pulled out my schedule to show it to him.

“You expected me to be ready on the first day, señor?” I said, causing him to shift back a bit. My classmates gasped as the coach gritted his teeth. His hat covered his eyes, but I could tell he was glaring at me.

“Grr… okay, fine! BUT YOU ONLY GET AWAY WITH IT FOR TODAY!” he declared before stepping aside, allowing me to join the line of classmates. Some of them stared at me like I was a god or something. Jeez, grow up. This is school, not boot camp.

Soon enough, the coach pulled out his whistle and began to march left and right, maintaining his frown as he eyed all of us. Eventually, he stopped in front of me.

“Since it’s our human’s first day here, we’re gonna be doing an old favorite… DODGEBALL! GROUP UP, EVERYONE!” he shouted, using the whistle again. He pointed at a student next to me. “PAYNE, YOU CHOOSE FIRST!” he bellowed, then quickly called out another student's name.

Dodgeball? Okay, I’m game!

I glanced at the other students and noticed some looked worried while a few seemed focused. The student the coach called out first glanced at me before making their choice. I saw a bit of anger in their eyes as they passed by me. I wasn’t sure what had gotten them so pissed off, but it sure as hell wasn’t me.

“I’ll take the Skinnie!” I snapped back to attention on the gym floor. A red parasaur was pointing at me, and I could easily tell she was one type of student you don’t want to get on the wrong side of. Spike tail? Hell no.

I kept my hands in my pockets as I walked over to her. Once there, she continued to stare at me, a smug grin plastered on her face. She leaned back to whisper, “Nice wig, Skinnie.”

Hm, she's like that, huh? Oh well, I shrugged at her, bringing my hands out of my pockets. "Looks better than yours, at least," I replied. A few students on our team snickered before going quiet as she looked back at them with a death glare. She whipped her head back at me, her tail dangerously close to my face. She seemed more annoyed when I didn't flinch at her failed attempt at intimidation, only groaning aloud as I looked back at our new opponents.

Once the teams were all gathered, the coach whistled loudly. "YOU ALL KNOW THE RULES! AND MAKE SURE TO PLAY FAIR OR ELSE YOU'LL BE RUNNING LAPS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR!" he shouted, stepping back and whistling once more to start the game.

Everyone dashed forward, scrambling for a ball. Some got hit as soon as they grabbed one, while a few managed to dodge incoming throws. The red Parasaur looked like she was kicking ass, and even the Dilopho-Spinosaurus hybrid was holding his own. I kinda wished I was on his team; the students on our side seemed either too scared or worried. Not me!

I ran past the red Dino chick and threw a ball right at the hybrid. He seemed shocked and quickly tried to evade it, but it was too late.

A solid thud as the dodgeball hit him was loud enough to cheer loudly. Before I could give him a 'are you cool?' look, he got the message and slowly gave a thumbs up, smiling lightly. My moment was cut short when I heard two loud steps behind me.

“Hey Skinnie, he was mine,” a voice said.

I turned back and saw that—

“Ah— HEY!” What the fuck was she trying to do? The bitch was pulling my hair?!

That shocked her, and she stepped back as I rubbed the top of my head. I snapped my head up at her and pointed a finger at her shoulder. “What the hell were you doing, bitch?! That hurt!” I growled at her. She looked taken aback before growling back.

“Who the hell are you calling a bitch? I should knock the—“

“MIA, STEP OFF THE COURT AND WAIT ON THE BLEACHERS!” Coach's sharp interruption cut her off. Mia, clearly shocked, whipped her head towards the coach. “But Coach Solly, he—“

“I DON’T WANNA HEAR IT! GO!” Coach Solly's command saved my ass. He still looked pissed as he nodded for me to join the other side. I complied and walked over to where I saw the hybrid standing.

“Hey, umm... I don’t know what her deal is, but uh, I’m here now,” I said to him. He didn’t say anything at first, clearing his throat as his frills lowered a bit. “Uh, okay… cool. You're new here?” he asked.

I nodded, glancing over to see Coach Solly talking to that bitch, Mia, about something.

“Names Damien, by the way,” he greeted. I nodded in response... wait, fuck!

“Red, nice to meet you, amigo,” I said, offering a fist bump. He gladly returned it, then turned his attention back as Solly walked over with Mia in tow. He glanced at me, nodded, and then whistled again.

“RESTART! FREE FOR ALL DEATHMATCH!”

“All right!” Damien and I both cheered loudly at the same time. “Thanks, coach!” 

The chimp growled and pointed a finger at us. “PAYNE! ERRING! DROP AND GIVE ME 20 NOW!”

I grunted as Damien cheered again. I couldn’t stop the grin spreading across my face as I quickly knocked out 20 push-ups alongside the hybrid.

Man PE is fun actually.

…

“ALRIGHT, EVERYONE, HIT THE SHOWERS! CLASS ENDS IN 15 MINUTES!” Coach Solly barked out. I sighed and walked over to my bag, grabbed my deodorant, and applied it quickly. Damien was waiting by the door, and I thanked him with him following close.

“Dude, that was a cool game!” he said. I chuckled and nodded, finishing up with my deodorant as I pulled my shirt back down. 

“By the way, uh, sorry for the mean look back there,” he said. I blinked for a second before looking back at him, confused. “Why? I thought you were just focused on the game,” I said. He ran a claw through his hair and sighed.

“No... I just thought you were someone I knew,” Damien said.

“What? That Inco guy? I’ve been called that the whole time, who’s he?” I asked. Damien flinched, turning his head away as his frills wobbled a bit before he muttered, “Some stupid asshole.”

He looked back at me with an apologetic smile and offered a handshake. “So, uh, no hard feelings?” he said. I shrugged and shook his hand. “None whatsoever, but try and ease up on the whole ‘Skinnie’ shit,” I replied.

Damien smiled brightly and shot a thumbs-up at me. “No problem, amigo!” he said. I gave him a sly grin and replied, “Lo que digas.” He looked confused, but then we both laughed as we finished cleaning up.

Once we were out of the gym, he patted my shoulder with a happy smile. “Wanna hang out at our lunch table? I’ve got some friends that would love to meet you!” he said.

"Already getting pals? Why the hell not," I replied, returning the thumbs up. I quickly pulled out my schedule. "Oh hey, do you know where the Art room is?" I asked. Damien flinched a bit, then crossed his arms and thought for a moment before giving me directions. 

"Thanks, man," I said, giving him another fist bump before running down the halls to my next class.

Students kept glancing at me as I passed by, but I paid it no mind. Whoever that Inco guy was, he sure left an impression on the school. The nameplate on the front was missing, clearly indicating that a new teacher was coming.

I opened the door and entered the classroom. It wasn't anything too special, but I found a good spot near the front to settle down. As the rest of the class walked in, some students from earlier kept giving me looks. By this point, the joke was getting old. I glanced to my side at the student sitting next to me—

Oh, it’s that girl in the wheelchair again. She didn't look happy, more like lifeless, resting her head on the desk as more Dinos walked in. I paid no mind and simply adjusted my jacket sleeves.

“Hey, uh, do you know what these guys' deals are? Kinda getting annoyed at them looking at me funny,” I asked. She didn’t respond... still nothing... nothing...

I leaned in and lowered my voice a bit. “I said, do you know what their deal is—” 

She threw her head up and glared daggers at me, snapping out, “I. DON’T. KNOW!”

I flinched, as did a few other students, when her tail slammed on the ground. Leaning back to give her space, I kept my hands raised and apologized. 

"Okay, sorry chica," I said, looking at the walls away from her. I didn’t know what her deal was, but that anger issue needed some fixing. The teacher still wasn’t here, so I decided to do some simple doodling. 

I pulled out my binder, ripped out a page, and glanced over at the girl beside me for inspiration. Quickly grabbing a pencil, I began a simple doodle of a Baryonyx doing a ramp jump while holding guns.

Heh, not bad at all. I could hear her snort quietly, like I wasn't aware she wasn’t staring. I looked over to her with a smile. “Cool, right?” That caught her off guard, and she quickly looked away, grunting in response. Soon, the sound of the door opening drew our attention to a young blue Raptor walking in. He was well-dressed, wearing a lab coat and a very noticeable blue vest.

“Hello class, forgive me for being late. I couldn’t find the bathroom so I had to run back to my house,” Mr. Wheatley said, earning a few chuckles from the students. He walked over to the board and began writing.

“You may call me Mr. Wheatley. I used to be a student here at St. Hammonds. But after I found out that my best friend Trent died here a while ago, I seek to keep his teaching legacy alive for the next generation,” he continued, shifting his gaze toward the girl next to me. She seemed on the verge of tears as he gave her a small, comforting smile.

“But! I’m not him. It doesn't mean I don’t want to try and build friendships with my fellow students,” Mr. Wheatley said, adjusting his vest. He then brought both fists down onto the top of his desk and smiled brightly. “But I will fulfill a wish he wanted me to fulfill,” he added, before swiftly spinning over to the board, erasing it, and writing down in the fanciest cursive I've ever seen.

I watched closely as Mr. Wheatley gave his lecture on the proper use of art equipment. Leaning back, I caught a glimpse of the girl next to me taking notes, and it dawned on me that the previous teacher had been someone important.

She growled as I realized I had been staring at her. Leaning in, I muttered an apology, and she snorted but didn't say anything more. The rest of the class proceeded without incident as Mr. Wheatley continued his explanations before giving us time to pack up.

Just as I was about to gather my things, I noticed the Raptor looking over at me. “Mr. Erring? Can you please stay after class?” he said. I nodded in response, my mind racing with thoughts.

“Yes, sir,” I replied, feeling the weight of his gaze as I leaned back, fidgeting with my leg. When I sensed his stare lingering, I glanced over at the Baryonyx with a puzzled expression.

“Something on my face?” I asked, rubbing the small amount of hair on my chin. She flinched and looked away, resting her head on the table. “Olivia…” she said softly.

“Huh?”

“You asked me earlier… it’s Olivia,” she replied, still avoiding eye contact. I grinned slightly at her and returned my focus to the desk. Pulling out my piece of paper, I added more to the doodle—a spaceship above her with a cute pug piloting it. I heard another snort, clearer this time, and looked over to see a small smile on her face.

I could sense what she wanted to do, so I slid the page over to her. Olivia looked surprised as she examined it, confusion mixed with a hint of hope in her expression.

“Go ahead, never hurts to doodle on a page,” I encouraged, trying to sound confident. She hesitated, uncertain, before clicking her mechanical pencil and tentatively reaching for the paper—

Bing!

She flinched, quickly tidying her desk and rushing out of the class with the page in hand. I shrugged to myself and gathered my belongings—bag and board in tow—before making my way over to Mr. Wheatley's desk. He maintained a determined expression as I stood before him.

“So, another human enters. Welcome, my friend. It seems it’s both our first days here,” he greeted warmly, extending a hand which I shook in return.

“Yeah, I guess,” I replied, feeling a hint of nervousness.

“Well, don’t worry too much. St. Hammonds is a great place for art, but judging from your appearance, I believe you have a different kind of talent,” he observed, prompting me to raise an eyebrow.

My smile widened as I withdrew a hand from my pocket. "Yeah! I'm on the drama team for acting! I want to be a stuntman for movies," I explained proudly. Wheatley grinned in response, chuckling softly. 

"Well, Mr. Stuntman, I better see those school plays turning out wonderfully!" he remarked, eliciting a light laugh from me.

He then pulled out a textbook and slid it across the desk to me. "Don't worry too much about the paints. I don't expect you to try drinking them, now would you?" he quipped.

"Hey, if that's a stunt, then I'll be blunt," I quipped back, causing him to chuckle before dismissing me. I stowed the book in my bag and nodded to him before hurrying off to lunch.

…

Those crazy guys are way too wild! I saw someone nearly break another's arm, using my skateboard as a shield to push my way out of the melee of frenzied Dinos. Luckily, I spot Damien waving frantically, and I chuckle as I make my way over to him, noticing another new face—or rather, neck?

A Brachiosaurus!

"Yo, Redie! Glad you made it!" Damien exclaims.

I furrow my brow at the nickname and set down my bag and board. "Uh, 'Redie'? Do I sound like a dog to you?" I retort, which earns a hearty giggle from the long-necked Brachiosaurus.

"I told you he wouldn't like it," she says, lowering her head to address me directly. "Names Liz. Nice to meet you, Red. Damien hasn't stopped talking about you," she adds, glancing over at the hybrid who seems engrossed in devouring a sandwich.

"Well, nice to meet you too, Liz. I'm glad to be making friends here. It's just a bit annoying with all the Dinos staring at me, getting my name wrong and mistaking me for someone else," I explain. Damien sighs but continues munching on his sandwich, while Liz looks visibly annoyed.

"Oh. Okay," Liz responds, looking up at the ceiling. I turn to Damien, changing the subject. "So, how's everything been going for you?"

"Fine, great actually! Ever since PE, I've been feeling great. It was so much fun! Can't wait for more of that this year," Damien replies enthusiastically, prompting Liz to lower her head and glance at me.

"Is it true that you got Damien out in dodgeball?" Liz asked, leaning in with curiosity.

I shrugged nonchalantly and chuckled. "Not really. He wasn't paying attention, so I took the opportunity. Kind of a cheap shot," I admitted, trying to downplay the moment.

Liz turned sharply to Damien. "See, Damien? Your title and reputation are not ruined. You're all good," she reassured him. Damien smiled lightly and gave us a thumbs up. "I'll take your word for it!" he said, playfully nuzzling Liz's snout with his. She blushed slightly and quickly composed herself.

I leaned forward, teasingly. "How long have you two been together?" I asked, flashing a sly grin.

Damien kept his thumbs up. "For a short bit now, it's been great!" he proudly declared.

"Well, congrats on that... but I can't celebrate on an empty stomach," I replied, eyeing the lunch line with a grimace. I might be an insane stuntman, but at least I'm a smart insane stuntman.

Liz lowered her head back down, munching on leaves, before raising it again with a curious look. "So, Red, what do you seek from here?" she asked.

"Oh, well, I aim to become a stuntman. Work on movie sets with props and maybe drive cars off cliffs," I said with a grin. Damien looked surprised and impressed, his expression clearly saying 'woah.'

"I have drama class here too. Hopefully, it's not as bad as Volcano High," I added.

Liz perked up at my mention of Volcano High and leaned in with interest. "So, I'm guessing you were there before you transferred?" she asked.

"Yeah, crazy place. I got 'transferred' all because I was doing a movie set on how humans make fire for culture night," I explained, watching as the hybrid dinosaur shook in his seat. His frills and fin twitched oddly, almost like they were reacting to my words.

"What's that supposed to be, 'Fins'?" I retorted, causing the dinosaur to abruptly stop and furrow his brow at my nickname. "Is that what it's like to have nicknames like that?" he asked, looking up at Liz. She struggled to contain her laughter, but eventually burst out giggling loudly. Damien couldn't help but smile as he looked between me and Liz. 

Once she finished laughing, Liz leaned against Damien, and the two exchanged happy smiles.

"So, how long were you at Volcano High?" Liz asked.

I fidgeted with my board a bit before looking back up. "Well, I was at VH for all of junior year, but before that, I was back in my hometown. Plaza del Atardecer, or for you to understand, Sunset Plaza," I explained, catching Liz's interest while Damien looked on, still a bit confused.

"That's wonderful! I've always been interested in landscapes there. Ooh, tell me, what was it like down there?" Liz asked eagerly, bringing her head closer to mine. I chuckled and waved a hand, correcting myself.

"Sunset Plaza is much warmer but has the right amount of cold weather too," I said, going on to explain some of our local traditions and customs. 

"And don’t even get me started on how my family makes their…" I trailed off, realizing I almost revealed something personal. Damien and Liz looked confused as I paused, trying to gather my thoughts.

"Sorry, I, uh… sometimes I run my mouth too much," I apologized, slumping a bit on the table.

Both of them nodded understandingly, but Liz gave me a look that hinted at a question she wanted to ask. I sighed inwardly, knowing what was coming.

“Go on, just say it,” I muttered, still resting my head on the table. Liz looked a bit hesitant before finally speaking up.

"You… just remind me of someone."

"Who? I keep hearing about this Inco guy. Damien mentioned him, but it was all so cryptic. I didn't really get it. I was just doodling with Olivia—" I cut myself off, realizing I might have said too much again. Damien looked shocked at the mention of Olivia's name, and Liz appeared surprised as well.

“Olivia? Did you say…” Damien trailed off, his frills wobbling slightly before a defeated look settled on his face. Liz mirrored his expression, making me rub my chin in confusion. They know her? Well, that was plainly obvious. Should I ask?

“Yeah, do you guys know her?” I asked cautiously.

“Yeah… she’s my sister… she's one of my friends,” Damien muttered, still looking defeated while Liz tried to comfort him. I felt a bit intrusive, sensing this was a private matter, so I decided to drop it.

“Oh well, I won’t pry. But yeah, I did some doodling to pass the time,” I said, noticing Damien nodding before he seemed done talking. I must have touched a nerve with him. Just who is this girl?

The rest of lunch passed by with less activity. It was mainly Liz and I chatting while Damien finished his food. Once the bell rang, I made my way to class, bidding goodbye to my new friends and promising to hang out more. The rest of the day felt like a blur as I kept thinking about that last part of our conversation concerning Olivia.

He knows Olivia, and it seems Liz does too. But where does this Inco guy fit into all this? Why isn’t he here? Judging from their reactions, he must be another human. Is that why the students were giving me the side-eye?

I decide to ponder on it later. Right now, I'm on my way to the car when I spot Olivia rolling down the streets towards her home, looking just as lifeless as she did in art class.

She stops abruptly, almost as if she sensed me staring at her. Slowly, she turns her head to look at me, and I catch sight of her dim, sorrow-filled silver orb staring back at me with a mix of anger. I offer her a wave, which surprises her momentarily before she turns away and disappears around the corner.

I bite the inside of my cheek, blow a raspberry, and open my car door. I toss my board in and prepare to drive home, ready to sleep off the rest of the day and cuddle with my pug, hoping to be well-rested for school tomorrow.

But as I drive, I can't shake off my thoughts about Inco. Just who the hell is he?

Chapter Text

"Yes... mmhmm... yeah, I know that. Thanks, Doctor. I'll make sure he doesn't eat too much... yep, bye." I lower the phone and look down at my cute companion. Gojo pants loudly as I scratch the back of his ear, his leg kicking as I find the right spot. He whimpers when I pull away and head toward the bathroom.

School starts in a few hours, and I want to get a few posts in before I leave. After a quick shower, I brush my teeth and take a moment to eye my reflection. I sigh lightly. I need to lift more, to build the kind of body that looks cool.

Once I'm back in my room and fully dressed, I pick Gojo up and grab his tiny suit. After he's fully clothed, I play a clip from the anime and post it. I giggle at his expression as he sticks his tongue out, trying to lick the bandage off. When we're done, I take the outfit off and let him outside to play.

While he's outside doing his business, I munch on some Cocoa Pebbles and watch some Yousnoot. Apparently, Rexsepticeye is going to be at Volcaldera for the Yousnoot convention center this year. Well, technically next year; the snow was already melting by the time I moved here.

Dad was thrilled; I was pissed. I missed a chance for a cool sledding session, but oh well. Gojo is happy, so I’m fine. Speaking of Gojo, I see him pawing at the door. Shaking my head, I open it and find him already wet.

"Now how the hell did you get wet, Gojo?" I ask. He barks back before licking his chops and shuffling off toward the living room. I laugh at him and check the time: 7:23. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to show up early. Grabbing my bag and board, I head to the door. 

Once there, I look back and smile at the tiny dog. "Your food and water are filled, bud. Try not to get into the trash can again." I nuzzle his head, earning a lick on the face. I giggle and pet the tiny pug.

I'm outside, slowly taking in the sights of my small neighborhood. All my neighbors are dinos, of course, but I pay it no mind and walk over to my car. It's still new, only a couple of months old, and has good mileage. I throw my board in the back and my bag in the passenger seat, then head to St. Hammonds.

Once parked, I spot that StuCo Ben talking to that red dino chick—forgot her name already. I pay it no mind and simply grab my board and bag, making my way to the front.

Unfortunately, my luck runs thin. Ben spots me as I close my door and waves me over. With a roll of my eyes, I hop on my board and roll over to the pair. I step off, slide my board onto my back, and cross my arms as I look at the red dino.

"Hey, Red. It's good to see you here at this time; we can get things out of the way," Ben said, looking at Mia with an expectant look. She only growls and maintains her bad-girl stance. She'd make a perfect bully for those cheesy school movies. Or even plays.

"Mia, what do you have to say to Red?" Ben said, looking back at me. I'm confused about what he's talking about, so I keep quiet as Mia leans forward and growls.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone else," she said.

Now I'm dumbfounded—not what I expected at all. I don't say anything and keep my arms crossed. She doesn't look pleased and instead brings her fist to the wall right next to me.

"Next time I won't be so careful," she said with a smug grin. I scoffed, rolled my eyes, and moved out of her way to the door. Ben looked shocked, and Mia too. I didn't know why and didn't care. I heard her grumble as the doors closed behind me. The halls were much clearer with fewer students around.

Deciding to pass the time, I walked around the halls. It was actually nice to see the clear lockers and all. I noticed part of a hall had been restructured. There were even some elevators, which must explain how that one girl gets around in her wheelchair.

I soon found myself looking at the principal’s office. There were pictures of students, and then I saw a picture of a Ptero. He looked a bit young, with nicely done hair and a lab coat over his suit. A teacher. I looked down and read the name.

"Trent Iadakan," I read aloud to no one. He must have been the art teacher before Mr Wheatley. Sad. He died young, around the age my parents were when they had me. I should pay my respects.

"Descanse en paz, señor," I muttered, bowing my head a bit before walking down the halls. I stopped when I saw Olivia. She was surprised to see me and tried to hide her face. She soon wiped her face and glared at me. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, her frown softening a little.

I only shrugged and put my hands in my pockets. Her frown deepened as I said nothing else, and she rolled her eyes. "No, really, why are you here this early?" she asked.

"Well, I got bored at home and decided to show up early," I said, rubbing my hair as I looked at her. "What are you doing here?" I asked. She flinched a bit and shifted her chair back, but then sighed and looked behind me, clearly at the memorial.

"I was... paying my respects to the art teacher," she said, fixing her long hair and sighing again. I nodded and looked back at the picture. She must have known him. "Yeah, he seemed like a nice guy," I said. Olivia nodded and held back some sobs. Crap, I should have watched what I said.

"Yeah... he was," she said, quickly looking at the time. It was 7:33—still a good amount of time left. I put my phone back in my pocket and smiled down at her. "Hey, we still have time. You wanna hang out?" I offered. She looked surprised at the offer.

"Are... are you sure?" she asked, looking up at me.

I nodded, a grin growing on my face. "Of course! We've got to finish playing our game," I said, placing a hand on my hip. She looked confused before remembering yesterday.

"The... doodles? I don't recall taking it," she said, looking away, a bit ashamed.

"Nope! It's no biggie either way. It wouldn't hurt to restart," I said.

She looked more shocked before she slowly turned to the side. I followed her. "Where to?" I asked. She nodded her head towards the door outside. I smiled and walked over, opening the door. "Ladies first," I said, getting her to snort lightly before she lightly slapped her tail on my back.

Once outside the school, we saw the yard with some students starting to show up. She shifted a bit before rolling over to the wall and grabbing her bag. She took out a binder with a nice page ripped out.

"You go first," she said, handing me the binder. I obliged, took hold of the pencil, and began a nice doodle. "So why do you want to hang out with me?" she asked. I looked at her and thought for a moment before starting a sketch of a pug.

"Well, you seem cool to talk to. You have a strong attitude," I said, finishing the eyes and beginning the body.

"Also, I want to get to know my desk buddy," I said, looking at her. She looked a bit embarrassed by the comment and huffed. "Well, there's not much to really know," she said, looking down at her legs.

Without saying anything, I finished the body of the pug and started working on its paws. "What's the other reason?" she asked.

"Well, Damien has told me some things about you," I said, causing her to flinch in her chair and look away with a defeated look. "How... is he doing?" she asked, prompting me to stop and look back at her with a raised brow. I set the pencil down and recalled PE and lunch from yesterday.

"He seemed happy yesterday. I think we're becoming friends," I said, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. Olivia looked somewhat relieved and glanced at the page, smiling at the finished work of the pug.

"Ah, didn't realize I was done," I said, handing the binder back to the Baryonyx. She took it and giggled at the picture of the pug.

She took hold of the pencil and slowly brought it to the page, but she stopped midway. Her hand began to shake more and more until she sighed, laying her head down in defeat. I looked at her in confusion as she sat there.

"Artist's block?" I asked. She lifted her head to look at me, confusion evident, and slowly nodded. "Uh, yeah... artist's block," she muttered, her frown deepening as she stared at the page. Her claws gripped the armrest tightly, surprising me.

"Olivia?" I ventured.

She flinched again and looked at me, anger etched on her face and her breathing ragged. I stood up, rubbing the back of my head, then put a hand in my pocket.

"Are you okay?" I asked, letting my concern take control for a moment. She frowned at me and grabbed her wheelchair's wheels. "I'm fine," she said sternly before rolling forward and heading back inside.

"Ah, man, I messed up," I muttered, blowing a raspberry. I looked down and saw the binder on the floor. She must have dropped it. I picked it up and hurried to the door, but once inside, I didn't see her. I walked forward, scanning the area. She was nowhere in sight, and more students were arriving. School was starting soon.

"Fuck, I need to hurry," I thought aloud. I jogged around the halls, searching for the gator. The binder was tightly held in my hands as I continued looking. Eventually, I found myself in a clear hallway leading to the restrooms. It seemed less populated, and I could hear someone crying loudly. It was Olivia... God, I must have done something to upset her. Was it the game? Or... was it me?

She kept repeating a name, the same one students had mentioned yesterday—just one word: "Inco."

Who the hell is he?

I leaned against the walls, hearing her sob loudly. She was saying things I couldn’t understand, but one phrase stopped me in my tracks, making me realize the gravity of the situation.

“Why... why did you ruin my life?” Her words echoed in my head, sending a chill down my spine. Memories of how words like that had affected my own life flooded back—my father, my old schools, my mother...

I looked down at the binder in my hands. I should give it back to her, but right now, she probably didn’t need anyone, especially not a nobody like me. What should I do?

Leave a note <=

Just walk away

Feeling like I had the right idea, I grabbed my pencil and began a simple doodle of a stick figure version of myself, with my hair and beard. Underneath, I wrote, "Hey, sorry for bothering you." I placed the page on the binder, opened the door, and gently set it on her wheelchair before quickly leaving the room.

With nothing else to do, I put my hand in my pocket and made my way to the gym. Solly wanted to hand me some gym clothes, and I needed to get there as soon as possible.

…

Solly was surprised to see me early for gym clothes, but I was eager to talk to the coach and start warming up. A stuntman like me needed great endurance. Damien was also shocked to see me early and seemed even more hyper than usual for PE. Today, we had track outside since the weather was warming up.

The run felt good. Mia tried to make cocky remarks as she passed me, but Damien and I paid her no mind. Damien seemed to be the second best runner, with Mia in first place, leaving me as the third best.

By the fifth lap on the track, Damien looked surprised to see me still going strong. "What's... on your... mind?" I panted out as we turned the corner. The hybrid chuckled and wiped his brow before glancing over at me. "Nothing, man. Just shocked to see you still going," he said. I laughed and slowly started picking up my pace.

"A stuntman must have the energy!" I roared out, pushing myself to run faster than Damien. But being a dino, Damien laughed and dashed alongside me, sprinting like it was a 60-yard dash. We zoomed past Mia along the way and flopped onto the ground, both of us panting for air. I collapsed on the floor, and Damien chuckled weakly, putting a hand on his knee.

"You... good... Redie?" he gasped, slowly walking over and looming over my figure. Coach Solly burst out laughing as he approached, slapping Damien on the shoulder. "NICELY DONE, CADETS! GO AHEAD AND FRESHEN UP AND HIT THE SHOWERS," he called out, then moved on to the rest of the class, who were just finishing their third lap.

"HURRY UP, MAGGOTS! WE'VE ALREADY GOT THREE WHO ARE DONE!" he roared, clapping his hands together. Damien grabbed a cup of water, chugged it down, and looked down at me with another cup in his hand. "Hey, want a cup?"

"Sure, just dump it on me," I weakly panted. Damien grinned and tilted the cup, throwing the water onto my face. I weakly gave a thumbs-up, which he returned. He then helped me up and handed me another cup, which I chugged down this time. We stopped and looked over when we heard Mia snorting loudly, giving us a death glare.

We didn't care and simply made our way to the stalls to clean up and dress back in our clothes. After soaking off the sweat and grime, I dried off and waited in the gym with Damien, who was leaning on the bleachers. I waved at him and slumped down next to him as we looked out at the empty gym floor.

"That was one crazy run, man," he said, looking over at me. I nodded in return. The last time I had a run that intense was trying to outdo the track team leader... that went horribly wrong. I chuckled, leaning forward. "Agreed, amigo. Never ran that fast before," I huffed out, looking back down at the floor.

Suddenly, I recalled what had happened that morning with Olivia. "Hey man... mind if I ask a weird question?" I said, looking at him with a furrowed brow. He waved a hand and leaned back, looking at me. "Sure, fire away."

"What... is your relationship with Olivia?" I asked. The question caused the Dilopho-Spinosaurus to stumble back a bit, looking at me in shock. His frills wobbled as he leaned forward with a frown on his face.

"...Why?" he asked sternly. His tone was intimidating as he looked at me expectantly. "Well... I was here a bit early and... I found her, and tried to hang out with her," I said, feeling nervous. But I quickly cleared my throat and looked at him resolutely.

"I tried to doodle with her," I explained, seeing his frown turn to surprise. "Doodle?" he repeated, sitting back before looking at me as I continued. "I went first to draw, but then she was going to—"

"She was trying?" he interrupted, leaning forward to look me dead in the eyes. I nodded, confused by his reaction. Now he seemed puzzled by my explanation, but then a light smile spread across his face. "That's... great! Holy—"

I raised a hand to stop him so I could continue.

"But when her turn came, she started asking me things, like why I was trying to talk to her and why I cared..." I looked away and sighed, crossing my arms. "Honestly, I don't know why... but I felt something was off. Yesterday, you told me that she’s your sister—"

"Friend..." he corrected, looking down sadly.

"Friend. And I was worried. But before she was going to draw, she stopped and then gave up," I said, looking back at the hybrid. "I asked her about it, and then she left," I said, watching Damien rub his hair as he looked away with a hiss.

"Figures, she doesn’t want help after..." Damien trailed off, and I paid no mind and continued. "She left, forgetting her binder. So I wanted to return it... but I heard her in the bathroom... sobbing," I said, already remembering the wails in the halls. Damien looked shocked, and his sadness turned to desperation as I finished.

"She... said something I couldn't forget... and it’s been bothering me," I said, unfolding my arms as I slowly repeated the last line she said.

“Why… why did you ruin my life!”  

"God... Olivia..." Damien muttered as tears slowly formed on his face. I could only watch as the hybrid fell apart, taking a few deep breaths. I felt helpless, just like with Olivia. But when he stood up, I knew it was the right time to ask again.

"Fins... tell me... what is your relationship with her?" I asked, getting the hybrid to stop and look over at me. I stood up, my face hopeful. He sighed, wiped his face, and tried to put on a strong front.

"We... aren't on good speaking terms... I wish I could say sorry, but she locked herself away from us... and my family is in complete devastation from it. I... said some things to her, and... him," he said, spitting venomously. He clearly meant Inco, but I needed to know about Olivia.

He stopped and turned to face me with a determined look. "Look, Red, I've only known you for one day... and I'll admit, you're a cool guy. But Olivia is hurting... there are problems you won’t understand," he said, walking up to me and putting a hand on my shoulder. "I have only one question I must ask," he said, adjusting his grip on my shoulder.

"Do you want to be Olivia's friend?" he asked, catching me off guard. I took a moment to think. Sure, I had been wondering about her. The school knew something, the students knew something, and her friends knew something.

I remembered first meeting her, crashing into her, and then seeing that sobbing meltdown. "Yeah... I do," I said, smiling warmly at him. He took that in and gave me a thumbs-up.

"Okay, I’ll tell you one thing, man. Something you gotta be careful around," he said, crossing his arms. He turned his back to me and slowly rubbed his chin. "I believe what happened with Olivia was... well, art," he said, looking back at me. I recalled how shocked he looked when I tried playing the doodle game with her.

"Art, man... she was a painter back when Iadakan was still around, and after he died... she changed," he said.

"That’s... understandable. Grief can affect more than just the mind. I’ve experienced it," I said, nodding. Damien sighed again and rubbed his hair. 

"Just... try to be more careful around art stuff. That’s all I can really say. You're like the only guy I know who has ever gotten close to her," he admitted.

Before we could say anything else, Solly and the rest of the class walked in. He saw us, snorted, but nodded. Damien and I shrugged, grabbed our bags, and got ready to leave for the next period.

…

By the next period, I felt more confident, but I didn’t expect Olivia to be there, even after what happened. She looked a bit better than she had in the morning. Next time, I’d be more careful with that subject. The class was the same as Wheatley’s lecture and the assignment. We had some small talk but mainly focused on the work. Once the bell rang, she left the class.

Lunch was great. Damien, Liz, and I shared stories from our childhood, including a few embarrassing moments. We even made plans for more hangouts. They were cool people to be around, much better than back at my old schools.

After lunch, I made my way to drama class. On the way, I bumped into Ben, who seemed desperate to talk to me. 

“Hey Red, there you are!” he said, desperate enough for me not to give a damn. I brushed him off and walked past him.

“WAIT!” he said, making me stop and look over at him. I kept a half-lidded expression and put a hand in my pocket as he walked up, looking annoyed and pissed off.

“Red… I’ve been trying to help you, but you keep on… ignoring me!” Ben said, throwing his arms out. I could only frown at him. 

“Look, amigo, I don’t have time for whatever you’ve got going, okay? So what is it?” I said flatly.

Ben huffed, fixed his glasses, and straightened his stance. “I’ve been getting complaints from students that you’ve been nearly running them over with that board. Please stop wasting my time trying to clean up your mess,” he said, frowning at me.

He can’t be serious.

I just blinked at him. He’s joking, right? Clearly not, because he now looked even more furious at my blank expression. 

“I’m serious, Red. I may be the student body president, but I’m not a teacher. So make my life easier by making your life easier,” he said. Okay, now I was pissed off.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” I growled, making him flinch from my tone. “Make my life easier? You don’t know a single thing about me, estúpido.” I slowly walked up to him. He stood still and started to sweat a bit. I grabbed his shirt collar and tugged him close to my face.

“Don’t go making stupid choices, pendejo, when you don’t know anything,” I said, shoving him back. I turned around and walked away to my class. Ben didn’t say anything else as I left. God, this is why StuCo sucks.

They always want to pin the blame and act like they know everything. Great, now my mood is even more sour. Hopefully, drama class can help relax this growing headache.

Once I sit down in the classroom, I skim the school book with little interest. I think I hate romance stories; reading these lines makes me gag loudly. That was quickly stopped when the teacher stood in front of me with arms crossed. He was a tall spinosaurus with bits of red on his scales, the pattern on his face making it look like he had a ski mask on.

Hell, he showed up out of nowhere. It's almost like he is a spy.

He cleared his throat and spoke with a French accent, “Mr. Erring? Mind telling me why you aren't reading along with the class?” Mr. Spies said, folding his arms.

“Sorry sir, just been thinking about which character I should play as,” I fibbed before biting my tongue.

Mr. Spies chuckled and walked over to the front of the classroom with his arms unfolded. “Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Erring here has brought up a good question,” he said, getting some of the students to look over at me and then back at the teacher.

“Erring has already spoiled the surprise for our class. We’ve got six months left till graduation, and Principal Scaler has given me an opportunity I couldn’t refuse,” he said, turning off the lights and switching on the projector. It displayed—holy hell, it’s V.A.U!

Voltcityes Action University! That's like one of the best colleges for actors to start their careers. Mr. Spies looked pleased at my reaction, as did a few other students.

“Those expressions say it all. Ah, I remember my time at V.A.U.,” he said, showing an image of himself on stage, looking younger—okay, that's him kissing someone. The entire class groaned at the pictures, making the teacher frown before turning the lights back on.

“Anyway, we will be having our grand play in the last month, on prom night—the most romantic night, with the greatest romance play. But there’s another catch: not just one, but two esteemed actors will be attending to watch the play themselves,” he said, crossing his arms with a smug grin. “So, class, we will be sending papers to your parents for after-school practice for the show. If you do not wish to participate, please stand up.”

Some students stood up and gave their names, but a good handful remained seated. It seemed like a decent number of dinosaurs were interested in participating in the hands-on experience with a professional set.

“Wonderful. I look forward to our practice sessions. Now, feel free to talk and ‘vibe’ for these last few minutes,” Mr. Spies said, leaning back in his chair as the class erupted into chatter. I couldn’t help but sit back with a huge grin on my face—this was my ticket! With practice time scheduled, it felt like my future was finally coming together.

My mood had improved slightly.

After class, I headed to my last period, which was history. Olivia was there, looking brighter than she had in art class. She still wasn’t quite cooperating with the teacher, but Prockling only gave her an apologetic look.

As class was nearing its end, Olivia got up to leave, but before she departed, she placed a page on my desk. I watched her give me a small smile and a nod, her expression shifting back to sadness as she rolled out the door.

Once she was gone, I turned my attention to the page lying face down on the desk. Curious, I picked it up and slowly flipped it over. The doodles from this morning greeted me: the cool pug with a leather jacket and Elvis hair, surrounded by rats in similar attire. But what caught my eye was the last sketch—the one of Olivia herself, accompanied by a message written in neater handwriting than my own.

“It’s okay. Thanks for trying to hang out.”

A tiny smile formed on my face as I glanced towards the door where Olivia had exited. She wasn’t so bad after all. The rest of class went smoothly, and as I walked to my car, a big grin remained plastered on my face. Liz and Damien had exchanged numbers with me and were blowing up my phone with texts. I responded with a thumbs up and looked up, stopping in my tracks.

There she was, Olivia, looking a bit nervous as she caught my surprised gaze. I pocketed my phone and walked over to her. "Um, hey," I started awkwardly. She shifted and met my gaze, offering a small smile.

"Hey," she muttered softly.

"Do you want to talk?" she asked after a moment.

I glanced back at the school and then back at her. This was my chance to connect with her, so I nodded. "Sure. Do you want to go for a drive?" I asked, stumbling over my words slightly. "I mean, in my car—"

I mentally kicked myself. Come on, Erring, keep it together!

Olivia snorted lightly at my stumble before nodding. "Yeah," she said simply. I opened the passenger door for her, watching as she hopped in. Quickly, I folded her wheelchair and stowed it in the trunk. Olivia looked genuinely surprised. "How did you...?"

"My mom had one when I was young, so it's an old habit," I explained, walking over to stow my board and bag in the back seat. I glanced at Olivia and then settled into the driver's seat. With a nod, I started the engine and left the parking lot.

Today had its ups and downs. I wondered what this next turn would bring.

…

The drive was... awkward, to say the least. Here I am, with a girl in my car. Okay, Erring, just keep it together. It's just friends talking—god, I've watched too many '80s movies. I kept a straight face as we parked near a gas station.

"So, uh, what do you wanna do?" I asked, glancing over at her.

"Um... maybe a walk and talk? There are some things I need to say," she replied, resting a claw under her chin as she leaned on the door.

A talk, huh? Okay, I might have an idea of where to go. "I saw a playground, an old one not too far," I suggested. She hummed for a moment before nodding. I opened my door and quickly got out to pull her wheelchair out.

Once we were set and ready, we made our way to the sidewalk. Out of habit, I had my board on my back. She didn't seem to mind as I adjusted my board and we walked along the sidewalk.

"I wanted to clarify my answer from this morning," I began, catching her attention. We passed some buildings before turning onto a smaller sidewalk that led to the park. "Sometimes I overthink things... but I also have a bad habit of being too curious," I admitted, noticing a small frown on her face as she glanced over at me.

"Not like that, it had to do with something Damien said about you," I said honestly, noticing the Baryonyx furrow a brow at me. "You know him, and he... well, he has had a hard time calling you a sibling," I bluntly said, watching as she looked aside. We didn't say anything as we continued our path to the playground.

As expected, it was empty and desolate. I took a seat on the bench while Olivia stayed in her chair. "I... well, I live with him," she said, rubbing her arm, "since I was very young," she added, looking down at her legs again. "But they’re n-not my family," she stuttered out. I could only nod and look away, feeling her struggle.

"Well, I don't know if he is blunt or not, but he seems like a nice guy at heart," I said, a smile forming on my lips. Olivia smiled lightly at that as she looked up, then nodded as tears slowly fell down her cheeks. "T-that's good to know," she mumbled, wiping her face. It made me wonder if she still cared about him.

"But he also talked about... Inco," I said, watching her flinch and look away. I quickly raised a hand. "But I won’t pry. It's not my business. But if I can ask one thing... who the hell is he?" I asked. Olivia looked into my eyes before looking down and sighed.

"He’s my... ex," Olivia sighed.

Ah, well that confirms one of my thoughts. I cast it aside and simply sighed. "Well, like I said, I won’t pry. Thanks for telling me at least who he is," I said, smiling warmly at her. She looked a bit embarrassed but nodded at my comment.

"Thanks," she said before looking away a bit. It was a tad awkward, but she was the first to move. "I wanted to thank you for trying to doodle with me and for giving me my binder too."

I smiled. "Hey, no problem, chica. It would suck to have no binder for work. Prockling would probably be pissed!"

"Yeah, she would have had Solly throw a ball at you for that."

"The class is on the second floor?"

"I know!" she chuckled.

We both shared a laugh as we took a moment to chat about school. She was shocked when I brought up how I dealt with Mia on the first day and how I managed to take the lead on the track. "But holy hell! I won’t forgive her for pulling my hair," I said, and Olivia snickered at that.

"Do you play with your hair or something?" she asked, holding in her laugh.

I pouted and crossed my arms. "I do not! A guy like me keeps his hair good. Kinda explains why I'm good at drawing hair, but art is not my cup of tea," I said, rubbing the top of my head.

"Well, to be honest, I don’t see you as an artist," she said.

"Yeah, well, I’m planning on being a stuntman," I replied. I went on to explain my future plans, what I needed to do for the rest of the year, and my college aspirations. She looked a tad impressed when I finished my ranting. It felt like things were going in the right direction now—she was talking more than last time.

"Wow, you sound like you’ve got things together," she said, looking away.

I nodded and leaned forward. "What about you? You plan to go to college?" I asked, which caught her by surprise.

"I... don't really know," she said, sounding uncertain. It wasn't my business to press her on it.

"Well, good luck with that. But hey, it's been nice talking to you," I said.

Olivia smiled brightly and nodded. "Yeah, it has been," she replied, then looked slightly ashamed. "I'm sorry if I've been rude to you."

I placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look back at me. "Hey, I crashed into you, remember? I should apologize for hurting you," I said with a small smile.

She grinned at that and eyed my board. "You're like the first student I've ever seen come to school with a skateboard," she said, shifting a bit.

I snorted and took my board off my back, placing it on my lap. "Well, it’s special to me. I've had this legit board since I was twelve. My Pops gave it to me after the crazy stunts I performed back at my first school, Sunset Plaza," I said, sighing at the good memories. My hometown, the rest of my family.

"Sunset Plaza?" she asked, curious.

"Yeah, it's my hometown. Lots of good memories there," I replied, feeling a bit nostalgic.

"You're from Sunset Plaza? Explains the accent," she said, rubbing her hands together.

I nodded happily, but my expression slowly darkened. "Yeah, but then my Pops got a job in architecture. Worked there ever since. Got the money for us and then so on," I said, feeling my frown deepen.

"Your parents aren’t home a lot," she observed, more as a statement than a question. I nodded slowly, an old memory of my mom surfacing.

"After my mom died, my pops has been 'taking care' of me by leaving home all the time. I know he cares about me, but it's annoying," I growled, remembering the times he was never there.

Olivia nodded and looked away, crossing her arms. "Yeah, I get that. My dad has been away a lot, but he's here a bit more now," she said, looking at me. "It will be all fine, Red."

I nodded and slowly grinned, standing up and stretching. I glanced at my phone and hissed through my teeth when I saw the time.

"Well, it's starting to get late. You wanna get home?" I asked. She checked her phone and groaned lightly. "Yeah, I should before anyone gets... let's get going," she said.

Feeling a bit daring, I placed my board on the ground and eyed Olivia. "Okay, let's roll out!" I said, causing her to furrow a brow at me.

"Well, aren't you a little baby with your cartoons," she said, grinning. I felt my face heat up but scowled at her. "Hey! Transformers are awesome! Optimus Prime is the best character of all time!"

"Based," she teased, leaning forward in her chair. "You have a based character."

"Oh yeah? You tell me your favorite then!"

"Soundwave, obviously," she said, making me groan aloud with a hand on my face.

"Of course. Well, I'll tell you this: I have the old DVD sets of the show. I'll prove that Optimus is not just 'based.' How about that?" I offered, which got her to snort. "Whatever you say," she replied. I got on my board and looked down at her. "Well?"

She rolled her eyes but grabbed her wheels with a determined look. "Yeah... let's roll out!" she said, and then she threw her wheels forward, darting ahead of me. I laughed and rolled after her on my board. In a flash, we were back at my car.

During the drive, she gave me directions to her home. It wasn't far from school, which explained why she often rolled away when school ended. Now, we were parked outside the house that belonged to Damien’s family. It wasn't a bad place, actually.

"So… see you tomorrow?" she asked, looking at me.

I nodded and offered my hand. "Friends?" She eyed it before slowly bringing a claw to my hand, giving a firm handshake with a grin on her snout. "Friends."

I helped her out of the car and back into her chair. After waving my goodbyes, I got back in and began to leave. As I turned the corner, I saw her still waving. It wasn’t a bad talk. We’d had a rough start, but things were going well now, and even better.

I got a new friend!

Chapter Text

Well, put me in a new art school filled with nothing but dinosaurs of all kinds, and you’ll find me getting the side-eye from humans who think I’m some kind of jerk I’ve never met before. Thankfully, the students stopped staring at me after the week passed by. Actually, I think I got a new nickname, ‘skater,’ thanks to my trusty board, replacing the old one, ‘skinny.’

Damien and Liz were cool as always, but they seemed more curious when I hung out with Olivia. Liz had a worried look, while Damien had a curious expression; I didn’t pay it much attention.

I will say that Olivia and I have enjoyed our hangouts. Since I got the car, we’ve been hitting up a fast-food joint for takeout and eating outside on the bleachers. It’s still a bit cold, but I don’t think she minds at all. Today, though, things felt different.

The start of PE was normal. Fins and I had actually taken on the ‘coach’s favorite’ role, with the special duty of setting things up. I was glad, while Damien just shrugged. So now we’re outside setting up for a game of kickball. I’m not sure why the coach was so eager to be outside, but eh, the cold never bothered me. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the hybrid.

“D-dude… how the hell are humans so warm?” he said, placing the plate down. I could only grin smugly. “It’s a skinny thing, compadre; warm and cold are just normal for us,” I explained, keeping my shit-eating grin.

“Whatever you say, man… Raptor Jesus! I think my own acid spit will be frozen!” he said, placing another plate down. I now had a slight worried expression as he shivered some more. “You sure you’re okay? I mean, Olivia handles the cold well,” I said, getting him to look over at me. That look he’d been giving me returned. He looked away, took a breath, and then looked back with a sad expression.

“Hey… do you think she could… sit with us?” he asked, sounding rather desperate. I didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t talked much since her outburst and had actually been trying to avoid it. So, I finished my last plate, walked over to him, and gave him an uncertain look.

“I… don’t know. She might still be…” I muttered, rubbing my hair. The hybrid looked more upset at that and nodded his head. “That… that’s okay, dude,” he said before finishing his plate. Once we had the ball and cones all set, Solly and the class showed up, having the same reaction as Damien. But by the time the game started, they adapted and played well.

Throughout the game, Damien and I didn’t say much. He kept that look, and I tried to ignore it. By the end, Solly gave everyone a nod of approval before whistling for more activities. More running—here we go.

By the time class was over, Damien still had that look, and it was starting to bug me, so I had to do something. After we finished changing, I gathered my gear before stopping Damien. “Hey man, can we talk for a second?” I asked. He took a minute before nodding and following me out of the gym to one of the halls. Once we were by the lockers, I stopped, turned to him, and gave him a crossed-armed, questioning glare.

“Hombre, what’s wrong? That look you’ve been giving me is getting on my nerves. What’s wrong?” I said sternly. The Dino sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking nervous all of a sudden. After another sigh, he looked at me with a sad expression.

“Sorry, man… this hasn’t been easy for me… god,” he said, stepping away and running a hand through his hair as he paced back and forth. “I wish… I could just fix things between me and Olivia… I can’t keep this going!” He growled, clenching his fist, his frills flaring out. I watched him continue moving back and forth, over and over.

“What can I do? Is there still time?” he asked, slowly leaning back against the lockers and wiping his tears, hissing to himself and muttering things I could almost hear: “Why did I say that to her?”

I took a step closer and leaned my back against the lockers, looking away from him. “Look, I don’t know what happened, and it’s not really my place to pry,” I said, glancing at him. Damien frowned at that and looked down at the floor, crossing his arms, his frills poking out a bit. “I’ve tried talking to her. She just ignores me—rolling away, going to school early, hiding herself from my family,” he said. Well, if he’s telling me the issue, then I guess I should ask.

“Why?” I asked the million-dollar question. He looked at me and sighed, rubbing his temple slowly. “It… was… You know Inco, right?” I nodded, and he glared at the ground again, his frills extending out as his anger boiled over.

“HIM. That… backstabbing… piece of shit! Met him in PE and invited him to my own home… and he helps my sister!” he said, clenching his fist tighter, his fin on top extending out. “And!... He then hurts her!” he snarled, which shocked me. Man, this guy was Olivia’s ex? And he hurt her? Now I felt my own anger starting to boil.

“But before that, I… messed up,” he said, looking at me with tears returning to his eyes. “Before all this happened, we had an argument… I really messed up.” He started muttering apologies over and over. That’s tough. If something like that happened, I’m guessing he must have said something really messed up. He stuttered through his next words, carefully trying not to break down again.

“I… said that… we were going to kick her out…” he said, looking at me. I hissed through my teeth, just thinking of something like that being said—it would have been horrible. But how did it get to that? I must have muttered it aloud because the hybrid scoffed, looking away with a frown on his face. “My little brother… his name is Vinny. We're the same, and we have acid spit,” he said before recoiling a bit.

“He was sick and accidentally sneezed on her dress… and he tried to cheer her up with art…” His frown deepened as he thought carefully. I sighed, waving a hand at him with a matching frown. “You don’t need to say more about that,” I said, and he nodded.

“Red… how can I help her? Even if she always throws me and my family out?” he asked, looking at me with desperation in his eyes. I don’t know everything, but if he’s asking me this, maybe I can help. There is one thing I can do: be flat-out honest.

“Damien, I don’t know,” I said flatly, shoving my hands in my pant pockets with a serious look. “I don’t know you enough, or her enough. But what I can say is that I know you and Liz are the happiest couple I know,” I remarked, getting him to smile lightly. I sat down, and he did too, as I kept a smile on my lips. “And Olivia… It’s been a few times I’ve hung out with her. I see her sad sometimes, but she’s happy some of the time too,” I recalled from our hangouts during lunch.

I looked at him with a stern expression. “If you want to talk to her, then be real with her,” I said, getting him to scoff again and look at me with a frown. I raised a finger to stop him. “I’m guessing she distanced herself in the past,” I guessed, and he nodded slowly. Ah, now I can get somewhere. I was the same back when I was at Volcano High. Pops was home a lot and always tried to talk to me before the start of senior year.

But back then… I was in a relationship… with her.

“She needed the space, but she’ll soon realize that being alone is not what she wants in life,” I said, getting him to look away, the frown still on his face. His frills wobbled as he groaned aloud, placing a claw on his snout. “But… if we don’t do anything, then she–”

“You don’t know that,” I interrupted, crossing my arms and giving him a small smile. “I think she will come around. Why? Because from what I’ve seen, she just needs time.” I sighed again. God, I feel like my mom saying that. She helped a lot back then. But after she died, things were—

Why am I thinking about this? What's done is done; she's gone, and I have to keep moving on. That’s what she would want me to do.

Shaking my head, I stretched my arms before getting up and offering a hand to him. He looked at it and then at my face. “Damien, you don’t hate her, right?” He looked shocked at that, then quickly shook his head and grabbed my hand as I hoisted him up. “Never, man,” he said.

I gave him a determined look. “Then let her heal and be real. If she talks to you, then talk, but don’t go straight to the subject,” I said, adjusting my grip into a slow handshake. Damien looked a bit scared for a moment but quickly wiped it away and gave me a thumbs up. “I’ll be ready then. Or should I think about what to say?” he said, rubbing his chin. I snorted and tapped his shoulder. “It’s not rocket science, man. And I’ll be honest, talking isn’t my strong suit,” I said.

Damien chuckled at that, then looked around the halls. “We should get to class. Hopefully, my teacher won’t kill me,” he said. I snorted again before waving him off. Wait, fuck!

“See you at lunch, man!” I said before pulling out my board and skating to Art. He waved back, still grinning, as we parted ways. Hopefully, lunch won’t be awkward this time.

…

Lucky for me, Wheatley didn’t give much of a scolding when I showed up—just had to stay an extra minute. Afterwards, I made my way to lunch until I was stopped by the sound of someone laughing loudly. My face formed a frown when I realized it was Mia. It’s a pain in the ass to avoid her since she’s in my PE class, but for some reason, I felt compelled to see what she was up to.

“Oh, ‘Livia! I haven’t seen you so active in forever! What have you been doing?” she said. I scoffed at her ‘friendliness’ but listened closely when I heard Olivia’s voice.

“None of your business,” she muttered, clearly trying to ignore her. The sounds of other dinos chuckled lightly before one spoke up.

“Listen, bitch, we’re just trying to hang out.”

“Yeah, Hotwheels.”

I heard Olivia snort loudly at that. “Fuck off, Mia. I’m not helping you with your bullshit.” I saw her try to move away, but Mia blocked her path with her spiked tail flailing around. “Now listen here! Don’t forget what I have that can end your life. Hell, even your retarded boyfriend had the chance!” she laughed, causing Olivia, the Baryonyx, to snarl at her.

“HE’S NOT–” she stopped herself, then snarled at Mia as the parasaur snickered at her. “Ah, the crippled one couldn’t find her voice now? How upsetting,” she said. Okay… so now I’m pissed. But what the hell can I do? She’s a dino who can likely kick my ass, and I can’t talk for shit. Fuck! Okay, Red… think!

Defend her

Support her <=

Alright, if I can’t do much, I can at least do the next best thing: nothing. My mind took control as my legs carried me towards the group of dinos. I saw Olivia in tears, trying to keep a strong face. But that all faded when she spotted me walking up with my arms in my pockets.

I saw Mia and two dinos behind her, but I paid them no mind and walked up. Mia scoffed and stepped towards me with her scowl deepening. “Now what are you doing here, skinny?” she said. I looked up at her and blinked before looking at Olivia. She wiped the tears off her face, staring at me in shock. I shuffled past Mia and looked down at Olivia, giving her an unimpressed look, then glanced at the other two dinos.

Looking back down at the Baryonyx, I nodded towards the halls. She took a moment before gripping her wheels and slowly rolling her wheelchair down the hall past Mia. The red parasaur looked surprised at that before snarling again. “Hey! I’m not done talking to you, Hotwheels,” she said, trying to provoke her. Olivia shifted a bit but kept moving ahead.

“Oh… oh! Oh now this is something!” she said, getting me to look at her with a furrowed brow. “So one skinny goes away, and the crippled one begs for another skinny!” she laughed loudly, but stopped when Liv and I kept moving.

“HEY!” she barked this time, stepping in front of us, her attention focused on me now. “I don’t think you know what’s at stake here for you, pal!” she growled, and I only blinked at her.

I looked at Olivia and nodded for her to go. She was hesitant at first before she rolled ahead. I heard the other dino chicks run up with uncertain looks. “Uh… yeah! You run away, bitch!” the white raptor said before Mia snarled at her and then looked back at me.

“Whatever you say, Chica,” I said, brushing past her. But before I could go further, I felt my hoodie tugged back, and soon I was pressed against the lockers.

“Mia, wait—”

“Shut up!” Mia snarled at the white raptor before lowering her head to my level. “Listen here, you fire starter fuck. I’m going to make sure you don’t mess with me and who I mess with, okay?” she sneered. I returned her frown and did one thing—I spit on her face. She let me go and gasped at the wet spot on her cheek. She wiped it off and growled.

“You… piece of shit… I’M—“

“I’d rather not,” came the sound of Mr. Wheatley’s voice. She snapped her gaze to the blue raptor with hatred. Wheatley kept his arms crossed behind his back, frowning at Mia. 

“Ms. Moretti. I may be new here, but it doesn’t mean I don’t know how to discipline a student. I don’t think your father would be pleased if I told him about this,” he said, causing the red dino to pause, a tinge of worry appearing on her face before it faded into a growl as she lifted my shirt again.

“Remember this, you fuck. This isn’t over,” she said before dropping me and storming away, leaving the other two. Wheatley gave them the same look, and they soon booked it. Once they were gone, he quickly walked over to me. I fixed my shirt and hoodie before standing up.

“Red, are you alright?” he asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded lightly, dusting myself off. “I’m good, teach. How did you find me?” I asked, putting my hand back in my pocket. He grinned and looked behind him. “Someone came for help,” he said, moving aside to show Olivia.

“Raptor Jesus, Red, you’ve got a death wish,” she said, rolling up to me. I only shrugged her off and smiled down at her. “It’ll be fine. A stuntman’s got to know pain at some point, right?” I said, getting Wheatley to chuckle. Olivia gave me a deadpan look before quickly swiping her tail at my leg.

“You could’ve had your whole body broken from her. You should probably roll with me for safety,” she said. Wheatley crossed his arms again and looked down the hall where Mia and her goons had run off. “I’ll make sure to notify Scaler about this,” he said before looking back at us with a small smile on his snout.

“Hey, thanks for not damaging the halls. It probably would have been bad if a fight broke out here,” Wheatley said before Olivia scoffed.

“If you had been working here from the start, you would have seen the damage she did,” Olivia said, raising a brow from both me and the art teacher.

“You’re saying... that does explain that one hallway. But how did she get away with it?” Wheatley asked, prompting Olivia to frown and lean forward in her chair with arms crossed.

“Probably Ben did something to get her in less trouble,” she said, scowling. Wheatley frowned and scoffed.

“So, our student body president too, eh? I'll keep track of this as well,” he said, now smiling at us again. “Well, you two better get to lunch. I'll handle things from here,” he said, waving us off and walking toward the halls. I sighed and followed Olivia to the elevator, the atmosphere feeling calmer. I soon noticed that the elevator was a bit old and rumbled like crazy.

“Geez, you roll in here 24/7?” I chuckled as the lift shook a bit. I was met with another tail swipe, but this time to the back… or should I say my ass.

“Whoa there! Save it till the first date, Chica!” I muttered before stopping. Olivia was holding her tail and blushing deeply from that. “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she said, quickly hiding her face. I blushed at my own comment and looked away.

Keep it together, Erring! Oh, that’s a new alarm sound.

We didn’t say anything until the doors opened. I let her roll out first before I did the same, keeping my hands in my pockets with my face still warm. God, I haven’t felt like this in a long while.

“So, uh...” I mumbled before looking at Olivia with a smile. “See you in history?” I asked. She nodded and flipped her hair out of the way before smiling at me. I couldn’t help but blush again at that. She snorted lightly before offering a fist bump.

“Yeah, see you later.” I accepted the bump before she began to roll away.

Once that was done, I couldn’t help but feel... happy? Sad? God, I don’t think I’m ready to think about this again... I sighed before slowly walking the other way. I kinda lost my appetite after that.

I walked aimlessly down the halls, trying to piece together everything. First, Damien trying to talk to Olivia, then Mia’s bullshit with Olivia, now these feelings about Olivia. Raptor Jesus, it looks like everything I find all leads to her. What is it that I don’t know? I...

I’m thinking that I’ve just entered a whole lot more problems than I should have... but it also looks like whatever I’m doing is helping? I don’t know. Fuck. I’ve got too much on my plate already. First mom, then school... now what? Dad is not even home, so I can’t just go to him. Phone calls are rare too.

I didn’t even realize I was on my way to the office. There’s been so much for me in one day, maybe I should just head home.

“Ah, good evening, Mr. Erring, was it?” A deep voice stirred me from my thoughts. I turned to see a huge figure before me. “Yeah?” I said, looking up to see the eyes of a whale. I stepped back to get a better view before quickly fixing my words.

“Yeah, sir, but you can call me Red,” I said, offering a hand. The leviathan smiled and took my hand in a firm handshake.

“Very well, Red. I’m Mr. Ferris. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” he said warmly.

Mr. Ferris? I’ve heard of him. Actually, I think he was the one from the board meeting back at Volcano High when I was getting transferred.

“Spears told me a lot about you,” he said. I scoffed and crossed my arms.

“Did he also tell you that I was, ahem, ‘blunt-headed’ a lot?” I asked, getting Ferris to run his hand over his mustache and look aside.

“I believe he mentioned it once or twice,” he said, frowning a bit.

“But other than that, it’s good to see you. Shouldn’t you be at lunch?” he asked. I could only hold my arm and frown at the ground.

“Just been thinking, señor. Kinda lost my appetite along the way,” I said.

“Hm, something you’d like to share?” he offered, lifting a hand and gesturing toward the door. I took a moment to think. It looked like he might have some way to help me with these thoughts.

“Sure,” I answered, getting him to smile more as he opened the door, letting me in. Once inside, I could hear Wheatley talking to Scaler, but fortunately, her door was closed. Ferris guided me to his office, where a nice big chair awaited him. I took a folded chair and sat down as he took his seat, giving me a concerned look.

“So what’s been on your mind... dog?” he said. I furrowed a brow at that, and he quickly cleared his throat and waved a hand. “Sorry, sorry. I’ve been trying to get a handle on the younger generation’s way of speaking,” he chuckled lightly. I smiled at that before running a hand through my hair. Ferris pulled out a pen, and I began my recap.

I told him about my first day, how the students kept giving me side-eyes, thinking I was someone else. I talked about meeting Damien, Liz, and Olivia, and how they all had issues that I didn’t fully understand. I didn’t know what was getting me so worked up, but when I mentioned my time back at VH, I thought I might have made a connection. Luckily, it seemed Ferris saw it too.

“That’s a lot for you,” he said before clicking his pen, stopping his writing, and sighing lightly. “The whole thing you know about Ms. Halford is well known to the students here. It happened around the start of this month,” he said, putting the pen down with a frown on his face.

“The winter formal,” he said, sounding a bit pissed as he mentioned it. “I kept hearing students talk about it, and from what I know, someone got arrested.” The tall whale nodded his head with a pained look as he glanced back at me.

“Yes. His name is Inco Nito, a human who was here before you, and…” he grabbed the desk lightly, grunting as anger returned to his expression. He looked down at the desk, continuing, “He was arrested for assault and won’t be out until the end of ‘26.”

God, was it that bad? Wait, if what Damien said is true, then... I felt my body tense as I leaned forward, putting my hands on the desk. “Sir, what happened to Olivia?” I asked, worry clear in my voice. I didn’t know why I felt so concerned, but I had to know.

Ferris was surprised by my sudden change of tone before he placed a hand on the desk again. “Ms. Halford was there during the formal. A fight broke out with Inco in it. I broke it up, and the next thing we heard was someone falling… down the stairs,” he said, his voice unwavering. I sat back in my seat, completely silent.

“Raptor Jesus…” was all I could muster. Ferris then pulled out a small file and read from it. “Ms. Halford was in a coma for almost a whole week. It was a miracle that her life was saved and that she woke up so early.” He put the folder away, and I didn’t know what more I could say. No, I did.

“That… demonio. Students thought that I was…” God, it’s happening all over again! My thoughts are true! First Volcano High, now this bullcrap! I’m not him! I’m not a joke! I AM NOT A TOOL! I got up and slowly started taking some breaths. Ferris stood up and put a hand on my shoulder. The sound of the lunch bell rang, and he looked down at me.

“You need some air?” he offered. I could only nod my head. Once I was outside, I took a few calming breaths and slowly came to my senses. God damn it, I knew I was getting into more than I thought. This is bad, really, really bad. Everyone thought that I was him: Damien and Liz, even that fucking StuCo Ben, that bitch Mia, and even Olivia.

“Why… why do they think I’m him?” I said, feeling tears slowly form. I growled and wiped them away before a big hand was on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Ferris. He gave me an ‘it’s okay’ look, and I could only hold my breath before finally letting the dam burst.

I cried. It felt wrong to, but I did. I cried it all out of my heart. I didn’t know what made this so difficult. Was it that I was just a fool on a skateboard? No, it wasn’t that. It was the fact that I was a human, and once they saw a human, they all thought of him. But… why did the people I call friends see me like him?

“Red,” Mr. Ferris said, getting me to look at him. He gave me something I recognized: reassurance. I felt myself crumble a bit as his big arms slowly brought me into a hug. I… never thought I would get one like this.

“It will all be fine, Red,” he said. I couldn’t help but shake my head.

“No… I can’t… I can’t handle the pain,” I said, now looking away from his gaze. He let go of the hug, and I dusted myself off a bit, but then I looked down. “I have done nothing but hurt people. I had a life with my whole family… but I was the one who forced my parents to move away with my grandparents! I… ruined my mother’s dreams…” I said, slowly getting on my knees.

“What do you mean by that?” Ferris asked, his concern evident. I looked more ashamed, tears still falling down my face as I recalled the memories of my mother—the lullabies she sang, the good times we had before everything changed.

“My mom… before she died… she wanted to be a singer… but she got sick… ended up in a wheelchair… and then she died after we moved here,” I said, my voice breaking as I clutched my hands into fists.

“We moved from Sunset Plaza all because of me! All because I couldn’t meet my grandfather’s high expectations,” I said, my knuckles turning white as I struggled to control my emotions. “After we moved, Mom’s sickness worsened. She died a week later after we moved.”

I went to punch the ground in frustration but stopped myself. I wasn’t strong enough to fix everything. I just wanted things to be happy.

“And by the time I was at Volcano High… I… left after what happened on Culture Night. So many dinos kept calling me… a clown… a loser… just a fucking joke,” I said, grimacing at the memory. “So I moved to another school. Pops got a better job and leaves me alone. It feels like a punishment I deserve!” I snarled, frustration and self-loathing mixing in my voice.

“I wanted to become an actor, to show that I’m not a fucking joke to people at VH or even my own fucking family! Maybe that’s it… I’m like him! A fucking terrible person who would ruin people’s lives!” I growled before Mr. Ferris put a calming hand on my shoulder.

“You’re not him, Red,” Ferris said firmly. “I’ve known Mr. Nito since day one, and I can tell you that you’re nothing like him. He messed up, but you can’t compare your mistakes to his.”

His words were like a lifeline, pulling me back from the edge of despair. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, and looked at Ferris with a mixture of gratitude and uncertainty.

“I know it’s hard,” Ferris continued, his voice gentle. “But you’re trying to make things better. You’re not defined by your past or by others’ perceptions of you. You have the chance to shape your own future, to be who you want to be. It’s not about erasing the past but about moving forward and proving to yourself that you can be more than what you fear you might be.

I nodded, taking in his words. They didn’t fix everything, but they offered a glimmer of hope in the midst of my pain. Maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to move forward and be the person I wanted to be.

He stepped back to give me some space, and I wiped my tears, feeling a mix of relief and gratitude. “T-thank you, Señor Ferris. I really needed that,” I said, my voice still shaky. He smiled warmly at me, a reassuring presence.

“Never worry, Red,” he said, his gaze drifting to the sky. “I understand that the students here can be challenging. But I know you’re strong.” He then added, “Spears mentioned you’ve had difficulties in a relationship, that you were used.”

I winced at that and looked down, not ready to delve into those wounds.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” I said quietly.

Ferris respected my wishes and offered a different perspective. “I won’t pry, but I will say this,” he said, his tone firm yet kind. He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “You’ve only been here a week, and you’ve already made friends. Damien sought your help, and Olivia has reached out to you. That shows they trust you. They value your friendship.”

His words struck a chord. Despite the rough start, Damien had come to me for advice, and Olivia had chosen to stay by my side even after our rocky beginning. I realized they weren’t just tolerating me—they wanted my help and valued me as a friend. A smile began to form on my face as I absorbed this realization.

“I understand,” I said, my smile growing. “Thank you again, Mr. Ferris.”

He smiled back and offered a hand toward the door. “You think you can handle the rest of the day?” he asked.

At first, I was hesitant, but then I remembered Olivia was expecting me in history class. “Yeah,” I replied, nodding.

“Good. Wait here while I get you a pass. What’s your next class?” he asked.

“Drama,” I answered.

Ferris nodded and went inside. I glanced around the halls, my eyes falling on the framed picture of Iadakan. His serene smile seemed to offer silent encouragement. When Ferris returned with the pass, I took it and made my way to drama class, feeling a renewed sense of purpose.

I decided against using my board and walked to class, feeling the quiet around me. As I sat waiting for class to start, the silence seemed to amplify my nervousness. When the last period began, the anxiety was almost palpable. Olivia noticed my unease but gave me a reassuring smile, which warmed my chest and made me feel more at ease.

“Damien sought your help, and Olivia has reached out to you. That shows they trust you”

I returned her smile and quickly focused on taking notes. As the lesson progressed, the familiar rhythm of class work helped to settle my nerves. The concerns and confusion of the day seemed to fade away, if only for a moment. When the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, I gathered my things with a newfound sense of calm. The day had been a whirlwind, but I was starting to see a clearer path forward. Despite the challenges, I had friends who believed in me and were counting on me.

With a final glance at Olivia, who gave me a supportive nod, I left the classroom with a lighter heart. The weight of the day’s trials was still there, but it felt a little less heavy. Tomorrow was a new day, and for the first time in a while, And I felt ready to face it.

Chapter Text

It’s December 31, and the school has closed its doors, sending students home to spend time with their families, maybe even enjoy some drinks as they wait to see the ball drop in our city that never sleeps, celebrating New Year's Eve. If only that were the reality here...

I stand by the couch where Gojo is curled up on his dog bed, wearing an elf hat. My dad, on the other hand, is on the other end of my phone screen, somewhere on the coast, working with a group of humans. “Now remember, son, keep the heaters on. The snow will be falling for the last time, and Jack Frost is clearly getting the last laugh,” Dad snickers. I only nod, keeping a blank face. That makes him stop the awkward laugh, and he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Rojo, mi hijo. I’m sorry I’m not there, freezing with you and Gojo. I know you’re mad at me… and I know I haven’t—” I cut him off by raising my hand and walking over to the island stool to sit down.

“No, Pops… I understand. Just… maybe next time, right?” I say, noticing him hiss lightly before looking away from the phone to mutter something to one of his workers. He looks back at me with an apologetic smile. “Okay, Red, just make sure not to blow up the house, okay?” he says, clearly needing to go. My anger simmers beneath the surface.

“Yes, Pops,” I mutter.

Dad flinches at my tone, then nods slowly and sighs. “Okay, hijo, I love—”

I hang up and toss the phone on the island, resting my elbows on the counter and running my fingers through my hair with a tired groan. There goes another damn family moment. 

Hmph. Whatever… I shuffle off the stool and walk over to the window, looking outside. Snow is falling lightly, thankfully not sticking. I consider going for a drive, but it’s too cold to leave Gojo alone, so I guess I’ll just crash. Maybe I’ll binge-watch some YouSnoot or listen to an audiobook and see where the rest of the day takes me. Or… I could just stand here, staring out the window with a tired expression. I’m worn out from how things have been these last few days. School’s been fine, but… I’d rather be there than here…

VRRUM VRRUM!

I flinch, snapping back to reality, and look over at the counter. Gojo is up now, barking at the unexpected noise. I sigh, leave the window, and pet the top of the black mutt. Grabbing my phone.

Missed calls (2): Damien Payne

“Damien?” I mutter in shock, quickly slapping myself to wake up. I pick up the phone, nearly fumbling it, but catch it in time and start dialing his number.

Ring… ring… ring

“Yo Redie! Was worried you weren’t gonna pick up,” Damien’s voice comes through the phone. I can’t help but smile as I sit down on the couch, with Gojo hopping onto my lap.

“Yeah, man, sorry, I was… on the toilet,” I mentally slap myself and sit up, clearing my throat. “But, uh… what’s up?” I ask. Damien snickers, and I can hear people in the background, likely his family.

“Well, my parents were wondering if your family could come over to hang out and celebrate the rest of the day before the ball drops,” he explains. I feel a weight lift from my chest as I try to think of what to say. I groan aloud and look down at Gojo, who’s staring back at me with his tongue sticking out. “I’m by myself… it’s mainly just me and my dog here,” I say, shifting a bit. “Pops is out working, so I’m alone.” Damien hisses through the phone but keeps muttering to his family before shuffling to a quieter room.

“Well, we don’t mind if you come, but if you don’t—”

“Hang on, Fins, I wasn’t going to turn it down. I’m just wondering if I can bring my dog. The heaters aren’t working right now, so me and him are trying to stay warm,” I say. Damien cheers lightly before gasping and returning to his main room. “Mom, he said okay… Yeah, but he has a dog with him… No, he just wants to keep him warm,” Damien says to his parents before shifting back to the phone.

“Sure, man, just make sure he doesn’t go to the bathroom inside,” Damien adds, and I chuckle, patting Gojo’s back. Gojo growls lightly, and Damien soon hears him barking up a storm, which makes him laugh.

“Boy, he sounds like he wants to press charges against me,” Damien says, making me grin. I shake my head, put the phone on speaker, grab my pug, and bolt to my bedroom.

“Well, don’t worry about it. He’s trained for both potty and obedience,” I say, feeling proud of my beloved companion. I grabbed more of Gojo’s Christmas set from this morning and his winter boots. I also snatch my red hoodie and matching red pants.

“Will I see anyone else there?” I ask, browsing through my closet for my dog bag. Damien clicks his tongue. “Well, Liz’s family is here,” he says. I nod slightly, noting that a good number of people will be there, so it shouldn’t be too bad.

Fully geared up, I grab a small bag of treats for Gojo and his leash, then head to my car. “Well, I’ll see you there. There’s a good amount of snow here, but it’s not sticking for now, so I should be there in about… an hour,” I say, opening the front door and covering my pug. I jog to the car, set Gojo down, and take the phone off speaker, holding it to my ear. “You want me to bring anything? Drinks?” I ask, settling into the driver’s seat as the hybrid hums to life. Damien clicks his tongue. “Anything really is fine,” he says. I nod and start the car, thinking a quick trip won’t hurt. “Alright then, I’ll be there soon,” I reply.

“Yeah, dude, make sure to drive safe,” Damien adds.

Click

Maybe this New Year will be different… I couldn’t help but smile brightly as I realized I’m going to hang out with friends. I quickly text Dad to let him know and then rev up my car, pulling out of the driveway. I start driving slowly down the street, heading towards Dollar Bucket.

…

I exhale a shaky breath as I look at the Paynes’ residence. The parking lot is filled with cars, so I park on the side and gaze at the house. I’ve seen it a few times before when Liv and I hang out, but now I realize Olivia is here too. I’m not sure what she’ll be doing when people show up, so I’ll just let her be.

I glance down at Gojo and smile lightly, patting his elf hat. “Well, boy, ready to meet all the new smells?” I ask. Gojo barks in response. I snort, grab the dog bag and the happy pug, along with a bag full of soda, and get out of the car, heading to the door.

At the door, I adjust my grip on Gojo and knock lightly. I hear someone shout about being out in this weather. Here we go, Red. The door opens to reveal Damien’s father with a happy grin. “Howdy there! Name’s Randy,” he greets warmly, offering a handshake. Gojo, eager to sniff, greets him first. “Oh! Well, hi there,” Randy chuckles as Gojo barks happily and continues sniffing him. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Payne,” I say, smiling brightly. Randy clicks his tongue and wags a finger at me.

“None of that, son. Just Randy is fine,” he smiles before inviting me inside. I happily oblige.

“Redie! Welcome, man!” Damien cheers, walking over to me with a pair of wild glasses perched on his forehead. Gojo barks, getting Damien to chuckle and extend a hand for inspection. Gojo pants, sniffs quickly, and starts licking his hand, causing Damien to giggle.

“Thanks again for inviting me,” I say, handing Randy the bag of drinks and setting the happy pug down to explore the house. Damien shakes his head, smiling brightly, and guides me to the living room.

“Hey everyone! Meet Red, one of my new pals,” Damien announces. I see Liz wave over to me, along with a few others who must be her parents. Damien’s mom walks over with a tired but happy smile and offers me her hand.

“Welcome, Red. Damien has told me a lot about you,” she says. I grin lightly and take her hand, shaking it slowly. “Hopefully, it’s good things, Mrs. Payne— I mean, Sophia?” I ask. She shakes her head lightly but then nods.

“Indeed. Please enjoy your time,” she says, patting my shoulder before heading to the kitchen.

I take in the sights, shuffling over to the TV screen showing a live parade with giant balloons floating above. “Heh, cool. I’m surprised they still do this stuff,” I say, making Damien nod in agreement.

“Agreed, man. I’m glad they’ve kept some of the older traditions too. Mom was really pleased,” he says as he walks over to the couch. Liz’s head slowly comes down to nuzzle Damien in a simple dino kiss. He has a smug grin and looks at me. This guy seems to have everything here. Well… almost. I’m glad he isn’t letting things with Olivia dampen the mood.

Speaking of Olivia, where is she exactly?

Damien notices me scanning the room and nods towards a door not far from the TV. Ah, so that’s her room. I nod back and keep my hands in my pockets, smiling as Gojo begins to sniff Liz’s legs.

“Cute dog,” a voice says to my right. I look over to see Liz’s father. His scales are a bit more green, but I can tell Liz inherited his eyes. I nod, looking back down at the pug. “Thanks. He loves company a lot. Didn’t want him to be alone on a day like this,” I reply, glancing back at him. “Red Erring, nice to meet you…”

“Oh, Daniel. Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Erring,” Daniel says, turning his head slightly to look at the TV, his warm smile never leaving his face as he watches his daughter. “Liz has told me things about you as well. And all I can say is thank you… things were well… problematic,” he admits, looking back at me. I nod slowly, glancing at the door to Olivia’s room. What could she be doing with everyone out here? Probably just hiding, as she mentioned a few things about the situation.

I keep a small grin on my face as Daniel continues to talk about future plans for his daughter. It seems Liz got her knack for planning from her father. They’ve got everything written down on a piece of paper, just waiting to be executed. By the end of the conversation, I find myself sitting down and explaining my own future plans as well.

It felt calming to be around people to talk to, much better than being at home. I glance back and see Damien and Liz chatting closely, sharing a half-hug and whispering to each other. I can’t help but smile slightly at the sight. Then, a mischievous grin spreads across my face. “Hey, amantes, why not get a room?” I say. Daniel and his wife snort and giggle at my comment, while Liz’s face turns an odd shade of red. Damien, on the other hand, goes quiet, his fins extending as he scratches the back of his head, but he keeps a smile on his face.

We laugh, enjoy the songs playing on the TV, and the commercials are something—definitely better than those back at Sunset Plaza. Man, these soda commercials are making me thirsty. I get up from the couch and head towards the kitchen, where Randy and Sophia are discussing bags of salads and various fruits and vegetables.

“Soph, do you think we could have done something?” I hear Randy say. There’s some shuffling around before Sophia responds.

“I don’t know, Randy… I wish we could have done something when he was still around,” she says, her voice tinged with unhappiness. They’re clearly talking about Olivia.

“He’s gone now, Soph. We just need to give her time to think,” Randy says. I shuffle in, and both the Paynes look at me with surprise, quickly trying to mask their emotions.

“O-Oh, Red, what are you doing?” Sophia asks, maintaining a simple smile as I put my hand in my hood pocket.

Not wanting to make things awkward, I nod towards the bags of salads. “I saw you guys were having issues. Since you’re carnivores, I figured I’d help,” I say. Randy sighs lightly but then grins at me.

“It’s all fine, son. You don’t need to worry about it,” he says, reaching for the bag. I stop him with a raised hand.

“You forgot, sir. I’m from Plaza del Atardecer. Making salads runs in my family,” I say, causing Sophia to raise an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip. “You’re from there?” she asks. I nod and walk over to the bags, taking the one from Randy’s hand and opening it. I glance over at the sink and then at the two of them. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Sophia smiles as she and Randy step aside. I quickly wash my hands and pull out some kitchen knives. Grabbing tomatoes and a few other vegetables, I begin to dice them up.

Once done, I add the final part of the dressing, drawing the attention of the trio of Brachiosaurus who come over to get a good whiff of the salad. “Raptor Jesus, Red, that smells amazing!” Liz exclaims. Her parents come over to smell as well, and they all share the same impressed reaction, making me smile brightly.

Sophia raises an eyebrow as the three herbivores begin to dig into the salad. “Well, Red, where did you learn to make something like this?” she asks. I nod my head... wait fuck!

“My pops used to cook a lot back then and taught me so I’d know how to be a good ‘husband’ for the future,” I say, eliciting giggles from the room. Randy pulls out his watch and whistles loudly.

“Well, we still have all day. Damien, mind helping me with the grill?” Randy asks. Damien jumps off the couch and heads to the kitchen.

“Sure thing, Dad. Do you want me to get the covers too?”

“That would be wonderful. I’ll need to grab my coat as well,” Randy says, walking over to his bedroom. Sophia turns to the pair and then sees Liz’s parents and her follow Damien outside with a few tarps and some heaters.

One way to keep warm. Sophia looks over at me with a tired smile. “Thank you, Red. But… do you mind if I help them out?” she asks. I nod, smiling brightly and twirling the knife in my hands.

“Not a problem, señora,” I reply, getting a relieved yet uncertain smile from the Spinosaurus woman before she leaves to join the others.

Now, it’s quiet. I maintain my smile as I pull out more lettuce and begin working on another salad. Hopefully, Liz’s family will love the blue cheese dressing.

Bark!

I shift a bit when I suddenly hear Gojo barking. I drop the knife on the cutting board and walk around the kitchen to see—“Olivia?” There she sits, the green Baryonyx on her knees near her door, with the pug sniffing her like crazy. I quickly whistle for the pug. “Hey boy, down!” I command, and Gojo complies, sitting down like a tiny potato. Olivia looks shocked at my sudden appearance but then sighs lightly as I walk over to pick up my dog.

“What are you doing here, Red?” she asks, raising a quizzical brow. I nod toward the door where the rest of the Paynes are currently gathered.

“Oh,” she mutters, wiping her snout. “Why are you out here?” I ask, and she looks at me with a frown before turning away and mumbling, “Had… to go… to the restroom.”

I step aside and walk back over to the couch, setting the pug down. Gojo immediately hops off and runs back over to Olivia, resuming his sniffing.

“Gojo, chico abajo!” I command again, but to my surprise, the pug doesn’t listen. Instead, he rests his head on Olivia’s knee with a small whine. Olivia smiles lightly and scratches the back of his ear. I watched the spoiled pug pant loudly and let his tongue hang out. Olivia chuckles but then looks at me with a smug smile.

“Gojo. Really?” she says. Oh, she knows the show. I freeze up, feeling my face heat up in embarrassment. “W-what? It’s a good name for a good boy,” I stammer, making her chuckle lightly. I realize she probably needs to use the restroom, so I grab Gojo’s dog bag to get the pug to prance back over to me and sit, waiting for a treat. Olivia makes her way to the restroom, shuffling on her knees. I reward Gojo with dog bacon, and he munches loudly before running back to the couch and settling down. I chuckle softly and return to the kitchen, picking up the knife to continue my work.

Soon, Olivia emerges from the restroom and adjusts her t-shirt. She looks at me with curiosity as she shuffles over to the kitchen. “What are you doing?” she asks, observing as I twirl the knives.

“Sophia looked tired, so I thought I’d help out,” I explained. Olivia glances at the sliding door. “So, everyone is outside?” she inquires, and I nod.

“Well, not everyone. I’m not sure where Fins' brother is,” I say, finishing up the diced tomatoes. Olivia gives me a flat look and shifts in the kitchen. “Vinny is at one of his friend’s places,” she explains, shedding light on the missing daredevil.

I glance at the nearly finished salad, then back at her, and out the window. An idea forms, and I feel a smile spread across my face. “Well, the day is still young. Do you want to hang out?” I offer. Olivia looks surprised but then turns her gaze to the sliding door where her family is gathered.

“I... don’t mind, but...” Olivia trails off, fidgeting with her claws. I glance between her and the door, recalling the conversation between Sophia and Randy—definitely not a happy one. I can’t judge; after all, I’ve seen too many 80s movies with a mamá oso trying to help her cubs.

“I’ll let them know we’re heading out for a bit,” I say. Olivia shifts but nods slowly and heads to her room, likely to get her chair. I take a deep breath and walk over to the door. As I open it and step outside, I see Randy and Sophia at the grill, cooking food, while Damien and Liz chat with her parents. Randy looks up with a smile as I approach, and Sophia offers a gentle smile.

“Hey, just wanted to let you know that the rest of the salads are done,” I say. Randy chuckles and pats my shoulder, and Sophia smiles lightly. Here goes nothing...

“And... I’m going to be out for a little bit with Olivia,” I add quickly. Randy flinches slightly, almost dropping his spatula, while Damien and Liz turn to look at me. Sophia’s expression shifts to one of surprise, as if I had just slapped her.

“What?” Sophia mutters, her expression shifting from tired to stunned. I grab the hem of my jacket and rub my neck, repeating what I said. Sophia, now looking like she might explode, takes a moment to process. I take a step back as Daniel approaches with a concerned look.

“Uh… Sophia? Are you okay?” he asks. Sophia snaps back to reality and starts toward the door, but Randy gently grabs her arm. She looks at him, surprised, as he slowly shakes his head.

“Randy? But… she is out… we can—”

“Mom,” Damien interjects, drawing her attention. “Mom, like I said before, she needs time... let her be.” The hybrid turns to me with a small smile. “Let Olivia be real,” he says, nodding in my direction. Randy also nods, wrapping his wife in a comforting hug as she visibly relaxes. “Okay…” she finally says, looking at me with a determined gaze that makes me feel a bit intimidated. “Keep her safe… and don’t hurt her,” she instructs. I meet her stern look with a serious nod.

“Yes, Ma’am,” I reply, giving them all a nod and a wave. Just as I’m about to head out, I pause and turn back. “Hey, mind keeping an eye on Gojo for me? We won’t be gone long,” I ask. Damien gives a reassuring thumbs up, and I slide the door shut behind me. Olivia emerges in her wheelchair, her purple hoodie on and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She gives me a small, reassuring smile. “All good, ready?” I ask, pulling out my keys.

“Yeah,” she replies, her gaze darting nervously towards the others. She flinches when she catches Sophia’s eye, awkwardly waving before turning away and rolling toward the door. I glance back at Sophia and Randy, who have lowered their voices to continue chatting. I nod to myself and follow the Baryonyx to the door.

As we drive, the snow has stopped falling. At a stop sign, I shift in my seat to look at Olivia, grinning. “So, where to?” I ask. Olivia taps her chin thoughtfully before shrugging. “I’m up for Little Trudon. I actually wanted to check something out there,” she says. Little Trudon isn’t too far, so I adjust the gear and head towards the small town.

…

“And I said, just because I’m from there doesn’t mean I know how to cook at El Pollo Loco,” I deadpan. Olivia bursts into laughter, leaning back in her seat and pointing a finger at me.

“Can’t blame them. Sometimes humans can be pretty hard on themselves,” she says. I grin but then frown at the memory that surfaces. “Don’t even get me started. Back at Volcano High, I had this human teacher who went on and on in math class, ranting about doing this and that. His specialty was bullshit, if you ask me. It was shocking, considering he was a teacher,” I say, hissing at the recollection of his lectures from junior year.

We fall silent, watching out the window as Little Trudon fills up with cars and dinosaurs bustling about. I find a parking spot and look over at Olivia. “Well, it’s the start of the new year. Want to keep going?”

“Sure, I don’t mind the traffic,” she says, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door. I quickly get out, grab her wheelchair, unfold it, and set it down for her. She hops in and starts rolling ahead. I go to grab my board but remember I left it at home. Oh well, guess it’ll have to wait. I stuff my hands into my hood pockets as we stroll down the busy street, surrounded by dinosaurs chatting animatedly. I lean down and mutter, “So, where are we headed?”

Olivia leans back a bit, and her tail accidentally slaps my leg, nearly making me stumble. “Oh, sorry!” she exclaims, but I just raise a hand. “It’s fine. I should have been more careful,” I reply. She looks away with a light grunt but keeps rolling ahead. “We’re heading to a source I found online. It’s supposed to be run by someone who does future readings,” Olivia explains. The idea sounds oddly familiar. We weave through the crowded town until she suddenly stops and pulls out her phone. I glance around, searching for the location, and then elbow-tap her chair to snap her out of her phone trance. “I think I found it,” I say, pointing across the street.

There, on the opposite side, I spot a sign a hot dog stand. My shit-eating grin returns as I stuff my hands back into my pockets. “So, your ‘source’ features hot dogs?” I tease. Olivia’s tail gives me a playful smack, and I laugh lightly as she mutters and rolls her chair over to the stand. The dino lady behind the hot dog stand looks slightly annoyed as people pass by her, but her expression brightens when she spots us approaching. She grins and grabs her tongs. “Well, hello there, lovebirds! Here for some dogs or some readings?”

I’m taken aback. “Oh, we uh aren’t—”

“No, no, no, let me guess!” she interrupts, snapping her fingers. “Hot dogs!” she exclaims with enthusiasm. Our flat looks deflate her excitement, and she rubs her snout. “Oh, right, the reading,” she corrects with a smile, setting her tools down. “Hey Stell! You’ve got some customers!” she calls out to a small tent nearby. Olivia cracks her knuckles as I scan the groups of dinosaurs walking by. Then, a voice makes my blood run cold.

“Hello, and welcome to… my… Oh dear…”

Time seems to slow as I turn my head. Please, no… As the figure comes into view, I see Olivia’s curious expression morph into surprise. More green comes into focus, and I see her— the weeb Stego, an old friend from Volcano High I haven’t seen in ages... This is going to be interesting.

“Uh… Hello, Red…” Stella says, causing the hot dog vendor to glance at her and then at me, breaking into a wide grin. “Oh, Stell, you know this hot stuff?” she asks, but her excitement fades when Stella gives her a look of apprehension. I take a moment to exhale, relieved that Stella doesn’t seem to be a problem right now.

“No… it’s fine, really,” I manage to say. Olivia looks between Stella and me, sensing the tension. I give her a pleading look, silently begging her not to bring it up. I really don’t want to talk about this.

Stella steps back, her tail wrapping around one of her legs. I feel the need for some air and look back at Olivia with a weary smile. “Go ahead and get your reading. I’ll be over there,” I say, pointing to the other side of the street. Olivia glances at the stand and then at me before nodding. Without another word, I walk away. I watch as Stella talks to the vendor, her initially stern expression softening into one of apology. Olivia follows Stella to the tent, and Stella briefly glances at me before disappearing from sight.

Why did I react so strongly? It wasn’t like I saw her often back at Volcano High. It’s not just that she was someone I knew—it's because she was friends with… her. “Dios sobre una roca!” I mutter, frustrated with myself. Suddenly, I was jolted from my thoughts by a hot dog hitting my face. “What the fu—” I exclaimed, looking over to see the hot dog vendor with a smug grin. I didn’t have the patience for this, but I shuffled back over to her.

“What is it?” I asked, trying to keep my tone in check. The vendor scowled at my attitude but shrugged it off. “Never mind the throw. I just wanted to say one thing,” she said, causing me to feel a bit awkward as I glanced toward the tent. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

The vendor, now leaning on her stand, looked at me with a more serious expression. “That girl has been through hell lately, and I can’t blame you for feeling how you do,” she said, nodding toward the tent where the light chatter continued. She then fixed me with a stern gaze.

“But don’t hold a grudge against her. She’s one special cookie,” she said, standing tall and handing me a hot dog. I blinked, somewhat taken aback. “Alright, lady.”

“Tracy, actually,” she corrected.

“Right… Tracy. I didn’t mean to react like that. Honestly, I just have a grudge against—” Tracy cut me off with a warm smile and a nod toward the tent. “It’s not for me to know, and I’m just a stranger,” she said, before gesturing at the hot dog in my hands.

“But you, uh, gotta pay for that,” Tracy said. I stuttered for a moment before giving up and pulling out my wallet to pay. I really didn’t like hot dogs, but it was a small price to pay for some peace. Soon, Olivia rolled back with a look of uncertainty mixed with relief. I glanced at the hot dog in my hand and decided to go for a terrible pun. “Uh, what do you call a hot dog race?… Wiener takes all,” I said, but neither Olivia nor Tracy seemed impressed. Was it really that bad?

Olivia didn’t say much but used her tail to snatch the hot dog from my hand and ate it quickly. Afterward, she gave me an unimpressed look. “One, terrible pun,” she said. “Secondly, the pun actually made me snort mentally.”

“Ah, well, win-win for me,” I said, but then noticed the worried look on Stella’s face. Remembering what Tracy said, I gave Stella a simple nod and wave. She looked surprised for a moment but waved back with a relieved smile. It felt… right. With that out of the way, I kept my hands in my pockets as we continued through the town. “So, we did the thing. Now what?” I asked, glancing down at Olivia. She hummed for a moment, then adjusted her chair and started rolling ahead.

“I… have one more spot before we can go back,” Olivia said. I nodded and followed her lead. The walk back was a bit of a hassle with all the dinosaurs crowding the streets, but we eventually made it back to my car. I waited for directions but didn't get any, so I turned to Olivia.

“So, where to?” I asked. She snapped out of her daze and looked back at me.

“Oh! Uh… can you take me to St. Hammonds?” she asked.

A trip to school? I wondered why she needed to go there, but if it was important to her, I’d help her out. I shifted the gear and began to back out of the bustling town. Now back on the main road, I turned on the radio. A rock station was playing, and I found myself tapping my arm on the door to the beat. Olivia raised an eyebrow and smirked as she leaned back in her seat. “Oh, so you like boomer rock?” she teased.

I snorted and raised a finger at her. “Don’t get too cocky, ass,” I retorted. She snorted in response but kept her smug grin. My expression betrayed me, and I couldn’t help but smile as I shifted the radio again. Now country music filled the car, and Olivia leaned back with her hands covering her ears.

“There, that’s better,” I said smugly, and started singing along with the song. The radio played one of my dad’s favorite artists—Toby Keith. He was one of the greats in country music, though he died young. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia.

“Red, please… make it stop. Country music sucks…” Olivia groaned, and I smirked in victory. I switched off the radio and glanced at her as we stopped at a red light. I couldn’t help but notice her looking at me with the most calming smile I’d ever seen. My chest fluttered lightly as I gazed into her silver eyes.

They’re beautiful, I thought. I’d only known her for a few weeks, almost a month. I’m introduced to a friend group with two people in a relationship and one who, like me, is struggling against the world. I shook that thought off and refocused on the road, trying to push aside the emotions she stirred in me.

…

“So, we’ve got a day off from school because of a world event, yet here we are. You must have a good reason for being here,” I said, stuffing my hands into my pockets for warmth. The school was close to her home, but the cold seemed relentless. Olivia didn’t respond, rolling her wheelchair away from the school and heading towards a small park. I stayed quiet as we made our way, eventually coming across a small, eye-catching water fountain.

When we reached the park, we encountered an obstacle: a set of stairs. I frowned and asked, “Uh, is there a ramp somewhere around here?”

No response.

“Olivia?” I tried again, but she remained silent.

She began to shift uncomfortably in her chair and then, without warning, she got off the chair and landed on her knees. “O-Olivia?” I said, crouching down to help her, but she snapped her head up and growled lightly. I stepped back with my hands raised defensively. She turned her attention back to the stairs and started attempting to climb them.

By the second step, she was struggling to crawl. My feet moved on autopilot, and I found myself next to her. She grunted with effort, trying to keep moving up the steps, but stopped when I stepped beside her. I looked down at her with a gentle smile.

“Need some legs?” I joked. Olivia looked up, a bit embarrassed, but she managed a small grin. “Don’t be dragging your feet then,” she said.

Smiling more, I extended a hand to her. She took it, and I helped her up by bringing her hand to my shoulder. With a bit of effort, we managed to get her up the steps together. Thanks to my strength, I helped Olivia up the steps with relative ease. She wasn’t too heavy, so it wasn’t much of an issue. As we reached the top and approached the fountain, I took a moment to catch my breath, leaning on my knees. The fountain was stunning—its placement and lighting almost reminiscent of a cheesy romance movie. But I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on helping Olivia to the lip of the fountain.

I stepped back, taking a deep breath. Olivia, still breathing hard, kept a happy smile as she looked at the fountain. However, when her eyes met mine, they began to well up with tears. “D–Damn it…” she whispered. I blinked in confusion as she growled and slammed a fist onto the fountain’s lip. Her body started to shake, and her claws scratched the stone wall. “I… Still–” she choked out through her sobs, her tears streaming down her face. Her breakdown hit me hard. I glanced at the fountain, then at the steps, and noticed her chair still at the bottom. I understood now; she was struggling with the fact she needed help.

I sat down next to her, and when she gasped at my sudden presence, I gave her a reassuring smile as I looked down at the pool of water. She looked more frightened than I’d ever seen her, but I knew she needed support.

“Why?” she asked, her voice trembling. I stared at her, momentarily dumbfounded. I would have expected to get a tail swipe for this, but she clearly didn’t have the strength for that right now. I maintained a supportive smile. “Why what?” I asked gently.

“Why do you… keep talking to me?” Olivia asked, her voice shaky.

I hesitated, struggling to find the right words. Was it because she’s been the most genuine person I’ve met? Or because I know the struggles she faces with Damien and the problems they’ve had? No, it wasn’t that simple.

“Because I see you’re holding onto something—something you can’t let go of. And it’s hurting you because you think you’re to blame for it,” I said gently. Olivia recoiled slightly and stared down at the water, noticing the coins glimmering beneath the surface. I caught a glimpse of them too and a grin spread across my face.

“But… it’s my fault, isn’t it?” she asked, looking up at me with a pained expression. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Damien had shared with me what happened that night, how her family was affected, and how he felt responsible for the hurt caused.

“Not entirely,” I said honestly. I recalled my mother’s words: “The truth will always hurt, no matter what.” Olivia’s breath hitched as I gave her a steady, sincere look.

“Damien has told me about that night—his side, at least. It’s enough to understand the major parts,” I continued. I recounted what Damien had shared about his brother’s accident with her dress and how it affected her. As I finished, Olivia’s expression shifted to one of annoyance. She gripped her hoodie strings tightly, her frustration evident.

“Of course he would tell you,” Olivia hissed, her voice filled with venom. I frowned at her and gently tapped her shoulder. She looked up at me, recoiling slightly from my firm gaze.

“He told me by choice,” I said, my tone steady. “I know you’re angry because he spoke about it, but he’s been trying to find a way to forgive you.” I raised a finger to silence her as she started to respond. “He’s been trying, believe me.”

Olivia seemed taken aback by this and leaned back, her gaze returning to the water. “He… tried?” she asked softly. I nodded, recalling our conversation in the hall. By the time I finished, her demeanor had changed; she appeared more dejected, wiping away the tears from her face with her claws.

“I… I don’t know why,” she said, inhaling deeply before letting out a low sigh. “Why would he still care for me?” Her question surprised me, and I moved closer, gripping her shoulder gently. She looked at me with a mix of confusion and hope.

“Because he is… your brother,” I replied, looking away as I let go of her and leaned back on the fountain’s edge. Olivia sighed again, turning her body and dipping her legs into the water. I couldn’t help but snicker at her reaction and decided to join her, placing my own legs in the water. She glanced at me, surprised by my action.

As we sat there, with our legs submerged, Olivia stared down at the water, her expression softening as she took in the calming effect of the fountain. “I…” Olivia stuttered, her gaze fixed on the water. “I always thought I didn’t want their help. My dad is barely around, so the Paynes have taken care of me the whole time. But I never thought I’d actually want them as family,” she said, looking at me.

“Why not?” I asked. She frowned, scoffing at the water’s reflection. “They have Damien and Vinny. They don’t need someone like me,” she said, her fist clenched tightly on her legs. I felt a surge of worry but kept my thoughts in check, allowing her to continue. “I’m not worth it to them. After everything I’ve done, I should just be nothing to them. They’d be better off without me,” she said. I mentally snorted at her harsh self-assessment. It was painful to hear such self-criticism, but…

“Olivia, that’s just nonsense,” I said firmly. She stopped, looking at me with an indifferent glare that slowly softened as I crossed my arms.

“My family has made terrible mistakes, all because of me,” I continued, leaning back against the fountain. “We all lived together in my hometown. But when I was born, my grandfather kicked us out years later because I wasn’t normal.” Olivia’s eyes widened in shock, and she leaned in as I spoke.

“For most of my life, I felt like a fool to them and believed I’d never fit in. We were cast out from our own people, never given a chance,” I said, looking down at the water. My reflection mirrored the frown on my face, and I felt a pang of anger from my past.

“And years later,” I continued, my voice trembling with emotion, “Mom died, and I ended up in a terrible school. It was an emotional rollercoaster. I found love at the start of my senior year, but it turned out to be a nightmare. I was just used as a tool,” I said, my anger flaring as I recalled the Pterosaurs bitch.

“When I confronted her about it, things only got worse. More verbal abuse, more lies…” My voice broke, and I felt tears streaming down my face. “She used me and called me a fucking useless joke. I’ve never felt so… hurt,” I admitted, feeling a deep sense of relief as I let it out. It was reminiscent of when Ferris helped me, but this felt more cathartic, more right. “A week later, I had an accident on culture night and was kicked out… again. Now I’m here, and the rest is history,” I said, my brow furrowing as I clenched my fists. “So I decided to become an actor, to prove that I’m not a joke, to show everyone that I’m more than they think,” I said, lifting my arms dramatically as I emphasize my point. I then looked at her with a hopeful smile.

“What I’m trying to say is that sometimes we doubt our place in the world. But if there are people who believe in us, who still love us despite everything…” I paused, thinking of the call with Pops earlier. “It means we’re worth something, even when we can’t see it ourselves.”

Olivia turned away, lost in thought. When she looked back at me, her expression was filled with concern. “They stopped bothering me,” Olivia admitted, a trace of bitterness in her voice. “I thought it was a relief, but you’re right. I’ve just felt more resentful toward them.” Damien and Randy must have taken my advice to heart. “I need to talk to them,” she said, her fear evident. I nodded in understanding but stopped when she looked at me with uncertainty.

“But what if they don’t forgive me?” she asked. Feeling a surge of courage, I moved closer and offered her a reassuring smile. “Well, if they don’t…” I paused briefly, then continued with a more comforting smile, “If you need a shoulder to cry on… I’ll be there.” I placed a hand on her shoulder once more. She looked at me, gasping slightly, her scales flushing a soft red.

Slowly, Olivia wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug. I embraced her, feeling the warmth and comfort in the moment. It was nicer than I expected, and I didn’t pull away.

When we finally separated, we both shivered from the cold, quickly pulling our feet from the water. We shared a light chuckle and made our way back to her chair, then to the car. As I packed the trunk with the chair, I saw Olivia looking at me with a mix of uncertainty and resolve.

“I need to talk to Damien and Liz first,” she said. “They need to hear it from me directly.” I nodded, understanding the importance of this step.

“And I’ll be there if you want,” I added. Olivia’s smile grew, and she nodded gratefully. “Thanks, Red,” she said as we began the trip back to her home.

I nodded in return, feeling a sense of purpose. I knew she had things to resolve, but she had the time and a friend to support her. I believed in her, and I would be there to help her through it.

… Wait a moment… the heart talking, confidence in her, Oh shit…

Do… Do I like Olivia?