Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

January 6th
Volcaldera Bluffs
Weather: Cold as balls

As I approach the school, the creepy fog makes the place look like a level from a horror game. Or a shitty WAD. I get on my phone to shit post. My eyes wander down to my phone to see which message board I would bait today. As I scrolled through my phone, my dumb ass runs into a lamp pole, knocking my ass straight to the ground.

As I was rubbing my head, a shadow loomed over me. When I opened my eyes, I saw that I didn’t run into a lamp but rather a giant orange saurian in a yellow sun dress. She kneels down, but even crouched she is nearly at my standing height. Her steel-colored eyes are looking in different directions and none of them are at me. She has a worried look on her face.

“Howdy. You alright there, friend?”

The thick and quaint Southern accent is disarming, seeing as it’s coming from someone who looked like they could carry me with one hand. Seriously, she is toned! She offers her hand and when I take it, she pulls me up with one arm. I swear that my arm was about to be ripped out of its socket.

“I didn’t hurt cha, did I?”

“N-no, I’m ok.”

I dust myself off and look at… look up at the giant. She has a wide smile on her face.

“Sorry about that, friend. The name’s Heather. What’s yours?”

I wanted to be invisible this semester, and I was already fucking it up.

“A-anon. Sorry for running into you.”

“That's quite alright, hun. Say, don’t think I’ve seen you ‘round here before. You new in these parts?”

“Yeah, I am.”

I walk away, but as I am making my way towards the school, I notice that Heather is walking right beside me. I slowly turn to the huge acrocan, who is still smiling with one of her eyes looking directly at me. I want her to leave me alone.

“Uh… Can I help you?”

“You said you were new here, friend. I thought you could use a guide.”

This is starting to get annoying.

“Why do you keep calling me that? We aren’t friends.”

Heather’s smile is unwavering as she answers.

“My mama taught me that strangers are just friends that we haven’t met yet. You also didn’t refuse the tour, so let me show ya ‘round.”

…Shit, she was right.

Well, I figure it’s better than walking through random doors like an idiot until I find where I need to be. As we make it to the stairs, I hear the chatter of many of the other students.

Oh my god, It's been too long

Bro

It’s only been three weeks. *giggle*

Is that a skinnie?

What’s he doing with the retard?

That last one catches my attention. Am I dealing with an autist!? I look at her and see that she still has that big smile. is it true? I see a monochrome ptero glance at me for a moment, but before I can get a good look, we walk through the doors. Inside isn’t as crowded and we make our way down the hall. As I’m following her, I start putting things together. It explains her demeanor and how happy she is. From what I can tell, she is genuine and I swear no one can be that happy. ‘I wonder how she seems to be able to see just fine, though…’

I hear her giggle.

“I can see just fine, ya silly goose. My eyes just look a lil’ funny.”

Shit, she heard that? I hope she didn’t hear what else I was thinking. Soon, we make it to the front of a door, which has a small sign that read “Principal's office.” Wait, is she gonna rat me out for that comment?! She knocks on the door before opening it. A caveman close to her size in a tight suit is on a computer that is resting on a desk. He is in a surprisingly small and organized office. His brow furrows when he looks up at me, but when he sees Heather, his face lights up.

“Heya, Principal Spears. How are ya on this lovely mornin’?”

“I am doing quite well, Ms. Kent. How are you?”

“I am doin’ great! I met a new friend today. He’s new ‘round here, so I thought it’d be a good idea to meet you. Y’know, help him get comfortable.”

I walk forward and meekly wave. The caveman nods.

“I was informed that we had a new student transfer here. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mous.”

The acrocan behind us steps back.

“I’ll let y’all do your business. Judee should be in the club room right now, and that dainty lil’ thing might need some help. I’ll see ya later, friend!”

Heather skips off down the hall, leaving me and Spears alone in the office. He types a bit more before the printer boots up. Soon after, out of it comes a piece of yellow paper. Spears picks it up and hands it to me.

“Here you go, Anon. These are all of your classes, their times, and their locations. This should help keep you from getting lost on your first day.”

I look at the schedule and… Music is one of my electives?

“Principal Spears, I didn’t choose music as my elective. I didn’t get the chance to choose my elective when I arrived in Volcaldera.”

The principal gives me a puzzled look.

“Really? That's quite strange. Since you joined in the middle of the semester, most of the elective classes have already been filled. However, I can check what is available now.”

Spears types away at his computer. After a few seconds, he turns the screen around to reveal a spreadsheet of mostly red boxes and a few green ones. All of the boxes have the name of a class in them.

“These are all of the elective classes we have here in Volcano High, Mr. Mous. The ones in the red are already full, while the ones in the green are available.”

I nod and scan the spreadsheet. Foreign language? Wasn’t my thing. Physical Ed? Fuck no. Home Ed?... I guess it could be useful to learn how to make actual food since I am going to be living by myself for the foreseeable future.

“Could I transfer into Home Ed?”

“Let me take a look… Ah yes, that you can. Let me change that and print out your new schedule.”

A couple of clicks of a mouse later, another piece of paper is spit out of the printer. At least I’ll be learning something I can actually use.

“Thanks, Principal Spears. By the way… is Heather… special?”

The caveman’s eyebrow rises.

“How do you mean?”

“Well… y’know… is she… challenged?”

He looks me in the eyes before scoffing.

“No. What on earth gave you that idea?”

My foot is tasting extra filthy day.

“O-oh, just some things I heard from other students.”

Spears lets out a sigh.

“You aren’t five anymore, Anon. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear. Though, I suppose it isn’t really your fault seeing as you are new here. There are many rumors and misconceptions about many students here. The only thing I recommend you do is get to know people first and then make your judgments. Now you should get going to your first class before you are late.”

I nod and leave for Homeroom. The class sucks horribly since I can’t understand half of what the teacher was saying. He was also wearing a kimono, which was pretty weird. Eventually, lunch comes around. Still set on my mission to be invisible, I strategically select the lunch table in the far corner of the cafeteria. It sucks that they don't give out any free food here, but at least I found out from the lunch lady that I can get a lunch card from Spears; in retrospect, I wished I had known that earlier… damn, I’m hungry. As I’m lost in my thoughts, a familiar orange figure approaches my table with that same smile on her face.

“Heya, Anon.”

Just my luck.

“Hey, Heather. What are you doing here? Don’t you have other people to sit with?”

“Right now, my otha’ friends are setting some things up in their club and I wanted to see how my new friend is doin’. Where’s ya lunch? Did ya eat it already?”

“Uh… n-no. I didn’t bring any.”

Her smile vanishes and a worried look takes its place.

“Really? Ya must be starvin’."

I shake my head.

“I’m not feeling hung-”

*grumble*

‘Fuck you, stomach.’

Heather begins to smile again, but this one is… warmer.

“Here Anon, we can share my lunch.”

I gaze at the orange giant with a look of bewilderment strewn across my face.

“What!? N-no, I can’t take your food.”

“Ya not hun, ‘cus it’s your food now!”

She opens her big lunch box that is decorated all over with yellow flowers. In it is an assortment of meats and vegetables. The food looks ten times better than the stuff they are serving at school. She takes two paper plates and two plastic forks from her lunch box, splits the food between the two plates, and gives me the bigger one.

I’m so confused. Why… Why…

“Why are you doing this?”

The acrocan turns to me with a confused face at my question.

“I just met you. When I ran into you and was rude to you, you helped me find my way around campus. And now you give me half of your food when I try to get you away from me? Why!?”

Heather stares at me the best she can for a moment before grinning and putting her hand on top of mine.

“‘Cus you’re my friend, ya silly billy.”

…

Normally, alarms would be blaring in my head from a woman’s touch, but I am still trying to process what Heather said. She really means that, doesn’t she? Is she doing this out of pity? No, that can’t be it. We just met today day, and I don't think I looked that pathetic. is she… really just that nice? And why to me?

“I’m sorry, hun. Is there nothin’ in there ya like?”

Heather's soft voice takes me out of my stupor.

“N-no, this all looks great. It's just… This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you.”

She holds her cheek with one hand as she looks away.

“Aw shucks, it’s nuthin’ really. Now let's eat ‘fore the food gets cold.”

I nod and we dig into the food. Wow. This shit is great! The steak and carrots are delicious, and the fried catfish wasn’t something I expected to like, but it is surprisingly tasty. I look at Heather. For someone her size, she is extremely gentle and proper when she eats. She barely makes any mess at all. One thing that stands out about her is her sharp pointy teeth. They make quick work of the steak but take a little longer to eat the vegetables. As we eat, Heather asks a question.

“Say Anon, would ya like to meet my other friends after school? I think it’d be swell if my new friend is friends with my other friends.”

While I am against meeting new people, Heater has already done so much for me. I’ll be a jackass if I don’t at least meet her friends.

“You know what? I think I would like that.”

Heather happily stomped her feet and clapped while laughing.

“Wonderful. Ya gonna love ‘em, Anon.”

‘If they’re anything like you, then I probably will.’

Heather holds the sides of her face as a dusting of pink forms on it. Her smile grows wide as she closes her eyes.

“My, aren’t you a charmer? That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me.”

“I-uh, well-um-”

As my spaghetti continues to spill from my pockets in copious amounts, I think about what she said. Is that really the nicest thing anyone has ever said to her? If Heather is this pleasant to be around, then I’m sure she must have had nice compliments thrown at her at some point. I didn’t even say anything all that flattering. The sound of footsteps approaching takes me out of my thoughts. A black pterosaur with an awful-looking jacket and a peach-colored parasaur walks up to our table. The parasaur speaks first.

“Hi, Anon! My name is Naomi and this is my boyfriend Naser. Nice to meet you!.”

The ptero now known as Naser nods his head and says a singular word.

“‘Sup.”

“Uh… Hi? How do you know my name?”

“I’m the student body president. We were supposed to be your welcoming committee, but it would seem that you already have one.” Naomi answered. She hands me a piece of paper.

“Here you go, Anon. This is your schedule.”

“Oh, I already got mine from Spears. I wanted to change my elective, so this is probably outdated.”

Naomi’s bubbly demeanor breaks the moment I say that. Her smile dissolves and she has a wide-eyed thousand-yard stare.

“W-what?”

“Yeah, Heather took me to the principal's office, and we took care of that.”

As the parasaur is seemingly 404-ing, Naser takes a step forward and looks at me.

“So Anon, are you busy later?”

“Surprisingly, yes. I’m meeting with Heather's friends after school.”

He nodded in understanding before looking at his girlfriend with some worry.

The bell rings just then, so I wave goodbye to everyone. Heather and Naser wave back, while Naomi just stands there. Weird. I went to my next class, but I can’t stop thinking about Heather. While Naomi’s smile is plastic, I can feel the warmth that Heather gives off when she smiles. I have never met someone so… kind. Back in Rock Bottom, it was everyone for themselves. Hell, even my own parents weren’t like that. Heather is… weird… but in a good way.

Soon, I’m in 7th period: Home Ed. When I walk through the door, I am greeted by the sweet smell of baked sweets. The walls are red brick, and there are several stations around the room, each complete with a sink, stove, and oven. Most of the students there are sitting on chairs scattered around the stations.

“Anon!”

I turn to see Heather at a station by herself, waving me over. I make my way to the seat next to her. This… was actually a pleasant surprise. As I sit down with a slight smile on my face, Heather turns to face me. Her silver eyes are looking everywhere except at me, but I know she is looking at me. Y’know… her eyes… were kinda cute the more I looked at them.

…Why did I just think that?

“Fancy meeting you here. Looks like we’ll be seat neighbors.”

“Looks like it.”

A few moments later, the bell rings again and the door opens. A petite ptero with silver scales and white feathers, similar to the one I saw this morning walks to the front of the class. She is wearing a green dress with a pink apron on top of it. Her eyes seem to be closed, but she is able to get around just fine. In a soft, motherly voice, she spoke.

“Hello everyone. I am Mrs. Aaron, and I will be your Home Education teacher.”

A moment of silence passes before she continues talking.

“Alright class. Please make groups of two or three with your peers.”

At Mrs. Aaron’s request, The class begins to get up and walk around. Heather and I stay in our seats while students form groups around us. I turn to Heather. I really don’t like the idea of having a partner, but if I have to, I’ll pick Heather over everyone else.

“So… partners?”

Heather chuckles.

“‘Course…partner.”

When everyone gets settled into their group, I realize there is only one other two-person group aside from Heather and me. It’s a purple microraptor in overalls with glasses and a huge Megladon wearing a black tank top and jeans. I can’t tell you whether the microraptor was a guy or a girl at first glance. Mrs. Aaron puts her hands together and smiles.

“I’m glad everyone found a group. Now, I hope you are happy with the people that you chose to be in your group…”

The tiny ptero smiles as she barely opens her eyes. Her amber irises are small but carry great power. A power that is only held by a mother. A wave of suppressing dread washes over me and all of the other students. Except Heather, who is just smiling and facing ahead.

“Because those people will be your group for the rest of the year.”

Her eyes shut yet again. Everyone barring Heather lets go of the breath they were holding. This is more than a moment of intimidation. This is a warning. Despite her size and demeanor, at the end of the day, she is still a teacher. But damn, the last time I felt that was when I was nine. Grandma always had a stare that could send chills down my spine.

…

…don’t think about them, Anon.

Mrs. Aaron continues with the class.

“Home Education is the learning of important skills to make and keep a home. If you all get married in the future, or even just have a roommate, You will need to learn to live with other people. Sometimes, you won’t have the option to leave your roommates behind if they annoy you, and If you are married to someone, leaving is usually the last option you would want to resort to. That's why you are going to learn how to work with your group through thick and thin. Now, let's get familiar with your home away from home, shall we?”

She shows us the cabinets where we are supposed to get our pots and pans. She also gives us our aprons. All of them are beige, so I have to pay attention to mine if I don’t want it getting mixed up with someone else’s apron. The rest of the class time was spent familiarizing ourselves with how to use the sink and oven. The bell rings, and before everyone heads out the door, Mrs. Aaron says one more thing to the class.

“Class, don’t worry about bringing your own ingredients. The school will be providing all of the materials that you will need for our recipes. However, If you do want to make a home recipe, please let me know, and barring specific exceptions, I would be happy to see what you make. Have a wonderful afternoon everyone!”

Everyone leaves the classroom, and now I’m walking alongside Heather down the hall. Since that was the last class, I wondered where Heather was going.

“Heather, are we going to meet your friends?”

“Yup! We're nearly there.”

True to her word, we are standing in front of the door of a classroom a few moments later. She slowly opens the door, revealing a modest classroom. The white walls show their age by the spots of chipped paint that are on them. There are three wooden tables. One of them has a sewing machine on it. The afternoon sun shines through the windows and fills the room in a warm light. As the two of us enter the room, I hear a conversation in a corner of the room.

“Man, I'm hungry. When is the food coming?” A somewhat lower-pitched feminine voice says.

“Relax man. Wendy is coming with it. We gotta be patient and focus on this next show,” A voice that sounded like a surfer dude answers.

“I think I got it. We can do a show about the importance of patience,” A much softer and quieter voice replies.

I walk around one of the tables, expecting to see a group of students. Instead, I see a lone little white troodon sitting down. She has a pink puppet with blue hair on her right hand, a green puppet on her left hand, and a red puppet with googly eyes on her tail. The mouth of the pink puppet begins to move as that lower-pitched voice comes from the troodon.

“Judee, it got darker.”

The girl looks at the floor around her and sees my shadow covering her. She turns around and we lock eyes. After a moment of silence, she shrieks and cowers in the corner. As I approach her to apologize, the red puppet on her tail rises and meets me at eye level. The voice of an angry child can be heard as the troodon’s tail straightens. The googly eyes on the puppet move as the troodon speaks

“I-Intureder! What are you doing here!?”

As I question just what the hell I was looking at, Heather rushes over.

“Goodness Mr. Hateful, It’s alright. This here is my new friend, Anon.”

The troodon slowly rises as she meets my eyes again. She looks at the puppet before lowering her tail. Now that I am getting a good look at her, I realize that she was short. Her clothes aren’t the cleanest and have random spots where a different kind of cloth has been sewn onto them. She looks to the floor, holding her hand puppets just above her waist.

“S-sorry. I-I didn’t know who you w-were and you startled me…”

Her voice is almost too quiet to hear. ‘Was she the one making all of those voices?’ Judee slowly nods. I’m confused about how she can hear what I am thinking but I shrug it off. She mutters something but it’s too low to hear it.

“What did you say?”

“N-nice to meet you…I-I’m Judee.”

“So… What’s with the puppets?”

Judee shuffles around, looking uncomfortable. Heather sits down on a bench before answering my question.

“Judee here is the part of the puppet club. She’s quite good at makin’ voices.”

The troodon’s face becomes red at the compliment. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and in comes a yellow compy wearing three dark green puppets with black eyes on her hands and tail, just like Judee. She also has messy red hair. She is carrying an assortment of chips and sodas and lays them down on one of the tables.

“Sorry, Judee. There was some jackass taking forever at the vending machi-”

The compy spots me before her irises become like pinpricks and her eyes widen.

“What are you doing in here, skinnie!?”

Once again, Heather walks over to diffuse the situation.

“Schizo, this is my new friend. Please, calm ya-self down.”

I turn to Heather in shock. I’m surprised to hear a slur come from Heather’s mouth. I am even more surprised that that compy answered to it like it was normal.

“Really now? How do we know he isn’t working with the glowies!?”

What the fuck am I hearing right now? As confused as I am, I offer my hand and introduce myself.

“I’m Anon. Nice to meet you.”

She eyes me suspiciously before one of her puppets nips my hand and we shake.

“Schizo.”

I chuckle.

“No, really. What’s your name?”

The compy is starting to get angry as she tightens her grip, but due to the puppet, her efforts are barely felt.

“It’s. Schizo.”

No fucking way her name is Schizo. I look at Heather, who is enjoying her friends meeting each other. I nod before letting go of her hand.

“Got it. Schizo.”

“Seriously though, why are you here?”

“Heather wanted me to meet her friends, so here I am. I’m guessing you are also part of the puppet club.”

Schizo walks over to Judee, who is trying her best to focus on whatever she was working on when I got here. She leans her back on a closet while cocking an eyebrow and squinting her eyes.

“What's it to you?”

I throw up my hands in surrender.

“Just curious.”

“Yea. Sure.”

“So who else is in the club?”

Schizo falls silent as she looks away. Heather sees Judee trying to reach for something on top of the closet and picks up the little troodon. After Judee grabs a box, Heather puts her back down before turning to me and answering.

“It's just my friends for the moment. They’re a pair of puppet pals.”

“You’re not in the club?”

“No sir. I’m a hon…honer…honary…”

As Heather keeps trying to say the word. Schizo sighs and finishes the sentence for Heather.

“Honorary member.”

“Thank ya kindly. Yeah, that.”

I nod before checking the time on my phone. Shit, it's five already? I don’t want to be walking to my apartment at night. Skin Row is already dangerous, so I don’t want to know how bad it gets when it’s dark. I look at everyone.

“It was nice meeting you all, but I need to get going.”

Heather walks over to me and waves to her friends.

“I’ll be right back girls. I’mma just see Anon off.”

Judee meekly nods while getting up to eat some of the snacks on the table. Schizo gives a thumbs up as she takes some papers from her backpack. As much as I would like to see how she writes with puppets on her hands, I need to go home. Once again, Heather and I are walking down the hall again. I hear some laughter and some murmuring. Something about a bad performance. I focus my attention to Heather as she starts talking,

“What cha think of my friends?”

“They’re… intersting.”

She nods

“Yup! They’re sweet as pie, too. The best first friends I could make.”

“So you’ve known them for a long time?”

“Yup! You shoulda seen Schizo when I stumbled into the club classroom for the first time. She was madder than a wet hen!”

She laughs as she recollects the pleasant memory. I begin to think about everything that happened today. Everything considered, this is the best first day that I ever had at school. Other than certain classes being boring as hell, the classes themselves aren’t that bad and I got to meet the strangest, kindest person I have ever met. I don’t know how invisible I can be now… but if Heather decides to stick around, I definitely won’t complain. But there is something I want to know.

“Heather.”

“Yes Anon?”

“Why are you like this?”

The acrocan’s eyebrow slightly rises as her eyes look at both the floor and the ceiling.

“What cha mean?”

“Why are you so… nice? Seriously, I haven’t met anyone like you. You are pleasant to be around despite what people say about you. You do things for strangers without expecting anything. You consider strangers your friends. Why are you like this?"

Heather scratches her chin as we turn a corner.

“I guess it’s cus of my mama. She’s quite the lady. She taught me everything I know, including the most important truth in the whole wide world.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

Her smile glistens as she closes her eyes.

“A little kindness goes a long way.”

It sounds like one of those cringy sayings you see on Tic-Tac. But here she is, saying it like it was an absolute truth. She opens her eyes, which are now looking at the top and bottom of her snoot.

“Also, what kinda things do people say about lil’ ol’ me?”

My blood runs cold. Does she seriously not know? Didn’t she hear it this morning? Fuck, I can’t bring myself to tell her. I have never seen someone this pure, and I’d be damned to hell if I’m the one that taints her.

“Uh… Good things, like how you’re… strong!”

We finally make it to the open doors. Heather is squinting her eyes, like she is thinking really hard. I take this opportunity to pick up the pace and turn around when I get to the door. The last thing I need right now is to give her enough time to find out I’m bullshiting.

“I’ll see you around, Heather.”

She waves back and gives a toothy grin.

“It was great to meet ya, hun. See ya tomorrow.”

I can’t help but smile back at her.

“It was nice meeting you too."

The walk back home is uneventful. Luckily, I get to my apartment just before it gets dark. The lonely and old building welcomes me home with a hum coming from the lightbulb on the ceiling. I take the time to open the box of my stuff that I have yet to unpack. I worked on most of it last night, but it was getting late and I didn’t want to be running to school today. As I am sorting through my stuff, I find my most prized possession: The golden locket that Grandpa gave me…

I plop on the bed and lie down while rubbing the locket. So much has happened since that day. Everything went to shit when Grandpa and Grandma died. I moved back in with my dad who did the best he could, but he took it horribly. Things got bad between us and after what happened at Rock Bottom, everything became too much. I begged him to get me out of there and he enrolled me in Volcano High before sticking me here. As bad as things have been...

They are finally starting to get better.

Chapter Text

*BZZZ* *BZZZ* *BZZZ*

My alarm sounds and wakes me up. It's been two days since I came to Volcano High. Since I met Heather. When she saw me yesterday, she was just as nice as last time. She even gave me her food when I got my lunch card. While the food in the cafeteria is alright, the stuff that she eats is incredible. It brings back a lot of good memories.

I combat roll out of bed and attack the floor with my face. Judging from the throbbing pain in my head, my attack is a success. After peeling myself from the floor, I grab a piece of bread and put on my clothes before snatching my backpack and walking out the door. I make sure to stuff Grandpa's locket into my shirt. The last thing I want to do is make myself a target in Skin Row. I find myself walking slightly faster than usual, and it's not because of the potential muggers. It's weird that I feel this way for someone I barely know but… I'm looking forward to seeing Heather again.

Half an hour later, I'm back in school. My shoulders sag as I realize that Heather isn't outside. She probably has better things to do than just standing here. I go to my first class and sit down. Naomi has been pretty distant since we met. She even sits in a different seat away from me. Honestly, I prefer things to be this way. I don't have a great impression of her, so if she decides to fuck off from my life, I'm definitely not complaining.

An hour later, I walked into science class. I see the monochrome ptero from two days ago walk into the classroom and sit next to me. She seems pretty pissed, but I tried not to pay attention to her. Soon, the class starts and the old teacher starts rambling about covalent bonds. After a few minutes of lecturing, he claps his hands to grab the attention of the class.

“Alright everyone, grab a partner and begin working on your assignment.”

Everyone scoots next to their partner and begins working on the paper that Dr. Fernsworth passes around the room. The ptero was on her phone, so I just decided to scoot slightly closer and work on the assignment on my own. As the minutes go by, I work through the paper and at some point, she gets off her phone and watches me write. The teacher soon approaches us.

“How are you two doing?”

The ptero sighs before answering.

“We're… fine, Dr. Fernsworth.”

“Wonderful. And what about you, Anon?”

I nod.

“Yeah, what she said.”

The teacher freezes as fear strikes his face. in my confusion, I turn to the ptero to see her wings spread out and her eyes full of fury.

“I. Am. Non-binary!”

As the ptero proceeds to lay into me about apparently being a bigoted piece of shit, I am in complete shock. I had no idea something as small as saying her could lead to… this. the ptero’s speech seems almost rehearsed as she uses her hands to make big gestures. Eventually, she stops mid-sentence as she comes to a rough realization.

Nobody cared.

The teacher turns to the ptero.

“May I please speak with you outside for a moment?”

After a nod, she walks out the door quickly. Dr. Fernsworth let out a sigh before facing me.

“I apologize for that, Anon. They are… going through a rough time. Please give them leniency.”

The teacher walks out of the room, and I sink in my seat. What the fuck happened just now? One minute things are calm, and the next I'm getting talked down to like in one of those Yousnoot videos. After a few minutes, the two of them walk back into the room. The ptero sits next to me again, but this time, she has a face of regret.

A little kindness goes a long way

…

Ah fuck it, let’s see how true that is, Heather.

“I’m really sorry for what I said. I didn’t know that you are NB. I didn’t get your name.”

The ptero looks at me with surprise before shaking their head and responding.

“It’s Fang and no, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blown up at you like that. It… been a bad week.”

Shit, I just realized that I haven’t tried not avoiding someone before. What would Heather say…

“Wanna talk about it?”

Fang looks at me with suspicion. Fuck, was that too much?

“No. Well, maybe….I don’t know…”

They take a deep breath before turning to me.

“Were you at the concert a few days ago? Now that I think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

I shake my head and give a slight smile as I recall my first day.

“That’s because I just transferred here. I was invited to go, but I had other plans, so I couldn’t be there.”

Fang stares into my soul for a few moments before continuing.

“I’m in the band that played two days ago. The concert went to shit… We got laughed off the stage. We’ve been trying to make it for 3 fucking years and nothing seems to be working… I just want to know how we can succeed.”

I take a moment, thinking of the best thing to say.

“Maybe you just need to take a step back and see if you can find what isn’t working. You won’t know what to fix if you don’t know what is wrong, right?”

Fang opens her mouth to say something, but no words come out. They put their hand under their maw in contemplation. Suddenly, their eyes light up and they quickly look in my direction. However, their shoulders slouch and they dawn a dejected look.

“No…that’s a fucking stupid idea…”

My eyebrow rises.

“What is?”

After a few more seconds of thinking Fang begins to speak.

“I just… I just thought that maybe you could listen to us play. Like you said, you’re new here. In other words, you’re a fresh set of ears. But… you know what, just forge-”

“Sure.”

Their mouth hangs open as we are both surprised at my response. My mouth moved before I thought about it. I feel like a goober, but I’ll admit that Heather’s mom was on to something. Speaking of which…

“Can I bring a friend with me?”

“As long as they're not a jerk, then sure. We are practicing in the auditorium after school.”

The conversation shifted back to our assignment. This time, Fang is actually paying attention and trying to answer questions where they can. We get done just as the bell rings. Everyone picks up their things and leaves, While Fang stays seated on their phone. As I get up to leave, I hear their voice behind me.

“Y’know…”

I turn around, to see Fang looking at me.

“At first, I thought you were another asshole that I would have to deal with, but… you’re alright Anon.”

They give a small smile to me, and I give one back.

“Thanks. I’ll see you after school Fang.”

We wave to each other goodbye and I walk to my next class. I have a weird fuzzy feeling in my chest. I don’t know what to make of it… but it feels good. That was the most positive interaction I've had with someone, barring Heather of course. I wonder what kind of music Heather likes.

After a while, I'm in Math class working on the paper that was handed out. As I continue to struggle with a lot of the questions, I feel something hit my head. It is a piece of balled-up paper that reads, “Look in front of you.” I look up to see a pink raptor waving at me to come over while a short purple triceratops glares at me. Against my better judgment, I get up and start walking toward them. Fuck, I should probably forget about being invisible. For some reason, the thought doesn't make me feel that bad. When I get there, I sit between them. Alright, let's try this kindness thing again.

“Hey. Do I know you two?”

The raptor smells weird but has an easygoing demeanor and a relaxed smile.

“You do now dude. Name's Reed. I'm the drummer in the Band that Fang is in.”

“Oh, they told you about me?”

The purple tricera scoffed before answering.

“Yeah, they told us that some skinnie weirdo misgendered them.”

Reed's brow furrows as his smile fades.

“Trish, that isn't what Fang said. Don't worry man, we know what happened. Just wanted to get to know our critic a little better, y'know?”

This trigga… I hope I don't have to talk with her much after today. I take a breath. Remember Anon, be kind.

“I’ll try my best to give helpful feedback, but I only know a little bit about music.”

Trish’s eyes narrow.

“Where are you even from?”

I freeze. No way in hell I'm telling them that. Think, how can I change the subject? I look down, and the answer becomes clear.

“Shouldn't we finish our assignment?”

Reed hands me a piece of paper. It's the assignment… with all of the answers!? He even did the bonus questions. How smart is this dude?!

“Don't worry bro, I got the answers for you right here.”

Trish has a devilish grin.

“You didn’t answer my question, skinnie.”

As I'm about to tear this bitch, thoughts of Heather flood my mind. She was kind to me even when I was being an asshole…

“I-I used to live in Rock Bottom. Nothing really special about that place.”

Trish’s eyes narrow.

“Then why did you move here, huh?”

And that's where I draw the line.

“No offense, but I literally just met you guys, and that's pretty personal to me. Sorry.”

Trish’s eyes widen. She looks like she wants to say something, but shakes her head and opts to say silent. Reed pats my back.

“No worries bro. You're right, we just met. You ain’t gotta tell us stuff you don’t want to.”

The bell rings. I quickly scribble the answers on my paper and hand them in. I see Reed lazily waving and Trish still hard in thought before I leave. It’s lunch period which fills me with anticipation. I rush to the cafeteria, grab some food, and sit at the table in the corner. I tap my foot as I scan the area. Soon enough, I spot a familiar red bow and a pair of wandering eyes. My heart beats slightly faster as a smile begins to grow on my face. The orange giant sits next to me with a gleaming grin and earthy scent.

“Heya, Anon. How ya been, friend?”

“I’m doing good, Heather. I tried looking for you this morning, but couldn’t find you.”

“Sorry bout that. I had some club work to take care of.”

“I thought you said that you weren’t part of the puppet club.”

“I’m not. I'm in the good ol’ gardenin’ club.”

After our short exchange. We start eating our food. Despite my full plate, Heather offers me some of her food.

“Heather, as much as I appreciate it, you should eat your food. Especially since you were working hard today.”

The acrocan tilts her head before taking a spoonful of grits and bringing it close to my mouth. My face reddens as her steel irises become half-lidded I can see a dusting of pink on her cheeks as well.

“Ya worry too much, Anon. I’m glad that you’re thinkin’ of little ol’ me, but I’m fine. I made sure to stuff enough food in my bag for the both of us. Now open wide. Ya gotta eat good food to stay strong.”

I looked at the spoon and then looked at her. It feels weird being fed like this, but what’s even weirder is that I wasn’t completely against it. It’s strange how comfortable I feel around Heather. I grab her wrist and guide the spoon to my mouth. Flavor assaults my taste buds as I hum in satisfaction. Heather quickly pulls her hand back as the spoon sticks in my mouth. She rubs her hand with a goofy smile on her face. After she splits our food, we eat in awkward silence. After a while, I hear her voice again. I turn to Heather and see her playing with her fingers with a nervous look.

“S-sorry if I made ya uncomfy. It's just that I do that to Judee and Schizo when they refuse to eat. Those poor gals work so hard to take care of their club, they forget to take care of themselves. They usually take the spoon from my hand, though…”

“N-no, you're fine. Thanks for the food. Seriously, it's some of the best stuff I've tasted.”

“Shucks, I’m glad ya like it so much.”

The bell rings and we get up from our seats.

“I’ll see you in Home Ed, Heather.”

“See ya later, alligator.”

As I walk to my next class, my breathing gets faster. She really packed extra food, just for me. She’s so… sweet. I spend the next few classes thinking about Heather. I’m still trying to wrap my head around how someone can be so nice. She makes me want to be a better person. After what felt like an eternity, the bell rings once more, and I make my way to Home Ed.

Heather is twirling her finger around her hair and her eyes widen when one of them spots me. She waves me over and I pick up the pace of my walking. I sit down as the other students begin pouring into the room. I see that purple microraptor walk in with several students surrounding… her? Him? Them.

“And that’s when I told him, ‘If you can’t bake, you ain’t getting any of this cake.’”

The small crowd erupts in laughter. They wave the tiny jokester goodbye as they sit next to us.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a human before. My name’s Sage.”

As confused as I am about why this saurian approached me out of nowhere, it would be a dick move to ignore…her.

“Anon.”

Heather waves as she speaks.

“I’m Heather. Nice to meet cha, ma’am.”

Sage’s eyes and mouth are open wide. Shit, am I about to get yelled at again? Just as I brace myself, Sage lets out a laugh before smiling.

“I’m impressed, Heather. Most people struggle to figure out if I’m a boy or a girl.”

“Not much to figure out, friend.”

“You’d be surprised. If I had a nickel for every time someone told me I was going into the wrong bathroom, I’d have enough money to pay for college.”

We all chuckle at her joke. We heard some loud voices coming from the door. A group of muscular saurians can be seen from the door. The megalodon with shades and a black tank top high-fives them as he walks into class with a swagger. Sage rolls her eyes and groans.

“Oh great. Here comes Chet. God, he sucks.”

Chet set his things down before walking over to our kitchen. He points at Sage before pointing his thumb at their kitchen.

“Come on, short stack, I saw teach down the hall.”

Sage turns to him, looking annoyed.

“I have a name, jackass.”

“Whatever dude.”

After Sages lets out a sigh, she gets up.

“It was nice meeting you two.”

As she walks back, I see Mrs. Aaron shuffle into the classroom. The tiny ptero looks more tired than normal. Despite this, she still greets the class with a bright smile and attitude.

“Good morning class. I hope you are doing well. Today, we are going to learn our first recipe: Beef stew. It’s a classic dish shared by many families, and its quite easy to make. Do not fret herbivores. I have taken you into account and have brought substitutions for all of you. Everyone put on your aprons!”

We all get up and put on our aprons. Mrs. Aaron shows us step-by-step instructions on how to make beef stew. It’s honestly not as hard as I thought it would be. Though, I guess that doesn’t mean much when I’m just passing Heather what she needs. Despite being so tall and muscular, she moves around with impressive speed. She’s damn near matching Mrs. Aaron.

I can hear some arguments arise from multiple tables, but the loudest came from Sage and Chet.

“The fuck you mean your leaving!?”

“I got practice, dude. Can't be the best without it.”

As the bickering continues, Mrs. Aaron slowly walks to the table.

“Now, now, what's with this commotion? disagreements are expected in this class, but this is a bit excessive.”

Sage points at Chet.

“This meat-head is going to leave me here to deal with the stew because he has some dumb practice.”

The teacher turns to the megalodon, raising an eyebrow. Chet shakes his head as he speaks.

“Look, teach. I have a game to practice for. Sorry if I don't have time to stand around and make some slop.”

As he finishes that sentence, the ptero’s eyes open and narrow. Her wings flare up and the entire room falls silent. She takes a deep breath before speaking calmly but firmly.

“One: I am Mrs. Aaron. Not teach. Two: You are here to learn how to be part of a team. You don't abandon them the moment things get inconvenient. If you wish to practice, you can do that on your own time. You will be respectful to me and your partner by staying here until the class ends. Am. I. Clear?”

Beads of sweat can be seen running down Chet’s face as the piercing gaze of the matriarch renders him immobile. He shakily nods his head.

“Y-yes, Mrs. Aaron.”

The ptero’s eyes close and her wings relax. She has her easy going smile again.

“Wonderful. Let's continue, everyone.”

Class resumes as normal with much less arguments all around. Soon enough, we actually finish making the stew. I raise my hand and Mrs. Aaron notices.

“Yes, Anon?”

“What do we do with the food now?”

The teacher giggles.

“You eat it, of course.”

I look around, and sure enough, everyone is enjoying their stew. I turn to our pot, only to see that the stew is gone! I hear a hearty burp to my right. It comes from Heather, who was wiping her mouth with a nearby napkin.

“Hoowee, that was quite the meal, right Anon?”

“I didn't try it.”

Heather's eyes widen and for the first time, I see her frown.

“I'm really sorry, Anon.”

I vigorously shake my head and wave my hands.

“No no no, it's fine, Heather. You fed me lunch and did most of the work for this. Besides, I'm not hungry.”

“Oh ok.”

Heather quickly goes back to her cheery self. The bell rings and everyone heads out the door. Heather and I walk to the door, but I feel a tiny hand hold my arm.

“Anon, may I speak with you for a moment?”

Mrs. Aaron let's go and walk to her little kitchen. I look at Heather and her eyes are now both looking at the ceiling, albeit in different directions.

“Don't worry, friend. I'll wait for ya outside.”

I nod and she ducks her head underneath the door frame as she leaves the room. I walk over to the ptero’s kitchen and a pleasant smell hit my nose. The stove was on and the pot that was on it had some stew left in it.

“I saw that you were unable to eat your hard work, so I wanted to make sure you had a chance to taste your hard work.”

“W-wow. Thanks Mrs. Aaron.”

I grab a spoon and scoop up some of the stew. When the liquid hits my tongue, I'm brought back to my grandparents ranch. the sturdy wooden table that Grandpa built holds up the bowl of goodness that Grandma made. As I take a bite of the meal, I'm back in the classroom with tears streaming down my face.

“Are you alright, Anon?”

I wipe some of the wetness from my face.

“Y-yea. It's just… I haven't had something like this in so long.”

The tiny ptero looks at me with confusion.

“Surely you eat something like this with your family.”

I shake my head.

“Last time I remember eating like this was with my grandparents.”

“And how long was that?”

“About 8 years ago.”

Mrs. Aaron’s eyebrows rise and her mouth opens.

“W-what about your parents? Don't they cook for you?”

I rubbed the back of my neck. I don't want to look like a charity case, but I feel like I can't lie to her.

“I… live alone.”

I could hear the gears turning in her mind as she processes what I said. Suddenly, I see her reach into a large beige tote and pull out a tupperware container. She pours the stew into it and wraps it into a plastic bag before handing it me.

“Here dear, take some of this stew home for dinner.”

“I can't take this, Mrs. Aar-”

She puts finger to my lips, silencing me.

“uhp pup up. Please, call me Samantha when we are out of class. And you are taking this home so you can have a good dinner, understood?”

I tried to protest, but couldn’t form any words. Eventually, I relented.

“Yes, Samantha.”

“Good. Now you have a good day, and don't be afraid to ask me if you need anything.”

I walk out of the classroom with a meal in my hands and a smile on my face.

Chapter Text

The practice with Fang went pretty well. I mean, they did kinda suck with their double bass setup. While the band was somewhat reserved when I brought up different instruments like guitars, they seemed to be accepting of the idea of trying new things. I thought Trish was going to be difficult, but she was surprising civil with me. Sometimes tells me that Heather being there probably played a part in that.

Mrs. Aar…Samantha has been really kind to me these last few weeks. After class, she would either ask me to stay a bit after or she would somehow find me around the school and hand me a lovingly made dinner. She always asks me how I'm doing and if I'm ok. We even exchange numbers because, in her words, “You should always have someone you can call.”

I wake up before my alarm rings. I got caught torrenting movies and shows off of the school's wifi. I was gonna get detention for a while, but Heather heard me complain about it and convinced Principal Spears to have me work in campus beautification instead. Heather and I have been hanging out a lot more. Each time I see her, I feel something weird. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something has changed.

I slip into my clothes and walk out the door, prepared for a grueling day of slave work. The walk to Volcano High is more difficult than normal due to the heat. Shit, I haven't even started working, and I already want to go back home. When I make it to the garden, I spot Heather talking to an orange ankylosaur. She is tall and toned, but nowhere close to as tall and toned as Heather is. Speaking of her, Heather isn't wearing her usual sundress. Instead, she is wearing blue overalls with the legs rolled up to her ankles. She’s also barefoot, which is pretty surprising due to all of the twigs and stuff on the ground.

One of Heather’s eyes spot me and she turns around to wave me over. I pick up the pace as I make my way to them. The ankylo notices my approach and meets me halfway.

“Hola, you must be An-on. I'm Rosa, one of the members of the gardening club. Heather has told me a lot about you.”

I see Heather wave with excitement as her eyes look at the ground and the sky. I wave back as my attention shifts to Rosa again.

“Nice to meet you. Is this where I'm supposed to be for campus beautification?”

Rosa nodded.

“Si, this is the place. We are going to get started soon, so go with the other students while we prepare.”

I nod and walk over to the sea of moody students that came here unwillingly. As I make my way around the garden I spot a familiar face.

“Hey, Fang. What are you doing here?”

Their eyes meet mine as a slight smile forms on their face

“Got caught smoking. I should be asking you that, though. I didn't think a goody-two-shoes like you could get into detention.”

“For fuck's sake, you're making me sound lame.”

We chuckle for a moment before we hear a booming voice coming from across the garden. No doubt, it was Spear's voice.

”All of you, get you sorry asses over here NOW!!!”

As all of us are attempting to recover from having our eardrums blown out, we stumble our way to where Spears is. The principal is standing on an incline while Heather, Rosa, and a stego chick stand besides him. Spears clears his throat before talking at a moderate volume again.

“I don't need to explain why you are all here. All I ask is that you give me and the gardenin club the proper respect of fulfilling your duties here. These three will be supervising all of you, and if you refuse to cooperate…”

Spears takes very thick stick from his jacket before snapping it like a twig.

“There will be consequences.”

I can hear the audible gulp of the crowd as the cave man throws the thick stick in the trash and walks into the building. Rosa clasps her hands together and speaks in a cheery tone.”

Bienvenidos a todos. We will be a separating you into groups so we can spread the work load. We start now.”

Rosa and the stego start separating everyone into groups of two or three. Heather on the other hand, makes a bee line straight to me. When she get here, she sticks here hand out as one of her eyes stops staring at the sky to look at me.

“Would ya like to be my partner?”

I have that fuzzy feeling again as I shake her hand, smile, and respond.

”Partners.”

Heather walks me to a table that has an assortment of tools like shovels and trowels. She grabs two hedge trimmers and hands me one before guiding me to some messy looking bushes and trees. The acrocan smiles as she explains what we are going to be doing.

“Alrighty, Anon. Y'know how to use them trimmers?”

“Not really. I've never lived in a place that had bushes.”

Heather nods as she drops her shears. The tool embeds itself into the ground as she walks behind me. She walks me to a bush before kneeling down. Suddenly, I see her big hands over mine as her ample chest presses into me.

DEFCON LEVEL 0!!! DEFCON LEVEL 0!!! FEMALE MAKING EXCESSIVE PHYSICAL. BE AFRAID!!!

“It's just like using scissors! All you gotta do is pull your hands apart to open the big scissors, and push them together to cut thangs. Our job is to make the bushes and trees nice n’ round.”

I barely process Heather’s instructions as I'm having a nuclear meltdown. My heart is beating out of my chest. The acrocan releases me before looking at me with concern.

“You doin’ alright, Anon? You look like ya got a fever.”

“I-I'm fine. It's just so hot outside, but I think I know what to do.”

“That’s great. Now let's hop to it.”

Heather and I spend the next half an hour cutting the trees and bushes. The shears felt light when we started, but now it's a struggle to keep them stable. Despite what I thought initially, Heather isn't a slave driver. She lets me work at my own pace as long as it isn't too slow, and she lets me take small breaks when I get really tired. It kinda reminds me of when I used to live with my grandparents.

Life on their ranch was simple, but fun. I got to sleep in the attic of their one-floor cottage, and I woke up to the sound of our rooster, Jeffery. After school, I would spend the rest of the day either helping Grandpa in the farm or Grandma in the barn with the animals. It was hard work, but… I liked it. I liked spending time with them. We were… a family.

I miss my family.

I look around and see that I am at the last tree. Heather and I seem to have pruned the rest of the greenery in the garden. I reach for the tree with the shears, but quickly find that I'm too short to cut it. I call out to Heather to get her attention.

“Heather, do you know if we have a ladder we can use!?”

I hear her voice right behind me.

“Oh, don't worry Anon. We ain't gonna need to haul that back here.”

“What do you mea-”

Before I can finish my question, I feel hands grab from my armpits and before I know it, I'm raised into the air. I fidget around, trying to gain some semblance of control. This allows me to look behind me, and I see Heather. Her eyes are looking at the bottom of her nose and at her forehead as she is carrying me with her arms stretching out. She walks closer to the tree.

“Alrighty Anon, tell me when ya done.”

I can hear a couple of snickers in the distance. My face turns redder than a tomato as I slowly start cutting the out-reaching leaves. I occasionally look back at Heather, who has a beaming smile. I think I notice her tail is wagging too. Eventually, I finish pruning the tree.

“I'm done. Y-you can put me down now.”

I still can't believe that Heather's arms aren't tired at all as she steadily brings me back to ground level. I turn around to see that one of Heather’s eyes is looking right at me. A question danced on the tip of my tongue.

“Why didn't you do it yourself if you didn't want to get the ladder?”

“Well, I couldn’t just steal that work away from ya, Anon. Ya were here with me doin ya best to cut them leaves. Don't it feel good that ya saw it through to the end?”

Now that she mentions it, I look back at the bushes and trees. They are now clean and round, giving a more welcoming vibe to the garden. As I gaze at the garden, I'm filled with something I haven't felt in years.

Pride.

“Yeah. I guess it does. Y'know, all things considered, this shit wasn't that bad. definitely better than detention. Still, I think the last time I worked this hard was when I lived in my grandparents ranch.”

Heather’s wandering eyes widen as her grin grows. Her tail wags faster with excitement as she shakes me by my shoulders to the point where I start to feel dizzy.

“Gosh, ya were raised on a farm too!?”

“Th-that was almost ten years ago!”

“I don't think I met any folks ‘round here that live in a farm since I started comin’ here. It's quite nice to know that this farm girl ain't alone no more.”

Something about what she said makes my stomach feel fuzzy again. My heart is beating faster too. Everytime I'm around Heather, I eventually start to feel this way. I know I've only known her for a few weeks but…

I think I like her.

“I'm glad you feel that way Heather. Like I said, I enjoyed this shit way more than I thought I would. Honestly, this whole thing kinda makes me miss the farm.”

Suddenly, Heather gasps. I swear, I can see stars in her eyes as she kneels down to share her big idea.

“You can come to my parents farm! I'm sure they'll love an extra hand around the place.”

“Heather, I don't know…”

I notice Heather twirl one of the straps of her overalls between her fingers. A small blush forms on her face. In a quieter voice, she mutters something.

“And…I'd like your company too.”

My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest. Despite how fucking nerve-wracked I am, I gather all the confidence in my body to answer.

“S-sure.”

Out of nowhere, the world starts spinning. Before I panic, I realized that it just Heather spinning me around in an embrace. She giggles and I follow suit soon after. The moment gets interrupted by Rosa as she is calling Everyone back to the front of the school. Heather puts me down and starts toward her.

“Come on, Anon. Ross made some tasty food. If you think what I bring for lunch is good, your in for a treat!”

I smile and begin making my way there too.

“Right behind you.”

The two of us walk to Rosa to have a great meal.

Together.

Chapter Text

As the sun rises to the middle of the week, I find myself in bed thinking about Heather. The acrocan has constantly been on my mind since campus beautification. I know I like her, but I'm not sure why. I've never been attracted to anyone before, and I have no fucking idea how these things work. I've only seen this kind of shit in VN’s and anime. I don't know what to do…

I… I need advice.

But from who? I obviously can't go to Heather, but she is kinda the only person I talk to. Naser? No, we aren't really that close. I don't have his number, so finding him would be close to impossible. Besides, something tells me that he wasn't exactly the one who pursued the relationship anyway. Fang? While they would be a better choice since I can actually find them, I'm not too sure if Fang would give the best advice when it comes to this. They probably have band stuff to worry about anyway. I turn to look at my phone.

Then it hit me.

*Brrrrr…. Brrrrr*

I hope it isn't too early. I think she should be at school by now. After a few seconds of waiting, I hear the line pick up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mrs. Aaron. It's Anon.”

“Oh, hi dear! And I have already told you, call me Samantha.”

“R-right, sorry.”

“It's alright, dear. How are you doing?”

“Honestly? I feel a little lost. I was wondering if I could come to your class before first period and talk to you about it?”

“Of course you can! I'll be waiting for you in the same room as your Home Ed class.”

“Awesome! Thanks, Samantha.”

“Anytime, Anon.”

I hang up the call and get ready for the day. After that, I leave way earlier than I usually do. Walking somewhat fast, I get to school about 40 minutes before first period. Heather is nowhere to be seen, but I guess that isn't much of a surprise considering what time it is. There is barely anyone at the front entrance, and as I approach the twin doors, I see that the hallway is completely empty. It was almost eerie walking through them. However as I turn the corner, a fluffy feathered wing slaps me in the face.

“Watch where you're going, jacka… wait, Anon!?”

Fang steps back and wipes their wings.

“Fang? What are you doing here this early?”

“I ride with my fucked-wing retard of a brother, and he had some track shit to do today.”

I quietly wince. I know they didn't like their brother but…fuck.

“But what about you? Don't tell me you're here for some nerdy ass study group.”

“Hell no! I wouldn't kill myself every day for an extra five percent on a test. I'm on my way to talk to Mrs. Aaron.”

As I finish the sentence, Fang's eyes widen and her wings tense up. I can almost see their brain stalling before they open their mouth.

“What do you want to see her for?”

“Just want to ask for some advice about something.”

The ptero crosses their arm and cocks their eyebrow.

“Advice about what?”

“Wouldn't you like to know?”

“Yes, I would like to know why you are going to see my mom.

My mouth hangs open in shock as their words ring throughout the empty hallway. Taking a better look at them, I can kinda see the similarities between Samantha and Fang like their amber eyes. I shake my head and sigh while rubbing the back of my neck.

“I… want to talk to her about a girl I might like…”

Fang stares at me with an intensity similar to their mom. They start to shake before letting a hearty laugh. Then, they spend the next minute busting a gut as I look away in embarrassment.

“Fuck, you're such a dork. The skinnie has a cruuuussh.”

“F-fuck off, Fang. This shit is new to me.”

“That much is obvious, but why ask my mom of all people for advice?”

“I don't really trust anyone besides you and her, and I didn’t think you could tell me about girls given that you're NB.”

Fang’s eyes narrow slightly and they open their beak to speak, but after a moment of silence, they close their mouth. They seem almost... dejected. I continue.

“Samantha has been helping me out a lot, especially with the dinners she makes for me. I trust her, probably more than anyone else.”

Fang’s expression changes as she seems to be remembering something.

“So that's why mom has been making more food than usual.”

“Yea. She's awesome.”

The ptero scoffs.

“You are only saying that because you don't live with her. She lives in her own little world and just ignores problems.”

My brow furrows a bit. I can't just say they are wrong because she isn't my mom, but I don’t think what Fang is saying is true.

“She could have ignored me.”

Once again, Fang opens their mouth, but nothing comes out. However, this time their face contorts into a bitter expression. I look at the time and… shit, I better get going. I walk past Fang, but turn around after a few steps.

“Seriously Fang, you shouldn't take your mom for granted.”

Their hands ball into a fist. Their wings flare up and their eyes fill with anger as they shout at me.

“How the fuck are you going to talk to me about my mom!? What the hell do you know!?”

I look at them for a moment. My expression saddens and I sigh. Now is definitely not the time to get into all of that.

“More than you think I do.”

I can see that this is only going to end shittier if I stay any longer, so I make my way to Home Ed, leaving Fang to cool down hopefully. I didn't know that they had such a strained relationship with their family. As much as I want to hand wave what they said away, I can't. I can't because they're right. I haven't lived with Samantha and Naser and I don’t know them like Fang does.

My thoughts are interrupted as I find myself in front of the classroom door. I take a breath before opening and walking through it. Samantha is grading papers on her kitchen counter while sitting on a small brown swivel chair. When I step foot into the room, the tiny ptero turns in my direction.

“There you are, dear. I was wondering when you would get here.”

I approach the kitchen counter.

“Sorry about that, Samantha. I ran into Fang on the way here.”

“Oo, you met Lucy!?”

I looked at her confused.

“Lucy?”

“Yes, though nowadays, she goes by her silly nickname.”

Oh… I think I'm starting to see what Fang was talking about.

“How is she doing, Anon?

Samantha's joyful expression seems to lessen.

“They are doing alright. The two of us got into a disagreement, but it's nothing serious.”

She nods slowly before going back to her happy demeanor.

“That's good to hear, but I'm sure that's not what you wanted to talk about. What's on your mind, Anon?”

“Right. I wanted to ask you for some advice.”

I rub the back of my neck.

“Just… promise not to laugh.”

“Of course I won’t. Just be honest.”

“Ok… I think I like someone.”

Samantha raises an eyebrow. There is confusion in her voice as she questions me.

“What do you mean when you say that you think you like someone?”

“Honestly, I’m kinda lost. I've never felt like this before about someone, and I don't know if I'm feeling this way just because she was nice to me. I… I need help.”

The tiny ptero nods as she hums.

“Would it be too much of a guess to say that this someone is Heather?”

“H-how did you know!?”

The matriarch chuckles.

“Sweetheart, you forget that I stand in front of the class. I see the way you look at her. You said you didn't know if you liked her just because she was good to you, right? Why don't you take a moment and tell me what you like about her then.”

What I like about her, huh? Well…

“She's… the sweetest person I've ever met. Seriously, I was confused about how someone like her could even exist. She's very genuine. I never have to guess why she's doing things; she wears her heart on her sleeve. She's really caring to everyone and always tries to help people where she can. She is weird in the best way possible. I didn’t think I was into muscular women, but I would be lying if I said I didn't find Heather attractive. I thought her eyes were weird at first, but now I think they make her cute. Also-”

“Awwwww!!”

Suddenly, I hear Samantha squeal. My cheeks feel warm as she is clapping her small hands.

“You're in love!! It's adorable hearing you talk about her. Oh, to be young again.”

“So…”

“Anon. even a blind person can see that you are head over heels for her for much more than her kindness toward you.”

I take a shaky breath.

“So what should I do to get her to like me?”

The tiny ptero chuckles once more.

“I’m going to tell you something very important. I know that the most common advice you hear in situations like this is ‘Be yourself.’ While the core of that message is important, I see that it often gets misconstrued. Some people think that it means that you shouldn’t change for anyone no matter what. These kinds of people think that they shouldn’t put any effort into their appearance, or improve upon themselves because they are simply perfect the way they are. That if no one chooses them as a romantic partner, it’s the world's fault.”

Samantha looks at me with a more serious expression.

“Please, don’t be one of those people Anon. You’re such a sweet boy, and it would be a shame to see you fall into that same trap. Now, I’m not saying that you should change drastically for someone to fit what they like. If you want something that you can change immediately, you can always try to make yourself more presentable. While nicer clothes can help, it’s the little things like correcting your posture and speaking with confidence that girls really pay attention to. Instead of being opposed to change or transforming who you are overnight, you should be open to change. We are affected by every relationship that we have, not just romantic ones. We change with people, not for people.”

Samantha glances at the clock before turning back to me.

“You better get going. Class will begin in about ten minutes.”

I nod as I make my way to the door.

“Thanks for listening to me. I feel like I have some idea what to do now.”

She smiles at me warmly, which seems to be infectious as I soon find myself smiling as well.

“It’s my pleasure, Anon. If you have any more questions or if you would just like to chat, my door is always open to you.”

“...that means a lot, Samantha. Thank you.”

We say our goodbyes and I walk back into a now filled hallway. I’m hoping that I run into Fang, but it doesn’t seem like I will get the opportunity to talk to them until later. I walk into Homeroom and wait in my seat for the class to begin. The bell rings, the teacher walks in, and the class starts.

Homeroom is horribly boring, and I shoot out of my desk when the bell rings again. As I make my way through the hallway, I see Sage. Her tail is droopy, her face is disheveled, and her shoulders are sagging. I want to ask what's wrong, but I don’t really know her. Just then, I remember my first day here and… you know what? Fuck it, why not? I stop and turn around before walking to Sage.

“Hey, Sage.”

The microraptor flinches at the sound of her name. She straightens her back as she turns around to greet me with a smile.

“Hi, Anon! I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

If I hadn’t seen her a few seconds ago, I would have had no idea that something seems to be bothering her.

“Are you doing ok? You kinda looked sad.”

Sage opens her mouth but nothing comes out. Her smile faded but quickly came back as she responded.

“I’m doing alright!”

“Oh, ok. Well, see you later.”

As I turn around to head to Science class I hear Sage’s voice again.

“Thank you, Anon… Thank you for asking me that.”

I turn around, only to see that the microraptor is gone. I look around a little before relenting and walking to my next class. When I get there, I see Fang sitting and scrolling through their phone. When I sit down next to them, they don't look up or say anything. They must be still mad about what happened this morning. I want to say something, but I don't think I can say anything that will make whatever is going on with them better.

Thankfully, we just had a lecture today, so we weren't forced to talk to each other. As soon as the bell rings, Fang gets up and leaves. I wait a minute before doing the same. I want to figure out things with Fang, but I can’t do that If they don't want to talk to me.

Two hours later, and my favorite time of the day comes back around. On my way to the Cafeteria, the floor ahead of me got dark. I turn around, and all I see is yellow. Then, I look up and I'm met with a steel-colored iris. My heartbeat quickens and a smile forms across my mouth.

“It's good to see you again, Heather.”

“It's a pleasure to see ya too, Anon! Wanna sit at our lunch table?”

“That sounds great.”

We make our way to our usual table in the corner. Heather gives me half of her food and we start to chow down. However, halfway through the meal, I am reminded of Fang.

“What's wrong, Anon?”

“Nothing, I'm doing alright.”

The acrocan shakes her head.

“Judee and Schizo say the same darn thing when something's wrong. What's on ya mind, friend?”

I Iet out a sigh. I guess I should have expected that I couldn't hide anything from Heather.

“I had a fight with Fang today. We were talking about their mom, and things got messy.”

Heather hums in thought as I turn my attention back to my food and try eating it. However, as I scoop some rice into my spoon, I feel something wrap around my whole body and a weight on my head. It only took me a moment to figure out that it was Heather. She put her arms around me in a firm, yet gentle embrace as she rests her head on mine.

“It'll be ok, Anon. Sometimes friends need time from their friends. I'm sure after some time apart, things between ya will get betta.”

Huh… no alarms this time. I hug her arms as I close my eyes and let the moment sink in. We stay like that for what feels like hours, but can't have been more than a few seconds before Heather breaks away. Her voice was softer and lack her usual confidence.

“Y-you feelin’ any betta, hun?”

Her face was red and while one of her eyes is looking at the center of her forehead, one of them is looking at me. She gives a caring smile that glows with a warmth I haven't felt in a long time.”

“Yea. I-i do.”

We stare into each other's eyes, or eye in Heather’s case, before we hear the bell ring. We snap out of our weird stupor. We say goodbye and walk to our classes. Dammit, why couldn’t the bell ring five minutes later!? Well, at least I get to see them again in Home Ed.

A couple hours later, and I’m on my way to my last class for the day. My pace is a little faster than normal, and it’s no mystery why. When I get to the room, the first place I look is our usual seats. Heather is sitting on her’s and when she spots me, she waves at with a smile. Unlike her other smiles, this one is more reserved. Her eyes are half lidded, and while her eyes are looking at two opposing walls, I can’t help but feel like we can only see each other. Just before I sink too deep into her eyes, I hear a dainty voice from my left.

“Why don’t you take a seat, Mr. Mous?”

“Oh yeah, sorry Mrs. Aaron.”

She gives a quiet chuckle as I make my way to my seat, As I sit down, I notice that Sage is already here. She is looking at her phone while having that same look she had in the hallway. As I am about to ask how she is doing, I hear a thump from the front of the class. I turn my head to see Chet the megalodon. Except, he looks different than his usual cocky self. He doesn’t stand straight, and while his sunglasses hide it well, I can see bags under his eyes. Now that I notice it, he didn’t come to class with anyone either.

“Welcome, Mr. Stanley.”

“Hey.”

Chet quickly and quietly walks to his desk and sits down. Samantha has a look of concern on her face that she quickly shakes off. Once all of the students get to their seats, Mrs. Aaron starts class.

“Today, we are going to try to diversify our pallet and skills a bit. Everyone, get out your strainers. We are making spaghetti.”

We all reach into our cabinets and start following the tiny ptero’s instructions. Christ, I had no idea something as simple as spaghetti was so difficult to make. While it seems easy, one of the bigger challenges is keeping the pasta from breaking too much. Heather seems to know what she is doing though, since she is quick and careful in preparing the food. I hear some arguing around the room, but way less than in my first days here. However, there is one table that has only gotten worse. Chet and Sage are at it again. Chet seems to be washing the uncooked spaghetti with his hands.

“That’s not how you clean it, jackass! You’re going to break the pasta!”

“Shut the hell up. This way is faster. If I’m not going to be the best at football, I’m going to be the best here.”

The bickering between them only gets worse until Sage goes for the jugular.

“This is why I fucking hate you! You are obsessed about being ‘the best’ even though you don’t know shit about anything, and when someone who does comes around, you act like a dick! The only reason that people like you is because you are on the football team!”

Chet’s hands immediately turn to fists, crushing all of the spaghetti that he is holding. His guttural shout silences the entire class.

”YOU DON’T THINK I KNOW THAT!!?”

The class is so silent you could hear a pin drop. Instead, we hear the stern voice of the teacher.

“Chet, Sage! Outside. Now!”

The two of them walk to the door with conflicted looks on their faces. Samantha follows behind them and closes the door. The other students try to go back to their pasta while Heather taps me on my shoulder.

“Come on, Anon. Let's get back to this.”

The acrocan had a concerned look on her face, and while one of her eyes was looking in my general direction, her other one was looking at the door.

“Poor fellas. They both look lIke they're hurtin’.”

I nod and help her slowly feed the spaghetti into the boiling water. A few minutes later, I hear the door open again.

“Mr. Mous, could you please come here and assist me with something?”

“Yes ma'am.”

Heather takes over the pasta and I walk over to the ptero. I look around the hall, but I can’t find Sage or Chet.

“Right this way.”

She leads me to the room next door. It's smaller than the other classrooms, but I see Sage and Chet sitting in chairs that are facing away from each other in the middle of the room. Sage looks at me and gives me a shaky smile while Chet doesn’t even acknowledge me.

“What's going here, Mrs. Aaron?”

“These two are having a… disagreement. They are going to sit here until they talk things out. While I would like to sit here and moderate the discussion, I have a class to teach. I would like you to sit outside this door until they are done to ensure nothing escalates.”

“A-actually…”

We both turn to Sage, who is looking toward the ground. I can't see her eyes through her glass.

“Can Anon stay here…please?”

Samantha looks between me and Sage before turning back to me. One of her eyes opens and I can feel the cold intense aura that she carries.

“Anon, I need you to swear to me and to those two that you will not disclose anything you hear in this room.”

I feel a shudder creep down my spine, but I shake it off.

“I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Samantha’s gaze lasts a moment longer before she shuts her eye and smiles.

“Good. Now, I wish you two the best of luck in resolving your issues. I will be in the classroom if you need anything.”

The ptero walks out of the room and closes the door, leaving the three of us there.

I sit on the floor and lean against the wall. The silence is deafening, and I begin to think that it’s going to last forever, I hear Sage speak in a low tone. There was no sass. No playfulness. Just… concern mixed with curiosity.

“What did you mean… when you said that you know that?”

“Since when do you care?”

Chet is trying to keep his voice harsh, but something else is in it that I can’t make out. Sage takes a deep breath and keeps talking.

“I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that to you. I was projecting my issues on you.”

I see Chet’s shoulders drop as he looks behind him sightly before scoffing.

“Issues? Like what, finding new jokes to tell?”

Sage’s voice gets louder.

“No, it's that. Everyone treats me like a goddamn joke!”

The microraptor lets out a sigh before continuing. As she speaks, her voice starts to crack.

“Everyone knows me as the class clown, but no one knows me. Whenever I can make people laugh, they like to hang around me, but the moment I have a shitty day, I look around to find no one there. Fuck, the only person who bothered to ask if I was ok was someone I never talk to.”

Sage glances at me.

“Even my parents just dismiss everything about me. Even my dream of becoming a chef… I doubt you would understand. Everyone flocks to you and they stick around.”

“No. they don’t.”

Sage turns around to Chet, who sighs before talking.

“Those people hang out with me because I win. No one cares about who comes in second, or who tries the hardest. A few year’s ago, I was a nobody. No one paid any attention me. Not even Dad. Then, one day I saw my dad cheering while he was watching a football game. I tried out for the football team the next day. Turns out, I was really fucking good at throwing a ball really far. When I told my dad that I made the team, that was the first time I heard him say that he was proud of me. And soon after that, everyone started paying attention to me. As long as I kept winning, I had friends… As long as I kept winning… I wasn’t a nobody… That didn’t happen last Sunday.”

I hear the screeching noise of sliding rubber. It’s Sage. She is in tears and has now turned her chair to face Chet. The megalodon turns around, and when he sees this, he turns his body around to face Sage. He tries his best to keep it together, but I can see a tear escape his shades.

“Chet, you’re not a nobody. You were a jackass then and you are a jackass now. Nothing changed just because you lost.”

The two of them chuckle.

“You aren’t either, Sage. Even though your jokes fucking suck.”

Sage gives out a mock gasp.

“I’m unfunny? No bitch, you unfunny.”

Their chuckle turns into laughter as they wipe their tears. Surprisingly, being here is also making me feel better about Fang. If these two could overcome their differences and make up…

Then it can’t be hopeless between the two of us.

Chapter Text

I beat my alarm yet again. Even though Saturday is the best time for me to sleep in, I can't today. I'm supposed to be at school to meet Heather at 9. As I’m looking at what I'm going to wear, I come to a realization. I'm going to be meeting her parents for the first time. I pick out my finest green jacket, my least wrinkled white shirt, and my cleanest pair of jeans. I grab my phone, put on my locket, and I am out the door. It doesn’t take me too long to get to school where I see Heather sitting on a bench wearing the blue overalls that she wore during campus beautification. She’s gazing at the sky and the trees around her with her eyes half-lidded. The advice Samantha gave me pops into my head. I straighten my back and take a little breath to gather all of the confidence I have.

“I’m here, Heather.”

The acrocan continues to look at the scenery.

“Ain’t it a beauty, Anon?”

“What is?”

“This place. We pass by it every day, but when ya slow down and look, ya can’t help but enjoy the view.”

I look around. Y’know, she isn’t wrong. I spot things I haven’t noticed before like a bird's nest resting on a street light and a couple of pink flowers that are growing on the side of a building. I then turn my attention to the most beautiful sight in the area.

“Yea. It is beautiful.”

Heather looks back at me with a dusting of pink on her face. She gets up and walks toward me. We smile at each other as we walk to a bus stop.

“Ya ready to come to the ranch?”

“I’m a bit nervous, but I’m as ready as I'll ever be.”

“Why are ya nervous? I’ve seen ya work, and you’ll be a great help at home.”

“It’s just that I’m going to be meeting your parents for the first time and I want to make a good impression.”

“Huh, I guess you are meetin’ my folks for the first time. I wouldn’t worry about it if I were ya, though. You’re a hard worker and ya nice. I’m sure they’ll like ya. I know I do.”

I completely go red as she smiles warmly at me. What the hell does she mean by that?! Just as I open my mouth to say something, I hear the bus approaching. It's blue, but the spots of rust show its age. When it comes to a full stop, the door opens and reveals an old gray baryonyx wearing a small blue hat sitting in the driver’s seat. The bus driver looks at me with intrigue, but quickly smiles when he sees Heather.

“Hey there, Heather. Is this the boy you were telling me about today?”

“Yup! Will, meet Anon. Anon, this is Will. He’s the fella that takes me to school.”

Will takes another look at me before smirking.

“I hope you’re ready to work kid.”

I give a nervous smile as we step into the vehicle. The bus is spacious and empty. Heather and I sit together in the middle of the bus, and we start moving after a few seconds of waiting. One of the acrocan’s eyes is looking outside the window while her other is looking at her lap. I have a thought to shitpost, but I shake it off and look out the window with Heather. As the minutes go by, the urban streets and tall buildings give way to plains and tall grass. As the bus continues to head into the countryside the ride gets bumpier, probably due to how old the road is. After 45 minutes, The bus driver stops near an old wooden bench in the middle of nowhere. The door opens and Heather gets up. I follow suit and we both get out of the bus.

“Thank ya kindly, Will.”

Will yips his hat to us.

“You two have a safe walk.”

Walk? The bus driver closes the door and drives back to Volcaldara. I look at Heather in confusion. She smiles and takes me by the hand.”

“Come on Anon! This walk ain’t gonna walk itself.”

I walk with her, but I notice that she hasn’t let go of my hand yet. I don’t know if I feel hot because of that or because of the sun that is shining down on us. What I do know is that I want to stay like this. I grip her hand a little tighter. Suddenly, my back has a stinging pain. Heather lets go of my hand and rubs where the pain is. Her face is completely red and her tail is swaying side to side very fast.

“I-I’m real sorry, hun. I swear I wasn’t fixin’ to hurt ya.”

“I’m fine, Heather. So how far is your house?”

“Oh! It's just over yonder.”

She points in front of us. I squint my eyes and I think I can see a white fence. After a thirty-minute walk, we end up in front of the fence. It's only about three feet tall, and despite how far we are from the city, the fence is well-kept. Heather undoes the small lock on it with a key that she kept in one of her many pockets. We walk past the fence and we are now walking on a wide dirt path. As we are following the path, I can see a few wooden buildings. Soon, we stop at a medium-sized, one-floor house. Just like the fence, the paint job seems new and there are potted plants scattered around the front porch. We step in front of the screen door which has a wooden door behind it. Heather unlocks the door and turns the knob with two fingers before walking in. After a moment of hesitation, I walk into the house too.

Heather's home was smaller than I thought it would be. The floors are made from wooden boards and the walls are brick. There was a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. acrocan is bending her knees in a small crouch as she navigates through the living room. The living room itself had a couch facing a small TV on a stand. Above the TV, there was a golden cross hanging on the wall. Honestly, that made a lot of sense. Everything seems small when compared to her. I thought that her parents would be as big as her or at least close, but that doesn't look like that's the case. I can hear clattering coming from the kitchen. Heather then follows the noise.

“I’m back Mama, and I brought Anon with me!”

I walk into the kitchen, and what I see completely catches me off guard. Heather is kneeling down and hugging a dark-skinned…human. One that’s shorter and a little wider than me, but not by much. She has black frizzy hair and is wearing a yellow, long-sleeved blouse with pink flowers that's neatly tucked into a burgundy dress. She's wearing an apron that reads ‘Home is where the food is’ while holding a wooden ladle. Through the embrace, one of her brown eyes spots me and she breaks away from Heather.

“Hey there, baby. ya must be the boy my little girl keeps tellin’ me about.”

Heather covers her face and curls into a ball, yet is still the size of the fridge.

“M-Mama!”

“Oh hush dear, I'm just teasin’.”

She turns back to me with arms stretching out.

“The name’s Dolly. Now give me some sugar.”

Her hug is firm yet soft, similar to Heather’s. I return the embrace before we let go of each other.

“Nice to meet you, Ma’am.”

Her mom is human, so her dad must be an acrocan. Maybe he’s a giant just like Heather. Maybe-

“Oh, Samson dear! Look who came!”

I turn around, and behind me isn’t an acrocan. It's another human! His white skin makes the short brown hair and stubble across his face stand out. His red plaid shirt and jeans have dirt smeared on them. Despite his similar size to me, his grimace sends shivers down my spine. He wipes his head with his brown cowboy hat as his hazel eyes stare daggers at me.

“So. You’re that city boy Heather’s been talkin’ ‘bout. She said you were raised on a farm, but sure as hell don’t look like it.”

He puts one hand on his belt buckle and extends his other one toward me.

“Don’t know if they teach ya manners in the city, but where I’m from, It's polite to shake fella’s hand when ya meet them.”

“H-hello, sir.”

I reach for his hand and mine feels like my bones are getting crushed into dust. Despite this, I try to squeeze a little, which earns me a puzzled look from Mr. Kent. Once he let go of my shattered hand, Heather crouch-walks her way to her dad and gives him a big hug.

“Aw come on now, Papa. No need to intimidate my friend.”

“Hmm. ‘Suppose you’re right, sweetheart. Besides…”

Heather's dad gives a menacing grin.

“We ‘bout to see what city boy here is made of. When you two are done lolly-gaggin’, meet me outside. We got work to do.”

Heather lets go of him and Samson gives a peck to his wife before the two of them head outside through the backdoor. ‘I’m still trying to process that both of her parents are human.’

“Goodness baby, you do know that you think out loud, right?”

Shit.

“S-sorry Ma’am.”

Dolly chuckles, turning around back to the big pot that was on the stove.

“Bless ya heart, Anon. I suppose that’s just a natural question when they see our little girl next to us. Now get a move on. It’s best ya don’t keep my husband waitin’.”

I nodded before walking out the door. The sun greets me yet again. I can feel the top of my head burning as I run over to Heather and her dad, who are standing next to a beat-up black truck. The man looks at me for a moment before shaking his head.

“For Christ’s sake, boy.”

He reaches into the back of the truck before pulling out a straw hat and throwing it at me.

“Here. Last thing we need is ya to burn up what’s left up there.”

I barely catch it and put it on, Sweet relief.

“Thank you, sir.”

He grunts at me before getting into the truck. Heather squeezes her legs inside the passenger seat and I get into the back seat. Mr. Kent puts the key into the ignition, and we are soon moving. He fixes the rearview mirror to make eye contact with me. His glare causes me to freeze up.

“So, where ya from?”

His voice was deep and his accent was thick.

“I’m from Rock Bottom, sir.”

He scoffs.

“Let me ask ya a better question. When have ya ever worked in a ranch?”

I twirl my locket between my fingers.

“I used to live with my grandparents on their ranch. I worked there when I wasn’t in school, but… that was a long time ago.”

Mr. Kent’s glare softens a bit and thankful doesn’t press the issue anymore. Instead, he switches the subject to something more immediate.

“So how much of that farm work you remember?”

“Not much, but I think I’ll be able to relearn it quickly.”

He nodded before grinning.

“Then I should put ya to shovel the cow manure. Make sure you get that ranch work welcome.”

I audibly gulp in dread. Thankfully, Heather cut in.

“I already did that yesterday, Papa.”

Mr. Kent's voice changed to a softer, gentler town.

“Right, now I remember. Thank ya, Sweet Pea.”

Suddenly, the truck stopped. I looked out the window, and in front of me was a brown barn. I get out of the truck and Heather is about to as well, until her dad stops her and looks at me.

“Go and find my son, Ulysses. I gave him a list of what I wanted done today. Should be somewhere ‘round here.”

Heather pops her head out of the window.

“I’ll see ya back at the house, Anon. Tell Uly I said hi!”

The two of them drive off, leaving me by the tall barn. I walk through the large entrance and the first thing that hits me is the smell. The stench of cow shit is something I haven’t smelled in a long time. There are rows of stables all the way down the building, each with either a cow or horse inside. I hear the rattle of buckets coming from one of the nearby stables and I walk toward it. When I peer over the gate, I see a light-skinned human boy with short black hair sitting on a stool. He’s wearing a dirty white shirt with dark gray overalls. He had scars all over his arms. All of them look drastically different from one another. In the pen with him was a cow with a bucket under it.

“Hey. Are you Ulysses?”

The boy stands up, reaching my height before walking over to me. He looks built, a lot like Heather. He looks me up and down before crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

“I am. You must be that city slicker that Heather told our parents about.”

“That I am. I’m Anon, and I’m here to help you with the work around here.”

He raises his eyebrows.

“You? Help me? I doubt you know your way ‘round a broom.”

I looked at him for a moment, unwavering. His smirk fades and he opens the pen to let me in.

“Alright then. Let’s see if ya can milk cows at least. Try this one.”

He points at the cow, which seemed completely unbothered by my presence. I sit down on the stool and pull my sleeves all the way back. How did Grandma do this again? I know that contrary to popular belief, you’re not supposed to tug on the cow's teat. I decide to follow my gut and wrap my thumb and index finger around the top of the udder. I can feel the milk inside it. I wrap the rest of my fingers and gently, but firmly squeeze. Milk begins to spurt out of the cow and direct the stream into the bucket. Ulysses’ eyes slightly widened.

“Would ya look at that? Seem’s that you weren’t lyin’ when you said you used to live in the countryside. We need to fill one bucket per cow. When ya finish with this one, milk the next cow to the left and keep goin’ till there ain’t no more cows.”

I nod and we get to work. I fill up the first bucket before moving on to the next cow. It felt… peaceful working on a ranch again. It’s like I found a piece of myself I thought was lost forever. After what feels like only a few minutes, I get done milking the last cow I bring the last bucket of milk to the spot where I placed the rest of them. Ulysses walks to me and looks at the buckets before nodding.

“Not bad, city slicker. Not bad at all. If ya work like that on the rest of these here chores, we might be done before the sun goes down. Next up is feedin’ the horses. Follow me.”

He starts walking and I follow right beside him.

“So, how did ya and my big sista’ meet?”

“I was on my way to school, and I accidentally bumped into her when I was on my phone. Needless to say, I fell on my ass.”

Ulysses let out a hearty laugh.

“Sounds ‘bout right. As I’m sure you’ve seen, she’s an angel built like a brick-shit house.”

“Yeah. Do you go Volcano High? I’m sure I would have noticed another human walking around.”

“Nah. I’m homeschooled for the most part. It’s why Heather is the only one who has one of them phones.”

“I still don’t know how Heather walks for over half an hour to the bus stop every day early enough to get to school on time.”

“She doesn’t. I take her to the bus stop most days with Dad's truck. It helps me practice my drivin’ so I can get around when I get to them cities. One a’ these days, I’m a go to college like Emily and Sarah.”

“Who are they?”

“They are my older sisters. They're a lot older than Heather. Last I heard from ‘em, they both living alright up north.”

We stop in front of a big opening. Past it are two rows of horse heads popping out of their taller and more secure stables. Underneath their heads is a very long trough that reaches from the first stable to the last. Ulysses walks to a pile of hay bales.

“All we got left to do is to care for the horses. Gotta feed em, groom em, and water em. In that order. I take the horses on the left, and you take the ones on the right.”

We get to work. Feeding the hordes is the hardest job I had to do by far. I remember trying and failing to lift hay bales to impress Grandpa back then. Now I can just barely lift them. Once I bring them to the trough, I place the hay in it. One of the horses almost bites into my hat. After nearly losing the only piece of protection I have against the heat ray that is the sun, I start to brush down the horse. Using long, even strokes, they seem to like getting brushed as they neigh non-stop while I'm doing it. I can see why Ulysses had me feed them first and give them water last. After I finish brushing, the horses have just about eaten all of the hay. I turn my attention to a faucet at one of the ends of the trough. When I turn it on, water pours into the trough. Soon, the horses are getting their refreshing drinks and I am looking for Ulysses.

As I’m searching, I hear something coming from outside the barn. As I get closer, it sounds like music. When I get out of the barn, I see Ulysses sitting on a hay bale playing with a silver harmonica. The tune is slow but uplifting, and when he finishes, he puts the instrument in his overalls.

“You play that pretty well, Ulysses.”

“Thanks. Ya finished?”

“Yup. It was pretty fun.”

He reaches into a side pocket and pulls out a walkie-talkie. He walks away for a moment and seems to be talking with someone on the side of the signal. After he nods, he puts away the walkie before walking back to me.

“Dad’s on the way. Should be here in two shakes of a horse's tail.”

“Nice.”

As Ulysses sits down, his face is scrunching. He's thinking about something. Suddenly, he lets out a quick breath.

“You here for my sista’, ain’t ya?”

I felt my heart stop.

“W-what.”

“You're the first boy that Heather has ever brought home and while I must admit, you enjoyed this much more than I was expectin’ ya to, are ya really gonna tell me that ya only came to throw some hay ‘round?”

“...No.”

“Well, least ya honest about it. Dad tells me honesty seems to be in short supply in them cities you live in. I think I'm startin’ to like ya Anon, so I’m a tell it to ya straight. You must be somethin’ special if Heather bothered to bring ya here, and from what I can see, you ain't no devil. But let me make it known…”

Ulysses leans and shoots me a cold glare. I find myself short of breath as he speaks.

“My family means the world to me, especially Heather. If ya hurt her in any way, there ain't no mountain tall ‘nuff, there ain’t no ocean wide ‘nuff, and there ain't valley deep ‘nuff to keep ya safe from me. Understand?”

I frantically nod and Ulysses snaps back to his relaxed demeanor. For a farmhand, Ulysses can be fucking terrifying.

“As long as ya know what cha gettin’ into. Now cheer up. We ‘bout to have supper!”

I can hear the truck approaching. Once it stops in front of us, Mr. Kent gets out of the vehicle. he seems considerably dirty and sweat coats his head. Heather’s dad walks up to me before looking at the barn.

“Still standin’, boy?”

“Yes I am, sir.”

He gives me a stare that feels like it went on for an eternity. When he finally stops, his mouth curls into a small smile.

“I must say, ya certainly passed my expectations. Ain’t sayin’ much since they were nearly touchin’ the floor, but ya passed ‘em. It’s time we go back home. My wife is cookin’ us a feast.”

Ulysses rushes into the truck at the mention of food. After a chuckle, Mr. Kent and I got in too. Heather is still in the passenger seat while her brother is sitting behind her. She looks tired, and her overalls are covered in wood, dirt, and hay. The acrocan turns around and grins while her eyes look at her brother and me.

“Heya, Anon! How was workin’ in the stables?”

“It was great! I haven’t felt this good in forever.”

Despite the work that she did, Heather doesn’t seem tired at all. Mr. Kent starts the truck and begins driving us back to the house. The afternoon sun gives off a warm orange glow that shines on the tall yellow grass The drive was quiet, probably due to the fact that everyone else is exhausted.

When we get to the house, I get out of the car, only to fall to my knees. Ulysses and his dad chuckle while Heather helps me to my feet. I guess my body isn’t used to farm work. When the front door opens, the alluring aroma of home-cooked food gives me the strength to walk into the house. Mrs. Kent walks out of the kitchen to greet us.

“Welcome home! Uly, you’re here early.”

I feel a slap on my back that nearly makes me fall.

“I had a bit of help, Mama. Turns out the city slicker got some substance.”

“Well, I hope he’s got some hunger too, ‘cause I just finished makin’ some grub.”

Ulysses spends no time running to the wooden dinner table in the living room. Mr, Kent walks into his wife’s loving embrace and gives her a peck on the cheek, causing Mrs. Kent to let out a giggle. Everyone except Heather’s mom takes our place at the table, with Mr. Kent at the head of it and Heather next to me. Mrs. Kent soon comes out with several plates and utensils, handing the biggest of these to Heather. Then, she brought pan-fried chicken, greens, white rice, cornbread, and mashed potatoes. Holy shit, Mr. Kent wasn’t lying about the feast. As I reach for the bread, my hand gets slapped away by Heather's mom.

“Hold your horses, honey. We say grace before eatin’ in this household.”

Right, they’re Christians. Everyone takes each other's hands. I take Heather’s and Ulysess’ hands and we all bow our hands. I hear Mr. Kent’s voice, low and full of reverence.

“Raptor Jesus, please bless this food, and please bless my wife who made it. Amen.”

As soon as the prayer finishes, Ulysses immediately starts filling up his plate, going for a healthy balance of greens, rice, and chicken. Heather does too, but she is filling her plate with more chicken than greens and rice. She also grabs mashed potatoes and cornbread. The rest of us put a little of everything on our plates. I take a bite and I'm left completely breathless. This tastes heavenly! The chicken skin is crispy while the meat itself is tender and well seasoned. The rice, greens, and potatoes complement it well. The cornbread was sweet and fluffy. I can't decide if this or Samantha's cooking is better.

“You likin’ the food, baby?”

Mrs. Kent’s question took me out of the spell her food had me under.

“It's amazing, Mrs. Kent. This… is amazing.”

As good as the food is. I think the best part of this dinner is that I’m not eating it alone. I haven’t been a part of a family dinner in what feels like forever. Mr. And Mrs. Kent are talking about produce shipments while Heather and Ulysses are completely focused on eating.

After eating, we are all sitting at the table satisfied. I get up to wash my dishes, but Heather’s mom takes the plate out of my hands with a grin.

“Sorry sugar, that's my job.”

“Mrs. Kent, I insist.”

“No thank ya. You've done more than enough today, baby.”

I want to protest, but the look she gives puts me back in my seat. I turn to Heather’s dad, who is picking some food out of his teeth.

“Thank you for having me, Mr. Kent.”

“Not a problem, Anon. Good work out there today.”

“Thanks. It was a great time. I would definitely do it again.”

Heather gasps as her eyes widen. She turns to her dad with one of them looking at him.

“Oh can he, papa?! Pleeeeeease!”

Mr. Kent’s hardened look seems to dissolve in seconds as his daughter gives him puppy eyes.

“Hmmm. If Anon wants to, then I suppose it’s alright.”

“Yayyyy!”

Suddenly, Heather lifts me up from my seat and puts me on the ground.

“Let's go, Anon. I gotta show ya around the ranch!”

As the acrocan is dragging me by the hand I can hear Mr. Kent yelling.

“Don’t be stayin’ out too late!”

Heather guides me through all of the different parts of the ranch, the chicken coup, the pig pen, and the vegetable fields. She also brings me to a place that her family calls the dairy house. According to her, it is where they store and make different things with the milk they collect, like cheese. Our last stop is at the edge of the ranch. We are looking at the huge canopy that makes a wall of trees. There is a small opening into the forest which Heather and I walk through. After a few minutes of walking through the greenery, we reach a sizeable opening. It has a pond with a stream going through it. Across the water, I can see a shack with a small wooden dock.

“This here is my favorite place on the ranch, Anon. This is my happy place.”

“Your… happy place?”

“Yup! It’s where I like to go when I’m happy.”

I manage to stifle my laugh as we make our way to the dock. Once we’re there, we take a seat by the water. The sun reflects off of it, giving the area a peaceful look.

“This place is beautiful, Heather.”

“Thanks! Papa made my little house here so I can stay whenever I want.”

“Your family is nice. I just wasn’t expecting them to be… well, human.”

“Mama said that a stork brought me to the ranch when I was a baby.”

Does she… not know she is adopted? Am I seeing things, or is she smiling a little less now?

“What happened to you’re grandparents, Anon? You talk about ‘em a lot, but you said you haven’t seen them in a long time.”

I take a sharp breath. I haven’t told anyone about them. I didn’t want to burden anyone with my problems. I open my mouth to say no, but I pause when I look at Heather’s face. She is no longer smiling. While her eyes are wandering, all of her attention is on me as her worried expression is stopping me from lying.

“When my parents had me they weren’t ready to take care of a kid. So, they dropped me off at my grandparent's ranch in Texas. I lived with them for ten years. We were a happy family until… the tornado came. When I was in school, a tornado ripped through the ranch… everything… everything was gone. I went back into my parent's custody. They… still weren’t ready to be parents. They tried, or at least that’s what I keep telling myself. In the end, we just… weren’t a family.”

My voice becomes shaky toward the end as tears begin dropping from my eyes. I wipe my face, trying to compose myself.

“Sorry Heather, I didn’t mean to-”

“Anon, can I be honest with ya?”

“Y-yeah of course.”

The acrocan scoots a little closer, making my face heat up.

“I love my life. Raptor Jesus blessed me with all of my family and friends. They treat me really well. It's just…”

I see Heather frown as her shoulders sag.

“They all treat me like a little girl. I know they have the best of intentions, but I feel like none of ‘em trust me. Whenever I ask Judee or Schizo what's wrong with ‘em when they are upset or sad, they just tell me they’re fine. I don’t wanna push ‘em, but it’s a bit frustratin’. It even happens with my parents. I may not know where I came from, but I know no bird brought me here. When I met ya, I though you would be the same, and for a moment, it was lookin’ that way…”

Heather grabs my hand and holds it with both of hers.

“But then ya started tellin’ me things. When ya came to ‘em with what happened with Fang, I felt so happy that someone was confindin’ in me with their problems. That meant the world to me, and this means more than that.”

Heather gently squeezes my hand. I look at her and what I see leaves me breathless. She is giving a grateful smile. Her eyes are full of tears and their… looking at me. Both of them are looking at me!

“Anon… Thank ya for trustin’ me.”

We reach for each other and come together in an embrace. We tighten our grips as we work through our emotions. I had no idea Heather was feeling this way. It was heartbreaking to hear about. Yet… I also feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. It’s a relief that is completely alien to me. But… I’m glad that Heather helped me experience it.

“Thank you, Heather… for being here."

Chapter Text

Fuck, how is my body still hurting? It's been three days since I went to Heather’s house, and I feel like I’m going to collapse. Despite this, I’m able to hobble my ass to school. The acrocan is standing by the stairs, and her wandering eyes light up when she spots me.

“Heya, Anon. You feelin’ any better?”

“I wish. At least I’ll be sitting most of the day.”

Heather’s face becomes a little pink as she faces to the side. Her voice is quieter and higher pitch.

“Well, if walkin’ becomes any trouble, I could always carry ya.”

My face warms up as I turn to the stairs.

“I-I’ll keep that in mind. We should probably get to class.”

“I suppose we do.”

The two of us ascend up the stairs. I can hear the murmurs of the other students, but I try my best to ignore them. As Heather and I walk down the hall, I can’t help but notice that she's walking a little closer to me than normal. I'm definitely not complaining.

I've been thinking about last Saturday. I really liked meeting her family, but Heather and I didn’t spend much time together until I was about to leave. I want to ask her if she wants to visit something around here but ‘what would be a good place for Heather and me to hang out?’

“We could go to the Farmers festival.”

I look at Heather, who is smiling and holding her hands behind her back. Fuck, I must have been mumbling.

“What's that?”

“It's exactly what it sounds like, ya silly Billy. It's a festival that's us farmers have to get together and have a good time. They got tasty food, fun games, and some showcases of the newest tools for the field. I usually go with Uly and Papa, but they like lookin’ at the fancy tools most of the time. I went with Schizo and Judee once and we had a good time, but they have been quite busy with all the club work. Without me helpin’, they only got each to keep the club goin’.”

That… seems like a perfect idea.

“When is the festival?”

“It's on Saturday at noon.”

“Sounds like a-”

“THERE YOU ARE, YOU SKINNE PIECE OF SHIT!!!”

I turn to see who is screaming. It's Trish, who seems to be running toward me with her head down and her horns pointed at me. As she picks up speed, I freeze like a deer in headlights. Right before the trigga is about to gore me, I close my eyes. I feel a breeze of wind drag across my body, but after a few seconds of not getting gutted, I open my eyes again. I don’t see Trish in front or behind me, yet I can hear the sound of struggling.

“Let me go, you fuck-eyed freak!”

The fuck did she just say!? I look up and see that Heather is lifting the trike in the air by her hoodie using one arm. Trish is trying to wiggle her way out of the farm girl’s iron grip, but it seems like there is no escape. Heather furrows her brow and puts her other hand on her hip. One of her eyes is looking right at Trish while the other one is looking at the floor. This is the closest to angry that I have ever seen the acrocan be.

“Now you hold your horses, missy. I don’t take too kindly to ya tryin’ to hit my friend. Why are ya madder than a wet hen?”

“That bastard hurt Fang. They have been more depressed than I have ever seen them, and when I asked about it, They said it had something to do with him!”

Trish points at me and glares with all the malice she can muster. Heather sighs before lifting up the tricera so they are at eye level with each other. Trish’s eyes widen when she looks below her and is now holding onto Heather’s hand for dear life.

“Trish, was it? Look here Trish, I'm sure that this is all a big misunderstandin’. Anon has been hurtin’ too, and I'm sure the two of ‘em didn't mean to hurt each other. Sometimes friends fight, and I'm thinkin’ that Fang and Anon should have a talk before we start the horseplay. Don't ya think that's a good idea?”

Trish stays silent for a moment, but after another at the ground, she groans.

“Fine, whatever. But mark my words Anon, if you fuck this up, I'll tear you apart!”

I nod while trying to hold back a laugh. It's hard to take the trigga's threats seriously when she looks like she's in one of those “hang in there” posters. Heather went back to smiling and gently put Trish down. the tricera opens her mouth to say something but opts to just grumble and stomp away. I turn to the acrocan with a smile on my face.

“Thanks, Heather. I like my guts staying inside my body.”

“‘Course. Ya weren't kiddin’, Anon. It must have been quite the disagreement between the two of ya. Now, what were we talking about again? Right, the festival. So what do ya say, wanna go?”

I quickly nod my head.

“Yeah, I'd love to.”

Heather gives a nervous smile before extending her hand. Her face is beet red and her tail is waving furiously.

“May I… see ya phone for a moment?”

“Sure.”

I put my phone into her hand, which makes the device look comically small. After about a minute of careful screen tapping, Heather gives me back my phone before sheepishly walking away. I can faintly hear her voice as she gets faster.

“I-I’ll see ya later, Anon.”

I look at my phone to see that Heather put her phone number in it.

Holy shit. I just got a girl's number.

Before I know it, the acrocan turns the corner and she's gone. Suddenly, I hear the bell ring. Shit, I’m late! I dash to homeroom, hoping I won't be in too much trouble. I quickly and quietly open the door to Mr. Tsuki’s class. Besides the glare he gives, he resumes the lecture as I make my way to my seat.

In Science class, I didn't see Fang in their seat, or anywhere in class for that matter. I really need to talk to them, especially after that trigga's attempt on my life. Did they send Trish after me intentionally? I hope not. Maybe I can see them at lunch. I try to focus on what the teacher’s talking about to take my mind off things.

After enduring murderous glares from Trish in Math, I make it to lunch period. As much as I want to spend it with Heather, I take my phone and start texting Fang.

[Anon]: Hey Fang. Can we pls talk?

And send. After a moment of waiting, there is no response. I walk to the auditorium. Maybe Fang was eating with the band. I open the double doors, only to see that no one is there. After taking a quick look around, I leave and start walking down the hall. They still haven't responded to my text. My pace picks up and I turn the corner before I see a pair of pale wings. However, after a second more, I realize that it's not Fang's.

“Hello, Anon. Shouldn't you be eating lunch? A growing boy needs his nutrients.”

“Hey, Samantha. I would, but I'm looking for Fang. Have you seen them?”

The tiny ptero’s eyebrow raises.

“Not recently. What's wrong, dear? You look quite uneased.”

Shit, should have seen this coming.

“Remember that disagreement I said wasn’t too serious? Well, I think it’s starting to get serious. I just wanted to make sure everything is good between us.”

The skeptical mom stares at me for a moment that feels way too long before speaking. She slightly grimaces as a look of concern grows on her face.

“I know that her last class was on the third floor. That being said, if it isn't urgent, you should just wait until after school is over. Lunch is going to end soon.”

‘Shit, already? I gotta hurry.’

“Thanks, Samantha. I'll see you in Home Ed.”

I quickly start speed walking to the stairs. I know it’s kinda rude leaving suddenly like that, but I need to take care of this as soon as I can. I make it to the third floor and I am winded. I put my hands on my knees and try to catch my breath. While I'm taking deep breaths, I notice a white feather on the floor. I walk to it, and I see another. And another. Now that I look at the entire floor, it's a trail of feathers that leads to the stairs going to the roof. There are even feathers on the steps.

I can hear someone walking up the stairs, but before I can see who it is, the bell rings. Fuck, I took too much time. I get my second wind and ascend the final flight of stairs. I'm sure it will be fine if I miss one class. I see a door at the top of the stairs. It's slightly cracked open and a bright light is shining through the opening. I walk through the door and I'm blinded by the sunlight. It's chilly up here, to the point that I feel the need to uncurl my jacket sleeves. When my eyes adjust to the light, I see the roof. The area was surrounded by a tall fence. I look back to see that the door hasn't fully closed. I walk around a bit, but there is no sign of Fang, and the trail of feathers stops at the stairs.

“Fang! Are you here!?”

…Shit. Well, it was worth a sh-

“Who the fuck is… Anon!?”

I look behind me and see Fang standing on the hut of the roof. They look pissed. The ptero jumps down, and their landing causes their wings to drop feathers and… blood? I don't get enough time to think as they jab a talon at my sternum.

“Why the fuck are you here!? How the fuck did you find me!?”

I put my hands up defensively.

“You left a trail of feathers downstairs. It was just a matter of following it, and we need to talk, Fang.”

The ptero scoffs.

“About what? How my mom is just the most perfect angel and I'm just a fucking monster?”

“No. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything about Samantha. You're right, I don't live with her and I don't know what she's like all the time.”

“And here you go, trying to walk back what you said. Because you feel bad for me? I DON'T NEED YOUR FUCKING PITY!”

What are they talking about? I'm starting to get annoyed and grimace.

“No, I'm trying to figure out why you sent Trish after me! If Heather wasn't there, I would have been a pin cushion.”

Fang's eyes slightly widen and their mouth opens. For a moment, they seem sad, but that look vanishes and they grit their teeth.

“So that's what this is about! Just here because you think I told Trish to beat your ass. News flash asshole, I didn't! You really think I'm that terrible of a person to do that!?”

Fuck, I shouldn't have said that.

“No, it's just-”

Fang grabs their arms and I can see that their eyes are beginning to tear up.

“You and everyone else think that about me. Even my own parents.”

…I don't think we are talking about the argument anymore.

“Come on Fang, you know that's not true.”

Their anger flares up again as they ball their fist before shouting.

“And how the hell would you know!? My dad looks at me with a constant look of disappointment, my brother hates me, and ever since you showed up, my mom has been treating you like your her fucking favorite child! Every day, I hear Anon this and Anon that while I'm right there! She makes extra food just for you, and yet she can’t even say my goddamn name and pronouns!”

Fang walks up and grabs my jacket. Their hands had blood on them, which spread to my jacket.

"You're just some nobody! A random skinnie that washed up here. Aside from that farmgirl, you don't have any friends. You're not skilled or gifted in any way. You're nobody! So why… WHY!?”

Fang throws her arms down and stomps as she screams at the top of her lungs with tears and mascara streaming from her eyes.

"WHY DOES MY MOM LOVE YOU MORE THAN ME!!?”

…

…

What.

Fang collapses to their knees and starts wailing. All of their pent-up emotions are being released as they break down in front of me. So that’s what all this was about. I doubt that Fang’s mom feels that way, but I can’t exactly tell her that. Fang isn’t completely wrong either, but I’m sure telling her that would completely fuck things up. I don’t know what to do now. I haven’t been in a situation like this before.

Just as Fang’s crying seems to be dying down, I can hear the faint sound of sobbing coming from the door of the roof. I look a little close and I can see a faint orange light. It seems Fang notices it too because they get up and take a step toward the light.

“W-who's there?”

The door slowly opens, revealing a crying Samantha. Her eyes were open, but her imposing aura wasn’t there. Instead, they are filled with sadness and heartbreak. Her hands are holding her mouth, barely containing the sobbing. I look at Fang, and their mouth is wide open in shock.

“Mom!? H-how long were you standing there?”

The tiny ptero reaches out to her child and slowly shuffles toward her as she makes a faint trail of tears. Fang tries to cover their bloodied wings.

“I… I can’t believe I have been m-making you feel this way… all this time….”

“Mom… I…”

“I…I-i’m so s-sorry… I never wanted to hurt my little girl!”

Samantha’s emotional dam can’t take it anymore. She holds her chest as she starts to crouch and sob. While she is mostly incoherent, I can hear bits and pieces of apologies. Fang begins tearing up again and walks to her weeping mother. They crouch to Samantha's level and the two pteros look at each other for a moment. Right when I think that Fang is going to yell, they pull their mom into an embrace. The two of them continue to cry and try to talk through their sobs.

Suddenly, I don’t feel like I should be here anymore, so I turn and back into the school, making sure to keep the door slightly open. As I am walking down the stairs, I feel a giant palm stop me in place. It only takes me a second to figure out who it is.

“H-hello Principal Spears.”

“Mind explaining to me why you were up on the roof, during class no less?”

I have no reason to lie, right?

“I was following Fang there because I needed to talk with them.”

The caveman raises an eyebrow.

“That's no excuse to skip class, Mr. Mous. Are they still up there?

“Yes, but-”

The principal tries to walk past me, but I back up a step.

“But they’re talking with their mom right now!”

Spears stops, his expression unreadable.

“Why would Mrs. Aaron be up here during her shift?”

“The two of them are working through some… familial issues.”

He hums before continuing up the stairs. I open my mouth to try to stop him, but he looks back at me.

“Don’t fret, Anon. I’m simply going to tell Mrs. Aaron that I will be covering for her until she finishes her conversation. You should head back to class now, Anon.”

I nod before walking back to my class. Or at least I was going to before the bell rings and everyone breaks out of their classrooms. I hope I didn't have any homework. As I’m walking to my next class, I picture what a Spears-led Home Ed class looks like. The mental image of the caveman in an apron taking out a pie from an oven causes me to laugh like a happy idiot.

After an hour and a half, the bell rings again. I walk to Home Ed and I’m slightly surprised to see that Mrs. Aaron is back in her seat. She cleans up really well. If I didn’t see it, I wouldn’t have known that she was crying. Instead of her usual greeting, she gives me a curt nod. I walk to Heather who is looking at the window and the ceiling. Her warm smile erases any anxiety that I have.

“Howdy. Anon. Ya doin’ ok? Ya looking a lil’ tired.”

“Yeah, I’m doing ok Heather.”

The acro gives me a look of concern.

“Really, I am. I talked with Fang today.”

“Oh? How’d that go?”

“It went… ok. It kinda stopped halfway through, so I’ll probably have to find them again. Things didn’t get worse at least, so that's good.

Heather nods before putting a hand on my shoulder

“Ya did a good thing, Anon. It’ll turn out alright.”

I look back at her and smile. More of the students walk into the classroom and among them are Chet and Sage. As they get closer, I can hear the remnants of their conversation.

“-and that's why it’s cooking is really important to athletes. Having a diet with a balance of fats proteins and vitamins can boost your performance in the field.”

“Fuck dude, I wasn’t expecting you to start talking like a nerd. I ain’t too sure about how true all that is. I could test if you can cook for me though.”

Chet laughs, seemingly joking with Sage, but as I look closer, I can see a slight blush form on the micro raptor's face. Sage gives a sly smile before responding.

“Maybe I will.~”

Chet’s laugh is immediately silenced as the tip of his nose becomes red. Sage laughs and sits down, while the megalodon shakes off his embarrassment. Mrs. Aaron gets up and closes the door before starting the class. She doesn’t miss a beat, using the same pleasant tone as usual. The mention of the word cake makes some drool slip from Heather's mouth, and soon enough, the class starts making their own cake. The arguments that occurred during the first few weeks are no longer here, and in their place is the murmuring of cooperation. Sage and Heather leave to get the ingredients, leaving me and Chet to prepare the oven. As I’m cleaning it, I feel a tap on my shoulder. It was the megalodon, who didn’t have their shades on. his navy-blue eyes avoid contact as he speaks.

“Hey Anon, Got a sec?”

“Yeah, what's up Chet?”

He scratches the back of his neck.

“You know Sage, Right?”

“Of course I do.”

“Righ, dumb question. What I’m trying to know is if Sage is a dude or not.”

My eyebrow raises.

“Why don’t you ask Sage?”

“I…Well, it’d be weird. I'm…just curious. Yeah.”

…Wow, this guy is a horrible liar. What would Sage want me to do?

…

A slight, devious smile graces my lips.

“I don’t know, man. It's a real mystery.”

Chet sighs.”

“Fuck man, I don’t know what to think. I know I’m not gay, but-”

“What are you guys talking about?”

Chet jumps up and quickly turns behind him, nearly bumping into Sage. He tries his best to regain his composer, even putting on his shades to hide his eyes.

“N-nothing, just uh…sports stuff!”

Sage looks at him unamused before turning to me.

“Anon, what were you really talking about?”

“The eighth wonder of the world: your gender.”

Her eyes open slightly wider. She must have gotten the memo because Sage sports the biggest shit-eating grin.

“Oh really? Why would you want to know about that, huh?”

The megalodon looks mortified as he becomes a stuttering mess. Sage burst into laughter before leaning in and going for the kill shot.

“Y’know, there is a way you can find out~”

I can’t see his eyes, but I can see that he is definitely 404-ing. After we all calm down, Heather and Sage start baking while Chet and I are assisting. During that, I feel a vibration in my pocket. I reach for my phone and turn it on. I got a message.

(Samantha): Please stay after class Anon.

I look at Mrs Aaron, who is helping some other students. She takes a quick glance at me and waves. I wave back before going back to working on the cake. After a while, Heather takes out the fully baked treat, and we both take a bite. God, that is amazing. I forgot how good chocolate cake tastes. Mrs. Aaron claps her hands to get the class's attention.

“And that's it for class today. I hope everyone has a good afternoon.”

Everyone packs their things and starts leaving. Heather gets up and walks to the door, but looks confused at me when she sees that I’m not budging.

“Aren’t ya comin’, Anon?”

“In a little. I need to take care of something first.”

She nods before walking out of the classroom, leaving just me and Samantha. The tiny ptero looks at me with a smile as she sorts the last of her papers into her desk.

“Did you enjoy today’s class Anon?”

“Yeah, I loved making and eating that cake.”

The teacher lets out a yawn.

“I’m glad. I apologize for my tiredness. I’m quite spent today, and I believe you know why.”

I slowly nod before she continues.

“I’m sorry about everything that happened, Anon. My negligence led to a sour connection between you and Lu…between you and Fang. I’m not saying that I regret talking with you and cooking for you, not for a single second. That being said, I should have done right by both of my kids before I started taking care of another one. Sh-they told me about the argument you two had. It's clear that if I was a better mother, I could have saved all of us that headache. So from the bottom of my heart… I’m sorry.”

Shit, if she had all this to say to me, I wonder what she told Fang.

“It’s ok, Samantha. We all make mistakes, and now we can put this behind all of us.”

The matriarch’s smile grew wider.

“Right you are, dear. Speaking of which, there is someone else who would like to speak with you.”

The door opens and through it comes Fang. They are much more put together now. There isn’t any running mascara on their face and their wings, while a bit ruffled, look clean.

“Hey…Anon.”

“Hey… how are you feeling?”

“Better. Not great, but better. I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

“What? Why?”

Fang rubs her elbows and walks a bit closer to me. They look at me for a moment before staring at the floor.

“I was taking out my problems on you. I felt like shit when mom told me about how you live and it confirmed that you weren’t just defending my mom because she’s a mom. I always want people to see things from my perspective, but didn't bother doing that for you. I didn't mean anything I said about you on the roof, Anon. I was just angry. At my mom, at the world…at myself. You didn’t deserve to be yelled at, and I promise that I’ll talk to Trish. I just hope that you can forgive me.”

We all stay silent for a moment before I close the distance between me and Fang.

“Don’t worry about Fang. We were all dealing with our own problems. You didn’t do anything out of malice, and I was being a dumbass. I’m sorry too, Fang. Just because I have problems doesn’t mean yours don’t matter.”

Fang lunges toward me, wrapping their arms around me. After a moment of processing what’s going on, I return the embrace. A few seconds later, I feel another hand on my back. It belongs to Samantha, who decides to join in on the hug. She uses her wings to wrap all of us in a blanket of downy feathers. I know things weren’t going to get fixed overnight, but if this was any indication of the future…

I think we are going to be alright.

Chapter Text

My god, I don’t think I’ve seen someone around my age who didn’t know anything about internet culture until I met Heather. I nearly lost my mind trying to explain to her what a meme was. We have been texting each other in the morning and at night sometimes, and it feels like I'm texting an eighty-year-old. Yet, I can’t get over how cute it is.

[Anon]: Hey Heather

[Heather]: Good morning Anon. How are you doing?

[Anon]: I'm good and heading out of my apartment. Can you pls send the address?

[Heather]: What does pls mean?

[Anon]: It means please

[Heather]: Oh, ok.

Fucking adorable. After about five minutes, Heather sends me the link. Shit, this place is an hour away at the border of Volcaldera!? I wonder if the taxi service here even goes that far. I shrug before taking out my phone and making the call.

“Monarch’s taxi service.”

“Hey, I’m at-”

I hear the call abruptly end. Did he just hang up on me? Just as I’m about to call back, a cab's tires screech as it stops in front of me. The window lowers, revealing a smug-looking raptor.

“You waiting for an invitation? Get in, kid!”

I do what he says and enter the cab. The seats feel warm from the morning sun. The driver turns around and gives me a shit-eating grin that covers more than half of his face.

“So where to, kid?”

“I wanted to ask how far you can take people.”

“Well, that depends. I ain't gonna take you to the other side of Pangea if that's what you're asking.”

“N-no, that's not it. I want to know if you can take me here.”

I turn the screen and show the raptor the address and the distance from my apartment. The raptor squints his eyes, examining The phone as he grunts.

“It's a bit far, but I think I can manage that. Hold on to something, kid.

I’m barely able to put on my seatbelt before the driver steps on the gas and I sink into the seat. I can feel the whiplash as we are speeding down the street. Eventually, I unstick myself from the seat and get comfortable. I’m surprised at how quickly the buildings fall away. Suddenly, I hear the voice of the cab driver.

“Tell me kid, what are you trying to do all the way out here?”

“I’m just meeting a friend. We’re going to the fair where we planned on hanging out.”

“Ah, I see. You meeting a girl then?”

My eyes widened at the raptor.

“H-how did you-”

“Call it a hunch. So what's the story here? You gotta really like her if you're going this far from home.”

I scratch the back of my neck.

“Yea, I do. She's… an angel.”

“Then why the hell haven't you asked her out yet?”

I pause forever a moment before sighing and turning my eyes to the open field on my right.

“I… Well, I guess I'm just scared. Scared that I'll fuck things up if I tell her, Y'know?”

The raptor nods as his smile fades.

“Sounds like you and I are in the same boat, kid. There’s this chick my friend introduced me to. We've been talking for a while, and it's gotten to the point where I've caught feelings, but the last thing I want to do is fuck up how things are now. Honestly, I think we're both being bitches about this. This shit is simple, but we love making it complicated.”

I turn back to the front as the driver continues speaking.

“I know that shit can get messy if we say something, but I've seen what happens when you don't. Let me tell you, it's worse to let a good future slip from your fingers.”

I stew on his words and let out another sigh. The driver hums in thought for a minute before his wide smile returns.

“Tell you what. How about we make a deal, kid?”

My eyebrow rises.

“What kind of deal?”

Suddenly, I feel the car stop. I look out of the window, and I can see the entrance to the fair. The area has green grass all over it. The entrance was an arch made out of hay bales. Hundreds of humans and saurians can be seen near the tents and playing different games. ‘There’s no way it's been even thirty minutes!’

“What can I say? I'm good at my job. So, since we got the same problem, why don't we solve it together? You ask out your girl, and I'll ask out mine. What do you say?”

The raptor turns around and offers his hand. I look at it for a moment before grinning and sealing the deal with a handshake.

“Deal.”

I reach for my wallet, but he stops me.

“Keep your money. You might need it for the girlie.”

“But what about-”

“Don't worry about it. I had some business here anyway and my ass was just too lazy to go without another reason. Have fun, kid.”

“Thanks…”

“The name’s Malcolm.”

I get out of the car and wave the raptor goodbye as he pulls back into the street. I pull out my phone to text Heather, but as I’m typing out the message, a large shadow envelops me.

“Hiya, Anon.”

I turn around and before me is Heather. She is wearing her overalls, but they now have a couple pictures of flowers on them. Her brown boots are pretty clean, too. Instead of her bow, she has a cowboy hat on her head.

‘She's so pretty.’

The acrocan’s face is getting pretty red. Now that I think about it, it is pretty hot out right now.

“Hi, Heather. How are you?”

She shakes her head. Her eyes are looking in different directions again, but they seem to be a little closer to meeting mine.

“I'm doin’ great, even better now that ya here.”

My body feels warmer now, and I don't think it was the sun. We walk through the arch and the amount of people around us makes Heather and I shuffle a little closer together. As we make our way through the sea of people, I can see several food stands lined up. They sold all different kinds of snacks, from corn on the cob to home-baked sweets.

“So what do ya think of the place, Anon? Excitin’, right?”

“It's definitely popular, that's for sure.”

“Of course it is. This is the place where all the farmers and their families meet every year! all kinds of things besides the activities happen here. People become friends and business partners. In fact, I think that there was even a weddin’ held here one time.”

While she is talking, I feel a hand place itself on my shoulder. I quickly turn around, only to nearly fall. Thankfully, Heather put a hand on my back before I hit the ground. After she gently pushes me back up, I finally get a good look at my assailant.

“Ya made out of sticks or somethin’, Anon? I barely touched ya!”

“I just tripped on my feet after you started me, Ulysses!”

The farm boy let out a hearty laugh before smiling.

“I'm just kiddin’ with ya. This your first time here?”

“Yeah. I didn’t even know this place existed before Heather told me about it.”

Ulysses wraps his arm around me and begins to walk me to a very large red tent.

“Well then, let me show ya the best part of the festival.”

I turn back to Heather, whose eyes are moving in around in a semi-circle. Was she… rolling her eyes? We all walk inside the tent, and in it are hundreds of people sitting in wooden stands. In the stands closest to the dirt stage are humans and saurians in suits. This place almost looks like a circus, but there aren't any performers. Instead, there is a really short human guy with brown hair and a microphone. He has on a white shirt and jeans that look like they're kid-sized. His lack of stubble isn't exactly doing him any favors, either. Ulysses pulls me into one of the rows in the middle, and after wading through some of the audience, I see Heather’s dad sitting with his arms crossed.

“Hey Dad, look who showed up!”

Mr. Kent looks up and when he sees me, his eyes slightly widen.

“Howdy, Anon. Come to see the next showin’?”

“Something like that.”

The three of us sit down and after a few more minutes, we hear a deep voice coming from the speakers surrounding the tent. My attention turns to the man on stage.

“Welcome to the Bi-annual Tech and Innovation Showcase! My name Is Harry, and I'll be your guide through today's trip of ever-advancing technology and techniques. Now, let's get started with our first piece of tech!”

The crowd murmurs as they look between each other and Harry. Ulysses’ leg was bouncing up and down. All of a sudden, I see something flying above me. The audience gasps as more of these things fly overhead, eventually landing on a foldable table next to the spokesman. Now that they're still, I’m able to get a better look at them. It looks like a drone in the shape of a store camera with small metal legs and four propellers.

“This here is a Webman's Mark 2 security drone! While it has a similar design to its previous version, the upgrades it has undergone are absolutely astounding! With its increased range and battery life, This puppy can watch 5 acres for up to 12 hours! Along with its more complex mapping system, you can have the drone cover certain areas more frequently! If you're looking for a way to protect your crops, the first thing you need to do is to spot the problem, and you can't get much better at that than using the Webman's Mark two!”

The audience gives a lengthy applause along with a few whistles. Ulysses is staring at the drones with starstruck eyes. Heather, however, looks bored out of her mind. I tap the side of her leg with mine, getting her attention. I gesture for her to get closer, and she lowers her head.

“Do you want to go somewhere else?”

The acrocan shakes her head up and down ferociously. The two of us get up and walk out of the ten just as the announcer is introducing the next gadget. The sun damn near blinds me and the heat immediately causes my head to burn. ‘Fuck, I forgot to bring a hat or something to cover my head’. Suddenly, my head feels a little heavier. When I look up, I see that Heather put her hat on my head. It kinda smells like oranges.

“Ya shoulda brought the hat that papa gave ya, goofy.”

It feels a bit wrong that she has all of these nicknames for me while I have none for her. At least… until now! Thanks to some shower thoughts, I’ve finally got one that I think fits her.

“I forgot it at home. Thank you, cowgirl.”

The smile that Heather has threatens to melt my heart as she walks a little bit closer to me.

“Consider it thanks for gettin’ me outa there. All that techno-babble ain’t for me. So, whatcha wanna do first?”

I survey the area to find something to do. A small group forming around a yellow triceratops in a black top hat caught my eye.

“Let's see what's going on over there.”

The two of us quickly make our way to the crowd. I notice several pairs of people have one of their legs tied together. The tricera spots Heather and me before calling out to us.

“Hey there, you two! Care to join?!”

Heather’s eyes widen as she spots something that only she is tall enough to see.

“Yes mista, We will!”

“Wonderful, now step right up!”

What the hell is going on? Heather takes me by the hand and walks us to the showman. Before I can freak out, I see that she was given a rope before we walk back into the crowd.

“What did we just agree to?”

The acrocan gave a mischievous smile as she stood as close to me as possible before crouching down. I try to look down at what she's doing, but I'm stopped by a tightness that I feel in my right leg. When the farm girl gets up, I can finally see what she did.

“Uh…Heather?”

“Yup”

“Why did you tie our legs together?”

“Because we are gonna run in the Three-Legged Race!”

“Wait, what!?

The sound of a high-pitched whistle pierces the air, gathering the attention of everyone nearby. We try to walk toward the noise, but I keep tripping. Eventually, we struggle our way there and I see a large stretch of grass that has a rope with different colored flags on each side that create boundaries. There's a loose red ribbon across the finish line.

“Racers, take your positions!”

“Come on, Anon. I'll walk slow.”

Heather slows down her pace, making it easier to get in sync. We walk to the starting line where at least eleven other pairs are standing. The Tricers pulled out a starting pistol and pointed it in the air.

“Are we ready!?”

The other races shouted in response. Even Heather was let out a cheer.

“On your mark! Get set!”

The racers began holding each other to support themselves. I think about doing the same thing, but then I remember I barely reach her chest and I would be holding her waist if I try. My face is getting warmer at the thought, but I'm taken out of my stupor by the sound of the gun going off. Everyone start to run, or at least try to before they fall. Heather takes quick, short strides while I have to take longer and wider ones. While we nearly tumble a few times, we are starting to get into a rhythm. I get confident enough to turn my attention from running to Heather. I can only describe the look on her face in two words: unbridled joy. My cheeks were hurting by how wide my smile was.

We were almost at the finish line. Despite my inexperience with three legged races, we are in third place. We are currently neck and neck with a pair of raptors. I try to go a little plait faster, but I went out of sync with Heather last minute and we both fall to the ground. We get up, but it's too late. The raptors and another team pass the finish line before us. I took a minute to catch my breath and wipe the sweat from my forehead. Heather undid the rope that bounded us together.

“I'm sorry Heather. I just was trying to-”

Before I could finish my sentence, I'm lifted into the air before the world starts to spin. I hear the sound of laughter below, so I look down and realize what's going on. Heather wrapped her arms around me, picked me up, and is now twirling me around. For the first time, I'm looking down at Heather and holy fuck, she is adorable!

“That was amazing! I can't remember the last time I had that much fun!”

When she stops spinning, we look at each other for a minute. One of her beautiful eyes are locked onto me and everything falls away. We both speak softly.

“H-heather…”

“Yes?”

Come on. Say it.

“...Wanna do something else?”

God damn it.

“Of course!”

Heather puts me down and we walk back into the crowd while the podium winners get some prizes. Why can't I just tell her how I feel? Even when I want to, I still back out at the last second. I gotta stop being a little bitch. Suddenly, I feel a tap on my head, causing me to look up.

“Anon, look! It's my favorite game here!”

I face where she is pointing and see a medium sized green tent with no curtain. A big wooden tub took up the majority of the space in it. Heather and I walk up to the human in a plaid shirt that is running the tent.

“Hello there, you two. Care for some bobbin’?”

I raise my brow.

“What's that?”

The man chuckles.

“You see that tub there?”

I take a closer look at it. I can see it's filled with water and has apples floating on the surface and… watermelons?

“The name of the game is to grab three fruits out of the tub with your mouth. Do that and you earn a small plush scarecrow. So what do you say? Want to play?”

I look back to Heather, whose tail is swaying as she nods with a smile.

“Sure, why not.”

“Good. So, who's going first?

The acrocan speeds up to the man.

“Me! I'll go!”

“Sounds good. Just a reminder, watermelons for dinos and apples for humans.”

She nods before getting on her knees and bending down. DAYMN, SHE- NO! Bad Anon! Distract yourself! I turn to the tent keeper in hopes of doing just that.

“Why can't saurians just grab the apples?”

“It's ‘cause there would be no challenge. The reason it's hard for us to grab the apple is because we need to open our mouths wide enough and bite down hard enough to hold it right. Most dino folk can grab as many as 5 apples pretty easy with their big mouths and sharp teeth.”

My attention turns back to Heather, who now has a watermelon with bite marks next to her.

“But why watermelons?”

“With those melons, dinos have the opposite problem. Some of them can chew through bone pretty easy. As I’m sure you know, the inside of the watermelon is so easy to bite through, you don’t even need your teeth. While bobbing is about strength to humans, it’s about control for saurians. Bite too hard and-”

A loud cracking sound interrupts him. We turn to see Heather with watermelon juice all over her face.

“Darn it.”

“Sorry lady, you lose. Paper towels are right here. Your turn, fella.”

Heather gets up and walks over to wipe her face while I kneel by the tub. I hold myself up with the side of the tub and dip my head in the water after I place my mouth by an apple. My jaw hurts, but I’m able to grab it and spit it out on the ground. I dip my head again and bite down harder. I spit out another apple, but my jaw is cramping up. I rub my neck to try to get rid of the pain. I take a deep breath before going in one more time. The apple nearly escapes my bite, but I pull it out before it falls. Heather and the tent keeper clap their hands, the former with vigor and excitement.

“We got a winner. Good job kid. Here’s your prize as promised.”

The man reaches underneath a table and pulls out a plush scarecrow before handing it to me. Heather and I start walking again, looking for something else to do.

“I can't believe ya won on ya first try!”

“Honestly, me neither. I can see why you like that game. You want the scarecrow?”

The acrocans eyes widen and her irises become a little more centered.

“R-really?”

“Yeah. I’m not really into plushies anyway.”

I extend the hand that held the plush to Heather. After a moment of hesitation, she reaches out and grabs it before holding it close to her chest. In a soft voice, I hear her speak

“I promise Imma take good care of him.”

Heather puts the scar crow in one of her chest pockets. Just as I am getting comfortable, my stomach cries out for food. A moment of awkward silence passes before we both chuckle.

“I suppose the two us should get to eatin’. Follow me.”

The farm girl leads me to the food trucks and plastic tables near the entrance of the festival. Most of the tables are full sadly. Looking at all of the trucks, I realize I have no idea what I want to eat.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about eatin’, Anon?”

“I… don’t know. I haven’t eaten anything out of a truck before. Any suggestions?”

“Oh, I know the perfect thing for ya!”

She brings us to a line to a yellow truck. After a few minutes, we end up in front of the large opening of the vehicle. Soon, a blue Baryonyx with an eye patch and an apron greets us.

“Welcome. What’ll it be for you two?”

Heather brings up two fingers as she answers.

“Two corndogs please.”

The cook leaves for a moment before coming back with two corndogs.

“That’ll be 6 dollars.”

Heather begins looking for money in her pockets, and that's when I remember that I still have the cash I was going to give the cab driver. I take the money out of my pocket and hand it to the cook, much to Heather’s surprise.

“Pleasure doin’ business. Next!”

Heather and I walk to the side with a corndog in our hands.

“Goodness, you really are a gentlemen."

“I-uh-well. Y’know…”

The acrocan giggles at my inability to use the English language.

“Let’s start eatin’. Don’t want our food gettin’ cold.

We stand around as we bite into our corndogs. The breading is pretty sweet while the meat is salty. Together, it makes for a pretty good meal.

“Good call on the truck, Heather. Is there anything else you want to do?”

“Not really. I finally got to run in the race and I played my favorite game. What about ya?”

“I don’t see anything interesting, but I don’t want to go home yet.”

We stood for a minute before Heather let out a gasp with stars in her eyes.

“Anon, have ya ever fished before?”

“No. I didn’t have any streams or lakes where I used to live.”

“Want me to teach ya?”

I take a moment to think before saying the only right answer.

“Sure, sounds like fun.”

“Ok, just wait there for a moment. Imma call my dad to let him know I’m leavin’ early.”

Heather walks a couple of feet away before taking out her phone. She taps it a few times before holding it up to the side of her head. I see her nodding a few times before hanging up and walking back to me.

“Ok, let's go!”

As we walk to the hay bale arch, a realization hits me.

“How are we going to get to your house?”

“We’re gonna walk, silly.”

“W-walk!? How far is the ranch?”

“It’s only twenty minutes away.”

Lord have mercy.

After a grueling walk, we finally make it to the ranch. I struggle to keep up while Heather barely seems to be sweating. After a few more minutes, we enter the canopy and reach Heather’s happy place. The closer-to-setting sun provides warm lighting to the area.

“Go ahead and take a seat by the dock. Imma get the rods!”

I do as she says and sit by the water. Relief washes over me as my feet are finally getting the rest they need. I take a closer look at the water and I can faintly see fish swimming around. I hear footsteps approaching, causing me to turn around and see Heather who is now barefoot and holding a red and blue fishing rod. She hands me a blue one before sitting down next to me.

“Alrighty, Anon. Fishin’ is easy. Ya first gotta make sure to put the right amount of bait on the hook. If ya put too little, this fish ain’t gonna care. But if ya put too much, it might break apart and mess with the balance of the lead, also-”

I try to keep up, but Heather delves into so much detail that it’s making my head spin. I struggle to understand how she can be this cute getting excited while talking about something as seemingly mundane as fishing. I didn’t know there was this much information about it.

“-ya get all that?”

“Uhhhhh.”

She lets out a soft chuckle.

“I think I have a better way of teachin’.”

She puts down her rod and walks over before taking a seat behind me. She’s careful not to push me into the water, but she’s lightly pressing against me. She puts two worms on my hook before guiding my hands to the end of the rod.

“All you gotta do is lift the rod over your head…”

She gently moves my hand above my head.

“And cast.”

We wave the rod outwards, causing the hook to land in the middle of the pond. My body feels like I'm damn near about faint from heat stroke, but I shake it off and look up at Heather.

“What now?”

“Now we wait until somethin’ bites.”

We sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. She hasn’t moved yet, and I don’t want her to. My mind and heart are racing, trying to think of something to say or do. I’ve never been good with talking or planning.

...

Maybe…

Maybe I don’t have to think about it. Malcolm is right, this is simple. Just say the first thing that comes to mind and figure it out from there.

“Thank you.”

“For what, Anon?”

“For inviting me to the festival. I don’t think I’ve had that much fun since… well, ever.”

Heather began to hold on a little tighter.

“Ya don’t have to thank me. I’m glad I was able to spend time with ya.”

“Me too.”

Another moment of silence passes before I hear Heather speak again in a quieter tone.

“I wanna thank ya, too.”

“Thank me? For what?”

I can feel her back away. I turn around and I see her sitting on the grass. Her eyes were fully centered now.

“For bein’ with me. Ya could have done anythin’ else today, and ya chose to come here. Ya could have eaten lunch with anyone else, but ya ate with me almost every day. You could have had other friends, but ya chose me…”

I can see her eyes begin to fill with water. Her smile is fragile and small.

Don’t think. Speak. I inch closer to Heather.

“I didn’t do anything. On my first day here, I thought everyone was a selfish prick looking after themselves, willing to do everything and anything to get ahead. Then I bumped into you. I was ready for you to yell or curse me out, but you helped me up and showed me around. You called me your friend and you shared your food with me. For a few days, I didn’t even think you were genuine, but you kept doing all of these things without asking anything in return. You said that I could have had other friends, but if I knew what I know now, I would choose you again and again because…”

I put down the rod before grabbing both of her hands.

“You’re an angel, and… I like you, Heather.”

Her breath hitches as the tears began streaming down her face. My eyes are getting moist too. I begin thinking about every way and every reason she can reject me, but before I can spiral, I feel her hands curl over mine.

“I’m…so happy…ya feel that way too.”

My eyes pop wide open and my mouth won’t close, instead forming a goofy grin. We start getting closer but the tip of her snoot pokes me in the cheek. The two of us look at each other before bursting out laughing.

“Sorry, hun. I’m new to all this.”

“Me too. I don’t even know how I'm supposed to kiss you.”

The acrocan cups one cheek and leans in, lightly kissing the other. I feel a flash of heat at the point of impact.

“That’s quite alright. We’ll learn as we go along.”

By instinct, I gently hold her face and peck the tip of her nose. She almost melts in my hands as she leans into them.

“Yea…

We will.”

Chapter Text

*BZZZ BZZ-CLICK*

After I shut my alarm up, I stare at the ceiling from my bed. My voice kinda hurts from all of the singing yesterday. I guess Heather must have told her parents about what happened because I was invited to go to church with them on Sunday before I went home. I had to wake up at 5 in the fucking morning to get there on time. To be fair, Heather’s church was close to their house, and her family always went to the first service at 7. Yesterday was the first time I had gone to a service in 9 years. Their church reminded me a lot of the one I used to go to with my grandparents. The building was small but welcoming. The service was pretty long but by the end of it, Heather looked really happy that I came, so it was worth it.

I get ready and I’m out of the door in a matter of minutes. I feel my phone vibrating, so I open it and immediately start smiling when I see who is texting me.

[Cowgirl]: good morning Anon. Am I going to see you where I usually do?

If you told me a couple of months ago that I would have a farm girlfriend texting me good morning, I would have called you a retard. It’s honestly pretty crazy how quickly my life has changed, but I can easily say that this is the happiest I’ve been in my life.

[Anon]: morning. Yeah, I’ll be there in a few minutes

[Cowgirl]: Can’t wait! :D

Emoticons? Aww, she’s learning. I put my phone away and with a smile, I walk a little faster to school. My efforts are rewarded when I see the tall acrocan a minute earlier. She is holding on to something that looks like a giant circle up to her chest. When one of her eyes sees me, Heather smiles widely and moves toward me. We stop right in front of each other, causing me to look up. The farm girl was staring intently with one eye, and I was staring back.

“Hiya…”

“Hey…”

I know we’ve met like this many times and it might be stupid to say, but this time it feels…different. I can see some dust being kicked up from how fast Heather’s tail is swinging. Her face is burning red as she slowly extends her hands that are holding the object to me. The meekness in her voice nearly makes my heart beat out of my chest.

“I-i really enjoyed our first date Anon, s-so I made ya some cheese. I hope you like it…”

Looking back, I guess that the festival was a date, huh? I grab the wheel of cheese and nearly drop it. Holy shit, this feels like it’s at least 25 pounds! Heather is still looking at me, trying to gauge my reaction. When I get a stable hold on it and somehow fit the plastic-wrapped dairy in my book bag, the realization hits me like a brick.

Heather made a wheel of cheese for me.

Heather… made something for me.

I close what little distance there is between us and reach for her face. Once she’s in my grasp, I gently tilt her head down and kiss her on the side of her snoot. Heather quickly becomes as red as a tomato while I look her in the eye. I speak softly.

“I do. Thank you, Heather.”

The acrocan tries to speak, but her stammering prevents any coherent words from coming out. I chuckle before walking to the stairs. Heather snaps out of her stunned state and makes her way to my side as the two of us walk up the stairs into the school. Moving in general is much more difficult with the giant wheel of cheese on my back. I guess I need to learn how to make shit with cheese now.

I walk Heather to her classroom for a change. I take a peek inside, and I can see that little troodon that was in the club room that one time. Judee, I think? Heather grabs my hand, pulling my attention. She gently squeezes my hand, and I return it with a smile.

“I’ll see ya at lunch, Anon.”

“See you then, Cowgirl.”

We hold onto each other for a moment longer before letting go. Once Heather is inside her homeroom, I start walking to mine. More students start filling the halls and while I’m wading my way through them, I notice a familiar pair of pteros. I don’t get a great look, but it seems like they are talking about something. Soon, it becomes impossible to see them, and my focus shifts to making it to class on time. I manage to make it to my seat in time for Mr. Tsuki to lose half of the class with his heavy-ass accent.

Once the bell rings, I get up and leave for Science class. Before I turn the last corner, I can hear the sound of arguing nearby. When I take that turn, I see the purple cunt and Fang arguing.

“What do you mean you won’t be at band practice, Fang!?”

“I told you, I have plans today! First, you nearly gut Anon just because we got into a fight, and now you’re having a fucking stroke because I want to hang out with my mom? Seriously Trish, you need to chill the fuck out! Besides, didn’t you say you were going to make the posters for our band today?”

“ I was going to do that later, and I thought you hated your parents! Why are you ditching us, ditching me for them!? That fucking monkey had that shit coming by the way, and I would have done it if it wasn’t for that fuck-eyed retard that was with him!”

A feeling washes over me. Something I haven’t felt in a very long time.

Anger.

I make my way to them quickly and quietly. Fang’s face contorts and the ptero is about to shout at the trigga, but when they notice my approach, their expression softens. My attention was entirely on Trish as open my mouth. While I try to keep this kind of stuff online, I think this is a reasonable exception. I take a deep breath before I spit my venom.

“Who the fuck are you calling a retard you ugly, bitching, porch perching, big-lipped, snub-nosed, vine-munching, lawn-eating, dirt-chewing, cotton picking, grape juice drinking, skull bashing, ghetto-dwelling, glorified cow, welfare queen ingrate, SJW libtard, bad bitch wannabe, criminal, trigger piece of shit!!?”

Trish quickly turns around. Fang, the purple cunt, and a few saurians passing by are staring at me with wide eyes. The sound of the ringing bell cuts the silence between us. I shoulder-check Trish and right before I walk into the classroom, I glance at that whiny little cunt. Yup, she looks like she’s about point 2 seconds from trigging the fuck out. I take my seat and a few seconds later, Fang joins me. Mr. Fentsworth looks at the two of us with a raised eyebrow, but just shrugs and begins his lesson.

As the class goes on and my temper simmers down, I begin to think about what just happened. Shit, I just burned the fuck out Fang’s best friend when they were right there. I really hope that they aren’t too upset at m-

“Anon.”

I’m taken out of my stupor by Fang shaking my shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“We gotta work, dude. He finally stopped talking.”

I take a look at my desk, which now has a worksheet on it. I turn back to Fang, who is looking at their sheet troubled and conflicted.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Fang.”

The ptero lets out a sigh and crosses their arms.

“Honestly? She had it coming. Trish just doesn’t know when to stop, and sometimes you need to do a little more than yell at her so she can finally listen. Still, I didn’t think you had all of that in you.”

I chuckle.

“What can I say? I spent a lot of time shit-talking online. Getting mad because you want to spend your time with someone else is fucking stupid.”

“So you heard all of that, huh?”

“It was pretty hard not to with all of the yelling.”

Fang snorts.

“I guess. Mom and I are going to the mall after school. We don’t know what we are gonna do when we get there, but we’ll figure it out then.”

“Sounds like it could be fun.”

“Yea. She is super excited about it. I guess I am, too. I can’t remember the last time the two of us went anywhere together.”

Fang takes a look around before picking up their pencil.

“We should probably get to work before the old man starts complaining.”

With one more nod, we both shift our focus to completing the worksheet. Despite how little attention I paid to the lecture, I’m answering the questions pretty easily. While I breeze through the paper, Fang taps me on my shoulder. They give me prayer hands and puppy eyes to form a silent plea. I roll my eyes before scooting a little closer and helping the ptero fill out their assignment.

While it takes a little longer than I like to admit, we finally finish just in time for the bell to ring. As I’m packing up my stuff, I see Fang waiting at the door. When I get there, they begin to walk next to me.

“Since when has your class been in the same direction as mine?”

“Since you got here, dork. We just never left at the same time before. Anyway, there is something my mom wanted to ask you.”

My eyebrow rises.

“What is it?”

“Are you free on Wednesday after school?”

“I should be. Why?”

“Mom wanted to know if you wanted to come over for dinner. You’ve been eating the leftovers over her food, but It’s so much better the food is fresh. Besides, it be cool the have someone I can actually talk to.”

“Don’t you have a brother?”

Fang grimaces before shaking their head.

“We… It’s complicated.”

I nod slowly before giving my answer.

“Sure, it sounds like fun. Can I bring my girlfriend?”

The ptero’s head snaps to me with bulging eyes and their mouth wide open.

“You have a girlfriend!? Who is… ohhhhh. The acrocan.”

“Yup.”

“No wonder you tore Trish a new ass. Well, I don’t see why you can’t bring her. Knowing Mom, once she finds out about you two, she’s going to go nuts. I’ll ask at lunch since I’m heading to her classroom to eat.

We chuckle as we stop at an intersection. It’s nice to hear that Fang is starting to get along with Samantha.

“That sounds like her. I’ll see you later, Fang.”

“Catch you later, loser.”

The two of us walk in opposite directions and soon, I end up in my next class. History passes by quickly, and the class that I'm dreading is here. When I walk into the Math classroom, Trish is eyeing me with a murderous glare. If looks could kill, she would have ended me and the past three generations of my family tree. Reed looks like he’s trying to calm her down. I walk to my seat at the back and sit down. The teacher walks in with a pervy magazine that is poorly disguised as a math textbook. The lesson begins and I try my best to pay attention.

After Raptor Jesus answers my prayers of not getting called to answer questions on the board, we are given our assignment for the day and everyone gets to work. While I’m no math genius by any means, I paid enough attention to at least do most of this. As I’m working through the problems, I feel something tap my head. A piece of balled paper falls to my desk. I already know who it is, and I try to ignore it. Another ball lands on my desk and I brush it off. When the third ball hits me, I look up and glare at Reed. His expression shifts from relaxed to concerned. He tells Trish something before getting up and walking toward me.

“Hey, dude. Long time no see.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“I’m not in a great mood right now, Reed.”

“I can tell. Fang told me what happened.”

“Then you know that I’m not apologizing?”

Reed stares at me for a moment before sighing.

“I guess it was worth a shot.”

The raptor walks back to his desk, and I finish the rest of my worksheet. When the bell rings, I pick up and go as fast as I can. I don’t even glance at Trish or Reed as I walk past them. I pick up the pace in case Trish is following me, and soon I’m in the cafeteria. After I make sure that Trish isn’t charging behind me, I walk to my usual spot. However, I’m surprised when I see that Heather isn’t the only one there. Judee and Schizo are sitting at the table, talking with the acrocan. When I make my approach, Heather turns around and one of her eyes locks on to me as her pretty smile grows.

“Anon! There ya are.”

Judee makes one of her puppets slowly wave as she speaks in a volume slightly above a whisper.

“H-Hi A-Anon.”

Schizo finishes wolfing down whatever food that is in her mouth before burping loudly.

“Long time no see, skinnie.”

I take a seat next to Heather and she splits some of her food for me. The compy sighs loudly and gets all of our attention.

“Okay, He’s here now. Can you finally tell us what’s the surprise you have for me and Judee? The suspense is killing me!”

I turn to the farm girl with a raised eyebrow.

“A surprise?”

Her cheeks become rosy as she gets a little closer.

“Girls, there is someone I want to reintroduce ya to. This is Anon…”

She gets a hold of my hands and we interlock our fingers. I lean my head on her shoulder and she puts her head on top of mine.

“My boyfriend.”

The two puppeteers look at us in complete shock. Judee lets out a small gasp and takes out a paper and pencil, while Schizo’s eyes are spazing out before letting out a shout.

“WHAT!? WHEN!? HOW!?”

Heather and I chuckle as we recount that day in the festival. Judee was writing like crazy and schizo was nodding along. Heather tries to take a peek at the troodon’s paper, but she quickly pulls the paper to her chest.

“Whatcha writin’ there, Judee?”

“N-nothing!”

“Oh, is it one of them fan fictions?”

I turn to my farmer GF while Judee turns red.

“Fan fiction?”

“Yup. Judee writes about a lot of things. She even lets me read em!”

Thats… kinda cool. I feel something bump my leg coming from Schizo’s direction, bringing my eyes to her. The compy’s expression is one of reservation and concern.”

“So… I guess we are going to be seeing more of you.”

“Looks like it.”

“... And you’re really here to stay?”

Her eyes harden as she asks that last question. I’m not too sure what she means by that, but if she’s talking about Heather…

“Yea. I’m here to stay.”

We keep our eyes locked for a moment as the table falls silent. The compy lets out a breath and smiles.

“If that’s the case, take this skinnie.”

Schizo takes a tin foil hat out of her bag and hands it to me.

“This will protect your mind from the glowies.”

“Uhhhh… thanks?”

To avoid looking like a dick, I put on my psychic protection. I can hear Heather snicker and Judee holding in a giggle. Ultimately, it was the compy that burst out laughing.

“HA! I can’t believe you actually wore it!”

I quickly take it off and throw it back at Schizo, only for her tail puppet to catch it.

“Yea yea, fuck you too.”

After everyone gets their laughs out, the bell rings. Judee and Schizo say their goodbyes and walks to their next class, leaving me and Heather. I don't want to just say goodbye, so I open my arms and offer a hug to Heather. She bends down and wraps her arms around me before standing back up, lifting me off the ground. Her embrace is very soft and warm, yet firm enough to keep me from slipping. After a few seconds of this, she puts me back down and we walk to our classes. I spend the next two classes waiting for the minutes to pass by.

When the time finally comes, I walk to Home Ed. When I reach the door, the first thing my eyes lock on is Heather playing with her hair. When she notices that I’m here, her eyes seem to become a little more centered again. How does she keep doing that? I take my seat and scoot as close to the acrocan as I can. When I glance at Mrs. Aaron, I can almost see the stars in her eyes while her mouth curls into the biggest smile. Before I get too lost in thought, I hear the sound of high-pitched laughter, squealing, and running.

“Chet! Sto-haha! Put me down!”

The sound of stomping and laughing gets louder and louder before I see Chet stop at the door while holding Sage with one arm.

“See? Told you I can hold you like a football!”

Sage looks beet red as she lands on her feet.

“You didn’t have to carry me all the way here!”

“Just didn’t want to leave any doubt, Herbs.”

As they walk into the classroom, I catch the look they give each other. It kinda reminds me of how Heather looks at me. I may be an autist, but even I can tell that they are both into each other. Soon, the teacher gets up and closes the door before she starts teaching. Surprisingly, we weren’t doing any cooking today. Instead, Mrs. Aaron walks us through the basics of seasonings. Well, I say basics, but she whips out 15 different spices before explaining what each one does.

After the class ends, I wait for everyone to leave so I can talk to Samantha. Heather decides to stick with me, and when the final person leaves, I hear a faint whisper.

“I-is it true?”

The ptero is practically vibrating. Heather has a raised eyebrow, trying to figure out what's going on. When I finally nod, Samantha lets out a high-pitched squeal.

“AHHHHHH!!! I knew it!”

The teacher dashes toward us and brings us into a hug. After she breaks away, Heather looks more confused than ever.

“What are ya talkin’ about, Ma’am?”

“Oh dear, I nearly forgot. Anon told me quite a bit about you. He even came to me for advice when he discovered his feelings for you.”

“He did?”

The two of them look at me, and I’m stammering like an idiot.

“S-Samantha!”

The ptero cackles.

“What? I’m simply bringing her up to speed. Now that we have that settled, there is something else. I would love the both of you to join my family for dinner on Wednesday. What do you say?”

I already gave my answer, so I turn Heather. She’s looking at me and Samantha with one eye each when she smiles.

“That sounds like a lovely idea, miss.”

“Wonderful. Oooh, I can’t wait! Now, off you two go. I need to prepare!”

The ptero playfully shoos us out of the room. We make our way outside and walk until we get to the bus stop. I turn to Heather.

“Text me when you get home, ok?”

“I will, hun. Ya stay safe on ya way back home, ya hear?”

We hug before we part ways. The walk home is pretty uneventful, and when I get there, I turn on my computer and start looking up what I can make with cheese.

…

I’m back at school again, but this time Heather isn’t here. I look at my phone and see our texts.

[Anon]: Omw

[Cowgirl]: I’m going to be a few minutes late. The bus got a flat tire T~T

Since she’s not here, I may as well head inside. As I make my way up the stairs, I can feel the stares of other students while they snicker. When I make it to the hallway, the murmuring and laughing get louder. What the fuck is so funny? I see a small crowd of students surrounding one of the bulletin boards that the school has. I finally get past the crowd, and what I see on the board makes my heart sink.

It’s a poster with a picture of me and Heather hugging and underneath it, there is text that reads, “The skinnie is dating the retard. Proof that anyone can find love.”

…

…What the fuck.

Chapter Text

My mind and heart are racing. The laughter is deafening. I grab the poster and rip it off the board before running down the hall. I hear the mocking of different students as I pass them. I notice a bathroom and I rush inside of it before locking the door. My breaths become short and quick. How the fuck did this happen!? Why? Everything was going great! My chest sinks when I think about Heather. What’s going to happen when she gets here?

…I need to call someone.

I open my phone and quickly scroll through my contacts until I manage to find the person I’m looking for

After a few rings, I hear the line pick up.

“What’s up, smooth brain?”

“Fang, I need help.”

When they hear my voice, their playful tone vanishes.

“Are you ok? You sound like you've just seen some scary shit, dude.”

“No, I’m not ok. Are you at school?”

“A-almost. Mom and I are making the last turn.”

“Meet me in the garden.”

“Got it.”

I hang up and stuff the poster in my bag before leaving the bathroom. I run down the halls again, tearing down a few more of those posters as I see them. When I finally make it to the side door, I burst through it. I see Fang running toward me from the parking lot and Samantha is not far behind. They both seem more groomed, from their talons to their wings. I take time to catch my breath before the two pteros reach me. I look up and see their worried faces

“Alright, we’re here, Anon.”

“I...hah…didn’t expect…huff… you to bring your mom.”

The teacher speaks up.

“They didn’t bring me, dear. I came of my own volition. Now, what is the matter?”

I reach into my bookbag and pull out the poster. When they see it, The two ptero’s faces contort into horrified looks. Fang balls up their fists and grits their teeth.

“This is so fucked!”

They realize that their mom is behind them.

“S-sorry mom.”

“No no sweetie, you are exactly right. This is quite fucked.”

Under normal circumstances, my mouth would have dropped to the floor in surprise at Mrs. Aaron's cursing, much like Fang is doing right now. There is a moment of silence between us before Samantha speaks with restrained anger.

“Do you know who did it?”

“No, and I don’t know how to find the asshole that did this.”

“I suggest you start by going to Principal Spears. I know that he has something that can help. While I wish that I could go with you, I need to teach my class and Fang needs to get to theirs. I’ll be sure to talk with the Principal to keep up with the situation and see where I can help.”

I put the poster back in my bag before turning to the door.

“Thank you both. Really.”

Fang slaps me on my back.

“Save all the sappy stuff for when you find this fucker.”

I nod before walking to the principal’s office. There are nearly no students in the hall now. While I make my way to the office, the bell rings, causing all of the remaining students to dash into their classrooms. When I finally make it to the office, I barge straight in. Spears looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Mr. Mous, it’s customary to knock on a door before you open it. And shouldn’t you be in class right now?”

“I know and I’m sorry, but this is very important.”

I rummage through my bag as Spears holds his expression. I pull out the poster and put it on his desk. He leans in to read it, and his mouth opens slightly as he reads the words on the poster. I can see his hand visibly shaking. His voice is strained.

“What… is this?”

“Some sick fuck’s idea of a joke. I saw it this morning. These are plastered all over the school. Do you think you can find out who did this?”

The caveman grunts.

“It’s going to take me a while to look through all of the security footage, but I will try my best to find whoever did this.”

“How will I know when you do?”

“Trust me, Anon. You’ll know. I think you should head to class.”

I turn around to leave, but when I place my hand on the knob. I hear Spears’ voice. It’s less angry and more concerned and curious.

“Is it true?”

“What is?”

“That you and Ms. Kent have grown to be more than friends?”

“...Yes sir.”

“Then you both have my deepest condolences for this senseless cruelty. I wish you both the best.”

“Thank you, Spears.”

I open the door and leave the office. As I walk, I can only think about Heather. Has she seen it yet? There’s no way she hasn’t. Right? She hasn’t texted or come looking for me yet. How is she taking this? God, Why did everything have to get so fucked!? I spend the rest of the first four periods deep in my thoughts.

When lunch comes around, I start my walk to the cafeteria. As I’m going through the halls, I notice that there are significantly less posters on the walls. I do my best to ignore all of the murmurs and laughter from everyone, but one guy is louder than the rest.

“Hey, skinnie! Do you two ride the short bus together!?”

Just as I’m about to shout at the raptor for saying some dumb shit like that, A familiar muscular Megalodon slams him into the lockers. Chet bares his teeth as he glares.

“Keep saying shit like that, and I’ll make you forget what it’s like to eat solid food.”

“Chill! It was just a joke man! Fuck.”

The raptor scurries away while Chet walks to my side. His face is full of worry.

“Thanks man.”

“Don't mention it, dude. I saw the posters. I'm sorry that this is happening to you, man.”

“It's fine… Well, it's not fine, but hopefully it will be. I gotta go find Heather. I'll catch you in Home Ed, Chet.”

“See you then, bro.”

I pick up the pace and I finally make it to the cafeteria. I get to our usual table and I see Heather. She seems… happy? I take a seat next to her, and the acrocan kisses my bald head.

“Hey there, hun.”

“Hey Heather. How… are you feeling?”

“I'm doin’ great now that you're here.”

No way…

“Have you seen anything weird today?”

One of her eyes locks with mine and her eyebrow rises.

“Nothin’ comes to mind. Although, I couldn’t find Judee in class today. There was a lot of people laughin’ too. Anon, what's goin’ on? You look like somethin’s got ya down.”

She really doesn't know. I could hide this from her. What she doesn't know doesn't hurt her, right? But just as the thought enters my mind, I remember our talk in Heather’s happy place and I mentally kick myself. The last thing that she wants is someone trying to shield her from reality. Ok… here goes nothing.

“Heather, when I got to school I saw these posters in the hallways.”

I show my girlfriend the poster. Her eyes slowly focus as she reads and takes in the wretched work. Her smile begins to fade and a look of hurt and confusion starts to form.

“I… don’t understand.”

“I’m trying to figure it out, too. Spears is looking through the security tapes to see if he can find who put all of these up, but I have no idea how long that is going to take.”

“M-maybe Judee and Schizo can help. They usually get here really early and might‘ve seen who did this. They eat in their club room, so findin’ em will be easy as pie.”

The two of us pack up and go to the puppet club room. When we reach the door, I can hear the faint sound of arguing. I knock on the door and the room falls silent. After a few seconds, the door cracks open slightly and Schizo’s head pops out. She seems pretty tired and her eyes open wide when the compy sees us.

“O-oh, hey guys. What uh, what are you doing here?”

“Heya, Schizo. Anon and I were wonderin’ if ya saw anyone puttin’ up posters in the mornin’.”

Schizo’s eyes begin moving all over the place as she talks quicker.

“Posters? What posters? I haven’t seen any posters!?”

Heather looks with half-lidded eyes at both sides of the door.

“Maybe Judee knows somethin’.”

Heather tries to open the door, but Schizo stops her approach. The acrocan’s brow furrows before pushing the door with a little more force, causing the compy to move out of the way and the door to swing open. The first thing we see is Judee stuffing a big pile of posters into a black trash bag. When the troodon spots us, she freezes and whispers.

“H-hi…”

My eyes widen while Heather turns back to Schizo. The acrocan’s eyes focus a little more as she dawns an expression that seems pretty close to anger.

“What in tarnation is goin’ on? First, ya say you haven’t seen nothin’, then I see Judee stuffin’ a ton of them posters into a bag? Why are ya lyin’ to me!?”

Schizo starts to shuffle around and mumble really fast. Damn, is that how I sound when I mumble? Judee walks over to Schizo before she mutters.

“W-we took down as many as we could f-find. W-we hoping t-that you wouldn’t find o-out,”

Heather seems to be getting angrier.

“Why are you hidin’ things from me?”

Schizo walks in front of Judee before facing Heather with a pissed look.

“Well, sorry for wanting to protect you!”

Heather stomps on the ground making all of us jump a little.

“I don’t need ya protectin’ me! You ain’t my parents! You’re my friends!

I hear sniffling as I see her eyes begin to well up with tears. Judee and Schizo are in a similar state.

“You’re… you’re supposed to be my friends… I… I need to think…”

“Heather, wait!”

My girlfriend rushes out of the room as Schizo reaches for her. I follow behind Heather, the sound of Judee's and Schizo’s sobs getting quieter. God damn it. At least we know that most of the posters were taken down now. All that’s left to do is calm Heather down and-

“Anon! There you are!”

Fang’s voice makes me look back. I see the ptero dragging Trish by the hood and Reed following behind them.

“Look guys, this is really not a good time.”

I turn around, but Heather is nowhere to be found. I begin to walk, but Fang grabs my wrist.

“Wait.”

Fuck. I guess I’ll talk with Heather later. I turn back around and Fang pushes Trish, who has a streak of tears going down her face.

“Tell him.”

“Tell me wh-”

Just then, A thunderous voice rang out through the school. At first, I thought it was the PA system, but that doesn’t make the ground beneath you shake.

”PATRICIA JONES! GET YOUR ASS IN MY OFFICE! NOW!!!”

There is a moment of silence between all of us. A moment of calm before everything comes crashing down. When I look into Trish’s eyes, several words pass my mind. Frustration. Anger. Hatred. Her. Fault. Her fault. It’s her fault. IT'S ALL HER FUCKING FAULT!!

I rush to grab the trigger by her neck, but Reed rushes in and tries to push me away. Fang is completely frozen in shock unsure of what to do. The next thing I hear is Reed’s strained voice as I’m starting to push him back.

“Anon, stop!”

“Why do you insist on defending this bitch!?”

“I’m not. You’re right, what she did was fucked up. But is she worth it? Is she worth getting expelled, or worse if you choke her out?”

I continue to struggle, both with Reed and with myself. The bastard is right there, but… but Reed has a point. If I do this, then Trish wins and my life gets harder than it already has. My breath starts to slow, and my adrenaline leaves me. Reed and Fang let go of their breaths. I take a breath before glaring at the tricera and spitting out a single word.

“Walk.”

She looks at me and all I see in her eyes is hate. She walks to the principal's office while Fang, Reed, and I walk behind her. When we get there, she goes inside while the three of us sit down and try to process what just happened. I almost beat the shit out of Trish… Fuck. Fang and Reed are staring at me so I ask the stupid question.

“What?”

Fang is the first to speak, getting a little closer, but keeping a bit of distance.

“Nothing! It’s just… holy shit. I was expecting you to do something, like curse her out. But… not that.”

Reed chimes in.

“Yeah dude, you had a weird look in your eyes. Scary stuff.”

I cover my face and groan. I’m completely burnt out. I curl up into a ball and try to keep my tears from spilling out. Just as I think I have a handle on my emotions, I feel something cover me. I turn to see one of Fang’s wings surrounding me. The ptero’s voice is soft as they speak.

“You shouldn’t keep this bottled up. It’s ok for you to cry. It’s just us here.”

After they said that, I couldn’t contain it any longer. I let out a sob as the tears flow from my eyes. I feel Reed pat my leg in support as I let myself go through my emotions. After a few minutes, the tears subside and I feel a strange calm wash over me. At some point during all of that, the bell rings.

“Thank you, Fang.”

Fang gives a small smile, which proves to be infectious as a shaky grin forms on my face.

“Now we’re even.”

“Y-yea. I guess we are.”

I turn to Reed, who is playing with his tail.

“I want to thank you too, Reed.”

“For what, dude?”

“If you didn’t say or do anything, I could have fucked up my life over this shit.”

The raptor rubs the back of his neck before letting out a sigh.

“That was all you, hombre. I don’t how you got so strong, but I don’t think I could have stopped you if you really wanted to hurt Trish. I just didn’t want things getting worse, y’know?”

“Yeah. Speaking of which, I need to find Heather. Before you two found me, she got into a fight with her friends. She stormed off… somewhere.”

Suddenly, I hear Spears through the door.

“Anon, can you get in here?”

I get up and walk into the office, where I see Trish standing near a chair and Spears sitting on his. Her eyes are red and puffy while her sleeves are drenched in tears. I glance at her with a deadpan stare at her before turning to the principal, who is looking at Trish.

“Ms. Jones, is there something you want to say to Mr. Mous?”

She sniffles before muttering.

“It’s…all your faul-”

I put a hand up to her face, preventing her from spewing any more bullshit. In a calm, cold voice I speak to the trigger.

“I’m going to stop you right there. I honestly couldn’t give less of a fuck what you think because right now, I have something much more important to worry about.”

I turn to the caveman.

“Spears, can I please go? I need to find Heather.”

“Is Ms. Kent not taking recent events well?”

I slowly shake my head. Spears grimaces and massages his temples before responding.

“Very well. When you find her, please let her know that you are both excused to leave for the day if you wish. I can only imagine just how much this is affecting you both.”

“Thank you, Spears.”

I turn to leave, and Trish opens her mouth to say something. But after a moment of waiting, she decides against it and I walk out of the office. Fang and Reed weren’t here anymore. I turn on my phone to call Heather and I notice a text that Fang sent about two minutes ago.

[Fang] Sorry baldie, a teacher saw us sitting around and told us to get to class. I’ll talk to you after school

I guess it’s for the best. I doubt Heather wants to be surrounded by people right now. I call my girlfriend, and after one ring, she picks up. Her voice is shaky, and that alone nearly causes me to tear up again.

“A-anon?”

“Hey, Heather. Where are you?”

“In the g-garden.”

“I’m on my way.”

I hang up and run to the garden entrance. When I get to the door, I slow down and open it. The sun nearly blinds me as I stumble to the sea of flowers. When my eyes adjust to the light, I see Heather sitting underneath a large tree with her knees up to her chest. The leaves only let slivers of light through. I walk over and take a seat on a patch of grass next to her. She turns her head to me, and I get a good look at her face. Snot is running from her snoot, shiny streaks run down her face, and her eyes are looking at the sky and the ground. Her voice is still shaky.

“Where were ya?”

“In the principal's office. We found who did this.”

Her eyes widen slightly.

“Who was it?”

“Remember that trigga you saved me from?”

I can see the gears in her head turn as the farm girl squints her eyes. She seems to recall the memory since she nods slowly before looking back out at the garden. We stay like this for a minute before I hear my girlfriend let out a sigh. Her quiet voice is nearly concealed by the wind.

“Dang nabbit. How did all of this get outta hand?”

“Trish-”

“I'm not talkin’ about that. I was fine with the laughin’ and the jokin’. I'm talkin’ about Schizo and Judee.”

I want to say something, but I can't find the right words. So I just stay quiet, only for Heather to continue.

“First they didn’t want share their problems, and now they are hidin’ my own problems from me. I don't understand why they keep doin’ this.”

“Have you ever told them?”

Heather looks back to me with a confused look.

“What?”

“Have you told your friends how you felt?”

“I…”

Her expression turns into a mix of sadness and shame.

“I didn't want to be a bother. Those two are my only friends, at least until you came, and I didn’t want to hurt their feelin's.”

I get up and sit back down in front of her.

“Heather, being pushy for someone to let you in is one thing. Letting your friends know that you don't want to be shielded from things is another. They shouldn’t have tried to hide this from you, but you also should have told them that you felt this way.”

Heather opens her mouth to protest but relents as she lets out a breath and sheds another tear.

“I… I know that now. I know they were only tryin’ to help me. Still, I don't think I wanna see ‘em right now.”

“Then we don't have to do that. Spears said we can leave for the day.”

Heather gives it some thought but shakes her head.

“Goin’ home ain't a great idea for me. I don't know when the next bus is, and the last thing I need right now is more people worryin’ about me. Can't we go to your home?”

“I live in Skin Row, Heather.”

“What's the matter with that?”

Palm, meet face. I keep forgetting that she doesn't live around here.

“Skin Row is the dangerous part of Volcaldera. It's got the highest crime rate around here, and I don't think that getting mugged is the best way to end this shitty day.”

“Oh.”

I take a look around. Y’know, this place is pretty peaceful when you're not working cutting leaves…

“Why don't we just stay here?”

“hmm?”

I scoot to the acrocan’s side and wrap my arms around her waist. She lifts up her arm and puts it around me.

“Spear's said that we didn't have to go to class, but he never said that we had to leave. We can just… rest here. No one to laugh at or mock us. Just you, me, and this tree.”

She lets out a soft chuckle. Out of nowhere, Heather picks me up and places me on top of her like a plushie. She wraps her arms around me, pushing me into her chest. Her entire body is pretty warm, and it's only making the heat in my face worse.

“I think I like that idea.”

We shuffle around a bit, trying to get into a comfortable position. But right when I found my spot, Heather sat up, causing me to turn around and face her. Her face has a mixture of sadness and worry.

“Anon…”

“Yeah?”

“Do ya… regret makin’ me ya girlfriend? If I wasn't, maybe that girl wouldn't have-”

“Stop.”

I cup her cheek, and her eyes completely focus on me.

“Don’t ever say that again. Don't even think it. If I wasn’t with you, she would have done something else. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'll be damn to hell if I let you think anything different…”

A moment of silence passes between us before we lean toward one another. learning from last time, we turn our heads so I don't run into her nose. We close our eyes and finally, our lips meet. Her lips are warm, much more than her embrace. It’s sweet, tender, and borderline intoxicating. Heather is the first to break away. Our eyes lock onto each other.

“Anon…”

“Yeah?”

“...I love ya, Cityboy.”

“...I love you too, Cowgirl.”

We go in for another kiss. However, this one is shorter, and when it ends, we shift until we are comfortable in each other’s embrace. The wind seems to die down a little and soon, we begin to drift to sleep. Despite how shitty today was, At least we can take some comfort in this moment, however short it is.

Chapter Text

Even though yesterday was garbage, Heather was still willing to go to the Aaron's for dinner today. No one making fun of us during Home Ed definitely helped. That was thanks to Samantha, who threatened to find a way to expel anyone who she caught doing so. I’m glad that Trish got her pathetic ass suspended, so I didn’t have to see her in Math.

The breeze graces my face while I’m waiting for Heather on a bench. I’ve been going down memory lane, scrolling through old threads I used to frequent. It's crazy to think that a few months ago, I wanted to spend the rest of my life in them, shut away from the rest of the world. The sound of footsteps takes me out of my thoughts. I turn to see Heather walking toward me from the garden, prompting me to stand up. Her eyes become more centered the closer she gets.

“Hey, Angel.”

“Heya, Sugarplum.”

We hold each other in a warm embrace.

“How was your meeting at the gardening club?”

“It was alright. Stella, Rosa, and I were just catchin’ up. Rosa nearly made me go deaf when she found out ‘bout us.”

I grab Heather’s hand and gently squeeze.

“How’s things with Schizo and Judee?”

I could feel her squeeze my hand back as she let out a breath.

“As well as I expected. They are respectin’ my wishes and they’re keepin’ their distance, but sometimes I can see ‘em spyin’ on me.”

“Spying on you!?”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. They do that to just about everyone. They have a bit of a hard time talkin’ to folks.”

If they spy on everyone, did one of them spy on me at one point?

“So where’s that cab ya said ya were callin’?”

“I was just waiting for you to get here before I called.”

I take out my phone and dial the familiar number. The phone rings once before I hear the line pick up.

“Monarch’s taxi service.”

“Hey I’m-”

Again, the call abruptly ends. Within seconds, a cab speeds its way in front of us and the window start rolling down. Heather is in complete shock.

“Goodness, is this how fast all cabs get to ya?”

“Nah, just this one.”

When the window finally lowers, Malcolm pops his head out. His eyes trail from me to Heather. While his head is tilting up, he gives one of his signature shit-eating grins.

“Damn kid, you didn't tell me you were trying to date a mountain!”

Heather lets out a giggle while I roll my eyes. I slide into one of the back seats. My girlfriend, however, has to carefully cross her legs and fold herself to barely fit next to me.

“Alright, where to?”

I show him the address that Fang sent me a few hours ago. He nods, and we barely put on our seatbelts before the raptor slams the gas. Heather holds onto the corners of the car for stability while I hold on to her. In less than five minutes, we end up in front of a very nice-looking two-story house. There’s a pretty beat-up car in the driveway.

“Thank ya, mista.”

Heather pops out of the car and I do the same. Malcolm lowers his window again and I see his head peek out again. I dig in my pocket for my wallet, but he stops me again.

“Keep it kid. You’ll need it if you're gonna take out your girl.”

I pocket the money pouch.

“Speaking of which, how did it go with you and that woman you were talking about?”

Malcolm gets a smug look while leaning on the car door.

“If you must know, you two are my last ride today since I’m meeting up with her for coffee.”

The news puts a smile on my face.

“I’m glad things worked out for you.”

“You and me both kid.”

He brings his windows back before pulling out of the driveway and speeding away. Heather and I start making our way to the front door.

“Goodness gracious, Mrs. Aarons's house is giant!”

“It’s definitely bigger than my apartment, that’s for sure.”

When we get in front of the door, I give it a gentle knock. While we’re standing around, Heather reaches out for my hand. I don’t hesitate to grab it and I scoot a little closer. After a moment longer, the door opens, and Fang’s mom greets us. Samantha isn’t wearing her usual green dress and apron. Instead, she is wearing blue jeans and a black shirt with the name ‘Swamp Babies’ stylized to look like graffiti on it.

“Hello, dears! Welcome to my humble home. Please, come in!”

Heather pulls me inside while I’m still trying to process the fact that the tiny ptero looks like a mom from the 90’s. The inside of the home is nice and spacious, so much so that Heather doesn’t have to crouch. Mrs. Aaron walks to the stairs before shouting. The alluring smell of home-cooked food fills the house.

“Fang! Our guests have arrived!”

I hear a bit of bumping from upstairs before Fang comes running down. their eyes light up slightly when they see us.

“Hey guys.”

“Hiya Fang.”

Heather waves while smiling, which the ptero returns. I turn to Fang with a confused smirk.

“Why does your mom look like she crashed into a hot topic?”

“Don’t be jealous my mom has better fashion than you, dork.”

Samantha walks over to her child, looking slightly embarrassed.

“W-well dear, Lu-Fang and I went to the mall a few days ago. We weren’t quite sure what to do, so Fang did one thing I wanted, and I did one thing they wanted. We ended up going to get a pedicure that they thoroughly enjoyed and Fang went clothes shopping for me. I must admit, I’m starting to grow fond of this attire. My husband definitely is.”

“Ew, mom! Way too much info. And the pedicure was ok at best.”

“Oh? Then why did I see you schedule one for next week?”

Fang’s mouth hangs, realizing they have been caught. They shake their head and roll their eyes while Samantha wears a smug smile on her face. While everyone except Fang shares a chuckle, I hear something coming down the stairs.

“Oh, Naser! Come say hi to our guest!”

The dark gray ptero goes down the rest of the steps and slowly walks toward us.

“Hey… sorry, I forgot your names.”

Fang scoffs before Samantha taps their hip with the back of her hand. I guess that makes sense since we only talked once on my first day. Heather extends a hand out to Naser.

“Hiya friend! The name’s Heather.”

Naser gives a fake smile before shaking her hand. He looks at me and I give him a curt nod.

“I’m Anon.”

“I heard about what happened. I'm sorry you guys are going through that.”

“Eh, it's fine. Things have been getting better.”

Naser rubs the back of his neck, seemingly at a loss at what to say next. I turn to Fang with a mischievous smile.

“So, What’s this about you being obsessed with pedicu-”

Suddenly, I get put into a headlock by Fang. They aren’t squeezing, but their hold is firm.

“Unlike you, I actually have hair to take care of. All you need to do to clean your head is scrub like this!”

The ptreo balls their fist before setting it on my head and starts administering the worst form of torture. A noogie.

“Ah! Fang stop! Heather, Samantha, help me!”

Heather and Samantha start laughing loudly. However, Naser stands silent and has a sour expression. Just when the laughter dies down, I hear the door behind us open. Fang turns around with me still in the headlock and before us is a dark, broad ptero. His glare boars into my forehead. Upon seeing him, Fang immediately lets me go and backs away. His voice is low and rough. I stand up straight as he addresses me.

“So… you must be Anon.”

“Y-yes, sir. I am.”

Before he can crush me with his stare, Heather walks over. With her eyes wandering away from him, she extends her hand out to Mr. Aaron.

“Hey there, mista. My name’s Heather.”

Only Heather could make someone built like a brick shithouse seem small. Mr. Aaron tilts his head up before looking down at her hand. He looks slightly uncomfortable as he takes her hand and shakes it slowly. I hear some clattering in the kitchen, and when I turn around, I see Samantha placing plates of lasagna on the dining room table.

“The food is served, everyone!”

We make our way to the chairs in front of the food. Mr. Aaron is at the head, with Mrs. Aaron right next to him. Fang is between her mom and me, while Heather is at the other end of the table next to Naser. I notice Fang’s brother and dad staring at me, but I try to ignore them. After a quick prayer by Heather, we started eating.

Holy shit. This is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted! It’s like heaven in my mouth! The sauce is fresh and sweet, while the meat is tender and juicy. Finally, the cheese wraps it all up in a savory package, leaving you wanting more. I’m having a hard time deciding if Samantha or Heather’s mom is the better cook. Fang is damn near inhaling the food, while her mom and Heather delicately eat with their forks and knives. Naser is picking at his food and Mr. Aaron is eating while staring at me. Luckily, Samantha snags his attention by asking him how work was. I turn to Fang before asking a question that's been bugging me for a little.

“How are things with the band?”

Fang stops eating and for a moment, they have a somber look.

“Reed and I decided that the band needed a break. He still checks in on her to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid. It’s not great… but it’s what it is for now.”

I nod in solace as Heather hums in satisfaction.

“My goodness, Mrs. Aaron, why don’t cha teach how to make this in class? It’s amazin’!”

“Aww, thank you, sweetie. Maybe I will make the recipe into a lesson.”

Just as I’m going in for another bite I hear Mr. Aaron’s voice.

“Tell me, how did you meet my daughter? I know my wife is your teacher, but Lucy isn’t in her class.”

Fang glares at him.

“I told you Dad, it’s-”

“It’s Fang, honey.”

The monochrome ptero looks at their mom in surprise as she comes to her defense. Mr. Aaron looks conflicted as his eyes bounce between them before letting out a sigh.

“Just answer the question, boy.”

His eyes settle back on me, clearly more pissed now.

“I met them in my science class. We’re partners.”

Mr. Aaron's eyes are narrow, and his son is looking at me again. What the hell is their problem? I turn to Fang just in time to catch them trying to steak some of my food. I swat their fork away and bring my plate closer to the acrocan, much to the dismay of the food theif. Naser turns to Heather before speaking for the first time at the dinner table.

“So… how long have you two been dating?”

Mr. Aarons's eyes widen slightly before giving me a crooked smirk. I’m trying not to read anything into that, so I look at my farmer gf. Her beautiful eyes are looking at different parts of the ceiling.

“Anon and I have been datin’ for a few days now, and I’m lovin’ it!”

I rest my hand on hers.

“I am too.”

“I’m glad you guys are happy. It must be hard, given that you’re… well, you know.”

Everyone stops eating and sits completely still, looking at Naser. He looks at everyone confused

“...What? What did I say?”

Fang face palms while Samantha lets out a tired sigh. I glare at him, immediately grabbing his attention. I lower my voice slightly as I speak in a pseudo-threatening tone.

“Wanna run that by me again?”

Heather puts a hand on my shoulder, turning my attention from him to her lovely smiling face.

“No need to get all upset now, Anon. I’m sure it’s a misun… misand… mis… *sigh*... a mistake. The last time he’s seen us was on that poster.”

Heather turns to Naser, who seems like he genuinely feels bad.

“Other than my funny eyes, I’m just like ya and everyone else.”

“Oh. S-sorry.”

Mr. Aaron is quick to address me.

“See, boy? No need to be so emotional.”

I let out a sigh. Maybe he’s right.

“Sorry, Naser. This week has just been keeping me on edge.”

“It’s alright, it was my bad.”

There is now a very awkward silence between everyone, one that nobody can seem to break. We elect to eat in silence for the rest of the meal. After we finish, I take a look at the time. Shit, it’s 7:30 already? Maybe it’s for the best if we leave right now. I show Heather the clock on my phone, and she looks a little dejected at how fast time has flown by. The two of us get up from the table.

“This meal was delicious Mrs. Aaron, but It’s about time for me and Heather to get going.”

“Thank yall for lettin’ us in to ya lovely home.”

Samantha gets up and walks over to us.

“Of course! Thank you two for coming!”

Fang gets up from their seat. They look a little sad.

“Do you guys really have to go?”

“Yeah, the last thing I want is to piss off her dad by getting Heather home late.”

“Ugh, fine. I swear, you better not be going just so you two can bang.”

Heather and I turn a bright shade of red while Samantha holds a hand to her mouth.

“Fang Aaron!”

“I’m joking, mom!”

The two pteros smile at each other before Fang turns back to me.

“Get home safe, cueball.”

“I will, birdbrain.”

Fang holds up a fist and I bump it. They try to do the same with Heather, but they find out the hard way that she is a hugger. I turn to Mr. Aaron, who is still sitting at the table.

“It was nice meeting you, Mr Aaron.”

He looks at me before grunting. I turn to Naser, who I just now is glaring at me. Is he pissed about what happened?

“I’ll see you around, Naser.”

“...bye.”

O…k, it’s definitely time to go. The two of us say our final goodbyes and we walk out the door. Heather turns to me with a smile.

“I think that went well!”

If she thinks that went well, I hate to see what she thought could have gone wrong.

Chapter Text

The next couple of weeks fly by. The only good thing that’s come out of everyone thinking Heather is a retard is that after Thursday, mostly everyone stopped making fun of us and ostracized those who still did. It doesn’t matter if you are mentally disabled or if people think you are, making fun of you becomes a morally fucked thing to do and is pretty much unjustifiable. I’ve started to notice Heather’s friends spying on us every so often, hoping that she will talk to them and ever since that dinner with the Aaron’s, Naser has been giving me weird looks. I swear, just as things start to slow down, I get bombarded with more shit.

Today, I’m on the farm with Ulysses, and we are taking care of the horses again. The other human cleaned the last of the troughs before filling them up with water. The horses neigh as they lower their heads and drink their refreshments. The other human wipes the sweat off of his head before sitting on some of the hay bales in the corner.

“Hey Anon, can I talk to ya for a second?”

I walk over to him.

“Sure, what's up?”

He pats the hay bale next to him, and I sit down on it. The other human turns to me with a worried expression on his face.

“I wanted to talk to ya about Heather.”

I raise my brow.

“What about her?”

“Anon… is my sister ok?”

My eyes widen as he continues.

“She’s been keepin’ her distance lately. She looks fine for the most part, but sometimes when she thinks no one's lookin’, she seems bothered by somethin’. Anytime I ask her about it, she just smiles and says she's fine. She ain’t talkin’ to me and I… I’m worried.”

I stay quiet for a moment as I think. While I am a major part of what went down, It’s Heather’s business. Then again, he might get the wrong idea and make things harder for her and me if he finds out I have something to do with it. I look into his eyes one more time and… shit.

“Look Ulysses, I need you to promise me that you’ll keep this between us and not do anything after I tell you. Can I trust you to do that?”

He puts his hand up like he is making a pledge.

“Word is bond.”

I let out a soft chuckle before grimacing slightly.

“There was someone who was really pissed off at me for no good reason. They were so pissed, they wanted to embarrass me in front of the whole school.”

I contemplate not telling him this next part, but this becomes a lot harder to explain if I don’t.

“In our school, people make fun of Heather because of her eyes. They call her… special.”

After a moment of confusion, Ulysses’ eyes widen and he grits his teeth in anger. I gesture to him to calm down with my hands, and after a few moments of hard breathing, he does.

“When this person found out that I was going out with your sister, they put posters all over the school. That didn’t really bother Heather, but what did was how her friends reacted. They tried hiding the posters from her, and Heather hasn’t talked to her friends since.”

“But why wouldn’t she tell me anything?”

“She doesn’t want to be treated like a kid, and she doesn’t think she can tell you or her parents without that happening. I know you want to help your sister, and if you really want to do that, you need to let Heather handle her problems her way.”

A moment of silence passes between us. Ulysses hums as he processes everything I told him. Afterward, he pats the haybale and hops off of it. He looks at me with a slight, warm smile.

“Follow me, City Slicker. There’s somethin’ I wanna show ya.”

I get up and walk behind as he makes his way to a beaten path. I hear him talking to me, but he doesn’t turn back.

“When I met ya, I was really worried that ya were like a lot of the people from the city; Only carin’ about themselves and doin’ what they want, no matter who gets hurt.” He stops in front of a large, blue shed before turning around and patting me on the shoulder.

“I’m glad I was wrong about ya. You’re alright, Anon.”

I couldn’t help but grin.

“Thanks, Ulysses. It means a lot.”

“Just call me Ulyss. Now, ya wanna see somethin’ cool?”

“Sure, why not?”

Ulyss has a huge smile as he pulls back one of the big doors. Inside the spacious shed, there is a wooden table with various tools on the wall above it. There are tires and parts of different machines scattered around. Thankfully most of them are leaning toward the walls of the building, making it unlikely for anyone to trip. This is cool as fuck!

“Welcome to my workshop!”

“You have a workshop!?”

“Yup! My parents made Heather her happy place, and they made me mine. Here is where I spend any free time I have to mess with machines and work on any projects. My uncle taught a lot about buildin’ things, and after I learned enough, he gave me his tools.”

My eyebrow raises as a question pops into my mind.

“I thought you said you wanted to get into business?”

“What good is business if ya ain’t got nothin’ to sell? Speakin’ of which, come over here.”

We walk to the workbench, and upon closer inspection, I see that there is a weird machine on the table. They look like stilts, but they have springs and coils that stretch to the foot.

“What is this?”

Ulyss smiles and puffs up his chest in pride.

“I call ‘em Farmers Stilts. The idea is to give people workin’ out in the orchards extra height while being able to easily keep their balance. Not everyone can be as tall as Heather, so this can help smaller folks like you and me.”

“That's pretty cool. Does it work?”

I can almost hear glass shatter as his pride vanishes and he rubs the back of his neck.

“W-well I'm working on it.”

The farm boy sits down and begins replacing the coils on the devices. While he’s doing so, he turns his head to me slightly and lets out a sigh.

“I’ve been working on this thing for about a year, but it feels like I haven’t really done too much with it. Every time I try it out, it keeps breakin’ and I don’t know why.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Ulyss looks surprised at my offer. I'm not sure why if I’m honest. Heather has done a lot for me and this is the least I can do.

“Could ya… try ‘em?”

“I thought you said they weren’t finished?”

“They aren’t, but maybe I can figure out what's wrong if I get a different view of things.”

He said he’s been working on it for a year, so it should be fine… right?

“Sure.”

That four-letter word is enough to light a fire in Ulyss. He immediately grabs the stilts and quickly tightens every screw before handing them to me. Despite being a little less than two feet long, the leg extensions are pretty heavy. There is a groove in each of them to place my ankle and straps to wrap around my lower leg. When I finally put them on, metal surrounds about half of the lower part of my legs. I prop myself up using the wall. Ulyss is speed-walking around me, trying to spot anything wrong. I go to take my first steps, and in this moment as I pick up speed, I come to a realization.

I have no idea how to walk on stilts.

I hit the dirt floor hard and a jolt of pain courses through my body. Nothing’s broken, but it hurts like hell. Ulyss runs over to me, panic filling his voice and movements.

“Goodness Anon, ya ok!?”

“Yeah, just tasting the dirt.”

We chuckle as he helps me up to a chair. After taking off the death traps, I let out a sigh of relief. Ulyss immediately takes the stilts and sets them on the table.

“Were you able to see what’s wrong?”

“Yup! I’ll just need some parts, but I can tell my dad to tell my uncle about it. Thank ya, Anon!”

“Don’t mention it.”

The farm boy starts to take pieces off the stilts as he hums.

“You must be pretty excited, Anon.”

“For what?”

He turns around and raises his eyebrow.

“For prom. Heather has been talkin’ about non-stop. I’ve even seen her read some stories her friend makes about it.”

“Shit, I completely forgot!”

“No need to get ya britches in a bunch, ya got time.”

”Ulyss, I can’t dance.”

He scoffs.

“Like I said, ya got time. If ya don’t know how to dance, find someone who can teach ya.”

I hear the faint sound of Mr. Kent's voice calling us. After a bit of cleaning up, we run over to the truck and go to the place that has our next chore. Ulysses’ words stay stuck in my head.

Someone to teach me, huh?

…

Monday rolls around, and at this point, waking up early is easier than I ever thought it could be. I pop out of bed and I get to enjoy some of Mrs. Kent's leftovers for breakfast. After the meal, I put on my jacket, grab my backpack, and walk out the door. The walk to school is uneventful, and when I take the last turn, I see Heather waiting for me. She seems a little stressed, so I pick up the pace a bit. When I make it to her, she opens her arms and I walk into her embrace. We stay like this for a moment before we break away. Heather's eyes are semi-focused on me.

“Good mornin’, hun.”

“Good morning, Heather. How are you?”

“Better now that I am here with ya.”

We share a chaste kiss before we walk inside the building. I glance back at Heather and see that something is still bothering her. I take her hand and squeeze it gently, grabbing her attention.

“What wrong, Cowgirl?”

“It's nothin’ big. It's just… I'm a little worried is all. I want to talk to Judee and Schizo, but… with how things went last time, I don't know if they're angry with me.”

“You won't know for sure unless you talk with them. Besides, I'm sure they've been dying to talk with you.”

“But I haven't had a talk this… heavy with them before. I just want us to be friends again…”

We stop in front of the door of her homeroom. She turns around to face me and I take her other hand.

“It's going to be ok, Heather.”

“C-can ya come with me?”

“Of course I will.”

I kiss her on the tip of her snoot and red spreads across her face. We wave each other goodbye and we go to our classes. Trish has been really quiet in Math. When she isn’t getting bullied, she's sitting at the corner of the class. Serves her ass right. The bell rings, and I walk to the cafeteria. When I make the last turn, I see my acrocan girlfriend waiting for me by the door. When she sees me, she starts walking in my direction.

“H-hey, Anon. I think I’m ready.”

“Then let's get going.”

We stay silent as we walk to the Puppet Club room. I see Heather grimace as we get closer to our destination. Even when I grab her hand, her anxiety is still splayed across her face. after a few minutes of walking, we make it to the door. She stands in front of it, contemplating if she should just leave. I squeeze her hand again, letting my cowgirl know that I’m here for her. She takes a deep breath and slowly opens the door. Judee and Schizo were sitting at a table at the far end of the room. They turn around as they hear us walk in, and when they see Heather, their eyes go wide. The tiny troodon was the first to speak

“H-h-heather! Y-your here!”

Schizo rises to her feet as she stares at Heather. Guilt is the only thing you can read on her face. Heather takes a step closer, letting go of my hand in the process.

“Heya, girls… I wanna talk about what happened…”

Judee gets up and stands next to the compy. Now that I'm paying closer attention, the two puppeteers are missing their puppets. Schizo takes off her horned hat, revealing bright red, messy hair. The compy’s voice is shaky as she speaks.

“We’re very sorry Heather… I’m sorry. It was my idea to hide the posters from you. It was stupid, We… we never wanted to hurt you or make you feel like we didn’t care. You’re the best person out of all of us, and the thought of you getting hurt… It wasn’t fair.”

Judee steps forward and picks up where Schizo left off.

“W-we should h-have thought about y-you wanted. I-i know what we d-did was wrong, b-but I-i promise we’ll do b-better.”

All three of the girls are close to tears. Heather swallows a lump in her throat before responding.

“It ain’t all yall fault. I didn’t say nothin’ since I thought it would make ya sad, but now we are all sad. If I told ya how I felt, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Heather steps closer to them before getting on her knees, putting her at eye level with the two club members. Tears begin to stream from her eyes and a soft smile graces her lips.

“We all did somethin’ wrong, but I want yall to know that nothing yall do will ever make me stop bein’ friends with ya.”

The acrocan opens her arms and the two girls jump into her embrace. They wrap their arms around each other. Judee sniffles while Schizo starts to sob. They stay like that for a minute before we hear the bell ring. Heather gets up, wiping her face as she ascends.

“G-goodness, I musta lost track of time. We gotta get to class yall.”

We all walk out of the room before schizo and Judee walks in one direction, while Heather and I walk in the opposite direction. Before we make the corner, we hear Schizo shout at the end of the hall.

“Heather! Will we see you after school?”

“Yup! We got a lot to catch up on.”

We all walk to our classes with smiles on our faces. I'm glad they can finally put all the bullshit behind them. With that settled, Now I need to wait for Home Ed.

Let’s hope cooking isn’t the only thing Samantha can teach.

Chapter Text

Mrs. Aaron was ecstatic when I asked her to teach me how to dance. For the last few weeks after school, I went to her house and Samantha would go over different kinds of dances. Fang made the mistake of making fun of me during one of our classes, and now they’re joining us, much to their chagrin. As I struggled to dance with the pteros, a very important question was posed: How am I going to dance with Heather? I’m nearly two feet smaller than her, and aside from a basic waltz, I won't be able to do much.

But I'll have to worry about that later because right now I need to focus on keeping my balance. I’m at the farm again, and this time, Ulyss and I are working in the apple orchard. He managed to convince me to use the Farmers Stilts again, and now I'm picking apples from the trees while he is putting them into baskets. While it's still a struggle to stay balanced on account of this being my second time ever using Stilts, I definitely feel like it's easier to use now. I can hear Ulyss talking about it with pride in his voice.

“It's workin’! It's actually workin’! If this keeps up, we ain't gonna need Heather to pick the trees no more!”

“Wait, You have Heather pick apples? She's tall enough to do this without a ladder?”

“Yup. It's why she usually takes care of harvestin’.”

“So you're saying I'm as tall as Heather right now?”

“Just about, yeah.”

I take a minute to look around. I have to admit, it feels great being this tall. As I'm enjoying my temporary height, a thought pops in my head. If the stilts make me as tall as my angel, maybe I can-

*SNAP*

After the loud sound, I feel cold as I fall backward. I close my eyes and brace for impact. Only… my body never meets the ground. I open my eyes and see a familiar, panicked, and beautiful face.

“Goodness Anon, are ya alright!?”

“I'm ok, Cowgirl. Thanks for the catch.”

“What in tarnation is on ya legs?”

I take off the damaged stilts, and then she puts me down. Ulysses walks up sheepishly and picks them up before explaining.

“Heya Heather… Anon was just helpin’ me test a tool I'm workin’ on. I guess I still need to work on it. Haha…”

Heather gives him a disapproving look, only made worse by the fact that none of her eyes are looking at him. Eventually, the acrocan relents and sighs.

“Uly, if ya gonna test ya doodads, please don't kill my boyfriend. Anyway, I came to get Anon.”

“Why? We were just makin’ progress on these apple trees?”

“Papa said we could take a break, and I wanna show Anon somethin’”

The human looks at me, and then his stilts.

“I'll meet ya back here in an hour, Anon.”

He quickly walks in the direction of his workshop, trying his best to hold the remains of his invention together. Heather takes me to her happy place and before I know it, we are standing in front of the large shack near the lake. She opens the wooden door, revealing a surprisingly spacious room. It's almost as big as my apartment, but it's definitely taller since Heather can stand just fine in here. The sun shines through the lone window near the door. There's a big, yellow bed by the wall. Looking closer, the wall has a small cubby. When I look in it, I see the scarecrow plushie I gave to Heather lying in a mini bed.

“So, Whatcha think?”

“This place is nice. It looks like a great spot to spend an afternoon in.”

“I sleep here sometimes. The moon looks mighty pretty when it shines off the water, but this isn't what I wanted to show ya,”

I take a seat on the bed while I look at her with a confused face. She gives me a smile as she stands in front of me.

“Anon, how much do ya know about the birds and the bees?”

…

What?

I look at Heather with utter shock as my face turns bright red. My mind ceases to function as I try to process what she just said. While my spaghetti is spilling from my pockets in epic proportions, she gets closer. And closer. Then she gets down to her knees. W-wow this is happening really fast! I take a deep breath as she bends down and I crane my head back.

See you later, virgins…

…expect she stands back up and plops down next to me with a book. The title read: Sustainable Agriculture and You – Learning the Importance of the Birds and the Bees.

…Oh.

She spends the next couple of minutes skimming over what I've come to find out is her favorite book. She asks if I’m ok, and I can only give a nod as I am internally screaming. When she finishes, she snaps her fingers.

“Oh, there’s one more thing I wanna show ya.”

She puts the book underneath her bed again and pulls out… ‘Wait, is that a rifle!?’ my girlfriend giggles at my surprise.

“Yup!, a M1 Garand Rifle. Grandpapa gave it to me a while ago. He told me he used it in World War 2. Sometimes when he visits, He teaches me how to use it.”

“Are you a good shot?”

“Not really, but I’m gettin’ there.”

She sets the gun down by the wall. I never expected her to have something like that, much less underneath her bed. The acrocan sits down next to me again. I can’t help but look at her, admiring the gorgeous farmgirl in front of me.

“Whatcha looking at me like that for?”

“Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you.”

Heather’s face starts turning red.

“Don’t think ya getting out of work with smooth talkin’, mista.”

I chuckle and before I know it, I’m being lifted up and placed further along the bed. Heather pulls me in closer and rests her head under my neck.

“I love you, Anon.”

“I love you too, Heather. I have something I want to ask you.”

“What's that?”

“Do you want to go to prom with me?”

A moment of silence passes between us. Heather is absolutely still. However, as a feeling of worry begins to well up in my chest, I feel the acrocan hug me tight before rocking back and forth while squealing.

“Yes, yes, yes! Of course, I’ll go with ya! Oh, ya make me the happiest girl on earth!”

After she finally calms down, we cuddle together and enjoy each other's company until it’s time to keep working.

…

It’s been a few days since I asked Heather to prom, and I’m on my way to school. Heather is hanging out with her friends, which is why she isn’t waiting for me by the entrance. As I’m walking up the steps, I hear a familiar voice.

“Anon!”

I turn around and I see Fang and Naser walking toward me. Fang has a sly smile while Naser has narrow eyes and a scowl.

“What’s up, dork?”

“Nothing much.”

“Where’s Heather?”

“She’s with her friends. She must have been scared you and your two left feet would step on her toes.”

“Fuck you. Practicing the performance for prom is hard enough, and learning how to step in a circle isn’t something I give a shit about.”

My eyes widen slightly.

“You’re playing for prom?”

Naser rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. Fang lifts their head with a smug look.

“Me and Reed. Whenever we have time, we practice a song Mom and I wrote together.”

“Thats really co-”

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

Naser’s voice was cold and irritated. Fang glares at him. Which causes him to falter slightly. I try to lighten the mood.

“I do, but I can spare a few minutes for Fang. Besides, She and I-”

“IT’S THEY YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!”

…

Fuck, I was doing so well with that too. Students nearby started to stare and whisper. Fang, burning with anger, shoves their brother.

“What the fuck is wrong with you Naser!?”

Naser looks shocked at his siblings reaction.

“What!? He misgendered you!”

“I’m not Non-Binary anymore, you dipshit!”

Just as things are getting out of hand, the bell rings, causing the small crowd that formed to disperse. Naser looks hurt, while Fang looks annoyed. I decided that I could talk to both of them later and run to class. Mr. Tsuki didn’t take too kindly to me being tarty again, and now he’s calling me every time he needs someone to read something out loud. Fuck my life.

When I finally get out of English class, I head straight to Science. My pace is a little faster than my usual walking speed. When I get there, I find Fang in their seat, scrolling through their… or I guess it’s her phone now. When the ptero sees me, her eyes open wide and she immediately turns it off. I take my seat next to Fang before speaking.

“Hey.”

“Hey… sorry for my idiot brother.”

“It’s fine. I’m sure he’s just having a rough morning. About what you said earlier…”

Fang lets out a sigh before elaborating.

“Yeah… Trish was the one who told me about being NB when I was… lost. I thought that it was who I was, but after what happened with her, I took some time to think things over. I couldn’t come up with any answers, so I talked with my mom about it. She told me about what it really means to be a girl and after some more thinking, I decided to try being a girl again.”

“And judging from what happening with Naser, you haven’t told anyone yet?”

She shakes her head. The bell rings and the teacher walks in before we start the lesson. Things are uneventful until lunchtime. Right before I open the door to the cafeteria, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and see a cream-colored parasaur. I completely forgot her name.

“Hi, Anon!”

I try my best not to look annoyed at her high-pitched voice.

“Hey… Nancy?”

For a split second, the parasur looks incredibly annoyed but quickly snaps back to being cheery.

“Oh Anon, you're such a kidder! You know I’m Naomi.”

“Right, right… so like, did you need anything?”

“O–oh yes! I need your help with something in the auditorium. Please come with me.”

I have half a mind to just blow her off, but on the off chance that she actually needs help, I agree to go. I send Heather a text explaining the situation, to which she replies with a thumbs-up emoji a few seconds later. Naomi and I spend a few moments walking to the auditorium. She tries to make small talk, and I give simple one-word responses. After what feels like too long, we make it to the giant room.

“So what did you need help with anyway?”

The cream popsicle stands silent, choosing to open the door instead of answering my question. We walk through it and I can see that someone is on the stage.

“I’m here, Nasi-poo!”

The person on the stage turns around quickly. It’s Naser! He looks pretty happy to hear the voice of his girlfriend. However, that happiness quickly fades when he sees me. His voice drips with venom.

“Why did you bring him?”

“Naser, You have been quite stressed lately, and I think if you two talk, you’ll feel much better.”

He opens his mouth to protest, but I think Naomi is giving him a look because he swallows any words that are coming out. Naomi claps her hands before speaking again.

“Now, I have some things to take care of. I hope you two can squash this little disagreement.”

She quickly makes her way out of the auditorium, leaving just me and Naser. I walk onto the stage, and Naser faces away from me. It looks like there’s no more avoiding this anymore.

“Naser, what's going on with you? Ever since that night Heather and I went to your house for dinner, you act like I pissed in your cereal.”

The ptero scoffs, his one good wing stretching slightly.

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“That! That’s what I’m talking about!”

“What, are you going tell my sister that I'm being mean or some shit and get her to yell at me again?”

…What?

“You know, I’m getting really tired seeing you around my house. And seeing you and Fang…Fuck!”

Naser slams his fist on the wall, leaving a small dent. This is starting to feel familiar. The pissed-off ptero starts walking toward me and yelling.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like!? To have family that you love, but hates you!? Ever since that fucking fall, Fang has hated me! I thought it would last a month or two, but it has been over eight! Fucking! YEARS!”

He’s starting to get a little too close, so I’m beginning to walk backward.

“Even when she said she hated me, even when she spat in my face, I still stood by her! Then you came! It only took you a mother fucking month to not only get a relationship with my mom but with Fang too!”

My back hits a wall and he slams his hand near me, causing me to flinch slightly. Tears are streaming from his eyes and his voice is starting to crack.

“IT’S NOT FAIR! I WAS THE ONE WHO DROVE HER TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY! I WAS THE ONE WHO SUPPORT HER MUSIC EVEN WHEN IT WAS SHIT! I PUT UP WITH THE DEMEANING, THE YELLING, AND HER CALLING ME A FUCKED-WINGED RETARD FOR MY ENTIRE FUCKING CHILDHOOD. YOU'RE JUST SOME FUCKING MONKEY, AND FANG SEES YOU AS MORE OF A BROTHER THAN SHE EVER SAW ME! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT I DIDN’T!!?”

As I prepare for the worst, Naser’s anger seems to be finally letting up, He falls to his knees, wetting the floor with his tears. He’s sobbing, but I can hear him mutter in between his sobs.

“A…am I-I the problem? Am I…I really that horrible?”

That was… Fuck. I kneel down to the sobbing ptero’s level and try to talk to him, but he seems completely unresponsive right now. I get up and reach for my phone.

[Anon] Fang, can you come to the auditorium? It’s important.

[Birdbrain] omw

I take a seat next to Naser and stay silent as he works through his emotions. Soon enough, his sobs cease, and the two of us are sitting on the stage, facing the rows of chairs. I hear him take a deep breath before speaking with a quiet voice.

“...Sorry. For all of that. You didn’t deserve it.”

“Sounds like you were holding onto that for a while.”

Naser lets out a bitter chuckle.

“You have no idea.”

“You and your sister are more alike than you think.”

“Yeah right."

I turn my head to him.

“Your sister doesn’t hate yo-”

“Don’t. I know where I stand with her.”

“No, you think you know where you stand. The worst thing she’s said about you is that things were complicated between you and her.”

His eyes open slightly before closing again. We hear someone burst through the door, and at second glance, I can see that it’s Fang. She quickly spots us and runs over, jumping onto the stage.

“I’m here. What the hell happ-”

Her eyes focus on Naser’s hand. I didn’t notice it, but his hand is pretty bloody, probably due to all of the wall abuse.

“Fuck! Naser, are you ok!?”

His eyes are wide open in shock at his sister's concern for him. He’s left speechless as he begins to tear up again. Fang looks to me for answers, which prompts me to get up.

“He had a couple of things to get off his chest, and he still does. You two need to talk.”

Fang looks back at Naser for confirmation, which he gives with a slow nod. She slowly takes a seat next to her brother as I head for the exit. The last thing I hear before I leave the auditorium is the beginning of a healing relationship. I hear the bell ring, but I’m sure the two of them don’t really care about school right now. With all of that finished up, there is one more major problem that I need to take care of.

I need to find a tux and two different sizes of pants.

Chapter Text

I can't believe prom is only two weeks away. Given everything that happened, I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that the event is sneaking up on me. After the situation with Naser, Samantha wasn't gonna let me go without a talk. When I explained the situation to her, she seemed troubled but thanked me for my patience. Heather wanted me to take my mind off things, so she suggested we go on another date. I struggled for a while on where we should go until Fang suggested that we go into the city. She went there a while ago while searching for a venue, and from what she said, it has some pretty good spots to hang out. The ptero even gave me the address of a pizza place that she claimed made the best pizza in the world.

The crisp, cold breeze makes the Saturday sun all the more enjoyable as the warmth hits my skin. The gold pendant tucked in my shirt makes me breathe sharply every now and again when it touches my skin. The bus stop near the school has a few people near it, and I do my best to keep a bit of distance from them. Before long, I hear the bus approaching. When it stops in front of us, I’m one of the first to get in. After paying the fare, I immediately spot my hulking girlfriend in the middle of the bus waving at me. I wade through the other passengers and take my seat next to Heather. When I sit down, I swear I saw her frowning, but after taking a second glance, I guess I’m just imagining it.

“Good mornin’, hun. How’d ya sleep?”

“I slept good, Angel. You ready for our date?”

“I would be if I know where we goin’.”

I give a slight chuckle as the acrocan wraps her arm around me. Her warm touch threatens to lull me back to sleep.

“You’ll find out soon.”

Heather puts her head on top of mine and the bus starts moving again. I think I might have actually fallen asleep because we are already at our stop the next time I open my eyes. Heather and I thank the driver before we get off the bus. The streets and sidewalks are bustling with people. The entire city has Christmas decorations scattered around, from giant stickers on the skyscrapers to lights wrapped around trees. I notice my girlfriend looking at the various shops and decorated buildings in awe and wonder, and I can’t help but smile at her.

“Goodness, It's all so pretty! Where did ya take me Anon?”

“Since our last date was at the Farmers festival, I thought it would be nice if we went to the city this time. I haven't been here before, so we're both seeing everything for the first time.”

I feel big, burly arms wrap around me before I’m lifted off the ground. I’m now inches from Heather’s face. Heat begins to grow on my face as she develops a blush herself. Her eyes begin to focus on me as she speaks in a soft and loving tone.

“Well then, I suppose we should stop wastin’ daylight.”

We lean in for a tender kiss before she puts me down and we start walking. The air starts to get colder, causing me to undo the folds on my sleeves. Now that I look around, most people have coats and jackets, and some saurians are wearing multiple layers. When I glance over at Heather, I can see that she is trying her best not to shiver in her sundress. Fuck, I forgot the cold affects her more than me. Should I give her my jacket? I look at her again and quickly kill the thought. The sleeves alone would break from her extremely toned arms. I wrap my body around her arm while I survey the area for a clothing store. She leans in, putting her hand on my back.

After crossing a block or two, I spot a thrift store across the street. Thanks to Malcolm's generosity all of the times we took his cab, I have a bit more money in my pocket than usual.
That being said, I’m not sure if I’ll have enough cash for lunch if I go to any of the clothing stores around here. I tug on Heather’s arm, grabbing her attention. I point at the thrift store as I look up at her.

“Let's check that place out.”

Heather looks at the store and her eyes light up. We quickly cross the street and open the glass doors of the building. A wave of warm air hits us, causing Heather to let out a hum of pleasure. The white walls and ceiling along with the checkered floor make this place look way nicer than any of the thrift stores back in Rock Bottom. My girlfriend’s eyes begin to wander as her attention does as well. She seems completely distracted by the strange tools in a display case near the wall, so I silently break away from her and head for the clothes section of the store. When I get there, I start looking through the racks, hoping to find something that can keep my angel warm. Most of the sweaters are either too small, smell weird, or are made for a specific kind of dino with all the holes they have.

After a minute longer of searching, I find a double extra large sweater. It has black and white stripes on the sleeves and a black cat in the middle of it. I think it looks a little weird, so I try to look around for another one. However, nothing else that can fit Heather seems to be here. I look at the sweater again before shrugging. It’s only for today, right? Well, if she doesn’t like it, she can just throw it away after today. I walk to the cashier, who is a purple raptor. He is wearing a blue collared shirt and khakis with a tag that has the name “Carter” on it. Honestly, he looks like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. Then again, If I had to be stuck behind a counter and let geriatric women yell at me for minimum wage, I wouldn’t want to be here either. His half-lidded eyes gaze at the sweater before lifting an eyebrow. I suddenly feel the need to clarify.

“It’s for my girlfriend.”

Carter slowly nods before wordlessly scanning the barcode.

“That’s gonna be five dollars, man.”

I pull the singles from my pocket and give them to the cashier. After pressing a few buttons on his register, he gives me a printed receipt.

“Have a good one.”

“Thanks, you too.”

I look around the store for Heather, eventually finding her looking at… is that a bow and arrow!? I hold the sweater behind my back as I approach the acrocan, When I get close enough, she hears me and turns around, beaming a smile at me while keeping one of her eyes on the old-fashioned weapon.

“There ya are, City Boy. I lost ya for a while, not that I blame ya. This place has much more interestin’ doodads than any of the stores Judee, Schizo, and I went to.”

She must have noticed where my hands are because she cocks an eyebrow.

“What are ya holdin’ behind ya back, silly?”

I reveal the sweater to her while rubbing the back of my neck.

“Sorry, it’s the only one that was close to your size. I know it isn’t-”

Suddenly, I was interrupted by Heather’s loud gasp. I look at my hands, only to see that the sweater has vanished. I catch Heather slipping it on. Her hands are outstretched as she tilts her head down at the black cat on her sweater. Her tail starts wagging fast and her smile gets wider as tears begin to develop in her eyes.

“Oh Anon, It looks cuter than a button! I love it and promise to never take it off!”

I chuckle softly as we make our way through the doors and back into the chilly outdoors. Thankfully, Heather isn’t shivering anymore.

“I’m glad you like it, Cow Girl, but you’ll have to take it off eventually. You’ll need to wash it at some point.”

The acrocan pouts as her eyes look at the sky and the floor.

“I’ll just shower with it on.”

The two of us let out a laugh as our hands grasp one another. We enjoy each other's company as we walk past the different blocks. Sometimes we walk into a store if it looks interesting, although we don’t buy anything. After a while of exploring, Heather begins looking frantically around before her eyes and grin widen.

“Anon, I recognize this place! We’re near Lil’ Troodon!”

“Little Troodon?”

“There’s a lot of pretty things over there! It’s also where Judees lives, but I don’t think she’s home. Whenever we don’t have school, She’s usually workin’.”

“Do you know where it is from here?”

“Yup! Come on, I’ll show ya!”

I feel my girlfriend tug on my arm as she starts to speedwalk. Due to how long her legs are, I’m damn near running trying to keep up. When we finally stop, we are in a completely different-looking place. Gone are the tall buildings and glass walls, and in their place are tents and tables that create a big plaza. Despite the reduced real estate, Little Troodon is much more decorated than the city square. Nearly every tent had lights in festive designs like Christmas trees and ornaments. A lot of different vendors call out to Heather and I. As much as I wanted to avoid them, Heather made sure that we stopped by each and every one. While most of them are just trying to scam anyone dumb enough to buy overpriced garbage, some tent owners are actually selling some pretty cool shit like mood rings and foreign toys. There is even a tent that has a small photo printing set up. I feel the chill of the pendent again. An idea enters my mind, but before I can act on it, I need to see if I’ll have enough money after lunch. Speaking of which…

Grrr

I turn to the source of the noise as her face turns bright red. I chuckle before squeezing her hand gently.

“I’m getting pretty hungry, Angel. Wanna go get something to eat?”

“Y-yes please…”

I put the address that Fang sent into Grungle Maps. Oh nice, It’s only a ten-minute walk from here. The two of us make the trek while trying our best not to get too distracted. Soon enough, we take the last turn and cross the last street before we are in front of the small building with a Neon sign that reads ‘Dino Moe’s’.

“Where are we, hun?”

“We’re at the best pizza place in town, or so I’ve been told.”

Heather's scales visibly flush when I say the word ‘pizza’. She gives me a somewhat shaky smile as she nods.

“What’s wrong, Heather?”

“O-oh, it's nothing, hun. Let's go eat.”

She’s a terrible liar. I consider asking her again, but I figure that won’t help anything, and I shrug before opening the door for my girlfriend. We walk inside and the sweet smell of marinara fills the air. The restaurant has a pretty homey vibe with wooden floors and pictures of the staff having a good time on the wall. A purple brachiosaur with black hair in professional clothes is waiting for us to approach. She has a small smile as she waves.

“Welcome to Dino Moe’. Will you be dining in with us today?”

“Yes.”

“Wonderful. Right this way, please.”

Instead of walking us to our table, the hostess’ head leads the way while her body stays put near the entrance. This place must be pretty popular since it’s damn near packed. We stop at a booth and the two of us sit down.

“What can I get you two to drink?”

“I’ll have a coke.”

“I’ll take a glass of water, thank ya.”

“Awesome, and lastly, what would you like to eat?”

At this moment, I realize that I didn't look at the menu online before coming here.

“Uhh… Do you have any suggestions?”

“If you're not a herbivore, the Meator pizza is to die for from what I hear.”

“Then I think we’ll have that.”

“Great! It'll be here in no time.”

The brachio head leaves our table to help the next customers in line. I turn back to Heather, who seems to be lost in thought.

“Is everything ok, Heather?”

My attempt to take her from her thoughts works as her attention shifts toward me.

“Yes, just… thinkin’ of Judee and Schizo.”

“How are they? Did they find dates for prom?”

Heather grimaces slightly.

“They… ain’t comin’. They aren’t too excited ‘bout the whole thing and just decided that they are gonna spend time together at Judee’s house instead. They invited me to go with ‘em, but I told them that I’m goin’ to prom with ya…”

Her eyes are distant as she takes a deep breath before continuing.

“I know I said I’d go with you to prom, a-and I will! I just… I was wondering if we could visit my friends after a while…”

Her breathing starts to pick up as her eyes begin to get wet. She nervously shifts around as her smile fades, now replaced with a grimace. I put my hand on one of hers, making her tense up.

“Sure.”

Her eyes widen in surprise.

“R-really? Ya not mad?”

“Why would I be?”

“Well, I told ya I wanted to go to dance with ya, and I thought you would be upset since we’d leave early.”

I chuckle softly, causing the acrocan to pout.

“W-whatcha laughin’ for!?”

“Because you’re worrying over nothing, Cow Girl. I love spending time with you. It doesn’t matter if it’s all dressed up in prom, or in our pajamas watching movies.”

Heather's shoulders relax, and her steel-colored eyes are completely centered, she leans in, prompting me to do so as well. We tilt our heads as our lips make contact. Our kiss is tender, yet passionate. I can almost feel Heather’s worry fall away as we begin to explore each other's mouths. After a time that feels too soon, we break away from each other, before Heather takes my hand.

“I love ya, hun.”

“I love you more, Angel”

Just as it looks like Heather is coming back for seconds, a steaming pizza pie is put between us by a green raptor.

“Enjoy.”

After the waiter walks away, the smell of the food draws my eyes to the culinary masterpiece on our table. It has an assortment of meats such as pepperoni, steak, and beef as toppings. I keep wiping my mouth to prevent my drool from hitting the table. I don’t hesitate to take a slice and bite into it. An explosion of flavors hits my taste buds and I can't help but let out a hum of pleasure. Heather is apprehensive at first, but after seeing me eat, she grabs one. She takes a tiny bite out of her slice, and as soon as the cheese touches her tongue, her pupils widen a lot. Then she takes another bite. And another. And another. Any decorum that she has when she usually eats is now gone, and in its place is an almost primal hunger as she devours her slice before reaching for another. In the end, I only ate two slices which was more than enough for me, while the acrocan left no survivors. There’s a moment when Heather closes her eyes. She has her hands in the pockets of her sweater and has the biggest smile. I take my phone and snap a secret photo right before she yawns.

“Goodness gracious, that was good. I didn’t wanna tell ya earlier, but I wasn’t a fan of pizza. Judee and her mama would buy some rarely. Bless their heart, but the food wasn’t that good. But this… I could eat this every day for the rest of my life!”

“You said it. Fang was right, this is the best pizza in the world.”

And as it turns out, pretty cheap too. I only had to pay around seventeen dollars for the whole thing. When we get out of the pizzeria, Heather gets a call from her dad. After about a few minutes, she turns to me, looking dejected.

“Today was lovely Anon, but Papa needs me back at the farm. One of the horses is almost ready to give birth and he needs a hand.”

“Damn. Well, you gotta do what you gotta do. I’ll walk you to the bus.”

We walk to the nearest bus stop and after a minute, the vehicle approaches. We give each other one last hug before she gets on and heads back home. I check how much money I have. Five dollars. I think that should be enough. I head back into Little Troodon and make my way to the tent with the photo printer. The saurian running the tent is an ocean blue ptero with white hair.

“Heya, kid. Interested in getting some photos printed?”

“That depends. Can you make a print that can fit in this?”

I take the pendant from under my shirt and open it before showing it to him. He gives a sly smile before turning around and typing on his laptop.

“Sure can. Physical or digital?”

“I have the photo on my phone.”

“Let me see your phone for a sec.”

I look at him with a raised eyebrow. He turns around and lets out a sigh before showing a bundle of chargers. I relent and hand him my phone and after a few seconds, he finds the plug for my charge port and connects my phone to his computer. From there, he goes into my camera roll before showing his screen.

“Just show me which one you want to print.”

I point to the picture I took of Heather before the ptero gives me a thumbs up. After a few clicks of his mouse and the stroke of a few keys, the printer hums to life. A small piece of laminated paper comes out with a tiny picture of Heather in the middle. He looks at me and extends his hand out,

“Pendant please.”

I give him my prized possession. The ptero takes an exacto knife and slowly puts the picture on top of the empty spot inside the necklace before carefully cutting the picture, making sure to trace the pendant. After five minutes. He hands me my pendant back. I look inside of it, and a smile grows on my face. Now all of the most important people to me are always in arms reach.

“That’ll be four bucks.”

I hand him the five.

“Keep the change. Thank you.”

The ptero’s smile turns warm as he sits down.

“No problem, kid.”

I turn around and head home with both my stomach and my heart full.

Chapter Text

It's prom night. To my surprise, my old man sent over his old tuxedo. Aside from the wine stains on the sleeves, the suit seemed to be in good condition. It saved me the trouble of having to buy everything except the extra pants. Well, I say that as if I had the chance to buy anything. When I was telling Fang about my plan for prom, Samantha somehow found out about it. I don’t know if she overheard us or if Fang told her, but when the matriarch found out, she took me to the place where Naser and Fang got their clothes for prom. It was a class above your regular clothing store and when we finally found the right size of pants, Sam made sure I understood that her paying for it was non-negotiable. Anytime I would reach for my wallet, she would give me a look that made my blood run cold. On another day, I went out again to buy a duffle bag where I could put my pants and la pièce de résistance.

It’s about three in the afternoon. Despite it being so early, I put on my tux. Fang’s mom wants me to come over before I go to Heather’s house, so I finish getting ready, grab my bag with a change of clothes in it, and head over to the Aaron’s by bus. After a short ride, I’m standing in front of the big house. The memory of Ripley makes me hesitate for a moment, but I quickly shake it off and knock on the door. A moment of waiting later, the door opens, and the tiny ptero in her green dress and apron lets out an excited gasp when she sees me.

“Oh my Goodness! Anon, look so handsome! Come in, dear.”

She’s practically dragging me into the house and the succulent smell of ribs hits my nose. I look around for Ripley, but he is nowhere to be seen. Sam must have seen me because she let out a soft chuckle.

“Don’t worry, Anon. Ripley is at work and Fang is practicing with her friend.”

I give a sigh of relief and put down my duffle.

“At least I don’t have to worry that he’ll mount me on a wall now. So why did you want me to come here?”

“To make sure you’re ready of course! Give me a moment.”

She heads upstairs for a minute before coming down with different bottles and a towel. She smiles warmly as her wings start to flap.

“Oh to be young and in love!”

“S-samantha, what’s with all the supplies!?”

“This is your big day! You need to look your best for yourself and Heather.”

She drags a small stool behind me and sits me down. She grabs a spray bottle and begins spraying water on my head before wiping it down with the towel. After that, she sprays a bit of good-smelling cologne on my neck and suit. Finally, she stands me up and straightens out my suit before fixing my bowtie. I keep my eyes on the ptero as she's focused on getting me ready for prom. Samantha has helped me more than I could have hoped for. Like how she essentially fed me for most of the semester, or when I found out I had feelings for Heather. Now she’s doing this. She… she reminds me of Grandma. Every day before church, she would shine my head just like Sam. She used to joke that she did it so God could easily spot me from the shine alone. I haven’t felt like this since I was living on the farm. I feel … loved. Not like with Heather. It's something more paternal.

‘I… I wish Samantha was my mom.’

The tiny ptero freezes in place and her eyes shoot open.

“What did you say?”

Wait, did I… aw fuck, I thought I got over my mumbling! I spill my spaghetti, trying to find something I can say that can somehow salvage this before Samantha puts her hand up, silencing me, She goes back to fixing my tie with trembling hands.

“I’m going to be honest with you, Anon. My view of you has been constantly shifting this past year. When I first saw you in my class, I didn’t think much of you. You were simply another student who took my class. When you told me about your living conditions, I thought you were a troubled child who needed help. But just as I began to see you in that light, you and Fang got into that argument. And then I truly saw my daughter again for the first time in years. At that point, while still saw you as troubled, I saw that you were also growing into a man. When you came to me about how you were feeling about your girlfriend, it filled me with so much joy. It reminded me of Naser when he fell in love. And from that point on, I only saw you grow, from protecting who you love to mending relationships that could have ended very sour had you not treated them with the utmost kindness.”

Sam finishes with my bowtie and reaches for my hands. She can barely clasp my hand, and when she does, she looks up at me with a warm smile and watery eyes while I can feel tears form in my eyes as well.

“Because of you, my family is closer now than they have ever been. A year ago, I couldn’t imagine a world where I could spend time outside of the house with my daughter or one where my children could get along as they are now. Despite his prejudices, my husband is quite grateful for what you’ve done. I’m so proud of you, Anon. As far as I am concerned, you are family and I would be happy to call you my son.”

The dam breaks for both of us as tears cascade from our eyes. I crouch down, and we enter an embrace. Her wings wrap around us, covering me in downy feathers. We hold each other tightly until the tears stop. We break away and I stand back up while the ptero is wiping her eyes.

“Goodness me, you're getting this old lady to cry. Now, I’m sure Heather is very excited to see you, so I won't keep you any longer.”

I pick up the duffle bag and the two of us walk to the front door but before I open the door, Samantha tugs on my arm.

“Come down here for a moment.”

I listen and kneel down. To my surprise, she gives me a peck on my forehead before hugging me again.

“I hope you have a wonderful night, my child.”

I return the embrace, trying to stop myself from crying again.

“Thank you. For everything… Mom.”

Just then, I feel a pain in my cheeks. She’s pinching them.

“Now, don’t keep your lover waiting, young man. Oh, and be sure to send me pictures!”

I open the door and give one last wave before heading to the bus stop again. Should I call Malcoml? He could get me to Heather’s house in about ten minutes… nah. I’m not on a time crunch or anything, and I can just call him to take Heather and me to prom. The driver I see this time is Will. The grey baryonyx greets me with a smile and a nod.

“Looking sharp.”

“Thanks, Will.”

I pay my fare and sit at the front of the bus. I spend the bus ride looking through old threads that I used to frequent. I don't feel the need to say anything in them since the people online are already in heated shit-flinging contests. While it's fun to see the human and saurian race devolve in front of my eyes, a part of me is anxious and excited for the night ahead.

Eventually, I make it to my stop. The sun is starting to set and the air is starting to get colder. After saying goodbye to Will, I begin the walk to Heather's ranch. Thanks to the cool air, I don't sweat at all in my suit. After a couple of minutes, I go through the white gate guarding the ranch. I end up in front of the door. I knock and before long, The door is opened by Heather’s mom.

“My, ain’t ya a tall glass of iced tea! Give me some suga’, baby.”

We hug each other for a brief moment before she continues talking.

“Heather’s just finishin’ up somethin’ in the fields, so she ain't here just yet.”

“That’s ok, Mrs. Kent. I’m actually looking for Ulysses right now. I need to talk to him about something real quick.”

“If my memory ain’t foggy, Uly should be in his workshop. Just be careful, hun. Ya don’t wanna get that fancy suit dirty.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Kent.”

She closes the door and I walk to the workshop. As I approach the blue shed, I can hear the sound of a hammer. When I make it to the door, I see the human I’m looking for hammering in a nail on another device I can’t make out.

“Working on something new already?”

Ulyss turns around with a smile on his face.”

“Lookin’ fancy, city slicker.”

He puts down the hammer and starts walking toward me.

“Yup. Thanks to ya testin’ the darn thing, my stilts are just about done. I gotta tweak some of the parts and improvements can always be made, but all of the major problems with ‘em are gone now.”

“So… you got the the goods?”

“What kinda questions is that? ‘Course I do!”

He walks me to the workbench before reaching behind it and pulling out the stilts. They seem to be reinforced with hard plastic and springs, making them look more stable than ever.

“They're ready for tonight, Anon. I see ya got the bag.”

“Of course. It would be dumb if I just carried this around everywhere, plus it would ruin the surprise.”

“I suppose ya right. Wanna try ‘em out so ya can get a feel for ‘em?”

“Sure.”

I take a minute to put them on. Due to the springs, I can get up from the workbench chair. Walking with the stilts is easier than ever before. Whether it’s the amount of practice I’ve had with them or Ulyss’s improvements to the stilts, It almost feels like I'm walking normally. The tinkerer helps me back down before I take the leg extensions off and put them in my bag.

“They’re perfect!”

“I know. I built them after all.”

I roll my eyes while Ulyss has a smug look and the two of us walk back to the house. The smell of pie is coming from the windows. Nearly all sunlight is gone. When we walk through the door, I spot Mr. Kent drinking a beer while watching some horse racing on the TV. He turns to me and his eyes widen very slightly.

“Hello, Mr. Kent.”

“Howdy, Anon. Ya look alright.”

“Thank you, sir. Do you know where Heather is?”

“She’s been in her room gettin’ ready for the last few minutes. She’ll be out soon. Now come and sit. I gotta talk to ya about somethin’.”

Ulyss winces playfully but is quickly stopped by Mr. Kent’s glare before going into the hallway to my left. I feel my heart start to sink as I get closer and take a seat next to him before he takes another sip from his bottle.

“I don’t think the two of us have really talked, have we, boy?”

“Not that I remember.”

He nods slowly as he turns back to the screen. Number 3 crosses the finish line first, prompting the man to smile before turning back to me.

“Half a year ago, if someone woulda’ told me that a scrawny kid from the city would sweep my Sweet Pea off her feet, I woulda’ laughed at ‘em. Yet here ya are. I was half expectin’ ya to run away once I gave ya some work, but ya just kept comin’ back. That's when I found out ya actually have some backbone.”

His smile fades as a grimace forms. He looks back at the TV and lets out a sigh.

“She told me about what happened at school, ya know? About the mistreatment, about that damn trigger. I swear, if I ever seem ‘em, I’ll mount ‘em on my wall.”

He clears his throat before getting back on topic.

“She told me about how things have been for her, even before she met ya. When I asked her why she didn’t tell me sooner, she said it was because I wouldn't treat her as anything other than my little girl. It hurt. It hurt knowin’ that my Sweet Pea felt like she couldn’t talk to no one. She also told me about how ya handled everythin’.”

He puts a hand on my shoulder. It feels heavy, but not because he’s pressing down on me. He gives me a small, but impactful smile.

“I’m glad ya here, Anon. Ya proof that the city ain’t all bad.”

“W-wow. Thank you, sir.”

He grabs his bottle and pours some alcohol into a small metal cup before he hands it to me.

“Uhh… sir, I’m underaged.”

“Last I checked, I ain’t seen no police. Besides, it's just a drink. From one man…”

He taps his bottle with the cup in my hands.

“... to another.”

He takes a drink from the bottle again. I shrug and down the yellow liquid. I nearly spit it out on contact with my tongue. I barely manage to swallow the disgusting warm beverage. I can hear Mr. Kent laughing his ass off at my reaction.

“Damn, boy! Wasn’t expectin’ ya to drink it all in one go! Color me impressed.”

He pats my back as I’m coughing. After my coughing fit subsides, I hear the sound of footsteps behind me. Then, a familiar voice calls out.

“Hey there, City Boy.”

I quickly get up, turn around, and… Wow. I knew Heather was beautiful, but this is another level entirely. Her yellow sundress is replaced by a maroon double-tier dress that goes to her ankles. Her golden hair is now curly, cascading to her shoulders. Instead of the red headband that rests on top of her pretty head, there is a purple tulip on the left side of her head. Her sneakers are now sleek black dress shoes. While her steel-colored eyes are wandering, I can’t help but get lost in them. There are a million words racing through my mind, but only one comes out of my mouth.

“Gorgeous.”

A dusting of pink develops on her cheeks.

“Ya clean up pretty nice yaself.”

Mrs. Kent gets up from the couch and walks to his daughter. Despite her small crouch, they enter an embrace.

“You look beautiful, Sweet Pea.”

“Thank ya, Pa.”

Mrs. Kent walks out of the kitchen and gasps when she sees her daughter in all her glory.

“Oh, ya as pretty as a peach, baby! Hold on now, let me get the camera!”

The excited mother rushes past us into the hallway. When she comes out, she’s holding an actual camera. Heather and I spend the next few minutes in a mini-photo shoot. The blinding flash threatens to leave me blind, but we thankfully stop before that happens. I ask Mrs. Kent to take pictures on my phone and after teaching her how, she takes a few. When the photo op is finished, Mr. Kent checks his watch.

“Alright, yall should get goin’. Don’t wanna be late. Heather, make sure ya here by ten.”

“Yes, Papa. Love yall!”

After we say our goodbyes, we are out the door. Once we get past the white fence, I call the fastest cab in all of Volcaldera.

“Monarch’s taxi service.”

“I’m at the farm.”

Like clockwork, the phone hangs up. However, the cab doesn’t instantly get here, causing Heather and I to look at each other. I shrug.

“Maybe he’s just running la-”

Suddenly, the sound of screeching wheels cuts me off. The cab appears in front of us and the window lowers.

“Look at the two of you, all dressed up. Get in.”

I open the door for Heather and after she fits herself into her seat, I close it and enter through the other side. The raptor puts some cheesy romantic music on the radio. I start to glare at him to turn it off, but Heather seems to enjoy it, so I sigh and just let it play. Malcolm’s smug face is the last thing I see before he slams on the gas and the car speeds down the road. In about twenty minutes, We make it to the school. (despite it taking about an hour to get there by bus). I take out a twenty from my pocket, and the cab driver raises his hand in protest. But before he can react, I put the bill in his hand and close it. He looks at me with surprise as I smile.

“Not this time, Malcolm.”

After a moment longer, his eyes soften and he retracts his hand. He grabs the steering and faces straight ahead. However, just as he looks like he’s going to drive off, he turns his head slightly and looks at me. In a softer voice than I’ve ever heard from him, he speaks.

“You two have a good night, kid.”

He doesn’t peel out of the school like he usually does. Instead, he’s slowly driving away. My attention shifts to Heather, who is standing in a line. The line leads to a booth at the foot of the stairs. While we’re waiting, I take in the decorations on the outside of the school. There are lights hanging along the overgrown vines that surround the building. I can see that an impressive mural of King Rex is spray-painted on the wall by the ticket booth. The two of us interlock our fingers and enjoy each other’s company as we wait for our chance to enter. While we stand around, Heather points to the duffle bag I’m holding.

“Whatcha got in there, Anon?”

My heart sinks, but lucky for me, I planned for this question.

“It has my clothes and some equipment Fang wanted me to get to her.”

“Oh, ok.”

Mission sucessful. It takes a while, but we finally get inside the gymnasium. The area is decorated with a Chinese theme in mind if the Chinese lanterns and symbols are any indication. For a moment, it feels like someone’s watching me. I take a look around, but I don’t see anyone and eventually shrug it off. While I’m taking in our surroundings, I hear a familiar, high-pitched voice.

“Oh. my. GOD!”

I look behind me and see Sage and Chet walking toward us. Sage is wearing a black dress with a floral pattern, while Chet is in a light grey two-piece suit that is barely containing his physique.

“You guys look amazing! Especially you, Heather. I’m in love with your dress!”

“Ya as pretty as plum yaself.”

Chet and I fist bump.

“You're looking good, bro.”

“You too, Chet. So, I assume you guys are each other's date for prom?”

Sage must have heard me because she wraps herself around one of Chet's arms and answers.

“We’re a little more than that.~”

The microraptor wraps her tail around the athlete while he picks her up with one arm. They look into each other's eyes for a moment before they lock lips. Their kiss is short yet passionate, and when they break away, they look at us. Heather’s face is beet red at the display of affection.

“O-oh my.”

I snort.

“Took you guys long enough.”

Chet and Sage chuckle. Their laughter is cut off by a group of muscular students calling out for the football player. The megalodon waves to them before he turns back to us.

“That’s my team. We should probably get going. See you dudes on the dance floor.”

Chet gives us a toothy smile while Sage grabs his hand with her tail. The two of them wave as they walk to their group of friends. I turn to my girlfriend, who is waving back at them.

“They’re cute together.”

“Yup! I’m happy the two of ‘em found each oth-”

“Heather! grascas al dios I found you!”

Rosa, who is in a light pink frilly dress is somehow running over in heels.

“Heya, Rosa. What’s wrong?”

“Stella and I are trying to finish making all of the food for prom, but we need more help. I know today is muy special, but we can really use another pair of hands.”

The acrocan turns to me, looking for an answer. I nod my head and her face lights up as she lets go of my hand.

“‘Course! Let’s get cookin’! I’ll see ya in a few minutes, hun.”

We share a chaste kiss before she goes into the kitchen. Well shit, I’m by myself again. I take another look around and spot Naser talking with his girlfriend. He’s wearing a white suit, and thankfully his color vomit of a jacket is nowhere to be seen. He turns my way and the two of us lock eyes. He turns back to Naomi and says something else before he makes his way to me.

“Hey, Naser.”

“Hey… Anon.”

The ptero looks like he's at a complete loss at what to say, despite being the one to approach. After a moment of awkward silence between us, Naser lets out a sigh.

“Sorry for making this weird. It's just hard to talk after… what happened.”

“I already told you no hard feelings, man. How are things with you and Fang?"

His shoulders seem to relax as a small smile grows on his face.

“Things are good. Better than they’ve ever been if I'm being honest. I… I need to thank you, Anon.”

I give him a confused look.

“For what?”

Naser starts rubbing the back of his neck as he looks across the room.

“For being understanding I guess. When I was flipping out on you, it would have been the easiest thing in the world to just say ‘Fuck it’ and go off on me or leave me in that auditorium. But you didn’t. Not only that, but you got me and my sister to talk again. We need to make up for a lot of lost time… but we can make up for that lost time thanks to you. I’ve had a lot of time to think, and there isn’t enough I can say to let you know how grateful I am, but…”

Naser takes a slow step forward and pulls me into a hug, and He makes sure that his wings stay straight as he does. His voice is softer, yet strained.

“Thank you… thank you for helping me reconnect with my sister.”

“...Don’t mention it.”

He breaks away quickly, and I can swear that I see him wiping his face. He clears his throat and his voice is back to normal.

“Enough of that sappy shit. Naomi is probably waiting for me, so Imma go.”

Naser turns around and starts walking away, but after a few steps, he looks back with a smile.

“I hope you enjoy prom, Anon. Raptor Jesus knows you deserve it.”

And just like that, he walks into the crowd, leaving me alone again with my thoughts. I didn’t really do that much… did I? The person I did the most for was Heather, and all I did was just listen to her when she wanted to talk. Everything else was either luck or someone else. The cries of my stomach tear me out of my stupor as I now look for the food table. After following a heavenly scent, I see a long table with a huge spread of delicious food on it. I take a couple of morsels as well as soda and sit down at one of the many tables scattered around the gymnasium while placing my bag next to me. I take a bite and… yup, this is definitely Rosa’s cooking. If the food is this good now, I can’t imagine how it’s going to taste when some of Heather’s cooking gets thrown into the mix. While I’m eating the absolutely delicious meal, I hear the chair next to me creak. I quickly turn my head to the noise.

“Heather?”

While there is a hulking figure in front of me, it isn’t her.

“I’m afraid not. Anon.”

“Oh, hey Spears. What's up?”

“Nothing in particular. I just wanted to speak with you if you have a moment.”

“Sure.”

The light is reflecting off of his glasses, making it nearly impossible to see his eyes. However, one thing that’s very noticeable is his grin.

“At the beginning of the year, I must admit that I thought ill of you. It seemed that you were a self-centered individual; quick to jump to assumptions and slow to understand others. I’m very happy to say that I no longer see that person in front of me, but instead a compassionate young man. You should be proud of yourself and I hope you and Heather enjoy the festivities.”

I can’t help but smile at him.

“Thanks, Spears.”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“What's in the bag?”

I look around to make sure Heather is nowhere in sight. Once I confirm that I’m safe, I show Mr Spears the goods, much to his confusion.

“Are… those stilits?”

“Yeah, I need these for something I have planned."

The caveman shrugs before gettng up from his seat.

“Just don’t go hurting yourself. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare to announce the prom king and queen.”

“Mind telling me who they are?”

Spears chuckles slightly.

“You’ll have to wait like everyone else, young man.”

I groan dramatically as the principal walks away. Right as I turn to eat my food, I hear another creak. I turn again, and I’m happy with who I see. The acrocan somehow doesn’t have a stain on her dress, but she doesn’t have a plate with her or anything.

“I’m glad to see the principal broke in the chair for me. How ya likin’ the food, Anon?”

“It’s amazing Heather, but where’s your food?”

“Don’t worry ‘bout lil ol’ me. I ate some fresh out the oven.”

The two of us sit while I finish the rest of the tasty morsels on my plate. I feel satisfied, but not full. I notice Heather bobbing her head to the beat of the music playing on the speakers. As I tune into it, I find myself doing the same thing. Whoever is the DJ definitely doesn’t have the worst taste. Before long, Heather gets up and starts pulling me off my chair.

“Come on, City Boy! Show me what ya got!”

I stand up and walk to the dance floor. Luckily for me, Samantha taught me a couple of solo dance moves along with the other stuff. While my dances are dated for sure, they are also competent. Heather looks pleased at my ability to not trip over myself. In fact, she even copies some of my moves. After a little longer, the two of us make it back to our table with sweat covering our heads.

“Goodness, Anon. ya sure know how to use ya feet.”

“Thanks. You’re a pretty good dancer, too.”

While the two of us catch our breath, we notice two peole walking up to us. One of them is Fang, who is wearing a fancy white dress, and the other is… the King Rex mascot? As they get closer, a cloud of smoke becomes more visible around King Rex.

“So this is where you were hiding, dork, Hi, Heather.”

“Hiya Fang. Pretty dress.”

“Thanks, you too.”

I scan Fang before raising an eyebrow.

“I wasn’t expecting you to wear all white. And Where’s Reed?”

She rolls her eyes. The mascot waves to us before a familiar voice comes out of it.

“I’m right here, dude.”

“Oh shit! Reed, you’re the mascot!?”

“I’m also the DJ. We would’ve said hi sooner, but we were taking care of a few things backstage.”

Heather’s attention was drawn to Reed while Fang continued to talk to me.

“The dress was mom’s choice. I have to wear it since she helped me with writing the new song that we’re gonna play today.”

“A new song? Can you record you guys playing it tonight? Heather and I are planning to leave early, so we probably won’t be here to hear.”

Fang looks slightly dejected at the fact that we won’t get to hear her play, but quickly shrugs it off.

“Sure. Just make sure you use protection.”

“W-we’re visiting one of her friends!”

“Sureee.”

Fang laughs at my indignation while Heather and Reed finish up whatever conversation they were having. The raptor gives me a peace sign with the costume.

“I’ll catch you later, brochacho.”

“See ya, Reed.”

Fang slaps the back of my forehead, causing me to wince.

“I need to finish getting ready for the performance. Don’t have too much fun, dork.”

“Whatever, birdbrain.”

The two of us share one more chuckle before she leaves behind Reed. Heather has a glowing smile on her face. I lean into the acorcan, causing her to put her head on top of mine.

“Are you having fun, Cow Girl?”

“More than that, hun. I’m havin’ the best day of my life.”

“I am too.”

We stay like that until we hear the current song starting to end.

“Ya ready to dance?”

“But didn’t we just-”

“No silly, I mean dance proper.”

Oh. Oh. This is it. The moment of truth. But how does she know? Doesn’t matter. I try my best to look as composed as possible as I get up with my bag.

“I’ll be right back Heather. I just need to take care of something real quick, but I’ll meet you on the dance floor.”

“Alright, just don’t keep me waitin’, City Boy.”

I walk away from the table and as soon as lose sight of Heather, I book it to the bathroom. When I make it, I enter the handicap stall since it has more space. I start taking off my normal dress pants and putting on the really long ones. When I put them on, I put on Ulyss’ stilts under them. Once they’re on, I try to stand by propping myself up with the wall. The ends of my pants are just a couple of inches off the ground. I managed to succeed, but now I’m facing a new problem. The size of the door frame. Getting in the bathroom was easy, but getting out with stilts? I walk to the door and bend my knees as much as I can. I hold onto the top of the door frame to stabilize myself as I slowly pass through the door. When I finally get into the gymnasium, I hear the next song start to play. The guitar and slow tempo make it a perfect song to dance to.

[Music] (for best experience)

As I make my way to the dance floor, I get a mixture of looks from everyone, from curiosity to amusement to amazement. I get closer and closer, while more and more people look on. I see Heather slowly sway in tune with the music, and she soon spots me wading my way to her. Her eyes widen as her mouth is agape.

“A-anon!? What happened to ya!? H-how did ya get so tall!?”

I get close enough to take both of her hands.

“I had a little help from your brother.”

I show her the stilts, yet she still looks confused.

“But why?”

I start leading a slow dance between us.

“I know how excited you were about this and I knew that our height difference was going to get in the way. I just wanted this to be perfect for you.”

Heather’s eyes soften and after blinking, center on me completely.

“Oh Anon. It already is.”

We start to get more into the dance. We waltz around the floor, and everyone is giving us plenty of space. I barely notice though. All of my attention was on her at this moment. Every step, every twirl, every spin. Her harmonic laugh, the way her eyes glisten in the light. I’m taking it all in. Our eyes stay locked the whole time we are in this musical embrace. It’s almost as if we can see into each other’s soul. That's when I knew that This…

This is the happiest moment of my life.

Eventually, the music starts to subside, leaving the two of us in each other’s arms. Now that I’m out of that trance my girlfriend put me in, I notice the other people around me having a good time. Sage and Chet where get close and intimate with their dance. Rosa and Stella are laughing as the Rexican tries to teach her how to dance like a Latina. Fang is trying her best not to cringe as she dances with King Rex. I wish this moment could last forever. But of course, it doesn’t. My legs feel like they’re just about to give out, so Heather helps me by taking me to the bathroom door and taking off the stilts. After changing pants again, I meet her back at the table.

“That was somethin’ else, Anon.”

“Hey, Heather?”

“Yeah?

“How did you know what song was coming up next?”

“I asked Reed, silly.”

Right, he’s the DJ. Damn, I’m tired.

“I’m just about ready to go Heather. Was there anything else you wanted to do?”

The acrocan seems distracted by something.

“You ok, Cow Girl?”

“Yeah, I am, but ain’t that..?”

Heather points somewhere. My eyes trail to the doors and…wait… is that Trish!? The trigga has her hoodie all the way, making her hard to recognize. Despite this, it’s easy to see that she’s as skinny as stick. She seems to looking at Fang and Reed. What, upset that you lost your friends? Well, you got exactly what you deserve.

…deserve.

…

…

…

I get up from my chair.

“Where ya goin’, hun?”

“I’ll be right back, Heather. I just need to take care of one last thing.”

“Alrighty then.”

I walk over to the food table, there’s only a little bit left and it’s warm at best, but I scrounge all the herbivore food I can on a plate and walk toward Trish. While she doesn’t seem to notice me, she leaves the gymnasium and I follow behind her, After the turns, she makes it to the front entrance and walks through it before sitting on the stairs. I have a moment of hesitation before I open the door. The noise causes the tricera to turn around. Her eyes are puffy and her voice is weak, but she tries her best to put up a strong front.

“S-skinnie? What are you doing here? Come to gloat?”

What am I doing here? Well, when in doubt, don’t think. Speak.

“No. I just… wanted to see how you were doing.”

“Why do you care? I’m getting what I deserve.”

…

I take a seat next to her. There’s enough space between us to put the plate down. There’s silence between us as I keep thinking about that word.

Deserve.

“I keep thinking that people should get what they deserve. But I didn’t. I was a dick who didn’t care about anyone. Yet, Heather was nice to me. I think… I think that’s why I don’t think Heather is just nice. She’s kind. She’s kind because she’s nice to people, even when they don’t deserve it.”

Even now, Heather’s words from when we first met ring in my head. Looking back at this whole year, Heather was right…

A little kindness does go a long way.

I turn to Trish, who is trying her best to keep it together.

“I want to try to be more like Heather. I… I forgive you, Trish. For all of it.”

Trish can’t hold it in anymore and starts to sob. I just sit there, looking up at the sky. Eventually, her sobs are replaced with a weak chuckle.

“L-life can be a bitch, huh? I made fun of someone who I thought was a retard, lost everyone I cared about, and the only person who gives enough of a shit to even look at me is the skinnie I tried to fuck over. God, I’m pathetic.”

I nudge the plate of food closer.

“Having a full stomach makes you less pathetic.”

She scoffs.

“Yeah, I guess. I know it doesn’t mean shit now, but… I’m sorry.”

I nod before getting up. As I open the door, Trish calls my name again.

“Anon! Can you do me a favor?”

I look at her puzzled.

“What?”

She stands up and gives me a somber smile.

“I want you to forget about me. All I’ve ever done was make life worse for everyone and fuck up everything I touched. Before you ask, I’m not going to do any stupid shit. It’s just… Everyone’s life is better without me in it, so I’ll be moving east. I want… I need to start over. Maybe if everyone forgets me, some of the damage I’ve done will go away. So please… forget me.”

Tears are now rolling down her face. I give a curt nod.

“Goodbye, Trish.”

"Goodbye… Anon.”

I walk through the door and back into the entrance of the gym. Heather is waiting for me outside with my bag.

“Ya took care of everythin’?”

I let out a sigh.

“Yea… I did.”

“Then let's head to Judee’s house. We can’t keep our friends waitin’.”

She hands me my bag and we head for the front entrance. When we get there, Trish is nowhere to be seen. There is no trace of her other than the wet spots on the concrete. Heather and I sit on the bench while we wait for the next bus stop. I get a message from Fang. it’s the recording of their performance. The song was slow and emotional. Fang’s edgy poetry and Samantha’s wisdom create very heavy-hitting lyrics and by the end, you can hear the cries of the crowd.

“Tonight was a hoot, Anon.”

“Yeah, it was amazing.”

“Hey, Anon?”

“Yes, Heather?”

She tilts her head as our lips touch. Our kiss is long, tired, and tender before we eventually separate.

“I love ya so much.”

“I love you too. I love you with everything that I am.”

Chapter Text

Time moved along after that night. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, and when I asked Mr. Kent for advice, he said I could work for his family on the farm. Seeing as Heather wanted the same thing and I didn’t have anywhere else to go, I accepted his offer. Uly grew up to be quite the inventor and entrepreneur. While he helps keep up the business side of the farm, he makes his money making and selling products to other ranches in the West. After Heather and I got married, her parents gifted us the ranch and everything on it as a wedding gift. The two of them bought a small beachside house down in the south of Pangea where they are living to this day.

While most of us still keep in touch from time to time, everyone from school went their separate ways for the most part. Chet and Sage stayed together past graduation. The megalodon became an athlete for a nearby college, but after a year, he didn’t want to pursue that anymore. With the money the two of them saved up, they bought a place in Volcaldera for their restaurant, Dash of Sage. While they struggled for a while, they eventually got their feet off the ground and now run one of the better places to eat in Dinofornia. From what they told me last time I visited, they are currently trying to have a baby.

I know Stella and Rosa are currently working together in a flower shop. The two of them are still trying to find the love of their lives, and frequently go to mixers and clubs in search of them. Judee and Schizo ended up puppeteering for a children's television show. Despite the decent amount of money they make, they're roommates with one another. As for Lucy and Reed, they're still good friends. After spending a year and a half looking for a good bassist with little success, they decided to ultimately give up on the band. Instead, they focused on their careers. Reed became a pharmacy tech and Lucy became a guitar instructor. As far as I know, the two of them are happily single, and…

Hmmm... I know there was another person I knew back in high school, but I can't seem to remember their name. I think they were friends with Lucy and Reed at one point. A couple of weeks after graduation, the two bandmates went to visit their friend at their house, but they were gone. No text. No letter. Just… gone. The two of them were down about the whole thing for a while, but they eventually got over it.

While I only talk to Reed every so often, Lucy, her family, and I visit each other a lot. The few times I see Naser and Lucy together, they get along pretty well. From what I heard, Naser and Naomi broke up at some point. While I wondered why, a part of me wasn't surprised. Ripley tolerates my existence, but Mom gets really excited when Heather and I come over. Good Lord, you should have seen her when I told her that our little Tulip was born. She was practically shoving the nurses aside so she could hold her grandbaby.

So, where am I now? Well…

The warm light of the morning sun shines through the bedroom window directly onto my face. I feel around my bed and notice that my wife isn't there. I turn to look away from the light and just as I’m going to fall back asleep, I hear the door swing wide open. Knowing what's coming next, I brace myself for impact. Right on cue, I feel a sharp pain in my ribs as an extra loud, high-pitched voice screams.

“Good mornin’, Papa!”

“M-morning, Sweet Heart. I thought I told you to stop doing that.”

My eyes open to see the small hybrid in blue overalls and a white shirt sitting on top of me. She’s got a lot of her mom’s looks. Tulip's golden hair is wrapped into a ponytail. Her snoot is shorter and stubbier, and her tail is slimmer. She definitely has her mom’s smile. One of her green eyes looks at me, but the other is watching the window. Despite being only 6, she’s already half of my height.

“Mama told me to jump on ya if ya didn’t hear her callin’.”

“Of course she did. Tell Mama I’ll be in there in a second.”

“Ok, Papa!”

Tulip quickly hops off of my chest and runs out of the room. I slowly get up from bed before putting on jeans, a white shirt, and a red plaid overshirt. I put on my pendant and walk into the small hallway. When I reach the living room, I spot My daughter eating her oatmeal and the love of my life eating a couple of apples. Wait, is that… I let out an exaggerated gasp, which got a funny-looking eye roll out of Heather.

“Tasting the apples? Before the buyers? What would Uly think?”

“Uly can shove it! He knows how much we need this right now.”

I chuckle as walk up to Heather and pepper her in kisses. From her head, to her neck, and finally to her enlarged belly.

“You are eating for two after all, and you know how much Henry likes his apples.”

“Are ya ready so we can start workin’?”

“Yeah, I’m ready so We can start working.”

I point to me and Tulip to emphasize my point causing the little acrocan to giggle.

“Anon…”

“Remember when we were out in the orchard and your water broke when we had Tulip?”

“It was one time!”

All of us start laughing as I give another kiss to my wife.

“Let me know when dinner is ready. And please be careful.”

She gives me a peck on the cheek.

“Will do, hun.” I walk to the door and take the straw hat that is hanging by the coat rack.

“You ready, kiddo?”

Tulip quickly finishes the rest of her meal and runs to put her dish in the sink before she runs to the door.

“Yup!”

“Alright then…

Lets get to work.”