#-.-#
It was only a ten minute ride to the Kazans' house from Red's, and the squirrel spent it obsessively considering what would happen when they got there. He mentally ran back through Jason and Beth's conversation he had eavesdropped on the night before, trying to figure out if Beth would listen to her brother's advice to "act like an adult". And what that was supposed to mean. He figured Jason would not allow her to fake being sick again. Maybe she'd go so far as to actually make herself sick? That seemed pretty unlikely. So. Jason and Beth would come out of the house and get into the car. Perhaps Beth would insist on sitting up front to avoid him. Then he'd have to sit in back with Jason, which might be just as uncomfortable. Jason knew exactly what had happened between Red and Beth, and was clearly protective of his sister. 
Red let out a shuddering sigh and closed his eyes. He wanted things back the way they were before. Not that Beth's sneering contempt was pleasant- but it was much better than this mess. If he really could have his wish, he'd have things back the way they were a year or two ago, when Beth was friendly and cheerful most of the time. But that Beth appeared to be long gone. What had happened to her?
The next thing Red knew, the car doors were opening. He had apparently drifted off with his cheek against the window. Little surprise, since he had slept poorly all night, constantly waking up and shifting positions, scattering pillows and blankets. Before he could gather his wits and do more than blink, Beth had joined him in the back seat, swinging her lavender backpack onto the floor between her legs. She was wearing a set of white leggings with a short green skirt and matching blouse. Over all this she wore a yellow rain slicker. Red realized he hadn't even checked the weather this morning. Apparently he would be paying for that mistake as well.
Red stole a glance up front and caught Jason's eye briefly as he looked back at him and his sister. Jason didn't hold the gaze for long and settled into his usual stoic forward-facing posture for the ride to school. Red had hoped there would be some kind of unspoken message in that look- some reassurance that everything was going to be all right, but there was nothing. Red turned away and looked out the window.
His father, of course, was oblivious to the drama. He asked, "How are we all this morning, then? Ready for another academic adventure?" with almost comical glee.
Jason replied with a nod and, "Yes, sir."
Red mumbled something non-committal. 
Beth, however, responded with enthusiasm. "I feel great, Mr. Drake! Much better than yesterday. It's gonna be an awesome day."
Red's father said, "That's what I like to hear! Of course, the weather's not going to be so great, but I see you're prepared for that."
Beth nodded, "Yup!"
Red could see his father's eyes flick over to him in the rear-view mirror. "Need to borrow an umbrella, Red?"
"Er. Yeah. Thanks, dad," he replied in a quiet voice. He looked from the mirror over to Beth. None of his imagined scenarios had prepared him for her suddenly cheerful mood. He considered briefly that his silent wish had been granted and 11-year-old Beth had returned. But no- she was clearly still her budding teenage self, looking back at him with an almost manic smile on her pointed jackal muzzle. His eyes widened. What did that mean? Surely, a happy smiling Beth should have made him feel less anxious- it meant she was not going to try to destroy his life, right? But all it did was make him feel extremely nervous. Trapped. He flickered his tail against the seat and she giggled. Giggled! Why is she giggling?
Jason must have wondered too, as he turned and looked back. Red caught his eye, trying to ask a wordless question- 'What is going on here?'. The older jackal looked at his sister and then back at Red, and only shrugged. 'No idea' was the apparent answer. 
Beth preened at her blouse and her headfur and seemingly lost interest in Red, which suited him extremely fine. He rested his cheek against the window again and watched the other cars go by on the freeway until he drifted off again.

He woke up to the sound of Beth opening her door on the far side of the back seat, and to the rush of chilly rain-soaked air that invaded the warm car. As he gathered his backpack up his father handed a compact black umbrella over his shoulder. 
"Don't forget the umbrella, Red. Gonna be a soaker all day long."
Red repeated, "Thanks, dad," taking it. Before he got out of the car he asked, "What about you?"
Red's father held up another umbrella, a longer one with a hook handle. "Always be prepared!" he said with satisfaction. 
Red forced a chuckle and opened the door, popping open his umbrella as he stepped out into the rain. He closed the door and waved, and his father headed off to work. Red wondered if he always had two (or more?) umbrellas in the car, or if he had noticed that Red had forgotten to bring one and just grabbed an extra from the stand near the front door. Whichever it was, spending the day without being drenched and dripping was certainly a welcome prospect. Add that to Beth being unexpectedly happy, and he began to think maybe he'd turned the corner on this crazy episode. Maybe it was going to be an awesome day, to use Beth's words.
#-.-#
Red carefully avoided the puddles on his way to Wellfleet Hall, where sophomores had morning assembly. He hopped a few of the larger ones, his long red tail streaming out behind as he did so, catching raindrops that he shook out vigorously once he reached the covered area in front of the building. He closed up his umbrella and shook it out as well before heading towards the door with the other sophomores, some of whom were running to avoid the rain. 
"Morning, Red!" said Andy as he pelted up the stairs to join Red in the doorway. Andy hadn't brought an umbrella or a raincoat, so he was a pretty wet and bedraggled-looking tabby. He shook his head vigorously and Red flinched back from the spray.
"Hey!" exclaimed Red. "I should have kept my umbrella open."
Andy laughed. "Sorry. Stupid rain. I forgot mine."
Red nodded. "Obviously," he said in an exasperated tone, failing to mention that truthfully he had forgotten too. He held open the door for Andy and followed him into the building. Red smoothed his whiskers and cheeks briefly in the manner of rodents and Andy asked him, "So I saw you got on the uh, server last night. Get anything good?"
Red perked up his ears and felt a sudden coldness in his gut. Could Andy have been watching what he was watching? Did he know? No, he wouldn't have asked, then. Hopefully. But Red didn't know how much information Andy had about what Red had done. 
Red started, "Oh, uh. I uh, I got in. It worked great, just like you said."
"And?" the cat prodded.
"Well, it didn't work out like I hoped. And then I got scared that maybe she'd find out, or something, and I'd get in trouble. So I backed it out and told it to delete all the little- things. I hope it did?"
Andy shrugged. "I never tested to see what it did when you told it to uninstall, because I never have! And dude, I've never got in trouble. Most of these girls have no idea how their computer works."
"What if like their parents do, though?"
"The server uses proxies, man. No way to trace you."
Red wasn't sure he believed him, so he just nodded. "Anyway, thanks for the help, but I don't think I want to do that again."
Andy said, "Damn, rodent. What did you see? Was she eating with her mouth open or something?"
Red shook his head. "She was sick," he lied. It was Beth's lie, though, so it was half true, he thought.
Andy said, "Ohhhh. Now I get it. Gross, man. I guess I've been lucky," he laughed.
"How lucky?"
Andy grinned again, looking smug. He looked around the corridor and then dropped his voice. "You know that mouse you were chasing around?"
Red stopped walking and said, "Sarah?" in a pinched whisper.
Andy nodded. "Couple months ago she had Ken Hutchinson over for a little playdate." He snickered at his own lame joke.
Red said nothing. He felt shocked. And irrationally betrayed, even though Sarah barely ever spoke to him despite his attempts otherwise. He had thought she was not ready or just not interested, but apparently she had no problem inviting Ken Hutchinson into her bedroom to do something Andy deemed watchable.
Andy continued after waiting for a reaction and not getting one. "Oh and she also invited his brother Kurt."
Red shot back, "Now you're making shit up. There is no way that happened."
"I got the video to prove it, man! I'll give you a copy if you got a memstick on you."
Red sighed. "No, I don't think I want to see that." Well, that explained why Sarah blew him off, he supposed. Even without watching Andy's recording, now every time he saw her all he'd be able to imagine is her sandwiched between two ferrets.
They reached the doors to the assembly hall and passed inside with a few other sophomores. Red and Andy headed for the carpet-covered risers that hugged the outer edge of the semi-circular hall to join Pete and James, fellow Two-Tenners.
James raised a lazy paw in greeting, lying on his side on the middle riser while half-reading a textbook. He yawned, showing his sharp white teeth and flicked his tail. The sable was nearly two meters tall, and the way he was stretched out made him look even longer. Red took a seat on the riser below and so did Andy. James immediately wrinkled his nose.
"Andy, you really need to start showering more than once a week," he said, eyes back on his textbook.
Pete, who was sitting up at the top riser looking out the window at the downpour, snickered.
Andy said, "Aww, screw you, James. I got wet in the rain, is all."
James just shook his head and turned a page. 
Andy continued after wiping his nose with the side of his paw, "Besides, you live like less than a hundred meters from here."
James corrected, "It's more like 120. And it was raining between there and here as well."
Pete snorted, "Try walking from Lewis House, it's at least a kilometer."
Red listened, and wondered what it would be like to live on campus like Pete and James and the other boarders. He knew they had a bunch of restrictive rules about how late they could stay up and who they could have in their rooms and when. Plus they had to get special permission to leave campus and they couldn't have cars. Even so, Red thought it must be better than living with your parents. It was very expensive, though. Boarders tended to come from further away and have wealthier families. Red knew that James' parents were especially rich, though he wasn't sure what they did. Red had never asked. It was super rude to ask. And just as rude to tell, somehow. No one talked about their families' money, or lack thereof, but everyone knew, more or less, who was rich and who wasn't.
The noise in the hall grew louder as it filled up. Other small knots and groups of students coalesced around their own particular cliques, some in the seats on the floor and some on the risers around the edge. The scent of dozens of wet students mixed and grew, making James' sensitive nose twitch even more. Harry joined them, catching Red's eye and cocking his ears in a questioning gesture that even the squirrel could recognize. Red shrugged and shook his head, but half-smiled anyway, trying to convey that while he didn't know what was up with Beth, it didn't seem as dire as is had the previous day. Harry nodded and went to sit up top with Pete, starting in on something with the coyote that had happened the night before in an online game Red had missed. Red, now aware that Harry had a nearly-twin sister, scanned the room for another black rabbit, and to his surprise found three. One was certainly Jen, talking with a group of girls on the other side of the room. Red did not recognize the other male and female. 
Mr. Hughes, a raccoon wearing a tweed jacket that may as well have had "English teacher" painted across it, walked to the podium on the stage and cleared his throat. He looked back at the large clock on the wall and waited for the room to quiet. Once it did, he said, "Good morning," in a clear voice. Then he began taking attendance.
The roll was called alphabetically by family name, and Red had always tuned out once his name had been called. This time, however, he paid more attention to the names and the scattered responses of "Here" or "Present". Sarah's last name was Rawdon, and when he heard her respond, he couldn't help imagine what she must sound like on that video. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to think about it. 
Towards the end of the list, Mr. Hughes called out, "Harry Weld," and Harry responded with a bored, "Here" before returning to his hushed conversation with Pete. Red perked his ears and listened.
"Jennifer Weld."
"Here!"
"Kathryn Weld."
"Present."
"Oliver Weld."
"Here."
Well, that answered that. Red felt ashamed that he had never bothered to notice before. There were only about 150 students in his class year, but his social circles didn't spread far from that room in the library. He tried to imagine what having three (or more!) siblings must be like. He decided that it would be nice to have a sister like Jen, at least.
Attendance completed, announcements began. Mr. Hughes had a few, then students stood and made other announcements in turn, mostly having to do with some club or team or performance that Red generally had little interest in. One, however, reminded him once again of his repeated failures with Sarah.
"The spring freshman-sophomore dance is only two weeks away! Tickets are still 10 dollars and you don't need a date to come enjoy the fun! This year's theme is Steampunk so go dig out those pocket-watches and waistcoats and goggles!" an energetic vixen announced, waving a sheaf of brightly-colored tickets over her head.
Red scowled and had almost forgotten. At first he had been excited- he almost always went to the dances, even though he usually ended up depressed by the end. Sarah had said no, of course, and he hadn't had any real ideas for another girl to ask. But now he could ask Megan. He could even buy her a ticket along with his. He imagined handing it to her and casually asking, next time he saw her in 210. Or he could wait until she was out in the hall or something. That might be best. She might say no. 
He dug his wallet out of his pants and checked inside. He had enough. Harry noticed and said, "Oho, got a date yet, Red?"
Red said, "Hopefully. If not, I'll ask your sister!"
Harry laughed, "Pretty sure she's got a date already, squirrel."
"Then your other sister?"
"Keep strafing. You'll hit something eventually," Harry chided.
Red cocked an imaginary shotgun and mimed firing it at the buck. Harry obligingly threw himself backward against the wall, arms spread, and then slid slowly down to the top riser with his tongue hanging out. Red grinned and grabbed his backpack and umbrella and headed towards the vixen. He joined the small queue of other sophomores buying tickets from her. By the time he bought his, the other two-tenners were gone, and he headed to his first period class.

#-.-#
Red's Wednesday schedule was a heavy one. Classes in all four morning periods, with only that tiny excuse for a recess between second and third. With the constant rain he didn't even bother with visiting either 210 or the snack bar (he was tapped for funds anyway after dropping twenty on the dance tickets). He managed to pay attention and remain mostly unnoticed in nearly all four. And the one time Mr. Miller had called on him to share his solution to a homework problem, he had come up with the correct answer. 
When the class finally ended, Red realized he was ravenous, and nearly forgot his umbrella in his haste to get down to the dining hall before the rush. The rain spattering against the windows reminded him before Mr. Miller had to. After the brief double-back he ended up having to wait in line, but not long enough to make him have to rush his meal. And, as if the universe was still apologizing for the tortuous start to his week, he spotted Megan sitting by herself at one of the big round tables as he came out of the line. Perfect, he thought.
Red headed straight for her and set his tray down next to hers. She looked up from her book, momentarily startled.
"Oh! Red. I didn't see you coming."
"You don't mind if I join you, I hope?" he asked, still standing with one hand on the back of the chair he had pulled away from the table.
Megan shook her head and her tail gave a quick little whiffle. Red flicked his eyes in the direction of the wispy-fluffy black and white fur and then back to Megan's face, reminding himself to look her in the eyes. He sat down and she marked her place in her book. 
He grabbed his ham and swiss sandwich and asked her, "So how's your day going, Megan?" before taking a healthy bite.
She shrugged and said, "Um, Besides the rain? Fine, I guess."
Red nodded, then swallowed. He declared, "My day has been pretty awesome so far."
Megan asked, "Oh? What happened?"
Red paused and considered his answer while staring at his sandwich. It had been Beth that had decided that the day would be awesome, hadn't it? And he couldn't tell Megan anything about that. He wasn't sure what her reaction would be to what had happened with the jackal, but surely she'd be upset. Finally he said, "I dunno. It's like everything is lining up for me. Ooh! That reminds me!"
He set his sandwich down and turned to rummage in his backpack. When he came back up to the table, Megan was craning her neck to see what Red was searching for and he grinned wide as he fanned the two dance tickets in his paw, facing her. 
"Got a date for the spring dance yet?"
Megan's eyes fell from the tickets to her mostly-empty plate. She said, "Oh. Um."
"You do? Damn, I was too late," said Red, lowering the tickets with his tufted ears splaying out.
"No, it's not that. I don't have a date. I just don't- I don't go to dances."
"Why not? It's fun. Kinda too loud inside the gym itself to hear yourself think but..."
Megan shook her head. "No, I'm sorry Red. I- I have to get going." She started to collect her book and tray.
Red wanted to grab her arm, but instead he looked at the tickets and said, "It's a Steeeampunk dance," in an enticing voice. She hesitated and he continued, "We could work on costumes together! C'mon."
"I can't dance," she protested in a quiet voice.
"Pfft. You already know I can't. Look, we won't be dancing. We'll be parading around looking awesome. Or at least hanging around outside watching people act like idiots. Together," he said, offering the skunk one of the tickets.
She hesitated again, but then snatched it quickly and stuck it in her book like a bookmark. "All right."
Red grinned and leaned over to kiss her black furry cheek. "Awesome."
Megan squeaked in surprise and whiffled her tail. Then her eyes widened as more of the chairs around the table were pulled out and trays were set down. She felt her face flush as Harry and Pete joined them. 
Harry asked, "This isn't a private table, is it?"
Red shook his head. "Nope," he said, returning his attention to his sandwich, oblivious to Megan's embarrassment.
Pete spotted the dance tickets. "Oh hey, are you two going together?"
Megan said before Red could swallow his bite and answer, "To the dance, yes."
"Nice," said the coyote. "I haven't asked anyone. Plus I got no way to put together some kind of crazy Steampunk costume. But I'll show up anyway. They let us stay out late for the dances," he grinned.
"What about you, Harry?" asked Red.
The rabbit said, "I got my ticket, sure."
"Do you have a date, I mean."
Harry shook his head. "I plan to find one there!" he grinned, and Red could not tell if he was kidding or not, so he laughed.
Megan announced, "I really do need to get going, Red," once again gathering her things up.
"Ok. See you after classes in 210, maybe?"
She nodded and headed for the tray dispensary to drop off her dishes. Red watched her go.
Harry said, "Don't stare, Red. You'll make her nervous."
Red looked at the rabbit instead. "She almost turned me down."
Harry nodded, digging into his salad. "But she didn't. Don't fuck it up, Red."
"How do I do that?"
"What, fuck it up? There's like a million ways. You could get all creepy and gropey right off the bat, you could follow her around stalking her, you could make fun of her weight or her clothes, you could get caught checking out other girls in front of her..."
Red interrupted before Harry could continue his litany of failure. "No, how do I not fuck it up?"
"Oh, well, that's a lot trickier. And it depends on her. How well do you know Megan?"
Red thought about it and said, "I know uh- she likes role-playing games. And computer games too, I think."
Harry laughed, "I like how that's the first thing you think of."
Pete piped up, "You should invite her to join our Faction Wars server!"
Red said, "We seem to like a lot of the same stuff, that's all I'm saying."
Harry nodded. "Yeah. I would have asked about that book she was reading, though."
"Why? What was it?" asked Red, worried he missed something important.
Harry shrugged while digging through his salad looking for cucumbers. "I didn't look. But I'm not the one trying to get with her, right? You gotta be interested in what interests her."
Red grunted. Harry sounded like he knew what he was talking about when it came to girls, but Red never saw the rabbit actually going out with anyone. He returned to communion with his sandwich and the silence stretched out for a few minutes until Harry changed the subject to the new gaming rig he was planning to build with birthday money and they were all back on more familiar ground.

#-.-#
Red spent the remainder of his double lunch in room 210, along with several other regulars. The room was always relatively noisy during lunch periods, with a larger crowd and a less academic attitude. Instead of people talking quietly and doing homework, there were games being played and wider, often raucous discussions. It was like the main student center, just smaller and geekier. If only the library allowed food, Red often wished.
He got in on a game of hearts, and played very well, though he had no opportunities to shoot the moon. Someone earlier in the week had brought in a stack of comic trade paperbacks and there were a few people working their way through them. Red had not done so yet, so he tried to tune out any discussions about them to avoid spoiling the stories for himself. He grinned as he played his cards, but not just because he was winning. He felt at home here among his friends. They'd have his back if anything ever happened. He could look out the window and see the rain still pouring down, but here in the warm dry library study room, he was safe.
Too soon for Red the clock over the door reminded him that he (as well as a large portion of the room) had class seventh period. The cards got packed up. He shouldered his backpack, grabbed his dad's umbrella from the corner near the door, and headed down and out of the library. 
Halfway through medieval history he thought his day's luck had run out. Mr. Peckham had announced a surprise quiz which Red was certain he had little chance of passing. But before Mr. Peckham had managed to pass half of them out the piercing wail of the fire alarm suddenly filled the air, painful even though the sirens were out in the stairwell. Everyone got up and filed out past the teacher who took up the rear. Other lines of students joined them in the hall, and most everyone covered their ears with their hands as they headed into the stairwells to get out. Red thought it was so loud he could almost see the sound in the air like a wavering haze. He was glad to get out of the building and uncover his ears until he realized that he had left his umbrella upstairs under his chair. It was still raining, and even though it was not coming down in sheets, it was enough that he would be soaked in a couple of minutes standing around. He knew from past drills (which he assumed this was) that it would be at least fifteen to twenty minutes before they were let back inside. 
Well, at least the quiz was canceled, he thought as he looked around for a tree to stand under. He couldn't go far, as Mr. Peckham needed to call class roll to make sure everyone was out. The only trees near this side of Warwick Hall were little ornamental things which offered no cover so Red just stood with his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders while hiking his tail up over his head. He had to keep shaking it out to clear the droplets before it got too soggy. Once rolls were called students began to drift away from their class groups slightly and mill about, reforming into more social groups.
Red was surprised to find a shadow fall over him, then felt the raindrops stop hitting most of him. He looked to his left and saw Megan holding her umbrella over him with a smile. She was getting wet now as a result so he moved closer, murmuring, "Thanks, Megan. I forgot mine upstairs."
She let him get right up against her side, saying, "You looked kinda pitiful standing there."
Red happily stood shoulder to shoulder with the freshman skunk. "If you had waited ten more minutes, then you would have seen pitiful."
She giggled in an adorable squeaky way and said, "Oh, I know what you mean. You've seen my tail."
Red leaned his muzzle up closer to her ear and said, "I have," adding a little chitter-laugh.
Megan changed the subject. "Figures they would have a drill on a day like today."
Red said, "I think it was perfect."
"What? You like standing in the rain?"
"Well, look who I got to share an umbrella with?"
Megan made a little snorting sound but didn't revoke her hospitality.
Red continued, "Also- the alarm went off just as we were being given a surprise quiz."
Megan laughed. "Oh, that makes more sense now."
Red thought about what Harry had said at lunch and asked, "Hey, so what were you reading at lunch?"
"'The Winter Fallow' by Sigrid Carlson," she replied.
Red had never heard of it, or the author. He asked, "Any good?"
Megan nodded. "It's a great series. This is the fourth and final book. Just came out in paperback a couple weeks ago."
"What's it about?"
"It's uhm- a kind of fantasy kings and wizards and political intrigue sort of story. The author is really good at pulling out surprises that you don't expect but then make perfect sense."
"Do you have the other three?"
"Yes. And yes, you can borrow them."
"Cool! Thanks, Megan. I've been reading that Godlings series."
"The one with the movie coming out this summer?"
"Yeah. Wanna go see it with me?"
"Hmm. Ask me again in the summer. It depends on when we go off for vacation."
"Fair enough," he nodded. Not a yes or a no, but closer to a yes. He didn't know what else to talk about, so he stood there and felt her warmth against his shoulder and side, smelled her mephitine musk and her complementary fur shampoo, and enjoyed his circumstantial fortune. "So what class were you in?" he asked.
"Quintish."
Red perks his ears in surprise. "I didn't know you were taking Quintish. I mean, I figured you'd be taking Mustelese."
Megan shrugged. "My family hasn't spoken that in generations, so it seemed- I don't know. Like a waste of time."
"And learning a dead language isn't?" he grinned.
Megan made a little huffing sound and jostled Red with her shoulder. He almost lost his balance. Megan explained, "Quintish is the basis for most of English, and understanding it makes it easy to puzzle out meanings of words you don't already know. Also, it was the language of science for over a thousand years during the empire."
Red thought this sounded like something the Quintish teacher had told his students to make the class seem more important, but he wisely didn't say that. Instead he chittered, "Chchchekk keech ccke'ych ch eo'ykk eoo kee."
Megan giggled again, possibly because Rodic sounds frantically agitated to those without an ear for it. "Do your parents speak Rodic at home?"
Red shook his head. "Nah. I'm taking it because it's sort of what you do when you're a rodent. But I don't have any relatives who speak it and we never leave the Commonwealth on vacation."
"So what did you say?"
"Uhh, I asked you where the bathrooms were," Red lied.
The sirens suddenly cut out, leaving an audible silence, like the afterimage of a bright color stared at too long. Dozens of students reached up to rub their ears, as if to get them to work properly again.
"Probably another five minutes before they let us back in," Red said.
Megan nodded. "I guess we'll all go up and just pack up and go to eighth."
"I hope so," agreed Red. Truthfully he wouldn't have minded staying out in the rain under Megan's umbrella for a while longer. He had an urge to nuzzle her cheek, maybe give her a little kiss, but he remembered the embarrassed squeak from lunch. He looked around at the wet mob of students and saw that a few were looking in his and Megan's direction, so he reached up and grabbed the edge of Megan's umbrella and pulled it down in front.
Megan squeaked, "Red! What are you doing?" as now the rain was getting at both their tails.
Red quickly took his opportunity and leaned in to kiss her cheek again. Megan turned her head suddenly, taking Red by surprise as he bumped noses with her. She stumbled back a half step. Red let go of the umbrella, ears up and eyes wide. He stammered, "S-sorry, Megan."
She rubbed her nose and looked at Red, then at the ground. There was an audible snicker from nearby. Red didn't look to see who it was. He said, "Uhm, see you after school in 210?"
Megan nodded and turned away, heading back to where her language class was mostly gathered. Red stayed where he was, hunching over once again to use his tail to shelter from the rain.
#-.-#
Eighth period was filled with the heavy scent of wet fur and seemed like it would never end. Red had zero interest in the nuances of the subjunctive verb in Rodic. Instead of fighting to stay awake, however, he brooded over his clumsy and stupid behavior with Megan. It was going to be the flowers and notes all over again, he was sure. Too eager, too desperate. Harry had tried to warn him, and he just couldn't keep his cool. And Megan actually liked him to begin with! He cursed himself for screwing it up. He thought he could salvage it, though, now that he had had some time to think. He just needed to talk to her- but that had to wait until this damned class was over. 
He rubbed his forehead, feeling the beginnings of a dull headache forming while incomprehensible matrices of verb tenses were projected on the smartboard at the front of the stifling room. No one appeared to be in a good mood, not even Mrs. Hart. He looked around the class, which was almost exclusively rodents. Sarah was there, sitting near the front. Red had told Megan that he chose Rodic because it was expected of his species, but if he were completely truthful it had been because Sarah was taking it and he had been trying everything to gain her attention. He thought that the only time he had any success with females was when they were after him, and never the other way around.
He began to plan what he would say to Megan in 210 after school. He'd apologize for his antics, first. Then ask about dance costume plans- that is, if she still wanted to go with him. 
Eventually the clock dragged its minute-hand through all 50 minutes and the bell in the hallway rang to signal the end of classes. Everyone scrambled to get out while Red exhaled his relief and stood, stretching. He gathered his backpack and umbrella and followed the crowd out of the room and the building. The rain had tapered to a grey drizzle during eighth period and Red didn't bother to open the umbrella. He picked his way around puddles on the path to the library and was joined by Harry and James before reaching the doors. 
Harry said, "I heard someone pulled the fire alarm in Warwick seventh period."
Red nodded. "Yeah. I was about to have to take a history quiz."
Harry perked his black ears up and grinned, "So it was you, eh?"
Red shook his head. "Nah. I didn't even know it wasn't a drill. Stood out in the rain for like 20 minutes. Still better than a quiz though."
Harry opened one of the glass doors and held it for Red and James. "You got a bunch of homework to do, or do you want to play cards?" he asked.
Red said, "I need to talk to Megan."
Harry joked, "You want me to talk to her?"
Red groaned, "No."
They climbed the spiral staircase up to the second floor and James commented, "He doesn't seem impressed with your skill with women, Harry."
Harry countered, "Maybe he's afraid she'll end up falling for me instead."
James chuckled and shook his head, opening the door to 210. The sound of after-school games and conversation spilled out and the three went inside. 
Megan was sitting at the far end of the table, closest to the fogged-up windows. The near end of the table was host to what appeared to be a large game of bullshit and the source of most of the noise. A few others were sitting on the floor reading or sharing videos on their tablets. Harry joined the card game, James pulled out his own tablet and Red headed for Megan.
She had been watching the door and as he came in she had dropped her gaze to her book. She didn't look up as he took the seat around the table corner from her.
"Hey," he said.
She flicked her deep brown eyes in his direction. He looked at his paws.
"I'm sorry about before, in the rain. I didn't mean to embarrass you. I just-"
Megan smiled. "It's ok, Red."
Red looked up, more hopeful now. He asked quietly, "Do you still want to go to the dance with me?"
Megan's eyes flitted to the other end of the room as the door opened. She looked back at Red and nodded.
Red said, "Cool. Terrific! When do you want to talk about costumes? I got some ideas..."
"Red!" shouted a familiar voice from the doorway, interrupting the squirrel.
Red snapped his head around, eyes widening. Beth stood in the doorway, initially unwilling to step fully into the room. She looked at Red, then Megan, then refocused on Red again. Her muzzle still wore the manic smile he remembered from the morning car ride.
He gaped in disbelief. What the hell was Beth doing in 210? It was no secret that he hung out here, of course, he'd talked about it in the car many times. But Beth was in sixth grade, and they had their own social area in their building. They even had their own small library. There was no reason for her to be here. This was his place! 
Beth marched into the room, drawing curious looks from most everyone. She was new. And clearly not even a freshman. And knew Red somehow. Harry shot Red a worried glance, but Red was still mentally derailed and didn't notice. 
Finally Red managed to sputter, "Beth? What...?
Beth grabbed his arm and pulled on it theatrically. "Come on! We have to go."
"Wait, what? Why?"
Beth made an exasperated noise usually reserved for over-dramatic tween cable drama shows. "We have to go to the gym and wait for Jason."
Red tried to recall what she was talking about. Clearly he had forgotten something, but nothing came. It had been a crazy couple of days, though. He turned back to Megan and said, "I, uh-"
Beth interrupted him. "You can talk to your girlfriend later. Let's go."
Megan blinked and Red said, "I'll call you, uh... later, ok?" She nodded and Red hastily grabbed his stuff and followed Beth, who was already headed out the door.
Harry waited until the jackal girl was out of the room before he said, "Hey, Red," loud enough to catch the squirrel's attention before he could get away.
Red turned his head and Harry could see his mouth looked pinched in exasperation- with himself, or Beth, or perhaps the rabbit now. He said, "Yeah?"
"Everything ok?"
Red paused, watching Harry's ears as they did some subtle dip and swivel that he couldn't translate. He shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I forgot we were getting picked up at the gym early or something."
Harry nodded and Red left the room with his tail flickering. Beth wasn't waiting outside that Harry could see through the briefly open door. Once it shut he turned to Megan. "What do you think of that, eh?"
Megan was staring at the door. She shook her head and looked back at Harry. "She's kind of a little princess, isn't she?"
Harry laughed, "I was thinking of a different word, but yeah. She's been using Red as a..." Harry considered for a second, then concluded, "convenient target." That seemed accurate without revealing too much about what had happened between Red and the jackal.
Megan narrowed her eyes just a little. Harry just watched. The way Beth had said the word "girlfriend" had been soaked with acid and sarcasm. Harry tossed in his hand and pushed back from the game. He said to Megan, "I'm gonna go down to the gym and watch the girls' volleyball team practice. Want to come?"
Megan cocked her head and gave the rabbit an incredulous look.
Harry explained, "My sister Jen is on the team, see. I have every legitimate reason to go down there and support her, and it has nothing to do with wanting to keep an eye on that little princess," he said with mock sincerity.
Megan finally caught on and started putting her things back into her backpack. Harry waited for her by the door.
#-.-#
Beth had not waited for him outside 210, or at the library exit. As he passed through the glass doors he could see her crossing the street that divided campus, walking swiftly with the hood of her rain slicker off, as there was mostly just a fine mist in the air now. Her pointed canine ears were perked high and her tail switched back and forth as she walked. She did not look back. He scowled and followed, determined not to hurry to catch up. He couldn't imagine what kind of conversation he would want to have with her and walking together in silence sounded just as bad. If she had wanted to talk to him, she would have waited, he reasoned. Still, if her mom was going to be there soon, he didn't want to make everyone wait. He wondered why she was coming so early. Usually Jason didn't get out of basketball practice until almost five. Maybe he got sick? Or hurt? If that were the case, how the hell was he supposed to know about it? He clicked his teeth together in frustrated anger at Beth. 
This morning she was all smiles and sunshine, and now she was... well, she was still all smiles, Red thought. She enjoyed making him look like an idiot in front of his friends. In front of Megan. This had to stop. Could he talk to her? Reason with her? Her contempt stung, and he didn't understand it. He wondered if she was like this to other people. Boys in her class, maybe. Or girls. Maybe he should go to her 'room 210', wherever the equivalent was over in the primary school, and see how she liked being embarrassed?
He quickly dismissed this thought. He imagined a whole pack of Beths, wrinkling their muzzles and shunning him, or taunting him. One was enough. 
His thoughts had carried him along the tarmac paths that framed the soccer fields in front of the ancient gymnasium. The building was enormous, with a huge regulation size basketball court that was occasionally used in sneaker commercials because of its vintage look. There was also another court, a wrestling ring, weight rooms, locker rooms, showers, training rooms, and offices for all the athletics teachers and coaches. It was a bit like a maze inside, with multiple levels and unexpected turns due to its history of being extended and added to multiple times. Red had once considered using the gym's floor plan as a custom arena for Faction Wars, but had lacked the skill to program it. The main gym up top was the original structure, all brick and wood and huge barrel-vaulted windows with a slate roof. The rest rambled off to one side, still brick but without all the classical touches.
Beth reached the green-painted doors at the front and went inside. Red didn't see Mrs. Kazan's car waiting anywhere nearby, so he closed the distance and entered as well. Inside the familiar scent of the gym hit him- musk, leather, vinyl, and dust. He could hear the squeaking of sneakers on the polymer-sealed wood floors. Between the entry doors and the actual main court was a sort of lobby, filled with trophy cases and framed black-and-white photos. Beth was standing at the doors that separated the lobby from the basketball court, looking through the windows. Red could see a practice game going on as well as some sort of drills being run at the far end.
Beth would have been able to see him reflected in the window she stood before when Red entered, but she didn't turn. Red stood for a moment, tail flicking back and forth. He considered just going back outside to wait. He imagined it wouldn't be long, judging by how much Beth had been hurrying. He took a deep breath, though, and thought he had a chance, maybe, to talk to Beth alone. Might not do any good, but it couldn't get worse.
He approached the court doors and stood next to her, trying to keep his nervous tail still. "Um. Hey, Beth," he began.
Beth turned to look at him. She was still grinning, her eyes darting from his ears and back to his tail. "Red!" she exclaimed, as if surprised to see him.
Red furrowed his brow. "I came here because you said your mom was waiting. Did something happen to Jason?"
Beth said, "Nope. He's in there, see?" She pointed through the window.
Red looked, unable to help himself. He tried to pick Jason out of the group of seniors and juniors in basketball jerseys. While he was distracted, Beth crossed behind him, towards the foot of a flight of stairs. "So why am I here?" he asked.
"Because I told you to come with me," she said, starting to climb the stairs.
He turned to face her, nostrils flared. "I didn't follow you just because you said so. I didn't want to make your mom wait for me!" He paused and asked, "What the fuck, Beth?"
She laughed.
Red fumed, pressing his jaw together so hard he could feel the ache in the joint. He advanced on her, with nothing more than the desire to grab her arms and scream at her for her flippant cruelty.
Beth laughed again, gleefully, and ran up the stairs. Red followed. The stairs took one switchback on the way up. When Red turned the corner he looked up and saw that Beth had retreated through the door at the top. She called to him in a mock sweet voice. "Re-ed!"
He pounded up the stairs with his tail puffed out and his ears burning. The stairs led to an enclosed overlook gallery. The echoing sound of squeaking sneakers and bouncing basketballs was louder up here, as the gallery was open to the gym, separated only by ornate wrought iron bars. The other three walls were covered with more of those old framed photographs of rows of numbered athletes. There were couches along the back wall and other chairs scattered around the floor. Red spotted Beth near the rear lounging on a couch. He advanced on her, stood over her with his arms folded, trying to look as intimidating as he could. 
"What's so funny?" was the only thing he could think to ask, nearly spitting the words at her.
"You! What are you gonna do, hit me?"
Red seethed, but made no move to do so.
"Oh, I know. You'll try to kiss me but miss and break my nose!"
Red blinked. How did she know about that? Word apparently traveled fast. Beth saw the recognition on his face and giggled.
He said, "I don't want to kiss you."
"But you want to do other things to me, don't you? You said so, the other day." The way she said 'the other day' left no mystery about what she meant.
Red shook his head and backed away two steps, almost into one of the chairs behind him. "No! No no no. I have enough trouble as it is. I just want you to stop treat-"
Beth interrupted him. "Oh, come on Red. Mom won't be here for like an hour." She swung one of her legs over the arm of the couch and Red couldn't stop himself from looking straight at her crotch. The white leggings were pulled tight against her legs and groin, outlining everything perfectly.
Red tore his gaze away and managed to look her in the eye. "Are you literally crazy?" 
Beth frowned, her ears swiveling back. She growled, "Then go away. I'll do it myself, if you can't." She reached down and started to rub her fingers along her outlined vulva, watching Red's face and not her hand. He looking down at what she was doing. Her frown slowly evaporated and her ears came back up.
Red offered the obvious. "Someone could come up here."
"No one ever comes up here during practice," she retorted with confidence.
Red realized this must be where she went after school. Up here, by herself, watching the basketball team practice. Very possibly touching herself all the while, mostly out of sight in her perch. Whether it was the thought of Beth having sexual fantasies and wondering what they were like, or just her masturbating right there in front of him, it didn't matter. He could feel the tingling sensation of his penis stirring. He forced himself to look away, but the thoughts were not so easy to ignore. He wondered if she had a different fantasy for each member of the team. Or maybe she thought of them all having a turn with her at once, a dozen or so varied cocks bouncing in a ring around her face. One of them her brother's...
He rubbed his face with his hands and then sat down in the chair he had almost tripped over. Beth kept stroking herself and watching him. As his penis spilled out of its pouch inside the webbing in his pants, the tip got caught up in the material and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. She began to grin a bit more. His pants tented and he reached down to adjust himself, relieving the pressure that was threatening to bend is poor shaft as it thickened. She grinned wider, showing sharp canine teeth. 
"I knew you wanted to!" she exclaimed. She pulled her hands up to her belly and grabbed the elastic waist of her leggings. She peeled them down, showing Red her bare sex. "I want you to lick it like you did before."
Red gaped and his dick twitched at the sight, and the invitation. Or was it a command? He had somehow done everything she had asked up until this point. And he kind of wanted to do this too. But some part of him resisted. How did this 13-year-old girl have power over him? If he kept letting her get her way with him, she would own him, whiskers to tail. Still, there were probably worse ways to spend his time after school...
He was rescued from hormonal insurrection by the sound of ascending footsteps. Beth scowled and pulled her leggings back up, set her leg back in a more modest position and straightened out her skirt. Red watched the still open door.
To his relief, black rabbit ears and nose came into view, peeking around the door jamb. Beth folded her arms and looked out towards the gym.
Red said, "Harry! What are you doing up here?"
"Came to see my sister's team practice," he answered smoothly, even though there were no girls playing volleyball in the main gym. He turned back to the stairs and yelled, "Found him!" then stepped into the gallery. He spotted the sullen-looking jackal girl on the couch. "Oh, hey. Beth, right?"
Beth shot daggers at him with her eyes.
Harry grinned and crossed the floor swiftly, sitting down right next to her, resting one foot on his opposite knee and lounging. More footsteps were heard on the stairs, and soon Megan appeared in the doorway. She gave a hesitant wave with her fingers and looked from Red to Harry to Beth, unsure what to do next. 
Beth piped up, "Volleyball practice is in the lower gym."
"Is it?" asked Harry. "Damn. Wrong balcony I guess." He made no attempt to get up. "Still, it's nice up here. Kind of like an old-time smoking room feel to it."
Beth looked at Harry with a mild snarl on her muzzle. He gave her a buck-toothed grin in return, and wiggled his nose for effect.
Megan said, "Red? Want to come outside? It's uhm, quieter."
Red stood immediately. "Yes. Let's go." He fairly leapt past Megan and through the open door. Megan looked at Harry, narrowed her eyes at Beth, then left as well.
Beth leaned forward and unfolded her arms, moving to get up from the couch.
Harry asked, "What's your hurry? Your brother's not going to be done for a while, and Red's got some talking to do. I could keep you company." He clasped his hands together behind his head and canted his long ears towards the jackal girl. 
She looked back, still perched on the edge of the couch. "You? I don't think so."
Harry nodded. "Only like it when it's your idea, huh?"
"No!" she huffed. "What do you mean?"
Harry shrugged, paws still behind his head. "You can make guys do what you want and that gets you off."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
The buck laughed. "Yeah I do. It's not like it's rare. But Red's kind of clueless, you know? Besides, a good-looking girl like you should aim a little higher."
"What, like you?" she sneered.
"Nah, you're too young for me. But I could introduce you to some bucks you might like. Submissive ones. You know." Harry winked for emphasis.
Beth stared at Harry, her muzzle slightly open in disbelief. "What are you, some kind of... rabbit dating service?"
"Who's talking about dates? I'm just talking about getting off here. You want someone you can tell to get on their knees and lick your jackal cunt until you're done with them, right? I get that. We get that. Rabbits, I mean. We know how to keep secrets."
Beth gasped at Harry's nonchalant vulgarity. 
"Don't like the dirty talk? I'm surprised," Harry said. He leaned forward, bringing his hands out from behind his head and stood up. "Red said you had no language barriers the other day, in your room."
Beth's eyes widened. "Whatever he told you is a bunch of gross made up stories."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Beth, remember what I just said about secrets?"
"So, what, Do I have to do something to keep you quiet?" 
"Huh? Well, only if you want to. I'm not interested in getting you or Red in trouble."
Beth looked down at her fingers and Harry waited, listening to the sound of basketball. She finally said, "You didn't come up here to watch your sister play volleyball."
"Nope. I lied. Sorry. You were gonna hurt my friend."
"I was not," she pounded her fist against the arm of the couch. "He wanted to do it."
"Aw, well, I want to do a lot of things. And people. Doesn't mean I do 'em. Look, Red and the skunk are a good match and it's all I can do to keep him from fucking it up without you making it worse. Plus you're stuck in a car with him twice a day for at least another year. How is that ever gonna end well? Huh? You gotta think about these things. Am I making any sense here?"
Beth frowned, but eventually nodded and looked away.
Harry grinned and said, "Awesome. I knew you'd get it. Let me know when you want to meet some of my bros, I can arrange something." He turned and headed for the door.
Beth said, "Wait, so you're just gonna leave?"
Harry stopped mid-step. "Something else on your mind?"
She stood up from the couch. Like her brother, she was pretty tall. As tall as the rabbit, almost. She said, "You don't really think I'm too young."
Harry wiggled his nose and considered. "Nope. Seemed skeezy to have a go at you, though, when I was trying to have a serious conversation."
"Do you really have some 'bros' you can..." she trailed off, not finishing her question.
Harry nodded. "Yup. Wasn't lying about that. You might know a couple of 'em in the middle school. Jim Porter? Chris Ware?"
Beth shook her head and grumbled, "Not that it helps me much right now."
Harry perked his ears, "What, you need some right this second?"
"Well before you showed up I was gonna..." she said, louder than she probably meant to. She folded her arms and fell back onto the couch in frustration. 
Harry crouched down and then got on his hands and knees. He crawled towards Beth and said, "Oh, please don't be so loud! I'll... I'll get caught up here, alone with a girl."
The change in his voice was jarring. While before the buck had an easy informal cadence to his voice, now he sounded timid and unsure. His ears, too, had splayed out submissively. Beth narrowed her eyes. "You're not funny."
Harry hissed, "Shh, don't ruin it. I'm getting into it," as he crept closer. He looked up at her face from between her knees.
Beth sighed. "It's not real, though."
"If I fucked you, I might get in real trouble. Would that do it for you?"
Beth's eyes widened. 
Harry said, "It was just an idea. Here, why don't you just close your eyes and I can be anyone you want, doing exactly what you want me to do. You'll feel better afterward."
Beth nodded, though she still looked annoyed. She slid her leggings off her bottom and down off her ankles, then hooked her leg over the arm of the couch again, spreading herself lewdly for the rabbit. Then she closed her eyes.
Harry delicately slid his furry fingers along her thighs, curving them down to slip under her bottom as he brought his muzzle in close to her muff. She smelled canine, of course, with some of that universally female musk, touched with arousal and the sweat of the day. Her labia were primly tight, just a slit in the hot fuzz-covered flesh of her vulva. He pressed his nose to those lips and she jumped. He looked up, but her eyes were still closed. She relaxed and he wiggled his nose experimentally. She made a thin little whine and he could feel her vagina contract within by the way it moved under his nose. He opened his mouth and flicked out with his tongue, teasing along her slit without pressing.
Beth relaxed back against the couch and made a happy sighing sound. Harry's ears were perked back up and he would have grinning if it would not have interfered in his performance. His tongue was beginning to wriggle its way between her labia now, teasing her open. She offered no resistance and no guidance. The rabbit worked solely on the response of her young body. Once he had her petals open, he began to lap up and down, catching her little nub on each stroke, and occasionally getting a tiny yip from her pointed muzzle. There was still plenty of sports-related din from below, so he was not worried about little noises. A longer, louder howl might be noticed, though, and he considered what to do in that eventuality.
Finally, her paws came down to grab the back of his head, holding him close at first, with increasing insistent pressure. He responded by wriggling his tongue into her passage to the point where he could feel the tight ring made by the hole in her hymen. Her pussy spasmed around him and she barked, her stomach and chest arching and heaving. He pulled his tongue back out and up, flicking over her clit feverishly until she started to buck against his face, mashing his nose into her mons. Her grip on his head had become very strong and he realized that she was probably coming and that if she started making a lot of noise he wouldn't be able to stop her. 
Beth howled and yipped, writhing on the old couch and then pushing Harry away suddenly. She curled up and panted, eyes still closed, while Harry rose up on his knees and tried to peek over the edge of the balcony to see if anyone was looking their way. It appeared that practice had gone on without pause, so he turned back to Beth. She was still panting, occasionally letting out a shuddering longer breath. The sight was almost too much for the buck to take, as his penis was achingly hard and pulsing in his jeans.
But fucking her would be trouble, and give her power over him, just like he had said. Plus she was a virgin, and that was always a mess. No, better to release the pressure himself in the men's room and be done with it. And if he thought about flooding that tight little virgin snatch with rabbit cum, right through her hymen while doing it? Well, no one gets in trouble for fantasies. He stood and adjusted himself, patting his crotch apologetically.
Harry said, "Take it easy, Beth," and headed for the door.
She opened her eyes and said in a weak voice, "You're just gonna leave?"
Harry laughed, and repeated the conversation from before. "Something else on your mind?"
"Don't you wanna fuck?"
"Well, sure. But I don't trust you that much, and this really isn't the place to get your cherry popped, you know?"
Beth digested that, her eyes drifting away from Harry, staring at nothing.
He said, "I'll make sure you bump into someone you'll like next week."
Then he left her there, half-dazed on the couch. He closed the door behind himself and headed down the stairs. He opened the outside door halfway and saw Red and Megan sitting on the steps just outside, talking. He grinned and Red turned to see who it was.
"Everything ok?" Red asked.
Harry nodded. "We came to an agreement. Well, she came, and I... er, gimme five minutes, I need to take care of something."
Megan turned too, and Red cocked his head. Harry slipped back into the gym and let the door shut. Red turned back to Megan and let out a relieved breath. "I guess we'll find out for real on the way home. Thanks for being awesome, Megan."
The skunk reached with one arm around Red's back and hugged him close to her side.
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