Summary: Well, well, well… You return to witness this particular timeline yet again. Consider me impressed. Your devotion to this tale is simply admirable. You may stick with it for as long as it continues. The hope is that you do, although that isn’t entirely up to you… or me, for that matter. I am just as much along for the ride as you fine folk are. Still, I cannot say that I am not enjoying this ride. I do hope that it does continue without further interruptions. Then again, the future is always a mystery. The only thing for sure is that the passage of time is ever cruel and uncaring, so the best thing to do is enjoy all the time given to you while you still can enjoy it. What was I saying? Ah, yes. This tale is resuming. So I’ll leave you fine folk to enjoy it to its fullest. Until we speak again, heh… *BING BONG BING BONG, BING BONG BING BONG* I am jolted awake by the school's speakers blaring. I don't know how everyone puts up with those grating artificial bells, but at least they prevent me from going back to sleep. With a yawn, I grab my backpack and leave the classroom as swiftly as my feet carry me, joining the mob of multicolored students in the hallway. This afternoon, Volcano High's halls seem noisier and more densely packed than usual. Probably just my imagination. It's just another after-class afternoon, like the dozens of others in my school life up to this point. Still, the dismissal bell is always a treat to hear. It's literal freedom at the ring of a bell. Some might interpret it as a metaphor for... something. I’m just not sure exactly what that something could be, and I'm not nearly smart enough to pretend to know it either... Instead of wasting brainpower on something that might not even be worth pondering, I head over to my locker. After inputting my code a few too many times for my liking, I stuff everything I won’t need for the afternoon and start autopilot toward the school exit. Only when I’m a few steps away from freedom do I feel my phone vibrate, which brings me back to the here and now. I reach for my phone, mind completely blank as to who could be texting me aside from… Nasera: Hey, Anon! This is just a friendly reminder that the club will be meeting for its first-ever session in about 30 minutes! We’ll be in the sports field, in the back of the school! If you can, don’t be late, but also no rush either! Really want you to meet all the other club members! Right. I almost forgot that today’s the first meeting of the sports club. Promised Nasera I’d give it a shot, especially since I already did the morning jog. The worst of the physical activities should be behind me, right…? … I look at the school exit, which is so tantalizingly close. All I have to do is step out, walk towards the bus stop, and take that bus towards the bus station… at which point the four-mile walk… would follow… … Well… it takes me about two hours to travel home on a good day… and Nasera did offer to drive me back home after every meeting… … You know what? Checking out the first session might not be a bad idea. So I turn my ass right around and head to the back of the school, where the sports fields are located. As I turn down the school halls and past the dozens of other students going home, I run into none other than Fang, Reed, and Trish. At first, I figured they were off to get some band practice in since both Trish and Fang had their instrument cases in tow, but then I noticed they were heading toward the fields like I was, which surprised and confused me. Were they going to practice over in the fields this afternoon? Before I could tell myself to mind my business, curiosity gets the better of me. “Hey,” I greet the trio of 'musicians' all the while falling right in line with the three girls. “Where are you guys going?” “Oh, hey, amigo!” Reeda replies in her usual stoned-out yet cheerful tone. “Been a long time since I saw you, Anoni-mo!” “You just saw him in math class three hours ago!” Trish snaps in an exasperated tone. “Oh yeah!” Reeda answers, all the while giggling. “Kinda blanked out for a sec,” she adds while sticking her tongue in what I can only describe as an attempt to appear ‘kawaii.’ …Yeah, no. Sorry, Reeda. You’re pretty hot, but you can’t pull off the ‘cute’ look no matter how hard you try… Trish visibly rolls her eyes at Reeda’s words before looking at me directly with what I can only describe as exasperation. “To answer your question, Anon," the triceratops hisses my name like uttering it causes her great discomfort, "we’re following Fang's lead today.” I look at Fang, who shoots me and Trish an annoyed glance before groaning. “I told you and Reeda already. You don’t need to follow me. You’re both free to go home and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.” “And I told you that wherever you go, I go,” Trish rebukes, looking a bit pissed as she says those words, almost as if her heart isn’t all into it. “And where my two besties go, I also go!” Reeda adds as she moves to give Fang and Trish a shoulder hug, which the two duck out of, leaving her looking a bit dejected. “What about you? Where the hell are you going?” Trish suddenly asks me, looking at me with great curiosity. “Going over to the field to meet up with Nasera for the sports club,” I answer honestly. However, the moment I do, I feel a knot tightening in my stomach. Guess I’m feeling a lot more anxious about the whole thing than I’d like to admit. “RIGHT! Right! You did join Nasera’s club, did ya, Anonisimo?” Reeda exclaims with perhaps a bit more excitement than I expected. “Still can’t believe cripple-wing talked Anon into joining!” Trish laughs as she turns to look at Fang. “Your sister must REALLY be desperate to get those skinnie brownie points!” Fang visibly grimaces in reply to Trish’s words but keeps her mouth shut otherwise. “Like, Anon’s the first human to join the sports club in, like, ten years, right?” Reeda asks as she does her best to get close to me. “I mean, what are the chances that a human just so happens to transfer to our school on the same year that the whole club is up for an evaluation?” That comment makes me take the equivalent of a mental double-take. I already knew that Nasera got me into the club solely to get points for the whole ‘diversity’ thing. She neglected to inform me about this ‘evaluation’ thing Reeda had just mentioned. “Uh, what evaluation?” I find myself asking before I can tell myself to keep quiet and pretend it’s not my problem. Reeda taps a finger on her chin “Hmmm… Something, something, something… meeting specific quotas and giving the club attention so they can get more money to keep running… and stuff…” she answers before shrugging and smiling as carefreely as ever. “Top-level prez stuff that makes my head spin, ya know what I’m sayin’, Anonarimo?” Uh… no. I don’t, Reeda… “School politics bullshit that Nasera just LOVES to get mixed up in,” Trish snidely remarks as she shakes her head. “More bull Fang’s gonna have to deal with going forward… as if she hasn’t already done enough with screwing our concert over.” “Now, now, Trish. I don’t think Nasera’s entirely to blame for that one,” Reeda counters, turning around and walking backward while looking at Trish. “That was… more of a very unfortunate set of circumstances…” “Girl, you serious? She was the one who invited all those assholes that booed and cussed us out!” Trish retorts, looking like she’s barely holding back from popping a vein in anger. “Yeah, but… she still bought all that grub for us ‘n got the music department guys to set up our instruments, the stage, ‘n all the other stuff. I don’t think she would have done all that if she’d been out only to ruin our rep. Ya know?” Trish lets out a scoff and rolls her eyes. “Reeda, I swear to god… you’re WAY too naive and trusting,” the triceratops remarks as she turns to look at Fang. “You agree with me, right?” Fang looks to Reeda first, then Trish, and finally to me before she stops and lets out a weary sigh. “Nasera fucked us over,” Fang says in a resigned, bitter tone. “She decided to get all her asshole friends to ruin our concert. But Reeda’s right. I don’t think she was entirely doing it on purpose. She just… didn’t know any better…” The ptero laments before readjusting the strap on her guitar case and continuing her walk, which prompts us to resume following her. “Bro…” Reeda remarks in a downcast tone. “Well, I’m still going to blame her for that mess,” Trish reaffirms as she picks up the pace to walk side by side with Fang. Reeda lets out a deep exhale and looks at me with sadness before also picking up the pace to catch up with her bandmates, all of whom start to talk about other matters that I stop paying attention to entirely. Eventually, I’m left behind by everyone else, and I take the opportunity to start moving away from the group of girls and closer to the leftmost walls. When I reach the T intersection leading right to a set of double doors leading to the fields, I stop and turn into the left hall. As I do, I hear a door getting kicked open. I don’t look back, instead focusing on reaching the boy’s locker rooms to change into my workout outfit as quickly as possible. Oh, man… I can already feel how badly this whole thing will go. Why am I even considering this whole thing? What could I gain from making a fool of myself in front of Nasera and whoever else is in the club? Sure, I’m doing it for Nasera’s sake and to pay her back for how nice she’s been to me so far, but is it worth it? It’s still not too late to back out. I can come up with an excuse not to be in attendance. Can say I’m not feeling well after eating that sandwich from earlier. Or maybe I can say I came up with some quick-acting sickness I got from someone during math or science class. I can even say that I tripped and broke a leg on the way to the field… … No, Anon. Stop trying to be such a pussy bitch. You’re just defaulting to tired excuses and doing EXACTLY what you did back in Rock Bottom. This is your chance to start anew and correct all the stupid shit you once did. Besides, Nasera's been so friendly and trusting of you that squirming out of the commitment you made would be downright scummy. Also… I don’t think anyone else in my life has ever nor will ever trust me as much as Nasera seems to trust me… I open my locker and change into my workout clothes without wasting a second. Workout clothes gifted to me by Nasera, no less... ... ...Yeah. I’m going to give this my best college try. At least when I inevitably fall face-first in the dirt, I can at least take comfort that I didn’t pussy out… *** *** One change of clothes and another bout of self-psyching-out later, I make my way out of the locker rooms and towards the field bleachers. As soon as I arrive, I spot a small group of other students already gathered and talking to each other like the good friends they no doubt are. Most wear their sports gear, but the one thing they all seem to share is that they look like they eat, breathe, and shit sports. That doesn’t help me feel better about this whole sports club prospect, but I’ve come too far to back out. Remember, you’re doing this for Nasera. And speaking of Nasera, there she is, talking to Fang. Fang, for their part, looks just as pissed as I remember from earlier in the morning. If I had to take a wild guess what they are bitching about, it probably has to do with the whole getting driven home thing. Fang’s probably pissed that they must wait on Nasera since they can’t ride the bus. Not that I can blame Fang. If I were banned from public transportation, I’d probably be pissed off at everyone too. Still, Fang should be a bit more thankful that they have the option of a lift to and from school. Not all of us have that luxury… “Well, what do we have here!” a boisterous voice suddenly snaps me out of my thoughts and back to reality. I turn to face the source and almost immediately jump back out of instinctual fear. Before me stands what I can only describe as some megalodon… guy that stands at least a full head taller than I am and sports such large and bulky muscle mass that one of his biceps alone is bigger than my entire torso. He also dons a pretty impressive beard, if I have to be honest. Makes me feel very conscious that all my attempts at growing some face fuzz have resulted in miserable failure. He’s dressed in a small tank top and sports a pair of workout shorts and some barefoot shoes that are all the rage with athletes. He also sports a pretty stylish pair of mirrored shades that only make him appear all the more intimidating. This guy… looks more like a bodybuilder than a Volcano High student. Is he even an actual student in the first place? “Can’t believe what I’m looking at! The prez did it and got us a human member for the team! Hell freakin’ yeah!” The mega Solon guffaws as he continues to approach me. My alarms start to go off, and I brace myself for being taunted, threatened, or taunted THEN threatened. ...But that never happens. Instead, the megalodon stops a few feet before me and gives me a big, toothy, oddly warm smile. “Welcome to the sports club, my man. Real happy to have you join us, even if it is a bit late into the semester.” “Uh…. Thanks…” I reply in a somewhat reserved way. The megalodon lets out another guffaw and extends a hand towards me. “Oh, where are my freakin’ manners! My name’s Chad. Chad Shaerk.” I’m a bit taken aback by the megalodon’s friendliness at first. I first thought it was some trap to get me closer so he could lock me in a headlock or something along those lines, but it honestly doesn’t feel like a trap. This guy’s genuinely trying to be friendly, even if his appearance would say otherwise. “H-hello,” I half-stutter as I grab Chad’s hand and shake it as firmly as possible. “Nice to meet you, Chad. Name’s Anon. Anon Y. Mous.” Chad lets out another hearty laugh at the mention of my name. “OH, that’s a great name!” Chad says as he moves to wrap an arm around my shoulder. “If you say it fast enough, it almost sounds like your name is actually ‘anonymous!’ ” Huh… weird as it may sound, I never really noticed that about my name. Wonder if my parents named me that on purpose… “It’s alright, Anon, I’ve got something similar going on with my name as well,” Chad says as he lets me go and readjusts his shades on the bridge of his snout so that I can see his green-toned eyes. “If you say my name fast enough, it sounds like someone saying I’m a ‘Chad Shark!’ ” The megalodon says as he slaps his knee and practically howls in amusement. “That’s… interesting,” I find myself saying, not quite finding the whole ‘chad shark’ thing as funny as Chad seems to be. “Not as interesting—or unfortunate—as my little bro’s name!” Chad says as he points to another megalodon in the crowd, one that’s significantly less muscular than Chad but still just as tall. “His name is Chet, and if you say his name and our last name fast enough, it almost sounds like someone’s calling him a ‘Shit Shark!” I look over to Chad’s brother to gauge if he heard any of his older brother’s words, but he seems too occupied talking to the other members of the club to have heard Chad’s words, probably for the best, considering what Chad had just revealed about the guy’s name. Chad gives me a light slap on the back and guffaws again, snapping me from my thoughts. “Hey, if you think he’s sore about that unfortunate aspect of his name, don’t worry too much about it! No one calls him that because if they do…” Chad raises his right arm and flexes, somehow making his already bulging muscles bulge even more… at which point I fully understand why he doesn’t wear shirts with sleeves since flexing would easily cause them to rip. I can’t help but laugh a bit nervously at the display, one that, while not intended to be intimidating, is shit-pantingly terrifying… Before I can formulate my thoughts further, another student walks up to Chad. A dark green muscular allosaurus whose every step is full of swagger and pretty much screamed, ‘I own this place!’... “Hey, what is up, you motherlovin’ aquanaut!” “Hey! Nickolas! You son of a bitch!” Chad cheers as he walks up to the allosaurus, who extends his arm in preparation. Chad follows suit, and the two grab each other’s palms with so much force that their muscles bulge. I swear I’ve seen that handshake style in an old 80s action movie. I can’t recall which one for my life right now, though… As I stare at Chad and his allosaurus friend, I feel uneasy about this Nickolas fellow. Something about his long well-kept hair and finely groomed beard gave me a terrible feeling… like he’s someone I shouldn’t trust since he’ll snatch all that I care and love when I’m not looking… “Alright, everyone, it looks like everyone’s here! Let’s all huddle up and get this meeting underway!” Nasera’s voice calls out to us, causing me to drop whatever thoughts I am formulating so I can pay attention to her words. “Well, first things first, welcome back! Hope everyone had a nice and relaxing break.” Everyone around me cheers in reply to Nasera’s words, which only makes the ptero smile brighter. “With that said, I also hope everyone didn’t slack too much. We’re picking up right where we left off before the break, so I want everyone to give it one hundred and ten percent or more!” The whole group burst out into laughter and cheers, all of which eclipsed all the noise previously made by the entire club. I’m starting to fear I walked into a cult of fitness fanatics… “Before we get right into it, there’s a special announcement I’d like to make,” Nasera says the instant the majority of the noise dies down, causing the field to fall entirely silent as everyone’s attention once more falls on Nasera. “As you know, this club has needed some new blood for a while. While we’ve all done our part to attract new members to our fitness family, there was always an aspect that we were missing. At least until today.” When Nasera finishes her words, she claps her hands and looks my way. Oh no… I think I know where this is going… “Folks, I’d like everyone to give their warmest welcome to our newest member, Anon!” Nasera practically cheers as she motions to me with such excitement that I can almost forgive her for putting me on the spot. Of course, the instant all eyes fall on me, the murmuring starts. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound hostile at all. It sounds downright welcoming. Still, I wouldn't say I like hearing any murmuring about my person. I still have too many bad memories attached to the last time something like that happened… The whispering soon ends as everyone once again turns their attention towards Nasera. Within seconds, everyone is showering the club president with all sorts of praise over her good job at recruiting me. Within a minute, though, I’m seemingly all but forgotten. Not that I’m complaining. Still don’t like being the center of attention, even if that attention is positive. Nasera clears her throat, once again garnering everyone’s attention. “Alright, alright! That’s enough ass-kissing for one day!” she proclaims as she motions for her club members to settle down, earning some laughter from the crowd. “I know you are overflowing with pent-up energy, so after a few more small housekeeping matters, I’ll let you all run free and resume your routines.” Another set of cheers erupts from the crowd, putting another broad grin on the club president’s lips. I’m shocked at how well Nasera seems to get the crowd invested in whatever she says. It makes me wonder if it’s a skill she’s always had, or if it’s something she developed over however many years she’s been the sport’s club president… “Well, you certainly haven’t changed one bit, have you, Nasera?” A haughty voice suddenly pipes up from the crowd, Causing Nasera’s eyes to go wide with a mixture of shock and anger. Before anyone can ask who had spoken up, the source of the voice steps forward and out of the crowd, exposing herself for all to see. The dino looks like some tall carnivore, though I can’t quite tell what species she is aside from something… raptor-like, except without all the feathers. Her scales are a dark pink tone, with a dark orange stripe running up her snoot and presumably the rest of her head and back straight down to her tail, though I can’t tell because long, fluffy, and well-groomed light magenta hair obscures that area of her body. Finally, she bears sharp, almost bright red eyes staring intently into Nasera’s amber-gold eyes. It’s only after I take in the girl’s physical appearance that I notice that she’s wearing Volcano High’s cheerleader uniform, albeit her’s is fancier in material, and sports what I can only describe as a small red shoulder cape, along with equally matching red stockings that almost go up her thick legs and thighs and up her shockingly short skirt, which does absolutely nothing to hide her plump, round… asset… I swear, she hadn’t been part of the crowd earlier. Where had she come from? “Stacey…” Nasera hisses as she crosses her arms and locks a glare with what I’m starting to realize is the cheerleader captain of Volcano High. …Which begs the question of what she’s doing here instead of being with the rest of her team… “Shouldn’t you be with your cheer squad giving them a pep talk instead of wasting time talking to me?” Nasera snaps, all the while placing her hands on her hips. Stacey laughs and leers right at Nasera, whose only response is to grimace, her upper lip curling just enough to reveal her sharp teeth. “Oh, we already had our meeting today. Spears gave us and the football team an entire school period to ourselves. Unlike with you and your little… clusterfuck of meatheads.” “Hey!” Chad suddenly shouts at Stacey. “We’re NOT a clusterfuck! We are a highly organized group that can kick anyone’s ass anytime, anywhere!” Stacey once again laughs haughtily before smirking smugly. “Oh, so THIS is where you wound up after you quit being the football team's captain, Chad!” I look at Chad, and I can see some veins forming on his arms and forehead as he glares fiery daggers at Stacey, who only returns his glare with a smug look of superiority. “I’m surprised Nasera accepted you into her club after the colossal fuck-up that was our last season under your command,” Stacey mocks as she turns to look back at Nasera. “Didn’t realize you were so desperate for new members that you let such a disgrace as Chad into your club.” Nasera’s right eye starts to twitch as she takes on a more hostile pose, her face all but losing any battle against scrunching up into a fierce scowl. Before either Nasera or Chad can say a word, Stacey turns to face me with that same smug aura of superiority. Before I can process it, she closes the distance between herself and me and locks eyes with my own, her fiery orbs feeling like they are piercing right through me and seeing right into my soul. “And you, hominid,” Stacey starts, her lips slowly rising into another cruel grin. “You do realize that Nasera only invited you into her club so she could pass the upcoming evaluation AND gain some diversity browny points, right?” I don’t say a word, instead doing my best not to spill spaghetti. Quite hard to do when I’m being stared down by a girl who’s likely considered the hottest female in the whole school… Stacey looks me up and down a bit, and in a move that I hadn’t expected in my wildest of daydreams, she wraps me in a tight embrace, one that threatened to snap my spine in twain. “Oh, you poor, poor little sap. Probably got conned into this whole mess by Nasera’s good looks! She probably played the sorry card and said something about how the sports department hasn’t had a human member in nearly a decade and how your joining would make history, didn’t she?” I mean… Stacey isn’t wrong. Nasera did say all that… and then some more… As my head remains buried deep in Stacey’s ample bosom, I can’t help but find her harsh words true. That, combined with Stacey’s warm embrace, made me feel like I was nothing but a ball being tossed between two teams in a basketball game. “You leave Anon out of this!” I barely manage to hear Nasera shout through Stacey’s ample chest padding. “Oh, you mad because I called out your little scheme!?” Stacey retorts as she digs my head deeper into her boobs. “This whole ‘racial tokenism’ idea of yours ISN’T going to help you put the school’s athletic program back on the map nor help restore the former prestige that Volcano High once carried!” the cheerleader captain shouts, now with audible anger in her tone. “It’s thanks to idiots like Chad and that quitter of a swim captain Leo that any weight our school once had athletically went down the shitter!” she bellows as she finally lets me go to turn her full attention towards Nasera. “The ONLY thing keeping this school’s athletics department afloat is MY cheer squad and the reformed football team, and if you had any real sense of pride in this school, you would have joined either one when you had the chance to!” “And I told you that I wanted to reform ALL the teams that we’ve lost over the years in the form of this club!” Nasera countered, all the while pointing an accusatory finger at Stacey. “If you were that concerned about how this school’s athletics are in the crapper and wanted to do something—ANYTHING—to set things how they once were, YOU would have joined my club when I gave you the opportunity!” Both girls glare into each other’s eyes with such ferocity that I can almost see the sparklines between the two, and the air only grows more and more electric with every passing second as Nasera and Stacey seemingly try to set each other on fire through sheer willpower alone. As I looked around, I could tell that everyone was on edge, ready to jump in to try and break up any potential fight that might break out between the two athletic leaders. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen as the two girls turn away, each looking like they want nothing but to pretend the other doesn’t exist. After what felt like the longest few seconds I had experienced, Stacey scoffed and crossed her arms. “I only came here today to see what you had planned for your club for the second semester, and you didn’t disappoint with your asinine ideas.” “And nobody asked you for your opinion on how I run this club,” Nasera snaps back, not even looking back at Stacey as she spits those venom-laden words. Stacey lets out another scoff and, rather than replying, turns to look at me with the same level of interest as she had earlier. “You, Anon. Now that you know why Nasera invited you to join her club, will you stick around and keep being her little pet project, or will you ditch all these losers and join the cheer squad? We need a new mascot, and I think you fit the bill nicely.” “Stop trying to poach my club members!” Nasera shouts, all the while stomping her foot in rage. “Besides, you already have Reeda as the current mascot. Why the hell do you need another person for that role!?” Stacey turns to look at Nasera with a flat, tired look. “You kidding me? That girl’s high most of the time and can’t do ANYTHING physically demanding. She’s only good for doing non-physical events like school dances and meets and greets… and she still’s TERRIBLE at it!” “Damn right!” Reeda suddenly shouts from the bleachers, where she, Trish, and Fang have been sitting this whole time, watching everything unfold until now. Reeda seemed most entertained by the argument out of everybody present, with Trish looking rather annoyed at the whole thing. Fang, meanwhile, only seemed to have eyes for their sibling, whom they were glaring at with anger. “Shut the hell up, Reeda! You’re only the school mascot because NO ONE ELSE wants to do it!” Stacey grumbles as she sighs in exasperation, which only earns her a grin and a peace sign from Reeda, prompting the cheerleader captain to roll her eyes. “I’m sure there are PLENTY of folks that would love to be King Rex,” Nasera says, still doing her best not to meet Stacey’s eyes. Stacey once more grins maliciously. “Oh? So are you saying YOU’RE interested in becoming our school’s famous King Rex?” Stacey asks as she giggles mischievously. Nasera blushes just a bit as she steps back, all the while shaking her head furiously. Stacey giggles in response, the smile on her lips never wavering. “Thought so,” she says as she again turns to look at me. “Like I said, Anon, we need a new mascot. You can become the new King Rex if you ditch these losers!” At first, I didn’t give Stacy any reply except for an uneasy smile. I was already mixed up with Nasera and her whole sports club. I did not need another source of grief to stress over for these next six months. Eventually, I gathered enough courage to give the cheerleader captain a solid answer. “Thanks, but no thanks,” I say in a reserved tone as I brace myself to get chewed out by the cheerleader captain. Much to my surprise, Stacey seems to take my answer in good humor and gives me a shrug. “Well, whatever. Just know that the offer will stand until someone else comes along and takes it.” “He already told you his answer, Stacey,” Nasera hisses as she walks up next to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. Stacey looks to Nasera, then me, and finally to the hand on my shoulder before chuckling, shaking her head, and once more grigging before walking away from the field... but not before turning back to look at Nasera again, grinning with malicious amusement, and laughing yet again before resuming her departure. Once I’m sure she’s far away enough, I lock eyes on her and follow her path away from the fields and back into the school building until she goes inside and disappears entirely. At that point, I sighed and barely manage to keep myself from falling on my ass from the exhaustion over the whole affair. I look at Nasera, who continues to glare daggers in the direction Stacey left before also letting out a long exhale of her own. Our eyes meet momentarily, at which point she gives me an apologetic look before closing her eyes, breathing deeply, and putting on the best smile possible. “Well… not precisely how I wanted to break that particular information to you, Anon… but yeah, you’re kinda… the club’s ace in the hole right now…” Nasera whispers to me while keeping her hand on my shoulder in what I can only describe as an attempt for her to maintain some connection with me. I remain quiet at first. The temptation to grab her hand and remove it off my shoulder is strong, and so is my desire to drop everything and leave Nasera and the whole sports club business behind. This isn’t what I signed up for when I accepted Nasera’s offer to join her club. If anything, this is as far removed from my goals of wanting to draw as little attention to myself as possible and cruise through the year as a virtual nobody. Yet, despite the annoyance of this situation, I can’t bring myself to be angry with Nasera. Sure, she may have had ulterior motives, but she’s been genuinely nice towards me, gave me free food and some snazzy free clothes, and hasn’t run away due to my poison pheromones yet. That already puts her well above any friend I’ve ever had. Hell, even above any relative of mine. It’s also kind of nice that someone wants me to help them. Hell, Nasera claims I’m her ‘ace in the hole,’ whatever that means. So what if that’s only because of my species? That means I don’t have to go out of my way to be exceptional other than what I was born as, and that shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish. Can’t possibly screw this up! ...At least, I hope... “Well, I’m not going to lie. That whole thing with the cheerleader squad captain was… interesting…” I say while trying to be careful with whatever words I utter. Nasera grumbled something under her breath before shaking her head. “Stacey can be a bit of a… pain in the ass… but she’s not such a bad person. She’s just…” She pauses at those words and starts to fiddle with her hands as if trying to find the best word to use that isn’t an insult of some kind. “Difficult?” I ask, taking the gap in her words to slot my words in. “Yeah, difficult!” Nasera chirps back, perhaps a bit too excitedly. “Stacey’s super hard to work with, but deep down, she means well. Honestly” She lets some air out of her nose and looks sideways. “Just wish she wasn’t such a bitch sometimes….” she whispers, almost like she didn't want me to hear those last few words. I pretend not to hear that last part and nod in reply. “Yeah,” I say, giving Nasera my most sympathetic gaze. “I can tell she’s… passionate about stuff…” “That’s putting it mildly,” Nasera sheeted as she finally turned her attention away from me and back to all the other club members. “At any rate, I apologize for Stacey’s rude interruption of our meeting. Now, where were we?” “You said I was the club’s ace in the hole. What exactly does that mean? Also, what’s this about an evaluation I keep hearing about?” “Oh, the evaluation. Right…” Nasera starts, uneasily fidgeting her hands. “It’s nothing that major, honestly. It’s just that the club is due for an evaluation by the school district’s board of athletics. It happens every five years, and we are due to be evaluated at the end of the school year so that the next school year, we either get more funding… or the whole club gets shafted.” I can see why Nasera would want the club to be in tip-top shape. But what exactly does that have to do with me? “Uh… yeah, I can see why you’d want things to look alright and whatnot, but what relation does that have with me exactly?” “Well… by having you on the club, we are automatically correcting a long-standing mistake that contributed to our school’s loss of its formerly great athletics department: the lack of diversity.”’ I can’t help but give Nasera a flat look. She invited me to the club to be the token human member, right? Well, at least she’s honest about it. I have to give her props for that much. A less truthful person would have tried to come up with some bullshit excuse, even in the face of their narrative collapsing all around them. “You could’ve told me about the evaluation thing when you originally pitched the idea to join the club to me, ya know?” Nasera looks down and grabs her arm. “Yeah, maybe I should have. But I was afraid that It’d come off as desperate and would put you off from joining…” I raise an eyebrow in reply to her words. “...And you didn’t think the whole thing about me being the first human to join in ten years and how I’d be making history wouldn’t…?” Nasera semi-flinches at my words and looks up at me with a coy smile. “Uh…” she starts, finally deciding to slap her forehead lightly and giggle in what I can only think is an attempt at playing her lapse in logic as humorous. “Oops?” … ...Nasera… you're lucky that you are so charming and attractive. Otherwise, the crap you tried to pull today wouldn’t have flown nearly as well as it did… “At any rate!” Nasera suddenly exclaims as she grabs me by the shoulder and turns me to face the other club members still gathered nearby that I had completely tuned out while talking to the ptero. “Anon, meet the club. Club, meet Anon!” There are quite a lot of applauses and cheers at my swift introduction. Even Nasera joins in on the clapping and cheering as she turns to look between me and her club in what I can only describe as an attempt at drumming up hype. “Wish we could give you a longer and warmer welcome, but after that whole thing with Stacey, we are running a bit later than normal. So…” She pulls out a whistle and blows on it, causing everyone present to fall into place, almost as if it was an instinctual reaction. “Alright, everyone. I want you to give me a full mile in fifteen minutes or less!” Nasera commands as she blows her whistle again, causing everyone to take off jogging around the field, some moving faster than others. Nasera turns to me face me again. “As for you, Anon, You’re welcome to join everyone else on the mile run, but since this is your first day and I know you will not make the fifteen-minute deadline, you can sit this one out. But just this one time, okay?” So much for having a lot of faith in me, Nasera… “Isn’t it a bit early to play favorites, sis?” Fang calls out from the bleachers, all the while she absentmindedly plucks at her bass guitar. “Fang, I swear to god, don’t start with your snark. Not in the mood to be dealing with it today.” “As if you’re EVER in the mood to deal with any hardship,” Fang snarks back, which causes Nasera’s eyes to widen. “Excuse me!?” She asks while trying to keep her tone as even as possible. “You heard me,” Fang resentfully snaps back, not even bothering to look at their sister’s eyes. “You’re always so eager and ready to fold when even the slightest bit of trouble comes your way. You don’t have the will to stand your ground, even when it challenges who you are…” Upon hearing Fang’s words, Nasera grits her teeth and turns red. She raises a hand and seems ready to shout something to her sibling, but instead yells out frustration and takes off running towards the field with such speed that she not only catches up to her fellow club members but surpasses them, quite literally making them eat her dust. Fang sighs and packs up her bass guitar while looking at me with what I can only describe as resentment. “When she gets back, tell her I decided to walk home instead of waiting on her ass to finish running this meeting.” “Uh… why me though?” I can’t help but ask Fang. Fang scoffs and ignores my question, instead opting to motion for Trish and Reeda to follow her down the bleachers and back into the school building. The only one of the three to turn back to look at me and wave goodbye with a smile on her lips is Reeda. I can’t help but also wave goodbye at Reeda. She seems like the only one who likes me out of Fang’s gang, and if the circumstances were different, maybe we’d even be better friends… By the time Nasera returns from running all five laps around the football, Fang and the other girls are long gone. Nasera looks at the empty bleachers and looks ready to shout again. Before she can let herself shout, she takes a deep breath to try and calm herself and turns to look at me with a mixture of frustration and sadness. “Uh… Fang told me to let you know that she… decided to walk home,” I inform Nasera, unsure what else to tell her given the circumstances. “I can see that,” Nasera snaps in a defeated tone as she sits on the first rung of the bleachers. “I just wish—” she says before interrupting herself, her hands clenching into fists and her lips twisting into a snarl. “GAAA!” she finally shouts as she reaches for the closest water canteen and begins to chug its contents like a woman dying of thirst. After emptying the container’s contents in under five seconds, she crushes the canteen in her hand and tosses it aside in a rage before flopping back on the bleacher to stare at the sky. “Why does Fang have to be so damn DIFFICULT!?” she shouts her question at no one in particular, almost as if hoping that someone would give her an answer. I’m so awed by the fact that Nasera crushed a steel water canteen like a soda can that I don’t fully process her question until at least half a minute later. Only when my brain fully processed her words did I realize I had zero answers to give her, even if I wanted to answer. I’m still too off-balance from seeing Fang be so resentful towards their sister, especially when they were so seemingly cheerful earlier in the morning. What could have happened to make Fang so sour between then and now, I wonder… Before I can ponder the matter further, the rest of the club members arrive from their respective runs. Most only stopped to do some stretches to help limber up, while a few instead opted to sit on the bleachers, waiting for whatever else Nasera had to say to them. Once enough club members had congregated, Nasera took a deep breath and practically jumped up from her bleacher position before surveying her surroundings and calling everyone’s attention again. “Excellent run, team! Seems the majority of you kept up your workout routines over the break. That’s good. Real good.” She scans everyone’s reaction before clapping her hands together. “With that out of the way, I’ll leave everyone to resume practicing whatever sports they chose at the start of the school year. As always, if you have any questions about a sport, don’t hesitate to ask me about proper procedures.” With those words spoken to the club, every member disperses and makes a beeline for the outdoor equipment storage. Within minutes, everyone begins to bring out all sorts of materials geared towards all kinds of physical activities ranging from weights and balls to what almost looks like boxing equipment. I noticed a few students—Chad among them—stripping to swimming trunks and grabbing towels and hair caps. “Chad’s now a part of the swimming group,” Nasera suddenly chimes in, catching me just a bit off-guard. “Used to have a swimming team… up until its president decided to drop out when his mother passed away…” She turned to look at me and shook her head solemnly. “Leo was such a fantastic swimmer. Probably one of the best in the entire state. I hope he can recover from the tragedy one day… but some things in life never quite heal all the way…” She glances at her crippled wing before shutting her eyes and turning back to face me. “Since this is your first day in the club, we should find you an activity to master.” …And those are the words I’d been dreading to hear. Aside from any activity during PE classes, my experience with actual sports is next to none… “Uh… Nasera… not to sound like I’m trying to make any excuses here or anything… but I’ve NEVER actually done any sport in my life…” “No sports?” Nasera asks, all the while raising an eyebrow. “What about dodgeball?” “Nope,” I answer flatly “Uh… what about soccer or baseball, or how about football?” “Nope, definitely nope, and hell no.” Nasera puts a hand on her hip and looks me up and down with a curious expression before a smile creeps into her lips. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Anon, but I had a feeling you’d say you have no sports experience whatsoever.” “Gee, what gave it away,” I ask semi-sarcastically. “Hey, it’s okay, Anon. Everyone has to start somewhere,” Nasera replies with far more optimism than I had expected her to. “Believe it or not, I wasn’t always as fit and sporty as I am today.” I look Nasera up and down and find myself unable to imagine her not being the fitness goddess before my eyes. Almost as if hearing my thought, Nasera extends her crippled wing. “There was a time when my injury legitimately crippled me. Fall didn’t just take my wing; it also broke my shoulder and part of my spine. Missed an entire year of school in the hospital and spent the next one in a wheelchair. But I didn’t give up. As soon as I was strong enough to try, I forced myself to walk, then jog, and finally to run again.” Nasera steps closer to me and puts a fist on my chest. “What I’m saying’s that even when we feel we are at our lowest point, it’s never truly over until we are dead. So EVEN if you feel like you’re no good at something, that’s just you forcing a limit on yourself!” Nasera’s lips rise from earhole to earhole as she puts on the biggest, widest grin. “Don’t believe in yourself!” “Uh... excuse me...?” “I said DON’T believe in yourself!” Nasera repeats, almost as if she’s unaware that her words are negative rather than positive. “Don’t believe in yourself, Anon. Instead, believe in the Nasera who believes in you!” she says those last words by pointing up into the heavens dramatically, the grin on her lips never faltering in its confidence. … Well... weird word choices aside, Nasera’s little speech gave me more confidence than just a few seconds ago. Maybe it’s her sudden burst of optimism rubbing off on me, or I’m just a sucker for hot girls doing cute things. Heck, maybe it’s the fact that Nasera’s demonstrating confidence and belief in me that not even my parents had once shown me… whatever the case, her words give me just the right kind of kick in the ass I needed not just to toss my arms in the air and give up like the little bitch that I often am when it comes to physical activity. Whether she knows it or not, Nasera’s made me realize how much of a golden opportunity I’ve been given. It’s a chance to start again from zero, and maybe this time I can make SOMETHING of myself instead of just a shut-in neet whose only real friend is a Niponnese online penpal who lives thousands of miles away and will never, ever see in real life. So I give Nasera a nod and smile. “Aight, let’s find me a sport then.” Nasera looks ready to do a jump cheer as she grabs me by the hand and leads me toward the field, where all the other sports equipment has been brought out and set up for anyone’s use. I look down at Nasera holding my hand and can’t help but feel my heart flutter just a bit. Once again, I can’t help but feel just how soft her hand is despite the scales that cover it. It makes me wonder if all dino skin is as soft and warm. Does Nasera realize how significant a deal handholding is? Maybe it isn’t that big a deal in dino society. Or maybe she doesn’t care. Either way, I don’t mind the sensation. It’s nice, and it makes me feel like I’m welcome in life… … Gee, that’s rather sad now that I think about it… *** *** … …It’s been two hours since Nasera and I began trying every possible sports activity the school’s equipment would allow. Two hours in which I’ve tried everything from soccer, to baseball, to swimming and even wrestling… and I’ve yet to find ANY sport don’t instantly suck and fail at in the most miserable way possible. Even when other club members chipped in to try and get me to suck less, I ended up repaying their kindness by somehow managing to suck even more. After failing to do the discus throw, I plop down on the grass in utter shame, somehow getting the damn thing to fly opposite where I was aiming. Nasera squats next to me and pats me on the shoulder while giving me a warm, reassuring smile. “There, there, Anon. If it’s any consolation… you at least got the disk to fly pretty far…” “Yeah, in the opposite direction,” I answer as I look at where the disk landed. Sure, it flew maybe twenty feet, but how in the hell did it do a U-turn in mid-air like some boomerang?” “You still tossed it pretty hard,” the same allosaurus friend of Chad’s—Nickolas, I think—remarks as he runs a hand through his hair. “If I hadn’t ducked out of the way, I think the disk would have probably taken a few hairs off my head!” Nickola’s words don’t make me feel better. If anything, they feel patronizing. I know the guy’s trying to be friendly and civil, but I can’t shake the feeling that something about him isn’t entirely right… “Hey, there’s no fault in failing. It’s in the giving up that the fault lies,” Nasera tries to cheer me on, extending a hand to help me back to my feet. “Did I say that right? Been a while since I had to dig so deeply into my motivational speeches repertoire.” So, you’re saying I’m such a failure at sports that you must resort to motivational speeches? Wow, I must be the worst club member you’ve ever had… “Oh, you’re not doing THAT bad, Anon! And if you’re worried that you’re somehow bottom of the barrel, then don’t, because there was someone before you that only lasted a single hour before giving up,” Nasera answers, making me realize that I had once again mumbled out my thoughts like an absolute idiot. I groan as I take Nasera’s hand and use it to help myself back to my feet. “R-really?” Nasera nods in reply. “Yeah. She was just the sweetest thing you can imagine. She had a soft voice and a kind spirit and wanted nothing but to make everyone around her happy with her puppets. She would have made an excellent part of the club… but unfortunately, she couldn’t even run the full mile before she passed out…” “Soft and kind and also a puppeteer…” I mutter, remembering that weirdo girl I met in the cafeteria. “Did this girl that tried out… did she have yellow and orange scales, was kinda short, sported fiery orange hair, and wear this strange hood-hat thing with… horns, I guess? Oh, and were her puppets these three weird green frog-like things…?” “What?” Nasera flatly asks, tilting her head with visible confusion. “Uh… I don’t know what you’re talking about, Anon. That doesn’t at all sound like the Judee.” “Judee?” “Yes, Judee. She’s got white scales, blonde hair, and wears no horned… hat… thing like you described.” Nasera says, all the while putting a hand on her chin. “I… don’t think we have a student in school that fits what you described at all. Judee’s the only one who does puppets in Volcano High. She’s the head and founder of the Puppet Pals Puppet Club. Formed it a year or so ago. You should watch some of her shows. They are pretty amazing.” … Did I imagine that whole meeting with that weird puppet-obsessed girl in the lunch room? Am I going crazy? Whatever the case, I think it’s best to move on from this conversation before it gets weirder… “Regardless, you are by no means bad at fitness. You’re not overweight, have pretty good musculature for someone who’s never worked out, and can do a whole mile quickly enough. You definitely could do a hell of a lot worse!” Nasera says as she motions to me to get her point across. I can’t help but roll my eyes at Nasera’s well-meaning but ultimately misplaced words. Love your enthusiasm, but the last two hours tell a very, VERY different story than what you’re claiming… Nasera frowns and puts her hands on her hips. “Stop being such a downer, Anon!” …Shit, I guess I mumbled my thoughts out loud again. I swear to god, it will get me killed one day… “Nasera, listen,” I start, all the while doing my best not to let my pessimism get the better of me despite it being the prevailing feeling in my heart. “I understand you’re one of those ‘never say die’ kinda gals, and I appreciate you having so much faith in me, but…” I sigh as I look down at the grass under my feet. “I have to be realistic about this. I’m not fit to be in your club. Your belief in me is mi—” Before I can finish my words, Nasera stomps forward and punches me in the shoulder just hard enough to trigger my fight or flight response, causing me to take a step back and bring my full undivided attention back to her face. “Did you already forget what I told you earlier?!” Nasera practically shouts the question at me, tossing me a bit off-guard and forcing me to swallow whatever other words I originally wanted to say. “No one ever said that finding the right sport would be easy! Hell, it took me YEARS to realize that track and field was my dream sport, and I had to work my ass off to get to where I am right now!” The ptero takes another step towards me and, with a firm yet soft hand, grabs my shoulder and spins me so I face everyone else in the club as they go about their sports routines. “You think everyone here just happens to know how to do their respective activity magically? No! It took countless hours of agonizing trial and error to nail things down!” “B-but… look at me, Nasera. I’m just a weak and stu—” “I said shut up!” Nasera snaps, this time grabbing me by both shoulders and practically shoving her forehead onto mine so that from my angle, all I can see is her big, wide, wet golden eyes. “You are beating yourself up over trying and failing!” “Exactly,” I snap back, feeling a bit heated that Nasera wasn’t getting where I was coming from. “I’ve been failing for TWO HOURS!” “But you’ve also been TRYING for TWO HOURS!” Nasera snaps back with just as much intensity as before. “By god, you’ve been trying so hard! You’ve been getting toppled, tossed, hit, tripped, and made to look like the biggest idiot who doesn’t know the first thing about physical activity. Still, you have tried to surpass your limits, and It’s been…” Nasera pauses for a second as she lets go of me and backs away, all the while glancing to the side with the tiniest hint of a blush forming on her cheeks. “...It’s been nothing short of INSPIRING!” I’m so stunned by my president’s words that I overlook Nasera taking another step back as she closes her eyes and sighs. “If there were more guys like you out there… then maybe I could’ve—” she starts but shuts her mouth as her eyes widen. “Uh….” She vocalizes before clearing her throat, the faint blush on her cheeks growing slightly brighter as she does her best not to look me in the eyes directly. “A-anyway! You must stop being such a doomer and have more faith in yourself. If nothing else, because you’re one determined primate!” Nasera says as she lets out a nervous giggle. “Y-yeah! You’re probably tapping into your ancestral caveman powers! Which means we’re on the right path!” I’m unsure if that’s how I’d put it, but Nasera’s words make me feel slightly more fired up than I was just minutes earlier. It leaves me amazed at just how good she is at motivating people. Probably comes with the territory of being a leader, but it feels like there’s more to it than just that… Nasera gives me a determined nod and turns around to face the field. “Okay, let’s try another two activities for today, then we’ll call it a day.” “Two activities?” “Yes. The long jump and javelin toss,” Nasera answers like it’s no big deal. “Uh…” Nasera turns back to face me and smiles again with a warm, confident simper. “Don’t worry. They are easy activities to pick up and learn. One only calls for running and jumping as far as you can, and the other’s about running and tossing a sharpened stick as far as you can. Easy enough, right?” “Well, when you put it that way…” “That’s the spirit!” Nasera cheers as she turns and continues leading me toward one side of the field, where a tiny bit of track gives way to a giant pit of sand. “And here we are!” she says, motioning to the jumping zone almost like she’s demonstrating a car to a prospective buyer. “So… do I just… run and jump…?” “There’s a bit more than goes into it, but that’s the gist of it, yeah,” Nasera answers as she takes a spot next to me. “Tell you what, let me give you a small demonstration of the proper technique. Just do everything that I do, okay?” I nod in reply. If it’s as simple as Nasera claims, then watching her run through the process once should be enough to teach me everything I need to know, right? Nasera takes off running in the opposite direction of where I’m standing and reaches maybe ten meters before skidding to a stop in style before launching forward with such speed that she closes the distance in a matter of seconds. Then, once she reaches the very edge of where the path ends, and the dirt starts, she jumps right off, becoming airborne for a few seconds before hitting the dirt with both feet and sticking the landing with such style and flair that I can’t help but be left in awe. “See, easy, right?” Nasera remarks as she steps to the side while still staying on the dirt. “Okay, remember what I told you: do as I did, okay?” Nasera instructs me with a level of confidence that, quite frankly, is a bit more than I deserve. I take a deep breath and position myself ten feet away from the start of the course. I even assume the same pose and everything Nasera had taken, which earns me a bit of a giggle from a few other club members watching. I ignore them as best as I can and take off running precisely in the same way that Nasera had, and upon reaching the same spot she had jumped from, I also jump with all my might. “Hey, prez! Got a quick question for you!” One of the students yells at Nasera from across the field, prompting her to turn to face the source of the voice just as I hit the dirt. Unfortunately, the sound of that student’s sudden shout, combined with catching full sight of Nasera’s amazing…assets… causes me to lose whatever focus I have. As a result, I bungle the landing so severely that I trip on my feet and start to titter forward, threatening to go down face-first toward the dirt. In a desperate attempt to not get a mouthful of sand, I flail my arms in search of something—anything—to grab onto. When it becomes obvious that I will hit the dirt face-first, I instinctively close my eyes to brace for impact. That's when my hand falls on something soft yet scaly, which my hand grips in one last attempt to prevent the fall. Naturally, it doesn't work, and I still wind up tumbling down. Worse, I can feel that whatever I had grabbed onto also winds up getting pulled down along with me... “SKREE-ONK!!!” A loud shriek bellows across the field, drawing all eyes toward it and, by extension, me. As I hit the dirt with my back, most of the oxygen in my lungs exits through my nose and mouth from the force of the impact. Time moves ten times as slowly as I snap open my eyes to look at my surroundings first, then trace my arm up to my hand to see what I had grabbed onto while falling. But it is only when I see what my hand has grasped that I realize the reality of my current situation as my brain finally processes it fully. Firmly gripped in my hand was my club president’s stubby tail… which was itself attached to a plum and amazing ass… an ass that just so happens to be rapidly falling towards the exact spot where my head’s located… … …You know, I sometimes wonder. Did I accidentally step on a leprechaun at some point in my life? Did one of my ancestors piss off a gypsy who then cast a curse on our entire family line? Am I the plaything of some cruel cosmic deity out to squeeze as much amusement from my misery…? *PLOP!* …The world goes dark as Nasera’s ass falls on my face. Thankfully, her rear isn’t as rigid as I had imagined. If anything, it’s the perfect balance of soft and firm. It still does me very little favor as the rest of Nasera’s weight pushes my head deep into the sand. Even while stuck in the dirt, I could hear everyone present gasping or laughing at the sight. …Please, god. Just kill me now… … …The weight lifts off my head, and I hear something from the other side of the void… “Holy crap, Anon! Are you alright!” A voice that no doubt belongs to Nasera shouts at me as someone janks on my arm, pulling me up from the dirt and back on my feet, at which point I stumble a bit and try to get the dirt out of my eyes and mouth. When I finally do manage to get my eyes open, the first thing I see is Nasera’s face. She’s looking at me with eyes that harbor nothing but worry. I try to say something but spit out more dirt instead. It probably doesn’t help me look less pathetic, but anything I say or do right now will not help me. It might only make things worse. When I finally get words out of my mouth and not just dirt-laden coughs, I raise my hands in preparation for getting chewed out. “Look, Nasera, I’m REALLY sorry! I-I didn’t mean to grab your tail, I swear!” "Wow, that was one hell of an accident, amigo!" Chad, who looks like he just jumped out of the pool while dripping water from his hair, says as he pats me on the shoulder. "Gotta make sure the coast is clear when you practice the long jump!" Nasera looks at me and nods, all the while fighting to keep her face from growing any redder in tone. "Y-yeah. That was completely my bad, Anon!" she says as she pats me down to get rid of all the dust on my clothes. "I really should've cleared the area for you. I'm super sorry about that." "Are you kidding me!" One of the club members, a female triceratops, suddenly shouts as she steps in front of Nasera and me. “You're actually going to buy his bullshit excuse of an accident?! No!" She snaps a hateful glare at me that makes me swallow hard. "Leave it to humans to be so lecherous to try and pull off the captain’s pants while she isn't looking!” she bellows, all the while pointing at me accusatorily. “As if him being a useless lout wasn’t bad enough already; he’s also a sexual predator!” Murmurs among the other club members break out at the triceratop's words. Murmurs that make me feel like I'm being slowly surrounded by an angry mob out for my blood. I start to look around for someone—anyone—who could be on my side, but all I see are angry faces that are slowly but surely turning against me... “What? N-no!” I find myself uttering as I step away from Nasera and what to me looks like a slowly forming lynching crowd. “WHAT!? NO!” Nasera shouts at the top of her lungs, stepping forward and right between me and the lynching crowd, which shocks me to the core. It shocks me so much that my eyes widen as the realization of what Nasera’s doing hits me. “What!?” I end up vocalizing despite my best efforts to try and not draw further attention to myself. “You keep those kinds of comments to yourself, Becky!” Nasera barks at the girl who had called me a useless sexual predator. “It’s rumors like those that ruin lives, and I’m not having any of that happen on my watch, you got it?!” “B-but—” “No buts!” Nasera snaps as she glares into the eyes of everyone present. “What happened just now was an ACCIDENT. Anon didn’t have any insidious plans, he didn’t take advantage of me being distracted to pull my pants down, and he’s certainly no sexual deviant as some of you suggest. He just lost his footing when he landed, and he just so happened to grab onto my tail on the way down. And I, in turn, fell right on his face with my ass. That’s what went down. End of story.” “Nasera! Are you sure that’s the truth!? The human could be playing the victim card to hide the true insidiousness of his actions! Why else would he SPECIFICALLY choose to grab your tail?!” The triceratops asks, albeit less forcefully than earlier. While I know it was unintentional, I still can’t help but side with the girl in her accusation. Why, of all things for me to grab from Nasera’s being, did it have to be her tail? You literally couldn’t get any more sexually suggestive than tugging on a femoid Dino’s tail. The only thing that could’ve been worse was an ass grab… Wait, why the fuck am I tossing myself in front of the bus!? Of course, I didn’t mean to grab Nasera’s tail! I swear it to myself! Nasera walks up to her fellow club member and locks eyes with her. “Becky… I know you have trust issues, but I PROMISE you that Anon’s not malicious like you are accusing him of being. He’s pretty cool, actually…” Nasera shoots me the fastest of glances before returning her attention to her college. “You think I'd invite a sexual predator into our club?” Everyone save for Becky nods in agreement with Nasera's words. The triceratops looks at all her other teammates, and after a long sigh, she crosses her arms and begrudgingly nods. With that, everyone returns to whatever activities they had been partaking in before their attention was drawn to Nasera and me, but as Becky leaves, she turns back to look at me with a glare. She then motions with her hand, clarifying that she will keep a close eye on me going forward. Once the coast was all clear, Nasera let out a long exhale and turned to face me with equal parts relief and annoyance. “I swear, some of these guys behave like they are still in middle school…” I walk up to Nasera, unsure what to say to her putting her reputation on the line on my behalf. “You… you didn’t have to do that…” I tell my club captain while feeling shitty both for the whole tail tug thing and for putting her on the spot. Nasera snorts, frowns, and waves me off. “Eh, like I said, it was an accident. Besides, if you think about it, we both screwed each other up, so consider me vouching for you my apology for sitting on your face…” The ptero crosses her arms and glances sideways to obfuscate how rosy her cheeks are turning. “...Just don’t tell anyone what happened. Especially Fang. Please…” “Uh… O-of course!” I reply, trying to keep my cheeks from getting too hot. Nasera closes her eyes and sighs before finally looking me in the eye again. “Cool. Cool. Now then, I probably don’t have to tell you that you… kinda suck at the long jump, do I?” I only nod in reply to Nasera, causing the ptero to nod right back at me. “We’ll try it again once you have more fitness experience. For now, let’s do that final activity and call it,” she says as she walks up towards what looks like a wooden rack stocked with steel tubes sharpened at both ends. “Those, uh… kinda look like spears,” I say, aware that my statement was rhetorically stupid. Still, at this point, I’m desperate to try and move the conversation as far away from the accident that had taken place just minutes earlier that I’m willing to try and say anything—even if it sounds utterly idiotic—to accomplish it. “Not spears, javelins, anon,” Nasera replies matter of factly. “Don’t worry though, they aren’t that sharp. But just in case, you’ll toss your javelin towards the other end of the field. Away from everyone else. Don't want another discus incident after all..." I’m very tempted to ask Nasera what to do if the javelin somehow makes a U-turn in mid-air as the discus had done, but I decide against putting more worries into Nasera’s mind. The girl probably has enough to worry about as is. "Oh, before we start," Nasera says as she turns towards the other club members. "Hey, Marco! Can you help us keep track of the meters!" A second later, one of the sports club members, what looks like an ankylosaur, steps forward with a broad smile and a roll of measuring tape in hand. "You got it, boss!" he says with as much cheer as he's displaying. "Okay, you probably don't need a tutorial on how to do this, but just in case, watch what I do," Nasera says as she takes one of the metal spears in her hand. She then takes a few steps back, and after inhaling deeply, she begins to rush forward with the javelin raised aloft. Nasera races past me, and after a few more steps, she comes to a stop and, using the momentum from her run, shoots her arm forward and upwards, letting loose the javelin to fly high and far in the air for about four seconds before it hits the ground, sticking out of the grass like a flagpole. "Good throw, boss," Marco says as he races towards where the javelin landed, stretching the measuring tape before sticking one end of it right next to the buried javelin. "Seventy-nine meters!" Marco yells, all the while waving at Nasera with excitement. "One meter off from your personal record!" Nasera beams and nods with satisfaction as she turns back to face me. "That's how you do it, Anon. Now let's see what you've got!" she says as she grabs another of the javelins and gives it to me. “I’m convinced you’ll do well in this activity.” “You sure about that?” I ask while carefully taking the javelin off of Nasera’s hand. “Yes, actually,” Nasera answers while grinning earhole to earhole. “Otherwise, why would humans always get called ‘spear chuckers’? The fact you guys have that reputation must mean you all MUST be good at the javelin toss!” … Oh… Oh! Okay, that last comment does it. It gets me pretty heated, especially after all the bull I’ve been through all afternoon. I can feel the fire building in my chest and the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Imagines of all my ‘fellow’ club members murmuring and snickering fill my mind. Images of their jeers and looks of disappointment as I failed at everything save for breathing. My mind starts to flood with all their choice words at every single one of my failures: He’s so worthless… He’s so lazy… More useless than a sixth toe… Gives other humans a lousy name… I can hear all those words and more in my mind as I grip the javelin in my hand so tight that my knuckles turn white. I even start seeing red… “A-anon? Is everything… okay?” Nasera asks suddenly. I see her moving her lips as she likely asks a follow-up question, but I don’t hear any words. I only hear a loud roaring sound as I let out a primal shout borne of all the negativity I’ve gathered today. I turn in the opposite direction and start running, stomping one foot right after the other as I pick up speed and power. I shut my eyes and let my instinct carry me forward as I feel my arm lift the javelin aloft. Another set of steps before my legs stop moving altogether, followed by my arm shooting forward with the momentum I build up rushing ahead. I then release the javelin, once again acting completely on rage-fueled instincts, nary a single thought except for the anger bubbling in me finally being unleashed. Thus, my spear flies high and far into the air as I fall on my knees, all my anger and energy spent on that instinctual toss. I look as the javelin flies far, far, far away; all the while, my vision starts to swim as I feel myself grow faint from exhaustion. I don’t even bother looking where the thing lands as I let myself plop into the grass and shut my eyes in resignation. Yet another thing I ended up messing up today. Yet another source for ridicule… … I soon hear it again. All the murmuring. No doubt, the entire club’s ridiculing me for messing up yet another activity so simple that even troglodytes couldn’t mess it up. Yet here I am, having found some way to ruin such a simple thing as tossing a stick hard. … The murmuring’s only getting louder. Had I fucked things so badly as to garner that much ire from everyone else? … Wait a second… the murmurs… they are… cheers…? “Holy shit! Did the human do that!?” “Impossible! That shit’s impossible!” “HOW FAR DID HE TOSS THAT THING?!” “I got the measurement! It’s almost ninety meters!” “WHAT?! NINETY METERS?! HOW’S THAT POSSIBLE?!” I snap my eyes open at those last words only to see myself surrounded by a dozen saurian faces, all looking at me with a mixture of shock and awe. “Wh-” I try to ask, but before I can even get through my words, I’m picked up off the grass and feel dozens of hands patting me on the shoulder. The sensation is utterly alien to me. Why am I being praised all of a sudden? “A-ANON!” I hear Nasera’s voice cut through the din of all the other voices around me. Seconds later, she manages to shove her way through all the other dino bodies and firmly grasp my shoulders as she looks at me with eyes wide and filled with shock and pride. “You… you…” she stutters before taking a deep breath to compose herself. “You just broke the current school record for longest javelin toss… m-my record!” “W-what?!” “Y-yeah,” Nasera stutters out a reply. “Eighty meters was my record… and you just flew past it like it was nothing!” “Anon’s toss is only eight meters from the world record!” Marco, who is standing next to where my javelin had landed with a measuring tape, screams out. Only when I see how far he is from everyone else do I realize how far I somehow managed to toss the javelin… …How in the fuck did I do that…? Before I can process what I had just accomplished further, Nasera spins me in place again so I’m facing her directly yet again. “Anon! We found your sport!” she practically exalts at the top of her lungs. As soon as Nasera says those words, everyone around me cheers as I’m given more congratulations. Soon, everyone is singing my praises, and all the jeers and negative comments I once believed to be hearing are all but supplanted by encouragement the likes of which I have never before in my life received. Before I realize it, I get caught up in the positivity as the corners of my lip rise into a big, broad grin. A grin borne not just from the infectious praise I was getting but also at the knowledge for once in my life, I didn’t mess something up. … So, this is what sweet victory feels like, huh? I could get used to it. THIS is where things change for me. THIS is the big turning point where the Anon of old gives way to the new and improved Anon. The Anon that Nasera seems to believe in, even when that Anon didn’t believe in himself… … Yeah… I think I can get used to this new Anon…