The rest of the period passed, stuck staring at the captcha of a certain Vladivostok cow auction forum… mainly because I was listening to Fang, strumming a mellow rhythm that carried so much nostalgia to it as the rest of the classmates ignored her. Only half a year of this… and I could tell how she felt. Lost. Confused. … Alone. By the time the free period was over, Fang had quietly hung up the borrowed guitar, sitting off her chair and walking toward the exit. And... I guess I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Hey.” Fang stopped before reaching the door, frowning as she peered at me. She then harshly asked. “What do you want?” I paused for a moment before smiling, nodding toward the guitars. “Those were some beautiful tunes you were playing just now.” The monochrome pterodactyl blinked, head at a slight tilt before frowning. “Oh, I get it.” She then began to approach as I froze up in my seat, stooping with an angered scowl. “You must think you’re really clever, Asshole!” “Wha-” I was stunned as she pointed a clawed digit, digging it into the fabric of my jacket. “You heard me!” She growled, a few passing students chuckled as they left, Fang glaring at them before looking back at me. “Last warning. Don’t. Bother. Me. Again.” She turned around before I could even say a word, giving me one last furious gaze. Fang then left the room, 100 percent going to text Trish about our interaction just now. … I guess that must’ve been one of those ‘the worst she could say is no’ moments as I tried to absorb what the fuck had just happened. Was she this… angry when I had first met her in my past life? Why did Fang think I was being sarcastic? What made her even come to that conclusion? I placed a claw against the side of my head, shaking it before relinquishing my claw, realizing I had possibly found my answer, holding the scaly palm open before me as I stared at it. Right… I wasn’t Anon the loser loner Skinnie transfer student anymore… I was… Anon, but not of the above, not even sure what to categorize myself as only that I was a compsognathus and still a transfer student. If anything, Fang could relate more to the former than the latter. In her view, I must’ve been some freakishly tall Compy who was friends with her brother… the aforementioned being someone she hated at the moment. Add in a bit of Trish’s influence, and by Fang’s perception, how could a dinosaur like me truly be complimenting her music? Compared to before, the distance between us both couldn’t have felt any greater. But even so… I lowered my claw, staring forward. “Everyone’s fighting their own battles.” It wasn’t just Fang that needed support, but others as well, Naser first and foremost coming to mind. If Fang wanted nothing to do with me for now, then that was fine, I wasn’t going to try and force anything. But if a natural opportunity arrived? … I would be on it at once. Because at the very least, I wanted to compliment her music and have her know that I meant it from the bottom of my heart. I wanted to support Fang. I wanted to support Naser… again. It was the least I could do for both of them after what I had done and let happen… Standing up from my seat, I left the room, passing by Mr. Jingo who slept snuggly in his chair. By the time school finished, Olivia and I went home, unable to find Naser after class to say goodbye… Which left dinner at home quiet despite the eventful day. Olivia was playing with her food again, and Mom and Dad were quick to pick up on it. “So… how was the first day of school for you two?” Edward asked, finishing chewing a morsel of pot roast as Olivia continued torturing a stray piece of beef on her plate, poking holes in it with her fork. “Good.” I simply answered, “Volcano High is a lot more modern than Mezosoic Private, prettier too, and the classes are-” … I didn’t really have a word to describe them, instead settling on- “-interesting.” I then looked to Olivia, the baryonyx’s eyes catching mine, peering down again, before looking forward. “... It was fine.” After a few seconds of poking the other bits of food on her plate, Olivia leaned her head against her claw, “And… different, not what I expected.” Mom and Dad briefly peered at one another before looking back at Olivia, Mom speaking up. “Was Naser there?” That question had her paused, fork still. “... Yeah, he was. I-...” She then gently placed the fork down, “But… y’know, it’s been 5 years since I last saw him and… I was happy to see him again but…-” Olivia peered down, “... I’ve noticed that Naser’s dealing with a lot of stuff…” She slowly shook her head, “I kinda don’t wanna add to it.” I had to admit, it was such a huge breath of fresh air of how transparent Olivia could be at times, Mom and Dad nodding in understanding before the former spoke up, head at a slight tilt. “Sounds to me he needs a moment to catch his breath, the poor thing.” Olivia nodded in agreement as I spoke up, nudging Olivia’s shoulder. “That’s just Naser for you, wouldn’t be him if he wasn’t finding some way to be a ball of stress.” That managed to put a smile on her snout, if only for a second as the baryonyx nodded. “True.” “Then how about you two hang out with him this weekend?” Dad offered, “Use some of your free time to get used to the city?” He paused for a moment, "In the safe parts of course.” Olivia and I blink, considering for a moment. “That's a great idea.” I look at Olivia, “After all, Naser did say he wanted to catch up.” She peered away. “He did… but…-” The baryonyx shrugged, “... I guess we’ll see.” I gave a reassuring smile as Mom spoke up again. “And what about any new friends?” Olivia shook her head, I myself about to do the same only to pause, recalling that I met Stella. Should I consider her a friend at this point? … Sure, why not? “Yeah, I met this girl in the hallway who-” I then suddenly noticed the looks my parents were giving me, rolling my eyes as I continued. “First of all, no, it’s not like that. Second of all, her name’s Stella, and she’s got a thing for fortune-telling.” “Fortune-telling?” Olivia said, “So she carries tarot cards around and stuff?” “Pretty much.” I answered. Dinner went by quickly after that, Olivia able to chomp down on the rest of her plate after she was able to get some stuff was off her chest, all of us retiring to our rooms for the night. Approaching my door, I paused as I opened it, Olivia sliding open her own and staring into her room before the two of us peered at one another. “So… tomorrow? We’re… really gonna ask Naser if he wants to hang out on the weekend?” Olivia asked, and I could sense a bit of hope in her voice. “That’s what we decided isn’t it?” She paused for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, we did..." A look of resolve then grew on her features. "... Goodnight, Anon." "Night, Olivia." Next morning. The mist was heavy as hell, which meant it was too risky for any Olivia-powered commute to school. The two of us cautiously made our way through the fog, myself having to put my claws out before me to make sure I didn’t smack into a tree as Olivia spoke up, snout curled in annoyance. “Why’s it so foggy…?” “No idea, I’m no oceanologist.” I looked around… if it could even be considered that, just fog all around us. “But I gotta say, this’d be great for a horror movie.” “Yeah…” Olivia agreed as she peered at me, “Kinda reminds me of-” But I was already gone… Hehehe. The baryonyx came to a stop, already rolling her eyes. “Alright, Anon. I get it, very funny.” She crossed her arms, “You can come out now.” Silence. Olivia then seemed to grow slightly nervous, “... A-Anon?” “Ch ch ch ah ah ah…” And then I struck. “RAGUAeegh!” Only for my efforts of scaring her to be rewarded with a nostril full of plastic grabber, Olivia had already prepared her lethal weapon in anticipation. She smiled. “Gotcha!” “Were you at least a little scared?” I ask, my tone nasally before Olivia relinquished her grabber, granting me my precious snout back. “Sorta, but then you started doing the whole Jurasson Voorhees thing… and it became funny.” She shrugged, “Maybe you should be him for Halloween.” “Heh, I’d be down.” I ran a claw over my bald scaly head, “And I already got one aspect of the costume down.” “... You know, I always wondered why you were completely bal-” “-d you gotta have some! So where the hell is it?!” The two of us suddenly heard a loud and angry voice, the fog having cleared up a bit to reveal two dinosaurs on the path ahead, one of them with their back against the tree and the other, a much bigger dinosaur that almost blotted the other. A few traveling students could be seen walking past, clearly deciding that it was none of their business. I didn’t know what was going on, only that it was nothing good. Snout tightening, I moved forward as Olivia followed, approaching the murky dinos as I was able to discern the bigger one, a metriacanthosaurus in a ragged hoodie and ripped cargo shorts… And the victim was quickly identified with voice alone. “S-Sorry man, but I don’t deal with that type of stuff, y’know?” My eyes widened upon realizing that it was Reed, the velociraptor being held by the wide strap of his tanktop, his bushy tail nervously swaying against the tree. “But I still got some carfe if you-” A thwack, the tree shaking from the force, the metriacanthosaurus having smashed a fist against the bark beside Reed’s snout, the pink velociraptor gulping. “Screw carfe! That shit doesn’t even get me high anymore!” Despite the danger, Reed managed to speak out, eyes wide more in disbelief than actual fear. “... Woah, I didn’t even know that was possibl-” He then flinched, the bigger dinosaur readying another fist as I stepped in. “Hey! What the hell’s going on here?” I asked, the bigger dino peering at me as Reed seemed to stand on his tippy toes, peering past his assailant’s shoulder as he blinked at me. “None of your business.” The metriacanthosaurus answered, about to turn back to Reed only for me to speak up again. “That dude goes to my school.” I crossed my arms, “So it kinda is.” The ragged dinosaur paused, turning to me as he let go of Reed, the velociraptor stepping away from the tree. He then seemed to size up Olivia and I, scoffing. “A Compy and a cripple…” He smirked, “What’re you gonna do? Gang up on me? Roll over my toes?” His tone became dangerously low, “Beat it, or I’ll beat you.” Olivia rolled up beside me, an angered frown on her face as I shook my head. “No, I don’t think I will.” A pause, the metriacanthosaurus turning away to nod as Reed tried to speak up. “Um, Hey dudes, why don’t we just chill out, have some carfe and-” The metriacanthosaurus then swung back around, giant claw balled as he tried to strike me right in the snout. Except… I had caught his fist, air pressure escaping from the crushed space between our claws as the leaves of the tree stirred, both my arms uncrossed and my knees bent to take in the impact. The metriacanthosaurus’s eyes widened, trying to pull his claw, only for me to tighten my grip. “Alright, listen-” I tried to speak, only for the metriacanthosaurus to launch his other arm, much more slower and sluggish due to it clearly not being his dominant claw, which lead to his other fist easily being caught by me as well, now both arms locked still. “Could you just calm-!” Growling, he tried to bring his leg back. And… For the record, I had really tried to stop him, really… So what happened next meant the metriacanthosaurus had only himself to blame. For Olivia had wheeled herself into the fray like a Stand despite being sat, claw tightening on both wheels before she leaned on one end, tilting the other side off the ground and swinging herself and the chair with the throw of her arm. エキサイティング骨折 The footplate of the baryonyx’s chair met with the metriacanthosaurus’s shin mid-kick, a crunch ringing out. … … … I was unsure of what emotion I was seeing at first, the bigger dino’s face scrunching up into what appeared to be a stoic look before rapidly devolving into more chaotic shapes, eyes bulging from his sockets and losing their pupils as his snout seemed to inflate with air, a small noise piping from his throat like the air of a wounded and dying critter. “Eawewewew…” He then buckled as I let go, allowing him to fall to the ground, managing to fall on his butt to clutch at his shin, the metriacanthosaurus rocking back and forth, his eyes closed in agony. “Ssssss… Ahhhh… Ssssss… Ahhhh… Ssssss…-” He paused, “Ahhhh… Sss-” This went on for a few moments, Olivia staring down as I rubbed my own shin, feeling a ghost pain from the sight and thought alone, Reed’s eyes almost scrunched closed as if still recovering from witnessing the painful counter-attack. Finally, the metriacanthosaurus seemed to recover, if it could even be called that, struggling to contain the tears in his eyes. God, I felt bad, trying to offer a claw. “Hey, you-” “D-Don’t fucking touch me!” The metriacanthosaurus barked, slapping my claw away as he managed to miraculously stand up on his own. “Just-” He then turned around and limped off, disappearing into the mists as the three of us quietly watched. After a few more seconds of silence, I looked to Reed. “You okay?” “Uh… yeah, all fine here.” Reed answered still slightly shaken before brightening up. “Thanks, Anon.” He then looked at Olivia pointing a claw as he looked up, trying to think. “... and Olivia, right?” “Yeah… Reed?” Olivia asked. “I mean, you’re Reed? Overheard yesterday.” “The one and only.” The velociraptor said with a dopey smile on his snout. The baryonyx looked to the direction the assailant had limped off before looking back. “Why was he trying to beat you up?” “Oh, you mean Bryce… I think?” Reed then smiled, albeit a bit troubled. “I uh, used to be his supplier back in ninth, before he graduated…” He then paused, “Or did he drop out?” Reed then shrugged, “Well, anyways, he texted me out of the blue, said he wanted to meet again in a secluded place by the school and I agreed. Didn’t think he’d be so mean, or try to demand Crysanyl of all things from me.” “Crysanyl?” I asked, having never heard the term before. “Crushed up amber with mosquitos fossilized in them, apparently the nectar in the mosquitos is so old that it’s turned into some seriously wacky stuff, especially if you snort it.” He then shook his head, “Highly expensive, highly illegal, and highly dangerous.” Reed shook his head, “I don’t sell that stuff, y’know? Only good vibes, speaking of which-” He reached into his backpack, producing two joints. “I can’t let my saviors go without a reward, heh.” Olivia and I stared at the offered gifts, feeling like we were the actors in some anti-drug PSA as we shook our heads. “Thanks for the offer, but I kinda wanna spend the rest of my day not being baked.” “Same.” Olivia agreed as Reed shrugged. “S’cool, more for me I guess.” He then placed both joints at the edge of his snout and bit into them, taking out a lighter to ignite the ends before taking a breath, letting out a smoky cough, eyes already turning to the same color as his shirt. “Anyways, thanks a lot you two. You may be new to the school and all, but you both are pretty cool.” Olivia shook her head, “Don’t think that girl you were with would agree…” “Hm, oh, you mean Trish?” Reed smiled, “Trust me, she’s cool once you get to know her and stuff.” I hoped for that too, but somehow knew how hard it would be. She did hate my guts after all, and maybe Olivia’s. I somehow had a feeling that it had increased since yesterday, knowing how frequently she and Fang texted one another. Just my luck. But it didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try to at least get along with this second chance… after all, I was getting along with Reed at the moment, nodding with a smile. “I don’t doubt that.” My honest response seemed to surprise Reed, eyes wide for a moment before he smiled. “Cool, see you two at school?” “Sure…” Olivia responded, the pink velociraptor nodding before he walked off into the mists, some added smoke coming from his maw as he was fully enveloped, disappearing from sight. “... Where’s he going, isn’t school the other way?” The baryonyx asked as I stared alongside her. “No idea.” I then called out, “Hey Reed! School’s the other way!” A pause, and then a callback. “Oh, you’re right! Thanks!” We then saw his shape pass by as Olivia and I shrugged, following behind. Knowing the first thing we were going to do when we got to school. Find Naser. If only. Although we were ready to try and talk to Naser… I guess what we should’ve been ready for was not being able to talk to Naser. To be fair, we didn’t arrive as early as usual, so that might’ve explained his absence at the entrance… But every other chance we got, any piece of free time we had, Naser was either nowhere to be found or I suspected, was actively avoiding us. I hoped my suspicion wouldn’t be confirmed as Olivia exited art class. “So how was it?” I asked, doing my best to hide the anxiousness of my voice. I also hoped that Olivia’s art class was one she enjoyed, yet unfortunately, that seemed to be slightly dashed as she frowned, shrugging. “... It was okay. The teacher kinda… well, really doesn’t care. Not much different from Mezosoic Private…” Another student exited the class, the small microraptor Sage as she waved at Olivia, moving on to her next class. “That was fun! Thanks for the pointers, Olivia!” I smirked, looking down at Olivia. “At least you made a new friend.” Olivia waved, turning back to me. “Sage?” Olivia shrugged, “She just wanted some help with doodling… I don’t know if that constitutes me as her friend…” She then paused, “That also reminds me of another not-so-good thing…” Blinking, I tilted my head. “What?” The baryonyx peered at the door before looking back. “... Trish is also in my class.” “... Oh.” And as if on cue, a familiar purple triceratops exited, thankfully walking the other way as she struggled to fit something into her bag, completely ignorant of our presence. “... Not that I hate her, but…-” She then shook her head, “Her art’s kinda crap.” That almost tore a chuckle out of my snout, shaking my head. “Well-” I crossed my arms, the two of us moving side by side down the hallway, a few gazes sent our way, but thankfully, not as rude or obvious as before. “-can’t be much worse than my own drawing skills.” “It is.” Olivia unapologetically answered. Yeesh… now I felt kinda bad for Trish if Olivia considered her at that level, recalling the CD case and the cardboard poster she had apparently spent time in art class making and…- I guess art really wasn’t Trish’s forte. The two of us carried on before the baryonyx seemed to notice something. “Uh… I’m guessing that’s Stella?” I blinked, turning to look where Olivia was peering to see the weeby stegosaurus staring at us from behind the window of one of the classrooms, her eyes widening upon being found out as she dropped down to hide… not realizing her back plates were still in clear view. After a few seconds, I spoke. “Yep.” Olivia paused before looking back at me, “... You sure she’s not like… a stalker or something?” “I’m sure.” I paused, “... Mostly sure.” The two of us were about to continue on our way before I paused again, noticing a certain pterodactyl at the end of the hallway, going to his next class, a smile building on my snout. “Hey, Naser!” I called out, Olivia freezing up in her wheelchair. The grey and orange pterodactyl briefly paused, head turned away from us… before continuing down the stairs. … Did-… Did he just-? … It was fine if Naser didn’t want to talk, but to not even say a simple hello? And worse yet… I looked to Olivia, the baryonyx was peering down with a downcast expression, having noticed his avoidance. To not even acknowledge Olivia… the one that brought him so much joy and happiness during the Meteor Bowl? I was unable to keep the deep frown off my face as my snout shut tight, unsure of what to even say any more to excuse him. Because frankly, I had no idea what was going on in that orange-crested brain of his. The rest of the day went on. And by the time we were at lunch… Naser was once again MIA. I anxiously looked around from our food pile, Olivia holding her snout up with a claw as her pencil idly drew circles in her book, having not even touched her plate of now cold lamb chop. What to do…? At this point, I was tempted to just ask Olivia if she wanted to try and look for Naser before I noticed a particular trio arrive at the food line. Reed, Trish, and Fang. They conversed with one another, and I was tempted to use my keen senses to listen in… only to decide against it. Although I was curious to know what they were talking about, it’d feel wrong to listen in on them and breach their privacy. They took a few plates and put them atop their trays, paying for them at the cashier before getting ready to turn around and leave for the auditorium. And then Reed caught sight of me, pausing for a moment before smiling. I returned the gesture, looking back down to start working on my plate as Reed turned and called out something to Fang and Trish. … Wait, hold on. Why were all three of them coming this way? … Woah, woah, woah, hey, hey, hey! Olivia’s eyes widened as they arrived, subtly placing her drawing away into her bag as Reed spoke up with a great big smile on his snout, his tray littered with burritos and chips. “Anon, Olivia, sup!” He peered at the empty seats around us, “You mind if we sit here?” I peered at Trish and Fang in my peripherals, the former looking at me with a narrowed gaze while the latter seemed to want to be anywhere else but here at the moment. Honestly, I could relate to Fang at the moment, wanting to just say- Yeah, I do mind. It’s the worst possible time for this. But of course… “No.” I try to give my best smile, the edges of my snout feeling wobbly. “Make yourself at home.” “Cool.” Reed sat, Trish and Fang slowly following suit, quiet for a few moments as we began to dig in, Olivia thankfully now eating her lamb chop, but in reality probably just doing so to keep busy and to avoid any interaction, myself tempted to do the same only for Reed to start trying to make conversation. “So like, how’s Volcano High and stuff for you two? Haven’t gotten lost or anything?” Olivia and I paused, looking up from her plates as I spoke for the both of us. “Um, no, not at all. We’ve been getting around pretty well.” “That’s awesome to hear.” Reed turned to Trish and Fang, “Y’know, we were just talking the other day, about you guys riding the elevator and stuff.” He then looked back to us, “We didn’t even think anyone’s ever even used it before, except for you two.” Fang then mumbled behind her phone, “And the stupid bitch with the fucked-wing retard.” *Crack* Olivia had gnashed her snout and snapped the hard bone like a twig, the end falling against her plate with a small clatter. I briefly peer at the baryonyx, Olivia staring forward, her gaze elsewhere… and narrowed with silent anger. … Shit… Of course, Olivia wasn’t going to be happy about the way Fang talked about Naser… I looked back as Trish spoke up. “Reed said you stopped him from being accosted this morning, is that true?” Pausing for a moment, I shrugged. “I mean, we weren’t just going to sit back and just watch him get potentially hurt. So… yeah, we helped.” Trish blinked, “Well…” She peered away, hesitantly speaking. “... Thanks for that, I guess…” … Did my ears deceive me, or did I hear an actual, genuine ‘thank you’ from Trish? Yet she seemed quick to return to her usual attitude. “But don’t think for a moment that we’re on even terms. I’ll still be watching you.” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes before realizing something. Shouldn’t Trish be trying to guilt trip me at the moment, demanding an apology for something along the lines of ‘harassing Fang in music class and ridiculing her ability to play’? … Oddly specific thought I had, but unfortunately a very likely line that’d be spout by the purple triceratops So what gives? It seemed like a topic Trish would have eagerly bought up by now. … Unless Fang hadn’t told her. Briefly, I peered at Fang, the pterodactyl still using her phone, her amber eyes just about to peer up as I looked away… and maybe getting some semblance of an idea why she might’ve kept silent. It was the guitar. Trish probably wouldn’t have approved of her playing. Reed tampered with a tablet from his backpack before looking up, “By the way, you two know we’re in a band, right?” Pausing, I played dumb for obvious reasons, Olivia slowly shaking her head as I spoke up. “Er, no, not at all. What’s the name?” “How have you not heard of us?” Trish said with a frown, prompting me to wonder if she had forgotten that Olivia and I only started attending Volcano High yesterday. “But we’re called VVORM DRAMA.” The triceratops confidently introduced, “We formed it last semester, and we’ve been doing great so far!” “Heh, yeah.” Reed then seemed to muse, “S’long you don’t count that whole field trip inciden-” “Reed-!” Trish warned, the velociraptor slightly flinching before turning the screen of his tablet to us. “Anyways, check it, I’ve been recording some of our practices.” I nod, silently bracing myself for what was to come. He then pressed play, the poor recording quality doing little to hide just how awful two basses could sound if not properly used, devolving into intelligible tinnitus. And it brought memories back as I thought of that night… prom night… I blink away my distant eyes as Reed paused it, Trish looking at me expectedly and Fang lowering her phone… her amber eye peering with a bare hint of anxiousness. “Great, right?” Trish proclaimed with an open smile as I steadied my snout with a cough, opening it to speak, not to be rude but maybe see if I could slightly pry at the subject regarding the two bass guitars. “It-” “It doesn’t sound very good.” My eyes widened, peering at Olivia, the baryonyx going directly for the gushing throat as she slowly shook her head. “Doesn’t sound good at all…” Reed looked unconcerned and seemed rather willing to take criticism, but Trish… she looked furious, teeth gritted and stubby snout wrinkled behind her horn. Fang on the other claw, actually looked surprised rather than pissed, as if unexpected that someone had the guts to say such a thing outright, amber eyes blinking rapidly at Olivia while Trish growled. “Care to elaborate on that?” “... Sure.” And then the baryonyx elaborated. “It sounds too heavy so I can barely hear the rhythm… and any rhythm that’s heard is completely off-key because it’s too low.” She shook her head, “It just doesn’t sound right with two basses… why two basses?” Reed shrugged, “I just thought it was cool y’know, unique and stuff.” “And it’s monetizable!” Trish harumphed, crossing her arms. “Besides, you just don’t get it, you probably don’t even play anything.” The triceratops then seemed panicked at her own words, “N-Not that I’m insinuating that it’s due to your inability to walk as a dinosaur of-” Olivia rolled her eyes, “Maybe you’re right…” She then looked to me, “Then in that case, you can listen to Anon, he could give some better pointers.” … … … All three of their eyes were upon me, Reed blinking as Trish sneered… and Fangs… They were piercing, walking a fine line between predatory and curiosity, as if seeing right through me, her snout closed while she continued staring, not a single clue what she was thinking at the moment. It almost made me tremble as Trish spoke up. “What the hell would you know about music?!” Managing to ignore amber eyes that were burrowing into the side of my head, I looked to Trish. “I-” I then paused, noticing Naomi arriving at the cafeteria, my eyes widening as Fang blinked, following my gaze before letting out an annoyed huff, returning to her phone as she grumbled out a warning. “Naomi at 12 o’clock…” Trish’s head shot up like an alert animal as Reed gave a friendly smile at the approaching pink parasaurolophus. Never did I think I’d feel relieved to see Naomi… even if she was probably holding Naser somewhere on some task so he could continue avoiding us. But that relief didn’t last long, the pink parasaurolophus briefly frowning at the trio. “Hello, you three…” She then looked at Olivia and me with that fake cheerful smile of hers. “Anon, Olivia!” And then that frown returned. “Have you two seen Naser?” That… had thrown me for a loop, my green eyes blinking. “Um… no, not at all.” Naser wasn’t with Naomi? … Then where the hell was he and what was he doing? Olivia seemed surprised by that news as well, opening her snout to ask only for Naomi to disregard her, asking the trio next. “What about you three?” “No idea, sorry.” Reed earnestly answered with a shrug. “Yeah.” Trish snootily agreed, “And even if we knew, what makes you think we’d tell?” Fang didn’t even look up from her phone as she spoke. “... Like I give a shit about that fucked-wing reta-” *SLAM* Olivia’s tail had struck the ground with the force of a sledge hammer, the entire table rumbling as plates and silverware clattered loudly, putting the table conversation at pause. And she looked angry… angrier than I had ever seen. She then disengaged the break to move. … Oh no. All I could do was watch in abject horror as the baryonyx rolled straight up to Fang, the pterodactyl lowering her phone in confusion before Olivia spoke to her. “Don’t call him that.” Fang blinked, “Who-?” “Naser… Don’t call him that.” Olivia repeated. I was unable to keep the grimace from my snout, Naomi blinking at the exchange as Trish and Reed watched with startled gazes. Fang seemed to parse Olivia’s words before an angered frown began to develop on her features. “Screw off.” Fang growled, returning to her phone. “I can call him whatever I want.” Olivia snout wrinkled, her sharp teeth gritted as she peered at me. And then… “What is her problem?” … … … And everything just stopped, the entire cafeteria falling into total silence. I even spotted Stella, watching us from a nearby pillar, a hand over her snout in shock, most nearby tables now looking at our way, understanding of the shit storm that was about to occur. “Her?” Olivia looked back, Fang standing up from her seat. “Can you not see?!” Olivia looked Fang up and down before shaking her head. “Not much.” … Holy fuck. I had falsely assumed it’d play out like my past life… only to realize… Olivia had no movement in her legs, and no shits to give. Fang looked even more pissed at that insult, angelic wings spreading in aggravation, Trish and Reed staring wide-eyed. “I. Am. Non. Binary.” “And. I. Don’t. Care.” Olivia responded, arms crossed and her tone flat… but with a dangerous edge to it. “How can you expect others to respect you when you don’t even respect your brother-?” Fang then lunged, slamming both claws on the armrests of Olivia’s wheelchair. “AND WHAT THE FUCK DOES A CRIPPLE KNOW ABOUT RESPECT?!” I stood up quickly, realizing if nobody stepped in, then someone was gonna get clawed, Trish unhelpfully interjecting, perhaps defusing once she had realized how bad the optics of the situation looked as a few tables watched on. “W-Well, Olivia, if you want to avoid these types of situations, you should use Fang’s pronouns of they/them and-” “Tell they/them to get their claws off my armrest…” Olivia’s tone was low, staring Fang dead in the eye, both claws atop her wheels and ready to drive it forward. “... or I’ll turn their shins into a was/were.” Finally, Reed and I stepped in before any threats were made good on, the velociraptor gently grasping Fang’s wrists and detaching her from Olivia’s wheelchair. “C’mon, Fang… just… chill-” The pterodactyl wrestled from his grasp, still peering down with Olivia with a snarl, teeth still bared and body still poised to swoop down and inflict some winged frenzy. Olivia simply sat there as I placed a gentle claw on her shoulder, feeling the anger radiate from through her hoodie. She crossed her arms and stooped her head low, shooting Fang that scrutinizing gaze Olivia was known for, making the baryonyx seem akin to some gator waiting in shallow water, ready to lunge out and catch some unfortunate creature in a death roll. A few giggles sounded off, Fang now finally looking away at Olivia. “Well?! What the fuck is so funny!?” “You got owned by a cripple!” Laughter burst out, and it shamed me to think that in my past life when I first started Volcano High, I would’ve been one of those laughing voices, so content with just ridiculing and mocking from the sidelines. But now…? Nothing about this was fucking funny to me anymore as Fang gave the finger, snarling as Olivia and I just silently watched. “FUCK ALL OF YOU! You can all go fucking die!” She then stomped off, Reed and Trish following anxiously as they desperately tried to call out to her, but to no avail. … I wanted to call out too, but I-... My claw tensed on Olivia’s shoulder. … How could I at this moment…? I guess Stella was right, cause it really did feel like I had shitty luck. But I didn’t delve into that, peering down at Olivia, still staring where Fang had left, still with that scrutinizing gaze before she finally relented, slowly letting out a heavy sigh as she sunk into her chair, gently placing her claw by her shoulder and over my own. “… I messed up.” I looked over her, giving my attention as she continued. “... I shouldn’t have gotten angry like that… I-” She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have gotten in a fight with her and…” Olivia then paused, looking directly up at me “... I messed up.” She repeated solemnly. I paused for a moment, “I’m not gonna say what you felt was wrong… it’s alright to get angry.” I shook my head, “But you’re also right that it wasn’t the way to go about it, Olivia. Fang obviously isn’t on good terms with her brother…” I looked up to where Fang had left, the entrance of the corridor now empty. “That’s Naser’s battle to fight… not yours… speaking of which…” I then peered at Naomi, seeing a distinct gaze on the pink parasaurolophus, noting how envious it looked for some reason as I spoke up. “Naomi, do you know where Naser might be?” She blinked, shaking her head. “No.” And then frowned again, as if blaming us for that. “I’ll continue trying to find him… alone.” Naomi then left, now just Olivia and I… And I guess Stella to a certain degree, standing the background and frantically pointing at the reversed Wheel of Fortune card in her hand. Yep. I know, thank you, Stella. The last period came by. Most of the students weren’t even here yet… and I was far earlier then the lesson could even start. Having bought my change of PE clothes, I looked in the mirror of the locker room, a 21 on the back of my black PE shirt as I adjusted the yellow hems of my shorts. Now fully prepared, I exited the room, finding Olivia already waiting for me in her kit, white shirt having replaced her hoodie, number concealed behind her seat. “You put yours on?” I asked curiously, Olivia shrugging. “Figured I might as well…” She admitted with a shrug before turning around, the number 7 on the back of her shirt. “You never know.” “Fair.” I agree, the two of us entering the gymnasium to see barely anybody there except for a few students, the only standout one being a grey-colored… dinosaur, wearing a red beanie. She then tilted her head at us. “Meep morp?” … So that was who I kept hearing that fr- The door suddenly slammed open and a small group of jocks suddenly entered, lead by a megalodon wearing a pair of red… goggle shades? “Yooo! First lesson of PE this year, les fuckin’ go!” They cheered as Olivia raised an eye. “Who’re they…?” “My guess? Probably the jocks.” I noted before blinking, realizing something. “Wait… a megalodon…” I then looked to Olivia, “You don’t think that’s Chet, do you?” “Chet…?” Olivia wondered before her eyes widened upon recalling. “The megalodon that was supposed to come to the Meteor Bowl with Nas-?!” Chet, or who we assumed to be seeing there were no other megalodons we knew of at school, then turned to the door. “Yo, Naser! What’re you sluggish for?! C’mon dude!” … Naser entered, shaking his head as he peered down in distracted thought before freezing up upon noticing Olivia and I, golden eyes wide. I could feel the baryonyx shirk from his gaze… but not me. I kept looking him right in the eyes, unable to keep the frown from my face… and the gritted smile from my snout, the type of look one made when they were happy pissed. And I was more pissed than happy, pissed that he had avoided us for so long and happy that he was finally found as I stood there… ゴゴゴゴ Menacingly. “... Hey, Naser.” I greeted, remaining a calm and reasonable dinosaur. “I think we missed you today.” [NOTES] And here's the next chapter! Unfortunately, I also have some bad news with it, as next week due to projects and exams, I'm probably not going to have as much time with the chapter after this, leading to a delay... but who knows, I'll see if I got time after my studies. I've also seen more amazing fan art of NtS Anon, which has inspired me to write even more. I'd place it in the end notes, but I haven't asked for permission from the artists yet, instead I'll just point to the Twitter account of a recent one by Exagono16, so go check it out! acobracadabra out.