Grade one whizzed by like a montage, but there were a few highlights. The first of our little group involved a few finessing of missing homework which Worden and somehow eaten… Doe had to distract the teachers while Olivia drew a really convincing copy of his paper, all the while I finished filling in the questions. There was also an extreme game of hide and seek that involved a small after-lunch teacher-led manhunt for Olivia, who as it turned out, was hiding in the school vent and drawing. She apparently didn’t hear the bell… which was suspicious. But our group stayed the same. Jeremy didn’t bother us anymore, not that we really saw much of the giganotosaurus anymore. We also remained on good terms with Billy and his own group. Yet something else also happened by the time second grade began, the time when school cliques were being drawn in the sand. In my previous life, I would have sulked around, seeing all the friend circles… and knowing I would never be a part of one. In this one, I had inadvertently helped found my very own clique. The ‘B clique’ as I began to think of it. We were popular, but not too popular, just well-known enough by everyone in our grade and not to be bothered or gossiped about. Most importantly, we weren’t ever involved in any ‘school drama’... but we were close enough to know almost everything about it. It was perfect. I don’t even know how it happened or began, but suspected it was because we were so… approachable in a weird sort of way. None of us in our group of 4 could ever say we had ill will towards anybody, and whenever anyone did come to us, we were good listeners. We were just the epitome of chill. And I guess a lot of students just liked us for that. As of now, one of the so-called ‘nerdy’ students, a skinny troodon, who was usually found playing trading card games like Science: The Dispersing by the library, was telling us an interesting tidbit. “-d I swear! There was a dead rat inside!” “Eew!” Doe exclaimed, sounding somewhere between grief-stricken but disgusted. “I mean, poor thing, but ew!” “That is pretty nasty.” Worden agreed, “I don’t think I’ll ever look at the burger buns the same ever again.” “Suit yourself, I’ll still be eating them.” Olivia spoke up, her eyes still attached to her drawing. I had noticed over the year, that Olivia was becoming more and more involved in our conversations… And perhaps the biggest change that even surprised me was that- “By the way, how’s the progress looking?” The troodon asked. Olivia looked up from her notebook, before showing the paper in its entirety, showing off the drawing beside the basis, that being one of the troodon’s trading cards. “Have a look.” The troodon’s face lit up with a smile, “Wow, that’s an amazing rendition of Darwenius!” “... Literally who?” I ask, raising an eye and still not entirely privy to the details of Science: The Dispersing. “Darwenius, in lore, is the gift bringer of Sciencemas.” The troodon explained. “Damn, so he evolves presents and stuff when you play him?” I joke, only to see the astonished look of the nerdy dino. “Yes, that’s exactly right! How did you-” He gasped, “Are you also a fellow realitystander?!” “Ah, no.” I admit honestly, not even sure what the troodon had even said. “I literally just guessed… sorry.” “Oh.” The troodon said in disappointment before beaming as he accepted the picture and his card back… as well as exchanging 5 dollars towards Olivia as she quickly pocketed it. “I’m gonna give this to Stacy, she’ll love it!” The troodon then left as I turned to Olivia, giving my best impression of a 2-year-old. “Owibia…?” I ask in the most pathetic begging voice possible. “Couwd you gib me sum muni?” She responded with the soft wack of her ridged tail against my shoulder, my entire being pausing for a second. I then suddenly lay dead against the table, trays and lunch boxes clattering as Worden and Doe break out into laughter… Olivia let out amused air through her nostrils as her snout struggled to remain close. “Gotta admit… you’re really good at falling.” My foster sibling noted. I smile, but also lay deep in thought regarding money… Now that I was going through life a 2nd time, didn’t that mean I should be exploiting my knowledge of future events? And one I could think of right now… was a certain digital coin that’d be making an appearance. Snoot Coin. If I saved up my allowance I was currently receiving, invested it when it came out… I’d be getting a 370,000% gain, about $370,000 for every hundred I saved and invested. I could be set for life, probably pay for college for Olivia and me 10 times over. Oh yeah, it’s all coming together. With my newfound ideas for potential wealth, I get off the chair with a smile. “You haven’t seen noth-” The hem of my pants then caught onto the bench seat, my eyes widening as I fell atop the floor, capturing a Seth Mcfarlane pose as I landed. Now Olivia is now laughing her head off alongside Doe and Worden, who were hardly able to keep the tears from their eyes. I was too embarrassed to tell them I didn’t mean to do that one… “Hit it!” Music filled Joe’s garage as the practice jam session began. “It wasn't very large, there was just enough room to cram the drums-” I play to the best of my ability, the proper electric guitar is still too big for my claws. “And a second-hand guitar, it was a Stratocaster with a whammy bar! ” We go into the chorus. “We can jam in Joe’s garage! His mama was screamin’, his dad was mad-” And somehow… I’m keeping up, laying down the melody as I read from the poorly scrawled music book. “So the years was rollin' by… The years was rollin' by! ” After a while, the song finished, the digits of my claws sore as Uncle Frank ended with a final strum, a gigantic smile on his beak as he turned to look at me, his own guitar strapped to his front. “That was amazing lil’ man! Gimme a high-five!” I smile, graciously clapping his long claw with my own. “Thanks.” I’m suddenly aware of clapping coming from the entrance, my parents sitting out front by the driveway… yet close to the car in case the cops suddenly showed up. “That was amazing, Dear!” Mom called out as I gave her a bashful smile. “Yeah, way to go, Anon!” Dad adds, enjoying a bottle of beer in his left claw. Frank then turned to the rest of the band, “Hey, whattya guys think? Rhythm guitarist?” The drummer, Joe, nodded. I tilt my head, looking at Frank. “Rhythm guitarist?” “A rhythm guitarist provides rhythmic pulses in conjunction with other instruments.” I blink for a moment at the rather in-depth and detailed explanation provided by my normally lax granduncle. “In other words, you’re the support for pretty much everyone in the band, the glue that helps hold the song… and band, together.” I take a moment to peer down at the guitar in my claws… having not expected such an important role to be associated with just the idea of ‘rhythm’. I then break away from my thoughts, thinking of now instead. It’s crazy that I was already heading into grade four… right after the last week of our lengthy summer break. Soon, Olivia and I would be seeing Doe and Worden again. Speaking of Olivia… I turn to the hood of the dodge, the baryonyx drawing in her school notebook as I call out. “Hey, how’d we look?” She looks up to smile, “See for yourself, dude.” Olivia was now taller than me, having grown a lot, and so too did her drawings, showing off an incredible doodle of me strumming guitar. Yet my snout looked to be twisted in pain, my claws swollen. ‘Claw hurty!’ I was drawn yelling out. My snout is shut closed as I look at her with an expectant gaze, Olivia giggling. “Alright. I’ll get the one that I actually put effort into.” She turned the page, my eyes widening, suddenly conscious of Frank leaning back to peer as well. “Woah!” He exclaimed. Woah was right, a sketch of Frank and I that may as well have been from a high-quality magazine or something, a little more abstract than the joke sketch she had shown before, but way more beautiful for it, as if able to capture the emotion and atmosphere of us playing. The guitars weren’t depicted as instruments, but rather extensions of our will, creating different realities altogether. “Olivia, can I pay for that?” Frank asked. She shook her head, “No need, Frank. You get it for free.” “Awesome!” Frank exclaimed as Olivia tore the sheet to hand it to him, “I’ll take this with me the next time I get arrested. They let me keep one thing before heading to prison.” He said with a smile on his beak. Olivia and I just stare… wondering how the hell Uncle Frank always wound up in some trouble with the cops. “Hey, Joan, Ed, you two gotta check out Olivia’s drawing! I swear, both of them are scary talented!” He then scowled at the drummer trying to get a peak of the paper. “Not you, Joe! Not after what you did with the last one!” I tilt my head at that, as do Olivia and my parents. “Why, what’d Joe do with the last one?” Frank looks at me with a tightened face, Joe nervously scratching the back of his head. I then wished I hadn’t heard the next line, and judging by Olivia’s look, neither did she. “Well, this one time Joe ran out of toilet paper and-” “So what’re you gonna pick for your afterschool sport?” I blinked at Worden’s question before remembering. Fourth grade had just started, and so too did an expectation of fitness that was announced by Mrs. P during homeroom, some quota Mezasoic Private was trying to fulfill because of… reasons, I wasn’t really listening, to be honest. “I don’t know yet.” I admit with a shrug, Worden looking to Olivia and Doe. “What about you two?” “I’m doing badminton!” The human declared with a smile. “Me?” Olivia asked before answering with a nod, “Swimming. Swimming’s good.” Worden nodded before turning his head to me. I didn’t expect his next question. “Say, Anon… what do you think about doing boxing with me?” I blink, looking at him. “Boxing? Really?” “Er… yeah.” Worden scratched the back of his scaled head. “I mean… admittedly, I’m kinda on the fence on it as well, but I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to do. I’m not really good at running or jumping, and boxing did sound kinda cool to do.” I consider for a moment, realizing that Worden was looking for a partner in this endeavor… So why not? After all, it wasn’t like I had anything better to do. I had straight A’s with my education so far because I was technically going through fourth grade again, and if I didn’t pick out any afterschool sport to do, then I’d end up having to wait for Olivia to finish her swimming lessons. Might as well. “Alright, sure. Where do we sign up?” By the time it was after school, Worden and I showed up for the first lesson in the school gymnasium. Our PE clothes were on as we sat atop a few of the benches toward the side, meant for the audience during a basketball game, a few other students from differing grades doing the same as a few fellow fourth graders took notice of us, a triceratops student speaking up. “Anon, Worden! You two decided on boxing?” “Yep.” I answer, “Have you been in this club before?” “Since grade two!” The triceratops answered, “Y'all gonna love it here!” For a moment, I couldn’t tell if that was sarcastic or genuine as Worden nudged my arm. “Uh… Anon?” “Hm, ye-?” I then saw what he was looking at, a familiar giganotosaurus having recently entered, holding bundles of practice mats. It was Jeremy. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen him ever since he had gone on to middle school, possibly in eighth grade by now. Jeremy placed a few mats down before his slitted eyes took notice of us, widening. “Huh? You two?!” There was no anger in his voice… or at least, not that I heard, just surprise as his snout opened. Worden and I awkwardly peer at each other as I answer. “Yeah… uh, hey Jeremy.” “... Hey…” Jeremy then awkwardly peered away, “And... welcome to the boxing club.” He then quickly moved away. After a few seconds, Worden whispered. “Did not expect to see Jeremy here…” “You and me both.” I agree, “... But it looks like he’s changed… and for the better too.” Worden smiled, “Maybe that encounter we had in first grade was what did it.” I shake my head, rolling my eyes. “Doubt it.” But one thing was for sure, it really looked like Jeremy mellowed out a lot, having lost the enraged scowl I had remembered him for. The double doors suddenly opened, and all of the students raised their heads to the new figure. It was a giant of an anklyosaurus, with blunt horns and ridges, a mace-like tail trailing behind, and wearing a red hoodie with a double striped line running down his arms, barrel-chested and holding a gigantic barbell, making me wonder… Did he actually carry that all the way here? Jeremy had set up a chair and a cardboard box, the anklyosaurus having a seat and placing the weight down. “... I am your boxing teacher…” He spoke, his accent heavy and thick, placing a broad hand atop the barbell. “And this is my weight.” He then looked at us, a serious gaze in his eyes as he clutched the rightmost plates. “She weighs one hundred fifty kilograms alone and can hold 50 discs at once… it costs four hundred thousand calories to hold this weight… for twelve seconds .” He then stood up. “My name is Coach Mikhail, you may call me Coach Misha too. Now…-” He then stood up, and in the most guttural shout known to dinokind, yelled loud enough to echo throughout the entire gymnasium. “RUN BABIES!” Those who had attended the club before were immediately sprinting, Worden and I taking a moment to get the memo before joining in, catching up as we ran laps around the gymnasium. I notice the triceratops from before, opening my snout to ask as I catch up. “He usually like thi-?” “KEEP RUNNING BABIES!” I’m suddenly caught off guard by more demented yelling, “RUUUN! RUUUUN!” Finally, after a few more laps, we had all worked up a good sweat and a warmup, Coach Mikhail roaring out again. “Alright, stop!” We do so as we briefly pant with exertion, the ankylosaurus giving a thumbs up. “Very, very good!” He then turned as Jeremy wheeled in a punching bag hanging from a pole. “Before we learn to fight like men, you must know how to punch like men! Jeremy will show.” Jeremy must’ve been the assistant coach as he gave a nod, assuming a stance. “See how he tucks thumb beneath finger and dominant claw against chin?” Coach Mikhail then pointed at Jeremy’s legs. “His knee is bent for more power! Not like tiny-itty-bitty baby stand! Now look!” Jeremy then turned his body, launching a perfectly executed punch, the bag briefly swinging away from the force. “Punching is not just your claws, it is your entire body in motion, adding strength… and power!” Mikhail then moved to the side of the gymnasium to bring out more punching bags. “All of you, find a partner for each bag! One hold it steady, other copy Jeremy! He’s good example.” We do as Coach Mikhail asks as I stand with Worden, my friend going first as the allosaur clenches his claw into a fist, Mikhail inspecting everyone’s stances as I clutched the punching bag still. “Very good, is nice.” He then took notice of Worden, “Stance is good, but fist is all wrong!” He pointed a meaty digit, identifying Worden’s sharp thumb poking at the front. “Using sharp claws is for tiny little cowards! Fists are how men fight! Use your fists right!” Worden adjusts his knuckles, balling into a proper punch before the coach finally gives the go-ahead. The sound of a dozen punches being properly thrown and striking the bags rings out through the entire gymnasium, my eyes widening in a bit of surprise at the force I felt from the other side. I always knew dinosaurs tended to be strong, but feeling the strength ever so slightly… Maybe I was strong too? By the time we switched, and I was throwing my own punches, I realized… Oh, who the fuck was I kidding? My scrawny compsognathus fists barely even shoved the bag, at least not like Worden had as I pulled back, inspecting my open claw with a dour expression. Mikhail must have taken notice, the ankylosaurus approaching. “Da, I know what it is you think. You are weak, weaker than others, and it is no fault of your own. That is why you must try twice as hard, and grow big and strong, little one! Like my comrade, Solly, once said-” He flexed a clothed bicep, raising a determined fist. “Never give up!” I had no idea who Solly even was, but I didn’t need the words of encouragement. While old me would have been content on giving up… I was determined to stay, finally having found something challenging to do with my time. “Now then-” He then moved to the side of the gymnasium, disappearing beneath the bench chairs as a loud rustling was heard. Mikhail then returned… with an entire boxing ring lifted over his shoulders. “Hah!” He then tossed it, momentarily feeling my entire body leave the ground as it landed, the entire floor of the gymnasium rumbling. This guy would give Principal Spears a run for his money. “You fight like men!” Jeremy suddenly showed up, carrying a giant box full of protective gear. We equip ourselves, finding myself wearing padded head gear that felt much to big for my head, the same with the gloves, Worden fitting in perfectly with his own gear. “I will put you all with new partner.” He started with Worden, assigning him the triceratops student, going through all the members before arriving at me again. “You, go with Jeremy.” Surprisingly, it’s Jeremy who looks unnerved by the selection, the giganotosaurus tapping his claws together as he approaches to my side, prompting me to look up at him. “Hey.” I simply greet. “H-Hey.” He greets back, the two of us watching as the first pair went up, Worden and the triceritops squaring up. “... So uh, how’s elementary school? Mrs. P still teaching?” I pause before nodding, “Yeah, still with the deep voice too.” “Ha, yeah…” Jeremy paused again, peering away for a moment before peering back. “Hey uh, about back then…” I blink, looking to him. “... Sorry… I was a real piece of shit, I don’t really have much of an excuse, just a lot of anger I was taking out on those that didn’t deserve it.” I shrug before nodding my head, “It’s cool. That was like, what, 3 years ago now?” Jeremy shook his head, “Yeah but…-” He sighed regretfully, “I really did try and hurt you… all because I got reminded of my dumbass stepdad and the dumb shit he would say to me.” He stared forward, Worden and the triceritops experimentally jabbing at one another as they circled around. “I guess I kinda wanted to thank you.” I blinked again, listening as Jeremy continued. “That day… after I got sent to the principals, it got me thinking how I saw others, and how others saw me. I realized-” Jeremy paused, “Both ways about it, I was unhappy with the result. Either I saw them as my enemy, or they saw me as this lost cause of a kid… but you were the first that shook that outlook.” He then smiled. “And when I began to change my mindset and keep an open mind, I started seeing that there were those who really did want to help me out.” I’m genuinely stunned at the story, “Damn… that’s…-” A smile crept onto my snout. “That’s good to hear.” Jeremy nodded, “So my life’s gone pretty good since then. I’ve patched things up with Billy, and I’m repairing things with my mom… especially now that asshole is out of our life. In all honesty, I was supposed to change schools since my mom’s job wasn’t going to cut it, which was fine… but then she met another guy, who I gotta say, is pretty cool.” “Who?” I ask. Jeremy smirked, nodding his head to coach Mikhail, who was currently letting out a deranged laugh as Worden and the triceratops knocked each other down. Holy fuck. It’s like a movie at this point. “Misha and Mom’s been together for a while now… I think they might really commit to a marriage soon.” “Damn, what is this bs?” I joke, “That assistant coach title not just nepotism?” “Ha, fuck off.” Jeremy chuckled, “Dude, I still can’t believe you were in first grade. Not to give any offense, but most kids in that grade are like… I dunno, just stupid fucking kids?” “Yeah.” I agree wholeheartedly before trying to explain it off. “I guess I-” “Jeremy and-” He looked down at the paper, “Anon! You fight next!” We both look at each other before climbing onto the ring, an awkward look on Jeremy’s snout. “Hey listen, I could go a little easier on you since this is your first time and all.” I get into stance, briefly deciding for a moment. “You know what? Go all out.” I say with a smirk on my snout. “Uh… you sure?” “Yeah.” I shrug, “Coach Mikhail said I was going to have to try twice as hard due to my size. I can’t really afford to be handled with kid gloves if I’m going to be taking this club.” Jeremy paused before nodding, “Alright…” He then got into position as my mind now comprehended how much bigger than me Jeremy was… a 250-pound giganotosaurus to my meekly compsognathus build. Maybe some part of my mind had arrogantly thought that just because I was smaller, I would be harder to hit… As if to say, ‘ I’m sure to win because my speed is superior. ” Welp, as soon as I saw him rearing his boxing glove back… 死 The only thought I could think of as the giant red glove rapidly approached my head was one simple noise. “ Oh .” Before getting completely knocked the fuck out, falling over as my legs flung up before landing back down, a resounding ‘Oof’ filled the gymnasium as every student reacted to my downfall. I’m blinking the stars from my vision, suddenly conscious of Jeremy by my side, trying to say something, his snout mired with worry as coach Mikhail clambered onto the ring to check the damage, Worden doing the same out of worry for me. “-y, hey! You okay?” Jeremy asked. I pause before nodding, the padding saving me from brain trauma, much less concussion somehow. I slowly stood back up without assistance, Worden tilting his head in worry. “You alright, Anon?” I nodded again Jeremy spoke up. “Hey, sorry about that.” The giganotosaurus apologized, “I… guess I shoulda held back more.” “It’s cool man.” I reassure him, “You got nothing to apologize for.” If anything… I kinda got this weird yearning, like a clear goal had been set for me… I really wanted to learn how to punch and fight like Jeremy had just done… “In fact let’s go again.” Jeremy looked shocked Coach Mikhail crossed his arms to let out a pleased laugh, his mace-tail smacking the floor of the ring. “Very good! As famous actor man once said, it is not about how hard you punch but how hard you can get knocked on ass and keep moving and not be tiny baby coward!” … Pretty sure the quote was something different, but I didn’t feel the need to correct him, instead voicing another matter. “Uh… yeah, but this time…” I spoke with a hint of embarrassment, “I don’t think I wanna learn how hard I can get hit yet… go a little easy on me?” “Sure thing!” Jeremy exclaims with a smile. The two of us squared off again, the giganotosaurus letting me get off some practice hits in to get a feel for it. “Did you guys hear the announcement?” “Yep.” Olivia answered, Doe nodding as I blinked, looking between everybody. “What announcement?” Olivia turned her head to me, “Dude, how are you passing stuff when you don’t listen.” I shrug with a cheeky grin on my snout. “I’m just more powerful.” She responded by thwacking her tail against my shoulder as I let out an exaggerated cry before passing away against the table. But I had noticed that I didn’t feel the tail wack as much as I did before… Maybe the boxing was paying off. “It’s our grade 5 project. They’ll have a school fair close to the end of the semester.” Doe lay down against the table, a defeated look on her face. “I have no idea what I’m gonna do!” “Same…” Worden agreed with a downcast expression. “I do.” Olivia blatantly states, “I’m just gonna draw…” She then paused, “Once I figure out what to draw that is.” I look between everyone, “Does it have to be like an individual thing or…-?” Doe shook her head, “You can sign up as a group of 4…” Her eye peeked behind her arms. “But even if we did that, I don’t know what we’d do.” “Heh, maybe we can make a movie or something.” I joke. A few seconds later I came to realize the silence was from everyone staring at me like the messiah. “Wait, you guys serious?” I ask, snout open in shock. Worden cupped a claw beneath his maw. “I mean, my dad got this new camera that can record a lot and in good quality.” "I could do the clothing." Doe added. “And I could draw set stuff, I guess.” Olivia shrugged. “Yeah, but what’re we gonna make it about, what’s the theme?” “Ooh, ooh!” Doe rose from the table, new life injected into her. “Let’s do cyberpunk, dystopian, crime mystery noir!” That was… oddly specific. But I completely loved that suggestion, a smile growing on my snout. “You know what? Fuck it! Let’s do it!” I turn to Olivia, “Paper?” She ripped one out, handing it to me as I drew the title. “What should we call it?” “Cyberrunner 201M7077?” Doe offered, clearly having thought of this from the start. “Sounds cool, but kind of a handful for a title. But I guess we can stick with that until then.” I then look to my allosaurus friend, “Worden?” “Oh uh, I really don’t know.” “Olivia?” “Movie 1.” I shook my head, “How are you the most creative in making works of art but the crappiest at titles?” I ask before getting another deserved tail whack on my shoulder, prompting me to chuckle out. “Fine, fine… but we’re not using that title.” I then pause for a moment, “How about…-” I then look up to my group. “Literally E?” “Ooh, that sounds mysterious.” Doe nodded, “I like that.” Worden nodded in agreement as I looked at Olivia, the baryonyx giving a shrug to indicate that she didn’t really care what we picked. Worden spoke up, dropping another tidbit of info. “You know, they said they’ll preview a month in advance on the progress of our projects… and apparently, if they really like it, any individual or group will have their project on stage for the whole school and parents to see.” I scoffed, “Jeez, that sounds fucking scary.” I then smiled, “Good thing we probably won’t have to deal with that.” Filming our movie had been awesome, using most of our afterschool time and creating ‘Literally E’. It was about a future cyborg detective named agent ‘E’, played by our resident allosaur of the group, Worden, who was trying to solve a mystery. Of course, getting the storyboard, the outfits, and the actors… mostly consisting of fellow students, parents, and a few teachers, organized on camera, was a challenge But we all had fun doing so, giggling as we reviewed the footage. Worden was given the lead actor roles, the rest of us with more minor roles since we had to focus on other stuff. Olivia did the sets, which were really just a lot of drawn cardboard, while Doe settled on all the clothing, mostly cheap thrift store stuff that she made look ‘futuristic’. I was the sorta director and the cameraman, as well as the extra who needed to get shot or die. We even borrowed a green screen from some movie prop store that was selling it away. And all our hard work paid off. It’s just a shame I had to jinx it all those months ago… Much to our surprise, we were given the honor to display our movie on the stage itself, played through a projector. Oh fuck. I nervously stood beside the school computer, reviewing the footage, having come early morning to download our movie from the hard drive, knowing how slow and crappy it would be. But at least our movie seemed to have come out fine. As of now, I was just dealing with the nausea and anticipation, a few students and parents already sat and waited to start as the fair progressed. Hopefully, it wouldn’t go like the last ‘projected’ presentation I had watched, knowing this time me and my group were the ones who had done it. “Anon, is it ready?” Doe asked. I give a thumbs up, Olivia and Worden anxiously peering behind the curtain. I separate from the computer to join them, scanning the growing crowd as I look at Olivia. “Are… they here?” She nodded, pointing to Mom and Dad, who were currently sitting at the front. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of happiness, having never had parents show up to any personal school event. I turned away, an awkward look on my snout as the others joined in, the anxiety felt between us, the school projector turning on. “Well… time to play it I guess.” “It’ll be fine.” Worden assured, “We did a pretty good job.” I nod, approaching the computer as it connected, a black screen previewed on the stage as the murmuring crowd goes silent. I then hit play. It first started with a scene of Agent E, or really just Worden, sitting on the seat of an empty bus with a thick trench coat Doe had found from a bargain bin, given metallic-looking water tattoos on the side of his head to make him look all ‘cyborgy’. He then sat up, his voice-over speaking out. “In 201M7077, they rated Janoga Park the worst place to live in Dinofornia.” Agent E then passed a few ‘actors’, mainly just Billy and his group dressed in tacky clothes, pretending to pester a fellow student on the bus to sell the whole ‘dystopian’ look. “Main issues? Sky high rate of violence, and more dinos living below the poverty line than anywhere else.” The bus then exited the tunnel and showcased some movie magic. I had placed a greenscreen right over the window, so by pure timing of the bus exiting, Agent E was in the perfect position to ‘stare’ out to the cyberpunk metropolis, which was really just one of those royalty-free screensavers. The only problem was that we had to time it right, so the amount of reruns we had taken of the same bus route over and over to get it right… That was painful. But well worth it, hearing the wows of the audience. “Can’t deny it - it’s all true…” “You’re like, out of control Agent E.” My uncle Frank, now commissioner Frank, told Worden’s character, all the while tuning a guitar. “You should find a different hobby or something.” Olivia had pretty much transformed the room to be ‘futuristic’ looking, colored cardboard leading to wires and painted buttons, maintaining a weird but cool retrofuture look. And I gotta say, Worden has an amazing acting range, able to sell the serious and dead look of a cyborg as he comprehended his sudden lack of a job. After a second, Agent E immediately has a breakdown. “GOD…. DAMN IT!” Before kicking the stool over. The auditorium broke into laughter at that. “I ain’t telling you nothing, skinbag.” I scoff on screen, Jeremy nodding in solidarity beside me. “If the Exterminator finds out, he’ll kill us!” “And I won’t?” Agent E growled. Suddenly, the sound of something heavy dropping played on camera, the three of them turning their heads to see Coach Mikhail suddenly appear, this time with sunglasses and an even bigger trench coat with buckles, like the Tyrantsaurus from Jurassident Evil. “I am Exterminator.” Mikhail proudly declares, “I must exterminate tiny little cowards.” He then began to move forward before breaking out into a full-on sprint towards the camera that looked genuinely terrifying. “Hasta la vista, babies.” The three of our sudden screams cut off to the next scene as screaming laughter filled the auditorium. A battle-damaged Agent E walks atop a scaffolding, which was really just a small bandaid stuck to his forehead. “Hey, Kid.” He turned to see a gigantic holographic version of Mrs. Prodryas. Really, it was because we had placed our teacher right next to the camera while Worden stood far away, pretending to ‘look up’ at her. “What a day, huh?” She then noisily rustled through a bag of potato chips before offering. “Ya look hungry. I can fix that.” The coelophysis then chewed on another, rumbling her bag for another. “Ya look like a good Joe.” Our audience was impressed, whispering murmurs asking how we had done it, while also giggling how loud the potato chip bag was, and how dead inside Agent E looked. And finally, the end, after Agent E saved the ‘Patient’, which was just Doe in a multitude of bandages that covered most of her face… Worden lies down against the steps of our school, staring up at the sun. It was supposed to be an ambiguous open ending to make the audience think about whether or not Agent E had died… Except Worden raised a claw to the sun, squinting his eyes. “Okay, that’s really br-” Suddenly, the credits roll in, and the entire auditorium broke out into cheers and clapping. And… Well… It wasn’t my idea but after the insistence of Frank, Olivia… Doe, and Worden once they had found out… With the recorded strum of an acoustic, my background cover for the credits plays. “They keep playing sad songs on the radio-! ” “What the- Is that-?” “Dude, that’s Anon singing, I swear!” “He can play guitar?!” I try to ignore the embarrassing whispers that I somehow managed to hear over the commotion as the footage then went to our numerous bloopers and mistakes, such as the bus stopping and causing Worden and Billy to fall over. The next showed Olivia suddenly appearing behind a painted cardboard beside Frank, her eyes widening before disappearing behind it again. “-but I'm still the same, not much has changed, I still know where I came from! ” Another showed Coach Mikhail accidentally rushing right into the camera and knocking it over, his bald head peering over as his snout opened as if to say ‘Uh Oh’, Mrs. Prodryas accidentally dropping the bag and cussing as Worden looked back as if unsure if he was in the right position. “And it feels like I'm ready for anything, if you can wait for me! ” Finally, Doe hugged Worden tightly at the waist at the end of our filming, her fake bandages loosened to show a joyful smile as the allosaurus looked ready to faint, Olivia and I in a clasped handshake with the sun behind our backs as if just finding out the Dino Piece was real. “-all I ever wanted was so far from what I need. I'll write my songs, they'll sing along and hope time heals everything…” Finally, we exited onto stage, the crowd now going insane as they stood up to cheer their hearts out. We stand there like a couple of embarrassed goobers before seeing Jeremy and Billy, the former smiling and the latter trying to clap, their own group behind them. This win didn’t just belong to us as Worden and I got the same idea, approaching the edge of the stage and surprising the two as we offered to lift them up. They gladly accepted as the others who participated in the movie also joined up there with us, Worden clambering off to run and guide a laughing Coach Mikhail. Doe and Olivia briefly left before returning with Mrs. Prodryas, our first-grade teacher smiling as she joined us up on stage. With all of us together, the clapping grew to deafening proportions, all of us taking a moment to bow as the parents all got to the front, cameras and video recorders at the ready. Mom and Dad had managed to wrestle the best spot, Dad’s snout open with the happiest smile I’ve ever seen while Mom took picture after picture, unable to hide the tears of joy coming from her eyes. We all pose, except for me, still admittedly comprehending everything. Coach Mikhail fired a finger gun, and Mrs. Prodryas held her claws behind her back, all the while Jeremy and Billy were doing random shit. Doe was hugging Worden again, the allosaurus finally returned the gesture… and Olivia was looking at me, a broad smile on her snout as if to say ‘We did it’. … I guess we really did do it. It made me think about the past 11 years, how much I had gone through, and how much better things were. This was my life now. My snout curved into a grin as I gave a simple thumbs-up. And I was making it count. Puberty hit me like a fucking truck. And by that, I don’t mean the pimples and acne, since Dinosaurs had scales… or the rampant horny drive, my adult mind curbing the cringe, thank god… But by a single divine gift. My growth spurt. I had grown taller, much much taller, reaching, and perhaps a little over, 6 feet, far more so than my dad to everyone's shock on one dinner night. Guess Grandpa Mike would be pleased to know that I won the genetic lottery and inherited the height of a therizinosaur… My claws ran down my eyes and over my snout, staring at myself in disbelief in the mirror. I had developed , subtle musculature in my biceps and arms, as well as the bare hint of definition on my stomach, adding to my burgeoning tall and athletic build. “What the fuck…” I murmured, lightly flexing as those muscles tightened. I wasn’t even gym-pilled in any meaningful way, I just did a lot of boxing every week after school… and maybe joined some sessions of lifting and push-ups, Coach Mikhail was a good trainer after all… But this? Who knew getting a routine and working out actually netted you a pretty decent body? I admittedly flexed again, growing more impressed with my figure before Olivia spoke up, having silently stood at the bathroom door. “What are you doing?” I flinch, clutching the sink and throwing my plain white undershirt back on, awkwardly turning to her. “D-Drugs.” She looked unconvinced, “Riiight…” Olivia turned her head, “By the way, they finally found a jacket that fit.” “They did?!” I exclaimed, leaving the bathroom, now almost a head taller than her. A downside of getting the dino growth spurt meant that almost none of my old clothes fit me anymore… but for a long time, I had also been wanting a jacket to wear… preferably green to complete my look. Dad and mom exit their room having fished something out of the closet, my eyes widening in surprise to see that it was an old military camo jacket. “Never thought I’d find this again.” My dad said with a smile, “Here, see if this fits you, Anon.” I gladly accepted it, putting it on to note that it did indeed fit, and very well at that as I smiled. “It fits perfectly! Thanks, Dad!” “Heh, no problem. It’ll serve you a lot better than it did for me in Dinozuela, not only did they get my size wrong, but it was way too hot to wear anyways!” He joked. I nod before pausing, “Wait… Dinozuela? Why were you in Dinozuela?” My dad pauses before laughing, adjusting his glasses. “Ha! Did I say really say Dinozuela? I meant Panagea.” He smiled, “Your old man’s memory is already going.” I shake my head, “It’s fine Dad, this jacket is amazing!” I test the flexibility before noticing something, “Hey, it’s even got something in the pocket-” It was a badge, depicting a dino skull with a green beret on top. And the acronym on the bottom. S.O.G. It’s suddenly taken from my claw, a glint of light hiding my dad’s eyes behind his glasses as he pocketed the badge, a stony expression on his snout. And I got the very clear feeling that Dad wanted me to forget about seeing what I had just seen… “... I think Mom wanted Olivia to try out the hoodie they found…” I murmur to change the subject. The glint then disappears, nodding happily. “Well, Olivia was the one who picked it out herself, that girl knows what she wants.” Finally… seventh grade. The middle of middle school, the halfway point of my full student life before college. And now that I was past the 2010’s… meant I got a neat little gadget for my birthday. A smartphone. The power of the shitpost, in the palm of my claw. Feels good man. I briefly check a post on the Libyan yacht club forum before looking back up, listening to Jeremy as he sat at our table, now given earlier lunches because of the- “Meteor Bowl.” I tilt my head at that, “The what?” Jeremy looked at me, “The Meteor Bowl. They nominate a school to host it, and this year, it’s gonna be us, Mezosoic Private.” “Yeah but, what is the Meteor Bowl, is it like a picnic or something?” I ask. “More like the biggest sports event ever!” Jeremy hyped, “Athlete students from across Dinofornia are gonna be bunking near the school to compete for the entire month! It’s serious stuff.” He then proudly lifted his chest, “And I’m gonna be the rep for our school.” “Dude!” Worden exclaimed, bumping a fist against the older dinosaur. “Congrats man! Coach Misha must be damn proud!” “Yeah, Dad’s pretty happy.” Jeremy bashfully replied, “Though, in all honesty, the only thing I think I’ll end up doing well in is boxing, which is why I’m training for the other events… speaking of which-” He finished the steak, getting off the seat. “I gotta go. Most of the other schools have already arrived with their own athletes.” He snickered, “Gotta show ‘em whose boss!” He then jogged off, Doe looking at the rest of us. “Hey, why don’t we go check it out? It sounds interesting.” I shrug, “Sure, why not.” I then look at Olivia to ask. “You wanna come with, Olivia?” She paused before closing her notebook. “... Only if we find a place to sit.” The four of us sit off, making our way out of the cafeteria to see that the entire field is full of activity, from soccer to jumping jacks to frisbee, a few busses on the other side waiting by an open gate to bring in more students. Jeremy wasn’t lying, this really did seem serious with the amount of work the athletes were putting in. “Woah, feels like the entirety of Janoga Park is here.” Worden commented. “Yeah…” I then notice a conveniently placed bench on the other side of the race track. “Hey, there’s seats over there.” Doe seemed to examine further as Olivia stepped onto the track ahead of us. “Y’know, some of these students could be from Volcal-” Whatever Doe was gonna say was cut off. Because a runner slammed right into Olivia. My eyes widened, briefly stunned to see my foster sister lying on the ground, another student on top of her as I moved forward. “Oli-! “Oh, Raptor Jesus! Are you okay?!” My entire being froze up, my snout closed shut. That voice… it was familiar… younger… “M’Fine.” Olivia responded, “... Could you get off me?” The pterodactyl let out a choked apology, “S-Sorry!” He then rose up, a cold feeling in my scales upon seeing the wings, grey with orange lines… One wing was crippled and atrophied from an accident I never learned of. His grey claw was offered to Olivia as she took it to be helped up, her other still clutching her notebook tightly before staring at the pterodactyl… her gaze far more active than normal as Olivia seemed to remember that she was still clutching his claw, letting go as Doe and Worden caught up. “Hey, Olivia, you alright?” The baryonyx took a moment to nod. “I’m good.” She then peered back, the pterodactyl seemingly lost in thought. “... What about you?” It took him a second to break from his thoughts. “Oh me? I’m completely fine.” He assured her, “Sorry about that, I guess I was a little distracted.” “About what?” Olivia asked, showing far more interest and focus on a new face than she normally did. He seemed slightly caught off guard by that question, having clearly not expected… or expected by others, to be asked what was wrong. “I-...” His golden yellow eyes briefly caught mine as I stared back at a fucking ghost. Naser’s yellow eyes. I was no longer out in the field of Mezosoic Private… but back at Volcano High, blood and bodies all around me in the hallway. And his eyes… all I could see... Disappointment. Sorrow. Mourning. Naser looked at the rest of our school and the field before looking back at Olivia, “It’s… nothing. Sorry.” And just like that, he then continued running. Worden and Doe approached Olivia, the former with his arms crossed. “Wonder what that was all about.” Doe shrugged, “If I had a bet, he’s probably a student from Volcaldera Bluffs. Homesick too… poor guy.” She then looked to Olivia, “What’d you think, Olivia?” She doesn’t respond. “Olivia?” “Hm?” The baryonyx finally responded, “... He’s…” She then blinked, “... Wait, where’s Anon?” I was gone. [NOTES] IT IS FANG FRIDAY MY DUDES, and boy do I have a loaded almost 8000-word chapter for you to eat well tonight. I don't know what it is, I just can't stop writing, either wholesomeness... or pain for Anon.