It’s been a few months since the shooting at Dino Moe’s. Anon has—at least for the most part—recovered. Outside of some minor pain every now and then, he has full use of his arm. We’ve been practicing together to make sure he can still play after his injuries and thank fuck, he still can. I don’t know what I’d do if he had lost the ability to play. I love every time we go on stage together at the restaurant…not that we’ve done a lot of shows until recently, since he couldn’t really play with a busted shoulder. We’ve been getting back into the swing of things, though, and life has been returning to what I guess I could call normal.

I’m sitting in the alley beside Dino Moe’s, enjoying a smoke break. Lunch time hits soon and I’m not looking forward to all the assholes I’ll have to deal with. Thankfully, Uncle Moe doesn’t care that I wear my makeup and everything. I’ve fully embraced who I am, and that includes darker eyeliner, and I love wearing it every day I can. I take a drag of my cigarette as I hear the door open beside me. Anon steps out and takes a seat beside me. I shake one out for him before he brings it to his lips and I light it.

“How’s the day going for you, dweeb? Arm still in the socket?” I let out a puff of smoke as I glance at him from the side of my eye.

He takes a deep breath as he sighs, smoke flowing out of his lips. “It’s going and yes, my arm is still attached.” He rolls his shoulder to make a point. “One day it’ll be good to not make pizza all day or clean up the ‘marinara stains’ from the back rooms. Still don’t know what your uncle’s side job is and I don’t ever want to ask.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t. He’s never told me, and he gave me the weirdest look when I asked.” I scoot a little closer to him as I siphon a little more life from my nearly gone smoke. “Naser called a couple of minutes ago.”

“Oh?” he says as he looks down at me. “How’s my kind of brother-in-law doing?”

“He’s surviving, trying to make friends around campus, but says he misses us the most. I miss him too.” I groan a little as I flick the dead cigarette into a puddle. “It’s been so long but I’m still not used to him not being here when I need him. It fucking sucks.”

Anon finishes off his cigarette and grinds it under his foot before pulling me into a hug. “I miss him too. That dork always was there for us after everything. It’s not the same without him around.”

“No, it’s not.”

He taps his chin as he looks lost in thought for a second before looking back at me. “On the note of people who are gone…whatever happened with Naomi anyway? Kind of forgot her for a bit,” he says and I shrug.

“She took the plea deal and has gone to stay at the mental hospital until she’s deemed ‘fit to return to society,’ whatever the fuck that means. It’s just what Dad told me. I still don’t ever want to see her again. She, you know, tried to fucking kill me.”

“Don’t blame you at all, Fang. She kind of shot the shit out of me.” He pulls his shirt down a little, showing the scar on his shoulder. “But still, I hope she recovers. Something definitely broke in her…but I still don’t want her anywhere near us.”

“Fuck no, she can stay far away from us.” I lean against his shoulder.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask…” He pauses and I tilt my head up to look at him. He gives me a quick peck on the lips before continuing, “How’s therapy been going? I won’t ask specifics, not my place, but just wondering if they’ve been helping you any.”

“A little?” I shrug, staring at the graffiti-covered wall. “I’m still not super comfortable all by myself, but it’s making a dent. Hasn’t helped with the sight of blood, still freaks me the fuck out.” I let out a tired sigh. “I don’t think that’s ever going to go away.”

“Baby steps, Fang. Can’t expect all your trauma to disappear after only a few months.”

“I know, still fucking hate it.” I look down as my phone beeps in my hand. It’s Trish texting me; we have another salon trip planned for tomorrow.

Trish: Hey Fang! You prepared for another full day of pampering? My aunt has been missing you ever since we went there last time.

Fang: Of course, Trish. Can’t wait to get a refresh. Plus, might get another piercing, who knows.

I tap out another message to her as Anon looks on.

Fang: The one I’ve got has been growing on me. I want to try out some new things…maybe even test a little dye on my feather tips.

I can see Trish typing out a message before it pops up.

Trish: Patricia has a feather specialist on hand. You’re not the only ptero that likes to do that from time to time. Just gotta be careful. Don’t want to spend a bunch of money and then fall on your ass and knock the feathers loose. Gotta get back to work, she’s waving me over. Talk to you later!

She ends it with a smiley kiss emote.

Fang: See you tomorrow!

I slide my phone in my pocket after tapping out the message. Trish got a job working for her aunt, and she’s got plans to run a salon of her own after getting her cosmetology degree at the local community college in town. It makes me happy to see her moving on with her life. She’s been almost as scarred as I’ve been this year. Reed is doing even better these days. Weirdly enough, he’s been trying to find something to do in college himself. Didn’t think he had it in him, but I also never expected him to drop carfe. Though he didn’t drop it completely…Trish lets him have a little so he doesn’t go nuts. The double dates we go on together have been fun. They make a cute couple, though Trish nearly threw a book at me when I said that out loud.

“You ladies and your salon time.” I jab Anon in the side with my elbow. “Fucking ow! I deserved that.”

“Yes, you did.” I check the time as I stand back up. “Come on, dweeb, time to get back to it so we can do our show and go home.” I hold my hand out. He takes it and I pull him to his feet. He staggers in place for a second from the sudden jolt.

“How the fuck are you pteros so goddamn strong?” He rubs his shoulder as he winces. “You and your brother both have nearly taken my arm out of the socket.”

I shrug a little with a smirk. “Bonuses of being a dino? Speaking of which…” I grab him before he can turn away, giving him a deep kiss as I pull the air from his lungs. He nearly falls over before he steadies himself. “Never see you complaining about this one.”

“Nope, and never will. Dear Raptor Jesus, those kisses are fucking amazing.”

“Smart boy. Now let’s get this over with.”

He opens the door for us and we step back inside. The kitchen is a flurry of movement as pans slide across the counter with people throwing together pizzas at a lightning pace. Anon kisses me on the cheek before he quickly joins Jerry on the line to help him with the lunch rush. I sigh as I straighten my hair and grab my tablet. Another day, another fucker giving me a weird look, I’m sure.

I step out into the restaurant and I can see the rest of the servers already working themselves to the bone as I make my way to the tables. It’s not nearly as bad as when I first started. I’ve found my groove and I can quickly deal with orders while giving my best fake smile to the people I’d rather smack with a block of wood than take orders from. Earning a few more tips for it, too, though I don’t like it when the creepier old dudes add extra with a wink. Fucking weirdos.

The lunch rush comes and goes as the hours go by. Uncle Moe has a few pissed-off customers to deal with but it’s no different than any other day. It’s not long till the end of the night comes and I set aside my tablet and go to the back where my guitar is. Reed is in the corner texting someone. He spots me coming in as I untie my hair.

“Yo!” he calls out. “Survived another day, dude?”

I give him a tired nod as I straighten out my hair again, combing it to the side as I check myself out in the mirror. “Hey Reed. Yeah, fucking hell, they are annoying. But at least I have this to look forward to on Fridays.” I quickly dust on a fresh layer of eyeshadow before I take off my apron and toss it aside. I duck inside the dressing room for just a moment to swap clothes to my performance outfit. It’s been fun finding new things to wear, and tonight I’m going with a black tank top and skirt combo with my combat boots. I slide my spiked choker on my crest and pop back out.

I pat out any wrinkles as I turn to Reed. “How do I look?” I pose a bit for a second and he gives me a thumbs up.

“Fucking amazing, dude. One sec.” He finishes typing out a message before sending it and leaning off the wall. “Trish is gonna stop by in a bit, see us play and all.”

“Sweet. I love it when she comes by. How’ve you been doing, Reed? Still cutting down on the drugs?”

He lets out a snort with a smile. “Yeap, dude, still sticking with it. It’s been nice as much as it has sucked. Me and Trish still enjoy a smoke every now and again though, ’cause it’s fun.” He shrugs. “Been thinking of how I could use it to help the world, ya know? Carfe can be more than just a drug—it’s got so many medicinal properties.”

“Yeah? Really? All it ever did to me was make me hang upside down in a tree.” I raise an eyebrow at him as I doubt his crazy idea.

“For sure, dude! Lemme explain.” He is a flurry of hand gestures as he tries his best to tell me his plan. Not even halfway through his attempt, my brain shuts off and I drift into space as my eyes gloss over. I have no fucking clue what he’s talking about but I smile and nod as he gets more and more excited as he goes. He eventually gets to the end and he sits there with a smile on his face. “And that’s my plan on how I could become the richest raptor in the world!”

“Yeah…sure. You do that, Reed.” Less drugs but he’s still nuts. Seconds later, Anon comes in and I call out to him, “What took you so long, dweeb? Been like forty minutes…they’ve probably already set the stage up.”

“Sorry guys! Had to go get something from the car.” He disappears into the changing room and pops back out in the blazer and pants combo from prom. He grabs his bass from the wall before walking up to us. “We all set for another kick-ass show?”

Seeing him so happy about this brings a smile to my face as I look him in the eyes with a confident nod. “Absolutely. Let’s knock ’em dead.”

I grab my guitar and we head out on stage. The crowds have been growing every time we come out and I have been loving it. Not that I plan to go out on tour or anything and be a rockstar, but being a local musician has done wonders for my mental state. Going to run out of space in here eventually, though, not to mention can’t really expect Moe to clear out the restaurant every few nights. I plug in my guitar before stepping up to the mic.

“Good evening, Lil’ Troodon!” I get a few cheers from the waiting audience as I rest my fingers across the strings. “Let’s not waste any time and get right into it.” I strum my pick across the strings with a grin on my beak. They start moving to the stage as I begin to play. Each one of these shows has been better than the last. I’m even starting to see regulars who come every week to see us. Trish even got a merch stand set up that she runs every night we play. I see her down in the corner looking up at us with a smile as I sway on stage, singing at the top of my lungs. I’m so glad we made up since it wouldn’t be the same without her.

As the lyrics pour from my snout, I feel a fire in my heart. A fire I thought died with my dreams that night at prom, but which has been slowly growing again in recent months. I’m doing what I love, and people are loving my music. I never want to do anything else. I don’t need college. I have this and it’s all I need. I watch as they jump to the beat, my heart soaring with every happy face I see in the crowd. I’ll never leave Volcaldera Bluffs…I’m just going to play shows here. It’s my home, and the only place I want to be.

As we finish the set, I wave to the audience as they cheer and clap for us, slowly filtering out as they make a stop by the merch stand, taking quite a few things home with them as Trish puts on her best smile. We finish putting our instruments away as Trish and I chat by the base of the stage, and then I hear the door open again. To my surprise, my mom and dad come in. What in the world are they doing here so late? I know Dad was busy at work all day.

I quickly run up to them and give them both hugs. “Hey Mom, Dad! Why are you guys here? It’s super late.”

My dad shrugs with a grunt as he looks at the stage. “Anon called us earlier today. Said he needed us to be here for something.”

Anon called them? Why would he need them here? Before I can speak, the stage lights up again as the rest of the place dims and we all turn to see what’s going on. Moments later, Anon comes out on stage.

“Fang, I know we’ve only been dating for a little over half a year but I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.” He steps a little closer to us as my eyes follow him. What is the dweeb up to? In the corner of my eye, I can see my mom smirking at me. Wait, is she in on this?

He looks me in the eye as he gives me the warmest smile I’ve ever seen on his face. “I love you, Fang. Without you, I would have just skated through life in my apartment never giving a fuck. But you showed me there is so much more to life than that. I want to spend the rest of my life by your side.” He gets closer to the edge of the stage as he reaches into his pocket and tears start to cling to edge of my eyes. “So, I have to ask…Fang…”

He takes another step forward on the stage, or rather he would have, if there was any stage left to step on. He tumbles off of it and lands face first onto the wooden floor, the box in his hands as he keeps it held up even after he eats the floor. Oh my…fuck, this dweeb has zero coordination. I have to hold back my laughter as I walk over to check on him. “Anon! Are you—?” I start to say but he waves me off with his other hand.

He is slightly muffled by the floor as he groans before looking up at me. “Okay, that really hurt but still. Fang?” He pulls himself up off the floor, dusting himself off as he gets on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

Inside the box is a beautiful white-gold band with a shimmering amber stone held in its flowery setting. My heart swells with happiness as I gaze at it. It takes everything I have to not burst into tears of joy. I don’t know how in the world he could possibly afford this. We don’t make that much…but out of the corner of my eye, I see my dad smirking. I think he got a little help from my parents.

“Anon…” I say as he looks back at me, a little banged up from his pratfall but still smiling. “Of course I’ll marry you, dweeb. Now get over here and put that ring on my finger.” His smile grows as I hold my hand out to him. He scoots forward and slides the ring on my finger before getting to his feet. I pull him close to me as I bring his lips to mine, kissing him deeply as my friends and family cheer for us, clapping as I envelop him in my wings.

There was never any chance I wouldn’t have said yes. I love him with all my heart. He’s my dweeb, my dork, and the love of my life. Without him, I wouldn’t have had a chance to get where I am. I would have been dead on that floor and that’s where my story would have ended. Thanks to him, I’m still here, and I get to look forward to a future by his side. All that fire burns bright in my heart as I kiss him as long as I can…the fire he has kept alive.

I break the kiss as I stare into his eyes with a smirk. “Though, you have no idea how hard it was not to start laughing when you ate the floor.”

He chuckles as he rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah…I didn’t plan that.”

“I know you didn’t. Still…I love you so much, Anon.”

“I love you too, Fang, and I always will.”

I rest my head against his chest as I listen to his heartbeat. I smile as I think of our future together. The life we will live, the life I almost lost. We won’t be rich but we don’t need to be. We have each other, and that’s all I could ever ask for.

I pull my wings back behind me as everyone crowds around us.

“Congrats, dudes!” Reed says as he slaps Anon on the back, nearly causing him to fall over. “Nice dramatic touch with the fall, bro.”

“Yep!” Anon doesn’t take even a second before agreeing. “That was totally planned and not me being an idiot.” No one but Reed believes him.

Trish walks up beside me. “So…” She gives me the biggest puppy dog eyes she can and I just roll my eyes.

“Yes, you are going to be my maid of honor, Trish.”

She squeaks as she jumps for joy before calming herself down. “Good.” She clears her throat and immediately bursts out into giggles. “Oh my god, this is going to be so much fun! My best friend is going to get married!” Her excitement is contagious and I join in with her, bouncing in place as we spin in circles.

My mom can’t keep her face dry as she wipes away her tears with a napkin. “My little baby girl is going to be married!” She chokes back a joyful sob as my dad gently pats her back and she shakes. “I couldn’t be happier! You two will make a wonderful couple, I just know it.”

“No one else I’d rather spend my life with,” Anon says as he looks over at me, a blush filling my face as Trish and I settle down. He looks over at my dad and holds out his hand. “Thank you for helping me get this ring. Never could have afforded it without you.”

He shakes his head as he smiles at Anon. “Happy to do it, son. You saved my daughter’s life not once, but twice. There is no one else in this world that could treat her better than you. No one else that I know will love her for the rest of their life. I’m happy for you both, I truly am.”

I rush up and hug my dad, wrapping an arm around him as I reach out for my mom as she joins the hug. “Thank you, guys, so much, for everything.”

“You never need to thank us, Fang,” my mom says. “We’d do anything for you. We love you.” We sit there quietly for a moment before my dad gestures to Anon and we make room for him. I have the best family anyone could ask for…I’ll never stop being grateful for all they’ve done after what happened to me.

After a few moments we separate, and I take Anon’s hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. “Hey Mom?” She looks over to me.

“Yes, dear?”

“Can we have the wedding in the backyard? I don’t really want to have a big wedding…just close family and friends. If that’s alright with you.”

“Of course it is!” She claps her hands together. “I’ll only invite the family you know and all your friends. Don’t worry about a thing, you two just get busy planning your future together!” She stops for a second as a mischievous grin grows on her face. “And preparing to give me grandbabies.”

“Mooooooom!” I groan as crimson color explodes across my face and Anon’s too as he stares off into the distance a thousand miles away.

“Sorry, dear. Couldn’t help myself. Now come on, let’s start planning!”

The rest of the night is spent together as we work out all the details for the wedding. She’ll take care of all the catering, making sure everyone is fed, and Reed will DJ for us, so we don’t need to find anyone. Uncle Moe is surprisingly an officiant and offers to marry us. What else does he do in his spare time? As we talk over every detail, the joy in my heart only gets bigger. A soft grin settles on my beak as I think to myself, I can’t believe it! I’m going to get married. Though I’m sure as hell not wearing a white dress…I got something else in mind.