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Lauren overslept and missed her first class.

She jerked awake, horrified that she had drifted off. She dashed to her computer and shot off a quick email to her art instructor, apologizing and explaining she had not felt well. Harrison would not mind too much, Lauren reasoned; she had been doing well in the class and could afford a slight slack off. After punching "Enter" on her keyboard, she glanced down at her clock. It was almost time to meet Mack for lunch. The thought made her heart flutter a little, which she chalked up to being hungry.

It was still chilly when she left Whittier. Now and then little flurries would threaten to drift but they stayed at bay. Lauren pulled her jacket around her body tighter for warmth. She rubbed her paws together, and tried to imagine the hot coffee between them.

The school, all thirteen hundred acres of it, sprawled like a miniature version of an Ivy League college. The falls leaves swirled and danced in the win off the sidewalk, whipping and whizzing past the students as the bustled about their lives. The fall air was crisp and cool, invigorating as Lauren took a deep breath and exhaled, seeing her breath hang out as condensation. Out in front of the of the Social Sciences building lay a grassy area known as the Green. The lush emerald colored grass sparkled upwards as students sat and meandered between classes. Lauren recognized some faces from her art classes as they worked on still life portraits.

She made her way to the campus cafeteria and took her and Mack's usual spot in a little corner near the window. She waited patiently, drumming her digits along the table. Lauren would glance up and scan the room, seeing other students in various activities. Some would be studying, sipping on their Coke's or bottles of water; others would be texting. There were little pockets of couples nearby, eating together, some of whom were in animated conversations. The cat's ears would flicker in their general direction, listening hard for what they were saying.

"Baby, its not like that! I'm bein' for real with you!"

"Bullshit! I seen you! Glory seen you! I seen't you! You got that musk all over your face fool admit it!"

"So yeah...I was wondering...if I could ahhh...walk you to class?"

"You don't have to be shy, just spit it out..."

Lauren folded her ears back, and her tail swung with grace. She had seen Mack and her boyfriends act like this when they were out, but had never paid attention to the types of conversations couples had.

Huddled off to a solitary corner by the vending machines, Lauren noticed two women sitting in front of one another. They were vixens, both with russet colored muzzles and violet eyes that Lauren imagined twinkled when hit by the sun the right way. There was nothing remarkable about the way they were dressed, with both wearing similar t-shirts sporting internet slogans. Neither was there anything earth shattering about their hair, as both were redheads with little coloring done. But they held each others paws across the table, and both gazed with loving passion into those violet eyes. Their muzzles touched and they kissed, their heart shaped noses rubbing against one another as their lips parted. The women giggled, and both sighed. Beneath them their chocolate tipped tails flopped with grace with each other.

She tried to imagine, picturing herself and Mack sitting like this. Could Mack and I...build something like this. Just like those two? She could not answer that as she took a sip of her coffee, the warm caffeine breathing new life into her body, causing her fur to stand on end.

The fantasy was broken when she saw Mack out the corner of her eye. She shook her head and controlled her breathing, and folded her ears back to hide the pink tint growing inside.

"Hey girl!" Mack beamed. She leaned into Lauren's space and hugged her close to her chest. Lauren let slip a loving purr from her chest, causing Mack to chuckle. "I love hugging you when you're purring," she said, taking her seat opposite Lauren. "Its like putting my chest to a motorboat."

Lauren laughed. Their conversation continued. Mack talked about her morning class and how her critiques went ("Its like...how existential can you get? Its a rock for God's sakes!"). Lauren explained how she'd missed her class and how she still had not seen the Resident Assistant in her dorm to do something about the ceiling ("Either they're a ghost or the school is playing a joke on us all.").

This is the way it should be, Lauren thought. I'm calm, she's calm and relaxed. But things...still feel a little different. She couldn't wrap her mind around it. They had sat like this hundreds of times before in the past. Mack's posture hadn't changed, but she could sense there was something other between them now. She studied the mouse carefully, taking note of how she wore her hair--pigtails today--to her clothes. Lauren sniffed the air, wrinkling her nose at the lilac aroma filling it.

"You're doing your cat thing."

"Huh? What cat thing?"

"Scenting. You smell my perfume don't you." Mack leaned over and held her wrist to Lauren's nose. "Its a new scent I'd picked up at the store last night."

"Last night? I thought you went to bed after I left," Lauren observed. And you don't need to know I watched you turn out your light before I went home.

Mack giggled and traced a finger along the edge of her grande.

"Well," she began. "I did. But then I got up a little bit after and went with...well, there's someone I want you to meet." The mouse blushed, the skin beneath her fur reddening. Mack bent her down and smiled sheepishly.

Oh? The cat felt her heart skip a thump

"Oh yeah?" Lauren sipped her coffee.

"Yeah," Mack sighed, her tone heavy with love in her voice. "He should be here any second. In fact, there he is now!" Mack stood up and waved, signaling and pointing in their general direction. Lauren turned around, spotting a red striped fox walking into the cafeteria. He looked up and returned the wave.

Lauren studied the fox as he approached. The vulpe looked to be checking around the six foot mark and if his lithe, muscular build was not an indication of his athletic ability, then the letterman jacket he wore was. The headfur between his chocolate ears was groomed, and swept back like a 1950s greaser. His v-neck t-shirt revealed tufts of the reddish-orange color of his fur. His muzzle was flecked with advances of white. He gave a warm smile at the two women, and strolled with confidence towards their table. Mack slid over to make room for the vulpe when he grabbed a chair to be next to her. The mouse then wrapped her arms around the fox's neck and kissed him, a quick peck of "Hello" but still filled with passion.

Their embrace finished, Mack introduced him."Lauren, this is Gary Dellacroce," she said. "My new boyfriend." The fox held out an ebony paw, the claws of which were neatly trimmed and manicured.

"Nice to meet the famous Lauren," he said. His voice was as confident as his walk, with a touch of humility to its smooth baritone. Lauren extended her paw, trying to steady it as she realized it was shaking.

"H-hello." That was all she could muster herself to say. But Gary nor Mack registered the nervousness in Lauren's voice. "So, how long have you guys been..."

"Dating?" Gary interrupted. "A couple months now." Lauren heard the triumphant sound in his voice and did not like it. His tone was that of a Roman emperor who'd plowed right through the English countryside and stopped to pat himself on his back for a job well done.

"You remember Artie right?" Mack explained, bringing Lauren back from her thoughts. "Well, right after Fall semester started, I found out he was cheating on me."

Lauren did remember. She remembered getting the frantic phone call filled with tears on the other end from Mack, pleading with her to come over. Mack didn't want to be alone. The women had gone to Mack's favorite bar near campus, the Boathouse, and Lauren let Mack drink her sorrows as much as she wanted. But the atmosphere did not feel comfortable and Lauren recalled that she had left to hide in the bathroom for a few minutes, leaving Mack alone at the bar.

Which is when this guy probably swooped in, she murmured in her head.

Mack continued. "Gary was so kind, he gave me his phone number but I waited a week before I finally texted him."

"And I'm glad you did! I almost gave up hope you'd ever call me!" Gary boasted. He leaned in locked his muzzle to Mack's, kissing her with radiance as their tongues licked against each other.

Lauren looked down at the table and saw the vulpe plant a paw onto Mack's, noting the subtle shift in the mouse's posture as Mack continued to blush. She was leaning closer to him and her head was tilted in his direction, with Gary caressing her long dark tresses between his hands.

On her side of the table, Lauren assumed they were likely talking about events that didn't concern her. Mack would change her direction every couple of minutes, turning towards Lauren to try and involve her, and even Gary would ask the cat a question or two, before their attentions turned back towards each other.

I'm just a sideman in their story. Was this what she had to look forward to with Mack? Could Gary and Mack get married and then in twenty or thirty years they'd have forgotten all about Lauren and laugh about that forgetfulness?

There was something different in her whole attitude with Gary; she'd never been so engrossed in anyone like this before. The way her voice was beaming, lighting up each time Gary would open his mouth and tell a joke. Lauren noted how different her laugh was compared to her past relationships.

Or even when she's laughing with me.

"...and what do you think Lauren?"

Lauren snapped back to reality. "Huh? Yeah, what? Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

Mack chuckled under her breath. "Francis Bacon on your mind?"

"Kinda."

Mack studied for a few moments, scanning Lauren through her glasses."Well, me and Gary were asking, since everyone's ditching campus this weekend to go skiing, did you want to come to Gary's parents place? There's a guest room and Gary's got some nice friends." Her voice dropped low, and she narrowed her eyes at Lauren. "Nice single friends."

Lauren caught the hint. Her ears folded behind her head and she cast a downward glance; her tail twitched with anxiety between her legs.

"They're nice guys!" Gary added. "I don't hang out with any creeps." The vulpe flashed a warm smile towards the cat. "And if they are, you just tell me and I'll kick their tails in!" Punctuating his point Gary rolled up the sleeve of his jacket showing off his muscled arm to Lauren and Mack. Mack laughed, with tears rolling down the sides of her cheeks and touched his bulging muscle, while Lauren remained stoic.

"I bet they are," Lauren answered after a pause, feigning a grin. "Nice guys I mean."

"The best!" Mack beamed. "So're you in? We'll probably head up that way Saturday morning."

Lauren gulped the remainder of her coffee down her throat. She wanted to say no. She could read it on Mack's face and she could read it on Gary's face. They had plans. She would not be part of those plans.

She was an accessory. And a disposable one at that.

"I'll take a rain check," Lauren said, her voice low as she glanced away. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, flicking a claw around the ring of her empty cup. When she looked up again, she saw the disappointment in Mack's eyes. Don't look at me like that, the cat pleaded in her mind. "I got things I got to do," she said quickly. "Any free time I got is like a gift from heaven, know what I mean?."

Lauren tried to laugh but it was weak and listless. She looked at Gary, who seemed to be disinterested in having Lauren involved, and then to Mack, her quizzical look pointed at her friend. Lauren felt the scrutiny. She read Mack's body language carefully and adjusted her own, hoping to offset the suspicion in the mouse's eyes.

Gary shrugged and eased back in his chair, which earned him a light punch from Mack. "It won't be the same without you Lauren," Mack said. She laid her hand on Lauren's paw and squeezed it, looking into the cat's eyes. "Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting kind of off."

Lauren stood from her chair, her heart beating fast, letting Mack's hand fall away.

"J-just sick is all. You know me." She pointed to the top of her head. "I wasn't wearing a hat and I probably caught a cold."

Mack sat and looked at Lauren for several long, lingering moments. The cat could read it on Mack's face and in her eyes: the mouse was trying to find the truth. Please stop staring at me. I don't...want to break down. Not now, not in front of you. And especially not in front of him.

"You guys...you guys go on and have fun." Her voice sounded as though it were at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. Deadened, and lacking life.

Mack kept her gaze on Lauren. She stood up and hugged the cat tight to her chest. Lauren's spine stiffened, shocked at the sudden action. She relaxed as she inhaled, scenting Mack. The new perfume filled her nostrils.

The perfume she'd bought for him.

Then she looked at Gary, and saw his eyes dart from the base of Mack's tail and up and down her thighs, and saw the lascivious deviancy twinkle in the vulpe's pupils. She noticed him lick his muzzle, and the thought that this was now the man that Mack wanted to spend time with sickened the cat.

Lauren's reflexes snapped and she pushed Mack away. "No!" she hissed. She backed away from the table. She looked around. All of the eyes in the cafeteria were on her. She grabbed her bag from the ground and bolted for the door, but felt Mack's heels behind hers.

"Dammit Lauren, wait up!"

The mouse grabbed her by her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. Mack turned her around to face her and saw that hot tears were streaming down Lauren's face.

"What's going on? What was that all for?"

Lauren shook her head. She was laughing. The skin beneath Mack's furry cheeks were reddening from anger. Deep down she enjoyed seeing the mouse mad like this.

"Well? What the fucking fuck is so funny?"

The two women's eyes met, locked into one another.

"Don't you get it yet?" Lauren said, frustration boiling underneath her voice. She raged on the inside, not wanting to have this conversation in this manner.

"No. Clearly I don't. If you can spell it out for me, maybe I can help!" Mack pleaded. She took one step closer to Lauren, who took one step back. The smile at her muzzle never wavered, causing Lauren to think how demented she must look. She looked over Mack's shoulder and saw Gary stepping out from the cafeteria, keeping his distance in the safety of the doorway.

"Come on, don't be like this. Talk to me."

Lauren took a step to Mack, and then another. They were inches apart from each other. She felt her tail twitch with agitation at her feet. Mack kept her eyes trained on Lauren, her hands on her hips. She tapped her foot on the ground, waiting for the cat to speak, raising an eyebrow. Lauren stifled a giggle, noticing her glasses were going askew from the movements.

"Well?" Mack said again, losing patience.

Lauren took a deep breath. She grabbed Mack's face with both of her paws. "This," she said, and locked her muzzle to Mack's. She let the kiss linger as long she could. Her hands caressed Mack's whiskers, pressing her face deeper to her lips and let the shudder of desire pass through her. She pulled away, panting as her warm tears rolled away from her face to the ground.

Mack's eyes were wide. She stammered, and opened and closed her mouth. The words failed to form in her throat.

That was all Lauren needed to see. She pushed Mack away again and ran, ignoring the sound of Mack's voice carrying in the wind as she called out to her.

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