A Tail for Two - Chapter 1
I hate Mondays.
You get up after a long weekend, tired as hell, and the last thing you want to do is go to school. Sometimes you just want something new to happen; something exciting. The buzzer from my alarm was ringing straight into my ear and my mom was whisking up some eggs in the kitchen; the two most annoying sounds I've ever heard. I didn't really eat breakfast on weekdays; I'm usually too busy getting ready for the day. After putting on some clothes, combing my fur, and then sleeping for a bit more, it was normally time to go.
The car ride was just as annoying as usual. My mom and my brother, Luke, argued about something so stupid that they probably even forgot what it was, but I didn't really mind; my mind was off in the clouds. Even though he gets on my nerves a lot, I really do like my brother. We've been close ever since he was born. Surprisingly, we have the same birthday, only a year apart. He says it's a sign that we're supposed to look out for each other, although he doesn't really look out for me at all. I'm kind of the outcast; the gay kid with no more than two or three friends. Whenever I get picked on, Luke is nowhere to be seen, only those two friends.
As I walked into school, I passed by almost every clique a high school could have: Jocks, preps, theatre kids, and many others. Then there was my clique, the outcasts. Our isolated group consisted of no more than me, my best friend Angela, and my other friend Justin. Sometimes we'd include one of their friends as well, but usually they wouldn't want to be seen with us; it was just too embarrassing.
"Hey, Angie," I called out in a boring monotone.
"Hey, Nate!" she replied with a huge smile on her face, "Did you have a good weekend?"
"You know; same old, same old." Too bad that meant crying over the same old stuff for hours on end.
"Well maybe if you would've called me we could've hung out!" She yelled out, attempting to make me laugh. It didn't really work.
"I wasn't really in the mood to hang out, sorry."
"Are you still all depressed over Lance? Get over it kiddo!" Lance is my ex-boyfriend. We dated for about 15 months, but unfortunately he broke up with me last week. You see, we argued a hell of a lot for people who "loved" each other. The only reason I desperately tried to hold onto him was because he was all I really had besides my friends. After we broke up, I started to realize how big of a mistake it was to leave him, which left me stuck feeling like shit every day, wishing he'd take me back.
"I think I'm going to be depressed for a while, sorry Ange," I said, nearly whimpering.
"Well too bad! I'm taking you out this Friday and you're going to forget all about Lance!" she yelled back with a joking tone in her voice.
If there was anything that could get my mind off of him, I would've took the chance in a heartbeat. I knew that going out with an old friend for a bit wasn't going to get my mind off of anything, but one of us still had hope and I didn't want to ruin that. She looked me in the eyes and frowned, as if she read my mind.
The school bell sounded off loudly, screeching in my ear and in the ears of all the lazy students that flooded this school. Angie stood up and gave me a tight squeeze, trying to comfort me in her arms. I hugged back with a much weaker effort, barely gripping whatsoever. I turned my body around and began to walk towards my first class of the day. I stared at my feet as I walked, trying to prevent myself from looking up at Lance with his new girlfriend. After dating me I guess he figured he'd have better luck with girls than boys. As I walked, I spotted a figure directly in front of me and, not realizing where I was stepping, walked straight into him. I tried to end the collision before it had begun, but stopping in mid-step caused me to fall forward onto the guy even harder. My legs gave in and I tumbled onto him hard. It probably would have hurt me even more if he had not cushioned my fall. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have the same support.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I yelled out in total and utter embarrassment.
"Come on man, don't worry about it," he responded with an extremely attractive smile. I pulled my head out from his chest and looked at his face. His gorgeous fur was shiny, yet rugged, and his eyes were beautiful than beauty itself. They appeared to me as a sea of sparkles flowing in a perfectly circular current. He had one paw on my hip and the other on my arm; a position that I enjoyed greatly.
"I'm really, really sorry," I cried out again, trying to pull myself off of his slightly toned body. I extended my hands and pushed myself up onto my knees. His eyes never left mine and his smile didn't fall whatsoever.
Finally on our feet again, he laughed and said "I told you don't worry about it. It was fun!" I blushed and looked down at his chest, trying to escape from his hypnotic eyes. "Want to do it again?" My nerves were overwhelming and I was unbelievably embarrassed. I wanted to stay and talk to him, I wanted to get to know him, I wanted to just figure out what it was about him that made him so charming, but my anxiety was just too powerful. I had to escape from the strain, the tension.
"Well, bye!" I blurted out while turning away. He tried to stop me, but I walked away from him swiftly enough for him not to try and follow me. I thought I heard him call "Wait!" a few times, but I ignored it to the best of my ability. Sure, he was cute, but I needed to get away before I threw up in humiliation.
My first class was Composition, which was a fancy way of saying we write a lot. My teacher was ranting on about metaphors and similes; things we learned over and over again since the beginning of middle school.
I was a little too busy doodling a picture of my teacher to actually pay attention to the lesson. Personally I thought she looked good with a beard, mustache, and unibrow. When she was done lecturing, she gave us an assignment. If I was paying attention, I probably would have completed it like the rest of the class, but I haven't paid attention much in any class since Lance dumped me. I guess it was a common symptom of a heart break.
When the bell had rung once again, I quickly made my way out of the classroom and began to walk towards my algebra class. Justin and I shared our math class together, so we met up in the hall just before going to class. I gave him a quick high five just before getting lost in my own thoughts while he told me a story that had no real interest whatsoever.
Lance always walked the opposite direction as me in this hallway, so we couldn't help but see each other as we passed by. Back when we used to date, I'd always stop him to give him a lick on the tip of his muzzle; it always made him blush, which I loved to see. To keep my eyes away from him, I read the door numbers that we passed. I reached classroom number 215 when I was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder. I turned and locked eyes with the same guy that I had tripped over this morning.
"Hey!" he called out with an extremely happy look in his eyes.
"Hey!" I replied, surprised to see him again so soon.
"Sorry if I'm bothering you, but I failed to catch your name this morning." His smile was charming and mesmerizing; just looking at it made me want to laugh.
"Nate. My name is Nate," I chuckled.
"I'm Cyd," he reached out his paw, ready to shake. A little nervous to touch him again, I reached mine out and shook with him; his smile making me giggle again. "Are you okay? You fell on me pretty hard today."
"Yea I'm fine, you cushioned the fall," I joked, figuring it was best to leave out the fact that I loved every second of our bodies being so close to one another.
"Well that's good. I wouldn't want someone as cute as you getting hurt." His smile grew wider, making me laugh even harder. I was so happy yet so embarrassed at the same time. People never did this to me; compliment me I mean. I was never commented on or flirted with, so when it did happen, I barely knew how to react. "Well I'll let you get to class. I'll see you back here in an hour?"
"Yea, you definitely will!" I exclaimed. After he left I was nearly skipping to class. My teacher gave me a confusing look as I walked into the room, since I was never usually late or skipping. I spent the entire period smiling, just waiting to go back and see Cyd again. When Justin asked why I was so giddy, I told him not to worry about it. Straight guys didn't really understand me when I talked about other boys, so why even make an attempt? They just stared with a disgusted look, but who could blame them? The kid behind me was tapping his pencil, yet again, but it didn't bother me today. Today I was immune to any disturbances. When you see a smile like that, a face like that, nothing can ruin your day.
When class ended I rushed back over to the part of the hall that Cyd agreed to meet me in. unexpectedly, I found him waiting for me before I even arrived. I'd never seen a German shepherd with such a glow to his fur. He was skinny, yet still muscular; a combination that's nearly impossible to explain or accomplish.
"Hey cutie," he said as I walked towards him, "can I walk you to your next class?" I grinned and agreed, giving him a flirty look. When we began walking, he grabbed my arm as if he was escorting me to prom. A gesture like that was extremely fresh to me; Lance had never done anything that sweet since the beginning of our relationship. I continued to walk; ignoring every look we received from the homophobic students we passed on our way.
How lucky was I to find someone like this? Someone who knew I was gay, but actually had the guts to do something about it? Someone who didn't care what other people said or thought and was just himself? I was the luckiest guy in the world, or at least I felt like it.
When I approached the door to my classroom, I let go of Cyd's arm. He looked me in the eyes and laughed. "I'm sorry, was that too much?" he asked in a worried voice.
"No! That wasn't too much at all!" I exclaimed in a joking, but nervous manner.
"Well good, because then I can do this." Before I even had time to think, he leaned forward and kissed my muzzle. My eyes were wide and his were closed tight. When he pulled away I saw his smile grow back once more. He was taller than me by quite a bit, which I liked a lot. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could I gained enough courage to sneak a quick kiss back and then quickly escape to the safety of my classroom. I wanted to turn around and I wanted to see his reaction, but I put so much courage into that kiss that I had none left to turn around.
I hadn't felt this feeling in a long time; the feeling that something new was about to happen, something amazing. Maybe it was the beginning of a great week. Maybe it was the beginning of a great month. If I was lucky, it was the beginning of a great lifetime, a great relationship.
Cyd... What a weird name.