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"Dillon! Have you unpacked yet?"

My mother's voice carried with it a certain accusation, though I didn't blame her. I was often wont to shirk what I was supposed to be doing to do... Well anything else, really. But this was different. Had to make sure I had someplace I could call mine.

I didn't give a response, instead going to the display shelf I had finally gotten up next to my regular records, still in the box. These were a little bit more special. Second to bottom shelf, eight to the right. I carefully pulled it out and placed it on the turn table, pushing my tools beneath the bed and flopping onto it. The slow rhythmic tick of the metronome started, surrounding me from every corner, thrumming through the walls, almost matching my heartbeat. That haunting laugh... That slow murmur of words spoken by those long since forgotten by most...

The door opened about a minute into it, and I could sense my mom relaxing. I couldn't help but smirk, my whiskers twitching as I made myself comfortable. "Yup." I chuckled.

Mom gave an audible sigh, and I felt her weight at the corner of my bed. "You're awful smug." She chuckled, and I joined in her laughter. We spent a couple moments enjoying the sweet guitar riffs of Breathe. "I thought for sure you would've gone with The Wall." I peeked an eye open, sitting up against the headboard and looking around the room, stopping at my base leaning on the stand near the wall opposite her.

"I listen to that one all the time. I know you prefer this one, mom." I felt her gaze boring into me. I really didn't want to meet it. I knew the look I'd see. My eyes flicked to hers. Such a pretty blue. I hated it when they were like that. Worried and stressed. "Besides, it's a new moon. Pretty dark huh?" I jerked a thumb towards the window of my new room. The night sky was actually not as dark as I was used to. Stars shining brightly. It was strange, but I liked it. The street was dark instead now, letting the sky take the show. She gave a wry smile, lips pulling back from the large incisors poking down from her mouth. I ran my tongue across my own. "You know, because... The album? It's Dark side of the-"

"Dillon, you're a good kid." She sighed again, and opened her arms for a hug, which I gladly sat up for. I wrapped my own white arms around her waist as the pads of her hands pressed into my back. "You know you can tell me if... If you have a problem with this place." I laughed, nuzzling my head into her shoulder. I felt her place her head protectively on my own and she pulled me closer.

"Ma... This place really is great. And besides, I was tired of being a 'city rat.' I think it'll be better here." She chuckled again, perhaps a bit sadly, though maybe I was looking too deeply into it. She pulled away, and I dropped back to sitting. The stress hadn't faded, but the worry was gone at least. I took a deep breath and looked at the alarm clock near the bed. "Should probably get to sleep. Got school tomorrow." There was a sour thought. Not even the haunting piano refrain of Great Gig in the Sky could really do much to make it better. "Maybe it'll be better."

Mom rolled her eyes. "Dillon, I was looking at the school pamphlet. They have a classic rock club." She paused and gave me that look again. Damn. Here it came. "I want you to join it. Please?" I tried to stop the grimace, but I'm not a poker player. "I know, I know... But... I think it could be good for you."

I shrugged and sighed. Whatever. It makes her happy. I rubbed my neck some, rubbing the pad of my hand through my short white fur. "Alright. I'll... Look into it I guess." She nodded and stood up.

"Good night Dill Weed."

"Night Ma."

---

The first day of school is always pretty easy. At least... That's what the previous nine years of it had taught me. Homeroom smelled of carpet cleaner and the last dying breaths of Summer. I rested my face on the long table I sat in front of. What I wouldn't give for just another few minutes of sleep...

The students around me didn't seem to be fairing any better. A few even catching the sleep that seemed to have eluded me the night previous. Lucky bastards.

"Is it true?" The voice was just loud enough to be annoying, but quiet enough that it was obviously a question meant for me. I sighed and turned my head to a rabbit in a baggy sweater and jeans, who was looking at me with a grin. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you start all your conversations with obscure questions?" I really shouldn't have been so mean, but come on. Nobody should be this chipper at eight in the morning.

The rabbit didn't seem to take the hint, choosing to laugh it off. "Sorry, just, there's some rumors about you. Did you really kill somebody?" I groaned. Great, this shit. First period hadn't even began and the fight was already news. I had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

"You got a name, or should I just call you dipshit?" I ran my tongue over my incisors and glared at the black rabbit. The pinks of his floppy ears stood out harshly against his dark fur, and for just a moment, I thought of bubblegum stuck to the tar of a parking lot. "I didn't kill him."

Nah, he wasn't that bad. I was just annoyed. The rabbit tugged nervously at his red sweater. "Spleen." I blinked, trying to wrap my head around the obscure word. He shook his head, seeing my confusion. "My name. It's Spleen."

I chuckled some. What? You would too if you met some dip named Spleen.

"Yeah, that's most people's reaction. Followed immediately by telling me I talk too much. Gotta work on that. So you didn't kill him? What happened than?" He leaned closer, and I could smell his fur. Like a mix of fruit and medicine.

"I gotta feeling you wouldn't believe me if I said he talked too much, Spleen." I glared again for a moment, but felt a bit guilty when he shrank away some. "Why do you gotta know?"

His grin returned and he leaned back in, replacing my guilt with annoyance once again. "Well, I mean, not much really happens around here yeah? And then somebody moves from the city, and a rumor that he killed a bank robber goes around. I mean... It would be kinda cool to hear a story like that yeah? Yeah?" He nudged my arm a bit and snickered.

I exhaled, blowing air out in his general direction. "Okay, that is so far from what happened I can't even tell you how retarded you sound. I got into a fight behind a gas station with an asshole from class. I didn't kill anybody. Bank robber or otherwise."

I won't lie that I felt a bit of satisfaction at watching him deflate at my answer. "Dang. Did you get in trouble for it?"

"Oh hell yeah. Police got involved. The dude's parents baled me out though." I sat up some, checking the clock. Still a whole 'nother ten minutes of this pointless not a class.

My gaze drifted to the teacher, a short and fat fennec fox, asleep in his own chair. Guess mornings suck for adults too. "Wait, the parents of the guy you beat up?" I nodded.

"They said they knew he deserved it." I lamented the serotonin fading out of my soul with this conversation.

"Jeez. That's some story. You know, I heard this one time..." I tuned him out and tried my best to win a staring contest with the clock. Yeah. It was gonna be a really long one.

---

I didn't see Spleen again until fourth period, but the teacher had been so kind to assign seats by last name, and 'Spleen Fitz' was nice and far from my own Oakley. The back row fit me just fine. It was strange sharing a class with four Johnsons from different families, but whatever. The teacher had also shared her kindness to us by introducing herself as 'Mrs. Fitz' and making us stand and do similar. Share something about ourselves, gimme a break...

I had tuned most of everybody out, and just hoped the period would end before it got to me. No such luck. I did give a silent thanks to Spleen, as he had done me the decency of taking a whole chunk of six minutes to talk about himself, until Fitz had finally told him to can it, or in the bat teacher's words, "let some of the others take their turn."

The other kids took their turns, saying random careless things. Three favorite colors in a row were thrown out and fate finally pointed its terrible bony finger at me. I shifted and stood. "Dill Oakly, and I'm hungry." I rolled my eyes at the look Fitz gave me. "Fine. Uh... My favorite band is Pink Floyd." She nodded her head and I sat back down, glad to be out of attention as the girl next to me stood up.

This continued and finished, and Fitz went over the syllabus for the class. I paid more attention to her tits, as they were pretty nice, made better by the way they bounced every time she'd swing her wings around to explain some tangent story about her kids. Now if only the personality matched the body. I frowned at the pang of guilt in my heart, knowing mom wouldn't appreciate those kinds of thoughts.

"... And Dill, you should be rather happy to know that lunch comes right after this class. Where you will all be able to sign up for any after school clubs for the year! Remember, they're worth half a credit, so it never hurts." Her gaze was piercing, and only caused my guilt to grow. Jeez lady, come on. I gave an innocent smile and nodded, which was enough to get her to go back to paying attention to the board.

---

After ages filled with boredom and hunger, the bell rang and I was out the door, heading for the cafeteria. I was already yanking out the red lunchbox I had shoved into my backpack, finding a nice empty table in a corner, and stuffing my face with ham and bread. Finally, one of the few things this world had that I could truly celebrate. Food.

"You know I was thinking, Pink Floyd is great and all, but you were pretty Van Halen in that classroom there." The chair across from me filled with black rabbit fur, and a brown lunch bag landed near my box. "~Got it bad, bad, bad...~"

I refused to let this annoying bunny ruin my meal, so I chose instead to talk around my food. "What can I say, Mrs. Fitz ain't built like the other teachers." I swallowed and bit, disappointed by how quickly my sandwich was disappearing.

Spleen chuckled, opening his own bag and taking several items out. A sandwich, a banana, a nutty buddy, and a sealed bag of baby carrots. He peeled open the baggy and started munching on the carrots to start. "No kidding. Bet you're sore over that Miss being a Mrs yeah? Yeah?"

I snorted, doing my best not to choke on the sandwich entering my throat, swallowing harshly. "Nah. Too old for much except fantasy. Though Mr Fitz really lucked out. Like damn." I caught a strange look from him and stopped. "What?"

Spleen smirked. "Well there's no Mister. But there is another Mrs."

I raised a brow and took another bite. "No shit? Not that there's a problem with it. She just didn't really give the vibe." I adjusted my shirt as it rode up my back, bending my fur the wrong way.

"No shit." Spleen was quick to attack his banana next, having demolished the carrots. I finished my sandwich and dug in my bag for my peach, sinking my incisors into it and letting the juice run into my mouth. Being a rat had its perks. "Jeez, like a vampire over there. Take it easy, Dill."

My eyes flicked to Spleen, and frowned at his smirk. I pulled my succulent fruit away. "This shit is delicious Spleen, just because you can't enjoy your food doesn't mean I can't." He chuckled, doing that banana in and tossing the peel in the brown bag. My eyes peered over his shoulders at the table full of clipboards. All five of them. Jeez, I know it's a small school but only five clubs... "You joining any clubs?"

I flicked my gaze back to the loudmouth rabbit, who shook his head. "Nah. Cross Country For Autumn, Basketball in Winter, and Track for Spring. I'm covered. What about you, Dill?"

"Clubs aren't really my thing. Sports either. I used to just hang around the gas station across the street from the apartment..." I frowned, chewing thoughtfully on my peach.

"From what you've said, that didn't really turn out very well for you. Unless you make a habit of picking fights?"

Damn, he had a point. I sighed, standing and taking my peach with me. Time to sign up.