Found With You: Chapter 1
Ok, so here is the new version of my previous story, Better Life. This story is completely different from the other one, but with the same basis. Enjoy!
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The late autumn breeze wiped around me as I walked to school in the town Marshville, Ohio. It brushed through my fur, ruffling it. The sun started to break through the clouds. Long shafts of sunlight caressed the earth, casting shadows about.
I sighed as I felt my vulpine fur soak up the warmth. My mind churned with my thoughts. I just couldn't seem to get out of my head. I kept thinking of the hell that is my life, about my problems at home and school.
Ugh. High school sucks!
I sighed again. What was I going to do? Why is this happening to me? My life at school had been god awful--what with being teased. Being called names I don't mind--sometimes. But it's just so hard. I hate that I'm the one that people seem to take their pleasure taunting me. I hate that this is happening at all.
Ugh! I can't take much more of this, I thought to myself.
My foot-paws crunched on the warm, colorful leaves that were scattered around, clustered about the floor.
Birds chirped around me.
Walking down the street, I saw a young fur--a cub--leaving his house. The cub was a German shepherd. He was a tall fur. He wore a long, black jacket that hugged his body, and a pair of black slack jeans.
He looked at me, and I averted my eyes, staring at my feet.
By the time I got to school, the school busses were already heading out after dropping off their kids. I waved to the few bus drivers that waved to me.
Once inside the warm building, I headed to my locker. I opened it and stuffed my back-pack inside. I looked around, staring at the various furs that lined the halls--each of them either talking with friends, or reading, or listening to music. Before I closed my locker, I felt a paw on my shoulder. I looked around and saw my teacher, Mrs. Beller.
She was a tall cat, with snowy fur. Her eyes were an icy blue. Today she had on some casual clothes. She had on a pair of faded jeans and a black t-shirt that read, "I BECAME A TEACHER AND GOT THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT? AWSOME!"
"Good morning, Tanner," Mrs. Beller said. "Will you please help me shelve some books in my room? I have quite a few and it'd take me forever to do it myself. But with the two of us it'd be quicker."
I nodded and followed my teacher to her room. Once there, I stood in the doorway, my muzzle a gap. God, she wasn't kidding. She had stacks of books piled on at least six desks. The interior of the class was a filled room with book shelves, desks and posters that lined each wall. Mrs. Beller's desk was right across the door, covered with personal items--a picture or two of her husband, and a few pictures of her as a cub.
Mrs. Beller looked at me and chuckled, seeing my expression. "Come on, Tanner. Let's get these books on the shelves before school starts." She walked inside and headed to the abundant pile of books.
I followed after her. Taking a book, I handed her one and put a book on a self. Each time I held a book I weighed it, feeling its hefty pages. Each book was different--with the exception of the few text books she had--not one was the same. All of the books ranged from various genres: terror, teen, comedy, mystery, drama, short stories and novels.
I looked at the novel that was in my paw, staring at. I had this book--or the first book of the series. It was a good series filled with action--with a deadly mystery looming within its chapters--romance, acceptance, and humor. I very much enjoyed the first book; I'll have to ask if I could borrow it from my teacher.
Mrs. Beller put a snowy paw on my shoulder. "Are you ok, Tanner?"
I looked up at her. "Yeah, I am. I was just looking at this book. I was wondering if I could borrow it."
Mrs. Beller smiled. "Of course," she said. "Remember that one part in the book where Silva snuck out and accidently walked in to a room where a young male bear changing cloths and she ran out?"
"Oh, yeah," I said. "That thought that ran thought her head was funny. But I also like that emotional part at the end of the book where Silva is holding her boyfriend while he's dying, and I'll admit it, that part made me cry."
"Hmm . . ." she said. "Yeah, that was a good ending, sad yes, but still good. I just finished the book, which is why it's in my class. I think you'll like it."
She looked at the back of the book, reading the brief summary of it, and then she handed it to me. "Here," she said. "Read it and then email me and let me know that you think of it."
I took the book. "Thank you, Mrs. Beller."
She grinned again. "You're welcome, Tanner. Remember, you still have some books you've been meaning to give me."
I looked at her dumbfounded, and then it hit me. "Oh, yeah; I almost forgot. Thanks, I'll get the books to you tomorrow." I laid the book next to me and then went back to work stacking what books she had. Again, I skimmed through the huge collection she had as I placed them on the shelf.
When I found some more books that looked interesting, I asked if I could borrow them as well. This brightened up Mrs. Beller's smile. She seemed happy that I was taking an interest in her books.
By the time we were finished, the annoying bell rang and the halls were blasted with music.
"Ok," she said, thankfulness ebbed from her voice. "Thank you for helping me. Now, off to class."
"You're welcome," I said out the door.
"Have a good day . . . ." she started to say but the sound of the music drowned out her voice.
My head pounded and my ears rang. Once the music stopped, I hustled down the hall that led to my first class (quickly grabbing my back pack along the way, of course). Looking down the corridor, I watched as students hurried to their class.
The bell rang just as I trudged into the room. The class was a bustle with furs chatting with each other. Once in my seat, I pulled out my text book and set it on the desk. Then I pulled out my reading book, and stared at the ink pressed words on the page. My tail lolled behind me as I read, as I found this book even more interesting every time I opened it.
Though soon, something caught my eyes. I looked up, and stared at the young wolf across from me. I had never seen him before. He looked so nervous in the almost crowded room. His eyes never met anyone else's.
Mr. Meric, a black panthertaur, walked into the room, his laptop and papers in hand. The room got very quite when he cleared his throat. He looked around, making sure he had everyone's attention. He pointed a finger to the wolf, gesturing for him to come up.
The wolf complied.
"Good morning class," he said, smiling. He had an English twang to his voice. "I'd like you to meet our new student"--he looked down at his roster--"Garrick Foreman. Garrick, welcome to the class."
"Hi," Garrick whispered softly, barely audible. He dropped his eyes and stared at his paws, blushing a deep scarlet under his char-coal fur. God, did he look so nervous--I felt sorry for him.
"Ok, now that we have that situated, Garrick, please take a seat next to . . . Mr. Meyer," said Mr. Meric.
Garrick nodded and shuffled over to me, sliding into the seat next to me.
The black panthertaur shuffled with some papers on his desk, and then started to write out our lesson plans for today.
"Now, let's start taking some note. Today we're going to over the Clains of the Taurs--the way they were abused and treated unfairly. The 1950's were a hard time for the taurens. A young foxtaur by the name of Taylor Skeir wrote down in a journal of his experience . . ." Mr. Meric went over some of the abuse taurs went through--that just because they're taurs that they were different. Taurs weren't given the proper care, for there tauren bodies were unusual to treat. Often times, they were poked and prodded by scientists.
I tried to pay attention to our teacher but my eyes kept wandering to the fur next to me. He scurried around in his bag, looking for a pencil or a pen. But when his paw came up with none, his shoulders sagged, his white eyebrows furrowed.
Reaching into my bag, I grabbed a pen and handed it to him. His face instantly lit up when he saw it.
Thank you, he mouthed.
I smiled back.
I went back to my work and started jotting down some notes that were on the projector, glancing at the wolf every now and then, seeing how he's doing. It wasn't till I looked at my notes and then back up and the screen that I realized that I was paying more attention to Garrick then to my teacher.
Come, Tanner, focus, I said to myself. I had to pay attention.
Quickly, I wrote down the notes I was missing, making sure I was getting the notes instead of looking at . . . the wolf next to me.
". . . from the early eighteen 70's, taurens were bred for the purpose of slavery," Mr. Meric stated. "One slave, an adolescent-adult, tried to sneak himself and his breeding mate--and their unborn cub--out into the Free states. See back then, some of the richer, more powerful furs thought that it would be more beneficial if they were able to get some of the young cubs to, um"--he coughed nervously--"mate so they'd have young cubs and even younger cubs to put to work."
Mr. Meric stopped and sat on his haunches, his ears pulled back, and his tail went limp. He rubbed his temple and closed his eyes. After a few seconds he blew out a deep breath and continued with the lecture, letting himself relax.
I knew this one topic hurt him--not because he's a tauren himself--but because that story he shared is about one of his ancestors. It was even sadder when their owner found them and slaughtered them for disobeying and leaving. But not before the mates had been able to get their newly born cub to a safe place, a non-tauren family they knew well and were friends with.
I felt a light tap on my shoulder, and looked around to see Garrick staring at me.
"Can I please have a copy of some of those notes and the previews ones since this is my first day." He looked at me and smiled.
"Of course," I said. I quickly fished out some of the other notes, and handed them to him.
When class was over, and everybody was leaving, I stayed behind and watched as Mr. Meric went back to his desk, sat down, and pulled his glasses up the bridge of his muzzle. I gathered my things and walked up to the black pathertaur. "Mr. Meric?" I asked. "Are you ok?"
"Uh?" He put his glasses on his desk and looked at me. "Oh, yes. I'm ok," he said. His eyes flickered with saddness for a second and then he smile. "I'm good, Tanner. Thank you for your concern."
Walking through the near-bear halls, I stuck my paws in my pant pockets. I made my way into the cafeteria. I kept thinking of Garrick. I don't know why, though. I just couldn't seem to get him out of my head.
I don't know why I couldn't get him off my mind. It was like . . . I don't know. When he smiles, my heart flutters.
Standing by the doors stood Garrick, looking for somewhere to sit. I walked over to him and said, "Hi."
He smiled back. "Hey. Do you mind if I sit with you?" he asked.
I nodded and headed inside. Garrick followed after me.
We managed to find a table and sat down. Reaching for my lunch, I grabbed a grape and popped it into my muzzle. My maw felt numb from the sourly-sweet grapes.
I heard a muffled giggle next me. I turned around and raised my brow, staring at Garrick. His paws were cupping his muzzle, stifling a giggly fit.
"Sorry," he said. "You face just looked too funny."
He mimicked what he thought my face looked like. A giggle burst through my lips and soon our table was uproar of giggle hysteria. After I caught my breath, I grinned and poked Garrick's arm.
He grinned back.
Hmm, he really is a nice guy, I thought to myself.
I felt his tail brush against mine, and a shiver ran down my spine. Why did that happen? I asked myself. I wasn't until then that I realized that I was really enjoying his company. Why?
I didn't have time to answer that question when a cohort of furs--jocks--walked past our table, bumping me out of my seat.
"Faggot," the bat muttered under his breath. I could hear a smile him his words.
Ugh! I hated those assholes. I mean, why they can't just leave me alone?
Scrambling up, I brushed some crumbs and whatever off my pants. I looked at the jerk that pushed me and flicked him off and sat back down in my seat. His booming laugh reverberated off the walls, echoing about the large room.
I sighed and ran a paw through my head-fur.
"Are you ok?" Garrick asked.
I nodded.
Garrick looked at me. "What was that about?"
I just stared at my food before starting. "I don't know. Some jock-asshole who thinks he's some big hot shot and can pick on small foxes like me . . ." I trailed off, not finishing the sentence.
I looked out the window across my table and saw a weasel mother strolling down with her to cubs. I watch as the mother smile as her daughter tackles her brother to the ground and start rolling around in the grass, ears perked and tail swishing back and forth with joy. I smile as well as I watch the two cubs scream and laugh, and just having fun. The mother takes her son and places him on her shoulders, and laughs when her child clings to his mothers head for dear life.
Watching the weasel family made my think of my family--or really my mother. My father . . . I really didn't feel like thinking of him.
I reached into my bag and pulled out the rest of my lunch: a turkey sandwich, a coke can wrapped in tinfoil to keep it cold, a apple and a plastic back of chips. I started chewing my sandwich slowly while taking sips of my coke. I offered my chips with Garrick, and he took them graciously.
"So, Garrick," I said, wiping my paws on my jeans. "How long have you lived here?"
"Well, actually, I just moved here," he said, licking the crumbs of a muffin he had off his fingers. "We moved here"--he stopped and thought about it--"three days ago. We live a few blocks down from Maple Str."
That was only a few blocks from my house. My heart jumped with joy I didn't understand.
"Nice." I smiled. "I live two blocks from the park there."
"Cool." he grinned. "We'll have to hang out there someday and, I don't know, go on the swings," he joked.
Cracking a smile, I took a sip from my coke before I asked, "Where did you live before?"
He opened his muzzle, about to say something, but closed it, and mused about where he lived previous. "I lived in Nevada, kind of a big town. But my parents wanted a smaller peaceful town, so we moved here. Which is ok, 'cause I didn't really like the town we lived in. It was just too . . . busy I guess."
"How about you?" he asked. "You live anywhere else?"
"Nope, I lived here my whole life. Though when I graduate, I hope to move to a decently large down--you know, not something to big, but not too small." I took another sip of my drink.
Garrick looked over to me and a grin was set on his jet back muzzle. "Isn't that every senior's plan?"
I smiled back. "Of course," I said sarcastically. "Do you know what college you want to go to?"
"Yeah, I'm planning on going to Westlake College here. Well, I had another college that looked interesting, but when I found out we were moving here, I decided to look at the colleges here," he said.
"Why did you decide to change your mind on the other college?"
"I don't know really. I guess what once I did the tour of it and everything, it didn't look as appealing. And besides, if I take a college here, I'd be closer to home," he sort of mumbled.
I nodded, satisfied I guess, and finished my lunch.
I was glad when I saw Garrick in a few more of my classes. As grand was it seems, I was hoping he would be. During passing periods--and sometimes during class--Garrick and I would chat. Seeming to be the only one that Garrick's comfortable talking with; I told him the rules and stuff. I told him the tardy count and what kind of stuff can get you detentions.
As we passed students, one fur, a coyote, looked up. She had her back pack slung over her shoulder, books in her paw. With her free paw, she brushed a lock of her head-fur away from her eyes. She looked at Garrick and smiled.
I didn't like she looked at him, and I got the sudden urge to protect Garrick. The way she looked at him--I didn't like it. Her eyes glistened predatorily.
I glared at her.
She glared back and then stormed off down the hall and veered down the English corridor.
I smiled smugly to myself.
After school Garrick asked me I wanted to get something to drink. I said yes. We talked down the road, chatting away.
The sun was high in the blue sky dusted with creamy clouds. A gentle wind blew, causing the colorful leaves to rise from the ground. The cool wind blew against my russet fur, pushing it to one side.
I creased my puffed fur back down with a paw.
We walked through a pool of sunlight was we entered a coffee shop--Star Bucks I think it was. Once inside, my nose was gripped by the strong scent of freshly brewed coffee and sweet pastries.
Garrick grabbed my sleeve and started towing me to the counter. I pulled out my wallet and insisted on paying for both of us.
He looked at me. "Are you sure," he asked.
I smiled. "Yeah," I said.
Garrick ordered a Hot Chocolate and I ordered a Vanilla Cappuccino. Once our orders were fill and delivered, we headed for an empty table. Sitting down, I swept my bushy tail to the side so I wouldn't sit on it.
I grabbed my cup, tilting the tip to my muzzle. My tail swayed as I took sips. I stared at the midnight wolf across the tip of the cup. It struck me that I never noticed his eyes. They were two golden orbs, framed by black fur. In contrast, his fur made those vibrant gold eyes pop. They were pretty, that much I can say.
I looked away. I didn't want him to notice I was staring. I hoped he didn't notice me staring.
Garrick cleared his throat. I looked back to those eyes. My heart shrank in my chest. It was strange to look at his eyes, but nice. His eyes were perfect, as if they where crafted out of pure gold.
I smiled at him.
His lips pulled back into a smile--a muzzle full of smiles.
I excused myself to the bathroom. Once inside the empty bathroom, thankfully, I started pacing. I tried to calm my racing heart. Frustrated, I walked over to the sink and gripped it. My eyes rose to the mirror, and I looked at the fox starting back at me. His muzzle pulled into a smile. His ears flicked at the music and noise outside, his tail slowly swaying behind him. Then I looked into those eyes that mirrored mine. They were the hue of ice, clear and sharp. They looked at me and I looked back at them.
I sighed to myself, turning away from the fox in the mirror. I rested my hips on the sink, my paws gripping the hard marble. I can't stay in here all day. I'm sure Garrick would start to get worried. So with that, I headed out and back to our table. Once I sat down, I looked at the wolf. I could see the faintest hint of worry in his eyes, but soon that was masked by a smirk.
"What?" I grinned back.
Garrick shook his head, still smiling. "Nothing," he said. His eyes flickered when he said that, his voiced caressed with, again, that worry.