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"Let me go, Jeremy," I said, but my options were fading fast. Already, the four boys had formed a perimeter around me, cutting off potential escape routes. I knew if I ran for it, one of them would grab my backpack and hold me back. I could probably squirm out of it, but I couldn't lose the bag. Even if I did run by, I had no guarantee I'd escape them. Jeremy was a beagle, not really known for speed. They weren't known for strength either, but he must spend every day for an hour at the gym. I can tell you from experience that his bite is far worse than his bark, and for a beagle, that's saying something.

Jeremy wasn't the problem. Paul, the cheetah, was. I was pretty fast, but he was on the junior high track team...sprinting, obviously. I sometimes wonder if the only reason the other guys kept Paul around is so that he could catch their victims.

After Paul, Robertino was the biggest deal. His name meant "little Robert", which was ironic, because he was a Cane Corso. His mastiff body was huge and muscular. I wouldn't stand a chance against him one on one, much less with three buddies helping him. But I guess bullies never really care about a fair fight.

I didn't know much about the last one. He'd joined the others recently, a Borzoi named Anatoly. Last time I'd run from them, he'd seemed almost as fast as Paul, though he wasn't on the track team, yet. I get the feeling the track coach was eyeing the transfer student.

I felt like I was living in a cliche. These four kept tormenting me, for no greater reason than they liked to beat me up. I didn't have anything they wanted. I didn't even have a smart phone. My clothes were hand-me-downs. On top of my lack of money, I was a mutt, a cross between a Border Collie and a Blue Heeler. I looked like a jar of india ink and a jar of white-out vomited all over me. I had little dots of black fur dappling my arms and legs, and splotchy black fur on my face and back. All these features combined made me feel like an acupuncture client bleeding out in a sea of hammerhead sharks. The bullies smelled blood.

I, Drew Banning, was sick of running. I was sick of fighting. Neither ever worked. I just stood there, looking right through Jeremy.

Jeremy said, "You're not going anywhere, Drew," grinning.

I shrugged, the four bullies now around me on each side.

The beagle looked surprised that I wasn't reacting. He said, "Look at him, he's paralyzed in fear. Or too stupid to do anything but stand there. Is that it, mutt?"

I was done with this farce. I knew there was no one nearby who could help, they'd cornered me in the park, and every self-respecting kid in the world was going home after a long day of school. I just stared dully at the ringleader.

"Answer me!" he snapped, growling.

I didn't even flinch. I could barely see the other boys. I just stared into space, thinking of something else.

"Answer me, or I'm going to beat the shit out of you," he warned.

They would do that no matter what I did? Why give him the satisfaction. I stayed put.

I felt someone grab my backpack, probably Robertino, so that I couldn't move or dodge. He needn't have bothered, I wasn't going to. Jeremy pulled back and hit me, square in my lop-sided face. Reflexively, I yelped, my head forced to the right, my cheek stinging. But I just looked back at Jeremy.

Paul said, "Let's end this faggot."

Robertino said, "Want me to kick him?"

Anatoly was quiet. Come to think of it, I'm not sure if I've ever heard him speak. Jeremy shook his head, growling at him. He pulled his arm back, moving closer before a sharp uppercut to my stomach. I couldn't move, so he hit me pretty square. Instantly, the air left my stomach, and I doubled over. The only thing keeping me upright was Robertino's grip on my backpack. I coughed and sputtered, panting for breath, tears forming at my eyes.

Honestly...the day before my parents had made me watch a documentary about the genocide in, like, Rwanda. I don't know what they were thinking. I'm only thirteen! They want me to understand and "empathize" with other people. I wonder if other people's parents basically home-schooled them...while they also went to school. Maybe they were overcompensating because they couldn't afford to give me a normal life.

But I'd seen and heard about the things that had happened in Rwanda. I...don't want to go into it. But nothing Jeremy and his asshole buddies were going to do to me matched that. I wish I could say I didn't cry. I wish I could say I didn't feel the pain. But Jeremy went full out on me. I'm just glad it was him, and not Robertino.

I was coughing on the ground when I heard Jeremy said, "Come on, let's get out of here. This pussy...I think he likes getting pounded. What a pervert. Let's find someone else to 'fix'." He gave me a parting kick, before the four boys left me there, wheezing on the grass.

My breath caught. It almost sounded like they might start to leave me alone. I can't begin to describe how much better my life would be without those four guys constantly hounding me. I'd have to keep doing nothing when they wanted a reaction. I think I read in some book once that bullies won't bother you if you aren't bothered by them. I'd always thought that was just parent/teacher bullshit.

Aching, I picked myself up and went home. My parents knew what was happening, but they said nothing. They'd tried to tell the principal, but he didn't have the power to do anything, so they'd tried to tell the school council, but guess what? Jeremy's mom was on the council. Pretty screwed up. Rather than repeat the words they told me so many times, my parents just let me go quietly to my room.

* * * * *

It'd been three days, and still the "fantastic four" hadn't touched me. I could hardly believe it! I guess they figured they'd already 'fixed' me. I even knew who they were tormenting now, Billy Hadler. Oh well, there wasn't shit I could do about that. Maybe things were finally turning around for me.

I was in math, with the same students I'd been with for the last three years, in the same seating arrangement. What was with math teachers and "alphabetical order". I guess I couldn't complain, as I always sat near Andrea Bandlewood. She'd really grown into her body since fifth grade, her golden fur cascading down her body in just the right way to reveal her new curves. The golden retriever was a really nice, dark-spun gold color, though she was definitely not the...*cough*...best endowed girl in seventh grade. She had more of a super-model look, with a gently sloped chest.

On top of her general beauty, she'd never been mean to me. I'm not saying we were friends...far from it. But she always seemed to treat me like I was a human. Like now, she was asking me for help on a problem.

"You just have to find a common denominator. So, I guess you can multiple the first fraction by the bottom of the second, and vice versa."

"Vice versa?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Whoops. I quickly recovered, "I mean you do the same thing to the other one. Multiply it by the bottom of the first fraction."

"Oh. Oh! And then they have the same bottom and I can add 'em up! Thanks," she said, smiling. I gave her a weak grin, my heart pounding.

After class, before I could rush for the door with the other kids, she reached out and grabbed the short fur on my arm. "Hey, Drew?"

I had not been expecting that. My eyes widened for a second, before I regained control. "Um...yeah, Andrea?"

She tossed her head, her ears flapping just right. She was certainly blessed. What did she want with a poor mutt like me? My jaw dropped when she said, "I was just wondering if you wanted to...you know, hang out sometime."

"You...you mean like to work on some math homework?"

She laughed, a melodic titter that made me shiver. "No, I mean, like maybe we could go to a movie or something. Saturday?"

What...the...fuck? I don't like to swear, but seriously. I stayed put, staring at her blankly.

Andrea laughed again and said, "You're so cute. Come on, we can see "Fright Night" at 7:00. Okay?"

Me, cute? I wish I'd left it in my thoughts, but stupid me, I actually said it, "Me, cute?"

"Drew..." she said.

"Uh...uh, yeah, um sorry," I stammered, and said, "Seven o'clock, Saturday. Want to meet at the theater?"

Her smile almost looked pitying, but the golden retriever said, "I'll have my dad's chauffeur pick us up, okay?"

The next class was starting to filter in. So all I said was, "Your...dad's...chauffeur?"

She laughed and said, "He's paid to drive us around. Look, I gotta get to my next class. We can talk about this after school, alright?"

I knew what a chauffeur was. God, I must sound like such an idiot. I was still berating myself as Andrea left the classroom, and the person who sat at my desk said, "Hey, get out, this is my seat."

I rushed out of the classroom.

All through history, all I could think about was Andrea. What had happened? I couldn't really be this lucky, could I? First Jeremy leaving me alone and now this? What could she see in me? Normally I really enjoyed history and the teacher liked to ask me questions, but I guess Mr. Larsbury could see that I was preoccupied. I didn't ask a single question all period.

Still, I couldn't believe she was really interested in me. No one had ever called me 'cute' before. So by the time the final bell rang and I looked for Andrea, I was ready to change my answer to 'no'. Even if she was being serious, she deserved someone better than me. I couldn't even afford to pay for her movie ticket...

After school, kids were lined up to get picked up by their parents. I always rode the bus, but mine didn't come for a few minutes. It was just as well. The line of cars backed up to China and the buses got their own special lane. I got out of school earlier than half the kids whose parents picked them up. That is, unless I missed my bus and had to walk home. That happened more often than I liked, thanks to Mrs. Cunningham. She looked for any excuse to hold me after school. Talk about a grudge!

But today she couldn't pinpoint anything to give me detention for. Maybe my luck really was turning around. There was Andrea, walking to her fancy-looking black car. I caught her gaze and she stopped, waiting for me. "Hey, Andrea," I started lamely.

"Hi, Drew. You caught me just in time. I can't believe it, I almost forgot and hopped in the limo," she said, her face brightening when she saw me.

"Limo?" I asked, looking the car over. It was just a black car with tinted windows...

Andrea laughed, musical notes spilling out her throat. "It's not a stretch limo," she said, as if that were the most obvious distinction in the world.

Heat rushed to my face. "Oh, yeah, sure. So...anyway, Andrea...?"

She cocked her head, listening intently, so I just forged ahead. "Look, I'm been thinking, and I don't think we should see that movie."

"Why not? Is there a better one in town?"

"No, no, I mean we shouldn't. Go to the movie. I don't think it's a good idea."

She looked perplexed. "What? Why not? Don't you...like me?"

My eyes widened. "Of course I like you, Andrea, I just... I'm not really like you. You're like this pure-bred, beautiful lady, with a chauffeur and everything, and I'm just...I'm just a mutt. I can't...I can't even afford my own theatre ticket, much less yours." I looked down, embarrassed.

But what she said next surprised me again. "That's bullshit, Drew. I'll pay for your ticket. I want to hang out with you. I'm not trying to get someone to pay for my ticket. I don't care about all that. You're smart, and you help with my math homework...and you're cute. Okay?"

Why did she keep calling me cute? I knew that wasn't true. Still, I didn't have a good counter-argument, and it sure seemed like I was just trying to sabotage a good thing. I looked up at Andrea and said, "Okay, Saturday at 7:00. I live at -"

She interrupted, "Jeeves will look it up on the GPS system."

I blinked. "Jeeves? Are you serious?"

She grinned and laughed, "No. His name's actually Gunderson. Just messin' with ya."

I joined her laughter as she waved goodbye and hopped in the limo.

* * * * *

It was real. It was really real. I stepped out of Andrea's limo and walked around the car to open the door for her, like I had Googled I was supposed to do at school. The movie had been great, not only because it was worth watching. I didn't get to see many movies before they were in the "cheap theater", and the screen was huge. The movie was epic because whenever something scary happened on screen, Andrea snuggled up next to me. I'd made sure to shower and groom myself for two hours before the movie. I think I smelled like apricots or something...I hope that was a good choice.

Now Andrea was inviting me into her house. It was already 9:00 P.M. but my parents had never implemented a curfew or anything, and I'd have been crazy to say no. Jeeves pulled the limo into the garage. Or was his name Gunderson? I guess it didn't matter. Now all I had to worry about was meeting the parents.

But I soon found out the Bandlewoods weren't home.

"They're always gone on the weekends for business, so I get to do whatever I want," she shrugged, pulling out a Mountain Dew. "Want one?"

I nodded quickly, but when she tossed a can at me, I wasn't ready. I tried to catch it, but it flew by me, crashing into the cough behind me. I exhaled, relived it hadn't broken anything. Andrea laughed and said, "Don't worry so much."

Pop! Fizz! She opened her can, removing the top so she could lap up the green liquid. I followed suit, almost sneezing as the bubbles tickled my nose and whiskers. "Thanks, Andrea," I said, "Tonight was really fun."

"Yeah, but I'd have said is fun. It's not over yet, is it?"

I almost coughed now. What did she mean by that? "Yeah, true," I said, nervously. Fidgeting, I noticed something red and blue in the leather couch, and I pulled it out. I was a school jersey. "Huh? Are you on the girls track team?" I didn't recall anything like that.

Andrea's ears perked up, though as a golden retriever, they stayed mostly floppy. She said, "What? Oh...yeah..."

When I turned the jersey over, which looked way too big for her, it said Anderson on the back, not Bandlewood. That was Paul's last name. Not to mention the jersey said boys track... I showed Andrea the back, cocking my head to the side.

Andrea looked away, silent for a time. So I stood and said, "What's this about?" I knew I sounded angrier than I should.

Andrea yipped at my tone and said, "Look, Drew..."

"What?"

"That's Paul's jersey. We...we had been dating for about a month, but...you know, he's an ass. I guess he forgot it here one day..."

Now I was suspicious. "Please don't tell me you're only hanging out with me to make Paul jealous. Don't you even realize what he and his buddies'll do to me, when they find out?"

"Drew, don't look at me like that," she whined. "It's not like that at all."

"What's it like, then?" I asked, throwing the jersey on the floor. But I did sit down again. I had to give her a chance to explain herself.

"Drew, they already know. I told them not to mess with you, anymore, and Paul kind of...owes me one, so they stopped bothering you. I just...I know what they were doing to you, through Paul and it...it wasn't right. You've always been nice to me, even when...even when I wasn't that nice to you. I like you, Drew."

Well that was a lot to take in. I let out a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do, think, or say. If what she said was true, she was the reason I wasn't going home with bruises every day! And I'd almost (figuratively) bitten her ears off! Still, she should have told me, earlier.

Finally, after almost ten seconds of silence, I managed to say "I can take care of myself, Andrea. I don't want you to...to pity me. But, well, if you really like me...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you or anything, I just...I have to be careful."

She nodded, standing. "I know." She sat again, but this time, she sat next to me, leaning against me even closer than she had during the movie. She looked up at me and said, "I don't know what I ever saw in Paul. You're so much nicer, and smarter, and...I really feel like you care about me."

Then, she leaned up and kissed me, right on the lips. I froze in place, feeling her wet tongue on my nose, smelling her warm breath.

"I'm sorry," she said immediately after that. "That was stupid." She started to pull away from me.

There was another scent on the air, besides her long, well-cleaned fur. Something I'd smelled on my mother many times before. My parents believed in answering all questions I had truthfully, so I knew exactly what that smell meant. Andrea was in heat.

I grabbed her before she left, holding her next to me as I looked into her eyes. Hers widened, and I said, "It...wasn't stupid, Andrea." And I leaned in and kissed her back.