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That's another one down I guess," said the red fox who had just woken up. He stood in just his boxer shorts, and looked himself over in the mirror on his door. He was an ordinary red fox, with coppery-red fur, black paws and ears, and white fur on his chest and belly. He was 17 and stood about 5'5''--not very tall, but not too short for a fox. He was lean and toned: he liked to run a lot.

Just then a voice called to him from behind the door, and he instinctively covered himself. "Nicolaus! Hurry up, get dressed and come down for breakfast!" came his sister's voice.

"It's Nic! Besides, Vi, I don't eat breakfast," he replied.

"Well Mom insists! It's the first day of school--for you at least."

"Fine!" Violet, his sister, was 20, and went to an arts college. She didn't start school for another week or so. Nic heard his sister's footsteps echo down the stairs, and he proceeded to get dressed for school.

He had to wear a school uniform, but that didn't really bother him--he looked good in it. It was just black slacks, a white button-up shirt, and a tie, but it kind of suited him. He grabbed his clothes and started pulling on his pants. He then put on his shirt and grabbed his tie. His mother had bought him a red tie, but he thought it clashed with his fur pretty badly. Luckily for him, Vi had sewn on black diagonal stripes to make it look better, and it definitely did.

Once he finished getting ready, Nic slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed down for breakfast. His mother and father sat at the dining room table with his sister Violet. They were all rabbits. His father was a warm brown in color, and his mother was white with black patches. Violet was black with long pink headfur and one purple ear--she liked to shock people. The family of rabbits had adopted the fox when he was very young, and they treated him well, so he didn't care that he wasn't genetically related. He still felt like they were his real family.

Nic sat down and ate the bacon and eggs his mother had set out for him. I suppose it is a good idea to eat breakfast on the first day of school, he thought to himself. But its only because Mom wanted me to, he retorted to himself. "Thanks Mom," he said, smiling, once he had finished eating.

"I'm glad you came down to eat, Nic. I shouldn't expect to see you down any other day, though, should I?"

He grinned sheepishly at her. "No.... I'm sorry Mom, but I just don't get hungry in the morning."

"You really should eat, you know," his father told him.

"Yeah, maybe you'll grow a little then," his sister laughed.

"Shut up!" Nic told her, although he was used to her teasing him like this. She didn't really intend any harm; she just liked to yank her little brother around.

"Oh!" interjected Nic's mother. "Shouldn't you be off to school by now, sweetie?"

The young fox glanced up at the clock. He had not planned on eating, so he hadn't set his alarm clock any earlier than he usually did. At this rate, he was going to be late unless he high-tailed it directly to school. "Crap!" He jumped up from the table, grabbed his stuff and made a dash for the door. "Bye!" he shouted as he reached for the doorknob. Violet stopped him, though.

"I can take you to school, kiddo!" she suggested.

"Sure!" he replied.

"You really need a car," Vi laughed, as they climbed into her car.

"I just like to walk a lot, that's all," he replied. "I know it's not like we can't afford another one, but I just don't like it as much."

"Oh well then by all means, please get out," she joked. They both laughed. Nic was lucky to have a sister like Vi. She was always nice to him, even if she enjoyed teasing him. She helped calm him down whenever he was upset, and she really seemed to understand him.

Soon, the car pulled up to the high school. "Have a good day at school, my little baby!" she said in the most motherly tone she could muster. She put her lips together and started making loud, wet smooch noises. "Now give Mommy a big kiss!"

"Aaaah!" Nic shouted, opening the door and almost falling out, but still avoiding the wet smooch of doom. He waved good-bye as his sister drove off, chuckling to himself. _She might be a great sister, but she was still pretty weird. _ He looked around the campus, searching for anyone he knew. He quickly spotted his best friend, Tori, a ferret. He jogged over to him, beaming. Tori noticed the fox running up the stairs to meet him.

"Hey Nic!" he said, smiling. "Haven't seen you for a while, bud!" Tori had been Nic's best friend since seventh grade, ever since they met in their homeroom. He felt a little ashamed for not contacting Tori for the last couple of weeks, and mumbled an excuse, "...not enough time...busy..."

Tori laughed. "You idiot. What keeps you busy? Not work, rich boy! Or is there...someone special???" he asked, his tone thick with fake surprise.

"No! I just-," I started, but was interrupted when two more of his friends showed up: Kari, a white bunny, and Billy, a black and white cat.

"Hey you two," Kari said. "How have your summers been? I went to the mountains for a vacation. My parents own a cabin up there, and it's so beautiful!..." she continued to rant about how great the mountains were, and Nic zoned out. He looked around the campus for other friends, but was caught not paying attention. "Nic! I asked you a question!" Kari shouted, annoyed.

"Oh! Um...yeah! Of course I do!" he replied, trying to give an answer that would make it look like he had only been thinking for a moment. Evidently, the answer was insufficient, as the group began roaring with laughter. Nic put his ears back defensively. "What's your problem!?" he growled.

"It's-it's just that you-you," Billy started, but laughter overcame him and he couldn't continue. Tori finished for him.

"She-she asked you if-if you thought it would be romantic to live in the mountains with-with your d-dream man!" he finished, falling to the ground in a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry man, but it's not my fault," he added, as he noted the look on his friend's face.

"Fine! You caught me! I wasn't paying attention, okay! I was looking for-," but his voice was drowned out by the school bell, signaling that it was time to head to their homerooms to be given their schedules. "Never mind," Nic grunted as he left his giggling friends behind. He couldn't really blame them, though. He hadn't been paying attention, but it was embarrassing nonetheless. _ I don't care!_ he thought to himself as he neared the bulletin that listed the homeroom for each student. _I'm straight, so it's not like it matters anyway. _

He scanned the board for his name, and finally found it: Turner, Nicolaus - room 205. He made his way to the assigned room, and opened the door. Nobody had entered yet, save for the teacher. She was a vixen in her late twenties--a new teacher here. She turned around from the blackboard where she had written her name: _Ms. Bree. _ "Why hello there," she said, smiling. She was very attractive, and he couldn't help but blush. He turned away quickly, feigning having dropped a pencil.

"Why don't you find a seat, Mr. Turner?" she offered.

Nic stopped in his tracks. He turned around and asked her, "How do you know my name?"

She simply smiled and held up a piece of paper. "Class roster. You're the only fox."

"Oh," he mumbled, feeling embarrassed, his blush returning quickly. He found a seat in the front corner of the room and sat down. The vixen set down her paper, picking up another. She strode over to Nic and gave it to him.

"Congratulations, by the way. Not any junior can get into a senior chemistry class. I'm impressed."

His blush grew redder still, spreading to his ears. "Th-thank you," he said quietly, looking down at his schedule.

Ms. Bree chuckled softly to herself. "No need to be shy, boy. I won't have it in my room. I'll let it slip just this once, but you got off lucky." She walked back up to her desk and sat down.

Nic focused on his schedule. First period was English, then history, psychology, chemistry, then lunch. Second lunch, he thought. After lunch was French, then last was Physics, since he had no class in the last period of the day. That meant he could go home early everyday! He smiled to himself, but then frowned as he realized the chances of eating with his friends were slim. Most juniors had first lunch, along with the freshmen. The door opened and students started filing in. He noticed that Tori and Kari were in the same homeroom as him, and called them over.

"Pretty neat that we're all in here together, huh Nic?" Kari smiled.

"Yeah..." he mumbled.

"What's wrong, Nic?" Tori asked.

"Well guys," he started, "I tested into an advanced chemistry class, you know, because it's my favorite subject and all."

"What's wrong with that?" Kari asked, cocking her head.

"It's a senior class. I've got second lunch."

"Don't worry about it!" Tori reassured him. "We'll be okay. You just owe us a little more time outside of school. Especially me!" he pouted. They laughed. Soon the bell for their first class rang and they started to exit the room. On his way out, Nic glanced down at Ms. Bree's desk while she was talking to some other students. The paper she had held up to him earlier was completely blank! Either the school's started using invisible ink to promote memorizing students' names, he mused, _or something's wrong here. _ He didn't have time to mull over this strange event, not now at least, because he had class to go to.

His morning classes passed by rather uneventfully. So far, each of his classes had one of his friends in it as well. The teachers always went over rules on the first day, and it got rather tedious. Nic stopped walking and looked up. 252 read the sign above the door. This was the chemistry room, but Nic hesitated before opening it. He wasn't extremely shy, but he wasn't exactly outgoing enough to waltz into a room full of furs he didn't know. He took a deep breath and walked in. He felt the many eyes on him like prodding needles--they made him uncomfortable. He looked down at his feet and stepped toward the teacher's desk, dropping the note onto the wood surface. He waited, still tingling with the feeling of the silent, watchful eyes. He noticed that everyone had stopped talking, save for muffled whispers. Why did I have to be late for this class? He moaned to himself.

The teacher, a young feline, broke the silence by clearing her throat. "Class, this is Nic Turner, and he will be joining our class. Yes," she added, as several students started to speak, "he is a junior, but he tested into our class." She turned to the fox. "Have you taken basic chemistry at all, Mr. Turner?" she asked.

Nic felt his face heat up as he blushed yet again. "N-no. I read books about it though," he stammered. A few snickers came from the students, and he put his ears back, quite nervous.

"Well I'm astounded that you passed the exam without actually having taken the course!" she beamed, and he looked up at her and smiled weakly. "Take a seat now, if you will, so we can begin."

"Yes mam!" he replied, and turned to face the seniors talking amongst themselves. He spotted a familiar silvery wolf sitting towards the back of the classroom and his ears perked up. The wolf noticed him and waved him over. Nic hurried to oblige, and sat down in the empty chair next to him. "Hi Axel!" he said to the wolf.

"Hey! How's it goin', brain?" he chuckled. Nic had known Axel ever since he was a freshman. He had been scared on his first day at the high school, and the wolf had come up to him out of nowhere. Axel had helped him get to know a few furs, as well as show him around the school. He was really a nice guy, and he never asked for anything in return.

"Fine," Nic replied, smirking. Class started as the teacher began going over the class rules...again. After a couple moments of idle blahblah, Nic felt something hit him in the side of the head. "Ow!" he whispered, so as not to alert the teacher. He looked down at his desk and found a folded piece of paper. He quietly opened it up and read the writing on it. Hey. You bored out of your mind yet? _ He looked up and saw Axel smiling at him. The fox began scratching back an answer: _Yeah. I wish they'd just shut up about the stupid rules already. I've got them memorized already! He handed it back to Axel, and shortly after got it back. It now read _Too bad this broad doesn't know that. _ Nic wrote a response and began handing the note back, but was caught.

"Mr. Turner! I do not allow note passing to take place in my classes! Bring it here," she commanded. Lin saw a look of fright on Axel's face, but the fox somehow kept a cool composure. He walked up to the teacher and gave her the note.

She cleared her throat and read it. "Hey Axel, is this teacher really cute or what?" She blushed a little and said, "Sit-sit down, Mr. Turner. I don't want to see it again." Nic walked back to his seat, grinning at Axel, who looked dumbstruck.

After more mindless droning, the class ended and Axel and Nic made their way to lunch. Axel burst out once out of earshot, "What-how did you...?"

The fox laughed. "I guessed she'd notice--that's all. I made a fake one to keep her from reading ours. I doubt she would've appreciated it, after all."

"That was awfully shrewd of you, you sly fox. You're one cool kid."

"I'm only one year younger than you, Axel. It's not like I'm a freshman still, you know."

"Heh heh. Sorry about that, kid."

Nic shot a dirty look at him, but Axel just laughed. They had arrived at the Cafeteria, and he followed Axel to a table. They sat down with a raccoon, a tiger, and a panthress. "The coon is Casey, the tiger is Kevin, and the panthress is Diane. Guys, this is Nic."

"Oh! Nice to finally meet you, Nic," Casey said as she held out her hand. Kevin and Diane did the same.

"Finally?" Nic asked Axel.

"Yeah. He talks about you quite a lot," Kevin said. "You're pretty lucky to have such a good friend, Nic."

"Um...okay."

The five of them ate lunch, while Nic listened to the others talk. Even though he was invited and got a warm reception, the fox still didn't feel quite comfortable. He laughed along with their jokes, but didn't say anything of his own. Axel must have noticed, because he gave the fox a soft punch on the arm. "Hey! Don't be shy! Why don't you tell us all a little more about yourself?"

Nic looked down. He hated being put on the spot. "Well...I uh...like chemistry a lot..." he tried.

Axel was not satisfied, "No," he faked shock. "I thought you hated it, seeing as how you read books about it just to get into the advanced class without taking the basic one." He smirked.

"Sh-shut up, you! What do you want me to say, anyway?"

"He's just giving you a hard time, foxy," Casey said, blushing a little at her casual use of the nickname. "Just ignore him--he's being stupid again."

"You might be my best friend, Casey, but don't think I won't take that lying down," he growled playfully.

The rest of the day passed by rather quickly after lunch ended. In only a couple hours, Nic was walking out of the doors to the school, glad that he didn't have a class this period. He padded down the steps and the walk towards the sidewalk. It was very hot out, however, and the walk home was certain to be unwelcome in the summer sun. Nic loosened his tie a little and sighed. It was just then, however, that he heard someone behind him. He whirled around and saw Axel again.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"What do you think?"

"Stalking me?" Nic smiled

"Maybe," the wolf laughed. "So are you going to ask me for a ride or not?"

Nic was taken aback. "What? I didn't--"

"Oh okay. I understand. You love getting your fur soaked with sweat in the blazing heat, don't you?"

"No!" he replied. "You just surprised me is all... But sure. A ride would be nice. Thanks for...offering?"

Axel smiled. "Don't mention it. C'mon. Let's get to my car and out of this heat." He turned around and walked off.

_That was kind of weird, _Nic thought. But he hurried after Axel and caught up to him. "So what made you 'offer' me a ride?" he asked.

"You looked hot, and I was heading to my car anyway. I figured I'd give you a ride to your house." They got into the car and Nic told Axel the directions to his house. "Besides," he continued, "we've never really talked outside of school, and I wanted to get to know you a little better. Your little comment at lunch wasn't really all that satisfactory, you know?"

"Um...okay. There's not a lot to me really. I don't know how to describe myself very well, I guess."

"Well if we could hang out together sometime, I'd get to know you that way, right?"

"Oh. Sure. So um... when do you want to--?"

"How about you stay the night at my house tonight?"

"What? Oh. Okay."

"Okay. I'll pick you up at seven tonight, then. I've got some things I need to do." They pulled into Nic's driveway and Axel's jaw dropped. "You're loaded!" he said, commenting on the obvious wealth of the house.

"What? Oh not really. My parents make a lot, I guess, but I wouldn't say we're rich. We're just really comfortable. Wait here a sec. I've got to go ask if it's okay with my parents."

Nic turned to go up to the door, and he found Vi standing there.

"I heard the car door close," she explained. "Who's this?" she said, walking over to the car window. She blushed when she saw Axel sitting there. "Oh. Hey there, wolfie," she said cutely. Nic rolled his eyes.

"Hi," Axel replied, the flirt glancing off him.

"Hmph!" Vi grumbled a little. "Hard to get," she mumbled under her breath. "Mom and Dad are out by the way," she told Nic.

"Dang! I was gonna ask if I could stay the night at Axel's place tonight."

"I was too," she giggled, getting another eye roll from her brother. "I'm sure it'll be fine," she told the wolf, and he nodded.

"See you later, then, Nic," he said as he pulled out of the drive, waving.

"At seven!" the fox called back as the wolf drove away.

Axel pulled into his driveway, and shakily got out of his car. He took a deep breath and sighed. He walked into his house and up the stairs to his bedroom. His mother wasn't home, and she wouldn't be until late. She worked long hours to provide for the two of them, so that they could live comfortably.

Axel closed his bedroom door behind him and shuffled in. He looked into his mirror and slapped himself in the face a little. "Calm down, Axel. It'll be fine. He won't know. How can he?" Although I was a little straightforward about making sure things went my way, he thought to himself. "No. He doesn't suspect anything. I'm just a friend who wants to get to know him, right?" _Wrong. You're the fur who's had his eye on the cute little fox ever since you were a sophomore! And you couldn't have been less obvious. _ "Oh shut up already, you idiot. He's too naïve to know. _Lucky thing. _

But the wolf didn't really have anything to do until seven. He just wanted to make sure he wasn't all nervous around the fox boy. _Well there's one thing you can do..._he thought to himself, and he grinned sinisterly.

Comments and stuff are quite welcome! So do it.

I'll try to get the next one up soon. I still have to dump the ideas in my head onto paper, then make sense of my notes enough to turn it into a story...hehe. Bye!