FSE

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Chapter 1: Monday dodgeball

Monday. God she hated those. Mondays meant the beginning of another school week and being surrounded by stupid furs. She hated all the high-school, senior year drama. Who slept with whom, who got drunk, who went to jail, what is someone wearing, who had gay parents and so on. Norah Jones simply despised Mondays.

"Urrrgh... " the 18-year old German Shepherd was still in her bed, laying with her back down and staring at the ceiling, wearing a black tank top and a pair of black panties. It was such a nice weekend and now it's over. She went to a concert, had fun, drank a bit and went home with some guys hoodie, not that he'll get it back since it's very comfortable and she gave him a fake number "3... 2... 1... " the alarm sounded in it's typically loud and annoying beeps and Norah slammed her hand on it, silencing the alarm in the process. She sat up in her bed and yawned with her maw wide open, stretching her arms, legs and tail in the process. After that she jumped out of bed and went to the kitchen for breakfast. It was 7:30 and school starts at 9 so she still had time to spare. Norah grabbed a bowl from a cupboard and made her way to the fridge to grab milk and then some cereals. A quiet morning was what she needed to start a new week and since her parents already went to work she got it. Eating her cereals in peace, Norah simply enjoyed this quiet morning. God knows when her snow leopard, best friend Emma comes to pick her up it'll be over. Despite that irritating thought Norah smiled fondly. Emma was her best friend since kindergarten and she just couldn't imagine her life without her. A canine and a feline were best friends. How strange was that? Normally they just tolerate each other but this was a surprise for everyone. Norah was brought out of her thoughts when her cell-phone rang with the sound of Deep Purple's Burn. For all their faults, no fur could deny that humans had great music. It was probably because of the furless fingers. The caller ID showed that Emma was calling and Norah picked up.

"Hey. "

"Mornin' sunshine! You ready to go? " Emma's voice was cheerful, like always, and she was ready to tackle a new week. Or the boys at least.

"Grr... " the leopard just laughed at her friends growl that was normal for a Monday morning.

"Cheer up sour-pup! It's the second week already and we have no prom dates! " Norah scoffed and ate a spoon of cereal "At least close your mouth when you chew! I can hear you all the way home. " Norah decided to chew louder just to annoy her "Anyway, I'll be picking you up in twenty so be ready. See ya'! " as Emma hung up, Norah swallowed the cereal and looked at the clock, her head falling to the table in exhaustion.

"Uggh... It's too early for this. " lazily she got up and went to her room to get ready. Once she entered she pressed play on her stereo and was pleasantly surprised when The Wickerman by Iron Maiden began playing. She undressed herself and just threw her "pj's" on the bed. Walking to her closet she sang along with the song not missing a word. Her singing was actually pretty good and Emma even said she should join the choir. That little suggestion earned the leopard a painful tug of her tail. Norah was looking through her closet for something to wear but couldn't find anything for today. She took a step back to view the bigger picture, as some called it, which meant herself in the mirror. Norah wasn't the type of girl who particularly cared about her appearance but she had to admit, she was hot. Her eyes were a lighter shade of red that made her look vicious but at the same time very attractive. The two bangs that fell over her forehead in a downward V shape had red tips and the rest of her long, straight black hair reached her lower back. Usually she tied it up to a ponytail and today was no exception. As she raised her hands to tie her hair she took a little time to admire her athletic body. Toned and yet curvy, standing at 178cm, the result after years of practicing martial arts and being a cheerleader. Her breast were a nice firm D cup and she was glad all the training hadn't flattened them. Rather large breasts, slim waist, wide hips, great ass, you name it. She had it all and she knew it, and yet, no boyfriend in sight for years. The last one was a short lived romance that ended when she found out he was cheating on her with some Golden Retriever bitch which effectively put him in the hospital. At least the sex was good. But Norah wanted more, she wanted real love, she wanted romance. Deep down she was a real romantic and Emma knew if she told anyone, she'd be dead. Her friend said she should change her approach so she doesn't come off bitchy, aggressive and well, generally scary. Norah's response was always the same: no. If someone wanted her, he had to like her for who she was. She wasn't going to pretend she was someone else just to get laid. The timing was perfect when the chorus came "Your time will come... " she smiled at herself and finally decided what to wear. On top of her black and red underwear she put on a black Slayer shirt, blue jeans, black leather jacket and to top off the trophy metal girl look, a pair of aviator sunglasses. Like other furs she had no need for shoes but sometimes wondered what it would be like to wear a pair. She almost envied the humans. Almost. Norah shook off the thought, grabbed her bag, turned off the stereo and dashed out of the room and the house.

---

The German Shepherd was waiting for Emma to pick her up, earning a few whistles from passing males. Finally Emma arrived in her BMW Z4 E89. The Snow Leopard was wearing a white blouse and a red, mid-thigh length skirt. Her black hair flowed freely around her and her bright blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

"New car? " Norah threw her bag in the back seat and jumped in the passenger seat.

"Yep! Daddy got it for me for the start of a new year! Isn't it great? " Emma answered giddily and stroked the steering wheel "I think I'm in love... " she said dreamily and purred in delight.

"Uh-huh. Hit the gas gear-head or we'll be late. " Norah perched her arm on the door frame and looked to the side, waiting for the NASCAR driver in her friend to awaken.

"You got it! " Emma slammed on the gas and they shot off towards the school. Norah wasn't too concerned about her friend's driving. Emma aced the driving test and was overall a great driver. The canine felt safer driving with her than her own father who STRICTLY obeyed the laws of the road, something the police chief is expected to do. Many screeches, curses and car honks later they arrived at the Rifleman Khan High-school parking lot "What a rush! " Emma exclaimed in delight and turned off the engine before whispering affectionately to the dashboard "I'll be back soon baby... " Norah just had to laugh at her friends antics and remembered why Emma loved cars so much. Her grandfather was a racecar driver and ever since she was little she wanted to be one as well.

"Cool down Nikki. " Norah exited the car and grabbed her bag. As soon as Emma stepped out she had a question.

"Any chance- "

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. " Norah interrupted her friends question and pulled out her notebook with the math homework.

"You're a life saver! " Emma jumped her friend and hugged her tightly, making the canine lose breath.

"Let. Go. " the leopard immediately let go and flashed a smile that no one could resist. Not just because she was voted the hottest girl in school but because it was so genuine and good natured it became hard to stay mad with her. The two were walking towards the school with Emma mostly talking about new lap records in Gran Turismo or some other racing game.

"So I'm driving this Honda, right? And as I go into the corner this guy just- " Emma noticed that her friend wasn't waling beside her and looked around to find her a few steps back staring at something with her maw half open "Norah? What are you looking at? " the leopard followed her gaze and saw what she was so awe struck with. It was a red 1968 Ford Mustang fastback with two white stripes that stretched along it's length. Norah didn't particularly care about cars but this was the car. She slowly walked towards it "Is this one of those fan-girl moments? " Emma raised a curious eyebrow and followed her canine friend.

"Uh-huh... " Norah nodded, still in awe of the magnificent muscle car.

"I don't see the appeal. Brute power, bad handling, heavy and drinks gas like you do beer. " Emma was more of a modern car fan.

"I don't care. " the canine was still examining the outside of the car.

"How can you like the car if you don't know how it works? " Emma placed her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to one side, not believing her best friend knew so little about cars. She made a mental note to change that.

"How can you like a guy if you don't know how his organs work? " Norah countered and before Emma could reply the canine jumped in her place "Oh my God! Look! " she pulled the leopard close and almost slammed her face into the window. Emma observed the interior and immediately knew why her friend was so excited. A Gibson guitar case was sprawled across the back seat with various song books scattered around it. On the front seat she saw various CD's, all of them bands that Norah loved. There was even a small Eddy figure hanging from the rearview mirror.

"This really is a fan-girl moment. " Emma managed to pry herself off from the canine's grip and took a step back.

"I think I'm in love... " Emma just eye-rolled at her friends antics and grabbed her by the shoulders, dragging Norah towards the school entrance.

"You can ogle the car later, right now I have homework to copy. "

---

The first class just began and Norah was already bored. Math class, go figure. Luckily she had a window seat which allowed her to watch the Mustang with a dreamy look on her face. She was fantasizing about the owner and how he would be the perfect boyfriend. Everything she saw up until now left her breathless. The car, the guitar, the CD's. Only thing missing now was a hot fur and she would be spoken for I bet he's a wolf. A white wolf. A white heavy metal wolf. Or a black bear? Black bears are br _ü__ tal!_ a knock on the door snapped her out of her fantasies.

"Come in. " the turtle morph teacher said and stopped his lecture. When the door opened, Norah thought she was going to faint. Even Emma mouthed a wow and other girls in the classroom just stared with wide eyes. It's like Norah's fantasies came true when a white wolf morph came through the door. He was tall and as handsome as Norah imagined him to be, his muscled body showing through his Motley Crü t-shirt and long white hair falling over his shoulders. As soon as the boy entered the classroom he saw Norah and flashed the shepherd a smile that no girl could resist. The smile combined with ocean blue eyes was a winning combination and Norah felt her face heat up.

" 'Scuse me for being late. I'm new here and I kinda' got lost. My name's James McQueen. " the fur introduced himself and waved to the class with some girls shyly waving back.

"It's okay, Mr. McQueen. Let's see... " the teacher looked around the classroom for an empty seat "Ah. You can sit next to Miss Jones. " Norah's eyes shot towards the empty seat next to her. She hadn't noticed it until now.

"Sure thing. " James went over to his spot and sat next to Norah who tried not to overheat "Hey. " he greeted her and Norah felt even hotter.

"Hey. " Norah quickly averted her gaze and continued to stare out the window at the red Mustang until the end of the lesson, thinking of all sorts of things to do in the backseat.

---

Math was over and Norah waited until James left so she could cool down a little. If he's going to sit next to her all the time it's going to be hard to concentrate. She gathered her things and exited the classroom.

"Did you hear the news? " Norah yipped when Emma suddenly appeared on her right.

"I don' know if I can now. " her right ear was now flat on her head from the sudden shout.

"There's a new PE teacher! " Emma was bouncing in place.

"Finally. That old goat was a pervert anyway. " Norah smirked when she finally remembered who Mr. Park reminded her of: Master Roshi.

"Anyway, he retired and until they find a permanent teacher this guy will be his substitute. "

"What guy? "

"I don't know. " Norah's brows furrowed in confusion.

"You don't know? " they were in front of the girls locker room.

"Exactly! No one knows what he looks like, what his name is or anything! " Emma pushed the door open with more force than needed and startled the girls inside "He's soooo mysterious. "

"Guess we'll find out soon enough. " Norah simply shrugged and went to change. The standard PE uniform was black shorts and a white shirt. No exceptions. After they got changed the two friends joined the rest of their class in the school gym. To say that they were shocked was an understatement. Even in the changing room they could hear shouts, protests, accusations and the likes. And now the two knew the reason. To the owl morph principals right side stood a human!

"What the... " Emma murmured to herself but Norah's sensitive hearing picked it up.

"I don't know... " the canine replied quietly. What was a human doing here?

"Enough! " the principals voice boomed through the gym, silencing everyone in it "As you may have heard, Mr. Park has retired and until we find a permanent replacement, Mr. Bennett here- " he motioned to the human "- will be the current PE teacher. He is here as a part of an experimental exchange program and I expect you all to behave. Mr. Bennett, if you could introduce yourself to the class. " the human nodded and stepped forward. Norah eyed him suspiciously. He was taller than her that's for sure. His eyes were a bright blue and went together with his short blond hair. She could see his strong arms and torso, as expected from a PE teacher, through his white t-shirt. He wore black sweatpants and black training shoes. There was something militaristic about the human Norah couldn't quite place.

"Of course. " he stepped forward "My name is Mark Benjamin Bennett. I'm 22 years old and I'll be your PE teacher for the time being. "

"And don't forget music teacher. " the principal added.

"WHAT? " everyone looked at Norah who immediately covered her maw and blushed a little at her outburst.

"Music teacher, Miss Jones. I'm afraid that Mrs. Smith caught mono and will be unavailable until the end of the year. " the principal then put a hand on Mark's shoulder "You'll be perfectly fine in Mr. Bennett's very capable hands. And if any of you decide to cause trouble- " his eyes suddenly looked ready to kill " -you will answer to me. Is that clear? "

"YES! " the whole gym shouted together in fear.

"Excellent. " the principal then shook hands with Mark "Good luck Mr. Bennett. "

"Thank you, Mr. Dreiberg. " with a nod the principal left the gym and everyone glared at their new teacher.

"Okay, since I'm new here I don't know what you usually do. " Mark looked among the students for an answer. None came "Care to tell me? "

"We run for a warm up. " a rather small squirrel fur spoke up and received death glares from his fellow students. The boy seemed to shrink under their gaze and stepped back a little, hiding his eyes under his dark brown hair.

"Right. Do a few laps and then we'll talk. " no one moved "MOVE! " everyone jumped a little in fright and immediately began running. Mark had a satisfied smirk on his face and watched the students do laps around the gym. As they did laps, Mark couldn't help but notice he was on the receiving ends of death glares, particularly ones from a certain German Shepherd.

"Who does he think he is? " Norah growled while looking at the new teacher.

"Our teacher. " Emma didn't really care he was human. Better him than that old perverted goat.

"He's not gonna' last long. " Norah grinned at the idea and decided to make his life hell. She had a knack for these things.

"I don't know... He seems strong. And I'm not talking about his body. " Emma finished with a lick of her lips and Norah almost barfed.

"You did not just say that! "

"What? Can't a girl appreciate a nice body without being yelled at? "

"He's human! "

"He's a hairless monkey. " Emma took a moment "That sounded wrong. Anyway, he's just another species. What's the big deal? You dated a panther! "

"That's different! He was a fur, an anthro. " she looked at Mark again "He's humans and you know how humans are. "

"I know. But maybe he's different? Owl said he was here on an exchange program so they had to have tested him or something? " Emma put her arm around Norah's shoulder "Besides, we only see him six times a week. Three times in PE and three times in music. "

"That's sixty times too much. " Norah growled once again and continued running until Mark told them to stop and stretch. After they were done it was time to decide on a game.

"Basketball! " a very tall giraffe male said.

"Volleyball! " a female bunny exclaimed while jumping high.

"Soccer! " a male dog said and his buddies backed him up.

"FOOTBALL! " a group of large furs of all kinds roared above everyone else and surprisingly everyone nodded. Who didn't like football? Apparently a little squirrel boy.

"No. " all eyes were on Mark when he denied them football. He walked to the ball container and pulled out a very familiar red rubber ball "We're gonna' play dodgeball. "

"You're kidding! " a large, dark yellow bear said in shock "It's a kid's game! "

"What's the matter, Winnie the Pooh? Don't think you can handle it? " some of the students snickered.

"I can handle dodgeball! " the bear grabbed the ball from Mark's hands.

"You pick your team and I get the rest. " Norah wondered why he sounded so confident. If Kovu picked first it'll leave Mark with the weakest players.

"You're funeral 'teach! " the bear was already smelling the victory. Some volunteered to be the judges and just as expected, Kovu picked only the strongest for his team, leaving Mark with the weakest. His team consisted of the timid squirrel boy, a female mouse with big round glasses and blonde hair, a male chameleon that everyone considered freaky because of his eyes and a small canary female with short blonde hair. Norah grinned for the upcoming massacre. She saw James was watching from the sidelines and decided it was her time to shine.

Few minutes later...

SHIT, SHIT, SHIT! Norah cursed inside her head How the hell did he do it? Norah held one out of six balls in her hands while the other five were in the arms of Mark and his team.

"What do you say team? " Mark asked his teammates who still couldn't believe they were about to win "Do we show mercy? " he glanced at Norah and saw her ears flat down and eyes wide.

"Not today! " they all roared in unison and Mark faced Norah.

"My warriors have spoken. " he raised his ball, as did the others, and aimed it at Norah with a sadistic grin. Norah closed her eyes and awaited her doom.

Few minutes earlier...

"I don't think we can do this. " the squirrel boy, now known as Tim, said in fright "Look at them. "

"I-I have to agree Mr. Bennett. " Mimi the mouse spoke in shaky voice "They're w-way bigger than us. "

"Norah is mean! She'll aim for our heads! " the canary covered her head for emphasis.

"Don't worry Kiki, we'll be fine. " Mark assured the canary and his team. The chameleon was quiet "You got something to add Harold? "

"No. " the chameleon shook his head, his eyes darting around, no doubt looking for a snack.

"Okay then. Let's hustle. " the team formed a circle "Here's the plan... " and so Mark began explaining his plan and the young furs could actually imagine themselves winning. But that was about it.

"You ready 'teach? " Kovu called from his side of the court "We have other classes you know! " Kovu's teammates laughed aloud as did some other students. His team consisted of himself, Norah, the dog fur who suggested soccer, the female bunny who suggested volleyball and the basketball giraffe. So basically the school all-star sports team, everyone the best in their own field.

"Don't worry brother bear we're ready. " again some students snickered "Game on! " Mark looked towards the main referee who was a zebra and the ref blew his whistle, signaling the start of the game.

(play Destroyer by Static-X if you want. had fun writing this while the song was on loop)

Two runners from Kovu's team, Norah and the dog, rushed for their balls at the center of the court. To everyone's surprise, Mark was the only one from his team that ran for the balls. And then something happened that nobody, and I mean nobody expected. Harold, who was standing on the very edge of their field shot his tongue out and managed to reach the ball before any other runner. Kovu's team, for the lack of a better word, looked stunned. Mark already collected two balls while Harold withdrew his tongue, with the ball stuck on it, activated it on the wall and the hurled it back at the soccer dog, hitting him straight across the face, effectively sending him out. Like the rest of the students, the ref was also at a loss for words.

"Ref? " Mark called and snapped the zebra back to reality.

"Uhh... Out! "he blew his whistle and pointed at the dog who was trying to get the saliva off his face.

"No way! That's cheating! " Kovu roared from the back in anger "Do something ref! "

"There's nothing in the rules against using your tongue... I think. " even the ref didn't know how to react to this one.

"Grrr... I'll get you! " Kovu threatened with his fist raised.

"How? All the balls are here. " Mark replied with a grin and it's when their opponents saw that all the balls were gone.

"When... How? " Norah tried to sound angry but was actually amazed.

"While you were gawking at Harold here, Tim and Mimi snatched the other balls right under your noses. " Mark then wrapped an arm around Harold and patted his chest "That was quite the tongue action Harold. I'd watch out for this one ladies. " he then winked at the girls in the viewers seats and some of them blushed when they thought about what Harold's tongue could do in the bedroom. The chameleon just stood there confused with his eyes darting around "Now what do we do with you? " Mark looked at their opponents as they were slowly stepping back. Four against five now.

"I say we get them! " this good start brought a wave of confidence inside Kiki and the canary was ready to strike.

"Yeah! " the others joined in and readied their projectiles.

"Take cover! " Kovu yelled when the balls were thrown at them and luckily none of them were hit. They quickly collected the balls and were ready for a counter attack "Get the small fry first! " he pointed to Kiki and Mimi. The two little girls went pale when the basketball player expertly hurled both balls at them, one for each head. The two girls shut their eyes tightly and covered themselves for protection but the hit never came. When they opened their eyes they saw a big, bushy tail in front of them, holding the two balls in it "YOU'VE GOTTA' BE KIDDING ME!!! REF!!! "

"He's out! " the ref called and Kovu was ready to blow a gasket.

"I can't believe I just did that. " Tim looked in amazement at the two balls that were held firmly in place by his tail. The two girls were so happy they hugged their savior from each side making the boy blush.

"Lola, Norah! Get them! " Kovu pointed at their opponents and they threw their balls in an attempt to take one of them out. Mark simply sidestepped, Tim probably set a record for a limbo pose, Mimi was so small it was hard to hit her by default, Harold just moved his head to the side a little and Kiki flew up high.

"You can't tell me that's not cheating! " Kovu pointed up to the flying canary.

"According to the rules, it's not. " the ref now had an app for dodgeball rules on his phone and Mark's team made no violations. Kovu's team was left with only one ball, the one in Norah's arms.

"Kiki, engage operation air-strike! " Mark threw two of the collected balls up to the flying canary and the latter easily caught them.

"Sir, yes sir! " the girl saluted before dive-bombing towards Kovu, Lola and Norah. She threw the two balls with high speed at Norah and Kovu but the bear quickly grabbed Lola as a shield and Norah barely managed to dodge.

"Out! " the ref pointed to Lola and Kiki gracefully landed next to Mark saluting him.

"You bastard! " Lola slapped Kovu across the face "We're done! " Norah snorted in amusement which earned her a glare from Kovu.

"Shut it. " the bear was royally pissed now "YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!!! YOU HEAR ME YOU FURLESS PI- " he was interrupted when a ball hit him in the face.

"Out! " the ref whistled once again and Kovu was out.

"Who- " Kovu's gaze fell down to Tim who tried not to pee himself from fear "You! You're a dead rat! " just as he reached for poor little Tim, Mark intervened and grabbed Kovu's arm at the wrist.

"There's no need for violence, is there? " he asked with a smile and Kovu growled.

"Screw you! OW! " when Mark applied pressure on the bears wrist, it hurt. A lot.

"Mind your language. Now I suggest you go shower and cool off while we can finish this game. " he loosened his grip on Kovu and the bear rubbed his wrist.

"Whatever. " Kovu left for the changing room, students moving aside to avoid his wrath. Which only left Norah in his team and that brings us to where we were.

"What do you say team? " Mark asked his teammates who still couldn't believe they were about to win "Do we show mercy? " he glanced at Norah and saw her ears flat down and eyes wide.

"Not today! " they all roared in unison and Mark faced Norah.

"My warriors have spoken. " he raised his ball, as did the others, and aimed it at Norah with a sadistic grin. Norah closed her eyes and awaited her doom. Even the spectators began chanting "Out, out, out, out... " when the chanting finally reached it's peak Norah thought she was a goner. That's when she felt five balls softly bump against her head. She opened her eyes to see Mark and his team smiling down at her. He approached with a helping hand "Good game, Miss Jones. " she growled and swatted his hand away.

"Don't touch me. " the proud canine got up and threw her ball aside with disgust "You may have won this one but it's far from over. You will pay for humiliating me like this! " and with that she stormed out of the gym. It was quiet for a few moments before the students began bombarding Mark's teammates with praise and questions and then even asking Mark to teach them how to use cool tricks. Mark felt this was a class well done.

---

Monday was finally over and Norah was surprised it didn't suck that much. After PE classes resumed as normal, aside from everyone talking about the match that is. Word of a human teacher spread quickly throughout the school and while everyone was very skeptic about it, after attending PE class they were all talking how cool Mr. B is. Even during lunch Mark was the main topic, for obvious reasons, but more and more students began approaching him and acting friendly and complimenting him on his class. If it weren't for James sitting next to her she would march up to Mr. B and give him a piece of her mind and dump food on some unlucky bystander. Then it hit her. Emma was right. She needed to change, if only a little. Her aggressiveness did scare most boys away even though she was beautiful. Luckily, James was excellent eye candy so she was occupied until the end of the day and Mark and some bystander were spared of her wrath. When the final bell rang the entire student body rushed out of the school with loud cheers. Norah took her time and simply walked out without a care in the world. Well, not entirely true. During the course of the last class she decided to ask James out for coffee. She couldn't remember when was the last time she was this nervous. Norah talked to him a little during classes and lunch but didn't know anything else about him besides his name, age and his car. The canine thought it was pretty obvious that James owned the Mustang and stuck to her fantasies of the dream boy. Once outside the school building she walked to the Mustang to admire it's beauty and waited for James to come over. Her ears perked up happily when she saw James waving and walking towards her.

"Hey Norah! " he walked up to her and Norah thought she was going to faint.

"Hi. " her timid reply was so uncharacteristic for the canine she slapped herself mentally.

"So, uh, what did you want to talk to me about? " James was looking at her with the cutest smile Norah has ever seen.

"W-well, uhh... I was wondering if... " Get it together! "I was wondering if you'd like to have coffee with me? " she quickly blurted out, ashamed of her awkwardness and expecting James to shoot her down like a blimp.

"Sure! " Norah actually smiled, a sincere genuine smile. She felt her smile grow even more when she heard the familiar intro to Burn ring from James's pocket "Damn phone. "

"Why don't you just pick it up? "

"It's not mine. I found it in the hallway. Someone must've dropped it during the exit rush. " Norah was about to suggest to take it to the principal when the owner appeared next to them.

"It's mine. " Norah turned around and bumped into Mark. The human changed into a pair of blue jeans and a white dress shirt.

"Mr. B! I thought it was yours, considering the shirt and all. " James handed the phone to Mark who thanked him.

"What shirt? " Norah looked at Mark, trying to get what James meant. How could he possibly know it was Mark's phone.

"This one. " James pointed to the Motley Crü shirt he was wearing "We ran into each other before class and Mr. B spilled coffee on my shirt so he offered me his spare one. "

"How nice of him. " Norah glanced in Mark's direction and gave a low growl. The phone rang again and Mark picked up.

"Ben here... Uh-huh... Yeah. Just finished... Okay. I'll be there in twenty minutes. And please don't forget the mic this time. My throat still hurts... See ya' there. " Ben hung up and put the phone in his pocket.

"What's going on Mr. B? " James asked while Norah continued to glare Move, you furless moron!

"Band practice. " he simply replied and James looked ecstatic.

"That is so cool! Are you, like, a singer? "

"Lead vocals and lead guitar Ben Bennett, at your service. " Ben gave a mock bow and chuckled. James looked like he was star struck.

"Excuse me, Mr. B- " she put extra emphasis on the mister " -but is there any reason for you to be here? You got your phone back. "

"Don't be mean Norah. " James scolded her "Oh, I'll return your shirt tomorrow Mr. B! Cleaned and pressed! "

"No problem Mr. McQueen, I can survive without my shirt. " he smiled at the wolf before looking at Norah "As for why I'm still here Miss Jones... " he pulled out his car keys and Norah's ears fell flat on her head, the girl almost paling under her fur. Dangling in front of her were the car keys of the Mustang, the familiar pony emblem hanging on the chain. Norah felt her whole world collapse. The phone she could understand, it was a popular song. The shirt could have been a coincidence. But this? The car, the guitar, the CD's. This was supposed to be James, not Ben! Norah suddenly felt sick Oh God... all the fantasies she had about the imaginary perfect boyfriend, that took on the image of James after she first saw him, were now being replaced by Ben. And there were some naughty fantasies about the back seat of the Mustang. And the front seat. And the hood. Then the shower in the school's gym followed by the gym and then- OH MY GOD!!!

"Norah? You okay? " James asked concerned.

"Y-yeah. Look, can we do this another time? I don't feel well right now. " Norah put her palm on her forehead and shook her head as if in pain.

"Sure, no problem! " James nodded in understanding.

"See ya'... " Norah mumbled quietly and left the two.

"Hope you get better soon! " James called after her but Norah was already on her phone.

"I don't give a fuck where you are! This is an emergency! " the canine snarled into the phone with so much anger the fur on the other side felt a shiver run down her spine.

---

Emma was on her bed, rolling with laughter and tears in her eyes.

"I'll kill you if you don't stop. " Norah, however, was ready to bite someone's head off.

"You gotta' admit it's pretty hysterical! If this were a teen drama I would have totally predicted it, but this? Oh my God! " she once again descended into a fit of laughter. Norah just found whose head to bite off "Your dream boy turns out to be the new teacher who is also human! MTV here we come! "

"It's not funny! I fell in love with a human! " Norah threw out her tongue in disgust and made a grimace to match.

"Correction. You fell in love with the idea of him. " Norah looked at her friend with a raised brow, waiting for an explanation "It's like this. You see the car, the guitar, CD's and so on, right? " Norah nods "Then James walks in and you're smitten. " the canine blushed slightly "And your hate for Mr. B is what shatters your perfect boyfriend illusion. " Norah could understand that "Happened to me when I first got to drive a Lamborghini. It was all nice and good until I actually drove it and it sucked. I was in love with the idea of what the Lambo' was. It's a cool car but it doesn't work for me. It haunted me a little but eventually I forgot and moved on. "

"You're talking about a car. I'm talking about a living thing. "

"Human. " Emma corrected.

"Whatever. " Norah didn't like this one bit and she showed it openly to her friend with an angry snarl "Now I have even more motivation to make his life hell. No fucking way I'm gonna' be thinking about that human any longer! "

"You got some foam on your mouth... " Emma tried to lighten the mood, but, once again, received a snarl "Okay, okay, chill! Jeez... "

"Sorry... " the canines ears fell flat again "This just feels so... Wrong. And disgusting and... " Norah stared at the floor.

"You'll be fine Snoopy. " she sat down next to her dream-crushed friend and hugged her "On the plus side, Mr. B is kinda cute. " that little remark earned the leopard a pinch on her backside.

---

That night Norah barely slept. Images of Ben were going through her mind and try as she might they wouldn't go away. It was even worse once she actually fell asleep and the images became more vivid. She could feel his touch, his breath, hear his voice, feel his throbbing-

"AAAAAH!!! " Norah shot up in her bed, breathing heavily and sweaty, and looked at the clock "Four am. Great... " she flopped back onto her pillow and tried to fall asleep again. This time Ben didn't appear.

---

"You look like crap. " Emma told her friend as they entered the school the next day.

"Thank you, for the fifth time today. " Norah's voice dripped with sarcasm the entire day. She was pissed and she wanted everyone to know so they would leave her alone "I couldn't sleep. "

"Dreaming about our teacher were you? " Emma asked teasingly and pointed at the red Mustang on the parking lot.

"What? No! Shut up! " Emma was beaming.

"You were! You're a naughty little doggy aren't you. " Emma poked her friends ribs playfully.

"Move it or lose it. " Emma retracted her finger but the smile on her face remained "It was one dream, nothing special. He's out of my head. "

"Whatever you say. " Emma had a knowing smile on her face the entire time they walked to class. It was Music class first which meant Ben would be teaching. All the students were already seated when Ben entered. He was wearing black dress pants with a white button shirt and a red tie.

"Hello again class. "

"See? " Norah whispered to Emma "He's just an ordinary teacher. Nothing special about him. " Emma gave her a yeah right look and returned her attention to the lesson again.

"I looked at the studying material and it says you're at 19th century music. " the entire class groaned. Old music as so boring "My thoughts exactly. " everyone in class was taken aback when he simply threw the study book over his shoulder and straight into the trash can "So, in celebration of my second day here- " he opened the cabinet that held various instruments, including a guitar which he picked out "- we're gonna' play some rock 'n 'roll. " he strummed an E-major on the guitar and it sounded horrible "Right after we tune the instruments. " this earned a laugh from the class and even Norah had to admit it was kinda funny and cute. When Emma noticed her friend was smiling she shot her a cheshire grin and Norah quickly resumed her glaring at the human. What no one noticed, including Norah, was her tail lightly swaying from side to side.