High School Days Ch 29 Scene 2: Alan's Night Out

Scene #1 for June, 2017

Universe: High School Days

Tags: Rat, Wolf, Tiger, Dalmatian, Husky, Hyena

1,067 words

High School Days Ch 29 Scene 2: Alan's Night Out

Illustration by KaputOtter

Alan faces the choice of riding the bus home with some very mad jocks, or figuring out some other way home...

***

“Shit… Kyle’s gonna be in a towering rage once he gets on the bus.” Alan muttered, thinking about how the big feline hated riding the bus almost as much as Alan did. Which was stupid of Kyle, the rat thought, brushing his feathered bangs back again, because the tiger was the kind of guy who did the bullying, not someone who had to worry about being pushed around. The dude was massive. He had more muscles than anyone in school besides Tony, and unlike the terrier, Kyle was fucking tiger. He was the star of the football team and had nothing to worry about from his fellow jocks, especially not from the Hale brothers.

The Hale boys, Alan thought numbly, who are now all worked up and ready to be real stupid since Keith was lucky enough to give them the slip. Alan’s tail went limp and his ears flatten, and he stared at the front of the school numbly, growing slowly hotter and hotter in the sun as he thought about the raging mad muscle tiger and the worked up huskie pack, and how fucking awful being trapped on the same bus with them would be.

Either one of these things would spell bad news on the bus ride home for any scrawny kids or outsiders like the rat. Being a punk rocker and a Goth was fun, it made his dad spitting mad and Alan loved playing music, but right now the grey rat would have happily ditched his brand new leather jacket, broken his guitar, and shaved off the fancy haircut JD had gotten him if it meant avoiding being trapped with the tiger and the huskies on the bus home.

Kyle’s anger would be just the spark that would set the huskies off, and unless the tiger stopped them, somebody on Alan’s bus was going home with at least a black eye. Alan didn’t like his chances as Keith’s former best friend, and even if the Hale boys had forgotten that he knew the wolf, Alan’s new jacket and haircut would be enough reason for them to pick on him anyways.

But what choice did he really have? Alan wasn’t going to get a ride home with Keith that was for sure. Chris had stalked off somewhere, and even if Kevin had his parent’s car today, the Dalmatian was gone now too. There was no sign of the twins, and their dad never let them have the car during the week. Todd’s parents had probably picked him up early, and everyone else he knew took the bus, so all of Alan’s options for a ride home were gone.

The rat glanced at his watch, chewing on his lip as his tail curled around one leg. His dad was on the late shift this month, but the older rodent would not be happy about having to spend his dinner break coming to pick him up from school. He’d probably just yell at Alan if he called him at the shop. So the rat fished his paw into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, tugging out a prepaid calling card and the business card Shane had given him.

Maybe, just maybe, the raccoon would want to hang out tonight.

***

The payphone felt clammy and dirty against his broad ear as Alan held the headset between his head and shoulder and dialed the long string of numbers that would let him make a call without feeding quarters into the damn machine. His dad had insisted that he only use the calling card in an emergency, but well… not being beaten up on the bus seemed like enough of an emergency to him.

The phone rang three, four, five times, and the rat felt his tail curl around his left boot as his heart sank, until with a jump, the line connected and somebody picked up. “He-llo?” somebody slurred, their voice thick.

“Shane? Hey, it’s Alan,” the rat said nervously, glancing around the secluded hallway of the school to make sure nobody was listening in. “You uh… said I should call this number?”

“Oh, hey, yo dude it’s JD.” The thick voice mumbled, and Alan heard the rash of a paw on fur as the hyena rubbed his face. “Ummm… I think Shane’s out, what’s up?”

“Oh… um, hey JD,” and then the rat’s mind suddenly went blank; his fingers twisting with the phone’s tightly curled cord. He’s expected JD might pick up, hell after the fifth ring he was sure nobody would pick up, but he had not expected to wake the hyena up. It was freaking four in the afternoon, why was he asleep? There was the sound of hyena’s fur shifting over sheets, and the creak of bed springs. Was JD… still in bed? The rat’s heart began to thump in his chest, and all he could think about was JD in his bed, the covers pushed back from his naked body as he held the phone in one paw, the other trailing down his belly to his groin.

The mental image was so strong, that Alan stopped breathing for a moment.

“Hello? Still there?” JD muttered, his deep voice sounding a little sharper.

“Yah, yah um… you, do you know when Shane’ll be back?” Alan stammered, face flushing. At least if JD was actually naked, the hyena couldn’t put the moves on him through the phone. Right?

“He won’t be back till late dude,” the hyena yawned loudly, and a shiver ran down Alan’s spine as he thought about the hyena’s mouth. “He’s down at Mystic Brew trying to find a drummer.”

“Damn,” Alan muttered, “I... was hoping we could hang out again tonight.”

“I’m sure he’d like that,” JD said, and now he sounded fully awake, and his voice practically leered. Alan was sure the damn hyena was grinning at him now. “You sound stressed out dude, is everything alright?”

“Um… yah, everything’s cool. Look, can you like call Shane or something? If he’s hunting for a drummer I’d love to help, if I’m supposed to be part of the band and all.” The rat swallowed, composing himself briefly so his voice stopped shaking, “I’ll just… I’ll need a ride to Mystic.” There was a long pause, and Alan twisted the pay phone cord even more tightly.

“Sure dude.” JD said with a grin in his voice, “Where you at?”

***

See? Everything is working out fine! There are No Hyenas plotting things. Nope, none at all. More to come!