Chapter Two
Cherryton Academy, Theater Department
5:30 PM
A plain white backdrop separated the stage from the mess of equipment and racks of costumes used by the Drama Club. On the opposite side of the backdrop, the outer curtain had just been closed. The smaller animal students were sweeping the stage and collecting the props, while the larger ones were hard at work carrying the spotlights and heavier pieces of scenery. While his classmates scurried about the place, Bill was focusing his attention on a large, rectangular wooden box. He nodded confidently, "Yeah, I can handle it."
Bill reached down and grabbed the box, placing his hands on the far ends. He tilted the box towards himself, then slipped his fingers on the exposed underside. He squatted, heaved the box upwards, and secured it on his shoulders. After just a few steps forward, sweat appeared on Bill's forehead and his eyes squinted under the strain. Bill kept on marching, but the burden was clearly too much, and his resolve only withered as he continued. As soon as he reached the backstage area, Bill let the box fall off his back with a palpable slam. He then placed his hands on his knees, panting in both fatigue and relief.
Alerted by the noise, the other club members stopped cleaning up and looked at Bill. Several murmured in concern, but only the handful of Bill's close guy friends walked over to inquire further. In front was Aoba, followed by Tao and Kai. Aoba hesitantly placed one of his feathered hands onto Bill's back, wanting to comfort him but unsure how the tiger would react. "You okay, dude?" the bald eagle asked the hunched-over feline. Bill instantly straightened himself up as if by reflex. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Bill extended his free hand and formed a fist, "I'm okay man, just getting my mind off some stuff." Aoba reluctantly reciprocated the fistbump, "Oh okay, what kind of stuff?"
Bill rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Girl stuff. Kamala went nuts and dumped me today! Crazy, I know." Aoba blinked in surprise, while Kai and Tao exchanged confused glances. Tao seemed particularly shocked, "Ah man, that sucks! She was a hottie." Kai nodded and waved his hand dismissively, "Yeah, but who needs her? I'm sure you can do better." Aoba rolled his eyes at the panther and the mongoose's comments but looked reassuringly at Bill. "I wouldn't put it quite so crudely, but I think they mean well. We're here for you if you need us, Bro." Aoba reached out as if to place his hand on Bill's shoulder, but then stopped short.
Confused, Bill looked down and finally noticed the sweat stains under his arms. "Oh crap," Bill groaned as he lifted his white undershirt over his head, "I must be out of shape. Too much sweat for lifting one box." Aoba raised his eyebrow at the shirtless jungle cat, "Actually, I think that might be from stress, buddy." Bill scoffed at his avian companion, "I'm not a wimp. Give me a little bit of credit, dude."
Bill then started walking away, in the direction of the two adjacent locker room doors. "Give a sec, guys, I need to rinse off and change." Bill's mind was still clearly preoccupied, grumbling to himself as he walked. Aoba's eyes widened a bit, "Bill, stop! You're going into the…" But by then it was too late, as Bill breezed through the door marked 'Girls'.
Girl's Locker Room
5:35 PM
Juno was seated on a wooden bench, having just taken off her black, school shoes. She wriggled her unbound toes and sighed in relief, "This is one thing I won't miss when school is over." She stood up and walked over to her open locker. After unbuttoning her blouse, she looked at herself in the mirror on her locker door. In particular, she eyed her chest and waist. Is it the way I look, Juno thought to herself, or am I just that unlovable to those two? Juno frowned as she pulled her skirt down from her waist, then stepped out of it and hung it in her locker. "Oh," Juno said aloud, "forgot my shoes." She turned back and walked to the bench, reaching down to grab her discarded footwear.
Just as she placed her fingers on the shoe's heels, she heard the door fly open and a distinctively male voice grumbling. Shooting back up, Juno dropped her shoes and froze in surprise. In front of her was Bill, who seemed too distracted to notice her or even know where he was. Juno tried to cover herself with her arms, "BILL, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!?" Bill finally snapped out of it, his eyes going wide in shock at the sight of Juno. "WHAT THE… WHY ARE YOU IN THE BOYS' LOCKER ROOM?" Juno shook her head in disbelief, "This isn't the boys' room, you idiot." It was hard to tell with his orange fur, but Juno could've sworn that Bill was blushing.
Juno was frozen with embarrassment, but another feeling was mixed in with her mortification. Her gaze was drawn to Bill's shirtless torso, with his copious sweat further outlining the definition of his pecs and abs. In addition, even though he was fidgeting from discomfort, Juno noticed the size and shapeliness of his arms. Juno had known Bill for quite some time through drama club, but he had always worn clothing that covered most of his upper body. In the absence of that modest garb, Juno had to admit that Bill was kind of hunky.
Meanwhile, Bill was doing his best to avoid making eye contact with the she-wolf. Part of him wanted to just turn around and run, but strangely he couldn't bring himself to do so. He was babbling the whole time, "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…I thought this was the…!" Juno finally spoke up, "Bill, please breathe." Bill clammed up, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Without thinking, he opened his eyes and got a full view of Juno in her undergarments. Her ocean-blue eyes, her silky maroon fur with a white underbelly, her small waist and hourglass figure, and her ample breasts accentuated by pink lingerie. Bill closed his eyes tight in a snap, but the image was already in his mind.
Having regained his senses, Bill finally spoke coherently, "I'm so sorry, Juno. I came in here by mistake, I should go now." Keeping his eyes closed, Bill clumsily stumbled to the door and left the room. Alone again, Juno dropped her arms and shook off her stiffness. After walking back to her locker, Juno thought to herself, 'Was he always so handsome?'
Bill had gone into the boys' locker room and was seated on the wooden bench with his face in his palm out of humiliation. He then put his hand down and took another deep breath. His eyes closed, Bill thought to himself, 'Why did she look so hot?'
