"What happened with you? Why there's a mark on your cheek?"
"It's just the med. Got a nasty scratch yesterday. No biggie."
"Dude, that's kinda very noticeable. Didn't they have anything without color mark?"
"Nah. I will be fine Miguno. Shouldn't you be more concerned about getting those glasses?"
"Well... yes. Still, what happened? That looks like it was a nasty wound."
"I would give you a guess, but I think I will let Jack take that one."
A groan was heard nearby. Durham chuckled as he observed his labrador roomate make his way towards them, looking like he did not want to get involved despite his approach.
"Let me guess then." He started, eyeing the coyote with nothing short of disbelief. "She actually slapped you across the campus."
"Bingo. Glad you remembered that detail." Durham replied with a satisfied smirk. "Although I did not went airborne. Her slap was so strong that it managed to cut a wound on my cheek. That girl ain't no joke."
"I can imagine." Jack stared thoughtfully at his roommate, wondering how far this pursuit of his would last. "How did it go?" The coyote shrugged.
"We're friends now."
"Wait, what?! You got injured and still managed to become friends with an Herbivore?" Miguno asked, shocked by the reveal. Durham narrowed his eyes at the dumbstruck hyena.
"How do you know she is an Herbivore? Last I checked only Jack knows about this." Durham asked, eyes shifting towards a very guilty-looking labrador. "Jaaaaacck."
Jack bit his lip, looking away in utter shame. Durham sighed, he should've expected as much.
"Well, at least only Miguno kn-
"Hey, Durham!"
The coyote paused, his attention shifting towards Voss and Collot, both had just entered the room.
"What?"
"How did your date went? You finally got a girlfriend?" Voss asked, looking extremely smug for a fox of his size. Collot laughed cheerfully at his side.
"Kinda surprised it's Durham. I was betting on Legosi or Jack." The shepherd said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Oh, well. Better late than never."
Durham felt his blood going cold. He wouldn't be surprised if his own face looked murderous right now. His attention shifting back to Jack, dark thoughts clouded his mind as he wondered how to deal with this betrayal.
Jack seemed to realize the danger, he raised both hands on a surrender gesture. His panicked expression was enough proof of his crime.
"I-I did not want to tell them I swear! I kinda said you were out to see someone last night and they pestered me about it! I-I had to say something cause they started speculating! Someone brought up that you might be the murderer! I know it was just a joke, but I couldn't let that idea get around their heads! I'm really sorry Durham!"
Durham opened his mouth to unleash his heated reply, but the sound of a phone ringing cut the tense atmosphere in the room. The coyote sighed as he pulled his mobile device from his pocket. He accepted the call without bothering to look at the screen.
"Hey mom." Durham said automatically. He braced himself for the wave of questions that would wash over him.
"Mom? Is that your new way to annoy me on the phone too?"
Durham's eyes widened in shock. That voice...
"El...Stripes?!"
"Duh, who else?"
Jack and Miguno exchanged confused glances but said nothing.
Durham ignored his roommates, his mind was racing as he tried to understand how did she get his number. As far he knew only his roommates and family have it.
"Oh and, before you start asking, Els gave me your number. She got it from Legosi."
Durham felt his jaw tightening for a moment. He was going to have a talk with Legosi later
"Oh, okay then. Why you're calling me this early?"
"Welllll... I was thinking that you could join us at lunch? We might try get something going if we're seeing each other more often." She replied. Durham could tell she was struggling for a reason to justify this unusual behavior.
"Us? Who else is coming?" The coyote asked, pointedly ignoring the aggravated looks his roommates were giving at him.
"Oh, Shiira, Els and Juno so far. Is that okay?"
"Sure. I'm surprised about Juno though. Are you all getting along that quick with her?" Durham felt his eye twitch as Jack started making hand gestures at him. Probably the mention of Juno got him worked up about something.
"Juno is getting along nicely. She's been more quiet recently though. I dunno what happened. She also stopped asking about Legosi, not that I'm complaining." Ellen added with a chuckle. "I don't blame her for being that enthusiastic about him, but it was getting annoying to have her pestering around. Girl needed to chill out with the enamored stuff."
Durham was well aware that he is, probably, the one to blame in regards to Juno's change of demeanor. He has no regrets whatsoever, he did what he knew it would be the best for the girl.
"Eh, let her have her fun. Sooner or later she will understand that Legosi is not that simple."
Jack looked about to have a stroke at this point. Even the other canines were paying close attention to the conversation. A crazy and vengeful idea popped in Durham's mind.
"Say, do you mind if I take a friend?" He asked somewhat eagerly.
"Huh, sure? As long is just one. Table can only take six at most."
"Great! Will I see you in class before?"
"Never thought I would hear someone being so happy about classes." She joked much to his delight. "Of course. Biology at nine. No anatomical jokes please."
"Eh, I wouldn't be that smart to pull them up." The coyote replied innocently, the devious smirk on his face told otherwise. "Later."
"See ya."
The coyote put the phone down once the call ended. As he looked up he tried his best to not laugh at the priceless faces of his friends.
"Wha... who...when...how... the heck?!" Jack shouted, looking absolutely gobsmacked by the event. Durham was surprised that the labrador nearly swore, something no one would ever expect in a lifetime. "Was that... that girl?"
"Yeah, it was. Why?" The coyote retorted nonplussed. Miguno snorted.
"Can't believe I'm actually witnessing one of us actually getting into something with a girl. I was expecting this to happen on third year at best." The hyena admitted, scratching the back of his neck apprehensively.
"Heh, not that I care. I was starting to think I was going to be the unlucky one to clean the shower." Collot added with a laugh. "Guess Durham will be our holy savior."
"Fine by me. I beat the dragon and get the princess while you all just watch." Durham quipped. All his roommates huffed at his response. "Aww, don't be like that. Life is meant to perform sacrifices and all. No pain, no gain."
"That's so Durham of you." Voss retorted while rolling his eyes. "I guess we all have to pick up the pace after this semester."
"Sure do." Jack agreed distractedly. His eyes were still displaying a bit of anxiety. "Say, why did you mention Legosi and Juno?"
"Gez Jack, why does it matter? You still think Legosi is in love or something? Have you tried talking with him?" The coyote replied dryly.
"Well, no." Jack admitted sheepishly. "I might get to do that soon."
"Now that you mention, I'm expecting him for another wrestling match. What you say Durham? Wanna try pinning Legosi again? You might actually get him to touch his chest on the floor this time." Collot suggested cheerfully. The shepherd loved playing wrestling with him and Legosi. Durham had learned after several failed attempts that he wouldn't ever win simply due Legosi's size.
"Sounds cool but I pass. I need to focus right now. Maybe another day. Oh, and... Jack?"
Jack raised an eyebrow once he saw the rather disturbing look on the coyote's face.
"Y-Yeah?"
"You're coming with me."
"WHAT?!"
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Durham walked towards the cafeteria alongside a very shaky labrador. The coyote glanced sideways at the nerve wreckage that is his roommate. Perhaps Durham should've expected that Jack would freak out at being dragged in front of Shiira so suddenly. Yet, his guilt was lessened due Jack's persistent pestering about Legosi and his, possible but unlikely, feelings towards Juno. Had it been any other person Durham would've been fine with slapping and telling them to shut the fuck up. Jack was just too innocent and naive to deserve such dismissive treatment.
The coyote was glad for lunch time. His encounter with Ellen at the Biology class had been much nicer this time around. Durham took great joy on seeing the shocked faces of her Herbivore friends as the zebra spoke with him rather naturally. Unfortunately the teacher had lessons to give them so their conversation was very limited despite their sudden closeness.
Ellen, as much Durham could observe, was far less aggressive if compared with the previous times they interacted, but she still kept some sort of distance despite not feeling threatened any longer. Durham was wondering what barrier was still left for him to gain her trust. She still punched his shoulder when he made a rather inappropriate biology joke. The fact his arm was still usable was enough proof that she was softening up to him.
Jack was still squirming at his side once they reached the cafeteria. Durham patiently scanned the vast crowd of students in search of the group of females waiting for them.
'Just now I realized we are looking to sit with a lot of girls.' Durham thought distractedly as he kept searching. 'Talk about turning social life upside down. Me and Jack are sure to get a lot of attention.'
The coyote finally found the group sitting at a corner at the far end. He sighed in despair.
"Come on Jack. We gotta go across to the far end to get to them."
"Huh, maybe we should get lunch first?" The labrador suggested anxiously.
The coyote had no choice but to agree. They went for the line to fill their trays before making their way towards the girls. Thankfully the task only took a couple of minutes. Durham didn't even bother checking the food he was getting, he filled it with whatever was on there first and waited for Jack to finish his own selection.
As soon the labrador joined him they had to avoid a sea of students to preserve their filled trays. Durham guided Jack through, he didn't want to witness another fight erupting because someone got run over. No to mention the small Herbivores that were hard to spot could be squashed if one did not pay proper attention.
The coyote breathed a sigh of relief as they finally arrived at their destination. Durham automatically let out his trademark smirk at seeing his beloved zebra with the other occupants he was more or less familiar with.
"Hey, Durham! Jack! How are you both?" Came the excited voice of Els, brightening at seeing them arrive at last.
"O-Oh, hi Els." The labrador replied hesitantly. His eyes going across each occupant. "Ellen, Ahn...Juno, right?"
"That's me." The wolf replied with a smile, looking at Jack with genuine curiosity. "Are you close friends with Durham?"
"Yeah, I kinda am." He replied with a more confident grin. "Though not closer tha-
"As much I would like to start talking about ourselves." Durham interrupted, glowering warningly at Jack. "How about we sit down first? I don't feel like holding this tray forever."
Jack nodded. He wasn't sure why Durham cut him off like that, but it probably had something to do about mentioning Legosi.
'Maybe he doesn't want me to talk about Legosi with Juno? I guess it makes sense somewhat.'
Jack's trail of thoughts were immediately interrupted once he realize the current setup of the table. The table could only allow six people on it, the only two vacant spots were both at one of the edges of the table. Shiira and Ellen were occupying the middle seats.
Taken by sudden panic Jack tried to race towards the vacant seat at Ellen's side, but Durham was having none of it and quickly cut the labrador off his current path.
The girls watched in mildly amusement as both boys started bickering about their seats.
"Like hell. This is where I sit. You can get nice and comfy near Shiira." The coyote argued with a devious smirk on his face. The cheetah raised an eyebrow and exchanged a knowing glance with Els. Ellen and Juno merely giggled at their antics.
"What?! But you and Ellen already talk a lot with each other! I wanted to talk with her too!" Jack replied lamely, feeling dread about sitting near his crush simply because he was forced into it.
"Sure. You can talk with her across the table just fine." The coyote replied, rolling his eyes as he finally laid his tray while sitting near the humored zebra. "You will be fine."
Jack looked thoroughly unconvinced but relented. The labrador tried his best to avoid eye contact, his attention solely focused on the other girls.
"So... Juno, right?" He asked again shakily. Juno nodded, the wolf found herself enjoying the awkwardness emanating from the other canine. "Huh, why you applied for Cherryton? Was it nearest from where you live?"
"Sort of. I live at the eastern, down to the riverside. Not much but houses and few stores there. I picked Cherryton because, ahn... it has less students than the others."
Juno smiled sheepishly at them, unsure if her explanation made much sense.
Jack nodded uncertainly, he didn't really made sense of that in the slightest, but Shiira and Durham perfectly understood her reasoning. It was a Carnivore concern more than anything. Jack, bless his innocence, never personally experienced the consequences of extremely crowded facilities in a divided society.
Herbivores were used with grouping together so any amount wouldn't bother them. The more the merrier. For Carnivores more meant trouble. Most Carnivores disliked the idea of huge crowds, they preferred to keep their personal space preserved, it was undeniable to some that their old territorial habits could still play a factor on how they behaved.
Occasional fights happened at the cafeteria due this particular habit. A Carnivore bumping into another could spark a fight in a matter of seconds. Last thing anyone wanted was Carnivores becoming violent near Herbivores.
"Why you joined the uptight club Juno?" Durham asked jokingly. Shiira snorted while Ellen sighed dramatically. Els looked at him with a frown on her face.
"Uptight club?" She asked slowly. "Not sure if I appreciate that joke."
"Don't worry Els, I'm not out to demean anyone. When I say that is because of deer boy." The coyote explained apologetically. "He goes around like he's the king of the place, I figured he owned it somehow."
"Better than calling it 'Louis kiss ass' club." Ellen said bitterly. Everyone at the table stared at the zebra with a mix of shock and surprise. "What?! It's not really a lie if you think about it!"
"But... Ellen." Started Els hesitantly. "I thought you liked Louis."
"Yeah, I did." The zebra admitted remorsefully. "I just... realized that I'm wasting time hoping on anything about it."
"I hope that's not my fault." Durham immediately said, not liking to see how sad Ellen became. The zebra shook her head.
"No, I thank you actually." She replied, looking at him with something akin to appreciation. "I had quite a wake up call. I'm glad I have found a good first male Carnivore friend."
Durham felt his face heating up and quickly looked away. It has been a long time since he felt flustered about something nice that someone said to him.
"Eh, you're welcome. So, huh... Shiira." Durham addressed the cheetah much to Jack's horror. "Second year, right?"
"Yeah, just going along fine this year. At least better now that me and Tao are dating. I hope he behaves better than the last idiot." Shiira replied tiredly. "This club is driving me exhausted sometimes."
Durham immediately looked at Jack, a feeling of dread and guilt building up on his chest. It never occurred to him that Shiira could be dating anyone and he felt like a complete idiot for not thinking of this previously.
Jack, for the coyote's immense concern, didn't say anything. The labrador looked far more interested on playing with his fork and poking at his food. A quiet Jack was always a terrible sign.
Both Juno and Ellen realized the change, while they weren't sure what to think of Jack they could still feel sympathetic to his clear disappointment.
"So, huh. I think I heard Legosi calling me there. I-I will be right back."
Without waiting for an answer the labrador rushed away with his tray and his sudden departure took them by surprise.
"Jack, wait! Jack!" Durham called in vain. "Fuck."
"What happened?" Asked a dumbfounded Els.
"I shouldn't have brought him here. This is my fault." Durham said, angry at himself for making Jack go through that embarrassment. "I gotta apologize to him later."
No one had anything to add. The atmosphere became heavy at the table. Ellen looked flustered as she hoped someone would bring something up to break the ice.
"Sooo... anyone planned what they want to do during the Summer Festival?"
Els question had most of the group thinking, which was a thankful distraction from the recent awkwardness.
"Oh, I kinda have something in mind!" Said Juno excitedly. "I would tell but I want to make a surprise."
"Fair enough. Wait, when is the date of the festival again?" Durham asked as he struggled to remember last year's festival.
"You forgot that? How?" Shiira glanced at him dubiously. "That's a very popular yearly event."
Durham tugged at the collar of his shirt. It wasn't his fault that he barely ever went to any of these events.
"Yeah, well. Reasons." His vague reply had the girls giggling at him. The coyote then realized that he was alone on a table full of exotic females. A quick look around confirmed his suspicion that he was dragging a lot of jealous looks from the nearby tables, especially the male occupants. "What was the date again?"
"First week of July, usually the weekend." Els informed him.
"First week..." Durham repeated distractedly. Ellen noticed his distant look. Normally she would've let it be but something on her conscious nagged her to ask it anyways
"You had other plans for that particular weekend?" The zebra asked humorously. She could understand if most animals preferred to be anywhere else. The Festivals were nice but mostly short lived like any regular party.
The coyote didn't reply right away, pulling out his phone from his pocket. He tapped the screen a few times before sighing.
"Yeah, you could say so. First week of July starts on a saturday. Which means the festival falls on July, seventh."
"What's so different about July, seventh?" Asked Juno. The wolf failed to see any other occasion that could be more important.
"Well, it just so happens to be my birthday." The coyote replied with a chuckle. "I just hope I don't get-
"Wait! Your birthday?! Is that why you didn't go last year?" Ellen said without thinking. Durham's head snapped towards her in shock.
"Wha... how did you know I didn't go last year?" He asked while narrowing his eyes, but his attempt at looking serious was sabotaged by the cheeky grin on his face.
"I, huh, kinda didn't... just asked around." The zebra replied nervously, her face reddening to the extreme.
"Oh, yeah. Ellen asked me if you were there last year cause she was thinking on inviting you this year." Els revealed, her smile looked anything but innocent.
"ELS!" Shouted Ellen who looked absolutely mortified.
"Oopsie?" She offered with a sheepish grin. Ellen groaned in despair at having her secret uncovered, in front of Durham no less.
Durham couldn't help the ecstasy building up at discovering that Ellen had been planning to invite him to such important occasion. He also felt bad that Ellen was betrayed so cheaply, but he wasn't going to complain.
Juno frowned as she watched the exchange. She saw and heard enough to suspect that something was going on between the coyote and the zebra. The mere thought that something could even be happening made the wolf curious. Durham made some reasonable points to her the other day, but Juno was struggling every time she thought about interspecies couples. She knew hybrids existed, but a carnivore and herbivore mix sounded so far-fetched.
Her attempts at swaying Legosi were becoming even more hopeless at each new try. Things had gotten to the point where she wondered if Durham's advice would be a better approach. She really didn't know much about Legosi aside first impressions.
The bell rang across the cafeteria, slowly a huge mass of students started making their way out. Juno spared no second thought as she made her decision.
"Thank you for the invitation." She said while getting up with her tray, a respectful bow following. "I hope we can do this again sometime."
"Sure thing Juno." Ellen said immediately, looking relieved that the bell came to save her from embarrassment just in time. "Keep in touch."
Durham snorted.
"How wouldn't she? You both are at the same club practicing dancing lessons and staring at each others asses most of the time."
The coyote's witty remark earned him a punch on the shoulder by a very flustered zebra.
"I'm starting to understand why Ellen hits you so much." Els said with a fond smile on her face. "You have a rather unusual way with words Durham."
"If you mean crude that is." Ellen said while rolling her eyes. The smugness emanating from the male canine at her side was driving her annoyed. "We better get going before we are late for next class."
All the others had to agree as they recovered their trays and made their way to the pile of trays accumulated at the nearest balcony.
Durham wanted to talk with Shiira in regards to Jack's sudden departure, but a warm hand brought him to a stop once he made his way to the hallway.
"Huh, Durham? Can I talk with you for a moment?" Juno asked hesitantly. The coyote was surprised she would want another private talk after he somewhat chastised her the other day. The cafeteria was nearly empty so any eavesdropping was out of question.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Do you... think Legosi likes other wolves?"
Durham gave her a long look. He wasn't sure Legosi is something, or someone, he wanted to talk about. Despite being roommates he couldn't really say he knew anything significant about the gray wolf other than a hobby or favorite food. He wasn't going to give Juno any hopes or info. She looked rather obsessed and that was never a good thing.
"Look, Juno. I'm not the best person to talk about Legosi. Why don't you ask someone else?"
"I tried." She sadly admitted. "No one in the drama club known him that well."
'Urgh. Why I have to deal with this again? I should be mindful of Ellen, not Juno's crush. Though... I would feel bad for not helping her. She could use some advice.'
"I think I know someone that can help you with that. Meet you this weekend?"
"Oh, no. We have the Adler's performance this weekend." She said while shaking her head. "I won't have anything to do there since I got late into the club. Can't wait for next year though!"
Durham chuckled at her enthusiasm. It was hard for this girl to ever be negative.
"Fine, I can wait. Let's see if this show is all of that anyways."
A/N: Sorry for a bit of delay. Been dealing with quarantine stress. Have a fun week ya'll.