Chapter 2: Angus's Dirty Secret
"No, no, no and no!" shouted Angus sulkily, dressed in his typical dark clothes.
We were playing at Mr. Scattergood's colossal studio. We had been practicing for more than 5 hours; we were trying out several songs, but none had come out at least well, and this stretched to his limits.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with you, mates?" our angry leader told us "All of you have been doing everything wrong, this isn't look alike the last month concert. You were supposed less experienced back then, and now you're playing worse than before!" reproached annoyed "Especially you, Bodi!"
"Sorry, Mr. Scattergood." he apologized head down.
"You're the heart and soul of this band, mutt. I know you're young and little experienced, but you have a natural talent, I haven't even seen you do your magic of the other day, what happened to your inner fire, mate?"
"Forgive me, Mr. Scattergood, I'm so sorry Mr. Scattergood."
"Ahhh, Bodi!" he said in exasperation "Stop apologizing, I only asked for an explanation."
"I'm sorr- I mean, I don't know what's wrong with me."
I looked at Bodi thoughtfully. It wasn't normal, of all of us, he was the most dedicated and the more interested making music. Maybe... Would it have anything to do with what he and Germur talked at the kitchen?
"Ah, but, don't worry, I promise you I will do well, I'll do it perfect the next time, just let me focus and give the best and…"
"Na, na, na, na, na. Let it go, mate. I think it was enough for today."
"But…" he replied as a scolded pup.
"I don't think we should force things, maybe the salmon disturbed your tummy or something, or it's just a bad day. Anyway, we'll see you tomorrow, mates. You can retire if they want, or stay a little longer with the mutt, as long as don't break anything."
Bodi raised his paw, as if asking permission to speak.
"Tomorrow, what time will we see, Mr.?"
"Ah, about that, no, tomorrow we won't play together."
"What?" I ask puzzled "What do you mean, Angus?"
"Keeping in mind today's results, I think is the best to try with individually rehearsals."
"How will you do that, Mr. Scattergood?"
"I'll give you personal lessons to each one, pup."
Music lessons with the rock god, Angus Scattergood? Nice!
"So Bodi, you go first, I must work the most with you, I want you first thing in the morning... well no, noon is fine."
"Of course Mr. Scattergood."
"Just call me Angus."
"Yes Mr. Sca... Angus."
"Germur, you go next, I hope to finish with the mutt at three."
"I'll be there, teacher." he nodded with the devil horn sign again "Word!"
"And you, Darma darling, I don't think it takes so long with him. Is five o'clock ok for you?"
"Yes, it is! Perfect!"
"Yes, yes I am. But just call me Angus."
Humble, just like any other rock star.
"That's all, folks! See you tomorrow mates."
Mr. Angus left his studio.
"Well, guys, I-" there was a growl from Germur's belly "Sorry guys, I shouldn't have eaten so much, I need to go to the bathroom!"
"Well," I interrupted "I have to go back home, see you tomorrow, Germy. Good luck there."
"And me home too." Bodi added.
"But you live here, silly."
Although Bodi came from Snow Mountain, since we made the band, he has moved to Angus's mansion and has lived with him since then.
"Uhmmm…"
"Whatever, See ya tomorrow, I have to go or I'll die... Bye!"
Germur ran out to the bathroom, leaving Bodi and me alone.
"Well, I meant I'm going out too, I mean, I planned to go out with you... oh, no, no, no! I mean…" He said correcting himself.
That dumb mastiff began to talk nervously. Aaawwww, how sweet! I laughed a little, but I think I already knew what he was trying to tell me.
"Wanna walk me to the subway station?"
"Yes, yes, I meant that!"
"Since we started and after the band rehearsals, Bodi has offered to accompany me to my house, I always have told him no because it's a bit far, so I only let him walk me to the subway stop. I always thought of that as a chivalrous gesture or his village's courtesy, but now, I think he did it for another reason.
"I dunno, Bodi," I said. "I can take care of myself, I don't wanna be a bother to you."
"No way Darma!" You're not a bother, and besides, Dad always says we never have to let a girl go alone, especially when it's dark."
I always confused his goodwill as an obligation or a tradition typical of his village, now it could be something else. Maybe could be all the above. All I knew was that I liked those kinds of attentions, no one had taken such considerations with me before.
"Bah, okay, just because the road is boring."
"Yes, thank you Darma! Let's go!"
I put my bass in its case, hung it on my back and Bodi and I went out.
"For the last time Bodi, I don't want you to carry my bass! I can of my own!"
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry."
I wandered down the main road with the mutt by my side. Bodi was very attentive and friendly, so much that it bugged me. Generally, he never was so considerate with me, in fact, he always talks a lot; about the adventures he lived in his village, his father, the other sheep of his village, about his experiences and anecdotes of his life in the city or of Angus. But today he was very quiet and distracted. And I was afraid to know the why.
"Hey Bodi, is something wrong?"
"No, of course not, why do you say that?"
"I dunno, you always were talking non-stop, but today you're very thoughtful, are you alright?"
"Oh, sure, I'm fine, it's nothing. Don't mind me Darma."
Evasive and blunt. Inexplicably I was beginning to miss the yesterday' Bodi, the Bodi who I didn't know that felt anything for me, the Bodi who told me nonsense or things without importance, but making nice our free time at Angus' castle or our way to the subway. Will he always be like this until he declares me? I wasn't going to say him yes, but if he was trying to win my heart at that moment, he was losing points for this.
"Oh come on Bodi, what's going on!?" I broke that awkward silence. "Are you still thinking about Angus told you? Is anything else keeping your mind busy?"
"What? N-n-no, of course not, n-n-not at all!" hesitated unsurely. Nailed it "Why?"
"You're very distant, I feel like you didn't want to talk to anyone or at least to me…"
An odd idea came to my head, it occurred to teasing him a little.
"Are you mad at me?" I moaned in an exaggeratedly high-pitched and uncharacteristic tone of mine as I looked at him with a pleading look "Maybe... do I make you feel awkward?"
"Of course not!" he winced opening his eyes with surprise "Never, no way! I like you Darma, I like you very much! It's just…" he stopped talking, biting her lower lip "I cannot tell you right now; Please don't get me wrong, just give me time, ok?"
I arched an eyebrow, confused. This mastiff was acting strange, and I had no doubt it was unconsciously my fault. Although I didn't want to push him too much, after all, it might be difficult for him.
"Ha ha ha." I laughed quietly "Hey, take it easy, dog. I'm teasing you, I just wanted to break the ice, it bores me walking with someone without speaking; in that case, I'd have preferred being alone."
He laughed nervously but didn't say anything to me.
"Come on Bodi." I insisted "Tell me anything, whatever even if it's boring or uninteresting, tell me anything... I dunno... maybe... Are you still playing with the garbage?"
And there I noticed a change in Bodi's face. For some reason, his nose and muzzle were shaken and a small smile I haven't seen the whole day showed on him.
"Hehe, I thought you found disgusting to talk about trash."
"And I still find it, but it seems today you're not very cooperative, so, what can I do?"
"Come on, it's not that bad." he said in a more confident tone, as the talkative guy he was yesterday rather than today's silent robot he was "I only did it one... a couple of times, you'd not believe all the stuff mammals throw it there, even food in good condition!"
"Oh really? How do you know? Did you eat it, 'Mr. I love sneaking in the trash'?" I said in a low voice.
"Of course! There was an almost complete pizza. What a shame, dad always says we shouldn't waste what nature provides us."
"Yikes! That's gross Bodi, you're disgusting!" I hopped and moved away from him, but I couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey, don't overdo!" It's not that bad, besides, I only did it once, and I'm a dog, remember? It's not a bad thing between us…"
"Maybe not for you, but what are you going to do if a girl of another species wants to kiss you but you go there with that stinky breath of...? Oops!"
I covered my foxy snout too late. Damn, what the hell was I thinking? Why did I tell him that? I was a fool. It was hard for me to see him to the eyes, and more when I noticed his laugh and mine had stopped.
"Uh Bodi, I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
"Hey, why do you apologize? There's nothing wrong with it... I think you're right."
Silly, of course, there was nothing wrong with it. I'm not supposed to hear his conversation with Germur in the first place. I was a complete idiot. And I had to amend this mess up.
"Ah, is just, I dunno, maybe it's not right what I said, Don't get wrong, I'm not saying you haven't kissed a girl or something." I said nervously and without thinking. Now the fool was me "... well, also I dunno if you've already done it or not... oh well, that ... heh, heh."
There was an awkward silence, perhaps it was a good idea to keep quiet the rest of the way. I looked both ways as we crossed the street, then, Bodi's voice got me out of my thoughts right away.
"No, I've never kissed a girl. In fact, I've not even had a girlfriend or stuff."
He confessed to me just like that, naturally, while he's scratching the back of his head over his cap with some discomfort, but not enough to not tell me. All at once, I remembered the conversation he and Germur had. Bodi said something about having no trouble talking and flirting with girls from his village, so I thought to ask and study his reactions. Because the mutt was very noble and transparent, I could easily see if he was lying or not.
"Really?" I asked with a sarcastic tone "Aren't there doggies or any other females in your village? Like the chatty and kind type you are, I'd not be surprised if you had a girl waiting for you at home."
"Well no, at Snow Mountain there are no more dogs, only Dad and I, the rest are sheep and a yak.
"Oh, I see…"
I looked at Bodi's face and reactions as he spoke, he didn't hesitate or flinch at all, It was almost like if he spoke with the truth. When I thought the conversation was over, he kept talking.
"And there aren't many females, only some sheep."
"I get it. And are they beautiful?"
Once again, what the hell was wrong with me? Why did I keep asking such things? Why did I suddenly have an interest in knowing about his love life? It was supposed to be none of my business, I was giving him a wrong impression of myself.
"Well…" Bodi put his paw on his chin, thoughtful.
" No no no! You know what? Forget it, you better not answer me, I…"
"I guess so, well, I'm not a sheep, I wouldn't know for sure, but in my opinion there were pretty girls; But no, we're just good friends, I enjoyed going out and talking to them, but just that, I never thought of them as anything more than friends."
It struck me that Bodi had no qualms about talking or considering as a good match a girl of another kind, well, after all, he noticed on me. I dunno why it felt so strange but at the same time so nice to hear that from him.
"Ah, well, I get it, thanks for telling me, Bo …"
"How about you, Darma?"
"What?"
"Ah, well, I get it, thanks for telling me, Bo …"
"How about you, Darma?"
"What?"
"How about you? Have you had a boyfriend yet? Have you... kissed anyone?"
"Wait what?"
His question took me by surprise, the way so quiet and casual he asks me that, well, it was normal to question me about it since I bring up that topic, but honestly I wasn't expecting such a personal question coming from him.
"No! Of course not, I never... I've never dated a boy, a lot less kissed one. I'm... I'm not like the other girls, I don't care about those things!" I answered anxiously and urgently. "I'm not interested in boys at the moment."
"Oh... I get it!" he looked at me in amazement, then slammed his fist against his palm, as if he had discovered a big secret "So you like girls, aren't you?" he asserted happily.
"Wait, what!?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise "No! For Freddie Mercury's sake, Bodi, no way! Why do you think that!?"
"Ah, well…" he muttered uncertainly and waved her fingers nervously "... 'cause you said you don't like boys, I assumed you liked instead…"
"I meant I'm not interested in boys right now!" I bellowed with rage and shame "I like boys, but I don't want to be in a 'walking hand in hand' relationship with any male now. Why did you think I was into girls...?"
I'm aware I'm not very feminine and it's common being confused by a boy or my preferences (especially my crazy mother and her friends) just for my look, so I had already become accustomed and no longer offended so much, but somehow, his words bothered me.
"I'm sorry Darma!" he bowed with his paws together, almost pleading, "I didn't mean to offend you... I'm a fool…"
I shook my head and sighed a little calmer. Silly dog.
"Nah, it's ok, it just took me by surprise, though... Bodi!" I elbowed him mischievously "I didn't think you had that kind of ideas, you come from a very conservative village, after all."
"As far as I know, it isn't a common thing at Snow Mountain, but with what Mr. Scattergood showed me the other day, I thought it was normal here; He said there were many females liking other females but not males at the city. So when you said you disliking boys, I thought you…"
"Wowowoah, time out. What exactly did Angus show you?"
"The other day at Mr. Scattergood's home, while I was looking for one of those things called video tapes, I found a cardboard box full of movies under his bed; Although it was odd, none of them had a cover or picture to know what they were about. Movies always have a pic in front them, right Darma?"
I dunno why, but I had a bad feeling about this.
"Ahem... yes, yeah, it was very odd. And then what did you do Bodi?"
"I took the first movie I saw and decided to play it on the VHS player at Mr. Scattergood's room. On the tape, there were two poor helpless kittens in a pool, both girls were licking each other…"
Oh my gosh. I didn't like where this was going.
"P-p-poor h-h-helpless kittens?" I was afraid to ask "Why do you say that?"
"Well, at the movie those kittens were so poor they didn't have any clothes, not even a bathing suit! They're completely naked. Isn't it sad?"
Yes, I definitely already knew where all this was going.
"Bodi... what kind of movie were you...?"
"And suddenly, despite being two females, they kissed on the lips. I was impressed…"
I think it wasn't the most impressive thing about the tape, Bodi.
"... then, when I called Mr. Scattergood and I asked why two girls were kissing two. He immediately pulled the film off and was angry because I took his stuff without his permission…"
More like he got angry because you discovered where he keeps his XXX movies.
"... but later he explained me there were girls who liked other girls, which was something very normal in the city…"
No Bodi, that's definitely not normal... well, maybe the girls thing, but not in those circumstances! Neither Bodi nor Angus were so innocent after all. Well, maybe the mastiff still was it, he talked to me very naturally about the subject, as if we were talking about the most innocent thing in the world.
"So when you said you didn't like boys and what Mr. Scattergood said, I thought maybe you are like those kittens…"
"No way!" I shut him up very embarrassed, I'd swear I became red in my face, while he talked to me relaxed and unconcerned, his naivety and purity could be problematic "Bodi, what you saw... well, it's not as common as Angus said, and what you saw was just a porn movie, don't think everything happened there was real."
"Porn?" he asked innocently "What's porn, Darma?"
"Really, Bodi?"
I looked at the dog with a boring face and raising an eyebrow, while a lady elephant passed near us and saw us with a face of terror and indignation. I dunno when the conversation ended that way, but I won't deny I found it actually very funny.
"Pppfff... Ha ha ha!" I snorted, trying not to laugh "Oh Bodi, I'd explain you... but I think Mr. Angus can tell you better, why don't you ask him that?"
"Oh, good idea, I'll ask him when I get back his home."
"No, better ask him when all us are together, I'm sure Germur doesn't know either. That would be glorious."
"Oh, good idea, I'll do that, Darma."
I couldn't take it anymore, and I laughing out loud, imagining everyone's faces when he did it, especially Angus' one, I'm sure his eyes will pop out of his glasses. I know they'll do that.
"Did I say something funny?"
"Ha ha ha... yes, no, well, sort of... ha ha ha ha; oh Bodi, if only knew how happy you make me."
"Well, you make me very happy too, Darma."
"Ha haaaaaaa…"
Laughing time is over there when I understood Bodi's word could mean something else. Dammit! All this declaration stuff was already annoying me more than it should.
I wish he could tell me soon, to finish with this and return things as they were before, right? Until that moment, I had not thought of the consequences. I was sure I was going to say no, but, how was he going to take it? Bodi doesn't seem to be the spiteful type, I don't think he was going to act like Idiot Trey when I told him I wasn't interested in him and he acted like a jackass with me the whole time.
No, Bodi didn't seem like him, although I doubt he'll continue to be this kind with me. Well, if he really did it with disinterest (and I was almost sure he was), he'll keep do it so, but if not, he'd be in his right to be disillusioned with me. But then I shook my head in order to get those ideas out of my mind. Why was I thinking that all of a sudden? And why did I care more about Bodi's feelings than mine?
Because he was my friend, after all. I think no one likes to see a friend hurt, and the idea of seeing him hurt by love for my fault gave me a peculiar feeling. Wait a second... And since when it was my fault? Why was he overthinking it?
"Hey Darma." he said, drawing me out of my thoughts "We arrived."
"What?"
I didn't notices when we coming at the subway's entrance.
"Ah, thanks Bodi! See you to-"
Suddenly, the mastiff hugged me fast and strongly. He did it as always, but that day I was so surprised that I couldn't correspond him, and I must admit it felt different from other times.
"Good bye Darma, see you tomorrow, Have a good trip!"
"Err... yeah Bodi, thank you." I muttered shyly "Bye."
I waved my paw and said goodbye while the canine did the same wagging his tail jovially with a big smile, until I turned around and headed for the next train, with confused thoughts about a particular mastiff.
Author's note:
Second chapter's up! What did you think? Today's chapter's humor is a little bit cruder, maybe it's not at the same comedy level of the movie (Well, the "I'm his... -BEEP- gardener" makes me think..) But I hope you enjoyed it. But in the end, I will be more than happy to receive your comments, compliments or insults about it or my story in general.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people who read my fanfic. Being Rock Dog a very small and almost dead fandom, I was surprised to have received a lot of views, maybe not as many as other stories, but it was much more than I expected. Thank you for your confidence, I hope you keep reading until the end of the fic.
It's all for the moment, don't miss the next chapter: Sheer Heart Attack (yeah, it is what you think). Until another time!