{ "submission_id": "3718545", "keywords": [ { "keyword_id": "211", "keyword_name": "bat", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "37839" }, { "keyword_id": "200", "keyword_name": "border collie", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4953" }, { "keyword_id": "303", "keyword_name": "canine", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "199386" }, { "keyword_id": "60", "keyword_name": "cat", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "220278" }, { "keyword_id": "2036", "keyword_name": "cheetah", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "16165" }, { "keyword_id": "627", "keyword_name": "crossdressing", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "18987" }, { "keyword_id": "37", "keyword_name": "cub", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "291962" }, { "keyword_id": "1908", "keyword_name": "cunnilingus", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "13100" }, { "keyword_id": "3", "keyword_name": "dog", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "179043" }, { "keyword_id": "62", "keyword_name": "feline", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "156818" }, { "keyword_id": "1783", "keyword_name": "fellatio", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "14269" }, { "keyword_id": "123", "keyword_name": "female", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1120732" }, { "keyword_id": "33", "keyword_name": "fox", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "254786" }, { "keyword_id": "2791", "keyword_name": "implied rape", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "603" }, { "keyword_id": "49207", "keyword_name": "interruption", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "137" }, { "keyword_id": "1452", "keyword_name": "lynx", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "14376" }, { "keyword_id": "165", "keyword_name": "male", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1233197" }, { "keyword_id": "690", "keyword_name": "masturbation", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "49152" }, { "keyword_id": "1003", "keyword_name": "m/f", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "42882" }, { "keyword_id": "762", "keyword_name": "nudity", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "47556" }, { "keyword_id": "4439", "keyword_name": "oral sex", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "21871" }, { "keyword_id": "473", "keyword_name": "otter", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "37015" }, { "keyword_id": "186", "keyword_name": "rabbit", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "143023" }, { "keyword_id": "1031", "keyword_name": "red fox", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "9370" }, { "keyword_id": "216", "keyword_name": "teen", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "35399" }, { "keyword_id": "969", "keyword_name": "violence", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4561" }, { "keyword_id": "2337", "keyword_name": "virgin", "contributed": "t", "submissions_count": "3515" } ], "hidden": "f", "scraps": "f", "favorite": "f", "favorites_count": "0", "create_datetime": "2025-10-01 23:49:22.366553+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "02 Oct 2025 01:49 CEST", "last_file_update_datetime": "2025-10-01 23:43:39.678708+00", "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "02 Oct 2025 01:43 CEST", "username": "IzzySable", "user_id": "2250", "user_icon_file_name": "257117_squirrelfox_photo_2022-11-10_10-31-08.jpg", "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/257/257117_squirrelfox_photo_2022-11-10_10-31-08.jpg", "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/257/257117_squirrelfox_photo_2022-11-10_10-31-08.jpg", "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/257/257117_squirrelfox_photo_2022-11-10_10-31-08.jpg", "file_name": "5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.doc", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "300", "thumb_huge_y": "300", "thumb_large_x": "200", "thumb_large_y": "200", "thumb_medium_x": "120", "thumb_medium_y": "120", "files": [ { "file_id": "5739100", "file_name": "5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.doc", "mimetype": "application/msword", "submission_id": "3718545", "user_id": "2250", "submission_file_order": "0", "full_size_x": null, "full_size_y": null, "screen_size_x": null, "screen_size_y": null, "preview_size_x": null, "preview_size_y": null, "initial_file_md5": "684dc8e4d1102b3c1a4aa538e833b6ba", "full_file_md5": "684dc8e4d1102b3c1a4aa538e833b6ba", "large_file_md5": "", "small_file_md5": "", "thumbnail_md5": "141fa2efb559625289ac515282b47c9e", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2025-10-01 23:43:39.678708+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "02 Oct 2025 01:43 CEST", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5739/5739100_IzzySable_35_ace_of_hearts.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "300", "thumb_huge_y": "300", "thumb_large_x": "200", "thumb_large_y": "200", "thumb_medium_x": "120", "thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "80880", "name": "Ace of Hearts", "description": "Our rewrite series Chuck/Tanya line.", "count": "8", "submission_left_submission_id": "3609162", "submission_left_file_name": "5548248_IzzySable_30_daybreak.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/5548/5548248_IzzySable_30_daybreak.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5548/5548248_IzzySable_30_daybreak.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5548/5548248_IzzySable_30_daybreak.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "120" }, { "pool_id": "79200", "name": "Year of the Phoenix", "description": "The overarch of our series rewrite. Follow this pool to read everything in chronological order.", "count": "38", "submission_left_submission_id": "3697497", "submission_left_file_name": "5700518_IzzySable_34_data_points.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/5700/5700518_IzzySable_34_data_points.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5700/5700518_IzzySable_34_data_points.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5700/5700518_IzzySable_34_data_points.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "120" }, { "pool_id": "99122", "name": "Year of the Phoenix Plus EU", "description": "The overarch including all of the canon bonus stories where they line up chronologically, minus prequel stories.", "count": "48", "submission_left_submission_id": "3697497", "submission_left_file_name": "5700518_IzzySable_34_data_points.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/5700/5700518_IzzySable_34_data_points.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5700/5700518_IzzySable_34_data_points.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5700/5700518_IzzySable_34_data_points.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "description": "Heyo, watcherland! It's the first of the month, which means new story upload! Though next month there won't be an upload on the first, since... we don't have any new stories ready right now. But hopefully soon!\n\nIf you'd like to support our continued writing and get the next story early (along with other perks), consider supporting us on subscribestar! https://subscribestar.adult/squirrelfox", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Heyo, watcherland! It's the first of the month, which means new story upload! Though next month there won't be an upload on the first, since... we don't have any new stories ready right now. But hopefully soon!

If you'd like to support our continued writing and get the next story early (along with other perks), consider supporting us on subscribestar! https://subscribestar.adult/squirrelfox", "writing": "[center]Ace of Hearts[/center]\n\nCONTENT WARNING: Holy shit, another real content warning? What’s going on? Well, the following story contains scenes of a GRAPHIC SEXUAL NATURE between MALE and FEMALE CUBS. ACK, STRAIGHT SEX, RUN AWAY!!! There’s also a bit of VIOLENCE BETWEEN CUBS, as well as mentions of past CUB SEXUAL ABUSE, so be warned about that. Plot’s gotta plot, after all. If any of this bothers you, DO NOT READ ON. By reading beyond this point, you accept responsibility for how it might make you feel. For those whom we haven’t scared off… enjoy!\n\n\n\n\nNothing stays secret for long in middle school. While Tanya and Chuck had stopped kissing on the bus, they still held paws. Their recesses consisted of either going to Mr. Fox’s room for solitude, or finding a quiet spot under a tree to listen to music. It was fairly obvious that they were into each other, and the rumors to that effect were true.\n\nHonestly, it felt nice not having to hide it. The only downside was Becky teasing her sometimes about whether or not she was secretly fucking the border collie, which she was absolutely NOT doing. They weren’t that kind of couple, even if the bat was curious.\n\nAs usual, Chuck sat next to her on the bus. The moment he sat down next to her, he took her paw.\n\n“H-how are you?” Chuck asked. His stutter had gone down considerably when he was with just her.\n\nTanya smiled. “Good. Had a nice quiet weekend. Those are always nice!”\n\nHer boyfriend giggled and nodded. “I-I had a good one, too. I-Isaac took me into the c-city. We went to an art museum!”\n\nShe grinned as he eagerly recapped the trip to Boston. He seemed to have picked up a particular interest in art lately, which was adorable.\n\nAs they neared the school, his story tapered off. Tanya squeezed Chuck’s paw. There had been a thought dominating her mind. She’d played with the toy that her sister had given her, and while it felt nice, there wasn’t a spark there, even when thinking about Chuck. A part of her wondered if it would be different if they explored.\n\n“Hey, Chuck?” she whispered.\n\nThe pup leaned in and raised an ear towards her. “Y-yes?”\n\nShe couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. Instead, she pulled out her phone and typed the message to him. ‘I want to meet in the bathroom at recess.’ What would he think?\n\nChuck pulled out his own phone and typed back, ‘Which one?’\n\nTanya’s heart skipped a beat. He was into the idea. She erased her message and typed, ‘second floor gender neutral?’\n\nHe erased his own message and nodded at her. It was decided. They were going to meet in the bathroom, and Tanya was determined to explore with him.\n\nThey parted once the school bus let them out. It sucked that their lockers were so far apart, but she’d get to see him at lunch. All morning it was all she could think about. Every moment that wasn’t dominated by school work saw her imagining Chuck.\n\nWhen lunch rolled around, she was too excited to even speak. Chuck sat next to her as had become customary for them. He didn’t speak, either, which was just fine by her. Thankfully Becky didn’t comment on it. She was too busy arguing about video games with Robbie, Kendal, and Martin to notice.\n\nThe butterflies got out of control as many of the cubs went for the school yard for recess. Tanya and Chuck held back, and headed for the second floor together.\n\nIt was quiet up there. Not a soul was in sight. When they reached the bathroom together, they both glanced up and down the hall, then went in. Tanya locked the door behind them. It wasn’t huge inside, though clearly large enough to accommodate the two of them comfortably. She was thankful for that.\n\n“W-what did you wanna… do?” Chuck asked.\n\nTanya blushed. “I… was hoping… you might want to… umm… explore a little?” she whispered. “Like… our bodies?”\n\nChuck stared at her incredulously. She started to regret her offer to meet him here. But then he whispered, “Okay.”\n\nThe bat girl grinned. Her paws trembled as she slid her skirt down. She watched as Chuck undid his belt and slid his pants down. He was wearing regular briefs this time around, just like at the birthday party. They were slightly tented. Both furs giggled nervously as they slid their underwear down. The pup’s penis bounced upwards, his foreskin completely covering his tip. It was… quite cute.\n\n“May I… touch you?” Tanya asked.\n\nHer boyfriend nodded. The bat blushed as she got down on her knees in front of him. She wanted to get a close up look at the pup’s penis. Her paw trembled as she reached up and wrapped her fingers around it. She gave him a few experimental strokes, watching his foreskin roll back and forth over his tip. From sex ed, she had a pretty decent idea of the anatomy, but playing with it in the fur was different. Her free paw wandered between her legs as she stroked the border collie’s penis.\n\nThe pup stepped back, pressing his back to the wall. His hips shook as she stroked him. Between sex ed and her own explorations (and a private conversation with her sister), she had some ideas of what to do. Tanya looked up at Chuck, then back to his penis, and took it in her mouth.\n\nChuck let out a very quiet moan. She perked her ears, listening to the cadence of his breaths as she bobbed her muzzle along his length. Her fingers furiously worked her clit. It felt… actually somewhat nice to have Chuck’s penis in her mouth. Touching herself felt a little more… fun, this way.\n\n“O-oh gods,” Chuck muttered.\n\nTanya grinned and pulled back off his cock. “Feel good?” she whispered.\n\nThe pup nodded. “I… y-yes…”\n\nShe giggled and took him back in her mouth. Her paws worked his shaft as she curiously swirled her tongue around his tip. It felt interesting, feeling his foreskin sliding back and forth against her tongue.\n\nShe kept it up for a couple minutes before Chuck grabbed her ears gently. His hips quaked, and he sucked in a breath as his penis twitched in her mouth. A sudden sweetness met her tongue, a dribble of liquid from the boy’s tip. Had he… just cum in her mouth?\n\nThe bat pulled her mouth back and looked up at him. “H-how was that?” she whispered.\n\nChuck slumped to the floor, panting softly. He looked in her eyes, and leaned in, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Guess he liked it.\n\nThen his paw met hers between her legs. “D-do you want me to… l-lick you?”\n\nHer eyes widened. She hadn’t thought that far ahead, but it sounded… intriguing. Tanya nodded. They were here, and they had time. Might as well try.\n\nShe stood up, and the two switched places. Tanya’s whole body quivered as she squatted down just a little, spreading her legs for the border collie.\n\nChuck’s tail swayed slowly behind him as he leaned in and spread her labia with his paws. The pup’s muzzle went between her legs and started licking curiously all around her vulva, even slipping into her slick passage a little. When his tongue roamed over her clit, she gasped. That felt… pretty nice, actually.\n\nHer boyfriend’s ears flicked as she gasped, and he got his tongue working against her clit. She trembled as he licked. It wasn’t quite as good as the vibrator physically, but mentally… knowing it was her beloved puppy licking her… that made it all the better.\n\nTanya rocked her hips slowly as Chuck’s tongue assaulted her clit. He seemed to know what he was doing. She grabbed his shoulders to support herself as he licked, her toes curling as waves of pleasure flooded her body. This was… almost too much.\n\nShe bit her lip as the pleasure reached its peak. Her whole body trembled, her paws gripping Chuck’s shoulders tight. “S-stop,” she muttered when it got to be too much.\n\nThe pup pulled back immediately. “D-did I do okay? D-did I hurt you?” he asked.\n\nThe bat smiled and leaned down to kiss his forehead. “That was… incredible. Have you ever done that before?”\n\nChuck shook his head.\n\n“Could’ve fooled me,” Tanya whispered. “That was… wow.” She hugged him. The pup hugged her back.\n\nThen his phone vibrated in his pocket. Chuck pulled it out and gasped. “Recess is almost over!”\n\nCrap! How long had they been at it?! It didn’t feel like that long. The two scrambled to get dressed again.\n\nTanya poked her head out first. The hall was clear, but voices were starting to echo around the halls. She pulled Chuck out and they made for Mr. Fox’s classroom. If they were seen coming out of there, that would just be normal.\n\nAs they neared it, Robbie emerged. The fox tilted his head. “There you two are! I’ve been looking all over. I figured I’d check Mr. Fox’s room but he said he hadn’t seen you two…”\n\n“Oh, uh, yeah,” Tanya said. She blushed and released Chuck’s paw. “We were just, uh…”\n\nThe fox raised an eyebrow. “Somehow, I feel like I don’t want to know.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I talked to my Mom and Dad about having a sleepover during Christmas break, and I wanted to see if you two would come.”\n\nThe bat perked her ears. “I’d love to!” she said. “I know my parents wouldn’t let me if I told them, but if I say I’m staying over at Becky’s it should be fine, and my sister can drive me so they won’t need to know. Who else is gonna be there?”\n\n“Just you two, Martin, and Becky,” Robbie said. “I invited Kendal and Sophie but they’re both traveling to see family over the holidays.”\n\n“I-I’ll ask I-I-Isaac,” Chuck muttered.\n\n“Awesome,” Robbie said. “I haven’t picked out the dates yet ‘cause Becky and Martin have to check with their parents, but when I have ‘em I’ll let you know.”\n\n“S-sounds good,” Tanya said. Her voice was still quaking from her orgasm. Gods, why did it have to feel so good playing with her boyfriend?\n\n“Are you okay?” Robbie asked.\n\n“F-fine!” Tanya said. Cubs were starting to fill the halls now. “I gotta get to class!” She retreated before the fox had a chance to ask her anything else.\n\nIt was hard to focus on anything in her afternoon classes. Mr. Fox even asked her to stay after class for a minute.\n\n“Are you doing alright, Tanya?” the otter asked. “I haven’t seen you this distracted… well, ever. You’re usually such an active participant.”\n\n“I-I’m fine,” Tanya said. But was she? She had snuck in play time with her boyfriend, at school, in the middle of the day. If anyfur found out, she’d earn Brandi’s slut reputation, and that was the last thing she wanted. There’s no way she could survive that.\n\n“If there’s anything bothering you, you can talk to me about it,” Mr. Fox said. “You know that, right?”\n\nTanya nodded. “I know. I’m just having an… o-off day.”\n\nThe otter looked unconvinced. “Well, alright. If you’re sure. I don’t have a class next period so I’ll walk you to your next class.”\n\nShe walked in silence alongside the otter. Some days she appreciated how much he cared about his students. Today she wished he was a little less pro-active. She felt everyone’s eyes on her when she entered math class. Mr. Fox had a hushed conversation with the math teacher before leaving. Thankfully at least, the math teacher didn’t make a big deal of it.\n\nIt felt like a relief when the school day ended. Tanya was the first out of the math classroom. She almost missed the homework assignment for that night. As soon as she got to her locker she wrote it down in her planner, then packed up to go home.\n\nAs usual, Chuck sat next to her on the bus. They sat in silence, holding paws. It felt weird not to talk about what they did, but at the same time, it didn’t feel right to talk about it on the bus, either. She held his paw right up until they reached his stop. He didn’t look at her before he left. Had they gone too far in the bathroom at lunch?\n\nWhen she got home, she checked her phone. There was a message from Chuck. ‘Did you have fun at lunch?’\n\nShe smiled and sent off her reply. ‘I did. You’re very good with your tongue.’ After a moment’s thought, she sent another. ‘Did you?’\n\nThe wait for his reply felt interminable. It was almost fifteen minutes before his reply came in. ‘I think so. I don’t know. It was fun, but doing that at school was… a lot.’\n\nTanya bit her lip. It was a lot, yeah, but when else would they have the opportunity? ‘Sorry… I just didn’t know when I’d get to see you again outside school.’\n\nHis next response was quicker. ‘I could talk to Isaac about having you over.’\n\n‘I have to be careful. Bunica and Dad would flip if they found out I’m going over to a boy’s house.’\n\n‘Oh. Sorry. I don’t want you to get in trouble.’\n\nThe bat wiggled. ‘But I do want to see you.’\n\n‘I do too.’\n\nShe smiled. It was nice to be wanted. But something still didn’t feel right. She’d been doing research on asexuality, and it still felt like her, but the fact that she’d had so much fun playing with Chuck was… complicating things. Maybe she could talk to Chuck about it. ‘I thought I was asexual but I’m not sure now.’\n\nChuck’s reply surprised her. ‘I think I am. What we did was fun but I dunno if it’s something I need. I’d be just as happy without doing that.’\n\nWell, at least she wasn’t alone. ‘Same. I’ve touched myself but it’s different with somefur I love.’\n\n‘Yeah, it’s real different. It’s not as scary.’\n\nThat was an odd sentiment. ‘Is it scary if it’s not with somefur you love?’\n\nHis response wasn’t immediate. Tanya decided to work on some of her homework while she waited for his reply. She’d gotten almost all the way through her math homework before she got another text from Chuck.\n\n‘It’s like losing all control over your body and your soul. It feels like being in a dark void where no light can get you. It makes you feel all cold and empty.’\n\nA chill ran down Tanya’s spine. ‘Did anyfur ever make you do it when you didn’t want it?’\n\nTears welled in her eyes as she saw Chuck’s reply. ‘Yes.’\n\n‘Who?’ She wanted to know, to do awful things to whoever hurt her puppy.\n\n‘I don’t wanna say…’\n\nTanya sighed. ‘It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.’\n\nShe got back to working on her homework. As she got through their history homework, her phone buzzed again. This time it was a photo of Chuck. The pup was posing in the mirror in one of her old skirts that she had given him. She giggled. ‘You look really cute!’\n\nIt didn’t take him long to reply. ‘Thanks. And thank you for giving me these.’ He followed up with another photo of him wearing the longer of the two skirts. He looked so happy wearing them.\n\nThe bat did her best to get through her homework, but what Chuck had told her was bugging her. After dinner, she slipped down to the basement and knocked on Veronica’s door.\n\nHer sister smirked as she opened the door. “Hey, little sis. Sup?”\n\n“C-could I talk to you about some stuff?” she asked.\n\n“Always,” Veronica said. She guided the younger bat into her room and closed the door. “What’s up? Boy stuff?”\n\n“Sorta,” Tanya said. “Robbie, the boy who invited me to his birthday, invited me to a sleepover during Christmas break. Could you drive me?”\n\nVeronica giggled. “With pleasure! I’m always happy to support my little sister.” She sat down on her bed and looked at the younger bat. “But I feel like that isn’t all.”\n\nTanya shook her head. “Umm… I, uh… well, my, uh…” How to describe Chuck? Screw it, she was talking to her sister here. She could trust her. “My boyfriend told me something and I… I guess it’s feeling icky.”\n\n“Oh boy, boy trouble already,” Veronica said. “What did he do?”\n\n“It’s not what he did, it’s what he said.” Tanya took a breath. “He told me that somefur made him do… things… he didn’t wanna do.”\n\nHer sister blinked. “Oh.” Her eyes widened. “What kind of ‘things?’”\n\nThe younger bat bit her lip. “Like… sex things,” she whispered.\n\n“Oh fuck,” Veronica said. “I didn’t even know boys COULD be raped. Do you know who did it?”\n\n“He didn’t wanna say,” Tanya said. “B-but I’m worried about him…”\n\nVeronica hugged her. “Yeah, I get that. Did he tell you in the fur, or…?”\n\n“Via text,” Tanya said. She pulled out her phone and showed her sister the messages, making sure NOT to show her the photos of him in a skirt.\n\n“Damn,” Veronica said. “Though I’m curious how this conversation got started.”\n\nTanya blushed. “Well… we might’ve snuck to the gender neutral bathroom during lunch, and…”\n\nHer sister giggled. “Wow! Get it, girl!”\n\nThe younger bat shook her head. “It was just a whim, and we’re not gonna do it again.”\n\nVeronica raised an eyebrow. “His dick was that bad, huh?”\n\n“No, not like that,” Tanya said. “It was… nice… but we don’t wanna risk getting caught at school. And… I dunno… it was fun, but…”\n\n“But what?” Veronica asked. Her tone was… inquisitive.\n\nTanya shrugged. “I just dunno if this sex stuff is for me…”\n\n“Well, maybe try it at your friend’s sleepover before you write it off completely,” Veronica said. “At least if you can get the privacy for it.”\n\n“That’s the thing, I might not,” Tanya said. “Becky’s probably gonna be there, and if SHE finds out, I’ll never hear the end of it…”\n\n“Ouch. Shame you can’t just trust your friend,” Veronica said. “Isn’t Becky like, your bestie?”\n\n“Was,” Tanya said. “I’m not so sure now…”\n\n“You’ve got a lot going on right now, don’t you?” Veronica said.\n\nThe younger bat flopped onto her sister’s bed. “Gods, yes…” She sighed and stared up at the ceiling. \n\nVeronica climbed onto her bed and leaned against the headboard. “Need some advice? A hug?”\n\nTanya pushed herself up and crawled up the bed to her sister. She hugged the teenage bat and tucked her head in under her sister’s chin.\n\n“I got you, sis,” Veronica whispered. “What’s going on with Becky?”\n\n“She just keeps teasing me about being boy hungry,” Tanya muttered. “Which is weird ‘cause she’s dating a girl. Like, lay the heck off.”\n\n“Geez, rude,” Veronica said. “I dunno, maybe she’s projecting. Like, she’s girl hungry and assumes that if you’re straight you must be boy hungry.”\n\n“Maybe… it’s just really… frustrating,” Tanya said. She sighed and rolled onto her back, lying against her sister’s chest. Veronica wrapped her arms around her and held her close. “I don’t want to lose her as a friend, but she’s just so… different… from the girl I used to know.”\n\nVeronica nuzzled her sister’s ears. “Maybe it’s time to start making some new friends. Middle school’s a great time for it.”\n\nTanya bit her lip. “I guess… I need more female friends… right now the only furs I can trust are Robbie and Chuck…”\n\nHer sister gave her a little squeeze. “Which one of them is your boyfriend?”\n\n“Chuck,” Tanya said. “He’s really shy, but cute…”\n\n“Got a picture of him?” her sister asked.\n\nThe younger bat pulled out her phone. Thankfully her message history stayed where it was. She dug into her phone’s gallery and found a selfie the two of them had snuck at Robbie’s birthday party.\n\n“D’aww! He IS a cutie!” Veronica said. “Little small, though. You sure he’s a middle schooler?”\n\n“He’s twelve, thank you very much,” Tanya said.\n\n“Wow, damn,” Veronica said. “Short for twelve. Oh well. He treats you right?”\n\n“We sit next to each other on the bus every day,” she said. “He… doesn’t live too far away.”\n\nVeronica giggled. “Shame he doesn’t have a more gender-neutral name. If he’s walking distance you could just go over anytime.”\n\n“I… think it is? I’m not sure how far away it is, exactly,” Tanya said. She brought up her messages and sent Chuck a quick text to ask for his address. When she checked the replied, she heard her sister gasp.\n\n“Is he wearing a SKIRT?!”\n\nCrap! She’d seen the photo! Tanya quickly put her phone away. “What? Uh, why would he do that?”\n\nHer sister looked down at her. “No, I definitely saw a photo of him wearing a skirt. It looked like one of yours.”\n\nTanya lowered her ears. “I… might’ve given him a couple…”\n\n“Geez, my sister dating a femboy,” Veronica said. “I guess that tracks, though. Surely some of your anime has crossdressing boys.”\n\n“No!” Tanya said. “Well… okay, maybe some do, but that’s not why I’m dating Chuck. We started dating before I found out he likes to dress girly.” Which wasn’t entirely true, but her sister didn’t need to know that.\n\n“Gotcha,” Veronica said. “You just happened to start dating a small boy who likes to dress like a girl.”\n\n“Yes, that is exactly the case,” Tanya said.\n\n“Lucky you,” Veronica said. “My boyfriend would never.”\n\nTanya’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and her heart sank. It was a message from Becky. She unlocked her phone and read it. ‘I heard that a seventh grader saw you and Chuck sneak into the gender neutral bathroom on the second floor. I thought you said you “weren’t that kind of girl,” and now you’re sneaking quickies at school?’\n\n“Oh no,” Tanya muttered.\n\nHer sister peeked at her phone over her shoulder. “Oh geez, that’s gonna feed the rumor mill.”\n\nThe younger bat quickly sent off a reply. ‘What? No we didn’t!’\n\n“I say ignore it,” Veronica said. “Middle school rumors disappear quick. Just pretend you didn’t hear about it.”\n\n“I’ll try,” Tanya muttered. She sighed and leaned into her sister. “Too much…”\n\n“Rumors, you’re not sure if you can trust your bestie, and your boyfriend’s a rape survivor,” Veronica said. “I’d say that’s a pretty full plate.” Her sister held her close. “Wish I knew what to tell you, but that’s… a lot to deal with.”\n\n“And I guess it explains why he doesn’t wanna do sex stuff again,” Tanya said.\n\n“Geez, for real,” Veronica said. “Still, I don’t think you two should write it off entirely just yet. But talk about it next time you’re together outside of school and see what happens.”\n\nTanya shrugged. “I guess.”\n\nShe checked her phone as it buzzed again. Another message from Becky. ‘For real? I’ve heard it from like four other furs so far. Chuck won’t text me back.’\n\nCrap, she had Chuck’s number. She sent a quick text to him. ‘Do not respond to Becky, you’ll only feed the rumor mill.’\n\n“Need some emotional support while you deal with this?” Veronica asked.\n\nTanya sighed. “I think so…”\n\nHer sister nodded and kissed her ear. “Take as much time as you need, girl.”\n\nThe younger bat nodded. Her sister really was sweet sometimes. She sent a text off to Robbie next. ‘Did you hear the rumors about me and Chuck?’\n\nMessages started coming in one after the other. Becky: ‘They’re saying you two fucked in the bathroom.’ Robbie: ‘No, what is it this time?’ Chuck: ‘I won’t. What do we do?’\n\nShe could already feel a headache forming as she started sending out replies. To Robbie: ‘You’ll probably hear about it soon.’ To Chuck: ‘I don’t know yet. My sister thinks we should just ignore it.’ To Becky: ‘Chuck isn’t that kind of boy, and I’m not that kind of girl. I would never risk that at school. I don’t even like sex!’\n\nAs she finished her round of replies, she got a reply back from Robbie. ‘Oh. Becky told me. That’s not true, right? You and Chuck didn’t have sex in the bathroom, right?’\n\nTanya bit her lip and looked up at her sister. “Do I tell him the truth?”\n\n“That depends,” Veronica replied. “Do you trust him?”\n\nThe younger bat thought about that for a moment, then typed her response. ‘Don’t tell Becky. We did go to the bathroom together, and we did stuff.’\n\nIn came Chuck’s reply. ‘Ok.’\n\nThen the stakes rose. Becky actually CALLED. Tanya trembled as she answered the call.\n\n“Tanya. Girl. You’ve been seen making out with him on the bus -“\n\n“We do not make out!” Tanya said.\n\n“You hold paws with him all the time,” Becky said, continuing as though Tanya hadn’t said anything. “And you were SEEN heading into the bathroom by a reliable source. Why can’t you tell me the truth?”\n\nAnger welled up in the bat. “Because if I tell you the truth you’ll just make fun of me more than you already do!” she cried. Before Becky could respond, she hung up her phone.\n\n“Whoa,” Veronica said.\n\nBecky called again. Tanya declined the call and threw her phone to the other side of the bed. It bounced on the blanket.\n\n“Damn, girl,” Veronica said. “You okay?”\n\nTanya sniffled and buried her face in her paws. “I don’t know.” She sat and quietly cried in her sister’s arms. How much time passed, she wasn’t sure.\n\nHer phone started vibrating again. Against her better judgment, she reached over and grabbed it. To her surprise, it was Robbie. She answered.\n\n“Hey, Tanya. You doing okay?” Robbie asked.\n\n“I… don’t know,” Tanya said.\n\n“Becky said you hung up on her and started screening her calls,” Robbie said. “I just wanna make sure nothing’s going on.”\n\nThe bat wiped the tears from her eyes. “I just don’t want Becky making fun of me…”\n\n“Yeah, I get that. Becky can be a lot. If you want, I can invite you and Chuck over on a different day for my Christmas sleepover.” Robbie was a sweet boy sometimes.\n\n“That… might be best,” Tanya whimpered.\n\n“Okay. I’ll talk to my parents tonight,” Robbie said. “I’m sorry this is happening to you.”\n\nTanya sniffled. “It’s my fault… I was stupid… I just…” She looked over her shoulder at her sister. “C-can I call you back?”\n\n“Uh, sure,” Robbie said. “I’ll be up for another hour probably. Talk to you in a bit.”\n\n“Thanks,” Tanya whispered. She hung up the phone and sighed. “This is all too much…”\n\n“Was that your boyfriend?” Veronica asked.\n\nThe younger bat shook her head. “Nope. Our, uh, mutual friend, Robbie. He was calling to check up on me. I guess Becky called him when I stopped answering her calls.”\n\n“Typical,” Veronica said. “Want my advice?” Tanya nodded. “Go to bed. Sleep it off. Start sorting it out in the morning.”\n\nTanya nodded and hugged her sister. “Okay… thanks.”\n\nVeronica kissed her cheek. “Anytime, little sis.” She glanced to her right, then whispered, “If you want a snuggle buddy, my bed’s big enough for two.”\n\nThe younger bat giggled a little through her tears. “I… I’ll think about it.”\n\nShe hugged her older sister, then slipped back upstairs to her bedroom. Once there, she called Robbie back. He answered on the third ring.\n\n“Hi, Robbie,” she said.\n\n“Hey. So what’s going on?” Robbie asked.\n\nThe bat flopped onto her bed. “I don’t even know,” Tanya muttered. “I’m just… tired of Becky constantly expecting me to be a horny little beast.”\n\n“Yeah, I get that,” Robbie said. “I’ve been texting with Chuck. He hasn’t told me anything about what happened in the bathroom.”\n\nShe sighed. “Well, that’s something.”\n\n“And you don’t have to tell me, either,” Robbie added. “I just wanna make sure you two are alright. You’re my friends.”\n\nTanya bit her lip. “Does mouth stuff count as sex?”\n\nThe fox was quiet for a moment. “I’d say so. Not in the way that the rumors are making it sound, but yeah, that’s sex.”\n\n“Great, so I really am a whore,” Tanya said.\n\n“Nah. Whores get paid for it,” Robbie said. That earned a little giggle from the bat. “But for real, nothing wrong with exploring with someone you like. I know you two are boyfriend girlfriend. He told me and Martin at our last sleepover.” So he knew about that. “It’s cool. I want you both to be happy.”\n\nShe sniffled. “Thanks. I just… I don’t know what I want. Everyfur seems to think we should be like, all over each other, but we tried that, and it was… fine? But nothing mind-blowing.” She took a breath. “A little while back Chuck and I were talking to Mr. Fox about queerness and stuff. I think I might be asexual.”\n\n“Hey, that’s cool,” Robbie said. “Sex is fun and all but it’s not like, the best thing ever.”\n\nTanya breathed a sigh of relief. At least somefur wasn’t pushing back on it. “Yeah… he said it’s perfectly normal not to be interested in sex…”\n\n“My mom says the same,” Robbie said. “I hope you were okay with how naked everyone got at my birthday party.”\n\nThe bat giggled. “It was fine. I’m not like, against nudity or anything like that. Bodies are just bodies.”\n\n“Truuuue,” Robbie said. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.” He paused for a moment. “I swear, if Becky calls me one more time… but yeah. If you need to talk, you’ve got my number.”\n\n“Thanks,” Tanya said. She sighed. “I think I’m gonna head to bed.”\n\n“Good idea. Night, Tanya,” Robbie said.\n\n“G’night,” Tanya replied. She sighed and sent off a quick text to Chuck: ‘Robbie knows.’\n\nWhile she was getting ready for bed, she heard her phone buzz again. She checked: a reply from Chuck. ‘Okay. I trust him.’\n\nIt felt weird that she’d talked to Robbie and not Chuck. She sent him a quick text: ‘May I call?’\n\nThe response came quickly. ‘Okay.’\n\nHer finger trembled as she called the border collie. It would be their first time talking on the phone.\n\n“H-hi,” Chuck said when he picked up.\n\n“Hi, Chuck,” Tanya said.\n\n“W-what’s up?” he asked.\n\n“I just wanted to hear your voice,” Tanya said. “It’s been a crazy night.”\n\n“H-has it?” Chuck asked. “W-what happened?”\n\nTanya sighed and relayed the gist of the last hour to the boy, including what she told Robbie.\n\n“I-I don’t really l-like Becky,” Chuck said. “S-she’s kinda mean…”\n\n“She wasn’t always like this,” Tanya said. “I dunno what changed.”\n\n“Oh. S-sorry,” Chuck said.\n\nThe bat shrugged and sighed. “It is what it is. I miss who she used to be.” She paused. “Hey, uh… you don’t live that far away… it’s like a ten minute walk. Do you think… maybe… I could come over sometime?”\n\n“I-I’d really like that,” Chuck said. His voice sounded brighter. “Mommy and Isaac work late usually, so it’s l-lonely in the afternoon…”\n\nShe smiled. “Maybe tomorrow?”\n\nChuck paused for a moment. “L-let me ask I-Isaac.” There was a delay while he presumably went to ask his guardian. “Y-yeah. I-Isaac says it’s okay.”\n\n“Awesome!” Tanya said. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school, okay?”\n\n“Okay!” he said.\n\n“Love you,” Tanya said. The word slipped out before she realized it. Had she really just said that? Did she overstep her boundaries?\n\n“L-l-love you, too,” Chuck whispered.\n\nTanya beamed. Apparently she hadn’t. “See you tomorrow.”\n\n“See you.”\n\nThey hung up, and Tanya flopped onto her bed. Yes yes yes! She got up and ran downstairs to her sister’s room to tell her the good news.\n\nWhen she got there, she knocked on the door. “Veronica?” Her sister didn’t answer. She tried the door and found it unlocked. “Veronica?” she called as she opened the door.\n\nHer older sister gasped as Tanya poked her head in. The teen was completely nude on her bed. A distinctive buzzing sound was coming from between her legs, one she had learned well from her time with the bullet vibe Veronica had given her. She honestly looked… pretty? Her breasts were nicely shaped, her body pleasantly curved. No, she couldn’t be thinking about girls NOW, not after the awkward time masturbating with Becky… could she?\n\n“T-tanya!” Veronica gasped. She pulled the blanket over her hastily. “W-what are you doing here?”\n\nTanya squealed and withdrew her head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt!” She closed the door behind her and made for the stairs.\n\nThe door to her sister’s room opened. “Wait,” Veronica said. “My mood’s spoiled anyway. Let me just put something on.”\n\nThe younger bat waited outside the door while her sister got dressed. When the door opened again, she stepped inside.\n\n“S-sorry to interrupt,” Tanya repeated. “I just… I wanted to talk to you. And see if… maybe that offer to snuggle tonight was, like… real?”\n\nHer sister sighed. “Yeah, I guess it is. What’s up, little sis?”\n\nTanya closed the door behind her and followed her sister to her bed. “I talked to Chuck. His dad says I can come over after school. It’s not that far of a walk…”\n\n“My little sister’s getting daring,” Veronica said. “I like it. What’ll you tell our parents?”\n\n“Just that I made a new friend at school who lives nearby,” Tanya said. “They never call and check, right?”\n\n“That’s after they’ve made initial contact with the parents,” Veronica said. “You tell ‘em you have a new friend, they’re gonna want a name and a parent to contact.”\n\nCrap. It had been so long since Tanya made a new friend that she’d almost forgotten. “Oh…”\n\nVeronica rubbed her chin. “This one’s tough. I’d suggest telling them you started an extracurricular, but they’d probably call the school to confirm. Unless…” She went to her laptop and turned it on. “I could make a fake permission slip for it… if it looks legit, they might just buy it…”\n\nHer sister was devious. “That’s brilliant!”\n\n“’Course it is,” Veronica said. “I have my band practice after school on Tuesdays, but if I date it for Wednesdays… I don’t have anything going on, so I can always offer to pick you up after. They won’t have to know.”\n\nTanya hugged her sister. “You’re amazing!”\n\n“And don’t you forget it,” Veronica said. “How does anime club sound?”\n\nThe younger bat giggled. “That sounds perfect.”\n\nVeronica sighed as she typed up the fake document. “You owe me for this.”\n\n“Anything!” Tanya said.\n\nHer sister smirked. “Anything, huh?”\n\n“Anything,” Tanya repeated.\n\n“I’ll remember that,” Veronica said. She giggled as she hit print on her fake permission slip. “Be a dear and grab that off the printer. You’ll want to shove it in your bag to give to Mom or Dad after school tomorrow.”\n\nTanya hugged her sister. “Thanks!” She dashed upstairs and followed her sister’s instructions, stowing away the ticket to her freedom in her backpack. This was really going to happen.\n\nWhen she returned to her sister’s room, Veronica had already climbed back into bed. Tanya closed the door behind her and joined her sister.\n\nVeronica rolled onto her side and pulled Tanya in. “Remember when you were younger and we’d snuggle like this?” she whispered.\n\nThe younger bat smiled as she set her glasses on the bedside table. “Uh huh… you always acted like it was the worst thing in the world, but you’d still let me stay.”\n\n“Yup. Because I love ya,” Veronica whispered.\n\nTanya giggled. “Love you too, sis. Thanks for helping me out.”\n\n“My pleasure, girl. My pleasure,” Veronica whispered.\n\nShe awoke the next morning with her sister’s alarm. Veronica got up a little earlier than Tanya, but the younger bat didn’t mind. She slipped her glasses on and hugged her sister on her way upstairs.\n\nButterflies fluttered in her stomach as she thought about the ploy she was about to enact. She double checked the fake permission slip her sister had printed. It sucked that she’d have to wait another day to see Chuck at his house, but if this ploy worked… she’d have a free day every week to see him, and that was better than nothing.\n\nTanya was practically floating as she got on the bus. She grinned when it reached Chuck’s stop. As usual, the border collie sat next to her.\n\n“So I have good news and bad news,” Tanya said.\n\nChuck whimpered softly. “W-what’s the bad news?”\n\n“The bad news is I can’t come over to your house today after school,” Tanya said. “But the good news is that my sister and I set it up so I can go every Wednesday.”\n\n“Oh. H-how?” Chuck asked.\n\nThe bat looked around, then leaned in and whispered in his ear, “My sister printed up a fake permission slip for a club. As far as my parents will know, I’m at school until 5, and then my sister will ‘pick me up’ from school.”\n\nHis eyes widened. “I-isn’t that lying? W-won’t you get in trouble?”\n\n“Only if they find out,” Tanya said. “But Veronica’s been sneaking around with boys for years. She knows all the tricks. I’ll be fine.”\n\n“I-I hope so,” Chuck said.\n\nTanya took his paw and squeezed it. “Trust me.”\n\nShe pulled out her earbuds and the two listened to music for the rest of the ride in. It was nice getting to spend this bonding time with her friend. Her only regret was not talking to her sister sooner about how to get to see Chuck on the regular.\n\nWhen the bus pulled up, she collected her earbuds and they went their separate ways to their lockers. Tanya noticed some cubs giving her second glances as she walked by, but she ignored them.\n\nWhat she couldn’t ignore was Becky. The rabbit came right up to her, arms crossed. Tanya attempted to go around her, only to have the rabbit block her way.\n\n“Get out of my way,” Tanya said. “I need to get to my locker.”\n\n“You need to tell me the truth,” Becky said.\n\nTanya frowned. “I did tell you the truth. It’s your problem that you don’t believe it.”\n\n“Tanya, you may not believe it, but I’m your friend and I have your best interests at heart,” Becky said.\n\n“If you really cared, you’d leave me alone!” Tanya said. Her voice was rising. “All you do is expect me to be a slut and make fun of me for not being the way you want me to be!”\n\nBecky seemed taken aback. “I don’t expect you to be a slut, I just-“\n\n“Then why are you always teasing me about what me and Chuck do?” Tanya said. “Why are you always suggesting we go find quiet places around school to fool around? I’m sick of it, Becky, and I’m sick of YOU!”\n\nThe rabbit blinked. Before she could say anything else, Tanya pushed past her.\n\n“Tanya, wait,” Becky said. She grabbed the bat’s wrist.\n\nTanya tugged her wrist free, then wheeled around and slapped Becky. Both furs stared in shock. Several other cubs also turned to look. Great, center of attention again.\n\n“Tanya!”\n\nMr. Fox emerged from the crowd of cubs. He placed his paws on his hips and frowned. “Not a student I’d ever thought I’d say this to, but I think you know what’s about to happen.”\n\nThe bat bit her lip. Oh yeah, she knew. “Right…”\n\nThe otter sighed and looked at Becky. “Are you okay?” The rabbit turned and walked away without a word. Their teacher shook his head. “I’ll check in with her later. You’re in Ms. Roswell’s home room, right?” Tanya nodded. “Thought so. I’ll check in with her. Now, follow me.”\n\nTanya stared at the floor as she followed her history teacher to the vice principal’s office. She took a seat in one of the chairs outside the office as Mr. Fox walked in. He emerged a minute later, and leaned down to whisper, “My room is still open to you at lunch and recess if you need to talk.” The otter patted her shoulder before walking back down.\n\nTime seemed to drag along at a snail’s pace while she waited for the vice principal to drag her in. The bell rang for first period before she was finally called in to face Ms. Bianchi.\n\n“So, Ms. Iancu,” the lynx said as Tanya sat down. “Would you care to tell me what happened in the hall?” She sat behind her desk and leaned forward, her paws resting on the desk.\n\nThe bat sighed. “I slapped another student…”\n\nMs. Bianchi nodded. “And why would you do that?”\n\nExcellent question. Why DID she do it? “She’s been making fun of me for a while,” Tanya muttered. “Constantly asking me if I’m sleeping around with other students, or trying to get me to meet up with a boy around school, and I’m just… I’m sick of it. I don’t like the way she treats me, and she KNOWS it, and keeps doing it anyway.”\n\n“And how well do you know this other student?” Ms Bianchi asked.\n\n“She’s my friend,” Tanya said. “Well, she used to be. I don’t know anymore now. All she seems to do is make fun of me…”\n\n“Well, making fun of you is no reason to slap another student,” Ms. Bianchi said.\n\n“I know! But she was standing in my way, and when I tried to pass her she grabbed my wrist, and I just… snapped,” Tanya said.\n\nThe vice principal leaned back in her chair. “So she put paws on you first, then?” Tanya nodded. “It still doesn’t excuse your actions, of course, but I can at least understand where you’re coming from.” She leaned forward and rubbed her chin. “You look familiar…”\n\nTanya blushed. “I-I was in your first grade class at Oak View Elementary…”\n\nMs. Bianchi snapped her fingers. “That’s where I remember you from. You were always such a quiet girl. Well-behaved. I’m surprised to see you here. You’re not one of the usual suspects.” She laughed and leaned forward. “Now, Ms Iancu… I’ll let you off with a warning this time. But if you end up in my office again, we’ll be having a very different conversation. Do I make myself clear?”\n\n“Crystal,” Tanya said.\n\n“Good,” Ms Bianchi said. She grabbed a pad on her desk and wrote a note, then offered it to Tanya. “Bring this to your teacher.”\n\nThe bat sighed as she took the note, and left the vice principal’s office as quickly as she could. As she walked, she dared to peek at the note. It wasn’t much, just a form with a check mark indicating that she had received a warning and the VP’s signature. When she got to her classroom, she paused, then went in, handing the note wordlessly to her teacher before taking her usual seat.\n\nMorning classes were awkward as all hell. Becky refused to even look at her. Midway through science class, Ms. Bianchi came to get Becky, and the rabbit was gone for half of it. Thankfully they weren’t paired together for science or Latin classes, but the tension was evident. When lunch rolled around, Tanya held back. She had no idea what she was going to do.\n\nTanya tried to stay towards the back of the line. She wasn’t really hungry, but knew that she’d regret not eating. Maybe she could just take her lunch with her to Mr. Fox’s classroom and avoid her friends…\n\nIt wouldn’t be that easy. Robbie and Chuck hunted her down as soon as they spied her.\n\n“Uh… hi, Tanya,” Robbie said.\n\n“Hi,” Tanya squeaked out.\n\nThe fox looked at Chuck, then back at her. “I heard you slapped Becky this morning. The whole school’s talking about it.”\n\nThe bat closed her eyes and sighed. “Yeah… that’s a thing that happened…”\n\n“Why?” Robbie asked.\n\nTanya sighed. “Because I’m sick of her shit. She keeps making fun of me and I’ve had enough.”\n\nRobbie blinked. “Oh. Well… yeah, she’s kinda been doing that a lot this year, hasn’t she? Do you want me to try to talk to her about it?”\n\n“I don’t know,” Tanya said. “I don’t know if there’s any fixing things between us.”\n\nThe fox sighed. “Sorry to hear that.” He looked around the cafeteria as the line shrank. “Do you still want to sit with us?”\n\n“I don’t know,” she said.\n\nIt turned out they didn’t have to worry. Becky had found a seat at a table with a bunch of girls Tanya didn’t know. She, Robbie, and Chuck ended up at a table alone, though once they sat down they were descended on by Martin, Kendal, and Sophie.\n\n“Yo, it’s the talk of the school!” the wolf said. His lunch was already half eaten, and he dug back in as he took a seat.\n\n“Yeah, yeah,” Tanya muttered. “Laugh it up.”\n\n“Oh, I’m not laughing,” Martin said. “It takes a lotta balls to do what you did. Respect.”\n\n“I do feel bad for her,” Sophie said, “But even I have to admit she had that coming. It was even annoying me how much she teased you.”\n\nTanya sighed. “I just wish it didn’t come to that…”\n\n“Understandable,” Robbie said. “I just don’t get why she kept doing it for so long.”\n\n“Hopefully she’ll get the message,” Sophie said.\n\n“Oh, speaking of messages…”\n\nTanya’s heart sank as Jenna took a seat next to Sophie. That cat was nothing but trouble.\n\n“I’m not pitting my friends against each other,” Sophie said flatly.\n\n“Oh, I don’t expect you to,” Jenna said. “But there’s been so much talk about dear little Tanya lately, I just needed to get to the bottom of it myself.” The persian cat smiled sweetly. “Like the little rumor about the bathroom…”\n\nThe bat’s fur ruffled. “Baseless. Chuck and I didn’t do anything,” she said.\n\nJenna giggled. “So you don’t deny that you went in with him! I’d ask your little boyfriend what happened, but I don’t think he even knows how to talk. Do you, puppy?”\n\n“Jenna,” Sophie growled.\n\n“Yeah, lay off the little dude,” Kendal said. “He’s cool.”\n\nThe cat giggled again. “You seem to know him better than most. What do you think he did, cheetah boy?”\n\n“Not a damn thing,” Kendal said. “He’s WAY too shy for that.”\n\nIf there was going to be a rumor in Tanya’s favor, now might be the time to drop it. “Besides, I’m asexual. I’m not interested in any of that stuff,” Tanya said.\n\n“Reeeeeally,” Jenna said. “Well, that iiiiiis interesting. That pup turned you off of it, did he?”\n\nOh no. This could backfire horribly. “Nothing like that. We’re just both not interested in it. Right, Chuck?”\n\nThe pup squeaked as he suddenly found himself dragged into the conversation. “R-r-right,” he said. “I-I-I’m a-a-asexual, t-too.”\n\nJenna gasped. “He CAN talk!” She giggled. “Well, this dooooooes put a different spin on things, now, doesn’t it?”\n\nSophie’s fur fluffed up. “Jenna, I’m warning you,” she said.\n\n“I know, I know, they’re your friends for some reason,” Jenna said. “But asexuals aren’t interesting. I guess I’ll just have to go elsewhere.” She turned her attention to Martin. “Like the infamous gay wolf.”\n\nTanya tuned out the rest of the conversation as she focused on her food. At least she had Jenna off her back for now. That had to count for something.\n\nThe rest of the day went by in a blur. Thankfully Tanya didn’t have to interact with Becky at all. She went through the motions, almost back to her usual self, and made it through to the end of the day.\n\nChuck sat with her on the bus as usual.\n\n“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow after school,” Tanya whispered.\n\nThe border collie pup took her paw and squeezed it. “A-a-are you sure you won’t get in t-trouble?” he asked.\n\nTanya forced a smile. “I’m sure. It’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She leaned back in her seat, then pulled out her earbuds. Once again, they listed to music until they reached Chuck’s stop. After he got off, Tanya watched the rest of the route closely. She’d be walking this tomorrow.\n\nHer heart beat faster as she got off the bus at home. This was it. Time to enact the plan she’d hatched with Veronica.\n\nThankfully, today it was Dad at home watching Bunica. He greeted her as she entered the kitchen.\n\n“Hello, my love! How was school?” Dad asked.\n\n“Good!” Tanya replied. “There’s an anime club starting up at school. I was hoping you’d let me go?”\n\nThe male bat laughed. “You and your cartoons. I suppose there’s no harm in it. It’s a chance to socialize more with your peers. When is it?”\n\nTanya pulled off her backpack and pulled out the fake permission slip. “It starts this Wednesday. It’ll be a couple hours after school.”\n\nHer father took the form and read it. “Wednesdays, huh? That’s usually my late day, but I suppose your mother could pick you up after…”\n\n“Or Veronica,” Tanya said. “She needs the driving practice anyway, right?”\n\nHe rubbed his chin. “I don’t know. That would be such an inconvenience for her.”\n\n“Because she haaaates driving her car, right, Dad?” Tanya said.\n\nThe male chuckled. “I suppose she does enjoy it, doesn’t she? Well, I’ll talk to your mother and sister about it tonight. We’ll figure out transportation. Do you have a pen, love?”\n\nTanya’s heart beat in her ears as she pulled out a pen and handed it to her father. She watched as he signed and dated the form. It was that easy. He handed both back to her.\n\n“Oh thank you, Dad!” Tanya said. She hugged her father and stowed the form back in her backpack.\n\n“I don’t understand your cartoons,” Bunica said. “But if it makes you happy, it makes me happy.”\n\nIt felt a little bad lying to her parents. But if it meant seeing Chuck, it was worth it. She hugged her grandmother, then ran upstairs to get her homework done. It was a delightfully light homework night, so Tanya spent the rest of the afternoon texting with Chuck until dinner.\n\nThe butterflies returned to her stomach as she joined the family for the evening meal. She feigned excitement for the new anime club at the middle school. Veronica played along and offered to pick her up every Wednesday, a proposal her parents gratefully accepted. Everything was going according to plan.\n\nAfter dinner, she returned to her room and grabbed her phone. She had messages waiting from Chuck, Robbie, and, to her great surprise, Becky.\n\nShe answered the boys first. Chuck was just continuing their conversation from earlier. Robbie had a tentative date for his Christmas sleepover, which she’d have to clear with her parents. Maybe claim it was Sophie inviting her over. And the text from Becky was just a single word: ‘Sorry.’\n\nTanya left the rabbit on read.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
Ace of Hearts


CONTENT WARNING: Holy shit, another real content warning? What’s going on? Well, the following story contains scenes of a GRAPHIC SEXUAL NATURE between MALE and FEMALE CUBS. ACK, STRAIGHT SEX, RUN AWAY!!! There’s also a bit of VIOLENCE BETWEEN CUBS, as well as mentions of past CUB SEXUAL ABUSE, so be warned about that. Plot’s gotta plot, after all. If any of this bothers you, DO NOT READ ON. By reading beyond this point, you accept responsibility for how it might make you feel. For those whom we haven’t scared off… enjoy!




Nothing stays secret for long in middle school. While Tanya and Chuck had stopped kissing on the bus, they still held paws. Their recesses consisted of either going to Mr. Fox’s room for solitude, or finding a quiet spot under a tree to listen to music. It was fairly obvious that they were into each other, and the rumors to that effect were true.

Honestly, it felt nice not having to hide it. The only downside was Becky teasing her sometimes about whether or not she was secretly fucking the border collie, which she was absolutely NOT doing. They weren’t that kind of couple, even if the bat was curious.

As usual, Chuck sat next to her on the bus. The moment he sat down next to her, he took her paw.

“H-how are you?” Chuck asked. His stutter had gone down considerably when he was with just her.

Tanya smiled. “Good. Had a nice quiet weekend. Those are always nice!”

Her boyfriend giggled and nodded. “I-I had a good one, too. I-Isaac took me into the c-city. We went to an art museum!”

She grinned as he eagerly recapped the trip to Boston. He seemed to have picked up a particular interest in art lately, which was adorable.

As they neared the school, his story tapered off. Tanya squeezed Chuck’s paw. There had been a thought dominating her mind. She’d played with the toy that her sister had given her, and while it felt nice, there wasn’t a spark there, even when thinking about Chuck. A part of her wondered if it would be different if they explored.

“Hey, Chuck?” she whispered.

The pup leaned in and raised an ear towards her. “Y-yes?”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. Instead, she pulled out her phone and typed the message to him. ‘I want to meet in the bathroom at recess.’ What would he think?

Chuck pulled out his own phone and typed back, ‘Which one?’

Tanya’s heart skipped a beat. He was into the idea. She erased her message and typed, ‘second floor gender neutral?’

He erased his own message and nodded at her. It was decided. They were going to meet in the bathroom, and Tanya was determined to explore with him.

They parted once the school bus let them out. It sucked that their lockers were so far apart, but she’d get to see him at lunch. All morning it was all she could think about. Every moment that wasn’t dominated by school work saw her imagining Chuck.

When lunch rolled around, she was too excited to even speak. Chuck sat next to her as had become customary for them. He didn’t speak, either, which was just fine by her. Thankfully Becky didn’t comment on it. She was too busy arguing about video games with Robbie, Kendal, and Martin to notice.

The butterflies got out of control as many of the cubs went for the school yard for recess. Tanya and Chuck held back, and headed for the second floor together.

It was quiet up there. Not a soul was in sight. When they reached the bathroom together, they both glanced up and down the hall, then went in. Tanya locked the door behind them. It wasn’t huge inside, though clearly large enough to accommodate the two of them comfortably. She was thankful for that.

“W-what did you wanna… do?” Chuck asked.

Tanya blushed. “I… was hoping… you might want to… umm… explore a little?” she whispered. “Like… our bodies?”

Chuck stared at her incredulously. She started to regret her offer to meet him here. But then he whispered, “Okay.”

The bat girl grinned. Her paws trembled as she slid her skirt down. She watched as Chuck undid his belt and slid his pants down. He was wearing regular briefs this time around, just like at the birthday party. They were slightly tented. Both furs giggled nervously as they slid their underwear down. The pup’s penis bounced upwards, his foreskin completely covering his tip. It was… quite cute.

“May I… touch you?” Tanya asked.

Her boyfriend nodded. The bat blushed as she got down on her knees in front of him. She wanted to get a close up look at the pup’s penis. Her paw trembled as she reached up and wrapped her fingers around it. She gave him a few experimental strokes, watching his foreskin roll back and forth over his tip. From sex ed, she had a pretty decent idea of the anatomy, but playing with it in the fur was different. Her free paw wandered between her legs as she stroked the border collie’s penis.

The pup stepped back, pressing his back to the wall. His hips shook as she stroked him. Between sex ed and her own explorations (and a private conversation with her sister), she had some ideas of what to do. Tanya looked up at Chuck, then back to his penis, and took it in her mouth.

Chuck let out a very quiet moan. She perked her ears, listening to the cadence of his breaths as she bobbed her muzzle along his length. Her fingers furiously worked her clit. It felt… actually somewhat nice to have Chuck’s penis in her mouth. Touching herself felt a little more… fun, this way.

“O-oh gods,” Chuck muttered.

Tanya grinned and pulled back off his cock. “Feel good?” she whispered.

The pup nodded. “I… y-yes…”

She giggled and took him back in her mouth. Her paws worked his shaft as she curiously swirled her tongue around his tip. It felt interesting, feeling his foreskin sliding back and forth against her tongue.

She kept it up for a couple minutes before Chuck grabbed her ears gently. His hips quaked, and he sucked in a breath as his penis twitched in her mouth. A sudden sweetness met her tongue, a dribble of liquid from the boy’s tip. Had he… just cum in her mouth?

The bat pulled her mouth back and looked up at him. “H-how was that?” she whispered.

Chuck slumped to the floor, panting softly. He looked in her eyes, and leaned in, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Guess he liked it.

Then his paw met hers between her legs. “D-do you want me to… l-lick you?”

Her eyes widened. She hadn’t thought that far ahead, but it sounded… intriguing. Tanya nodded. They were here, and they had time. Might as well try.

She stood up, and the two switched places. Tanya’s whole body quivered as she squatted down just a little, spreading her legs for the border collie.

Chuck’s tail swayed slowly behind him as he leaned in and spread her labia with his paws. The pup’s muzzle went between her legs and started licking curiously all around her vulva, even slipping into her slick passage a little. When his tongue roamed over her clit, she gasped. That felt… pretty nice, actually.

Her boyfriend’s ears flicked as she gasped, and he got his tongue working against her clit. She trembled as he licked. It wasn’t quite as good as the vibrator physically, but mentally… knowing it was her beloved puppy licking her… that made it all the better.

Tanya rocked her hips slowly as Chuck’s tongue assaulted her clit. He seemed to know what he was doing. She grabbed his shoulders to support herself as he licked, her toes curling as waves of pleasure flooded her body. This was… almost too much.

She bit her lip as the pleasure reached its peak. Her whole body trembled, her paws gripping Chuck’s shoulders tight. “S-stop,” she muttered when it got to be too much.

The pup pulled back immediately. “D-did I do okay? D-did I hurt you?” he asked.

The bat smiled and leaned down to kiss his forehead. “That was… incredible. Have you ever done that before?”

Chuck shook his head.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Tanya whispered. “That was… wow.” She hugged him. The pup hugged her back.

Then his phone vibrated in his pocket. Chuck pulled it out and gasped. “Recess is almost over!”

Crap! How long had they been at it?! It didn’t feel like that long. The two scrambled to get dressed again.

Tanya poked her head out first. The hall was clear, but voices were starting to echo around the halls. She pulled Chuck out and they made for Mr. Fox’s classroom. If they were seen coming out of there, that would just be normal.

As they neared it, Robbie emerged. The fox tilted his head. “There you two are! I’ve been looking all over. I figured I’d check Mr. Fox’s room but he said he hadn’t seen you two…”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Tanya said. She blushed and released Chuck’s paw. “We were just, uh…”

The fox raised an eyebrow. “Somehow, I feel like I don’t want to know.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I talked to my Mom and Dad about having a sleepover during Christmas break, and I wanted to see if you two would come.”

The bat perked her ears. “I’d love to!” she said. “I know my parents wouldn’t let me if I told them, but if I say I’m staying over at Becky’s it should be fine, and my sister can drive me so they won’t need to know. Who else is gonna be there?”

“Just you two, Martin, and Becky,” Robbie said. “I invited Kendal and Sophie but they’re both traveling to see family over the holidays.”

“I-I’ll ask I-I-Isaac,” Chuck muttered.

“Awesome,” Robbie said. “I haven’t picked out the dates yet ‘cause Becky and Martin have to check with their parents, but when I have ‘em I’ll let you know.”

“S-sounds good,” Tanya said. Her voice was still quaking from her orgasm. Gods, why did it have to feel so good playing with her boyfriend?

“Are you okay?” Robbie asked.

“F-fine!” Tanya said. Cubs were starting to fill the halls now. “I gotta get to class!” She retreated before the fox had a chance to ask her anything else.

It was hard to focus on anything in her afternoon classes. Mr. Fox even asked her to stay after class for a minute.

“Are you doing alright, Tanya?” the otter asked. “I haven’t seen you this distracted… well, ever. You’re usually such an active participant.”

“I-I’m fine,” Tanya said. But was she? She had snuck in play time with her boyfriend, at school, in the middle of the day. If anyfur found out, she’d earn Brandi’s slut reputation, and that was the last thing she wanted. There’s no way she could survive that.

“If there’s anything bothering you, you can talk to me about it,” Mr. Fox said. “You know that, right?”

Tanya nodded. “I know. I’m just having an… o-off day.”

The otter looked unconvinced. “Well, alright. If you’re sure. I don’t have a class next period so I’ll walk you to your next class.”

She walked in silence alongside the otter. Some days she appreciated how much he cared about his students. Today she wished he was a little less pro-active. She felt everyone’s eyes on her when she entered math class. Mr. Fox had a hushed conversation with the math teacher before leaving. Thankfully at least, the math teacher didn’t make a big deal of it.

It felt like a relief when the school day ended. Tanya was the first out of the math classroom. She almost missed the homework assignment for that night. As soon as she got to her locker she wrote it down in her planner, then packed up to go home.

As usual, Chuck sat next to her on the bus. They sat in silence, holding paws. It felt weird not to talk about what they did, but at the same time, it didn’t feel right to talk about it on the bus, either. She held his paw right up until they reached his stop. He didn’t look at her before he left. Had they gone too far in the bathroom at lunch?

When she got home, she checked her phone. There was a message from Chuck. ‘Did you have fun at lunch?’

She smiled and sent off her reply. ‘I did. You’re very good with your tongue.’ After a moment’s thought, she sent another. ‘Did you?’

The wait for his reply felt interminable. It was almost fifteen minutes before his reply came in. ‘I think so. I don’t know. It was fun, but doing that at school was… a lot.’

Tanya bit her lip. It was a lot, yeah, but when else would they have the opportunity? ‘Sorry… I just didn’t know when I’d get to see you again outside school.’

His next response was quicker. ‘I could talk to Isaac about having you over.’

‘I have to be careful. Bunica and Dad would flip if they found out I’m going over to a boy’s house.’

‘Oh. Sorry. I don’t want you to get in trouble.’

The bat wiggled. ‘But I do want to see you.’

‘I do too.’

She smiled. It was nice to be wanted. But something still didn’t feel right. She’d been doing research on asexuality, and it still felt like her, but the fact that she’d had so much fun playing with Chuck was… complicating things. Maybe she could talk to Chuck about it. ‘I thought I was asexual but I’m not sure now.’

Chuck’s reply surprised her. ‘I think I am. What we did was fun but I dunno if it’s something I need. I’d be just as happy without doing that.’

Well, at least she wasn’t alone. ‘Same. I’ve touched myself but it’s different with somefur I love.’

‘Yeah, it’s real different. It’s not as scary.’

That was an odd sentiment. ‘Is it scary if it’s not with somefur you love?’

His response wasn’t immediate. Tanya decided to work on some of her homework while she waited for his reply. She’d gotten almost all the way through her math homework before she got another text from Chuck.

‘It’s like losing all control over your body and your soul. It feels like being in a dark void where no light can get you. It makes you feel all cold and empty.’

A chill ran down Tanya’s spine. ‘Did anyfur ever make you do it when you didn’t want it?’

Tears welled in her eyes as she saw Chuck’s reply. ‘Yes.’

‘Who?’ She wanted to know, to do awful things to whoever hurt her puppy.

‘I don’t wanna say…’

Tanya sighed. ‘It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.’

She got back to working on her homework. As she got through their history homework, her phone buzzed again. This time it was a photo of Chuck. The pup was posing in the mirror in one of her old skirts that she had given him. She giggled. ‘You look really cute!’

It didn’t take him long to reply. ‘Thanks. And thank you for giving me these.’ He followed up with another photo of him wearing the longer of the two skirts. He looked so happy wearing them.

The bat did her best to get through her homework, but what Chuck had told her was bugging her. After dinner, she slipped down to the basement and knocked on Veronica’s door.

Her sister smirked as she opened the door. “Hey, little sis. Sup?”

“C-could I talk to you about some stuff?” she asked.

“Always,” Veronica said. She guided the younger bat into her room and closed the door. “What’s up? Boy stuff?”

“Sorta,” Tanya said. “Robbie, the boy who invited me to his birthday, invited me to a sleepover during Christmas break. Could you drive me?”

Veronica giggled. “With pleasure! I’m always happy to support my little sister.” She sat down on her bed and looked at the younger bat. “But I feel like that isn’t all.”

Tanya shook her head. “Umm… I, uh… well, my, uh…” How to describe Chuck? Screw it, she was talking to her sister here. She could trust her. “My boyfriend told me something and I… I guess it’s feeling icky.”

“Oh boy, boy trouble already,” Veronica said. “What did he do?”

“It’s not what he did, it’s what he said.” Tanya took a breath. “He told me that somefur made him do… things… he didn’t wanna do.”

Her sister blinked. “Oh.” Her eyes widened. “What kind of ‘things?’”

The younger bat bit her lip. “Like… sex things,” she whispered.

“Oh fuck,” Veronica said. “I didn’t even know boys COULD be raped. Do you know who did it?”

“He didn’t wanna say,” Tanya said. “B-but I’m worried about him…”

Veronica hugged her. “Yeah, I get that. Did he tell you in the fur, or…?”

“Via text,” Tanya said. She pulled out her phone and showed her sister the messages, making sure NOT to show her the photos of him in a skirt.

“Damn,” Veronica said. “Though I’m curious how this conversation got started.”

Tanya blushed. “Well… we might’ve snuck to the gender neutral bathroom during lunch, and…”

Her sister giggled. “Wow! Get it, girl!”

The younger bat shook her head. “It was just a whim, and we’re not gonna do it again.”

Veronica raised an eyebrow. “His dick was that bad, huh?”

“No, not like that,” Tanya said. “It was… nice… but we don’t wanna risk getting caught at school. And… I dunno… it was fun, but…”

“But what?” Veronica asked. Her tone was… inquisitive.

Tanya shrugged. “I just dunno if this sex stuff is for me…”

“Well, maybe try it at your friend’s sleepover before you write it off completely,” Veronica said. “At least if you can get the privacy for it.”

“That’s the thing, I might not,” Tanya said. “Becky’s probably gonna be there, and if SHE finds out, I’ll never hear the end of it…”

“Ouch. Shame you can’t just trust your friend,” Veronica said. “Isn’t Becky like, your bestie?”

“Was,” Tanya said. “I’m not so sure now…”

“You’ve got a lot going on right now, don’t you?” Veronica said.

The younger bat flopped onto her sister’s bed. “Gods, yes…” She sighed and stared up at the ceiling.

Veronica climbed onto her bed and leaned against the headboard. “Need some advice? A hug?”

Tanya pushed herself up and crawled up the bed to her sister. She hugged the teenage bat and tucked her head in under her sister’s chin.

“I got you, sis,” Veronica whispered. “What’s going on with Becky?”

“She just keeps teasing me about being boy hungry,” Tanya muttered. “Which is weird ‘cause she’s dating a girl. Like, lay the heck off.”

“Geez, rude,” Veronica said. “I dunno, maybe she’s projecting. Like, she’s girl hungry and assumes that if you’re straight you must be boy hungry.”

“Maybe… it’s just really… frustrating,” Tanya said. She sighed and rolled onto her back, lying against her sister’s chest. Veronica wrapped her arms around her and held her close. “I don’t want to lose her as a friend, but she’s just so… different… from the girl I used to know.”

Veronica nuzzled her sister’s ears. “Maybe it’s time to start making some new friends. Middle school’s a great time for it.”

Tanya bit her lip. “I guess… I need more female friends… right now the only furs I can trust are Robbie and Chuck…”

Her sister gave her a little squeeze. “Which one of them is your boyfriend?”

“Chuck,” Tanya said. “He’s really shy, but cute…”

“Got a picture of him?” her sister asked.

The younger bat pulled out her phone. Thankfully her message history stayed where it was. She dug into her phone’s gallery and found a selfie the two of them had snuck at Robbie’s birthday party.

“D’aww! He IS a cutie!” Veronica said. “Little small, though. You sure he’s a middle schooler?”

“He’s twelve, thank you very much,” Tanya said.

“Wow, damn,” Veronica said. “Short for twelve. Oh well. He treats you right?”

“We sit next to each other on the bus every day,” she said. “He… doesn’t live too far away.”

Veronica giggled. “Shame he doesn’t have a more gender-neutral name. If he’s walking distance you could just go over anytime.”

“I… think it is? I’m not sure how far away it is, exactly,” Tanya said. She brought up her messages and sent Chuck a quick text to ask for his address. When she checked the replied, she heard her sister gasp.

“Is he wearing a SKIRT?!”

Crap! She’d seen the photo! Tanya quickly put her phone away. “What? Uh, why would he do that?”

Her sister looked down at her. “No, I definitely saw a photo of him wearing a skirt. It looked like one of yours.”

Tanya lowered her ears. “I… might’ve given him a couple…”

“Geez, my sister dating a femboy,” Veronica said. “I guess that tracks, though. Surely some of your anime has crossdressing boys.”

“No!” Tanya said. “Well… okay, maybe some do, but that’s not why I’m dating Chuck. We started dating before I found out he likes to dress girly.” Which wasn’t entirely true, but her sister didn’t need to know that.

“Gotcha,” Veronica said. “You just happened to start dating a small boy who likes to dress like a girl.”

“Yes, that is exactly the case,” Tanya said.

“Lucky you,” Veronica said. “My boyfriend would never.”

Tanya’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and her heart sank. It was a message from Becky. She unlocked her phone and read it. ‘I heard that a seventh grader saw you and Chuck sneak into the gender neutral bathroom on the second floor. I thought you said you “weren’t that kind of girl,” and now you’re sneaking quickies at school?’

“Oh no,” Tanya muttered.

Her sister peeked at her phone over her shoulder. “Oh geez, that’s gonna feed the rumor mill.”

The younger bat quickly sent off a reply. ‘What? No we didn’t!’

“I say ignore it,” Veronica said. “Middle school rumors disappear quick. Just pretend you didn’t hear about it.”

“I’ll try,” Tanya muttered. She sighed and leaned into her sister. “Too much…”

“Rumors, you’re not sure if you can trust your bestie, and your boyfriend’s a rape survivor,” Veronica said. “I’d say that’s a pretty full plate.” Her sister held her close. “Wish I knew what to tell you, but that’s… a lot to deal with.”

“And I guess it explains why he doesn’t wanna do sex stuff again,” Tanya said.

“Geez, for real,” Veronica said. “Still, I don’t think you two should write it off entirely just yet. But talk about it next time you’re together outside of school and see what happens.”

Tanya shrugged. “I guess.”

She checked her phone as it buzzed again. Another message from Becky. ‘For real? I’ve heard it from like four other furs so far. Chuck won’t text me back.’

Crap, she had Chuck’s number. She sent a quick text to him. ‘Do not respond to Becky, you’ll only feed the rumor mill.’

“Need some emotional support while you deal with this?” Veronica asked.

Tanya sighed. “I think so…”

Her sister nodded and kissed her ear. “Take as much time as you need, girl.”

The younger bat nodded. Her sister really was sweet sometimes. She sent a text off to Robbie next. ‘Did you hear the rumors about me and Chuck?’

Messages started coming in one after the other. Becky: ‘They’re saying you two fucked in the bathroom.’ Robbie: ‘No, what is it this time?’ Chuck: ‘I won’t. What do we do?’

She could already feel a headache forming as she started sending out replies. To Robbie: ‘You’ll probably hear about it soon.’ To Chuck: ‘I don’t know yet. My sister thinks we should just ignore it.’ To Becky: ‘Chuck isn’t that kind of boy, and I’m not that kind of girl. I would never risk that at school. I don’t even like sex!’

As she finished her round of replies, she got a reply back from Robbie. ‘Oh. Becky told me. That’s not true, right? You and Chuck didn’t have sex in the bathroom, right?’

Tanya bit her lip and looked up at her sister. “Do I tell him the truth?”

“That depends,” Veronica replied. “Do you trust him?”

The younger bat thought about that for a moment, then typed her response. ‘Don’t tell Becky. We did go to the bathroom together, and we did stuff.’

In came Chuck’s reply. ‘Ok.’

Then the stakes rose. Becky actually CALLED. Tanya trembled as she answered the call.

“Tanya. Girl. You’ve been seen making out with him on the bus -“

“We do not make out!” Tanya said.

“You hold paws with him all the time,” Becky said, continuing as though Tanya hadn’t said anything. “And you were SEEN heading into the bathroom by a reliable source. Why can’t you tell me the truth?”

Anger welled up in the bat. “Because if I tell you the truth you’ll just make fun of me more than you already do!” she cried. Before Becky could respond, she hung up her phone.

“Whoa,” Veronica said.

Becky called again. Tanya declined the call and threw her phone to the other side of the bed. It bounced on the blanket.

“Damn, girl,” Veronica said. “You okay?”

Tanya sniffled and buried her face in her paws. “I don’t know.” She sat and quietly cried in her sister’s arms. How much time passed, she wasn’t sure.

Her phone started vibrating again. Against her better judgment, she reached over and grabbed it. To her surprise, it was Robbie. She answered.

“Hey, Tanya. You doing okay?” Robbie asked.

“I… don’t know,” Tanya said.

“Becky said you hung up on her and started screening her calls,” Robbie said. “I just wanna make sure nothing’s going on.”

The bat wiped the tears from her eyes. “I just don’t want Becky making fun of me…”

“Yeah, I get that. Becky can be a lot. If you want, I can invite you and Chuck over on a different day for my Christmas sleepover.” Robbie was a sweet boy sometimes.

“That… might be best,” Tanya whimpered.

“Okay. I’ll talk to my parents tonight,” Robbie said. “I’m sorry this is happening to you.”

Tanya sniffled. “It’s my fault… I was stupid… I just…” She looked over her shoulder at her sister. “C-can I call you back?”

“Uh, sure,” Robbie said. “I’ll be up for another hour probably. Talk to you in a bit.”

“Thanks,” Tanya whispered. She hung up the phone and sighed. “This is all too much…”

“Was that your boyfriend?” Veronica asked.

The younger bat shook her head. “Nope. Our, uh, mutual friend, Robbie. He was calling to check up on me. I guess Becky called him when I stopped answering her calls.”

“Typical,” Veronica said. “Want my advice?” Tanya nodded. “Go to bed. Sleep it off. Start sorting it out in the morning.”

Tanya nodded and hugged her sister. “Okay… thanks.”

Veronica kissed her cheek. “Anytime, little sis.” She glanced to her right, then whispered, “If you want a snuggle buddy, my bed’s big enough for two.”

The younger bat giggled a little through her tears. “I… I’ll think about it.”

She hugged her older sister, then slipped back upstairs to her bedroom. Once there, she called Robbie back. He answered on the third ring.

“Hi, Robbie,” she said.

“Hey. So what’s going on?” Robbie asked.

The bat flopped onto her bed. “I don’t even know,” Tanya muttered. “I’m just… tired of Becky constantly expecting me to be a horny little beast.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Robbie said. “I’ve been texting with Chuck. He hasn’t told me anything about what happened in the bathroom.”

She sighed. “Well, that’s something.”

“And you don’t have to tell me, either,” Robbie added. “I just wanna make sure you two are alright. You’re my friends.”

Tanya bit her lip. “Does mouth stuff count as sex?”

The fox was quiet for a moment. “I’d say so. Not in the way that the rumors are making it sound, but yeah, that’s sex.”

“Great, so I really am a whore,” Tanya said.

“Nah. Whores get paid for it,” Robbie said. That earned a little giggle from the bat. “But for real, nothing wrong with exploring with someone you like. I know you two are boyfriend girlfriend. He told me and Martin at our last sleepover.” So he knew about that. “It’s cool. I want you both to be happy.”

She sniffled. “Thanks. I just… I don’t know what I want. Everyfur seems to think we should be like, all over each other, but we tried that, and it was… fine? But nothing mind-blowing.” She took a breath. “A little while back Chuck and I were talking to Mr. Fox about queerness and stuff. I think I might be asexual.”

“Hey, that’s cool,” Robbie said. “Sex is fun and all but it’s not like, the best thing ever.”

Tanya breathed a sigh of relief. At least somefur wasn’t pushing back on it. “Yeah… he said it’s perfectly normal not to be interested in sex…”

“My mom says the same,” Robbie said. “I hope you were okay with how naked everyone got at my birthday party.”

The bat giggled. “It was fine. I’m not like, against nudity or anything like that. Bodies are just bodies.”

“Truuuue,” Robbie said. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.” He paused for a moment. “I swear, if Becky calls me one more time… but yeah. If you need to talk, you’ve got my number.”

“Thanks,” Tanya said. She sighed. “I think I’m gonna head to bed.”

“Good idea. Night, Tanya,” Robbie said.

“G’night,” Tanya replied. She sighed and sent off a quick text to Chuck: ‘Robbie knows.’

While she was getting ready for bed, she heard her phone buzz again. She checked: a reply from Chuck. ‘Okay. I trust him.’

It felt weird that she’d talked to Robbie and not Chuck. She sent him a quick text: ‘May I call?’

The response came quickly. ‘Okay.’

Her finger trembled as she called the border collie. It would be their first time talking on the phone.

“H-hi,” Chuck said when he picked up.

“Hi, Chuck,” Tanya said.

“W-what’s up?” he asked.

“I just wanted to hear your voice,” Tanya said. “It’s been a crazy night.”

“H-has it?” Chuck asked. “W-what happened?”

Tanya sighed and relayed the gist of the last hour to the boy, including what she told Robbie.

“I-I don’t really l-like Becky,” Chuck said. “S-she’s kinda mean…”

“She wasn’t always like this,” Tanya said. “I dunno what changed.”

“Oh. S-sorry,” Chuck said.

The bat shrugged and sighed. “It is what it is. I miss who she used to be.” She paused. “Hey, uh… you don’t live that far away… it’s like a ten minute walk. Do you think… maybe… I could come over sometime?”

“I-I’d really like that,” Chuck said. His voice sounded brighter. “Mommy and Isaac work late usually, so it’s l-lonely in the afternoon…”

She smiled. “Maybe tomorrow?”

Chuck paused for a moment. “L-let me ask I-Isaac.” There was a delay while he presumably went to ask his guardian. “Y-yeah. I-Isaac says it’s okay.”

“Awesome!” Tanya said. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school, okay?”

“Okay!” he said.

“Love you,” Tanya said. The word slipped out before she realized it. Had she really just said that? Did she overstep her boundaries?

“L-l-love you, too,” Chuck whispered.

Tanya beamed. Apparently she hadn’t. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you.”

They hung up, and Tanya flopped onto her bed. Yes yes yes! She got up and ran downstairs to her sister’s room to tell her the good news.

When she got there, she knocked on the door. “Veronica?” Her sister didn’t answer. She tried the door and found it unlocked. “Veronica?” she called as she opened the door.

Her older sister gasped as Tanya poked her head in. The teen was completely nude on her bed. A distinctive buzzing sound was coming from between her legs, one she had learned well from her time with the bullet vibe Veronica had given her. She honestly looked… pretty? Her breasts were nicely shaped, her body pleasantly curved. No, she couldn’t be thinking about girls NOW, not after the awkward time masturbating with Becky… could she?

“T-tanya!” Veronica gasped. She pulled the blanket over her hastily. “W-what are you doing here?”

Tanya squealed and withdrew her head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt!” She closed the door behind her and made for the stairs.

The door to her sister’s room opened. “Wait,” Veronica said. “My mood’s spoiled anyway. Let me just put something on.”

The younger bat waited outside the door while her sister got dressed. When the door opened again, she stepped inside.

“S-sorry to interrupt,” Tanya repeated. “I just… I wanted to talk to you. And see if… maybe that offer to snuggle tonight was, like… real?”

Her sister sighed. “Yeah, I guess it is. What’s up, little sis?”

Tanya closed the door behind her and followed her sister to her bed. “I talked to Chuck. His dad says I can come over after school. It’s not that far of a walk…”

“My little sister’s getting daring,” Veronica said. “I like it. What’ll you tell our parents?”

“Just that I made a new friend at school who lives nearby,” Tanya said. “They never call and check, right?”

“That’s after they’ve made initial contact with the parents,” Veronica said. “You tell ‘em you have a new friend, they’re gonna want a name and a parent to contact.”

Crap. It had been so long since Tanya made a new friend that she’d almost forgotten. “Oh…”

Veronica rubbed her chin. “This one’s tough. I’d suggest telling them you started an extracurricular, but they’d probably call the school to confirm. Unless…” She went to her laptop and turned it on. “I could make a fake permission slip for it… if it looks legit, they might just buy it…”

Her sister was devious. “That’s brilliant!”

“’Course it is,” Veronica said. “I have my band practice after school on Tuesdays, but if I date it for Wednesdays… I don’t have anything going on, so I can always offer to pick you up after. They won’t have to know.”

Tanya hugged her sister. “You’re amazing!”

“And don’t you forget it,” Veronica said. “How does anime club sound?”

The younger bat giggled. “That sounds perfect.”

Veronica sighed as she typed up the fake document. “You owe me for this.”

“Anything!” Tanya said.

Her sister smirked. “Anything, huh?”

“Anything,” Tanya repeated.

“I’ll remember that,” Veronica said. She giggled as she hit print on her fake permission slip. “Be a dear and grab that off the printer. You’ll want to shove it in your bag to give to Mom or Dad after school tomorrow.”

Tanya hugged her sister. “Thanks!” She dashed upstairs and followed her sister’s instructions, stowing away the ticket to her freedom in her backpack. This was really going to happen.

When she returned to her sister’s room, Veronica had already climbed back into bed. Tanya closed the door behind her and joined her sister.

Veronica rolled onto her side and pulled Tanya in. “Remember when you were younger and we’d snuggle like this?” she whispered.

The younger bat smiled as she set her glasses on the bedside table. “Uh huh… you always acted like it was the worst thing in the world, but you’d still let me stay.”

“Yup. Because I love ya,” Veronica whispered.

Tanya giggled. “Love you too, sis. Thanks for helping me out.”

“My pleasure, girl. My pleasure,” Veronica whispered.

She awoke the next morning with her sister’s alarm. Veronica got up a little earlier than Tanya, but the younger bat didn’t mind. She slipped her glasses on and hugged her sister on her way upstairs.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she thought about the ploy she was about to enact. She double checked the fake permission slip her sister had printed. It sucked that she’d have to wait another day to see Chuck at his house, but if this ploy worked… she’d have a free day every week to see him, and that was better than nothing.

Tanya was practically floating as she got on the bus. She grinned when it reached Chuck’s stop. As usual, the border collie sat next to her.

“So I have good news and bad news,” Tanya said.

Chuck whimpered softly. “W-what’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is I can’t come over to your house today after school,” Tanya said. “But the good news is that my sister and I set it up so I can go every Wednesday.”

“Oh. H-how?” Chuck asked.

The bat looked around, then leaned in and whispered in his ear, “My sister printed up a fake permission slip for a club. As far as my parents will know, I’m at school until 5, and then my sister will ‘pick me up’ from school.”

His eyes widened. “I-isn’t that lying? W-won’t you get in trouble?”

“Only if they find out,” Tanya said. “But Veronica’s been sneaking around with boys for years. She knows all the tricks. I’ll be fine.”

“I-I hope so,” Chuck said.

Tanya took his paw and squeezed it. “Trust me.”

She pulled out her earbuds and the two listened to music for the rest of the ride in. It was nice getting to spend this bonding time with her friend. Her only regret was not talking to her sister sooner about how to get to see Chuck on the regular.

When the bus pulled up, she collected her earbuds and they went their separate ways to their lockers. Tanya noticed some cubs giving her second glances as she walked by, but she ignored them.

What she couldn’t ignore was Becky. The rabbit came right up to her, arms crossed. Tanya attempted to go around her, only to have the rabbit block her way.

“Get out of my way,” Tanya said. “I need to get to my locker.”

“You need to tell me the truth,” Becky said.

Tanya frowned. “I did tell you the truth. It’s your problem that you don’t believe it.”

“Tanya, you may not believe it, but I’m your friend and I have your best interests at heart,” Becky said.

“If you really cared, you’d leave me alone!” Tanya said. Her voice was rising. “All you do is expect me to be a slut and make fun of me for not being the way you want me to be!”

Becky seemed taken aback. “I don’t expect you to be a slut, I just-“

“Then why are you always teasing me about what me and Chuck do?” Tanya said. “Why are you always suggesting we go find quiet places around school to fool around? I’m sick of it, Becky, and I’m sick of YOU!”

The rabbit blinked. Before she could say anything else, Tanya pushed past her.

“Tanya, wait,” Becky said. She grabbed the bat’s wrist.

Tanya tugged her wrist free, then wheeled around and slapped Becky. Both furs stared in shock. Several other cubs also turned to look. Great, center of attention again.

“Tanya!”

Mr. Fox emerged from the crowd of cubs. He placed his paws on his hips and frowned. “Not a student I’d ever thought I’d say this to, but I think you know what’s about to happen.”

The bat bit her lip. Oh yeah, she knew. “Right…”

The otter sighed and looked at Becky. “Are you okay?” The rabbit turned and walked away without a word. Their teacher shook his head. “I’ll check in with her later. You’re in Ms. Roswell’s home room, right?” Tanya nodded. “Thought so. I’ll check in with her. Now, follow me.”

Tanya stared at the floor as she followed her history teacher to the vice principal’s office. She took a seat in one of the chairs outside the office as Mr. Fox walked in. He emerged a minute later, and leaned down to whisper, “My room is still open to you at lunch and recess if you need to talk.” The otter patted her shoulder before walking back down.

Time seemed to drag along at a snail’s pace while she waited for the vice principal to drag her in. The bell rang for first period before she was finally called in to face Ms. Bianchi.

“So, Ms. Iancu,” the lynx said as Tanya sat down. “Would you care to tell me what happened in the hall?” She sat behind her desk and leaned forward, her paws resting on the desk.

The bat sighed. “I slapped another student…”

Ms. Bianchi nodded. “And why would you do that?”

Excellent question. Why DID she do it? “She’s been making fun of me for a while,” Tanya muttered. “Constantly asking me if I’m sleeping around with other students, or trying to get me to meet up with a boy around school, and I’m just… I’m sick of it. I don’t like the way she treats me, and she KNOWS it, and keeps doing it anyway.”

“And how well do you know this other student?” Ms Bianchi asked.

“She’s my friend,” Tanya said. “Well, she used to be. I don’t know anymore now. All she seems to do is make fun of me…”

“Well, making fun of you is no reason to slap another student,” Ms. Bianchi said.

“I know! But she was standing in my way, and when I tried to pass her she grabbed my wrist, and I just… snapped,” Tanya said.

The vice principal leaned back in her chair. “So she put paws on you first, then?” Tanya nodded. “It still doesn’t excuse your actions, of course, but I can at least understand where you’re coming from.” She leaned forward and rubbed her chin. “You look familiar…”

Tanya blushed. “I-I was in your first grade class at Oak View Elementary…”

Ms. Bianchi snapped her fingers. “That’s where I remember you from. You were always such a quiet girl. Well-behaved. I’m surprised to see you here. You’re not one of the usual suspects.” She laughed and leaned forward. “Now, Ms Iancu… I’ll let you off with a warning this time. But if you end up in my office again, we’ll be having a very different conversation. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” Tanya said.

“Good,” Ms Bianchi said. She grabbed a pad on her desk and wrote a note, then offered it to Tanya. “Bring this to your teacher.”

The bat sighed as she took the note, and left the vice principal’s office as quickly as she could. As she walked, she dared to peek at the note. It wasn’t much, just a form with a check mark indicating that she had received a warning and the VP’s signature. When she got to her classroom, she paused, then went in, handing the note wordlessly to her teacher before taking her usual seat.

Morning classes were awkward as all hell. Becky refused to even look at her. Midway through science class, Ms. Bianchi came to get Becky, and the rabbit was gone for half of it. Thankfully they weren’t paired together for science or Latin classes, but the tension was evident. When lunch rolled around, Tanya held back. She had no idea what she was going to do.

Tanya tried to stay towards the back of the line. She wasn’t really hungry, but knew that she’d regret not eating. Maybe she could just take her lunch with her to Mr. Fox’s classroom and avoid her friends…

It wouldn’t be that easy. Robbie and Chuck hunted her down as soon as they spied her.

“Uh… hi, Tanya,” Robbie said.

“Hi,” Tanya squeaked out.

The fox looked at Chuck, then back at her. “I heard you slapped Becky this morning. The whole school’s talking about it.”

The bat closed her eyes and sighed. “Yeah… that’s a thing that happened…”

“Why?” Robbie asked.

Tanya sighed. “Because I’m sick of her shit. She keeps making fun of me and I’ve had enough.”

Robbie blinked. “Oh. Well… yeah, she’s kinda been doing that a lot this year, hasn’t she? Do you want me to try to talk to her about it?”

“I don’t know,” Tanya said. “I don’t know if there’s any fixing things between us.”

The fox sighed. “Sorry to hear that.” He looked around the cafeteria as the line shrank. “Do you still want to sit with us?”

“I don’t know,” she said.

It turned out they didn’t have to worry. Becky had found a seat at a table with a bunch of girls Tanya didn’t know. She, Robbie, and Chuck ended up at a table alone, though once they sat down they were descended on by Martin, Kendal, and Sophie.

“Yo, it’s the talk of the school!” the wolf said. His lunch was already half eaten, and he dug back in as he took a seat.

“Yeah, yeah,” Tanya muttered. “Laugh it up.”

“Oh, I’m not laughing,” Martin said. “It takes a lotta balls to do what you did. Respect.”

“I do feel bad for her,” Sophie said, “But even I have to admit she had that coming. It was even annoying me how much she teased you.”

Tanya sighed. “I just wish it didn’t come to that…”

“Understandable,” Robbie said. “I just don’t get why she kept doing it for so long.”

“Hopefully she’ll get the message,” Sophie said.

“Oh, speaking of messages…”

Tanya’s heart sank as Jenna took a seat next to Sophie. That cat was nothing but trouble.

“I’m not pitting my friends against each other,” Sophie said flatly.

“Oh, I don’t expect you to,” Jenna said. “But there’s been so much talk about dear little Tanya lately, I just needed to get to the bottom of it myself.” The persian cat smiled sweetly. “Like the little rumor about the bathroom…”

The bat’s fur ruffled. “Baseless. Chuck and I didn’t do anything,” she said.

Jenna giggled. “So you don’t deny that you went in with him! I’d ask your little boyfriend what happened, but I don’t think he even knows how to talk. Do you, puppy?”

“Jenna,” Sophie growled.

“Yeah, lay off the little dude,” Kendal said. “He’s cool.”

The cat giggled again. “You seem to know him better than most. What do you think he did, cheetah boy?”

“Not a damn thing,” Kendal said. “He’s WAY too shy for that.”

If there was going to be a rumor in Tanya’s favor, now might be the time to drop it. “Besides, I’m asexual. I’m not interested in any of that stuff,” Tanya said.

“Reeeeeally,” Jenna said. “Well, that iiiiiis interesting. That pup turned you off of it, did he?”

Oh no. This could backfire horribly. “Nothing like that. We’re just both not interested in it. Right, Chuck?”

The pup squeaked as he suddenly found himself dragged into the conversation. “R-r-right,” he said. “I-I-I’m a-a-asexual, t-too.”

Jenna gasped. “He CAN talk!” She giggled. “Well, this dooooooes put a different spin on things, now, doesn’t it?”

Sophie’s fur fluffed up. “Jenna, I’m warning you,” she said.

“I know, I know, they’re your friends for some reason,” Jenna said. “But asexuals aren’t interesting. I guess I’ll just have to go elsewhere.” She turned her attention to Martin. “Like the infamous gay wolf.”

Tanya tuned out the rest of the conversation as she focused on her food. At least she had Jenna off her back for now. That had to count for something.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Thankfully Tanya didn’t have to interact with Becky at all. She went through the motions, almost back to her usual self, and made it through to the end of the day.

Chuck sat with her on the bus as usual.

“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow after school,” Tanya whispered.

The border collie pup took her paw and squeezed it. “A-a-are you sure you won’t get in t-trouble?” he asked.

Tanya forced a smile. “I’m sure. It’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She leaned back in her seat, then pulled out her earbuds. Once again, they listed to music until they reached Chuck’s stop. After he got off, Tanya watched the rest of the route closely. She’d be walking this tomorrow.

Her heart beat faster as she got off the bus at home. This was it. Time to enact the plan she’d hatched with Veronica.

Thankfully, today it was Dad at home watching Bunica. He greeted her as she entered the kitchen.

“Hello, my love! How was school?” Dad asked.

“Good!” Tanya replied. “There’s an anime club starting up at school. I was hoping you’d let me go?”

The male bat laughed. “You and your cartoons. I suppose there’s no harm in it. It’s a chance to socialize more with your peers. When is it?”

Tanya pulled off her backpack and pulled out the fake permission slip. “It starts this Wednesday. It’ll be a couple hours after school.”

Her father took the form and read it. “Wednesdays, huh? That’s usually my late day, but I suppose your mother could pick you up after…”

“Or Veronica,” Tanya said. “She needs the driving practice anyway, right?”

He rubbed his chin. “I don’t know. That would be such an inconvenience for her.”

“Because she haaaates driving her car, right, Dad?” Tanya said.

The male chuckled. “I suppose she does enjoy it, doesn’t she? Well, I’ll talk to your mother and sister about it tonight. We’ll figure out transportation. Do you have a pen, love?”

Tanya’s heart beat in her ears as she pulled out a pen and handed it to her father. She watched as he signed and dated the form. It was that easy. He handed both back to her.

“Oh thank you, Dad!” Tanya said. She hugged her father and stowed the form back in her backpack.

“I don’t understand your cartoons,” Bunica said. “But if it makes you happy, it makes me happy.”

It felt a little bad lying to her parents. But if it meant seeing Chuck, it was worth it. She hugged her grandmother, then ran upstairs to get her homework done. It was a delightfully light homework night, so Tanya spent the rest of the afternoon texting with Chuck until dinner.

The butterflies returned to her stomach as she joined the family for the evening meal. She feigned excitement for the new anime club at the middle school. Veronica played along and offered to pick her up every Wednesday, a proposal her parents gratefully accepted. Everything was going according to plan.

After dinner, she returned to her room and grabbed her phone. She had messages waiting from Chuck, Robbie, and, to her great surprise, Becky.

She answered the boys first. Chuck was just continuing their conversation from earlier. Robbie had a tentative date for his Christmas sleepover, which she’d have to clear with her parents. Maybe claim it was Sophie inviting her over. And the text from Becky was just a single word: ‘Sorry.’

Tanya left the rabbit on read.", "pools_count": 3, "title": "Ace of Hearts", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "3", "name": "Violence", "description": "Mild violence", "rating_id": "1" }, { "content_tag_id": "4", "name": "Sexual Themes", "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "14" }