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", "count": "9", "submission_left_submission_id": "117013", "submission_left_file_name": "441236_Shryke_dangerous_games_part_2.rtf", "submission_right_submission_id": "343503", "submission_right_file_name": "441246_Shryke_dangerous_games_part_4.rtf" } ], "description": "Here is Chapter 3 of Dangerous Games. A story of a friendship that develops between two foxes amidst a rather shady backdrop. If you haven't read the previous parts, you should probably do so. Otherwise you may be rather lost, and there will start to be things revealed that will spoil the earlier parts. \n\nIn Part 3, Jack and Angelo continue their delivery runs, which take a bit of a turn away from the straight-and-narrow. We meet Jack's sister, and some more people from Angelo's world. Jack has a little self-revelation, and learns more about how Victor operates, which doesn't improve Jack's opinion of him. \n\nThere is no sex in this story. (Listens for all those \"back\" buttons being clicked). There may be some dialog regarding past events, but nothing particularly explicit. There is, or will be in future parts, violence, drug use, crime, bloodshed, guns, knives, injury, and even death, so these will be tagged Adult or Mature depending on the chapter. \n\nNote that the auto-parser above does not respect the formatting of the original document, and can't seem to get the indentations right. I put this one up as RTF because that seems to have the least problems, but bolding and italics have been lost in the preview. I use italics for \"inner monologue\", though that should be obvious from the context even without them. If you do want the full effect, as well as clean paragraph formatting, I suggest reading from the source file. \n\nSo here it is, enjoy. Or don't. \n\n(Minor updates and copy edits - 23 Dec 2012)", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Here is Chapter 3 of Dangerous Games. A story of a friendship that develops between two foxes amidst a rather shady backdrop. If you haven't read the previous parts, you should probably do so. Otherwise you may be rather lost, and there will start to be things revealed that will spoil the earlier parts.

In Part 3, Jack and Angelo continue their delivery runs, which take a bit of a turn away from the straight-and-narrow. We meet Jack's sister, and some more people from Angelo's world. Jack has a little self-revelation, and learns more about how Victor operates, which doesn't improve Jack's opinion of him.

There is no sex in this story. (Listens for all those "back" buttons being clicked). There may be some dialog regarding past events, but nothing particularly explicit. There is, or will be in future parts, violence, drug use, crime, bloodshed, guns, knives, injury, and even death, so these will be tagged Adult or Mature depending on the chapter.

Note that the auto-parser above does not respect the formatting of the original document, and can't seem to get the indentations right. I put this one up as RTF because that seems to have the least problems, but bolding and italics have been lost in the preview. I use italics for "inner monologue", though that should be obvious from the context even without them. If you do want the full effect, as well as clean paragraph formatting, I suggest reading from the source file.

So here it is, enjoy. Or don't.

(Minor updates and copy edits - 23 Dec 2012)", "writing": "Disclaimer: This story is part of a series, entitled “Dangerous Games”. The series contains non-human anthropomorphic animal (“Furry”) characters of varying ages, adult and cub. While there are no overt sexual acts depicted in this series, the stories will contain adult themes, topics, and situations, which may not be legal in some jurisdictions. These include: frank discussions of sexual acts and character sexuality, alcohol and drug use, criminal acts, violence, adult language, weapons including guns and knives, bloodshed, grievous bodily harm, death, and events which depict underage characters in peril. \n\nIt is up to the reader to be aware of the laws regarding depictions of such material in their place of residence. If you are not allowed to read such material, due to age, religion, place of residence, or any other factor, do not continue.\n\nThis story and all characters are copyright Shryke. This is a work of fiction. All events and persons depicted are fictional, and any similarities with actual events or persons is purely coincidental. \n\nThis is Part 3. If you've not read the prior parts, you will be rather lost, plus you'll be spoiling some of the things that were set up in the previous parts. \n\n\n\nDANGEROUS GAMES\nby Shryke\nPart 3\n\n When Jack awoke from his nap a couple hours later, the first thought to go through his mind as the sleep-haze slowly lifted was “Jeez, what a dream that was!” \n As the grogginess left him though, the memories of that morning's adventure came flooding back stronger, rather than fading into obscurity as dream-memories often do. His easy-chair was still out in the center of the room where he had dragged it, and as he sat up in it, he had a clear view across the parking lot of Victor and Angelo's apartment. Victor's black coupe was still parked out front, and the old delivery car was not. Nope, not a dream, he thought to himself. \n “Fuck!” the red fox exclaimed, jumping to his feet as he remembered just why he had positioned his chair to observe his neighbor's door. He went to the window and stood there, staring out towards Victor's place. It was as inscrutable as it had always been.\n Jack wanted to run across the parking lot and check on Angelo. Though they had only met scant days ago, Jack immediately felt protective of the young fox. Hearing his story earlier that morning, followed by Victor's tirade at him on the drive home, only served to reinforce that feeling. The ferret's cold stare when he told Jack to return tomorrow, though, left no doubt that he did not want to see the teenage fox again today. \n Resignedly, Jack sat back down in his chair. He hated this helpless feeling: the same feeling that came over him as he watched Victor order the young kit inside their house, knowing that he was specifically excluded from whatever argument they were about to have. \n Angelo had known it was coming though, Jack thought. When he had shuffled the 18-year-old into the cramped back seat of Victor's car, while the small kit took the spacious front for himself, he had whispered, “Trust me” into Jack's ear. In retrospect, this clearly meant, “Trust me, you don't want to be sitting next to him when he goes off.”\n Jack leaned back in his chair, and the helpless feeling abated somewhat as he pondered. He could still not figure out those two's relationship. Angelo was obviously used to Victor's temper, and at least on the surface seemed happy living there. Even as he was marshaled inside by the angry ferret, he had thrown Jack a smile and a thumbs-up.\n Granted, he didn't have a whole lot of choice, Jack reminded himself. Angelo's family was gone, and he was apparently unwilling to go back into State custody. Perhaps his attitude towards Victor was just his way of making the best out of his only real option. The helpless feeling began to creep back into Jack's mind. \n Jack stood back up, and tried to put it out of his mind. So the ferret had a hot temper, he thought. He'd had friends in school whose parents would lose their tempers as well, and they too usually took it inside. You're still the outsider, Jack reminded himself. Victor likely just wanted to keep their dirty laundry behind closed doors. \n The young fox chuckled, chiding himself for letting his mind running away with this situation. Victor had made it clear that the deliveries would resume tomorrow, and that Victor himself would not be there. It would be pretty obvious when he met the kit in the morning if anything more than an argument had ensued today, Jack thought. He would make a point to mention it, of course. \n The red fox paused at this thought as another occurred to him: Suppose the boy is completely happy where he is, and Jack's constant inquiries were unwelcome, at best, or even irritating. Perhaps his protective feelings were not appreciated by the younger fox. He had, after all, recoiled defensively several times when Jack tried to pat his shoulder or fuzzle his hair. \n No, that just doesn't... feel right, Jack thought, remembering. Angelo had smiled appreciatively when Jack insisted on accompanying him to meet the creepy plastic surgeon, as well as when the older fox called him “little bro”, though that was just for cover purposes. His mind began racing again. \n “Enough,” he told himself out loud, as he walked towards his front door, keys in-hand. He would go get some dinner, and try to take his mind off of all these unknowns and “what-if's”. \n Jack walked out to his car and looked across the parking lot again briefly before getting in the car. He started it up, and revved the engine a few times to warm it up. In the back of his mind, he hoped that the sound of his car would be audible inside Victor's apartment, just... in case. With a chuckle that lived somewhere between worry and self-annoyance, he bonked his forehead on the steering wheel; this was not going to help clear his mind. Nevertheless, he kept his eyes glued to the rear-view mirror which was pointed squarely at the ferret's apartment. Nothing. Not even a rustle of the curtains was seen. \n With a resigned sigh, Jack backed his car out of the parking spot and drove towards the apartment's exit. One thing he knew for sure, though. Regardless of appearances, Angelo was in a rather shitty situation, and whether appreciated or not, Jack was not going to change his protective feelings towards him. \n\n The next morning, Jack walked across the parking lot towards Angelo's door. He was dressed somewhat more casually than the previous day, in just a T-shirt and jeans, which seemed to fit the level of formality, or the lack thereof, in Angelo's attire. Victor's car was indeed absent as expected, Jack noted. He knocked on the door. \n After a minute with no answer, he knocked again somewhat louder, then waited. As another minute passed in silence, the fur on the back of Jack's neck began to tingle. He knocked yet again, nearly pounding on the door this time. \n “Yeah?” came Angelo's voice quietly from inside the apartment. \n “It's Jack,” the red fox replied, closing his eyes with a sigh of relief. \n After a few seconds, the lock clicked and the door opened halfway. Angelo was walking away from the door as Jack pushed it open, wrapped head to toe in the heavy blanket from his bed. Jack followed the boy inside and closed the door behind him. \n “Hey Jack,” the kit said groggily before sitting down heavily on the couch, still cocooned in the blanket. He looked out from the tangle of cloth at Jack and smiled wanly. He had clearly just awakened. \n “Hey, Ange,” Jack said, still standing by the door. The apartment looked much the same as it had the previous morning, with the delivery bags lined up in the middle of the living room floor, and the same larger boxes against the walls, in varying states of openness. He walked towards the young fox on the couch. “You... ok?” he asked. It was a rather vaguely phrased concern, but would do for now, Jack thought. \n “Yeah, sure,” Angelo replied. “Just... really tired. Fell asleep real early yesterday too. I guess its the coke wearing off, like you said, huh?”\n Jack nodded. “Yep. Just get up and get moving and you'll be ok.” He was glad to see that the “kit-sized” dose of cocaine that the boy took yesterday had left him. Hopefully the cub would remember the downside of the drug in future, and forget the initial high which might entice him back for a repeat try at it. \n Angelo yawned deeply. “Don't wanna get up,” he said, then curled up on the couch, his face mostly disappearing into the blanket folds. \n Jack smiled at this, then walked over and sat down on the free end of the couch, near the kit's head. Angelo craned his head upwards to look at the older fox, his grey muzzle just visible within the blankets. \n “Want me to go get breakfast?” Jack inquired. “Some food and sugary soda to get you moving?” he suggested with a smile. \n Angelo sat back upright and pulled the blanket off of his head and down to his bare shoulders. Another yawn. “Yeah, that sounds good,” he said. “I need to get a shower anyway.”\n “Ok, consider it done!” said Jack, standing back up. “Be back in fifteen, twenty minutes.” Angelo nodded but didn't move. Jack didn't move either, and just stood there smiling, with a sort of expectant look on his face. \n The kit cocked his head slightly. “Wha... what?” he asked with a slight chuckle. \n “I ain't moving 'till you get up,” Jack responded with a wink. He knew from experience with his kit sister that actions always overrode words when it came to getting up in the morning. \n The young grey-furred fox smiled. “Ok, ok,” he said quietly, half-laughing, as he got to his feet and slowly shuffled towards the hallway and his makeshift bedroom, his blanket-wrapping hindering his motion somewhat. . Turning around at the hallway, he said, “You can go. I gotta lock the door after you leave, and...” he looked down at his blanket-garb then back up at Jack. \n “Right,” the teenage fox said, remembering that Angelo didn't wear anything to bed. “Back soon,” he said, opening the door, then stepped outside, closing it behind him. As he walked back to his car, he heard the lock click on the door behind him. \n\n As Jack pulled back in, twenty or so minutes later, he parked his car in front of Angelo's apartment rather than his own, to facilitate loading in of the deliveries. He headed to the apartment door with a Burger Joint take-out bag and two large sodas, one of which he had already started upon during his drive. \n Angelo opened the door immediately upon Jack's knock this time. He was now wearing just a pair of jeans, and was brushing out his grey-furred tail, post-shower. Jack put the food down on one of the ubiquitous boxes that seemed to serve as furniture. \n “Breakfast is served,” he said cheerfully, and sat down on the couch as Angelo finished up his tail and gave his white chest fluff a final pass with the brush. Jack took a bite from a breakfast biscuit as he watched, noting with some sense of satisfaction that Angelo did not appear to be under-nourished – he did not have visible ribs jutting out, and his belly-button was an “innie” with perhaps a residual touch of baby-fat around it, which made Jack smile for some reason. \n “Smells good!” came the enthusiastic reply from the little fox. He grabbed a biscuit from the bag and held it in his teeth as he scooped up the bath towel and fur brush with his paws. “Right back,” he said around the biscuit as he carried the bundle back towards the bathroom. \n “Take your time,” Jack said, sitting back in the couch and sipping from his soda. He suddenly felt a lot better about Angelo's relationship with Victor, and again mentally chided himself for playing out the worst-case scenarios in his mind the previous evening. The boy did not have a broken arm or anything, and the incidental glance revealed that he was not a starving emaciated cub kept under the thumb of a modern-day Fagin. The red fox laughed again and shook his head at his own behavior. \n “What?” came Angelo's voice from behind the couch. The kit had re-emerged from his room, now sporting a black T-shirt, similar to yesterday's garb, and had obviously heard Jack's laugh. Jack tilted his head back over the rear of the couch and regarded the boy upside-down. “What's so funny?” Angelo asked again. \n “Nah, nothing,” Jack said with a smile. “Just thinking of stuff, is all.” \n “Mmm,” the younger fox vocalized, then sat down on the couch next to Jack. In between bites of biscuit, he would lean down to tie his shoes, holding the food in his teeth as he did so. \n “So, what's on the agenda for today?” Jack asked. \n Angelo held up a finger as he swallowed the food he'd been chewing. “Well,” he began when it was down, “pretty much the same as yesterday. I figure we'll do a cigar batch or two in the morning, then after lunch, maybe something a little different.” \n “Yeah, Victor said something about that in the car. Something about one of your “school trips” or something?” Jack could only imagine what that might entail. Somehow, though, he knew it didn't mean a field-trip to a local cultural center. \n “Yep, that's the plan!” replied the kit, but as he had before, he did not elaborate. \n “So...” said Jack, trying to gently force the issue, since it would directly concern him, “What are those about?” \n “Ehh... later. Lets focus on the cigars for now,” said the younger fox, with what Jack thought was a touch of nervousness in his voice. “Go ahead and load up the first six bags from the sheet here. They're all lined up, starting in the corner over there.” He put the master list on the table-box next to the now empty food bag. \n Jack sighed and stood up to get the bags in question. Oh well, he thought. He would find out what these “school trips” were in due time. He had a feeling that he already knew, though, and in a way was apprehensive to find out, much as Angelo seemed to be apprehensive about telling him. \n The teenage fox carried the bags out to his car, and put them in the trunk, tearing off the identification tags as he had done before. When he did this very task yesterday, he could not have imagined how the day would unfold. As he repeated it now, he couldn't help but wonder where he would be at day's end. \n As Jack walked back into the apartment, Angelo was coming out of his bedroom, and was putting on his denim jacket, despite forecasts for another sweltering summer day ahead. He grabbed a backpack from the corner and slung it over one shoulder. “Ready?” he asked Jack, almost cheerfully. \n “Yeah, sure,” Jack replied. Angelo motioned for him to lead on, then followed Jack out of the apartment and locked the door. \n\n \"So, where to first?\" Jack asked as he pulled the car out of the parking lot and onto the street. \n \"Well, first,\" Angelo replied, \"You know where the public library is?\"\n \"The one right around the corner?\" Jack asked. The kit nodded. \"Isn't that a little close to home for this kind of thing?\" \n \"Nope, not in this case,\" came the reply from the younger fox. \n Jack shrugged. \"Ok, you're the boss,\" he said, steering the car in the appropriate direction. Angelo picked the backpack up off of the floor and held it on his lap. \n They were quickly to the library, it being literally just around the corner from the apartment complex. As they pulled in, Jack steered towards the parking lot, but Angelo stopped him. \n \"Don't park,\" the boy said, pointing to the side of the building. \"Pull up to that big orange metal thing.\"\n \"The book return?\" Jack asked, now confused. He looked over to Angelo. \"But then how…\" he began, as the younger fox just gazed back pleasantly at him. Jack shook his head. \"Never mind, never mind,\" he said, which precipitated a giggle from the little kit. \n Jack steered the car to the book return, a large metal box set up at the curbside. It was reachable from cars that may pull up to it, to allow ease of use without drivers having to get out of the car. \"Ok, now what?\" Jack asked, rolling down his window to drop off whatever Angelo had in mind. \n \"Now,\" the kit began, almost dramatically, \"Drop this in. It's due today!\" He pulled a hardback book from the backpack and held it out to Jack. His eyes had almost a twinkle to them as he smiled. \n Jack stared back for a second, then laughed out loud. He had been gotten. \"You little…\" he said with a grin, which prompted another giggle from the grey-furred vulpine. Taking the book from the kit, Jack looked it over. A Tale of Two Cities, by D. Chickens. He looked back to Angelo. \"You read this?\" \n \"Yep!,\" came an enthusiastic reply. \n \"Wow,\" Jack said as he reached out to drop the book into the receptacle, \"I didn't read this 'till 11th Grade! How was it?\" \n \"It was good,\" Angelo replied. \"Kinda' heavy, though.\" \n \"Yeah, I'll say,\" said the red fox. \"I mean the hero gets his head chopped off, that's not exactly grammar-school reading!\"\n Angelo nodded with a slight shrug. \"Yeah, maybe,\" he said. \"But he only did it because of Lucie, right? I mean, he loved her so much that he traded himself for her boyfriend so the two of them could get away and live. That's kind of a good ending… in a way, you know?\" He shrugged again. \n \"True, true,\" Jack said, conceding the point. \"They do say that giving up your life to save someone else is the best thing a person can do.\"\n Angelo nodded, ruminating on that. \"I wonder if I'll ever feel that way about someone,” he mused. “To do something like that, I mean.”\n \"Well, hopefully it won't ever come to something that extreme,\" Jack said with a smile as he pulled away from the curb and back onto the street. \"And there's plenty of time to find the right someone, don't you worry.\" \n Angelo nodded again. \"I guess,\" he said, sounding slightly unconvinced. \n\n The morning's deliveries went without a hitch this time – no creepy customers, no police chases, and no blazing infernos. The pair stopped off at a Taco Bueno for some lunch, and returned to the apartments to prepare the afternoon's activities. Angelo had not hinted at what this would entail, and remembering his earlier reticence, Jack did not bring it up. \n Angelo tossed his jacket in the corner as they entered the apartment, and fluffed out his shirt a few times, letting the cool air of the room under his clothes. It was already pretty hot outside as midday passed, yet he had kept the jacket on the whole morning. \n Jack came in and closed the door, still sipping on the large soda he bought at lunch. “So, what's next?” he asked, as he sat down on the couch. He had formed a guess or two as to what they would be doing next, and now was the time for Angelo to lay it on the line. \n “Ok. Well...” began the kit, with a hint of reluctance in his voice. It was as if he felt that Jack wasn't going to like what was coming. “Ok,” he said again. \n “Ange,” Jack interrupted, “It's cool, you can tell me.” \n The kit dropped his ears halfway, looking slightly embarrassed. “Ok,” he repeated with a smile. “So what we do is go to a high school around here. They should be having Summer sports camps and probably tryouts for the Fall too. So there should be lots of furs around. And we just hang out and, umm... sell stuff to 'em. If they want, that is.” \n “Stuff,” Jack said plainly, provoking a confirming nod from the kit. “What sort of “stuff” would we be selling?” \n “Well,” Angelo began, drawing out the word, “First off there's these.” He went into the kitchen and picked up something from the floor. Returning to the living room, he placed it on the couch next to the teenage fox. A standard 12-pack of soda. \n Jack was rather surprised. “Really?” he asked, almost happily. “Sodas?” \n “Ah, well not exactly,” Angelo replied. “See, what I did here was open up the end flap and take the sodas out, then re-fill the carton with beers! Then I glue it shut again, and nobody knows what's really in 'em!” He sounded proud as he described the process. \n “Wow,” Jack said, impressed. “Did you think of that?” \n “Yep!” came the reply, a big smile crossing the cub's face. \n Jack looked back to the “soda” carton. “One flaw in your scheme though,” he said with a mock-chiding tone. \n “I bet there isn't!” Angelo replied confidently, mimicking the same tone, and grinning broadly. \n “Well, see the problem here is,” Jack went on, reaching a finger into the split in the cardboard that served as the carry handle for the carton, “you can still look into this hole and...” he stopped. Two soda cans were plainly visible through the small slit. \n Angelo giggled, and looked innocently at Jack for a moment. Then: “Nope, I thought of that too!” he said brightly. “Have to leave 2 soda cans in there for that. So it's really a 10-pack!” \n Jack nodded approvingly. He stared at the carton on the couch with some relief. This wasn't so bad, he thought. In fact, he could have used a service like this when he was in his more “wild” stage a few years back. “Very clever,” he said. \n “I thought so too, yes!” Angelo replied cheerfully. “I get fifty bucks a box for these. That pisses off some people who have other ways to get beer, but the ones that don't are more than happy to pay it!” \n “Kind of cumbersome though,” Jack commented. “And won't it seem weird carrying a bunch of soda boxes to a school?” \n “Nah, people bring big coolers and buckets of ice and such to these,” the kit replied. “But yeah, I can only bring one box with me when I'm on my bike. Victor thinks it's not worth the trouble because of that. He lets me keep all the money I make from them though,” he said with another grin. \n “Nice,” Jack said. There still had to be more, he thought. “You said 'first off' there were these. So what else are we selling there?” He noted the boy's ears dropped slightly again when he asked this. \n “OK,” Angelo said again, then took a breath. He looked at Jack for a moment without speaking, then finally blurted it out. “Pot,” he said plainly. \n Jack looked down as he heard this. That's what he had been expecting: drugs. “Pot... as in dope, right? Weed?” he asked, more to fill the silence than anything else. \n “Jack...” Angelo said, as he knelt down next to the couch, then waited for Jack to look back at him. “The people come to me. I don't force it on anyone who doesn't want it.” \n The red fox nodded, recalling one specific Friday night several years previous, when he and his friends went driving through some shady neighborhoods looking to buy some marijuana themselves. He had first-hand knowledge of the demand that existed for this – everyone he knew seemed to always have a joint or two with them. So now he was going to be on the supply-side, it seemed.\n He wasn't sure how he felt about that change in positioning. On the one paw, he recalled the awe with which he and his cohorts viewed the dealers they encountered. To be in that position now appealed to the rebel in Jack – a part of him which he had suppressed the last few years. It had led him to some bad, dark places in his life, but at the same time had been no end of fun. He also recalled, however, that the sellers always fared worse than the buyers if caught by the police. \n “Jack?” Angelo asked, breaking the older fox's reverie. “Are you OK with this?” he asked nervously. “I promise this is the hardest stuff Vic and me deal with. Right now, anyway. So you're not gonna get a new surprise every day...” \n Jack looked back into the kit's blue eyes and smiled. “Sure,” he said as his rebel-side won out. “Lets just not get caught, huh?” \n The boy smiled, relief visible in his young face. “That's always my number one plan!” \n “Alright, then,” Jack said with a smile, “let's do this.”\n Angelo jumped to his feet at this. “Let's go!” he said enthusiastically. “There's a few more beer boxes in the kitchen.” He picked up his denim jacket and rummaged through the pockets, removing the cash from the morning's run, and took it along with the delivery sheets down the hall towards Victor's bedroom. \n Jack stood up as well, and went into the kitchen for the “soda” cartons. Angelo had prepared four of the containers: 40 cans in total – all that could be built from two cases of beer. He took two of the cartons in his paws and headed for the door. \n Angelo returned from the hallway putting his jacket on, then swung his backpack around his shoulder before picking up the other two cartons. Following the older fox out, he put one down briefly in order to lock the apartment door, then caught up with Jack at the car, and loaded their cargo into the trunk. \n As the two got into the car, Angelo surprised Jack with his next comment: “You got any weapons Jack?” \n “Huh, what?” Jack replied, thoroughly caught off-guard by the question. “You mean like, on me?” \n “Or in your place,” the kit replied. “You should, umm... probably have one.” At this, the little grey-furred fox held the left flap of his jacket wide open for Jack to see. The hilt of a decently-sized hunting-style knife stuck out of the inner pocket, its sheath crudely sewn into the inside fabric of the jacket. \n “Whoa,” Jack said, never having noticed that there was anything unusual in the boy's jacket. “Is that why you wear that thing, even though it's 95 degrees outside?” \n “Yep,” Angelo replied, closing the jacket again. “With all the cash and... stuff... I'm carrying, gotta be careful.”\n Jack nodded. “Well, I don't have anything like that in my apartment. I have an old Army fighting knife that I used to carry around, but that's back at home.” He had, in fact, carried that knife for rather similar reasons, Jack recalled. \n “Can we go get it?” Angelo asked. \n “You really think I'll need it?” Jack asked back, slightly uneasily. \n “Hope not,” came the reply from the little fox. “But if we do need it...” \n “Right,” Jack said, not needing the kit to finish the thought. “OK, we'll go get it,” he declared, and put the car into gear. \n\n Jack's family house was only about 15 minutes drive away – one exit down the Interstate. Since he had moved away, it was just his parents and kit-sister living there now. He hoped that nobody would be home, as it might be awkward to explain his passenger's presence. His parents should both be at work, but there was no telling if one had decided to take a day off, or even a long lunch at home. \n Angelo didn't speak much on this leg of the trip. He spent most of it looking out the window, but not in a daydreamy sort of way. Rather, he seemed to be taking special note of the various landmarks as they drove, keeping track of exactly where they were. \n As they got near the house, Jack finally broke the silence. “Ok, listen.” Angelo ear-perked and looked to Jack. “You can't... actually come in the house,” he said awkwardly, provoking an offended-looking head-tilt from the younger fox.\n “Huh?” Angelo simply said, brow furrowed. \n “Sorry, house rules,” Jack explained. “Remember when I told you about all the rules and whatnot that happened after I was... such a brat back when?” Angelo nodded, the offended look fading as he seemed to get the point. “Well, this is Rule Number Seven: No friends allowed inside until both parents have met them and approved,” Jack recited. He'd had to memorize all of the various rules when they were first instituted. \n “Oh, OK,” Angelo replied cordially. “Nice neighborhood you live in, by the way.” \n Jack chuckled at this. “Yeah, I guess,” he said. It was an upper-middle-class sort of neighborhood. The houses were fairly large “Colonial style” houses on good size lots with ample yards. At least one car was present in most driveways, even then, in the middle of the work day. \n An awkward feeling suddenly came over Jack as he realized what was at the root of Angelo's comment. By his own telling, his family had never had much money, even when they were all together. After his mother abandoned him, he moved in with Victor in their current apartments – the ones Jack had picked when he moved out precisely because they were low-rent and small. These houses they drove past must be worlds apart from what the younger fox had ever lived in.\n Jack pulled up to his house, and was relieved to see that no cars were present in the driveway. Though there was a two-car garage on the house, Jack's parents typically did not use it during the day, and indeed often left the cars outside even overnights.\n Angelo whistled, impressed, as Jack pulled the car up to the house and parked it in the driveway. “Damn, nice house you got, rich-boy!” he said with a teasing smile. \n “Easy now,” Jack shot back, slightly embarrassed. “I'll be right back.” He opened the door to get out. \n “Get a jacket too, or a long shirt,” Angelo called out to him as he stood up. “Something to cover it up.” \n “Right-o!” Jack said, throwing a thumbs-up sign, then turned and walked up the short stone path that led from the driveway to the front door, sorting his keys in his paw as he walked, to find the one for this door. \n The teenage fox unlocked the door to his home and went inside. All was quiet, which again prompted a sigh of relief. It was short-lived however. \n “Who's there?” called a young female voice from upstairs. \n “Burglar!” Jack called back. \n “Jaaaaaaaack!” the voice squealed out, and a young red fox girl appeared at the top of the stairs. This was Jessica Archer, eleven years old, Jack's kit sister. Like her brother, she had typical Red Fox markings and colorations, though her fur was more of a golden-brown compared to Jack's rusty-red, as were her eyes, which were a lighter shade of golden brown that she called “hazel”. Her dark-red headfur was long and pulled back into a ponytail. \n And, like her brother, she had once been an out-of-control menace at only six years of age, due to their parents' failed kit-rearing philosophies. In fact, it was when she began to emulate her brother's behavior that the house rules had changed so dramatically. Now, five years later, she excelled in school and was very active in several after-school sports. Jack had actually been hoping she would have been at one of her practices, and not home at this time. \n “Hiya Squirt!” Jack said with a wave from the entrance. Jessica bolted down the stairs 3-at-a-time and nearly tackled her brother with a hug. Jack sheepishly realized that apart from the trips he had made while moving, this was the first time he had been back to his house since graduation, over 3 weeks prior. “Missed you,” he said, patting her back.\n “Me too!” she replied energetically, before breaking the hug a few moments later. \n “Mom or Dad home?” Jack inquired. \n “Nope, still at work,” the young fox said. “You should'a come later.” \n “That's cool, I just stopped by to pick up a few things, actually. Since I was in the area.” Not entirely true, but mostly so. \n “Oh, ok,” she said, with a twinge of disappointment. “You need to come by for a weekend!” \n Jack smiled at her and fuzzled her headfur. “I will, don't you worry.” \n “Want a soda?” the young girl asked, quickly removing Jack's paw from her head and walking towards the kitchen. \n “Nope, I'm fine, thanks,” Jack replied, and started up the stairs to his bedroom. It was the same as he had left it, down to the half-made bed and half-filled suitcase still open on the bed. He had taken enough to get by, and literally left in mid-pack. \n He went to his closet and opened up the toy chest that he'd had since he was just a pup. Rummaging around briefly, he located his target and extracted a decently sized leather-sheathed knife, over half of which was blade. Jack had carried this knife in the back belt-loops of his pants when he was in his younger, wilder days. It made him feel tough to have it, though he never did anything more than show it off to his friends. He gazed at it now wistfully, wondering if he would indeed have to use it now that he was venturing into this new territory. \n Standing back up, Jack grabbed a few long flannel shirts from their hangers in the closet, and wrapped the knife up in them. He stopped off at his dresser and took a few more items of clothing, just to make it look like he really did stop by to pick up more than just the knife. \n As he returned to the stairs to head back down, Jessica was standing at the bottom, sipping her soda and gazing out the still-open front door. Jack stopped in his tracks. Angelo must have gotten out of the hot car, and the girl spotted him.\n “Jack?” Jessica said, looking up the stairs to him. “Who's that outside?” \n “Who?” Jack asked, feigning innocence. He knew, however, that this was not going to buy him more than a second.” \n “That kid,” she said, pointing out the door. Jack descended the stairs and looked outside. Angelo was by the car, slowly walking up and down beside it, hands in pockets. \n “Oh him,” Jack said, thinking that he probably sounded insincere, or at least evasive. “That's just a kit from my apartment. I'm giving him a ride to school.” Again, not 100% accurate, but close enough. \n “Oh,” the girl replied, apparently accepting this explanation. “He's kinda cute,” she added. \n “I'll tell him you said so,” the older fox said teasingly. \n “Don't you dare!” his sister said, giving him a playful backhand to his arm. Then, looking back outside, “What's his name?” \n “Angelo,” Jack said. \n “Angelo?” Jessica responded, her face changing abruptly, like she had just bitten into a raw lemon. \n “Yeah, Angelo,” Jack said, now slightly confused, but more alarmed. “You know him?” he asked. If she did... and given where they were now headed... \n “No,” she said, to her brother's relief. “But there's a punk kid named Angelo who hangs around Cherry Hill sometimes when we have practice. He's like... a drug dealer or something. The girls told me about him. One of the punks who hang out under the stadium.” \n Cherry Hill was the name of one of the public high schools nearby. It had a larger than normal athletic field, and many municipal sports leagues made use of their facilities. Jack had not attended there as a student, but many times had played scrimmage games when he was on the high school football team.\n “I'm sure it's not the same Angelo,” Jack said, now feeling concerned again. \n “I dunno,” Jessica said, unconvinced. “They said he was a grey colored fox, or maybe a 'yote. Wears earrings... jeans-jacket...” She squinted as she stared out the door at the boy. \n “Nah, he's just a kit,” Jack said, trying to reassure the girl, though her description so far was spot-on. If nothing else, he wanted to prevent her from telling their parents about this. She continued to squint out the door at him, and did not immediately respond. \n “It is him, isn't it?” She said, recoiling and looking concernedly at her brother. “Jack!” she said in a worried half-whimper. “He's a thug, a punk! I heard he even killed someone in a bad drug deal!” \n “What?” Jack asked, with a sarcastic tone that he now only half felt. “Come on, he's eleven, same as you. He couldn't kill anyone!” The girl thought for a second, then looked back out the door. “Now don't go telling these stories to Mom and Dad,” Jack continued. “You're just going to make them all paranoid over nothing!” Again, he only half felt what he was saying, but had to make sure. “Besides, they might not like that there are so many punks and druggies where you practice!” This much was true, and had circumstances been different, Jack would probably have been more concerned about that fact than he was presently. \n “I did think he was older, actually,” Jessica said, calmer now, as she continued looking outside. \n “Yeah, see? Don't worry, there's nothing to be worried about,” Jack said reassuringly. “So you won't go telling stories and getting them all worked up?” \n “OK,” his sister replied happily. She seemed to have worked it out in her mind. “But you still be careful, ok?” \n “Deal,” he replied, bumping fists with her, which was their sibling way of sealing a promise. “I'll be back soon, don't you worry. You be good 'till then!” His response to that charge was another firm hug from the little fox. Jack went to the door. “I'll lock up, Bye Jessica!” \n “Bye Jack!” she said cheerfully with a wave. \n As Jack exited the house and locked the door, Angelo stood up from where he had been leaning against the car, arms crossed. Jack briskly, but not hurriedly, walked back towards the car, not sure if Jessica was watching from inside. “Get in,” he called to the kit when he was close enough to not have to shout. It sounded more like a command than he had intended. Angelo, startled by the tone, complied quickly. \n Jack got in, tossing his bundle of clothes in the back seat, then backed the car down the driveway, again trying to look casual for his sister, if she was watching. \n “What happened?” Angelo asked, no doubt due to Jack's tone. \n “Huh?” Jack asked, finally realizing. “Oh, nothing, I umm.... just wanted to get going, is all.” \n “Oh, ok.” Angelo replied. “You get the knife?” \n “Yep, its in the pile there,” said Jack. “My sister was home, so I had to make it look like I was moving more of my stuff.” \n “Ooh, lemme see it!” Angelo said excitedly before half-climbing over the seat into the back to retrieve the knife from the bundle. He returned to his seat with the prize and unsheathed it. “Niiiice!” he exclaimed, turning it this way and that. \n “Yeah, and see those clips on the sheath?” Jack pointed. “I can clip it sideways into my belt-loops for easy pulling!” \n “That'll work,” Angelo said, re-sheathing the knife. “Sister was home, huh?” \n “Yep,” Jack confirmed, not sure how much he wanted to reveal just now. There was one thing though, which might make for a harmless tease on the boy. “She thinks you're cute.” \n Angelo's ears perked up for a second. “Oh yeah?” he asked. “Your younger sister, I take it?” \n “Yeah, she's about your age. She turned eleven in April.” \n “Nice!” the cub replied, drawing out the word. “And she wants a piece of The Grey, does she?” \n “HEY!!” Jack barked, with a touch of genuine annoyance. \n “Easy, Jack,” the kit said, now in a much lower tone. “I'm just messing with ya.”\n Jack closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “I know, I know. It's just... that's my sister.” \n “Cool, cool, I'm sorry.” \n The older fox nodded back, with a slight smile, then turned his attention back to the road. The conversation he'd had with Jessica had his mind racing. It had to be the same Angelo she spoke of, especially given their current destination. Angelo sold drugs at a high school, yes. But the rest of what she had said was unnerving in that context, especially given that he had come by the house specifically to pick up a weapon. He looked back to the eleven-year-old fox, who was still preoccupied with inspecting Jack's knife.\n “So,” Jack began. Angelo looked up at him. “Where to?” \n “Well, we can go to a bunch of different places,” the kit replied. “High schools mostly, though.” \n “Right,” said Jack. “Ever go to... umm... Cherry Hill?” he asked, hoping he didn't sound as uneasy as he was. \n “Oh sure,” Angelo said. “That's one of my main places, actually. There's a bike path right by Vic's place that goes by there, so it's easy for me to get to on my bike!” he said with some enthusiasm. Jack just nodded, which elicited a head-tilt from the boy. “What, is that where you went to school?” \n “No, no, just curious,” Jack said. A logical question, as he would probably be less anonymous at his old school, which would not be good in this case. \n “Ok, cool, let's go there then,” said Angelo. “That place is huge, so it'll be full of furs on a day like today!”\n Jack just nodded again, mentally checking off another match to Jessica's story. Then, as Angelo tossed the knife into the back seat and onto the pile of clothes, Jack asked, “You, umm.... ever have to use that? Your knife, I mean?” \n “Oh sure,” Angelo said casually. “I'm just eleven, after all. Some people think that means they can rip me off. High schoollers especially. So I have to... teach them not to. Make them afraid to even try.” \n “So,” Jack said, fishing, “You've had to.... cut someone?” \n After a long pause, Angelo said only, “Yep,” his voice soft. \n “You ever have to... do... worse?” Jack asked, not sure how to phrase it. Angelo just stared at his feet and did not respond. “Come on, Ange,” Jack said gently, “You promised to tell me the truth, remember?” \n Angelo slowly looked up from his feet, but still did not look at the older fox. “I know,” he said finally. “And... I'm telling the truth when I say that...” He paused again, then looked to Jack. “That... it's better if I don't answer that.” \n Jack looked back into the boy's bright blue eyes. The kit's face had a slightly pained expression, and he looked away after a moment, back to his feet. Jack looked back to the road ahead. “Fuck,” he said softly. \n “Well, we're talking about illegal stuff,” Angelo said. “Sometimes it's harmless stuff like cigars. Or even joints for high-schoolers. Other times, it's... not so harmless.” \n “But...,” Jack said, then trailed off, not sure what exactly he wanted to say. \n After a minute in silence, Angelo spoke again, this time slower, and with a touch of sadness in his voice. “It's a dangerous world we're in, Jack. And... we're all playing a dangerous game.” The cub still stared at his feet as he continued. “Me... Vic... his suppliers... our customers... even the kids at Cherry Hill... everyone knows the risks, and we keep playing the game. And... we all just want to make it home when we're done. Usually we do. But... sometimes...” he trailed off into silence. \n “Sometimes... it doesn't work out that way...,” Jack said, finishing the thought after a moment. Angelo didn't respond. “Fuck,” Jack said again, almost under his breath. \n\n It only took another couple minutes to get to Cherry Hill High School. Angelo had quickly returned his attention from his feet to outside the car, and seemed to dismiss the previous conversation. For his part, Jack wasn't sure he believed all of Jessica's story, Angelo's intimations notwithstanding. Now was not going to be the time to think much about that, though. He would certainly have a better idea after this trip concluded. \n As they approached the school, Angelo became more animated, looking towards the various groups of furs out on the athletic fields, as well as the cars in and around the parking lot. Jack slowed down, preparing to turn into the large main lot. \n “Nope, not here,” Angelo said, pointing further down the road. “There's a neighborhood just past the trees. Park on the street right before that.”\n “Ok, sure,” Jack replied. The area pointed out by the kit appeared to be at the extreme edge of the school's property. It would be a longer walk, and up a hill, to get back to the fields from there. It would also afford much more privacy, as there would not be the constant movement of cars coming and going in the parking lot. \n Jack drove to the designated spot and pulled onto the side street and parked. There were several other cars parked there that did not seem to belong to the residents of the street, as they were parked well before any houses. Jack reached into the back seat and retrieved his knife and a flannel shirt. Sitting up, he clipped the knife's sheath into his back belt-loops, then put on the flannel shirt, letting the long shirt-tail cover the weapon. \n The two vulpines exited the car and went around to the trunk. “How does it look?” Jack asked, turning around to let the younger fox inspect his handiwork. \n “Perfect,” came the reply, “I'd never know anything was there!” \n “Alright, let's do this,” Jack said with a combination of eagerness and apprehension. He opened the trunk and the two foxes retrieved the cargo – Angelo carrying two “soda” cartons and wearing his backpack, and Jack carrying the other two cartons. \n As they started up the hill, Angelo cleared his throat dramatically. “Ok,” he began, “Here's how this works. I'm everybody's friend – that's my game. That is, until I'm... not their friend. You'll know when that is, 'cause I'll cross my arms. If you see me do that, it means I think some shit's about to go down, and I'm kinda secretly reaching for my knife too. Be ready for... anything then.”\n “Got it,” said Jack.\n “Your job,” the grey-furred kit continued, “You're the guy who's always cool and calm, but you have this look like you're ready to start something at the drop of a hat. You don't really talk, and you keep an eye on everybody, like you're sizing them up, always keeping track of where everybody is, all the time.” \n “I can do that!” Jack replied. This talk was actually starting to get him enthusiastic about what they were doing. \n “Now,” Angelo said, “If any of the school staff spot us actually doing our thing, I'm gonna run. If they try to stop me, you say something like “I'll get him!” and take off after me. That way we're both out of there, and with nobody on our tails!” \n “Nice!” Jack said, approvingly. \n “If they're just wandering too close, we casually move on down the field. Of course, if I say “run”, we both run, no bullshit games,” Angelo concluded with a smile.\n The pair were now nearing the fields. It was essentially a large, open tract of ground, that had been separated into smaller individual playing fields by the installation of goals, bases, corner markers, and painted lines on the grass. Various groups had also installed temporary goals and such for their various sports on the smaller fields, for purposes of their particular practice sessions. \n One edge of the larger land area was bordered by the parking lot, another by the school itself, and a third by the back side of the stadium. It was to this framework of iron girders supporting the stadium seats that Angelo steered the two. \n Jack looked around at the various groups holding their practices, tryouts, or whatever happened to bring them there that day. Ages seemed to range from elementary age through high-school age. There was football, baseball, lacrosse, what looked like cheerleaders practicing, and even a small cluster of marching band members drilling.\n “You smoke, Jack?” Angelo asked, interrupting the red fox's thoughts. \n “Huh? Me, no,” Jack replied to this out-of-left-field question, “Not for a few years, no.”\n “Mmm,” said the younger fox, acknowledging. “Well... don't panic then.” \n Jack looked to the boy and saw him pop a cigarette into the corner of his muzzle. For some reason, that sight made him sad, and his ears drooped slightly. \n “Don't worry,” the kit said, clearly picking up on this, “This is only for looks,” he said, lighting the cigarette. “These things taste like shit, to be honest,” he continued, throwing Jack a wink as he finished. \n “Ok, then,” the teenage fox said with a laugh. \n “Right, game faces,” Angelo said, suddenly serious as they neared the back of the stadium. He slowed his pace to more of a confident stroll or saunter. Jack nodded at the instruction, and set his face as expressionless as he could, jaw firmly set, and fell in one pace behind and to the left of the boy. \n There were several small groups of furs at various points under the stadium's steel skeleton, and some other larger groups gathered nearby, in the protection of the giant structure's shadow. The pair walked along the back edge, surveying the scene and looking for a relatively clear place to stop. More than once as they walked, a random fur would call out “Hey, Angelo,” or a similar greeting, which was returned with a cordial wave by the little fox. \n They finally found a spot just past the halfway point of the stadium – a fairly unpopulated stretch of space beneath it, decently lit by the sun shining in through gaps in the seating above. Most importantly, Jack noted, there was a rather unobstructed view of the surroundings, in the event a quick escape was required. \n Angelo stopped by one of the concrete-supported girders, and set his cartons down. “Ok, we hang here for a bit. See who's interested,” he said, leaning back against the girder with hands in his jacket pockets. \n It did not take very long before the first furs wandered by. The smuggled beers were the first to go – all gone within ten minutes before anyone even inquired about the drugs. A quick $200, Jack noted. Technically $190, as Angelo had given one young teen cat a discount, as he said he only had $40 on him.\n Once the beers had gone, a couple groups of older teens had stopped by, a few minutes apart. The first group was looking for a bag of joints to split among them, while the second group had two members who each wanted a larger amount, an ounce, as Jack heard them request. \n With both groups serviced, and a few more hundred dollars in their possession, things then quieted down, as far as customers went. Angelo explained it as the first customers being the ones who saw them arrive. Business would naturally trail off after them, until word-of-mouth got around. “Now's the time to keep an eye out for administrators and security, in case they overhear stuff that they're not supposed to,” he stated. \n “Yeah, I'm actually surprised that nobody has asked us what we're doing here,” Jack said. \n “Nah,” said the little fox, “These people have no idea what's going on right under their noses!” \n Over the next hour or so, several more furs stopped by to make a buy. Some in groups, some by themselves. Others inquired about other drugs, such as cocaine or “dust”, but Angelo dismissed them cordially, with a “not today”. \n As the latest buyer departed, the young fox took a quick inventory of his backpack. “Only a couple baggies left,” he remarked. “We can start heading back to the car, slowly, and see if there are any last-minute takers.” \n “Sounds good to me!” Jack said with no small enthusiasm. Even in the shade of the stadium, it was hot, and the humid air hung thickly. The flannel shirt he wore didn't help in that department. He could only imagine what the younger kit felt like in his heavy denim jacket. \n They walked slowly towards the direction they had come, looking out towards the playing fields and the various activities which were still going on. Those groups would not be wrapping up any time soon, by the looks of the equipment that they had deployed. \n As they pair moved further down the back edge of the stadium, Jack noticed a pair of teenage bunny girls – cheerleaders, by their outfits – ahead of them, sitting on the grass chatting. As the foxes got closer, one of the girls saw them, and both sprang to their feet and waved. \n “A-ha,” Angelo said, as if he had been expecting to meet the 2 girls. \n “Heya Angelo!” one of them said, when they were close enough. \n “Hiya Tish,” Angelo responded, “You got my 200 bucks?” \n The bunny called Tish looked to her friend briefly then walked up to the boy and put an arm around his shoulder. “Actually, I don't,” she said happily, which Jack found oddly out-of-place. “In fact, we're going to the beach next week, so I need you to advance me another bag!” \n The grey-furred kit shook his head. “No can do, Tish. Credit's bad for business.” \n This did not seem to deter the bunny girl, and she put her other arm across the boy's other shoulder, bending her knees slightly to bring her to his eye level. “Aww, come on, Ange! My boyfriend's coming, and we got a full house! We're gonna party!” She drew out the last word, almost singing it. “You wouldn't leave me with nothing, would ya?” \n “I got to buy the stuff too, Tish,” Angelo said, hands still in pockets. “I keep giving away product, and it's gonna come out of my cut!”\n “Hmm,” replied Tish, lowering her voice somewhat. Then apparently deciding on a different tack, “You know,” she said, her voice deeper and more sultry sounding, “I'd do... anything, for another bag.” She closed her arms around Angelo's neck, drawing him in closer to her face. He smiled slightly at this, which was met by a slow peck on the nose.” \n “Anything, huh?” the younger fox replied, his voice also lowering. \n Tish nuzzled the side of his face once, then moved lower to his neck. “Mmm-hmm,” she simply intoned, her nose now nuzzling the neckline of his shirt. “Aaanything!”\n Jack watched this silently, though screaming in his mind to the boy to not fall for it. The other bunny girl also watched, with an amused toothy grin on her face. \n Angelo swallowed visibly. “Well,” he started slowly, “I guess if you... really want it...” \n “Mmm-hmm?” Tish vocalized back, in a slow, sultry tone. \n Angelo looked up to Jack for an instant, his eyes instantly losing the half-closed state they had acquired since Tish started her ministrations, then back at Tish's head. “THEN GET ME MY 200 BUCKS!” he screamed directly into the bunny's now perfectly-positioned ear. \n Tish recoiled instantly, one paw clamped to her ear, as Angelo laughed cruelly. She looked back at him with hatred. “You little SHIT!” she shouted. “You're not getting a dime from me!” \n “Hey, now,” he replied, his voice now expressionless. “You don't want to go there, rabbit girl.” \n “Fuck you!” Tish shouted back venomously, her friend now holding her shoulder, as she seemed to want to charge at the young fox. “You get nothing from me! And I mean NOTHING!”\n “You know,” Angelo said, almost conversationally now, “You're going to look weird trying to do cheers with two broken knees.” His voice became icy as said the last part, and he stared coldly at her. \n Tish still looked at the boy with wide-eyed hatred, but her friend now grabbed the bunny's other shoulder as she heard the threat, and began leading her away. “Fuck you!” Tish called back one more time before turning and letting her friend guide her away. \n Angelo watched the two depart, not breaking his gaze until they were well away. “Pffft,” he finally said, disgustedly, and turned back towards the direction of the car and resumed walking. He didn't even look back to Jack. The older fox quickly followed the kit, and heard him mutter “...bitch...” as he fell in beside him.\n The two vulpines walked in silence for a few moments, then Jack spoke up. “You're gonna break her knees?” he asked, not really believing it. \n Angelo looked to the teenage fox. “Well, actually that's kinda what you're here for,” he said, his face blank. Jack stared back, his eyes widening slightly. Angelo's face quickly broke into a smile at this. “Nah, not really,” he said, giggling slightly as Jack made an over-the-top expression of relief. “The thing is, you don't actually have to do it,” Angelo explained, “You just have to make them think you're going to do it. Reputation is everything!” \n Jack nodded, thinking on this. That might explain, or more importantly, dismiss some things, he thought. Then, back to the matter at hand, “You should'a let her keep going for a bit, though!” he said with a salacious smile, and a quick elbow to the boy's arm. \n Anglo chuckled. “Heh, why do you think I gave her the stuff on credit to begin with?” he said with a grin. \n Jack laughed out loud at this. Then, leaning in conspiratorially, “What'd she do?” \n Angelo's ears flattened back slightly as a grin crossed his face. “Well,” he said slowly, “First one, she... umm... went down my pants, and... umm...” he trailed off and just made a rocking motion with his fist – the universal jack-off sign. \n Jack's ears shot up straight. “Nice!” he exclaimed. \n “Yeah,” Angelo said, still grinning. “She only did it for like a minute, then stopped. But it was long enough for me to... um... figure it out for myself. When I got home, I mean.” He sounded embarrassed to be talking about this. “That was... educational,” he concluded with a smile. \n “Ha, I bet!” Jack said with a laugh. The understatement of the century, he thought. “You never knew it could do that, did you?” \n “No...” the kit replied, looking down now, and smiling widely. “So, yeah, that was worth a hundred,” he said, now looking back to the older fox. \n “Definitely,” replied Jack. “And the next time?” \n “Well,” Angelo began, again slowly and with a tinge of embarrassment, “Next time, she tried to do it again, and I told her to give me something new, so she... umm...” He paused, ears flat back now. “She, ummm, sucked... it...”\n “No!” Jack blurted out, prompting a vigorous nod from the younger fox. “You got blown by a cheerleader?” \n “Yeah,” the kit replied sheepishly, still with a slightly embarrassed grin on his face. “I guess...” \n “How long she do it for?” the red fox inquired, still amazed by this development. \n “Oh, long enough, that time!” came the enthusiastic reply. \n Jack laughed out loud again. “Nice!” was all he could say.\n “Mmm-hmm,” Angelo just said. “So that was another hundred.” \n “Wow,” said Jack, impressed. “So I guess this time, she'd have to go all the way with you, huh?” \n “Pfft,” the young fox replied. “She's a slut.” \n “Exactly!” Jack said with a laugh. “Should'a done it, I don't mind waiting!” he said teasingly. Whether that could have actually taken place with all the crowds around, he did not bother to consider. \n “Oh hell no,” Angelo said back. “She really is a slut! I'm not going to have someone like that for my fir...” He stopped abruptly, mid-word. \n Jack looked over to the boy, conscious of the sudden change. Angelo looked to the ground as he walked, jaw and fists both clenched. He had clearly not intended to say that last part. It was easy for Jack to interpret where he had been going. \n “For your... first time?” he asked gently. Angelo just took a deep breath through his nose, still looking angry with himself. He patted the young fox's shoulder which startled him, causing him to nearly stumble mid-stride. “Come on,” Jack continued, “you're eleven. You're not supposed to have a giant resume of girls at that age. Hell, just the shit you have done is more than most!” \n Angelo still looked at the ground as he walked, but his expression softened somewhat as the other fox spoke. Finally, the kit said, “Why are you so... damn easy to talk to?” He looked back to Jack and smiled. \n “It's a curse,” Jack said with a smile. He wanted to put an arm around the kit, but given his apparent skittishness at being touched, combined with the fact that they were still under the stadium, and so still “on the job”, he declined. \n The duo reached the end of the stadium and continued through the field towards the car. After a minute or two of silence, Angelo spoke up again. “How old were you?” he asked casually. \n Jack looked straight head. “Me?” he asked, stalling for time that he knew would not be there.\n “Yeah,” Angelo confirmed. “Your first time, I mean.” \n “My first time,” Jack repeated. Angelo nodded and looked expectantly at him. “Well,” Jack began, slightly embarrassed himself now, “Well... when it happens, I'll be sure to let you know.” \n Angelo stared back at the teenage fox, almost in awe at this revelation. “Really?” he asked, his voice hushed, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear. \n “Really,” Jack said with a nod. \n “But... but you were on the football team, right?” \n Jack laughed at this. “Yeah, I was,” he said, still laughing. “That don't mean anything though!” \n “But,” Angelo repeated, now sounding confused. He obviously had a pre-conceived notion of what being on the football team entailed. “The cheerleaders?” was all he could ask. \n “Yep, we had cheerleaders,” Jack confirmed. “There were even a few sluts among them. Most of them were just normal girls though.” \n “And even with them, you never...” \n “Nope, never,” Jack said. “See what I mean, that you don't have to worry if you haven't either?” \n Angelo seemed to ponder this turn of events for a few moments. “No BJ?” he finally asked. Jack shook his head silently. Angelo then asked, “Not even...” and again made the rocking fist gesture. \n “Nope, nothing. Nobody's been down there but me.” \n “Huh,” Angelo said, sounding confused and impressed at the same time. He thought for a few moments as they continued to walk. Then: “Are you gay?” \n There it was, Jack thought to himself. It was certainly a logical question, in the context of their conversation. And the boy had not asked it with any hint of malice or teasing, but in a purely innocent conversational tone. \n That didn't make it any easier, though, Jack thought. And given all that Angelo had shared of his intimate encounters with Tish, Jack felt that his question at least deserved an answer, and an honest one at that, regardless of the embarrassment. There was just one problem though...\n Angelo looked at Jack expectantly after his inquiry. Jack did not make eye contact, but kept looking straight ahead. After a moment in silence, the younger fox said, “Never mind... don't answer that,” a hint of concern in his voice as his eyes searched the red fox's face. \n Jack smiled at this. “Would it matter?” he asked, finally making eye contact with the kit. \n Angelo shrugged. “Not to me,” he said plainly. “Does to some, but not me. You gotta love who you love.” \n Jack smiled again, resisting the urge to fuzzle the boy's headfur. “That's a nice sentiment,” Jack said. \n “Well,” the little grey-furred fox continued, “If I've learned anything doing this, it's that life is... unpredictable. You could die tomorrow. You, me, Vic, any of us... today even. With all that to worry about, seems stupid to worry about something basic like who you love.”\n “You're very wise,” Jack said. \n “Eh, I read a lot of restaurant place-mats,” the kit replied with a grin. \n Jack laughed at this, while inside thinking of what the boy had said. It truly was wise, especially considering the life he led, and now Jack along with him. There was still that one problem though...\n “Well, the truth is,” Jack began, not sure how to say it, “that I... don't know what I am, actually.” This prompted a confused head-tilt from his grey-furred companion. “What I mean is... I don't look at every girl I pass, and imagine... having sex with her, or what she looks like naked. But there was one girl in my 11th-grade chemistry class.” He smiled, remembering. “She was... a goddess. And smart too. Great sense of humor. Oh the hot sex we had.” \n “Huh?” Angelo asked, thoroughly confused by that last line, after what had just been discussed. \n Jack tapped his forehead. “In here, I mean. The fantasies I had about her...” he shook his whole head like he was trying to shake off water. “Wow, just... wow. Of course in real life, I was way too shy to ever say anything like that to her.” Angelo nodded, understanding. \n “Then,” Jack continued, “on the flip-side, I don't look at guys and lust after them, or anything, but there was one guy on the football team.” Jack could hardly believe he was saying all this. “He was my practice partner. He'd try to catch the ball and I'd try to stop him, so we practiced a lot together. Afterwards, in the locker room... and then the shower room...” he paused. “He was... beautiful. And then later on, in my head at night...” Angelo now just stared, listening intently. \n “I knew I could never even think about saying anything to him about it,” Jack went on, now talking as much to himself as to the kit. “I'd have gotten my head stomped in. So yeah... most girls do nothing for me, and guys are sweaty and gross for the most part, but I've been... in love... with one of each. So... I don't know what I am.” \n “That's good!” Angelo now said happily. It was Jack's turn now to look confused. The kit continued, “You just love a person. And what they are doesn't matter.”\n Jack stared back. He had literally never looked at it like this. He was always trying to fit himself into the commonly defined categories of “straight”, “gay”, and “bi”, none of which he could honestly say he fit completely. What Angelo was describing, regardless of what it might be called, seemed to fit him perfectly. \n Angelo went on. “Screw what's “normal” or what anyone says is “right” or “wrong”. If you love someone, whoever it is, go for it! That's a pretty good way to be, I think.” \n Jack chuckled nervously, which was a habit of his when he finally figured out something that he'd been trying to set straight in his mind. “Who they are... not what they are,” he said slowly. \n “You got it!” replied Angelo happily. \n They were now clear of the athletic field and were approaching the car. Jack was still going over this in his mind, and it all made sense to him. He would look back to Angelo every few moments, chuckling nervously as his mind accepted the notion fully. The kit would return his look with a smile or a thumbs-up. \n As they reached the car and opened the trunk, Jack had to resist the urge to outright hug the small fox out of joy and relief.\n\n The ride back to the apartments was fairly quick and uneventful. Angelo occupied himself with counting and sorting the cash they had made from the day, making sure to separate his soda-beer proceeds from the stack that would go to Victor. \n Jack, for his part, just sat back and relaxed as he drove, an overall feeling of happiness still permeating his mind over his recent self-discovery. He had not really thought about it since graduation, as there were neither males nor females of his age in his life since moving to his apartment. Nevertheless, this recent awakening lifted a heavy weight from his mind – he could now just be himself and not worry about what he was “supposed” to do when it came to finding a partner. \n As they pulled into the apartment parking lot, Jack noticed that Victor's car was still not there. He pulled his own car into a parking spot in front of his unit, as there was nothing remaining to unload from the trunk, except for Angelo's backpack. \n “Vic's not back yet?” Jack asked as the two foxes got out of the car, and Jack opened the trunk for the boy. \n “Nah, he won't be back tonight,” Angelo confirmed. “Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day.” \n “What the hell?” Jack asked, surprised by this. “Where is he? He just left you alone for a few days?” \n “Yep,” the little fox said, retrieving his backpack from the trunk. “He's in New York, seeing his main supplier. Vic calls him 'The Russian.' He's the one who got us all the cig's and... other stuff.” The kit head-tilted towards his backpack as he said that, indicating this Russian as the source for their drugs as well. \n “And he just left you here? Alone?” \n “Yup,” the grey-furred fox replied. “He does this every week or 2, actually. He's trying to work out some big new deal. Vic says it will take us to 'the next level', whatever that means.”\n Jack nodded, as the two vulpines stood by his car. He was still surprised that Victor had left the kit alone for two days, after having just said how he looked after the boy. There was little doubt that the kit could take care of himself, though, and Victor would have to have seen that. Still, it had to suck to be left alone in these small apartments, Jack thought. \n “You wanna come over or something?” he asked the younger fox. \n “Over?” Angelo answered with a head-tilt. \n “Yeah, to my place. We could grab a pizza or something and hang out. Beats being cooped up alone, right?” \n Angelo smiled wanly, then said, “Nah, that's ok. I don't mind it really. Gives me time to read, plus I have to get the bags ready for tomorrow anyway.”\n Jack's ears drooped at this. “Well, you know where I live if you change your mind,” he said. Angelo just nodded with a faint smile. Jack echoed his nod, smiling back at the young fox, who suddenly looked small to the teen. He had to again resist the urge to hug the kit. Awkwardly, he merely said, “Well... see you tomorrow then,” before turning towards his door. \n “Jack?” Angelo called out after he had taken only a couple of steps. The red fox turned to his grey-furred compatriot, who quickly walked back to him. “Umm... forgot this,” the kit said, handing Jack a wad of cash – his pay for the day, in Victor's absence. \n “Thanks Angelo!” Jack replied with a smile, which was returned by the little fox, who held his gaze for more than a few seconds before turning back towards his and Victor's apartment. Jack turned and slowly walked back towards his door. \n “Jack?” he heard Angelo call out again as he reached his door. Turning, he saw the boy in the middle of the parking lot, hands in his jacket pocket. He seemed to search for words for a moment. “Did....” he continued after a pause. “Did you have fun today?” \n “I did,” Jack called back. “Lots of fun actually!” \n Angelo smiled and nodded, tail wagging slightly. “Me too!” he said, before turning again back towards his apartment. \n Jack stood on his own doorstep and watched the little grey-furred fox, who this time continued all the way to his door, and went inside without looking back. His ears flattening slightly, Jack unlocked his own door and went inside. \n\nTo be continued...\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Disclaimer: This story is part of a series, entitled “Dangerous Games”. The series contains non-human anthropomorphic animal (“Furry”) characters of varying ages, adult and cub. While there are no overt sexual acts depicted in this series, the stories will contain adult themes, topics, and situations, which may not be legal in some jurisdictions. These include: frank discussions of sexual acts and character sexuality, alcohol and drug use, criminal acts, violence, adult language, weapons including guns and knives, bloodshed, grievous bodily harm, death, and events which depict underage characters in peril.  

It is up to the reader to be aware of the laws regarding depictions of such material in their place of residence. If you are not allowed to read such material, due to age, religion, place of residence, or any other factor, do not continue.

This story and all characters are copyright Shryke. This is a work of fiction. All events and persons depicted are fictional, and any similarities with actual events or persons is purely coincidental.

This is Part 3. If you've not read the prior parts, you will be rather lost, plus you'll be spoiling some of the things that were set up in the previous parts.



DANGEROUS GAMES
by Shryke
Part 3

          When Jack awoke from his nap a couple hours later, the first thought to go through his mind as the sleep-haze slowly lifted was “Jeez, what a dream that was!”
          As the grogginess left him though, the memories of that morning's adventure came flooding back stronger, rather than fading into obscurity as dream-memories often do. His easy-chair was still out in the center of the room where he had dragged it, and as he sat up in it, he had a clear view across the parking lot of Victor and Angelo's apartment. Victor's black coupe was still parked out front, and the old delivery car was not. Nope, not a dream, he thought to himself.
          “Fuck!” the red fox exclaimed, jumping to his feet as he remembered just why he had positioned his chair to observe his neighbor's door. He went to the window and stood there, staring out towards Victor's place. It was as inscrutable as it had always been.
          Jack wanted to run across the parking lot and check on Angelo. Though they had only met scant days ago, Jack immediately felt protective of the young fox. Hearing his story earlier that morning, followed by Victor's tirade at him on the drive home, only served to reinforce that feeling. The ferret's cold stare when he told Jack to return tomorrow, though, left no doubt that he did not want to see the teenage fox again today.
          Resignedly, Jack sat back down in his chair. He hated this helpless feeling: the same feeling that came over him as he watched Victor order the young kit inside their house, knowing that he was specifically excluded from whatever argument they were about to have.
          Angelo had known it was coming though, Jack thought. When he had shuffled the 18-year-old into the cramped back seat of Victor's car, while the small kit took the spacious front for himself, he had whispered, “Trust me” into Jack's ear. In retrospect, this clearly meant, “Trust me, you don't want to be sitting next to him when he goes off.”
          Jack leaned back in his chair, and the helpless feeling abated somewhat as he pondered. He could still not figure out those two's relationship. Angelo was obviously used to Victor's temper, and at least on the surface seemed happy living there. Even as he was marshaled inside by the angry ferret, he had thrown Jack a smile and a thumbs-up.
          Granted, he didn't have a whole lot of choice, Jack reminded himself. Angelo's family was  gone, and he was apparently unwilling to go back into State custody. Perhaps his attitude towards Victor was just his way of making the best out of his only real option. The helpless feeling began to creep back into Jack's mind.
          Jack stood back up, and tried to put it out of his mind. So the ferret had a hot temper, he thought. He'd had friends in school whose parents would lose their tempers as well, and they too usually took it inside. You're still the outsider, Jack reminded himself. Victor likely just wanted to keep their dirty laundry behind closed doors.
          The young fox chuckled, chiding himself for letting his mind running away with this situation. Victor had made it clear that the deliveries would resume tomorrow, and that Victor himself would not be there. It would be pretty obvious when he met the kit in the morning if anything more than an argument had ensued today, Jack thought. He would make a point to mention it, of course.
          The red fox paused at this thought as another occurred to him: Suppose the boy is completely happy where he is, and Jack's constant inquiries were unwelcome, at best, or even irritating. Perhaps his protective feelings were not appreciated by the younger fox. He had, after all, recoiled defensively several times when Jack tried to pat his shoulder or fuzzle his hair.
          No, that just doesn't... feel right, Jack thought, remembering. Angelo had smiled appreciatively when Jack insisted on accompanying him to meet the creepy plastic surgeon, as well as when the older fox called him “little bro”, though that was just for cover purposes. His mind began racing again.
          “Enough,” he told himself out loud, as he walked towards his front door, keys in-hand. He would go get some dinner, and try to take his mind off of all these unknowns and “what-if's”.
          Jack walked out to his car and looked across the parking lot again briefly before getting in the car. He started it up, and revved the engine a few times to warm it up. In the back of his mind, he hoped that the sound of his car would be audible inside Victor's apartment, just... in case. With a chuckle that lived somewhere between worry and self-annoyance, he bonked his forehead on the steering wheel; this was not going to help clear his mind. Nevertheless, he kept his eyes glued to the rear-view mirror which was pointed squarely at the ferret's apartment. Nothing. Not even a rustle of the curtains was seen.
          With a resigned sigh, Jack backed his car out of the parking spot and drove towards the apartment's exit. One thing he knew for sure, though. Regardless of appearances, Angelo was in a rather shitty situation, and whether appreciated or not, Jack was not going to change his protective feelings towards him.

          The next morning, Jack walked across the parking lot towards Angelo's door. He was dressed somewhat more casually than the previous day, in just a T-shirt and jeans, which seemed to fit the level of formality, or the lack thereof, in Angelo's attire. Victor's car was indeed absent as expected, Jack noted. He knocked on the door.
          After a minute with no answer, he knocked again somewhat louder, then waited. As another minute passed in silence, the fur on the back of Jack's neck began to tingle. He knocked yet again, nearly pounding on the door this time.
          “Yeah?” came Angelo's voice quietly from inside the apartment.
          “It's Jack,” the red fox replied, closing his eyes with a sigh of relief.
          After a few seconds, the lock clicked and the door opened halfway. Angelo was walking away from the door as Jack pushed it open, wrapped head to toe in the heavy blanket from his bed. Jack followed the boy inside and closed the door behind him.
          “Hey Jack,” the kit said groggily before sitting down heavily on the couch, still cocooned in the blanket. He looked out from the tangle of cloth at Jack and smiled wanly. He had clearly just awakened.
          “Hey, Ange,” Jack said, still standing by the door. The apartment looked much the same as it had the previous morning, with the delivery bags lined up in the middle of the living room floor, and the same larger boxes against the walls, in varying states of openness. He walked towards the young fox on the couch. “You... ok?” he asked. It was a rather vaguely phrased concern, but would do for now, Jack thought.
          “Yeah, sure,” Angelo replied. “Just... really tired. Fell asleep real early yesterday too. I guess its the coke wearing off, like you said, huh?”
          Jack nodded. “Yep. Just get up and get moving and you'll be ok.” He was glad to see that the “kit-sized” dose of cocaine that the boy took yesterday had left him. Hopefully the cub would remember the downside of the drug in future, and forget the initial high which might entice him back for a repeat try at it.
          Angelo yawned deeply. “Don't wanna get up,” he said, then curled up on the couch, his face mostly disappearing into the blanket folds.
          Jack smiled at this, then walked over and sat down on the free end of the couch, near the kit's head. Angelo craned his head upwards to look at the older fox, his grey muzzle just visible within the blankets.
          “Want me to go get breakfast?” Jack inquired. “Some food and sugary soda to get you moving?” he suggested with a smile.
          Angelo sat back upright and pulled the blanket off of his head and down to his bare shoulders. Another yawn. “Yeah, that sounds good,” he said. “I need to get a shower anyway.”
          “Ok, consider it done!” said Jack, standing back up. “Be back in fifteen, twenty minutes.” Angelo nodded but didn't move. Jack didn't move either, and just stood there smiling, with a sort of expectant look on his face.
          The kit cocked his head slightly. “Wha... what?” he asked with a slight chuckle.
          “I ain't moving 'till you get up,” Jack responded with a wink. He knew from experience with his kit sister that actions always overrode words when it came to getting up in the morning.
          The young grey-furred fox smiled. “Ok, ok,” he said quietly, half-laughing, as he got to his feet and slowly shuffled towards the hallway and his makeshift bedroom, his blanket-wrapping hindering his motion somewhat. . Turning around at the hallway, he said, “You can go. I gotta lock the door after you leave, and...” he looked down at his blanket-garb then back up at Jack.
          “Right,” the teenage fox said, remembering that Angelo didn't wear anything to bed. “Back soon,” he said, opening the door, then stepped outside, closing it behind him. As he walked back to his car, he heard the lock click on the door behind him.

          As Jack pulled back in, twenty or so minutes later, he parked his car in front of Angelo's apartment rather than his own, to facilitate loading in of the deliveries. He headed to the apartment door with a Burger Joint take-out bag and two large sodas, one of which he had already started upon during his drive.
          Angelo opened the door immediately upon Jack's knock this time. He was now wearing just a pair of jeans, and was brushing out his grey-furred tail, post-shower. Jack put the food down on one of the ubiquitous boxes that seemed to serve as furniture.
          “Breakfast is served,” he said cheerfully, and sat down on the couch as Angelo finished up his tail and gave his white chest fluff a final pass with the brush. Jack took a bite from a breakfast biscuit as he watched, noting with some sense of satisfaction that Angelo did not appear to be under-nourished – he did not have visible ribs jutting out, and his belly-button was an “innie” with perhaps a residual touch of baby-fat around it, which made Jack smile for some reason.
          “Smells good!” came the enthusiastic reply from the little fox. He grabbed a biscuit from the bag and held it in his teeth as he scooped up the bath towel and fur brush with his paws. “Right back,” he said around the biscuit as he carried the bundle back towards the bathroom.
          “Take your time,” Jack said, sitting back in the couch and sipping from his soda. He suddenly felt a lot better about Angelo's relationship with Victor, and again mentally chided himself for playing out the worst-case scenarios in his mind the previous evening. The boy did not have a broken arm or anything, and the incidental glance revealed that he was not a starving emaciated cub kept under the thumb of a modern-day Fagin. The red fox laughed again and shook his head at his own behavior.
          “What?” came Angelo's voice from behind the couch. The kit had re-emerged from his room, now sporting a black T-shirt, similar to yesterday's garb, and had obviously heard Jack's laugh. Jack tilted his head back over the rear of the couch and regarded the boy upside-down. “What's so funny?” Angelo asked again.
          “Nah, nothing,” Jack said with a smile. “Just thinking of stuff, is all.”
          “Mmm,” the younger fox vocalized, then sat down on the couch next to Jack. In between bites of biscuit, he would lean down to tie his shoes, holding the food in his teeth as he did so.
          “So, what's on the agenda for today?” Jack asked.
          Angelo held up a finger as he swallowed the food he'd been chewing. “Well,” he began when it was down, “pretty much the same as yesterday. I figure we'll do a cigar batch or two in the morning, then after lunch, maybe something a little different.”
          “Yeah, Victor said something about that in the car. Something about one of your “school trips” or something?” Jack could only imagine what that might entail. Somehow, though, he knew it didn't mean a field-trip to a local cultural center.
          “Yep, that's the plan!” replied the kit, but as he had before, he did not elaborate.
          “So...” said Jack, trying to gently force the issue, since it would directly concern him, “What are those about?”
          “Ehh... later. Lets focus on the cigars for now,” said the younger fox, with what Jack thought was a touch of nervousness in his voice. “Go ahead and load up the first six bags from the sheet here. They're all lined up, starting in the corner over there.” He put the master list on the table-box next to the now empty food bag.
          Jack sighed and stood up to get the bags in question. Oh well, he thought. He would find out what these “school trips” were in due time. He had a feeling that he already knew, though, and in a way was apprehensive to find out, much as Angelo seemed to be apprehensive about telling him.
          The teenage fox carried the bags out to his car, and put them in the trunk, tearing off the identification tags as he had done before. When he did this very task yesterday, he could not have imagined how the day would unfold. As he repeated it now, he couldn't help but wonder where he would be at day's end.
          As Jack walked back into the apartment, Angelo was coming out of his bedroom, and was putting on his denim jacket, despite forecasts for another sweltering summer day ahead. He grabbed a backpack from the corner and slung it over one shoulder. “Ready?” he asked Jack, almost cheerfully.
          “Yeah, sure,” Jack replied. Angelo motioned for him to lead on, then followed Jack out of the apartment and locked the door.

          "So, where to first?" Jack asked as he pulled the car out of the parking lot and onto the street.
          "Well, first," Angelo replied, "You know where the public library is?"
          "The one right around the corner?" Jack asked. The kit nodded. "Isn't that a little close to home for this kind of thing?"
          "Nope, not in this case," came the reply from the younger fox.
          Jack shrugged. "Ok, you're the boss," he said, steering the car in the appropriate direction. Angelo picked the backpack up off of the floor and held it on his lap.
          They were quickly to the library, it being literally just around the corner from the apartment complex. As they pulled in, Jack steered towards the parking lot, but Angelo stopped him.
          "Don't park," the boy said, pointing to the side of the building. "Pull up to that big orange metal thing."
          "The book return?" Jack asked, now confused. He looked over to Angelo. "But then how…" he began, as the younger fox just gazed back pleasantly at him. Jack shook his head. "Never mind, never mind," he said, which precipitated a giggle from the little kit.
          Jack steered the car to the book return, a large metal box set up at the curbside. It was reachable from cars that may pull up to it, to allow ease of use without drivers having to get out of the car. "Ok, now what?" Jack asked, rolling down his window to drop off whatever Angelo had in mind.
          "Now," the kit began, almost dramatically, "Drop this in. It's due today!" He pulled a hardback book from the backpack and held it out to Jack. His eyes had almost a twinkle to them as he smiled.
          Jack stared back for a second, then laughed out loud. He had been gotten. "You little…" he said with a grin, which prompted another giggle from the grey-furred vulpine. Taking the book from the kit, Jack looked it over. A Tale of Two Cities, by D. Chickens. He looked back to Angelo. "You read this?"
          "Yep!," came an enthusiastic reply.
          "Wow," Jack said as he reached out to drop the book into the receptacle, "I didn't read this 'till 11th Grade! How was it?"
          "It was good," Angelo replied. "Kinda' heavy, though."
          "Yeah, I'll say," said the red fox. "I mean the hero gets his head chopped off, that's not exactly grammar-school reading!"
          Angelo nodded with a slight shrug. "Yeah, maybe," he said. "But he only did it because of Lucie, right? I mean, he loved her so much that he traded himself for her boyfriend so the two of them could get away and live. That's kind of a good ending… in a way, you know?" He shrugged again.
          "True, true," Jack said, conceding the point. "They do say that giving up your life to save someone else is the best thing a person can do."
          Angelo nodded, ruminating on that. "I wonder if I'll ever feel that way about someone,” he mused. “To do something like that, I mean.”
          "Well, hopefully it won't ever come to something that extreme," Jack said with a smile as he pulled away from the curb and back onto the street. "And there's plenty of time to find the right someone, don't you worry."
          Angelo nodded again. "I guess," he said, sounding slightly unconvinced.

          The morning's deliveries went without a hitch this time – no creepy customers, no police chases, and no blazing infernos. The pair stopped off at a Taco Bueno for some lunch, and returned to the apartments to prepare the afternoon's activities. Angelo had not hinted at what this would entail, and remembering his earlier reticence, Jack did not bring it up.
          Angelo tossed his jacket in the corner as they entered the apartment, and fluffed out his shirt a few times, letting the cool air of the room under his clothes. It was already pretty hot outside as midday passed, yet he had kept the jacket on the whole morning.
          Jack came in and closed the door, still sipping on the large soda he bought at lunch. “So, what's next?” he asked, as he sat down on the couch. He had formed a guess or two as to what they would be doing next, and now was the time for Angelo to lay it on the line.
          “Ok. Well...” began the kit, with a hint of reluctance in his voice. It was as if he felt that Jack wasn't going to like what was coming. “Ok,” he said again.
          “Ange,” Jack interrupted, “It's cool, you can tell me.”
          The kit dropped his ears halfway, looking slightly embarrassed. “Ok,” he repeated with a smile. “So what we do is go to a high school around here. They should be having Summer sports camps and probably tryouts for the Fall too. So there should be lots of furs around. And we just hang out and, umm... sell stuff to 'em. If they want, that is.”
          “Stuff,” Jack said plainly, provoking a confirming nod from the kit. “What sort of “stuff” would we be selling?”
          “Well,” Angelo began, drawing out the word, “First off there's these.” He went into the kitchen and picked up something from the floor. Returning to the living room, he placed it on the couch next to the teenage fox. A standard 12-pack of soda.
          Jack was rather surprised. “Really?” he asked, almost happily. “Sodas?”
          “Ah, well not exactly,” Angelo replied. “See, what I did here was open up the end flap and take  the sodas out, then re-fill the carton with beers! Then I glue it shut again, and nobody knows what's really in 'em!” He sounded proud as he described the process.
          “Wow,” Jack said, impressed. “Did you think of that?”
          “Yep!” came the reply, a big smile crossing the cub's face.
          Jack looked back to the “soda” carton. “One flaw in your scheme though,” he said with a mock-chiding tone.
          “I bet there isn't!” Angelo replied confidently, mimicking the same tone, and grinning broadly.
          “Well, see the problem here is,” Jack went on, reaching a finger into the split in the cardboard that served as the carry handle for the carton, “you can still look into this hole and...” he stopped. Two soda cans were plainly visible through the small slit.
          Angelo giggled, and looked innocently at Jack for a moment. Then: “Nope, I thought of that too!” he said brightly. “Have to leave 2 soda cans in there for that. So it's really a 10-pack!”
          Jack nodded approvingly. He stared at the carton on the couch with some relief. This wasn't so bad, he thought. In fact, he could have used a service like this when he was in his more “wild” stage a few years back. “Very clever,” he said.
          “I thought so too, yes!” Angelo replied cheerfully. “I get fifty bucks a box for these. That pisses off some people who have other ways to get beer, but the ones that don't are more than happy to pay it!”
          “Kind of cumbersome though,” Jack commented. “And won't it seem weird carrying a bunch of soda boxes to a school?”
          “Nah, people bring big coolers and buckets of ice and such to these,” the kit replied. “But yeah, I can only bring one box with me when I'm on my bike. Victor thinks it's not worth the trouble because of that. He lets me keep all the money I make from them though,” he said with another grin.
          “Nice,” Jack said. There still had to be more, he thought. “You said 'first off' there were these. So what else are we selling there?” He noted the boy's ears dropped slightly again when he asked this.
          “OK,” Angelo said again, then took a breath. He looked at Jack for a moment without speaking, then finally blurted it out. “Pot,” he said plainly.
          Jack looked down as he heard this. That's what he had been expecting: drugs. “Pot... as in dope, right? Weed?” he asked, more to fill the silence than anything else.
          “Jack...” Angelo said, as he knelt down next to the couch, then waited for Jack to look back at him. “The people come to me. I don't force it on anyone who doesn't want it.”
          The red fox nodded, recalling one specific Friday night several years previous, when he and his friends went driving through some shady neighborhoods looking to buy some marijuana themselves. He had first-hand knowledge of the demand that existed for this – everyone he knew seemed to always have a joint or two with them. So now he was going to be on the supply-side, it seemed.
          He wasn't sure how he felt about that change in positioning. On the one paw, he recalled the awe with which he and his cohorts viewed the dealers they encountered. To be in that position now appealed to the rebel in Jack – a part of him which he had suppressed the last few years. It had led him to some bad, dark places in his life, but at the same time had been no end of fun. He also recalled, however, that the sellers always fared worse than the buyers if caught by the police.
          “Jack?” Angelo asked, breaking the older fox's reverie. “Are you OK with this?” he asked nervously. “I promise this is the hardest stuff Vic and me deal with. Right now, anyway. So you're not gonna get a new surprise every day...”
          Jack looked back into the kit's blue eyes and smiled. “Sure,” he said as his rebel-side won out. “Lets just not get caught, huh?”
          The boy smiled, relief visible in his young face. “That's always my number one plan!”
          “Alright, then,” Jack said with a smile, “let's do this.”
          Angelo jumped to his feet at this. “Let's go!” he said enthusiastically. “There's a few more beer boxes in the kitchen.” He picked up his denim jacket and rummaged through the pockets, removing the  cash from the morning's run, and took it along with the delivery sheets down the hall towards Victor's bedroom.
          Jack stood up as well, and went into the kitchen for the “soda” cartons. Angelo had prepared four of the containers: 40 cans in total – all that could be built from two cases of beer. He took two of the cartons in his paws and headed for the door.
          Angelo returned from the hallway putting his jacket on, then swung his backpack around his shoulder before picking up the other two cartons. Following the older fox out, he put one down briefly in order to lock the apartment door, then caught up with Jack at the car, and loaded their cargo into the trunk.
          As the two got into the car, Angelo surprised Jack with his next comment: “You got any weapons Jack?”
          “Huh, what?” Jack replied, thoroughly caught off-guard by the question. “You mean like, on me?”
          “Or in your place,” the kit replied. “You should, umm... probably have one.” At this, the little grey-furred fox held the left flap of his jacket wide open for Jack to see. The hilt of a decently-sized hunting-style knife stuck out of the inner pocket, its sheath crudely sewn into the inside fabric of the jacket.
          “Whoa,” Jack said, never having noticed that there was anything unusual in the boy's jacket. “Is that why you wear that thing, even though it's 95 degrees outside?”
          “Yep,” Angelo replied, closing the jacket again. “With all the cash and... stuff... I'm carrying, gotta be careful.”
          Jack nodded. “Well, I don't have anything like that in my apartment. I have an old Army fighting knife that I used to carry around, but that's back at home.” He had, in fact, carried that knife for rather similar reasons, Jack recalled.
          “Can we go get it?” Angelo asked.
          “You really think I'll need it?” Jack asked back, slightly uneasily.
          “Hope not,” came the reply from the little fox. “But if we do need it...”
          “Right,” Jack said, not needing the kit to finish the thought. “OK, we'll go get it,” he declared, and put the car into gear.

          Jack's family house was only about 15 minutes drive away – one exit down the Interstate. Since he had moved away, it was just his parents and kit-sister living there now. He hoped that nobody would be home, as it might be awkward to explain his passenger's presence. His parents should both be at work, but there was no telling if one had decided to take a day off, or even a long lunch at home.
          Angelo didn't speak much on this leg of the trip. He spent most of it looking out the window, but not in a daydreamy sort of way. Rather, he seemed to be taking special note of the various landmarks as they drove, keeping track of exactly where they were.
          As they got near the house, Jack finally broke the silence. “Ok, listen.” Angelo ear-perked and looked to Jack. “You can't... actually come in the house,” he said awkwardly, provoking an offended-looking head-tilt from the younger fox.
          “Huh?” Angelo simply said, brow furrowed.
          “Sorry, house rules,” Jack explained. “Remember when I told you about all the rules and whatnot that happened after I was... such a brat back when?” Angelo nodded, the offended look fading as he seemed to get the point. “Well, this is Rule Number Seven: No friends allowed inside until both parents have met them and approved,” Jack recited. He'd had to memorize all of the various rules when they were first instituted.
          “Oh, OK,” Angelo replied cordially. “Nice neighborhood you live in, by the way.”
          Jack chuckled at this. “Yeah, I guess,” he said. It was an upper-middle-class sort of neighborhood. The houses were fairly large “Colonial style” houses on good size lots with ample yards. At least one car was present in most driveways, even then, in the middle of the work day.
          An awkward feeling suddenly came over Jack as he realized what was at the root of Angelo's comment. By his own telling, his family had never had much money, even when they were all together. After his mother abandoned him, he moved in with Victor in their current apartments – the ones Jack had picked when he moved out precisely because they were low-rent and small. These houses they drove past must be worlds apart from what the younger fox had ever lived in.
          Jack pulled up to his house, and was relieved to see that no cars were present in the driveway. Though there was a two-car garage on the house, Jack's parents typically did not use it during the day, and indeed often left the cars outside even overnights.
          Angelo whistled, impressed, as Jack pulled the car up to the house and parked it in the driveway. “Damn, nice house you got, rich-boy!” he said with a teasing smile.
          “Easy now,” Jack shot back, slightly embarrassed. “I'll be right back.” He opened the door to get out.
          “Get a jacket too, or a long shirt,” Angelo called out to him as he stood up. “Something to cover it up.”
          “Right-o!” Jack said, throwing a thumbs-up sign, then turned and walked up the short stone path that led from the driveway to the front door, sorting his keys in his paw as he walked, to find the one for this door.
          The teenage fox unlocked the door to his home and went inside. All was quiet, which again prompted a sigh of relief. It was short-lived however.
          “Who's there?” called a young female voice from upstairs.
          “Burglar!” Jack called back.
          “Jaaaaaaaack!” the voice squealed out, and a young red fox girl appeared at the top of the stairs. This was Jessica Archer, eleven years old, Jack's kit sister. Like her brother, she had typical Red Fox markings and colorations, though her fur was more of a golden-brown compared to Jack's rusty-red, as were her eyes, which were a lighter shade of golden brown that she called “hazel”.  Her dark-red headfur was long and pulled back into a ponytail.
          And, like her brother, she had once been an out-of-control menace at only six years of age, due to their parents' failed kit-rearing philosophies. In fact, it was when she began to emulate her brother's behavior that the house rules had changed so dramatically. Now, five years later, she excelled in school and was very active in several after-school sports. Jack had actually been hoping she would have been at one of her practices, and not home at this time.
          “Hiya Squirt!” Jack said with a wave from the entrance. Jessica bolted down the stairs 3-at-a-time and nearly tackled her brother with a hug. Jack sheepishly realized that apart from the trips he had made while moving, this was the first time he had been back to his house since graduation, over 3 weeks prior. “Missed you,” he said, patting her back.
          “Me too!” she replied energetically, before breaking the hug a few moments later.
          “Mom or Dad home?” Jack inquired.
          “Nope, still at work,” the young fox said. “You should'a come later.”
          “That's cool, I just stopped by to pick up a few things, actually. Since I was in the area.” Not entirely true, but mostly so.
          “Oh, ok,” she said, with a twinge of disappointment. “You need to come by for a weekend!”
          Jack smiled at her and fuzzled her headfur. “I will, don't you worry.”
          “Want a soda?” the young girl asked, quickly removing Jack's paw from her head and walking towards the kitchen.
          “Nope, I'm fine, thanks,” Jack replied, and started up the stairs to his bedroom. It was the same as he had left it, down to the half-made bed and half-filled suitcase still open on the bed. He had taken enough to get by, and literally left in mid-pack.
          He went to his closet and opened up the toy chest that he'd had since he was just a pup. Rummaging around briefly, he located his target and extracted a decently sized leather-sheathed knife, over half of which was blade. Jack had carried this knife in the back belt-loops of his pants when he was in his younger, wilder days. It made him feel tough to have it, though he never did anything more than show it off to his friends. He gazed at it now wistfully, wondering if he would indeed have to use it now that he was venturing into this new territory.
          Standing back up, Jack grabbed a few long flannel shirts from their hangers in the closet, and wrapped the knife up in them. He stopped off at his dresser and took a few more items of clothing, just to make it look like he really did stop by to pick up more than just the knife.
          As he returned to the stairs to head back down, Jessica was standing at the bottom, sipping her soda and gazing out the still-open front door. Jack stopped in his tracks. Angelo must have gotten out of the hot car, and the girl spotted him.
          “Jack?” Jessica said, looking up the stairs to him. “Who's that outside?”
          “Who?” Jack asked, feigning innocence. He knew, however, that this was not going to buy him more than a second.”
          “That kid,” she said, pointing out the door. Jack descended the stairs and looked outside. Angelo was by the car, slowly walking up and down beside it, hands in pockets.
          “Oh him,” Jack said, thinking that he probably sounded insincere, or at least evasive. “That's just a kit from my apartment. I'm giving him a ride to school.” Again, not 100% accurate, but close enough.
          “Oh,” the girl replied, apparently accepting this explanation. “He's kinda cute,” she added.
          “I'll tell him you said so,” the older fox said teasingly.
          “Don't you dare!” his sister said, giving him a playful backhand to his arm. Then, looking back outside, “What's his name?”
          “Angelo,” Jack said.
          “Angelo?” Jessica responded, her face changing abruptly, like she had just bitten into a raw lemon.
          “Yeah, Angelo,” Jack said, now slightly confused, but more alarmed. “You know him?” he asked. If she did... and given where they were now headed...
          “No,” she said, to her brother's relief. “But there's a punk kid named Angelo who hangs around Cherry Hill sometimes when we have practice. He's like... a drug dealer or something. The girls told me about him. One of the punks who hang out under the stadium.”
          Cherry Hill was the name of one of the public high schools nearby. It had a larger than normal athletic field, and many municipal sports leagues made use of their facilities. Jack had not attended there as a student, but many times had played scrimmage games when he was on the high school football team.
          “I'm sure it's not the same Angelo,” Jack said, now feeling concerned again.
          “I dunno,” Jessica said, unconvinced. “They said he was a grey colored fox, or maybe a 'yote. Wears earrings... jeans-jacket...” She squinted as she stared out the door at the boy.
          “Nah, he's just a kit,” Jack said, trying to reassure the girl, though her description so far was spot-on. If nothing else, he wanted to prevent her from telling their parents about this. She continued to squint out the door at him, and did not immediately respond.
          “It is him, isn't it?” She said, recoiling and looking concernedly at her brother. “Jack!” she said in a worried half-whimper. “He's a thug, a punk! I heard he even killed someone in a bad drug deal!”
          “What?” Jack asked, with a sarcastic tone that he now only half felt. “Come on, he's eleven, same as you. He couldn't kill anyone!” The girl thought for a second, then looked back out the door. “Now don't go telling these stories to Mom and Dad,” Jack continued. “You're just going to make them all paranoid over nothing!” Again, he only half felt what he was saying, but had to make sure. “Besides, they might not like that there are so many punks and druggies where you practice!” This much was true, and had circumstances been different, Jack would probably have been more concerned about that fact than he was presently.
          “I did think he was older, actually,” Jessica said, calmer now, as she continued looking outside.
          “Yeah, see? Don't worry, there's nothing to be worried about,” Jack said reassuringly. “So you won't go telling stories and getting them all worked up?”
          “OK,” his sister replied happily. She seemed to have worked it out in her mind. “But you still be careful, ok?”
          “Deal,” he replied, bumping fists with her, which was their sibling way of sealing a promise. “I'll be back soon, don't you worry. You be good 'till then!” His response to that charge was another firm hug from the little fox. Jack went to the door. “I'll lock up, Bye Jessica!”
          “Bye Jack!” she said cheerfully with a wave.
          As Jack exited the house and locked the door, Angelo stood up from where he had been leaning against the car, arms crossed. Jack briskly, but not hurriedly, walked back towards the car, not sure if Jessica was watching from inside. “Get in,” he called to the kit when he was close enough to not have to shout. It sounded more like a command than he had intended. Angelo, startled by the tone, complied quickly.
          Jack got in, tossing his bundle of clothes in the back seat, then backed the car down the driveway, again trying to look casual for his sister, if she was watching.
          “What happened?” Angelo asked, no doubt due to Jack's tone.
          “Huh?” Jack asked, finally realizing. “Oh, nothing, I umm.... just wanted to get going, is all.”
          “Oh, ok.” Angelo replied. “You get the knife?”
          “Yep, its in the pile there,” said Jack. “My sister was home, so I had to make it look like I was moving more of my stuff.”
          “Ooh, lemme see it!” Angelo said excitedly before half-climbing over the seat into the back to retrieve the knife from the bundle. He returned to his seat with the prize and unsheathed it. “Niiiice!” he exclaimed, turning it this way and that.
          “Yeah, and see those clips on the sheath?” Jack pointed. “I can clip it sideways into my belt-loops for easy pulling!”
          “That'll work,” Angelo said, re-sheathing the knife. “Sister was home, huh?”
          “Yep,” Jack confirmed, not sure how much he wanted to reveal just now. There was one thing though, which might make for a harmless tease on the boy. “She thinks you're cute.”
          Angelo's ears perked up for a second. “Oh yeah?” he asked. “Your younger sister, I take it?”
          “Yeah, she's about your age. She turned eleven in April.”
          “Nice!” the cub replied, drawing out the word. “And she wants a piece of The Grey, does she?”
          “HEY!!” Jack barked, with a touch of genuine annoyance.
          “Easy, Jack,” the kit said, now in a much lower tone. “I'm just messing with ya.”
          Jack closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “I know, I know. It's just... that's my sister.”
          “Cool, cool, I'm sorry.”
          The older fox nodded back, with a slight smile, then turned his attention back to the road. The conversation he'd had with Jessica had his mind racing. It had to be the same Angelo she spoke of, especially given their current destination. Angelo sold drugs at a high school, yes. But the rest of what she had said was unnerving in that context, especially given that he had come by the house specifically to pick up a weapon. He looked back to the eleven-year-old fox, who was still preoccupied with inspecting Jack's knife.
          “So,” Jack began. Angelo looked up at him. “Where to?”
          “Well, we can go to a bunch of different places,” the kit replied. “High schools mostly, though.”
          “Right,” said Jack. “Ever go to... umm... Cherry Hill?” he asked, hoping he didn't sound as uneasy as he was.
          “Oh sure,” Angelo said. “That's one of my main places, actually. There's a bike path right by Vic's place that goes by there, so it's easy for me to get to on my bike!” he said with some enthusiasm. Jack just nodded, which elicited a head-tilt from the boy. “What, is that where you went to school?”
          “No, no, just curious,” Jack said. A logical question, as he would probably be less anonymous at his old school, which would not be good in this case.
          “Ok, cool, let's go there then,” said Angelo. “That place is huge, so it'll be full of furs on a day like today!”
          Jack just nodded again, mentally checking off another match to Jessica's story. Then, as Angelo tossed the knife into the back seat and onto the pile of clothes, Jack asked, “You, umm.... ever have to use that? Your knife, I mean?”
          “Oh sure,” Angelo said casually. “I'm just eleven, after all. Some people think that means they can rip me off. High schoollers especially. So I have to... teach them not to. Make them afraid to even try.”
          “So,” Jack said, fishing, “You've had to.... cut someone?”
          After a long pause, Angelo said only, “Yep,” his voice soft.
          “You ever have to... do... worse?” Jack asked, not sure how to phrase it. Angelo just stared at his feet and did not respond. “Come on, Ange,” Jack said gently, “You promised to tell me the truth, remember?”
          Angelo slowly looked up from his feet, but still did not look at the older fox. “I know,” he said finally. “And... I'm telling the truth when I say that...” He paused again, then looked to Jack. “That... it's better if I don't answer that.”
          Jack looked back into the boy's bright blue eyes. The kit's face had a slightly pained expression, and he looked away after a moment, back to his feet. Jack looked back to the road ahead. “Fuck,” he said softly.
          “Well, we're talking about illegal stuff,” Angelo said. “Sometimes it's harmless stuff like cigars. Or even joints for high-schoolers. Other times, it's... not so harmless.”
          “But...,” Jack said, then trailed off, not sure what exactly he wanted to say.
           After a minute in silence, Angelo spoke again, this time slower, and with a touch of sadness in his voice. “It's a dangerous world we're in, Jack. And... we're all playing a dangerous game.” The cub still stared at his feet as he continued. “Me... Vic... his suppliers... our customers... even the kids at Cherry Hill... everyone knows the risks, and we keep playing the game. And... we all just want to make it home when we're done. Usually we do. But... sometimes...” he trailed off into silence.
          “Sometimes... it doesn't work out that way...,” Jack said, finishing the thought after a moment. Angelo didn't respond. “Fuck,” Jack said again, almost under his breath.

          It only took another couple minutes to get to Cherry Hill High School. Angelo had quickly returned his attention from his feet to outside the car, and seemed to dismiss the previous conversation. For his part, Jack wasn't sure he believed all of Jessica's story, Angelo's intimations notwithstanding. Now was not going to be the time to think much about that, though. He would certainly have a better idea after this trip concluded.
          As they approached the school, Angelo became more animated, looking towards the various groups of furs out on the athletic fields, as well as the cars in and around the parking lot. Jack slowed down, preparing to turn into the large main lot.
          “Nope, not here,” Angelo said, pointing further down the road. “There's a neighborhood just past the trees. Park on the street right before that.”
          “Ok, sure,” Jack replied. The area pointed out by the kit appeared to be at the extreme edge of the school's property. It would be a longer walk, and up a hill, to get back to the fields from there. It would also afford much more privacy, as there would not be the constant movement of cars coming and going in the parking lot.
          Jack drove to the designated spot and pulled onto the side street and parked. There were several other cars parked there that did not seem to belong to the residents of the street, as they were parked well before any houses. Jack reached into the back seat and retrieved his knife and a flannel shirt. Sitting up, he clipped the knife's sheath into his back belt-loops, then put on the flannel shirt, letting the long shirt-tail cover the weapon.
          The two vulpines exited the car and went around to the trunk. “How does it look?” Jack asked, turning around to let the younger fox inspect his handiwork.
          “Perfect,” came the reply, “I'd never know anything was there!”
          “Alright, let's do this,” Jack said with a combination of eagerness and apprehension. He opened the trunk and the two foxes retrieved the cargo – Angelo carrying two “soda” cartons and wearing his backpack, and Jack carrying the other two cartons.
          As they started up the hill, Angelo cleared his throat dramatically. “Ok,” he began, “Here's how this works. I'm everybody's friend – that's my game. That is, until I'm... not their friend. You'll know when that is, 'cause I'll cross my arms. If you see me do that, it means I think some shit's about to go down, and I'm kinda secretly reaching for my knife too. Be ready for... anything then.”
          “Got it,” said Jack.
          “Your job,” the grey-furred kit continued, “You're the guy who's always cool and calm, but you have this look like you're ready to start something at the drop of a hat. You don't really talk, and you keep an eye on everybody, like you're sizing them up, always keeping track of where everybody is, all the time.”
          “I can do that!” Jack replied. This talk was actually starting to get him enthusiastic about what they were doing.  
          “Now,” Angelo said, “If any of the school staff spot us actually doing our thing, I'm gonna run. If they try to stop me, you say something like “I'll get him!” and take off after me. That way we're both out of there, and with nobody on our tails!”
          “Nice!” Jack said, approvingly.
          “If they're just wandering too close, we casually move on down the field. Of course, if I say “run”, we both run, no bullshit games,” Angelo concluded with a smile.
          The pair were now nearing the fields. It was essentially a large, open tract of ground, that had been separated into smaller individual playing fields by the installation of goals, bases, corner markers, and painted lines on the grass. Various groups had also installed temporary goals and such for their various sports on the smaller fields, for purposes of their particular practice sessions.
          One edge of the larger land area was bordered by the parking lot, another by the school itself, and a third by the back side of the stadium. It was to this framework of iron girders supporting the stadium seats that Angelo steered the two.
          Jack looked around at the various groups holding their practices, tryouts, or whatever happened to bring them there that day. Ages seemed to range from elementary age through high-school age. There was football, baseball, lacrosse, what looked like cheerleaders practicing, and even a small cluster of marching band members drilling.
          “You smoke, Jack?” Angelo asked, interrupting the red fox's thoughts.
          “Huh? Me, no,” Jack replied to this out-of-left-field question, “Not for a few years, no.”
          “Mmm,” said the younger fox, acknowledging. “Well... don't panic then.”
          Jack looked to the boy and saw him pop a cigarette into the corner of his muzzle. For some reason, that sight made him sad, and his ears drooped slightly.
          “Don't worry,” the kit said, clearly picking up on this, “This is only for looks,” he said, lighting the cigarette. “These things taste like shit, to be honest,” he continued, throwing Jack a wink as he finished.
          “Ok, then,” the teenage fox said with a laugh.
          “Right, game faces,” Angelo said, suddenly serious as they neared the back of the stadium. He slowed his pace to more of a confident stroll or saunter. Jack nodded at the instruction, and set his face as expressionless as he could, jaw firmly set, and fell in one pace behind and to the left of the boy.
           There were several small groups of furs at various points under the stadium's steel skeleton, and some other larger groups gathered nearby, in the protection of the giant structure's shadow. The pair walked along the back edge, surveying the scene and looking for a relatively clear place to stop. More than once as they walked, a random fur would call out “Hey, Angelo,” or a similar greeting, which was returned with a cordial wave by the little fox.
          They finally found a spot just past the halfway point of the stadium – a fairly unpopulated stretch of space beneath it, decently lit by the sun shining in through gaps in the seating above. Most importantly, Jack noted, there was a rather unobstructed view of the surroundings, in the event a quick escape was required.
          Angelo stopped by one of the concrete-supported girders, and set his cartons down. “Ok, we hang here for a bit. See who's interested,” he said, leaning back against the girder with hands in his jacket pockets.
          It did not take very long before the first furs wandered by. The smuggled beers were the first to go – all gone within ten minutes before anyone even inquired about the drugs. A quick $200, Jack noted. Technically $190, as Angelo had given one young teen cat a discount, as he said he only had $40 on him.
          Once the beers had gone, a couple groups of older teens had stopped by, a few minutes apart. The first group was looking for a bag of joints to split among them, while the second group had two members who each wanted a larger amount, an ounce, as Jack heard them request.
          With both groups serviced, and a few more hundred dollars in their possession, things then quieted down, as far as customers went. Angelo explained it as the first customers being the ones who saw them arrive. Business would naturally trail off after them, until word-of-mouth got around. “Now's the time to keep an eye out for administrators and security, in case they overhear stuff that they're not supposed to,” he stated.
          “Yeah, I'm actually surprised that nobody has asked us what we're doing here,” Jack said.
          “Nah,” said the little fox, “These people have no idea what's going on right under their noses!”
          Over the next hour or so, several more furs stopped by to make a buy. Some in groups, some by themselves. Others inquired about other drugs, such as cocaine or “dust”, but Angelo dismissed them cordially, with a “not today”.
          As the latest buyer departed, the young fox took a quick inventory of his backpack. “Only a couple baggies left,” he remarked. “We can start heading back to the car, slowly, and see if there are any last-minute takers.”
          “Sounds good to me!” Jack said with no small enthusiasm. Even in the shade of the stadium, it was hot, and the humid air hung thickly. The flannel shirt he wore didn't help in that department. He could only imagine what the younger kit felt like in his heavy denim jacket.
          They walked slowly towards the direction they had come, looking out towards the playing fields and the various activities which were still going on. Those groups would not be wrapping up any time soon, by the looks of the equipment that they had deployed.
          As they pair moved further down the back edge of the stadium, Jack noticed a pair of teenage bunny girls – cheerleaders, by their outfits – ahead of them, sitting on the grass chatting. As the foxes got closer, one of the girls saw them, and both sprang to their feet and waved.
          “A-ha,” Angelo said, as if he had been expecting to meet the 2 girls.
          “Heya Angelo!” one of them said, when they were close enough.
          “Hiya Tish,” Angelo responded, “You got my 200 bucks?”
          The bunny called Tish looked to her friend briefly then walked up to the boy and put an arm around his shoulder. “Actually, I don't,” she said happily, which Jack found oddly out-of-place. “In fact, we're going to the beach next week, so I need you to advance me another bag!”
          The grey-furred kit shook his head. “No can do, Tish. Credit's bad for business.”
          This did not seem to deter the bunny girl, and she put her other arm across the boy's other shoulder, bending her knees slightly to bring her to his eye level. “Aww, come on, Ange! My boyfriend's coming, and we got a full house! We're gonna party!” She drew out the last word, almost singing it. “You wouldn't leave me with nothing, would ya?”
          “I got to buy the stuff too, Tish,” Angelo said, hands still in pockets. “I keep giving away product, and it's gonna come out of my cut!”
          “Hmm,” replied Tish, lowering her voice somewhat. Then apparently deciding on a different tack, “You know,” she said, her voice deeper and more sultry sounding, “I'd do... anything, for another bag.” She closed her arms around Angelo's neck, drawing him in closer to her face. He smiled slightly at this, which was met by a slow peck on the nose.”
          “Anything, huh?” the younger fox replied, his voice also lowering.
          Tish nuzzled the side of his face once, then moved lower to his neck. “Mmm-hmm,” she simply intoned, her nose now nuzzling the neckline of his shirt. “Aaanything!”
          Jack watched this silently, though screaming in his mind to the boy to not fall for it. The other bunny girl also watched, with an amused toothy grin on her face.
          Angelo swallowed visibly. “Well,” he started slowly, “I guess if you... really want it...”
          “Mmm-hmm?” Tish vocalized back, in a slow, sultry tone.
          Angelo looked up to Jack for an instant, his eyes instantly losing the half-closed state they had acquired since Tish started her ministrations, then back at Tish's head. “THEN GET ME MY 200 BUCKS!” he screamed directly into the bunny's now perfectly-positioned ear.
          Tish recoiled instantly, one paw clamped to her ear, as Angelo laughed cruelly. She looked back at him with hatred. “You little SHIT!” she shouted. “You're not getting a dime from me!”
          “Hey, now,” he replied, his voice now expressionless. “You don't want to go there, rabbit girl.”
          “Fuck you!” Tish shouted back venomously, her friend now holding her shoulder, as she seemed to want to charge at the young fox. “You get nothing from me! And I mean NOTHING!”
          “You know,” Angelo said, almost conversationally now, “You're going to look weird trying to do cheers with two broken knees.” His voice became icy as said the last part, and he stared coldly at her.  
          Tish still looked at the boy with wide-eyed hatred, but her friend now grabbed the bunny's other shoulder as she heard the threat, and began leading her away. “Fuck you!” Tish called back one more time before turning and letting her friend guide her away.
          Angelo watched the two depart, not breaking his gaze until they were well away. “Pffft,” he finally said, disgustedly, and turned back towards the direction of the car and resumed walking. He didn't even look back to Jack. The older fox quickly followed the kit, and heard him mutter “...bitch...” as he fell in beside him.
          The two vulpines walked in silence for a few moments, then Jack spoke up. “You're gonna break her knees?” he asked, not really believing it.
          Angelo looked to the teenage fox. “Well, actually that's kinda what you're here for,” he said, his face blank. Jack stared back, his eyes widening slightly. Angelo's face quickly broke into a smile at this. “Nah, not really,” he said, giggling slightly as Jack made an over-the-top expression of relief. “The thing is, you don't actually have to do it,” Angelo explained, “You just have to make them think you're going to do it. Reputation is everything!”
          Jack nodded, thinking on this. That might explain, or more importantly, dismiss some things, he thought. Then, back to the matter at hand, “You should'a let her keep going for a bit, though!” he said with a salacious smile, and a quick elbow to the boy's arm.
          Anglo chuckled. “Heh, why do you think I gave her the stuff on credit to begin with?” he said with a grin.
          Jack laughed out loud at this. Then, leaning in conspiratorially, “What'd she do?”
          Angelo's ears flattened back slightly as a grin crossed his face. “Well,” he said slowly, “First one, she... umm... went down my pants, and... umm...” he trailed off and just made a rocking motion with his fist – the universal jack-off sign.
          Jack's ears shot up straight. “Nice!” he exclaimed.
          “Yeah,” Angelo said, still grinning. “She only did it for like a minute, then stopped. But it was long enough for me to... um... figure it out for myself. When I got home, I mean.” He sounded embarrassed to be talking about this. “That was... educational,” he concluded with a smile.
          “Ha, I bet!” Jack said with a laugh. The understatement of the century, he thought. “You never knew it could do that, did you?”
          “No...” the kit replied, looking down now, and smiling widely. “So, yeah, that was worth a hundred,” he said, now looking back to the older fox.
          “Definitely,” replied Jack. “And the next time?”
          “Well,” Angelo began, again slowly and with a tinge of embarrassment, “Next time, she tried to do it again, and I told her to give me something new, so she... umm...” He paused, ears flat back now. “She, ummm, sucked... it...”
          “No!” Jack blurted out, prompting a vigorous nod from the younger fox. “You got blown by a cheerleader?”
          “Yeah,” the kit replied sheepishly, still with a slightly embarrassed grin on his face. “I guess...”
          “How long she do it for?” the red fox inquired, still amazed by this development.
          “Oh, long enough, that time!” came the enthusiastic reply.
          Jack laughed out loud again. “Nice!” was all he could say.
          “Mmm-hmm,” Angelo just said. “So that was another hundred.”
          “Wow,” said Jack, impressed. “So I guess this time, she'd have to go all the way with you, huh?”
          “Pfft,” the young fox replied. “She's a slut.”
          “Exactly!” Jack said with a laugh. “Should'a done it, I don't mind waiting!” he said teasingly. Whether that could have actually taken place with all the crowds around, he did not bother to consider.
          “Oh hell no,” Angelo said back. “She really is a slut! I'm not going to have someone like that for my fir...” He stopped abruptly, mid-word.
          Jack looked over to the boy, conscious of the sudden change. Angelo looked to the ground as he walked, jaw and fists both clenched. He had clearly not intended to say that last part. It was easy for Jack to interpret where he had been going.
          “For your... first time?” he asked gently. Angelo just took a deep breath through his nose, still looking angry with himself. He patted the young fox's shoulder which startled him, causing him to nearly stumble mid-stride. “Come on,” Jack continued, “you're eleven. You're not supposed to have a giant resume of girls at that age. Hell, just the shit you have done is more than most!”
          Angelo still looked at the ground as he walked, but his expression softened somewhat as the other fox spoke. Finally, the kit said, “Why are you so... damn easy to talk to?” He looked back to Jack and smiled.
          “It's a curse,” Jack said with a smile. He wanted to put an arm around the kit, but given his apparent skittishness at being touched, combined with the fact that they were still under the stadium, and so still “on the job”, he declined.
          The duo reached the end of the stadium and continued through the field towards the car. After a minute or two of silence, Angelo spoke up again. “How old were you?” he asked casually.
          Jack looked straight head. “Me?” he asked, stalling for time that he knew would not be there.
          “Yeah,” Angelo confirmed. “Your first time, I mean.”
          “My first time,” Jack repeated. Angelo nodded and looked expectantly at him. “Well,” Jack began, slightly embarrassed himself now, “Well... when it happens, I'll be sure to let you know.”
          Angelo stared back at the teenage fox, almost in awe at this revelation. “Really?” he asked, his voice hushed, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear.
          “Really,” Jack said with a nod.
          “But... but you were on the football team, right?”
          Jack laughed at this. “Yeah, I was,” he said, still laughing. “That don't mean anything though!”
          “But,” Angelo repeated, now sounding confused. He obviously had a pre-conceived notion of what being on the football team entailed. “The cheerleaders?” was all he could ask.
          “Yep, we had cheerleaders,” Jack confirmed. “There were even a few sluts among them. Most of them were just normal girls though.”
          “And even with them, you never...”
          “Nope, never,” Jack said. “See what I mean, that you don't have to worry if you haven't either?”
          Angelo seemed to ponder this turn of events for a few moments. “No BJ?” he finally asked. Jack shook his head silently. Angelo then asked, “Not even...” and again made the rocking fist gesture.
          “Nope, nothing. Nobody's been down there but me.”
          “Huh,” Angelo said, sounding confused and impressed at the same time. He thought for a few moments as they continued to walk. Then: “Are you gay?”
          There it was, Jack thought to himself. It was certainly a logical question, in the context of their conversation. And the boy had not asked it with any hint of malice or teasing, but in a purely innocent conversational tone.
          That didn't make it any easier, though, Jack thought. And given all that Angelo had shared of his intimate encounters with Tish, Jack felt that his question at least deserved an answer, and an honest one at that, regardless of the embarrassment. There was just one problem though...
          Angelo looked at Jack expectantly after his inquiry. Jack did not make eye contact, but kept looking straight ahead. After a moment in silence, the younger fox said, “Never mind... don't answer that,” a hint of concern in his voice as his eyes searched the red fox's face.
          Jack smiled at this. “Would it matter?” he asked, finally making eye contact with the kit.
          Angelo shrugged. “Not to me,” he said plainly. “Does to some, but not me. You gotta love who you love.”
          Jack smiled again, resisting the urge to fuzzle the boy's headfur. “That's a nice sentiment,” Jack said.
          “Well,” the little grey-furred fox continued, “If I've learned anything doing this, it's that life is... unpredictable. You could die tomorrow. You, me, Vic, any of us... today even. With all that to worry about, seems stupid to worry about something basic like who you love.”
          “You're very wise,” Jack said.
          “Eh, I read a lot of restaurant place-mats,” the kit replied with a grin.
          Jack laughed at this, while inside thinking of what the boy had said. It truly was wise, especially considering the life he led, and now Jack along with him. There was still that one problem though...
          “Well, the truth is,” Jack began, not sure how to say it, “that I... don't know what I am, actually.” This prompted a confused head-tilt from his grey-furred companion. “What I mean is... I don't look at every girl I pass, and imagine... having sex with her, or what she looks like naked. But there was one girl in my 11th-grade chemistry class.” He smiled, remembering. “She was... a goddess. And smart too. Great sense of humor. Oh the hot sex we had.”
          “Huh?” Angelo asked, thoroughly confused by that last line, after what had just been discussed.
          Jack tapped his forehead. “In here, I mean. The fantasies I had about her...” he shook his whole head like he was trying to shake off water. “Wow, just... wow. Of course in real life, I was way too shy to ever say anything like that to her.” Angelo nodded, understanding.
          “Then,” Jack continued, “on the flip-side, I don't look at guys and lust after them, or anything, but there was one guy on the football team.” Jack could hardly believe he was saying all this. “He was my practice partner. He'd try to catch the ball and I'd try to stop him, so we practiced a lot together. Afterwards, in the locker room... and then the shower room...” he paused. “He was... beautiful. And then later on, in my head at night...” Angelo now just stared, listening intently.
          “I knew I could never even think about saying anything to him about it,” Jack went on, now talking as much to himself as to the kit. “I'd have gotten my head stomped in. So yeah... most girls do nothing for me, and guys are sweaty and gross for the most part, but I've been... in love... with one of each. So... I don't know what I am.”
          “That's good!” Angelo now said happily. It was Jack's turn now to look confused. The kit continued, “You just love a person. And what they are doesn't matter.”
          Jack stared back. He had literally never looked at it like this. He was always trying to fit himself into the commonly defined categories of “straight”, “gay”, and “bi”, none of which he could honestly say he fit completely. What Angelo was describing, regardless of what it might be called, seemed to fit him perfectly.  
          Angelo went on. “Screw what's “normal” or what anyone says is “right” or “wrong”. If you love someone, whoever it is, go for it! That's a pretty good way to be, I think.”
          Jack chuckled nervously, which was a habit of his when he finally figured out something that he'd been trying to set straight in his mind. “Who they are... not what they are,” he said slowly.
          “You got it!” replied Angelo happily.
          They were now clear of the athletic field and were approaching the car. Jack was still going over this in his mind, and it all made sense to him. He would look back to Angelo every few moments, chuckling nervously as his mind accepted the notion fully. The kit would return his look with a smile or a thumbs-up.
          As they reached the car and opened the trunk, Jack had to resist the urge to outright hug the small fox out of joy and relief.

          The ride back to the apartments was fairly quick and uneventful. Angelo occupied himself with counting and sorting the cash they had made from the day, making sure to separate his soda-beer proceeds from the stack that would go to Victor.
          Jack, for his part, just sat back and relaxed as he drove, an overall feeling of happiness still permeating his mind over his recent self-discovery. He had not really thought about it since graduation, as there were neither males nor females of his age in his life since moving to his apartment. Nevertheless, this recent awakening lifted a heavy weight from his mind – he could now just be himself and not worry about what he was “supposed” to do when it came to finding a partner.
          As they pulled into the apartment parking lot, Jack noticed that Victor's car was still not there. He pulled his own car into a parking spot in front of his unit, as there was nothing remaining to unload from the trunk, except for Angelo's backpack.
          “Vic's not back yet?” Jack asked as the two foxes got out of the car, and Jack opened the trunk for the boy.
          “Nah, he won't be back tonight,” Angelo confirmed. “Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day.”
          “What the hell?” Jack asked, surprised by this. “Where is he? He just left you alone for a few days?”
          “Yep,” the little fox said, retrieving his backpack from the trunk. “He's in New York, seeing his main supplier. Vic calls him 'The Russian.' He's the one who got us all the cig's and... other stuff.” The kit head-tilted towards his backpack as he said that, indicating this Russian as the source for their drugs as well.
          “And he just left you here? Alone?”
          “Yup,” the grey-furred fox replied. “He does this every week or 2, actually. He's trying to work out some big new deal. Vic says it will take us to 'the next level', whatever that means.”
          Jack nodded, as the two vulpines stood by his car. He was still surprised that Victor had left the kit alone for two days, after having just said how he looked after the boy. There was little doubt that the kit could take care of himself, though, and Victor would have to have seen that. Still, it had to suck to be left alone in these small apartments, Jack thought.
          “You wanna come over or something?” he asked the younger fox.
          “Over?” Angelo answered with a head-tilt.
          “Yeah, to my place. We could grab a pizza or something and hang out. Beats being cooped up alone, right?”
          Angelo smiled wanly, then said, “Nah, that's ok. I don't mind it really. Gives me time to read, plus I have to get the bags ready for tomorrow anyway.”
          Jack's ears drooped at this. “Well, you know where I live if you change your mind,” he said. Angelo just nodded with a faint smile. Jack echoed his nod, smiling back at the young fox, who suddenly looked small to the teen. He had to again resist the urge to hug the kit. Awkwardly, he merely said, “Well... see you tomorrow then,” before turning towards his door.
          “Jack?” Angelo called out after he had taken only a couple of steps. The red fox turned to his grey-furred compatriot, who quickly walked back to him. “Umm... forgot this,” the kit said, handing Jack a wad of cash – his pay for the day, in Victor's absence.
          “Thanks Angelo!” Jack replied with a smile, which was returned by the little fox, who held his gaze for more than a few seconds before turning back towards his and Victor's apartment. Jack turned and slowly walked back towards his door.
          “Jack?” he heard Angelo call out again as he reached his door. Turning, he saw the boy in the middle of the parking lot, hands in his jacket pocket. He seemed to search for words for a moment. “Did....” he continued after a pause. “Did you have fun today?”
          “I did,” Jack called back. “Lots of fun actually!”
          Angelo smiled and nodded, tail wagging slightly. “Me too!” he said, before turning again back towards his apartment.
          Jack stood on his own doorstep and watched the little grey-furred fox, who this time continued all the way to his door, and went inside without looking back. His ears flattening slightly, Jack unlocked his own door and went inside.

To be continued...
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