# The Trip Of A Lifetime Chapter 1

Chapter 1
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My time at Volcano High may have been short, but the memories I made were well worth it. At least, in the terms of attaining the coveted smol tiddy ptero Gee Eff. So that was pretty cool. Coulda done without the spaghetti moments and the humiliation, face fucking that bollard, nearly getting murdered by my GF's brother and dad but whatever, it's over now and all that matters is getting my diploma so I could get the fuck out. It was hard to believe all the drama I had gone through, both in my previous school and here at Volcano High. At least it was all going to be behind me; a closing of one chapter of my life, and the beginning of a newer, brighter one.
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Before the gathering of the seniors in the rockball field, Fang and I had congregated out in the hall, plucking each of our friends (and the neon nepotist) out of the sea of cartoon characters as they passed by until we had our full squad of retards, all with gowns and caps in our arms making our way to the locker rooms.
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"Finally! I was starting to think this school year was just a massive fever dream. I don't know how I managed to make it through this hellhole without going on a rampage." Said Fang, clutching her gown and cap to her chest while giving me a relieved smile. "I guess I got a dweeb like you to keep me entertained."
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"Hah, yeah. I can't imagine what it would look like having an emo dino commit a national tragedy." I replied, giving a nervous chuckle and side eye to her.
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Fucking hell, I don't even wanna relive those nightmares I was having when we first started dating. Every couple of nights I would wake up in the middle of the night soaked with sweat at the thought of Fang losing her shit and going postal on the school. It was always the same line of events: Fang deciding to go back to VVurm Drama's shitty roots after her guitar went out of action, getting utterly humiliated at the prom, us getting in a big fight, only for her to start gunning down anyone she saw in the halls. Even her own fucking brother. And no matter how hard I tried, it would end the same way: That broken smile burning itself in my mind as I called out, no, begged her not to jump from the very roof we shared our most intimate moment, only for her to take the final leap, and for me to see her as nothing more than a granite headstone next to the sibling that cared so much for her, rotting away in the ground, and leaving me a broken husk of a man. The one person I grew to love, was gone.
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And it was all my fault.
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Every.
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Damn.
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Time.
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A familiar feathered elbow jabbed me in my ribcage, snapping me back to reality as I nearly shoved a wheelchair-bound paraplegic down the stairs. Something I'd probably have to commit sudoku over to atone for my autistic sins.
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"Hey dweeb, what's with the water works? Are you really gonna miss this place?" Fang asked, giving me an unimpressed look that was betrayed by a glimmer of concern.
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Think, Anon. Think! Don't let her think you're some kind of schizo.
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"Y-you too."
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Fuck.
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"I mean, yeah kinda." Saved it. "I mean, it's where I met my friends... And the Gee Eff of my dreams." I cleared my watered eyes with the back of my wrist
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There's that smile again. That god damned smile.
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"Sh-shut up, Anon. Or I'll make you suck face with that bollard again."
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"I can't believe I missed that, too. Mind re-enacting it, Fang?" Trish asked, that smug face of hers still annoying as shit even after we learned to forgive each other during Prom.
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"Fuck off, trigga-lipped bitch." I retorted.
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The back of my knee was suddenly kicked, nearly causing me to share a similar fate to that incident after my darkest secret was exposed. "Shut up, skinnie retard."
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"Come on, mi compadres." The skunked-up raptor chimed. "Can we just love each other like proper friends on our last day?" Reed had a point. Trish and I should be nicer to one another. I mean, we were. But there was still a bit of underlying animosity that hadn't properly worked itself out. Miles of progress were made but we were still ruthless with each other. Maybe that was just our dynamic.
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Rounding the final corner, Rosa poked her head into the women's locker room, kicking the door open when it was determined the coast was clear.
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"Vamos! We don't have all day! Come come, we need to get changed!" Said the big tiddy Latina dino.
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"Fang, this doesn't seem right." The whipped brother whined. "Aren't you afraid Spears will catch us and delay our graduation?"
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"Shut up, fucked wing retard. No one cares about what happens on the last day of school. Not even Spears. I was in here a like an hour ago and walked in on one of the air head cheerleaders having a train run on her. Saw like 4 teachers there too. Was weird as fuck though. You can even see where it happened right over there." Fang said, nodding at one of shower stalls which was clearly only haphazardly cleaned, some of the aftermath still stained on the tile flooring.
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Walking by Fang, I was pecked on the cheek by that loveable snoot, a half-muted "Mwah!" coming from my ptero waifu. Our robes fitted over our clothing easily, so getting them thrown on was a painless endeavor, the only thing hindering us changing being the constant bickering of the creamsicle Caesar and her bussy-starved boyfriend, and the occasional blathering of the weeb stego to me as she talked about the new box sets she just got of her obscure anime. Wait, did she just mention Bocu no Dino? Gross.
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Being the first ones done, Fang and I naturally gravitated toward each other, idly talking about our plans for tonight.
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"Okay, so I'm thinking we head down to the beach and get a bonfire going. I know this nice little spot where we can be as rowdy as we want and we shouldn't have many prying eyes creeping on a bunch of graduated high schoolers. I got liquor from my dad's cabinet ready to go."
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"Y-your dad? Isn't he gonna start a manhunt for you if he finds out you're drinking with your skinnie boyfriend?"
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"Nah, it'll be fine. He already started warming up to you after the glowing reviews from my mom."
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"So he likes me now?"
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"No."
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"But I thought-"
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"He said he'd mount your head on a trophy plaque. He moved away from skinning you to make a new caddy!"
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"R-right..." I mean, I guess that's some kind of improvement, right?
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"What? You're still scared of him? Stop being a pussy. You're a big guy."
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"For you."
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"What?"
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"What?"
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I really should take a longer break from my Korean plumbing forum. My shitposts are starting to seep into the real world. But fuck, it's so hilarious seeing a bunch of autists going Gosling over not having their own ptero gf. Checking my favorite Bosnian Papier-mâché channel, I see the sticky has grown to thousands of posts and multiple hundreds of images, half of them being Goslings and weird rants about NTR or some shit. And apparently they've fallen in love with the crippled girl I nearly knocked down the stairs as well. Maybe I should tell her she has her own fans if I see her again. Maybe. A moment or two later, the Fang gang was sporting their matching gowns, caps perched atop their weirdly shaped heads with tassels dangling in their faces, marching in a Band of Brothers-esque line, but with WWII soldiers being replaced by a band of Crayola-vomit dinos and their token, diversity hire skinnie. Though that didn't spoil the moment.
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...
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The rockball field was packed with soon-to-be graduates, at least a couple hundred of them, with many more parents and friends crammed in the mixture of bleachers and stadium seats. The candy commissar gave a cookie cutter valedictory, with her salutatorian boyfriend standing just off to the side of her trying to support her as the student body was left impatiently waiting to get their diplomas and bounce. Following the speeches was the handing of diplomas, each student called one by one to receive their framed document certifying their most basic life achievement, then flipping their tassel right to left. The whole ordeal seemed to drag on, the applause of students, parents, and faculty quickly beginning to die off to meager claps, crescendoed by the occasional whoops and cheers for the popular graduates. In an ironic twist of fate, Fang had received a rather uproarious (heh) ovation, no thanks to her sublime performance at the prom. Despite her fiery attitude and her comfort during stage performances, she was ill-prepared for such a fanfare. Immediately, her face was flushed red, the spaces below her eyes radiating a bright, cherry red as she seized up, diploma in-hand. Our eyes locked, and in that moment, Fang seemed to be put at ease. Her shoulders relaxed, her fingers unfurled from their fists, as she saw me practically having a meltdown for her. With a renewed excitement, she waved directly at me, never really breaking eye contact until she left the stage to join me. Once my turn came up, I took to the stage, greeted by the quiet snickers and isolated applause of the student body, who had clearly never forgotten that incident in the auditorium. However, the motley crew of rejects more than made up for the lack of celebration, as they cheered me on, Fang practically carrying them in their cheers and applause as she went fucking ballistic for me. God damn, no wonder I love her so much. And at least her mother was there to cheer me on too. That sweet ol' woman juxtaposing her imposing husband as he simply stared laser beams at me, though with only slightly less intensity than he usually did. With the final diplomas handed out and the closing speech given, Fang reached her hand out to mine, her gentle touch bringing about a little heat under my eyes, spaghetti only barely falling out of my pockets as we took our caps off and prepared to send them flying. On the mark of the valedictorian, we sent our caps sky high, a skull-splitting cheer booming through the stadium as we performed the final ritual of our graduation, the school band playing the our anthem which served as the backdrop for the celebrations. Before the caps even began to fall, Fang and I turned toward each other, sharing a moment of serenity which was peaked by her feathery arms wrapping around the back of my neck, her wings circling around me, and my own arms looping around the small of her back, our lips meeting in a celebratory kiss as I lifted her off her feet and twirled her around, the world around us melting as the only thing that seemed to matter to either of us was each other. My joy easily eclipsed the one I had when Fang and I first realized we loved each other. And now that the final chapter in my high school life had closed, my life with Fang had only just opened up.
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Together, we would take on the world.
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...
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The evening air was beginning to cool down, the bon fire I started bringing a comforting heat to us. Fang settled next to me, our hands finding recluse in my lap while her head rested on my shoulder, our fingers interlaced and occasionally brushing along the backs of each other's hands. The drinks were flowing, the collective alcohol content of our blood was spiking, and the day was giving away to a beautiful sunset, bringing about the shroud of night as we all reminisced about the memories we shared, half of which I was not around for on account of coming to Volcano High so late in the year. However, most of the stories had me as a key part in them, such as the time I taught Fang how to build a railgun, or when Reed and I grabbed each other's bags. My involvement in the conversations began to die down, along with Fang as we more or less talked with one another, cherishing every moment we were holding each other.
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"What are you planning on doing now that you're graduated, Anon?" Fang asked, those deep amber eyes of hers practically melting my heart as she looked up at me.
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"I'm not sure. I'm just taking things one step at a time. It's either going to college or joining the military, at the moment." Fang's grip on my hand tightened at the mentioning of the latter option. "But right now, I just want to enjoy the freedom I have while we're still in summer. What about you, pirate princess Lucy?"
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That one earned me a harsh jab to the same spot on my ribcage. With all the times I've been elbowed in that same spot, I'm surprised I don't have a permanent bruise.
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"Debating what I wanna do with my life. Trish and Reed think VVurm Drama can make it big, but right now, I just don't wanna have to worry about anything right now. I'd rather just spend my time with you, Anon."
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I squeezed her hand, my other hand cupping her cheek as I planted a kiss on the top of her snoot, her nose giving an adorable little wiggle.
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"I'd spend my whole life with you in a heartbeat." That earned a good tail thumping from the ptero.
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"Anon..."
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Before Fang could finish what she wanted to say, Rosa chimed in with her usual heavily Latina accent. "Mi amigas! Mi amigos! Our yearbooks! We should be signing them!"
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Each of our yearbooks were passed around, each person getting a chance to leave a special message for one another for them to read; a final note being passed to around as a way to express feelings for those who had trouble saying it aloud. Most of the messages I wrote in the gang's yearbooks were at least moderately special to each person, aside from Naomi, who got a generic "Good luck on your ventures!"-type message from me, and likely everyone else. Trish got a "Fuck you, trigga-lipped meteor dodger.♥ - Anon" At least the heart would show I wasn't really mad at her anymore. My yearbook had a similar message that said "Fuck you, skinnie faggot. I hope a spear gets crammed down your pisshole.♥ - Trish". Ah, friendship. Eventually, it came down to just Fang and I, as if we both had planned on having each other sign our yearbooks last. Passing our books towards each other, I took a moment to skim through the words of encouragement left by our friends. Trish leaving a block of text that had to do with her giving an apology, followed by words of sincerity and hoping they could put everything behind them, Reed leaving some surprisingly profound words of wisdom, Rosa and Stella leaving their own related messages, even Naser and Naomi, the latter of which really just having her name daintily written. Finally, it was my turn to leave the girl of my dreams a message for her to read throughout her years. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Fang was already slaving away, a whole page being the canvas for which she laid down her creation.
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Fuck, I don't know what to put. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK- wait. I got it!
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Turning over a page, I work on my magnum opus, my pen gliding across the paper in smooth strokes as I bring to life my own creation, pouring my heart and my absolute fucking soul into my work. Fang had already finished and was waiting on me, the entire time consisting of her trying to get a sneak peek, which was met by either a closing of the book with a following death glare, or turning my back to her in an effort to keep my work a secret until I was ready to show her. However, the feathery fiend had other plans, as she literally began to crawl all over me, sticking her snoot into every hole of my defense, which was met with pushes and bops to her nose. This only seemed to drive her further, her hands finding their way under my shirt as she tickled at my stomach, earning spastic convulsions as I desperately fought her off. Yet somehow I still managed to keep her at bay long enough to put the finishing touches on my masterpiece, shoving the book against her chest after closing it up.
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"Okay, okay, I'm done! Take it!"
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Fang hurriedly opened the yearbook back up, immediately flipping to the page I was working on where she began to examine it thoroughly, throwing my yearbook at my head with a -PLONK!-. •Turning to the final page, I got a good look at the message she left. Actually, it wasn't just a message, it was a whole drawing!
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It was a drawing of Fang's favorite moment with me. It was the time I went to her house to study, only for her to end up showing me how to play guitar, right down to the minutia of detail, her hands on top of mine, guiding me across the fretboard as she showed me a couple chords. Fuck, I remember that day as if it were yesterday. My heart was beating out of my chest, my palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms were heavy. And the feeling of her arms wrapped around me in such a wonderful embrace, I felt like I was up in the clouds with not a care in the world. Truth be told, I didn't care if her dad was going to use my asshole as his golf caddy. It was so fucking worth it just to be held like that. My only regret was that it didn't last longer. I didn't realize it until just now but I was wearing the widest grin imaginable, my eyes were even beginning to water recollecting that tender moment. I REALLY need that again. The bottom of the page served as a footnote, containing the parting words to an already frameable work of art.
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"You're strap to my guitar, the cable to my amp, the mic to my voice, and the light to my stage. Without you supporting me every step of the way, I wouldn't be where I am today. Every hug you gave, every smile you beamed, every tear you've shed, and every kiss we've shared, has been the best gift I've come to cherish. I love you, Anon. And I always will." The final mark on the paper being a small sketch of our kiss at the prom.
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I was beginning to regret that I didn't put something nearly as nice as that. Maybe it's not too late to snatch that yearbook from her to re-do everything. Never mind, she's been staring at that page the entire time.
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"Anon..."
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Fuck.
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"This is the best thing I've ever seen in my entire fucking life."
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Thank you, Raptor Jesus.
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Fang turned the book towards our circle of friends.
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It was a crudely drawn sketch of Fang sitting at a table devouring a massive plate of dino nuggies, with me emaciated and crawling towards her, begging. "Please, I'm starving. Just give me a couple..." Only for her to respond with "Mine!" And kicking me in the face. The message at the bottom read: "Seriously, please stop eating all my food. - Anon"
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Apparently that was enough to get a kick out of everyone, as they all shared smirks and giggles with one another, especially Fang, who had to be so boisterous about it that I was beginning to think we were going to have cops roll up any second. But she ended her laughter with her hand touching my cheek to guide me into a kiss, which I happily reciprocated. The night went on without a hitch, the last of the drinks being had an hour or two later, with most everyone at some stage of inebriation, except for the prom king and queen, who were given non-alcoholic drinks the entire time, yet still acted as if they were black-out drunk. Might as well tell them tomorrow. No point in spoiling the mood for the lovebirds on their best night.
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Giving our final waves and hugs goodbye, everyone went their separate ways, leaving the fire as nothing more than smoldering embers. Naser and Naomi took the NasCar home, while everyone else simply walked their own ways, leaving just Fang and I, walking shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, as I took her back home. The walk was silent, but heavy in a shared intimacy, our hands beginning to stir and squeeze one another. In the midst of our moonlit walk, I suddenly remembered something. Fang was going to say something before Rosa got us all to sign our yearbooks.
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"Fang?"
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She looked up at me from my shoulder, her amber eyes being illuminated by the passing street lights. "Hmm?"
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"What were you about to say to me? By the fire."
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She gave a puzzled look up at me, her face then blinking into a look of realization. "Ooooh, that! On second thought, I'll tell you tomorrow. It's a surprise I don't want to spoil."
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"C'mon pleeeeeeeeeease? I wanna know right now!"
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"Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnope." She replied, a cheeky grin painted across her face.
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I rolled my eyes and gave a defeated sigh, earning a consoling kiss to my cheek from the long snoot of the ptero. Finally, our walk had ended, leaving us at the welcome mat of Fang's home, the lights inside still on with the porch light giving us our own little spotlight to share in the otherwise dark evening. We turned in tandem to face each other, our arms finding their usual places on our bodies: hers around my neck, and mine around her back, as we pulled each other in, heads canting to perform a deeper kiss that neither of us wanted to break. The ptero's tongue slipped into my mouth and her arms coiled in tighter, squeezing me to her body as I returned a similar gesture, as if accepting her challenge to see who would win this fight. At first, I was beginning to think I was about to win this engagement, seeing how she stirred in my grasp and her hold faltered for a second, but I never accounted on her teeth suddenly latching onto my bottom lip, which was then drawn back and let go so as to snap back into place. That look in her eyes... It wasn't your typical 'I love you' stare. This was straight up bedroom eyes. I had never seen that look before, so I had nothing to compare it to. But somehow, deep down, I knew that was the look. Just as I was diving in for round two, my attention was snapped to a hulking figure that was standing before us. It was Fang's dad. My pants immediately grew heavier as my pants became sodden. That murderous stare was burning a hole in my skull. He already wasn't a fan of me, but now he looked like he was about to tear my head off while I still clung to Fang. It also didn't help that, along with seeing me suck face with his daughter, one of Fang's legs was wrapped around my waist. Fang shoved me off of her when she realized her dad was staring at us.
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"Stop trying to scare, Anon! It's not going to work!"
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Speak for yourself, the dude looks like he could cave my skull in by patting my head.
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"I-it's okay Fang. I need to bounce anyway." I said, brushing my sweaty hands off on my jeans.
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She gave me a final peck on the cheek, and was promptly dragged inside, the door slamming shut as her father had seen enough of me for the day, leaving me to walk to my shitty apartment on Skin Row, which was made noticeably less shitty with the constant back and forth texts with my girlfriend.
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...
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I was thrown out of bed by the annoyingly loud ring of my phone, headbutting the floor, and groaning as I felt around until I was able to find my phone and answer the call.
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"Hellooooooooo?"
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"Hey dweeb, get over here. We need to talk. I got something you need to see."
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Before I could even ask her what it was about, she hung up. God damn it, I hate it when she does this shit. Whatever, I get to see her and that's all that matters. Throwing on my usual outfit, I went out and took the bus which took me right to the outskirts of the neighborhood Fang lived in, the rest of the journey being a short walk to her upscale house, which now bore the blemish of another car parked in her driveway. More specifically 2 new blemishes: A fucking hippy van and a shiny metal camper van, with the unmistakable silhouette of my ptero gf moving around in the windows. Circling around, I stepped into the odd-smelling camper and see Fang digging through the small cupboards.
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"Uh, Fang? Where the fuck did you get a Volkswagen Type 2 and a fucking Airstream?"
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"You know how dad is a police commissioner?"
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"Yeeeeeah?" I responded looking around the surprisingly well-kept interior, save for a couple scratches and stains here and there.
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"And you remember how they busted up a meth lab a couple weeks ago?"
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"Yeah, why do-... Wait, your dad gave you a fucking meth lab van?"
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"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say 'gave'. More like 'I had mom harass him until he relented and gifted it to me as an early graduation present'. And I've been fixing it up for the past couple weeks."
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"And why these specifically?"
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"Because we're going on a road trip."
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"Oh nice, I always wanted to- A ROADTRIP?"
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"Yeah." Fang tossed a beaker into the trash bag at her feet, promptly shattering it before she moved on to another set of cupboards, her cute little tail whipping side to side.
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"Wh-where to?"
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"Dunno. Wherever we want, probably."
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"We? You're taking me with you?"
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"Why wouldn't I take my own boyfriend? Plus it's not just gonna be us. Got the whole gang coming too."
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"And they all agreed?"
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"Yes, retard."
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"Why a road trip though? Why now?"
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Fang removed herself from the cupboard, throwing a couple loose papers and various odds and ends into the garbage bag and then taking a seat at the dining table, tapping her foot on the seat across from her.
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"Anon, you remember that thing you said by the bon fire? That whole 'I'd spend my whole life with you in a heartbeat' thing?"
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Oh yeah, I did say that. And I meant it too.
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"Yeah, I do. Why, planning out marriage out already?" Fang's face became a bit flushed with red at the jovial teasing.
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"No, dipshit. What I mean is..." She rubbed her face, practically wiping away the blush like makeup. "What I mean is that we've got, what, 3 months of absolute freedom before before we have to actually become adults? Anon, I don't want to grow up just yet. I wanna enjoy every second I have with my friends... With you." Her voice began to break as she fought back visible tears. "I really, REALLY don't want to have to deal with adult life just yet. I just wanna properly enjoy myself. No school, no worries, nothing. Just my closest friends and my boyfriend."
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It was easy to see she was really longing to spend time with everyone she loved, me especially. The way her eyes pleaded with me, the way her voice faltered as she started thinking through all the growing up she was going to have to do. I might still be learning empathy from her, but even I could picture myself being the same way. Growing up fucking sucks. As much as I hated being in school, I could at least be irresponsible without much in the way of consequences. Being an adult wouldn't really afford me that luxury. Honestly, I wasn't ready to grow up either. I just want to enjoy my youth while I still have it, and enjoy it with the only girl I've ever loved, outside of my waifus.
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"Anon... Will you come with me? I'm not doing this unless you're here with me."
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"Fang. You can't be serious..." That look she gave me. It was the thing of nightmares. It was like I just told her I don't want to see her again. I REALLY need to work on my phrasing. "You think I would miss spending my summer with you? I'm in."
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In the span of a nanosecond I was torn out of my seat and swept up in a feathery blanket, even being lifted off my feet as she shook me around, squealing in delight, which brought more joy to me than it really had any right to. After spending a couple perfect moments in her grasp, our arms loosened, my hands finding her hips while hers rested on my shoulders.
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"Good. Now help me clean up. We still got time to prepare and get the things we need." She said, pecking a kiss on my lips.
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Guess my new adventure was just beginning.