\n I drove home and sat in the driveway for a while. Mom's going to freak out. I turned the car off and got out, walking inside the house.

\n "Hey mom, I'm home."

\n "Hey honey, how was work?" She asked from the kitchen. I walked through the living room and into the kitchen. She turned and yelped in surprise.

\n "Honey! What happened to you?" She rushed over and put her hand on my face.

\n "Ow ow ow ow." She pullled her hands away. "Just some jackass."

\n "Brent Phillips!"

\n "Mom, it's true!"

\n "That's no reason to use that sort of language." She growled.

\n "Mom, he assaulted me for looking at his daughter." I growled back, asserting my position.

\n "What kind of jackass does that?" I shot her a look, and she just glared.

\n "C'mon, we're gonna take you to the hospital." I groaned. "Really mom?"

\n "We have to make sure you're not hurt. I'll call your father and let him know to meet us there. Get your sister and get in the car." I nodded. I went upstairs and knocked on her door. 

\n "Soph, you there?" I heard her moving and papers shuffling.

\n "Yeah, come in." I went in and saw her sprawled on the floor drawing. She looked up and screamed. "Brent! What happened to you?"

\n "Someone beat me up for looking at his daughter."

\n "Was she cute?" Sophie was very persistent about making sure I had someone... which was odd for a seven-year-old.

\n "Very." I said, mind elsewhere. I snapped back to it. "We need to go to the hospital, c'mon." I grabbed her hand and led her downstairs. I heard mom talking to Dad on the phone.

\n "I don't care! He was assaulted by someone at work. It's just not safe here anymore." My stomach clenched. She was going to talk about how we should move and everything, how it just wasn't safe for me to be here anymore. Immediately I thought of how ruined Jake would be if I did that. I went back to taking Sophie to the car.

\n "Brent?" She asked, getting into the back of Mom's two door sedan.

\n "Yeah Soph?" I set the seat back and got in.

\n "Do people pick on you?" I stopped.

\n "All the time."

\n "Why?"

\n "Well Soph, humans just... they don't like us because we're different. That's something you'll learn. People always fear, and hate, what they don't understand."

\n "That's just stupid..." She said. I started laughing.

\n "Yeah it is Sophie... it is..."

\n I have to admit, I have a phobia of hospitals. So, I was really, really not wanting to go that night. A lot of it comes from watching a movie when I was four... where the doctors were systematically murdering all the patients. It made no sense, it was a terrible movie, but I'm still so scared by it. It didn't help that the hospital was on the top of a hill, with many dead trees... and in the middle of no where... Whose bright idea was that?

\n After several hours of tests, anxiety, panic, anxiety... Did I mention that I don't like hospitals? After a few hours, I sat in the room on the bench while Mom and Dad were on the chairs with Sophie. "I still think you should press charges." Dad said. He was a man who liked to take action into his own hands. He liked being in control, so right now, he was pretty furious. "What kind of a coward does something like that?"

\n "Mr. Arnold." I muttered.

\n "Figures." Dad has been the brunt of Mr. Arnold's persecution ever since he stole the election to be mayor a while back. It hasn't been fun to deal with, but we've had to stick it out, and have his back. Dad was lucky to be elected mayor, but he didn't get reelected. So he went back to his normal job selling medical supplies. He was out of town a lot, but was always nice enough to bring us back something, and then take us out for ice cream or something. Not the coolest thing, but it still meant a lot for him to do that.

\n One of my favorite memories was when I was a kit, Mom, Dad and my older brother, Donny would head out for ice cream in Dad's old convertible. Then we'd go over to the park nearby and play there for a while. Donny and I would run around playing tag with each other, sometimes other kids. Every once in a while though, some human mother would grab their kid and walk away, telling them not to play with us 'freaks.' It hurt every time.

\n The doctor came into the room, she was in her thirties, a very sexy feline, cheetah if I'm not mistaken, wearing scrubs and a white coat. Her hair was pulled up into a bun. Not a hair out of place. "Hello Mr. Phillips, how are we feeling?" She looked up from her clipboard and up at me.

\n "Ow." I said. She chuckled.

\n "How did this happen again?"

\n "Just a fight. Nothing odd."

\n "That's not true." My mom burst in. "Someone attacked him at work." I groaned inwardly. Mom had this thing where she had to tell the truth, not a bad thing, but if we're trying to get cheaper tickets at movies or stuff like that. This is one of those times when I wish she didn't have to do that.

\n "Well, that's a bummer dude." I laughed a little at her lingo. "Now let me show you what happened." She put the X-rays up, and turned the screen on. "Here, is where your nose fractured." She pointed to a part on my snout. See how it has broken shards there? Now what we may have to do is..." My vision blurred and I fell backwards onto the table.

\n  

\n I woke up in the car on the way back home. "Ow... What happened?" I asked, dazed. Mom looked over to me.

\n "You passed out." My head was pounding heavily. I rubbed my head and felt a bump.

\n "I got that much, but what happened with my nose?" I touched it lightly and felt a light burning, but not as debilitating as it had been before.

\n "They had to inject synthetic cartilage to keep it healed up nicely." She sounded a little impressed. "It's amazing what they can do nowadays."

\n "Can I not go to the hospital for a while?" Mom just smiled.

\n "Sure honey. Sure."

\n "Where's Soph?"

\n "With your father. She doesn't like seeing you in the state you were in." I grimaced slightly. Poor little kit. I'll have to make it up to her. Take her to the movies or something. Or her favorite restaurant. 

\n "Mom?" I had something on my mind that I had to ask about.

\n "Yeah?"

\n "Why do you always talk about moving with Dad?" She was silent for a moment, then cleard her voice.

\n "It'd be easier on the family if we did."

\n "Mom, that's just what they want. They want us to clear out."

\n "Well, after what happened today, I think they're making a pretty good argument."

\n "You know full well I can't leave Jake." She paused. Back in Eighth grade, Jake had tried to kill himself. It was right after I mentioned that we might be moving to him. He never seemed like the type, but when I was finally able to see him I promised him something. I promised him that I wouldn't ever leave him. Jake is fairly anti-social and has some deep psychological issues. I've helped him through a lot, but... there's only so much I can do. I'm his one real friend. He has other people that he hangs with, but he doesn't really trust them like he does me.

\n "I know honey, but... you can't expect us to live our whole lives like this. We're going to have to move at some point."

\n "What about Sophie. Mom, she's finally making friends."

\n "And being insulted constantly!"

\n "Mom, don't worry about it, they're just fifth grade boys, they're just insecure."

\n "I know..." She trailed off, her head elsewhere. The rest of the trip home was in silence. I couldn't help but think how I could help Sophie. In anyway possible. I was her big brother. She deserved that. She was worth standing up for.

\n  

\n I got home and went downstairs to my room. I pulled my shirt off, careful not to budge the nose, and looked at my self in the mirror. I was standing at an angle because my ribs took a pretty serious beating. My orange face was a little swollen, and my snout looked off. Like someone microwaved an army man just enough for it to lose its shape. I looked at myself with a little more critical of an eye. I was happy with how I looked, bruises aside. I had finally managed to lose enough weight for my love handles to disappear. I still had a little bit of fat, but nothing too bad.
\n I turned and went into my bathroom. I brushed my teeth, and examined my smile. It was white and shiny. Why am I only now starting to look good? I grabbed a shirt to sleep in and put it on, before collapsing onto the bed. I set my alarm and then heard something faintly rustling in my pants. I pulled out the fifty with the note on it. I checked my phone's clock. It was just about midnight, I started to dial and then paused.

\n How do I know this isn't some kind of trap? I mean, her dad hates me. So, couldn't that mean she hates me too? Screw it. I hit talk on the phone and placed it to my ear. It dialed slowly. My stomach clenched and my nerves were on edge. Still haven't gotten over the hospital probably.

\n "Hello?"

\n "Hey Haley, this is Brent."

\n "Oh hi Brent! How are you?" She was cheerful and sunny... like nothing had happened today.

\n "In a lot of pain." I said a bit more pointedly than I should have.

\n I heard a groan. "I'm really sorry about that. My dad can be a bit of a brute, but he's a bit of a nice guy, really."

\n "Right, I'm sure that I just caught him at a bad time." The sarcasm was oozing out of my words.

\n "He really is... He just... He's had a bad experience with... furs." She was carefully picking her words, careful not to come off speciesist.

\n "I see..." Stupid. Why would you even call? She just wanted to-

\n "I'm glad you called." My heart raced a little.

\n "Yeah?"

\n "Yeah..." She stopped talking for a second.

\n "Why's that?"

\n "Well... I'm having this party with my friends in a few days, and I'd like you to be there..."

\n "Really? Why? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that you'd invite me, but it's not like we talk all that much or anything."

\n "Right, but... I've been meaning to get to know you for a few years now."

\n "Well, we have classes together and everything... Not like you haven't had the time..." I always ended up sounding a lot more harsh than I mean to.

\n "I know... but... I haven't had the right words before now." I laughed a little.

\n "What's that supposed to mean?" She said nothing, but I had my own fantasies on what I wanted it to mean."

\n "When is it?"

\n "Next saturday." She answered.

\n "Where?"

\n "My house." I paused.

\n "Is your dad going to be there?" I answered, a little scared.

\n "No! No. He's going to be out all night with a meeting. So's my mom. And my brothers have a sleep over to go to." I nodded, even though she couldn't see me.

\n "What time Saturday?"

\n "Um... five or six."

\n "Five or Six?"

\n "I haven't really decided." She said hesitantly. I paused and thought about it for a bit.

\n "Sure."

\n "You'll be there?" She sounded excited.

\n "Yeah, I got nothing else to do, so sure." I smiled, happy now.

\n "Alright, well I'll see you tomorrow."

\n "Yeah, I'll see you."

\n "Bye."

\n "Bye." I hung up and placed my phone on the charger. I stared at the ceiling, with the lights out, and a huge smile on my face.

\n Have I mentioned that this year is going to be the best year ever?