Bruce and Danny Chapter 7: Everything’s Different Now

By: BeatleNumber9

            After the parent-teacher night, my parents decided I could stop taking the bus and just ride with them to school. Dad took me to school the week after parent-teacher night. He pulled into the parking lot in front of the school and I got out with my backpack, but then dad got out too. He gave me a big hug before he let me go.

            “I hope you have a good day, buddy.” He said.

            “Uh, okay dad…” I said, confused.

            He gave me a kiss on the forehead, and got back in the car and driving off to work. I was a little confused about the extra affection he showed me, but I brushed it off and went inside the school. I walked to class and found Josh at his desk and stat mine, next to his.

            The rest of class went on as usual, I chatted with Josh in between class, it wasn’t until we went to lunch that something happened. Me and Josh were sitting together.

“Oh look, it’s the pet.” I heard someone say. I didn’t even react at first because I didn’t know it was directed at me. It wasn’t until I felt someone thump me on the back of my head. “Hey, I’m talking to you, pet.” I held the back of my head and turned to see it was a kid a little taller than me, I think his name was Mark. He was a jerk, and he’d picked on me and a few others before, but we really hadn’t had a one on one interaction with him like this until now.

            “Ow!” I said, rubbing my head. “What’d you call me.”

            “We saw your owners on Friday, secret’s out now.”

            “Owners?” I asked, confused. “You mean my mom and dad?”

            “Is that what you call them?” He laughed a little. “Whatever. See you around, pet.” He gave me a rough pat on the shoulder before leaving.

            I was stunned, that wasn’t really the first time I experienced bullying, I mean there was that time on the playground when my dad intervened, but this was different. This was the first time I’d been bullied specifically because of who I was, being called a “pet”, something really stung about that. Was this what dad was worried about?

            “You okay?” Josh asked me.

            “I don’t know…” I said. “I didn’t think I’d get teased because of who my parents were.”

            “Sorry…” Josh said.

            “Thanks for staying friends with me… I remember how you reacted when you saw my parents.”

            Josh blushed and looked embarrassed, but also thankful that I wasn’t holding it against him. “I’d just never been around anthros that much…”

            “You should come over and play with my friends, Angie, Tyson, and Owen!” I suggested. “They’re cool!”

            “Maybe, I’d have to see what my mom and dad say…” He said.

The rest of the day went by pretty fast and was pretty uneventful, but I couldn’t stop thinking about this experience I’d just had, and that there would be likely more like it to follow.

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            As I drove Danny home, I noticed he was kind of quieter than usual.

            “You feeling okay, buddy?” I asked.

            “Uh, yeah, I’m okay…” He said, though I could tell something was on his mind.

            “Had a good day at school?”

            “Yeah…” He said, just looking out the window.

            “Okay…” I said, deciding to leave it at that, as much as I wanted to know what was wrong, he’d tell me when he’d want to. I had to admit it was nice being able to take Danny to and from school myself now.

            Eventually we got home and Danny got out of the car and stood by the front door and I opened the door.

            “Hi Sweetie.” Emma greeted Danny.

            “Hi mom.” Danny said blankly, walking over to the stairs.

            “Have a good day at school?” Emma called back.

            “Sure…” Danny said again blankly before climbing up the stairs to his room.

            I put my hand on Emma’s shoulder.

            “Think he had a rough day today.” I said.

            “Yeah?” She asked.

            “He barely talked on the way home, only gave one word responses to anything I asked.”

            “Did he tell you if anything happened to him at school?”

            “No, I asked a little, but he wouldn’t open up. I think he’ll tell us when he’s ready, let’s not pry too much.”

            “Damn.” Em sighed. “You think he got teased?”

            “Probably.”

            “We just have to be there for him.” Emma said. “He knows that we love him, and eventually he’ll tell us about what’s wrong if we don’t find out another way. We should just probe him a little for information each day, show that we’re concerned and he’ll talk about it eventually.”

            “Yeah, I hope so.” I said, kissing her.

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            I just sat in my room, staring blankly at the TV, I just kept thinking about what Mark had called me “pet”. “Pet?” Just because my parents weren’t human? And while I thought about that I kept remembering how apprehensive dad was about me starting school, and about him and mom showing up at school. Dad knew this would happen… He tried to make me understand but I just couldn’t until it finally happened.

            I finally put my face in my pillow and cried, hoping my mom and dad wouldn’t walk in. Everything was different now, I knew now I was going to have to deal with this from now on, Mark and probably other kids were going to target me because my parents didn’t look like me. I guess I would just have to get used to it.