It All Started (Part 3)
So very sorry for the amount of time it took me to upload this, but I hope you enjoy it!
As the day went by, it turned out that we had two classes together out of the four in the day. Unfortunately, Cody just so happened to be in my math class, which was the last class of the day, but also the worst for me. I sighed as I sat down in my seat against the wall, near the back of the class. Our teacher was an old squirrel that usually had trouble hearing, so it usually became annoying to try and give answers in class, because we usually ended up having to practically yell the answers, and then she got mad at us for yelling. However, she wasn't the problem. The problem walked through the door, talking and laughing loudly with the same group of friends that he would spend the entire day with. He was a rottweiler named Chris, and he was the sole cause of my life at school being a living hell.
I could see Cody walking in right behind him and his buddies, and as much as I hoped that they wouldn't, they all made their way to sit right behind me, numbering four in total. Chris, of course, just had to sit behind me even as Cody came and sat right next to me. I groaned and put my head down on the desk. I really wasn't ready for this right now, and I knew that Chris was going to say something, but I just prayed that it wouldn't be enough for Cody to retaliate.
Sure enough, about five minutes into the class, I felt his feet kicking my rudder repeatedly. It really didn't hurt, but it was rather annoying, and it wasn't the first time that he had done this. Finally, I heard his voice speak up. Considering that our teacher was as deaf as she was, he was able to speak pretty loud without ever having fear of the teacher catching him.
"Huh, how's the faggot doin' today, eh?" He asked with a bit of a growl in his tone. Almost instantly, I could see Cody's head swivel to look straight at me, and then at Chris. Apparently, Chris didn't take much notice, and he kicked my rudder again, this time a bit harder. "I said, how's the faggot doin' today?" He repeated. I could feel the eyes of most of the class on me, and I sighed. It never went well when I responded, because my smart-ass remarks usually got my ass kicked.
Cody, however, didn't seem to have any qualms about saying something. "Hey, leave him alone bud!" He said in a hard tone. Chris' gaze switched straight from me to Cody, and his eyes narrowed. "Oh, and who are you? His boyfriend?" He taunted. I kept my head down and prayed to whatever deity was listening that Cody wouldn't respond with the answer we both knew he had. Thankfully, something heard my prayer, and Cody gritted his teeth as he replied, "If you keep up with that, you'll definitely find out who I am." I felt my eyes widen as he said this, and I sighed. This was definitely not the kind of attention that he or I needed at the moment; especially from someone like Chris.
The rottweiler in question seemed almost shocked that someone had dared to talk back to him, and a soft growl left his throat. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure I heard you correctly," He said with a menacing chuckle in his tone. "Because for a moment there, it sounded like you were tryin' to be a tough guy for the fag who can't fight his own battles." I could tell the taunt was meant to get Cody angry, but thankfully, he held himself back rather well. "You heard right, mutt," replied the husky. "Now I'll say it again. Leave. Him. Alone." The last three words were spaced out and deliberate, and suddenly, I was actually slightly nervous at what Cody could actually do if Chris kept pushing him like this. By this point, the class was almost dead silent while our teacher rambled about quadratic equations up at the front, completely oblivious. Everyone's focus was on us, and I could almost feel the tension in the air like a physical force.
From some unbelievable miracle, Chris actually shut up after that, and he didn't kick my rudder again or anything of the sort for the rest of the class. I could tell he was fuming though. It was like I could see a visible cloud of smoke trailing past my head from behind me. Chris wasn't used to anyone talking to him like that. He was the classic school bully; star football player, not too smart, got all the girls (Or so he claimed) and had almost all the students in the school as his friends, though I suspected most of them were friends with him so that they wouldn't get messed with.
Just like that, the class went by as though it had only taken about five minutes instead of its usual hour and a half. The bell rang, and I quickly stood up with my bag and walked straight past Cody, through the class and out the door. I didn't quite want to face Chris or Cody for that matter, and I just needed time to think. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be happening, and I knew it once I heard Cody's voice calling, "Ollie! Ollie hold up!" Which was accompanied by the sound of his pawsteps on the floor as he caught up with me pretty quickly, at which point he slowed down to walk beside me.
"Ollie, are you alright?!" He asked softly, continuously looking around, though his gaze was mostly focused on me, which I wasn't sure whether I wanted or didn't want at that moment. "Yeah," I replied, keeping my gaze mostly on the ground in front of me as I walked. "I'm fine." I could tell as soon as the words left my muzzle that I was obviously not fine, and Cody most certainly would've picked up on it. Cody's expression turned into one of absolute worry, which was basically a step up from the concern he had been expressing just a moment before. "Ollie, please just talk to me! How long has that mutt been messing with you?" I felt something new inside me as he spoke. I felt...anger...yes, it was anger building up inside of me like a volcano ready to explode from years of torment and abuse that was kept inside.
Again, Cody's voice sounded. "Ollie, please just t-.." I cut him off by stopping and looking him straight in the eye, saying in a curt tone, "Cody, I said I'm fine, now can we drop it?" Almost instantly, I regretted those words, but they were already said, and I could tell that they had hurt Cody from the look on his face.
His ears drooped, and he sighed, looking away. "Fine.." He said softly. "We'll drop it..." His voice was reluctant, but I was glad that he had agreed, because it had taken a lot of willpower not to explode at him for no reason, which I knew would've turned out far worse. Finally, I sighed as well, and my shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry, but it's been like this for years Cody. Talking back to Chris just inflamed the situation." I did my best to say this is the least accusatory way possible. "Just...try to keep your muzzle shut tomorrow, alright?" Slowly, Cody nodded. "Alright.."
It broke my heart just to see Cody that sad just because of me, but I had to force a smile. "Hey, how about we go get ice cream after I finish swimming practice?" I suggested, and Cody's face seemed to pick right back up. "You swim?!" He asked rather enthusiastically. I actually laughed, and I nodded. "Well I'm an otter for a reason, aren't I?" However, Cody seemed absolutely enthralled by this. "Where do you swim?!" He asked hurriedly, as though he were very eager to know. "Uh..I swim over at that swim and racketball club just up the road with a year round team." Cody's eyes widened until they looked like dinner plates. "Your coach wouldn't happen to be Coach Mark, would it?" And then it was my turn to feel my eyes widen to new extremes. "Y-Yeah, why?" It seemed like the husky in front of me was doing his absolute best not to jump up and down from excitement, though his tail was wagging at the speed of a hummingbird wing. "Because that's my new swim coach, and my first practice with my new team starts today!" For a moment, I could hardly believe it, but then a smile grew on my face so wide that I felt like I was redefining the phrase, 'Grinning from ear to ear,' and I stepped forward and hugged Cody so hard that I heard him wheeze softly, but he enthusiastically hugged me back. "We'll get ice cream after practice then. How does that sound?" I asked. Cody pulled back, and his smile was as radiant as ever. "That sounds wonderful," He replied happily.