My Darling Feline (Bill X Fem! Reader)

Chapter Five: Our little secret

"That's not scary at all." The sight of every seat being occupied sent a surge of nerves through my veins. Despite my best efforts to steady my trembling limbs with deep breaths, the tremors  refused to stop. A large hand enveloped my shoulder with a comforting grip, pulling me back from the brink of running away. 

"You okay? You look scared shitless." Bill said.

"I'm fine. It's just cold in here."

Bill raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over me from head to toe with a discerning scrutiny. "You're sweating."

"Come on people, we're up!" Louis called out. For a fleeting moment, the deer's gaze grazed over me, a brief encounter that felt like a passing breeze before he turned away. He strode confidently into the spotlight, cheers and applause swelled to a crescendo as everyone watched him in awe. 

 "Just stay by me and you'll be fine." Bill pushed me with him, the two of us following the others on stage.

Club members separated and stood on both sides of the podium with the exception of Louis who was standing in the center of the stage, accepting the award on behalf of the club. I did as Bill said and stood closely to his side. 

The principal began to speak. "All of you on this stage overcame the differences and challenges amongst species and therefore, have earned this prestigious prize. Your contributions have allowed Cherryton to thrive and to prosper. This is exactly why we have gathered here today so I can present the Cherryton Honor award to you all."

Everyone clapped as Louis walked up to accept the award from the principal. Bill was right. It wasn't as bad as I had initially thought it would be. My body was calm and I was able to put on a smile as Louis began his own speech. I took the opportunity to shoot a glance at Bill. He caught my gaze and returned it with a cheeky wink. I felt much better to have him by my side and I began to feel silly for feeling scared over something so stupid. 

As Louis's speech came to a close, the audience was left spellbound and moved by his words. It was undeniable: Louis was a natural; rave reviews, curtain calls, cast parties, and girls of all species throwing themselves off bridges for him was something normal to him. With the ceremony now behind us, we made our way off stage and back to the club room where we would continue to prepare for the show taking place the next day.

***

I sat at the top of the balcony in the room with Legoshi and Kai.

 Kai, who was still pissed that he had been kicked from the actor's team, let out a frustrated sigh as the three of us watched the groups below practice their sets. "This is such bullshit!" he said. "Have either of you ever thought about becoming an actor?" Kai asked suddenly, looking back and forth between Legoshi and I.

"Never," Legoshi said quickly.

I shook my head. "I'm not cut out for that stuff." 

"Odd considering only those with certain circumstances are allowed to join this club." Kai said.

"What do you mean? What do you get judged on then to be in it?" Legoshi asked.

"Oh come on. Don't tell me the two of you joined this club knowing nothing about this. For example, Sheila the cheetah from the dance team. At age 14 she was scouted while she worked part-time as a dominatrix at a BDSM club to make ends meet. Mina, the giraffe, has trypophobia and can't even look at herself in the mirror in fear of her patterns. Moro, the Rhino, thinks that her horn is her guardian angel when really it just blocks her line of sight. Y/n, you were able to join without any issue because you're a human in an all-animal school. Of course, me, for being a mongoose abandoned at birth and raised by a family of hyenas. The list goes on and on. The drama club is a mixture of unusual characters. Only those who have gone through hardships can join."