An Angel's Tail

Chapter 16

The next day, there was a gathering in the quad for freshmen to meet and mingle some more. It wasn't a big blowout party like the one the night before, but it was an outdoor gathering, a picnic. Honey and I decided to attend, because we wanted to make some new friends. When we entered the quad, Honey got a few stares, but not as many as the night before, as a lot of people were there to hear her sing. We stood in line to get our food, and heard a few snickers and chuckles. Again, it didn't bother Honey. She just turned and smiled at them, which actually caught their attention.

"Hey," said a young girl who was part of a group of four girls, "why are you wearing that?" she asked. "Isn't it a little early for Halloween?"

Honey giggled and smiled kindly at the girl. "It is, but... this isn't a costume. It's real."

"What? It's real?" The girl was confused.

"Yep, I was born with a tail."

"Okay, that is too cool," another girl from the group chimed in. "I wish I could've been born with a weird body part."

"Yeah," another girl added, "like maybe unicorn horns."

Honey giggled. "Awww, you would look adorable with unicorn horns."

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"I wish I could've been born with webbed feet," the second girl said.

"I thought you already had webbed feet," the first girl said.

"Oh, shut up."

Honey and I both laughed.

"I wish I could've been born as a human cat hybrid."

"Well, you have whiskers, so you're on your way."

"Shut up, duck-feet."

We continued laughing at the funny banter between the girls.

"I'm Marissa, by the way," the first girl said, "and these are my friends, Evelyn, Veruga, and Amayah."

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you guys," Honey said cheerfully. "I'm Honey, and this is my best friend and sister, Maddie."

"Oh, cool," said Marissa. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Hi," I said awkwardly.

"Hi," the other girls said, also awkwardly.

"So, like... do you wanna sit with us?" asked Amayah.

"Oh, we'd love to!" Honey replied.

So, we filled our plates, and followed the girls over to their table.

"So, was your tail always this long?" asked Marissa.

"Nope," Honey replied. "It used to be an itty-bitty nub. It grew over time."

"That's really cool. Although, how do you get your pants up?"

"I cut and sew neat holes in them, and I make tail warmers to match my clothes."

"Is it hard to get them over your tail?"

"Not really. I'm used to it. They slip on pretty easily."

"What about sitting in chairs with backs?" asked Veruga. "Isn't that uncomfortable?"

"Nope. My tail is always very comfy. If I sit in chairs with backs, I just lodge my tail between my legs."

"Does it... work?" asked Evelyn.

"Mmhmm!" Honey giggled and wiggled her tail.

The girls gasped and giggled.

"Holy shit!" Veruga exclaimed.

Throughout lunch, the girls continued to ask Honey about her tail. They didn't really pay attention to me, nor was I able to contribute to the conversation, as I wasn't even able to get a word in. So, I just ate my food. When I finished, I went back up for seconds, as well as another drink, came back to the table, and just focused on eating.

"So, like... do you wanna hang out sometime?" Marissa asked Honey.

"Oh, that would be great!" Honey replied enthusiastically.

"Awesomeness! Can I see your phone, so I can put my name in your contacts?"

"Sure." Honey handed Marissa her phone, and Marissa entered her contact info. Then, she passed the phone to the other girls, so they could do the same. Each girl handed Honey their phone, so she could enter her contact info. Then, they all did test texts to make sure everything worked.

After the picnic, we parted ways, and headed back to our dorms.

"Hey," Honey said in a concerned voice, "are you okay, Sweetie? You were so quiet at lunch."

"Oh, yeah," I lied, "I'm good."

"I know. They kept talking and talking. It was impossible to get a word in on your end." She wrapped her arm around me. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" I asked.

"For not including you in our conversation."

"You don't have to be sorry about that," I said. "They just wanted to know more about you and your tail. I mean, if I didn't know you, I'd be just as curious."

"I know, but I should've included you."

"No, seriously, it's okay. Come to think of it, they barely let you talk, except when you were answering their questions."

"Well, I'm still sorry, Baby."

"It's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Totally sure. I'm really happy you're making more friends."

"Awww, thank you, Sweetheart." She hugged me.

That was all true. I was really happy she was making new friends, even if they didn't seem interested in me. There was nothing I could do about that. I couldn't control how they felt about me versus her, and I sure as hell didn't want to make a fuss about it. I knew that would only put a strain on our friendship, and I wasn't willing to let that happen. Plus, they just met me, and Honey was the interesting one. Maybe they'd eventually start paying attention to me, too. After all, I wanted to make more friends.