Burdens [Furry BxB]

Chapter 136 - Vacant

Roger did not know whether or not it was the situation or the way the wolf was squeezing him that was causing the blood to rush to his head. He looked glanced around as best he could, though his view was mostly blocked. He patted the wolf once more and said, "Can I get down now?"

He felt himself being lowered onto the ground. When his feet hit the ground, he hesitantly took his seat once more. He could hear the murmurs floating in the classroom, not a single one of them positive. He lowered his tail and kept to himself as best he could.

Hunter also sat back down.

The gossiping did not stop, but it did not get any worse. It was all just idle chatter of jealousy and anger. Roger had heard enough of it by now to be used to it, but there was never really any getting used to it.

The wolf had been staring at the tiny piece of paper with a large smile on his face. His tail was trapped in his chair after he sat down, but it was in constant motion. It looked like he was in disbelief, but also ecstatic at his result. The fox smiled to himself, glad that he could have helped.

The skunk had already given out the last grade and said that they were free to relax. Some of the students were happy about the news, others not so much. There were a few that looked a little stressed out after having seen their score.

Roger stared at his own paper, but not to actually inspect it, but to try to show that he was otherwise busy. He wanted to celebrate with the wolf, but as it stood, there were too many curious fellows and prying eyes for them to be close. He already had a close call, but his usual awkwardness helped avoid a situation.

Still, that was only the first class. They had a few more classes to go before they could figure out how well the wolf had performed. Roger was fairly certain that he would at least do well in his own classes, so he was not worried about that.

The rest of the class went without any incidents. The wolf was so enthralled with his grade that he did not attempt to grab the fox and celebrate with everyone around him. The skunk had kept Roger behind after class let out to let him know how pleased he was with the wolf's progress, and offered that he might be able to provide a tutoring service one day.

The fox did not think that would be really ideal. While he would probably be good at it, he was reluctant with Hunter at the start, and he figured that he would get as frustrated with others as he once had been. The difference would probably be in their reactions, though.

The next class came, but the essay was yet to be graded. Roger sat through the class as best he could, no longer having his wolf around him. Suddenly, he felt like he could deal with the other students much less than he had originally been capable of doing. He kept to himself and stared straight ahead, attempting to avoid any confrontations.

He saw many different reactions to different grade throughout the day. Some students were happy with their results, some were sad, but many were indifferent since they believed that it did not mean much to what they had in mind for their future.

There was some merit in their beliefs, but Roger knew it was foolish to think that there were no consequences that would follow them in their life. Still, it was not his problem to deal with.

During lunch, he could not find the wolf. He hoped it was not because of his grades, that he found one that was lower than he had hoped. Then again, it seemed like he had been hoping for anything above failing, so it was not the best of news. Roger knew he had to wait to figure out what went wrong, but it did not mean he would not worry about it.

The teachers offered him their congratulations after the classes were over. He was not the only one that excelled, but he stood out amongst the rest, and yet it meant nothing to him. He had something else in his mind that was much more important.

His classes in the afternoon were not much more exciting. It was just time to waste while they handed out scores for their finals. It was just a test, Roger knew, and their overall grade would be influenced by it, but it was pointless to him. He just wanted it to end.

He heard more and more gossip coming from the other students. He wondered why they talked so much about things they did not know anything about, but he figured that was just how things were. He heard about Hunter from the students that shared classes with him. Finally, there was something worthwhile.

He gathered that it was good news since the wolf seemed to look excited in all of his classes shortly after receiving his grade. Apparently, he kept to himself in those moments, quietly celebrating, though his tail had been in motion

A few students, much to the fox's disliking, had taken the opportunity to ask the wolf about his relationship status. Roger smiled to himself when he heard that the wolf had said that he was taken, and yet felt a twinge of anger when he heard that they asked him out on a date anyway, saying that they were better than whoever it might have been.

By what he gathered, they asked him who it was, and Roger grew anxious. The wolf was honest and trusting, so it was not outside the realm of possibilities for him to have mentioned that he was in a relationship with Roger. He froze and listened carefully.

The wolf had not said. He simply did not answer, transfixed on being happy about his grades, or so he assumed. The fox let out a sigh of relief that he thought might have been too loud, but he was ignored. It was for the best.

He saw the end of the day ticking ever so slowly near. He caught himself holding his breath while staring at the clock. Soon, he would be able to see the wolf again and perhaps ask him where he was during lunch. It was possible that any number of things could have kept him occupied, but he just wanted to get rid of any worries he had, even though he knew the wolf had done well.

Nothing he told himself could calm him down. The anxiety grew, and he had no idea why. He just figured he would have to wait for the wolf's results. Part of him thought that the wolf might have been just doing it on purpose to build suspense.

It was not in his nature, though. Roger spent the rest of the day in a haze, silent amidst a storm of voices surrounding him. It was not much longer before school let out for the summer. He hoped everything would work out.