Became a Furry

Chapter 5: A Calm Before the Storm

Meeting Rannier was probably the only good thing on my first day at school. I didn't say that all of this troubled me that much, but it still tired me, both mentally and physically. I wanted to lie down in bed as soon as possible.

It was not until 3 pm that school finally ended. I hurried and called Arthur to pick me up to avoid more troublesome stuff.

His car arrived in front of the school gates 30 minutes later. Without wasting too much time I opened the door and got in.

We didn't say anything to each other for a while. He seemed to notice my sour mood. Well, that was to be expected. The morning before I was in high spirits, and now I was silent as the dead.

He didn't ask anything though. I didn't know what he was thinking, but I felt grateful for that; I wanted to avoid any questions for now.

Now that I noticed, he was wearing the same shirt as this morning. His tie was hanging loose around his neck while his suit was crumpled on the back seat. There were a lot of sweat stains on his shirt around his neck and armpits.

Well, as a reward for being mindful, I guess I could take the initiative and open the conversation first.

"Dad." I tried to talk to him as we waited for the traffic light.

He looked surprised before answering, "Yes, son. Do you need anything?"

"Did you come directly from your workplace?"

"Ah. Yes, that's right." He coughed a little before continuing, "I hurriedly ran to your place after I got your call. Can't make my son wait too long, right? Hahaha..."

His laughter felt empty, like he was trying to lighten up the mood, but failed.

"...Did I bother your work?" I averted my gaze to the window lazily. "You don't need to drive me anymore if it does. I can't be getting in your-"

"No, you aren't!" He suddenly shouted while involuntarily hitting the horn. We both jumped surprised by the sudden noise.

"Dad, what's wrong!?" I looked at him worriedly.

He breathed heavily while grabbing the steering wheel like his life depended on it. "N-nothing. Sorry to shout like that. I'm okay. Really.

"Just..." He paused for a moment. "Rather than work, dad is happy to spend more time with you. So don't mind it too much, okay?"

Ending his words with a smile, he continued to drive as the green light switched on.

I spend the rest of the drive in silence. Looks like things were more severe than I thought.

***

As we finally arrived home I immediately went to my room, closed the door, and threw myself onto the bed.

Many things happen so fast that I need to sort out my thoughts. The fact that the original owner committed suicide, the bullying at school, and the weird response from Arthur, I couldn't help but think that all of them were connected. No, it was clearly connected.

I wasn't bothered by the bullying that much, because I have already gotten used to it. Back in my high school years, I was already getting through something worse. They mocked me for being gay. They called me a faggot, freak, retarded, even Hitler.

Those are some bitter memories that I'd rather not remember.

Rather than that, the concerning part was that things would be quite awkward with the Atkins couple from now on. I need to do something to prevent that.