Two Months Later

Scotch had thought it would not be possible for him to have a normal time at Academy especially after what happened. How strange it was the following days and weeks, Scotch was expecting something to happen again, but it didn't. He never saw Alex as Tyler predicted. Pretty soon he became too busy with training and classes that there was no time to be thinking much else. They even had tests every single week and their muscle mass was measured, too.

In the dorms, the country-city divide was gone, but that didn't mean they were best friends and hung out. Scotch and the other country cadets—except Podge because he was still being 'no fun'—hung out together without the city cadets. They didn't really have that much in common anyway. Cityfolk were caught up with the latest gadgets and trends, but the countryfolk were a few steps behind.

It was all good though. All except one—Scotch and Tyler were not going out.

After that night at Tyler's dorm, and the kiss in the hallway—well, a kiss on Scotch's head—nothing happened. Of course, the hopeless romantic in him was still gushing over the fact that Tyler did kiss him, even though it was just on the head it still counted as a kiss.

But the male was aloof.

Every time Scotch texted Tyler, he was busy. It was understandable though. Tyler was a senior, about to graduate, and become an officer. It was a big deal and really important. Most seniors were already going out to deal with real-live situations and Tyler was one of them. Occasionally, Scotch would spot Tyler coming back from a mission looking exhausted, disheveled, and sometimes with smears of dirt on his pants or jacket.

"Twigdrunken shite," Mason would say when they saw him, or other seniors having come back from a mission. Sometimes they would be gone multiple days at a time. "Is that gonna be us someday?"

"Reckon," Scotch answered shortly as he called Tyler with his eyes, trying to stare at him enough so he would notice Scotch. But he would always saunter off. Would he have turned and smiled if he also had a crush on Scotch?

"Does he even like me or do I remind him of a little siblin' or somethin'?" Scotch asked Mason one night as they sat in his room. Christoph was there lying on his bed with on his Bolt, but his ears twitched as he listened.

"You just gotta keep at it. He's probably just so busy and just wanna concentrate on shite. He don't wanna get distracted."

"But I'm distracted he's not distracted." Scotch stretched his arms back over his head and winced when his muscles cried out. They had been made to do as many pushups as they possibly could to check their strength limits and come up with goals.

Mason chuckled. "Sounds like a case of strawberry shortcake."

Scotch rolled his eyes at his friend. "Ugh," He groaned, "no, I hope not."

"What's that mean?" Christoph sat up and put his Bolt away. "Sounds like it should be a good thing."

"It's a sweet thing and a sour thing, basically. Like your crush ghostin' ya," Scotch explained. Sometimes, but not all the time, when talking together, he and Mason would just casually use Marmaglaid slang. Some of it even had backstory of pranks that Scotch and Mason got up to when they were younger.

"Comes from his Ma's birthday cake." Scotch smirked at Mason who grinned.

"Sour, but giving a hint of sweetness, so ya can't decide which it is and if ya like it or not."

Scotch lay back in his bed. He didn't like this. He was hoping that after that, he and Tyler would be dating. Maybe even kissing by now. The kiss on the head, the hug, the 'I got your back', and calling Scotch 'special' were all steps before actual going out, weren't they?

Weeks of silence from Tyler later, Scotch was soon beginning to wonder if that was all nothing. Maybe even a dream. Perhaps he should look for someone new? There was this hot Junior he saw running track. The Junior was a black Sarvai with only a fox tail showing his ancestry. The rest of him was human. When the cadets had track with the Juniors for the teacher's convenience, that black Sarvai came up to him and asked for his number. It was a smooth move he was willing to follow, but he still hadn't given up on Tyler.

It was on a bright sunny day, two days before the three-week break that a call came to Scotch was in the middle of class, so he just let his Bolt buzz against his leg. After a while, it quieted.

But he couldn't deal with it right away. For the rest of that day, he was busy with driving in the policeship. He had his paper license and all the details of air travel down, but not the actual flying bit. They were put into individual simulation rooms that felt so real, his heart would thump when a criminal on a grig came towards him about to crash.

"Shite!" He squeezed his eyes as the holographic policeship swung forward and backwards making his neck hurt. The fake sky was gone, and he was on the ground again.

"Borrecki, you need to lift and go over him." Instructor Pollen called over the speakers in her deep, gruff voice that only meant criticism. "How many times do I have to hammer it into your foxy noggin?"

He scowled as the video of her in the control room appeared above his head. "Get your act together!"

"Yes, ma'am," he said obediently. He knew not to disagree with his instructors. They were officers or former, but they still had the authority to send someone to jail. Scotch knew they wouldn't send a student to jail from misbehaving, but he wasn't going to take the chances and he hoped Mason thought the same way, too. That Ropardia already had two strikes with the teacher. One for being tardy—coming to class with only thirty minutes left. And another time sneaking out during a field trip to the policeship station.

"Females were asking for me, ya know?" Mason later smirked to Scotch. One more strike and he would get detention in an actual jail-like room. Officer Dornt showed it to them to threaten them and it looked just like a boring old cell. The WAVE didn't work down there so that would be the ultimate punishment for them. No WAVE, no life.

"Borrecki!" Instructor Pollen growled like a bear. Scotch blinked away his thoughts and pushed the lever up just in time to avoid collision, going over the criminal and his grig. Letting out a sigh, he relaxed too soon. The next sequence was of a gunshot on the underbelly of the policeship. He cursed himself for forgetting about that. The engine was dead and if this were real life, Scotch would be, too.

"Borrecki!" This time it wasn't a voice of warning, but of scolding. But Instructor Pollen could praise him a little, right? He had just started this class a week ago and he was already able to quickly switch from autopilot to manual and know what all the buttons did. He'd memorized most of the policeship station codes and could put them in just hearing the names.

"Get it right next class. I don't want to repeat this lesson again." Pollen towered over him. Her face had patches of brown fur—bear type Gerfai ancestry but born in the First Ring and called a 'hairy Human'. Became a policewoman to get back at her bullies. That was the information Ginger gave him when he complained to her about how strict Pollen was.

After class, Scotch reached into his book bag and pulled out his schedule book. He had nothing until four—chemistry. He knew why he had to take it, but he didn't like it much. Instead of learning about the real world, he would rather watch shows on crazy science theories that he could later laugh at for their stupidity.

It was two hours until then, Mason was somewhere, and he told Scotch not to come looking for him. River was taking combat class, and Ginger was in psychology class. He knew Christoph was getting driving lessons from his assigned instructor. Everyone else, he didn't know their schedule, so, since the day was nice, he picked up a coffee at the cafeteria and went to sit on the bench in the inner garden.

Behind him was Fairy Lane, or Lovers Lane. The forest smelled of fresh wet soil—it had rained like all hell broke loose last night—and it reminded him of home.

Been too busy to think of home. Scotch realized he hadn't sent word to his mother since getting here—except the notice that he arrived safely. Not that he was ignoring her, just that everything was happening so quickly, and he didn't have time to sit down and write her a digital letter. He decided to do it tonight. He didn't want her getting sick with worry.

He pulled out his Bolt to take a memo when he saw five missed calls from Tyler. "Shite! He called!" Scotch whispered and quickly opened the digital letter sent after.

Toor Building Five, 7pm, end-of-term party, cellar, this time not cancelled. Tomorrow. Last day before break, you know. Game?

Scotch almost doubted his eyes and he was wearing his glasses. His heartbeat quickened. If he had answered the calls, what else would Tyler have said? With fumbling fingers and sweaty pawpads, he replied to the letter.

Game.

What about Mason, Ginger, and River?

The moment he sent it, there was a call. He picked it up. "Ty?" His voice cracked.

"Yeah, hi. Uh..." Tyler's voice faded, and Scotch could hear a bunch of citizens talking in the background. "You replied," he said after a while.

"Yeah." Scotch sipped his coffee and waited for Tyler to answer.

"Sure, yeah, they can come." There was a forced enthusiasm in his voice. Scotch bit his lip wondering if Tyler actually meant just the two of them. He blew a romantic night, he knew it, but it was too late now.

"So, I'll see you guys there. Gotta go." And Tyler hung up without letting Scotch say anything much. He wanted to ask about them. Was Tyler thinking about him this entire two months like Scotch was? Could they be a thing?

"Bastard." Scotch turned his head to stare into the forest where Fairy Lane disappeared into. He imagined walking with Tyler into the forest at night.

Holding hand and paw. Scotch looked down at his paws and imagined a hand in them. It was Dex's hand or Alex's hand. He didn't want those bitter memories anymore and the latter was disturbing. He wanted Tyler to hold his paws again and comment on them being the tattletale of him blushing.

Feeling out of sorts, he headed to the dorms to try to sleep it off until it was time for boring old chemistry. A cool breeze ruffled his cheek fur and he spotted, in one of the windows of the Junior student dorms, the black Sarvai waving at him to come over.