Fox hopped to the campus of the Buffalo's. He had never been there, but he had exciting news he needed to share with his best friend. Today, he passed his first Ability Exam. Just in time, within a year! For what might have happened otherwise... Well—to be frank, he didn't know. Nobody did. But students like that were called a failed experiment, never to be seen again. A chill rolled down his spine, but he shook it off. It didn't matter anymore! For he had achieved the first level—unfortunately, it took him 11 months instead of the average 2, but hey, better late than never!—and he couldn't wait to tell the news to his friend. Sometimes, it was still hard to believe that he had really made a friend. Someone who didn't mind that he couldn't sit still; that he was always enthusiast about literally everything, that he stumbled over his feet way too many times and that he transformed into an animal at completely random moments, being totally naked when he turned back to his human shape. 

Pride filled his chest. No—Safira didn't care. She was the coolest girl in the whole school!

He knocked on the door. Impatiently bouncing on his toes, he waited until someone opened. A smile that almost reached both of his ears crossed his lips when the door started to move. 

When he saw the person opening the door, however, he forgot the reason why he was here immediately. All he could do was stare into these mesmerizing green eyes while a clumsy 'yelp' passed his lips. Suddenly he felt hot all over—he had never been this close to him!

The detention boy. He never discovered his name, since his housemates believed they owed him no answers as long as he hadn't passed his first exam—which he had, now!— but all the times he had been in detention (which accidentally happened a lot), this boy had been there too. 

And he was handsome. So incredibly super handsome that Fox forgot how to breathe while his brain was shutting down. He just stood there like a fish out of water, gasping for oxygen (okay that was not what fish were actually doing, but you get the point) while the heat radiated from his face. 

The boy raised his eyebrows, a silent question in his grass-green eyes. 

Come on, Fox! Say something to him. 

He. Was. So. Insanely. Nervous. 

His vision was blurring and before he knew it, he made a grunting noise (OINK!). 

No no no nooo!

He felt himself shrink, tried to grab onto something. 

The other boy watched him calmly, without saying a word. 

And suddenly, his transformation came to a stop. Partly stuck in his clothes, he struggled out of them. Bowing his head, he realized that his paws were pink. A piglet—he'd turned into a piglet!

"What the fuck is that?" a voice said—but not that of Detention Boy, that much he knew. 

Another tall boy stood in the doorway now, nonchalant leaning with his arm on Detention Boy's shoulder.

"A little piggy. Don't tell me you don't know what a piggy looks like."

The other boy rolled his eyes, even though a blush spread across his cheeks. "But why?'

"Yeah... that's what I was wondering too..." The green eyes didn't leave his. "But I never say 'no' to a nice bite of bacon."

Fox felt so hot he was afraid he would fry himself if he stayed here a second longer. Why did Safira not come to the door? He took a few steps back. Man—he would never dare to look at that boy again! 

Another shocking thought crossed his mind. What if he suddenly transformed back to his human shape? Then he would be fully naked! He turned around so quickly he fell, belly-flopping through the grass. Quickly he got up and started to run, as far as he could from the boys. His throat squeezed shut. How could he ever have passed his exam if he kept humiliating himself like this? 

Diving into the bushes, he decided to stay there until night fell. Usually, he didn't feel ashamed of his nakedness—not after the countless times it had happened to him—but in front of that boy he didn't want to embarrass himself even more. And today, he didn't want to be a laughingstock by walking through the campus naked, because he didn't fully control his gift. What a party that would be...

No, he would wait until dark. And then—then, he didn't know what he would do. 

Maybe he could go back and pick up his clothes, which still lay on the ground in front of the door. He should have taken them with him. Laying down on his stomach, he crossed his paws in front of his face. Instead of a grunt, he oinked again. Quickly he pressed his snout against his paw so he stopped making idiot sounds. 

☆☆☆

Kris looked at the piggy until it was out of sight. Chuckling, he picked up the pile of clothes. He was used to people—and especially newbies—giving him a wide berth, but seeing someone transform into a piggy and sprint away was new. 

"You're gonna hang it in the tree over there?" Nish asked, a wide grin on his face. He nodded to a high tree. 

"Maybe I'll hang you in that tree." With a wink, he blew his friend a kiss before he took a look at the clothes in his hand. A pair of blue jeans and a black shirt with a cat hugging a dinosaur. Typical. 

He knew the kid. Or well—everybody knew him, for he stumbled in the canteen at least once a week, spilling his food across the floor; he transformed into animals on the most sudden moments and he was always singing or even dancing when changing classes. Someone like that simply stood out. 

He thought it was a funny little guy. A change from all these gruffy faces. 

He wasn't sure what he would do with the boy's clothes, but he wondered if he would dare to ask them back. Maybe he would wear the shirt tomorrow, he was curious what the kid would do. 

Right when he was about to turn around, someone yanked the clothes out of his hand. 

"Hey, these are not yours!" Safira put her hands on her hips. "What have you done this time? Leave him alone—he's a friend of mine."

"He gave a free striptease," Kris answered with a teasing grin. "You're a little too late."

"Although I bet you're getting private ones," Nish added. "With a nice bonus now and then."

Safira rolled her eyes before she slipped past them. "I need to find him. I'm sure your stupid comments scared the shit outta him."

Kris huffed. "He was goin' all piggy style before I could even say a word."

"You have a way of talking with rolling your eyes and raising your eyebrows too," she sneered.

She gave them a furious glance before leaving the building. 

"Crabby bitch," Nish muttered.

Kris smirked, nudging his shoulder. "Maybe you should give her a good one. I'm sure she'll feel better."

Nish pulled a face. "Better you than me."

"You rather do me?"

His friend stomped his shoulder. Despite the fact that they were hanging out for over a year, he still didn't know whether Nish was into boys or girls or both. He had the feeling Nish didn't know it either, but there was a pink tinge on his cheeks right now. Maybe he should just give it a shot. The guy was hot and in the three years he'd been on this school, he'd never been so close to anyone as he was to Nish.

☆☆☆

Safira called up a little bit of her powers to sharpen her senses, so she could follow his scent. It didn't take long before it disappeared in the bushes. 

"Fox?"

There was a shuffling sound at her right. She pushed a few branches away until she saw a piglet between the large ferns. His ears were trembling and he looked at her with wide eyes. 

She sat down next to him, crossing her legs, and petted his skin. Slowly, he crawled closer to her, resting his head on her knee. She could hear his racing heart; only after a few strokes he calmed down and started to grow until he took the shape of a 15-year-old boy. 

Remarkably silent, he put on his clothes. "Thanks," he muttered. 

"What happened?" she asked, concerned. "What did those assholes say to you?"

"N-nothing."

Safira grabbed his hand and squeezed it until he looked up. "I know how they are. You can be honest with me. Did they do or say something shitty to you?"

Fox looked away, his cheeks flaming red. Quietly, he shook his head. "I—I just panicked when he opened the door."

Fox wasn't someone who was easily intimidated by other people; usually, he talked someone's ears off, no matter who was with him. "Why?" she pried further. Perhaps it wasn't the first time the two were bothering him. 

"Because—because he's so handsome."

Safira stared at him in disbelief. She had certainly not expected that.  "You have feelings for him?"

His bright red cheeks gave the answer away. He bit his lip, gave her a skittish look and nodded. 

"Oh, okay..." She raked a hand through her hair and didn't know what to say. She didn't know if he was talking about Nish or Kris—but both belonged to the top 5 people he shouldn't date. "Which one?" she asked nevertheless since that would make it easier to help him forget the guy.

"I don't know his name. The one with the piercing. And—and his eyes that always change color."

"Kris."

"Kris," the boy repeated, his eyes lighting up as he said the name. 

Safira didn't like it—not for a bit. Kris was okay, but he was the opposite of the blushing boy next to her. He would only laugh at him—and even when they got to know each other, he would bulldoze over the younger boy. Fox needed a sweet boyfriend or girlfriend. Not someone even Zebediah was on his guard around—and with good reason. 

"Why were you at the door?" Safira asked, trying to change the subject. "Were you looking for me?"

The boy looked up, his curls dangling down his head. "Yes! I passed my exam! That's what I wanted to tell you!"

"You did! Oh, I'm so proud of you!" She pulled him in a hug. "You worked so hard for it!"

He nodded frantically. "Maybe they will stop laugh at me now." He turned towards her, resting his chin on his hand. "Tell me more about Kris! How old is he? His gift has something to do with crystals, right? I've seen it. What is his favorite animal? And..."

"I don't know much about him," she cut him off. "He's 18." Hopefully, that was demotivating enough. "I would forget about him. He's quite a rebel. Sorry," she added when she saw the disappointed look in his eyes. "I know this isn't something you want to hear when you're in love, but you two don't match. But hey," reaching out for his hand, she gave a squeeze. "You passed your first Ability Exam! You completely belong now. Soon, you'll make a lot of new friends and I'm sure there will be someone who is a good match for you. You'll forget about Kris in a minute." She pulled him on his feet when his shoulders slumped. "Come on, you passed your exam and we're gonna celebrate it. No whining about guys," she teased. "I've got a House full of dumb girls who do that all day long." She winked at him and dragged him out of the bushes. "Trust me, being single is much better!"

☆☆☆