Mr. Carisol walked Ray into the school's office. Then, he started on a bit of a monologue:
"That boy has always been such trouble, your cousin. Starting fights, spreading rumors, walking around like he's disgusted by everything..." he told Ray. "But suddenly, he seems to have changed quite for the better. He's dyed his hair light, which far better matches his dark and drab style of dress. It's about contrast, you see. You're the type who can wear white, and he's not... and neither of you should be wearing grey on top, oh, heavens no. He seems to be growing into quite the young man."
Ray narrowed his eyes with seething hurt. He was about ready to punch the old man between his baggy pants, when he said something else:
"I've always seen something of myself in him. Stubborn, with strong convictions... underneath that troubled exterior is a lot of courage."
He looked up at him, with soft eyes. He'd had no idea. 'Consider the sacking cancelled,' Ray thought to himself.
Mr. Carisol looked down at Ray, and grunted. They sat down by his desk.
"Well, ahem. Let's get you sorted, shall we? What did you say your name was?"
Without thinking, he said, "Raimundo."
Mr. Carisol tapped his toe on the floor. His dress shoes made amusing little claps. "Oh, come now. That's a boy's name. We've got enough Raimundos around here, don't we?"
"I'm telling you the truth," Ray explained. "I met a weird boy in the woods, with white hair. Now he has my student ID, and my favourite hoodie! I think he followed he home!"
Mr. Carisol shook his head, slightly, and took a deep breath. "Look, I know you've been through some trauma, and you're a bit scattered. But this is no time for games. Please just... tell me who you really are, so I can send you back to your dorm."
'Ugh,' thought Ray, 'he's not listening. If only someone here could vouch for me.'
"Wait," he thought, "that's it! I'll be right back, mister!" He leapt from his chair, and ran out of the room. Mr. Carisol shouted after him, but all that remained was his belongings.
Ray rushed down the halls, looking around for his classmates, from the library to the cafeteria. Any of them would do; they need only see him with his head down on a desk. Ray searched for them high and low, but couldn't find a single one. That's when two of them approached him, from behind. He turned around, and met them face to face: Darnell and Yembe. Darnell was a stocky bruin with sharp eyes, who always wore striped sweaters over jeans. He was always pushing Ray around in Home Ec, calling him 'retarded', and a certain 'f' word that didn't rhyme with 'truck'. Darnell was the kind of guy who assumed himself the center of the universe, even though he didn't stand for anything, nor fight any of his own battles. He'd been content letting Jodd hold the front lines, for him. Then, there was their partner-in-crime. Yembe was a skinny affette, with four pony-poofs in the back, and hair combed tight on top. She was in her usual grungy jean jacket, with fingerless gloves, but over a pair of hundred-dollar white khakis and bright-pink plastic shoes – to make sure everyone knew it was all on-purpose. Yembe was from Little Africa, a neighborhood for refugees across the world. By Ray's guess, she lived on the nicer side of it. She was actually kind of a jerk, always disrupting class and insulting people to their faces, and had a habit of making people wish she'd go back. Which was an awful thing to say about a refugee. Ray had always suspected this was intentional too, and that she enjoyed making people squirm between conflicting emotions... and in the spaces between ideals, and reality. Both of them were Jodd's side-cars, and a year older than Ray. Neither seemed too upset about his death. Which was odd. Ray waited for them to recognize him... but they didn't. Without the black hoodie, Ray supposed, they couldn't tell who he was.
'That's what I get for being iconic, I guess,' he thought.
Yembe gave Ray a flirty gaze, and smiled. "You must be new here," she grinned. "Lemme show you 'round school." She offered her hand, and Ray looked at it like it was a foreign entity. She'd already bullied him enough that he knew not to trust her kindness – still, it was shocking to see it in earnest.
Darnell looked at her, and became upset. "You can't keep doing this, dude. Every time someone new shows up, you sneak off with them, make out, and then come crawling back to me, crying about how you 'made a mistake'. I'm tired of it."
"Whaaat? I'm just... introducing myself." Yembe replied. "Have you been here long, miss...?" Yembe leaned in closer.
Ray leaned away. He started to say, "It's me, guys, Ra-" when suddenly, Fake Ray showed up. He wrapped his arms around the others' shoulders, and kissed each one on the cheek.
"How's my favourite couple?" he brazenly asked them. They chuckled, and blushed. He went on, "I hear you're having trouble staying on the leash, Yembe. Just remember: a wandering dog might forget his way home. And Darnell, why not go with her? Open yourself up to new things, meet new people, sniff new butts. Whatever makes her happy might make you happy, too." He rested his head between their shoulders, and they leaned in together. "Most importantly," he concluded, "what matters is that you stick together. Change might come and go, but if you do that, you'll always have each other." They shared a collective, dreamy sigh.
Ray stared in disbelief at the three of them. Suddenly, this... wolf boy was a golden retriever! They were cuddling him like it was pet therapy! And just where the hell did all this mint-stank degrassi come from?
"(Are you people for fucking real right now?)" Ray cursed under his breath.
"Thanks, Ray." Yembe said to Fake Ray. "You've always been a great friend to both of us."
Darnell nodded in agreement. "It's true. Ever since I can remember."
"What an ass-kisser you are!" Real Ray whined, and ran away.
"What's her problem?" Darnell asked.
The other two simply shrugged.

Real Ray got up from the grassy spot under the tree where he'd been crying. He wasn't even sure why he'd been crying. He used to be able to hold it in so well. Another girl happened to walk by, and Ray reflexively went to flip up his hood – but he didn't have one. He recognized the girl: it was Loretta, his crush since grade one. She had teased brown curls, and glasses, atop a skinny frame in a green dress. Being that the two of them were still, y'know, twelve, it wasn't really her body that Ray was interested in. It was her personality, the way she seemed to fall into everything around her... and make it special, somehow. It was hard to explain. She didn't seem to recognize Ray.
"Are you okay? You look upset," Loretta asked softly.
"I have been. A forest hobo stole my dumb name, my tiny room, and my terrible friends. And I didn't even know I had friends," Ray replied.
"A... what?" she blinked.
"Well, more like a stray."
Loretta giggled. "Ooh, I get it. Your family got a new dog, right? Now you're jealous, and you feel like he's taking everything from you."
"Something like that." Ray sighed.
Loretta continued, "When I was in pre-school, I was always the star. I loved to dance, and sing... then I got to kindergarten, and everyone forgot about me. I was so used to being the center of attention, I couldn't handle it. Other kids were getting praise for things I could do better, and I felt like everyone had lost their minds!" She threw her arms up, echoing her past frustrations. "But... from what you said, you don't even like what this dog took. Besides, I bet he really appreciates all you've done for him."
Ray nodded, and was about to thank Loretta... when all of a sudden, Fake Ray ran up behind her, and tackled her to the ground. Loretta screamed and giggled, as Fake Ray tickled and kissed her. The sight of it froze Real Ray's gut dead, and his heart sank to the dark abyss below. He got angry.
"What the hell are you doing?! That's the guy I was just TALKING about!!" Ray exclaimed.
Loretta rolled her eyes. "Oh, you mean Raimundo? Don't be so jealous, new kid. I've known him since grade one! I've always kind of liked him... his spooky sense of humor, his stoic demeanor..." She put her hand on Fake Ray's face. "Well, he just came up today and asked me out! I guess he had just as much of a crush as I did, all along."
Fake Ray kissed her again, on the lips. Then a bit more. Loretta slapped him playfully on the cheek. "No tongue!" she giggled.
Real Ray's fists clenched, and his eyes froze in place. He couldn't see straight. If there were a song to describe Ray's feelings at that moment, it would be something like "Kill Me and Then Kill Yourselves", by the Italian death metal band, Parasocial Distance. He grabbed 'Ray' by HIS black hoodie, and pulled him close.
"You, me. Right now," Real Ray growled in his face.
Loretta blushed. "For... me? But we just met..." She palms her cheeks, evidently pleased, in a weird sort of way. "I'm not even sure if I like girls, yet. At least, I don't... think so...?" She looked dazed.
Fake Ray blinked. "What happens right now?"
"I'm gonna kick your ass, is what," Real Ray spat.
"You're gonna put your foot on my butt?" he asked, blindly inquisitive.
Real Ray looked Fake Ray dead in the eyes. It was no use... the weirdo was barely aware what was even happening. Somehow, he'd managed to figure out romance and identity theft on the same day, but had no idea how to fight in the schoolyard.
Ray dropped him and walked off, with a serious stride. He looked back, and his faker was already doing something else.
"Look what I can do!" Fake Ray shouted, and climbed into a tree. "I'm so high up!"
"You are, look at you go!" Loretta exclaimed with joy.
"Forget this, none of you are worth it." Real Ray sulked away, grumbling.
Fake Ray started to say, "What a cranky bi-"
"SHUT UP!" Real Ray shouted, and tossed a shoe at Fake Ray in the tree. It missed. Real Ray watched as Loretta climbed into the tree with the impostor, and the two of them started kissing again. Real Ray stomped away in one shoe, and the sun began to set. Then, it started to rain. Water soaked into his left sock.

Ray tried to get back into school for his stuff, and to call Theresa, but it was closed for the day. Only the dorms and the cafeteria were open... to those with keys and ID cards. Both, the wolf had stolen from him. With nowhere to go, and not even his black hood, he found his way back into the forest where it all started. He searched, and relocated the log fort. Under the cover of foliage, it was surprisingly dry. He sat down, tucked his baggy pants under his legs, and sighed. He spied a leftover from Fake Ray's previous snack binge: a single danish, in its plastic clam-shell container. The feats of science never ceased to amaze, but they were never more impressive than when they brought back a good recipe from the dead, with ingredients a human could actually benefit from eating. Real Ray took it. He nibbled on its buttery crust, no doubt made with peanut oil and powdered coconut, among other things. As soon as his tongue hit the cherry filling, it was gone. He burped, shook out the container, and put it over his head to block the odd rain-drop. He held himself in the cold, dark, and damp dirt, trying to keep warm. His thin pants and bare arms didn't help. A thought occurred to him: this must be how the wolf boy slept every night.