Check out chapter one for the story description!

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I don't exactly know when I knew for-sure that I was gay, and it probably didn't help that I didn't really know about homosexuality in the first place. I remember struggling to place my feelings and decide whether they were good or not. All I know is that it all started in sixth grade.

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"Hey Luke! Over here!" my friends called out to me when I got out of the lunch line. They were at the table at the far end of the cafeteria. There was James, a black and brown husky; Lilly, a golden lab with pretty, green eyes; Natalie, a Siamese girl who wore glasses; and Tim, a collie who I considered my best friend.  I had been friends with all of them since elementary, and we had been lucky enough to go to the same middle school.

"Hey guys", I said as I got to the table. I took the seat between Tim and Natalie.

"So", James looked at all of us, "whose planning on going to the fall dance this weekend on Saturday?"

"I thought it would be super fun if we all went together!" Lilly told us. "It will be my first school dance, and I think it's the same for everyone at this table." I nodded my head in agreement, along with the others.

"I think that would be pretty cool, that way we know there would be furs there that we know", Tim said thoughtfully.

"I think it would be kind of awkward otherwise, especially with all the eighth graders", I added.

"Here's something!" Natalie piped in, "We could all meet at one of our houses before hand to eat and maybe play some games or chill together. It is on the weekend and there isn't anything better to do."

"That sounds like a fantastic idea!" I said.

"I second the notion", Lilly said.

"Fine, I will make it official", said Tim, "All in favor for Natalie's idea, say ‘I'"

"I" followed all of us.

After the vote, it was then decided that the get-together should be held at James's house, because it was the most equidistant from all our houses and the school. It was great, planning it. We decided, since that dance started at 6:30 pm, that we should all arrive at the house around 2:30 or 3 o'clock. I was in charge of bringing some snacks to the get-together, and Lilly would bring some extra game-console controllers. James would convince his mother to let us even do it, and to be our ride to the dance while Tim would ask his mom and dad to be the ride home. And lucky Natalie got stuck with nothing, because she thought of the idea in the first place.

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Two days later, Thursday, we shared with everyone about how things were going. "Well," said James, "My mother said that it was alright to do it as long as everyone else's parents were fine"

"My parents are cool with it", I reported.

"Same here" said Natalie.

"Mine are ok with it" Lilly shared

"Me too", was Tim's response. Now it was his turn, "My parents are fine with giving all you guys a ride home.

"Sweet, and my dad will take me out to get some snacks after school tomorrow", I told everyone.

"The game controllers are no problem, as long as they come back to our house in one piece" Lilly smiled.

"Then everything seems to be good", said Tim. We all couldn't wait for it to be Saturday.

*********

Friday came and went slowly, the minutes stretched like hours in every class period. At lunch, we all talked about how excited we were and what we thought the dance would be like. The last few periods were the worst because they were boring classes and they were the last periods on a Friday. When the end bell finally rang, it was as if I had chugged at least two energy drinks. I was ready to go and nothing was going to stop me.

Dad took me to the local super market right after school, like he had promised. When we got inside, he let me get two big bags of chips and one of those big platters of cookies. This will be absolutely perfect I thought to myself as we stood in the checkout line. When we got home, I flashed through my homework and managed to be done before supper.

"So, whose all going to this dance?" asked my dad while we were sitting around the table eating.

"And are you going to dance with any one?" my mother inquired.

I felt so awkward with my parents asking me these questions. "Well, there's me, Tim, Natalie, Lilly, and James. And really, Mom? We're all just going as friends; I don't plan on slow dancing with anyone."

"Well, I just had to make sure" and she gave me a big motherly smile. What I had said was true; I really didn't plan to dance with any girl. Come to think of it, I never really looked or thought about a girl that way…it didn't matter though; I guessed it would come in time.

After diner, we played a game as a family like we did every Friday, and tonight it was The Game of Life. I got the blue car, which I always considered my lucky one. By the end of the game though, I hated that little thing. I managed to hit every high payout spot, and I was the one with the lowest salary. We'll just say that I lost big-time. My mother won that night, and she rarely wins when we play Life, so I congratulated her.

I was eager to get to sleep that night so after we put away the game, I rushed through all my nightly things and flew into bed; tail wagging. I knew that the sooner I went to sleep, the sooner it would be tomorrow. While I was asleep, I dreamt of dancing. I couldn't tell you what kind of dance and what happened; all I knew was that it was about dancing.

The next morning I woke up slowly, just kind of lazing in bed. Then my ears pricked with the sizzle-snap of bacon and I shot out of my room like a bullet. My pajamas, a red fleece set that had one of those nice button up tops and matching red pants, flapped around me as I ran into the kitchen.

"Wow! If I had known that bacon would wake you up that fast, I would make some every morning. I only just put it in the skillet." He laughed, showing his canines and his tail wagging slightly.

"Well, I would definitely be ok with bacon every morning!" I told him enthusiastically.

"If that was the case, you would be twice the size you are now. And I, personally, don't want to roll my pup out the door to the bus." We all laughed at this comment from my mother.

"Nah!" I said, "I would just run every morning! That would do the trick!" after this I pranced around on my paws, pretending to run.

"Have fun with that" my father said sarcastically. "I think I will just stick to every once-and-a-while. It's less work." He was just dishing the bacon onto a plate covered with a paper towel for the grease.

My mother got up from the table and prodded him in the side, "You big-ol' lazy sac of fur", she told him. I couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"Well, now that the bacon is done, how would you like your eggs cooked, Luke?" my dad turned and asked me.

I thought for a moment, and then answered, "Scrambled, please?"

"Cheese? Or no cheese?"

"None, thank you"

"Alright, have it done in a second" and my dad proceeded to start cooking my eggs. All while I was waiting, I thought about how awesome our pre-party get-together was going to be, and how cool the dance would be. My tail kept wagging the whole time, and it only increased once my dad brought me my plate.

"Thank you very much!" I said as I started to dig in.

"Well, you're welcome very much!" my dad smiled and went to go cook Mom something to eat.

The bacon was delicious, nice, peppery, and crisp. Breakfast got even better when Dad went and pulled out the stuff for pancakes after he was done with his breakfast. He made chocolate-chip banana pancakes, and they were delicious! After all was said and done, I was stuffed and my stomach was happy. My dad put all the rest of the pancakes in freezer bags so they could be reheated over the course of the up-coming week.

I went back to my bedroom to grab the clothes I planned to wear for the Pre-dance party and the dance, and then went into the bathroom to take a shower. I set my clothes, nicely folded, on the counter next to the sink, then I ran water from the tub faucet to get it the right temperature. Once I had started the shower and got in, I made sure I lathered good and got everywhere, so I would still be pretty clean by the time of the party. I wondered if Tim would notice my nice clothes…

After I was all done and had gotten out of the shower, I took the white towel on the rack and started to dry off. After I was sure that I was dried thoroughly, I took my brush and brushed all the knots and tangles out until my fur shone. After my clothes were on, I put some styling gel in my hair so I would look good for the dance. I looked over the finished product and thought I look good, even if I do say so myself!

I was ready for the party, but it was only 12 noon. I don't think I can wait for another two-and-a-half hours I thought to myself slyly. But, somehow, I managed. The time was mostly spent reading and making sure I stayed pristine. I don't know why I was so OCD about it, but I didn't want to look bad for anyone. Especially Tim, I couldn't disappoint him. Is it normal to worry this much? For one fur? I wondered to myself.

Finally, it was time to go! My dad called to me up from the living room, "Luke, it's time go! Don't forget your food. I will be waiting in the car in the garage!"

"Alright, be there in a second!" I hurriedly found a place to stop in my book and flew out my bedroom door to the garage.

"See you later tonight Luke! Don't do anything against your better judgment!" Mom told me as I got my things together.

"Isn't doing things against better judgment the definition of teenager?" I said with a smile as I ran up to her and gave her a quick hug.

"Well, maybe…" as I ran out the door, I heard her chuckle. Dad sat in the car, waiting patiently as I ran to the car carrying the sack of food. As I got in the car, my dad took the car out of park and backed out of the garage. And just like that, we were off. I couldn't contain my excitement very well, so my tail shook back and forth the entire time as I tried desperately to stop it from wagging completely. Also, my ears were perked the entire time as I looked out the window at the passing scenery. My dad just smiled over at me and chuckled.

When we finally got to James's house, I am pretty sure that I exploded out of the car. I waved good-bye to my dad as he drove off, and I walked up to door and gave two hard raps. James's mother opened the door.

"Hello there Luke, you look charming today!" she said as she let me in; she and my parents were great friends so I should have expected something like that. I blushed deeply, but I don't think she saw it through my grey fur. "James is up-stairs with Lilly. Oh, and I will take that bag for you."

"Thank you very much", I said as I went up the stairs to James's bedroom. Lilly and James were playing some sort of game on his Nintendo, but I couldn't see the screen to tell what game.

"Hey there Luke!" Lilly exclaimed with a smile and a wag of her tail.

"Oh! Hey Luke", James said as he paused the mystery game.

"Hey guys, I brought chips and cookies for the pre-dance party", I told them

"That's awesome!"James said. "I think I might go have some right now" and he got up on his paws and sprang down stairs.

"Well, you really were healthy, weren't you?" Lilly asked jokingly.

"Yup, you know how much of a health nut I am", I replied.

"Let's head downstairs; I think I heard a car door shut outside." Sure enough, just as we were padding down the stairs, Tim knocked at the door. After James's mother let him in, we all went to the kitchen. I guess teenagers really do always gather around the food…

"Now all we have to do is wait for Natalie", Tim said through a mouthful of chips. And no sooner spoken did a knock come at the door. "I think I am gaining psychic powers" he exclaimed as we walked to the door. I chuckled quietly and Lilly giggled. Natalie came through the door, her hair down. I also noticed that she was wearing a skirt, which she almost never wore. She looked over at me and blushed through her fur, her whiskers quivering. I couldn't help but wonder why she seemed embarrassed around me.

"Well, now that everyone is here," James announced, "Let the festivities begin!" We all gave a small cheer after this. The funny part about it, though, was that for the first 30 minutes or so, we just stayed in the kitchen talking and eating my "healthy" food. Then after that, we went up to James's room again and played games. We mostly played on his Nintendo, but we did play a board game. It all was very fun and I was having a blast. Throughout the entire part though, I would get occasional weird looks from Natalie, then we would start doing something and she'd act as if nothing had happened.

When it got to about six O'clock, James's mother came up to his bedroom. "Time to start rapping things up", she said through the door as she knocked a couple times.

"Alright Mom, we'll be down there in a few", James hollered back. Though our tails drooped a bit, we all pitched in to help put things back together, so we were done cleaning in record time.

As I walked down the stairs, I got butterflies in my stomach as I thought about what the dance would be like. I really was glad that we were all going as a group. We got down to the living room and James's mom, who was sitting on the couch, said, "Have fun you guys! James, your dad is driving you there."

"Alright Mom, thank you so much for letting us do this!" James said as he hugged her good-bye

"Yes, thank you" I said after him. Lilly, Tim, and Natalie followed suit with their own thank-you. Then James opened up the front door for all of us, and we all headed for the driveway. James's dad had one of those big and very nice SUV's; it looked like it was made by Furcedes-benz. As we all piled in, I marveled at the nice leather interior and how spacious it actually was on the inside. James got shotgun while the rest of us got in back; Tim and I in the very back, Natalie and Lilly in the middle row.

We talked all the way there, and James had the stereo pretty loud. I don't know how his father could handle all the noise we made…maybe he wore earplugs. Maybe he could handle it just because it was only a 15-minute drive from their house to our middle school. Most of the talk was about the dance.

"I wonder what type of music they will play" Lilly inquired.

"Do you think there will be a slow song?" Tim asked.

"I didn't bring money for drinks or food…" I said, thinking with my stomach.

"I heard you don't even have to pay for that kind of stuff", Natalie speculated. And that was the deepest any of the conversations got before we got to the school. When we got to the parking lot, we all piled out of the car, though I actually almost fell because a seatbelt caught my foot.

"Have fun kids!" James's dad called after us through a window he had rolled down. "Make good choices!" I couldn't help but chuckle a little, along with Tim and Natalie. We walked over the lawn and to the cafeteria/gym doors, where a line was starting to form.  It was 6:17 and the doors didn't open until 6:30, so we had to stand and wait for a bit. Really, it just consisted of more mindless talk about random things.

The 13 minutes passed by quickly as we waited, and as the teachers opened the doors, everyone rushed inside. I moved with the crowed and paid my way in; the teacher handed me a wristband to show that I had paid. After I passed all the way through the doors, I waited for the rest of my group. Lilly came first, followed by James; both came to stand by my side. Next was Natalie, looking a little frazzled by all the pushing and shoving of the crowd. Finally, I saw Tim jumping up and down in the crowd trying to spot us. I obliged to his silent plea by waving both my arms in the air and giving a quick, clipped bark. He turned and, with a relieved look, saw my signal. He had to do his own fair share of pushing and shoving to get to us. "That was crazy!" Natalie said as we started along the path to the gym, where the dance was.

"Sorry about being the last", apologized Tim, "I was cut off by a bunch of eighth graders."

"Don't worry about it!" James put in.

"Yah, would you expect anything else from eighth graders?" I commented. Then we got to the gym doors. I could hear the deep booms of the subwoofers. Lilly opened the door and a wall of sound hit all of us. It. Was. Awesome. It looked to me like the school had done a good job hiring a DJ and renting equipment. There was a small stage set up for the DJ and surrounding it was a good assortment of lighting equipment. A little farther from the DJ's place was the sound equipment, which boomed so loud that you could see the cones inside of them moving. It was all wondrous and strange.

It was funny, the spread of the furs. There was a large congregation close to the DJ, and the crowd slowly thinned as you got farther away from him. I could see a lot of the popular crowd in the center, along with dancing from girls that I am quite sure was against the rules. On the outskirts were all of those unpopular, unfortunate furs. I can tell most of them came just to say they were here. I turn and point out the mid area to my party, thinking it the safest place. Lilly smiled while James and Tim nodded and started the way I had pointed.

After they had started walking, Natalie came up to my side and slid her hand into mine. Together, we walked towards our area. Lilly looked back at us and giggled softly to herself. I just looked back and smiled. What could she possibly be laughing at? I wonder if it's someone behind us… I thought to myself. Was there something wrong with friends holding hands? I didn't think so…

Once we were all there, I think it's safe to say that the music took hold of us. Man, did it have a death grip! We danced and danced and danced. After what felt like a little bit, I looked at my watch and saw that an hour-and-a-half had gone by. I told everyone that it was eight already. They all seemed just as surprised as I was, especially since the dance ended at nine. The thing was...we kept dancing as hard as ever. I would not let the time daunt me.

Finally, at 8:30, we formerly decided to have a break. I moseyed over to the tables set up to one side of the gym, followed by Natalie and Tim. James and Lilly were being a bit slower than we were, but eventually showed up. I sat down at a chair and folded my arms together on the table, a good makeshift pillow. James and Tim both took two chairs, one for them and one for their feet. Natalie and Lilly had gone over to the water fountain, both claiming to be dying of thirst.

"I can't believe that this is almost over", Tim muttered as he rested.

"I agree, this has gone by too fast", I answered.

"Well, I'm not sure what to think of this, but the in a song or two, it will be the slow dance". James put in.

"I think I'll just sit it out", said Tim

"Meh…" was all I could muster enough energy for. James gave me an incredulous look but said nothing.

"We're back!" Lilly and Natalie said together as they walked up

"Miss us?" Lilly asked.

"No, it was actually very nice", James said with a smile.

"Oh whatever!" said Lilly as she stared James down. I couldn't help but laugh along with Tim and Natalie.

"Well folks, who's ready to go dancing again?" I asked. Every one spoke agreement and started to head towards the dance floor. Just as we got there, a slow song came on, the only one of the night.

"So much for that; I'll be back at the tables", said James

"I second the motion", Lilly followed.

"Third!" called Tim after them.

I started to follow them mainly because I didn't want to be anywhere Tim wasn't. Before I could go, Natalie pulled me back. "Um…Luke? Will you dance…with me?" Natalie said nervously as she looked at me with her big blue eyes.

"Well, sure. I'm cool with that", I said. I tried to project calm and cool, but inside I was nervous. Something about dancing with Natalie didn't feel right.

"Alright…" she said with a relieved look. She stepped up close to me and put her arms around my neck. Admittedly, I had never danced with anyone up until now, so I didn't really know what to do. Natalie smiled and unclasped one of her paws and guided my paws to the right place, around her, meeting at the small of her back. With that, we started to sway and step together with the music. Natalie felt so warm against me, but it didn't feel…right. I couldn't tell what was wrong; I knew that this should all feel more than perfect. However, it didn't.

Near the end of the song, Natalie gave a content sigh and laid her head on my chest. I just continued to feel more and more uncomfortable. It was awful because I couldn't think of a reason for it to be uncomfortable.