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       Chapter 2
      
       “Covering fire!” Someone called out. Paint pellets flew through the air and splattered on any surface they came into contact with. The trees, rocks, and various objects were splattered with all colors of paint.
       I laid behind a small wooden wall, paintballs flew overhead. I was geared up in camouflaged pants and shirt, a helmet that covered my whole head, and a plastic chest piece and codpiece. A small gun in my hand with a large metal CO2 canister attached and a hopper which held the balls.
       “Colt! Now!” Max called out to me. I jumped up from behind my cover and began to pull the trigger of the gun as rapidly as I could, shooting paint in any direction I saw movement. I ran forward and then dove behind the next bit of cover.
       I looked up to see someone standing above me. They wore a different color of camo clothing and they aimed their weapon at me. I knew I was about to get eliminated from the game. And in that moment I saw three blue paintballs explode on their chest.
       They then held their hands in the air and proclaimed “I’m dead!” and started to walk out of the area.
       The woods seemed calm and I jumped up and made a run for the small shed. I ran up the trail and jumped over a short wall. Within a quick moment I was in the enemy’s shed where an orange flag stood; I grabbed it and headed out of the room.
       On my way out my sleeve got caught on the door and ripped and exposed my white fur beneath. I didn’t worry about it though. I wanted to be the hero, I wanted to prove to the others I could do this, and this was my chance.
       Our base wasn’t far away but, there were still three people on the enemy team. As far as I knew it was Christopher, Maximus, and myself still ‘alive’. Three versus three weren’t bad odds but, for someone like me who never played before, we were at the disadvantage.
       I ran around a corner and saw Maximus behind a tree. He came out from his cover to provide me protection and that’s when I saw it. Someone from the other team came up behind him and shot him in the back.
       Max threw his hands in the air and started to walk away. That’s when the enemy pointed their gun at me. I jumped off a rock and leapt through the air, I could feel the wind from the paintball brush past my foot. I pulled the trigger multiple times and hit the guy in the chest and head.
       Once I hit the ground again I didn’t stop running. Luckily soccer required me to have good stamina otherwise I’d be on the ground panting my head off.
       Our team’s shed came into view as I came over the hill. I was getting closer and I could see Christopher standing guard. I was about twenty feet away when I saw him raise his gun and then get hit with an orange paintball. I knew I was next but, I was so close, if I could make it into the base we would win.
       I was ten feet away when I felt the impact on my back. Four balls hit me in my back, arm, and the back of my head. So close to the finish line and I was stopped short. I dropped the flag and tossed my hands in the air. I headed off the field and joined my teammates.
       “So, they finally got you huh?” Caleb said. He was the first one out, took a shot straight to the knee.
       “Yeah.” I responded. I pulled my helmet off and ruffled my hair and fur. I could feel the orange paint. “I’ll be trying to remove this paint all night.” Before I knew it I had spread the orange paint all over my white fur.
       “At least you weren’t shot in the balls.” Derrick was sitting down on a log squinting.
       “Oh, you big baby. You’re wearing armor there.” Christopher tapped his codpiece as if he was nut tapping him.
       “It’s still hurts, you asshole!” Derrick exclaimed. “They just knew I was a threat.”
       “Eh, whatever helps you sleep at night.” I smiled and took a drink of water. I looked at my phone and noticed it was already six thirty. “Come on, Max. We have to get home.”
       We all headed for the exit and passed other teams getting ready. The course was a popular place, it was weird that I had never been there before. A few students from my school were there including… Axel?
       Oh shit. I thought. I turned my head and looked the other way. I didn’t want to be seen by anyone I knew, especially not my crush. I just prayed that he didn’t see us or if he did, he didn’t come up to us.
       Luckily enough he didn’t. We all made it out to the parking lot without being noticed. I know that no one else would have cared but, I did.
       Once we made it back to the cars I snapped off my armor and handed it and my gun back to Christopher.
       “Thanks for letting us borrow this. It was a lot of fun.” I said.
       “No problem, dude. We should do this again.”
       “Of course! We’ll see you guys tomorrow. I desperately need a shower.”
       That night everything continued as normal. Max and I went home, showered, had dinner, and did our homework. What little time I had I jumped on my Xbox and played some games to pass the time. It wasn’t until class the next day that things changed.
       I sat in my first class waiting for the bell to ring and the day to begin. I watched as others walked into the room. Axel walked in right on queue and sat down next to me.
       “So you come in orange now?” I heard him say. It took me a moment before I finally turned and looked at him. I thought he was talking to someone else. I saw him looking into my eyes with his beautiful brown eyes. I must have had a look of confusion on my face or something because Axel repeated. “Your arm?” As he pointed to my arm.
       On my right arm still had a faint orange spot from the paint last night. That was where my sleeve ripped when I ran out of the shed.
       “Oh.” I tried to rub it out of my fur but nothing happened. “I thought I got it all.”
       Axel turned slightly in his chair, his attention completely on me now. “I thought I saw you last night. You were at the paintball fields?”
       There was no denying it at this point. I should have known I stick out like a sore thumb. I’m bright white with long white hair. “Yeah, I was.” I responded.
       “I didn’t know you play.”
       “I normally don’t. That was my first time.”
       “Oh. Popped your cherry, huh. Let me know next time. I’d be happy to play with you.”
       And in that moment my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t tell if it was nerves or if it was excitement. It took everything in me to keep my tail from wagging in the excitement. All I knew was that I couldn’t show it.
       The bell rang it’s three chimes signaling the start of the day. Before I turned to the front of the class I responded back to Axel and said, “Sure thing.”
       I did my best not to crack a smile as I tried not to think about it. Axel was so attractive and I wanted to be his friend but at the same time I knew that it would make me fall for him more. Maybe if I got to know him more my feelings would fade.
       That happens right?
       For the next few hours all I kept thinking about was this interaction. Well, that and my schoolwork. I did manage to pay attention in class but when I started to daydream it was about him. It plagued me.
       Finally after what felt like an eternity the lunch bell rang. The entire class rose from their seats and headed out of the room and down the hallway to the cafeteria. I waited in line like always, got my usual food, and sat down at our usual table. Derrick was already there and he looked much better than the day before.
       I sat down at the table with my tray of food. “You look better.” I told him.
       “I got a C on the exam yesterday so I’m still on the team. “
       I gave my friend a pat on the back as reassurance and then took a bite of my lunch. And that’s when I saw him walk across the lunchroom. Axel.
       What the fuck! I thought to myself. Is he following me or something? He doesn’t have this lunch period.
       I couldn’t help but stare at him from across the room. It was weird seeing him there. It was always weird to see someone you knew in a different environment. It’s no different than when I’d see a teacher at a store or in public.
       A second or two went by until I finally realized that I was staring at him. I broke off my stare just as Axel sat down at another table. Of course he sat down in a spot where he and I had a perfect eye line. So I then had to do my best not to look in his direction.
       Luckily for me, the twins came and sat down. Chris ended up blocking my view, mostly.
       “So, still have some paint on you I see.” Caleb motioned towards my orange spot.
       “Oh shit. I completely forgot about that.” I had been so preoccupied all day with the thought of Axel and I hanging out that I forgot to get the paint out. I felt embarrassed. I had walked around nearly all day with orange paint matted into my fur.
       I tried to rub it out once more but gave up almost immediately. I looked back up at my friends as if to say something but, I saw Axel across the room and all words left my head. I tried to stay engaged as everyone talked but, my eyes kept drifting to the fox. So much so that it prompted a response from Derrick.
       “What do you keep looking at?” He turned around to see if anything stood out.
       “What?” I snapped back into reality. “Nothing, just thinking.” I grabbed what little food was left on my tray and ate it. “I need to get back to class. I just realized I forgot to do the questions on the back of my homework.” I got up from the table and left the lunch room eight minutes before the bell rang.
       I didn’t forget any questions, never did. I was always very thorough with all my school work. I was trying to live up to my valedictorian engineering older brother after all. I just had to get out of there. I was becoming obsessed with Axel and I had to remove myself before anything became too obvious.
       All I had to do was get out of school and head to work. At least there I didn’t work with anyone from my school. Only a few knew I worked there and never really saw anyone I recognized. It was like an escape for me, a place where I didn’t have to be so paranoid all the time but, still felt like I couldn’t be myself. It was complicated much like everything else in my life.
      
       Later that night I was at work; I was a technician at a local technology store. I checked in computers, phones, TV’s, various electronic equipment. We would take it and send it off to another location to get fixed, we hardly did anything in the store.
       I was in the back sitting on the counter in my black polo and khaki pants, my hair back in a ponytail. I was talking to one of the customer service girls named Morgan. Our counters were conjoined so we spent a lot of time together. The store was usually busy but, the impending storm outside seemed to detour everyone away. For once, it was dead and it made the night drag.
       “No. Absolutely not. Halo is way better than any Call of Duty game.” I told her. Our conversations ranged so much and lately she had gotten into video games.
       “Please. Halo is way too difficult and that story makes no sense.”
       “Excuse me.” I swung my arm in the air and my head bobbed with sass. “The story makes perfect sense. And it’s harder because it takes actual skill. No load outs, everyone is on the same playing field.”
       “Uh, Halo 4?”
       “We don’t talk about that one.”
       She chuckled and saw someone out at the counter so she walked through the black doors. I pulled out my phone and started to scroll through Facebook just as she came back into the back.
       “He’s has a computer to check in.” She told me.
       I hopped off the counter and started to walk backwards through the door. “We will finish this conversation later. In no way is COD better than Halo.”
       I started to turn around to face the customer when they said, “I have to agree. Halo is way better.” A voice which I knew all too well. Axel.
       I looked up to see him standing at the counter with a laptop in his hands. Fuck! I thought. He has to be stalking me. “Hey, Axel.” I smiled and tried to act professional and friendly. “So you play Halo?”
       “Yes sir! My brother had the original. I’ve played it since I was a pup. You’ll have to give me your gamertag so we can play sometime.”
       I did my best not to wag my tail but failed. It swayed slightly from side to side, hopefully not noticeable. Twice in one day he has made an attempt to hangout with me. Was it something about me? Was he gay? No, that’s ridiculous.
       “Sure.” I scribbled my gamertag on a scrap piece of paper and handed it to him. I can always hide offline. “So, what brings you in?”
       Axel set his laptop down and pointed to it. “I think I may have a virus. But, I’m not too sure. I was hoping you may be able to tell me.”
       I swung the computer around and opened the lid. The screen lit up and displayed all his icons on the desktop. “A lot of times, it’s nothing too serious but, I’ll just run a scan to see.” I plugged a flash drive in the side and loaded up the stores program to run a scan.
       While the scan ran Axel continued to make conversation. “I didn’t know you worked here. How long have you been here for?”
       “About a year.” I replied, my eyes glued to the screen. I typed a few things into the program. “Not too many people know. I tend to keep to myself.”
       “I noticed.” He chuckled. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen your hair back in a ponytail before.”
       “I never really have it back unless I’m at work. I’m not a big fan of it pulled back. To be honest I’ve thought of getting it cut.”
       Axel smiled and said, “I think it looks good long. You pull it off.”
       My heart felt like it skipped a beat. I clenched my jaw refraining my tail once more. Was he flirting with me? No, he’s just being friendly. I had to remind myself. Finally the program finished the scan and showed multiple viruses on the computer.
       “So, it looks like there are multiple viruses and we will need to check it in to do a more thorough cleanup.” I told him.
       “Okay, I figured you would. Just don’t go looking through my computer.” He said jokingly.
       I chucked and said, “Of course not.” But, now all I wanted to do was go through his pictures in the hopes I find a nude. Even something a little suggestive. “Since I know you, one of the other techs will have to do it. So I’ll just get your information in the system and someone will work on it tomorrow morning.” I told him.
       We proceeded to talk for a bit more as I entered his information into the work computer and made a ticket. Once I got his signature we finished up our conversation and he left. I took his computer into the back and tried to convince myself not to go through someone’s personal computer.
       When I walked in the back I unlocked the cabinet and put the computer on it with the ticket. Once I set it down on the counter I sighed slightly and I felt my body release all the joy. I smiled widely, my tail wagged furiously, I could barely contain myself. Axel wanted to hangout with me. The sweet attractive guy wanted to spend time with me! It was feeling too good to be true.
       I finally composed myself and shut the doors and locked them. When I turned back around Morgan was standing behind me. I jumped slightly at the sight of her, I wasn’t expecting to see her there. Her arms crossed as she looked through me. I felt a rush of fear flow through my body.
       Did she see me? Did she see how excited I was after he left?
       “Jesus, Morgan. You can’t keep doing that.” I told her.
       She stood there with her arms crossed and just asked, “Are you gay?”