--- Of Tomcats -- 509 -- LEARNING TO FLY ---
"Well? And what does your father have to say on the matter?" The old Scotsman asked, giving Lupus a pointed look.
"Lu's father doesn't say anything," another studant laughed. "He's a tomcat. Didn't stick around long enough to say much of anything."
"A tomcat with a taste in humans," yet another student added.
Lupus kept his face calm. He'd long ago learned that getting angry or upset only made things worse. Well, in front of the grownups anyways, because the grownups always Looked at him and asked to talk to his father, then.
Bunch of bastards. He'd get back at them. They'd be sorry they ever pulled shit like that.
When the bell that ended the last class finally beeped with that eerie, musical ping sound, Lupus immediately moved from his desk, gathered his things, and meandered through the hallways until he had exited the school through the back entrance.
Teachers practically never headed back here, because it was a useless stretch of land that was isolated from the rest of the property, and didn't even have a pretty view. It looked out on a stretch of America-owned highway, so the students tended to stay away.
He heard a soft foot-fall behind him. He refused to turn, instead slowly swishing his tail towards the left.
"What you said about my father," Lupus said quietly. "It isn't true."
Keefe had taught him to let the boys come at him. Then he could honestly say he hadn't landed the first blow. He would obviously be defending himself. What right would the teachers have to punish him? Especially with the recent upsurge in prejudice and hate crimes towads half-humans.
"Yes it is," the other boy said.
"No it's not." Lupus smiled, knowing that his next words would cut through the other boy's pretenses at being better than him. "Your father's more of a tomcat than mine. I saw him at the mall yesterday. He was walking around with some male. They were holding hands. My dad might have just up and left on me, but at least he didn't stick around and PRETEND to love me and my mom, eh?"
"Shut up!" The other boy shouted. "It's not true! You're just lying, trying to make yourself feel better because your dad's worthless!"
"Your dad's worth even less than mine. He's messing around on your mom with one of his employees." Lupus smiled again.
<That did it for the other kid. He rushed straight at Lupus, his hands clenched into fists and his claws extended.
Lupus accepted the first blow and rolled with it. He made sure to fall down and hurt himself, then rose and came back at the other boy with several vicious punches and a couple of claw-swipes.
They had to drag the two away from each other, kicking, screaming and shouting.
And oddly enough, it was Keefe's hand on his shoulder, saying hadn't he busted the other boy up but goodly, that made him ready to smile on the inside, even if he had to whimper on the outside.