At lunchtime, the cafeteria was packed full of humans and Animalians. Reinforced chairs and tables were set further away from the rest for the Animalians. It wasn't segregation, just a safety procedure to insure that the humans couldn't accidentally come in contact with the virus. But there were still a few Animalians, mostly former humans, who chose to sit with the other students, though they had to be careful not to make a mess.
One such mixed group was Abby and her friends. She and Sarah were glad to see Jessica and Sophie again and reintroduce them to Mary Alice. It was a little unnerving for the two human girls to be sitting at the same table as a horse woman and two dog women who were larger than both of them in height, muscles, and bust, but they knew they were still their friends.
"So, how has Sam been?" asked Jessica.
"Oh, he's fine. He's a bit behind on education, but I think that remedial program in Animalia should bring him up to speed. But he's been putting a lot of work in as my dad's foreman for-" said Abby.
"No, no, I didn't mean your Sam, I meant my Sam," said Jessica. When she had first got her hamster, she thought naming him 'Sam' like Abby's horse was just a bit of a joke. Though now both of them were intelligent humanoids (Samson being Abby's boyfriend no less) it was a bit awkward to keep clarifying who was being spoken about.
"Oh, your Sam's fine right now," said Abby, "He's in the same class as Samson, but I think he might be finished first. Then he can come over here to get his high school education."
"Great..." said Jessica, though she didn't sound enthusiastic.
"Don't you want to see Samuel again?" asked Sarah.
"Well, yes, but it's just kinda awkward for him to be so much...taller than me," said Jessica.
"Yeah, it's not easy having your pet change like that," said Sarah.
"He definitely changed for the better, though you're lucky you didn't get infected by him," said Mary Alice, "Being a hamster is not nearly as great as being a dog."
"It's still gonna be awkward," said Jessica, "I mean, I really hope Samuel and I can stay friends, but it's just too weird right now."
"Makes me glad that J.C. only gets bottled water to drink," said Sophie, referring to her pet parrot.
"I bet he'll resent it when he's uplifted after everyone else," said Mary Alice.
"I like J.C. just the way he is," said Sophie.
"Well, you can always have him uplifted later if you want to," said Sarah before turning to Abby and asking, "What's the procedure for uplifting a new animal? It's not like they can sign all that paperwork."
"I'm not sure, I'll have to ask my parents," said Abby.
"Speaking of which, are they still human?" asked Sophie.
"Yes, I think they're content to remain the way they are. Besides, it would really awkward to change them," said Abby, covering her breasts at that.
"Tell me about it," said Sarah, "Hard to believe my parents went through with it, even if they did seem happy afterwards."
"Of course they're happy," said Mary Alice, "They're planning out their second honeymoon and everything. It's like they're newlyweds again."
"Uh, you know, you don't have to be the one to change your parents," pointed out Jessica, "There are other mares that could change them." She pointed towards a table where the uplifted mares were having their lunch.
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that Mom and Dad aren't going to be changing their species anytime soon. And I'd kinda like to have some part of my human life still there," said Abby, "Besides, I doubt those mares would want to do me a favor. They don't really like me very much."
"What? Why not?" asked Sophie.
"Well, they're really annoyed that I claimed Samson before any of them did. They keep saying a stallion like him should be bonded with a real mare, not a little girl like me. They've also been saying I should be sharing Samson until they've gotten their own mates, though I wouldn't be surprised if they'd try to steal him if they could," said Abby.
"Wow, I had no idea mares can be so catty with each other," said Jessica.
An uplifted cat who was passing their table paused and asked, "What was that?"
"Uh, just a figure of speech. I meant that those mares can be really mean and snippy. Er, not that cats are," said Jessica.
The cat shrugged and said, "It's ok. We cats can be pretty nasty towards rivals. Of course, we have actual claws and sharp teeth."
After the cat moved on, Jessica said, "Using animal-based idioms isn't so easy anymore."
"Not the negative ones," said Sophie, "I doubt anyone would want to hear someone be called as 'blind as a bat' or 'stubborn as a mule'."
"I'm sure we'll find better ways to use metaphors," said Sarah.
"I'd be more interested in finding a guy," said Mare Alice, earning her some laughs from the others. Asides from the species differences, it really was like a normal high school lunch.