John Harper was sitting on the front porch of the Jenkins home reading, when a voice said, "Hello."
John turned to see Ginger O'Toole, the red haired girl his age from a few doors down, looking at him.
"Oh. Hello," he said with a slight smile on his face. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see her, but "I must have been more lost in this book than I thought. I never heard you approach."
"Just part of being a weretigress," Ginger said proudly, despite the fact she was still in her human form since they were in public that afternoon. "May I sit down?" she asked, indicating the empty chair on the porch next to him.
John agreed, and as she sat, Ginger asked, "What are you reading?"
John showed her the book. "The Roman Hat Mystery* by Ellery Queen. I've never heard of it or the author. Is it any good?"
"So far. I'm only about 100 pages into this and I haven't figured out who did it yet," admitted John. "But I've already gone through all the technical and reference books Mister Harper has, since most of those only concern construction and engineering."
"You must read a lot," commented Ginger.
"I try. Unfortunately if it wasn't for school, the only book I'd ever have access to is the only one dad would allow at home."
"Let me guess. The Bible?" asked Ginger.
"Yeah. I'm not knocking it, but there has to be more to a library, let alone the world, than faith alone. Mister Jenkins has a lot of novels by Queen and a bunch of other authors I've never even heard of, so I'm starting out fresh on a new path of discovery."
"Well, good for you," said Ginger, happy that her new friend seemed to be enjoying himself. Then she paused before speaking again. "If I can ask, how did it go today?"
"Moon Lake has officially said that Janice and I can live here as long as we want," began John, referring to his youngest sister, "but we still need Alabama's official permission before we can start school. My brother is going to work on that as soon as they get home, but they won't even be landing for a couple of hours yet. Maybe by the end of next week..."
"Oh," said Ginger a bit forlornly. "I was looking forward to seeing you around the halls of Moon Lake High soon. Maybe even have a couple of classes together, if we're lucky."
"Really?" asked John in disbelief. Given his parents, especially his father's, very strict upbringing; he had yet to have any real social interaction with others outside of the church or school. "I'd like that," he finally admitted.
"You're blushing!" said Ginger, looking right at him.
"I am?"
"Yeah. It's kind of cute," she added, before nudging her shoulder against his.
John turned his head, hoping the blush would fade soon. One of the many things he was uncertain of and still needed to figure out was his own sexuality. Did he like boys, girls, or both? The only person who showed any interest in him back home was another boy, which left him confused. Same gender couples were supposed to be a major sin, yet John also heard that love was a precious commodity the world needed more of, so why did it matter who the participants were?
Now that he and his sister were being emancipated from their parents, John hoped to finally figure out the answer to this and many other questions, but knew not to rush into anything.
Especially considering that in Moon Lake, it might lead him to gaining a fursona he could later regret.
"How was school today?" he finally asked, changing the subject once he finally had the courage to face Ginger again.
"Okay," she replied. "Some days are better than others. I guess it depends upon the course and the homework."
"Oh? What do you have today? Homework wise."
"Some science and algebra," she answered, indicating the book bag at her feet.
"Do you need some help?" John asked, eager to see a school text book again.
"Sure. We both could use a friend, and I certainly need a study buddy," said Ginger, as she reached down for her book bag.
Soon both teenagers were engrossed in Ginger's homework.
John realized that the Moon Lake curriculum was relatively on par with what he had covered by his last day of school before his father loaded them all on Dieter Wilhelm's private jet in hopes of stopping his sister Jenny's wedding to a man dad didn't approve of. Provided he kept up with things through Ginger, John believed that he shouldn't be too far behind the rest of the Freshman class by the time Alabama gave their approval for the younger Harper siblings to live in Moon Lake.
Ginger realized that the boy she was starting to develop a crush on was a lot smarter than she first thought. Now if he'd just open up a little more. Even if we don't ever become romantically involved, let alone John never becomes a were, we could still be friends.
In what seemed like no time at all to Ginger, she soon found her homework finished.
"Wow!" she exclaimed while closing the last book. "If I was by myself, I'd still be tackling this stuff or waiting for my folks to come home for help."
"I think you're underestimating yourself," John told her.
"Not as much as you think," she replied. "In eighth grade, I did pretty well and managed to maintain a solid B average, but now..." and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm doing good to keep it between a B minus and a solid C."
"I guess it can be a bit overwhelming," he conceded. "New grade. New school."
"Some," she admitted, while repacking her book bag. "All the people I knew last year are still there. But everything seems to have changed since we got out for summer vacation back at the end of May. Even though it's a different setting, you would think they would still be the same."
"I can relate. Not only did I start a new school this year entering ninth grade, but there was a lot more people there than the kids I knew in junior high. Is it different for weres?" John asked.
"Kind of. All the same students, but yet no one's quite the same."
"How so?"
"A naturally born were doesn't have their first transformation until during puberty, sometime between their 14th and 15th birthdays. There is no exact date but a lot of them must have happened over this summer, for most of my friends I hardly recognized at the start of this semester," said Ginger.
"What happens when you do have your first transformation?" wondered John.
"In my case, one day I still appeared to be just a regular girl and then the nextpoof! I'm a much better looking weretigress," she said, not bothering to go into the more sexually oriented details of the event, or her increased libido since.
"Really? I didn't notice."
"What?" asked Ginger, staring at him. Granted, she was still a long way off from having the ample curvy figure of an adult female were, but she was already turning a few heads amongst her peers.
"What I notice more in people is up here," said John, pointing at his head, "and here," he added, pointing at his chest.
"Their brains and heart?" she asked, to which he nodded affirmatively. Ginger thought about it for a moment and said, "Well, you're definitely different from any other boy I've met John Harper. Maybe that's what makes you special." To me, she silently added.
"If I've learned anything in life so far, it's to try and see the good in people. I've managed it pretty well with others and my siblings, but my parents..."
"From what you've told me, there might not be any," observed Ginger.
"On dad I would pretty much agree, but mom..."
"How so?"
"Well, she always went out of her way to make sure the crust on my sandwiches was always cut off, despite the fact that dad thought that was a waste of food."
"You don't like bread crust? Why?" asked Ginger, to which John, unable to answer the question, just shrugged his shoulders.
"I understand," she said, leaning back in the porch chair to enjoy John's company. "There's this place in town called Moe's Pizza..."
"We just ate there today. Good food," he replied.
Ginger ignored the fact that John had accidentally interrupted her and continued. "They make a great Meat Lovers Pizza. Big hit among weres. Hamburger, Sausage, Pepperoni, Ham, and Canadian Bacon all on one pie."
"Sounds good. I just had hamburger pizza though."
"Anyway, naturally they make all kinds of pizza. But unless you're an aquatic were, I'll never understand why some people would want anchovies on theirs."
"It's odd. I enjoyed the pizza crust, but I still don't like bread crust."
"Because it's something different?" suggested Ginger.
"Maybe. The only time we ever had pizza back in Alabama was frozen, and none of that ever seemed any good to me."
"Then there you go. Moe brags his dough is made fresh daily and no pizza is fixed until you order it."
"Things sure are different here, and not just the existence of weres. Maybe a change of scenery is just what I needed," observed John.
"Perhaps a whole new perspective on life itself," said Ginger in return, looking at him.
The two teenagers stared at each other.
John noticed just what an intense shade of green Ginger's eyes were.
Ginger thought that John had a belying charm about him. If he would just open up more.
But whatever each would have said next was lost as Ginger's cellphone started to chime.
"Dang. Five o'clock. Time for me to head home and start setting the table before my folks get home from work."
"You're lucky," commented John.
"How so?" she asked, rising from the porch chair.
"Besides the fact that dad would never let any of us have one of The Devil's Tools," he began, indicating Ginger's cellphone as he rose from his chair, "the moment I got home from school every day I'd have a whole bunch of chores to do before I could start my homework. Considering that the only TV we were ever allowed to watch was religious programs and the news so dad could point out just how sinful the world was, I never really had much time to myself unless I was alone in my room."
"If I can ask, what did you do there?"
"Dad expected us to either finish our homework, pray, or sleep. I usually just laid in bed wondering what was wrong with me."
"From what I see, it isn't you. It was them," said Ginger, while putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
John just stared at her for a bit, uncertain what he was feeling, let alone what to say about her gesture.
Ginger, not understanding his silence, suggested, "Maybe you need someone to talk to. Have you ever heard of Doctor Francis Twist?"
"Yeah. She helped Jenny, although I'm not exactly sure with what though."
"Doctor Twist is a therapist who helps people deal with emotional issues. Maybe she can help you come to terms with your past and adjust to things here now," pointed out Ginger.
"Isn't that what you're here for?" asked John, innocently.
Now it was Ginger's turn to blush. Finally, she said, "I have been and always will be your friend."
John just stared at her.
Then Ginger realized, "You don't know the reference, do you?"
"No."
"It's from Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan."
"Star what?"
Ginger just stared at him in disbelief. "It's a series my folks enjoy that I've gotten into."
"Never heard of it."
"You... We definitely need to expand your horizons."
"If you say so," replied John. "Same time tomorrow study buddy?"
"You bet," Ginger promised him.
Together, they walked down the sidewalk to the edge of the O'Toole property.
"Thanks for walking me home," said Ginger.
"Just being a gentleman. Probably one of the few things my folks did right raising me," he replied.
"I meant what I said, about being your friend."
"I appreciate it. Thank you, and I hope I can be as good of a friend to you as you are to me."
Realizing that she would have to make the next move, Ginger held out her hand.
John smiled and shook it.
"You take care of yourself John Harper, and I'll see you tomorrow after school."
"I'm looking forward to it," said John with a smile.
Ginger just smiled back, and then walked up to her front porch.
She waved, unlocked the front door with her key, and then went inside for the evening.
John Harper just stood there on the sidewalk, watching the O'Toole residence long after Ginger disappeared from sight, wondering what life had bestowed upon him and what would happen next.
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*Personal aside: The first book in a great mystery series!tmw.