Monday rolls around, and I am still riding that glorious afterglow
I stride into the cafeteria like an absolute champion, grabbing the most expensive lunch I see
I'll have to pay for this later, but fuck it. Keep the good times rolling
Trish glares at me as I practically skip to my usual seat, my apparent happiness a personal insult to her
Fuck off trigger, this good mood is indestructible
Fang and Reed are already seated with their meals. Looks like Reed is back to his usual self too, chomping away at his lunch
I merrily tap away an impromptu tune with my spork between bites of overpriced macaronni, even humming a few notes here and there
Damn it feels good to be a gangster
"Jeez Anon, you're in a good mood today. Something happen?" Fang asks, smiling
"I guess you could say that." I answer coyly, "I feel like a new man today. Feels real good too."
Fang playfully punches my shoulder as Trish rolls her eyes, scoffing. Reed puts down his spork and leans against his fist, looking straight at me
"So Anon..." He asks, making perfect eye contact, "Did you, like...fuck my sister?"
The spork falls right out of my hands, Fang audibly chokes on her drink
The entire world comes to a crashing halt
The good times are dead forever. Only darkness remains.
Trish's face flashes through shock, anger, envy, arousal, then settles back on seething anger
Fang's jaw just opens and closes like a fish
And Reed... Reed just stares directly into my soul
His expression and posture are both so calm, but those eyes. Lord, I can tell he's deathly serious
Oh sweet Raptor Jesus...
How does anyone explain to their bro they just spent half the weekend doing the horizontal monster-mash with his nearly identical gender-swapped twin sibling?
This shit is not covered in dating sims. I am not prepared for this
As the seconds tick by, Reed just continues to stare unflinchingly at me
Oh god, he knows. He can't *not* know. Each passing second of silence is another undeniable mountain of evidence burying me forever.
I need to say something. Anything. JUST SPEAK.
"Uh..." I lamely mumble, voice monotone as a robot
Great. Brilliant. Flawless delivery.
"Oh my god, you fucked Reed's sister??" Trish shouts, standing up and slamming her hands on the table
"Sshh!" I shush her. People are already starting to turn their heads. I'm sure at least some of them heard that just now.
Trish sits back down and crosses her arms, glaring at me with barely restrained fury
"See Fang? This is why men are all trash." she complains, nodding in my direction
Well fuck you too Trish
"Well, I don't know..." Fang replies, her voice sounding faintly forced to me, "I guess it's not really a problem. Is is a problem, Reed?"
Oh fuck that's right, Reed
He's still just staring at me, with those calm yet terrifyingly intense eyes
"Naaaah, Of course not!" He says, finally snapping out of...whatever the hell that was. "Anon's like... free to do whatever, man."
Riiiight, because that was totally convincing
Still though, Reed's not one to hold a grudge or lie. If he says it's fine then... it probably is?
"Well okay then, thanks for being cool about this bro." I offer him a fist-bump, although I could have sworn he hesitated for a split second before meeting it
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Math goes by without much trouble, although oddly Reed didn't offer to help out with the worksheet today
I didn't really need the help after all, but it's strange. Usually he offers before I can even ask
Fang seems distant in music class too, but why would she be mad? Am I just overthinking everything again?
The final bell rings, and I can't help but think things are far from over
As I grab my backpack and head out into the hall, I'm surprised to find Reed already waiting there for me
"Hey Anon, you got a minute?" He asks, falling in step beside me as I head for my locker
"Sure man, what's up?" I ask as he wraps an arm around my shoulder. Something far in the back of my mind is flashing warning signs, but I can't put my finger on what's wrong
"I just wanted to check up my bro!" He laughs casually, tightening his grip around my shoulder. Those warning signs are now screaming that something is very wrong
"Reed, what the heck are you doing?" I demand as he forcibly steers me down the wrong hallway. I can't struggle out from under his arm as he marches me to the auditorium doors
"Relaaaaax man, we're bros right?" Reed asks, his relaxed tone at odds with his iron grip, "Bros don't do anything to hurt each other, right?"
Reed shoves me against the metal doors and slams his foot square into my back, sending me sprawling and tumbling down the shallow auditorium steps
"RIGHT, BRO??" Reed shouts as I struggle to get my feet, his face contorted in rage and his fists clenched at his sides
"What the hell Reed??" I shout back, wincing as several future bruises begin to clearly introduce themselves, "What did I ever do to you?"
"You fucked my goddamn sister Anon!" Reed snaps, stomping down the stairs. Holy crap, Reed is goddamn terrifying when he's angry.
This is so messed up, Reed is supposed to be the most laid-back dude in school. Seeing him this enraged is just...wrong!
"Look, I'm sorry man, alright?" I plead, backing up as Reed angrily approaches, "It's not like I planned it or anything! It just...happened!"
"It just happened??" Reed repeats, grabbing the collar of my shirt, "What, you tripped out of your goddamn pants or something? You just 'accidentally' railed my sister for an entire weekend?"
"Calm the hell down man!" I desperately paw at the iron grip on my shirt, "C'mon Reed! It's me, your bro!"
"Bros don't fuck another bro's sister!" He snarls, the feathers on his batting tail standing straight up like a feral cat
I blubber incoherently as I try to think of some way to escape this with my skin intact
But when it really comes down to it, there's just no excuse for what I did
...but why should I even have to excuse it?
"You know what Reed?" I ask, wrenching his hand of my collar, "Yeah, I fucked your sister. I fucked your sister every way under the goddamn sun."
Reed just looks stunned now, he didn't expect me to just own up to it like that.
"I plowed her like an Amish cornfield!" I shout, the words rolling off my tongue like an avalanche, "I plundered that pink raptor booty like motherfucking Blackbeard!"
I know I should stop, I've already pushed this too far, but this feeling of pride and bravado is addictive. I can't stop myself.
"I slapped her ass, pulled her tail, ate that muff, and dumped my load in there for *days*!" I rant, looking Reed straight in the eye, "And she LOVED IT!"
Reed is literally shaking with rage, his teeth bared in an animalistic grimace. He looks like he's about to burst a blood vessel
He is seconds away from a serious homicide attempt. There is no way to talk him out of it now.
But fuck it, bring it on Reed! I'M READY FOR YOU, MOTHERFUCKER
As Reed and I prepare to pounce on each other like bloodthirsty animals, the auditorium doors slam open
Reeda stands at the top of the stairs, arms crossed over her chest and scowling down at us
"Reed..." She sighs, rolling her eyes and walking down, "Like, what the fuck are you doing?"
"Reeda?" I blurt out, not sure if I should be thankful for her intervention, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to walk home with my brother." Reeda explains, staring Reed down, "But now I want some answers."
"Stay out of this Reeda." Reed snarls, his eyes darting between me and his sister, "Just wait outside for a sec."
"No." Reeda snaps, growing more agitated, "You don't tell me to 'stay out of it'."
"This is between me and Anon!" Reed yells back, turning away from me to face her, "This isn't about you."
I'm starting to get the feeling Reed might have a more complicated reason to be mad right now
"Really?" Reeda asks, "Because it looks like you're about to tear him apart over what we did." 
"News flash bro." She steps up to Reed, jabbing him in the chest with her finger, "You don't get to dictate who I hang out with, or what I do with them. Got it?"
"That's not-" Reed falters, losing his composure, "I mean- Anon wasn't supposed to be just another one of your-"
"Another *what*??" Reeda snaps, snarling, "You're really going to stand there and criticize how I live my life? You?? At least I'm not blasted off my ass from Carfetanyl all day!"
"Uuuugh!" Reed groans, throwing back his head, "Why can't you just get off my case! You sound just like Mom now!"
"Oh yeah?" Reeda retorts, "Well, you're starting to look just like Dad!"
Ooooh damn. I don't know much about Reed's home life, but anyone could tell that was the verbal equivalent of an atomic bomb.
Reed looks like he just got punched in the gut. Reeda continues to stare him down, but there are the undeniable flashes of regret just under the surface
Reeda turns on her heel and storms out, her face flushed with anger and shame
Reed drops like a puppet with his strings cut, his arms and tail hanging limp and lifeless
This is probably a good time to make my escape. There's still a chance Reed may decide to murder me after all
I quickly jump up the stairs and head out after Reeds
The school hallways are all empty by now. Nobody sticks around after school without a good reason.
Reeda is sitting out on the front steps of the school, flexing her fingers and angrily thumping her tail against the ground
"You okay?" I ask, instantly berating myself for asking such a dumb question. Of course she's not okay
"I'm fine." She lies, running her hand through her hair and smiling up at me.
Hot damn, that smile. It's my Achilles heel. I don't think I'll ever forget the way she had smiled down at me before,  as she pinned my arms above my head and straddled my waist
Dammit Anon, get your head out of the gutter. This isn't the time for happy reminiscing
"Do you think Reed is going to be okay?" I ask, taking a seat beside Reeda on the concrete
"Pfft, yeah. He'll be fine." Reeda scoffs, blowing a loose lock of hair out of her vision, "He's probably already half through another damn thermos by now. He'll forget all about this by tomorrow."
Somehow I doubt that. Reed looked absolutely devastated back there. I doubt even he could just cleanly bounce back after something like that.
"Reed and I used to be inseparable." Reeda explains, looking wistful, "Until our parents split up anyway. Then I went with Mom and he stayed here and... I dunno man, shit's complicated."
Well, that begins to explain it. It's not hard to draw the inevitable conclusions from there.
Still, with everything that just happened, there are some questions that need answering.
"Sooo..." I drawl, uncertainty rising as I delve into uncharted waters, "Where does that leave...us, exactly?"
"Us?" Reeda repeats, looking at me with confusion.
She's just looking at me, like I had just asked a question in another language.
Wait, what is happening right now? Something about this suddenly fills me with dread.
"Dude, you're like, cute and all..." Reeda begins, her words dropping into my stomach like lead, "But this was just like, a fling or something. I need to head back home tomorrow."
"Oh..." I numbly reply, mouth suddenly dry
Just a fling... was that all this was? Just two teenagers having fun with each other?
I had never asked Reeda what she wanted out of all this, but the way she looked at me during those nights... I had just assumed...
Was this just a quick diversion for her? Something to pass the time?
Did it really just mean nothing?
What was it that Reed said earlier?
*Anon wasn't supposed to be just another one of your-*
"I had fun though man." Reeda slaps my back, standing up and stretching, "Shoot me your number sometime, I'll let you know when I'm back in town."
"Yeah...sure." I reply, my own voice sounding like it's coming from the far end of a long tunnel
Reeda breezes down the concrete steps, a sway in her hips and not a care in the world. That sight would have driven me wild a minute ago, but now...
I feel like a disgusting piece of used trash. I want to hurl. I want to scream and pull all these vile feelings out of my gut
I bury my face in my hands, swallowing down the rising twisting tension in my throat
Come the fuck on, Anon. Just what did I think this all was anyway? Did I really expect a girl like that to just fall into my lap so easily?
Man up you pussy. At least I got laid. At least I won't die a virgin now.
Why did I have to be such a goddamn moron and get all attached so easily? Be a fucking man already and suck it up.
But Reed...
Oh god, Reed...
I had forgotten all about Reed. I had just completely abandoned my bro. I had broken the most sacred testament of the bro-code
'Bros before Hoes'
I am such a goddamn piece of shit...
The front doors open behind me and somebody approaches slowly. Their footsteps are hesitant, but eventually they sit down on the steps beside me
"Damn, are you okay Anon?" Fang asks, putting her hand on my shoulder, "You look like shit."
That really has to be the stupidest question in the world. Nobody ever asks that when they don't already know the answer
I nod weakly, barely looking up out of my hands. I don't trust myself to speak just yet
Fang follows my gaze to the distant patch of pink feathers just barely dropping out of view in the distance
"Oh Anon, she got you good didn't she?" Fang drapes a wing around my shoulders, pulling me in against her side like a protective hen
I don't have the strength to resist, or even argue. Fang seems tense, like she isn't quite sure what she's doing, but I'm too broken to pass up even the slightest bit of sympathy.
"Shit, I'm sorry Anon, I should have warned you about her." Fang apologizes, awkwardly patting my head with her hand. "You're not a complete jerk, you didn't deserve to get chewed up and spit out like that."
I sniff, swallow hard and take a long shuddering breath. I'm starting to slowly get myself back under control, time to get my shit together here. I can deal with all this later.
"Thanks Fang." I sniff again, wiping my sleeve across my eyes, "Coming from you, that's some really high praise."
"Yeah yeah," Fang waves it off, retracting her wing, "Don't mention it. Seriously, don't. I have a reputation to uphold around here. Don't want every crybaby in school trying to gunk up my feathers."
That at least gets a weak chuckle out of me. Fang's smile is infectious, and I can't help but feel a little better seeing it.
"Got it, I'll make sure nobody finds out you're secretly a big softy." I tease, standing up and brushing off my jeans
Fang sticks her tongue out at me, rolling her eyes. She stands up and heads down the steps onto the sidewalk, waving goodbye as she begins her walk home
I honestly didn't expect that from Fang. She didn't seem the type to offer her shoulder to cry on. Now that I think about it, she had probably stayed behind after school on purpose
All I really want to do right now is head home, but sadly my day is likely far from over
Reed is still inside somewhere, abandoned by his bro. I need to get in there and make things right with him
Hopefully I can still salvage things between us. I owe it to him to at least try.