Andlat's Story Spot

To Cody’s relief, their moms did not make him stay with Bethany as her baby sister, but the ordeal did convince them that Cody and Bethany had become best friends. There was little Cody could do other than grin and bear spending almost every day at Bethany’s house. He made sure never to go to her room with her, for fear of more dress-up, but their moms loved seeing Bethany dragging him around by the hand to go play hopscotch or jump rope or whatever game came to her mind. No matter how many times he reminded her that he was older than her, she simply smiled and continued to treat him like a mix between a little kid she was babysitting and a plaything. His mom said he was just at a sensitive age where he wanted everyone to see him as macho, but Cody felt it was something more than that. Thankfully, once school started (the first time he could remember being happy for school), Cody did not have to see Bethany every day. Sure, whenever his mom worked late, he might end up spending a few...

Cody stared at the plastic cup in front of him. He did not mind meeting the new neighbors, if only it weren't for two things. Firstly was the cup in front of him. Mrs. Dalton had said they were still unpacking their kitchenware, but he could not help but notice his mom and her got glasses while he got a faded pink Barbie cup that matched the cup sitting in front of Bethany, the second thing he did not like about this encounter. She leered across the table at him. Despite being five or maybe even six years younger than him, she seemed to tower over him enough to make him feel like a baby, even if she was really only about a head taller. "He's easily the shortest in his class." His mom had said as if unaware that that particular fact hurt him more than any other every time it was brought up. He sighed. At least the cookies were good. "Bethany, how about you and Cody go play in your room for a bit while me and Cody's mom chat?" "Oh, sure!" Bethan...

Andlat sighed and rubbed at his eyes. It was bedtime. He had gotten enough writing done for one night. Getting up out of his bed, he put his underwear back on and turned off his laptop. He had written a good amount of a new Andlat story, but he had not been able to finish it. Maybe tomorrow, he thought as he padded off to the bathroom to give his tail a good brushing. It was essential to brush your tail every night. Every fox heard that a million times growing up. He smiled and admired his tail in the mirror, loving how the red fur looked against the white cotton of his underwear. He turned his attention to the mask of white fur across his face, smoothing it with his paws before setting to work brushing his tail. Returning to his room with a properly brushed tail, Andlat pulled back the covers and turned off the lamp beside his bed. The fox lay in the dark, thinking about the story he had been writing about his fictional counterpart and the big wolf that was his daddy. "I wonder w...

“Are you excited for lifeguard class this afternoon?” Eric asked as he folded the last pair of Scotty’s underwear, placing it on the neat stack in front of him. He loved saving Scotty’s underwear for last so that it sat right on top of the pile, all brightly colored, even compared to their six year old cousin Gavin’s hand-me-downs that made up the vast majority of Scotty’s wardrobe. Scotty did not answer, still feeling terribly cautious. Did Eric actually plan to let him take lifeguard class with him? He had to have something planned, right? “Are you listening? Earth to baby Scotty!” That proved it. There was no way he was going to get to be a normal lifeguard. Was there something where they would have to practice rescuing someone? Maybe Eric had pulled strings and gotten Scotty enrolled as the practice victim? Eric chuckled and pulled Scotty into his lap before cradling him in his arms. Sure, Scotty was a little lanky for cradling, but he was so light and it amused Eric to no end tha...