Reaching for the Stars

Chapter 05: Provincial Conference

(Revised 03/02/2022)

Today was the day. It was the day he was going to present his essay. Taking a deep breath, Tom readied himself. All those sleepless nights led to this. He was not going to back out. He was going to face this.

Daring himself, Tom took a peek behind the drapes to the stage and held back a breath. He knew this was a provincial conference, but he didn't think there would be this many people watching. The auditorium was even almost full! He could even make out the—

The wolf gasped and closed the drapes. There was his university rector.

"Cheer up, loup!" Martin shouted from behind him. He turned his head and slowly walked back to the backstage.

The wolf took a deep inhale, then exhaled.

"Mon pote, écoute-moi." Martin put his hand around Tom's shoulders, pulling him close. "You can do this. You've done your all for this, and this is how it will end. You will walk over there, you will give all those fuckers your bestest best presentation. And you will amaze them. Give the rest to the universe to decide."

Looking at the fox, Tom couldn't fight a chuckle. "Did you just call your rector a fucker?"

"I don't care. And you shouldn't, too. Remember, those are just people, and the stage is all yours."

He took a deep breath. "The stage is all mine." He glanced at the podium where the host was opening the event. "The stage is all bloody mine."

"That's the spirit!" Martin gripped his back in encouragement. "You can do it, loup! Even if you don't make it, your name's still going to be hung on the wall where they list those who made the nomination."

"I can do it." Tom sighed in determination. He then walked to where the finalists were sitting and sat down, Martin next to him.

His phone beeped. The wolf took it out of his pocket and read a new text.

Max Kleinschmidt: "Sorry wolf, I probably won't make it to campus today."

He deflated. Max wasn't coming.

Max Kleinschmidt: "I believe you can do it! Trust yourself! It's all about you."

That didn't make him feel any better. Max was the one he was trying to impress, but he wasn't coming. In a way, he was trying to prove his place, that he wasn't just some no-one who took advantage of the big dog because of his popularity.

He heard the whispers. Of course the news travelled fast; even the next day after he went home from the library with Max, he heard people whispering behind him. Who is he? Why was he so close to Max? Is he gay? How disgraceful.

He never told Max about that, but he was sure Max knew. If not from the whispers, then from some of his friends. No matter how much he ignored them, they kept coming. But ignoring was one of Tom's brightest points. So, he kept walking with his head up and not caring about them because he knew he wasn't doing what people think he did.

Was he doing what people think he did?

He wasn't taking advantage of Max, right? While it was true that he was attracted to him, he didn't actively coax Max into helping him climb the social ladder. Max also seemed to honestly enjoy his company, which should make him careful not to break whatever small relationship they had.

The music started in the background as the traditional dances began. He glanced at his hands. Max's hand was... soft, warm. He still remembered that feeling, those soft paw pads caressing his own.

He also truly, truly felt sorry for Max for the library accident. He didn't mean to freak him out like that. While he quickly covered his trembling hands and feet after he took back over, he was sure Max was worried. And really, it wasn't supposed to happen. Max now definitely thought he was a weirdo. Lain was quick to take over, but he did a bad job of that.