The Fox维生素 Friend

The red solo cup felt ridiculous in my hand. Two sips of lukewarm punch and I was already regretting coming to Tyler's party. Everyone else seemed to know exactly how to stand, who to talk to, what to do with their hands.

I was hiding near the snack table when Maya found me. "Hey friend, you look like you're about to bolt."

Maya Chen. The girl who'd sat behind me in bio since September, whose hair always smelled like coconut shampoo. We'd never spoken outside of class.

"Just... taking a breath," I managed. "These things aren't really my scene."

She nodded toward the backyard. "Wanna escape? Tyler's got this insane pet situation out back."

Outside, the air was cooler. Maya led me to a small pond where a fat goldfish - the size of my actual palm - was doing lazy laps. "That's Captain Beefheart," she said. "Tyler's obsessed. Won an award at the county fair last summer."

"A goldfish award?"

"Best in Show. Junior division." She grinned. "I know, right? But wait, there's more." She pointed to the fence line, where the unmistakable silhouette of a fox was watching us. "That's Rusty. He shows up every night around 11. I've been trying to befriend him for weeks."

"You're friends with a fox?"

"We're getting there." She pulled a small jar from her pocket. "Vitamin-enhanced dog treats. He can't resist them." She tossed one toward the fence. The fox's ears perked up.

"Vitamin supplements for a fox?" I couldn't help it. I laughed. "That's actually insane."

"Hey, don't hate on the fox's wellness routine," she shot back, grinning.

Then Lucas appeared. Of course. The kid who'd made freshman year miserable with his "harmless" pranks that were actually just mean. "Look at this," he said, voice dripping. "The weird girl feeding her wild animal friends. What's next, you gonna bring the goldfish into the conversation too?"

The fox vanished into the darkness.

"Seriously?" Maya's voice went flat. "You're gonna pull that bull right now?"

"Just stating facts." Lucas leaned against the fence, posturing. "Some people are just desperate for attention."

Something snapped. Usually I'd shrink away, let it slide, avoid the confrontation. But Maya was standing her ground, and the fox was gone because of him, and Captain Beefheart was still swimming in his little pond like nothing mattered, and suddenly I was tired of letting Lucas dictate who could feel what.

"Actually," I said, stepping up beside Maya, "she's the only person here who's interesting. The rest of you are just performing the same tired routine over and over."

Lucas blinked. "What?"

"You heard me." My heart was hammering but I didn't stop. "Maya's out here befriending a fox and you're out here being a jerk for no reason. Which one's actually weird?"

The silence stretched. Lucas's face went through about five emotions before he settled on annoyed. "Whatever. You guys are weird together." He stalked back toward the house.

Maya let out a breath. "Holy crap."

"Sorry," I said immediately. "I shouldn't have -"

"No, that was amazing." She was looking at me different now. "You stood up to him. Nobody ever does that."

"He's been making my life miserable since September," I admitted. "I guess I just hit my limit."

"Well." She held up the vitamin jar. "Good. Because Rusty needs his treat, and now he won't come back with Lucas being all aggressive. You want to toss it?"

The fox's eyes reflected the backyard lights as he crept back toward the fence.

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, I do."

Maya grinned and handed me the jar. "Welcome to the weird friend club," she said. "We've got goldfish awards and fox vitamins and apparently people who stand up to Lucas. It's pretty great here."

The fox took the treat from my hand. Maya's shoulder pressed against mine. Inside, the party was still going, same as always. But out here, something had shifted.

"Same time tomorrow?" she asked.

"Definitely."