A dim and southing light beamed in through cracks in the curtain, hitting me in the eyes. My perspective and sentience slowly faded back as I awoke, still passively drunken with the fog of sleep.
I blinked tightly, rubbing one of my eyes with a hoof, and unselfconsciously yawning.
I felt the sensation of warm breathing tickling my chest, and it took me longer than it should have to identify the source.
Soarin lay beside me, his muzzle open a crack as his head rested near the upper portion of my chest. I had slept with my other forehoof wrapped around him, and from what I could see through the haze of fatigue, he still seemed soundly asleep.
We were… lovers now. The events from last night had effectively destroyed any doubts I’d had about what exactly the relationship was between us, and I had no regrets at all. We were coltcuddlers, and we were together; through and through. Yet, for some reason, I still clung to an achingly pessimistic worry about how others would react to that.
I took control of my hoof again and gently brushed a thin tuft of the stallion’s dark blue mane out of his eyes, smiling contently. This time, it was my turn to consider him awfully cute.
With perfect timing, Soarin’s eyes cracked open. My hoof still rested on the side of his muzzle, and he smirked with the quick realization that I had been holding him passionately. The romantic smirk widened as one of my lover’s hooves slid down to touch a particular spot that he had manipulated earlier last night.
Oh merciful Celestia, it was going to take a lot of willpower to get out of bed and to go school. I still needed to cook some breakfast too, and now that I thought about it, we could also both use a shower; last night had been rather sweaty.
My eyes met with Soarin’s, and I blushed again intensely.
*** *** ***
The bell signifying the beginning of lunchtime rang out on meticulous cue. Alongside several other classmates, I picked up my books for philosophy, and put them into my saddlebags, leaving.
I had skipped Literature class today. Mr. Ren didn’t track me down or force me to attend class, just as I had predicted. You couldn’t really argue against a perfect mark of 100%, as there were no assignments that counted towards marks between now and exam week, just studying and reviewing.
My stomach rumbled and I rolled my eyes, doing my best to ignore my instincts. I hadn’t eaten any breakfast, as I only managed to find time to cook one serving before I needed to leave or I’d be late.
Obviously, I had to shove it down Soarin’s throat, but I was more than willing to. I cared more about this stallion’s health that I’d met yesterday than I did for my own. If he had something to say about it, it would probably be a witty remark about how the food wasn’t the only thing I’d shoved down his throat, but…
I shook my head, blushing at the thought of him, and entering through the door to the cafeteria. It wouldn’t be smart to have him in the forefront of my thoughts right now, distracting me as I socialized and purchased lunch.
As usual, I ordered a fruit salad and an applesauce, tipping the cashier. She gave me an oddly sympathetic look, and then quickly replaced it with a cheery smile.
I didn’t want to bother contemplating why, I just knew that I desperately needed to get some food eaten so I could think straight.
…The sight of Soarin’ smiling flashed back into my mind.
Well, so much for thinking straight.
My lovesick thoughts were interrupted as a random unicorn stallion bumped into me roughly. My balance was knocked off, but I managed to keep on my hooves and hold my food. I turned to him quickly in embarrassment and apologized instinctively.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking about where I was…”
My words lost ground as I saw the apricot-coloured pony was looking at me with a mixture of disgust and disapproval, and it occurred to me that he may have bumped into me intentionally. But, aside from Chelsea and the ones she manipulated, I didn’t have any enemies. …right? This pony wasn’t one of those attackers, from what I was aware of.
He scoffed and turned, trotting away. My gaze lingered on him for a few seconds until I dismissed the issue. Perhaps he just wasn’t having a very good day today.
I spotted two of my friends, Grey Skies and Buckskin, sitting together at the end of a table a few feet over, and trotted up to join them. Taking my seat beside Grey calmly, their conversation died mid-sentence, and they both visibly tensed.
“Hey guys, how’s it going?” I greeted, taking a bite of my salad.
They looked at each other, neither of them answering my question in any physical or verbal way. Buckskin swallowed hard, clearing his throat. This was effectively starting to worry me.
“…Guys? Is something wrong? Did you… lose someone?” I asked earnestly, still chewing.
Buckskin let go of his spoon, allowing it to rest back in the small container of banana pudding. Something was, quite evidently, wrong. I couldn’t do anything about if it they kept it secret though.
“Um, Scatter… is what you said yesterday true?”
Oh… that’s what this was about.
Anger crept into my mind, and I swallowed my mouthful of salad. Rightfully, I shouldn’t assume that my elementary school friends were willing to think less of me so readily, but there weren’t any other climactic events at school worth mentioning yesterday. They couldn’t be referring to anything else.
“Yeah…” I nodded coldly. “Can’t we still be friends despite that?”
Buckskin grimaced, looking suddenly hesitant.
“Uh, I’ve got to go to the washroom. “ He lied, standing up. “Excuse me.”
Grey sighed, looking at his mostly eaten plate of hay.
“Scatter, I’m going to be honest with you because I know you’d do the same thing for me if the situation was reversed. I don’t think we should be friends anymore.”
The stallion stood up, looking at me bitterly before he turned and trotted out of the cafeteria.
I sat there, saying nothing…
There was nothing to be said. I just… watched sadly, as my friend walked away discriminatingly. It was macabre; I knew I didn’t want to be friends with bigots, but there was no denying that I had just lost something significant to me.