Chapter 5: Saturday Hangout

The weekend came. Hunter the wolf cleaned up the house after his parents left this morning. While with a little cooperation with his brothers and sister, they left the house for their weekend plans. Rylan, Hunter’s 17-year old brother, already left the house unannounced. He planned to spend with his high school friends at one of his friends’ houses. While he didn’t mind how his brother behaved so rebellious, Sally, 15, and River, 14, also went out with their high-school friends. River had just started his first year as a freshman and he got himself the crazy treatment, but in a good way. It seemed like Hunter and Sally didn’t have to worry about their youngest sibling getting victimized.

Now alone in the house as the eldest child, he felt relieved. The large living room was cleaned. His apartment home in the 20-story Emerald Tower on the ninth floor could handle a family of six with four bedrooms which Rylan and River shared a room together while Hunter had one for himself and the same for Sally. Watching TV, the news was talking about a plane that made an emergency water landing on the beach in Florida, everyone survived on the small aircraft with minor injuries. His father, Dylan Montana, was sent to investigate the miraculous landing. While his mother, Mary Montana, was given a week off before the whole thing happened and she took the advantage to visit Florida with her husband. Clever Mom, Hunter thought.

Wondering about Keanu, he called him if he considered coming by. Hunter had asked Keanu’s phone number last Thursday when they came back to their homes at the streetcar station. Keanu felt shy about it, but he was kind of happy that a friend shared his phone number.

“Hello?” Keanu responded.

“You know who is calling.” Hunter chuckled.

“Sorry, Hunter, I forgot to set up the phone number with your name.” He explained.

“It’s all right. Hey…are you coming by tonight?”

“Of course, I just finished with my homework and dad said it was okay to hang out with you.”

“Great!” Hunter beamed.

“So, which floor?”

“Huh?”

“Which door number and floor you’re living on?”

“Ah, ninth-floor. Huh, door 9 –dash–19.”

“Okay. Thank you, Hunter. Thanks for inviting me along.”

“No problem, buddy.” Hunter smiled.

“I’ll meet you up there. Bye.” Keanu hung up.

It didn’t take long. Keanu simply walked out of the building, crossing the pedestrian bridge above the passing cars and street train. Entering the Emerald Tower reception room to meet up with the receptionist. Confirming that he was a visitor at apartment 9-19 on the ninth floor by calling Hunter as the only resident alone in the house. All in order, Keanu took the elevator.

Hunter heard the doorbell and answered the main door. With a familiar shy smile, Keanu quietly waved at his new friend. “Good evening, Hunter.”

“Keanu! Just in time. The others are yet to come but feel free in my home.” Hunter gestured him to come inside. The living room was bigger and spacious.

“Nice apartment you got here, Hunter. It’s huge.”

“This is what we get when we’re six of us,” Hunter said following him behind in the living room.

“Six? So, you have siblings?”

“Yeah.” Hunter sat on the couch. “Please, sit.” Keanu gladly sat next to him. “We’re four; I have two brothers and one sister. I’m the eldest.”

“Wow, you’re lucky. I don’t have a brother or sister.”

“No? So, you’re the only child?” Hunter asked.

Keanu nodded. “I do have cousins. But, yeah, I’m mostly by myself.”

“I see.”

“Sorry, I think I went too personal, didn’t I?” Keanu said. “I can’t help saying things as they are. It sounds so normal to me that I didn’t think of it would sound so pity.”

“No. That’s not what I think, Keanu. Honestly, I have always wished if I were the only child in the house when I was younger. Doing things without fighting with my brothers over everything for just one day. But then my dad had a talk with me and Rylan sometime ago about how much importance is to be a family and I guess I should appreciate what I have.” Hunter said. “But I know what you mean; you wished for a brother and I have an opposite thought about me being the only son.”

“Yeah, kinda ironic, you want to be the only child and I wished to have a brother or sister.”

“See? We both wish something, and we learned the hard way, sort of. Just now, I learned you don’t like to be the only son in the family, but… I see that I was right about you being all alone.”

“And I learned you’re lucky to have brothers and a sister. Something that my parents couldn’t have,” Keanu said. “But… on the bright side… Uh… at least I made a friend.” Keanu rubbed the back of his head and nervously said. “I’m glad it was you.”

Hunter smiled, even he did not expect to hear something like that coming from him. What gave? He really showed a golden heart. Hunter simply said, “You’re welcome, buddy.” And patted his shoulder with a sure smile.

Just in time, the door knocked, and then a doorbell ringing. Hunter knew that one of them kept forgetting that there was a button to ring the bell. Solomon, Broderick, Xerxes, Xavier, Sergio, and Milagros came to Hunter’s home. Good thing the living room was big enough for eight people because there was more space from what Keanu could see.

“Did you call the pizza guy, Hunter?” Broderick asked.

“I was expecting Sol to give me the coupons,” Hunter remarked.

“Good thing we are using it today, ‘cause it expires tomorrow,” Sol said as he handed over the coupons to Hunter.

“We all agreed on a sportsman-sized pizza, right?”

“Don’t forget to order a small Hawaiian one,” Milagros added.

“Don’t get me starting on that one, Milagros!” Xerxes said.

“What? It’s going to be separated from the sportsman.” She remarked. “And it’s only on eight slices.”

“Yuck…” Sol was disgusted. “Who the fuck invented such abomination?”

Xavier answered, “Some Canadian dude who put so much thought to give a new menu for his restaurant and the rest is history. There’re two kinds of people: you that think it’s an abomination of adding a sweet fruit on the pizza than some live anchovies added on it, and no one is complaining about it. And we got Milagros who just loves Canadian bacon which is actually just bits of ham.”

“Have you tried pizza with pineapples, Keanu?” Milagros asked.

“No, I haven’t. Is it good?”

“Oh, you’re gonna hate it, Keanu. It’s not really that good at all.” Sol said.

“But I haven’t tried it yet.”

“Not even Sol, too,” Milagros said. “I bet your father taught you how to hate pineapples on pizza.”

“Never have, never will.” Sol crossed his arms.

“Well, at least Xerxes tried some before,” Xavier said.

“I didn’t like it at all,” Xerxes said.

“Well, whatever. I just want some,” Xavier said.

“Who else likes Hawaiian pizza?” Broderick said.

Milagros, Sergio, and Xavier raised their hands. Leaving just Hunter, Broderick, Sol, and Xerxes. Keanu on the other hand was willing to try.

Hunter dialed the restaurant’s phone number and made an order.

For the next 30-minutes, the group started their small reunion of the first week of the semester. Playing video games, conversing chatter, and other miscellaneous in the living room. Xavier announced that he joined in the try-outs for soccer. All thanks to Sergio for convincing him to get him out of the dorm.

A spinning bottle of an empty root beer brought from Xavier was placed on the floor; truth-or-dare came into view. But for a certain occasion. “Alright, guys, you know what to play.”

“I’ll dare you to sing like a cockatoo,” Sol said.

“In your dreams,” Xavier deadpanned.

“I thought you were going to dare him to kiss your ass just like last time,” Broderick said.

“I have a beak, you know. I’ll peck your ass if I want to,” Xavier fought back.

“Ew…” Keanu heard it.

“Guys, stop it!” Milagros shouted. “We haven’t spun the bottle yet and you three are talking about Xavier’s kissing inability.”

Xavier muttered in confusion, “Kissing inability…?”

“Okay, remember; Keanu is our guest, so if the bottle picks him, ask him a simple question about him,” Hunter explained.

The fellas gathered in a circle, bottle in the middle, and they let Keanu to spin the bottle. He used his right hand and after a little of spinning, it pointed at Keanu. The contestants laughed which Keanu tried again with his left arm, going the other way. Finally, it picked Broderick.

“Truth or dare?” Keanu nervously asked. He didn’t have the slightest idea of what to say or make a request.

The reindeer replied to him, “Uh, truth.”

“I…” Keanu stutters. “I… I don’t know what to do.”

Hunter was next to him, “Ask him a question and he has to answer it truthfully.”

“Ask me anything, buddy. Come on.” Broderick said. This is going to be easy, he hoped.

Broderick’s thoughts came true when Keanu finally asked him. “Are you one of Santa’s backup reindeers?” Keanu’s first impression of him seeing a reindeer was so much of Christmas influence when he was younger, saying to his parents that he wanted to meet Santa’s reindeers from the movies or at the mall. It came from Keanu’s inner child attitude that he now realized he might have offended Broderick.

The results were a huge burst of laughter in the circle. Keanu was red as a tomato, the same for Broderick as Rudolph. It was hilarious, but Broderick chuckled with an answer. “No, no I’m not.”

“Sorry…” Keanu apologized.

“Nah, don’t be. It’s very common on children; mostly from humans.” He said.

“Okay, Broderick, you can spin,” Sol said. “Unless you want to admit to Keanu that you work on the North Pole!”

Broderick scoffed and spun the bottle. It was Milagros’ turn. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“Fucking really?” Broderick surprised. “Uh…” He looked at Hunter. “Hunter, do you have hot sauce?”

“Yeah?”

“I dare Milagros to sip a spoonful of hot sauce.”

“Is this like the cinnamon challenge?” Milagros said. “At least this is better than that Tide pod eating challenge crap.”

Hunter fetched the hot sauce in the kitchen and poured some in a spoon. Milagros didn’t hesitate like a child unwilling to drink the cherry-flavored cough syrup medicine. She took the whole hot sauce in one go and flavored it. Yes, it was hot and spicy – howling hot, too. The coyote-girl nearly howled in pain, but she swallowed it. “Woah! That is hot!” She turned to Hunter and begged. “Give me some milk! It’s burning my throat!”

After a quick recovery, Milagros spun the bottle; it picked Keanu again. This means that she could not give him dares as the new guest, so asking a question about himself is for starters. “Can I ask your name, Keanu? Your parents must be fans of Keanu Reeves.” She laughed.

Keanu remembered Prof. Sheehan saying the same comment. It wasn’t a common name around, probably lack of popularity. Keanu answered her, “Well, what people don’t know is that is a Hawaiian name for ‘The cold breeze coolness’. My parents chose that name for its meaning, not the actor.”

“That’s what it means?” Sergio said.

“Names don’t come out of nowhere, you know,” Xavier said. “Ever heard of @, the address sign?”

“Who names a child like that?” Milagros said.

“Some Chinese parents claimed that it sounded in Chinese meaning love as the translation permits it,” Xavier said. “And don’t get me started with 4Real, because that is banned in New Zealand.”

“Should I spin the bottle again for answering?” Keanu asked.

“No, I get another turn,” Milagros remarked. She spun the bottle for the next player. The bottle stopped right between Xavier and Hunter. “I think Rock, Paper, and Scissors should do the trick.”

Hunter and Xavier raised their fist and counted to three, Xavier picked scissors and Hunter picked rock, punching Xavier’s feathered hand as scissors. “Alright, I pick dare.”

“Pull out yourself a plume.” Milagros dared. “A big one!”

“Qué!?” Xavier screamed. “Ni loca! ¡Mis plumas no son para escribir con tinta!” His plumes were not for ink writing. No matter Xavier’s radical behavior, he went speaking Spanish without a second thought. Not everyone understood his statement, but they pretty much knew that he was not accepting Milagros’ request.

“Calm down, Xavier. You’re going Spanish rage, again. It’s only a plume.” Milagros smiled.

Xavier stood up, turned around his back to show his colorful tail. Mostly green, but there’s red and blue under his green cover. “Which color do you want?” He defeatedly said.

“Nice butt, Xavier.” Sol teased. “Can you do what peacocks do?”

“Shut up!” Xavier flustered. “Ya cogiste, Milagros?” Did you pull one out, Milagros?

“Yes, but you already have a loosed plume, so lucky you,” Milagros stated and showed a long green plume. “I saw one of your plumes stuck in between earlier. So… you know I wouldn’t hurt you like that.”

Xavier was speechless and muttered audibly. “Tremenda coyote…” after a short laugh, “Okay, mi turno.” Xavier sat back next to Hunter and spun the bottle, surprisingly, it picked the leopard.

“Truth or dare, Soliado?”

“Truth.”

“Do you know the name of the character that your father is playing as in Rexville Med?” Xavier asked.

“Easy! It’s…” Solomon, in all honesty, hardly watched the most popular TV-series to ever be made in the very town itself. “Oh, fuck…”

“I thought so.” Xavier caught him red-handed. “It’s Ezekiel Shade; the surgeon, the one that is banging that black jaguar nurse. Quite the scandal. You know what this means, Soleado.”

“Alright, what’s the dare.”

“For checking on my ass. I want you to go to Mariposa Park and take a picture of the new memorial monument and send me the picture on my phone.”

“Are you serious? Going out to the park?”

Xavier, with arms crossed, stoic as his facial-less face said, “Do you have a problem with that?”

The leopard could request to change another dare, but it wasn’t that threatening. Apparently, he just wanted to get rid of him for a short while. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

“It’s not that far, unless if you want to make a run.”

With that, Sol left the apartment, running. Mariposa Park was really at the very north end of the Boulevard, so it won’t take too long.

“What memorial monument you’re talking about?” Xerxes asked.

“The one with the tail of an airplane,” Xavier explained. “How long have you been under a rock, Xerxes? It was all over the news. Hunter’s father was involved in the investigation.”

“Flight 8085?” Sergio asked.

“Yeah. They built the memorial at the park. It’s full of flowers and personal belongings.” Not too long, Xavier received a message on his phone. A selfie pic with Sol and the tail fin of an airplane behind him, but no smiles though. Just a glare with a balled fist. Xavier smiled, “He’s gonna smell all sweaty when he comes back, does he?”

“Almost exactly half a mile, I think he lost some good calories,” Hunter said. “He’s a leopard, after all, he can run like a cheetah.”

A little while later, Sol came back all sweated up. Breathing hard, but well handled. “I made it!”

“How was your run?” Xavier smiled.

“Don’t do anything like that again! Especially at night.” Sol pointed at Xavier with some serious anger showing. “I got stopped by a cop before coming inside the lobby. He thought I stole a cellphone.”

“Dad?” Keanu automatically spoke a little out loud.

Hearing that, Sol baffled. “Wait… that wolf cop I bumped into is your daddy?”

“Cool! Your father is in the force, Keanu?” Sergio said.

“Uh, can we continue playing?” Keanu said. “Uh, sorry for the trouble, Solomon. My dad is doing his job. He’s must be at night-shift.”

“No worries,” Sol said and sat back in the circle. Finishing a tiring dare, he spun the bottle. It picked Hunter.

The leopard smiled. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Hunter replied.

Solomon might play jokes on everyone but knew that the personal issues of everyone here were too precious to be exposed by asking questions that would go too far. But… “What’s the most disgusting thing that you have ever done?”

Hunter recalled something in his past. “I tricked my brother River by eating yellow snow in Denver when he was nine.”

“I was asking you specifically, not someone else,” Sol stated. “Anything else?”

“Uh, nothing from what I can remember.”

“Dare it is, then!” Sol beamed. “Let’s see, uh, go out to the balcony and howl at the moon.”

“But it’s the new moon,” Keanu informed.

“You howl at full moon?” Xerxes laughed. “What a stereotype.”

Hunter sat up from the circle and opened the glass sliding door, out in the balcony. Suddenly, an authentic, deep howl of an alpha wolf sounded. It was goosebumps for Keanu. He had heard his father howling as that level of dominance. Aside from that this was an old tradition from wolves in ancient times, it was still celebrated on small occasions, mostly excitement and triumphant cry for athletes.

But for full moons? That’s uncontrollable for every wolf beastmen. Apparently, Keanu would spend his lone times under the full moon. He still howls like a baby cub. Keanu wished he could howl like an alpha like Hunter was. Not all wolves could be the dominant figure.

“HEY! SHUT UP! OR I’LL CALL THE POLICE!” An old lady from above shouted.

Hunter came back with a blush on his face. He sat back on the circle next to Keanu, he had accomplished Sol’s request, so now he spun the bottle, it picked Keanu. Hunter smiled.

He thought a little, but Hunter went with the common, so others than Hunter could learn from him, “What brings you to Rexville, Keanu? You’d said to me that you moved here last summer.”

“Well, my dad and I moved here last summer for my college, and also dad was offered the opportunity to join the Rexville Police Department,” Keanu explained. “I used to live in the suburbs of Little Lake Town.”

Hunter again spun the bottle, it pointed to Xerxes. “Xerxes… Truth or dare?”

“Truth!”

“What was the last thing you had searched for on your phone?”

“What?” Xerxes’ gruff voice sounded humorous. “Well, let’s see…” He picked his phone and went to Google browsing history search. “Uh… how to clean yellow stains on white shirts.”

“That’s it?” Hunter demanded.

“Uh… how to clean dragon feces in toilets from smelling a week?”

“Xerxes…” Xavier started. “What. The. Hell? Stop eating those monster burritos at the local food trucks! It’s literally burning Uranus!” He deliberately said the planet’s name. Of course, he was partially joking; Xerxes loved to eat at those local food trucks outside the campus.

Broderick laughed. “I think you’re killing Mr. Toilet.”

“Okay, enough! My turn!” Xerxes spun the bottle. It took a little longer due to his strength. He’s the largest figure in this room. A gentle giant that must control his strength with discipline.

The bottle picked Sergio. “Oh, finally!”

“Oh, yeah, Sergio? Truth or dare?” Xerxes retorted.

“Truth!”

“Have you tried a liquor before?”

“Not here, but in Mexico, you’re a man at 18. I tried tequila before, and it was awful! Though I tried some beer, and it was okay.”

“My man!” Xerxes cried. “You’re learning from the big guys!”

Sergio laughed and proceeded to spin the bottle. It picked Keanu. Sergio paused for thinking before asking anything about Keanu. “Is there something personal that you can talk about it without feeling ashamed?” Sergio said. Saying this, reminded him of what he had said to Milagros the other day. Something personal and wanted to show or express something about himself. This was sort of similar.

Keanu listened to his question. What personal subject he could talk about openly. It could be anything; like his childhood, some embarrassing moments… or those tough times he went through. But there was one that he had considered when the time was just right where he would consider his new trustworthy friends. Why did it feel right?

After a little silence between the coyote and the wolf and the rest, Keanu calmly spoke.

“I’m gay.”

…

Sergio’s jaw dropped with his eyes widen. He quickly felt he went too far with this question and regret it for all eternity. His mind turned upside down and said, “Another one?”

The others, especially Hunter, also reacted with surprised looks with their eyes widen and slightly opened mouths as if they were about to say “really?” either surprised, but for Sol felt like good news in his elated mind, or he was just joking by the way he sounded. But hearing Sergio’s somewhat rude response made Milagros slap Sergio’s head from behind.

“Ow!” He rubbed the back of his head.

“Keanu, you’re really gay?” Sol started. “Like…”

“Don’t even go there, Sol.” Hunter shut him up. Sol was about to compare and list out a number of known LGBTQplus celebrities, even the flamboyant ones.

Hunter turned at Keanu, trying to keep his pace. “Keanu, you’re really…?” The young wolf nodded, his fluffed tail swaying cleverly. “What gives?”

Keanu looked away without turning his head. “I have my reasons.” Then looked at Sergio, of what he said. “What do you mean ‘another one?’”

Sergio stuttered and stammered to speak, but Milagros answered for him. She smiled at him. “Sol and Hunter are also playing for the same team. You thought you were the only one?” She chuckled.

Keanu flinched with his tail, he glanced next to Hunter. He had never, ever, ever thought such a thing about him, even if he imagined a little about him. Hunter Montana was gay. But there was another, he glanced at Sol; the leopard gave him a flirty wave of fingers dancing up and down with his right hand, and a big grin.

“You two?” Keanu softly said.

“Well, this has been a fun gathering!” Sol grinned.

Milagros said. “Oh, I’m glad that you’re so open about it, Keanu. That was very brave of you.”

Then finally Sergio’s stammering ceased, he was horribly nervous and tried to fill up the damage. “Ye-yeah! Rexville is ve-very big on, on, on, gay festivals! Yeah…” He looked away.

“Damn, Sergio,” said Broderick teasingly. “You should really be careful about what you’re saying.”

“I’m sorry! Alright!”

“Don’t take it too personally,” Milagros said. “Keanu isn’t offended at all.”

“Sorry if I scared you, Sergio.” Keanu apologized.

The doorbell rang, all heads swiftly stood at the door. The pizza delivery guy arrived with two boxes and a large bottle of soda. The delicious goods keep them distracted and easily forget what happened earlier. Keanu bluntly came out of nowhere. Hunter wanted to talk to him but everyone around him seemed to just have a good time. Maybe later or some other time, Hunter thought.

After Keanu ate his first slice of pepperoni and cheese, he went for the smaller box to try a Hawaiian slice.

“The time has come: Keanu is going to try it.” Sol teased.

Keanu ignored him and just took a good bite of it with pineapple and Canadian ham. He didn’t hesitate and chew it. Taking a good gulp, he smiled with a wagging tail. “It’s good.”

Sol was exasperated. “Your tongue is fixed.”

Keanu shrugged him. “I like it.”

It was a friendly victory for Milagros, Sergio, and Xavier. A lousy war where one thought was better with this and that. It was invented and was now on the menu of all pizzerias around the world.

Time passed by and the group left one by one to their dorms at Rexville University. Sergio apologized to Keanu, but he told him he was okay.  It was Hunter and Keanu alone in the apartment. Keanu had a curfew at ten, so as Hunter’s brothers. They should be coming back home before midnight. With a small Pandora box opened, Hunter could not help but speak about this.

“So, you’re gay, huh?”

“Yeah…” Keanu sighed nervously. “I didn’t expect you were, too.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I didn’t mean to scare Sergio like that, but… it… didn’t felt like a secret to me.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Keanu yawned. “Maybe tomorrow, I’m tired. I should go back to my house.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“Sure, I guess is okay.”

The street boulevard was still awake at this hour as the two canines walked to the Starlight Plaza building. They arrived at the door; Keanu fetched his keys. He goodnight-ed him and closed. Hunter walked back to his house.

On his bed, Hunter refreshed his thoughts. The fun gathering, playing games, and truth or dare. But the most relevant to remember was Keanu’s unannounced outing by one question. This was different than anything from regular. Well, tomorrow Hunter was going to have that chance to talk to him and why he did it. It was surprising that he said it with confidence without shame and shown how he had given the trust to not just Hunter but to everyone in the same room. How a shy wolf he had met this week could have suddenly shown his real self? Then Hunter remembered what he did said to Keanu literally: “No one is judging what you are.” Keanu must have quietly taken his advice without him knowing it.

Tomorrow would know about it, but… tomorrow was Sunday. “Oh, right…” Hunter muttered. He let his mind sleep for now. Time really went fast as this encounter.

This means that he’ll be visiting his house or something. Now learning that his father was a police officer, was really rather scary. Who knew, maybe he was really nice in person outside of work.