Tapping her drumsticks tepidly against her lap, Tiffany leaned back into her chair and waited. She expected to be practicing now, but Deborah had called an emergency meeting with the band. A meeting that, so far, only her, Conner, and Connie had shown up for.
``Still don't understand why we gotta meet in this here cramped space,'' the rat complained, strumming his pic across his black and red Gibson Explorer. Even without the electricity pumping through it, Tiffany heard the rhythms to their latest songs across his fingertips. Vicky only introduced it yesterday and he already had it down to memory. Arrogant little shit at least earned his attitude. ``We could be meeting in the garage. Back with the amps so I can at least hear the sound.''
``You know the sound is fine,'' Connie sneered, face deep in a blank covered booklet, ``You're gonna get carpal if you don't take a break.''
He scoffed, ``Fine ain't what we're after. Legends don't last off of `fine'. It's gotta be good. Gotta be better than what we're givin. `Sides, Hendrix practiced between classes in highschool.''
``Jimmy also joined the 27 Club. So best not to emulate everything about him.'' His sister's barbed words carried a caring edge that Tiffany learned to notice a year of being around them. The two twins were always at each other's throats, yet never crossed a line that hurt each other. In some ways, Tiffany was jealous. Her own sibling relationship was...distant at best, having not spoken with her brother in years. Or much of her family for that matter. Eventually she'd have to meet with them again.
Hopefully it'll be after accepting a Grammy. So never.
The black door to their room creaked open, followed by a bubbly happy hyena and the cool calculative attitude of the antelope from hell, Deborah. ``I see you've all arrived,'' their manager adjusted her glasses and made her way to the front of the table, with Vicky standing beside her at the whiteboard. Tiffany rolled her eyes, ``Yeah, it's a practice day. You're the ones that are late.''
``Sorry, we just had some-'' Deborah eyed Vicky before the hyena could finish. Flipping open her folder, the antelope cleared her throat. ``As some of you may be aware, RockJaws have been rising through popularity. Locally you're getting some attention, but based on sales and released lyrical videos on YouTube, it seems you've amassed a reasonable following countrywide. As such, WILD records have decided it's time you start touring.''
Conner stopped playing, Connie looked up from her book, and Tiffany felt a lump in her throat. None of them were sure they heard the antelope correctly, staring blankly at their Manager until Vicky laughed and slammed her palms on the table. ``We're going cross country, bitches!''
``No way...'' Tiffany cracked a smile, ``Seriously?'' She got up, towering over her bandmate and best friend before asking again, ``Seriously?!'' Vicky's nod was met with a shared scream and a crushing hug. They'd been dreaming for this moment since they first thought of being in a band. All those hours practicing, the drama of failed startups, and frustrating schedules where neither found sleep. It all built up to this. ``We're going cross country, bitches!'' Tiffany roared, hoisting her friend up and nearly tossing her against the ceiling, remembering at the last second to hold on.
```Bout bloody time!'' Conner cried, putting down his guitar and looking to his sister, who conveniently put down her book. Connie didn't share the same excited mentality as her bandmates, instead carrying a neutral look towards Deborah's serious disposition. ``So, what's the catch?'' She asked.
Deborah's sigh had Tiffany on edge. Of course there would be a catch, nothing in this business came free. ``While WILD records is willing to invest in venues and has hired a partner company to handle staging, the company is not liable to invest in transport, lodging, or personal equipment for RockJaws.''
Conner waved his hand for her to continue, but Connie said what they all were thinking, ``So we're responsible for our own way to the spots? Ok, seems reasonable.''
``Well, that and you need to put in an investment.''
``What?'' Everyone, even Vicky, reacted in unison. Tiffany knew that rockstar life wasn't cheap, but she'd never heard of musicians putting down investments into their publishers. ``Why do we need to do that?'' She asked.
``Because-''
``Cause they don't see us as a good investment,'' Connie said, picking her book back up, ``And they want a safety net in case we don't sell well. If I didn't know any better, this tour isn't so much a next step as it is a test for the company, to see if we're worth branding.'' If Deborah's silence on the matter didn't confirm her observation, the guilty look toward Vicky did.
Patting the hyena on the shoulder, Tiffany sighed and asked, ``How much? And what can we save?''
``70,000.'' Deborah waited for the tension to drop before continuing, ``And from what I've seen of the tour path, your personal van isn't going to cut it.''
``Well why the fuck not?'' Conner shouted. Tiffany stopped paying attention after that. Her mind focused on more important things, like investing 70,000 dollars into this. She'd never even had that much money in her bank account, let alone the credit score to ask any bank for a loan. By the time she snapped back into reality, Deborah had pulled out a map of the United States with red crosses hitting major cities not just along the west coast, but even through the midwest and the east.
``A...A cross country tour?'' She uttered, blinking at the sight of it. They had shouted it in their excitement, but the shark figured they'd stay on one coast. Not actually go across the states.
``The van can do that!'' Conner argued, ``She can last.''
``She's barely runnin on fumes as is, bro.''
Conner shot daggers at his sister, ``Whose side are you on?''
``Realism. Old Shelia's good for city drivin and short distances. But cross country with us four plus gear? No way she'll last long. Plus it'll be too cramped, especially with Tiff's drumset.''
``Like that's an issue,'' He scoffed, ``Legends made due with worse. Not like we're such prudes we're gonna go against sleeping in the same van and-''
``I can get us some cash. To get a ride,'' Tiffany said, though everyone's looks made her regret it. Vicky saw what she meant right away, reaching out to hold the shark's tensing hand. ``Tiff, I can get us a loan. Like, I'm sure we can all pitch in and-''
``Vicky, no offense but we're barely scraping by on our apartment as is. Neither of us are good for a loan, and I doubt Conner or Connie would be accepted for one either.'' And Deborah wouldn't help, but Tiffany didn't feel like targeting the antelope. ``It's a long shot but...''
The twins caught on. Conner scowled but nodded with sympathy, his sister exhaled and asked Deborah, ``How long do we have until we put in the investment?''
***
``I can't believe you're dating a rockstar.'' Felix could tell how Trix wanted to shout that fact, making him almost regret sharing his relationship with the thin shark girl. He nodded along, walking side by side with her through their campus while she scoured through her phone. ``I can't believe they all posed with me. Even Conner, and he's smiling even with the middle finger!''
``So...wouldn't that be directed at you?'' He asked. With what little he knew of the rat's personality, it felt like he was just insulting a fan. Trix shook her head, ``No, it's part of his persona. He even made it clear with me before pictures. Well, that and he made a second one with me that was way more goofy when I promised not to sell these.'' She showed the pink leopard said picture, with the crossdressing rat stretching out his face to cartoonish proportions while Trix laughed in the picture. ``I swear, they are like the chillest rockstars I've met.''
``Rising rockstars,'' He said. His girlfriend's words more than anything. ``They probably don't want to feed into their ego.''
``But that's what makes them so real, ya know?'' He understood what she was trying to get across, but the RockJaws logo on her shirt made it difficult to not paint her as just another fangirl. Still, Felix hadn't been wronged by Tiffany's friends. Not yet anyways, but that was the devil on his shoulder talking.
A ping erupted from Trix's phone. ``Oh, they're trending.'' She smiled, exposing those braces across her fangs, ``Must be about last night's show.'' Felix made an effort not to follow social media so he had to rely on her for the information. Half of him knew to ignore it, since deep down he knew Tiffany didn't want to date a fanboy. But somewhere inside his curiosity hooked its claws into him.
Trix frowned, then looked at Felix and put her phone away. He blinked, ``What's wrong?''
``It's nothing,'' She said, brushing off the subject, ``Just some dumb TMZ article.''
``Dumb how?''
``It's TMZ. They're usually pretty dumb.''
``Aren't they sorta accurate?'' Felix asked, not having kept up with the latest news stories or celebrity gossip. Trix meandered her answer, tilting her head back and forth. Peering behind her, he noticed others peeking over to him. At first he thought he imagined it, like he'd expected people to react when they saw a pink furred leopard in skinny jeans and a tight black shirt. But his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, some were actually watching him after looking up from their phones.
``What the hell?'' Shouted someone from behind. Felix turned at the last second, seeing a familiar rat he hadn't talked to in months. Rattle ran into him like a sack of bricks, grabbing the leopard's hand and pulling him out of sight. ``Why didn't you tell me you were dating a rockstar?''
Felix ripped his hand away from the rat, ``Well hello to you too, Rattle,'' He growled, squinting his eyes at the shorter rat's small ridged headfur and grey fur over his skin. Rattle bit his lip and averted his gaze, ``Sorry, sorry,'' he uttered, scratching the back of his head, ``Just, I didn't expect to find this out this way.''
``And you are?'' Trix asked, following both boys into the shade. Felix rolled his eyes, ``Trix, this is Rattle, a perverted friend from highschool and aspiring paparazzi.''
Rattle nodded with a smile, then frowned when he realized the insult. ``Oh come on dude! I said I was sorry.''
``Sorry doesn't excuse all the pictures you took in the girls bathroom. Or the snooping.''
``It was one photo of you! And I deleted it.'' Rattle crossed his arms and muttered, ``Not my fault you looked like a girl. You still kind of do with the tight clothes.'' Ignoring that comment, Felix sighed and turned to Trix, ``Scott, also known as Rattle, here has a history of taking pictures of girls that he shouldn't. He once thought I was one and after realizing I wasn't, he apologized, and...'' He sighed, still frustrated enough that he didn't want to admit Rattle's good side. ``And he's stood up for me at least once or twice...and helped from the background.''
``Aww, you really do care,'' Rattle snickered only to frown at Felix's dead eyed glare. Trix looked on in confusion, likely unsure if she should be shaking Rattle's hand, or punching him outright. ``So...why's he here?'' the dogfish asked.
``And does Briar know where you are?'' Felix grinned, seeing a small shiver of fear across Rattle's face. He'd feel guilt for it later. Rattle shook his head, ``She knows, or at least believes, that I'm working right now. Which, technically I am, but that's not important. What's important is why you didn't tell me you were dating a rockstar.''
``I...wait how did you know?'' Felix dreaded the answer as the rat pulled out his phone and opened up the Twitter app. ``You kidding? You're practically trending. How have you not noticed?''
``I don't use social media.''
``I don't use social media,'' Rattle mockingly imitated, ``Well social media uses you, cause hashtag PinkPanther dash boy slash girl parentheses question mark is trending. A bunch of my associates and a few social media loudmouths are trying to figure out your gender.''
Felix blinked, trying to process the ridiculous name of the tag. ``Why?'' He asked, feeling a shiver in his spine as he noticed all the eyes from earlier, ``What's it matter to them? And how do you know it's me?''
Rattle pointed to a picture featuring Tiffany and Felix from the previous night's show, backstage with the collar around his neck. Then the picture where they kissed. ``Someone offered me a shot at the surprise RockJaws show to get some pics. I had a prior engagement with a hotter celebrity, so I passed it. Whoever got in got a good find. Celebrity romances are fucking huge.''
``So why's my gender a big deal, Scott?''
The rat shrugged, ``Like I said, celebrity dating is huge. But your girlfriend has a bit of a following and is somewhat `controversial' to some folks,'' He said with air quotes. ``She's used her platform to talk about hermaphrodite rights a few times, and has been pretty vocal against legislation or big business that discriminates or are against privacy rights, sometimes joining causes for alternative lifestyles and trans rights. Old stuffy folks and pearl clutchers love people like her cause they got a lovely target to bash, and her being a predatory species who's pretty jacked don't help much either.''
``How does that relate to my gender?'' Felix asked again, gritting his teeth at how stupid this all was. Sure the collar was a bit much in the picture, but that was a private moment backstage. No one had the right to just barge in and take pictures. Right? The leopard wasn't sure, but he felt angry all the same. Being mislabeled in his species made it worse.
``Because it frames a story, or something,'' Trix said. The two looked to her, noting the thin shark girl with confusion before she sighed and continued. ``If it turns out you're a girl, people will paint Tiffany, and all herms, as being interested in stealing women away from guys, adding another log to the fire of incel bullshit you can see in the comments. If they find out you're are a guy, people will make assumptions that all herms just want to turn guys into ladies or, like, feminize them, because `obviously' only femme guys can like it up the ass, and `obviously' anyone who dates a herm is dating her to get buttfucked.'' She crossed her arms and sneered at the thought, ``I mean, it's all bullshit. People always forget the actual feminine side of this crap. As soon as a pussy is involved, it's forgotten unless it needs to be `protected'. But a dick? Don't get me started on dicks.''
The two boys stared at Trix with befuddled looks, leaving her to sink her head into her shoulders before Rattle spoke up. ``I wouldn't put it quite like that. But she's on the money. People are gonna look at your relationship as a talking point. And given how cutthroat some of my coworkers are...well you might do well with a hoodie for a good few weeks or so. At least until some bigger news drops.''
``A few weeks?'' Trix butted back in, ``Shouldn't this drop after a day? It's just a dumb trend.''
``Let me tell you something about trends...whatever your name is.''
``Patricia.''
``Ok, Patricia,'' Rattle snapped his fingers, ``The thing about trends is, at least when you?re cashing in on them, they have a limited shelf life that can be expanded upon with every new bit of information. Some celebrities know this and use it to their advantage, `leaking' stuff like sextapes or what not to keep the public's attention on them. Us paparazzi can't afford to extend it, so we dive in as quickly as possible.'' Seeing a campus store, Rattle pushed them both inside and continued his explanation, ``That means people worse than me are gonna try to get a pic of ya, or come up to you and ask your gender. Some might pretend dumb shit like a survey for personal information.''
``This something you did?'' Trix asked. Felix had the same thought but was more curious as to why Rattle was grabbing baggy hoodies. Deep down he knew why, and the anxiety devil on his shoulder was happy to remind him. Back to hiding, it whispered, back to baggy clothes and slouched shoulders.
Rattle didn't answer her, either because he was too focused on the jacket options, or he just didn't want to admit it. ``Christ, these are expensive. I thought community college was the cheap option?'' He muttered. ``Anyway, it's not the good paparazzi you need to worry about, though you should watch out for them. It's the desperate ones. They're gonna make your life a living hell.'' Pulling a heavy red and white hoodie from the rack, he tossed it to Felix, ``Here, put this on.''
The leopard caught the jacket, looked at it carefully, then put it back on the rack. ``No.''
``No?'' Rattle raised his brow, ``What is it too itchy? I know you got a better one at home so this is only-''
``I'm not wearing baggy clothes again.'' Felix stood tall, at least half a foot above Scott with his back straight, ``I'm finally more comfortable with my body and you're saying I need to hide it because of some celebrity gossip bullshit?''
Rattle raised his hands in defense, ``Felix, chill. I'm suggesting this as a friend and a professional.'' The leopard believed that, he really did. Didn't make him any less frustrated about it all. ``I just...I don't care about what other people think,'' Felix said. It was a half-truth. He was worried about all the online comments and harassment, but he had someone to weather that with now. Besides, Tiffany had it worse and this was all to target her. Part of him wanted to go to her and hug the amazon tight, acting like a small comfort for her. The devil on his shoulder made him wonder who would be comforting who.
His phone rang. Tiffany was on the other end, as good a time as ever. Signaling to his friends that he needed some privacy, Felix headed outside and answered. ``Hey, beautiful. How's it going?''
Tiffany's laugh on the other end sounded off, forced maybe. ``It's...going. It's going. You?''
``Well the twitter feed isn't bothering me, if that's what's worrying you.''
``Twitter feed?'' He blinked at her question. ``Yeah. Haven't you seen the trending or whatever?''
``I don't really follow social media,'' She explained, ``I make a comment here and there on some bullshit I notice, but I try to stay away from it when I can. Some activist I am, right?'' She forced another laugh. Every fiber in his being wanted to hug her, knowing something was wrong.
``Hey, social media activism is dumb anyways. You've got a real platform, you can make a difference.''
``Yeah...yeah...'' She didn't sound convinced. He'd never heard her struggle this much, at least not since she prepped to meet his parents. ``About that...I need to go talk to some people. And...I'm not sure I can do it alone. I know it's a lot to ask, but can you come with me this weekend?''
``With you where?''
``Arizona.''
He blinked, ``Arizona? What's going on there?''
``It's...well I...'' She stammered on, unable to start a sentence. He'd never heard her this frustrated and...scared? ``Do you wanna talk about it in person?'' Felix asked.
``Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that.'' Relief edged on her voice, ``When are you done with classes?'' Pulling out his phone, Felix saw that his last class was about to start in five minutes. ``I'll head over to your place in an hour, ok? Love you.''
``Love you too.'' Tiffany said. Hanging up, Felix headed back inside, finding Rattle and Trix deep in conversation about...well he wasn't exactly sure, it shifted a lot from pop culture, feminism, and musical tastes. ``Hey, Trix. We got class,'' He tapped his phone for emphasis. Rattle gave a concerned look as the two walked out, ``Can you promise me you'll try to avoid crowds at least? You're pretty noticeable.''
``I already do, Rattle.'' And he had no intention of diving headfirst into them.
***
Felix didn't have many opinions on social media. The leopard just saw it as a thing that existed and left it alone. After today, he wished it would burn in hell. Every stare, every random person walking up to him and trying to surmise his gender, he almost went back home to get a hoodie despite what he said to Rattle.
But Tiffany's worry bothered him more. She needed help, on what exactly he wasn't sure, but the pink leopard was going to be there for her. Knocking on her apartment door, he waited until it cracked open with her in the frame. ``Hey, Cutie,'' Tiffany said, carrying a smile that didn't fit her hunched body. Sniffing the air, Felix noted the sweat emanating off her body. ``Have you been stress exercising?''
Tiffany averted her gaze and nodded, ``There are worse things I can do.''
``That's not why I'm worried,'' Felix said, taking her strong hand in his own, ``What's wrong?'' Staying silent, she pulled him into her apartment and then her personal bedroom. Dumbbells and kettlebells littered the floor of varying sizes that Felix knew he couldn't do a full rep with yet without pulling a muscle. The sheer difference in their strength didn't scare him, as he always felt safe in her arms.
Well, that and he liked being manhandled.
Taking to the bed, she wrapped her arms around him and they both laid down against the mattress. Being pressed against her breasts caused his own cage to feel tighter, something he'd barely noticed nowadays unless close to her, but he ignored the arousal and asked, ``So...what's in Arizona?''
``My parents.''
He blinked, ``Your parents? You lived in Arizona?'' She nodded, prompting more questions, ``Um...how does a shark live in Arizona? Isn't it all desert?''
``It's not all desert...ok it's mostly desert but my parents can afford our living expenses. We actually have a semi regular humidity system in the house. Well, that and a pool.'' Looking up at the ceiling, the shark grit her teeth and sighed, ``Anyway, I need to talk with them and well...I haven't really seen them since I moved here a few years ago.''
``Not even for holidays?''
She nodded, ``I kind of stopped practicing my faith and I'm fairly certain they are angry for that. It's less me abandoning my heritage and more me trying to find my own way. It's not the best excuse but...well I don't have a real excuse so-''
``You don't need an excuse with me,'' Felix clutched his girlfriend tighter, feeling her abs against his soft stomach. It was clear enough she didn't like talking about her parents, and he didn't want to make her all the more uncomfortable. ``I can go with you. For support.''
``You're sure? My parents are...well I don't want to sound stereotypical but-''
``Hey, you met my parents right? Eventually I'd have to meet yours.''
Tiffany nodded, muttering under her breath how she hoped eventually came after never. Felix ignored that and cuddled closer, feeling her heartbeat pump against her chest. ``So...should I wear a collared shirt or something?'' Tiffany shook her head. ``Ok, how about my collar?'' He asked.
She laughed, loosening her grip for a moment, ``Oh god no. As fun as it would be to show off my collared boyfriend, I think my boyfriend coming is just enough.'' They kept close for as long as they could, their silence filled with the creaking of the bed and movement of the fan above. ``So...when do we leave?'' Felix asked, looking up to her amber eyes.
``This weekend. Can you clear your schedule?''
``I can bring it up with Cyko. Worst case scenario I work a double shift next weekend.''
