Page 64 of Fox
“You and I both know we enjoy certain people of the opposite sex far too much to do that.” I groan as my gut twists at the thought of Fox.
Ren scoffs, causing Bruno to jump. “Speak for yourself. You’re the one in love with Fox.”
“Hey now!” I playfully shove her away. “Don’t be throwing that word out there. It’s a crush, and he made it brutally clear right before you called that he has absolutely no interest in anything to do with me.”
Ren raises a brow. “Really?Brutally?”
I overemphasize my nod. “Yep. And I quote,” I clear my throat to do a terrible impression of Fox. “I can’t be your boyfriend, Janie. I won’t be, and I need you to understand that.”
Ren’s lip curls, and she stares at me momentarily before shaking her head. “What a douche. Well, fine, he’s dead to us.”
I whine as I fall back on the couch. “Why does he do nice things if he doesn’t want me? He just gave me a fucking drawing tablet because he thought I might like to start drawing again but knows it’s impossible with my tremors.”
Ren holds her hands to her chest. “Oh my god! How sweet!”
“Right!?” I shriek. “Then I kissed him because he just did the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, on top of the already long list of sweet things he’s done, and he tells me he doesn’t want me! I thought we were the confusing sex.”
Ren shrugs. “The only people who say we are the confusing sex are men, and we can’t rely on them to have coherent thoughts.”
Bruno, evidently annoyed by the lack of attention he’s receiving, snorts and then howls at me. Ren rolls her eyes, “Again, men.”
I giggle as I scratch Bruno’s belly. “Leave Bruno alone; he’s not a man; he’s a prince,” I say in my baby talk as he licks my cheek.
“Yeah, yeah, my little service dog school flunkie.”.” I laugh as I remember Ren telling me about Bruno while I was staying here during the convention.
Ren has Type One Diabetes, and three years ago, her father made her get Bruno to help track when her sugars were not stable. Apparently, after getting Bruno and taking him to all the classes, they couldn’t certify him because poor Bruno has an anxiety disorder. So, according to Ren, every time her sugars would go too high or drop too low, Bruno would have a panic attack or the dog equivalent of a panic attack. It was so bad that she couldn’t rely on him to tell her if she was high or low, just that something was wrong.
So that brings us here, three years later. Bruno still has panic attacks but has grown accustomed to Ren’s diabetes and can alert her to check her sugars if he senses it’s out of whack. I don’t know too much about her diabetes. The only reason I found out was because while I was at her apartment, her blood sugar dropped too fast and was far below where it should be and I had to be walked through how to help her. She said no one in her lifebesides her family knows. She doesn’t like to be seen differently, and because she is plus-sized, people hear she has diabetes and, due to the lack of education, some think it’s because she’s bigger, which is crap. Ren has a banging body, and she’s had diabetes since she was a child.
Ren wears an insulin pump and some kind of monitoring device but keeps it hidden under her clothes. I couldn’t say anything. I kept my disorder hidden from most people. I get it. People suck, and they love to try and explain to you what you are doing wrong and how to fix it. It wears on you.
“Will you sleep here tonight?” Ren’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. “There’s this dance class tomorrow I thought you and I could go to, and I can introduce you to my friend, Sunday. I think you’ll really like her. Then maybe we could go back to your place since Fox will be gone, and we can gush over Winston?”
I grin brightly. “That sounds amazing. Let me just text Fox so he can take care of Winston, and then I’ll go back to ignoring him.”
I stare at my phone and see multiple missed texts from Fox.
Fox: You didn’t really just leave without me
Fox: Janie! Come on, girl, talk to me!
Fox: Winston is not happy waking up and finding you not here.
Fox: He thinks I have something to do with your disappearance. He keeps bouncing sideways and hissing at me and then tripping.
Fox: He just pissed in my shoes.
Fox: Please come home. I didn’t mean for what I said to come out so shitty. I really didn’t. Please come home, and we can talk.
Fox: Winston misses you and thinks you should forgive Uncle Fox for being an asshole.
Fox: He says Uncle Fox might miss you too.
Fox: Janie
Ren let out a laugh. “Yeah, can’t and won’t be your boyfriend. Janie, if that isn’t a boyfriend, then I have no idea what one is.”
I sigh while scratching my head. “According to him, this isn’t a relationship,” I mutter as I tap out a text.
