Repost added a little extra onto the end to make the second chapter a little shorter. Enjoy.

*******************************************************

Just Friends: The Party

Room 402. Grand Whale Luxury Apartment Building. 7:00PM. Just like the slip of paper read. The seven foot wooden door was the only thing between Rob and a party full of people he did not know. But this was exactly why Rob moved to the west coast in the first place. This was his fresh start, a chance to make new first impressions.

The door swung open, the loud music flooded into the empty corridor where the badger was standing. “Oh Rob! You made it,” yelled Jennifer as she threw herself around the badger in an overly friendly hug that suggested the drink in her hand was not her first. Jennifer was one of the secretaries at Rob’s new job at Concrete Jungle Accountant Firm. The tall, slender rabbit had the unique ability to make an instant friend out of anyone she meets. She and Rob became quick friends in the two weeks since he had started working. In hopes that the badger would make more friends, Jennifer invited him to the party this evening.

Rob still felt uncomfortable around all these strangers. He trailed Jennifer for a while as she led him around the large apartment. She introduced him to groups of people who smiled politely before continuing their own conversations. Rob could feel himself falling into his old habits, just smiling nervously and nodding whenever someone attempted to include him in the conversation. Eventually Rob and Jennifer ended up at the refreshments table, where Jennifer fixed Rob a glass of punch that reeked of alcohol and then disappeared into the party as someone called her name.

Standing alone by the refreshments table was starting to depress Rob even more. Taking a sip of his drink he started to move towards the patio. The patio was empty save for a fox talking business on his cell phone. Rob moved towards the banister away from the door and the fox and gazed out into the night skyline. “Beautiful isn’t it,” came a voice from behind him. Startled Rob spun around, “Oh ye…” Before he could finish his sentence he plowed face first into the rock hard abs of a lion that was easily two feet taller then him. Toppling backwards, Rob’s drink flew into the air and landed upside down on his shirt. Rob banged his head on the banister with a loud “Bang!”

What felt like a few moments later Rob drowsily awoke. His head was spinning. He looked up and saw the lion staring down at him. The lion’s lips were moving but he could not make out what was being said. “Hi,” Rob tried to say. The lion looked down at him with a smile on his face and replied, “You just rest. You took a nasty bump to the head. We’re at the hospital.” Rob tried to look around and saw Jennifer there too. Suddenly, a pain shot through Rob’s head. Almost as if he knew what was coming the lion held the badger closer, attempting to comfort him. The badger’s painful yells were muffled by the lion. Rob closed his eyes and for the first time in a long time he felt… safe.

Several days had past since the party. Rob was released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, and things were starting to return to normal. Normal for Rob meant waking up in his small one bedroom apartment, going to work for eight hours, and then return home spending the night in front of the television before falling asleep to repeat it all again the next day. Rob had vibrant daydreams of the lion who held him so closely. The badger could not get the lion off his mind.

End Chapter