So this is a little story i've been working on featuring my character Tera.

Hope you enjoy

Tera belongs to  Pastel

Thumbnail art is by  BabyStar

______________________________________

Graduation

In a small suburb of a big city lived a fox who had brown,white fur and blue eyes. His name was Tera and he was about to turn 19 in a month but before that happened he would be graduating high school. High School had been three years of indifference. As compared to primary school which had been nine years of hell, bullying both physical and mental had been going on since he was in kindergarten. But once he had entered high school it was as if no one cared. Probably because everyone was to busy with their studies and making sure they would get good grades which would hopefully lead to a good job and a good future.

He tossed and turned in bed as the alarm had started to ring. He really didn’t wanna get up, that was until he remembered what day it was, Graduation day had finally come and this was the last day he would have to go back to that accursed place called a school. Or at least it would be until he went to college, which was in the plans but that would happen when it happens was the philosophy. He slammed his paw down on the alarm button making the beeping sound stop. Sleepily he sat up in bed. His suit had been laid out the evening before so that all he would have to do was to put it on. Tera grabbed his suit jacket,shirt and pants and carried it into the bathroom where he did the usual self-grooming routine. Brushed his teeth,washed his face,armpits and put on deodorant and perfumé. Then it was just the matter of getting dressed, After having buttoned up the shirt the pants went on and the shirt was tucked into them. Then came the tie and the suit jacket, and finally to complete the look was the very expensive graduation cap that they were required to wear during the ceremony.

All his relatives had gathered in his families small house, most were still asleep but his mother was awake and decorating the house. Balloons adorned the walls as was tradition.

Tera walked into the kitchen and made his breakfast, which only consisted of a cup of coffee and some toast. Looking at the clock he knew he had plenty of time before he was supposed to be down at the high school building. But wanting to be the early bird he finished his coffee and toast, went and picked up his phone and earbuds, While in his room he grabbed himself a cider

“Might as well get started early.” He said to himself.

He cracked it open and finished it rather quickly. The alcohol hitting him decently hard making his head spin a little.Drinking was pretty much a tradition during graduation so he knew there would be alot of it during the day. Heading down stairs into the living room he saw his mother Jen still working on the decorations.

“I’m ready to go” He said to his mother
“Alright let me just grab the car keys” She replied in a cheery voice.

During the ride to the high school there was talk about how proud she was that he was graduating especially after having failed mathematics and some other courses he had been taking. But the school had been nice enough to overlook his failing grades and let him graduate anyways, but only barely.

They pulled up to the school building and Tera hopped out of the car.

“I’ll see you later during the ceremony” He said in a relaxed tone.
“We’ll be there the whole family” She responded.

As he walked slowly into the IT department of school he couldn’t help but wag his tail a little out of happiness. Now when he entered the IT department it was decorated with lots of colorful balloons.Tera payed a lot of attention to this as he was Ligyrophobic which meant he was scared of loud noises. One of the ones making his fear the worst was that of balloons popping. So seeing so many balloons in one place was making him very worried. Out of habit he put his earbuds into his ears and turned on the loudest music he could think of. Tera was the first one there but not long after a group of his classmates arrived. The few that had arrived were classmates that he didn’t mind to bad. There was Jack, a feline with gray fur and hazel eyes, Stephanie a wolf who had those distinct purple ears and tail tip, and a few others that he didn’t pay too much attention to. Tera wasn’t very good friends with anyone in his class for the most part he prefered to be left alone, but it wasn’t like in primary school where he was actually bullied. Not long after miss Ann arrived, she was their primary teacher and mentor throughout high school. She was dressed in a nice dress and was beaming happiness as usually.

“Hello students, Hope you’re all excited for today.” She spoke cheerily.

A collective “Yes.” was heard from the present students. They walked into a classroom where they were going to spend a bit of time before the class photoshoot which was the real first mandatory part of the school day. Now the basic rule during graduation was you’re allowed to have alcohol with you but if you are found out being “too drunk” you would be asked to leave the ceremony and escorted off the property. Now no one really followed this rules and no one really cared. It wasn’t like the teachers were going to walk around and do breath tests.

The time for the class photo had come and they walked outside to the designated photo area for their department. The rest of the class showed up just before it was about to start and most of them were behaving well. But then Pete,Tom and Justin showed up. They were carrying a cardboard box full of beer and cider and some other stronger alcohol. Of course they were already pretty drunk, but the photoshoot went off without a hitch. It all went south when they re-entered the IT department. Alcohol and balloons don’t mix to well and Tera should have known this. It wasn’t long before a loud and sudden *BANG* was heard. And then another, and another, and another. Pete,Tom and Justin had thought it would be funny to try and pop as many balloons as possible before someone stopped them. Tera quickly put his earbuds back in his ears and once again started playing the loudest music he could think off, but it didn’t help the bangs were overpowering his earbuds and starting to panic he did the only thing he had ever known to do when balloons started to pop. He retreated into the nearest bathroom locking the door and covering his ears. Tears had started to run down his face and he was breathing quickly, It wasn’t a secret that he was having an anxiety attack. Meanwhile all he could hear was the bangs of balloons popping and the laughs of his classmates as they continued. After about fifteen to twenty minutes the banging stopped.

“Either someone stopped them or they ran out of balloons.” Tera thought to himself.
“Maybe it’s safe to walk back out.” He looked at himself in the mirror tears still staining his face fur, Turning on the sink he did his best to wash his face and dry it off with a paper towel.

As he left the bathroom all he could see was scraps of rubber everywhere and his classmates were gone. He assumed they had returned to the classroom so he went there and correctly they had. Time went slowly waiting for the running out ceremony to begin. As the clock finally struck one all the students in the school gathered up on the second floor getting ready to run out to their families and friends. The running out went slow as there were so many students and only a few staircases to get down from the second floor balcony area. But Tera quickly found his family and friends who greeted him with open arms and happy smiles. That’s when he knew that despite his misfortunes inside the school this would be the happiest day of his life. His father Bryan handed him a grocery bag with alcohol in it

“Now let’s celebrate properly.” He said and smiles at his son

The rest of the day went off without a hitch and no more incidents with balloons popping. Tera ended up getting drunk and going out to a bar with his best friend and just enjoy the fact that he was now done with what had been the worst part of his childhood and teenage years. Now he was finally free, If only he knew that this was just the beginning of the hell to come.

The End