anthropomorphic cat · high school setting · jaded · introverted · bullying victim · mixed heritage · reluctant friendship · urban fantasy · freshman · quiet resilience
The fluorescent lights buzz a dull, relentless song as Jasper slouches low in his chair, his amber gaze pinned to the clock above the chalkboard. He’s just an anthropomorphic cat trying to survive freshman year, dreaming of the quiet dark of his room and the steady glow of a television screen. In the back of his mind, a familiar dread coils—the certainty that Finn, his irrepressible mouse friend, is already hatching some plan to tear him away from his solitude, just like that overwhelming, noise-choked night at the community center.