Meanwhile, Zoe checked her ears in the mirror of the girl's bathroom. They were both still there, good. Her tail, around which she'd wrapped several of her chunky metal bracelets, stood proudly atop her buttocks. Her leather collar was ringed with long spikes and had a bell attached, custom-made from a metal skull the size of a golfball. It worked perfectly, jingling whenever she moved.
Today was Neko-Day, when all the girls at school dressed up like kitty cat girls. Her ears were felt triangles attached to a hairband, and her tail was a roll of felt supported by a wire running through it, bend into a sloping that curled upwards at the end. All black, of course. She also wore black fingerless mittens for paws, as her nails were long and convincing enough to be her kitty claws. Finally there was the collar, which wasn't far removed from her usual attire except for the mandatory and annoying cat's bell.
Part of her couldn't believe she was wearing this ridiculous costume, but then she reminded herself it was no worse than Maid Day. Besides, she'd found out long ago that trying to avoid the school's 'special' days turned out to be more trouble than it was worth - Miss Hawthorne liked them, and she was a harsh mistress. After the principal's punishment, Zoe had begun to look at these silly events in a different light.
If she was going to take part, it was going to be on her own terms, with her own goth twist. This was a compromise that made her surprisingly happy, and allowed her to have fun and compete with the other girls while maintaining her status as one of the outsiders. She was sure it would get Hawthorne's goat too, by not playing to the spirit of the rules. Now Zoe would quite happily engage in any Maid Day, Neko-Day, Lingerie Day, Topless Tuesday or even Lesbian Week, but no way in hell would Miss Hawthorne take her identity away from her.
Zoe gave her reflection a couple of practise "meows". Hell, she could even win this thing, if she tried hard enough. It was then that she heard the school bell ring. Grabbing her books, she hurried to her next class.
