Mittens has Class Ch. 05

"Are you for real?" The girl asked her, looking utterly off-balance.

Mittens looked down and patted at herself, as though making sure she was real. "Last time I checked. Are you?"

The girl seemed even more confused and gob-smacked. "Am I getting punked? Is this some kind of internet prank?" She looked around, as though trying to find someone hidden with a camera.

"No. I'm just here getting my admission settled for this coming semester." Mittens said jovially. "I'm Mittens. Matriculating kitten."

Again, the girl goggled at her. "No...seriously. This is some kind of dumb TikTok thing, right?"

Mittens shook her head. "Nope. Just a new student. I swear."

"Then what's with the cat costume?" The girl asked, taking it all in.

Mittens gave her a broad smile so she could see her fangs. "Because I'm officially a cat. Even have the driver's license to prove it. I'm honestly not meaning to mess with you, but I'm trying to figure out the best way to meet new people and establish that at the same time."

"You're kidding."

"Nope." Mittens said with a chuckle. "Serious as a rubber chicken in a legal drama."

The girl opened her mouth to reply, seemed to only then fully process what Mittens had just said, and stopped dead, still not sure what was happening to her. "Wait...what?"

Mittens laughed, extending a paw. "Let me start over. Herr-o, I'm Mittens The Cat. I'm a new freshman and I live as a cat. What's your name?"

Almost as if without thinking about it, the girl weakly took the offered paw and gave it an even weaker shake. "Valli." The girl replied, absently.

"Oh, that's such a cute name!" Mittens said. "Are you an intern here?"

"Um...no." Valli replied back. "I'm, well, I'm starting this fall too. I'm just here dropping some stuff off for my financial aid." She took a step back, fully taking in Mittens. "You're actually serious, aren't you? You actually live as a cat?"

"Yep." Mittens affirmed with a nod. "I have an owner and everything. It's kind of a big deal that I'm getting to go to college. Probably the first official cat to do so."

Valli's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, her face twisting a little in thought. "Actually, no. I think there's actually a couple cats now that have been given degrees. Well, honorary ones, I guess, so you'll be the first to..." She caught herself and winced. "Wait! No...I mean, you're still a person, right?"

"Does 'feline-american' work?" Mittens asked. "By the way, what's with the watch on your ankle?" She pointed down to where the girl had a wristwatch strapped around her left ankle.

Valli looked down at it, as if having only just remembered it was there. "Oh, that's...just a thing I do. Kind of a long story."

"Well, if we ever see each other on campus sometime, maybe I can buy you lunch and you can tell it to me." Mittens said with a smile. "We can also exchange notes on being college freshmen."

Valli blinked at her, but a smile spread on her face. "Yeah. Okay. I mean, as long as you promise that this isn't all some trick."

Mittens gave her a reassuring smile. The girl had a definite 'nerdy' quality to her, obviously a bit socially awkward. She could imagine the girl in high school, possibly the butt of more than a few jokes. "I cross my widdle kitty heart." She said, making an 'X' over her breastbone. "I'm just a bit of a weirdo and could really use a few friends." She leaned in, as if conspiratorially. "I try to keep a low profile though."

With that, she gave the girl one more broad smile and took her leave of the bathroom, hearing the girl begin to laugh in her wake. College was going to be a lot of fun.