Cat Josh

Josh's stomach roared loudly, reminding him that he had forgotten to eat dinner the previous night because of Bill and his sudden late-night calls to gather the club. He opened his eyes, feeling the soft brush of something against the pillow; he slowly sat up and there they were: two cat ears moving curiously in sync with his emotions.
“Wha... w-what is this?!” He began to panic while fumbling with the ears and stroking the soft tail that curled around him, hoping it was just a silly hallucination. In the end, he confirmed they were completely real and there was no way to make them disappear. He refused to go downstairs, but the hunger was stronger, so he waited for his parents to leave before heading to the kitchen in hopes of finding something to eat. To Josh's misfortune, the fridge was almost empty. Some rancid leftovers and a couple of withered vegetables weren't exactly a feast, and the idea of going out to buy food terrified him. What would the neighbors say? How would people react to seeing him with cat ears and a tail—even worse... his friends would surely make fun of him for the rest of his life! “No, no, no! I'm not going out like this!” He spent the afternoon watching series, trying to ignore the growls of his stomach. Every time he thought about leaving, the image of the stares and whispers paralyzed him. Finally, as the sun began to set and the shadows lengthened, Josh felt he could breathe a bit easier and decided it was time to go out; he didn't bother hiding his new features, knowing how difficult it would be. It wasn't the ideal solution, but in his mind, it was better than nothing—it was late, who would be out at this hour?
With his heart pounding, he opened the door and peeked out at the street. The night was his ally, wrapping the streets in a blanket of darkness. He took a deep breath and ventured out, hoping to go unnoticed and get some food before the hunger defeated him.