Author's Note:

Venomheart, I know you get annoyed by song lyrics in stories, but the song is in the public domain, and there really isn't much to change to make it more "Zootopian" any more than it is. It was not me being lazy, partly because I really like the song lyrics the way they are.

Chapter 4 – Winter Wonderland:

I got into the driver's seat, and Todd got into the passenger seat. I started the engine and drove us off the school property and onto the streets. I drove us out to the forest where me and my brothers and dad often went camping a few years ago. It looks beautiful in winter. It's like walking in a winter wonderland.

We stopped at a desolate intersection where the road was perfectly straight for as far as the eye could see. Just then, another car pulled up beside us. They rolled the window down, and I did, too.

The car was an import sport car with two guys in it, one a lynx, and the other a wolf. The lynx gave a cat call. "Hey there gorgeous!"

"Why hello there, boys," I said in a flirty way, giving them a wink.

"Beautiful car. Is that a stick I see in there?" the wolf said, looking into my car.

"Yep. 7-speed manual with triple overdrive," I said. "Plus the 650 horsepower doesn't hurt."

"Bet you can't beat us. How about race from here to the gas station a half-mile down the road," the wolf said.

"I bet you a hundred dollars on who wins," Todd said.

"You're on foxy!" the lynx said as he and Todd got out. He got a flashlight and stood between the cars.

"On your mark!" I revved my car and pressed the clutch, put the shifter in first, and waited. "Get set!" I revved a little more. "Go!" I let the clutch go and slammed the accelerator to the floor. Shifted to second, then third, we were neck and neck. Shifted to fourth and the wolf started getting ahead. Shifted to fifth, first overdrive and started passing the wolf, then shifted to sixth, second overdrive, then seventh, third overdrive, and I passed the wolf completely and the gas station.

I stopped, and the wolf pulled up beside me. I got out of my car and walked over to the driver's door on the wolf's car.

"I can't believe I got beat by a girl," the wolf said as he got out of the car. "Good race," he said, sticking his paw out for me to shake, which I took gladly. "The name's Brian, by the way."

"Nicole," I said. "And by the way, if you see a girl in a muscle car with a stick, she probably knows how to drive. Just saying."

"Yeah! I've learned my lesson."

Later that evening, I came home to find Dad alone at the house.

"Evening, Dad," I said as I walked in.

"Evening, Nicole. How was your day?"

"Good. Where's everyone else?"

"Carrots took them over to the Hagee's house for the annual 'get-together' if you want to call it that."

"Ok. They'll be back around ten, right?"

"2200 hours to be exact. I'm going to change the oil in your car. I needed to do it last week."

"Ok. I'm going to take a shower."

A few hours later, I was sitting on the couch in my PJ's and watching Kevin (Probably) Saves the World. Then Dad came in, with his face and paws covered in oil.

"Alright. I changed the oil, and then found this," Dad said, holding up a spark plug.

"I wondered why it was taking you so long," I said.

"You don't see it, do you?"

"No. What should I be seeing?"

"There is premature wear on this spark plug."

"Ok, so?"

"This is the kind of wear you see after a hard run on the engine, such as drag racing."

My face suddenly grew hot. "Oh… Well I guess it could be a defective plug, right?"

"Yeah, or you could have just told me you went drag racing… again."

I sighed and sank down.

"That's the fourth time this quarter, Nicole!" Dad said. "If you get one more, your license will be suspended."

"But Daddy!"

"Don't 'But Daddy!' me, young vixen! Give me the keys."

I begrudgingly grabbed my keys, which I left on the coffee table, and handed them to my dad.

"I didn't become police chief by letting my family go above the law."

"I know."

Dad walked off with the keys to his home office, probably to put the keys in his gun safe. Just then, my phone rang. It was Tia. "Hello."

"Hey, Nicole! Wanna go get a bite a Bugga Burger?"

"I can't my dad just took away my keys."

"What'd you do this time?"

I always find it annoying sometimes that Tia always assumes I did something wrong. "I went drag racing."

"Again?"

"At least I won $100!"

"That's something. Well, I guess I'll ask Brandon. He's always down to go get something to eat."

"Alright. Bye."

"Bye."

I set my phone down and laid down on the couch. Now what am I going to do?

Author's Note:

I wish I had a car with a seven-speed manual… But the drag race scene was based off the show Street Outlaws. I watched like ten episodes in a row last month, so it's still a little fresh on my mind.