It had clicked almost instantly. Hopps, the violet eyes, even the colours in his fur. Jack was one of Judy's siblings. Another thing clicked moments later. He recalled back to earlier when Skylar told him to watch for a rabbit named Jack. Could this be the same Jack? It was possible, but because of the population of the school, it was more than likely that there were other rabbits named Jack in the school. Nick offered Jack a friendly smile and turned to face him for a more direct conversation.

"I'm Nick Wilde," Nick replied. Jack nodded. He leaned back in his chair and placed his legs up on the table. He put his arms behind his head and stared toward the front of the room.

"So I've heard," Jack paused for a moment. "You here to kill us?" he asked jokingly. Nick raised his paws defensively at the sudden statement.

"What? No!" Nick replied. Jack chuckled.

"Then what for?"

"My parents dragged me out here. They were sick of the city," Nick said somberly. Jack looked over to Nick with a more sympathetic expression.

"That's rough. Having to leave all your friends that you've known for years behind and be thrown into a new environment. You're in what grade?" Jack said quietly. Nick glanced to the floor.

"Twelfth," Nick replied. Jack's eyes widened.

"That's even worse. I can't imagine having to make new friends during my last year of high school," Jack observed. Nick's face lifted a bit.

"Well, I did make some already," Nick added. Jack smiled slightly.

"Oh, well that's good I guess." Jack glanced out the window for a few seconds before returning his gaze to the front of the classroom. "Who did you end up meeting?" Jack asked as he turned to face Nick. He thought about Jack's question. He knew the answer the instant he asked, but he still held his tongue. He debated for a while whether he should tell him the whole truth, but with one last look at Jack, he decided that some things were best left out for now.

"I did meet a group of mammals in the music room. That's where I was during my second period spare," Nick replied. Jack nodded.

"Uh-huh. So you met some of my brothers and sisters then." Jack's answer had only confirmed Nick's suspicion.

"I guess I did. Anything I should know about them? Something they might not've told me?" Nick asked. Jack shrugged his shoulders and lifted a paw to his neck.

"The're not a bad group, it's just sometimes they can get a little noisy, and it gets a bit annoying over time. But when they do pull themselves together, their sound is unlike anything you've ever heard, believe me," Jack replied.

"They were a bit more on the noisy side today if we're being honest. They were nice for the most part," Nick added.

"Yeah. And if you were in there with everyone else, then you probably met Aaron as well." Nick raised an eyebrow.

"I did. What about him?" Nick asked. Jack shook his head.

"It's nothing about him, he's a cool guy. It's his other friend group that concerns me."

"What is it about them, then?" Nick added. Jack opened his mouth to speak, but did not say anything. He thought for another minute. During this time, Nick glanced at the clock – their twenty minutes were halfway up.

"They're just such bad influences on him. I can't wrap my head around why he hangs out with them. The big fox, Gideon. The smaller fox, Skylar. And the weasel, Travis. They all have such toxic personalities around school. The coyote keeps to himself, but he doesn't do anything anyway. The other three, though. They always keep their distance from the rest of the students whenever they can. They have this whole idea that everyone hates them because they're not rabbits or something. Trust me, it's as dumb as it sounds," Jack explained. Nick said nothing, but nodded along as Jack talked.

"Really? That's what they're usually like?" Nick asked. Jack sighed and nodded his head yes.

"Yup. Listen. Stay away from them if you can help it. Because you're a fox, they'll approach you sooner rather than later, and when they do, just keep what I said in mind, okay? It'll help you make the right decision in the end," Jack added. The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Slowly, Nick turned away from Jack. He allowed another few seconds to pass before he glanced at the clock. His twenty minutes were up. He leaned over toward Jack and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, I think we can leave now," Nick said. Jack looked around Nick's head at the clock, taking note of the time. He nodded before reaching under the desk for his bag.

"Yeah, let's go," Jack said. Nick gathered his things and they both left the room together. Once in the hallway, Jack stopped Nick. "Gimme your number," he stated. Nick raised an eyebrow.

"My what?" Nick asked, confused. Jack snickered.

"Your number. Your phone number?" Jack replied, slapping Nick's right leg. Nick passed over the spot where Jack had touched him. It was right where is pocket was.

"I would, except I don't have a phone," Nick said. Jack's eyes widened.

"No way. I thought you would have one, since your from the city and all," Jack said smiling. Nick chuckled.

"Yeah, I've had enough mammals ask me for their number after I moved here. I think my Dad is gonna do something about that as soon as Saturday rolls around, though. For now, just add me online," Nick said, pointing at the device in Jack's paw. "Just search my name, I'm there." Jack nodded and got to tapping away on the phone's screen.

"Sweet. Now are you headed to the caf? Because I refuse to eat there." Jack said semi-seriously. Nick laughed.

"Yeah I am. I kinda promised Aaron I'd go with him and the others," Nick said. Jack smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright then, don't keep them waiting See you 'round," Jack said before walking in the opposite direction from Nick. Nick waved and turned the corner toward the cafeteria. After a short walk, he arrived to a surprisingly empty dining area. On the bright side, he was able to spot the group very easily, as they made up about a quarter of the population at the time. Nick ran across the dining room and took the last empty seat at the group's table.

"Why is the caf so empty?" Nick asked. As it seemed, nobody was listening. Joyce, Jake, Jayden, and Aaron were all deep in debate about something, and Jess had completely tuned out the rest of the group with her ear pods. The only one at the table who even heard Nick was Jace. Jace lifted his stare from his smartphone and looked over toward Nick.

"Oh, hey Nick. Nobody eats here because the food just sucks. There's a chip stand and a sandwich shop like, three blocks from the school anyway, so most of 'em just go there instead. It's good for us," he said, gesturing toward the others. "We can have these stupid discussions as loud as we want," Jace continued, raising his voice near the end. Jace's tonal shift had caused Joyce to momentarily free herself from the discussion.

"You're not a part of this, Jace, so shut your mouth!" she shouted. Jace snorted.

"Because I chose not to be. As soon as I heard the topic, I bounced," Jace shouted back. Joyce only rolled her eyes before entering the fray once more. Nick glanced between Jace and the others a few times, debating whether or not to join. Jace caught on to Nick's train of thought, and looked discouragingly toward him. "Don't you do it," he said sternly.

"I'm gonna do it," Nick replied.

"You're gonna regret it," Jace said, trying to contain his laughter. Nick shook his head. Nick ignored Jace's warnings and butted his way into the discussion. Jace sighed. "It's really stupid, believe me!" Jace shouted at Nick. However, his shouts were of no effect. Nick was already in too deep.


Apologies for the shortness? Just not a good month for me I guess. -Prince