FYI: Lots of feels ahead.


After snacking on all of the fruit in the mini fridge, as offered in Bellwether's letter, Judy rummaged through the medicine stash in her closet and took two pain killers down with another full bottle of water. Even as she crawled into bed and waited for the so-called instantly effective pain relievers to work their magic, it took almost an hour for them to fully kick in.

The sun was starting to set, judging by the colors of red and orange light filtering into the room.

The bunny definitely felt all sorts of foolish for drinking carelessly and jumping to eye-widening conclusions about the fox frat member. At this point, there were two things she realized she wanted to avoid as much as possible: getting drunk beyond her reasonable limits again, and interacting with Nicholas Wilde outside of their latest deal, if she could help it.

Thankfully the bedridden bunny was given some soup by her thoughtful roommate, who entered the room just as the moon began to show itself in the quickly darkening skies. "Heya Judy, how're you feeling?"

Bellwether had not gotten her just any soup— it was butternut squash soup, conveniently one of the bunny's favorites.

"I'm feeling better now." Judy rolled out of her covers and sat slumped against a folded pillow to accept the warm plastic cup and spoon. "Ugh, I can't thank you enough Dawn," Judy hummed after hastily swallowing a spoonful, spices of nutmeg and paprika in the warm stew making her sigh in delight. "Yum."

"It's no big deal, really. You're looking better." Dawn gave a small smile before noticing Judy's changed outfit. "Did you… go somewhere? You really shouldn't be walking in this condition."

Oh, I did a lot more than walk, Judy bitterly thought as she recalled her panicked sprint to his apartment, the walk back to campus despite the opportunity of a bike ride, and an excruciating march up six flights of stairs. Stairs of a building she had hesitantly trespassed, all to get a fake ID card that cost her all the cash remaining in her wallet. Not only was she physically spent, but her moral ground also took a toll.

The back-and-forth attempts to outdo the fox, and he to her, were the source of all these tribulations. Although Nick definitely started it with his start-of-the-year prank, and Judy definitely deserved to get back at him for it, she began focusing less on payback and more on using his reputation as a crutch to lift herself higher on the publicity ladder. It was an immature tug-of-war in which none of the players were really winning.

But Judy Hopps stubbornly didn't see it that way. She justified her blackmailing of the frat member on the premise that he was one of the lowest foxes she had ever met. To her, his offenses even rivalled that of Gideon Grey's, although their attacks and manipulations took on different forms, each of them showed no inklings of remorse and had no hope of ever changing for the better.

"I just… went out for some fresh air." Judy brushed off the sheep in a murmur before bringing the bowl to her lips and drawing the remainder of the soup into her grateful stomach.

Bellwether gave her glasses a good polish with a handkerchief and, while facing away from Judy, slipped into a long night gown. "Well you really should rest up some more. We've got a big week ahead of us, with Activities Night and all this Wednesday. I've spent all day today planning for it."

"I haven't forgotten," Judy gave a little smile over to the sheep now bundling herself in crunchy blankets atop of her bed. "And hey. Thanks for the note you left. It was pretty sweet of you. I took you up on your fruit and water offer, if you hadn't noticed how suspiciously spacious your mini fridge is by now."

"Oh, hah, well I'm glad. Just thought it was the right thing to do, y'know," Dawn hummed tiredly before yawning. "Just… can that be the one and only time that happens? Y'know, you coming to the room so late and…"

"Wasted out of my mind?" Judy finished with a sigh. "Yeah… that won't be happening again. I think that one experience is enough for my entire lifetime." The last bit of her sentence came out in a giggle, one Bellwether also softly joined in on.

"Honestly, that's great to hear. By the way… are you staying up for much longer?" The sheep asked through another yawn, pulling on a sleeping mask over her eyes.

Setting the empty cup and spoon on her nearby desk top, the rabbit gently stepped off her bed to stretch, Bellwether's contagious yawn causing Judy to respond by also yawning softly. "Naw, I'm pretty sleepy too. I'll go ahead and hit the light."

Judy walked over to the tall room lamp in front of the window and reached up to grab its long beaded pull-chain. Huh. Looks pretty dark outside. Empty too. Before she managed to tug the metallic cord she swore she saw a peculiar blur out the window, but she blinked at there was nothing but a dark, empty campus whistling with wind.

.o0o.

It took an hour for Nick to clean himself up and dry off the majority of his fur.

As he looked into the reflection of his bathroom mirror, there was no disputing that the red fox was upset judging by the way his ears had yet lifted from their droop and his lips fought to remain pressed in a cryptic flat line. Being hustled a second time and thrice-dumped in one day tended to have those effects.

So what does a fox, namely this fox, do when he is down-in-the-dumps?

He runs.

In preparation to do so, the fox changed into some dry clothes— a pair of trousers and a green hoodie to be exact, while his previously salt-and-ice-smothered clothes were hanging damp in his closet. Much to his reserved displeasure, his jacket had to stay behind to dry.

Nick waltzed quietly to pick up his iPaw from his dresser's countertop, its drawers lazily stuffed with unfolded clothes and open to different degrees, and shuffled the songs at low volume.

His music collection was filled with only a few modern songs from one central genre: Surfer Rock. It wasn't a taste in music he particularly flaunted because, well, it wasn't what most mammals enjoyed listening to. Even his small flat mate, being a music major, had overheard the music playing aloud once and made a snide comment about it. So the mellow vibes of Surfer Rock was something the red fox enjoyed privately.

Nick glanced at the slightly wet and wrinkled hundred dollar bill he managed to salvage from his Alpha jacket lying flat on the dresser counter.

Judy's money.

Any rash mammal half upset as he was would've taken the money and spent it mindlessly as a treat for an awful day, but he for some reason couldn't bring himself to do it. He hadn't tricked someone for money in a long, long time. Back to when he was just a runt in the streets. Darker times.

With a sigh he left the money on the dresser and made his way towards the apartment front door. On his way to the door knob he was interrupted by a voice that called out to him, one that overshadowed the music ringing through his ear buds.

"You alright, man?" Finnick asked, can of beer in paw as he stood in front of the fridge. "Where ya headed?"

The red fox opened the door. "Yeah. Just going for a run." His tone was indifferent, almost strained. A tone the fennec fox knew all too well and hadn't heard since the previous semester—specifically when Nick had gotten his second strike without getting so much as an acknowledgement from the head Alpha.

Similarly known to the small fox, Nick had a habit of going out for runs in what he assumed was to burn himself out in some kind of therapeutic release. Fin said nothing else when Nick departed from the apartment in a dash, the door shutting in something less than a slam.

Steadily Nick sprinted through the dark streets, his eyes skillfully peeled on his surroundings as a paw slipped into his hoodie pocket and raised the music's volume.

Where exactly did he head to? He hadn't a clue, he never did when he ran. His knowledge of the city streets made it so he couldn't get himself lost, and he never allowed his thoughts to fully distract him from the dangers of oncoming traffic. Focused, he paced his breathing, controlling the raise of his tail and the swing of his arms on either side of him.

In an effort to escape the day's chaos, the fox mentally travelled back to more peaceful times. Times like…

Mom getting me that Junior Ranger Scouts uniform. Geez, was I smiling from ear to ear.

He turned a corner and dodged around a pedestrian ram, maintaining his stride.

That time I made that horrible breakfast omelet she still ate on her birthday when I was eleven. Hah.

Nick hopped over a line of traffic cones before crossing onto the next street.

Getting my acceptance letter to Zootopia University. Seeing how proud she was. How proud I was.

But that pride seemed nonexistent now. Sure, he cared enough about his attendance to the school that when a freshman bunny threatened his expulsion it suddenly mattered again. Maybe, somewhere deep within himself, it always mattered. Somewhere deep beneath this swelling desire to fit in with a posse like he had never fit into before; a posse more united, respected, and feared than any bullying group of Junior Ranger Scouts or hustling street gang. His membership in the fraternity meant much to the fox. He finally felt accepted now, an acceptance that became some immature obsession his mom warned him about after he got his first strike during his freshman year.

"Never give in to what society thinks of you. You're are, and always will be, so much more than that." Her words still lingered in his memory.

But it wasn't that easy. It was hard to dismiss how other mammals treated him simply for being the predator he was born as. And he convinced himself that an alliance in Alpha Preda gave him a new sense of confidence over an identity that once brought him a world of contempt.

At this point in the night the fox found himself on the corner of North Campus.

This was where the main entrance into the university was, where an impressively large golden fountain greeted all those who entered. Even in the dark of night the fountain gleamed from distant street lights almost as magically as it did during daylight hours. An umbrella of water constantly rained down into the large series of wells, where the transparent water took on a bright blue glow as it trickled to the very lowest well and rippled off to the fountain's circular edge.

Nick approached the edge and peered beyond his flowing reflection, seeing the thousands of rusted pennies sitting on the fountain's floor. Thousands of wishes probably made by thousands of mammals, he noted. Wonder if any of them came true. Maybe I'll toss in that floppy hundred dollars in for a decent supply of wishes, he joked to himself, a weak grin coming on. No, I wouldn't actually do that. Kind of a funny thought, though.

If he could wish for anything at this point, it would be to focus on himself. Keep his mind on surviving classes he hardly seemed to care about anymore, try not to go out of his way to impress the head Alpha for that stupid frat house key, and just have fun whenever he got the chance to do so.

That meant no more pranks to get Fang's attention, since they didn't pay off like he hoped they would, and no more pestering a specific bunny that managed to get under his fur an awful lot. Admittedly the freshman bunny was unlike anyone he had ever encountered before, someone with the ability to perpetually hustle him back whenever he thought he had the upperpaw. Strangely, he admired her for it, although her witty bribing tactics proved to challenge his popularity among the Alpha predators. Seems like I can't run this campus like I thought after all. Judy Hopps was definitely giving Nicholas Wilde a reality check.

Also, Nick decided that romantic pursuits were going to take the backburner.

After the catastrophe with his previous three romantic pursuits, his love life was surely in the shitter. But he was okay with that—he'd rather deal with being single than carrying insincere relations with girls that weren't compatible him. It wasn't worth anyone getting heartbroken. He wondered if such a girl that was compatible with him even existed. If I find her, I'll get down on one knee in a heartbeat, he thought to himself humorously.

The contemplative fox stood in the mist of the fountain for a minute longer before jogging off again, further down the main strip of North Campus, a wide path now mostly uninhabited like it usually was on the weekends.

Nick stopped dead in his tracks when he was struck with a sudden sense of déjà vu.

He ran this path before, many times, and that feeling never failed to reappear.

With emerald eyes on the scratched cobblestone path beneath his feet, his mind drifted back to the memory…

A small red fox, gasping for air and running as fast as his little legs could take him. Running onto campus mindlessly, an area not very well known to him at the time, and scurrying around the massive fountain down the main strip.

"Come back ya damn brat! Yer dead, ya hear me?!"

By the age of twelve, Nick had developed a knack for hanging around negative influences on city street corners. Some old weasel taught him a card trick, a trick that was meant to effectively distract mammals long enough to pickpocket them from right under their noses. Nick, being as bright as he was, mastered the trick and even enhanced it with a couple of his own creative dialogue and movements. He managed to bamboozle dozens of foreign and clueless pedestrians that walked into his neighborhood.

But one day long ago, he had made a fatal mistake.

Unbeknownst to the fox kit, he had just hustled his first mafia boss. The kingpin was a large polar bear who naively took the bait and even applauded Nick once his trick was done. Little did the white-furred bear know, Nick stole a dense wad of cash from one of the boss' velvety jacket pockets, and suddenly ran off with an innocent smile.

It didn't take long for the ring leader to notice his empty pocket.

"Wait a second… My money! Sonuva—"

Nick giggled in his victory as he stopped to rest along a distant side street, but his celebration was cut short when a pack of wolves gained on him from behind. "…Uh-oh."

He ran as fast as he could. Nick recalled how hard his heart had pounded against his ribcage, how he was convinced that his hustling days were about to come to a bitter end before he'd even reach puberty.

Once he made it onto the ZU campus he was so panicked and breathless, he knocked into someone while he was looking over his shoulder at his pursuers; he almost sent him and the pedestrian he collided into backwards onto the path grounds, but the mammal caught him and absorbed the blunt force of the collision with planted feet.

Little Nick glanced up as he panted and met eyes with a predator with deep violet eyes.

A red fox.

Wearing a black cap and gown and staring down at the kit with a puzzled expression.

"Whoa. You okay there, buddy? What's the rush?"

Nick wanted to respond but directed his worried eyes over his shoulder at the approaching mafia gang, the wolves taking the lead of the polar bear as they ran on all fours. The timber wolves used their claws against the cobblestone to brake their speed and approached the two foxes, snarling and baring their sharp teeth in an attempt to frighten.

The scared kit held onto the adult male fox's gown, hiding behind him.

"What do you guys want?" The college graduate asked, his voice sounding so brave and strong to the kit he shielded.

"That little street vermin yer holding…" panted the polar bear once he caught up, "…stole my god damn money. He's a dirty thief. Shifty foxes like you'se two are better off dead."

Nick remembered audibly gasping from the words. His heart dropping.

Then he recalled the older fox leaning down and taking the wad of cash pocking out of Nick's slightly torn sweater pocket. Nick glanced up and watched the older fox toss the wad back to the polar bear who eagerly caught it.

"Not good enough," the mafia boss groused. "Give me the rat. And just maybe we'll leave you be."

The wolves beckoned closer, and Nick clung tighter against the graduate who sighed deeply.

He lifted up a strange necklace from his shoulders. A medal of some kind. "This is made of authentic gold. Worth a lot more than that wad of cash, and should compensate for any trouble the kit caused." The young fox watched in awe as the medal necklace was tossed over and caught by a wolf, who sniffed and nodded in an affirmative gesture towards his boss.

Without words, the polar bear took the necklace with a pleased smile and snapped his claws, leading himself and his terrorizing group off campus.

Nick remembered watching them leave in utter relief.

"Hey, buddy. What's your name?" The older fox knelt down so he was eye-level with the calmed kit. Nick looked over at the older fox's clothes curiously, noticing the odd square cap he wore and the golden tassel dangling in front of his muzzle.

"…Nicholas," he chirped quietly, his small paws fumbling in front of him.

"Well, Nicholas…" The college graduate offered a kind smile. "You're pretty clever, huh? But you should put that brain of yours to better use." Nick remembered the fox advising him to stay off the streets. Also asked him a question that forever changed the course of his life. "Ever heard of Zootopia University?"

Small Nick shook his head slow.

The older fox chuckled. "It's a wonderful place full of opportunity for any mammal that attends. You heard me right—any mammal. Mice, elephants, tigers… even foxes." Smirking, he lifted the strange cap off his head and placed it on Nick, the large cap tilting slightly over the kit's eyes. When Nick pushed the cap upwards, the college graduate was gone, leaving him the hat as a reminder of him.

Or perhaps, a reminder of his message.

Ever since that day, Nick wanted to attend ZU although his high school friends dismissed it as a childish fantasy.

"If that fox can graduate college," he remembered countering, "Then so can I!"

To help his single mother with the bills and keeping food on the table, he hustled on the side of attending high school, evolving his tactics to Popsicle selling so as to avoid mafia bosses and harsh city gangs.

He made somewhat of a name for himself on the streets but that didn't mean others authentically respected him. To them, he was just a so-called shifty fox doing his stereotypical part in society, after all. But the young Nicholas Wilde refused to believe them.

When he got his ZU acceptance letter, Nick proved his classmates and even some prejudiced teachers wrong. It was absolutely exhilarating. One of the best, if not the best, moments of my life. His mom had used most of her savings to help him with any outlying costs his scholarship didn't cover, a sacrifice he certainly was still grateful for. He picked up the slack by using his own hustle-money to buy his textbooks.

Back then, Nick was a different fox. Sensitive, naïve. And completely enamored to be at the place he had wished to attend since that fateful encounter with the graduated fox. I'm going to make the most of this, he'd used to think. I'm going to graduate and get a great job to support mom. Not sure what job, but something. Because foxes can do anything.

But his optimistic spirit was crushed upon his first weeks at ZU, when he attempted to make friends and join clubs, only to be turned down or disregarded as untrustworthy. For some reason, he thought ZU was void of the outside world's negativity. Like it was a bubble of peace away from society, a place all mammals truly got along in. But he was wrong. It was very much like the real world, where the majority lacked faith in foxes.

So he became somewhat of a social outcast very early on, and unfortunately started to believe what they thought of him was true.

Until Alpha Preda came along.

He saw the way those predators were respected and instantly knew he wanted to be a part of it. Once accepted after a brutal hazing process, his pride for being a fox wasn't just restored, it was amplified into arrogance.

He changed entirely since then, and he very much realized that. Whether it was for the better, well, that was personally up for debate in his mind.

Nick smiled as he stood in the very spot he received the graduation cap. It was stowed away securely in his bed room in a shoe box under his bed. Not a mark or tear on it since he got it almost nine years ago. I'll never lose that cap.

In a better mood now, the red fox continued on in his run, thinking back over the good memories with a small grin.

If only I could find that fox again, so I can thank him.

His jog slowed once more when he reached a fork in the path. Taking a right, he continued forward, keeping his breath steady as he ran to East Campus. What would I tell the guy if I met him, anyway? Thanks for inspiring me to come to ZU… I'd like some advice. College has been, uh, tough… so how'd you honestly survive with being a fox and all? What field did you study? Were you a part of Alpha Preda?

Before he realized it he stood in front of another campus setting where his life as a student at ZU had changed entirely.

Hornstein Hall.

Where he intentionally collided against a star-gazing bunny and tricked her into letting him inside the freshman dorm. She looked so afraid of him when she first met his eyes, an expression that was no stranger to him. He wasn't surprised she was scared of a stranger-fox. She's a bunny, after all. Don't really see too many of them in the city. Bet there aren't too many foxes where she's from either.

But he did see how Judy's expression changed from fear to acceptance once he asked for help (albeit, dishonestly). Her trust came so willingly, it almost baffled him. Nick knew the moment she regarded him kindly and led him to the side door to sneak him in, any previous fear or distrust in her had melted away. Judy had seen some potential good in him he didn't see in himself anymore. She trusted him without any good reason to, faster than any non-fox mammal had ever trusted him before.

She was… different. That was the only way he could describe her. Something worth noting.

Then Nick realized how he shattered that bunny's trust without so much of a doubt.

Maybe a part of him, a noble part of him, regretted the prank altogether. Another part, the part of him obsessed with the publicity it gave him, didn't regret it in the slightest.

Nick peered up to a lit window on the fourth floor and spotted the very bunny in his thoughts walking towards a source of ight. The almighty Judy Hopps, he smiled to himself at the title he mocked often. The name definitely suits you, fluff.

He watched her for a moment as she reached up for something and his breath hitched when she looked out the window. He swore she looked right at him. With wide eyes, he dashed again, hiding around the bend of the building with the hopes that she actually didn't spot him. Don't wanna look like a weirdo stalker now, do we?

The fox's run had done the trick. Not only did he manage to shake off today's unfortunate events, he was reminded of his old, good-spirited self; the Nicholas Wilde that once had hope in society, a version of him that was recalled with the help of the violet-eyed fox from his past that believed in his potential. A particular little bunny with strikingly similar violet eyes also helped, since she was first mammal since the college graduate to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Was there a chance of ever getting that trust back?

It was then that his playlist of music ended. Swiftly he restarted it from the top before starting his walk back to the flat.

.o0o.

By Sunday morning the grueling state of the rabbit's body had come to an end. She could extend her arms without wincing and lift her head without the consequence of a headache. It was a relief to see that the hangover wasn't an eternal consequence for her thoughtless drinking.

Well, I guess I should check in with mom and dad to prove I managed to survive a whole week! But first, laundry time.

Once her clothes were cleaned, folded and tucked away, Judy made sure she looked presentable enough to video chat her parents.

Muzzletiming them was supposed to be brief, really just a check-in to show them that she was doing just fine. But it lasted quite a bit longer than she originally hoped. A lot longer.

At first the aspiring college graduate told her parents all about her first week of classes and how she made a ton of new friends, purposefully leaving out the first night prank and police-busted party that would have without a doubt inspired concern in the two older bunnies.

"Also just got done doing laundry. Whew, it takes forever here when you've only got three sets of washers and dryers on the whole floor, but fifteen other girls trying to use them at the same time," the young bunny laughed, her knees raised against her chest.

"Sounds like you're adjusting just fine, sweetie," her mother hummed, half to the phone held by her husband and half to the wrapped bundles in her arms. The newest litter was so much bigger already, Judy recalling how tiny they were before she went off to Zootopia only a week ago. "We're glad you're safe."

"Abso-lutely-tutely. You can always call- Tim! Tim, get down from there!" Stu yelled off-camera before he cleared his throat and started up right where he left off. "You call us anytime, Jude. We mean it—not like we're getting much sleep with the youngins anyhow."

"Oh, you've got that right. They are a noisy bunch, all eight of them." Bonnie shook her head.

"Not the only noisy ones either! Judy, your other brothers and sisters have been chatting nonstop recently about who gets to take your room now that you're gone," he chuckled.

"Sounds about right," the Judy smirked softly, almost longingly at the thought of the little brats. "I miss you all so much."

"Aw, darling. We miss you too." Her father assured with a small grin.

"Have you been eating?" Came the typically concerned voice of her mother.

Judy nodded into the camera, adjusting herself as she scooted her desk chair so that her elbows rested on the desk top. "Every day, three times a day, as usual—"

"Oh heavens-to-betsy! Bonnie, darling!" Stu gasped with wide amber eyes honed into the camera and thus filling Judy's screen with an awkward close-up up his face. Flared nostrils and all, oh joy. His gasp caught all who heard it by surprise, especially Bonnie who tore her attention away from the sleeping newborns against her bosom. "Judy, what in tarnation is that on your paw?"

Her left paw, which had been nonchalantly holding her cheek, bared the dark black 'X' drawn onto her fur from admittance into the party Friday night, and Judy had completely forgotten about it. Quickly she stashed her hand under her desk and manifested the most innocent smile possible.

"What on my paw, now? Hah, dad, I think you've been working the fields a little too hard today! Maybe that new fertilizer's messing with your vision?" Judy's excuse was her honest best, exerting an uneasy giddiness, her ears drooping at the sight of her mother's skeptical expression.

"Now Judy." Her father's voice lowered inn pitch like it always did before he reproached his children. "I know darn well what I saw on ya, you can't fool me. I've seen marks like that before! Th-that was…" He furrowed his brow as he mustered up the courage to say it like it was an absolute disgrace. "A tattoo!"

"Oh my word!" Bonnie gasped, nearly leaping out of her seat at the thought of it. "Judith Laverne Hopps! Is this true? Did you use that money you saved up to get yourself a paw tattoo?" Putting the kits down in a their crib, her free paws rested on her hips in a scolding fashion that usually meant someone in the family was in huge trouble.

Judy groaned as she watched them panic over the misunderstanding, the two babbling aloud mindlessly as they made wild accusations. "Oh god, mom, no—"

"It's those no-good city kits, they're influencing her!" He breathed in aghast realization.

"Oh Stu, I think it's the work of a city gang… fox bikers I bet! It was in an urban legend documentary I watched on TV!" her mother exclaimed, fright evident in her voice. Judy looked at her incredulously, shaking her head.

"You guys—"

Her father stood up fast, the phone in his hold shaking with the abrupt movement. "Quick, we've got to get the truck and—"

"Dad!" She snapped, getting their attention at last. Hesitantly she lifted up her marked paw and showed it to them. "It's just spray paint. You see?" With her other paw, she rubbed the ink so it faded a bit, and presented them the now blurred symbol again. The two on the line watched with surprise.

"Ooooh, what a relief!" Stu laughed breathlessly, soothing the wrinkles on his face with his fingers.

"To think our Judy has been going off doing anything rebellious!" Her mother shook her head in relief, her words making the bunny stifle a giggle. "She was just doodling on herself, Stu." Bonnie chided her husband, rocking the bundles in the crib who had stirred from their previous yelling.

"Sorry Jude, we sorta jumped to conclusions," he laughed weakly as Judy exhaled deeply, completely thankful that Bellwether was not in the room to hear her parents' embarrassing blunder. Seemed like jumping to conclusions was in the Hopps bloodline.

"We just care about you, sweetie. We only want you to be safe out there."

A part of her wanted to tell them then, suddenly, the real meaning of the paw mark. Maybe then, when they'd realized how she was off in the real world doing adult-ish things, just maybe they'd regard her like a grown-up instead of some weak young kit that needed constant protection. Maybe they'd stop underestimating her abilities, stop their worrying, and finally treat her as an equal.

But she knew that wouldn't happen. Not in a million years, they'd never understand her if she could help it.

"It's alright," Judy murmured with a small forced smile. "I'm just really exhausted, so… I think I'm gonna call it a night." With a quick exchange of goodbyes laced with apologetic smiles, she hung up, and let herself fall onto her bed with a tired groan.

.o0o.

Come Monday morning with no pesky fox in sight, her Criminal Justice 101 professor reminded the class that the first exam would be held in a week. "Next Monday you'll all be taking the first test. 15 Questions. First two are multiple choice format, the rest are short response…"

Judy made no hesitation to note it in her decorated planner in bold and underlined lettering. It would be her very first college exam, the first exam of the semester, and it was in the class she thought was the most material-dense. Covering chapters 1 to 8 of the textbook, it would no doubt be a tough one to crack. No matter what, she had to prioritize it over any proposes to hang out or party.

Oh, if only it were that simple.

Buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz…

We're gonna hotbox my car tonight if ya wanna join!

Hey Judy! Wanna get our claws done?

Let's go out for dinner, my treat!

So many texts, and the majority from friends that she had made within her short time at the university. They were inviting her left and right to lunch dates, mall runs, movie nights, all of it. The notifications were endless.

Even in the middle of her classes, her phone would go off in her bag or jean pockets. The rabbit was so happy to feel included for once, she didn't decline them and figured she'd reserve the entire day on Sunday to studying for the test. 24 hours-worth of study time was plenty for her advanced placement high school examinations, so she guessed it would also be more than enough time for an introductory level college course test.

Judy was pretty confident about her ability to grasp material, so much so that she didn't doubt her chances of acing this test like every other she had so far in her life. She couldn't even recall the last time she ever scored lower than a 90.

Also an obligation, there was one other event she had to remember to attend on Wednesday:

Activities Night.

According to Benjamin, the gymnasium event was going to have a 'tame' after party held at the ZU League of Gamers' house off campus. It was publicly open to all who wanted to attend. Club presidents and founding members were especially encouraged to come.

"I've been to it before. It's pretty low-key, not considered much of a big deal. Also BYOB, unless you buddy up with someone that brought drinks." They cheetah informed. "Last time I went they just played video games and cards all night, although sometimes they do inflate the bouncy-house…"

The gym was a large room already prepped with rows of lined up tables, small signs on each to designate each club. As Bellwether and Judy worked tirelessly with Mabel and Clawhauser to get the poster board and table décor ready for the gymnasium event starting in just a few minutes, Judy tried to convince the white sheep to attend the party later on that night for the sake of spreading the new club title. And admittedly, to encourage her roommate to live a little.

"You're the president," the bunny tried to reason. "All the other club presidents will be there, don't you want to represent for PL?"

"Not if it means it'll be like The Jungle." Dawn grumbled as she taped down a colorful tissue paper border around their table. The campus-held event was the only thing evident on Bellwether's mind as of late, besides studying nonstop for hours. "I saw how you were that night you came back, and nope, nuh-uh. End up like you or worse? I'm good."

Judy scowled lightly at her wooly roommate for the mention of her being black-out drunk. Kind of a low blow.

Clawhauser finished tying navy colored balloons he had blown to each leg of the table. "Man, took me foreeever to tie these bad boys down," Clawhauser sighed cheerfully in an attempt to ease the tension in the air between the two roommates.

"I've been to the after party before too, and I can tell you now it's nothing like The Jungle," Mabel chipped in, helping Judy convince their stubborn club president.

So far the table looked great- with the title 'Pawlitics and Law' on the top in bold gold lettering, a small typed description of the club beneath it, and printed pictures of the four founding members.

"Think of it… as a networking event," Judy pitched, flashing a convincing smile.

Dawn sighed, looking between her secretary and treasurer. "Okay fine. Buuut I am not having any alcohol what-so-ever. And I am not staying long either." The frustrated look on her face melted away as she took a step back to admire their work. "Wow. We did great, you guys! I just looove how this is coming together!" Bellwether squeaked happily as she walked around the table to slowly admire it. "Oh, I knew we were forgetting something." She dug through her knapsack and brought out a polished wooden gavel and sound block with golden accents. The sheep made it the center piece of the table, in front of the poster, and it all came together at last. "There!"

"It looks great, Dawn. Makes us look reeal official," Mabel complimented as she threw some purple and yellow festive confetti over the table for a little dash of school spirit.

"I second that- did you buy that just for this occasion?" Judy asked as she lifted the gavel to inspect it in awe.

"Nope, it's a prop from the theater department. A certain someone helped me rent it out," Bellwether laughed, giving Ben's stomach a poke, who bashfully giggled.

"Could've fooled me," Judy gave the hammer a test knock against the block, which tempted Clawhauser to give it a try.

Meanwhile, other clubs started to prepare their own tables, the gym beginning to get crowded as club members flocked around the tight lanes between rows. Since the PL table was all set, Judy took her downtime as an opportunity to walk around the room and inspect the different extracurriculars the school had to offer before the event would start.

She paced gingerly around and saw a variety: a chess team led by a confident moose, a comic book club championed by a giraffe and woodchuck, a few a cappella groups, an LGBT group, even clubs dedicated to every district and species pride. She recognized a few friendly faces and greeted them before continuing her smooth stroll through the aisles.

Judy didn't expect the sounds of the doors, which swung open following a loud "Welcome to Activities Night!" through the speakers.

An ocean of students swarmed in pretty fast which caught the bunny off guard, definitely a good chunk of the student body. I really gotta get back to the PL table.

But the sudden influx of mammals was going to make that task a lot more challenging. Judy began to work her way around tables as best as she could, still a ways away from where her friends were. She couldn't even see PL from her spot in the crowded gym.

"Pardon me! Sorry, just trying to get through!" She grunted, trying to maneuver around larger mammals.

"Excuse me, would you be interested in wrestling?" Came a voice from behind her, and she turned on her heels to address them.

"Sorry, but I have to head back to—"

She began to excuse herself but stopped short. Her eyes widened.

Standing in front of her was her reflection.

Another bunny.

"No need to apologize if you're not interested," the rabbit kindly spoke, his accent thick as he did. He wore sports under armor, probably the long-sleeve uniform for the ZU wrestling team. It did remarkable justice to his shape, defining every toned muscle within his chest and arms.

He had piercing blue eyes that reflected just as much pleasant surprise as Judy's, his arm bandaged for fighting purposes as he made an offer to shake her paw. "A pleasure to meet you. The name's Jack Savage."


A/N:

Now, I know what some of you may be thinking. Cliché love triangle alert. Well I'm here to confirm that is not at all the direction in which I want to take this story. I don't see much value on making Jack a romantic competitor for Nick, well, because I'm just that much of a WildeHopps shipper. Hahah, so rest assured! He serves another purpose for our protagonist ;D

Really love this chapter title, since it is a theme I play with a bit in Judy's and Nick's POVs. Also, I chose Surfer Rock to be Nick's favorite genre because I thought it suited him (with him wearing Hawaiian patterned shirts in the movie and all) so I figured he was the kind that liked mellow electric. If you've never heard the modern stuff, I recommend giving The Growlers (the band) a listen.

In case there is anyone who is unsure of who Jack Savage is: he's essentially a pseudo-canon character of an earlier version of the Zootopia film that was scrapped out of the plot. Think of him kind of like a bunnified James Bond.

I've published two chapters because, well, why not? :D Thanks for the read!