just-a-guy-having-fun- Life gets busy sometimes. I'm glad you are liking each update!
leozkin- The story is called "Lost and Found" because at the beginning of the story both characters are lost friends-wise. But remember, anything is possible!
Ethan The Yoshi- Just a normal glare, y'know?
Alan- I'm male, lol.
kitkats- I don't have a schedule, but you can expect a new chapter anywhere from 2-5 days, lol.
(I went back through and edited the terrible format, lol) Nothing to say! Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter! :)
Nick POV
Well, today has been exhausting to say the absolute least. Having a bodyguard near me every second of the day wouldn't be a bad thing at all; that is, if it weren't Kygo.
"Do you guys eat this crap every day?" she asks in her usual accent, poking around at her school lunch with a disgusted expression.
"Well, we don't exactly have a choice" Judy clarifies, and Kygo simply rolls her eyes.
"Hah!" she exclaims, "I wouldn't gulp this down everyday if I had a B23R handgun dangling in front of my face!"
The rest of us glance at each other in bewilderment as she continues to vent to herself with wide eyes and teeth bared, genuinely disgusted with the food lying in front of her.
"Is she okay?" Judy whispers to me, and Kygo overhears her.
"Watch it, Carrots!" she threatens, and Violet laughs to herself, enjoying the lion's attitude.
I lean over to Judy, wondering to myself how this lion received a job in the first place.
"She seems kind of wacko" I whisper to her, and she nods.
"Well, as long as she protects you, I guess I can deal with it".
Along with Kygo, Violet, Melvin, Finnick and Judy of course, I seem to have quite a bit of people to talk to. Considering I was the biggest loner in history a few weeks ago, this would have seemed nothing short of impossible. But then again, Judy changed a lot of things.
"Well, at least I don't have to worry about getting murdered...for now" I tell her, and she bites her lip.
"Nick, one bodyguard can't keep you safe from everything ya'know. You have to watch yourself" she informs me, putting a friendly paw on my shoulder.
"I know I'm not invincible, but I can't just spend my life worrying about everything".
"How right you are, Nicholas!" Kygo states loudly, jumping into the conversation as she gulps down her chocolate milk.
"I just don't want you to get hurt or anything" Judy tells me, looking at me with a burning look of care as if I could disappear any second now.
"You can't be serious" Kygo states once again, and I can see Judy is becoming quite irritated with her.
"Trust me darlin', your boyfriend will be all good in my paws!" she says confidently.
Judy glares at me uncomfortably.
"Oh, we're just...just...best friends" I clarify, and Kygo laughs in a cynical manner.
"Oh, come on kid! I've seen this story a million times!" she begins, but is luckily interrupted by Melvin.
"Are you...Kygo?!" he asks in a awe-struck tone.
"Of course I'm Kygo!" she answers as if it were a stupid question, her features bursting with annoyance.
"It's an honor!" Melvin says, giving a quick bow, acting as if she were royalty.
"What's the deal here?" Violet asks, squinting her eyes at the lion cub, "she looks like a normal animal to me".
Melvin stares at her with a look of offense, gasping as if Violet had terribly insulted Kygo. I'm beginning to wonder just what is going on here.
"You don't know her!? She had a TV show called "Zootopia's Worst", and it was the best!" he explains to us, and Kygo chuckles as she puts on a thoughtful look.
"Yep! That's where I dealt with Zootopia's scumiest, as I like to say. All criminals, of course".
"That's interesting" Judy speaks, and Kygo nods.
"Oh, those were the days! Well, about a year ago is when the show ended. Apparently I went "too far" with one of the criminals and broken his vertebrae or something. Anyways, now I'm a bodyguard for a most wanted animal! Isn't that wonderful?"
We all stare at each other in confusion; some of us giggling, the rest of us genuinely wondering if Kygo dropped her sanity along the way.
Lunch comes to a end eventually, and Judy and I walk to our next class, Kygo sleeking behind, surveying the area constantly for any threats.
"Do you think she may be crazy?" Judy asks me, and I sniff in amusement.
"Crazy? That's an understatement" I reply.
"Do you imbeciles not realize I can hear you?!" she asks from behind us, and we both walk a bit faster.
School is going to be very interesting from now on.
Judy POV
Come on, Judy! Only five minutes left I class! You can do this!
My final class ends in five minutes, and it's safe to say that today has been quite unbearable. Well, unbearable if it weren't for Nick, but still stressful.
"So close!" Nick whispers to me, the both of us eyeing the clock in heavy anticipation, the minute hand not seeming to move at all.
Nick and I, we've grown incredibly close over the past few weeks. Unbelievably close, even. However, a new problem seems to have risen from the dust of problems that we thought we burnt to ashes long ago: a lion cub with the name of
Kygo.
She received the job of Nick's bodyguard, and can't be older than an early teen. The issue is that she simply won't leave us alone for even one minute.
Apparently she suspects me to be a "potential assassin",which makes absolutely no sense to me. I've been here since the beginning of all this beside Nick; it's not like I suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Hey! Watch it!" she speaks to me demandingly, and I remove my hand from Nick's arm, which I was unconsciously holding just before.
"I'm not doing anything!" I exclaim to her, blushing a bit, "I was just..."
"You were either flirting with him, or you were a potential safety hazard!" she accuses, and I groan.
"I've already told you, we're-"
"Oh, whatever rabbit, I know what you're gonna say. Can nobody take a joke these days?!" she exclaims to herself, leaning back in her chair with crosses arms.
Eventually, the bell rings, and I gather my belongings as Nick stands beside me.
"See you guys later!" Melvin says, leaving the classroom, but Violet stays behind, looking very uncomfortable.
"Mind if I stick around for a bit?" she asks dully, and Nick and I nod simultaneously.
"Something wrong?" I ask her, and she stares ahead blankly.
"It's nothing major. I just...if you don't mind..." she struggles, not being the best at explaining feelings and conflicts.
"You can stay with us" Nick says, ending her verbal struggles before any emotion leaks through.
"Just don't try anything stupid" Kygo speaks threateningly, and Violet just ignores her.
"She's a friend, Kygo" Nick tells her, "she won't hurt anyone".
Kygo sniffs cynically and resumes her usual slumped down position in her chair.
"Nick and I are going down to get some ice cream if you want to come with us" I tell her, remembering our plans for after-school.
"Oh, I guess that sounds...okay" Violet says quietly, and I grab my backpack.
We exit the school quickly and make our way out to the sidewalk, conversing about random topics along the way.
Nick and I seem to have a common desposition regarding Ms. Bronson. She seems nice to essentially anyone but us, but we've developed a theory that she may be anti-predators.
Well, anti-foxes to be exact.
That's the thing with discrimination in Zootopia: so many animals think that predators in general are hated, but I'd disagree. Foxes are hated twenty times as much as any other kind of predator; at least in my experiences.
In fact, I had no idea this epidemic was as brutal as it actually is until I met Nick. He opened my eyes in so many ways, and I can't ever thank him enough.
Meanwhile, my feelings toward Nick continue to rise in intensity. I never imagined I could ever feel so strongly towards someone; especially a fox. I wish I could somehow get him to comprehend the fact that he is beyond perfect
to me. I just wish we could be together in more than a deep friendship.
Keep wishing, Judy. Your parents would disown you.
If your parents disown you, that's not your fault. Sometimes you have to love your own life...
But how? He probably doesn't even like me that way.
You'll never know if you don't try it.
Anyways, back to the topic, Ms. Bronson is a suspicious individual in our eyes. Every time Nick has been heavily teased or harassed by other students, she has done nothing to assist him in any way. Something about her just seems
off...
"So, what flavor are you guys going to get?" I ask Nick and Violet in a nonchalant tone as we walk down the concrete walkway.
"Something new this time around. Maybe chocolate?" Nick replies.
"Whatever's the cheapest, I guess" Violet answers bluntly.
"I'll take the pizza flavored!" Kygo says loudly, and I stare over at Nick; both sharing the same expression of exasperation.
"Kygo" Nick begins with a sigh, "pizza is not an ice cream flavor".
"Hah! Haven't you ever heard of sarcasm?" she asks, her accent heavy with every word she speaks.
It's kind of interesting, her accent is. Her "evers" are pronounced as "eh-vuh", which makes me wonder if she may be a foreign spy of some sort.
"Well, I mean...it sounded like you actually wanted pizza-flavored ice cream" I speak.
"Well, of course it did! That's sarcasm in its truest form!"
"What flavor are you actually getting?" I ask in a friendly tone.
"Mint, because it tastes just so fresh!" she answers, holding out her pawsas if she were actually holding a bowl of ice cream.
We continue our walk down the streets of the city, receiving looks from strangers as its not a common sight to see a rabbit walking along with three predators.
Upon reaching the ice cream shop, we approach the counter, and Nick immediately gasps.
"What's wrong?" I ask him, and he continues staring at the counter, gesturing to a sign that was not present during ourlast visit.
"No foxes allowed" it reads.
I feel a burning passion within me that threatens to burst as I read the sign over and over in disbelief.
I march over to the cashier in rage, and slam my paws down on the counter in front of him, my friends standing behind me.
"What is this about!?" I ask, and my voice echoes around the shop, stunning the giraffe at the regsiter.
"I don't-" he begins, but I need to get to the bottom of this.
"Where's the manager?!" I shout, and he runs to the back of the store, disturbed by my irate presence.
The few customers in the shop stare at me as if I have two heads. I presume it's because I had the audacity to stand up for a fox, which is absolutely ludicrous in their minds.
"Don't worry Nick, you're going to get some ice cream" I assure him, and he nods with wide-eyes, shocked to see me so passionate.
"Impressive" Kygo says to me with a snicker, "that guy looked terrified!"
"Thanks" I respond to her, not knowing how else to answer.
Violet doesn't seem to have much of a reaction, but instead stands back a bit further than the rest of us, arms crossed defensively.
After a moment of silence, the cashier returns with the manager; a small, female deer, and his facial features bend to create a look of disgust as he glances my way, but I ignore him.
"What's wrong?" the manager asks me, and I chuckle.
"This!" I say, pointing to the sign, "that's what's wrong!"
She takes a look at me and then back at the sign.
"It says no foxes allowed, not rabbits" she informs me, and I roll my eyes, making sure she notices my frustration.
"Well, two of my friends are foxes, and they want ice cream too! Like, when did this become a thing!?" I ask, pointing once again at the sign.
"It's because of all the violence and protests and stuff involving foxes, and-"
She pauses, her mouth dropping open.
"Don't tell me that that's...no..." she stutters, and I start to realize what's troubling her.
I immediately know what's causing her panicked reaction- Nick, the subject of controversy the past week or two is now in her ice cream parlor.
"What?" I ask her, and it seems her eyes just can't leave Nick.
"That's...Nick Wilde! The fox who...the fox...he..."
"Yes, he was abused for being a fox! We know! Now, can we get some ice cream?" Kygo interrupts her, and for once I want very badly to give her a high-five.
Violet suddenly becomes quite impatient and walks up, grabs the sign, and rips it into hundreds of pieces with a defiant look.
"Do we have a problem here?" Violet asks as the manager watches her in fear.
"I don't suppose it will be a problem..." the manager mutters.
After a moment, we begin ordering our ice cream, which the jittery giraffe writes down nervously.
We finally sit down at a table, and I gaze over at Nick, noting that he hadn't spoken since we arrived aside from ordering his ice cream.
"I'm sorry about that" I say in his direction, and he looks up from the table, joining his eyes to mine.
"Sorry for what? That was...amazing, Judy!" he tells me with a gigantic smile, and I can't help but smile myself.
"Well, no one deserves to be treated like lesser. You know? Especially you".
"Well, this is cute" Kygo speaks, winking at me, "but it was pretty awesome if you ask me!"
"Definitely" Violet says, "you stood up for me too, you know".
Our conversation continues as our ice cream arrives, and the atmosphere is now more lively than before. Nick talks with more bounce in his voice than ever, and I keep unintentionally meeting his eyes at random moments. If he hasn't
noticed that I can't stop staring at him by now, he may need some glasses or something.
But then again, doesn't that mean he's looking at me a lot too?
No, Judy. He probably only looks at you when he sees that you're staring at him.
"Right, Judy?" I suddenly hear Nick ask, and I realize I've been staring at him in silence for the past few moments.
I shake my head in order to wake myself up.
"Yes, of course" I answer as if the answer were obvious, although I don't even know the context of the question.
On average, animals spend about fifteen minutes inside a small ice cream parlor like this, but we've been an exception today.
We've all been chatting for a good forty-five minutes now, and it's been pretty fun, actually.
"So, Judy" Violet whispers in my ear as Nick and Kygo argue about something, "like, I don't want to be creepy, but are you and Nick..." she trails off, leaving the implications floating in the air.
"Oh, no! We're just friends!" I whisper back, and she glances around the room with a smirk, knowing better.
"You want to be though, don't you?"
I stare at Nick's bandaged face and I impulsively speak the first thing in my mind.
"Yeah" I say longingly, watching him as he continues speaking to Kygo.
"Now, that's the truth" she responds, leaning away from me once again.
"Wait, what? Did I say something?" I ask.
You've done it now, Judy.
"Yeah, you did" she answers.
"I didn't mean it! That's so weird! I could never be in...I could never...a fox..."
"Don't lie to yourself, Judy" she says quietly, "it's nothing to be weirded out about. I think you guys are meant for each other".
I calm down a little bit, trying to take it all in.
Someone besides me knows.
"Just don't tell him" I beg her, and she gives me a look of assurance.
"Okay, but you can't hide it forever you know".
What she says is very true. I've already hidden it for a few weeks, and it's beginning to have an effect on me.
"I know" I say glumly, placing my head on top of my paws glumly, looking at Nick for what feels like the thousandth time just today.
After a moment, he looks my way, and I guess he notices my expression.
"Hey, Judy?" he asks, scooting his chair a bit closer to me so that I can hear him better, "you alright?".
Just the sound of his voice makes me feel a few light-years happier, although his tone seems rattled by nervousness.
"Oh, yeah, I'm all good!" I answer, smiling his way.
"You sure?" he asks me, not completely buying my disguise.
"Yeah, the ice cream was really good" I answer once again, masking my emotions behind casual conversation.
"Well, I texted my mom, and she said it'sokay to stay out a bit later, and...so...there's this movie that I really wanted to see, but they wouldn't let me buy a ticket because I was a fox, so I was wondering if maybe-"
"If I wanted to go see it with you?" I ask hopefully, unable to hold back my words of excitement, and I mentally smack myself.
Now he's going to think you're a creep! What have you done?! You might have just lost the best friend you could ever dream of!
"Yeah, and you can buy my ticket for me and maybe...hopefully I could sneak in" he says nervously, "but it's perfectly fine if you don't want to".
I let out a huge sigh of relief.
It's a date! No, wait. He probably thinks it's just a friendly thing. Or maybe he likes you! Or maybe...
"Oh, that sounds awesome" I reply, and he smile bashfully, shifting his eyes as he takes in my reply.
"I'm tagging along, just so ya' know" Kygo joins in, and Nick rolls his eyes.
Even if Kygo does tag along, this is going to be amazing. This is something I've only dreamed of until now.
I finally give in and stop trying so hard to hold back my grin, and I look into his eyes again, my heart pounding.
"My dad's here to pick me up, so I'll see you guys tomorrow" Violet says, standing up from the table, and I look away from Nick.
"Okay, see you tomorrow Violet!" I call to her, as she exits, and she waves goodbye before exiting.
Honestly, something seems really off about Violet. Perhaps it's a family issue of some sort.
"Well, the movie starts at six, so we have some time to spare. We...could go shopping, or we could just...explore the city" he informs me.
"We could do both!" I recommend, and he nods.
"Or we could do both" he repeats with a smile, and we get up from the table, heading for the doors.
This is going to be amazing. It has to be!
Nick POV
It's a strange thing to say, but I'm glad I took Kygo's advice. Very glad, in fact.
I don't know if Judy took my movie offer as a friendly hangout session or an intimatedate, but I surely hope it's the latter. But even if it is the former, as long as I get to spend time with her, it'll be a pretty great time.
Kygo convinced me to ask her to a movie, telling me that "if I didn't make a move, our relationship would never progress". Well, I guess that counts as making a move.
She doesn't like you that way, Nick! This is nothing more than a dream! You're just a close friend to her.
Well, I can still be in love with her.
After a while of walking the streets of Zootopia out of pure exploration, we decide to enter the mall to shop for a while.
I've been harassed for being a fox many times in my life, but then again, where have I not been harassed?
Judy texted her mom to tell them that she will be home around 8:00, and that my mom will be driving her home, so I guess she was alright with that. At this point it's hard to focus on anything other than Judy, however.
My mother has told me many times that life if defined by the "little things", and I'm beginning to believe that.
"How do you think this would look on me?" she asks me, holding up a shirt in front of her, and I hold in my honest answer.
You look beautiful no matter what.
"It looks good" I answer, and Kygo sniffs behind me in amusement.
"You certainly go hard, kid" she whispers, and I give her an aggravated look.
After only a few more seconds, I hear something on the TV to my side that ensnares my attention, and Judy looks up as well.
I begin to feel dizzy as I notice that the news anchor is at the ice cream parlor we were eating at only an hour ago, and I listen closely to the television.
According to the manager, her parlor was vandalized by a group of predators; including two foxes, and a lone rabbit that she claims is a "fox-rights supporter". She claims that the group "forced" her to serve them ice cream, and then
left before they could call authorities. As of now, the situation is still under investigation" the anchor speaks, and the three of us face-palm simultaneously.
Can we not catch a break?
Honestly, can they catch a break? Once again, I apologize for the terrible format for this chapter! I'll be sure to go back and edit it once I gain access to my laptop again! Anyways, I hope everyone is enjoying the new character, Kygo, because she's going to be a very prominent character from now on. ;) anyways, hope everyone enjoyed chapter fifteen! Please leave any thoughts you may have in the reviews! Until next time!