Chapter 34. WARNING! WARNING! INTENSE DRAMA BOMB OF A CHAPTER! Hope you guys are ready for Part 2 of "With A Little Luck". Last chapter, Nick's bully, Darson, broke the lucky bracelet that Judy made for him. They got into a fight and then had to go to the Principal's Office. Nick got off with a warning, but Darson was punished by cleaning around the store for a week. But his last day just happens to be the same day as The Zoo-Burrow Scouts meeting and Judy's visit. So no doubt that there's gonna be conflict with Nick and Darson and even some with Judy. The question is... will everything work out in the end? Little heads up, some of you might actually cry a bit. I almost did a few times and I freaking wrote it. Let's start the chapter and find out. Also, this story... JUST HIT 400 FAVES! I am filling so much love right now from all you guys. Thank you. I'll be sure to keep this up and do my best for this story. One more thing, remember what I said last chapter. I'm not taking any more suggestions for a chapter in this story. The next parts of this story are crucial and I have no time for add-ons. Now on with the story.
On a train to bound to Zootopia was Judy, her mom, Bonnie, and Gideon. Stu was too busy with things at the farm to visit this week. So it was just Bonnie. Judy already had on her police costume while Gideon was in his Scout Uniform. Judy was just looking out the window with like she has something on her mind. It was the call she had with Nick.
"Nick... it might just be me, but he sounded different on the phone. Like something was up and he didn't want to tell me." Judy thought. She then started looking at her bracelet. Similar to the one that she gave Nick.
"Judy, are you alright?" Gideon asked from the seat across her.
"Huh?" Judy said turning to Gideon.
"You looked like you had your head in the clouds." Gideon stated.
"Sorry." Judy said to Gideon. "Hey Gideon, do you remember what I told you about?"
"Bout that Darson kid? Yeah." Gideon said nodding. "You said he got into a fight with City Boy and now he's cleaning up Mr. Wilde's shop for the week."
"That's the thing. According to Nick, he's supposed to be there." Judy stated. "The way Nick talked about him, I don't think I want to meet this guy."
"He's a bully, right? Bullies don't bully without a reason. Trust me, I know." Gideon stated. "If he's as bad as City Boy says, then we just need to find out why."
"Guess it pays to be a former bully, huh?" Judy said with a grin.
"It had it's ups and downs." Gideon said boldly.
A few minutes later, the train stopped at the Zootopia train station in Downtown Zootopia. They got out the train and each made their way to the Wilde's home. Bonnie knocked on the door two times and Frankie opened it.
"Hello, Frankie." Bonnie said greeting the fox mother.
"Hey, Bon!" Frankie said happily to see her. "Judy, Gideon, I hope you too are well."
"Hey, Mrs. Wilde." Judy said greeting her.
"Pleasure to see ya again, ma'am." Gideon said tipping his hat.
"Come on it." Frankie said opening up the door for them.
Bonnie, Judy, and Gideon all came inside.
"Sorry that Stu couldn't be here. We are at the point of the year where product sales for the farm are crucial." Bonnie said to Frankie.
"That's fine." Frankie said to Bonnie. She then had her attention on Judy and Gideon. "Judy, Gideon, Nick and the others are already down in the basement."
"Alright. Thank you." Judy said politely.
Judy and Gideon made their way to meet up with the others in the basement. But as they did, they paused and stopped walking for a moment. From a distant, they spotted John with a young coyote boy lifting up some small box. The young coyote was no doubt, Darson.
"You can put that over there." John said to Darson while pointing at a corner.
"Okay, Mr. Wilde." Darson said putting the box down on the corner.
Judy slightly froze up at the sight of him. She also grabbed on to her left arm tightly. She didn't need to guess that the coyote was Darson.
"That must be Darson." Judy whispered to Gideon.
"So that's the guy? I can tell just by looking at him he the kind of kid who bullies others." Gideon whispered back to Judy.
A second later, Judy's eyes met with Darson's. It was a bit of a shock for both of them. But one look and they both knew who each other were. John noticed Judy and Gideon and walked to greet them.
"Ahh. Judy. Gideon. Good to see you." John said with a smile.
"Good to see you, Mr. Wilde." Judy said greeting John.
"Howdy, sir." Gideon said greeting John as well.
"Nick and the others are already downstairs." John told them. He then looked at Darson, "Darson, I need to get something from my counter. Mind cleaning the windows?"
"Okay." Darson said surprisingly taking John's orders.
As John left, Judy, Gideon, and Darson were alone for a while. Judy had this weird crawling feeling while being near Darson. But she glared at him with vigor.
"So... you're Darson?" Judy asked the coyote.
"And you're Judy." Darson responded. "You're actually real? I'm surprised. Guess Wilde was telling the truth."
"Nick has no reason to lie about our friendship." Judy said firmly.
"Just saying, most bunnies, let alone the one in Bunnyburrow, aren't too friendly with foxes. I'm surprised you're not running from Wilde or the fox next to you." Darson said with a grin.
Judy growled in anger at what Darson said. "You know, you're not the first person to say something like that to me. But I do hope you're the last." Judy said angrily to Darson.
With that said, Judy left to meet up with Nick and the others. Gideon was going to follow her but wanted to speak with Darson first.
"So, you're the guy that bullies your school." Gideon said to Darson.
"What's it to you, fox?" Darson said to Gideon.
"Nothing. Just looking at someone I was a lot like." Gideon said.
"Funny, since I'm not a fox nor do I have an accent." Darson said mocking Gideon with a southern accent.
"Look, take it from a former bully to a current bully. The longer you take to straighten up, the most regrets you will have for the long haul." Gideon said seriously to Darson.
Darson looked like he didn't like hearing Gideon's words. Yet he couldn't ignore that there was some truth in his words.
"I got windows to clean." Darson said as he walks away from Gideon.
"I'll leave you to it." Gideon said.
Darson's not the kind of person who would let someone get into his fur. The only mammal to ever do that was Nick. So you can guess that Darson didn't want to hear from another fox.
As Judy walked down the basement stairs, she was greeted by Nick, Finnick, Gazelle, Mervin, Falisha, Ronnie, Audran, and Flash. They were all in their scout uniforms.
"Hey, Judy!" Everyone said greeting the bunny.
"Hey, everyone." Judy said happily to everyone.
Nick then whispered something to everyone else.
"Remember, not to tell Judy about what happened to the bracelet." Nick whispered to the others. They responded by nodding their heads. Nick then walked over to Judy. "Hey, Carrots! Good to see ya." Nick said trying not to sound nervous.
Nick then walked over to Judy and unexpectedly hugged her. Judy felt weird about this since Nick and she never hug each other in front of their friends.
"Nick, you're hugging me... in front of everyone else." Judy said feeling awkward about it.
"Oh." Nick said as he quickly let goes of her. "Sorry." Nick then scratched the back of his head. "I'm just really happy to see you."
"Okay." Judy said understanding. Then something else came to Judy's attention. Nick's wrist. She noticed that Nick wasn't wearing the bracelet. "Nick, you're not wearing the bracelet I made for you."
That was when Nick started to feel the pressure on him. He still didn't have the chance to tell Judy that Darson broke the bracelet. As he grips to spot in his wrist where his bracelet was, he had to quickly come up with a believable excuse.
"Oh. Ummm... you see... the others were teasing me too much about the bracelet after I told them you made it for me." Nick said putting his friends under the bus.
"Whaaa..." Everyone else, except for Gazelle, went. But they quickly got over it since part of that was actually true. And the fact that they did own Nick.
"I took it off for the time being. Don't worry. I'll put it back after the meeting." Nick said to the others.
Judy started rubbing her chin a bit. She felt that something was up with what Nick said. But she was willing to take his word.
"Well... alright." Judy said to Nick. "It must have been hard for you dealing with everyone's teasing for the whole week."
"Trust me, it was." Nick said with a smirk as he looks at the others.
"Still, I think I'll keep mine on." Judy said as she shows off her bracelet.
"If you want to." Nick said to Judy.
Gideon then enters the room.
"Hey, y'all!" Gideon said as he came down the stairs.
"You took your time, Country Boy." Nick said to Gideon.
"I was having some words with that coyote upstairs." Gideon told Nick. "Was that the guy, City Boy?"
"So Carrots already told you." Nick said not sounding surprised. "Yeah. That's Darson Coynac."
"AKA, Pawside's top bully." Ronnie stated with his arms crossed.
"Also the same guy who Nick got into a fight with." Finnick stated.
"You still okay, right Nick?" Judy asked looking worried for her friend.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Carrots?" Nick said while petting Judy's head.
"You always tell me that but that's what makes me worry about you the most." Judy said looking concern. "Also don't pet me."
"Alright." Nick said as he does what Judy says.
"So... Darson didn't say anything bad about you, right?" Falisha asked.
"Nothing I can't handle." Judy said boldly.
"Same for me." Gideon said.
"We still want to know what his deal is though." Judy said.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Nick said shrugging. "Let's not worry about it now. We got a meeting to begin."
"But isn't Chuck, Wilfred, Darwin, Phillip, and Ed also suppose to be here?" Benji asked.
"Yeah. Where are those five?" Mervin asked noticing that they weren't here yet.
At that moment, they started to hear a commotion upstairs. The kids thought something was going on. It sounded a bit like trouble.
"What's going on?" Judy asked after hearing the commotion.
"Come on!" Nick said to everyone as he climbs up the stairs.
Everyone else follows Nick to see what's going on upstairs. No surprise that the commotion was Darson's doing. But also in the store was Chuck, Phillip, Wilfred, Darwin, and Ed. The five boys looked a bit frightened while Darson looked pretty ticked off.
"You five have some nerve showing up here." Darson said after growling.
"Look. We don't want any trouble, Darson." Chuck said with his paws up meaning no harm.
"Well, you have some nerve after what you did." Darson said angrily. "I heard all the rumors about you five. Don't think I'm gonna turn my back on ya and let you just walk away."
"We already told you. We're not here to cause trouble." Phillip said.
"Likely story." Darson said not believing them.
As things were starting to get heated, Nick got into the middle of them and broke up the argument.
"Enough!" Nick said with his paws blocking them from getting closer. "There's no need for this at my pop's shop."
"You're kidding, right?" Darson said to Nick. "Do you even know who these punks are?" Darson then stopped and looked for a moment. He looked at Nick in his scout uniform, his friends in theirs, and then back at Chuck and the others. Once he did that, he realized what was up. "Wait? Don't tell me... you're actually friends with them, are you Wilde?"
Nick growled in response. Darson then had a sinister grin on his face.
"Well, this is brand-new information." Darson said with the grin. "Turns out the current most-liked student in school is friends with the 5 most-hated students in school." Darson then lightly scratched his chin. "Hmm, I wonder what will happen in your credibility if I told everyone at school?"
"Grrrrrrrrr..." Nick growled in anger. The last thing Nick wants is to have everyone think he's just an untrustworthy fox again.
"Back off, Darson." Mervin said to Darson in a threating matter. "If you don't stop, then we'll tell Mr. and Mrs. Wilde on you."
"Fine. Fine." Darson said backing down. "I still got windows to clean anyway. So I'm just gonna take this little information and put it in my back pocket for now." Darson had a sly grin on his face as he said that.
Darson then walked away and went to clean up the windows. The coyote kinda left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth.
"Man, I can't believe that guy." Audran said angrily.
"Maybe it was a bad idea for us to come here." Darwin said sadly.
"Maybe we should go." Chuck said not wanting to be a burden.
"No. It's fine." Nick said to Chuck and his boys. "What he says doesn't bother me even the slightest."
"Not like most people will take his word anyway." Ronnie said.
"Let's all head down to our little HQ and begin our meeting." Judy said to everyone.
Everyone agreed with Judy and all made their way down to the basement. Nick was the last to head down. But before he did, Nick looked at Darson again as he was cleaning the windows with some cleaner fluid and a cleaning cloth. He was still puzzled about what's Darson deal with him was. But he would have to worry about that later.
A couple of minutes later, Nick, Judy, and the others were still doing their meeting. However, they didn't really have much to talk about. Darson was pretty much the main topic of discussion. A while later, some knocking came from the door.
"Nicky, can you come up here for a second?" It was Nick's dad, John.
"Sure thing, pop." Nick shouted out. He then turned to everyone else. "I'll be right back."
"Wonder what your dad wants?" Judy asked sounding curious.
"Beats me." Nick replied.
Nick walked upstairs and went to talk to his dad near the shop counter. Nick was pretty curious why his dad called him up for.
"What it is, pop?" Nick asked his dad.
"Nick, I have a special order for a client and I realize that I short on twine and other supplies. I need to go into town for a while and your mom and Mrs. Hopps went out. So I want you and your friends to be good while I'm gone." John said to Nick.
"Wait? You want to leave us here... with Darson?!" Nick asked already not liking the sound of things.
"It's just for a few minutes. Less than an hour. Tops." John said.
"Is the police on speed dial?" Nick asked making a gesture.
"Nick, listen." John said as he got on his knees and put his arm on Nick's shoulder. "I know that this might be hard for you, but I need you to at least try and get along with Darson. You can't just keep avoiding him."
During the whole week, Nick did what he could to stay away from Darson. Not just during school but after school as well. Whether it was hanging out with his friends or sleeping over at their houses. Today was pretty much unavoidable.
"Pop, I really don't think that this is a good idea." Nick said to his dad. "Darson really has it out for me."
"I know. So you just need to change that." John said. "Believe it or not, the boy's actually a hard worker. He followed all my orders with no questions asked and even did them properly. I feel that it's still not to late for the boy to chance."
"But he makes it so hard." Nick stated. "I still don't know if I could do this."
"Come on, Nicky. At least this for your pop." John said.
John was the kind of father that would do anything for his son. So it goes to say that Nick was the kind of son that would do anything for his father.
"Alright, pop. I'll try. For you." Nick said with a smile.
"Good boy." John said happily as he rubbed his son's head. He then hugged Nick. "I promise I'll be back in a few."
"Okay, pop." Nick said hugging his father back.
As John and Nick hugged, Darson happen to get a glance at this site. He had a mixed expression on his face. It was a mix of anger... and sadness. Maybe even a bit of jealousy.
About a minute later, John put up the "Be Back in A Hour" sign on his door and left the shop in Nick's care. As Nick said goodbye to his dad, he knew he had to keep his promise to him and try to get along with Darson. The idea still felt like an impossibility to him. But he at least needs to find out why he was the way he was. He might have a chance to so sooner than he thought. Darson walked over to Nick to speak with him.
"Hey, Wilde?" Darson said to get Nick's attention.
"What?" Nick said as he turns to Darson.
"You and your old man, are you close?" Darson asked.
"What's it to you?" Nick asked with a hint of smiting. "But if you really must know, yeah. Pop and I are as close as a father and son could be."
"Hmm. Must be nice." Darson said.
"You don't have that with your dad?" Nick asked.
"Tch! All I do is get in trouble. If anything, I more of a burden to him." Darson said as he turns his head.
"Oh." Nick said a bit surprised to hear that. Not that it wouldn't be true. Most parents aren't too proud of their children turning into bullies. "Well, what about you and your mom?"
Darson expression changed to a more serious one. "I rather not even talk about my mother." Darson said angrily. He didn't say anything else to Nick. He just walked away and did some more cleaning. This felt odd to Nick.
"That was weird. Does he have some kind of issue with his mother?" Nick thought. Nick kept this bit of information in his mine.
Later, Nick goes back down to the basement to speak with the others about what his dad said to him about Darson.
"Guys, I can't believe I'm saying this... but we need to try to get along with Darson." Nick said to everyone.
"WHAAATTT?!" Everyone else, except Gideon, shouted out.
"Nick, are you for real?" Mervin asked.
"Pop says that it's not too late for him to change. The least we could do it help him change." Nick said.
"But this is Darson we are talking about." Ronnie said.
"He's not just gonna change because we want him to." Audran stated.
"But isn't our motto 'We always see the good in others. Not for what they are, but who they are.'?" Gazelle asked. "Shouldn't we try to see the good in Darson?"
"Again, this is Darson we are talking about." Ronnie said.
"Yeah. You don't know him much because you don't go to our school, Gazelle. But we can tell you that Darson isn't the kind of person who would change." Mervin said firmly.
"I was a bully until Nick helped me change." Gideon stated.
"Uhh... well... you're different." Mervin said nervously.
"We were muzzling innocent predators until Nick set us straight." Chuck said.
"How is what we did that different from Darson?" Wilfred asked.
"Uhhh... ummm..." Mervin couldn't come up with anything to say.
"Guess when you put it that way, Darson just needs someone, like Nick, to help him change the way he is." Judy said.
"I don't like you guys are basically putting it all on me." Nick said with a straight face.
"Come on, Nick. You're the reason why we're all here." Benji stated. "If anyone could change Darson, it's you."
Benji had a point. In one way or another, Nick has affected everyone's lives and made them better. So it makes sense that he's the running man for this.
"*sigh* Suddenly, I'm starting to regret making everyone's lives better." Nick said with his right paw on his face.
"There's that famous Nick Wilde modesty." Judy said with a smile.
"Alright. So I guess we're doing this." Finnick said as he clapped his paws together. "First thing first. Nick, do you know anything about this guy that could help us understand him?"
"Actually... I think I do." Nick said as he thinks about it. "Earlier when I was talking to him, he told me a few things. That he feels that he's a burden to his dad because all he does is get into trouble. There was also something else. When I asked about his mother, he said he rather not talk about her."
"Hmmm. He rather not talking about his mom." Finnick said as he ponders a bit. "Alright, I think I got the gest of things. Here's my guess. Darson's folks probably got divorced went he was at a young age. His mother may have been one of those 'problemed' moms, so he lives with his pops. Now for the regular standards of parents, the mother is usually the caretaker and teaches the child to be kind while the father helps the kid toughen up and be strong-hearted to get ready for the world out there."
"That's actually a pretty good hypothesis, Finnick." Falisha said. Falisha then put her paw on her chin. "According to Finnick's guess, Darson was only raised by his dad."
"Now that I think about it, I saw his dad last time but I did not see his mom with him." Nick said recalling that.
"So if it's all truth since Darson would only have been raised by his dad, he would only know how to be tough. But without a mother, he doesn't know how to kind." Judy stated.
"The pieces seem to all fit together." Nick said. "It's not much. But it's all we got for now."
"Well, at least we got an idea of what his deal is. He has a family issue." Benji said. "We just need to fix them."
"By 'we' you actually mean 'me', don't you?" Nick asked raising an eyebrow.
"That's why you're the leader, City Boy." Gideon said with a smile.
"Figures." Nick said once again with a straight face. "Really starting to regret being the leader of our pack."
The leader's got to do what the leader's got to do. Even if he was on the top of Darson's list, he had to at least try to set him straight. Nick walked up the stairs and back to the shop to talk to Darson. Darson was currently finishing up sweeping the floors with a broom.
"Alright. That should be good." Darson said wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Nick looked around and he was amazed. Darson had actually cleaned up the store quite well. The floors were dusted, the windows were spotless, and suits and ties were organized.
"Wow! I don't think I've ever seen the store so clean." Nick said impressed.
"Well, my dad always tells me not to do anything halfway and to always work hard." Darson said. "You won't get anyway in life unless you work hard."
"Really? My pop gives me the same advice too." Nick said trying to admit that they had something in common.
"Hmpt! Is that so?" Darson asked Nick.
"Yeah." Nick said nodding. "You know, you work so hard on clean, you should apply that to your schoolwork and study better."
"Tch. No thanks! I rather not waste my time with school stuff." Darson said firmly to Nick.
"Why not?" Nick asked.
"Most mammals are stuck with dead-end jobs based on what they are. It doesn't matter how high you reach, that's just how that world works." Darson stated.
"That's a pretty simple-minded to think." Nick said nothing liking Darson's word.
"Is it? Cause I can tell you right now, that's how most of this city thinks." Darson said.
The sad truth is, Darson wasn't wrong. Most mammals in Zootopia, even with it being the city where anyone can be anything, most mammals only choose to do things based on what they are. Sloths running the DMV, only large mammals work for the ZPD, and even... foxes being conniving. Yet, Nick is still fighting all the stereotypes and he wanted Darson to do that too.
"I'll admit, some of the mammals in the world are like that..." Nick admitted. "... but..." Before Nick could finish, Darson interrupted him again.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to." Darson said. "You're just trying to play nice with me so I won't spill the beans about you being friends with the muzzlers at school."
"No. That's not..." Nick said.
"You didn't even bother trying to talk to me any other day this week. Why now?" Darson asked. "We're not friends so don't try to act like we are." Darson then walked closer to Nick. "And once I tell everyone in school about your secret, your popularity days will be numbered."
Nick's anger started to stir up again. Darson wasn't even gonna sugar coat it. He just wanted to make Nick's popularity suffer. Nick didn't want to go back to that again. Nick just walked away from Darson and started to make his way back to the basement.
"You know, I keep saying to myself 'There's good in you somewhere.'. I'm starting to have my doubts." Nick said angrily as he walked back downstairs.
Darson didn't respond. He was just left alone with his thought.
As Nick walked down he stomped on each step very loudly. This pretty much got the attention of all of friends.
"Nick, what wrong?" Judy asked.
"Darson's a lost cause." Nick said as he walks down the last stair.
"Guessing your talk with him didn't go well." Finnick said.
"Darson is being nothing more than a pain." Nick said angrily. "He says he gonna tell everyone in school that I'm friends with Chuck, Phillip, Darwin, Wilfred, and Ed just so everyone can be against me again. He's not even trying to blackmail me."
"Tch. Go figure." Ronnie said not surprised.
"I think there's no point in helping him. He's too far gone." Mervin said.
"No digas eso. Don't say that." Gazelle said. "I still think he can change. Even a little bit."
"Even so, he's just making it harder and harder." Mervin stated. "Someone might be able to change him but that doesn't mean it has to be us."
Judy felt uncomfortable about this. It wasn't like she liked Darson but she knows Nick's not the type of person to just call it quits.
"Nick, is that how you feel too?" Judy asked.
"Judy, as you may have noticed, I'm not Darson favorite person. Nor is he mine." Nick said firmly. "If he doesn't want to just talk, fine by me."
"Hmm..." Judy said looking concern for Nick.
Then someone's voice gets everyone's attention.
"So, this is where you all ran off to."
Everyone turned around and saw that it was Darson.
"What do you want now, Darson?" Nick asked still looking steamed.
"Just wanted to see what's the big deal with your basement is." Darson said as he walked down the stairs. He looks around and sees a lot of boxes, chairs, fabrics, and suits that were still a work in progress. "Yeesh! I'm surprised your pop didn't ask me to clean up here. A bunch of junk here."
"This 'junk' is my dad's work." Nick said boldly. "He works hard to make suits and he's the best tailor in the whole city."
"Hmm. Too bad most people don't see that. You know, cause he's a fox." Darson stated with a smirk.
"What did you say?" Nick said as his anger was starting to boil. Nick never likes hearing insults about his dad. He was literally about to pounce on Darson again. Until...
"Don't you dare say that." Judy shouted out at Darson. "Mr. Wilde is a great man and his store is doing well. Better than well even."
"Yeah. He doesn't need punks like you bagging on him." Finnick said also defending John.
"Tch!" Darson went while gritting his teeth.
"You don't have to such a jerk about everything." Ed said to Darson.
"All you do in school is bully everyone whether they are prey or predator." Darwin stated.
"Nick and the rest of us even believe you can be different. But you just make it impossible with your insults." Chuck said as he walked closer to Darson. "So stop now or you'll be nothing more than just a bully coyote."
Darson was silent from everyone's words. Mostly from what Chuck said. Saying that he could be nothing more than just a bully coyote.
"So... that's what you think I am, huh? A bully? A punk? Well, maybe you're right." Darson said. Then he glared at Chuck with a frightful look on his face. "But what does that make you and your 4 pals, Chucky? Wearing those scout uniforms as a disguise of who you really are. Leading predators and thinking that they could join your pack then scarring them by putting a muzzle on them. All because they have sharp teeth. Does that sound like something a bully does? No. That's not what a bully or punk does. That's what a criminal does."
Chuck, Phillip, Darwin, Wilfred, and Ed were paralyzed the second Darson ushered those words. Criminal. In the dictionary, it means a person who has committed a crime. Criminals call also be called lawbreakers, offenders, villains, and the list goes on. While they wouldn't admit it, muzzling someone who was innocent WAS considered in most ways a serious crime. A crime that the 5 former scouts have committed more than once. Darson then continued speaking.
"The rumors in school say that Wilde here was not only the one that set you straight but was also one of your victims." Darson said while taking a quick look at Nick. "But not only him, some of the other people in this very room. Am I wrong?"
"Uhhhh..." Benji went knowing he was one the victims.
"Grrrr..." Mervin and Ronnie growled knowing the fact that they were also being victims.
"Hoho! So it looks like I'm right." Darson said with a smirk. He then put his attention back on the 5 former scouts. "I bet the five of you think that they would just forgive you and forget about what you did. But the question is..." Darson then started sounding more serious. "... do they really forgive you? Can they truly forget?"
The five boys started to tremble a bit more.
"Darson, enough!" Nick said wanting him to stop talking. But he didn't.
"You five probably thought you were doing the world a service. Scaring off so-called scary and untrustworthy predators so they wouldn't get the chance to do you harm. All you needed to do was harm them by being the scary and untrustworthy ones." Darson stated.
"Enough, Darson!" Judy shouted out. Darson still continued.
"I could only imagine how the kids you muzzled felt. But how did you five felt? Bet you felt good about yourselves. Like you were doing the 'right' thing. But the truth of the matter is... it wasn't the right thing." Darson said sounding serious. "All you did was screw yourselves so bad that even prey kids don't want anything to do with you."
"Plea... please, stop." Chuck pleaded as he started to look ill.
"But the surprising part is not that you guys eventually got found out, but that you guys turned yourselves in. Do you know what that tells me? Up until Wilde happened, you had no intention of stopping what you were doing NOR expecting to get caught." Darson stated.
The five former scouts started to quiver even more now.
"So with that in mind, how would have the five of you turn out in the future?" Darson asked. "Would you have just continue muzzling and become more comfortable with it up until adulthood? Would you pass it down to the next generations? Or... would you have just become one of those rotten adults just trying to avoid being locked behind bars?"
Chuck, Phillip, Darwin, Wilfred, and Ed started to shake more and more with frightened looks on their faces. Chuck was looking the most troubled.
"No matter what you do, your actions can never truly be forgotten and you can never truly atone for your actions." Darson stated.
"ENOUGH!" Ronnie shouted out as he pushes Darson back with Audran helping him. "No more from that muzzle of yours."
"Don't you think they have enough going on with their life?" Audran added with an angry glare.
"Psh! Like they haven't heard any of that before." Darson said shrugging.
It's true. Chuck, Phillip, Darwin, Wilfred, and Ed have heard it all. Including the things Nick and Mervin said to them. But what Darson said... it affected them way more than anything else. Chuck seems to be affected the most. He was hyperventilating a lot as Darson's words echo in his head.
No matter what you do, your actions can never truly be forgotten and you can never truly atone for your actions.
Chuck looked like he couldn't take it anymore. He then fell down to the ground, gasping for air.
"Chuck? CHUCK?!" Nick shouted out in concern.
Everyone was stunned by this and they immediately went to him. Except for Darson, who just made his way out.
"That's my cue to leave." Darson said not really caring about Chuck as he leaves the basement.
Everyone else was trying to help Chuck, who was still hyperventilating.
"Chuck, are you okay?" Mervin asked the woodchuck.
"Aw man. He's having an anxiety attack again." Phillip said.
"Again? This has happened before?" Judy asked.
"A few times, yes." Ed admitted.
Seems that this wasn't the first time Chuck has had an anxiety attack. Wilfred tried to help Chuck up and tried to calm him down.
"Okay, Chuck. Easy. Breath in. Breath out." Wilfred said to Chuck. Chuck started to calm down now.
"Are you alright?" Nick asked.
"Am I alright?" Chuck said as he regains himself and standing back up. Then tears starting forming in his eyes. "No. No, I'm not alright. It hasn't gone away, Nick. None of it."
"None of what?" Nick asked.
"The looks from other kids, the hate, this pain in my chest." Chuck cried out. "It hurts! It hurts so much! We can't take back what we did and we can never make up for it."
Phillip and Ed tried to comfort Chuck. All Chuck could say was "I'm sorry. I'm sorry.". Everyone in the room started to feel really bad for Chuck.
"Nick, I think it's best that we just leave and take Chuck home." Phillip said.
"Yeah. If Darson's gonna be here, then we shouldn't." Ed stated.
"We'll see you guys around." Wilfred said sadly.
The five boys then all left the basement. After what Darson said, everyone started to think even more that Darson was a lost cause. Even Gideon and Gazelle.
"That fella there... he has no morals for what he said." Gideon said angrily.
"Even I'm losing my patience with him." Gazelle said looking mad.
"I mean, it's not like didn't do the same to them. But man, giving Chuck an anxiety attack and not even caring? It's farther than I could have gone." Mervin stated.
"I think you were right about him being a lost cause, Nick." Finnick said with his arms crossed.
Nearly everyone was giving up hope for Darson. Everyone was angry with him too. But someone who seemed the angriest was Judy. She may have been angry with Chuck and the others in the past but even she knew that Darson went too far. The little bunny's anger stirred up inside her and she then started marching up the stairs.
"Judy, where are you going?" Nick asked sounding worried.
"Where do you think?" Judy replied sounding ticked off.
"Man, not again." Nick said feeling a sense of deja vu.
The last time Judy acted like this was when she encountered the scouts after they muzzled Nick. Now she was going to encounter Darson after what he said to the scouts. Pretty surprising. As Judy walked up the stairs, the others trailed her. With a really angry look, Judy spotted Darson near the store counter and walked to him.
"HEY!" Judy shouted out at the coyote.
"What, bunny?" Darson asked as he turned to Judy.
"What you did down there was uncalled for." Judy said firmly.
"You mean with those 5 losers? I was doing you a service." Darson said to Judy.
"A service? Those five have been through enough and they are trying to change. But you just had to say all of those mean things and made them feel even worst. You even gave Chuck an anxiety attack." Judy stated very madly.
"Why are you even defending them? Are you against predators too?" Darson asked.
"Not in your life!" Judy said. "I'm happy with the prey and predator friends I made."
"Hmmm. If what everyone said is true, you're supposed to be good friends with Wilde. In that case, you must have been pretty mad at them after they muzzled him." Darson said. Judy didn't respond. "You must be some dumb bunny not only thinking that a bunny can be a cop, but thinking that you can trust a fox. So... it would be fun to see your trust in him crushed as he stabs you in the back one day."
Those last words pretty much triggered Judy. Not even taking a second to think about it, Judy hopped up and slapped Darson hard enough to make him drop to the ground. Nick and the others saw this and were shocked that Judy was actually crazy enough to do that.
"If you knew even a SINGLE thing about Nick... YOU WOULDN'T DARE TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT! EVER!" Judy said in a serious tone.
Darson, getting up from the floor, was now pretty mad at Judy for slapping him so hard.
"Grrrrrrr..." Darson growled. "Do you have a death wish, bunny?" Darson then got his claws out.
Seeing this, Nick stepped in front of Judy.
"If you put even one claw on her, you will regret it for the rest of your life." Nick said in a serious tone.
"You wants some too, Wilde? Fine by me." Darson said ready to fight Nick.
"If you mess with Nick or Judy..." Benji said as he walks up to Darson boldly. "... you mess with us too."
"ALL of us." Finnick said boldly. Him and the others also stood by Nick and Judy's side.
Darson was just getting madder and madder. It really bugged them that Nick had all of these friends willing to protect him. It was something that he doesn't have.
"WHAT'S WITH YOU ALL?!" Darson shouted out. "WHY ARE YOU ALL SO WILLING TO TRUST THIS FOX?! DON'T YOU ALL KNOW THAT HIS KIND IS SUPPOSE TO BE UNTRUSTWORTHY?!"
"Okay, WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" Nick shouted out having enough with Darson's attitude.
"My problem? My problem is you." Darson said pointing at Nick. "You rubbing your perfect life in my face."
"Perfect life? News Flash: My life ain't perfect." Nick stated.
"Is it? You have a good home, great at school, all these friends, and a mom and dad that love you. Why do you get to have all the things that I don't?" Darson asked seriously.
"Now wait just a minute." Nick said as he walks closer to Darson. "Do you actually think I had all that before? If things were different, I could have just ended up like the fox you think I should be. But do you know who help me stay this way?" Nick then pointed at Judy. "Her... and everyone else here. They see the good in me and that's why how I go be who I am. But what reason do you have to be the way you are?"
"What reason do I have, you ask? How about this? Did it ever occur to you that some people are just meant to be bad? From the moment they are born, they are just meant to be this bad thing that's only a problem for everyone else? Cause I can tell you, that describes me." Darson said seriously.
"Oh my god. What in the world would make you think that being born is a bad thing?" Nick asked in a serious tone.
"BECAUSE ME BEING BORN KILLED MY MOTHER!" Darson shouted out.
Those words echoed around and then the room went completely silent. Everyone was shocked beyond words to know what to say. It was a few seconds before Nick became the one to break the silence.
"Wha... what?" Nick said as his eyes widen.
Darson's expression changed. His looked sad and his body started to shake a bit. As if his words were something he didn't mean to say. He then started to dash out the room.
"Wait!" Nick said trying to stop him.
But it was too late. Darson had already left the store. Still, his words echo through everyone's heads. Nick then turned to everyone else.
"Being born... killed his mother?" Nick uddered still looking pretty stunned to hear that.
"Oh my goodness..." Benji said sadly.
"So... I was wrong." Finnick said. "Darson isn't this way because his parents were divorced. He's this way because..."
"... his... mom... is... gone." Flash said slowly but sadly.
"And without his mother, no one was able to teach him kindness." Falisha stated.
"It's so sad." Gazelle said looking really sad.
"Man. So that's why I didn't see his mom with him during the time we were at the Principal's Office and why he didn't want to take about his mother." Nick stated.
"None of us had no idea his mother died after giving birth to him." Ronnie said.
"How could we, eh?" Audran asked.
"Aww man. Now I feel dirty again." Mervin said as he rubs his arm.
The whole group, as they use to feel angry about Darson, now started to feel bad for him.
"You know, believe it or not, the situation is actually pretty common for bunnies. It's not the case for all bunnies, but it happens sometimes." Judy said. "Usually when the mother dies, it's because the litter was too big or the mother wasn't strong enough. The mother's death also usually has an effect on the family. The father is too filled with grief to work or needs mental help and the kits from the older litters usually... hate the last litter."
"Are you serious?" Nick asked.
"It's not always the case... but it's not like it's zero." Judy admitted. "The younger litter usually grows up to be negative."
"Darson must have been bottling that negativity for his whole life." Gideon stated. "He may not have any siblings... but..."
"... He must have token his hate out on others. But even with that, he might hate himself even more." Falisha said looking sad.
"He's been in sorrow the whole time and none of us knew why." Nick said looking down at the ground.
Darson must have had a pretty rough life growing up knowing that his mother died because he was born. Living without a mother in his life and feeling that he was nothing more than a burden. It's no wonder why he thinks some mammals are just meant to be bad. These thoughts filled Nick with grief and sadness.
"*sigh* I should have listened to my dad." Nick said sadly. His expression then changed to a determined one. "It's not too late to fix things."
Nick dashed off to the back kitchen for some reason.
"Nick, where are you going?" Judy asked.
Nick came back holding two cans of soda. Cola, to be exact. "I'm gonna go talk to Darson." Nick replied.
"I'm coming too." Judy said walking to Nick.
"Guys, you all wait here." Nick said to his friends.
"Alright." Gideon said. "But do hurry."
Nick and Judy nodded and dashed out the store. Nick and Judy looked around for Darson and spotted him sitting by the side of the building. Looks like he didn't get too far. Still, he had this meaningless expression on his face. Nick and Judy knew that they had to help him. They slowly walked to Darson and stopped where he was.
"Hey." Nick said to get Darson's attention. Darson turned around and looked at Nick. "I... uh... got you a soda. I thought since you did so well cleaning pop's shop that you at least deserve a small reward."
"..."Darson was still silent and looked away from Nick.
"Come on, Darson. Say something." Nick said wanting him to speak.
"You win, Wilde." Darson replied.
"What?" Nick said confused by what Darson means.
"I got something on you, you got something on me. We're on even footing now that we have dirt on each other." Darson said to Nick.
"I don't care about that stuff. I never did." Nick said.
"We both just want to talk to you." Judy said.
Nick puts down one of the cans of soda in front of Darson. Nick and Judy then sat beside Darson. Both Nick and Judy took off their caps and place them on the ground. Judy's ears were drooped down.
"What... did you mean when you said being born killed your mother?" Judy asked.
"It means what it means." Darson said as he picks up his can of cola. "The day I was born... was the day that my mom died. Meaning the time I started my life, my mom's ended." Darson then turned to Nick and Judy. "Do you know what it's like knowing that knowledge your whole life?"
"N... no. Can't say either of us do." Judy admitted sadly. Both Judy and Nick had good parents and they don't know what's it like for one of them to die.
"Well, lucky you." Darson said in a sarcastic tone. "You two get to be with both of your moms. But I don't even know about mine. I mean, sure I've seen some pictures of her from dad and even stories, but I want more than that. I want what others have."
"That's understandable." Nick said getting what Darson means.
"My dad loved my mom and me being born took her away from him." Darson said gripping his soda can. "All I do is cause trouble and make life worst for others. That's why my dad hates me. Things would be better if I wasn't born at all. "
Hearing Darson say that things would have been better if he wasn't born at all made Nick and Judy's hearts ache. It was all a bit too much to take in. Yet, Nick felt something was off. It was when Darson said his dad hated him. He did get a strong and tough vibe from Bruce Coynac, but it didn't feel like he hated his own son. Even with all the trouble he gets into.
"Darson, I want you to be honest." Nick said to him. "Did your dad ever said that he hated you?"
"What?" Darson said.
"Your dad. Did he ever said that he hated you?" Nick asked again.
"Wilde, I already told that..." Darson said before getting cut off.
"Answer the question honestly, Darson." Judy said sounding serious.
Darson paused for a moment before answering. "No. He never said that." Darson said.
"Darson, your relationship with your dad may not be as good as mine and pop is..." Nick said.
"... And yeah. There are a lot of not-so-great dads out there in the world." Judy stated.
"But if your dad never said those words or even words close to it... then..." Nick said.
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT!" Nick and Judy shouted out. This pretty much shocked Darson of his funk a bit.
"If your dad really hated you, wouldn't he just put you up in a foster home long ago? Would he not care about the things that you do and try to straighten yourself up?" Nick asked as he stands up.
"It sounds like your dad is just worried about you and wants you to do better. A dad who didn't love his son wouldn't take the time to do that." Judy added.
"I... suppose you're right." Darson admitted. "But I'm still the reason why my mom's gone. I know dad has all the right reason to hate me."
"Have you talk to your dad about this?" Nick asked.
"Of course not." Darson said.
"Then maybe it's time you should." Nick said.
"I don't know if I should." Darson said looking worried.
"Come on. I know it may be hard but you owe it to yourself to know the truth." Judy said.
"But what if the truth is too much for me to handle?" Darson asked.
"Well... it's up to you to decide whether it's too much or not." Nick said.
After talking to Nick and Judy, Darson started to feel a bit better. But he was still worried that his dad still hated him. Even if it was only a little bit. Yet, he owns it to himself to know the truth.
"I suppose you two are right." Darson admitted.
"Of course we are." Judy said.
"I have a habit about being right all the time." Nick said with a smile. He then opened up his soda can. "Alright. Hurry up and drink your soda so we can go back inside. Oh and don't worry about the others. They understand now."
Nick drank his soda as he waits for Darson to open up his can. Darson slowly pops the can opened.
"Surprised that you didn't shake it up." Darson said expecting it to spray him.
"I'll shake you if you don't drink your soda." Nick said to Darson firmly.
"Alright. Alright." Darson said before drinking his soda.
A long while later, Darson was more calm with the other kids now. He even apologizes for his behavior. The kids all forgave him easily after hearing about his mother. Also, John, Frankie, and Bonnie made it back to the shop. Nick told his parents about why Darson behaves the way he does and about his mother died after giving birth to him.
"I see. So that's why the boy's so trouble." John said feeling bad for Darson.
"That poor boy." Frankie said looking upset.
"Darson's dad doesn't really hate him, does he pop?" Nick asked.
"Bruce Coynac may be a bit serious, but a true father looks out for his son no matter how bad he may be." John said. "I'm sure he cares about his son a lot. He just needs to talk to his son and understand how he feels."
"I hope Darson can do that." Nick said.
At that moment, they heard the door open and heard someone calling.
"Hello? Anyone there?" It was Bruce Coynac.
"Sounds like Mr. Coynac is here." Nick said.
A minute later, John, Frankie, Nick, and Darson met up with Bruce at the front counter in the store. It seems like Bruce was here to pick up his son.
"Mr. Coynac. I assume that you're here to pick up Darson." John assumed.
"I am. I hope that he wasn't any trouble." Bruce said.
Okay, Darson DID cause a bit of trouble but Nick didn't want Darson to get in any more trouble with his dad.
"Things were... rough for a time, but we both came to an understanding." Nick said as he pats Darson on the back. "Right, Darson?"
"Ri... right." Darson said nodding.
"That's good." Bruce said looking pleased.
"Darson also did a great job cleaning the store." John said. "I never have seen the store so clean."
"Good to hear that he did a good job." Bruce said. "I presume that he paid his debt?"
"Yep. We're all squared." John said with a smile.
"Good." Bruce said. He then looked at Darson. "Darson, let's go."
Nick tapped Darson on his shoulder and nodded to him that now was the time to talk to him. Darson hesitated for a bit but spoke out.
"Dad, wait!" Darson said to his father. "There's something I want to talk to you about."
"Can it wait for when we get home?" Bruce asked.
"No. It can't." Darson said as he twiddles his paws.
The way Darson said that he didn't want to way for them to go home to talk got Bruce's attention. Bruce assumed that it was something really important. John and Frankie could feel the tension.
"Johnny, we should give them some space." Frankie said tugging her husband's arm.
"Right." John said agreeing.
John and Frankie then left the room.
"The others and I will be listening nearby." Nick whispered to Darson before going to the basement door. Nick and Judy kept the door cracked so they could peak and listen in.
Now it was just Darson and his dad in the store.
"Okay Darson, what is it?" Bruce asked wanting to know what his son wanted.
"I know this is out of the blue... but I really need to know." Darson said looking nervous. "Do you... do you hate me?"
"Wha... what?" Bruce said stunned that his son would even say those words. "What would make you say that?"
"Because... I get bad grades in school and all I do is get into trouble. Also..." Darson said before shaking a bit. "... I'm the reason mom's gone."
"Is that... is that what's been bothering you this whole time?" Bruce asked. Darson responded by slowly nodding.
For the longest time, Darson had blamed himself for being born and causing the death of his mother. He always felt that he was just a burden to his father and it would have been better if he wasn't born. But didn't his father really thought of Darson that way. Bruce walked over to his son and got on his knees.
"Darson... you were in pain this whole time and I ignored it. I'm sorry." Bruce said sincerely.
"Huh?" Darson said sounding surprised. He didn't expect his dad to apologize.
"I haven't really told you the whole truth, haven't I?" Bruce asked. "I suppose now is a good time as any."
It seems like Bruce was going to tell Darson a story about his mother.
"Now, I told you a lot about you mother, did I?" Bruce asked. "I met her when I was still in middle school. During the time, I was a lot like you. I got in trouble all the time too. Seriously, I nearly lived in detention. I was the kind of student that parents would tell their kids not to hang around with. But you mother, Videl, she wasn't like others. Haha. I swear... it was like she had her feet on the ground, but her head in the clouds. She was... how would say... spiritual."
"Yeah. You told me that much." Darson said.
"Anyway, for the longest time, Videl would follow me around. I would always ask why she always followed me and she would always say 'I'm curious about you.'." Bruce said. "I always found it weird... yet I was also charmed by it. I didn't started dating your mother until we were in our 20s. She was still as spiritual and optimistic about everything. I still found it weird, but it was also the reason I fell for her. Not too long later, we both got married. We had a good few years happy together."
Darson was starting to feel guilty again. He was still blaming himself for his mom's death.
"But then..." Bruce said sounding serious. "... something happened."
"Huh?" Darson went as his attention goes up.
"I started to notice that Videl, your mother, wasn't feeling to well and it seem like she wasn't getting any better. So we went to a doctor to see if she was okay. The news... was a bit of a shock." Bruce said.
"A shock?" Darson said confused.
"It turned out your mother was sick. She had a very rare sickness. A sickness which meant... that her life was shortened." Bruce said sadly.
"What?!" Darson said in shock.
This was all news to Darson. He didn't know that his mother had a rare disease that shortens her life. Nick and Judy were shocked by this information too.
"What?" Nick and Judy quietly shouted out.
"What? What's wrong?" Benji asked Nick and Judy.
"Darson's mother had a rare sickness." Judy stated.
"She was already close to dying BEFORE she had Darson." Nick stated.
"*gasp*" Everyone went.
"Oh... my... gosh." Flash said in shocked.
With that, everyone else went to the door to listen in on the conversation as Bruce continued.
"When I first heard the news, I panicked. I wanted to do everything I could to prevent her from dying. Work more jobs to make more money, visit other doctors, everything I could do. But Videl, she accepted her fate without worry. She did, however, had one request." Bruce said. "So I wouldn't be alone and that I would also have a small part of her, she wanted to have a baby. She wanted to have you... and so did I."
"You and mom... did want to have me?" Darson asked a bit surprised.
"Yes and after a while, your mother was pregnant. However, there were some risks." Bruce stated. "The doctors said that there were high chances that you would be sick too and... there was a chance that your mother would have died before giving birth to you. If that happened, I could have lost both of you."
Darson grips his chest after hearing that.
"But your mother was very strong-willed. And the strong-will helped her to the very day you were born." Bruce said.
Bruce started flashing back to the day of Darson's birth. It was in a hospital room, two doctors, both antelopes, and a slightly younger Bruce. They were all wearing scrubs. On a patient's bed was a beautiful light grey female coyote looking restless. This coyote was Videl Coynac. Around the room, the cries of a baby coyote could be heard.
"It's a boy, Mr. and Mrs. Coynac." One of the doctors said. "He's a bit underweight, but he seems healthy."
"Oh, thank goodness." Bruce said looking relieved. "Let me see him. I want to hold my boy."
"Alright." The doctor said as he covers the baby in a blanket and carefully hands him to Bruce.
Bruce held the baby in his arms. He looked at the baby's face and hears his loud crying. Happy tears started forming in his eyes.
"Ha... ha ha. This is our son. Our little boy." Bruce said happily. "He's small but looks so much like both of us." Bruce then lightly touched the baby's little paw sticking out.
"Dear..." Videl said weakly from her bed. "I want... to see him. I want to see our son."
"Yes, my love." Bruce said nodding.
Bruce walked to his wife holding their child and then carefully handed him to her. Videl looked at their baby as he started to quiet down. She had a warm smile on her face.
"Hey there, baby. Hey, Darson." Videl said the baby. "Your daddy and I were worried a minute. But we are glad you finally came." As she had one of her fingers out, baby Darson gripped on to it and stopped crying. He even had a little smile. At that moment, Videl was the one to start crying. "I'm sorry! I... I won't be here long enough to see what you become. You... probably be a bit sad about that. But I promise, I'll always be watching you, maybe not body, but in spirit." Videl then looked up at her husband. "Bruce, please take care of him."
Bruce wraps his arm around his wife. "I promise, no matter what, that I will take care of our son."
This ends the flashback, leaving Darson in total shock and disbelief.
"You mother held onto you for a whole hour before... before her time was up." Bruce said. "But she loved you every second of that hour. As do I."
So Bruce never hated Darson and it wasn't his fault that his mother died. It was because of her illness. Yet she still stayed strong long enough to make sure he would still be born and to hold him. Darson felt so many emotions in his crest. It then started to cry.
"Okay... so you don't hate me and I wasn't the real reason mom died." Darson said still crying. "But why did you wait so long to tell me this?"
"I sorry." Bruce said sincerely. "I felt that since your mother was gone, you needed to be tough. But the truth is... I might have been hurting as much as you have. I couldn't be like your mother and show you the kindness that you need. I hope that you can forgive me."
Darson then embraced his dad as he cried. Bruce hugged his son back, knowing that he finally ease the pain that Darson had for so long. Nick, Judy, and the other kids that were listening in were getting emotional too. But they still tried to keep quiet. Bruce then lets go of his son.
"Darson, for now on, no more secrets from each other. We stick together because we are all we have." Bruce said to Darson.
"Right." Darson said as he wipes the tears from his eyes.
"Now then..." Bruce said standing back up. "... how about we head home?"
"Right." Darson said happily.
Bruce then took Darson's paw and the two of them left the shop. So to Nick, Judy, and the others, it seems like things worked out in the ends.
"Looks like Darson and Mr. Coynac left." Nick said.
"That had to be the saddest story I've ever heard." Falisha said still wiping tears out of her eyes.
"I know. Who knew Darson had it so hard." Ronnie said.
"So, is he gonna be okay now?" Benji asked.
"Who can really say? But it looks like things are finally good for him and his dad." Nick said. "That's what matters."
"Yeah." Judy said agreeing with Nick. "It goes to show you that honesty is the best policy."
"Honestly... right..." Nick said softly as he cringes his arm. He then looked at his friends and many of them nodded. They all thought it was time Nick told Judy about the bracelet. "Judy, there's something I have to tell you."
"Oh. That reminds me." Judy said as she looks at Nick. "Nick, there's something I want to give you."
"Uhhh... can it wait til I say what I need to say?" Nick asked.
"Nope." Judy said. "Now, right arm out."
"Uhhh... but..." Nick said confused.
"Arm, Nicky." Judy said firmly.
"O... okay!" Nick said putting his right arm out and not wanting to make Judy angry.
Judy then dug into her pockets and took something out. She then wrapped it around Nick's right arm. To... everyone's surprise, it was a new bracelet. Just like the other one Judy made for Nick.
"Ta-dah!" Judy said happily.
"What?" Nick said surprised. "A new bracelet? How..."
"Nick, how long have we known each other?" Judy asked. "Nick, when you called me, I noticed by your tone something was bothering you when I mentioned the bracelet. Then it was you said that you got into a fight with Darson. You aren't the kind of person to just get into a fight without a reason. So I know the only you WOULD fight him... was because something happened to the bracelet I made you."
"Uhhhhhh..." Nick groaned.
"Thinking that happened, I decided to make you another one in case that did happen. But I wasn't completely sure until I saw you not wearing it." Judy stated.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Judy." Nick said feeling bad for not telling him. "It's just that you worked so hard to make it for me, I didn't want to make you upset."
Judy then held Nick's paw.
"It's okay, Nick. It didn't take much time to make this anyway." Judy said with a smile. She then had a mildly serious look on her face. "But Nick, even if this was easy to make, promise me you will take better care of it."
"Okay. I promise. Cause I'll never take it off." Nick said happily as he looks at his new bracelet. "You know, when I wore the last bracelet you made me, I had so much luck that day. But I realized something."
"What's that?" Judy asked.
"I wasn't lucky because of the bracelet, I was lucky because of you." Nick said as he looks at Judy with a smile.
"Awww! Nick!" Judy said blushing a bit.
"Awwwwwww!" All of their friends went, except for Finnick.
"You know what, I can't even with you two anymore." Finnick said feeling annoyed by Nick and Judy's 'will they, won't they' behavior.
Nick and Judy much really have a strong bond for Judy to forgive Nick. Let alone know she needed to make another bracelet. And with Nick's new bracelet, he decided never to take it off. It really shows much he cares about Judy.
It was an early Monday morning. John and Frankie were setting up some things to get ready to open up the shop later. Then they both hear a knock on the door.
"Store's not open yet. Come back in a few hours." John shouted.
"It's me, Mr. Wilde." A boy's voice from outside shouted.
Surprised by this, John opened the door to see who it was. It was Darson with his backpack on.
"Oh. Darson." John said.
"Is... umm... Nick still here?" Darson asked politely.
"Uh... yeah. Come on it." John said letting Darson inside.
"Nicky! Can you come down here?" Frankie shouted out.
Down the stairs came Nick with his backpack on. As he came down, he noticed Darson.
"Darson? What are you doing here?" Nick asked.
"Well... I was in the neighborhood... and uhh... I was wondering if you wanted to walk to school together." Darson said sounding a bit nervous.
"Oh." Nick said a bit surprised. He then looked at both his parents, who smiled and nodded at him. After that, Nick decided to smile himself as he looks at Darson. "Sure."
"Great. Let's get going." Darson said.
"Right." Nick said nodding. "See ya, mom. See ya, pop."
"Have a great day, son." John said happily.
With that, Nick, along with Darson, left the shop and were on their way to school. As they walked side by side, they talked a bit.
"So... uh... did you finish the math homework?" Darson asked Nick.
"Of course." Nick replied. "I'm assuming you didn't.
"I did it." Darson said firmly. "I'm just... not entirely sure that they are all right."
"Really?" Nick asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Alright, let me see."
"Huh?" Darson said surprised.
"It's different when I want to help." Nick stated. "Now let me see your homework."
Darson took out his backpack and took out a sheet of the math homework. He then handed it over to Nick to look at. Nick spent a few seconds looking at Darson's homework...
"Wow. A LOT of these are wrong." Nick stated.
"Hey! Math isn't my subject." Darson said boldly.
"You're lucky I looked at this before we went to class." Nick stated. "Alright, we got an hour before class. So you can rework on these by then. Hopefully, I can also help you study these before the test on Friday. I want us to have that pizza party."
"I only need to get a C." Darson said.
"Aim for an A." Nick said boldly.
"What? I won't be able to pull that off." Darson said looking worried.
"Not with that attitude. At least study and try to get an A." Nick said.
"Fine. But don't expect me to actually get an A." Darson said.
"With my help, I'm sure you will." Nick said boasting a bit.
Nick and Darson seem to be comfortable with each other if they can talk like this.
"Hey... Wilde... uhhh... I mean, Nick... about before..." Darson said sounding apologetic.
"Yeah?" Nick said.
"Sorry." Darson said sincerely.
"It's okay." Nick said accepting his apology. Nick then looked at Darson's homework. "Oh. You actually did get some of these right."
"Of course. I'm not an idiot." Darson said.
"Could have fooled me." Nick said with a smirk.
"Watch it, buddy." Darson said firmly to Nick.
"So we're buddies now?" Nick asked with a smirk. Darson just responded by laughing.
So Nick and Darson finally settled things with each other. Both of them have even come to an understanding. Guess it goes to show you, with a little luck, even the roughest of people can change with help from the right person.
Well, that's the end of part 2. Man, I just had to put so much drama in one chapter, did I. But don't worry. The next chapter is definitely gonna be a happy one. Til then, I hope you all stay well.