Chapter 9: The Dinner (Part 2)

Her father's eyes stared deep into her soul. They were filled with anger or disappointment. Judy couldn't really tell. But what mattered that very second was the fact the secret she had no plan on sharing tonight had just gotten exposed. Because Karla just had to be such an amazing and organized doctor.

Great job Karla but seriously, you need to have some better timing.

The silence lasted for maybe a minute more until Jeanette screamed out of shock.

"Judy's pregnant! Before me?" She shrieked. From there the rest of her siblings expressed their opinions, each of them overlapping on top of the other.

"When were you even thinking about having a kit?" Jasmine exclaimed with wide eyes.

"What the hell man!" Josh yelled.

"Are you trying to hurt out baby sis? Because if you, I swear to god-" Jackson started before getting cut off by Julian.

"We're gonna kill you that's what." He threatened.

"Three kits? Judy!" Jeanette gasped again. "Did you even bother using protection?"

"How would that even work between them?" Jackie mumbled confused. "Was he the bottom or…?"

"I-I c-can't...y-you're…" Julie stuttered incoherently barely managing to say a word.

Her mother didn't say anything, her mouth open in shock. While her father looked as if he was about to shoot Nick dead in the skull.

Finally, infuriated with just about every member of her family in the room Judy shouted, grabbing their attention.

"Ok everyone shut up!" She demanded. The room went still once they all stopped talking. They all waited for her to say the next word and throughout it all Nick hovered protectively in front of Judy in case things were going to take a turn for the worst. Not that her family would even think about laying a paw on one of their own, but maybe the possible thought of him getting into a fight with her father or brothers and potentially getting Judy caught in between it scared him.

She shared a quick smile with him before returning her focus back to the mammals in front of her. But before she got a chance to say anything her father finally spoke, beating her to it.

"Living room. Everybody. Now." He demanded sternly. The group scurried into the room immediately but Nick stayed behind sure.

"Should I stay here or…"

"Wilde if you don't get in here and explain what in god's name you have done to my daughter then I will not hesitate to bring out my shotgun!" Stu bellowed. Nick instantly entered the room and sat beside Judy.

She fiddled with her thumbs anxiously as the room fell into an awkward silence. Her siblings hovered behind the couch where their parents sat. Unsure if anyone of them should say something or try intervening. Jasmine looked as if her head was about to explode with the intense debate she was having with herself.

Thankfully, Bonnie started the conversation Judy was only dreading to have.

"Maybe we can all go through this slowly like rational adults-" She began until her father yelled and broke her off.

"Adults!" He exasperated. "She's 16! They're not even close to becoming functional adults let alone him!"

"I really think I should-" Nick tried to say something in his defense but of course with almost everyone in the room thinking of plans to kill him it didn't really work in his favor.

"You shouldn't think anymore young man," Stu said gravely.

"Why are you even attacking him, dad? You were fine three minutes ago!" Judy groaned.

"Three minutes ago I didn't know that my daughter's boyfriend got her pregnant!" He screamed in response.

"Sweetheart, what were you thinking?" Bonnie said, adding on.

"Oh my god…" Judy sighed, shaking her head in her paws. Her family had been overbearing and completely judgemental many times before in her life. But this, this was insufferable.

"Do you think I should say something?" Nick whispered into her ear.

"Maybe if we ignore them hard enough they'll go away? She muttered back, shrugging her shoulders.

"Are you two stupid?" Josh asked bluntly.

"Or just plain crazy." Jackson continued.

"Judy I don't even recognize you right now," Julie said worryingly. That was what set her off. Judy sprung up immediately, pointing her paw at Julie.

"You are a hypocrite! You do not have the right to judge me right now." She screamed. Julie looked taken aback at her outburst and glanced frantically around the room.

"What is she talking about Jules?" Jackie questioned.

"I-I d-don't know! M-Maybe it's her f-freak pregnancy talking." She responded. Judy stared at her sister in shock. All this time, she assumed if anyone was going to stick up for her it would be Julie. But she was only protecting herself…

That lying bitch.

"Julie is dating a wolf," Judy said in a burst of anger. Her sister's ears sprung up in shock and her frantic glances intensified.

"WHAT!" Jeanette shrieked dramatically.

"You too?!" Jackie exclaimed.

"What is going on in this family…?" Julian mumbled.

"Judy! What the heck?" Julie wailed.

"Oh, I'm sorry it must have been my freak pregnancy talking." She responded sarcastically.

"I thought I could trust you!" Julie accused.

"And I can't believe you thought you could get away with it!" Judy exclaimed.

"What are you even talking about?" She demanded.

"I'm talking about your ridiculous lie Jules." Judy sighed, exasperated. "First you say that Conner was a bunny and actually go out of your way to pay some buck to pretend to be him."

"What?" Her parents shrieked but she ignored them and continued her rant.

"Then you go ahead and tell me that you hadn't even met the real Conner until a few months ago. So why would you even bother introducing us to your decoy when you most likely would've gotten off scot-free if you pretended to be in a long-distance relationship!?" Judy stated.

"I don't think you're in any place to give relationship advice." Julie scoffed.

"Yeah? Well, I don't think you're in any place to judge me and my choices. Especially when we're in the same boat." She said challenged.

"Julie's pregnant too!?" Jasmine squealed, having just about enough with her dramatic siblings.

"No I just meant cause we're both dating predators and…nevermind" Judy sighed ending her rant.

"I can't believe this...Both of my daughters!" Her father exclaimed.

"Why are you acting so shocked about this?" She questioned. "I thought you guys actually liked the idea of me and Nick."

"Because we were pretending!" Her mother shrieked, causing Judy to sit back down on the couch beside Nick in shock.

"W-What…" She stuttered confused.

"We didn't want to make you feel betrayed again like at the dinner with Jack so we agreed before tonight to just act like we were fine…" Josh explained.

"So...you all thought that lying to me again was better than expressing how you felt actually was a good idea?" Judy interrogated.

"Well...sorta." Jeanette shrugged.

"Jude can you really blame us? He's a fox!" Her father exclaimed referring to Nick as if he wasn't even in the room.

"Yeah. My boyfriend Is a fox. Get over it!" Judy exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Carrots, it's OK. Really I'm-'' Nick tried to calm her down but she stopped him mid-sentence, feeling the need to stand up for her family's rude opinion.

"No Nick! It's not OK. You have stuck it through with me every day of our relationship and they can't seem to understand that. You came to every ultrasound and y-you even bought a car to prepare!" She cried looking him in the eyes. Nick smiled at Judy and wrapped her paw in his as she smiled back. And for a split second, everything felt normal again.

Until she remembered her family was in the room judging her every move.

"He actually did all of that for you…?" Jasmine murmured in surprise.

"Yes. Yes, he did." Judy grinned looking at him then back at her family.

"How do you know he didn't just steal the money to pay for all it!?" Her father argued, interrupting.

"Actually I paid for it with my own money because I have a job," Nick interjected.

"And where exactly do you work?" Stu scoffed.

"Well over the summers, I help at my dad's company, and after-school I help out at the Bunnyburrow Beacon on weekends." He bragged gracefully. Judy beamed at him in support, knowing he would be able to save this after all.

But her father's expression didn't falter. He just continued to glare disapprovingly at the fox.

"Oh come on! He has a job!" She sighed aggravatingly.

"So does Josh!" Stu yelled in response.

"At the Carrot Shack! Nick works at a company!" Judy exclaimed.

"What type of company?" He asked skeptically. She looked at Nick immediately. At the moment Judy didn't really know what his father's company did. The only thing she learned from their trip was that it was something non-profitable and that it helped the community. Everything else was blurred with the stress of her pregnancy.

"It's a non-profit. He started it around new-years. They're working to get more prey involved in the government, with a lot of rallies and petitions." Nick responded happily. Judy beamed at his response. That was why she liked his company in the first place.

"And what do you do there? Swindle mammals out of their hard-earned money!" Her father interjected, breaking the happy moment. Judy was about to say something in his defense but Nick stopped her by putting an arm around her to calm her down.

"Sir I know you don't approve of me dating your daughter-" Nick began

"100% I don't." He sneered.

"And I don't blame you. But I promise that I won't leave Judy's side, I don't care how many mammals or how many times you want to say that I'm nothing more than some no-good fox because I'm not going anywhere." Nick sighed but continued. "I love Judy. And I know that I will love every single one of our kits."

She looked at him, tears brimming her eyes, and smiled.

"Thank you…" Judy murmured quietly. He hugged her tightly and muttered back.

"Anything for you Carrots."

Unfortunately, Judy's father was not moved by Nick's sentimental monologue and proceeded to berate her boyfriend even more.

"Jude you can't really expect to start a life with him! What happens when you meet a nice buck in the future and scare him away because of your intermixed children." He screamed in protest.

"Why would it even matter if I meet some "nice" buck when I already am in a relationship!" She yelled defending Nick.

Her father stared at her silently, his eyes squinting in thought. Judy had no idea what rant he was about to go off on now. Whether Nick was a terrible boyfriend or that she was out of her mind had to be one part of it.

"You're getting an abortion." Stu finally said. Causing Judy to look him dead in the eye in response. Her heart sped a million beats per second and the only thing she could feel was Nick shaking her out of her trance.

"Carrots." He whispered, trying to get her to say something. Judy looked to the ground feeling sick. Of course, her father would suggest something like this.

"I-I d-don't…" She stuttered, unable to let the words form from her mouth.

"Go to your room. We'll schedule an appointment tomorrow." He demanded pointing the two of them into the hallway.

She wordlessly got up, Nick's arm still tightly around hers and they walked to the door. Judy waited a few seconds, staring at the handle while listening to the voices of her family still murmuring in the living room. Her heart ached at the thought of getting an abortion. Sure the pregnancy wasn't ideal but that never meant she had thought about getting rid of them. They were her children in there. Her and Nicks…

He stood by her side, throughout all of this. She can't give in to her father's wishes, or her siblings. Suddenly, a crazy, almost impossible thought popped into her head.

What if...she just went away. If her parents couldn't accept her for who she was or who she wanted to be with then surely they wouldn't be able to accept their own grandchildren that came from her. And Judy would never want that kind of life for her kits. Even if it meant potentially cutting ties with the only family she's ever known.

But it was a price worth taking if it meant she would get to be with the one she loved each and every day from here on out.

Judy quickly grabbed Nick's keys from the small wooden bowl beside the door and shoved them into his paws before pulling him down by his tie and dropping her voice to a whisper.

"Start the car. Wait for me and in about 5 minutes we're leaving." She muttered rapidly, still calculating the plan in her head.

"W-What?" Nick asked, still processing what she'd just said.

"Go outside," Judy repeated. "Wait 5 minutes for me to come back out. And prepare to drive us far away from here."

"So...you're leaving? Running away? Like in a romance movie?" He asked, still confused.

"Yep," Judy said, nodding her head vigorously.

"W-Wait are you sure? I don't want to force you to do something that you might end up regretting." Nick exclaimed, putting his arm on her shoulder in order to stop her racing amount of adrenaline.

"Nick." She began, looking him dead in the eye. "Never in my life have I thought that my parents might ultimately force me to get an abortion. You and I love these kits and I'd rather rid myself of the Hopp name than get rid of them."

He looked back at her uncertain but ultimately signed, placing his paws carefully over her stomach.

"Your mom's a persistent one. I'll give you that." Nick muttered at the kits, who weren't even old enough to have formed ears yet but the gesture was still sweet enough.
She smiled, placing a quick kiss on his cheek until pushing him out the door and turning around in the direction of her bedroom. Judy then promptly ran into Jasmine as she was coming out of the living room where the rest of her family still sat. Completely unknown to the insane plan happening under their roof.

"O-Oh Judy! Has Nick already left?" Jasmine proclaimed looking behind her.

"Um, yeah. Just now." Judy answered uncomfortably. The two stood there awkwardly in the hallways until Jasmine eased the silence by talking again.

"It's still really tense in the living room. Mom and dad are taking it out Julie since you told us about Conner." She mumbled.

"Hmm." Judy mused in response to non-heatedly. She had no time to care about what was happening to Julie. That hypocritical lying doe just back-stabbed her in front of their litter. And she was her BFTF. (Best Friend in The Family)

A betrayal from her stung. But right now, Judy wanted nothing more but to get the heck out of this house and back into the loving arms of her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry!" Jasmine blurted out of no-where.

"What?" Judy exclaimed. "Why?"

"I j-just stood by and let dad insult you and Nick and I didn't even do anything! I'm supposed to look out for you. Not let you get pushed down and forced into insane solutions." She said, tears staining her cheeks.

"W-Wait...so you don't think I should get an abortion? Or hate the idea of me and Nick?" Judy asked unsurely.

"Of course not! I support you guys through and through! I didn't even know what mom and dad were planning on doing until I got back from work today!" Jasmine assured.

She stared at her sister skeptically. Her entire family, mostly her parents, just broke her heart in a matter of seconds. But Jasmine had always managed to stick it through with her. In reality, Jasmine was her Nick in the family. As weird as it sounds, it was true.

"I need you to listen to what I'm about to say and promise to not freak out," Judy stated, pulling both of them out of the group's ear-shot. Jasmine nodded vigorously and kept quiet.

"I'm leaving with Nick. Right now." She finally explained. Her eyes bulged in shock and before she had the chance to scream or shriek in response, Judy put a paw over her mouth.

"I just said don't freak out." She repeated aggravatingly. Jasmine appeared to look calmer so she dropped her paw and allowed her to speak.

"What can I do?" Jasmine eventually said.

"Wait, you want to help?" Judy exclaimed shocked.

"Yes! Now hurry up and let me!" She demanded. Judy laughed at her sister and smiled.

"Ok. Can you help out with a diversion? I don't want Nick getting chased by dad and his tractor." She asked hopefully.

"Duh. But I'm not performing some kind of weird dance like last time." Jasmine said squinting at her. Judy laughed again, remembering their last escape plan from the summer. When the two had wanted to see this movie but had to get out of their punishment of eradicating the weeds at the farm. It was chaotic, but in the end, it worked.

Judy quickly left the work to her sister and headed back downstairs and into her bedroom. She hastily grabbed everything that would be essential, her computer, backpack, phone, and one small suitcase that was big enough to fit almost all of her clothes.

When she was done Judy took one last look around her room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything important. All that was left was her bed and empty desk and closet. The room felt barren as if it was untouched by her presence. But the only thing that remained the same was all the years of memories plastered along her walls.

The pictures had been old and new, each of them taken at some moment in her life. They were filled with her family, friends, first day at school, and just about any other milestone, she could think of.

The problem was, Judy couldn't fit a lifetime full of photographs into her suitcase. And it wasn't like she needed to. Her future involved Nick and no one else. Well maybe Jasmine and her kits too, but no one else. She promptly grabbed the last remaining pictures of her and Jasmine off the walls and stuffed them into her backpack.

Judy walked back out into the hallway, hearing the loud noises still coming from upstairs. She must be going to town on this diversion, Judy thought. She was about to head out to complete her grand exit but soon realized she was still wearing her dinner dress.

It was after all Jeanette's. So maybe stealing that wouldn't be the best thing to end on. Judy retreated back into her room and got out of the tight dress, relieved to not appear formal anymore, and threw the piece of clothing back into her sister's room.

She quietly crept back upstairs and waited outside the living room, listening against the door to make sure her family was still inside instead of being out and about. Thankfully, Jasmine's diversion was working perfectly and the group was captivated by her long monologue of the importance of picking the right soil.

The only way to distract farmers is with dirt! Everyone knows that.

Judy headed out the front door instantly, already seeing the bright headlights of Nick's car. She threw her luggage into the trunk and sat beside him at the front. Before he turned the ignition Nick turned to face Judy one more.

"Are you still sure about this?" He asked pensively. She stared out the window and back to the house one more time. But she had already made up her mind, her family didn't want her kit or Nick so then she wouldn't want them.

"Yeah...let's go." He started the car and they drove out of the driveway never looking back.

Nick parked the car outside his apartment, similarly to the last time she was here earlier that day. He helped bring up her luggage since there wasn't exactly much. And Judy walked inside the room alongside him.

She stood aimlessly in the doorway, taking familiar glances around the room. Somehow...it felt brighter than the last time she was here. Maybe it because of how terribly the dinner went or the fact her parents almost forced her to get an abortion but everywhere that wasn't her house felt much less suffocating.

Judy leaned against the wall feeling a tight pain against her chest and a lump in her throat. Nick immediately showed up beside her.

"Carrots are you ok? You're crying." He exclaimed, rubbing her back. She moved a paw to her face and felt the long streaks of tears going down her face.

"O-Oh...I-I um...God, I actually ran away." Judy laughed breathlessly. Everything came rushing to her now. Her family, the people she's grown up with and lived around. She just left that all behind! Judy wouldn't get the chance to see her younger siblings ever again! Would they even realize she was gone right now?

Well, most likely they wouldn't. Right? They could go about their night assuming she went to bed early and left for school before them in the morning. The only mammal that knows she isn't coming back is Jasmine! Shouldn't she at least call her parents to let them know she wasn't kidnapped?

Judy started to reach for her phone out of her jean pocket but Nick came in front of her.

"Carrots...it's 12:00 in the morning and I know we both have an early test tomorrow morning. We can call your parents tomorrow and let them know you're ok." He said reassuring her. She nodded quietly and leaned against him as he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

Tomorrow. She would call her parents tomorrow. There was no telling how'd they react or even if they would want her back. But Judy would have to let them know.

The next day Judy woke up beneath Nick's warm embrace and giggled to his morning look. The fur on his face stuck everywhere and his eyes laid half-open.

"Morning." He mumbled groggily.

"Morning Slick." She laughed. " We should probably start heading out soon. It's almost 7:00." Nick sighed dramatically but begrudgingly got up and left the room. He came back with her phone in hand and stared at Judy expectantly.

"You should call your parents." He suggested. She looked at the phone and back at him with a pout and reluctantly grabbed it. Judy dialed her mom's phone number and waited anxiously as the screen buzzed. Her mother and father appeared on screen from what appeared to be the kitchen. She could see some of her siblings in the background cleaning dishes but what caught her eye was that Jasmine was in the background as well.

"Oh, sweetheart are you at school already? I was about to check on you but Jasmine said you had already left." Her mother exclaimed. Judy glanced expectantly at her sister and she winked back before returning to her work in case their mother noticed.

"U-Uh yeah...I had a meeting I needed to go to." Judy said while pretending to yawn.

"Alright then…" Bonnie trailed off as if wanting to say more but hesitated. "Judy...your father and I still wish to talk to you when you get back. Can you come here right when your classes end?"

She could see Jasmine hovering in the background mouthing, "Say nooo," but Judy ignored her because of the fact that her mother was looking right at her. She was about to answer when Nick shouted from the other room.

"Carrots are you fine with toast for breakfast? I don't think we'll have time to make anything else."

Bonnie's eyes squinted skeptically at Judy and she could feel her nose twitching on screen.

"Who was that?" Her mother questioned.

"Oh! T-That was...Sharla!" She exclaimed.

"Sharla? But I thought you were already at school." Bonnie exclaimed.

"I know I just wanted to visit Sharla to um...drop off some books," Judy said smiling awkwardly. She would have to work on her lying if she'd ever get into something like this again.

"That didn't sound like her though…" Her mother muttered suspiciously.

"That is because...it was Gareth," Judy answered timidly.

"Oh, Gareth! Well, I suppose that makes sense." She laughed. "Can he say hi?"

"Oh my god look at the time! Mom I'm going to be late for school so I should get going." Judy exclaimed, turning off the call.

"Wait-" Bonnie was cut off as Judy hit the button and threw her phone across the bed anxiously. That most likely had to be the most stressful phone call of her life.

Her hand moved towards her stomach, laying careful on top of the place where her kits were. All this lying for three beautiful miracles. Even if said miracles looked like tiny blobs floating around her womb she still loved them with all her heart.

Just then, Nick burst into the room with a plate of blueberry jam covered toast and a frantic look on his face.

"Ok if we eat this in about 5 or 6 minutes we have another 20 to get to the school and-" He stopped noticing Judy's sorrowful look. He set the plate down on the nightstand and sat down beside her. "Hey...are you alright?"

She looked up and smiled at him.

"Yeah...just a little shaken up from last night." Judy murmured while grabbing a piece of toast. She got off the bed and waited in the doorway for Nick.

"Well? Let's go, I'm not risking a bad grade because of your lollygagging." Judy chuckled. He rolled his eyes and stood beside the doe.

"Yeah? Well, I'm not the one planning on going to school in her boyfriend's t-shirt." Nick said while eyeing her up and down jokingly. She flushed and ran into the bathroom changing out of her sleepwear in a matter of seconds. Judy walked back out, scowling at Nick, and headed out the door with her bag.

"Make fun of me again Slick, and I name our kids The Three Meerkats." She said slyly while walking out the door but hearing Nick call out to her.

"Wait is that still an option?!"

The two pulled up behind the school, Judy hopping out first while allowing Nick to park the car.

"I'll circle around and leave it near the front. See you later in class Fluff." He said while leaning out the window. She took the opportunity and kissed him by going on the tips of her legs and grabbing him the muzzle. They stayed like that for a few more seconds until she pulled away and Nick smirked.

"Just couldn't resist me can you?" He questioned comically.

"What can I say? You're too adorable in the morning to not get smothered by kisses." Judy giggled. Nick laughed and drove the car around the corner of the school as she watched him leave. She was about to head inside when hearing two voices arise from behind her.

Thinking fast, Judy slipped into a small area between two perfectly placed bushes so as to not show herself. She didn't know why, but the situation gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. That or she had to throw up.

Judy arched her ears and listened intently, waiting for them to pass. The two mammals sounded female, but what caught her attention was that she recognized one of the voices.

"Why did you want to bring me out here to talk?" A snobby voice said dramatically. Judy would bet on her own education that the mammal behind that voice was none other than Xena. It was too shrill and annoying to not be.

"You know why Xena." Another voice answered, one more smooth and grateful. But thankfully that voice confirmed her suspicions. One of the voices was Xena! The only question is, who was the other one?

They were both females, that's for sure. But Judy had a hard time pinpointing the source of the voice of the other mammal. It was familiar but also distant. As if it were somebody she was acquainted with but also strangers at the same time.

Judy flattened her ears against her skull, compromising her hearing for a few seconds, and glanced at the encounter happening in front of her eyes. Beside Xena stood Simone. Which only made the sick feeling in her stomach grow even more.

Why in the world would these two be talking? Two vixens like these only meant trouble for Nick or Judy herself. She continued listening in, hiding her appearance even more behind the bushes out of fear of them discovering her.

"Listen…" Xena began, breaking Judy's thoughts. "I don't care what type of relationship you had with Nicky. He's mine now so deal with it!"

She almost gagged at the mention of his nickname but proceeded to listen to what Simone might say next. Were they about to do a full-on catfight? If so, Judy might risk videotaping the scene out of the hilarious thought of Xena trying to fight.

"Yeah, you might be a little late on that princess." Simone scoffed. Judy gasped but quickly covered her mouth. She waited a few more seconds and nothing happened, she must have been in the clear. Judy rushed through the possibilities of what Simone meant by that. Could she have actually suspected something from yesterday? But if she did, why hadn't she gone around social media blabbing about it or something.

I suppose we're about to find out.

"What do you mean? Is Nick dating someone!?" Xena shrieked.

"Maybe, are you familiar with Judy Hopps?" Simone questioned. Judy could feel her nose twitching out of control and she almost debated the idea of leaving but decided against it. If these two vixens were about to plan something she would much rather be known of it than find out later.

"That farmer girl? Um, yeah she's pretty weird. Thinking she can make it big as a police officer and whatnot. Why are you asking me?" Xena sneered. Judy clenched her fists in anger when hearing that but calmed herself down in order to hear Simone.

"Let's just say she and Nick might be-" She was cut short by the loud blaring of the bell indicating the start of the first period. The two girls scurried around the building but before they disappeared Judy was able to hear Simone's last words.

"I'll tell you at lunch!" She said, screaming over the bell." Xena promptly nodded and the two went inside.

Judy lay still behind the bushes for a few more minutes until composing herself and rushing inside before getting written off as late. But as she walked into her classroom only one thought overcame her mind.

If Xena actually found out about her and Nick, they were doomed. The girl was the school's resident gossip. Anything worth hearing about gets mentioned by her. And a bunny dating her crush definitely sounds worthy enough to Judy!

She sat uncomfortably in her seat and tuned out the voice of Mrs. Hathrone speaking by the board. If Judy wanted any chance of no one else finding out about her secret she'd have to stop those two from the meeting.

Judy glanced at the clock above the classroom's door and watched the fast red line tick around. It read 8:00. That meant she had at least 4 hours to prepare.

She rather let Dawn win as Student Council President then let Xena own an edge on her. And Judy would do anything to prevent that from happening.

As lunch drew closer she waited expectantly by the staircases inside the musty bathrooms. The scene was familiar to her so Judy knew exactly where she could hide and when. Simone had Gym which was right across the staircases and Xena had Choir which was upstairs. The perfect place for those two to meet would be right there.

Judy waited in the room, listening as the bustle of her classmates walked by and she prayed no one planned on using the bathroom before lunch. Otherwise, that'd put her in an awkward situation.

Unfortunately, as if some unknown forces were planning on making her day even worse, the door swung open causing Judy to flinch backward. Nick walked in, closing the door behind him instantly. She let out a long sigh of relief when seeing him and not anybody else from her grade.

"Oh thank goodness," Judy muttered while walking up to Nick.

"Hey Carrots, you good? Didn't run into any of your sisters?" He asked. She smiled and shook her head. Judy expected Jasmine to run up to her during their classes together but the two never found the right opportunity.

"But we need to wait here for a few more minutes." She exclaimed, pulling him aside.

"Jeez if I'd known you didn't want to see your family this much I would've grabbed us some lunch before coming here." Nick laughed.

"That's not the reason. But while we're on the topic why did you come here?" Judy asked, interested.

"Why else Carrots? To look at my beautiful self in the mirror." He joked while posing. Judy rolled her eyes playfully at her boyfriend but leaned her ears against the door. She cracked it open, poking her head out to make sure none of her classmates still loitered the halls. Nick came from behind her, pushing apart her ears in order to place his head on top of hers.

"Are we staking out nefarious deeds?" He whispered. Judy giggled and continued looking around while quietly mumbling.

"Let's just say one or more vixens may know about our relationship."

"Wait what?" Nick exclaimed.

"Shhh!" Judy hissed while stepping out of the doorway so she could get a better look around. She looked left, right, and up the staircases. Nothing. There was no sign of her classmates anywhere. And it was already well into lunch so the only thing that could mean was that Simone and Xena weren't planning on meeting up here.

Dang, it.

Judy kicked the wall irritated and slumped against it afterward.

"It's Simone isn't it?" Nick asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah…" She mumbled sadly. "And Xena too. Also maybe Dawn."

"What? How in the world did Dawn find out." He exclaimed sitting beside her.

"She volunteered at the clinic and saw my test results," Judy responded.

"Judy that's illegal! We have to tell someone." Nick persisted.

"And let everyone else get involved? Nick if more people find out then it will lead to the city I'm sure of it! Xena's a popular gossip on social media so how do you know the college scouts won't find out about it too!" She sighed exasperatedly.

"Hey." He started, turning her chin to look at him. "If anyone else tries to blackmail you, tell me and I'll beat them up." Judy laughed and moved closer to him.

"Are you really willing to beat up Dawn?" She inquired.

"Not really but if she tries to use this against you she'd better learn to use those hooves to defend herself." Nick laughed putting up both of his paws in a battle stance. She giggled and intertwined her paw in his.

He placed a caring kiss on her lips and she melted into the feeling sitting there alongside him for a few more minutes. Judy could feel the worrying feeling in her stomach fade away and she knew that with Nick beside her maybe there was a chance to beat this.

To get back at Dawn and Simone and everyone else doubting her because of the pregnancy or relationship with Nick. She could get through this, hopefully.

The two remained in each other loving embrace, tuning out the world around them. But doing so made it possible for the suspicious figure hiding in the empty classroom in front of them capable of taking a picture.

"Click"

Judy shot up her ear in fear and pulled herself away from Nick, he groaned in response.

"Quiet I heard something." She demanded while looking around. There was no one there. At least, that's what she believed. Judy shrugged and got off the ground with Nick.

"Come on," She said, dusting off her skirt. "We should head to lunch before Sharla thinks I got kidnapped." The two walked in the direction of the cafeteria, not noticed the classroom door open allowing the mammal spying on them to walk out.

Judy was right, she could get through this with Nick. But she would never be able to get through what was about to come.

Not if others had anything to say about it.

To Be Continued…(End of Dinner Arc) :3