When I said that I wanted to bring down the house, I didn't mean it in quite the way that my classmates appear to have. Oh, well, let's see if we can still get our point across…
"Hey, Nick! What are you going to do now, man? This day has been crazy!"
"No kidding, Gareth. You want to help me with one last thing before you guys really make a mess? I mean, we've already riled up the whole school, so mission accomplished there, but I have just one last request."
"Oh?" He seemed puzzled. "What sort of thing?"
"We1l, here's the thing- you realize that I'm on my way to the principal's office right about now, don't you?" I told my young sheep classmate.
"No, Nick, I didn't," he said, looking somewhat shocked. "What did you do?" Then he paused for a second, a hoof on his chin and a thoughtful look on his face. "Oh, I get it. The whole 'disruption' aspect of things, huh?"
"Yeah, you got it exactly, buddy. If you want to tag along, I'm be more than glad to have the company, I don't get much of it."
"What do you mean?"
"Only child, single mom, you tell me. Look, we're lucky that I even have clothes."
"Oh, come on, you can't be that poor, can you?"
"Sure, I could be, but am I? No, no am not. But even still, Mom works fifty-hour weeks and we're still not the greatest off. Stupid stereotypes- Mom's tried and tried her tail of again and again and again, but because most people think that she can't be anything more than a dumb bunny? Well, then she can't be. Even though that's the exact opposite of her personality- she's always telling me to never settle for less than my best, to never give up even though I could fail, well, a dumb bunny's all most people are willing to see, even though I'm a fox. I mean, come on, how does that even work?"
"No idea, buddy, but sweet Serendipity, that has to suck!"
"Yeah, but what can you do," I said, my ears drooping and my tail dragging on the tile of the hallway behind me, "when everybody sees red fur and claws and thinks 'Oh, a fox, he must be a thief, 'cause foxes are red because they were made by the devil."
"Look, Nick, you're not at fault here, no matter what the principal is going to going to tell you." He paused for a second, then turned and started running back to Mister Lionheart's classroom.
"Hey! Where are you going? I thought you were going to tag along!"
"I am, Nick, no worries. I'm just getting you some support."
"Okay, but just wait for me!"
"No, you wait for me. I'll be right back, just hang tight there for a second, okay?"
"Ohhh-kaaay…..But I still don't entirely understand what you mean, Gareth."
"I'm getting your friends!" And with that, he burst back into Mister Lionheart's classroom. I didn't hear a work of what he said, but a minute later, all my classmates came streaming out the door, and last but not least, Mister Lionheart.
"I hear you need some support, Nick," Judy said. "Come on, let's stick it to them."
That sentiment was echoed by the rest of my classmates, who all filled the hallways with their cheers and calls of support. With that, we set off back down the hallway only to find-
-the principal and the superintendent, both rabbits, standing right in front of our group, blocking our way.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our troublemakers," the superintendent, a buck by the name of Mister McKenna, said. "Well, Leodore, since you don't have tenure, and you've just wound up the entire school," he said, pantomiming looking shocked, then reaching for his back pocket and pulling out a pink slip, "it looks to me like this is the last time we'll be needing your services. Good day, good bye, you're fired!" With that, he turned around and gave the superintendent a high-paw, and I saw red. (Well, other than my own fur, that is.)
"What do you mean, he's fired? Why are you blaming him? It was my idea, hadn't you considered that, you cottonheaded balls of fluff? Or was that your plan, dumb us all down so that way we could never hope to subvert your authority? Is that it, because it really seems that way to me..."
"No, of course not. He made a mess, now he has to pay for it. He didn't have tenure, and so there's no reason why we can't just show him the door, now is there?"
"Well, of course there is!" I nearly shouted. I'm somewhat ashamed to admit it, but fox fangs are great for intimidating dumb rabbits (No offense meant, Judy!). He didn't do anything! This whole plan was my idea. If he's getting the blame, then I should be, too!"
"Me too," Judy said."
"And me." That was Gareth.
"Count me with them, Mister McKenna." That was Sharla.
"And me." Gideon.
"Yeah!" Judy.
"We all stand together! Together or not at all!"
"Well then. This is certainly a surprise." Mister McKenna said, obviously seething, ears stuck straight up in anger. "And I would've thought you'd just give in. I guess I'm wrong. Well, then I have but one recourse. You're all suspended indefinitely. Oh, and Leodore? You're still fired!" And with that, and even more ticked off buck stormed back downstairs to his office, and I stared blankly at the floor, wondering just what Mom would think of me, her little fox son, already playing to the stereotypes of foxes. Great. And now I'm suspended.
Apparently Judy can tell I'm worrying, because she comes over to me. "It's okay, Nick. You can come over to my house tomorrow. We'll think something out."
"That's all well and good, Judy, but where do you live?"
"As it would so happen, two houses down the road from you. Number 121 Laurel Ave. I'll meet you there tonight."
"See you there, it my mom doesn't skin me first."