A/N: This is currently undergoing a major rewrite but I felt it was only fair to provide a better backstory for all the characters rather than springing it upon you at a later chapter. I ask for your patience and hope you like what I've written so far. Feedback is appreciated.

Chapter 8

The Peterson Gang, or the Pack Rats as they were called behind their back, ruled the halls of Zootopia High with fear. Robby Peterson was their leader and the rest were composed of a beaver, a capybara, and a porcupine. They picked on the smaller weaker mammals in school. The larger mammals learnt to avoid them because even though they could take on the whole pack, there was the possibility of being brought to court by Robby's father and the legal hassles that such an encounter could bring were not worth it.

Nick knew enough not to be alone if ever he encountered them so he would always make sure that Judy was with him if ever he ran into the gang. Robby knew that he and Judy were best friends so he would always pretend to like Nick when Judy was with him. But Nick knew from experience that once Judy's back was turned, all sort of accidents seemed to happen to him. So, he always steered clear of them until that one day when he went savage.

Judy continued to skip around Nick, constantly gushing, "Oh, I can't believe Robby Peterson asked me to the dance! I'm so thrilled! I'm the happiest bunny alive! Oh, wait…what am I going to wear? I know! I'll ask one of my sisters! Oh, this is so exciting! Imagine…me! He asked me!"

Nick was inwardly seething with jealousy but he didn't allow any emotions to show.

"Congratulations, Carrots! You've officially are now boring me with this. You've been going on and on for the last three days about Mr. Robby "oh-how-wonderful-and-perfect" Peterson that it's giving me a headache."

Judy slugged him in the arm. "Seriously, Nick! Can't you be happy for me? I mean, the way YOU are going on would make me think that you're jealous of Robby."

"Ha! Me, jealous of that over-sized fluff ball with two peas for a brain? Please, Carrots. You wound me. I have my pride to think about."

"So what's eating you then?"

"Well," said Nick, "you've been going on and on about him that you forgot we were on our way to the Zootopia Gazzette office to finish up tomorrow's paper. If we don't hurry, we're going to miss the deadline."

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers! That's right. I was so excited I forgot about it. C'mon! Let's hop to it" she grinned at her own pun.

Nick groaned. "You hang around me too much, Fluff. Those are my lines! I think I'm starting to rub off on you the wrong way."

"Why?" asked Judy. "Is there a right way?" she chuckled cheekily.

"Why, Judith Laverne Hopps!" said Nick with as much fake indignation as possible. "I am shocked. These virgin ears of mine will start to gush blood soon."

"Oh, come on Wilde! Don't pull that con on me. We both know you're no virgin." At that, Judy began to blush and Nick started to choke on the cola he was drinking.

"I…I meant to say…" stammered Judy, her ears starting to flush a bright pink, "that you're no stranger to sex…I mean to the opposite sex…I mean. Oh, you know what I mean!" raged Judy as her face began to match the colour of her blood-flushed ears.

Nick began to laugh at her embarrassment. "Fine, I'll take that as a compliment." as he smirked and waggled his eyebrows at her.

Judy was still clutching both her ears, covering her face with them truly embarrassed by what she had said as Nick continued to poke fun at her. She blurted out, "So is that how you treat a friend?"

"Oh, we're playing the friend card now, huh? Ok, Carrots. I'll forgive you for this Frodoean slip. Let's just get to the Gazette shall we? Oh…and one more thing…oh my gosh, look over there!" he shouted as he pointed down towards the hallway.

She quickly looked and saw nothing. However, she heard Nick call out as he began running the opposite direction, "Last one there pays for ice cream at the diner!"

"Sneaky fox!" Judy snarled. "You can't beat me at a race!" she yelled as she took off after him.

Nick knew that he couldn't outrun Judy and he was counting on it.

Judy reached the door of the office first and triumphantly pumped her fist in the air. "Next time, try running without your camera hanging around your neck," she laughingly pointed out.

Nick smiled as he reached her. "You're right, Carrots. So I guess that means I'm paying for your ice cream. And as the winner, you get to go first, milady" he said with a bow and a flourish as he unlocked the office door.

"Don't mind if I do." As she pushed open the door, Nick reached for his camera and got ready.

The ice-cold water in the bucket that Nick had placed over the door earlier in the day immediately drenched Judy. She screamed out loudly and turned on him with dagger-looks saying, "Nick! How could you?"

Nick clicked the shutter as she stood in the doorway, soaked to her fur, a very wet and cold bunny. Although he didn't feel like it, he still chuckled loudly at her predicament in order to complete the charade. But when he saw that the angry look was gone and had been replaced instead with sadness, he started to have doubts. Her lip was starting to tremble and her eyes started to mist over with tears. He would have been able to handle her anger. He did not count on her being disappointed with him and he immediately began to regret pranking her. The look of sorrow in those gorgeous eyes made his heart stop cold. Plus the fact that her body started to shiver and her teeth began to chatter wasn't a good sign either.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry Judy. I didn't think this through. Please forgive me!" he pleaded.

Judy looked at Nick's face and she immediately saw the regret in his eyes…one of those few times he let his real feelings come through. She began to sniffle and slowly nodded whilst the shivering started to get worse.

Nick started to panic so he brought Judy into the room while taking off his jacket and shirt. "Here, take these, get out of your wet clothes, while I wait outside while you change. Let me know when you're decent, okay?" She silently nodded her head whilst she forlornly took Nick's clothes. Nick wanted the earth to swallow him up right there and then.

As he stepped outside, the guilt he felt over the immaturity of his actions and the damage he may have done to their friendship, came crashing down around him. He slowly started to bang his head against the concrete wall. "You…are…such…an…idiot! Dumb fox! Dumb! Dumb! Dumb! How could you treat your best friend…your only real true friend like that? Ice-cold water in February? Are you seriously fucking nuts? If she ends up having pneumonia, it will be your fault! What if she can't go to the Graduation Ball because she's sick? All the more she's going to hate you!"

"Nick?" a small voice called from the room. "I'm decent."

He went inside to find a very sad, shivering Judy wearing his shirt and jacket, which despite the fact that it was way too large for her, made his heart beat way too fast for his liking. He managed to catch himself staring and swallowed hard.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked softly.

"Not as wet but still a little cold. I thought I heard some banging outside. Was that you?"

"Yeah. I think I was able to make a new door with my head." Nick said glumly. "Look, Judy, I don't know what came over me and I'm really, really, really sorry that I pranked you. If…if you don't want to be my friend anymore, I'll…I'll understand. I…I really am just a dumb fox," said Nick as he hung his head in shame.

"I really am just a dumb fox…I really am just a dumb fox…I really am just a dumb fox."

"Gotcha…" she said with a smirk on her face, as she held his junior spy-recording pen that she had found in his jacket. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

He stood there with his mouth hanging open. This was a different Judy in front of him. Gone was the lip trembling, teeth chattering and body shivering. She was standing before him with one paw on her hip and a big grin on her face.

"What? How?" he started to ask.

"I was the lead actress in our grade school plays for five years straight," she replied with a smirk.

Realizing that he had just been scammed, he grinned and shook his head not believing how easily she had manipulated him. "Sly bunny! The student has become the master. So, now that you can blackmail me, what are your demands?"

"Well, we'll start with you buying me ice cream every day for one week at the diner for starters. Then, maybe you can do my math homework for me coz I know you're a wiz at numbers."

"I'm willing to buy the ice cream but not do your math homework. If I do it, you'll never learn and what kind of friend would I be?"

"The kind that almost gives them pneumonia?" she snickered.

"Ouch. Okay, I deserved that. How about this? I'll tutor you in math every day, after school, instead? Deal?"

"One other condition," said Judy. "I told you I was still feeling cold despite my winter fur coming in. I want you to hold me until I get warmer since there doesn't seem to be any heater in the room and I don't want to catch a cold. Besides," looking suggestively at his fur-covered chest, "I've always wanted to know what a fox's fur feels like."

Nick almost fainted at her words. All the years he had known her, he had always imagined what it would be like to hold Judy in an embrace but he never showed her how he felt because he was afraid that she would reject him and he would lose the only friend he had. He always kept up a façade of aloofness whenever he was around her and never let on how he really felt about her. Now that one of his fantasies was about to come true, he again made it a point to not show his true feelings for her. So, he played out the scene a little longer, making it appear that he needed to think about it.

"Ok, Fluff. You win. Come in here." He sat down with his back to the wall and held open his arms to her. She climbed into his lap and snuggled up to him, her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her dainty form and settled his muzzle between her ears, sighing contentedly. "You're going to be the death of me, Carrots."

She punched his chest lightly. "And no hanky-panky. Remember, you're one kick away from singing falsetto in the choir."