(AN: On this chapter, some of the other girls will interrupt the narration to talk with Rhubella. I'll make clear when that happen. The rest of the narration, of course, will be from Ruby's POV Also, I'll make reference to one of The J.A.M.'s stories.)
A TIME FOR ADVICE.
For the next two weeks, I had Wally almost totally for myself. This happened because Drake had to do his best to have Margot's forgiveness (he still cared a little about her then), and she made him her own slave during that time. Of course, he excused himself saying that everything was just a facade to finally make Wally a cheater and a bully, as the rest of the students, but, even if that was true, Margot really made him work hard.
Anyway,Wally started going to my home at times, to help me with the homework... okay, he was doing all the homework, but I entertained him with stories about my family and the other Perfectos; he always laughed every time I mentioned an occasion when any of his usual bullies made a fool of themselves.
He alsostartedreceiving a little respect from the other guys. Sure, they still insulted him a lot, and sometimes played pranks on him, but nobody dared going so far against him. Only an idiot would look for a fight with the guy that beat Gunbo. Unfortunately, this had a bad effect as well... look, maybe I should skip this part.
"Why? The story is going well!" Babs interrupted Ruby.
Yes... but I might re-open some old injuries if I say what happened next. And you girls will go back to hate me.
"Hey, don't worry, Ruby. We all know you were a bad girl... and certainly, I dislike hearing about how you and the other Perfectos mistreated Wally, but you had changed You already have our forgiveness, and our friendship as well, or some junk." Shirley assured the rat.
-sigh- Thanks, Shirley... okay, I'll continue. By that time, it was almost the basketball's season, and Perfecto would soon face Acme. Roderick, of course, got interested on me again by those dates... or in the money he could get by betting.
Wally carried Ruby, bridal style, to her seat, placing her gently on the chair. Before he could go to his own, Roderick approached them.
"Hey, Wolf, wait! I need to talk with you and your mistress." Roddy said. Wally stopped, and he and Ruby looked at Roderick, puzzled.
"Why do you need to do that, Roddy?" Rhubella asked, showing a lot of interest. This was the first time in weeks that her boyfriend wanted to have a talk with her, and he wanted to have Wally there?
"Well, Danforth told me about the little misunderstanding you had on the spa." Roderick was cut by Ruby.
"He was making out with a girl who isn't Margot, and one of his companions tried to break my arm. I wouldn't call that a "misunderstanding", Roderick." Rhubella said in a dry tone. Roddy shrugged.
"Whatever, the point is that this coward..." Roderick pointed to Wally, and then directed back to Ruby. "... fought for you, and actually defeated one of the toughest guys in the Prep. Very impressive, Wolf. You are really loyal to my girl and Margot, right?" Roderick said to Wally.
"Yes, Mister Rat. I am their pet, and it's my job to defend and help them, unless, of course, it involves something illegal. Is part of our "mistresses-pet" agreement." Wally explained.
Canine loyalty. You must love that.
"Oh, that's good. Don't worry, I only want Ruby to allow you to act the way wolves naturally do. Tell me... when was the last time you had a good fresh piece of meat?" Roddy asked. Wally shrugged.
"I'm trying to cut the fresh meat from my diet. I eat the fake soy meat that's usually sold in this city, and Miss Rat gives me many cheese-based snacks; I like those a lot. Anyway, I can't allow me to eat fresh meat because many guys on the school are from eatable species, and it would be disrespectful to eat the same meat they have on their bodies." Wally answered. Roderick placed a paw on his shoulder.
"Oh, that's very generous from you. Well, I might allow you to have a good meal, and we'll not feel offended for it. Maybe you don't want to eat a duck, because of the respect you have for Margot... but maybe a rabbit, or two... or some pork... or deer, one of your species' natural preys. Maybe you can play the part of the wolf from "Little Red Riding Hood", and eat a human girl. And, if I remember right, you wolves can eat smaller predators, like cats or coyotes." Roddy said with an evil smile. Wally got a surprised look, and Rhubella gasped.
"Roderick, you want Wally to eat the students from Acme!" Ruby said, in a half-angry, half-scared tone. Wally gasped as well.
"Why not? That's what wolves do, and he can't be jailed for acting according to his nature. And, if you ask him to do it, he'll obey." Roderick said, smirking at Rhubella. Wally gave her a begging look; he didn't want to disobey her, and that order would make him to do it.
SLAP!
Rhubella got a furious look, and slapped Roderick, with her face red by rage. The male rat fell to the ground, stunned, and the girl snapped at him.
"How can you ask me to do that, Roderick? Had you forgotten about last year? We almost did an irreplaceable damage to someone, and you promised we would never do something that hideous again!" Ruby said, with tears on her eyes, and dashed out from the classroom. Wally gave Roddy a nasty look, and resisting the impulse of beating him to a pulp, ran to the door, following Ruby.
Rhubella jumped inside her car, and covered her eyes with both paws, sobbing. Wally approached the car with a concerned look, and tapped the window.
"Please, if you are Roderick, just go before I slap you again... and, if you're anyone else, this is not your business, so go!" Rhubella snapped, without uncovering her eyes.
"And... what about me?" Wally asked. Ruby looked at him, with reddish eyes because of the tears, and softened her expression. Wally lowered his ears.
"You know, you can tell anything to a pet, and he will not judge you. Is on the job's description." Wally told her. Ruby sniffed, and allowed him to enter the car. The wolf offered her a tissue so she could clean her face. The rat girl didn't say a thing for a minute; Wally only stared at her, placing his paw on Ruby's shoulder.
"Last year... I almost killed one student from Acme." Rhubella finally said. Wally gulped, but allowed her to continue without interruptions. Ruby sighed, and explained.
"There's one guy at Acme... a Mexican, like your mom. He is a jaguar... and he had problems with Montana Max, their local villain. He wanted to get even on this cat, and got help from another student, an avian... as well as Roderick's and mine. Of course, he promised us a good amount of cash for doing it." Rhubella paused.
Money... as if we didn't already have enough of that.
"The plan was simple... shooting this cat from different angles with tranquilizer guns, and then skin him alive and send the feline back to Mexico, unconscious. It was the most sickening thing I had ever agreed to do, but we would do it with the help of two guys trained in toon tricks, so they could skin the feline without really hurting him. But we didn't count with one girl... Mary Melody." Rhubella sighed, and started crying again. She cleaned herself with another tissue Wally passed to him.
"She... she spotted us right before we could shot the darts, and dashed to save the jaguar. She used her body as a shield, and... we got her instead. We used a dosage strong enough to knock out an elephant, and, for Mary, was a nearly lethal one. She ended in a coma." Ruby's voice was filled with anger, sadness, and guilt, all at the same time.
"She recovered, almost by miracle... but I felt so bad, so stupid, so... dirty. I mean, I hate those guys from Acme, but not enough to kill any one of them, not even my worst enemies, and I almost did it! Roderick noticed how much it affected me, and promised to never, ever, get ourselves involved in any stunt that dangerous. He obviously forgot his promise." Rhubella ended with a sad sigh.
"And... you apologized for that?" Wally finally talked again. Ruby shook her head.
"No. I tried to repair my mistake once... you see, Gunbo heard about our failure, and decided to hunt this jaguar himself. I discovered him, and... I paid 20 grand to convince the guy to never try hunting the feline. It helped me a little with the guilt... but it hadn't gone completely." Rhubella smiled weakly, but returned to her sad face immediately.
"Wallace... I want to ask you something... not as your mistress, but as if I were a random girl who just confessed you her meanest action ever... What's your opinion about me?" Rhubella asked, keeping her head down. Wally placed one paw under the rat's chin, and lifted her head to see Ruby's eyes.
"Well... I think that was a terrible thing to even considering doing it. But... I'm watching the eyes of a girl who is truly sorry for her actions. A girl who had played the villain's role for a very long time, but still has some good inside her, because, otherwise, you wouldn't be this affected. And, if you are wondering about if I hate you... no, I doubt I'll ever be able to do that." Wally said in a very sincere tone. Rhubella's eyes watered, and she hugged him for a while, until the tears stopped.
Mary... I know you already forgave me... but I want to do this again. I'm truly sorry for doing that, and there's no day I don't feel bad for grabbing that gun on first place. I can say "I'm sorry" a million times... and still, it will not be enough... sob
"Ruby... I already said this, and, if it makes you feel better, I'll say it a million times. I forgive you. That was a terrible experience for me, but, instead of being sorry for our past fights, I want to enjoy our present friendship." Mary said in a very kind tone, and she and Ruby hugged for a minute, until the rat calmed enough to continue her story. The other girls got silent during this minute, sobbing a little as well.
Once Rhubella was a little more in control of herself, she returned to her classroom, with Wally closely behind her. The girl ignored Roderick for the rest of the day, and actually avoided him for two days, until Roddy kneeled in front of her to beg for forgiveness. Rhubella made him promise again to never, ever, ask her to do something that could lead to anyone's elimination. After that, their relationship returned to normal... as normal as it had been the last months.
One week later, Perfecto Prep's basketball team had a game against Acme. This match was programmed to be on the Loo's gym, so the Perfectos arrived there on their fancy cars, except the team, who used a special bus that looked more like an airplane's first-class section. While the girls went to the dressing room, Margot ordered Wally to stay at the door, watching for possible pranksters or peeping toms.
And he found one... but not from Acme. Wally told me about this the next day.
Wally was on his place, alert for anything suspicious, and detected a particular scent. It was Nigel Silverbill's cologne, a very strong one, and the smell was coming from the next corridor. The wolf decided to take a look, and discovered both Nigel and Drake, placing a little round object in one of the gym's air vents.
"Are you sure this will work, Silverbill?" Drake asked the chicken.
"Of course. According to the data we got, this is the vent that goes right into the Loosers' dressing room. And my uncle said that the gas this device releases can make an Olympic runner to move like a turtle after just a few seconds of inhaling it. Trust me, our team will beat these stupid girls without breaking a sweat." Nigel told the duck, and activated the device; then, he closed the vent, and both villains ran down the corridor.
Wally jumped out from his hiding place, and opened the vent. He took a deep breath, inhaling the gas who was already in the vent, and then placed the device next to his jaws. The wolf blew the gas back into the object, and then covered it with a little blue towel he brought with him in case any of the girls would need to clean her sweat. He decided to place the device inside a nearby plant pot, and get rid of it after the game.
Wally sighed in relief, but, even if he returned most of the gas into the device, he felt a little tired because of it. Wally walked back to his watching place, and knocked the door. Rhubella popped her head out.
"Any problem, Wolf?" The rat asked. Wally shook his head.
"No... but I got a little dizzy for something I smelled around here. I just want to ask you or Miss Mallard for permission to go buy myself a coffee or something." Wally said. Ruby noticed he actually seemed to be a little tired.
"Oh, well... sure, but hurry up, okay? We might have water boys to attend us, but Margot and I feel more comfortable when you're the one serving us." Rhubella said, smiling a little at the last part. Wally chuckled, and, after thanking the rat, walked away, looking for the snacks' stand.
"Actually, I think I know this part." Mary said to Rhubella.
Yes, I imagined him would tell you. I guess Wally and I were lucky for not having your boyfriend around when he entered the Loo, or everyone could had known about our relationship and his past as one Perfecto before time.
Wally found the stand, which was attended by a pretty looking purple rabbit with blond hair. She had a name tag on the left part of the chest. The wolf approached, and read it.
"Excuse me, Miss... Binky, can you please give me a black coffee?" Wally asked, rubbing his forehead while trying to fight back the gas' effects.
"Sure. Just wait a minute, please. You're the first one who asks for a coffee today, and I haven't turned on the coffee machine," Binky Bunny replied. Wally nodded, and sat in a nearby plastic chair.
A moment later, a yellow-orange feline toon, about an inch or two taller than Wally, approached the stand. He was covered by a generous amount of spots, and seemed to be a little corpulent, but most of his body was covered by an over-sized black shirt with the legend "Hecho en Mexico" written in front of it. He was also wearing a large watch, and a gold Cross and a David's Star hanging from his neck. Wally immediately deduced he was the jaguar Rhubella had tried to capture before.
"Good evening, Binky, can you please give me four hot-dogs with everything on them, four sodas, three bags of popcorn, two sandwiches, and one bag of almond M&M's?" The feline asked the rabbit. Binky blinked, stunned.
"Uh... can you repeat it again... slowly?" the girl said while rubbing the back of her head, and smiling widely. The jaguar sighed, but smiled back, and passed her a piece of paper.
"I imagined this might happen, so I wrote everything right here," the predator told her. Binky sighed in relief, and started preparing his order. At that moment, the jaguar noticed the wolf; actually, he noticed him the moment he arrived at the stand, but hadn't said a thing since he was using Perfecto's uniform, and was expecting the canine to be rude or snobby.
"Eh... hi... are you a student here?" Wally finally asked the feline, a little nervous. The larger predator decided to be polite as well, and introduce himself.
"Yes, sir. Oh, let me introduce myself. Good evening. I AM THE J.A.M." The feline said, offering his paw to the wolf. He did, naturally, keep a wary eye on the canine, just out of the corner of his eye. Despite being surrounded by friends, he wasn't about to let his guard down whenever a Perfecto was around, not after…that incident on the street.
Wally shook the paw, and noticed how the feline rotated an ear toward him, now having confirmed that this was indeed the jaguar that Ruby had mentioned .
"Wallace Wolf... and you must check your watch.. It's just four o' clock." Wally said, introducing himself. Binky overheard them.
"Uh...'evening'? That was a joke? I didn't get it." The girl asked, puzzled. The J.A.M. chuckled.
"No, Binky, it was just a comment," the feline told her, and Binky went back to work.
Friend of yours? Wally asked the jaguar, in perfect Spanish. The jaguar suddenly turned, surprised at hearing not only perfect Spanish, but a particular accent, probably Chiapaneco (from Chiapas, a Mexican state).
Yeeeesssss… are you from Mexico, too? The J.A.M asked, also in Spanish, though still wary of the Perfectoid. The wolf shook his head.
No, I'm from Yellowstone, but my mom is Mexican, so I speak a little Spanish as well. Maybe we should go back to talk in English... I don't think it's very polite to do it in front of the girl, you know, speaking in a language she doesn't understand.Wally suggested. The jaguar nodded, finally straightening his ears at the rather uncharacteristic politeness—and submissiveness, as the wolf's flat ears showed—from this Perfectoid.
"Okay. Do you realize you're a lot more polite than most Perfectos? Or at least, those I had met treat everyone as dirt," the jaguar told the wolf. Wally sighed.
"You're not so wrong, believe me. I'm only attending the Prep because of my grandpa, but yes, I'm not very liked by most of the students. The only ones that tolerate me are two girls." Wally smiled a little at the last part. The jaguar noticed then the tag on the canine's collar, and read it.
"Rhubella Rat and Margot Mallard?" The J.A.M read out loud, puzzled. The wolf was silently praying for him not knowing about the identity of his attackers; though actually, since the jaguar had been told by Mary that Ruby was one of the snipers, he suddenly lowered his ears again. This wolf was familiar with that…ratmaid?
"Yes... you see, since the guys at Perfecto are kind of aggressive with me because I'm not a rich toon, I agreed to be these girls' pet/servant, so that the other students would stop messing with me. Sometimes they make me work a lot, but it's not so bad. I actually like having them around." Wally admitted.
"Pet? Servant? They don't mistreat or humiliate you…or…ask for any…TTBS-type favors?" The jaguar asked, concerned, now being more wary about collar than the Perfectoid.
"Nope... look, these girls aren't exactly angels, but they're not that bad either. Miss Mallard really treats me like a pet, but at least considers me a nice pet, so she is never rude or something like that. And Rhubella—I mean—Miss Rat, well, she has defended me a couple of times... and maybe... just maybe... she considers me a little like a friend, or at least as a servant she is getting fond with." Wally said, looking down, but smiling.
The J.A.M. seemed to relax a bit. Maybe the Perfectoids needed toons like him for menial work, and the wolf seemed sincere enough. He wasn't expecting another mega-dart, but even this fellow carnivore didn't deserve to be a servant of a rodent or an avian.
"Well... that's fine, I suppose, but you should do something about the 'being-a-pet' thing. I had a few problems with that when I entered the Loo because of being a predator, but I made some very good friends from day one, and now, well, I'm in good terms with most of my classmates. Your classmates should treat you like a friend, or at least respect you, without you using that collar," the jaguar pointed out. Wally sighed again.
"It's not that easy. I made a promise to both my grandpa and the girls, and you know, the whole dog-like loyalty is very strong in me, so I can't just leave. Besides, I think I might have a good influence on these girls... and Miss Rat needs it the most. She had done some very nasty things in the past, but now she is having some remorse for them." Wally explained. The J.A.M stood back a bit at that. Rhubella Rat, feeling remorse over what she did to Mary and him? He placed a paw on the wolf's shoulder.
"That's very noble from you... however... look, I'm not a wolf, so I don't understand loyalty the same way you do, but, if I can show-off a little, I can assure you I'm a very loyal guy. The difference is that I only offer my loyalty to those who deserve it. If your grandpa really deserves this kind of respect, then he must understand you aren't totally happy with your situation, and support you with your decisions. The same can be said about your 'mistresses': if they consider you a friend, and that ratmaid really is regretting her behavior, they must support you as well, and, if you want to leave the Prep, accept your decision." Wally pondered about the speech for a moment, and nodded.
"I'll think about it, promise. By the way, can you tell me what are the requirements to enter the Looniversity... just in case?" Wally asked the jaguar.
Binky gave Wally his coffee, and told the jaguar that his order was almost done. The feline lifted his shirt a bit, revealing a black leather kangaroo pouch, took a little card out from the pouch, and gave it to the wolf.
"Here's the Looniversity's phone number. You can call from Monday to Friday, between 9 and 2, to ask for information; Sylvia will attend you, a very nice lady, by the way. Of course, you might call her Mrs. Cat, because only the students call the staff by the first name. One suggestion, though: try to practice some toon tricks by your own, so when you do the practical test, you can get advanced placement. Otherwise, you'll need to start as a freshman, and I don't think you'll like to be the only seventeen-year old guy in a classroom filled with thirteen-year old toons. That's a mockery magnet in this or any other school." The jaguar told him in a friendly tone while Binky handled the wolf his coffee. Wally thanked and paid Binky, and took a sip to clear his head (even if the chat helped him a lot to keep himself alert), and shook paws with the feline.
"Thanks, man... I mean, thanks, mister jaguar. Trust me, I'll give a good use to this card. I'll better go, the game is about to start." The wolf said.
"Well, I'm not very fond of sports; that's why I offered to buy the snacks. Actually, the only reason I come to these games is to spend some time with my friends, and support my girlfriend. She is one of the best players." The J.A.M commented, with a little smile at the end. The wolf chuckled.
"Okay, see you later, I hope." The wolf said while moving away and waving bye.
The jaguar waved back. "And, as a classmate, I hope too, mister Wolf."
"You can call me Wally, if you want. What's your name again?" Wally asked.
The jaguar smiled and replied, "Until next time, remember, I AM THE J.A.M." with a little echo at the end. The wolf chuckled, hoping he could learn to do that effect with his voice, but, since wolf's howls have almost no echo, he decided to concentrate on improving his usual tricks.
Wally arrived back at the gym just in time for the game's start. Must of you girls know the details about this game, but, since Gos and Hillary weren't around here by that time, I guess I can narrate it to them.