(Final chapter of Tales of Turmoil is taking a while, yes, but yes, it's still happening! :)

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You didn't all actually think I was dead or something, did you? Anyways, I've been CRAZY busy lately, so I knew having an update ready would take time. Luckily, today is that day! Chapter 5! Please enjoy...

Judy POV
1:26 PM.

Well, as expected, class itself hasn't been much fun. However, spending my day talking with Nick has proven to lift my spirits considerably.

Who knew a fox could be so...so...

Well, it's hard to put into words...

He's special.

I've been talking to him coarsely through the strenuous day, and I've found out a lot about him: he loves exploring, reading, watching movies and playing video games, and stuff like that.

He seemed so distant at first glance, but I know now that he trusts what I'm trying to do here.

No one else approves of our newfound friendship, as hard glances and cold stares harass us from every angle.

All I can say is that I'm forever grateful I listened to my grandmother's advice.

"Okay, there's only a fifteen minutes or so left in class, so the rest of class is free time" our English teacher announces, and the entire class applauds loudly.

Nick finishes writing something on his paper, and then rises from his chair quietly to bring to the paper to the teacher.

I notice one of the class bullies he mentioned to me as he walks to the front of the room, and I watch the the devilish animal stick out his leg.

Nick trips over the bully's leg, and slams against the unforgiving floor with a grunt.

"Nick!" I say, running over to him, ignoring how everyone else feels.

"I'm-I'm fine" he mutters, standing up once again, brushing off the pain.

I whip my head to look at the anima;, and put on an aggressive expression.

"Are you serious?! What did he ever do to you!?" I ask him, and the entire class chuckles loudly at me for no apparent reason.

It's extremely bothersome just how ignorant some people can be.

"Quit defending him!" someone shouts, and the class rallies around him in protest against my actions.

As the students yell loudly and the teacher struggles to settle them down, and grab Nick by the arm and lead him out of the classroom, not batting an eye at the possible consequences of ditching class.

"I'm fine Judy, I really a-"

"Doesn't matter" I tell him, on the verge of tears for the way he is treated by his classmates, "No one should have to deal with that!" I add as we walk in no particular direction.

"Well...thanks for standing up for me" he mutters with a little smile, obviously grateful for my actions.

"Well, I'm not going to let them do anything like that anymore, so don't get used to it" I tell him, but he shakes his head.

"It's been happening to me since I was a toddler...so, I've been used to it for ten or so years now" he informs me, and I feel a pang of pity in my stomach.

What is wrong with the world?

We stop at the end of the hallway, and I glance both directions. A lone child is picking through their locker, but it appears as though the coast is clear.

"What are we doing?" he asks me quietly, realizing I have no intention on turning back and re-joining class.

I don't answer immediately, and I recall that this is my first day, and don't quite remember the way out.

"Just trust me" I tell him, "But one question: how do we get out of here?"

He scratches his chin.

"I...I think we're going the right way. Remember, I told you this place is huge" he reminds me.

"Well, you knew what you were talking about".

The school is maze-like in it's layout, which further confuses me.

One thing is clear, however. I will not allow this innocent fox to be treated so...so horribly. It's simply unbearable to watch.

We walk quietly through the halls, neglecting the repercussions of ditching class. I glance over at the numerous lockers we pass in attempt to escape, and remind myself that it's quite possible Nick has been stuffed inside of one on more than one occasion. In fact, I wouldn't doubt that worse things have been done to him on a daily basis. After all, these kids truly hate his guts.

We eventually catch sight of two exit doors at the end of the hallway, and begin walking faster.

"You want to call your dad or your mom to come get you?" I ask him, recalling that my parents are searching for my bother's perfect casket.

"Well, my mom is at work now" he says with a sigh.

"What about your dad?"

He tenses up a bit as we walk, and bites his lower lip, obviously not comfortable with the topic.

"Um..." he begins uneasily.

"It's okay" I tell him as we approach the door, "You can tell me".

He nods and shuts his eyes tight for a moment, but then speaks.

"He's...not the nicest fox out there" he mutters, void of emotion.

I nod in understanding, but his backstory has now drawn my curiosity to him.

"Not the nicest?" I ask, perhaps in too pushy of a manner.

"He..." Nick begins as we reach the door, and we stop for a second.

I stare at him, seeing the pain in his eyes, although he doesn't show it.

"He was abusive" he forces out with a hollow tone, and he pushes the door to the outside open harshly, leaving me standing in shock.

As if this kid didn't have enough to deal with here at this sad excuse for a school, he also gets abused by his father at home. I'm beyond glad that I met him on the school bus earlier, because I can't imagine...or don't want to imagine this kid being alone and hurting anymore.

I rush to catch back up with him, and it appears that he is concealing his pain as we approach the pick-up area.

"Nick, I'm...I'm really sorry" I tell him as sincerely as possible, and he gazes at me with an bewildered look.

"There's nothing to be sorry about" he tells me, "You're the best person I've ever met. I mean, everyone else that I've met here has been a total dump, but you get what I mean".

I notice the bandage on his arm once again; the bandage that had me wondering earlier in class.

"Is that from...you know?" I ask cautiously, and he eyes his arm.

"Oh, no, that's from someone else" he clarifies, inferring that perhaps his father isn't the only abusive animal around him.

Honestly, I just want to hug the guy so badly. But I've only known him for a few hours, so I assume that anything like that would be considered by many to be a bit strange.

"I'm...sorry about that" I speak gently, not knowing what else to say.

I glance around at the nearby city, and nudge him on the shoulder after a moment of silence.

"You just want to go explore for a while until school ends? Then we could come back here and your mom could pick you up" I recommend.

His eyes light up a little bit at the idea, and he nods.

"Yeah, I guess that couldn't hurt" he says, and then turns back to face the school building.

"I mean, we are skipping the rest of school. Might as well have fun doing it" he adds with a devious smile.

We begin walking towards the variety of buildings and shops, which interests me on another level. I just moved in last night, so I haven't had time to explore the city just yet; but boy, is it a sight to see.

"Do you ever go to downtown Zootopia?" I ask him curiously, hearing quite a few times of how crazy the big city can be.

He laughs cynically, and smirks at me.

"I live downtown, so yeah, that's where I am ninety percent of the time" he proclaims with a grin.

"I've never been to the city" I admit, glancing up at the skyscrapers in wonder.

He looks at me in disbelief.

"Never?"

"Never".

"Well then, this should be interesting" he mutters with a small smile, and I realize just how special this must be for him as well.

He's never hung out with anyone, not a soul. He has to be feeling pretty ecstatic right now. I mean, I've never been one for friends either, so just talking to Nick has made my day, or even my week...or month.

My mind briefly ponders back to Bryce, but I push the thoughts away.

"So, do you have any friends?" he asks me, now obviously comfortable and open in my presence.

"Psh, not really. I had a few people I kind of talked to, but I mainly focus on what I want to become later in life" I explain to him.

"Which is?" he asks curiously.

I brace myself for the obvious shock Nick is about to experience.

"To become a police officer, remember?" I remind him, his big green eyes full of awe.

"That's pretty crazy" he speaks.

I glance down at the ground, not wanting my dreams to be criticized, which I presume Nick notices.

"But don't give up on it!" he tells me, and I have to smile at his encouraging words.

This could be the start of something interesting.

Nick POV

This rabbit is just like me! Imagine if everyone at school knew she wanted to be a police officer! She'd never hear the end of it.

It's pretty amazing though, and I'm actually pretty jealous. She is determined and she has her dreams to live out ahead of her. Now me, I'm a bit...different.

"I guess you could say I'm...unsure...about what I want to be" I tell her honestly as we come to the sidewalk in front of the school, and begin walking in the direction of downtown.

"Don't worry about it! You're only twelve, I mean, you have all of middle school and high school to find something" she reminds me.

"That's...true" I mutter, knowing what she tells me is right.

We continue our march to the city, leaving the school in our dust, never wanting to turn back. I mean, I know I have to go back...tomorrow, but I'll take any free moment away from school that I can.

I watch Judy as she gazes at the buildings around us; a sight that would normally not interest me in any way, and realize I've perhaps been staring directly at her face a moment too long.

"Nick? Something up?" she asks me, and I shake my head to reawaken my brain.

"Oh, yeah, sorry" I say, thanking my lucky stars that my fur is enough to hide my blush.

Here we go again. You're going to wreck your first friendship after one day, Nick.

I hear her sigh and I can tell that she's concealing, so I accept my intuitions as true and ask her.

"You seem...kind of down" I say.

"Well..." she begins, fiddling around with her fingers nervously, "Something happened a few days ago".

I look over at her with care as the sound of car horns and voices fill the air around us.

She realizes that I want to hear what she's speaking of, and I guess she trusts me enough to confess, because she does.

"My brother died" she states simply, and I can tell that it isn't easy for her to say.

I don't respond immediately because I notice the tears gathering in her eyes, and I silently gasp.

She's being serious.

"That's...that's horrible..." I stutter, not knowing what else to say.

She nods, and then stares down at the pavement.

I can tell that she doesn't want me to notice her heart-wrenching expression by the way she refuses to look me in the eye, and I do the only thing I feel like doing at the moment.

I pull her into a hug, which apparently pushes her over the edge.

I can feel her shaking from the cries that struggle to exit her body, and I can feel the pain of loss radiating from her body vividly, which shakes me mentally.

She's going through pain too.

I hold her a little bit tighter, and my heart beats fast, knowing that even through one day, she already contains a ridiculous amount of sentimental value to me.

After a few seconds, she pulls away and wipes her tears, looking as though she's experiencing several emotions simultaneously.

Happiness, sadness, embarrassment, joyfulness, depression; I can see them all through the windows into her soul, her wide, purple eyes.

"Sorry about that" she says, struggling to recover from the sudden mental trauma that seems to have just dawned on her.

I stare at her incredulously, my eyes as wide as saucers, not sure of what to do next. I've never gotten to comfort a friend before, so this situation is so unknown to me.

"You've been holding that in, haven't you?" I ask her, knowing how she feels.

She nods.

"Yep" she says.

"I know how you feel" I admit to her, ashamed of myself for showing weakness; but this is different. I feel like I can open up around Judy, so I need to condition myself to doing so.

She smiles at me despite the tears, and we continue walking, surprised to see that we have garnered the attention of no one.

Wow.

"How did it happen?" I ask impulsively, but then clarify myself upon seeing her expression, "I mean, if you don't...mind".

"He got hit by a car" she tells me softly, "And he was really young. He had so much ahead of him..."

Honestly, just a few hours ago, I would have loved to have been hit by a car. It's a sad, deflating thought, but life seemed worthless then.

Seemed.

My mother used to tell me about "the light at the end of the tunnel", but I always told myself the something else:

Is it the way out, or is it just a train?

Anyways, it seems that I was wrong, but I've never been more happy to be incorrect.

"That's really...terrible" I speak breathlessly, disturbed at the sheer pain such a scenario must create.

"Yeah" she nearly whispers, but she smiles weakly in my direction, "But I can't...can't keep my mind on it".

It's incredible that anyone can take a blow like the loss of a sibling so low; but what do I know? I've always been an only child, so I have no idea how it feels.

I can imagine, however, that it probably has a similar feel as to when you are told that you'll never be good enough, and then beaten to the point of having to go to the hospital. Maybe it's similar to watching your father scream at your mother ruthlessly, smacking her unforgivingly until she falls to the ground, as you watch, unable to do anything at all. More likely it feels exactly like the moment you think to yourself realistically that you probably will always be alone, forgotten, neglected and despised.

Whatever it feels like, I can tell that it is certainly not for the faint-of-heart.

A few more minutes of walking causes Judy's emotion to dwindle in intensity, and she spots a game store from across the street.

"Hey, didn't you say you like video games?" she asks me, gesturing to the store, to which I nod.

"Yeah, I do" I tell her, "You ever played one?"

She scratches her chin and glances up quickly for a second, retrieving the answer in her many aisles of memories.

"Actually, I have a few times" she replies, "But not in a long time".

This is going to be fun!

I chuckle at her as we approach the crosswalk, and she glances at me with a puzzled expression.

"What's so funny?" she asks.

I scratch the back of my head casually.

"Nothin', I just find it funny to play against casuals" I tell her.

"Casuals?" she asks me.

We walk into the game store and observe the interior; several shelves full of games, a counter with a lone moose standing behind it in boredom, and a few game system displays that are set up to be played.

Judy and I walk over to the newest video game console, and I note the absence of children, usually lined up to the back of the store to play it for the first time. I mean, school hasn't ended yet, so it's no surprise.

"Looks cool, huh?" I ask her as she examines the controller, looking a bit confused.

"Sure does" she responds, "But I'm gonna suck at this, you know" she reminds me.

I think of a response fast in accordance with who Judy is.

"Well...I mean, you may not be the best but you can still try at everything" I advise her.

She nods with a friendly smirk.

"Very true, Nick" she speaks, "Just don't laugh too much".

Above all, I'm hoping this will get Judy's mind off of her brother. Even for a minute or so, it hurt me to see her so down.

We play a new video game called Survival Warfare for about an hour, and by that time the store manager is standing beside us in a concerned manner, hands on his hips.

"You guys should really be moving on. The crowds from the middle school will be here really soon".

"Okay, one sec!" I tell him, not quite registering the word "middle school" in my mind.

Judy and I decided to do "Cooperative mode" and we are actually just two hundred points from the highest score on this console.

I don't know how, but Judy is almost just as good as me at this. We've gotten further than I ever imagined us lasting in even the luckiest of scenarios, and now the game has ensnared our minds.

A few more minutes of shooting alien-like creatures pass, and we've become completely enticed in the game.

Just fifty more...

I hear the bell attached to the door ring, sending vibrations throughout the room and into my ears, but I don't dare turn away from the console.

I hear chatter behind us as the voices approach, and I stare at the score anxiously.

Just twenty more...

Abruptly, my thoughts are interrupted by the booming voice behind me.

"Oh, look who it is!"

I immediately recognize the husky voice behind me, but I can't turn around now.

So close...

I can feel Judy also tense up, and I know that things are about to take a turn for the worst.

I am yanked from the controller and thrown to the ground, my breath knocked out of me instantly.

As I struggle to regain my breath, I note my attacker: Tyrone. He's a young gorilla who's been on my back since first grade, and it's pretty safe to say that he legitimately hates me. On the long list of people that would love to see me dead, Tyron has to be in the top five for sure.

"What kind of store is this? Letting you in here?"

I begin to feel a familiar feeling; something like that of when you come to terms that you're a waste of space. I glance up at Judy, who appears to be digging through her pocket hurriedly.

"And why are you here?" I ask him, "Your fingers are too big to even play video games! Not to mention the size of your brain..."

His group laughs at my insults, which much like the bear from earlier, succeeds in making him much madder.

"What's the bandage for?" he asks me tauntingly, "You get beat up by someone else earlier? Shucks, guess I'll just have to get some sloppy seconds" he says in a mock disappointed tone.

"Bet they did a lot worse than you'll ever do" I dare him, glancing over at Judy again, and I notice her pulling something out from her pocket, at last.

The gorilla attempts to punch my face with his club-like fist, but I roll out of the way swiftly. Judy begins spraying the gorilla in the eyes with a substance unknown to me, as I watch in wonder.

She's protecting me.

The gorilla shrieks in agony and falls to the ground, and only then do I see the container Judy has in hand.

Fox repellant.

I'm literally sickened at the sight, remembering all the times my mother and I have been sprayed for no reason. The pain is awful, and the sentimentality behind it is even worse.

It's literally designed to cater to the discrimination against foxes, and the assumption that all foxes are savages. I'm surprised it hasn't been discontinued yet, considering the mental pain it causes so many animals.

As the animal screams, his eyes being tortured by needles and fire, I can't help but look past the product being used to commit the act.

"Nick! Come on!" Judy says, pointing to the door.

I leap over the gorilla, attempting to forget the image in my head, and glare at the store manager as we walk out the door.

You didn't help, you didn't try, you didn't do anything I tell him in my head.

However, I stop one more time before I step out the door, and stare at the TV screen Judy and I were using mere moments ago.

"High Score Obtained!" the screen reads, and I smile before running back out the door.

Huh, well that was certainly interesting. Nick seemed pretty upset about the fox-repellant, but seemed to get over it. Or did he?

Judy seems to be the perfect friend for Nick; always protecting him and encouraging him. It's just so beautiful, isn't it? Nothing could ever come between them, right?

Anyways, until next time! I'll try my hardest to have an update up sooner than Chapter Five. And don't fret, all you shippers out there. The fluff will begin pretty soon...

Please leave your thoughts in the reviews! Until next time!