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Tip- Fixed everything, and yes, there will be conflicts (but what would a story be without conflicts?).

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- Thanks, and yeah. I remember my middle school days. (gags)

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Sorry for the delay! Like I said, I've been really busy, but...bah, enough with the lame excuses. Enjoy chapter six!

Nick POV

I'm at a loss for words, but continue marching on towards the school beside my new friend.

I have so many questions to ask, especially about a certain object she had with her. I mean, it saved me from the bullies that have tormented me for years, but why? Could this be a trick just to gain my trust, learn my secrets, and then spill them out to the evil world? I would be torn apart from the inside out.

Obtaining the high score was pretty sweet, but I can't feel the full rush of achievement until I get the question off of my chest.

I glance at the girl beside me and forget all my troubles briefly, her smile ensnaring my mind.

"That was fun!" Judy exclaims to me, and I smile, hiding my uncertainty behind my grin; a classic move.

"Definitely! And we got the high score" I inform her, and she grins even more.

"You serious!?" she asks, overjoyed.

I nod proudly, and she hugs me again, causing me to feel a new feeling deep in the pit of my very being. I don't know how to describe the way I'm feeling, because it feels completely new. It's not an emotion I'm familiar with, and I doubt I've experienced this in my life prior to today.

"Oh!" she says, taking a step back, as I stand dazed, "Sorry!"

I simply whisper something along the lines of: "It's okay", but in reality, my feelings are in an absolute mess.

Come on, Nick! Stop acting like an idiot! You can't lose her! Anything but her...

I finally decide to ask her a question I'm curious to receive an answer for.

"Um, Judy? Was that...fox...repellant you had back there?" I ask her, knowing the answer.

She closes her eyes tight for a moment and cringes, obviously realizing the harm it could have inflicted for me mentally.

"About that..."

Oh no, she's gonna leave me. I'll be a loner again. I should have seen this coming...

"It's just something my parents make me carry around" she states, "I'm sorry I didn't realize it in time. Things like that, they can hurt..." she trails off.

"It's okay Judy" I tell her, "I was just wondering. Whatever it takes for you to save me, I'm fine with that".

Although I deeply hate the sight of it, I can't help but be thankful for my new hero's actions.

She grins sweetly and nods, ripping the label off of the can, and tossing it in a nearby garbage bin.

My mind catches the larger meaning behind the action, which lifts my spirits considerably. Judy doesn't care about labels. She sees me for who I am, and what I can be, and she sees the fox repellant for what it can be; something used to repel real enemies.

"I promise that I'll never use this on a fox...well, unless the fox is trying to hurt us. Deal?" she asks, reaching out her hand, which I shake.

"Deal!"

We are getting close to the school, and I realize that my mom could be waiting on me already, and that we'd be arriving from the city, which would look quite suspicious.

"I don't get why all the other animals hate foxes" she states, "I've only met one mean fox in my life, and that's all. I know more mean bunnies than foxes".

"Yeah, I don't get it either, never have. I don't even have the chance to say hi before they judge me, and it's always the same thing: "He's a fox! He must be a thief! A bully!". I got sick of it a long time ago, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm always gonna be the loser".

She looks at me reassuringly.

"You sure about that? I think you're really awesome" she tells me, "You know, I didn't have any friends before this either, really. But you're different. Something about you is just special to me".

I bite my bottom lip to avoid grinning stupidly.

How did I go from having no friends to knowing the best friend in the universe?

"Thank you Judy, that's...really...nice" I stutter, trying not to do anything stupid, like cry tears of joy or something.

"You totally deserve it though! Your life is really hard, but guess what? You've made it through, and you've kept going!"

She's right.

"You're really strong, Nick. You know that?"

I finally give up with trying to hold my emotions in, and smile hugely.

"Yeah, I guess you're right".

To my shock, my mother hasn't quite arrived just yet, so I sit on the bench by the pickup area. Normally, I'd take the bus home, but my mom told me that she'd pick me up today since it's my first day, and take me out for some ice cream.

There's only a few kids left in the vicinity, which thankfully all ignore us.

"Hey, I missed the bus, do you mind if I ride with you and your mom?" she asks me.

"Of course you can! You can go out with us for ice cream if you want to" I answer.

"Okay, one sec, let me call my parents!"

She takes out her phone and calls her parents swiftly, and I can tell by studying her face that she's excited about spending more time with me.

"Hey, mom? I missed the bus...I don't know how. Yeah...can I ride with one of my friends to get some ice cream and then she can give me a ride home? What? Mom, you can't be serious! I do know him! That doesn't matter! Wait...what?"

I receive a gist of what's happening here through the conversation.

"I'll be home soon" is the final thing Judy says before hanging up.

"She said no, didn't she?" I ask her.

"Sometimes my mom is wrong, Nick" she says as my mom pulls up, staring at me with a large smile upon seeing me speaking to someone.

Judy catches onto this, glancing over at me.

"She looks happy for you" she speaks, and I nod.

Instead of riding shotgun, I sit in the middle seat in order to talk with Judy.

"And who is this, Nick?" my mom asks, turning back in her chair to look at the girl beside me.

I smile, happy to introduce my new friend.

"Judy, that's her name. She's my...friend" I say, and my mom tries not to looked shocked, "She missed the bus, so is it okay if she comes with us to get ice cream and then we can drop her off at her house?"

"Sure! I mean, as long as her parents are okay with it!"

Judy and I sneak a glance and then nod quickly, neglecting the fact that we just lied.

"Okay then, let's go get some ice cream!"

The drive to the ice cream parlor isn't a long one, but Judy and I take every second to chat, learning more about each other with every sentence it seems.

She just lost her sibling two days ago, yet she seems so put together. She knows exactly what she wants in life, unlike me. She loves everything carrots, and she hates that about herself. She says it strengthens the stereotype involving bunnies and carrots and stuff like that, which makes sense to me.

It really sucks to live in a world where everyone is labelled, but that's reality I guess. So many say that Zootopia is a city to live out your dreams and be yourself. Many say that "anyone can be anything" here, but it frankly isn't true. That's the problem with this society: labels.

It doesn't matter what species you are, because you can't escape them. Sure, some are more severe and negative than others, but you can't escape being categorized.

We pull up alongside the parlor and park on the side of the road slowly, and Judy hops out the door, me behind her.

"The ice cream here good?" she asks me and my mom.

"It's the best in the city, at least I'd say" my mom speaks to her, and I nod in agreement.

"Yeah, it's really good, but the main reason I like it is because they serve us without argument. They don't care if we're foxes or not" I add.

"That's really amazing" Judy comments, as we push open the doors to the parlor.

The interior is deserted; us being the only animals inside aside from the giraffe serving ice cream, who appears to be quite bored with life.

We approach him, and Judy allows me to order first, to which I order my personal favorite ice cream, Cookies n' Creme.

"I'll get the same thing!" Judy speaks.

"It's your favorite too?" I ask her in wonder, and she shrugs.

"I've never had it, actually. If it's your favorite, why not?" she says as we walk over to a table.

I look over at my mom, now ordering, and know what she's about to order. My mom's favorite is strawberry, which she orders nearly every time we come here.

I glance back over to Judy as she scans the parlor's intricate interior, which contains all sorts of novelty items and interesting objects hanging from the walls.

I begin to feel the same feeling from earlier as I gaze into her violet eyes, her pupils seeming to lead straight into her soul, her irises full of wonder.

My stomach feels kind of weird, and my heart won't stop beating faster.

It's okay Nick, everyone feels this way about friends. Right?

Judy POV

As I observe my surroundings, I think back to what my mother told me, still feeling very indignant.

"Is he a fox?" she asked me on the phone.

Like why does that even matter? Nick is the coolest guy I've ever met, and I'm so glad I listened to my grandma over my parents in this case.

If my mom is going to discriminate, why should I obey an order like that? Being around a friend in need is more important to me than obeying prejudiced orders.

I notice that Nick is in somewhat of a daze, staring at me. Well, either that or he's staring through me. Or maybe he's just zoned out.

Yeah, that's it. He's zoned out.

"Hey, Nick?" I ask him, and he suddenly clicks back to life.

"Yeah?" he asks quickly.

"Are you feeling okay?" I ask him, just to be sure, disguising my true question. I honestly want to know if I have succeeded in making him happy thus far.

"I'm happier than I've been in years" he admits, and I feel a bit warm inside, "I don't remember the last time I smiled before today".

His smile truly is something amazing, at least to me. I can see the pain blended with a fresher happiness, creating a an accurate representation of a hard life, in which not much is taken for granted. However, it never fails in making me smile, and also causes me to feel a bit dizzy in all the best ways.

"That's really...great!" I manage to say through my barrage of emotions, still trying to figure myself out.

Calm down, Judy. He's just a friend.

The worker plops two ice cream bowls down in front of us as Nick's mother walks over to us.

She seems like a really nice mom, which I hate. Why do I hate it? Well, because of how Nick's father threats her.

According to Nick, he's completely awful to the both of them.

"So Judy" his mom says, sitting down with us, "How did you meet Nick?"

"On the bus" I reply, "He looked like someone who needed someone to talk to" I reply.

She nods with a grateful smile.

"I'm really glad you gave him a chance" she tells me.

"He totally deserved one. He's a really awesome guy" I say, looking into his eyes briefly again, an awe-struck expression written across his face.

There's something about the moment that feels a bit supernatural; my soul feeling as though it is quite literally floating above my heavy body.

Just the way he is...it's starting to have a weird effect on me.

There's just something really incredible about his story; the abuse, the hate, yet he is still himself, and I've never met anyone like him.

"How's your ice cream?" he asks me, snapping out of his shocked state.

I take a few bites, and realize that the ice cream is perhaps some of the best I've tasted in my entire life.

It's not too sweet, yet not dull at all. The texture is creamy and perfect, and the flavor is elegant, yet simple.

"Really good!" I reply, impressed by the tastiness.

"Y'know, I just love strawberry ice cream. It reminds me that no matter how cold life can get, it can still be sweet and delicious" his mom tells me, and we all chuckle at her quote.

Our snack continues on in general everyday conversation, and we head back to the car after finishing our ice cream.

I believe that this is the first time I've ever hung out with someone, and I have to admit, it's a good feeling.

Perhaps it's too much of a good feeling being around Nick.

Be quiet Judy, that sounds weird.

As I sit down in the car once again, I notice that Nick is still looking flustered and dazed, for unknown reason.

"Hey, Nick?" I ask, and he jumps a little.

Man, he is acting weird.

"Do you want my phone number?" I ask him.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be great" he says, and I read it out for him.

"Well, now I have someone to text" he says happily, and I'm very grateful to be that person.

I know how it feels to be alone at home all day with no one to text or talk to; especially on weekends. Obviously it will help Nick if he has someone to run to, whether it's texting or in real life.

The only problem is that I'm about to receive a mouthful from my parents about earlier, which frustrates me. In fact, I already have quite a few text messages from them, which I pretend to not notice.

"Judy" Nick whispers, "You're gonna be in troub-"

"It's fine, Nick. My parents are kind of...weird sometimes when it comes to hanging out with people" I say, purposely not mentioning their blatant discrimination of foxes.

"Oh, I get what you mean" he says, and a silence follows as his mother cranks the car.

He sends me a text in order to ensure he heard my number right, and it sends flawlessly, eliciting yet another grin from him.

I tell his mother my address, which isn't much out of the way. I live in the outskirts of the city, not downtown like Nick, which all in all is like a ten minute drive.

"So, Judy" his mom says as we begin driving, "How is life for you right now?"

Well, that's not a simple question.

My brother was brutally killed just a few days ago, but I met Nick today. How do I even answer that?

"It's good...and bad" I answer as honestly as possible, as Nick's mother drives us through the city streets, glancing at me through the car mirror every few moments or so.

"Same for us too" she tells me, and I know exactly why.

"We've been through a lot at home lately, so you arriving at the school right now...well, it was impeccable timing" she adds.

"I know how you feel. My brother...died a few days ago" I inform her, gaining sympathy almost immediately.

"Really?" she asks, shocked, as I appear to be well put together, "That's awful!"

I sigh deeply in agreement, scratching the fur on my arm in grief.

"Yeah, it is" I mutter, finally beginning to comprehend the enormous loss.

We arrive a few minutes later at my house, and our car isn't in the driveway, indicating that my parents are perhaps at the school searching for me.

"Thanks, that was a lot of fun!" I tell them brightly as I gather my backpack on my shoulders, opening the car door.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Nick tells me, and I return his warm smile.

"I'll see you too! Text me!" I reply.

"Of course!" he says.

"Bye!" his mom says in a friendly tone as they drive away, Nick waving out the window as they drive away, leaving me in a swarm of feelings.

Luckily, I know where my parents keep the spare key, as they told me last night.

I march up the stairs quickly, dreading a potential confrontation with my parents, and grab the key from under one of our flower pots.

I proceed to unlock the door cautiously, knowing that perhaps one of my parents could have stuck around to wait for me.

Fortunately, neither my parents or siblings appear to be home yet, and I release a sigh of relief.

I bounce down the hall and into my room, still radiant from my amazing day. I mean, who knew I'd meet someone so awesome on my first day at school?

I close and lock my door behind me, immediately taking out my phone to text Nick, which to my shock, he has already sent a text himself.

"Hey!" the text reads.

My mind wanders back to the subject to my dead brother, and I blink as the two subjects battle for control of my emotions.

Eventually, Nick wins, and I wipe the depression away, feeling like something magical.

"Hey! Wish I could've hung out with you all day!" I text back, and then toss my phone down, heading to the kitchen for a quick snack.

It's not like you just had a huge bowl of ice cream, Judy.

I don't know why, but I'm still hungry.

I eventually microwave some popcorn after debating with myself about what food I should eat.

I dial two minutes into the timer, and step back, pouring myself a glass of carrot juice.

While to many it doesn't exactly sound appetizing, it's one of my favorite drinks.

I wait two minutes or so, and grab my popcorn, and run back to my room, anxious to see if Nick has replied.

As I begin to close the door of my room, I hear a car door close violently outside, and cringe.

They're home.

I close and lock my door once more, not wanting to face the verbal assault that is sure to come.

This should be good...

Nick POV

If I lacked my life experiences and common sense, I'd say that I'm glowing right now, quite literally.

It would have been cheesy to say around her, but I don't think I've been this happy in my entire life. My father is gone, at least for now, and I have a friend.

I think back to all the nights I spent crying at the window, staring up at the stars, wishing with all my being that there's a kid out there who would actually care about me. Nothing in my life had ever worked out like a wish upon a star, so I didn't expect any of it to actually become a reality.

"This is awesome, Nick!" my mother tells me loudly as she drives, very happy for me.

"Yeah, it is" I admit.

Maybe I made it out of life's tunnel, and am now moving into a brighter section of track. I don't expect life to be easy; trust me, I've learned my lesson with that, but at least now there's something in life to embrace.

"She seemed really nice!" she comments.

"She is" I say back, knowing my mom won't stop talking about all of this for a while.

According to society, rabbits and foxes are natural enemies, which I don't believe at all. I've only met a few rabbits in my life, one of them being my friend now, and I can't say they are any worse than the rest of animal-kind to me.

I think back to the memories I made with Judy in just one day, including the high score in the gaming store.

And this was just one day of knowing her.

My major concern is that Judy will be put through hell because of her involvement with me, which will eventually break us apart.

However there's a difference my mindset now.

Also due to the course of my life, being a pessimist only seemed ideal. Now, perhaps one could say that my positive thinking has been awakened by all of this.

You're worth it to someone, Nick.

I admit, I've taken my mother for granted recently, but it's obvious that I need a friend too. And at last, a dream has come true...

There's a few moments of silence as I text Judy eagerly.

"Hey! Wish I could have hung out with you all day!" her text reads, and my heart warms up a bit; something that seems to have happened a lot today.

"Yeah, that would have been awesome! But at least we met each other. That's a good start" I respond to her.

The silence in the car ends with a gasp from my mother, and I straighten up in my chair, anxious to see what has drawn my mother's concern.

I notice my father's car in our driveway almost immediately, and my hands clench together tightly.

I knew it was coming, but I didn't think it would be this soon.

"Mom! What do we do?!" I ask in a panicked tone, reminiscing back to my previous dark experiences with my father.

"Don't worry, I'll call the police" she says, driving the opposite direction of our house.

My heart beats fast, fearing for our safety.

"I don't know how he got in. I have the spare key" she speaks in a shaky tone as she dials 911.

My father texts my phone suddenly, and I stop breathing for a second upon reading his message, and seeing the photo he sent.

In the photo, our house is utterly destroyed. Our television is on the floor, shattered. Our furniture ripped up, and our possessions destroyed.

"If your mother doesn't let me come home, this is only the beginning" it reads.

He must have seen us drive by.

I look up at my mom as she speaks on the phone, my heart pounding.

"Mom!" I say, causing her to jump due to the edginess of the situation.

"Yes?" she asks.

I don't know how to say it, but I manage to gather the words to summarize the painful picture.

"Dad texted me" I nearly whisper in mental agony, and she takes the phone from my hand, staring at the picture as she drives.

She doesn't speak, but she doesn't need to in this case. I can see her eyes tearing up in a mixture of rage and grief, and she slams on the brakes.

"Nick...that can't be real..." she cries, and I flinch at the sound of my mother's distraught voice.

But it is.

His words echo in my mind, echoing large doses of pure fear throughout every corner of my mind.

This is only the beginning.

Well, that sucks for Nick! His emotions must be pretty...crazy right now. This is really fun to write, I must say.

Also, thanks for the patience with this update. Life has been hectic lately, but I'll still try my best to update ASAP! Anyways, thanks for reading chapter six! Leave your thoughts in the reviews! Until next time!