Here's chapter 7! Sorry it's been a month, give or take. I hope everyone is having a nice day. Thank you all so much for reading! Now let's all take a look at Lucas's first day of high school! Also…I told you guys I'd think of a Zootopia equivalent to Taylor Swift! I've been working on this chapter since the 18th—it's been a busy weekend. Anyways, enjoy! Also, big thanks to my friend Alex for helping me figure out what sports one of my new OCs should play and to my girlfriend, known as TheGreatSakura on FanFiction, for helping me name another new OC. And wow, this has to be one of my longest chapters ever!

Chapter 7: The First Day

Judy and Nick had gotten Lucas registered for Savannah Central High School and the day where he would be a freshman finally came. Two weeks had gone by since the adoption, during which the orphanage called frequently to check on him. He had mostly spent time with his new parents when they were off work and he had even gone into the ZPD a couple of times. Officer Clawhauser had talked to him for a solid twenty minutes about Gazelle, the chipmunk bands and Hyena Gomez among other music artists that had made their names in pop history.

Lucas thought of his times at the police station and knew that today would be very different. He wouldn't be hiding in a cubicle or behind a desk in a building full of adults. He would be fully exposed in a building full of males and females within his age range. Wearing a blue hoodie and a pair of black cargo shorts, Lucas slung his backpack onto his shoulder. Judy, already in uniform, knocked on his bedroom door.

"How's my favorite high schooler?" Judy sang, unsuccessfully trying to psyche Lucas up as she knocked on his door. Lucas opened the door, a mix of dread and, thankfully, curiosity in his big, blue eyes.

"I-I'm fine…" Lucas reported as he opened the door. Judy smiled warmly at him, which ironically put him even more on edge. His tail swished from one side of him to another. "Do I have to change for gym?"

Judy could hear the paranoia resulting from the young fox's experiences well up in his voice. She didn't want to imagine what he had gone through because if she tried too much to envision it, she would burst into tears. She took a deep breath, resisting the urge to track down Lucas's second foster father and punch him in the throat, and retained her smile.

"Is he ready yet?" Nick, also in uniform, yawned. He was getting much more sleep than he did whenever he had spent the night in Judy's old apartment, but getting up so early was somewhat difficult. Even Judy's twin sister, Amber, was amazed at how energetic Judy was at the crack of dawn. Nick's eyes widened with pleasure at the sight of Lucas ready for school. Maybe it was just the thought of being able to send a kid he could call his own off to school that elated him so much. With soft emerald eyes, Nick complimented his adoptive son, "You look great, kiddo."

"Thanks, Dad…" Lucas mumbled, his larimar blue eyes shining with hope. To Nick and Judy's surprise, the younger fox ran up to them and hugged them tightly. He sniffled, "Thank you both so much!"

"Aww, hon…" Judy sighed happily, hugging Lucas back. "Do you have the new phone we got you?"

"Mm-hmm!" Lucas confirmed, nodding.

"Do you have your lunch?" Nick asked, rubbing Lucas's bangs with his paw.

"It's in the fridge," the blue-eyed fox reported.

"Go get it," Nick said as he gave Lucas a pat on the back. As Lucas went into the kitchen, Nick looked at Judy and asked, "Let's get the Chief to ask out Mayor Lynx."

"She is his kind of female," Judy mused. She looked at the various posters on Lucas's wall. There were a few of a chipmunk girl band and even a couple of a chipmunk boy band. He had several Gazelle posters, a Hyena Gomez poster and a Tailor Swift-Fox poster. There was even an unused sticker of a gray feline idol that Judy had never heard of before.

"You'd probably understand his taste better than I would. This is after my time," Nick nudged Judy and informed her.

"Oh, please, I'd say that your time is now," Judy teased and lightly tapped Nick on the nose as she walked away from the room.

Once Lucas was sure he had everything he would need for the day, he left home and got on the school-bound bus. So many mammals his age… He was too nervous to interact with any of them, so he made a beeline for the first open two-seater he saw. He quickly situated himself in the seat and checked his iPhony. He did not want to be late, so he guessed he would just have to trust the bus to get him to school on time.

The seats were small, which is why Lucas found himself thanking God for his skinny body. When the next stop rolled around, a few students got on. A buck walked up to Lucas and asked, "Is it alright if I sit with you?"

Lucas looked up at the male deer. He was a tall, slender fellow wearing a pastel green V-neck t-shirt and blue jeans. He had a light brown muzzle, but the rest of him was a darker shade of brown. He had vibrant orange eyes and a gentle smile. He was wearing a rainbow wristband and his antlers were small, but noteworthy. There were white speckles on the back of his neck. Digging deep for courage, Lucas shyly answered, "S-sure…"

"The name is Hunter. Hunter Stagson. What's your name?" the deer introduced himself.

"L-Lucas… Lucas Wilde…" Lucas timidly reciprocated the introduction.

"Nice to meet you!" Hunter extended his hoof to Lucas, who hesitantly shook it. "What year are you?"

"I-I'm a freshman…" Lucas informed the deer. He wasn't used to being asked so much consecutively. Everyone at the orphanage thought he was a weirdo and let him mind his own business. He had been able to pick up social cues only because when he had to be in common spaces with the other kids, he had quietly observed them as they all pretended he wasn't there. For a while, he wondered if he even existed.

"Me, too! This is going to be so awesome! We're going to hang out, talk about classmates that we like—I'm more into males myself—and we can watch movies and all that other fun stuff!" Hunter excitedly exclaimed.

Lucas suddenly reminded Ashira, the girl who currently had his heart strings tightly wound around her finger. He asked the deer, "D-do you know a fox named Ashira by any chance?"

"Ashira Foxy? Yeah, I know her. She's a real pistol, I tell ya! She's so much fun, a little crazy, but she's really caring over all. You've met her?" Hunter informed him.

"Y-yeah…at the train station when I first moved here…" Lucas informed his classmate.

"You're getting all flustered, Lucas. Do you like her?" Hunter asked teasingly. Lucas slouched a bit in his seat and felt his face grow hot. Without a verbal response, he shrugged. Hunter kept his expectant orange gaze on him.

"I-I've never felt this way before…" Lucas mumbled.

"Dude, you so like her!" Hunter exclaimed and ducked a bit so he could look Lucas in the eye. "So…do you want to be friends?"

"Um…" Lucas mumbled. "D-do you mind me being shy…?" He was subconsciously rubbing his scarred wrist. He looked down at his paws and stopped.

"Not at all," Hunter warmly said and glanced down at Lucas's wrist. His smile faded. "Is…everything okay?"

"Yeah… These are old…" Lucas admitted, avoiding eye contact. "They're just memories now."

"I hope so. I don't want my brand new friend to be suffering," Hunter consolingly said. "I'm sure Ashira likes you, too. What's not to like? You seem like a smart guy and…you have really beautiful eyes."

"Th-thank you," Lucas stuttered. He had been told that before. Someone once told him that he had lapis lazuli eyes.

On the bus ride over, Hunter and Lucas had discovered that they had the same homeroom teacher. They got to school and headed went to their assigned lockers. On the way to his assigned locker, Lucas got hit in the face by a kangaroo opening his locker. Ashira, whose locker was right next to Lucas's, ran over to him and helped him up. The kangaroo apologized profusely, "I am so sorry! I guess I didn't see you! Gosh, are you okay?"

"Lucas, how many fingers am I holding up?" Ashira asked and held up two fingers.

"Two…" Lucas groaned and held his head. His heart skipped a beat when he realized that Ashira was making physical contact with him. His tail wagged slowly.

"I am so sorry, little fox," the kangaroo apologized. "Do you want me to take you to the nurse's office?"

"It's alright, really," Lucas insisted as he stood up, still a bit dizzy from the impact. "I just want to practice my combo a couple of times before homeroom." Ashira stayed by him the entire time he stumbled to his locker. Her presence made Lucas's heart pound in his chest. Lucas's and Ashira's lockers were just a few lockers over from where Lucas had been hit in the face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ashira concernedly asked.

"Yeah. I'm not bleeding am I?"

"No."

"I didn't see you on the bus. Do you take a different bus?" Lucas inquired curiously as he spun the combination lock (which is actually a permutation lock, but combination lock rolls off the tongue nicer, anyway).

"No," Ashira answered as she shook her head, her light orange locks flying to the motion of her head. "My big sister and her boyfriend drove me and an old goat gave my sister's boyfriend his old car as thanks for always helping him with groceries and stuff. They're seniors this year, my sister and her boo. Honestly, they're so cute together! Next year, I'll need to figure something out. Honestly, buses get too crowded."

"I didn't think it was so bad. I mean, I think Hunter broke through my shell a little," Lucas claimed. He knew he was basically a standalone, isolated in his mind. Mammals like Ashira and Hunter, though he had barely known them, were slowly breaking down the walls of isolation.

"I thought you seemed a little more open today," Ashira commented with a playful smirk as she leaned on her locker.

"How do you mean?" Lucas asked as he opened his locker and closed it again.

"When we met, you seemed super excited and super nervous. It was almost like you were holding something back. And I can tell that you've suffered," Ashira claimed. Lucas's eyes widened and he fixed his blue gaze on her face. "We all have, in different ways and to different extremes. If someone hasn't, they will. That's why we have each other. Do you have a phone?"

"Y-yeah…" Lucas replied, taken aback by the depth of Ashira's statement. She was absolutely right and it almost brought him to tears. "I-I just got my first one."

"Oh, my gosh, congratulations! Here, let's trade numbers!" Ashira offered.

"Count me in," Hunter chimed in as he strutted over.

"Oh, Hunter! I haven't really spoken to you since middle school! How was your summer?" Ashira asked pleasantly.

"It went by way too quick. How about yours?" Hunter asked. Lucas could easily see that the two have been acquainted for a while, at least since early middle school.

"Pretty good. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Rina's nervous about applying to colleges. Suiko still won't move her bangs out of her eyes. Grandma was having scream fights with my brother over the phone, but my oldest sister just got engaged," Ashira reported. The red-eyed vixen turned to Lucas and said, "Yep! I'm the youngest of five!"

"What's that like?" Lucas asked as the trio started walking to homeroom.

"Oh, it's interesting with my family. My oldest sister, Inari, is the pride and joy of the family. She's a little insane, though," Ashira nonchalantly informed the males. "She's great at networking; I swear it's like she knows everyone!"

That sounds like both of my dads, past and present… Lucas thought, but kept the words within himself.

"And she's engaged now?" Hunter asked as they all rounded the corner and turned into a classroom.

"Yeah. Given what a live wire Big Sis Inari is, her fiancé is perfect for her. He keeps her paws on the ground," Ashira informed them. "He's got this abnormal fur pattern that I think looks really cool. He looks like a fox with tiger fur. Incidentally, Rina, the fourth born child, is dating a really buff tiger."

The deer and two foxes sat at three adjacent desks and Lucas absentmindedly rubbed his sore head. The kangaroo from before sat down behind Lucas and apologized, "Look, man, I really am so sorry…"

Lucas hadn't realized that the kangaroo had been behind him until he had spoken up, so hearing the voice behind him had startled him. His tail fur puffed up a bit due to the shock and Ashira giggled. Lucas turned around and rigidly said, "N-no, it was my fault. I should have looked where I was going."

"This is Joey. He was the star athlete of our middle school," Hunter introduced Lucas to the kangaroo.

"Pleased to meet you, mate!" Joey exclaimed and held out his paw. Lucas hesitantly shook it.

"He says he's a little shy, Joe," Hunter reported. Lucas couldn't deny it.

"I…didn't have any good friends growing up, so…" Lucas mumbled. Part of him wanted to tell them all about his past, how his parents died in a house fire, how he was neglected, abused and emotionally abandoned and how he kept himself in isolation for years because he was afraid to go through it all again. Another part of him told him not to for fear of scaring away these mammals who were taking the time to interact with him. The latter part won.

"Aww… Well, if it means anything, you have us now," Ashira pointed out consolingly. Lucas felt his tail start to wag. He couldn't help it. Hearing her say that was music to his ears.

"Besides, you already said you and I could be friends," Hunter reminded Lucas as he wrapped an arm around him.

"Y-yeah, I know," Lucas assured with a small smile on his face. "So, um…Joey, what sports do you play?"

"Well, in the fall, I play soccer in the fall, water polo in the winter, golf in the spring, rowing in the summer and I'm in a bowling league on the side," Joey informed Lucas. Ashira and Hunter looked surprised, so Lucas assumed that at least one or two of the mentioned sports had not been made aware to them.

"Um…are there any sports you don't…particularly like?" Lucas carefully, yet curiously asked.

"I'm not a huge fan of boxing, honestly," Joey admitted and shrugged. "Say, Hunter, have you found anyone yet?"

"Nah…" Hunter glumly answered.

"You will. I'm sure of it. I just met you and I know any male would be lucky to have you," Lucas said confidently. He didn't even think about it. The words just flew out of his mouth.

"Yeah, Lucas is right!" Ashira agreed. "We're all bound to find someone and fall in love! Joey, just don't ram into her boat."

"Ah, shove it," Joey said as he rolled his eyes and Ashira playfully punched his arm. Lucas smiled. Before he knew it, he was making friends. They homeroom teacher, a pangolin, walked into class and waddled to his desk.

Meanwhile, Judy and Nick went to the hospital to visit the victim of a violent robbery that they stopped. Judy walked over to her sister, Amber, who had recently been recruited into the hospital that she had interned with for an extended period of time. The first thing Amber said was, "How's Lucas?"

"He's good. How's the patient?" Judy asked.

"A little roughed up, but otherwise alright. He's tough. Apparently, he's a veteran," Amber reported. Judy glanced down at Amber's paws and grabbed her left paw. There was a silver ring on her middle finger. "Judy!"

"You're engaged?!" Judy ecstatically exclaimed.

"Yes! Finnick proposed to me!" Amber confirmed, then realized why Judy was so shocked. "Oh, yeah, I guess he doesn't seem like the marital type to most."

"Most? Before you, he's never been with the same female more than once!" Judy reminded her fraternal twin. "What were we talking about before?"

"I was asking about Lucas," Amber stated.

"Oh, yeah. He started high school today! Oh, I hope he's okay. He was really nervous about changing for gym. I'll feel so bad if this doesn't go well!"

"Judy, this will be good for him. It'll be difficult and he may not open up to anyone today, but at the very least, he needs exposure to other kids. Just keep this in mind if his first day isn't so great."

"You're right…and a fiancée. You're a right fiancée," Judy said observantly.

"I was hoping to keep it a secret for a week or two and surprise everyone…" Amber mumbled as her ears drooped.

"If it's any consolation, I'm surprised now," Judy stated innocently.

Nick found Finnick leaning on a wall, wearing a black trench coat. Finnick, due to his childlike stature and impressive combat skills and pliability, was instantly made a key member of a brand new black ops unit for deterring and contrasting crime that was a level above normal policing. The taller fox said to the fennec, "I never thought you'd do it. You actually popped the question."

"Yeah, well…" Finnick muttered. "How's your kid?"

"Not having a heart attack, I hope," Nick sighed and leaned on the wall next to him.

"You know, some countries think of heart attacks as a coming of age ceremony," Finnick informed Nick.

"Yeah, and those countries' cars probably spontaneously catch fire in people's driveways," Nick hypothesized. "What kind of country would that be?"

"One that's run by someone who just likes to mess with people," Finnick answered. "That ring was my grandma's, you know."

"Her funeral is probably the only time I've ever seen you cry, my friend," Nick retrospectively recalled.

"Never speak of it!" Finnick growled lowly.

"Got it," Nick assured. Nick glanced down at his phone and saw he got a text from Elias. The fox cop decided he would look at the message later, when the time and place were better.

"I wonder those two are talking about," Judy wondered aloud.

"Probably talking about burning bridges at fast food restaurants. Guys are weird," Amber theorized. Judy gave her a skeptic look with a raised brow. "What?"

"That was our next door neighbor," Judy reminded Amber.

"You have fast food in Bunnyburrow?" Nick asked as he and Finnick walked over.

"Nick, we're country girls, not cave bunnies," Judy answered. Nick chuckled and rested an arm on Judy's head. "Nick, remember that butterfly dream I had the first night you stayed over?"

"Yeah. Why?" Nick responding, recalling Judy telling him about a dream that she had the first time he'd spent the night. She had butterfly wings and he was there and he had taken her to a meadow. Nick tried to understand why Judy had such a deep fascination, but eventually gave up because that well just kept going deeper and deeper.

"When does Lucas have gym?" Judy asked, trying to remember what their son's schedule was like.

"I don't remember. Why? Are you worried he's going to be uncomfortable changing for gym?" Nick asked, crossing his arms. "Of course he'll be uncomfortable; high school locker rooms are awkward, sweaty cesspools of arguably criminal hygiene and towel whipping."

"It's different for him! H-he was—" Judy stammered.

"I read his file, too, Carrots. He may have paid his debt to society, but he'll never pay his debt to the child he scarred," Nick cut her off, not wanting to hear anymore. Every time Nick thought of how Lucas's second foster father abused the poor kid, he shuddered.

Meanwhile, Lucas, Joey and Hunter all had gym at the same time and were changing in the males' locker room, which was marked with the male gender symbol. Lucas spent several minutes looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was staring at him.

"You like this, Stagson?" Lucas heard someone jeer. He looked to his right and his blue eyes widened when he saw a porcupine, a zebra and a vole teasing Hunter. The fox nudged his kangaroo friend and pointed. They exchanged nods and went over.

"Hunter, come change with us. Gym is more fun in a pack anyway," Joey suggested as he pulled the deer over. Lucas shot the trio a dirty glare, wishing he had done more to help his new friend, before going back over to Joey and Hunter.

"What was that about?" Lucas asked, having never seen hazing like that before.

"That was harassment by a bunch of close-minded snobs who think this is the eighteenth century, mate," Joey informed the fox.

"They think that there's something wrong with me… Just because of the way I am and what I'm into," Hunter sighed.

"Oh, sure! Hide behind Joey Marco and—and this kid!" the zebra sneered.

"He's heard enough and I'm sick of the sound of your voice," Joey called back.

"Hunter, there is nothing wrong with you," Lucas dug deep inside him for the courage to speak up again and consoled his friend. "You'll find a guy who will be lucky to have you. They just don't get you. Heck, they're not even trying!"

"Thanks, Lucas!" Hunter delightedly thanked the fox as his orange eyes regained their radiance. "And Ashira's crazy if she doesn't fall head over paws for you."

"N-not so loud, okay?" a flustered Lucas protested as he took his cargo shorts off and put on a pair of red gym shorts. His blue hoodie stayed on.

"Shouldn't you take that off, mate? It's September," Joey advised. "Usually mid-October is when the cool season weather starts to set in."

"I'll be fine in this," Lucas insisted insecurely. Joey and Hunter exchanged unsure glances. Soon enough, all the males and females gathered in the gymnasium and separated into their respective classes. Joey was in a sport-oriented physical education class, while Ashira, Lucas and Hunter were all in the same general physical education class. Lucas was glad that a fairly notable portion of his schedule overlapped with those of the mammals he was starting to get to know. Something that he found very ironic was that he was in the same biology class as Ashira.

Lucas, Ashira and Hunter's class went outside for their gym class activities. The first day, they were doing physical fitness testing, partially so their teacher could learn all of their names. The first thing they did was sit-ups on the field. Lucas wanted to partner with Ashira and count her sit-ups, but Lucas noticed that the zebra from the locker room was in their class. For fear of Hunter being harassed again, Lucas partnered with him.

The next thing they did was the fifty-yard dash, in which pairs raced each other and the clock down fifty yards of the field. This time, Lucas partnered with Ashira. They both were close, Lucas ahead by just a snout length. Then came the mile. Four laps around the track. Many just walked, not wanting to exert themselves in running. Some split up walking and running. Hunter and the zebra were running the entire way. Lucas had decided he was going to the same. He wanted to prove to himself that he belonged to be here and that he deserved to be among his peers even though his past was so different from most of theirs. The hoodie was holding in a lot of the heat that his body was radiating and he was heavily panting in his third lap. He had gone too fast in the first two laps.

Just a little more… Do it! Do it! Lucas kept forcing himself onward. He forced himself to keep running. It was as if his life depended on it. He thought back to when he was eight and his house was on fire. He ran as fast as he could to the nearest neighbor's house to call the fire department, but by the time they had arrived, it was too late. The house had become little more than a mountain of ash. Lucas remembered wanting to run, feeling horrified. He wanted to run away from reality. Was it the same now as back then, or was he running towards something this time?

He was on his last lap now, continuing to force himself to run as fast as he could. Each meter felt like it took forever to complete, but he kept going. Something inside him told him that he had to go on. He had crossed the finish line, third in his class to complete the mile, and collapsed face first. He couldn't stop panting. What happened next was a blur, but time seemed to speed up as he lied still on the track. He felt someone roll him onto his back. Then, trauma-influenced panic welled up within him as he felt someone take off his hoodie, but no more clothes were removed after that.

"How could you let yourself get so dehydrated?" a female's voice asked him. It was Ashira. Was she…worried about him? Lucas's dazed blue eyes were wide as the full moon when he realized that his head was on her lap. "Are you crazy?"

"If only you knew…" Lucas mumbled. Hunter came over with a bottle of water. He had hung Lucas's sweatshirt on a nearby metal bench.

Ashira, who was positioned at Lucas's right side, reached across for his left arm so she could check his pulse. She saw the scars on his wrist. He thought she would be appalled, but to his surprise, she said, "You're not alone anymore…" Had she seen right through him?

"Drink, Lucas," Hunter instructed and Lucas graciously accepted the water bottle and downed the whole thing. Hunter playfully teased, "Or should I start calling you Wilde Thing?"

"Seriously, you could have had heat stroke. But…you were so…impressive out there. You just need to learn to pace yourself and you could run long distance," Ashira commended Lucas for his effort.

"I…I've never really interacted with mammals my own age before…You guys won't…get scared off, will you?" Lucas asked carefully.

"What? Don't be ridiculous! I've wanted to get to know you better since that day at the train station," Ashira informed him.

"And we already promised to be friends, dude," Hunter reminded him. Lucas smiled as Hunter helped him up and Ashira took him to the nurse's office. Hunter got Lucas's things from the locker room and dropped them off at the nurse's office.

The nurse, a pika named Ms. Forrest, said to him, "You should be fine, Mr. Wilde, but be wary about your fluids. Drink your water."

"Y-yes, ma'am…" Lucas replied timidly.

"Why would you keep this sweatshirt on?" Ashira asked as she handed Lucas the blue hoodie that Hunter had retrieved from the bench.

"I…get a little insecure about…myself," Lucas admitted awkwardly.

"You mean your cuts?"

"It's more than that…" Lucas softly rasped, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Tell me, please… Lucas, I'm scared to think about what could have driven you to do this to yourself," Ashira confessed, "but I won't run and bail on you."

Breaking down into sobs, Lucas started to tell her everything from the housefire all the way up to the day they had met at the train station. The horror of his parents dying had haunted him always. The neglectful first foster parents did not often feed him and the other foster children, let alone aid in the coping process. The foster father in the second home made it worse by abusing and assaulting him. The third foster home had given up on his case. He had hid himself from others in the orphanage because he was afraid of being hurt again. Then, like angels from heaven, Nick and Judy had appeared and something inside him told him to have faith in them, so he accepted their offer to become a part of their family. He told her about how he had hoped that she would become someone significant in his life since that day at the train station. When he finished, he sobbed, "Now do you see why I'm like this?"

"…I don't know what you mean. Considering all you've went through, you're pretty strong to be standing here today, telling me all of this," Ashira sniffled and hugged Lucas. For the first time in a long time, the male fox felt at peace with himself.

"C-can we be lab partners in bio?" Lucas sheepishly asked.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Ashira warmly replied.

After getting through all of his classes, Lucas went home with a big smile on his face. Judy stood in the doorway, waiting nervously, still in uniform. The rabbit asked, "How'd it go?"

"Great! I made friends and I almost got heat stroke!" Lucas informed her as he hugged her and went inside.

"Yeah, Ms. Forrest told me all about that…" Judy muttered. She was happy that Lucas had made friends and even happier that he was alright, but getting a call from the nurse on the very first day of school nearly gave her a heart attack.