Going to college was basically just a formality for Judie Big, granddaughter of Mr. Big. She knew she'd eventually be wrapped up in the relatively comfortable life of a mafia princess, but she wanted to do some soul-searching to determine if she wanted to try grabbing the reins at all. The shrew had enrolled in Zootopia University under the name "Judie Smalls".
By sheer chance, her dorm mate happened to be Kerry Princess Weaselton, a brown weasel who was studying to become a financial advisor. She wanted to have a legitimate job for herself and not be under the chance and questionable legality of the type of activities her father, Duke Weaselton, engaged in.
Ironically, Judie and Kerry felt like they learned more from each other than their college classes. Judie was great with numbers, and she often helped Kerry with her assignments when she was frustrated or tired. Meanwhile, Kerry would frequently brag about how easily she could read people in the college and filled Judie's ears with gossip. Who was getting together, who would be breaking up, who was becoming prominent in the party scene. Judie grinned inwardly when she took up this information; the shrew thought learning how to read and manipulate mammals would serve her well if she tried to make her own name in the Big family.
The two became platonically inseparable, and were like a tag-team of trouble. Kerry's words could cut deep, so no one tended to mess with either one of them. Judie was amused that she was "protected" by Kerry. If she had let anyone know who exactly she was, they would have kept an even wider berth.
Judie remained a big fan of the Tiny Racing League, and watched races whenever she could get away with it. She recognized Larry from a chance encounter right before both of them graduated high school, and tended to root for him.
"Aw, Larry, eighth place?" Judie chuckled as one race concluded early in his career. "Ya gonna have ta do better than that!"
"Larry?" Kerry walked up to the television in interest. "Larry Wilde-Hopps? Huh! He did make it onto the track after all." She put her hands on her hips.
"Ya know Larry, then?" Judie asked in curiosity.
"Know him?" Kerry flicked her paw in the air. "I went to both middle school and high school with him. I should be asking you how the heck you know him!"
"Chance meeting," Judie shrugged. "He was bummed about graduating for some reason."
"Ah, that'd be because his girlfriend moved away to go to Pawprintsteen University in the Northwest," Kerry explained. "He's such a goober for her."
"She must be a noice squirrel; he was really bummed that day," Judie offered.
"Oh no, she's one of my best friends actually, a ferret," Kerry smirked.
Judie blinked. "No way?"
So, that type of gossip prevailed between the two, and Judie learned more about Larry and Kara. The day Larry won his first race, both "princesses" were beside themselves.
"He won! Ha HA!" Judie pumped one of her fists.
"Ah, Larry, you dope!" Kerry tossed her head back in laughter. "I bet it's because Kara's on break and just went to visit him. Fueled by a ferret, what a male, am I right?"
"Ya don't say!" Judie stroked her chin thoughtfully. Judie had Kerry keep her informed of the next time the ferret was in Zootopia. She looked up the schedule for the next race, and thought up a fairly simple plan.
Judie never went anywhere dangerous without her own personal bodyguard polar bear, Nathan. He carried her into a shady betting establishment, where he, with his other hand, produced a tiny fortune that Judie had managed to squeeze out of her father.
"Alla this, on Larry Wilde-Hopps, to win it," Judie said dangerously. "First place."
"You think you're hot fluff, little girl?" The boar bookie said, looking at Larry's wild odds because of his inconsistent performance. "Alright, it's your funeral."
"It'll be yours if you don't show me some respect," Judie snarled. "It's Little Miss Big, to you." A few mammals in the establishment gasped. The bookie looked over the unfriendly-looking polar bear who was holding Judie, and suddenly remembered the legacy of the Big family.
"Er, yes, Little Miss Big, as you say, all of that on Larry," the boar nodded, scooping up the money.
Judie made out like a bandit that day. Larry had taken first, and Judie took a substantial sum of money back to college, but not before bragging to her family about how good she was getting at reading people. She hoped to find a commanding role in the Big family.
"Here ya go," Judie handed a wad of bills over to Kerry, who's eyes bugged out. "Buy yaself somethin' noice."
"What's all this from!?" Kerry blinked in astonishment.
"Can't tell ya," Judie grinned.
"You're killing me, Smalls," Kerry shook her head, "well uh, why do I deserve it, then?"
Judie chuckled haughtily. "Why, for bein' my 'financial consultant', of course."
After their college education had concluded, Judie had Kerry meet her alone one evening at Mezzo Park.
"What's this about, Judie?" Kerry asked with a hint of unease.
"A business proposal," Judie said smugly, "I want you to be my right-hand weasel. We complete each other. You're great with manipulating people, and I'm good with numbers. You need my help, and I need yours. I'd like ya to become a part of my family."
"Uh!?" Kerry flinched. "Um, I told you I'm not like that, Judie. We're just friends."
"Great friends," Judie nodded. "We should work together. I should tell you, my names not Judie Smalls, It's Judie BIG."
"Oh..." Kerry's eyes widened and her pupils shrank as she felt a jolt of fear in her tummy. She recalled a story her father had told her about how he nearly lost his life to Mr. Big.
"So whaddaya say?" Judy smirked.
"I, uh," Kerry poked her fingers together, "I've tried my whole life to keep my nose clean, to prove I could make it without resorting to being a petty crook like my dad..."
"Psh, ya wouldn't just be a petty crook," Judie grinned, "you'd be a part of one of the most infamous criminal organizations in Zootopia! You can still have your little legit job as a financial advisor or whatever." She flicked her wrist. "It'd make a great cover!"
"I guess I have no choice, then," Kerry said nervously, her heart pounding in fear. "You've told me all this; you'd have to kill me if I said no..."
"Me? Nevah," Judie looked shocked, putting her hands to her chest. "I'd only have to kill you if you did something stupid, like reveal who I was to anyone else." She winked. "You've made me a lot of money with your analytical weasel eye, Kerry. I ain't gonna bump ya off that easy."
"Oh!" Kerry quickly spun it through her head how Judie could have been making money off of knowledge that she provided.
"C'mon..." Judie grinned. "It'll be a blast. I promise ya!"
"Oh, sure," Kerry grinned. "I have to say, getting the chance to manipulate mammals at that high of a level is rather appealing..."
"Now we're talking!" Judie laughed. "Nathan, Tony! Get out here." Kerry flinched in fright as two large polar bears came from behind some trees and lumbered over towards them.
"Wh-who are these guys?" Kerry cringed.
"Well, Nathan's mine," Judie said as the polar bear in question picked her up. "Tony'll be yours. We gotta protect our assets."
"W-whoa, I get my own bodyguard?" Kerry marveled as Tony gently lifted her in his cupped hands.
"Ain't loif grand?" Judie cackled.
The news of Kerry's double life eventually reached the Weaseltons, and her mother was both terrified and furious. But when she confronted Duke about this, he just clutched at his chest with pride and sighed.
"Ah, she's daddy's little girl..."
Judie continued to make a good deal of money at the betting establishments. Since no one else seemed to be able to read when Larry would do well except for Little Miss Big, Larry also cost a lot of people money. Judie would occasionally overhear talk about frustrated bettors wanting to make Larry "have an accident". Mysteriously, these mammals ended up vanishing, one way or another. Besides Larry, there was another that Judie was confident enough to bet on. She was a bit tougher to read than Larry, but with Kerry's help, she still made money off of her.