Still chugging along the backlog :)


Jack looked at the cards in his paws: two aces, two fours, and a fifth random card.

So far, the rabbit had been losing more than he'd won. The losses initially stung, but then Jack remembered the mammals he was playing with were likely more skilled. And it was because of that gap, the rabbit continued to play in the hopes of learning more skills. Jack figured he could salvage the night if he ended it on a win.

"How about you, Jack?" McKinley the wolf asked.

The rabbit placed the fifth random card on the table. "One."

The koala placed one card from the deck next to Jack. "One." He then drew two more from the deck. "Dealer takes two. Okay, we can finally open our bets. You're up, Jack."

The rabbit looked at the new card he received: a third ace. His poker face remained on while glancing between his cards and the table.

"Hands are getting cold." The cougar remarked.

"Okay, what are you going to do?" The porcupine said.

Another second passed before Jack finally looked up. "Check."

Hearing this, McKinley placed some of his chips into the pile. "25 dollars."

The cougar looked at his cards before sighing and placing them on the table. "Fold."

The pig shook his head and threw his cards onto the table. "Too rich for me." The porcine took note of the time as he sat back. "Hey Jack, it's 9:45. Shouldn't you be heading out now?"

The rabbit nodded. "I know. This is the last one."

"Well then," The wolf said. "Let's make it a good one."

"Alright." Jack grabbed a few chips. "I'll call your 25 and raise you 25 more."

The porcupine placed his cards down. "I fold."

The koala did the same. "I'm out."

The wolf chuckled. "I admire a mammal of courage." He placed more chips into the pile. "I'll call your 25 and bump you 50."

Jack decided to call his bluff. "You must be proud of that flush, eh?" The two exchanged smiles before Jack reached into his pile. "Mind if I play light?"

The wolf nodded.

He added to the pile. "I'll call your fifty and raise you fifty."

The cougar was enjoying the ante. "Ooh, lots of pressure."

At that moment, the door behind the table opened, and Natalie entered the room carrying a folder. "Here's the summary on Civil procedure, McKinley."

The wolf nodded and motioned to the desk next to the door. "Put it over there."

Natalie obliged but also gave McKinley a reminder. "Don't try to understand any of it. Just memorize the facts."

But McKinley paid little attention to her. "I like the way you play cards, Jack." He grabbed a few more chips. "I'll see your fifty and bump you fifty."

Upon hearing Jack's name, Natalie paused momentarily to observe the game. Indeed, she saw Jack playing with the group. Knowing their rowdy behavior, the white rabbit stayed to watch out for Judy's friend, ready to intervene should the situation escalate. She saw him confidently placing more chips into the pile.

"I'll call that fifty and raise you another fifty."

The wolf tapped his cards before shrugging and tossing a chip into the pile. "Alright. I'll call."

With that, Jack revealed his hand. "Full House. Aces over 4's."

The others, including Natalie, held their breath as McKinley looked at his cards. Jack took this as a sign that he had won and rubbed his paws together.

"Four tens."

Everything came crashing down when seeing the wolf reveal his paw. The cougar slapped his knees and whooped while the rest let out their breaths and laughed at the hand. McKinley collected his winnings while telling everyone else that they were 150 lighter. The secondhand embarrassment and humiliation from the loss were too much for Natalie, and she immediately left the room.

Jack froze in his seat as he felt the victory snatched away. While he tried to hide it, the high emotions revealed his reactions. The rigid ears. The frown on his face. The twitching nose. The rabbit eventually swallowed nervously before rubbing his paws on his face to hide everything and compose himself. He took a deep breath and rubbed his paws. "Give me a new stack."

The porcupine looked at Jack in confusion. "I thought you had to leave at 9:45."

Jack glared at the spiked mammal. "Don't worry about it."

The mammal just shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, put the rabbit down for another 250."

Jack knew he needed to leave. His friends were counting on his portion of the notes, and he still had two more oral reports to complete for Bogo's tomorrow. But that feeling of loss remained strong, and the rabbit refused to end the night that way. It didn't matter how long it would take. He had to win. He needed to.


It was Jack's turn to place a bet, and he took a long time to decide on the wager amount. At this point, it was down to him, the porcupine, the koala, and McKinley. Again, the winnings had grown large. If fortune swung Jack's way, he could end the night with a bang.

"Decisions. Decisions." The pig remarked.

McKinley was starting to get impatient. "Come on, Jack. What's it going to be?"

Jack looked between the mammals and his cards before finally placing a bet. "20 dollars."

The porcupine placed a chip into the pile. "I'll call."

The koala did the same. "Sure."

McKinley could see that Jack hated losing and how much the last game had destroyed him. "Well I don't like to kick a mammal while he's down." He tossed a twenty-dollar chip into the pile. "I'll call."

Jack smiled as he showed his cards. "Two pair: kings over queens."

McKinley nodded as he folded. "Beats me."

The koala tossed his cards. "Same here."

Jack felt his hopes rise from seeing victory on the horizons.

"Sorry," The porcupine interjected as he revealed his cards. "3 fives."

Jack felt another stabbed to the heart as they gathered the cards, and the porcupine collected his winnings. The rabbit calmly set his paws on the table. His hearing could pick up the subtle sounds of pity, but he paid no mind.

"Do you want another stack, Jack?" McKinley asked.

The words were enough to shake him out of it. The buck wanted to win so badly, but then he noted the time on the clock and saw that it was late. 10:45 PM. Jack hadn't realized that he kept playing so many matches. Were it not for Bogo's class tomorrow, Jack could have played all night. He was willing to deal with angry classmates, but not an angry Cape Buffalo.

"No, that's it for me."

The porcupine gave Jack a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, we usually don't treat our guests this bad on their first visit."

Jack could only laugh. "There's always next time, huh?" He stood up and went to grab his coat hanging off the chair when McKinley stopped him.

"Jack. Before you leave, there is the matter of the pay."

The rabbit whipped his head around and saw the wolf looking in a book. "Pay?"

McKinley nodded. "Yeah, you bought in when you joined."

Panic started to rise about that little-known fact and if he could cover the amount. "Huh, I didn't realize that. How much do I owe?"

The wolf looked at the numbers. "Well, since you are a first-time guest, we'll go light on you."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"$1200."

The cheerfulness instantly evaporated, and the rabbit went rigid once more. "$1200?"

McKinley raised an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

Yes! How in the world do I owe 1200 dollars?! Jack meekly shrugged. "Yeah, I don't have that much money on me. Cash or card. I'd write a check if I had one. It was only supposed to be a short visit."

McKinley nodded. "Understandable. It happens all the time with visitors. You can write a counter check." The wolf passed a checkbook and pen. "Just write your name and bank information."

Jack sat back down and reached for the checkbook and pen with a trembling paw. As the rabbit started writing his name and the bank information, he thought about running out. But Jack was outnumbered. Even if he did escape, the 3Ls would escalate to the campus police, and he could end up in serious trouble because of the amount owed. Jack barely caught the explanation that would grant him a reprieve.

"The way we operate here is that we hold all checks until Monday of next week. Whatever isn't redeemed gets cashed. This is so everyone can have a chance to win their checks back and if there is a delay with payday."

Jack finished writing the information and slid the book and pen back. "Nice idea. Thank you."

The wolf retrieved the items. "Come back anytime."

Jack laughed as he stood and put on his coat. "I just might tomorrow."

The 3Ls resumed the game as Jack took his leave. As the striped rabbit headed for the front door, he saw Natalie reading a book on a sofa. Despite the night ending badly, Jack figured he should at least say goodbye to Judy's friend.

"Natalie."

The white rabbit looked up from her book and saw him. "Oh, Jack. Is the game over?"

He was hesitant for a moment. "Uh yeah. For me."

Natalie gave a concerned look. "You don't look that triumphant."

Jack gave a meek smile. "Just…one of those nights."

"Taking them in stride, I guess." Natalie wanted to know more, but she and Jack were exhausted, so the white rabbit chose to end the awkwardness. "Well, good night."

Jack happily took the hint. "Good night."

He quietly took his leave while Natalie resumed with her book.

That is until McKinley appeared moments later. "Natalie, where did you put that report?"

She pointed back at the poker room. "Right where you told me to leave it."

Before he could thank her, his cougar friend approached him.

"Hey, McKinley," The wolf gave the feline his attention while Natalie quietly listened. "I was just thinking. 1200 dollars is a heavy knot. You don't think he wrote us a bad check?"

After a moment, the wolf only shrugged his shoulders. "We'll have to wait and see."

For Natalie, hearing those details caused the alarms to go off. She figured the two were talking about Jack and quickly put the pieces together on what happened.

Oh no! Jack, you idiot!

Natalie nearly jumped from the sofa to chase after Jack but realized that the conversation with McKinley ensured the rabbit was long gone. What could she do? She didn't have his number, and her schedule didn't afford her the luxury of searching for him or waiting until he got out of Bogo's class. Then she remembered who Jack's friends were.

I have to tell Judy about this.

The white rabbit closed her book and skipped up the stairs, where she texted Judy in the safety of her room. Natalie could only hope that her friend would respond in time.


11:00 PM

Back at the dorm,

Wearing an orange bathrobe and bath slippers, Skye shuffled back to her room after a shower. She and the rest of the study group had to complete the meeting without Jack. They were more upset that the striped rabbit hadn't bothered to explain his absence than the absence itself. When they returned to the dorms, she, Clawhauser, Judy, and Nick had hoped to catch him at some point during the night.

But as time passed, Clawhauser, Nick, and Judy grew tired and retired to their rooms while Skye volunteered to stay up until midnight. They could confront Jack in the morning should he return extremely late. Skye had decided to use the opportunity to clean herself while keeping an eye out for the buck.

To her fortune, she caught him hurrying back to his room. "Jack!"

While she could see him halt and his ears pick up her voice, the rabbit continued walking towards his room. Confused with the behavior, Skye went to investigate. When she arrived at the door, the vixen was about to knock when she could hear him shuffling around his room. Confusion gave way to concern as she finally knocked on the door.

"Jack?"

The shuffling stopped momentarily before resuming. Skye was about to knock again when she heard his voice.

"Come in."

Skye promptly entered the room and saw a meek Jack standing by his desk.

"I…I guess I owe you an apology."

Concern turned to frustration when he reminded her of the reason she sought Jack. The vixen crossed her arms. "You think? And not just to me. To the other study group members also."

"I'll do it tomorrow." Jack then started searching his desk again.

Skye didn't like that he appeared to blow her off and closed in on him. "That's not the point, Jack! We needed you tonight!"

The rabbit turned around and faced her. "I'm sorry, Skye."

"It's easy enough for you to say!" Her voice started to rise.

"I'm sorry!" His voice rose too.

"Especially since we did all the-"

Until Jack finally cracked. "GET OFF MY BACK!"

The outburst slapped Skye in the face. Still angry, Jack walked over to his closet and opened it when the realization of his actions fell over him. Jack turned to Skye with a remorseful look, only to be met with a hurtful look from the vixen.

Skye decided to comply with his wishes and quietly made her exit. As she approached the door, the vixen felt Jack grab her arms. She turned to see his pleading look.

"I'm sorry, Skye. I'm sorry."

The room was silent as the apology hung in the air. Jack was beginning to worry that his words fell on deaf ears when he saw Skye nod.

"Yeah, okay," She placed a paw on his arm. "And don't worry about the meeting. We managed fine. You can ask us for the summaries in the morning."

With that, Skye exited the room. Left alone now, Jack sighed and looked around. First at his desk where his books lay where he was reminded of the remaining oral reports. His mind then turned to the open closet where he planned to search for something to help pay the 1200 dollars. Both were of top priority. Yet despite the desire, his mind and body were exhausted.

Jack checked his phone and saw that it was just after 11. The rabbit grunted as he made another painful decision: taking a chance that Bogo would not ask about the oral reports until the end of class, hoping to add one more to the list during the period. After that, the rabbit just hoped Bogo wouldn't ask about the possible incomplete case.

That Wednesday morning, Jack planned to avoid encountering his friends between his dorm and Contracts I. The last thing the buck wanted was to be distracted from the professor's extra assignments. Thus, he ate breakfast in his room, left later than usual, and took the scenic route to class. Jack arrived with minutes to spare and ignored the looks from the study group as he walked to his seat.

Now for the hard part.


"And that is the best you can offer, Mr. Savage?" Bogo asked.

Jack looked down in shame for a moment. His decision to sleep didn't pay off. First, Bogo chose to start the day with the oral reports. Second, he asked for one of the incomplete cases for which he only had the facts. The culmination of decisions and mistakes led to the current disaster Jack found himself in.

"When I asked you for five oral cases, I did not expect a mere recital of the details. I had expected opinion, analysis, and a complete and thorough presentation."

"I am sorry, sir, but I can do better with the rest of the cases." The last-ditch appeal was likely to fail, but he still had to try.

Bogo raised a hoof. "Please spare us. Your first attempt was painful enough."

The rest of the study group could only shake their heads at Jack's failure. The spectacle displayed before everyone else in the classroom only added to the injury.

Jack went to sit down when Bogo raised his hoof again.

"A moment, Mr. Savage."

The rabbit stood straight.

"I insist that you fulfill your assignments according to my standards. So, using all your available resources, you are to provide a brilliant written treatment of the remaining four cases, plus two more from this chapter of your choosing. No less than ten pages each." The increased workload elicited silent, shocked reactions from Jack's friends and the rest of the classroom while the striped rabbit sighed heavily. "Examples of resources can be the gray matter between your ears or the multiple books in the Law School library. Am I clear, Mr. Savage?"

After a moment of hesitation, the striped rabbit responded. "Yes, sir. Ten pages."

"You may sit down now."

He did so, and Bogo proceeded with class. Jack could only sit and stare at the front of the classroom while a maelstrom of emotions raged inside.

After class ended, Jack tried to get ahead of the study group, but they quickly caught up.

"Unbelievable!" Judy exclaimed. "10 pages for each report? 6 cases total? That's 60 pages!"

"Yeah, I took math in grade school." The sarcasm was evident in Jack's voice.

Ben was more concerned with the load. "How are you going to manage?"

"I'll manage." Jack tried to get ahead again, but Nick jumped in front of him again.

"How? Jack, oral reports are one thing. Written reports are something else."

The striped rabbit glared at the tod. "I said I'll manage! Now leave it alone. I have more important things to worry about." He stepped around Nick and continued walking ahead.

Fru Fru managed to get a remark out before Jack got too far. "More important than Bogo?"

Jack halted in his steps and turned to face the group. "Believe it or not? Yes." And he resumed walking, leaving the group behind.

Clawhauser finally broke the silence. "Do you think it's because he hasn't played poker?"

Nick crossed his arms. "If there was money involved, I would say yes. But all the games Jack played so far were free."

Judy then turned to Skye. "Did you see Jack come back last night?"

The vixen nodded. "Yeah."

That got everyone else's attention.

"Did you notice anything odd about him?" Nick asked.

"He was frantic. Like someone was trying to kill him or he owed a debt." Skye kept his outburst a secret for now. She didn't want to judge him until having all the facts.

The last part caused a visible reaction from Nick and Judy, which led to the others becoming curious. They watched Nick and Judy look at each other as their minds went to work.

Judy voiced her suspicion. "Nick…you don't think."

"I don't want to, but the facts point in that direction."

"What are you two thinking?" Fru Fru asked.

Nick glanced back at the others. "We'll explain later. Carrots, you mentioned a possible lunch meeting with Natalie."

"Yes. Today"

"Would you mind?"

Judy finished Nick's line of thinking. "Not at all. I'll find out what I can."

He smiled at her answer. "Great. Thank you."

Skye, Fru Fru, and Clawhauser remained confused throughout the conversation, but they also remained silent and let the two go through with the plan. Since Jack refused to explain themselves, Natalie was the only other acquaintance who could answer their questions.