Zootopia:Sarah's Story

Chapter 3: Bad Influence

Sarah had just finished her strawberry ice cream, Nick was going to show her a trick with Finnick's Jumbo-pop. "Ok kid, watch this." Nick climbed the wall of a building and placed the Jumbo-pop on top of the roof under the hot sun. The Jumbo pop started to melt and the juice was channeled through tubes into two jugs next to Finnick and Sarah. Finnick picked up the jugs and loaded them into the van. Nick slid down the roof and landed next to Sarah. "Stick with me kid. I'll teach you all my tricks." Sarah nodded. "Otay." Nick, Sarah, and Finnick got inside the van and headed to Tundra Town. Once they reached Tundra Town, Nick took the jugs out of the back of van and Finnick made footprints in the snow with his paws, Nick put a popsicle stick in each footprint, then Finnick and Nick poured the juice of the melted Jumbo-pop into the molds while Sarah stood to the side and watched with her pink baby blanket wrapped around her to keep her warm, she was already shivering from the cold air and Nick noticed. "Hey kid you ok?" Sarah shook her head. "No. Too cold." Nick nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, kid. Once we're done here we'll be heading to Savanna Central. Ok?" Sarah nodded her head. "Otay." Once they finished filling up the molds they headed to a lemming bank Savanna Central. "This is where we're going to sell the pawpsicles." "Otay!" Nick gently walked Sarah to the side of the cart. "Now you just stand to the side here and look cute... Which isn't impossible." Sarah nodded. "Otay!" The lemmings then excited the bank. "Ok kid, here they come. Remember to show off that cute smile." Sarah nodded and smiled. Nick took one of the pawpsicles from the cart. "Pawpsicles! Get your pawpsicles! And don't forget to say hi to cute little Sarah!" The lemmings walked toward the pawpsicle stand and looked up to see Sarah. They all waved hi to Sarah, Sarah smiled at the lemmings and waved. "Hi!" The lemmings all handed Nick money, and he handed each of them a pawpsicle. Each of the lemmings ate their pawpsicles and then threw the sticks into the recycling bins and left. A small door opened in the bin and out stepped Finnick pulling three bins carrying used pawpsicle sticks. Nick and Finnick loaded the bins into the back of the van. Nick turned to Sarah. "Alright kid, next stop is Little Rodentia to sell the red wood." Sarah nodded but didn't say anything. They all got into the van and Finnick drove them to Little Rodentia. When the three of them got there, Nick took out three yellow hard hats and placed one gently on Sarah's head which was a little big. Nick chuckled warmly and tipped back Sarah's hard hat. "Don't worry kid, you'll grow into it... Eventually." Sarah giggled. They exited the van and Nick unloaded the pawpsicle sticks from the back. Nick, Sarah and Finnick headed to a construction site. Nick turned to Sarah. "Ok kid, remember just stand there and look cute." When they got to the construction site Nick put down the bundle of used pawpsicle sticks and shouted. "Lumber delivery!" The construction worker looked at the sticks and then up at Nick with a confused expression on his face. "What's with the color?" Nick shrugged. "The color? It's red wood." The construction worker payed Nick who happily accepted the money and the workers hauled the used sticks away. Back in the city, Nick laughed and smiled at Sarah. "Ha! Ha! You are worth every penny kid!" Nick handed Finnick his share of the money. "Thirty-nine... Forty. There you go. Way to work that diaper, big guy." Finnick walked away money in hand, loaded his stuff into the van climbed onto the driver's seat and slammed the car door. Nick smiled slyly. "What, no kiss bye-bye for Daddy?" Finnick spit out his pacifier, glared at Nick and said in a deep voice. "You kiss me tomorrow, I'll bite your face off." Sarah giggled and Nick smiled mockingly. "Ciao." Finnick drove away listening to loud rap music. Sarah suddenly squealed. "Hi Judy!" Nick looked up and was face to face with Officer Judy Hopps who was absolutely furious. Instead of looking scared, Nick smiled coolly. "I stood up for you. And you lied to me! You liar! And your also a bad influence! Using a poor sweet innocent little girl for you're cons!" She shouted in anger. Nick shrugged. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart. And I'm not the liar, he is." Nick pointed down the sidewalk, when Judy wasn't looking Nick took Sarah by the hand and slipped away quietly. "Hey!" Judy caught up to Nick and Sarah. "All right, slick Nick, you're under arrest." "Really, for what?" Judy scoffed. "Gee, I don't know. How about using a little girl for your sick, twisted money-making schemes, selling food without a permit, transporting undeclared commerce across borough lines, false advertising-" Nick smiled proudly and shoved a document in Judy's face. "Permit. Receipt of declared commerce." He said, showing her the receipt. "And I did not false advertise anything. Take care." Judy was not giving up that easily. She continued to follow Nick and Sarah. "You told that mouse the pawpsicle sticks were red-wood." Nick looked smug. "That's right. Red. Wood. With a space in the middle. Wood that is red. You can't touch me, Carrots. I've been doing this since I was born." Nick took Sarah by the hand and they walked across the street with Judy behind them. "You're gonna want to refrain from calling me Carrots." Nick shrugged. "My bad. I just naturally assumed you came from some little carrot-choked Podunk, no?" Judy looked offended and immediately corrected him. "Ah, no. Podunk is in Deerbrooke County. I grew up in Bunny-burrow." Sarah giggled and Nick spoke up in a quick and bold tone. "Ok. Tell me if this story sounds familiar. Naïve little hick with good grades and big ideas decides, 'Hey, look at me, I'm gonna move to Zootopia, where predators and prey live in harmony and sing "Kumbaya"!' Only to find-whoopsie, we don't all get along. And that dream of a being a big-city cop? Double whoopsie! She's a meter maid. And whoopsie number threesie, no one cares about her or her dreams. Soon enough those dreams die and our bunny sinks into emotional and literal squalor, living in a box under a bridge. Until, finally, she has no choice but to go back home with that cute fuzzy wuzzy tail between her legs to become-You're from Bunnyburrow? So let's say a carrot farmer? Sound about right? Come on Sarah." Sarah looked at Judy and then followed Nick. Judy stood there shocked and speechless. She eventually snapped out of it and followed Nick and Sarah, all the while avoiding being stepped on by a rhino that was passing by. "Be careful now," Nick warned Judy. "Or it won't just be your dreams getting crushed." Judy tried to pull herself together. "Hey, hey! No one tells me what I can or can't be! Especially not some jerk who never had the guts to try and be anything more than a pawpsicle hustler." Nick's expression turned serious. "All right, look, everyone comes to Zootopia thinking they can be anything they want. Well, you can't. You can only be what you are." Nick pointed to himself. "Sly fox." Then he pointed at Judy. "Dumb bunny." Judy glared at him. "I am not a dumb bunny." Sarah giggled and Nick smirked. "Right. And that's not wet cement." Judy looked down to see that she was in ankle deep wet cement. Nick took Sarah's hand and walked away. "You'll never be a real cop. You're a cute meter maid though. Maybe a supervisor one day. Hang in there." Judy watched in a frustrated manner as Nick and Sarah walked away. Then she pulled her paws out of the cement and walked home with a sad expression on her face.