The Bullworth Never Ending Story

[BloodChuckZ]

Lola had been returning back to the Hattrick House via the longer Park route when she spotted two figures making their way up the street at the slight curve.  As her instructions from Piff The Skull were clear…She wasn’t to be spotted…She went to a trellised hedge row and scampered over.  She didn’t expect to encounter anyone as she was returning back from her mission, it was late and there should have been no one around.  Now, as she crouched down behind the hedges, she was irritated.  She had ripped her nylons, and that was enough to piss off any girl.  She took a peek over the hedge to see who it was.

She had secreted herself just about right across from the Harrington home, and just down the street from where she had lured the Prep boys away in the first place.  As she watched, a girl and boy came into view, and went into the open Gates of the Mansion.  The girl, she knew, was Pinky, but the boy….He seemed familiar.  He wasn’t dressed in Prep clothes, but he was tastefully attired in some sort of suit. Still….Lola felt sure she had seen him somewhere.

As she watched, they went to the door, and soon she saw Pinky putting some moves on the boy.  He seemed reluctant at first, but finally they both entered the dark home.  Lola was curious.  Wasn’t Pinky still with Derby ?  And if not, what was she doing, bringing a strange boy to his house ?   It was something she would have to figure out later.  The coast was clear now, so she climbed back over the hedge to return to the Hattrick house, putting another tear in her nylons.
“Shit”, she muttered to herself.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pinky found the light switch, and the front hall lights came on.
“I’ll make the call from Mr. Harrington’s office. Be right back”, she said, leaving an uncomfortable Tony waiting.  A few minutes later she returned.

“They’re going to go pick them up. They said they will probably keep them overnight.” Pinky walked back to where Tony was standing, and took his arm. “Walk me upstairs ? I don’t want to go alone.”
“Um…Pinky, I’d better go…”, Tony began.
“Don’t be silly”, she said in a low sexy voice. “It’s only some stairs…Come on…”
Tony felt his resistance drain out of him like water from a hose. Arm in arm they mounted the stairway.

“Here’s the guest room….I’ll sleep here”, Pinky said, and turned. “Tony-Boy ?”
Tony couldn’t speak.  His mouth opened, but no words would come out.  Suddenly, Pinky reached up with both hands and pulled his face forward. Opening her mouth to match his, she planted a long sexy French kiss on his lips and gums.

Tony could control himself no longer. Still locked in the deep kiss with Pinky, he shoved her backwards through the open door. Pinky dropped her hands to his belt, and undid it, then unzipped his pants and began to pull them down. Then, she pulled her dress and panties loose and dropped them to the floor. Just then, they hit the edge of the bed in the room, and both fell onto it. Pinky giggled to herself through the kissing and what followed.  She had wanted this for so long, and now she was going to have her way.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tony awoke before dawn.  Quietly, he gathered his clothes and dressed.  He couldn’t believe what he had done.  Worse, he couldn’t believe he wanted to do it again.  He had to get out of here before Derby got out of the Clinic, or some other Prep found him there.

He took a last look at the sleeping Pinky. She lay under the sheets, a small smile playing on her lips. Those marvelous, sensual lips…..

Tony shook his head to clear it.  Conniving Bitch, she had played to his weakest part. He still could feel his hormones raging. Before he could change his mind, he left the room, went down the stairs, out the door, leaving the grounds through the back Gate. To his great relief, he saw no one. He headed back to the School and the Dorm.

He felt an immense guilt. How could he do this to Karen ?  As he dodged the Prefect and entered the Boy's Dorm, he resolved to himself that she must never know.  The sun was just breaking as he got to his room and closed the door.  He wouldn’t be going anywhere today, he thought.  His mind numb, he fell into his bed, and into a troubled sleep.
__________________________________________________

[Repo Man]

Tony was dreaming….Karen….And Pinky.  And all of his friends.  Karen was mad, and crying.
“HOW could you...? I thought we had something” - said Karen.
“You just couldn't keep a secret, could you ?!” - said Pinky.
Several other people watched him in disgust, some laughed at him, and a couple of Preps, led by Derby, started slapping their fists in palms of the other hand, and cracking their knuckles.
“I'm gonna kill you for this, Pauper !” - Derby shouted.  Soon they started hitting him and beat him to a pulp.  Bruised and hurt, Tony saw Laurent and Peanut.
“If you come to the Autoshop once more, scumbag, I'll trash you !”- said Peanut and walked away.  Tony expected help from Laurent, but he said something in French, laughed at him and walked away too.

Tony then woke up.  Luckily it was just a dream, but guilt now burned in him more than ever.  He walked to the Drinking Fountain in the Dorm and drank some water, before going to the Common Room, sitting on the couch and turning the TV on.  There would be no going to Classes today.

Boys wouldn't even mind, and would even praise me if they knew, Tony thought to himself -- But Karen and Derby would kill me.

With that in his mind he tried to find something on TV, but feeling of guilt just couldn't leave him alone.  Switching the set off, Tony returned to his room and bed once more.
_______________________________________________

[Mercury]

Tony was woke up by repeated knocks on his door.  He took a brief look at his clock, and stood up quickly to open his door, but froze before touching the knob.  What if it was Karen ?   Maybe filled with anger, she maybe wouldn't even mind coming into the Boy’s Dorm to get some explanations from him.  Or maybe was it a bunch of Preps, ready to destroy him as soon as the door would be opened.

He considered the distance of his hand to the knob for a moment, but more knocks on the door decided him.  He couldn’t live in fear.

He opened the door quickly, eyes wide open, and faced..."Constantinos ?"

"I'm back, Bo... Tony !", Constantinos proclaimed.

Still nervous, Tony offered his hand to his friend, and patted him in the back, forcing a smile.  Constantinos entered in the room, sitting on the desk's chair, and they talked together about what happened during his stay in the Infirmary.  But, though Tony deliberately left out the part about Pinky, even Constantinos caught a glimpse of nervousness in his voice, something that wasn't normal.  After some more catching up and plans for the new semester,  Tony suddenly urged Constantinos to go take a walk to the Autoshop with him, to see how things were going on.
______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Gord stirred into consciousness after the sun came up. He couldn’t move so good, and couldn’t stand, so he crawled to the nearest source of light he could make out, coming through a half-open door.  As he painfully pulled himself along he could make out in the shadows the still bodies of his friends.  It seemed to take forever to pull himself through the now-rancid slop on the floor. When his numbed mind realized just what he was crawling through, he had to pause to retch. Not having anything left to throw up, just strings of spittle came from his mouth.

Finally, he crawled through the open space past the door. Ahead was a long hallway, with rooms on the left side. Gord now remembered where he was…The old Shower House, which had been converted into rooms.  And those rooms had windows in the front.  Gord dragged himself to the first room and managed to push open the door, then pulled himself to the window, which was closed.

Gord looked around the furnished room, and saw a table lamp.  Moving slowly, he managed to reach the table, and grab hold of the lamp.  Pushing himself upright, he flung the lamp at the window.  Hitting the widow, both the lamp and the window shattered.

Gord fell back to the floor.  His whole body hurt, especially his groin, which felt like a mass of fire.  His head felt like he had been pummeled by Baseballs.  With his last ounces of will, he pulled himself over to the window, up on the sill, whereupon he collapsed across it, hanging half in, half out of the building.

A woman in a blue dress, Ms. Isaacs, was passing by saw the figure hanging out the window.
“EEEEEKKKK !!!!!”, she screamed, throwing up her hands. “MURDER !! MURDER !!”
She ran awkwardly toward the Park entrance, to find the Policeman who patrolled there.
________________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony and Constantinos were cutting across school grounds, heading toward the Autoshop, when they were hailed by Pete.

“Hey Tony !”, he yelled.  His face looked serious.

“What say, Pete ?”, Tony greeted him.

“I need to talk to you, up in our Office”, Pete said. “You, too”, he pointed to Constantinos. “It’s real important…In fact, urgent.”

The boys entered the school building, and made their way to Pete’s small Office on the second floor. Pete closed the door and locked it before sitting down in his chair behind the desk.

“What’s this all about, Pete ?” asked Tony.

“It’s the Preps…They were attacked last night”, Pete said.

“I, uh…Know”, began Tony slowly. ‘The Greasers…Well, they....Uhh…”

“Not the Greaser attack on Derby and Bif…Although, that too is another matter…I’m talking about the rest of the Clique.”

Tony stared at Pete, uncomprehending. “What…?”

“Five of the Prep Clique were attacked by an individual last night over inside the old Shower House by the Vale Basketball Courts. Chad, Gord, Justin, Parker, and Ted”, Pete went on. “They were hurt pretty bad. They’re in the Clinic over at Bullworth Vale.”

“Attacked by….An Individual ?  One Person ?”, asked Tony. “Who ?”

“They don’t know”, Pete said. “Their attacker stayed hidden. Dropped Stink Bombs on them to disable them, the lit into them with weapons.”

“Whoa…”, said Constantinos.

“And that’s not all”, Pete went on. “You know that the Jocks were attacked in a similar manner, night before last, over at the Observatory. Bo, Casey, Dan, Juri, Kirby, and Luis.  They’re still in the School Infirmary.

Tony had helped rescue the Jocks, and Constantinos had known about the Jock boys being brought in while he was in the Infirmary.  This was the first they were hearing of the why, however.

“And…A few nights ago, the Bullies were attacked in 'The Hole' in the School Basement, in just the same way.  Davis, Eathan, Tom, Troy, and Wade.”  Pete leaned back and allowed Tony and Constantinos to absorb the information.
 
“And….All of these…Just one attacker ?”, Tony wondered.

“Just the one…Dan and Juri think they might have caught a glimpse of the attacker, a large person with some sort of mask on….But their eyes were clouded by that Stink Bomb gas…No way to make any kind of positive I.D.”

“Question…”, Constantinos said. “How was it that they were at those places together ?  Those were all close to their usual hangouts, but a bit away from their areas, Huh ?”

Pete sighed and leaned back again. “That’s just it.  Seems as if they were lured there…By a girl….”

“What Girl ?”, asked Tony.

“Girl by the name of Lola”, Pete said.

“Lola ?  I don’t think I know who that is”, Tony said, thinking.

“I know her”, Constantinos said. “She used to go here, but quit after last School Year.  She’s a Greaser girl, black hair, always wears black leather outfits…You might have seen her, over in New Coventry, Tony.”

“Yeah……”, Tony said slowly. “I may have…Seen her there…Sounds familiar…”

“Well, nobody’s seen her there lately”, Pete said. “Greasers say she moved out of New Coventry a few weeks ago, and they havent seen her since.”

There was a pause for awhile, while the boys were mulling this information over.  Then Pete continued, “The shit is really going to hit the fan over this last attack. The Preps families are powerful, as I told you Tony…The first two attacks happened on School property, and could be covered up by the Administration….The Bullies, who gives a shit about them, no one would really notice…The Jocks, a little tougher to hide, but they are always getting injured anyway….And Football season is over.”  Pete Paused. “But the Preps…That attack was off School property, was in the heart of the rich fuck's Vale…Those people are gonna want answers….And now, the Cops are involved…”

Pete shook his head. “It’s a mess. I just came from Crabblesnitch’s Office. The guy was already freaked out about the little riot in the Auditorium. Then, someone found a pellet that a Prefect was apparently shot with, to prevent him from stopping it. And other kids were shot with them too. He is beside himself. He wants us to find some answers, and fast.”  Pete drew in a long breath. “I can’t help having the feeling, though, that he is holding back something that he’s not telling me.”

“Hmm...How about the Nerds ?, Asked Tony. “Stink Bombs...It has to be one of them.”

“One of them ? Pulling off attacks on whole Cliques ?”, Pete questioned.

“Ohh...Yeah”, Tony said lamely.  “Fat chance of that. What about the Bullies or Greasers ?”

“You really think one of them is bright enough to pull this off ?”, Pete questioned.

Tony slumped. “Guess not. Well, what do you want us to do ?”

“Find out what you can, keep your eyes and ears open. Ask around. There’s got to be a reason behind all of this. Report back to me anything you discover…Even something small…There’s got to be an answer to who’s behind all this.” Pete rose from his desk.

Tony and Constantinos got up to leave.  As Pete unlocked the door, he said, “It’s just a little more than a week before Christmas Break. I’ve got a bad feeling that all Hell is about to break loose.”
______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Algie, aka Piff The Skull, had been hiding behind the Girl’s Dorm, waiting for an opportune time to sneak inside.  It was after 1 o’clock now, and the activity within had calmed down, as the girls had returned to classes for the afternoon.  He stole a look around the corner and saw no one. Waddling past the side steps, he peeked around the corner that gave a view of the front Courtyard area.  No one there.  He made his way back to the steps leading to the side door, and went up them as fast as his large bulk would allow.  From his pocket he withdrew a little device he had built out of some spare parts of stuff laying around in the basement of the Dragon’s Wing that he had cobbed before the Cops had made their raid. 

The device was a box-like object that had two wires snaking out of it attached to metallic strips on what resembled a Credit Card.  Since the bombings, the Girl’s Dorm had been fitted with those card-reader devices at the doors, similar to what one would find in Hotels and  Motels, for security.  It was, however, easy work for a Nerd to by-pass, given the right materials.  Algie stuck the faux card into the card reader attached to the door and flipped a small switch set into the device. After a few seconds, the little tiny LED lights in the device changed from red to green, and Algie heard the click of the door lock being released. He opened the door a few inches, and removed the faux card from the slot and stuffed the device back in his pocket.

Opening the door slowly, he saw that the hall was empty. He made his way in to the long hallway.  The room he was looking for was Angie’s room. He hoped that she has kept the same room as she had last year, the one in the South-West corner closest to the side door.  He was in luck.  Angie had indeed retained her old room, and Algie confirmed it was hers by the articles he found there.  He removed an envelope from his breast pocket, and laid it on her bed, tucking it partly under the pillow.

He made his way out of the Dorm as fast as his fat legs would allow.  As soon as he was outside, he carefully checked his escape route, and found it to be clear. He had skipped class to get this done, but wouldn’t be missed, as no one ever paid much attention to him anyway, except when they were beating him up.  He unracked his bike in front of the School, which by a miracle of some kind hadn’t been stolen, and biked his way back to the Dragon’s Wing. Upon arriving, he went to his Basement room to make preparations for tonight’s attack, which would be at the old closed Movie Theater a few blocks East in Bullworth Town.

This was one task he did not relish, to be done on his own Nerd clique buddies. But it had to be done, to throw suspicion away from their clique. He could no longer use Lola for the lure, so he had settled on Angie, as the Nerds would more likely believe what she would have to tell them…The location of the Gold G & G Card.

Many years ago, no one was sure exactly when, the first Nerds at Bullworth had peppered the school, and then the towns, with thousands of these gaming cards related to a game known as Grottos and Gremlins. There was so many that they were still being found even today, in all sorts of strange places. In Nerd hierarchy, the possession of certain G & G cards determined the standing of one in the Nerd community. Nerds used these cards in their battle strategy for the game, and the holder of  specialized cards gave the holder the command of strategy in how the game was played.  But no one had ever found the ultimate G & G card…..The High Wizard Gold Card.

If there was anything that the Nerds loved more than a possible (though not probable) chance of sex with a girl, it was Grottos and Gremlins.  That was to be the lure, for this “Trap Of Love”…..For it was the one thing that Algie knew would work on his friends.
_________________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Derby paced up and down in the large living room of his father’s mansion. Ratther, he limped, as he was still somewhat injured from being gang-attacked the night before. In addition to some bandages here and there, he was sporting a large black eye. He was ranting about the attack on him and Biff, the attack on his fellow Preps, and what he saw as a double-cross by Tony. A heavily-bandaged Biff was on the couch, and and Pinky was sitting alone by herself in a nearby chair.

“I’m going to get those motherfuckers who did this, they’re going to pay BIG", Derby ranted. "I’m going to mash them up into the rotten pulp they are, and grind them into the ground. They won’t get away with messing with the Preps, there will be retribution, you can count on that, starting with that back-stabbing low-life Tony Junior and his little sidekick Laure-Low-Rent….I will tear them to pieces with my bare hands !!”

“This wasn’t Tony’s fault”, said Pinky quietly.

Derby spun on her. “What are you talking about, you stupid Cunt ?  He set me up !!!  Those Greasers just didn’t come out of nowhere. I went there to trade for clothes, not for blood !!”

“Then why did you bring Biff and the Bat ?  Time to do a little head-bashing and take what you want ?”, Pinky shot back. “To threaten and intimidate him while you call him ‘Friend’ ?  He has never done you any wrong, Never !!”

Derby had stopped his pacing and approached her chair. “I just brought an ounce of protection, you dumb bitch, Something you might know about if you came equipped with any brains, but I suppose you were out to lunch when those were being handed out.”

“I wish you wouldn’t talk to me like that, Derby.  I’m supposed to be your girl, and you have no right to treat me like this !”, Pinky said, very near tears.

A cold glint came into Derby’s eyes. “I’ll talk to you however I damn please, Princess, and you would do well to remember that.”  He came closer to the chair. “I am going to take that Pauper down, so far down, that he will live the rest of his life regretting the day he ever set up Darby Harrington and his friends”, he said slowly and forcefully, as if talking to a child.

Pinky had shrunk back in the chair under Darby’s wrath, but bravely went on, “Tony wasn’t responsible for the others, he was walking me here to call for help for you !”

Darby stood stock still. His face turned a violent shade of red. “You walked alone up here with him ?  Why didn’t you just go to the Cop Station right around the corner ?  Or were you too stupid to think of that ?”  He stilted his eyes. “Why are you sticking up for that low-life anyway ?  Got a thing for him ?” Darby sneered.

Pinky looked away. “So what if I do ?”

“I’ve seen the little coy come-on looks you give him….You want to fuck him, don’t you ?", Darby said in a strangely intense voice. “Then why don’t you go on, and just do it !”

“Maybe I will”, said Pinky, getting up off the chair. “Just maybe I will.”

“Yeah, you do that”, Darby said in a dangerous voice, “Just like the little tramp you are, go and have a wild time with the animals….”

“You’re no better, you know”, Pinky said, grabbing her purse on the table.

“Sure I am. I am the King here. My family OWNS this whole place.  Anyone who isn’t us are scum.  They are peons, the shit of the earth. PAUPERS !” Derby yelled.

“I guess that I’m scum too, for the way you treat me, then”, Pinky said, and headed across the room, tears flowing down her face. “I can’t take this anymore !” She stopped briefly, and said, “We are OVER !  I’m moving back to the Dorm !”  She turned and ran down the hall.

“Go ahead, you ditzy bitch !” Darby called after her. “Just be sure and tell your low-life fuckbuddies that they’re getting my sloppy seconds !!”

The slamming of the front door was the only reply.

In the ensuing silence, Bif spoke up. “I say, old chap, that was rather intense.”

“Ahhh…She’ll be back”, Darby scoffed. “Where’s she going to go ? She’ll tire of that rabble soon enough. She’s too high-maintenance for the lot of them.”

“What’ll we do about the attacks ?”, Biff asked.  Both boys had watched their fellow Preps being brought into the Infirmary as they were being released.

“I think we need to see that Weapons guy.  Just as soon as possible”, Darby said.

Biff nodded in agreement.
____________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Jake, aka Ace Adams, stood passively as Derby entered the Carnival Souviner Tent, leaving Biff outside to intercept any intruders.

“I’ll bet I know just what I can do for you today”, said Jake, aka Ace Adams, eyeing the messy clothes that Derby was wearing.

“I need some Weapons, good ones this time”, Derby said quickly.

“All of my Weapons are good.  Any particular Weapon you looking for ?”, Jake, aka Ace Adams, asked.

Darby leaned on the counter. “Couple of my guys were hit with Pellets the other night. Know anything about those kind of Weapons ?”

Jake, aka Ace Adams, ducked behind the counter and emerged with an Air Rifle. “How about one of these ?  Accurate to 400 yards, won’t kill, but will do serious damage.”

“Great”, Derby said. “How about Two ?  Money is not a problem.”

“Sorry, this is the last one”, Jake, aka Ace, lied. “I do have another that you might be interested in…”
And disappearing behind the counter again, came up with….

“That’s just a Spud Gun, Jackass”, Derby said, a bit angrily.

“A Modified Spud Gun”, Jake, aka Ace, said. “Just got it in a trade.  Shoots Eggs.”

Derby’s eyes lit up. “That’s the ticket ! I’ll take both of them.”

Jake laid the guns on the counter. “I was you, I’d watch who you are calling names.”
Derby drew back. Jake just stared calmly at him.

“Er…You’re right”, Derby relented. “Sorry, just had a bad night last night. My whole Clique got attacked.”

“You look it”, said Jake, aka Ace Adams. “Tell you what. I’ll throw in some Aquaberry outfits and a couple boxes of shells. On the house.”

“That would be fine”, Derby said, rather relived that his slip of the tongue hadn’t queered the deal. “I might want to buy some Bottle Rocket Launchers, also.”

The deal was finalized, with Derby paying out $700 dollars for all the Weapons.  Jake didn’t ask about the attack on the Prep Clique, he pretty much figured it was the work of the mystery phantom attacker again. He really didn’t give a shit, as long as the attacks were serving his greater purpose, which was to arm all the Cliques to the teeth.

As Derby collected his weapons and left the tent, Jake, aka Ace Adams, uttered a low, maniacal laugh.

Four down, and just Two to go.
_____________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony and Constantinos continued on to the Autoshop area. They were met at the gate by an unusually quiet Hal, who waved them through without a word.  Heading around to the Shack area, they were surprised to see many of the Greaser clan there.

“You guys…Er…Taking the day off, or what ?”, asked Tony.

“We's skipping classes today…Don’t looks like we be very welcome…”, Said a dejected Peanut.

Tony looked at him in askance. ”Why ?”

We’s getting blamed for the Prep attack.  We's only beat up two guys, and everyones thinks we knocked off the whole Clique”, piped up Vance.

“So, this is a bad thing ?” asked Constantinos.

“Bad for the ways it was done. Those dudes was bushwhacked. Real cowardly like. Dat be not our style, man.  We fights on the up and up, you knows that.”, said Vance.

Tony wasn’t so sure about that, but let it pass. “I thought the whole clique would be there, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked for you guys help. Still, they had it coming. I would’ve called it off if they hadn’t showed up armed.”

“It’s not just thats”, Peanut said angrily, “Dere’s stuff going arounds that we bushwhacked those other Cliques, too.  That’s bad for our Rep.”

“I know it’s not you fellows. We don’t know who is behind it. But, I have some Ideas..”, Tony offered.

“So what’s buzzin’ cousin ? Have a sit and tells us what you know”, said Vance.
 _____________________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The Note that Angie recived from Piff The Skull promised not money, but a Bunny for her efforts.  Not a real Bunny, of course, but a large stuffed Bunny, something that Angie had always dearly wanted, but hadn’t been available in these parts…Plenty of stuffed Bears, but no Bunnies.  She was to claim her reward after the task set out in the letter was complete.

Angie was becoming sort of Nerdy herself, although not fully integrated into the Nerd Clique since Beatrice had left, she was hanging out a lot with them, even making out with Thad a few times.  And, since last School year, she had gotten her braces off and her boobs had gotten a lot bigger, so slowly the Nerd boys had began to notice her.

After classes, she went to the Library, where the Nerds usually hung out in the afternoon. Going to the back corner, among the newly re-constructed area, she found the whole bunch engaged in a game of role-playing, character sheets in hand.

“Avast, Sir Knight ! Prepare for Battle !”, Melvin was saying.
“I be prepared to fight for M’lady’s honor !”, proclaimed Fatty.

“Ummm…Excuse Me ?”, interrupted Angie.

All the Nerds turned to look at her.
“Whadda you want ? We’re doing a role-play here”, Melvin said, annoyed.

“Let her talk”, Thad said, staring at Angie’s boobs, with a fixed look in his eyes.

“Um…I was told to give this to you….It says it’s from someone who used to go to Bullworth…”, Angie trailed off, handing over a piece of paper.

The Nerds crowded around Melvin. On the paper was some kind of riddle….

“Where the sandbags are hung and the walls are thin,
On the high raised place where many pretend,
Where one can be anyone, a king or a clown,
There will the High Wizard’s G&G gold be found.”

“What do you think it means ?”, asked Donald.
“Looks like a code or something”, said Bucky.
“What’s that underneath ?”, asked Cornelius.

Everybody craned to look. The word “Piff” was inscribed in Gothic script next to a drawing of a Skull. Underneath that was taped a key.
_____________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The Nerds began talking all at once about what the meaning of the cryptic message was.

“Where are sandbags Hung ?”, said Bucky.
“At a flood site ? Like the Dam ?”, speculated Donald.
“No, No…A Dam’s walls are thick”, answered Melvin.
“But it says on a ’high raised place’”, objected Donald.
“Depends on how high”, Fatty argued.
“And you can’t ’pretend’ on a Dam”, said Thad.
“So where can ’one be anyone’?”, questioned Bucky.
Fatty looked at Melvin. “Like…An ACTOR….”
Melvin finished the thought, “…On A STAGE !”

Even though they had never been inside there, all the Nerds knew where the only Stage was….In the old Theater, over in Bullworth Town.  There had been talk, every since they had been in school, of a group trying to fix up and re-open the old Theater, but as yet, nothing had ever happened.  That might change soon, though, since the In & Out Motel close by had been revitalized, the group was back on, trying to raise funds to finance the comeback of the old Theater.

The was no question about the last line of the riddle. Every Nerd knew of the legend of the Wizard’s Gold Card. The only discussion was weather it was real or just a myth.

“Do’ya think the card can really be there ?”, wondered Cornelius.
“If it really exists at all”, snorted Fatty.
“Sure it could”, Said Donald. “Nobody’s used that place for years.”
“This whole thing might be a fake”, Fatty stubbornly persisted.
“I don’t think so…Look at the name here”, Melvin said.

He pointed to the strange name next to the Skull drawing. 

“That’s Piff….The very first G & G gamer at Bullworth. That’s written in our History Chronicles we keep at the Dragon’s Wing…Only a Nerd would know that. And the Skull…That’s what he went by.  That was his Exalted Title, for he was the undisputed Grand Master of Grottos and Gremlins.  No one has been since, for no one has held the High Wizard Gold Card”, Melvin said. “He must have hid the card there, before he left.”

“So, why this ? Why tell us now ? Like this ?”, said Fatty, still skeptical.
“Maybe….He’s sick or something….”, Melivn said. “Maybe it was just time.”
Fatty turned to Angie.  “Where did you find this ?”, he asked.
“On my bed, in my room”, replied Angie. ‘It was inside this envelope.”
“Let me see that”, Melvin said.  Angie handed him the envelope.

On the front of the envelope, in large block letters, was written……

“PLEASE DELIVER TO THE NERDS OF BULLWORTH, FROM A FORMER BULLWORTH NERD”

“Well…I guess it won’t hurt to check it out…..”, Fatty said, grudgingly.
“OK then….Let’s go !   Forward Knights, on our new Mission !”, Declared Melvin.
Thad turned shyly to Angie. “You want to….come along ?
Angie giggled. “Sure…I always wanted to go to the Big City with a boy !”

As they left the Library, Bucky said, “Sure wish Algie was in on this.”
Donald agreed. “Yeah, he hasn’t been quite the same since he came back.”
Cornelius said, “He just holes up in that room at the Store all the time.”
Bucky mused, “I think he really misses Alfred.  It’s sad.”

The group left the School grounds, headed towards their fate.
_____________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The Nerds arrived at the front of the old Theater, but found all the doors securely shuttered and boarded, with no keylock visible. Melvin remembered that there was a back door, so the group trundled around to the back, and climbed the steps to the wide platform. There, near the North side, was a single door with a key slot under the door handle.

Melvin pealed the key from the paper Angie had brought them, and pushed it into the lock.  It fit in and he turned it, easily.  The door opened, and the Nerds, with Angie, filed through into the darkened backstage area of the Theater. The Back door closed behind them, and unheard by any of them, an electronic lock clinked shut.

Cornelius had brought along a small key-chain flashlight, he dug it out from a pocket now and flipped it on.  The entire group slowly made their way to the center stage area and halted. Corneluis shined the weak light around, showing ghostly shadows of old scenery backdrops and various props. Dust and little bits of trash were evident on the Stage floor, which was raised above an old Orchestra Pit.  Behind them a ways was hung a large white screen used when showing movies. Old moldering curtains framed the stage area to each side and overhead in front.

“So, where do we look ?”, said Fatty. “It could be anywhere.”
“It’s got to be hidden”, said Melvin, consulting the riddle on the paper.
“It said ‘On The High Raised Place’, that has to be the stage here“, observed Donald.
“What does a “King Or A Clown’ mean ?’ asked Bucky. “Do you think….”

A loud electronic CLINK of a switch being thrown interrupted their conversation. Overhead, four intensely bright 750-watt stage-lights came to life. In front of them, the footlights for the stage also came on, having the effect of blinding them to the seats beyond.

A voice issued out of a loudspeaker mounted over the Stage.
“Welcome, Gentlemen.”
_________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The Nerds looked around, trying in vain to spot the source of the voice.

Melvin peered towards the seating area of the Theater, shielding his eyes against the intense light.
“Who’s out there ? Is this Piff ?”, he shouted.
“Yeah…What’s your deal ?”, said Fatty. “You gonna tell us where the card is, or what ?”

The loudspeaker activated again. “I…have brought you here….But not for the card. You are unworthy of such a valuable Talisman.”

“What does that mean ?”, cried Melvin. “Just what did you have us come here for then ?”

“Justice”, The voice from the speaker said.

At once, a row of Stink Bombs that had been hanging on one of the scenery rails overhead were released, falling on the unsuspecting Nerds below. Green clouds of smoke arose from the broken containers, causing the Nerds to cough and gag.  Thad, who had been standing next to Angie near the rear of the stage, turned and pushed her toward the stage exit. “RUN !!”, he gasped. “GET OUT OF HERE !!”

Angie turned and ran to the back door that they had entered just a few minutes earlier, only to find it locked. She jiggled the handle, then began beating on uselessly on the door.  “LET ME OUT !!!”, she screamed.

A second volley of Stink Bombs dropped, closely followed by a third volley. The Nerds began to drop to the Stage floor, gasping and choking, followed soon after by vomiting from the effects of the gas.
 
“What..? No !”, wheezed Melvin.
“Stop ! Stop !!!”, gasped Thad.
“That’s Enough !!!!”, retched Donald.
“OK…We Give !!”, choked Corneluis.
“Arrrruuugggghh !!”, puked Bucky.
“I don’t think…I wanna be…your friend”, gagged Fatty.

The greenish smoke cast a weird glow in the powerful stagelights. As it began to clear, the Nerds began to make their way to their feet, holding their guts, slipping and sliding in their own vomit on the stage. At that instant, they heard the whistle of a Bottle Rocket Launcher, sending explosive projectiles their way.

BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!  BAM !!!

Stumbling blindly in piles of their throw-up, each Nerd was smacked multiple times with direct hits from the Bottle Rockets. Fatty, who was the closest to the front stage, was hit and fell into the Orchestra Pit, breaking his leg.  Each of the other Nerds were targeted and knocked out in turn.

The firing stopped and the Theater fell silent, save for the moans and crying coming from the back. Up in the balcony, Algie surveyed the damage. He hadn’t wanted to do this to his brave fellows, but he had little choice. They would fall under suspicion if the were the only Clique left un-attacked.  He then caught the sound of Angie’s crying.  Taking a gadget from his breast pocket, he activated the switch to unlock the back door.

“Thank you for you services, my dear”, he spoke into his microphone. “You may go now.”

The door sprang open a few inches. Angie, who had been crouching low to avoid most of the gas, pushed it open, and crawled into the cold night air. After breathing deep lungfuls of air, she recovered and got to her feet, half-walking, half-stumbling out on the ramp and down the steps towards the street.

Although his heart wasn’t in it this time, he nonetheless intoned into the microphone….

“Thus shall it be to all evildoers. Those who live by the sword….Shall DIE by the sword.”

Angie would bring help fast, he knew, unlike his other victims, who he had cared less about.  So, he had to move fast, that is, as fast as he could waddle out of here. He came down from the balcony and cut across the back of the stage, pulling the huge switch that would cut off the large stagelights and footlights as he went.  He cast a look at his friends as he went by, hoping he hadn’t injured them too much. He had only shot at them enough to knock them out. Fatty falling into the pit, however, had been unforeseen.

Leaving the back door open, Algie left the Theater, and pulled off his gas mask. He then headed North on the ramp that dropped down to the alley, and then crossed the street close to the Police Station.  He saw no activity there, and passed unnoticed, as most fat people do, on his way back to the Dragon’s Wing.
_______________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Algie knew he have to act quickly to lure his last victims, the Greasers, into their trap.  By now, he was sure, the word was out on the method of his traps.  So, he decided, he would use the lure of something the Greasers loved above all else….Their ‘69 Mustang Fastback Car.

In the past couple of months, since the bombings, the Greasers had once again began to restore their beloved automobile.  The pipe-bomb-like device that had been set off in the front seat of the vehicle had extensively damaged the interior and the wiring harness. It had also destroyed the console and dashboard, ballooned up the roof, and punched a large hole in the floorboard. Since the Autoshop lacked a lift and the necessary welding and fabrication equipment to fashion a replacement floorboard, the car had been taken to the Oil Spill Gas Station, where the new sheet metal could installed.

And, Algie decided, he would use Lola this one last time. But, in a different way. He had a score to settle with her, too….For breaking his heart by leading him on to make Johnny Vincent jealous last School Year.  She had just used him.  Well, Algie didn’t like being used, and what better way for her to get what was coming to her, along with her Clique ?
_________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony explained what he knew while the Greasers gathered around him. Constantinos added  a comment from time to time, but he was really more in the dark about the Clique attacks that Tony was.  However, Tony left out the part about Lola, preferring to speak to Peanut privately about her.  When he was finished, the Greasers had plenty of questions, but Tony could only say that Pete was investigating who the culprit was, and he would let them know whenever the mystery was solved.  For now, however, they would just have to wait.  As the Greasers dispersed, Tony put a hand on Peanut’s shoulder.

“Can I have a word with you, Peanut ?”, he said.
“Sure's man…Let’s go back in the Shop, where we's can talk private-like”, Peanut said, and led Tony and Constantinos through the Autoshop door after entering his code into the numbered reader by the door handle.

When they were inside, Tony said, “Do you know a girl named Lola ?”

“Oh, yeah, she be our main gal, man. Haven’t seen her arounds much since Johnny left, and she’s sorta a tease, if you knows what I mean, but she’s cool, man, cool”, Peanut said.

“Well, here’s the thing…There’s been talk from the attacked Cliques that she’s the one that led them into the traps”, Tony confided. “Must be why they’re thinking you dudes are behind all this.”

Peanut was stunned. “What ?  Oh, No Way, Man, No Way.  She’s a little flakey, but….You sures ?”

“No”, Tony admitted, “I’m not.  That’s why I think me and Constantinos oughtta go over to New Coventry and see if we can’t track her down, find out for sure.”

“Sounds like a plan, Stan…Youse minds if I come with you’all ?“, asked Peanut. “I know that area a whole lots better, I can get us in places you cants.”

“Excellent idea, Peanut”, Tony agreed. “That would be a big help, all right. We had better get going, though…It’s already late afternoon, and this will probably take awhile.”

On their way out, Peanut stopped to tell Vance he was leaving to check out something, and put him in charge of the clique in his absence. The three boys then left the Autoshop area, and soon after the School grounds, headed for New Coventry.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lola was walking through the cold windy evening, having left her bike stashed on the trail near the School Parking Lot entrance.  She had received vital information from Piff the Skull earlier in the afternoon that some of the Townies planned an attack on the Oil Spill Gas Station later tonight, with the target being the Greaser’s prized automobile.   Although she had been out of touch with the boys lately, due to her time with Kurt (Who was still in hiding, along with the rest of the Rockers, in God-knows-where), she still owed it to Johnny’s memory to re-connect to the old Tennament gang who had accepted her without question and welcomed her as part of their group.   She had warn them.

Lola had drifted away from the Greasers, over the past Summer, mostly due to the departure of Johnny, who finally got tired of her games and left her to move to Detroit for a chance at a Trade School.  She discovered, a bit too late, that she really loved Johnny and shouldn’t have played him like that, luring other boys on in order to make Johnny jealous and pay more attention to her.  She was well aware of her effect on boys, how she could drive them crazy with the unspoken implication of hot, wild sex with her, and had used that tactic again and again to sooth her own insecurities about herself.  Even the past couple of weeks, working for the mysterious Piff had been a refreshing bit of fun.  But if Johnny ever came back for her, she told herself, she would stay true and stop all the little catty games that seemed so much a part and parcel of who she was.   

Lola was thinking about all these things a she entered the Greasers area by the back way from the school parking lot. As she wound her way through the maze and came around the corner of the last building, Lola reflected on how she didn’t really have any heavy feelings for Kurt, not near like she had had for Johnny.  It was, she reasoned (and rightly so), an affair of convenience for the both of them.

Her thoughts were dispelled when the Greasers caught sight of her.

“Hey, look, youse guys…It’s Lola !!”, exclaimed Ricky.
“Yeah ! Where you been hanging and banging ?”, said Lucky.
“Wowzer, we missed you girl, long time , no see-see” injected Lefty.
All the Greasers crowded around her, talking at once and exchanging hugs with her like she had been gone for years. Lola felt her heart fill with joy. This is where she belonged, right here with her old friends, ones who understood her as she understood them.

But, she had come for a reason. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Oh, boys, I’m so glad to see you too….But I got some bad news.” All the Greasers fell silent at this.

“What bad newsies, Lola-Bear ?”, said Vance.

“It’s the Townies….They’re going to trash your car at the Oil Slick tonight”, said Lola quickly.  “I just found out, and come over here to warn you boys….”

“WHAT ?” Roared Vance. “THEY WHAT ?  Oh, Fuck-A-Doodle, No WAY !!”
All the Greasers broke out in angry remarks. Someone said, “Where’s Peanut ?”
“Not here…He left me's in charge” said Vance. “LET’S GO !! Grab your bikes from the shop !  We’re gonna put a stops to this, and Kick some Townie ass !!!!”

The Greasers scattered to get their wheels. Vance turned and looked at Lola.
“Youse coming, Lola ?”

“Sure Am”, Lola replied, happy to be included once again with the boys. “Wouldn’t miss it for all the world.”
 ________________________________________________________