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THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY
{{ CHAPTER 1 }}
The School Bombings
Tony Calderone had been waiting for an hour next to the great gates of his new School. He had read the sign over it about a hundred times -- BULLWORTH ACADEMY. How will it be ? His Mother had just left him here alone, only with a bag, an apple and his black tie. He had been listening to music on his bed as his Mother had came in and just said, "I’ve found a fantastic school for you, Tony ! Look at the brochure, you'll sure have a great career if you go there !". On the moment he had agreed. But now.….He was stressed. He was looking at a little graffiti on the wall as a woman came walking towards him.
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"Fresh Meat Is DEAD Meat" That's what the graffiti read.
"You must be Tony Calderone", crooned the woman, who was wearing a dark, tight outfit. "I am Miss Danvers. Welcome to Bullworth Academy ! I'm sure you'll fit in quite comfortably here." She led him through the Gates onto the School Campus.
A tall, ugly boy in a white shirt with acne and blonde hair smiled as he gestured menacingly at Tony, just as he passed the quad. Two other boys in white shirts slapped their fists into their palms behind him, wearing the same hideous smiles.
"Come along, now. You don't want to keep Dr. Crabblesnitch waiting. He's an amazing man”, Miss Danvers continued, walking swiftly towards the large School building.
Miss Danvers made no effort to slow down for Tony, galloping off to kiss the ass of her beloved Principal. Climbing the steps and entering the School, he found himself in a grand hall. Ahead, Miss Danvers was ascending another flight of steps that led to the School Office. When Tony caught up, he was directed to an another Office in back of that, through double doors.
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Tony arrived in the Office. There the Headmaster was waiting for him. His Scholarship Record was open on the Headmaster’s desk, and it wasn't bad at all. The Headmaster, who was named Dr. Crabblesnitch, was saying that Bullworth was made for him, a great quality Student. The interview was a short one. Tony, after having thanked him, left the Headmaster’s Office, and was directed to his lodgings and given instructions and a class schedule by Miss Danvers. Feeling good, he made his way to the Boy’s Dorm.
The Three boys were waiting for him, with the blonde one in lead. They lurched from the shadow of the Boys' Dorm and into Tony's path. The blond one went up to him, and put out his hand. "Welcome to Bullworth ! I'm Trent.", the boy said.
"Thank you, my name's Tony, I'm.…." Tony couldn't finish his sentence as Trent was literally crushing his hand. Tony just had to throw his foot into the Bully's knee just to get free. As Trent fell down, holding his leg, the two other boys began to push him.
"What are you going to do ? Huh ?", said one.
"Oh, a black tie, I was just looking for one !", the other one said.
"Leave Me Alone !!!" screamed Tony.
He tried to punch the nearest one, but the Bully avoided it, grabbed him, and shoved him up against the wall. "You think you're tough, new kid ?"
And then he threw Tony to the ground. The two boys began to kick him, joined by Trent, who had just got up. The apple came out of Tony's pocket. Trent took it, ate a piece of it, and spat everything out on Tony's new uniform. "As I said, Welcome to Bullworth !"
The three boys laughed and went away. Tony let his head drop to the ground. He didn't want to get up.
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As he laid there moaning and coughing, another student in a school uniform came up and offered him a hand. "Hey, you're the new kid. My name’s Jake. If you think that was bad, I'll have to show you the rest of this dump."
As the two of them walked into the dorm another student approached them. Shyly, he introduced himself. "Hello, I’m Pete !"
“Shut Up, Ho-Mo !”, Jake spat out.
“You better watch it, Jake !” Pete retorted before walking off.
It didn’t seem as if Jake and Pete really liked each other, considering their arguing.
As Jake had Tony explore the Dorm, they literally ran into a HUGE bully named Russell. Before Russell could say a word, Tony and Jake made a break for Tony’s new room.
After they were done panting, Jake told Tony he should put his new uniform on. Jake, however, just stood there.
"Listen, I gotta change," Said Tony, "Would you mind fucking leaving ?”
"Listen", said Jake, "If your gonna talk like that in this School, you’ll get the shit beat out of you like you did earlier, only harder. Think about that for a while."
As Jake went out the door, Pete came back in. "Hey, sorry about Jake. I know he can be a jerk sometimes. But you can’t just put up with him like that."
"Yeah, I realized that. Thanks.“, Tony said. “But I gotta get changed and my stuff unpacked…See you.”
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As Tony was putting on his uniform he overheard some of those dickwads in the white shirts talking out in the hall.
"Hey, I think that new kid is a fruitcake", one said
"You mean pound cake ?", the other joked.
"No, I think he’s a weakling like everyone else around here", the first said.
"Well, I don’t know about that, remember the New Kid last year ?”, the second said, “I still have bruises."
"You mean that fag Gary ?", the first asked.
"Naw, you know, the one after him”, the second answered.
"Ohh... You mean Jim…", the first started.
"Shut up , We were never supposed to mention him again !", the second warned.
"Oh yeah…sorry”, the first relented.
As the conversation drifted off, Tony thought to himself, Who the Hell is Jim.... and why can’t they mention him ?
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The alarm clock bell rang, signaling the upcoming morning class, and Tony groaned. The previous evening had done nothing but reveal to him that Bullworth Academy was actually a cesspool of society rejects, with fighting going on in the hallway outside his room far into the night. As he came awake, the fighting resumed. Tony was beginning to regret ever having come to this place, which was nothing like the brochure.
Two students passed his open doorway. One of them was actually kind of a shrimp, with a childish face, but his Bullworth athletic sweater on him said otherwise. The other guy was large and hulking, with a Letterman jacket. It was that guy who stopped briefly in front of Tony's door to shake his fist at him, although by then, Tony had his back turned.
Tony scrambled through his belongings and finally salvaged his now crumpled schedule and a clean new textbook. He read: {Period 1: Mathematics}
As he half-assed his way into the School building to what was going to be his first class in this hellhole, a Student stopped right in front of him. Tony considered taking the textbook he had been issued him and smacking it on the prick's head, but soon realized that this Student didn't seem like he wanted to annihilate him anytime soon.
"Going to Math Class ?" asked the guy, who was wearing a dark green sweater. A black cloud of misery seemed to shroud him, and Tony could understand why in a place that seemed as horrible as Bullworth.
"Yeah, I am", Tony answered. "I'm Tony Calderone, new here."
"I'm Constantinos. Good luck with Mr. Hattrick," sighed the black-haired student. "Wish me luck in gym. I'll need it."
"Umm...Ok, whatever", Tony said. "I gotta go off this way", he said, pointing down the hall.
"OK, see you", Constantinos answered morosely, and headed off.
As the gloomy Student wandered away, Tony watched him. Even this kid seemed a little off. Not that this School wasn't already weird enough.
Tony approached the stairs to the second floor, deep in thought. He had managed to make one friend, if you could call it that. Well, maybe two, if Jake counted.
Suddenly, he was face up on the floor. The overhead lights burned in Tony's pupils, and he shielded his eyes from any more agony. At first, he thought someone had struck him out of nowhere.
But in reality, a student had slid down the railing and accidentally landed on him. As he uncovered his eyes, a face loomed over him. It was Jake, grinning.
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As Jake went to help him up, Tony asked him about what the Bullies were talking about earlier. Jake told him all he knew about the person who had the dorm room before him. Tony was surprised to know that the person before him ended up “King of the School“.
Pete, who had been close by and overheard, walked over and said, "His name's Jimmy. He used to be a good friend of mine, and he went to Prison for an accessory to Murder on an old rival named Gary. He really didn't do it, but they arrested him anyway. That's why the Bullies never mention his name. It kills them to think that one of their old buddies committed murder. If your wondering, that's why Russell is 10 times more aggressive than the other Bullies…..He wasn't able to face the facts."
"Is that why the bullies are aggressive toward me ?", Tony asked, "Because I'm in that room that was last used by Jimmy ?"
"Probably so." answered Pete with a shrug. “That room hasn’t been used since, until now.”
Tony hadn't noticed before that Pete was a bit older than the other Students. He then asked Pete why that was, and Pete's reply was, "I sorta run this place."
Tony was surprised but he didn't ask any more questions about that. Instead, he asked who had murdered Gary if Jimmy didn't kill him.
Pete replied, "It might've been one of Jimmy's other friends, Edgar that killed him....But, funny thing was, he was found dead too."
"Hmmm....But wait", Tony asked. "What happened to Jimmy ?"
"He was sent to Prison. They tried him as an Adult", Pete said.
Tony mulled that over for awhile. Looking around, he asked why the Bullies seemed older than some of the other kids.
Jake piped up and laughed, "Cause they’re all to dumb to pass !"
Tony was FULL of questions but he decided to stop there, as he had to go before he was late to class.
"Hey !", cautioned Pete as Tony left, "Try not to mention Jimmy’s name too much, Ok ?"
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Tony marched through School, thinking deeply about what Jake said. Who was this Jimmy, and what made him so important ? Looking at this dump, everyone was probably paranoid and out to get each other. Or maybe that was his own paranoid thinking.
He made his way to the Mathematics room, ruled by one Mr. Hattrick.
"I hope you all have your Brains today !" barked the rather fat man at the front of the room. Mr. Hattrick was the kind of teacher that put on an expression that fried the souls of all who entered. He glared at Tony, and he suddenly felt like bolting out.
"You must be young Tony," growled Hattrick. "Your seat is over there. You better remember it, or you'll be standing for the rest of the semester !"
His seat was the most ghetto-ass desk he had ever seen. The carvings left on its surface were too obscene to even describe, and about thirty pieces of multicolored gum fed off its bottom. Students briefly peered up at him as he descended down the row, all of them giving him the look that said, "You poor, poor bastard"
Tony slowly balanced himself on the beaten up chair, afraid that the desk might fall apart at any moment. One particular carving caught his eye among the armies of crude teenage imagination. A deeply carved scribble, as if someone had taken a hunting knife and scratched the word out in fury. Below it was the classic proclamation of, "...wuz here." He wasn't quite sure, but the beginning of the scribbled-out word looked like it started with a 'J'.
"I can't believe he got hired back in," whispered a Student in a blue, diamond patterned vest to another who was dressed the same way. Actually, now that Tony had a chance to look around, he noticed everyone was dressed like someone else. This wasn't too strange in a Uniform School, was it ?
"Yeah, my older brother told me about him. From what he said, we weren‘t going to be able to buy any more test answers", said the other in a strange, English-sounding accent. "I would pay for that Jim--"
"Shhh! Don't say his name out loud !", the first boy interrupted.
"Superstitious, are we?", the second boy smirked.
"No, but it’s a not a good idea", the first boy replied. "Trust me, even money can't keep Russell and his boys back..."
"Why Are You Boys Talking !!!" screamed Hattrick. The shockwave of his voice made everyone twitch in their seats. The two, argyle-printed boys sank in their seats as Hattrick glared them down.
"You two, to the Principal's Office !" he yelled. The two Students in front of Tony drew out of their seats, hands raised up as if Hattrick had a gun. They slowly, but frantically, made their way out the door. Tony could've sworn he heard one of them say, "I'll call my lawyer for this..."
The class was silent with fear.
"Now then," growled Hattrick. "Time to learn Students. The homework is written on the board. Be advised I will NOT read it for you !!"
{Pg. 327, #3-67}. Tony read off the board. Great, thought Tony
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The class bell rang. All the Students ran out as if the classroom was filled with poison. Tony saw the two boys that were thrown out by Mr. Hattrick hanging out near the School Clothing Store. They probably didn't even go to the Principal.
"So, Tony... You liked Math Class ?" asked Jake.
"In fact”, Tony said, “I never even heard what the Teacher was talking about. But tell me, I heard one of the two boys that got thrown out there saying that he were going to call his Lawyer. Was he serious ?"
"Ha-Haaa” laughed Jake, “I think it's time for you to discover all Cliques from this dump ! Come with me...".
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Jake sped off without warning, leaving Tony to haul his ass as he tried to catch up. After almost falling down the stairs on his first day of School, Tony had managed to catch up to Jake who was standing at the entrance of a large, sunlit room. The Cafeteria.
"Well, Tony-boy, this is your School !", crowed Jake with a grin on his face. "You better learn all the Cliques and where they hang out. Trust me, it's for your own good."
He pointed towards a table of Students wearing garish, green sweaters. They were playing some sort of game, and by the looks of it, the new version of G&G. He watched a particularly fat one get excited over the new light up, electronic D-20 Notepad. Across from him sat a hideously underweight kid, with filthy hair and horn-rimmed glasses.
"Those are the Nerds," explained Jake. "They're the outcasts of this place. Smart, but they can be douchebags sometimes. However, they're the easiest 'prey' here, as you will see." A large Jock had smacked the skinny Nerd on the back of the head as he sauntered off towards the people dressed like him.
"Their turf is the Library", Jake continued. That’s where they mostly hang out, along with the old Observatory.”
Tony took a good look at them and noticed the fat one had A 'Plumber's Crack'. He cringed.
"And those are the Preps", Jake said, pointing to another table. "Their brains are made of money. Oh, and they're massively inbred. They like to hang out at Harrington House. You'll find out where that is later, but I'll warn you that they have a dog named Chester on their side lawn. A hungry dog."
Tony noticed that the Preps wore the same sweaters as the boys who got kicked out of Hattrick's class. No wonder.
"Those are the Greasers", indicated Jake, pointing to yet another table. "They're all poor, but they're tough. Best not to mess with them now. They inhabit the Auto Shop."
"They exist ?" asked Tony, who observed their greasy hair and leather jackets. One of them had a rat-tail brush and was happily running it through his hair. Another one opened his mouth, and Tony swore he sounded like a particular 50's star.
Jake shrugged, and moved to the next Clique.
"And what every School needs...the Jocks," said Jake. "They're all on the Football Team, and I swear the big ones are taking Steroids. None too smart either, but the Teachers always treat them better than everyone else. They have their own Clubhouse, but you'll find them mostly on the Football Field and in the Gym"
Indeed, some were giants compared to the other Students. Most of them were wearing Varsity Jackets. A particularly scary one looked up and glared over at him.
"So," grinned Jake. "What do you think?"
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"Are you nuts ?? Do you even have to ask ?" Replied Tony in a loud voice."Im gonna be stuck in this craphole that you call a School for an entire year, and you're asking me what do I think ?"
"Yep. But if I were you, I would definitely join Gym Class, you know, you could use an ounce of muscle." Jake said jokingly.
“Yeah, whatever", said Tony
"Here." said Jake while handing Tony some kind of object.
"What is it ?" said Tony, looking at the strange contraption.
"Are you kidding me ?“ Jake said, surprised. “You've never seen a Slingshot before ?"
"Well…I have, but I've never used one", Tony said, embarrassed.
"Oh Jesus, you've never used a Slingshot ? Well, we better go take a target practice. Let’s start at the Football Field. I hear the Football Team has practice today", Jake said.
"I wanna know how you know this stuff ?", asked Tony.
"Nothing escapes my attention", Jake grinned evilly.
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Jake was a hell of a runner, and yet again, Tony struggled to catch up to him as they made their way all around the School and past the Fountain. Jake made a gigantic leap down the stairs and onto the Football Field, and Tony imitated him. The Jocks would've pulverized them for being on their turf if they weren't being drilled by the coach at the moment.
"Climb up that tree and wait for practice," advised Jake. "I'll be sitting on the Bleachers. Oh, and don't forget the Coach while you're at it !"
"Are you sure about this ?" asked Tony, who had the worn-looking Slingshot in his hand.
"Don't be a girl," crowed Jake. "You'll just have to do this one thing, and then we'll go to Galloway's class."
"Aren't we going to be late ?", Tony asked.
"Not to worry," explained Jake. "Attendance is kind of....Lax around here. Besides, ever since Jim… I mean that guy left, the poor bastard's been back on the bottle."
"Whatever, man", said Tony, and he off towards a tree.
Tony clawed his way up the tall tree and carefully sat himself on a jutting branch. The top of the branch was smoothed over, as if someone had sat on it many times before.
Then there came the "Bullworth Bullhorns", spreading out on the Football Field in hilariously predictable formations. Tony looked over at Jake, who was staring intently from the Bleachers, and realized what Jake wanted him to do.
Carefully, Tony loaded up a stray Acorn against the launcher pad, pulled back, and let go.
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The shot nailed one of the jocks right between the eyes. "Damn I'm good" exclaimed Tony.
"Lucky shot !!" Yelled Jake from the Bleachers.
Tony did not let up. He continued to drop the Jocks one at a time until only Mr. Burton was standing there. Tony pulled back on last time... WHACK!!! right at the nose. Tony jumped with excitement and fell right out of the tree. At the same time Mr. Burton and about four Prefects came running at him. Before Tony could get up, he was already being surrounded by Prefects and one ANGRY Gym Teacher. Before the the Prefects laid a hand on him he heard a low, old mans voice. "Stop!!" Tony looked behind him and saw the man behind the Prefects. It was the Headmaster, Dr. Crabblesnitch. Behind him was Pete.
The Headmaster said "Peter and I were just talking about you, Boy. Come with me to my Office."
Tony was worried as hell, but when he got to the Principal’s Office, he saw Pete walk in the doors behind him and he didn’t feel quite as worried anymore.
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"So, Tony, how was you first day here since we saw each other ?", Dr. Crabblesnich asked.
"Umm…To be honest, sir..." Tony started.
"You liked it ?“ Crabblesnitch interrupted. “Aha, I was sure you were going to feel comfortable here. But can you tell me what you were doing in that tree ?"
"I...Uh… Wanted to look how the Bullhorns trained, to maybe join them..." lied Tony.
"Oh, fantastic ! Another student to join our Sport Team ! I knew that you were going to integrate yourself well !", the Headmaster exclaimed, then called, "Oh, Mr. BURTON ?"
"Yes, Dr. Crabblesnitch ?" asked the fat Gym Teacher, who had just arrived at the Office.
"You must have been wrong. This boy is a Pearl !”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said loudly. “Please allow him to join your Wrestling Class so that he could learn to become a Bullhorn ! And you, Tony, remember for next time, that climbing up the trees is forbidden. Any more offenses and you will have to see the Punishment Prefect. That is all. "
Mr. Burton frowned. He wanted this little prick to be punished, not integrated. Well, he thought, I know the Jocks are gonna make him pay anyway. I just have to look elsewhere during that time.
"Yes, Sir, it's a pleasure to get a new member !" he said, with a false smile.
Tony walked with a silent Mr. Burton to the gym. He was lucky that Dr. Crabblesnitch seemed so naive. But he thought Coach Burton wasn’t so sure. And now, he had to do Wrestling for the first time of his whole life. Against Gorillas. Great.
As they arrived at the Gym, the voice of the Gym Teacher took him out of his thoughts.
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"Look boy", said Mr.Burton."I Don't like you but...the Head says I have to."
"Yeah, about that...I was really talking more about Football when I said joining the Bullhorns", said Tony.
Coach Burton chuckled under his breath.” Kid, you ain't nowhere near getting a spot on the Football Team."
"Well then, If its alright with you I’d rather just not get into sports. The only reason I mentioned joining the Bullhorns was really just an excuse.", said Tony.
"Kid, I wouldn’t care if you got hit by a semi-truck right now. I don't really want you here”, Coach Burton hissed.
"Well then, see you later then Fatass !.",exclaimed Tony, turning around and walking the other way.
"Hey, you little piece of crap ! I'm not gonna take that from you. You'd best get a better attitude or get outta this School !", Coach Burton screeched.
"Whatever.....", replied Tony, and took off on a run.
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On his way out of the gym, Tony ran into someone. Or rather, it was more like someone ran into Tony.
For the second time today, Tony was knocked over. He looked up to see a large, hulking figure looming over him. The tall student was wearing a Letterman jacket and the standard gym pants. He had a scar that Tony could see even past his dark skin, close cut black hair, and an expression that made nerds whimper.
"Watch where ya goin', new kid," growled the figure.
"Yeah, whatever," said Tony, lifting himself off the ground. "Nice scar."
"Are you trying to mock me?!" The jock snapped. "Cause I know da cure for that !" He slammed his gigantic fist against the palm of his other hand.
"You're the one with the scar !", snipped Tony, who had been ready to bolt before the Jock suddenly grabbed him.
"That's it, you asked for it !" The jock gripped at Tony's collar, although Tony wasn't going to run off now. This would be so much easier if Jake were here, but Tony had a feeling that Jake already knew about it. After all --"Nothing escapes my attention."
Damn. But before the behemoth could land a blow on Tony, a girl with strawberry blonde hair ran up to them.
"Juri, the Coach wants to see you," she said. Juri grunted, and then unlatched Tony from his grips. For now.
The linebacker charged through the double doors of the gym, bringing in a gust as he left. Tony straightened out the bends in his new collar, which now had holes in it.
"You're lucky," said the girl. "Any farther and Juri would've torn you up."
She had short, boyishly cut coffered hair. Telling by the way she was dressed, Tony guessed she was a Jock girl.
"No shit," said Tony. "Everyone's psycho around here."
"The Jocks weren't always like this," she explained. "Do you know about Lance Jackson?"
"No”, Tony said. “I’m new here.”
"He was an underclassman here last year. He wanted to be quarterback..." She smiled, although almost sadly.
"So what ?", said Tony, not understanding.
"He never made it," continued the Jock girl. "Lance was found in a alley over in Bullworth Town, beaten so badly that he may never walk again. They never found who did it. He was Bo Jackson’s younger brother. Lance looked up to him. All the Jocks were real protective of him. He was so kind, too. Hated fighting, used to read a lot..." The girl put on a sad face.
"Hey, I'm sorry," said Tony. "Listen, I'm Tony....Tony Calderone"
"I'm Karen," said the Jock girl. "Karen Johnson."
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"Look, I can't explain to you now, but I guess I have to make the Wrestling class, and I've never Wrestled from my whole life !"
"Hey, take it easy, Tony !", consoled Karen. "You know, even Nerds attempt this class, to get the minimum muscle allowed in Bullworth. You'll see, it's easy to beat them. I love wrestling !"
"Oh, okay, so it's cool then. I’ll go change for Gym class”, Tony said.
"I'll wait for you !" Karen smiled.
Tony, while changing in the locker room, heard someone talking in the next box. The voice was literally crying, sometimes calling his mum. Tony thought it could be one of those Nerds that he learned about. As he arrived in the main Gym, many students were forming a circle around what they called "The Ring". As they saw him, a group of girls in blue dresses twittered, "Here he is ! The New kid !"
Included in them was Karen. As he looked at her, she made a wink. Tony went into ‘The Ring’ and waited for his opponent to come. Mr. Burton was looking at the scene from the bleachers. Now every student was looking at the stairs, and there came a very fat guy in wrestling suit, the same as Tony. All began to call his name, "Fatty ! Fatty ! Fatty !"
The fat kid became beet red. He knew it was ironic. Tony remembered, as he had watched wrestling on TV when he was younger, that this "Fatty" reminded him of one wrestler….Big Show, maybe ? Fatty smiled at him, a horrible smile saying, Please, don't hurt me.....
"Okay, you little Roaches, let's begin ! I'll give you moves to execute during this match." screamed Coach Burton.
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Coach Burton glared at Tony, although Tony was busy looking at Karen for reassurance. Karen simply smiled and nodded at him, so Tony faced forward. The hippo in front of him was already soaked with his own nervous sweat, and Tony could swear something foul had just released into the air.
"Grab him," growled Burton. Already, the Cheerleader girls in the short blue dresses seemed to be dancing in formation. Students gestured as if they were expecting something exciting to happen.
"Go boys, GO!" intoned Burton.
Tony lunged out and gripped the straps of Fatty's wrestling suit, wincing at the wetness, before driving his head into Fatty's. A sense of dizziness cut into him, and when his vision cleared, he found Fatty lying helpless on the floor.
"Another crushing blow for Fatty !" squealed the giant boy. The students cheered as if Tony had won some epic battle, and Tony could hear Karen cheering his name.
Fatty struggled to haul himself onto his bulky feet, before backing away from Tony. A pang of dizziness laid into he back of Tony's head, but he continued forward.
"Hit him !" screamed one of the Cheerleaders. "Hit Him ! Hit Him !" The other students watching cheered in response. Tony was sure that if they all had weapons, they would be waving them in the air like some kind of psycho horde of murderers. Out the corner of his eye, Tony could see Jake sitting contently on the bleachers, smiling.
Tony rushed forward and delivered a blow to Fatty's face, which shocked the Giant kid.
"More !" screamed a student bystander. "More !"
Fatty seemed to be running away, trying to back out of the ring until a student stepped forward and shoved him back in. Tony raised his fists, one after the other, and struck Fatty two times in the face. He heard something crack, and blood started to squirt in trickles down Fatty's wrestling uniform.
He looked at Burton, who simply smiled contently. The Cheerleaders continued to cheer, and Karen gave him a big smile and a brief thumbs up. In the bleachers, Jake continued to smile, although it took on a morbid quality in it. The bystanders roared in anticipation.
Fatty looked broken.
Canis canem edit.…..Dog eat dog.
Tony gripped Fatty's moist uniform, and with an unknown strength, dragged him forward. He delivered two strikes to his opponent's puffy cheeks, and then finished him with a devastating knee to the face. Fatty collapsed on his back, obviously injured.
The students exploded in fits of insanity.
"That's enough !”, growled Burton. He looked less pissed. "Maybe you're not so useless after all !"
As the students exited out of the gym, Tony looked down at his knuckles. Blood.
"Good job, there," crowed Jake. "I see you're getting used to the place."
"I guess," said Tony, continuing to marvel at the stains of red on his knuckles.
"You were great out there, Tony," said Karen, who ran up to the two. Tony continued to stare at his knuckles, comparing the spots.
"Oh !", said Jake, startled. "Who's this ?"
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"Hey, Tony, im talking to you ! I said who’s this ??" said Jake in a stern voice.
Broken out of the trance of staring at his bloody knuckles Tony replied,
"Oh….This is Karen. She saved my face today."
"Well, Hello, Karen.", Jake said with a grim smirk.
"Hey there", Karen said uncomfortably.
"Well, I gotta go, Tony. I got biology. Today were gona dissect Pig dicks." Jake said jokingly before speeding off.
"That kid is strange, I always feel like he’s staring at me when we pass each other in the hallways”, said an uncomfortable Karen.
"Who, Jake ? He seems pretty cool”, mused Tony.
"Whatever”, Karen said, and changed the subject. "So , anyway I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone named Tony before."
"Well, my Mom tells me that I’m named after my father, Anthony Calderone, but I never met met him….He used to live in Liberty City."
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As Tony finished speaking, a person dressed in a Bull outfit appeared. In fact, it could have been anyone in that Bull suit. The Bull had a little object in his hand. As he lit fire to it, Tony knew it was a Firecracker that was going to explode near one of them.
BLAM !!!!!!
Shielding Karen, Tony didn't run to avoid the blow of the weapon, nor he didn't hesitate as he saw his mugger escaping in direction of the library.
“Karen, I’ll see you later !” Tony shouted, as he raced after his attacker. By the fountain, he saw Jake, and called, "Jake, come help me take this Jerk !!"
And the two boys ran after the Bull, who was slowed down by his suit. Tony remembered the guy he talked with before math class, the one with a dark cloud over the head. But why should it be him ? Jake advised Tony to take out his slingshot, but it was ineffective, as they were on the run. He definitely had to use his fists...and his head. As they arrived at the Library, they saw the figure bolt inside. Racing right behind, they finally caught up and trapped the Bull against a wall. He was desperately looking for an escape. Seeing he didn’t have any, he started to act like a real Bull and made out as if he was going to charge right on the two boys. By chance, Jake had some stuff on him. He took out a small package that Tony couldn't identify. As the bull charged on them, he just avoided him and threw the package. And Tony realized what it was as the figure stopped and began swatting at himself . "Itching powder, right ?"
"Yep, my friend. Now he hasn't got much choice, he has to take this off”, Jake laughed.
Jake was right. The person was frantically scratching and couldn't keep the suit on much longer.
_________________________________________________________
-
Jake and Tony watched in morbid anticipation, waiting for the jerk to take the head off so they could pummel him.
"What are you doing?!", came a sudden voice.
An ancient-looking woman had sauntered up to them. Tony and Jake peered around, and it looked like they had taken the library hostage. Books and papers lay abandoned on the floor. One of the chess tables was knocked over, and the pieces rolled all over the place. Two skinny Nerds peered up from behind a study table. A smelly, wet trail on the floor led to a couch with a particularly large Nerd shaking behind it. Behind the couch next to him was a kid who was wearing that blue, diamond-patterned sweater.
The guy in the Bull suit continued to scratch wildly, cursing under his breath.
"You three are getting in big trouble for this !" growled Ms. Carvin, the Librarian. "How dare you come into my library and destroy my beautiful books ?!"
Jake couldn't help but smile, but Tony wasn't too happy. But before Ms. Carvin could attempt anything else, the guy in the Bull suit let out a frustrated grunt and charged his way through the library, exclaiming loudly when he bumped his hip on the side of a table on his way out.
Jake tried to speed off after him, but Ms. Carvin's wrinkly arm had slung out and grabbed his ear. He yelped in surprise and kneed her in the privates. What came out of her mouth then was too obscene to relate.
The old woman groaned and shook her fist at them as the two ran off. By the time Tony and Jake had exited the library, the guy wearing the bull suit was long gone.
"Whoa," said Tony, as he and Jake continued to run as Prefects trailed after them, "Just...Whoa."
"No one touches me," muttered Jake. "No one."
"So, where are we headed to next ?" asked Tony. The two Prefects that were chasing them had hunched over to catch their breath.
"English class, I guess," said Jake.
Tony looked at his watch. "We're forty minutes late."
"Doesn't matter," said Jake, with a smirk. "It's not like the drunk bastard will notice anyway."
_________________________________________
-
"Sorry, sir, we..." Tony said, then stopped, seeing that there were only five students in the classroom.
"…Are a bit late, I know”, the Teacher, whose name was Mr. Galloway, said. “Go take a seat and finish these assignments."
The two boys took two free tables and started to work.
"This one is more cool than Hattrick !" Tony Exclaimed.
"You see ? But no one likes his class. All think it's useless...", Jake began.
"Why are we here then ?", questioned Tony.
"Because in fact, it's NOT useless. Look at your sheet." Jake pointed to the paper.
The worksheet was titled "The Words That Hurt". While working on it, Tony wondered if it could be useful to calm down the Bullies.…It was clear that this class was more useful that just learning grammar. The teacher, named Mr. Galloway, walked between the tables, a cup in the hand. As he arrived near Tony, he looked attentively at his work.
"Good one, I never thought about that…” Mr. Galloway seemed to be lost in thought for the moment. Then he said, “I think you have finished, you may go now. Try not to be late next time !"
"Thank you, sir !", Exclaimed Tony, getting up.
Jake hadn't finished yet. He gave Tony a little paper on which he had written two words.
FIRE ALARM
Tony exited the class and looked over at the red handle on the wall. He was wondering what would happen if he got caught. But his plan was perfect. Just hide in the nearest locker after doing it, and wait for Jake. His hand grabbed the handle, and pulled.
_______________________________________________
-
As he was running to the nearest locker one of the Prefects managed to see him squeezing into the only open locker. After only about 3 seconds, the Prefect pulled him out and held him against the wall. At about the same time Jake came sprinting out of the English room and shot the Prefect in the back of the head with his own Slingshot and knocked him out. Tony and Jake took off.
Tony asked him how he had knocked out the Prefect with only one shot. Jake replied, "This is about 3 times more powerful than your little peashooter that you call a Slingshot."
Tony had noticed that it had a scope, and was twice the size of his. "Where did you get that from ?" asked Tony.
"I stole it from one of the Nerds." said Jake. "Here…I'll let you take this one…You'll need it more than me."
Tony was puzzled. He had no idea why Jake said that he would need it more than him. But before he had a chance to ask why, Jake said, "I'll be doing all of the planning, and you'll be doing the dirty work."
"What do you mean?" asked Tony
"Oh”, said Jake, “I haven’t told you how we’re going to take over the School ?"
"No." said Tony. "But….I don’t want to take over the School."
"WELL I DO, AND I WANT IT NOW !! SO, YOU ARE GONNA DO WHAT I SAY, OR YOU WILL END UP LIKE THE PREFECT I WASTED!!!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME ?!" Jake hollered.
"WOW….Quit freaking out man !!”, Tony cringed.
"Sorry”, Jake said, shaking his head and quickly calming down. “I forgot to take my Meds. I just get overexcited."
"Whatever, its cool”, Tony said, relived.
"So are you coming or not ?", Jake urged.
"Yeah, I‘ll be along”, Tony said, a spark of doubt raising in his mind. Was Jake some kind of Psycho ? “Something I gotta do.”
_____________________________________________________
-
Free of Jake, Tony ran everywhere. He had to find HIM. Jake wants him to do the dirty work ? OK. But no one has said that he couldn't do his own business. He bumped into many students, without finding the one he was looking for. The Fire Alarm continued to ring, but finally, he found him. He was like Tony had last seen him, milling about aimlessly, a cloud of misery over his head.
"Hey, I remember you ! How was Math Class ?", The Student greeted.
Tony didn't answer. He grabbed Constantinos, and whispered in his ear. "I know it was you. Time to pay now."
"Hey, what are you talking about ?" Gurgled Constantinos.
"Don't play innocent with me”, Tony growled, and drove his fist to his victim's stomach. As he stood up, Constantinos decided to fight. Tony thought it was time to prove that gym class wasn't useless. After avoiding the unsure fists of his opponent, he made a perfect headbutt, finishing him. But Tony didn't let him hit the ground. He shoved him to the wall.
"OK, Tony, let me explain to you !”, Constantinos wailed.
"Oh, you remember having done something now ?", hissed Tony.
"Wait, I didn't have the choice... It was the Jocks... You know…”, Constantinos trailed off.
"They made you ?", Tony asked, understanding.
"Yes...", Constantinos said, miserably.
"Hmm…“ Tony paused. “Maybe we can make a sort of deal together. What about if you keep me informed of what people plan and say ?"
"Will I get paid... ?", Constantinos said, weakly.
"Maybe, if you do a good job”, Tony replied. “We got a deal ?”
The other boy nodded. At that, Tony let Constantinos fall against the wall. He had ‘Ears’ now.
__________________________________________________________
-
Tony wasn't the last student to make it out of the building. Apparently, some students didn't even leave at all. Fire Drills were performed at least six times a week, even if the authority figures didn't want them to. There was no fire, and the chances of a fire actually happening at Bullworth School was pretty rare. It wasn’t like anybody really cared anyway. Getting all the students out of the building took so long that the School Classes were over by the time everyone was out. Tony was tired.
He went back to the Boy’s Dorm, ditched his uniform, and slumped onto his bed. Out of his open eye, he could see Hattrick's long-ass homework assignment. He thought about the way Hattrick had chewed out those two boys on the first day of school.
"Screw it," was all he muttered, before drifting off to sleep.
==========================================================================
"Hey, Wake Up !!!" Someone shook him. It was Jake.
"I got something amazing planned, and YOU'RE a part of it," spouted Jake. When Tony opened his eyes, the alarm clock read 5:27. In the morning. He had slept a long, long time.
"C'mon," urged Jake. "We gotta hurry up if we're gonna do this right. Hurry up ! Oh, this is going to be GREAT."
Tony noticed something odd about Jake. Jake was already pretty disturbing before, but there was something about the way he moved that made him seem really Psycho now. His uniform, which Jake was still wearing even at such a time, was even more messed up than it usually was. His hair stuck out at random spots, and Jake's eyes seemed to react to everything. He fidgeted as he paced back and forth.
"Do you know what time it is ?" asked Tony. "You look like you need some sleep."
"Yeah, it's time to get up off your ass and follow me," commanded Jake. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you better not miss it !"
Tony thought about laying his head back onto his pillow, but after realizing Jake was crazy enough to literally drag him off, he got up and slid back into his own uniform.
"Follow me !" called Jake, as he sped out the doors. "This is going to be FUN !"
____________________________________________________
-
Jake was now walking in the Quad towards the School. Tony took this opportunity to ask him about his plan. Jake’s answered, "Well, have you ever seen the School Store ?"
Tony remembered the two Preps hanging out near it. "Yes, but I don't know anything about it. What do you have in mind ?"
"I discovered that the people who like to sleep much miss a lot of things...", Jake said absently.
"Tell me, what's the thing with the Store ?", Tony persisted.
"OK, Tony boy, let me explain it to you, Jake said, suddenly focused. “Many students have to buy some stuff to wear, especially the Jocks and Non-Clique students. But where does that stuff come from ? The answer is simple. They buy it every month, at quarter to six, before everyone wakes up. I found this out during my nights without sleep."
"So…What ?", asked Tony.
"So, if we steal the stock”, Jake continued, “We have the opportunity to sell it for twice the price !"
"OK”, Tony said, “I understand now... But how are we going to get it ?"
"The Prefect that has to move the stock has some Nerds as ‘employees‘, Jake said. “If we waste the Prefect, the ‘Nerd Slaves’ won't do anything to stop us. That's the plan."
They arrived by the basement stairs at the West side of the school.
"Go hide in that Trashcan ! Jake whispered. “I'll take this one over here."
"IN the trashcan ?", Tony said doubtfully.
"Don't be a girl”, Jake snickered, “No one throw their Bananas in there, if you know what I mean."
Tony took out his new slingshot, then hid in the trashcan. In a few minutes, He saw that Prefect that almost busted him after he had pulled the fire alarm, and behind him, three Nerds with long packets in the hands. When he saw Jake jumping out of his trashcan with an M-80 firecracker, so did Tony. He used his new powerful Slingshot to shoot the Prefect in the head, while Jake was throwing his M-80 the feet of the Prefect. In just seconds, the Prefect was lying on the ground. The Nerds didn't know what to do, and stopped dead. Jake promised them nothing would happen. He even paid them two bucks each, so that they wouldn’t say anything. His plan worked perfectly.
__________________________________________
-
"Hurry up," urged Jake, as he hauled a box full of clothing past the Parking Lot.
"What for ?" asked Tony, who was also balancing two large boxes against his chest.
"Listen up", crowed Jake. "We're gonna hide the boxes. No one knows about our little business plan, but they will soon enough."
"Then how are we supposed to sell them ?" asked Tony.
"You'll see soon enough," said Jake. "Now haul your ass."
Tony and Jake edged around through the Quad. Their eyes darted around, watching for people who could potentially rat them out. At last, Tony and Jake made it to the back of the Boys' Dorm. Jake pulled some bricks from the back of the dorm, and a massive hole formed. The inside of it had an abandoned spidered webs. Pipes stuck through the top of the secret compartment, and everything was covered in dust. Tony could hear Rats.
"How did you find this ?" asked Tony.
"Isn't it amazing ?" boasted Jake. "I spent a whole month after I came here carving those bricks out of the wall. Now hurry up and toss the boxes in there."
Tony didn't even have to be asked, for he was already placing the boxes hastily into the secret space. Green sweaters, blue sweaters, Letterman jackets, extra gym uniforms, and even a jockstrap spilled from the edges of the boxes.
"This is our first step towards power, Tony-boy," said Jake. "You can bet that we'll have some people willing to offer their services for a small cut of the goods."
Tony continued to pile the boxes in. "For some reason, I feel like a Drug Lord", he joked.
"Good," said a smiling Jake. His smile dropped into a sneer as he looked up. "Aw, Shit."
Tony peered up and saw a person standing in the distance between the back wall and the Dorm.
_______________________________________________________________
-
Both Jake and Tony began to run at the shadowy figure. It appeared to be a Nerd, and the two boys slapped their fists into their palms in a gesture of intimidation. Tony recognized him as the fat Nerd that wet himself in the library, as they was chasing the Bull.
"Wait, Wait, Wait !" said the fat kid with an unsure voice, and he showed them the object he had in the hand. It was made of what looked like a large chewing-gum pack, many electric wires, and some stuff taped a bit everywhere. "This is a Transmitter ! I tied it into the Fire Alarm. If you touch me, I'll have to use it, and everyone will see what you've done !"
The two boys stopped. Tony was sure it was bluff, but Jake whispered him not to underestimate the Nerds. Out loud, he spoke, "OK, what do you exactly want from us ?"
"I want a percentage from your little business”, the figure said. “And some new pants when I ask you for them. Mine get dirty very fast, because of my.…Sweat."
"And if we don't want to ?", challenged Jake.
"Then I'll tell Dr. Crabblesnitch what I know about it”, the fat kid said. “Two bucks wasn't enough."
"All right”, Jake said. “We'll throw a percentage of our profits in the Trashcan near the Library, when you ask for it"
The nerd, named Algernon and known as ‘Algie’, nodded, then looked right and left, and then started to run away, a hand on his stomach like had had to pee.
"Don't worry, Tony, every business works like this, especially in Bullworth”, Jake said. “You always have to pay for your secrets, everyone depends on it from everyone else. Now get let’s get some sleep, tomorrow morning is Art Class….Oops, I mean, today is Art Class !"
___________________________________________________
-
Jake went over and pulled out the boxes after Algie left. “That fat shit saw the hiding place”, Jake grumbled. “Let’s take these back to your Dorm room and get this crap unpacked.”
Tony was worried that someone might be hanging around the front of the Dorm, but as they snuck back around the front, he was relieved to see no one there. Going into the Dorm, they moved quietly to Tony’s room across from the Common Area, going inside and closing the door.
“So, how much are we gonna sell this stuff for ? Asked Tony as they unpacked the boxes.
Jake had used a razor blade to slit them open.
“I’m thinking about $20 for the shirts, and $40 for the pants”, Jake replied, laying out their booty on the bed.
“Wow, that’s crazy !”, Tony exclaimed.
That’s the point”, Jake said. “When the School Store stocks go empty soon, those dumb kids will be forced to pay double the price.”
“Oh….I get it now”, Tony replied. “That’s brilliant.”
“Ok, looks like this is a good haul”, Jake said, and sorted the clothing back into the boxes. “Stash these in your Wardrobe, since it’s empty. I’ll take care of selling these when the time is right.”
“All right, if you say so”, Tony said, but in his mind he was a bit doubtful. “I’ll get a cut, right ?”
“Sure, I’ll get that to you”, Jake said hurriedly, but Tony wondered how sincere Jake was about that. The clothing boxes were secreted in Tony’s Wardrobe cabinet.
“Now get let’s get some sleep, tomorrow morning is Art Class….Oops, I mean, today is Art Class !", Jake chuckled as he left for his own room.
________________________________________________
-
Tony yawned, before smacking himself on the arm to wake up as the Alarm Clock went off. He had dozed off. Groggy, he left the Dorm. Jake caught up to him, and seemed just as crazy as usual, urging Tony on, as the two made their way to Art Class.
"You can sleep when we get to Art Class," called Jake. "Hurry up !."
Tony lazily sauntered his way up the stairs, trailing behind Jake as he hauled himself into the classroom. Tony's brain might have been pretty screwed up from his broken sleep, but he could've sworn that all the other students in there were girls. Tony realized that he and Jake were the only guys in the class. Well, not quite…On closer look, he could see there were some drooling guys tucked away in the far corner.
He was expecting some weird, stick-like, possibly perverted guy to be leading the class. Instead, a woman dressed in a well-fitting turtleneck and a tight leather skirt made her way around lonely easels and took a stand in front of the class.
"Hello Class," said the woman. "My name is Ms. Phillips, and I am your Art Teacher. Welcome to the Amazing World of Art !"
Tony peered at the group of guys in the corner, whose eyes were all locked onto the teacher. He was pretty sure it wasn't because they wanted to learn about Art.
He stared back at Jake, who seemed to be amusing himself with some morbid thought. Tony could tell by the evil smirk on his face. "Hey, Jake", he whispered.
"What ?" replied Jake. "Can't you see I'm busy thinking here ?"
"Why the hell are we here when we could be managing our little business ?" asked Tony.
"You've got a lot to learn, my friend," said Jake, who picked up the brush that was laid out for him. Tony copied him, eyes watching the guys in the corner. They were all still staring and gawking at Ms. Phillips, although she had already told them to pick up their brushes.
"Okay, class, I just want to see how far your skills have gotten up to this point," explained Ms. Phillips. "Let the inner self flow onto the paper. Don't be embarrassed."
Tony looked at the blank canvas in front of him. After blinking for a few times and then jolting back to reality, he had realized that he had dozed off there for a few seconds. This Art wasn't going to be good.
_________________________________________
-
"Tony, please get to work !", said Ms. Philips, interrupting Tony’s revere. He had been daydreaming for most of the period. "You don't want to come in after class…Do you ?" she said in a sexy voice.
"That depends", Tony smarted off. "What will we be doing ?"
Tony was wishing that maybe he hadn't said that, but he was sure she had heard that one before. Just then, the bell saved him. He stormed out the door to avoid detention. Once he got out, a group of students were giving him hell for ‘putting the moves’ on the Art Teacher.
"Smooth move." Jake laughed. "Nobody's ever had the guts to do what you just did."
"Yeah, whatever." Said Tony. "Let's just get back to business."
_________________________________________________
-
“I knew I wasn't wrong by choosing you, Tony-boy !”, Jake exclaimed as they walked the halls. “You are a perfect partner, thinking right, and walking right, not like all these chazzers in Bullworth.”
"I want to know where this ‘business’ will lead us to.", Tony said seriously.
"You wanna talk about this, don't you ? Come on to the Cafeteria then, I'll explain to you our first step.", Jake said, and the two boys headed down the hall.
In the Cafeteria, Tony started to grab a plate to get something to eat, but his arm was stopped by Jake.
"Do NOT eat anything from Edna. I don't want my partner dead, it won't help me.", Jake said with some amusement.
"But I have to eat something...", Tony protested.
Jake had already walked away, and threw him an apple and a banana from a basket on the table he had chosen. "Here's what you get, Tony."
"OK, thank you, that's better than nothing...", Tony remarked snidely.
Jake ignored that. "Alright, let's talk business."
"My ears are open.", Tony said, flopping into a seat.
"You will be my Dealer. For this you'll have to keep up with English class, that could be useful to learn how to deal.", Jake instructed.
"Right." said Tony, remembering the worksheet ‘The Words That Hurt.’
"Okay. Now the targets of our plan”, Jake went on, The Nerds, the Jocks, and the Non-Clique students."
"What about the Preps ?", Tony inquired, Taking a bite of the apple.
"The gates of the Academy are usually closed, so they’ve been receiving boxes from their parents with Aquaberry sweaters in them somehow. We can't deal with them right now.", Jake said offhandedly. But Tony would soon have other ideas about that.
After speaking for fifteen minutes, the boys finished and left the Cafeteria. Tony decided to take a break in his room. On the way to the Boy’s Dorm, he fingered the two bucks he received from Jake for pulling the fire alarm, and saw Constantinos smoking against a wall. When he arrived at his side, Constantinos took the cigarette and flicked it on the ground.
"Hello, my ‘Ears‘", Tony said.
"Oh, Boss…Tony, Hello !", Constantinos replied.
"Have you got news today ?" muttered Tony, taking the two bucks out of his pocket and shaking it before the boy's eyes.
"Yes, I have..." answered Constantinos.
______________________________________
-
"Algie's been talking up a storm about himself," said Constantinos. "Says he's gonna be real big around here. Heh, he's already a big fat-ass. Can't get any bigger."
"Anything specific ?" asked Tony.
"About him ? No”, replied Constantinos.
"Good," said Tony. “Anything else ?”
"Like what ?" asked Constantinos.
"Ask that to the Washingtons," replied Tony, waving the two dollars. "What else have you heard ?"
"Beatrice's cold sores are acting up again”, Constantinos ventured.
Tony frowned. "Something useful, please ?"
"Okay," pleaded Constantinos. "I heard the Care Packages are coming in today."
"The What ?" asked Tony.
"Packages the Preps get from their Parents”, explained Constantinos. "They keep them in the School Basement now, after some students broke in the School Store and stole some things last year."
"Hmm…How do you know this ?" asked Tony.
"You're not the only person I've made deals with," said Constantinos, who gestured towards the Janitor, Mr. Luntz, who was out sweeping the walks. Tony looked at the Janitor, whom he hadn’t noticed before. But his mind was thinking.
Maybe Jake was wrong about the Preps, Tony thought, He’s either keeping things to himself, or he doesn’t know. The Care Packages would have the Preppies' sweaters in them, not to mention other precious things that were rare in this kind of place. Tony’s mind seized on the possibilities. Hell, I can deal with the Preppies...and every other student in this school.
Tony smiled, although he knew that sneaking out with all those packages from the School Basement and remaining unseen was going to be difficult at a place like Bullworth. But considering the future profits…..It was worth it.
"Constantinos," said Tony, "I've got a hell of a deal for you, but it's gonna involve you and me, and possibly some hired help….."
"Oh yeah ?" asked Constantinos. “What’s in it for me ?”
.
"Much more as you can imagine, you just...", Tony began.
Just then, the School Bells rang.
________________________________________
-
"Hell, Already ?”, Tony bitched. “I didn't even have time to take a rest.….Look, I'm late for Gym Class….Wait for me by the English room door, two hours. Do Not Be Late. Remember that time is money..."
"OK, see you there, good luck !", called Constantinos as Tony hustled off.
Tony ran as fast as possible to the Gym. On the way, a Prefect saw him and began to run after him, but Tony was definitely faster. As he pushed open the doors, he saw that the Wrestling Ring was ready, and so was Fatty. All turned to see him, and Coach Burton told Tony to go change quickly. After changing, he got into the Ring, and had the same sensations as before, again looking at Fatty.
"All right, you little Roaches, I know you been waiting for this moment all day ! But headbutts are for little girls. I want to see what you call tackling !", yelled Coach Burton.
Fatty was already afraid. Tony didn't loose any time. He grabbed his opponent, punched him to make him dizzy, and then stepped back and waited for Coach Burton's instructions.
"Okay, just place your leg behind his, and push with your shoulder on his chest to make him fall”, Mr. Burton instructed.
Tony found it incredibly easy to do. After standing on his opponent, he gave him three punches, and felt the sensation he had before, but tried not to make Fatty bleed.
"Time for your knee to meet his Nuts !", Coach Burton called.
Tony thought that Coach Burton was really crude-speaking for a Teacher. He hesitated some, but finally decided to do it. His knee flew in the air, and landed were it had to. Fatty yelped a scream of pain, and couldn't stand up after Tony released him, falling over.
"I get the feeling you maybe aren't useless, Calderone”, Coach Burton grinned. “Just don't be late tomorrow. If you chose to take Gym class, you have to show up on time !"
Tony left the Gym after changing, and found Karen outside.
"Hey, Tony, what's up ?", she said brightly.
"Wow, nothing special today, what about you ?", Tony replied.
"I've heard that the School Store was going to close”, Karen confided.
"What ? Why is that ?" Tony asked, as if he didn't know.
"I don't know... “, Karen shook her head. Then, she said, “Hey, you want to hang out a bit ?"
"I have to go meet up with the English Teacher, you can come with me if you want", Tony said hopefully.
"All right, it's better than nothing !" said the jock girl with a smile.
On the way, Tony had the opportunity to ask Karen about her life, and learned that she landed in Bullworth from the same way as him, because of a brochure, many years ago. They arrived before Mr. Galloway's door. Tony took hold of Karen‘s hand, and kept it a bit.
"Well.…Gotta go in…I’ll see you later ?", he asked.
"Sure !“ Karen replied, “It was good to hang out with you, Tony !"
As the beautiful girl went away, Tony knocked on the door. A weird answer came out of the room, but he decided to go in. There he saw Mr. Galloway, the head between his two hands, reading a newspaper on his desk.
"Oh, I remember you !“, Mr. Galloway said, looking up. “You're Tony, aren't you ?"
"Yes, I am”, Tony answered. “Tony Calderone.”
"Well, Tony…What do you want ?", Mr. Galloway said, laying aside the newspaper.
"I was asking myself if...Um”, Tony began, “You maybe could teach me some things..."
"Tell me, what do you exactly want to learn ?", Mr. Galloway inquired.
"Just how to use arguments…know how to convince someone…in facts.", Tony said vaguely, searching for a way to convey what he meant.
The English Teacher almost couldn't believe it. A student asked him for extra information ? Incredible. "Look, I don’t usually tutor….But I can make an exception, because you seem to have a future in our beautiful language. Meet me at the Library, in the morning before classes. I'll teach you everything you want to know !"
"Thank you very much, sir !", Tony said, and took his leave.
As Tony came out of the room, Constantinos was waiting for him. "As I see, you didn't forget me."
"I'm here to hear you plan, Boss”, Constantinos said, as the two boys exited the rear of the school, onto the back Quad.
Tony felt oddly destabilized as the boy called him ‘Boss‘. But he quickly started to expose his plan.
____________________________________________
-
As they was talking, another new kid, named Kurt, ran up to them. “Hey There !”
Angered by the interruption, Tony turned on the newbie. “Who the hell are you, and whadda you want ?”
“Well, I’m Kurt…I…I…Just wanted to get in on whatever you guys are talking about….”
“This is a private conversation….Beat it”, Tony growled.
“Yeah, but…I just thought that….GLURK !!!!”, Kurt gasped as Tony’s hands wrapped around his neck.
“Not gonna tell you twice”, Tony said, “Stay outta my business”.
Kurt gagged as Tony dragged him several feet over to a smelly Trash Bin container and roughly jammed him into it, butt first. Kurt struggled, stuck in the Trash Bin, sputtered and started to say something else. Tony popped him with two hard hits to the face, and Kurt’s head lolled back, senseless. There, that will shut him up.
Tony looked around. Other kids had stopped and were staring. This is not good, Tony thought, there’ll be a Prefect not far behind…He looked over at Constantinos, “Let’s get outta here…Com’on”. They started to run.
“Where to, Boss ?” panted Constantinos. “We need someplace private” Tony replied, increasing his speed, “I know a place…And stop calling me Boss”.
“Ok, Bo…Er, Tony, sir”, a nearly breathless Constantinos gasped out as they rounded the corner and beat it up the steps that led to the Library. Pointing to the right of the building, where a broken fence sat atop a wall, Tony indicated to Constantinos, “Over There”.
A fat-looking Nerd was blocking their way. “Hey, you can’t go over there !!” the fat Nerd exclaimed. Tony quickly whipped out his Slingshot and nailed the Nerd in the crotch. “OHH…My NUT-NUTS !!!!!” the Nerd screamed as he staggered off, bent over.
“Com’on, over the wall”, Tony motioned to Constantinos. Both quickly scaled the wall and dropped to the other side. “So, how’d you know about this place ?” asked Constantinos, who already knew.
“Found it when I was out poking around one night after curfew” replied Tony, looking around to see if anyone was sticking their head over the wall.
“OK, looks safe…”, Tony said, and then huddled with Constantinos. “Now for the rest of it -- Here’s what I need you to do…..”
____________________________
-
And as Tony revealed the plan to Costantinos, Kurt, who had extricated himself from the Trash Bin after regaining his senses, and had run after the pair, ducking under the wall to listen. He wasn’t able to hear much, but enough to get the gist of the plan.
Hearing the conversation come to a close, he begin to sneak away before being discovered, muttering, "Sweet Revenge..."
-
“Ok, got it ?” Tony asked Constantinos…”You’re just skinny enough to make this work, and…the payoff will be a lot bigger than this panty-anty shit deals you have with anyone else”.
Constantinos nodded. “I can do that….Just find me a way into the basement”.
“Got it covered. There’s a empty locker across from the basement door. Hide in there before school closes at 7 PM. Wait till you see the Janitor unlock that door to go in to get supplies. He can’t take all the TP at once, he will have to make several trips. He won’t bother to lock the door between trips. Wait until he comes out, and heads around the corner to the bathrooms. Sneak in then, go down below, and find those ‘Care Packages’…and, stay hidden, least until 3 AM”
“OK, Bo..Er, Tony, sir….that sounds easy” Constantinos said….”There’s certain advantages to my size”
“Great. Let’s split up….You leave first….I’ll leave in a few minutes” Tony said.
==========================================================================
Kurt loped away from the wall, where he had been eavesdropping, and headed for the Library entrance. Still feeling a little loopy from being punched in the head, he nonetheless moved quickly and made it through the Library doors before being seen by Constantinos, who was climbing back over the wall.
I’ll get that Bastard, he thought. Nobody stuffs me in a trash can. Nobody !!!
Hurrying down one of the bookrows, he turned round a corner and ran full tilt into a rather pretty-looking girl, spilling the books out of her hands and onto the floor.
“Ah, Damn…Sorry…Here, let me get those” Kurt said as he bent down to retrieve the girl’s books. “I wasn’t looking where I was going…Sorry”.
“Oh, don’t be silly….I wasn’t paying attention either” the girl replied, as Kurt began re-stacking the books in her arms. “I was thinking about…well, I guess, what might be my new boyfriend”, She blushed.
“Well, that’s a shame…Just my luck, a pretty lady like yourself being unavailable and all…..My name’s Kurt, by the way….Who’s the lucky fellow ?”
“Oh, I’m Karen….I was thinking about Tony….He doesn’t know he’s my boyfriend yet…But I think he will soon….He’s such a great guy”.
Kurt hid his surprise on hearing the guy’s name….The same name he had just heard that skinny kid call the guy who had mashed him in a Trash Bin just about 15 minutes earlier.
“Well, here you go….Doesn’t look like any damage” Kurt said, as the last of Karen’s books were placed in her arms.” I’m kinda new here…Maybe we’ll be in some classes together”.
“Maybe…” Karen said. Walking away, she looked over her shoulder and threw him a wave. “See you Around ?”
Kurt watched Karen’s tight little butt as she walked off.
Hmmm….Boyfriend, Huh ?, Kurt thought.
=========================================================================
Tony waited after Constantinos left for a few minutes, looking around. It had been dark when he scoped this place out, and he hadn’t paid a lot of attention to a gate set over at the far end. He went over to it now, and gave it a good look.
The gate and fence looked almost too high to climb…Besides, there were rolls of barbed wire all along the top. This was Nerd’s territory, Tony thought to himself, this whole place….He leaned down to look at the lock.
It was some kind of a keypad attached to a sliding iron bar. Looked like a code pad…..Tony peered through the gate. He saw grass, large rocks, and a trail leading down to some trees, where it disappeared into them.
Where does this go ? He wondered….And then, What are they keeping back there ?
He straightened up. He needed a keypad code….And he resolved to keep this little find to himself. This might come in handy, and Jake was unstable…Whacked out without his Meds, so it seemed…
And Jake didn’t know everything.
Time to boogie. He had lots of arrangements to make.
___________________________________________________
-
The next day, Tony was walking freely about the school, looking at everything. Suddenly a student bumped into him, but didn't go away. He stayed there, his shoulder against Tony's.
"Hey, are you fucking gay or what ?", Tony demanded.
At this moment, he felt a pointed thing against his chest…A knife.
"Do not try to get away. Understood ?", A voice said.
Tony turned and recognized the kid….Kurt. Now he was in trouble.
Stay calm, Tony thought. He can't do anything here, there are students around. Just ask him.
"Okay, what do you want ?", he said.
"You see the toilets ? Go in there”, Kurt switched to Tony's back, pointing the knife against it. They entered the Boy’s John. It was empty.
"Good…Now that we are in private, we can discuss this like adults”, Kurt said.
"Tell me, what the fuck do you want ?", Tony said angrily.
"You thought no one listened in on what you planned with that turd, Constantinos ?", revealed Kurt.
Tony was had. "Ok, look…I'll pay you off."
"Let me see... Shoving someone into a Trash Can... Punches in the head.…That will be incredibly hard to keep your little secret”, Kurt gloated.
"I'll pay anything you want”, Tony said quietly. “Let me go, Now !”
"I hope so.…A good percentage….” Kurt broke off as someone entered the restroom. “I'll contact you later." Kurt briefly pushed his knife harder, and then left the Bathroom very fast.
Tony shook his head. What a waste of time...
As he came out of the toilets area, he saw Karen. She saw him too. Tony began, "Hey Sweetie, what's new today ?"
"Oh, uh…“, Karen started nervously, “I'm doing well, nothing really new !"
"All right. I'm going to walk to the Football Field, you want to come with me ?", Tony asked.
"Really sorry, it's time for Art Class…“, Karen scurried off, but said over her shoulder, “I hope I see you soon, I got to talk to you, Tony."
And so Tony walked alone towards the Gym. He was thinking about everything that had gone wrong. There were already two students that knew about the secret. Fuck this, he had to find a place where no one could go, for private thinking. He looked at the two high buildings that made up the Gym.
This would be perfect, but I'll never climb that,, Tony thought.
He continued to the field. Looking for a little private place, he found a way behind the bleachers. And there he saw a kid that he had never seen. He was dressed in a jock suit. What he was doing, though, was pretty incredible….He was running to the wall, after which he.…. Made four steps ON the wall, jumped, and grabbed the top, so that he could be on the bleachers. Tony gaped. How high was this wall ? This was normally not possible ! As the kid made his way back to where he started, he saw Tony.
"Oh, uh, who are you ?" he said with a strong French accent.
"Relax, Dude, I'm Tony”, Tony told him. “I was really fascinated by what you were doing, it's amazing !"
"I think you should already know, I come from France”, the boy said.
"So what ?", Tony said, confused.
"What I do comes from there” the boy said. “We name it the Parkour."
Inspiration hit Tony. That could be very useful to climb up the Gym Buildings !
________________________________________________
-
"Could you teach it to me ? I got money if you need it”, Tony asked eagerly.
“Oui, always need money” the boy said.
Wee, Tony thought….This kid queer ? Oh well…No matter.
“Here is how” the boy said, “Your…Gravity shifts…when you run and jump…like so…” And he was off, running full speed to the wall, taking a small leap, never slowing…One, Two, Three, Four steps up the wall, grabbed the top wall, and hauled himself up.
Carefully hanging by his hands, the boy lightly dropped back to the ground. “You try now ? I warn you...Do Not slow down..”
Tony backed up quite a bit, and then turned on full speed. This is NUTS, he thought…I’m Gonna splat right on that wall..…Remembering at the last second to jump he did…One, Two, Three, Four steps, quickly grabbing the top of the wall before he could fall….
Carefully dropping back to the ground, Tony said, “Whoa…That’s a pretty good trick. Listen, Ten bucks be OK ?”, flashing the bill in the boy’s face.
“Oui” The boy replied, “But you listen, teach no one else this…Est-ce que tu comprends ce que je dis ?”
“Err…What ?” Tony said.
“Ahh…How you say……UNDERSTAND ?”
“Oh…OK, no problem…Secret’s safe with me, Dude”, replied Tony.
“Good…I am Laurent…I new here….Want to learn other things, come see me”.
That I will, Thought Tony…That I will.
=================================================================
After afternoon classes were over for the day, Tony found Constantinos.
“OK, tonight’s the night….Hide in the locker before 7 PM, and sneak into the basement like we talked about…Look for those packages…They should each have some Aquaberry sweaters in them. I‘ll be waiting at the outside basement door at 3 AM…We‘ll go from there”.
“OK, Bo..Er, Tony….Got it covered", Constantinos agreed.
“See you then….", Tony paused. "Oh, try to find some rope down there while you’re at it….Lots of rope”.
“Rope ?” asked Constantinos….”What For ?”
“I got a plan”, Tony said.
==================================================================
Tony lay awake on his bed late into the night. Finally, checking his watch, he thought, Time To Go. He had briefly considered getting Jake in on the plan…But the last couple of days had given him other ideas…He could hide this new stash somewhere else…So, Fuck Jake. He wasn’t getting a cut of THIS deal.
Moving down the dark hallway, Tony suddenly felt someone bump into him…Then a hand gripped his shoulder.
“Going Somewhere ?” a voice asked.
Tony knew that voice by now…It was Kurt.
Before Kurt had time to react, Tony smashed his elbow backwards into his head, feeling something break in the other boy’s face, possibly his nose. Kurt took a big whooping breath and prepared to scream.
Can’t Have That, Tony thought, as he turned quickly and plowed his fist into the boy’s stomach. Robbed of air with which to scream, Kurt doubled over and started making fish-like gasping sounds…..Tony squared up and cold-cocked him right in the Jaw. Kurt went down, unconscious.
Can’t Leave Him Here, thought Tony, as he dragged him to a nearby Trash Bin and stuffed the boy into it, for the second time. “Not so tough without your knife, are you dickwad ?” Tony muttered as he left the boy’s dorm.
_____________________________________________________
-
Sneaking out successfully avoiding the patrolling Prefects, Tony was scrunched down in the stairwell at the Basement door at the West side of the School. At just a minute after 3 AM, he heard a light tapping on the other side of the door….
“Constantinos ?” Tony whispered.
“Yeah…I found the stuff”, he heard Constantinos say.
“OK….Let’s go”, Tony said in a low voice, “before the Prefects come around again”
The doorknob clattered…Then…”I Can’t…It’s Locked”, from the other side.
Tony Groaned. A damn deadbolt. SHIT. He thought hard for a moment. Then, an idea.
“Constantinos….look for a vent nearby to the door. “A Vent ?…Oh, OK” from the other side.
A few minutes passed. The patrolling Prefect passed by, not seeing Tony down inside the stairwell…Strolled off around the corner. Finally, Tony heard some noise from about 10 feet away, and snuck up the stairs to investigate. One of the many vent grates that circled the school was vibrating. Tony hurried over and grabbed the vent. Together, the two boys worked the vent loose. Tony set the vent piece aside.
“I got 8 boxes here” Constantinos said in a low voice from the other side. “They’re kind of flat, so they should slide through here”.
Tony quickly stacked the boxes as constantinos passed them through. “Got some rope, too” the boy said, and passed a large coil through the vent.
“Good”, Tony said. “Can you squeeze through ?”
“Yeah, think so…Give me a hand”. Both boys worked and finally Tony pulled Constantinos through, replacing the vent piece over the hole.
“OK, now quick, let’s grab these boxes and beat it -- Head over the wall to the Autoshop before the Prefect gets back", Tony said hurriedly, "It’s almost time for him to come back through”.
Both boys grabbed the boxes and rope, and hurried quickly to the breech in the wall to the Autoshop, threw the loot over, and scrambled over. When Tony was sure they hadn’t been spotted, they gathered the boxes and rope once again, and ran to the path leading from the Autoshop to the Gym.
=================================================================
“How we gonna get by here ?’ Constantinos whispered as the waited at the head of the path leading to the fountain. “That Prefect patrols the path down to the Gym”.
Tony grabbed a few pieces of broken-off bricks laying on the ground. “Watch” he said. Waiting for the Prefect as he appeared on the pathway, he began heaving the pieces over the fountain, toward the direction of Harrington Hall.
“HALT !!! SHOW YOURSELVES”, the Prefect yelled, as he started to run down the path to Harrington Hall. “LAWBREAKERS !!! SCUM !!!!”
“Let’s Go”, whispered Tony, and both boys scurried down the now vacant pathway to the Gym….Arriving at the lowest part of the roof overhang, Tony stopped and heaved the rope up onto the roof.
“How’re gonna get up there ?” asked Constantinos. “Watch”, said Tony.
Tony backed up across the yard, then took off running full speed, jumping at the last second…Then, One, Two, Three, Four….Reaching out quickly and grabbing the overhang, he hauled himself up on the roof.
“WOW, what a neat trick” Constantinos said in a low voice.
“Yeah, well, you didn’t see anything", Tony called down. "Here, I’ll let the rope down -- start tying the rope on those boxes, and I’ll haul them up”.
Both boys worked fast, getting all the boxes up within a couple of minutes. “OK, hide in the shadows”, Tony called down. The Prefects don’t come down this far…I don’t think…Better be safe”.
While Constantinos faded back into the shadows, Tony looked around and had found a small ladder leading to the highest part of the roof. Checking it out, he found a perfect spot to stash his loot….A hollow spot against a low wall bordering the top. He quickly moved the boxes to the spot, and re-coiled the rope and placed it on the top of the stacked boxes. Just perfect…for now…As long as it didn’t rain on them….
Tony thought…I Have To Get That Code To The Nerd’s Gate.
Retracing his steps, Tony went to the edge of the low roof, throwing his legs over, moving down on his belly, then briefly hanging on the gutter before dropping lightly to the ground.
“OK, let’s split” Tony said, and both boys snuck back across campus, unseen, and snuck back into the dorm. As the walked down the hall to their rooms, Tony noted Kurt still stuffed in the Trash Bin, out cold.
Tony had the feeling he was going to have to keep beating the snot outta that pissant, he thought as he entered his room and locked the door behind him…If I Don’t Get Stabbed In The Back First.
___________________________________________________
-
In the middle of this short night, Tony couldn't sleep anymore. What time was it ? 6:00 AM. Tony thought about what he had to do next. He got the stuff now, time to sell it. And then he remembered…The English teacher had said he would be at the Library before classes to teach him how to negotiate. He got up and dressed, then left the Dorm.
Tony arrived before the Library. On his right, he saw Mr. Galloway, in a meditation posture.
"Good morning, Sir !” greeted Tony. “Uh, Sir ?"
"Oh, Uh, good morning”, answered Mr. Galloway, startled. “Who the hell are you ?"
"I'm Tony Caldrone….You remember me ?", Tony asked.
"Oh, Yes…I remember !", Mr. Galloway responded.
"Uh…Don't you ever go to sleep ?", Tony asked.
"No, since I've stopped drinking alcohol, meditating every night is the best way to keep my body clear and clean !", Mr. Galloway said enthusiastically.
"So...Er…I wanted to learn how to negotiate, you know...", Tony said.
"This is a very good choice, boy. First you have to know exactly who you're dealing with”, Mr. Galloway began counseling. “Then it‘s just a simple matter....…"
Almost an hour later, Tony was ready. He ran quickly back to his room, locked the door as usual, and fell into bed, intending just to rest awhile before class. His eyes drooped, and he quickly fell asleep.
_____________________________________________
-
Tony slept in late….He’d had a long night. He could skip a few classes, most of the teachers were too preoccupied to take any kind of attendance, anyway. When he finally awoke, it was after 2 PM. Wandering sleepily into the Common Area of the Dorm, which had a drink machine, an old arcade game console, a card table, a TV, and an old long beat-up looking couch, he noticed another boy whom he only vaguely knew as Ray sitting there watching what looked like a weather report.
From the TV, the little gay-looking weatherman was going on about sun-shiny skies and warm weather for the next few days….”But”, the little queer dork was saying, “There’s a large cold front headed down this way from the North that’s going to collide with all this hot air mass come this weekend, and there is the potential for massive thunderstorms when those two fronts meet each other…”
Shit !!! Tony thought….Those boxes of ‘merchandise’ he had stashed on the roof would get soaked, and possibly damaged…He would HAVE to find that code for the Nerd’s gate a lot sooner than he thought…But how to do that without anyone finding out that he knew ? Well, at least he had a few more days to figure out how get that done…Maybe he could have Constantinos quietly ask around…..
Leaving the Dorm, and traveling over to the Yard, Tony heard a voice hail him.
“Hey, Tony-boy”. It was Jake. “Haven’t seen you around today, old buddy. Fact is, didn’t see you in your empty room last night, either….You been takin’ in the night sights all by yourself around here ?”
“I might have been poking around a little…So What ?” replied Tony.
“Whoa…What’s with the attitude, Dude ?” continued Jake. “I guess you missed all the excitement this morning, didn’t you ?”
“Excitement ?”, Tony said…”What Excitement ?”
“Why, they took a kid right out of the dorm over to the Infirmary…He was unconscious and all…Funny thing, Though…”
“What’s That ?” Tony said, in his ‘who-gives-a-shit’ voice.
“Well, when they found him, he was stuffed in a Trash Bin…Right around the corner from your room...", Jake went on with an unpleasant grin. "You, uh…Wouldn’t know anything about that…Would’ja ?”
“No…I Wouldn’t know anything about it, Jake", Tony retorted, "And I really don’t give a shit”.
“Weell.....l“ Jake said slowly, ”Crap like that sorta brings the school Bulls in, sniffing around, you know….Might be bad for business….OUR business, if you catch my drift there, Tony-boy”.
Tony was silent. Jake continued, “I’d hate to see our little deal around back get fucked up, you know ? And for sure, I’d hate to be the guy that fucked it up”.
Jake turned to walk away. “Be talking to you soon, Tony-boy….Keep in touch, Eh ?”
Tony watched the other boy walk off. He stood there a moment, and let out a sigh. Man, this place was really screwed up….And here he was, right in the thick of things now.
_______________________________________
-
Tony came out of the dorm. As he was passing next to the Trash Bin, he heard something ringing in it. He slowly looked what the thing was, and recognized it as a Nerd-made-Walkie-Talkie. He took it, and held it up to his ear.
"Zzzzztt…Algernon here. Meet me at the Library."
The message was short, but Tony knew what it was about. He threw the Walkie-Talkie over the school's wall, then ran fast to meet the fat Nerd that was keeping his secret. He remembered his early morning course with Galloway. He'll need it.
When Tony arrived at the Library, he spotted Algie over in a vacant corner of the yard. As he approached, the Nerd boy began talking. "Okay, I want you to bring me new shorts, and five bucks, I need it as fast as possible."
"Oh, you've wet yourself ?“, Tony remarked snidely. “That's bad... I hope no one will know about this."
"That's why I need it fast !", Algie said, a touch of panic in his voice.
"Whoa, Whoa... Slow down, we've got a little time.” Tony stood back, looking at the wet stain in the front of the enormous boy’s pants. “You know, I have many contacts in Bullworth now. All I’ve got to do got is just say a little sentence, and everyone will know about this."
"I've got contacts too ! And I can tell about your little secret !", Algie whined.
Know who you're dealing with.
"Oh yeah ? What about the deal you've been making about you ?“ Tony asked slowly, “It would kinda screw all the effect, you know, if that got out."
"But...But…”, Algie stuttered, and then clammed up.
"All right, I'm a comprehensive person”, Tony said after a moment. “I'll bring you your shorts. For the bucks…Eh…you'll have to wait. It's already a great thing I'm doing just to bring you new clothes."
And Tony walked away, without hearing anything more from the Nerd. He won this deal, and that wasn't big, but a small victory was still a victory.
________________________________________________________
-
"Hello, my ‘Ears‘." came the voice.
Constantinos recognized this sentence. Tony was standing next to him, and his cigarette fell one time more on the ground. "Hello, Bo... Tony !"
"You've got something new ?", Tony asked, looking around.
"Nothing that could be important for you, only gossip”, Constantinos replied.
"Well, I have something to ask you”, Tony said. “You know the gate, near the library ?"
"Of course, the Nerds take it every evening”, Constantinos replied easily. “I don't know what they're doing there. Maybe their Grottos and Gremlins thing."
"Do you have the code ?" asked Tony, already searching for his last two bucks.
"No, really sorry”, Constantinos said regretfully. “You'll have to find that out yourself."
==================================================================================
One more time, Tony came to this gate. Fuck, there's really no way to the other side. He had to spy when the nerds will come through tonight. But where could he hide ? There are only walls, no way he couldn't be seen... Then his eyes looked at the roof of the library. Of course.
Laurent.
______________________________________________________________
-
Tony returned to the Boy’s Dorm. He had run into Algie when leaving the Library area, and it appeared the boy was soaking wet, at least on the bottom of himself. It appeared that a Bully had caused him to wet himself. Algie pleaded with Tony to recover some fresh shorts from his room. Tony agreed to do so for $5, and Algie Agreed. What choice did he have ?
Tony went to Algie’s room at the Dorm. Why some of the Nerds kept rooms at the Dorm still puzzled him, seeing as how much they were bullied. But now, Tony felt a little dizzy. He decided to lay down for a little but. Algie could wait.
He had just meant to close his eyes for a moment, but soon fell asleep. And then it began, like countless times before.
_________________________________________________________
-
It was night, and Tony went to the Library. He stood back, and ran full speed. At the last second, he Parkour-ed, one, two, three, four. Hauled himself up. And there on the roof, was Kurt and the rest of the Rockers.....
Nobody....Ever....Screws....With....Me !!!!!!", Kurt screamed at him, with a 'Fuck You' tone of voice.
Kurt took a run at Tony and elbowed him in the gut, and then Tony was dangling off the edge of the library, with Kurt right above him……..
He was Falling.....Falling....Falling......
________________________________________________________________
-
Tony jerked awake….SHIT !!! What the fuck….He shook his head to clear it.
What a fucked-up dream that was….He was really letting shit get to him. That little Kurt bastard was still zonked out in the Infirmary…Sheezh…
He had just come back to the Dorm to get Algernon his shorts, and just had to take a short nap…He had felt exhausted. Now, he was sorry he had even closed his eyes.
After taking the Nerd kid his shorts, Tony headed down to the Gym. As he passed the building, he took a glance up…Nothing could be seen on the roof from down here. Good.
Tony headed down the stairs leading down to the Football field. Reaching the bottom and turning the corner, he nearly ran smack into a huge black kid, who was a full foot taller than he was.
“Hey, little man….Whatchu doing down here ?” The big black kid was scowling.
“Um…” Tony looked up at the big boy’s ugly face. “I…Er…Came to see Laurent…Umm...Is he down here ?”
“Whatchu want with him ?”, the big black kid asked darkly.
“Well….He said that I should come see him”, Tony said, and held his breath.
“That so ?” The big kid screwed up his face, and examined Tony closely. “Well…If Laurent invited you…I guess you’re OK….He’s over there”, the big kid said, pointing to the other end of the field with a hand that seemed like a large slab of beef.
Umm…Alright…Thanks”, Tony replied, edging backwards before turning an trotting towards the end of the field. He spotted Laurent over by the Goalpost, and ran up to him.
“Back so soon, Friend ? Need to know something else ?” Laurent said.
“Well, yeah…I tried out that Parkour” Tony replied. “Worked really good. But what if I wanted to get up on the top of a really tall building ? Like, twice as high as those bleachers over there ?”
“Let me see ?….In the East of my country, there are huge mountains…Many men scale these…climb with ropes and hooks….That’s what you would need, friend…A long rope and a hook….With that, I can teach you how to Rappel”
“Cool”, said Tony. “I’ll…Uh…Get back to you, when I get that. Thanks”.
“Farewell, for now, my friend” Laurent said, as Tony jogged away.
===================================================================
I’ve got rope…Where the hell can I get a hook…A Hook…Think….Think….
Of course….The Autoshop….Cars, Cars that have to be towed…Need Hooks.
Now, how do I get into the Autoshop, unseen, to look around ?
Tony considered his options…He didn’t know anything about the Greasers, who inhabited that territory. Knew very little about the Bullies and the Preps….The Nerds were afraid of him, but they were afraid of everybody…No help there…He was in, sorta, with the Jocks…Since he now knew Laurent, they seemed to let him alone…And, there was Karen….
Shit, Karen…..I’ve got to talk to Karen., Tony suddenly remembered.
He hadn’t gone to class today, and she said she wanted to talk to him later…Maybe, without letting on to her what he was up to, she might be able to tell him something.
Tony headed over to the Girl’s dorm.
______________________________________________________
-
There was a group of girls in front of the dorm, and Karen was in them. As she saw Tony, she quickly ran to him, while all other girls looked at her.
"Oh Tony, you came to see me ?", she gushed.
"Yeah. Do you want to go wander around a bit ?", Tony asked.
"Oh, yes !“, Karen replied. “So, tell me, where are you with all those plans ?"
"Oh, you know, I haven't started yet, but I need something you maybe can help me with”, said Tony, hopefully.
"I can do anything !", Karen exclaimed with confidence.
"I have stuff to pick up in the Greaser's territory, the Autoshop”, Tony went on. “Do you know if I maybe could sneak into it ? I need this stuff for tonight."
"If they see you, you'll have a very, very bad night”. Karen said with a sad look on her face. “But maybe..."
"You've got an idea ?", Tony asked in a lowered voice.
"Something could distract them enough time for you to do your thing….", Karen said, lost in thought.
"And…What ?", Tony said after a moment.
Karen shook her head. "Not coming up with anything. You'll have to find it yourself... Come on, forget about this for a little while, think a bit about... Me ?"
___________________________________________
-
Karen was looking at Tony expectantly.
"Look, I really need to know abo.....", Tony began.
"SHUSH!" said Karen in an angry tone. "I have something to admit…. I really like you. You seem like a really nice guy that I would Love to get to know better."
"Really..." said Tony in shocked voice. "I...Um...That’s really nice of you."
"Yeah, It feels really great to know that there's someone at this school who isn't a low-lying JERK ! When I'm around you...everything just feels more comfortable." Karen said in a low voice.
"I...I know what you mean....The only difference Karen, is that...When I'm around you I feel like I have to be...I don't know...more popular….”, Tony trailed off.
"Don't feel like that !" Karen exclaimed. "To be honest with you, I'm one of the least popular girls around here. I'm not rich, I don’t have all the nicest things. I'm just...just normal"
"Really ?”, Tony said. “You seemed to be the head of the conversation just a minute ago."
"Well...I...I don't know”, Karen said glumly. “Ever since I was dumped here at this Damn School everything changed."
She sat down on the edge of a wall and started to tear up. Tony sat next to her and put his arm around her.
"Look, its okay...I'll make sure nobody messes with you...Ok ?", Tony comforted her.
"Yeah..Okay..." she said in a sobbing voice.
Karen turned to look at Tony. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek and then rose and walked off.
Damn, Now I've got two things to deal with…A secret mission and a love-sick girl, Tony thought.
Tony walked back to the Boy’s Dorm. He climbed up the steps and opened the door. As soon as he stepped in, he felt a tight tug around his neck from behind, then felt a jarring pain in his arm as everything blacked out.
_______________________________________________
-
Tony slowly opened his eyes. He was in a room. Just before him, a boy paced up and down. Rocker boots. A regular noise of metallic keys. No doubt who it was. And then the boy saw Tony was awake. His face loomed over him.
"Karen is MINE !", Kurt Raged, and Tony received a kick. He coughed.
"Do you know what pain this all is for me ? The guys from my gang already laughing at me for the Trashcan story, and now, my honor is trampled. And you are gonna pay for that ! It's War !", Kurt hissed, and added a new kick.
Kurt took a chair, approached, and sat down, looking at Tony lying on the floor, and calmly continued his tirade. "You wake up. All you see is the ceiling and the borders of a cylinder. An abominable odor of trash is all around. And then you realize where you are. Two Prefects come for you, grabbing you with their dirty hands. Everyone around is looking at you, laughing..."
Kurt stood up, and made slow random steps around the room. "I left you another chance, that money would have solved everything... But now, you're hanging out with this girl.… Do you think I don't see her little winks ? Do you think I don't see her embarrassed smile ? Do you think I don't see her wetting her little panties when you're around ? FUCK !!!”
When Tony didn’t respond, Kurt suddenly leapt up and began kicking him. “Anyway, Sucker, you're gonna stay here for a while..."
Tony started feeling unconscious. Everything was fading away into a blur. All he could see was Kurt pounding him in his sides with his feet.
____________________________________________________
-
Suddenly, everything came back to Tony...He started breathing harder...his eye-sight was coming back...He soon realized that Kurt wasn't really that big of a guy. If it wasn’t for the unexpected takedown he would be just fine.
Tony turned his head and looked at Kurt, staring him straight in the eyes. "You...You Son Of A Bitch !!”
"I might be a Son Of A Bitch“ Kurt said angrily, “But at least I'm not THE Bitch, like you !!"
Tony flexed his muscles, struggling to stand up. He felt another smash in his ribs from Kurt's boots. He fell back down, lay still, and thought for a moment.
Maybe I could out-smart Kurt, Maybe… I could take him down with my brain.
Tony felt his pocket….He remembered the M-80 Fire Crackers Jake had given him.
He gave Kurt another look in the eye, then over his shoulder. A moment of silence crept upon them...
"What’s That ?!" Tony yelled, pointing behind Kurt.
Kurt turned around, not realizing that he was being tricked. Quickly, Tony struck the fire cracker against his pant zipper, causing it to spark.
As Kurt turned back to Tony, a inch long piece of cardboard filled with gunpowder was hurtling toward his face. He tried desperately to move.
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tony got up and ran out of the room. He zoomed out of the Dorm and jumped down the flight of stairs, feeling as if he were fleeing for his life. Looking back, he saw he was being chased by Kurt, blood all over his face.
Tony ran with all his might. He turned the corner to the Quad and ran smack into Karen, knocking her down, with Kurt about ten feet behind him. Not knowing who he had hit, he kept running.
Kurt had stopped to comfort Karen. Once again she was crying, this time in a bad way.
"What The HELL Just Happened ?!?!", she screamed.
"You just got pushed down by the biggest faggot at Bullworth, that’s what happened”, Kurt said, trying to keep the smirk off his bloody face.
Karen leaned against Kurt as Tony ran into the distance.
"I Never Want To See Him Again !" Yelled Karen.
_____________________________________________
-
When Tony was far enough away he stopped and dropped down on the ground near the wall by the Parking Lot. Looking back, it was then he realized he had knocked over Karen. Thinking about what he had just done, he was horrified. He won the girl, then lost her. HOW COULD HE HAVE DONE THIS ! SHE WOULDN’T BELIEVE IT WAS AN ACCIDENT !!!
Tony turned around, pressing his forehead on the wall. What was the situation ? He was working with one person, Jake. He had one person working for him, Constantinos. He had one enemy, Kurt. He had a blackmailer, Algie. He had a business with all these people, and they with him. The business had to be done, but he had to talk to Karen again, and to be accepted by the Jocks, too…..
At this moment a little graffiti caught his attention. He remembered the graffiti he saw his first day... Fresh Meat Is DEAD Meat... It wasn't lying.
What this one about ?
In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women, it read.
The whole primitive quote was signed ‘Scarface‘. Who the hell was that ? Tony had never heard of him. But this graffiti had decided him. Money first.
__________________________________________________________
-
Tony started walking towards the Autoshop, away from the crowd gathering around Kurt and Karen. Walking through the back Quad he reached the Fountain with the Statue and turned to the path on the right. He had reached the front of the Greaser's Hangout Spot.
"AUTOSHOP".….Read the sign above the entrance gate. He studied the area a little bit and figured out a plan. There was a Greaser standing alone near the gate. Tony remembered his negotiating lesson with Mr. Galloway.
"Hey, what’s you're name man ?" said Tony to the Greaser.
"What's it to you, Wise Guy ?", the kid shot back.
"Oh.…Well, you know I'm new here and I really wanna get to know everybody, is that so bad ?", Tony said nervously.
The Greaser looked at him, squinting his eyes. "The name's Steve. I’m new too. What about yours ?"
"Tony..." he said, looking at the Greaser cautiously.
"Oh yeah, I'se heard about you. You're the kid who beat up that little shit...Kurt...I think ?", Steve said with a smirk.
"Yeah that's me...", replied Tony, still unsure of where this was going.
"Well, you knows what….I respect that”, Steve said with a smile.
Tony let out a sigh of relief. Another thing occurred to him now…News travels fast at this school.
"Look, I'm here to get some parts for a little project of mine." said Tony.
"Yeah, and what’s that ?", Steve looked him in the eyes.
"Well, I really shouldn't tell you. Can you keep a secret safe for a profit ?"
"Anytime pal, ask any's of my buddies, I’m the most trusted guy here”, Steve replied.
Tony stayed silent for a moment, not really believing one bit of what Steve said. The last thing he needed was to bring another person into his plan right now.…Especially about his service, which hadn’t even started yet. But….He had to trust someone. And hadn’t he heard how much the Greasers hated the Preps ?
"Okay, how about 15 bucks. Will that do ?", Tony said to Steve.
"You bets it will, that’s gonna get me a new seat for my ride...um...bike", answered the Greaser excitedly. “So…Er…What’s this all about ?”
"Okay here's the deal, me and a friend of mine are setting up this little business...You see, Prep Parents send in care packages to their kids every now and then. Our plan is to take the packages and charge them kids big money for their items….You know….To make a little extra dough. I've been hiding the stolen packages on the roof of the gym but, there’s an expected thunderstorm coming in a few days.” Tony paused, then went on. “That’s why I’m here. I need to get a hook for my ropes that I'm gonna use to get onto the Nerd’s area. I would just climb the fence but those Nerds were smart enough to put Barbed -Wire at the top. I plan to use the hook and ropes to latch on to the top of the Library and scale up the wall over the Barb-Wire fence. Then I'll put the Care Packages somewhere in the Nerd’s lair where they wont get wet from the storm. You get me?”
"DO WHAT ?" Steve said in a puzzled tone.
Oh...Wow…I had to get stuck with the least intelligent greaser, Tony Thought.
"Here, let me break it down….I need hook to climb a big wall." said Tony.
"Well, why didn’t you just say so”, Steve said. Come on in man, we got plenty of hooks..."
Tony walked through the gate, realizing he only had to say a single sentence instead of a whole story. Steve led him to a Garage attached to the Main Shop.
"The hooks are in there." said Steve pointing to a large red box. "Now um...Where's my money ?"
"Oh yeah.“ Tony dug into his pants and pulled out three $5 dollar bills. "Here, Steve."
"Thanks ! I'm gonna go to the Shiny Bike Shop to get me a new seat !”, Steve said, walking away.
Tony quickly started digging through the large red box, finding three hooks. He didn't know which one would fit best so he grabbed them all. Then Tony left the Garage area and started walking towards the front gate.
_____________________________________________________
-
"Tony-Boy ?" said a familiar voice. It was Jake.
Tony turned around to see Jake leaning up against an Autoshop wall behind him.
"Um, Uh, heya....Jake...What’s up man ?" said Tony Nervously.
"I heard you been working on our little service without me, Tony Boy”, Jake sighed.
"What makes you think that ?" said Tony.
"Oh...This little punk looking kid told me the whole the thing" said Jake.
KURT !! I knew that kid was a squealer !!, Tony thought.
"I already murdered your little friend, Constantinous”, Jake smirked.
WHAT ?, Tony's mind raced. Beat him badly or...literally MURDERED him ?
"I though we had a deal Tony-Boy" said Jake.
"What Deal ! There is No Deal !”, countered Tony, hotly.
"You and me...Stealing and selling Care Packages...Sounded like a deal to me”, Jake said idlely.
"You know what, Jake ? It wouldn’t have mattered ! I wasn’t getting any right share of it anyway !!”, hissed Tony.
"Sure you did…It just wasn’t a large one." Replied Jake in a Sarcastic tone.
"Jake ! Don’t make me Kick Your Ass !", threatened Tony.
"OH, I'M SO SCARED ! Come and get me Noob !" Taunted Jake.
Jake took off running around a fence, passing the Garage where Tony had just gotten the hooks, into a further Garage in a narrow area at the back of the Auto Shop, with Tony gaining on him. Jake had managed to get far enough away that he could close the Garage door before Tony got in.
"NO !!!”, yelled Tony as the large metal door closed. He started kicking and punching at the door, desperately trying to get in.
He stopped to catch his breath. Suddenly he heard what sounded like a Starter.
"VROOMMMM!!!!" the noise built from inside the garage. The door slowly started opening, and Tony stared in at Jake inside sitting behind the wheel of the Greasers prize ‘69 Mustang Fastback.
"Oh Shit !!!!!!", yelled Tony as Jake nailed the gas.
The car was coming at Tony There was nothing he could do, nowhere he could go. All he could do was….JUMP !
Tony jumped onto the hood of the car.
"Get off the Damn car, Tony !!!" Yelled Jake through the windshield.
"MAKE ME !" yelled Tony.
Tony looked forward as Jake fishtailed the car around the fences, heading for the Autoshop gate. Past that, there was still the staircase leading to the fountain. Surely the car couldn't drive up that.
SCREECH !!!!!!!!!!, went the tires as Jake cornered, nearly slamming into a dumpster.
Tony hung on for his life. Out through the Gate, the staircase was coming up fast.
SMASH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The front bumper of the car slammed into the stairs sending Tony sailing. Luckily, he had a soft landing in the bushes that lined the top of wall, just missing the small spikes that bordered them. Ho fought to regain his footing. He wondered at why Jake had just seemed to snap all of a sudden and commit such a crazy act.
"Damn..." said Tony looking down at the car. The wreck wasn't as bad as he would have thought. Just a dented Fenber, a mashed Bumper, and a broken windshield.
Suddenly, Students swarmed around from out of nowhere to see what had happened.
Tony hopped down, pushing his way through the crowd to get Jake.
But when he reached inside the car to pull him out....
No one was there.
_____________________________________________________
-
Prefects were swarming the area. “GET BACK, LOSERS !!” “OUT OF MY WAY !!” “EVERY ONE OF YOU LITTLE PRICKS IS GETTING A BEATING IF YOU DON’T MOVE IT…NOW !!!!!!”
Tony backed away and began running with a crowd of other kids towards the Gym. He saw Prefects wrestling some boys to the ground, but couldn’t tell if any of them were Jake in all the confusion. The other kids running with him, mostly Nerds, Preps, and younger kids, took refuge in the Gym or ran on towards the Football Field. Tony hung back in the shadows by the end of the Basketball Court until the last of the students had vanished. Taking a quick look around, and finding he was alone, Tony backed up, then ran full speed toward the lower roof of the Pool Building, next to the Gym, and using the parkour, he scaled the wall to the lower roof, then quickly located the small ladder and climbed to the top. Peeking over the wall, he could just make out the chaos over by the fountain near the Autoshop stairs where the crashed car was still sitting. It seemed that every Prefect in the place was there, still beating and subduing students. Tony slid down the small retaining wall. He couldn’t be seen up here. He needed a break….So much had happened in just so short a time, he needed to take it all in…..He needed to Think.
=======================================================================================
It had gotten dark. Tony had dozed, and awoke with a start. He was still on the Pool roof, next to the Gym. He looked over at the retaining wall, looked to the Fountain….The area was empty. No car crashed on the steps. Was this just another bad dream? Tony felt his sore ribs, and his head hurt….Feeling his injured spots, he knew it wasn’t a dream, not this time. The Greasers must have come and pulled the car back to the Autoshop, and there would be a bunch of kids in detention tomorrow. He had a sudden wild burst of laughter at that thought, which he had to cut off when his ribs reminded him they were hurt.
Tony felt his pockets. There was the hooks he had gotten from the Autoshop….Good. Going over to the other side of the roof, he looked down on the Football Field. There was a lone figure lurking under the scoreboard, smoking. Laurent ?
Yes…Tony went over to the pile of boxes and grabbed the rope off the top. Descending the ladder, dropping off the overhang, he sprinted down to the Football field and out to the scoreboard.
“Ah…My Friend…You have returned” Laurent said. “I see you have rope…Do you have hook as well ?”. Tony produced the hooks from his pocket. “I think…This one”, Laurent indicated, and taking the hook, tied it securely onto the end of the rope. “Now…Watch, and Learn”.
Laurent backed away from the scoreboard, and begin swinging the rope with the hook attached in a slow, lazy circle….Then, speeding up the rotation, letting out a little bit of rope, going faster, a little more rope, faster, more rope…Until there was several yards of rope spinning around, so fast it seemed like a blur….All at once, Laurent released the spinning rope towards the top of the scoreboard….The hook shot forward, pulling the rope after it, sailing high in the air, over the top of the scoreboard, coming to rest on the other side. Grabbing the rope coil, Laurent began pulling on the rope, hauling it back in until Tony heard the hook catch on something behind the scoreboard, and Laurent had the rope stopped, pulling it taunt.
“Now…Just the same as the Parkour, you can Rappel up to the top…Like so”, and he did just that, going hand over hand on the rope, while ‘walking’ up the side of the scoreboard, until he reached the top. “Same way down”, he called out to Tony, and proceeded to Rappel back down.
“Wow…That’s just great”, Tony said, as he retrieved the rope and the hook…”Listen, I’m a little short of cash right now…But I have a deal going that will make lots of scratch…I’ll cut you in for a part of it…Say, Ten Percent ?”.
Laurent nodded. “I would think that fair. But Tony..” he continued, “Do not forget me. If you do, you might find that the Jocks may not be so…How you say…Friendly….to you anymore. Comprends ?”
Tony nodded. He understood, all right. Tony started to go, and stopped. “Laurent, if I could get you do something else for me ? I accidentally ran into Karen earlier, and knocked her down. It was an accident, I was trying to get away from someone, and never in the world would hurt her on purpose….It was just a horrible accident, I feel so bad about it…I..I..Really like her….Could you just talk to her, tell her that I’m so damn sorry…”
Laurent looked at Tony for a moment. Then…”I believe you. Oui, I will talk to her for you.”
“Oh, thanks, Dude, I would really appreciate it….And I’ll get you something extra for your trouble, I swear”. With that, Tony headed back to the Gym.
Gotta make some fast cash, He thought. Time to talk to the Preps
___________________________________________________________
-
All the Preps had formed in a circle in front of Harrington House, and at the center was a tall blond guy, speaking very loud. Tony decided to observe before going negotiating.
"This is unacceptable ! Our Academy told us that our packages had to come in today. What do we get ? Nothing ! Our Parents will know about this !", he was saying.
All the Preps around him were agreeing. Tony decided that his moment had come. He penetrated into the circle by gently pushing some Preps. As he arrived at the center of the circle, everyone began to mumble.
"Who are you ? You aren't part of our community !", one of the Preps said.
"I'm effectively not part of your community, but I can bring you solutions” Tony began. “My name's Tony Calderone."
Tony offered his hand to the surprised leader boy before him. This one, curious, offered his. "I'm Derby, Derby Harrington. We’ll hear you out, Tony..."
"Our Academy has it’s gates closed, as we all know, and the only way to communicate with your Parents is the very well-known Care Packages. But when they don't come, it's a pain for all of you. These packages are impossible to steal, so what happened to them ? Dr. Crabblesnitch is mute about this.“ Tony paused for effect. Well before we find what has happened….I can sell you all premium quality Aquaberry shirts, even shoes if you need it."
The Preps didn't even ask where the merchandise came from. They all wanted to buy some, already taking out their cash. Tony promised to delivery them tonight, at 9:00 PM. He began to feel rain... And then he remembered. Shit, of course it was going to rain tonight ! He had to hurry up if he didn't want the sweaters to get fucked up.
_____________________________________________________
-
Returning to the Pool Building roof, Tony opened one of the boxes. Inside were Prep sweaters, shirts, pants…and some other things, too…Expensive-looking watches, bracelets, and neck chains. Another box yielded much of the same, but a third box….Inside Tony found what could be useful to him. Binoculars. And a small Flashlight. Good Deal.
Pulling on the Aquaberry sweater, and pocketing one of the watches, Tony closed up the boxes and climbed back off the roof. Near the Pool Building was a wall he could scale….Tony knew from some nighttime explorations that there was a path on the other side that led to Harrington House. He climbed over that wall now, took the path to a tree, which he climbed up, slithered out on a branch, and dropped down to the ground beside Harrington Hall. Seeing no one around, he sprinted to the front doors and just walked in.
There was nobody behind the counter, so he opened another set of doors, and there before him was a huge, ornate, rather long room….At it’s end, there was a large fireplace, with two enormous recliners in front of it….Two Preps were there, reading. They glanced up, and seeing the Aquaberry sweater, resumed their reading. Tony boldly advanced the length of the room, just as if he belonged there. As he approached the Preps, they looked up again…And Stared.
“WHAT’S THIS ?” one said loudly. “Who in the devil are you ?”
“You don’t belong here”, said the other. “GET OUT !!”.
Tony held his ground, as the Preps rose and came aggressively at him. Neither of the two were among the Preps he had met earlier outside.
Negotiate.
Tony held up his hands to show he has no weapon. “Hold on there, my good fellows…I have something you might be interested in”.
“What are you talking about ?”, said the first one.
“Yes, and where did you get that Sweater ?”, the second one said.
Tony touched the Aquaberry sweater he was wearing. “This ? Pretty good material, don’t you think ? I might be persuaded to part with this…and other things…for a fair price”.
The two Preps stopped. “Again, shit-for-brains…What are you talking about ?”
Tony looked down at the sweater he was wearing. “Well…This is a fine piece of clothing…New, in fact. When it came into my possession, I thought of you fellows.”
“That costs over a hundred dollars…How does trash like you get something like that ?’
“I have many things…Never mind how I can get them…Just know that I’m willing to make a fair deal…On this, and other things, as well”…Tony pulled out the watch from his pocket…”Like This Here”. Tony peered closely at the two Prep boys. “Your’s is looking a mite…Tattered…..What’s the matter ?….Haven’t gotten any shipments from home lately ?”
The two Preps looked at each other, then back to Tony. “What do you want for it ?” asked the first one. “And the watch ?”, the second one said.
“Weeelll….I believe…Say, Half-Price would be and extremely generous offer, Don’t you ?”. Tony watched as dollar signs seemed to appear in the two Prep’s eyes.
“That seems….Like a fair enough exchange, my good man. And, you can acquire more ?”, the one Prep asked.
“Yes”, said Tony. “Much More”.
The two Preps pulled out their money clips, as Tony stripped off the sweater and handed it, and the watch, over to the second Prep. In return, the first Prep handed Tony a wad of bills. “This should cover it”, he said.
Tony counted the money before stuffing it in his pocket. “Nice doing business with you fellows. I’ll be back around…Count on it”. Tony turned and left Harrington House without looking back.
_____________________________________________________
-
Back at the football field. Laurent was trying out new things on the tree at the corner of the field when he saw Tony coming from the distance.
"I was waiting for you”, he said, jumping down.
"Oh yeah ? That is very good. As you see, I kept my engagement. Did you keep yours ?", Tony inquired.
"Ah, comment ?", Laurent asked, puzzled.
"I mean, did you talk to Karen ?", reminded Tony.
"Oui, she was trying to find Kurt”, Laurent said. “She does not want to talk with you.… Anymore."
"Oh, I see…”, Tony said in disappointment. “Anyway, thanks for your help. Here's the fifteen dollars you deserved. Now look, I gotta talk to you."
"We go talk... At the top of the tree !", Laurent pointed up.
"All right, you begin !", said Tony.
And Laurent ran fast, made one…two…three steps on the old tree, then he grabbed a branch, and hauled himself up on it to sit. "Your turn now."
Tony imitated the French kid, but couldn't reach the branch.
"This shoes... Bad shoes... Nouveau riche shoes”, Laurent observed.
"I have to take the other ones... Later", said Tony laughing. He tried again, and by chance, reached the branch. He sat down next to Laurent.
"Look, some people have been attacking me these days. It seems that they don't like new kids. I need protection. And I was telling myself... That you maybe need money and amusement, so.….“, Tony paused. “What if you would be my bodyguard ?"
"Could I still... Parkour ?", Laurent asked.
"Of course, and I still need you to teach me other things !", laughed Tony.
"So... Oui, I can do that”, grinned Laurent.
Both boys jumped down from the tree, and Laurent followed Tony to Edna's kitchen, where Tony had a plan to negotiate to buy flour. He had gotten another idea to discover the Nerd code.….Fingerprints.
_____________________________________________________
-
Tony crashed out on the Pool Building roof for the night. Good thing it hadn’t rained yet, only sprinkled a little bit. But it would rain soon.
It wasn’t safe at the Dorm right now…He didn’t want to run into Jake or Kurt just yet…Not, at least, until he had some more power.
Early the next morning before 7 AM, he and Laurent made his way to the School. There were no Students out and about at this early hour, and they saw no one. Entering the School, they went right to the Cafeteria. Tony was there to meet with the notorious Edna the Cook, whom he had heard stories about, something to do with ’Cat Stew’.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
“AH-HA-HA, Whatchu kids need with flour….Gonna make yer own Biscuits, HAH-HAH”, the School Cafeteria Cook said.
Trying hard not to throw up from the ungodly stench back in the kitchen, Tony smiled up at Edna and said, “Oh, no ma’am…It’s for a Science Experiment”.
“AH-HAH…Well, here…I can spare this 1-pound bag…HEH ?”, she cackled.
“That’ll do just fine, Ma’am” Tony said, feeling more like barfing every second.
“HAH…Gimme Five Dollars and you gotcha self a DEAL, AH-HA-HA-HACK-HACK-HACK”. Tony just about lost it there as Edna hacked up a green-looking wad of snot-looking stuff and spit it into the pot of stew on the stove.
“OK, Here you go Ma’am” Tony gagged as he handed her the money, and grabbed the flour. Holding his stomach, he motioned to Laurent that they were getting the hell out of there.
_____________________________________________________
-
Tony and Laurent laid low until the morning bell for classes rang. Then, they quickly snuck through the School grounds, avoiding the Prefects, and made their way over to the Library.
The Library grounds were empty of students. Tony and Laurent went to the short wall, climbed over, and went over to the Nerd's Gate, where Tony showed Laurent the nine-digit keypad.
"If you don't mind me asking you, why do you have to get this code ?" Said Laurent, examining the keypad.
"Now that you're my bodyguard, you'll have to know this, and I know that you can keep a secret", Tony replied.
"Oui", Laurent nodded, waiting expectantly.
"I've got a plenty of boxes full of clothes, and this is how I get my money... We got to take it from the roof of the Gym to here....OK ?"
"And....Then What ?", Laurent asked, perplexed.
"Then, my friend, we find a place back there to hide them", Tony replied.
"Hmmm....Sounds like a plan", Laurent said, thinking it over. Laurent then took a small device from his pocket. “Give me the flour”, he said.
“What’s that thing ?”, asked Tony.
“It’s a Sifter” Laurent replied. “I stole it from the Kitchen while you were talking to the Cook”.
As Tony watched, Laurent took a small handful of flour from the bag and spread it in the Sifter. Then he lightly shook it over the Keypad. “Blow”, he said to Tony.
Tony lightly blew on the powdered surface of the keypad. It had nine numbers arranged in rows of three across and three down. As he watched, the powder blew clear of all but three digits…1, 3, and 8.
_____________________________________________________________
-
Tony started punching those numbers. Nothing happened. He tried different combinations. Still nothing. Laurent, watching him, said, “You know, There’s about a thousand different ways for those numbers."
Tony looked up. “How do you know that ?”
“It’s Math, my friend…You should pay more attention in class”
Laurent leaned over, looking at the keypad closely. “I believe I have seen this kind before. The punch code is usually four numbers”.
“But there’s only three that showed up any prints”, Tony said. “How can that be ?”
“If one of the numbers is used twice”, Laurent replied.
“So, how many different combos are there then ?”, asked Tony.
Laurent sighed. “About Ten Thousand.”
“SHIT, SHIT, SHIT….How are we gonna….” Tony broke off….”We will have to actually see how somebody punches in this code….But how….” He stopped.
The Binoculars. “We need to get the Binoculars, and the Rappel”, said Tony….”Come’on !”
_________________________________________________
-
Heading back down towards the Gym Area, Laurent had some questions.
"If you don't mind me asking you, why do you have to get this code ?" asked Laurent.
"Now that you're my bodyguard, you'll have to know this, and I know that you can keep a secret", Tony replied.
"Oui", Laurent nodded, waiting expectantly.
"I've got a plenty of boxes full of clothes, and this is how I get my money... We got to take it from the roof of the Pool Building to here....OK ?"
"And....Then What ?", Laurent asked, perplexed.
"Then, my friend, we find a place back there to hide them", Tony replied.
"Hmmm....Sounds like a plan", Laurent said, thinking it over.
____________________________________
-
After hoofing it back to the Gym area, Laurent kept watch while Tony scaled the roof, and grabbed what he needed from the stash. Dropping down off the overhang, they beat it back to the Library, just missing getting busted by the black Prefect.
Arriving back, the Library grounds still deserted, Tony uncoiled the rope and began swinging the hook as he had seen Laurent do. When he got it going fast enough, he let it go in the direction of the top of the roof. As it came down, the boys could hear a barley audible ’Clang’….Laurent pulled the rope until it appeared to catch on something, and made it taunt.
“I’ll go up…You follow”, he said to Tony.
Tony watched Laurent climb the rope, and reach the top, pulling himself over. Laurent started over to the other side of the roof, then reappeared, signaling Tony to climb up. Tony grasped the rope and started his climb. Sure was a lot harder than he thought.
I outta go to Gym Class more., Tony thought.
Reaching the top and pulling himself over, Tony sat on the roof and pulled up the rope. Then both boys headed over to the side where the gate was at, and waited.
Finally, the boys heard the bell ringing for the start of the lunch period. Almost Immediately, the grounds were covered with students coming out of the buildings.
As they watched from their high perch, Tony and Laurent saw a number of Nerds walking about the Library grounds….And one fat Nerd headed over to the wall. As they watched, the fat Nerd made his way over the wall in the most funny way they had ever seen, finally falling on his ass on the other side. As the fat Nerd got up and brushed himself off, Tony quickly took up the best vantage point and focused the binoculars on the keypad.
As Tony watched, the fat Nerd punched the top left of the pad twice, then the top right once, and the middle bottom once. With a ‘chink’ sound the gate unlocked and the Nerd swung it open and went through, closing it behind him. Another person appeared coming up the trail, dressed in a black suit of some kind, and began talking with the fat Nerd.
"No, no, no, you can't use diplomacy to do that with the Princess !", he said.
"Of course I can !", said the fat Nerd.
Tony recognized his blackmailer, Algie, as the one dressed in the ridiculous black suit. The fat kid was….Wait.…Was it... Fatty ? It would make perfect sense.
Tony looked at Laurent, and moved his head in direction of the Gate, giving a thumbs-up.
Finally. After days and days of patience, here was the code. The gate had emitted a beep, and the lock opened. Simple. The two Nerds walked off down the path, and Tony was full of thoughts. They had cracked the code.
__________________________________________________
_________________________________________
-
"You were right, Laurent !", Tony gloated. "It's the 1 that is is hit twice."
"1-1-3-8 ?", Laurent gussed.
"Exactly", Tony said, smiling. "Now we have to do is shift all the merchandise."
"Merchandise ?", Laurent questioned.
"The Boxes....They contain or Merchandise", Tony said absently. "We have to be very discrete, because no one can see us with this. We may have to use parkour to get over walls and not be seen."
"How many boxes ?", Laurent asked.
"There are four full boxes now... We have to do it before rain comes", Tony said, and pulled a paper from his pocket. "Look, here's a map I've drawn recently."
(http://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/a/aa/Bully_BullWorth_Academy.png)
The map was a rough sketch of the Bullworth campus, at least as far as Tony had been able to explore. He continued, pointing out places on the map. "As you can guess, the way between the Gym's Pool roof and the Library will be full of students, between classes", Tony explained. "I propose we go this way......"
With the help of his finger, Tony indicated the way. The whole route was possible - From the Gym's Pool building, up the path and turn right at the Fountain to Harrington House, go to the Harrington side yard, and climb over two walls to get immediately to the locked gate.
"Pas de problème." said Laurent quietly.
_______________________________________
-
Waiting until the class bell rang again, and the area was once more empty, Tony and Laurant scaled down the side of the building where the gate was located. Tony moved over to the keypad, and punched…Top Left, Twice…1,1...Top Right, Once…3.…Bottom Middle, Once….8.….
With a ‘ch-chink’ the bold disengaged and slid back. Tony pushed the gate open.
Turning to Laurant, he said, “Can you get the hook free ?” Laurant nodded, and began whipping the rope back and forth until it suddenly went slack, and began falling. He ducked out of the way as the hook came tumbling down to the ground.
“Coil that up and go stash it, OK ?”, said Tony…"I’m gonna check this out".
Laurant coiled the rope and quickly left. Tony went through the gate and closed it. He had to make sure he wasn’t seen. He headed for the nearest cover.
I Wonder What’s Back Here He thought.
-
After making his way through what appeared to be a long valley peppered with stones and boulders, Tony looked furtively over the stone he was behind. He saw the two Nerds going through a short passageway that was set in a natural wall. Waiting for a few minutes, he heard what sounded like a funny bird whistle. He whistled in return, and Laurent understood the signal. In a minute, the boy was at his side.
"Laurent, I gotta tell you, I'm making a business that can make us rich. But we have to hide the merchandise for this. You didn't ask anything about what it was, and I'm grateful for that”, Tony whispered.
"Cannabis ?", Laurent guessed.
"No, No, not that…No drugs or alcohol either. Only clothes”, Tony replied. “You've seen that the school store doesn't have Letterman Jackets anymore ? That's because I've got them. Got that ?"
"Oui...", Laurent said, understanding.
"Don't worry, I'll give you one if that's what you want !”, Tony grinned.
The boys continued on the way the Nerds had went, through the passage. About a hundred feet later and to the right, a fieldstone pathway led to a set of gates embedded in a long stone wall that went from another taller wall on the left to a rock face on the right. On top of the wall was a device that appeared to be some sort of Machine Gun, mounted on a platform. Behind it rose a large dome-like building.
“What’s this place ?” Tony wondered, peering at the structure from behind a boulder.
“This is their…Observatory”, Laurent said. “Their…Fortress, I hear.”
The boys snuck unobserved to one of the stone pylons near the front of the gate. Tony looked behind and to his left, past a huge boulder, at a large steel barricade topped with rolled Barb Razor Wire. “What’s that there ?”, he asked.
‘Through there is the Football Field”, Laurent replied. “That big barricade was there when I arrived, but the Barb Wire has only been there a little while. Can’t Parkour over that now, would cut your arms and legs to pieces.”
“Tony said, “We have to bring these boxes from the Gym building to here. Any suggestions ?"
"We can use Parkour to climb these walls”, Laurent said simply. “The Pions will not see us….They never come back here."
"You mean the Prefects ?”, Tony asked. “The dumbasses dressed in blue ?"
Laurent nodded his head. “Oui…Those Pions.”
Tony and Laurent looked around to make sure there were no Nerds spying on them. With their luck, the Nerds probably have the whole place packed with security cameras. As they did, drops of rain began falling.
Tony studied the place for a minute. "So, if you're ready to make money, let's go ! I think I've just found a very good place here to hide those boxes"
The two boys made their way back to the Nerds gate without encountering anyone.
________________________________________________
-
Back on campus, the two boys ran to the Pool building, used the Parkour, to climb the wall to the overhang, then the small ladder to the roof. Once on top of the Building, they gathered up the boxes and started to get down. Tony could feel the rain starting to drizzle down on them.
"Hurry up, Lets GO!" yelled Tony. They climbed down the ladder.
"Merde !" yelled Laurent as he slipped off the second to last step dropping his box on the overhang roof. It skidded off and fell to the ground, coming open. Only a few items fell out. The boys dropped off the overhang roof to the ground.
"Over here !" said Tony as the rain started falling harder. They retrieved the contents of the spilled box, stuffed them back in, and dodging a patrolling Prefect, made their way through the Harrington House side yard and back to the Nerd’s gate.
Tony was hitting the keypad as Laurent was coming over the wall. 1...1..3...8...he dialed in the code and the door slid open.
"So, were do we hide these boxes ?" yelled Laurant sliding around in the mud as Tony led the way back to the Nerd’s Observatory.
"I got an idea, but we’ll have to get inside !", Tony replied. Winded, they finally arrived at the Observatory gates.
“Parkour up the wall to the platform there”, Tony pointed, “And I’ll throw the boxes up !”
Laurent backed up, then used the Parkour to go up the wall. When he was on the platform, Tony tossed up the boxes and followed.
“There’s steps down over here”, Laurent indicated, and they gathered up the boxes and went down, joining the fieldstone pathway that led to the imposing double doors set back in the front of the building. Tony and Laurent both dropped the boxes onto the alcove area of the Observatory.
Laurent went towards one of the doors in front of them. He pulled something out of his pocket which appeared to be a Lock Smith Kit. He worked with the handle of the door and eventually got it open.
"How'd you know to do that ?" asked Tony, looking at him in a puzzled way.
"Lets just say…I've been in here a few times”, Laurent replied mysteriously, “Before the Razor Wire.”
Laurent opened the door and walked in with Tony following. Inside was a large room with an ornate tile floor missing huge gouged out chunks where the big telescope had fallen and been smashed in a long-ago battle many years ago. There were four huge square pillars that used to hold up the massive telescope. The floor was further littered with the remains of what looked like a catwalk and steel bars that presumably used to hold it up. Tony wondered briefly what the story of this place was.
At the back was a set of steps that led down to what appeared to be a basement. Pausing at the top of the steps, Tony and Laurent listened intently for the sound of anybody there. Hearing nothing but the rain drumming on the domed roof, both boys descended carefully down the steps, which took a turn at the bottom and led out into a long room. In the center was a long, rectangular table.
“Those two must have left while we was getting the merchandise”, Tony remarked. “That’s a stroke of good luck.”
The walls on the sides held small doors that looked like storage places. At the end was another door. They crossed over, opened it, and looked inside. It appeared to be a small room, sort of like a....Janitors Closet.
"This is the Nerd’s Storage area !" said Laurent, as he peeked inside, seeing multiple shelving on either side. The place had a musty smell, as if it wasn’t used much. A layer of dust coated the few items that were there.
"Put the boxes here, I'll use this to cover them up" said Laurent grabbing a large blue tarp out of the far corner. Tony returned to the front of the Observatory, gathered up the boxes and brought them back downstairs, placing the boxes on a shelf at the far end of the room. Laurent covered them with the tarp. The boys stepped back to the doorway, and found they couldn’t even see the arrangement in the dim room.
"Well, we finally found a place to put everything !" said Tony.
"Oui….Just need to watch out how many items we store in here. That way, it wont look suspicious", Laurent said. Tony closed the door, and the two boys made their way out of the Observatory. Tony and Laurent looked around to make sure there were no Nerds spying on them as they headed back to the Nerd's Gate in the rain,
_____________________________________________________
-
Riiinnnnnggggg !! , Went the school bell, dismissing the afternoon classes.
Tony and Laurent had stayed low until they got out of the Nerd area, and were once again at the back of the school as students came pouring out into the Quad.
"So, when exactly are we going to start this.…Service ?" asked Laurent.
"Well, I've already got those Preppies in on the deal”, Tony said, “Next, I think I should approach the Greasers.”
“Don’t forget my Jocks”, said Laurent, “They’re going to need clean clothes real soon.”
“Don’t worry, they’re on the list”, Tony said. “Well…Um, Laurent, that’s it for now. Here's five bucks for helping me. I'll catch you later Ok ?”.
"Oui, see you later." said Laurent, taking the cash and walking away.
=====================================================================
Tony started walking over towards the front gates of the school. He looked through the iron bars holding him in. Across the street Tony spotted what seemed to be a large crack in the wall as if someone drove straight through it, with what looked like a pathway.
He turned around and walked to the Boy’s Dorm. When he got there he walked up the stairs and opened the door. Before stepping in he looked behind the door to make sure Kurt or Jake wasn't there waiting for him. He went and sat down on the couch in the common room and leaned over and turned on the TV. Once again the weather forecast was on.
"Today was a rainy one, but for the next few days it looks like nothing but SUN, SUN, SUN !", said the man in front of the large radar. Tony wanted to feel happy about it, for it would make his deals easier to transact..
"Man, I'm thirsty !" Tony said, getting up and walking towards the Beam Cola machine. He dug into his pocket, put in a dollar, and bought a Beam Cola.
Suddenly, Tony heard a SMASH !!! come from the direction of his dorm room. He ran out of the Common Area and into his room to find his window shattered into a million pieces. Tony ran up to the window and looked out.
Suddenly he felt something pelt him near his left eye. Tony fell to the floor holding his hand over his eye. "What the FUCK !!" he yelled, lying on the floor. He got up a slowly looked out the window.
Sure enough, Kurt was standing right there with a slingshot in his hand. He turned to run off, and Tony jumped out of the shattered window and chased him across the yard. Kurt jumped over the wall which was missing a piece of fence.
When he reached the Library, Kurt ran around the side jumping over the broken wall just to see that there was a Fence with a door ...that he couldn’t get through !
Kurt started punching random numbers into the key pad as Tony climbed over the broken wall. Kurt turned around and saw Tony. He reached to the ground and picked up a rock and fired it out of his slingshot. Tony ducked as the rock came hurtling towards him.
"End of the line, Little Shit !!" yelled Tony.
"Do something !! I wanna see you!!", challenged Kurt.
Suddenly everything seemed to go into slow motion for Tony. What can I do to beat the shit out of this twerp ?
Tony looked to his right as a motion caught his eye, and saw a Nerd with a green sweater coming towards him over another section of broken wall with what seemed to be some sort of gun.
Tony pointed towards Kurt and the Nerd stopped in his tracks. He thought for a moment about what Tony was trying to show him. He peered over the broken wall coming from Harrington House and saw Kurt standing there.
He looked back over at Tony and nodded his head. He handed Tony the blue gun-looking weapon. Tony read on the side "Spuds Only".
Spuds, Spuds, what were Spuds ?, Tony asked himself. Then-- Of course….POTATOES!!!
Tony aimed the Spud cannon at Kurt who fell on his knees dropping his slingshot on the ground.
"PLEASE NO !!!!" yelled Kurt at the top of his lungs. "NO-NO-NO-NO-NO !!!!!!"
Tony pulled the trigger of the Spud Gun and out came a potato at lightning speed. It smacked Kurt right in the head knocking him down and out.
“Hmmm….Handy weapon”, Tony said as the Nerd boy climbed over the wall. "So why'd you help me ? I thought all the Nerds hated me ?" asked Tony curiously.
"You don't know what I had to go through with him right before you got here", said the Nerd. "By the way, My name's Melvin....Melvin O'Connor."
"Okay…Umm...here’s your….Spud Gun." said Tony handing him the weapon.
"Keep it, We got plenty more." said Melvin, turning down the weapon.
"Thanks !!“, Tony said. “I’m Tony Calderone. Guess I‘ll see you around…..Oh and uh…You didn't see Anything here !”
"Okay…Fine by me !”, Melvin said, climbing over the wall and waddling off in the direction of the Library.
=====================================================================
The rain had stopped for a little while but Tony could feel it starting to drizzle on him again. He went over to check on Kurt. He isn’t going anywhere. I've got to get inside, though, Tony thought to himself. He climbed over the wall and headed away from the Library. Checking the big clock on the School Tower, he saw it read 7:30 PM.
Tony was feeling tired as he walked toward his dorm. He remembered seeing Kurt laying on the ground....Out....Cold.…..IT FELT SO GOOD TO NAIL HIM WITH A POTATO !!!
Tony looked at the weapon in his hands as he was entering the dorm. "How do I get more potatoes when this runs out ?" he thought to himself. This will sure come in handy if Jake decides to attack me again. I’ll nail that crazy fuck too.
Tony entered his room and locked the door. He threw the Spud Gun on the bed beside him and laid down. A cool breeze was coming in where the window had been broken.
Tony lifted up the covers and crawled under. He gently closed his achy eyes and thought about what would happen tomorrow....Anything can happen in this Shit Hole…..With that thought, Tony fell asleep.
________________________________________________________
-
This time, Tony was woke up by the alarm clock. The sound felt so unpleasant that the clock finished up at the other corner of the room, what magically caused it to stop. Tony hoped that today was going to be a day without trouble. He had a good chance - This morning was Art Class, a way to relax and become smooth. Tony thought of Karen. What could she be doing at the moment ? Hanging out with this punkass Kurt ?.. Kissing him ?... He shook his head. And what about Jake ? That Psycho was bound to attack him again, that was pretty clear after Jake had tried to run him over with a car.
Tony examined his new Weapon, the Spud Gun. He would have to track down that Melvin kid and ask him where he got his potatoes. Looking at the compact size of the Weapon, Tony discovered it was possible to secret it on his body, if he adjusted his clothes in a certain way. There was only a few Spuds in it, but it might come in handy.
Tony left his room, looking around warily. He checked in the Common Room, and watched in the halls, but there was no sign of either Kurt or Jake. He left the Dorm and headed for the School.
Tony arrived in the classroom without encountering Kurt. As far a Jake was concerned, He didn‘t see him either, and he wasn‘t in Art Class today. He recognized the group of Perverts that didn't come for the love of Art over in the far corner. Tony took a random seat, and surprisingly, next to him was a familiar face.
"Steve ? Hey Dude, remember me ?", Tony greeted the boy.
"Oh, you're the hooks guy, aren't you ? How are you ?", Steve said.
"I'm doing well, thanks. Why do you come here ?", Tony asked.
"I'm learning to dredge, Boy !" said the Greaser, waving on his seat.
"What ?", said Tony, confused.
"Are you fucking blind ? Don't you see the splendid creature that is...", Steve started to say, but was cut off.
"You two, please concentrate on your work !!" said Ms. Phillips with a soothing, but authoritarian voice.
"Here, I’se show you." whispered Steve.
He had drawn flowers from many colors. He got up, took the drawing, and slowly went to the ‘Splendid Creatures’ desk. He bent over the desk, his two elbows on it. The Teacher's face changed, she was made passionate by his simple drawing. Steve kept smiling, looking her right in her eyes. Their discussion ended as she put her hand on his shoulder, and gently smiled. Steve came back to his seat.
"You seen that ? It proves that I done this good”, Steve said, while pointing at flower with his finger. "You should try this out, I think she'll like what you've done !"
Tony looked at his drawing. Nothing special, just a landscape. He stood up, and walked to her desk. He tried out his own technique.
"Oh, you're Tony, right ? Let me see this…”, Ms. Phillips said, gazing at his drawing. “It's a good choice to have made this. Why ?"
Find something. It's like negotiation, Tony thought.
"I really like the way a landscape can make us feel free, it's like a travel through a picture...", Tony said. The more he said, the more his body began to move, and his instinct told him he was catching her interest. She relaxed on her chair, and put her hands on her legs….Those Sexy Legs.
"I think you have a real potential, Tony. Continue like this... I like it.", Ms. Phillips gushed. Tony offered her his best smile before returning back to his seat.
"Youse know what I meant now ?" Steve asked.
"Oh yeah, I do !.", Tony said, feeling warmth in his loins.
"Hey, you knows Christy ?", Steve asked.
"No…Who is that ?", Tony said.
"It's a girl, her only wish was to graduate, but shes didn't, because of some obscure gossip, is what I heards...", Steve whispered.
"Okay….So what ?", Tony said.
"She be exactly like Ms. Phillips. You coulds learn a lot by talking to her, and.…Heh….Kissin’ her too !"
"Uh.…OK, thanks for the advice, man”, Tony said, suddenly pining for Karen.
"Boys and Girls, it's about time for the bell to ring…Thank you for coming today !", the Teacher said.
Tony came out of the classroom and walked in direction of the cafeteria. There he grabbed two apples, then left school and went in direction of the football field. As predicted, the sun began to appear, and Tony wanted to eat an apple and see Laurent before starting his sports afternoon with him.
______________________________________________
-
Constantinos hadn’t been “Murdered”, like Jake had proclaimed….But had been beaten up quite a bit by Jake and two Bullies that Jake had brought along. After a night in the Infirmary with a two cracked ribs, plus bruises and lacerations to his face, he had been released once only to have to go back for a second night after the window breaking in the dorm, and was finally released that afternoon. On his last morning in the Infirmary, he watched as Kurt was brought in, again, for the second time that week. Constantinous learned by listening that he had been found unconscious once more, this time over by the Library. Kurt has a concussion this time, and on top of his injuries from earlier in the week, as Constantinos heard the Nurse saying, would put him out of action for quite a few days.
Constantinos left the Infirmary and walked gingerly down the front steps. Locating one of the benches in front of the school, he sat for a while, and just listened to the passing conversation of the other students. In this way, he came to learn it was Kurt who had sling-shot Tony, and that Kurt had been last seen being chased by Tony. He also overheard that the administration was rumored to be looking for Tony to make him pay for at least fixing the window, but there seemed to be no evidence of any proof involving Tony in the attack on Kurt.
Getting up from the bench and heading towards the parking lot, Constantinos began following a group of Greasers. As he silently walked behind them, he learned about Jake stealing the car out of the Autoshop, and then crashing it into the wall by the steps near the fountain. The Greasers seemed pretty pissed off about the whole thing, seeing as how the vehicle was a classic car and all….Greasers treated their cars better than people, and considered them like members of their own family. That someone has damaged one of their prized vehicles made them extremely angry, and they vowed their revenge on Jake, who had been seen escaping the car by other students. It seemed that Jake had gone ’underground’ and was laying low, but the Greasers could only speculate on where he might be hiding or who may be helping him stay hidden. One thing for sure that Constantinos understood from their rants of hate was that they were done with Jake and his ’Deals’ and they would stomp his ass on sight.
Constantinos needed to find Tony. This time, he had some valuable information to tell him….And good information paid good money. That is, if Tony’s ’Merchandise Plan’ had gone all right. He broke away from the group of Greasers, and began to make inquiries among to students as to Tony’s whereabouts.
__________________________________________
-
"So, what's your favorite sport ?", asked Tony. Laurent tilted the head with a quizzical look. "After Parkour, I mean", said Tony before biting into his apple.
"La balle au prisonnier", he said. Seeing that Tony didn't get it, Laurent turned his head in direction of the great banners hanging from the roof of the gym and found the right term, "Ah, Oui ! Dodgeball !"
"Oh, I see ! Wanna play this this afternoon ?", asked Tony.
"Tony ! Tony !", a voice interrupted.
"Who is this ?" asked Laurent, seeing Constantinos running up to them.
"A... Friend”, Tony said. “Hey, Dude, take a deep breath, you didn't have to run so fast."
"I... Got... Premium... Quality... Information... For you, Tony...", panted Constantinos.
"Hey, what the Fuck ?”, Tony said cheerfully. “No work today. No Point. Is that so complicated ?"
"No, No, you'll be thankful for this, I tell you !!", Constantinos said.
"You see the sun we got today ?”, Tony threw his arm up. “Why should I waste it with gossip ?"
"I'm... Sorry... “, Constantinos said, defeated. “I'll wait on you at the Fountain, later, then....But you need to hear this !"
"All right, catch up with you later", Tony said, but Constantinos was already walking off.
_____________________________________________________________________
-
Tony and the Laurent entered the gym. There were three students, helped by the girls, that were taking the Wrestling Ring out. Tony saw there was blood on it... Like always. And he recognized Mr. Burton in the bleachers. At his side two boys -- Steve, and a skinny boy that Tony identified as a Nerd. He realized that a little crowd formed around him. Coach Burton imposed the silence by saying, "The ones that came to knit, get out ! The others, let's play Dodgeball !!"
The whole crowd shouted, and Tony even heard punches on the door. And he realized that it was most of the Nerds that were thrown out after Coach Burton's announcement.
"Our two team captains today will be... Steve, and... Cornelius !"
The two came closer, down out of the bleachers. "Cornelius, you select a partner first."
Ten minutes later, the two whole teams were formed. Steve had recognized Tony, but Laurent was chosen by their opponent. A good challenge !
"Ready ? Spread the obstacles !", Burton yelled.
Everyone began to take mats, and several massive objects from the same texture, and in five minutes the whole gym was covered with them. Tony observed the environment. There were giant cubes, arches, trampolines.…So many places where you can hide and seek. Coach Burton gave the ball to Steve, and whistled. It would be hard to beat Laurent at this kind of game... Tony received the ball. Not allowed to run anymore. He aimed a random enemy, and threw the ball.
The ball made a right trajectory, without touching his target’s head. The kid had the time to duck behind his arch. Tony looked an instant at Coach Burton. He had a foolish smile, looking at this barbarian game. Tony remembered how to use the Parkour, and climbed at the top of a cube. One of his teammates understood his technique and decided to give him the ball. That was the good choice, for it ended up hitting the legs of a Greaser from the other team, which caused him to fall on the ground.
The only way to win is…, Tony thought, To hurt them so much they can't play any longer.
Tony made his way up over the objects, and over the melee. As he thought, Laurent was using the same technique. He received a shot on the shoulder, delivered incredibly hard... But he had to continue to the high bunker he had seen. If he reached it, he could apply the plan he had in mind.…And the game went on.
_______________________________________________
-
“Oooohhhhh” Kurt groaned as he began to come back awake. His head was killing him.
What the HELL happened ?? Where the SHIT am I at ??
“Now, now…take it easy”, a voice said. "Try not to move. You’ve got a concussion”
.
A…A…CONCUSSION ?? What The FUCK ??
“Keep Still”, the voice came again. "Try to rest. You’re going to be here awhile”.
Memory came slowly back. The Library. Couldn’t get through the gate. That…FUCK….Shot me with something....What the…What the HELL was it ?
Kurt felt a needle go into his arm. Darkness enveloped him once again.
======================================================================
Jake shivered. It was damn cold in this hole. He hadn’t had time to get a blanket before squirreling in here. Hadn’t had time, in fact, to get ANYTHING. No food, no water, and most important, his Meds. He was thirsty, hungry, and getting a bit more whacked out as the time went by in this hellhole. He was hunkered down in his hiding place, behind the re-stacked bricks in the back of the Boy’s Dorm. He had gotten into some of his stash for extra shirts and pants, but it wasn’t enough. Fall came quickly in this part of the world, and the nights got cold fast. Seeing how he was essentially in the crawl space under the dorm, he now had the Rats to deal with too.
He had heard the other Boys in the dorm through the ductwork, talking about what happened. Heard about how the Greasers were out for his blood. How the Prefects were trying to hunt him down. Heard about how some of the Bullies, the only faction over which he had any kind of real control, were turning against him. Had even heard that little shit Constantinos up in the hall briefly yesterday, and he thought he’d taken care of THAT little prick…..
He couldn’t stay here much longer. It was only a matter of time before someone came and started pulling the bricks out of the wall to get to the stash….Too many knew, that sniveling piece of stinking turd Algernon, or even Tony himself. He would have to leave tonight, after midnight, when the coast was clear. There was another place, one that he had discovered long ago, this past Summer, when he first came here. Trouble was, it was close to the Greaser’s territory, and he hadn’t had time to be choosy when the Prefects were swarming. He had been lucky to even get away….Or smart enough.
And that bastard Tony. What an ungrateful fucker he turned out to be. Damn. Jake had taken him under his wing, taught him the ropes, cut him in on a little piece of the action, and the Dogturd fucking asshole had gone behind his back and started running his own deals ?? What the Fuck ?? It was getting so you just couldn’t trust anybody these days.
I’ll take care of his ASS….I’ll take care of them ALL. Nobody Fucks me. NOBODY !!!!
Jake giggled with barely suppressed laughter. He’d take care of them all right. They’ll all PAY.
_______________________________________________
-
The Nerds were having a confab in the Observatory.
“You did what ??” one of them said. “GAVE him one of our Spud Guns ??”
Melvin looked over at the Nerd who had asked the question, Donald. “Yes, I did. That kid Kurt was trying to fool with our gate, and I didn’t have the angle to shoot him…So I gave the Gun to that new Tony kid”.
“Well, did you get it back ??” Donald persisted. “You know those are the only things that we can really defend ourselves with around here ?”
“No. I let him keep it.” Melvin said calmly.
Two other Nerds, Cornelius and Fredrick (Alias Fatty), exclaimed “WHAT ?” “NO !!”
Donald, Cornelius, and Fatty all began jabbering at once. Melvin listened for a minute, then held up his hands for silence. “We have plenty more. Listen, since I took over from Earnest, have I ever steered you wrong ? This boy took care of someone trying to break in to our sanctuary, and was handing the Spud Gun back to me without threatening me or trying to beat me up and just steal it. And, he TALKED to me, just like a human being. Like an equal. So…I just told him to keep it”.
The three other Nerds began talking all at once again. “You Can’t..” -- “We can hardly defend ourselves now…” -- “I don’t think I like this…”
Again, Melvin held up his hands to quiet them. “We need all the help we can get. This Tony is a Non-Clique boy….The Bullies beat the crap out of him his first day, and he’s now got Jake and that other new Rocker kid Kurt after him…And he hasn’t really hurt us”.
“Shot me in the Nuts with a Slingshot”, grumbled Fatty. “When I told him and that Constantinos kid they couldn’t go back over the wall by the Library…Beat me at Wrestling, twice….”
Melvin asked, “Did they mess with the gate ?”. Fatty shook his head no. “But”, Fatty said, “That gate is our only access point to back here since the steel wall was put back up between here and the Football Field last year. We have to make sure no one’s back there fooling with it”.
“Since they weren’t messing with the gate, they probably just went back there so they could talk private, and you just got in the way. It happens. Look, Brothers-in-arms, let’s have some logic here. If anybody had been trying to jack the gate open, we’d be able to tell”. Melvin looked at each of the others in turn. “Look…We NEED this…Someone on our side for a change. Someone to help do battle for us. Everybody here beats us up. Here’s our chance to hire someone who can help. I think we can trust him. Com’on, what do you say ??”
The other Nerds looked at Melvin, then looked around at themselves for a moment. Then slowly, nodded their heads in reluctant agreement.
__________________________________________
-
Karen lay on the bed in her dorm room she shared with Christy. She was crying.
“I just don’t know what to think”, she said, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I liked Tony, I really did, and then when he went and knocked me down like that….”
Christy was sitting in a chair near the bed. “I can’t believe he meant to hurt you, sweetie”, she said. “What was going on ?”
“I don’t know !” Karen sobbed. “He just ran into me and knocked me over, then he just…kept running !”
Christy frowned. “He was running ? Why ?”
“I don’t know !”, Karen continued crying. “Just…WHAM…and I’m down on the ground…..Then that Kurt came to help me up….He was so nice…..Picked me back up, made sure I wasn’t hurt….I think he likes me…”
Christy was still frowning. Something wasn’t right here. She wasn’t the brightest girl in the pack, but she had her share of dealing with boys. “Karen, was Kurt running, too ?”
“Well….I Don’t know….Maybe….His face was bloody….I thought maybe….Someone had hit him or something….I don’t know…I was so upset…He helped me back to the dorm….Now, he‘s in the Infirmary”.
Christy went on, “You already told me you and Tony had been talking just a while before this happened, and you told him about your feelings for him. So….Why would he do that ?”
Karen had resumed crying. “I just don’t know…It’s all so confusing….”
Christy said, “Karen, how was Tony acting ? Think….”
“Well, he was running…Now that you mention it, he…looked a little dazed…” She stopped suddenly. “Christy, he acted like he didn’t even SEE me….He just plowed right into me and kept on going….”
A light shone in Christy’s eyes. “Karen, those two boys were fighting”.
“Fighting ?” Karen said. “Fighting…over what ? Fighting over….ME ?”
Christy, who had to miss classes that forced her not to graduate because of some ugly rumors involving two boys in a similar situation last year, nodded emphatically. “Yeah, girlfriend….Fighting over YOU.”
__________________________________________
-
Tony stood at the top cube of the with a dodgeball in his hand. Another Greaser on the other team pulled his arm back and threw the ball at Tony.
Tony ducked and threw his ball as hard as he could jumping down from the cube onto the hard wooden floor, which was a lot harder than he imagined. The ball pounded the Greaser in the face and he fell back on the floor.
"Tony Watch Out!" yelled Laurent to Tony.
Tony looked in front of him to see another large rubber ball hurtling towards him.
Smack! The ball crammed tony in the face. It wasn't enough to knock him on the floor but he felt a little shooken up....Everthing suddenly got blurry...... The roar of his teammates yelling his names came to a stop. Everything went black........
====================================================================================
"Tony, Man, Tony, Wake up" said Laurent tapping Tony's face.
Tony suddenly woke up and jolted forward.
"What the hell just happened?"asked Tony dizzily.
"You just got pinned in the face with a ball, now get up and go sit on the bleachers. Me and Steve are gonna finish this game !" yelled Laurent helping Tony up.
Tony went to sit on the bleachers and the game was back on. Laurent grabbed the ball that had hit Tony in the face and could see a small smear of blood on it. He looked back over at Tony and realized his nose was bleeding.
Laurent looked back at the Greaser that had hit Tony and started running full speed towards him. He jumped up in the air and aimed the ball at the Greaser...He threw the ball and it smashed into the face of his opponent sending him flying.
There was only one more to defeat. This Greaser looked a bit like Johnny Vincent, but he was known as ’Peanut’. Johnny Vincent, former leader of the Greasers, had left and transferred to the ‘Hot Rod Academy’ in Detroit, Michigan.
He looked at Steve standing on the other side of him. Peanut had the ball in his hand aiming towards him. The only difference between Tony and Steve was that Steve knew that the ball was coming his way. He waited for Peanut to throw the ball and then ducked, letting the ball sail over his head. The ball bounced back to him and Steve picked it up.
"Your my friend Peanut, but I gotta do this !" said Steve heaving the ball at him. The ball quickly zoomed at Peanut, but he ducked before it could hit him.
"Oh Damn !…I thought that would hit ‘em'", said Steve backing near the wall. He then remembered that Peanut was one of the most athletic the Greaser Clique.
"Not so easy....is it Stevey ?", said Peanut while spinning the ball in his hand. He threw the ball at Steve delivering a hard blow to his stomach.
"OUCH!!", thought Laurent as Steve, knocked out of the game, got up and limped over to the bleachers to sit beside Tony.
"Man, I should've know Peanut was that strong. I mean seriously...He's one of my buddies in my own my clique, we're like brothers...", Steve said to Tony, sitting down on the bleacher.
Laurent and Peanut were the last two standing. Whoever got hit first was the loser. Laurent picked up the filthy piece of red rubber. He looked at Peanut and studied him carefully.
He’s ready for me to make a frontal attack...But maybe I can trick him with a.....SIDE ATTACK !!, thought Laurent.
Laurent moved over to the gym wall and ran up it with all his might. He Flipped backwards and while in the air chucked the ball at Peanut who was stunned by the incredible trick. The ball smashed into Peanut’s face.
"Como haga le gusto mi ahora !!!!", yelled Laurent to Peanut, now laying face down on the floor. He strutted over to Tony and Steve jumping around the bleachers, now cheering his name.
"YEA, GO LAURENT !!”…“ HELL, YEAH, MAN !!“…“THAT WAS THE BEST !!!!", they yelled to Laurent.
"Oui, it wasn't easy either...", Laurent said modestly.
"Man, lets go get showered off and grab something to drink !" said Tony.
All three boys went down to the locker room and showered off and got dressed.
"I wish they sold coffee at this damn place..." said Steve.
"Well, they got water and soda, so that'll do for now…But hey, at least by mid-term, I heard they let us off campus to wonder around town." said Tony.
"Oui, I can't wait to try that French Restaurant down in Bullworth Vale, to see if they know how to make "REAL" French tasting foods." said Laurent.
"Lets just go back to the Dorm and get some Sodas, all right Guys ?" said Tony.
"Ooookkaayyyy....", chimed Steve and Laurent in disappointment.
_____________________________________________________
-
The three boys headed towards the dorm. At the fountain, Constantinos was waiting.
“Hey, Bo…um…Tony, I really gotta tell you what I heard”, he tried once again.
“Not now, not now….Can’t you see we’re headed off for some drinks ?” Said Tony.
“Yeah, but this is really important…It’s about…” Here he lowered his voice…”Kurt..and Jake”.
Tony suddenly paid attention. “OK…We need somewhere private…”. He turned to the other two boys. “Hey, guys, you go on ahead. Gotta talk to Constantinos….I’ll catch up, allright ?”.
As Laurant and Steve went off, Tony led Constantinos down the path toward Harrington House, as it was deserted for the moment.
“OK…Spill” He said to Constantinos.
Constantinos quickly told Tony of all he had learned earlier in the day. When he finished, Tony leaned against the wall, thinking. Hmmm….So, Jake’s hiding out…Wonder where….Kurt’s laid up….For how long ?……Damn, got so much to do….Have to get some more supplies out to sell to the Preps…Need to talk to the Greasers….Maybe can now do that through Steve…And I GOTTA start going to class, somebody’s bound to catch on I’ve been skipping…And…SHIT, KAREN….I gotta talk to Karen, make things right….
Tony turned back to Constantinos and asked if he knew where Karen was.
“Oh..Yeah, heard a couple of girls by the Fountain just a while ago say she was holed up in her room, crying”, Constantinos said.
“Damn”. Tony thought for a moment more. He got an Idea.
“Here’s $10 for what you’ve told me…And I need you to do something else…There’s another Fiver in it for you…..I need you to get me some flowers from over by the Library…Yeah, girls like flowers….Can you do that ?”
Constantinos took the offered money and agreed. Tony said, “I’ll meet you at the Girl’s Dorm. Go !”
_______________________________
-
Tony hurried to the Girl’s dorm, taking the shortcut by the school through the broken fence. Waiting over by the side door, he finally saw Constantinos, running up with the flowers.
“Thanks..here’s your $5...I’ll take those” Tony said. "Damn…I gotta sneak in, but I don’t know which room she’s in….”
“She rooms with Christy”, Constantinos said. “I know where that is…I can go in, and convince her to come out”.
Tony looked at Constantinos with a new respect. “You can ? You will ?”
“Sure B…I’ll be right back…Tony”. In a flash, Constantinos bounded up the steps and disappeared through the door.
Boy, that little kid is fast, thought Tony.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A few minutes laster, Constantinos reappeared at the door. Behind him was Karen, her eyes all puffy, red and swollen from crying. Her hair was messed up, too. She looked like crap. Tony thought she looked beautiful.
Constantinos said, “OK, Tony…This one’s on me…See you later”, and he Jogged away.
Tony got down on one knee and offered Karen the flowers as she approached. “Please listen, Karen, just listen…I didn’t mean to knock you over, it was an accident, I was running and not looking where I was going, I’m so damn sorry, so sorry, I never want to hurt you….”
Karen bent down to him. “Shhhh….Shhhh….It’s alright, Tony, It’s allright….I was just shook up, I’m not hurt….Shhhh”, She said as Tony continued his apologies. Taking his arm, she stood him up. “Are these for me ?”, she said as she took the flowers. “Tony, I just didn’t know what to think….After our talk, and then…You acted like you didn’t even see me….Tony, were you in a fight with Kurt…Over Me ?”
Tony nodded miserably. “That’s part of it….There’s something wrong with that boy…We’ve had problems since the first time we met up…He got too nosy, and I went off on him…Now, he’s after you, thinks he owns you or something…..Karen, listen, I really, really like you….I wanted to tell you that I wanted you to be my girl….”
“Oh, Tony”, Karen said, putting her arms around him and giving him a long, deep kiss. They stood that way for a moment, locked in that embrace. “Yes, Tony, I would love to be your girl”, she said. Tony felt a great relief come over him. “So, we’re OK then…I’m so glad, and so sorry about….”
Shushing him again, Karen said “It’s allright, It doesn’t matter…It’s just us now and we’re OK”. She gave him another deep kiss. When she drew away, she said, “Listen, we can’t stay here…We might get seen by one of the Matrons…Meet me behind the dorm after curfew…I’ll sneak out…OK ?”.
Tony nodded reluctantly, letting her go. She hurried back up the steps, turning to blow him a kiss before disappearing into the building as the door closed.
________________________________________________________
-
Tony headed back over to the Boy’s dorm to meet up with Laurent and Steve, who he assumed were inside. As he approached the steps, two bullies appeared and blocked his way. Friends of Jake, no doubt. He looked around. The rest of the yard was deserted. Tony looked around him. Near the steps was a Football.. That would be the first part of the plan. He had to do quick before that big ape, Russell, could join them.
"Someone told us you had merchandise for us... Right ?", the blonde one said.
"You guys work for Jake ?“, Tony sniggered. “You sure are paid a misery wage.….."
While talking crap, Tony gently made his way to the Football. The two ugly-looking boys started coming at him, but Tony had already grabbed the ball, and sent it to the maximum power, smashing one of the Bullies right in the face. The kid fell back immediately, falling to the asphalt groaning in pain, while his friend was still running, elbow first. Tony avoided him, and sent his feet to the Bully's knee, a move reminded him of the way he had taken down Trent that first day. Tony remembered his wrestling lessons. He sent his proper knee directly in the boy's chest, and shoved him to the wall.
"Okay, I'll let you have a chance to go, if you tell me who set me up !", Tony snarled.
"No, please, I... I didn't want to hurt you !", the Bully lied.
"It Was Jake, Wasn’t It ?", Tony yelled in the kid’s face.
"Y...Y…Yes, he paid us well...", the Bully stuttered.
"How Much ?", Tony asked gruffly.
"F...F… Five B... Bucks each...", the Bully blubbered.
"Can't you speak like an human, you Fucking Cockroach ?“, Tony growled. “You know, I could have paid you fifteen ! FIFTEEN, YOU HEAR ME ?"
"So... Sorry...", the kid said weakly.
"Go Now Before I Make You Eat The Pavement !" Tony kneed the boy on the side of the leg, and pushed him in direction of the wall with the broken fence. The Bully tried to escape as fast as possible, limping. He tried to climb the little wall, but couldn't, and fell on the ground. Tony kicked the Bully that received the ball in the face, to make sure he wouldn‘t be getting back up.
In the Dorm, there was a crowd before a notice on the wall. Tony made his way to the paper, and could read it.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
To the Students of Bullworth ----
Last year, after a student painted a graffiti on the town hall, it was decided to build a shelter by the school's gates, where a prefect will be during the day. If you want to visit the town, you'll have to go see him, and he'll allow you to stay two hours in the town. Do not be late returning, or we'll have to call the local police to bring you back.
------ Dr. Crabblesnitch
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Tony found Laurent and Steve hanging out near the soda machine.
"Hey, Dude, you've seen that ? Fuck this !", began Steve.
"Two hours are not enough to appreciate the food of my country", Laurent said, disgustedly.
"Hep, Tony, don't touch your money, I'se pay for your Beam, you deserve it after your fight !", said Steve.
"Thank you, Bro, thank you“, Tony said, accepting the drink, thinking, Shit, that just happened ! News sure travels fast here !
The boys sat at the card table in the common area, talking and laughing until late into the evening. Suddenly, Tony asked, “Hey, what time is it ?"
“About 20 minutes to curfew”, Steve said. “Why ?”
“I've got to go see Karen, I told her I would meet her after curfew." said Tony.
"I thought she hated your guts ?" asked Steve curiously.
"Well, lets just say...We made up...", Tony allowed.
"Whatever…“, Steve shook his head, grinning. “Hey Laurent, you's know much about cars ?”
"Oui, They have Motors...", Laurent joked.
"Let us sneak to the Autoshop, I gots some things to teach you.", said Steve patting Laurent's shoulder.
"Later Tony !" said Steve, Leaving the Dorm and showing Laurent the way to the Autoshop
____________________________________________
-
Okay, How am I gonna do this ?, though Tony to himself. I guess since I still got about 10 minutes till curfew, I could go hide in the small Planted area where the fence is broken, beside the Girls Dorm. Yeah, that’s it.
Tony ran over to the Broken Fence area by the Girl’s Dorm and hung out there until curfew. He watched Mr. Luntz drive the mower over to the Autoshop garages by the Parking Lot to put it up for the night. He could barely make out the figures of Steve and Laurent heading through the Greaser back area. Laurent would look frustrated trying to do something with a motor, he thought with a chuckle.
"Hey !" said a voice that startled Tony It was Karen. She was standing on the ground behind him.
"Hey, so….What do you want to do ?" asked Tony.
“I've got a plan in mind..." said Karen.
Karen and Tony snuck around to the Parking Lot and she showed him to a large red garage door on the end.
"What’s this ?", Tony asked as Karen fiddled with the lock and then suddenly lifted the door. Inside sat a modified Go-Kart which happened to have two seats.
"Lets go have some fun !" said Karen sitting in the passenger seat.
Tony slowly made his way to the other side of the Go-Kart and sat down.
"So…Er…How do I...Drive this thing ?" asked Tony cluelessly.
"It's easy silly, just Hold Down the clutch, Turn the ignition, and Put the shifter in Drive.", Karen smiled sweetly. Tony felt ashamed that a girl knew more than him about cars.
"How did you know all that ?" said Tony.
"Oh....I take Shop Class...Instead of Art.", Karen said airily.
"Well, that would explain it...I take Art, but I rarely go to it anyway”, lied Tony.
Tony pushed down the pedal of the machine and they took off. Tony made a wide sweeping turn to go out of the Parking Lot and headed down towards the access road. He had to come to a stop at the gate at the end, however.
"We're locked in", observed Tony.
"Don’t Worry Tony !" said Karen, hopping out of the Go-Kart.
She walked towards the gate and started picking at the lock with something. After a few seconds, she pushed and the gate swung open. She turned around and got back in the Go-Kart.
"What the heck did you just do ?" asked Tony.
"My Dad is a Professional Lock Picker, but now he's in jail. I plan to try to pick him out someday”, Karen said with a straight face.
"Ooo-kay....", Tony said, not knowing weather she was putting him on or not.
Tony zoomed up the access road, then turned left and headed towards Bullworth Vale. He got onto the straightaway and nailed the gas.
"Where...Exactly Are We...Going ?, asked Tony, with the wind beating against his face.
"Lets Go To Lookout Point Near The Beach House !", Karen said exuberantly.
"How Do I Get There ?", Tony shouted.
Karen pointed at Boardwalk in front of the long Pier leading off the road, and indicated a ramp leading down to the Beach.
As Tony dove down the ramp and onto the sand, the Go-Kart slowed down tremendously.
"This Kart doesn't exactly drive good on sand !" said Karen Jokingly.
"Yeah, I guessed that.", Tony said, making his way West on the beach. He came to and passed the Beach House and the Lighthouse that stood next to it, taking a sweeping right turn that put the Go-Cart on a wide dirt trail that wound up at an angle behind the structures. After climbing a good ways, Tony had to turn the Go-Kart left for a couple of turns, arriving a large, flat, oblong space that was filled with benches overlooking the area.
Tony and Karen got out of the Kart and walked to the railing at the edge of the Lookout. They could see all of Bullworth Vale, the Carnival, and just about the entire bay.
"Someday, I want to see what’s on that Island !", said Karen pointing out over the water.
"Yeah, me too...", Tony said, peering. But he had other things on his mind.
Tony and Karen turned to each other and started exchanging kisses.
"You Kids ! Stop Right There !”, a gruff voice said.
A mean-looking Cop stood behind them. "It’s After Curfew...You’re BUSTED !"
_____________________________________________________________
-
Jake waited until almost Midnight before he started to move. He couldn’t stand it any longer in there with those Fucking Rats. He HATED those little goddam vermin-ridden sons-of-bitches. After putting on as much extra clothing as he could, he removed the bricks and crawled out from the hole in the wall, then just as quickly replacing them. He would come back here later, after he got settled into his new “Digs” for the rest.
He peeked around the corner of the Dorm. Coast Clear…He didn’t know where the Bullies he had paid to put a hurtin’ on Tony had gone….Pussys….Not worth a damn, if you wanted something done, you hadda do it yourself….Bunch of lazy pricks…He had wasted his money on them, that was for sure…..
And money was now a problem….He HAD to move the merchandise, and he HAD to sell the merchandise. But there was another problem, too…He had heard the boys in the dorm talking, heard them through the ductwork these past few nights. He knew he had lost some customers. Maybe a LOT of customers. And no sales meant no money.
All because of that fucking prick Tony. As he moved across the deserted yard, he decided
to go straight to the Girl’s dorm and take the shortcut from there to the parking lot. As he moved, his thoughts boiled with revenge. He’d get that prick, he’d get them all who were helping that prick, if it was the last thing at Bullworth he ever did. As he was thinking that, he entered the yard of the Girl’s Dorm.
A small part of his mind knew this was partly his fault. He hadn’t stayed cool when he found out Tony was running his own scam, he got all bent out of shape and went after him. STUPID, STUPID,STUPID. He knew…But his anger and feelings of betrayal had overwhelmed him…And he had gone after Tony, was gonna teach him a lesson, all right…But the whole thing had spun out of control.
Jake quietly snuck through the shortcut, and, avoiding the final remaining Prefect on his rounds, jogged across the school parking lot to where a large yellow junk bus sat. He worked on getting the door open, it hadn’t been open in some time. Finally, he got it open far enough to where he could squeeze through, and then, he forced it back closed. He rested there awhile, thinking.
The bus had been hauled here years ago, when the new bus had been put into service. At the direction of Dr. Crabblesnich, it had been moved to this spot by the Greasers, and had been disabled in a way so that it could never be moved again. The reason was that the bus had been protecting a secret. Exiting the bus through a hole cut in it’s other side, Jake came out in a roughly small triangular yard. To the left, there was another small square yard, protected by a large gate bolted from the other side.
Jake had heard the rumors of an old man who had LIVED back here, just before he came here, called by everybody as just the “Hobo”. Some even said the old fart was Dr. Crabblesnich’s father, and he was hiding him away because he was Loony Tunes. Whatever. Jake didn’t give a shit. He began stripping off the extra pants and shirts that he had brought along from the stash, and then started tying the pantlegs and the arms of the shirts together, In this fashion, he made a crude rope. He then located a large rock, and tied the end around it. Then, he threw the rock, attached to his ‘rope’ over the top of the gate, and heard it thump down on the other side. He pulled on the ‘rope’ until he felt it was tight enough and tested it…It would support his weight. He then climbed to the top, over the old barb-wire strands, and dropped to the other side, and pulled the rest of the ‘rope’ clothing over with him.
Jake had never been back here before. There were also rumors of radioactive waste stored in barrels back here, and a persistent rumor that the Hobo had one night been beamed up to a spaceship hovering over Bullworth. All that was really true was that the Hobo had disappeared, never to be seen again. A more rational Jake had always steered clear of this spot, just in case….But Jake had been off his Meds for days now, and was slowly becoming more and more psychotic. Besides, he was in a real pickle now, and needed a safe spot. And everyone avoided this spot like the plague. No one ever came back here. That was just fine with him.
Jake examined the crude bolt arrangement on the gate. It was a mite rusty, but Jake was sure he could get it open. He looked around. There were indeed barrels here, but he had no idea what was in them. He didn’t give a shit, anyway. Over toward the West end, there was a small tent…and inside was a cot. Jake made his way inside, and sat down on the cot. He had picked up a bunch of apples and stuffed them in his pockets as he had come through the shortcut. He pulled a few of them out and ate hungrily.
He looked around. No Rats. THAT was good…real good. Tomorrow night, he would move his stash over here…Then…It would be time to take back the school, and get his revenge. They’ll all Pay…Every last one…Starting with that double-dealing prick, Tony.
He lay back on the cot, exhausted, and was soon fast asleep.
__________________________________________________
-
"That is Damn Right... I never knew love...", the Cop in blue said.
"I'm sure you will... One day”, purred Karen.
Tony and Karen were sitting on the sand, holding hands, while the Policeman was sitting just next to them, arms around his knees, looking at the silent waves of the Lake. One more time, Tony had to use his persuasion skills.
"It's simple... Women don't want me... I'm just a lonely wolf...", the Cop sadly reflected.
"I'm really sorry for you, Sir. I promise I'll help you one of this days”, said Tony.
Tony felt Karen pressing his hand harder, and rubbing very softly against him. Time to be alone.
"Now go, little kids... I have to stay here now... For a while...", The Cop said morosely.
The young couple went back to their vehicle, and went all the way back to the Parking Lot. After they had returned the Go-Kart and exited the garage, Karen didn't want to let Tony go. She said the bleachers were a very beautiful place at night.
_____________________________________________________
-
A noise woke Jake. Sounded like a mower motor. He got up, exited the tent, and climbed on one of the barrels on the other side of the yard….And peeked his head over the top of the wall to investigate.
He saw Tony and Karen coming from the garage area in the parking lot, walking swiftly towards his hiding spot, on their way to cutting through the Autoshop area. Nobody was around. Damn….If he had his weapons….He had left his Slingshot, and his other weapons under the dorm….Remembered pelting the endless Rats with it, so it must be there. Tony and Karen went right by his new hiding place without looking up, never knowing Jake was there, watching them, just a few feet away.
Jake backed away. Here had seen enough. Hmmm….Karen and Tony….He never would have seen that coming….She always acted so stuck up around him….Little Bitch. No matter…He was gonna put Tony in the hospital….If she got in the way, she would get hurt. Too Bad, So Sad. Life sucks, get used to it.
=======================================================================================
Tony and Karen made their way past the Gym and down to the backside of the bleachers by the Football Field. Karen fell into Tony’s arms. Leaning against the wall in back of the bleachers, their actions became more and more intense. Slowly, they slid down the side of the wall, and down to the ground.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Afterwards, Tony an Karen were talking, softly. Every once and a while, Karen would let a giggle escape, and then clamp a hand over her mouth. She was so happy now, happy that Tony had come back to her, and had made things right.
The conservation took a more serious tone. “Tony, what are you going to do now ?” she asked.
“I don’t know” Tony replied. “I got some deals in the works, and I’ve got to make some money…..I got a little help, I think it’ll work out”.
“Tony, you were running stolen merchandise with Jake, weren’t you ?” Karen asked.
Tony looked at her, shocked. “How did you know about….”
“Oh, don’t be so surprised. I’ve been here long enough. I know how things work at this school.” As Tony started to say something, she held up her hand. “It’s all right. We all have to do whatever it takes to survive around here”. She lowered her voice. “I had to join the Jocks, just for protection. They treat me OK, even are kinda protective of me, but sometimes, one of them wants to….well, you know…”
Tony was again shocked. “I’ll put a stop to that, right away…You bet I will” Tony said angrily. “None of them are gonna touch you, ever again”.
“Tony, please…Leave it alone, for now…I can handle them…And you need their help, don’t you ? I can help you with that…Just…Let me handle it. They’re the most powerful Clique in the School”.
Tony considered for a moment. Reluctantly, he agreed not to go after anyone yet. “But”, Tony said, “Things are gonna change around here…You can count on it.”
________________________________________________
-
Later, after Tony snuck Karen back to her Dorm, he snuck back to his own Dorm. Constantinos approached him coming out of the Common Room and whispered something to him.
"Shit", Tony muttered, and headed back outside, going to the Autoshop area. Dodging Prefects, he hunkered at the side of the Fountain.
"Ah, Tony !” a voice sounded. Laurent was approaching. Tony noticed a bottle in his hands. It was just as Constantinos said.
"Tony, Tony... Tu es mon pote, hein ?", Laurent said, his words slurring.
"What the... Man, you're drunk ?", Tony asked, not really shocked.
"Qu'est-ce que tu dis ?", Laurent said drunkenly.
"C'mon, we have to get back to the Dorm”, Tony said. “Come with me !"
"Pourquoi ? Je suis bien ici !", Laurent spewed out another phrase Tony didn’t understand.
"The Prefects are gonna see you ! Fuck, man, you get what I say ?", Tony said, looking around.
"Attrape-moi !" Laurent sped off in direction of the Harrington House. Tony didn't lose any time. If the Prefects saw him, he'd be kicked out... Could this drunk boy still Parkour ?
Laurent crossed the Harrington side yard, and jumped over a break in the high wall. So did Tony. They ran in the grass, through the plants. Laurent climbed the wall and arrived at the locked Nerd’s gate. He hit many buttons, and after screaming a French word, started trying to climb to the roof of the library, without any rope. In fact, he used the borders of the windows, a very dangerous technique. But Tony was afraid for the life of his friend, so he did the same. Arriving on the roof, he continued pursuing Laurent. No way out... Except... Falling ?
Laurent stopped right before the end of the roof, and started to lose balance. Tony grabbed him from the back, pivoted, then jumped and landed with the French kid on the flower beds in peat moss, breaking their fall without any injuries.
"Do you hear me ? Fuck !!!", Tony said, exasperated.
"Tony... You are very good... But I have to sleep now”, Laurent mumbled.
"It's about time ! Now you're gonna walk right, understood ?", Tony demanded.
The two boys got back to the Dorm without trouble. Laurent was already asleep as Tony threw him on his bed. Steve had things to explain him tomorrow... But he'd ask him without any violence, as Steve was still his only way to access the Greasers.
____________________________________________
-
After waking up the next day, Tony decided to go see the Greasers. There, he could ask Steve about last night's little incident with Laurent, and maybe get more in touch with the Clique. He decided to dress with the classic green Bullworth vest and jeans.
As he arrived at the Autoshop gate, a Greaser in leather jacket was standing between the two open gates. "Hey, you, get away, there's nothing to see here."
"Relax, Dude, I came to talk to Steve.", Tony said calmly.
"Steve ? You know him ? I swear that if it was a lie, I'll have to beat you up”, the Greaser retorted, then turned and screamed the name of Steve. Tony took this time to look the guy carefully in the eyes. They were classic brown eyes, and they looked hard. For one moment, the eyes went at the bottom, then left. As far as Tony knew, this meant that he was thinking about something. A minute later, Steve's face appeared behind the fence that delimited the Greaser territory.
"Hey, Tony ! You're doing well ?", Steve greeted.
"I gotta talk to you, Steve”, Tony said. “I'm sure you know what I want to talk about."
"Yeah, sure, glad you’re here !”, Steve added.
"So, may I enter, or does today, discussions between friends make themselves through the fence ?", Tony asked.
"Of course... Let him enter, Hal !", Steve called cheerfully.
Tony passed around the fence, and arrived in a zone roofed by corrugated iron, only a little over two yards high, that had been thrown together since the last time he was here. There were several old sofas there, and Tony noticed that one of them was taken from a car. On the right of the open room, there were draped cloths that made a sort of wall. The whole works were attached to the building where there was the open bay that contained the Greaser’s classic car. Around the work benches were mechanic’s tools and the big wood box where Tony had gotten the hooks. On a steel table in front of the sofas, there was a motor attached with a cable to a huge motor-puller, sitting in the middle of a huge oil spot. Tony sat on a pretty comfortable seat, while Steve took place on the car sofa, beside the motor.
"You want anything to drink, Tony ?", Steve asked.
"Any soda would make it”, said Tony.
Steve eased into the bay and reached around to little dirty fridge on his right. He grabbed a cola, threw it to Tony, then grabbed another one, and threw it in the direction of the draped cloths. A hand reached through and grabbed it. Laurent emerged from behind the cloths and sat down next to Tony.
"You guys have to explain to me something !" said Tony with a fake smile, not really surprised to see Laurent there.
"It is all my fault, Tony”, Laurent said, embarrassed. “I had a little beer, two, three... You know...."
"You were lucky I seen you”, Tony admonished.
"Je sais... I know”, Laurent said, his face reddening
"Whatever”, Tony chuckled. “You've learned something about motors ?"
"He’s learned a lot !" said Steve, hands still working.
"This is good..." Tony said as he drank the refreshing liquid.
"What about you ? And this girl... Karen ?", Laurent asked with a sly look.
"What would you have done, you little perv ?", Tony joked back. The three laughed.
"OK, Steve, I'm here to meet you Greasers, to learn a bit on motors, and stuff like that”, Tony said, more at ease.
"No problem”, Steve said. “You won't be able to access our shop class for now, but you can come see me anytime."
"Thanks, man”, Tony said. “Hey, Laurent, what's going on this afternoon in the gym ? Super-Dodgeball again ?"
"Non, nothing today, I think”, Laurent said, and swirled his arm around. “I may check this out."
"You wanna stay here ?", Tony asked.
"Oui.", Laurent replied. “For awhile.”
"OK, I'll see you after lunch sometime”, Tony said, getting up. “Don't you guys do any stupid stuff while I'm away."
"Yeah, Mmum..." mumbled Steve jokingly.
_________________________________________
-
Later, after leaving his first class of the day, Tony walked down the hall, and then out of nowhere, it seemed, one of Kurt's henchmen shoved Tony.
"What the Hell, Man !?" said Tony.
"It's a warning, Douche. Don't screw with our Leader." said the Rocker.
Shit. That weasel, Kurt, is up to something, Tony thought, Well, I'm gonna nip this right quick.
_________________________________________________
-
“Leader ? You don’t have a Leader, Shitbag” Tony snarled. “Hell, you weird fuckers don’t even have a Clique”
“Yeah, well we do now !”, the Rocker kid said, getting up in Tony’s face.
“STEP BACK”, Tony yelled, roughly pushing the Rocker kid into the lockers. “You better run, shit-for-brains….You DO NOT wanna be messin’ with this !!!”
Staggering back upright from the lockers, The Rocker kid, who’s name was Tibo, yelled back “You Fuckface, We Are Gonna TAKE YOU DOWN…..”
“STOP THAT RIGHT NOW !!! WORTHLESS SCUM !!! TIME FOR A BEATING !!!”
The Prefect was racing down the hall, straight at Tony and Tibo. Both boys took off in different directions, and the small crowd of kids who had gathered to watch scattered. Tony ran down the hall, took a right, ran towards the Teacher’s lounge, took another right, and ran full tilt for the Boy’s restroom, knocking down a couple of other students on the way. Just before he reached the bathroom, he dived into the rather large Trash Bin beside it.
This better work, he thought.
The Prefect came around the corner, still yelling, and came to a halt when he realized he could no longer see his prey. After a couple of minutes, he walked off.
“YOU’LL GET A BEATING NEXT TIME !!!”
Tony peeked over the top of the trash bin and saw the coast was clear. He had just come out of his first Chemistry class right before being accosted by the Rocker kid. He climbed out of the Trash Bin and brushed himself off.
That’s what I get for coming back to class, he thought.
________________________________________________
-
Walking with Karen to his next class, Tony sensed a change in the way some of the students in the school were respecting him, giving him space. The Nerds, The Greasers, The Jocks, and even The Preps were not hassling him, and some were actually being nice. The Bullies were being just as big of shits as they always were, though.
“Meet me tonight behind the Dorm ?’, asked Karen.
“You know it babe…I’ll be there”, Tony replied as the bell rang. He ducked into Art class.
========================================================================
After Art class, where Tony did some more drawings while ogling Ms. Phillips, he headed down to the Football Field to find Laurant. Spotting him over by his usual spot at the bleachers, Tony approached him.
“Heya, Tony, whatcha know ? Get in some grabs at the Art teacher this fine afternoon ?”, Laurent greeted him.
“Hello, Laurent…Um..Why are you talking like a Greaser ?”, Tony asked.
Laurant let out a long laugh. “Just practicing, my friend….Just practicing. Some of the lingo rubbed off on Moi….Oui ?”
“I guess so”, Tony replied, smelling just a whiff of alcohol on the French boy. “Listen, I’m gonna need your lockpicking skills…I’ve got to get out some more merchandise to sell to the Preps. Meet me at the gate about 2 AM, after midnight, tomorrow night ?”
“Well, sure, or…..We could just take a shortcut over there”, he said pointing over at a large, tall steel panel-looking thing set into the wall over at the North-East side of the field.
“What are you talking about ?” Tony asked.
“Through that, you may go right to the front of the Observatory”, Laurant said. “You asked me how I knew about the place. I had already been in there. I used the Parkour to get over that, second night of school."
“What about the Razor Wire ?”, Tony said, “You said it would cut us up !”
“Not any more !”, Laurent said, pulling a pair of large wire cutters from his back pocket. “Got these from Steve last night !”
“Well, I’ll be damned…Why didn’t you tell me this before ?”
“Mon du !! You didn’t ask !!”, laughed Laurent.
========================================================================
“It looks like you’re coming along well, young man. I think we can release you tomorrow”, the white suited woman said.
Kurt looked up at the Infirmary Nurse whose name he didn’t remember. “That’ll be just great….I gotta lotta work to catch up on…”
As he settled back on the pillows, he thought, Yeah…A WHOLE lotta work.
__________________________________________
-
The next day Kurt was released. He rallied up all the Rockers, and started talking to Tibo. "Did you warn that dickhead ?" Kurt asked.
"Uhh...Yeah…Almost got busted though." Tibo replied.
"Alright guys. We all know the enemy here. That douche, Tony. A 'little bird' told me he's going to be selling some merchandise to the Rich Pricks tonight." Kurt announced.
He continued, "The Greasers think rather fondly of us…Met Peanut at the Infirmary after he got beaten by a Prep. I told him everything about what's going on tonight, and he told me him and the boys will be glad to help. So, tonight, 2 AM...we'll be there. Us Rockers for revenge, and the Greasers for the Preps. It'll be like hell breaking loose, minus those wimpy Nerds, and Jocks."
_______________________________________
-
Right before curfew, Tony left the Boy’s dorm, and walked Quickly to the Girl’s dorm. He encountered one Prefect along the way, from a short distance…But as it wasn’t quite 11 PM yet, the Prefect only yelled “GO ON SCUM…YOU’RE WORTHLESS” at him, and Tony hurried faster. Arriving behind the Girl’s Dorm, he took up a spot beside a dumpster, and waited. Soon, he spotted a small dark figure coming around the corner, making their way slowly towards him.
“Tony ?” the dark figure said softly.
“Karen” Tony said in a low voice. “Over Here”.
She quickly moved towards the sound of his voice, and the came into each other’s arms.
“I missed you after classes…Where were you ?” Asked Karen.
“I hadda go talk to Derby of the Preps…We have to make a delivery to them tonight”.
“Oh, Tony, do promise me that you’ll be careful !”, fretted Karen.
“Relax -- They’re harmless…Besides, I’ve got this…” He patted the Spud Gun at his side….”for protection. And, now I have these”. He dug his hand in his other pocket, and pulled out several cylindrical objects with fuses attached to them.
“What are those ?” asked Karen, although she pretty much knew.
“Firecrackers”, said Tony. “More like M-80s though…Powerful”.
“Where did you get those ?”, Karen asked.
“I made ‘em….Learned how to in Chem class today…Sulfur and gunpowder, jam them down these hollow tubes, stick in a fuse…When the old coot wasn’t looking, I swiped me a bunch of the stuff to make them with. Took me about 2 hours to put all these together, holed up in my room tonight”.
“Tony, just be careful…I know you gotta do what you have to…..”, Karen began.
“No problem…Just a routine delivery…It’ll be fine", Tony said. Speaking of fine…Com’re Baby…”
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Jake had finished moving the last of his stash over to the Hobo’s yard the night before. He was now headed back to the Boy’s Dorm to look again for his Slingshot. It had to be under there somewhere, Dammit…Suddenly, he stopped.
He heard something from around the back of the Girl’s Dorm. Quietly, he made his way over to the back corner of the building, then slowly into the darkness.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Melvin and Fatty were conferring in the Library.
“So, you asked him ?”, said Fatty.
“Yes, talked to him today, over by the Fountain. We made a deal”, Melvin said.
Fatty sighed. “So how much is this gonna cost us ?”.
“Ten dollars a day…If nothing happens.", Melvin recounted "Twenty dollars on any day that he has to beat up anybody who hurts any one of us. Plus, we get to knock off Five dollars on any day one of us gets knocked out if he isn’t able to get there in time to protect them”.
Fatty snorted. “Sounds complicated…”
“There’s more”, Melvin went on. “If we come to his aid in a fight, then he will supply us with what we need for a week”.
“What can we do ?” asked Fatty.
Melvin patted his Spud Gun. “We have these. We can stand far away and shoot”.
“I don’t know…I guess”, Fatty said. “I have to go pee”.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jake stood very still in the darkness, listening to the sounds of Tony and Karen making out. Finally, their rapid breathing slowed, and Tony spoke.
“I gotta go pretty soon…Round up Laurant and Constantinos and get the merchandise. We’re supposed to meet Derby and the Preps after 2 AM over by Harrington House for the delivery”.
“OK…I guess I got to let you go…For now, you bad boy….And Tony, please be careful !”, Karen said again.
“Piece of cake”, Tony said.
Delivery ? Merchandise ? How the hell did he get stuff for the Preps ? Jake’s paranoid mind was racing. Doesn’t Matter. Doesn’t Matter. Gotta find that Slingshot. And break into Trent’s room from the back window. That fuck still has some Firecrackers. Very quietly Jake edged back in the darkness, back around the corner, and started silently running towards the Boy’s Dorm. Looks like I can get some action sooner than I thought.
_____________________________________________________
-
Kurt, Tibo, and the other Rockers were holed up in the back garage of the Autoshop, along with some of the Greasers.
“What’s the deal, Pinwheel ?” one of the Greasers asked.
“I’ve got Winkie up on the roof with one of those zoom cameras you guys let us use. About 2 AM, when he sees some activity over there, we go”.
“Heyyy, Oka-Doka by me, my man”, the Greaser replied.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tony and Laurant did the Parkour over the steel wall while Constantinos stood watch. Upon reaching the Observatory, Laurant picked the lock like before, and the boys quickly went back to the closet.
“How many are they getting ?” asked Laurent.
“Two Boxes” Said Tony. “Just two boxes this time”.
The boys grabbed the boxes, silently exited the Observatory, and did the Parkour back over the wall, and met back up with Constantinos.
“You know, Tony…We should bring a few of the Jocks…Just in case there is any trouble”.
“What Trouble ? This is a done deal”, said Tony.
“I know, my friend…Still, It would make me feel better”.
“Well….Alright…But just tell them they gotta stay in the background…We don’t wanna spook the Preps”.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jake had located his Slingshot under the Dorm at last. Now, he emerged from the wall, not even bothering to re-stack the bricks. Fuck it. He climbed onto the dumpster located under Trent’s room, and slowly eased up the window.
Climbing into the room, he heard Trent saying something in his sleep.
“Hey, wanna play shirts and skins ?”, he mumbled.
Queer bastard. Jake moved over to the bed, and grabbed Trent by the throat. Gasping for air, Trent struggled awake.
“I need all the Firecrackers you got, and I need them NOW”, Jake hissed.
“Glurk…OK, OK….”.Trent sputtered.
Hauling Trent out of bed, Jake gave him a hard kick. “Hurry UP !!”.
Trent retrieved the firecrackers from his hiding spot and handed them over to Jake.
“What’s going on ?”, asked Trent.
“Like you give a shit, you fucking pussy. I got a battle to win. You can go back to bed, like the little girl you are, or you can come and help fight. Your choice, Faggot”.
Trent, as dim as he was, still didn’t like his manhood called a chicken, so he quickly dressed and prepared to join Jake.
“All right ho-mo, let’s go”, Jake told him.
The two boys slipped out the window, and headed for the Library, to hop the wall and then take the shortcut to the path that led to the Prep’s side yard.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A little after 2 AM, the door to Harrington House opened. Through it came Darby and two of the Preps. Biff and Gord. They went to stand by the closest pillars, waiting on Tony and the merchandise.
____________________________________________________
-
Tony, Constanos, and Laurent arrived. "Do you have the merchandise?" began Derby.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Winkie spotted the activity, called down from the roof. "They're There !"
"Let's go !!", Kurt said, as he picked up a baseball bat and led the way, "Let's Do This !!" he exclaimed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jake and Trent arrived in the shadow of Harrington House via the side yard from the Library. They could see Tony, Laurent, Constantinos, and all the Preps. Slowly, they began to move forward.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kurt and the Rockers snuck forward in the shadows along the pathway to Harrington House.
_________________________________________________________________________
-
Tony heard a noise behind him. Turning, he looked, and there by the Prep's side yard stood Jake and Trent.
"What the Hell, you fag !" Said Tony. "You're harder to get rid of than gum on a shoe !"
"All right, You asked for it !!", Jake said while striking a M-80 Firecracker on his pants. Suddenly, he was blasted by a Potato Spud that seemed to be coming from behind him. One of the Nerds had followed them over the walls from the Library. The Spud blasted Jake right in the back of his head, knocking him out cold with the lit M-80 Firecracker in his hand. Trent picked up the Firecracker and threw it for his life. The Firecracker exploded in mid air, and Trent grabbed Jake by the legs and started dragging him back through the yard.
"This isn't over !" said Trent, screaming at Tony.
"OK, Fuckface" said Tony. He wanted to chase after tham, but Derby was waiting impatently for his goods. "Back to business, I guess", he muttered.
_____________________________________________
-
"Listen to me, Tony”, Derby said, “It's all right that you got the cheapest and the only merchandise that we can have. But I don't want this... Kind of thing to happen again."
"I didn't know anything about this, you know“, Tony said truthfully. “I promise you that I will find out what these assholes had in mind and deal with them.”
Derby seemed satisfied with that answer. Then, getting back to the merchandise, Tony showed the boxes. “Now, I got two full boxes... I'm sure you will love them. I've got very fine clothes for you, the Leader that respects his appearance, and more light clothing, for the ones who prefer to combine good-looking and good feeling !"
"Of course, we’ll take it”, said Derby, after looking it over. “Oh, uh... Maybe you could find something for my girlfriend, Pinky... Hey, Pinky ? Come on out here, please !"
A very fine looking dark-haired girl came out of the Harrington House. She was apparently wearing good clothes, but Derby sure wasn't thinking so. She walked very elegantly, gave her hand to Derby and walked to Tony, acknowledging him with a nod of her head.
"You know, Pinky... This here is the young man I've talked about”, Derby said. “OK, Tony, look at this skirt she has. It's a bit ripped there, and there. Could you maybe obtain something for her ?"
"Of course I can”, Tony said. “Maybe even by tomorrow night ?"
"Hmmm…But we won't be here then. I and my friends are going to playing cards at the Glass Jaw Gym", Derby pondered.
"I'll be in the Girls Dorm !", Pinky said. "You just have to bring it to me quickly... Could you do that ? Please... I can't stay in this ripped ugly skirt !"
"Okay, I'll make it”, Tony said, “No problem."
"Thank you.", Pinky said, giving Tony a curious look before turning and going back into Harrington House.
"Okay, Tony, we’ll take your boxes now”, Derby said. “Here's for you, I think that's the cost."
Tony looked at the money….$80 dollars, plus the $22 he had left... $102 dollars. He had really made out good. He tucked the money in his pocket.
"We’ll see you later than…And do not forget to teach those Pricks a lesson, so that they don't do their crude antics again at our place again”, Derby said.
"Sure, I'll do it.”, Tony assured him, then turned and motioned for Laurent and Constantinos to go.
_________________________________________________
-
Hearing sudden yells behind him, Tony turned in that direction. The Rockers, followed by the Greasers,. were running down the pathway towards them, waving Melee Weapons. The Greasers went for the Preps of Derby, Biff, and Gord, while Kurt, Tibo, and Winkie went for Tony, Laurent and Constantinos.
Tony pulled out and raised his Spud Gun as Kurt, Tibo, and Benny charged up the steps of the Harrington House pathway, followed by the three other Rockers. Tony fired off the Spud Gun at Kurt, but this time he saw it coming, and ducked. The spud meant for Kurt instead hit Tibo in the nuts, and he fell, withering in pain. Kurt avoided the next spud shot by ducking behind a pillar. He pulled out a loose chunk of brick from the pillar and lobbed it at Tony, who ducked just a little too late as the brick smacked him in the shoulder. Tony staggered, dropping his Spud gun, and Kurt charged him from behind the pillar.
Seeing Tony in distress, Constantinos stepped in front of Tony and faced the charging Kurt, who swung the Bat in his hands and connected with Constantinos’ already injured ribs. Constantinos fell to the ground in agony, as Kurt resumed his charge. Tony dropped to the ground and leg swept Kurt’s legs out fro under him, and he fell, dropping the Bat. Both boys hopped up and went at each other, exchanging punches. The other Rockers formed a circle around the two combatants, watching the fight. The Jocks, who had been waiting in the shadows of the pathway to the Gym, raced up around the Fountain behind the Greasers, and started taking them out from behind.
Hearing the commotion, more Preps poured out the doors of Harrington House and joined in the fight against the attacking Cliques. The entire yard soon resembled a giant cage match, with hand-to-hand fighting going on everywhere. Laurent, having fended off an attack from a Prep, joined his fellow athletes and started pounding the outnumbered Rockers.
Spuds began raining down on the scene from the hidden Nerds, who had snuck up to the Fountain from the North. Being quite a ways from the main fight, many of the Spuds missed their targets, bit some found their mark. The barrage continued even as the Greasers, who seemed to have the upper hand, kept fighting the Preps. Spuds that found their mark hit both groups without distinction.
Tony and Kurt kept trading punches, but Tony was a little more savvy, getting in a lot of good shots. Kurt could street fight, but had never went to Gym class. Ducking a blow, Tony grabbed Kurt by the neck, and dragged him over to a nearby Trash Bin. Kicking Kurt in the nuts, Tony picked the boy up, and for the third time, jammed him ass first into the Bin.
“You just don’t learn, do you, Fuck ? STAY OUTTA MY BUSINESS !!”. Tony pulled a M-80 Firecracker from his pocket, lit it, and threw it into the Bin on top of the flailing Kurt. He stepped back and ducked as the Firecracker went off..…KA=BAM !!!!…..Knocking Kurt into unconsciousness. Tony looked around, and saw the Jocks beating the shit out of the Rockers. Behind him, Constantinos was struggling to his feet. Retrieving his Spud Gun, Tony went to him and helped him up. The battle still raged on.
“Come on, little man…Let’s get you outta here”. Tony said, as he grabbed Constantinos under the arms and walked him away from the yard, handing him off to a Jock named Bo, who would take him to safety at the Jock’s House. Tony then re-joined the fight alongside Laurent.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Trent had dragged Jake from the scene, boosted him over the three walls between Harrington House and the Library. Checking the pathway in front of the Library, Trent saw a Prefect racing past, heading towards the source of the noise at Harrington House. Coast Clear. Trent picked up the unconscious Jake in a fireman carry, and carried him all the way to the Boy’s dorm, up the front steps, through the front door, and into his room.
___________________________________________
-
The Greasers declined to attack Tony and Laurent after seeing how he had defeated Kurt, and concentrated their attack on the Preps. The Jocks were kicking Rocker ass. The stronger, more fight versed-Preps ran off the Greasers, and the last two Rockers stood down and ran. As Tony punched the last one fifteen times in the shoulder on his way out, the hidden Nerds lowered their weapons while coming out of the darkness, and the four big Jocks stopped and lowered their massive fists. The Preps retreated to the inside of Harrington House, while both other cliques faced, without knowing what to do. Finally, a skinny Nerd named Cornelius stepped forward and gave his hand to the nearest Jock. The tall Jock looked at his friends, smiled, and gave his hand to the Nerd. "Good job”, he said.
All members of both cliques began congratulating each other, and Tony decided to conclude this one-night friendship. He spoke to all, to prove them that gathering is winning. In sign of his gratitude, he began to distribute five bucks each. On his calculation, a $35 dollars profit wasn’t as important when compared to his benefits. And, this could make them have better respect and a good opinion about him. Finally, after all were dispersed by the arriving Prefects, Laurent had left with Tony.
"You did a good job too, Laurent, thanks to you”, Tony said gratefully.
"I am sure you can solve the problems we have here, and that's why I want to be your Friend”, Laurent declared.
"You deserve five bucks too”, said Tony.
"Non. You have saved my ass, I had to help you there."
"I suppose we gotta sleep now”, Tony said, still hyped up. “Have you got anything you wanna do ?"
"I could teach you something", Laurent proposed. La roulade."
"Oh yeah ?“, said Tony with curiosity. “What the hell is that ?"
"Come with me. Viens !", Laurent said, and began running. Tony followed.
===============================================================
They arrived at the Library. Laurent began to talk, "As far as I remember... I was up there last night”, he said, pointing at the roof.
"You were about to fall. In fact, we did fall. If it wasn’t for that peat moss in the flower bed, I wouldn't want to see your legs !"
"That's the point”, Laurent said, and began to climb the window borders, as he had the other night. When he reached the second floor, he paused.
And then Laurent jumped.
As he began to touch the ground, he bent his legs, made himself a sort of ball, and rolled perfectly as such for several yards, popping back to his feet. The whole movement had been made in less than a second. Laurent made his way back over and explained the whole thing to Tony.
"If you fall straight, your gravity is all vertical. If you do the roulade, it will be horizontal... That's why it works. Oui ?", he said.
"Uh, how do I do this exactly ?”, Tony asked. “I mean, with my body ?"
"Bend the legs, Roll your body... Like this... Start from your right shoulder... End in the left Kidney... Like this...", Laurent demonstrated in slow motion.
Tony approached the building from the side. He looked up at the spot where Laurent had jumped. How tall was it ? Four yards ? More ? Tony shrugged and began to climb as Laurent had, reaching the second floor. He remembered the lesson of the French kid, and jumped. Bent his legs. Rolled his body. Heard a crack.
Fuck... My Shoulder…. Tony groaned.
_______________________________________
-
Tony went to the Infirmary to get his shoulder checked out. As he arrived, he noticed a familiar face slumped in a chair…Kurt. He was semi-conscious.
“Muther..Muther…Fukkerr..” the boy slurred, seeing Tony.
Tony got his shoulder checked out, keeping a wary eye on Kurt.
“Just a Sprain”, the Nurse McRae said. “Here’s a sling. Now go on, take off….We have a lot of injured to deal with here….Damn stupid kids.”
Tony looked around. She was right. More than a dozen boys were already packed in the small infirmary, with the Prefects still bringing in more, some walking, most being carried. Tony gave Kurt the finger before leaving the Infirmary and stepping outside.
Since the Prefects were occupied with bringing the injured kids in, they didn’t seem concerned with busting anybody for curfew. Tony headed down the steps, and started toward the Boy’s Dorm.
_____________________________________________
-
Jake came to in Trent’s room. His head hurt something fierce. He sat up, woozy.
“Whoa, Dude…You really got hammered”, Jake heard a voice say.
“What The Fuck…Trent ?? Where the Hell…What the Hell…Oh SHIT, MY HEAD !!!”….Jake groaned, “AHHH, FUCK…FUCK….FUCK…!!!!”
Trent looked at Jake nervously…”Uhh…I brought you back here…You was knocked out…”
“NO SHIT SHERLOCK !!! How the FUCK did you arrive at that decision, DUMBASS ??”, Jake raged.
Trent shut up, afraid to say more. Jake got shakily to his feet. Still woozy, but he cold stand…and walk. Good.
“Get me something for my head” he said to Trent. Just about every student in Bullworth kept some kind of OTC pain reliever handy, because it really came in handy after a beating. Trent dug around in his dresser and came up with a bottle of Tylenol.
“Gimme those”, Jake said, snatching the bottle out of Trent’s hand. Gulping down some of the pills, he jammed the bottle in his pocket. “I can’t stay here”, He said wobbling to the door. He stopped. “Listen…Thanks….For getting me outta there….I’ll be getting back to you.” Then he was out the door and gone.
_____________________________________________
-
The next afternoon, after he awoke, Tony realized he had missed his classes. He decided to go check things out anyway, as he had to see if he still had a delivery to take care of this evening for that Prep Girl. As Tony was walking around the Quad, he ran into Kurt.
"Look here, I'm done with this. I was one of the toughest kids where I come from, then I agreed to get sent to this crap-bomb." Kurt said. "I already got the Greasers on my side. Those Nerds, they drove a hard bargain, but I finally struck a deal. So, you watch your back. I never fall behind in something like this. This is War !!" Kurt continued, and then walked away.
Tony watched as he walked off. What an Asshole, Tony thought.
_______________________________________________________
-
Just then he heard a voice behind him say, "That kid is such a pest !"
It made Tony jump... But it was only Karen.
"You're a little jumpy, aren't you ?" said Karen.
"Sorry," said Tony. "That kid won't get of my ass. This is getting way too serious between us."
"Oh, don't worry. Those Rockers are weak, we don't need the Nerds…We have the only clique we need.....The Jocks." Karen pointed down towards the Parking Lot to a Jocks-Rocker fight that had just started up. "You just relax, heal up, and let the Jocks do the fighting for now."
It seemed that the Jocks were whooping some ass. They walked on towards the Fountain, then Tony told Karen he had some business to take care of. Giving her a kiss, he told her he would see her later. Karen continued on down to the Football Field, and Tony turned left, down the pathway to Harrington House.
Approaching the doors, he knocked several times, but got no response. Tony recalled that Derby had said they were going to be at a place called the Glass Jaw this evening, which he had no Idea where that was at.
He wasn’t sure if Derby still wanted to do business with him, seeing as how there had been a big battle here last night, partly on his account. Neither did he know whether that Prep girl, Pinky, would actually be waiting on him to bring her a skirt this evening. He supposed he could have Constantinos check out the Girl’s Dorm and find out if she was there. For some reason, Tony felt that Karen shouldn’t know about him doing business with this Prep girl. He didn’t exactly know why that was, but thought it might be that odd look the girl had given him last night.
After a while, it became clear that nobody was going to answer his knocks. Tony checked, and found the doors locked. Obviously, They had already left. He went off to find Constantinos.
It took a while to track him down, as Constantinos had been in the back room of the School Infirmary all day, as a result of last night’s battle. Tony found him moping in front of the School. Telling him what he needed, Tony had to encourage him with another five bucks. With that, Constantinos agreed to find out and meet him later in the evening. Tony then went to the Football Field to spend the remainder of the day with Karen.
Later on, after dark, Tony walked Karen back to the Girl’s Dorm, engaging in some kissing and groping around back before she went in. Tony turned to leave as Karen entered the side door, and going around front, he saw Constantinos approaching him from the shadows on the North side of the Dorm. In A hurried conference, Constantinos informed him that Pinky was not at the Girl’s Dorm this evening.
They walked back to the Boy’s Dorm to take their rest. But Tony didn't know he still had a whole load of shit coming his way in the days to come.
_________________________________________
-
Trent awoke hearing a tapping at his window. What the hell, it was after 2 AM. He got up and opened the window. It was Jake. He started shoving some boxes through the window, then came climbing through himself. “What the hell took you so long ?”
“Duh…Sorry, I was sleeping…..”, Trent began to say.
“What the fuck ever….I need you to sell these for me, and collect the money. I’ll give you a twenty-per-cent cut. These boxes..”, Jake pointed, “are for your group, the Bullies. And these..” He pointed again, “are for the Greasers.”
“But…But…The Greasers HATE you now, they won’t wanna buy stuff offa you…”, Trent protested.
“They’re not buying them from ME, you numb fuck”, Jake said.
“Uhhh….What’da mean ?”, said Trent.
Jake swore. Nobody could be this stupid. “They’re buying them from YOU, fuckface….You tell them you’ve taken over my operation. Same price as before. You’ll be dealing with them from now on. Take Russell with you. That oughtta get you in.”
“But…” Trent said, “They’ll ask about you…What’ll I tell them….”
Jake swore again. “Tell them I disappeared. Tell them I got locked up. Tell them I’m Dead. I don’t give a fuck from Hell WHAT you tell them. Just make it good, and make them believe that I’m outta the picture. Have you got that ??”
“Uhh…Yeah….OK, can do”, Trent said.
“Good”, Jake said, and climbing back out the window, was gone.
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-
The weather turned chillier, as it tended to do in the Fall in New England. Some time had gone by, but all was not well at the Bullworth Campus.
Karen couldn’t sleep. She was worried about Tony. Almost a week had gone by since the big fight, but there was an undercurrent of tension among the Cliques. The Rockers were now staying with the Greasers over at the Autoshop, and the other cliques were still pissed at both Cliques for starting the big fight over at Harrington House. Karen had been sitting, looking out the window towards the Boy’s Dorm. Just then…She noticed a figure sneaking down the path towards the Girl’s Dorm. Was that Tony ?….No, wrong size…
Was That….Jake ? Karen watched as the figure cut to their left, went across the yard, and hopped up the wall at the shortcut. Karen suddenly decided to follow whoever it was, and ran out of her room softly to the side door opening it just in time to see the figure jump off the other end of the shortcut, and head to the Parking Lot.
Rounding the wall at the Parking Lot, Karen watched as the figure made his way to the old school bus at the far end, and then go inside. Karen considered…. If that was Jake….Could be where he had been hiding out by day ?…And at night, he would be out roaming….
Karen decided to return to the Dorm for some much-needed sleep for now. She would tell Tony tomorrow. By the way it was looking, if that was Jake…He wasn’t doing so well.
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-
Tony was woke up by Constantinos that Saturday, knocking on his door. The miserable dude said that he had seen Steve walking everywhere nervously, almost like he was depressed. Tony dressed up, and made his way up to the Fountain, where he saw Steve, walking around the Statue like crazy. Tony threw on some clothes and made his way to the Fountain, where he saw Steve. It was just as Constantinos had said, Steve was indeed circling around the edge of the Fountain, his eyes fixated on the forgotten Bullhorn Player Statue in the center.
"Ah, Tony !”, Steve greeted him in a jittery manner.
"What's up man ?“, Tony asked. “Anything wrong ?"
"Are you fucking kidding ?”, Steve whooshed. “ Don't you SEE what's happening ?"
"Er... What should be different ?", Tony said, looking around.
"You know, it all comes from the Rockers”, Steve said, resuming his aimless walk around the fountain. “They've been on our turf the last few days, and after some guys of MY Clique were paid to try to kick your ass.….I can't trust anybody."
"Okay”, Tony said. “I'll put a scare into the Rockers, while you'll talk to your Clique."
"What should I tell them ?", Steve lamented, stopping his pacing.
"Fuck ! Did you forget who you are ? You're a Greaser, and all of your boys are Greasers, you hear me ?”, Tony said, gripping Steve’s arm. “Any of you aren't part of this for money, any of you aren't part of this for being in a group….You all are a part of this because you THINK like Greasers !"
Steve considered this a moment. "Yeah, you're right."
"And that's why your people gather, because they're different from rich kids, because they KNOW that money doesn't buy class !“, Tony continued. “Do you really think that these Virgins Rockers are like you ? Because they AREN'T !"
The doubt left Steve‘s face, and he smiled. “That‘s damn straight !”, he said.
“Just remind your Clique of who they are”, Tony said, “They’re Greasers, not somebody else’s Little Bitches.”
Steve resolutely walked to the steps that led to the Autoshop, then turned. "What are you going to do to...Um…Scare these boys ?"
"I got my little ideas... And don't forget…”, Tony said, forking his middle and index fingers towards his face, “The eyes, Chico, they never lie."
Tony sped off. His idea was to give a lesson to these wannabe-tough-guys anonymously. And for this, he'd need a mask, and a sweat-shirt with a hood.…That's the way to do it.
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-
Tony knew the one place he could find a disguise, later that night.... The Boys Locker Room underneath the Gym and the Pool Building. After sneaking down there after-hours, he started picking the combination locks, a ridiculously easy thing to do. Tony wasn’t above a little larceny if it served his purposes. At first didn't find anything useful. In the seventh one he found a ski mask. And in the tenth, he found something he had never seen before.... A Bottle Rocket Launcher.
"Damn! How do they get this shit?!" Thought Tony.
He set off to the Autoshop in his new disguise and saw a group of Rockers, standing in a corner by the entryway, smoking. "Need A Light ??!" he shouted out loud while pulling the trigger on the bottle rocket launcher.
The charged M-80s from the Launcher landed right in the middle of them and knocked them to the asphalt.
Why didn't I steal this before ?, thought Tony.
As one of them stumbled up to his feet, Tony whipped out his Spud Gun and blasted his ass. Three bodies now lay withering on the ground.
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-
As Tony moved further into the Greasers turf., he saw Steve had apparently made a good job with his talk -- All the Greasers from his Clique were in back, fighting the last three Rockers.
"We need backup !”, a Rocker name Benny screamed. “Where are these fucking smoking assholes ?"
Tony knew the backup will never come.…It would soon be lying in the Infirmary. He patiently looked the devastating feet and fists of the Greasers raining down on the poor Rockers, and knew that couldn't resist much longer. After the last Rocker went down, Tony took a few steps in direction of the gathered Clique, his mask still on, and screamed, "It's The End For All You Losers !!"
As the Greasers were stepping back from him, he lowered the Spud Gun and pulled his mask off. A couple recognized him, laughing.
"All right, I see you Greasers have taken over your turf again”, grinned Tony. “That's a good thing !"
"Who are you ?", said a Greaser named Ricky.
"Some of you don't know me already. I'm Tony.", he introduced himself.
"He just helped us, by knocking out the rest of the Rockers !" said Steve.
"So, you're welcome….Wanna drink something ?" asked Norton, a black greaser.
"Yeah, come in under the shelter, so I can get to know you better”, said Peanut, the Clique’s leader.
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-
Karen had told Tony about what she had seen at the old School Bus in the parking lot. Tony decided to check it out that evening, after confabing with the Greasers and making his peace with them. The place was right next to the Greasers’ area. Getting the flashlight from his stash, and fully arming himself with his remaining M-80 Firecrackers, Tony left the dorm after 2 AM. Avoiding the patrolling Prefects, Tony snuck out to the old Bus and quickly wormed his way in. Flicking the flashlight on, he soon discovered the hole that led out the other side of the old Bus, and went through it into the first small yard. To his left, he saw a gate set into a wall.
Tony had heard stories about this place. Most were vague allusions to an old Hobo named Grant that used to live there who had been some kind of fighter, and that he had disappeared under mysterious circumstances…..Fear that his ghost or something still haunted the place. Well, fuck that. Tony wasn’t afraid of Ghosts.
Getting ready to Parkour over the gate, he noticed that it was slightly ajar. He eased it open slowly, and stepped inside. Not hearing any sounds, he cautiously shined the flashlight around. He saw some assorted junk, what looked like oil barrels, and a small tent with an empty cot inside. Walking closer, he noticed a bunch of flat boxes stacked to the side of the tent. Boxes he remembered, because he had helped steal them not so long ago.
Karen must have been right. It WAS Jake she spotted, for here was his stash. Tony already knew that it had been moved. He had checked behind the dorm right after the big fight, and had found the loose bricks and the empty space. Jake had moved the remains of his stash, and here it was.
Tony had no idea where Jake had gone, but he was going to be in for a big surprise when he returned. Tony scooped up the remaining boxes, and tied them together with a scrap piece of rope he found laying on the ground. Then, exiting the yard and the old Bus, avoiding the Prefects, made his way over to the Nerd’s gate by the Library. Punching in the code, he headed through the gate and down the trail, still carrying Jake’s stash.
Instead of heading to the Observatory, however, Tony went to an apparently abandoned tunnel a little off the trail he had found earlier in the week, after he had confronted Melvin about things he had heard about the Nerds making an outside deal with Kurt and his Rocker clique after the big fight. Melvin had admitted that he had given in, under pressure, to Kurt’s threats of violence unless the Nerds paid him ‘protection’ money. Tony had let Melvin know that the Greasers had pretty much taken out the Rockers.
“Yeah, but how about Kurt ?”, Melvin asked. “He’s still around, threatening us and beating us up if we don’t pay. He’s scary !!”
Tony had thought for a moment. “Play along with him’, he said.
“What ? Play along ? How’s that gonna help us ?” Melvin asked.
“For being brainy, you guys are sure dumbasses”, Tony said. “You need to string him along until I can find a way to knock him down permanently”.
Melvin had reluctantly agreed, but Tony had decided then and there to move his stash somewhere else. When he found the boarded-up tunnel, he was able to remove a couple of the boards with ease and squeeze through. Seems the Nerds weren’t very good with using tools, either. What he found at the end of the short tunnel was an area that looked like the remains of an old spur rail line that had come around the outside of the school walls. There was another tunnel entrance here too, but this one was barred with banded steel plates that was riveted into the side of the hill. That would take work with some serious tools to unbar that one.
Tony had searched South and West of the area until he found a low-laying area under some rock shelving that would be a perfect hiding spot, so one night he and Laurant had gone to the observatory and removed the remaining stash from there and had taken it to the new spot Tony had found. Each time, they had replaced the loose boards at the entrance to the tunnel. He wasn’t going to trust any longer that the wishy-washy Nerds wouldn’t find his hiding place in the Observatory.
So it was here that Tony took Jake’s stash to hide. Now that Jake was robbed of his way to get any kind of control over the cliques, he would be finished as any kind of threat to Tony’s operations. And since most everyone knew Jake had gotten paranoid and crazy without his Meds, they wouldn’t be striking any new deals with him anytime soon.
Tony snickered as he grabbed a skirt out of his stash for Pinky. That deal was back on, according to Derby, set for tonight while the Preps would once again off-campus. Now, all that remained was to bring those dumbass Bullies under control. Which meant his next target would have to be their De Facto leader, Trent.
Russell, as Tony had learned used to be the Bullies leader, but had gone to pieces when that Jimmy boy had left Bullworth. Now all Russell did was stand around going “SMASH !! DESTROY !!”, and had almost no rational mind left. The bullies still used him as their muscle, but looked to Trent for their leadership, which just showed how stupid they really were. Tony had to come up with a plan for taking them down, and getting them under his control. Tony suspected they were still helping Jake.
It would be easy to find out. Tony would just have to beat the shit out of Trent. Not a problem.
Tony headed off to the Girl's Dorm to deliver Pinky's Skirt. Tony couldn’t help smiling. Now there was one fine looking babe.
____________________________________________
-
Tony walked all around the Girl's Dorm. He was brainstorming... The main entry would be too risky. The entry by the side too. And then he recognized a wooden trellis on the North side of the Dorm where the plants could grow on. It seemed to go up to a little hole at the top at the peak of the Dorm. Tony didn't hesitate. He put his hands on the improvised ladder, and climbed.
In the cold attic, everything was made out of wood. Some lean pillars were supporting the ceiling, as the walls didn't seem to be in perfect state. Most of the attic was dark, but with the help of his flashlight, he recognized a stairway. There was no other way down, so he decided to take it, and arrived in a small room. Before continuing, he paid some attention to the shelves on one side of the room. There were several boxes on it, and Tony had a little time to sneak a peek in them. The first one he saw had Eunice written on it, with a child’s writing... And it contained a box of chocolates.
Tony thought,Wait... This name tells me something... Whatever. This chocolates will surely be appreciated by this Pinky, right ?
Another box, another name. Christy. Tony recognized the name of the girl Steve talked about. It contained a small book, 50 Erotic Stories, by an unknown author... Good stuff to create gossip. Anyway, time to deliver the stuff and beat it. Tony put the book back in the box and made his way to the door. He opened it slowly and saw a deserted corridor, so he decided to go on. Now it was time to be smooth. He placed his ear on every door and tried to recognize the voices, or at least the expressions, from the girls he knew a bit.
"Give it back ! This is MY diary !", he heard a cow-like voice say.
"Why should I ?", a more domineering female voice said. Tony hadn’t heard that one before, and it definitely wasn't the one that girl Pinky.
The two next doors didn't give out any sound, for the simple reason that the rooms were empty. The next door didn't give the wanted result, either…Some child-like voice badly singing along to some song. That meant that Pinky's room was downstairs, where there was surely some adult matron patrolling... But Tony had to do this. He gently made his way down the winding stairs, and peeked around a corner. He saw quite obviously there was Ms. Phillips, walking away from him past a Lounge area and towards the end of a long hallway. He snuck behind her and quickly into the nearest room, which was fortunately empty of anyone at the moment.
"Huh ? I think I heard something moving there”, Ms. Phillips said, seemingly to herself. Then louder, “Please undress and go to bed, girls ! I'll be right back to turn off the lights."
Tony was brainstorming again. A place to hide, and fast. He heard the steps coming closer and closer. If the Teacher saw him, he'll never have access to Art class again, and will be considered as a Perv for the rest of the year. He opened a wardrobe, jumped in, closed the small door, and waited, nearly having a heart attack. So close.…The Art Teacher entered the room, and made a few steps in. Seeing no one was there, she made her way back to out to the hallway. Tony came out and waited until she was down the corridor. Peeking out, he saw her start up the stairs. Tony went out to the hallway and resumed listening. Passing near the next door, he heard a familiar voice.
"Oh my god, I can't stand this skirt anymore... It's all ripped !", he heard.
No answer. Of course. Rich girls prefer be alone. Tony turned the knob, and opened the door slowly. Pinky was undressing. Her Aquaberry vest was still on, but her old skirt was half down, at her knees, which made her tight blue panties appear. She looked up with alarm as Tony entered, then said angrily, "Couldn't you knock at the door ? It's the minimum of politeness, you know !"
"I didn't want to make too much noise, I'm sorry”, apologized Tony.
"Have you even got the clothing I need ?", She demanded.
"I do... Here's the premium quality skirt”, Tony offered. “Very gentle, you'll see."
"Couldn't you turn around ?”, Pinky said, then reconsidered. “Oh, no, now you've seen me like this... No matter."
She finished taking off her old skirt, threw it to Tony, and bent her nice legs to put the new one on. With little fast movements of the hip, she pulled it up and fit exactly in it.
"Perfect !”, Pinky said, looking at Tony. “But tell me, what are you hiding behind your back ?"
"Oh, this ?”, Tony said, as he withdrew the little box. “A little present for you, a sign of respect from me....Chocolates"
Pinky took the offered Chocolates, giving him that odd, appraising look, like she had done before when he first met her. Then she whirled around to look at herself in the mirror.
"This is so cute !“, Pinky exclaimed. Looking at her image in the mirror, she stifled a yawn. “I would like to talk a bit more with you, but I have got to get to sleep. For now, here's some money." She passed Tony some bills. Their fingers touched for a moment.
"Thanks. If you need another service, don't hesitate to call me !", Tony said, and exited into the hallway after looking to see if the coast was clear.
Tony decided to go out at the first exit door he saw, the door that allowed exit to the side yard of the Dorm by the dumpster where he usually met Karen when she would sneak out to see him. Always locked at night from the outside, the door would have provided easier access to Pinky’s room. As he walked to the door, he unknowingly passed Karen’s room. Her door opened a crack as he passed by.
Outside, on the way back to his Dorm, he realized that he still had Pinky's old skirt in his hand. In a reflex, he turned around to look the windows of the Girl’s Dorm, and one of them was still lit, downstairs and to the left. Behind the glass he saw Karen, looking at him…..Disappointed.
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-
Holding Pinky's torn skirt in his hand, Tony stared back at Karen for a moment, then shouted, "NO, KAREN...NO, IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK...KAREN, WAIT...!!!", as she turned and ran from the window. "AW, DAMN, DAMN, DAMN..."
Tony was suddenly grabbed in a headlock from behind and thrown violently to the ground.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF BED, YOU LITTLE PERV..?.....WHY AREN'T YOU ASLEEP ?" Yelled the Prefect who had just busted him. "I'VE JUST BEEN WAITING TO BEAT SOMEONE". The Prefect straddled Tony and begin raining down blows. Tony attempted to fight him off, but the Prefect had gotten the best of him, and he soon became senseless as the Prefect dragged him back to the Boy's Dorm.
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-
After been taken back to his Dorm room by the Prefect, Tony recovered his senses. Peering out into the hall, he smelled faint tobacco smoke coming from the Common Room. Investigating, he found an injured Constantinos, who stood there, smoking.
"Christ, Dude, are you OK ??" asked Tony, shocked.
"What does it look like ? Do you think I'm okay ?", replied Constantinos dully.
"Crap Constantinos, I'm only wondering what happened", said Tony.
"That Bastard Kurt whacked me with a baseball bat", replied Constantinos.
Tony examined Constantinos. Other than a large lump on his forehead and a bit of blood, Tony didn’t think he would be on the critical list anytime soon.
"Constantinos, I need your help", said Tony.
"No shit, but how can I help you when I'm like this ?" said Constantinos, simpering.
“Where's Russell ?”, Tony asked, ignoring Constantinos’ whining. “I think I have enough money to persuade him to help me on my hunt for that asshole, Kurt.”
"I think I saw him and Trent leaving for the Autoshop", sighed Constantinos.
"Thanks”, Tony said. “Let’s get you to your room. Look Constantinos, everything is messed up here... I lost Karen, I got busted by a damn Prefect, and I'm feeling like the goddam Lone Ranger”.
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-
Helping Constantinos to his room, Tony got the rest of the story. Constantinos had been returning to the dorm a couple of hours ago, hopping the shortcut at the wall into the dorm yard. As soon as he dropped down from the wall, he was hit from behind twice with a bat by Kurt, who said, “Take a message to your Boss....He’s Next !!”, before running off. Laying on the ground injured, Constantinos couldn’t see which way Kurt went.
Tony shook his head to clear it. He wasn’t getting any sleep tonight, it looked like. Leaving the Boy’s dorm, he headed towards the Girl’s dorm. The whole building was dark, all the inside lights were out. Tony would have to explain things to Karen later. Bypassing the dorm, he took the shortcut and headed to the parking lot. Passing by the school bus and the wall of Jake’s Hobo hideout, he entered the back of the Greaser’s territory. Moving carefully, he rounded the blind corner, and found the area empty. Moving through the back deserted garage, and still seeing no one out, he decided to climb the ladder set into the side of the building to the Autoshop roof.
Sneaking across the roof, Tony could see nearly all of the Greaser’s asphalt yard area. Four figures were standing by an old couch near the far wall. There was Peanut, who Tony knew had taken over as the Greaser’s leader after the departure of Johnny Vincent. There was another Greaser who Tony knew as Ricky. Bigger than life, Russell was standing there also, and the fourth one there was Trent.
Trent was holding open a box, showing the Greasers the contents. Making the deal, Tony thought. He must have not gotten all of Jake’s stash. Trent closed the box, and handed it to Peanut. In turn, Peanut handed Trent a wad of money.
Raising his Spud Gun and taking careful aim, Tony fired off two quick shots in secession, hitting Trent in the nuts with both shots. Trent fell withering to the ground, dropping the money. The two Greasers backed away, both whipping out their Slingshots, Peanut dropping the box of clothes. Russell suddenly bellowed, “ARRAGH...DOUBLE CROSSERS !!!!....ATTACK !!!! DESTROY !!!!”, and reaching out with his massive hands, picked up both Peanut and Ricky, then smashed them both together before slamming them to the ground.
The door to the Autoshop burst open, and out poured the rest of the Greasers, heading quickly at Russell. They attempted to swarm him, but Russell kept swatting them, picking them off like flies. The Greasers backed up and started pelting Russell with their Slingshots with no effect. One Greaser pulled out a Firecracker, lit it and tossed it at Russell.
“BOOM !!!!” The blast just staggered Russell. Now more enraged than ever, Russell begin picking up the downed Greasers and started throwing them into the pack of the still attacking Greasers, bowling them over.
“AUGHHHH.....RUSSELL SMASH !!!!” He bellowed. The badly depleted Greasers retreated back to the much safer confines of the Autoshop. Left standing alone, Russell dropped the last Greaser he had been preparing to throw on the ground, then reached down and scooped up Trent, and began lumbering back up the path toward the Fountain.
Won’t be any talking to Russell tonight, Tony thought. He climbed back down off the roof, and, unseen, made his way back out of the Autoshop area and headed back to the Dorm.
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-
Leaving the Girl’s dorm the next morning, Karen spotted what Tony had been holding when she saw him last night laying on the ground. She reached down and picked it up.
She knew what it was. Only one girl in the dorm wore that kind of skirt. Pinky.
Karen turned and looked back toward the dorm, and spotted Pinky coming down the steps with some of the other girls. Walking quickly to her, she angrily confronted Pinky, saying, “What’s This About, Pinky ??”
“Oh, it’s nothing....Your boyfriend just brought me a new skirt”, Pinky said. “See ?” Pinky indicated the new skirt she was wearing. Karen looked down at the skirt she was holding, and noticed the small rips and tears. So, Tony had just been making a delivery ? Still....
“Why was Tony bringing that to you at 3 in the morning ?”, Karen asked her.
“I told him I wanted it as soon as possible. I don’t know..” she smirked at Karen. “Maybe he just wanted to see me undress. I’ve got a killer bod, you know”. She continued snootily, “He’s really too handsome for you, you know. I think I’ll give him a shot. I like Bad Boys. If you don’t like it, maybe you should learn how to control your boyfriend better”.
Angrily Karen threw the ripped skirt into Pinky’s face, and reached out and grabbed the other girl by the hair. Likewise, Pinky grabbed Karen’s hair, and the two girls took to fighting. Back and forth they drug each other across the yard, but the more athletic Karen had the clear advantage. She pulled Pinky near the edge of the yard and viciously slammed her against the wall. Pinky slid down the wall in a heap.
“STAY AWAY FROM MY MAN, BITCH !!!” She yelled down at the crumpled Pinky. Giving her victim two hard kicks to the ribs, Karen backed away. For a minute she felt triumph, then....Realizing what had just happened, she suddenly became uneasy.
Oh Shit.....What Have I Done ??
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-
The Girls Dorm only had one bathroom, divided into two open rooms - one was full of badly cleaned showers, while the other contained toilets and several sinks. Over these sinks, there were mirrors, and in one of them, Pinky's reflection appeared. Her hair was tousled, and she had a red mark on her right cheek. While trying to erase it with water, she saw a figure coming up behind her back. The nice, made-up face with red hair came over to the next sink, opened the hot water tap, and began to talk.
"Hey, Pinky, what the hell happened to you ?", Christy asked.
"You don't have to know. Even if it's just only to start gossip”, Pinky steamed.
"Come on, I'm your friend, you know”, Christy said. She came closer, and put her hand on Pinky's shoulder.
"You've been fighting, haven't you !?”, Christy exclaimed.
"With that... Karen”, Pinky said angrily.
"Don't tell me you've been fighting for that guy, there... Tony... ?", Christy asked.
"I wasn't. He just... Oh, it's just none of your business”, Pinky retorted.
"Anyway, if you're attracted to that guy... I see it”, Christy observed.
"So what ?" Pinky stopped washing, took a towel, and wiped.
"So... If you can't beat that girl, your only way to take a little revenge is.….Seduce that guy !", Christy exclaimed.
"Enough with your advice, Christy, I want to go rest now." Pinky quickly exited the bathroom.
"Did he see your......", Christy had started, but end of the question was cut off by the slamming of the door.
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Jake had followed Trent and Russell to their deal with the Greasers. he wanted to make sure that dumb fuck didn't screw up. He had hid in the shadows on the pathway from the Fountain, watching the deal go down. Then he watched in disbelief when all hell had broke loose. Jake couldn't tell just who had popped Trent in the nuts, but he had pretty good idea. It had to be that fuck Tony. No one else had the balls to attack someone standing right next to Russell from long range.
Jake beat it out of there before the Prefects came swarming. He couldn't afford to get caught, not just now. He had some heavy scores to settle. He would collect the cash from Trent later. Moving quickly to the Harrington House side yard, he scaled the wall to the small pathway to the library, then hopped over the other wall. He would hide out here for awhile, until the commotion died down.
All kinds of things were running through his paranoid mind. He knew he was so much worse off now, without his Meds....For how long now ? He didn’t know. Pacing around he came to the Nerd’s gate. For the first time since he had been here, Jake stopped and really looked at the gate lock. He saw a nine-digit keypad connected to a large sliding bolt. Playing around with the numbers for awhile without success, he wondered what those weak, puny, fatass Nerds were keeping back there. Maybe...Spud Guns ? Yeah, he could use one of those right about now.
Close to daybreak, Jake stole out of hiding, and returned unseen to his Hobo hiding place. Pushing open the gate, he headed to the small tent. The cot awaited. He was very tired. But...Wait. At the side of the tent was a limp, discarded towel...The towel that he had used to cover what remained of his stash.
He grabbed the towel away. There was just bare ground. The stash was gone.
=====================================================================================
Tony had gotten back to the Boy's Dorm quickly. In his room, with the door cracked, he watched as Russell came in, carrying Trent to his room. Good. He closed and locked his door, and stuck a chair under it for good measure. The window had been fixed last week, so he should be safe enough. Tony fell down in bed, exhausted.
Problems...Gotta make up with Karen, explain...Just making a delivery...But watching Pinky undress...Whoa.....He found his passion stirring.
Another problem had also kinda popped up tonight....He was running out of ammo for the Spud Gun....He hated the thought of begging any more potatoes off of the Nerds...Little brainfuckers would want something in return....Where could he get more potatoes ?
Let’s see, he thought sleepily...Where was there potatoes ? Edna used them in her “Stews” all the time....Tony never saw any piles in the small kitchen area, though...So where would she keep them.....Let’s see....A potato could last a long time in a dark place...Remembered seeing them in Bins at his Grandma’s place...Bins down in......
Then it hit him. The Potatoes Were Stored In the School Basement !!
___________________________________________________________
-
Dear Diary,
Today, I had a "rendezvous" with Derby. Once again, he came late, and I was tired of his annoying excuses. I just threw his miserable blue roses in his face. Our families want us to get married, but if he doesn't make any effort to get my love, it will just doesn't work. I dream of a gentleman, someone that will really take care of me, someone different as the people that are around me everyday. The other night, I've met Tony, pretty violent, to be honest. But I loved his confused face, his shy mumbling, as he saw me almost undressed... He's real. And I've got the feeling that he has ambition, the real ambition, that can lead him really high - Which is not the case of my ‘friends‘, if you understand why. They already have money, money, money... Why should they do something ? They just have to ask. Tony is different. A sort of bad boy, that isn't afraid to get his hands dirty to get what he wants. I've heard that he was in love with that disgraceful girl Karen. Really, I can't defeat her physically. But I already have some ideas... Tony wants me, and I know it…..
Pinky shook her pen, tried to write more, but it was definitely empty. Never mind !
She closed the book that was before her, hid it in her bedside table, and lay down on her bed, sighing.
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-
Mr. Neil finally got the lock to open and rolled up the Garage door. Somebody had been fooling with it, all right. He made a mental note to put a new lock in, maybe with a deadbolt this time. He focused his gaze on his prize creation, the re-built Go-Kart he had so lovingly restored.
Mr. Neil was the Autoshop Teacher, but it wasn’t only cars that were his passion…It was almost anything that moved….Bikes, Karts, Mowers, Forklifts, BobCats….If it could move, Mr. Neil was the best at making it go. Mr. Neil had been hired to teach shop because he was the best in the Vale Valley at what he did, for he was a true Motorhead. Unlike most of the other teachers at the school, he was respected by the students he taught, mostly Greasers, and rarely had any trouble with them. He knew all about their Cliques, and stayed out of their business when they weren’t in class. In return, the Greasers guarded the Autoshop area zealously, keeping the place clean and driving out unwanted vandals and thieves.
Which made the apparent break-in all the more puzzling. True, the bank of these three garage doors faced the Parking Lot, on the very edge of the Greaser territory, but still…...Mr. Neal bent to examine his Go-Kart. He had been able to buy it from that skinflint, Billy Bob Crane, the Carnival owner, for a song, because it was beat up and the 25 HP Briggs & Stratton motor had blown a head gasket. Mr. Neal had straightened the frame, repaired the broken suspension, and rebuilt the motor. In fact, he had souped up the motor to such a degree that it was just about the fastest vehicle in the Vale Valley, faster than most any cars around here. Mr. Neil saw everything in perfect order, nothing was broken. Opening the cap off the gas tank, he saw that it was only half full. That confirmed that someone had been running the Go-Kart, for he always topped off the tank after every one of his irregular late-night forays.
Mr. Neil went over to retrieve a gas can from a corner of the bay. While topping off the tank, he reflected he would never be able to find out who the culprit or culprits were, let alone prove that any student had been taking his Go-Kart for a joyride. He resolved that the only thing he could do was to install a tamper-proof lock on the bay door to discourage any more nocturnal late-night joyrides.
Little did he know that it wasn’t any male student who lock-picked their way into a free ride on his dime…It was the best girl lock-picking artist the school had ever seen…Karen Johnson.
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-
The word spread around School the next day….As a result of the big fight at Harrington House, the administrative ax had fallen on the new Clique. Kurt and his Rocker buddies had been banished from the Campus, but strangely not expelled from the School itself. They would still be allowed to ride the School Bus into school in the morning, and had to leave once classes were over for the day. It was unknown right away just where they would be staying, but it was strongly rumored that Kurt’s violent actions had been the biggest reason for the Clique’s banishment.
But just as it was possible to sneak off Campus, it was also just as easy to sneak back on, as Tony was soon to discover. Kurt and his Rockers were far from done being a thorn in anybody’s side, and Tony would still have to deal with Kurt, one way or another, soon.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dr. Crabblesnich put down the phone, having completed arrangements to rent out a run-down house over in Blue Skies, the Town next to New Coventry. It was a temporary fix to an immediate problem, and presented a way to still look after that rouge boy and his friends. Not a perfect solution, but it would have to do. He made a notation in Kurt’s Student File and then closed it. Sighing, he rose and returned the file to the cabinet in his office.
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-
Getting off campus hadn’t been easy. Once he did, Tony had followed the old Rail Spur line all around Bullworth Academy, past his new hiding spot, and to his surprise, discovered that it led out to the driveway to the parking lot. Tony now carried a Skateboard, given to him by the grateful Greasers for his help in beating the Rockers. It was a collapsible model, so handy he could fold it up and hang it off his belt. It was only good on solid surfaces, like asphalt, concrete, wood, or brick, but it gave him a new level of mobility he didn’t have before.
Tony had been able to find out that many others went off campus, too. The Preps, who had special privileges due to their moneyed status, were able to have the Prefects let them in and out almost at will. The Greasers had built a sort of reverse barricade over the wall behind the Autoshop to get out. The Nerds could sometimes bribe the Prefects to let them out. They were too fat or out of shape to take the long way around, so the boarding up of the tunnel was their attempt to keep others from getting in from the outside. The Jocks didn’t appear to leave the campus much, although with their elite status, the Lettermen among them apparently had the same privileges as the Preps. Only the Bullies didn’t have a way off Campus, likely because they were too dumb or worthless to bother with. And, as Tony found out, the Rockers had been thrown off Campus, but not expelled...And had wound up over here, along with the Townies, older dropouts who didn’t attend Bullworth at all.
The few Non-Clique kids, such as himself, were also left out of the pecking order. Most of the Non-Clique students were little kids, loners, losers, or ones like himself, who chose not to affiliate themselves with any Clique. There was almost no provisions made for them by the school administrators, because frankly, who gave a shit ? Who the hell were they going to complain to ?
Tony also discovered that besides the Rockers, the Nerds hung out in the basement of a Comic Store called “The Dragon’s Wing”, run by a grown-up fat Nerd guy, the Greasers hung around a Pool Hall, and the Preps had not only their own Boxing Gym in town, but a Beach House at the base of a Lighthouse. These places had, for a brief time, been taken over by that Jimmy kid that Tony kept hearing about, but the cliques had re-claimed them after Jimmy had been locked up.
The Rockers now hung out around New Coventry, staying around The Final Cut, and whenever they saw a Greaser they were sure to battle. Tony had walked down there just to see if any Greasers were out and about. There he saw Kurt, playing guitar on the street, collecting a few bucks from any by-passers. Tony laughed at the sight of this.
"Need money for a new life?" Tony insulted. Bad idea. Kurt came after him with the Guitar upraised. Tony would have loved to kick his ass again, but spotted some of the other Rockers running to his aid. Instead, he hopped on his Skate Board and rolled away, laughing. There would be other times, of that he was sure.
____________________________________
-
Being that Tony was one who had barely seen outside of school, he decided to take a walk through Bullworth Town. Before he had gone a block out of New Coventry, he got chased and busted by a Cop for truancy.
"Hey, what the fuck man ! What did I do ?!", Protested Tony
"I saw you”, the Cop said harshly. “You are a truant and you left the school grounds without permission."
"This is Bull Shit !!" fumed Tony. The Cop hauled him to the Bullworth Town Jail and put him in a cell. After a while in the Jail cell, Tony heard a voice say, "Hey kid ? What are you in for ?"
"Truancy" said Tony "What about you ?"
"Accessory to Murder”, the boy said.
Tony looked at this kid for a minute. Shaved head, a scar on his eye, an ear ring on his left ear. Accessory to Murder ? Could the rumors of the school be true ? Could this really be…?
“Are you….”, Tony began.
"Jimmy Hopkins" said the kid. “I’m kinda here for a hearing on my case, which will be denied, of course.”
"I've heard many things about you" said Tony "I kind of have the same situation. How did you do it?"
"Do what ?", Jimmy asked.
"Take over the School ?", Tony ventured.
"Well, I'll first tell you that you can't do it by yourself”, Jimmy laughed. “You need the brains and the brawn. For me I had a good friend named Pete. He was the brain."
"Hey, I know Pete !" said Tony. "I see him now and then at the School."
"Well, you should ask him for further help”, said Jimmy as the main cellblock door buzzed open. “I'd rather not talk about the past right now." said Jimmy, seeing the approaching Cop.
“All right, Calderone ! You’re being released”, the Officer said. “We’re transporting you back to School. Don’t let us catch you out truant again !”
As Tony was walking out the cell door, Jimmy said, "If you got somebody that won’t leave you alone, beat them publicly."
"Thanks for the help", said Tony as he was walking out the door.
That's it, thought Tony. To get Kurt off my back, I will have to humiliate him publicly.
_________________________________________________
-
Tony had returned to the School Campus before darkness came. He had a plan to hide in the broken stall in the Boy’s bathroom on the first floor before 7 PM, and then sneak down in the basement after the School closed for the day and find those potatoes. With him, he had taken two large cloth sacks that he had swiped from the Kitchen storage area when Edna wasn’t looking.
Tony went to the School, hid out in the stall, and successfully gained the Basement after it was unlocked by Mr. Lintz, the School Janitor. Evading the patrolling Perfects, Tony had slipped in the door. There he found two different stairways leading down to the Basement. Taking the left one, he went down and wound up in the Furnace Room. Investigating farther, Tony discovered a whole bunch of rooms, each leading to another. He finally came to a outside door, up a small ramp near an alcove that had a small bed.
This must be where the Janitor hangs out, Thought Tony. And here’s the outside door, and the vent where we passed the boxes of clothes through.....
Making his way back, he wondered how Constantinos had kept from getting lost down here. The rooms wound around like a maze, and Tony could see how easy it would be to get disoriented. Going past a wire meshed-off area, Tony noticed a few empty white boxes inside. Must have been where the Prefects had stashed the clothing, and where Constantinos had found them. That particular theft had still not been discovered, but Tony thought that it wouldn’t be long now before the Prefects began wondering why the Preps weren’t asking to get some clothes on the down low, and would come back down here looking.
Arriving back in the Furnace Room, Tony went back up the stairs. He had to try the other set of stairs. At he started down, he heard a noise. Sounded like glass breaking. Tony eased slowly down the stairs, and there, about 25 feet away, was Mr. Lintz. His back was to Tony, and he was busy throwing some weird-shaped glass bottles filled with green stuff at the floor, where there were several Rats scurrying around. When each glass hit the floor and broke, a plume of noxious-looking greenish smoke burst out, obscuring the area. The Rats breathing the fumes keeled over and died on the spot.
The potatoes must be down this way, Tony thought. I’ve got to take him out without being seen.
Tony raised his Spud Gun. he had never shot an adult before. He knew that one shot could usually take out a kid (except those like Russell). How many for an Adult ? Tony checked his loads. Only three left. He hoped it would be enough.
Tony’s first shot hit Mr. Luntz in the back. He staggered forward, and began to turn around. Tony fired a second shot the hit Mr. Luntz in the temple, and he went down. Tony lowered the Spud Gun, but suddenly, Mr. Luntz began to get up. Tony raised the Gun and nailed him in the back of the head with his last potato. This time Mr. Luntz went down for good and stayed there. Tony approached the prone figure.
He heard a groan escape Mr. Luntz. “Somebody....will....pay for this...” Then he fell silent.
Tony traveled along down a long corridor. He came to a huge round sunken area, with a drain in the middle. Edging around the wall, he soon came to another corridor that took a small turn and led to an open wire-enclosed Elevator. There, piled on the floor in huge heaps, were a couple of tons of potatoes.
Tony gave the Elevator a quick once-over. there was recent weld marks on some of the metal, and it appeared to be operated from a control panel which contained a key-slot. It appeared that the Elevator had been used to transport the potatoes to the basement. Tony didn’t have much time to investigate the Elevator. Filling up both bags with as much as he could fit in them, and quickly made his way back to the stairway, passing the unconscious Janitor along the way. At the Basement door, Tony eased it open, and finding the area clear of Prefects, made his way quietly out of the School.
Tony made his way to the Nerd’s gate, and down the trail. About halfway to the Observatory, he stashed the bags behind some large rocks in a secluded area off the trail. After re-filling his Spud Gun, he then made his way back to the Boy's Dorm.
Mission Accomplished.
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-
Kurt had a daunting task to travel from Bullworth Town through New Coventry, where many of the Greasers hung out, to Blue Skies, where he and his group were bunking with the Townies there. Usually, he could just steal a bike somewhere, a common thing over on the end of town, he found out. Then just ride like a Bat Out Of Hell through Greaser territory to his destination. The fastest route to take was through the Southern part of New Coventry, by the warehouses, and that was precisely where Kurt was when the incident happened that would change his future.
Riding the other way toward him was a girl dressed all in black. While Kurt watched, thinking how fine she looked, a car appeared on the curve behind her and rammed her, knocking her to the ground. Kurt immediately jumped off his bike, and ran towards the fallen girl, who was struggling to get up. Unbelievably, the car started forward, hitting her again, and knocking her to the pavement once more. Kurt grabbed a piece of wood laying by the side of the road, ran to the car, and smashed out the driver side window.
Immediately, an old fart in a black suit began to exit the vehicle. Kurt didn't give him the chance to get out. He started wailing on him with the piece of wood. after four hits to the head, the man went down, rolling around in pain. Kurt ran around to the girl and helped her up.
"Are you hurt ?....Are you alright ?" Kurt asked her.
I'm....Okay....I think..." the girl said, shakily. “What’s wrong with that...Asshole...”
“Here, let’s get you off the road....”, Kurt said.
“You...need to get out of here”, the girl said. “The cops will be coming”.
Sure enough, a cop on a motorcycle was roaring up from behind the car. Kurt went and picked up his bike, got on and started to ride the other way. But just then, a cop car came screeching down the road towards him, siren on and lights flashing. Kurt attempted to avoid him, but the cop car rammed him and knocked him off his bike.
“What’s up with this, you Fucks ? .....GET OFF !!!” Kurt screamed as the cops swarmed around and subdued him, smashing him with their nightsticks.
=========================================================================================
Much later, Kurt was released from Jail on bond. As he walked out of the Police Station, he saw the girl in black, waiting on him.
“Did you...put up my bail ?” Kurt asked her.
“Oh, Yes...It was the least I could do...And I wanted to thank you for saving me back there....That Moron was trying to run me over. And....I need to really thank you properly...”
The girl moved forward, wrapped her arms around Kurt, and gave him a deep, wet, French kiss that seemed to go on for several minutes. She finally pulled back, breathless.
“I’m Lola”, the girl said. “I’m a Greaser Girl....But nobody pays any attention to me, now that Johnny went off to Detroit....They would have just stood there and watch me get run over, those slick bastards. But You.....”. She looked up into Kurt’s eyes, “You’re My Hero”. And with that, she planted another sexy French kiss on Kurt’s mouth.
Kurt’s head was spinning. “Well....I’m Kurt”, he said, as Lola broke the kiss. “I, uh...”
“I know who you are. I hear things, you know. But that doesn’t matter....You saved me. And besides...” She smiled up at him, “I like Bad Boys”.
Kurt could only gape at her. Lola continued, “It’s not very private here....Meet me tonight at the Bike Park”. She giggled, “It’s in that building over by where I got hit. There’s nobody there past Midnight.....Come and meet me there, and we’ll get to know each other better....OK ?”
Kurt nodded. “Uh....Er....Yeah, I....I’d like that....Meet you there...”
“Good”, Lola said. “Here’s something to remember me by...”, and she French kissed him once more, long and deep. Breaking away, she mounted her bike. “Bye for now”, she said, and rode away.
Kurt stood there for a moment, stunned. Shook his head, and then shook it again.
WOW....Whatta Girl....Hell....Whatta Woman....!!!
__________________________________________________________
-
Kurt arrived at the Bike Park that night. His heart was pounding. This is gonna be fucking awesome, he thought. He walked in and saw a Greaser. Kurt supposed the Greaser was just there accidentally, because Lola was shouting at the Greaser "Just Get The Hell Out !" The greaser was large, kind of like a potato. His name is Hal... Kurt remembered as Lola yelled, "I'm not kidding you Fatass ! Get Out !!"
Eventually, grumbling, Hal left, and Kurt and Lola were alone. They started making out, then Lola said, "Now for the real deal." She pulled him behind one of the ramps. Kurt saw what looked like a sleeping bag laid out under it. Lola grabbed him once more and stuffed her tongue in his mouth, swirling it around. Then she reached down and began rubbing his crotch, making his bulge there grow swiftly.
After a couple of minutes, she broke the kiss, panting. Lola moved her hands down to Kurt’s belt, unbuckling it, then found his zipper. Tugging his pants and his shorts downward, she cooed at the sight. Stepping back, she quickly but carefully stripped her leather pants down over her black boots, followed by her panties.
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-
Kurt was starring like a boy possessed at what was revealed. Her sweet bush was the same color as her beautiful hair. Lola pushed him backward onto the sleeping bag, attacking his mouth with her tongue again. The both sank down on the bag. She put her hands on his shoulders and urged him to lay back. She straddled him then, grabbing his bulge and guiding it to her bush. She sank down until their pelvises touched and groaned. Then, frantically, she began slamming up and down, her breath coming in increasingly harsh gasps.
Fuck Yes!!!!!, Kurt rejoiced, going out of his mind. I can't wait to tell the guys about this…!!!
__________________________________________
-
The Gate Checkpoint, of course, wasn't beautiful. It was made of pieces of wood and rusty metal, and seemed to be ready to collapse at anytime. There was a bar, like at the Toll Booth, across the Gates area.
Tony presented himself politely to the bored Prefect inside. "Hello, Sir….I would like to go out into Town now."
"You've got two hours. If you aren't back by then, I'll call the police, and you'll be in real trouble”, said Seth, the Prefect who was manning the gate that evening.
"Understood, Sir”, Tony acknowledged.
The Prefect wrote some information on a pink pass slip. Tony took it quickly, and passed under the lowered bar. The pass was made simply, there was the hour one left, the hour when one had to come back, and a Bullworth Academy stamp. He decided to follow a group of Preps that had just got out, and wound up in Old Bullworth Vale. Well, this part of town was definitely quaint-looking. Many of the building were old, except their ground floors, and those were filled with brightly-colored shops. Exploring further, Tony discovered a shop named “Aquaberry“. And suddenly he realized.… He had to price his merchandise cheaper than this Shop, or else his business will be dead. He entered in to check things out.
The whole shop was well-lit. There was, in the middle of the room, a counter with a nicely-dressed man standing right behind it. Behind the Shopkeeper, there was a glass with Aquaberry written on it, and lit with a blue light, which gave a very classy effect. The walls of the Shop were covered by dozens of shelves, where perfectly presented, was the clothing.
"Hello ! If I can help you, please tell me”, the Shopkeeper said.
"Thanks”, said Tony, But I'm just coming in to look around."
An Aquaberry sweater.…$125 dollars. Good…Seemed the store’s prices were higher than his by a goodly amount. Now that he was here, maybe it was time to get himself some real clothing. He found a white shirt with the Bullworth Academy emblem that was a perfect fit, then he asked the Storekeeper about the choice of a tie. Immediately, the Storekeeper had what he was looking for in his hand -- A black tie, with fine diagonal stripes on it. The effect was perfect. As Tony looked some more at the other items that interested him, a voice interrupted his shopping.
"Tony ? I'm glad to see you here !", he heard from behind. That voice. Tony turned around to find himself in front of the attractive body of Pinky.
"As you see, I've been shopping a bit”, Tony said, caught off guard.
"You're so cute ! That tie is absolutely adorable !", Pinky oozed.
"Thank you…What about you ? What are you doing here ?", Tony inquired.
"Oh, I come often to this Store, to keep informed about current fashion", Pinky said.
"Oh, I see”, Tony said, looking around for a clock. “Um…Well, I have to pay now, and get back to School."
"Wait, Tony !“, Pinky said suddenly, “Why won't we go out tonight ? The Billy Cranes’ Carnival is open, just down the street !"
"Er…Maybe...", Tony said, stalling.
"Come on, I just want to have fun ! After all, you're with Karen...", Pinky said slyly.
"May I burn your old clothes, Sir ?", the shopkeeper said, interrupting.
Tony looked at the man, disoriented. He touched his own tie, and answered, "Um...Yeah, of course, you can."
He went outside, with Pinky following him. "Listen, Tony. I’ll be there at nine. I hope you'll be there... Seriously."
She showed him her best smile, then put her hand on his shoulder before walking away, letting the hand wander as much as possible. Tony stood there for a minute, then decided to go back to the School before his time was up.
____________________________________________________
-
Tony and Karen were sitting on the steps of the Girl’s Dorm. Karen had understood about the delivery to Pinky, once Tony had explained it to her. But, until Tony had gone to the Auqaberry Store, neither had he understood why Pinky gave him her old skirt. Now, he knew why.
“It seems that the Preps are so used to getting their Servants and underlings to dispose of their used clothing, that it was just a normal reaction for Pinky to throw me the one she wanted to get rid of”, Tony said.
“How did you discover this ?”, asked Karen.
“It was when the Clerk at the Auqaberry Store offered to take and burn my ‘old’ clothes...Just like that’s what’s expected of him...Same way she just threw her used skirt at me....She expected me to just take care of getting rid of it. Just like...A Servant...”
Karen reached out and took his hand. “The Preps are such jerks, anyway”.
“Yeah, well I got a new problem now....Pinky wants me to take her to the Carnival tonight”.
“WHAT ?” Karen exclaimed. “She asked you out on a DATE ?”
“Yeah”, Tony answered. “And...I don’t know what to do. If I stand her up, it’ll maybe screw up the deals I have going with the Preps. She’s Derby’s main squeeze, everybody knows that”. Tony paused. “So what does she want with me...Except....”
Karen said angrily, “...To be her plaything. Her Boy-Toy”.
Then, it dawned on Tony. Pinky just wanted some entertainment....Him.
Karen said suddenly, “ Do It. Take her to the Carnival”.
Tony looked at her, Shocked. “What ? Why ??”
“Because”, Karen said, “I want to know what that bitch is up to. What her game is. I can find out some of it from Christy....She pals around with her. She’ll tell me, too, or I’ll beat it out of her. Both of them may be older than me, but I can beat the crap out of either one of them. Somehow, I will get to the bottom of this....So, Do It”.
Tony stared at Karen with a new respect.
Karen sighed. “Part of this is my fault, anyway...I shouldn’t have gone off on the Slut like I did...But, she made me mad, real mad. I’m not going to let anybody try to come between us, Tony....Now that I’ve found you, nothing or nobody is going to take away what we have together...They’re not going to ruin our love”.
Turning, she grabbed Tony fiercely and French kissed him long and deeply. When she broke away, she said, “I’m your Girl....You’re my Man...Simple as that”.
Tony wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He would do as she said.
________________________________________________________________
-
Jake sat on the cot in the small tent, rocking back and forth. He was almost all the way pariniod now. Three weeks without his Meds. Cobwebs infested his mind. Sometimes in a rage, sometimes catitonic, he tipped over from one to the other without knowing it, without feeling it. In a normal world, he would be in an Asylum, locked up.
"Locked Up...In The Asylum", he said flatly, then a brief, harsh, burst of crazy laughter escaped him.
He had a plan, oh yes, a plan....A grand plan, one that would ensure his successful return. A plan so great, he marveled at the genius of it, the pure cunning of it. He would break into the Chem Lab and steal enough Sulfur and Gunpowder to fashion several small bombs. Then, he would attach transceivers to them. He could steal those from the Nerd’s hangout at the Dragon’s Wing by breaking in some night. The fat fuck that ran the place had all kinds of shit like that laying around. Then, the night before Halloween, he would hide a bomb in each Clique’s territory on the school grounds.
Jake wasn’t a killer. His plan would be to detonate each bomb in sequence, while everyone was out and about in their Halloween costumes. He would set the bombs in places that were likely to do just minimal damage. He would leave some kind of ‘evidence’ from another Clique at each bomb site, to cast suspicion and get the Cliques to go to war with each other. Then, at the height of the tension and fighting, he, Jake, would re-appear at the school, step in, and negotiate a cease-fire.
“What about Pete ?”, Jake mumbled to himself. “Isn’t he the Mediator ?”
Fuck Pete. I’ll take care of that. Pete is weak, a pussy. One whack in the head would land him in the infirmary. Get him out of the picture. Jake kept rocking back and forth, thinking. He had come to Bullworth late last spring. Had seen Gary Smith try to take over the school. Had witnessed his fight with Jimmy on the scaffolding along with scores of other students, and Gary’s banishment from the school to the slum housing of Blue Skies after Gary had recovered from his Injuries. Had learned the details of the scams that Gary was running on the Townies, and the final confrontation with Edgar that lead to his being killed. Gary may have been an organizer, but he sure wasn’t a fighter. Jake, however, was both an organizer and a fighter. Where Gary was weak, Jake was strong. He would figure this out, and make it happen. And no one, but no one, was gonna get in his way.
Jake knew he had to move his base of operations. This spot had been compromised. For reasons of their own, whoever had swiped his stash hadn’t ratted out his location. Because of that, he felt like a sitting duck. He had to move tonight. He knew the perfect location. There was a boarded-up Rail tunnel not far from here, on the other side of the wall. It was close enough to serve his needs. Jake looked down. He would take his Weapons, and this cot, to sleep on. He had nothing else.
Traveling Light, he thought. A small burst of crazed laughter escaped him. Yeah, Traveling Light. What A Gas.
______________________________
-
In Old Bullworth Vale, before the entry into a road tunnel at the East end of town, a fancy sign announced the presence of the Billy Crane's Carnival - Even though everyone knew about it, in fact. There were several people of the Townsfolk that were walking into the tunnel, and Tony knew to follow them. Arriving there, he recognized a typical Carnival - A great Midway bordered by many types of games, from the Duck Fishing to the Western Shooting. Food vendors were everywhere. Tony paid his entry fee to an incredibly small midget guy that was, in fact, standing on a chair in the Ticket Booth. He pushed on the metal entry gate that in response produced a creak as he entered.
Time to find this girl, now, Tony thought, looking around. Even though it had gone dark nearly two hours ago, the place was packed. Outside of the Movie Theater and the Burger Joint, there wasn’t much to do in the isolated Vale Valley. The Carnival was the biggest draw around.
Tony didn't have to wait long, though. Pinky had spotted him and was running to him. After greeting him and congratulating him for not being late, she gave him a little kiss on the cheek. As Tony didn't show any emotion, she began to jump about nervously.
"What are we waiting for ? Let's go have some fun !", Pinky exclaimed.
"All right”, Tony agreed. “How does this all work ?"
"You have to win tickets to trade for stuff”, Pinky said. “You'll win a Teddy Bear for me, won't you ?"
"Of course I will, Pinky”, Tony smiled.
Tony put his arm around her waist, while she put hers around his neck, laying her head on his shoulder. They walked like this for a while down the Midway until she proposed to him that he should try the Baseball Game first. The rules were simple enough - He had to throw a ball at moving targets, like Dodgeball. He found it very easy, and earned three tickets. There were other games, but after wandering a while, Pinky wanted to try the Great Ferris Wheel. They paid, and a young Carney attendant pointed them to two seats, all ready to go.
"Are you sure you want to try it ? You look nervous." Tony asked.
"Oh, yes, sure, I like it…”, Pinky said coyly, “If there's someone to protect me..."
Pinky sat and took the same position as before, her arm around Tony’s neck, but was pressing harder. Tony simply laid his hand on her leg while their gondola described a slow arch up in the air.
"You know, Tony.….I really like you”, Pinky purred. “You were so cute the other night.….So real."
"I'm sorry for having disturbed you in there”, Tony said, “I was trying to avoid the Matrons.”
Pinky shook her head slowly, facing him. "No, no... It's nothing."
She smiled, and her lips went to his. She kissed him once, then twice, before starting a deep French kiss, while caressing his back with her hands. Tony caught a glimpse of the distant Lighthouse tower, and closed his eyes, concentrating on the sensation of her tongue against his. She really knew how to do this. She broke off and then her lips approached him once more, and Tony felt her body rubbing against his. He felt…..
"All right, kids, it's over !" The Carney was staring them - The gondola has stopped and the ride was finished. They had to get out quickly, under the staring looks of the people queuing up for the attraction.
They passed more time together, Tony playing and winning the Dunk Toss and the High Striker several times. After Tony had eleven tickets, he decided to get something to offer to Pinky. He made his way to the Souvenir Tent.
Inside the tent, a happy guy saluted him loudly. "Hey, kid, let me see how many tickets you have !"
"Eleven, Sir !”, Tony counted them out.
"What are you looking for ?“, the Carney vendor said. “A little... Present for a girlfriend ?"
"Exactly !", Tony exclaimed, forgetting for the moment Pinky wasn’t his girlfriend.
"Hmmm... I have this Teddy Bear for ten tickets, would be perfect, I tell you !", the Carney vendor enthused.
"I’ll take it !", Tony said enthusiastically.
Tony left the Souvenir Tent and walked slowly back to Pinky, hidden behind the great bear. “Surprise !!”, he said, laughing.
"This is sooo cute ! Thank you, Tony !” Pinky took the Teddy Bear and stroked it. Then she looked into Tony’s eyes and said coyly, “Why, shouldn't we go to somewhere more.…Private ?"
"Um.…Sure”, Tony replied, his head swimming. “Why not ?"
Accept it. You have to discover what’s on her mind, Tony thought. And after all.…You liked the kisses.
_______________________________________________________
-
Tony walked Pinky back to the School after they finished at the Carnival, and Pinky drew Tony behind the Girls Dorm. Once there, they started making out, and the action became even more hot and heavy. The minutes ticked by in the darkness. Just as Tony was undoing Pinky’s blouse to expose her boob, he heard a voice shout. "TONY !!!"
Tony was once again in the wrong spot at the wrong time. It was Karen. Abandoning Pinky, Tony ran after her as she turned and was running away with tears in her eyes.
"It wasn't what it looks like !" called Tony, futilely.
"Let me guess then.“ Karen had stopped at the steps by the side door of the Dorm. “You just somehow happened to walking around behind the Dorm at the same time as Pinky, and you just somehow happened to trip over your shoelace and your tongue went into her mouth ?"
"No !!”, Tony cried. “What are you getting mad at me for ? You're the one that wanted me to go out with her anyway !!"
"But I didn't think you would end up exchanging spit with that Bitch behind the Dorm !!", Karen raged.
Tony didn't know what to say to that. What could he say ?
"IT’S OVER !!!" said Karen, as she stormed away with tears in her eyes.
Damn! Thought Tony Why do I end up with this shit?
_________________________________________________
-
During the next day, stories of the liaison between Kurt and Lola drifted onto the School rumor mill, mostly fueled by Kurt himself after their wild and steamy night at the Bike Park. Constantinos came and told Tony about it as he lay moping in his bed.
Tony groaned and told Constantinos to beat it. “Go away…I don’t want to hear about that.” He didn’t even know who Lola was anyway, but he soon would.
In the evening, Tony could stand his room no longer, and decided to go outside. Rounding onto the main pathway the led to the street, Tony cast a look to the right and saw Kurt and Karen hanging out near the Front Gates together, laughing.
Could my life get any worse ?, Tony thought dismally.
_______________________________________
-
"THIS.…IS.…SHIT !!" said Tony out loud, walking rapidly towards the Gates.
The two looked over and saw Tony. Kurt quickly whipped out his Slingshot and Tony grabbed his own Slingshot and ripped it out.
"So what'll it be Tony-Bony? You shoot me, I shoot you.", Kurt taunted.
"I'm not gonna shoot you." said Tony. "But He is."
Kurt turned around. Tony's distraction worked. He took quick steps, grabbed Kurt and
whacked him hard in the temple with the butt of his slingshot, knocking him senseless. He then grabbed Kurt and stuffed him in a nearby Trash Bin, just in case. He then turned to Karen, who was still standing there.
"Karen !" said Tony. "What were you doing with him ?!"
"He treats me right ! He doesn't cheat on me !", Karen said hotly.
"How would you know that for sure ?! You barely know him !" said Tony.
"Because he actually treats me the way a girl is supposed to be treated !”, Karen shot back.
"Karen, this kid here went and done it with Lola.", Tony said, pointing at the Trash Bin.
"Prove it." said Karen, stiffly.
Tony dug through Kurt's backpack hoping to find some evidence. He found just what he needed, a condom. He ripped off a piece of Kurt's jacket and picked up the condom with it and showed it to Karen. “See ??”
"Well maybe he was cheating, but that doesn't make you any better”, Karen replied. “We Are Through !!"
Fuck this! thought Tony. Love blows., Thought Tony, as Karen stalked off.
_______________________________________________
-
What the fuck am I gonna do with this prick wannabe Rocker? Thought Tony.
Suddenly he had a flashback to his meeting with Jimmy…. You'll have to humiliate him publicly.
Of course! How could I forget! Thought Tony. I have JUST the plan.
He dug Kurt out of the Trash Bin and dragged him down the paths to the Boy's Dorm. Dropping the still unconscious Kurt on the steps of the Dorm, he ran to his room inside and go a piece of the poster board that he used in Art Class and the rope he had used with the hook attached. Going back outside, he attached the poster around Kurt’s neck and wrote on it in huge letters with a magic marker he had that read…."KNOCKED OUT BY TONY. DON'T FUCK WITH ME !!!"
He then found a ladder in the recess by the main door that Mr. Luntz had left there. He set the ladder at the top of the steps, drug Kurt up the ladder and tied him up tightly above the door. He made sure he had moved the ladder back to where he had found it.
My work here is done, Tony thought, checking out the scene. Now, ff to bed.
___________________________________________________
-
When Tony woke up in the morning, there were about 30 kids around the Dorm yard staring up at Kurt, laughing.
"LET ME DOWN !!!!" screamed Kurt, as Tony walked out the door.
"That depends”, Tony said, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Are you gonna leave me alone and stop fucking around with my Girlfriend ?"
"Alright !! Alright !! Just let me down !!" yelled Kurt.
"Well…These people seem to be having a good time." said Tony, stalling. "I don't wanna disappoint them."
"I promise…I will leave you and Karen alone !!”, Kurt begged. “Just please let me down !!"
"Well." chucked Tony. "OK….But only because you said please."
Tony retrieved the ladder and untied Kurt, letting him fall to the pavement. Kurt sprang up and took off down the pathway towards the Front Gates. Jimmy's advice had worked.
_________________________________________________
-
Since it was the weekend, Karen didn’t come out of the Girl’s Dorm all day, nor was Tony in any mood to chase after her. Karen had broken it off with him twice before already in just a month, and Tony could see a pattern developing. He knew from asking around that he was apparently Karen’s first boyfriend, and it seemed to him that she was extremely jealous and insecure. Well, Ok, catching him making out with another, older girl gave her right to be, he supposed…But she was the one who told him to go out with Pinky, it didn’t make any sense. What did she think was going to happen ?
Tony sauntered slowly down to the Football Field. He needed to vent to someone, but the only real friendship he had made in the short time he had been at Bullworth was Laurent. At least that was something in this crummy place, anyway. He sure hadn’t expected all this mess when he’d agreed to come to Bullworth Academy. Maybe some stuffed-shirts like the Preps, yeah….But not all these other psycho-seeming kids.
But he was stuck. He didn’t want to quit here and go back to Public School. For different reasons, those Schools sucked too. But if he didn’t stick it out here, he would have no choice. Besides, his Mother had paid for the whole year’s tuition. He needed to be a man and stick it out for her sake. He didn’t want to disappoint her like his namesake Father had.
Arriving at the Football Field, he spotted Laurent up in the Bleachers, taking in the Fall sunshine. Tony climbed up to join him. “Hey, Larent”, he called, but without much enthusiasm. He plopped down on the bench beside him.
“You sound rather morose”, Laurent observed. “Is there troubles, non ?”
“You can say that”, Tony said, and launched into the story of his short relationship with Karen, from the start to yesterday. “She’s just broke up with me again….I can’t go on like this. There’s too much instability at this place as it is, I can’t be taking emotional Roller-Coaster rides on top of this.”
“It seems like plenty of troubles, my Friend”, Laurent agreed.
“How do you do it ?”, Tony asked, “Your people, I mean…How would you handle this ?”
Laurent laughed. “Well, ze French are lovers, that is our reputation, as you say…But we do not take it serious until we are older”, he replied. “I don’t worry about it, no girl here is my type….No offense to your country…But I need someone familiar.”
“Yeah, guess so”, Tony replied. “Maybe your way is best, though….No worries.”
“Oui”, Laurent replied. “When there is someone right for me, I will know.”
“I thought Karen would be that one”, Tony said, “But maybe not…Not now, anyway.”
The two chatted on into the afternoon. Tony began to feel a little better, just having someone to talk to. Eventually, Laurent was able to convince Tony to throw some Footballs around. Toward the end of the day, Tony was becoming resigned to whatever may happen.. He still had deep feelings for Karen, but would have to bear them, and possibly get over her. He returned to his room in the Boy’s dorm after the sun went down, and fell into an early sleep.
The next day, he went to classes, steeling himself to see Karen in the halls….But she did not come to School that day, or the next. Neither had he seen Pinky. Tony resolved to just stay away from the Girl’s Dorm. He had deals to make and merchandise to deliver.
Let the chips of Love fall where they may, he thought.
__________________________________________
-
Christy entered the dorm room after classes and again found Karen staring out the window.
“He’s not coming back, you know...You dumped him too many times over nothing”.
“It’s not ‘nothing’...His tounge down her throat is not ‘nothing’”, Karen said, not looking away from the window.
“Well, let’s see...”, Christy said. “You dumped him for accidently running into you. You dumped him for just making a delivery. Then, you dumped him for going out with another girl that you TOLD him to go out with". Christy paused. “Just what did you expect would happen ? That she would be all ‘Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes' and just say ‘Thank-You-I-Had-A-Wonderful-Time-And-Goodnight' ? Hell, she asked him out because you knocked the snot out of her. She did it for revenge”.
Karen turned around and stared at Christy. “How would you know that ?”
“Sweetie, I’ve known Pinky for years. That’s how she is. Her and the rest of those Preps are all the same. They think they can have whatever they want, whenever they want, just because they come from money. They’re used to getting it too....So, she can’t kick your ass, but she can steal your guy....And once you two are done for good, she will kick him to the curb, because he isn’t her type. He’s not from money”.
Karen continued staring. “So....I was set up ? WE were set up ?”
“When you lose your guy for good, she has her revenge”, continued Christy. “And you’re just making this super-easy for her. She has plenty of experience doing this. She took Jimmy to the Carnival when he was here just to get back at Derby because she was mad at him for some stupid thing. What do you think she did with him ? Same thing. and she dumped Jimmy and went back to Derby when he got Jealous, just like she wanted. Only, Jimmy didn’t really care...He was hot for that Zoe from the slums. But Tony cares. And you’re just screwing that all up”
Karen became angry. “Why didn’t I see this....We were set up. That Bitch. That BITCH”.
“You’re new to all this. Tony is your first real boyfriend, so you just don’t know. But you just can’t keep dissing him for no good reason”. Christy sighed. “Boys that age will take what’s put in front of them. Their dicks don’t know the difference. But Tony feels for you. He has a heart. And if you break it enough times, you will lose him...For Good”.
Christy walked to the door. “And Pinky will win. She’ll get her revenge”.
Left alone, Karen considered things. Lots of things. And she came to a decision.
________________________________________
-
Jake had been a busy boy. Fueled by his own increasing madness, he had taken some extraordinary risks. Because he needed some clothes for himself, he had broken in to the Final Cut right under the noses of the Cops. While getting some far out clothes, he had also found a Black Ninja outfit, which would help to keep him hidden from view. He had then broken into the Chem Lab at School one night and had stolen most of the Sulfur, Gunpowder, fuses, and tubes, all the stuff used for the M-80 Firecrackers. He had also found some old short plumbing pipes and end caps in the school basement. Then, he had snuck into the Autoshop and stolen a cordless drill and bits to be able to drill holes in the caps for the fuses.
He had then gone to the Dragon's Wing under cover of darkness. He had brought a crowbar along that he had found in the School Basement, but found he didn't need it. Someone had left the Store's Basement door unlocked, so he snuck in quietly. Nobody was in the big room, but he heard snoring coming from the small room off to the side. It was probably that fat fuck that ran the place. Jake began rummaging in the many boxes stacked around the place, looking for any kind of Walkie-Talkies he could use to trigger the bombs. What he found though, was wholly unexpected....In one of the boxes were 8 timers, with small clock-faces that could be manually set, connected with wiring to a flint-type ignition system to create a spark.
Jake was stunned at his good fortune. Seem there was more to that fatass Comic Store Owner than he, or anyone else, had expected. Maybe he fancied himself as the next Unabomber. Whatever the case, Jake grabbed the box of timers and got ready to leave. But first, he looked in the small room from where the snoring was coming from. On the bed. To his surprise, it wasn't the grossly overweight Store Owner, but Algernon.
He had a score to settle with this little fat shit. And what better way to test out the timers, than to try one of them out on this pee-stain fuck ? Jake dug in his pocket for a couple of M-80 Firecrackers, then twisted the fuses and attached them to the timer. Setting the timer hands for 10 minutes, he heard the device began to tick. Sneaking into the room, he placed the small mini-bomb on the fat boy's belly.
Jake could barely keep from laughing. That'll lay him up for awhile. Teach him to fuck with ME.
Jake left the Basement of the Dragon’s Wing, and hid behind a fenced-in area beside the bank across the street. A few minutes later, he heard a satisfying BOOM coming from the Comic Store Basement. Yep, Timers Worked.
Jake had returned to his tunnel hideaway to assemble the components for his bombs. He had enough to assemble 7 pipe bombs. His plan was to set bombs at the Boy’s Dorm, the Girl’s Dorm, the Library, Harrington House, the Autoshop, the Gym, and the Jock’s House. He would be almost invisible in the crowd of other students going about at Halloween in their costumes. He would stagger the clock setting on each one as he planted them, moving from one place to another. Then get on a rooftop or climb up a tree and watch the Fireworks and resultant panic as each one went off.
Soon, he thought. Real Soon. It’s gonna be a great Halloween.
_______________________________
-
Tony stood up from his bed. He had a little headache, and looked around him. He felt like dizzy... He went out of his room to see what was new in the Dorm and maybe ask someone for a medication or something. As he went out of his room, he immediately found himself facing an horrible creature. The thing almost looked human, if only it had the rest of his head, and didn't look like dead, with a grey skin... A giant scar was beginning from his forehead and ending at his mouth, passing by the dead right eye, and spreading blood on the whole face. The whole creature was hanging at the end of a rope, two feet over the blood spot... Tony leaned on the nearest wall, and put his hand on his forehead. Eyes almost closed, he went out of the dorm, to access to the Infirmary. Everywhere on Bullworth Campus, the massacre had happened - skeletons, torn tendons and pieces of flesh still hanging on the bones, some bodies even not recognizable, because of the deformation of the skull and the blood, probably smashed with a very heavy object... His headache became harder. The Trashcans were full of human pieces, arms, feet. He didn't approach more, as he came in front of the steps leading to the general entry. And there, on a giant banner, with letters probably written with blood of the Innocents.......
HAPPY HALLOWEEN.
"AUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!"
________________________________
-
"AUUUUGGGGHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!"
Tony came awake with a start. Wildly, he looked around. Everything was in place. Getting out of bed and stumbling to his door, he pulled it open to see......
Just an empty hallway. No dead creature. No blood. He ran to the front door, pulled it open, and looked out, searching. No dead bodies. No body parts. No torn skeletons.
Tony sagged down against the front door. Must have been a dream....But it seemed so real...Too real.....What the hell did it mean ?
Something....Something.....Seemed wrong, terribly wrong, and yet....Nothing was wrong......
Yet....Not Yet....But maybe at Halloween........
Tony shook his head. What could happen that was so terrible like his dream ? And who could do those horrible things ? Kurt ? Jake ? Someone Else ?
Tony couldn’t shake the feeling that a bad thing was going to happen on Halloween, just a few days away. A real bad thing.
Something wicked this way comes.
_______________________________
-
Tony rolled groggily out of bed. A couple of days had gone by, and it was the morning before Halloween. And another bad dream. Something about getting whacked in the head with a bat, and then watching Karen making out with that turd, Kurt. Shit. Tony thought, I need a shrink. These bad dreams just seemed to plague him lately, and he just didn't know what to do about them. Maybe he was getting physco like Jake. The pressures of trying to keep too many things going was getting to him. And he missed Karen. But she had dissed him three times now, Hell, she TOLD him to go on that date with Pinky, and then snuck out there spying on him.
He didn't understand girls, and most likely never would. He had too much on his mind right now anyway. Along with Constantinos, he had pilfered more clothing from the School Basement that had been bound for the School Store. So now, he had deliveries to make after classes to the Preps and the Nerds, so he just had to get his shit together and get with it.
He walked into the Common Room to buy a drink from the drink machine. From behind him, he heard, "Hey, Wanna play shirts and skins ?". from that fuck Trent. Without even thinking about it, Tony turned around and clocked Trent right between the eyes that staggered the Bully backwards. Then, he followed that with a hard punch tot gut and an uppercut that put Trent on his back. As Trent staggered to got up, Tony grabbed him by the neck, dragged him over to the nearest Trash Bin, and stuffed him ass first into it. Tony briefly considered throwing a Firecracker in at Trent, but decided he didn't want to waste it on the dumb fag.
"You're lucky I got other shit to do today, you queer fuck", Tony said, and walked off. Other kids moved out of his way as he went.
____________________________________________
-
Tony visited the Nerds at the Library with a package, and there learned about what had happened to Algie. He had been in the Clinic Hospital in town for 10 days now. His right nut had been blown clean off by a mysterious explosion in the basement of the Dragon’s Wing. No one knew what caused the explosion, or why Algernon had been so close to it. Tony sold his merchandise and moved on to Harrington House.
Entering the front of Harrington House, a Prep at the entry desk escorted him in through the inner doors to the large room to the fireplace. Then he turned and left with a small sneer. Tony stood facing Derby and Ted, who were both seated. While negotiating the price for the goods, a figure made her way down the stairs. Pinky.
Tony hadn’t seen her around since that night Karen had caught them behind the dorm together. She had been staying here, apparently, with some of the Preps. Tony figgured Karen would knock the shit out of her had she stayed in the dorm, so she had left. Pinky walked over and sat down on Derby’s lap.
Tony was seething inside. Karen had been right, Pinky had been playing him. She had made no attenpt to contact him since that night. She was just a little prick-teasing bitch. Pinky kept giving Tony little sly looks which Derby didn’t notice. Tony kept his composure by not looking at her directly, concluded his busness with the Preps and left Harrington House.
Halloween was tomorrow. The dream from earlier in the week still Haunted him.
====================================================================================================
Late last night, Jake had been busy too. Sneaking into the Girl’s Dorm, he stole a bunch of panties and other female garments. He then entered the School, and went to Pete’s small Mediator Office on the second floor. With the black ninja suit, it was laughably easy. Finding the door unlocked, he entered, then planted the panties and other garments in desk drawers and behind furniture, where it was out of sight. Then, sneaking down to the Main School Office, he left a crudely worded note on Ms. Danvers desk about Pete and his panties fetish, and where to find the stolen panties. He weighed the note down with a paperweight in a place where Ms. Danvers was sure to see it first thing in the morning. Then, sneaking down to the kitchen, he stole a couple of potato sacks. He then left the school and returned back to his hiding place, unseen.
The big night was tomorrow. Jake had laughed to himself. It Was Gonna Be A Real BLAST.
______________________________________________
-
Halloween morning dawned overcast and cloudy. Going to her desk in the School Office, Ms. Danvers noticed what looked like a note held down by a paperweight on her desk. She picked up the note and read it. Her expression registered shock at what she was reading, then anger.
"OUTRAGEOUS !!!" she squealed. She ran to the Headmaster's door, and began knocking furiously. "Dr. Crabblesnich !! Dr. Crabblesnich !! It's an Emergency !!!"
Prefects were sent to search Pete's Mediator Office. Then Pete himself was hauled out of class and brought before Dr. Crabblesnich.
"These were found hidden in your Office", Dr. Crabblesnich said, indicating the mound of panties piled on his desk. "What do you have to say for yourself, my boy ??"
Pete looked at the pile of panties in total bewilderment. "I...I've never seen these before....I...I mean, I've seen panties before, but not these panties....What's this all about, Sir ?"
"These were just found hidden in your office, Pete. Just how long have you had this addiction ?"
Pete sputtered, "ADDICTION ?? ??? I don't have an addiction....I...I like girls, sure, but...I would never...."
"Well, that remains to be seen, my boy. There will be an investigation. In the meantime, you are suspended from you duties here at the School." Dr. Crabblesnich paused. "I'm very disappointed in you, Pete. But I believe you can still be saved. Maybe some manual labor would do you a world of good, and help you control these juvenile impulses. Go and see the Punishment Prefect. That is all.”
Pete left the Office, speechless. he had never before had to go to the Punishment Prefect. He had done nothing wrong....This was so unfair. Who had done this to him...And Why ??
________________________________________________
-
Karen had been making plans for Halloween. Christy had been right. Tony hadn't come back. She would see him around Campus or in School, but he wouldn't talk to her, or even notice her. She had really fucked up, and her heart longed to be with him. She hadn't seen Pinky at the Dorm since that night either. She heard she had moved in with the other Preps. This was actually against school policy, but since they were the Preps, the administration looked the other way. Well, Pinky was going to be in for a big surprise tonight. Karen knew Pinky would be walking around tonight in her Princess Cat costume, because she was so vain, and wouldn't hide out on Halloween, believing herself to be safe from any attack. But Karen had a little surprise in store for ‘Little-Miss-Boyfriend-Stealing-Skanky-Whore’. She had acquired a Red Ninja outfit from her Jock friends, and would be wearing it tonight, stalking Pinky, until the time was right and she wandered off alone somewhere. Then, Pinky would be introduced to some long-overdue Bitch Justice, courtesy of herself, Karen.
________________________________________
-
Twilight approached. The skies, overcast and cloudy all day, had turned to a dull black. The wind was breezy, with small gusts here and there. A storm was approaching, due to arrive just before midnight. The Prefects had already left Campus for their annual drunken party bash. Tony had put on his costume, a Dracula outfit. He would be going around with Constantinos, who was wearing a Pirate costume. Tony still had nagging feelings from his dream earlier in the week. He still had a strong feeling something bad was going to happen. Just to be safe, he made sure he had all of his weapons on him, fully loaded.
+++++++++++++++++++
Kurt and Lola had snuck back onto Campus through the unguarded and unlocked front gate, and went off to hide out of sight along the near wall of the Parking Lot, waiting for the festivities to began so they could mingle, unnoticed. Both were wearing similar outfits of Maid and a Butler. Both were wearing masks as well. Kurt thought Lola looked real sexy cute in her outfit, and was making lewd plans in his mind for later in the BMX garage with her.
++++++++++++++++++++
Darkness was approaching. Time for Jake to go. Jake stuffed the potato bags with the timers attached to the pipe bombs, and slung them over his shoulder. He was dressed, fittingly enough, as a Hobo. That hadn’t been too hard, considering the state his clothing was now in, after a couple weeks on the lam. With a black cloth with eye-holes in it tied around the top of his head, he would blend right in. Jake left his hideout, and accessed the campus via the Greasers over-the-wall barricade they had set up. This was gonna be GOOD...
_______________________________________________
-
Tony looked at the various costumes of the students. Some really had imagination. There were Mad Scientists, Astronauts, Witches.…..He strolled down the pathway to the back Quad with Constantinos, who was dressed in a Skeleton Outfit.
Someone landed right behind Tony, and before he could react, he felt cold metal on his neck. And then he realized - That wasn't metal, that was plastic. And the hand that grabbed him wasn't really pressing. He heard a laugh, and turned around quickly.
The person he had before him now was mid-tall. He or she wore a hood that was part of a big white mantle, totally hiding the face in the dark. On the chest, some used leather parts that were surely made as a Shield to avoid being hurt by blades, or at least minimize it. The knife used to terrify him was in fact hidden in the left sleeve, and could be taken out with a simple movement of the arm.
"Tony... You recognize me ?", a voice said.
"Laurent ?“, Tony exclaimed, “Without that accent, I could never have guessed..."
"Ha-Ha-Ha ! You like it ? I am an Assassin !", Laurent cried.
"Pretty good !" Tony said, tapping the Assassin's shoulder.
The French kid joined the two boys, and they walked in direction of the Fountain, where, if Constantinos was right, there was real ambiance.
________________________________________________________
-
Jake had moved swiftly. Shortly after 7 PM, he set the first bomb down in the Jock's Clubhouse. The timers went up to 180 minutes, so Jake set the first one to the maximum time. The dumbass Jocks had left the door unlocked, and no one was there. Jake hid the softly ticking bomb in a box in an area enclosed by a wire mesh fence of sorts, he reckoned it to be for equipment storage.
Next was the Gym. Jake made his way down to the Boy’s locker area, and set the second bomb in an empty locker. He set this one a 170 minutes, to synchronize it with the first one as close as possible. Grabbing some towels from the shower area, he piled a couple on top to muffle the ticking, and stuffed the rest in one of his sacks. He then left the gym, and headed to the path to the Fountain. Other boys were in the Basketball yard, Jock boys he supposed, and milling about on the pathway to the Fountain. Jake drew no notice as he moved along toward the Fountain. Everyone was in some kind of disguise, and the sky was black with the hint of the approaching storm.
Around the Fountain was a gaggle of kids, dressed in all sorts of costumes. Jake saw a big one in a Sponge Bob suit he assumed to be Fatty the Nerd, since he was about the fattest kid in the school. Jake paused, deciding where to go first. He reasoned the Autoshop first, and then back across to Harrington House.
Jake moved carefully down the Autoshop path and waited a while in the shadows by the fenced wall area. When he had come through here a half-hour ago, the yard was empty. Now it was full of Greasers, milling around. These guys really went all out on their costumes, many making themselves up like Elvis or Fonzie. Jake’s getup was a bit out of place here, so he moved slowly, slinging his sacks over his shoulder and hiding his face as much as possible. In this manner, he passed unnoticed around the fence and headed for the garage area.
The attached garage door was open, and inside sat the car he had wrecked a month ago, all repaired except for a final paint job on the front-end. Perfect. Because it had taken him longer to get back here, Jake set the timer to 150 minutes, put the bomb on the front seat, grabbed some shop rags to cover up the bomb, and then shut the car door. This was going to be really funny. If they were pissed before at the damage to their beloved car, this would make them really stinking angry.
Jake made his way back through the Greasers yard area as before, unnoticed. The Greasers were busy talking among themselves and complementing each other about their get-ups, and he made his way back to the now-crowded Fountain area unseen. Edging around the wall area, he saw over on the other side three figures who looked familiar....A tall boy in a Dracula outfit, a skinny kid dressed as a Pirate, and a mid-sized person in a white hood and leather chris-crossing his chest. He thought the Dracula one was Tony. No time for that now...Lots of time later to take care of that. Jake headed down the path to Harrington House.
It was more Difficult here. Lots of Preps in costumes were milling around, having some sort of party. Jake edged around the South wall carefully, until he was close to the building. Just then, one of the Preps set off what looked like a Roman Candle Fountain over by the small side yard, and everybody turned to look. Jake used the distraction to enter the front door of Harrington House.
No one was in the front hall, and slowly opening the door to the large room, Jake saw that it was likewise empty. Crossing quickly to the chairs in front of the Fireplace, Jake removed one of the seat cushions, removed another bomb from his bag, set the timer for 130 minutes, set it on the chair, and replaced the cushion. Without knowing it, he had set the bomb into Derby’s favorite chair. Retreating quickly, Jake left Harrington House. Exiting the front door, Jake ducked down in the shadows. The Preps were still setting off the Roman Candles. Looking at them in the reflecting light, Jake saw most of them had on Aristocratic-looking costumes. One, a female, was dressed in a Princess Cat outfit. That must be Pinky, he thought. Waiting for the glare to die down from the lights, Jake hugged the side of the building, then the wall, as he moved around towards the small side yard area. This was perhaps the most dangerous part of the mission. His get-up was really out of place here. Rounding the wall unnoticed into the grassy yard, he made a break through the empty side yard to the wall and quickly jumped over.
Next was the Library. Peeking over the wall, he saw a few Nerds milling about in Wizard costumes. He needed a small distraction. Digging in his pocket, he brought out an M-80 Firecracker, and heaved it in the direction of the nearest Nerd. =BOOM !!!= The Nerds scattered, and Jake hopped over the wall and ran for the door. On the way, Jake spotted a vial containing a greenish liquid one of them had dropped. A Stink Bomb ! Jake scooped it up, and tossed it in the direction of the retreating Nerds. It shattered when it hit the ground, sending up clouds of green smoke. Perfect cover. Jake held his breath, ran and entered the Library door.
Entering, he saw the place was empty. Sprinting, he went to the back area by the globe, an area he knew the Nerds liked to hang out at. Quickly pulling out a bomb, he set the timer at 120 minutes, put it under the table, and covered it with a towel. Jake then made a fast beeline for the front door. Looking out, he could see the stupid Nerds had began throwing their own stock of Stink Bombs around, covering the area with green smoke. Squinting his eyes, and holding his breath, Jake made a run for the Pathway leading from the Library, and headed for the break in the wall leading to the Boy’s Dorm.
A few of the Bullies were milling about the yard. Jake spotted who he thought to be Trent, and ran up to him.
“Hey, Fuckface” Jake said.
“What...Who the fuck are...URK !!”, Trent choked, as Jake grabbed him around the throat.
“Shut up, you numb fuck, and listen. Tell your Clique to stay out of the Dorm tonight. Got It ?”, Jake hissed.
“Uhhh...JAKE ? Where have you been....”, Trent started to say
“Keep your voice down, you stupid shit. Just keep them out of the Dorm. Understand ??”, Jake hissed.
“Er, Ah....Sure....Nobody in the Dorm....Right”, Trent answered, confused.
With that, Jake pushed Trent away, and headed up the steps into the Dorm. Going to the Common Room, He got out a bomb, set the timer at 110 minutes, planted it in the Trash Bin, and threw a towel over it. he wished he could have planted it in Tony’s room, but the door was locked. Leaving the Boy’s Dorm, he headed down the steps and across the path to the Girl’s Dorm.
Entering the yard, he caught a break...No one was around. The girls were all out and about. Sneaking in the front door, he likewise found the area deserted. Good Deal. He moved quickly to the small foyer area by the stairs, and planted the last bomb, setting the timer to 100 minutes. Then Jake beat a hasty retreat down the hall and out the side door. Once outside, he crossed the yard, then took the shortcut leading over to the Parking Lot. The few kids milling around paid him no attention, and he made his way to the Old Bus, and entered through the doors.
Returning to the Hobo’s yard, it was just as he left it. Since being discovered, He doubted that whoever had found his former hiding spot would expect him to return. To be safe, he barred the gate, and moved a barrel in front of it. Then he sagged down against the wall.
He wasn’t tired...he was pumped.....Soon, Real Soon....He would have some revenge.
Let The Fireworks Begin.
_____________________________________
-
Hanging around the large lot in the back of the school, Karen finally spotted her...The girl in the Princess Cat Costume.
Pinky. The bitch was talking to some of the other costumed girls, Mandy and Christy, she supposed. Karen moved over towards them, keeping out of their direct line of sight. They were all standing near the stone veranda the flanked the rear of the School. After what seemed a very long time, the other two girls walked off, leaving Pinky alone.
Perfect. Karen snuck up to the side of Pinky, and then quickly grabbed the girl and slammed her backwards into the stone wall. Startled, Pinky looked at her attacker, but could only see someone dressed in a red Ninja suit. Not that she had time to look very long. for Karen punched her hard in the gut. Pinky doubled over, but Karen pulled her up and again slammed her hard into the stone wall, then punched her hard with a left hook to the face, followed by a roundhouse right to the head. Knocked out, Pinky went down in a heap.
“There, You Fucking Bitch....Payback for messing with my Tony”, she hissed. Karen added in a couple of hard kicks before walking calmly away. Quickly looking around, she saw that no one had taken any notice.
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-
The Winds had picked up. A few scattered raindrops fell. Down by the bleachers, A small group of Jocks had gathered. Casey, Juri, Kirby, And Dan were standing around, joking and cutting up after returning from TP'ing a couple of the Prep's trees. Good, clean, harmless fun, just like anywhere. It was shortly after 10 PM. The festivities around the Fountain and the open area behind the School were beginning to wind down.
KAWHOOMP !!!!!! A loud noise came from the direction of the Jock's Clubhouse. Startled, all four Jocks looked in the direction of their Clubhouse. There was a bit of smoke coming from under the door.
"What the HELL was that ?" Casey exclaimed.
"Donno...Sounded like the Clubhouse" Kirby said.
The Jocks took off running towards the Clubhouse and yanked open the doors. A bitter, acrid smell assaulted them, and smoke rolled out from the building. As the thick smoke cleared somewhat, the Jocks gaped at the damage. The Equipment Cage was ripped to pieces, boxes shattered and all manner of shredded material littered the floor. A new flat screen TV that had been brought in just this year lay shattered and twisted on the floor.
“What the Shit...Who did this ?” Shouted Dan.
Oh, Jesus...Look at our Footballs !!!” Moaned Juri.
An entire basket of Footballs lay scattered all over the floor, Deflated and looking for all the world like some of the worst dead fish ever. In any other circumstances, it would be funny, all those Balls laying around, ripped open with their guts hanging out. But to the Jocks, it was a disaster. Without Footballs, how could they play....Football ?
The Jocks were still standing there, Stunned, when they heard the second explosion coming from the direction of the Gym.
+++++++++++++++++++
KAWHUUMP !!!!!!! Another sound cut through the night just as Bo, Luis, and Mandy, the School’s Head Cheerleader, were walking in the direction of the Gym. Telling Mandy to stay put, the two Jocks raced into the Gym to find smoke pouring from the locker rooms downstairs. Making their way blindly down the stairs, they saw a large figure withering on the floor between the two locker rooms. He was mumbling over and over, “Ohhhh.....Hurts...So...Good”. It was Damon. Looking in the Boy’s locker room, Bo could see ripped open lockers located in the center of the room, with shredded books, uniforms, and athletic equipment strewn all over. One of the stall doors was bowed in, and a broken urinal was gushing a stream of water from a broken pipe. A strong smell of Sulfur and
Gunpowder hung in the air.
Dragging the injured Damon up the stairs and outside, the were met by the other Jocks running up from the Football Field. Gathering together on the Basketball Court, they all began talking rapidly among themselves.
“We’ve been attacked....Who did this ?”, said Dan
“Bet it was those Preppie Bastards”, exclaimed Kirby.
“Maybe it was the Greasers...They are real scum”, said Bo.
Dan, who was in De Facto charge right now, Said, “What are we waiting for...Let’s go get the Mother Fuckers !!!”.
And as one, they charged towards the path that led to the Fountain, with Mandy following.
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The crowd of kids were thinning from around the Fountain. A flash of lighting briefly lit up the sky. A few more sprinkles fell. Some of the kids began walking in the direction of the dorms and their other places that could provide shelter from the impending rainstorm. Up by Harrington House, the Preps had gathered, returning from other places around the campus grounds. It seemed the threat of rain had convinced them that they didn’t want to get their fancy costumes wet. Bif and Chad were talking, when off in the distance came a muffled sound. Not overhead, but from the direction of the Football Field. Looking about, they began to talk to the others gathered there, Gord, Justin, and Parker, about what the sound was they could have heard, whether it was thunder, and if they should head inside, when there came another slightly louder sound, also seeming to come from the direction of the Gym. Just then, Derby came up the steps, looking around. “Hey, has anybody seen Pinky ? I can’t find her....” He was interpreted from behind by Tad, who was running in from the Fountain area. “Hey, there’s something going on down at the Gym.....”.
KABLAMM!!!!!! An explosion rocked the innards of Harrington House. The Preps standing about outside felt a tremor shake the ground, and all of them scattered, trying to duck the unseen danger. Small tendrils of smoke came from the front doors. Darby and Tad, who had been farthest from the doors, now ran towards them, flung them open, and entered. What they saw was that the inner doors had been blown open from the concussion from the explosion. The two suits of armor on the reception side had sagged. Peering through the smoke still coming from the large room, they looked in on a scene of utter destruction. The chairs by the fireplace were in pieces, laying in smoking heaps scattered around the room. The mantle was cracked, and all the plaques and other stuff that had been hanging on the wall were laying about everywhere. The couches and chairs along both walls were damaged, and most of the tables were broken. The two suits of armor on by the door of the big room lay in collapsed heaps on the floor.
“Oh...God...Look what’s been done to my Father’s legacy !!” Derby cried.
“Those Uncouth Animals !!!” exclaimed Ted, looking around Derby at the damage.
Backing out because of the smoke, the two Preps returned to those standing outside, who started peppering them with questions. There were exclamations of indignation and revulsion as Derby and Ted related the extent of the damage they had seen inside.
“Who could have done this to our beloved house ?", asked Parker.
“It was those nasty Greasers who attacked us last week. They did this !!!”, cried Justin.
“Yes ! Those dirty, foul-smelling, backwards APES...It was them !!”, asserted Gord.
“Let’s go kick some low-life ass”, said Derby, and the Preps started towards the path to the Fountain.
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The Greasers were mostly hanging around now in front of the Autoshop, Although they had broken out the costumes and Halloween Cheer Beer, they were mostly anti-social with the other cliques. They would sometimes hang around with the Bullies, which is how they started making deals with Jake, but their biggest affections were reserved for their custom bikes and their beloved car, a 1969 Mustang Fastback. They tinkered with it every day, tuning it, setting the idle, hooking it up to the scope to watch it’s firing pattern, Waxing it, cleaning off every speck of dirt that dared to settle on it’s gleaming chrome.
“Hey Shawn, what’s going on ?”, said Hal to the newest Greaser, Steve.
“Donno, my man, haven’t got a plan” replied Steve, suddenly looking toward the fountain area as he heard some kind of loud noise. What was that ? Thunder ? No......Most Greasers were familiar with sounds, and that definitely sounded like something else.
Vance slouched over to the two Greasers, who were now looking towards the East. “Whatcha knows, Boze....You's hear that noise coming from over.....”
KAPOWWW !!!!!! A large explosion shattered the night from around the side garage attached to the Autoshop. Sounds of tearing metal and glass shattering followed on the heels of the blast. All the Greasers ran around to the open garage door of the Autoshop. There they beheld a terrible sight. Their prized Auto sat there in a smoking ruin, the windows shattered, the interior trashed, the driver door hanging off the side like a partly amputated limb, the roof pushed up like a balloon. The blast had knocked tools off the walls and toolboxes off the benches. Parts were scattered everywhere.
“OHH...FUCK A DUCK !!!” Cried out Ricky. “OUR CAR !!!”
“Those bastards boned our ride....Those sick FUCKS !!!” exclaimed Lucky.
“Hadda be them Preppie Pissers....Those Snobby Shitheads”, said Peanut, who had pushed through to stare unbelievably at the extensive damage. Acting as one, the Greasers picked up sticks, bats, and rocks, and swarmed around the short fence from the Autoshop area, headed to the pathway to the Fountain.
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“What are you listening to, Fatty ?” asked Melvin, walking down the steps in front of the Library yard.
“I Don’t know...Thought it was thunder....But it’s coming from over there”, Fatty said, pointing to the general area of the fountain. Melvin listened.
“I Don’t hear anything”, Melvin said quizzically.
“I heard it too”, Donald said, walking over.
“Now I hear...Yelling ? Sounds like someone yelling”, said Fatty.
“Well, whatever it is, we should get inside, before the storm comes”, said Melvin. “Com’on”.
The group of Nerds began to head for the Library front doors, as a lighting streak sliced through the sky. Opening the front door, they moved through the foyer, towards the large main room of the Library.
KABOOMM !!!!!! A huge explosion rocked the South-East corner of the Library, disintegrating the large table and the globe sitting on top of it. The force of the blast pushed over the nearest large heavy bookshelf and sent it into a domino-effect against the bookshelves in line with it, knocking them over one by one, as books fell and scattered on the floor. All the glass lamps within the range of the blast were shattered, and the tables were bowled over. The force of the concussion knocked down the entering Nerds backwards into the nerds behind them. dazed, their ears ringing, they slowly got up from the floor to survey the extensive damage.
“What...What Happened’, squeaked Bucky. What...Look...Look at our spot....”
“Why...Did...They...Do...That”, uttered Cornelius.
“We’re under ATTACK”, cried Fatty. Whoever did that to Algie is trying to get us too !!”
“Knights ! Arm Yourselves !!”, Yelled Melvin. “Defend the Library’s Honor !!”
The Nerds staggered behind the large reception desk, and Melvin unlocked a large drawer. From inside it, he began pulling out Spud Guns and handing them out each of the Nerds. “We know who did this....LET’S GO”. With that, the Nerds spilled out of the Library, down the steps to the path, headed towards the place with the ever-increasing amount of noise....The Fountain.
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Having left the fountain area before all the commotion started, Tony, Constantinos, and Laurant were walking down the path to the Boy’s Dorm. For the past few minutes, they had been hearing some strange sounds, like thunder, but coming from the South. The night was nearly over, the approaching storm was almost upon them. The sky, black as coal, rolled with ugly-looking clouds. Tony still had an uneasy feeling, something was out of whack.....Something dark, wicked.....
As the boys neared the dorm, the saw a strange sight. Standing there, blocking the doors, was Trent. Most of the other Bullies were there on the steps...Davis, Ethan, Troy, Wade...And appeared to be in a heated argument with Trent. Coming closer, Tony could hear what was being said.
“Com’on, Trent...Let us In !”, said Troy.
“Yeah, man....It’s gonna start storming real soon”, said Wade.
“Why are you tryin’ to keep us out, anyway ?, said Davis.
Stopping at the bottom of the steps with Constantinos and Laurant, Tony said, “Hey Trent, Dumbass...What’s the problem ? Why can’t anybody go.....”
KABLOOOM !!!!!! An explosion rocked the building from the inside, pushing open the doors, and knocking Trent into the rest of the Bullies on the steps, with the whole pile of them falling backwards and rolling down the steps. Tony, Constantinos, and Laurant raced up the steps and into the smoke filled building.
Inside, the fire alarm was going off. All the interior windows were shattered. Moving in farther to the common room through the acrid smoke, Tony glimpsed extensive damage. A Trash Bin was pulverized, the couch overturned. The TV was shattered, laying in a melted heap on the floor. The card table and chairs were just splinters littering the whole of the floor area. There was trash everywhere. Tony motioned the other boys back towards the front door. Got to get out of this smoke......
The three boys stopped at the bottom of the steps. The Bullies had recovered and were going over the shortcut in the wall from the yard to the School like their pants were on fire. Getting their breath back, the boys began speculating on who could have set off a bomb in the dorm and why.
Suddenly, Tony’s nightmare came back to him in full force. Pieces Of Flesh...Torn Limbs.......
And a realization. Not Just The Boy’s Dorm....The Girl’s Dorm Too.
And, after that.... Where’s Karen ? Haven’t Seen Her Tonight......
Without another word, Tony suddenly began running the path to the Girl’s Dorm.
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-
Tony yanked open the door to the Girl’s Dorm, and started down the short hallway. Suddenly, a figure walked across his line of vision, headed for the Lounge area.
“HEY !! DON’T GO IN THERE !! “ Tony shouted. Startled, the figure, who was dressed in a Red Ninja costume, Turned to face him. “Whaa..”. A girl’s voice. Tony launched himself into the air, grabbing the girl and pulling her away from the lounge area. “Hey, Get Off Me !! What Do You Think You.......”
KABLOOOOOM !!!!!! The strong concussion from the blast threw the two halfway down the hall. Tony held on for all he was worth, shielding the girl as best he could. The pair landed in a heap, rolling over and over. The fire alarm began blaring loudly. Coming to a stop, Tony groggily shook his head to clear it. Smoke was fast filling the air. Reaching over, he pulled the mask off the girl.
Karen....It was Karen. She took a breath and groaned. Relief flooded Tony. She was alive. Just a few seconds too late, and she would have been....
They had to get out of there. Tony picked her up and headed for the door, going outside and down the steps into the windy air. Thunder crashed, lighting streaked, and a heavy rain began to beat down. The storm was here at last.
____________________________________________________________
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The three cliques charged toward the Fountain. They were out for revenge. They were out for blood. Running up the steps from three sides, the Preps and the Greasers went after each other, and the Jocks went after them both. Punches and fists flew. Bats and sticks were whacked against heads. Being very dark, and going into the storm, it was hard to tell who was friend or who was foe. Casey had a couple of Preps who he was bashing together. Derby was beating up Hal, who was really no match for him. Norton had Gord by the throat and was dunking him in the filthy Fountain. A few minutes into the fight, Spuds started sailing through the air. The Nerds had arrived and were shooting anything that moved. Some of the combatants at the Fountain charged the Nerds, and they fell back....Only to be attacked by the Bullies, who had come up behind them. Fatty was flattened by a single punch from Davis, and went down in a heap. Davis was immediately shot with a Spud in the head and he went down also. The nerds formed a circle and just kept on firing on everyone in sight. For close to a half an hour the melee continued, with heads getting busted and nuts getting stomped.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kurt and Lola had observed the fighting from a distance. Since Kurt had been expelled of Campus, and Lola had quit school after Johnny had left, neither one of them was supposed to even be on Campus.
Kurt had watched with an amazed respect as the events unfolded. Some diabolical mind had dreamed this up, that was for sure. When the fighting had started, they had both moved to the base of the rear of the school building. While watching the fight, Lola spotted a figure laying in the shadows. She moved closer. It looked like......
“Pinky !”, she exclaimed. She would know the Princess Cat Costume anywhere, since Pinky always wore it to every party occasion. “Kurt, come quick ! It’s Pinky, and she’s hurt !”
Kurt came closer for a look. It was Pinky, all right, unconscious. As he bent to examine her, Lola said, “We’ve got to get her to the Infirmary !”
“No, we can’t....We’ll get busted”, Kurt said.
“No....No, we won’t”, said Lola. “The Prefects are off-campus. This is Halloween.” She pointed towards the fighting. “That’s why they aren’t getting busted.”
Kurt looked over. She was right. All this going on, and not a Prefect in sight. He was new here, and hadn’t known about the Prefect’s once-a-year drunken party bash in town. He briefly wondered what the uptight Prefects did to let it all hang out. Must be some show.
“Come on, let’s take her”, Lola said, bringing him back to the moment. Lola and Pinky never were best buds, but they had plenty of time on the Cheerleading Squad together, and they shared similar vain personalities. She couldn’t just leave Pinky there in a heap, she had to help her.
Kurt bent down and picked up Pinky, and he and Lola headed off to the Infirmary. With all the kids running around, no one took any notice of them. Arriving at the door to the Infirmary, Kurt said, “We should leave her here...So we don’t get spotted”.
“No, Silly”, Lola said. “We have costumes on, remember ? The Nurse won’t know who we are. Besides, looks like the place is going to be filling up real soon.”
Lola was right again. All kinds of injured kids were staggering up the steps toward the Infirmary. They wouldn’t be noticed. Kurt looked at Lola with a new respect. Maybe this broad wasn’t so dumb after all.
Quickly going inside, they left Pinky in the care of the Nurse. Like Lola had said, they were barely paid any attention to. They then left the Infirmary and headed back towards the Parking Lot just in time to see a Cop car smashing through the Side Gate, speeding towards the Fountain.
Whoops...Time to make like a tree and leave. Kurt and Lola had slipped out the broken gate and then left Campus.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Police car smashed through the front gate of the school, and headed around towards the back area. A second Police car knocked the parking lot gate open and made it’s way toward the fountain area. Both cars squealed to a halt at the bottom of the steps, and Cops jumped out of both vehicles.
The kids that could still move scattered. Most ran for the now-open gates, to get off school grounds. The Jocks fell back towards the Gym area. The Greasers, Preps, and Nerds had other places off campus to run to. The Bullies just ran around, not having anyplace. Most of them got busted.
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-
Tony was met by Constantinos and Laurent at the steps to the Girl’s Dorm. Grabbing him under the arms, they hustled Tony, who was still carrying Karen, towards the path. Halfway there, all of them stopped suddenly as the Cop car crashed the Front Gate, heading at high speed towards the rear of the school. Heading out the now-open Gate, They took the couple to a safe place in Bullworth Town that Laurent somehow knew about.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From his hiding spot in the Hobo Yard, Jake heard the whole thing go down. Then watched as the cops came screaming in. This was going even better than he planed on. The cops must be tied into the fire alarm system or something. Whatever the case, the shit was in the fire now.
They’ll be begging me to come back now. I’m going to be the Ultimate Fixer.
Jake let out an insane peal of laughter that seemed to go on and on and on.
ULTIMATE FIXER !!!
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------{{ END OF CHAPTER ONE }}----------
-
THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY
{{ CHAPTER 2 }}
The Great Clique War
"Bonjour !", a voice said.
"What the... Laurent ?", Tony mumbled.
The voice came again. "Non. Welcome to my restaurant !"
Tony's vision was blurred. He tried to identify the person that was standing before him, and could just catch a glimpse of an apron. A fresh odor of hot bread was escaping of the next room... A Kitchen, probably. Tony looked around him, and saw that he was lying on a dirty mattress, Karen sleeping next to him.
"How did I land there ?", Tony wondered aloud.
"Ah, it's your friend, Laurent... I know him very well, and he explained to me what happened.", the man said.
"Thanks, Sir”, Tony managed, his head swimming.
"Do you want to eat something ? I have fresh Croissants in the Kitchen, there...", the Chef, with a typical french mustache, was pointing in the direction of the next room, smiling.
"I got to return to my school, they..."., Tony began.
"You had better not now. There are policemen running everywhere in ze Towns, searching for you and some of your friends.", the Chef cautioned.
"But why ?", Tony asked, confused. “We haven’t done anything !”
"The Academy has been asking them to find the kids that escaped... If you get caught, you' will be in real trouble.!", the Chief said, then disappeared in the next room.
Karen opened her eyes. "What the... ?", she started fuzzily.
"Shhh... Don't worry, it's me...", Tony whispered.
"Tony ? But... What are we... ?", Karen said groggily.
"I'll explain to you later", Tony told her, "We're gonna stay here for a little while, OK ?"
The Smiling Chef reappeared, a plate between his hands, full of nice, hot Croissants.
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Posted on the wall at the entrance to Bullworth Academy----------
All Students who are able must use off-Campus lodging during the time repairs are being made to the school.. Classes will resume on Monday. Students living off-Campus may go to any of the many School Bus pick-up in Bullworth Town, Bullworth Vale, New Coventry, or Blue Skies. Investigations are now being conducted into the incidents, and the perpetrators will be identified, caught, and punished. The health and safety of our Students is the prime mission of this Academy. As such, Security Patrols will be doubled for the duration of the semester, or until the School returns to normal. As the School building itself received no damage, both Staff and Students are expected to be in regular attendance.
------DR. CRABBLESNITCH, HEAD OF BULLWORTH ACADEMY.
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-
Pinky woke up in the School Clinic…Again. She groaned. Who had attacked her this time ? All she could remember was someone dressed in some sort of red outfit. Like the Flash, only they looked more like Spiderman. Whatever…..Someone had ruined her night. It wasn’t fair. Who beats up on a Princess ?
Where the Hell had Derby been ? Wasn’t he supposed to protecting her from all the Peons out there ? Everyone from the School who wasn’t a Prep ? She moaned again. Her head hurt. Her ribs hurt. Her stomach hurt. Instead of the fine Post-Halloween Party back at Harrington House, she was here…This smelly place.
Gradually, it occurred to her, it was noisy as well. Loud moans and groans, cursing….Why don’t they shut up ? Can’t they see her head hurts ? What’s wrong with these low-life Paupers ? Pinky opened her eyes, squinting, and moved her achy head, and looked around. Shock replaced the frown of pain on her face.
Oh, my Gawd, she thought. Half the school must be in here. Just what the Hell is going on now ? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nurse McRae, tending to the injured. “Nurse !”, she commanded, sending a shot of fresh pain through her head. “Come Here !”
Nurse McRae lumbered over. “So you’re awake”, she commented. “Can you understand me, or do you feel sleepy ?”
Course I understand you, you dumb Cow, Pinky thought. Aloud, she said, in a miffed tone, “Yes, I understand, and No, I’m not sleepy.”
“Good”, Nurse McRae said, “You have no broken bones, mebbe just a slight concussion….Here, take some Tylenol, you’ll be fine.”
“Great”, Pinky pouted, but she took the Tylenol and and gulped it down with the cup of water Nurse McRae offered her.
“You can go when you feel like it”, Nurse McRae said. “Lots of real Injuries I got to attend to”. she said, turning her back and scurrying away. Pinky sighed. She was more important than these other Peons. Seriously.
Pinky laid back, closed her eyes, and waited for Derby to come get her out of this stinking hell-hole. But after an hour had gone by, it was becoming apparent that he was going to stand her up, again. Rousing herself, with effort, she managed to sit up. Just a little woozy for a few seconds, but she was feeling better. She would have to show herself out.
Fuming now, she left the School Clinic, ignoring the Cops and Prefects hustling about, and headed for Harrington House. She was burning with anger for Derby ignoring her yet again. He hadn’t been in the Clinic, so where was he ? Maybe, she thought, it was time to see if Tad Spencer would appreciate me more. Time to have an Affair.
Reaching Harrington House, she was in for another unwelcome surprise this evening….It was a Crime Scene.
Suddenly though, a Knight in Shining Amour appeared to rescue her.
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Monday morning dawned gray and windy. The School Bus pulled up to the Bullworth entrance with another load of Students. Those who were uninjured were having to return to classes. Students who were busted, and the ones in the Infirmary, had been questioned and released by the Police. Over the weekend, the others, except those few on the lam, had also been questioned. There had been a lot of finger-pointing between the Cliques, each blaming the other, but the Cops had found no real evidence that any individual or group had set the closely-coordinated bombs. For now, all Students, except those in hiding, had been cleared by the Police.
The Cliques had scattered to the various Towns. The Preps had the most places to pick from -- Their own private Gym, the Glass Jaw, their Beach House, and even Tad and Derby’s homes, all of these in the more exclusive Bullworth Vale. The Nerds were bunking out in the Basement of the Dragon’s Wing in Bullworth Town. Since Beatrice had graduated and went off to Med School, it was just the boys now. The Greasers had taken to staying full time at the Tennantments, and their Pool Hall, the Blue Balls Bar, in New Coventry. The Jocks were being put up in a house in Bullworth Vale by the administration, close to the Happy Endings Retirement Home. The smaller kids at the School were being boarded in Hattrick’s repossessed house for now. The Rockers, since being expelled, had been squatting in a house on the main drag in Blue Skies with a junk car in front. The Non-Clique kids had found lodging in the newly-reopened In and Out Motel in Bullworth Town. Only the Bullies had no place to go, and hung around in the Parking Lot of the Motel.
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The day after the bombings, Trent stole a bike and pedaled to Blue Skies. He was going to find Zoe, a girl who has been Jimmy’s last girlfriend during his time at Bullworth. After Jimmy’s arrest, she had quit school and returned to Blue Skies. The other girls at the school hadn’t liked her much, mainly because she was a brash, in-you-face type of girl, who could kick any other girl’s ass without even raising a sweat.
Jimmy was still revered by the Bullies. Early on in the last school year, Jimmy had beaten Russell, then the Bullies leader, in a cage-style match in the school basement arranged by that villain, Gary Smith. Jimmy had beaten Russell, who was three times his size, then had extended friendship to Russell and the Bully clique. For that reason, in their eyes, Jimmy was one of them. Trent only hoped that Zoe could help the out because of that connection.
As he approached Zoe’s house, he saw her sitting on the porch steps. Trent parked the bike and went over to talk to her.
“Hey, um....Remember Me ?”, asked Trent.
“Uhh...Yeah...You’re .....Trent, right ? From the school”, Zoe replied.
“Well...Er....We’re...I’m friends with Jimmy, you know...” Stuttered Trent.
“Don’t know about the ‘friends’ part”, smirked Zoe. “More like ‘Gang’."
“Er, Uh....We was friends....We all liked Jimmy, sure....”, Trent continued.
“Whatever”, Zoe said. “What do you want ?”
“Well....I...Er...We need a place to stay....For a while”, stammered Trent.
“What the hell are you coming around here for ? You think I want a bunch of STUPID, smelly, worthless, no-brain motherfuckers like yo’all around ? I don’t wanna be a babysitter to you dumb assholes. What’s in it for me ?” Zoe asked.
“Um, well...”, Trent said, “Maybe there’s something....Uhh, something we could help you out with....”
“I don’t know what you assholes could do for me......” Zoe stopped, and thought for a second. “Well, maybe there is something”. She looked away. “I’ve been having trouble with some of the Townie boys. One on One, I can kick their ass. But, if they gang up on me....” She looked back at Trent. “I’m the only girl here, and I won’t put out for them. It makes them sooo mad. I don’t want to get knocked up with any of their miserable children. When I don’t put out, they try to fight me. Only I’m better, so I stomp them into the ground with these”. She held up her booted foot. “But, they’re going to try to gangbang me. It’s only a matter of time. They got a new Leader, and he wants in my pants.” She stared hard at Trent. “You and your boys take care of them. Do that, and you can stay here. For Awhile. You guys still have Russell ?”
“Uhh..He’s been staying at his house....But we can get him, sure....Anything you want”, Trent said. “He’s not so good in the head no more, but he can still fight hard."
“Good. It’s a deal." Zoe got up and started back into the house. “Come and see me when it’s done. We’ll talk more then. Might be some other stuff I need done”.
Zoe entered the house and shut the door. Trent picked up the bike and got on.
Time To Round Up The Boys.
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At a part of Blue Skies in the South end was the Chem Plant complex. The Factory had been built in the center of a real labyrinth that only the Workers or Townies knew very well. There were walls, fences, control doors, everything made to prevent any outsiders from gaining easy entry. It was located down the end of a dead-end street from the Power Plant, but some years ago a steel wall had been built across the road between the two, ostensibly for increased security.
But in fact, it was the Townies favorite hangout, there being ways in through the tangled maze of narrow streets that ran Eastward from the Rail Yards and past Gloop Oil. Here the whole Bully Clique was searching through in it, Trent pedaling slowly on his bike, the others running behind him. Finally, Trent heard two voices, coming from around a building near the Chem Plant, and made a quick hand sign to his mates. Off in back of the building, two Townies were discussing something, one sitting on one of several crates scattered around, the other standing in front of him. All around them there were other crates, full of coffee, sodas, and other products. Trent turned his bike and charged, screeching his tires as he pulled up in front of the two. The rest of the Bullies came running up behind him.
"All right, you assholes are gonna respect Zoe, Now !", Trent challenged, dropping his bike.
"Ha-Ha !! Who are you ? Her half-time boyfriend ?", the Townie that was sitting on the crate laughed. His head was shaved, and he started to hit his fist in his palm menacingly.
"RUSSELL !!!! ATTACK !!!!", Trent yelled.
Russell roared and charged, shoulder first. But before he could reach the nearest Townie, a whole gang of them that had been hidden, lounging behind other crates, stood up from behind the crates and threw a rain of M-80 Firecrackers at the big Bully. Russell fell down to the ground in a hail of explosions, while the gang of Townie boys all dressed in orange jumped out and ran in their direction. The Bullies weren't prepared for this attack, and couldn't resist. The Townies overwhelmed the outnumbered Bullies and started beating them down like piles of shit. Trent turned around and tried to return to his bike, but a large, giant Townie that Trent had never seen before suddenly appeared before him and grabbed his shirt.
"Where do you think you're going ?", the giant Townie growled.
"Please, don't hurt me !", Trent begged, looking up at the twisted, ugly, face.
"You came to protect Zoe from US ?”, the giant Townie barked. “Don’t make me laugh !"
"You're Scum !", Trent said, trying to be brave, but his shaking betrayed him.
"I'll let you know, little girl, that we know everything that happens in this complex”, the giant Townie said, his stinking breath blowing in Trent’s face.
"What the... ?", Trent squeaked, not understanding.
"We knew you’d be coming thirty minutes ago”, the Townie snarled, “And now, I’m thinking we should go find Zoe !"
"Let me go, Please !", Trent begged, unable to twist free of the giant Townie’s grip.
“Some Protectors…What a Pussy you are“, the big giant Townie said, and then pushed Trent in the direction of his green BMX bike. Trent stumbled and almost fell. He quickly jumped on the bike, and pedaled away as hard as he could, trying to avoid the stink bombs that some of the Townie boys had unpacked from a crate and were tossing at him, laughing. He had to find another plan, before the Townies could reach Zoe's house.
Trent rode by Zoe’s house to warn her, but didn’t see her around. Trent got a wild idea. He had to talk to Tony. The guy was an enemy, but surely he could help them for money, or other forms of compensation….Maybe just for the thrill of strategy ?
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-
Ok, so….How can I find Tony? thought Trent to himself. I haven't seen the kid since the bombs went off...Where could he be ?
Trent pedaled faster, out of Blue Skies. Feeling more powerful as he gained speed on the BMX, he felt like he could do anything. He saw a ramp that seemed to be for unloading trucks near a Warehouse in New Coventry. He pedaled even faster, aligned the bike with the ramp, and Whoosh !!!! He was in the air soaring like an Eagle. The wind was blowing through his hair...
"OH SHIT !!!!", Trent screamed. The bike went out from under him and he landed ass-down onto the pavement.
"Ha-Ha-Ha....What a Douche…!!", exclaimed one of the Greasers watching from a group on the corner. "Need to tune that thing right before attemptin’ that, Jackass !!"
Trent got up feeling embarrassed. He jumped back on the bike and rode towards Bullworth town. Okay...That was stupid......
He rode into Bullworth Town thinking about where Tony could possibly be. The Nerd hangout ?
He rode on around the corner to Dragon’s Wings Comic Store. When he got there, he jumped off the bike leaving it partly lying in the middle of the street to get possibly smashed by a car. He walked in the store and observed the ‘Nerdiness’ of the area. Comic Books, Marbles, Board Games, Stink Bombs... No wonder the Nerds love it here.
"Hey Fatass !" said Trent angrily to the large store clerk.
"Who do you think your calling Fat.….Twerp ?" yelled Alfred Owens , the storekeeper, back at him.
"Oh I'm sorry did I hurt your feelings....?", Trent mocked.
"Watch your mouth, little brat !", Alfred steamed.
"Hey, Hey, I don't mean to be annoying”, Trent lied. “I was just wondering...How do I gain access to your....Um, What do you people call it….Lair."
"There’s only one way !“, the Shopkeeper grandly proclaimed. “You must beat the high score on the arcade machine...CONSUMO !!”
"Whatever, Fatass", said Trent, and just walked past him and down into the basement.
"Stupid kid." muttered Alfred Owens under his breath.
As soon as Trent had walked down the stairs, he closed the door behind him. He found a load of Nerds at the bottom, two playing Grottoes & Gremlins, one sitting at a computer playing a game, and a couple standing around chatting with each other. Weirdos.
"Alright Sissies, Where's Tony Calderone?" yelled Trent, taking a fighting stance and blocking his face with his arms.
"Uh..Uh....We Don't know.....DONT HURT US!!!! WE BEG YOU!!!", Fatty cried.
"Bullshit.….Where’s he at ?", demanded Trent.
"Honest, we don't know !”, another fat Nerd, Melvin, said, “He...he's the last person we are thinking of right now !"
Trent ignored the Nerds who were starting to huddle up in fear. He stepped across into a small room with computers in it. He grabbed a Bottle Rocket Launcher he spotted off the wall beside him, then he got down on his knees and looked under the bed. Nothing. He pulled up the sheet on the bed. It was all charred and black as if an explosion occurred there. Once again, nothing. There was no where else here for Tony to be. It then occurred to him…..Maybe Tony isn't in hiding, he was just staying away from the School ? Hell...he's probably on the lam from something. Trent walked back into the big open room.
There were no Nerds there...No one there....They were all gone.
"Where the hell did you all go !" He screamed at the walls. Chickenshits.
He ran back to the door he had shut leading to the stairs. Locked. He ran over to the other door across the room that led to the the stairs outside. This one was Open. He opened up the door and ran up the outside stairs and around to his bike. It was laying flat as a pancake on he street where he left it. "Damn, That’s bad luck”, he muttered.
Well, he wasn't going to find Tony with the Nerds, but he did find all the Nerds huddled around outside near the front of the Comics Store.
"There he is...Get the foul villain !", said one of the Nerds, charging toward him with weapons extended. Trent fired the Bottle Rocket Launcher at them and ran before they started firing back. He ran all the way out of Bullworth Town to the road that led across the big Truss Bridge and then past the school. He slowed, thinking.
What other place could he check, maybe...? The Preps hangouts.
He ran on down the street, past the school, and over the smaller Bridge leading into Old Bullworth Vale. There, he stole a Mountain Racer bicycle he found leaning against a decorative wall bordering a small Plaza, when no one was looking, and started off down the street to the Beach House where the Preps had gone to hang out again after Jimmy Hopkins had left.
Man, he sure was hungry. "I smell free food..." said Trent to himself, riding past the French Restaurant that housed Tony, Karen and Laurent. If only he knew.....
Ignoring his hunger pangs, he rode his bike further down Vale Valley Boulevard, then tried a fancy bike stunt down the stairs leading to the beach….and then flipped over the handlebars at the end when he hit the sand. Man, I gotta stop with this stunt riding stuff, Trent thought.
He looked at the front rim of the bike that was now all bent up from wrecking it. Trent spit out the wad of sand that was in his mouth from attempting the trick. He got up and pushed the bike down to the Prep’s Beach House. Puffing as he mounted the wooden stairs to the dock platform, he tried to open the Beach House door but found it locked. He stepped back, aimed the Bottle Rocket Launcher and pulled the trigger.
KAPOW!!!! The door blew open to an surprising sight. Pinky was laying on the bed in the far corner, half-nude from the waist down, with another Prep kid on top of her without his shirt and pants on at all. Looks like he had interrupted something. What A Slut, thought Trent looking at the sight.
"Ahhh ! What the HELL !!!", screamed Pinky, jumping up, holding a sheet to her breasts to cover herself and running across into a small room.
"Would you mind....I'm trying to get laid here !", said the Prep boy.
"Yeah...Sorry...Umm...You guys seen that kid...Tony ?",asked Trent.
"NO ! What would we want with that PAUPER !" yelled the Prep boy.
"Maybe some clean clothes ? Just wondering...",Trent mumbled, turning around and leaving out of the door of the Beach House, which he didn‘t bother closing. He descended the wooden steps, picked up and pushed the bike across the beach, then pushed it back up the stairs. It was so true, he thought.….The Preps really are Inbreds. Trent hopped on the bike and rode away. The tire made a popping sound every time he rode over the bent metal rim. He rode back to the East.
"Ahhhh....The sweet aroma of that French Restaurant, as he rode near. That was it, he was starving to death. He jumped off the bike and dug some bills out of his pocket. "Eh....This will get me something”, he muttered to himself.
He went into the restaurant and then saw Tony and Karen, both sitting at a table, sharing a Croissant. So...that’s where they were !
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Trent went over to Tony's table. "Look um...I need your help" he said urgently.
"What ?...Help you with what ? Why would I help a queer like you ?", Tony asked snarkily.
"Babe, don't be mean..." said Karen nudging Tony's shoulder.
"LOOK…..IT WAS ONE TIME…..ONE TIME !" screamed Trent.
"Yeah, Yeah, I heard about you and Kirby….Pervs", snickered Tony.
"Okay....Fuck you, Tony“, Trent said, “But seriously I need your help NOW!"
"What’s in it for me ?" asked Tony, looking for a payoff.
"I'll give you a couple bucks...I just need you to help me and my Clique to defeat those damn Townies…....", Trent said, hopping from one leg to another like he had to piss.
Tony thought for a minute. Why did Trent want HIS help ? Fuck him.
"So you in or not?" asked Trent.
"Get lost, Dude", Tony said, and with that he got up and disappeared down into a stairwell.
Trent stood, mouth agape. Karen looked up. "I'll talk to him. Come back in a few minutes, OK ?"
Trent nodded dumbly, and left the Restaurant. He went looking for another bike, found one in front of the Prep's Gym. He stole it, ditching his damaged one, and returned to the Restaurant.
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Tony's eyes were fixed on an invisible point. He touched Karen's hair, whose head was on his shoulder. Thanks to the Chef of this French Restaurant, he had been informed of everything about the situation in Bullworth, and the news was that it was pretty unstable. All the Cliques were fighting each other under cover, far away from the Prefects patrolling inside the Academy. What did they think ? That putting in a lot of rules in would make everyone nice ? The door to the Basement squeaked, and the mustached face of the Chef appeared, taking Tony out of his thoughts.
"Tony ? Karen ?“, the Chef said. “There's a boy that wants to speak to you. He's dressed in white."
"That has to be Trent again", Tony grimaced. "Yeah, thanks, Sir, let him enter."
Trent took a few steps down to the Basement to come in. He looked absolutely pathetic, with his blond hair messed up, and his Bullworth shirt covered with mud, sand, and dust.
"Tony... I need your help...", he pleaded again.
"You fucking cockroach, you've been working for Jake again, huh ?", Tony scoffed.
"Not anymore, I promise you ! I promise you !", Trent begged. "I'm not in it anymore... It's just...", Trent stumbled.
Karen had been looking up at Tony from her place on the mattress.
Tony stood up. "Ok, Ok…What's the deal ?"
"It's Zoe”, Trent said, “You probably don't know her, she was Jimmy's girlfriend..."
"So what ?", Tony said indifferently.
"She'll having trouble with the Townies, we gotta help her !", Trent agonized.
"What's in it for me ?", Tony asked again.
"I can pay you !“ Trent went on, “And anyway, these Townies are gonna bring trouble, one way or the other !"
Tony sighed. "How many are they ?"
"I counted ten, or so...", Trent guessed.
Tony took a look at Karen. She nodded. "All right....Let's go."
After Tony promised Karen he'll be coming back soon, the two boys left the Restaurant and jumped on Trent's stolen bike, and the Bully pedaled for two. On the road to Zoe's house, Trent explained the whole story.
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Earlier, through the broken window of the dumpy house where Kurt and the other Rockers were squatting in, Kurt had watched as the Bullies came slowly down the road....Trent on a bike, and the rest following on foot, including Russell.
Where the Hell are they off to ? Kurt wondered.
“What’cha looking at, baby ?” Lola said from the bed.
“Ahhh...Just Something”, Kurt replied.
“Come back to bed, OK ? My cunny is itching”, Lola purred.
“In a minute.....”, Kurt said, watching the Bullies go by, heading down the road in the direction of the Chem Plant.
The Bullies were the dumbest and poorest of all the cliques at the school. From broken homes every one, they were often dumped at Bullworth by the state. The administration was more than happy to take government money for their tuition, to provide them with dorm living complete with Rats, and month-old stew with half-rancid meat served up from Edna’s kitchen. Real losers. the lot of them. ‘Wrong side of the tracks’ was a phrase made up just for them.
All except for Russell, Kurt thought, as he watched the group disappear down the street. Russell had access to his own house in the Vale, although no one ever seemed to be there. Kurt had heard Russell’s Dad was in Prison, and his Mother was a big-time alkie who was always drying out in one treatment center or another. Russell, never all that bright to begin with, had really gone around the bend over the past summer, Kurt had heard. The kids all called it the Endless Summer for some reason. Kurt didn’t know why. He hadn’t been around then.
Still gazing out the window, Kurt had been thinking about these things for about 10 minutes or so, while Lola coaxed him in the background. Suddenly, he saw Trent riding back from the way he came, riding hell bent for leather. His shirt was disheveled, and he had a wild look on his face. He zipped by the house, headed for the bridge to New Coverntry at top speed.
What the hell’s wrong with him ? Kurt thought. And where’s the rest of them ?
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"All Right, Pinks...Come on out....The Interloper is gone".
Pinky re-entered from the side door after first peeking around the door to see if, indeed, they were alone again. "Stupid little Creep", she said, as she made her way back gingerly to the bed. She was showing some bruises from her run-in with Karen.
The Prep boy was nervous. "It was one of those low-lifes from that rat-infested dorm. I hope he doesn't go mouthing off to Derby. He doesn't need to know about...us...This".
No, for certain Derby couldn't find out about this. Derby would kick his royal ass, best friends or not, for messing around with his main squeeze. He was, after all, the boxing champion. And was tougher than all the other Preps put together.
"Go put a chair under that door, would you ? We don't want any other interruptions, now do we ?'", Pinky said sweetly.
The Prep boy did as she asked. as he returned to the bed, he said, "If I had had my pants on, I would have given that hooligan a good thrashing".
"I know you would have", Pinky said softly. "Now, come over here".
"Maybe we shouldn't be doing this. If this gets back to Derby....", The Prep boy started.
Pinky sat up. "Look, Tad....Don't worry about Derby. I can handle Derby. Besides", She said, "The Lummox wouldn't even come and get me from the Infirmary and make sure I got over here safe. Big Macho Man on Campus can't be bothered to look after his girl". She leaned over and nuzzled his neck. "You did that for me. Protected me”. She gave him a sexy look. “You’re not going to turn down your reward, are you ?”
Tad was breathing hard. “Oh, Yes, Pinks....I’d like that.....”.
Pinky lay back on the bed and spread her legs. “Come and get it then”, she said in a sultry voice.
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“Hey, KURT....You oughtta see this”, the voice from the window said.
Lola Squealed in surprise. Kurt swore. “Geesus...Don’t you ever knock, Tibo ?”.
“Uh...Sorry....But you better come take a look at this”, Tibo said, looking at the mostly naked Lola.
“Eyes back in your head, T-boy”, Kurt said. “What’s so important ?’
“Your old pal just rode by on the back of some Bully kid’s bike”, Tibo said.
“Lemme see.” Kurt poked his head out the window. Off in the distance, heading towards the houses on the West side, was Tony, riding on the back of Trent’s bike.
What the SHIT ? Don’t they, like, not get along with each other ? What in the hell are they up to ?
Kurt looked at Tibo. “Get the boys together. Let’s go check this out. Tell them to use stealth....We’ll be outnumbered.” He quickly pulled on his pants over Lola’s protests. “I’ll be back soon. Stay Put”.
I’ll get to the bottom of this. Let’s Rock.
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Tony and Trent neared front of the old-looking house. But as they approached, they immediately stopped, seeing some Townies gathered on the porch and hearing screams coming from inside. Trent recognized Zoe's voice... It was definitely too late. Tony put his hand on the Bully's shoulder.
"Listen, Trent. Sometimes you gotta know.....We're outnumbered here”, Tony said, looking towards the road by the small Clinic, where a group of Townies had left the porch and were approaching them with Weapons.
"But... Where will I live now ?" He Glanced towards the house. "And what about...Zoe ?"
"We'll find a solution", Tony said. "Now let's get back to the Restaurant."
Eluding the Townies, Trent pedaled between several houses, and passing by an alley, they saw several of the Rocker boys gathered and heading towards the West. Unlike the Townies, they ignored the two boys on the bike. Some time later, Tony and Trent arrived back at the French Restaurant. Dismounting, they went in The bell on the door tinkled as they entered. Karen was still in the booth.
"Oh, it is you, Tony !" the Chef exclaimed, coming from the back.
"Chef... My, uh...Friend is searching for a house for tonight", Tony asked. "Have you got any ideas ?”
"Hmmm... I remember... A friend that is working for... Erm... A Sex Shop." The mustached Chef had said the three last words in a low tone of voice.
"Trent ? What do you say ?", asked Tony.
"I'm OK... I'm up for anything", Trent replied.
"Good !" Tony said absently, lost in thought. “Now, about Zoe…”
Suddenly, Tony abruptly headed toward the door.
"Hey, where you going ?", Karen hollered.
"To see somebody", Tony said as he exited through the door. "Maybe I can get some help."
Tony bounded out to the bike, mounted it, and took off.
Karen looked over at Trent. "What's going on ?"
Trent was dithering with the Chef, who was giving him indications about the location of the shop. Ignoring Karen, he went to the door and left.
"Hey !", Karen squealed. She looked at the Chef, who could only spread his arms and shake his head in puzzlement.
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One by one, the beaten Bullies came to. Groaning, Moaning, and spitting blood and a few teeth from their mouths, they staggered upright, and began searching for their own. The Townies who had attacked them were nowhere in sight.
"Davis...Davis...Where you at ?", Sputtered Ethan through split lips.
"Uhhhhooohhh....Over here, man", came a voice behind a crate.
"Troy ? Wade ? Where you guys ?", Tom called, staggering towards the other voices.
"Back Here...Shit, my head", Troy said, helping Wade to his feet.
"What about Russell....Aww, DAMM...Russell !!!"
Russell lay in a heap by a gate, knocked out. there were multiple powder burns on his face and clothing. He was breathing, however.
"Anybody seen Trent ", Tom muttered.
"Think he went off to get help", Someone said.
"Help from where ? Nobody wants to help us", Tom said.
"You sure about that ?" said a voice coming from a rider moving up the street towards them. The bullies gathered in a semi-circle as they watched the figure approach. He then fishtailed to a stop in front of them. "What seems to be your problem, Gentlemen ?"
The Bullies looked to each other and then back at the Stranger.
"Who are YOU ?, said Ethan at last.
"Why...You should pay more attention in School...You would have seen me around, if you weren't so busy beating up innocent kids half your size."
"Them's fighting words, stranger", choked Wade.
"Looks like you have already been in a fight. Does not look like you did so well", continued the boy. "I am Laurent, of the Jocks. My friend Tony came to find me and ask our help, after your Trent took him back to Bullworth Town. I believe he said something about a girl in trouble ?"
"So, they sent one skinny guy", said Davis. "Some help."
"Oh, I am here to help, all right", said Laurent.
"Yeah ?", said Tom. "You and what Army ?"
Laurent turned and pointed over his shoulder. "That Army".
The Bullies looked. Riding up the street towards them was what looked like the entire Jock clique, helmets on and carrying bats and boards.
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Kurt and the Rockers moved slowly out into the large littered lot behind their house. When they had cleared around an old junk rail car, Kurt again saw Trent, with Tony on the back, riding away from a group of houses and back towards the main road. Some of those Townies were following at a distance.
What in hell were they doing back there ? Seeing Trent and Tony receding in the distance, he motioned his group ahead. Spread out, they advanced on the row of houses. When they had advanced to almost the end one, across from what appeared to be a clinic of some sort, he raised his hand to signal them to stop. He had heard something.
From inside the last house, Kurt heard what sounded like muffled screaming and harsh laughter. As he was about to move forward, the front door suddenly opened, and two of the Town Boys appeared. From the open door, Kurt could hear the screams more clearly. They were a girl’s cries....Cries of pain.
The two Townie boys took up positions on the front porch, one on each side of the now-closed door. Kurt motioned his boys to sneak around the sides of the house. They would need a distraction. Kurt stooped and picked up some large rocks, then boldly walked up to the steps of the house.
“Hey...What’s going on in there ?", He asked.
“Move it along, Sonny Boy...This doesn’t concern you” Said one of the Town Boys.
“Yeah...Why dont’cha just keep on walking, if you know what’s good for you” said the other.
The Rocker boys had scaled the fence next to the house while Kurt provided his distraction. Picking up some boards and sticks that were littered around the yard, they moved swiftly to the rickety back porch. When they were in position, they kicked in the door and rushed inside.
Out front, the Townie Boys had started menacingly down the front steps at Kurt. “We told you to scram....Vamoose little boy, before you get hurt...Or we’ll make you.....”
Both the Townie Boys turned at the sudden commotion from inside, and began to run up the steps. Kurt quickly followed from behind, bringing down the rocks he held in his hands hard on the backs of their heads. Both of the Townies went down in a heap.
The Rocker Boys broke in through to the single room to a awful sight. On a bed was Zoe, naked except for her boots, being held down by two burly Townies, while another very large Townie with his pants down was just finishing up having his way with the squirming, screaming girl. Standing around the bed were three other Townies. Surprised at the interruption, the Townies froze. The Rockers charged them with sticks and boards swinging.
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“Which way ?” Asked Casey.
“I think I know where”, Said Tom. He turned. “Some of you guys...Get Russell over to that empty meat slaughterhouse. He stayed there once, hiding from the Cops. Stay with him he comes around.” He turned to Casey. “Let’s Go !!”
"I'm coming too !", Ethan proclaimed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kurt continued up the steps and kicked open the door. A Townie came stumbling backward out the door from a punch. Kurt grabbed him and swung him around, smashing him up against the side of the house, knocking him out. The fighting spilled out of the house, Townies exiting first, then the Rockers after, pelting them with boards as they went. The Rockers had taken them by surprise, and had gained the upper hand in the battle. The Townies were being beaten down.
“WE NEED HELP HERE !!!” A Townie yelled out. Almost immediately the entire lot was filled with Town boys coming out of houses and the nearby Tattoo Parlor. They rushed the Rockers, grabbing them, punching them, two and three on one. The Rockers fought back, but were soon overwhelmed. Kurt was grabbed by two Townies, while at third started punching him in the gut.
Suddenly, from the street, there appeared what seemed to be a dozen bikes, all being ridden by boys in helmets. The Jocks had arrived, and rode directly into the melee, dropping their bikes and beating and slamming the Townie boys into the ground. The Rockers who were able rejoined the fight, and soon it was the Townies who were outnumbered. The battle raged on for a short while, until the ground was littered with what seemed to be twenty or more knocked out Townies. The remaining Townies began to run and scatter, pursued by the Jocks.
Trent pulled up and skidded on a newly-stolen bike. Looking around, he saw at all the bodies withering on the ground, and the Jocks and Rockers chasing after the running Townies. Over by the front steps, Ethan was helping an injured Kurt to the porch. Trent dropped the bike and went over to them. “Huh...Where’s Zoe ?” He asked.
Kurt struggled to answer. “Girl...Must...Be...Inside...Still...”
Trent ran up the steps and through the open door. Looking around, he saw a naked Zoe on the bed. She was in a daze, crying. He went to her. There was blood on the sheet. Trent grabbed a blanket, wrapped it around her, and picked her up. Exiting the house, he carried her down the steps.
Pausing to talk to Ethan, he said, “Tell the boys I got us a place to stay over in Bullworth Town”. Ethan nodded as Tom came up.
Zoe stirred in his arms. “I thought you dumb fucks were gonna take care of those assholes for me.....”
“Uh...Well...They’re taken care of....Now”, Trent said.
“Little...Too...Late....”, Zoe said, groggily. Then, she passed out.
Trent carried her across the road to the Clinic, and then inside.
__________________________________________________
-
Tony looked through the dirty window. Down the wide street, there were various colored shops, including one called the Yum-Yum Market. Many people were passing by, an old man with a yellow tie, a guy with a shaved head, and, like everywhere, a Policeman. Tony didn't really pay attention, but he was sure he had already seen this Cop’s face before.
Although he never much willingly talked to authority figures….Except the other night, on the beach….He and Karen had almost got busted. Thanks to his negotiating skills, he had saved them. But Tony remembered his promise….Help him to find a woman. He dressed with his black tie on, and went out, after kissing Karen and informing the Chef that we will be coming back for lunch. He started off down the sidewalk, catching up to the Cop.
The Policeman didn't look very happy himself, in fact. His back was curved, and he looked down at his feet while walking. His life really had to be boring without a woman.
"Erm... Hello, Sir !” Tony said brightly.
"Beat it, kid !", the Cop said, without looking up.
"Don't you remember me ? The other night, on the Beach ?", Tony asked.
The Cop looked up. "Don't remind me of that night, kid... I cried a lot..."
"Now, I promised”, Tony said, “And I'm here to help you to find a woman, Sir."
Tony's last sentence provoked a smile from the older man. He put his hand on Tony’s shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "Well, have you ever seen the woman with a pink dress, in town ? It's her."
"So, what could I do for you ?", Tony offered.
"She often hangs out in Old Bullworth Vale, near the Aquaberry shop, and... I've heard she likes chocolates”, the Cop related.
"Understood ! I've got just the Idea !”, Tony said eagerly.
"From Officer Williams !" the man said with a wink.
________________________________________
-
Jake sat on the boulder on a cliff high above the West end of Bullworth Vale. He had accessed this spot through a vacant property, scaled the rocks up to this spot, a relatively easy climb if one knew just where to look. From here, he could just about see all of the Vale, the Carnival, some of Bullworth Town and the school in the distance. Jake was thinking, as much as it was possible for him, being whacked out and all.
For some reason, his plan hadn’t worked out. Before he could make his move, Cops and Prefects had flooded the Campus. The Students had scattered, those who were able, and many went to ground outside the Academy in their own little groups. They were being bussed in and bussed out, allowing little time for interaction among themselves. There had been no cries raised for an Ultimate Fixer. Instead, they had whimped out and left.
Jake wasn’t giving up. He was still cunning, though, and he had a new plan. It was simple…The way to control the Cliques was supply and demand…..Each Clique had a specialty that would be desired by the other Cliques….The Nerds could supply test answers, The Greasers could repair anything, The Jocks could supply much-needed protection in sports-related classes, The Preps could supply the finer things in life, namely editable food, which they received regular shipments of from home. The Bullies could supply questionable protection….Well, the Bullies were a sorry lot, with no talents other than being Bullies….Didn’t matter, he could use the other Cliques to keep them in check.
Jake had been a busy boy. The night after the bombings, he had broken into The Worn-In clothing store and had stolen some outfits. He especially liked the “Incognito” outfit, along with the shades and hat, which made him almost unnoticeable. He had also swiped some cash, which he used at the Yum-Yum store for some food, and at the Final Cut to have his hair colored and styled totally different. Taken together, he looked like a wholly different person. Which was fine with him.
_____________________________________________________
-
The Clique Leaders awoke the following morning to find envelopes slipped under their doors where they were staying in the dead of night……
Brave Knights,
Our land has been a land of peace, a long time ago. But now, Kingdoms fight for a futile victory. We all want the old times to come back, that's why I propose to your leader to meet me on the beach West of the School and by the Bridge leading to Bullworth Vale, in one week, after School.
--------------------
To all Greasers,
We all know that learning in books will never be as good as manual practice. Some kids of this School have never touched a car, a pipe or even a Motor. Your skills are useful for all, and war isn't a solution. That's why I propose to your leader to meet me on the beach West of the School and by the Bridge leading to Bullworth Vale, in one week, after School.
--------------------
To the strong Jocks,
The future of Bullworth is not only based on the Football team. We never used to loose. But if you are wasting your time by beating up little kids, you won't even be able to train. That's why I propose to your leader to meet me on the beach West of the School and by the Bridge leading to Bullworth Vale, in one week, after School.
--------------------
Dear Wealthy Boys,
Everyone knows you are superior to any other Students. Only you can bring a little class and politeness while looking well into this school. Why would you fight ? It is only time wasting, time that you could use to become more known everywhere, or go shopping to buy expensive clothes. That's why I propose to your leader to meet me on the beach West of the School and by the Bridge leading to Bullworth Vale, in one week, after School.
--------------------
Trent,
You dumbass, you have to be on the beach beach West of the School and by the Bridge leading to Bullworth Vale, in one week, after School.
Got that ? If you don't come... You know what's waiting for you.
_______________________________________________________________________
-
The Ultimate Fixer. In one week, Jake would take the first steps to regain his control over the cliques. Only this time, they would be doing the supplying. No more raids for panty-ante small-time merchandise. He would assume the role of middleman and arbitrator. And they would gladly give up their precious items and talents, BEG him to take them and restore order. He laughed a long silent laugh.
A council of Peace, to avoid the threat of War. He knew that some in the cliques blamed those in other cliques for the bombings. But after the ruckus died down, after they knew that each had been bombed equally, even the Girls….Well, they would be afraid. Real afraid. And Jake could use that fear.
Jake would tell them that had been bombed by Terrorists. With a new Identity, he would tell them he had been checking around since he had come to the Vale Valley. Ear to the ground, going places the Cops couldn’t. It was not just one bomber, there was a group. He would tell them he had been in contact with them, and could guarantee their future safety in exchange for their money, goods and services. All they had to do would be to co-operate, and let him, Jake, take care of the rest. It was brilliant. The same plan used by governments worked for stupid adults, and would work for stupid kids as well.
Jake looked down at the Carnival from his perch on the bolder. He would need a new base of operations in the meantime. There was a job opening at the Carnival in the Souvenir Booth. Looking different now, older, Jake would get that job. It would be the perfect spot to lay low, and to keep an eye on things.
Jake smiled. He had always liked the Carnival. Soon, real soon, he would really become The Ultimate Fixer. And, in the deal, he could get rich…And take over the School.
________________________________________
-
Zoe had awoken in the Blue Skies Clinic the morning after the big battle to find Trent sleeping in a chair by her bed.
“Hey….HEY !!!”, she said, whacking him in the shoulder.
“Wha…Huh…”, Sputtered Trent. “Uhhh…I’m awake…awake…”
“I thought you assholes was going to protect me” Zoe said. “What the hell happened to that ? You dumb fucks get lost or something ?”
Trent struggled to sit up. “We…Uhh…Found them…Well, they bushwhacked us…Even got Russell…”
“They got Russell ?”, Zoe said, surprised. “Seesus fricking….Who saved me then ?”
Trent explained what he knew, how the Townies had lain in wait for his group, had swarmed and attacked them, how he had gotten away and went to get Tony, how that new Rocker Clique had snuck into the house somehow to battle the Townies attacking Zoe, how Tony had enlisted the help of the Jocks to show up and tip the battle against the Townies, and finishing with his carrying Zoe out of the house and over to the Clinic.
Zoe laid back in the bed after hearing Trent’s account of what happened. Then…”Who are these Rocker boys ?” I never heard of them.”
“They are...Uh…were a new group at school this year. The Preps used their influence to get them expelled off Campus after they started a brawl between the Greasers and the Preps….There’s only like six of them….They’re…Ahh…Weird….Pretty Violent."
Zoe smirked. “Like you and your guys aren’t ?"
“Well…we’re not, like…Freaks”, Trent said.
Zoe looked at Trent. “Just what are you doing here, anyway ?"
Trent looked away. “I…Um…Just wanted to see…Er, make sure that…you know, you was gonna be alright….”
Zoe considered that for a moment. “Maybe you do have some uses."
Trent was silent. After a while Zoe said, “I can’t go back to my house. Not without some weapons and protection. You get me some M-80 Firecrackers and one of those Spud Guns from the Nerds. One of those Bottle Rocket launchers too."
Trent started, “They’re going to want something for them….”
Zoe laughed. “Tell them I’ll sic Jimmy on them when he gets out of Jail if they don’t help me…Or just beat them up, and take what you need…Get this Tony friend of yours to help…I don’t really care how…Just do it.” She paused. “I’ve got to get those bastards who did this to me. I’ve got to fix them so they can never do this again. I know who those fuckers are, Big Darrell and his gang. I will hunt them down, one by one, if I have to. They’re not going to get away with this, and you and your boys are going to help me. Unless, you all are a bigger bunch of wusses than I thought. Unless, you all are just going to slink away with your tails between your legs after what those asswipes did to you. Unless, you don’t want revenge."
“Why…Uh….Sure, we want revenge !”, Trent exclaimed. “But…There’s so many of them….How’re we gonna….”
Zoe settled back in the bed. “Just leave that to me. I know where that rapist bastard hangs out. Know where they all sleep. I’ll do the planning.” She smiled a rueful smile. “I learned a lot from Jimmy. That dickwad’s nuts are gonna be Toast.”
_____________________________________________________
-
The owner of the Yum-Yum Market near the Chef’s restaurant was a smiling man. He had his black hair combed back, although he didn't seem to be a Greaser or have anything in common with them. Tony took a look at the objects lying on the counter, as samples. There was not, like the name of the market could suggest, only just food….Next to the eggs, the soda and the potatoes, there was chocolates, a bunch of flowers, and spray cans perfect for an art project, as the man said. Tony bought the pink box of chocolates and a spray can, and paid, happy that money wouldn't be a problem for a long time.
He went out, the items in his hands. There were more people out than this morning, and some Students were passing by, looking for another stupid joke to do. Tony walked in the direction of the heart of Old Bullworth Vale, eyes searching for his target. But as he passed the Glass Jaw, a familiar voice from behind stopped him.
"Who do I see there ? Tony !", a voice said. He swung around to see a familiar blue Aquaberry dress.
"I don't have time for this, Pinky”, he scowled.
“Those for me ?”, purred Pinky, approaching him.
“No”, Tony replied shortly, hiding the chocolates behind his back.
"Oh, that's too bad”, pouted Pinky. With both hands on her hips, bent to speak directly into Tony's ear, chin on his shoulder. "Just when I wanted to show you my new.…. Panties."
"I got something to do, and anyways, Karen doesn't want me to speak to you again”, Tony said, his breath coming shorter.
"Look at this... The obedient little boy”, Pinky remarked. “Do you know what she did to me last month ?"
"I don't, and I just don't care.", Said Tony, looking away.
"Listen…“, Pinky purred, “I really like you. And you know... Sometimes we have to disobey."
She took Tony's hand, and put it on her left breast. The boy felt his heart beating faster, but he didn't do anything. Pinky continued, "I know you like this.…Your Karen doesn't have them this size, and not this soft..."
"So what ?", Tony retorted, but squeezed Pinky’s boob without even realizing it.
"What could interest you in that Ugly Girl ?", Pinky asked disgustedly, pulling his hand off her boob.
"You're jealous, Pinky !”. Tony said, and walked away, not wanting to listen to any more words from Pinky, who followed him for a moment. He felt his desire rising, despite himself. After awhile, he glanced around. He was up to the Shops area of the Vale, and couldn’t see Pinky anymore. He turned the corner, and walked North, Arriving in front of the Aquaberry Fashion Store.
He glanced around, looking for the woman He could swear he had seen a pink dress from a distance. He moved back South, where he had a sightline on all the pedestrian streets, and found his target immediately. The woman was queuing before the Movie Theater Cinema. He walked rapidly towards her, approaching from behind.
"Hello there, Ma'am.", Tony said.
"Hey kid !”, the woman replied, “You're dressed pretty good for your age !"
"Oh, thanks... In fact, I'm only a Delivery Boy”, Tony admitted.
"Really ?", The woman asked. “Is that for….Me ?”
"This is for you….From the Officer Williams”, Tony said, handing her the chocolates.
"Oooh !“, the woman gushed. “This is sooo sweet !"
The naive little box had its effect, like always. Tony didn't understand why this type of thing actually worked.
"Have a good film then, ma'am”, Tony said, turning to go.
"Wait !” the woman called. “Here's for your kindness." She gave Tony $10 dollars.
Now that this mission was over, it was time to go back to the Restaurant.
___________________________________________________________
-
Kurt held a council with the other Rockers. “We have got to move. It’s not safe here”, he said.
“Where we gonna go ? Everybody hates us…”, Tibo said.
“Lola knows a place for us”, Kurt pointed at the girl sitting next to him.
“You gonna trust that slut ?”, A smaller Rocker boy named Benny said. “Just cause you’re boning her don’t count for shit. She’s a Greaser chick, and…..”
Benny was interrupted by a hard smack to the mouth from Kurt.
“Shut your fucking pie-hole !! You ever, EVER call her that again, and I’ll waste you, You got that ? GOT IT ?” Screamed Kurt at the smaller boy.
“Ok. Ok…Whatever”, Said Benny, wiping blood from his lip. “Sorry…”
“So, where is this place ?”, Tibo said after a short pause.
Lola spoke up. “It’s like, the old Movie Theater over in Bullworth Town. I used to go there with Johnny….” She trailed off. “Anyway, I know how to get in the place from the back….It’s safe…More roomier too”.
There was a general buzz of agreement from the other Rockers.
“All right then…Pack it up”, Kurt ordered, getting up. “Let’s move out”.
______________________________________________________
-
Throughout that week, Tony was becoming a Hero. The word had spread about how he had saved Karen from the bomb in the Girl’s dorm. When the Police had questioned the Jocks, Laurant had told them how Tony had rushed into the Dorm just seconds before the blast, and how he and Constantinos had helped a shaken Tony and a semi-conscious Karen off campus. With collaborating testimony from other witnesses at the scene that night, the Cops now considered Tony not a suspect in the bombings. By way of answering the Jocks questions, the Cops let on that they were close to making an arrest, and that their main suspect was not a Student at the School, but an Adult outside of it.
The following day after classes, Laurent came by the Chef's Restaurant to tell Tony the news. Not only was there no suspicion on him, but he could return to classes tomorrow. And, the head of the School, Dr. Crabblesnich, wanted to see him right away.
Leaving Karen at the restaurant, Tony rode his Skateboard over to the School, falling off it a couple times. He never could quite the hang of it. At the main gate, he was met by two patrolling Prefects, keeping everyone out of the School Campus after class hours. Identifying himself, Tony was let through, and told to go to the Office. Arriving at the School Office, he was met by Ms. Danvers, who showed him in to the Head’s Office.
“Well, Tony my boy….Good to see you, good to see you. Hear you’ve become something of a Hero these days”, Crabblesnitch said.
“Well, not a Hero, sir…I was just doing what I had to….”, Tony began.
“Nonsense, my boy, you did a very brave thing…That poor girl could have been seriously hurt…” He paused to shake his head. “Or worse still. We owe you a debt of gratitude here, my boy….This is a stellar School we have here, just stellar…This kind of thing can give it a black mark, you see, but you can help change that".
Tony fidgeted in the chair. “Um..I don’t see how I can…”
“Don’t be so modest, my boy…Having you around on Campus will be an inspiration to the other students. Especially after all this unpleasantness….You’re just what the School needs. I’m going to tell all your Teachers that they have a top-notch Student in you, just top-notch. I think you’ll find the classloads a bit easier from now on. And, I believe you’ll find the Prefects may go a little easier on things as well, where you are concerned. You’ll be a great morale-booster, Tony my boy, just great for the School.”
“Well, umm…If you say so, Sir…But I thought morale was Pete’s job around here…”
Crabblesnitch leaned back in his massive overstuffed chair and frowned. “Unfortunate business that, unfortunate….We had to suspend him for the rest of the term, at least until he gets counseling for….Well, just unfortunate, is all….” He sat forward. "But in the meantime, we can use a boy of your talents to help keep the peace here at the school. Work with us, and you may find we can be quite generous.”
“Well, uhh,” Tony said slowly. “OK, Sir.... I wouldn’t mind helping out.”
“Excellent…Just Excellent.” Crabblesnitch said. “Oh, and that girl…Karen Johnson, is it ? She’ll be returning back as well, I hope. I trust she has recovered from her experience ?”
“Uh, Yeah”, Tony said. “Yeah, she’s OK, was shook up a bit, but she’s allright.”
“That’s good to hear, my boy, good to hear. Then I’ll expect you both back in class tomorrow. See that you’re here. I believe you’re worth a try.” He rose from his chair. “That is all”.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Leaving the School grounds, Tony found Constantinos waiting for him by the Front Gate.
“I heard you had to go see the head”, Constantinos said. “How’d it go ?”
Tony considered. “Weird, just weird. They sacked Pete for some reason, and now Crabblesnitch wants me to, like, kinda take his place or something.” Tony shook his head. “I don’t know….Seems this place is corrupt clear up to the top….Just fucking weird.”
“So…What are you gonna do ?”, asked Constantinos.
Tony thought for a second. “I think…I’m going to play along…Least for a while.” He looked at Constantinos. “You know, I’m going to need my ears. You in ?”
“Sure thing, Bos…Tony”, Constantinos grinned. “You know I’m in.”
"Good”, Tony sighed. “All this place is like…Rusty, you know ? Com’on with me to the Restaurant if you want, I need to see Karen."
________________________________________________
-
Next day, during the Lunch hour, at the Football Field, there was, again, a fight. Two Nerds were in the center of a circle of three Jocks, menacing them with their weapons, even though they knew that the Jocks had the advantage. There was the Jock with a scar, Juri, who ran into Tony the early days, a black one known as Bo, and Laurent. Before the first hit could be given, a voice shouted from above the stairs, "STAY WHERE YOU ARE !!"
The Prefect ran in direction of the group, and they immediately scattered. He was wearing a blue coat, and on his back, the emblem of the school was printed, and around it "Bullworth Academy Security". He ran after one of the escaping Nerds, an easy target. After getting him, his hand on his neck, he applied the routine busting move, a kind of move that is pretty effective. He put one hand, open, on the neck of the skinny Nerd. The second hand came under the chin, pushing vertically. The combination made the spinal column bend inevitably, and caused the kid to fall on the ground. This move wasn't easy to do, but anyone learning it will be sure to make an opponent powerless.
"COME BAAACK HERE !!" This time, the Prefect had shouted in direction of Laurent. Tony smiled. He knew that the prefects had no knowledge of Parkour. Laurent easily climbed a few walls, while the Prefect looked at him, arms hanging by his side, helpless. After a while, he turned and walked away, as if nothing had happened.
After laughing with Constantinos, Tony reminded himself that he was coming down here for Laurent, who had just run away. "Come on, Constantinos, let's go find him !"
___________________________________________________________
-
The 10 newly refurbished rooms at the In and Out motel was now the temporary home to a few of the Non-Clique kids…Angie, Christy, Gloria, Melody, Gordon, Ivan, Lance, Pedro…were all bunked two to a room, and Mandy, who had once been the steady girl of Ted, the Jock leader, had to share a room with Ms. Phillips, who had been assigned to watch over them.
Angie, as usual, was giggling over a boy, something Christy was getting tired of hearing about.
“What do you think of that Prep boy, Gord, Ah-hah-hah-ah-hah-ha….He’s so cute !”
“Angie, that boy’s a queer”, Christy sighed. Will this little twit ever stop yammering ?
“Really ? How do you know that ? Oh-hoo-hoo, That is sooo wild !!”
“It’s not hard to tell…When you see him kissing another boy”, Christy said.
“Well, who do you like ? Sure there’s someone, isn’t there ?”, Angie asked.
Christy was quiet for a minute. Who DID she like ? After that incident last year with those two boys who were fighting over her, she had steered clear of any relationships. She wanted to graduate this time around, so she could do whatever she wanted, all the time. But….If she could have a choice….It might be Bryce, a wrestler who hung around the Preps Glass Jaw Gym, even though he really didn't seem one of them. Strong, and quiet…In fact, she didn’t think she had ever heard him speak at all. And, just like Christy, was a loner…
“Well, who Christy ? You’re thinking of someone, I can tell”, Angie said.
“No…Nobody special”, said Christy, thinking again of Bryce. “Nobody special."
______________________________________________________________
-
"Tony ? You came back to School ?" Laurent exclaimed as the two boys found him.
"As you can see, Laurent”, Tony said, spreading his hands.
"Oui”, Laurent replied. “You have time to wander ?"
"Of course”, Tony grinned, “And I need to meet a Prefect anyway."
Tony didn't have to wait a long time. The Prefect patrolling nearby had black hair, and seemed to be constantly frowning. He was wearing the same jacket as the Prefect at the Football Field.
"Hello there, Sir”, Tony presented himself.
"You three look suspicious !” the Prefect barked. “Or do you want to report violence ? Vandalism ?"
"Nothing like that” Tony replied, “I just wanted to present myself. My name's Tony Calderone."
The Prefect‘s demeanor suddenly changed. "Are you the Tony that the headmaster was talking about ?"
"Umm…I guess so”, Tony said, "Could you please bring me the names of the kids that aren’t coming back just yet ?"
“Sure thing”, the Prefect replied, and reaching into the vest pocket of his blue coat, produced a notebook. Tony noticed a small nametag marked "Edward". Flipping the notebook open, he tore out a page and handed it to Tony. "If I can do anything else, just ask me."
The Prefect turned and walked off. Climbing the back steps, he disappeared behind a door leading into the school. This all was too easy... Simply asking to get anything ? Was Pete always in the same situation ? Anyway, this list will be useful for what Tony had in mind.
Laurent and Constantinos were suitably impressed.
_________________________________________________________
-
Jake ended his shift for the day, closing up the Carnival Souvenir Tent at 11 p.m. He had been right…This was the perfect spot to carry out his plans. After just his second day at the Carnival, he had scoped out all sorts of hiding spots for the merchandise he had in mind. Under rides, nooks and crannies in the Fun House, in the Souvenir Tent itself, even in caves around the Carnival….And was sure he could find more.
He had hired in under the name of Ace Adams, and told them he was 18. They didn’t really care. Carnivals had always been a place for the unwanted and unneeded, castoffs from society. Had a past that you wanted hidden, or just forgotten about, the Carnival was the place for you. Nobody asked questions. You could be an Ax Murderer, it didn’t make a difference. No one took notice of his strange outfit. There were all kinds of weirdos, misfits, whackos, and freaks here already. No one paid them any attention. The public didn’t really see Carnies…Except for the ones in the Freakshow Tent, that was, but even those didn’t have names…Only some grotesque image to make children squeal in fear and the adults turn away in disgust. Quickly forgotten about. This was the perfect place, all right. As much as Jake could move around the various Towns unobserved, he would be even less noticed here.
A Carnie’s life fit Jake just fine. He even briefly considered just staying there. But Jake wanted Power. He wanted Respect. And he wanted to be Feared. Controlling the School would give him all of that, and more…It would give him a start along the road to bigger and more powerful things he could control. And then, even more Power.
For this little plan he had in mind, he had a bunch of dirty, smelly Arabs a half a world away to thank. Without them, there would be no Terrorists that everyone was all so afraid of now. Even the mention of the name brought fear to the average citizen. They were everywhere, so it seemed….In your town, on your street…And now, so it seemed, ‘they’ had attacked Bullworth Academy.
Jake laughed to himself. Those idiots would swallow the story hook, line, and sinker. He wasn’t dealing with the brightest of minds here, and Jake knew himself to be superior in every way. Once they were afraid of an invisible boogyman, he could get them to do whatever he wanted. They would give over control to him…Would demand he take it. Whatever it took to allay their fear. It was classic, and had been used down throughout history to control the masses. If only the Idiots had paid more attention in History class…
Jake smirked. There was no History Class at Bullworth. All the better for him. He finished up closing his tent. Just a few days to go….And Jake would be on his way to greatness.
_____________________________________________________
-
A couple of days before the weekend, an announcement was issued over the intercom to all classes….
“The School Campus, Dorms, and facilities will re-open to the students this following Monday. The construction crews had almost completed fixing the damage from the bombings, with just some trim work and painting remaining. It has also been decided by the administration to allow open un-restricted access to the towns from Bullworth Academy between the hours of 8 AM and 11 PM. The Front Gates will no longer be closed or locked at these times, but there will be increased security by the Prefects on those entering or leaving the school grounds. That Is All.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
At the end of School that day, the Students heard some more electrifying news…Alfred Owens, the Dragon’s Wing owner, had been arrested and charged with the bombings ! Police had been suspicious of him every since the explosion in the Basement of the Dragon’s Wing, where Algie had been injured, and had found pieces of what seemed to be some sort of timer. The same types of pieces had been found at the school bombing sites. A search warrant had been obtained, and all sorts of strange, para-military stuff had been found in the Basement, along with some porno mags. It was evidence enough to arrest the unfortunate Alfred, who loudly protested his innocence as he was led waddling away in handcuffs. The crises was over, and the perpetrator was in custody…Or so it seemed.
____________________________________________________
-
Derby paced the beach at the south end of Bullworth Vale near the bridge. He had been waiting here for two hours now. Where in the fuck was this mystery person who had summoned him to be here today ? Seemed like someone was having a joke at his expense. If that was the case, when he caught that asshole, he would teach him a thing or two…
He squinted into the late afternoon sunlight. From down the beach, he could see a figure walking toward him. Well, at last. Now he could get down to business…
The figure came closer. Derby stared. It was…..
“What the Devil are you doing here, Ted ?”, Derby asked.
“Might ask the same of you, Derby”, the Jock boy replied.
“I was invited here, so you can get out”, Derby said, putting up his fists.
“Hold on there, Hoss…I was invited too", Ted replied. "Don’t get your panties in a bunch”.
“Well I have a note left under the door at the Beach House”, Derby retorted.
“I have one also, telling me to meet with someone here. Maybe you’re not so special after all”, Ted shot back.
The two boys stood discussing the mystery notes, and didn’t notice a third person strolling up to them.
“What’s the sass, Jackass ? Private party, or cans anybody join ?” Both boys looked around. It was Peanut, from the Greasers.
“We certainly don’t need filthy scum like you here”, Derby said.
“Yeah, me and the girlie was talking here…Butt out, Butthead”, Said Ted.
“Just try and makes me, you fucking reject”, Peanut said. “I have to meet somebody's here”.
“Meet somebody ?” said Derby. “Who the hell wants to meet dirty Motorheads like you ?”
“I donno…I gots at note left at the Pool Hall. What’s it to you's anyways, youse prissy shit ?”
The three began arguing heatedly, and didn’t notice another person waddling slowly over to their group.
“Hey, what’s going on here ? Let me through…I have to meet someone”, said Melvin.
“Oh, look…It’s be one of the Bullworth ping-pong balls”, said Peanut.
“You need to find a comic-book convention somewhere”, said Derby.
“Yeah…Real men are having a talk here…Beat it”, said Ted.
“Let me through, or I’ll shoot”, Melvin said, raising his Spud Gun.
The three boys slowly spread out. “You’ll only get one of us…Then you’re gonna be toast”, Derby said.
“We will use you like an ongio-bongio”, said Ted.
“Pounds you butt like a mutt”, chimed in Peanut.
“So…It is a standoff !”, Melvin exclaimed.
“HEY !!” A shout from a figure riding up on a bike made the four boys turn. The bike skidded up close to the other boys and the rider dismounted.
It was Trent. “Don’t Shoot !! Stand Down !!”.
“Look what the skunk dragged in”, said Ted.
“No-Brains Fuckup. Youse needs to leave, like rights now”, said Peanut.
“Low-Lifes like you don’t belong here. Move on, or else”, said Derby.
“These Bullies are going to make me Sooo ANGRY”, said Melvin.
The bickering continued for a few minutes, with threats and counter-threats.
“Gentlemen, be at ease”, a voice said from the shadows underneath the bridge. “You are all supposed to be here”.
______________________________________________________
-
A strange-looking figure emerged from under the bridge. He was dressed in a tan trenchcoat, tan pants, black shoes, and was wearing an incognito hat with dark shades.
“Who…Who are you ?” asked Derby after a minute.
“Who I am isn’t important” the figure said. “What I can do for you is.”
The assembled boys just stood and stared. Finally, Melvin stammered, “Wha...What do you…Want with us ?”
“I’m here to help you. To stop any more bombings”, the figure said.
“There won’t be anymore of that”, Derby said.
“Yeah, da Cops arrested that weirdo Comic Store guy for thats”, said Peanut.
“He’s NOT A WIERDO !!”, Melvin shouted. “He’s a GOOD GUY !!”.
“That why he has all them smut mags in the basement ?”, jeered Trent.
“SHUDDUP !! Like you’re not a queer fag yourself !!”, screeched Melvin.
“You fucking Nerds are all a bunch of Pervs”, said Ted. ”Everybody knows that.”
“ARE NOT !! You Jocks are always touching yourselves…”, Melvin started.
“GENTELMEN, GENTELMEN !!”, The odd figure said. “This isn’t about your petty little squabbles. It’s about saving your very lives….If you’re interested.”
“Well, like frat-boy here's said, dere wonts be anymore bombs, said Peanut. “They gots the guy”.
Walking a bit closer, the shaded figure asked, “You all sure about that, are you ?”
The Clique Leaders looked at each other. “Why wouldn’t we Be ?”, asked Derby.
“Oh…I don’t know”, the strange figure said. “Just that…Ole Alfred is a very fat guy who would probably be seen waddling around Campus with a box of Dynamite…Anybody see that ?”
The boys all looked at each other again. Slowly, they shook their heads.
“Alfred is very slow. Has Asmatha. All those bombs went off just a few minutes apart. I happen to know they only had three-hour timers", the strange figure went on. "No way it was Alfred”.
“How would you know that ?”, asked Derby.
“I know lots of things. I’m a Carny”, replied the strange figure.
“Bullshits…I’se never seens you's at the Carnival”, said Peanut.
“Sure you have. You just don’t pay attention. Nobody does”, the figure said.
“Well, that’s just not true. We see Carnival people all the time”, Derby said.
“Really ??” the strange figure said. “Then what are their names ?”
“We don’t know their names…”, said Melvin.
“Fine. What do they look like, then ? Describe them. Any one of them” The figure said.
The five boys gathered around opened their mouths and tried to speak, but couldn’t.
“Just like I thought”, said the odd figure. “None of you can remember ANY Carnie. We’re invisible to you. You don’t see us because you don’t WANT to see us. It’s OK, though…We like it that way”.
“So, Uhhh…If it’s not Alfred that done the bombings, who was it ?”, Trent finally asked.
“Oh, that’s simple”, the mystery figure said. “It was the Terrorists”.
Each of the boys attention was suddenly focused. They had heard of these Terrorists. They were very badass dudes who blew up all sorts of things and murdered people.
“How…How could you know that ?”, Melvin asked.
“Because I’ve been in contact with them”, the figure said.
The boys stood stunned. Looking at the stranger in the incognito hat, they begin to move toward him.
___________________________________________________
-
The figure pulled a Bottle Rocket Launcher from under the folds of his trenchcoat. “I wouldn’t do that”, he said. “You need to stay where you are and hear me out”. The boys stopped in their tracks. “That’s better. I’m not one of them. I just KNOW one of them. He comes to my tent in disguise. He has indicated to me they are willing to leave the school alone in return for certain…Shall we say…Compensations ?”
“So, they want…Money ?”, said Derby. “Why would they want that ?”.
“It costs a lot to run their Jihads” the figure said. “They have expenses. Point is, pay them off, and they will back off. Don’t, and….Well, better hope you all have death insurance.”
“That’s Blackmail !” Melvin said, who knew that sort of thing at Bullworth well.
“So it is. But what other choice do you have ? Next time, it just won’t be some chairs, they’ll blow up all of Harrington House, with you Preps inside…Or the Library when it’s full of you Nerds…Or the Shop when all you Greasers are there…Or the Gym while you Jocks are training for the next big game….Or the Dorms, when you dumb fucks are there, or they will blow up your women. You’re all walking targets", the figure informed them.
The boys began to look a little rattled. This was big…Bigger than they were prepared to handle. “Why us ?”, said Derby. “Why bomb Bullworth ?”
The mystery figure shrugged. “They bomb places all over the world. Might’ve picked here because of the way you all are”.
“Whadda you's means by that ?”, said Peanut.
The cloaked figure laughed with contempt. “You’re all so weak. Look at you. In the same School together, and none of you can get along with each other. None of you can trust the other. Always fighting each other. If it hadn’t been Halloween night, half of you would be in the Morgue right now. You need to be united against things like this, or you‘re toast”.
“So, what will we do ?”, asked Ted. “Tell us what to do !”
The cloaked figure was silent for a moment. Then, he began walking slowly around the group, pointing the Bottle rocket Launcher at each clique leader in turn.
“Each group of you has things that the other groups want. Things that could improve the lives of every group, and yet…You hoard what you have, instead of sharing your goods with others. You Preps have fine clothing, like sweaters. You Nerds have weapons, like Spud Guns. You Greasers have mechanical gadgets, like collapsible Skateboards. You Jocks have all the Sporting Equipment, like Footballs and Basketballs. And you Bullies…Well, don’t really have that much, except what you steal from others…But you could provide protection for the weak, which you choose not to do.”
He had circled around in front of the group. “What I am proposing here is Free Trade. But this will never work for any of you, for none of you can trust the others. So here is what you must do. Bring your goods and money to me, and I will be your Broker. The more goods you bring, the less money you have to bring. I will sell your goods to others in your Cliques, and add the cash to what cash you bring to pay off the Terrorists”.
“So why do you want to help us ? What’s in it for you ?”, asked Derby.
“I’ll be taking a fee for my services, don’t you worry about that”, said the stranger.
“How long we gotta do this ?”, asked Ted.
“As long as it takes….Eventually, the Terrorists will come to know that you will present a united front, and they will move on to other targets. Right now you all are just Sitting Ducks", the figure went on. "Trust me, this will ultimately fix everything”.
He looked at the group assembled in front of him. “Well…What about it ? Do we have a deal ?”
There was a murmur of discussion from the group. Then, one by one, the nodded their assent.
“Good”, the cloaked figure said. “Began bringing your goods and cash to my Souvenir Tent after Monday. If you don’t see me, ask around for Ace Adams. That's me. One more thing, keep this quiet from anybody else, even your cliques. This deal gets out, it will fuck everything up”.
“Whats do's I tells our people ? They's will wonder why…” started Peanut.
“Tell them they will have better lives. Tell them what ever the hell you want. You’re the Leaders, make something up. They’re sheep anyway. Once they start seeing the benefits, they won’t be asking anything. And you’ll gain even more power over them”.
He walked into the shadow of the bridge. “See you around, Hey ?”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jake exited the other side of the bridge, then quickly climbed up to the Promenade area above and disappeared incognito into the crowd. He was laughing loudly in his head. They bought it, the dumb fucks bought the whole thing. Scared shitless, he could see it in their faces. Soon, he would control the commerce of the whole school. One step closer to being the Ultimate Fixer.
__________________________________________________
-
Only a few students didn't come back to the school. Most of them that did come back told of rumors about the Police's interrogations that weren't really respecting of the law. Those sort of rumors were traveling with the help of the townsfolk, always here and there gathering in little groups and discussing about what they've heard and about the events happening in the School. One of the four Students that wasn’t coming back was Steve Bains. Laurent explained that the other night, Steve talked to him about his desire to leave the Academy and create his own proper Bike Shop, and apparently he took his chance there. Another was Jake... Tony hadn't seen him for quite a long time, and wondered where could he be hanging out. Was he preparing for revenge ? Anyway, Tony decided, he didn't do the bombings for sure. He wasn't that hardcore to try to kill so many people during that night. Was he ?
___________________________________________________
-
Tony felt it was a good time to go wandering to see how the buildings were being repaired. The first noticeable thing, when arriving at the Fountain, was the Statue. It represented a Bull, dressed in a Football Outfit, and over-muscled. It held a ball in it’s right hand, preparing to toss it in direction of the Football Field. Anyone who sat on the edge of the Fountain could read the story, written on a plaque at the bottom of the Statue. Apparently, the Statue was the first thing bought to Bullworth Academy, placed on an old water source. After that, the football field was made below, then for the local Prep team of Bullworth. The team needed to be boarded separately, which became the reason for, and first use of, Harrington House. The grand Prep Hall took the name of it’s contributor, Derby’s ancestor. The rest of the story on the plaque was covered by mold. Today, Tony saw, one of the horns had been knocked loose, maybe because of a fragment resulting from the explosion. A fragment that could have landed in an innocent skull, a knee, or worse... Was this a sign that the Academy was a Bull without horns, furious, but unable to hurt ? Tony looked in direction of the Harrington House. The contrast between the old stones and the fresh bricks clearly delimited the range of the explosion, and anyone could see that the bomb had been put in the ground floor, toward the back of the second room. Three Preps were standing in front of the new entry, bothering the last mason, who was finishing his work quietly. They had their hands crossed behind their backs, sometimes bending to talk in their neighbor's ear. If the work had to be perfect there, it wasn't in the case of the Auto Shop, as Tony would see after having turned to go in that direction.
_____________________________________________________
-
After passing the Auto Shop’s corrugated metal doors, any trespasser faces a chain-link fence, topped with barbed wire, an extravagance from the Greasers. The only solution is to bypass it was peeking around it to see halfway to the door leading to Shop Class, where Mr. Neil, the Teacher, spent his days. He was presently outside by the South Garage, working desperately with two kids on the burned, distorted amount of metal and trim that was the rest of the car where the bomb had been placed. They tried to recognize familiar pieces in this black labyrinth, and paid no attention to the Masons working on the brick walls. After passing the Shop Class door, and going along the fence, the area covered with corrugated iron was normally was a good spot to hang out, drink a glass of soda or a beer in the late-night hours, and talk of working on a Motor.
But the normal corrugated iron roof had been totally blown up by the explosion, and there were broken pieces of the Car laying around. The windshield had been exploded, spreading pieces of glass everywhere. The old car seat where Lola used to get her breasts caressed by Johnny had become an ugly gob of black old foam escaping from big holes in the torn leather.
The work on the walls of the storage building really had been done sloppily…Some bricks weren't put right, some were even broken, and the ground was angled. The answer to the shoddy work was simple. The Academy made the effort to provide repaired buildings as quickly as possible….But while no expense would be spared to repair the Prep’s Harrington House, that was not the case when it came to the Greaser‘s area. Tony made his way back to the Fountain and decided to sit on the edge with his two friends who happened by before going to see the damages to the Jocks Clubhouse.
_____________________________________________________
-
Anyone standing at the top of the stairs could see the pathetic state of the Football Field. It was nearly cut in half, the right half burned and turned yellow. The Bullhorns now had to train on the miserable patch of green grass to the left, while the Cheerleaders were discussing girly stuff on the Bleachers, showing their nails to each other. The Jocks Clubhouse, where the bomb had exploded, had become a kind of taller house. It had the same length and width, but the height had been boosted, and new windows were reflecting the sun at the planned second floor.
Tony had seen enough for now. He turned and made his way back on the pathway between the Poolhouse and Gym. On impulse, Tony entered the Gym, followed by Laurent and Constantinos. Inside, things were sort of getting back to normal, as some Students were already pushing gigantic obstacles before them, while two kids were standing at the side of Coach Burton. Let the Dodgeball Games begin !
________________________________________________________
-
The day before the big meeting near the bridge, Trent had gone to the Dragon’s Wing to talk to the Nerds. What he found, however, was chaos. The area around the store was roped off with yellow police tape, and there were two Cop Cars parked there with their bubble lights on. Cops were carrying out items in boxes marked ‘Evidence’ and stowing them in the trunks of the Cop Cars. There were a lot of Townspeople gathered around and watching the proceedings. Trent had drifted among the people listening to their comments. In this way, he had learned about Alfred Owens getting arrested as a suspect in the bombings at the School, and that the Cops were carrying out a search and seizure of stuff in the Dragon’s Wing store and basement. The Nerds, so it seemed, had been taken at that time to the Police station for further questioning.
Shit. He was going to try to get the weapons that Zoe had asked for. How was he going to get them now ? Hanging around for a while longer, the usually dim-witted Trent got an idea. Getting back on his stolen bike, Trent returned to Blue Skies. He went to the docks area, and poking around, stole a crowbar when nobody was looking. Waiting until very late at night, he returned to the Dragon’s Wing.
Dodging the Cop patrols, he crept down the back steps to the Basement. Using the crowbar, he jimmied open the lock to the steel door. It was dark inside. Using a small lighter, Trent looked around the large room. Most of the stuff had been taken. The ConSumo game’s panel had even been pried off. There were empty boxes and crates scattered around the floor. Trent moved to the smaller bedroom. There were still some things here, mostly small stuff.
Trent tried to think, which was hard for him. Where would he hide stuff, if he was a Nerd ? He looked around and his gaze fell upon the bed. With it’s mattress still burned black from the explosion that had injured Algie, it obviously hadn’t been slept in for awhile. Standing there, a stray thought from his childhood occurred to him. Dropping down, he looked under the bed. Nothing.
Trent was about to get back up when he caught a flash off something in the weak light of the lighter. Getting on his back, he squirreled under the bed, and looked. There, up in the boxsprings, were two fully loaded Spud Guns, along with a box of some of those M-80 Firecrackers. He pulled them from their hiding places. Bingo.
_________________________________________________________
-
Trent had returned to Blue Skies to escort Zoe from the Clinic to her house across the road after the Clique Leader meeting by the bridge in Bullworth Vale. He was telling her that the Bullies would be moving back into the dorms on Monday.
“So, I guess I’m on my own”, Zoe said. “That’s OK, I can handle that."
“No…No...I’ll still come over after school and stay till the morning. I can…Uh…Stand guard while you’re sleeping….Look, I got some weapons for us, like you asked."
“Good”, she said, taking her new Spud Gun. “That’ll hold them off, least till It runs out of ammo. What’s that ?”, she asked, pointing to the box Trent was carrying.
Trent showed her the box of Firecrackers. As she looked, the plan she was thinking of began to take shape in her mind. She would need the help of the big lummox Trent to help carry it out, though.
As they had entered the house, Trent said, “You know, you could come back to school. I’m sure you could get back into classes."
“What…And get blown up ? No thanks”, Zoe remarked.
“No", Trent said with certainty. "Ain’t gonna be any more bombings."
“Oh, Yeah ? What do you know ?”, Zoe asked.
Trent told her of the arrest of Alfred Owens. He didn’t say anything about Terrorists.
“Well…Still. I don’t want to go back to that shithole”, said Zoe.
“But, you can’t stay here…They’ll attack you again !” exclaimed Trent.
“Not if I put the fear of God in them”, said Zoe. “I’m gonna get that bastard Darrell. He likes to rape ? Well, I’m gonna fuck him up good. And you’re going to help me”.
___________________________________________________
-
Zoe explained that Big Darrell was a new Townie who had moved in from the big city last summer. Shorter but nearly as heavy as Russell, he was a tough guy with brains who had quickly taken over the Townies group after the departure of the unfortunate Edgar, murdered as the story went. As the rest of the Townies were a fairly stupid lot, Darrell was able to gain power over them by way of superior intellect and brute strength. As it stood now, no Townies dared to cross him, and he had made Otto and Leon his lieutenants. The Townies mostly still hung around the vacant lot near the Industrial Park entrance, but Darrell didn’t stay in the crappy Blue Skies housing along with the other Townie boys. He had a part-time job at one of the complex’s Control Rooms, and he would generally bunk there in the evening, staying behind a heavy locked door at night, not trusting that he wouldn’t get bushwhacked by anyone. Big Darrell understood that Leaders were often the targets of those who might be more ambitious, even those who might appear to be a fellow comrade.
Here was where the trap could be laid, for Darrell always made the trip alone from the Power Plant to the Control Room, not allowing the other Townies to walk with him, not even Otto or Leon, both of whom had been in line after Omar to succeed Edgar as the Townie's leader. Having hung around the area quite a bit since her mother had abandoned the family and her drunken father had disappeared and never come back, Zoe knew the comings and goings of most all the Townies, Chem Plant workers, Dockmen, and others who lived and worked in Blue Skies, even the Cops. And there weren’t too many places off the main streets that the Cops went, which was why they hadn’t interfered with the big fight there last week. While the Cops were a large presence in the other towns, over in Blue Skies they were outnumbered, leaving the area with a sort of Wild West mentality.
Looking in the box with the M-80 Firecrackers, Zoe had found a 20-foot long length of fuse material, which is what gave her the Idea for her to carry out her revenge. Heading out the next evening, Zoe laid out what she wanted Trent to do.
“We have got to be in those two places to get him in the crossfire”, Zoe said.
“Uhhh…OK, think I get it…Tell me again when we get there”, said Trent.
“OK then”, Zoe said, hefting her Spud Gun. “Let’s Go”.
_____________________________________________
-
Riding two stolen bikes unobserved in through the Industrial Park gate at 7 PM, carrying the Spud Guns and box of ammo, they found the area empty. It was early enough before the Townies started gathering at the vacant lot, so they biked over to the abandoned Meat Slaughterhouse, where they stashed the bikes and settled down to wait. Knowing that Darrell wouldn’t be coming down the road until midnight, they had a lot of time to talk. Zoe slowly came to realize that Trent wasn’t such a bad sort after all, a bit on the dumb side, but looking past the bad jokes and bravado, was a boy who came back to her aid even though he didn’t have to, and then sat by her bed in the Clinic for hours on end just to make sure she was going to be allright. And he hadn’t once tried to put any kind of moves on her (Even though Zoe would have beat the shit out of him had he tried). Recovering from being assaulted, it was the best thing that any boy could do for her. She began to treat him less harshly, and they both talked of their fucked-up and shitty lives.
Shortly before midnight, they both snuck out into the Slaugterhouse’s empty lot, and hid behind the smaller building at the south end. Giving Trent final instructions, she told him what he had to do.
“…And for God’s sake, don’t miss…It’s gonna take a lot of these spuds to take him down”.
“OK, got it….I come out from behind the building when his back’s turned and shoot him”, Trent said.
“And keep shooting till he’s down”, Zoe said. “Don’t let up. If he grabs me, I’m dead meat”. She started away, paused, and said, “I’m counting on you. Don’t let me down."
Moving quickly across the street, Zoe headed up a short ramp the led to a fenced area with a locked door set into it. On the left, marked XX-7, was the Control Building. Zoe hid in the shadows between the building and the fence and waited. About ten minutes later, she heard footsteps coming down the narrow street, and a figure turned and began walking up the ramp.
___________________________________________
-
“Hello, you rapist fuck”, Zoe said as she moved out of the shadows with the Spud Gun leveled at Big Darrell.
“Well…What’da know…It’s the little pussy that could”, smirked Darrell. “What you gonna do with that ? Gonna hurt me, little girl ?”
“I’m sure gonna try, You stinking rapist pussbag”, said Zoe, and she fired a shot that hit Darrell square in the guts.
“OHHH-AHHH !! YOU FUCKING BITCH !!! You’ll Pay For That !!!”, Darrell yelled, staggered back by the blow, but remaining on his feet. He straightened and moved towards Zoe.
“Not Today, Asswipe”, Zoe said, firing another spud a little lower that hit Darrell just above his Nuts.
“AAAAAHHHH !!!! SHIT !!!! GODDAM CUNT !!!!”. Darrell sunk down on one knee, but did not fall.
Come On Trent….NOW !!, thought Zoe.
Darrell began to rise and took a staggering step. “Your ASS is MINE, you BITCH !!! I’m Gonna Enjoy Busting Your Asshole Cherry !!!”
SPLAT !!!! A spud hit Darrell right between the sholder blades, knocking him forward on the ground.
“GAWWWWAAADDD…..WHAT THE FUCK….!!!!”, Darrell Hollored. He rolled over on his back and started to sit up. “Who The FUCK Are You… YOU ARE DEAD, DEAD, DEAD, YOU HEAR, DEAD…URK !!!” Darrell choked as another spud slammed into his upper chest near his windpipe, driving him back flat once more.
“ARRRRrrrrgggguuuhhhh…..You Dirty Slut….” Gurgled Darrell, rolling over, trying to get up.
SPLAT !!!! Still another spud hit Darrell square in the ass, knocking him flat once again.
“AHH….AHH…” Darrell panted, “I’ll…Get…Both…Of…You…..You’re….Fucked !!"
Zoe had moved closer to the downed Darrell. When he attempted to get up again, she kicked him hard in the ribs with her heavy boot. Trent could hear the sounds of ribs breaking. “No, you demented pervert…You’re the one getting fucked tonight”, she said.
The kick had flipped him over on his back, with his legs spread. Zoe circled around, took careful aim, and fired a spud point-blank into Darrell’s Nuts.
“OOOOOOHHHHH !!! OOOOOWWWW !!!!” Darrell screamed, holding his nut sack, and slowly rolling over to protect his balls.
“Let’s end this”, Trent said, and with that, fired a last spud into the back of Darrell’s head, knocking him out.
__________________________________________________________
-
Zoe rifled through Darrell’s pockets, and found the keys to the Contol Room. “Help me drag him inside”, she said to Trent, and together they drug the unconscious body around to the door, unlocked it, and pulled him inside Building XX-7 to the center of the floor.
Zoe looked up at Trent. “Go get the M-80s”, she said. Trent ran out. Flipping on the lights, Zoe looked around the room. There were many monitors here, covering much of the Industrial area. There was also some boxes and trash laying around. Zoe spotted a cloth bag, and went and picked it up. Just then, Trent returned with the box of M-80 Firecrackers.
Opening the box, Zoe pulled out five M-80s, and quickly tied the fuses together. Then, she took the coil of the long fuse, and tied it to the M-80 fuses. She then stuffed the Fireworks into the bag, with the long fuse trailing out. Spotting some duct tape on a cabinet, she took that and wrapped some around the bag. Then, she set the bag in Darrell’s crotch, and taped the bag to both thighs. Rising up, she strung the long fuse back to the door.
“Gimme your lighter", Zoe said. "This one’s all mine.” Trent handed the lighter over, and Zoe lit the long fuse. “Let’s get outta here”, she said.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Darrell was coming to. Through his haze, he heard a hissing noise, and smelled some acrid smoke. He kept trying to open his eyes, and finally got them open to slits. The hissing sound was louder now. Darrell squinted, and turned his head. He was in the Control Room. His nuts ached something fierce….Felt heavy….He reached down. Something was taped to his legs. He struggled up on his elbows, and looked down, and saw the bag taped to his crotch.
What The Hell Is That…?!?
The hissing sound was very loud now, the smell choking. Through clouded eyes, Darrell saw a flash disappearing into the bag taped around his crotch.
What…OH, SHIT !!!!! SHIT !!!!!
+++++++++++++++++++++
Zoe and Trent had retrieved their bikes from the empty Slaughterhouse. The rode out on the road, but stopped. Trent looked at Zoe, who was watching the Control Room door.
This is one tough girl, Trent thought. I think I’m in Love.
BLAM !! BLAM !! BLAM !! BLAM !! BLAM !!
The sound came from the Control Room, and then a high, bloodcurdling scream. Big Darrell was paid in Spades.
“Won’t be raping anybody anymore”, Zoe said softly. She turned to look at Trent with tears in her eyes. “Thanks for helping me, Trent...Thanks”. She hastily wiped her eyes. “Come On….Let’s Go”.
Together they rode from the Industrial Park and out into the night.
____________________________________________________
-
Tony was having a conference with Laurent and Constantinos that night at the French Restaurant. Karen had already settled in for the evening in the room down below.
"All right, guys, who do you really suspect for these bombings ?" Tony asked.
"I believe the authorities", Constantinos replied. "After all, this fat guy has everything against him..."
"Well, everything is too easy over here, if you ask me", Laurent interrupted. "All is so... Prévu, I mean...Planned."
"So who could it be, Laurent ?", Tony asked, turning his attention to him.
"I don't know... But something is clear -- It wasn't a guy from any Clique", Laurent answered, "He would not have put those everywhere."
"Right, right... So, then a Non-Clique, a Townie, or an Adult ?", Tony speculated.
"I just bet it's one of the those Townies, jealous of the rich kids, or something...", Laurent said. Neither Tony nor Laurent knew much about the Townies, being new at Bullworth Academy and the Vale Valley. But Constantinos knew.
"It's not the Townies", he yawned. "They haven't got the brains to pull off such a coordinated attack like that. Shit, they couldn't even finish School."
"Then who could it be ?", Tony asked again. "It couldn't have been the large, fat, nerdy Comic Store owner...Somebody would have noticed him lurking around, he'd be too big to miss !"
The discussion went on for some time afterward. None of the boys were seriously thinking that Jake might have engineered the attacks...He was only just a boy, such as themselves, just a year older. He had gone off the deep end, sure....But no one, to their knowledge, had seen him since the night of the big brawl in front of Harrington House. If he had been around since then, someone would have known. The gossip mill at the School would have told them. Jake had just...Disappeared.
Finally, Constantinos stood up, and announced that he had to get some sleep. They could hash this over later. None of them had yet heard anything about Terrorists.
________________________________________________________________
-
Kurt sat in the front row of the old movie theater with Lola by his side, facing Tibo and the other Rocker members, who were stiiting on edge of the stage. He had just finished telling them of the amnesty offer he had recived from the school. They would be able to return to School outside class hours, but were not to be given Dorm space….They still had to live off-campus.
“Why are they letting us back in ?”, the Rocker boy known as Benny asked.
“From what I understand, part of it has to do with us having saved that Townie girl, and part had to do with the legal issue of the School being responsible for our welfare”, Kurt smirked. “We got some public attention for what we did, and the S chool doesn’t want to get sued….Seems they have enough negative publicity to deal with, what with all the bombing stuff."
“What if we don’t wanna go back ?”, asked Jero, another Rocker boy.
“Well then, we’d have to go 'home', where we came from….Get sent to some other shitty School, maybe….But that would break us all up. We're already Truants, even though it was the School that expelled us…And none of us are old enough to quit."
“I almost am”, said Tibo.
“Yeah, but the rest of us want to stick together….Right ?” Kurt looked at the others. The others nodded. There were so few of them as it was. If they had to go separate ways, they would be on their own. Better to be outcast in a group than to be outcast alone.
“If you wanna split…”, said Kurt to Tibo.
“I didn’t say I wanted to leave…I was just sayin’….”,Tibo trailed off.
Kurt settled back in his seat. “There’ll be a time for all of us…We just need to be patient."
“We got to stay in this here shithole ?”, asked a Rocker boy who went by the name of Grungey. “No offense, Lola”, he said quickly as Kurt shot him a look.
“No…That’s the sweet part of the deal. The school is going to put us up in a house’, Kurt said.
“Not back in Blue Skies…That place sucks, and we’re outnumbered there”, said Benny.
“Nope”, said Kurt. “A house in the Vale. Used to belong to one of the Teachers. It got forclosed on when the School fired him last year. But they were forced to hire him back when he threatened to sue them. Still lost the house, though…So the Bank rents it out to the School…You know which one I mean ?”
Tibo laughed. “It’s that asshole Hattrick…That is so dammed funny…Too rich”.
That decided the others. They were going to get to live the high life, at least for a while. Separate rooms. Real working toilets. An actual kitchen. The place was gated, a real fortress. And just right down the street from some of those snobby Preps. Man, this was gonna be good.
“What about me ?”, Lola said quietly.
“”You’re coming too…Think I’d leave you behind ?”, said Kurt. “You’re gonna be my Queen, baby. I’m gonna get you some of those fancy clothes, dress you right up."
“But how ?” Lola squealed, excited at the prospect of some new clothes.
Kurt laughed. “Oh...Forgot to tell everyone….The School is gonna pay us an ALLOWANCE”.
There were yells of glee from the group. As they celebrated their unexpected good luck. Kurt hugged Lola close to him and grinned. This wasn’t all…Things were going to get even better. The others didn’t know it yet, but he had plans….Lots of big plans.
_____________________________
-
Tony was walking along the School corridor after classes for the day, when he encountered Gord staring at him weirdly. Tony frowned at him. “What the hell are you looking at, Dipshit?”, Tony said, but got no answer. “Queer Bastard”, Tony muttered under his breath as Gord moved off.
Karen then came up to Tony. “Hey, Love, do you want to come to see ‘Sequel 2, The Movie’ ?”, Karen asked.
“Yeah sure”, replied Tony. As they walked from the School to the Cinema, Tony said, “Guess what I saw earlier on ?”
“What ?”, asked Karen.
“That Preppy guy Gord started staring at me…What a Bollix”, Tony said.
“Oh, Gord is bisexual, you got to be careful around him, he's quite strong and can pin you to the ground”, said Karen, a bit worried.
“Well, he won’t pin ME to the ground, I’ll put a knee in his nuts, and it won’t be gentle, either”, said Tony.
“But all the same, he can wrestle down ones like Trent, and he’s not weak…”, Karen said.
“Maybe Trent wanted to be wrestled down, from some of what I heard”, Tony said, laughing.
“Be Serious” Karen whacked him on the arm. “Rape is not something to joke about !”
“Who’s Joking ?”, said Tony. “I’m just saying what I heard. Trent might be a secret ‘Bi’ himself.”
“Still…You should watch out….”, Karen said, unconvinced.
“Not to worry, Babe…I can take care of myself”, Tony said as he paid for their tickets.
==========================================================================
After seeing Karen to her Dorm after the movie, Tony pushed through doors of the Boy's Dorm. Nothing seemed exactly like before, and they took the opportunity of rebuilding to organize the room differently. After passing the entry, the open door leading to the Common Room was situated ahead, still across where Tony's room was before. Inside, an older wallpaper had been put up. It made the whole room look like a student room from the 70's, while the TV was showing a boring report about flamingos. Facing it, a Student was sleeping on the new couch. In the background to the left, where there wasn't enough light, the video game seemed to be talking with beeps, trying to attract the Nerds passing by.
Messing around a while in the Common Room. Tony finally went to his room, and pushed open the door. Inside, someone was sitting on the bed.
___________________________________________________________
-
Trent had been staying with Zoe, during the times he wasn’t at school. In his absense, Ethan had been in charge of the Bully Clique at the Sex Shop, known as 'Come Hither'. Now, however, they were going to be moving back into the Dorms. Trent was faced with a decision…Stay with the Clique, and leave Zoe unprotected, or stay with Zoe and give up leadership of the Clique. There was another option, however….If he could get Zoe to agree.
Both were sitting out on Zoe’s front porch, and both were armed. Towines were avoiding the house after the incident with Darrell, but both knew it was only a matter of time until a group of them got up the courage to try to attack her again. For that reason, Trent was trying to get Zoe to come back to School.
“I just can’t”, Zoe was saying. “Those girls suck, and everybody fights. I’d be having to watch my back every second, just like here. Just a bunch of lame-brains."
“Things are gonna be different now”, Trent said. “Everybody is going to get along now. There’s a….Uhh…Truce going on now."
“Well…Even so, I can’t pay the tuition now…I barely got enough to eat. It just won’t work out”, Zoe said, watching a group of Townies milling about in the distance.
“Uhhh…Hey, maybe there’s a way…I know someone who might be able to help with that”, Trent said, hitting on a rare idea for him.
“I’ll have to think about it…..”, Zoe said. Still watching the Townies, she straightened up as she saw two of the detach from the group and head for her house. “Look”, she pointed.
Walking purposely toward the house was Otto and Leon, both with their Slingshots drawn. Trent and Zoe trained their Spud Guns on them as they approached, and stopped in the road, a few feet from the front porch.
“What do you jerkasses want ?’, asked Zoe angrily. “You need to keep moving."
“Just stopped by to tell you, Bitch…We know you two are the ones who did Darrell”, Otto sneered.
“Yeah, and just to let you know, we’re gonna get you…Both of you, for what you done”, chipped in Leon. “Both of Darrell’s nuts blowed off, and half his Dick."
“Just payback, for what that piece of dogshit did to me”, Zoe shot back. “And maybe you two should watch your junk….You were holding me down while that vile bastard was doing that to me…”
“Yeah…We were next, you fucking whoring slut”, Otto laughed. “And we’re still going to do you…Next Time.”
“You…You DIRTY BASTARDS”, Trent yelled, as he trained his Spud Gun on them.
The two Townie boys suddenly raised their Slingshots and took aim. Zoe and Trent both fired their Spud Guns at the same instant, hitting both Otto and Leon in the guts. Their Slingshot rocks zinged harmlessly off the house, and they both doubled up and went down.
Zoe dug a couple of M-80 Firecrackers from her pockets as she approached the downed Townie boys. With Trent covering her, she stuffed one down each boy’s pants, lit them, and scrambled back to the porch.
“KA-POW !!!!”
“KA-POW !!!!”
As the Firecrackers blew up in their pants, both boys squealed in pain and agony, withering on the road. Zoe and Trent quickly moved back inside the house, keeping their Spud Guns trained on the Townies in the distance, who hadn’t yet moved.
“Cover the back”, Zoe said to Trent, who moved to where he could keep the back door in sight.
“Well…Uh…What do you think now ?”, he asked Zoe.
“I think…I best get outta here…There’s just too many of them…You’re right”. She looked at Trent. “Do it. Your friend can get me back in ?”
“Sure…Um…We’ll figure out something…Got to keep you safe”, Trent said. “We‘ll leave outta here tonight, when it‘s calmed down“. Trent looked over at her intently. “You know I…Err…Really like you….”
“Well”, Zoe smiled at him, “I’m beginning to like you too…You do have your uses”.
____________________________________________
-
Tony slapped his fist into his palm to scare the mysterious person sitting on the bed, but he didn't even turn around. Coming further, Tony recognized this outfit….A pink shirt, with a dirty school uniform over it... This couldn't be anyone else than.……
"Pete ? What the hell are you doing here ?", Tony exclaimed.
"Shhh... I'm not allowed to be here...", Pete said in a whisper.
"What do you want ?", asked Tony, perplexed.
"I...I...I need your help...", Pete said shakily, his voice beginning to crack.
And then Pete started to cry, hands covering his face. Tony shook his head slowly, and sat next to him, after shutting the door. "Okay, what's the problem ?"
"You've heard…”, Pete sobbed, “Why I've... I've been kicked out, haven't you heard ?"
"You mean that panties thing ?“, Tony said. “Come on, I didn't believe it a minute."
"Did you, ever ?", Pete asked, seeking reassurance.
"I really didn't. Trust me. We will find who did that”, Tony assured.
"Anyway, now I've been wandering around, without anywhere to go, or anyone to hang out with..."Pete said mournfully.
"I know how that feels, Pete", said Tony.
Pete suddenly grabbed Tony's arm, his eyes full of tears. "Tony, please find out who did that trick to me, I won't survive much longer without my home !"
"Well, you know I'm the new temporary Mediator, don't you ? I have enough power here now to start finding this person", Tony said.
"Thank you, Tony, thank you." Pete said, then stood up. “I got to leave now.”, he said then, and opened the window and jumped out, landing in front the Dorm and running off. Surprised, Tony hadn't realized until just now just how desperate Pete was. He lay down and stared at the blinking neon that was lighting his room. The investigation will start tomorrow, he vowed.
_____________________________________________
-
Jake, aka Ace Adams, had been raking it in every since Monday. Clique leaders were showing up at his tent one by one with goods and cash. There was quite a pile hidden under the counter already. Jake didn’t know where they came up with all that shit, and didn’t care…That wasn’t his problem. Some of it was undoubtly stolen, especially what Trent had brought in…Those Bullies didn’t have squat, and Jake didn’t even reconigize the stuff Trent brought. Most of it was flannel shirts and other workingman stuff that Jake suspected had been ripped off from the Dockworkers and Construction guys. Jake had no idea where they lived, but Trent and his boys had been around quite a bit longer than he had, so they probably did. Jake didn’t give a shit how the stuff showed up, just that it did.
By the end of the evening Tuesday, Jake had accumulated quite a bit of cash, also…About $500 dollars. He had told each clique leader to give out the word to the kids in their Clique to come here for their wants and needs, and to keep their big mouths shut. Or else the Terrorists would be back. Many of them would believe that that fatass Comic Store owner had done it, so this news would come as a shock, since Jake knew that the Clique Leaders would let that leak out to the Cliques despite the fact that he had told them to keep that quiet. That’s exactly what Jake wanted. This would help spread a healthy dose of fear, and make it easy for the clique leaders to exercise control and enforce compliance. Jake had no doubt that most of them would believe the new story, for kids being kids, they wouldn’t be inclined to believe anything adults said anyway. Sure, there would be a few holdouts, but not enough to matter.
Jake smirked to himself as he thought about he had inadvertently set up Alfred as the bomber, just by setting off that charge in the back bedroom on Algie’s nuts. That hadn’t been planned, but worked out great, for it kept the Cops off his ass. They would never admit they had made a mistake in any case, for once they had closed a crime with an arrest, that was pretty much it as far as they were concerned. The little pieces of the timer they had found there were the only evidence that linked Alfred to the bombings, but that was enough for them, under pressure to make a quick arrest in the case. Jake had apparently taken the rest of the timers, but that didn’t matter either. They had their man.
Jake checked his stash as he closed up for the evening. He had the stuff in a locked location, more secure than anything he had been able to come up with at School, where he had gotten ripped off twice in just a couple months. He had set up some M-80 Firecracker charges on his stash as booby-traps, whoever tried to bust the locks would be knocked out if they attempted to steal this stash. He also set up a tripwire across the tent entrance while he slept. Nobody was going to get in here and surprise him. That helped set his paranoid mind at ease. He made his way back to the cot he had set up behind the counter, feeling safe to sleep for the first time in months.
_____________________________________________
-
Mr. Luntz was the School Janitor. He also ran the School Store. Most of the Students never ever really saw him, however…..It was almost like being Invisible. Mr. Luntz liked it that way, for Mr. Luntz was slightly crazy.
Monday through Friday, Mr. Luntz sat behind the counter at the School Store, listening to all the idiot kid conversations and muttering to himself. Nobody else in this God-forsaken place wanted to do this job, and for good reason…..Nobody wants to clean up after a bunch of snot-nosed brats and the many messes they made. He sometimes would go sweep in front of the School, but not often, as it was a losing effort….Paper and bits of trash were everywhere, one man couldn’t keep up….So he really didn’t try. They didn’t pay him enough to clean up after those little bastards anyway.
The Halloween Bombings hadn’t surprised him any. It had been only a matter of time before one of the little Psychos would try to blow something up. Half these kids had so many mental problems that they should be locked up or institutionalized. He would have thought that they would have set them off in the School building, however….Strange that, but when dealing with nutso kids, you just never knew how their twisted little evil minds worked. Mr. Luntz didn’t believe for a second that Alfred the Comic Store Owner had done the bombings….That fat fuck got winded just walking down the street, and Luntz had never seen him on this side of the bridge, let alone at the School. With those short 3-hour timers, there wouldn’t have been any way he could have got in to set them unseen and got back out, costume or not. He would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
In his unique position, Mr. Luntz heard a lot. He knew who was banging who at the School, Student and Teacher alike. He overheard their plots and plans. He knew the little fuckers had broken into the Basement and had stolen that merchandise. He knew about the clothing scams the Prefects were running with the Students. He knew about Mr. Galloway’s drinking, Mr. Hattrick’s cheating, Ms. Danver’s giving Crabblesnich blow jobs in his Office…All of it. He also knew about Coach Burton’s fetish with the Panties, which is why it was strange that a bunch of them had been found in that kid’s little Office all of a sudden. Hell, he cleaned up in there, as he had access to anywhere on the School grounds as part of his job. He had never found anything in there like that. And if it had been there, Mr. Luntz would have found it. He wasn’t above rifling through the drawers and such and helping himself to whatever he could find. And that Pete kid was clean-cut, one of the more stable kids around here. Just didn’t make sense…..
Oh Well….Time to get back to work. Mr. Luntz left the Basement area, where he bunked, and climbed the stairs to begin another shit-filled day.
_______________________________________________________
-
The boy waiting in front of Tony was Juri, the Jock with the scar that he ran into earlier in the School Year. He was looking nervously around him, scratching his neck. As the tired face of Mr. Luntz appeared behind the dirty glass of the school store and asked him what he was looking for, he put his hands on the short counter.
"Uhh…A gray Bullworth T-shirt…Sir.", the Jock said haltingly.
"Wait here”, Mr. Luntz said in a bored voice with a sigh.
After a few moments, the Janitor came back from the Basement, holding a ripped shirt. Juri made a disappointed face, but Mr. Luntz didn't leave him any choice, as there wasn't any others left. The Jock turned and walked away, while Tony approached the counter.
"What do you need, kid ?", Mr. Luntz said shortly.
"I'm not here for any clothing...", Tony began.
"It's a School Store here, not a Tea Room”, Mr. Luntz retorted sarcastically.
"Look, you’ve heard about the panty fetish of that Peter, haven't you ?", Tony asked, looking around.
"Sure”, Mr. Luntz said. “And you kids know everything about the thefts that happened here."
Tony put on a bland face. "What thefts ?"
"Don't play innocent with me", Mr. Luntz said, as the bell rang and the halls cleared. The Janitor took a look at the empty hallways and pulled closed the steel roll curtains at both sides of the Store windows and bent himself over the counter, talking very slowly. "I've heard things about it, that's right. But first, you have to tell me about what you know."
"Sir, I told you I..." Tony started to say.
"There are no innocents here. Even new kids have blood on their hands after their first day”, Mr. Luntz said firmly. “You want to know something, you spill first.”
"Well.…“, Tony debated. “OK... Do you know who Jake is ? He did it."
"How can you be so sure ?", Mr. Luntz asked.
"I've seen him selling stuff, your stuff, to the Jocks...", Tony replied.
"How much ?", Mr. Luntz said, with a trace of a snarl.
"I won't tell anything more before you tell me about the panties", Tony said firmly.
Mr. Luntz sat back on his seat, causing it to squeak. He crossed his fingers and started to talk.
_________________________________________
-
“It all started years ago”, Luntz related. “When they hired that Perv of a Gym Teacher. Panties and other girly things started disappearing from the Girl’s Locker Room. At first, the Students were blamed. Plenty of sexually screwed up ones here, there are…..But nobody was ever caught for it, and them girlies learned to keep their things outta the Gym Lockers. Never thought to look at the big fat man who stays there in his Office under the Bleachers…”
Office under the Bleachers ? This was something Tony didn’t know. In fact, now that he really thought of it, there was a lot of unaccounted space under those Bleachers in both of those Gym buildings.
“Ere for long, then them Panties and things started disappearing from the Girl’s Dorm, so if’n there were ever any suspicion that the fatass whistle-blowin’ fuck was doing the robbing, that were pretty much laid to rest….He’da be noticed if'n he were anywhere near that place. A couple ‘O times over the years, they’d catch kids in there stealing them, but them kids always claimed someone was paying them for them…Never would say who, though, no matter how much detention time they was given.”
Luntz leaned forward to the little speaker set into the glass, and continued in a low voice.
“That’s why it’s awful suspicious when all them panties showed up sudden in your wee buddy Pete’s little Office….Just all of a sudden, seems like”….. And here Luntz looked Tony dead in the eye….”Specially since I clean in there, as everywhere, and if'n all them was there like they said they was, I would’a found them first.”
“So….It wasn’t you that found them ?”. asked Tony.
“Naw….It was them Prefect boys that went over and trashed that little Office, after that hot-ass bitch Danvers found that note on her desk that morning….Morning of the same day as the Bombings.”
“Note..?”, Tony asked. “What Note ?”
“About where to find the panties, dumb shit. Ain’t you been listening ?”, Mr. Luntz said with some exasperation.
“So, umm…What happened to this note ?”, asked Tony.
“Donno…Wasn’t ever in the trash, or I woulda seen it. Might still be in Crabblesnich’s Office. What’s the difference ? The thing was done, it was. And your buddy Pete got the heat for it….But looks suspicious to me. Like somebody wanted him out of the way”.
Luntz settled back on his stool. “That’s all I got. Now, spill about what you know.”
Looking about first to see if anyone was watching, Tony began relating what he knew about Jake, his raids on the Prefects for merchandise early on in the year, the hiding places that Jake used, and the thefts from the school basement of the Preps merchandise, carefully leaving out his and his friends part in the whole process. Luntz squinted at him as he finished.
“And, lemme guess…You wouldn’t be having anything to do with all this thievery, would’ja ?”
Tony remained silent and said nothing.
“Ahh, no matter” Luntz laughed. “I wouldn’t expect you to own up to any of it nohow. Makes no real difference to me. I just don’t care for you little beggars invading my space, you see…Somebody’s liable to get hurt, you know….” Here Mr. Luntz laughed harshly. “So, I ask you again kid…What do you need ?”
“I need….To search that Office”, Tony said. “The one Pete used. Find out who set him up. That’s what I need.”
Mr. Luntz looked at Tony for a moment. Then, hauling out a huge ring of keys from his pocket, he rifled through them, detaching one. This key he threw in metal tray in front of Tony. “Here…Take your look around. Doubt if you will find anything…But that Pete is a stand-up kid, unlike the rest of you vermin around here. I want that key back tomorrow, kid….Or I’ll come looking for you.”
“Thank you sir”, said Tony, scooping up the key. “I’ll get this back to you, don’t worry.”
“Ain’t worried kid. Get it back, or I’ll take it outta your hide”, Luntz said, closing the School Store window gates.
Tony stuck the key into his pocket. Now, he just needed to get into Pete’s old Office unobserved.
____________________________________________
-
The late sky was deep blue, but it was hours before curfew yet. After getting out of School, Tony had headed in direction of Old Bullworth Vale. While thinking about what he was going to do that night, an idea had hit him…Who was he, exactly, to be the one who was going to do an investigation ? He didn't even know how to do it... And that's why he needed to meet someone. He stood by the edge of the Shinjo's Chinese Restaurant and observed the townsfolk passing by. After a while, the waited blue uniform appeared.
"Hello, Officer”, spoke Tony
"What the... Hey, I recognize you !", the Officer said.
"How are you ? And, more importantly, how is your lady ?", Tony said with a wink.
"You've been a perfect help, son !”, Officer Williams replied, “In fact, I was just looking for her when you found me."
"I'm happy I could help you”, Tony said sincerely. “But... How could I say this...Are you busy ?"
"Do you need some help from me ?”, Officer Williams asked. “Sure, Kid…It's the least I can do !"
"In fact…’, Tony said slowly, “I need to know how to find evidence..."
"How to find evidence ?”, Officer Williams said, puzzled. “Why that ?"
"One of my friends has been a victim of a trick to get him expelled, I have to discover who did that", said Tony, “And why.”
Officer Williams put his hand to his chin, thinking. Then he said, "Okay, come with me to the station, I'll show you something.….Just make as if you had been caught for some stupid prank."
______________________________________________
-
Tony was hauled into the Bullworth Vale Police Station by the scruff of his neck.
“What’cha got here, Officer ? Another one ?”, The Desk Sargent said.
“Just a suspect", Officer Williams said. "I’ll need the interrogation room for this one."
Tony was shoved into the small room, as the Officer followed and slammed the door. “There….Sorry to be so rough….Have a seat there and lay out what you need to know.”
Tony sat, and after composing himself, related the story of how Pete had been removed from his job at Bullworth and expelled because of the note on Ms. Danvers desk and the found panties in his Office. He said how he felt Pete was innocent because the School Janitor had never found anything in there before and how the panties had just all of a sudden turned up the morning of the bombings.
“Hmmmm”, the Officer said, stroking his chin. “Sounded like someone wanted him out of the way, for sure….What did this Pete do at the school ?”
“He was the School Mediator”, Tony said. “His job was to keep peace among the Cliques.”
“Hmmm….But when we arrived, all them kids were fighting each other, blaming each other for the bombings….”
“Exactly what Pete would have been doing, he would have been out there to try to stop that from happening, to cool down the situation.”, Tony added.
“Right…Except somebody didn’t want that to happen”, the Officer said. He sat back. This put a new light on things. Maybe Alfred, the Comic Store guy, had an accomplice. Some body inside the School ? A Student ?
“So, I sorta need to know, what kind of evidence I would need to look for…You know, to help Pete prove he didn’t steal those panties”, Tony finished.
“Well…It’s a longshot, boy….But if you could find anything left behind in that little office by whoever set him up….Something that could give a clue….That wasn’t this Pete’s…That would be a start”, The officer said, thinking. “You say there was a note…What happened to that ?”
“I don’t know, sir…I’m gonna try to find that too”, Said Tony.
“If you do, bring it to me. We can maybe test that, for fingerprints or DNA. After all, who would leave a note incriminating themselves ? Had to be a third party. Somebody who knew, because they put the panties there.”
Tony hadn’t thought of that. “Yeah, that’s right !”, He Exclaimed. “Gee, Thanks Officer !”
“No problem, kid”, the Officer said, standing and opening the door. “You best go now.”
Tony stood up and walked out the door. “You’re free to go now”, the Officer Williams said loudly. “Just keep outta trouble and keep your nose clean from now on, ya’hear ?”
______________________________________________________
-
Later that night found Tony hiding in a locker, waiting for the patrolling Prefects to clear away from the area around Pete’s former small Office. When the coast was clear, Tony slipped out of the locker and made his way to the windowless Office door. Using the key he had gotten from Mr. Luntz, he quickly unlocked the door, went inside, and closed it. Removing his jacket, he stuffed it along the door crack by the floor. Then he tuned on the light.
The place was in disarray. Papers and other small items littered the floor. Drawers were pulled out and upended both on the desk and floor. The lone file cabinet had been gutted, it’s contents also dumped. A small end table was knocked over. The desk lamp lay broken on the floor. It seemed that the Prefects had been ruthless in their zeal to uncover every bit of panties they could find.
Tony began the long task of going through the mess left behind, looking for anything he could find that could give him a clue as to how the panties wound up here. Along the way, he learned some interesting things about the Cliques and some of their members that might prove useful later. The more interesting and incriminating items Tony stuck in his pockets for future reference. There was also a sheath of attached documents, each listing a Student of Bullworth Academy. This he tucked up under his shirt. Finally, having looked through all the papers, Tony moved the desk to look underneath. Nothing. Then, he did the same with the filing cabinet. Still Nothing.
Tony looked around. The only other furnishings in the little office was a easy chair over beside the door. Tony went and moved it, too, finding a few more papers under it as well. He scooped these up to look at them, and in doing so noticed a small piece of plastic lying near the wall that had been partly covered by the papers. Tony picked this up also. It was a card. Without much surprise, he saw the face staring back at him and read the name.
It was Jake’s Student I.D. Card.
_____________________________________
-
Tony walked slowly through the amount of papers and let himself fall into the chair. He reached over to the switch, flipped it off, and began to think in the dark, playing with the plastic card. This little object had changed everything. It had made some hypothesis vanish, and created others... If Jake had the smallest role possible, he was only working for the so-called Terrorists. Planting the panties, getting paid, enjoying the money. But it couldn't be like that - Jake wanted the School, not a wage. But no one had seen him for a while, maybe he was planning something, comfortably hidden in a safe place ?
Tony stood up, and walked in direction of the door. Retrieving his jacket, he opened it slowly, a hand on his chest, where some of the documents were hidden. There weren't any Prefects patrolling in this sector he could hear, so he got out. But as he closed it, the door squeaked.
"What ? Who’s There ?”, a voice hollered.
The voice of the Prefect, from the other day on the Football Field ! Tony began to run in the opposite direction, finding his way through the hallways. He had no time to look at the Lockers to find an open and empty one to hide in, so he headed in direction of the nearest Exit door. After running outside, he hid in the shadows for a moment before going back to the Boy’s Dorm. Inside, only a half of the lights were switched on, like every night after 10:00 PM. Ahead, in the Common Room, the TV was showing an attractive woman drinking a can of soda in slow motion, with a great Beam logo at the bottom. To the side, Constantinos was sleeping, sitting up against the couch. Tony went to his room, sat on his bed, and took out all the papers and the sheaf of documents he had stolen, plus Jake's I.D. card, to make a debriefing. He laid them all out on the bed, in order, and frowned as a cold shudder ran along his back.
One document was obviously missing.
__________________________________
-
Thanksgiving was fast approaching. The kids at the School liked this time of year for one major reason -- Edna was given the whole week of the holidays off, and real food was shipped into the School for the kids to eat. It was the one time of the School year that the Cafeteria was filled up.
Each Clique still held their own place. The uneasy truce which had settled over the School was still fresh and new, with the same tensions still under the surface. The word had leaked out about the unseen ‘Terrorists’, and had most everyone on edge. Even with the assurances of the administration that everyone was safe with the increased security measures, most of the Students knew what that was worth.
The chatter in the room was interrupted at the sight of a familiar figure coming down the steps. With her red hair and shitkicker boots, she was immediately recognized by those who had been at the School the year before. It was Zoe, the girl who had been Jimmy Hopkins' Girl. She had returned to Bullworth. Walking down the steps beside her was Trent. They both made their way to the Bullies section and sat down. As they did so, the talk and chatter picked up again.
Most of the girls were afraid of Zoe, and with good reason. Zoe could kick ass better than some of the tough boys, and didn’t take crap off anyone, boy or girl alike. That she had started stomping the ass of any girl who got around Jimmy before the end of School in the spring was still fresh in their minds, especially Mandy, Christy, and Pinky. But the buzz wasn’t about that….It was about her apparent relationship with Trent.
A more unlikely pair they just couldn’t imagine. What on earth was going on there ? There were some rumors of something that had happened with some Townies over in Blue Skies, and that a deal had been worked out for Zoe’s return to school…But none of them knew much about it. What was apparent though, was it had something to do with Trent.
Karen, however, was glad to see Zoe. Sitting at the far table with Tony, she waved at her, and Zoe saw and waved back. Zoe had been kind of a mentor and protector of hers, and the other younger girls. Karen had even learned some of her moves from Zoe to protect herself. Excusing herself from Tony for a moment, she went over to talk with Zoe.
As Tony watched her go, his mind went back to what he had learned the night before. It seemed that for someone in Pete’s position, he had come across a number of things that had to be kept secret. Incriminating stuff, against students, prefects, staff, and even teachers. All, it seemed, except for one……
Tony frowned, trying to think. If Jake had been the ’Panty Planter’, and it sure seemed as if he had, it seemed highly likely that he would have had enough time to do just what Tony himself had done…Go through the files in Pete’s office. Tony had looked through every file and scrap of paper, only taking what had looked like contained adverse information on any person, plus that sheaf of Student Files. But as he had laid it all out in the bed in the privacy of his room, he realized that there was a file missing on one prominent person at the school.
He had searched everything in his time at the Office, so there was no sense in returning there. Besides, he had to return the key to Mr. Luntz today. He wouldn’t risk raising his suspicion, as Mr. Luntz always seemed highly suspicious of everybody. If asked, he would say he didn’t find anything. Tony also doubted the stupid-ass Prefects had even looked at any of the papers, as they had been sent there to uncover the panties hidden in the office. If they had been after anything else, they would have just stripped the place bare.
No, only Pete alone had access to what was contained in those Files. Pete knew enough about the Students and adults at the school to have the place shut down and maybe even send some of them to Jail if the contents of what was on those documents were made public. Pete, however, was a squeaky-clean boy who would never divulge that type of privileged information, which was probably why he had been picked for that position, after the antics of Gary Smith had forced the administration to do something. It seemed, though, that maybe even the administration didn’t even know the extent of the Information that Pete had collected on everybody in the short time he had been on the job.
Which made the missing document all the more mysterious. If Jake had taken it, which Tony believed he had, then there had to be a reason. The file on Jake himself was still there, although Jake may have left that to deflect suspicion away from him. The only reason Tony even knew he had been there is that he dropped his Student I.D. Card after picking the lock with it. Probably hadn’t missed it since he wasn’t at School anymore as a Student.
Tony had secreted the papers in his secret hiding spot at the cave, for the time being. He would have to find Pete and talk to him about all this. And before he went to Dr. Crabblesnich with the evidence to clear Pete, that boy was gonna level with him, for only Pete would know what was in the missing file.
Karen came happily back to the table. She and Zoe had arranged to temporarily room together in the new Dorm arrangement. When the new semester came in January, Karen would room with her friend Melody Adams, a girl whom Tony only knew slightly. Karen chatted away about how glad she was that Zoe was back at School, and how well they would get along. Tony smiled and nodded, but his mind was still on the mystery. The bell finally rang, calling Students back to class. Tony walked Karen to her class, kissed her goodbye, then sprinted to the School Store to return the key to Mr. Luntz.
________________________________________________
-
The hallways were empty as Tony silently approached the School Store. Mr. Luntz lowered his magazine to look and see who it was, and then pushed the metal tray forward without saying a word. Tony threw the keys in it, but kept standing before the counter, what caused the Janitor to stop reading again.
"I guess you didn't find anything. Did you ?", Mr. Luntz said sarcastically.
"It was a real mess over there”, Tony said. “The Prefects haven't made it easy..."
"Not my problem, kid, unless I have to clean it all”, Mr. Luntz rumbled. “So ?"
"Well... You were right”, Tony lied. “There wasn't any clue. Anyone who did that was a professional."
Mr. Luntz sighed, and turned the page of his magazine, discovering another set of photos showing ‘green’ landscapes. Tony turned away and headed in direction of the Cafeteria, but a beeping sound right before the entryway caught his attention. He stopped, and picked the object out of his pocket. He already know how this worked.
"Tony ? Do you receive me ?", crackled the voice from the Walkie-Talkie.
"Fuck you, Algie”, Tony hissed into the Transceiver. Algie had returned to School this week, a month after having his nut blown off in that mysterious attack in the Dragon Wing’s Basement side room.
"You’re going to talk better, if you don't want you little secret to be revealed”, came Algie’s voice. “Right ?"
Tony looked around him. If Algie had called at just the right moment, he had to be in sight. After a short time, he caught a glimpse of a green sweater clumsily hidden behind a locker.
"(static)... new pants. You have one hour”, the radio crackled.
"What ? I don't give a fuck if your pants are soaked, you hear ?", Tony said, sneaking towards Algie’s hiding place.
"Don't be crude...", the radio voice started.
Tony threw the homemade Walkie-Talkie right at the locker next to the fat Nerd, and the clanging metal sound caused him to flee. But Tony didn't even have to run, it just took two steps to grab Algie and push him to the ground.
"Your secret... Will be told... Anyway…”, Puffed Algie.
"Think a little bit. Is there any evidence ? Any witness ?", Tony hissed.
"I saw you. They all will believe me !", exclaimed Algie.
"Don't be ridiculous. Our so-called work together is over ! Do you get me ? The only reason I don‘t kick your ass is because of what you been through lately." With a final shake, Tony walked away, taking his time to trample on the Nerd Transmitter.
But as Tony walked away from the sniveling Nerd, it occurred to him that Algie seemed a little bit bolder as a result of his trauma. Without knowing it, Tony, along with everyone else, would find out in a month’s time just how bold.
_____________________________________________________
-
Tony was waiting at the Front Gate entry shelter, which was still manned during School hours.
"Name ?", said the Prefect.
"Tony Calderone”, he answered sullenly.
"Purpose in the town ?", the Prefect continued.
"Hey, no one cares about that, just give me that pass !", Tony growled.
"Security Matters." answered the prefect behind the counter of the shelter.
"Eating.", Tony said with resignation.
"What, don't you like in the Cafeteria ?", the Prefect queried. “Where at ?”
"The French Restaurant.", Tony said impatiently.
"I repeat my first question…What don't you...", the Prefect began.
"Because there isn't any Thermidor Lobster with Caviar. OK ?", Tony quipped snidely.
The Prefect rolled the eyes and put the waited-for pink paper pass on the counter. Tony took it and headed in direction of Old Bullworth Vale. After crossing the small bridge, he made his way out to the end of the wooden dock, where he met Pete, sitting on a bench. The now-former Mediator opened his eyes wide as he saw Tony, and quickly got up to greet him and shake his hand.
"I got news for you, Pete, and a request”, said Tony.
"I'm listening”, Pete said. “What do you need ?”
"Well, I used some finesse to get into your old Office, which allowed me to look about here and there…”, Tony began.
"How was it ?”, Pete interrupted, “I mean…My furniture is still in one piece, isn't it ?”
"It looked allright”, Tony said, dismissively. “But listen…Under some papers on the floor, I found this." He threw Jake's Student I.D. card on Pete's knees.
"There's no doubt now”, Tony said. “I haven't told anyone but you."
"Ohh…I think I begin to get it...", Pete said, revelation dawning on his face.
"And listen, during my visit I took some of your documents", Tony admitted.
"Really ? They didn‘t take them ?”, Pete said, surprised. “That information is…Sensitive."
"Wait.” Tony held up his hand. “I know that they could send half of the School to prison. But that's not the point. One of the Student Files is missing."
Pete had put his face between his hands, looking at the calm water through his fingers. Tony respected his silence, and then gently tapped on his shoulder. "Pete, come on... I need to know who this is..."
Pete sighed. “On the face of it, the file was about Derby Harrington….But…...”
_____________________________________________________
-
Tony waited in silence.
Pete continued, “….It’s really contains information about Derby’s father, Mr. Harrington.”
“And so…That’s bad ?” asked Tony.
“What I mean is….There’s information about how the money flows at Bullworth…Payoffs, Kickbacks, Bribery, that sort of thing. All of it highly illegal.”
Now it was Tony’s turn to be surprised. “Like, woah…Real adult stuff, Huh ?”
“I should explain”, Pete went on. “Many, many years ago, Derby’s grandfather spearheaded the group of investors who had Harrington House built. The Harrington family came into their riches by means of alcohol-running during Prohibition in the 1930s, and built on that with a whole lot of other activities with the Mobsters and Gangsters of the Mafia after that. But, since he didn’t come from ‘Old Money’, he was unable to get his son, Derby’s father, into any of the prestigious Prep Schools at the time. Pissed off at the social elite who snubbed them, he and a few of his old rum-running buddies settled here and put up the cash to for Harrington House. The Harrington family, though, put up the largest share, about 75%…..So that his son, and the others, could have a ‘Social Pedigree’ at a Prep School to get them into the more exclusive Colleges in the North-East. In that way, they would in a position to compete with the power elite that really runs things in this country.”
Pete took a breath, and went on. “The Harringtons have always had dealings with the Mob since that time…They were involved in gun-running, money-laundering, protection, gambling, prostitution…You name it. Later, in the 1960s, they were into supplying illegal drugs, arms for third-world countries, and stock market fraud through insider trading”. Pete looked up. “The Harringtons have Millions of dollars, most of it made like that. They keep a low profile, still live here in this Bull-Shit town, never get too obvious….On the surface, they are just another rich family. But…They have enough to own this place a hundred times over. They run most of the things here in these Towns, only most don’t know it. And, they really run the school. Look at how fast they had the School repaired after the Bombings. Kept a lot of the details out of the papers. Crabblesnitch, and the others, are all there because of the Harringtons, and take their orders from them, and get paid well to do it.”
“I…Don’t understand…What does that mean to us ?” Tony asked.
__________________________________________________
-
Pete got up and began to pace. Then he stopped and faced Tony. “Don’t you ever wonder about this School ? Don’t you ever wonder why some kids can skip classes when they feel like it and still pass ? Why the classwork is so easy ? Why it doesn’t seem to matter why nobody gets a real Report Card ? Or even really learns anything ?”
“Yeah, But…”, Tony started to say, then stopped.
“Can’t you see, it doesn’t really matter ? The school is a front, a FAKE….Oh, it’s a 'Real School' on paper, and as far as being 'Legal' and all….But it’s just a vehicle for the Harringtons and the other rich snobs to claim a ‘Prep School Education’ for all their brats. You ever see them Prep kids fail ANYTHING ? Get DETENTION ? Have to answer for a single thing they do ?”
Tony considered. “Well…No, I guess not….”
“A couple of the Preps was involved in that cheating scandal last year. Anything happen to them ? No. They all get a free pass, for anything.” Pete was getting agitated now, almost shaking. “If you really want to learn anything here, you have to do it on your own. And, in the end, they will pass you weather you are smart or dumb, it doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah, about that…If this is a School for Preps, then why are all the Misfits here ?”
“Because, the School, that is the Harringtons, get a bunch of Tax Breaks for having dis-advantaged kids like them…And like you and me…Here. And it looks good on paper. The Bullies, The Greasers, they’re just the by-products of these Towns. The Nerds are the wannabe kids whose parents are looking for status. The Jocks…Well, every School needs a winning athletic program, so they’re here. They get a free pass, too. Even dye-in-the-wool troublemakers, like Jimmy Hopkins last year, make this place SEEM to be diverse and socially acceptable, at least to the government and the IRS….And that’s all that really matters, in the end.”
Tony shook his head. This was a lot to take in. “But…If all that’s so, then what about all the trouble lately ? The Bombings ? The Terrorists ? Why wouldn’t that bring outside attention to the School ?”
Pete laughed harshly. “Terrorists ? If that were true, the Feds would be swarming the place. And the Bombings ? The Harringtons are keeping a lid on that.”
“Yeah, but the Cops…”, Tony started to say.
“The Harringtons OWN the Cops !", Pete said. "They OWN the Towns. Haven’t you been hearing me ? Who do you think owns the Industries over in Blue Skies, like the Chem Plant ? There is nothing around here they don’t have their fingers on. That’s what is in that file. That is why that file so dangerous”.
“Dangerous ?” said Tony. “How is that…”
“Because, it has details, names, places, the money involved…I don’t know how it came to be, but it exists….And it could land the Harringtons and their friends in a lot of hot water, Prison time, fines, the Feds seizing their money….If they knew that file even existed. But the Harringtons know it exists, although I don’t think they know how much is actually out there.”
Tony was thinking. “If they know…Then…”
“Then for someone to have it in their possession might mean big trouble for them….Even the knowledge of it is risky. Look what they did to Jimmy Hopkins.”
“Jimmy ?”, Tony said. “He Knew ?”
“Where do you think I got the file from in the first place ?" revealed Pete.
_____________________________________________
-
Tony sat stunned. What else didn’t he know ? Maybe…He knew too much already. Despite that, he couldn’t help himself. He still had to know.
“Pete…What did you do with that File ?”
Pete stood again and resumed pacing. “Jimmy gave me those papers the night before he was arrested. He had finally figured out what it was, and that someone would be after him for it. The Harringtons had him charged with those trumped-up Accessory to Murder charges and then stuck him in Jail, thinking that he still had those papers in his possession. But he didn’t, and they don’t know where they are. Some of the papers had been taken from the School Office, and some had been taken from Harrington House. I think Mr. Harrington kept them in those places to avoid having them in his home, just in case. Anyway, Jimmy gave them to me and told me to get rid of them somehow, and then just clammed up after he was arrested. His old room…Your old room…was searched by the Town Clowns afterwards, but, course, they found nothing.”
Pete paused. “I took and combined them into Derby’s file to hide them at first, but at the start of the School year, I decided to put them in a place that would be real hard for someone to really find. I got a lockbox and buried the whole File in a place away from the School. I’m the only one who knows where it is.”
“So, why didn’t you just destroy those things in the File ?”, asked Tony.
“They’re my Insurance. Even if the Harringtons believed those papers no longer existed, they would come after anyone who even had knowledge of them, to make sure no one would go to the Feds. Jimmy never ratted me out, as far as I know…But, I wasn’t going to take any chances.” Pete stopped and looked at Tony. “Now that you know…HAD to know…You had best keep your trap shut. Real tight.”
“You can bet on that”, Tony said. “I’m just here trying to survive.” He got up. “I hope that I.D. Card helps you out. If there’s anything else I can do…”
“I’m glad you found this”, Pete said. "It doesn’t explain why, but at least I know who. You done good, but I’ll take care of it from here. I trust you hid those papers well…”
Here Tony nodded. “Then”, Pete continued, “I’ll just need the file that relates to Jake. I’ll go to Crabblesnich myself and get this all straightened out. I’ll tell him I found this card in my Office. That I still had my key and decided to investigate.”
“Just watch your back”, Tony said.
“What really pisses me off”, Pete went on, holding up the I.D. card, “Is that that little Shit-Ass Jake set me up for being a pervert when I had nothing to do with this. I hardly even knew him. Why target me ? This whole thing is nuts. I had a great Halloween costume picked out to wear for that night, too.”
“Well…Jake has always seemed a little whacked out….”, Tony said, remembering.
Halloween…Then the Bombings. A picture arose in Tony’s mind suddenly, of Trent standing on the top of the steps at the Boy’s Dorm, keeping the other boys from going in….Then the explosion…
Both boys stared at each other.
“You don’t think….”, began Tony.
“That there’s a connection here ?”, Said Pete. “I…Don’t Know….”
“I gotta go”, Tony said suddenly. “Someone I gotta talk to.”
________________________________________________
-
The sky was grey over the asphalt of the Parking Lot, that supported each day the dozen feet of the Bullies. The Clique was in circle, playing with a Soccer ball, as Tony greeted them loudly. Half of them looked at him warily, but before they could say a word, Tony announced, "Trent, I gotta talk with you."
"Uh, all right, man”, Trent replied.
After walking away from the group of boys, Tony started. "You know, Trent, the night of the bombings..."
"Yeah ?", Trent said non-committaly.
"I remember that you kept to your boys from going in the Dorm. Why was that ? Was there someone told you to do that ?", Tony said slowly.
"Uh, no, no, it's just...", Trent stumbled.
"What ? Was there any reason ?", Tony pressed.
Trent looked his feet for a moment, and nodded his head silently. "Jake wanted me to do that."
"And you didn't make the fucking connection ?", Tony said, with his anger rising.
"What connection ?", Trent said, puzzled.
"Whatever”, Tony said in disgust. It was hard to believe that Trent was that dumb, but there it was. He wasn’t getting anywhere here. “Thanks for your help, Dude. Have a nice day."
If Trent wasn't smart enough to make that connection, Tony was. One thing was sure -- Jake knew about the planned bombings.
__________________________________________
-
Algie had indeed returned to Bullworth Academy after a month of recuperation in the fancier Clinic at Old Bullworth Vale. Since having one of his nuts blown clean off and the other damaged by a as-yet unknown assailant, an observer would think that Algie would be a bit more careful of where and how he slept. But Algie had instead become very angry during his time in the hospital clinic, as someone might expect. Having not a clue who to direct his anger at, although he had his suspicions, Algie just got mad at everyone. It wasn’t so much that he might never be able to get a girl pregnant (If it were even possible to find a girl willing to ever have sex with him in the first place), it was just the last straw of being picked on for years and years.
Dark thoughts of revenge swirled about in his head. He had had plenty of time during his painful recuperation to lay some evil plans to get back at his tormentors. Knowing he couldn’t confront them directly due to his lack of physical ability, he would have to use his superior mental powers to devise retribution against his enemies. He would lay traps and lure his intended victims in. And, just like his attacker, he would stay in the shadows. All the blame would go to the mysterious attacker who had attacked him. It was so perfect.
His first targets would be his chief tormentors….The Bullies.
_______________________________________________
-
Thanksgiving had passed. Tony was leaving Chem Class on the first day back from the holiday when he was called by name. Looking around, he saw Pete walking towards him.
“Hey, Tony…I gotta talk to you", Pete said. "Can you come up to my Office ?”
“Umm…Sure”, Tony said, following Pete towards the stairs. “You get everything straightened out with the Head, then ?”
“Yeah”, Pete said. “All fixed up. That’s what I need to talk to you about.”
Tony went up the stairs with Pete and then down the hall. Stopping at the setback door, Pete produced a set of keys, and unlocked not one, but three locks set in the door that looked brand-new. Entering the small room, Pete closed and re-locked the door, and motioned Tony into the chair, now near the desk.
The place was all cleaned up from the last time Tony had been there. There was no papers scattered on the floor, the desk was clear, with all the drawers put back in, and the huge file cabinet in the corner, Tony noticed, had some extra hardware on it….Sliding bars and several tough-looking padlocks now adorned the front of it. The desk lamp had been fixed and now sat in one corner of the top of the desk.
Pete sat down behind the desk. “I wanted to see you Tony, and let you know that I have my Mediator job back, thanks to you. I went to see Crabblesnich, and explained it all to him. Showed him that I.D. Card that was found here.”
“And he believed you, just like that ?”, Tony questioned.
“Well….I had help”, Pete said. “I didn’t go in there alone.”
“Help ? What Help ?”, Tony Asked.
“I can’t tell you that”, Pete said. Tony opened his mouth to say something, but Pete waved him to silence. “No…You got to understand, Tony…There’s things I can’t talk about. Dangerous things. Things that have to be kept quiet.”
“What do you mean ?”, Tony asked.
Pete sighed. “Look, Crabblesnich knows that I know things. He doesn’t know how much I know, I’m quite sure, but he realizes that I know enough to cause him…And the School…A lot of trouble. Plus, I think he’s smart enough to figure out that this whole thing against me was bogus…I mean, what idiot would leave panties scattered in easy-to-find places in his work office, just as a mysterious note suddenly appears on his secretary’s desk out of nowhere ? This was obviously a set-up, and Crabblesnich is no dummy -- He had to suspend me at first, really didn’t have a choice…But now the facts are out there, so….” He indicated the Office with a sweep of his arm…”Here I am.”
“Yeah, But…” Tony began.
“But Nothing”, Pete said. “The last thing Crabblesnich wants is for me to turn up in a Federal Prosecutor’s Office somewhere. I’m sure the Harringtons wouldn’t like that either. This whole place operates on secrecy. As they used to say in the Dorm, ‘This Place Is Rotten To The Core’…They just didn’t know how right they were.”
“If that’s so…”, Tony said slowly, “Why not just…Whack you ?”
“They’re not gonna chance killing a kid, even an older kid like me…That’s too risky. Besides, they don’t think that I’m that big of a threat to them. That I know enough to really hurt them.”
“But…”, Tony said slowly, “You Do ?”
Pete didn’t say anything.
Tony slumped back in his chair. “Woah…”
Both boys sat there in silence. After a minute, Tony asked, “Why do you go along with this ?”
“Because…If this School goes down, we all go down”, Pete replied.
“Whadda Mean ?’, Tony asked. “How does that affect us ?”
“I want to get out of here”, Pete said. “I want to graduate. If the school is brought down, all of the academics will be worthless. All the Credits will be lost. Yours…Mine…Everybodys….All the classes you ever went to here won’t count. The state will pull accreditation, and every course will be tarnished. Not so bad for you maybe, you haven’t been here very long. But for me, and others like me, who have been here for years, it would totally screw our chances of ever getting into a decent College. Like I said, I want out…And I’m not gonna hang around here and be a Prefect.”
Tony sat stunned. Again, for the second time in as many weeks, he was seeing much more than maybe he should be knowing.
“There’s another thing”, Pete said. “I convinced Crabblesnich that I needed an assistant….You.”
Here Pete reached into the desk drawer, and threw a set of keys across the desk. Tony looked at him questionly.
“I could really use the help. You’re a good kid, about the only one in this place I can trust. Besides, you know too much to back out now.” Pete paused. “Whadda Say ?”
Slowly Tony reached over and picked up the keys. “OK….I’m In”
“Good”, Pete said. “Oh, and Tony…I’m gonna need those files back. Those papers you took. You may think they’re safe, but unless you buried them….” Here Pete looked at Tony, who shook his head No, he continued….”Then they’re not safe. Anyone can find them. Look at the stuff you’ve found.”
Tony was remembering. It DID seem like hiding places eventually got discovered…He had sure come across places himself that he thought were secure…But…
“Bet you have them stashed in one of the caves around here, don’t you…”, Pete said, and here Tony just looked at him with a look of surprise…”Oh, yeah, I know about those places, and so do lots of others who have been around here awhile. It’s only natural to want to get away and explore. Once you’re around here for a couple or three years, you pretty much know where all those spots are.”
Tony got to thinking. Pete was right. Nowhere out there was really safe. So where was safe ? Tony looked over at the now-heavily fortified file cabinet. For the first time he noticed that it was now also bolted to the floor. Pete pointed to the cabinet. “Nobody’s getting in there now. Short of an acetylene torch, that is. Probably the safest place in the whole School now.”
Tony agreed. “I’ll get the papers back here tonight”, he said. “I can sneak them back in without getting busted.”
“I think you’ll find that’s not a problem for you anymore”, Pete said. “Perks of the job from now on -- The Prefects have to leave us alone. All you have to tell them is you’re on School Business. They have to back off. They’re not allowed in here, either. That’s kind of funny, having something that’s off-limits to those fuckers.”
“Sounds sweet…I think I’m liking this job a whole lot more now.” Tony rose to leave. “Oh, um, Pete…Something I gotta tell you. Remember when we talked the last time, about the Bombings ?”
Pete nodded. “What did you find out ?”
“I had just remembered something that happened that night. Trent was keeping anyone from going in the Boy’s dorm right before the bomb in there went off. When I asked him about it, he finally let out that Jake had told him to keep everyone out that night.”
Pete leaned back. “That means Jake…Knew something…”
“Yeah, I think he was in on it somehow, or knew it was coming…..”, Tony agreed.
“And Jake’s been missing now for….What, a couple months ?”, Pete asked.
“Just about…Except for his contacts with Trent…..I’m gonna have to talk to that boy alone somewhere private. He knows something….I’ll get it outta him”, Tony said.
“Get them papers back here first. That’s most important right now”, Pete said.
“Will Do”, said Tony, heading for the door. “See you later.”
Tony exited the small office, and stood in the hallway, considering. It became clear to him that it was urgent to get those papers back into Pete’s newly-fortified file cabinet. This was now a very important mission. Thinking, Tony decided to take along Laurent and Constantinos for lookouts and backup. He couldn’t afford to take any chances on this one.
______________________________________________
-
The very next night, Tony closed the door of his new Office, after being followed in by the two boys he had brought with him. They were carrying the successfully retrieved the papers and files from the stash in the cave. He sat in the new chair that produced a little squeaking sound, and turned the desk lamp on. The two boys piled the lot on the floor next to the cabinet.
"Okay, guys, how do you like it here ?", Tony grinned.
"It is simply amazing ! A whole Office just for you !" Constantinos replied.
"Yeah, it looks... Hem... Great." Laurent simply said.
"Well…I have to share it with Pete, he‘s the Boss”, Tony said modestly. “Okay... Listen, I've had you guys come here because I have a deal for you."
The two boys looked at each other, and then bent themselves over the desk to listen carefully. Tony crossed his fingers, and started to talk. "You both have honestly, and I mean it, made this a perfect job for me. You, Constantinos, have always been here to keep me informed about everything that was said in this School. Without you, we couldn't have started this whole business, and we all would still be under the wing of that turd Jake. And you, Laurent, you've been helping me a lot too, first off about the Parkour and then the Rappel. And then, you've been a bodyguard at times, a guy that always kept being discreet and that knew how to keep secrets. Anyway, now we have this new general quarters, I wanted to... Make your work for me official."
"What do you mean by that ?" replied Constantinos after a short time.
"You will be my ears like always, and Laurent will be my bodyguard. I'll need you to be ready at anytime and anyplace. I'll provide you money to buy bikes so that you can go quicker. Constantinos, I'll pay you a price for each bit of information, and Laurent, for each enemy bashed. Got it ?"
"Oui. Like a... Cogneur”, Laurent nodded.
"Sure…Uh, Yeah”. Tony said. “All right, guys ? I'll contact you soon, make sure you hang out often near the Fountain, understood ?"
"Okay, bo... Tony”, Constantinos said, and Laurent nodded. Shaking hands, they took their leave.
When the two boys were gone, Tony went to the new water cooler that had been put in this Office and poured cold water into a plastic glass. Since hour one in his new position, he had felt powerful and important.
__________________________________________
-
"Welcome to the Dragon's Wing ! What do you call yourself ? I can't remember, man...", the strange new fat young man said.
Algie looked shortly at the new proprietor of his favorite and only Comic Shop. The young man had long blond hair, and wore an eternal ‘Blue Oyster Cult’ T-Shirt with a nametag that read “Stan.” The guy had arrived in Bullworth Town just after Alfred was arrested for the bombings, and had somehow taken over the Comic Shop, managing to make everything look new and futuristic. The Nerd spoke his name quickly, walked around the counter and pushed the metal door to access to the cellar. Down there, like always, was a bunch of Nerds playing their favorite roleplay game, Grottos and Gremlins.
"Hey Algie ! Wanna play for the next round ?" Fatty asked.
"No, Uh... I have a lot of work“, demurred Algie.
"Okay then...", Fatty said, getting back to the game. “Prepare The Battlements !”
Algie took a door leading to the small room, with a desk with a computer on it, and the mattress where he had been sleeping when his nut was blown off. He sat at the desk and opened the second drawer of the deask. Inside, he found many photocopies of the plans of the School. The first he pulled was a plan for the operation ‘Trojan Cow‘, an old plan to beat the Jocks that the Nerds had made successfully with Jimmy last year. After a few looks at old pland, he finally pulled a new sheet without any writing on it, and began to think about his first way to teach the Bullies a lesson.
At the top of the sheet, he wrote, The Trap of Love.
____________________________________________
-
Mr. Svenson, the Postman, entered the gate and then climbed the steps to the large porch and knocked on the old wooden door. As Kurt opened it, loud, hard music came out of the communal room, and Mr. Svenson could barely hear what the kid was saying. He decided just to give to the kid the pack of letters he had in the hands, and after a final look at the messy room, he made his way back to the street.
Kurt slammed the door, threw the letters on the glass table, and after kneeling down, made a sign to Tibo for him to shut off the music. "What have we here... Advertising... Advertising... Oh, there's something for you, Lola", Kurt said offhandedly.
His girl looked up from her magazine, and grabbed the letter. She hadn't received any mail in months... Maybe was it from Johnny Vincent, could it be that he was bored without her, missing her ? Even though she had left Detroit and returned here, that would be proof of his real love. She had snatched the letter quickly in case there was a return address with Johnny’s name, but the space was left blank.
Apparently, the Rockers had received a letter from the School that was occupying all their interest, and didn’t notice. Lola didn't care about the School anymore. She was living the good life here, as she always had wanted. She stood up, kicked aside two or three pizza boxes just to find her way to the stairs, and climbed up to the room she was sharing with Kurt. She laid on the bed, and slowly opened the letter she was holding. The first thing she noticed was that $20 dollars was in it. The second was that the letter was written with magazine letters pasted on the paper, titled "The Trap of Love", and signed ‘Piff the Skull‘. The mysterious person promised more dollars if she followed his plan….. Make the Bullies follow her to the place indicated on the map on the other side. That seemed pretty easy, and Lola was happy to read that ‘Piff the Skull’ found her the most attractive girl, and the only one able to do this right. She hid the letter in a bottom drawer of the dresser and slowly went down the stairs. The boys were laughing.
"Hey, Lola ! Guess what that old fuck Crabblesnitch sent us !", hooted Kurt.
_______________________________________________
-
Mandy awoke in her room on an overcast morning the first day of December. Stiffly, she streched, trying to work the kinks out of her sore muscles. Too much Cheerleading lately, no doubt. Now that the Football Games had resumed, it seemed non-stop. Oh, well, that would be over soon enough. The season was just about over.
She looked over at the sleeping girl in the next bed. Since the re-organization of the Dorms after the bombings, she had been forced to share her room. Before, she had the room all to herself, which had suited her just fine. Mandy wasn’t a particularly friendly girl, in fact she was rather a bitch. Her only fun in life was bossing around those sluts on the Cheerleading squad, and that would soon be over. She would go back to bullying the other girls, she supposed, but her main target from last year, Beatrice, was now gone. Added to the mix now was that huge slut Zoe was back at school now. She hated that cunt almost as much as she hated Lola, who had dropped out last School year.
She Sighed. She would have been out of here by now if it hadn’t been for those pictures last year being plastered all over by that prevert Ernest. Somebody had snuck into the dorm and had taken some naked shots of her in the shower and in her room here. Or maybe it had been one of the girls ? No one had ever found out who took the photos, but they wound up in Earnest Jones’ possession. Mandy still felt sick every time she thought of that retard whacking off over her naked pictures. Then for some reason, Ernest had decided to post blow-ups all over the School and over in Bullworth Town. She had to ask for help from Jimmy Hopkins, who had gone and taken care of all the pictures by painting them over with spray paint. But the damage was done, and she had to take some time off from School. The whole incident had eventually led to her breakup with Ted Thompson, the Jock’s Leader and Quarterback of the Football Team. Even when she came back, though, her rep was ruined. Everyone leered at her, Ted ignored her, and even the rest of the Jocks treated her like she was some kind of whore. The only person she could talk to was Jimmy, who knew the truth. Jimmy had also beat up Earnst, who was no longer at the School because of the pictures, among other things of a deviant sexual nature. Mandy had even had a thing with Jimmy for awhile, before that supercunt Zoe has stolen him from her.
So here she was, still in this hellhole. She had missed too much time over the last School year because of the pictures, and had to come back for another year. And this sucked, for she didn’t have anybody to hang out with or even talk to. Now, they had stuck her with a roommate, that little twerp Gloria. This girl was a little miss-know-it-all and kind of reminded her of Beatrice. And she wouldn’t ever shut up. That was really annoying. And she wanted to tag along all the time. That was the pits, Mandy didn’t need a shadow.
Well, not this morning. Mandy dressed quietly and snuck out of the room, headed for class. She would figure out what to do about all this later. For now, though, she felt about as bleak as the day looked as she headed out of the dorm.
__________________________________________
-
After Tony had made sure Pete had secured the missing files the next morning, he left his Office and headed to the Fountain to find the two boys that now worked for him. Constantinos was sitting on the edge, talking with Laurent, who was playing with a Basketball.
"Hi, Bo... Tony !", Constantious greeted him
"Here I am, guys. As I promised, we're gonna find you bikes”, Tony told them. “You both have some free time ?"
"Oui !", Laurent laughed. “Too much time on my hands !”
"OK”, Tony grinned, “Let's go then."
And the three Students walked through the School grounds, heading to the shelter. The prefect sitting inside recognized Tony, and, strangely, didn't want to argue with him like the last time. He stamped three pink tickets and pushed them on the counter without saying a word. Tony took them, and the three walked rapidly away.
"Do you guys know anything about bikes ?" he asked with an amused smile.
"Not really“, Constantinos answered, “But I would prefer something common... So the Greasers leave us alone."
"You've got a point there”, Tony said, “Maybe a Mountain Bike ?"
"Oui“, Laurent said, “That would be a good compromise."
After walking across the big truss bridge, they arrived at the Shiny Bike Shop. Behind the glass was a blue bike on a wooden pedestal that was turning, with a sales tag on the seat that identified it as ‘Aquaberry Cruiser‘ with the price written next to it. On the door were various pictures of local bike race champions that had, apparently, bought their bikes in this Shop, and they were all smiling, plastic trophies in their hands. Inside, the Shopkeeper, Tobias Mason, dressed in red and playing on his computer, looked surprised as he saw that his new customers didn't have their hair combed back and weren't wearing leather jackets. The only people normally coming into his shop were the Greasers, to buy advanced models of bikes or asking for advices to impress their friends.
"Uh... Hello, welcome to my shop... Take a... Look around." It was like the guy forgot how to greet unknown customers.
"Well, Sir, we would need two bikes for twenty bucks”, Tony said.
"Sure, we have the…“, the man paused. “Wait. You meant twenty bucks each, right ?"
"No, No, for both.….That would mean ten each." Tony felt destabilized.
In less than a second, Mr. Mason lost all his tension, and began to laugh freely.
"Ha-Ha, my man, if you need bikes, you'll have to bargain a bit more, and I mean it !"
"Thank you, Sir”, Tony said disappointedly. “Well, Have a nice day."
Tony smacked his palm against his forehead. Of course ! Why didn't he think before about Steve ? The guy had opened his own sort-of proper shop after the bombings, Tony now remembered, as he had seen his name on the sheets of those not returning to School brought to him by the Prefect.
_________________________________________________
-
Jake, aka Ace Adams, was hanging out after hours at the shooting range booth with Crystal, the Carnie who ran the game. There was a goodly supply of Alcohol always stashed under the counter that all the Carnies had access to, and both Jake and Crystal were drinking, with Crystal already well on her way to getting wasted.
“What’s it gonna be, Crystal ? We hafta go on part-time now ?” said Jake.
“Yeah…urp…..Just parrrrt-time….”, Chrystal replied drunkenly.
“Since I wasn’t here last year, I don’t know what to expect for the winter up here”, Jake went on. “So, the booths close down, right ?”
“Uhhh….Yeah….Just this and….The Dunk Tank….”, Crystal said, having trouble keeping her eyes open. “Some stuff….Stays open, ya’know….”
“So, what’ll you do ?”, Asked Jake.
“Oh…er…ahh…I can get….A Job in town….If not, Billy…..Billy Bob will take care of me…..”
I’ll just bet he does, Jake thought. Billy Bob Crane was the Carnival owner. Not above a few fringe benefits there. Lucky Bastard. Aloud, Jake said, “Any customers today here ? Gotta be getting close.”
Crystal shook her head back and forth, and in the process made herself dizzy. “Whoo…Shit….No,No…Nobody today…..Fuck it, it lass day anyhow…..”
Jake had an Idea. “So what happens to those pea shooters ?”
“Pee….What…?” Crystal’s head was drooping.
“The BB Guns, that you use for the game here”, Jake said patiently.
“Ohhhh…You mean…..The Air Rifles……They’re locked up…..Under here…”
She pointed unsteadily to a spot under the counter, a place that had a couple of swing doors secured with a large padlock. Just the act of doing that seemed to exhaust her, for she slumped back on her butt against the counter. Suddenly, she leaned forward and threw up, vomiting the stale alcohol on the ground in front of her. Jake moved over to help her before she collapsed.
“Time to get you to your cot”, Jake said, as he helped her to the back of the booth. He laid her down on the cot, and covered her with a blanket laying nearby.
“Thannnks, Ace…..You’re….a good….Guy…..”, Crystal slurred. “Close up….For me ?”
“Sure thing, Babe”, Jake said, laughing to himself. Crazy bitch just couldn’t hold her Liquor…Something he had counted on.
Crystal nodded once, then turned her head and passed out. Jake waited until he could hear her deep breathing, then pulled the blanket back. An opportunity presented itself here, but that wasn’t quite what he was after. Jake was many things, but he was not a rapist. Digging through the girl’s pockets, he came up with a ring of keys. Returning to the front, he knelt and found the key that fit the padlock. Opening the doors, he found a whole stash of the Air Rifles. Although old, they appeared to be in good shape. Also on the shelf was several boxes of pellets. Jake took one of the rifles and a box of pellets, and then re-locked the cabinet. On another open shelf nearby, he spotted the bunch of smaller padlocks used to secure the overhead drop-down panels to the front of the Arcade. Jake found a key for one of these locks on the key ring. Then, he took that key and the key for the Air Rifle cabinet off the key ring and put them in his pocket. Returning to the back, he then put the key ring back in Crystal’s pocket, and re-covered her with the blanket.
It was common knowledge around the Carnival that Crystal was an easy lay. But the Carnies, in their strange way, protected her. As Jake was one of them now, even if only for a little while, he would do the same. She would not even remember that he had even been here tonight, since she had been fairly well lit even before he got here. Jake glanced toward the back door. It was secured. Jake turned and went back to the front, where he scooped up padlocks. Grabbing the Rifle and the box of pellets, he jumped over the counter, then proceeded to lower the drop panels into place. He locked each one with the small padlocks as he did so, using the padlock for which he now had the key to secure the far left drop panel. Concealing the Rifle and the pellets under his clothing, he made his way back to his Souvenir Tent, where he locked the Rifle and pellets in his own stash.
He could go back on a later night and swipe the rest of the Air Rifles under cover of darkness, when nobody was around. Foe now, though, his mind raced with the possibilities. A plan was forming as to where he would arm all the cliques with these weapons. He had already armed several of them with Spud Guns and Bottle Rocket Launchers, but this was far better. Fitted with scopes, these babies could go long range. This would fit into his plans perfectly. With all sides armed to the teeth, it would only take a spark to ignite a full-scale Clique War. When the carnage was at it’s height, he would then step up, in his persona of Ace Adams, and bring peace to all factions in his role as the Ultimate Fixer. He would be hailed as a Hero, and would be given total respect and power over the commerence of the school. Everyone would bow before him, even the Adults.
Jake lay down on his cot and his thoughts drifted into a deep, deep sleep…….
_______________________________________
-
The next morning, two new kids arrived at Bullworth. Their names were Eddie and Geoff. They were both loners, but they grew up with each other in nearby Warwick. Their families were high-end, but not Preps though. Geoff was a skater, while Eddie was a metalhead.
Geoff went to the Boy's Dorm to put his stuff away, while Eddie stayed by the gate to relax and light a ciggy.
"Hey, no smoking, young man !" shouted some old bitch from behind Eddie.
"And just what are you gonna do about me ?" replied Eddie.
"I'll tell the Headmaster," threatened the dark-haired woman.
Eddie always carried his handy, dandy slingshot with him. He fired a rock and hit her in the stomach. While she was bent over, he ran around her towards the Dorm.
"Get back here !" the woman shouted, appearing to be the Headmaster’s Secretary, Ms Danvers.
While running, Eddie turned around and started flipping her off. He ran up the steps into the Boy's Dorm. The hag won't get me in here. Boys need privacy. She can't come in here.
"You get out here this Instant !" she shouted.
"Fuck You !" Eddie shouted, slamming the doors.
Ha….I've been here for about 45 minutes, and I've broken about 4 of the rules. Eddie thought. Nobody will be able to stop me !!
____________________________________________________
-
Kurt was looking out the second story bedroom window when Tibo found him upstairs.
“Heya Kurt….What’choo doing ?”
Kurt continued staring out the window a moment before answering. “I’m watching those Prep Pricks over there at Harrington’s place”, he finally said.
Tibo came over to the window for a look himself. “A buncha spoiled rich fucks. What’cha watching them for ?”
“Because, my lame friend, that’s where that asshole Derby lives, when he’s not jacking off over at their private house at the school. There is where the richest fuck in these parts lives at. And there’s all his little Prick friends. They just stand out there in front, by the Gate, and smoke ciggys and act tough.”
“I…uh…Still don’t get it…..So What ?” Tibo said.
Kurt kept his gaze on the Preps. “Tibo, we both come up with hardly nothing…Am I Right ?”
“Well…Yeah”, Tibo answered, still not understanding.
“All the while, these rich shits, and others like them, have everything. Never a struggle, always everything there for them. And they’re just little pussy assholes. You and I are better than that, yet we have nohing.” Kurt looked at Tibo then. “This place is the best digs we have ever been in…Ever in our lives.”
“True that”, Tibo said. “This place is killer.”
“This place is temporary”, Kurt said, and returned his gaze back out the window. “We only get to stay a few months. They…” He pointed at the Preps…”Get to stay there no matter what.”
Tibo looked out at the Preps. A sudden anger ran through him. “Yeah, that sucks.”
They both continued to stare out the window for awhile.
“There’s a guy over at the Carnival selling Weapons", Kurt said. "We need to get some Weapons.”
Tibo now stared at Kurt. “How do you know that ?”
“What’s it matter ? I hear things. Keep my ears open. You should too.” Kurt settled his arms on the windowsill. “This Dude is selling them to all the Clique Leaders. They had some big meeting last month with him. Some deal was worked out.”
“But…You didn’t get to go ?”, Tibo said. “You’re a Clique Leader, for us….So, why not….”
“Wasn’t invited”, said Kurt. “Too small…Too new…Whatever the reason, it don’t matter. We still need Weapons. Those queer fucks have them. We have to have some too.”
A small smile crept onto Tibo’s face. “What’chu planning ?”
Kurt reflected a minute. “I sit here and see these fuckers every day. Laughing at us. Looking down their nose at us. I say….It’s about time we spit in their faces, bring them down a notch or two…or three.”
“We’ll need some money”, Tibo said. “How are we going….”
“Pawn some of the shit in this place. Beat up some kids and take their lunch money. Do some break-ins. I don’t give a rat’s ass how, just make it happen.”
Tibo straightened up. “I’ll get the boys right on it.”
“Good”, Kurt said, returning his gaze to out of the window. “Is Lola back yet ?”
“Um…Yeah”, Tibo said, “She’s down in the Kitchen.”
“Send her up, will’ya ?”, Kurt said absently.
“Sure thing.“, Tibo replied. He turned and left the room.
Kurt continued staring out the window at the Preps, with malice in his eyes.
__________________________________________________
-
Lola had left the house earlier without even listening to the contents of the letter sent by the School. She needed money, and for once, she didn't really have to work for it.
It would just be a coincidence. While flirting, the Bullies would just accidentally land in the School Basement, where something was supposed to happen, as ‘Piff the Skull’ had surely planned. She had put on her best leather jacket, opened on a low-necked T-Shirt and a tie provocatively stuck between her breasts. She didn't really care about the temperature slowly getting down the last few days, the most important thing was for her was to be observed. She wanted everyone to turn around in her path and think that she was a girl that took care of herself.
She arrived at the School's Front Gates, but after thinking about it for a while, she looked to the right and decided to take the other entry, the one leading directly to the Parking Lot dedicated to the Teachers, where the Bullies liked to hang out. She walked along the brick wall and then through the open Gates. Pretending she was looking for something, she slowly made her way out onto the asphalt.
"Hey, you lost your way, Honey ?" A black Bully named Ethan was standing before her, folding the arms.
"Not really, tough guy“, Lola said. “I just... Wanted to see how you guys were doing."
"Oh yeah ?" the boy said, looking at his friends with a smile.
"Yeah. But it seems you're not interested. Oh well..." Lola said while slowly walking away.
"No, no, no, wait ! That's not what I meant !", Ethan said, catching up with her.
"Oh, really ?" Lola turned around, grabbed his shirt and approached her face to his.
"I really didn't mean it, come on !“, Ethan protested, “We just haven't seen you…Since a long time ago..."
"I don't know what to do !" Lola said with a smile, releasing his shirt and turning around again. "Maybe we could find a cool place to hang out..."
Ethan looked behind him to see the other Bullies following him. Lola led them across the lot to East side of the School and then to the steps that led down to the door of the School Basement.
The other Bullies gathered around. Lola looked at those familiar faces…Ethan, Tom, Davis. Wade, Troy…”Maybe…Down there ? Johnny’s gone away, you know. I’ve been…So Lonely…”
Lola put her arm around Ethan’s neck, and descended the steps. The door was unlocked, and they went inside. Slowly, room after room, the whole Clique walking around the girl made their way deeper into the Basement, and after a bunch of corridors, they arrived in a gigantic room with a bowl-like depression at the center, and a tall fence around it, known by the Students as ‘The Hole’.
"Ethan...Uhh…What we doing here ? This is just for fighting !", Troy burbled.
"Shut up”, said Ethan, distracted. “We just call it the Hole. Can mean other things, y‘know"
Lola pointed to the pit. “Down there is Private…And Dark.” She giggled. “Hop on down, boys.”
One by one, they dropped down through the open gate. As Ethan jumped down last, he turned and held up his arms to help Lola down.
“Com’on, I’ll help you down”, Ethan said, “Then we can….”
"Welcome, Gentlemen."
The last sentence had came out of a hidden loudspeaker. The Bullies looked all around them, trying to find who was speaking. Slowly, the fenced gate closed, and locked itself.
______________________________________________________
-
Lola had cleverly led the Bullies to the pit, and had held back as the last of them hopped down into 'The Hole’. As the fenced gate closed and locked, the loudspeaker activated once more.
“Thank you, my dear…I will arrange for payment to be sent for your services.”
Lola smirked and let out a short laugh. She circled the pit, and moved off down the long hall that led to the stairs back up to the School’s main floor.
“Hey….Hey, you BITCH….Come Back Here !!!!”, exclaimed Ethan.
“Toodle-Loo, Boys…..Don’t do anything Nasty…”, Lola said with a short wave backwards as she left.
“What the Fuck, Man….”, Said Davis.
“That little Slut just locked us in here, that’s what”, Said Troy.
“What the hell for ?” Asked Tom.
“She’s just playing with us…”, Said Wade.
“Little prick-teaser….”, Began Ethan.
The voice from the loudspeaker interrupted. “I…have locked you in here….Sweet Lola was only the bait.”
“Who The HELL Are You ? What Do You Want ?” Shouted Davis.
“Justice”, The voice from the speaker said.
Without warning, a half-dozen Stink Bombs rained down on the hapless Bullies. Gagging and choking, the didn’t even have time to pull out their Weapons before the thick green smoke rolled out of the Stink Bombs as they hit. A few seconds later, a second volley fell, creating an almost interpenetrate darkish green cloud that settled all around the ‘Hole’. The stench became unbearable, and the group of Bullies soon began vomiting.
As the smoke began to slightly clear, each of the five Bullies could be dimly seen, on their knees in puddles of their own vomit, gasping and still trying to throw up, retching horribly from the multiple hits of the Stink Bombs. Then, the real Bombs fell.
M-80 Firecrackers, thrown from above, began to find their targets. One by one the Bullies went down.
BLAM !!!…BLAM !!!…BLAM !!!…BLAM !!!…BLAM !!!….BLAM !!!…BLAM !!!
As the Firecrackers found their marks, each of the Bullies was knocked out in turn, and fell face forward into their piles of vomit. A heavy smell of gunpowder then hung in the air. As the fog from the explosions cleared, the Bullies could be seen, still and groaning in agony.
As soon as he judged it was safe, Algie pulled off his Gas Mask, standing on the narrow catwalk high above the pit. Rasing the wireless microphone to his mouth, he spoke into it. “Thus shall it be to all evildoers. Those who live by the sword….Shall DIE by the sword.”
Algie made his way slowly across the catwalk, then down the small ladder to the floor around the the pit. Unlocking the Gate, he climbed down into 'The Hole’, and gave each of the Bullies several kicks to the balls for good measure. He then re-climbed his way back up, taking several attempts to do so. Re-locking the Gate, he moved slowly around the pit and walked down the long hall to the stairs, moving slowly. He was sweating heavily, and he reflected on how hard it was to get around when a person is missing one of their nuts. Going up the stairs, Algie left the Basement.
As darkness fell outside, the unconscious Bullies remained locked in 'The Hole’, and…for the moment….Not making any trouble at all.
______________________________________________________
-
Kurt entered the Carnival Souviner Tent.
“What’cha needing today ?” Asked Jake, aka Ace Adams, from behind the counter.
“I’m…Uh…Looking for something….Special”, Kurt said, eyeing the various prizes hung up on display.
“Got your tickets ?” Said Jake, aka Ace Adams, as he closely watched the newcomer.
“Ummm….No…..Got Cash, though”, said Kurt, still looking around. “Heard you take cash….For certain items.”
“Now, where did you hear that”, Said Jake, aka Ace Adams, suspiciously.
“Just around School….Here and there”, Kurt answered, turning finally to face Jake, aka Ace Adams. “Y’know, my Clique and me, we pick up on stuff.”
“Didn’t know you had a ‘Clique’”, said Jake, aka Ace Adams.
“Oh, yeah…We’re new this year….The Rockers ?” Said Kurt.
“Ooookkkaayy”. Jake, aka Ace Adams, replied, now vaguely remembering the weird-looking boys in the strange clothes around school, the same as this kid was wearing.
“Guess you missed having us at the big meeting last month”, Kurt went on, “Because we’re so new.”
“That I did…That I did”, said Jake, aka Ace Adams….”So, ask you again…What’cha need ?’
“Weapons”, said Kurt. “We need Weapons.”
“You do, Huh ?” said Jake, aka Ace Adams, looking at Kurt closely, sizing him up. “Some Slingshots ? M-80 Firecrackers ? Bottle Rocket Launcher ? Spud Gun ?….No ?”
“I had something…More powerful in mind”, said Kurt, “If that’s possible….”
“I just might have something….” Jake disappeared under the counter for a moment, the re-appeared with a Weapon he laid on the counter. “The latest in Air Rifle technology….Run you $250 dollars.”
Jake had managed to steal the remaining Air Rifles from the Shooting Gallery. Since it was closed for the winter now, the thiefs would go unnoticed until spring. He was beginning to remember more about this kid, in large part that he had some kind of ongoing feud with Tony. That was just perfect. Time to start stiring the agitation pot anyway.
“$250 dollars ? That’s kinda steep, ain’t it ?”, Kurt said, taken aback at the high price.
“Isn’t many of these around”, Jake, aka Ace Adams, said. “Tell you what…I’ll throw in two Spud Guns and a box of 50 Pellets. How about it ?”
Kurt thought for a moment. They needed this Weapon. It was just right for what he had in mind. “OK…Deal”, he said, as he pulled the bills from his pocket and laid them on the counter.
“One more thing”, Jake, aka Ace Adams, said. “This is private. The people I’m associated with wouldn’t take kindly to weapons information getting to become general knowledge. If fact….” He went on to tell Kurt all about the ’Terrorists’ and relate the same fabricated story that he had originally told the other Clique Leaders. “….And that’s why everything has to be kept under wraps, Understand ?”
“Uh, yeah…Sure.” Kurt didn’t believe a word of it. The whole thing sounded a bit to far-fetched, but he kept that opinion to himself. He obviously was dealing with a whacked out person, straight out of fantasy land. “I’ll…uh…Remember that”, he said, as he packed the Weapons under his coat.
“Come back if you’re needing anything else”, Jake, aka Ace Adams, said, as Kurt headed towards the doorway. “Nice doing business with you.”
As Kurt exited the Souvenir Tent, he could swear he heard a low, insane giggle behind him.
___________________________________________________
-
After talking with the Greasers, Tony and his two friends were directed to the so-called shop that Steve was running in New Coventry. Of course, he wasn't legally allowed to own a trade, so he was installed in the back of an home appliances shop. After communicating the password that Peanut had provided to the owner, he opened the backdoor to find his friend sitting on a couch. Steve recognized them instantly, and after greeting them, listened to Tony for a moment, trying to understand what his friend exactly needed.
"This“, the Greaser said putting his hand on a bike, “Is a creation of mine."
"Hmmm….What’s special about it ?" Asked Tony.
"It looks like a Mountain Bike, but... “, Steve showed him, “With another seat at the back, and new speeds."
The three boys looked at each other, and nodded. The deal was done.
"I let them go for $15 dollars each, for two bikes. Okay, Tony ?”, Steve said.
"Ten each, maybe ?" Tony answered with a wink.
"Aww…You can't understands how much I worked for this !", Steve exclaimed.
"Twelve." Tony said, slamming twenty-four dollars on the homemade counter.
"Youse killin’ me Tony, and you knows it.", Steve said, giving in.
Tony laughed shortly, "Not when I need you, Steve !"
The Greaser opened the heavy metal door, allowing Laurent, with Tony on the back seat, to roll away, next to Constantinos.
"Hey, guys ! Keep in touch, right ?" Steve called out as they rode away.
_________________________________________________________
-
Trent couldn’t find his group. With the exception of Russell, who was as usual standing over in the Courtyard by the Boy’s Dorm talking to nobody in particular (“Russell Smash !! Russell Destroy !!”), the whole Clique seemed to have disappeared. Finally, he sought out Zoe for help.
“They’re all gone ?” Asked Zoe. “Where did you see them last ?”
“Over in the big Parking Lot, yesterday after School….” Trent answered.
“Anybody else see them over there ?” Zoe went on.
“Well…uhh…“ Trent thought, remembering, “There was some other kids over there….”
“So…We need to go ask around”, Zoe said. “Co’mon, let’s go….”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Since it was lunchtime, there were a lot of kids hanging out in the Parking Lot. After asking several kids about the Bullies with no luck, they finally got their answer from one of the younger girls, Gloria, who indicated she had seen the entire group heading towards the Basement stairs by the side of the School in the early evening yesterday. They had appeared to be following someone, a girl dressed in black.
Trent and Zoe went down the steps to the door that entered the School Basement. Trent tried the door, It was Locked. In the Shadows by the door, Zoe spotted an Object. She picked it up. It was a low-grade Slingshot. The name ‘Tom’ was carved into the handle.
“They were here, all right”, Zoe said, showing the Slingshot to Trent. “He must have dropped this.”
“Oh…uhh…That’s Tom’s all right”, Trent said. “Now what….”
“I got an idea”, Zoe said. “Let’s go talk to that Janitor…What’s his name ?”
“Ohh…Mr…er…Luntz…That’s it, Mr. Luntz”, Trent said.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Approaching the School Store, Zoe said, “Just let me do the talking."
“Ohhh….Okay” Trent said, following behind. They went to the window.
“What’da you kids want ?” asked a gruff Mr. Luntz.
“We…We’re looking for some friends…They’re missing.” Zoe said.
“What do I care ?", Mr. Luntz snorted. " Does it look like I’m running a Nursery Service here ?”
“Well…No, but we need to find them…” Zoe began.
Mr. Luntz began to look put out. “I’m not a Detective Agency, either, and I really don’t give a shit. Now, get…”
“They were seen going into the Basement, and nobody’s seen them since ! Won’t you please check for us ?” Zoe said quickly.
“MY BASEMENT ?” Mr. Luntz perked up at that. “Nobody BETTER be down there. I’ll tan their hides….A month’s detention will be a walk in the park when I’m done with them.”
“So you’ll look for them ?” Zoe asked.
“Yeah, Yeah, Girlie…Tell you what, I’ll check right after my shift is over…If they’re there, they’ll wish they weren’t", Mr. Luntz said firmly. "Now, take off…I’m sick of looking at you’alls.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Later on, Mr. Luntz found the unfortunate Bullies, laying in their own vomit in The Hole. Shaking his head in disgust, he went off to find Nurse McRae.
_______________________________________________________
-
Mandy had an Idea. She was getting real tired of having that little twerp Gloria follow her around all day, yammering away about all kinds of dumb stuff that Mandy could care less about. Worse, Mandy had to put up with her as a roommate. It had all been getting a bit too much. So, Mandy was going to hook Gloria up with somebody else to bother - A Boy.
And not just any boy….The biggest, baddest of all the Jock boys….Damon West.
Since Mandy hung out with the Jock clique, she was pretty much a regular member…except she was a girl. Trouble was, the Jocks were all about Sports and working out….Not one of them ever much went out with a girl, they were always pushing themselves to excell. They were none too bright. They all treated Mandy as more of a Tomboy than anything else. They could talk to her, but not to a ‘regular’ girl.
Mandy skipped class to avoid having Gloria tagging along as she went out looking for Damon. She spotted him about to enter the Gym just before afternoon class.
“Damon ! Hey, Damon !”, She hollered.
Damon turned at the sound of her voice. “Hey, Mandy…S’up ?”
“Got something to ask you”, Mandy said. She went over her plan to Damon, adding at the end, “There’s some cash in it for you, also. “
“Gee, Mandy….I donno…Ask a girl out ?", Damon queried in his slow way. "I donno.....Think I’d rather fight a Gorilla…”
“You big wuss, there’s nothing to it.", Mandy told him. "Just ask her to the movies or something…Here, I’ll tell you what to say….”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Out in front of school after last class that afternoon, Mandy, with Gloria in tow, was waiting on Damon to show up as he had promised.
“What are we waiting out here for ? It’s cold. We need to get going. We could get hypothermia just standing around here, you know. In fact, if the blood gets too cold, real strange things can happen to a person, you know….” Yammer, Yammer, Yammer, Gloria went on and on. Mandy wanted to punch her, just to shut up the incessant chattering. Finally, she saw Damon heading up the steps.
“Hey Damon !! Over here !!” she called, and Damon closed the distance to where the girls were standing. “Say, I want you to meet somebody. This is Gloria….Gloria, this is Damon.”
“Well, Hi There, Damon !”, Gloria said brightly.
Damon was struck speechless. He vaguely remembered seeing Gloria around school last year, when she had been an underclassman. But now….She was a GIRL…A real Girl. Although still small in stature, she looked like a model to Damon. “Uhh…What…S’up…”
“I’m SO pleased to meet you !”, Gloria said to Damon, sticking out her hand. “I’ve heard SO much about you, how you can win the big games, and how savvy you are on the Field ! Did you know that the best athletes from the area have come from Bullworth ? And I’ll bet you are the ones who will go to the Regional Playoffs…..” Yammer, Yammer, Yammer.
Damon didn’t seem to mind the chattering. In fact, Damon appeared to be smitten with the smaller girl, as she continued to carry on with her speech about the greatness of the Bullworth Athletics. Mandy was a little surprised, she hadn’t thought Gloria paid attention to anything outside of her constant blabbering. Sure didn’t know that she knew anything about the boys at this School. Then again, Mandy tuned her out so much, it was hard to remember just what she was always yapping about.
When Gloria finally wound down, Damon was still standing there like a fish with his mouth open. Mandy poked him in the back and hissed in his ear, “Go’on…Ask Her !”
Damon started to say something, and stopped. Then, “Ummm…Gloria ? Would’ja like to….Uhhhh…Like, Errrrr….Go to a movie or sumptim ?”
“Sure ! I’d love to go to see a movie with you. There’s a great one playing over in Town, you know, always wanted to see it, just needed someone to go with. Hey, can we get a bite to eat over at the Shinjo’s Restaurant? I’m starving ! I know I look like a little person still, but I get hugely hungry ! In fact, I bet I can eat as much as you do ! Not saying you eat a LOT, just saying…..”
Mandy interrupted to say, “Why don’t you two go someplace warm, like the Gym ?” Get them down to Damon’s home territory, where he would more at ease. And get Gloria out of Mandy’s way for a little while. As she watched them walk off, with Gloria yapping away at Damon, she felt a huge sense of relief. At least for tonight, blissful Quiet. Mandy headed for the Dorm, thinking that this all might work out better than she planned.
___________________________________________________
-
As darkness was falling, the Clique was walking in a tight, organized group, like they always did. The two boys that were leading were pushing the Townsfolk away from the sidewalk, while the others behind were carrying the Instruments and some ‘Special Stuff‘, as their Leader had told them. They will be a bit late, but that wasn't a problem, since Crabblesnitch had been a bit fuzzy about the time.
Kurt took once again the letter from his inside pocket and read it through, thinking again about his plan. The Good Doctor wanted them to play in a little concert in the Auditorium this evening ? No problem. But a couple of Kurt's group would be waiting patiently, hidden and their faces covered. On a precise signal in the third song, the mayhem will begin. They will finally have revenge. Of course, they'll make as if they didn't know anything about the attack…But this was more than just thrashing the Auditorium at the School. Kurt had a precious document to steal in the office….His Student Profile.
In the Parking Lot, hidden behind the brick wall, two of the Rocker boys put Halloween masks on their faces, both representing a wolf. They made thumbs up the their friends, and snuck stealthily around front and into the School. The others carried their Instruments to a metal door at the back of the School, kept by the Prefect, Edward Seymour.
"Are you the ‘Bucket of Oysters’ ?", Edward asked, looking them over closely.
"Yeah, we are, man !", Kurt said cheerfully.
"Come in, quick !”, Edward said. “Everybody's waiting for you !”
"Thanks !" The Rocker boys quickly entered the school and made their way to the stage.
The Auditorium was full. The Rockers set up their instruments, and Kurt started to talk into the microphone.……"Hello... Bullworth Academy !!!"
_________________________________________________
-
Lola was bored. As the Rockers had left her alone in the house to go and play their Concert at the school, she was left behind. Kurt had said something about there might be some trouble, and he didn’t want her involved….Boys were always being so macho, defending their women. Sometimes, it was sweet….Other times, like now, it was just downright stupid. Screw them, she was going out anyway. Checking her make-up and putting on a sexy jacket, she prepared to leave.
As she was reaching for the door knob, a sudden knock on the door startled her.
“Special Delivery !”, a voice on the other side said.
Peeking through the curtain, she saw the Mailman standing on the porch. She opened the door. “Yes ?”
“Special Delivery for Miss Lola Lombardi”, the Mailman repeated.
“I’m Lola”, she said.
“Well then, here you go, Ma’am…Have a nice day.”
The Mailman retreated back down the steps, and Lola opened the letter. Inside was Thirty dollars, and another communication from Piff The Skull.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lola had always kept her old rickety bike, since the days when she first came to Bullworth. She rode it now, over to the School, and up the road leading to the Parking Lot. Stashing it on the trail by the stone wall before the Parking Lot entrance, she made her way down towards the Football Field on foot.
As before, there were instructions in the letter made up with pasted magazine letters, directing her to lead the group of Jocks that always gathered down at the bottom of the steps by the bleachers at night over to the Observatory. The barrier had been removed between the two places during the renovation, so it would be an easy task to lure those boys over there. Lola laughed to herself as she approached the steps. Boys were so predictable.
The Jocks who hadn’t gone to the Concert were talking among themselves as Lola came down the steps to the field.
“Guess Ted’s over at the Carnival tonight. Something he hadda do”, Bo said.
“Has anybody seen Damon ? Where the hell’s he at ?”, Dan asked.
“Ha-Ha, he’s out with a Girl !”, Kirby answered.
“No Shit ? A Girl ?", Dan exclaimed, "Who the fuck would go out with that big Gorilla ?
”
“Heard it was that little Gloria", Kirby replied, sniggering.
“Ain’t she kinda young for him ?”, Casey ventured.
“Not so much anymore, I guess….Hey, Look ! It’s Lola !”, Dan pointed.
“Hello, Boys…Long time no see.” Lola said, as the Jocks gathered around her.
“Wow, Lola, where you been ?", Bo said excitedly. "Haven’t seen you since….”
“I quit school after Johnny left", Lola explained. "I just missed him so much.”
“Ohh, yeah, a bummer…", Luis said. "Whatchoo doing here ?”
“Oh, just wanted to see you boys again…", Lola sighed, then smiled mischievously. "Maybe we could hang out…Or something.”
The Jocks got the Idea…Meaning some make-out sessions were in order. Been a long time.
“Hey, we are ready !”, Juri said with his funny accent. “I am for first !”
“Oh, you Sillies…Not HERE.” Lola pointed up at the blazing field lights. “It’s much too bright here. We need to hang somewhere more….Private.”
“Where you got in mind, sweet one ?”, Bo asked.
“Oh, I know a place…Follow me, Boys.” Lola said with a laugh.
The gaggle of Jocks followed Lola down the bleacher rows and through the place where the barricade used to be and then to the entrance at the outer wall of the Observatory. The sliding Iron Gates were open. Lola stopped and pointed. “See Boys, there are plenty of dark, private spots here…and there…and there…Enough for everybody, see ?”
As the Jock boys rushed by her to take their places at the darker spots she indicated, Lola took a couple of steps back. Almost immediately, the sliding Iron Gates rumbled to a close and locked with a loud click.
A voice issued out of a loudspeaker mounted on the Observatory Building.
“Welcome, Gentlemen.”
_______________________________________________________
-
The Jocks looked about at hearing the voice, then back towards the now closed and locked Gates. Lola stood, not on the inside, but on the outside of the Gates, with a cruel grin on her face.
The Loudspeaker activated once more. “Thank you, my dear. The same arrangement will be made for your services.”
Lola let out a short giggly laugh, and then turned to walk back towards the Football Field.
“Did’ja hear that ? That little slut led us into a trap !”, said Dan.
“Why she do that ?” said a stunned Casey.
“Goddam ! What the FUCK ?” exclaimed Luis.
“You BITCH !! Get back here !!!” yelled Kirby.
“Little jive-ass whore, prick-teasing CUNT !!” raged Bo.
Lola was walking away. “Should have gone to the Concert tonight, boys. Now see what happens ? Toodle-Loo.” And with a backward wave, she was gone.
“What The HELL Does That Mean ? WHAT THE HELL ?” yelled Juri.
“Hey…Isn’t this what happened to those Bully boys a couple days ago….” Kirby started to say.
The loudspeaker activated again. “I…have locked you in here….Sweet Lola is not to blame for your predicament….Only you are.”
“Oh Yeah ? Just what the Shit do you mean by that ? Whadda you want, anyway ?" Shouted Dan.
“Justice”, the voice from the speaker said.
Stink Bombs began to rain down on the group of Jocks gathered around the inside of the Gates. Coughing and choking, they scattered to the corners of the yard in front of the Observatory, pulling out their Weapons. Another Stink Bomb volley followed, targeted to their new locations. Casey made it to the front doors of the Observatory, only to find the way barred with a huge beam across the entrance, secured with chains. A third volley of Stink Bombs began falling with deadly accuracy on the now-hapless Jocks.
The Jocks had short memories. Too late they remembered about the Spud Cannon platform that was above the main Gates. There was a set of steps that led up to the top. Dan and Juri, who were closest, made their way through the thick green smoke, gagging, and began to climb the steps. The other four Jocks had fallen, and were retching their guts out.
As the two boys reached the top, the Spud Cannon activated, sending rotten spuds at a high velocity into their bodies. Most were targeted at their crotches. Ten or more spuds slammed into them with sickening splats. Down they went, moaning in agony. The Spud Cannon was then turned on the four remaining Jocks in the yard. Easy Targets.
Casey had managed to stagger to his feet, but to no avail….The Spud Cannon cut him down where he stood, pulverizing him with a barrage of twenty or more spuds. The Spud Cannon was then turned on the others, laying in their own vomit, one by one, aimed at their privates.
WHAKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA----SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT SPLAT-SPLAT…..
Music to the ears….What a happy sound.
The Spud Cannon finally fell silent. Much of the smoke had cleared, to reveal the bodies of the Jock boys, knocked out and laying in puddles of their own stinking throw-up. Algie slowly removed the gas mask from his face, and raised the cordless microphone.
“Thus shall it be to all evildoers. Those who live by the sword….Shall DIE by the sword.”
Algie descended from the platform, stopping to administer several kicks in the crotches of Dan and Juri, before limping down the stairs. He then did likewise to the remaining Jocks on the ground, giving Casey extra kicks because he was larger. Then, he went to the Gates, and pulled out an electronic activator, which he used to unlock the Gates. He then opened the Gates just enough to squeeze through, then closed and re-locked them. Algie decided to take the path that led around the school to the Library. Safer that way. For whatever the reason, three of the Jock clique hadn’t been there, and he didn’t want to risk getting beat up if he were to go through the Football Field. He sighed. Even the best-laid plans don’t always work out.
He would get them later….Along with that shit Tony and any of his fucked-up friends.
____________________________________________________
-
The Auditorium was half-full, and the Students had stood up, jumping to the rhythm of the music. Even the Security Prefects had left their job to enjoy the situation... In fact, the only people really working right this moment were the Rocker boys on the Stage and those wearing the Wolf masks. The first one, Benny, was sitting silently in the semi-darkness of the crowd, waiting for the signal. He had his fingers crossed under his chin, looking at the girls passing by and dancing, repeating his role in his head. In fact, he was very surprised that nobody had asked about the mask he was wearing, but it was much better if he didn't have to mess with anyone before the time had come.
The other guy wearing a Wolf mask was Tibo. He was squatted down in a high place, what was called the side balcony. It was a sort of recess in the side walls, where there were incredibly comfortable seats, made for Dr. Crabblesnitch and the Staff, when the students were acting in Theater programs. Tibo had cleverly avoided the Prefect waiting by the upstairs door, and now he was waiting for the same thing as Benny, the Air Rifle that Kurt had bought at the Carnival in his right hand.
Tighten Up - Archie Bell & The Drells and Three Stooges (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agclATD-zXs#)
The band was still on the third song, and the signal came at last. After a loud riff with the guitar, the drummer hit the cymbal, causing all Instruments to stop, except the bass that started a long solo. The goal was clear in the plan…Allowing people to hear Benny talking, without giving the feeling of stopping the Concert. The boy in the Wolf mask stood up, and took a baseball bat from under his seat, approaching his target, Peanut. The Greaser was dancing, trying to impress girls with his moves.
"Hey, seriously, Greaseball, you should stop dancing.", Benny said jeeringly.
"Wot’s your problem, Mr. I'm-hiding-myself-behind-a-mask ? Huh ?", Peanut challenged.
"My problem“, Benny answered, “Is that you losers are still stuck in the fifties !"
"Ha-Ha, Yes, well said, my man !", Gord shouted, who was nearby.
A sort of little circle gathered around the two boys, but the Rocker just didn't care about that. In fact, he counted on it. He turned around and looked at the Prep in the blue sweater that had opened his mouth.
"And you, what the hell are you doing here ?” Benny glared. “Shouldn't you be listening to classical music, or spending your money ?"
"Was that supposed to be an insult ?”, Gord said heatedly. “My Dad is an important lawyer, you know..."
"Oh-My-God, you seem very angry”, Benny mocked. “Your Mommy didn't prepare your orange juice this morning ?"
"Don't you think that…....", Gord began.
The rich boy's breath was cut by the powerful shot that Benny dealt to him with his bat. A few seconds later, the little circle dissolved into a fight, everybody throwing punches to the first guy that appeared as an enemy.
Tibo aimed carefully with his Air Rifle. He had seen his Rocker friend arguing for a moment with a people around him, and then, as it was planned, a little riot had gotten started. His job was simple, but dangerous…Neutralize the Prefects if they tried to stop the fighters, without, of course, really hurting anyone. A first target came immediately…One of the Prefects had seen Benny at the center of the circle, attacking against every potential enemy with the heavy Baseball Bat, and was moving in. Tibo pulled the trigger very slowly, one eye closed, and sent a metallic pellet into the knee of the Prefect, which caused him to stop and shout out in pain. The projectile wasn't powerful enough to make too much damage other than a deep hole in the skin and muscle, but it was still powerful enough to stop anyone when fired at a strategic place, like a knee.
Kurt, seeing that the riot had started at the center of the auditorium, smiled shortly and began to walk away towards the rear of the Stage, patting Winkie’s shoulder as he passed by.
________________________________________
-
Eddie couldn’t believe his good luck. Sitting alone in an area up in the back balcony, he had watched with interest as the fight broke out. Next to being an extreme Metalhead, he loved a good fight.
After a rough first week, he had sort of settled in here. On his first day, he was dragged to the Head’s Office and had to do a week’s detention hauling garbage, just because he wanted to have a smoke. Most of these assholes were pukes, he thought….The Nerds were big pussies, and he especially hated the Preps….He had challenged one Prep who had called him a ‘Stinking Guido’ and had gotten his ass beat. After that, he had bought a high-powered Slingshot from some weirdo vendor over at the Carnival to defend himself with. No one was getting the best of him now.
This was a perfect opportunity. He raised the Slingshot, sighted the head of the Prep who had beat him up, pulled back and let it fly. The small rock went straight to it’s target, knocking the Preppie to the ground. Ha-Ha, this was Great !
Eddie loaded the Slingshot again, and took aim.
_________________________________________
-
At the back of the Auditorium, arriving at the doors to the corridor, Kurt stopped, opened one door, and looked carefully at the other side. Down the hall, a Prefect was patrolling, but Kurt had a plan in mind. When he was still a real little kid, his Crack-addicted Mother wanted him to take Theater lessons, because she said that it could really help in life... Now it was going to pay what it's worth.
Kurt began running, with an fearful look on his face, and ran into the Prefect before excusing himself in an unsure voice. "Sorry Sir... But Sir... There's a fight over there at the Auditorium... We were giving the Concert, and.…. It's like a Riot that‘s started, we don't know what to do, help us, please..."
The Prefect, Karl, reacted as Kurt knew he would. "Somebody is gonna pay for that !", he shouted. And with that, the Prefect ran towards the Auditorium, where the bass solo had ended and the guitar could be heard again. Kurt now took back his vicious smile, finding his way to the second floor, and to the wide set of doors in the School Office. What he was looking for was looking for was further back, he remembered. Running to the back, he saw the metal plate on the doors that announced the presence of who’s Office was behind it, and Kurt didn't hesitate to open them violently, for whatever and whoever was in there.
_____________________________________________________
-
Trent had quit the Concert as soon as an asshole with a mask had started messing with the others around him. He was woefully outnumbered in any fight that might occur. The last guy from his Clique that wasn't hurt was Russell, and Trent knew then they needed to see someone very soon. That person was nobody else but Ace Adams, the guy that had contact with the Terrorists. Trent left the Auditorium ahead of the fight and rounded up Russell by the Boy’s Dorm. They both headed over to the Carnival, and found Jake, aka Ace Adams, hanging out near the Front Entry Gates.
"Hello, Trent, Hello, Russell. How are you doing today ?" Jake, aka Ace said calmly.
"Bad…..Very bad”, moaned Russell.
"What's going on ?" asked Jake, aka Ace.
"Our Clique has been totally humiliated and destroyed !", exclaimed Trent.
"Well, that happens sometimes, though I'm not surprised to hear this.", said Jake, aka Ace.
"Why did the Terrorists do that to us ?" Implored Trent.
"The Terrorists ?….. Oh, uh, it's probably because...Um…" Jake, aka Ace Adams, was confused. Maybe there was someone else that amused themselves by torturing the Bullies, and the Clique thought it was a plan of the Terrorists ? Now, this was funny. Jake could make them pay even more, but here was something that wouldn't work…The actions of the new Tormentors weren't predictable. What if another Clique was going to be attacked next ? The Greasers ? The Jocks ? The Nerds ? The Preps ? Was anyone even going to attacked next, or was this just some vendetta ? Seemed he had to find out quick, and for this, he would have to ask the rest of the Bullies about it. Jake thought fast. "Listen, Trent. I'll be…Uh… talking to them soon, they just seem.…. Pretty unstable these last few days.", Jake said quickly as a cover.
"Really, thank you. We didn't do anything against them, we just take the cash in each week like we can..." Trent said nervously.
"I remember that, Trent, I really do. Try not to mess with any innocent people before next week, okay ?" said Jake.
"Okay, huhh…” Trent felt his pockets. “Here's your cash for the Terrorists."
Jake took the money quickly and walked away. Now Trent was questioning himself about the future of his Clique with the Terrorists menacing them at any moment, Jake thought…..Interesting.
__________________________________________________
-
After going several yards, thoughts suddenly clicked in Jake’s head. He turned and called the Bully boys back. “Trent…Russell….Wait up.”
As the two boys approached him, Jake, aka Ace said, “Come on back to my Tent. I got something that just might interest you.”
The Carnival was still open for limited business during the Winter, but was deserted as Jake led the boys through the gates and back to the Souvenir Tent. At the entrance, he stopped and said, “Russell, why don’t you stand guard here at the door…If anybody tries to get in…..”
“Russell Smash !!” the big dummy said.
“That’s right…Smash”, Jake, aka Ace said, as he took Trent inside the tent. There wasn’t anybody that would be coming around, not at this late hour, but Jake didn’t want Big Russell in on the deal he was going to make with Trent. From what he knew of Russell, the big galoot was very unstable, far more than he was, and he didn’t want him spouting off gibberish about the operation here, even if everyone knew he was a retarded Idiot.
Going back behind and underneath the counter, Jake unlocked the disguised stash cabinet where he kept the Weapons. Hauling out one of the Air Rifles, he rose up and placed it on the counter.
“Woah…Um….What is that !?” Trent exclaimed.
“The latest in Air Rifle technology, my man. And this one has your name on it”, grinned Jake, aka Ace.
Trent lifted the weapon. “Wow…It’s light”, Trent said.
“And easy to conceal”, said Jake, aka Ace. “Accurate to 300 yards, with a muzzle velocity of 700 feet per second.” Jake was just making shit up, but Trent seemed impressed, as Jake knew the dunbass would be.
“Ohh….How much is these ?’ asked Trent.
“$250 dollars”, said Jake, aka Ace, and Trent’s face fell. No way he could afford that.
Watching his reaction, Jake, aka Ace quickly said, “But let’s make a deal. You already fronted some cash tonight…” Jake reached into his pocket and counted. “About $200 dollars. Tell you what, bring me the same next week, and I’ll merge it in with your payments. How about it ? Deal ?”
Trent’s face brightened. “Yeah…We can do that !”
“Good. You can take that with you - Here’s a box of pellets to go with it.” Jake, aka Ace looked into Trent’s face with a serious look. “Make sure the payment is here by next week. I wouldn’t want to have somebody come looking for you. Capice ?”
“Ohh…Yeah…for sure, Ace…You know me, always been right on time, every time, with the money…” Trent said nervously.
“I know you have”, Jake, aka Ace smiled. “I know. Now…” Here he leaned forward….”Tell me what happened to your Clique.”
Trent explained how his buddies had been lured in and then attacked by what seemed to be an invisible person. He then described their injuries, and how they were found more than a day later, locked in the pit known as 'The Hole' in the School Basement. And how they were going to be in the Infirmary for several more days, perhaps a week, before they could recover.
Jake was silent for awhile. Then he said, “Well…I’ll talk to my guys…But I don’t think the Terrorists had anything to do with this. It’s just not their style.”
“Whadda mean ?” said Trent. “There was explosives, and all….”
“Think, Trent…These guys are into blowing things up, not just people’s nuts. There’s no reason for them to just target one group….They hate everybody equally. Besides, all the cliques are paying protection money for them NOT to attack at the school. No, it can’t be them", Jake, aka Ace finished up. “It has to be somebody else.... Another Clique, maybe.” Jake patted the Air Rifle. “That’s where this will come in handy, when you find out who it was.”
Trent slowly understood. “Woah…Man, what should we do ?”
“Lay low for awhile…You and Russell should go stay somewhere else, least till your guys get out….Then, find out which Clique is responsible. Take your revenge when they least expect it…Maybe right around the Holidays”, Jake, aka Ace finished.
“Uhh…Alright.” Trent looked even more worried now. That was good.
“You boys better be making tracks. They’re about to lock up the Gates here”, said Jake, aka Ace.
After what had happened to his buddies, Trent sure didn’t want to be locked in anywhere. He quickly left the Tent. Jake, aka Ace Adams, leaned back on his stool in thought. Here he had been trying to come up with a way to get the Cliques at each other’s throats, and it seemed that somebody was going to help light the fuse for him. Uncontrolled, Yes….But this could just work out to his advantage, if the mysterious person went after any of the other Cliques also.
He must speed up his plans to supply every Clique leader with an Air Rifle. So far, there were now two out of the six. He would get the rest out within the week. A little over two weeks remained until Christmas. The Clique War had to be touched off at the holidays, when the Staff and most of the Prefects left the school. That would ensure nobody would be interfering. No Cops would be showing up for kids beating the shit outta themselves. He had overdone things the last time - He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
___________________________________________________
-
This seems to be a shit Town, Geoff thought, as he made his way into New Coventry on his way to a place he had heard about. It was supposed to be an Indoor Bike Park, located in an old factory building. He wasn’t expecting much -- What he really needed was an Outdoor Skate Park, like back home, but this would have to do.
He finally located the building after asking directions from an old Wino. Making out just enough of the ugly fart’s directions to understand, he found himself in a vacant asphalt lot leading to a large pull-up door with a smaller regular door to the right of it. Dismounting his board, he opened up the smaller door and went in.
What he saw was more than he expected. There were micro-ramps, mini-ramps, wedge ramps, and quarter ramps, along with some turtle-hump ramps, street spine, grind ledge, vertwalls, fly boxes, and pyramid hip ramp, and what looked like some kind of horizontal flume over to the right. It would have to do…It was all there was in this dump of a Town. He laid down his board and pushed off.
There was a couple of boys on bikes here, too….Going through their moves. He had hoped the place would have been deserted, with everybody attending the concert over at the school. The bikers made their way around the area, doing bunny hops, jumps, table tops, wheelies, and powerslides on their old beaters, not seeming to pay him any attention.
Geoff executed a series of ollies and kickflips before getting up enough speed to hit the quarter ramp, since there wasn’t any half-pipes here.
Focusing on what he was doing, he didn’t notice the bike rider behind him until he took a fist to the head that knocked him clean off his skateboard. A bike skidded to a stop right in front of where he landed, and the rider dismounted. A second bike skidded to a stop a short distance away.
“Hey, New-fish fuck, whatchoo doing in our Bike Park ?”, one of them said.
Dazed by the blow, Geoff looked up to see a black kid wearing a leather jacket glaring down at him.
“Yeah, what’s your tale, Nightingale ? This heres a private Greaser place. Invitation Only”, the second kid said, getting off his bike.
“I…uh…Just heard about this place”, Geoff said, roling over and trying to get to his feet. “I didn’t know anything about private….The door was open, and…OOOFF !!” He was cut short by a fist to his guts. Geoff doubled over, and was grabbed by the first Greaser, then yanked up and spun around and pushed towards the second Greaser, where he was met with a hard punch to the face. Down he went again.
“Heey, just because the door’s open don’t mean youse gets to come in, hair on the chinny-chin”, the second Greaser said. “You gots to have an invite to be here, and I ain’t never seen youse before.”
“Hey, lookit this”, the first Greaser said, picking up Geoff’s skateboard. “Fancy-Smanchy, huh ? Looks like a turd that came outta your ass”, he said, laughing loudly. “A BIG TURD !!”
“Haw-Haw-Haw !!!” the second Greaser guffawed. “A Big Turd…Haw-Haw !!”
“That’s…my board…”, Geoff said weakly, trying to get up again.
“Well, go and gets it then”, the first Greaser said, and threw it hard at the wall, where it hit and smacked with a sickening splinter. Geoff, finally getting to his feet, started toward the Skateboard, now laying in a heap by the wall by the doors, only to be tripped up by the second Greaser, who then proceeded to start kicking him in the ribs. He was then joined by the the first Greaser, and together they pummeled Geoff to the very edge of passing out. Then, the two Greasers grabbed Geoff under the arms, one on each side, and drug him over to the big door.
With the push of a button, the big door rumbled up in it’s tracks. The Greasers then hoisted Geoff up in the air and kicked him hard in the ass, and he went sprawling out on the pavement.
“And donts come back without no invite”, the second Greaser said.
“Take this piece shit with you”, the first Greaser said, throwing the broken skateboard after him.
The two Greasers, Norton and Lucky, laughed uproariously as they watched Geoff crawling slowly away. Still choking with laughter, they re-entered the Bike Park and rumbled the big door back down.
__________________________________________
-
"Oh…Hello, Dr. Crabblesnitch !" Kurt said with a fake smile.
"What... What are you doing here, young man ?”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said with an arched eyebrow. “Shouldn't you be giving a Concert... ?"
"Oh, yeah, I should be..." Kurt said, slowly walking to the Principal's desk.
"Well, then you should be doing it !“, the Head said, agitated. “Now go back there before I call Security !"
Kurt let loose a chilling laugh, before taking a seat in front of the old man. "Talking about Security... There is a riot in the Auditorium right now."
"The Security Team will stop it, and you'll be able to continue !", Dr. Crabblesnitch blustered.
"The more they try, the more they will fail. The Students already hate what you call your ‘Security Team.”, Kurt laughed snidely.
"But Respect Is Paramount !" Dr. Crabblesnitch thundered, regaining his poise.
Kurt stood up suddenly and bent over the desk. Dr. Crabblesnitch knew would be useless to insist he leave. The kind of Student that dared to come up to his office alone, and then challenge him in this way could become dangerous very easily. He still remembered the incident that happened last year. That student, Gary Smith, didn't take his meds and went crazy, trying to take over the School. Gary had tied him to his seat at the point of a Weapon, and then total mayhem had erupted at the School. Everybody fought, and the only thing he could do is look desperately through his window and hear fighting Students bump against his closed door. He didn't forget that part of his experience at Bullworth Academy, even though he would give anything to make the Staff and Students forget about it. He, and the school, needed a good reputation, and respect. But, he also knew, he was charged with handling this particular Student with kid gloves.
"This riot can turn very dangerous, and it can be stopped too”, Kurt said calmly. “It's your choice, Dr. Crabblesnitch."
"All right, all right... “, Dr. Crabblesnitch finally said, holding his anger. “Sit down, young man, and let's talk like civilized men do."
"I guess you already know what I'm looking for, Sir..." Kurt began, “Don’t you ?”
______________________________________________________________
-
Algie, aka Piff The Skull, had a dilemma. He could use Lola only one more time, to lure the Preps. She couldn’t be used on her own Clique, the Greasers, and not on the Clique she was living with, the Rockers. He would have to get someone else for those, but who ?
He had used Lola, because not so long ago he had the hots for her real bad, and had actually TALKED to her….And then found out she was playing him, all the while cheating on her boyfriend Johnny with Gord, one of the Preps, who everyone suspected was Gay. It seemed that Lola did this quite often, which is how she got her reputation as a little slut. Since Johnny was gone, she had hooked up with a variety of boys, the latest being the new boy, Kurt. Since she had a connection to Gord, the Preps should be the easiest to lure into a trap. But, there was also another problem…..
Where to lure them to ? The Preps were notorious for not leaving Bullworth Vale, preferring to stay in their safe little rich part of the world. Occasionally, one would venture over to Bullworth Town, or even New Coventry, like Gord, but for the most part, they didn’t much leave the area. Same with at School, they hung around Harringington House, and kept their own company. He would have to lure them from where they gathered, to somewhere close….But where ? He needed a place where he could stay hidden…..
He put the problem aside for now. There was something else that troubled him. He would also have to attack his own Clique…His fellow Warriors. If everyone else was attacked except for the Nerds, the suspicion would fall on them. And that couldn’t be allowed to happen.
He would be gentle with them….No shots to the nuts. And it would be pathetically easy to lure them….with almost anyone. Even though their biggest wanna-be sex-addict, Ernest, was now gone, there was still plenty of harmone-fueled frustration in the ranks of his fellow Nerds to make this task ridiculously easy. It would be a difficult thing for him to do, but it had to be done, for their own sakes.
Besides…He had sort of cut himself off from everybody since coming back, even his friends. He was practically living here in the basement room of the Dragon’s Wing, where he himself had been attacked by an unknown assailant. He had fixed up the old door so he could close and lock it while he slept. He trusted no one now. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but the possibility existed that one of his own Clique could have been responsible for his attack….After all, it had happened right here at the Comic Store, the Nerd hangout.
He lay back on the bed. He would figure it out. He would have his revenge. On all of them…Even that Fuck Tony and his screwed-up friends.
____________________________________________________
-
Mandy had left the concert when Slingshot rocks came wizzing down from the balcony above. Damn Boys ! Why did they have to ruin just everything with fighting ? Were they all retarded ? She pushed her way through the crowd of students and found her way to the exit doors. She then left the school by one of the back doors.
Something else was bothering her. Where were the Guys ? There had not been a single Jock in attendence at the concert. The had been looking forward to it, she knew. The Jocks liked to Rock. Just look at all the music that was played at their games to pump them up. Yeah, they loved it, all right….So where were they at ?
Mandy checked the Gym. Nobody was evident in either the Pool section or the Court section. She did hear some strange noises coming from Burton’s office under the stairs, but she ignored that….That old Perv was always in there doing God-knows-what, stuff she didn’t even want to think about. She moved quietly past and checked the downstairs Locker Rooms. Both were empty.
Next she left the Gym and went down the steps to the Football Field. It too was eerily empty. Half-jogging over to the newly-remodeled clubhouse, and looking inside, she saw that it was empty also.
Next, she checked behind the two Bleachers. Sometimes, they would gather back there to smoke some ciggys, or anything else they could get their hands on. There were great make-out spots back there too. But…Nobody there.
Coming out from behind the Bleachers near the entrance to the Observatory, she spotted something laying on the walkway. She stopped and picked it up. It was a cap. Casey’s cap. Odd, he never much went anywhere without it. Hardly ever took it off, except…..
She looked up, right through the opening that led to the Observatory. She was thinking…Remembering…..Last Spring, when the Jock Clique, with some other Jock boys they recruited from other Schools, mounted a full-scale attack on the Observatory during a brief clique war with the Nerds. The attack had failed, mostly due to the intervention of Jimmy Hopkins, who had held off the attacking Jocks with the large Spud Cannon mounted over the entrance.
The whole thing had been started because of Earnest, their Clique Leader at the time. Earnest was a seriously sex-addicted wimpy boy who had somehow gotten nude pictures of her that he tacked up all over the school grounds, and then Bullworth Town. The Jocks had come to her defense, looking for revenge on Earnest and the whole thing had escalated into a full assault on the Nerd’s stronghold. Tensions had only eased at School's end in the Summer, after Earnest had been removed and taken off to some sort of Sex-Addiction Clinic. Still, it had led to the rupture of her relationship with Ted, and some of the Jocks. She had wound up bringing little Karen into the Jock fold, not only to protect Karen, but to have somebody to watch her own back.
Mandy was still crouched down, with the cap in her hands, and looked to the Gates of the Observatory. Would the Jocks have tried to take control of the Observatory again ? And for what reason ? There had been no trouble, not lately, at least…She straightened and walked towards the Observatory gates. It was quiet, she could hear no sounds at all. This seemed like a far-fetched idea, she had just seen the Nerds at the Concert, hadn’t she ?
She reached the Gates and looked through the bars….Then recoiled in shocked surprise. There were four boys -- Casey, Luis, Kirby, and Bo -- laying unconscious in what appeared to be their own vomit. There was the unpleasant smell in the air, one that she recognized, of Stink Bombs. She peered around, but couldn’t see anyone else. Where were the rest ?
Mandy tried to open the Gates, and couldn’t. They were locked. She would have to get help. Unlike that new French boy, she didn’t know how to Parkour. Mandy turned and began to sprint back towards the School, heading for the Infirmary.
___________________________________________________________________
-
As Mandy entered as fast as she could into the Infirmary, the unconscious body of a Prefect was brought by two of his colleagues. She ran to one of the nurses, Mrs. Peralta, and began to explain what she saw….The Jocks, their vomit, and the closed Gates. But the old woman calmly told her that they had to be brought here to be healed. She wouldn't take a step out of the Infirmary and risk getting shot with any Weapons.
Mandy left the Clinic, and headed back across the Great Hall to the Auditorium. The first thing that she saw on entering was that there wasn't anybody on the stage. The second thing was that the fight was even more terrible than when she left. She quickly spotted Laurent, his back against Tony's, fighting against a bunch of Preps. The two boys, seeing her frantic signaling there was an emergency, made their best way to get through the mass of fighters and follow her. On their way towards the Fountain, they crossed paths with the ‘Bucket of Oysters‘ Rocker Band, Kurt leading the way with a backpack in his hand. Tony stopped, and faced the Rocker for a long minute, after which the Kurt spit on Tony’s shoes and stalked off, his boys behind him.
_____________________________________________________
-
As the band suddenly vacated the stage, Tibo knew that was the signal for him to stop the riot. Kurt, apparently, had gotten what he came for. He settled back in his dark hiding place, and took careful aim at the lead fighters, targeting their shoulder areas -- disable the arms, stop the fight. He began to squeeze off shots, one by one.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“What the Hell…” Tony said, watching the retreating Rockers.
“Com’on, Man !” Laurent shouted. “Let’s move !” Mandy had quickly explained the situation to them, that it was urgent. Laurent took off, with Mandy following.
Tony stared for a second at the runaway Rockers, who were moving quickly through the parking lot toward the gate, then turned and sprinted after Laurent and Mandy.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“You get it, Kurt ?” asked Benny.
“Right here, my man”, Kurt replied, patting his backpack. “Right here.”
“Why we running ?”, asked another Rocker.
“In case Crabblesnich calls the Cops…I don’t want us nowhere around”, Kurt said.
“Tibo gonna be able to stop the riot ?’ Benny asked.
“Oh, yeah”, Kurt grinned an evil smile. “No problem…He’s a Born Killer”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Damon and Gloria were returning from the movies, and met Ted at the school’s front Gates, who was returning from the Carnival. As they entered, Ted spotted students running out the front doors of the school, scattering every which way.
“What’s happening ?”, Gloria exclaimed.
“Same shit that always happens at this dump”, Ted replied sourly.
“Gloria”, Damon said, “Go to your Dorm…Fast.”
For once, Gloria didn’t say anything. With a quick nod, she turned and ran for the Girl’s Dorm.
Ted sighed. “Let’s see what’s going on…”
The boys began running up to the School building.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Laurent, Tony, and Mandy arrived at the Observatory. As the gate was locked, the boys did the Parkour over the wall. Checking out the situation, Tony knew they would have to get the gate open somehow, to carry the boys out.
“Laurent….Go to the Auto Shop….Get a crowbar or tire iron, or something. We gotta open those gates.”
Instead of using the Parkour back over the wall, Laurent went op the steps to the Spud Cannon, intending to just jump down….And there he found Dan and Juri. “Two more up here !”. he called down to Tony. After checking them, he jumped down the wall and he and Mandy headed off toward the Greaser’s Autoshop.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Riot was stopped. The lead fighters were groaning, holding their shoulders and stumbling around. Tibo noted the Prefects returning through the Auditorium doors, and stashed the Air Rifle in a knapsack he had brought along. Stealing out the back of the Auditorium, he left by the doors leading out to the second floor. In the confusion, he strolled down the stairs and out of the School building unobserved.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tibo was coming out of the School as Ted and Damon were rushing in. Tibo even stood aside and held the door open for them to enter, then continued on his way, unhurriedly down the front steps and down the walk, through the front Gates and off School grounds.
Ted and Damon raced to the Auditorium, and stopped, looking around.
“Hey…Where’s our guys ? You see them ?” Ted asked Damon.
“No…I don’t”, Damon replied. “Maybe they didn’t come ?”
“Naw…They wanted to be here….Been talking about it all week”, Ted said, as he scanned around, not seeing one Jock boy in the auditorium. “Something’s wrong…They wouldn’t have missed this….Com’on…Lets go check the Gym…”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Laurent had found the Auto Shop empty, and had located not one, but two crowbar-looking pieces of metal to use for opening the Gates. He and Mandy were heading back to the Observatory when he was called from behind.
“Hey, Laurent !”
Laurent turned, to see Ted and Damon running toward him.
“Glad to see you, man…Seen the guys ?” Ted asked.
“Yeah…And they are in trouble…They need help !”, Laurent said. “Come on..This way !”
All four ran down to the Observatory.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Arriving at the Observatory, Laurent passed one of the bars through the Gates to Tony, and gave the other one to Damon. Working on the gate together for a minute, the lock finally snapped with a loud clank, and Laurent and Ted pushed the Gates open. The boys and Mandy raced inside.
“Damn…Who did this ?” Ted asked.
“Don’t know. Mandy found them like this, and came and got us”, Tony said.
“Woah…Good going, Mandy”, Damon said.
“I couldn’t find them, and came looking for them. Then, I found Casey’s cap right outside…”, Mandy said, in sort of a daze at seeing the injured Jocks up close.
“When I find out who done this…They’re gonna pay BIG…” Ted said.
“Right now, though, we gotta get them to the Infirmary…They’re bad hurt”, said Tony.
Working in teams, the four boys carried the injured Jocks to the infirmary, two at a time, returning at the last for Casey, since he was the biggest. Carrying Casey past the Fountain, they encountered a couple of Prep boys, coming the other way.
“Hey, would you look at the Apes, carrying another Ape”, spouted off one of the Preps.
“Yuh rich fucks wanna come over here for a closer look ?” Damon said, showing them his meanest face.
“Umm…No, No…That’s quite alright…”,The Preps slid by and began running towards Harrington House.
“Fucking Cowards !!” Ted called after them.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
After they had gotten the last of the injured Jock boys in the Infirmary, Ted stopped Tony outside.
“Hey, uh…Thanks a lot for what you done for us. We won’t forget this.”
“Ah, S’allright. See you around…” Tony said with a wave, and walked off to find Karen to make sure she was alright.
______________________________________________________
-
The next day, Ted was at the Carnival Souvenir Tent, with Damon standing guard outside.
After relating what had happened to his Clique, Ted wanted revenge…And Weapons. He also had plenty of questions.
“What’s up with these Terror guys ? We’re paying protection money not to be attacked”, Ted said.
Jake<aka Ace Adams, replied, “You’re paying protection for THEM not to attack you. You are being attacked by someone else. The Terrorists don’t care about your piddly-little Clique, they have bigger fish to fry.”
“Oh yeah ? What fish, and who else could be attacking us ?”, Ted continued.
“Those are questions to which I have no answer. My contact doesn’t tell me everything, only what’s relavant to your situation.” Jake, aka Ace Adams, said. “Frankly, if I knew those answers, they would possibly have to kill me…Or anyone else who knew.”
“Well…”, Ted said, mollified, “We need Weapons…And plenty of ‘em.”
“How about…An Ultimate Weapon ?”, Jake, aka Ace Adams, said. And before Ted could answer, he ducked under the counter and then re-appeared, laying a long-barrel weapon on the counter.
“Woah….What is…That !”, Ted exclaimed.
“The best in Air Rifle Technology”, Jake, aka Ace Adams, said. “$250 dollars, and I’ll throw in a couple boxes of Pellets.” Ted looked up at him. “And…Two Spud Guns. Deal ?”, Jake, aka Ace, finished.
Without a word, Ted emptied his pockets, and counted out the money. As he picked up the Weapon, Jake cautioned him, “Best to keep that under wraps…not too many of those around.”
“No need to worry about us”, Ted said, as he collected the Spud Guns and the Pellets, shoving them into his pockets. “We’ll take care of our own…guarantee that, as soon as I find out who’s responsible for putting the hits on our guys.”
And with that, Ted left the Souvenir Tent, Jake’s insane grin at his back.
_________________________________________________________
-
Laurent and Tony had just finished their meal at the French restaurant. Earlier in the day, they had visited their friend Constantinos at the School Infirmary. The poor boy had received several punches in the belly, and wouldn’t be able to walk for two or three days. After that, they left, seeing that the Prefects were taking random students to clean up the Auditorium after the previous events, mostly Nerds.
After paying the Chef for their food, they went outside, but were interrupted by... Pinky. "Why hello there, tough guys..."
"What the hell are you doing here, Pinky ?" Tony answered impatiently.
"Well, she's not alone." Derby appeared, putting his hands on the girl's hip.
"So... What do you both want ?", Tony asked, still irritable.
"New clothes, of course”, Derby said. “We want new brand clothes like you've always sold us."
"Derby, I'd really like to, but..." Tony began.
"Excuse me ?”, Derby leered, “Are you telling me that you can't ?"
"My... Uh... Provider doesn't have anything left”, Tony lied. “Why don't you people go to the Aquaberry store ?"
"It's closed because of renovation, my ‘old friend‘”, Derby said snidely. “I, and my fellows, are going to wait for you in Old Bullworth Vale, in front of Shinjo's Restaurant, tonight, after curfew. Come with the new clothes then.", Derby said dismissively, and then turned to leave. Pinky adjusted her sweater, and went away with Derby after a deep look into Tony’s eyes.
Tony stood looking at the retreating pair, then motioning to Laurent, sat down silently on a nearby bench. Laurent plopped down beside him as Tony thought.
"Merde…What are you going to do ?" the French boy finally asked.
"I got me a little plan. Come on, get on your bike, I have to talk to the Greasers... Before tonight.”, Tony said as he got up.
______________________________________________________
-
A dozen students, including one girl, Christy Martin, were cleaning up the Auditorium. All four Security Prefects, wearing their classic jackets, were watching them, arms crossed on their chests. They had provided large plastic bags for the trash, but as a skinny Nerd approached to throw in a small object, the nearest Prefect stopped him.
"Hey, you, give me that !"
"But it's just a...", Donald protested.
"Give me that !!" Seth, the Prefect, a young man with a shaved head, examined the little metallic object the Nerd was about to throw in the trash. He turned around, and called his colleague. "Max ! Max ! Come here !"
"What's going on ?”, Max came on the run. “What's that thing ?"
"Exactly what I wanted to show you... A Pellet”, Seth told him. “A fucking Pellet !!. Go get Crabblesnitch immediately !!"
"I'm on my way." As Max ran out of the Auditorium, Donald still stood before the Prefect, mouth opened, like a statue. The Security Prefect pushed him violently. "Get back to work, you prick !"
________________________________________
-
It was getting towards dark when Lola descended the steps of the old Hattrick house. She was wearing high-heeled boots, a real short leather skirt, and a low-cut blouse with a stylish leather jacket. As always, Lola never went anywhere without her make-up on, and as she moved, she swung her hips provocatively from side to side. In her jacket pocket, she carried her latest instructions from Piff The Skull.
She didn’t know where the Rocker boys were, they had taken off for parts unknown. Kurt had only told her there had been a little trouble over at the School last night, and they needed to lay low for a little while. It irritated her a bit that he wasn’t telling her the whole story, whatever it was. Kurt could be secretive at times, and it seemed lately he was becoming more so.
As she opened the gate and went out into the street, she could see up in the distance a group of Prep boys gathered up the street in front of Spencer Mansion, like usual. They appeared to be smoking and talking animatedly about something. A few appeared to be slightly injured, with evidence of bandages and such here and there. As Lola got closer, she could count five of the Preps. She scanned as she walked, looking for Gord. The Preps, engaged in conversation, didn’t see the approaching Lola at first.
“I say, old chap, where did Derby and Pinky get off to ?”, Parker was saying.
Another one answered, “They had to meet someone, to pick up some clothes, down by Shinjo’s, I hear.”
“What sort of clothes ?” asked Gord, “Mine are getting downright natty.”
“Aquaberry clothes, I think he said" Justin replied. "We were going to go with them, but Derby decided to take just Biff instead. and Pinky too. Said they wouldn’t be too long.”
“Well, I hope they hurry", Tad said. "We all need some new outfits. These are getting awfully tacky.”
“Hello, Boys……”
At the sound of a sexy female voice, their conversation stopped. They all turned in the direction of the voice to see Lola walking towards them. The scent of her purfume filled their nostrils. She walked up to one of them, and stopped.
“Hello, Gord…Long time, no see….”
Gord was suddenly unable to speak. Last year, he was having a not-so-secret affair with Lola. He would meet her in New Coventry, and take her for dates in Bullworth Town. They weren’t very careful about it, in fact were photographed holding hands and kissing right out on the street. Gord had been struck in love, but when Johnny Vincent had found out that Gord was messing with his girl, he had been struck for real. Johnny nearly beat the life out of him, and Gord had kept his distance every since. It had all come out then, and the other Prep boys were outraged, but were also highly jealous of Gord for bagging that fine-looking chick, even though not a one of them had the guts to be seen out with her in public. Even more jealous they would have been if they known Gord was bi-sexual.
“I’ve…missed you, Gordo…”, Lola said in a sensual voice. Gord’s eyes bugged out, and his jaw dropped. Lola suddenly reached up, grabbed Gord’s neck, and pulled him in for a long sexy french kiss.
The other Preps looked on in amazement at the sight of this. None of them had actually ever seen Gord with Lola….The had just heard about it. While not being very careful about being out in public with her back then, Gord had been extremely cautious about only seeing Lola in places where the other Preps never hung out. The kiss turned Gord into a mass of jelly. All at once, he was once again a love-sick puppy dog.
“We should find a place…”, breathed Lola, when she had ended the kiss, “For us to go….Maybe your friends would like to come along…And watch.” She stepped back. “Wouldn’t you, boys ?”
The other Prep boys stood dumbly in place, still not fully believing what they had been seeing, and now hearing. It was a well-known secret that the Preps were a little sexually weird. Instances of Voyeurism and Incest were rumored to run high in their social circles, and dating first cousins was considered the norm. One by one, they nodded, and then began to nod eagerly. Hell, Yes, they would like to watch…And maybe participate as well.
“Well, come along then, boys”, Lola said, taking Gord’s hand and beginning to walk. “I know a good place, just right up the road……”
________________________________________
-
The whole group moved up Vale Valley Road, Lola leading a love-struck Gord in the front, the rest of the Preps following. At a turn in the road, she led them through the small short-cut to the Basketball Courts, an exclusive Preps area where only they were supposed to be allowed. To the right of the Courts sat a long, old one-story building, in front of which was a street that led to one of the Park entrances. The building was once a showers and Locker Room for the Basketball Courts, but had long ago been sold to a private owner. The place sat empty now, but still kept a well-maintained look from the outside.
Lola led the group through the Courts and around to the front of the building. At a door set into the right side of the structure, she stopped, and produced a key from the pocket of her jacket, slid it into the deadbolt lock, and opened the door.
“Here we are, boys…Come on in”, she said, excitedly. It didn’t occur to any of the Preps to ask just where she had gotten the key to this particular building, since they had other things on their minds. The Preps filed in, single file, through the door that Lola was holding open for them.
The Preps entered a room that had once been the Locker Room. The rest of the building, which had originally contained the showers, had been divided off into a living area, like efficiency apartment rooms, with a heavy wooden door placed between them and the old locker area, which was now empty except for the old lockers that lined the walls. As the Preps felt around in the darkness for a light switch, Lola quickly stepped out, closing the door behind her. The Preps heard the sound of the key in the lock, ramming the deadbolt home.
“What the bloody Hell….”, said Tad.
“I say, I think that little vamp locked us in”, observed Parker.
“Locked in ? Like common Prisoners ?”, a nervous Chad said.
“Looks like it, old chum”, said Justin.
Only Gord, still in a daze, didn’t say anything.
“Toodle-Loo, Boys”, they heard Lola say through the door. “Guess you’ll just have to make out with yourselves.” And with a giggling laugh, she walked away from the building.
The Preps gathered about the closed, locked door in the dark.
“I say there, let us out !”, yelled Parker.
“Yes, no need for this !”, shouted Justin.
“This isn’t funny anymore !”, hollered Chad.
“What the bloody hell !”, repeated Tad.
Gord remained silent, and unbelieving.
At that moment, the lights in the old Locker Room went on. The Preps blinked and squinted in the sudden light, which revealed a stark, empty room. Another door, the heavy wooden one, was revealed, and the Preps swarmed over to it only to find that it too was firmly locked. At about chin level, a round, 4-inch hole had been cut through it. The Preps peered into the hole, but could make out nothing in the darkness within the interior.
An electronic click sounded from a speaker set in the ceiling.
“Welcome, gentlemen.”
_____________________________________
-
As they all looked up to the ceiling to attempt to locate the sound of the mystery voice, the Preps noticed something else….a series of beaker-shaped bottles were tied up on the ceiling, out of reach, spread out evenly around the room. There appeared to be about 30 of them.
“Who is this ?”, called Tad.
“Why has that Tramp locked us in here ?”, Yelled Parker.
“Yes, just what is her problem ?”, chimed in Justin.
“What does that Bitch want with us ?”, yelled Chad.
The loudspeaker activated again. “ I…have brought you here….Lola was only the lure….You are the ones responsible for your fate.”
Finally shaken out of his love-sick fog, a pale Gord looked up, and spoke. “You, sir, are an evil person….Just what do you wish from us ?”
“Justice”, The voice from the speaker said.
With the sound of a rope being pulled, a volley of the Stink Bombs fell from the ceiling. At once, the room became choked with greenish, billowing smoke. The Preps began hacking and coughing, trying to cover their faces. A second volley was soon released, and then a third volley, some hitting and breaking on the heads of the hapless Preps. The green smoke, backlit by the overhead lights, gave off an errie alien glow, the smoke becoming so thick that it was impossible to see anything at all.
The Preps were kneeling over now, retching from the effects of the Stink Bombs in the enclosed room. Soon, they were vomiting stinking puke all over their expensive clothes, and realizing that only made them throw-up even more. The vomit was everywhere, and unable to keep their footing, they soon began to slip and fall into the puddles on the floor.
As the green smoke began to clear somewhat, the barrel of a Spud Gun appeared through the round hole in the thick wooden door. The gun began firing at the Preps, knocking down the ones who had managed to get to their feet. But it wasn’t Spuds coming out of the barrel of the weapon….It was Eggs. And not just any Eggs….Hard-Boiled Eggs, the Preps favorite weapon of choice. With the velocity of which they were being shot out of the Modified Spud Gun, they were exacting terrible results on the defenseless Preps.
SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT ! SPLAT !
Soon, one by one, all the Preps were knocked into unconsciousness.
A bolt was thrown, and the thick wooden door opened. Algie appeared, looking for signs of movement. Seeing none, he raised the cordless microphone to his face. The loudspeaker activated once more, in a now familiar phrase……..
“Thus shall it be to all evildoers. Those who live by the sword….Shall DIE by the sword.”
Algie went to each Prep, lying prone on the floor, and fired a volley of hard-Boiled Eggs at high speed directly into each one of their crotches, saving Gord for last. Algie fired until he was out of ammo. For good measure, he gave each Prep several kicks to the crotch also, just for the pure hell of it. He had considered using Firecrackers, but decided against it, not wanting to bring the Cops…This part of Bullworth Vale was heavily patrolled, and noise had to be kept to a minimum.
Algie dug a key from his oversized pants pocket, and unlocked the deadbolt on the outer door. He then backtracked, and turmed off all the lights. Then, stepping outside the building, he closed the outer door and re-locked it. Only then did he pull off his gas-mask, and breathed in the cool night air. Waddling over towards the park area, he retrived his bike and began to peddle back to the Dragon’s Wing.
Another evening’s work complete. Three down, halfway there. Even though his missing nut seemed to ache against the bike seat, he began to feel better.
________________________________________________
-
Earlier, Tony and Laurent had gone to the Autoshop.
"You's... Tony, right ? Welcome here, mate”, Steve said. “You want me to call Peanut ?"
"Yeah, thanks”, Tony replied. “Good to see you."
The Greaser posted at the entry of their Greaser territory had recognized Tony as he was arriving with Laurent, and had shaken his hand automatically. He ducked around the corner for a moment, then reappeared. "Peanut can see you right now, just turn left after the... Oh, wait, you already know the place, hey ?"
Inside the Garage room of corrugated iron, Peanut was sorting bolts by size, in dirty plastic boxes. Tony sat in front of Peanut before the table, and the Greaser leader offered him his hand, keeping his eyes on the metallic pieces. Laurent stood at the entry, making sure that nobody would interrupt the conversation.
"Hey, whats cans I do for yous ?" he said with his strong Brooklyn accent.
"Well, listen, Peanut, your Clique will be able to knock out some Preps, tonight”, Tony began.
"We do’s it everydays”, Peanut replied without looking up. “Dose rich morons donts knows how to fight."
"But you can't beat Derby and Biff at once every day, can you ?" Tony said, with a wink.
This time, the Greaser looked up, and crossed the arms, sitting back on his seat. Tony knew as well as Peanut that Derby and his best friend Biff kept close to Harrington House or were at the Glass Jaw Boxing Gym in Old Bullworth Vale during their free time. It was useless to try attacking at those places since both buildings were full of Preps at any given time, and any trespassing Greasers would be beaten up on the spot. Knocking out a Clique leader meant something in Bullworth Academy. It was the symbol of the domination of a Clique over another, or domination of a single person on a whole Clique, as had been the case with Jimmy Hopkins.
"Derby and his little boyfriend will be out tonight”, Tony advised, “At Shinjo's." Quickly, he explained the deal. The Vale was usually off-limits to the Greasers, but Shinjo’s Restaurant was only a half-block off Vale Valley Boulevard that everyone took to get to the Carnival, a sort of free passage through the Prep area. On bikes, they could be in and out quickly.
"HA ! You cans be sure that we’s will be there, Tony !", Peanut exclaimed.
"Don't miss the meeting, man”, said Tony, telling Peanut the time and getting up.
"I understand”, Peanut said. “Youse be there, rights ?"
"Oh, Yes, Peanut, I will”, Tony said. “I'll distract them to let you have the time to... Do your thing !"
"Heh…Thats we will”, Peanut remarked. “Youse are a very good friend to the Greasers, Tony !"
Peanut took off his leather jacket, and searched for ten dollars. Tony simply waved his hand, indicating that this one was a freebie, and exited the Greaser territory.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Later, Laurent indicated to him that they had only three hours before the meeting…Three hours to prepare their role. They sat on the Bleachers inside the Gym, waiting for the curfew to come.
"Tony... We do not have... Uh, how you say... Clothes, for the Preps ?" Laurent asked.
"No, we don't, my friend.", snickered Tony.
"What are we.….?", Laurent began to ask.
"Here's the plan”, Tony confided. “We're going to make out as if we have the stuff, but before we can show it, here come the Greasers, making a surprise attack ! You get the trick ?"
"Oui”, Laurent nodded.
"We just have to hope that we'll be able to talk long enough for the Greasers to arrive”, Tony worried, “If they see we don't have anything, we're dead."
____________________________________________________________
-
In the Beach House, Derby looked through the window at the dark silent waves dying on the sand, his hands crossed behind his back. Bif was sitting in a nearby chair, a Baseball Bat in his hands.
"These new clothes are going to be a fine present for our Clique, Derby”, Bif remarked.
"Sure, Biff, sure. If only Tony has the clothes” Derby said strangely.
"There’s no reason for him not to have them... Is there ?", asked Bif.
"Well…No….Not really. But just in case…"Derby pointed to the bat.
Pinky approached, and put her arms around Derby's neck. "Derby, honey, do you think he will have a new skirt for me ?"
"Sure, Pinky, he will. I like you to look fabulous, and you know it”, Derby said absently.
"Tony likes it too..." She said with a naughty look.
"He's just a Pauper”, Derby replied, half-wondering what that meant.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, are we ready to go ? It's about time”, Bif said while checking the expensive clock over the counter of the Beach House.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"I know you don't like ties, Laurent, but I just want you to look serious“, Tony implored. “Impressive !"
"This is not com... comfortable.", Gagged Laurent.
"Well, you just have to get used to it !”, Tony exclaimed.
The two boys waited, sitting on a bench near Shinjo's Restaurant. Nobody was out in the streets right now, so they were able to see the Preps coming up from the Beach at a distance. There were two boys, and a girl, judging by the forms of the bodies under the street lights. The five Students met in front of the Restaurant. As usual, Pinky used her body to try to catch the attention of Tony.
"Hey, Tony-Boy." She greeted, without paying attention to Laurent.
"Derby, I guess you have the money." Tony said, ignoring Pinky and trying to keep a professional air.
"Of course I do. May I ask you if you have our clothes ?", Derby replied.
"All is in my backpack, right here. Just what do you need ?", Inquired Tony.
"First, I need a new skirt, Tony... Look at mine.", Pinky twittered.
She stood in front of Tony, and gracefully made a U-turn for him to see. She slowly put her right arm under Tony's neck, and whispered in his ear.
"This is the one you brought to me... Remember ? I would love to live that night again, Tony-Boy...", she said in a voice too low for the others to hear.
"As you say, Pinky, those skirts are getting ripped very easily." Tony said loudly for the Preps to hear.
"Tell me about it, friend..." Derby said, sounding bored.
"Even Aquaberry... That kind of fabric isn't strong enough, you understand..." Tony started.
"Okay”, Derby said impatiently, “We’re happy to have you providing us new clothes.
Can we just do the deal now ?”
"Oh, you maybe don't have the time for talk…?”, Tony Paused.
"No, we don't really, so show us the sweaters, we'll just pick some of them", Derby returned.
“Wait, let's do this like Gentlemen do, OK ?", Tony showed his empty hands, palms up.
"You look suspicious, Tony." Biff said, jiggling his baseball bat on his shoulder.
"Well, well, I just wanted to show I had good manners too.", Tony grinned.
"Now, can you please...", began Derby.
Derby was interrupted by bike tires screeching. Seven Greasers approached, circling, slapping their fists into their palms.
__________________________________________________
-
“Wells. Hello, rich-scum”, Peanut said. “Nice to see you !!”
Tony pulled Pinky back by the arm as the Greasers leapt off their bikes. “This is going to be a mess….You better run.” Tony and Laurent stepped back themselves, but watched the fight from the nearby steps by the Restaurant. The Greasers piled on Derby first. “Now here goes some Pugilism for you !!”, Tony heard one of the Greasers gloat.
Derby was beaten rather quickly, but Bif managed to knock out two opponents. At some point, Bif broke his bat. However, five on one could never work for the one, and as the rumble concluded, he was beaten up even worse than Derby.
“Job complete, boys”, Peanut smiled. “Oh, and I thinks we OWNS these here rich morons nows….Shoulds we make them wear leather jackets, huh, whadda think?”
__________________________________________________________
-
Tony and Laurent had returned from their spectator perch by the steps, with Pinky trailing along behind, a shocked look on her face.
“Good work, Peanut. I…Er…Was expecting the whole Clique….” Tony cast looks around the street, but no other Preps were in view. He turned to look behind him. “Pinky ? Come here.”
Pinky walked slowly up toward the scene of the recent fight, and taking a look at Derby and Bif unconscious, began to freak out. She started whacking at Tony with her arms and fists.
“How COULD YOU….Damn BASTARD ! He TRUSTED You !”, She raged, flailing away with her fists. “We just wanted to buy some CLOTHES...And…And…AUGGGHH !!”
Tony Grabbed her arms. “Calm Down, Pinky ! Calm Down !”
Pinky began to cry. “Look”, Tony said, in a low voice. “We thought the whole Prep Clique was coming. That’s what Derby threatened. How was we supposed to know ? Just where are the others, anyway ?”
Pinky sobbed. “Derby…Told them…Not to come…Said he could take care of it…Trusted you…”
“Then why Biff and the Bat ? That doesn’t sound like trust to me. That’s the only reason I didn’t call it off. It looked like Derby was set to rip me off.”, hissed Tony.
Pinky was still sniffling. “It was just…For his own protection…He wasn’t going to…Rob you…He has the money…”, She pointed, “In his pocket….”
Tony nodded to Laurent. The French boy knelt and checked Derby’s pockets. “It’s here Boss.”, he said.
“OK.…Just leave it there, Laurent….No deals are going to be done tonight.” Tony wasn’t about to mention that he in fact had no clothes to supply.
Still holding on to Pinky, Tony turned to Peanut. “You guys better make like a tree and leave, before the Cops get here. Can you take care of your guys ?”, he said, nodding at the two knocked-out Greasers on the sidewalk, Ricky and Lucky (who hadn’t been so lucky this time).
“Yeah, Daddy-O, we cans get them to the Clinic, don’t worry.” Said Peanut, then he turned and addressed Laurent. “What’s with the Zoot Suit ? Youse looks like a Penguin with a problem, Har, Har, Har.”
Laurent tugged and pulled at the collar, getting it loosened. “Not my idea”, he said. “Look, Tony, you mind if I go with the boys here, help them get their pals over to the Clinic ?”
“No problem, Laurent..…I’ll walk Pinky somewhere to call the Medics for these two”, Tony said, indicating the two unconscious Preps.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, you Bastard !!”, said Pinky, trying to shake free of Tony’s grip.
Tony grabbed a bit tighter and shook her. “Stop It ! Just Quit !” He continued in a low voice. “I know all about you and Tad. Should I tell the others here ? I’m sure they would be interested….”
Pinky stopped her struggles and froze. “What ? How could you…Know ?’
“I make it my business to find out things”, Tony said. “I’ll just leave it at that. So what’s it gonna be ? I can spill the whole thing, or you can come along with me, and we’ll get your…Boyfriend…and his buddy some help.”
Pinky relaxed, defeated. How could Tony have known about her affair with Tad ? “All right…Let’s just go….”
Tony nodded to the rest of the Greasers, who had already picked up Ricky and Lucky, as they mounted their bikes. “Thanks, guys…I’ll owe you one.”
“Was a Breeze, Jeeves…We hads a major good time. See's you around.”, Hal answered, and with a wave the Greasers, with Laurent following, headed off towards the Bullworth Town Clinic.
_____________________________________________________
-
Because of the ring of mountains all around the area where Bullworth was located, Cell Phones were useless without Towers. In fact, there were damn few regular phones around, Tony reflected, as he walked Pinky up to Vale Valley Road by the way of a short-cut, a long set of steps leading upwards by the Scuba Shop a bit up the street. Tony kept holding her hand all the way in case she tried to take off, all the way to where the Harrington home was located.
It sure made it rather inconvenient to call anybody. All the rich folk in this section had phones, but in the poorer sections of New Coventry and Blue Skies, they were almost non-existent. Strange that in a technologically-advanced world, this place could be so backwards, but Tony knew the real reason….The Harringtons and their rich friends wanted it that way.
By controlling communications in these remote towns, the Harringtons were able to control all the commerce along with stifling any discontent that might pop up among the less-than well off. And, as they owned the only newspaper, ‘The Vale‘, their control on the local news media was complete. Since there were no local TV or radio stations, for obvious reasons, residents had to be content with piped-in cable for their Television programming. Tony had learned something else from Pete -- There was a law expressly forbiding satelitte dishes (although a few in Blue Skies stuck up some small ones anyway). No doubt that there was some internet access, but Tony suspected that was highly restricted as well.
Tony and Pinky arrived at the Gates of the Harrington home, only to find no one outside. Tony had expected that there would be at least a couple of Preps to maybe have to deal with, but there was not a soul there. What was more, the Gates was standing wide open, and the house was dark. Sure, it was after midnight and well past curfew, but there was usually someone up.
Tony walked Pinky to the front door. Pinky tried the door and found it locked. Digging in her small purse, she produced a key, and unlocked the door.
“Well, Pinky, I’ll be going now”, Tony said.
Pinky turned to Tony. Her anger at the surprise attack had dimmed, and she said coyishly, “Oh, stay, just a little while, won’t you ? It’s awfully dark in there….”
Tony did not want to go into the house, in fact wanted to leave as soon as possible.
“I…Don’t think that’s such a good idea, Pinky”, Tony hedged. “I really better get going.”
Pinky edged up against him, brushing her pelvis against his crotch.
“Oh, Please, Tony…I don’t want to be alone….Derby’s Parents are away on another one of their ‘Business Trips’, and I don’t think anybody’s here…And I don’t want to go in this big old spooky house all alone….” Her face was close, almost touching him. “Please ?”
Tony felt a surge of emotions run through him, almost impossible to control.
“All…All Right”, he stammered. “But…Just for a little while….”
Pinky pushed open the door, and they entered the home.
____________________________________________________
-
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.
__________________________________________________
-
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.
_______________________________________________
-
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.
______________________________________________
-
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.
________________________________________________________
-
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.”
______________________________________________
-
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.
_________________________________________________________
-
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.
____________________________________________________
-
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.
_____________________________________________________
-
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.
_____________________________________________________________
-
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.
_____________________________________________________
-
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.
_____________________________________________________
-
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.”
_________________________________________________
-
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.
_______________________________________________________
-
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 ?
_________________________________________________
-
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.”
________________________________________________________
-
The Greasers arrived as a group at the Oil Spill Gas Station, squealing their tires and leaping off their bikes, only to find the big bay door open and the Station seemingly deserted. They rushed into the bay and gathered around their car, looking for any sort of mischief or damage. It was full-on dark now, and hard to see inside the bay. Flicking their lighters and holding fast to their Weapons, they searched the bay for anybody who may be lurking. Finding no one, the examined their car closely, finding no evidence of further vandalism.
Hal spoke first. ‘Don’t look-a-like they gots here yet.”
Norton was still looking over the car. “We shoulds lay here and wait for them.”
Vance looked toward the outside. “Sounds like a plan, echo-man…we oughtta close down da big door and whack them when they come in…..”
As if on cue, the big heavy bay door suddenly rumbled to life and began to quickly drop down on it’s tracks. Lola, who had been standing just inside, close to the big door, had to jump out back of the way to avoid being smashed as the heavy bay door noisily rumbled down. Unlike before, however, she wound up on the inside instead of the outside. As the bottom of the door hit the pavement, the sound of an electronic locking mechanism could be heard.
The Greasers stood frozen for a minute. Then Vance said, “One of youse guys just close that door ?”
“Not nones of us, Vance….The switch is over by the Office door”, Ricky said, pointing at the door with the mesh-wire glass window that led to the Office area of the Station.
“Then hows….”, Vance started to say, then broke off.
“Oh, No….NO….”, Lola suddenly moaned. “It’s a trap…It’s a TRAP !!”
In the stillness, the sound of a loudspeaker being clicked on was heard somewhere above them.
“Welcome, Gentlemen.”
___________________________________________________
-
The Greasers made their way in the dark to the big bay door, trying in vain to lift the heavy door, or to get the bar lock to turn. Vance found the Office door, it was locked tight.
‘It’s no goods….”, puffed Lefty. “We can’t get it up !”
“What the Hell is the dirty deal here ?”, voiced Lucky.
“Yeah…What Gives ?”, said Norton.
“Them Damn Townies are behind dis…”, Ricky began.
The loudspeaker activated again. “I…have brought you here….Not the Townies. That was only the bait. You are all here to pay for your crimes against humanity.”
“Crimes ? WHAT Crimes ? We ain’t done nuttin’ to you…Who are you anyway ?”, shouted Norton.
“Who I am is unimportant”, the mystery voice replied. “What is important is that you pay the penalty that is due.”
“What the HELL are you talking about ?”, shouted Vance. “What the FUCK do you want ?”
“Justice”, The voice from the speaker said.
At once, the overhead bay lights came on, revealing the concrete walls of the work bay….and something else. What appeared to be about 30 Stink Bombs were hanging from the ceiling. As the assembled Greasers looked up at them, blinking their eyes in the sudden light, the first row of them fell and shattered, sending the Greasers running towards the back of the bay. More rows followed, until the enclosed bay was filled with the stinking clouds of greenish foul choking stench.
“What’s…The Deal….Pinwheel…”, retched Vance.
“Shit…Gaaaww….SHIT !”, gagged Ricky.
“URRRGGHH….Bleeech….FUCK !”, sputtered Hal.
“Dammit….All to…Hell….”, choked Lefty.
“Pissass….ASSWIPE !”, coughed Lucky.
“Someone’s…Gonna…Pay…”, wheezed Norton.
“Oh-boo-hoo-hoo, boo-hoo-hoo…”, Lola was crying.
Soon the Greasers were puking their guts out all over the floor, on their car, and each other. Some being unable to stand, they dropped to their knees and vomited the contents of their stomachs onto themselves, and when no more could come up, they gasped and retched anyway, growing weaker with each attempt.
The smoke cast a strange glow against the shop florescent lights above. As it cleared somewhat, the Greasers tried to get to their feet, slipping and sliding in their vomit as they did so. Looking over to the Office door with the mesh-glass, they could see only darkness beyond.
Near the Office door was a small window, equipped with the same mesh-glass and an order counter below. At the bottom of the window was an opening where the work orders could be passed from the Office area to the Shop area. From this hole appeared the barrel of a Spud Gun, which began firing on the hapless Greasers. The spuds shot out in the short space, targeted to each Greaser’s groin area in turn.
WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA--SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
The Greasers were cut down where they stood. The barrage continued until the boys nearer to the office window were knocked out. Hal and Norton had managed to crawl for cover behind the car. The Office door was suddenly unlocked and opened, and an arm appeared, throwing a half-dozen M-80 Firecrackers behind the vehicle. Hal and Norton, who had been attempting to rise, went down again. For extra good measure, more Firecrackers were thrown at the Greasers in the front of the car as well.
BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!!
An acrid-smelling smoke now filled the bay. Through eyes blurred by tears and the effects of the smoke, Lola, who was off in the far corner, saw the Office door open and a figure emerge that looked like some sort of alien spaceman. The figure moved slowly behind the car and pumped more rounds from the spud gun to the two boys behind there. The figure returned and fired more rounds into the boys laying unconscious in the front, shooting at their nuts. Then the figure started towards her.
Lola propped herself up weakly on her side as the figure came closer. Not a spaceman, but a very large fat person dressed in some sort of black outfit with a weird-looking mask.
“Piff…?”, Lola whispered. “Are You….Piff ?”
“Slut Prick-Teasing BITCH !”, the figure said, and leveled the Spud Gun at her.
Lola raised her arms to shield her face as two Spuds were fired into her guts at close range.
“ARRRRUUUGGGHHH !!!!”, she screamed, and then she passed out.
Algie slowly made his way back to the office area, where he picked up the microphone.
“Thus shall it be to all evildoers. Those who live by the sword...Shall DIE by the sword !”
Algie flicked off the bay lights and plunged the Oil Spill Gas Station into darkness once more, then exited the front door, locking it. The Oil Spill Gas Station employees would find the Greaser boys and Lola in the morning. Algie pulled off the gas mask, and breathed in the cold air. This part was done. He only had to avenge himself on one more target…Tony and his fucked-up friends.
He began the short walk back to the Dragon’s Wing, where he could lay his plans.
________________________________________________________________
-
Peanut, Tony, and Constantinos scoured New Coventry without finding a trace of Lola. None of the people that knew her had seen her in several weeks, and none had any idea where she might have gone. Finally, as it was getting late, the trio started making their way back to school. Coming under the bridge that divided New Coventry from Bullworth Town, however, they spotted a bunch of Police Cars up the street, ringed around the old Bulworth Theater. Bringing their bikes to a halt, they surveyed the scene, and saw a visibly upset girl in the back of one of the Police vehicles.
“Hey, isn’t that…..?”, Tony said.
“That’s Angie !”, Constantinos exclaimed.
“Whoa…She in trouble or what ?”, Peanut said.
Tony approached an Officer, whose name was Monson, as Tony could tell from his name badge. “Er…Pardon me, sir…What’s going on here ?”
“Buncha kids got attacked in the old theater, boy…Banged up pretty bad, like them Preppie kids was the other night…” He narrowed his eyes and looked at Tony’s group. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would’ja ?”
“Oh, No Sir”, Tony said hastily, “We’ve been over at New Coventry every since School let out.”
“So you say”, the Officer said suspiciously. “You kids look like you been up to something.”
"No, Sir, not us…We were just…Er…Looking for someone. Say, we know that girl…She goes to our School.” Tony pointed to Angie.
Officer Monson looked around. “Oh, you know her ? She’s pretty upset. Came and got us about the attack.” The Officer looked back at Tony, sizing him up. After a minute, he said, “You boys think you can get her back to School ? We’re gonna be tied up here awhile.”
“Sure thing, Officer, we can do that”, Tony said, eager to be away from this place.
The officer walked over and released a still visibly shaken Angie from the police car, leading her over to the group.
“You best be moving along, now”, Officer Monson said. “It’s almost curfew time.”
Tony didn’t need any further encouragement. He set Angie on the handlebars, and he and the others biked away from the scene.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The group split up at the front of the School, with Peanut and Constantinos heading towards the Parking Lot entrance and the Auroshop beyond, and Tony parking his bike and helping Angie off. On a slow walk back to her dorm, Angie told Tony all of what had happened, including the letter from Piff the Skull that she had found earlier in the day. Reaching the top of the dorm steps, they paused and faced each other.
“Well, here you go”, said Tony.
“Thanks SO much for bringing me back”, Angie said fervently.
“Ah, shucks, that’s allright…You been a pretty brave girl through all this”, Tony replied.
Angie gazed deep into Tony’s eyes, and suddenly threw her arms around him, planting a long, deep French kiss on his surprised lips. Caught off guard, Tony automatically responded. After a full minute, she broke the kiss, giggled shyly, and ducked in the door and was gone. Tony looked around to see if anybody had seen them.
Man, Tony thought, I gotta stop doing this.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Peanut and Constantinos arrived back at the Autoshop area, only to find it deserted. They looked high and low, but couldn’t find a single Greaser.
“Where do’ya suppose those guys got off to ?”, Peanut said, exasperated.
Constantinos could only shrug his shoulders. “Who Knows ?”
“I donts likes this one bit. Something’s going on”, Said Peanut darkly.
_____________________________________________________________
-
The Greasers, along with Lola, were found the next morning, as Algie correctly surmised, by the Oil Spill workers arriving to open up the station for the day’s work. Since the Clinic two blocks away was already full with another Clique, the Nerds, the Greasers were transported to the Clinic in New Coventry to recover from their wounds.
Pete was called to Dr. Crabblesnich’s Office in the afternoon and informed about the latest attacks. The mandate to find out who was responsible was even stronger now. Dr. Crabblesnich ordered Pete to step up the investigation.
“We’ve got to find out who is responsible for this and fast. If this gets out, the school’s reputation will be severely damaged”, Dr. Crabblesnitch was saying.
“I’ll do my best, sir”, Pete replied.
“Do better that that. Find me the perpetrator. Interview that girl when she wakes up. She knows something, I’ll wager. I think it’s worth a try. That is all”, Dr. Crabblesnich said with a dismissive wave.
Pete left the School Office and went to Find Tony. He finally tracked him down at the Autoshop, along with Constantinos and Laurent, who had joined him there. There was also a pacing Peanut, who was becoming quite frantic about his missing Clique. All of the boys had just returned after searching the various Towns without success for the Greasers. However, they hadn’t checked the Clinics, and now as Pete informed them of the latest attack, Tony smacked his forehead in frustration.
“Ohhh…Of course, we should’ve checked them first”, he groaned.
“I didn not think of that either”, Laurent said. “My fault, too”
“No, it’s my fault…I shoulda…”Constantinos started to say.
“Who cares who’s fault ?” interjected a visibly upset Peanut. “Youse don’t gets it ? Somebody has attacked MY guys now. And I bets I know who. The only ones who ain't been touched in all this, dem Rocker freaks. I’m gonna finds them and make their asses pay…Big !”
It suddenly occurred to Tony that he hadn’t seen Kurt or the Rocker boys since the aborted Concert that had ended in a melee late last week. That hadn’t been to class, either. In fact, damn few kids had been going to class lately, so it wasn’t as noticeable that they had been absent.
“Look, Peanut, we’ll get them. We just have to focus, get some evidence….”, Pete began.
“Fuck that”, Peanut retorted. “You’all hads your chances…It’s my turns now. I’ll find dem bastards, and gets revenge the Greaser way !”
Peanut ran from the Shop, and swiftly mounted his bike. The rest of the boys followed him outside.
“Peanut, listen….You can’t take them all on by yourself….Let us help you”, Tony called.
“Dont's need no help ! I can handle this myself. Dont's worry about me”, Peanut said cryptically, “I’se gonna be well armed.” And with that, he rode off.
The boys watched him leave. Pete turned to Tony. “Oh, one other thing I didn’t mention…Lola was brought in injured with the rest. When she wakes up, we should question her. She has to know something about all this, since she was involved in luring the other Cliques to the attacks.”
Tony was stunned. “She was attacked ? They never attacked girls before. This is serious. Even Angie was let go….” A thought came to Tony. “Wasn’t she….Hooked up with Kurt ?”
“Believe she was, yeah”, Constantinos said. Laurent nodded agreement.
“Shit”, Tony said. “Should’ve connected that.” He straightened suddenly. “Come on boys…We got work to do.”
“You guys go on ahead”, Pete said. “I got stuff to check out. I think Crabblesnich is holding back something….Something he’s not telling anybody.”
Tony, Constantinos, and Laurent got on their bikes, and bidding Pete farewell, they left. Pete stood in thought for a few minutes in the empty Autoshop lot, then made a decision….He would have to break into Crabblesnich’s Office after hours. There were some files he needed to see.
____________________________________________________
-
Pinky had moved back into the Girl’s Dorm. Since everyone else was already paired up, she had been given her own room on the second floor, at the top of the stairs. It was alright, she had needed some alone time. She hadn’t seen Tony since their night together, and she was worried she had pushed things too far and too fast. She was also having second thoughts about leaving Derby. As much as he treated her badly, he at least took care of her needs. She reflected that she had, after all, cheated on Derby, with Tad (more than once), and now Tony, and as far as she knew Derby had never cheated on her. She doubted that Derby would have any of the girls around here though…They were not rich. They were all beneath his contempt. And that was one thing Derby had in abundance more than money….Contempt.
She sighed and settled back on the bed. Pinky was bored; there was nothing to do here. She thought she might go over to the Carnival. Some of the attractions were still open even though it was Winter now. Sure beat laying around here doing nothing, driving herself crazy. She bounced up off the bed and grabbed her fur coat, and left the Dorm.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Peanut entered the Souvenir Tent in a hurry. “Hey, Dude-Man, I be needing something Big, and fast !”, he said.
Jake, aka Ace Adams, stood impassively behind the counter. “And, what might that be, I wonder?”, he said, a small smile playing around his mouth.
“A big power Weapon, somethings with a punch and a kick, you know what I be saying here, you follow my drift, Griff ?” Peanut said quickly.
“Slow down there fellow”, Jake, aka Ace, said, pushing his hands out. “Make me some sense. Just what be doing with you all of a sudden ?”
“Man, my boys, dey got attacked, got mashed bad, got smashed ! I gotta get even, I gotta have protection, like right now, brown cow”, Peanut gestured animatedly.
“Ah…Then maybe, you should consider…This.” Jake reached under the counter and brought up a weapon, which he then laid on the countertop.
“Whoa, Daddy-O, that there is just what I need”, Peanut said, his eyes lighting up. He bent a little closer and squinted. “Just…What is that ?”
“The latest in Air Rifle technology, accurate to 400 yards”, Jake, aka Ace Adams, said. “Comes with a power scope for greater ease in correctly acquiring your target, and…”, here Jake threw two boxes on the counter…”A couple boxes of pellets, to get you started. It’s a real steal, Pinwheel”, Jake grinned, “at just $250 dollars.”
“Gots it covered”, Peanut said, digging some bills out of his pocket and he laid the money in Jake’s hand. Scooping up the Weapon, he dry pointed it and chuckled. “Yeah…Dis is the ticket, Pickett. Just the thing.”
“Yep”, Jake, aka Ace Adams said, “Perfect for any Rebel Without A Cause.”
Peanut looked over at Jake suddenly. “Huh ?”
Jake, aka Ace Adams, uttered a short laugh. “Nothing. Before your time, I suppose. Look, we’re closing up. Winter hours, you know. Best beat it. Catch you next time for regular trade, Hey ?”
“Uhh…Sure”, Peanut said. “Sure thing…Next time, yeah.” With that, he exited the tent, in his excitement barely hearing Jake's low laughter as he was leaving.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pinky got off the Merry-Go-Round as it slowly ground to a halt. It was nice to have the old Carousel working again, after having been down so long, in fact all last School year. Still, riding the painted horse around and around just wasn’t getting it for her this time. She had rode the Ferris Wheel also, the only other ride operating now, and all there was left to do was to see the Freaks at the Freakshow again. Somehow, though, she just didn’t feel up to it, and being alone without a date made her think of the time Tony had brought her here.
She sighed. With the Carnival closing early these days, she would have to leave soon anyhow, so might as well be now. As she walked slowly towards the midway, she was deep in thought about what she could do for some excitement now, anything to blot Derby and Tony from her mind.
The Midway was deserted as she made her way towards the exit. Suddenly, a figure appeared coming from the direction of the Souvenir Tent, hurrying towards the exit. Pinky recognized the figure as Peanut from the Greasers. In fact, she had just seen him the other night, along with other Greasers, beating up Derby and Biff. He was carrying something….Something that looked like a….Like a rifle ? She squinted against the dull Carnival lights. She couldn’t be sure….
Peanut never looked around, and quickly scampered through the Front Gates, mounted a bike, and disappeared from sight. Pinky stood frozen. What was he doing ? If he had a Weapon, would he use it against Derby ? Against…Tony ?
She resolved to move, to follow Peanut, to….Tail him, as the old time movies put it….And see what he was up to. It would be easy on her bike, she thought. And, most of all, it would be…Exciting.
__________________________________________________
-
Tony was sitting by the bedside of Lola, whom he had tracked down at the Coventry Boulevard Clinic, where the Greasers had been taken to recover. He had asked Karen to accompany him there, partly out of guilt for what he had done with Pinky, and to a lesser extent, kissing Angie (Although he hadn't instigated that). He reasond it might be safer if he had Karen with him than not, to keep any of his stray emotions at bay. He hadn't told her about him and Pinky, but it was only a matter of time....Even if Pinky kept her mouth shut, she would still use their tryst to blackmail him into doing what she wanted, anytime she wanted. That couldn't go on forever, he knew....The truth would come out sometime.
It was a couple of hours they had been there before Lola stirred and moaned her way into consciousness. When she looked around, bleary-eyed, the first thing she saw was the somewhat familar face of Tony along with little Karen, who she remembered from School. As her mind tried to focus, she became aware of a pain in her tummy, and the memories came flooding back about the attack. She suddenly rose up and let out a small scream.
"AAAAAHHHHH !!!!!!"
"Take it easy, Lola -- You're safe now", Said Karen, going over by the bedside. Tony silently joined her there.
"Ohh...Ohh....That....That....Mainiac....Attacked Us....", Lola said in a thin, shaky voice.
Tony bent down. "What Mainac, Lola ? Who was he ?"
"Uhh....It was...Piff....Piff the....Skull...", Lola managed to get out. "He...he was...Like a big...Fat...Alien looking....THING....."
Piff The Skull ? Tony thought. What the hell was THAT ?
He bent closer. "Look, Lola, we know you were luring those boys in the other cliques into traps, that you are working with this...This Piff....Who is he ? What does he want ? Why is he doing this ?"
"Ohhhhhhhh.....I don't know....Don't....Know....Never saw him....But the one time...Always paid me....I ....I didn't mean....For anybody to...Get.....Ohhhhhh !" Lola appeared to have a stab of pain as she grabbed her belly.
Karen laid her hand on Tony's arm. "Let's let her rest. She doesn't know anything."
Tony reluctantly straightned up. "Maybe", he frowned. "Maybe not." Still, though, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than Lola was letting on. He turned to Karen. "One thing I do know....Man or Monster, we got to find this 'Piff the Skull'....and fast."
Tony and Karen left the Clinic. In the darkness, they biked past the Blue Balls Bar, headed back to Bullworth Academy.
_____________________________________________________
-
Pinky followed Peanut at a discrete distance while he rode from Vale Road and then connected with Main Street in Bullworth Town. Peanut then made several stops, one of them being at the Oil Spill Gas Station. Pinky patiently waited each time, but as the little adventure wore on, her initial excitement at the cloak-and-dagger aspect began to sour. When Peanut rode under the bridge to New Coventry, Pinky brought her bike to a halt. No way was she going into THAT Town, full of uncouth ruffians. She sighed and turned her bike back towards the school, ending her short investigative adventure, still wondering about the weapon she thought she had seen.
Peanut wound up inside the Blue Balls Bar, where he got rip-roaring drunk.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Algie went to see his brother Nerds in the Bullworth Town Clinic the next Morning. It would look suspicious if he did not do so. He pretended not to know anything about what happened, saying that he had just heard about the attack. He expressed surprise at the things that had happened, and seemed truly upset, especially over Fatty's broken leg. Finally, Melvin had him come closer for a private talk.
"Listen, Algie", Melvin was saying. "There's something I need you to do."
"Anything, Esteemed Leader, you know that", Algie said. "What is it ?"
"I need you to go see a guy at the Carnival, in the Souvenir Tent", Melvin said in a low voice. "His name is Ace Adams. He has Weapons....We need more Weapons....Special Weapons......We have to be able to defend ourselves....And to take revenge.....We must have something....Powerful." Here Melvin reached in to his pocket, wincing as he did so, and withdrew several bills. "This should cover it....We have to have protection.....Can you do it ?"
"Sure, Brother Knight", Algie said. "I'll take care of it. You can count on me !"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For the next few days, Tony and Karen visited the Clinics and Infirmaries where the injured Clique members were being kept, asking questions and getting basically the same story....They were lured there by Lola, in the case of the Bullies, Preps, and Jocks, on the pretext of some hot playtime activity, and in the cases of the Nerds and Greasers, something that they treasured. Each time, the attack was supposed to be in retaliation for some wrongs, real or imagined. Each Clique related the use of a single word - "Justice." It seemed to be the work of either a single person, or could have possibly have been the work of a group of individuals, seeing as how none of those whom Tony interviewed had actually seen their attacker. Only Lola had gotten an actual look at the perpetrator. But, as Tony learned, as soon as Lola had been able to stand and walk, she left the Clinic and disappeared.
Constantinos and Laurent drew the task of interviewing the Clique members who weren't attacked and were still at the School. None of them appeared to know just who had attacked their comrades, but each was quick to blame it on one of the other Cliques. They did not, however, interview Algie, since he wasn't at the School....In fact, they completely forgot all about him, assuming he had been attacked along with the rest of the Nerds.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tony was sitting in the Common Room when the only other able resident Bully of the Boy's Dorm wandered in.
"Hey, wanna play...", Trent started to say.
"Can it, Trent, unless you want a fist in the face", Tony said. "I'm not in no mood for your shit."
"Whoa...No harm", Trent said, holding up his hands. He turned to leave.
Tony suddenly swiveled around. "Wait....I wanna ask you something."
Trent stopped at the doors. "Whazzat ?"
"Halloween night....When Jake had you stop anyone from entering this place", Tony said. "Why do you think he did that ?"
"Uhhh.....I donno....That is....Unless....", Trent stammered.
"Unless he had something to do with the bombings", Tony said.
"No Way !!", Trent exclaimed. "It wasn't him....It was those Terrorists !!"
"I've already heard that story, and I think it's crap", Tony's eyes narrowed. "Just where did YOU hear that story, by the way ?"
"I, uh.....Can't tell you that....I Can't !!", Trent said fearfully.
Tony leapt up and was on Trent in a second. "Spill it, Trent !! This is Important!!”
"I Can't !! I Can't", Trent howled. Tony knocked him to the floor and began punching him.
"Give it up !! Tell me what you know !!", Tony hissed, "Or I'll beat the life outta you !!"
"I can't tell !! I'm not supposed to !! He said we had to keep it quiet !!", Trent hollered between blows.
"Who said ?", Tony yelled. "Who told you that ?" Tony drew back to bust Trent a big one.
"The Carnival Guy !!!", Trent yelled back, shielding his head. "Ace Adams, the Carnival Guy !!!!!"
Tony stopped punching, and just sat there. This was news to him. Getting up, he hauled Trent up by his ears and dragged him to the couch, and threw him there.
"Tell me everything", Tony said, "And don't leave nothing out."
______________________________________________________________
-
Jake, aka Ace Adams, looked over the new arrival in the Souvenir Tent. Although he was surprised to see this particular person, he kept his face impassive. "What can I do you for, Sonny-Boy ?"
"I...I have a message....From Melvin", Algie stammered.
"Yeah ? Why ain't the fat shit here himself ?", Jake, aka Ace, asked harshly.
"He...Got Attacked....All my friends got attacked....They're in the Clinic....", Algie stumbled on.
"Ain't my problem, Fatso", Jake, aka Ace, said. "Tell him to come by when he gets all better."
"Well....That's just it....He can't.....He sent me", Algie pressed on.
"So...He sends a seriously fucked-up fatass shit like you ?", Jake, aka Ace, sneered.
"You...You don't have to be so mean !!", sputtered Algie.
"I can be whatever I want, doughboy", Laughed Jake, aka Ace. "Now, get the hell out."
"But...But...But...We need some Weapons !!!", Algie whined.
Jake looked at Algie sharply. "You Nerdos have plenty of Weapons."
Algie stammered, "We...We need...Special Weapons !!"
Jake considered this for a moment. Then, he reached under his counter and pulled out a Weapon. "Something like this ?"
Algie's eyes were bulging almost out of his sockets. "What...What is that ?"
"It's an Air Rifle, you stupid fat shit. For a Nerd, you sure are a dumbass. Melvin wants this, it's gonna run you whimps $300 dollars", Jake, aka Ace, snorted. "Up Front."
Algie dug in his pockets. "I...I got it...Right here....See ?" He held the cash out.
"Put it on the counter", Jake, aka Ace said. Algie did so. Jake slammed the Weapon in Algie's chest, and then threw a couple boxes of pellets on the counter.
"Here, take these too. Extra on the house. Now, get your fat ass outta my tent afore I change my mind", Jake, aka Ace said. "Tell your friend Melvin to just send himself next time. I don't like dealing with underlings."
Algie quickly left the Souvenir Tent, thinking as he did so that Ace Adams seemed just like another mean-assed kid he had known, not so long ago....In fact, he had almost called Ace Adams 'Jake'.....
Laughter bubbled up in Jake's throat as Algie scampered from the tent. All the cliques were now armed. As soon as everyone was out if the Clinics and Infirmaries, they would be ready to go to war.
All that was needed now was the Catalyst.......
_____________________________________________
-
It had been a typical cold winter morning as Donald Anderson awoke from his first good night’s sleep since the attack. Although still hurt, Donald had slept well, but he soon remembered feeling very angry the night before. Donald had so entranced by his dreams he had about Beatrice, his favorite girl while she had been at Bullworth, that he had a very difficult time thinking about his anger. This was not the regular anger, spawned by fear, that all Nerds carried towards many other bullying Students, this was much more personal…..He remembered about Fatty's broken leg, and the attacks on each Clique, but more specifically himself and his beloved Nerd friends. He had walking by a group of Students who were talking with Christy, a notorious rumor-spreader, when he could have sworn he heard the name "Tony" come up in a conversation about the attacks.
This made Donald tremble with anger. Being his normal self, he was going to jump to conclusions before getting the facts, after all, it was Christy who brought up the name in conversation. He was just tired of himself and fellow Nerds always getting the shit end of the stick. This time, Donald was going to make sure he would score a point for Team Nerd. How was he to do it though ? Donald had to think for a moment and then decided he would set Tony up. He figured that he would need help from a Prefect, who else would stick up for a weak Nerd ?
It was now Noon. Everyone who was back at School, those who had recovered enough from their injuries, was at Lunch break. Students stood around talking in the Quad in front of the School. Donald emerged from the front doors to see Tony having a few words with some of the Non-Clique Students. Evidently, Constantinos and Laurent had gone to the Cafeteria to grab a bite to eat and Tony thought he would nose around and possibly dig up some information. Donald cautiously walked down the stairs to position himself behind the stone railing and a younger boy named Sheldon. Donald then picked up a good-sized stone and hurled it at Tony.
"OW !! Son-of-a-Bitch !!" yelled Tony. Tony looked over towards the direction where the stone came from. With Donald cleverly hidden behind the railing, Sheldon looked like the prime suspect.
"Hey, you little snot !", called Tony, "You want me to kick your ass !?" Sheldon's skin almost turned pale as he squeaked, "Please, I didn't do anything, honest !!"
"You better start telling the truth before I knock it out of you", Tony growled. "I've had a long week and I don't need any more of this crap !”
Sheldon then nodded his head in fear and gulped. "I’m going to tell on you, violence is not allowed !", and then proceeded to scamper off towards the nearest Prefect he could find.
"That's it, I've had it, kid !" Tony yelled as he then charged at Sheldon, pushing him to the ground. Sheldon then began to scream bloody murder, causing Prefects to swarm towards the School's steps from the Front Quad.
Oh Shit ! Tony thought to himself, I shouldn't have done that !
Donald then emerged from behind the railing and announced, "Look everyone, first he attacks our friends, now he's after the little kids !"
Now everyone turned and looked at Tony, and how could they not believe Donald ? He was really convincing. Tony had been mysteriously out of sight whenever these attacks happened, and to make matters worse, Tony now attacked Sheldon in plain sight. Seemingly out of nowhere, Karl the Prefect lunged for Tony. Tony jumped out of the way, but just then, Donald whipped out a bottle rocket launcher and fired at Tony, stopping him in his tracks as he was consumed by the noise and slight concussion from the blast.
"It's off to Crabblesnitch for you, boy !", barked Karl, getting a power hold on Tony and dragging him away.
______________________________________________________
-
Tony soon found himself sitting in front of the large desk in Dr. Crabblesnich's Office. This was a first, for Tony had never been dragged to the Office by a Prefect before. Tony suddenly felt a burning rage. What happened to his promised protection from being busted ? More lies, he supposed, from the Headmaster he now had to face.
"So, what seems to be the issue, Tony ?" said Dr. Crabblesnitch. "Are you feeling particularly invincible today ?"
"You don't understand, sir", Tony explained. "That kid Sheldon flung a rock at me and then pretended to play innocent......"
But Tony was cut off. "Sheldon is a good boy", Dr. Crabblesnitch said firmly. "A little annoying, but very well behaved. How am I supposed to believe he assaulted you ?"
"But...But...", Tony stammered.
"That's enough young man, you shall not be assaulting young, defenseless children at this School !" Crabblesnitch said sternly. "I'm afraid I will have to assign you to wall cleaning duty -- rules are rules, even for a first time offender. That is all."
Tony found himself spending an hour scrubbing tags off of the walls in the School hallway.
Damn, Tony thought, Isn't this supposed to be Mr. Luntz’s job? What do they pay him for, anyway ?
As Tony finished up, he could hear Students talking in a nearby Bathroom. It sounded like the Students were beginning to suspect him for the recent attacks. Of course Constantinos, Laurent, and Tony's other close friends knew this wasn't possible, but the other Students were almost brainwashed by what ever they heard from the latest gossip mill, which was running rampant in the wake of all the attacks.
That's it, Tony thought, overwhelmed. I can't stay here at the School right now, I'll get my ass blamed for no reason at all. I have to find a way to leave without being noticed.
________________________________________________________
-
Pete closed the file and sighed. It was worse than he thought, all right. As Constantinos was fond of saying, this school really was rotten to the core. The file that he had been able to swipe from Dr. Crabblesnich's Office had revealed far more than he had known before. Maybe...Too Much. He hadn't been able to find the file he had been looking for, that of Kurt, but instead had come across this one...Far more damaging information than he had suspected, and far more dangerous to those who knew it's contents.
He secreted the file deep within his heavily-chained and paddocked File Cabinet, and left the his office, heading out of the School building and down the main steps. On his way to the Boy's Dorm, he noticed that quite a few of the Clique members were back, having been released in the past few days from the Clinics and Infirmaries....Most of the Bullies and the Jocks, some of the Preps, a few Greasers, and surprisingly, almost all of the Nerds, with the exception of Fatty, who had a broken leg.
A looming problem, he could tell, was the sharp increase in hostility and suspicion in the newly-returned Clique members toward the others. Pete and his crew of Tony, Constantinos, and Laurent, had so far failed to find those responsible for the attacks on the Cliques, and the natives, as they say, were getting restless. Already, he had seen some small fights break out here and there, on the School grounds and even a few in the hallways between classes. The Prefects had been having a busy day, all right.......
It seemed most everyone was pissed...and scared. The whole place was beginning to resemble a powder keg, just waiting for the spark to set it off. All Christmas leaves had been cancelled, and the School was under lock-down, under orders from the administration, who were no doubt were taking THEIR orders from higher up. The power elite were taking no chances that word got out about the attacks, cancelling outside access, and any through phones and computers at the School itself. Pete suspected that the Towns around the school were facing similar restrictions.
The atmosphere has altered drastically over the past few days, Pete reflected, as he entered the dorm. His mission was the same...To seek out and interview the Clique members who had been attacked. He had already talked to a lot already without making much progress, but he had to keep trying. He had already spoken to the Clique leaders, who were blaming each other for the attacks, although clearly many were out of commission by the time the final two attacks occurred. The nagging things that didn't make sense, though, swirled in Pete's head. A couple of those involved the Nerds, whose Clique was only attacked lightly in comparison to the others, and was the only Clique whose Leader was attacked along with the rest. Something was quirky about that, it just didn't sit right. Why let them off that easy ?
Pete checked the common room, and found it empty. Someone had left the lone TV on, however, so they were nearby, Pete knew....Probably hiding out in their rooms like scared Rabbits. Time to start knocking on the Nerd's doors. He needed answers. Pete went down the hallway, towards the rooms.
Unnoticed as he left the Common Room, was the television, where a Weather Alert had just flashed on the screen. Had anyone been around to see it, a large map of the area then appeared. A Forecaster's voice could be thinly heard, also....
".....A massive winter storm has been forming during the past 24 hours just over the Canadian border, and is moving towards the Quad-State area, predicted to arrive in our area by tomorrow afternoon. This is a very large system that is expected to spawn blizzard-like conditions, with winds in the 60-70 mile-per-hour range and perhaps as much as 30 inches of snow. Those of you who have travel plans for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day are advised to alter or cancel those plans, for it is expected that all roads will be closed during that period if this storm develops as predicted......"
_________________________________________________________________
-
Tony wandered back out to the Front Quad, heading towards the wide path by the Dorms, thinking of a plan. A few minutes later, the 3:30 bell rang and Students began to filter out of the School. Hastily trying to come up with an escape plan, he figured he would need a diversion, something to distract any Prefects away from the Front Gates and path to them. After all, he could see the Prefect Karl was watching the Front Gates, and certainly would not trust Tony for leaving the School grounds after his little run in with Sheldon. Just then, Tony noticed Troy standing a few feet away in the pathway leading to the Boy‘s Dorm, holding a carton of eggs.
Yes, that's perfect, thought Tony.
Tony walked up to Troy. "Hey dumbass, want to make five bucks ?"
Troy turned around and said, "Huh ? What-do-you-mean ?"
"What I mean is, that you take those eggs you got there and chuck 'em at that stuck up prick, Karl", Tony said.
"Uhh, I was going to use these to throw at Pedro...Ha-Ha-Ha !", laughed Troy, always several bricks short of a full load.
"Fine, make it ten bucks", interjected Tony.
"Hot damn, you-got-it, man !" shouted Troy.
Tony watched as Troy jogged down the path near the School Gates. "I'm going to enjoy this" snickered Tony.
As Tony followed, keeping his distance, he heard a big ‘SPLAT !!’, followed by "I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SHOW YOU THE FORCE OF MY WILL!!!" Tony burst out laughing as he watched Karl sprint after a frantic Troy.
The best part, Tony thought to himself, Is the Dumbass didn't even ask for the money up front. Tony then began to think more seriously…Here was his chance to make a break for it…It was now or never. Tony sprinted out through the Front Gates, and spying a bicycle left on the rack, he jumped on it and raced toward the Bullworth Town as fast as he could.
Upon reaching the Town, Tony had to make a decision...Which way would he go ? There were many things he had to factor in, the most important being the significance of staying completely under-cover. Regretfully, he hadn’t thought to let Karen in on his sudden decision, but maybe it was best that she didn’t know right now. That ruled out staying at the Chef’s Restaurant over in the Vale.
The whole School was on edge and the hectic mood was starting to rub off on the Townspeople. It was also winter, and Tony knew that he had to find some place indoors, for it got quite cold around these parts, and sleeping outside was not an option. After spending a few moments thinking, Tony decided to head off again towards New Coventry.
______________________________________________________
-
Tony hated New Coventry. The place just seemed so depressing with a clearly visible crime-ridden side to it. Tony had rode slowly on his bike under what was known as ‘The Railroad Overpass‘. He wanted to blend in, he didn't want to look too conspicuous. Tony hoped that he could figure a way to lay low in to this place with no incident. But just then, seemingly out of nowhere, a guy in a bright orange jacket pounced on Tony, knocking him off his bike. "Give me the bike you Little Shit !", the culprit shouted a gruff voice.
"Hey, you can't rob me you Fuckin' Idiot !", Tony called after the thief. It was too late, the mystery robber sped off on the bike, headed into the heart of the Ghetto.
Although Tony had been to New Coventry before, he didn't have the slightest idea where he was really going. He had come here before with Peanut, and, lately, Karen. This time, he was all alone. Dusk was approaching, and Tony had to find some shelter quickly. As Tony wandered about for some time until dusk came, only to find he had wandered in a circle. Going East, again on the main drag, Coventry Boulevard, he saw the neon lights begin to flick on, and also saw the night life in New Coventry was low-end, nothing but Night Clubs and some glitzy run-down Bars. Walking now, Tony finally came to a depilated area of buildings known only as the ’Tennements’. Doing his best to remain inconspicuous, Tony walked partway through the area and watched as a Hobo shuffled over to a dark gray, non-descript building on the left. A battered sign outside indicated that it was a ‘Halfway House‘, just the sort of place that wouldn't be first on Tony's list. However, Tony did not want to stay out in the open much longer, he had already been robbed of a bike, and he was alone and on foot in a strange and possibly dangerous area. The Halfway House would have to do for tonight.
Just as Tony was about to walk in, a few snowflakes began falling outside.
__________________________________________________________
-
Jake had thought long and hard about what he wanted to do. In the end, the Catylst proved to be easy. Jake just took a page from his own book....Notebook, rather. By the light of the single bulb in the Souviner Tent, Jake composed Five identical notes. They read.....
"Hey, you Fuckups, We got you Good this time ! You Jackoffs sure looked funny, rolling around in your own puke, and getting the shit shot outta yourselves. In fact, it was so much fun to watch you assholes squirm that we'd like to kick your sorry limp peckers all over again ! No more bushwhacking, we wanna knock your dicks in the dirt mano-el-mano this time. You Chickenshits meet us in the Quad in back of the School at 11 PM tonight so's we can stomp your nuts into the ground, you fucking morons. Unless you're afraid, in which case we will come looking for you bastard whimp dickless asswipes."
Having finished, Jake folded and set those aside. Now, for the final touch....Those who he hadn't invited to the Terrorist party a couple months ago, mostly because they didn't have a place to bomb, and frankly because Jake considered them a fake Clique. But they were going to have an invite to THIS party, all right....They might even be the ace in the hole. Jake laughed to himself, and began to write....
"Hey, you Queer Motherfuckers, if you wanna get some cool licks on the Cliques, show up at the School Parking Lot at 11 PM tonight for some blasting action. Bring your new Weapons and put on a good show for those worthless bastards, and claim a spot in the new world order. Unless, of course, you pricks are really the human cockbite pussysuckers everybody says you are."
There, that should get Kurt and his queerass buddies interested in attending. Nothing like a few vile insults to get the pain train on the right track. Jake started snickering, then cut loose in full out belly laughter at the funny he just made. A few minutes later, still suppressing small bouts of the giggles, he rifled through his clothing stock, finally finding what he was looking for. He stripped out of his clothes, and donned the black Ninja outfit. He had some notes to secretly deliver tonight, it seemed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tony was able to get a room for the night by claiming he was homeless. He was directed to room upstairs. As he was treading down an upstairs hallway, Tony suddenly spotted a familiar face peeking out of a door at him, a shocked look on the person's face. The face abruptly disappeared and the door slammed. Tony took several huge steps and forced open the door before it could be locked. As he pushed into the tiny room, he confronted the person he had seen. It was.....
"Lola ?!?! What are you doing here ??"
"Please", Lola breathed heavily. "Don't tell anyone I'm here..."
Tony grabbed Lola by the shoulders. "I've been looking for you. You have to tell me...I have to know.....Who is this Piff ?"
"I Don't know...I told you....I never had any direct contact....He just sent mail, notes....He just paid me to lure the others....I never meant any harm, it was just in fun....." Lola begin sobbing. "Then, that monster attacked me....My Clique...." Tony relaxed his grip, and pulled Lola close, meaning to comfort her. As the girl continued to cry, Tony reflected that she too was probably a victim of the events that had transpired. Tony felt his feelings stirring stronger as the minutes stretched out. Feelings of pity...Feelings of....Affection....Feelings of.....Desire.
Still upset, Lola looked up at Tony. "I need your help...I have to leave....There's somewhere I have to go....Far away...." Lola brushed her lips close to Tony's face. "Everyone is going to hate me now....But....I like you....."
Tony's breathing was suddenly short and heavy. His desire for this beautiful girl overtook him quickly, as he lowered his head. As he did, Lola wrapped her arms around him and gave him a deep, sensual French kiss. Tony could control himself no longer. Lola reached for his belt buckle, and Tony grabbed onto her leather jeans. They both fell onto the bed in the tiny room, and soon were doing it like they did on the Discovery Channel.
_____________________________________________
-
Jake left the Carnival grounds at Midnight, making a quick trip via bicycle to Hatrick's old house where he knew the Rockers had been staying. Seeing the box stuffed with mail, he didn't know weather the boys would even get his message, but he climbed the porch and tacked it on the door anyway. Then, it was off to Bullworth. The time was close to 1 AM.
Jake easily breached the wall into Bullworth at his favorite spot, the pile of junk behind the Greaser's Autoshop. Easily avoiding the patrolling Prefects, he placed the notes at the Auto Shop, the Boy's Dorm, the Library, Harrington House, and the Jock Clubhouse. Basically, he would ease open the door and tack the notes on the inside where the Cliques were sure to see them if they were to leave. Finishing quickly, he reflected that this had taken far less time to do this bit of trickery than it took to plant the bombs in the first place. Hauling himself up the back of the Scoreboard at the Football Field, he jumped the fence and went around the back way to retrieve his bike. He was back at the Carnival in less than two hours after he started to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow night was gonna be a big night. Quite possibly, he thought, he could step in this time and save the school from itself.....And become the Ultimate Fixer.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
By chance, Kurt and the Rockers did return to the Hattrick house that night, missing Jake by barely an hour. Tibo was first to the door, and pulled the short note off the door. Kurt unlocked the door, and the group piled in slowly, checking the house for any signs of intruders. It was, in fact, just the way they had left it....With only one exception. Lola was gone.
"All clear, Boss", Tibo said. "And it don't look like Lola's been here in a week or more."
"To Hell with that Bitch", Kurt said. "I was getting tired of that whiny slut anyways. Turn on some lights."
The front room lights were flicked on. All appeared to be in order, just as they had left it. The Rockers had been hiding out at the Chem Plant over in Blue Skies for nearly a week and a half, doing occasional forays out at night for food and supplies. The plant was on a month-long shutdown, due to the economy, so they pretty much had the run of the place. But, no work meant no heat, and it had been steadily getting colder. Even the Townies who usually hung around the place had been nowhere to be seen. Finally, realizing Crabblesnich hadn't ratted them out to the Cops, Kurt decided to go back to the house in the Vale. After all, he was holding the cards now....Or rather, the file. Kurt felt confident that he could call the shots now.
"Make sure to secure our Weapons, Tibo", Kurt said. "And Benny, check out the kitchen for some grub. I'm starving."
But Tibo was scanning the paper he had taken off the door. "Hey Boss, get a load of this...."
Kurt grabbed the paper from Tibo and read it. His face broke into a huge smile.
"Boys, looks like we been invited to a little game somebody's running. And it seems like, we're gonna be the Stars...Again." He passed the paper around to the others.
"Um...Boss ?", Benny spoke up. "Think this could be a trap or something ?"
"I don't think so", Kurt said, hefting the Air Rifle. "Nobody's gonna be trapping us while we got this baby along. Shit", he smirked, "We're practically bulletproof."
He began laughing, and the others joined in. "Now, cut the shit", Kurt finally said, "Seriously....Benny, find us some food. We're running on empty here."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tony awoke late the next morning after a restless sleep. At first, he didn't remember where he was at...Until he turned and saw Lola sleeping beside him. Then, it all came crashing down on him. He had done it again. He cursed those damn puberty hormones that made him always seem to lose control. His guilt began to rise anew. How could he have done this again ? What was wrong with him ? If he was only going to let his animal instincts control him, then he sure didn't deserve a super girl like Karen.
Abruptly, he got out of the bed and got dressed. Lola awoke as he was doing so.
"Com'on", Tony said, somewhat roughly. "Get up. We've got to get a move on."
Lola sat up on the bed. "Where to ?", she asked in a sleepy voice.
"You need to get away from here, right ?", Tony said. Lola nodded. "Then I just might know who could get you out. So let's go...Get dressed, and warmly...It's gonna be cold outside."
_____________________________________
-
Most students awoke late on Christmas Eve morning, since there were no classes. Each Clique in turn found the notes tacked to their doors, the Nerds finding theirs last when they gathered at the Library. There was shock, anger, and disbelief at the start....Then, to a man, in each Clique, a call for revenge. That all the Cliques had been attacked did not enter into their thinking....This threat was surely meant for them, and them alone...The other attacks must have been fakes ! They were hoaxes, just a ruse, for each Clique could plainly see now that they had been the target all along !
Throughout the day, they gathered in their respective places...The Bullies at the Boy's Dorm, The Nerds at the Library, The Preps at Harrington House, The Greasers at the Autoshop, The Jocks at the Gym....They posted guards in case any other Cliques might try to attack, but had to change them often...The snowfall that had accumulated overnight was now being whipped about by ever-increasing high winds, as the blizzard began to make it's presence felt. No Clique attempted to communicate with another, none were to be trusted. Every Clique member armed up for tonight's battle.
Each Clique debated who the strange message was from. It was certainly the work of another Clique, no one person could have carried out those attacks alone. That had just been a foolish rumor, they could see that now. They had been bushwhacked, victims of a carefully constructed plan....And now, their attackers were taunting them ! Daring them to show up and face them ! And saying they were gonna get their butts kicked, again ! Well, No Way, No How, No Sir !! That wasn't gonna happen. Each Clique zeroed in on just who they thought had attacked them...No, Bushwacked them....And planned accordingly for the showdown. Paybacks are a Bitch, and each Clique intended to be just that Bitch that did the paying.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Keeping to the alleyways and keeping out of sight, a task made easy as it was Christmas Eve, and snowing heavily, most places in the Towns were closed. Tony got Lola over to the Vale. He was going to see the only adult he really knew around these parts. The only one, he thought, who just might be willing to help.
They reached the back door of the Business. Tony knocked, as hard as his frozen hands would allow. The door opened, and he and Lola were brought inside.
"Hello, Chef....I need your help", Tony said through chattery teeth. "This girl has to get home. It's an emergency. She needs a ride. Can you get her over to a station in the next town, Warwick ?"
It was a fact that there was no stations of any kind in the Bullworth Towns. No Bus Stations, no Train Stations, no Airports. The entire place was ringed in by mountains, virtually cut off from the rest of the world except the road in and the road out. And, it was so confusing as to just where that road was, exactly, that many of the town's residents didn't even know just where it was, causing them to drive around and around endlessly, looking for it. But the Chef knew, Tony was certain.
"Oui ?", the Chef said. "But, my little friend, the Storm...She rises..."
"But...She has to leave now....Really....It's an emergency", Tony repeated, earnestly.
The Chef stood looking at the swirling snow beyond the plate-glass window. "Mon Dieu", he muttered. Then...."Okay, Allright...I will do....But must be quick, we must leave now. The Storm, she will rage...Come, let us go then. I know of a....How you say.....Grey-Hound Station there."
Lola face broke into a look of relief. "Oh, thank you, Chef, thank you...."
The Chef smiled. "A real sucker for...Damsel in Distress, that is me."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jake was humming a tune as he packed for the evening's activities. The Carnival was completely shut down for the Holidays, and wouldn't re-open until after the first of the year. Point in fact, he was the only one here right now. Billy-Bob, Crystal, Brandy, Dorsey, and all the rest, had lit out for warmer parts, leaving him here to mind the store. Even the midgets were gone. Well, so much the better for him. "Hail, Hail, the gang's all gone", Jake whistled, and then laughed manically. Thanks to some dumb fuck who was running a vendetta of their own, and to his notes he delivered very early this morning, there oughtta be a hell of a Battle Royale tonight down by the old Schoolyard. And Jake was going to get a front-row seat, yessir, no two ways about THAT, better belive it, baby. And when the time was right, he would stride in, disarm the Students, and save the day.....And those shitheads would see how wise and smart he was, would bow down before him, and beg....BEG him to take over, to save them from themselves. Jake could almost have an orgasm just thinking about it. Hell, he WOULD have an orgasm every day, into each and every one of those slutty bitches who went there and would gladly give it up to him, the Ultimate Fixer. It would be just like having his own Cult, he thought, only better...He wouldn't have to make his followers drink Cyanide....Unless, of course, they really pissed him off.
Jake's laughter was crazy good as he stuffed binoculars into his backpack for better viewing tonight.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chef's car pulled up to the Greyhound Bus Station in Warwick just as the daylight was growing dimmer. The storm swirled here too, winds howling their mournful tune. It had taken several hours to get here, and it would take more to get back....Those mountain passes has been rough.
Tony walked Lola to the front door. The lights were on, and there was a lone woman behind the counter. Both were relived the station was still open, but Tony knew that it would take more than a piddly little blizzard to stop a Greyhound....These Buses ran through nearly all kinds of weather.
Lola faced Tony at the door. "Thank You, Tony, for helping me", she said softly.
"Aww, shucks, t'wrern't nothing", Tony said, and they both laughed.
Lola looked at Tony serious then, and said, "Tony....I saw you and Pinky at Derby's house...I was watching. I saw you go in with her."
Tony was shocked. "Well...It wasn't...how it looked....I...I....Just walked her there...And....."
"Hush", Lola said. "It's all right....I won't tell anyone....Or about us, either.....Let's keep it....Our little secret.....Forever...."
Relief flooded Tony. "Yeah, Cause.....You know....."
"You have someone special", Lola said. "Don't you, Tony ?"
"Yes....Yes, I do....",Tony replied. "You ?"
"Oh, Yes....I didn't realize just how special until just recently", Lola said sadly. "That's where I'm really going, Tony....To make it up to him. If he'll still have me."
"Follow your heart", Tony said.
"Yes....And you should too", Lola breathed softly.
A horn blared suddenly. Chef rolled down his window. "Mon Dieu !! Tony, we must GO !! The Storm, she grows worse !!"
"I..uh...have to go", Tony said. "You...Take Care now. You have enough money ? For the ticket ?"
"Yes", Lola said with a distasteful look. "Blood money, I suppose....But I'm gonna put it to good use."
Impulsively, Lola leaned over and kissed Tony. "Get back to your lady. I've got a bus to catch."
With that, she turned, and went through the door. Tony stood there for a few seconds longer, then dashed to the waiting car. He stopped briefly and waved, then got in. The car pulled away, and began the long journey back to Bullworth through the storm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lola approached the ticket counter.
"Can I help you, dear ?" the woman behind the counter said.
Lola consulted the rate charts. "I'll take a one-way ticket", she said, and laid her money on the counter.
"Where to, dear ?", the woman said kindly.
"Detroit", Lola said. "One-way to....Detroit."
_____________________________________________________
-
Pete sat alone in his office, papers spread over the top of his desk, mostly notes from interviews from the Clique members that had been in the Infirmary and the Clinics in town. Most of the information was useless, but there were a couple of things that caught Pete's attention....An unpicked-up order at the Dragon's Wing, and Tony's report of a strange Carnie fellow somehow connected with the Terrorists. These were things that needed more investigation....And Pete was close, real close, he felt, to unraveling the clues and making sense of the whole thing.
Laurent and Constantinos returned to the Mediator's Office. "What'ja find out ?", Pete asked.
Laurent tossed a paper on the desk. "Copy of the order form for 1 Stuffed Bunny."
Constantinos pointed to the bottom. "Look at the name here."
Pete's eyes widened in surprise. "How....I never would have suspected.....Wow."
"Something's going on out there, Pete", Laurent said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
"Like what ?", Pete asked.
"The Cliques have posted Sentries", Laurent said. "Think something is brewing."
"Yeah ?", Pete looked up. "In this weather ?"
"Want us to check it out ?", Constantinos asked.
Pete waved a hand. "No...I need you guys to check out this guy." He handed over a slip of paper.
"Like, right now ?", Laurent said. "It is getting late...Be dark soon, and is snow-storming. It's kind of far, too."
Constantinos nodded at that. “Getting’ nasty out there.”
"Look fellows", Pete said. "I'm real close to putting this all together. All of it, tonight. This is the last of it, I promise." He cast a pleading look at the two boys. "I'd send Tony, but he seems to have taken a powder the past couple days."
The boys looked at each other and shrugged. "OK....One more....But man, it sure is cold out there", Laurent said. With that, both left the Office to try to track down one more clue.
_________________________________________________________
-
Jake arrived a bit early, climbing over the junk pile behind the Autoshop, then scaling the ladder to the roof, moving to the far Northern part to get the best view of the area, although the Southern portion of the Quad was obscured by trees. Since the leaves were off, a partial view was afforded, but the winds and the swirling snow made viewing difficult at best. Jake hauled out the binoculars out of his backpack, and laid down on the peak with his elbows over the edge, and took a look. Not the best, he thought, but it would have to do. Jake had also brought along three weapons of his own....A Bottle Rocket Launcher, A Spudgun, and the ever-trusty Air Rifle, which was swung over his back. On his belt was clipped a small bullhorn from the Carnival. He settled in to wait the arrival of the Cliques.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As the hour approached, each Clique moved out into the storm in sequence, highly bundled and highly armed. First the Nerds moved out from the Library, followed closely by the Bullies from the Dorm. Then the Preps left Harrington House, followed by the Jocks from the Gym. The Greasers were actually the first to arrive, for they only had to scale the break in the wall from the Autoshop. From the area of the Parking Lot, the Rockers were the last to arrive.
Each Clique, except the Rockers, had expected to see only one other Clique arrive, but as each new Clique came into view, there was first surprise and then confusion. The night was dark, with the high blizzard winds blowing the accumulated snow around to nearly whiteout conditions. In the poor lighting, it was difficult to tell just who was who. It was also hard to hear, as the high winds made a loud howling sound, first high, then low, then back high again. Mixed in with the wind was the shouted sounds of trash talk, from the Cliques nearest each other being the only ones heard initially.
It is unclear who fired the opening salvo, but it was later agreed that it must have been the Nerds, for they alone among all the Cliques had the most enemies, being universally the group bullied by all the others. Within seconds, the other Cliques opened fire, with Bottle Rocket Launchers, Spud Guns, Egg Cannons, M-80 Firecrackers, Stink Bombs, and Super-Slingshots. The Battle Royale was on.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The noise of the battle over the sound of the high winds reached the Principal's Office, where Headmaster Crabblesnitch was having a romantic late Christmas Eve dinner with Miss Danvers in his Office.
"What on Earth is that noise ?", exclaimed Miss Danvers.
"Sounds like trouble. Call the Prefects. I'll check it out", Dr. Crabblesnich said, heading towards the secret door to the outside back Balcony. Miss Danvers went through the double doors to the Main Office, scooping up the Intercom to alert the two remaining Prefects, as the rest had been allowed to leave for the Holidays yesterday in advance of the storm. "Max McTavish and Karl Branting, report to the office right away", the Intercom blared throughout the empty School.
The two Prefects came on the run, and joined Dr. Crabblesnitch on the outside back Balcony. Looking down they could just barely make out what looked like groups of Students that appeared to be firing Weapons and throwing Firecrackers and Stink Bombs at each other. But because of the darkness and the swirling, wind driven snow, it was hard to make out any specifics in the relatively weak lighting of the back lot behind the school.
"Get the floodlights, boys", Dr. Crabblesnitch ordered, and the two Prefects scrambled to comply, running back through the Main Office to the Auditorium to get the huge stand-up lights and the extension cords to run the power.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In the small Mediator office, Laurent and Constantinos had returned with valuable information.
"That's it...That's the missing piece", Pete said. He looked up. "That's who has been doing this..."
He was cut off by the blare of the Intercom, Miss Danvers calling the Prefects. "Go find out what's going on", Pete ordered the two boys. As they left, through the open door came the distant sounds of the battle. Pete began unlocking the bottom drawer of the huge File Cabinet, and withdrew an object he had been hiding there for quite some time. Pete knew what those sounds he was hearing were. Another huge fight. What the hell was the matter with these kids ? Pete had had enough. He was going to put a stop to this, and by-god, they were going to listen to him this time.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Chef pulled up in front of the school at a half an hour before Midnight. It had been a tough return trip, but they had made it back in one piece. Tony said his 'Thank You's' to the Chef, and exited the car. He had decided to return to the School and confront those who were running rumors saying that he had anything to do with the attacks. First, though, he had to talk with Pete.
The entire place seemed empty, there were no patrolling Prefects....Which, given the howling winds and blowing snow, really wasn't unusual. However, upon entering the Dorm, Tony also found it completely empty. There was no one there, and many of the room doors were open. This was disturbing, since room doors were uaually always kept shut, due in part to the simmering tensions that was a regular part of life in the Boy's Dorm. Tony decided to go check out the School to see if Pete was there. He had been keeping late hours there, trying to do his part to track down those responsible for the attacks. Tony had to tell him about what he had learned from Lola, anyhow. He headed off towards the School building.
______________________________________________________
-
Though it was hard to see, the battle still raged. From his vantage point, Jake was giddy with excitement at what he was seeing. Though many of the targets were being missed, due to the poor light and high winds, a few hits were finding their mark, as Jake was seeing some of the kids down. Better this way, though, that they could exhaust their ammo with minimal collateral damage. He figured they would probably use the Air Rifles last, at the point where they would run out of most of their other ammo. Once the Cliques got close enough for some hand-to-hand, fist-to-fist fighting, the visibility would be improved enough to use the Air Rifles more effectively. Jake guessed that the Clique leaders were the ones who would have possession of the Air Rifles, and use them to target and take down other Clique leaders. When that happened, Jake would vacate his spot and appear with the Bullhorn to bring a halt to the fighting and "save" the School. The Clique leaders, upon seeing 'Ace Adams' would lay down their weapons, for if anything else was sure, it was that they would not harm the conduit to the 'Terrorists' and risk inciting their anger.
Jake noticed some kind of activity on the School's back Balcony. He trained his binoculars there, although, he didn't quite have the right angle to see just what was going on there. Then, without warning, the floodlights came on.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Laurent and Constanous had run out towards the Main Office area just in time to see Max and Carl wheeling two huge racks of floodlights into the Main Office, heading for Dr. Crabblesnich's Office. They tried to follow, but Miss Danvers stopped them, denying them access. Rather than trying to argue about it, the boys ran down the steps and around to the rear exit door on the Southwest side. Going through the door, they stopped on the steps and surveyed the scene on the Quad in front of them. It looked like a scene from some kind of horror movie, complete with swirling white smoke tinged with green from the Stink Bombs. Over the wind they could hear shouting, cries of pain, and Weaponry....Lots of Weaponry.
As they watched, the floodlights suddenly came on.
----------------------------------------------------
There was a brief pause in the action, as the Students were startled by the sudden brightness....But realizing that they could now see their targets a whole lot better, they began to fight again with a renewed vigor, advancing foot by foot on their adversaries, their Rockets, Spuds, Firecrackers, Eggs, and Stink Bombs coming more fast and furious than before. As Jake had expected, the Clique leaders raised their Air Rifles and began to fire on the other Clique leaders. Derby was to first to go down in a fuselage of Pellets. The damage was slight, due to the heavy winter coats the combatants were wearing, but from this range the pellets packed quite a punch that was sure to leave deep bruises. Over in the Nerds group, Melvin began firing, being protected in front by a line of his fellow Nerds, including Algie, who was firing his Spud Gun non-stop at the Preps, Jocks, and Bullies with uncanny accuracy. Soon, Trent was taken down by a combo of Pellets and Spuds. The Rockers, who still hung back toward the Parking Lot area, rapid-fired on everybody that still moved within range, but mostly the Greasers, who were closest. Peanut was hit with several pellets, but managed to stay on his feet, as did Ted from the Jocks. Being off to the side, the Rockers were hardly getting hit, and gleefully kept pouring on the shooting, with Kurt shooting Pellets at his favorite targets, the Preps, long after Derby went down.
From the door behind Laurent and Constantinos, a figure came charging out, running past them down the steps and out onto the pavement. The figure had what looked like a Bullhorn in one hand, and as he came to a stop nearly in the center of the Quad, he raised an object in his other hand, pointing it towards the sky.
BLAM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The loud noise echoed off the school building. The figure raised the bullhorn to his mouth.....
"STOP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
______________________________________
-
Tony had checked the empty School building, going to Pete's little Office. Nobody was around, but Tony became aware of noises seeming to come from behind the School. Sounded like....Fighting noises. Heading off down the stairs at a run, he scampered to one of the back doors and pushed it open just as a loud exploding noise sounded and a voice sounding like it came from a Bullhorn yelled "STOP !!!!!!!!!"
Tony burst through the opening, nearly running down his two friends standing on the steps, Laurent and Constantinos. The noise of the battle had abruptly ceased, replaced by the low howl of the wind and the groans and sobs of what seemed to Tony to be half of the Bullworth kids. It looked to Tony that all the Cliques were here, scattered in groupings around the Quad. In the center of it all was Pete, with a raised bullhorn to his mouth, and pointing a smoking .357 Magnum in the air.
__________________________________________________
-
"STOP IT RIGHT NOW !! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE ?? ARE YOU INSANE ??"
Pete had lowered the Magnum to arm level, jabbing the gun at each Clique in turn as he spoke.
"EVERY ONE OF YOU BELONGS IN A PSYCHE WARD !! YOU ARE IDIOTS !!! A BUNCH OF STUPID SHITS !! DOUCHEBAGS !! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR ??
Each remark was punctuated by more wild jabs of the gun. The Cliques shrank back at each jab.
"I'M SICK OF THIS !! TIRED OF TRYING TO KEEP PEACE WITH YOU MORONS !! YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF SICKOS !! YOU ALL NEED TO TAKE SOME RADICAL ANGER MANAGEMENT COURSES !! THAT IS...HAHAHA...IF YOU COULD EVER TAKE SOME TIME OFF FROM BASHING EACH OTHERS BRAINS IN TO ACTUALLY GO TO CLASS !!!"
Up on the Balcony, Dr. Crabblesnitch called down....."Pete, My Boy ! Stay Calm, Son ! You Need To Put The Gun Down !!"
"WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, SIR.....YOU NEED TO SHUT THE HELL UP !!! THIS SCHOOL IS A HELLHOLE BECAUSE YOU TURN A BLIND EYE TO WHAT REALLY GOES ON OUT HERE....AND YOU DON'T CARE THAT THESE FOOLS ARE BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF EACH OTHER, WARPING THEMSELVES FOR LIFE !! DOCTOR....YOU ARE NO GENTELMAN.....AND I'M NOT YOUR SON !!!"
This last was said with Pete jabbing the gun in the direction of the Balcony. The two Prefects, who had been standing still through Pete's tirade, backed suddenly away from the railing of the Balcony, getting out of range.
Up on the Autoshop rooftop, Jake was beside himself with sudden outrage. Just a couple of minutes ago, everything had been going according to plan, and he was preparing to ready himself to climb down and assume control of the situation. Now this stupid numb fuck had put a monkey wrench in his carefully laid plans. Jake thought furiously, trying to come up with a way to salvage his edge.
Tony cupped his hands, and yelled, "PETE !! Have them lay down their Weapons, and we can resolve all this !!"
Pete turned to the sound of Tony's voice. As he did so, Algie, who had also heard Tony's voice, now saw him standing on the steps along with Constantinos and Laurent. Tony, and his Fucked-Up Friends !! Algie dropped his Spud Gun reached over and tore the Air Rifle out of Melvin's hands.
"Hey !!", Melvin cried. "What are you doing that for, Algie...?" Melvin tried to reach in to take the Air Rifle back from Algie, and Algie bashed Melvin right smack in the middle of the forehead with the butt of the Rifle. Melvin was knocked back on his ass, and he sat there, stunned. Algie then shouldered the Weapon, took a bead on the trio of boys standing on the steps, and fired a barrage of Pellets at them. Tony was struck in the upper arm, and Constantinos had a piece of his ear ripped off. Due to his skills of ducking faster, Laurent escaped getting hit altogether. Pete whirled back around and faced Algie.
"DROP IT ALGIE ! IT'S ALL OVER ! I KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE....NOW EVERYBODY IS GONNA KNOW......HERE'S YOUR ATTACKER, GANG !!! ALGIE ENGINEERED THE WHOLE THING.....LURED YOU IN, SET YOU UP, TRAPPED YOU, CARRIED OUT THE ATTACK.....ONE NERD BOY GOT THE BEST OF ALL OF YOU !!!"
"Yeah, SO WHAT !!!", cried Algie. "They ALL had it coming !!! PEE-STAIN !!! PISSY-PANTS !!! FOUR EYES FAT SHIT !!! Always MAKING FUN OF ME !!! Always PUNCHING ON ME !!! And then One of You Bastards BLEW MY NUT OFF !!!!! I'M SO ANGRY !!!!!!!!!"
This news stunned the other Nerd boys. They backed away from Algie, unbelievingly. Pete spoke again....
"THIS WASN'T THE WAY, ALGIE !! I WOULD HAVE FOUND OUT WHO DID IT, AND WE COULD HAVE DEALT WITH IT.....BUT NOT LIKE WHAT YOU DID....."
"Is that true, Algie ? You attacked.....Us ? Why ? Why ??", Bucky asked, shocked.
"It was for your OWN GOOD !", screamed Algie. "We couldn't be the only Clique that WASN"T ATTACKED !!! I SAVED YOU by doing that !! Don't you UNDERSTAND ??"
Pete spoke, sadly. "I THOUGHT YOU NERD TYPES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE LOGICAL, AND THAT DON'T MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL.....GIVE IT UP, ALGIE...IT'S ALL OVER FOR YOU !!"
"NO !!!!!", Algie screamed, pointing the Air Rifle at Pete. "IT'S NOT !!!" He took aim.
WHAP !!!!!!!!!! Algie pitched forward, the Air Rifle clattering to the pavement as he fell face forward on the ground, knocked out. Standing behind him was Melvin, who had recovered, scooped up the Spud Gun that Algie had dropped, and shot him point blank in the back of the head. "Sorry, Brother Traitor....But that had to be done."
______________________________________
-
There was shocked silence at this turn of events. The winds continued their low howl from the Storm, snow swirling everywhere. Then, slowly, an angry muttering arose from the other Cliques who had suffered the attacks. The sound built, overriding the noise of the Storm. The Cliques began to slowly move in the direction of the Nerds. Pete raised both the Bullhorn and the Magnum again.
"THAT'S FAR ENOUGH !! NOTHING IS GONNA BE HAPPENING HERE TONIGHT....IN FACT, WHAT YOU IDIOTS ARE GONNA DO IS DISARM.....THAT'S RIGHT !! BRING YOUR WEAPONS FORWARD, ONE CLIQUE AT AT TIME !!"
The Clique members stopped, and all looked at Pete like he was crazy. "But...We NEED our Weapons !!", a voice spoke up. "For Defense !!", cried another. "'This is Unfair !!", a third voice added.
Jake had suddenly decided what he had to do. Unslinging his Air Rifle, he adjusted the scope, and tried to take aim on Pete. He would have to take him out. But the tree limbs blocked a straight sight at him, and the wind kept pushing off his aim. Jake settled in, biding his time. Sooner or later, Pete would come back into his view. Jake knew he would have to get Pete with one shot. A head shot, to knock him out. To shut him up.
A voice piped up from the Jocks Clique, probably Ted's...."What if them Terrorists come back ? We need our weapons to defend ourselves!" There were cries of agreement at this. Pete began laughing.....
"HAH-HAH-HAH.....TERRORISTS ?? THERE ARE NO TERRORISTS !!!!!! YOU ALL HAVE GOTTEN SCAMMED !!!! THAT'S RIGHT, BOYS....SOMEONE PULLED A FAST ONE ON YOU !! AND YOU FELL FOR IT, THE BIGGEST LIE IN ALL OF BULLWORTH HISTORY !! SPAWNED BY YOUR VERY OWN 'WEAPONS GUY', ACE ADAMS !! ALL LIES, LIES !!
The Clique leaders were aghast at this bit of information. Their members started peppering the leaders at once with questions and accusations. In the meantime, Pete waved Tony and Laurent over to where he was at. Putting down the bullhorn (but not the Magnum), Pete conferred a brief time with them, and both boys took off, headed in the direction of the school Basement entrance. Pete raised the Bullhorn once again, this time to the Balcony.....
"DOCTOR CRABBLESNITCH, I SAW SOME PREFECTS UP THERE.....I NEED THEM TO BE SENT DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW....THERE IS WORK FOR THEM TO DO."
Max and Karl looked over at Dr. Crabblesnitch. The Headmaster nodded. "Go. Let's get this over with." The two Prefects began climbing down the trellis to the raised area, then hopped down the stone wall to the pavement. By this time, Tony and Laurent had returned from the School Basement, hauling Mr. Luntz's oversized wheelbarrow with them. Pete raised the bullhorn and spoke again....
"ALL OF YOU WILL SURRENDER YOUR WEAPONS....WALK UP TO THE WHEELBARROW AND DUMP IN ALL THE WEAPONS YOU HAVE ON YOU.....DON'T EVEN THINK OF HOLDING BACK....THESE PREFECTS WILL BE CHECKING YOU."
Nobody moved. Pete became very angry, and began jabbing the Magnum at them again....
"DO IT !!!!!!! DO IT NOW !!!!!! I WILL START SHOOTING CLIQUE LEADERS IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY !!!!! ALL THE WEAPONS INTO THE WHEELBARROW, NOW !!!!! MOVE IT !!!!!!!"
________________________________________
-
Slowly, one after another, the Cliques came forward and began tossing in their Weaponry. Max and Karl searched each one to make sure they weren't holding back. Up on the Autoshop roof, Jake's mind had gone ballistic. All his plans to take over the School lay in ruins. Pete had exposed his alter-ego.
That goddam little fuck blew my cover !!!! I'm gonna waste that fucking bastard !!! NO MORE GAMES !!!! I'm gonna take this rat-bastard fink out for good !!!
Jake still didn't have a clear shot. Forcing himself to remain calm, Jake resettled himself and checked through the scope again.
The Rockers were still partly out of sight. Kurt motioned Tibo over to him. "Here...Take These", he said, handing Tibo the Air Rifle and two Spud Guns. "Cut back through the Parking Lot...They won't be able to see you....Go ! Meet you back at the house." Tibo took the Weapons and snuck away at a jog. Out of the corner of his eye, on the rooftop, Jake saw him go.
When all the Weapons had been collected, they made a huge pile in the large Wheelbarrow. Pete had another surprise in store. He raised the Bullhorn again.....
"MAX...TONY...LAURENT....TAKE THESE WEAPONS OF EVIL DOWN TO THE BASEMENT....AND THROW THEM IN THE FURNACE !! DESTROY THEM FOREVER !!!"
A huge groan went up at this from the Cliques. Then the outcries began in earnest.
"SHUT UP !!!! SHUT UP !!!!! YOU MORONS BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELVES !!!!! THIS ISN'T A SCHOOL, IT'S A WAR ZONE !!! THIS ISN'T A NORMAL PLACE IN ANY SENSE OF THE WORD !!!! YOU CORRUPT THIS PLACE WITH ALL YOUR SENSELESS VIOLENCE !!!! IF YOU WON'T STOP ON YOUR OWN, YOU WILL BE MADE TO STOP, WILL BE FORCED TO STOP !!!! THIS MUST END, AND END NOW !!!! WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG ??"
-----------------------------------------------------------
Getting the loaded wheelbarrow down the steps and through the winding corridors in the Basement wasn't easy, but they finally made it to the Furnace room, located under the Great Hall in the front of the School. Grabbing a rag, Tony got the Furnace door open. Flames leaped out at him. This was a massive Furnace, as it had to be, in order to heat the whole School. It ran nearly non-stop from late October through early April. Max and Laurent took ahold of the Weapons and began throwing them into the fire, where they quickly began to melt down, with the Air Rifles taking the longest amount of time.
Back at the windblown Quad at the rear of the School, Pete was still talking....And walking, back and forth, side to side, as he made an impassioned plea for a new era of co-operation in a School without weapons. Up on the Autoshop roof, Jake finally had the shot he had been waiting for. Pete had moved far enough back to clear the trees, and Jake, very steady on the trigger, squeezed off a shot.
____________________________________________
-
POWTHUNKK !!!!!!!!
Barely heard over the sound of the wind, the Pellet sped toward it's target. Pete had turned toward the low sound, and the Pellet hit him in the right eye, tearing through the soft tissue and breaking through the thin bone of the eye socket behind. It's momentum slowed, it lodged itself there, a short way into Pete's brain.
Pete dropped both the Bullhorn and the Magnum, and fell to the ground. There was a shocked gasp from the crowd. Karl the Prefect ran over and scooped up the Magnum, and, scanning the students, began to bark out orders.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Up on the Autoshop roof, Jake had slipped from the recoil of the Air Rifle. It was a modest recoil, but on the now slippery, snow covered roof, he began to slide off. Jake twisted and tried to stop his slide, but to no avail. Jake slid over the edge, but as luck would have it, fell onto the dumpster behind the building, only suffering a twisted ankle. Recovering his senses, he rolled off the dumpster and onto the pavement. He could stand, but was unable to run. The gunstrap was still wrapped around his arm, and the Air Rifle was undamaged.
He had to get out of here, and fast. Limping around the building towards the Garage Doors on the North side, he went to the first closed Garage Door. It was locked. Bracing himself, he emptied the round of Pellets from the Air Rifle into the lock to break it, then slammed the butt of the Rifle into the door until the locking mechanism was knocked out. With that, the locking bars released, and he hauled up the door.
Inside, as he remembered, was the Go-Kart belonging to the Shop teacher, Mr. Neil. Throwing himself into the seat, he hoped the battery was up and the dumb fuck had left some gas in it. It did, and fired up after a couple of cranks. Throwing it in gear, he mashed the gas pedal and laid rubber going out of the Garage. Some of the Rockers who had seen him were coming over to investigate, and he ran a couple of them down while fishtailing around.
Jake fought for control on the slippery pavement, regained it, and went speeding out the Parking Lot, through the Gates and down the long drive towards the road, where he made a left turn and again laid on the gas down Vale Valley Boulevard. Just before the tunnel, he spotted Tibo crossing the street, his back towards him. Jake ran him down, knocking him out. He squealed to a stop, backed up, and picked up the Air Rifle that Tibo had been carrying, and sped off towards the Carnival. He had to get his shit and disappear, the sooner the better. His cover was blown, and Ace Adams was dead.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As they exited the School Basement steps, Tony and Laurent saw the Go-Kart tear through the Parking Lot. They ran back to the rear Quad of the School, followed by Max the Prefect (Who had volunteered for extra duty this holiday only because the Army and the Police hadn't yet received his application). Max ran around the boys to help Karl restore order, which would prove to be easy, since the Cliques were now Weaponless. As Laurent stopped to check on Constantinous, still at the steps with a bloody rag pressed to his torn ear, Tony spotted Pete laying unmoving and ran over to him.
Tony slouched down on his knees and gently lifted Pete up, resting him against his leg.
"Pete !! Pete !! Can you hear me ? Pete ?"
Pete's head lolled around. Tony could see a slow flow of blood and tissue oozing from his ruined eye.
"Tony ?", Pete said weakly. "Ahhh.....Island......Pirate.....Island......"
"Don't try to talk, Pete...We're gonna get you some help....Just hang on !", Tony said.
"Island....", Pete repeated. "Grid.....67....."
Pete mumbled more, but Tony couldn't catch it. Then, Pete passed out. From somewhere, far away, Tony could hear a bell ringing. It was Midnight.
Christmas was here.
------{{ END OF CHAPTER TWO }}----------
________________________________________
-
THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY
{{ CHAPTER 3 }}
The Valentine’s Bloodbath
Tony awoke excited, for it was Christmas. Tony had all sorts of fond memories of Christmas from when he was a young kid. However, as he sat up, he soon snapped back to reality as he began to recall the events from the previous night. Oh my god !, he suddenly thought, Where is Pete now ?
Then Tony remembered that Pete had been taken to the Clinic in Bullworth Town. In a few days, Tony thought he could be able pay him a visit. For the time being though, Tony thought it was best to let Pete rest up and try to recover. His wound looked serious, they probably wouldn’t let anybody see him anyway. Tony sat on the edge of the bed, thinking for awhile. While Pete was gone, who would be keeping peace at the School now ? If it was to be him that would again have to take over in Pete’s absence, what could he do to Mediate the Cliques ? He really didn’t have a clue.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized he would need some serious help if Pete were to be out of commission for a long time. An idea slowly took root in his mind. It was far-fetched, but in a nutty place like the Vale Valley, it just might work.
Tony finally got dressed and wandered into the Common Room. There was a brightly lit Christmas Tree in the corner of the room by the Arcade Game. Tony then noticed his best friends, Constantinos and Laurent sitting together on the couch. As he got closer, Tony saw the bandage on Constantinos' ear.
"Hey Guys, Merry Christmas", Tony said.
"Hi there", said Constantinos in his usual glum way.
"What's up with your ear ?", questioned Tony.
"Oh, I got injured in the madness last night”, Constantinos moped. “A small piece of my ear came off, but they were able to sew it back together last night at the Infirmary. I guess I lucked out with all the cold air last night, preserved it, they said. Thanks for noticing.”
"Here Tony, drink up", said Laurent, trying to hand Tony a bottle. Laurent had apparently been able to get his hands on some liquor.
"No, but thanks", said Tony. He just wanted to stay sober today.
"So, what do you want to do ?", questioned Laurent.
"Well, I know this seems strange", said Tony, "but I think we need to go find a certain someone".
"Like who ?", Constantinos said, somewhat confused.
"Someone that has experience with this School and all of the Idiots that reside here", Tony said firmly.
"You don't mean....No, you can't be thinking of.….", stammered Constantinos.
"Yes, Constantinos, I think you know exactly who I mean", Tony replied. "We need to go and get Jimmy Hopkins.”
"Are You Crazy !?!", shouted Constantinos. “He’s locked up !”
"Look, I know that sounds nuts, but I have my reasons", Tony argued.
"Yes, and what would those be, huh ?....Wait…What ?", struggled Laurent, as he was obviously beginning to show signs of being intoxicated.
"The reasons", stated Tony, "Is that the School may be calm now, but you all would be crazy to think that we have entered a time of eternal peace. You guys know that in a few weeks, or less. things will get crazy again."
"Yeah, but why Jimmy ?", questioned Constantinos, "Isn't he like a crazy killer now ?".
"He was only been accused, far as I know, and that means nothing", Tony said. "Besides, if anyone could help us, its him.”
Tony pestered Constantinos until he finally agreed to come with him to the Towns. Laurent was getting too drunk, so Tony thought it would be best not to drag him around. Before leaving the Dorm, each of them had packed a backpack full of items they each thought would be of use in maybe breaking Jimmy out of Jail.
They left through the unguarded Front Gates. Tony guessed that there wasn’t much point to guard them now, considering more than half the kids were probably in the Infirmary or Clinics after last night’s Great Clique War.
________________________________________________
-
"So, where do you think he’s at ?", asked Tony, as they stood out in front of the School Gates. “When I saw him that one time, he was in Jail over at the Vale.”
"Um, well, he may be....Uhh…", said Constantinos as he tried to think of which of the four Jails that Jimmy might be at, if he was in the Vale Valley at all right now. Well, the Jail over at the Vale, usually he is just held there right before transferring him back to the Prison….” Constantinos hoped he could give Tony a fake location to stall the mission he really didn't want to do.
"Cut the bullshit, Constantinos, you and I both know that you know where he is, so just spill it", Tony said forcefully.
"Ok, Ok, I think he's at the main Police Station by the Courthouse”, confessed Constantinos. “If he has Appeals pending, that’s where he would be, if he’s here at all.”
“OK then…Let’s go”, Tony, turning towards the direction of Bullworth Town.
"You DO understand that you can't just walk in and break him out", Constantinos warned him as they walked. "That place is really locked down".
"How would you know that?", questioned Tony.
"I…Uh.…Had a little run-in because of….Um…Some Comic Books last year", Constantinos said, as he nervously stroked the back of his head.
Tony thought for a moment. "Who guards that place anyways, which Officers ?", he asked.
Constantinos told Tony how Officer Williams and Officer Morrison were the ones who worked at this station most of the time on the weekends and Holidays. “Seeing as how it’s Christmas, they’ll be pretty lightly staffed today.”
"OK….so what do we know about these Officers ? We need to distract them somehow", said Tony.
"I know Officer Williams is black…”, Constantinos said. We could lure him with a giant Watermelon, and maybe some grape Soda…”
"You fucking retard, that's just a stereotype”, Tony scoffed. “Besides, he's a Cop. If this goes wrong, the last thing we need is to be charged with some sort of racial hate crime.”
"Anyways, about Officer Morrison, I hear that he likes music and the club scene", Constantinos continued, ignoring Tony’s outburst.
"So what do you suggest, we lure him away with some Pop Music ?", said Tony sarcastically.
"Maybe....", said Constantinos, “We’d have to be able to get by them, to the back, where the Holding Cells are, just to see if Jimmy is there.”
The boys arrived at the front of the Police Station at the North end of Town. Tony just figured that they could try things on the spot and improvise, and motioned for Constantinos to follow him through the front doors of the Station.
_______________________________________________________
-
Tony and Constantinos snuck through the front doors of the Police Station. As they made their way forward, they looked around a corner. There was Officer Williams, standing in front of a door that Constantinos indicated led to the Cells.
"I'll be back", said Constantinos, resigned to doing this crazy thing. "I'll distract him, go forward when the coast is clear.”
Constantinos then disappeared from sight as he carefully removed a panel set into the wall and quietly climbed up into a nearby heating duct. A few minutes later, Tony saw something that both made him angry and fear for his life. Constantinos had carefully opened a vent above the Officer, and then proceeded to lower a giant Watermelon on a fishing line slowly towards the floor by the Cop. "Son of a bitch, where did that bastard get that damn Melon ?", Tony whispered to himself.
Tony watched as Constantinos raised and lowered the tasty fruit on the line, pulled it up just as Officer Williams spotted it was about to grab it. Tony could not believe what he was seeing, the Cop was actually falling for this horseshit ! Just then, Tony held his breath as the line snapped and the Watermelon fell, hitting the floor with a THUD. Miraculously, the fruit did not break, but rather began to roll down the corridor. The building was so old that the floors had settled and become uneven over the years. Tony watched as the Watermelon began to pick up speed and roll down the hall with Officer Williams in hot pursuit, going out of sight around another corridor.
When the coast was clear, Tony began to venture down the hall towards the Cell Block door. Constantinos soon caught up with Tony and proceeded to smile a large toothy grin. "How'd I do bo-, I mean Tony ?"
"You got lucky", said Tony. In a few seconds, the pair found themselves outside the door to the Cell Block. A large sign read: “Jail Officials Only Beyond This Point"
Peering through the little window on the door, Tony spotted officer Morrison. "I suppose you know how to appropriately handle this ?", Tony said with a hint of aggravation.
"Yup, I think so", said Constantinos somewhat confidently.
Tony watched as Constantinos rummaged through his pack and pulled out a Boombox. "Oh, Shit", Tony muttered as he slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.
Constantinos then popped in a disk and pressed the play button. The musical stylings of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" soon filled the air. Officer Morrison began to sit up. He could hear the catchy tune playing and began to move with the rhythm. "I wonder if it’s okay to go dancing in my uniform ?", the boys heard him asking himself.
"Quick, Tony, hide in this here Equipment Locker. I'll walk down the hall with the Boombox and leave it in the Holding Room. “I'll try and make it back somehow and help you", Constantinos said assuringly. Tony squeezed inside the Locker as Constantinos took off.
As planned, Officer Morrison opened the door and began dancing down the hall in the direction of the music he so loved. Quickly leaving the locker, Tony slipped through the open door and stepped into the Cell Block. Tony crept down the line of Holding Cells and spotted Jimmy Hopkins directly in front of him in a dimly lit Cell.
____________________________________________________
-
"So....We meet again", said Jimmy.
"Right", said Tony, remembering their brief encounter a few months ago.
"So, whatta doing here ?", asked Jimmy.
"We come to bust you out", answered Tony.
"Really ? How come ?", Jimmy quizzed.
"We need your help....Rather, the School needs your help. Just consider it a Christmas Present", Tony said absently, looking around.
"It would sure beat the shitty green sweater I got for Christmas last year", Jimmy remarked.
"How do I get the cell door open ?", asked Tony, still looking around for some keys or something.
"It's an Electronic Lock. Look for the box with the release switches down the hall there...." Jimmy pointed down the hall where Officer Morrison had gone. "Only.....Get ready to run....A loud buzzer is gonna sound once you hit that release switch."
Tony felt his way along the darkened wall until he saw the large box-like Control Panel. It was marked with the cell door numbers on it, left to right. Shit...He had forgotten to find out the cell number.
"What cell are you in ?", Tony called back in a stage whisper.
"FOUR !", Jimmy called back, in the same kind of whispery voice.
Tony put his finger on the toggle switch marked '4' and hesitated just a bit.
In for a penny, In for a pound. He flipped the switch.
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!!!!
__________________________________________________________
-
Hidden safely away on this Christmas day, in the In & Out Motel, Jake stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He had, once more, escaped undetected. But, once more, his plans had failed, brought to ruin by the interference of others who were trying to keep him from his rightful destiny.
After running down Tibo, he had returned one last time to the Carnival. He had taken his Weapons stash, his clothing stash, and most importantly, his lockbox containing over $ 7,000 in cash. His cover as Ace Adams exposed, he could no longer stay there. Loading up those items on the Go-Cart with a bit of difficulty, due his the sprained ankle, he had half-expected that someone would soon be along soon to arrest him. But no one showed up, no Cops, no one from the School, which made him think that there was something else at work here....If not Karma, it was secrecy, corruption, malfeasance.....Jake didn't have time to dwell on it. These were things to figure out later. Right now, he had to have a place to hide out.
Hooded in a heavy coat, a wrap-around scarf, and a sock hat, he made his way on the Go-Kart back through the deserted Towns, pulling into the In & Out Motel. He had to have some shelter from the weather. The Desk Clerk, an Indian-looking guy, wasn't too happy about being roused to provide a room, but when Jake flashed a $100 dollar tip in addition to the room rate, he suddenly became real cooperative. After unloading his stash, he had ditched the Go-Cart over behind some warehouses to the East. He nearly froze his ass off limping back, but for now....For the time being, he was safe.
Looking at his image in the mirror, he knew he would have to alter his appearance once more, and take on a new persona. Just who, he hadn't had time to decide. Only a day ago, he had been poised to take over the School. Now....Now he would have to start over. Again. But this time, no one was gonna get in his way, he vowed. Nobody.
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-
"This had better be important", said the tall, well-dressed man. "It was a real pain getting over here in this kind of weather. Not to mention it's a goddam Holiday."
"Sir, I apologize for having you come, but this is serious", the man in the white lab coat replied. "There was an....Incident....over at the School last night."
"So how is that my problem ?", the first man said."That Idiot Crabblesnich should be handling it.
Why are you bothering me with this ?"
"A boy was seriously injured", Lab-coat man went on. "In fact....He's in critical condition."
The man glanced sharply at the Technician. "It wasn't Derby, was it ?"
"No, sir...It's a boy named Pete Kowalski", Lab coat man replied.
"Kowalski....Hmm....That's the boy that Old Goat was using as a Mediator, wasn't it...." He shook his head. "I told that fool this was a bad idea....Those little brats are animals....They don't need a Mediator, they need to be locked up. Goddam Paupers."
"This boy sir....He needs more help than we can provide....An Operation...", Lab coat said.
"How bad off is he ?", the tall, ell-dressed man asked.
"He has a pellet in his brain, sir....He's in a coma....He could die", Lab coat answered.
The man swore. That couldn't be allowed to happen. There would be questions....An Investigation.....Just how much did this boy know, he wondered, given the position that dunderhead Crabblesnich had afforded him ? He couldn't afford to take any chances, not with that Hopkins kid still stonewalling about those missing documents.
To the Technician, he said, "Call Providence. Get a Medical Transport. A Med-Copter, if they can. Roads are impassible right now. I'll get you the access codes for a line out."
"What about his family ?", asked Lab coat man.
"Kowalski's an orphan...Ward of the state. Won't be any trouble there. I'll take care of that."
"There's....One other problem, sir", Lab coat said.
"What the hell else could there be ?", the tall man said, irritably.
"There's another boy who was brought in", Lab coat continued. "With a concussion....He will recover....But...."
"Spill it man....What is it ?" The tall man was becoming angry now.
"Uhhh...It's that Algermon boy....The one who had his....Testicle....removed a couple months ago, in that....Er....Explosion.....At the Comic-Store....", Lab coat said nervously.
"Too bad for him", the tall man said. "So why is that our problem ?'
"Seems he....Er....Engineered the attacks on the Students this past month", Lab coat answered.
"ALL of them ?", the tall man asked, unbelievingly. "By HIMSELF ?"
Lab coat nodded. "Looks that way. He's back there now, babbling...Calling for his Mother."
The man swore again, more forcefully. Why couldn't Crabblesnich keep his house in order ? They were just a bunch of malcontents, for the most part. How hard could it be ? He cursed the day he had hired the pompous stuffed-shirt to run the Academy. A trained monkey could have done a better job. But...He was stuck with him now. Crabblesnitch knew far too much, and had too many contacts of his own.
"Sir...What should I do....About the second boy ?", Lab coat asked.
A sudden thought occurred to him. "Babbling, Eh ? A clear danger to himself, and others, I'll wager. The boy should be....Put Away, so he can't hurt anyone else. Call the Asylum people to come pick him up. We'll have him committed. I'll have Judge Starkweather sign the paperwork."
"What about the Mother ?", Lab coat asked. "We haven't notified anyone yet..."
"Don't worry about the Mother. I'll have the Good Doctor deal with that, if it becomes necessary. In the meantime, just follow my instructions."
He strode to the phone. Picking it up, he punched in a series of codes, then spoke into it, verifying them. He then turned to Lab Coat man. "There. You have a half hour access. If there's nothing else, I'm going back home. Take care of this, Today."
"I'll get right on it, Mr. Harrington", Lab coat man said.
______________________________________________
-
In the Holding Cells, the loud buzzing cut off
“Hey Tony”, whispered Constantinos from behind.
“GAAAAHHHHH !!!!” yelped Tony. “Don’t sneak up on me like that !!! Shit !!”, he said holding his chest. “About give me a heart attack. Where’s the guards ?”
“Morrison is dancing, and Williams is eating Watermelon”, Constantinos replied. “But not for long’, he added.
“We got to run, Man”, Said Jimmy, now out of his cell.
“Where To ?”, Tony asked.
“We can’t go out the front !!”, Constantinos exclaimed.
“Naw”, Jimmy said. “Out the back. Been in and out of here enough times, I know the way. Flip that switch marked “R”, would’ja ?”
Tony looked and found the switch, and flicked it. There was a another Buzzing noise that sounded from the rear of the building. “That’s it….Lets go, boys !”, said Jimmy.
All three ran down the corridor toward the back. At the end, there was a turn, then a place with a steel door set in it. The door was ajar. Through that, was another turn, then a large alcove, with two roll-up doors.
“This is it, Boys…..Get ready”, Jimmy warned.
“Why ? Ready for what ?, asked Tony.
“You’ll hear why”, said Jimmy, and flipped a switch in the center of the two doors. The left door began to roll up.
RRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGG !!!!!!!!!!
An alarm went off, a rather loud one at that. An escape alarm. The Officers wouldn’t miss that. The three boys scrambled under the door.
“Quick…”, yelled Jimmy, pointing to a ladder attached to the side of the building. Climb Up to The Roof !!”
“The ROOF ?, Tony yelled back. “Are You NUTS ??”
“It’ll Work….Trust ME !!!, Jimmy yelled, and began to scamper up the ladder. The other two boys quickly followed. “Lay Flat, And Keep Quiet !!”, Jimmy instructed.
Over the ringing of the alarm, the boys heard a commotion below them, then the sound of Police Cars being started up. The cars quickly left the lot, with lights and sirens blaring, heading different directions.
“Boy, that was close !”, Tony said, and started to get up.
“Stay Down !!” Jimmy hissed, pulling Tony back down.
“What for ?”, asked Tony. “They already left !”
“Just wait, and you’ll see”, said Jimmy.
In less than a minute, the Cop Cars reappeared, passing each other and driving off again.
“They’ll keep that shit up for hours, driving in circles”, Jimmy said. “That’s how dumb they are. We’ll be safe up here, long as we stay outta sight.”
“So, they won’t think to look up here ?”, asked Tony.
“Shit, No”, said Jimmy. “I hid up here lotsa times, and the dumb fucks never come up the ladder. In fact, they’re so outta shape, they don’t like to climb on much of anything that’s higher than they are.” Jimmy turned to face Tony. “There’s all kinds of places you can get up on, to escape them, and they won’t come up to get you. Hell”, he laughed, “You can even assault them with Weapons, if you have any, even knock them out and run. Those stupid Prefects over at the School are the same way. I used to do it all the time.”
“Wow”, Tony said. "Learn something new about this place nearly every day. So…How long do we have to stay here ?” he asked.
“Till it gets dark, the heat will die down”, Jimmy answered. “Then we can sneak off.”
“Dark ??” Constantinos moaned. “Noooo…I’m cold already !”
“Suck it up, Pussy….Be a man. Boy, you ain’t changed a bit, have you ?”, Jimmy remarked.
“I got a place to hide you out for awhile”, Tony interrupted.
“Yeah ? Where’s that ?”, inquired Jimmy.
“The In And Out Motel”, said Tony.
“That old dump ? Shit, it’s all closed up !”, exclaimed Jimmy.
“Not any more”, Tony answered. “They refurbished it and re-opened it last fall.”
“I’ll be dammed”, Jimmy whistled. ‘You know, I saw this old movie once…’Hide In Plain Sight’….Guess it’ll be just like that. I’ll have to change my appearance, though.”
“We’ll help you with that, don’t worry. Long as you can help us out at the School later ?”, said Tony, questioning.
“You help me, I help you…Is that it ?”, asked Jimmy.
“Yep”, Tony answered. “We got a deal ?”
“Deal”, Jimmy grinned.
The two boys began talking, trading on their experiences and problems at Bullworth, to pass the time. Constantinos mostly laid there, teeth chattering, waiting on the long hours until dark.
_________________________________________________
-
The time on Tony's watch was 9:00 P.M. and the sounds of the sirens faded as the police cars went off to search The Vale for a while.
"Now's our chance", said Jimmy. The three began to quietly climb down the ladder and make their way down behind the Police Station and the South over to an alley that ran behind a row of shops.
"Wait!", exclaimed Constantinos, "We need to cover our tracks somehow."
He was right, with all of the new snow they couldn't afford to leave footprints leading from the police station to the Motel, it would be too obvious. Especially when considering that the three boys were some of the only people to walk the streets today.
"Here Tony, we could use this !", Constantinos said as he pointed to the lid of a trash can.
"What the fuck do you plan on doing with that !?", questioned Jimmy.
"We could use it as a sled !", exclaimed Constantinos. Tony thought for a moment, but found Constantinos' idea to be perfect.
The three boys huddled together on the lid of the can and slid down the ramp in back of the old Theater until they reached the Parking Lot of the Motel.
"Well, here we are", said Tony.
"I'll go in and rent a room", said Constantinos. “Wait here.”
"I could get used to this", remarked Jimmy as Constantinos returned with a room key and they walked into his temporary new home.
___________________________________________________________
-
The Phone was ringing in the School Office. Miss Danvers, naked except for her high heels and draped in a blanket, emerged from the Principal's Office, and scooped it up. Listening for a moment, she said, "Of course, Sir, I'll put you through right away."
Inside the Principal's office, the Good Doctor Crabblesnitch was standing near a Space Heater gazing out the window. Though there were two Heaters running full out, there was still a heavy chill in the air. Melting the Weapons in the Furnace had seemed to be an excellent idea at the time (even though there hadn't been time to take a more rational course), but an unforeseen result had been to plug up the gas jets with molten metal, witch when cooled somewhat, hardened and clogged up the entire works. Ergo, no Furnace and no heat. And nobody to fix such a thing on Christmas Day, nor for the next week, it seemed....Mr. Luntz had left for his vacation right before the blizzard for parts unknown, and wouldn't be back until after New Years.
What a Clusterfuck this year had turned out to be, The Good Doctor was thinking. Last year, it was that maniac Gary Smith gumming up the works, and so far this school year, there had been those bombings, and now a boy had gotten shot on School grounds and nearly killed. He still might die. And one of the good ones, too, not even the one of the Riff-Raff that seemed so prevalent at his school now. A public-relations nightmare if any of this ever got out to the outside world. So far, all of it had been contained, but......
Miss Danvers poked her head back in the doors. "Doctor, You've got a call from Mr. Harrington."
"Put it through, Dear, and give me some privacy ?", Crabblesnich replied.
Miss Danvers wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and disappeared, and then the phone line buzzed. Crabblesnich sighed and picked up the phone. "Dr. Crabblesnitch here."
"Crabblesnitch !!! Just What Kind Of MAD COW Operation Are You Running Over There ?? The Bombings And Now This ?? Are You TRYING To Fuck That School Up, Or Are You Just A Total Incompetent IDIOT ?? I'm SICK Of Having To Clean Up Your Messes !!! You Best Get Your Shit Together, Old Man, Or You'll Be Out On Your ASS !!! I Don't Care What Kind Of Connections You Think You Might Have, Your Career Will Be Over, You Will Be Ruined !! When We're Done With You, You Won't Be able To Get A Job Teaching Drunks In An Alcohol Class !!!!!"
With a loud click, the line went dead.
_____________________________________________
-
What a Christmas this has turned out to be, he thought, back in the Mansion. I should have stayed in New York.
He didn't have time to dwell on the matter, however, as the phone rang. The caller I.D. identified it as Chief of Police Carcer.
"Yes", he answered, "What is it ?"
"Hopkins has Escaped !!!", Chief Carcer said urgently.
"WHAT ? How in HELL did that happen ? You Morons are supposed to watch him when he's in your custody !!", he said angrily.
"We...Uh....Think he must have had some help breaking out....Somebody may have snuck into the Station, and.....", the Chief began.
"And What ? Just waltzed back into the Cellblock and turned him loose right under your noses ? What kind of Imbecile Officers have you got working for you anyway ? Or are you just an Idiot yourself ?", he ranted.
"Hey, remember who you're talking to....", Chief Carcer began.
"Listen, you Fuck, it's your job to clean up this mess. That's what you get paid for. Don't write up any arrest reports either. Keep this on the Q.T. and not a word to anybody else, understood ? I want Hopkins back in a cell, chained and manacled, and this time you better not screw up, or it's going to be YOUR PIG ASS on the platter, GET IT ?", he screamed.
Mr. Harrington slammed the phone down and began to curse.
___________________________________________________________
-
Through the blinds of his room on the South arm of the In And Out Motel, Jake watched the three boys enter a room directly opposite him on the North arm of the Motel. Two of the boys he recognized right away.....That cheating, stealing fuck Tony, and his little pussy sidekick, Constantinos. The third boy he didn't know, but he looked like a Townie of some sort. Jake squinted. It appeared that the boy was wearing an orange jail uniform, and had to be very cold with his bald head and no coat. He also noticed that the boy seemed to have been more or less hiding until quickly entering the room while Tony and Constantinos seemed to be casting watchful glances all around before also entering the room.
Jake moved back from the window, brooding in thought. What were those shits up to ?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tony told Constantinos to stand guard at the window, which he was more than happy to do, the Heater being right under the window where he could warm up from his long ordeal on the roof. He felt like he was absolutely frozen. Tony began to tell Jimmy of what had happened at Bullworth since his arrival just four months ago....The bombings, the attacks, his talks with Pete, the Great Clique War, and all about Jake, as much as he knew about before his disappearance.
"This Jake sounds like a real bad seed", Jimmy remarked. "Just like Gary."
Tony had heard the stories about Gary Smith. "Yeah, same psychotic bullshit...Take over the School, control the Cliques....."
"Seems like this Jake isn't that smart", said Jimmy, "Seeing as how he tried to run you over in front of witnesses."
"He lets his anger get the better of his judgment, that's for sure", Tony reflected. "Still......" He shook his head. "Tell me about what happened to you last Summer....I've heard stories....You didn't......" Tony hesitated.
"Kill anyone ?", smiled Jimmy wirily. "No....I'm a tough asshole, but I ain't no killer. Gary Smith and Edgar Munsen were both killed by the same guy, all right....But, it wasn't me. It was...A guy I never seen before last summer....."
Jimmy began to tell the story of how a new person had appeared among the Townies in Blue Skies about mid-summer. He was big, strong and tough. Somehow, he met Gary over there...Gary had Fled to Blue Skies soon after being expelled from Bullworth. And Gary was seeking revenge. He befriended the new guy just the way he had Jimmy.....But his plan was to have the new guy take over the Townies so he could control them from behind the scenes, and thereby have them attack the School. Soon enough, with threats and intimidation, Gary had the new guy bully a majority of the other Townies over to his side and was attempting to take over the entire group.
Jimmy had been over in Blue Skies then, mostly staying with Zoe, his main girl that Summer. When he had heard of a battle brewing, he had gone to see Edgar, and offered to stand with him, as Edgar had helped him save the school from Gary. Jimmy hadn't known that Gary was involved in sparking the battle, since Gary was a master of staying out of sight and only popping up where one least expected him. And there is where Jimmy suddenly saw him then, his gloating face close behind the big guy (Bigger than Russell ), as he was boxed into a corner with Edgar inside in the shadows of the Chem Plant, Gary's insane laughter urging the big guy on......
FINISH THEM OFF !!! Gary was screaming, FINISH THOSE COCKSUCKERS OFF !!!
But something had gone horribly wrong then, very wrong for Gary. He had grossly underestimated the big guy, perhaps thought him to be a dumb twit like he thought of everyone. Gary always thought he was smartest of the bunch, smarter than anyone. But this time, he had gone too far. With an ugly smirk on his face, the big guy had turned towards Gary, then suddenly reached down and grabbed a surprised Gary by his ankles and hoisted him up like a sack of feathers. Swinging Gary like a Baseball Bat, he had used him like a Weapon, attacking Jimmy and Edgar. Jimmy's reflexes were quick and he managed to duck, but Edgar wasn't as lucky. A swinging Gary's head connected with Edgar's skull with a huge crack, blood and matter spewing off the point of contact like globs of sweat off of a punched boxer. Then the big guy had hoisted the now-limp Gary up over his head, and slammed the body at full force into Jimmy, knocking him out.
Jimmy had come to in a jail cell, charged with Accessory To Murder.
Tony had listened to Jimmy's story in silence. He now asked, although he was pretty sure he knew........"What was that big guy's name ? Do you know ?"
"I never knew his real name", Jimmy said, "But Zoe told me that everybody called him....Big Darrell."
__________________________________________________________
-
Come the morning light, Jake was up and busy with new plans. The first on the top of the list was a new Identity. This wasn't going to be a problem, since while he was at the Carnival, he had learned how to dummy up passable fake I.D.s. He searched in his bag, and pulled a number of them out from a secret concealed pouch. Flipping through them, he selected one that he especially liked....The names of two characters from his favorite video game that he used to play, before coming to this Hellhole.
The name on this card read "Leo Cash". It would be perfect for what he now had to do.....Go to the Bank and rent a safety-deposit box. He could alter his appearance later, with a new hair style, and coloring. He had enough money on hand to last for quite a while, and he intended to rent a place in the area, but for now he needed a spot to stash all his goods.....And what better place than right under their noses ?
Jake watched through the blinds as Constantinos left the room on the other side of the motel. Where was that little fuck going now ? Probably on some errand for his Master, that thieving jackwipe Tony. Then a revelation hit him.
Jake let out a soft laugh. He understood now that he had been going about things in the wrong way. His plans had failed because there was still unity in the Cliques. That trust needed to be destroyed.
He had tried the Enemy Without....Now it was time for the Enemy Within.
_________________________________________________________
-
After Constantinos had left to bring back a change of clothing for Jimmy, the boys continued their talk from last night. Tony related to Jimmy what he knew of the assault on Zoe, and as he did, Jimmy's face first showed shock, and then anger.
"Who the HELL did this to her ?", he asked, hotly. "I'll tear that asshole apart !!"
"From what little I could find out from Trent, it was that Big Darrell fuck and some of the Townies", Tony answered.
"Trent ?? What's that queer shit got to do with it ?", questioned Jimmy.
"He helped save Zoe, from what I've heard, along with the Bullies, the Jocks, and a new group known as the Rockers", Tony went on. "She got assaulted, sure, but she could've gotten killed by them, probably would have, if all those guys hadn't helped. And, Jimmy....You oughtta know...Trent and Zoe are together now...."
"WHAT ?? You gotta be shitting me !!", Jimmy exclaimed in amazement. "Trent....And Zoe ??"
"Yeah", Tony said. "Everyone thinks it's kinda weird. I gotta feeling that something happened, something that brought them together...Some secret shared...."
"Whatta mean ?", Jimmy asked. "What kinda secret ?"
"About a week after the assault, Big Darrell disappeared. Trent clammed up when he got to that part of the story, even though to get what I got from him, I practically had to beat it outta him", Tony reflected. "Seems like nobody's talking, nobody knows nothing.....But Trent knows, I'm sure of it....And Zoe knows too."
"Whoa", Jimmy shook his head, laying back on the chair to take it all in. After a while, he asked Tony to tell him more about Pete. Tony detailed his relationship with Pete, from meeting him through his final stand in the back lot of the School on Christmas Eve night. Jimmy had been stunned to learn of Pete's serious, near-fatal injury, and now he had some farther questions.
"Where did Pete get a Magnum ?", was Jimmy's first one. "The Harringtons and The Spencers don't allow guns here. Even the Cops aren't allowed to carry them."
"I think Pete lifted it from Crabblesnich's office, maybe sometime earlier. Maybe as Insurance, I don't know.....Pete knew a lot of things that maybe he shouldn't have." When Jimmy looked at him quizzically, Tony added, "I know all about the Files, Jimmy....And about that special File, too. The one you gave Pete for safekeeping, told him to get rid of. Pete told me he buried it someplace, away from the School."
"He did, Huh ?", Jimmy seemed to consider for a moment. "So...Seems Pete had confidence in you....Trusted you, Huh ?"
"I sorta helped him out of a bad scrape", Tony replied, and proceeded to tell Jimmy of the Bogus charges leveled against Pete that he was a pervert, and how he had found out the truth.
"This Jake again", Jimmy said, amused. "Seems to be good at this sort of thing, setting people up. It's funny though....Everybody knows Pete's a straight arrow. It's Burton who's the big pervert at that School. That fuck once paid me to go swipe some panties from the Girl's Dorm for him." Jimmy caught Tony giving him a funny look. "Hey, it was good money ! I don't give a shit what that old perv does to get his rocks off.....I just did it for the cash !"
Tony laughed and shook his head. "I can't talk....I done some strange things for money since I been at this School, too. Kinda hard not to, if you wanna survive."
"Got that right", Jimmy said. "This is the weirdest School I ever went to, alright."
Tony checked the cheap clock on the bedside table. "Constantinous oughtta be back soon. We'll get you outfitted, and decide what our next move is gonna be."
"I'm not staying here", Jimmy announced. "I gotta place to hide out at. Much safer than this."
Tony looked at him in surprise. "What, some kind of secret place ?"
Jimmy laughed. "You might say that. I found it accidentally last summer. Got to poke around every inch of this crazy place, so I thought....But if it hadn't been for banging into a wall, I woulda never found it at all."
Jimmy could see Tony had a lot of questions. He waved a hand. "From what you told me, Pete put a lotta trust in you. Anybody Pete can vouch for is good enough for me. I'll take you to it, but only you....Nobody else can know, understand ? Guess I'm staying, help you work things out...A deal's a deal. I might as well be comfortable while I'm doing it."
"Where is this place ?" Tony asked.
"Well....You might say, it's in the Mountains", Jimmy laughed. "Like, really IN the Mountains."
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The last of the Rockers finally had returned to the Hattrick House, having just been released from the Clinic. The most injured had been Tibo, whom Jake had run down in the street on his way back to the Carnival. Tibo had a lot of scrapes and bruises, but had suffered no broken bones. After carrying the other two boys to the Clinic who had been hit in the School Parking Lot, Kurt and the remaining Rockers had found Tibo laying injured in the snow and had likewise gotten him to the Clinic. Now, they were all gathered in the living room. Kurt was still furious at the loss of the Air Rifle, which hadn't been found anywhere in the snow around where Tibo had been hit, although the boys had spent the better part of Christmas Day looking for it.
"Somebody had to take it, we couldn't find it anywhere", Benny was saying.
"Yeah, we looked all over", Bonz said. "Poked around in every snowdrift nearby. Nothing."
Kurt Swore. "Godamm It !! Just what coulda happened to it ?" He looked over at Tibo.
"I donno, man...I got bushwacked....I didn't even wake up till this morning", Tibo mumbled.
"It hadda be that Adams fuck", Kurt raged. "He was the one driving that Go-Kart. I seen Him !! That shit ran you down, and stole that rifle !" He hopped up and paced the room.
"Uh...Whatchoo gonna do, Boss ?", Benny ventured.
Kurt stopped pacing. "We're gonna pay the 'Ace-Man' a little visit." He looked over at Jero and Grungey. "You boys well enough for a little excursion to the Carnival ?"
The two boys, who had been only slightly injured by the swerving Go-Kart in the School Parking Lot, nodded at once.
"OK, then....Let's ROCK !!", Kurt ordered.
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When Constantinos returned with the clothing for Jimmy, Jake was long gone, out on his errand to rent a large Safety-Deposit Box at the Bank, which was ironically across the street from the Dragon's Wing Comic Store where he had began his reign of terror. Jake was disguised in his Incognito outfit, complete with hat, and nobody on this cold, windy day took any notice of him.
Using his fake I.D. in the name of Leo Cash, Jake was able to secure a Safety-Deposit Box with no trouble. Left alone in the vault after the unlocking of the box, Jake dumped $6,000 in cash into the box, closed and locked it, then replaced it into it's slot in the wall. He took note of the box number, #1477, and then left the Bank. His next destination was the Newspaper Stand in Bullworth Vale. There he would buy a paper and look up 'Houses For Rent' in the Classified Section. He needed a new base of operations.
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Tony cautioned Constantinos not to talk to anyone of what they had done, and then released him to return to school, telling him to keep his ears open and he would talk to him later. He was especially concerned about Pete and also wanted to know about what had become of Algie, who had been unmasked as the one behind the attacks on the Cliques. Constantinos promised to find out what he could, and then left the Motel.
After Jimmy changed clothes, the two boys left the Motel. Jimmy had had Tony pack up everything, including the discarded Jail uniform, into his backpack. Leaving the key in the room, they left the door unlocked. They wouldn't have need of the room anymore, and Jimmy had made sure that everything was wiped clean of prints. Jimmy had learned quite a few things in Prison, it seemed.
Jimmy led the way towards the street. But to Tony's surprise, they doubled back around on a pathway behind the Motel, and continued East, under the railway bridge. Right afterwards, Jimmy pointed the way to another pathway that angled upwards.
"Ever been up on the Railroad Tracks ?", Jimmy asked.
"Er, No, I haven't", Tony confessed. "With all that's gone on here the past few months, I just ain't had time for exploring."
"Come on, then....This will take us to where we're going without being seen." The boys fought through the waist-high drifts upwards until they emerged at the top of the rise. Ahead of them was a few Rail Cars parked in front of what seemed to be a large Tunnel-like structure that went into a small Mountain. There were large doors secured across the Tunnel entrance.
"Where does that go ?", asked Tony, pointing towards the closed doors.
"Out of Town, I guess", replied Jimmy, "Although I've never seen those doors open. They have to open somehow, otherwise they couldn't move these Rail Cars in and out of here. I think they stay closed for a reason, and that reason is named Harrington. Com'on, this way...."
Turning 180 degrees to the South, Jimmy led Tony onto the single track over the bridge that spanned the River. After that, multiple rails split from the main track, continuing as far as Tony could see. Tony soon realized that this was an Elevated Switching Yard, and a long one at that.
"It's a long walk, but we won't be seen here. It's all automated, and I never seen anybody up here", Jimmy remarked as they set off. The walking was easy, as the wind had cleared virtually all the snow off the tracks. The cold wind was magnified by the long, empty length of the tracks, and the boys had to draw their coats tight about themselves. It was a good thing that Constantinos had included heavy Longshoreman sock hats in the clothing he brought over, otherwise the boys ran a real risk of frostbitten ears.
After what Tony estimated was at least a half-mile walk, he could see a giant-looking building in the distance, where all the tracks ran to. That, Jimmy told him, was a 'Roundhouse', but with a special function....It was also a large elevator, where Rail Cars and even Engines could be moved down to street level and back. It mostly served the Chem Plant, Gloop Oil, and the few other scattered industries at the South end of Blue Skies. Tony assumed that was their destination, but Jimmy suddenly headed to the right towards an older spur line that appeared to cross still another branch of the River.
The spur line curved away from the main tracks on what looked like an old rickety wooden bridge. Though it seemed solid enough, Tony had real doubts as to whether it could hold the weight of a Rail Car, let alone a Train Engine. Upon reaching land at the other end, however, the bridge ended and abruptly dropped away to nothing. Both boys carefully jumped down off the bridge about 10 feet to the ground. Tony looked around. Ahead and slightly curving to his left was the opening to a huge cavern, at least 50 feet across and 80 feet high. The cavern seemed to extend about 500 feet, Tony noticed, before emerging into the pale winter sky once more.
"There was a lot of mining around here, about a century ago", Jimmy spoke loudly over the wind. "These tracks used to go all the way around, behind the School and to the other side. Here, I wanna show you something." Jimmy led Tony about 25 feet North to what appeared to be a Walking Bridge, set close to the water. "This goes over to Blue Skies", he said. "As you can see, it's wide enough for a Go-Kart to go through." Here Jimmy laughed. "If you're trying to get away from anybody, that is....It's a hell of a ride !"
Jimmy turned and led Tony towards the large cavern-like opening. To their right, he noticed a small Tunnel.
"That goes over to the Nerd's area, next to the School", Jimmy said.
"Whoa !", Tony exclaimed. "I think I was in that Tunnel, hiding the clothes stash ! I just never went to the end....Somebody had it boarded up."
"Yeah...They do that from time to time....Well, here we are", Jimmy indicated another Tunnel entrance, which was a bit farther up on the left. "You still got that flashlight ?"
Tony dropped his backpack and dug around, finding the small flashlight and handing it to Jimmy. Together, the two boys entered the dark Tunnel.
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Moving down the long Tunnel, Jimmy switched on the light. Playing the beam along the southern wall, they both traveled about a hundred feet. Tony could see a square of light a ways up ahead, the exit, he assumed. Suddenly, Jimmy stopped and knelt down. "Here."
At first Tony didn't see anything. Then he saw Jimmy pushing on a fist-sized rock sticking out a little ways about a foot off the floor. "Crap...Must be frozen", Jimmy said, uttering a curse. Sitting down on his ass and bracing himself against the opposite wall, he gave the rock a couple of hard kicks. As he pulled back his leg for a third kick, a low 'CLINK' was heard. Jimmy got to his feet, and before Tony's amazed eyes, pushed open a cleverly camouflaged secret door. The opening revealed was small, only 4 feet high by 2 feet wide, and as Jimmy shined the light inside, Tony could see a long corridor snaking away into the darkness.
Jimmy motioned Tony to follow, and the boys bent down and went through the hole. Jimmy turned and indicated that Tony should close the fake door, and when he did, Jimmy shone the light on the back and showed Tony the release mechanism on the back side. Then, they walked forward, hunched over, for a distance Tony estimated at about 60 feet. All at once, Jimmy stood up, and Tony found he could as well.
The flashlight revealed a large chamber. Jimmy shined the light around, and found a small Lantern on an old, sturdy-looking table. He asked Tony for his lighter, and lit up the Lamp, which soon burned brightly. Jimmy hung the Lantern up on a nearby hook, and said, "Welcome to Casa Jimmy."
Tony gazed around the cavern. Besides the table with two chairs, it was furnished with a full-sized bed and a Wardrobe-sized cabinet. There was a large Woodstove with a metal chimney rising up through the ceiling at the far end of the cavern, with stacked cordwood nearby. Near that was an open cabinet stocked with canned food. By the spot where they had entered the cavern were two drums marked 'Kerosene', presumably for the Lantern. Against the wall nearby was a large metal bin, secured with chains and a combination lock. Tony could also hear the sound of water trickling, and looking down along the left wall, saw a small running underground creek.
Tony glanced at Jimmy, amazed. "How did you ever find this place ? This is like, Super-Cool !!"
Jimmy laughed, and motioned Tony to a seat at the table. Jimmy sat down as well. "I was running the Go-Kart through the Tunnel one day, and it always bangs the walls, 'cause it just barely fits. Well, it banged into that rock that controls the release latch, and the door sprung open, and I found this place !"
"Wow, this is like, the ultimate hideout !", Tony exclaimed. "A guy could hide out here...Well, like, forever if he had to. Who made this place ?"
"I think the cavern is natural....When the miners dug these tunnels, they must've ran into it. They mined Granite in this valley, you know."
"How would you know that ?", quizzed Tony, still looking around.
"There's nothing to do in Statesville", Jimmy sighed, referring to the State Prison where he had been held on and off for the past 6 months, with brief exceptions of being transported to the Bullworth Jail for Legal Hearings contesting his case. "So...I started reading outta the Prison Library. Wasn't much there, but there was a history of this place....'The New Coventry Valley'....Nowdays, it's called the Vale Valley. About a century ago, there was a big mining concern, harvesting Granite....Most of it was used to make Tombstones."
"What's in the big box over there ?", asked Tony, pointing at the large metal bin.
Jimmy hopped up and went over to the bin. Running the combination, he undid the lock and the chains, and opened the bin. Tony came over and looked in the bin. Inside was every weapon that Tony was familiar with from Bullworth....Slingshots, Bottle Rocket Launchers, Spud Guns, M-80 Firecrackers, Stink Bombs.....And something he had never seen before. "What is that ?", he asked, pointing.
Jimmy plucked a Soccer-ball sized object from the bin. "This, my friend, is a Rubber-Band Ball", he said. "Made from many rubberbands of a particular type, picked up around in various places all through these fine Towns. Stretched tightly around in this ball, their tension make this a formidable weapon. You can knock people down with this, but it's best use is inside a building, for it will bounce off nearly any surface with a force equal to that of the old-time Super-Balls."
Tony took the ball from Jimmy and gave it a bounce on the cavern floor. It rebounded with such force that it smacked Tony in the face, knocking him on his ass. Jimmy quickly grabbed the ball on the rebound, and stood there laughing at Tony laid out on the floor. Tony rolled up on his elbow, holding a hand to his bleeding nose. After a while, he began to laugh with Jimmy.
"That thing's got some kick, now !", said Tony, wiping his nose.
"Told you", said Jimmy, putting the Rubberband Ball back in the bin. He reached out and pulled Tony upright. "It's damn cold in here...I'd better heat this place up."
Jimmy went to the Woodstove and began piling wood into it, then tore up some papers and stuffed them in underneath. "Lemme see your lighter again."
Tony handed over his lighter, and Jimmy lit the paper on fire. Soon enough, the dry wood caught, and in no time the fire was burning warmly.
The boys sat back down at the table. Tony had still more questions.
"Where's that Tunnel go to ?", Tony asked.
"Comes out at Happy Volts Asylum", Jimmy replied. "The Nuthouse. I busted a couple of people outta there....One was a teacher, Mr. Galloway."
"No Shit ?", Tony said. "The English Teacher ? What was he there for ?"
"He's a drunk. Went there to get dried out. Miz Phillips had me get him out." Jimmy mulled a bit over that. "Don't know what she sees in that alkie, anyway. Good pussy going to waste there." He was silent a bit, then..."That's probably where they'll take our little fat friend Algie."
"But....He's a Juvie", Tony said. Won't they just send him home ?"
"That's not the way things work around here", Jimmy said. "The Harringtons and Spencers would never allow that. If they don't keep him in the can, they'll ship him to the nuthouse. If he went off whacked the way you told me, that's what'll happen."
The boys sat in silence for a few minutes, staring at the fire in the wood stove.
"Won't somebody see the smoke from that ?", Tony asked.
"There's only one place it can be seen from, and you have to really look to notice it", Jimmy said. "Checked it out last summer. Even so, it just looks like it comes outta the top of the mountain."
"Huh...Somebody went to a lotta trouble to fix this place up", Tony said.
"I think it was a Nerd named Piff, about 30 years ago", Jimmy said. "Dragged all this stuff in here, fixed up the fake door, all that. I found some old papers here with that name on them when I discovered the place."
"Piff ?? Piff The Skull ?" It was Tony's turn to be shocked.
"Yeah, that's him....I don't know his real name....But he was some kind of Super-Nerd...Legend has it he was the one who seeded all those G&G cards all over that those weenies love so much. He's some kind of hero those piss-pants idolize....Funny thing is, he took that name from a Comic Book. I seen it over at the Dragon's Wing." Here Jimmy laughed. Tony just stared at him. Finally Jimmy stopped laughing. "What ?", he said.
"That's the name Algie used while he was doing the attacks on the Cliques", Tony revealed.
"The Hell you say !" At this, Jimmy burst out laughing once more. "Seems the Nerd never strays far from the Herd." His laughter slowly dribbled away. "Kind of hard imagining pee-stain carrying that whole thing off."
"Them little pussys are smart", Tony observed.
"That they are", Jimmy agreed.
Tony rose to leave. "I gotta go. I'll be stopping by to see you, once I can get things worked out....The plans, you know. We gotta figure out a way to unite the Cliques. Pete was right....We'll never get anywhere as long as everyone is fighting themselves."
Jimmy sat looking up at Tony. "I want to bring down the real criminals. The asshole pricks responsible for all this....Those Harringtons and Spencers and all their lackey friends."
"That's a tall order, Jimmy", Tony said.
"That may be....But I'll never be really free until they pay for what they done", Jimmy said, slowly. "Pete and I knew too much, and look what's happened. Soon enough...." Here Jimmy paused....."They'll be coming after you."
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Traveling from the Hattrick House and through the downtown car tunnel, the Rockers found themselves standing before the Gates of the Carnival.
"Uh...They're all locked up, Boss", Bonz said, rattling all four Entrance Gates.
"I can see that, Idiot", snapped Kurt. "Let's climb over. Tibo, you stand guard."
One by one, the boys boosted themselves over the Gates. When everyone was over, they stood in a group and cased the Midway, which was deserted. A cold wind was blowing, and made an eerie sound, even though it was broad daylight.
"Jero, Bonz, Grungey....Check out the Rides and Booths. See if anybody's around. Benny, you're with me", Kurt said in a low voice. "Keep your asses out of sight."
While the trio of boys headed up the Midway towards the Rides, Kurt went straight to the Souvenir Tent, with Benny following. Going around to the entrance, they found the door open and the curtain pulled back, letting the cold wind blow inside. With the exception of the four Arcade Game machines on the platform to the right and the counter straight in front of them, the place was empty.
Kurt hopped over the counter. Behind was evidence of a hurried exit....Drawers pulled out, cabinet doors pulled open to revel empty shelves, empty crates overturned. Kurt swore.
"Flew the coop, Boss", Benny said.
"Looks that way....Dammit all to Hell", Kurt said as he kept looking around. In the dim light, he spotted something on the floor. He reached down and picked it up. It was an I.D. card in the name of Ace Adams.
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The group had re-gathered at the Front Gates. The others had reported the Carnival completely empty of people, save for the Freakshow inhabitants, who mostly lived in their own little cubicles over in the Freakshow Exhibit. Kurt found it strange that there weren't even any guard dogs around.
"Take it you didn't find anything", Tibo said mildly.
"Not a damn thing...He's gone, and all the Weapons and everything else is gone", Kurt replied.
"So...Guess he got away, just vanished like a wisp on the wind", Tibo said.
"He's out there somewhere", Kurt said, fingering the I.D. card, "And I'm gonna find out where."
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Over the course of the next few days, several things happened......
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In the dark windswept night, on the Bullworth Town Square, a Medical Helicopter landed. Across the street at the Clinic, a still-unconscious Pete was brought out on a stretcher and wheeled to the waiting Helicopter, where he was loaded in. The whole operation was quick, taking just a couple of minutes, then the Helicopter lifted off. At that instant, a transport from the Police Station came to a stop in front of the Clinic, and a shackled Algie was led out and placed in it for transportation to the Happy Volts Asylum. Within a few minutes, the area was deserted once more, with only the snowdrifts to bear witness.
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xzoyMFOoEFE/TlhoZ4pJ_aI/AAAAAAAANOA/fkH_B2zH3GE/s1600/%25210_0000_MORGUE_Helicopters-Medical_LifeNet.jpg)
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Jake succeeded in renting a house near the Happy Endings Retirement Home, paying six months in advance. Like many old money houses in this section of the Vale, this one had a wall around the property and a Front Gate. It also had a rather large Garage, unlike many of the other homes. Just perfect for what Jake had in mind. It had cost Jake plenty, but he needed a secure base of operations from which to carry out his latest plans. With that done, Jake had retrieved the Go-Kart he had hidden, and moved his stash of clothing and weapons from the In and Out Motel, and locked them securely in the Garage, along with the stolen Go-Cart. He would have use for all of these things in the very near future.
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Jimmy remained in the hidden Cave by day, going out only at night. As soon as possible, he was going to have his appearance altered, but in the meantime, he could disguise his nighttime ramblings due to the huge amount of clothing outfits he had stored in the wardrobe at the Cave. He had moved the bulk of his belongings to the hidden cave shortly after he had discovered it last Summer. And he had plenty of clothing items, more than 300. As soon as Tony had left, Jimmy had opened the Cabinet and had cleared out all of the clothes piled on the bottom. Jimmy felt under Wardrobe Cabinet until his fingers found the hidden switch, and pressed it. There was a small click as a panel in the Wardrobe floor released and slid back, revealing a secret compartment. Inside, still safe, Jimmy saw, was over $13,000 in cash.
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Tony had been summoned to Crabblesnitch's Office and had been officially awarded the Mediator job. Crabblesnitch had revealed that Pete's injury was indeed very serious, and that he wouldn't be returning to Bullworth anytime soon. Tony's protection from the Prefects would now continue, Crabblesnitch said, as long as there was positive progress towards keeping the violence at the School under control. But step too far out of line, he warned, and Tony would be treated just as any other Student would, with punishment. With a wave and the usual "That is all", Tony was dismissed from the office. Afterwards, he went down through the empty School to the small Office that used to be Pete's, but was now his. As he sat in the chair, Tony reflected as to how he wasn't sure that he was up to all this, as he felt the weight of responsibility settle on him....Not only for the welfare of the School, but for the safety of his friends as well. And for Karen, especially Karen above all.
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There was heated discussion in the Cliques about what they would do once School started back up after the Holidays. Ironically, in the wake of Algie's betrayal and the events of Christmas Eve night, the Nerds were now the best-armed Clique in the school, owing to their many stashes of Weapons hidden away at the Observatory and the Dragon's Wing basement. Never used to being top dogs in the School, the Nerds were in disagreement as to how to take advantage of their new found status, with some wanting to extract revenge for past wrongs, and others urging caution. Similarly, there was dissension in the other Cliques, with some wanting to settle old scores and others wanting to make alliances to strengthen their positions. Nothing was decided, and the animosity seemed to run the highest amongst the supposedly better-educated Preps, where it seemed that the disagreements would come to blows, or at the very least, a showdown in the ring at the Prep's private Boxing Gym.
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Tony and Karen attended a rather subdued New Year's Eve party at the Jock's Clubhouse, along with Damon and Gloria, who was in full-gab mode. Mandy was there too, dateless as usual, drinking Vodka Shots, her claim to being the most popular girl at Bullworth now just a long-distant memory. As the party disintegrated into a drunken pit, with Jocks stumbling around, slurring their words and falling over, Tony and Karen left seeking a more private place. They wound up in Tony's room at the Boy's Dorm, where a tipsy Karen became the aggressor, pushing Tony down on the bed and attacking him with gusto. After an exhausting mind-blowing encounter, Karen quickly fell asleep. As he cuddled with Karen breathing heavily beside him, Tony could hear the bells ringing in the distance, signifying the midnight hour had arrived, and the uncertain New Year had begun.
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Mr. Luntz was cussing up a storm as he attempted to heat up the metal clogging the Furnace jets with the blowtorch. It was hot, dirty, smelly work, and downright dangerous as well. They might as well have stuck a large spit up his ass and roasted him, because that's just what it felt like in this enclosed space. What a completely jackass thing to do. Even a total turdknocker like Crabblesnitch should have known better than to melt down Weapons in the School Furnace.
"Yes, Doctor Crabblesnitch, No, Doctor Crabblesnitch, EAT SHIT AND DIE, DOCTOR CRABBLESNICTH", he muttered as he worked. He hated this place, hated Crabblesnitch, hated the little pig-ass brats he had to constantly clean up after. One of the little fuckers had actually snuck into the Basement last fall and bushwhacked him from behind. Ungrateful little shits ! He would deal with them one day, all of them, and they would rue the day they had ever fucked with him.
Mr. Luntz had just gotten back to the School the previous evening, only to be summoned to Crabblesnicth's Office and told to fix this mess, before he had even gotten the chance to get unpacked. The good Doctor had not even offered an apology for loading this bit of extra work on him, only orders and his dismissive "That Is All". Not even treated like a human being, just a servant to be ordered around at will. Well, that was going to change soon enough, he thought, just as soon as he was safe. He would take them all down before he disappeared, and they would never know what had hit them.
He had come to this shitty School, this shitty Town, because it was about the last place where certain people would have expect him to have gone. The last place where anyone would be looking for him. Luntz wasn't even his real name. He had come here years ago....How many years ?.....Hard to remember now, but his time of hiding out had nearly come to an end. His Holiday vacation to the Big Apple hadn't been a vacation at all in any real sense, for Mr. Luntz had no real family to see in the normal meaning of the word. Instead, he had spent most of the time in a fleabag Hotel on the Lower East Side, in order to meet up with Michael "Big Mike" Tortelli, who told him of the plans for the organization to re-take power in the naked city. The attack was to be launched on St. Valentine's Day, Big Mike told him, and it would probably take about 3 months to completely rub out those currently in control. At that time, Luntz could return to his old life in relative safety.
But before he left, Mr. Luntz planned to tie up a few loose ends here at Bullworth. He knew enough about the corruption here....After all, it had been his occupation before he had been forced to lay low at this shitty place.....And, more importantly, knew how Harrington and Spencer, who controlled everyone in this place, from the Cops to Crabblesnitch, could be brought down. Mr. Luntz chuckled despite the hot, sweaty job he was doing. They would all be in for a surprise, and that right soon. He would see to it personally.
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Just before the first day of School back from the Christmas break, a new boy was dropped off in front of the School. His name was Nick Penty, and had he arrived at the town of Bullworth right before Christmas with his single mother and therefore he had to be enrolled into Bullworth Academy. He was a medium-sized short black-haired handsome 15-year-old boy. Although something of a rabble rouser, he was muscular, well built, athletic and strong. He was also skilled in fighting sports, having reached Black Belt in Karate. He was a very good pugilist as well.
He waited around for the better part of the morning, smoking ciggys and goofing off, as he had been told somebody would be out to escort him into the School. When no one showed up and he started to get really cold, he decided to go in on his own.
He was met at the gate by a Prefect, who yelled at him to state his business. Nick stood square and, without flinching, shot back that he was supposed to be going to this shitty School. The Prefect, somewhat unnerved that he failed to cower the boy, told him to go to the School Office straight ahead and get registered. Nick walked towards the School without another word, leaving the Prefect shaking his head over another kid who would be defying authority.
Nick came to the steps of the School, but instead of going in, decided to take a look around first. Hanging a left, Nick took the East path around the School building, checking things out. Passing under an arch, a ways off and to his left, up some steps and through another arch, he noticed a large building, with some odd looking kids hanging about. Walking and still looking off to his left, he collided with something…A big something.
“Hey !!! Why don’cha watch where you’re going ?”, he heard.
Nick looked at the person he had just run into. The kid wore some kind of green clothing, and was short but very big around the waist. So big, in fact, it looked like he was having a major zipper malfunction. The kid had close-cropped hair and glasses….And, was that a Pocket Protector ?
“Why don’cha get outta my way, Fatass ?”, Nick said.
“You’re not very nice !”, the fat kid said. “Can‘t we just be friends ?”
Nick knew the drill, from his time at other Schools. In one-on-one confrontations, always get the upper hand first.
“Then, don’t Fuck with me, Porky”, snarled Nick, and grabbed the overweight boy and pushed him backwards towards an open Trash Bin, whereupon he stuffed the fat kid ass first into the container. The kid’s huge buttocks were wedged in tight, and he struggled in vain to get out.
“Just a warning -- Next time I won’t be so nice”, Nick sneered at the big kid. Then, he laughed. “That looks good on you., Fatso.”
Nick resumed his walk, keeping an eye out for people who weren’t watching where he was going.
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Tony made the rounds to the Cliques that evening, along with Constantinos. His mission was to lay out guidelines on Clique relations in what he began calling 'The New Era Of Bullworth'. In a now-nearly Weaponless school, one-on-one confrontations were sure to start up again. Tony's job, as he saw it, was to try to prevent that. Well, at least try to keep it down some.
What he found, to really no surprise, was the heavy hostility the Cliques were still harboring for each other, and especially towards the Nerds, whom all Cliques now blamed for their recent attacks. Tony tried to explain that the fault lay with the renegade Algie, who had on his own engineered all of the attacks, even on his own people. Most refused to believe, however, that one fat Nerd had pulled the whole thing off by himself. The whole thing seemed preposterous.
And, Tony discovered, there was friction within the Cliques as well, with some of the brighter ones agreeing with what Tony was saying, while others a bit dumber were still on the track of revenge. Tony didn't know how, at this point, he was ever going to unify the Cliques for the troubles that were sure to come. What he needed, he thought after meeting with all the cliques (except the Preps, screw them for now), was an enforcer....Someone unbeatable in Schoolyard Combat that would garner the respect he needed to carry out his orders. If there was one thing all the Cliques understood, to the very last person, was that.
Tomorrow was the first day back to classes, such as they were. Tony walked slowly back to the dorm in the early evening's fading light, his breath making white puffs in the January air. And, there was a new thing to consider.....He and Karen would have to find a new place for their private time now, because for the first time since he had arrived at Bullworth himself, he was going to have a roommate.
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Nick wandered into the common area of the Boy’s Dorm that evening. There was a TV, a couch, a game table, a drink machine, and an old Console Video Game. Nick checked his pockets and went to the drink machine to get some Beam Cola. As he took his first sip, a voice spoke behind him……
“Hey, new fish, wanna play shirts and skins ?”
Nick swung around. It was that bully named Trent, and he had assumed a fighting stance.
“I’m the shirt, and you’ll be skinned !!”
Trent was close. Nick quickly shoved him back. “Get OFF !!”
Trent made a move to punch Nick, but Nick easily ducked that and sunk a fist right in Trent’s guts. Trent doubled over, and Nick pushed Trent back again. As Trent began to raise up, Nick drew back his other hand, with the nearly-full Beam Cola can still in his grasp, and let fly right at Trent’s head. The can smacked him right between the eyes, and Trent went down backwards on the floor, knocked out.
Shit, what a waste of a good cola, Nick thought. He turned back to the machine to get another cola.
"Hey, Muther-Fucker, you can't do that shit to our Bud !", said a rough voice from across the room.
"Yeah, Prickwad, You're gonna pee blood tonight !" , another voice chimed in right behind him.
Nick sighed. First night, and already he was making friends. He put his change back in his pocket and assumed a Karate stance.
"Ohhh, lookit the LaRusso faggot ! Thinks he can fight !", the first Bully said.
"Gonna show us the Crane Kick, bird boy ? We have wimps like you for breakfast !", the second Bully gleefully exclaimed.
As the Bullies advanced on Nick, he maintained his stance. Suddenly one lashed out with a fist. Faster than the eye could follow, Nick jumped suddenly in the air and executed a 360-degree spin, lashing out with one leg as he did so. His foot made hard contact with the lead Bully's head, and was knocked back over the sofa. As the other Bully charged in, he suddenly found himself flipped over Nick's shoulder and crashed upside down into the drink machine. Nick backed off to a safe distance and resumed his stance. Both of the Bullies got groggily to their feet and began to advance again.
"Wade ! Davis ! That's enough ! Back Off !", a new voice said from the entrance to the common area. "Haven't you gotten your asses kicked enough times this past month ?"
Both boys stopped and turned. Tony was standing at the doorway, arms folded. "You boys forget what we talked about this afternoon ?"
"Aw, we wasn't doing nothing", Davis said. "Just funning around !"
"Yeah, this is new fish", Wade exclaimed. "You didn't say nothing about new fish !"
"New or not, looks like he could stomp your butts with one foot tied behind his back", Tony observed. "Unless you fellows wanna wind up like Trent over there, I'd advise you to pack it in for the night. This ain't some stupid raw meat kid you're fooling around with here, but the problem is, you're too dumb to see that. You'd best clear out while you can still walk." Tony pointed to Trent, who was moaning and just starting to come back around. "Best take him with you." Spotting the goose egg raising on Trent's forehead, he winced. "Boy, that's gonna leave a mark."
Both Bullies glared at Nick for a moment, then went over and collected Trent off the floor. As they walked Trent out of the common area, Davis said to Nick, "We'll deal with you later."
Tony watched them leave, walking down the hall to Trent's room. "Boy, those jackasses never learn, no matter how many times they get the piss knocked out of them."
Nick relaxed his Karate stance. "It's been an interesting first day, no doubt."
"Heard you already stuffed Melvin in a trash bin", Tony remarked.
"Was that that fat kid's name ?", Nick asked. "I just did it because he was annoying. What was he, some kind of Geek ?"
"He's a Nerd", Tony answered. "Fact is, the head Nerd. He complained to me about it. I told him he's lucky he wasn't beat up." Tony laughed, "There's a certain fellow I put in the trash a few times when I first came here. Took him a few times to learn not to mess with me."
"So....They're not too bright here, I take it...Huh ?", Nick asked.
"No indeedy, they're not", Tony said. After a pause, he asked, "Say, was that Karate ?" Nick nodded. "Where'd you learn that ?", Tony asked.
"I'm a Black Belt, 4th Dan", Nick said. "I was one of the better Students."
"Whoa...Black Belt, and so young ? Impressive." Tony said. "What's 4th Dan ?"
"Degree", Nick said. "It means Degree. There's 10 Dans, or degrees of Black Belt. 10th Dan is the best."
"WelL, welcome to Bullorth", Tony said, sticking out his hand. "I'm Tony Calderone, the School Mediator. Looks like you'll be bunking with me. They're short on rooms here."
Nick took Tony's hand and shook it. " I'm Nick Penty. Glad to meet'cha."
_________________________________________________________
-
"Likewise", Tony replied.. "So, want me to show you around ?"
"Not necessary. I've already seen the school", Nick answered. "So, we're sharing a room, you say ? We do have two beds, don't we ?"
"Don't worry" Tony chuckled.
Nick looked around. A TV, a Poker Table...Poker Table ! In both of his old Schools, Poker Tables were absent.
"Wanna play cards ?", Nick asked.
"Sure", Tony replied.. "They don't play Poker here too much, but why don't we ?"
They started to play Poker, and several boys gathered around them to watch the game. They weren't playing for money, but for fun. They played until 11 o'clock, when they finally turned in and went to sleep.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The first Class for Nick the next morning was Gym class. Nick was wearing his black Aviator leather jacket, khaki pants, white trainers, as well as his new Bullworth polo shirt underneath the jacket. He went to the Gym Locker Room and changed. Small Futsal Goals were put in the Gym by some of the boys.
"Alright, people !", said Coach Burton. "We're gonna play a bit of that Futsal, or whatever it's called."
When teams were set, they started to play. Nick received a pass near the Goal, and kicked as hard as he could. He scored, but before the ball entered the Goal, it hit the Goalkeeper, Damon the Jock, in the face, busting his nose. Mr. Burton sent him to the Nurse, but before he left, Nick heard Damon telling him, "You and me. The Hole. This evening, 7 o'clock. Dig ?"
The Hole ? What the fuck is that ?, Nick thought.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tony told him the answer to that after Gym Class when Nick sought him out to ask.
"So, The Hole is some kind of a Ring then ?" Nick asked, followed by Tony nodding his head.
"Yeah. If you want to humiliate someone in front of the whole School, you defeat him in The Hole, because the whole School is watching....Well, as many as can crowd down there, that is", Tony replied.
"Oh", Nick said, then asked, "And, uh, aren't you supposed to be preventing fights from happening ?"
"Well, yeah…But these are allowed. It‘s a School Tradition, Nick. Everyone likes a good fight", Tony shrugged. "Anyway...who are you fighting ?"
"I don't know his name. He's a black guy, a tall Jock", Nick answered.
"Damon ?!" Tony asked. "He's gonna break your back !"
"Don't worry", Nick said. "I got skills."
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-
At 7 o'clock that evening, everyone who wanted to see the fight snuck into The Hole through the Basement side door. Nick thought sewers stank, but was there a safer place to fight ? No, didn't seem so, unless that Janitor showed up. He took off his jacket and polo shirt, staying in his white tank top. Damon West was now topless, and showing that football had made him some very big muscles.
Nick took a freelance boxing stance. Using it, he was constantly moving around and hopping, showing some impressive footwork to the Preps, who loved boxing.
The Bell was rang for the fight to start by Chad Morris, one of the Preps.
"I'm gonna break you, New Kid !", shouted Damon. He flexed his muscles. "C'mon !!"
He ran to Nick and threw a few hooks, but quick and agile, Nick managed to evade them. He punched Damon in the side of his torso, but because of his size Damon didn't even feel it. Balls !!, through Nick, and one quick move was enough to make Damon bend over in pain.
Round and round in The Hole the fighters sparred, but Nick managed to somehow magically evade every punch that Damon was throwing at him. The Preps were not the only ones that were stunned by Nick's fighting style. It looked like some invisible force sometimes just wouldn't let Damon's fists hit the new kid. Nick used an moment off-guard moment to strike a few vicious punches, and soon Damon was on the ground.
Students were gawking in surprise, having just seen a new kid beat up on Damon West, one of the strongest students of Bullworth Academy. Unknown to them, the new kid had brought years of experience with him, giving him a perfect timing. For anyone watching the fight who knew a bit about martial arts and boxing, someone throwing a punch that is being avoided exposes a big part of his body without protection, and that was exactly the case of the powerful Jock. Although he received punches and hits at the sides of the chest, on the torso, and sometimes in the face, Damon hadn't show any sign of pain…until now.
Damon was rolling around on the ground. The fight was over…Or was it ? Just as Nick went to climb up the stairs to exit The Hole, he heard steps behind him and quickly turned around. Before he could even see anything, he was hit by what felt like a hammer, which happened to be Damon's fist. Nick fell in the dirty water. Damon hit him in the mouth, beat him in the teeth, which puffed Nick's lips up. Nick spit some blood out and tried to stand up. As he tried to get on his hands and knees, Damon's winter boot dropped on Nick's back with full strength. Nick was slammed on the floor, shouting in pain, his face in the water of the Bullworth Academy sewer.
"What's the matter, New Fish ?", asked Damon in a teasing tone. "Did I hurt you ?"
“Beat him down, Damon !!” Jocks were shouting. “Beat the Fuck out of the new kid !!”
"Will do !!", Damon responded and grabbed Nick and pulled him on his feet. Then he leaned him back, and threw him as hard as he could. Nick was slammed into the wall of The Hole and fell down.
"You are no match for ME, Kid !" Damon shouted. "NO MATCH !!"
Nick didn't even move, but Damon kicked him in the stomach. He then pulled him again to his feet and brought his face close to his.
"You got chin", Damon said. "I admit it. But you're still gonna die." He pushed Nick back. Recovering, Nick went towards Damon, staggering, but suddenly Chad, from the wooden table, rang the small bell.
DING ! "Round 1, OVER !!"
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-
Tony needed to buy some time for his new friend. He jumped in The Hole and pulled Nick up the stairs, placing him on a bench. He took a bottle of water and cleaned blood off Nick.
"What's wrong with you ?", asked Tony. "C'mon, you beat those guys last night and now you can't even perform a goddamn kick ?"
"Fighting a couple of wimps and fighting a Gorilla isn't the same", Nick replied and spit out some blood between his teeth. "The Fuck is thrashing me."
"Alright. Drink some cola, rest a bit. This is a Humiliation fight. You lose, you gonna stay 'that new kid' for the rest of your stay in Bullworth. If Damon loses, it's gonna be 'Hey Nicky Boy' for the rest of your stay in Bullworth. Get it ? Now, rest a minute or two, and you're going back in."
After drinking up the cola, Nick stood up, warmed up again and flexed his muscles. He then climbed down The Hole. Damon joined him a minute later. Chad, playing the part of referee, signaled the start of round two.
"Ready ?", said Damon with an evil smile.
"Go fuck yourself, Black Boy", said Nick. His mouth was painful, his torso was painful, but he was still quick as before and at least both of his eyes were open.
"What did you say to me ?!", Damon shouted in rage. "C'MERE !!!!!"
They went towards each other, and Damon threw a few quick punches, evaded by Nick. He then kicked Damon in the ankle, and hit his busted nose again with a punch. Damon didn't give up though, and soon Nick was again on the ground. He stood up again, and the two started to exchange punches and kicks, until they were both bruised and bloody. Damon was leaning on the wall, while Nick was across in the middle of The Hole from him.
"I'm gonna kill you now", said Damon and started to move. "YOU'RE DEAD !!!!"
Nick started to run towards Damon, but as he got close, Damon threw his elbow to his chest, before performing a random, but powerful uppercut. And then something happened….Something that happened to Nick only two times in his Dojo in Los Angeles. Something like what happens everyday, sometimes in a stupid way. The uppercut had made Nick step back. But he didn't pay attention to the water drain at the center of the Hole. He stuck his back foot in it. The ligaments supporting the bones at his left ankle were twisted inward. He fell on the ground, and tried to get up immediately, but the pain made him understand the hard reality…He just sprained his ankle. He saw Damon approaching, breathing hard, who considered this as a little victory. The Jock laughed, and put his foot right on Nick's twisted ankle.
"Maybe I should break your other ankle, Ha-Ha !", he said while stepping harder on the ankle, causing Nick to yelp in pain.
"You only had luck, you Roid-Monkey...", Nick spit back.
"And you had luck by breaking my nose, new kid." Damon said, as he pointed his big nose. "Now I owe you one !"
And Damon approached Nick's face, ready to stomp on the poor Nick's nose, but.....Chad again rang the bell installed on the wooden table he was sitting behind.
DING ! "Round 2, OVER !!"
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-
"I can't believe this. I just can't believe this !" Tony exclaimed.
"I know, Tony..." Nick responded while slowly massaging his ankle.
"You... You just sprained your ankle ! It's all over. You'll never get another chance now..."
"Boys, sorry to interrupt you.", said a voice. Chad, in his role of Referee, had walked over and crouched to talk to Nick, who was sitting. "Listen, uh.…Don't feel like you have to continue. If you can't, I'll have some boys bring you to the Infirmary, that's no big deal. But I need a decision now."
"I'll make it. Announce the start of the round three", Nick said, looking straight ahead.
"Nick, listen, your ankle is..." Tony started
.
"Shut up ! I know that already !" Nick said fiercely. "Just call the next round", Nick said between clenched teeth to Chad.
The Prep raised his hands in the air, and announced there would be a round three, to the shouts of excitement in the crowd. Through the fence rounding The Hole, Tony could see Damon making the sign of cutting his throat with his thumb.
___________________________________________________
-
Nick barely even managed to climb down the stairs with his ankle. During his time in his Karate Dojo he dealt with lots of injuries. His injury wasn't big, he would be able to run in a week or less, but in this fight, his leg was useless. That meant he couldn't run, couldn't move quickly and couldn't use the leg against Damon. Losing the fight meant he'd get Humiliated, and a Humiliation plus the fact that he's a new kid was a very bad sign.
"Whatsa matter, Wimp ?" asked Damon. "Can't walk ?"
Damon went quickly to him, and performed several dangerous hooks aiming for Nick's head. However, Nick was agile enough to evade all of Damon's punches, and he even managed to jump after Damon tried to kick Nick's injured ankle. However, in the end, a punch hit Nick in the chest and he fell.
"Let me teach you not to kick balls in my face !" said Damon, and stepped on Nick's ankle. After a second, he pressed it, followed by a shout of pain from Nick.
"Bastard !!" Nick shouted and kicked Damon in the balls with his right foot. Damon screamed and grabbed his groin, and that off-guard moment Nick used to stand up and give Damon several strong right punches in his torso, and then in the head. While Damon didn't feel the pain in the groin, anymore, he was panting, leaned up against the wall of The Hole. His face was bloody and his torso was painful.
"Was that all you got, new kid ?" said Damon. He was himself dizzy now, as the new round against Nick tired him. As much as he hated the new kid, he had to admit to himself that Nick wasn't an easy fighter to beat. It was quite the opposite.
"It isn't", Nick responded. He was also beaten, bloody and tired, and he didn't have his tank top anymore, as it was lying somewhere in The Hole, torn off during the fight. "Come on if you want to see more !"
Nick now prepared. He had his left leg slightly bent, while his right was behind.
"Alright I'm coming ! Prepare to die !!" Damon said and started to run.
His left side of the body was turned to Damon. As Damon ran and prepared to hit him, Nick used his left leg to jump, swinging his right leg towards Damon's head, resulting in a volley style mawashi geri. Damon was hit in the jaw, and suddenly went like rubber. For a few seconds he swayed there, then he fell backwards, unconscious. Nick had won the fight.
DING, DING !! "And this means that Damon is Humiliated !", Chad spoke in the announcer microphone. "The winner is.....uh…"
Chad quickly whispered to Tony. "What's his name ?"
"Nick Penty", Tony responded.
"NICK PENTY !!", Chad finished.
Tony jumped into The Hole and helped Nick get up. "You know what just happened ? You beat Damon ! He's the Hole Runner-Up !"
"What...?" Nick asked. His sight was spinning, and he almost fell.
"Nothing", said Tony. "I'll explain everything about this later. Now let's get you to the Infirmary."
__________________________________________________________
-
The Nerds were having a confab at the Observatory. They hadn't gone to see the fight at the Hole.
"I call to order this meeting of the Brave Bullworth Knights Society", intoned Melvin. "First on the agenda is what we should do about our new status at Bullworth. As you know, with most of the other Clique's Weapons destroyed, we now have the upper hand, in that we still have a large stash of Spud Guns, Bottle Rocket Launchers, Stink Bombs, and Firecrackers left in our hidden inventory. The floor is open for suggestions on how we can capitalize on our sudden and surprise superiority."
Bucky raised his hand. "The floor recognizes Brother Bucky", said Melvin.
"Umm....How many Weapons do we have of each, and...Can we carry any right away ?", Bucky said. "I want to shoot some Jocks."
"Well, we have plenty of Spud guns and Bottle Rocket Launchers. Stink bombs we make with our lab down in the Dragon's Wing Basement, that's no problem....But Firecrackers....." Here Melvin paused...."Whatever we got left is it, as the Chem Lab at School got rid of all the Gunpowder...Least that's what I found out today when I checked. And that means soon no ammo for the Launchers."
Fatty, his leg in a huge cast, grumbled, "That doesn't really give us a whole lot, besides Spud Guns. What about Slingshots ? A bunch of them were burned up too."
"We have some, and the other Cliques do too. It would be dumb to think that the others didn't have a bunch of them stashed all along", Thad piped up.
"Brothers, please wait until you're called on to speak", said Melvin. "Now, about carrying....Yes, we should each carry a Spud Gun...But only as a defensive Weapon, unless you are bushwacking someone from hiding. If...When the others realize we have Weapons they don't, they will beat us up every chance they get, just to steal them from us."
Fatty snorted. "They won't be beating us up if they know we can shoot them in the Jabberwockies !"
"They can always catch us by surprise, or sneak up behind us", Donald interjected. "Somebody stuffed Melvin in the trash a couple days ago..."
"Brothers, Brothers", Melvin held up his hands for silence. "I'm sure that most of them will already know, or suspect, that we have Weapons anyway.....Since we are the ones who make most of them anyway. So we should all agree to carry concealed, unless we have no other choice."
Grudgingly, the others agreed. In the days of Earnest as their Clique Leader, no such meetings were held. Earnest just decided for the rest of them, and they had to go along with it. Mostly because Earnest was the strongest Nerd, even though he was really just a porn-addicted wimp. With Earnest, they felt forced to go along with his every decision, but having Melvin at least discuss things with them made them feel better about the decisions he made.
Melvin moved on. "Now, as to the business of Algie...."
"That Traitor !!", exclaimed Cornelius.
"Back-Stabbing Bushwhacker !!", added Bucky.
"Yellow-Bellied Twerp !!", said Donald.
"Chicken-Shit Buttwipe !!, threw in Thad.
"Pissy Poopy-Head", Whined Fatty, giving the worst curse a Nerd could be called, moving his full casted leg around uncomfortably.
"Brothers, Brothers !! Where is your compassion ?", implored Melvin. "Our Brother Algie suffered a great loss that turned his mind away from the true path of the Warrior ! Don't tell me that if the same happened to any of you, that you wouldn't go crazy as well ? Can you not forgive ?"
"He is no Brother to me", Fatty said. "I'll have a limp for the rest of my life because of what he did to us."
The others voiced agreement. "All the other Cliques are going to blame us for his attacks, that's why we need to carry those Weapons, and use them when we have to !", shouted Bucky.
There was a chorus of voices agreeing with that. "Besides, Melvin, weren't you the one who took him down after he clocked you in the head ?", asked Donald. "More than anyone, you were the first to call him Traitor !"
"Yeah, Melvin, what's up with that ?", said Bucky. "You should know better !"
"I've had time to think it over....", Melvin began.
"We have too !", Exclaimed Bucky. "We want him to be Outcast !"
Melvin stared. Being Outcast meant that Algie would, in effect, be tossed out of the Brotherhood. He would be shunned from the Nerd Clique forevermore. "Isn't that a little extreme ?"
"What he did was extreme", Fatty said, patting his cast. "We vote for Banishment from the Order of the Brave Bullworth Knights Society, in perpetuity. I make a motion that he be given Outcast status."
"Second That !", Exclaimed Bucky.
"So say you all ?", Melvin said sadly. Every Nerd around the table nodded assent.
Melvin raised his hands in surrender. This was one topic that he clearly wasn't going to win. "OK, OK....You Brother Warriors will prevail, this time..." He drew a deep breath. "From this time on, let the name of Algernon Papadopoulos be stricken from all records and works of The Brave Bullworth Knights Society, absent him from all our conversations and discussions, and expel him from his rank in Grottos & Gremlins. His status will be Outcast forevermore. Let the name of ALGIE never be spoken again. So let it be written....So let it be done."
Melvin rose, signaling an end to the meeting. As the others were filing out, Fatty asked quietly, "Do we still have our secret Weapon ?"
Melvin nodded. Fatty was referring to the Rubberband Ball, a Weapon of immense power, enough to take out an entire Clique in close quarters. The Nerds had began constructing it last year around this time, and had completed it over the Summer. Oddly enough, the only other person at Bullworth who had the patience to collect just the right-sized rubber-bands and build a ball out of them had been Jimmy Hopkins. The Nerds had never used this Weapon, but had kept it on standby, as a Weapon of last resort. However, they had seen the damage one could do, as they witnessed Jimmy use his several times late last School year. It was indeed an awesome Weapon. Thrown just right, It could even take out a Prefect with one hit. The ball contained so much energy from the tightly-wrapped bands that it could bounce and ricochet for hours with the same amount of force as first applied before slowing down. It would be a one-time use Weapon for a Nerd, as it's retrieval depended on one being agile enough to be able to catch it while it was rolling, not bouncing, and no Nerd possessed that type of physical skill.
"It's still secure down in the Vault", Melvin told Fatty. "I checked when I got the Spud Guns out for everybody."
"Good", said Fatty. "May come a time, soon, when we have to use it." He heaved himself up on his crutch and hobbled out after the rest of the Nerds.
______________________________________________________
-
A few days had past since Damon's fight in the 'The Hole' with Nick, and his wounds were just starting to heal. While he was still a little sore, Damon thought it would be a good idea to take Gloria out for a night on the Town. It was a cold January afternoon and Damon stopped by at the Girl's dorm to pick up his date at 7:00 P.M. just as she requested.
"Well hello Damon, its a pleasure to see you !", Gloria exclaimed, "I'm sure we'll have a lovely time !" Gloria and Damon then proceeded down the path towards the Quad and made the way to the School Gates. From there, the pair took a left and walked towards the Valley's better half, the upscale Old Bullworth Vale.
Upon reaching the Center of town, Damon and Gloria made their way across the snow covered brick Town Square towards the new Movie Theater. Damon couldn't think of a more romantic outing than the elaborately decorated Vale Theater. He was sure that Gloria would have a wonderful time with him while watching that new Sci-Fi thriller that she had been yammering about ever since the Movie Poster appeared outside the Theater.
Once inside, Damon bought a large popcorn for the two to share, as well as a large drink with two straws. "Oh Damon", said Gloria, "Thank you so much for bringing me here tonight, you know how much I've been wanting to see this movie !"
"No problem babe, anything for you", replied Damon. The two lovers walked down the aisle to their seats and proceeded to watch the movie together. "I'm here for you if it gets too scary", said Damon. As the movie went on, Damon actually began to enjoy it a lot more than he thought he would. Normally Damon was into action-packed movies heavy on violence, but as long as he was with Gloria, he was able to enjoy a movie that didn't include Bears fighting Gorillas.
The movie turned out to be much longer than expected. As the lovers exited the Movie Theater, a clock in Town chimed to signify the 11 O'clock hour. "Aww shit!", thought Damon, "Curfew...." The two took the long walk back across the short bridge and eventually to the Academy. As they approached the Front Gates, they stopped dead in their tracks. The glimmering flashlight from a Prefect was shining out onto the sidewalk in front of them.
"Aww its that Mutha-Fucka, Seth", complained Damon.
"Damon, language please!", pleaded Gloria.
"Sorry babe", Damon apologized, "You wait here, I'm gonna try and distract him so you can sneak through".
Damon proceeded to walk through the gates pretending as though he didn't even notice Seth standing guard. "What are you doing here!!", screeched Seth as he pointed at Damon. Damon made a signal for Gloria to run in just as he was grabbed by Seth. Damon didn't expect to be grabbed and instinctively socked Seth right in the face. Big mistake. Seth had pressed a panic button hidden in his cuff link and Max and Edward immediately began to run towards Damon.
Out of no where, Karl came tearing around a corner and grabbed hold of Gloria. He then began to drag her towards the Girl's Dorm. "Damon, help me!", Gloria shouted. This enraged Damon, no one was going to touch his girl, never mind drag her. Damon managed to break loose from Seth and began charging towards Karl.
WHACK !! Damon delivered a running tackle that dislodged Karl's grip on Gloria, sending him backwards onto the icy pathway. "Good Lord! I appear to have been knocked over!", said Karl with a dazed look. Seth managed to catch up with Damon and tackled him to the ground.
However, before the Prefect was able to administer a beating as a citation, Damon's screw came loose and in a desperate attempt to escape, Damon opened his mouth and took a large chomp near Seth's crotch. Following the sickening crunch came a high screech of pain from Seth as his eyes rolled back in his head before passing out. Damon rolled out of the way just as Seth's heavy body collapsed to the ground. This had always been a disadvantage for the Prefects who always tended to crouch over their victims. Their Junk was often in the line of danger, however, Students had never had the urge to bite another guy's balls as a last resort, even as their legs were usually pinned under the Prefect. Damon was different though. As the local psychologist, Mr. Bambillo tended to state, "Damon was mentally unwell." In crazed desperation, Damon did the unthinkable.
"That's it, I'm writing you up !", shouted Edward, as he assisted Max in taking down the crazed Football Player.
"Where are you taking him!?", Gloria asked desperately, still hanging around.
"We're not taking him anywhere", said Max, "but the police will arrive shortly to take him off to the Looney Bin."
"No, you can't!", pleaded Gloria, "he's not insane !"
"Don't worry about him", said Edward, "he'll only be there a few days at best to be evaluated. If it were up to me, I would keep him there for eternity. Unfortunately I have no say."
"Hey, get back to you're Dorm!", shouted Karl at Gloria as he regained his senses. As Gloria walked sadly towards the Dorm, sirens and red & blue lights flashed on the street outside the Gates causing many Students to awaken and look out the windows at the shocking scene. Damon was led to a Squad Car by Officer Williams.
"You busted me ! Enjoy it while it lasts !", Damon shouted after the Prefects as he was stuffed into the back of the Police Car.
"You'd look a lot funnier in a wheelchair....", mumbled Edward as he took out his flashlight and walked back to resume his night post.
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-
Jake had been quite the busy boy since he had moved into his own place. He had visited The Final Cut and had again altered his appearance, choosing a conservative dark haircut and a goatee. He also picked up an old style tanning lotion called Coppertone, which would slightly darken his fish-white skin. Jake had then gone to the Aquaberry Store, where he had bought a number of new dress suits, something he didn't have in his inventory. In this way, he could pass unnoticed as just another citizen of the Bullworth Towns.
Next he had settled on a plan. In order to create strife within each Clique, he would have to find out things about them. In order to find out things about them, he would have to eavesdrop. And, in order to eavesdrop, he would have to do so electronically. And to find the "Bugs" he needed, he would have to pay another nighttime visit to the Basement of his favorite Nerd hangout, the Dragon's Wing. He was sure he remembered seeing a bunch of Walkie-Talkies and chargers among that mess of junk in those boxes he had been searching through when he found the timers for the bombs. They could be easily set on different frequencies and the talk key buttons could be taped down in the 'talk' position with some good old duct tape, which was just as abundant here as it was about anywhere in the world, it seemed.
___________________________________
-
Early the next morning, Tony went to see Jimmy in the secret Cave. Since the way from the School via the Library or the Observatory was still deeply snow-covered, Tony swiped a bike and went the same route on the Railroad Tracks that he and Jimmy had taken right after Christmas. That way, there would be no trail for anybody to follow.
On this visit a few days after the fight in 'The Hole', they had talked about Pete and the Files. Tony told Jimmy that he knew most of what Pete knew, including his knowledge about the Harrington File that Jimmy had given Pete. At the mention of that Jimmy tensed.
"You know about that ?", Jimmy questioned. Tony nodded. "You know what's in it ?" Jimmy pursued.
Tony shook his head. "Only in general terms...I know it contains some damaging information about the Harringtons and Spencers, but exactly what it is Pete didn't say. I never read it, because it isn't there."
"Then where is it ?" asked Jimmy intently. "What'd Pete do with it ?"
"He told me he put it in a Lockbox and buried it somewhere, off School grounds", Tony answered. "But, he wouldn't tell me where."
"Never said a word ? Are you sure ?" Jimmy questioned closely.
"Not that I remember", Tony said. "He seemed pretty adamant that nobody else was to know. Called it his 'Insurance'."
"So, not in the other Files at all, huh ?" Jimmy asked.
"Well, right now, I don't know WHAT'S in there", Tony admitted. "I can't get the padlocks open. Pete had all the keys to them, and I don't know what's happened to the keys."
Jimmy was aghast. "WHAT ? If those bastards who took Pete away knew that, or ever found those keys, they'll clean that file cabinet out !" He grabbed Tony's arm. "You have GOT to get those Files out of there !"
"How ? And if I do, then....Do what with them ?" asked Tony.
Jimmy thought for a moment, which was still a slow process with him. Then...."OK, check out the Basement. Maybe Luntz has some Bolt Cutters or something down there. Or maybe the Autoshop. Can't find cutters, maybe just hacksaw those locks off." Jimmy paused, thought some more. "Bring them here, I can hide them here. We just can't leave them there. Pete's life may be in danger if they find out he knows anything about the Harrington File, or what's in it."
"But....He buried it !" Tony exclaimed. "That's what he told me...."
"THEY don't know that !" Jimmy said. "I never cracked...Never ratted out WHERE that File went. But, if they ever think that Pete KNEW ANYTHING.....They'll KILL him !"
"Oh, Com'on", Tony scoffed. "They can't kill a kid. How would that look ?"
"Why Not ?" Jimmy said. "You told me yourself that he's bad off...."
"Pellet hit him in the eye", Tony said. "Maybe into his Brain...It was real bloody...."
"So Pete's helpless....In THEIR hands....", Jimmy said.
"No, that's silly", Tony countered. "He's....."
"Where ?" Jimmy said. "Just where is he ? Tell me."
"Well", Tony began, with mounting unease, "He WAS in the Bullworth Clinic....."
"But not now ?" questioned Jimmy.
"I went to try to see him....Some rude shit in a white Lab Coat told me he'd been 'Moved'....Wouldn't tell me where....." Tony recounted.
"Then they have him", Jimmy said.
Tony shuddered. He was reminded again of just what kind of dangerous shit this all was. "So, I cut the locks...Bring the other Files out here...."
"Alone", Jimmy interjected. "Without being seen."
"Right", Tony said. "And then what ? Buy some new padlocks ? Act like nothing happened ?"
Jimmy had to think again, for a long time. Finally, he said, "Yeah.....We'll go through all the Files....Anything harmless can go back in the cabinet. That way, if they ever catch wise and raid your Office, there won't be anything there that's dangerous to Pete....Or you....Or me."
"Sounds like a plan", Tony said, and made ready to leave.
"Gotta be done soon...Like this weekend", Jimmy stressed. "Sooner the better."
___________________________________
-
Tony and Constantinos were leaving the Boy’s Dorm a short time later.
"Tony... Wait, Tony !" a girls' voice said.
"What is it ? You need something ?" Tony asked.
"You know me right ? I'm Gloria, Damon's girlfriend... They..." She started before crying.
"Who, They ? What happened ?" Tony Questioned.
"We were out... On a date last night... We went back after curfew... The Prefects... The Balls... The Cops....They took him !!", Gloria blurted out.
"Wait... They took him ? Where to ?" This was confusing.
"Well... It's hard to explain... I think he's going to be evaluated or something... Maybe I won't see him anymore !", she cried.
"Do you know where she's talking about ?" Tony asked Constantinos.
"Yeah", Constantinos shuddered. "The Asylum."
"Is that what they said ?", Tony asked Gloria.
She Nodded. "They said 'The Looney Bin'..."
"Constantinos, listen to me", Tony said. "Find Nick Penty, the new kid. Tell him he has to save Damon, but for God's sake, to use his brains too. I don't want his face on tomorrow's newspaper. If he does it, the Jocks will be grateful, and he'll be able to get a little reputation. Now go on, and give him a hand if he needs it."
"Understood, Boss.", Constantinos said before running off.
Tony put his hand on Gloria's shoulder. "Don't worry, Gloria. I trust that new kid. The job will be done. We‘ll get him out."
________________________________________________________
-
Constantinos knew where Gloria meant. There could be only one place Damon had been taken to. The Asylum.
Constantinos spotted Nick around the back of the School, talking to a girl.....Angie ?!?
"Uh....Hey Nick....Need to talk", Constantinos said.
"Er...I'm kinda busy here...", Nick retorted.
"Um....It's really important", Constantinos implored.
Nick sighed. "Look...", he said to Angie. "I'll have to see you later, OK ?"
"Uh-Hu-Hu-Hu.....All right ! I gotta go call my Mom....Don't forget our date !", Angie said as she walked off.
"Date ?" Constantinos asked. "You do know that girl is kind of like....A Fluffhead, don't you ?"
"Ahh, she don't seem so bad", Nick said. "A little giggley, maybe..."
"A Little ?" Constantinos said, shaking his head. "Anyway, we got a situation on our hands. Damon was carted off to the Loony Bin last night. The Asylum."
"So What ?" Nick said indifferently. "That's his problem. I don't give a shit."
"Tony says you gotta help get him out", Constantinos. "I mean, bust him out."
"What ?" exclaimed Nick. "I hadda beat him, now I gotta help him ? What the Hell for ?"
"Just because you beat him, don't mean you have his loyalty", Constantinos said. "But if you help him out of this mess....Damon and his Clique will be yours to command."
Nick saw where this was going. He was no dummy. Just the way things worked here. He sighed. "OK....What'll we do ?"
"We gotta go to Blue Skies", Constantinos said. "Com'on...We need some wheels.
As they headed towards the front of the School, they met Tony, who told them to go on ahead and he would meet them there. He would have to round up supplies, he told them. "Just wait over there out of sight....I'll find you." Then he turned and took off at a trot towards the direction of the Football Field. None of the Boys had ever been inside the Asylum before, but Tony knew someone who had....Jimmy Hopkins.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Constantinos led Nick out to the front of the School. "Good..Here's a couple of bikes...Let's go."
Nick was confused. "We hafta steal some bikes ?"
"Sure, everybody swipes bikes", Constantinos said, getting on one.
"But...Whose are they ?" Asked Nick.
"Who knows ?", Constantinos said. "Co'mon....Let's GO."
Nick shrugged and hopped on the other bike, and the boys sped off across the big Iron Truss Bridge, heading to Blue Skies.
______________________________________________________________
-
Tony fought his way through the drifted snow past the Observatory, until he reached the still-boarded-up entrance to the first Tunnel. Yanking a couple of boards away, he squeezed through, and ran the short distance through the Tunnel. Re-orienteering, he ran to the second Tunnel, down a ways, and pushed open the secret rock. Entering the secret narrow passage, he called Jimmy's name so he would know it was him.
As he explained the situation to Jimmy, Tony was mentally calculating how long it would take Nick and Constantinos to get the Asylum, which he himself had never seen. At once, Jimmy went to the Wardrobe, and begin changing into his Incognito Outfit. He also grabbed another greenish-looking Outfit that to Tony resembled Scrubs. Then Jimmy went to his large metal bin where he stored his Weapons stash, undid the locks and chains, and pulled out four Spud Guns and two handfuls of M-80 Firecrackers, along with two Walkie-Talkies. The Scrubs and Weapons he gave to Tony to hold, while he dug out one more item out of the box, and secured it under his trench coat.
"That gonna be necessary ?" Tony asked.
"Only if I get trapped and don't have a way out", Jimmy replied.
"Guess you're right. Can't afford to have you busted again", said Tony.
The two boys hurried down the narrow passageway, where Jimmy closed and secured the secret door. Then Jimmy led the way down the long Tunnel, finally emerging in the light. Tony gave a low whistle, and Constantinos, along with Nick, emerged form their hiding spot, in what looked like a Bus Stop Kiosk, located near the big Gates to the Asylum. The boys were all sheltered in a spot that couldn't be seen by anyone inside the Asylum grounds.
"We stashed the bikes inside", Constantinos said, "But everything's all locked up. How'll we get in ?"
Jimmy spoke up. "There's two trees, close to the fence, that can be climbed. We can drop over the fence from there."
"Who's this guy ?", Nick asked, indicating Jimmy.
"This is a friend of ours from outside school, Nick", said Tony. "His name is.....Hoppy."
"Hoppy ?", Nick said.
"That's my name", said Jimmy. "Don't wear it out."
"Look, we got a plan here ?" Constantinos asked, looking at Tony and Jimmy.
"We've never been inside here", Tony said, "But HE has", pointing to Jimmy. "He has the lead."
"OK, here's what we gotta do" Jimmy said. I'm gonna climb the far tree, sit on the branch, and take out the Guards." Here he hefted a Spud Gun. "These are best for this, very accurate. One of you, Climb the other tree, over there, give me cover.....Who's going in with me ?"
Tony indicated Nick. "He is"
"Good....Give him those Scrubs." To Nick, Jimmy said, "Put them on. They'll help disguise you. Not up close, mind you, but from a distance, it'll work. Tony, after Nick and I drop down, you climb the tree and cover us. Constantinos, you be lookout. If anybody comes up the road, call me on this." He handed Constantinos one of the Walkie-Talkies. If they go in, Tony, you know what to do."
"Nail Them", said Tony.
"Right", said Jimmy. "Pass out those Weapons."
Tony distributed the Spud Guns and Firecrackers to everyone.
"OK...There's a big shed blocking the view over here. Otherwise, stay low and out of sight. We go in through the front after I take out the Guards, got it ?' Nick nodded. "Follow me to Cellblock C....That's probably where they'll be keeping him. I'll Clear the way as much as possible. Keep your weapon concealed unless you absolutely have to use it. I need to get to the Master Control Panel and unlock the doors. When I do, get Damon out, understand ?"
"Sounds like a plan", Nick said. "I'm ready." Tony and Constantinos added assent.
"All Ready ? Good", Jimmy breathed. "Gentlemen...Welcome to Happy Volts Asylum. Let's move out."
______________________________________________________
-
The boys were in position in their respective trees, Nick in the near tree on the West side by the fence and Jimmy in the tree to the East side. Both had slid out on branches overhanging the fence. It was a cloudy day, but as always, Jimmy felt rather exposed in this open spot. When he had first breached the Asylum, to convince Mr. Galloway to return to the School, he had just dropped out of the tree and snuck in. But the next time, busting out Johnny Vincent, he had ran into problems....He had to shoot his way out after springing Johnny. They had escaped through 'B' block, an unused section of the Asylum and the only other door to the place....Through the Morgue and then the Furnace Room. He had stolen a Scrubs Uniform then along the way, and had to scale still another fence and beat it for the big Main Gate, firing on the Orderly Guards patrolling outside. He had bought enough time for them to reach the small Entryway Gate beside the large Main Vehicle Gate. Fortunately, there was a way to unlock that gate from the inside at the small Guardhouse, and they were away and gone before the Orderly Guards could recover.
Since then, Jimmy had made a game of coming back around and sneaking into the Asylum, wearing the Green Scrubs he had swiped from there. He found he could just walk into the place, unchallenged, as long as he didn't get too close to anyone. Once inside, he was ignored...Again, as long as he didn't get too close. It seemed that the right kind of clothes did make the man, after all.....At least at the Happy Volts Asylum. Over the Summer, he had snuck in lots of times, and pretty much knew every nook an cranny of the place. He had particularly checked out the Morgue at his leisure. They had probably laid out Edgar and Gary there, before they shipped them off to be planted in their respective graveyards, as this was the only Morgue in the Bullworth Towns, as far as he knew.
Jimmy snapped out of his reminiscing as he saw an Orderly Guard emerging from underneath the overhang by the Front Entrance Doors. That would probably be....Gregory. Over time, Jimmy had learned all their names, even though he rarely spoke to them. Well, today, they would be going down. Jimmy raised his weapon and took careful aim......
PWTHEW ! SPLAT !!!!
"OH !! MY BOYS !!!", Gregory screamed as the spud hit him in the nuts. He doubled over and fell on the ground. Jimmy aimed another shot.....
PWTHEW ! SPLAT !!!!
"GAWW...SHIT !!!".....That shot caught him on the shoulder and spun him around right as he started to get up. Jimmy re-adjusted and took careful aim again.....
PWTHEW ! SPLAT !!!!
"GLURK...!!"......That shot hit the Orderly Guard in the head, and he went down in a heap. Jimmy waited. Soon enough, he spotted another Orderly Guard running towards the entryway. Was that Theo ? No matter, Jimmy thought. He had heard the cries of Gregory, and had come on the run to investigate. Jimmy took aim.....
PWTHEW ! SPLAT !!!!
"OH....MY BOYS !!!", Theo yelled. Jeepers, don't these guys know any other things to yell when the get shot in the nuts ? Apparently not, Jimmy thought, as he prepared his next shots. Time to get this over with.....
PWTHEW ! PWTHEW ! SPLAT !!!! SPLAT !!!!......The two shots in quick succession finished off the other Orderly Guard, who also went down for the count. Jimmy hopped down from the tree, and whistled for Nick to do likewise. As he did so, Jimmy saw Tony climbing the tree, as per plan. Jimmy waved Nick over, and together they advanced on the Front Door.
_______________________________________________________________
-
Once inside, the boys faced a set of double doors. Jimmy pulled Nick close.
"Look, I'm your prisoner, see ?" Jimmy put his hands behind his back. "Lead me in, kinda rough, and if anybody see us, that's what you tell them."
"Gotcha", Nick said, as he led Jimmy through the double doors into Block 'A'. For effect, he grabbed Jimmy by the collar as they went. Down through the corridors it was strangely quiet.
"Must be having shower time with the Inmates", Jimmy said. "That's luck." The boys continued down to the end of Block 'A', where there was another set of double doors. Through that, was still another set. "That'll be the 'Rec Room'....There's at least three Orderlies here each shift. Bet there is at least 2 in here....Get ready....Showtime."
They pushed through the other set of double doors, and walked unhurriedly towards the far end of the room. There, sitting on the couch, was two other orderlies...Matt and Charlie, Jimmy thought....They were occupied with watching a TV at the far end of the room.
"Block 'C' to the right", whispered Jimmy, and Nick led him there. Just when they had almost reached the double doors to Block 'C', a voice spoke up.
"Hey, where are you going ?" It was one of the Orderlies.
"Prisoner here !", said Nick, and kept on walking, pushing Jimmy roughly ahead of him through the double doors. Ahead of them lay a final set of double doors.
Jimmy said, very low, "The Cells here are controlled by a Master Lock System. Let's find Damon, and then do a bit of trickery on the guy at the controls."
They pealed off down the corridor, looking in each cell through the little windows. Finally, Nick spotted him, in Cell 4. "There he is", Nick whispered.
"Good....Now take me to the Control Room Gate. It's at the end of the Cellblock", Jimmy said.
Nick pushed Jimmy ahead just like a prisoner, and around the corner they came to a long window covered with heavy mesh wire. A locked door stood beside it. Behind the mesh was a room with a bunch of file cabinets, a long table, and a Control Panel. An Orderly was seated behind it.
"Got a prisoner here !", Nick Announced. Without even looking up from the paper he was reading, the Orderly said, in a bored voice, "Room 6". and flipped a switch. A buzz down the hall could be heard.
Now Jimmy led Nick around the corner out of sight, and said, "Go back and tell him the door's stuck, you can't get in. Go !"
Nick went back around the corner. "Hey, the door to 6 is stuck, it won't open."
This time the Orderly did look up. "Stuck, you say ? Well....HEY ! Where's Your Prisoner ?"
"Left him down the hall. Something wrong with that, Fatass ?" Nick replied nonchalantly.
"You new boys are all Dumbshits !!", said the Orderly, and came tearing out of the Control Room. As he opened and cleared the door, Jimmy stepped out from behind the corner and shot him.
PWTHEW !! SPLAT !!!!
"OH....MY BOYS !!!" The Orderly yelled. Christ, Jimmy thought, Don't these guys EVER say anything else ? It was worse than a broken record.
Nick pulled up his Spud Gun suddenly and pumped two more shots into the Orderly, who Jimmy could now see was Ritchie. Down he went, muttering, "Sorry, Boys, I Didn't See It Coming...."
"Go to Cell 4 and get ready to spring Damon on my signal", Jimmy told Nick, and ducked into the Control Room. He went to the Control Board and flipped the lock for Cell 4, and heard it buzz.
Nick raced down the corridor just in time to hear the lock buzz open. He entered the room, where a startled Damon greeted him with "Whatzup ?"
"Com'on, big boy, we're getting you outta here", Nick said.
Up in the Control Room, an evil idea came to Jimmy. He reached out to the Control Panel and flicked all the switches to 'UNLOCK'. A multitude of buzzes sounded as all the doors sprung open at once. Jimmy got on the PA and re-appeared in the hall just as the Inmates started wandering out.
"TIME FOR YOUR ELECTRO-SHOCK TREATMENTS, CRAZY FUCKS !!! THAT'S RIGHT, THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE YOU AWAY, HA-HA....YOU BETTER RUN !!! THAT'S RIGHT, YOU INSANE MORONS, ESCAPE !!! ESCAPE !!! ESCAPE !!!"
The Inmates didn't need to be told twice. They bolted for the doors leading out of Block 'C' and spilled out into the Rec Room. The surprised Orderlies were suddenly overwhelmed with the sudden appearance of the panicked Inmates.
"NICK ! FOLLOW THOSE CRAZIES !!" Jimmy hollered. Nick and Damon bolted from the room and headed towards the exit from Block C.
The scene in the Rec Room was like something out of a slap-stick comedy. The Inmates, not knowing which way to escape in their panic, were running around the room like chickens with their heads cut off. The remaining two Orderlies were trying to capture them, with mixed results. Some of the Inmates were fighting with the Orderlies. One Inmate ran full-tilt into a wall and knocked himself out. Another Inmate was taking a crap on top of the Ping-Pong Table. Apparently, he had gotten the shit scared out of him.
Nick and Damon threaded their way through the mess and reached the doors to Block 'A' just in time. Jimmy watched them go from the doorways of Block 'C'. He had hung back because he couldn't let Damon see him. Now, it appeared he was trapped. The Orderlies were gaining control of the situation, and they stood between him and the exit through Block 'A'. No way could he take down both at once. However, Jimmy was prepared for this. He reached into his trench coat and withdrew the Rubberband Ball.
Jimmy stepped out the doors of Block 'C' and heaved the Rubberband Ball as hard as he could, then ducked back behind the doors......
ZING !! ZIP !! (SMASH !!) ZONG !! ZAM !! (CRASH !!) ZOOM !! ZANG !!
The Rubberband Ball darted around the room, seeming to gain energy as it bounced and carroomed off of everything in sight, nearly faster than the eye could follow. When it hit objects, it broke them to pieces, when it hit people, it knocked them down. When people stood back up, the Ball knocked them back down....If they were able to stand up. A couple of hits from the Ball, and they were usually down for good.
While waiting, Jimmy called Constantinos on the Walkie-Talkie.
"Con, you copy ?", Jimmy keyed.
"I'm Here", came back the reply.
"Nick and Damon are coming out. Have Tony cover their escape. You and Nick get Damon back to Campus and stash him somewhere safe. Tell Tony to meet me in the Cavern between the Tunnels.....Copy ?"
"That's a Roger, Copy", came back Constantinos' voice.
Jimmy at last heard the Rubberband Ball slowing down. Poking his head out into the Rec Room, he saw nearly everything was smashed, even the TV. Inmates and Orderlies alike were strewn like busted dolls on the floor. Jimmy saw the moment he had been waiting for....The Ball had ceased it's crazy bouncing and was now rolling swiftly along the floor. Getting into position, he scooped it up with a sweep of his arm and captured it. So far as he knew, he was the only one at Bullworth that was able to pull off that little trick. He tucked it back into his trench coat, and took off towards the Exit. As he did, a loud alarm bell began ringing.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Just as Nick and Damon had reached the Lobby, the alarm went off. They crashed through the front doors and spotted Tony running towards them.
"COM'ON !!" Tony called. "The alarm went off when I opened the Gate !! The Cops will be here soon....Let's Boogie !!"
An Orderly named Dan who had been sleeping in the Front Office until the alarm woke him up burst out the Front Doors and gave chase. He reached to grab Damon's collar, and Tony brought the Spud Gun up ready to fire. But Damon spun around, and with a vicious overhead punch, flattened the overweight Orderly to the ground.
"LET'S GO !! NOW !!", Tony yelled, and the three of them ran headlong through the gate, where Constantinos was waiting.
"The Bikes..." Constantinos said.
"Fuck the Bikes ! There's no time ! Into the Tunnel, QUICK !!" panted Tony.
All four ran through the Tunnel entrance and ran clear to the Cavern before they stopped for breath. "We made It !", exclaimed Constantinos.
"Good job on that Orderly back there, Damon", Tony said.
"I wished it'd been a Gorilla", Damon said. "Uhh, thanks, guys for getting me out."
"No Sweat, Big Boy", Nick replied.
"Get Damon back to School and stash him somewhere...I'll be along in a bit", said Tony. "Gotta wait for Jim...Er....Hoppy."
"Sure thing, Boss", said Constantinos.
Tony watched the three boys enter the short Tunnel back to the Campus. He knelt down on his haunches to rest a bit. He was glad. He'd been able to keep his promise to Gloria. Now, all he had to do was find a way to clear Damon.....
"Resting on your laurels, I see, while we did all the hard work", a voice said behind him. Tony spun around. It was Jimmy.
"Boy, you can sure sneak up on a person", Tony said. "I didn't even hear you coming."
"Stealth is the name of my game, these days, I guess", Jimmy said, somewhat sadly. "Everything squared away ?"
"Yeah", Tony said. "Just trying to think of how to get Damon in the clear....They'll take him back there if they catch him."
"Go see that pervert Burton", Jimmy said. "Tell him what happened."
"WHAT ?!?" Tony exclaimed "Why should I do that ?"
Jimmy chuckled. "Burton is a grade-A asshole, but he's not about to lose his Star Lineman. Hell, Damon's half the fucking Football Team. Those losers couldn't win a single game without him. You tell him, and he'll get Crabblesnitch to have the Cops back off."
"Shit", Tony said in amazement. "Guess I still got a lot to learn !"
"Ahh....You're doing fine", Jimmy said. "If Pete could trust you, then you must have something on the ball." He paused. "That's enough excitement for the day....I'm gonna go back to my Cave. Don't forget about them Files. We need them out, sooner the better."
"Check....That's the next thing up", Tony said, "For Sure."
"See you soon, then." Jimmy turned and walked back into the Tunnel.
____________________________________________________________
-
As soon as Algie had seen the door of his Cell magically open, as well as all the ones of his Block, he had immediately rushed out and, using the crowd to his advantage, had stealthily found his way out of the Asylum, after hiding in the showers for a bit until the coast was clear. But now.....He had nothing.
Before, his Clique was the little bit of strength he needed to survive. His Brothers had always been here to help him out. And his own Brother Warrior, Melvin, had sent him a Spud right in the head ! The Brothers that had taught him how to play Grottos and Gremlins, the Brothers that helped him against the Jocks, the Brothers....That betrayed him. Algernon Papadopoulos needed a friend. A powerful friend. And he had just guy in mind. He was clever enough to make the connection between that Carny and the so-called mysterious person that shot Pete, the Mediator. And now he had to find him.
__________________________________________________________________
-
After changing his appearance, Jake thought it would be wise to get cracking right away. Jake took the better part of the day to dive deep inside his brain and come up with some small way to get some tension going. After all, starting a School-wide war was delicate business and could not be rushed. Hmmm, he thought, Who can I use to my advantage? Someone...No, a whole group of people !. Jake eventually thought of his good ‘friend‘, Trent.
"Trent!", he exclaimed to himself, "That dumb oaf and the rest of his messed up friends will be perfect !" Jake had to think deeper though. The Bullies were excellent for stirring up hurt emotions with others, but that was nothing new. Jake needed something on a grander scale, something outside of the humdrum of normal kids picking on kids to really get some attention.
Through more organized thought, Jake had an excellent idea. He would need to find someone else along with the Bullies, a certain group that, compared to the Bullies, was a polar opposite. "The Nerds !, yes, that's perfect !" Jake wanted to make sure he didn't waste all his energy just causing problems with one Clique, oh no, he wanted to make today a two-for-one special.
Jake's idea still needed a catalyst. He needed something to get the two Cliques to get emotional, something to make them feel mocked. Jake was practically having a mental orgy with all these evil thoughts. "A-Ha, I've got it !", he said. Jake thought back to his old buddy Trent. Trent would be an excellent catalyst along with....Cornelius. He had remembered how these two Students shared one thing in common, a certain something not widely accepted at Bullworth....a certain sexual preference, if you will.
____________________________________________________
-
Jake was ecstatic. If it was possible to cum out your brain, Jake would be doing it at this point. He was reaching an enormous mental climax. Jake quickly went down the long street and over the North bridge to Bullworth Town, bought a cheap Camera at the Odds & Ends Store, and headed toward a back alley. He would need to find someone to gather some incriminating photographs to seal the deal. Jake paused at the entrance to the alleyway, his breath puffing out his open mouth in the cold winter air. Off to the side, he spotted Jerry and Otto, a couple of Townie boys, playing Craps. Jake made his way casually over to the two boys as if he wasn't up to anything.
"Hey, you guys, want to make some cash?", questioned Jake, aka Leo Cash.
"Now you got my attention!", exclaimed Otto.
“Yeah, what we gotta do ?”, questioned Jerry.
Otto was one of the slimmer boys in the group of ragtag dropout Townies that wandered through the Towns, Jerry was nominally a touch more intelligent. Without any prospects for a steady career, Otto, Jerry, and many of their Townie friends would do almost anything for some spending cash. Jake walked over to Otto and Jerry and gave them the Camera, and each of them instructions.
"I want you to meet me here tonight", Jake, ala Leo, finished, "Make sure you have the photos I’ve asked for, and the $20 dollars will be given to each of you. Dig ?”
Otto and Jerry took the Camera and headed in the direction of Bullworth Academy.
“This is gonna be good”, Jake muttered, rubbing his hands together.
________________________________________________________
-
Otto was assigned to secretly follow Trent when he was off School grounds, and if possible, photograph him expressing his love towards his ‘preferred gender‘. It took hours of searching, but Otto found his prey. Outside of the Movie Theater in Old Bullworth Vale, Trent exited the building holding hands with his long-time secret pal, Kirby Olsen. Otto could not believe his unexpected good luck, he quickly grabbed his camera and prepared for the perfect shot.
"Come on man, let's go back to my room and give today a perfect ending", said Trent suggestively.
"Uh, I dunno Trent, my head hurts, maybe later", said Kirby.
"Oh come on !", whined Trent, "At least give me a kiss before you go".
Lurking in the shadows, Otto thought he was going to be sick. He tried with all his strength not to vomit and snapped a photo of Trent as he slobbered all over Kirby. "Aww, that's disgusting !", Otto muttered to himself . Before departing, Otto hurled an egg at the pair of lovers, the egg splattered all over Trent's head.
"Oh God, BIRD SHIT!", Trent yelled in horror.
"That isn't bird shit, that's an....or at least it was...an Egg !", Kirby corrected him.
"I think someone saw us", said Trent nervously. The buddy-lovers hastily ran off in an attempt to salvage what was left of their reputation, but it was too late. Otto had got everything on film.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Meanwhile, at the Academy, Jerry had snuck in through the open Parking Lot Gates and made his way towards the Main Building, where he snuck in without anybody seeing him. It took Jerry much longer to find his target, but Cornelius was eventually found prancing around the stage of the Auditorium. What made this better was the fact that Cornelius was dressed as a woman. It was a well-known fact that Cornelius Johnson was in the School's Drama Club. It was even lesser known that he played an amazing Juliet. Jerry struggled with himself not to laugh and was able to focus long enough to snap a photo of the little weirdo on stage.
About an hour later, the two Townie boys met up in town and made their way to the alley where they would meet Leo Cash and redeem their reward. Little did they know, or care, what they were about to start.
_______________________________________________
-
Jake, aka Leo Cash, now had to decide what he would do with the controversial photos he now had in his possession. He couldn't get much attention with small photographs, he needed something big, vibrant and noticeable. Just then it was as if a light bulb had erupted from his head. Jake had remembered hearing of an incident that had happened the year before. The then-Nerd leader Earnest had somehow obtained some raunchy naked photographs of the Head Cheerleader, Mandy Wiles. The Ernest had then enlarged the photos and then made large posters out of them that he posted everywhere. "That's it", Jake said to himself, "Propaganda Posters have existed for years and have had a very good track record." Jake got busy again...He visited the local Print Shop and got those pictures super-sized.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The next morning was a mild one. The Vale Valley was experiencing what was known as a January Thaw. While temporary, the weather was very warm for the middle of winter and it would help Jake get around the Towns more comfortably. Jake strolled down the alleyway again in search of Jerry and Otto, for he had a new job for them now.
"Hey bro's, what's up ?", said Jake, aka Leo Cash, "Want to make some more money ?"
"Does a bear shit in the woods ?", retorted Jerry.
"Alright, here's the deal", Jake said. "I want you guys to sneak into that School again. Only this time, take these Posters and put them up where I tell you."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Upon receiving directions from Jake, the duo snuck their way through the Parking Lot Gates and into Bullworth Academy unseen, which was easy enough as it was before School. Once inside the School, Jerry and Otto went their separate ways. Jerry took a right, and Otto went straight ahead before taking a right near the Auditorium.
Jerry walked down the hall until he got to the Boy's Bathroom. Jerry then stopped and pulled out some masking tape and mounted the Poster displaying Cornelius on the wall outside the Bathroom door. Jerry then figured that he would make the best of the situation. He had to go shit, really bad. There was no way he was going to wait until he was back in Town. Jerry slipped through the door and proceeded to drop a big one in the closest toilet. As he finished and stood up, Jerry let out a snorting laugh. "Fuck it !", he said to himself. "I'll just leave it in there, that'll show those School kids !". Now that his mission was complete, Jerry snuck back outside and waited for Otto to finish up.
Otto strolled down the hall towards the Teacher's Lounge. He stopped here as Jake, aka Leo Cash, had instructed. Jake had strategically chose this location for Kirby and Trent's Poster due to the large crowd of Jocks that gathered there after classes. The occasional Bully would also wander through this part of the School also. Otto took out his roll of tape and carefully stuck this Poster on the wall just above a Trashcan. Now that Otto was done, he exited the building to meet up with Jerry and go back to Bullworth Town so they could collect their cash.
"Well done", said Jake, aka Leo Cash, when they returned. "You guys are awesome, here's some money for your efforts." This was great, he thought. The Posters were set, now to let the fun begin.
______________________________________________
-
Cornelius awoke on what seemed to him like a typical mid January morning. After saying good morning to his friends, he left the Boys Dorm with his best friend, Thad. Shortly after exiting the dorm, the pair ran into Russell.
"Haha-hahaha, you make Russell Laugh, hahaha!", Russell laughed heartily.
"What's so funny ?", questioned Cornelius.
"You're GIRLY!", teased Russell. Cornelius simply ignored Russell and continued on. Cornelius was used to having his balls busted on a daily basis and today was no exception...same bullshit, different day.
The two Nerds then entered the School building, eager to start their day with academics. To their surprise, a large crowd was gathered down the hall to the right near the Bathroom.
"Maybe its a Volcano 4000 !", said Thad excitedly. No student could resist a novelty Firework, no matter how dangerous. To their dismay and horror, the students were gathered around a large poster displaying Cornelius in a dress and long haired wig strutting across a stage. Cornelius gasped as everyone turned to notice him, immediately erupting with laughter. As the students jeered and pointed, tears welled up in Cornelius' eyes. He then began to run into the Bathroom, wailing, "What have I done to deserve such brutality !"
Cornelius holed himself up in one of the stalls and through his sobs, pinched his nose as the stench from Jerry's large turd began to invade his nostrils. "Quick, evacuate the area, someone's unleashed the putrid stench of hell !", screamed Cornelius. As he reached down to flush the disgusting mess, Wade burst into the stall and attempted to jam Cornelius' head into the toilet bowl. Utilizing his quick reflexes, Cornelius grabbed the sides of the toilet and locked his elbows in a desperate attempt to avoid the massive turd and filthy water. After about a minute of Wade's force, Cornelius' arms began to become fatigued as they wobbled from the elbows down.
Suddenly, he lost his strength and his head forcefully splashed into the germ-infested water. Caught by surprise, Cornelius had opened his mouth in shock as his head went in. The results were disgusting. After Wade was through flushing the poor Nerd's head, he pulled his victim out and placed him against the bowl. Thad rushed in too late. His friend was in agonizing pain as he puked up toilet water, followed by some chucks of turd, and the occasional corn kernel.
"Who Did This !", shouted Thad.
Through his coughs and vomiting, Cornelius responded, "W-Wade".
"I know that, but who is responsible for that Poster, my friend ?", questioned Thad.
"I'll bet it was that jerk Ethan", Cornelius said as he began to sob again. The Bully Ethan was notorious for tormenting Cornelius. His morning ritual consisted of giving the poor bastard a wedgie that resulted in a painful rash. It was certainly plausible for Ethan Robinson to be the aggressor in this case.
"We shall call a meeting of the Brave Knights !", commanded Thad, "We shall make those bastards pay for this !"
_____________________________________________________
-
Meanwhile, at the other end of the hall, a crowd had gathered in front of the Teacher's Lounge. The crowd size would grow larger and larger as more Students passed by and stopped to see what the commotion was about. Among the crowd were Bullies and Jocks who were either horrified or pleasantly surprised at what they saw. Most of the Jocks were horrified. Taking into account the vicious rumors surrounding Locker Room foul play and the importance of ‘not dropping the soap‘, the discovery of Kirby's apparent sexual preference struck fear in the hearts of the Jocks who had showered together many times before. Most of them began to feel sick to their stomachs, as they feared their once respected friend may have had multiple opportunities to ogle at their junk.
The Bullies were less concerned about finding out about their friend Trent as the Jocks were. Most of this was in part due to their stupidity, and lack of ability to put two and two together. The other part of the equation was simply due to the fact that they were doubled over in laughter at their discovery of Kirby, or as they viewed him now, their new victim for torment. Kirby had seen the poster a little earlier and quickly disappeared to avoid ridicule. However, Trent had just started to walk down the hall toward the poster and his fate.
"What's the Dealy-O ?", Trent said as he approached his Clique, but was cut off by what he saw.
"I hear you like Art Class, you fruit !", ridiculed Casey as he noticed Trent.
The rest of the Jocks began to make kissing gestures at Trent and then proceeded to double over in fits of laughter. Trent took a few moments to allow what he had just seen to sink in. When it finally hit him, Trent began to snivel and started to run away as he cried, "Don't let the girls see me like this !"
At this, the Jocks roared with laughter. "What does that queer care about what girl's think of him ?", questioned Luis.
"Yeah, go tell Kirby all about it, you frigging cry baby !", mocked Bo.
When the rest of Trent's crew finally met up with the latest victim of the Poster, the Bullies had completely forgot what was even on the Poster. They only remembered that their friend had been humiliated and they wanted some serious revenge.
"Who the hell thought they could fuck with us !", asked Wade.
"Someone that could make pictures big and make 'em into a Poster ?", suggested Ethan.
"It was probably those Nerdy little dickheads", said Tom angrily. "Those little chumps are the only ones that have the brains for that crap".
Jake's plan had began to take form. Without having the rationale to think it through and the proper evidence to put the pieces together, both the Nerds and Bullies had blamed each other for these mass attacks of humiliation. The Jocks were different though, they were not humiliated, rather they were more unsettled with the evidence that their once trusted friend had been possibly checking out their naked bodies for the last few years.
The thought of it all caused the Jocks to avoid the showers at all costs.
________________________________________________________
-
That Evening, Jake put the other part of his plan into motion...Obtaining the Nerd's Walkie-Talkies. He was all primed to break into the Basement at the Dragon's Wing, but to his surprise, the door to the Basement was unlocked, and he just strolled right in....After checking to see if anybody was there, of course.
He flicked on the lights. The place was empty. Jake checked out several boxes of stuff, mostly all jumbled electronic parts, until he found what he sought. A whole box-full of Walkie-Talkies, complete with plug-in chargers and wattage-boosters. These could both be plugged into any free outlets. Jake dug around in a few more boxes of junk, and was rewarded with a special prize...A Mobile Base Station. And, jammed into a corner behind it....A clip-on Mobile Antenna, that he could simply attach to the metal guttering of his house to create the necessary ground-plane.
This was just the Bee's Knees, Jake thought, and an insane bit of laughter escaped him. The Cops must have returned this stuff after the raid in the wake of Alfred's arrest (for Jake's crimes, and what a Gas THAT was), or had missed it completely. What a bunch of Morons. Protect and Serve at it's finest. Jake could already envision where he wanted to plant his Listening Devices....The common areas of both Dorms, the Autoshop, the Jock's Clubhouse, the Observatory, and Harrington House. Nearly all of the places he had bombed, in fact, with the exception of the Observatory, that is. Now, instead of blowing them up, he would just be listening.....And Planning.
__________________________________________
-
Algie had spent a cold, miserable day and part of the night hiding out after his escape. He was now a fugitive, he knew, with no one to help him. He couldn't chance being seen almost anywhere, couldn't even go to the Homeless Shelter. He couldn't go back to Bullworth, to his Brother Warriors, not after what he had done. Algie had never felt so alone. He wanted his Mommy so bad. Just to hear her high whiny voice, to feel her fat, crushing embrace.
Then Algie thought of that had been done to him. All the Bullying. All the name-calling. All the beatings. All of the ridicule. And, the worst of all....The loss of his manhood.
It wasn't fair. He couldn't help being who he was. He didn't have a choice of what body he got. They have no right to treat him this way, no right ! Has anger returned, and his resolve stiffened. They would Pay. They would Pay. They would pay BIG.
Sneaking onto the school grounds at three in the morning, he made his way to the Observatory and managed to get inside. He wasn't able to get into the Weapons stash, but he could access the clothing stash. He gratefully stripped off the pasty-colored gown he had been forced to wear in the Asylum, and dressed in some of the strange-looking Carnival clothing he found there, as it seemed like the Nerds collected a bit of everything....And being a Nerd, he should know.
He chose his outfit carefully, for this was to be his next stop....The Carnival.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Algie was standing in the Souviner Tent at the Carnival.
"Hey, first customer of the day...What can I do you for ?", the young man behind the counter said.
"I'm looking for...umm....Ace Adams", Algie stammered.
"Well, I'm Drew, will I do ?", said the Carny.
"Uh....I really wanted to talk to Ace", Algie said uncertainly. "Is he around ?"
"Ace ?", said Drew. "Naw, he blew outta here over the Holidays. Ain't seen him since. Sometimes it's like that at the Carnival, you know....People come, and People go...."
Algie turned dejectedly and started to leave.
"Hey, kid", Drew said suddenly. "You need a Job ? We're always short-handed around here. I'll bet if you go talk to Mr. Billy Bob Crane, he'll give you something to do around here."
Algie looked around. "Really ? I might just do that."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"You're the fattest kid I ever seen !!" exclaimed Billy Bob.
Algie was sitting in the Carnival Office Shack just off the Midway. Billy Bob Crane, the Carnival owner, was evaluating him with narrowed eyes.
"I got just the job for you, boy" he went on. "The Bearded Lady over at the Freakshow is powerful lonely these days. She don't play to the crowd anymore, just sits there stuffing her face with that junk food and watching soaps on her telly-vision.....I'll bet you could cheer her up. Make her come alive again ! Put some of the old Pizzazz back back in her, so to speak !"
"Well....Uhm...What would I be doing ?" Algie asked.
Billy Bob bellowed laughter. "Why, just what she does, sit there and look pretty ! That's all there is to it, boy....Just sit there and look pretty !! We'll Call you 'The Fat Beardless Man' !!"
"Well...Erm...How much....That is....Uh...Where do I....", stammered Algie.
"Look, boy, I know the job don't pay all that much, but you get three squares a day, and a place to bunk outta the cold....Plus, on your free time, you can play as many games as you want", Billy Bob continued. "So, how about it boy ? You In ? Whatta you say ?"
"Well...Sounds Great !" Algie said. "When do I start ?"
For Algie, it seemed, it wasn't to be over when the fat (bearded) lady sings.....It was just the beginning.
______________________________________________________________
-
Tony inserted the keys in the lock of his Mediator’s Office, and slowly went inside. In the dark, he felt around on the wall to find the switch he was looking for, and light instantly illuminated the room. Making his way to his desk and comfortable chair, he crouched to pick up a paper that had fallen to the ground, and then sat in the chair for a long moment, his eyes staring an invisible point in front of him. He thought about his first day at School......Mrs. Danvers. The Bullies, too. And Jake.....Jake. He knew this guy had a role in what had been happening. But when ? How ? And, most importantly, what role ? Trying to find a solution in his head only made things worse than they already were.
Tony suddenly stood up, and with a sudden movement grabbed a standard box of colored thumbtacks out of a desk drawer that he hadn't found any use for before today. He went at the other corner of the Office, yanked open the paper drawer of the small Photocopier, and threw a whole pile of paper out on the floor. Taking a first sheet of paper, he hung it on the blank wall, and pushed the thumbtack with a quick punch. Doing frantically so, the wall was soon quickly covered with sheets of paper. Then Tony immediately started to draw on them, after grabbing a random marker from his pen can on the desk.
At the very top, he drew a giant arrow. At the very left of the arrow, he marked his arrival at Bullworth, with the corresponding date. Further then, he marked the date of the Bombings. He went to his desk drawer, opened a File, and then continued writing on his wall. With a glue stick, he hung photos of the buildings, before and after the Bombings, of Students, of plans of the School, including the Basement, and drew crossed lines to all the information he had posted on the wall, to try and find a connection between everything. He was trying to discover a link, something that was missing since the start. He knew his invisible enemy was currently acting, making plans against the School, and Tony had to move at the same time, to prevent still another fate.
_______________________________________________________________
-
Damon luckily hadn’t crossed the path of any Prefect after he came back, and now stepped down the stairs leading to the Football Field, once again feeling like a free man. He knew his friends liked to hang out on the Bleachers at night, as they considered the beautiful view of their Football Field illuminated by the floodlights situated overhead.
A bit later, Nick came down to the Football Field, accompanied by Laurent. As the Jocks on the Bleachers saw him, all conversations stopped. Casey and Juri stepped aside to let Nick go through their group and walk in the direction of Damon. The two boys met halfway up the stairs, and stared at each other for a long moment.
"Well..." Damon started. "Thank you, new kid."
They shook hands, and all the Jocks laughed, before inviting both to sit down on the Bleachers, asking Damon to relate what he had seen in the Asylum. Nick finished the narratation of the way he and his friends had broke into the Asylum to bust Damon out, and stood up, a beer bottle in his hand. He drifted further out on the Bleachers, where there were three Cheerleaders sitting, apparently very busy at talking. Pinky was one of the girls, as she considered hanging out at the Football Field better than anywhere else after Harrington House......And the Jocks had always considered a girl wearing a Cheerleader outfit as one of them.
"Well, yes, I'm used to wearing diapers during the games." Christy said without an ounce of shame in her voice, her hand against her crotch. "It helps me concentrate on what I'm doing, and it's very.….Comfortable indeed."
"Really ? I should try that." Pinky replied. "But do you actually..."
"Hello there, girls, uh... I'm Nick….Nick Penty. Hope you're doing fine." Nick interrupted.
Pinky looked coldly at him and continued talking, while the other two girls, Christy and Melody, stared at Nick with some interest.
Damon was waving his hands up in the air to describe the mayhem he had participated in at the Asylum. Both didn't see Bo running to the Clubhouse, and coming out with two Letterman Jackets.
"Damon, let's get you out of that stupid uniform !" Bo exclaimed.
"And who is the second... Uh... Blouson for ?" Laurent asked.
"Well....I'll let you guess...", Bo said with a smile, looking in the direction of Nick.
______________________________________________________________
-
Tony didn't have to get either a hacksaw or bolt-cutters to open the locks attached to the chains that bound the File Cabinet in his Office....He was already personally acquainted with a master lock-picker who could do the job.
Recalling their midnight ride of a few months ago, when Karen had so skillfully picked the lock of the Gate by the Parking Lot, He led Karen to his Office lair that he previously had only allowed Laurent and Constantinos to enter. He had a hunch that Karen would know not only how to get the padlocks open, but to do so without damage, so they could be used again to re-lock the file cabinet in such a way that it would look like nothing had ever happened.
Karen went right to work on the padlocks, commenting on the papers tacked to the wall with all the markings on them.
"That's a lot of stuff written there....You HAVE been busy", Karen remarked as she popped the first padlock free. "What does it all mean ?"
"Well", Tony said, turning his attention from watching Karen's sexy breasts and firm buttocks while she worked to the large tacked-up chart on the wall, "It's a sort of timeline starting on the day I got here to now, and all the events that took place that I can remember. Up top is when I arrived, taken to the School Office by Ms. Danvers....Here's my first fight.....The clothing scams...Jake cashing the car.....Here's meeting Laurent.....Saving Zoe....The Halloween bombings...."
Karen popped open the second padlock. "What's all the lines mean ?" she asked.
"The black lines are sequential events" Tony said. "The order of the things as they happened. The red lines are possible links of events....Only my guesses for now, but the more of certain events I can link together, the closer I can get to figuring stuff out."
"Yeah ? Like what ?", Karen said, as the third padlock popped free.
"Well...Like this here", Tony said, tracing a red line that went between 'JAKE CRASHES CAR' to 'TRENT SEES JAKE AT DORM' and ending with 'HALLOWEEN BOMBINGS'. "Here, is Jake, Crashing that car from the Autoshop and then disappearing, only to re-appear just a few weeks later and warning Trent not to let anybody in the Dorm....Then just a few minutes later, the bombs go off."
"There", Karen Exclaimed as the fourth padlock popped free. "It's done. Got them all."
"Good work, Sweetheart....I owe you a dinner and a movie", Tony said, as Karen came over to join him. She peered at the giant wall chart.
"Why did you use all those single sheets of paper ?" Karen asked. Why not one big poster ?"
"This way I can move them around and keep them in order", Tony said, "As I remember other things, that way I can add them and keep the chart in sequence."
Karen was studying the charts. "Where's 'Tony Meets Karen' ? I don't see it....."
"Right here", said Tony, pointing to the upper right corner, where a grouping was posted, with corresponding black and red lines connecting them together......
MET KAREN___________KISSED KAREN__________MIDNIGHT RIDE WITH KAREN___________SEX WITH KAREN__________RAN INTO KAREN___________SAVED KAREN FROM BOMB
The latter was connected with a long red line to 'HALLOWEEN BOMBINGS'.
"Wow", Karen said, "Maybe I could help ? There's things I remember, like from the girls talking about stuff at the Dorm."
"Sure, write it all down", Tony said, while opening the drawers of the Filing Cabinet and pulling out handfuls of Files. "Anything might be pertinent......Could be, just some little piece of information will be enough to tie the whole mystery together."
Tony, however had purposely left out two things he never wanted anyone to see.....'SEX WITH PINKY' and 'SEX WITH LOLA'.....Since he didn't figure that information should be written down anywhere, ever. With Lola gone, that secret was pretty much safe....But Pinky was still around, and might blab about what had happened between them at any time. Still, Pinky had been keeping a low profile since their 'Encounter' a month ago, so maybe that secret would also keep for quite a while. Tony suspected that Pinky was maybe seeing (and doing) someone else secretly at this point, and perhaps didn't want their one-time tryst known either. Little did he know that on that guess he would be right.
"What'cha doing, Babe ?", Karen asked as Tony began stuffing all the Files into a large backpack.
"I've gotta take these somewhere else for safety", Tony replied.
"Oooh....Can I come along ?", Karen said playfully.
Tony finished packing all the Files in the backpack. "Not this time, Sweetie....It's too dangerous."
"Dangerous ? Don't be silly !", Karen exclaimed. "Nobody's gonna mess with little ole me."
Tony shook his head. "Not this time...I can't risk it", Tony said firmly.
Karen's mouth turned into a pout. "I can take care of myself, you know."
"I know that, my Angel", Tony said tenderly. "But there's someone else involved with this, whose identity I have to protect, for now....I can't tell you now, but someday, when we solve this mystery..." Here he indicated the postings on the wall..."Then I'll be able to reveal everything."
He went to Karen and embraced her. "If anything were to happen to you, I would just die. I just can't take that risk. I tell you what, I'll take you on my next mission, OK?"
"Well...." Karen said coyly, "If that's a promise....."
"Swear to God", said Tony, feeling a familiar fire burning in his lower regions.
"Well...." Karen breathed sensually, "It's a deal, my big strong man....."
Karen turned her head up and French-kissed Tony deeply. Tony respond in kind, and soon their passions were at a fever pitch. They slid down to the floor, pulling off clothes as they went. Soon, they were engaged in their most heavenly passion.
___________________________________________
-
"Nice !" Nick exclaimed while putting on his honorary Letterman Jacket.
"That suits you, bro…..Hey Ted, I told you we had to take the big size for that tough guy !", Bo Joked.
"Turn around, Nicky !" Christy said playfully.
Nick turned around to wink at the girls, arms apart for them to admire his new jacket. He kept his eye on the smaller quiet one, feeling he could immediately fall in love with her. She could just the perfect girl for him, with her dark, sultry looks. But that surely wasn't the opinion of Pinky, who was looking at Christy making eyes at Nick.
"Wait... Do you really like that guy ?", Pinky asked.
"Calm down, Pinky, he looks hot after all, doesn't he ?", said Christy, staring at Nick.
"Not as hot as Tony." Pinky whispered proudly.
"What do you mean ?" Christy asked.
"Nothing. Just what I just said", Pinky spoke, turning away.
"Uh-huh." Christy nodded, not convinced.
"So, you're our little Mascot now, Nick !", Bo chortled.
"Damn right. We'll teach you how to play Football, you'll see" remarked Ted.
"Curfew time !" A voice rang from the top of the stairs.
Damn, the Prefects...
"Why are you brats still out at this time ? Go to Sleep Immediately !", Seth shouted.
"We see you around, Mascot ! Come at the Field any time, yeah ?", Bo hollered, taking off.
"For sure, man", Nick answered before everyone on the Bleachers scattered in direction of the Dorms or the Jocks Clubhouse.
____________________________________________________________
-
The next day, Algernon Papadopoulos, who would now be known as the Fat Beardless Man, made his way to his new workplace. In an alley parallel to the Midway, past the Ferris Wheel, he recognized the huge tent he had been in a lot of times this last year. Inside, two corridors met at the end of each other, leading so to the exit. On the way, windows permitted a look at the Freaks, in more or less big rooms. Today was the day he would be at the other side of one of those the windows.
He got around the tent, and found the metallic door where a panel announced the "Fat Bearded Woman". Under it, Billy Bob had written Algie's new name with chalk. The panel itself had been here for long time, considering the way he was magically still hanging at the door, despite three missing screws, one of which was getting rusty in the mud in front of the door. The Fat Beardless Man worked the key in, and after several unsuccessful effects, pulled the door open, which produced an horrible squeak in response.
He quickly got inside, and slammed the door. An old-school poster that was hanging on the door -- an attractive lady sitting on a sport car -- didn't resist such a shock, and fell on the floor.
"Oh, let it be, that always falls to the ground anyway. You're my new partner, huh ?"
The voice that strangely reminded him of Edna came from the Fat Bearded Woman. She was sitting on a folding chair that was strangely still standing after years under the unbelievable weight of the woman. She had a bowl full of appetizer biscuits, those little triangles with a delicious Mexican food taste. But Algie couldn't help staring at the flesh overflowing the chair, the horrible mustache he had never seen from a so close, and the saliva running down the woman's mouth, dropping constantly on her breasts. The room itself didn't help Algie feel at home. The only furniture was a TV facing the two chairs. He sat on the empty one, and accepted reluctantly the bowl of biscuits.
"Uh... Yes. Nice to meet you”, Algie mumbled, stuffing his face.
___________________________________________________
-
"Hey, uh....Kurt ?", Tibo said, looking into the upstairs room.
"What'cha need Tibo ?", said Kurt, staring intently out the window.
"Ah...The boys wanna know....How we gonna...." Tibo hesitated.
"How we gonna what ?" Kurt muttered, still looking out the window.
"Uh, well....How we gonna start defending ourselves ?", Tibo said uneasily He was a bit unsure how to approach Kurt lately, who seemed to spend all his time holed up in this room when he wasn't in School.
"Hard to say, T-boy, since we only got one Spud Gun and a few Firecrackers. Ane we're low on Spuds at that." Kurt kept his gaze on some point out the window.
"Jero and Grungy got bullied around by some of those Jocks, and Bonz got a fist to the face from a Greaser", Tibo went on. "We can't be all together all the time. We're getting our butts kicked. We're just a small Clique as it is."
"Most of them don't even respect us as a Clique", mused Kurt, still with his eye on something. "As much as we have tried, we may as well be the 'Outcasts'....Been like that everywhere we gone...." Kurt trailed off.
"Well....We gotta have a plan....", Tibo began.
"Oh, I have a plan, all right", said Kurt. Suddenly he turned away from the window. "Wanna know what happened to me today, Tibo ? Those fucking Preps disrespect ed me, right there in English Class. Derby and his two sidekicks, Tad and Gord....Hammering on me cause I couldn't spell 'Bourgeois'......Called me a 'Weird-Ass Low Life Stinking Metal Boy'.....Said they were the Bourgeois, I better learn that, and we were only the Proletariat and were just shit under their boots." Kurt paused. "I hadda go look them words up. I didn't even know what they meant."
"So what do them words mean ?", asked Tibo after a short silence.
"Means they're the High Class and we're the Low Class", Kurt said. "And then they just laughed, Dared me to do something about it. When I tried to after class, they just knocked me down and started kicking me." Kurt's face darkened. "They kicked me, just like a dog", Kurt spat. "Fucking Preps !!"
Tibo was silent before Kurt's rage. Kurt suddenly stormed across the room and pulled out the group's one remaining Spud Gun. "The boys want a plan ? Tell them we're going on a Raid, Tonight !"
"Okay....", Tibo said slowly. "Where to ?"
"The Preps have a Beach House, down by the water. We're gonna bust in there, turn the place upside-down. Those rich fucks have gotta be hiding some Weapons someplace, and that's the first place to look." Kurt stopped pacing and looked at Tibo. "Get all the boys together. We move out at midnight."
_____________________________________________________________
-
Tony left Campus shortly after curfew via the path by the Library. Curiously, the Nerd's gate was locked once more, but as Tony knew the code, it presented no problem. He punched in 1-1-3-8, and the lock sprung free. The January thaw had melted much of the snow from the pathway, and Tony encountered none of the huge drifts that he had before. Soon, he was through the short tunnel and into the longer tunnel, where he pushed the secret rock and gained entry to what he was coming to think of as 'Jimmy's Lair'.
Jimmy was glad to see Tony, especially since Tony had successfully brought the Files with him. Together, they sat down and reviewed each File one by one. Files that contained dangerous information would stay hidden here, while harmless Files, mostly Student Transcripts and disciplinary reports, were tossed in a pile to be repacked and taken back to the School.
Sitting in the piles of Files, Jimmy suddenly said, "Whoa...Lookit this." Tony came over and together they read the contents of the File Jimmy was holding. Most of it was in a ledger-type form, and detailed on it was the flow of money coming into and going out of Bullworth Academy. The incoming money was what would be expected.....Tuition, State & Federal Grants, Fundraising, with a large block coming from the Harrington & Spencer Foundations. The Outgoing money was a much different and more complex situation, however. Along with the normal expenses....Buildings and Grounds Upkeep, Maintenance, Food and Kitchen, Salaries, Classroom Materials.....But there were other, cryptic, notations marked "PO" and "KB" going to such places as "BPD" and "VVMG", among others. Digging farther into the File's contents, they found that those referred to the Bullworth Police Department and the Vale Valley Medical Group. There were other two-letter notations that they figured were individuals that went unidentified.
This was explosive information. It detailed the Pay-Offs and Kick-Backs to others outside Bullworth Academy. The last entry was in late December, about a week before Christmas. Tony realized that Pete had probably obtained this File at about the same time he had stolen Dr. Crabblesnitch's gun. If that was so.....
"That means this has to go back to Crabblesnitch's Office", said Jimmy, "Before it gets missed."
"For sure", Tony said. "But we need to copy it first. I got a Copy Machine in my Office now...Wouldn't take too long."
"Better get it back before morning", Jimmy said. "Maybe put it in a random File Cabinet, that way Crabblesnitch will think it was just misplaced."
Tony agreed, ad they resumed going through the Files. Near the end, Tony came across 2 pieces of paper, unrelated to the File they were in. One was a copy of a W-4, the other was a pay stub in the name of Ace Adams. Tony looked closely at these two documents, and suddenly had a revelation. Both were dated just three weeks or so after Jake had crashed the car into the wall (with Tony on it) and disappeared. Tony was making the connection....Jake was Ace Adams.
Finishing up, Jimmy helped Tony repack the Files into his backpack, along with the File that was to be returned to Crabblesnitch's office. A smaller pile of Files remained on the cave floor, which Jimmy would hide in the secret bottom of the clothes cabinet. Bidding farewell, Tony made his way back to the School to finish up his night's work.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Earlier that evening, just after Tony had left on his mission, Ms. Danvers had entered the School, carrying a small package. It had been Dr. Crabblesnich's birthday today, and she had been waiting all day and evening for this. The small gift she carried wasn't the good Doctor's only present, however....She Was.
Standing in the School Office, she stripped off her full-length winter coat. She was wearing nothing underneath. Rapping softly on Dr. Crabblesnitch's door, she heard him say "Enter." Flashing a rare smile, naked except for her high-heels, she opened the door and went in, closing and locking it behind her.
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-
The Rockers made their way to the Beach House via the shortcut that led by Lighthouse Lookout Point, better known around school as 'Make-Out Point'. On the winding, wide pathway that led down to the beach, they encountered no one. The skies were dark and cloudy, a sign that perhaps the brief warm-up spell was coming to an end. Moving with stealth up the wooden ramp to the Beach House, they gathered around the door. Kurt carefully tried the doorknob. It was locked.
"Benny", whispered Kurt. "Do your stuff."
Benny bent low to the lock and examined it with the help of a lighter. Whit a grunt, he withdrew a plastic card from his pocket, and worked it into the crack of the doorjamb just above the lock. A few seconds later, the lock was sprung, and Benny eased the door open slowly. It was dark inside as well. Cautiously they entered. Noises of passion could be heard from farther in the room. Kurt turned and hissed, "Lights !" In a couple of seconds, Tibo found the light switch and the lights suddenly blazed on.
"EEEEEKKK !!!", a scream came from the bed in the corner. A male figure leaped up and looked around, confused, and then said, "What are you....BEASTS doing here ??" Kurt smiled. It was Tad.
The female figure on the bed drew the sheets up around her. "GET OUT OF HERE !!", she screamed. Kurt's smile got bigger. It was Pinky.
"What the Shit is this ?", Kurt said gleefully. "A little Poke Session ? This a private party, or can anybody join ?"
Neither Tad or Pinky said anything in the face of the Spud Gun Kurt had leveled at them. Kurt thought Tad looked comical standing there with his suddenly-limp member exposed.
"What's the matter ?" Kurt teased. "We interrupt your little Bootie Call, you inbred fuckhead ?"
Tad's face contorted. "You DIRTY DOG !" he exclaimed. "Low-Life Piece Of TRASH....."
Kurt dropped his smile, and swiftly closed the distance between the two of them, jamming the Spud Gun into Tad's cheek. With his free hand, he grabbed Tad by the hair and goose-walked him backwards to the center of the floor.
"That's about enough outta you, Puss-Boy", Kurt said fiercely. "I'm doing the talking here now. You and your pukey rich-fuck friends had your say earlier today. It's my turn now, UNDERSTAND ?"
Tad nodded his head slowly, and Kurt released his hair and stepped back. "That's better, isn't it, dirty rich boy ? Now, tell us where the Weapons are in this place, and we'll be on our way. You can get back to banging that little slut over there."
"There's...No Weapons here....", Tad said. Kurt suddenly punched Tad hard in the belly. Tad doubled up, but stayed standing.
"WRONG ANSWER, PREP ASSHOLE !!", raged Kurt. "Now, once more...Where Are The Weapons ?"
"We...We don't keep any...Here...", Tad gasped. Kurt sent an uppercut to Tad's jaw, sending him sprawling on the floor. A small scream escaped Pinky.
Kurt turned. "Tear This Place UP !", he said loudly to the Rockers. "Find Those Weapons !"
As the boys were doing that, Kurt turned his attention towards Pinky. "Just what are you doing here with him, Slut ? I thought you was Derby's Cum-Receptacle."
"I broke up with Derby", Pinky said, "A month ago. And I'm not a Slut ! I'm not like..."
"Sure you are", Kurt sneered. "A little rich-bitch Slut. How many guys do you do around here, stinky-puss ? You do every Clique, just to slum, then run back to your inbred rich-boys, don't you ?"
"I wouldn't do you", Pinky said quietly. "I'm not Lola."
"What's that ? What's that you say ?", Kurt said angrily. "I wouldn't have your crab-filled cunt, you stuck-up Bitch ! Lola was way better than you'd ever dream of being, you little CUNT !"
"Then where is she ?", Pinky asked. "What did you do with her ?"
Instead of answering, Kurt turned and shouted, "Anything ??"
Tibo and Benny spread their hands from different corners of the room. "Nothing, Boss. Just a buncha Eggs, is all", said Tibo. Benny nodded likewise.
"SHIT !!!" Incensed now, Kurt took giant steps over to the bed and yanked Pinky out by her hair. She tumbled to the floor, and Kurt dragged her to the center of the room. "WHERE'S THOSE WEAPONS ??" he screamed in her face.
"I...I..Don't Know....", Pinky sobbed. "Please....Please....Just leave us alone..."
Kurt threw her to the floor, and stormed over to Tad, hauled him up, and gave him a hard kick to the nuts. "WHERE ARE THEY, RICH-BOY ? YOU BETTER START TALKING !!" When there was no answer forthcoming, Kurt began beating Tad, until he dropped to the floor, whereupon Kurt, still raging, started kicking him in the ribs.
Finally, Tibo said "Boss, that's enough....You're gonna really hurt him..."
Kurt stopped his kicking. "I oughtta kill him....Disrespectful Bastard." He was breathing heavily.
"Umm...Boss ?" Benny said. "What we gonna do ?"
"Shutup for a minute, I gotta think", Kurt said, regaining his control. "I gotta think."
The scene resembled a frozen photograph, as Kurt fought to marshal his thoughts. Then, suddenly, he reached down and hauled up the still-naked Pinky by her hair. "Let Me Go", Pinky was crying. "I'll scream Rape !!"
"Go ahead, Bitch...No one's gonna hear you down here", Kurt snickered. Pinky knew that was true. No one would hear them. "I wouldn't rape your diseased pussy if you paid me." Kurt pushed her over to the bed. "Get your clothes on, Skank. You're taking a little trip."
"Boss, No !", exclaimed Tibo. "That's Kidnaping !"
"Not to worry boys", Kurt said. "Ain't nothing gonna happen to us."
"Whadda mean, Kurt ?" Jero spoke up suddenly. "Isn't that like a Federal Crime or something ?"
Kurt laughed. "It don't matter. Crabblesnitch will cover us."
"What's Crabblesnitch gotta do with anything ?", asked Bonz.
"He's the reason I'm here", Kurt said. "The reason we're all here. I'm the Good Doctor's dirty little secret."
None of them had anything to say to this, for they didn't know what Kurt meant. Pinky had finished dressing, and Kurt grabbed her by the arm and hauled her to the center of the room again. "Benny, bind her up." Benny took out some duct tape from his pocket. Kurt marveled again at how efficient Benny was. He was always carrying useful shit around in those big pockets of his. Benny grabbed Pinky's arms and pulled them around to her back, where he taped them up.
"Oww !" Pinky hollered, "Watch it, you Jerk ! You're hurting me !"
"Gag her, too", Kirt told Benny. "I'm tired of listening to her shit."
Benny dutifully wrapped duct tape around Pinky's mouth, while Kurt went over to the dazed figure of Tad over on the floor, and grabbed his head by the hair and pulled him partway up. "We're taking your little Girlfriend along with us", Kurt said and spit in Tad's face. "You wanna bang her box again, you'll get us those Weapons. Caprice ?" With that, he slammed Tad down to the floor. "I'll be in touch. " Kurt took a step back, and shot Tad in the head with the Spud Gun, knocking him out.
"Allright", Kurt said. "Grab ahold of that cunt, and let's blow this place."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The group made their way back to Hattrick House just the same way they came. They saw no one, and no one saw them. Upon arriving, Kurt ordered Benny to stash Pinky.
"Put her in that room in the Basement that ain't got no windows", Kurt told Benny. "Make sure she can't get out."
"Uh...There ain't no bed down there", said Benny.
"Take some blankets", retorted Kurt. "She can sleep on the floor. She's used to sleeping with hard things, that oughtta suit her just fine."
While Benny was taking Pinky down the narrow stairs to the basement, Kurt met with the others in the living room.
""What are we gonna do with her, Boss ?", Grungy said nervously. "We can't keep her here.."
"We'll have to find a place to stash her", Kurt said. "Someplace deserted.....Secure, so she can't escape." He thought for a moment. "That Prep fuck won't come to till sometime tomorrow, that will give us some time to stash her somewhere else. Tibo, scout out some locations while it's still dark. Take Jero with you. Grungy, we need a box, or a sack....Something to transport a body in. Bonz, I want you to siphon some gas from over at the Oil Spill pumps, then come back and go with Benny over to where the Carnival has it's winter storage barn. You two are gonna steal a Go-Kart."
Kurt stood and looked around at his boys. This is what they respected about him, his ability to lead. Although they somewhat feared him because of his occasional erratic anger, they had all been together a long time, and he had always taken care of them. "All right....Any questions ?....No ?.....Then let's get cracking. This will all be over soon....When those stinking Preps hand over their Weapons to us."
The Rockers arose and quickly left to do Kurt's bidding.
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-
Tony returned to his small office long after midnight. He was weary. Putting the safe files back into his Filing Cabinet, stringing the chains and locking the padlocks, he turned his attention to the File that he had to copy on the Photocopier. He had by chance obtained it when Ms. Danvers had gotten a newer one for her front School Office. He started with the Ledger, the most damaging document of the File, which contained 60 pages going back over 5 years.
More than two hours had gone by the time he was finished. It was turning into a long night. He stashed his copies underneath the Photocopier, and put the originals back in the File. Now, he had to sneak the File back into Crabblesnitch's Office.
Tony moved like a ghost down the darkened halls of the School to the Main Office. There was always a small light left on in here at night. He went to Crabblesnitch's door, and attempted to turn the knob. Damn ! It was Locked ! Tony wished he had Karen's lock-picking skills. He thought quickly....He would have to find another way. He knew there was a disguised door that existed on the back balcony, he would just have to find it. Tony was just about to go when he stopped still. What was that strange noise he was hearing ? It seemed to be coming from the other side of the door. Tony put his ear to the door. Strange animal-like noises were coming from the other side of the door. If Tony didn't know any better, he would think it was.......
Naw, It couldn't be.....Or Could It ?
Tony left the Main Office at a silent trot, ran to the window in the far hall that somehow strangely opened up to the back balcony. Tony had never figured that one out, and nobody he knew ever had either. Climbing through the window onto the balcony, he moved to the other end. The secret door was here somewhere.....
Tony took out his lighter, and searched, looking for cracks or anything that would give him a clue as to where the outline of the door would be. He looked for several minutes, and was about to give up, when a thought struck him....What if this was like Jimmy's Tunnel door ?
Instead of looking for cracks in the mortar, Tony started looking at the bricks themselves. Looking for a brick that didn't quite belong. And then he spotted it. A brick that was slightly off-color than the others, a little bit lighter. Tony exerted pressure on it, just as he did to the rock in Jimmy's Tunnel. He was rewarded by a barely-audible CLICK.....And the whole mass of bricks, in the irregular shape of a doorway, silently moved inward.
Tony stepped carefully inside. He was in a small room off of Crabblesnitch's Main Office. Tony eased open the connecting door. The sounds that he had heard earlier were much more audible now, coming from an area over on the other side of the large room. Tony waited for his eyes to adjust to the total darkness. From the times he had been in the Office himself, he remembered the layout. He finally began to creep silently to where the file cabinet was. Finally touching it, he selected a drawer and slowly pulled it out, as to not make any noise. With care, he eased the File into the drawer and then eased it back shut. The sounds coming from across the room more than covered the small noises that Tony was making.
Tony turned to return to the small door, but stopped. He felt his pockets for his small digital camera that he had gotten from photography class (which was his favorite class, possibly due to the sexy Ms. Phillips), and found it. This was just too good to pass up, Tony thought. He set the aperture opening to maximum, and the exposure to infinite, aimed the camera in the direction of the noises, and took a picture. Then he moved noiselessly to the small room, and out the secret door to the balcony. Pulling the secret door closed, he returned to the window, and trotted through the halls once more to his small Office.
Grabbing the copied File from where he had hidden it, he once more made his was to Jimmy's secret cavern to stash it there, and returned to his Dorm at long last. He would get the picture off the chip tomorrow, when he went to Photography Class...That is, if he was awake to go to class. He was really bushed, it had been a long day and long night. Tony didn't know it, but there were much more of those to come.
_____________________________
-
"I got it all, Benny", Bonz panted, lugging a can of gas.
"Nice, boy. Let's get going, the Carnival isn't far", Benny replied.
"Yeah". Bonz agreed.
The two Rockers were whispering, although nobody could be listening to them at that time of the night. The streets of Old Bullworth Vale were empty, except the Shopkeeper of the Yum Yum Market that was removing snow before the entryway of his shop. He paused and rested on the end of his shovel, using a thumb to adjust his green cap, and watched as Benny and Bonz passed by, greeting them with a short nod. Benny responded with a nod, and then blinked as the Street Lamp suddenly lighted, before returning to dark immediately. He took a short look at his friend who was carrying the clumsily-filled can of gas.
"Hey, Bonz...You've ever used a Go-Kart ?" he asked.
"No... But I gotta idea how it works", Bonz replied.
"Yeah. I wonder what Kurt has in his mind about that thing", Benny said.
"Me too." the kid answered with a shrug, looking at his feet.
Bonz was a short boy, but who knew how to take care of himself. He had a large jaw and a freezing look able to make anybody he met feel constrained, but his fellows Rockers knew he wouldn't hurt anybody without a reason. The most remarkable thing about him was the large scar he had on the left temple. Only he knew the origin of it, and anybody asking about it had for response a vague ‘Childhood Accident’ or ‘a punch in the Temple‘. The way he always remained ice cold had seduced Kurt since that day he had taken Bonz under his wing.
"Here we are, Bonz, the Carnival. Looks creepy at night if you ask me", Benny muttered.
"I guess we'll have to climb over the fence…I forgot my ticket." Bonz joked while staring at the empty Ticket Counter. The boys climbed over the Gates
The Rockers made their way through the whole Midway, and stopped before the Go-Kart Circuit Gate. Benny dug through his pockets and found his lock-picking personal equipment. A minute later, the lock fell next to Benny's feet, and the metal door to the Go=Cart Circuit opened.
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-
By the time Tibo and Jero returned from their search for a place to stash Pinky, Grungy had already come back with a large burlap potato bag that he found behind a Restraraunt, and Benny and Bonz had successfully stolen the Go-Kart, which was parked in the drive leading to the house. Tibo reported that they had found a deserted building over in Blue Skies on the defunct Wonder Meats property that would serve well for hiding Pinky. There was one minor problem, however.
"There's a real old padlock on the double doors, all rusted up", reported Tibo. "Doubt if Benny can get it open. We're gonna have to cut it off."
Kurt thought a moment. "Sneak by the Autoshop at school. Find something we can get that lock off with", he said. "Haul that bitch up outta the basement and bag her. The rest of you swipe some bikes and meet us over there. I'll take the cunt over there myself."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Trussed up like a hog and stuffed into the potato bag, wrapped in blankets, Pinky rode crossways on Kurt's lap as he guided the Go-Kart through the dark, empty early-morning streets of The Vale, Bullworth, New Coventry, and Blue Skies. Arriving at the building, he dumped Pinky off on the ground after parking the Go-Kart. He unbundled her and pulled down the head of the sack.
Pinky glared at him and attempted to talk, but could only make sounds because of the tape still wrapped around her mouth.
"Mmmm-Muuuuu !!", was all that Kurt could hear.
"Calm down, little Prep-slut", Kurt said. "We'll get you in to your new home shortly."
"Mmmm-Mumm-Muuuuu !!!" Pinky's eyes flashed fire.
Soon, the other Rockers pulled up on bikes, and dismounted. Tibo carried a crowbar with which he made short work of the rusted lock. Entering the building, the boys discovered that it was, in fact, a small Warehouse, with two large bay doors facing to the North. Using their lighters, they found the electricity was cut off to the building, as none of the switches worked. The place dusty and cobwebby, with various junk lying about on the floor. Pinky was trundled in and dumped into a corner of what appeared to be a small, windowless Office.
"OK, boys....I'll take first watch. We'll rotate every few hours. Return to the house. Benny, take the Go-Kart back to the Carnival Barn and wipe it down, just exactly how you found it. Tibo, come relieve me after morning classes tomorrow. Bring along some eats and water, and more blankets. Flashlight, too. A Kerosene Heater would be nice, if you could find one. We'll get in touch with our little pal Tad tomorrow night and see if he has our Weapons or not. If the Cops show, you don't know what they're talking about." Kurt paused. "All right, that's it. Stand tall."
The boys filed out, mounted the bikes and the Go-kart and headed off, Leaving Kurt alone with Pinky. Kurt barred the door by moving a heavy wood order cabinet in front of it. He put a blanket around Pinky, and then settled down himself with another blanket to wait. before long, both he and Pinky drifted off into sleep.
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-
The next morning's classes went on as usual. Nobody noticed Pinky, or for that matter Tad, was missing. The pure fact was that the Preps did pretty much what they wanted. If they came to class or not was no concern of the School Administration. The other truth was that no attendance was ever really taken after the first day of School, and that was only to benefit the Teachers by letting them know who should be in their class. All Preps always passed their classes as a matter of course, while most of the other Cliques were also passed unless they ran too far afoul of the administration or created a huge scandal that was detrimental to the largely manufactured image of the School as an 'elite' Preparatory Academy.
Rooming alone at the Dorm also meant that there wasn't any roommate to notice Pinky gone, and the other girls were quite used to her occasional absences for whatever reasons they really didn't care about. Probably Pinky's only real part-time friend was Christy, who was almost as dysfunctional as she was. And sometimes, even though they didn't get along well, Pinky would hang around with Lola, mostly due to their similar vain personalities. Lola, in fact, had helped Pinky in the wake of the bombings, after Karen had beaten her up over her designs on Tony. But Lola was gone now, gone off to Detroit and Johnny Vincent. There was no one to really miss Pinky anytime soon.
Late morning came to the Wonder Meats Warehouse Building. Pinky woke from an uneasy sleep to find Kurt watching her from across the small room. Staring at her intently, in fact. At some point, Kurt had removed the tape from her mouth.
"Ohhhh", Pinky moaned. "It's so cold...." She attempted to burrow deeper into her blanket.
"We'll have a heater coming shortly", Kurt said after a while.
"But I'm Freezing", Pinky complained. "My fingers and toes are turning blue !"
"Then they'll match the rest of your swanky outfit", Kurt laughed. He got to his feet and went over to Pinky, pulled her forward to examine her bound hands behind her back. They did indeed have a little tinge of blue on the fingertips. Kurt let Pinky fall back, and grabbed her left leg. He roughly pulled off her penny-loafer and examined her toes. Whitish, but not bluish. He tossed the shoe in a corner, and returned to his spot across the room.
"Heeey !", Pinky squealed. "I need that ! Why do you have to be so mean ?"
"Don't look like you're gonna be running off anytime soon", Kurt replied. "As to being 'mean', there's a simple answer to that, Bitch....I hate Preps. All you Preps."
"But why ?", Pinky pleaded. "I haven't ever done anything to you !"
"No, but your boyfriends have", Kurt said harshly, "And they're gonna pay...And pay big."
"You can't do anything to them", Pinky said, "Their fathers run this whole place ! They'll have you tracked down, and......"
A bellow of laughter erupted from Kurt. "That's rich, little rich girl.....Nobody is gonna do anything to me me. I got like, see, a little bit of unexpected protection."
"What does that mean ?" Pinky asked. "Just who are you anyway ?"
"Huh", Kurt huffed. "Till about a month ago, I was just Kurt. No Identity, no clue where I came from. Then, I was getting sent to this shitty place. I wouldn't leave without my gang, so they got sent too. All them are just like me....No family, no clue. Now......" Kurt trailed off.
"Now you found out something ?", Pinky whispered. Despite her discomfort, she was becoming interested in the story. It was all so.....Exciting.
'Yeah", Kurt said after a bit. "And your asshole boyfriend's families somehow have something to do with my being here....And my boys. All in the name of the Good Doctor...."
"I....Don't understand....", whispered Pinky through numb lips.
Kurt suddenly stood and left the small room. He went into the Warehouse proper, leaving Pinky behind, and using his lighter, started doing a little investigating. An hour later, there was a series of raps on the door that Kurt recognized as their gang's code knock. He went to the door, and moved the large storage bin out of the way to open it.
It was Tibo, who came equipped with some needed items....A heater, a small lantern, flashlight, and more blankets. Tibo reported that Benny was going to secure a padlock when it was his turn to stand watch over Pinky. He also related that no one had seen Tad at School or elsewhere as of yet, and nobody seemed aware that anything was amiss.
Kurt helped Tibo bring in and set up the heater, and soon enough, the small room was getting warmed up. Though Kurt wouldn't have minded seeing Pinky turn the same shade of blue as her clothes, he knew that he couldn't let their captive come to any harm. A frostbitten hostage would do them no good in trade for the Weapons they were seeking.
Leaving Tibo with a few instructions, Kurt left the Wonder Meats Warehouse, taking the slow, ungainly bike with the large basket that Tibo had used to transport the stuff he brought. Before leaving Blue Skies, he ditched that and stole a much faster bike for his return to Bullworth. He would have to track down Tad and see what the Prep's response to his demand had been. It was quite possible that Tad was still lying in a heap back at the Beach House. Kurt hoped he hadn't beaten the boy too badly. He had gotten a bit carried away, as he sometimes did. But prickass or not, Tad was now a central pawn in Kurt's plan to gain those Weapons. And once he had them, he would turn them on the very ones who supplied them, those stinking Preps. Hold all of them hostage in Harrington House, if he had to. It was time to find out the whole truth of his and his Clique's presence here at Bullworth Academy.
___________________________________________________________
-
"Here he is, the Mascot ! Hey Nick, catch this one !", Bo called.
Nick, who was at the top of the stairs leading to the Football Field in the cold early morning air, made a few steps back to intercept the ball sent by Bo. He kept it in the hands while running down the stairs, and threw the ball to a random Jock.
"Hey Damon." Nick greeted.
"Hi there, Mascot !" the Jock responded, tapping his huge hand on Nick's shoulder.
"My ankle's better. I guess I can play with you guys now", Nick allowed.
"Very good, Ha-Ha !" Laughed Damon.
The whole Football Team began to warm up, anticipating that Coach Burton would arrive shortly. And they were right. The fat man in the tank-top walked down the stairs, although the winter air was still very cold. Like he did everyday, he insulted the Team and told them to start working out. He didn't even pay attention to Nick, who found these exercises pretty easy compared to the old Karate training he had back in Los Angeles.
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-
Tad was quite a long time waking up from the beating that Kurt had given him. It was afternoon before he came to. He groaned and rolled over on his side, and the immediately wished he hadn't. Pain shot through his torso in quick jabbing waves. Undoubtedly, Kurt had broken some of his ribs with all his savage kicking. Tad managed to to get up on his knees and elbows, but found he could not get up. Crawling to the door, Tad was just able to get it open and crawl across the threshold.
The Beach House itself, actually the old Keeper's House, stood next to the Lighthouse. The interior walls had been gutted long ago to create one huge room, equipped with a full bar, card tables, an old-style stand-up video game, and the bed in the far corner, where Tad an Pinky had carried on their secret trysts for the past several months, even while she was still going with Derby.
From his low position, he surveyed around him. He was up on the high platform that abutted the Beach House. Directly in front of him was the part of the platform that led down to the small dock where come Spring, a boat would be docked. To his left was a ramp which led down to the sand. From his position, Tad could see no one out on the beach in either direction. There was no one he could hail for help.
Tad crawled to the edge of the ramp and attempted to navigate his way down. Instead, he lost his precarious balance and tumbled down the full length to the bottom, aggravating his injuries. As he came to a rest at the bottom of the ramp in a heap, he did not move.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In a dream shrouded in blue haze, Tad heard voices....voices calling his name.....Questions. Then he felt lifted up, floating, floating......Then, street noises, muffled sounds.....a door opening, muted conversation......Then, laid down on a cloud....White all around.....He must speak, had to talk, to tell......
"Pinky", he mumbled, ".....Taken....Weapons...."
"What's he saying ?", a voice asked.
"Something about....Tad, what are you saying ?", another voice, familiar.
"They....Took...Pinky", Tad spoke in a whisper. "For....Weapons...."
"Took Pinky ? Who took Pinky ?", the voice, again. "What do you mean ? Tad ? Tad ?"
But the voice was fast receding, as the whiteness turned into darkness. He was falling, falling, into the void, into the blackness. It would be a whole day more before he would come to again.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Out on the street in front of the Vale Clinic, Derby, Biff, and Gord were gathered, after finding Tad crumpled at the bottom of the ramp and carrying him to the Vale Clinic.
"What was he saying in there ?", asked Gord.
"Sounded like he said someone took Pinky", Derby answered.
"That's what I heard too", said Bif.
"Who took her ?", asked Gord. "Did he say ?"
"No", Derby said. "I'd guess whoever beat him."
"Has anyone seen Pinky today", questioned Bif.
"I haven't seem her much at all since we broke up", Derby said.
"Didn't he say something about Weapons ?", Bif asked.
"Yeah, but I don't know what he's talking about", Derby said.
The boys decided to check the Beach House. Arriving, they found the door open. Inside, the place had been trashed. There was stuff laying about everywhere, thrown to the floor as if the place had been searched in a hurry. Cabinets were opened, contents were scattered, and the bar had been up-ended. Even the gaming console and drink machine had been pulled away from the wall. If the intruders had been looking for Weapons, they had come up empty here. Only Derby knew the true location of the Weapons the Preps had left...On the second floor of the Glass Jaw Boxing Gym, the off-campus stronghold of the Clique.
Poking around further, they discovered that all the blankets were missing from the bed. The sheets were rumpled, as if having been slept in....Or maybe something else. Pinky's small purse was found spilled open alongside the bed, confirming that she had indeed been here. Derby knew she had been staying in the Girl's Dorm, so what was she doing here ? And, for that matter, what was Tad doing here with her ? Suspicions swirled around in Derby's mind, but he said nothing. He hadn't been keeping tabs on the crazy bitch after she left that night, but was now wishing he had. During their often stormy relationship, she had pulled that little trick many times, only to come crawling back. For, as Derby knew, Pinky would never be happy with any of those Paupers, they could never be able to give her the finer things in life that she craved so much. He hadn't considered, though, that she might turn her charms on one of their own.
Derby ordered the others to gather the Prep Clique together and start a search for Pinky. They were to look at the School, Bullworth Town, and The Vale. Unspoken was the fact that none of them were to venture into the other Towns. The Perps would be attacked on sight by the Greasers that hung around New Coventry, and attacked on sight by the Townie kids in Blue Skies. If Pinky couldn't be found soon, Derby would enlist outside help. First, though, he wanted to have a little talk with Tad, when he woke up, and get the real truth out of him.
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Tony woke up late enough to miss his morning classes, but he was just in time for Photography Class. While the others were fooling around, Tony took time off from ogling Ms. Phillips to pull the memory card from his digital camera, and slot it into the pic-port of a computer at the back of the room. Accessing the program, he pulled up the pictures and selected the shot that he had taken the night before. When the image flashed on the screen, Tony was stunned. The image was a bit darkened, but clearly was showing two people engaging in some sort of carnal activity. Tony used the program to lighten the picture, and the ecstatic face of Ms. Danvers became clear. She was clearly 'Riding The Bull', to put it into nicer terms. The figure of Dr. Crabblesnitich was also visible with his face in profile. Since Tony had not used a flash and had just relied on the wide open aperture and infinite exposure, he wasn't at all sure he would get anything.
He glanced furtively about the room. No one was paying him any attention. Quickly he selected the 'PRINT' option from the menu, chose 'BEST' for the picture quality, and the old noisy Printer rattled into action. Tony kept a guarded watch while the picture was being printed, least anybody wander over to see what he was doing. When the photo was done, Tony let it dry a bit, then put it in a large envelope which he then stuck in his backpack, all the while watching to see if anyone had observed him. No one had, they were all busy with whatever they were doing.
Pulling the memory card from the computer after closing out the program, Tony knew he had just scored Gold with this picture. How, or of what use it would ever be, he was uncertain....But it could be his ace in the hole if he ever ran afoul of the Headmaster. For obvious reasons of safety, he decided he'd better hotfoot it after class over to the secret Cavern and hide the picture.
Karen met him after class and wanted to hang out, but he put her off, saying he had something to do and would be back shortly. To forestall any of her questions, he promised to take her to the French Restaurant when he returned. He then set off alone, taking great care to make sure he wasn't being followed.
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It was getting towards the end of January. The School day was ending when the School intercom suddenly came on, with Ms. Danvers announcing that there would be fewer Apples available in the Cafeteria for the time being. Bananas would now have to do as a fruity snack of choice. Most of the Students groaned and complained at this news, as the Apples and Bananas were the only foods the Students could safely eat in the Cafeteria since Edna's cooking was notoriously questionable. Now the number of edible foods was cut in half. One Student however, actually enjoyed this news. This student was Fatty, who absolutely loved Bananas, but there were always never enough for him to stuff his face with....until now.
Fatty limped down the hall towards the Boy's Bathroom, his broken leg still in a cast, but healing. If there was one thing Fatty did as much as eating, it was using the Bathroom. Fatty proceeded to sit his large ass down on the toilet and shut the door to his stall, taking care to properly adjust his leg in the cast. To pass the time, he unpeeled his favorite Banana snack and began to munch. Meanwhile, Fatty could hear footsteps coming into the Bathroom. Fatty stopped straining for a moment to see if he could figure out who was invading his private moment. All of a sudden, he could hear the unzipping of a fly, the tinkling sound of piss, and a very distinctive laugh. There was also a very unusual sound that Fatty recognized as the sound that is made when a stream of piss is no longer hitting the urinal. Fatty's face crunched up in disgust when he considered that the person nearby was now wetting down the wall on purpose.
"Ah-Ha-Ha-Ha, Ha-Ha-Ha !", laughed the familiar voice of Lucky. Fatty now thought it would be better if he were to take a look and see what was so funny. When Fatty peeked out the crack between the door and the wall, what he saw was completely unexpected. Lucky wasn't taking a piss on the wall…He was aiming into the urinal all right, but it was what was in the urinal that made Fatty start to snicker. In the base of the urinal sat a very comical looking Edna mask. Up above it was Lucky, aiming back and forth to completely douse the odd looking face mask until the cardboard it was made out of began to sag and deform. As he finished up, Lucky made sure to drain the rest of his urine straight into the mouth of the mask. What Fatty saw next both surprised and disgusted him. Lucky turned around and began to take a shit in the urinal.
"Aww, Gross !", Fatty whispered to himself.
"Haw-Haw, Eat Dirt, Sucker !", Lucky yelled as a turd slapped down onto the mask.
As soon as Lucky cleaned up, grabbing some Toilet Paper from an empty stall, and then exited the bathroom, Fatty gathered himself up and started to leave as well. Before he left, Fatty threw the Banana peel down on the floor near the toilet he had just used. Mr. Luntz will have one hell of a task when he comes to clean the Bathrooms tonight, thought Fatty, and he will no doubt be very angry.
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At 7:00 PM, the last of the students were running towards the nearest exit. They knew very well that the Prefects began to patrol the halls at seven sharp and were very serious about not wanting ‘Trespassers’ hanging around at night. After closing up the School Store, Mr. Luntz began his rounds of cleaning. He would start with the halls, move on to the Cafeteria, fix any broken light bulbs or glass windows, and left his least favorite chore for last....Cleaning the Bathrooms.
At 3:00 AM, Mr. Luntz made his way into the Boy's Room on the first floor. He was immediately hit with a horrible stench. "Ah, son of a bitch, that Stinks !", screamed Mr. Luntz as he pinched his nose. He spotted the source of the smell right away as his eye caught a glimpse of a piece of shit in the middle urinal. "Those little pesky snots !", muttered Mr. Luntz. Now, he would have to go retrieve his little handheld shovel, his 'pooper-scooper' as he called it. Mr. Luntz would be damned if he was going to pick that thing up with his bare hands.
When he came back, the Janitor quickly scooped the foul mess up, revealing a soggy, brown-stained Edna mask in the base of the urinal. "Ha-Ha-Ha, FOOL !", laughed Mr. Luntz, "This is priceless !" He then gave the crap in his shovel a little toss towards the nearest toilet. As accurate as the toss was, he was not able to score a 3-pointer. The crap hit the rim of the bowl and promptly splattered, half of it landing in the water and the other half going all over the nearby wall. "God Dammit !!!", Mr. Luntz shouted, "Now I have to wipe that up !" Mr. Luntz picked out the mask from the urinal and threw it in the toilet bowl to be flushed with the now half-a-turd. Then Mr. Luntz walked into the stall and ripped off a gob of Toilet Paper to wipe the mess he created off of the wall.
When he finished cleaning the wall, Mr. Luntz discarded the Toilet Paper into the toilet and pushed down on the handle. The shit, the mask, and the paper swirled around until they stopped, jammed up in the drain. All the garbage that the Janitor was trying to dispose of had clogged the toilet and the water began to rise quickly. "Oh Shit, Oh Shit !!", cried Mr. Luntz. As he turned and attempted to run to fetch his plunger, his foot slipped on the Banana peel on the floor thrown there by Fatty that afternoon. Mr. Luntz could feel his feet lift off the floor, and before he could scream, his face plunged into the germ infested water in the toilet. The water had then started to overflow and streamed past Mr. Luntz's ears and through his hair.
"Fuck My Life !!", cried Mr. Luntz as he hastily pulled his face out of the crapper. Mr. Luntz was about to have a long night cleaning up this massive mess and he was hell bent on taking it out on those little bastards the next morning.
“Dr. Crabblesnitch will hear about this !", Mr. Luntz vowed. There were going to be some changes around here, THAT was for sure.
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The next morning, most of the Bullworth campus was waking up feeling well rested…All of them except for Mr. Luntz. The School's only Janitor awoke having only slept for two hours the previous night. As he crawled out of bed, Mr. Luntz recalled why he was so groggy and quickly dressed and made for Dr. Crabblesnitch's Office. Mr. Luntz had a bone to pick, he wanted something done about those little bastards and all the crap he had to put up with. The previous night had been the final straw.
As the Janitor entered the School Office, he breezed by Ms. Danvers, who instead of trying to stop him from bursting into the Principal’s Office, went into gagging spasms. Throwing aside the doors, he strode into Dr. Crabblesnitch’s Office, who immediately stood up from his chair. "What in God's Name is that Stench ?", questioned Dr. Crabblesnitch. He was about to find out just what it was, and that it was Mr. Luntz's hair, near impossible for him to scrub the smell of toilet from his head after the incident the night before.
"Sir, I have had it up to my Ass ! Something must be done about those little shits...I mean Students !", Mr. Luntz said loudly. The Janitor then proceeded to tell the Principal the whole story of the night before and included every detail, including the part about the mask. Dr. Crabblesnitch's face twitched as he tried not to laugh when he heard about the mask.
"All Right, Mr. Luntz, I shall make an announcement during the first class period. This nonsense will stop now !", promised the Headmaster.
About an half-hour later, the intercom came to life with the sound of Dr. Crabblesnitch's voice. "Attention students....it has been brought to my attention that some Students find it amusing to misuse the facilities in the Restrooms. The act of leaving garbage in any place other than a waste receptacle will not be tolerated. Nor will the act of depositing feces in the urinals." At this, Lucky turned to his Greaser friends and began distributing high fives and nods of approval. Dr. Crabblesnitch’s voice continued: "The ability to use the Restrooms will now be a privilege. Those wishing to use the facilities will require a Bathroom Pass with the proper date and time of use recorded with the students current Teacher at the time of issuing the pass. Furthermore, punishments for misconduct will be from now on, much more strict. That is all." Dr. Crabblesnitch ended the announcement with a clicking off of the microphone.
The Bathroom on the first floor had began to attract rats as a result of the little mishap. Mr. Luntz was ordered to lay rat traps in the room, mostly near the walls to avoid being stepped on by unsuspecting Students. "I hope one of those little fuckers steps on one of these", Mr. Luntz muttered as he rubbed his hands together after laying the traps.
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It was now 9 PM. The whole Schoolyard was empty, except for the Prefects. However, many of the Students weren't sleeping just yet…They were in the basement, at The Hole. A fight was to be held, between Bif Taylor, of the Preps, and Norton Williams, the strongest Greaser. As The Hole fights weren't held all the time, no one really wanted to miss one. The whole School, all except the Nerds and the Rockers, managed to fit around the ring.
Nick was there too, and this time, he was watching. Some dried blood was on the floor of the ring, and it was probably from his fight with Damon. Tony rang the bell for Round 1, and the fight started. Norton's raw strength was no match for the incredible technique and speed Bif possessed. Even Nick had to admit that Bif deserved to be the champion.
In Round 2, Norton woke up, stopped a mindlessly charging at Bif, and even dodged some punches. The problem was he couldn't hit Bif either.
"It's Over", Derby said loudly, "Bif will finish that Pauper."
"Hey, you dirty Prep, better watch your fucking mouth !", Vance threatened.
"Paupers !", Derby snorted, "You poor bastards don't even deserve to live."
"OK, now shut up and watch !", Nick said. "I can't even hardly pay attention because of all your noise !."
"You shut up, new kid !" Chad joined in. "You think you're smart just because you......"
"Now hold it !" Tony rang the bell to end the second round and interrupted. "If you wanna settle it the Bullworth way...." Here he pointed at the ring....."This is the perfect place."
"Sounds good to me", said Nick calmly. "I already got 2 wins, I'll make it 3. Who wants a match ?"
"I want it", Derby spoke up, "But not in this filth. We'll do it gentleman's way, Penty. Come to the Glass Jaw Boxing Club come Sunday. That is, if you aren't afraid to pugilize."
"You wish", Nick said. "I'll be there. Sunday. Count on it."
Bif finished off Norton in the next round with a right hook, and he was the winner. Everyone exited the Basement, keeping an eye out for the patrolling Prefects.
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At 6 AM the next morning, Nick woke up early. He put on a sweatshirt, heavy kaki pants, gloves, and a wool sock hat, left a sleeping Tony in the Dorm room and went outside. Nick snuck out the Front Gates, took the nearest bicycle from the rack, and pedaled over the large Truss Bridge in the approaching dawn to the Yum Yum Market in Bullworth Town, where he bought four Eggs. He then returned to the Dorm, where he mixed the Eggs in a glass, and drank them up. After doing some push-ups and sit-ups, Nick decided to go down to the Football Field and jog some laps. On the way there, he saw Seth the Prefect.
“Hey…Why are you out so early ?”, Seth demanded.
“I, uh, wanna practice some Soccer”, Nick lied, “Down on the Football Field, before the Jocks are up.”
That stumped Seth, who let him pass. Nick made his way past the Gym and down on the Football Field. After running 20 laps in the cold, fresh air, he went to the Clubhouse. His new status as Mascot allowed him entering privileges. He found most of the Jocks still sleeping on mats laid out on the floor, the small TV just showing static. Taking a couple of Dumbells, he went back outside to work out on the Pitch.
It was a routine he was to repeat every morning until next Sunday, preparing for the Boxing Match with Derby.
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The School bell rang, and Thad, Melvin, and Cornelius walked side by side as they exited their class and made their way to the Cafeteria. On the way, they encountered Trent and Ethan. Even though the Bullies were fairly dumb and oblivious, they had been a little cautious around Trent lately as a result of his recently revealed sexual preference. Ethan was a little more forgiving. He had been best friends with Trent for years, and decided to hang out with him while the rest of the Clique found excuses to keep their distance.
"Hey look, its that boy-lover, Trent", teased Thad, eager to divert any attention about his Theater activities away from himself.
"I'm gonna waste this FARTBAG !", said Trent as he pointed at Thad.
"Be silent, Brother Knight, do not antagonize him !", Melvin pleaded to Thad.
Ethan walked over to Thad and gave him a mighty shove. "Get lost, girly-freak !!"
Just then, Cornelius stepped into the argument and flashed his middle finger at the two Bullies and said in a threatening voice, "Here's my opinion of you !"
"You're gonna be pissing blood !", Trent shot back.
"It's not my fault you have phallus fantasies", jeered Cornelius.
At this point, a small crowd had already gathered to watch what was going down. A sudden "Ooooohhhh !!" had erupted from the spectators as Cornelius issued his zinger finger at Trent.
"Oh yeah, you should talk. You're the one who dresses up as a chick, GAY-WAD !", Ethan responded.
The crowd was really getting restless now, they could tell the shit was about to hit the proverbial fan. Out of nowhere, Trent threw a stiff punch strait into Cornelius' face, sending his glasses through the air. The crowd finally got what they were looking for, the fight had started. Ethan soon joined the fray. It was fairly one-sided until Melvin whipped out his Spud Gun and fired point blank into Ethan's nuts. The Bully went down. Trent ceased beating on the now-knocked out Cornelius and began punching Melvin in the groin.
"Oww !!! You Dirty Fag !!", shouted Melvin.
Feeling highly insulted, Trent wrestled the Spud Gun from Melvin and cracked him on the head with it. "Come on guys, back me up !", Trent hollered at his fellow Bullies in the crowd. The Bullies didn't want to help though. Even after watching Trent's dirty, ‘underhanded’ fighting style, they still wanted to keep their distance. They didn't feel like getting an 'accidental' feel-up during the confusion. Realizing he was on his own, Trent walked towards Thad with a menacing look on his face, saying, "Wanna play shirts and skins ? I'll take of your shirt and rub against your skin !"
Thad’s eyes quickly sank back in his head, he was terrified. At this point, the bell rang again, and the crowd broke up and scurried off to Lunch. It was just Thad and Trent, a very creepy and threatening Trent....
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING ? THERE IS NO FIGHTING IN THE HALLS !!”
Seth the Prefect had come around the corner behind Trent and tackled him. Taking his cue, Cornelius ran away as fast as his skinny kegs would carry him.
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Tad was to be in the Clinic for a week. He had been beaten much more severely than anyone at first realized. During this time, he told Derby the story of Pinky's abduction, carefully leaving out the real reason he was there, only saying that he was there to 'provide protection' since Pinky had insisted in going there all alone. Derby did not quite believe that, since Tad had been found naked at the bottom of the ramp at the Beach House, but he let that go for now. He could probably trick the truth out of Pinky on that matter, provided if she was ever let go.
Derby's suspicions about Tad became secondary when Tad told him what the Rockers wanted in exchange for Pinky's safe return....The Prep stash of hidden Weapons. Derby became incensed at this bit of news, and vowed never to turn those Weapons over to that bunch of Pauper Ruffians. Since the search for Pinky had so far turned up empty, he was considering organizing a foray with the whole Prep Clique into New Coventry and perhaps even into Blue Skies, and for that they would need to be heavily armed. As they had just enough Weapons for that sort of adventure, it was out of the question to just trade them away with no guarantee that she would be returned. He had left the Clinic with very few options but to seek out help from a familiar adult source....His Father.
In his own way, Derby cared for Pinky, but mostly, as much of his class did, he considered her as a possession, to be shown off as a Trophy in polite company. Among the moneyed rich, deep feelings were reserved for the acquiring of more money and more power. Romantic feelings were only secondary, at best, when it came to relationships in the world of the rich. Derby knew that Pinky was vain and materialistic, but so was he, and so were all the Preps. Which is what mystified him as to why she hadn't come crawling back to him by now. Pinky craved money for the things it could buy her, and those Paupers could buy her nothing. He thought Tad had probably been supplying her with what she needed....And getting a little something-something in return, he guessed. In the world of the rich, everything had a price. Nothing was free.
Derby went to his Father's study when he reached the house. He was glad he didn't have to make an appointment, as many had to do, for his Father was a busy man, and only here less than half the time. Where he went to when he was gone, Derby didn't know. He supposed he would find out someday when he took over the family business, whatever that was.
"Come in, Boy...What's on your mind ?" Mr. Harrington said.
"Some Pauper kids took Pinky Gauthier", Derby said. "We don't know where she is."
"You mean took, as in Kidnaped ?" Mr. Harrington said. "Sounds serious."
Derby sat down and proceeded to explain the events as he had heard them, about the beating up Tad Spencer, those low-lifes taking Pinky, and holding her in exchange for Weaponry. When he finished, Mr. Harrington reached for the phone. "I'll call the Chief and have these miscreants arrested", he said. "They'll tell where they're keeping her, the Chief's men will beat it out of them if necessary....What are their names ?"
"Well, the lead kid is named Kurt", Derby said. "I don't know the other's names, but they call themselves the Rockers, and...."
Mr. Harrington hesitated, then put down the phone. "Damn, those are them Crabblesnitch kids", he muttered under his breath.
"Father ? What did you say ?", asked Derby, confused.
Mr. Harrington swiveled in his chair. "Change of plans", he said. "Give them the Weapons."
Derby was stunned. "What !?? We can't give those lowlife Scum....."
"You can, and you will". Mr. Harrington snapped. "There's too much at stake here, things you don't understand. You'll do as I say !"
"But...But", Derby sputtered. "That is insane ! They'll take and use those Weapons against us ! You can't be serious !"
"I'm deadly serious, my boy", Mr. Harrington. "Give them the Weapons and get that girl set free. I'll supply you with enough cash to get more."
Derby uttered a short high laugh. "There isn't any more ! That fuck Petey had most of them thrown in the Furnace and burned ! The only ones left is what the Cliques have hoarded ! We just can't go to the store and pick some up ! This is a bunch of Bullshit !!"
"Watch your language, boy", Mr. Harrington snapped. Derby lowered his head and sat there, fuming. He had come to the old man for help, and now this ? What The Fuck ?
"That's better", Mr. Harrington resumed. "Now, as I understand it, there's a geeky group at the school who make these 'Weapons', isn't that right ?"
"The Nerds", Derby said sullenly. "They make them."
"Then, Think, boy." Mr. Harrington sat forward. "I'd bet they have much more of them stashed than your pitiful arsenal. Probably a hell of a lot more."
"So what", said Derby, still pissed off. "We hate those Wimps."
Mr. Harrington leaned back and tented his fingers. "A true Harrington is a clever negotiator, even with enemies. Go to them and make a deal. Tell them you'll pay twice as much....Hell, make it three times as much, for enough to equip your fellows. I'll cover what ever it takes."
Derby looked up at his Father. "I could do that", he allowed.
"That's the spirit", Mr. Harrington said heartily. "Everybody has a price, my boy. Just make them an offer they can't refuse."
As Derby rose to leave, he couldn't help but wonder, and not for the first time, if his Father was really the Godfather of the Vale Valley.
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In the next couple of days, the deal had been struck. Kurt walked blithely into the Vale Clinic and told Ted where and when the Weapons were to be delivered. Apparently, he has watched the Clinic for quite some time to make sure no Preps were around.
Kurt's message was short and to the point....Bring the Weapons to the Graveyard by the Church in the north of Bullworth Vale at Midnight tomorrow. Only three Preps were allowed to carry the Weapons down the path and enter the Graveyard. They were to deposit the Weapons in a heap by the Mausoleum, and leave immediately. When they came out of the Graveyard gate, they were to put their hands in the air, and keep them there as they walked back down the path. The Rocker gang would be hidden in the woods out of sight in the dark with their own Weapons trained on them. They were to leave the area and not sneak back. If any of the Preps tried any funny business, or sabotaged the Weapons in any way so they did not work, the deal was off, and Pinky would not be released.
Tad had laid in helpless fear while Kurt had outlined the conditions, but to his credit, didn't show it. This was the boy who had almost beat him to death just a few nights ago, and yet here he was, talking in a low, controlled voice like nothing of the sort had ever happened. When Kurt left the Clinic after being there only five minutes, Tad began shaking violently.
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At the graveyard, the appointed hour had arrived. The Rocker Clique, minus Bonz (for it was his turn to watch Pinky), were hidden far enough in the woods as to not be seen. Kurt trained the Rocker's lone Spud Gun on the three Preps as they walked along the lit path, arms loaded with weapons. Derby, in the lead, looked straight ahead. Parker and Justin, bringing up the rear, were looking all about them, expecting an attack. The three boys reached the gate and went through. A few minutes passed, then they filed out of the Graveyard gate. Kurt aimed the Spud Gun that the Rockers had at Derby and waited. The boys stood there momentarily, then raised their hands as per instructions.
Kurt tried to suppress his glee. What humiliation ! He wished he had one of those cameras, this was so terrific. "GET MOVING, PREP-PUSSYS !!", he hollered from his hidden place in the woods.
"Why Don't You Come Out And Meet Me Like A Man, Whimp Boy ?" Derby shouted back.
"Now, What Kind Of Fun Would That Be ?", Kurt Shouted. "I Like This Just Fine ! Might Take You Up On That Though, After You Fight That Nicky-Boy !"
Derby whipped his head around. "How Do You Know About That ?", he shouted back.
"I Know Many Things", chortled Kurt. "One Of them Things Is You Need To Get Moving, If You Want Your Buddy To See That Sweet Pussy Of His Again !"
Now Derby really looked upset. "What Do You Mean By That ?", he demanded.
"Why, He Was Banging Her When We Walked In, I Just Assumed", Kurt laughed long and hard. "No ? Oh, Shit....Thought You Knew !" That sent him off into another round of laughter.
"You Better Not Have Hurt Her Any !" Derby yelled. "You Best Let Her Go !"
"She's Just Fine, Asshole ! She'll Be Home In The Morning, Provided You Boys Don't Get Up To Any Monkey Business !" Kurt's voice took on a hard tone. "Enough Of This ! Get Moving Before I Decide Not To Be Nice Anymore And Cut You Down Where You Stand !"
Derby had no choice. With a nod of his head, He motioned Parker and Justin to follow him. The three Preps, hands still raised, moved down the path the way they had come, towards the Vale.
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After a few minutes, Kurt emerged from the woods. He whistled for the others to come out as he saw the coast was clear.
"Tibo, You and Jero go follow them, make sure they're not sneaking back, or any of their pussy Prep buddies, either. Grungy, you got them Potato Sacks ? Good, you and Benny go in and collect those Weapons. I'll stand guard", Kurt ordered. "Let's move, we need to be gone in five minutes."
"Where we going, Boss ?", Benny asked.
Kurt pointed down the path, towards the Reservoir. "That way", he said.
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Ten minutes later, they were all gathered at the Reservoir. Kurt dispatched Benny and Tibo to guard the path on both sides, then had Grungy and Jero pull each of the Weapons from the bags and he test-fired them. It soon became apparent why Kurt chose this particular spot....The sound of the rushing water drowned out any noise that the Weapons made.
Satisfied as the last of the Weapons fired correctly, Kurt ordered them put back in the bags, save one for each member of the crew. They then backtracked into the wooded area, where Kurt halted.
"I'm gonna carry these back up in the woods a ways and stash them for now", Kurt said. "Tomorrow at 8 AM, I'm gonna put them in their new home. You boys go back and get some sleep at the house. Go to class like normal, but cut out after first period, swipe some bikes and beat it over to Blue Skies to lay low for a couple days. I'm sure the house will get raided after I spring that little cunt, so stay away. Go to that place near the Chem Plant where we was before. I'll join you there when I'm done. Got it ?"
The Rockers all nodded assent, and took their leave.
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The next morning, Kurt left the stash just long enough to steal a bike. Returning to the stash, he loaded and secured the two sacks to the handlebars, then rode into Bullworth Town. His destination was the Bank, where he had rented a large safety-deposit box a few days before. Lugging the two sacks with the Weapons into the Vault Room, he loaded them into a box that was, ironically, right next to the box where Jake had loaded his stash barely a month before. That done, he headed off to Blue Skies to relive Bonz and wait out the right time to release Pinky.
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Kurt arrived at the small Wonder Meats Warehouse shortly after 9 AM and relieved Bonz, telling him to go swipe one of those girl's bikes for Pinky to ride. He then went back inside to wait for the proper time to set things in motion. Once he let Pinky go free, he was sure someone would be after them. If they were Cops, he knew that they wouldn't fuck with them, not with what he knew. The Preps though....Well, there was gonna be a showdown, all right. He couldn't wait.
Kurt passed the time making small talk with Pinky. She had grown increasingly receptive to him as the days had gone by. Kurt had actually heard about stuff like this. It was called 'Stockholm Syndrome' for some reason or other. It meant that a captive somehow identified with their captors. It sounded pretty fucked-up to him, but he had to admit that his feelings had changed toward his captive. He had stopped calling her names like 'Cunt' and 'Slut' and 'Bitch'....And was actually giving her a grudging respect for holding up so well. In fact, he almost hated to see her go.
Pinky had told him that she was getting very resentful of the Prep boys she hung around with (Kurt took this to mean 'fucked'), and that she craved adventure and intrigue. The Preps were a boring lot, always single track-minded. She craved excitement, and adventure. She was bored to tears, she went on, and just couldn't take it anymore. Besides, they always treated her like shit, calling her stupid, telling her to shut up and just spread them. They screwed like they talked, all weird and fake. She even had hinted of her feelings towards Tony, for which Kurt had no comment.
Kurt, on the other hand, had revealed very little of himself to her, which only added to and further sparked Pinky's interest. He had caught her several times giving him long looks, and at times, he had to leave the small room to avoid his growing lust. After all, she was an attractive girl, and he hadn't had any at all since Lola left. He knew though, he had to keep control, and see this thing through. A brash decision that he had made in the heat of his anger, to abduct Pinky, might lead to more problems, not only for him, but for his friends. And he really didn't know how far Crabblesnitch would go to protect his secrets.
There was a rap on the door. Opening the padlock that Benny had acquired, he cracked open the door and looked out. Tibo was there. Kurt saw two bikes standing outside against the wall. Bonz had come through.
"Everybody's clear, Boss", Tibo said.
"Good....Head out", Kurt said. "I'll meet up with you later."
Tibo nodded and mounted the bike he brought, heading off towards the Chem Plant. Kurt watched him go, then closed and re locked the door. Time to get Pinky ready. He returned to the small office.
"Well, Pinky....Time to go", Kurt said, and turned her around. He stripped off the bindings around her wrists.
Pinky rubbed her wrists to try to get the circulation back in them. "I brought a Jacket for you", Kurt said, handing it to her. He watched her put it on. Pinky stretched out her arms and just stood there.
"Well...", Kurt said. "Com'on...Let's go."
"I can't", Pinky said.
Kurt was confused. "Why Not ?"
Pinky pointed down at her bare foot. "Told you I needed that."
Kurt went over to the dim corner where he had tossed her shoe. After rooting around for a moment, he found it, and returned to Pinky.
"Here...Hold on to me, and lift up your foot", Kurt said.
Pinky placed her hands on his shoulders and picked up her leg, then stopped. Kurt looked up to see her looking deeply into his eyes. They stood that way, in a frozen tableau, for what seemed like minutes. Pinky's breathing became deeper. Kurt felt his heart pounding.
Suddenly Pinky threw her arms around Kurt and covered his mouth with the most passionate kiss Kurt had ever known. He didn't resist, for resistance was futile. He dropped her shoe and embraced her tightly, gently lowering her to the blankets on the floor. Soon enough, they moved on to more passions than just a kiss that seemed to go on and on and on.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Outside, fully re-dressed now, Pinky regarded the sad state of her clothing. It was dirty, wrinkled, and even torn in a couple of places.
"I sure do look a sight", she remarked with a sigh. "I'll have to get some new clothes."
"Sorry about that", Kurt said. "Do you...Uh, know the way back ?"
"No", Pinky said, looking around. "I've never been here before."
"Well, just stay on this road, after the curve, It'll take you to New Coventry...", Kurt began.
Pinky grabbed his coat sleeve. "Ride with me...Please ? I'm afraid."
"OK...Let's go then...", Kurt said, still feeling the effects of their encounter.
They rode, side by side, out of Blue Skies, and through New Coventry. Pinky made small talk along the way. Kurt responded mechanically, still trying to absorb what they had just done. Finally they crossed over into Bullworth Town, and approached the big Truss Bridge. Kurt pulled to a stop, and Pinky did likewise.
"This is a far as I go", Kurt said. "You're on your own now."
Pinky nodded. "Bye", she said softly. Then she said, "Come and see me sometime."
She smiled, and headed off across the bridge. Kurt watched her go until she was out of sight, then turned and started the trek back to re-join his friends. He reflected along the way that if anybody had chanced to tell him that he would wind up doing a Prep girl a week ago, he would have cussed them out and called them crazy. Life sure was funny sometimes.
_________________________________________________________________
-
Jake had taken a prime opportunity the night before, although he didn't know it, to seed the School with the Walkie-Talkie Listening Devices he had swiped from the Dragon's Wing Basement. Each was set to a different frequency. Carrying the units in a backpack, he accessed the School through his old spot, the junk wall behind the Autoshop, which was his first target. The door to the Shop was locked, but that presented no problem. Jake was quite used to opening the School's cheap locks by now. He slipped a plastic card in through the crack, and tricked the lock. Opening the door, he quickly searched through the Shop until he found a hidden outlet under a bench, and plugged in the charger and the Wattage-Booster, plugged it into the Walkie-Talkie, and hid the whole works under the bench, after checking the tape and turning the unit on.
Next, he moved through the darkness to Harrington House, just across the way. In a stroke of good luck, none of the Preps appeared to be home. Jake didn't know where they were, or what had occupied them, and didn't give a shit. He went in through the unlocked door and moved quickly to the big main room. Behind a couch close to the fireplace, he located another outlet, and repeated the same proceedings to plant the second Walkie-Talkie, pushing the couch back in place to hide the Transmitter.
Next, he went to the Boy's Locker Room under the Gym. He was surprised to see the improvements here since he blew the place up just a few months ago. One of those was outlets in the lights. He plugged the Walkie-Talkie plug-ins, and secured the Walkie-Talkie to the inside of the new light-cover and replaced it. If somebody looked up, they would see the shape in the light fixture....But who the hell ever looked up at the ceiling, anyway ?
As he snuck down towards the Football Field, he was relieved to see it was empty. The Jocks had turned in, most likely to the Clubhouse, which was one reason he had opted to bypass that particular place. He headed off in the direction of the Observatory.
The Observatory presented a tougher challenge. It took Jake all of an hour to find his way in, and then locate the Basement room the Nerds had their meetings. Seeing a Con-Sumo game console gave him a jolt, he didn't expect to see another unit here. Along with the familiar tables crammed with models, fake battlefields, and plans strewn about, he felt in a momentary deja-vu of being in the Dragon's Wing Basement. But this Con-Sumo game machine was broken, he discovered, as he pulled it away from the wall. It wasn't even plugged in, he saw, and so set about plugging the fourth Walkie-Talkie unit in and moved the Busted console back to cover it.
Then, he took the outer trail around to the Library. The gate was closed, but he had long ago figured out the code to it, even before Tony and his fucked-up friends had. He reached through a small hole in the mesh and punched 1-1-3-8 onto the keypad, and the lock sprung open. By-passing the Library this time, since he had bugged the Observatory, he headed over to the back of the School.
Dodging the Prefects was ridiculously easy. Jake wondered how, once upon a time, he had ever had a problem with that. Scaling the trellis at the rear of the School, he went in through the magic window that he still didn't understand. A little something out of the Twilight Zone, that was foe sure. Sneaking down to the School office, he located a plug-in behind a copier, and planted the fifth Walkie-Talkie there. He didn't know if this one would be of any use or not, but he just might pick up something of interest here.
Next, he left the School and headed toward the Boy's Dorm. Here he would face tougher challenges, for there were actually kids in there sleeping. Entering with a Weapon drawn, he encountered no one, and was momentarily confused at the layout. The stuff in the Common Room was moved around, and he had to orient himself. Seeing the TV stand, he moved it out, found an outlet, and planted the next Walkie-Talkie there, then pushed the stand back in place, and then beat it out of there.
Then, he ran to the Girl's Dorm. Entering, he planted the seventh and final Transmitter in almost the same spot where he had set the bomb just three months ago. Only, this time, he would be listening to those little bitches conversations about their boyfriends rather than trying to blow them to hell. Sneaking out of the Dorm, he hopped the shortcuts, ran through the Parking Lot to the junk wall, and climbed up and over. He located his stolen bike and eagerly pedaled back to his rented house. He couldn't wait to start listing in on those dumb fuck's secrets and plans on his Receiver Unit he had set up. Jake was so excited that he almost had an orgasm as he pedaled.
_______________________________________________________
-
Later that evening, the group of Preps, Derby in the center, walked through the Gates of the School from the Vale, finding the shelter booth abandoned. Derby was looking straight ahead, thinking deeply, while Biff, walking at his side, spoke with the others about Pinky's return. They were making their way to Harrington House. Suddenly, passing before the Library, Derby stopped and raised his hand. The others began to question him.
"Boys, it is time for real business….We are going to take over the Weapons trade at Bullworth Academy", he announced.
"Are you serious, Derby ? Do you mean...", Justin started.
“Dead serious”, Derby vowed.
“Now, how are we going to do that ?”, Parker questioned.
“Make a deal with those Nerds”, Derby told him. “Simple as that.”
“What ? Deal with those low-life pencil Geeks ?”, Parker exclaimed. “I’d rather eat that slop Cafeteria food than do that !”
“After what has happened, we need to make an Alliance with them”, Derby said firmly.
"Sorry, but I can't allow myself to get into that. I'm out of here", Parker responded calmly.
"Yes, uh... Me too." Justin said, embarrassed, looking at his feet.
Parker and Justin walked away, continuing on to Harrington House. The rest of the Preps watched them go, shuffling their feet uneasily. The loss of their entire Weapons stash had unnerved all of them deeply, and none of them understood just why Derby had given into the Rocker’s demands so easily.
Derby turned and looked at Biff. His Lieutenant shrugged, looking his Leader in the eyes. “The rest of you, stay here”, Derby said. Touching Biff on the shoulder, he said, “Let’s go.” Both Preps went straight into the Library, without another word. Inside, they found Chad reading a book on one of the heavy wooden tables. Derby tapped on his shoulder while passing by, and Chad stood up to follow him quickly. They arrived at a table of a group of Nerds, concentrating on Chemistry assignments. Derby took a chair and sat next to Cornelius, and laid hand on the knee.
"Hello, Cornelius.", Derby smiled.
"Uhh….Here to make fun of me again ?" the Nerd responded nervously.
"No, No, come on... I know you Brave Knights were good at creating Weapons, aren't you ?", Derby said, slyly.
"We don't create any ‘Weapons‘, you oughtta know that", Cornelius answered after a brief look at Melvin.
"Of course, of course..." Derby said while brushing the Nerd's shoulder with the back of his hand. "This is a dangerous place, you know. You need protection. Me, and my boys... We can offer you this protection. In exchange for some back-up Weapons, we can front you with a substantial reward, naturally. What do you say ?"
"We don't need your...", Melvin began to say.
Derby took Cornelius' assignment, and slowly started to rip the paper. He grabbed the Nerd by the collar as discretely as he could, repeating, "What do you say ?” Biff and Chad grabbed up papers from the other Nerds, Thad, Bucky, and Donald, sitting at the table and prepared to tear them up.
After several minutes, Melvin, and the others had reached their breaking point. Not knowing that the Preps had just handed over their entire Weapons stash to ransom Pinky, the Nerds assumed that an all-out War by the Preps was about to be directed at them if they didn’t comply.
Derby and the Melvin shook hands on an evil deal.....As long as the Nerd’s safety would be assured, Derby would be provided with part of the Weapons. It was an offer they couldn't refuse.
_________________________________________________________
-
"Yo man, give me some of that shampoo", asked Damon. The Jocks were in the Boy’s Locker Room preparing for showers after a hard workout in the Gym. Bo passed Damon a bottle of shampoo and Damon placed it on top of his Locker. Just before the boys were about to enter the shower, the one person they had tried desperately to avoid walked in.
"Hey !", shouted a jovial looking Kirby. "Uh....hey", responded a nervous sounding Damon as he gave a half-hearted wave. The Jock's plans for a shower were now in ruins, for they would not take the risk of showering naked with their old pal Kirby in the same room. Kirby could sense the tension in the room although he couldn't understand why his friends were so nervous. Kirby began to disrobe in preparation for a shower of his own. The faces of the Jocks immediately began to cringe as they took a few steps back and began looking the other way.
Through the open door, Kirby spotted Mandy walking by in the underground hallway and raced out through the door without his clothes on to greet his fellow Clique member.
"Hey Baby, wanna be my personal cheerleader ?", Kirby said persuasively.
"Uh, WHOA !....Um, Kirby, no thanks....see you later !", Mandy said quickly, and walked away, caught off guard by the naked Kirby.
Kirby just shrugged at Mandy's reaction and slowly made his way back into the Locker Room. The Jocks were nervously looking around at each other and whispering, but quickly turned around and smiled at Kirby as he walked in and pretended as though nothing had happened or had been said. Kirby then entered the nearest shower stall, closed the curtain and began to wash himself. Damon decided he had no choice, he would have to shower right now. He had a date with Gloria later and stinking was not an option.
"Don't drop your soap !", teased Luis as Damon walked into the shower stall. Damon decided it would be safer to undress in the stall and slide his clothes out to one of his friends rather than undress out in the open Locker Room.
After about five minutes of showering, Damon could hear Kirby in the shower next to him. Kirby was talking to himself and a strange slapping sound could barely be heard over the running water. "Someone's-Hungry-For-Pound-Cake !", Kirby shouted in broken words as he began to groan. The slapping sound became even louder, and fearing the worst, Damon began to shower hastily. As he jumped from the stall, Damon dropped his soap and watched it slide under the partition and into Kirby's shower stall. Damon looked at the Jocks, there faces covered with large grins as the listened to Kirby's little performance behind the curtain.
"Oh shit man, is he choking his chicken ?", questioned a fearful Damon.
"Yeah, it sure sounds like it", said Bo, laughing.
Panic began to set in as Damon ran possible scenarios through his head. What if Kirby was looking under the stall with a mirror ? He quickly shook this thought out of his head. There was no way this was possible, Kirby had been friends with Damon and the guys for years, and even though he was gay, he was at least respectful of the Clique.
After minutes of chatter and speculation between Damon and the guys, the noise of the water stopped. All of the Jocks immediately froze and turned their heads in the direction of the shower. They could hear the wet footsteps of Kirby as he made to exit the shower. Just before the curtains opened, a loud squawk issued from the stall and a naked Kirby came tumbling out of the stall, landing on his bare ass on the tile floor. The Jocks winced, Kirby had slipped on Damon's bar of soap and landed on the floor with a very obvious boner pointing toward the ceiling. The Jocks didn't know whether to vomit or burst out laughing.
"Haha, look at how small that is !", laughed Laurent as he entered the Locker Room wearing a sweat-stained athletic outfit. As Kirby recovered himself, he quickly stood up and covered himself with a towel as his face turned bright red. The Jocks had stopped chuckling long enough to move as far away from Kirby as they could.
"Look, I'm sorry you guys had to see that, but you don't have to run away like you never saw a boner before !", said Kirby. Damon caught a glimpse into the stall Kirby used, and to his horror, saw his bar of soap on the floor, a mirror, and a wad of white goo on the wall. Damon's eyes widened and gave him the appearance of a deer in headlights. Casey came over to see what was the matter and noticed exactly what Damon had seen.
"Aw, you're disgusting, you fucking fruit !", Casey barked at Kirby.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean ?!", Kirby said loudly. Casey pointed in the direction of the shower stall.
"Wait, it's not what you think !", defended Kirby. "I was just practicing my fight moves in the mirror ! And that's just some shampoo !". The Jocks didn't buy it, the evidence seemed just too convincing.
"How come you got a frigging Woody !?", questioned Luis.
"Um...It's my love of sports ?!", Kirby tried to say unconvincingly.
"Coach is gonna hear about this one !", threatened Damon.
"No, I'll be cut from the team !", Kirby said anxiously. Kirby then began to break down and cry. The towel Kirby used to cover up was not wrapped very tight and slid off. The Jocks all began roaring with laughter.
Kirby ran from the Locker Room. "I just want to play Football, that's all !", he cried. As Kirby ran up the stairs and then out of the Gym, Students either gasped or burst out laughing. A few girls outside began to scream bloody-murder, and this caught the attention of Prefects. The Jocks had made their way out of the Gym to see Kirby being pursued towards the Fountain by Max and Karl. Mrs. Peabody soon joined the chase shouting "Get back here you PERVERT !!"
Kirby was eventually subdued and sent straight to Dr. Crabblesnitch's Office, dressed in makeshift clothes from the lost and found before being interrogated.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
At his rented house in Bullworth Vale, Jake had overheard the whole event on his base radio. Jake was beside himself laughing. As he rolled around on the floor, his ribs began to ache and he started to piss himself.
"Ah, Son of a Bitch !", swore Jake. It was worth it though. Jake considered having pissed in his pants a small price to pay for such grade-A entertainment.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hours later, Mr. Luntz made his way into the Boy's Locker Room. Due to the distance between the Gym and main School building, he was only required to clean the Locker Rooms once a month and this was his time to do it. Mr. Luntz entered the shower stalls to begin scrubbing. He began to chuckle as he spotted the bar of soap on the floor as innuendos entered his head. Next he spotted a mirror on the floor leaning against the wall.
"Those little Bastards", he remarked to the empty room, "Always forgetting their shit." He placed the mirror in a lost and found bin by the door and resumed cleaning. The last thing he spotted was the wad of white shampoo on the wall.
"That is just sick !", Mr. Luntz said loudly. He was curious though. The Janitor slowly moved his finger to the mess on the wall and placed his finger in it. He then brought it to his nose and sniffed deeply.
"Hmmm", he said in a puzzled tone. He then moved his finger down and jammed it in his mouth. "Blah !!!", shouted Mr. Luntz as he spat the goo out of his mouth as quickly as his lips would allow. "Conditioner !!!", he shouted as if he had just discovered gold. "Why can't those shit heads just rinse their shampoo away when they’re done ?", he questioned as he wiped the mess away.
Although the Jocks didn't know it, Kirby had been telling the truth.
_________________________________________________________
-
As a weak voice told them to come in. Parker, followed by Justin, pushed back a part of the curtain surrounding Tad's bed at the Vale Clinic. Those curtains were made of a pale shade of green, although hand-shaped blood spots were sometimes to be seen on it.
"What is... Going on... Old chaps ?" Tad asked in a low voice.
"Tad, how do you feel ?" Justin said while taking his hand.
"I'm better." Tad lied. "Why are you here ?"
"Tad, Derby's gone crazy..." Parker started, arms folded.
"He's gone into some Mafia trade, or something... The Weapons... The Nerds..." Justin finished.
Tad tried to laugh, but the pain cut him off.
"Derby... Derby... Can't even deal with an awesome... Girlfriend... Like Pinky..." Tad began.
"Tad, about you and Pinky...", Justin started to ask.
"... And he thinks he can... Handle a trade ?" Tad finished, ignoring Justin's remark.
"It's not as simple as that." Parker said, turning his back to Tad.
"Parker...Parker.....", Tad said.
"He will have Weapons soon. And he's mad at you... And at us two, probably.” Parker said. “He’s gone around the bend now, making deals with those dirty, pissy Preps !”
"Parker... Listen... Derby forgot... The services…" Tad finished.
"The services ? What services ? Do you mean doing errands for Paupers, Tad ?", Parker asked.
"Errands have... More power... Than you think...", Tad said weakly.
"Fifteen dollars as a maximum. We won't go far with that.” Parker scoffed.
"Parker, could you just listen ?" Justin frowned.
"Don't ask for a... Reward... Ask for a service back...", Tad said, forcefully.
"Service that we can use against the Harrington family !" Justin said, understanding.
"When someone owes you a service... Use it to make another person happy... And you won't need to work at it anymore..." Tad smiled while drawing a circle in the air with the help of his finger.
At this point, a Nurse interrupted through the curtain, telling the two Preps that was enough visiting. Both said their goodbyes to Tad before going. They had people to make happy. They were part of the 'Spencer Family' now.
__________________________________________________________
-
"Uhmm....Tony ?", a voice behind him said.
Tony turned to see who was behind him. "Oh...Er....You're....Ray, right ?"
"Erm....Yeah", the kid said. "Uh, listen...Can I talk to you a minute ? In private ?"
Tony was just leaving class, and had planned to visit Jimmy in the Cavern later. But he could make time.
"Sure thing....Just follow me", Tony said. He led Ray to his small Office, unlocked the door, and ushered Ray inside. He indicated a chair for Ray to sit, then closed the door and sat behind the desk. "What can I do for you, Ray ?"
Ray was an overweight kid, a bit shorter than Tony. He was one of an virtually-invisible underclass of kids at Bullworth who didn't belong to a Clique. These 'classless' kids did their best to not be noticed, because when they were, they were bullied terribly. They belonged to no clubs, didn't play sports, never took Shop or Gym, had no friends or romantic attachments. They never spoke up in class, went to the movies, or played video games. They took great pains not to be noticed by anyone, and were usually painfully shy. Tony knew every School had kids like these, who always seemed to blend into the woodwork. They generally didn't talk to anyone, which was why this seemed so unusual to Tony that Ray had even had the guts to approach him.
Ray looked around the small Office before answering. "I, uh...Just overheard something I thought....Um, that is...Think you need to know...."
"Well...", said Tony kindly, "Just let me know what you heard. It's safe here."
"Um...I was over in the Library, you know, by the Nerd corner....Where they hang out, I mean...And those Prep boys came in, and....Um....They...." Ray stammered.
"Just take your time", Tony said gently. "You're doing fine."
"Well...They...The Preps, that is....Uh, they are making the Nerds get them some weapons...And, uh...In trade are saying they will have....Uh....Protection...", Ray stumbled along.
This was news to Tony. He folded his hands and leaned across the desk. "Can you tell me who was doing the talking ?", he asked Ray.
"The big one....The Prep boy....Blond hair....Derby, I think ? He was talking to....Melvin, and Cornelius...", Ray related.
"Who else was there ? Can you tell me ?", Tony asked.
"Uhh...That black Prep...And the big one...dark hair...Don't know his name....Oh, and Donald, Thad, and Bucky....They was there...", Ray went on.
Tony settled back in his chair. Big Prep, that had to be Bif Taylor....And Chad. Another question occurred to him. "Just how did everyone seem ?", he asked Ray.
"Uhh...The Preps were like...You know....Threatening....And the Nerds were scared-like....But they shook hands then, on their deal....So....I don't know....." Ray trailed off.
"Even Melvin ? He shook on it ?" Tony asked.
"He didn't want to....", Ray related, "But they were...Like intimidating, you know, and....So, he did."
"What happened after that ? Can you tell me ?", Tony asked.
"The Preps left, and....Melvin started saying maybe they shouldn't do it", Ray said. "The others, they said....They had to, they were outnumbered now....."
Tony sat in deep thought for awhile, long enough for Ray to become nervous. What the hell was Derby up to now, he wondered. If they re-aquire Weapons, the balance of power at the School would be shifted drastically in their favor. With the Harrington and Spencer families in De Facto charge of the School, Crabblesnitch and the Administration would look the other way. The Preps would dominate and control all aspects of social life on Campus.
Tony turned to Ray. "What made you come to me about this ?"
"Uhhh....You're the school Mediator, aren't you ? I just though...", Ray stammered.
"Relax", Tony said. "You did the right thing. What I meant was...I know it took a lot of courage for you to come to me about this.....Why did you ?"
"Well", Ray began, "I remember what Petey said that night, you know...when he got...." Here Ray pantomimed a gun with his hand, pulling an imaginary trigger.
"You were there ?", Tony asked, surprised.
"Yes...I was in the back of the crowd....", Ray recalled. "I just....Tagged along....I wasn't fighting....I just was....."
"Wanting to know", finished Tony for him. "I understand."
"That's not all of it", Ray continued, screwing up his face with an effort. "Petey was...A good friend to me...Always treated me good. I was new last year, and everyone else....." He ducked his head and looked down at the floor. "I....Don't have a friend now....Petey's gone.....Nobody to talk to anymore....Thought maybe you...."
"Pete was a special guy, all right", Tony said. "Ray...I would be glad to be your friend."
Ray looked up "Really ? I could help, you know. I used to talk to Petey, told him what I heard around School."
"That would be just great, Ray. You can come talk to me anytime", Tony told him. "even if you just want to talk and nothing else. That's what friends are for."
Ray's face lit up. "That's great ! I sure will ! Look, I better take off. If I hear anything else..."
"Just come see me, anytime", Tony said, as Ray got up and left the Office.
Tony sat in silent contemplation for awhile. He glanced up at his chart on the wall, all full of black and red lines. More likely to get a lot more, he reflected. He didn't see how Pete did this job. Didn't see how anybody could do this job. There was just so much. He decided he needed advice....He would go see Jimmy....
What Tony Didn't know, but was to find out soon enough, was information that would increase substantially the amount of lines of connection on the chart on the wall....The early cracks of disagreements within the Cliques, the escape of Algie from the Asylum as an unintended result of Damon's rescue, the kidnaping and release of Pinky, the Rocker's receiving control of the Preps weapons stash, the 'outing' of several gay kids in the School, with more to come....Each of these leading to the others, somehow. Tony would need all the help he could muster in the coming days and weeks. At at the bottom of it all was Jake's treachery, the prime reason all this had spiraled out of control in the first place, a connection that would elude Tony for quite some time to come.
_____________________________________________________________
-
On Friday morning, Nick headed to Geography class. He was in a bad mood, thinking about the upcoming boxing match against Derby, the Prep leader. The exact time of the Sunday match wasn't scheduled, but Nick decided to go to the Glass Jaw Club after the afternoon classes. He bumped into Fatty on crutches while he was walking to the classroom (then he pushed a banana in Fatty's face), and bumped into Bucky (he took his glasses off and threw them in a rubbish bin). After the bell rang, Nick went out of the classroom into the Cafeteria, where he ate a sandwich he made earlier. While he was sitting, he was joined by Laurent.
"What kind of fight you having Sunday ?"Laurent asked.
"Where'd you hear that ?" Nick asked.
"Everyone knows that, mon ami. And if you didn't tell it to anyone, then it must have been the Preps", pointed out Laurent. “Damon, Bo and Luis said they're gonna come to watch you.”
"Wanna come and watch me work out ?", Nick asked, munching his sandwich.
"Sure, why not ? You need some corner men, after all, Oui ? When are we going ?", Laurent said while chewing a rare apple.
"Right after the afternoon classes", replied Nick.
Nick finished his meal and left the Cafeteria with Laurent. Nick was glad he decided to do some punching bag work out after the classes. If the Jocks came, at least he won't be alone in the group of Preps. It's far better to be supported by someone than surrounded by enemies anyway, he figured.
____________________________________________________________
-
Jake was tuning up his Base Mobile Radio that evening, catching snippets of conversations here and there around the School. The most interesting one seemed to be coming from the Observatory, because it seemed that a 'Brave Knights Of Bullworth' meeting was going on right now. Jake guffawed to himself every time he heard that stupid moniker. "Brave Knights" his ass. More like "Cowardly Pussies".....Jake had to smother his laughter as he bent lower to make out what was being said.
".....zzzzzztt.....zzzzzztt....we can't do this, they can't be trusted ! They will take those and attack....zzzzzzttt...zzzzttt......." That sounded like Fatty, Jake thought.
"....zzzztttt....shook on it, so that is a contract ! You did too ! We renig an they will attack us !" Jake didn't recognize that voice, but thought it was Cornelius.
"It was under duress ! We cant be held to that, no way is that.....zzzzzzttt....zzzzzzzttt...." Fatty again.
"It doesn't make any difference ! We did the same thing before all this....zzzzttt....zzzzzzttt...sold everybody weapons for protection !" Jake knew that voice, it was Thad, who always sounded like he was spitting on everyone when he talked.
"We sold them for Money before", came a much calmer, whiny voice. "YOU just don't remember, you just want to have it your way cause you're a little shitless....zzzzzzztt..zzzzzzttt...." That was definitely Melvin, Jake thought.
“Maybe he’s right….zzzzzzztt..zzzzzzzttt..”, another voice, probably Donald.
".......zzzzztttt.....sticking up for him for ? He's a Traitor Lover !" An unknown voice.
"I'm not sticking up for what he done, I'm just saying Algie had provocation..." Melvin again.
"Gaaaa !", Bucky shouted. "NO mention of that name, he has been Outcast ! Thought we got rid of all the Traitors here.....zzzzzzzttt....zzzzzzzzzttt...."
"You are Out Of Order !" yelled Melvin. "SIT DOWN !" That came through loud and clear. Jake heard some scuffling noises, then noises of chairs scraping.
"I believe I had the floor", Fatty said. "While I don't agree fully with any of you, Brother Melvin has the authority to make any kind of deals with anybody...zzzzzzzttt....zzzzzzzztttt...."
Static filled the air for a moment. Since this Walkie-Talkie was placed the farthest away, and in a Basement area at that, Jake had figured he would have interference with hearing it, even with the Wattage Booster. Jake fiddled with the knobs on his Receiver to try to fine tune the wavelength. after a bit, it cleared, and Jake could hear once more.
".....ssssstt...zzzzzztt.....what I propose is a alliance with the Preps, written and signed and attested to. That way, they can't weasel out of it, and would have to pay us if they didn't protect us", Fatty was saying. There was sounds of disagreement at this, most vocal being Bucky.
"Who made you the Decider ?", Bucky shouted. A bunch of other Nerd voices were heard arguing.
"I don't recall being there when YOU ALL decided to just give our weapons away !", retorted Fatty.
"Maybe if you had been, we wouldn't have had to !" Bucky shot back.
"Brothers, this is just pointless", Melvin said. "Fatty speaks the truth. And as Clique leader, I invoke charter rule 32c and declare Brother Fatty's proposal adopted."
There was even more shouted protests at this. A gavel banging was heard, then some more interference on the wavelength. Then , after a few seconds, ".....sssttt...stttt.....And I will not release any Weapons from the vault until a signed agreement is in place ! That is the final word on the matter ! This meeting is adjourned !!" More gavel pounding. More arguing.
Jake was intrigued. Even though he hadn't set this particular crises in motion, he saw how it could work to his benefit. Especially if he could throw a bit of fuel on the fire. So, they had drummed out their little traitor, Algie, huh ? Jake wondered just where the little pee-stain fat fuck was now anyway.....He would make an excellent pawn in this little game, he thought.
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Vance the Greaser rummaged through his locker in the afternoon after classes had let out. He found what he was looking for, a Pirate costume complete with eye patch and wooden sword. Vance quickly shoved his favorite garments into a backpack. He was on his way over to meet his friends at the Autoshop and didn't want to be seen with such ridiculous clothes in his possession. Farther up the hall, Gord was coming Vance's way. Usually when a Prep and Greaser cross paths, insults and threats are exchanged like there is no tomorrow. This time however, when Gord passed by Vance in the hallway, the two exchanged winks.
Vance arrived at the Autoshop and met up with Norton, Peanut, Lucky, and Hal. The group of ‘Grease Monkeys’ was about to have a typical meeting after School complete with beers, cigarettes, and skin mags. As they all sat around shooting the shit and getting lusty over their naughty photographs, Vance looked at the time. It was 8 PM. "Uh, I gotta get going'", Vance said, “Gotta do somepin.“ If he didn't hurry, he was going to be late. The other Greasers paid him no attention, half-lit as they were.
Vance took his bike over the Parking Lot, and through the side Gate for a bit, then taking a left on the old mining pathway that wound clear around the South perimeter of Bullworth Academy. A little ways down was a tunnel that led to a small beach, and Vance settled down in a little row-boat waiting beached for him near the water. Normally frozen at this time of year, the unexpected thaw had melted most of the ice. He rowed the boat first West, then in a Southerly direction, towards an area rumored to have an old Pirate Ship near an Island.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What Vance didn't know was that Jake had been eavesdropping on Vance while he was in the Autoshop for the last couple of days. He had overheard Vance's muttered plans to meet Gord VenDome on the Island that few Students even knew existed.
Jake had been waiting for this, and would take this as an opportunity to cause more of a rift between the Student body. Jake hurried out to get his Go-Kart and zoomed over to the alley over at Bullworth Town, where he knew the Townies hung out and found Duncan and Leon playing cards.
"Hey guys, what's going on ?", Jake said in a friendly tone, as he dismounted the Go-Kart.
"Who the hell are you !?", said Duncan in a threatening voice.
"Oh, that’s the dude that paid Jerry and Otto for those odd jobs, and I do mean ODD.", Leon remarked.
"Well", said Jake, "I have a job for you two if you're interested, what do you say ?"
"I ain't taking pictures of no human bullshit !", Leon argued. Ironically, Duncan said nothing.
Jake offered them $30 each if they agreed to his terms. "Oh, all right", Leon said. Jake let them in on the plan, gave them a camera with a flash, and ordered the two to head down to the beach at the Vale, steal a boat, go South, and be on the lookout for either Vance or Gord, and then tail them.
Soon enough, they stole another boat tied up near the Vale Plaza, and headed South under the short Bridge over Vale Valley Boulevard. Then they were on the water, and spotted another sleeker boat out in the water, headed towards the big Island in Bullworth Bay. Making sure they stayed out of Gord's sight, Leon and Duncan followed behind the gay Prep. About 15 minutes later, as Gord landed his boat next to Vance’s rowboat on the abandoned Pirate ship, which was half submerged in the water, Leon and Duncan had already landed their craft on nearby Pirate Island and climbed up a tree to remain hidden. Jake had given them a camera capable of zooming to a good distance, thus this hiding spot would be sufficient. As the Townies watched, Vance emerged from a small cabin near the mast of the ship to meet Gord with a long kiss.
'CLICK !', a long-range picture was taken.
"Well hello there !", Gord said suggestively. The two of them began to change into their costumes.
'CLICK !', another picture was taken from the tree tops.
"Oh shit, this is disgusting !", complained Leon. Although Duncan didn't agree with Leon, he kept his mouth shut and just nodded.
When they were done changing, Vance was dressed as a Pirate and Gord was dressed as a Sailor complete with a striped shirt and little white hat. The two began to foreplay on the deck of the ship when Gord pinched Vance's ass.
"Aye, Careful on my poop deck !", said Vance playfully.
Up in the tree, Leon asked, "What the hell does that dude want with these photos anyways ?"
"Probably wants to jack-off to them", said Duncan, trying to sound sour.
After several role plays between the two weirdos, Gord accidentally tipped Vance into the cold water. Gord jumped in after him, pulled him to the rowboat, and they both paddled to the Island.
"Oh, not cool, my threads are all wet !", said Vance in mock horror.
"That's okay, I'll just take them off !", said Gord with excitement.
The two began undressing each other and Gord eventually mounted Vance and smiled at him.
"You know, this is just like Romeo and Juliet", said Gord, "Forbidden Love !"
'CLICK !' Leon and Duncan took one more picture as the gay duo had moved just below their hiding spot and was about to perform a drilling. Still concealed up in the branches of the pine tree, Leon suddenly threw up, and the barf fell all over the back of Gord and the stunned upturned face of Vance.
"Ay-Yi-Yi ! Cut it !!!", yelled Vance, throwing Gord off of him and standing up. Gord and Vance now realized they were being watched, and panic set in.
"Oh no !! What if its the Chaps !!", said Gord, now terrified that perhaps his friends were on to him and were maybe taking pictures to humiliate him.
Duncan was the first to blow his cover. He began laughing hysterically at the scene of the two naked boys covered in throw-up.
"Up There !!!", shouted Vance as he pointed up at a pine tree. The two naked boys each mounted a side of the tree and began to climb. They climbed furiously, so determined to reach the Townies that they completely forgot they were naked and how cold it was, plus the fact that they were still wet. Before they could make it up to Leon and Duncan's position, numbness from the cold set in.
"Oh, I dare say, my balls are shrinking to the size of corn kernels !", screamed Gord in horror. The moment the boys stopped climbing, they began to shiver violently.
"Oh, my hot rod has flown the coop !", gasped Vance. The two boys' fingers then slipped on the tree bark and down they slid, with their frigid legs still wrapped around the trunk. The boys howled in pain as their asses and balls caught every piece of shaggy bark and left a red trail of blood down the sides of the tree.
'CLICK !' The sight of this encouraged the townies to take one more picture. Though now in excruciating pain, Gord and Vance dressed as fast as they could and jumped their the rowboat to make a hasty escape. As the coast was now clear, Leon and Duncan carefully climbed down from their post in the tree, retrieved their boat, and made their way back to the Vale shore and then eventually returned the camera and film to Jake. The coming days would be interesting, that was for sure.
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Jake was ecstatic when he got the photos developed. He couldn't decide which one was more humiliating. After much thought, he decided to use all of them. He would sneak in and pin them on the Bulletin Board in the main lobby of the School. In a flash of evil inspiration, he wrote "BUTT PIRATES" on the top of the biggest photo. Jake had to wait until after midnight the next night to sneak into the School and pin up the incriminating photos.
Jake managed to get in the School grounds and past the Prefects and reach the School's front door without being noticed. It was a breeze. Not even the few late-night Students hanging around paid him any attention. Jake tip-toed towards the Bulletin Board to his right and began pinning up the gay pictures featuring the 'Butt Pirates'. This would be good, but he needed to keep Mr. Luntz busy during the night so that he would not see the photos and take them down before the next morning. Jake had a lightbulb moment....He would take a steaming shit in the upstairs Trophy Case !
As Jake quietly crept up the stairs, he saw a Prefect was close by that would spot him for sure. Jake took out a marble from his pocket and threw it down the hall.
"What was that I heard moving about back there !?", said Karl the Prefect in a frenzy. Karl began to jog down the hall in pursuit of the sound. Quickly sneaking to the Trophy Case, Jake took out a screw driver and carefully removed the glass panel in front of a large, cup-shaped Trophy. Grabbing it, Jake dropped his pants and proceeded to force out a big one that plopped into the Trophy as if it was made to belong there. He put the 'Gold Award' back in the case and replaced the glass.
In retrospect, Jake realized that Mr. Luntz may not find that for hours, maybe days. He had a better idea. Jake would clog the toilets, that was a foolproof plan. He headed to the Bathrooms.
Jake grabbed a roll of toilet paper from the wall and began to unroll it. He took the end of the paper train and dropped it in the water. When Jake thought he had enough paper in the bowl, he flushed. The roll quickly unraveled and jammed up the toilet as Jake had expected. Water began to gush out all over the floor and Jake had to run from the Bathroom to prevent his feet from getting wet. Jake had to be fast, he could see a flashlight coming around the corner of the hall and knew it was a Prefect. As Jake ran for the front School door, he could hear Seth yelling out behind him.
"Mr. Luntz !! Mr.Luntz !! Come quick, there's water gushing from the Bathroom !!", Seth hollered. Jake paused at the door to watch the scene from the shadows. Mr. Luntz ran into the Bathroom swearing and screaming with a plunger and mop in his hands. Unknown to Jake, rat traps had been placed in the Bathroom along the walls a few days before. Mr. Luntz had forgot about them, and the flood of water had lifted the traps from the floor, and they floated out into the center of the room.
SNAP !! Mr. Luntz stepped on one. "Son of a Whore !!!", Mr. Luntz howled as his foot began throbbing. Jake smiled big when he heard the sound of the Janitor in pain, this was turning out better than he thought.
SNAP !!-SNAP !! Two more traps were stepped on. "Mother Fucker !!!!", Mr. Luntz screamed. At this point Jake was laughing uncontrollably. He had to leave now before he got caught. Jake scampered down the front steps of the School as the clock struck Midnight. In a matter of hours there would be even more trouble brewing in the Student body.
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That next morning, Vance and Gord both entered the School from separate doors. Vance waddled slowly into the main entrance of the School, his groin still in terrible pain from sliding down that pine tree. To his horror, most of the Student body had already found out about his night out. A crowd of Students, including Preps and Greasers, were gathered around the Bulletin Board on the wall to the right. Some of the Students were laughing and pointing, while the Preps and Greasers could not believe what they were looking at. This was especially hard for the Greasers to see. It was difficult to know that their life-long friend was caught in a very inappropriate act, and in fact this was a complete shock. Vance froze at the sight. He wanted to disappear. His friends would obviously not take the situation lightly, they didn't know he was gay. Worst of all, his encounter had been with a Prep, their worst enemies, of all people.
Gord slowly waddled down the halls of the School until he too entered the Great Hall. The Prep gasped, he was mortified. He knew someone had indeed been watching, and the evidence was all over the wall. Gord was possibly more fearful than Vance, since his group of friends were even more shallow and unforgiving. While the Preps would be slightly more understanding of a gay in their group, they surely would banish Gord for doing taboo things with a Greaser, the Prep's mortal enemies.
Ms. Danvers could hear the commotion coming from downstairs. She figured something must be going on and most likely it was something not allowed at Bullworth. As she descended the stairs, she could see a noisy crowd of Students who appeared to be ogling something. She tried to see what the fuss was all about, but the crowd was too thick. All of a sudden, she heard a joke being exchanged between Chad and Bryce.
"I say old chap, what's the difference between Vance and Edna's freezer ?", Bryce questioned.
"I dunno, what ?", replied Chad, already sniggering.
"Edna's freezer doesn't fart when you pull the meat out !", laughed Bryce.
Ms. Danvers was horrified by such a bad humored joke and immediately grabbed both boys by the collars. "How very inappropriate !", reprimanded Ms. Danvers, "Do tell me what is going on here !". The Students went silent, then all the rest scattered as they realized she was there. Ms. Danvers was then able to see what all the kids had been gawking at.
"OH MY !!, Seth !, Max!, Edward !, Karl !", she screeched, "Come immediately !!" The four Prefects came running into the Great Hall. "Take these disgusting photographs off the wall NOW !! I will find who is responsible for this Tasteless Rubbish !" Ms. Danvers then hauled Chad and Justin into the Office for questioning.
Gord and Vance had managed to escape the scene without any notice of them being there. Each victim of Jake's latest plan took off running to hide. Vance holed himself up in a closet in the Autoshop, and Gord hid in his room in the Harrington House and locked his door.
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The day of the boxing match arrived. Nick met with Laurent, Damon, Bo and Luis at the main gate of the School. They took bicycles and rode to the Glass Jaw Club at ten o'clock, as they were free, there were no classes on Sunday. Nick hoped that the revelation of Gord's little ‘problem’ did not make Derby change his mind and withdraw from the match.
Derby was there when they reached the club. All Preps were there, too, except Tad and Gord.
"Oh, here's the Pauper Boy", Derby said snidely. He was still in his Aquaberry clothes. "I see you brought your little crew to witness you dying !"
"Whatever, Derby", Nick said. "Once I fuck you up in this ring, prepare to be humiliated even more after that crap with VenDome."
"Less talk, Penty" Derby said. "I suggest we change first. I don't want to stain my clothes with your dirty blood."
Nick and Derby both went off and changed, then returned and entered the ring. A crowd of Students had gathered in the meantime. They had Boxing Gloves, but were without any headgear, like professional boxers. Derby was taller than Nick, and he was perfectly built. Bryce entered the ring too, as referee. Nick worried about a referee on his opponent's side, but he was determined to see Derby on the ground even if Bryce allowed him to be punched below the belt a few times.
The opening bell rang, Nick and Derby hit gloves, and the match started.
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Trent wasn't at the boxing match. Instead, he was hanging out around the side door of the Girl's Dorm, waiting to catch Zoe coming out. Trent was miserable. Ever since being outed as a Bullworth queer, he had been increasingly shunned by members of his own Clique. First it had been the fight in School where no one would back him up. They had all scattered, leaving him to get busted. Then, all the guys started walking away from him whenever he approached them in the Parking Lot where they all hung out in the evening. Now, lately, some of them were becoming openly hostile to him, threatening to pound him if he came too close. Trent needed a break from all this. Maybe his friend (Girlfriend ?) Zoe could could provide some comfort. After all, he had been there for her when she needed it.
Finally, after waiting over three hours, he spotted Zoe coming out the door and bouncing down the steps.
"Hey, Zoe !" Trent hollered . "Wait up !"
Zoe stopped and waited uncertainly as Trent ran up. "What do you want, Trent ?", she said warily.
"Um...Listen...I was thinking...That is, Er...Maybe we....Uh, you and I, could, you know, Uh....Go see an afternoon movie ?", Trent finished lamely.
Zoe stared at him a moment. "I don't think so, Trent."
"OK, then....HUH ?", Trent gawked. "Why Not ?"
"I don't think it's a good idea", Zoe replied, keeping her distance.
"But....But....We been to the movies before, lotsa times !", Trent said in dismay.
"That's just it", Zoe said. "And all this time, you've been the perfect gentleman. Never even tried to hit on me."
"But...But....You SAID....Because of what happened....You know, Uhh, for what happened..." Trent sputtered, meaning the rape, "That you wanted to....Take things slow....."
"I did say that. But Trent...", Zoe said, looking Trent in the eyes, "You never even tried. It's been over two months, and you never even tried. Now I know why."
"But....I Like Girls !!" Trent cried. "It's just that....That......"
"You like boys, too", Zoe said. "I get it, Trent....You're Bi-Sexual. I get that. But I'm not. I'm a girl. I kick other girl's asses, not bugger them. I Smash them in the mouth, not give them the hot tongue sandwich."
"But....But....What about us ?", Trent sniffed, close to tears.
"There is no 'Us', Trent", replied Zoe, gently. "Never was. Look, I understand, I really do. But get real...." She looked around to make sure they were alone, "I just can't be seen with you. I got a rep to protect too, you know, and I just can't be seen hanging around with a queer."
All Trent could do was gape at her. All this was just too much of a shock.
"Nothing personal, but I just can't", Zoe said, and walked off. Trent watched her go, and then sank to the ground in disbelief. After everything else, this just couldn't be. What was he going to do now ?
________________________________________________________________
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The gathered crowd was roaring as Referee Bryce Montrose gave his final instructions. Over at the scoring table, Parker Ogilvie was doing the play-by-play with a microphone attached to several speakers about the Gym. Parker was perhaps the most decent Prep in the bunch, and would remain neutral in calling the fight, as he wound up doing this quite often. As the round started, the two fighters circled each other. Parker began to call the Round One action.
"Harrington lands two wide rights. Penty is flicking his jab. Slow pace in the first 30 seconds. Harrington lands a hook to the ribs. Penty isn't throwing. Harrington lands a short right. Good straight left by Penty, finally. Now Referee warns Harrington for holding. Both fighters are not doing much now. Now both swing. Both miss wildly. Penty lands two lefts, then hard right hook by Penty."
The bell rang to signal the end of the round. Nick went to his corner. Laurent handed Nick some water, which Nick swirled and spit into a bucket.
"Looking good out there, Nick....Keep after him", Laurent said.
"Try my best", Nick replied, replacing his mouthguard.
Over in the Harrington corner, Bif was wiping off Derby. "Kinda started getting to you there towards the end. Better watch that right hook"
"He's just a low-life punk", Derby replied. "This is my turf. I'll get him."
Derby replaced his mouthguard, and the bell rang for Round Two. Both fighters moved back out into the ring, and Parker resumed the commentary.
"Penty opens with a double jab and then a hook to the body. Combination inside by Penty. Straight left by Penty and then a hook to the body from Harrington. Harrington warned for going low. Now Harrington flicking a jab. Penty is pumping his jab now. Good 1-2 from Penty. Harrington lands a left hook. Left to the body by Penty, answered by a left to the body from Harrington. Penty lands three rights. Harrington is backing toward the ropes, covering up. Penty lands a hard left at the bell."
Both fighters returned to their corners at the sound of the bell. Derby had a small cut at the corner of his right lip. Bif washed the spot, and Derby spit in the bucket.
"That little kid is taking you apart out there. Protect yourself....Hit him low !", Bif urged.
"He's tough all right, but I'm the Bullworth Boxing Champion. Let him wear himself out, then I'll get him", Derby said, and got ready for the bell.
Over in Nick's corner, Laurent exclaimed "You got him on the run ! Keep at him !"
"He's holding back", Nick said. "I know he is. I can take him though"
The bell sounded for Round Three, and both fighters moved in. Parker resumed his play-by-play.
"Both fighters stalk each other. 30 seconds into the round, no blows thrown yet. Now, Harrington misses a wild left. Penty lands a good right hook, then a straight left by Penty. Harrington is covering up, blocking the blows. Penty is jabbing occasionally, but it's short ! Lead right from Harrington lands. Now Harrington lands a 1-2. Harrington hits with a good right, his best shot of the match. Penty reels ! Exchange in the middle of the ring. Lead left by Penty. Harrington is jabbing low. Harrington is smashing the Abs. Penty is missing badly. Combination from Harrington at the bell."
Both fighters returned to their corners. At Derby's corner, Bif shouted, "You got him now ! Take him out next round !"
"I'm not the Champ for nothing", Derby said as he spit out his water. "I'm gonna put his head where the sun don't shine."
At Nick's corner, Laurent was working on a cut over Nick's eye. "What happened ? You got to protect yourself. Go for the body when he covers up ! Then the face !"
"Told you he was holding back. But I'm ready. No more games.", Nick said as he spat blood it the bucket and rinsed. He hopped up even before the bell. When Derby saw this, he stood up as well. The bell sounded for Round Four, and Parker resumed the commentary.
"Penty is pushing the pace, though there aren't as many punches being thrown. Straight left from Penty. Harrington lands a combination and Penty returns fire. Now a warning to Harrington for holding. Both fighters punching all out now. Penty is stumbled ! Two jabs and two lefts back Penty. Another left wobbles Penty. He's on the ropes ! Harrington goes for the roundhouse right....Misses ! Penty escapes the ropes, with a minute left in the round. The pace has slowed, as both fighters circle. Right hand by Harrington. Penty counters with a left. Both fighters breathing heavy, getting their berrings. Seconds left in the round."
The bell sounded, and both returned to their corners. The crowd of kids in the Gym were mostly Preps and Jocks, with a few of the Bullies. Some of the girls were present also, screaming for Nick, but Pinky was not there to cheer on Derby.
"You had him on the ropes ! You got to keep up the pressure. Don't let him get away", Bif cautioned.
"I'll get the bastard next round", Derby spat. "He's weak !"
Over in Nick's corner, Laurent said, "Nick, he almost got you ! Stay away from those big punches ! Sides and Head ! Sides and head !"
Nick grinned, blood trickling from his nose. "I was just doing a little rope-a-dope", he said. "I'm wearing him out."
The bell sounded for Round Five. Both fighters moved slowly into the ring. Parker picked up the action.
"Both fighters look weary. circling, circling. Now a flurry of punches from both, but only Harrington landing consistently. There's a nice left inside by Penty. Combination to the body and head from Harrington. Good left hook from Harrington. Penty lands a hard right. Harrington fires back, and pushes Penty on the ropes. Penty is being punched, right, left right ! Penty comes back with a great exchange on the ropes. Harrington wobbles Penty with a right. Penty escapes the ropes, lands a combination. Hard right hook and a straight left by Penty. Harrington throws a three-punch combination. By far, the most action of the fight in this round. I don't how they're still standing ! Penty tries for a hook just as the bell rings !"
Both fighters quit to their corners. Nick plopped down, exhausted. Laurant wiped his cuts, dosed him down with water. "Hang in there Nick ! He's tired. Go for the head when he drops his guard !"
"Panting, spitting into the bucket, Nick replied, "I was just thinking the same thing."
Over in Derby's corner, Bif urged him to finish him off. "Get him back against the ropes, in the corner where he can't squirm out. Give him a gut shot and a roundhouse !"
"I'm gonna take that little Pauper. I'll put him in his place. The Gutter", Darby said, also spitting blood.
The bell rang for Round Six. Both fighters were slow to get up. Parker resumed the commentary.
"Pace is slowed to start the sixth. Penty lands a lead right that pushes Harrington into the corner.Penty lands a combination. Harrington spins off the ropes, lands a right-left. Harrington fires a left to the ribs. Another combination to the body from Harrington. Penty is pushed back in the ropes. Good exchange on the ropes. Harrington lands a hard right. Penty comes back with a straight left to the chin. Penty is off the ropes. A hard shot by Penty to the head of Harrington ! A large gash is opened up over his eye ! Harrington is bleeding ! Harrington is moving away, covering up. Penty is chasing him. Harrington is pushing jabs to keep Penty off. Penty is trying to set up for a big shot ! Harrington keeps turning, denying ! Saved at the bell as the round ends !"
Derby reeled to his corner, blinded in one eye by the bleeding. Bif got him sat down on the stool, and began working on the cut. "Geezus, this is bad, Derby. We better call the fight !"
"I'm not calling anything. I'm gonna pound that miserable little punk into the canvas", Derby replied.
"But, Derby....", Bif started.
"But Nothing !", Derby snarled. "Fix the damn cut up and get me back out there !"
Over in Nick's corner, Laurent was saying, "Good shot, Nick ! You got him now ! Keep going for the head !"
Nick replied through puffy lips, "I gotta beat him more, wear him out. I can get him."
The bell sounded for Round Seven. Both fighters got unsteady to their feet, and moved in slowly. Parker picked up the narrative.
"Both fighters moving warily around the ring. Penty lands a lead right. Harrington is circling but not firing a lot. Penty lands a hook to the body. Hard right-left from Pennty. Harrington is covering up, looking to make his move. Penty lands a good combination that backs Harrington to the ropes. Harrington fights his way off. Straight right lands from Harrington. Penty is staggered back ! A roundhouse right from Harrington....Misses ! Penty has ducked, and now pounds on Harrington's ribs as he tries to regain his balance ! OH, a huge uppercut from Penty ! Harrington is down ! Harrington is down ! Penty very slowly moving to a neutral corner ! Here's the Referee to start the count !"
With the crowd of Jocks, Bullies, and Girls chanting for Nick, Bryce moved over Derby and began the count. Derby tried to rise and fell back.
"ONE ! TWO ! THREE ! FOUR ! FIVE ! SIX ! SEVEN ! EIGHT ! NINE ! TEN ! YOU'RE OUT !!"
Parker handed the microphone up to Bryce, who went to Nick and raised his arm. "The Winner Of The Match, By Knockout....NICK PENTY", Bryce boomed through the mike.
Laurent, Damon, Bo, and Tony jumped into the ring and grabbed Nick, congratulating him on the fight. Nick tried to smile wanly through puffed lips and a swollen face. "Get me....To the Clinic", he whispered. The Jocks bore him out of the ring into waiting arms, and protected him from the crowd as they led him from the Gym. The Preps were to be no threat, however....They were standing around stunned at this turn of events here in their own Gym.
Derby rolled over, and said, "Doesn't mean anything....There was no...Title on the line...", before passing out.
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Trouble for Trent wasn't over for this day yet. In the evening, at his usual hangout place over at the Parking Lot, He was moping around near the wall, not even bothering to harass and bully the little kids. In fact, he felt so miserable that he finally just sat down with his back to the wall and just hung his head.
He looked down at the pavement between his crotch. So this is where all the trouble begins, he was thinking in that slow addled way of his. He turns to boys because he can't get a girl, and when he finally gets a girl he can't do anything with her because she's a rape victim, so it's back to the boys again. Then some Jackass is out taking Pictures of him, fer Christ's sake, and posting them in the School ? It just wasn't fair.
Footsteps were walking his way, a lot of them. Lifting his head, he looked up to see the Bully Clique gathered around him in a sort of semi-circle. Davis and Tom were standing in the forefront of the circle. Trent harbored a small hope that maybe they would be coming over to offer some words of encouragement and loyalty, but by the grim looks on their faces, that didn't appear be be the case.
"Trent", Davis said harshly, "Me and the boy want you out."
"Out ? Whadda mean, Out ?", Trent said, not understanding. "Out of what ?"
"We don't think you should be Leader any more", Davis said.
"What ?", Trent said. "What the hell for ?"
"You know what for, Dumbass", Tom jeered. "You're a fucking ho-mo, that's why. In fact we want you out of the Clique, you queer shit !"
Trent slowly rose to his feet. "You can't do that. Russell made me leader when he left. He didn't pick any of you losers !"
"Russell ain't here", Tom said. "We are, and we say you're out, Gayboy !"
Trent advanced on Tom. "You talking to me ? You're gonna be puking blood !"
"You talking to me ?", Tom mimicked. "Com'on then, Queerboy !"
Tom took a fighting stance, and Davis did likewise. The other Bullies tightened the circle.
"You're gonna have to fight all of us, Trent", Davis said. "Better give it up."
Trent hesitated. He looked around at the others arranged in the closing circle around him. "So What ?" Trent blustered. "I'll whip all y'all's....Uh....Asses !"
The others snickered at that. "We don't you touching our asses", someone said.
"And then what ?" asked Davis. "We still ain't gonna follow you no more. Face up to it , man....It's over."
Trent looked from one to another around the circle. All he could see were hard looks in the faces around him. He had no friends here. Not anymore.
Unexpectedly, Trent dropped his hands. Nobody said anything. He hung his head once more in despair and disgrace. Even if he could beat them all, he could not gain their respect. His reputation was ruined. Defeated, he walked away. The others opened a path and let him pass.
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Laying awake that night in her lonely dorm room, Pinky was staring out the window, still thinking over the events she had been through. She was lonely, more lonely than she had ever been in her life. Only Christy had even noticed she had been gone. She had seen Derby, and although she knew that he had been the one to give up the Prep's Weapons stash to win her release, he refused to even so much as talk to her. The other Preps were likewise shying away from her, except Justin and Parker, who at least had waved to her and asked if she was all right after her five nights in captivity.
She had been to see Tad at the Clinic, too. While he appeared glad to see her, he went on about how they could now resume their secret relationship once he got out. Even though the 'cat was out of the bag' concerning their illicit trysts, Pinky knew Tad was afraid to stand up to Derby to claim her. Quite suddenly, she had felt no better than a cheap prostitute, and had told Tad that there was no future for them if he couldn't man-up and publicly declare his intentions for her. Tad had pleaded for things to continue as they had been these past few months, there were the families involved, he said, meaning the Spencers, Gauthiers, and Harringtons. Pinky responded by saying that she was no longer going to be Tad's booty call and walked out. Then she went to the Auqaberry Store to buy a new outfit to replace her soiled and torn one. But instead of buying another Preppie outfit, she chose an upscale professional dress, blouse and jacket.
As materialistic as Pinky was, her family initially did not come from 'Old Money'. Rather, they were part of the 'Nouveau Rich', or New Money, and had only fully realized wealth when they married into the Harrington family two generations ago. This was, in part, the reason that Pinky had been sent to Bullworth Academy rather than one of the more elite Prep Schools on the East Coast. An only child, Pinky had always felt like more of an inconvenience to her father and step-mother than a daughter. Being 'Betrothed' to Derby at an early age had only been part of the game. She had been shuffled around to various elementary and other Schools since she was little before landing at this one. Even though she was a 'Daddy's Girl', the one hallmark of all these Schools was 'the cheaper the better', as her cost-effective father would put it.
Her time as being a captive had been a revelation. At least she had been worth something, even if it was for for a stash of Weapons. More that that, it had been....Exciting. All of her life had been dull, she reflected. It probably explained why she felt attracted to 'bad boys'....They were unruly, uncultured, and uninhibited. They cared nothing for the false comrade of the upper crust. They loathed the puffed-up, self-important Prep Clique, not for who they were, but for how they acted. Her time with Kurt and his friends had showed them to be more real than any of the Prep boys she had ever known.
Pinky arose and went to her desk. She looked at her image in the mirror in the dim light. Who was she, anyway ? A Princess ? A little spoiled rich girl with no real friends ? All of it had been fake, a lie. What did she have ? A few fancy clothes....And, a stuffed Bear in the corner, won for her at the Carnival by another bad boy, Jimmy Hopkins. She had a brief fling with him, too, last year, but ultimately he had fallen for Zoe, a dirt-poor girl from the bad side of Town.
She sighed. Then there was Tony. She had lusted after him from the first moment she had met him. Then, she finally had him, that one night, that one beautiful night......But she couldn't keep him, he didn't belong to her....His heart was with another. He had felt guilt, she knew now, guilt for his actions that could maybe hurt the one he truly loved. Had she ever felt guilt ? Pinky knew the answer to that one. In all the time she had been with Derby, the answer was no....No, when she had cheated with Jimmy. No, when she had cheated with Tad. No, when she had cheated with Tony. And No, when she had just cheated with Kurt. Why ? Because Derby was a self-centered, mean, conceited ass who treated her like shit and called her names. Derby, who would ply her with gifts and the prestige of being the Leader's Girl in exchange for sex. When, for all that time, she was no better than a paid whore.
And now, there was Kurt. At first, hostile, treating her like the Prep Girl she was, raging against all things elite, including her....Then slowly, over the days and nights he watched her, slowly opening up, spilling his pain and rage....Back and forth from orphanages to foster homes and back again, finally living on the streets, meeting up and bonding with other street runners such as himself, forging a group together for their protection, as she learned from the other Rockers who watched her. Then, mysterious men in black suits show up at the Tenantments where they were squatting with a strange offer....To lift Kurt out of the gutter and send him to a Prep School, no questions asked. Kurt refuses to go without his gang, those street urchins he has united. Kurt figures the strangers will go away, leave them be, but to the great surprise of all, that condition is agreed to. And so Kurt and the soon-to-be Rocker gang come to Bullworth.
And then, on his first day, he is stuffed into a Trash Bin. A colossal joke, they have been brought not to an elite School, as he was told, but to a real Canis Canem Edit of a place, just a cesspool....One step up from the gutter life he and his friends were living, to be sure, but still a place where they would have to fight for their survival. Then, from Kurt, vague talk of a confrontation, and a huge revelation....Suddenly, Kurt learns that it has all been a lie, his whole life has been a lie. He has been denied his birthright, his heritage....He doesn't know who he really is.
Pinky listens to all of it, the rage, the pain, the anguish. And even though she is his bound captive, her heart softens and cries for his injustice. He pours out to her what he can not yet tell his comrades, for he has to lead and not be weak in their eyes. She asks what became of Lola, and he says he doesn't know. He hadn't seen her since the night of the Concert. And she was gone from the house when the Rockers had returned from hiding out from that. He had heard later she was involved in the attacks on some of the cliques. He figured she had just left him.
Pinky believed him. Despite his bravado, she could sense he had been hurt when Lola abandoned him without so much as even a goodbye. In fact, she could see all the hurts there, all piled up, one on top of the other. As she had gotten to really know Kurt over the days in the dusty Warehouse, she began to feel a new emotion strange to her....Compassion. And, at the moment of her release, when she knew their time was to be at an end, when she knew that, after all, he was to be a man of his word and would let her go....At that moment, her feelings had overwhelmed her, and she had shown him what those feelings were in the only way she best knew how.
She hadn't stopped thinking about him since that morning. Returning to bed, Pinky made a decision. She would return to the Vale, and soon....But instead of the Harrington residence, she would go to the Hattrick House.
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It was less than two weeks to go until Valentine's Day, and Mandy was determined to put on a Grand Valentine Party this year. She had been robbed of the chance last year, due to the fallout of the naked shower photos, and her breakup with Ted. This year, though was going to be different.
Mandy made the announcement in the Common area Monday morning. The Valentine Party Planning Committee was to consist of herself, Mandy, and three others. Christie, Karen, and Melody. Each would be responsible for different items....Decorations, Refreshments, and Entertainment. Mandy would oversee everything, and also procure the gowns for the event (a task that usually went to Pinky, but she wasn't around much these days). Every girl would have to pitch in, Mandy told them, if they knew what was good for them.
Mandy had already received permission to use the Auditorium, the Grand Hall, and the Terrace in the front of the school from old man Crabblesnitch himself. He had also agreed to provide materials, catered food and drink, and the band. Even the Prefects would be made to patrol the event to head off troublemakers. While she had lost some of her former luster around campus, the Administration still considered her a top-notch student, as she was allowed to retain her Captain's role on the Cheerleading Squad. The fact she was affiliated with the Jocks also counted heavily in her favor. None of the girls had ever really dared to oppose her, for she was still tough and could kick their ass. The only one equal to her in strength was Karen, and she was counted as an ally, since she also hung around the Jock Clique.
Mandy saw this Party as a way to finally redeem her image and re-claim her status as Queen of Bullworth, which had been lost because of the naked-pictures-turned-into-posters-and-hung-up-around-school-and-the-town-incident last year. Her popularity had plummeted, and Pinky took over as Queen Bitch of Bullworth. But since Pinky's breakup with Derby, she had fallen into disfavor in the female pecking order, leaving the way open for Mandy's comeback. And this Party was just the way to do it. Pull this off, and she would have all of them licking her feet again.
She allowed herself a rare smile as the other Girls left for class. She could hardly wait. This would put her back on top, where she belonged. And maybe, just maybe, Ted would come crawling back and begging her forgiveness for being such a Jackass.
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The small group of three Nerds....Melvin, Bucky, and Thad....Approached Harrington Hall under a flag of truce after classes Monday. They were secretly armed, but it was not their intention to attack. Rather, they had business to deal with.
After gaining access to the building, they were shown to the Prep's inner lair...Two large comfortable overstuffed chairs by a roaring fireplace. The chairs looked new, Melvin noticed, and recalled that this was also a bombing site last Christmas. In the left-hand chair sat Derby, with a rather large bandage wrapped around his forehead, from the Boxing Match, Melvin knew. This is what had given him the courage to approach Harrington House, while the Clique Leader was still in disgrace after being beaten. Opposite sat Bif in the right-hand chair.
Derby was not in a good mood. "What do you Pusbags want ?" he snarled.
Melvin produced a sheath of papers. "Before we release any Weapons to your Clique, you must sign this agreement", Melvin said, with a slight waver in his voice.
"Fuck You, Doughboy, I'm not singing anything !", Derby shot back.
"What is this ?" Bif spoke up. "You little turds trying to welsh out on your own deal ?"
"We just want some assurances that you'll keep your word", Said Thad, mangling and spitting the word 'Assurances' like Snagglepuss.
"Spit at me one more time, four-eyes, and I'll take your head off", growled Bif, starting to rise from the chair in a threatening manner.
At once, the nervous Nerds whipped out their Spud Guns. "Hey, Hey, Hey !", Derby shouted. "Put those away !"
The Nerds made no move to do so. Instead, their fingers tightened on the triggers.
"You'll never make it out of here in one piece", said Bif in a hateful voice.
"Doesn't matter", Bucky said. "Neither will you."
Derby Swore. Somebody was supposed to be searching these fucks before letting them in. But Derby was too sore from yesterday's loss at the Glass Jaw, and couldn't take a chance on further injuries. He told Bif to stand down, which he did reluctantly, slowly easing back down in his chair.
"Give me those papers", said Derby. Melvin handed them over, and Derby flipped through them.
"It just an agreement...In writing, that...that your Clique will honor your word, and, and extend protection to us, and, and not attack us...". Melvin stammered.
"Word of a real gentleman isn't enough for you Buggers, is it ?", Derby said sourly. The Nerds didn't speak. "Fine, then", Derby said suddenly. "Give me a pen."
Melvin handed over a pen from his pocket protector and Derby snatched it from his hand. With a flourish, he scribbled his name at the end of the document and tossed it and the pen back at Melvin. "There", Derby snarled. "Now, Get Out !"
Melvin snatched at the papers and pen as Derby threw them, and the Nerds began to back away. "The Weapons will be left tonight in the stone wall area between here and the Library", Melvin said as they were leaving.
After the Nerds were out the door, Bif said, "Why did you do that ? Now we have to stick to their agreement, or....."
"Or What ?" Derby snorted. "They'll take us to Court ? Guess who runs the Courts around here ?"
Derby would have laughed if it didn't hurt so much, so he just settled for a chuckle. For a bunch of so-called smart kids, those Nerds were real stupid fucks.
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Tony Spent part of the same evening in Jimmy's secret Cavern hideout, discussing the problem of the Preps acquiring weapons from the Nerds and what could be done about it. Jimmy agreed that for the Preps to be armed while other Cliques....The Bullies, Greasers, and Jocks....Were not, would severely affect the power balance of the school. Jimmy mulled the problem over for a while. Suddenly he came up with an answer.
"So, give them all Weapons too", Jimmy said.
"WHAT ?" Tony exclaimed. "That's Nuts ! If that happens, then Pete went down for nothing !"
"Look", Jimmy said. "They're going to get them eventually. That School can't function without Weapons. The only way to keep them out of their hands...", Here Jimmy laughed..."Is to lock them all up in Jail."
"But Pete was right !", Tony persisted. "All those Weapons should be banned. This place isn't like any kind of normal School. All these Weapons do it just make things worse....."
"Aren't you carrying Weapons ?" Jimmy asked.
"Well....Yeah, Sure !" Tony replied. "But I need to. Because....Because....."
Jimmy smiled. Tony was beginning to really understand.
"Parity", Tony said. "When the balance is out of whack....."
"It's no good for anybody", Jimmy finished. He rose and began pacing. "You know, when I first came here, I couldn't believe this place. I got beat up the very first day, that was kinda expected. Then, I got shot with a slingshot. That was pretty normal too. Right after that, I got mugged by a fat girl, Eunice. That was a little weird. But soon after that", Jimmy continued, "I had Stink Bombs and M-80s thrown at me, and that's when I definitely knew there was something out of whack with this place."
Tony agreed, he had had those things happen to him too (Except the fat girl thing...Ick). "I never saw anywhere like this. It's like a throwback to the stone age or something."
"But this place is even stranger", Jimmy went on. "They got four overgrown Goons who are supposed to be students, but they never go to class. They dress up in blue suits and roam around like some kind of Gestapo, yelling insults at everybody and busting kids. And they don't ever graduate. I'll bet they're 30 years old", Jimmy laughed. "And, nobody really cares if you go to class, cause nobody keeps attendance. The classes are a joke, anyway. Then there's these throwback kids from the 1950s, where did they come from ? Then there's the Towns...."
"Yeah, super strange", Tony said. "Cops without guns who drive around in circles, Clinics with no real Hospital, a Traveling Carnival that never leaves Town and blocks the only road out, a Looney Bin where they lock kids up with adult crazy people, a Church out in the woods with a Graveyard that no one's been buried at in years....."
“That’s right”, Jimmy continued, “And the Church itself that never holds Services, but sometimes has a lot of strange preachy noises coming out of it.”
"And the Rats", Tony said. "Rats everywhere, under the buildings, bit no Cats at all."
"And just a few Dogs", Jimmy agreed. "Everyone all locked in here, in these mountains, incommunicado with the rest of the world, except for a special few. And kids running around with weapons made by geeky kids to defend themselves from all the madness." Jimmy stopped pacing. "This whole place is out of whack. And without Weapons...."
"It's out of balance", Tony finished. "The Weapons keep the chaos at bay."
"They must be re-armed. All of them." Jimmy walked to the big trunk. "I don't have enough here to do that, but here's a few to start. Go to the Nerds, have them start making Weapons for everybody, get them distributed."
"They won't do that for nothing", Tony said. "The Preps are gonna give them money and protection...."
"They'll break that deal as soon as the get what they want", Jimmy said. "They have no honor."
"So why would the Nerds make Weapons for us ?" Tony asked. "Revenge ?"
"No", Jimmy said. "You got to make them an offer they can't refuse." Jimmy laughed. "Heard that in a movie once, but it's true. Everyone has a price." He went to his dresser, and rummaged around the bottom, then came over to Tony with an envelope. Tony looked inside.
"That's $ 1,000", Jimmy said. "That'll be a deal they can't turn down."
Tony thumbed through the cash, and whistled. "Don't you need this ?"
"Oh, it's not for free". Jimmy said. "There's something I want for that, too."
"Well....Sure", Tony said. "Anything, Man."
"There's somebody I want you to bring here", Jimmy said. "Somebody I gotta see."
Tony was startled. "But, I can't do that...It's too dangerous !"
"No", Jimmy said. "It's someone I trust above all else."
When Jimmy told Tony who it was and why, Tony understood, and silently nodded. It would be done.
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Algie was in love. Oh, not the kind of love one would expect to be considered normal by any means, but a sort of sick, perverted love that could be read about on the back of a G & G card. In the month that Algie, as the Fat Beardless Man, had kept company with the Fat Bearded Woman, he found himself drawn to her in an almost maternal way. Algie missed his Mother terribly, and the Fat Bearded Woman quickly had become In Loco Parentis, his stand-in Mother.
The Fat Bearded Woman's name was Paris, as Algie soon learned. Paris was the polar opposite of her more famous namesake, grossly fat instead of skinny, short instead of tall, a mass of facial hair instead of clean-shaven. The most glaring difference was one that could not be seen at first glance, however....Paris was born to a dirt-poor family from the Arkansas backwoods instead of Hollywood royalty. A such, she was not a pretentious person, but had a down-home demeanor that instantly, and painfully, reminded Algie of his own dear Mommy.
Algie got to meet, and interact, with the other Carnival Folk. In the Freakshow, there was Al, The Skeleton Man, who was so thin that he no longer had to eat, always puffing away on a smoke while leaning on his cane....Drew, The Insane Man (Not to be confused with the new Drew who was working the Souvenir Tent), one who was always locked up, said to be too insane for even the Asylum....Courtney, The Mermaid, who couldn't leave her Tank, and communicated using only hand signs.....Delilah and Jezebel, the Siamese Twins,with contrasting personalities, one kind and sweet, the other mean and nasty. There were also four Midgets at the Carnival. Hector, the nasty Dunk Tank Midget, who always insulted customers and staff alike....Brandy, his Midget girlfriend, who had a desire to sever their relationship in favor of one of the other two Midgets.....Zeke and Lighting, who's sole purpose was to stage boxing matches for the customers to bet on.
Then there was the regular staff. Crystal, a trim going-on middle age attractive woman, who was very friendly, particularly when drunk, as she often was. She was also owner Billy Bob Crane's main squeeze, and the other male members were very protective of her.....Dorsey, who was actually a resident of Bullworth Vale who made extra cash farming out mowing jobs, and ran the Strike-Out Game when in season.....Freeley, a southerner who ran the rides, and who had once been in prison but wouldn't ever say for what....And the new Drew, a youth new to the Carnival, who seemed friendly and eager to please, hired only recently to replace the now-departed Ace Adams.
Algie thought it was quite funny watching the parade of people who came by his window to gawk. A little unnerving to see his former Schoolmates come by and look through the glass at first, though. As part of his costume, Algie wore a Zorro-like mask and cape, which hid his true identity. After he got used to the idea that none of them recognized him, even his own former Clique members, Algie was much more at ease in his role, which consisted of making comments to the TV and eating nachos with the Fat Bearded Lady.
Algie was highly interested in finding out what happened to Ace Adams. He had appeared from nowhere and had disappeared into nowhere, all in less than two months. He had, by all accounts, been friendly and efficient, fitting into the Carnie life well. Crystal especially had high praise for him. That he suddenly was absent after Christmas was not a mystery to the Carnie folk, however. This kind of thing happened quite often in Carnival life, especially to the new ones. Algie had a very strong feeling that Ace Adams held the key to getting him out of his present situation. The more he had though about his one and only meeting with Ace at the Souvenir Tent, the more he became convinced that he had had a connection to him, somewhere....He just couldn't figure out what it was.
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When they realized once more that nobody was looking for them, Kurt and the Rockers returned to the Hattrick House. Kurt reasoned that the taking of Pinky hadn't been reported to the Cops, or if it had, they had taken no action. This only reinforced the notion in Kurt's mind that he and the Clique were 'bulletproof' .....Somewhere, powerful people were protecting them. Kurt had gleaned as much from the file he had obtained from Crabblesnitch. Twice now, they had run for cover, only to have nothing happen. But, as a child of the streets, he was still cautious, it was what had kept them safe.
Within hours of their return, there was a knock on the door. Kurt went to answer it. It was Pinky.
Kurt and Pinky locked eyes for a long moment. Then Pinky said, "I'm here if you'll have me."
Kurt didn't hesitate. He reached out and embraced Pinky, and the shared a long, deep kiss. The other Rockers looked on in amazement and amusement.
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Gord was finally forced to leave his room due to hunger. He snuck into the School Cafeteria during classes so nobody would notice him and swiped some Apples and Bananas, and hungrily gulped them down. Stuffing his pockets, he slunk back to Harrington House.
As he tried to enter the second set of doors, Bif stopped him at the desk.
"Where do you think you're going ?", Bif said, blocking the way.
"Why, to my room, Chap", answered Gord. "Where else would be going ?"
"Not here", Bif replied, still blocking Gord's way.
"What are you going on about ?", cried Gord. "Let me pass !"
"No can do", Bif said, standing immobile. "Derby wants you out."
"Out ?' cried Gord. "But where am I to go ?"
"Why don't you try that traitor Spencer's place ?", Bif smirked. "I'm sure he takes in queers."
With that, Gord tried to get past Bif anyway. Bif grabbed him and rushed Gord headlong towards the front doors, ramming his head into the door. Gord went limp, and Bif opened the door and tossed him outside in a heap. "And don't come back !", Bif said, slamming the door.
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Tad Spencer had finally left the clinic at last. Instead of returning to Harrington House, where he was sure he wouldn't be welcome, he had elected to go and stay in his home, Spencer Mansion, which was a short ways down the street from the Harrington Residence and the Hattrick House. A day later, Parker and Justin joined him there, having left Harrington House they said 'for good'. Derby had really gone over the edge, they told Tad, and after losing the match with that new kid Nicky, he had banished them from his presence when they disagreed with him over his Weapons deal. Bif and Chad appeared to be sticking with Derby, along with Bryce, who was mostly independent and really didn't give a shit who the Clique leader was.
They were soon joined at Tad's house by Gord, who had also been banished by Derby. The others welcomed him, despite his new status as a bi-sexual. Things more weird than that had gone on in Prep families for years, and none of them at Tad's house found that a reason to condemn their friend. They all discussed what could be done about Derby, but for now, they concluded, there was little that could be done without without disrupting the delicate power structure that existed among their families. For now, it seemed, the Preps were to be split into two factions.
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Trent was forced to go stay at the homeless shelter in New Coventry. At night, he had to rummage through the dumpster by the Yum-Yum Market across the street for food. He would surely be beaten if any Greasers caught him out, so he stayed hidden as much as he could. As miserable as Trent felt over this turn of events, it was nothing compared to the misery that was being unleashed on the Bully Clique.
With no clear successor to Trent, Davis and Tom were battling it out over which would take over the leadership of the Clique. The argument had erupted into a fight between the two in the common area at the Boy's Dorm that very evening, with Davis and Tom beating the hell out of each other. Alarmed, the others had finally separated them, and taken them to their respective rooms. Something had to be done, they all agreed. But being not too overly bright, they could think of only one thing. They needed Russell.
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Jake had been listening to much of this on his radio setup. What he didn't hear directly, he would hear others talking about. He smiled his odd smile. Things were coming along nicely. The Bullies and Preps were coming apart at the seams. He was sure the Jocks and Greasers would follow soon. And, listening to Mandy outline her plans had given him another devilish idea. Valentine's Dance, Eh ? Jake's frenzied mind went into an overdrive of imagination. He could see it all now....Gasping, crying teens, dressed in their finest, wailing to be saved. And he, as the Ultimate Fixer, arriving to set things right.
A Dance they wanted ? Jake giggled insanely. He would give them a dance they would never forget.
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Vance was now afraid of being found by his Greaser friends. He had been hiding in a closet in the Autoshop ever since discovering the posters that devastated his and Gord's reputation. He would only come out at night to use the bathroom and get a bite to eat. This was no way to live and he knew it, he would have to come out of the closet, so to speak.
Vance chose a bad time to exit that evening however, as he was immediately spotted by Ricky. "Hey, if it ain't the little Butt Pirate himself !!", Ricky yelled loudly so as to make everyone else turn and look.
"Ayy! Cool out!", said Vance. He looked around wildly for Peanut, but didn't see him anywhere in the Shop. "I wanna talks to Peanut !"
"He aint's here, he be over at Blue Balls, whacking off or somptin. He's ain't heres to save youse, Queer-boy !", Ricky jeeringly told him.
"Why donts you get the Hell out of here and stay with your rich new boyfriend !", sneered Hal, walking up.
"Aw come on guys, its me ! I knows I messed up, but I won't go near another Preppie for the rest of my life, I swears !", pleaded Vance.
"If you's was smart, you'd get the hell off our turf !", threatened Ricky. The Greasers were not only upset for Vance being a ho-mo, they couldn't stand the fact that Vance had relations with a member of their worst enemy's Clique. Vance issued a few lame insults at his former friends and then ran outside, jumping on Norton's bike, and rode off towards the Parking Lot Gate, headed to the Towns.
"Hey, gets back here you Son of a Bitch !!", Norton cried. "Dat's My Bike !"
Vance soon had company chasing after him, he had stolen Norton's bike and the Greasers would have none of that.
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Vance peddled harder as he crossed the Bridge into Bullworth Town, then hung a sharp right and headed down the road into New Coventry. Blazing a fast trail, and taking shortcuts, he managed to stay ahead of his pursuers. Intending to try to get to Blue Balls Bar, he found himself cut off from the left as he emerged from the dirt path by his old neighborhood. He bore East, toward the Tennaments, trying to circle around.
Coming to the Tennament area, he found the dirt pathway to the left also cut off, so instead he tore through the alley, then crossed the street and headed down the winding dirt road to the Junkyard. Dropping the bike where it could be easily be found once he arrived, he ran and hid in a huge pile of junk. Less than a minute later the other Greasers burst into the the Junkyard, Norton bringing up the rear on a swiped bike.
The Greasers braked to a stop, throwing up a cloud of dust. Looking about at the plies of junk and trash, they could see hide nor hair of Vance. The whole place was deathly quiet in the cold air, except for the sounds of the Rats scurrying through the trash.
"Oh, Vancie ! Come Ouuutt !", Sang out Ricky.
"Gots some business to talk over !", Hollered Lucky.
"Can't hides from us, you know !", Yelled Lefty.
But he could. Even though the Greasers thought they knew the Junkyard inside and out, there was always new trash and junk being added. Added to that the fact that none of the Greasers had even been here since the weather turned cold, and there was still plenty of new places to hide, indeed. Norton pulled up on the bike he had stolen to try to track the chase. When he saw his own wheels, he dumped the crappy ride to the ground and went to reclaim his bike, looking it over for any damage.
"Yo ! You gonna pay, little big man, if'n I find so much as a scratch on here !", Norton rumbled loudly.
The Yard remained silent. The Rats scurried, emerging into the open to see who the invaders were. They advanced closer to the assembled Greasers.
"We getting tired of waiting, ho-mo Boy !", Ricky yelled out. Silence answered him. The Rats, temporarily halted by his voice, began to move again.
"Hey, youse guys, let's just blow", Lefty said. "We gots Nort's bike back."
"He stole my wheels, man. He gonna pays for that..." Norton stopped suddenly, and stared. "Yo ! What's with yous, Hal ?"
Hal was staring at the advancing Rats with wide eyes. Sweat stood out on his forehead in spite of the chill air. His mouth worked open and closed, and he finally managed to say, "....Little beady eyed mother-fuckers.....Get 'em away.....Get 'em away...."
The other Greasers seemed to suddenly notice just how close the Rats were getting to their position. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. They would just lob a few Firecrackers at them, or some Stink Bombs. But, they had neither on this day. They slowly began to back their bikes away.
"Com'on, let's boogie", Lucky said. "Vance, he's suffered enough."
"You a Queer-lover ?", Ricky asked, but by then, the Greasers were mounting their bikes, and commenced to leave the Junkyard.
Long after the Greasers had departed the Junkyard, there was movement from an old junk refrigerator laying on it's back behind a pile of rubbish. The door was pushed open slowly, and cautiously Vance emerged. The Rats had long since returned to their hiding places in the fading light, but Vance wasn't about to stick around the Junkyard to greet them when they came out to play when it got dark. He moved to the front of the yard, and discovered the abandoned stolen bike that Norton had rode over. Vance mounted it and rode back on the winding dirt road to New Coventry.
Vance needed a place to lie low for awhile, and chose the closest place, the abandoned building on the North side of the loop. This Tennement was almost a complete wreck, with large holes in the floors and missing walls inside. Trash, lath, and plaster littered the floors along with various discarded pieces of furniture. The building used to be a four-story rooming house for transients and workers from Blue Skies, but had fallen into severe neglect these past several years. Vandalism had too taken it's toll on the once grand structure.
The front was boarded up, but Vance found a way in through a side window. The whole place was condemned, and no Greasers had been inside for almost a year. As Vance began to move through the first room, he tripped over something. It turned out to be a Sledgehammer, left right in the place that Jimmy Hopkins had dropped it back then. Vance picked it up and headed off carefully for a room he knew was on one of the upper floors....Lola's old room, where he was sure he would find at least a mattress and some old musty blankets to hole up for awhile until he could find something better.
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-
Although Tad had been allowed to leave the Clinic, the Doctor had told him to stay in his bed at home for the next week, and he had always respected the Doctor's opinions, as his respectable Uncle was one of them. That's where he was lying as he heard calls from the second floor of Spencer Mansion.
Tad got up painfully and looked out the window. "Come in... Come in. Door's unlocked.", he called down when he saw who it was. As the three Preps entered, they came upstairs to his familiar room. "How are you, old Chaps ?", Tad greeted them.
"Why hello there, Tad !" Justin exclaimed.
"We're all fine, I guess !" Parker said while stretching.
"As you know, it's been a week since I..." Tad hesitated. "Gord, come in further, you're not out of our group, you know !"
Gord, who had instinctively preferred staying near the door, turned his head and nodded nervously. He had been recruited to come along by Parker and Justin, who hadn't been as hard on him about his tryst with Vance that had been posted in the Great Hall as Tad, Biff, and Chad had been. Tad had heard about his outing, in the course of his talks with Parker and Justin, but appeared not to care about any of that. Gord came closer to the bed.
"Perfect”, Tad continued. “As I was saying, it has been a week since I told you, my fellows, about the services. Here's my question to you -- Who now owes a service to the Spencer Family ?"
"The Shopkeep of the Yum Yum Market in Bullworth Vale." Parker stated. "We beat some kids that had been throwing Eggs on his store once....The guy said he owes us one."
"Good, very good." Tad commented. For a start, this wasn't bad at all.
"Then, uh... Yes, that guy." Justin said, after an amused look at Parker. "So Tad, what are you thinking ?"
Tad thought for a while. First, he had to make his loyal fellows understand that they should be able to make people happy. Second, thoughts of Pinky swirled in his head. He had to make sure Derby couldn't lure her back with token gifts. Yes, this was perfect.
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-
It was 9 O'clock that evening, and Jocks were, as usual, hanging out on the Football Field. There was no snow on the field, as Damon had to shovel it all up, having been busted after beating Bucky up in the Library. The Jocks were sharing some bottles of beer, forbidden on the Campus. However, not all Jocks were at the field. Kirby was missing, and he hadn't been coming out much after the incident in the shower.
"Hey, pass that bottle over here", said Damon, and Casey handed him a beer. Dan and Bo were standing on the field, throwing around a Football.
"Hey, there's that Mascot kid coming", said Bo as he spotted Nick walking down the stairs to the Field.
"The boxing champion has arrived ! What's up, fellas ?", Nick said as he came closer.
"What you drunk or something ?", kidded Damon, throwing the beer at Nick.
"Nah. It just feels good to beat up a Prep at his own sport", Nick replied, taking a sip of the beer. He sat next to Damon in the Bleachers. "Too bad it wasn't for that fucking title of his. You think I should beat him up again and become the new Champion ?"
"I dunno, I plan on whippin' on Bif, y'know....In The Hole, to be the new Hole Champion. Fuck boxing, you can hit only with your fists."
They finished the beer and Damon simply dropped it aside in the Bleacher. They were hanging out until curfew time, when they would be chased off by the Prefects.
"We outta hide somewheres from now on", said Luis while he was leaving. "I don't wanna stay outside until just lousy 11 O'clock."
"Yeah, but we gotta get up early so's we can have the showers before that fag Kirby", Dan said, walking along with him. The two boys headed off towards the Jock's Clubhouse.
"You guys got a bit of a problem here", Nick commented.
"Yeah, dat's so", Damon grumbled. "We gots to do somptin about it soon."
Nick could sympathize. While he had nothing against Gays personally, he didn't have to live or shower with them either. He hung around longer, until Damon decided to turn in, then made his way back to the Boy's Dorm, dodging Prefects along the way.
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-
The next morning, the Jocks rushed to the showers, only to find they were too late. A naked Kirby was showering himself with the curtain open, singing "Who Let The Dogs Out" at the top of his lungs. The Jocks quickly backed out of the Boy's Locker Room.
"This is Bullshit !", grumbled Damon. "I'm gonna go see Coach."
Casey, Juri, Luis, Dan, and Bo followed Damon Up to the Gym. Coach Burton had just emerged from his hidden Office under the Bleachers a few minutes earlier, and was pacing about the Gym, making sure things were ready for class.
"Uh...Coach...What's Crackin", Damon said when the group caught up to Coach Burton. "Look, Uh, we gotta talk to you bout sumptim."
"Spit it out, I'm a little busy here", Coach Burton said, pushing a rack of Dodgeballs out of the corner.
"Um...Yeah....We'd like you to, uh, do somptim for us....." Damon began.
"Well, what is it", Coach Burton said impatiently.
"We want you to kick Kirby off the team !", blurted out Dan.
Coach Burton turned to face the group. "What are you talking about ?"
The Jocks stood there momentarily, a little surprised by Dan's outburst. Even Dan seemed surprised that he had said that. But it was what they were all thinking.
"Yeah, Coach, we want him out", said Damon finally.
"I Can't do that", Coach Burton replied briskly. "He's the best Wide Receiver I got."
"Yeah, but Coach, Football season's over, and there's a big problem here", Bo piped up. "We stink and smell, and we can't use the showers cause he's always in there."
"So ?....That's not my problem you guys smell", Coach Burton said. "You all always shower at the same time. What's the big deal ? Why're bothering me with this stuff anyway ? Have Ted deal with this kinda kid shit." His eyes narrowed. "Just where is Ted, anyway ? And that French kid ?"
The Jocks looked around. They had been so intent on their problem, they hadn't really noticed Ted and Laurent weren't with them. Just then, the two boys appeared at the top of the stairs and headed over to the rest.
"It's more than that Coach", Luis spoke up, as Ted and Laurent approached. "Kirby's a little....Well, he's a Queer, Coach....He's a Fag."
At the mention of the words 'Queer' and 'Fag', Coach Burton's face took on a slack, twitchy look, like someone had stuck a couple of electrodes on it and turned on the juice. He also started to turn a beety-looking red color, and then thundered, "50 laps around the Field !! Get out of my sight !! Talking that way around me ! I won't have it, I won't ! Go ! Go !!" He waved his hands at the group, then pointed to Ted and Laurent. "You two, stay ! I want to see you....In My Office !!"
The Jocks, taken aback at this turn of events, dutifully, jogged out the door for the Football Field. They were used to their Coach's volatile temper. Most of them relied on future Scholarships to be able to escape this shitty School, and they didn't dare defy him. But they were highly confused as to their Coach's reaction about Kirby being Queer.
After the last of them had cleared the Gym doors, Burton went to the steps leading up to the Bleachers, reached under the first riser, and released a hidden switch. A whole section of steps rose on a hinged pneumatic spring apparatus like the gull wing of a DeLorian. Burton ushered Ted and Laurent inside, and closed the steps after them.
Ted had been here before, of course....He was the Star Quarterback and Burton's favorite. But for Laurent, this was all new, since this was only his first year here. Laurent had been recruited here for his excellent abilities as a Running Back, but had not yet learned all of Bullworth's secrets. But there was one secret that no one knew about this little hidden Office except Burton himself, and that's why he was so incensed at the prospect that one of his players was a gay-boy.
"What's this all about, Thompson ?", Coach Burton said, visibly upset. "Is what they're saying about Olsen true ?"
"Afraid so, sir", Ted said. "We always kinda suspected, but now, everybody knows."
"Everybody ?" Coach Burton said. "What do you mean, Everybody ?"
"Uh...The whole School sir." Ted went on to describe what had happened with the pictures and posters in the School. Coach Burton groaned loudly at this bit of news. "This is not good, boys, not good at all." He jabbed a finger in their direction. "You have to fix this, you understand ? Keep Olsen out of sight, and out of the showers....In, fact, keep him out of the Clubhouse. Maybe this whole thing will blow over....Ah, be forgotten about soon", he said, hastily changing his wording.
"What should we do with him then, Coach ?", Ted questioned. "Where we supposed to keep him ? Under a rock ?"
Burton appeared to dwell briefly on the question. Then, he said, "There's another Office space, just like this one, under the other Bleachers. It was supposed to be for my Assistant Coach that I never got, so it's just used for storage. Clean it out and set it up. Hide Olsen in there. Do it after curfew. I'll keep the Prefects out. Are we clear ?"
Ted and Laurent looked at each other. Laurent shrugged. "Sure, why not ?"
Coach Burton turned. "This is serious ! This whole Program could be in jeopardy. Your very scholarships could be at stake !" He pointed at the two boys. "I'm charging you with taking care of this. Are you up for the challenge ? Can I count on you ?"
Ted, who had had to help cover up Coach Burton's messes in the past, particularly when it came to some certain items of panties, said, "Yes, Sir !" Laurent also voiced assent, although with a little less confidence than the Clique leader. How in the world were they supposed to convince Kirby to keep out of sight ? Ted seemed to have no qualms, however. He would enforce the ban with force, if necessary, Laurent knew....Even if he had to wallop the hell out the others, Kirby included, to do it. He would do what he could to keep the Team together. That was the mark of a Leader.
"Fine", Coach Burton exhaled. "Go. Get it Done." He waved them out. "Close the stairs when you go."
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-
Derby sat on his favorite couch and started staring at the TV, which was giving news of the weather. But Derby wasn't listening to that. He was thinking about the consequences of the things he had done, the part of the Nerd's Weapon trade in exchange for money and protection. On one hand, he had done things right -- They would soon be provided, and the chance that someone would try to attack the Nerds wasn't far from zero. But on the other hand, he felt like something was about to go wrong about that, and he also wondered about what Tad was doing at the moment.
"Derby, how are you doing today ?" Bif greeted as he came in the room.
"Uh... Yes, just dandy", Derby replied sourly.
"Listen Derby, I've got some bad news." Bif paused, and put a glass of sparkling imported water on the table.
Derby drank slowly and shrugged. "What ?"
"Well, uh... It's about Pinky", Bif went on. "Bryce saw her entering in that kid's house, at the Vale..."
"Who ? Which kid ?", Derby asked.
"That...Kurt kid.", Bif Said, as if he couldn't quite believe it himself.
'That Jackwad Peon who did us out of our Weapons ?!!", Derby squinted, his eyes crossed.
"Afraid so", Bif said, finding it hard to digest himself. It was absolutely incomprehensible.
Derby suddenly stood up, knocking over his glass. The water all ran out and dripped on the floor, while Derby stood and turned his back to Bif, combing his hair back with both hands. Something wacky was going on here.
"That Piece of Trash...", Derby muttered, although Bif couldn't tell if Derby meant Kurt or Pinky....Or both.
"I knew you couldn't forget her, Derby", Bif said lamely. "Don't worry. We'll...Um, do something..."
"Flowers. Go get some Flowers. And Chocolates.....The ones she likes, at the Yum-Yum Market", Derby said. "We'll get to the bottom of this.
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-
Tad paused just before the Vale’s branch of the Yum-Yum Market's door, breathing heavily. He took a brief look at Parker, Justin, and Gord as they all alighted from the Limo. The Preps joined him and they all went inside.
"Hello, what can I do for you ?" said the Shopkeeper, who had his black hair combed back, and seemed to be constantly smiling.
"Why hello there, Mister Waldon. My name's Tad Spencer, you remember ? You surely recognize my friend, Justin ?"
"Oh, yes, hello, happy to see you again.", Mr. Waldon responded, shaking Tad's hand.
"I've heard you had problems with kids defacing your shop with Eggs”, Justin said, “Am I right ?"
"Sure you are... But your friend here, he helped me. Thanks again, Mr. Tad", Mr. Waldon said.
"Yes", Tad continued, "The Spencer family is used to helping and respects everybody."
"It was the Harringtons", Justin said.
"The Harringtons ?", questioned Mr. Waldon.
"The Harringtons ?", questioned Mr. Waldon.
"They were the ones that threw the Eggs, Mr. Waldon", said Tad. "Be forewarned, don't let those disrespectful people buy anything at the shop of yours anymore."
"Of course, Mister Spencer", nodded Mr. Waldon.
"By the way, I'll take three oranges, please." Tad pointed.
The owner turned to reach for the oranges, and Justin tapped on Tad's shoulder. Tad simply smiled. He had been right about the services.
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Tony had taken the habit of sitting in front of his giant wall board with a mug of cold water, his Office in the dark, except the desk lamp he plugged next to his feet, oriented in the right direction. He could sit there for hours, appreciating the feeling of cold water running down his throat and refreshing his whole body, while his brain was burning in search of a solution. It was a moment out of time and nearly out of space he could spend time for himself, far away of the agitation of the School, situated only just a wall away. It was incomprehensible that anybody disturbing him at this very moment would be greeted in a friendly way by Tony.
Strangely, that wasn't the case with Ray. Each time his face appeared next to the door, Tony waved him in and without a word, he dragged an chair next to his for his new friend to sit on. Both used to remain silent for several minutes before Ray stood up to get a goblet of water, and once it was finished, the two boys went to grab food. It was only at the Cafeteria that Tony opened his mouth and spoke normally. He found in Ray a loyal person that didn't ask anything more than being his friend.
But this day, nothing or nobody had disturbed him. Tony had stood up and drew one more arrow. Once he was done, he gently put his hand on the sheet that announced SEX WITH KAREN. His finger ran backwards on the arrow and met SAVED KAREN.…
Karen. It had been so long since he had taken her out somewhere. Tony took a deep breath and let his hand fall. He put his mug on his desk, switched his lamp off and went out into the noisy hall in search of his girlfriend.
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Jake hit upon his plan to carry out his latest scheme after recalling a movie he once saw. However, to carry it out, he would need one key ingredient. That, he hoped, he could obtain at the Wonder Meats Warehouse Processing Center in New Coventry. While it was true that the Wonder Meats Slaughter Plant in Blue Skies had been closed and abandoned untold years ago, people of the Vale Valley still needed their meat products, fresh or otherwise. This was supplied out of the Processing Center that was attached to the BMX Bike Park Building. Wonder Meats had 'Generously' donated the use of this building for the use of the Greaser kids that hung around New Coventry as an Indoor Bike Park. The truth of that was, it was a good tax write-off and got the Greasers off the street, at least part of the time.
Jake had never been to the Processing Center or the Bike Park, so that evening he took time off from listening in to conversations to go scope it out. Poking around the Wonder Meats building, he discovered he couldn't find a way in through the front, which only consisted of five overhead bay loading doors. Noting the connection to the Bike Park building, he decided to check things out from inside there. He figured that there must be a connection between the buildings, and he was right. Over inside the North-East section of the Bike Park, there was a door set in underneath a graffiti-painted "BMX" on the wall. Jake had to move a couple of crates and jimmy open the door with the crowbar he had brought along.
Moving through the darkness and flicking his lighter, Jake discovered there were actually as many as six buildings connected together in the complex. Going through them one by one, he finally found what he sought in the middle Warehouse....Barrels marked 'Animal Discards'. Opening each one took more time, until he found just the right one. Investigating further, he found a wheeled dolly in a corner. Perfect. Now, all he had to do was steal the barrel he had selected. For that he would have to bring the Go-Kart.
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Later that night, Jake returned to the Bike Park on the Go-Kart. He had come equipped with plenty of ropes he had found in the garage where he was staying. It seemed as if the previous occupants had been climbing freaks. There was plenty of mountains around here for it, all right. Jake also had on an old-time Flying Headcover hat for a disguise. As he pulled up to the overhead door, it automatically opened for him as if he were on a bike. The inner overhead opened as well. Jake drove right on in.
Unlike earlier tonight, he wasn't alone. Two Greasers were biking around the Park. When they saw the new intruder, they stopped ramping and headed their bikes in Jake's direction.
"Yo, who the hell are you, Flyboy ?", one of them asked, screeching his bike to a halt beside the Go-Kart.
The other pulled up his bike beside the first one. "Yeah, this here's a private place, suck-face."
Jake got out of the Go-Kart on the opposite side, keeping it between himself and the others. "Just the two screw-ups I wanted to see. You boys are gonna help me out."
"We gonna help you out allright, help you out with a knuckle sandwich", said the first, dropping his bike and starting towards Jake. The two Greasers were Norton and Lucky, one and the very same who had beat the shit out of another unfortunate Student, Geoff, who had encroached on their turf not so long ago. But unlike Geoff, Jake was heavily armed. He whipped out a Spud Gun and shot Norton in the nuts.
"OHH !! You PRICK ! I'm Gonna get you for that !" Hollered Norton, as he fell to the floor.
"Not today, Numbnuts", Jake said, laughing out loud at his own wording. Those nuts would be numb for awhile. He trained his weapon over onto Lucky.
"Err, hey, I dont's want any trouble", Lucky said, holding up his hands.
"Too, late, Jackass", Jake said, and shot Lucky in the nuts.
"OHH !! Oh, No, Damn It !! Right in the Hot Rod !", Screamed Lucky, as he went down.
Jake holstered his Spud Gun and got back in the Go-Kart. He drove it over near the door he had found earlier. Getting out again, he unslung the Air Rifle from across his back and walked back to the two Greasers withering on the floor.
"Get up, you Cro-Magnon Freaks", Jake said. "And don't think of trying nothing. This here baby can take out a Kneecap."
The two Greasers got shakily to their feet, holding each other for support. "Now, Walk", Jake indicated, pointing the way over to where the Go-Kart was. When they reached it, Jake ordered them to go through the door he had jimmied open earlier. "And don't do nothing funny", he said. Jake closely followed them through the door, flicking on a flashlight he had brought along. Keeping behind them, he directed them to the part of the Warehouse where the barrel he had selected was, and had them load it onto the wheeled dolly. Then, still keeping them covered, had them push it back out through the door to the Bike Park. Then, still keeping the Air Rifle trained on them, he reached into the back of the Go-Kart and threw out several coils of rope and ordered the two hapless Greasers to lash the barrel to the back of the Go-Kart. This they did with great effort, hampered as they were by their sore privates.
When they had secured the barrel to the Go-Kart to Jake's satisfaction, he had them lay down on the floor at gunpoint. Both expected to be shot, but Jake pulled from his pocket another little goodie he had gotten off the Nerds during his time at the Carnival...Itching Powder. He spread a couple of packets on the helpless Greasers, and guffawed as the began to whither around and scratch uncontrollably. Jake hopped in the Go-Kart, and before he speed off, threw two Stink Bombs at them as well. By the time Norton and Lucky had escaped the Stink Bomb fumes and had stopped itching, Jake had driven out of the Bike Park and was gone.
Reaching his rented house a few minutes later, Jake unloaded the barrel from the back of the Go-Kart into his Garage. He had caught lucky finding the two Greasers there at the Bike Park to do all the hard work for him, since the barrel was very heavy. Once he had that done, he re-coiled the rope and stashed it, as he would need it later. He still had a few items to obtain, this would make a visit to the Dragon's Wing basement necessary once more. And, a trip to the Novelty Shop for some good-quality balloons. Jake chuckled. If his grand plan worked out, Hearts at the Valentine's Dance weren't the only things that were going to be red this year.
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Mandy surveyed the arrangements with a rare smile. Everything was going well. The Headmaster had indeed make good on his word to supply her with all she needed for the Valentine's Dance. Long tables that would be piled high with catered food and drink had been set in front of the pillars that supported the second-floor balcony in the Great Hall at the entrance to the School. They were decorated with crepe' paper and streamers, all in alternating shades of red and white. There were also streamers and balloons hung from the high ceiling, trailing down and giving the whole hall a festive look. Long banners had been the subject of many of the girl's work, and were hung from the railings of the balconies as well. There had been tables and chairs set up on the portico outside the entrance for the partygoers. Dr. Crabblesnitch had also invited back Kurt and his Rocker Band to preform in the auditorium for the event, seeing as how the last performance had been interrupted. Mandy wasn't so hot on that idea, but since the only other entertainment around was the Nerd's Theater Troupe, she held off her distaste and agreed. In Exchange, she got the Good Doctor to make attendance mandatory for all students over 12, with the threat of detention or punishment if they didn't comply. This was to be archived by the means of a sign-in desk at the door the night of the event.
Since it was still a few days until the Holiday, none of the foodstuffs had yet arrived....The little beggars would steal it. That was to be trucked in on the day of the event, and guarded by the Prefects, a job they weren't real willing to do, seeing as how the rest of the Campus would be unprotected. Still, it would be necessary to avoid theft and keep order, even though classes would be canceled for Valentine's Day. The Prefects would pull double duty as well, having to watch over the event along with the chaperones....Ms. Danvers, Ms. Phillips, and Miss Peters.
Yep, everything was going smoothly, all right. Soon, she would reclaim her title as Queen of the School. And Ted would be eating out of her panties once more.
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-
The situation in the Bully Clique was getting intense...A bit too intense for Ethan, Troy, and Wade. With nowhere left to turn, All three showed up at Russell’s house by the Vale Park that same evening. They found Russell sprawled on the couch, having a few cold ones and laughing his ass off at some inane comedy on TV. Happy to see his comrades come to his house, he waved them in.
“Russell Watching Funnies !!”, he guffawed. “It about some stupid family with smartass kids. It make Russell Laugh !!”
The three Bullies grinned. When Russell was in a good mood, he could always lift their spirits. It was refreshing to hear him enjoying himself. Russell had been absent for much of the past few months. The bombings had really upset him, and more and more he had chosen to stay away from Campus. In fact, he hadn’t been around hardly at all since the big fight over in Blue Skies. The others figured that he just went over the edge, a process which had been going since the end of summer, it seemed, every since Jimmy had been arrested and imprisoned. Russell had come to become good friends with Jimmy, after Jimmy had beaten him in a legendary Hole Fight the year before. Outside of the Bullies, Russell didn’t have any friends, and the loss of Jimmy had affected him deeply. Already mentally challenged to the point of retardation, Jimmy’s arrest broke his will to lead the Clique, and he had turned that over to Trent.
“You here all by yourself, Russell ?”, asked Ethan.
“Yeah”, Russell said, suddenly sad. “Don’t know where anybody are. Nobody here, just Russell.” He brightened again. “That’s why Russell happy to see you !”
Russell’s Parents were not around, for reasons that very few people knew. His Father had an inside deal with some important people, to be able to get this fine house in the Vale. While not one of the nicer houses of the rich just a ways to the West, it was still a sight better than most of the residents of the Vale Valley lived in. His Father was said to be off on one mission or another, and his Mother was rumored to be in Jail somewhere. Mysteriously, the bills still got paid, and the electricity was always on. The Bullies knew nothing more than that, and being who they were, never really asked.
“We’re happy to see you too, Russell”, Wade said. “We need your help.”
Russell beamed. “Need Russell’s help ? Need Russell to beat up someone ? Russell Smash !!”
“No, Russell, No Smash”, Ethan said, “Least not yet. We need you to come back and take over the Clique, Big Guy.”
“Take over ?”, Russell repeated, stumped. “What happen Trent ?”
“Uhhh....Trent’s gone”, said Troy.
“Where he go ?”, asked Russell.
“We don’t know”, said Ethan, leaving out that Trent had been kicked out of the Clique. “We need you to take over again. Tom and Davis are fighting over it, and you’re the only one who can make them stop.”
“Tom...and Davis ? Fighting ?” Russell repeated.
“Fighting each other”, Ethan said patiently.
“That Not Right !”, Russell said, finally getting it. “They not supposed to fight themselves !”
“No, they’re not, and we need you to come back and stop them and be Leader again”, said Ethan.
“Russell don’t know”, Russell said slowly. “No more Bombs ? Russell hate Bombs.”
“No more Bombs”, assured Ethan. “That’s all over. We need you back, man.” In a burst of rare inspiration, he said, “Jimmy would want you to come back.”
Russell’s face brightened at the mention of Jimmy’s name. “Yes...Jimmy would want”, he said, struck by remembering how Jimmy always took care of things. “Then Russell Do It !! Russell be Leader again !! Russell DO !!”
The relieved boys exchanged high fives with each other and with Russell. The Boss was back.
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-
Karen stood against the wall, waiting for Mr. Galloway to come for the English class. She stared out in front of her, watching the Students passing by, as she had no friend nearby to talk with. She was thinking about the hour she was going to spend at her trashed desk, writing assignments that she considered boring and useless. So, it was a real pleasure for her to see Tony arrive and give her a long kiss while taking her hands.
"Karen... It's been so long, and I haven't taken you out somewhere”, Tony began.
"No, Tony, don't think about it, I understand…", she started to say.
"Shhh, Karen”, he cut her off, “Listen, I got no excuse. But I'd like you to come with me, right now, to the French Restaurant."
"Oh, Tony, I don't know what to say, I...", Karen said, surprised.
"Drop that book and skip class…Just take my hand, there's a table waiting for us", Tony said, smiling. “Just you and me.”
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-
“We wanna know what you done with Fag-boy”, Damon said, confronting Ted in the Clubhouse. At his side was Bo, and standing arrayed behind them was Casey, Juri, Dan, and Luis.
Ted, who was sitting at the table along with Laurent, answered shortly, “It’s been all taken care of. You can go take your showers anytime.”
“Better do it soon, too”, Laurent remarked, “You all are getting kind of gamey.”
“Shutup, newbie, this don’t concern you”, shot back Bo harshly.
“Can it, Bo”, Ted said, “He has just as much right to be here as you do.”
“The Hell you say”, spouted Bo, “We didn’t need no running back before to win games.”
Laurent, who had been recruited to Bullworth to fill the Running Back position after the Team had lost in the first round of the State Regional Playoffs, was the third foreigner to join the Team, after Luis and Juri. However, the Team had also been beaten in the playoffs this season, and the causes remained a bone of contention among the players.
“He is a member of our Team”, said Ted firmly, “Just as Kirby is. You should all remember that.”
“That Queer-Boy don’t belong here”, Damon retorted. “He can’t even catch the ball no more since he’s busy sticking it to Preps.”
Kirby was the team’s Wide Receiver, and in fact had once been a Nerd, although he didn’t want to be and had aspired to greater things. He possessed an unerring talent for catching stuff, unlike other Nerds, and had tried out for the Football Team two years ago when he first came to Bullworth. To the surprise of many, Burton had put him on the Team, making him the youngest ever to earn a Letter in the School’s history. Once on the Team, he had turned against his former ‘Brother’ Nerds, pounding them whenever the opportunity arose. Until Laurent came along, he was the new kid.
“Be that as it may, Kirby is a member of the team”, Ted repeated. “You would do well to remember that.”
“Or What ?”, challenged Bo. “You can’t throw for shit anymore, and I’m gonna be Quarterback next year. And I’m not throwing passes to a Fucking FAG !!”
“I can pass just fine”, Ted said evenly, “As long as the front line does it’s job.”
Bo’s eyes bulged from his head in rage. “Whadda You Saying, You JACKASS !!”, he sputtered. He lunged at Ted, flailing his arms, only to be held back by Damon. Ted had risen from his seat.
“Look”, Ted hissed. “Take a shower or don’t take a shower, it’s all the same to me. You gotta problem with Kirby, take it up with Coach Burton.”
“You might wanna watch who you’re defending”, Damon rumbled, and some of the others voiced agreement.
Ted leaned over the table and glared steel into each pair of eyes in turn. “And if any of you have a problem with me, you can take it up man-to-man, and not like a bunch of Pussies. Until then, this conversation is done.”
No one moved. Ted shouldered his way out of the Clubhouse, followed by Laurent.
________________________________________________________
-
Late in the afternoon the activity in the Boy's Dorm was winding down. Most of the Students were off completing homework in their rooms or shooting the shit out in the hallway. Troy, Wade, and Tom all sat at the game table playing a card game to try and earn some extra cash. So far Troy was winning. Troy was usually piss poor when it came to academics and just about everything else, but he was a whiz at betting money. Troy was well known among his peers to be a grade-A darts player and also a good card player.
As they were about to deal the next hand, Trent wandered into the room. He had decided to come back to Campus hoping that his idiot friends would have calmed down some and lost some of the edge from the last week.
"Hey guys, mind if I join this hand ? I got some money to put down." Trent asked.
"Fuck you dink weed !", said Wade, "I thought we told you to scram ?"
"Hey, here's an idea. Hows about you take that money of yours and just hand it over, no playing required ?", suggested Tom.
As the boys shuffled the cards, Trent reached under the table and pulled a latch on the table legs. The table instantly folded and collapsed spilling cards, chips, and cash everywhere.
"You Son of a Bitch !", shouted Wade. Trent turned on a dime and fled from the room, a shit-eating grin wide across his face. Wade and Tom gave chase as the not-so-dumb Troy bent over and picked up all the cash that had scattered on the floor. Getting close to the Dorm’s front doors, Wade and Tom were suddenly upended by slipping on what seemed like a whole bag of Marbles that Trent had scattered on the floor before he ran out the doors. A funny scene ensued, as they fell on their asses again and again.
As soon as the two burst out the front doors of the Dorm in their pursuit of Trent, they realized they had lost him. Trent was long gone. "We'll get you next time you piece of Shit !", Tom called out into the winter night. As Tom and Wade turned to go back inside the Dorm, they were approached by Russell coming around from the Southside of the Dorm.
"Hey, what's up Dude ?", greeted Wade.
“Russell hear noises”, Russell said. “Why that ?”
“Oh, nothing”, Tom said, “Just chasing a Rat.”
Since Russell obviously hadn’t seen Trent, Wade felt he should turn Russell’s attention to something else. “Um…You sure look happy, Russell. Wot’s up ?”
"Russell find new way to earn Cash !", Russell proudly announced. Russell had found out that his recently re-adopted crew was having financial difficulty. All those little lunch money heists just weren't cutting it anymore.
"Oh yeah?", said Tom, jokingly. “What is it ?”
"Follow Russell, tomorrow morning. I show you what Russell means", Russell said. Though the boys asked questions, Russell gleefully refused to say any more about it.
____________________________________________________________
-
The next morning, Russell gathered his Clique in the Common Room and told them to go and snatch some bikes over by the Autoshop and meet up next to the In and Out Motel in Town. At about noon time, all the Bullies pulled up on the street outside of the Motel. Russell showed up last, out of breath from running the whole way.
"So where exactly are we going ?", questioned Ethan.
"Follow Russell !", the big Bully commanded.
Russell had led his clique into the Parking Lot of the recently renovated In and Out Motel. This place was notorious for shady happenings. The Bullies used to use this area as a gathering place last year, but the Townies had since gained some control of this area. The Motel still wasn't very busy and due to it’s off-street seclusion, and was still a prime spot for all sorts of vices.
"Russell Is Here !", called Russell. From behind some trees, out stepped a Townie dressed in an orange and green jacket. The other Bullies pulled back in hostility.
“That’s one of them Fucks that attacked us over in Blue Skies !”, cried Tom, forgetting the fact that the Bullies had been on a mission to attack the Townies in Zoe’s defense.
“It All Right !”, Russell spoke. “Russell Make Peace ! Just Hear Out !”
The Townie approached the group. He introduced himself as Jerry, and then checked to make sure no one else had followed Russell's Clique to the location.
"Alright, here's the deal.", Jerry said, getting down to business. He pulled out a little baggy from his pocket.
"No fucking way !", Wade said in delighted disbelief.
"Yes Way, Yes Way !", shouted Russell, clapping his hands in excitement. Jerry tossed the little baggy to Russell and demanded he pay him $40 for it. The naive Russell had just recruited his Clique to pedal drugs for the Townies. The other Bullies didn't seem to have any real problem with this, they knew how much money this would bring in. There were plenty of students at the Academy that would love to get their hands on some "whacky tobbacky". In addition, some of the Bullies liked to get baked themselves. It was a win-win situation.
________________________________________________________
-
“Hey, Cock-a-do, what’s new ?” Greeted Ricky to Norton in the backlot of the Autoshop.
Looking around to see if their conversation was private, Norton replied, “I think it time for a change around here.”
“How So, Daddy-O ?”, asked Ricky, intrigued. “What’cha mean ?”
“Peanut should go”, Norton continued. “He’s a Queer-Lover.”
Ricky nodded, as he had just the same thoughts himself about Peanut. “So tell the plan, big man.”
“Get the others”, Norton said. “I’m gonna call him out.”
Ricky smiled, and went to gather the other Greasers. When Johnny had left, he had anointed Peanut as his successor over Norton, mostly because Peanut had been more servile than Norton had been. Also, Peanut had been more of a friend to Johnny, consoling him after every one of Lola’s shenanigans, something Norton wouldn’t do because he considered her a Tramp. Peanut had also ingrained himself in other ways to Johnny, virtually insuring that Johnny would pick Peanut to lead if the time ever came, which it did. This had really pissed off Norton, who always felt that he should be the legitimate successor.
Norton circled around to the front of the Autoshop, while the rest of the Greasers followed. The scent of a fight was in the air. “Oh, Peanut ! Come out to play-ay !".
The Autoshop door opened and out stepped Peanut. “What’s up, Nort ?”, he said cautiously, seeing the assembling Greasers behind Norton.
“It be time for a change, little man ! I’m taking over !”, thundered Norton.
Peanut’s initial shock at this pronouncement quickly turned to anger. “Youse only think you is taking over, yah brainless Monkey ! COM’ON !!”
Both Greasers assumed the fight stance and at once began to circle each other. The other Greasers looked on with a mix of emotions. A challenge for leadership had not happened for a very long time in the Greaser Clique. Peanut struck the first blow, an ineffectual hit to the shoulder of Norton, who shrugged it off and whacked Peanut with two quick jabs to the face.
“That all you got, Lar-rry ?”, Norton taunted, using Peanut’s real name. This only served to bring out more anger in Peanut, and he threw a combo of wild swings that Norton easily avoided.
“Shuddup, yah black Baboon !”, growled Peanut. He waded in swinging and got several more hard jabs in the face as a result.
“”I’m gonna put your dick in the dirt, queer-lover”, Norton threatened. “We see who the Monkey is then, Lar-rry !”
“Don’t Call Me That !”, shouted Peanut, still trying to land a solid blow.
“Lar-rry ! Lar-rry ! Lar-rry !”, taunted Norton. “Fag-Lover Larry !!”
“I only said we should give Vance a chance”, growled Peanut through gritted teeth. “That don’t make me a Queer-Lover, you dumb asswipe.”
“It be all the same”, Norton retorted, “You run wit the dogs, you catch dere fleas, Lar-rry !”
At that, Peanut charged in again, actually managing to get a good gut shot in on Norton that doubled him up. Peanut’s follow-up blow was blocked by Norton’s arm, however, and Norton shoved him back with a left fist to the head.
“Yah hit like a girl, short shit”, said Norton, regaining his ground. “A Queer could hit harder than that.”
An enraged Peanut charged in again, throwing a roundhouse left that completely missed as Norton ducked. Off-balance, Peanut fell to the ground.
"Careful, you might hurt'cha self", Norton joked as Peanut hit the ground. He planted a solid kick to Peanut’s rear-end as he tried to get up, knocking him back down. Peanut took a couple of rolls and regained his feet.
Norton was laughing so hard at this that he didn’t see Peanut come up on his blind side and crack him a good one in his mouth. Backing up a few steps, Norton tasted blood, and he now became enraged himself. No more pissing around. He went after Peanut with a renewed purpose, beating him about the Autoshop yard while the other Greasers watched in eerie silence. All of them, with the exception of Ricky, felt divided loyalties. Could this really be happening in their Clique ?
“Gotta Help Johnny, Gotta Help Johnny”, Norton mimicked Peanut’s rallying cries from last year. “No Johnny here now to help you, little Shit !”
Peanut was being battered so hard he couldn’t defend himself from the blows raining down on him from the much taller Norton. Backed up against the wall, he took a flurry of landed punches and suddenly, like a small oak falling in the forest, toppled over. He was beaten.
Norton backed up and wiped blood from his lip with the sleeve of his leather jacket. He turned and faced the others.
“I’m In Charge Now !!”, he hollered to the others standing nearby. “Anybody Wanna Challenge Me ?”
The Greasers remained silent. Norton pushed his way through the boys and stalked off.
____________________________________________________________
-
Derby looked nervously around him, and took out a cigarette. He checked his pockets, but soon realized he had forgot his lighter. He stood there until Bif came out of the last Yum-Yum Market. The tall Prep rubbed his hands together and breathed on them to warm up as well as he could. As he saw Derby needed to light up his cigarette, he quickly produced a lighter from his back pocket and announced the bad news.
"They got no Flowers here either”, Bif said.
"No Flowers ? No Flowers ?", Derby repeated while combing his hair back, frustrated.
"I'm sorry, Derby”, Bif said, “I tried to get Chocolates...Couldn’t. Or Anything else..."
"Listen." Derby had stopped, and raised his hand to the level of his shoulder, the cigarette between two of his fingers. "This isn't normal. They always had Flowers and Chocolates. Now, all of a sudden, none of them have any ?"
"I know, Derby, I don’t get it… “, Bif stopped. “No, wait.... You don't think it can be..."
"Spencer”, Derby said darkly. “He’s done this.”
"No way, man, no way !", Bif swore. “How would he be able to control such a place ?"
"I know it's him”, Derby said with certainty.
"Come on, Derby, you're being paranoid. Tad is giving you hard time, but he's nothing compared to us”, Bif argued.
Derby was silent for a moment. Then, he said, "You may to be right.…How could he ?" Derby put his hand on his forehead, and closed the eyes for a moment. "Come on, let's extort the Nerds. We're offering protection, after all, aren't we ? Ha-Ha...Yeah, let's do that, Bif."
They started off, Derby taking a long drag and throwing his cigarette away.
____________________________________________________________
-
As the freshness of the morning woke her up, Pinky rubbed her eyes and sat up in the bed she shared with Kurt for the night. She looked at the empty pillow next to her and decided to get up. Her head was aching. She made her way to the bathroom and flushed her face with cold water before looking at herself in the broken part of mirror that Tibo had clumsily hung up on the wall. The makeup she had forgot to remove the previous day was still a bit smeared around her eyes, and her hair needed to be combed, but for now, that wasn't important. She kicked away a pair of underwear lying on the floor, and went downstairs to eat something.
Benny sat at the table in the Kitchen , working on what looked like an old Radio to Pinky.
"Hey, Benny”, Pinky said cheerfully, feeling a bit better.
"Hi Pinky”, Benny said without looking up. "Woke up late I see."
"Uh... Yeah...", Pinky said, half-embarrassed.
Benny took a short look at Pinky as she was looking for a bottle of milk in the Fridge. She definitely was a beautiful girl, and didn't seem to mind that all the boys could see her in her blue panties in the morning.
"Where did Tibo put the cereal again ?" She asked in an imploring voice.
"Don't know, uh....", Benny thought. “You tried that closet-thing where we put the bowls ?"
"Oh, there it is. Thanks, Benny...", she said sweetly.
"Just have to think in a masculine-sorta way, Pinky”, He said jokingly, eyes still stuck on his Radio.
Pinky took a chair, and sat next to Benny. For a moment, she looked silently at his work, munching her breakfast, but her curiosity was stronger than any point of her personality.
"What is this for ?" she asked, pointing inside the Radio.
"Uh, you mean that ?“ Benny indicated a part inside the Radio. “That's a Transistor. It’s used to amplify electric signals."
"I see." She nodded. "Benny ?"
"Yes, Pinky ?", he replied, still bent over his work.
"Don't you think we should, like... Clean up this whole place ?", she asked.
"Why ? What's the problem with it ?" Benny asked, looking up around him.
"Benny, you know what I'm talking about !" She punched Benny in the shoulder, and made him grin.
"Seriously”, Benny laughed, “I kinda agree with you. I'll talk to Kurt about it."
"Thanks, Benny”, Pinky smiled.
Pinky stood up, put her bowl in the sink, left the Kitchen, and then readjusted her panties while climbing up the stairs. She had stopped and took a brief look at the living room before continuing to the second floor. Pizza boxes were lying everywhere. There were beer bottles on the couch. One was broken, and the broken glass was scattered around it. Next to it was the TV Remote that had lost his batteries two weeks ago. Pinky sighed. There will be a lot of work.
______________________________________________________________
-
Upon returning to the Dorm, the Bullies sat down at the couch and the few chairs to think about their new money making enterprise. This would be perfect, no more threatening for Lunch money. Although they liked to push the other Students around, they were tired of earning just pocket change as a result. It was certainly time to move on to greener pastures, much greener pastures. What the Bullies had not understood was why they were allowed in on this little scheme. They had always thought the Greasers had secretly smuggled in the ‘goods’ in years past, but it turns out they did more ‘using’ than selling.
By orders from Russell, each Bully was to be in charge of their own ‘territory’ on Campus. Each member would have a designated place of business. Troy was given the upstairs School Bathroom, Tom was given the downstairs School Bathroom, and everyone else would get a place outside....Wade was to control the area behind the Dorm, Davis was given the inside of the Dorm, and Ethan was given the Parking Lot. While Russell hardly possessed a single ounce of intelligence, he realized how significant this opportunity was. This gig was perfect. With Russell in charge of the whole thing, no one would dare screw them over. The plan was bulletproof.
_________________________________________________________________
-
Bo Jackson was a mess. He was putting up with a ton of bullshit recently, with all that had been happening within his Clique. He spent the better part of Chemistry talking with Casey about plans for later that night. They needed a way to unwind, and through Schoolyard gossip, they had found exactly what they needed.
Bo cautiously approached the upstairs Bathroom, looking both ways to make sure no prefects would find him suspicious. Taking a left, he entered the Bathroom, acting naturally. He slowly entered the center stall and closed the door. As he had anticipated, a hand appeared under the partition wall and motioned to him. Suddenly came the gruff voice of Troy Miller.
"What-do-you-need ?" said Troy in his usual voice, struggling to string a coherent sentence together.
"I'm looking for something nice, some good quality grass", responded Bo.
"Excellent, I-have-just-the-thing", said Troy. Soon, a little plastic baggie appeared under the stall. When Bo went to grab for it, Troy pulled it back. "Money-first, asswipe", demanded Troy.
"Okay, fine.", said Bo as he forked over the cash.
"Great!, Glad-to-do-business. Please-remember-to-flush", Troy strained.
Tonight was going to be great. If Bo was careful in rationing his new product, there would be enough for himself, Casey, and a few other guys. It seemed the long-forgotten Jake was no longer the only rising Salesman at Bullworth.
___________________________________________________________
-
Earlier in the week, Tony had indeed gone to the Nerds when they were gathered in the Library and had proposed a Weapons contract. He had taken Constantinos with him, and the two had sat at the back table with the Nerds in the area now re-built after the bombings to resemble a meeting area.
“So....What you are wanting is a open-ended Weapons deal ?”, asked Melvin uncertainly.
“That’s just it”, Tony had leaned over the table. “We know all about your deal with Derby.”
Bucky leaped up. “Impossible ! How can you know that ?”
Tony allowed a twisted smile. “It’s my job to know things around here.”
“What’s in it for us ?”, Fatty suddenly asked.
Tony passed a look with Constantinos. “A cool grand”, he said.
The Nerds sat as if thunderstruck, their eyes wide. “For how long ?”, Donald ventured.
“For as long as it takes”, Tony replied cryptically. “What do you say ? We got a deal ?”
Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Melvin said, “I don’t like it.”
Cornelius now jumped up. “Why Not ? That’s more than we’re getting from those Poopy Prepheads.”
“We get protection....”, Melvin argued weakly.
“What’s that worth ?”, Tony asked. “You really expect them to hold to that ?”
“We got a contract....”, Melvin tried again.
“A Worthless Agreement. They will attack you just as soon as they think they can overpower you”, said Tony. “I can offer you cash money. And our guarantee that our boys won’t attack you.”
“General Custer made a terrible mistake”, Thad suddenly piped up.
Tony and Constantinos just stared at Thad. “What are you talking about ?”, asked Constantinos.
“Custer thought he had enough firepower to overwhelm the enemy, but he underestimated their thuperior strengh”, Thad spit out. “We shouldn’t underestimate our enemy.”
Tony shrugged. “Just my point. So how about it ?” Pulling out $ 200, he placed it on the table. “Here’s our down payment. Whatta say ?”
Bucky snatched up the money. “It’s a Deal !”, he proclaimed, with Thad, Donald, and Cornelius jumping in excitedly to agree.
“Wait....”, Melvin tried to interrupt, “We should talk this over...”
“No more talking, Traitor-Lover”, shouted Bucky. “We’re gonna do this !”
Fatty just sat with his arms folded, shaking his head.
“Good”, Tony said, rising from the table. “I’ll pick up the Weapons every midnight at the Observatory until you do a thousand dollars worth.” Tony cocked his finger at the group and pulled an invisible trigger. “See you at the witching hour”, he said, and with Constantinos following, left the Library.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Every night for the rest of the week, Tony and Constantinos met Thad and Bucky under cover of darkness and traded money for Weapons. During the days, they visited with the Jocks and Greasers and supplied them with Weapons. The Nerds had Weapons, and since the Preps were already being supplied with Weapons, Tony didn’t bother with contacting them. Tony was a little reluctant to give Weapons to the Bullies, but knew it had to be done.
Everywhere he went, Tony sensed discord within the Cliques. He knew most of the reasons, but hoped that with restoring the balance of power to the School, the Cliques would work out their internal problems and unite once more. He reasoned that if they felt more secure, They would be able to settle their differences and return to normal.
Little did Tony know of the real bloodbath that was yet to come.
____________________________________________________
-
Biff pushed through the door of Derby's little Office on the second floor at the Glass Jaw Gym and stopped before the wooden desk, trying to catch his breath. "Derby ! You'll never guess... What I found out !"
"What is it, Biff ?" Derby looked up from some documents and folded his arms.
"You were looking..." Biff was saying, “For a new trade to take over, right ?"
"That's right", Derby mused. “Those Nerds will never pay enough."
"The Bullies”, exclaimed Biff, still huffing.
"What, the Bullies ?", asked Derby, mystified.
"I just heard they're selling... Drugs”, revealed Biff.
Derby stood up, and picked up his Aquaberry coat. Biff helped him to put it on while he explained the details.
"We've got to talk to Russell." Derby said as he went through the door Biff held for him.
"Russell ?”, Biff questioned. “I thought it was Trent that..."
"Not anymore, my friend”, Derby revealed. “They kicked him out since they discovered he's Gay…Bi-sexual…Whatever he is."
"Russell took back over ?" This was news to Biff.
"Yes”, Derby said. “And we need to make us a new deal.”
The two boys left the Glass Jaw Gym and headed back over to the School Campus.
__________________________________________________________________
-
"WHAT ? RUSSEL DON'T WANT PROTECTION !", his big voice boomed, echoing off the nearby Boy’s Dorm.
"Come on, Russell, me and my friend are here to protect your boys from being caught or mugged”, Derby said smoothly.
"RUSSEL CAN DO IT !" The big, tall Bully responded.
"You can't be everywhere, Russell, face reality”, implored Biff.
"GET OUT OF RUSSELL'S PLACE !" he responded angrily.
"Don't forget about what we said, Russell...", Derby made a veiled threat as they left.
Both Preps headed to over to Harrington House, hands in their pockets. Biff handed a cigarette to his boss, and managed to push little Gloria out of the way.
“Hey, Morons !”, Gloria threatened, “I’ll tell Damon !”
The two Preps ignored her, lost in thought. Gloria stared daggers at their retreating backs.
"So, what are we going to do, Derby ?", wondered Biff.
"Contact Chad and Bryce. We’ll use our own plan, Biff”, said Derby after a while.
"What kind of plan ?", asked Biff.
Derby hesitated by the Fountain. "Find out where they sell. Get to know everything. Have our boys wear costumes and attack the Bullies”, he replied.
"Ah....So that Russell can understand….That he can't protect them at all ?", said Biff, understanding.
“Right.“ Derby stopped at the doors of Harrington House, and put his hand on Biff’s shoulder. "Now go on.", he laughed shortly. “Make it so.”
Biff, always the lackey, went off to do as he was told.
_______________________________________________________
-
Damon walked down the crowded hall. His last class of the day had just ended and he thought he would see if there was anyone ‘vending’ in the Bathrooms. The rumors had spread about the new deals the Bullies were providing.
To Damon's dismay, the stalls in the downstairs bathroom were occupied, but not with Dealers. Damon hastily walked upstairs. He had gone almost a week without drugs and he was starting to get edgy.
"Move Yo Sorry Ass !", commanded Damon as he pushed some Students out of his way. Damon approached the other Bathroom and felt relieved when he noticed an open stall. He entered and closed the door behind him. As Damon began to piss into the toilet, a hand reached under the partition wall to greet him. After Damon finished and zipped up his pants, he sent a return hand signal back to Troy.
"What-do-you-need?", said Troy, struggling with his own words.
"I'm lookin’ for a Steroid with a little more kick.", replied Damon.
"I-have-exactly-what-you-are-looking-for", strained Troy. Soon a small bag filled with white powder emerged into Damon's stall.
"Haha sucka, I'm just gonna take that !", laughed Damon as he grabbed the bag.
"Hey-you-mother-fucker !", growled Troy in an unusually clear voice. Troy had planned on something like this, he did exactly as Russell had instructed him to do. Troy rolled a stink bomb under the stall with all his strength. Damon noticed it roll past his feet and shatter as it made impact with the base of the toilet. It would be the last thing he saw, at least until the smoke cleared. Damon began to let out a series of ferocious coughs, the smell was overpowering. The cloud soon drifted into a neighboring stall.
"Oh my God ! I shouldn't have eaten all those Fishsticks for lunch !", moaned Fatty, his ass planted on the toilet in the next stall. He began to chough and choke as the greenish gas drifted in.
Damon couldn't hold on to his precious cargo any longer. He dropped the bag onto the floor where Troy's hand was ready to snatch it. As soon as the smoke began to clear, Damon ran from the Bathroom. To his disappointment, he no longer had his little bag of Steriods. Seth burst into the bathroom after Damon had fled.
"What the hell is going on in here !", demanded the Prefect. Troy remained silent and unmoving as he concealed his goods in case the stall door would be kicked down. Before more action could be taken, Fatty limped out of his stall and answered Seth's question. "I musta pooped something' fierce !", Fatty groaned, as he hung a little cardboard pine tree from the stall door.
__________________________________________________________________
-
That night when Damon met up with his Clique, he let them know of the previous events in the Bathroom. The Jocks were mystified. They couldn't figure out how Russell and his goons had got their hands on Stink Bombs. While Tony had been down to supply them with a few Weapons, most of the school was still Weaponless, with the exception of the Nerds…Unless, the Bullies were getting supplied somehow, the same as Tony was supplying them.
"What about the ‘powdered doughnuts’ ?", remarked Damon, referring to the Steroids he had lost.
"Not now", said Bo. He was still in amazement, as were the others about the source of the Stink Bombs. What they didn't know was that it was the Townies that had supplied the Bullies with a small amount of Stink Bombs and itching powder in order to protect their drugs.
The Students at Bullworth would soon discover yet another mystery involving the newly established ‘Bully Cartel’. The Bullies had recently schemed the brilliant idea of filling part of their bags of drugs with itching powder instead. This idea was developed by Tom. He thought it would be brilliant to sell off their stash of itching powder, as it was not worth shit. This way they could sell their pure drugs elsewhere and make greater sums of money. Those little punks at Bullworth would never know, they would just assume they had allergies or something.
___________________________________________________________
-
Jake had a very busy week. By listening in on the plans for the big dance, he knew just what the decorations were going to be. A visit to the Crafts Shoppe had netted him the one item he really needed....Red and White balloons. For several nights, he filled the balloons with the liquid from the barrel stolen from the Wonder Meats Warehouse, using an old tire pump he rigged for the purpose. It was slow going, as he had to be very careful not to fill each balloon with too much liquid, least it break during transport. Jake wanted the balloons to break, oh yes indeedy, but at the time of his own choosing, and not a moment before.
The other items Jake had found quite by accident during another earlier foray into the Basement of the Dragon’s Wing. Looking for anything he could use in his latest plan, he had come across a box full of small radio-controlled Incineray Timers, along with another Walkie-Talkie looking device that had several frequency positions on it. In another box, he had found several rolls of heavy-duty twine. Finding these items was, in fact, what first planted the seed of an idea in Jake’s twisted brain.
By the time the barrel was emptied, Jake had about 80 fluid-filled balloons arranged in neat rows resting on the floor in the old Garage. He then tied each one with a short section of twine, and attached the Incineray Timers to each. Jake went to the rear of the Garage and selected four good-sized wooden crates, and using some insulation batting that was also stored there, carefully packed the filled balloons into the crates. He had already rigged up a sort of attached carrier to the back of the Go-Kart to aid in the transport of his fragile cargo. Crazy he was, but Jake always had possessed at talent for rigging up things. As natural as it came to him now, it had been a skill learned at a very young age, where the difference to be able to do so meant survival or failure in the streets that he frequented as a semi-homeless child.
Jake knew he would need some help to transport and hang the balloons in the School. He decided to hire a few Townies to help him out with the task. Paid well enough, he found out, they would carry out whatever he wanted of them, as evidenced by their last mission he had given them to photograph, and then hang the posters of those queers. And, as Jake found out, they hated Bullworth Academy with a passion, as many of them had once gone there and had dropped out or were expelled.
From what Jake remembered, the Prefects cut back on their patrolling after 2 AM. Jake was confident that he could take out any remaining Prefects he needed to to be able to get the job done. All that was left to do now was to bide his time and wait until the appointed hour.
________________________________________________________________
-
Bif found out where the Bully boys were doing their business quite quickly, since it was pretty obvious. Because of their in-School locations, no disguises by the Preps were even needed. Bif sent their last two Prep boys to both Bathrooms simultaneously in-between classes to deal with both Tom and Troy. To cover, at the pre-arranged time, Bif walked across the wooden walkway on the second floor and deftly dropped a couple of Stink Bombs over the side unseen. As they hit the floor below and broke, Students milling around the front door scattered and ran, screaming. Prefects immediately ran towards the source of the trouble, while Bif walked away unobserved.
Bryce had entered the upstairs Bathroom and eased into a stall next to the closed one. A hand snaked out from under the partition, and Bryce returned a signal in kind.
“What-do-you-need ?”, came Troy’s horse voice.
“A bit of the white stuff, I think”, Bryce answered.
Troy’s hand snaked back under holding a white packet, and in that moment, Bryce lit and threw two M-80 Firecrackers over the wall separating the two stalls.
BAM !! BAM !!
Reaching down right after, Bryce grabbed the packet from Troy’s unresisting hand, then quickly left the Bathroom.
In the downstairs Bathroom, Chad pulled the same number on Tom, pitching two M-80 Firecrackers over the stall separation, and snagging a bag of weed.
BAM !! BAM !!
After taking the drugs from Tom’s limp hand, Chad likewise left the Bathroom at a fast walk. Both boys made their way to the Lunchroom, while the smoke from the Stink Bombs was still clearing, for a pre-arranged meeting with Bif. They sat at the far table and passed their ill-gotten booty to Bif, who quickly tucked them away in the pocket of his Aquaberry sweater.
“Easy as Pie”, Bryce said.
“Never knew what hit him”, reported Chad.
“Since there’s no School tomorrow, we will probably have to wait until after the dance to hit the others”, said Bif. “Besides, we will probably have to come up with some disguises, since the others are out in the open....We could get some from the props bin backstage when the Auditorium is unlocked tomorrow night for the performance.”
At that, the Preps rose from the table, and went to their afternoon classes as if nothing had happened, leaving the two Bullies knocked out in Bathroom stalls who never even got a look at their assailants.
_______________________________________________________________
-
Valentine’s Eve, the day before the big dance, had indeed arrived. As the last of the Students left classes that day, Mandy assembled her all-girl work crew to put the final touches on the decorations. Christy, Angie, Karen, Melody, Gloria, and even Zoe were a part of the crew who were putting up the decorations. An older girl who used to go to Bullworth, Bethany Jones, also came in to help at the request of Ms. Danvers.
The Tables were covered with crêpe paper table decorated with hearts and flowers that were cut from colored crêpe paper, and pasted on a base of white cheesecloth, which had been cut the size of small table cloth covers. The napkins had large hearts for decorations to match the table covers. The centerpieces, made in the form of beautiful flowers, were mounted on bases of heart-shaped candy boxes. Red and White crêpe streamers wound around the tables completed the effect.
The Prefects Edward, Max, Seth, and Karl were also assigned to hang streamers and balloons from the rafters arching over the Great Hall. To do this, they had to wrestle long ladders upstairs from the basement and then up the main set of stairs to the narrow overhanging ledge areas over the second floor. It took quite a balancing act to stand the ladders here, and then to climb and string the ropes that were to support the streamers and balloons. It was exhausting work, and the Prefects complained under their breath bitterly. Such a to-do for a bunch of scum. But they were working under the watchful eye of Ms. Danvers, and so carried out the task without letting her hear their grudging complaints.
In the Auditorium, the Theater Group, comprised almost entirely of Nerds, also had the task of putting up streamers and balloons over and around the stage area in preparation for Kurt’s Band, the ‘Bucket of Oysters’, who would be providing the live entertainment. Those wishing to rock out to the music could take up seating in the Auditorium, and those who wanted to dance could still hear the music through speakers set up in the Great Hall. The Nerds weren’t thrilled about this task, seeing as how no girl in their right mind would ever dance with them anyway. Mandy kept checking into the Auditorium, keeping a sharp eye on how they were doing, and berating them when something she judged to be out of place was done wrong.
Long about midnight, the final touches were put in place to Mandy’s satisfaction, and everyone was released to go back to their Dorms. There were to to be no classes on Valentine’s Day, and the catered food would arrive in the afternoon. The Prefects would be given the task of overseeing the delivery and then guarding the food once it was in place. They would also be policing the dance itself to prevent any shenanigans. Since it was going to be a long day, they decided not to run their usual nighttime patrol shifts and retired for the evening, leaving the School, for a few hours, Unguarded.
______________________________________________________________
-
Listening to his base radio that Valentine’s Eve, Jake was able to hear of the girls returning to the Dorm after midnight. He listened to their chatter for awhile, confirming what he suspected....The decorations were up and everything was in place. Then he heard Christy say something about how she saw the Prefects departing with the rest of the kids and leaving the School unguarded. Mandy piped up and flippantly told her not to worry about it, that there was no food on the tables as yet for anybody to steal and that decorations didn’t need guarding.
Jake had arranged for four Townies to meet him at the side Parking Lot of the School at 2 AM....Jerry, Otto, Leon, and Duncan. He had given them a small advance to make sure they showed up, and a promise of much more if the job was carried out perfectly. Jake made ready to go, as he would need to make four trips to transport the crates over to the School.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jake brought each load to the Parking Lot and carefully lifted them off. He sat each crate against the wall out of sight from any prying eyes from the School. Jake knew he was taking a chance by leaving the crates unattended, but he had no choice. Since there was a few empty crates from the decorations scattered around the edges of the Parking Lot, Jake was fairly sure that a few more wouldn’t be noticed.
As he pulled up the long drive carrying the last load, he saw the four Townies milling about the stone arches bordering the Parking Lot. He stopped briefly and motioned them to follow him. Jake drove to the Basement entrance at the side of the School and cut the motor. In the silence, he listened as he waited for the Townies to catch up to his position, looking both ways down the stone pathways. He half-expected to see a Prefect come running at him, even though he knew they had turned in for the night.
Jake hopped off and withdrew a crowbar. He went down the stairs to the side Basement door, expecting to have to jimmy it open, but in a stroke of luck found it unlocked. Jake snuck into the Basement, and made his way to the small area where Mr. Luntz usually bunked, intending to knock him out....But, more good fortune, Mr. Luntz wasn’t there. Unbeknownst to Jake, and to just about everyone else, Mr. Luntz had taken another Holiday to visit his contacts in the Big Apple.
Jake returned to the Basement door, bound up the steps, and directed Jerry and Otto to carry the crate from the back of the Go-Cart down through the Basement, and had Leon and Duncan go and get one of the other crates and do likewise. They were to take them through the Basement and up the stairs, but to leave them by the door in the access room and come back to get the other crates. While he was waiting, Jake checked his Weapons and took the Go-Kart back beyond the Parking Lot and hid it.
As the Townies returned and hoisted the remaining two crates, Jake went with them into the Basement. After the series of long winding rooms, they made their way up the stairs to the access room. Inching open the door, Jake checked out the hallway.
All was quiet. Jake motioned them to start bringing the crates. He directed Jerry into the Auditorium through the first floor doors, and the rest he led up the stairs to the second floor. The School was eerily quiet, but none of them spoke. Two of the crates were taken to the overhanging ledges that lined the side of the Great Hall, and the last went to the wooden walkway that spanned the two of them, over the entrance doors.
Jake noticed all the decorations, streamers, balloons....And the balloons were the key, they were all Red and White. As an extra bonus to the night, the ladders had all left in place on the second floor, presumably to make it easier to take the decorations down when the event was over. Jake directed Otto, Leon and Duncan to carefully remove the balloons from the crates and tie them up on the existing rows with the other balloons on the ropes. He told them in a harsh whisper that if they dropped even one, the deal was off and they would not get paid. Then he went to the Auditorium to see how Jerry was doing.
Jerry was making progress. While the ceiling was much too high in the Auditorium, the stage area had a Catwalk directly overhead that had already been festooned with balloons and streamers. Jerry was having to take just a couple of the liquid filled balloons up the ladders to the Catwalk at at time. Jake lent a hand here, unpacking and handing the delicate cargo up to Jerry to hang over the stage. In this manner, the balloons were soon hung directly over the stage.
After just a couple of hours, the job was done without the loss of a single fluid-filled balloon. Jake stood in the center of the Great Hall and took a critical look, and was satisfied with what he saw. The balloons they had hung that night were indistinguishable from the rest that the Prefects had hung earlier. He nodded to the Townies they were finished, and they gathered up the now-empty crates and stashed them in the bowels of the Basement on the way out.
Outside once more, Jake congratulated the Townies on their efforts, and paid them $100 apiece before speeding off in the Go-Cart. Only then did Jake let go and burst into a huge guffaw of maniacal laughter. It was going to be one hell of a Valentine’s Party.
________________________________________________________________
-
Billy Bob Crane had called his workers and performers together earlier that evening, informing them that, due to the unusually mild weather, the Carnival games and rides were to be opened for Valentine’s day. Most welcomed the news, as a bit more money would find it’s way to their pockets. Only Algie, aka The Fat Beardless Man, had some misgivings. Being open was sure to draw some of his former Schoolmates in greater numbers. Even though he wore a disguise, he worried that he might be recognized. Outwardly, he appeared to be as pleased as the others, but inside his considerable guts were in a wicked turmoil. Where could he go if somebody found him out ? That night, he buried himself in Paris’ large boobs and sobbed out his whole story while she comforted him.
As the staff got their booths ready, Crystal made a surprising discovery....All the Air Rifles for the Shooting Gallery had been stolen. It looked like one of the Carnival Games wouldn’t be able to re-open after all.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The next day dawned bright and sunny. The forecasters had gotten it right this time, record warmth was indeed making it’s way into the Vale Valley. Since there were no classes on this day, Students began trickling into the Carnival, and once the word had gotten out that the booths and rides were open, the trickle became a flood. The rides were soon packed, with more waiting to get on, and the booths were doing a booming business. All but one, that was. The shooting Gallery remained shuttered and closed. A few of the students expressed disappointment, but one was even more bummed out than the others.
Before coming to Bullworth Academy, Ray Hughes had been a farmboy, raised in the rolling mountains of Vermont. Being an only child, he had a wild imagination and spent a lot of his time reading. One of his favorite loves were stories of the Gunslingers of the Old West. Taught how to handle Firearms at an early age, he had spent many hours in-between chores practicing his shooting skills on his own homemade shooting range. Nobody knew it, but Ray was quite likely the most expert shot in the Vale Valley. He could usually be found at the Shooting Galley when it was open, where he held the high score of 400, the maximum. Ray summoned up the courage to ask Crystal, who was running the Hi-Striker Game, why the booth was closed.
“Somebody stole all the Air Rifles", Crystal told him. “Can’t run the booth without them...Sorry."
Ray was making his was dejectedly out of the Gates of the Carnival when he encountered Tony and Karen coming in. Tony greeted Ray, and noticed something was amiss with the boy. Normally Ray, being a shy boy, would have mumbled something and moved on, but Tony had promised to be his friend. So, he stopped and told Tony, with Karen listening, why he was leaving the Carnival.
“Air Rifles ?”, Tony asked. “All stolen ? How many was there ?”
“I donno”, Ray said, “But there was a lot. There was always at least six on the counter when the booth was open.”
“Hmmm”, Tony thought, remembering all the heavy Rifle-looking Guns he had pitched into the fire in the School Furnace just a few weeks ago. “That’s Odd...”
Tony pressed ten dollars into Ray’s hand. “If you hear anything more, you come and tell me, OK ?”
“Sure, Tony”, said Ray, “But you don’t have to pay me, I’ll tell you for free.”
“Keep it”, Tony said, patting Ray’s shoulder. “This may be the most valuable information I’ve gotten all winter. You done a good job.”
Ten dollars richer and with a happy smile on his face, Ray headed for the Road Tunnel back to the Vale. Tony turned to Karen and said, “Looks like we got some investigating to do. Com’on.”
Karen took his hand. “Happy to be your pardner, lover-boy. Let’s Go.”
Together they entered the Carnival Gates on their new mission.
__________________________________________________________
-
After returning to the School that afternoon, Tony left Karen at the Girl’s Dorm, telling her he would pick her up later that evening to go to the Valentine’s Dance. He then went to his small School Office, where he took a couple of hours making more connections on the large chart on his wall. Tony was on the verge of a great revelation, and as he made the final connecting lines, he stood back, stunned. This couldn’t be. Or could it ?
He needed to talk to Jimmy, tell him what he suspected. Perhaps, Jimmy could tell him how to proceed. There were so many traps he could fall victim to himself, if he wasn’t careful. Thinking of Jimmy made him remember something else....A promise he had made. No time better than the present, he decided. And after all, it was the right day.
Tony made his way to the Boy’s Dorm, where he found Constantinos sitting in the Common Room, listlessly watching a fuzzy show on TV.
“Hey, Constantinos...I need you to do something for me”, Tony said.
“Hey, there”, Constantinos said dully. “What is it ?”
“Remember how you went and got Karen from the dorm for me that one time ?”, began Tony. “Well, I need you to go in and get someone again....Zoe.”
Constantinos raised an eyebrow. “Zoe ? You gonna cheat on Karen ?”
“Oh, Hell, No !”, Tony exclaimed, his face getting red as images of Pinky and Lola popped up in his mind. “Nothing like that ! There’s someone who wants to see her, that’s all. It’s not me”, he added hastily. “I got to take her to him. It’s....”
“Say no more”, said Constantinos, making the connection. “I got it.” He hauled himself up off the couch. “Let’s go.”
The two boys made their way over to the Girl’s Dorm, and like before, Constantinos entered the side door. A few minutes later he returned, with Zoe trailing on behind him.
“Here you go, Boss”, Constantinos said.
Zoe looked at Tony warily. “What this all about ?”
Tony extended a hand. “Hi there Zoe, I’m Tony.”
“I know who you are. Seen you around”, Zoe said, still suspicious.
“Well, look”, Tony said, “I gotta ask you to trust me. There’s someone who wants to see you, and he’s asked me to take you to him.”
“Bull Hockey”, Zoe spat out. “You’re trying to trick me.”
“No, No, this on the level, I swear”, Tony said urgently. “Look, Constantinos here can vouch for me. I’m one of the good guys. Really. Tell her, Constantinos !”
Zoe glanced sidelong at Constantinos. “He’s Ok, Zoe. He goes with Karen, if you don’t know.”
Zoe returned her gaze to Tony. “So YOU’RE Karen’s boyfriend ? Oh, shit, yes, I’ve seen her with you, that’s right. She talks about you.” Zoe exhaled. “So, where we going ?”
“I can’t tell you”, Tony said. “I have to show you.”
Zoe considered for a moment, looking at Tony closely. “Allright....But you better not try anything funny, I can kick the shit out of you with these.” Here she held up one of her booted feet.
“Of that I’m sure”, Tony agreed. “Look, let’s take the shortcut over there.”
Zoe glanced up at the Dorm. “Don’t want Karen to see you with another girl ?”, she asked.
“Got that right”, Tony said. “I don’t need no trouble.”
Zoe grinned. “Yeah, I heard about how she kicked the shit outta Pinky....Twice."
The three climbed the shortcut, then cut around the front of the School, walking several yards apart, so it didn’t appear they were together....Tony in the lead, Zoe following, and Constantinos bringing up the rear. They skirted a huge Catering Van, parked at the steps in front of the School, but saw no one. The procession made their way to the Library, with Tony scaling the wall on the South end, and Zoe and Constantinos following.
The Nerd’s gate was closed and locked. Tony bent and punched in the code...1-1-3-8...And the lock sprang open. Tony turned back to Constantinos. “I need you to cover for me. Go back, and make sure nobody saw us. If they did....”
“I’ll convince them otherwise”, Constantinos said. “Don’t worry, I’m on it.”
Tony led Zoe through the gate and down the long pathway to the short Tunnel. “It’s not far now.”
“This better be on the up-and-up”, said Zoe, nervously.
“It is, don’t worry”, Tony assured.
“Easy for you to say”, said Zoe.
Tony led Zoe through the Tunnel, then across to the other, longer Tunnel.
“We going to the nut-house ?” Zoe asked. She knew this way, it was her territory.
“You’ll see”, Tony said. “Almost there.”
Part way into the Tunnel, Tony suddenly stopped, and bent down.
“What are you doing ?”, Zoe asked, as Tony pushed on the funny-looking rock set in the wall.
“Just this”, Tony said, and Zoe heard a small noise, then Tony pushed open the secret door.
“Wow, what’s this ?”, Zoe wondered.
“Come On”, Tony said, taking her hand. “This way.”
Tony led a reluctant Zoe through the narrow, dark passageway. Just as Zoe was ready to cut and run, they emerged in the dimly-lit Cave. “Here we are”, called Tony.
Zoe blinked her eyes in the dim light. “Hey, what is this ? You better not be jacking me....”
A figure emerged from the shadows at the far end of the Cave. “Hey, Baby”, said a voice.
Zoe’s eyes widened as the figure came into view. “JIMMY ?!?”
The figure moved more into the light. “I missed you Baby.”
“JIMMY !!!” Zoe shrieked. “OH, JIMMY !!!” Zoe suddenly ran to Jimmy, throwing her arms around him, nearly knocking him down to the floor. She covered his face with kisses.
Tony grinned. Zoe was holding tightly to Jimmy, seemingly never to let him go. She continued to kiss and nuzzle him. Jimmy embraced her as well, planting a deep French kiss on her searching lips.
Tony had thought that there would be time to tell Jimmy about what he had found out, but clearly Jimmy was going to have other things on his mind this evening. He decided he could talk with him later. Maybe tomorrow.
“Uh...Look, I’m gonna go”, Tony said. “Gotta get Karen to the dance.”
There was no response. Tony let loose a short laugh, and turned to go. Jimmy and Zoe never even heard him leave.
_____________________________________________________________________
-
Two figures approached the front door of the Hattrick House. One opened the door and called in.
“Hey Guys ? Look who I found !” Kurt’s voice sang out.
The Rockers in the various parts of the house came to the front, then stopped in surprise.
“Winkie !”, exclaimed Benny. “Look, It’s Winkie !”
“Shit, Wink, where you been ?” Shouted Tibo, clapping him on the back.
The other Rockers all gathered around Winkie, welcoming him back to the group. Winkie, also known as Bruce, his real name, had left the group after the first big fight last fall, when the Rockers were forced to find other accommodations in Blue Skies. Hitch-hiking out of the Vale Valley, he sought to return to the old neighborhood. But, after a few months on his own, he missed his comrades, so he had made his way back. Kurt had spotted him walking the road near the Carnival, and brought him back to their new digs. Along the way, he had caught up Winkie on most all the things that gone down since the last time they had seen him.
The guys were real happy to see him. With Winkie back, they were once again whole.
“Hey, Wink, still got your Sax ?”, asked Bonz.
“Right here”, Winkie held it up.
“Hey, alright !”, Grungy said. “We got a gig to play tonight !”
“That so ?”, Winkie smiled. “Count me there !”
“Speaking of that, it’s about time to go”, Kurt said. “Anybody seen Pinky ?”
“She’s up getting ready”, Benny jerked his thumb upstairs.
“Tell her to getta move on”, Kurt said. “We gotta get set up....”
“Right Here”, said a voice from the top of the stairs.
Kurt and the Rockers turned at the sound of the voice. Pinky made her way slowly down the stairs. The Rockers gaped.
“Good God”, Kurt whispered hoarsely. “You’re absolutely stunning !”
Pinky was dressed in leather stiletto boots, and a sheer black wraparound silky chiffon dress. It was accessorized with a black choker and black dreams shawl, earrings and bracelets. She turned from side to side to show off. “Like It ?”, she twittered.
“Hell, Yes !”, Kurt said in a strained voice. He was getting a hard-on, and was quite sure the other boys were also.
Kurt shook himself. “OK, enough looking...Let’s get our shit and go. Eyes back in your head.”
That was easier said than done. One thing Kurt was sure of....He would have the best looking girl at the dance tonight, even if he was playing the gig. And, she was all his.
____________________________________________________________
-
Tony arrived back at the school grounds unnoticed. Going past the front of the School, Tony saw workers unloading the Catering Van, which would be moved after they were done. Going to his Dorm room, he made ready for the dance, his first social event at Bullworth. With the help of the Chef, he had been able to obtain a dark blue tux for the occasion. He dressed carefully, more that he usually paid attention to his normal state of affairs when it came to clothing. After about an hour, and asking Constantinos for the tenth time how he looked, he departed to pick up Karen and escort her to the dance.
On this evening only, boys with dates were being allowed to enter the Girl’s Dorm. Tony sat in the parlor area, waiting for Karen to come down. When she did, Tony’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Karen was even more beautiful than he had ever imagined. She was dressed in a sweeping purple gown that accentuated her figure, that of a girl becoming a young woman. Seeing the touch of make-up and eye-shadow only highlighted her image in Tony’s mind, and at that moment, he felt like the world’s luckiest boy indeed.
As the couple ascended the steps in the front of the School in their finery, they found they had to wait in line on the patio area to enter the School. Up beside the door was a sign-in table being manned by none other than Ms. Phillips, Tony’s favorite teacher. When they reached the table to sign in, Tony had a whispered conversation with her and convinced her to put down that Zoe was excused from the dance so that she wouldn’t get in trouble.
As they entered the doors, Karen asked him, “What that was all about ?”
“I’ll have to tell you later”, Tony replied, under his breath.
“But you told Ms. Phillips that Zoe was sick !”, Karen whispered. “She isn’t sick !”
“Sure she is”, replied Tony mysteriously. And she was sick. Lovesick, that is.
Still not understanding, Karen let the matter drop for now. They were both looking at the panorama of the Great Hall, dressed up in all it decorative finery. The tables were piled high with what looked like edible food. Singles and a few couples were already lined up and and eating away, grateful to have food for once that hadn’t been sneezed in by Edna, the School Cook. Various punch bowls had also been set on the tables, filled with a rainbow of colored liquids. Kids were actually drinking them without throwing up, a good sign. Cakes, Pies, and Candy were also scattered among the tables between the centerpieces.
Tony glanced around. Areas of the floor were lined with what looked like rose pedals. There were a pair of huge speakers hung on either side of the main staircase, with romantic music playing from them. Lifting his gaze, Tony saw Red and White streamers hanging from everywhere, the railings of the second-floor wrap-around Balcony and hanging down from the ceiling. Also there were what looked like hundreds of Red and White balloons hanging from there also. The main chandelier’s lights had been changed to a series of likewise pinkish lights that flashed on and off in a particular pattern, making the effect of seeming to rotate.
Tony also noticed that access to the four halls branching off the Great Hall had been blocked with what looked like crates with white, heart-shape decorated sheets thrown over them. The only exception was a small opening that led to the School Infirmary. There was to be no shenanigans taking place in the halls, it seemed. Likewise, the stairs to the second floor were similarly blocked, to keep kids from sneaking upstairs. This meant that the Balcony in the Auditorium wasn’t going to be accessed. So much for some dark make-out places for the evening. These had surely just been erected, for Tony was in the School just a few hours ago in his upstairs Office.
What Tony didn’t know, and the others were soon to find out, was that all the doors leading to the outside were locked, save the front door. And, just as soon as all the Students were signed in, barricades were also put in place in front of the steps at the front of the patio. The area was to be patrolled by Max, the Prefect, who had orders not to let anybody leave.
___________________________________________________________________
-
The Valentine’s Dance was pegged to start at 7 PM, but in reality, it took more than an hour for all the students who were going to show up to do so. Those not signing in, except those being excused, were to be given Detentions for the next four weekends. Nobody sat during Detention, there was always work to be done around the School.
Notably absent were Trent, and of course, Algie, whose current whereabouts was unknown. Except for Mandy, who was in charge of the event, all the girls had dates....Karen with Tony, Gloria with Damon, Angie with Laurent, Melody with Nick (who had been asked to go with her at the request of Karen), and even Eunice with Ray, who looked mighty uncomfortable standing beside her sipping on a glass of punch. Ted had brought Christy, which was a direct slap in the face to Mandy. Pinky was yet to be seen, but it was rumored that she was now with Kurt, who would be playing with his band a bit later in the Auditorium. The great majority of the kids were there stag, lining the areas by the food tables, or leaning against the walls. The more uninhibited were solo dancing to the music in the center of the floor. The music gradually changed to a more 50s and 60s teenage-angst style music, prompting the Greasers to show off their moves.
From time to time, Dr. Crabblesnitch and Ms. Danvers would make an appearance on the second floor balcony to check on how things were progressing. Also present, besides Ms. Phillips, were Mrs. Carvin, Mrs. Peabody, Miss Peters, Nurse McRae, and Mr. Burton as Chaperones. They were generally standing around in the corners with their arms folded, giving severe looks to the Students. Mr. Burton, however was actively ogling the girls. The Prefects were showing a presence also....Edward, over by the entrance to the Lunchroom, Seth in the opposite corner, next to the Auditorium entrance, and Karl, who eventually left to go outside and join Max in guarding the Patio, which had been set up with tables for those Students wanting to go out to eat the surprisingly tasty catered food.
Tony and Karen had a few dances together along with the rest. His mind drifted often to the new information he had learned earlier that day, despite his efforts to the contrary. As such, Tony kept a sharper eye out on the goings-on at the dance than he would have otherwise. He noticed, for example, Vance and Kirby keeping to themselves off in one of the corners, drawing disapproving looks from many others in their Cliques. Tony was also keenly aware of two groups of Preps, one headed by Derby, and one headed by Tad, on separate sides of the floor. Each of these two factions were shooting hateful looks at each other. Peanut was off by himself, looking miserable. The rest of the Greaser Clique was ignoring him and having a good time. The Jock Clique, mostly dateless, were giving Ted unwary looks as he danced the floor with Christie. Even the Nerds, Tony noticed, were divided into two separate groups, with Melvin and Fatty leaning on one wall and the rest chilling on another. While the atmosphere appeared outwardly lively, Tony sensed a current of tension in the air. Only the Bullies, sans Trent, seemed to be in sync with each other, with only Davis and Tom seeming to be not quite getting along. Tony knew and understood the causes of the animosity within the Cliques, just as he had come to know the reasons of the animosity between the Cliques. Whether the information he had deduced just today would serve to unite the Cliques once again, or indeed to unite the School, he did not know.
Long about 9:30, a bunch of the Students began drifting towards the Auditorium, as the concert by the Rockers was due to start. About half the others stayed out in the Great Hall, eating food from the tables, or preparing to rock out on the floor to the music, which would be piped through via the large speakers. Tony escorted Karen in to front-row seats, followed by Nick and Melody. The Nerds also entered and found seats. Derby’s contingent of Preps entered and sat about midway between. Others drifted in singly or in pairs. Soon the lights dimmed and the curtain rose.
In the darkness, silhouetted figures could be seen, standing immobile. Then the lights came up as the band broke into song, a rendition of “Tic-Tock”. At center stage was Kurt on electric guitar. Standing beside him was Pinky, doing lead vocals, and looking damn fine.
_________________________________________________________________
-
The Students who were witnessing Pinky’s performance were stunned. At first, it was hard for them to even tell who she was. As the realization sink in, they were amazed. Pinky possessed a pure singing talent as she ripped through the song. Who among them would have suspected that she would have such a sweet voice ? Rocking out to the music, they were nonetheless mesmerized by her singing.
Tony was awed. “Damn, she’s great !”, he said, forgetting for a moment Karen was sitting next to him.
“Watch it, Mister”, Karen said, punching Tony hard in the arm. “I can still kick that skank’s ass. Yours too.”
“OW !”, Tony yelped. “Sorry....”
“You better be”, Karen steamed. “I’m much better than that twit. You best remember that.”
“You know you’re my one and only”, Tony assured her. “I wouldn’t have her.” Again, Tony thought to himself, raising his guilt once more about his cheating.
Over where the Preps were sitting, Derby was becoming agitated. “Fuck. I don’t believe this !”, he said loudly enough for his friends to hear. “This is shit ! What’s that no-talent bitch think she is doing ? Goddam Whore !” He rose from his seat. Bif and Chad pulled him back down.
“So she’s just a slut, Derby, she’s not worth this....Chill, Man !” Bif urged.
Derby allowed himself to be settled back in his seat, still cursing. He glared at the stage.
For the next hour, the band ran through several songs, Rocker tunes that they played best. Then Kurt relieved Pinky on vocals as the band fired up a rendition of “Bodies.”
“Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the...........
FLLOOOORRRRR !!!!!!!!!!”
“Beaten, why for
Can't take much more....”
(Here we go...Here we go...Here we go)
“One - Nothing wrong with me
Two - Nothing wrong with me
Three - Nothing wrong with me
Four - Nothing wrong with me”
One - Something's got to give
Two - Something's got to give
Three - Something's got to give
NOOOOOOOOWWWWWW !!!!!”
Let The Bodies Hit The Floor (Lyrics) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8-sMJZTYf0#)
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Jake had waited until 10 PM to leave the house, driving the Go-Kart over to the front gates of the School. Parking it by the wall, he walked boldly, for the first time in weeks, through the main entrance. After tonight, he knew, there would be no more hiding in the shadows. He would own this place.
Jake was heavily armed to the max. He carried a Spud Gun, Bottle Rocket Launcher, several Stink Bombs, and an Air Rifle slung across his back. In his hand he carried a Radio Transmitter.
Jake advanced as far as the brick circle area where brick paths led to the Dorms, both left and right. Having obtained some binoculars which were slung around his neck, he lifted them to his eyes and scoped things out. He could make out the two Prefects, Max and Karl, up on the patio area outside the entrance, along with a scattering of Students. There was the faint sound of music from within, thumping with a beat. This meant that the band was playing, he knew. Having listened to the various conversations on his Receiver, he had gotten information on the schedule for the evening.
The small Radio-controlled Incineray Timers he had rigged the balloons with were of different lengths. By experimenting around, Jake had discovered that the shorter timers would flare up when he held down the transmit button for only 5 seconds. The longer fused ones would have to be held for as much as 15 seconds to flare. Jake had arranged for the crate that went into the Auditorium to contain the shorter-fused Timers. Those he would release first.
Jake delayed for several minutes, savoring the feeling of power he held in his hands. In just a short while, he would engineer the biggest bloodbath that Bullworth Academy had ever seen. They would run to him, the calm one in the center of tragedy, and he would sooth them with his wise words of healing. His speech, prepared in his mind for these many months, would be read to the panicking masses with the bullhorn he carried on his hip as they streamed from the building seeking salvation from the plague that would rain down on them from above. They would flock to him, bow before him, and ask in pleading voices of fear for their deliverance. He would grant them his solace, and lead them into a glorious new era. He would become, at long last, The Ultimate Fixer.
With these thoughts streaming through his delusional mind, he raised the Transmitter and pushed the button.
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In the Auditorium, Derby had had enough. Seething through the past hour, he could take it no longer. As Kurt sang through the song “Bodies”, Derby felt his hate focus on the bastard who was now apparently doing ‘his girl’, as Derby still thought of her, even though Pinky had broken it off with him. She was his property, and no little dirty sawed off Pauper was gonna have her. Before Bif or anyone else could stop him, Derby suddenly leapt up, jumped over the row of seating and charged the stage. The song continued thumping as he did so.
“Skin against skin, blood and bone
You're all by yourself, but you're not alone
You wanted in, now you're here
Driven by hate, consumed by fear”
“Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor....”
Derby leapt up on the stage and ran at Kurt, who was turned sideways to him, deep in the song’s performance. Derby unloaded a hard left hook to Kurt’s jaw, and Kurt went down in a heap. The music jangled raggedly to a stop as the other band members took in what had just happened. Derby moved over to where Kurt lay.
Standing just to the side, Pinky screamed, “DERBY, NO !!!!”
Before Derby could lean down to grab a senseless Kurt and haul him up for a beating, Tibo unslung his Electric Guitar, and holding it by the neck, swung it like a club, connecting with the back of Derby’s head and neck. The Guitar made a harsh amplified twanging sound at just the same moment the Incinerator Timers above their heads flashed into flame and burned through the twine, dropping the liquid-filled balloons towards the stage.
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Standing directly underneath one of the falling missiles, Pinky was hit square on the head with a balloon containing five pounds of fluid. The blow staggered her, and the balloon exploded, showering her with congealed blood from the barrel that Jake had found at the Wonder Meats Warehouse. She slumped to her knees, the blood running from her hair down on her clothing. As she regained her senses from the blow and opened her eyes, she saw the red blood on herself, and began screaming anew.
Others on the stage had been hit as well by the liquid-filled balloons. Every Rocker member, save for Grungy, was hit either directly or indirectly. Kurt and Derby, laying unmoving on the floor, took the most hits. In just a few seconds, the stage ran red with blood from all the popped blood-filled balloons.
In the audience, initial confusion turned to shock as they watched what was unfolding in front of them. Bif and Chad, who had started towards the stage after Derby, came to a halt. For long seconds, no one moved, as they took in the scene before them.
Suddenly, Tony and Nick leapt to their feet. At that, horrified yells and screams burst from the rest in the Auditorium like the water from a dam. As one, they began a panicked exodus toward the Auditorium entrance.
On the slippery stage, Tibo dropped the remains of his broken guitar, and pulled out the group's Spud Gun. Leveling it at Bif and Chad, he emptied the entire load at them. Hit with multiple rounds, they both went down in a heap. Bryce, who hadn't run to the stage, thought the better of doing that, and joined the mass of kids trying to exit the Auditorium.
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Jake, waiting outside, suddenly heard the thumping music cease abruptly. He counted 30 seconds, and depressed the button once more, this time holding it down until he heard the first screams from inside.
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The doors to the Auditorium burst open and a rush of terrified Students rushed out, nearly knocking over Seth. As the crowd suddenly flooded the Great Hall, the Students there looked on in confusion and surprise. The Chaperons began moving from out of the corners, and Edward moved in from under the stairs where he had been keeping watch, ready to bust any troublemakers.
The Incineray Timers above their heads flared, burning through the twine, and 60 blood-filled balloons dropped on the crowd below all at once.
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All at once, it seemed, the World exploded in blood. Scores of Students were suddenly rammed to the floor as the five-pound blood-filled balloons, falling from an even greater height than in the Auditorium, smashed into them. Ms. Phillips took a direct headshot and went down in a heap. One burst as it hit Edward the Prefect’s shoulder, making a stark red contrast against the blue of his suit coat. Russell, who had just a moment ago been laughing happily at a joke that Ted was telling him, was so big that he was actually hit by two balloons. Christy, standing close, took a near-direct hit that pushed her sideways into Gloria, as the blood splattered them both. Eunice, soaked with blood, was sitting on her fat ass, howling like a wounded Buffalo.
All about the Great Hall, screaming Students and Staff alike were awash in pools of blood. Those who could tried to run, only to slip and fall face-first into the gory mess. Flailing arms and legs connected with other bodies, and soon fights broke out as the frightened Students began to loose their sense of reason. Several Students who had escaped unscathed climbed the barricades made of crates or knocked them over, seeking to get out of the building through the other three exits, only to find them locked. The beat fruitlessly against the doors in their panic. In the Great Hall, many who were blinded by blood and their panic began smashing the food and decorations, then breaking the tables themselves. Within a few minutes, as the coppery stink of the blood became overwhelming, the weaker Students began to throw-up, adding to the slippery mess on the floor. Soon enough, the others began to barf as well. In no time at all, the pungent smell of fresh vomit mixed with the smell of blood, creating an even worse smell than a Stink Bomb. In short order, everyone was retching and gagging, even the adults. Coach Burton, un-hit by any balloons, unloaded a huge upchuck of vomit right into the hair of nearby Miss Peters.
Several Students had found their way to the front door, elbowing and punching others out of their way. Too many attempted to jam themselves through the door at once, so that for several minutes, no one could leave. Max and Karl, alerted by the screaming, were at the same time attempting to enter the building.
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In the Auditorium, Tony and Nick gained the stage, but there was nothing they could do. Benny had moved in to try to calm down the crying Pinky, and Tibo, Winkie, and the others were attending to Kurt, who was regaining consciousness. Tony looked up at the Catwalk above the stage, where several harmless-looking Red and White balloons remained.
“There’s nothing we can do here”, Nick observed, looking around.
“What about Derby ?”, Tony pointed to his prone blood-spattered figure.
“Fuck Him”, Nick said sourly. “He started this.”
“Maybe not”, Tony said, looking around at the mess. “Not all this.”
Tony glanced toward the back of the Auditorium and saw the exit was now clear. Suddenly he hopped down from the stage and grabbed Karen’s hand. “Com’on, let’s go.”
“Where ?” asked a big-eyed Karen.
“Out of here”, Tony replied. He shouted to Nick, “Hey ! Get Melody outta here !”
Tony and Karen then turned and fled up the aisle toward the exit.
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Out at his post in the front of the School, Jake watched the goings on through his binoculars. He have reveled in the screams he heard coming from the School building, louder now that the students were trying to push outside. He fingered the Bullhorn on his belt. The time of his redemption was almost here.
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As Tony and Karen emerged from the Auditorium into the Great Hall, they saw that most of the Students were packing towards the front of the building. A bloody Bucky ran by, shouting all the doors were locked. As Tony and Karen emerged from the overhanging Balcony, Tony looked up towards the Office area. Standing at the railing was Dr. Crabblesnitch, who was brandishing a Bullhorn, attempting to restore order. Beside him was a visibly pale Ms. Danvers, who had her face screwed up as if she was going to vomit. Crabblesnitch spotted Tony and beckoned him to come up.
Tony had to shove a couple of decorated crates out of the way, and he and Karen made their way upstairs to where Crabblesnitch was standing. Tony had to raise his voice to make himself heard.
“Dr. Crabblesnitch !” Tony hollered. “I might know who’s behind this !”
“Terrible, My Boy, Just Terrible !!”, Crabblesnitch yelled, seeming not to hear what Tony said. “Is There Anything You Can Do ?”
Tony looked out at the unruly crowd. A sudden plan formed in his mind. “I Think So, Yeah !” He held out his hand for the Bullhorn. “I’m Gonna Need That !”
Dr. Crabblesnitch handed over the Bullhorn. Tony took it and grabbed Karen’s hand, and began running towards the South-West upstairs hallway. To the left was a door marked 'ROOF ACCESS’. Tony stopped in front of the door, and tried the handle. Locked.
“Can you open this ?”, he asked Karen.
Karen bent to inspect the doorknob. “I think so”, she said. “It’s a cheap lock.”
“See if you can get it open !”, Tony told her. “I gotta get something !”
Without another word, Tony sped off towards his Office down the hall. Unlocking the door with his key, he ran to the desk and pulled open the large bottom drawer. Inside were two long cylindrical objects attached to square bases. Tony grabbed them, then yanked open the top drawer and found a lighter, took it, and headed back to Karen.
When he got back, Karen was working on the lock with a hairpin she had pulled from her hair. In just a few seconds more, she had sprung the lock and the door opened. Ahead was a set of stairs. Tony climbed them with Karen close behind. turning a corner at a landing, there was another short flight that they climbed. At the top, Tony stopped and looked around in the gloom.
Lighting his lighter, Tony whistled. In the flickering light, he could see hallways and rooms. The School had a third floor ! Tony jogged around the dusty hallways, but could find no access to a roof. It must be farther up. At about that time, Karen made a discovery. A rung ladder, leading up, close to where they had emerged. She called to Tony, and they climbed the ladder, coming up through a square hole into what looked like an Attic. Above them was the giant Bell Tower dome. Tony made his way towards the front of the building, with Karen following. There, he found a small access door.
Forcing it open, he squeezed his way through. He found himself on a small, sharply-peaked roof. Karen poked her head through the opening. “Tony, please be careful !’, she said.
“Planning on it”, Tony remarked with a grimace. The roof was hard to stand up on, as the peak was so sharp. He inched out on it and took a look down towards the Patio.
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As Jake watched, the Students succeeded in finally pushing out through the front doors. Like a cork from a bottle, as soon as the first line cleared the doors, the rest began flooding out. Once outside, the fights began anew. Unable to control the raging mob, Max and Karl moved back to the steps and attempted to contain what they could. In almost no time at all, the Patio was filled with kids fighting, throwing hard punches, and kicking balls.
It was impossible for Jake to tell who was fighting whom. Most were blood-covered and almost unrecognizable by Clique or Class. Fueled by fear and rage, they were striking out against anyone in their vicinity, friend or foe. The noise level grew to a high pitch, the air filled with the sounds of punching, grunts, yells, screams, and curses.
Jake move closer, and un-holstered his Bullhorn, and raised it to his lips. The time had come. He began to recite his Manifesto.
“FEAR NOT, STUDENTS OF BULLWORTH !!! THE DAY OF YOUR SALVATION IS HERE !!!"
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But nothing happened. The fighting continued. Didn’t they hear him ? Jake took and whacked the bullhorn. It seemed to be alright. What the Hell was the problem ? Jake moved closer.
Tony had gained an unsteady roof-hold. Looking over, it seemed he was looking at the world’s biggest Hole Fight. He had to get their attention. From inside his tux, he pulled out one of the two cylindrical objects he had carried up there. A large label showed a funny picture of the face of a smiling devil, with the words ‘Little Devil’ printed below. Digging out his lighter, he lit the fuse poking out of the top of it, and heaved it off in the direction of the front steps. Then he pulled the other cylindrical object out, lit it too, and threw it roughly in the same direction.
The objects tumbled end over end as the made their way down the arc of the throw. Long before they landed, the heavy square base bottoms stabilized them and they fell the last several feet unerringly to their landings by the front steps, bouncing once and coming to a halt on their flat bases. Within seconds, the burning fuse ignited the powder within, and a brilliant shower of sparks was directed skyward, lighting up the area like daylight.
The fighting slowed as the light-show increased. Those closest to the objects moved back, as they remembered the explosive power contained in the old Volcano 4000's from the year before. In their confused minds, they expected that the objects would blow up and send out a concussion shock wave. But these were not last year’s faulty Volcano 4000. These were, instead, a Nerd-improved version created over the Summer they dubbed the Volcano 5000, and it was very similar to the Black Cat Artillery Shell, a Firework Tony knew well from his childhood days. Tony had obtained these from Jimmy’s stash in the Cave a few weeks back. Jimmy had told him to use them for crowd control, if he ever needed to, but to light the fuse and “Get Away”....As he said with a hearty laugh.
As the light shower fizzled, the Volcano 5000's began to belch skyward mortars, one after another. These exploded into a spectacular multi-colored light show of reds, greens, blues, yellows, oranges, and pinks, recalling to many the gala Independence Day Firework shows they had seen. All fighting came to a halt as the bloodied Students watched the stunning light-show above them. The very last mortar fired from the cylinders emitted a near ear-shattering noise above them.
BOOM !!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!
The sound rolled off the heavens, and the waves were carried towards the Towns. As the last echos ebbed, Jake took his opportunity, and again raised the Bullhorn to speak.
But here Jake’s incredible run of good luck at last failed him. The Bullhorn quit working. As he began to speak, only squeaks sounded forth. Jake whacked the reluctant Bullhorn again, without success. But there was a Bullhorn that did work. Suddenly the Students heard.....
“HEAR ME, STUDENTS OF BULLWORTH !!! YOU HAVE BEEN TRICKED !!! TRICKED BY A VILLIAN !!!”
Startled, the Students looked up, drawn by the source of the sound. Jake looked up too.
“A VILLIAN WHO HAS SET YOU AGAINST ONE ANOTHER BY HIS VILE DEEDS !!! A VILLIAN WHO HAS PRETENDED TO BE SOMEONE ELSE, TO GAIN YOUR TRUST !!! HE HAS USED YOU AS PAWNS IN HIS GAME !!!”
Jake stared. Who the fuck was that ? He raised his binoculars and sought out the source.
“HE IS HERE AMONG US NOW, TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE SCHOOL !!!"
Tony !! It was that God Damn backstabbing punk Tony !! Enraged, Jake threw the useless Bullhorn to the side and unslung his Air Rifle. Looking through the scope, he took dead aim on Tony’s head and pulled the trigger.
At that instant, Tony’s footing on the roof slipped, and he moved slightly. The Pellet intended for his head slammed into his shoulder instead, causing him to lose his grip on the Bullhorn. Attempting to grab for it, Tony lost his balance and fell off the peaked roof as Karen screamed.
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A blood-soaked Ray Hughes stood directly outside the front doors, looking up with the others, when the shot sounded and Tony pitched off the 40-foot roof above him. A single thought flashed through his mind....He must save his new friend Tony ! Ray spread his fat arms wide.
Tony fell at a slight angle, barely missing the Gargoyle-looking thing with wings perched on another peaked roof over the main doors. Arms flailing, he fell into Ray with a sickening audible crunch, and both boys slammed down hard on the paving stones.
Nick, Laurent, and Constantinos raced to where Tony and Ray laid unmoving. Taking a quick look around, Nick spotted Jake still standing with his weapon drawn.
“That Asshole Shot Tony !!”, he yelled in the sudden stillness. “GET HIM !!!”
Nick’s words galvanized the Students to action. As one, the suddenly surged towards the front steps, overwhelming Max and Karl and trampling over them.
Jake saw the Students coming for him. “Oh, Shit !”, he muttered, then turned and rapidly ran back towards the School Gates as he re-slung his Air Rifle and threw two Stink Bombs behind him. Running full tilt through the stone arches, he collided with Trent, who, having heard the booms of the Volcano 5000, was just jogging in to see what was going on.
Jake was staggered, Trent was knocked on his ass. Leaping to his feet, he said, “Hey ! What’s the Dealy-O, Dude ?”
“I ain’t got time time for your shit, Asshole !”, Jake snarled, as he drew his Spud Gun and leveled it at Trent.
“Jake ?”, Trent said in surprise. “Is that you ?”
Jake shot Trent in the guts, and Trent doubled over and went down. He took a few more off-balance steps and leaped into the Go-Kart, fired it up, and tore out into the street just ahead of the advancing Students.
A Cop Car was speeding over the short bridge from the Vale. Jake skidded and reversed course, heading for Bullworth Town. As he crossed the Iron-Truss Bridge, he dodged another Cop Car and sped as fast as the Go-Kart would go towards the Town Square. He took a screeching left here, and zoomed West, with the two Cop Cars in pursuit. As he crossed the North Bridge by the Bullworth Dam, he began to put a bit of distance between them. He floored it and zoomed along the Bullworth-Vale Avenue until reaching Happy Endings Retirement Home.
He was close to his house, but he couldn’t go there, not with these dumb dicks tailing him. He hung a sharp right and proceeded to speed around the Circle Road around Happy Endings. The Cop cars followed. Jake just kept going around in circles, twice, three times, four times. On the fifth time around, he suddenly cut through the path by Russell’s house that led to the Vale Park.
He made his way through the Park and exited onto Vale Valley Road, taking a right. He was no longer being chased. He zoomed past Harrington Estate, Hattrick Manor, and Spencer Mansion on the twisty, curvy road, finally coming to his place. Glancing towards the Nursing Home, he saw the Cop Cars still speeding around the circle where he had left them.
Stupid Pigs, he thought as he pulled the Go-Kart into the Garage and killed the motor. He jumped out and closed the Garage door before collapsing against it, breathing heavily.
He had failed again. All this, and he had failed. And just barely escaped this time.
This was it, he decided. No more fucking around. Next time, he would take the School over with force.
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Back at the School, Tony’s friends gathered around him. Karen had made her way down from the School’s attic, and now cradled Tony’s head in her lap, softly crying. Ray lay a short distance away, and Eunice was stationed over him, moaning like a cow.
Order had been restored. Kids were helping other kids to the School Clinic. Some were being led off to the showers. Where just a short while ago they had been fighting each other, now they were helping each other, regardless of Class or Clique.
Tony stirred, and regained consciousness briefly for a moment. Karen covered him with kisses.
“It...Was Jake...”, Tony muttered. “The Bombings.....Shot Pete......It was him....”
“Shh...Don’t try to talk”, sobbed Karen.
“Mon Amie, try to hold on !”, Laurent urged.
“Gonna take care of you, Boss”, added Constantinos.
“We’re gonna get that dirty bastard”, Nick said tightly.
“It’s....Gonna be.....Alright...”, Tony said, and then passed out again.
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{{End Of Chapter Three}}
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THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY
{{ CHAPTER 4 }}
The Townie Assault
After the recent assault to his new friends, Russell became more serious about his new business. This would mean some better Weaponry. Russell decided to send his best member, Tom, to purchase the goods. Due to their recent influx of funds, the Bullies now had the option to utilize the local Explosives Shop to buy the latest in non-deadly Weapon technology. The place that Tom was assigned to visit was the local ‘Rocket In My Pocket’ store. The Students usually could not afford to shop there, due to the expense of the Weapons inside. The stuff in the Dragon's Wing was much cheaper , but lacked the variety that was offered at Rocket In My Pocket. Besides, without Alfred Owens there, it was hard to find someone available to ring up a sale.
Tom made his way down the street on a stolen bike. He couldn't let the Greasers see him, as he was only armed with a Slingshot and couldn't afford to get his ass kicked on such a crucial mission. As Tom crossed the Steel-Truss Bridge, he began to hear the sounds of the city. While any new Student could easily get lost in Bullworth Town, Tom knew exactly where he was going. Tom pulled up next to the store. He carefully hid his bike in the alleyway between the Rocket In My Pocket store he would enter and the Shiny Bike store.
Tom entered the store and was amazed at all the different Weapons that lined the walls of the store. It was an amazing sight indeed. Bottle Rockets, Stink Bombs, and Firecrackers galore. Tom felt like a kid in a candy shop, so where to start ? Tom approached the counter and asked the Clerk if he could buy enough Weapons to supply his Clique.
"Sorry kid, you gotta be 18 or older to buy, store policy", said the Clerk. Tom's world suddenly collapsed around him.
"What kind of BULLSHIT is this ?!", hollered Tom.
"Look kid, no ID, no merchandise. Now get lost before I tell your Teachers, or better yet, call the Cops", threatened the Clerk.
Tom angrily stomped out the front door. As he exited, he noticed his bike was gone. What Tom didn't remember was that the alleyway was a popular hangout for Greasers and they wanted their bike back. Tom was furious. He waited around for Troy to meet him in front of the store, as he’d told Troy to meet him there and help carry off the goods. Now, plans had changed. Angrily, Tom waited. He was going to get what he came here for.
After a few moments, Troy rode up on a different stolen bike. Tom laid his plan on Troy, instructing to him his new role. As Tom and Troy strolled into the store, Tom reached for his Slingshot.
"Hey Kid ! I thought I told you to beat it !", said the Clerk. Tom whipped out his Weapon and aimed it at the Clerk’s face
"This is a stick up, Asshole !", announced Tom. At this, Troy rushed the shelves with a sack and began to shovel various Weapons into it. When the burglary was complete, the two boys fled from the Store. As they mounted the lone bike, Tom pulled back on his Slingshot and blasted the glass windows of the Shop.
"Ha-Ha, I bet those stupid fucks will think twice about messing with us !", said Tom. The two boys rode back to School quickly, as the Cops would surely arrive soon.
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“How’s the jaw, Boss ?”, asked Tibo as he came into Kurt’s room.
“Still sore as hell”, Kurt said, rubbing the place where Derby had clocked him.
“I brought’cha some more ice”, Tibo said, handing over a bag full of ice cubes.
“Thanks, Tibo”, replied Kurt. He placed against the side of his face. “Ahh...That’s better....”
Kurt looked up at Tibo. “What happened to that Prep Fuck, anyway ?”
Tibo smirked. “In the Infirmary, probably....I clocked him a good one, Eh ? Wrecked a damn fine guitar doing it,too...But it sure was worth it. Got a couple of his asshole friends too.”
“We’ll have to get you another one, for our next gig”, Kurt said, looking out the window absently. “Where’s Pinky ?”
Pinky hadn’t been seriously injured from her encounter with the blood balloon, although at first it seemed she would never get over her shock and horror at being attacked in such a crude manner.
“Downstairs, fixing some dinner”, Tibo said. “She’s really turned out to be some kind of Heidi Homemaker, she has.”
“Yeah, go figure”, Kurt mused. “Lola was always such a slob. She looked fine, though.”
From his vantage spot, Kurt could make out both the Harrington’s House and the Spencer’s House. He knew about the split in the Clique, but seeing as how he had beaten up Tad, and Tibo had put Derby in La-La Land with his guitar, Kurt was sure that retaliation would be coming, just as soon as the Preps could get their act together. It was as sure as the law of the street. The fact that nobody had showed up at their door with an arrest warrant for assault and kidnapping only served to convince Kurt that some powerful people were indeed watching over him and his group. Perhaps even more powerful than Harrington, Spencer, or Crabblesnitch put together.
“You know what we oughtta do, Tibo ?” Kurt proposed. “We should start posting lookouts. As soon as Derby and his butthole pals are able to, they’re gonna try to attack us. Especially since Pinky’s here.”
“I agree”, Tibo said. “Those shits will be out for revenge, for sure. I’ll get a schedule worked out.”
“Yeah, do that”, Kurt said. “We’re gonna need to keep watch.”
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Tony woke up in the Clinic at Bullworth Town the day after what was becoming known as 'The Valentine Bloodbath’. He had a concussion, several cracked ribs, a sprained neck, various bruises, and a wounded shoulder from where the Pellet hit him. School was closed today for cleanup, a jobs that the Prefects were doing at the direction of Ms, Danvers, since Mr. Lutz had still not returned. Dr. Crabblesnitch has vowed there would be an investigation, but Tony was convinced that Jake was behind this latest assault. All he needed was proof.
Karen and Laurent had been at his bedside as he woke up. After regaining his senses, Tony asked what had happened.
“Ray tried to catch you”, Karen told him.
“Ray ?”, Tony said, astonished.
”He just...Spread open his arms....”, Karen pantomimed.
“He saved your life, my friend”, said Laurent.
“Damn”, Tony marveled. Then, “How is he ? Was he hurt much ?”
“He was hurt bad”, Laurent said. “Lots of broken bones, maybe some internal injuries.”
Tony let that sink in. “Where’s he at ? He gonna be OK ?”
“He’s here, too”, Laurent jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Hasn’t come to yet. Might not for a long while. If he hadn’t done what he did....”
“I’d be dead”, Tony whispered.
The trio was silent for a moment, considering that. Tony was thinking, right then and there, that when Ray recovered, he would bring him into their inner circle. He had certainly proven his loyalty.
They then spoke of other things, of what had happened to the others, and Tony learned all of what Karen and Laurent could tell him, as much as they knew so far. The mood was subdued with the Cliques, at least the ones they had been able to speak with. Tony’s words had resonated with them, his electrifying announcement that they had all been tricked, fooled and deceived had stunned them. There was an air of uncertainty about the whole School, and some disbelief that just one person could have engineered so much pain and destruction. Tony knew the lull wouldn’t last long. The Cliques would get restless once more when the shock wore off.
“Take my keys”, Tony told Laurent. “Try to hold things together until I can get back. There’s sure to be more trouble. And we’ve still got lots of work to do. Beyond Jake, there’s reasons just why the School is so rotten. We gotta find out why.”
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Melvin walked through the streets of Bullworth Town. He had planned to get back from School on his bike, but of course, it had been stolen. He wondered for a moment why he kept making ‘new’ bikes from rusty pieces he found in the Greasers dump, if it was for it just to be stolen the next day. Now the Grottos and Gremlins game of the evening would have to be finished without him. He kicked a paving stone, and crouched to get the key of the Dragon Wing's front door under the dark mat. After several tries, he found the proper key and inserted it in the door lock. He glanced nervously over his shoulder and pushed open the heavy door. As the new Shopkeeper, known as ‘Falco‘, went to sleep right after work, he trusted the Nerds that occupied the Basement of his shop about the keys, him being new to the Vale Valley and all.
As Melvin shut the door, his old fear of the dark began to catch him. By chance, the new display decorations were partially phosphorescent, which allowed Melvin to find his way through the store. With the help of his hands, he recognized One-Per-One, the robot that said ’HI !’ and occasionally talked when you passed by him during the day, the showcase containing the new G&G field items, and finally, the glass counter. He got around it and pushed the metal door that produced an horrible squeak in response, leading to a set of stairs to the Basement. As he went down, he saw that Fatty was randomly playing with cards, visibly bored.
"Hi, Fatty. You're not asleep yet ?", Melvin inquired.
"No rest for this warrior tonight. I'm thinking", Fatty said dully.
"What is your mind so focused about ?" Melvin asked, while sitting in front of Fatty.
Fatty remained silent for the moment, and gathered several cards together and started to distribute them. Melvin stood up and shut down the general lighting, preferring the ambiance created by the soothing green light.
"Well... I'm afraid our minds has led everyone to destruction”, Fatty began.
"What do you mean ?", questioned Melvin.
"I'm talking about the Weapons”, Fatty said with his most serious face.
"But... They help in defending ourselves !", Melvin observed, before throwing a card in the middle of the table.
"And now this technology is....Everywhere... I'm afraid someone stole our ideas." Fatty threw another card.
"This is impossible, Fatty. We.…." Melvin started.
"Look at this." Fatty suddenly stood up. The fat Nerd hobbled over, and unrolled a big paper hung up on the wall.
"The Spud Gun." He announced. "A pearl of technology. Remember that year ? First days of creation. We disassembled more than ten lighters to get the perfect piece we wanted -- The Taser. Once we had what we needed to produce a spark into the combustion chamber....." He showed a huge rectangle on the schematic. "First try, the Spud kept getting stuck in the cannon barrel. The whole Gun exploded, all wires were burnt, plus Algie's glasses. We made things more perfect. We added a pneumatic system to load the next Spud after each shot. Once again, a system to evacuate all the hot air inside in less than two seconds." He readjusted his glasses. "Melvin…This shouldn't have ever been given to anyone else other than us."
Melvin took a short look at the cards he was holding in the hands, and put them on the table, manipulating his collar. "You're right, Fatty..." he paused. "But..."
"The Bottle Rocket Launcher." Fatty said, unrolling another plan. "A tube. Three circles of metal around an axis, with the perfect dimension for the Little Devil's Fireworks. A constant flame from a minimum of gas. First try in this basement. The rocket kept getting stuck in the metal circle. Everything had to be started up again, adjusted to have, like the Spud Gun, the perfect mix."
"Fatty..." Melvin started.
"The Stink Bombs", Fatty continued. “The Firecrackers....All of it !”
Fatty seemed to have lost his reason, unrolling all the plans hung up all around the Basement. Once he was done, he sat back down in a chair against the wall. “We gave it away. We gave it all away.” Shaking his head, he closed his eyes and remained silent.
_________________________________________________________________
-
"You got duh goods ?", asked Russell at the sight of Tom and Troy returning.
"Yeah, we got the stuff", confirmed Tom. He lifted a heavy sack from his back, as did Troy. The bags were loaded with all sorts of interesting contraptions from Stink Bombs to Firecrackers, and even a few Volcano 4000s. The Bullies now faced a problem. They needed a place to store all their new goodies, but they did not have any sort of structure they could call their own. Every other Clique on Campus had secure places to keep whatever they wanted, the Bullies simply had a Parking Lot. Russell took it upon himself to give Davis the task of finding a good stash location. Davis would be perfect for the job, he was smaller than the other Bullies and could easily sneak around without drawing too much attention.
After hours of searching, Davis reported back to his Leader. He informed Russell of a possible location to store the goods, and asked that everyone meet him outside the Library at midnight. Davis had chosen this time to regroup to avoid any confrontations with the Nerds. At the stroke of midnight, Davis was first to arrive. After a few minutes, Russell and the rest of his crew climbed the steps outside the Library to meet Davis.
"Alright, follow me.", ordered Davis. He led them around to the side of the Library where they climbed over the low broken wall near the locked Nerd’s Gate. Davis wasn't aiming for that though, as he led his group to the right, over another broken wall that connected to a path that wound up eventually next to the Prep‘s side yard.. After a few more steps, Davis stopped. "Right here guys, among these rocks.", he said.
"Why the Hell would we leave our valuable new Weapons out here in this pathway?", inquired Ethan.
"Because, this path leads to the Harrington House", explained Davis, "The Nerds never use this path, Chad's dog Chester is on the other end in the side yard, and that dog packs a punch..er..bite", corrected Davis.
"Russell Get It Now, It Perfect !", the Bully boss agreed. The Bullies began to unload their goods out of the sacks and into crevices between rocks. Although the location was fairly safe, they made sure to hide every last piece of ammunition and covered their tracks as they departed.
This was going to be good. After that mishap in the Bathroom that resulted in a bust, the Bullies were well prepared for the next time. Nobody would fuck with them....If they were smart, that is.
_____________________________________________________
-
"Peanut, heh, call me Peanut", the Greaser sighed as he walked across Campus, kicking some pebbles, all by himself. Peanut, aka Larry Romano was miserable after getting his ass handed to him by his one-time friend, Norton Williams. He couldn't get over the fact that the prick had stabbed him in the back, in front of his own pals.
"They think they're so big, but they're just....Pigs !", remarked Peanut to himself. Without anyone to hang around with, the last couple of days were getting more boring by the minute. He began to remember the good old days. He remembered days of skipping School, fixing cars, and being cool....an old Bon-Jovi song began playing in his head. Peanut longed for the days of fun last year and Summer. The Greasers had spent the previous Summer doing exactly what the Bullies were doing now, pushing drugs around for the Townies. However, it didn't last very long. Peanut's boys had been too eager to play with the drugs themselves, rather than sell them. The lack of income return to the Townies had lead the self-proclaimed ‘King Pin’ of the Townies, Omar Romero, to revoke the Greaser's drug-selling privileges. Before the Summer was over, the deal was off. This, Peanut remembered, was the end of the ‘Greaser's Golden Age’, as he came to think of it.
Peanut suddenly felt as though a lightbulb had burst through his greasy head. What if he could destroy the Bullies' little organization and take back the good old days ? His former friends would have to take him back. As Peanut's brain formulated ideas on how he could make it work, he took his attention away from where he was walking and bumped into Davis White.
"Ouff !!!", said Davis. "Hey, why don't you watch where the frig you're going, pin-dick !"
"Um, its Peanut to you, HERO", mocked the Greaser.
"Oh, a funny guy huh ?", insulted Davis.
"Your move, asswipe", threatened Peanut. But before the two could take swings at each other, they both realized that Max the Prefect was a short distance away.
"This isn't over", added Peanut, "We're going to settle this, Western Style, this afternoon, at the Great Hall. Be sure to bring your A-game, and a Slingshot.”
Although Peanut had been vague, Davis had a good idea as to what Peanut meant by ‘Western Style’. The Greaser was referring to a duel. While not a proper duel due to the lack of Pistols, Slingshots would be perfectly suitable for a dual between High School Students. Davis was not about to lose to this recently rejected piece of crap, he was going to bring his A-game, and by that he intended that he was going to have someone take his place. Peanut said nothing about substitutions. While Davis was good with the Slingshot, Wade happened to be just a bit more skilled with the Weapon. The show would begin to start at 4 PM sharp, in the Great Hall of the School.
_________________________________________________________
-
A half hour after Classes had got out, Peanut moved to the recently cleaned Great Hall. From behind a pillar, Wade emerged carrying a Slingshot, Davis at his side.
"What the fuck is he doing here !?", asked Peanut.
"You didn't say we couldn't substitute !", said Davis. A crowd of Students had began to gather around, they had sensed the impending fight and wanted to watch. The Students of Bullworth could never get enough entertainment. To make sure the little kids wouldn't tattle on this little showdown, Peanut fired a rock into the floor at their feet. The nervous wrecks in the group, Sheldon and Pedro, took off running, screaming bloody murder as they went. The stage was set, all they need was someone to give them the signal to begin.
Fatty was present, and emerged, limping from the crowd and whistled, followed by a "Wah-Wah-Wah !" to add the cheesy Western music. Unamused by this failed attempt at comedy, Wade shot the Nerd in the balls to shut him up.
THUD !! "Ugh....No, please....My Legacy !", moaned Fatty as he clutched his nuts and fell on the floor. Ivan Alexander had stepped forward to act as referee. He made sure the two duelers were at an appropriate distance and gave the signal to draw their Weapons. Both boys aimed and pulled back on their Slingshots.
"Fire!", shouted Ivan. When both boys let go, only one rock met its target.
THUD !! "Uhhhh....friggin' balls", moaned Wade as the rock made contact with his grapes. Wade had missed his mark and his rock began to ricochet of the walls, finding a new target.
"GWACK !!", sputtered Cornelius as the rock smacked him square in the neck. The scrawny Nerd collapsed to the floor, choking. Wade was quick to reload, as he sent another rock towards it‘s target, this time hitting Peanut in the shin. Peanut retaliated and the next rock hit Wade right in the forehead. The force of the blow caused Wade's head to snap back, almost causing whiplash. The Bully's next shot missed, just like the first. But instead of hitting a Nerd, this rock went straight for Christy and grazed her belt buckle. With a pop, the buckle came loose, and Christy's skirt tumbled to the floor. Taking a few seconds to notice, she gasped as she realized she was standing in the middle of the floor in her panties. Soon, the crowd attention was on Christy's wardrobe malfunction rather than on the duel. Peanut figured he'd try and finish it up. He pulled back on the elastic of his Slingshot one last time. As the rock was released, Wade seemed to freeze in panic. The rock sailed across the hall, almost as if in slow motion. It finally met its target with a blood curdling CRACK !!! as it hit Wade directly on the nose.
The duel was finished, Peanut had come out of it victorious. Simply through luck, he had defeated Bullworth's best slingshot marksman. Peanut casually walked away, leaving Davis hunched over Wade, trying to get a response out of him. Meanwhile, Christy had began to stalk off towards the Girl’s Bathroom just as the Students who had just come from Photography Class began taking pictures of her half-dressed body.
___________________________________________________________
-
In the day following the Valentine Bloodbath, the splattered and pooled blood had been cleaned up by the Prefects, who began to chafe under all the extra duty that had been thrust upon them. Since Mr. Luntz had not yet returned from his visit to the big city, getting everything back in order required an almost superhuman effort, and none of the Prefects were going to be in a very forgiving mood for quite some time to come. The cleanup effort also had the effect of lessening their patrols for a few days, a fact that worked in favor of Peanut as he was able to win the Slingshot Showdown, as it had become known, in the Great Hall without the interference of being busted.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Laurent and Constantinos had secured Tony’s Office at the School, and were now charged with the task of proving Jake was behind the balloon attacks as well. Looking in awe at the huge list on the wall with all the connections drawn in, they wondered just where to start. Constantinos finally came up with an idea....Ask the Shopkeepers in Town who had bought a large quantity of Red and White balloons recently besides Mandy. This sounded like a brilliant idea to Laurent, and the boys soon embarked on their mission. At the third shop they checked, the Clerk told them that indeed he had sold a packet of balloons to a stocky, swarthy fellow who roughly matched what they were able to remember of Jake’s approximate height and weight. While not proof positive, it seemed to go a long ways in providing circumstantial evidence pointing to Jake as the culprit.
__________________________________________________________
-
Mandy had fled the scene of her grand-party-turned-disaster just as soon as she was able. With kids milling around after Jake’s escape, she had slipped off to the Girl’s Dorm. There she shed her blood-soaked dress and showered in solitude, afterwards locking herself in her room and refusing to come out, even to eat or return to Class. In the confusion that followed for the next few days, nobody even thought to notice she was missing....Nobody, that was, but one person.
Ted Thompson showed up at the Girl’s Dorm on the third day after the debacle, right after class. He prevailed on Mrs. Peabody to have Mandy come out. It took a bit of convincing, but finally Mandy appeared at the front doors to meet Ted. Her face was puffy and miserable.
“What do you want, Ted”, Mandy said stiffly.
“I...Just want to talk....Come sit with me here”, he said, indicating the steps.
“Why should I”, Mandy said. “So you you can make fun of me ?”
“No...No”, Ted pleaded. “Just...Come’re....Please ?”
She hesitated, then plopped down on the step with her face in her hands. Ted sat down beside her.
“Look, Mandy”, he began, “Nobody’s blaming you for what happened.”
“Sure they are”, Mandy said glumly. “It was a disaster.”
“No...No it wasn’t”, Ted replied gently. “In fact, everyone is saying how great it was, before all that bad stuff happened.”
Mandy gave Ted a sidelong look. “They are ?”
“Sure”, Ted went on. “They were raving about the good food, the great music, and all the decorations and all, everybody is saying that it was the best in years.”
“I’ll bet they hated how it ended”, Mandy observed. “Now they hate me.”
“Not at all”, Ted said forcefully, “Not at all, nobody is blaming you...They’re all hating the bastards who did this. They all LOVED the party, until that happened.”
“That so ?”, Mandy said, unconvinced.
“Yes...That’s so” Ted replied. “They loved it. They think you’re great.....I think you’re great.”
Mandy turned, facing Ted. “If you think I’m so great, why did you bring Christy for your date ?”
“I...I was just trying to...Make you jealous”, Ted said, his face reddening. “Truth is....I never really have ever gotten over you.”
“Well, you broke up with me”, Mandy said grimly.
“Over LIES !”, Ted said earnestly. “All Lies, I know that now, you would have never done those things...I should have known better.”
“Yes, you should have”, Mandy said. “You hurt me, not believing in me.”
“I know...”, Ted lamented, “I know, and I’m real sorry....I been so lonely, without you....I wish I could take it all back....Take us back...”
Mandy laid a hand on Ted’s arm. “That’s all I ever wanted to hear”, she said softly, “That you still care....”
They gazed into each other’s eyes for a long moment. Then, unbidden, leaned close for a long sensual kiss. They stayed that way for several moments, just nuzzling. Finally they broke away, and Mandy said, “We’ll do it right this time.”
“Total Trust”, Ted agreed. “Always stand by you.”
“You better, Mister”, Mandy said playfully.
Ted grinned into her wain face, and had an idea. “Hey, You hungry ?”
“Yeah !”, Mandy laughed, “I’m Starving !”
“Whatta you say we blow this place and go get something in Town ?”, Ted suggested.
“But....I can’t go in this !”, Mandy said, looking down at her baggy sweats.
“Sure you can”, Ted said. “You’re beautiful no matter what you’re wearing.”
That decided her. Mandy jumped up, pulling on Ted’s arm. “Let’s go then !”
“Don’t hafta tell me twice”, Ted replied, and hand-in-hand, they walked together under the arches and left School grounds, heading towards the Towns.
______________________________________________________________
-
That same evening, Zoe came to see Tony at the Bullworth Clinic. She had hoped to find him alone, but Karen was with him.
“I just come to see how you’re doing”, Zoe said to Tony.
“What are you doing here ?”. Karen said suspiciously.
“I just said...To see how Tony’s doing”, replied Zoe.
“What’s it to you ?”, questioned Karen, growing hostile.
“Look, Karen, I’m not here to hit on Tony”, Zoe said, exasperated. “I’m Jimmy’s Girl.”
“Jimmy ?”, Karen said hotly. “Jimmy’s in Jail. And aren’t you with Trent, anyway ?”
“I’m not with Trent”, Zoe said. “ And we never done anything. Trent’s a queer.”
“So just what business you got with Tony ?”, Karen said, getting agitated.
Zoe looked at Tony, and sighed. “Tell her, Tony. She should know”
“Tell me what ?” Karen looked at Tony. “Tell Me What ??”
Tony waved his hand weakly in the air. “It’s all right, Karen. Jimmy’s not in Jail. He was busted out right after Christmas, and he’s been in hiding. He asked me to take Zoe to see him. So, I did, on Valentine’s Day, after we got back from the Carnival.”
“Not in Jail ? So that’s why you...”, Karen started.
“Yeah”, Tony said. ”That‘s why. And the Cops covered up the fact that Jimmy escaped.”
“You Should Have Told Me !”, Karen said, “I thought we were Pardners !”
“We are”, Tony said tiredly, “I was just trying to protect you.”
“I can take care of myself !” Karen shot back.
“I know that”, Tony said tenderly, “That’s what I love about you. But there’s some bad people out there, the ones who framed Jimmy and are covering that up.”
“Those....Rich people ?” Karen said wonderingly.
Tony nodded. “That’s right. Them.”
Karen sat back in her chair, arms folded. “Do you know...Who ?”
Tony shook his head. “Not yet. But Jimmy asked me to find out. And, I’m getting closer.”
Karen paused awhile to let it all sink in. Then, she looked at Zoe. “Hey, look, I’m sorry....”
Zoe laughed. “Think nothing of it. I can understand. Tony’s a handsome guy, I’d be jealous too.”
“That he is”, Karen said, playfully looking at Tony, “But don’t let that on to him, he’ll get a big head.”
At this they all laughed.
Then Tony said “Jimmy send you over ?”
“Yeah”, Zoe replied. “When I told him what happened to you, he insisted I find out what was going on.”
“We think it was that Jake that I told him about”, Tony said. “We found evidence that he stole those Guns and shot Pete, and did the bombings as well. The Pellets at the Carnival are the same type that I was shot with, and all their Air Rifles were stolen. I burned up a bunch of them in the School Furnace, but there must be others out there. Pete made the connection that Jake was Ace Adams, and was trying to use fear to take over the School. Jake was selling those guns to the Clique Leaders to start a Clique War. The night he was shot, Pete was trying to tell us all that.”
“This Jake sounds like a real retard, just like Gary”, Zoe remarked. “I’m glad I didn’t know him.”
“He’s a real psycho”, agreed Tony. “But he’s worse than Gary ever was. We have to find a way to stop him.”
“I know the Cops aren’t any good”, Zoe remarked, from long years of experience. “They couldn’t find their own asshole in the dark.”
“It’s worse than that”, Tony said, “They are carrying out the bidding of the corrupt rich who run this School and the Towns, and covering it all up.”
Zoe smirked. “Sounds like business as usual”, remembering that nothing was ever heard of Darrell again after having having blown his nuts off.
They had kept their voices low so the Green Lab Coat scuttling about the Clinic couldn’t hear. Tony said to both the girls, “We got to keep this stuff Top Secret. Zoe, you’re going to be my contact with Jimmy till I get outta here. Just watch your back, and make sure nobody follows you.”
“I can do that”, Zoe said with irony. “I’ve had lots of practice.”
Tony looked at Karen. “That goes double for you. Jake’s still out there, and he’s dangerous. He almost took you out with a bomb once already. He probably knows you’re with me, and might try to harm you again.”
Karen nodded, suddenly realizing the seriousness of the situation. All of them were going to have to be extremely careful from now on.
_________________________________________________________________
-
Vance had had enough. He couldn’t stay in that dump of a Tenement any longer, even if it was Lola’s old apartment. The place was overrun with Rats, for one thing. Nasty little buggers would eat a person’s face off in their sleep. His arms were growing tired of whacking the dirty vermin with the stray pieces of wood that were laying about everywhere. He wasn’t getting much sleep these days. Since the unusual warm stretch of weather had continued, Vance made a fateful decision. He would leave the Tenements.
Long ago, as a young Greaser, Vance had made a discovery. He had always been an adventurer, and in addition to his Gay tendencies, he had a penchant for exploring places. He knew every bit of territory in New Coventry, and most in the rest of the Towns. His chief form of transportation in those days, as now, was by stealing bikes, which Vance was very good at. But it was the promise of adventure and treasure that prompted him to steal his first rowboat.
Like many youngsters in the Vale Valley, Vance had heard the lore of Pirate Island, so named because of the half-submerged remains of a ship not far from it’s shore. The tales told of terror on the high seas, betrayal and mutiny, the scuttling of the boat near the Island, and the prospect of buried treasure. Unable to express his true Gay nature, the romance of a Pirate’s life had appealed to Vance. Finally, he had dared to steal a rowboat and venture out to the Island.
Once there, he found it to be a haven. On it, Vance could act out all his fantasies of being a Pirate. He even obtained a Pirate’s costume and had spent countless hours playing the role, both on the Island and the half-sunken ship. That had all come to an end when Jimmy Hopkins had swum out to the Island, snuck up on him, then jumped him, beat the shit out of him, and had taken his Pirate outfit. After that, the thrill of the role-play had left him, although he continued to come out to the Island for a new reason....It seemed to be the perfect place to carry on his queer affair with the Preppie Gord, away from prying eyes. That too, had been ruined by those bastard Townie boys taking pictures....Photos that eventually the whole School would see.
The Island had been raked over by treasure seekers for more than 200 years, and was rocky and heavily wooded. No treasure had ever been found, but that hadn’t stopped Vance from doing his own diggings over the years. On one such Summer afternoon, while digging, Vance had discovered a secret cavern. Widening the hole, he had been able to squeeze down inside. Using his lighter, he further discovered a rather extensive cave system. Hiding his discovery, he had returned later with provisions and had stocked the cavern with canned food and other items, even a Woodstove (that had been a bitch to steal and bring over). He even fashioned a hidden trap door for easy access. Vance never told anyone of his secret cavern, not even his lover Gord. It was his own special place, and no one else’s.
Now, he packed his meager belongings and headed there once more. This was the place of his last refuge from a cold and unfeeling world. There were enough provisions there to last him until Summer, and there was plenty of deadfall on the Island for burning to keep him warm. After that, Vance figured, he would leave Bullworth and the Vale Valley for the Big City. There were plenty of other Greasers there, and maybe he could locate them.....Like maybe the descendants of those dancing Jets he had once seen in the movie 'West Side Story’. With their artistic antics, they certainly wouldn’t mind it that he was a queer.
Stealing a rowboat, he rowed his way out to Pirate Island, and settled in.
______________________________________________________________
-
Sitting in the Cafeteria, Bif bit into his apple once again, and looked Christy deep in the eyes.
"You know I can buy you anything”, he said. “Anything. You'd be a real Princess."
"That would be interesting, Bif..." Christy said, crossing her sexy legs.
"Sure that would’ Bif continued. “You'd be the Queen.....Queen of Bullworth."
Bif waved his hands around in the air while describing this, and then naturally put one of them on Christy's knee. “We could make quite a couple.”
He glanced at the entry of the Cafeteria, spotted Chad and Brice, and leaned back immediately.
"Look, baby, I got work now. Have fun Cheerleading.", Bif suddenly said dismissively.
"See you, Bif !", She said with a smile before leaving.
Bif took a long look at Christy's legs as she left, and let his two friends take seats next to him. He greeted them with handshakes.
"Hey Bryce...Hey Chad. How are you doing ?", Bif asked.
“Doing fine”, Chad replied.
"Nice girl you were doing there... Christy, isn't she ?", Brice said.
"Right. Now look, you got work. There are more Bullies you need to attack.", Bif instructed.
Both Bryce and Chad leaned over the table, and Chad undid the eternal bandage he put over his hand only to redo it again.
"Bryce, here is a Letterman Jacket my dad bought for me”, Bif said tersely. Make it so that the guy sees the sleeve before being knocked out."
"Understood”, Brice nodded.
"Chad, two black mittens for you. That should be enough to imitate a Greaser. Get an Italian accent if you wish”, Bif smirked.
"Easy as ABC”, Chad grinned.
"You're a great help, my friends" Bif concluded. “Now go on out for the honor of the Harrington Family.”
_____________________________________________________________
-
After the showdown in the School's Great Hall, Peanut felt invincible. He began strutting around the Academy as if he owned the place, although he kept his distance from his former friends for now, as they would surely put him in his place. A few days after planting a rock into Wade's head, the overly confident Greaser bumped into an unfriendly face on the pathway. It was Norton.
"So Larr-ry, you think you is some sort of tough-guy now that you shot that dumb bitch, Wade ?", Norton mocked.
"I don't think, I know !", retorted Peanut in his most intimidating voice.
"Settle down lady, before I have to wreck that pretty little face of yours !", threatened Norton. The two Greasers stared down each other for a few moments and then parted ways, taking a few looks back at each other to make sure no cheap shots were delivered.
Peanut became distracted for a moment and crashed right into Davis.
"So, you think you have balls since you took down our best shot ?", said Davis.
"Umm....Yeah ! So why don't you and the rest of you faggots go play with each other ?", replied Peanut.
"Oh no, I told you this wasn't over, and now you are gonna pay", announced Davis.
"Ha-Ha, real clever !", laughed Peanut, "You think I'm supposed to be scared of you ?"
Peanut suddenly stopped laughing, as Tom came around the corner, wielding a Spud Gun, followed by Ethan. Davis had brought back-up and fully intended on giving Peanut a beating he wouldn't soon forget. Peanut's confidence disappeared almost as suddenly as it had arrived. Peanut became very nervous. He began to slowly back towards the Parking Lot as the Bully boys advanced on him.
__________________________________________________________
-
"What's the matter Larr-ry ? Scared ?", taunted Davis. Infuriated by Davis mocking his real name, Peanut threw a running punch into Davis, hitting him right on the nose with a hollow crunch. Blood dripped from his nose, and suddenly, Davis was pissed beyond control.
"Kill that son of a bitch !!", he commanded. Ethan ran towards Peanut, punching him in the side of the head. Soon, both Davis and Ethan were beating the snot out of the lone Greaser. Norton heard the commotion and ran over to watch his ex-friend's ass get kicked. Peanut fought back though, as he threw some decent punches at his aggressors. As soon as there was an opening, Tom fired the first Spud from his Weapon. He aimed a little too high and the Spud disappeared behind the wall and landed with a loud crash in a window on the Girl's Dorm. "Shit !", Tom muttered to himself as he reloaded. He only had 5 rounds left and needed to use them wisely.
The fight raged on as Tom took aim again. This time, Peanut reacted quickly when he heard the pop of the Spud Gun. He dropped to the ground with record speed and precise timing. The Spud made a lethal connection with the next target in its trajectory, slamming into Ethan, and busting up his balls. With a whimper, one of Peanut's foes went down in a heap. As Davis dodged a punch from Peanut, he cussed at Tom and recommended he take better aim. As a few more punches were exchanged, Tom loaded up his third spud and took aim. Peanut ducked again and an unsuspecting Lefty took the hit. The other Greaser had been in the corner, trying to make out with Angie, and didn't even see the Spud coming. He too landed in a heap, but fell on top of his would-be date. Angie screamed, fearing she was going to be hit next.
Peanut finished off Davis, giving him a hard roundhouse kick to the head. Now it was time to take care of Tom. Peanut knew he couldn't take him on in hand to hand combat, so he whipped out his Slingshot. Tom did likewise, raising the Spud Gun. The two were preparing to fire, when Norton interrupted.
"Hey, Fuck You Lar-rry, you got Nothing !", jeered Norton in a poor attempt at distraction. The two boys fired at the same time. The rock from the slingshot acted to deflect the Spud, sending it toward Norton at break-neck speed. All Norton could get out was "Oh, SHIT--", before the Spud collided with his head, knocking him out instantly.
Tom was running out of ammo, there were only two Spuds left. In haste, he fired again, but missed, sending the Spud crashing through the windshield of a lone parked Car. The car's alarm sounded, attracting lots of attention. Teachers and Prefects came running, scattering the small crowd of onlookers as well as Tom and Peanut.
"You win this time, Asshole !!", shouted Tom as he disappeared behind the old School Bus.
Although Peanut had still hated Norton after their fight, he just couldn't leave him lying there with blood streaming from his face. Peanut managed to throw him over his shoulders and dragged him off towards the School Infirmary.
_______________________________________________________
-
Damon hobbled into the School Clinic. Seems he had sprained his ankle tripping over a Football someone had left laying out in the field while chasing Trent, who had taken to hanging out in odd corners of the School lately. As he plopped down in a chair to get it taped up, he was hailed from one of the beds.
“Hey, my brother”, came a voice.
Damon turned. It was Norton. “What’s Crackin”, Damon said.
Norton propped up on an elbow. “Got clocked with a spud. What happened you ?”
“Tripped over sumptin chasin that weird whack Trent”, Damon replied.
“Soons as I get out, me and the boys gonna clean those Bullies house”, Norton said. “Youse oughtta get your boys and join us.”
“I'se have to see what Ted says”, Damon said, looking at the floor.
“Whadda you need him for ?”, Norton said, sitting up. “Just bring your boys over. I’ll give youse free pass. Kick their asses together.”
“He’s the Leader”, Damon grumbled. “Gotta run it by him first.”
“Yeah ? I don’t need no permission”, Norton proclaimed. “Them’s my gang now. I took over, and they gonna do what I say.”
“No shit ?”, Damon said, startled. “You took over ?”
“Yeah....And you should too, brother.” Norton looked around and lowered his voice. “Look, they ain’t too many of us around here. We should be fighten the Honkies insteada each other. We ain’t their slaves. We oughtta be tellin them what to do.”
“Hummph.....I don’t know...”, Damon said uncertainly, thinking of his Scholarship.
“Just do it, brother”, exhorted Norton. “Meet us over by the Shop tomorrow night. We make a Alliance and take those cruds out.”
Damon’s ankle throbbed, and that decided him. “Ok, see what I can do”, he said with a grimace.
Norton lay back down. “It’ll be good, just wait and see. We gonna stomp their asses, my brother.”
Nurse McRae came over to tape up Damon’s ankle. He stood up and found he could walk on it easier. On his way to the door, he looked over at Norton.
“Tomorrow night, brother. Don’t forget.”, Norton called.
Damon nodded and limped out.
_______________________________________________________
-
Ray had come to. Gathered around his bed was Laurent and Constantinos, who were supporting a still-weak Tony between them. Ray’s eyes rolled over towards the trio, and focused.
“Ay, Hey, Tony....You’re safe ?”, Ray muttered.
“Thanks to you, Ray. You saved me”, Tony replied.
“How....Long ?”, Ray whispered.
“Been a week, Ray”, Constantinos.
“Hurt....Bad ?”, Ray asked Tony.
“Not so bad”, Tony answered. “You got the worst of it.”
“Feel like....Truck hit me”, Ray muttered.
“Nope, just Tony”, Laurent said. “That was a brave thing you did, Ray.”
“Don’t feel....So brave....Right now”, Ray said weakly.
“It was”, Tony said. “In fact, you’re one of us now, Ray.”
Ray opened his eyes wider. “I Am ? One of you ?”
All three boys smiled and nodded. “Sure enough”, Tony said.
A small smile played on Ray’s lips. “I have....Friends.”
“That’s right”, Laurent said. “All of us.”
Ray, who only ever wanted to have friends, let out a deep breath. “I’m so...Glad.”
Just then, Lab Coat Man hustled over. “Alright, that’s enough, boys. He needs to get his rest.”
“Talk later, Ray”, Tony said, as Laurent and Constantinos helped him off.
“Later....Sure”, Ray said sleepily, “Be...Great.” He closed his eyes and drifted off.
________________________________________________________________
-
Mr. Luntz at last returned to Bullworth from the Naked City. It wouldn’t be long now before all his enemies were rubbed out. The co-ordinated surprise attacks had been launched successfully, starting with a classic restaurant drive-by shooting on the Lower East Side and bombings of some of the Capo’s homes and front Businesses on Valentine’s Night. Mr. Luntz rode along with Michael “Big Mike” Tortelli in the followup car to view the mayhem. Many Associates had been taken out in the initial assault, but it was only the beginning. In order for him to be safe, all of the power structure had to be brought down, clear up to the Head Boss, Vincent “Bloody Vince” Fonzerelli.
Dr. Crabblesnitch was livid that Mr. Luntz had been absent during the Valentine’s Dance debacle, forcing him to use his precious Prefects to clean up the mess. Luntz had listened to the Head’s tirade in silence. He again vowed that pompous windbag would be the first to go down once his friends were back in power. Cement overshoes was a definite possibility.
Mr. Luntz was inwardly thrilled that he had missed yet another of the Academy Brat’s shenanigans. The less he had to do here, the better. He was amazed that none of the Students had gotten killed at the School yet, given the level of violence at this dump. He thought that it would only just be a matter of time, though. Since the violence seemed to rise at the Holiday times, Mr. Luntz made a mental note to himself to be away during the next upcoming Holiday, Easter. Maybe the little shits would do him a favor and blow the place off the map.
___________________________________________________________________
-
A shadow fell over the patch of the alleyway where Jerry and Duncan were rolling Craps up against the brick wall. “Hello, Boys.”
They both looked up. Jake (aka Leo Cash) was standing there grinning down at them. “What’s you needin’?”, Duncan asked. “Gotta another job for us ?”
Jake hunkered down. “Mind if I play too ?”
“Sure, Leo”, said Jerry, “Ante up in the pot.”
Jake threw a couple of dollars on the pile of singles. Both the Townie boys took their turns, and both crapped out. “Your go", said Jerry, handing Jake the dice. Jake examined the dice before curling his fingers around them. Shaking the cupped dice in his hand, he suddenly let them loose. They bounced twice and hit the brick wall and rebounded, coming to rest, showing a 3 and a 4.
“Seven !”, Duncan called.
“Beginner’s luck”, Jake said modestly, scooping up the dice to throw again. Once more, he examined them closely before wrapping his finger about them once more and letting them sail against the pavement, rebounding against the brick wall and coming to rest, showing a 5 and a 6.
“Eleven !”, said Duncan.
“Damn, where’d you learn to play like that ?”, Jerry said uneasily, beginning to get the feeling he was being scammed. “Guess you win the pot. Gonna give us the chance to get even ?”
Jake plucked his two dollars off the top of the pile. “I don’t want your money, boys”, he said smoothly. “But I would like to meet up with your leader. Got a proposition for him....For all of you, actually.”
“Proposition ?” Jerry asked. “Like a money proposition ?”
Jake cocked a finger at Jerry. “That’s right.”
“How much money ?”, Duncan wanted to know.
“A couple of Grand”, Jake said, rising to his feet. Both Townie boys looked at Jake with their mouths agape upon hearing that. “Set me up a meeting with....” Jake snapped his fingers. “....Who’s your leader ?”
“Ummm.....Omar” Jerry said. “Omar Romero.”
“Right”, Jake said, stuffing his bills back in his pocket. “Omar. Tell him I got a deal for him he can’t refuse.”
Throwing the two Townies a jaunty wave, Jake sauntered off. “Be seeing you around soon.”
Jerry and Duncan watched him go, then looked at each other with dollar signs in their eyes.
________________________________________
-
Christy made her way over to The Vale for a meeting with Pinky at Shinjo’s, a Pizza Joint just around the corner and down the street from the Burger Place. Pinky had invited her former roommate for a girl’s afternoon out after one of their classes, just to catch up. Since Pinky no longer lived at the Dorm, there hadn’t been much chance for them to get together these days.
Christy entered the parlor and spotted Pinky waving to her from a back booth. A steaming Pepperoni Pizza was laying on the table in front of her. Christy slid into the seat opposite Pinky.
“Ohh...My favorite !” Exclaimed Christy, inhaling the aromas drifting off the pizza in front of her.
“I know”, Pinky replied, picking up a piece. “Watch it, it’s still hot.”
Over pizza and drinks, the girls caught up on the latest gossip and doings at the School. Pinky was surprised to learn that Mandy was back together with Ted.
“Wow, what’s it been, like a year ?”, Pinky quizzed.
“Just about”, Christy said, sipping her drink. “Mandy went and hid in a funk after all that terrible blood at the dance, thinking everybody was blaming her for it turning into a disaster, but they weren’t, everybody knows that that crud Jake did it to ruin things. Ted came around and talked her out of it, and somehow they just got back together.”
“Just like that ?”, Pinky marveled, chomping on a slice of pizza.
“Yeah”, said Christy. “Funny that, she did up all that at to dance to impress Ted and get him back, and even though it got ruined, she still got him back anyway cause he felt bad for her.”
“Wow, that’s wild”, Pinky said, taking a sip of her drink. “So how bout you ? Any boyfriends on the horizon yet ?”
“No, not yet”, Christy said, “But get this....Bif propositioned me !”
“No ! Bif ?” Pinky exclaimed. “He has the hots for you ?”
“Yeah, it’s funny”, Christy ascertained. “Told me he’d buy me anything I wanted, make me the Queen of Bullworth”, she tittered.
“So, you gonna go out with him ?”, Pinky asked.
“I might”, Christy said. “If he asks, I think I will.”
Pinky settled back with another piece. “Bif’s allright....I’ve known him for years. He’s a very levelheaded guy, unlike some others I know.” She made a face, thinking of Derby.
“I sorta like him”, Christy said, helping herself to her own slice.
“He’s a smart guy”, Pinky agreed. “If it weren’t for Derby, he’d be the Prep’s leader. But he’s real loyal, and would never go up against Derby. He’s always the one getting things done.” She eyed Christy. “Funny how all of a sudden, he’s paying attention to you.”
“Yeah”, Christy said. “Like, we been going to the same classes and all these last few years and he never, like, looked at me before.”
“Maybe he just wants a girl of his own now”, Pinky said.
“Yeah, maybe. Guess I’ll find out”, Christy giggled.
“How about that Nick fellow ?”, Pinky asked. “I thought you liked him ?”
“I don’t know”, Christy said, “He never asked me. I wound up going to the dance with Ted. Nick seems to like Melody. He’s a bit young for me anyway, I like older guys.”
“That so ?”, Pinky said playfully. “Like Bif ?”
“Shut up, you had the hots for Tony”, retorted Christy.
“More than that”, Pinky said, a smug look on her face. “I got to fuck him.”
“What ? No !”, Christy exclaimed. “Pinks, you didn’t !”
“Oh, yes, I did”, Pinky continued. “Right before Christmas.”
“Oh, that’s wild”, Christy said. “Does anybody know ?”
“NO !”, Pinky said, “And don’t you tell anybody !”
“If Karen knew, she’d beat your butt !”, exclaimed Christy.
“Yeah, but I don’t live there anymore”, Pinky said, “And you aren’t going to tell, are you ?”
Christy, who hadn’t even ever had a steady boyfriend, stared at her friend. “Of course not ! How could you think that ?”
“Just saying”, Pinky warned. “I know you like to gossip.”
“Yeah, with you”, Christy retorted. “Those other girls are Skanks !”
Both girls tittered laughter at that. It was SO true.
“So, I know you’re with Kurt now, does he know ?”, Christy said, picking up another slice of pizza.
“That was before Kurt”, Pinky said. “He wouldn’t care about that.”
“So, I heard, like, Kurt stole you and held you hostage somewhere”, Christy asked.
“He did, matter of fact”, Pinky said, popping a piece of crust in her mouth.
“No ! For real ?”, Christy exclaimed. “So why are you with him ? Are you, like, brainwashed ?”
“No”, Pinky laughed. “Kurt revealed himself to me, all the raw pain and emotion. Nobody has ever done that to me before.....Especially not Derby. Boys always treated me like a piece of furniture....Or just a piece of ass.”
“That’s just because you’re spoiled, you know”, Christy said.
“I know, that’s Daddy’s fault”, snickered Pinky. “But it gets boring.”
“So....Did you make Kurt fall for you ?”, Christy asked coyly.
“Like a ton of bricks”, Pinky said, and both girls tittered.
As the pizza disappeared, the girls talked on about other happenings at School, until at last the food was eaten and all the drinks were gone. After a visit to the restroom, Christy and Pinky left Shinjo’s, agreeing to meet once a week at the same booth to keep abreast of things. It was to be a fateful decision.
___________________________________________________
-
Pulling gate duty for the evening, Lucky thumbed the magazine open to the middle and let drop the centerfold. “Ahhh, Yeah, Baby....You sweet-looking little Slut.....”
“Yo ! Heads Up !”, came a familiar voice.
Lucky jerked his head up and dropped the magazine. Damon and nearly the whole Jock crew was standing there. Getting up too fast, Lucky stumbled and fell on his ass.
“Tell Norton we’re here”, Damon said.
“Uh...Yeah....He’s expectin’ youse guys”, stammered Lucky. “Er...Follow me.”
Lucky led the Jocks around the fence to the rear of the Autoshop. “Norton ! Someone to see you, Dude !”, called Lucky.
Norton came forward. “Welcome, my brother....Glad youse boys could make it.”
The other Greasers milled about, giving unfriendly looks at the Jocks. Standing behind Damon, the Jocks were casting evil looks of their own at the Greasers. The atmosphere of distrust was almost like a physical presence, the tension surged as would a diseased heartbeat.
“Yo, we’re here”, Damon returned. “What’s Crackin’?”
Norton turned to address both groups. “I invited my brother, Damon, and his boys here tonight to help us solve a mutual problem....Those dumbass Bullies ! These shits have turned to dealin’ Drugs ! Thass right, DRUGS ! And not only that, they all are struttin’ their stuff all over School, tryin’ to muscle our territory !”
“Not to mention charging too much !”, shouted Bo.
“Yeah, and like, attackin’ without provo-cation !”, yelled Lefty.
“Right !”, Norton cried. “Ever since Russell came back, those fucks think they is untouchables or somthim' ! We gots to stomp ‘em out ! Teach them cum-stains they can’t control OUR Drugs. Next youse know, we be havin’ to buy a beer from a Bully for TEN DOLLARS ! I be proposin’ an Alliance betwix ourse two groups to take them down ! Smash them, permanent -like ! Whose is with me ?”
Tensions melted away in the face of their common adversary, and fueled by Norton’s fiery speech, both groups responded with howls of fury and cries of “Let’s Get 'Em !!!” Led by Norton, they surged around the twists and turns behind the Autoshop area until they emerged at the south end of the Parking Lot. Norton directed his Greaser Clique to run along the West wall, and the Jocks Clique the East wall.
Standing in scattered little groups about the Parking Lot, the Bullies seemed to be engaged in animated conversation, and at first didn’t notice the other Cliques surrounding them. Russell was standing in his usual spot near the sidewalk by the grass with Davis. Troy and Wade were down by the gate by the North wall, gesturing at some tags they had just laid down on the wall. Ethan and Tom were apparently engaged in a game of Hacky Sack in the middle of the lot.
The attack was launched with such suddenness that the Bullies barely had time to pull out their Slingshots to try to defend themselves. Lucky, Lefty, Ricky, and Hal charged Troy and Wade, while Casey, Juri, Luis, and Dan ran towards Tom and Ethan. At the same time, Norton, with a Spud Gun drawn, led the way towards Russell and Davis, followed by Damon and Bo.
Troy and Wade were only able to get off a couple of ineffectual Sling-Shots before the others were upon them. In a flurry of fists and kicks, they were quickly taken down, two on one. In a like manner, Tom and Ethan were also overwhelmed, being used as punching bags before being knocked to the ground and pummeled with kicks.
Norton tracked to his left, while Damon and Bo tracked to the right. Norton knew better than to try to take on Russell head-to-head, as Russell was arguably the strongest kid at the School. Russell, in fact, was nearly a full-grown adult. Nobody knew his exact age, but it was rumored to be 20 or even older. Russell had beaten nearly everybody he had faced in Hole fights, including even Norton and Damon, and was the prime reason that the Bullies garnered any respect in the Schoolyard at all.
Norton was taking no chances. As Damon and Bo made short work of Davis, punching him swiftly to the ground, Norton took aim and fired a Spud point-blank at Russell’s mid-section. The blow staggered Russell back a couple steps. Shaking his head like a bull, Russell zeroed in on his attacker.
“RUSSELL SMASH !!!!”, he pronounced, and began lumbering toward Norton. Seeing Russell advance, Norton prepared to fire again. As his finger pulled on the trigger once more, Russell did something out of character for him. Russell ducked.
Groups of kids along the stone pathway between the School and the Parking Lot had stopped to watch the unfolding battle. Among them were Laurent and Constantinos, along with with Nick and Melody, who were walking towards the back of the School, on their way to the School Fountain. As they turned to watch the sudden melee, the Spud fired by Norton missed a ducking Russell’s head by inches and sailed from the Parking Lot and over the grassy area, striking Melody square in the stomach.
“ARRRUGGHHH !!!”, Melody screamed, doubling over and falling to the pavement between Laurent and Constantinos. Enraged, Nick sprinted towards the Parking Lot, zeroing in on the shooter. Laurent and Constantinos tended to Melody, who was gasping for breath and rocking side to side on her back in pain.
Meanwhile, Norton had loaded another Spud and fired again, catching Russell again in the guts as he rose up. The shot doubled Russell over just as Nick ran up behind him. In one swift, smooth move, Nick leaped on Russell’s back, and using it as a springboard, leaped straight at Norton, feet first.
Norton barely had time to register an object coming at him when Nick’s feet smashed into his face with the full momentum of his weight behind them. Norton was smacked down on the pavement, rolling over backwards for two or three times before stopping. Bounding wobbly to his feet, Norton glared at Nick, who had assumed a cat-like Karate stance.
“Youse Gonna Get Terminated, Little Man !!”, Norton rumbled.
“Bring It On, Nigga !!”, Nick hollered back.
Just then, Seth the Prefect tore around the corner, blowing his whistle to summon the other Prefects. He had seen Melody go down in the distance from his post at the rear of the School, and was racing to apprehend the culprit. Seeing Norton, Damon, and Russell, Seth knew to call for help. Eyeing Norton, who was still holding the Spud Gun, Seth charged directly at him. In just seconds, Karl, Max, and Edward came running, and all four quickly subdued Norton, knocking him to the ground and beating him.
At the appearance of Nick, Damon and Bo both backed away, not wanting to get involved in an altercation with someone who they considered a friend. When the Prefects stormed onto the scene, the Greasers and the Jocks scattered. Gasping, Russell, still on his feet, slowly backed away as well. None of them really had to worry, as the Prefect's full attention was on busting Norton for his errant shot that hit Melody.
As Norton was pulled upright and dragged past Nick, he groggily eyed him and spoke through a busted mouth. “I’ll see you in the Hole, Mudderfucker !”
“Count on it”, Nick said tightly, as Norton was dragged away. Nick glared after the busted-up Greaser for a minute, then went to check on Melody. With the help of his friends, he carried her to the School Clinic.
_____________________________________________________________
-
Melody didn't suffer a lot of damage, except the pain in her abdomen, but stayed overnight in the School Clinic anyway. As she, Nick, Constantinos, and Laurent were walking from the School towards the Dorms after classes the next day after the incident, Nick cracked his knuckles and said. "Oh, I'm fucking looking forward to tonight. I'm gonna break that cocksucker's face, his grandchildren are gonna be walking backwards."
"Do you really have to fight him ?", Melody asked. "That's Norton Williams, for Christ's sake. He's only lost in The Hole twice....Against Russell and against Bif.
"So, you are fighting him tonight, Nick ?" - Laurent asked.
"Tonight", Nick said, and they parted with Melody, who gave Nick a kiss for luck, then making their way to the Boys Dorm. Nick said, "At nine. Ain't that the usual Hole fight time ?"
"Woo, another Hole fight", Constantinos said dully. "I can't wait."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nine o'clock came quickly and majority of the School kids were looking for a way to get into the Basement without getting seen by the Prefects. Finally, Gordon Wakefield was assigned to distract the Prefects from the Basement door, which he did, only to get caught before he himself could escape into Basement. There was no sign of Norton, but several Greasers threw insults at Nick, who was leading the crowd through the Basement, dressed in his bomber jacket. Damon was walking alongside him, but Nick didn't feel comfortable. Damon had made friends with Norton, and he didn't know whom Damon would support in the fight.
"Who're you cheering for ?", Nick asked him.
"I'se just watchin' the fight. Then after you's gonna be his friend, and we's all gonna be friends", Damon replied.
“Yeah, I hope so”, Nick said, smirking. He was calm, but unworried. Norton would be the strongest opponent so far that he would be fighting. Damon was close, but Nick had heard that Norton had defeated Damon twice in The Hole, in the past. But Nick had dispatched the others in his fights so far, and was confident that he could do so again. Besides, his anger was still fueled at Norton for shooting Melody in the guts, whom he was beginning to regard as his Girlfriend.
Despite being in the School Sewers, The Hole wasn't a cold place. It was little chilly in short sleeves, but it was okay with long sleeves. Nick took off his jacket and was now wearing a white T-shirt and black track pants. He went down the ladder of The Hole and began warming up. Norton came in five minutes later and immediately took off his jacket, staying bare chested. He also had bandages on his hands and wrists, and he looked like a real professional Boxer, wearing pants and pulling on his street gloves. He entered the ring and walked up to Nick.
"Prepare to collect your teeth, bitch !", said Norton with an evil grin on his face. "From all over the ring !"
With his lips, Nick mimed sending him a smack, which infuriated Norton. As soon as Bif rang the opening bell and pronounced “Round One !”, the Greaser swung a wide hook at Nick, but he easily evaded it, starting to bounce, taking the boxing stance he used against both Damon and Derby. A well-placed jab was enough to bust open Norton's nose, and now his face was bleeding.
"C'mere !", said Norton. "You's run around like a fucking coward ! Youse dont's know to fight like a man!
Nick kicked him in the ankle and in the stomach, but before he could continue attacking, Norton jabbed him in the chest so hard Nick fell on the pit floor. Norton used that as an advantage and grabbed Nick by the neck, lifting him in the air with such strength that Nick's feet were nearly above the ground. Nick began to choke.
"Youse gonna mess with me ?!", Norton asked, in a fit of rage. "I'se choke ya like a lil' chicken !"
Nick was swinging around with his legs, holding Norton's hand with both of his, and Norton now grabbed him by the other one too. Before he could kill Nick, which was what he was intending, the bell rang and he reluctantly released him.
"You're lucky !", he said blackly, and climbed up the ladder. "I'll break you after I rest !"
Nick climbed up and sat on a bench. Laurent came over with a bottle of water and had Nick drink some, then he took rubbed Nick's face with a rag.
"He almost killed you in there", said Laurent. "If he continues to try to strangle you, he will maybe open himself up for you to strike him. Just be careful, Oui ?
"Don't worry, friend", said Nick and smiled confidently. "I'll win this."
The bell rang and it was time for the fighters to return to The Hole. “Round Two !”, Biff intoned.
"Kick his ass, Nicky !", encouraged Constantinos.
Nick and Norton went back into The Hole and took fighting stances. Norton started with a roundhouse kick, which was evaded by Nick. Norton kept attacking, but Nick's perfect physical condition allowed him to evade all of Norton's attacks. He was looking to get the Greaser tired, and he was succeeding. Norton's moves became slower, but he didn't stop throwing punches and kicks. After several minutes, though, he couldn't keep on. Nick lashed out, and Norton suffered a mai-geri to the face that broke out several teeth of his. Nick continued kicking him where ever he could get him, and then Norton's right knee was on the ground, as well as both of his hands. Nick struck him in the face with his left knee and Norton fell on his back. He got up, however, but Nick tripped him, which was humiliating as well as painful. Nick stepped on Norton’s neck, but didn't press.
“This fun to you ?”, he asked. “How'd you like I break your neck ?”
“Fuck You !”, Norton replied, but then Nick pressed harder on his neck, threatening to smash his throat.
“Stop, You Fuck !", Norton said. He twisted Nick’s leg away and jumped on his feet, his rage giving him power. He punched Nick two times in the face, busting his nose and chipping a tooth. The bell rang to end the second round, and they went out to rest.
“When you get him down, best to keep him down”, said Laurent, wiping Nick’s face and examining his nose. “Don’t let him up.”
“I won’t next time”, Nick said grimly.
The bell rang for the fighters to return to the Hole. “Round Three !”, called Biff.
The combatants dropped back in the Hole and the fight continued. Norton began attacking with wide hooks and kicks, a bad technique, whereas Nick used mostly jabs and Karate kicks.
“C'mon, Norton !", shouted Lucky DeLuca. “Looks at him, and looks at you !”
But Norton could not take down Nick Penty. Nick's nose was busted too, he was tired and feeling pain in his whole body, but he already began smiling like he had won this fight. Norton rubbed blood off his face, saw the grin, and thought Nick was teasing him.
“You fucking WEASEL !!", Norton shouted and charged at Nick. Before his fist could land on him, Nick threw a hook that hit Norton in the face and stopped him. But Nick didn't stop punching. He hooked and hooked him until Norton fell on his back, almost passed out, breathing heavily. His face was bloody and swollen and he was now looking for every single possible way to get out of this fight.
OK....Ok...that's enough !", he said, finding it hard to speak with some of his teeth gone. “I Give...You Win !”
Norton had never forfeited before. The Students, as well as Nick, were surprised, but Greasers were more disgusted that surprised. Norton then passed out, and Biff quickly hopped in The Hole, obviously happy to see a Greaser get his ass kicked.
“The winner of this fight…Nick Penty !", he said and grabbed his wrist to raise his hand in victory. Nick stood there for a bit, then pulled back and went and climbed up the ladder where Constantinos was handing him his jacket. His T-Shirt was all bloody but Nick didn't mind.
“You Won !”, said Laurent. “Three battles, three victories ! Is a shame Tony didn't see this.”
“I really don't give a fuck”, Nick said. He was tired and all he now wanted was to sleep. The three made their way out of the School Basement and back to the Dorm.
__________________________________________________________
-
As soon as Peanut learned the outcome of the Hole fight, he headed over towards the Autoshop. It was late, about midnight, but all the rest of the Greasers were still up, milling around the back. There was an aura of stunned shock among them that Norton had been beaten by the new kid that was almost half his size. There was a taste of disgust, as well, that Norton had quit the fight while laying on his back like a mangy dog. They would take a huge hit to their respect in the wake of their most powerful fighter having his ass kicked like a little girl.
Peanut rounded the corner by the garage area, and found all the Greasers moping around. “Whatcoo doin’, boys ? Waitin’ fer the Nerds to come take over ?”
“Why’re youse back over here”, spit out Ricky in a hostile tone of voice, getting up in Peanut’s face.
Suddenly moving with lighting speed, Peanut grabbed Ricky around the throat and lifted him off the ground, turning and slamming him into the side of the brick building with a bone-rattling crack. He held him there in a choke hold, feet dangling off the ground, while he spoke in a menacing voice.
“I’m back because I don’t lead youse guys into traps”, he hissed. “I’m back because I don’t make alliances with other Cliques. I’m back because Johnny picked ME to be the Leader.” With each sentence, Peanut repeatedly smacked Ricky into the wall. “I’m back because I don’t put us into situ-ations where we get busted. I’m back because I don’t do stupid things that make us lose RESPECT.”
Still maintaining a chokehold, he put his face up close to Ricky’s. “Dose that answer your question ?”
“Glurgle.....” was all that Ricky could manage to say.
“Good. Glad that’s settled.” Peanut released Ricky, and he dropped to the pavement in a heap. Peanut turned and faced the other Greasers. “I’m taking back over. Any of youse got a problem with that, speak up now.”
Instead of anger, relieved looks broke out on the faces of the other Greasers. They had been uneasy with Norton’s style of leadership but too afraid to say so. That the ill-timed attack had ultimately led to such a great loss of respect had had a devastating effect on their morale. And while none of them ever said it, all of them knew that Norton wasn’t exactly the brightest candle in the box. They realized now that they needed a leader who could look after them, like Johnny did. Johnny was gone now, but had left his hand-picked choice in his place. They had forgotten that for a while, it seemed. But maybe now, they felt, things could return to normal.
Peanut surveyed their faces, and saw only acceptance. Norton’s short reign was over.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After the beatdown from the Prefects and the humiliating loss in the Hole, Norton was in no shape to challenge Peanut on his return to the Clinic late the next day. On top of that, he had been assigned snow-shoveling duties as a result of his errant Spud striking Melody in the very Parking Lot where he had been taken down. Jeering students has lined the walk throwing cat-calls at him while he shoveled under the watchful eye of Seth the Prefect, heaping even more disrespect on his already shattered ego.
Norton meekly submitted to the change in leadership. With his head and mouth bandaged as a result of his injuries, he could only mumble a dispirited decline to Peanut’s challenge for a rematch for control of the Clique. That had made the change official in the eyes of the others. As a final consequence, he was demoted from his former second-in-command position in the Clique. Peanut felt he couldn’t trust a backstabber, and instead made Hal his new second.
Even so, Peanut knew, it would be a long road back for the Clique to re-gain their respect.
______________________________________
-
Ted was enraged when he heard of the Jock’s participation in the attack on the Bullies while under an Alliance with the Greasers that had been kept from him. He angrily ordered the Jocks to a meeting at the Clubhouse. Mandy came along to watch.
Once they were assembled, Ted lit into them. “What the FUCK were you guys thinking ? Going off on an unauthorized mission ? What kind of SHIT is this ?”
“Umm....We was invited....”, Damon began.
“I don’t give a FUCK if you was invited or not !”, Ted interrupted. “You all KNOW everything has to come through me ! It’s a wonder you dumb fucks weren’t busted !”
“We’us just tryin’ to help out a Brother”, Bo piped up.
“Help out a BROTHER ?”, Ted yelled. “Look at me, Numbnuts ! Norton isn’t your BROTHER, he is a GREASER ! He’s one of THEM ! He is not US !”
“Yeah....But...”, Bo tried again.
“BUT NOTHING !!”, Ted roared. “He was just USING you all to do his dirty work, and you just all go along like a bunch of little PUSSIES ?”
“But, he’s their Leader”, Dan said, “So we thought.....”
“THOUGHT ?”, Ted sneered. “You can’t think ! Norton is an asswipe with a PEA BRAIN ! He couldn’t lead himself to the Bathroom to take a piss without someone showing him the Urinal !”
Ted whirled on Damon. “And YOU”, he said, pointing his finger, “Put the whole team in jeopardy with your disloyalty !”
Damon got a bit agitated at that. “I’m not dis-loyal”, he stammered.
“You’re ALL disloyal if you do shit like this !”, Ted shot back. “Let me clue you in on something, Damon.” He leaned over as if talking to a child. “You already used up your free pass by getting sprung outta the Asylum. There ain’t no more favors ! You, or any one of you, can be replaced at anytime they feel like !”
Here Ted addressed the whole group. “Some of you are imported”, he said, looking at Luis, Juri, and Laurent. “Do you think you are the only ones out there with any talent ? You can be dumped tomorrow and others brought in to take your place ! Think you’re SPECIAL ? Well, you’re not. You can always be replaced.”
“Uhh....Well, uh....What about Kirby ?”, Casey asked.
“I said this before”, Ted said impatiently. “That has been taken care of. Kirby is a part of this team. He is what he is, and you have to learn to accept that. We all have to stand together to retain our respect here. And Damon didn’t help that by losing that Hole fight. But we were able to retain our respect by being gracious in defeat, welcoming the victor into our circle. That’s how a TEAM works, fellas.”
“So...We should just take him back ?, asked Juri.
“Yes”, Ted stated. “You don’t have to shower with him. You don’t have to sleep in the same room with him. But you do have to treat him like a human being.”
“Gee, I donno....” Rumbled Luis.
“Lemme put it this way”, Ted said, his patience running out. “Any more discord in the Clique, any more Hi-jinks being done without my knowledge, and your very Scholarships will be at stake. Is that clear enough ?”
The group of Jocks froze at hearing those words. Their Scholarships were their Holy Grail, their ticket to a better life once they got out of this shitty School. None of them wanted to jeopardize their Scholarships.
“Any more unauthorized activity, and I will have Burton pull your Scholarships on the lot of you” Ted continued. “And don’t think I can’t make that happen. We WILL have a united front on this team, or you WILL be dumped. Do we now understand each other ?”
Shocked, the Jocks looked at each other, and slowly nodded assent. Even the dumbest among them knew the value of protecting their Scholarships.
“Good, then this is settled”, Ted announced. He searched toward the back of the room. “Laurent, you didn’t have any part in this foolishness, so you’re my new second.”
There was a small stir in the room at hearing this. “The rest of you will have to work at regaining my trust. For now, this is the way it’s gonna be”, Ted said, heading for the door. “Get your act together, or else.”
Ted left the clubhouse, followed by Mandy and Laurent.
_____________________________________________
-
Russell stood in the Dorm yard and surveyed his battered Clique with a curious eye. Something was missing. It had been nagging at him every since he came back. Something was not quite right, not complete. Russell strained to remember. What was it ?
As he looked at his boys, as he thought of them, he began a slow count. There was Davis, Tom, Troy, Wade, Ethan.....He struggled with the numbers, counting again and again as his eyes registered the wounded, limping Bullies. Suddenly, it burst upon him with the brilliance of a thousand suns in a flash of clarity.
“TRENT !”, Russell hollered. “WHERE IS TRENT ?”
The Bullies stopped in their aimless wanderings and disjointed conversations, still suffering the effects of the beatings of the day before. As one, they turned and shuffled over to where Russell stood.
“Um....We made Trent leave”, Tom said.
Russell just looked at him in confusion. “WHAT YOU SAY ?”
“Er...We made him leave....Cause he’s Queer. Remember ?”
“RUSSELL NO REMEMBER THAT”, He said. His eyes darted about. “WE NEED TRENT. TRENT CAN FIX THINGS. BULLIES NO GOOD WITH NO TRENT.” His eyes settled back on the rag-tag group in front of him. “GO FIND TRENT. BRING TRENT HERE. TRENT FIX US.”
“But....Trent’s a queer....”, Davis began.
“RUSSELL NO CARE. WE NEED TRENT. GO FIND TRENT.” Russell’s mind moved slowly, but he knew what he wanted when he thought of it. “GO FIND TRENT, OR RUSSELL GO HOME. NO FUN WITHOUT TRENT.”
The weary Bullies slumped their shoulders in defeat. Perhaps Russell was right. Queer or not, maybe they did need Trent. Slowly, they scattered from the yard to go and do Russell’s bidding.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
At that very moment, Trent was somewhere no one would have expected.....Entering the Bullworth Town Clinic. His mission was to talk to Tony. As he walked towards where Tony had been bunking for the past week or so, he saw that Tony was packing up a bag. He had his right arm in a sling, Trent saw. As he approached, Karen, who had been sitting on the bed, popped up and blocked his way.
“We’re not seeing any visitors, especially the likes of you !”, she said hotly.
“Whoa, Relax little girly-o”, Trent said. “I just need to talk to Tony.”
Karen started to retort, but Tony said, “It’s all right, Karen. Let him talk.”
“Hummph”, Karen said, but let Trent pass.
“What do you want, Trent ?”, Tony said. “Make it quick. I’m getting outta here today.”
“Um...I came to tell you”, Trent began, “The night of the dance....I was coming in the front gate, and someone ran into me, knocked me down.”
“So ?”, Tony said. “Who was it ?”
“It was Jake, man, sure as shit”, Trent said.
“How did you know ?”, Tony asked.
“Recognized his voice”, said Trent. “He said he didn’t have time for my shit, and shot me in the guts with a Spud.”
“Figured it was him”, Tony said. “That really confirms it. It was Jake who shot me then. And Jake who shot Pete. And did the bombings.” Tony looked sharply at Trent. “Talked to you too that night, didn’t he ?”
“Yes”, Trent admitted. “Told me to keep everybody outta the Dorm.”
“Cause he knew it was gonna blow up”, Tony said. “That’s why. You shoulda told me then. Why was you covering for him ?”
Trent hesitated. “I thought he was a friend”, he finally said.
“Jake ain’t nobody’s friend but Jake’s”, Tony observed. “He’s a psychotic piece of shit. I’m gonna bring him down, one way or another.”
Trent didn’t say anything for a moment. “Well, just thought you oughtta know.” He turned to leave.
“Thanks, Trent”, Tony said. Trent gave a small salute and then was gone.
As she helped Tony on with his jacket, Karen muttered, “I hate that shit. He use to pick on us all the time when we was little kids, hitting us, tripping us, taking our stuff. He’s just a Bully.”
“Yeah”, Tony agreed. “But he helped out Zoe when she needed it, and he didn’t have to do that. There may be a decent spark in there somewhere. I don’t like him much myself, but people can be awful strange sometimes.” He turned to Karen. “He gives you any shit though, I’ll still kick his ass.”
Karen smiled at that. She said gently, “I’m not worried about him. What’s important is getting you out of here and back to me. I’ve been missing my big boy”, she said playfully, stroking his privates.
“I’m more than ready”, Tony said. “It’s good to be alive. Let’s go.”
After stopping to check on Ray, Tony and Karen left the Clinic.
______________________________________________________
-
Derby Harrington sat ensconced in front of the fireplace alone in Harrington Hall. The noise of the doors opening alerted him that someone was entering. Turning his head slightly, he observed Bif approaching. He returned his gaze to the fireplace as Bif took the chair opposite his.
“Report”, Derby said shortly.
“No progress in finding out what Tad’s group has been up to lately”, Bif said. “It’s like they have become ghosts. I think, though, that they have been behind the sudden disappearance of the flowers and the candy from the local shops.”
“How so ?” Derby asked.
“One of the Shopkeepers let slip that ‘One of your people already bought out my stock’. It’s Winter, so no other flowers are going to grow in the Valley. And as our Botany Gardens were destroyed last year, we don’t have any either”, Bif reported.
About a year prior, the massive plant and flower garden on the top floor at Harrington Hall had been vandalized and completely destroyed. The target of attack had been the Giant Flytrap Derivative that Derby had, in his arrogance, swiped from the Dr. Slawter, the Biology Teacher. In a snit, Dr. Slawter had one of the Students, believed to be Jimmy Hopkins in disguise, sneak in and kill the huge plant rather than let Derby lay claim to it. In the process, Jimmy, who was well-known for his love of vandalizing things, had destroyed all the rest of the plants in the arboretum by smashing them and trampling on them, and then had made his escape, beating down several of the Prep boys in the process.
“Also, much of the stocks of candy were sold to the school for the Valentine’s Dance, and those were rendered in-eatable because of the blood-contamination from the attack”, Bif continued. “What ever the Shopkeepers had left has also been bought up.”
Derby sat brooding and looking into the slowly-crackling fire for a time. Bif waited patiently.
Finally, he said, “What about the operation against the Bullies ?”
Bif hesitated before answering. “Um...We’ve been unable to isolate them in low enough numbers as to where we can successfully defeat them”, he reported. “There’s only three of us, and they are always congregating all together in the Parking Lot. Sometimes, there’s just two over at the Dorm, but Russell is always there.”
Still staring into the fire, Derby said nothing.
“But”, Bif continued, “The Jocks allied with the Greasers the other night and beat the hell out of them. We could consider an Alliance of some sort.”
“Nobody’s going to ally with us, they all hate us”, Derby replied morosely.
“Well, how about the Nerds ?”, Bif ventured. “They owe us more Weapons. We can take this instead. They can back us up.”
“Those gutless freaks of nature would cut-and-run at the first sign of trouble”, Derby said, dismissing the idea. “Leaving us holding the bag. It wont work.” He sighed. “Like it or not, We’re going to have to make peace with Tad and the rest. I’m not going to be able to beat the Bullies or bring down that Pauper Kurt any other way. Besides”, he said, with a touch of anger, “My Father is putting pressure on me to make amends with Spencer for appearance’s sake. More like his appearances”, he finished bitterly.
“But....Spencer was doing Pinky behind your back !”, Bif exclaimed. “Surely you can’t trust him now !”
“Who said anything about trust ?”, Derby said slyly. “When this is all done, and I take back over, I’ll dump Spencer and his whole bunch in the gutter. Things will change around here when I’m in charge again.”
Bif digested this in silence and waited for Derby to continue.
A long pause ensued. Then Derby asked, “How is your operation going ?”
“I’ve got Christy on the hook”, Bif said. “It’s just a matter of time until I reel her in.”
“Good”, Derby mused. “Some good news. How long will it take you ?”
“I’m going to take her out this weekend, and buy her an expensive gift”, Bif said. “Then, when I ask her to be my Girlfriend, she won’t be able to refuse.”
“Excellent”, Derby said. “She pals around with Pinky. Soon we’ll have a conduit to those low-life scum.”
“It gets better”, Bif said. “Chad saw Christy and Pinky leaving Shinjo’s together.”
Derby offered a rare evil grin. More than anything, he wanted to finish what he had started with Kurt at the dance and beat the pauper senseless. He also wanted a piece of whoever had bashed him in the head with the guitar. He owed these fuckers big-time for how they had humiliated him. First, they had forced him to give up weapons for Pinky’s release, then somehow had gotten her to go live with them. Instead of being grateful to him for getting her set free, Pinky had went off to apparently cornhole that Kurt bastard. He had probably brainwashed her somehow. That didn’t really surprise him, as he had been brainwashing her for years himself. Pinky was only a spoiled child after all. When she had her fill of this little exciting adventure and figured out this Pauper had nothing to offer, she would come crawling back, Derby was sure. In the meantime, he had a heavy score to settle with that street scum. On top of everything else, he had been denied the pleasure of beating the snot out of that Spencer bastard. He would get his too, Derby vowed.
“Great”, Derby said. “Soon, we will have an 'In’ through her. When you get her to fall for you, play up like you don’t like what I’m doing, and how bad you feel about the whole business. Once you convince her that you are on Pinky’s side, she’ll gladly tell you anything that Pinky says is going on over there. Hell, you could even get her to ask Pinky some subtle questions. Christy will be able to tell you everything Pinky says. Everyone knows she can’t keep a secret, she’s like a human tape recorder.”
“That’s the plan”, Bif said. “We can find out their weakness, and then smash them.”
Derby settled back and resumed staring into the fire. Finally, he said, “Leave me now. I got some things to think over.”
Bif rose and made his way toward the doors. As he reached them, he looked back on his friend, brooding at the fireplace. The burdens of being a Harrington were great, and Bif for one was glad that he didn’t have to carry them. He turned and left Harrington House.
________________________________________________________
-
Over in a vacant lot by one of the Spazz Industries buildings in Blue Skies, Omar Romero was gathering the Townie boys for a meeting. He had been informed by Jerry and Duncan of an incredible offer for their services from a new stranger in town. Omar wanted to hear more about this proposal, for he was extremely distrustful of strangers after what had happened last summer with first Gary and then Big Darrell taking control of the group, leading to the strange disappearance of Edgar Munsen. The Cops’ first story was that Edgar had killed Gary, and was under arrest for the murder. In less than a week, it was revealed that Jimmy was also charged with murder. Strangely, nothing was ever heard about Edgar again. He had vanished.
Big Darrell had taken full control of the Towines group then. Twice as big and more sadistic than even Omar, he had urged the group on to more and more violent crimes, carjacking and armed robbery, culminating in the assault and rape of Zoe. That had been interrupted by those snotnose kids from the School, denying some of the Townie boys a crack at that pussy. A few days later, Big Darrell had been found in a pool of blood with his privates blown away, near death. He had been removed and nothing was ever heard from him again. Rumor had it that he was himself wanted on murder warrants in multiple states, and would most likely never breathe free air again, even if he ever recovered.
Otto and Leon began squabbling about taking over the group then. That ploy ended abruptly when they themselves were packed with some M-80 in their own privates, and spent a month in the Clinic right next door to where they came close to losing their junk as well. With all the competition gone, Omar asserted his rightful claim to the Leadership by virtue of having been Edgar’s second-in-command. Omar was shrewd, and had steered the group away from the high-risk felony crimes they had become involved in and returned them to the more low-risk activity that he knew they could get away with. The only reason they had even gotten away with what they had was because of the the ineptness of the Cops, but Omar was intelligent enough to know that wouldn’t last forever.
Omar closely questioned Jerry, Duncan, Otto & Leon, who had participated in various jobs for the stranger. He had appeared to them in the alleyways of Bullworth Town and had hired them for various missions against the kids in the School. Omar was intrigued with the tasks, particularly the last one, in which liquid-filled projectiles has been positioned to fall on unsuspecting kids at their Valentine’s Dance. Omar had heard that it had been a real bloodbath. From what he learned from the others, each mission was meticulously planned and executed by the stranger. He demanded perfection, paid well and never reneged. All of his tasks had been directed towards the School and it’s occupants.
Just about all the Townies hated Bullworth Academy. Some had even been students there, once upon a time, and had either quit or had been expelled. Since that time, there had been several unorganized forays against the School by individuals from the group. At one point the year before, Gurney had been able to sneak in and set fire to the Gym. But after the defeat of Edgar at the Chem Plant by that Hopkins kid, the Townies were enlisted to help save the School rather than trash it. However, after that successful effort, they were neither recognized nor compensated for their part in it, and in fact were ordered off the grounds under the threat of arrest shortly after order had been restored. That made them hate the place even more as a result.
Omar suspected the stranger had in mind a mission against the School. And the amount of money he mentioned indicated led Omar to believe it would be a big one. Omar knew the lure of the cash would be a strong incentive. He also knew that things could go off the rails rather quickly with this bunch without adequate control, as had been the case in the past. He briefly surveyed his minions....At least three were certifiably crazy, having been in and out of Happy Volts Asylum, Otto, Leon, and Clint. Of the three, Clint Henry was the most unstable. He had a vile hatred of the rich, and was probably the meanest of all the Townies. Jerry was quite possibly the brightest of the bunch, but was hampered with a large ego to the point of being obsessive. Duncan was the pussy of the group, suspected of being half-gay. However he was an excellent break-in artist, so as long as he didn’t try to act queer around the others, he was tolerated for his skills. Gurney was, by far, the oldest and tallest of the bunch. He was the most laid-back member of the group, and his biggest hobby was the pursuit of the ladies of ill-repute, as he was old enough to gain access to the bars and nightclubs in New Coventry, where he spent a good deal of his time. Then there was the latest reject additions to the group....Floyd, Ian, Nate, and Sam, of whom little was known at this point. They operated as foot solders of the group, carrying out orders of Omar and the more established members of the gang.
Omar meditated on all this while the others awaited his answer. Finally, he said, “I’ll take a meeting with him. But it has to be on our turf, right here. If this dude has the balls to come here, alone, we’ll hear what he has to say. Make clear to him, no tricks, or he will be wearing his balls for a necklace if he’s trying to jack us around. Understand ?”
The others nodded. The message would be passed along.
_______________________________________________
-
Wade and Troy encountered Trent on his way back from the Bullworth Clinic, and ran to him. Seeing the two rushing at him, Trent unloaded a huge right hook at the first one that got close enough, which happened to be Wade. Troy, who was behind him, skidded to a stop and put his hands up.
“Uhhhh....Hey, What You Do ?”, hollered Troy as Wade hit the dirt.
“Kicking some ass”, Trent replied, and then proceeded to do just that, planting a hard kick on Wade’s upturned butt.
“Nooo, you can’t”, Troy moaned, “Russell sent us to find you....To come back !”
Trent paused his kicking of Wade. “Russell wants me to come back ?”
“Yeah !”, Troy said, “Russell say we gotta have you back in gang !”
“Oh, why didn’t you say so”, Trent quipped, reaching down to help Wade up.
“We was tryin’ to”, Wade mumbled through a busted lip.
Together, Trent and Troy helped Wade back to the Dorm yard. Russell’s face lit up when he saw Trent. “TRENT !! You Back !!”, he said gleefully.
“Hey there Big Guy, what’s the Dealy-o ?”, Trent smiled.
“You Need Tell What To Do Now”, Russell said. “Look At Everybody !” He swept his arm about the yard, where the other Bullies were limping in. He waited until all of them had assembled around him and Russell.
“Heard you all got your asses kicked”, Trent said. “You look like a bunch of whipped puppies.”
The Bullies looked towards the ground and said nothing in their embarrassment.
Trent had a flash of an Idea. “We need to get our Mojo back. How about we go kick some Nerd ass tonight ?”
The others perked up at that. “How we gonna do that ?”, Tom asked.
Trent grinned. It was like old times again. “Leave that to me”, he said.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
That evening, just as it was turning twilight, two lines of Bullies snuck towards the Library from each direction. Hugging the walls, they waited to see that no Perfects were in sight, and on a signal from Trent, they charged the steps up into the Library yard, one column going left and one column going right.
As was their custom, the Nerds had gathered in front of the Library before turning in for the night. Fatty was resting on one of the benches lining the West wall, talking to Cornelius and Donald, both of whom were facing away from the entry. Likewise, Melvin was seated on the bench on the opposite side, and so was Bucky. Thad was standing off a ways from them, and was the only one to see the Bullies to suddenly swarm like a locust. The North flank of Davis, Tom, and Wade attacked Cornelius, Donald, and Fatty, smashing them to the ground and then kicking the shit out of them.
“Ohh ! I’m In Pain”, Cornelius Cried.
“Ahh...My Duodenum is ruptured !” moaned Donald.
“Why Me ? Why Me ?”, Fatty coughed.
The South flank of Trent, Troy and Ethan went after Melvin, Bucky, and Thad. Trent plowed into Melvin, knocking him off the bench, Ethan punched out a hapless Bucky as he was attempting to stand. The attack was so swift, the Nerds hadn’t even time to draw their Weapons. Only Thad escaped the initial surprise assault, backing away from the melee. Being not so bright, Troy didn’t see him. On the ground, being whaled on, Melvin gasped to Thad, “Go Get Help !”
Thad wheeled and ran for the wall that led to the Nerd’s gate before Troy could notice. Thad climbed the wall, then turned and scaled the next wall to the right, and ran through the shortcut where he hopped another wall that led to Harrington House. Running across the grassy area, he approached two Preps he saw talking by one of the pillars.
“Come Quick !”, He gasped. “We’re being attacked !”
The two Preps standing there, Bif and Chad, looked at Thad with contempt. “So ? What do you want us to do about it, prissy-face ?”
Thad gaped at the Preps. “Why....Come help defend us !”
Bif smirked and cast an amused look around the yard. “All by ourselves ? You see anyone else here ?”
“But...But...”, Thad’s eyes bugged out. “You HAVE to help us ! You HAVE TO !”
“WE don’t have to do SHIT, you little Pussy !”, laughed Chad.
“Yes You Do !”, exclaimed Thad. “We have a Protection Agreement !”
Bif and Chad looked at each other and burst out laughing. “It’s not a suicide pact, you dumb wuss”, Bif said.
“But...But....You promised !”, Thad squealed in a shaky voice.
Chad advanced on Thad. “Get your Puss Ass out of here, you little prick, before we kick it out.”
Bif circled around. “Back out the way you came, you four-eyed Pauper.”
Thad backed away into the grassy area, then turned to run. Then Chad’s Bulldog, who had been aroused by the noise, began to bark and proceeded to chase Thad around the yard, biting at his legs. Round and round in circles he ran, arms flailing, uttering a high-pitched girl’s scream, while Bif and Chad laughed and urged the dog on.
“Oh, my word”, Bif laughed, tears running down his face at the funny scene in front of him.
“Ha-Ha-Ha, this is Rich”, Chad chimed in, holding onto a pillar for support. “Sic ‘Em, Boy !”
Thad was finally able to escape the Bulldog and climbed back over the wall. He ran toward the other wall, only to be met by Trent climbing over it to intercept him. Altering course, he turned to the right and ran into a small alcove, only to trip over something and go sprawling. Trent was on him in a second, punching and kicking the shit out of him.
“That’s Enough ! I Give Up !”, Thad gasped. “I Surrender !”
But Trent didn’t let up. “You’re gonna be pissing blood !”. he snarled, and beat Thad unconscious.
Tom and Davis had climbed over the wall, but Trent called back, “I got this”, as he let a bleeding Thad fall to the ground. As he turned to leave, he spotted something sticking out from one of the rock crevices. It was the muzzle of a Spud Gun that Thad had tripped over.
“Hey, Look !”, he exclaimed, reaching down to retrieve it. As he did, other Weapons fell out. “Weapons !”
“Uh...Them’s ours”, Tom said.
“What ?”, Trent looked up quizzically. “What are they doing here ?”
“Umm....I had them hid here”, said Davis.
“What the Hell for ?”, Said Trent. “Right next to the Library ? Are you fucking nuts ?”
“Well....”, Davis began uncomfortably, “The Nerds won’t go back here, so I thought it was safe...”
“Are you STUPID ?”, Trent asked, disgustedly. Pointing to Thad, he said, “What the HELL is that ?”
“Um...Er...A Nerd ?”, Davis ventured stupidly.
“Jezus, no wonder Russell needed me to come back”, Trent remarked. “Gather up this crap, I got a much better secure place to hide this.” Tom and Davis bent to do as they were told. As they came back across the wall, Trent had the Weapons distributed to the other Bullies to carry.
As they were walking past Melvin on their way out of the yard, Melvin groaned, “I need a resurrection scroll.” Trent stopped and kicked Melvin in the nuts, and grinned. It was good to be back.
______________________________________________________
-
The next morning, all of the Nerds woke up rather late due to their severe beating the night before. Melvin gathered the Nerds together and ordered a meeting in the Library. The Nerds needed some form of protection after the Prep's blunt refusal to hold up their end of the deal. The Library would be a perfect place to research other forms of protection. If it was one thing the Nerds could do right, it was research.
As soon as the Nerds arrived at the Library, Melvin gave them orders to start at the ground floor of the building, and work their way towards the stairs. The Nerds were to search through every book until they found anything of interest. The day dragged on as the Nerds poured over books, looking for something, ANYTHING, that could be of use. The Nerds even skipped lunch to devote their time to the books. Normally this would bother Fatty, but he was prepared for this type of situation. He pulled a slice of pizza from his reserve of food in his pants and munched gleefully as he continued to work. Finally, after hours of searching through the hundreds of books in the Library, Cornelius uncovered a different kind of book. This particular book appeared as though it was put together by a Student, a personal log book of sorts. The book was also labeled with a name of a Student that had a familiar name. "Edward Seymour III" was inscribed on it. Cornelius shrieked with delight, this was a guide book put together by one of the Prefects when he was a new student at the Academy, that included information on the many uses for everyday items found around the School and surrounding Towns. Cornelius triumphantly plopped the book down on one of the desks occupied by Melvin.
"Holy Moley!", Melvin said in awe. This was the answer to their problems. Inside the book were pictures of various items ranging from trashcan lids to baseball bats. The Nerds had found what they were looking for, a picture inside revealed the powers of a Plaque that hung inside Harrington House. Much information was provided below the picture, as Edward had once been a Prep and used to frequent the fraternity. The Plaque was apparently made from a high quality metal that was able to repel most types of attacks from fists to Spuds.
"This is perfect !", shouted Thad, "we could use it as a Shield !". Melvin decided he would trust Cornelius with the book as a reward for finding it. "Tomorrow, Brave Knights, we shall plan to gain entry to the enemy's stronghold and take our payment through use of the Shield !", Melvin said confidently.
The Nerds said their goodbyes and exited the Library. Cornelius hung back for a while in order to collect his things. He was the last one to leave and headed out the door into the dusky evening with his newly coveted book under his arm.
___________________________________________________________
-
As Cornelius made his way towards the steps on his way out of the Library, Davis and Troy emerged from behind the gateway to confront him.
"Blah !!", exclaimed Cornelius in surprise.
"Ha-Ha-Ha", laughed Davis, "You didn't think we were done with you last night, did you ?".
"Excuse me fellows, I have work to do", replied Cornelius in an attempt to ignore his aggressors.
"What’cha got there E.T.?", mocked Davis as he pointed to the book under his arm.
"My name is not E.T.", corrected Cornelius.
"You-could-have-fooled-me", said Troy in a rough voice before laughing at the nickname they had given Cornelius.
"Sticks and Stones.....", replied the Nerd, but before Cornelius had any time to say more, he was jumped by the pair of Bullies. They vigorously beat him into a pulp. Cornelius began screaming at the top of his lungs, but it was too late. The other Nerds had already left the area and could be of no help to their suffering companion.
"Oh I wish I had that Shield right about now", he muttered.
"What Shield ?", asked Davis as he stopped the beating for a moment.
"Um...Uh...Its Top Secret", sputtered Cornelius as he realized his slip of the tongue.
"Tell us more about it, bitch!", threatened Davis.
"No, I cannot, I have been trusted with this information.", said the Nerd. Suddenly, Troy began kicking Cornelius with brute force.
"Okay, Okay! Stop !!", he said, "It’s found in this book. You can have it if you just STOP!"
Davis snatched up the book and kicked Cornelius in the nuts before running away with his new prize. "That…was…excruciatingly Painful !", moaned Cornelius as he lay in agony.
_____________________________________________
-
Cornelius, who had managed to recover enough to make his way back to the Dorm, told the others what had happened.
"What do you mean, you don't have the book !?", Melvin shrieked in terror.
"I uh...well...was...it was taken by force !", confessed Cornelius.
"Well, who has it ?", asked Melvin, still upset.
"Those pesky Bullies ! Davis and Troy beat me senseless and called me names !", complained Cornelius.
Melvin was ready to pass out. He had never felt such a strong combination of anger and distress. Now what ? There was no way they would be able to take the book back with the Bullies as strong as they had become since running their new Drug Trade. They were shit out of luck. Although Melvin couldn’t fault him for revealing under attack about the Shield, he kicked himself for leaving Cornelius alone with the book without protection.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Apparently, the book was not some forgotten relic from the past. Edward regularly kept tabs on his book as he thought it would be important for new Students to use as a reference. In the Nerd's haste, they failed to notice that the book was clearly marked as one that was not available for check-out. The Academy now considered the missing book as a case of theft and Dr. Crabblesnitch assured Edward that his book would be safely recovered. The Police in the Towns were notified about the stolen article and were asked to interrogate anyone that appeared suspicious.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"This must be it, right here !", said Davis as he turned to the page with a picture of the Prep’s Plaque on it.
"This is exactly what we could use !", agreed Ethan. The Bullies were gathered in the common room of the Boy's Dorm, all circled around the book with wide eyes.
"Now, we just need to plan a ‘Removal Mission’ in Harrington House.", said Davis, "Those bastards have that place heavily protected….I don't think we're just gonna be able to walk right in there and take it."
The Bullies decided that they would put Trent in charge of this operation, maybe he would have the brains to get them in and out of there in one piece.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Outside of the J-Mart in town, Fatty had gone with Melvin to go pick up some drinks and snacks for that nights meeting. "How about some chips?", asked Melvin.
"That sounds terrific !", shouted Fatty with joy. Fatty was getting hungry, all this talk of food in the middle of a convenience store was making his mouth water. The two Nerds paid for their items and walked out the front door and waited for a Bus to pick them up and bring them back to the School. As they waited, Officer Williams strolled by and glanced at the boys. Fatty began to grow nervous, as he had always felt uneasy around Cops, even though he had done nothing wrong. Officer Williams noticed Fatty's nervous behavior, and like any Cop, he could practically smell the fear.
"Hey kid !", shouted the officer, "You know anything about a stolen book at the School ?".
Fatty gulped, he did in fact know of such a book, and only recently had found out it was considered stolen. "Uh...Um..No, not really", said Fatty as he began to sweat profusely.
"What's wrong with you kid, nervous about something ?", quizzed Officer Williams.
"Uh, No Sir !", said Fatty as he began shaking.
"Alright, come with me kid, I wanna search you down at the Station. You look like you're hiding something."
"Please, No !", shouted Fatty, quivering.
"Well, its either that, or you get searched right here with no privacy”, said the Officer.
"No, You Can't ! I'm Innocent !", shouted the Fatty, desperately .
"That's it, right here it is !", the Officer decided. "Drop your trousers !", he commanded.
"No Please ! Think of my dignity !", pleaded Fatty. A crowd of Citizens had gathered around to see what the fuss was about. They soon erupted with laughter as Officer Williams yanked Fatty's drawers down, revealing a pair of extra large tighty whities covered in various stains, hopefully from the food items also spilled from his underwear and landed at Fatty's feet. This made the crowd laugh even harder.
"Alright, you're free to go", said the officer, "I thought you were hiding a book-shaped item in your pants....Turns out it was only an over-sized candy bar.”
Fatty was crying and shaking as he boarded the bus with Melvin trying to comfort him. "We'll have a meeting about this !", yelled Melvin. "This injustice has gone on long enough !"
__________________________________________________
-
For the first time in a long time, the Nerds skipped all their morning classes the next day. Melvin felt that they should move quickly to try to obtain the Shield, before the Bullies could figure out what it was or how to steal it themselves, and in an emergency meeting the rest agreed it was of utmost importance. This must not be allowed to fall into the Bullies hands.
None of the Nerds even left their rooms until well after 9 AM, long after most kids would have left the Dorm. They set out singly, with the destination of Harrington Hall. Some of the Bullies would also skip classes in a normal course of a day, those who did would usually gather in the South part of the Dorm yard to yak and bullshit. They were easily avoided by simply moving a a fast pace from the Dorm steps to the arch before being noticed. For a fact, there were two Bullies in the far part of the yard that morning, gabbing with Russell, who rarely went to a class of any sort. All six Nerds managed to sneak by unobserved, even Fatty. Then it was just a matter of dodging the Prefects on patrol and make their way over to the Fountain area. Once there, they headed down the steps towards Harrington House, arming themselves along the way. They encountered nobody in the Prep’s yard, for unlike the Nerds that day, all the Preps had gone to class....All but one, that was.
While Donald, Bucky, and Thad took up strategic positions in the yard, Melvin entered the main doors, followed by a still-limping Fatty and Cornelius, who was still walking funny after the other night’s attack. No one was at the entry-room counters. Melvin, who had been in there before not so long ago, glanced up above the inner-sanctum doors. There is was, just like the picture from the book. The Shield was mounted to a Plaque, which in turn appeared to be bolted to the wall. But how would they get it ?
“We better check this place out”, whispered Melvin. “Make sure no one’s here.” The others silently assented, and Melvin and Fatty opened the inner doors and went through, trailed by Cornelius.
“Ah...It’s you fatasses”, said Derby, who was seated in the chair by the fireplace as they entered. “Bringing me some Weapons, I see. Well, stack them over there”, he indicated, pointing to a corner.
The Nerds advanced, holding their Spud Guns down towards the floor to appear non-threatening. When they got to about ten feet from Derby, they stopped.
Derby saw they weren’t moving. “Are you ugly fuckers deaf ? I said, put them over there !”
“No”, Melvin said.
“What do you mean, 'No’?, Derby said arrogantly. “It’s part of your Agreement”, he smirked. “You have to provide them.”
“The Agreement is Terminated”, Melvin said, raising his Spud Gun. “You breached it by failing to provide protection when we were attacked the other night.”
“What is this !?”, Derby snarled, rising from his chair. “You stinking turds think you can just....OOFF !!”
Derby was cut off in mid-sentence by a Spud to the guts fired from Melvin’s Spud Gun. He doubled over, then straightened up. “I’m Gonna Lay You Out !!”
No sooner had Derby said that than he was hit with another Spud, fired from Fatty’s Spud Gun, this time in the privates. “ARRGH !! Low Blow !!”, he hollered.
Cornelius joined in, and all three Nerds fired a fuselage of Spuds into Derby. This time, he fell to the floor and stayed there. Before he passed out, he mumbled, “I...Need my Nanny....”
The Nerds couldn’t help busting out into laughter at that. “Did he really say that ?”, chuckled Fatty.
Melvin cautioned the others to keep quiet, in case the ruckus had alerted any other Preps on the premises. The stood quiet for a moment and heard nothing. “Let’s see about that Shield”, Melvin said.
Calling in Thad and Bucky, a couch was hauled out from the room with much puffing and panting and placed through the opened inner doors. Melvin climbed up for a closer look. The Shield had the letters “HH” embossed at the top center, surrounded by laurels and other engravings. There appeared to be obsidian chips hammered into the metal at various points. Although he could see the Plaque it was mounted to was bolted to the wall, the Shield itself was held to the Plaque by metal screw fasteners.
“Thad, you got a screwdriver ?”, Melvin asked. Thad pulled one out of his back pocket. Since Thad did a lot of the Weapons-building, he always carried around a small plethora of tools. A plan was reached to build a pyramid....Thad on Melvin’s shoulders, while Melvin stood on the back of the couch, supported by the others. This arrangement allowed Thad to unscrew the fasteners holding the Shield to the Plaque.
When it was done, the Shield was lowered down to the others waiting below. Melvin ordered them to push the couch back into place. Derby was still passed out on the floor, and Melvin hoped that the Preps wouldn’t notice they had been robbed for a little while. After all, who really looks up at anything ? Melvin knew, though, that Derby and the other Preps who were still with him would be laying for them. Best to hole up for a while.
When they left Harrington House, Melvin led them to the grassy side yard, the shortcut to the Library. Thad shied back. “Chad’s Bulldog”, he said fearfully, recalling the other night.
“No problem”, said Melvin as the dog came trotting towards them, growling. “Shoot him.”
Several Nerds let loose with a volley from their Spud Guns, and the dog skidded off to the side. They then climbed the walls and accessed their gate at the rear of the Library, punching in the code, 1-1-3-8. The gate sprung open. “To the Observatory, Brave Knights !”, Melvin called, and as one they headed that way, bearing their prize.
Because the Nerds hadn't bothered to read the whole text of the entry in the book before it was stolen, and because the Bullies could barely read at all, neither Clique was aware that there was not just one of the Shields at Harrington House.....But Two.
_______________________________________________
-
Tony sat in his office that afternoon. Karen was perched on his desk, and Laurent and Constantinos were seated before them. Since he had gotten back just a few days ago, his ‘ears’ had updated him on the various goings on about campus. Tony learned that the Jocks were a solid Clique once again, more under the threat of pulled Scholarships than anything else. Kirby was living under the Gym Bleachers, according to Laurent, to keep the peace. The Greasers were once more reunited under Peanut, with the exception of Vance, who had disappeared. The Bullies had brought Russell back to Campus, and Trent had returned to the Clique by Russell’s demand. The Nerds had seemingly gotten over any squabbles they might have had, although they had never really split into opposing factions. The Rockers, who had not had any of the infighting that the other Cliques fell victim to, had been keeping a low profile since the Valentine’s Dance incidents. Only the Prep’s Clique was still split, with no resolution in sight.
Tony had been filled in on the recent fights.....The Jocks teaming up with the Greasers to attack the Bullies, then the Bullies attack on the Nerds. He also heard about Nick defeating Norton in the latest Hole Fight. While it seemed that things were returning to ‘normal’, Tony was disturbed. While all the Cliques were now re-armed, things were still out of balance. It wouldn’t take much to stir the pot and ignite another Clique War if things continued as they were. The most glaring reason for this, Tony felt, was the rumored Drug dealing by the Bullies. Word was, they had been attacked while dealing in the School bathrooms, quite possibly by the Preps. And they had most certainly been attacked in the Parking Lot by both the Greasers and Jocks. If any of these more powerful Cliques got control of the Drug Trade at Bullworth, there was bound to be real problems. Tony knew that the Bullies were too stupid to hold on to anything for long, Russell or no Russell. Thinking that suddenly gave him an idea.
“I need to go see this Russell”, Tony told the others. “What can you guys tell me about him ?”
“He’s pretty whacked out”, Constantinos remarked. “Lights are on, but nobody’s home.”
“I don’t know him well, my friend, but I hear he has the I.Q. of a Moron”, Laurent added.
“More like the mind of a 5-year-old”, Karen said. “But one thing....He’s highly devoted to Jimmy Hopkins.”
“Hmmm....”, Tony considered. “That might give us some leverage. How did him and Jimmy get to be such good friends ?”
“Jimmy beat Russell in a Hole Fight”, Constantinos told him.
“Oh ?”, Said Tony. “So it’s just a matter of beating him, and then making him give up the Drugs.”
Karen pointed to Tony’s arm in the sling. “You can’t fight him, silly.”
“No, not me”, Tony said. “But I know someone who can.”
_____________________________________________________
-
"And who might that be ?", asked Karen. "Tony, there's no one in the state, let alone Bullworth who would want to fight Russell Northrop !"
"There is one", Tony said. "You guys know who I'm talking about?"
Both Constantinos and Laurent nodded.
"Go find him, and bring him here, Laurent", said Tony.
Laurent nodded and quickly exited the room. He knew where the boy was he was looking for. In the afternoon he was usually in the common room of the Dorm, and in the evening he was hanging out at the Football Field with his buddies, the Jocks. Laurent was sprinting, hurrying to get that boy to Tony as quick as possible. He ran through the Dorm door, finding Bo Jackson and his target sitting on the couch while a group of Nerds were playing poker in the corner.
"Nick!", Laurent shouted and stood in front of them. "We need your help."
Nick Penty smiled. He puffed smoke out of his mouth and handed the joint back to Bo.
"Of course you do", Nick said, smiling. "Uh....Well, listen, I had a bit Cannabis, so.....Can this fight wait ?"
"How do you know it is a fight ?", Laurent asked.
"What else do I do in this shithole ? C'mon, tell me who beat you up and I'll kick his ass."
"No one messed with me, but Tony wants to see you.", Laurent replied. “Let’s Go, Ok ?”
They went to the School building and then to Tony's small office, where Karen, Constantinos and Tony were still sitting.
"Here I am, friends", said Nick. "Ta-at-at-tira !."
"I got a business proposition for you, Nick.", said Tony.
Karen interrupted, "You want him to fight that Gorilla ? You’ll just get him put in the Clinic !"
"Whoa, Whoa", said Nick. "Calm down, for fuck's sake. And you....", Nick turned to Tony. "Community is now calling me Nicky."
"I believe that originated from Christy and Melody, eh ?", Tony smiled. "Anyway, I'll get straight to the point, Nicky. You know about recent Bully Drug business, don't you ?"
"I do. They sell Crack, but they sold some Ganja to ole Bo. Me and him just tried it out. I've smoked better shit", Nick replied, clearly high.
"Alright. But we want it to stop. The only problem is, Russell leads them. And well.....To make them stop, Russell needs to get some asskicking", Tony said as he leaned back in his chair.
"Which I have to deliver, right ? And who's Russell again ?", Nick asked.
"Oh, I believe you guys met. At the Parking Lot, prior to your fight with Norton. He served as your Trampoline”, interjected Constantinos.
"You mean...,That giant guy ?", said Nick in surprise.
"That‘s the one….But, if you don't want to fight...", said Tony, but Nick cut him off.
"Fuck I don't !, Nick Exclaimed. “I'll tear that fucking monkey-ass shit-bitch apart !"
"You gotta cut the Marijuana, man", Tony warned him. “You got to be clear-headed."
Five minutes later, it was decided that if Russell wouldn’t back off the Drug Dealing, Nick would challenge Russell to the fight in The Hole.
____________________________________________________________
-
A delegation led by Tony walked out to the Parking Lot after classes, where they spotted Russell standing in his usual spot out on the asphalt. As they approached, Trent spotted them and made his way over to Russell and pointed.
Tony’s group, which included Laurent, Constantinos, and Nick, came to a halt a few feet in front of Russell and Trent. “We need to talk to you, Russell.”
“Whadda want with Russell, Mediator Man ?”, Trent said mockingly before Russell could answer.
“That’s our business”, Tony said with a warning glance. “You need to leave.”
“Ohh...I’m so scared of the Crip”, Trent sing-songed, sounding like the queer he partly was.
“Maybe you best be scared of me”, Nick said, giving Trent a shitty look. “I’m not injured.”
Trent opened his mouth to say something back, then thought the better of it, remembering the thrashing Nick had given him not all that long ago. He stared at Nick for a few seconds and then slunk away.
“What You Want With Russell ?”, Russell asked.
“I want you to stop selling Drugs on Campus”, Tony said bluntly.
“WHAT ?”, Russell boomed. “No Can Do ! Who Say So ?”
“I say so”, Tony said. “It’s time to stop, Russell.”
“Who You ?”, Russell said. “I Not Know You. You Nobody”
“That’s not true”, Tony said patiently. “You’ve seen me with Pete.”
“Pete ?” Russell searched his faulty memory. Finally, he brightened. “PETE ! Russell Remember Pete !” He looked at the group. “Where Is Pete ?”
“Pete was hurt bad”, Tony said solemnly. “Hurt by Jake.”
Russell’s face went blank. “Jake ? Who Jake ?”
“Jake was the new boy who made your Clique steal clothes”, Tony said slowly, like talking to a child. “He is bad, very bad.”
Russell’s face twisted with the effort of thinking. Then, he said, “Russell Remember Now. Crazy kid.” A few seconds ticked away, then his face darkened. “Jake hurt Pete ? Russell SMASH !!”
“Jake is hiding, and Pete is gone”, Tony said quietly. “But Pete would want you to stop selling Drugs.”
Russell digested that bit of information, then shook his massive head. “No, Russell Not Stop. Only Way To Make Big Money For Bullies.”
Tony tried again. “Russell, I know Jimmy Hopkins.”
“Jimmy ?”, Russell perked up. “How Is Jimmy ? Russell No See Jimmy Since.....” Here Russell’s face went slack, eyes staring off into space. Then suddenly, he wailed, “JIMMY IN JAIL !! JIMMY IN PRISON !!! AUGGHH !!!”
“Yes”, Tony said. “In Jail. But Jimmy would want you to stop selling Drugs.”
Russell’s features grew contorted as he fought with a variety of emotions. Finally, he said sadly, “Jimmy No Here No More. Can’t Tell Russell What To Do Now.” His voice grew strong. “Russell Do What Russell Want To Do Now !! Russell Do What Russell Want !!”
Tony saw that talking wasn’t going to get the job done. “In that case, Russell, WE are gonna make you stop.”
“HA-HA-HA-HA !!”, Russell laughed. “You Puny Shits ? HA-HA-HA-HA !!”
“Russell, we are gonna challenge you to a Hole Fight.”, Tony said.
Russell stopped laughing. A Hole Fight ? Russell hadn’t been in a Hole Fight since getting beaten by Jimmy Hopkins well over a year ago, his only loss. Russell’s mind moved slowly over the challenge. After losing to Jimmy, they had become good friends, but the defeat had always sat badly with him. Like any kid, Russell hated to lose.
“Who Russell Fight ? Not You”, he said, pointing to the sling on Tony’s arm. “You No Challenge.”
“No, not me”, Tony said. “Our best fighter, Nick here.”
Nick stepped forward. Russell had a flash of memory about someone springing off his back. “You Kick Norton, Knock Him Down”, he said to Nick.
“That’s right, big boy”, Nick said. “Beat him in the Hole, too.”
Russell narrowed his eyes and looked Nick over. “He Will Do”, he pronounced.
“Now the stakes”, Tony spoke. “If Nick wins, you must give up the Drug Trade on Campus.”
“And If Russell Win ?”, Russell said.
Tony hesitated. “If you win”, he said slowly, “We’ll leave you alone. You can do what you want. Deal ?”
“It’s A Deal !!” Russell Exclaimed. “Russell DO !!”
Tony beckoned Trent, standing about thirty feet away and straining to hear, back over. “Have Russell at The Hole at 9 O’clock tonight”, he said. “Him and Nick are gonna have a match. Don’t be late.”
Trent looked with wolfish eyes at Nick and grinned. “Russell’s gonna stomp your ass, Karate Boy !”
“We’ll see about that, won’t we ?”, Nick said chillingly. “Either way it goes, you and me are gonna settle after....If you’re man enough, that is.”
Trent’s grin dropped from his face. “Anytime, you Freak”, he hissed.
Laurent reached out and gently tugged at Nick’s arm. “Come on...Let’s Go, Nicky”
The four boys backed away, then turned and walked back towards the Dorm to prepare for the fight.
________________________________________________________
-
It was Seven O'clock. Nick was sitting in the Common Room alone on the couch. The doors were closed, and the TV was off. He was putting bandages over his hands and wrists, having spent the last three hours doing calisthenics and exercising on a Punching Bag he hung in the Common Room. He was dressed in a white T-Shirt and black trackpants. Constantinos earlier told him everything that could be useful to him about Russell. Such as, Russell was an immensely stupid boy (or a man, as it was rumored he has over 20 years of age) whose fighting style consisted of mainly pro wrestling moves and bad technique punches. Due to his size and weight, he never used kicks. He respected the few rules of The Hole and was one of the few students of the Academy who never used Weapons, never cheated and always fought alone. Nick knew that being a lot smarter than his opponent was a big advantage, however Russell was still a very dangerous opponent. After finishing with the bandages, Nick leaned back on the couch and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. After going through all the channels, he again turned it off, took a can of cola, exited the Common Room and opened the door of his and Tony's room, finding Tony and Karen talking.
"I'm interrupting something?", asked Nick.
"No, it's alright", said Karen and left the room in a huff.
"I know I was interrupting something. What's up with her?", asked Nick.
"We had a discussion. Now she's obviously angry with me because I've 'put you in great danger'. And I thought she likes fighting", Tony replied. "What about Melody ? How hard did she try to stop you?"
"She tried...And failed. Nothing can stop me now.", Nick said and took a sip of cola. "Tell me something....If your arm wasn't fucked up, would you fight him yourself?"
"I don't know", Tony replied. "Do you think you're so much more superior 'cuz you have a talent for fighting ? Brawn ain't all important, Nick."
"Still, you gotta admire me", Nick replied, and tossed the cola to Tony as he walked out of the room. "I'm the Bullworth Champion", he added, delivering few punches to the wall. Tony also walked out of the room, and Nick walked past him down the hall, taking the cola back from him while doing so. After taking one long sip, he tossed the can back over his shoulder to Tony, who managed to catch it.
"Where is everyone?", Nick asked and opened a room door only to find it empty. He walked into the room and found Fatty Johnson's diary lying on the bed.
"At The Hole probably", replied Tony. "Everyone went there before 8 O'clock, from the inside. You'd be surprised how many ways there are to enter it. Troy is fighting a friendly match versus Davis, but for me it's too boring to watch.” Seeing the book in Nick’s hands, he asked, "What have you got there ?"
"The super-secret highly compromising, embarrassing personal lines of wisdom by our friend and true Barbarian Fatty Johnson", Nick said, opening the book. "It's good it isn't Thad's, otherwise it would have a password." Tony leaned on the doorjamb, watching.
Perfect", said Nick after reading a bit. "My new bedtime stories."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It wasn't difficult for Tony and Nick to make their way into The Hole past Max McTavish, the Prefect who was now patrolling the Parking Lot area. The Hole was crowded, but there was no sign of Russell, despite it was already 8:45. Upon reaching the ring, Tony made his way to Laurent and Constantinos while Nick jumped in the octagon area and began to warm up. Kids were talking and some even brought drinks and snacks to have something to chow on while watching the fight. Trent approached The Hole entrance and sat on it's edge.
"Russell's gonna break you", he said. "There's no way you can defeat him."
"You better prepare yourself", Nick replied. "When I'm done with your monkey friend, I'm gonna come for you."
Trent didn't run away, but he was already silently cursing his tongue. "You wish", he said. "When Russell is done with you, you're gonna stay in the Clinic forever !"
Nick didn't say anything else and continued to throw punches and kicks in the air. He then began flexing his muscles and finished after two minutes. Then, as Russell still wasn't showing up, Nick went to the side of The Hole where Tony, Laurent and Constantinos were standing at the fence, and started to chat with them.
Bif Taylor, the 'official' Hole Referee for the evening, sat in the commentator's place at 8:55 and announced over the microphone:
"If Russell does not appear in five minutes, he will be disqualified and Nick Penty will win the fight."
That didn't happen, as they heard the sound of Russell's boots banging into the floor of the basement. He made his way into The Hole, cheered by all the Bullies and several other students. Russell entered the ring and punched his left palm with his right fist.
"New Kid Appear ! Russell Destroy You !", he said. "Russell No Stop Sell Drugs Because Of New Kid."
"Wow, you know to say 'because' ?", Nick teased him. "I'm pleasantly surprised."
Russell cracked his knuckles and it sounded more like an Assault Rifle.
"Bif Ring Sound!", he shouted. "Russell Fight !! Russell WIN !!"
Bif was looking at his watch, preparing to hit the bell. Only one minute more....DING-DING-DING !! In that moment everyone stopped talking, everyone stopped looking any other way than The Hole. The fight they were watching was probably the greatest fight in the history of Bullworth Academy, sharing the first place with Jimmy Hopkins' fight with Russell. But this was better. A Champion versus a Champion.
Russell made the first move, swinging a wide right hook at Nick with a jungle yell. Nick managed to dodge the punch, but then Russell thrust his left knee forward with great speed, hitting Nick in the stomach and throwing him off the feet.
"Shit", Nick muttered quietly. "He's quicker than I thought."
The first round was dominated by Russell, but he didn't land another strike on Nick, who managed to recover from that blow and evade all of Russell's attacks. Nick never attacked during that first round, trying to figure out all Russell's weak spots.
"Stand !! Russell Want Destroy You!", he shouted.
"Name's Nick", Nick replied, doing a limbo dance move to evade Russell's punch. "You doin' well, Russell ! Keep up the good work."
The bell rang for a two minute rest in which Nick drank some water and rubbed the sweat off his face with a towel. The second round was almost the same. Russell was attacking without any idea, while Nick managed to land a high Mawashi-Geri that blew out Russell's tooth.
"If I continue like this, I might win this", Nick thought, and tried to perform a same kick, but Russell's huge hand grabbed his ankle. Nick kicked Russell in the chest with the other leg, and rolled out of the way of Russell's boot as the big boy tried to step on him. He then stood up and the fight went on, Nick mainly trying to evade Russell's punches and grapples. The bell rang ending the second round, and Nick climbed out of the Hole and sat alone, listening to the murmurs of the crowd.
The third round was the most boring so far. Not a single blow was delivered in The Hole, but by now both fighters' bodies, especially Nick's as his body was more exposed, were bruised, as well as their faces. Nick managed to step out of the way as Russell tried to smash him against the wall as the bell sounded to end the round.
Nick climbed up and went to Tony, Laurent and Costantinos, in their 'corner'. He sat on a bench that Laurent brought, and took some water as Constantinos rubbed his face with a towel.
"You are doing good, Nick", Constantinos said. "Real good."
The fourth round began. Nick and Russell were circling around themselves for a bit, before Nick started to riddle Russell with high kicks, which unabled him to attack due to the quickness of the strikes. Russell managed to trip Nick, but Nick jumped on his feet and started to kick Russell in the abdomen. When Russell bent, Nick gave him two quick hooks and Russell fell to the slimy pit floor.
"Bravo !", shouted Laurent. "Bien Fait !"
But Russell wasn't finished. He quickly stood up, and as Nick was starting to celebrate his victory, Russell came behind him. He then grabbed him by the neck, turned him around and set his head between his legs, face down. Then he grabbed his arms and prepared to do a Piledriver.
"Oh shit! I saw this on TV", thought Nick and closed his eyes, expecting a hard blow on the head.
With a loud "RUSSELL SMASH !", Russell banged Nick's head on the concrete. Nick went limp.
"RUSSELL WIN !!", Russell shouted, banging his chest with fists. "RUSSELL FIGHT !! RUSSELL WIN !! RUSSELL DESTROY !!"
Tony felt like a pot of cold water was spilled on his head. He couldn't believe it. It was now eating him from the inside that he made Nick get badly injured just because he didn't want Drugs on Campus. He was too selfish, and Nick Penty had paid for it. He should have listened to Karen. Russell is a lot stronger now. He was very strong before, and now he got crazier, which made him even stronger.
While that was happening, Nick's mind was in a very strange room. A room with no floor, no walls and no ceiling. Everything was black around him. He dreamed of himself, sitting on a chair, putting bandages on his hands and wrists like he did in the Common Room several hours ago. The dream Nick Penty was talking.....
"All those years of training. Boxing, Karate, in the alley next to Bartolo's Bakery....Thousands of push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups. Thousands of miles jogged, Liters of milk, hundreds of raw eggs......Then out to L.A....Black Belt...Beating up kids in the Dojo for a Black Belt.......I was born in New Jersey and I grew up in a shitty apartment....My pops was an Italian-American gangster who left my old lady.....His name was Piccarone Penty....Then all those 46 fights, done in my life, all those victories.....For what ? For getting a beating from an ape with mild Downs Syndrome ? No, I don't think I will accept that."
In the real world, Russell was still celebrating what he thought was his victory. That's what spared Nick from defeat. Had Russell stopped and moved to a neutral corner, Bif would check him, see if he was knocked out, and if he was, if he couldn't get up, award the victory to Russell.
"Russell ! RUSSELL !!", he shouted over the microphone, making Russell stop and look at him. "You haven't won yet. He has to be checked to see if he's unconscious."
Bif jumped in The Hole and approached Nick Penty. As he turned him over, Nick's eyes opened. He felt great pain in his head and there was a big bump on his head. He struggled to his feet.
"The fight continues !", shouted Bif and climbed back up, sitting in his place. He then rang the bell for the fifth round.
Despite the pain and dizziness, Nick also felt a huge strength refill. He instantly recovered and attacked Russell, throwing dozens of punches at kicks, as Russell was unable to defend. Finally, Russell pushed him off.
"ENOUGH !! Now Russell attack !", he shouted, but before he could do anything, Nick suddenly pointed to the ground.
"Oooh, what's this ? Your eyes fell out !", Nick said.
"What ??", Russell said looking to the ground.
Nick didn't miss that opportunity. Suddenly he put his right foot on Russell's abdomen, left foot on Russell's chest, kicked Russell in the face with his right foot, and jumped off him, flipping backwards. It was a great move that no one ever saw in The Hole before. It looked like everyone was amazed, except the Bullies, who looked shocked.
Russell was now visibly dizzy. His eyes went to the ceiling, as he pronounced, "Argh...Russell...Sleepy..."
A second later he fell over the drain in the middle, splashing the dirty sewer water around him. Suddenly, the crowd started to cheer, shout and whistle, but Nick didn't hear the end of it. Exhausted and battered after this hard fight, he backed away, sat down against the wall of the Hole, and passed out himself.
_______________________________________________________
-
It was late morning when Nick woke up. Morning classes had just passed and Melody and several boys were standing next to Nick's bed.....Tony, Laurent, Constantinos, and Damon.
"Uhh.....What happened ?", Nick asked. The last thing he remembered was putting bandages on his hands in the Dorm. "When does the fight start ?"
"The fight is over, you dipshit", said Tony. "You won. Don't you remember ?"
"Yeah, that was so fucking cool when you kicked Russell, and he was like 'where's left’?'", said Damon.
“Oh, Nicky”, moaned Melody. “You’re all right !”
“Sure”, Nick mumbled. “Takes more than a tank to run me down…”
A loud knock on the door was heard. Tony opened it, and Russell limped in.
"Russell Want To Show Respect", said Russell to Tony. "Russell No Deal Drugs No More. Russell Do What Jimmy Want."
"That's good Russell", said Tony. He spoke to the others. "C'mon, let's leave them alone." Melody and the four boys exited the room and closed the door.
"You Beat Russell.....Uhh....Russell Don't Remember Your Name", said Russell, scratching his head.
"It's....Nick", said Nick wearily.
"I'm Russell !!", the big guy responded. He already looked fully recovered from the fight. "Russell Have Present ! Russell Bring Banana To Nicky", he added, pulling an Apple out of his pants. "Russell Go Now. Russell Have To Go To Russell's Turf."
"Okay. Thanks for the…Ahh, Banana, Russell", responded Nick and took the Apple, tossing it in the trash can after Russell left. "What a retard", he muttered.
__________________________________________________________________
-
Russell slouched down the Dorm steps and toward the South area of the asphalted yard where the other Bullies stood. He came to a halt in his usual spot, head down, as the others slowly gathered about him.
Finally, at length, he spoke. “Russell Sorry Russell Lose Fight”, he said dejectedly. “Maybe Russell Should Go Home Now Again.”
The Bullies remained silent at this, still too full of shock to know what to say. After a couple minutes, Troy spoke up, struggling to put into words what his mental processes were slow on delivering.
“Uhhh...If-you-go-away.....We-be-nothing.....All-over-again”, he stammered.
“Yeah, Russell”, Davis spoke up, “Ain’t your fault the new kid gots a hard head. That Piledriver move shudda worked. You still the baddest dude in School.”
The others mummered assent at this. Russell lifted his head and looked them over. “So Russell Should Stay ?”
“Sure, Big Guy. We should all stick together”, Trent said, with a rather pointed look at the others.
“But Russell Lose Respect”, Russell Said. “Russell Let Everyone Down.”
“Nobody’s gonna try to come after us after how you fought”, Trent said in a placating tone of voice. “You are still the best and they know that. It was just a freak thing.”
Russell shoved his hands in his pockets. “Russell Had To Give Word Not To Sell Drugs Anymore At School. No Make No More Money.”
“Ah, Yes...”, Trent said. “But we can still sell them outside, off Campus. That wasn’t part of the deal.”
Russell brightened. “Trent Right ! Trent Right ! We Can Still Do Outside !”
“We just gotta watch for the Cops, Though”, Trent went on. “And we can’t horn in on the Townies Territories, they wouldn’t like that. We just set up in places where they aren’t, like at the Oil Spill.”
There was general agreement at that. Others chimed in with good spots as well, like the In-and-Out Motel and Lookout Point. Out of the babble, Tom spoke up. “There’s somptin’ we’re forgettin’, that Shield thingy from the book.”
Trent hadn’t forgotten. He had, in fact, stashed the book with the Weapons, behind the Dorm. Overlooked during the renovations and completely forgotten about, the loose bricks where Jake had once hidden the stolen clothing and then himself, had never been mortared up. The area had been hidden from view by a Trash Dumpster that seemed to never get emptied.
“I got that figured out”, Trent said. “It’s a Prep thing. It’s gotta be in Harrington Hall, they got all kinds of shit like that hanging in there, somebody who’s been in there told me.” What Trent didn’t say was that his source was Kirby, whom he was still seeing on the sly in inconspicuous places off Campus. Kirby had indeed been inside Harrington Hall several times, and remembered an object like Trent described....But just not where it was exactly. “We just need to break in there some night and find it. There’s only four of them there now, and there’s....Seven of us.”
“How we gonna do that ?”, Davis demanded. “Derby, Bif, and Bryce are still there, the toughest ones !”
“Easy”, Trent continued. “We ambush them at night with Spud Guns, they don’t make no noise. Enough Spuds and they will go down. We wear Black Ninja suits, pick a real dark night. They won’t know we’re there till we hit ‘em.”
The Bullies became excited at the prospect of another attack. The Nerds had just been a warm-up, now it was time to show their real muscle. They huddled together to work out a plan. It was just like old times.
___________________________________________
-
Laughing, Kurt and Pinky entered the kitchen, hungry after a session of lovemaking. Things had been good the past couple of weeks for the Rocker crew. They had managed to get some gigs on the weekends in the Golden Horseshoe in New Coventry. Nobody had attacked them yet, or had even made any overt threats towards them. While the other Cliques had been busy dealing with their own problems, for Kurt and the rest, the time since the Valentine’s Bloodbath had been one of peace with most of the other Cliques and within their own Clique. The only exception was Derby’s faction of the Preps, who would give them angry stares when they encountered them. Since the only times they were on the School Campus was during classes, and since none of them hung there after School, taking the Bus right back here to a stop just down the street, they were invisible to most of the others, so it seemed. And Kurt liked that just fine.
At the kitchen table sat Winkie and Benny. Kurt had been real glad that Winkie had come back to the group. Winkie was a natural comic and cutup, and usually lifted the spirits of the group with his non-stop humor. Winkie was a large fellow, and could have been mistaken for the Pillsbury Doughboy if not for his darker skin color. In contrast, Benny, who was sitting beside him still fiddling with that old radio that Pinky had noticed earlier, was much smaller and slim. As Pinky looked for something to cook up for their hungry stomachs, Kurt went over to the table.
“You still messing with that thing ?”, Kurt asked jokingly. “It ever gonna work ?”
“Real soon, I hope”, Benny answered with a tinge of excitement. “Getting ready to test it here.”
“No Shit ?”, Kurt said, becoming mildly interested. He bent down to look at the array of strange parts in the guts of the radio. “What is all that stuff ?”, he asked, pointing to the board inside the radio.
“Well....”, Benny began, “These here are Resistors....These things are Diodes....These flat things are Transistors....Them here are Capacitors.....The tall boxy things are Pods.....This big thing is a Transformer, to change the current from AC to DC....And this here thing...”, he indicated a two-thirds moon-shaped object with several flat plates, “...Is the Tuner.”
Kurt scratched his head. He understood none of that, or even what it was for. Benny was the electronics geek of the group, and was in charge of setting up the wiring for their amps and guitars and such when they played their gigs. “That thing looks pretty old”, he observed.
“Oh, it is”, said Benny. “It’s at least 30 years old, probably more. “There’s no PLL Modules in here, those didn’t come along till the late 70's.”
“Whatcha-callit Modules ?”, Kurt asked, totally mystified.
“Phase-Lock-Loop Modules”, Benny explained. “They took the place of the old Tuners.” He turned the radio around so the front faced Kurt. “See this Knob ? It’s attached to the Tuner. When you turn it, it takes you across the Megahertz Frequency Spectrum. It’s the way you can pick up stations or just about any kind of transmissions that are within your Tuner’s range.”
Kurt understood a little, but to him it was like looking at something right out of the stone age. The days had long since passed since electronic equipment had Knobs on them, except for their Electric Guitars. In that way, Kurt could understand the Knob’s function.
“I’m ready to test it now”, Benny announced. “I just have to plug it in and hook up this Antenna Lead”, he said, indicating a wire. Kurt’s gaze followed the wire from the table, across the floor, to a point where it went out under the closed sash of the window.
“Where does that go ?”, Kurt asked Benny, indicating the wire.
“Out back”, Benny answered. “It goes to a Dipole I set up between a couple of the trees.”
“A...Di-Pole ?”, Kurt said stupidly. “What the fuck is that ?”
“A Dipole Antenna”, said Benny. “Basically, a long piece of bare thick stranded wire, insulated on each end, with this wire hooked in the middle. It’s great for picking up faraway signals that aren’t transmitting with too much Wattage. Even weaker close-by signals, it will have the effect of amplifying them so we can tune them in.”
Winkie was sitting back with an awed look in his face. “Wow...Where’d you learn all this stuff at, man ?”
“From my Grandpa....Afore he died”, Benny said sadly. “He used to work on this stuff all the time. I’d sit and watch him, and he tell me what the stuff was and what it did.” He paused. “My Momma was a junkie, and that’s how I wound up on the streets with you guys. They tried to put me in foster homes, but I ran away a lotta times. They finally stopped looking for me and just let me be.”
Pinky putting pans on the stove was the only sound in the kitchen for the moment. Benny rose from his chair and plugged in the radio. Then he returned to his seat and pushed in the connector for the Antenna to the back of the radio. He hesitated for a brief second. “Here we go”, he said and turned the on/off/volume switch with a barely audible click.
The sound of static filled the kitchen. Benny twiddled the Tuner to no effect. “Wait”, he said, and taking a tiny screwdriver, carefully inserted it into the top of one of the Pods and made an adjustment. The sound of the static altered somewhat. He repeated with a couple of the other Pods, and then tried the Tuner again. Suddenly, a new sound filled the air.
“.....This is WABC Radio, New York. Headline News at the top of the hour.....”
Benny let out a hoot and fell back in his chair. “Alright, it Works !”, he said in relief. The other Rockers wandered into the kitchen as they heard the voices emitting from the radio. As they crowded around, Kurt went to help Pinky get the food set out for everybody. Soon, they were chowing down, listing to the many stations Benny was tuning to. Some were just of people talking, some were music, and some were just blips and beeps that resembled Morse Code.
“Where’d you find this thaing ?”, asked Bonz in his nasally voice.
“In the trash in an alley over at Bullworth Town”, said Benny. “I knew it was sumptin’ special, cause it’s a Wideband Receiver. See these bands on here ? I can flip over to them, like so.” As Benny spoke, he did just that, turning another knob. “See ? It can pick up regular radio stations and Shortwave, too.” Benny moved the Tuner up and down the band, and another transmission became audible.
“zzzzzzzt.....don’t care about their squabbles....zzzzzzt.....gonna get hurt bad someday.....zzzzzzt.....been shot off a building and coulda got Killed.....zzzzzzzt.....just telling you, he’s no superman, he could get hurt bad too.....zzzzzzzttttt”
Pinky froze. “That’s Karen !”, she exclaimed. The others strained forward to listen.
“zzzzzzt.....I know all that, but talking to him is hard, and we aren’t as far in our relationship as you are with.....zzzzzzzt......won’t listen to me yet, just thinks he’s tough and can......zzzzzzzt....always win, but he gets beat up doing that......zzzzzzztttt”
“And that’s....Melody !”, Pinky said with wonder.
Benny bent to the Tuner to try and bring in the conversation better, but lost it completely. Delicately twisting the knob in hairlike increments, a set of voices once again came issuing from the small speaker. But these were different voices.
“zzzzzzzt.....smash them bastards once and for all. You’ve seen them in the halls, acting like nothing has happened......zzzzzzzzt.....gonna pay for it, all of it, just as soon as I.....zzzzzzt....going to pin his ass to the wall and send him back to the poorhouse......zzzzzzzztttt”
Pinky blanched. Kurt swore. “Derby !”, he hissed.
“zzzzzzzt.....ally with the rest before we can make our move......zzzzzzzt......got to hold back until we have enough to attack......zzzzzzzt......got her where I want, and we’ll find out soon enough, chap, don’t worry.....zzzzzzztttt”
“And.....Bif”, Pinky whispered. “What.....”
“How is this possible ?”, Kurt said aloud.
Benny shook his head. “I don’t know.”
The signal had faded. “Try again”, urged Kurt. Benny bent to the Tuner, finessing it with a light touch. Over the course of the next hour, the Rockers listened spellbound to snippets of conversation from the Bullies, Nerds, Jocks, and Greasers. As much as Benny fiddled, though, that was all that could be picked up.
“This is Freaky”, Kurt finally said. “You think they got the whole place wired ?”
Benny shook his head. “Just some places”, he said. “There has to be transmitters in those spots, for what we’re hearing. May have been there a long time.”
“But who would put them there ?”, Kurt speculated. “The Administration ? The Prefects ? Hell, is that even legal ?”
Again Benny could only shake his head. “Beats me”, he said. “Could be somebody else.”
Kurt stood lost in thought for several moments as static issued from the radio. Finally, he said, “Well, whoever done it.....We can use it for our advantage. Eavesdrop on the Preps and know when they’re gonna attack us, that’s the first order of business.” He smiled a wicked smile. “You know boys....We’re gonna be invincible.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jake was listening to his radio, too, as he had been all along since his latest plan had failed. But Jake was building a new plan, and this time he wouldn’t fail. Just this morning, he had happened across those two losers, Jerry and Duncan, in the same back alleyway, and found out from them that their gang leader, Omar, had granted him an audience. He was to meet with them on their turf, however. Jake wasn’t bothered by that....He felt he would be safe from attack, for after all, he was the one who would be making them money, wasn’t he ?
There was still much to plan and do, he knew, to whip these low-life scum into an invincible attack force, but Jake in his Paranoia was sure he could accomplish just that. The trick would be to take them out one by one, a Clique at a time, in the evening, when they least expected it. Maybe lay in wait for them after a Hole Fight. There was other things to consider....Have the Prefects off Campus, for one. And keep that shit Tony from interfering for another. If he got the chance, he would shoot him down like a dog....And this time, he wouldn’t just wing him.
Jake laughed his crazy laugh to the empty room. A month from now, he vowed, he would hold the fate of Bullworth Academy in his hands.....And Squeeze.
_________________________________________________________________
-
"Alright, you guys ready?", asked Trent. The Bullies had just finished preparing themselves for tonights invasion of the Harrington House. Troy had put on his old Edna Mask, the other boys laughed at seeing this. The rest all put on black ski masks. "It's a go!", informed Davis and the boys moved towards the back of the dorm to stock-up. Trent rifled through the stash and handed out weapons to all his boys. Troy and Ethan were given spud guns; Davis and Wade, bottle rockets; and Tom and Trent carried fire crackers and stink bombs. The boys also made sure they brought a tool box and some rope, just in case. "Alright boys, move out!", ordered Trent.
When the Bullies arrived at the Harrington House, they paused at the front doors. "Wait a minute, we can't just bust in through the front, its too risky.", Davis suggested. "I think we should climb in one of the second floor windows, an unlit one.
Davis pulled out some rope. He figured that if they snuck in an unlit window into an unoccupied room, they could set up a base of operations. Davis attached a claw to the end of the rope and swung it up towards the window sill. The claw stuck, they would now climb up....one by one. Wade went first. He pulled out some tools from his pockets and began to wrench the window open. A success! Wade lifted the window open, carefully and quietly. Wade climbed in and signaled for the rest to come up. As soon as the last Bully climbed in, they sat on the floor of the dark room and began to set up their equipment. Although Russell and Trent were the leaders of the group, Davis had lately assumed the role of a commander, a general of sorts. Davis was one of the smartest in the group and often came up with their plans and how they would be executed.
As soon as Troy turned on a flashlight, the room lit up and revealed itself as Gord's room. It had to be, there were pictures of Vance, shirtless, all over the walls. A picture of Trent was even hung over in the corner. Trent suddenly blushed. While on the inside he was flattered, he couldn't let his inner feelings be shown in his group of boys just recently brought under his control. Trent assumed an angry stance and vigorously tore away at the poster, making a huge racket. "Dude! Keep it down!", wispered Tom with a slight hiss to his voice. Trent managed to pull himself together and settled down. Davis began to lay the tools on the floor, assigning certain ones to each boy. Wade was assigned to peek out the door and check for clearance. "All clear mutha-fuckas", grinned Wade as he motioned with his hand. Everyone except Davis wandered out into the hallway. Davis stayed behind. He had given Trent a walkie-talkie and kept one for himself. Davis would make sure no one came upstairs to interrupt their mission.
As the boys walked out into a common room, they spotted Bryce Montrose sitting on the couch, watching TV. Ethan crouched on the floor and took aim. SPLAT! "Oww....you just ruined my puberty for me, uhh." Bryce collapsed onto the floor and made a thud. "Hey, what the hell is going on up there!?", called a voice from downstairs. Soon, Trent's walkie-talkie began to buzz. "Watch your back guys, Chad is coming!", came Davis' voice. So much for stealth - Troy bounded around the corner and pointed his Spud gun at the black Prep. "Oh Jesus!, settle down there!", Chad said with surprise. However, Chad soon noticed the comical mask and began to laugh hysterically. "You call yourself a burgler?", he laughed, and before he could yell for back-up, Troy fired a spud at his face which met its mark with a cracking sound. Chad began to wail with pain as blood ran from his face. Soon after, loud footsteps came up the stairs as Bif and Derby heard their fallen comrad crying. "You sons of bitches!", shouted Bif in a fit of rage. "What in God's name are you paupers doing in here?!", asked Derby. "Uh...we ummm...", stammered Ethan. Before either Prep could react, the Bullies all fired their weapons on Derby, sending him crashing to the floor in a bloody heap. Bif started to step backwards with his hands in the air. He knew he was no match for these dick heads, he would be smart and just run away while he could. The Bullies didn't bother chasing him, they figured that it would just make their job all the easier. "hey you prick!", shouted Trent, "in your haste to blow his brains out, not one of you dipshits thought to pin Derby down and ask the whereabouts of that shield." The Bullies all froze. Trent was right, they were going to have to find it fast. Davis had just radioed in that Bif had left the fraternity to presumably go get help.
-
The group split up. Troy and Ethan went down to the first floor with Trent, and Wade went up to the greenhouse with Tom. "Hey Tom", said Wade, "Why didn't Russell join us tonight?". "Aw, we figured he would just get in the way ya know? So we told him that we needed to go sell some junk out behind the pool hall in New Coventry".
The Bullies looked around downstairs, but found absolutely nothing. They found a bare spot on the wall above the doors in the lobby and held their breath hoping that the shield had not been there, but removed instead to a different location. Trent had noticed that the spot on the wall had been shaped like the shield and reassured Ethan and Troy that it had to be around there somewhere. Meanwhile, Bif had managed to get the attention of Karl the prefect. Karl was on the verge of opening up a can of whoop-ass on Bif for being out after curfew, but the Prep had managed to persuade Karl to listen to him. Karl agreed to help and ordered Max to join him in investigating the Harrington House. Davis noticed their flashlights moving towards the building through the window and radioed Trent to go with him upstairs to the conservatory. The boys would have to stick together to avoid being caught and the greenhouse would be perfect. Not only were Wade and Tom already there, but naturally, the prefects would begin searching the first floor.
Tom and Wade faced an obstacle. The glass doors to the conservatory were shut and locked. "No problem", said Tom. He picked up a loose brick and threw it into the glass. SMASH! The glass shattered, sending shards everywhere. "Holy shit! That was wicked wild, man!", said Wade in awe. Tom was less thrilled by the noise he had made. It was loud enough to wake the dead. As the two entered the room, the other Bullies caught up and entered behind Tom and Wade. "Alright, which one of you cocksuckers made that horrendous noise!?", demanded Davis, "They had to have heard that!" The Bullies realized their now shortened time frame and began to turn the place upside down in search of their prize. Ethan suddenly shouted and signaled everyone over. He had found the prize near the smashed door. Now came the removal. Trent whipped out a hack saw and Wade and Davis pulled out screwdrivers. It took only a matter of a few minutes and the shield came right off its place on the wall.
"Alright, now we need to get the fuck outta here!", Trent said with a hint of panic in his voice. The prefects were already in the building, searching for asses to kick. "Here's the deal", said Davis as he spoke up, "We're gonna quietly go back into the second floor common room. Everyone will be given positions, either behind the couch or under a table. Everyone, take some rope, if there is only one prefect, bind and gag him, but don't let him see you." The boys all took their positions in the room and waited until they saw Max enter the room with his flashlight. Right on cue, Ethan jumped forward, with the utmost care and threw a rope around the neck of his unsuspecting victim. Max choked a little, but became silent after a few minutes. Ethan dragged the unconcious body across the floor and shoved it in a nearby closet.
As expected, Karl soon arrived at the top of the stairs to investigate. He was followed by Bif who had a smirk on his face, knowing that the Bullies would soon get a beating for their misdeeds. Karl suddenly began to look very nervous. He started to call out Max's name in a low whisper. No response. "Max, state your location!", shouted Karl, "No more funny business!". Trent began to whip-up something good. He soaked a rag with the liquid from his stink bomb and prepared to use it. Together with Davis, he tip-toed around in the dark and pounced on Karl. Trent stuffed the rag against Karl's face as Davis tied him up. Karl let out a little squeal as his eyes rolled to the top of his head. The prefect passed out from the stench that flooded his mouth and nostrils. Bif screamed and booked it down the stairs. A loud series of thuds could be heard as he had apparently tripped and fell down the flight of steps.
The Bullies casually entered Gord's room and prepared to leave with their new toy. As each Bully slid out the window and down the rope, their excitement could no longer be contained. They all cheered and high fived each other as they jogged off towards the dorm. With their new aquisition, the Bullies were practically invincible.
-
As Bif regained his senses, he sat up with his back against the wall at the bottom of the steps. Bruised from his fall but finding nothing broken, he listened sharply for a little while. Hearing nothing, he made his way to a small hidden door beneath the stairs, opened it and drew out a Bottle Rocket Launcher. Then, he cautiously climbed the stairs once more.
At the top of the landing, he stopped and stealthly reached around the open doorjamb, flipping on the lights as he jumped through the doorframe with his weapon drawn. The scene before him was reminiscent of a massacre. Near to him lay Chad, snuffling through a busted nose, with blood streaming down his face. Derby lay a few feet away, knocked out for the second time in as many nights. In front of the couch, Bryce lay unmoving. And nearby to Derby lay Karl, moaning and coughing. Bif went to him and bent down.
“Get...The...Others..”, Karl gagged. “The Others....Will Avenge Me !”
Bif straightened up. Max was nowhere in sight. He made his way out to the portico through the side door and up the steps to the Veranda at the rear of the building. Seeing the shattered glass doors, he cautiously stepped inside. The Arboretum was empty. Bif returned to the second floor and checked all the rooms, discovering the open window in Gord’s old room.
“Those Scoundrels !!”, he said to the empty room. Bif decided to leave Harrington House and seek the help of Edward and Seth, who would be patrolling the School at this hour. Loping as fast as he could, he had to enter the School from the front, as both back doors were locked. As soon as he could, he located Edward and explained what had happened at Harrington House. Edward rounded up Seth and together the accompanied Bif back to Harrington House. On the way they peppered him with questions about the break-in. Bif had no answers, for he was unaware of any direct reasons for an attack other than the Prep’s perceived weakness in numbers now that the Clique was divided. He told them of the similar attack on Derby the night before by the Nerds, seemingly for no reason. Bif left out the part about the Weapons. But as to the identity of tonight’s attackers, he couldn’t be sure, as they appeared to be wearing masks. One thing Bif was certain of, though, was that this night’s attackers were neither fat or nerdy.
As they made their way in through the main doors and were going through the inner doors, Edward halted. Seth and Bif noticed he wasn’t with them and and turned around. Edward was looking up at the empty plaque above the inner doors, his face an expression of white shock.
“Where’s That Shield ?”, he asked in an panicked tone.
“What Shield ?”, Bif asked, turning and looking up.
“The one that’s supposed to be hanging there !” Edward said frantically.
It was true what the Nerds has thought....Who looks up at anything ? No one, it seemed, except for a sharp-eyed Prefect who was a former Prep himself. Edward began to question Bif again about the break-in. Bif went through it again, this time telling of seeing the damage of he broken glass doors on the Veranda. Without another word, Edward raced upstairs. Seth and Bif followed, stopping on the second floor while Edward ran to the third floor.
While attending to Karl, Seth heard moans coming from the small closet and found Max. Edward returned from the third floor with a ghastly look on his face.
“Gone !”, he shouted. “It’s Gone Too ! You know what this means ?”
“I do”, Seth answered gravely. Bif still didn’t have a clue.
“I should have provided more patrols to this place after the book got stolen”, Edward said.
“Book ? What Book ?”, Bif asked, increasingly puzzled.
Seth looked at Bif. “Enough Talking !”, he shouted at him. “Get The Injured To Clinic !”
“I’m going to toss the Dorm”, Edward said to Seth. “Join me when the others are taken care of.” And with that, he was gone in a flash.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Max and Karl came around quickly, and along with Seth, helped Bif carry the injured Preps to the School Infirmary. Then the Prefects joined Edward, who had already rousted everyone out of the Boy’s Dorm and herded them outside to wait in the cold night air. Together, the Prefects turned the place upside down, but could not find a single trace of the Harrington Shields. After three hours, they gave up the search, issuing dire warnings to the assembled Students. The boys had heard these dire warnings before...In fact, nearly every day, and they were just as unaffected with the new threats as they were with any other threats from the Prefects.
As the Prefects left, the Boys filed back into the Dorm. The Nerds had hidden their Shield down at the Observatory, and the Bullies had stashed their Shield under the Dorm along with the Book and their Weapons. Believing they were the sole possessors, neither Clique was aware the the other Clique was in possession of a second Shield.
___________________________________________________
-
"Russell So Glad To See You Guys !", said the big Bully happily. It was the next morning and Russell met up with his friends outside behind the Boy’s Dorm. "Russell Go To Pool Hall Last Night In Search Of Friends, But No One There", he said with some sadness.
"I'm sorry big guy, but something came up", said Trent, "Look at this, we snagged it last night!". Trent lifted the Shield out from their stash under the Dorm. It sparkled in the morning sun.
"Woah ! What That !?", asked Russell in amazement.
"This is the answer to our prayers !", Davis chimed in. Russell was filled in on the previous night's mission and the importance of the Shield. Russell could barely contain himself. "Russell SMASH!", he yelled as he hoisted the metal object in the air.
"Don't fucking smash it !", yelled Trent.
"Not Smash Shield, Butt-Face ! Smash Nerds !", corrected Russell.
The Bullies took a few last looks of affection at the Shield and then placed it back in the hiding place. As the Bullies emerged from the back of the Dorm, they heard the bell of the School chime ten O' clock.
"Ahh, its too late for class", said Tom, "Wanna go to the motel and sell some shit ?" The boy's faces all lit up as they agreed with Tom's suggestion.
Upon arriving at the Motel parking lot, the Bullies spied a short guy in a brown jacket standing off in the shadows. The mystery person made a little gesture to the Bullies, a gesture they saw as potential business. The figure before them had a familiar appearance, but they just couldn't put their finger on it. They were thrown off by the dark pair shades he was wearing and the incognito hat on his head. Suddenly, he spoke to them.
"You got anything good with you ?", the mystery man said.
"Ah, yeah....we do, premium stuff.", Trent said slowly as he stared into the man's face, trying to recognize who it was.
"Gimme an ounce of your best powdered doughnuts, and none of that cheap imitation shit either. I don't want to find any itching powder in there.", the man said sternly. Tom reached into his pocket and pulled out a little baggie of Cocaine.
As the transaction unfolded, Trent spoke up. "Don't we know you from somewhere?"
"What ? No, I don't think so”, came the reply.
"Your voice is just so familiar, and you look familiar too.", protested Trent.
The mystery man began to walk away, and started to climb the wall that led up to the railroad tracks. As he departed, he slipped up. "Thanks Tre...Uh, Man", he paused, realizing the close call. As soon as he was over the chain link fence, the man walked off down the tracks heading south, until he was out of sight. The Bullies watched him go.
"Son of a Bitch, I know we seen him from somewhere !", Tom said, breaking the silence. "But where ?"
___________________________________________________________
-
Tony was starting to worry. He realized that the Cliques still held quite a bit of tension, especially after the incidents and robbery that had recently occurred. Tony knew it had to be someone on Campus. The Townies couldn't have been behind it, they wouldn't know about any items in the Harrington House, or a specific book in the Library for that matter. He would have to start flexing his ‘mediator muscles‘, after all, this is what the Headmaster had expected of him.
Tony strolled up the steps toward the main building. It was just after 4 O' clock, there were plenty of students milling around in the Main Veranda. Tony had found a football sitting on the ground outside the School. He figured he would find one of the Nerds and see if he could teach one of them how to catch. The Nerds and Jocks had always been sworn enemies and what better way to make the Nerds gain some respect than to learn basic coordination skills ?
Tony looked around. The open Patio area was mainly filled with Non-Cliques, a few Bullies tormenting them. However, Tony found just the right guy. Fatty was standing by himself in the center over by the drink machine. He looked awfully lonely and Tony felt bad for him.
"Hey, Fatty !", Tony called, "Wanna toss the ole pigskin around ?" Fatty hesitated for a moment. He had never been good at sports, and now he was being asked if he wanted to play catch in front of all these people.
"Ummm....I dunno....", Fatty said.
"Come on, it'll be fun, you and me", Tony replied.
"Oh, all right", Fatty finally gave in to Tony's requests and stood at the ready.
"Go long dude !", Tony yelled as he pulled his arm back. Fatty watched as the football flew threw the air in a remarkably good spiral. For a moment, Fatty panicked. The Nerd danced around the floor holding his arms out. As the ball got closer, Fatty froze and closed his eyes tightly. When Fatty reopened his eyes, he discovered that he had caught the ball. The Nerd was thrilled, he had caught the ball, with all of these people here to witness it.
Tony and Fatty continued to throw the ball back and forth. Each time, Fatty successfully caught the ball. Students soon began to crowd around as they witnessed a miracle. Even a few Jocks had stood by to watch. Casey and Bo stood off to the side and smirked at each other, amazed that Fatty could catch anything other than a cold. Just as Fatty was about to throw back to Tony, his luck ran out. Fatty pulled his arm back, and when he released the ball, it errantly flew from his finger tips and sailed over Tony's head.
"Hit the deck!", mocked Bo.
"Nice throw, twinkle toes!", jeered Casey.
Not wanting to look out of place, the crowd of Students laughed along. To make matters worse, the ball had smacked right into the main doors of the School. Max the Prefect happened to be close by and would have none of that bullshit. "You Are Defacing Academy Property !", shouted Max as he charged at Fatty. The Nerd's eyes grew wide as the Prefect threw himself on top of him and started to beat him.
Tony looked on in horror. His plan had gone completely wrong. Instead of easing tension, he had just created more. His next stop would have to be the School Office, to try and plead for Fatty's innocence.
____________________________________________
-
Algie had been with the Carnival for almost two months now. While he had somewhat adjusted to the daily life of sitting in place and watching Paris the Bearded Fat Woman scarf down Nachos and sodas, and the nightly life of burying his head in her enormous bosom, he still missed and longed for his old life with his friends. Even as miserable as that life was, he at least could play Chess and G & G with them. Could have intelligent discussions with them. Could pal around with them at the Library. Could hang out at the Dragon’s Wing with them.
Al, the Skeleton Man, was the only one of the Freaks who even had any brains, but he preferred to rattle on about his past. Drew the Painted Insane Man was never allowed out of his cage and only spouted gibberish. Likewise, Courtney the Mermaid could not leave her tank and couldn’t talk anyway. The Siamese Sisters, Delilah and Jezebel, were always fighting. The Midgets were in their own little world. And Paris, as comforting as she had become to Algie, had a bimbo-like empty mind when it came to anything other than eating or keeping up with the pretend lives of the Soap-Opera characters she watched incessantly. And as Algie’s time with the Freakshow lengthened into weeks, he found that the other Carnies generally didn’t have much to do with the odd creatures of the Freakshow Exhibit, just to keep ahold of their sanity.
Algie was bored and lonely. He began to leave the Carnival grounds on irregular basis, cautiously venturing through the road tunnel to the outside world of first Bullworth Vale, and then later Bullworth Town itself. Always in disguise, with a skin-like mask covering his features and tight-fitting body suit he wore at the Carnival, he plied the back streets and alleyways at first, becoming bolder as he was not bothered or attacked, and finally walking the streets themselves. At times he would see those he knew from the School, and would shy away, least he be recognized, but he never was. It seemed true what they said that nobody ever paid attention to a Carny.
It was during one of these forays that he happened to spot Ace Adams.
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-
“Well, boys, what’s the word ? We got a deal or what ?”, the voice from the shadows said.
Jerry and Duncan looked up from their game of Craps at the sound of the voice. Today, they were playing in the alley beside and in back of the Dragon’s Wing. Although more prone to being rousted by the Cops, this place provided access to the back entrance to the Comics Shop, where on occasion they could attack an unsuspecting Nerd coming up the steps from the basement and rob him of whatever money he carried.
Jake (aka Ace Adams, aka Leo Cash) emerged from the shadow of the building and stood before the two kneeling Townies. “So what did your leader decide ? He ready to talk big money ?”
“Umm....Sure, Leo”, said Jerry, who was a bit unnerved by Jake’s sudden appearance. It seemed to him this fellow had the uncanny ability to materialize out of thin air. “It’s all set. You, uh, hafta come alone and unarmed, though. Bosses orders.”
Jake spread his arms wide and smiled crookedly. “Well, whadda we waiting for ? Let’s swipe some bikes and go. I’m ready when you are.”
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From across the street, Algie saw Ace Adams, talking with a couple of Townies in the shadows of the alleyway. Had he been closer and had better glasses, he might have had reason to doubt himself, for Jake had altered his appearance somewhat to take on the persona of Leo Cash. But even though he had only met Ace once, at the Souvenir Tent at the Carnival, he was sure that was him. Some other recognition nagged at the back of his mind as well, but he couldn’t identify it. As he watched, Ace and the Townies seemed to exchange some words, then they all left together, tracking through the L-shaped alley. Algie decided to follow them.
As Jake, Jerry and Duncan made their way East, then South, form the alley, Algie followed from a discrete distance. As they neared the Shiny Bike Shop, the trio suddenly mounted three bikes left outside the Store and wheeled off. Algie looked about in desperation and spotted another bike in front of a Shop across the street. Boldly, he huffed across and swiped it before the owner could return, and set off in pursuit.
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-
Jake had never been very far into New Coventry, and had never been to Blue Skies. That was Ok, though, as Jerry took the lead. Jake followed, and Duncan brought up the rear. Farther back, Algie followed at a distance. The strange caravan rode past the Yum-Yum store and onto the brick street past the Wonder Meats Warehouse where Jake had obtained the barrel of animal blood. When they reached Bridge Street, the riders hung a right and and then further down rode across the small bridge into Blue Skies. As Algie trailed the others, he became extremely nervous and almost chickened out. This residential area of Blue Skies was said to be the toughest roughneck neighborhood around, where people were beat up and robbed on the street in broad daylight. Algie needn’t have worried, though, as he biked through the area unnoticed by the surly street toughs hanging about. Far up ahead, he saw the trio of riders biking past the Police Station, then turning into an empty lot by the Spazz Industries building. Algie pulled up and stopped at the Police Station, as he saw in the distance a number of Townies converging on the empty lot. He reasoned he would be far safer here, which was a real contradiction, he thought humorlessly.....If the Cops inside knew who he really was, he would be taken into custody right quick.
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As Jake pulled into the lot and dismounted, a number of Townie boys began drifting in. At the rear of the lot, Omar was in a discussion with Otto. As Omar noticed the newcomer, he at once ordered Leon and Gurney to search him. Jake spread his arms and grinned while the Townie boys patted him down in search of any weapons.
“He’s clean”, pronounced Leon.
Omar approached Jake while giving a disgusted look at Jerry and Duncan. “I don’t suppose either of you brains frisked him before bringing him here ?”
“Uh...Well, no....We thought...”, Duncan began.
“SHUT UP !”. retorted Omar. “You DON’T think. That’s why I gotta do all your thinking for you.” He faced the stranger. “Understand you got a little money proposition for us.”
“That’s right”, Jake said. “I’ll pay you boys Two Grand to help me take over Bullworth Academy.”
Silence greeted this announcement. After a moment, Omar said with contempt, “You must be just plain nuts. We already tried trashing that place, many times. That Hopkins kid even got us to take it back over for him last year. Lotta good it did us. We either wind up in the can or in the nuthouse.”
“You haven’t done it MY way”, Jake replied. “I can guarantee success. And I’ll pay you well to do it.”
Omar curled his lip. “No Deal”, he sneered. “I don’t know you, and I sure as shit don’t trust you.”
“I can give you $500 up front, as a token of intentions. Call it...A down payment”, Jake said.
Omar blinked. “Tell me why I want to do business with you. You’re nobody to us.”
“Look”, Jake said in a reasoning tone, “I know your group despises that place. So do I. I know all of you want revenge on that place, and the people who run it. So do I. I know none of you have ever gotten the respect you deserve from that place. Well, I haven’t either. I want to take that place down, and I want you to help me do it.”
Omar’s gaze bore steadily into Jake. “What about the Cops ?”, he asked.
Jake returned the gaze in kind. “They will be taken care of”, he said.
“How ?”, Omar grilled. “There has to be no interference.”
“Let’s just say....They will be otherwise occupied”, Jake replied.
Omar broke eye contact with Jake and flicked looks around to the other Townies who were milling about, listening closely. Then he returned his gaze to Jake.
“Three Grand”, Omar spoke, “And a Grand up front.”
Jake quickly calculated how much money he had in reserve in the safe-deposit box. “Agreed”, he said, “As long as my instructions are followed to the letter. We have a deal now ?”
There was silence as Omar stared at Jake. Seconds ticked off. “Deal”, Omar said at last. “When do we attack ? Soon ?”
“No”, Jake said. “Certain things have to be put in place before we can take over the School. My plan is for the night before Easter.”
“About a month away”, mulled Omar. “Enough time to be ready.”
Jake turned to the rest of the group. “Several of you have worked for me already, and every mission you undertook has been successful”, he said, “As long as you have followed the plan. This will be more of the same, only bigger in scope. Each one of you will be trained in the tasks that you will have to carry out. Do this the right way, and you will finally have your revenge on those scum of Bullworth Academy.”
There were cries of assent from the Townies, fresh hope that they would finally get to avenge themselves on that foul place they hated. Jake turned to go.
“Question”, Omar stopped him. “Did you have anything to do with those bombings over there last fall ?”
Jake just smiled. “Next time you see me, I’ll bring the down payment”, he said to Omar. With that, he mounted his stolen bike and left.
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-
At the front of the Police Station in Blue Skies was a drink machine, a rather strange place to put one of those. But point in fact, it was the only outdoor soda machine in all of Blue Skies. It’s location bore testament to the violent nature of the area, the only place deemed safe enough to protect the machine from being broken into and vandalized. Algie reflected on this as he drank one soda after another, trying to look inconspicuous while waiting on Jake (aka Ace Adams, aka Leo Cash) to conclude whatever he was doing with the Townies. He had no plan in mind other than following Jake at this point, for he was too much of a Chickenshit to confront him directly.
After what seemed a long time, Algie spotted Jake biking towards him from the vacant lot. He quickly squeezed himself onto the opposite side of the drink machine where it met the wall of the Police Station, trying to make himself a small as possible, which was in itself an impossible feat. Jake biked by, heading back North, seemingly unaware of Algie’s presence. When Algie looked around, Jake was receding down the street. As fast as his bulk would allow, Algie mounted his stolen bike and followed. He could just barely keep up as fast as Jake was going. Crossing the bridge, he could just make out Jake up ahead, turning left into the brick street.
As Algie finally reached the corner and went left around the building and onto the brick street himself, Jake was nowhere in sight. Straining his eyes, Algie started pedaling harder to try to catch up. Suddenly, another rider appeared at his side and a fist shot out, catching Algie on the side of the head and knocking him off the bike onto the dirt at the side of the road. Algie’s glasses sailed off his head and landed several feet away. The Rider skidded to a stop in front of Algie and dismounted.
“Why’re following me, Fatass ?”, Jake demanded.
“Ay...Yipe....”, Algie blubbered. “Where...Where’d you...Come from...?”
“Where do’ya think, Porky ?”, Jake jeered. “I seen you trailing me. Hid on the other side of that building. What the Hell do you want with me ?”
Algie struggled to get up. “I...I need your help, Ace.”
Jake planted a foot in Algie’s chest and shoved him back down. “How do you know me ?”
“Ace, it’s me, Algie !”, Algie gasped. “I got Weapons from you at your tent !”
“You must be thinking of some other Mother”, Jake spat, giving Algie a kick and stepping back. “I’m Leo Cash, Fool ! Got That ?”
Without his glasses, Algie’s vision was fuzzy at best. He coughed and managed to sit up as Jake was re-mounting his bike. “Wait !....I need....Weapons”, Algie choked out. “Please.....I have Money....” Algie pulled out a wad of bills from his pocket and showed them to Jake.
Astride the bike, Jake could only shake his head in disbelief. What a dumbass this kid was. He eyed the wad of money in Algie’s hand. He reflected that he would need some more income now, seeing as how he was going to lay out Three Grand to the Townies real soon.
“I can get you some Weapons”, Jake said. “Meet me tonight at Midnight at the Oil Spill Gas Station. It’s gonna cost you, big.” Jake faced the bike in the direction of Bullworth Town. “Oh, and some advice....People get robbed carrying that kind of scratch around. You oughtta put that in the Bank”, Jake said. “And don’t follow me no more. I won’t be so nice about it next time.”
With that, Jake rode off, leaving Algie to search in the dust for his glasses.
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A Prep delegation of Bryce and Chad, led by Bif, appeared at the front Gates of Spencer Mansion after classes the next day, seeking admittance. Justin, Parker, Gord, and a finally-healed Tad were in the yard on front of the house and, after some misgivings, consented to let them enter. The two groups faced each other across the driveway.
Gord spoke first. “What do you want, Chaps ?”
Bif looked around briefly and said, “Derby wants you all to return to Harrington House.”
“ALL of us ?”, Tad said rather pointedly.
“Yes...Everybody”, Bif responded. Tad’s group remained silent at this.
“Look”, Bif went on, “Derby is willing to admit he acted rather hastily. The pressures have gotten to him. He realizes that we all need to band together.”
“And just why is that, pray tell ?”, Justin jeered. “Can’t handle things by himself ?”
“No”, Bif said, not untruthfully. “Since his defeat in the Boxing Ring by the hands of that Pauper, he has been attacked twice and knocked out inside Harrington House.”
“Someone invaded the House ?”, asked Parker said, startled. “Who ?”
“The first time it was the Nerds, who backstabbed us on the Weapons agreement. Derby was alone and unarmed, and they shot him down with Spuds.”
Tad’s group was shocked to hear this, and if truth be told, just more than a little angry.
“The second time”, Bif continued, “An unknown group busted in, attacked us all, and stole two of our priceless Artifacts.”
“What Artifacts ?”, Tad asked, fearing the answer.
“The Two Shields”, Bif related, “One that was hanging over the entry doors, and the other hanging in the Arboretum.”
Tad concealed his utter shock at this bit of news, for only Tad alone knew of the special power of the Shields. Normally, the Clique leaders were told about the Shields by their outgoing predecessor, but that hadn’t been the case with Derby. The previous Prep Clique leader, Quinn Van Der Lay, had been expelled from the School under mysterious circumstances, and the position of Clique leader had been given to Derby, then a freshman, due in large part to his family’s connection to the School. Tad, who much more than the other Preps, frequented the Library, had come across Edward’s book, saw the bit about the Shield, and had gone to ask Quinn about it before his sudden departure. Quinn swore him to secrecy, telling him that the Shields were used in the old days of Bullworth Academy many years ago as defensive Weapons from attacks from the Jocks and Greasers, which took place quite often then. As the power balance gradually evened out, the Shields were no longer needed, and were mounted and hung in the House for a time that they might be needed again. Edward had never told Derby, who he considered an arrogant ass unfit to lead the Preps, the secret of the Shields. Among the Preps, only Tad had known the truth. Now, it appeared, so did others.
Tad’s group was outraged at the invasions on Harrington House, even though not understanding the full import of the theft of the Shields. Other questions remained, however, and Justin asked one. “How about the drugs that Derby was trying to take over ? We won’t be a party to that.”
“Russell was beaten in a Hole Fight by the same pauper that defeated Derby at the Glass Jaw”, Bif related. “They were made to give up dealing drugs on Campus. Derby has decided to drop the matter as it now serves us no purpose.”
“What about Gord ?”, Tad asked. “He comes back with no ill treatment ?”
Bif smiled. “Of course Gord is welcome back. Derby regrets having treated him so shabbily. His room is still waiting for him, and he will be treated just the same as any of us. Besides”, he added, “That....Vance fellow is no longer at the School....He seems to have disappeared and no one knows where he has gone.”
Gord was both dismayed and relieved to hear this news. It was true that he hadn’t seen Vance around School lately. Hiding his conflicting emotions, he asked an all-important question. “Why didn’t Derby come here to tell us this himself ?”
Bif shook his head. “Derby is a broken man”, he said sadly. “We have lost all respect. Others openly laugh at us and plot behind our backs. Derby was fearful that you would reject his attempt at reconciliation, so he sent me in his stead. The Preps right now are an utterly defeated lot, and Derby’s wish is for us all to regain the position we once held on Campus, as the true sons of Bullworth. Certainly, my brothers, you can see where we have to be united to become strong again once more, and to take our rightful place as the Academy’s elite, as is pre-ordained for us ? We are not Paupers ! We must take back our birthright !”
Bif’s rousing speech began to tip the balance of opinion. The Preps had indeed felt the pain of derision from those in the School whom they considered inferior, and longed for the days just recently past where they were accorded at least a measure of respect. Tad had a final question, however. “Just what does Derby plan to do now ?”, he asked.
“Derby’s only concern right now”, Bif related, “Is to rescue Pinky from those brainwashing scum down the street and drive them away of our neighborhood and out of our School. They don’t belong here. We need your help to do just that.”
All of the Preps muttered agreement at that. The Preps regarded the Rockers as interlopers at the school, and couldn’t understand how or why they were living in their ultra high-class neighborhood. There was to be payback for their actions against the Preps that was long overdue. In his heart, Tad secretly longed for revenge on Kurt for beating him within an inch of his life. And how he had convinced Pinky to move in with them was something that still mystified Tad. That Pinky must be returned was to Tad without question. When that happened, he would make Pinky his girl, and treat her like a Queen.
It was decided. Speaking for the group, Tad declared that they would return to Harrington Hall the following day after class. At that, Bif, Chad, and Bryce left through the Gates of Spencer House to report back to Derby.
Bif smirked as the group mounted their bikes to pedal back to School. Derby’s ruse had worked. Bif was sure that his continued loyalty to Derby would pay off in the future after School was done and earn him a high position in the Harrington Empire. In fact, he counted on it.
The future’s so bright, he reflected, I gotta wear shades.
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-
Pedro de la Hoya exited his room in the Boys Dorm and walked into the hallway. However, he was too busy reading a magazine on his way out to notice Trent walking in opposite direction. Their shoulders hit, and Pedro's shoulder was pushed back, due to Trent being far stronger.
"Hey! Watch where you're going !", said Pedro, now braver because of Trent's broken reputation.
"That's pretty daring coming from a fish like you !", said Trent, leaning his acne face to Pedro's. "I suppose you won't be so brave when you discover the beauties of 'shirts and skins' !"
"You're gonna show me that, queer ? You gonna get so smacked in the butt when I tell the Prefect on you !", said Pedro.
Trent didn't listen to more of Pedro's bullshit, he just punched him in the stomach and pushed him on the floor, then kicked him several times. Now too beaten to get up, Pedro crawled down the hall, until he crawled up into two legs. He looked up and saw Nick Penty.
"Looks like something happened here", said Nick with a dark smile on his face. Trent's face turned pale, but he didn't run just yet. "Didn't I promise you that we'll dance, Trent ? I'm going to fulfill that promise. I'm a boy of my word", Nick said with a grin.
He walked slowly to Trent and stopped just a yard distant, then suddenly spun and kicked him in the nuts.
"OWW, Goddamit !!!", Trent hollered.
"Not so pleasant when that happens to you, is it?", Nick asked.
Trent was bent in front of him, and Nick then kicked him in the face, resulting in Trent falling on his back. Now Trent's rage was bigger than fear. He stood up with the intention to fight. Nick slapped him, then backslapped him in the other cheek with his right hand. Disoriented, Trent fell to the floor and started to crawl away from Nick. Nick easily caught up to him and stepped on back of Bully's head, pressing his face to the floor.
"You were already getting on my nerves, Trent. I advise you to be careful when you're going against someone", Nick lectured.
Nick let him go, and Trent again started to crawl, somehow unable to get on his feet. Nick kicked him in stomach near the hip and when Trent rolled on his back again, Nick stepped on his throat lightly.
"And if they are a lot weaker than you, that doesn't mean you have to bully them", Nick said. "Do you understand ? Now get up", he added when Trent nodded. He then removed his foot off Trent's throat and blond boy stood up.
"I'm....Sorry...", Trent said obediently. Nick tapped him on the shoulder, and then decided to use a 'finishing move' he developed few days ago. Suddenly he tripped Trent with his right leg and while he was falling, smacked him in the face with left knee. Trent fell on the floor, knocked out.
"That was for offending my buddy Tony on the parking lot, Bitch", said Nick as he walked off to the Common Room.
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-
Christy Martin was getting ready for her big date with Bif. Although she had already been out with him for the Saturday afternoon movies, this was to be their first real nighttime date. Maybe he will ask me to be his girl tonight, she thought. For the first time in over a year, she tingled with anticipation. Ever since that mess last year, which involved Tom Gurney and Ricky Pucino, she had been very reluctant to get involved with any boys from Bullworth. Both Tom and Ricky were uncouth louts who were really interested in just getting in her pants, not having a real relationship. They even fought over her at one point, but neither boy gained an advantage over the other. Christy eventually became disgusted and told the both of them to bugger off. Incensed at being scorned, the boys had waged a vicious rumor campaign against her, spreading untrue stories and outright lies that they had had sex with her multiple times in many places in and around School, including on the tables at the School Cafeteria. When these false stories, which quickly became the talk of the School, reached the ears of Ms. Danvers and the School Administration, she was hauled into Dr. Crabblesnitch’s office and suspended, like Mandy had been earlier over that naked posters mess. The result was both girls had lost their senior credits and had to stay another year in this shithole.
It wasn’t like Christy was a prude....She had, for quite a time last year, been interested in Jimmy Hopkins. Jimmy would sweet talk her and put the make on her for kisses just about anywhere, and she would give in, even though she was a full head taller and two years older. Jimmy had a certain charm about him that in the old days would have been regarded as being a ‘Lady Killer’, a fellow who was irresistible to the ladies. After each of their make-out sessions, Christy would caution him with “Let’s not tell anyone”, and to his credit, Jimmy never did. However, the relationship had never really gotten any further than that, as Jimmy was smooching with a lot of other girls at the School, even the ones who had boyfriends, like Lola. In fact, Johnny Vincent had even fought him over it once. When Jimmy had beaten him, Johnny told him he could have Lola, which Jimmy refused. Jimmy was a player, pure and simple, and that was that. Until he met Zoe Taylor, that was. Everything changed in that boy’s world from that point on, it seemed. From then on, Jimmy followed Zoe around like a puppy. Christy couldn’t understand what he saw in her, but the fact that Zoe was streetwise might have had a lot to do with it.
But the fact was that none of the lies told about her was true. Far from it. Christy had never even had sex, despite what all those terrible rumors had implied. It had been ironic that Pinky and Lola, who had each been with God knew how many guys, were not ever suspended for 'Unladylike Behavior’, while she and Mandy (who had only ever been with Ted, as far as she knew) both were. This year, she had variously thought about Bryce the wrestler, and Nick the new boy, but neither had panned out....Bryce never returned her mild flirtations, and Nick had eventually been drawn to Melody. Christie sighed and kept messing with her hair in front of the mirror. Maybe she hadn’t gone after them hard enough, maybe had just been too afraid of having her already-battered reputation dragged through the mud again. She had shied away from really initiating relationships, from really using her personality, because she had been hurt....Not by unrequited love, but by the meanness of immature assholes who could only think with their peckers.
Christy had always been a friendly person. More than the other girls, she got along with just about anybody. She counted Mandy, Angie, Pinky, Karen, Melody, Gloria, and the now departed Lola and Beatrice as her friends. She even got along with that cow Eunice, whom she secretly suspected was a dyke. Sure, she had done her share of 'Girl Gossip’ about the boys with the others, and had even been somewhat of a rumor mill herself, passing on things she heard without stopping to know if they were true or not. She knew she was considered some kind of fluffhead, but she was a true Valley Girl and that would probably never change. All in all, though, she was never a vile or vindictive person like so many at this place seemed to be.
But it had still come as a surprise when Bif had approached her, sat down at her table and put the moves on her, after ignoring her for all the time they had gone to School together. She hadn’t known how to react to that, and had shied away. But Bif had been persistent, stopping to talk to her whenever he saw her, walking her to class, and asking to go out. At first confused about his attentions, she became flattered. And Bif was a gentleman, not pushing her into doing anything she wasn’t ready for, only going so far as some hot makeout kissing at the movies. Not like those other goons who could only paw at her and try to pull off her clothing by the dumpster at the Autoshop or behind the Dorm in that small space littered with trash. No, Bif had class.
And why not, she thought. Point in fact, she was possibly the best dressed and best looking girl at the School. She always wore pretty blouses and skirts, and her face was beautiful and pimple-free. Her long reddish hair was always stunning and smartly styled. She only wore a little touch of make-up, never to much to look trampish. She was, in fact, a fresh-faced all-American girl, well deserving of the attentions of such a worthy suitor, she told herself as she finished primping and headed off down the stairs of the Dorm, where Bif was waiting in an Aquaberry suit with a bouquet of flowers in his hand for her. Yes, very well deserving.
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Bif had arranged for a chaffered ride that was waiting in the front of the School. Although there were no Limos in the Vale Valley, the car was large and luxurious, with Tobias, who usually drove the School Bus, as the driver. Bif and Christy were whisked away to the Shea Lewis, a ritzy restaurant on the ground floor of the upscale Vale Hotel near the Aquaberry Clothing Store in Bullworth Vale.
After they were seated, Christy was presented with a menu filled with expensive exotic items, from Filet Mignon to Fontina Quesadillas. After perusing over what seemed to be absolutely delicious choices, Christy elected to order the Jumbo Chipolte Shrimp, while Bif ordered the New York Strip Steak plate . Christy was amazed at the rich decor of the restaurant, the fine outfits worn by the waiters, and the classy feel of the place, tastefully decorated with Mahogany wood and low, romantic lighting. As their meal progressed, Bif made small talk, telling Christy of his plans for the future after School, which included a mansion of his own and his ambition to head up a division of the large company his father was part owner of. For her part, Christy was dazzled by the food. She had never eaten such rich and tasty fare in all her life.
When their meal was finished, Bif escorted Christy back to the waiting car, and they were taken on a short ride around the Vale, winding up at the Beach House, where Bif dismissed the driver after giving him a generous tip. He then led Christy out on the dock to another surprise.....A small heated tent set up at the end of the dock with a clear plastic paneled view out into the lake. Two chairs sat, side by side, and Bif guided Christy to one and then sat down himself. Tripping an invisible panel under his chair, Bif set off a dazzling fireworks display hidden on the beach. Christy ooh’d and ahh’d as the bursting rockets lit up the starry night.
After an hour of exchanging kisses under the firework-lit skies, Bif led Christy into the Beach House, where another surprise awaited.....A large-screen TV was set up in the South-East corner, with a plush sofa in front of it. Shedding their jackets, Bif escorted Christy to a seat, then went to the bar to get them some mixed drinks. When he returned, he dimmed the lights and joined Christy on the sofa, triggering the remote to start a movie as he did so. Handing her her glass, he proposed, “A Toast...To Us.” They both drank up as the film started, a romantic tear-jerker about a man who searches for his lost love and finally finds her at the climax of the movie. Tears were leaking down Christy’s face at the movie’s end, when suddenly Bif went down on his knee before her. Startled, Christy could barely catch her breath as Bif began speaking.
“Christy, this is how I treat my Queen. Would you do me the honor of being my Girl ?” Bif held his hand out, revealing a dazzling chain-link bracelet which had engraved on it, 'Queen Christy’. Overwhelmed, Christy extended her arm and Bif clasped the bracelet to her wrist.
“Oh, Bif”, she said in a shaky voice, “Of course I’ll be your Girl !!” At that, she threw her arms around him and they engaged in a deep, sensual, French kiss that seemed to go on for a long time. Bif picked Christy up and took her across the room to the bed, where he gently laid her and began removing her clothes, and then his own.
Christy’s head was spinning with joy and happiness, as Bif lay down with her, and soon they were engaged in a lovemaking rhythm as old as time. Bif soon found out that the rumors he had heard about Christy were untrue after all. He was her first. In the dim light of the room, their pleasure went on all night.
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-
The van pulled up to the entry of Bullworth Academy and stopped. The passenger door opened, and a boy stepped gingerly to the pavement. After a brief exchange with the driver, he closed the door and the van moved off, leaving him alone. He made his way towards the front entryway, walking slowly with a very pronounced limp. I’ve picked a real good day to return, he thought wirily, The Ides Of March. How Appropriate.
With painful slowness, he walked towards the School building. The grounds looked deserted on this sunny mid-morning, no Students were out and about. He stopped to rest before the school, then thought the better of trying to tackle the front steps leading up to the building. Instead, he decided to make his way around to the Gym. As he limped past the Library, he took a look in that direction to assure himself it was still there. Nobody was in sight and he moved on.
At the Quad in back, it was also strangely silent and devoid of people, Students and Prefects alike. He managed to mount the few steps to the Fountain, and stopped for another break. Peering out towards Harrington House, he finally did see someone. Up by the stone pillars in front of the House, he spotted what looked like Edward the Prefect, standing rock still and staring up at Harrington House. After a few minutes, he moved on, leaving the Fountain behind and Edward still unmoving. The Prefect seemed awfully focused on something, but he didn’t really give a shit. Prefects were a weird lot anyway.
By the time he reached the Gym doors, he was limping quite badly. Two months in an induced coma followed by six months of intense rehab tends to do that to a person, and even though he had trained for this very day, his return to Bullworth, it was still as difficult and exhausting as climbing the mountains ringing the Vale Valley would be for a normal person. Opening the Gym door, he went in.
Once inside, he surveyed the the Gym floor with disappointment. It was empty. He was hoping to catch his brother here. Making his way over towards the path that led to the steps down to the locker room, he was forced to take a seat on the bleachers for another rest. If tired too long, his legs would fail to work and he would go down in a heap until they revitalized. As he sat on the bleachers, he took a look around the old Gym. He was looking off to his left when a section of bleacher out of his line of vision noiselessly opened, and Kirby emerged. Spotting the back of the head of the stranger in his Gym, Kirby crept closer.
“Time For Your Poundcake !!”, Kirby yelled, drawing back his fist. As the black kid sitting on the bleacher turned toward him, Kirby’s face changed in an instant from that of a warrior to undisguised shock.
“Lance !! Is that YOU ?”, Kirby said in disbelief, dropping his arm.
“Hey, Kirbs, man it’s good to see you !”, Lance smiled.
“Whoa, how’d you get here, I mean....Where’d you come from ? We thought you was....”, Kirby stammered, and then stopped.
“Crippled ?”, Lance said. “Fucked Up ?”
“Uh....Well, yeah”, Kirby said, a little embarrassed. “We heard you was, like....”
“Never gonna walk again ?”, supplied Lance.
“Um...Yeah, that”, Kirby finished lamely.
Lance uttered a short laugh. “I almost was a total wreck. It took a lotta time for me to get some feeling back into my legs. When I did, I kept working at it. I still wanna be on the Team with you guys someday. Maybe I can try out next season, if I continue to improve. Doctors said I gotta chance for a recovery, won’t never be a 100%, but maybe I can still Quarterback someday. Long as I don’t get hit too much, that is”, he added.
“Hey, that’s awesome, man”, said Kirby. “You seen Bo yet ?”
“Naw, I haven’t”, Lance said. “Fact, where is everybody ? It’s like a Ghost Town out there.”
“They’re all at some assembly or somptin like that, at the Auditorium”, Kirby said. “The Admin is gettin’ all up in arms about the ‘Violence At The School’ again, so they made everybody go to some kinda ‘Intervention Session’ to straighten ‘em out. Either that or do detentions.”
“Why ain’t you there ?”, Lance asked.
“Coach said I don’t hafta go”, Kirby replied.
“How come ?”, Lance asked. “Don’t you still Poundcake ?”
“It’s...Uh...A long story”, Kirby said. “I don’t even bunk with the guys anymore. I stay under the bleachers now.” Kirby pointed to the gull-wing doorway where he had exited the bleachers. “There was a....Little trouble....”
“Maybe have something to do with you and Trent ?”, Lance asked with a sly look.
Kirby’s face registered astonishment. “You....You know about....That ?”
“Sure, I seen you two hanging around all the time over by the movie theater. Kinda hard to miss”, Lance said.
But...But....How ?, Kirby stammered. “We never saw you anywhere around !”
“Oh, don’t look so surprised. Nobody ever notices an underclassman”, Lance said. “Now do they ?”
“No...I guess not”, Kirby said sheepishly. Both boys laughed at that.
After a pause, Kirby turned serious. “Uh....They ever catch whoever....Umm...Did that to you ?”
“No, but I remember who it was now”, Lance said quietly. “It was those Punks.”
“Punks ?” A shiver ran along Kirby’s spine. “Sid and his Gang ?”
“Yeah”, Lance said quitely. “Took me a while to remember. They jumped me behind that walled-in area behind the Happy Diner. I tried to fight back, but......” Here Lance’s voice trailed off.
“Whoa, that’s heavy”, Kirby said. “Are the Cops even lookin’ for them ?”
“I never told anyone”, Lance said, and his voice grew stronger. “That’s why I came back. I’m gonna find those Motherfuckers and make them pay for what they done to me.”
“That’s a tall order, little friend”, Kirby said, shaking his head. “Geezh, the Punks....”
The Punks were a group of way older guys, older than even the Townies. They were universally hated by everyone, especially the Townies, who outnumbered them by more than two to one. The Punks were huge drug users to the point of addiction, and were ruthless to any opponent they faced, be it the street-tough Townies or little old ladies they robbed for drug money. The Punks were rumored to hole up in caverns in the Northern mountains where the rail spur cut through into Western New Coventry. They were experts in staying hidden, venturing out late at night under cover of darkness to attack any hapless citizen they found along a dark street or alleyway. Sid himself was the Vale Valley’s public enemy number one, although the inept Cops had very little chance of ever catching him, or any of the Punks for that matter. They were often gone for months at a time, and the speculation was that they would slip into other communities and wreak their havoc before returning to their haunts, although no one really knew for sure.
“With some help, I could take them down, I’m sure of it”, Lance said, resolutely. “That’s where you guys come in. With Weapons, and maybe a sneak attack, we could catch them unawares.”
Kirby shook his head. “That sounds like a tough job, if it’s even possible. You’d have to talk to Ted. He could probably tell you better than I could. I’m sure the guys will help, if they could.”
“That’s what I’m here for. I coulda waited till next year, but I wanna get them now.” Lance paused for a minute. “I’ve missed so much. Maybe....You could catch me up on all the stuff that’s happened since I been gone ?”
Kirby exhaled. “Whoo....Where to start ? I guess at the start of the School year.....” And with that, Kirby began relating to Lance of all the events of Bullworth....The Bombings, the Clique wars, the Attacks, the Valentine’s Bloodbath, all of it. Lance would interrupt to ask questions here and there. Still, it would take the rest of the morning and all afternoon to tell the tale, up until the time the afternoon bell rang.
_____________________________________________________________
-
Tony had managed to free Fatty of any trouble with Dr. Crabblesnitch involving the football incident. Tony had confessed that it was his idea to play sports outside on the School Patio, and Tony was let off with a warning. Fatty thanked Tony for helping him out, but still couldn't manage to completely get over what had happened as a result of Tony's game of catch. Fatty was now the laughing stock of the School at the hands of the Jocks.
Tony's next idea was to try and get the Preps and Greasers to associate a little more and perhaps relieve a little tension between the two groups. This plan involved getting a Prep to go with him over to the Auto Shop and allow a Prep to help Peanut fix one of their prized bikes. This idea was perfect. The Preps would learn a little about getting down and dirty and learn some mechanical skills to boot. For the Greasers, this would be a chance to see that the Preps weren't such douchebags after all. Tony already had Peanut's approval, even though he had to push and prod him. Now all Tony needed was to find a willing Prep.
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-
At Shinjo’s Restraunt, Pinky and Christy were having their weekly meeting. Christy was gushing about Bif, showing off the expensive bracelet that Bif had gotten her, and about her first sexual experience.
“Oh, it was just Wonderful !”, Christy said, while describing her evening to Pinky, who had smiled knowingly as Christy told her of dinning at Shea Lewis. Pinky had been there many times with Derby herself. Derby had also gotten her a lot of expensive trinkets over time, for that was how the Prep mind worked....They used their family’s money to buy everything, from their flashy rides to their women. Pinky didn’t say any of those things to Christy, however, not wanting to cast anything negative on Christy’s excitement.
“It was soooo romantic”, Christy went on, describing the fireworks show Bif had arranged for her and the screening of the movie at the Beach House which led to proposal to be his girl. Pinky’s interest was piqued when Christy told of how Bif carried her to the bed and how gentle he seemed as they began their encounter. Pinky had never had any desire to have sex with Bif, who always seemed cold and standoffish to her. Bif himself had always acted as Derby’s Consigliere, taking care of the behind-the-scenes dirty work that Derby in his arrogance felt was beneath him. He also acted as Derby’s unofficial bodyguard, although Derby was well able to take care of himself in a fight.
Pinky was surprised as Christy related how tender Bif seemed to be with her. Derby’s style of lovemaking had always been hard and rough, arrogant to match the rest of his personality. The only other Prep that she had been with was Tad, who was mediocre and clumsy in the sack. Tad, however, was the only Prep who had the balls to make a move on her. All the other Preps were far too afraid of Derby to risk that.
As a point in fact, Pinky had been with three non-Prep boys already....Kurt, whom she was with now, and Tony that one time. She had secretly longed for a relationship with Tony, but because of that little ugly bitch Karen, that was not to be. Last year, she had carried on a long-standing affair with Jimmy Hopkins right under everyone’s nose. That is, until, Zoe Taylor came into the picture. She mentally sighed as she listened to Christy prattle on. True, she was with Kurt now, but how long would would that last ? They were from such different worlds, after all. And there was a deep rage inside Kurt that she couldn’t identify, a troubled part of his past that he repressed. Their lovemaking was intense, perhaps for that very reason. How long, she wondered, before Kurt conquered his inner demons and didn’t need her either ?
Pinky tucked the straw between her lips and sucked the last of her drink as she listened to Christy finish her story. It was late in the afternoon, and time for her to be getting back to the house, she knew. Suddenly she had an Idea.
“Christy, come back to the house with me”, she said.
“What ? Are you sure ?”, Christy said, startled.
“Sure, it’ll be fun”, Pinky replied. “I can introduce you to everybody. They’re really nice.”
“Not all Wolves, are they ?” Christy said, and both girls giggled at that.
Together, they left Shinjo’s and climbed the stairs to the pathway that led to the winding Vale Valley Road.
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Pedro De La Hoya was in the Boys' Dorm yard after the afternoon classes, kicking a soccer ball into the concrete wall right of the entrance to the yard. He was alone, mumbling quietly to himself about how he wanted to leave the School and go back to his mother. The reason for this occurred when he came back to the Dormitory from Geography Class and found his bed wet. It was not water on it, but urine. During the times Jimmy Hopkins was in the Academy, he forbid bullying the weak kids, and Pedro was one of them. However, ever since Jimmy left, it seemed to Pedro it like he was picked on the most.
Sitting on the Dorm steps, Nick Penty was watching him, holding a can of cola in his hands. He was feeling sorry for the boy. He normally wouldn't care, but Pedro wasn't some fat assholish Nerd, he was a kid who didn't deserve to be bullied. Because of his weak build and lack of strength, he was the Bullies' favorite target, which was something Nick decided not to stand anymore. He stood up and pitched away the empty can and went over to Pedro.
"Hey kid", he said, not knowing what else to say.
"Hey", Pedro replied, without looking at Nick. "If you’re thinking to give me a wedgie, Indian burn or a hertz doughnut then go ahead. I already had enough trouble today so I won't mind."
"Nah, I'm not into picking on weak kids", Nick replied with a smile.
"So you think I'm weak, huh ?", asked Pedro, finally making eye contact with Nick.
"I do, and we gotta do something about it", Nick said.
"We?", Pedro asked quizzically.
"Listen, you gotta get stronger. Gotta show those who pick on you that you're not to be messed with. They won't go easy on you if you're weak, because they're never gonna feel sorry for you.", Nick said.
"I don't know. You're a bully too", said Pedro breaking the eye contact. "You do nothing but fighting."
"Maybe, but I beat those who deserve to be beaten", Nick said. "I beat those who challenge me, thinking they can beat me. I just show them they can't. When I came here, Bullies wanted to rip my throat out, so I had to teach 'em a little lesson. Now, you have to do that and I will help you with that."
"That's useless", said Pedro. "I'll never be able to beat them myself."
"Come on", Nick said. "I'll teach you a thing or two out there in the Lot behind the old Bus."
They went to the area where the old Hobo used to reside in before mysteriously disappearing, and unused since Jake had used it as a hideout. The Hobo, whose name was Grant, was at first made fun of by all the Students from the Academy until Dr. Crabblesnitch, who was strangely protective of the Hobo, declared that anyone who mocked the Hobo would be punished. One morning a Prefect came to give him some food but didn't find him. Interesting rumors were coming from the next-door Greasers, as Hal Esposito claimed to have seen the Hobo getting abducted by Aliens. This was dismissed as ridiculous, however, and no one believed him. Strangely, Jimmy Hopkins had also seen a beam of light drawing Mr. Grant the Hobo up into to the sky that evening from the Front Quad of the School, but had never told anybody.
Nick explained to Pedro some stuff about fighting and told him that he was gonna be able to beat the crap out of Bullies who pissed on his bed.
"First, before you learn some moves, I want you to work on your strength. 20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, we’ll find a tree for pull-ups, and after that, you're gonna run a bit”, Nick instructed.
"Oh man!", groaned Pedro, but proceeded to work out.
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In the fading light of day, Algie received his Weapons from a smirking Jake, aka Leo Cash, in the alleyway behind the Bank by the Oil Spill Gas Station in exchange for $ 500. As Jake pocketed the money, he asked Algie just what he needed Weapons for.
“After all, you live at the Carnival now”, he joked. “What’cha gonna do ? Shoot some Midgets ?”
“Oh, No !”, exclaimed Algie, not getting the joke. “I got some...Er...Unfinished business to take care of.”
“And just what would that be ?”, asked Jake, mildly curious.
“Maybe you don’t know because you’re new here, Leo”, Algie began, “But somebody blew my nut off while I was sleeping at the Dragon’s Wing one night.”
“I heard something about that”, Jake, aka Leo Cash said, keeping a straight face, but inside he was screaming with laughter at the memory. “Heard they arrested the Store Owner, didn’t they ?”
“Yeah, but he didn’t do it !”, Algie said with sudden ferocity. “He wouldn’t ! He was my Friend, and a friend to all Nerds ! Those Cops are stupid Poo-Poos. They never even looked for the real criminal that did this to me !”
“So, what are you gonna do about it now ?”, asked Jake nonchalantly. “Heard you already bushwhacked most of them over at the School, right ?”
“Well, yeah”, Algie said miserably, “But not all of them. Some of them weren’t there. I bet I still didn’t get whoever attacked me.”
Jake watched blandly while Algie checked the Weapons he had brought him and tucked them away. A small glimmer of an Idea was forming in his mind. As Algie was finishing concealing his new Weapons, Jake broached what he had been thinking.
“I think I can help find out who your attacker was”, Jake said blithely, “For a price, of course.”
Algie looked up, startled. “How’s That ? You weren’t even here when....”
Jake cut him off. “I been here longer than you think. That doesn’t matter, though.” He pointed his arm in the direction of the School. “They all hate you there now, Don’t they ? Even your own people.”
Algie stared, then nodded sadly. “I did what I had to do.”
“They don’t understand that, do they ?”, Jake continued.
Algie shook his head slowly. “No”, he whispered. “They don’t.....”
Jake turned and faced away, looking pensive. “All those months of suffering, knowing you would never be the same”, he said. “They...Your FRIENDS....Don’t get that.”
Algie stood as if in a trance, saying nothing in his misery of remembrance.
“But I get it”, Jake said softly. “You need....Vindication.”
Algie slowly nodded. “Yes”, he said, almost mechanically. “.....Vindication.”
“When the truth is revealed, there will be understanding”, Jake went on, turning back as he did so. “I can make that happen for you. Do you believe me ?”
“Yes”, Algie breathed, wanting to believe.
“Good.” Jake walked a few paces away, and stopped. “My price is....You will join my little operation I have planned. Carry out an assignment with no questions, and....” Jake paused for dramatic effect. “......And I will personally bring your attacker to you to face his justice.”
Algie’s mind fumbled. “You....You can do that ?”
Jake hid a smirk that Algie couldn’t see. “I can do that.”
“Then....”, Algie’s voice grew stronger, “I Agree ! I Agree, Brave Knight !”
Jake waved his hands. “I’m not a Knight. But understand this.....Cross me and you will pay Big.” He turned fully to face Algie once more. “Do we have a deal ?”
“Yes....A Deal”, Algie said steadily.
“Good. Now leave me”, Jake said in a dismissive manner. “I’ll contact you when I need your services.”
“But...”, Algie said, “How will you know....”
“I know where to find the Beardless Fat Man”, Jake said, and smiled an evil smile. “Don’t worry about that.”
Algie recoiled slightly at the wicked look on Jake’s face, made more so by the lengthening shadows. Without another word, he mounted his stolen bike and pedaled away. He couldn’t escape the feeling that Leo seemed so familiar somehow. As he rounded the corner and went out of sight, Algie suddenly shuddered. He hoped that he just hadn’t made a deal with the Devil.
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-
Pinky stopped at the Gate to Hattrick House and fished in her purse. Christy watched as she pulled a giant old-style key out of her bag and inserted it into the ancient-looking lock of the Gate, turning it with effort until an audible click sounded in the cool darkening air.
Christy helped Pinky push the Gate open, then close and re-lock it once they were inside the grounds. Pinky said apologetically, “Sorry for all the hoopla, the boys are just a bit touchy about security lately.”
“Halt ! Who goes there ?”, came a rather bemused voice from up along the long porch.
“Just us Girls !”, Pinky called gaily, mounting the steps, followed by Christy. “I’ve brought a guest !”
Winkie walked down the length of the porch to investigate. He was carrying a Spud Gun, and a Bottle-Rocket Launcher was hanging from his hip. “I knew it was you”, he said, eyeing the two beautiful girls in front of him. “Who’s the Beauty with you ?”, he grinned.
“Oh, you Silly”, laughed Pinky. “This here is Christy, my friend from School. I invited her for a visit.”
“Well”, Winkie drawled, “I recon it’ll be allright with Kurt. Fine-looking girls are always welcome here at Casa Rocker.” As he spoke, he eyed Christy with growing interest. “My name’s Winkie, by the way.”
Christy blushed on hearing Winkie’s complements. She shot a shy look at Winkie. He as a big fellow, a little on the pudgy side, but seemed to have a cat-like movement of ease. His face radiated a sense of laid-back good cheer. She could easily be attracted to him, if it wasn’t for....Well, if she wasn’t with Bif. But, she had seen him before, she suddenly recalled. Earlier in the year, at School, in the hallway. “Hi, I’m Christy”, she said, feeling tongue-tied for lack of anything else to say.
“That’s what she said”, laughed Winkie, and then, the ice was broken. Both girls laughed too.
Winkie gallantly opened the front door, and Pinky and Christy entered the house. Inside, Pinky made the round of introductions to the others sitting in various spots in the living room....Bonz, Jero, and Grungy. The Girls then headed into the kitchen, where Tibo was seated at the table, finishing up the remains of what looked to be a prime cut of steak.
“Hiya, Pinks !”, he greeted. “Want some eats ? Still some of this left in the skillet.”
“No, that’s alright”, Pinky said. “We ate at Shinjo’s. Tibo, this is Christy. Christy, Tibo.”
Tibo measured Christy with a calculating look. “Hey there Christy. Welcome to the house.”
“Nice to meet everyone here”, said Christy politely. Tibo got up from the table, having finished his meal, and began clearing his dishes, going over to the sink to drop them off.
“This isn’t everyone”, Pinky remarked, watching Tibo. “Where’s Kurt ? Upstairs as usual ?”
“Yeah”, Tibo said, turning from the sink. “He’s upstairs with Benny, still messing with that Radio. Guess that’s where I’m headed.”
“Oh, you boys and your toys”, Pinky remarked in jest.
“Gotta keep the Castle safe”, Tibo said as he left the kitchen.
“Radio ?”, Christy asked, after Tibo had left the room.
“Oh, just a thing Benny found in the trash and fixed up”, Pinky said, making a face. “Can you imagine, dragging in stuff from the trash. Boys will be boys, I suppose.” Pinky wasn’t about to reveal what she had heard on that particular trash radio to Christy. She had a feeling that Kurt wouldn’t want any outsiders to know about that. “Com’on, let’s sit and have some hot Coca.”
Pinky went and busied herself at the stove, heating up water for the Coca. Christy sat, watching her. “Why, I didn’t know you knew how to do stuff like that”, she remarked.
“Yeah, I’ve become the real Sally Homemaker”, Pinky laughed. “I can even cook !”
“What ? You ?”, Christy said in mock disbelief.
“Oh, Yeah. Not too good, yet, but I’m learning !” Pinky poured the powder and hot water into some mugs, stirred them, and dropped some Marshmallows into the cups. Carefully, she brought them to the table. “Here, try this.”
Christy sipped her Coca and found it to be absolutely delicious. Pinky went on, “I can clean house too ! Got to, with all these slobs here.”
Christy just couldn’t picture Pinky cleaning house. “Things have changed, I guess”, she said wirily.
“For the both of us”, Pinky said. “Could you ever imagine that this would have happened so fast ?”
Both girls talked long after, until late into the evening. Christy finally noticed the time, and made to leave. On her way out, Winkie offered to walk her back to the School. Taking a look at the dark streets beyond the house, Christy accepted. It would not do for a proper lady to be un-escorted at this time of night, and more and more, Christy was definitely feeling like a lady these days. Besides, this Winky was a real likeable guy. He would keep her safe.
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In the hidden cave, Zoe and Jimmy lay in a pleasantly exhaustive tangle of arms and legs. The stove was burning down the rather large load that had been put there earlier, still casting a warm glow into the far recesses of the cave. Zoe snuggled next to Jimmy as they began to talk.
“I got to get back soon”, Zoe said breathlessly.
“You hearing anything new over there ?”, Jimmy asked.
“Only that the Preps got back together”, Zoe related. “Tony seems to think they’re up to something.”
“Oh, Gee”, Jimmy jibed, “What couldn’t the Preps be up to ? Their Daddies own the place. They can do just about what they want, what more do they need ?”
“Tony’s not sure. Hell, I’m not sure, but they’re behind you getting busted and trumped up on fake charges. Does Derby know what his Father knows ? That you’re free ?” Zoe pushed up on one elbow. “You know what we oughtta do ? Spy on the Old Man ! Break into Harrington Mansion and find out what’s going on !”
Jimmy’s eyebrows went up. This was something he hadn’t considered. Maybe some secrets still lay inside the Wolf’s Lair. Jimmy had turned over the most damaging File to Pete shortly before he was arrested without fully understanding it’s contents. All he really remembered was a bunch of strange-sounding names linked with dollar amounts that made his eyes watery. Pete, though, was bright. Pete would have understood. But maybe it wasn’t enough. Maybe there was more, buried in the depths of Mr. Harrington’s home office.
Jimmy grabbed Zoe’s head and kissed her. “Babe, that is a great idea. We can do it just like we busted into Spencer Warehouse.”
“Only this time, we don’t vandalize anything”, Zoe said, “Just an in-and-out, Ninja suits and all. And it will have to be on a night when nobody’s there....Oh, and there’s probably an alarm system, but I can take care of that.....”
As the moon rose high, on through the late night, they planned their little escapade.
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-
“Arrrgh ! This is driving me Crazy !” Tony fumed, staring at the wall chart in his small office.
Karen was seated on the desk, legs crossed, trying to strike a sexy pose, which obviously wasn’t distracting Tony much. Or at all. With a sigh, she slid off the desk and came over by his side. She glanced up at the jumble of names, places, events, and lines criss-crossing the chart. “Maybe there’s just too much here”, she soothed. “All these connections....”
“It’s like the world’s biggest Soap Opera”, Tony said dejectedly. “I’m not any further along on this than I was a month ago.”
Karen studied the chart intently for a few moments. An idea took root slowly as she scanned up and down and from side to side. It wasn’t what was on the chart....It was what was missing. “Tony.....Why are those Rocker boys living in that expensive house over at the Vale ?”
Tony looked up and squinted then at Karen. “Crabblesnitch is putting them up there, cause...I guess, the problems they had with them early in the School Year. Least, that’s my understanding.”
“That’s a mighty fancy place”, Karen went on. “Who’s paying for that ? I remember when Mr. Hattrick first got fired, he couldn’t afford to keep the house, and had to give it back to the Bank.”
“So, if the Bank owns it.....?”, Tony said slowly.
“Right, who’s paying the mortgage ?”, Karen finished. “I wonder why Dr. Crabblesnitch didn’t buy the place, after all he fired Mr. Hattrick.”
“But Hattrick is still here”, Tony said.
“From what we heard, Mr. Hattrick filed a Lawsuit against the School, and they were forced to give him his job back in the settlement”, Karen related.
“But....Not his house”, Tony mulled.
“No....And I don’t have any idea where he lives now”, Karen said.
It suddenly occurred to Tony that outside of Ms. Phillips, who bunked in the Girl’s Dorm, he didn’t know where ANY of the Teachers lived off-Campus. He shook his head. Problem for another time, perhaps.
“Pete once told me that the Harringtons and Spencers control everything here”, he said, “And that would mean....Even the Bank, or whoever runs the Bank....”
“Maybe they run the Bank”, Karen ventured. “Maybe....”
“Maybe, Crabblesnitch was told to put them up there....”, Tony went on.
“....By the Harringtons”, Karen finished. They both stared at each other.
“What...Uh...Do the Harringtons have to do with the Rockers ?”, Tony wondered. Or more specifically, Kurt, he thought, since Kurt’s File was also missing out of all those he and Jimmy had gone through in the secret cavern.
Karen had returned to studying the chart. “And another odd thing....Jake is hooked up to all these bad things....Bombs, shootings, thefts....And yet, the Cops haven’t even found him yet...”
Tony made a smirk face. “Jake seems to be a master of disguise. We already know he was at the Carnival, extorting money and selling weapons over that fake terrorism thing, posing as ‘Ace Adams’.....But after that, he seems to have melted into the pavement. Until he showed up and rigged all those blood balloons, and then shot me.”
“I think....”, Karen said, meditatively, “We need to find out where he came from. I mean, he just showed up here over last Summer, and by the time School started, he was already running those clothing scams. It’s like, he got a lot of power awfully quick....”
“Jake and Pete were the first ones I really talked to when I first came here”, Tony recalled. “Jake showed me around almost like he owned the place. Pete didn’t seem to know that much about him, though. I never found a File on him in Pete’s stuff.”
“Pete was new to being the Mediator, then too. And Jake really wasn’t in School all that long, only about 6 weeks from the time classes started”, Karen added. “Pete may not have had time to collect any information on him.”
“Still, you would think that there would have to be a record of him somewhere....” Tony trailed off, thinking. He had already apprised Dr. Crabblesnitch of Jake’s actions, to which the Headmaster has expressed the appropriate outrage. But that was as far as it went, it seemed. Crabblesnitch had given him no information at all about Jake, not even, Tony realized, his last name. He assumed that Crabblesnitch would pass along what Tony told him to the Police, and possibly Mr. Harrington. Now, he wasn’t so sure.
“I don’t suppose anybody here knew much about him, either”, Tony said to Karen.
“Nobody I know of”, Karen said, and shivered. “All I know, is he gave all us girls the creeps. Just like Gary Smith.”
“Really”, Tony said, curiously. A glimmer of a idea formed in his mind. “Karen”, he said, turning and taking her by the arms, “Tell me all you know about Gary Smith.”
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Jake watched the Townies go through their training moves in the empty lot near the Chem Plant with a critical eye. He had been coming here often, trying to whip them into some semblance of fighting shape. Jake knew that the Townies could easily beat the Nerds, and had pounded down the Bullies with relative ease. He was more concerned about the other Cliques.....The Townies were on an equal footing with the Greasers, they both had sort of a hostile unwilling truce in New Coventry, where both groups co-existed. He was unsure of how they would fare against the Preps. But definitely, they had gotten their asses kicked the last time they tangled with the Jocks. And they had to be tough enough to handle them all.
Jake’s master plan was to make a frontal stealth attack on the School, a surprise assault late at night, and quietly deal with each Clique one at a time, subdue them and move on. Timing would be critical, and they couldn’t afford to take many losses before they had to go up against the tougher Cliques. Most of the Townies had been accepting of his plans, but Jake knew that some of them were a bit whacked out in the head and the urge to go Rogue....Off on their own....Would be strong. This is what the repetitious training was all about, to get it into their minds that everyone must stick to the plan in order for it to succeed.
Jake was no stranger to street fighting himself. In his past, he had been involved in plenty of altercations in the slummy Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood where he had grown up without a Father. The law of the street there was eat or be eaten. His Gang Leader’s instructions had to be followed to the letter to avoid being rubbed out. There was no quarter given. You either lived to fight another day, or wound up on a slab at the City Morgue, to be buried as just another defeated street tough in the Charity Cemetery at Potter’s Field.
In the mild early-spring air, Jake watched the Townies go through their paces with jabs, feints, kicks, and hip throws, each paired up with one doing aggressive moves and the other doing defensive moves. Although Jake planned to equip them with Weapons, it would be far better to take over the weaker Cliques with hand-to-hand combat and subdue them, as not to alert any of the other Cliques as to what they were up to. If it worked smoothly, the School would be taken over before anyone knew what exactly had happened.
Jake walked up and down the line, observing the Townies, stopping to give an instruction or two here and there. It was a bit more than two weeks until the planned attack, and Jake felt that they just might be ready by then....Might. Jake sighed to himself as he watched them. He would ready them as much as he could before the attack. It would have to do.
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Tony had promised Peanut that he would find a Prep by that afternoon to bring down to the Auto Shop. While a little hesitant, Peanut agreed to allow for a Prep to engage in their activities mostly to show off and look superior with his mechanical skills, and less as a way to get along with the rich punks. Tony arrived at the Harrington House to find the Preps just bumming around and making small talk with fellow members. Apparently they were still mad about their shields being stolen.
When Tony spoke up and asked the crowd for a willing volunteer to learn how the Greasers live, much chatter began to sound among the Preps. There seemed to be a lot of hesitation on this side as well. The Preps had little to no interest in getting dirty fixing bikes. Finally, Chad bravely stepped forward and volunteered. "Great, Thanks Chad.", said Tony in a polite voice. Tony and Chad made their way towards the Auto Shop.
As they passed the fountain, Chad asked the all important question, "What exactly am I going to be doing ?"
"Well, that's up to Peanut and the others I guess", replied Tony.
When the pair made it to the shop, Peanut welcomed Tony in, and took one look at Chad. "Oh...Uh...Hey there", he said nervously.
Peanut lead the two boys through the noisy Shop, they passed a few cars and eventually came to a blue bicycle with white flames painted on the frame. "This here is Lefty's prized bike. We's gots to fix it up and get it on the road again", Peanut explained.
Chad looked at the bike, a little confused, and began to ask a question. "What's wrong with it ? It looks fine to me."
Peanut couldn't believe the level of ignorance. "Fine ? Fine ? Just look at that chain !...And that wheel ! It needs a good alignment !", shouted the Greaser.
"Dude, just relax, he's here to learn.", said Tony as he stepped in to act as peacemaker. Peanut settled down and walked over to the tool bench. He grabbed a box of wrenches and screw drivers and sat down with Chad. Peanut gave Chad some tools and began showing him where to begin on the bike. Tony smiled to himself as he observed the work he had done.
Chad learned fast. It was not long before Peanut didn't have to give instruction anymore. "Okay, Hero. Looks like you's got this covered. Just replace that chain for me", Peanut said in a friendly tone. The Greaser approached Tony and began to praise Chad's work, even admitting that maybe he was wrong about those guys. Peanut decided to let Chad finish up and told him to go wheel the bike into Lefty's work station when he was done.
It only took about half an hour and Chad emerged from behind the work station. "All set !", Chad said happily, as he strode past Tony and Peanut.
"Hey, Com'ere", Peanut motioned with his hand. "You’re not such a bad guy, maybe we could get the boys together tomorrow of something ?"
"Now see, that's a great idea !", replied Tony. The boys said goodbye to each other as Tony and Chad walked back to the Harrington House. Tony thanked Chad before departing for the Dorm, but little did he know what Chad had done to Lefty's bike. Chad had become so skilled with the tools that he switched out the electric-blue handles with hot-pink ones. Chad had also attached streamers and a face plate with a pink pony on the front.
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-
When Lefty returned later that day and saw his bike, he freaked. “WHO THE HELL BEEN MESSIN’ WITH MY RIDE ?”, he yelled loudly.
Peanut appeared and ran over to him, with the other Greasers following. “Nobody been messin’.....We had a Prep over to fix it up for you, sorta an exchange program, see ?”
“What’s with all the Racket, Jacket ?”, Hal spoke up.
“Yeah, why be Rude, Dude ?”, chimed in Lucky.
“WHY ? WHY ? Look at THIS !!”, Lefty shouted, and pulled the bike out and turned it around for all to see. “I’m gonna STOMP Somebody !”
At the sight of the front of the bike, the Greasers looked on with their mouths open. Then, just as if someone pulled a switch, they burst into gales of uncontrollable laughter. Within seconds, they were fighting for breath with tears streaming down their cheeks, howling and pointing at the front of Lefty’s ‘Re-Decorated’ bike. Holding their sides, they fell to the floor, unable to stop.
“Ohhh....Ohhh.....My RIBS !”, Guffawed Ricky.
“Too...Funny.....Oh, SHIT !”, Peanut screeched.
Lefty stood there, his face turning red with embarrassment. “Youse Guys SUCK !”, he said in a hurtful tone, throwing down his bike and running to a far corner of the Shop to hide away. But his friends couldn’t stop from laughing even harder as he did so.
“There’s gonna be payback for this”, Lefty muttered from the corner. “Big Time !”
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Later that evening, Pedro wandered into the Common Room at the Boy’s Dorm and spotted Nick, lounging on the couch in front of the Television. Hesitantly, he approached him.
"Did you do it ?", asked Pedro.
"Do what ?", asked Nick.
"You said you're gonna do it", said Pedro.
"I'd maybe answer you if I knew what the hell you're talking about", said Nick.
"Well you know...about my bed", said Pedro.
"Oh that", replied Nick. "You find out who did it ?"
"Constantinos told me he heard couple of Greasers talk about it. Apparently it was Ricky Pucino, and he told Hal he was going to urinate on all Nerds' and weak kids' beds", said Pedro.
"Ricky Pucino, uh?", responded Nick buttoning up his aviator leather jacket. "This is gonna be fun. Are you coming ?"
"What are you gonna do?", Pedro asked.
"Beat the Oil Licker back to the 50's", replied Nick. "Are you coming ?"
"But...if you're fighting Ricky does that mean I have to beat other Greaseballs ?", asked Pedro.
"Will you be able to ?", asked Nick.
Pedro didn't reply, but continued to follow Nick outside and towards the Parking Lot. A group of Bullies looked at Pedro, grinning, and they would certainly have attacked him if Nick wasn't with him. They entered the Autoshop area and approached fat Hal Esposito who was on his own, sitting on a wooden crate.
"Where's Ricky ?", asked Nick.
"What you need him for ?", asked Hal.
"I've been sent to help him out with some bicycles", lied Nick.
"Inside. He's fixing what that Prep bastard did to Lefty's bike", Hal said.
Nick approached the garage door and lifted it, followed by Pedro. Two Greasers, Ricky and Lucky were inside. They weren't laughing at Lefty's bike anymore. Instead, Ricky, the Clique's bicycle master, was replacing the handles. Lucky said hello to Nick, but he didn't react. He instead approached the bicycle Ricky was working on.
"Ricky", he called, but Ricky didn't reply. "Ricky!", he said, this time louder, but Ricky remained silent. Suddenly, Nick grabbed Lefty's bike with both of his hands, and tossed it aside with so much force it hit the wall.
"Man, what's your problem?", asked Ricky. "What do you want ?"
"I came to beat you up", said Nick.
"What for ?", asked Ricky.
"You know what for", Nick replied. " After I'm done you're gonna go buy Pedro new sheets and a pillow."
"Oh, that...", said Ricky.
"Yeah, that", Nick deadpanned.
"I don’t wanna fight you. You beat up Damon, Norton and Russell." Ricky paused and suddenly realized he would lose respect if he didn’t fight. He relented, “You don't use legs and we'll fight".
"Good enough for me", said Nick and took a Philly Shell boxing stance. "Come over here."
Ricky took the fighting stance too. As the fighters circled, Lucky split and returned with Peanut and some of the other Greasers to watch the fight. Ricky made the first move, danced forward and swung a high kick to Nick, who effortlessly backstepped using his good footwork. Then, Nick attacked with a boxing punch combination, breaking Ricky's guard and ending with a overhand punch that knocked Ricky down to the floor, where he wallowed, clutching his head.
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-
Nick hadn’t even broken a sweat. Taking a couple of long steps, he reached over to the work table where Ricky had set a half-drank can of soda. Going back to Ricky, he dumped the contents over his head and torso. Then, as the other Greasers watched in amazement, Nick undid his pants and began pissing into the can, empting his bladder. When he finished, he set the can on the floor while he zipped up. He then reached down, grabbing Ricky by the hair and pulled him up into a sitting position. Nick then retrieved the can from the floor and pressed it to Ricky’s lips.
“You look dehydrated, Ricky”, Nick said casually. “Here, drink this.”
In a sort of half-fog, Ricky began to drink from the can, not even knowing what it was. Peanut, who could hardly believe his eyes, began to move forward. Nick stopped him with a steely glare. “That’s far enough, Peanut.”
“Hey, Man”, Peanut said. “Dude, that’s Cold.”
“Actually, It’s rather warm”, Nick said, cracking a grim smile, “Ain’t it Ricky ?”
Ricky had just gained enough sense to realize what he was gulping down. Feebly he pushed the can away, sloshing the liquid on his face and chest. “Oh…Fuck…”, he moaned through a mouthful of urine. Suddenly, Ricky convulsed and began to vomit. Nick grabbed the can and quickly stepped away as Ricky spewed chunks and fluid onto himself and the floor.
“We can’t waste what’s left”, Nick idly remarked, “Have to save some for Hal.”
From the corner where he had drifted in to watch the fight, Hal stammered, “Uh…Uh-Uh….Not Me, No Way !”
“Funny that”, Nick went on casually, “I heard you was in on the bed wetting.”
Hal nervously licked his lips. “No…Wasn’t me…I…I wouldn’t do that.”
“Hmm”, Nick said. “Guess I heard wrong. I was just thinking you maybe saw some Rats, and maybe couldn’t hold it.”
At the mention of Rats, the color drained from Hal’s face. He began to shake, and whipped his head back and forth. Suddenly, he bolted from the room.
Nick watched him go, then upended the remainder of the can over the head of the still-puking Ricky. The Greasers looked on, stunned at what they had witnessed.
“Here’s how this works”, Nick said. “Any more wet sheets from the weaker kid’s beds that they didn’t do themselves, and you’re all gonna be drinking some of this here special soda.”
There was a silence broken only by the sound of Ricky’s gagging as Nick turned and strolled out of the Autoshop with Pedro following close behind.
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-
"That filthy, no good BASTARD !", shouted Hal. The Greasers had gathered inside the Auto Shop to discuss what had just happened to one of their own earlier in that evening. Peanut just stood, shaking his head, still in disbelief.
"Why should we take this crap from some punk-ass bitch?", continued Hal.
"I know ! We gots to make him pay for that little show of bravery....I mean stupidity", said Lucky.
Peanut suddenly broke his silence and stepped out of the light and closer to his gang of Greasers. "We're Greasers for Christ's sake, we got the tools here TO do something about it!" With that, Peanut produced a sling shot from his pocket and placed it on the nearby tool bench. "We are gonna fuck him up, and then , just to add insult to some serious injuries, we's are gonna piss all over his bed.", said Peanut in a confident voice. "Why stop there? Maybe we'll shit in his lunch too !".
The Greasers all stood up and began clapping. There was a reason Peanut had become leader after Johnny had gone, he knew how to boost morale and really keep the Greasers on top. Peanut silenced his fellow members and began to speak again. "So, now we got two fuckers we gotta set right. That cock-swallower, Chad, and that punk, Nick." Ricky had recovered from his ordeal and sat with an evil grin on his face. There was going to be trouble and if Ricky could help it, there was going to be blood.
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-
Tony arrived at their Dorm room later and Nick told him the story.
“You Did What ?”, Tony asked, incredulous.
“Made him drink his own Piss”, Nick repeated patiently.
Tony groaned. “You can’t be doing that kind of stuff !”
“Why Not ?”, Nick said casually. “I heard that Hopkins Dude done the same thing.”
Tony had heard that same story too, about Jimmy taking a piss in the Jock’s Gatorade Cooler.
“Still, it don’t make it right”, Tony said in frustration.
“Keeping the weaker kids from being Bullied makes it right”, Nick countered.
Tony shook his head. “There are limits....You don’t make kids drink piss or eat shit.”
“Why Not ?”. Nick questioned. “Teaches them a lesson about what it’s like.”
“Well....For one thing, it’s Unsanitary and Gross”, Tony said.
“Unsanitary and Gross ?”, Nick mocked. “Hell, the School Cafeteria is Unsanitary and Gross, with all the germs that fat cook Edna coughs and sneezes into whatever she makes back there.”
Nick had a point, Tony conceded. Still.......
“They won’t take this laying down”, Tony said, “They’ll be after you now.”
“So What ?”, Nick said calmly. “Let ‘em try. I’ll kick all their asses.”
Tony was dumbfounded. “What, the whole Clique ? That’s absurd. You can’t take on all them at once !”
“Sure I can”, Nick replied easily. “I can beat them with one foot tied behind my back.”
“But...What if they bushwhack you ?", Tony pleaded. “What if....."
“All the worse for them", Nick said confidently. “I WILL make them eat shit if they try that.”
Tony was at a loss for words. Surely Nick was just being too arrogant.
“Look”, Nick said, “Since I came here, I’ve done everything you and your friends has asked of me. I beat up some tough dudes, and even helped rescue one.”
“Well...That’s True”, Tony allowed. “But....”
“But nothing”, Nick said firmly. “The weaker kids need protection.”
Tony couldn’t argue with that. “It’s just the way....”
“It’s My Way”, Nick said. “I can handle myself. For all I’ve done, let me handle this in my own way. Never let you down yet, have I ?”
“No”, Tony admitted. “But you have to have someone watch your back.”
“Hey, I got this, OK ?”, Nick answered. “Not to worry.” Nick spotted Melody out the window, walking across the Quad. “I got to go....Catch up with you later, Dig ?”
Tony watched Nick quickly leave the Dorm to intercept Melody, shaking his head. He knew that Nick was quite sure of his prowess, but feared that he may have bitten off a little more than he could chew this time. He hoped he was wrong.
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Gathered by the crackling fire in Harrington House’s ornate ground floor room, three Preps gathered over Lot Plat diagrams for Western Bullworth Vale. Plans had been laid and were being finalized for an assault on Hattrick House, now that all the Preps were once more united for a common goal, that of returning Pinky from the clutches of those barbaric interlopers who didn’t belong at the school or in their High-Class neighborhood.
“Once more....Let’s go over the plan”, Derby said tersely.
“Is this really necessary ?”, spoke Tad.
“Just listen, Spencer”, Bif said, giving Tad a hard look.
“We 've been through this already”, Tad said in a challenging tone.
“Then we will go through it again”, Derby growled, trying to control his temper. He was still highly pissed at Tad for boning Pinky behind his back, but needed him, Justin, Parker, and Gord, to help carry out the assault. Once he had Pinky back, He was going to find a way to fix Tad’s wagon, Oh Yes....But until then.....
Tad stared at Bif, then suddenly relented. “All right, let’s get this over with.”
Derby cast a glance up for a few seconds, then bent back to the Lot Plat diagram in front of him. Placing a pointer at Vale Valley Road, he said, “We’ll stage in two groups, one here at my Father’s house.....” Here Derby pointed at Harrington Mansion, marked number 29, “....And the second here, from Tad’s Dad’s house." Derby pointed at Spencer Estates, marked number 27. “I’ll be taking Bryce, Chad, and Gord. Bif, you and Spencer take Justin and Parker. My group will scale the wall in the corner from the alleyway here....” Derby pointed at the South-East corner of of the wall on the lot marked 28, Hattrick Manor. “Bif, your group will come across the wall from the vacant house here to the North.” Here Derby pointed at lot 26. “There’s a double wall, so take plenty of ropes. Climb the lattice and tie the ropes to the spikes to let yourselves down. This has to be done in silence. I know they post a lookout, but they'll be watching the Gate and not the walls. Bif will take him out quietly, and then we can swarm the house and take them by surprise. Once we’re in, I’ll grab Pinky.”
“What if she doesn’t want to come with us ?”, Tad snorted.
“Then we shall take her by force”, Derby seethed. “Those fucks have just got her brainwashed, that’s all.”
“Seems like an awful lot of trouble”, Ted shot back. “We could just get her here, at the School.”
“She comes in with those fucks in the morning and leaves with them when classes are over”, said Derby as if talking to a child. “What are we supposed to do, grab her out of class ? Get real. This is the only way.”
“Besides”, Bif said, looking at Tad, “We’re going to save Mister Kurt just for you. We’re going to hold him so you can beat him. You still want revenge on that Pauper, don’t you ?”
Tad did. Despite all of his recent altruistic feelings during his recovery from Kurt’s savage beating, he wanted revenge very badly. He nodded emphatically. “Yes....I do.”
“Great”, Derby said snidely. “Now, Bif, you got the house layout down ?”
“Yes. Christy told me the whole layout of the inside”, Bif smirked. “She’s been there quite a few times now. Even gave me some Intel on where they post the lookouts and when.”
Tad had been surprised to find out Bif had been going with Christy. He had never shown the slightest interest in her before. Now he knew why. “You’ve been using her as a Spy !”
“Yep, sure have, Einstein”, Bif quipped. “You think I’d actually want to be with a Pauper Skank like that ?”
“So....Are you going to dump her after this is over ?”, Tad asked.
Bif laughed. “I might just string her along for awhile first. Every guy needs a little nookie, am I right there, Tad ?”
“Enough !”, Derby said as Tad’s face reddened in anger. “Back to the plan.”
“Suits me”, Bif smirked as Tad fumed.
“Good”, Derby went on, “We’ll hit them from the front and back at the same time. They won’t have time to react.” He looked at Bif. “We got our outfits ?”
“Picked them up today”, Bif replied. He had indeed just brought back the Black Aquaberry Fatigues from the Aquaberry Store, charged to Derby’s credit card. “All ready to go.”
“Good”, Derby said. “Get everybody ready and in position. We move out tonight at 11.”
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Benny left his room on the double and quickly found Kurt, who was hanging in his room with Pinky and Tibo. “They’re coming tonight”, he said, “Sometime after 11.” Benny had been monitoring the Frequency on the Radio from the hidden Walkie Talkie in Harrington House every evening since the unexpected discovery that they could eavesdrop on them. Now, it had paid off. “They’re coming over the walls. Listen !”
Kurt, Pinky and Tibo listened as the Preps plan went down. Winkie entered the room soon after.
“Over the walls. Eh ?”, Kurt mused. “I thought for sure they’d try to crash the Gates. Who’s on watch tonight ?”
“Um...Bonz is”, Benny said.
“OK....Get everybody in Position by then”, Kurt ordered. “Tibo, you take the South wall, I’ll take the North wall. Everyone else, attack plan Delta, just like we planned. When Bonz sees them come over the wall, he is to go inside. They’ll think he abandoned his post and we’ll lure them in. Got it ?"
Benny nodded, and ran off to tell the others.
“Showtime”, Kurt said with a big grin.
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Silently moving in the darkness, Derby led his contingent of Preps to the rise in the Alley that ran from the Cul-de-sac to Vale Valley Road. Here the ground sloped up to where it was an easy 5-foot climb over the wall. Consulting his watch, Derby waited and then finally motioned Bryce, Chad, and Gord over the wall. Derby hopped up last and peered through the trees bordering the wall.
To the North, Bif had led the others through the deserted yard of the vacant house and one by one they climbed the latticework to the wall. Looping ropes around the spikes, they made their way forward and scaled the second wall. Bif stood and scanned the darkness ahead while motioning Tad, Justin, and Parker to remain in place on top of the wall. He could just barely make out the figures on top of the far wall. As he watched, one figure silently jumped down and began to move stealthy forward.
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About this time, the figures of Jimmy and Zoe appeared, stealthy moving across the rim of the Cul-de-sac to the alley behind Harrington Mansion. They had left Jimmy’s hidden cave earlier, taking the old rail path around the perimeter of the School, dashing across the bridge and dropping over the wall to the beach, then keeping out of sight along the beach wall in the darkness until reaching the Prep’s Beach House. They had expected to maybe encounter some Preps there, but the beach was empty, and they moved on. Snaking up the path past the Overlook, they crossed the Cul-de-sac and slinked across to their destination....The rear of Harrington Mansion. Across Vale Valley Road lay the fancy Garage used by both the Spencer and Harrington families.
Both were outfitted in Black Ninja clothing, helping blend them into the darkness of the night. Sneaking to the West end of the property, Jimmy climbed a tree and gained the top of the wall. A quick reconnaissance showed the house dark with no signs of activity. The Harringtons were rarely here, usually off in the Big Apple running their many interests. Jimmy beckoned Zoe, and she climbed up the tree, the dropped to the wall next to Jimmy. Neither knew that they had just missed the band of Preps that had just moved out a few minutes earlier to attack Hattrick House, and had they turned around, they might have seen Derby and his band of Preps lined up along the corner of the Manor wall like dominoes. But neither ever saw the other, so intent on their separate missions as they were.
Jimmy and Zoe dropped down to the ground. Quickly, they took a look around. “Look”, Zoe whispered, “There’s a window open.”
And so there was, up on the second floor at the side. “We need a ladder”, Zoe said quietly.
“I know just where one is”, Jimmy said, “If it’s still there.”
Both had decided not to leave any evidence of their being there, and were fully prepared to abandon the mission if there was the slightest chance of discovery. Jimmy snuck around to the front and tried the front door. It was locked. He then went to the front Gate, and found it wasn’t locked. He eased the Gate open, then ran across the street to the fancy garage. Going around to the back, he saw the maintenance ladder still in place just as he had remembered. With some difficulty, he wrestled the ladder around front, then quickly lowered it and hauled it back across the street. Coming through the Gate, he set the ladder down, and closed the gate. Then, taking the ladder, he set it up on the side of the house underneath the open window. After a quick check, Jimmy and Zoe scampered up the ladder and climbed through the open window.
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Derby snuck around to the front of the house with his Weapon at the ready. But there was no lookout stationed on the porch. Cautiously, he slowly ascended the steps to the front door and peeked inside. There was a light on, deeper in the house, but he couldn’t see any sign of movement. Gently, he tried the doorknob. It was unlocked.
“Dunbasses”, he muttered, “Ripe for the picking.” Derby backed away from the door, and retreated down the steps. Seeing Bif’s group dimly in the darkness, he motioned them down off the wall, then tuned and did likewise to his own group on the other wall. The Preps dropped to the ground and began to advance quietly on Hatrick House.
Suddenly, the bank of six floodlights mounted along the porch flared to life, catching the startled images of the Preps in mid-step halfway between the house and the wall. The figures of four shadowy Rockers could be seen in the backlight, standing at the ready on the flat roof atop the porch, Weapons raised. A brief second showed in frozen detail the unmoving Preps, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Then the Rockers began firing, and all hell broke loose.
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In the silent house, Jimmy and Zoe searched room by room with the flashlight Jimmy had brought along. Passing by the room where Pinky had seduced Tony, they finally located Mr. Harrington’s Home Office at the rear on the second floor. Entering, Zoe quickly moved to close the dark curtains over the window. Jimmy shined the flashlight around. The room held a massive ornately carved desk, a couple of leather chairs, a small kitchenette, and a large Filing Cabinet. Trying the desk drawers, Zoe found them unlocked. Likewise, Jimmy tried the file cabinet and found the drawers unlocked.
“Doesn’t seem be hiding anything”, Zoe remarked, pulling open the desk drawers.
“Sometimes that’s what they want you to think”, Jimmy said. “They bury the incriminating stuff in with a legit File. That’s how I found.....”
Jimmy broke off. Zoe looked up. “Found what ? How you found what ?”
Shaking his head, Jimmy said, “I can’t tell you. Better you didn’t know, anyhow.”
“Jimmy, tell me”, Zoe said, exasperated. “You can trust me, you know.”
“It’s not that”, Jimmy said. “I didn’t get a chance to read it all. It’s a File I gave to Pete for safekeeping right before....Before Gary’s murder.”
“Oh”, Zoe said, perplexed. “What did Pete do with it, then ?”
“Tony said he told him he buried it somewhere.”, Jimmy replied.
“What, no clue where ?”, Zoe asked.
“Only Pete knows where”, Jimmy said, “and he ain’t talking now.”
“So...What’s in it then ?”, Zoe asked.
“Pete told Tony it was something very damaging”, Jimmy said slowly. “Something that they would kill for to get back.”
Zoe was silent at that. This was serious business after all.
“We better get started”, Zoe finally said, “This is going to take awhile.”
________________________________________________________
-
“DOWN !!”, Derby yelled as the fuselage of Spuds and Rockets began raining down on the suddenly ambushed Preps. All the Preps hit the dirt, rolling for any cover they could find, a bush, a tree, or several of the potted plant urns around the front yard. All but one, that was...Chad, unnerved by the swift shock of the attack, sprinted for the front Gate and attempted to climb over. The Rockers on the roof concentrated fire on him, Spuds mashing him into the gate and the M-50 Rockets from their launchers finishing him off. As he slid down the Gate to the ground, he groaned, “That’s it...Shoot the rich kid....” before losing consciousness.
This gave the Preps time to unholster their weapons and fire back at the shadowy figures on the roof. While the Preps were concentrating on the porch roof, the front door was suddenly thrown open and Bonz appeared, lobbing Stink Bombs at the Prep’s hiding positions. Several turned fire on him and he was hit in the hip with a spud. Bonz went down, but crawled back to the door, pushed himself through, and managed to close and lock the door. He pulled himself to a sitting position and pulled a Weapon to guard the door.
The Stink Bombs drove the Preps from their hiding places. Gord ran back to the wall and attempted to re-scale it to escape. Before he could even get a hand-hold on the top of the wall, he was cut down by a barrage of Spuds and M-50 Rockets. He fell to the ground, moaning, “I...Would...Have paid you...Not to....” before passing out. Derby and Bryce made a break, running towards the back of the house down the side yard.
Bif was able to get in a lucky shot at the Rocker closest to him at the edge corner of the porch roof. The Spud shot hit Jero in the guts, causing him to drop his Weapon and tumble over the edge of the roof. He landed in a bush at the side of the porch, groaning in pain but still conscious.
Bif saw Derby and Bryce take off towards the back, and he urged Justin and Parker to escape down the side yard on their side. He fired some more rounds towards the roof as cover. Benny stepped forward to the spot on the roof Jero had been at and nailed Tad in the head as he ran by. Tad was flung to the ground. Tad gasped, “I’ll make you....Pay for that...”, before passing out. Bif fired a round at Benny, but missed, before following the retreating Justin and Parker.
As Derby and Bryce went running by, Tibo stepped out from behind a tree and pumped a couple of rounds from his Spud Gun into Bryce’s ass. Bryce pitched forward and hit the ground. Tibo advanced and shot another round in Bryce’s guts as he tried to get up. Bryce sagged to one knee, but didn’t go down. Tibo closed the distance between them and laid a left to Bryce’s upturned jaw followed by a roundhouse right. Bryce went down, knocked out.
At the other side yard, Kurt crouched behind a bush as Justin, Parker, and then Bif came running by, then swiftly raised up, took careful aim, and fired a Spud that smacked Bif in the base of the skull. Bif was thrown forward by the impact, his face meeting the ground and being dragged along by his forward momentum, tearing 'road rash’ gouges in his pretty Prep face. Kurt ran to the downed Bif and delivered several kicks to the ribs of the fallen boy. “I’m....Sorry....Daddy...”, Bif groaned, and then passed out in the dirt.
As the Preps had fled into both side yards, Benny and Winkie climbed down from the porch using the porch supports and gave chase. Grungy entered through the window from the porch roof, and ran downstairs, heading to defend the back from intrusion. As he stepped onto the Decking, Grungy spotted Derby running by, heading for the lattice wall in the back of the yard, and opened fire. Derby spotted Grungy and was able to duck, twist, and roll to avoid being hit. Derby reached the lattice wall and ran along it, heading for an opening at the far North end that led to an old Greenhouse.
At that moment, Justin and Parker came running into view, with Kurt chasing them. Tibo ran in from the left, and shortly Benny and Winkie followed, Weapons at the ready. Grungy swiveled, and leveled his Weapon at the two hapless Preps. “Give It Up !”, he yelled. “You’re Surrounded !!” Both skidded to a stop. Parker raised his Weapon and fired a volley at Grungy which went over his head and exploded harmlessly. Grungy returned fire, sending three Spuds into Parker’s guts. Parker doubled up and fell to the ground, crying, “I think...I want to go home....”, before passing out.
Meanwhile, Justin had turned to see Kurt coming up behind him, and Tibo closing in to his right. He wasn’t even able to get a shot off before a Spud crashed into his shoulder, spinning him around, and another took his legs out from under him, slamming him to the ground. He raised his arms and pleaded, “Can you stop with the Violence ?” Kurt turned a deaf ear to his plea, firing an M-50 into his crotch. The explosion knocked him senseless.
Derby had reached the opening in the lattice wall, ducking behind it, were he used it as cover to counter-attack. The Rockers took up defensive positions, and a pitched battle ensued for all of five minutes, until Derby finally ran out of ammo. Dropping his useless Weapons, he charged for the old Greenhouse for better cover. However, realizing that the Greenhouse would provide poor protection, he altered course and made for the spot where the lattice wall met the brick wall. The Rockers, with Kurt in the lead, rounded the corner just as Derby reached the corner where the two walls intersected, and began firing. Amid splatting Spuds and exploding M-50s, Derby was knocked off the wall before he ever reached the top. He was trying to regain his feet just as the Rockers reached him.
“Grab his arms”, Kurt ordered. Tibo and Winky got ahold of a struggling Derby and pinned his arms behind his back. Kurt approached and stood eye to eye with his enemy.
“So...We meet again”, Kurt said, with a cruel grin, “Except you can’t sucker punch me this time, BITCH !!”
Derby hawked back and spit a loogie in Kurt’s face. “FUCK YOU, PAUPER !!”, he rasped.
Enraged, Kurt brought up his Spud Gun, jammed it into Derby’s groin, and fired a Spud directly into his nuts.
“OHHHH !!!!”, Derby screamed, “LOW BLOW !!!!”
Kurt cast aside his Weapon and sunk his fist deep in Derby’s guts. “You MOTHERFUCKER !! You’re Never Gettin’ Pinky Back, NEVER !!”
“She...Doesn’t....Belong....To....You”, Derby gasped, trying to suck air, “She’s....Mine !!”
Kurt sent a right uppercut smashing into Derby’s upturned jaw, and followed it with a roundhouse left hook to Derby’s temple. “You Rich Piece Of SHIT !!! She will NEVER Come Back To You, NEVER !!” Grabbing Derby’s hair, he yanked his head up and screamed in his face, “DO YOU HEAR ME RICH SCUM ? NEVER !!!!!”
Gasping, Derby said, “Your....Kind....Don’t....Belong.....Here.....”
“My Kind ? MY KIND ?” Kurt’s rage went beyond anything he had ever felt before. He drew back his fist and smashed it into Derby’s nose. The crunch of breaking bone and cartilage could be heard by all the Rockers gathered around. Blood spurted from Derby’s face. “Let Him Go !!”, Kurt ordered Tibo and Winky. Both released the holds on Derby’s arms. Derby stood, swaying weakly. “I’m Gonna Fuck You Up, Rich Boy !”, Kurt growled.
Grabbing Derby around the neck, Kurt sent a hard knee into his crotch. As Derby doubled over, Kurt began savagely beating him. Derby barely stayed standing and was unable to raise his arms to block the punches Kurt was raining down on him. Just as it looked as if Derby was going to fall, Kurt seized his head, pushing Derby backwards, and smashed his head into the lattice wall over and over.
Tibo knew they had to stop Kurt soon. “Boss, Stop ! You’re gonna kill him !” Both Tibo and Winkie moved to wrestle Kurt away from Derby. “Stop, Man, Stop ! He’s Out ! He’s Out !” As they pulled Kurt away, Derby slumped down the lattice wall and lay in a heap.
“Lemme Go !”, Kurt said, shaking off Tibo and Winkie. He approached Derby’s prostrate form, undoing his zipper as he did so. Kurt has a full bladder after all that he had been through this evening, and in short order a heavy stream of urine was pouring down on Derby’s upturned, unconscious, bloody face. “Piss On You, Motherfucker !!”, he chortled, giggling laughter at the spectacle.
Finishing, he zipped up his pants and turned to the others. “We can’t leave the bodies here. Take and throw them into the street.”
“Uh...Boss, we shouldn’t do that”, ventured Benny. “When the Cops make their rounds, they’ll find them.”
Kurt shook his head. He wasn’t thinking clearly. Of course they would. He walked a short distance to the Greenhouse. There was an old wheelbarrow there. “Load them in that”, he pointed. “Take them down to Harrington’s place. Find a way to get that Gate open, and dump them in the yard behind the wall.” As the others scurried to do his bidding, Kurt made his way up to the house.
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-
“That’s about it”, Jimmy said. “Nothing I can find here.” He replaced the last of the Files back into the File Cabinet and rolled the drawer closed. They had been searching for close to two hours. “You find anything ?”
“No”, Zoe said, with a puzzled look. “I didn’t. But, Jimmy....Look at this...”
Jimmy came over to the desk to have a look. “See this drawer ?”, she pointed. “I’ve taken all the papers out, but it should be deeper than this.”
Jimmy examined the drawer. “You’re right.” He rapped on the inside of the drawer. “It’s almost like it has a.....False bottom !”
Jimmy pulled the drawer all the way out and flipped it over. It looked normal on the bottom, save for a set of tiny hinges at one end and a small clasp at the other. Jimmy reached in and undid the clasp, and gently pulled open the false bottom. Inside the narrow space lay a bulky manila envelope.
“What’s in it ?”, Zoe said eagerly.
Jimmy opened the envelope and slid out the contents. Zoe read them over his shoulder as he flipped through them.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
KURTIS LEE FONZERELLI
D.O.B 14 MAY 1992
P.O.B. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, USA
RE: REPORT OF FINDINGS
“Subject was found on the streets of Newark living in abandoned tennement housing with six other individuals of similar age ranging from 14 to 17 years of age. Subject was approached with offer, but refused to leave without the company of his companions. After extensive contact with the New York office, the offer was extended to his companions as well, and subject accepted offer of relocation providing that the group was to stay together. The primary subject and the six companions were transported to Bullworth Academy 30 September and placed in enrollment at that Institution under the care of Dr. Milton Crabblesnitch, Headmaster.
Subject is unaware of his origins or true last name. Mother deceased due to drug overdose 14 February 1997. Subject listed Ward of State under name of Kurtis Compens, placed in six successive foster homes from 1997 through 2005. Subject disappeared at that time and presumed missing by State of New Jersey. Subject’s DNA was obtained through juvenile records and was subsequently positively matched with client 30 July 2007. Physical and Physiological Records maintained by the state were recovered on subject and are attached to this report, to-wit......."
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
The rest of the packet contained various reports and recommendations, photos of Kurt and the other Rockers, and some in-depth information on other connections to people with Italian-sounding names.
“Whoa, this is heavy”, Zoe said, referring to the find. “Tony would like to see this, I’ll bet.”
Jimmy squinted. “We should just take the important-looking stuff and leave the rest”, he said. “I know how that part works....Then just put it back like it never got disturbed.”
Zoe agreed, and helped Jimmy select the more impressive looking documents, leaving the pictures and the rest. Then, Jimmy replaced it in the false bottomed drawer and returned the drawer to the desk. Zoe replaced all the papers in the desk drawers the way she had found them. Time was growing short, they felt, and they hurried to put everything back in place. The flashlight batteries were growing dim by the time they finished and made their way back to the open window.
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Pinky was looking out the bedroom window as the Rockers were hauling the still-unconscious Preps away in the wheelbarrow. Her arms were clutched to her breasts as the Rockers took each load out through the front gate, headed down the street. Kurt entered the bedroom and came to her, putting his arm around her and watching his Clique carry out his orders.
“It had to be done, Pinks”, Kurt said. “They left us no choice.”
“I know”, Pinky said sadly. “It’s just...Just....” Tears leaked from her eyes and she began softly crying. Kurt held her tight as she turned and buried her face in his chest, sobbing.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When the Rockers hauled their first load down the street, they were relieved to find the gate was unlocked. Tibo silently opened it as Winkie wheeled the barrow around behind the wall away from the view of the street and dumped the first load of Preps onto the grass. Benny and Grungy ran the wheelbarrow back quickly to pick up the next load. The whole operation took about 15 minutes for four trips, with Derby being the last to be dumped out on the lawn of his own house. Pulling the gate closed, the Rockers melted into the night.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Zoe and Jimmy peered out the window to make sure the way was clear. Up the street, Zoe thought she saw a flicker of activity coming from the direction of mean old Mr. Hattrick’s former house...And then it was gone. “All Clear ?”, she whispered.
“Yeah....Looks clear. Let’s go”, Jimmy said, and climbed down the ladder. Zoe followed, and Jimmy hoisted the ladder and dropped it down level to carry it. They started around the front of the house and suddenly stopped in shock.
“What the....?”, said Jimmy in a low voice, at they both spotted the dark-suited figures of the Preps dumped on the lawn like cordwood. “THAT wasn’t here before !”
The gate was shut just as Jimmy had left it. Not a sound was to be heard, the silence was overwhelming.
“Jimmy....Let’s get out of here”, Zoe said nervously.
“Don’t have to tell me twice”, Jimmy said. “Open the gate for me !”
Zoe ran to open the gate, and Jimmy headed through with the ladder. He quickly hauled it across the street and replaced it behind the ornate garage. He then ran back and collected an jittery Zoe and they returned back on the route they had taken earlier to get there not so long ago that night.
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-
Morning dawned over the Vale, bright and early. Dew lay on the grass, and so did the pile of Preps from the night’s failed mission. The first to come around were the least injured, Gord, Chad, Justin, then Bryce and Parker. One by One, they slowly crawled to their knees, then to a standing position. Getting the gate open, they flagged down a patrol car for help in transporting themselves and their other injured to the Clinic.
Derby was the most seriously injured, followed by Tad, who had barely had time to recover from his last beating by Kurt, only to have those injuries aggravated all over again. They were in for a long stay. Bif was the best off of the three, regaining consciousness once he reached the Clinic, where he would only stay a few days. The rest of the Preps would only be overnight guests until being released.
But it was the mental blow dealt to the Preps, who had suffered defeat at the hands of the Bullies already, and now the Rockers, that would prove to be the most damaging. The once all-powerful Clique would soon become a laughingstock around campus, with a corresponding loss of respect from all the students. Even the Nerds had gotten the best of them. It would be a long time, if ever, before they regained the elite and lofty status they once took for granted as their birthright.
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It was the same sunny early spring day as Jake (aka Leo Cash) biked east on Bullworth Avenue across the North Bridge. His destination was the Bullworth Fire Station right after the bridge on the North side of the street. Slowing, Jake pulled onto the apron of the Fire Station, which was right across the street from the Oil Spill Gas Station. Sitting in a chair outside one of the bay doors, reading a newspaper, was a lone Fireman. Jake came to a stop, parked the bike, and strolled over to the man in the chair.
“A good day to you, Sir !”, Jake said heartily.
“Top O’the morning to you, young fellow !” said the Fireman.
“I was wondering if you could be of some help to me”, Jake began.
“Help ?”, the Fireman said hopefully. “Are you reportin’ a fire, are you now ?”
“No, No...Nothing like that”, Jake said, and the eager look vanished from the Fireman’s face. Jake suddenly reflected that for all the time he had been in the Vale Valley area, he had never seen a fire engine make a fire run. In fact, he had never seen anything on fire. Even the Bombs he had set off at the school last fall had failed to start any fires. One of the many oddities about this place, he mused. Jake’s mind returned from his wanderings as he realized the Fireman was still looking at him expectantly.
“Umm....Just a question, Sir....Is the Policeman’s & Fireman’s Ball still set for the night before Easter ?”, Jake asked.
“Aye, for sure it is”, answered the Fireman. “It’s going to be a grand affair this year, that it is. Gonna have all the finest people in the towns there, we are.”
Jake looked around absently. One of the bay doors was open, but he could see no one inside the station. “Say, where is everybody ?”
“I be the only one here today”, the Fireman said, somewhat sadly. “Not much call for our services, there be, but someone still has to stand by at the ready. I’m Chief Paddy O’Rourke, at your service, I am.”
“Nice to make your acquaintance, Chief.....I’m Cash, Leo Cash”, Jake replied. “Say, can you tell me.....Is it too late to make a donation to the Ball ?”
Chief O’Rourke brightened. “Never too late, me Boyo, we can always use donations ! What do yer have in mind ?”
“I was thinking of making a $ 300 donation”, Jake said, “Contingent on a small favor I could ask of you.”
“For that amount, I might be accommodatin’. What exactly do yer have in mind ?” O’Rourke inquired.
Well, I’m sure that a lot of important people will be there, as you say, perhaps even some of the Bullworth Academy Staff...” Jake looked at O’Rourke, who nodded. “But I’d like it if the Bullworth Prefects could be invited as well.”
“Prefects ?”, Chief O’Rourke said quizzically, then his face cleared. “Oh, yes...The boys in the blue suits, is that right ?”
“Yes Sir, that’s quite right”, Jake said, “They’re the ones who help keep order at the school.”
“And a splendid job they do, at that”, O’Rourke said brightly.
“I was thinking”, Jake went on, “That maybe they could be honored with a plaque or something, as a recognition of their fine service.”
“Aye, ‘tis a thankless job they do, so I hear”, O’Rourke agreed. “I’m thinkin’ that could be arranged, all right. You know”, he lowered his voice, “There wasn’t going to be no honorees at the Ball this year.”
“Yeah ? Why is that ?”, Jake asked offhandedly.
“Them bumbling Cops let somebody escape from the Jail at Christmas, that’s what, and from right under their noses !”, O’Rourke said smugly. “Been on my watch, there wouldn’t be nobody gettin’ out ‘o there, I can tell you that !”
Jake digested that bit of information, but let it pass, since it had no bearing on the mission at hand. “I’m sure they wouldn’t have, Chief”, he said, and dug a wad of bills from his pocket. He peeled off three one-hundred dollar bills, and handed them to O’Rourke. “So, we have a deal ?”
“Aye, so we do, young Sir”, Chief O’Rourke said. “You be needing a receipt for that, Boyo?”
“Ahh, No, that’s allright”, Jake replied, “You look like an honest man of your word, Chief.”
O’Rourke’s chest swelled with pride. “That I be, young Sir, and I be thanking you much for the donation ! I’ll be seein’ to them Prefect boys, all right, you can count on me !”
Bidding farewell to the Chief, Jake mounted his bike and headed off to Blue Skies to continue the training of the Townies for the invasion of the school. As he rode, he whistled the tune, ‘The Final Countdown’.....It seemed appropriate. The plan was coming along nicely. Soon....Very Soon, he would stand as King of the School. No longer as the Ultimate Fixer, but as the Ultimate Conquerer.
_____________________________________________
-
None of the Preps were in class that day, and by noon the news of their humiliation had spread like wildfire around the school, whispered in classrooms and corridors alike. Not that anyone was really shocked, in fact most students treated the news with undisguised glee. Nobody really liked the snooty Preps in the first place, and most took the attitude that their downfall was a long time in coming and justly deserved.
Pinky was upset, of course, for at her heart she was still a Prep herself. But she resolutely decided to stand by the Rockers, for after all, it was a sneak attack. And when she had learned that Bif was just stringing along Christy for information, she knew that she could no longer trust any of them. Pinky couldn’t, however, bring herself to tell Christy about Bif’s treachery. After she returned to Hattrick House that afternoon after classes, she decided to ask Winkie to break the news to Christy. She had come to like the even-tempered big bear of a boy since he had returned to the Rockers, and felt Christy did too. Winkie listened to Pinky’s request in silence, then agreed to help. It was going to be one tough job, he knew sadly.
___________________________________________
-
Late in the afternoon, the private phone line rang in the Chief of Police’s office at the Bullworth Town Station. The fat man in the chair scooped up the phone.
“Chief Carcer here”, he spoke into the phone.
“Carcer !! I heard my boy got injured ! Why the devil didn’t you get in contact with me ?”, came the angry voice on the other end of the line.
“I tried, Sir”, the Chief answered, “I couldn’t get a line through !”
A string of cuss words came back to that. Carcer had to hold the phone away from his ear. “Listen, you no-good Son-of-a-Whore, if my boy gets so much as a splinter in his finger, I want to be notified !”, Mr. Harrington raged. “How bad is it ?”
“Well”, the Chief said, leaning back in his chair, “Plenty of bruises, a couple ‘o cracked ribs, and....Um...A broken nose. But...”, he added hastily, “He’ll be out only a couple ‘o weeks, Tops...”
The swearing erupted from the phone again, only this time it lasted longer. The Chief held the phone out at arm’s length until it was over. “Who In The GODDAM HELL Is Responsible For This ?”, Mr. Harrington screeched.
“Near as we can tell, it was those boys living over at the Hattrick place”, Chief Carcer answered.
The phone went silent for a moment. Then, in a much mollified voice, Mr. Harrington asked, “How did this happen ?”
“Seems your boy Derby and a bunch ‘o his friends went on the grounds to start a fight”, Chief Carcer said. And Got Their Asses Kicked, he thought, but didn’t say.
More silence from the phone. Finally Chief Carcer said, “If you want, I’ll send the men to round them up....”
“You know we can’t do that !”, Harrington’s voice came back. “We can’t touch them at all....And you know why.”
Now it was Chief Carcer’s turn to be silent. He did know why.
“Someone is going to owe me big for this one”, muttered Mr. Harrington.
“So....What do you want us to do ?”, Chief Carcer asked.
“Do ? DO ?”, Harrington’s voice came back strong, “Just keep an eye on them, you Numbskull, what else ? And while you’re at it, doing nothing, sitting on your FAT ASS, where is that Hopkins Kid ?”
“Uhhh....”, Chief Carcer began, stalling.
“UHHH Is Not An Answer, Dick Face !!”, Harrington raged. “I want to know where that little piece of FILTH is, and I want him back in custody !”
“We Umm....We think he’s holed up in the mountains with those Punks”, Carcer said, “He just flat disappeared after the break, there’s no where else....”
“JEEZUS, The PUNKS ?”, Harrington practically screamed, and let loose with another string of curse words. When he was finished, he said in a low voice, “Listen, you no good Jackass, when things are settled here, I’m going to bring in a set of REAL Men and clean that place up ! And You, and your Lackies are going to be the First To Go !! Count On It !!!”
Chief Carcer started to say something response, but the line went dead. Harrington had hung up.
_______________________________________
-
Hal Esposito was walking down the upstairs hall of the school, shootin' the shit with his pal, Norton. "You remember last year when I would talk about startin' some sort of fight club?", asked Hal.
"Yeah, but you also said it would be about eating hamburgers!", chuckled Norton.
"Shut up!", Hal replied while laughing, "I'm totally going to start up a fight club this year, I just need a place that's hidden, a place I won't get caught."
The two Greasers strolled by the school's main office, passing the trophy case. As they passed the doors to Ms. Danvers office space, she looked up from her desk and stared down the two boys. "Aren't you two supposed to be in class?", she asked.
"Pfft, no!", replied Norton. Ms. Danvers began chattering on about how this would be reported, but the two boys just ignored her and continued to walk away. "That old bitch really pisses me off!", said Hal angrily. "I'd like to beat her ass!" Just then, Hal had a stroke of genious. He stuck his arm out and stopped Norton. "You think....maybe we should have a fight club....in the office?!" "Are you fucking insane ?!", replied Norton. "What the hell is wrong with you ?"
Hal thought about what he had suggested to Norton. How would he hold a fight club in of all places, the office ? Ms. Danvers was of course an obvious problem, but even if they could do something about her, what about Dr. Crabblesnitch?
_______________________________________
-
(Edited by Story Moderator from Cartman Zombie additon).
Right then, A Idea Bashed into Hal's Head. "We'll Hogtie CrabbleSnitch and put him in a bathroom stall !", Hal said.
"Thats a great Idea....”, Norton sneered. “Oh wait, Except for the fact that HE'LL FUCKING SEE US AND SUSPEND US !!"
"That's Why.....We'll get someone ELSE to do it !", exclaimed Hal.
"What Dumbass Will Do that ?", Norton asked in disbelief.
"Well...Uh... I know a few People”, Hal said lamely.
"Like Who ?", Norton scoffed. “Boy, You don’t know Nobody. Give it up already.”
Hal went silent as the two boys continued walking. But the idea still festered in his mind.
_________________________________________
-
Winkie moved down the path towards the Girl’s Dorm with a heavy heart. Not too many nights ago, he had escorted the beautiful Christy back here to protect her. Now, he would have to tell her something that would hurt her. Life sure had to suck, sometimes.
Winky had fallen for the red-haired beauty on their walk back to campus that evening. Her gentle sing-song voice, her pretty face, her vibrant personality. She was taken, he knew, and he also knew something else.....That it was a sham. He had known, that night, as her walked her back, that she was being used. But there was no way he could tell her. Not then. When Pinky had asked him to carry out this task, he was at once both elated and frightened....Elated, because she could finally hear the truth, and frightened because of what he feared her reaction would be.
Firmly, he set his jaw to the task. It had to be done. As he approached the steps to the Girl’s Dorm, by sheer chance, Christy came running out. In her hands were flowers....Roses. She came bounding down the steps and nearly collided with Winky.
“Hey, Hey....Where you going ?”, Winky said, lightly gripping Christy’s arms so she wouldn’t fall.
“I’m going to see Bif at the Clinic”, she said frostily, shaking free of his grasp. “After you people put him there !”
“We had no choice”, Winky said, “They sneak attacked us. We had to defend ourselves !”
Christy knew this to be true, from the chatter that had spread around school that day. “Still”, she said, “You all didn’t have to put him in the Clinic.”
Winky sighed. “It was us or them. “Everyone had weapons. We had to take them down.” He lowered his voice, then said, “They were trying to take Pinky.”
“Wha....”, Christy started, then became speechless.
Winkie looked around. A few girls were hovering nearby, pretending not to be listening. “Look, there’s more I gotta tell you.....Can we go someplace more private ?”
Christy nodded, and the two went around the side of the building, near a large trellis that stretched up the side. Winky put his hand on Christy’s shoulder.
“Look, we knew they were coming", Winky told her. “Derby’s been planning the attack for several weeks.”
“Knew ?”, Christy said, not comprehending. “But....How ?”
“There’s.....Some sort of listening device, planted in Harrington House”, Winky said. “Benny was able to pick up a signal on that old radio he found. When Derby got the Preps back together, they were able to set up the attack. We heard them that night, and we were ready for them.”
Christy shook her head. “That...That can’t be....”, she trailed off, knowing full well it could.
“There’s more”, Winky said. Looking away, he said, “Bif.....He was using you. It was all just a set-up. He was using you to.....To spy on Pinky.”
Christy was stunned. “That’s.....That’s not true....Bif loves me....He...He said so....”
Winky said sadly, “We heard him....On the radio....Telling Derby all about it. How he took you to the Shea Lewis, and then the Beach House. How he got you to tell him things....How, when you came to the house, what a lucky break it was. How the gate was always locked, and where the rooms were at. How Pinky liked to sit in the kitchen and have Hot Chocolate.”
“But....But....”, Christy said in confusion. Suddenly, it started making sense....All of Bif’s seemingly random questions about her visits with Pinky, his attentive gaze whenever she spoke about their after-school meetings at Shinjo’s. Still, she didn’t want to believe it. It just couldn’t be true.
Suddenly, she said, “Pinky ! She knew about this ? About Bif ?”
Winky shook his head. “Not until last night. “But she was there when we heard Bif say that you were.....A 'Pauper Skank’.....And he was just going to string you along......”
“LIE !”, Christy yelled. “That’s A LIE ! Bif would Never....Never...”
Winky broke in, gently. “He even told Derby about your....Your....Um....Nipples....”
Christy blanched. Nobody knew about her inverted nipples, not even Pinky. She stood stock still, trembling.
“Uh, look Christy”, Winky said uncomfortably. “Pinky sent me to tell you all this....Said she couldn’t bear to see you hurt....Thought that, maybe if I told you.....”
“AUUUUUUUUGH !!!!”, Christy screamed. Suddenly, she flung the roses down on the pavement, then abruptly turned and tore back around the corner of the building. Winky followed, but by the time he reached the steps, Christy had already ran through the doors of the Girl’s Dorm. Winky knew better than to try to follow her.
After a few moments, Winky turned to go with a heavy heart. It was to be a long walk back to the House for him this evening.
Christy ran upstairs and locked herself in her room. No one was to see her for three days.
__________________________________________
-
Some came running, through the gates and over the walls, noiselessly in the dark. Hopped up drugheads, carrying deadly weapons, their faces hidden in dark masks and their bodies cloaked. They quietly swarmed the Dorms, opening doors, pulling kids from their beds, beating and shooting them. Dragging the unconscious bloody bodies out into the halls, binding them with rope and duct tape. Savagely kicking and pummeling their bound captives, and at the last, Machettes were produced from the folds of their dark robes. The invaders, whose faces were revealed to be grinning death-heads, gleefully began hacking limbs off the hapless, bound students. Soon, body parts, boy and girl alike, were strewn like twisted doll arms and legs up and down the length of the bloody hallway. Laughing sardonically, the black-clad figures then commenced to chopping off the screaming student’s heads, rolling them down the halls like bowling balls.............
“AAAAUUUGGGHHHH !!!!!!” Tony came awake with a strangled yell as the images coursed through his mind. Hauling himself up into a sitting position, he sat shaking on the side of the bed as his senses slowly cleared. The bad dreams were back. He glanced at the bedside alarm clock. It read 3 AM.
It’s 3 AM and I Must Be Lonely, he thought crazily. He shook his head violently to clear it.
He had been free of the nightmares for months. Now they were back, and to what reason ? The last time his dreams had been so vivid and bloody seemed to foretell of the school bombings. What was coming now ? Tony shuddered. Now, as then, a single thought ran through his mind.....
Something Wicked This Way Comes.
___________________________________
-
The Preps, those who were able, returned to Bullworth the next morning. But they didn’t go to class for the rest of the week.....Instead, they holed up inside Harrington House. There was a stockpile of food and drink, and even a private bathroom, tucked delicately out of sight, to sustain them there. Not that they ate Edna’s Cafeteria Slop anyway, even on the best of Lunch Days. More than anything, they had to try to regroup. They were now the most ridiculed and hated Clique on campus, thanks to Derby’s latest hair-brained scheme. Leaderless, they milled about inside, watching TV, playing cards, reading, and even getting into Derby’s private Liquor stash. Weaponless now, they dared not even venture out.
Derby and Tad were going to be in the Vale Clinic for at least two weeks. Biff returned on the third day, during the afternoon classtime, walking through the near-empty campus. No one greeted him, and those who saw him turned away. Uncaring, he entered Harrington House. Derby had been quite precise in his instructions from his clinic bed. Make sure they kept their shit together at whatever cost. And, the task of obtaining replacement weapons would be the first task at hand. It was time to take charge.
The next morning, Bif appeared outside the Girl’s Dorm. He was puzzled that Christy had not even come to see him in the Clinic. He would have thought she would have had better manners. What can one expect when dealing with Paupers, he reflected. They all have no class. Impatiently, he waited at the bottom of the steps for her to make an appearance. Other girls came out....Mandy, Melody, Angie, Eunice, all giving him frosty stares as they brushed by him. Finally, little Gloria made her way out of the door and bounced down the steps.
“I say there, girl”, Bif said. “Would you be so good as to fetch Christy ? I’ve been waiting here a long time”, he said condescendingly.
Gloria, usually a very verbal girl, just stared at Bif in stony silence. After a moment, Bif opened his mouth to repeat his request, but before he could say anything, Gloria said, “Wait Here.” She turned and ran back up the steps and disappeared inside.
Bif milled about the steps for a few minutes longer. Just how long was this going to take ? He weren’t used to being kept waiting. Bif had just about decided to leave when the doors opened again and Gloria flounced back down the steps. “She’ll be right out”, she said with barely disguised contempt, and then darted away for class. Bif watched her go. When he turned around, Christy had appeared at the top of the steps. Her eyes were puffy, but her face was a mask of stone. She was holding a thick History book. Slowly, she made her way down the steps, stopping to face Bif.
“I came to walk you to class”, Bif said. He looked at Christy closely. “How is it that you didn’t come to see me at the Clinic ?” Christy’s gaze was like Ice. Bif tried again. “Christy ? What’s Wrong ? Why are you acting like---”
Suddenly, Christy hauled off and kicked Bif squarely in the Nuts. Unprepared for the unexpected attack, Bif made no move to defend his crotch. Christy’s foot buried itself ball deep in just the right spot, and Bif doubled over from the force of the kick.
“MY WORD !! What Are You Doing.....”, he gasped. From his bent position, he turned his face up toward the girl. “Just...What...Has Gotten----”
WHACK !!!!! Bif’s upturned face was hit with deadly accuracy with the heavy history book, powered by a two-armed swing from Christy. Bif was staggered back, blood spurting from his mashed nose. WHACK !!! WHACK !!! WHACK !!! WHACK !!! Christy continued to beat Bif on the head with the big textbook, until he stumbled and fell. He lay there flat on his back, one hand gripping his flaming crotch, the other trying to stem the flow of blood from face. He stared up, dazed.
Edward the Prefect had seen the commotion from a distance, and came running. “HEY, STOP THAT !! CEASE AND DESIST.....” His words cut off as he came to a stop and surveyed the scene. Then, he did a funny thing for a Prefect. His lips curled in a sarcastic smile, and he gave a small nod of his head at Christy. Then he turned and walked away.
Bif lay groaning on the pavement. Christy leaned down slightly and hissed, “You Bastard ! Don’t ever talk to me again, EVER !!”, before following Edward up the walk.
At the Quad, students were making their way into the school for the day, including the Rockers, just fresh off the bus. Among them, Winkie spotted Christy moving slowly up the path. He hurried to her side.
“Hey, Christy”, he said nervously.
Christy looked up. “Hey, Winkie”, she returned. Tears were brimming in her eyes.
“Uh...Would’ja....Like me to walk you in ?”, Winkie asked.
A single tear spilled down Christy’s cheek. She moved closer and laid her head on his shoulder. “Yes....”, Christy said. “Yes....I would like that...Very much.”
Winkie put his arm around her, and together they made their way across the Quad, up the steps, and into the School.
________________________________________
-
The Man made his way into the large Vale Valley Clinic. Stopping before the desk, White Lab Coat directed him towards the back, where two beds facing each other were occupied. The Man strode forward and stood at the foot of one of the beds.
Tad stirred awake as the Man reached his bed. “Hello, Father”, he said.
“Hello, my boy”, Mr. Spencer said, closely examining Tad. “You’ve been having a rather bad run of luck lately, I hear.”
“Yes”, Tad replied, struggling to sit upright. “You might say that.”
Mr. Spencer eyed his boy speculatively. He had just returned from Europe, where he had been since right after thanksgiving with his wife, Tad’s Mother, looking into his various business interests at the many ports that shipped to and from his warehouses near the Blue Skies Docks. While the Harringtons controlled most of the land and businesses in the Bullworth Towns, the Spencers controlled all the shipping and commerce. The entire Blue Skies dock area was the property of Spencer enterprises, as well as the large Spencer Warehouse and the adjacent Storage Warehouse to the South of it. In addition, there was the giant loading area just to the South of the warehouses that was used by both Spencer and Harrington. While a part of the many supplies for the Towns came in on Rail, much more was brought in by the waterways. Mr. Spencer also held the exclusive rights for shipping any product on the waterways in and around the Bullworth towns.
Before 1933, the river that ran through the Vale Valley was much higher and wider, and a viable route that wound several miles out to the sea was passable for shipping. But during the New Deal projects of the Thirties, a large Dam was constructed across the river just North of the towns, bringing hydro-electric power to the area for the first time. The result was that the water levels dropped, making the river unsuitable for the larger container boats. A railway spur had already been built into the area through the Mountains, and somewhat offset the loss of the water-borne traffic, with a smaller spur branching off of that to the mining areas on the peninsula where Bullworth Academy now stood. However, this proved to be unsuitable. The Railroad could not keep up with the large quantity the growing towns required. The only land road to the towns was twisty and treacherous as it wound through the Mountains.
Enter Ezekiel Spencer, who built a small fleet of Barges capable of navigating the now-narrow passage to the sea. With a secure waterway supply line now established, the Towns prospered and grew. Bullworth Academy, built on the played out mining land, was expanded into a full campus. The Spencers built an elaborate Mansion in the upscale Vale area at the west end of the Valley, and soon others followed. The Harringtons had bought into the suitable land early on, with money fronted by the New York Mobs reaped from Prohibition, and before long, the enclosed, out-of-the way place, tucked into the mountains, became known for those more well off who wanted to keep a low profile away from prying eyes. And too, because of the remoteness of the area, it became the perfect spot to smuggle illegal goods in and out of the country.
And now, that operation had been stepped up. More than a year ago, a new bridge had been constructed across the narrow river route that led away to the sea between the towns of New Coverntry and Blue Skies. While it had seemed to the residents and workers of the Towns to be a replacement bridge, it was in fact a lift bridge. Giant hydraulic lifts had been installed, secreted in the new bridge’s concrete pilings. This had allowed for larger, taller barges to be moved through the waterway. Most of the citizens were unaware of this event, since the lift bridge was used only at night on an irregular basis, and the raising and lowering of the bridge occupied only minutes. A substantial flow of Mob-controlled merchandise now moved in and out of the country through the remote and unnoticed Vale Valley River.
Although he had to work hand-in-hand with Mr. Harrington, Mr. Spencer knew they did not like each other. Harrington was continually pissed at Spencer for having the largest Mansion in the Vale, and Spencer considered Harrington a pompous ass, whose abrasive ego often disgusted him. They had, however, a profitable symbiotic relationship in spite of the nasty feelings between them. Still, although they maintained a cooperative surface business relationship, they played out an intense petty rivalry through their sons. It had galled Mr. Spencer to no end that Harrington had somehow fangled his boy Derby into being Clique Leader when he was still a freshman. Tad, he knew, would have been a much better choice. Derby Harrington was just like his father, a total asshole.
With this in mind, he said, “Let me guess. This little adventure was a result of another one of Derby Harrington’s schemes ?”
Tad nodded. “Yes. He totally blew it this time. Led us right into an ambush.” Tad looked over at Derby, who was heavily sedated, lying in the bed opposite his.
“What was it this time ?”, Mr. Spencer asked, then reversed himself. “No...I don’t even want to know. But this is enough of this crap. I’ll tell you what you’re going to do, young man. When you get out of here, you’re going to tell those boys that you’re taking over.”
Tad was aghast. “I Can’t Do That !”
“Sure you can. You’re a Spencer”, Mr. Spencer said. “I already checked. You’ll be out of here in a couple of days. Derby is going to be here another week or more longer. Use that time to convince those noodle-head friends of yours that YOU will be the better leader.”
“But Father, I Can’t !”, Tad repeated. “Bif will back Derby up, and they won’t go against him !”
“Who ? Bif Taylor ?”, Mr. Spencer said, and paused briefly, then laughed. “Leave that boy to me. I know something that he doesn’t want made public knowledge. I’ll take care of it.”
Tad gasped slightly. “Blackmail, Father ?”
“Let’s just call it....A little gentle persuasion”, Mr. Spencer said. “He’ll either get on the Spencer Train, or get left at the station of public ridicule.”
Tad looked in askance at his Father. “What could you possibly know.....?”
Mr. Spencer laughed shortly. “Never you mind. It’s enough that he won’t interfere. I’ll see to it. You just need to use your skills. Convince them that you can pull them up out of the muck that Harrington’s dumbass kid has put them in. Remember, a smart leader trumps a dumb leader in the long run.”
Tad wasn’t so sure about that, but he agreed. “All right Father, I’ll give it a try.”
“Splendid”, Mr. Spencer said. Eying Derby in the other bed, he inquired, “Did the boy that beat you up before all this beat him up also ?”
“I think so, Sir, from what I’ve heard”, Tad replied. “His name’s Kurt Something-or -other. He ought to be in jail for the things he’s done.....”
“I couldn’t agree more”, Mr. Spencer interrupted. “Unfortunately, we can’t touch him.”
Mr. Spencer had access to the same document that Mr. Harrington had had in his files, and knew what the stakes were on Kurtis Lee Fonzerelli. The little snot was under protection. Well, at least for now. If the ugly rumors he was hearing out of New York would prove out to be true, however, that might just change.
Surprised, Tad said, “What ? Why is that, Father ?”
“I can’t tell you that, my boy”, Mr. Spencer said. “But mark my words, he WILL be brought to pay for what he’s done to you....Mark my words.”
Tad settled back in bed and digested what his Father had said. It was a lot to take in.
Mr. Spencer checked his watch. “I have to go now. Your Mother is due in tonight from a stopover upstate. I’ll need to get the house ready for her arrival. I’ll see that you get out of here by Easter. When you do, come right up to the house. We’ll have a catered dinner. After that, we’ll sit down and go through some strategy.” He smirked slightly. “It’s time we took those Harringtons down a notch or two.”
With that he left, leaving Tad to consider his suddenly altered future.
________________________________
-
Good Friday dawned with a fresh warmth from the south, pushed in by the Spring winds. Classes were let out for the afternoon, and the students scattered like last fall’s leaves, hitting the Towns, the Bike Park, the Overlook, the Carnival, and the Beach in the absence of the now-detested Preps. Some were training for the upcoming Spring Bike Races, sponsored by the Shiny Bike Shops, to take place right after Easter.
A festive mood was in the air, as some of the Cliques let their guard down a bit and planned for some Saturday night parties. The word had leaked out that the Prefects would be off-campus until late then, and there were some that wanted to take full advantage of that. Tony and Karen, along with Nick and Melody, planned to be down by the Football Field for a bash thrown by Ted, Mandy, and the Jocks. The Greasers planned their own little private drinking party at the Autoshop. The Nerds laid plans for a marathon G & G game down at the Observatory. Since having the place to themselves, the Bullies would hang around the Boy’s Dorm for some drinking fun, having some alcohol smuggled in from Russell. It was a well-known rumor that Russell was past the age of 20, but even so, he never had any problems obtaining Liquor from the Dry Seaman’s Bar over in the Vale. The remaining Girls were planning a Pajama Party for late Saturday night, still under the watchful eyes of Mrs. Peabody and Mrs. Carvin, to be held in the downstairs alcove of the Girl’s Dorm, with sleeping bags and plenty of snacks. The little kids were to be bunked down temporarily on the second floor for the holiday. Mrs. McRae was to pull duty in the School Clinic, as with all holidays that usually involved a sick kid or two who had a bit too much to drink. Mr. Galloway and Ms. Phillips were planning a little getaway of their own out of town, and in fact had left right after morning classes Friday. Dr. Crabblesnitch and Ms. Danvers planned a cozy stay in the good Doctor’s private office for Saturday night. The rest of the staff.....Mr. Burton, Mr. Neil, Mr. Hattrick, Mr. Wiggins, Mr. Matthews, Miss Peabody, Dr. Watts, and Dr. Slawter....Had plans to be off-campus by themselves,or with whatever family they had for the holiday. Mr. Luntz had already left again for the Big Apple. Even Edna took a powder from the school after serving her usual Saturday Slop at the nearly-vacant School Cafeteria.
Only the Preps were without a plan. With Derby and Tad still both out of action, and Bif too bummed to rally them, the Preps were to just stay holed up in the confines of Harrington House. Unlike the past, there was to be no grand Invite-Only affair for this holiday. In fact, for the first time in years, there was to be no snooty dress-up gala of a Spring Easter Party. Instead, a few Preps were going to have a little poker game, using chips to be bet on their future fortunes.
As the students made their way back to campus, Friday night turned into Saturday morning, and the weekend stretched before them like an open book waiting to be written.
_________________________________________
-
KURTIS LEE FONZERELLI. Tony held the document in his hands and read it through, then the other papers that Jimmy and Zoe had taken from Harrington Mansion. After he was finished, he looked over at the pair seated across from him at the crude table.
“Whoa...That explains some things”, Tony said. “No wonder he’s an Asshole. Is this all you guys found ? Nothing else ?”
“Zilch”, Jimmy replied. “We went through everything in there, man. That was it.”
“There could’ve been a Safe”, Zoe piped up, “But we really didn’t have time to look for it.”
“Not to mention we couldn’t have got it open undetected”, Jimmy added. “We got that, though. What’s up with this kid, anyway ? He Psycho ?”
Tony slouched in the chair. “He’s a strange kid, all right. We clashed right from the start. He was nosy and intrusive. I had to put him in his place quite a few times. For awhile, he was after Karen. When I finally strung him up over the Dorm door, he agreed to a truce. Haven’t really had trouble out of him since.”
“He was one of the ones that helped save me from that raping fuck Darrell”, Zoe reflected. “That asshole would have killed me after all of them had their way with me, I just know it. If Kurt and his gang hadn’t busted in when they did......”
Jimmy squeezes Zoe close to him. “Yeah, but then he, what. kidnaped Pinky ? That’s like, a Federal Crime, and he wasn’t even arrested for it.”
“I’m beginning to think that was an accident”, Tony reflected, “They were after weapons and Pinky just got in the way. It’s no secret they hate Preps. And he did let her go after they got the weapons.”
“And then she went right back and became his girlfriend ?”, Jimmy asked. “That seems like too much, even for her.”
“That part’s a mystery to me”, Tony said. “But you know how Pinky is.”
Jimmy knew full well how Pinky was, recalling their affair last year. “Sure, but why this guy ? Something must have happened.”
“Stockholm Syndrome”, Zoe said interjected. The two boys looked at her with frowns, not understanding. “It’s where a captive identifies with their captor.”
“Some shrink mumbo-jumbo”, Jimmy sneered. “Who’s gonna believe that ?”
“No...No, she’s right, I heard of stuff like that”, Tony said slowly. “But really, I don’t understand the whys about it. Kurt has violent anger issues, worse than the others, I know that first-hand. He beat the hell out of Tad Spencer, and the word is that he’s the one who fucked up Derby Harrington as well.”
“But he should have been Busted !”, Jimmy exclaimed. “Shit, I get locked up for something I didn’t even do, and this Putz gets away scott-free for stuff everybody knows he did do ? That’s Bullshit, man.....Bullshit !”
“At least we know why now”, Tony remarked. “At first, I just thought it was Crabblesnitch covering for him. Now, we know it goes beyond Crabblesnitch....Beyond Harrington, even....Looks like Kurt is Mob Protected, for whatever reason....”
“But he came from a Ghetto !” Jimmy interrupted. “Running the streets ! What would make him that important ?”
“I don’t know”, Tony said. “All I know is it’s just one more wild card in an already crooked game.”
“Don’t you get it ?”, Zoe said suddenly. “He’s somebody’s kid ! Somebody high up !”
Tony and Jimmy just stared at her. “Don’t you see ?”, she continued, “It’s got to be somebody high up in the mob who can call the shots, who can make the Cops keep their distance. Nobody would go to the trouble for all that unless he was their kid !”
“But why the charade ?” Tony asked. “And why send him here ? Why not just take him to New York City or wherever his family’s at ? Why dump him off in this shithole ?”
“Because”, Zoe said, tapping the papers, “He’s Illegitimate. He doesn’t know who he really is. And his Mob Dad just found out. Say his real Daddy has a wife and other kids. I’ll bet they don’t know about Kurt, and that guy isn’t about to tell them, not yet anyway. Kurt’s crack-whore Mom dies, he finds out about it, does some investigating, the DNA matches, now he’s got to deal with a new problem that he doesn’t dare bring out in the open to his family. So, he sticks the kid here until he can find a way to deal with it. What would you do ?”
“I....Guess it could be that way”, Tony said slowly. “One thing this guy didn’t count on was Kurt bringing along all his friends from the gutter, though.”
“They couldn’t force him”, Zoe said, “Probably they were under orders not to hurt him in any way. These people value loyalty above all else, so they had to cut a deal with him. That way, everything stays in the dark until.....”
“How would you know about those kind of people ?”, Jimmy sneered.
“Hey, I know stuff !”, Zoe exclaimed, playfully punching Jimmy in the arm.
Looking down at the papers before him, Tony commented, “And Harrington has these files because he’s the one that controls things here, the one who keeps the Cops from busting Kurt. And Crabblesnitch knows, he has to, he put them up in that house, and invites them to do concerts at the school. Kurt get a free pass from everybody, and he knows it now, just doesn’t know why. So, he just gets more violent......”
Jimmy chuckled. “If I was Harrington’s or Spencer’s Dads, I’d wanna nail his hide to the wall.”
“But they can’t, because they’re under orders”, Tony said. “They can’t even arrange a little ‘Accident’ to get revenge.”
“Boy, ain’t life a bitch when you’re rich”, laughed Jimmy.
Settling back once more, Tony said, “I’m really glad you guys found this stuff, although I know it doesn’t help your problem any.....Finding the evidence that you were framed.”
“We got another plan”, Zoe said as she leaned across the table. “We’re gonna bust into Spencer Warehouse tonight and go through their office.”
“But....Why ?”, Tony asked. “What can you find at a shipping office ?”
“The Spencers control all the goods in this area. Everything in and out. If he’s hiding anything, I’ll bet it’s hidden there. Besides, Gary Smith got murdered in Blue Skies. There’s gotta be a connection somehow.”
“But why tonight ?” Tony asked. “Sounds kinda risky.”
“Oh, Jimmy and I have been in there before”, Zoe said, and Jimmy smiled.
“It was like, our first date”, Jimmy chuckled. “We had a smashing good time.”
“Nobody’s gonna be there”, Zoe continued, “It’s a holiday, and the whole place will be just about deserted. We can get in and get out through the back entrance.”
“Won’t there be some of those Townie boys hanging around ?”, Tony asked, still unsure.
“We gonna take plenty of firepower”, Jimmy said. “Just in case. But we’ll take the little footbridge and use the tunnel under the tracks. It’s only a couple of blocks after that. We’ll be in and out, slick as owlshit.”
Tony stood to go. “Well, alright. Just be careful. I gotta get back to the school. I’m gonna be at the Jock’s party over at the Football Field with Karen if you need me.” He paused. “I got a funny feeling something’s going down soon. I just don’t know what.”
“Stand Tall, as the Greasers say”, Jimmy said. “I’ll send Zoe through the tunnels to check in on you when we get back.”
“Maybe you can find something this time”, Tony said, heading for the exit. “I sure hope so.”
___________________________________
-
The hooded figure moved through the crowds at the Carnival unnoticed, finally arriving at the Freakshow building. Entering, he took a few twists and turns and stopped in front of the Fat Bearded Lady exhibit, which also contained the Fat Beardless Man. When the crowd thinned a bit, he beckoned The Fat Beardless Man over to the window pane and held up a paper against the glass.
Algie moved over to the glass and squinted. Dragging his glasses from the pocket of his colorful outfit, he adjusted them on his face and looked at the strange hooded figure. It was then that he recognized under the shadows of the hood the person he knew as Leo Cash. His finger pointed impatiently to the paper he was holding up for Algie to read.
BE AT FRONT GATE ACADEMY
TONIGHT 10 PM
DARK CLOTHES
PAYS BIG $$$
DON’T BE LATE
Algie nodded to show that he had read and understood the message. At that, Jake aka Leo Cash, crumpled the paper up, jammed it in his mouth and started chewing. At once, he turned and headed down the hall without a backward look. Going by the ring where the midget boxers were fighting, Jake paused. When a small opening appeared in the crowd, he removed the wad of chewed and salivaed paper from his mouth. Taking careful aim, he drew back and flung the Spitball as hard as he could at the fighters. His aim was true....The Spitball smacked Zeke in the center of the forehead. It was just enough of a distraction to cause his opponet, Lighting, to plaster Zeke with a viscous blow to the head, knocking him out. Those in the crowd who had bet on Zeke groaned and threw their tickets to the ground. By the time anybody looked around to see the source of the Spitball, Jake was around the corner and out of sight, on his way to leaving the Freakshow and melting back into the crowd outside, where he made his way out of the Carnival unseen.
___________________________________________
-
“What’s the matter with you ?”, Pinky asked.
Staggering into the kitchen holding his belly, Benny sat down heavily in a chair. “Ooohhh....I don’t feel so good.....”
“What, are you sick ?”, Pinky said with a trace of worry.
“Uhhh...My Guts”, Benny groaned. “Where is everybody ?”
“Er...They went over to the Golden Horseshoe in New Coventry to get set up for the Gig tonight, Silly”, Pinky said. “Did you forget ?”
“Ohh...Oh, yeah....”, Benny mumbled. “Someone shoulda woke me up....”
“I think they tried”, Pinky said, “They said you were moaning or something, so they didn’t bother you.”
“Ohhh....I need to get over there, then...”, Benny said, then dissolved into a coughing fit.
“Doesn’t look like you’re going anywhere like that”, Pinky observed. “Besides, it’s already afternoon. They’re probably mostly set up by now.”
Benny recovered somewhat. “Afternoon ?! Shit......Man, my head’s spinning....”
“You look a little green”, Pinky remarked, looking at Benny across the table.
“Eh...What....Are you still doing here ?", Benny ventured weakly.
“Oh, Kurt’s going to come pick me up later”, Pinky replied. “We’re going to ride bikes over before dark. They’re going to put us up in the Hotel upstairs for the night after our sets.”
Inwardly, Pinky didn’t much like playing venues in New Coventry. The places tended to be too uncouth for her tastes. But she was loath to ever play at the school again after what had happened on Valentine’s Night. At least the patrons at the Golden Horseshoe wouldn’t be throwing blood on her.
Benny suddenly bolted from the table and rushed to the kitchen counter, spewing vomit in large chunks into the sink. After several minutes, the worst was over, and he leaned against the counter, gasping.
Pinky wrinkled her nose against the smell drifting up from the sink. “Feel better now ?”
“Well...Uhh...Yeah...I think...”, Benny managed, his face a whiter shade of pale.
Pinky stood up from the table. “You best get back to bed. I’ll tell Kurt you’re not going.”
Benny nodded, and started to move off. “Thanks, Pinks....Sorry about the mess.....”
“Go on, Go on....I’ll clean this up”, Pinky said, moving towards the sink.
“Wait....I should help.....”, Benny began, unsteady on his feet.
“Shoo, Shoo....I said I’ll take care of it. You need to get some rest”, Pinky scolded, feeling somewhat like an old mother hen.
Benny nodded again and gratefully moved off slowly down the hall. Pinky waited until she heard him clomping his way up the stairs, then turned her attention towards the mess in the sink. At least Benny had deposited all his puke in the sink instead of on the floor. Feeling like she was going to gag herself, she turned on the water to wash the stinking mess down the drain, poking a spatula at the larger chunks to force them down. Still holding her breath against the smell, she grabbed the sprayer to wash the rest of the residue away.
Momentarily, she wished she had a maid instead of being one.
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The day melted into the strands of dusk as students trickled their way back to the Academy. It had been decreed by the school administration that the grounds were to be locked down for the rest of the Easter holiday. Dr. Crabblesnitch wanted to take no chances of anything happening this time. The students who were to be staying at the school were told to be inside by 8 PM. At the main gates, Edward and Seth were checking everyone as they came through from the little Guard Shack set by the front gates. As the deadline approached, Seth went beyond the gates and scanned the street for several minutes to check for stragglers. Finally satisfied that the area was empty of returning students, he headed back in, and together he and Edward closed the big heavy gates and locked them. The two Prefects then turned and headed as one for the Parking Lot to the West of the school building.
Ignoring the students they encountered along the way, they went to the Garage Bay Doors that faced the South side of the Parking Lot. While Edward bent to unlock the middle Garage Door, Seth signaled to the the other two Prefects stationed at the Parking Lot gates, Carl and Max, to join them. As those two came walking across the Parking Lot, the last of the students cleared the lot. Nobody wanted to be around a place where all four of them were together, and by the time Carl and Max joined Edward and Seth in front of the now-open door, the Parking Lot was empty.
The Prefects turned their attention to the inside of the Garage Bay. In it sat their own personal bikes, four identical Vulcan Platinum BMX Roadkillers. The bikes sparkled silver in the faint light of the Bay. They were top of the line, reputed to be the fastest of any bike in the Vale Valley or elsewhere. The Prefects had each been awarded one upon completion of one year of service, and their existence was known to only a few, and none of those were students. The Prefects pulled the bikes out of the Garage and Edward closed and re-locked the pull-down door.
Biking across the Parking Lot, they exited, stopping while Seth and Carl dismounted and closed, then locked the heavy gates. Then they were gone, riding out to the road, on their way to Bullworth Town. They cared little about keeping order on this night, for they had been invited to receive awards for excellence at the Policeman’s and Fireman’s Ball being held that very evening at the Courthouse. The whole affair was pegged to run until at least 2 AM. And as any good Prefect knows, you never were a no-show for an award. Especially if you ever wanted to find out if the Police ever got your Application.
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As the Prefect procession left the campus, Lefty, who had been stationed in the back lot of the Autoshop, watched them leave. As they biked down the long drive to the road, he turned and sped around to the side area by the open bay doors where the other Greasers were waiting, bringing them the word the Prefects had gone. Beer and Wine were pulled out of hiding places and passed around. A little bit of Weed saved for the occasion was produced, and the party was on.
Similarly, Wade was watching through the front gate as the Prefects rode by, on their way to cross the big bridge to Bullworth Town. After waiting for a moment to make sure they weren’t coming back, he ran to the Boy’s Dorm to inform the Bullies. Trent went to retrieve the Liquor and Beer stashed behind the Dorm that Russell had smuggled in, along with a few of the choice drugs from their stash. Russell could carry almost anything in and never be challenged by the Prefects, who were rarely ever able to bust him unless all of them ganged up on him. The Bullies could, at least for this night, do in the open what for the rest of the time they had to do in secret.
The Nerds had already gone to the Observatory to get their big night started, making their way from the Library through their not-so-secret gate and down the pathway before the evening’s light was lost. They were already hard at work at their G & G strategies in the Basement of the Observatory, their big game in progress. Nearby at the Football Field, the Jocks had already brought out their Liquor and Beer, along with a few ‘Recreational Drugs’ that they enjoyed at rare times such as these.
Tony and Constantinos had earlier left the Boy’s Dorm, after having counseled the Bullies to not create any trouble. Tony picked up Karen from the Girl’s Dorm, and had also visited the Nerds at the Library before they left, and the Greasers at the Autoshop, where they found Laurent. The four left to go to the Football Field, Tony electing to by-pass the Preps on this trip. They had been holed up at Harrington House the entire week since getting their asses stomped by Kurt and the Rockers, not even attending any classes. Not that it would matter, they would get a free pass even if they elected to not show up the rest of the term. It was just as well....If they had shown their faces, they would be attacked on sight by the other Cliques anyway. After their shenanigans, they now had zero respect around the entire campus.
As Tony, Karen, and the others descended the steps to the field, they could see the Jocks already spread out along the front bleachers, Nick and Melody among then. Joining them and accepting a beer thrust into his hand by Damon, Tony sat down in the bleachers with Karen by his side. Someone had brought out the BoomBox from the Clubhouse, and loud music was playing, re-vibrating across the field. A few of the Jocks were throwing some hard passes down on the field in front of the bleachers, trying to lob the Footballs at their teammates with force enough to make them miss or drop the passes altogether. All in good fun, the atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed. Watching the activity, though, Tony was troubled. Still uneasy from his dream, he kept glancing towards the Stairs, expecting a horde of black-clad killers to appear at any moment.
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At precisely 10 PM, a lone figure came ambling down the street, crossing the bridge from Bullworth Vale. He was dressed in a ridiculous-looking black tights outfit that was much too small for his massively fat body, and rolls of blubber protruded from underneath the suit in several places. Upon reaching the main gates of the school, he paused, unsure of what to do next.
From across the street, hidden down the pathway in the rocks, Jake spotted Algie.
“Who the Hell’s that ?”, questioned Omar, standing beside Jake.
“Someone I know”, Jake replied, “I got a job for him.”
“THAT Fat Shit ?”, asked Omar.
“Relax”, Jake said, rising. “He’s gonna come in handy.”
Keeping a low profile, Jake jogged across to the median that divided the street, where there were some scant bushes, and called out in a low voice, “Hey, Fatass ! Over Here !”
Algie hustled across to the median. “Oh, there you are ! What are we gonna....”
“Keep your voice down, you Idiot !”, Jake hissed. “This is a stealth operation !”
“Oh ! Sure !” Algie mumbled. Then, “What am I supposed to do ?”
“Go over to the gate and scout it out. If you don’t see anybody, signal me”, Jake said.
Algie went and did as he was told. After several minutes, he signed OK to Jake, and Jake signaled Omar to have the gang move in. Omar in turn gave the signal to the others to move out from their hiding places in the rocks. As they cautiously came across the street, they resembled the pack of black clad figures from Tony’s dream, except there were no grinning skulls, only faces dirtied up with black grease paint. Each carried weapons supplied from Jake’s arsenal.
At the gate they gathered around. It was locked, as Jake expected. Omar summoned Duncan over. “Can you get this ?”
Duncan bent to look at the old lock. “Yeah, no problem.” He pulled a lockpicking kit from the folds of his dark outfit. While Duncan was working on the lock, Jake turned to Gurney, who was carrying a length of chain and a padlock. “Go chain that other gate shut and Padlock it. Take Jerry with you, and come back when you’re done.”
As Duncan began to work on the lock, Gurney and Jerry hurried away. By the time they returned, the front gate was unlocked, and Jake eased it open. The pathway clear to the school had remained empty the whole time, and the Townies, Jake, and Algie slipped through the gate unseen. Omar closed the gate, then took a second length of chain from Gurney and wrapped it around the gate. Gurney produced another padlock, and the front gate was secured. If the Prefects or anybody else returned early, there’d be no getting inside. The chains and new locks served a dual purpose.....No one would be leaving either.
Two of the Townies were missing from the group....Otto and Floyd. Their job was to take over the Observatory, and for that they had traveled across the footbridge from Blue Skies to the short tunnel that led to the rock-strewn passage that led to the Observatory. Their orders were to lay in wait until they heard the sounds of the others reaching the Football Field, then attack the Observatory. Jake expected it to be the toughest to take over, as he had heard all the plans that everybody had made over his hidden transmitters. The Nerds would barricade the front door and would be ensconsed in the basement, and the assault was likely to be noisy. As they would need stealth until then, Jake ordered them to wait. If any Nerd attempted to leave the building in the meantime, they were to be gunned down.
All the Townies unslung their weapons, most of them carried Spud Guns or Bottle-Rocket Launchers supplied by Jake. Omar and Jake himself both carried the last two remaining Air Rifles. As the group approached the split paths to the Dorms, Jake motioned for Omar to take the bulk of towards the Boy’s Dorm, while he took Algie and Nate towards the Girl’s Dorm. Omar and his group hunkered down along the sides of the path and waited for Jake and his group to move to the Girl’s dorm steps. When Omar saw Jake’s group enter the Dorm door, he signaled his group to move in on the Bullies for a surprise attack.
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Jake, Algie, and Nate crept through the front doors of the Girl’s Dorm and slunk up the main short hallway. Jake motioned them to stop and peeked around the corner. The three heard some tittering laughter trickling out of the common area, which was far nicer that the Boy’s Dorm, with plush chairs and couches, end tables and a fireplace. The only thing that was the same was the Beam Cola machine that sat against one wall. Jake drew his Spud Gun and stepped around the corner.
“All Right, Ladies ! Hands In The Air !”, Jake yelled, the dissolved into crazy laughter. “No, Serious...Just Get On the Floor and Spread ‘Em !”
“Eeeeek ! What are you doing here !”, screamed Christy.
“Stop Being Idiots !”, Angie piped up, seeing the invaders.
“Get Out Of Here !”, said a shocked Eunice.
“Yeeeeeaaccck !!”, screeched Gloria.
“Just look Down ! Don’t make eye contact with Anyone !”, Pedro yelped.
Jake grinned his evil shark grin at Christy. The Girls were all dressed up in their nighties, but Christy was the best to look at by far. “Really, girls.....Get on the floor, and spread ‘em !”, he said again, leering at Christy.
“TRESPASSERS !! DO NOT TRESPASS HERE !!!”, came a sudden voice behind them.
Whirring around, the three boys saw Mrs. Carvin charging down the long hall towards them. Without thinking about it, Jake shot her with the Spud Gun in her guts.
“OHHHH !!! That Is Pain-n-n-full.....”, she gasped as she doubled over and fell to the floor. Thrashing about, she managed to regain her feet, and staggered towards Jake. He shot her again.
“AHHHH.....This Is....Not...Happening....”, Mrs. Carvin cried as she crashed to the floor again. Rolling over, she managed to get to her knees. Jake shot her a third time just as she staggered to her feet again, taking her legs out from under her. She thudded to the floor and lay moaning.
“This...Is...Not...Good....”, Mrs. Carvin muttered, as Jake turned to Nate and ordered him to bind her. Nate pulled a roll of Duct Tape from his pocket and went to her. Flipping her on front, he bound her arms behind her back. “Please....I’m just a frail old woman...”, she moaned.
Meanwhile, Jake had turned his attention back to the girls, when Pedro piped up with, “Leave Us Alone, Leave Us Alone, Leave Us Alone !!!”
Jake cast a weird look at the Girls. “What’s he doing here ? You Girls babysitting ?” Jake then swiveled his Spud Gun and shot Pedro in the guts.
“ARRRRUUUGGGGHHHHH, MAMA !!!!!”, Pedro screamed, and fell to the floor.
“I’m Gonna Tell On You !!!!!”, came a nasally voice from the other side of the hall. Jake turned and spotted little Sheldon standing at the foot of the stairs. Jake brought his Spud Gun to bear on him and fired, but Sheldon ducked the shot and ran up the stairs. In almost no time at all, Mrs. Peabody came charging down the stairs and tore around the corner.
“YOU VILE TRESPASSERS !! YOU WILL BE PUNISHED !!!”, she yelled as she charged towards them. Jake let go with a shot from the Spud Gun that smacked her square in the stomach.
“NOOOOOOOO !!!!!!”, Mrs. Peabody screamed as fell on the floor. She squirmed about and began to get back up. Jake was done fucking around. He shot her with two more Spuds in quick succession. She flopped about on the floor, moaning, “I...Give Up...Ohhhh...I am not doing well...”
Jake directed Nate to bind her as well, and then told Algie to track down Sheldon. Algie headed towards the stairs and labored to climb them. Jake turned his attention back to the Girls.
“You’re not getting away with this !”, Christy steamed.
"Mother Nature will be hearing about this !", exclaimed Angie.
“You MONSTER !”, bellowed Eunice.
Jake swung the Spud Gun in the direction of Eunice. He’d had enough of this fat cow. He fired a Spud into her guts.
“OHHHH !!.....You Heartless....Ohhhhh...”, Eunice gasped as she fell to the floor, withering.
“Hey ! You Can’t Do That !” Gloria interjected. Jake stuck the Spud Gun in her face.
“You’re next if you don’t shut your trap !”, he growled. Gloria, for once, shut up. “Bind Them !”, Jake said to Nate.
Algie tracked Sheldon upstairs, where he found him cowering at the end of the long hallway. Taking careful aim, Algie let loose with a couple of Bottle Rocket shots at Sheldon. One of them found it’s mark near his privates and exploded.
“OWWW !!! That Really Hurt !!!!!”, screamed Sheldon as he doubled over and fell. Algie waddled down the hall and grabbed Sheldon by the scruff of his neck and hauled him back downstairs.
Algie dumped Sheldon to the floor and Nate hurried to bind him. “That It ? Nobody else upstairs ?” Algie shook his head No. Jake turned to Christie and Angie. “Where’s the rest of you ?”
Christy glared at him. “Go To HELL !!”, she spat.
Jake’s face took on an ugly, bloated look. He jabbed the Spud Gun into her Breasts. “You best watch your language, you little Bitch !”
Bound and helpless, Christy fell silent, but her eyes still flashed hatred at Jake. The evil grin returned to Jake’s face. “That’s Better”, he said. “It’s no matter, we’ll still find them.”
Eyes still locked on Christy, Jake called over his shoulder to Algie. “You’re gonna stand guard here”, he said. “No One gets in or out. If they try, Shoot ‘Em.”
“But...But....I thought I was gonna go with you guys...”, Algie said, protesting.
“Look, Fatass”, Jake said impatiently, “This is a key part of the operation. We can’t have these Bitches getting loose and warning anybody. Get It ?”
Algie started to say something else, but the evil, satanic look in Jake’s eyes stopped him. Instead, he just said, “Sure...Umm....Sure.”
Jake turned to Nate, and had him toss the Duct Tape to Algie. “And no talking. If they start to chatter, tape their mouths shut.” Algie nodded to show he understood.
“Com’on....Let’s go”, Jake motioned to Nate. The two backed away, then turned and left the Dorm to go check on Omar’s progress with the Bullies.
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The Townies had been lined up on either side of the pathway, waiting for Omar to signal the attack. Assessing the situation, Omar saw that Trent was off to the left with Davis and Troy, tossing eggs at the Dorm with a couple of cartons that had been swiped from Edna’s kitchen.....Something other Cliques usually did when they could get away with it. To the far right, Russell was holding forth in his usual spot in the yard, along with Ethan, Tom, and Wade, pointing at some magazine Tom was holding and laughing. Omar could tell that they were well on their way to getting toasted just by their speech and the way they were slightly staggering around. Everyone, it seemed, had a can of Beer in their hands.
Omar signaled Clint, Jerry, Gurney, Sam, and Ian to attack Russell’s position, while he and Duncan went after Trent and his buddies. At once, the Townies sprung from hiding and streamed into the yard, firing Spud Guns and Bottle Rocket Launchers at their targets. The Bullies were taken totally by surprise, and none of them were armed. Davis and Troy were taken out in a flurry of Spuds and exploding Firecrackers from the launchers. Trent managed to duck several shots while using Davis and Troy as shields. When they fell to the ground, Trent charged at Omar, now just a few feet away. Trent threw a roundhouse right at Omar, who deftly stepped out of the way, tripping Trent as he went by and then kicking him in the ass as he fell.
Trent rolled and sprung to his feet. “Allright ! You’re Gonna Be Pissin’ BLOOD !!”, he said as he advanced on Omar.
Instead of just shooting Trent, Omar, who loved fighting, hauled off with a well placed kick to the nuts. Trent doubled over, gasping, “Why, You Son-Of-A-BITCH !!”
Omar plastered Trent’s face with a hard right that sent blood spurting from his lip, and followed it with a left hook to the head. Trent fell on his back, dazed. “Next Time....”, he muttered woozily.
While Duncan was busy kicking a prone Davis, whom he hated, Omar turned his attention to the attack on Russell’s group. Clint’s faction had easily taken out Tom, Ethan, and Wade, cutting them down where they stood before they even had a chance to run. Russell was another matter, however. After an initial hit with one of the Firecrackers, Russell began swatting them away like flies before they could hit him, and he was doing the same with the Spud shots as well. His sudden bellow filled the yard.
“RUSSELL SMASH !!!! RUSELL DESTROY !!!!”, he shouted, lumbering towards his attackers, grabbing the hapless new Townie Sam and throwing him into the others, toppling them like bowling pins. Clint danced off to the side and continued to shoot Spuds at Russell with little effect. Enraged, Russell bellowed, “RUSSELL GONNA HURT YOU BA-A-AD !!!”
At that moment, Jake, with Nate following, came upon the scene. He calmly unslung the Air Rifle from his back and took aim at the rampaging Russell. Sighting carefully, he let off a shot that hit Russell’s giant leg, the Pellet striking and breaking the kneecap. Hobbled, like a giant oak on the forest, Russell crashed to the asphalt. As he lay there, grasping his knee, Russell howled in misery, “OHHH....RUSSELL FAIL !!!!” The Townies moved in then, peppering him with Spuds until he was knocked out.
Jake and Omar surveyed the carnage. Jake looked toward the Dorm and saw a flicker of light in one of the windows. “Get them up there, there’s still somebody inside”, he told Omar. Quickly, Omar signaled some of the Townies towards the Dorm. They quickly invaded the hallways, kicking in every door. In one room they found Ivan and Gordon, who had been oblivious to all the fighting because they had been intently watching a French Porno on an apparently smuggled DVD player and whacking off. With deflating cocks, they were roughly collared and dragged from the room. At another room, Eddie and Geoff, the two friends who avoided contact with most everyone else, were found listening to some Metallicia and ordered out at Spud Gunpoint. In a third room, they found a sleeping Trevor and pulled him from his bed as well.
Jake then had the Townies drag the Bullies into the Dorm, where they were all bound with Duct Tape and lined up sitting with their backs to the wall like so much cordwood. Jake hoisted a groggy Trent and carried him inside himself. As they reached the steps, a half-lidded Trent swiveled his head over and stared at Jake.
“Jake....Is that....You ?”, Trent said stupidly.
“Shut Up, Dumbass”, Jake hissed. “I’m Leo Cash !”
“Wha....What are you doing ?”, Trent asked, somewhat drunkenly.
“I’m taking over the school, Asshole”, Jake replied. “What do you think ?”
Jake hauled Trent inside and threw him down with the others to be bound. Special precautions were taken to insure Russell could not get loose. The power cord for the arcade game was ripped out and used to bind Russell’s arms behind his back, along with a massive amount of Duct Tape. When all were accounted for, Nate was put in charge of guarding the prisoners. Eager to impress, Nate smiled as he hoisted his Spud Gun and dared anybody to try to escape.
“Right on schedule”, Jake said to Omar once the Townies were gathered outside. “Time to go after the Greasers.”
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Under a rapidly darkening sky, the Townies, with Jake and Omar in the lead, silently made their way across the deserted campus. Gathering by the large three-bay garage at the South end of the Parking Lot, they waited while Omar went ahead to scout the Greaser area from the rear. After a few minutes, a low whistle sounded, the signal that all was clear. The group, weapons at the ready, moved around the twisty labyrinth behind the Autoshop, and filtered through the open bay doors of the back garage. Normally, some of the Greasers would hang out in the back area, but on this night, with the Prefects absent, there was no reason to hide away in back, and the area was empty.
They huddled in the shadows of the Garage area, hearing voices nearby. Jake took a peek around the corner. Under a makeshift awing-like structure placed in front of the open bay door of the main garage, sat Peanut, along with Hal, Lefty, and Lucky. The quartet was knocking back drinks and swapping dirty jokes in true Greaser style, on their way to getting wasted long before midnight. Jake backed up and whispered instructions to Omar, then went and climbed a ladder set in the corner of the building to the roof. The last time he had been up this way was Christmas Eve. This time, the outcome was going to be far different, Jake promised himself.
Omar sent Clint and Gurney back around the way they came......Clint, to find and cover the shortcut on the wall that led to the Autoshop yard, Gurney to the Fountain area to cover the entrance pathway to the Autoshop, in the event that any Greasers would try to flee. Up on the roof, Jake waited until he spotted Clint appear at the opening in the wall. Over towards the entrance, he saw Ricky and Norton keeping watch at the closed gate entrance, talking among themselves and smoking Ciggys. Pulling out a couple of M-80's, Jake lit them and dropped them over the side of the roof onto the top of the makeshift structure.
BLAM !!!! BLAM !!!! The M-80's exploded, galvanizing the Greasers, as they hopped up, spilling their beers. At that instant, the Townies poured en-masse around the corner, firing their Spud Guns on the startled Greasers. Lefty, Lucky, and Hal were cut down in the surprise ambush in an instant, while Peanut managed to dive into the open bay door. As the Townies approached, they beheld the sight of the Greaser’s 69' Mustang Fastback, which had been returned to the Autoshop bay from the Oil Spill some time ago when all the restoration work had been completed. As the Townies gathered around the front of the gleaming classic car, a heavy hammer came sailing out of the darkness, catching a hapless Sam in the center of his forehead, knocking him out before he hit the he hit the concrete. A slew of other tools followed....Wrenches, Sockets, Screwdrivers, Ratchets, and Grease Guns. The Townies easily ducked this onslaught and returned fire.
Meanwhile, at the first sound of trouble, Norton had come running. But before he could turn the corner leading to the bay, he was hit in the shoulder by a Pellet fired from the roof by Jake. Norton was spun around and crashed on the asphalt from the force of the blow. Jumping up, he spotted Jake on the rooftop.
“YOU PRICK !!!”, Norton shouted, “I’ll Get You For That !!!”
Jake just laughed and fired the Air Rifle again in front of Norton’s feet. Norton jumped back out of the way, and Jake fired again.
“Dance, Shithead, Dance !!”, laughed Jake like it was the funniest thing in the world. Norton turned and ran for the shortcut on the wall as Jake continued to pepper the asphalt in his wake. Just as he reached it, Clint popped up, Spud Gun in hand, and blasted Norton in the nuts.
“AUUHHH....My Johnson !!!”, Norton hollered, and crashed into the wall. Clint hopped down and placed the Spud Gun against Norton’s head. “Move It !!”, he ordered.
Ricky had began to follow Norton until Jake started shooting. Nearly tripping over himself, he suddenly backtracked and headed back to the gate. Frantically unbolting it, he slid it open only to be met by Gurney with a sadistic smile on his face. Gurney shot Ricky in the nuts at point-blank range.
“ARRRGHHH !!! Right In The Hot Rod !!!”, Ricky screamed in a high-pitched girly voice. Gurney grabbed Ricky by his leather jacket and drug him back towards the Autoshop.
Jake watched the proceedings with satisfaction, then went and climbed the ladder back down off the roof. As he approached the open bay door, a sudden spray of tiny rivets issued from it. Jake rounded the corner to find Omar and the Townies crouched down by the front of the car.
“He’s got a Rivet Gun !”, exclaimed Omar, as Jake hunkered next to him.
“Heh...Yeah ?”, Jake uttered a short laugh. “Don’t worry. I got this.”
From his jacket, Jake withdrew five M-80 Firecrackers and deftly tied their fuses together. He then snuck around to the driver’s side and tossed the bundle onto the driver’s seat, with the now-elongated fuse trailing out the window. Flicking his lighter, he held it close to the fuse.
“Give it up, or I’ll blow up this Ride !!”, Jake threatened. The Townies moved back. Peanut slowly rose from hiding at the back of the car, Rivet Gun at the ready, only to see Jake pointing the Air Rifle at him with one hand and holding the flaming lighter near the fuse with the other.
“Drop It, Peanut, or it goes BOOM just like it did before”, Jake said coldly.
Sudden surprise flecked Peanut’s face. “It....It was You !! It was you that blew up our car !!”
“Heh...Yeah. Great deduction there, Sherlock”, Jake laughed shortly. “Now, Drop It, or it goes up again.”
The Rivet Gun slowly slipped from Peanut’s nerveless fingers and clattered to the floor. At once, the Townies rushed him, and Duncan and Jerry grabbed his arms and held them behind his back. Jake approached and stared at Peanut. With the mirrored surface of the car reflecting what scant light there was, Peanut caught a glimpse of Jake’s face.
“Hey, I know who you are !”, Peanut began. “You’re that...That....”
Jake had re-slung his Air Rifle. Now he pulled his Spud Gun and shot Peanut in the nuts.
“AHHHHH !!! GAWD....DAMMIT !!!”, Peanut groaned in agony.
“That’s for throwing us off schedule, you fucking throwback”, Jake said. To the Townies, he said, “Bind Him ! Bind Them All !!”
Soon the air was filled with the sound of tape being ripped off of the Duct Tape rolls as the Greasers were bound hand and foot, then dragged into the bay. As they were stacked against the back wall, Hal started to come to, muttering, “Cheap...Shot...”
As the last was put in place, Jake turned to Ian. “You’re the guard here. If they try anything, light that fuse and run.”
Ian nodded. Pointing to Sam, still laying on the ground knocked out cold, he said, “What about him ?”
“Collateral Damage”, Jake said. “Leave him there....Nothing we can do for him right now.” He turned to Omar. “Let’s get the boys to the next target. We’re running behind schedule.”
Omar nodded, and the Townies moved out, Jake following behind. When they reached the fountain, Jake called a halt. To Omar, he said, “Attack just the way we planned it. They’re weak now, almost powerless. Weapons are gone. Most of them will be upstairs, betting with their future money in their stupid poker game. Ice them good....I know how much you boys hate those rich scum.”
“You’re not coming ?”, Omar asked, surprised.
“No....Not on this one", Jake answered, looking at a lit window on the second floor in the back of the school. “I got another appointment to keep. Somebody I’ve meaning to talk to for quite awhile now.”
With a slight wave, Jake headed off towards the school. Omar and the Townies moved down the path to Harrington House.
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Benny came awake. Disoriented for a moment in the dark room, he slowly came into focus. He felt literally drained. After a bit, he tried sitting up. As he did, waves of nausea grabbed at his mid-section, but he had no urge to vomit again. Tentatively, he stood up. The room seemed to whirl briefly, then righted itself. He took a few small steps and flipped on the light.
He needed a smoke. There was a pack on the table where his Wideband Receiver was sitting. Benny took some more small steps and then sat down heavily in the chair next to the table. Fishing out a cigarette from the pack, he lit it with the lighter that was laying next to the ashtray. As the nicotine coursed into his lungs, he felt a calming effect, and he began to feel a bit better.
Staring at his Wideband, he flipped it on for a distraction. As was his custom, he tuned into the hidden transmitters at the Academy. Although the Prep threat was over for the time being, he sometimes just liked to listen just for the hell of it. It could be very addicting. Benny fiddled with the dials, and the Nerd’s voices filled the Receiver. After listening for a couple minutes, Benny could tell that they were deeply involved in some sort of role-playing fantasy game. He tuned a bit farther, but could hear nothing of the Jocks, Preps, or the Greasers. He assumed that they all were otherwise occupied away from the transmitters.
When he tuned across to where the Boy’s Dorm frequency was, a puzzled look crossed his face. He could only hear what seemed to be groans and curses from far off. A more authoritative voice broke in saying something like “Shut Up” and “Keep It Down”, and then only the moaning could be heard. After a while, unable to make out what was happening, he tuned over to the Girl’s Dorm frequency, and heard Christy’s voice come through loud and clear.
“Zzzzzzzzz......think you’re doing, you Fat Pervert ? You really fucked yourself this time ! You think you’re going to get away with this ? This is a CRIME, you stupid Piss-Pants FREAK !!”
“Zzzzzz......Zzzzzz.....SHUTUP, just SHUTUP, you BITCH !!”, came a voice from somewhere far off.
“Zzzzzz....This really isn’t making any sense, you know”, said another female voice that Benny thought might belong to that little black girl, Gloria. “When Damon catches you for this, he will rip your other nut off, you know.....”
“Zzzzzz.....YOU need to shut up too, unless you want to get hurt !”, said the far-off nasally voice.
Zzzzzz.....Algie, you need serious help”, said Christy. “Just how long do you think you can hold us here ? And who are those assholes with you ?”
“Zzzzzz.....Zzzzzzz.....you worry about it. They’re going to help make them pay......Zzzzzzttttt.....what they done to me.....Zzzzzzzttttt......”, the voice countered.
Benny sat back stunned. His groggy mind searched for an explanation. Algie holding Girls hostage ? Other people there ? What was going on ? He listened for a few more minutes, and gleaned that the 'Others’ were most likely the Townies, whom the Rockers had fought when they were staying in Blue Skies over that rape thing with that one girl....Zoe, he remembered. Then suddenly, the moans and groans he had heard from the Boy’s Dorm transmitter started to make sense. The school must be under attack !
Benny had heard enough. Flipping off the Receiver, he lurched to his feet, moving across the room, where he retrieved his weapons and strapped them on. Picking up a light jacket, he left the room and navigated his way down the stairs. In his mind arose a picture of the beautiful red-haired Christy, now in danger. He had to get help. He had to get to the Golden Horseshoe and tell Kurt and Winkie.
Out on the back deck, he took the only bike left sitting there and pushed it around front. It took quite a bit of his dwindling strength to unlock and push the heavy gate aside, and then pull it back and re-lock it. Benny mounted the bike and began peddling wobbly down the street.
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The creeping Townies found the entire area in front of Harrington House completely empty. Omar checked the side yard. It was likewise empty, even Chad’s dog wasn’t there. The group lined up on either side of the front doors, out of sight. Omar and Leon approached the front doors. Leon tried to turn the knob. It was locked.
Omar flattened up against the side, and nodded to Leon, who knocked loudly on the door. When there was no response, Leon began beating on the door, and kept it up for about a minute. Suddenly, the door was flung open and the scowling face of Bif was flung out.
“What Do You Paupers Want Now.....URK !”, Bif was cut off as the unseen Omar jammed the barrel of the Air Rifle into his neck.
“Just paying you a little visit, Rich Boy”, Omar said. “May we come in ? No, really, I insist.”
Bif had stiffened as the pressure of the Air Rifle pressed into his neck. He had seen what just one Pellet had done to Pete. Slowly, under the gun’s pressure, he backed into the foyer. As Omar pushed Bif back, Leon and the rest of the Townies filed in, weapons at the ready like a commando assault. Jake had trained them well.
“Bind Him”, Omar ordered, “And Gag Him Too.” Duncan and Jerry held Bif’s arms behind his back as Gurney pulled strips off a Duct Tape roll and bound them securely. But before Gurney could wrap another strip around Bif’s head and mouth, Bif took a step forward towards Omar. With a look of pure hatred distorting his features, Bif hawked back and spit right into Omar’s face.
In a low voice, Omar hissed, “OK Rich Scum, is that how you wanna play this ?” With all his strength, Omar sunk his left fist deep into Bif’s guts, doubling him over. As Bif gasped for air, Omar calmly re-slung his Air Rifle, then unloaded a devastating right to Bif’s face. Blood squirted suddenly as Bif sank to the floor. Wiping his face with his sleeve, Omar said to the crumpled figure on the floor, “You’re gonna pay for that, Asshole, just as soon as we take care of your Pussy friends.”
Omar signaled the others to move quietly through the second set of doors into the large main room, which was empty, as Jake had predicted. Stealthily, they climbed the stairs to the second floor, then without making a sound, filed through a doorway into a good-sized room that resembled a lounge. To the left was a Television with a table and large couch placed in front of it. The TV was on, but nobody was seated on the couch watching. Instead, the Preps were seated around two tables to the right, engrossed in what seemed to be card games. Piles of chips, money, and paper vouchers were in the center of the tables. Omar waited a few seconds until the Townies were in position, then gave the signal to attack.
It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Bryce, Chad, Justin, and Parker were peppered with Spuds and never had a chance to even rise before the were blasted out of their chairs. Gord, who had just stood up to walk to the bathroom a split-second before the barrage began, ducked the Spuds rocketing his way and made a break for the doors that led to the Balcony. He managed to fling them open just as a Spud smashed into his back and pushed him out, carrying him into the balcony railing. Gurney chased him out and jammed a Spud Gun into his nuts.
Just then, Chad’s dog Chester, who had been up in the empty third floor arboretum, came charging down the outside steps and with a growl, sunk his teeth into Gurney’s leg. Gurney cursed, his attention diverted from Gord, and shot the Spud into Chester, who yelped and let go. Gord attempted to climb over the railing and jump off, and Gurney grabbed him around the waist and hauled him back. Just then, Chester, who had been circling around barking, attacked Gurney once more, this time going for his nuts. A comical scene ensued, with Gurney slinging around Gord, whose arms were flailing around like a rag doll, while Chester was hanging off of Gurney’s crotch. Finally, Gurney was able to swat the dog away and delivered a viscous kick. Chester ran off up the steps, whimpering, and Gurney drug Gord back into the room, throwing him to the floor and slamming the doors. The other Townies were laughing at his mis-adventure.
Even Omar was smiling. “Ok, that was funny. But we got work to do. You guys know the drill. Bind them all up.” Omar went and spoke briefly to Clint, and the two went back downstairs. Omar had Clint drag the unconscious Bif to the fireplace, where the Preps kept a fire burning nearly all the time. Removing his Knife from his sheath, Omar seized Bif’s Aquaberry sweater and cut it right down the middle. He then ripped open his shirt, exposing Bif’s nearly hairless chest. Poking around in the fire with the Poker, he chose two pieces of long, slim, burning wood, one twice the length of the other. Then with the Tongs, he picked up the two pieces and laid them on Bif’s chest so that they resembled a large capital ‘T’.
Omar placed his boot on the smoldering pieces and ground down. The pressure and pain on his sternum brought Bif back awake. His terrified eyes went large, and he bucked, trying to get loose. His screams echoed in the room, carrying to the second floor, where the other Townies came out and lined up along the rail to watch. Grinning, Clint stuffed a dirty rag in Bif’s mouth to muffle him as the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
“You don’t spit on your betters, you future corporate lackey”, Omar said harshly. “Just so you don’t forget that, here’s a permanent reminder.”
Omar released his hold then, allowing the smoldering pieces to fall to the carpet. Bif’s chest was revealed to all with a blackened 'T’ burned into it just like a brand. Omar addressed the watching Townies. “Show’s Done. Drag those scum down here and line 'em up. Gurney, you’re the guard. Let’s get hopping. We move out in five minutes.”
The Townies scurried to do his bidding. Omar smiled. Leo Cash had been right, the Preps had been sitting dicks.
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Tony was still uneasy. The nighttime winds had picked up, and the sky was becoming darker. No one else around him seemed to notice. Excusing himself, he sought out Constantinos, who was sitting up at the top of the bleachers alone, nursing a beer.
“Heya, Constantinos”, Tony said, climbing up and plopping down next to him.
“Hey there”, Constantinos said morosely. He was well known for his sometimes gloomy moods, and could be downright depressing to be around when he was mired in one of them, which probably explained why he had such few friends.
“I’m feeling....Something out of kilter”, Tony said, “How about you ?”
Constantinos pointed to the rapidly darkening sky. “If that sky fell on me, I don’t think I could feel any worse than I do right now.” Constantinos often popped out with ‘Gloom and Doom’ phrases such as that, but this time it just served to reinforce the chill Tony was feeling.
“Listen”, Tony said hesitatingly, “I had.....This real weird Dream....About...”
“Mutilated Bodies again ?”, filled in Constanous with a small sarcastic smile. “Didn’t happen last time, though”, he said, referring to the pre-Halloween dream that Tony had.
“Only by a ton of luck”, Tony shivered in the suddenly cool wind. “It could have been bad...Very Bad.”
“Yes”, Constantinos said, looking at the dark sky that was now blotting out the moon and stars.
“Something’s wrong”, Tony ventured. Turning to Constantinos, he said, “Look, could you do a little Recon Mission ? Just go check things out ? I’d go, but I gotta stay here with Karen. If anything was to happen to her and I wasn’t here.....” Tony shuddered and shook off the thought. “You can take somebody else....Maybe Laurent....”
“That’s Ok, I’d rather go alone”, Constantinos said, rising. “Nobody usually pays any attention to me, just by myself. I’m not having any fun here anyway.”
Tony told Constantinos to check out each area and report back, then watched as the boy went down the bleachers and then climbed the steps to the Gym. When Constantinos was out of sight, he hurried to get back to Karen. But even her cute smiling face wasn’t enough to quell the rising dread he was feeling.
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Otto and Floyd arrived at the Observatory nearly an hour after the Townies had invaded the school grounds. They had started out from the Townies warehouse hangout, ducked through the walking path that cut under the railroad line, then taken the footbridge that ran across the water at the South end of the inlet. The footbridge led off close to the old spur line that used to run to the large cavernous area carved through the mountain, where the old mining tunnels branched off....One led to the Happy Volts Asylum, the other to the rock-strewn area just to the East of the school, the Nerd’s trail from the Library to the Observatory.
Their instructions had been clear, station themselves in a position to attack and wait for the sounds of battle from the nearby Football Field that would signal that the Townies had secured the rest of the school and were making their final push. As they reached the gates, they found they were, as expected, closed and locked. Both had brought lengths of rope and grappling hooks. Silently, they threw the hooks up to the overhead platform behind the wall that lay to the right side of the gate. The hooks caught, the grapples did their job. Otto and Floyd scaled the wall and gained the platform. There was steps down the other side. Otto slinked down and crossed over to try the Observatory doors. They too were locked, as expected. He returned to the platform. At the center of the platform, mounted directly over the gate, stood the Spud Cannon.
Telling Floyd to keep watch on the opening to the Football Field, Otto swiveled the Spud Cannon around and aimed it at the large double doors of the Observatory, then settled down to wait.
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Dressed in dark clothing, Jimmy and Zoe emerged from the tunnel that led to Jimmy’s secret cave, and headed for the footbridge to Blue Skies. They had missed Otto and Floyd by mere minutes, and were unaware of what was going on at the school. Their mission tonight was to access the Spencer Warehouse Office, and they made good time into Blue Skies.
They had been prepared to duck into hiding, but the totally empty streets made that completely unnecessary. They made their way, ghostlike, to the broken gate that gave way to a small alcove between the two warehouses and climbed the rickety back steps to the rear door. After a few minutes of fooling around with the ancient lock, Zoe was able to spring it open, and they entered.
Jimmy shined a flashlight around until he located the large fusebox. He flipped the big side lever upwards, and the floodlights came on, illuminating the entire length of the large warehouse. Since the warehouse contained no windows, there was no danger the lit-up interior could be seen from the outside. While Jimmy searched for the enclosed office lighting, Zoe picked her way across the elevated platform to the railing, which offered a panoramic view of the warehouse.
She sucked in her breath, and called, “Jimmy, come look at this !”
Jimmy had found the office lighting and turned it on, then made his way to the railing next to Zoe. “Whoa....”, was the only comment he could make after seeing what lay before them. Unlike the last time they were here, when they had engaged in a Smash-It-Up game of destruction in an only partially-filled warehouse, the place was now packed. The huge four tier pallet and shelving racks were filled to near-capacity with all manner of crates and boxes of variating size and dimensions. The floor area was likewise stuffed, with only enough clear floor space to weave a forklift around. The only really clear area was at the far end, where the big bay door was located near to the smaller access door.
Zoe was awed at the sight. Growing up in that hovel of a house a mere block North of the warehouse, she had snuck in here many times to do vandalism out of sheer boredom, alone and with others. She had never seen the warehouse so full before, however, and it was a strange looking sight. They both hung at the rail for several minutes in silence. What was all this stuff ?
Finally, Jimmy touched her arm. “We better get started. Let’s hit the Office.” Zoe nodded, taking a look over her shoulder as they made their way back towards the office. Maybe they could find some answers in there.
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Jake had trekked around to the front of the school, since the back doors were presumably locked. As he passed by the Parking Lot, he glanced at the gate at the far end and was able to see that the chain was still wrapped around it. Getting around to the front, he ascended the steps, found the front doors unlocked, and entered the school. Stopping briefly to look up at the Great Hall, where the blood balloons had come crashing down just a few weeks earlier, he let out a chuckle as he imagined what it had been like. If only he had placed a hidden camera.....
No Matter. Jake had other things to attend to on this night. He made his way across the hall and climbed the stairs to the second floor, Spud Gun at the ready. He headed for the Office. Sneaking in low through the archway, he spotted Ms. Danvers behind the counter, bent over her desk, her back to him. Just perfect. Silently, Jake crept around the counter until he was just a few feet away.
After being at the school for as long as she had, Ms. Danvers was no dummy when it came to detecting student shenanigans. It was often said that she possessed a sixth sense for trouble, often appearing scant seconds after rowdy students got out of control anywhere near her second-floor domain to bust them. That sense alerted her now, and she suddenly looked over to find herself staring down the barrel of Jake’s Spud Gun.
Ms. Danvers was not one to shrivel in the face of aggression. “What is it you want ? I don’t have time for this !” she said forcefully. She dropped her papers and started towards him. Surprised, Jake backed up, and Ms. Danvers kept coming after him. The old biddy was going to try to bust him, and that wouldn’t do at all. Jake triggered off a shot, and the Spud hit her high in the right shoulder, slamming her backwards into the file cabinets.
“Why, You Little Ruffian !”, she said tightly. Reaching over to her desk, she attempted to grab the flower vase to throw at him. Jake swiveled the Spud Gun slightly and with another shot, shattered it.
“Stop That, You Terrorist !”, Ms. Danvers said hotly. Deprived of something handy to throw at her attacker, she reached down and pulled off her right high heel and threw that at Jake instead.
Jake easily dodged the shoe, laughing inside at being called a Terrorist. He didn’t want to shoot her as to where she would be useless to him, at least not yet. He needed her services for a bit longer. The thought struck him that he just needed to disable her, so he took aim and shot her in the foot.
“Owww !! How could you....!!!”, she yelped, and fell to the floor. Jake holstered the Spud Gun and unslung the Air Rifle as he approached her.
“I need...A Doctor”, she gasped as he came near. Jake was done screwing around. He hauled her up and drug her, limping, to the Headmaster’s door.
“Inside, NOW !”, he ordered, jamming the barrel of the gun to the back of Ms. Danvers’ head. Withdrawing a key from her dress, she unlocked the door and opened it. Jake shoved her roughly inside, where she stumbled and fell to the floor, and lay whimpering.
“Well, Well, Well, what have we here ?”, Dr. Crabblesnitch exclaimed as Jake came through the door and slammed it behind him, Air Rifle at the ready.
“Don’t you know me, Crabblesnitch ?”, Jake leered. “I though you had a personal relationship with ALL your students !”
“Of course I know who you are, Jake”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said coldy. “So nice of you to drop by my office on your way to prison. No rest for the wicked certainly applies to you, it seems.”
“I ain’t going nowhere”, Jake countered, “But you are.”
“I think not”, Dr. Crabblesnitch fired back. “The Police have been looking for you for months. You’ve been credited with rampant violence and destruction. Very Impressive. Bombing School buildings is a very serious offense. It’s time to put a stop to your reign of terror.”
Jake advanced to the desk. “So, you know all that, do you ? Maybe not as dense as I thought you were, Old Man.”
“Well, Young Man, you will pay dearly for your crimes....In Jail”, the Headmaster said smoothly.
“I don’t think so”, Jake said shoving the Air Rifle in Dr. Crabblesnitch’s face. “I been working on something else.”
“Working ?”, snorted the Headmaster, “That’s a laugh. When did a scum like you ever work at anything ? Your kind are bottom-feeders, a waste on society. Let’s see what we’ve got, shall we ? Our curriculum does NOT include destroying things. If it did, you’d have been a Star Student. Maybe you should focus on working off your bad deeds. I hear it’s quite common....In Prison.”
“Oh, I been working all right, Doctor”, Jake sneered. “And tonight, I’m gonna take over the school.”
“HAH”, Dr. Crabblesnitch laughed harshly. “Sure you are. All by yourself. An Army of one.”
“My army is your former students”, grinned Jake. “Right now, they have secured most of the school grounds.”
“What ? Those Townie Dropouts ?”, scoffed Dr. Crabblesnitch. “Don’t make me laugh, boy. They haven’t the brains to blow up a paper bag !”
“Oh, but I do”, Jake said, waving the Air Rifle in Dr. Crabblesnitch’s face. “I’ve trained them to win, and I’ve covered every contingency. Even your precious Prefects are locked out. Both Dorms, The Autoshop, and Harrington House are in our hands, with hostages. Within the hour, the Gym and the Observatory will be taken. I’ll have control of the entire grounds before anybody outside of here even knows what’s happened. And what’s more, you’re going to help me take over.”
“I Will Do No Such Thing !!”, Crabblesnitch thundered. “If you think you can intimidate me with that little pea-shooter, you are sadly mistaken !”
“This little pea-shooter, as you put it, took out your little queer-boy mediator Pete”, Jake said menacingly. “Close enough, it can even put a hole in your thick head too.”
Dr. Crabblesnitch stared. “So, it WAS you that shot that boy ! You truly ARE a Monster !!”
“Monster, Smonster”, Jake said, “This little parlay is getting tiresome.” He reached into his dark uniform and retrieved a couple of folded papers from an inside pocket, then threw the top one on Dr. Crabblesnitch’s desk. He reached over and opened it.
“What is this ?”, the Headmaster asked. “Some kind of trick ?”
“No Trick”, said Jake. “It’s your Resignation. Sign It.”
Dr. Crabblesnitch stared at the paper. On it were two neatly spaced typed lines on a Bullworth Academy letterhead. It Read......
I Hereby Resign As Headmaster Of Bullworth Academy, Effective Immediately, And Appoint And Assign Jacob Brown as My Replacement. (signed) Dr. Milton Crabblesnitch.
“You must be joking”, Dr. Crabblesnitch snorted. “I won’t sign any such thing. And where did you get this letterhead ?”
Jake smirked. “I stole a bunch of them when I first broke in here last summer, right outta the school office when you comebag wasn’t here.” Ignoring the slight to Ms. Danvers, the Headmaster made as if he were going to wad the paper up. Jake stopped him, saying, “Don’t bother...I have a whole bunch more copies.”
“Who’s ‘Jacob Brown’?”, Dr. Crabblesnitch asked, although he knew well enough.
“That’d be me”, Jake said. “My legal name. Gotta keep this on the up and up, Don’t we ?”
“You’re Insane if you think I would sign this”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said.
“Oh, you will. You’ll sign this too”, Jake said, and threw over the other paper.
“What’s this now ?”, the Headmaster asked with an uneasy feeling.
“That’s your Confession”, Jake said, with a superior smile. “It details all the little scams you and your Pussy Prefect boys run around here....The Clothing and Food Ripoffs that you skim money off the top from, the Cheating Scams that you fired ole Hattrick for last year, but had to take him back on when he threatened to expose you, Preferential Treatment for some of the student body if they’re Athletes or the rich Preppie kids, all the rotten shit that goes on in this place that you willingly turn a blind eye to.”
“You have no proof to support these kinds of allegations”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said shortly.
“Sure I do”, Jake laughed insanely. “I got all the proof I needed from my Cousin.....Gary Smith !”
“NO-O-O-O-O !!” moaned Ms. Danvers, rocking back and forth on the floor, holding her leg.
“Impossible !!!!”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said, thunderstruck.
“No, Possible”, Jake said. “Grandaddy Smith had two children....Cousin Gary’s Dad, and my Mother. And now, I’m gonna finish what Cousin Gary started....Taking over the school.”
Dr. Crabblesnitch sat stunned. This was last year’s nightmare all over again, only worse. Far worse, for this time there was no Jimmy Hopkins around to defeat this little monster. Slowly, he said, “I’m not going to sign anything, Young Man. You can threaten me all you like. I won’t do it.”
“Oh, I’m not gonna threaten you”, Jake said, and suddenly took three steps over to where Ms. Danvers lay rocking on the floor, jamming the muzzle of the Air Rifle into her ear. “I’m just gonna put a pellet in your Bitch’s Brain if you don’t play along and SIGN THE GODDAM PAPERS !!!!”
“MILTON !!!”, squealed Ms. Danvers.
“Easy, Carolyn, Easy”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said. “Alright Boy, you win.” He picked up a pen from his desk and scribbled his name on the two papers.
“And no 'Mickey Mouse’ or 'Donald Duck’ signatures on them, either”, Jake said with menace in his voice.
Dr. Crabblesnitch pushed the papers forward on his desk without comment. Jake rose from his position next to Ms. Danvers and said, “Now, put your arms on the arms of the chair and keep them where I see them. I know all about your Magnum you have up here.” He reached down and yanked up Ms. Danvers by her hair and thrust a roll of Duct Tape in her hands. “Get over there and bind his arms to the chair. And do a good job of it if you don’t want a spud in your guts”, Jake said, and roughly pushed her towards the desk.
Ms. Danvers did as she was told, limping over behind the desk and binding Dr. Crabblesnitch’s arms to the chair. The Headmaster looked longingly towards his large file cabinet, where his Magnum was hidden in the bottom drawer. If only, he sighed. When Ms. Danvers was finished, Jake ordered her around to the front of the desk and had her lay facedown on the floor with her hands behind her back. He took the Duct Tape from her and quickly bound her arms and legs. Then he went around behind Crabblesnitch and taped his torso to the back of the chair. He wasn’t taking any chances that the good doctor would be getting loose any time soon. Going around the desk, he grabbed and ripped the phone line out, then picked up the phone and threw it across the room. Can’t have anybody making any calls tonight.
Only then did Jake pick up the two papers Dr. Crabblesnitch had signed, looking them over. Satisfied, he pulled a Zip-Lock type bag from his pocket and sealed them inside. The Headmaster watched Jake with angry eyes.
“Planning on going swimming this evening ?”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said snidely.
“Don’t you ever watch the news ?”, Jake laughed. “There’s a big storm coming tonight !”
And then Jake let out with that insane giggle that made their blood run cold. He was still laughing as he left the Headmaster’s office, totally forgetting about the phone line on Ms. Danver’s desk.
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Constantinos had walked up to the fountain and looked to the right down the path to the Prep’s area. He saw nothing clear to the front of Harrington House, which wasn’t unusual, since the Preps hadn’t been seen out in the past week. Rumor was they were holed up in Harrington House after their big beatdown and weren’t showing their faces around campus due to the loss of respect from the other Cliques. Constantinos turned left and went down the path to the Autoshop. Arriving at the paved yard area, he found it deserted. He shrugged his shoulders and turned away, heading back up the pathway to the fountain without looking around the corner into the bay areas. From there he headed to the Library, walking across the back quad that was eerily vacant. The effect was even more so as the winds had picked up and the sky had taken on a blackish, swirling quality. Arriving at the Library grounds, he saw that it too was empty. Constantinos went to the Library door and tried to open it. It was locked.
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Jake had left the school by the front entrance, and decided to take the side pathway back that ran by the Library. As he reached the point where he was able to see the Library itself, he saw a movement in the Library yard. At once, he ducked down and went into stealth mode, closing the distance to the Library yard, flatting himself against the stone wall bear the entrance. Jake sneaked a peek around the wall and saw a figure at the Library doors. After a couple of minutes, the figure shrugged, then turned and started towards his position.
As the figure came closer, Jake was able to make out who it was. Constantinos. Jake silently grinned his crazy grin. Here, delivered to him, was the first of that backstabbing fuck Tony’s friends that he could take vengeance on. He waited until Constantinos had reached the top of the short stairway, then stepped from around the corner and leveled the Air Rifle at Constantinos, pulling the trigger twice.
POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !! The two Pellets hit Constantinos’ guts with sicking force at such close range. Constantinos was thrown back on his ass and slid for five feet before stopping. He struggled to sit up as Jake made his way up to him, slinging the Air Rifle on his back. The Pellets had pierced his skin, but had been stopped by his abdominal muscles before doing any serious damage. Still, Constantinos felt like he had been double-kicked by a mule. He looked up at the figure standing before him, and a sudden horrible feeling burst upon him.
“YOU !!!!”, exclaimed Constantinos, recognizing Jake.
“Yeah...Me”, laughed Jake. “Guess I didn’t murder you last fall after all, Huh ? Well, second time’s a charm....For Jake to do harm !!!”
Constantinos struggled to get up, and then Jake was upon him. Jake beat Constantinos unmercifully, reducing his face to a bloody mess. When he was finished, he drug the hapless boy over to the benches that lined the the outer front wall and jammed him ass-first into the trash bin that sat by the stone entrance pillar. Constantinos lay in the bin, unmoving. Jake left the Library area without looking back.
Time to go check on how Omar and the boys were doing. Jake headed out across the quad, the swirling dark skies matching the blackness in his soul completely.
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As the Townies departed Harrington House and made their way to the Gym area, the TV that had been left on upstairs in the now-empty room suddenly interrupted it’s re-run programming of ‘Falcon Crest’ with a map of Bullworth Town and the Vale Valley area and the familiar tones of a Weather Alert, followed by an emergency announcement.......
“THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PROVINDENCE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING.....AT 11:17 PM EST, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A CONFIRMED LARGE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO HEADING FOR THE VALE VALLEY AREA, MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.......IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO, TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY IN A BASEMENT OR OTHER UNDERGROUND SHELTER AND GET UNDER SOMETHING STURDY. THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. IF IN A MOBILE HOME, EVACUATE TO A SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURE. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE, SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. AGAIN, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING FOR THE WHOLE OF THE VALE VALLEY AREA.........”
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Benny came to as the first few big raindrops hit his face. He was laying on his back on the shortcut pathway by the footbridge that crossed from the street in front of the Academy to Bullworth Town. His bike was laying nearby.
Musta Passed Out, he thought. His head was woozy. Benny struggled to sit up and get his bearings. A cold wind was whipping through the rock walls that lined the pathway, and the sky was a molten swirl of black. A few giant drops of rain was falling. Benny could just make out the impact of where they were hitting the ground.
He was near the footbridge. Crawling, he was able to reach it, then used it to pull himself up. Benny stood there for awhile, the big raindrops splatting on the top of his head, until the dizziness subsided. He made a few tentative steps and then reached his bike. After a couple of tries, he managed to haul it upright. Benny mounted the bike, and after a couple of minutes, pushed off and rode across the bridge. The Golden Horseshoe still seemed so far away.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Look at this, Jimmy !! And This !!”, Zoe exclaimed.
Jimmy took the papers from the file Zoe had found. In the short time they had been going through the file cabinet in the Shipping Office, they had already been able to quickly scan about half the contents. Jimmy read the file, which contained shipping orders, with a furrowed brow.
“Whoa....This is heavy stuff”, Jimmy said with wonder. “Are they really shipping this stuff through here ?”
“Only one way to really find out”, Zoe said. “We have to get into one of those crates !”
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Omar and the Townies moved down the long pathway from the fountain to the Gym. Sneaking between the main Gym building and the Pool building, they approached the stairs to the Football Field. Ducking behind the border walls lining the stairs, they cautiously peeked over the top. The high winds funneled up the staircase from the field as they rested their weapons on the brick border wall and prepared to fire.
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The largest group of students had moved to the lower bleachers on the west side of the Football Field. The rising South-East winds and splatters of rain had just about called a halt to the festivities, driving those who had been playing a catch and throw game over towards the Jock’s Clubhouse, where they milled about uncertainly, some standing while others huddled on the bleachers.
“Looks like we’re going to have to call this off early, No ?”, Laurent observed.
“Seems that way”, Tony agreed. “I wonder where Constantinos is at ? He should’ve been back by now.”
“You did tell him to come back and report, didn’t you ?”, Nick asked.
“Yeah !”, Tony said, worriedly. “I’m beginning to think something mighta happened to him.”
“Maybe we should go check”, Nick said, looking towards the dark, swirling sky. “Like, real soon.”
Mandy had come over to talk with Karen and Melody in the meantime. Tony went over to tell her that they were going to go looking for Constantinos. Karen said, “That’s Ok, us girls are gonna go to the Clubhouse until this storm blows over. These raindrops are cold !”
“The boys will probably want to play in the rain”, Mandy said wirily, “But we don’t want to get our hair wet !”
“Eeew, I don’t want to look like a drowned rat”, Melody said. “Let’s get inside !”
The three girls made for the Clubhouse, while Tony, Nick, and Laurent started toward the Gym. With the wind swirling around them, they got about halfway to the stairs when suddenly, the Townies opened fire.
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Hearing the noises of weapons fire from the Football Field, Otto Activated the Spud Cannon, firing a long barrage at the lock portion of the Observatory doors. After less than a minute, the doors were sprung, and Otto abandoned the Spud Cannon and raced down the stairs, followed by Floyd. Both drew their weapons as they kicked in the doors and charged into the Observatory.
Meanwhile, in the Basement, the Nerds had heard the barrage. Jarred out of their intense G & G play, each one knew immediately that they were under attack. Someone had breached the walls, they must defend the Castle ! “To The Battlements !!”, cried Fatty, and they grabbed up their weapons and charged up the stairs from the basement. Melvin stopped to gather up the Prep’s Shield and their Ultimate Weapon, the Rubberband Ball.
The main floor of the Observatory was still a mess, it’s ornate tile floor missing huge gouged out chunks where the big telescope had fallen and been smashed in a long-ago battle many years ago. The literature that was included in the promotional brochure for Bullworth Academy touted the Observatory as a selling point to entice the Nerd families into sending their offspring to the school, even including glowing pictures which were no doubt from an earlier time. But, once a new Nerd arrived at the school, he quickly learned that he wouldn’t be gazing at the stars after all....Mostly, he would be seeing stars all right, but not through a telescope.
The Observatory itself had been a gift of a long-ago alumni who had struck it rich in bootlegging in the 1930s. It was at a time right after the discovery of the planet Pluto, and the race was on to find the existence of the predicted ‘Planet X’. Administrators at the time had greedily accepted the gift, drooling over the possibility that a major discovery could put Bullworth Academy of the academic map. Alas, by the time the real Planet X, named Eris (whose discovery had been announced in 2005) was found, the smashed remains of the telescope had been consigned to the junkyard for many years. Every Nred, however, dreamed of the day when the Observatory would be restored to it’s former glory, and over the years, it had become their safest refuge.
The Townies weren’t expecting much, if any, resistance from the wussy Nerds. But this wasn’t the first assault on their hallowed domain, and the Nerds were always ready to repel invaders. As Otto and Floyd came barging through the doors, the element of surprise had been lost. They were met by the lead Nerds, Thad and Bucky, who immediately began throwing Stink Bombs at them. Otto and Floyd got off a few useless shots before diving for cover behind a couple of the four huge square pillars that used to hold up the massive telescope.
The Nerds ducked behind the other two pillars and the twisted remains of the old catwalk that had been knocked down last year during Earnest’s battle with Jimmy. A pitched battle ensued in the stinky, smokey room that soon turned into a standoff. Otto and Floyd grimly fought on, outnumbered by three to one, hoping for reinforcements once the battle on the Football Field was over.
________________________________________
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Sudden explosions went off as the Bottle Rockets fired by the Townies lining the walls sought their targets. Tony, Nick, and Laurent, who had been making their way towards the stairway, hit the dirt for cover as the first of the Bottle Rockets whizzed by them. The Jocks scattered along the front of the West bleachers did likewise, diving for cover.
The winds had risen to a howl, pushing the Bottle Rockets far off their mark, and most of the shots veered from their intended targets and did no damage. Omar ordered a switch to Spud Guns, but these too proved ineffective, the winds pushing just hard enough to alter the Spud’s trajectories. Seeing the futility of the accuracy of their weapons at this distance, Omar changed tactics and told the others to mount a full frontal assault to get in closer weapons range while the Jocks were still in disarray. Clint, Duncan, Jerry, and Leon ran down the stairs and charged the field. Omar unslung his Air Rifle and steadied it on the flat stone top for cover.
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Mandy, Karen, and Melody had just reached the Clubhouse doors, seeking shelter from the ever-increasing fat raindrops when the assault broke out. They turned at the sound of the first Bottle Rocket explosions in confusion. Just then, the door was flung open, and Lance appeared.
“Hurry ! Get Inside !”, Lance urged, seeing the girls standing there. “It’s An Attack !!”
“But...We should Do Something !”, Mandy protested.
“Tony’s Out There !”, Karen said worriedly.
“And Nick !”, Melody exclaimed.
“It Wont Help To Get Shot !”, Lance shouted over the wind. “Get Inside !!”
The three girls reluctantly complied, entering the Clubhouse and closing the door against the wind. Lance limped to the caged-off wire area, pulled open the door, and began rummaging in the drawers. “We have to a way to get these weapons out to them !”, he said. “Help Me !”
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Tony, Nick and Laurent had fallen back to where the other Jocks were at just in time to see the Townies pour down the steps and run towards them in the glow of the overhead arc lights. Ted was looking at the situation and was momentarily confused to see only four figures running towards them. Seeing no more coming, Ted shouted, “LET’S GO GET 'EM !!!!” The Jocks sprang into action, galvanized by the cry, and ran towards the Townies. Omar zeroed in on Ted and took Careful aim, and squeezed off a shot.
“POW-THUNK !!” The Pellet, not affected by the wind as much as the other weapons, sped to it’s target with only a slight bit of variance, striking Ted high in the right chest. The force of the shot spun him around and he went down, stunned and gasping for air. The Jocks, seeing what had happened, faltered in their charge. Omar smiled. Take out the head, and the rest would fall.
Tony and Nick rallied the Jocks. “LET’S TAKE 'EM OUT !!!” Tony hollered, and Nick added, “KICK THEIR ASS !!!” The Jocks resumed their charge towards the Townies.
Meanwhile, Laurent had separated himself from the group and had snuck behind the bleachers. Spotting Omar preparing to fire again, he ran headlong at the brick wall, and using the Parkour, Gained the top of the slab in three easy steps. Startled, Omar looked up just in time to see Laurent’s big foot coming at his face. Laurent planted a vicious kick to Omar’s head, sending him sprawling on the steps, and causing him to drop the Air Rifle on the slab. Laurent scooped it up and jumped off the wall before Omar had a chance to recover.
Omar sputtered as he drew his Spud Gun and staggered to his feet. Goddam little Fuck ! He looked over the wall, but Laurent and his Air Rifle were long gone. He turned and loped down the steps to provide backup for the others. He looked briefly towards the Observatory. Where the hell were Otto and Floyd ? They should have taken care of those miserable Nerds by now and come to join the fight. And for that matter, where was Leo Cash ?
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By the time Benny reached the Golden Horseshoe, the fat drops of rain were coming down even harder. Parking his bike by the entrance, he sadly reflected on the fact that it would be stolen in five minutes. No help for that now, he had to get inside and find Kurt.
As he stumbled in through the doors, he headed down a hallway that led to a check-in desk for the Hotel rooms upstairs directly ahead. There was a elevator there too, and off to the right through an open doorway was a lounge and bar area. It was filled with a cross-section of locals, Dockmen, and Construction Workers, seated at the bar and at round tables. At the far end was a stage area, and there was the Rockers, playing an old riff from a David Lee Roth song, Curt and Pinky making a duet out of it....
Kurt Sang....
“I’m just a Gigolo, and everywhere I go, People know the part I’m playing,
Paid for every dance, selling each romance....Ooohh, what they saying.....”
Pinky Sang....
“There will come a day, when youth will pass away, what will they say about you,
When the end comes I know, you were just a Gigolo....Life goes on without you !”
It was being presented in a comical manner, musical style, with Kurt trying to draw Pinky near, while Pinky pushed him away and pranced to the other side of the stage, out of reach. Spurned, Kurt swung onto the last bit of the song, begging Pinky from across the stage.....
“Cuz, I-I-I-I-I-I Ain’t Got No-o-o-o-o-b-o-o-o-o-dy,
Nobody, cares for me, cares for me, nobody, nobody....
I-I-I-I-I-I-mmmm so sad and Lo-o-o-o--o-ly,
Sad and lonely, sad and lonely,
Won’t some sweet Mama come and take a chance on me,
Cause I ain’t so bad......”
It was a campy bit from the 80‘s, not their usual style, but went over well with this type of audience, judging by the whistles and catcalls coming from the tables. Benny felt a stab of regret, if he hadn’t gotten sick he would be up there with the band, playing with his friends. He made his way unsteadily through to the stage area as Kurt finished off the song.....
“Really want that soul, little loving soul...all the time,
Even on the beat, cherry, cherry on the beat,
Need a long tall darling, mama, Feeling sick,
Got nobody, no, nobody, nobody,
Nobody, nobody, no one, no one.....
Loopey loop, darling, darling,
Getting serious, got to see the walls,
Over there. nobody, got no one, nobody,
Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody.....
Nobody cares for me !”
With a flourish, the band finished the song to the roaring approval of the audience. Benny was at the front of the stage by then, and caught Kurt’s attention. Bending down, Kurt helped him up on stage.
“Hey, Benny, My Man ! Thought you weren’t coming !”, Kurt said, and then looked a Benny a little closer as he swayed back and forth on stage. It looked like he was ready to pass out. “Dude, you don’t look too good ! Whatta you doing here ?”
Barely able to be heard above the noise, Benny said, “Something’s wrong over at the School....Christy’s in trouble....Being held hostage in the Dorm.....”
“What !?” Kurt shouted.
Nearby, Winky perked up. “What this about Christy ?”
Panting, Benny turned towards Winkie. “Christy...Held Hostage....That Fat Fuck, Pee-Stain Algie....Others there too....Probably them Townie freaks.....Other Girls there too....Big Trouble....She Need Help !”
Benny swayed then, starting to pass out. Kurt and Winkie grabbed him and kept him from falling, and eased him down on the floor. Pinky came over to tend to him. The other Rockers gathered around, helpless to do anything. The audience was noisy and indifferent.
Pinky came over. “Benny, what are you doing here ? You should be in bed ! What’s going on ?”
Winky told her what Benny had said. She immediately turned to Kurt. “We’ve got to do something !”
“We will”, Kurt said. “Look, Tibo....Keep the guys playing, me and Winkie are gonna go check this out.....”
“I’m Coming Too !”, Pinky said suddenly.
“No...You’re not !”, Kurt said sharply. “It’s too Dangerous....Besides, we don’t need any.....”
Just then, the lights went out.
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In Dr. Crabblesnitch’s office, Ms. Danvers had managed to slither like a snake to the side of the Headmaster’s chair. Struggling to get to her knees, she had at length been able to rest her head on Dr. Crabblesnitch’s arm. Turning her head, she began tearing with her teeth at the Duct Tape binding his arm to the to the armrest that she had so recently been forced to tape his arm to.
Her devotion to Milton Crabblesnitch was fierce and determined. She had been in an affair with him for many years now, and he was her God. She ripped and tore at the tape with all the fervor of a zealot at the alter. A lesser woman would have cowered in the face of this indignanty, but not Carolyn Danvers. She was tough. She had to be, to survive in this beasty place full of unruly ruffians.
At last, the final bit of tape was torn through, and she raised her head and smiled in triumph with bloody lips where the tape had cruelly cut her mouth. Dr. Crabblesnitch freed his arm and went to work tearing the tape off his other arm, and then the tape binding his torso to the chair. He then bent to rip the tape binding Ms. Danver’s arms and legs.
Helping her up, he said, “We’ve got to get help. Can you walk ?”
Ms. Danvers nodded. “I...Think so.” Together, they exited into the School Office, Ms. Danvers limping on her badly bruised foot while holding on to the Headmaster. As they passed her desk, she cried, “Look ! The Phone !”
On the desk sat the phone, untouched, and overlooked by Jake in his arrogance. Helping Ms. Danvers to the chair, Dr. Crabblesnitch grabbed up the phone and punched in a code, followed by a number. The connection was made, and a phone on the other end of the line began to ring.
“Bullworth Police”, a bored voice answered, “Officer Williams speaking.”
“This is Dr. Crabblesnitch. The school is under attack ! We need help Quickly !”
“Confirmation Code ?”, Officer Williams asked, suddenly alert, waiting to hear a code that only Dr. Crabblesnitch would know, the purpose of which was to forestall fake or prank calls.
“One-Zero-One-Seven-Alpha-Six”, Dr. Crabblesnitch rattled off. “You need to get everybody over here, now ! They’re on the grounds this very minute !”
“Uhhh....Nobody’s here, Sir”, Officer Williams said.
“What ?! Where Are They At ??”, Dr. Crabblesnitch yelled.
“They’re all at....The Policeman’s and Fireman’s Ball....Up at the Courthouse, Sir”, Officer Williams said, haltingly. “I’m the only one here. I shouldn’t...Er...Be leaving my post....”
Of course. The Ball. The Headmaster had given the Prefects leave to attend this evening. “Listen”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said evenly, “This is a Priority One ! They have invaded school grounds and taken hostages !”
“Uhh...Who has, sir ?”, Officer Williams responded, still not understanding.
“Those Townie Misfits !”, Dr. Crabblesnitch yelled, losing his patience. “And that Jake Brown boy too ! They’re trying to take control of the school ! This is an Emergency ! Go up the damn street and get your force over here ! And tell my Prefect boys to get back here Right Now !”
Officer Williams was finally convinced. “I’ll...Get Right On It, Sir ! Don’t You Worry !”
The Policeman rang off. Dr. Crabblesnitch replaced the phone in it’s cradle. “It’s going to be alright, now....Help is on the way”, he said to Ms. Danvers. She gave him an adoring look.
Just then, the lights went out, and the school was plunged into darkness.
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Jake finally arrived at the Gym area after beating Constantinos, and then taking a side trip to check on the status of the Preps. Seeing that the bound Preps weren’t likely to cause any problems, he told Gurney to come with him to the Football Field. Together, they strode down the walkway between the Gym and the Pool building and halted at the top of the steps.
The Townies had opened fire as soon as they were within better range, where the now-howling wind would have less effect on their shots. They fired first on Tony and Nick, who were closer, but both boys managed to duck. Tony pulled his weapon and fired back. Duncan and Jerry turned their weapons on the advancing Jocks and actually scored hits on Bo and Dan, knocking them to the ground and disabling them. As the two went down in front of him, Kirby turned and ran towards the bleachers, and was hit by a Spud to the back of his head. Meanwhile, Mandy and Karen bravely ran out weapons to the remaining Jocks.
Damon, Casey, Luis, and Juri then charged at the Townies like the linebackers they were. The Townies saw them coming and began backing up, both sides firing off Spuds and Bottle Rocket rounds to little effect in the swirling winds. Jake sent Gurney down the steps to join in the battle and even up the odds. He wondered uneasily what was keeping Otto and Floyd.
The battle intensified as the rain did also. The sound of Spuds being fired and Bottle Rockets exploding were drowned out by the rising winds. The whole scene took on a surreal effect as the two groups got closer to each other. Omar was gesturing to the others, motioning them to spread out on the field. Jake tried futilely firing some ammo himself to no effect. The winds were just too strong. He started down the steps to get closer, and then at that moment spotted Tony.
Anger erupted in Jake. There was the backstabbing fuck who had caused all this !! Because of him, Jake had to sleep with rats and vermin out in the stinking cold. Had to stay for weeks at the carnival in a boring job, had to run for his life from the Cops, had to change his looks, had to expend enormous time and effort in these attempts to take over what was rightfully his, what was rightfully Gary’s....Bullworth Academy. He had carried on the cause for Gary, his cousin, carried on the dream for the one shared reason of the both of them.....Revenge on their piece-of-shit Grandfather, Mr. Smith, who had turned his back on his children, Jake’s Mother and Gary’s Father, living in wealth while they had lived in poverty. Had it not been for that sidewinding fuck Tony, he would have already been in control of the school long ago, making plans to bleed dry the one bastard blood relative who had denied them recognition and respect. Making him pay and bringing that sanctimonious old fuck down into ruin, for himself and in Gary’s memory.
Hatred filled his mind as he dropped his weapons and unslung his Air Rifle. He hadn’t been this close to Tony since the smackdown at the front of Harrington Hall not long after the night he had tried to run him over with the Greaser’s classic car. He couldn’t miss at this range. Taking a bead through the sights, he curled his finger around the trigger and took aim, fighting to hold the gun steady in the whipping wind.
Suddenly, the Sodium Arc Lights illuminating the Football Field flickered and went dark.
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Otto and Floyd had been running out of ammo in the running battle with the Nerds, and were reduced to taking potshots at any movement they could spot in the rare times that they could fire around the pillars. The Nerds kept up a steady barrage, however, having plenty of ammo stored on site. Donald and Bucky kept running downstairs to get more ammo to resupply the rest, but the two Townie boys didn’t enjoy that advantage. The smoke from the Stink Bombs were already threatening to make them ill, the only thing that was saving them was the knocked open outer doors providing a draft of fresh air blowing in. Still, their eyes were watering and they were coughing like they had smoked some weed.
Otto decided to try some intimidation. Pulling some Firecrackers from his pocket, he began lighting them and tossing them in the Nerds direction, snickering as they scattered. One of them even took out Corneluis. Otto poked his head around the pillar and hurled some insults as well.
“Hey, You Dickless Dorks, You Know We’re Gonna Get You, Why Don’t You Freaks Just Give Up Right Now And Save Your Dumb Asses From A Whole World Of Hurt ?”, he shouted. “Surrender, Or We’ll Kick Your Little Nuts Up In Your Scrawny Asses And Fat Bellies !!”
Instead of answering the Nerds resumed their counter-attack with even more vigor. Realizing that they would probably not get help in time, Otto began thinking about retreating to the outside, where they could cover the doors and effectively trap the Nerds inside while waiting for reinforcements. After a few minutes more of sporadic shooting, he signaled Floyd to start to move out.
But just as they began to back up, the Nerds suddenly stopped firing and fell back to the basement stairs. Chancing a look around their protective pillars, Otto and Floyd beheld a strange sight. Not all the Nerds had retreated....The Nerd leader, Melvin, was advancing on their position, holding a huge Shield in front of him. Otto and Floyd looked at each other in confusion, then stepped out from behind their pillars and opened fire.
But everything they shot at Melvin just bounced harmlessly off the giant Shield. Both Townies soon lowered their weapons when they saw it was having no effect on Melvin whatsoever. No sense in wasting ammo.
“You Giving Up, Fatass ?”, Otto yelled, hopefully.
Instead of answering, Melvin lowered the shield slightly and glared at them. Withdrawing a round, blue-looking object from behind his back, he threw it with as much force as he could muster in their direction, then turned and ran for the stairs.
The Rubberband Ball ricocheted off the side of the pillar and hit Otto a glancing blow. Otto raised his Spud Gun, angry at the little stunt, and prepared to fire on the fleeing Melvin. Dumb Fucks musta lost their minds, he thought. Suddenly, he was whacked with even more force from behind as the Rubberband Ball struck him in the Kidneys. Floyd looked on in horror before turning and making for the Observatory doors, but he was knocked down as the Rubberband Ball picked up speed with each bounce off an object.
ZING !! ZIP !! (SMASH !!) ZONG !! ZAM !! (CRASH !!) ZOOM !! ZANG !!
The next shot struck Otto in the nuts as he turned to try to escape. He went down, gasping, seeing Floyd getting hit once more, knocking him into the wall. The Rubberband Ball continued bouncing wildly, taking down the two townies each time they attempted to struggle to their feet. Finally, they just lay there, withering as the ball continued battering their twitching bodies until they moved no more.
At last the Rubberband Ball lost it’s speed and momentum and began to slow to a fast roll. Melvin ventured out cautiously from the stairwell with the Shield in front of him, having used to cover the stairway entrance so the Nerds wouldn’t get hit. As the Rubberband Ball slowed to a roll, Melvin attempted to catch it but kept missing. At last it rolled to a stop, but before Melvin could reach it, the Rubberband Ball exploded, throwing chunks everywhere. Melvin felt some of them bounce off his Shield, and then all was still, save for the howling of the wind outside.
The other Nerds crept back up the stairs, weapons at the ready. Fatty limped over to where Melvin stood looking sadly at the ruined remains of the Rubberband Ball.
“That’s a design flaw in those things”, he said to Melvin. “If they’re not caught on the roll and come to a stop, the internal pressure makes them do that. The only way to save them is to catch them while still in motion.”
“Yeah”, Melvin said, “But it really sucks to lose this one. It was the only one we had.”
“Maybe we can build another one”, Fatty suggested, knowing better.
“Not enough of those big Rubber Bands around anymore”, Melvin said sadly. “You know that.”
Fatty nodded. “At least it was used in battle for the Castle’s defense. That’s something.”
“I guess so”, Melvin said, turning to see about who had attacked them. He recognized Otto, but Floyd was a new one to him. He ordered the others to get some rope from downstairs and tie them up. Then with Fatty, he took a look outside for any more Townies.
“That’s Odd”, he said. “Why were they attacking us ? Where are the others ?”
“Something’s not right”, Fatty said as they approached the still locked gate. “Wait....Listen !”
The swirling wind and fat rain, blowing in their direction, carried the sound of battle from the Football field. Melvin told Fatty, who was the Nerd’s best shot and who held the highest score of any Nerd ever at the ConSumo game, to get up on the platform and man the Spud Cannon. Fatty limped up the steps to the platform and swiveled the Spud Cannon around to cover the front beyond the gate and wall of the Observatory. Meanwhile, Melvin had gone in and recruited Bucky, Donald, and Thad to go up on the platform and provide cover fire in case there were more coming. He went over and checked on Corneluis, who had been knocked unconscious.
As the three Nerds gained the top of the platform and lined up with weapons at the ready, they could clearly hear the sounds of conflict from the direction of the Football Field. They hunched into the wind as the rain suddenly picked up and intensified.
As they watched, the lights suddenly flickered and went out.
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Jake squeezed the trigger just as the lights went out. A gust of wind sharply pushed up the nose of the Air Rifle at the same time, and the Pellet intended for Tony went left and up over his head, winding up striking the Scoreboard across the Football Field.
The sudden change to darkness unnerved the combatants on the Field. It was like suddenly being blinded. Added to that was the rain, now slamming down, hard driven by the escalating winds. Both groups began firing blindly, none of the shots hitting any targets. The Townies were spread out over the center of the field, the Jocks were just opposite them.
Mandy had found Ted on the girl’s run back to the Clubhouse. He was gasping for air as she knelt down to check. The Pellet had broken a rib in his chest and then deflected into his Plural Cavity. Ted was on his way to a collapsed lung. Mandy waved Karen on as she bent over Ted to shelter him from the weather as much as possible. Karen returned to the Clubhouse and helped Melody and Lance barricade the door.
Nick had spotted Omar before the lights quit, and moved towards where he thought his position was. Seeing a shadowy shape in the darkness, he ran towards it, spinning with a kick as he got close. A grunt of “OOOFF !!!” told him he had hit his target. A sudden fist crashed into Nick’s head as Omar recovered and swung in the direction of his attacker. The two faced off, only a couple of feet apart in the shadows.
Omar smiled. This was more like it. “I’m gonna take you apart, little man !”
Nick assumed a fighting stance. “You’re welcome to try, Badass.”
Omar slammed a fist into Nick’s mouth, breaking a tooth. Nick countered with two quick hits to the guts, slamming the Solar Plexus. Omar doubled over as Nick danced away and then spun in with another kick. The kick missed, and Omar grabbed his leg, yanking him to the ground and leaping on him. They struggled, then Nick kneed Omar in the nuts and threw him off. Both fighters leaped to their feet and began stalking each other.
Tony had zeroed in on Gurney, whom he had seen running down the steps. No one had seen Jake, however, except for Laurent, who was now on top of the bleachers. Laurent had seen Jake start down the steps, then stop take aim at Tony. He rushed across the bleachers and leaped from the top to try to clear the parapet of the stone wall next to the steps. But the bleachers were slick and slippery with rain, and Laurent’s leap fell short, mashing his shins into the wall and tumbling over the parapet and onto the steps behind Jake just as the lights went out. Hearing a noise behind him, Jake turned and sent a vicious kick at the figure sprawled on the steps. The kick connected with the side of Laurent’s head, knocking him senseless.
Meanwhile, Tony had stalked close to Gurney, and lashed out with a fist that caught Gurney in the throat. Gurney choked, but managed to return a blow to the side of Tony’s head. The two began exchanging punches, with Gurney having the advantage due to his longer arms. He battered Tony backwards on the field until Tony ducked down and tackled him around the knees, climbing on top of him and sending a knee into Gurney’s nuts. Gurney shoved him off, and the two fighters rolled to their feet to face off again.
The rest of the Townies and Jocks were in full fight mode as well. Damon had found Clint, and the two were exchanging punches, neither one giving an inch, trading hits that would have put just about anybody else in the Clinic. Casey, Luis, and Juri had found Jerry, Duncan, and Leon, and all were engaged in punching one another without even knowing which one they were hitting in the darkness.
Jake was uncertain what to do. he couldn’t fire into the clustered figures and chance hitting one of his own forces. The battle raged in the pouring rain, the winds now shrieking. Overlaid was another noise, heaver and more threatening. Jake faced to the West, shielding his eyes from the stinging, wind-whipped, slashing rain.
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The Tornado tracked in from the west, having touched down near Exeter and sped across the landscape towards the Vale Valley. Entering the pass along where the only exit to the outside world was, it smashed through to the Carnival, splintering the false facade that hid the road from the eyes of most of the residents of the towns. Tearing it’s way across the Go-Kart Racetrack, it leveled the shed housing the track’s Go-Karts, sucking up both wreckage and Carts into it’s angry swirl, passing through the midway, it’s fierce outer winds damaging sections of the Octopus Ride and the Roller Coaster Track, but sparing the Ferris Wheel. It then charged out into the cove, South of the Lighthouse next to the Prep’s Beachhouse, and skipped across the water, pulling up a waterspout that slowed it somewhat.
If anybody had been standing out on the Pier that stretched out into the bay, they would have beheld an awesome sight.....The Tornado sucking up water and taking on form as it raced across the water moving East-South-East, then slamming into Pirate Island, uprooting trees as it plowed across, spewing them like deadly giant toothpicks.
Vance was safe in his underground cavern on the Island, bit the some of the uprooted trees were slammed down over the entrance, blocking it. The Tornado moved on, it’s trajectory somewhat altered as it skipped across the water once more, tearing the remaining masts off of the half-sunken derilict ship near the Island. It stormed ashore once more, moving on a South-East path now, past the South end of the old railroad tunnel and onto the bed of the old rail line, a scant 50 yards from the back of the Jock’s Clubhouse.
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Ignoring the wind and rain, Nick lashed out at Omar with a triple combo, stunning him and driving him to the ground. Groggly, Omar tried to get up but failed, falling back like a Drunken Sailor. He looked the part, lashed with the rain and sporting two black eyes Nick had given him.
Similarly, Tony had been getting the best of Gurney, who was staggering under repeated blows. Damon was cracking Clint in the head over and over, saying, “I’m Gonna Rip Out Your Heart And Watch You Bleed !!” Casey, Luis, and Juri were whomping the shit out of Otto, Duncan, and Jerry, beating them just as they had beaten them over on their home turf months ago. The Jocks were younger, stronger, and much more fit than the slacker Townies ever were, even on their best day.
In a twist, the Sodium Arc Lights flared on again, as the Bullworth Substation tried to compensate for the loss of power caused by the Tornado taking out the main Hi-Power Cable Trunk Lines on the Western edge of the Vale. The fighting halted for a moment as the fighters blinked in the sudden brightness. The Townies looked at their foes and saw they were still poised and ready, while they themselves looked tattered and worn. Suddenly, Jerry pointed and shouted, “OMAR IS DOWN !!!”
And he was. Nick stood over his unmoving figure, and stared in their direction. Then, raising his hand, he pulled it across his throat in a universal gesture that was recognized everywhere. Standing in the windy, cold, soaking rain, the Townies suddenly lost their will to continue the fight. As one, they turned and ran.
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Up on the Platform in front of the Observatory in the darkness, the Nerds could hear above the howling wind the sounds of the battle. Melvin turned to Thad and Bucky.
“Go down in the basement", he ordered. “Grab up all the Volcano 3000‘s you can carry, and get them back here in a hurry !”
Thad and Bucky scurried to do his bidding. The Volcano 3000‘s, predecessor to the Volcano 4000, worked just the same as their successor, spewing brightly colored lit tiny rockets from their tops, except that they did not explode at the finish. Both boys returned shortly, each carrying and armload up the steps to the platform. Melvin took a couple, lit them, and then heaved them out towards the walkway as far as he could. With their fat, weighted bottoms, the Volcano 3000‘s landed right-side up, and began shooting out the bright rockets up in the air, illuminating the area. Now, they would be able to see any attack heading their way. More important, Fatty would be able to zero in on his targets.
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As the Townies broke and ran towards the East end of the Football Field, a sudden brightness burst out of the opening that led to the Observatory. Since that was their only way out, they headed towards the light, with the Jocks in pursuit.
Jake spotted Tony again, and struggled to line up a shot with his Air Rifle once more. Turning, Nick spotted the figure at the top of the staircase, and hollered at Tony.
“LOOK !! UP THERE !!”, he called, pointing. Tony turned and looked, then dropped to thr ground just as Jake fired off a round. The Pellet threw up a clod of dirt inches from Tony’s head. Nick drew a Bottle Rocket Launcher and began firing on Jake’s position. Tony leapt up ad pulled his Spud Gun and did the same. The shots, pushed by the wind, missed Jake, but he ducked for cover anyway. As the boys advanced on his position, Jake knew he could no longer stay. Proving worthless in the end, those chickenshit Townies had turned tail and beat their hasty retreat. The plan, so carefully laid, had suddenly collapsed. He knew he might be able to take out one of his attackers before he went down, but it also meant that he would be captured. And that was not an option.
With a look of pure hatred at his advancing foes, Jake turned and ran.
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As the remaining Townies ran to through the opening, they were backlit by the Volcano 3000‘s.
“THERE THEY ARE !!”, hollered Melivn. Fatty turned the Spud Cannon and began firing.
WHAKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA----SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT SPLAT-SPLAT…..
Leon, the eternal slacker, was tonight the fastest of the crew, and was cut down first, socked in the guts and chest. “OHHH !! FUCK MY LIFE !!!!”, he screamed as the Spuds pounded him into the rocks behind him. Jerry, Duncan, and Gurney were next hit, the Spuds pounding them almost before they knew they were being attacked. Clint, bringing up the rear, saw his fellow Townies go down, and began to dodge the incoming Spuds. He was able to make it the farthest, until Leon grabbed his leg, gasping. “Quit Your Blubbering !!”, Clint ordered, distracted.
WHAKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA----SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT SPLAT-SPLAT…..
Clint Henry was smacked in the head multiple times, knocked down violently by the Spud Cannon. For good measure, Fatty swept over the Townies again before the Spud Cannon’s sound was drowned out by a more horrible sound.
The Jocks, in pursuit, witnessed the last of the attack as they rounded to the opening, and dived out of the way for cover before the Cannon could be turned on them. However, that was to be the least of their troubles. Rolling on his back, looking towards the South-West, Damon shouted, “LOOK !!!!!!”
The Tornado was visible, rising up behind the double-fence, boulders, and trees. It was raining down debris on the Football Field, it’s hundred-mile an hour winds ripping the sodium-arc lights from their pylons and sending them crashing to the turf, once more plunging the area into darkness.
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Pandemonium had erupted at the Golden Horseshoe as the lights had gone out. The audience, half drunk, had charged to the opening that led to the exit hallway from the bar & lounge, jamming the opening, creating a rising panic. The emergency battery-powered lights kicked on then, throwing a ghostly glow over the room. Amazingly, nobody was trampled in the rush to exit the building. After what seemed like an eternity, the crowd began to move.
Up on the stage, Kurt had Jero, Bonz, and Grungy pick up Benny, and the group headed towards the opening, Tibo and Winkie fighting the way through to the check-in desk. The elevator would be out, Kurt knew, and he searched for the stairs, finding them behind a door near the elevator.
“Get Benny up to the rooms”, Kurt said. “Me, Tibo, and Winkie will go check out the school !”
“I’m coming too !”, Pinky said resolutely. “Christy’s my friend, and I’ve got to help her !”
“NO, You’re Not !!!, Kurt yelled. “We don’t know what’s up there, and I’m not putting you in Danger !”
Pinky started to pout. “I should be going. She needs my help !”
“Look”, Kurt said, “We’ll take care of it, OK ? Right now, Benny needs your help, right here, right now. We’ll find her and bring her back safe, allright ?”
“Promise ?”, Pinky said, realizing Kurt was being firm in his decision.
“I Promise”, Kurt said. Pinky gave him a kiss, and started up the stairs after the other Rocker boys. “Now, let’s get going. We’re wasting time”, he said to Tibo and Winkie.
The three went out back and gathered up their bikes, speeding off towards the school.
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The huge Tornado veered down the old mining rail spur line path that looped around the back of the school, taking the way of least resistance. As it wound it’s destructive way Eastward, it belched out trees, rocks and other material from it’s massive swirling cone that pelted a wide area around it, including dropping a tree trunk on the top of the Clubhouse.
The roaring winds were so loud that no other sound could be heard. Able and injured alike were picked up like rag dolls and flung around the Football Field. Ted and Mandy were slammed into one of the benches at the North side of the Field, with Mandy receiving a broken arm. Injured as he was, Ted managed to hold onto the bench and Mandy, or else it would have been much the worse for them. The unconscious Jocks were flung around willy-nilly, most being thrown into the bleachers. The Jocks who had been chasing the Townies were swirled around, but all managed to grasp ahold of the benches or the lone tree at that end of the field.
Up on the Observatory platform, Bucky, Donald, and Thad were blown off and hit the ground below. They managed to crawl to the relative safety of the Observatory. Fatty hung on grimly to the Spud Cannon, and Melvin hung on grimly to Fatty. The rain was now lashing down in torrents.
The high winds funneled like a vortex between the Gym and the Pool Building, pushing Laurent up the path, where his forward motion was stopped when his crotch slammed into a tree. Tony and Nick, who were chasing Jake, were bowled over, tumbling end over end, being pushed up the path to the fountain. Jake himself had been knocked down and pushed forward, the steps up to the fountain stopping his forward motion. He crawled up the steps and went left, down past the steps where he had wrecked the Greaser’s car last fall, then regained his footing as soon as he was able and went tearing around the Autoshop yard towards the Garage areas. Tony and Nick had to half-crawl, half-tumble to reach the fountain steps, and they resumed their pursuit of Jake, determined to not let him get away this time.
The Tornado at last slammed against the unmoving mountainous stone edifice near the cavern that held the tunnels. Pressed by the massive low front and with no other place to go, the Tornado lifted up over the mountains and became a funnel cloud, and pushed it’s way across Blue Skies, ripping off roofs and uprooting power poles as it headed out towards the sea.
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Inside Spencer Warehouse, Jimmy and Zoe were just opening the fourth crate down on the floor area. Heavy rain had been slashing the metal roofing of the warehouse for quite awhile now, the drumbeat of the rain creating a huge noise that made talking difficult. They had been amazed by what the crates were revealing. It seems crime and graft went even deeper here than anyone but a select few knew about. Just as Jimmy was banging down the top of this last crate, the winds of the Tornado-turned-Funnel-Cloud ripped large sections of roof from the warehouse as it passed. The power, which over here had stayed on, faltered and went out completely.
Zoe huddled next to Jimmy as rain started pouring in through the holes in the ceiling where the roof had been peeled away. Sudden wind whirled through the building.
“Jimmy, I’m Scared”, Zoe yelled to be heard above the noise.
“I Think We Better Get Outta Here”, Jimmy hollered back.
Feeling their way in the darkness, aided by the now-weak flashlight, they gained the stairs to the platform, then quickly exited the warehouse, climbing down the rickety outside stairs. The street was deserted and ghostly-looking in the pouring rain, and they made their way back to Jimmy’s hidden cave, traveling on foot in the wind without incident , not knowing that Bullworth Academy had been attacked on this very night. Tucked safely inside Jimmy’s jacket were several telling Shipping Orders.
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Officer Williams had finally been able to persuade Chief Carcer that there was trouble brewing at the Academy, aided in large part when the Courthouse Ballroom lights flickered and went out. Making their way out of the Courthouse, the finely-dressed Protectors of the Law had gotten a rude shock. Looking South, the sky resembled a molten dark swirling mass, looking for all the world like a scene out of a disaster movie. The Cops and Prefects sprinted towards the Police Station and piled in their cars, which were parked out back, and took off with lights and sirens down Main Street towards the big bridge to Bullworth Academy. Too late, Fire Chief O’Rourke hurried to the fire station to activate the town’s only Severe Weather Warning Siren.
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Riding single file against the wind and rain crossing the big bridge, Kurt, Tibo, and Winkie heard the Severe Weather Siren suddenly activate far behind them. A moment later, they were nearly run down as two Police cars came screaming by, headed for the school. Rounding the curve, they were just in time to see the lead car smash through the front gates while the second car made for the side road that led to the Parking Lot. As the three boys got to the smashed in gate, they saw that the Police Car had skidded to a stop at the steps to the school. The Cops and Prefects had poured out of the car, The Prefects running to the doors of the school. Biking in through the gates, Kurt, Tibo, and Winkie headed directly to the Girl’s Dorm, dropping their bikes and racing up the steps, charging through the doors.
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Running past the Autoshop Bay where the Greasers were still being held prisoner guarded by Ian, Jake skidded to a stop.
“Plan’s Been Compromised”, He yelled shortly to a startled Ian. “Get Out However You Can !”
“Ahh...What About Him ?”, Ian hollered back to be heard above the pounding rain, pointing at the still-unconscious Sam.
“Up To You !”, Jake yelled. “It’s Every Man For Himself !” Jake stood for a tick, knowing pursuit was close behind. “Light That UP !!!”, he yelled, pointing at the fuse hanging out the door of the ‘69 Mustang Fastback. “That’ll Buy Some Time !”
“But...What About...”, Ian said uncertainly.
“DO IT !!!!!”, Jake screamed, “DO IT NOW !!!!!”
Ian complied, lighting the fuse, and Jake turned and headed to the open bay door of the second Garage that led to the back area of the shop. When the bug-eyed Greasers saw what Ian had done, they laid as flat as they could and faced the wall, as still bound there was little more they could do but brace for the explosion. Ian was not one to leave one of his own behind, and stooped to haul up Sam, then headed for the open bay door.
However, the fuse burned a bit faster than anyone had anticipated. Ian had just made the doorway when the five M-80 Firecrackers that were tied together exploded.
BLAM-BLAM-BLAM-BLAM-BLAM !!!!!!!!!
Unlike the last time, when a pipe bomb packed with explosives had gone off in the front seat, this explosion was less destructive, causing just damage to the interior and blowing out the windows. However, this wasn’t Ian’s lucky night. The windshield was flung out and smacked Ian in the back and the head as he went to leave, pitching him forward and knocking him out.
Tony and Nick were just rounding the corner when the explosion happened. Instinctively ducking, they were shielded from the blast by the brick walls of the Garage. Tony and Nick quickly looked inside and saw the shadowy forms of the Greasers moving and coughing.
“Com’on !” Tony said, “We Got To Go ! He’s Getting Away !”
Nick nodded. “Back For You Later !!”, he hollered at the Greasers.
The two boys resumed the chase, Running through the bay doors of the back garage, they emerged on the other side just in time to see Jake on the top of a large pile of junk at the rear wall. With a backwards glance at his pursuers, Jake jumped over the wall. Tony and Nick raced to the pile and climbed up to follow.
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Kurt, Tibo, and Winkie ran into the hallway of the Girl’s Dorm, startling Algie, who dived behind the couch where he had been sitting and opened fire with his Spud Gun on the them. All three flattened against the wall and returned fire, taking care not to hit the girls or the matrons being held prisoner behind Algie. While Kurt and Tibo provided cover, Winkie crawled on the floor out of Algie’s vision to the back side of the couch. When he was in position, Kurt and Tibo stopped firing. Algie popped up to fire, only to be met by Winkie’s huge meaty fist to the side of his head. Algie was knocked to the floor, his Spud Gun clattering from his grasp. Winkie leaped over to couch, grabbed up Algie, and slammed him into the Beam Cola Drink Machine.
“Please Don’t Hit Me !”, Algie screamed, “I Have Glasses !”
“Fuckin’ Fat Pervert !”, Winkie growled, sinking his big fist deep into Algie’s large guts.
“Ooohhh !! Critical Hit !!”, gasped Algie. “You’re such a....a....LOOSERHEAD !!!”
Winkie planted a fist dead straight in Algie’s face, smashing his head back into the drink machine and busting the plastic facing. Algie slumped to the floor and lay there groaning.
Kurt and Tibo quickly began releasing the bonds of the Girls, Mrs. Carvin and Mrs. Peabody, while Winkie freed Christy. She threw herself into his arms, covering him with kisses after her long ordeal.
Just then, Seth the Prefect burst through the doors, shouting, “ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY DOWN ON THE FLOOR !!!”
“Leave Them Be, Seth !”, Mrs. Carvin ordered. “These Boys Saved Us !”
“No Need For Complex Reasons When A Simple Beating Will Do !”, Seth replied, fists at the ready.
“Back Off, Seth, And That’s An Order !”, Mrs. Peabody said sternly.
Seth took in the scene, then dropped his fists. “Yes, Ma’am”, he said humbly. “As You Wish.”
“Here’s Your Villain”, Kurt said, pointing to Algie on the floor. “Not Us.”
Seth looked closely at Algie, then exclaimed, “Algernon ! Where Have You Been Hiding ?”
Angie, Gloria, Eunice, Pedro, and Sheldon prepared to be escorted off by the Matrons to their rooms, all badly shaken by their ordeals. Christy refused to leave Winkie's side.
“We’re Leaving Now”, Kurt said abruptly, and began heading towards the door.
“Yeah, Be Seeing You”, Tibo said sheepishly, eying Eunice looking dreamingly at him and wanting no part of it.
“You’re coming with us”, Winky said to Christy, “Back to the Hotel. Pinky’s waiting for us.”
“Oh...Yes !”, Christy said, her eyes sparkling. “I can’t wait to show you your Reward !”
The group walked by Seth, who stood shaking his head, and left the Dorm.
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Nate had just barely heard the Police car come in over the wind. Nervously, he checked outside the door of the Boy’s Dorm, and saw the lights of the Cop car at the school steps on the quad flashing reflections. He lingered a few minutes, unsure as to what to do, until he saw the figure of Seth dashing for the Girl’s Dorm. That decided him that the operation had gone south, somehow. He abandoned his hostages and ran down the steps, heading for the front gate.
However, he had delayed his departure a bit too long. As he came running down the pathway, Max the Prefect came tearing around the corner, running at him.
“STOP, IN THE NAME OF BULLWORTH ACADEMY !!!”, Max yelled. Nate let loose a shot on the run, which Max easily dodged. Nate then dashed around Max, but was suddenly tackled from behind. Max bashed his face into the pavement, saying, “You’ll Be Prosecuted To The Max !! Nobody Takes Over Bullworth Academy !!”
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Mounting their bikes, with Christy on Winkie’s handlebars, the group left the school grounds, seeing Max the Prefect mashing some kid’s head in the walk up towards the Boy’s Dorm. After they went through the gate and up the street a ways, another Police car screamed past and skidded to a halt at the gates, blocking further exits.
“Looks Like We Got Out Just In Time !”, Tibo Hollered to Kurt in the lead.
“Got That Right !”, Kurt yelled back. “Mission Accomplished, Though !”
Christy leaned forward and planted a sexy kiss on Winkie’s lips that almost caused him to lose control of the bike, and then giggled. They were both going to be in for a very special night tonight, after all.
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The other Police car had smashed through the Parking Lot gate and continued on the the back quad by the fountain steps before halting, Cops exiting and scattering to Harrington Hall. A few minutes later, Officer Morrison buzzed in riding a Motorcycle, which he took back to the Football Field. Behind him had come a final Police car, stopping short of the parking lot gate at the path where the old rail line met the side road. Nobody would be getting out this way tonight.
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Jake dropped down on the massive rock formation behind the wall, then made for the V-shaped slot that would lead him down to the ground. He had been through this way so many times in the past the he could clamor down with his eyes closed, which was just about what he was doing in the darkness with the rain still pouring down.
His initial emergency escape plan had been to take this route from the back of the Autoshop, along the old rail spur and then out on the side road that went to the parking lot. Spotting the flashing lights up ahead in the distance told him that option was out. Instead, he zagged left into a tunnel cut in the rock face to the West. The tunnel was a short one, coming out to a small beach area near to the water’s edge. There was no place to hide on the beach, but Jake knew that already. Taking a bearing on the flashing Buoy that floated near the North-East end of Pirate Island, he jumped into the cold water and began swimming towards it.
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Atop the rock formation, Nick had shouted to Tony, “I Saw Him !!! He Went In Some Kind Of Hole There !!” Getting down to the ground, both boys ran to the spot where Nick had seen Jake disappear.
“Huh...It’s another tunnel”, Tony said. “I didn’t know this was here.”
“I haven’t been here long enough to explore”, Nick replied.
“Let’s go careful”, Tony said, “Might be an ambush.”
Both boys proceeded slowly through the pitch-black tunnel, weapons at the ready. Almost before they knew it, they emerged on a small isolated beach area. The was no ambush, in fact there was nothing at all on the beach. Both boys searched in different directions, from the rock face to the water, and came up empty. Meeting at the choppy water near the shore, Tony and Nick stared out into the distance. The rain was slacking down somewhat, but it was still difficult to see much of anything. Close by was a large rock out in the water known only as 'No-Name Island’, which was a misnomer, for it in no way resembled an Island. It looked, in fact, like some giant had dropped a large boulder out into the water. There was no place to land a boat, and no place for a swimmer to gain hold on the steep slippery sides.
“Wonder where he went”, Nick said. “Maybe....He had a boat ready.”
“Maybe”, Tony replied, “Not likely, though. Not even a madman would take a small boat out on a night like this.” Indicating the waves still blown by the wind, he added, “Even in a calm dark night, you can’t tell the water from the sky. This ?” He shook his head. “There’s no way.”
“Well....He woulda had to swim, then. The Rock Face is too steep to climb”, Nick said, indicating the rock face behind them were the tunnel had emerged on the beach.
“Swim ?”, Tony said, “That’d be suicide. The temperature this water is, a person would get hypothermic in just a few minutes without some kind of wet suit. And I don’t think he was wearing one. Can’t run that fast in them things. And he sure didn’t have time to change.”
“Well, he had to go Somewhere”, Nick said, “He didn’t just get beamed up by Aliens.”
“Not in this weather.....”, Tony said absently. He was staring intently at the far-off, bobbing, flashing red Buoy, and the dark shape behind it. “Maybe....Over there...”, he said, pointing.
“What is that ?”, Nick asked, squinting at the dark shape. “An Island ?”
“Island....”, Tony murmured. Then, sudden memories flooded back....A midnight ride with Karen on a borrowed Go-Kart.....The view from up at Lookout Point......
“Someday, I want to see what’s on that Island”, Karen had said.
Another memory crashed through.....Pete on the ground, dazed, a Pellet in his eye, Blood.....Saying something....Trying to tell him something.....In shock, saying......
“Ahh.....Island......Pirate.....Island....Grid.....67“", Pete had said.
Somehow, he had missed it. That must be Pirate Island. Pete hadn’t been babbling, he had been trying to tell him something important about that place. What was it ? And now, Jake was there....He was sure of it. There was no place else to go, not tonight.
Tony stared, mesmerized, at the flashing red of the Buoy anchored near the Island. By tomorrow, Jake would be gone, he knew, disappearing yet again, making new plans to attack Tony, his friends, and the school. What hell would he bring next, when would it all end ?
At last, Tony broke his gaze away from the dark shape of Pirate Island. The rain had dwindled to a heavy drizzle, and he was soaked to the bone. Jake would have to wait, he knew....Again.
They had saved the school. That was something. He turned to Nick.
“Let’s get back to the Girls”, Tony said. “We’ll have to deal with this another time.”
Nick nodded, and the two boys left the small beach and entered the tunnel that would take them back to school. Somewhere a bell began ringing. It was Easter.
------{{ END OF CHAPTER FOUR }}----------
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THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY
{{CHAPTER 5}}
The Bullworth Redemption
Ray had finally been released from the clinic and felt as free as ever. "Oh boy ! What a wonderful day !", said Ray happily as he walked down the halls of the Academy. Ray had been up in Tony's office to show his friend the new and improved Ray, but nobody was there. While he was there, Ray poked around and found some flyers that Tony had made up. The posters advertised a bike race that was to be put on and each poster had an area for students to sign up. Ray thought he would be an even better friend to Tony if he hung up the posters around the school for him.
Ray went and taped the posters throughout various locations on the Academy grounds, but decided to hang the largest and final poster in the cafeteria, where it would be seen by everyone.
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At lunch time, the students came into the cafeteria in small groups, here and there. Most just walked over to the tables, not noticing the big poster on the wall above the tray racks. The students paid little attention to any announces be them on the intercom or on the wall. At Bullworth it was basically just the same bullshit, different day. Most of the notices on the wall were nothing but stupid things regarding a student looking for a lost pocket protectors or something like that.
Half way through lunch however, Damon noticed the poster on the wall as he was hanging around with his Jock friends. Damon had come out of the previous events unscathed as he usually did. Damon was used to getting roughed up and as he likes to say "A cement truck couldn't hurt me, and come with that piece of crap ? Damon slowly read over the poster, mulling the words over in his pea sized brain. When he realized it was a race, or in his eyes, a test of physical fitness, he couldn't resist. Ricky soon walked over too. Ricky had been damn lucky the night the firecrackers had exploded in the seat of the car, he had seemed to be just in the right spot to avoid serious injury. Ricky was a motor head, anything cars or bikes got his motor runnin' (so to speak). Ricky and Damon began gloating to each other about who would be the better competitor.
Soon, Peanut walked over and joined in. "Hey, remember last winter when we caught that faggot, Algernon, riding a girl's bike?", jeered Ricky.
"Hehehe, yeah, real clever !", laughed Peanut. Unfortunately for Algie, he was never going to live that down. The previous winter, Algie and Chad had a secret rendezvous with Lola in what he thought would lead to the end of his single status. Instead, Algie was just being used for his brains, Chad for his money, and the Greasers were on their way to kick ass. Jimmy Hopkins had come to the rescue just in time, but in order to escape, Algie had to ride a girl's bike while Chad rode with Jimmy on a better one. To the dismay of the Nerd, he had been spotted on the bike by Peanut and Ricky, and could never live it down.
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Melvin was sitting with Thad at an adjacent table and heard Ricky dissing the Nerd. While Algie had been shunned by his former brothers, the fact that a Nerd was being made fun of didn't sit well with Melvin. He was obligated to bring justice for Nerds everywhere. "Hey, why don't you go pay a visit to your girl ? Oh yeah, that's right....You don't have one !", mocked Melvin.
"Oh, a fuckin' smartass huh ?", replied Ricky, as he discretely picked a banana from a basket on a table nearby. Ricky chowed down in the banana and took careful aim with the peel, nailing Melvin in the Nads.
"OW !! Oh, right in my Jabberwockeys !", screamed Melvin.
The sudden splat of the banana peel made every ear of every student perk up. Ricky grinned as he realized what he had just started. "Ha-ha-ha! FOOOOOD FIIIIGHTTT!", yelled Wade as he flung an apple across the room. The students all stood up at their seats, some screamed and ran away, while most joined the fun. Melvin went to retaliate by throwing an apple at Ricky, but he dodged it and the apple nailed Edna right in the knee cap. "You punks are on borrowed time !!", she yelled. As apples and banana peels rained down, a fight soon erupted as a result of the pandemonium. Students of many different cliques began pounding on one another, confused and thinking that they had been attacked by someone else. Edna was fed up. She wasn't an ordinary cafeteria lady, as she didn't take no shit. While covered in the protection of the Serving Counter, she picked up a large apple and aimed and threw it with ferocious velocity. The fruit hit Melvin square in the head, knocking him on his face. "I was second string shot put for the '76 Olympics, BEAN-POLE!", she screeched.
Ray Hughes had come into the cafeteria to eat, but also to see if anyone would sign up for Tony's race. Ray felt like a failure. His goal was to help Tony stir up some friendly competition, but instead, the students were beating the snot out of each other. Ray was dismayed, what would Tony think ? Ray was then suddenly filled with a different emotion. Ray's life-long desire for popularity took over. Completely fueled by desire and impulse, Ray bounded in and jumped into the fray. "Nobody's getting out of here alive !", he screamed.
Ray had a rather bad habit of repeating many different dialogues from the many books he read, but it usually got him into unintended trouble. Edna heard Ray's little outburst and hastily called for the Prefects. Ray took in a mighty breath of air and unleashed the only violent move he knew on Damon. Ray's shove did little more than the get Damon's blood pressure up. "I'm gonna lay yo butt out like a newborn baby !", yelled Damon, and he planted a fast and furious elbow strike on Ray's innocent face with enough force to knock him out instantly. Ray crashed to the floor where he began drooling and speaking incoherent sentences to himself.
Seconds after Ray had his lights knocked out, the Prefects had arrived. "Stay calm everyone, I'll catch them !", said Karl. The fight broke up faster than one could say 'SHIT', as in a frenzied panic, the Students ran in all different directions like birds after a sudden noise.
________________________________________________
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On Easter morning, Tad had also been released from the much larger Vale Valley Clinic due to the influx of injured Townies and Students. He had gone to Spencer Manor for dinner with his family. Tad had been fortunate enough not to have suffered the indignanty of being captured and held prisoner by the Townie Force. Even though the aborted attack on the Rockers had aggravated his injuries, he was nowhere near off as bad as Derby, who still had to remain in the Clinic for a while longer. Derby wouldn’t be lacking for company, however, since Bif was brought in soon after in Serious Condition, sporting a huge burn on his chest in the shape of a 'T’ that would scar into a permanent reminder of Saturday night’s ordeal.
Quite a number of other students were out of commission for awhile as well from Saturday night’s attack on the school.....Russell, shot in kneecap with Pellet from an Air Rifle, in Serious condition....Constantinos, shot in guts twice with Pellets from an Air Rifle, in Serious condition.....Ted, shot by pellet from an Air Rifle, suffering a Broken Rib and Collapsed Lung, also in Serious condition.
Others taken to the Clinics that were hurt, but not badly, included Norton, shot by Pellet from an Air Rifle in the shoulder, Bad, but not in Serious condition....Laurent, kicked in the head....Kirby, shot in head by a Spud.....Corneluis, hit by an M-80 Firecracker......Mandy, thrown around by the Tornado winds.....Benny, taken very ill after his desperate journey to get help for Christy. Even Ms. Danvers would be hobbling around in a cast for her broken foot for the rest of the term.
The Townies had turned out to have the most injuries of all. Every one of them who had took part in the raid on the school, except Nate, had been injured enough to require a stay in the Clinics for a week or more. They were chained to the beds in the two Clinics of Bullworth Town and New Coventry. Upon their release they were to be taken directly to Jail to join Nate and await trial on multiple charges of Aggravated Assault With Deadly Weapons, Assault and Battery Causing Bodily Injury, Breaking and Entering, Damage to Private Property, Confinement, Theft, Trespassing, and Violation of Civil Rights of over 60 individuals. There was to be no bail. A slick lawyer might have been able to get the charges reduced, but unfortunately for the dirt-poor Townies, the best they were going to get was a lethargic Public Defender. The Police and the powers that be in the Vale Valley had been waiting a long time to close down the troublesome Townies and weren’t about to miss their chance to lock them up in the State Prison and throw away the key.
The prize catch of the night, from the student’s standpoint, had been the capture of Algernon ‘Algie’ Papadopoulos, the pee-stain Nerd who had engineered the Terror-like attacks on many of them right before Christmas. Locked up under heavy guard in the Bullworth Town Jail, the former Nerd had called his Mother at last, although it would be too late to save her ‘Prince Algie’ this time. He was going down on Juvenile charges of Hostage-Taking and Confinement. No longer would he be 'The Beardless Fat Man’ at the Carnival, but an inmate at the State Boy’s School.
All of the injured students had been first run through the School Clinic, the more serious ones had been sent to the Vale Clinic, with the intent to keep them separated from their attackers. It was considered too risky to use the Blue Skies Clinic, as it was located in the middle of the Townies territory, and at any rate their hands were full treating injuries from the residents and workers of the area who had been unlucky enough to be caught in the Tornado’s winds.
Some areas had been damaged by the Tornado, particularly the Football Field, where the Sodium Arc lights were ripped from their poles and smashed. There was a tree down on the Jock's Clubhouse roof, fortunately Karen, Melody, and Lance had been spared any injuries. At the Carnival, some of the rides were damaged, and the false facade hiding the only exit road out of the Towns had been ripped away. The Go-Cart track had been virtually destroyed and the Go-Carts themselves had been picked up and flung away, most winding up sunk in the bay. Over in Blue Skies, the roof of Spencer Warehouse was partly ripped off, as were other areas of Blue Skies damaged from the wind.
Though a number of trees were down on Pirate Island and Vance was trapped in the hidden cavern, he was not injured. Vance had plenty of water and provisions, although how he was going to escape his underground retreat that had saved him and was now his prison eluded him. Nobody, with the possible exception of Gord, even really knew about the Island. It had been a long time, he knew, but maybe Gord had been missing him and wondered what happened to him.
Maybe He’ll Remember, thought Vance, And Come To Rescue Me.
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Tony finished working on the Flame Job BMX Bike in Monday morning’s Shop class. He was tired. The previous day, he had made the rounds with Karen to see their friends in the Clinics, and filling them in, as far as he could, about what he had learned about Jake. He was hoping to enlist their help in ridding the school of this scourge who had now four times attempted to take over the school, but he feared he was barking up the wrong tree. Most had not recognized 'Leo Cash’ as Jake and were surprised to find out that he was once more responsible for their latest round of misery. Tony tried not to lose hope, though. Fore-warned was Fore-armed, and perhaps the injured students would keep a better watch out this time. Jake might be underground for now, but like a bad penny, he was sure to turn up. There was only a couple months left in the school year, and Tony was positive that Jake would try once more to take over the school before summer vacation.
Tony had spent the rest of Easter evening in his office with Karen, brainstorming over the new connections on his now-massive wall chart. His focus was now on Pirate Island and just what Pete was trying to tell him the night he was shot. What was most puzzling was what 'Grid 67' meant. Tony, for the life of him, just couldn’t figure out what that might be.
“Maybe it’s a code”, Karen suggested, sitting on the desk watching Tony work.
“No...”, Tony said, staring at the chart for the hundredth time, “That don’t make sense....That’s something a Nerd would do.....” He trailed off as an image of the keypad for the Nerd’s gate sprang up in his mind. “Wait....Maybe you’re on to something.....”
Tony tried to think of just what ‘67‘ could mean in relation to the Island. Was there a keypad on the Island ? Somewhere to put in a code, perhaps ? If so, where could it be ? Tony had gotten the binoculars and returned to the beach earlier that afternoon. Zooming in on Pirate Island, it was pretty obvious that most of the scraggly trees had been flattened. He saw no sign of life anywhere, not even a bird. In contrast of the night before, it was now dead calm, and nothing was stirring. If there was something there, it was likely the Tornado had flattened it. He shook his head in frustration.
“Isn’t a grid like some kind of map ?”, Karen asked, throwing out another suggestion.
“I guess that could be”, Tony answered back absently, “But what on Earth could that....”
He stopped. Earth....What On Earth.....The image of the keypad floated in his mind over the image of the Island, one on top of the other. He visualized the images as they became closer....Merged....
“That’s It”, he whispered. “The ‘Grid’ means an overlay of co-ordinates on the Island !”
Karen hopped off the desk and came over to him. “A map, right ?”
“Not just any map”, Tony said. “A map that has Grid Lines marked on it....Numbered Grid Lines.”
”Yes, that makes sense”, Karen said. ”Ordinary maps won‘t show that.”
“Where could we find a map like that ?”, Tony asked.
“Maybe the Nerds”, Karen said. “I hear they have all kinds of maps.”
Yeah....”, Tony said slowly, “They’re always doing those Role-Playing and Battle Simulations. Do you know where they might have them ?”
Karen shrugged. Nope....Never seen any. Maybe where they hang out.”
“Hmmm....Never seen any in the Library”, Tony said. “Maybe at the Comic Store....Or the Observatory.....I’d have to get a look....”
“Maybe”, Karen said, “You could just ask them.”
Tony grinned. “Ask-A-Nerd, is that it ?”
“Sure”, Karen said as she snuggled up next to him. “Just don’t tell them what you need to look at them for.”
“I guess that could work”, Tony said, warming up from Karen being so close, “Since I don’t really know what I’m looking for.”
But suddenly, he did know. Grid 67 on Pirate Island was where Pete had buried the secret file.
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“You all Done there, Tony ?”, a voice said, startling him out of his reverie.
“Huh ?”, Tony said, disoriented, as he looked around to see the figure of Mr. Neil, the Shop teacher walking towards him. “Uhh...Yeah, sure, all done !”
Mr. Neil examined his work. “Fine job there, Tony, fine job”, he said, patting the bike frame.
“Yes, sir....I did some mods on it too”, Tony said. “It oughtta go real fast now.”
“That is should”, Mr. Neil said, caressing the frame like a fine woman. He hesitated, then turned to Tony. “This is your last assignment, Tony.”
“Last assignment ?”, Tony repeated.
“Yes, Tony....You’ve passed shop class for this term, and two months early, I may add”, Mr. Neil told him. “Don’t get many like you that understands this sort of work.”
Tony jerked his thumb towards the Greasers working on other tables. “What about them ?”
“Oh, they’re Motorheads, all right”, said Mr. Neil, lowering his voice, “But they just don’t get the.....Finer Points, shall we say. A boy like you, a smart boy, just seems to come by instinct. You got a knack for figuring things out.”
“Well....Um...Thanks, Mr. N”, Tony said, a bit uncomfortably. “So...I’m...Done ?”
“Done and Done”, Mr. Neil said cheerfully. “You can still drop in and work on stuff, if you feel like it though, anytime.”
“Well, gee....That’s great !”, said Tony, gathering up his bike tools.
“Oh...There’s one other thing”, Mr. Neil said.
“What’s that, sir ?”, Tony said, eager to get to lunch.
“Any student who finishes the coursework early....Gets to keep their last project”, Mr. Neil beamed. He patted the bike. “She’s all yours, Tony.”
Tony was momentarily speechless. His eyes roamed over the Flame Job BMX. Could this beauty really be his ? “I....Er....Don’t know what to say....”
“Nothing to say, Tony”, Mr. Neil smiled, “You earned it.”
Tony hoisted the BMX off the table and set it on the floor. It was just Perfect. He should know, he had spent many hours on the bike in the past month making it just so.
“Oh...Almost forgot”, Mr. Neil said, reaching into his shirt pocket. He pulled out a key and pressed it into Tony’s hand.
“What....What’s this for ?”, Tony asked.
“It’s to the East Side Garage Bay facing the Parking Lot”, Mr. Neil said with a big grin. “You get your own storage space. Wouldn’t want anybody swiping that baby, now would you ?”
“Wow”, was all that Tony could think of to say. “Thanks so much, Mr. N !!!”
“One thing...”, Mr. Neil said. “You gotta promise to come back when you’re a Senior, so you can work on cars. These Bozos over there are good, but I’m betting you’ll be much better.”
“Hah...”, Tony exclaimed, “You got it, Mr. N !!!!!” Happily, he pushed the bike out of the shop, then got on and rode around back of the Autoshop to the Parking Lot. He took a few minutes, just riding the bike around the Lot, skidding 180‘s and doing bunny hops. The bike was FAST, he discovered, just as he thought it would be. Just perfect for the event he had coming up, the bike races. Tony had worked out a deal with the Shiny Bike Shops to sponsor a series of bike races, similar to the ones that were held last year. Then, it had been the Preps making the sponsoring deal with the bike shops, but this year they were in no position to do that, having been involved in all that trouble with the Rockers and dealing with their internal split problems. Tony had heard of the races, and had been asked by several students if it could be brought back. They were eager to race without the Preps, who always seemed to cheat a bit to make the races come out in their favor. They had been stymied in their efforts last year by Jimmy Hopkins, who won all the races despite their underhanded ways.
Tony finally rode to the Garage door, fitting the key to the lock and raising the door. He lovingly parked his bike in the stall, gazing at it before he shut and re-locked the big door. He glanced around. For the first time, he realized the Parking Lot had been empty the whole time. It must be lunch, and he was supposed to meet Karen quite a while ago. He began to run, but came to a stop when he noticed one of his posters advertising the first bike race hanging on the wall opposite to the North. He jogged over to make sure. It was Tony’s responsibility as part of the deal he had made with the bike shop to put on the first race, which would be based around the school. After that, the next series of races would be held in various areas around the Towns. Tony had had the posters made up last week, and they had been sitting on his desk. With all the activity in the last week, he hadn’t gotten around to hanging them up.
Tony frowned. It was one of his posters, all right. Now that he remembered it, they hadn’t been on his desk last night after all, for he didn’t have to move them when things had gotten a little hot and heavy with Karen. He shook his head. He’d have to find out who did this. It wouldn’t do to have someone just busting into his office. Both Constantinos and Laurent had been in the Clinic since Saturday night, and they were the only ones authorized to be in there besides Karen and himself. Looks like it was time to be changing the locks again.
Tony entered the school by the back door, taking the hall around his Chem Class, which he hated. As he passed the drink machine, students suddenly began running through the Great Hall, many with splatters of food on their clothing and faces. Tony could guess what happened -- Food Fight. He hurried to the Cafeteria to find it in disarray, with food all over the floor, and several students wallowing around, some being busted by the Perfects. Looking down, he saw the form of Ray laying on his back directly in front of him, his head lolling back and forth. His eyelids fluttered open and he found himself staring up at Tony from, to him, an upside-down perspective.
“Uhhhh....Ohhhh.....Hi, Tony....”, He muttered, barely audible above the noise.
“Hey there, Ray.”, Tony replied, “Nice to see you. When’d you get out ?”
Errrrr....Yesterday”, Ray said, sounding groggy. Tony didn’t know, he and Karen had spent the night in his Mediator’s office.
“Com’on”, Tony said, hoisting the boy up with some effort, “Let’s get you to the the School Clinic.” He began the slow trip, propping up Ray as they navigated the steps and headed towards the Clinic. “I gotta tell you, Ray.....You might wanna think about taking a vacation from the Clinics....Maybe get back to a normal life, Hey ?”
“Ahhh....Believe....You’re right there....Tony....”, Ray muttered as Tony half-carried, half-walked him down to the School Clinic and helped him inside.
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The two men stood in what had been disguised to look like a small Parking Lot before Saturday, looking towards the West where the sun angled down. The false facade of the wooden wall was gone, revealing a roadway stretching off into the distance, where the men could see some highway crews cleaning up debris from the road thrown there from the Tornado. A rock face led from the mountain to their right out to the West bordering the road, and a small stream fed between the road a rock face. Past where the false fence had been was the wreckage of what had been the Go-Kart Track, it’s fencing reduced to kindling. A shed that had housed the Go-Karts, as well as the grandstands, was gone as if it had never been.
“We got to get this taken care of”, Mr. Harrington said, “And Quickly.”
“There’s not enough workers to do anything about it right now”, observed Chief Carcer, “Not to mention there’s not enough materials to build another fake wall.”
“There’s an alternate way”, Mr. Harrington intoned, “That won’t take but just a few people and hardly any materials. It’s been our back-up plan all along, we just hadn’t installed it yet.”
“And just what would that be ?”, said Chief Carcer sarcastically, “Hypnosis ?”
“No”, said Mr. Harrington serenely, “Holographic Projectors.” He pointed to the rock face. “Mount one there, and then another one farther down. One on the light pole here, and down there”, he said pointing to the left.
“That would work ?”, the Chief said doubtfully.
“Oh, Yes”, Mr. Harrington said confidently. “Fact is, they’ve been sitting over in Spencer’s Warehouse since last summer. Just hadn’t gotten around to getting them up.” He stared at where the false facade used to be. “Frankly, I’m glad that fake wall is gone. It was a real bitch moving it in the winter to get through.”
And it was. Those with small enough cars could skirt around the very edge without having to open the wall too far, but most had to open it all the way. The fact was though, very few residents of the Vale Valley even knew of it’s existence, and that was just how Harrington liked it. The more the Towns were cut off from the outside world, the better. Which was why it was important to get this taken care of. The Crane Carnival wouldn’t be shut down for long.
“All we need is somebody with the technical expertise to install and calibrate the projectors”, Mr. Harrington continued. “That’s why I called you up here.”
“I don’t see what this has to do with me”, the Chief observed.
“What we need”, Harrington went on, “Is one of those Techno-Nerds to rig this up and maintain it....But not one of those geek kids from the school.”
“So, who you got in mind ?”, Chief Carcer asked.
Harrington turned and faced the Chief. “Release Alfred Owens from Jail. Drop the charges.”
“What !?”, the Chief reacted. “I can’t do that !”
“Can, and Will”, Mr. Harrington “Don’t forget, you work for me.”
“But...”, the Chief sputtered, “He’s already been arranged ! The Judge will never...”
“The Judge works for me, also”, Mr. Harrington said smoothly. “He’s going to be persuaded to go along. He realizes the importance of this project here. We can’t have the wrong people deciding just to up and leave the Vale Valley just because suddenly they see a way out and want to get curious and investigate the outside world.” He indicated the highway crews in the distance. “And we don’t want outsiders poking around in here. Wouldn’t be too good for business.”
“What’s this got to do with....”, the Chief began.
“It’s got to do with the Status Quo”, Mr. Harrington said testily. “Before yesterday, nobody on the outside could find their way in here without specific directions. All this road appeared to be was a dead-end a few miles away from the main trunk highway. Now, any fool can wander down this road and find this place. Give it a few months and we’ll be overrun by Paupers from the outside. This area’s remoteness....It’s Exclusivity....Will be lost.”
The Chief sighed. “It’s going to take some time to get him released....”
Harrington turned angrily on the Chief. “What Time ? Open the Fucking cell door and let him out ! How long does that take ?”
“There’s procedure......Paperwork....”, the Chief responded.
“Damn It All To Hell, Man !”, Mr. Harrington raged. “What are you even holding him for in the first place ? The Fat Shit didn’t even do the crime.....That dropout kid as much as gloated to Crabblesnitch that he did the bombings ! Your so-called Force should be out looking for HIM, instead of holding a Fat, Asthmatic Geek in a cell for months and sitting on your ASSES !”
“I don’t think that’s a fair assessment”, the Chief said stoically, “We had Evidence....”
“Evidence !”, snorted Mr. Harrington. “You know well enough Evidence can be manipulated to fit the crime. That Fat Fuck can’t even walk down the street without wheezing and you think he could have planted all those explosives and set them all off in 180 minutes without being seen by a single soul ?”
“There were timers in the store’s basement that matched the ones used in the blasts”, the Chief persisted.
“I Don’t Give A Shit !”, Mr. Harrington retorted. “Spring him, Today ! Tell him he can have his Comic Store back and his case dismissed in exchange for this little job for us.”
“If this gets out, it won’t go over too well”, Chief Carcer grumbled.
“Those boys at the Academy just dumped a present in you lap of the entire lot of those Townie misfits”, Mr. Harrington said, “Nobody’s gonna bat an eye. Them dropout kids are the front page news right now”, he snorted. “I guarantee you, it won’t go public.”
“How can you be so sure ?”, the Chief asked.
“I control all the media here”, Mr. Harrington said. “You ought to know that by now.”
“What about Crane ?”, Chief Carcer asked, pointing to the Carnival.
“Billy Crane knows which side his bread’s buttered on”, Mr. Harrington said. “He’ll do exactly as he’s told unless he wants his Traveling Carnival to go traveling again.”
Mr, Harrington strode to his car. “Get a few workers from Blue Skies that can be trusted to keep their mouths shut in exchange for a little compensation. I’ll handle getting the Projectors here from Spencer’s Warehouse. Have Alfred Owens brought to my place for instructions when you release him.”
Mr. Harrington opened his door and slid in. “One more thing....Get one of your flunkys to guard the tunnel. Nobody gets through without my approval, got that ?”
Without waiting for an answer, Mr. Harrington slammed the door, then jockeyed his car around the 90 degree turn that led across the small narrow bridge and into the tunnel. Then he hit the gas and was gone.
________________________________________
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WEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOONK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The sleeping Jocks were jarred awake by the sound of the incredibly loud Air Horn. They crawled out of their sleeping bags laid on the scattered wrestling mats covering the South end of the Gym floor. Still sore from their Saturday night battle at the football field, the groggily came awake to see Coach Burton standing near the center of the Gym with a shit-eating grin on his face holding the Air Horn.
“Allright, You Slackers !! Get Your Asses Out To The Field For Some Practice Runs !!”, he hollered.
The Jocks groaned. “Aww, Coach, have a heart !”, Dan Wilson said.
“Yeah, com’on, we’re like, still recovering”, yawned Bo. “Cut us some slack.”
“Field ain’t even cleaned off yet”, grumbled Damon.
Coach Burton just stood bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, seemingly possessed by an excitement he could barely contain. “It’s Clean Enough For A Little Workout ! Let’s Move It ! That Means You Too, Olsen !”, he said to Kirby, who had just emerged from his spot under the bleachers.
Mumbling and Griping, the Jocks slowly drug themselves down to the locker room to change into their sweats. It was Tuesday morning, and much too soon for any workouts, they felt. What was the Coach’s deal anyway ? Didn’t he know that they were the Heros of the school now ? Everywhere they went, they were respected and admired. Other kids stopped them and fawned over them, just like they were celebrities. Hell, they WERE celebrities. They had saved the school.
The Coach was already down on the field by the time they stumbled down the steps leading down to the turf. The smashed Sodium Arc Lights had been removed, and work was progressing on removing the tree that had been dropped down on the Clubhouse roof. The debris had been nearly cleaned off, mostly limbs, branches, and pieces of fencing, that had littered the Football Field. As they jogged onto the turf, they suddenly came to a halt in shocked amazement. Coach Burton was standing there, all right. But he was not alone.
A large, hulking figure of a boy stood next to the Coach, nearly dwarfing Burton with his immense size. He stood at least six and a half feet tall on legs that resembled tree trunks. His arms looked like huge hanging slabs of beef. He had hands that looked like they could crush skulls with little or no effort. He had a chest like a barrel, muscular with particularly broad shoulders. He was dressed in grey sweats with a pullover blue Bullworth T-shirt sporting a huge letter 'B’ on it. His bull neck was topped by a massive head with a bland, stupid-looking face, brown hair clipped in a crew-cut style. It looked like he could take out 10 guys simply by just standing there. Bo estimated his weight at over 300 pounds, and not a bit of it fat.
Coach Burton was doing his excited little bouncing again as he blew on his whistle and waved the stunned Jocks over to where the two were standing. The Jocks walked slowly over to where the pair stood and halted a few feet away.
“Good Gawd, he looks like a Gorillia !”, muttered Damon in awe. The other Jocks kept silent, not knowing what to say.
“Boys...This Is Bob Southby !”, Coach Burton proclaimed. “Our Newest Defensive Lineman !”
The Jock boys looked agape at Bob and the Coach’s pronouncement. This had to be some kind of late April Fool’s joke. A creature such as this surely belonged in the Carnival Freakshow.
Turning to Bob and looking up at the massive figure, Coach Burton said, “Introduce yourself to the boys, Bob !”
From under the cro-magnum brow, flat eyes reflecting no emotion, a gravelly voice issued forth that sounded like a Garbage Truck dumping trash. “‘Lo...ME BOB.”
The Jocks waited in shocked silence for Bob to continue speaking. When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to say anything else, they began to mumble among themselves.
“Shee-it, looks like we got ourselves a Russell !”, Said Dan.
“Naw, Russell’s only about 250“, said Bo, “This dude’s over 300, easy.”
“Not very friendly, ain’t he ?”, commented Juri.
“Don’t have to be”, observed Damon, “Just gotta be tough.”
“Here...Comes...Our...Poundcake”, whispered Kirby.
Coach Burton was grinning, barely being able to contain his glee. He had been trying to get this kid into Bullworth Academy for the longest time, but the sheer stupidity of the boy had always been a big stumbling block. Even though there were already a lot of dumb kids in the school, Bob was dumber than any of them, even Russell. Personality-wise, he was like the most anti-social android that the world had ever seen, utterly lacking in social skills of any kind. Coach Burton didn’t care about any of that. All he wanted was the ultimate defensive lineman who could smash down opposing offensive linemen and sack a quarterback without working up a sweat. Dr. Crabblesnitch had acceded to Burton’s desires at long last, boosted by the fact that the Jocks had defeated the Townies invaders and saved his precious school, and his job to boot. Bob had been transported overnight into the Vale Valley on a Semi to began his academic career at Bullworth Academy.
Burton blew his whistle again, quieting the Jocks. “Allright now, I want Jackson and Olsen to get some balls out of the Clubhouse. Harris, Luna, bring out some of those tackling dummies. Karamazov, bring out those tires to teach footwork. West, since Thompson and Loiselle aren’t here, you’re in charge. Your mission today is to teach Bob here how to play Football !”
“Uhh....Coach ?”, Damon asked as the others began making their way to the Clubhouse to retrieve the necessary items, “How we gonna...Teach him anything ?”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that”, Coach Burton said, patting Bob’s massive shoulder, “He may not be the brightest of bulbs, but he can take direction, all right. Just tell him what to do, and he’ll do it.”
Damon looked at Bob uncertainly. “But....Can he understand plays ? He don’t seem.....”
“He’s not very talkative”, the Coach confided in a low voice. “As for learning the plays, well, that’s what we’re going to find out.” Burton glanced at Bob, then resumed. “We got a lot of time till the season starts next fall. I want him ready to play by then.” Taking Damon aside, he said, “He’s a bit slow.....But he can learn, I’m sure. Just run him through the plays over and over till he gets it. He can understand when you show him what to do.”
“Weell....Alright, Coach”, Damon said doubtfully. “If you say so.”
“Good”, Coach Burton said. “I’ve got some....Er....Work to take care of in my office. I’ll be back to check on you boy’s progress.” He began to walk away, then turned back. “Oh....One more thing....Try not to make him mad. I hear he’s got one Hell of a temper.”
Burton left the field at a fast walk. The Cheerleaders might be coming back this morning, and he didn’t want to miss his chance to spy on them through his peephole in his office under the bleachers. It had been far too long, and he was horny as hell. Damon watched him leave, then turned and approached Bob.
“Yo”, He said, “Why don’cha come with me over the 20-yard line. We can....Umm...Run some plays.” Damon saw the others bringing the equipment Coach Burton had sent them for out onto the field. He began to walk out into the field. Partway, he looked back to see if Bob was following. He Was.
______________________________________________
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It took Tony three days to get a boat, and that was only because Nick had managed to steal one he found from under the big pier over at Bullworth Vale. Tony was a good swimmer, but the water temperature remained very low as the weather had not improved much since the storm. The V-hull battered aluminum boat Nick found actually came equipped with a 15 hp. Evinrude motor, which made getting to the Island a whole lot faster than having to row.
As Tony and Nick motored to Pirate Island, they began to see close-up the incredible amount of damage the Tornado had done. There were trees down all over the Island. Rounding the Red Buoy, they could see limbs and other debris floating still in the water. With Tony at the bow guiding Nick at the tiller, they made made the beach area, grounding the boat on the sandy shore. Tony hopped out and ran a line out to on of the downed trees laying on the beach to tie off.
Nick followed Tony up on the beach, picking their way over the uprooted trees there that had been thrown from the higher rocky plateau of the Island. The boys searched the beach area for any clues for ant evidence of Jake’s being there, but could find nothing. The storm had eradicated all traces of any kind of possible habitation, human or animal. Tony and Nick climbed up the rocks to the plateau, and here the devastation was even more evident. Scores of trees lay in random disorganized piles all around. Incredibly, a large steel tower still remained standing at the North end of the Island with the high-voltage wires still attached to it.
The boys picked their way across the strewn rockscape in the face of a brisk chill wind. Reaching the South end of the Island, they discovered another beach area, smaller than the first. A series of small rocky outcroppings stretched from here to the mainland cliffs across a small channel. Finding nothing here, they returned to the rocky plateau and began making their way to the North. Unknowingly, they passed within 20 yards of the opening to the underground cavern, where Vance was slowly pacing around in a circle, bored out of his mind at not being able to get to the outside and down to the beach, where he spent most days, dressed up in his Pirate outfit and reliving the swashbuckling days of yore, lustily singing ‘It’s A Pirate’s Life For Me.”
As Tony and Nick made their way towards the steel tower, Tony stopped suddenly and held up his hand. “Wait....You hear something ?”
Nick strained to listen over the brisk wind.
woooooooooooooooooheeeeeelllllpooooooooooooooooooooooo............
“Just the wind”, Nick replied. “You hearing things, man.”
“Maybe it’s Ghosts”, Tony joked nervously. “Kind of eerie out here.”
“Got that right”, Nick said, as the pair continued their trek to the steel tower.
Coming closer, the two saw there was some damage to the tower as well....Some of the girders were lightly twisted at the base, setting the tower slightly askew. Tony poked about the base of the tower for awhile, looking for any indication of what ‘Grid 67‘ might mean, as the tower was the only man-made object on the Island. Tony was hoping that he could find some kind of markings on one of the four huge concrete pilings sunk into the rocks that bore the weight of the tower, but searched in vain for anything inscribed in the base or the metal. Finding nothing, the boys made their way back to their starting point on the beach.
“What was you looking for back there ?”, Nick asked.
Tony took a last look at the Island in the stiffening breeze. “Something that wasn’t there”, he said at last. “Let’s shove off.”
Jake was here, I’m sure of it, Tony thought. And Grid 67 is here. I just gotta find where....For the both of them.
_____________________________________________
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After having stayed a few days with his family, Tad returned to the Academy Campus Wednesday afternoon. He strode purposely towards Harrington House with a plan. The afternoon classes had not yet let out, and Tad wanted to be inside the Prep’s domain to greet the his returning comrades after school.
He encountered no one as he made his way to Harrington House. Tad had regained enough of his strength to walk from the Vale, although doing so was making him rather tired. He was glad to reach the doors of the House and get inside out of the chilly wind, a little unusual for mid-April.
The downstairs was deserted. He plopped down in Derby’s favorite chair in front of the fireplace, the one that had been replaced after the bombings. He reflected that he liked this chair just fine. It was just like sitting in the seat of power, and it made it easier for him to steel his resolve for what he was about to do.
Although the Tornado damage had taken his Father away to supervise repairs, before he had left Mr. Spencer had sat down and had a revealing talk with Tad. Now, sitting in the power chair at Harrington House, Tad knew more than enough to bring the situation to heel in his favor. And he was prepared to use that information now to his benefit, to take a giant step forward and claim what was rightfully his.
After ditching classes for more than two weeks since being beaten by the Rockers, the Preps were told they must attend classes or face detention, an unheard-of thing for any Prep. It didn’t help that the Jocks were now the darlings of the school after having saved it from certain takeover. Even the Nerds were garnering more respect for the role they had played in it, defeating Otto and Floyd, plus taking out the remainder of the Townies before they could escape. For the first time in Bullworth history, the Preps were at the bottom of the pile. Everybody dis-respected them. The Preps found themselves greeted by openly-hostile students wherever they went, spit on and having rotten fruit from the cafeteria thrown at them in the school hallways. The Prefects looked the other way as the abuse continued. If a Prep tried to fight back, he quickly found himself outnumbered five-to-one, and had to back down or get beaten down. They found themselves having to huddle in a group as they traveled, enduring the cat-calls and jeers from the other Cliques and even the students who were not in any Clique, an event which had never before happened.
Tad heard the outer doors open and moved the chair around just as the inner doors were flung open. The remaining Preps, now only five in number, came straggling through like zombies in the worst horror movie ever, their eyes haunted with shock and shame, their movements slow and jerky like that of dead men. They advanced halfway into the room before they saw Tad sitting in Derby’s chair, and stopped, staring.
When no one spoke, Tad rose and said, “Hullo, Chaps. So good to see you.”
Gord moved to the front. “Uh....Well, Hello Tad. We....Uh....Didn’t expect you back so soon.”
“I can see It was time for me to come back”, Tad said, “All you look like something the Cat dragged in.”
It was a strange comment, seeing as how there weren’t any Cats in the Vale Valley. It was the reason why the Rats were so rampant on the Campus and elsewhere. There were some Dogs running around, including Chad’s Dog, Chester.....But strange as it was, no Cats.
“I’m glad you’re all here”, Tad continued. “I believe it’s time that we made a few changes around here, starting today.”
“Uh, what ever do you mean ?”, Justin asked.
“Mean ?”, Tad said in a confident voice. “Why, I mean I’m taking over.”
The Preps just gaped at him. “Derby will never allow that !”, Bryce exclaimed. “You just can’t take over !”
“I can, and I will”, Tad replied smoothly. “And what’s more, all of you are going to support that.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible”, Justin said. “You just can’t expect us to go through that again !”
“Can’t I ?”, Tad said, flicking off an imaginary piece of lint from his Aquaberry sweater, “Tell me, Justin....Just who really owns the Beach House ?”
“Why.....My family does....That’s who”, Justin sputtered.
“Afraid not”, Tad said sadly, “Since you signed the deed over to Jimmy Hopkins more that a year ago, remember ?”
“That doesn’t mean anything !”, Justin said heatedly, “He’s a minor, just like us....”
“That’s not what the law will say”, Tad interrupted. “Gord’s Father will tell you that, won’t he Gordo ?”
Gord, whose Father was a trial lawyer, just slowly answered. “Probabaly....It could be tied up in litigation for years, but......”
“And Bryce”, Tad resumed, “You still going to be working at the club this summer to pay for school, since your family’s about broke because your Father is gambling away all your inheritance on loose women at the state casino ?”
Bryce blanched. “How could you know about that ?”
“And Chad”, Tad went on, “You still taking steroids to bulk up, so you can run track and sing in the Glee Club with all the other Nerd Peons ? Another nose job, maybe, so you can look like Michael Jackson, your secret hero ?”
Chad glowered. “That’s nobody’s business......”, he spat out.
“And Parker”, Tad said, turing his attention to what everyone considered the mystery Prep. “What happens when people find out how your family Really gets it’s money ? How are you ever going to buy a girlfriend then ? And even if you could, how do you think she would feel to know you make out with your own sister ?”
“It Isn’t Like That !”, Parker said. “We just did it the One Time, to see what.....” He trailed off, staring at the floor, knowing he had said too much.
“And Gord”, Tad said, looking sadly at his friend, “Dear, faithful Gord. Does your Father REALLY own eight hotels, or is that just a sham ? Too bad you won’t be wearing such nice clothes once your family goes bankrupt. No longer the best-dressed student in school. That could be bad for a trans-gendered person such as yourself, now wouldn’t it ?”
Gord stood with his mouth agape like a fish, saying nothing.
“Plus, all you fellows....Still buying test answers from Mr. Hattrick and selling them double to the other kids ? Those Paupers ?”, Tad asked. No answer was needed to that one, their guilty looks told Tad he was right.
“The point is, my dear fellows”, Tad said, striding back and forth in fromt of them, “Is that ALL of this is going to come out, unless we regain our status around here. And do you know how it all came to this ? DERBY led you down to ruin, going off with his half-baked plans for revenge and ill-conceived plans for power. In his arrogance, he disregarded the true tenants of absolute power over the masses.....Fooling them into thinking we are mighty and bending them to our will. Under my leadership, we will regain our standing at Bullworth Academy and once again Rule this school !”
“That sounds all well and good, Tad”, Gord spoke up, finding his voice. “But what about Bif ? He’s loyal to Derby. They just won’t take this laying down.”
Tad smiled, really smiled, for the first time in weeks. “Fact is, they’re both laying down right now. Derby won’t be in fighting shape for weeks. As for Bif”, he continued, “I know something about him that would ruin his reputation forever in this school if it ever got out. He’ll play along, or he’ll be gone.”
The Preps just stood staring with amazed looks on their faces as they suddenly realized that Tad just might be successful in his overthrow of Derby’s iron grip he had had over them all this time. With their support, it could happen.
“So, what do you say ?”, Tad said, standing in front of them. “Are you with me ?”
The Preps looked at each other, then nodded. Tad was to be the new leader.
“Good”, Tad said, satisfied. “You fellows freshen up. We’ll meet later tonight upstairs and go over the plan for taking back our rightful place around here.”
“How are we going to do that ?”, Bryce asked.
“Simple”, grinned Tad. “We’re going to buy back their respect, one Clique at a time. When that’s done, we will rule over those Paupers just as nature intended.”
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Mr. Luntz came tooling down the road after turning from the main trunk highway late Wednesday afternoon. It was just a few miles, but he drove carefully, for he had heard that a Tornado had been through the area. He expected to see some sort of debris on the road, waiting to give his small car a flat tire along the way, but to his surprise, the roadway was clear of any kind of litter. As he approached the Back of the Carnival though, he slowed to almost a crawl. Where before the road had run roughly parallel to the back wooden fence of the Go-Kart track, all he could see was a jumble of smashed wooden slats tossed about everywhere. The Grandstands which had once rose above the fencing was destroyed, it’s remains thrown around the area like so many popsicle sticks.
Mr. Luntz returned his gaze to the road ahead, expecting to see up ahead the back of the false facade that hid the entryway to the Vale Valley. Instead, though, what he saw was what appeared to be a solid rock face, rising ten feet up in the air right across the road. He pulled up to the front of the obstacle and stopped the car a few feet away.
“What in the Blue Blazes is THIS ?”, he muttered to himself. After sitting in the car for a couple of minutes trying to comprehend what he was seeing, he popped open the driver’s door and jacked his large frame out of the tiny vehicle, cussing as he did so, like always. He approached the rock wall in confusion and growing rage.
“How the FUCK am I supposed to get back in there ?”, he asked out loud, but there was nobody around to answer his question. He looked right, then left, and went closer to the rock wall. As he did so, the rock face seemed to grow fuzzy and out of focus.
Mr. Luntz blinked his eyes, then rubbed them with his hands. When he looked again, the wall still looked fuzzy. He looked around at other objects. Everything else was just fine. It was the damn wall. Something was not right with the damn wall.
Tentatively, he reached out with his hand to touch the wall, but his fingers went right through. Startled, he pulled his hand back quickly. Seeing there was no damage to his hand, he took a breath and suddenly stuck his whole arm out. It too went through the wall. Carefully, he walked forward and disappeared, coming out the other side into the scam parking area near the Carnival entrance, which was actually a continuation of the road into the Towns. He turned, and behind him was the tired-looking board-fence wall, just like before.
It was an illusion. Mr. Luntz scanned the lot area and the small mountainous rock to his left, catching a glint of the western sun on something. He looked closer and saw the glimmer of reflected light off the lens of something that resembled a security camera. Looking over and up to his right, he saw another mounted high up on a pole. He smiled a cynical smile in understanding. What he was seeing was a Hologram. Doubtless there were two other Projectors on the other side as well, behind him.
He walked back through the fake wall and sandwiched himself back in the small car, cursing as he did so. When all this was over, he was going to get himself a Limo. He dropped the car in gear and drove through the false wall, feeling a bit like the Road Runner fooling the Coyote. Pretty clever of someone, he thought, and knew who had probably ordered this to be rigged up. Had to be Harrington.
As he slowed to make the ninety-degree left turn to go through the tunnel, he reflected that this would probably be his last time returning to this shitty place. Michael “Big Mike” Tortelli had told him that Vincent “Bloody Vince” Fonzerelli and the remainder of his minions had been squeezed into an area only a third of the size as their former territory in the Big Apple, and it wouldn’t be long now. A matter of weeks, perhaps, and the Godfather of New York would crash as those had done before him. Once Big Mike and the boys took over the operations, Mr. Luntz could return home for good.
As he drove the road through Bullworth Vale towards the school, he sighed. Seven years in this craphole, just to avoid having to wear cement overshoes and take a swim with the fishies. His crime hadn’t been big -- Running some side scams for Big Mike -- But he had been found out. Keeping his silence, he hadn’t ratted out that Big Mike was involved in running the side scams. Furious that someone was scamming money from the organization, Boss Fonzerelli had ordered his execution. In gratitude for keeping his silence, Big Mike had spirited him out of the city, and had arranged this job here in the Vale Valley at the school. It was the perfect cover, for just like the Carnival people, nobody ever pays attention to a janitor.
Big Mike Tortelli’s intentions were also two-fold.....By hiding Mr. Luntz here, Big Mike could also keep an eye out on the doings of all the rich overlords who worked in tandem with the Mob.....The Harringtons, The Spencers, and the others. Mr. Luntz became very good at ferreting out information on the dealings in the Vale Valley, and part of his reasons for returning in secret to the Big City so often was to report back to Big Mike on what he found out, like the increased shipments going through Spencer Warehouse. Mr. Luntz became very adept at infiltrating himself at various locations around the Towns.....Businesses, the Bank, the Courthouse, and most importantly....The Docks over at Blue Skies. All the while playing the role of a somewhat inept janitor at an Academy for misfits. It was perfect.
Mr. Luntz turned down the access road leading to the Parking Lot, and drove down through the gates, which he saw were damaged again. Lying askew, it looked like they got hit by a car. That was no surprise to him. The Cops had probably raided the place again. There were a few Bullies hanging about in the Parking Lot, as usual, but he didn’t see the big dumb one, who had been here just about as long as he had. Russell, his name was, he remembered suddenly. He would have liked to just run down all the worthless shits in the white shirts, but he had to keep his cover and not be noticed. He weaved the car around them, and pulled it up to the middle garage door facing the Parking Lot, where he got out, opened it, and put the car away.
Closing and locking the garage door, he turned and made his way to the side basement entrance to the school. He often bunked down here, and had a cot and small TV set up in a room just right off the loading door. Crabblesnitch would be pissed that he had taken so much time off, as usual, but fuck him.....It wasn’t like anyone else was willing to work this shitty job. Besides, he just about had everything he needed to take down that pompous ass before he left here for good. He would bide his time, endure Crabblesnitch’s lectures and cold stares for just a bit longer. His day would soon arrive, and he intended to see Crabblesnitch locked up before he was gone for good, and maybe that little bitch Danvers as well.
He switched on his little TV and settled back on his cot to rest. It had been a long trip, and he was no spring chicken anymore. He would wait until tomorrow to see what damage the little bastards had done this time. For now, it was time to rest up.
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Tony was speeding down the old rail line that ran around the perimeter of the school on his Flame Job BMX, in practice for the upcoming bike race, which would use this route, as Tony learned was traditional. He had never been to most of old rail line, so it was a new chance for him to explore as well. Zooming along the wide dirt pathway, he had found a large tunnel cut through the rock at one point, with some rail ties still intact within. Going in a ways, he discovered an area that looked as if someone had hidden out there once....A couple of raggedy-looking blankets, discarded food cans, cigarette butts, and what could have been the remanent of a fire-pit. Looked like a Hobo had maybe made his home there once upon a time.
Not knowing that he had stumbled on to one of Jake’s hiding places from last fall, he exited the Tunnel and found the pathway had a detour around the large rocks that held the tunnel. Following it, he came to a area with many downed trees, some across the wide dirt pathway. He practiced hopping his bike over these until he was confident he could master that part of the course. His attention was drawn to some grassy areas to the left that looked like a small path, so he followed that to explore some more.
Soon, he found himself at a wide ravine where a large tree had fallen across. Tony left his bike at the edge, unable to resist the challenge of walking across the tree trunk to the other side. The tree had been big, and he had no problems navigating his way across to the other side. There, he saw that the path continued. If he wanted to explore more, he would have to go back for his bike. Tony went back across the big tree. About halfway across, he spotted something at the bottom of the ravine. He stopped and looked closer.
It was a Go-Kart. It was laying upside down with it’s little tries poking up in the air, and it appeared to be a little battered. Tony marveled as he realized that the Tornado must have carried this Go-Kart from the Carnival that night and dumped it here. Tornados are said to do strange things like that, so he heard. From what Tony could see, getting it out of the ravine would prove difficult. Then he hit on an idea.
I should tell Mr. Neil about this, Tony thought, He’ll know what to do.
Mr. Neil was just about the most-liked teacher at the school. Most of the students and all of the Cliques, except the Preps, never had a bad word to say about him. Mr. Neil had always treated Tony fairly, and had just gifted him with the BMX he was now riding. Tony knew that Mr. Neil’s Go-Kart, the one he and Karen had taken a sneak ride in on that night last fall, had been stolen. Tony also knew that Mr. Neil had been trying to obtain another one, and he felt that this would be a great way to repay him for his kindness.
Tony reached his bike and shoved off, retracing to the old rail line. He had heard that this went all the way around the school, which meant that if he kept going, he would encounter the huge cavern where the tunnel was that led to Jimmy’s secret cave. He intended to stop in and talk to Jimmy and tell him of the events of the past few days. Unbeknown to him, Jimmy had some things to tell him as well.
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Jake was jolted awake by the sound of train rumbling by the boxcar he was hiding out in on the siding located on the elevated rail line over the West side of Blue Skies. It was close to 3 AM. He had been in the empty boxcar for more that 36 hours, waiting for just this very thing. He rose and stretched, then grabbed his backpack and peered out the open door of the boxcar. The train was slowing down. That meant that there would be some switching going on shortly. Time for him to get a move on. His plans didn’t include getting busted by the Railroad Bulls.
Jake dropped from the opposite doorway of the boxcar, keeping it between him and the train. There were three sets of tracks on this part of the elevated portion, which stretched for a mile from the mountain tunnel to the unique roundhouse terminal where individual tankcars and boxcars were uploaded and downloaded to supply materials to the Chemical Plant Complex at the South end of Blue Skies. The two sets of tracks to the East were used as Siding Tracks, where boxcars and flatcars were set aside for delivery and emptied ones for recovery. The track on the West side was the main line track, or Branch Line Track in this case. A ways up the line, a Spur Line Track from the main track led across a small inlet to the South-East side of where Bullworth Academy was now, and had at one time gone through the cavern that contained the tunnel that led to Jimmy’s secret cave. The spur line had continued all the way around the South and West side of Bullworth Academy, but long ago the rails and ties had been removed when the mining in the area had played out.
Near to where Jake had dropped out from the boxcar, there was a 150-foot Tower Crane, used to lift loads off of flatcars and drop them right at the docks area, which was directly West of the elevated rail line. Incoming loads from the barges could be loaded onto the flatcars in the same manner. Jake was at the edge of the furtherest tracks from the train, along a row of empty boxcars. He knew that after the train had dropped off their fully-loaded cars, they would be picking up the empties to haul back. Moving North along the line of empties, he came to the place where the siding tracks merged into the Branch Line before going across the bridges that went across the river and then was the dividing line between New Coventry and Bullworth Town. Jake didn't see anyone here, and it was a good bet that most of the operation was automated. But that didn't mean that there wasn't somebody up ahead. After all, somebody had to operate the switch that had opened the large doors the were usually secured across the tunnel entrance.
Still seeing no one, he stayed to the far side of the train as he made his way through the partially-moonlit darkness. At last he reached the large tunnel-like structure that was set into the mountain. The large doors were opened inward, allowing for the train to pass through. The train itself was a long one, and Jake cautiously walked into the tunnel alongside the train. After he had walked just a few yards, he saw a small recess in the side of the tunnel with a door set into it with a small window. A light was on, and Jake snuck a peek through the glass.
A man stood facing away from him, operating some kind of controls in front of a board in a small room. Jake decided to keep going, melting away away again in the darkness. He walked further into the tunnel. After another 10 minutes or so, he came across another recessed place in the wall, and with another door. The window behind it was dark. At that moment, the train began pulling forward. Jake tried the door and found it unlocked, then slipped inside into the darkness.
As he watched the train through the glass, it became apparent to him that the whole train had been backed into the tunnel from somewhere in the outside world. He heard the sounds of diesel locomotives grow louder and louder as the train reversed course and began backing up, then suddenly he saw them....Two giant locomotives, chugging by, pushing the line of rail cars back towards Blue Skies, presumably to hook up with the empty boxcars, one of which he had just spent the past day and a half waiting in.
Jake’s mind drifted. He would have to wait until the train had completed it’s business and left. He was taking a big chance, he knew. His goal was to meet a group that had very rarely been seen in the Vale Valley, but they were considered the toughest criminals in these parts. Jake had learned that they often times hung around in this very railroad tunnel, raiding the Towns at will. They had never been caught.
Jake settled down against a wall. He knew he had a long wait. His thoughts went back over the events of the past few days.......
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jake had been having a rough week. After a bone-numbing swim to Pirate Island on the night of the failed attack, he had to shelter as best he could for the night under a downed tree. Barely keeping from going into Hypothermic Shock, he had found Vance’s rowboat overturned and wedged between a tree and a rock the next morning. Using a limb as a lever, he had been able to free up the rowboat, which still had it’s oars attached to the oarlocks. Jake had managed to right and then launch the craft soon after, and the steady rowing had helped to keep him warm.
Jake had rowed to the North, looking for a deserted spot on which to beach in the much calmer waters. He had passed No-Name Island, and went under the Vale Boulevard bridge, electing not to land under there as he saw people walking across and feared the Cops might already be on the lookout. Passing Rock Island on his right, he made for a landing spot under the North Bullworth Vale Road bridge. Finally reaching it, he jumped out and pulled the rowboat ashore underneath. Exhausted, he had rested there awhile. He was in a place where he couldn’t be spotted. As he sat on the Beach, his gaze wandered up the waterway to the North, where the Bullworth Dam was located. A germ of an idea floated through his crazed mind and settled, slowly taking root. He patted the waterproof ziplock bag under his shirt containing Crabblesnitch’s resignation and confession. It wasn’t enough just to try to take over the school, he saw now. All of those attempts had failed. No, the real key was to bring the whole Vale Valley to it’s knees.
Jake had risen. He knew it now. He had to hit them where they lived. For that, he would have to have some help. Not anybody like those worthless Townies had turned out to be. He knew of a group, though small in number, who was a whole lot tougher. The Punks.
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Christy's conversation with Pedro took a premature end as she saw Pinky coming out of the classroom.
"So, sweetie... You passed it ?"
"No way..." Pinky replied. "I don't know what's wrong between me and History..."
"Look, Pinky, we both need to think about something else. What about a new haircut ?"
"You mean... At the Vale ?"
"Totally." Christy said with a wide smile.
Pedro looked at both girls walking down the hall with a void look. In a way, he would had liked to take them there. He muttered something about lesbians and walked in direction of Karen, his best smile on his face again.
-
“No Shit ?”, Tony said, looking through the shipping orders that Jimmy had swiped from Spencer Warehouse. “All this stuff ?”
“Yep”, said Jimmy. “Boxes and Boxes of it.” He dug something out of his pocket. “Here, take a look at this.”
He pitched it to Tony, and he caught it. It looked like a white lump of clay. “So....What’s this ?”, Tony asked.
“That, my friend, is C-4“, Jimmy said. “High Explosive stuff.”
“This piece of clay is a Explosive”, Tony said, turning it about in his hand. “Looks harmless.”
“It is, till you put this detonator in it”, Jimmy said, showing Tony a detonator. “Then, BOOM !!!”
“And this was packed in.....”, Tony looked questioningly at Jimmy.
“One of those crates”, Jimmy said. “I took a few samples.”
“What about the other crates ?”, asked Tony.
“Ahh....Guns, mostly.....Barettas, Colts, Magnums, Sniper Rifles, RPGs.....Stuff like that”, Jimmy said. “Enough to start a small war.”
“But....That’s not what’s on these Shipping Orders”, Tony said, carefully putting down the C-4 like it would go off. “They got stuff on here like BB Guns, Air Rifles, Spear Guns, Hunting Rifles.....”
“All legal stuff”, Jimmy said. “But it’s not what’s in those crates.”
“Wow”, Tony said, dumbfounded. “And this stuff is just sitting over in Spencer Warehouse ?”
“Place is packed”, Jimmy said. “Me and Zoe just had time to look in a few crates.”
“What do you think they’re going to do with all that ?”, Tony wondered.
Jimmy screwed up his face in thought. “Well, I’d guess they’re going to ship it out....I guess by rail. Less risky that way. A train could stop anywhere to unload, but a big Semi could be pulled over anytime.”
“Makes sense”, Tony said, mulling that over. “But where are they taking it to ?”
“That destination part on the Shipping Orders is probably right”, Jimmy Said. “That stuff is going to New York City.”
__________________________________
-
The sound of another train entering the tunnel brought Jake awake. A little over 22 hours had passed since he had first snuck in from the outside. He was glad he had packed enough provisions to last him several days, as he knew he was likely in for a wait. He had forgotten to bring along any toilet paper though, and that made wiping his ass a problem. He had been using scraps of trash he had found along the rails, but the supply was running low.
Jake had used the time since the last train pulled out to explore the tunnel. It was more that 2 miles long, shaped like an upside-down giant ‘U’ except for the terminal buildings on each end. Jake reasoned that the shape was to better prevent any chance of cave-ins. Shining the small flashlight he had brought along up to the apex of the ceiling, he estimated it to be about 60 feet high. The tunnel had once been laid in white tile, but was now dirty. Soot from years of Diesel exhaust coated everything, and the whole tunnel smelled of fumes. There were five sets of tracks that ran the length of the tunnel, obviously for excess siding storage. Seeing as how there were also some empty boxcars, tankcars, and flatcars sitting here and there tended to confirm that.
Initially heading back towards the South, Jake discovered that there were actually several rooms set into the recesses of the tunnel’s length. They seemed to be spaced about a quarter-mile apart. Jake checked out the large, massive doors set into the face of structure. They appeared to be of thick steel, each door appearing to be 24 feet long and 16 feet high. They were attached at the top corner of each to large tracks, which ran from the top front of the structure and curved around to meet the walls. Each door was held by three giant hinges. Jake shined his light upward and spotted a couple of large electric motors that apparently moved the doors. Jake knew from last night they opened inward. The bottoms of the doors were about 2 inches above the sets of tracks. A thin band of light streamed in from underneath.
Jake checked out the room he had seen the man in the night before. It was some sort of control room. Jake flipped on the light switch and saw a control panel at the far end. The room was not large, about 8 x 12 feet. Jake noticed a large knife power switch. He pushed it to the ‘ON’ position and the panel lit up. A series of switches revealed themselves. Jake played around with the switches until one of them he hit produced a rumble, moving one of the massive doors open. The other switches seemed to be for switching tracks. Jake put all the switches back to where they were, turned out the light, and exited the room. On the opposite side was an identical control room for the other door. Jake checked that room out as well. At least he had a way out.
Following the tunnel farther North, he came across a series of similar small rooms. They appeared to be used for storage.....Tools, equipment, spare parts, and the like. The room he had hidden in was one of those. At the structure at the other end of the tunnel it was different, however. Here there were no massive doors across the tracks, and the two rooms opposite each other were considerably larger. The one on the West side contained a bathroom and showers, with lockers lining the walls. The East one was a bunkroom with a sort of common area, containing a large table with chairs set in the middle of it. A small stove and refrigerator, along with a sink with a cabinet for food storage, was set along the back wall.
Jake walked out in to the sunshine through the tunnel-like structure. The rail tracks continued to the North, the bent West around a large lake. Looking at it, Jake realized that this was the lake cerated by the Bullworth Dam. It certainly looked like a lot of water there. He gazed at it awhile, then returned to the bunkroom.
He could make this his new base of operations, he decided. He could use some of the storage rooms for his Go-Kart and other stuff. Most of the rooms hadn’t seen use in years, their floors covered in thick layers of dust. As soon as he figured out how to open the big doors at the other end of the tunnel from the outside, he could move all his stuff over here under cover of darkness. He had gone back to his rented house that Easter morning, taking the pathway that cut across the Dam, then following it until he passed the Church, and then it led out to where the Retirement Home was at, a mere two blocks away from the house. Jake had packed a few provisions in a backpack then, and headed over to the trainyard to wait. There was nobody out on the streets. Jake figured the events of that night before, with the storms and Tornado, rattled the citizens enough to want to stay inside for awhile.
The Townies had told him of the Punks, and where they were mostly likely to be found. That is, if they were even in the area. They hadn’t been seen in many months. That was not unusual, they told him, they drifted in and out of the area like ghosts. But usually, they told Jake, the Punks always made an appearance in the spring.
The bunks that lined both sides of the room had ceiling-to-floor pull-curtains. Jake guessed that at one time the railroad workers had bunked here, perhaps waiting on loads to be readied, but that had become unnecessary as technology had improved. Now, it was loads in and loads out, without having to stop here for layovers.
Even though the area was deserted, Jake found evidence of the room’s use....There was some canned goods in the cabinet, the refrigerator worked when he plugged it in, and the stove lit up when he tried it. The bunks, six in all, had sheets and blankets. There was a fine layer of dust on everything, indicating that the room hadn’t been used in several months, but nothing like the thick layers of dust that coated most all of the other storage rooms Jake had checked.
Jake had sat at the table, making his plan until it grew dark. Then, he retired to one of the bunks, pulling the curtain. As he had drifted off, he felt he would be able to stay here quite awhile until the Punks made their appearance. As it turned out, he didn’t have to wait that long.
________________________________________________
-
As the train backed it’s cars into the tunnel, five shadowy figures jumped from a boxcar and quickly made their way into the North room that contained the bathrooms and showers, unseen by Jake. The train paused briefly, as a worker jumped from the last car of the train and entered the control rooms to open the giant doors on the other end. Then the train resumed backing the cars out of the tunnel towards Blue Skies.
Jake watched from the darkness through the window as the train disappeared down the tunnel. His eye caught a movement from across the tracks, at the door to the bathroom & showers. Dark figures were exiting and began moving across the tracks, headed for him. Jake melted back into the room and hid behind the curtain in front of the bunks, waiting with his weapon drawn.
The door opened and the five figures entered the room, the last flipping on the light after a look down the tracks. Jake waited for a few seconds, then stepped boldly out from behind the curtain.
“Hold It Right There !”, he barked. The others froze, with the exception of a large, tall, lanky man. He stepped forward and threw a backpack on the table.
“Who The Hell Are You ?”, he challenged, looking Jake in the eyes unflinchingly.
“My name is Jake”, he said, keeping an watch on the newcomers. “Stand still...I ain’t afraid to use this !”
The man leaned against the table wearily. “What is that, kid, a Spud Gun ? Look around. It’s five against one. You might get a couple of shots off, but we will take you down. We have real weapons. After we shoot you, we’ll throw you on the tracks and let the train finish you off.”
Jake stood silent, unsure of what to do. He kept the Spud Gun trained on the man, who he judged to be the leader. The man looked to be about 30 years old, and had several scars on his worn face.
“So, what’s it gonna be, kid ? Put the weapon down and tell us why you’re here. Otherwise.....” He let the sentence trail off, but Jake could read the implications behind his unspoken words. Slowly, he lowered the Spud Gun.
The man smirked. “That’s better.” He turned to the others. “Get your gear stowed. We got about an hour before the train pulls back through this way.” Then, he began unpacking his backpack, pulling various items out on the table. “So what’s your deal, kid ?”
Jake stood speechless for a few seconds. Then, he suddenly blurted, “Are You....Sid ?”
“That me, yeah”, the man said. “The rest of the boys here are Frankie, Denny, Kenny, and Sean. We used to have one more, but he had trouble following orders.”
Jake looked at the others, who nodded at him and went about stashing their gear as Sid had told them to do. None of them had as yet spoken a word. “Pretty gutsy coming back here kid”, Sid continued. “Not even them sniveling Townie kids will do that. What’s been going on with them, anyway ? We been gone for awhile.”
“Uhh...They’re all in Jail now, I think”, Jake said.
“No Shit ?”, Sid said conversationally. “What’d they do ? Mug too many old ladies ?”
“Er....They tried to take over the school”, Jake said, and described what had happened, carefully leaving out the part he had played in it. “Last I knew, they got beat, and the Cops showed up”, he finished.
“Hmmm”, Sid remarked. “Darrell must have got sloppy. He locked up too ?”
Jake’s eyes bugged a bit. “Big Darrell was one of your guys ?”
“Yeah”, Sid said with some distaste. “Fucker couldn’t follow orders. Thought he knew better than the rest of us. He went over to take over those Townie dumbasses last summer, so he could be his own big fish in a small pond and their penty-anty shit. Then he come told us that he killed their leader and some other kid, gloating about it, you know. I told his sorry ass to take a hike after that. We don’t need no heat. We keep a low profile, that’s why we’re not in the state joint. Somehow, that Hopkins kid from the school got the rap for it. We left right after that. So what happened ? Darrell in the slammer ?”
“No...”, Jake said, “A girl took him down. Put a bag of M-80s down his crotch, I heard.”
For the first time, Sid laughed. “Stupid Fuck. I bet it was that redhead girl he had the hots for.”
“Uh, yeah, what I heard from Omar, it was her”, Jake said.
“So, what happened to him ?”, Sid asked, “That kill him, or what ?”
“They come and took him away in a coma, is all I know”, Jake said, recalling what he had heard from the Townies. “Nobody ever seen or heard about him since.”
“Hah”, Sid said. “Just as well. One less problem to deal with. So, let’s get to it, kid. What are you here for ?”
“I’m here to hire your gang for a job”, Jake said simply.
“That so ?”, Sid said. “Pull up a chair and tell me about it, and we’ll see.”
Jake sat at the table, and for the next half-hour outlined his plan. Just as he was finishing up, he was interrupted from the doorway.
“Train’s coming back, Sid !”, Sean called.
“Kill the lights !”, Sid ordered. “Make us invisible.”
The lights were flicked off, and everyone waited in the darkness. After the engines chugged by, the long line of rail cars followed. Sid resumed the conversation with Jake.
“What you describe will cost you big”, Sid commented. “Five Grand. You got that much, kid ?”
“I sure do”, Jake lied. Actually, he had a bit over three grand left. He hadn’t had to pay the Townies their other half for the failed takeover of the school. “When could you do it ?”
“Not for a little while, kid”, Sid said, as the rail cars clacked by out in the tunnel. “We come back a bit early to make a haul. Heard there’s a bunch of stuff over in the Spencer Warehouse, and we intend to get our share.” Sid paused for a bit, then said, “You know, we could use some help. We’re a little short handed, and there might be a lot of merchandise to move. Might consider doing your thing for less if you could help out. Say, maybe half, and we get whatever you haul outta of the warehouse. Whadda say to that ?”
Jake didn’t care about any of that. All he wanted, ultimately, was control of the school. If he had to help out in the Punks robbery of the warehouse to be able to get his deal done, it didn’t matter to him. He extended his hand, and Sid took it. “It’s A Deal”, Jake said.
As the last of the train rumbled out of the tunnel, evil met evil in a handshake across the table. The dye had been cast.
_______________________________
-
“Alright, Kid. Get Up”, the Cop said, as the cell door rattled open. Behind him stood two men all dressed in white. “Yer going back to the Asylum.”
Algie swiveled on the bunk and stood up. “I don’t want to go back there !”, he exclaimed.
“Tough Titties, Kid”, Officer Monson growled. “We got a bunch of your Townie buddies coming in soon, and we gotta have the cell space. Unless you wanna bunk with them, that is. I’m sure they would show you a good time, Hey ?”
Algie was roughly shoved into the bars as his hands were handcuffed behind his back. He started to snivel. “I want to talk to my Mom again !”
“Too late for that”, Officer Monson said, shoving Algie out of the cell. “You already had your phone calls. You’re gonna go with these gentlemen....I’m sure you remember them ?”
Gregory and Theo, the orderlies from the Asylum, were standing there, with wolfish grins on their faces. “We got your old room all ready for you, Kid. Just come along peaceful-like, or else we’ll have to get tough”, Gregory smirked.
Both grabbed Algie under the arms and half drug him towards the back door, where the white Asylum van was waiting with the padded walls on the inside. “NOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!”, Algie moaned loudly as they pulled him down the corridor. Officer Monson watched them go. Sure takes all kinds, he reflected as he clanged shut the cell door, empty for now but not for long.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The fat man entered the Comic Store, and the bell tinkled, announcing his arrival.
“Welcome to the Dragon’s Wing.....”, began the person at the counter. Then realizing who it was, said, “Oh ! It’s You !”
Alfred Owens looked around at the shelves to make sure that everything was still in place before he turned back to the counter. What was this guy’s name ? He had forgotten. No matter. “Get Out”, he said. “I’m taking my store back.”
The guy at the counter’s eyes went all buggy. “You can’t do that ! I’ve been given control of this store.....”
“Yes, I can”, Alfred said intently. “I just come from the Courthouse and I have the deed back.” He flashed a bunch of papers in the Clerk’s face. “I’m the official owner once more, so you can leave.” He cocked a finger at the Clerk, Trump style. “You’re FIRED !”
“But...But...”, the Clerk cried, “Where am I to go ?”
Alfred laughed, for the first time in months. It felt good. “Try the Carnival. If you look around hard enough, you just might find a way out of town.”
___________________________________________
-
On that Friday afternoon, Melvin was called out of class and sent to the Principal’s Office, an event which had never happened to him before. Nervously, he sat on the vinyl couch against the wall in the office, generating more sweat.
At long last, Ms. Danvers said, “All right, you may go in. Dr. Crabblesnitch will see you now.”
She didn’t get up to usher him into the Head’s Office, as was her usual custom. As Melvin lumbered past her desk, he saw she was wearing a huge cast on her foot. Vaguely, Melvin realized just why Ms. Danvers hadn’t been popping up around the school halls lately. Feeling a sense of dread, he opened the door and entered Dr. Crabblesnitch’s personal office.
“Come in, M’boy”, Dr. Crabblesnitch boomed from behind his desk. “O’Connor, isn’t it ?”
“Yessir”, mumbled Melvin. “Am I in trouble, Sir ?”
“Heavens No, Boy !”, laughed Dr. Crabblesnitch. “In fact, I have some good news for you and your fellows.”
Relieved, Melvin sat down in the plush chair facing the Headmaster’s desk. “Er, what is it sir ?”
“Mr. Spencer, that Tad Spencer boy’s Father, has generously donated materials and labor to fix up the Observatory for you boys”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said. “I need you to go down there and unlock the gate for them so they can get started.”
Melvin sat stunned. Fix up the Observatory ? He didn’t think that had ever been done....Or ever would be done. “Umm.....Does that mean....Will we be able to.....?”
Dr. Crabblesnitch laughed heartily. “Why don’t you just go down and see for yourself ?”, he said. “Here’s a pass. You’re excused from class for the rest of the day. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.”
As Melvin made his way out of the back door of the school, clutching his pass to ward off any undue attention from the Prefects, he saw a huge panel van backed up to the steps leading up to the fountain. Getting closer, he saw that a large ramp had extended from the back of the van over the top of the steps. The area was deserted, so he snuck a peek inside the truck. He saw large crates of various sizes stacked inside, but was unable to guess at what they contained.
Arriving at the opening where the large steel gate had once been, leading from the Football Field, he stopped in surprise. There was a large balloon-tired forklift there, along with a large oblong crate that Melvin estimated was about 14 feet long. It must have taken a lot of skill to navigate the steps leading down to the field, Melvin guessed. Milling about the gate were several construction workers in yellow hard hats, a few of them looking at plans and talking animatedly.
Moving towards the gate, Melvin suddenly noticed another person on the other side of the crate. He had been talking to the forklift driver, and had broken off to walk in Melvin’s direction. On instinct, Melvin withdrew his weapon as the other person came closer.
“I say, Chap, there’s no need for that”, Tad Spencer said.
Melvin stood his ground, dumbstruck. “What....Are you doing here ?”
“I’ve convinced my Father to fund the rebuilding of the Observatory for you fellows”, Tad said. “I feel we Preps have been neglecting our civic responsibilities of late, and it’s high time that was put right.”
Melvin shook his head a few times, trying to absorb this uncanny turn of events. “But....I never thought Derby would sanction....”
“Derby is no longer in charge of our group, I am”, Tad said loftily. “The other fellows have agreed that I am the best one to be the Leader now. I realize that we have been treating everyone else too shabbily lately. We’re going to rectify that, starting now.” Tad patted the crate. “That’s why we have brought you.....This.”
Melvin lowered his weapon. “Is that.....?”
“A Telescope, yes”, Tad said. “Along with some new Catwalks and Doors to replace those damaged ones. Nothing but the best as thanks to you fellows for not letting those scum get away that attacked us.”
Melvin was speechless. In a daze, he turned and unlocked the gates and threw them open. Some of the workers swarmed in and began to remove the damaged doors at the front of the Observatory, while others began walking in the new Catwalks.
As Tad smiled a sarcastic smile behind him, Melvin stared at the Observatory in awe.
Stars, Melvin thought. We’re going to be able to look at the Stars.
_________________________________
-
Classes were over Friday and a stressless weekend loomed in front of the Jock Clique. They streamed into the Gym and down into the locker room to change into their goofing-around clothes. From there, it was to be out and about and to be able to bask in the glory of being the invincible defenders of the school.
Over the clanging of the lockers and the echoing sounds seemingly inherit in locker rooms, Dan thought he heard a strange noise. He listened, and heard it again, coming from somewhere outside the locker room. He stepped out into the hallway. The noise was louder here, a sort of whirring, grinding sound, and was coming from the direction of the Pool building. Dan climbed the set of stairs leading to the Pool, moving to the edge. He stopped and looked on in amazement.
There were several workmen in the pool, sealing cracks in the floor and sides, others using grinding wheels to smooth out the cracks and buff off the old peeling paint from the sides. Dan turned and ran back to the steps and down into the locker room.
“HEY !! Come Quick !”, he yelled, “There’s something happening at the Pool !”
The other Jocks followed him and ran up to the Pool. There, they gathered along the sides as they took in the work going on. None of them spoke for awhile. Then Damon, who had nominal charge of the Clique for awhile, voiced the question that was on everyone’s mind in his own semi-intelligent way.
“Huh....What’s going on ?”
A voice from up in the Balcony Bleachers answered him. “Why, those fellows are getting the Pool ready to re-open, Chaps.”
The Jocks turned and looked up. Unlike the Gym, the Pool Building only had Balcony Bleachers, reachable by two sets of stairs on either end of the building. The thinking was, it was presumed, that it was a preventive against the spectators getting wet. In reality, the place was a great make-out spot, as Mandy Wiles and a few others could testify to.
Tad Spencer rose from a seat and leaned over the rail. “I’d say, the Pool should be open by Monday at the latest”, he said. “It’s going to take a bit of time to fill it with water after the pumps and filters are fixed.”
“Like, what gives ?”, Bo Jackson said from below.
Tad began to walk slowly along the railing. “I’ve convinced my Father to fix up the Pool because of the bravery of you fellows in defeating the attackers who held us hostage. I feel it’s the least we can do to show our appricitation.”
“You feel ?”, Dan Wilson asked, “What about Derby ?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard”, Tad said smoothly. “I’m in charge of the Preps now. The other fellows felt that a change was in order. We have been neglecting our civic responsibilities too often of late. So I have decided to rectify that situation.”
“Rect-tif-fy ?”, Casey repeated dumbly.
“Yes, my good man”, Tad said. “A swimming pool, just for your own use. You could even make some money charging others to use it.”
Nods of agreement among the Jocks greeted that. Making some money was something they could all understand.
“And that’s not all”, Tad continued. “At this very moment, our workmen are down at your Clubhouse. My Father feels that it’s just not right for the Heros of the school to have to sleep on dirty mats in the Gym, so instead of just repairing the damaged roof, they are adding a second story to the place that you may use as a Bunkhouse.”
The Jocks stood stock still at that announcement, taking a bit of time for the words to sink in. Then, they broke and ran for the door, heading down to the Football Field to see for themselves. Tad watched them go, the hulking figure of Bob trailing behind them.
All but one, that was. Kirby, who had been sort of at the back of the pack, took a look at Tad before turning and heading back down the stairs. Kirby wouldn’t be bunking at the new digs with the others, he would be keeping his spot under the bleachers as always. But there was another reason as to why Kirby wasn’t as enthusiastic about the news as the others were. Something was wrong here. Very Wrong.
As he neared the locker room entrance, he was met by Lance, Bo’s younger brother, who was limping out. “Hey, what’s all the excitement ?”, Lance asked.
“I don’t know”, Kirby said, “But I smell a Rat.”
_______________________________________
-
Tony had received word that Mr. Neil wanted to see him, so on Saturday morning, he made his way to the Autoshop, hopping up through the shortcut in the wall from the back Quad. As he looked towards the Autoshop door, he stopped to see a large, oblong wooden crate sitting on the asphalt. He approached the crate, which was about 14 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 3 feet tall. Tony looked, but couldn’t tell what was in the crate, as the bills of lading had been removed.
Tony opened the door to the Autoshop, and loud noises assaulted him. Men with jackhammers were busy tearing up cement in the far South-West corner. Mr. Neil saw Tony and waved him over. Tony walked over to the area, holding his ears. The Noise was deafening.
“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE ?”, Tony tried yelling over the noise.
Mr. Neil, who was wearing noise-deafening headgear, laid a hand on Tony’s shoulder and motioned him to the other end of the shop. “GOOD TO SEE YOU TONY ! COME ON, GOT SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU !”
Mr. Neil led Tony over the the farthest of the three doors on the North end of the shop, ushering him through and closing the door against the noise. As he removed his headgear, Tony asked him, “WHAT’S.....Um....What’s going on out there, Mr. N ?”
“Hah...Isn’t it great, Tony ?”, Mr. Neil said with some excitement. “That Tad Spencer boy came around and told the boys that his Father is suppling the shop with a new Lift to replace the old one that hasn’t worked for a couple years now. It’s in that big crate outside. And, they are putting in a Pit for Oil Changes and other work with quick, easy access to the underside of cars.”
“Wow, that’s really something”, Tony said. “It sure will make things easier.”
“That’s not all”, Mr. Neil enthused, “We’re getting new Craftsman Tools ! TOOLS !”
“Hey, that’s great, Mr. N”, Tony said. “That what you wanted to see me about ?”
“What ? Oh, No.....”, Mr. Neil said, moving to where an object sat on the garage floor, covered with a huge dropcloth. “I wanted to show you....This.” With a flourish, he whipped off the dropcloth to reveal the Go-Cart Tony had found behind the school.
“There’s not too much damage to it”, Mr. Neal went on, “I ought to be able to get it fixed up in a week or so. It’ll be great having one of these babies back again, after my last one got stolen by that boy at Christmas.”
Tony looked over the Go-Kart. Mr. Neil had already started some work on it, having stripped it down to the frame to prep it for sanding and re-painting. No doubt he was going to rebuild the motor and soup it up some. It already looked better than the last time Tony had seen it. “How’d you get it up here ?”, he asked.
“I had the boys bring it up for me after you told me where to find it”, Mr. Neil said. “Promised them replacement parts to fix up their ‘69 Fastback.”
Tony had a feeling that the Greasers would have recovered the Go-Kart weather or not Mr. Neil had promised them replacement parts. Mr. Neil was the youngest and coolest teacher in the school, and the Greasers near-Idolized him. They would would probably walk through fire if he asked them to.
“Another reason I wanted to show you this”, Mr. Neil continued as Tony kept looking at the Go-Kart, “Is that when I get this fixed up, you are more than welcome to take it out for a spin....Except on the weekends, that is. I want to be riding it then. I been missing being able to do that.”
“Really, Mr. N ?”, Tony said, surprised, “You mean it ?”
“Certainly”, Mr. Neil replied. “Wouldn’t have found it if it hadn’t been for you. I claimed salvage rights, so I own it now. I can’t think of anyone else I can trust to take care of it right. The boys are alright, but they lack the responsibility of taking care of other people’s property, you know ? Besides, you probably could use this as part of the Mediator job, Couldn’t you ?”
Tony took a glance at Mr. Neil. He had a knowing smile on his face. How much did he know about the goings-on around here, he wondered. Probably a lot more than he let on, Tony guessed. “Well....Um....Thanks, Mr. N.....I’ll sure take care of her, don’t you worry !”
“I know you will”, Mr. Neil said, digging in his pocket. “Here’s a key to the big door”, he said, indicating the garage bay door that faced the Parking Lot. “Guard it with your life.”
“I sure will”, Tony said, taking the key, not knowing if that last part was a joke or not. He took a look at the Go-Kart once again, a feeling of excitement rising in him. This was going to be good.
Wait till I tell Karen that soon we can go for a ride again anytime we want, Tony thought.
_______________________________________
-
Without asking permission to the hairdresser, Pinky grabbed a seat and brought it next to Christy's. The very muscular guy had approached his face very close to the part of Christy's hair he was currently working on, and mumed the song that the radio in the back room was playing. He also was listening to Pinky's talk, sometimes throwing an amused look to her eyes and lips.
"Your hair is gonna look awesome. Look how Joe cut mine ! You're a pro, Joe."
"Thanks !" The muscular guy replied with a wide smile.
Christy glanced at Pinky's hair and looked back in the mirror, waiting for Joe's look to cross her. But she had to report her attention to Pinky again.
"Maybe it's time I wear independent clothes. I'm sick of those blue diamond things."
"I agree with that, sweetie. Why don't you ask Tony ?"
"Tony ?" Pinky replied after a short time. "I don't know if he still... Is into that. Selling clothes and..."
"C'mon. You're afraid of Karen ?" Christy had a challenging smile.
"Fine. I'll ask him for some beautiful, new clothes."
Joe stood up, and touched Christy's hair to check the quality of his work. He took a mirror to reflect the back of the hair in the mirror and proposed to have another shampoo.
"Well, yes ! It's always a pleasure, Joe."
-
After Tony left the Autoshop, he decided to check out some other spots about school, as Mr. Neil had gone on about some other improvements that Mr. Spencer was apparently funding about school. First, he had gone the the Pool building, next to the Gym. There, he saw the workmen finishing off painting the Aqua-Blue coating to the interior of the pool as the last step before it could be filled. Damon was standing there, so he walked over to him.
Hey, Damon”, Tony greeted. “Looks like a lotta work going on here.”
“Yo”, Damon returned briefly, then resumed watching the workmen.
Tony tried again. “Gonna go swimming ?”, he asked.
“Not me”, Damon said, still not looking back. “Maybe you White Boys will. We can make some good money then.”
Tony didn’t ask what that meant. Instead, he said, “Is this all ? I heard there was something else.”
Damon turned then, and became a bit more animated. “Yo, I’ll say ! We’us gettin’ a new bunkhouse. Com’on, I show you.” Damon began striding to the door, and Tony double-timed it to follow. Out along the walkway and down the steps to the Football Field, Damon held his stride, seemingly eager to show Tony what he was talking about. Tony looked as they approached the Jock’s Clubhouse and saw the new timbers rising from where the roof used to be. Large stacks of bricks awaited to be laid to extend the walls upward. Bundles of roofing shingles awaited a new roof. All around, hammers were pounding and saws were singing.
“Impressive”, Tony observed. “Tad’s Father paying for all this too ?”
“What he said”, Damon replied. “Somptin’ bout Civ-vic Rect-tif-fy. Said he was’um takin’ over the Preps, and was puttin’ things right.”
Tony nodded at this, even though it was news to him. He watched the construction for awhile, until he noticed a large hulking figure standing over by the side of the field. “Say, who’s that ?”, he asked, pointing.
Damon turned to look. “Oh...That’s...Um...Bob. He’s new”, Damon said shortly.
“Looks pretty big”, Tony observed. “Haven’t seen him in class.”
“She-it, he too dumb to go to class”, Damon said. “He Lucky.”
Tony thought it was hilarious to hear Damon say that, as Damon, along with Casey, Juri, and Luis, were about the dumbest kids in the school and were barely even able to read. He was hardly able to suppress his laughter as Damon continued, “We be tryin’ to teach him plays, but he’s real slow. Coach sez he’ll come ‘long event-tully, though.”
Tony took his leave of Damon before he busted out laughing, and headed over towards the Observatory. Mr. Neil had let on that there was something going on there too.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Arriving at the Observatory walk, Tony saw the gate was open, so he strolled right in. The big front doors to the Observatory were open. They looked new. Melvin was standing just to the inside, and Tony walked up to him.
There was a flurry of activity on the inside. The scarred tile floor had been fixed, gleaming in the light. New catwalks had been installed, with a metal stairway near the back for access. Workmen were swarmed around the catwalk, hoisting what looked like to Tony to be a new Telescope. It was, in fact, a Boller and Chivens Telescope, featuring a 30-inch Lens weighing 260 pounds that was 5-inches thick. The entire unit weighed in at well over 800 pounds, and the workmen were carefully hoisting it up into position off the extended forks of the large forklift stationed underneath. Thick cables were wrapped around the unit, suspend by several block-and-tackle pulleys spread around the interior ceiling, and the whole unit was being slowly pulled up. Tony saw that it was meant to rest in a cradle of sorts, attached to new steel beams resting on the four large contrite pillars rising from the floor.
“Whoa, pretty impressive”, Tony commented to Melvin, who was so engrossed in the operation that he jumped at the sound of Tony’s voice.
“Whaa....”, Melvin said, then relaxed. “Oh, Yeah, it is ! This has been our dream for the longest time, and now it’s really happening !”
Tony couldn’t see how looking at a bunch of white dots through a Telescope could be anybody’s dream, but these were Nerds, after all. They would all probably be creaming all over this when it got assembled. Tony decided to be diplomatic.
“Well....Looks big enough”, Tony observed. “Guess you guys will be looking at the stars tonight, Huh ?”
“They still have to fix the Dome so it will open and close right”, Melvin said, pointing to the 20-foot dome overhead. “Maybe by tomorrow night. We’re going to have to learn how to turn and aim it, get star charts, and see about getting those lights over at the Football Field dimmed down at night. But it’s fantastic ! When I think of all the warrior brothers who for years past didn’t get to see this happen for them.....”
“And this was Mr. Spencer’s doing ?”, Tony asked.
“Oh, yes, that’s what Tad said”, Melvin answered. “Guess he’s taken over for Derby. About time, I say.”
“Hmmmm”, Tony said, but he was needing to ask Melvin something else. The Nerds may have needed star charts, but Tony needed a map. A very special kind of map. “Melvin, I was wondering....Do you guys have any maps of the Vale Valley area ?”
“What ? Maps ?”, Melvin said. “Oh, yes, we got maps. Fatty’s got control of those. We use them in planning our mock battle secenaros.”
“Well....Do you think I could take a look at them ?”, Tony asked.
“You’d have to ask Fatty”, Melvin said. “He guards them like a Hawk. No outsiders are allowed to see them. But, since it’s you....”, Melvin paused. “He might be persuaded, if you can beat ConSumo.”
“Beat What ?”, Tony asked. “What’s ConSumo ?”
“It’s an old video game console we keep in the Dragon’s Wing basement”, Melvin said. “Fatty used to have the high score on it, and nobody could beat it, until Jimmy Hopkins did last year.”
“Oh, he did, did he ?”, Tony said. “What did he get for that ?”
“Free access to the Dragon’s Wing Lair”, Melvin said. “He wanted another place to crash outside school, I guess.”
“But....Not access to this Lair ?”, Tony said, indicating the Observatory.
“Oh, No !”, Melvin said, horrified. “This is Private !”
Tony grinned, recalling how ridiculously easy it had been to break in here and hide the boxes of clothing merchandise. But looking around, he saw that the locks on the new doors looked a bit more formidable. And, thinking about it, he was sure that some of that clothing was still hidden down in the basement, right where he and Laurent had hidden it long ago last fall. No matter, since he had no use for it anymore.
Melvin had returned to his enraptured watching of the Telescope, since the workers were levering it into it’s final resting place. Tony left him there, beginning the long walk to the front gates of the school. He wished he could learn how to use the mini-skateboard he had, but every time he tried, he just kept falling on his ass. Maybe he should get that skater kid, Geoff, to teach him how.
Tony sighed. Maybe, when he could use the Go-Kart, it would be easier. He could ride his bike, but didn’t want anyone to swipe it. And that left out leaving it unattended anywhere. He guessed he would just have to soldier along on foot for now. Time to head to Bullworth Town. He had a game to play.
___________________________________
-
Tony sauntered along towards the front gates, not encountering many kids. Most had gone off-campus, it seemed, to enjoy the warm spring day. As he walked through the front Quad, he saw a figure coming towards him.
“Laurent !”, Tony called, picking up the pace to meet up with his friend.
“Ahh, Tony !”, Laurent said, “There you are, Mon Ami !”
“Good to see you out !”, exclaimed Tony, “How you feeling ?”
“Ahh, pretty good, seeing as how that connard méchant gave me a commotion cérébrale”, Laurent said, rubbing a spot on his head.
“A What ?”, Tony asked, confused.
“Oh....A....How you say.....Con-cussion”, Laurent said. “But I’m much better now !”
“Hey, that’s great !”, Tony smiled. “Feel up to a little adventure ?”
“Oui l'enfer”, Laurent said, “Been cooped up a week ! Where we going ?”
“To the Dragon’s Wing”, Tony said, “I gotta play a game for some information.”
As the two boys walked along out the gates of the school, Tony began filling in Laurent on the happenings of the past week. Suddenly, he heard someone call his name. A female someone. He turned to his left and saw Pinky and Christy approaching, and he groaned inwardly.
“Tony !”, Christy said, “Pinky needs to talk with you.” She pulled Pinky forward, and she came rather reluctantly. “Go On, Pinks, Ask Him !”
“Um....Tony ?”, Pinky began shyly, “I was wondering....I’m needing some beautiful new clothes....Maybe you can get me some ?” She fluttered her eyelids in a flirting manner.
Tony was taken aback. He had studiously avoided Pinky since the night of their sexual encounter in the Harrington Mansion. Now, he was nearly speechless at being in such close proximity to her again. His feelings surged up, latent desire tempered with guilt. “I....Um....Don’t do that anymore, Pinky”, he managed to say.
“Could you just do it for me, just this once ?”, Pinky said saucily, turning on the charm.
Tony gulped at hearing that, her phrase was fraught with all sorts of implications. He felt a warm stirring in his crotch, and fought to control it. “I’m...Uh....Not sure.....Shouldn’t you be...Umm....Talking to Kurt about this ?”
“Oh, he has no fashion sense”, Pinky answered, “Not like you do. I thought....Just for old times sake....For our special times....You could help me out ?”
Tony’s breath was coming short, as a hot flush crept into his cheeks. “Well....Er....I guess....Um....That I could see....Um....What I could do....For old times sake....”
Laurent and Christy were watching with strange fascination at the interplay between Tony and Pinky. It was almost like watching a Bullworth Soap Opera. None of them noticed a figure that had emerged from the gate arch of the school, and was standing behind them with her arms crossed.
“What Do You Think You’re Doing, Pinky ??”, Karen said coldly. Startled, all four of them turned around, seeing Karen there, her eyes blazing fire.
“She’s just asking about some clothes....”, Christy began.
“Stay outta this, Christy”, Karen said with a dismissive tone. “You need to stay away from my Man, Pinky. How many times do you have to be slammed into a wall to get that through your stupid head ?”
Pinky’s eyes widened. “You mean.....”, she said, barely above a whisper.
“Oh, yeah, that was me at Halloween”, Karen steamed, “And it’s going to happen again if I EVER catch you within 50 feet of Tony EVER again, you Slutty BITCH !!” Karen’s arms were no longer crossed, her hands were balled into fists at her sides.
Pinky stood stock still at the sudden turn of events. Christy grabbed her arm. “Come on, Pinky, let’s get back to the house.” Pinky allowed herself to be led away, trembling.
“You should watch what kind of WHORES you hang around with, Christy !”, Karen called after the retreating pair. Neither girl looked back.
“And YOU”, Karen said, turning to Tony, “What the HELL are you doing, even talking to that BITCH ?”
“Errr...Um....Nothing”, Tony managed to say, wondering just how much Karen had heard and what she might have inferred. “She....Uh....Approached me.....We....Me and Laurent, that is....Were just headed over to town....To do something important.....”
Karen uncurled her fists. “Well, Mister, you go do what you have to, and get right back here to me. We’re going to have a talk about this, Tonight !” With that, Karen turned and went back into the school grounds in a huff.
“Merde !”, Laurent said, whistling. “I’m glad I don’t have your....Female problems, Tony.”
“You don’t know the half of it”, Tony said, as the two resumed their trek towards Bullworth Town.
“So...This Nerd game....Think you can beat it ?”, Laurent asked along the way.
“Hah....", Tony laughed shortly, “With all the tension I had just now back there, beating a game ought to be a breeze.”
___________________________
-
The Preps milled around the big ornate downstairs room at Harrington House, awaiting Tad’s return. The day had passed slowly, for the Preps had not even wanted to venture out of the House for fear of reprisals from the others. Tad had left last night, saying only he had ‘some things to take care of.’ Now they waited nervously to learn their fate.
At long last, the doors were thrown open, and Tad strolled in. He was accompanied by several workmen carrying potted plants, both small and large. Some were so big that they were being wheeled in on dollies. He halted in front of the group.
“Since everyone else is getting something, we should too”, he said, “So we are getting our exotic plants back that the Hopkins fool destroyed last year. Soon our Arboretum and Solarium will be full once more !”
The stunned Preps suddenly erupted in cheers. They had been missing their plants and fauna. The Preps always had a special relation with their plants, for unlike people, they had total control of their charges. And the plants never never talked back or tried to fight them.
“Parker....Gord....", Tad directed, “Show these good fellows up to the third floor. Unlock those gates on the stairs for easier access, if you will, and show them where to place our new leafy friends.”
As the two boys hustled to do as they were instructed, Bryce, Chad, and Justin gathered around Tad and watched the progression of the plants up the second-floor staircase.
“How did you arrange all this ?”, Bryce asked, meaning not only the plants, but the goodies that the Nerds, Jocks, and Greasers had received.
“It was easy”, Tad replied. “My Father is convinced that this is what should be done, for the good of our image here at the school, and I agreed with him. I just told him which areas needed attention, and Presto. It’s easy when your family owns a shipping warehouse.”
What Tad didn’t say, however, was that it was Mr. Spencer who broached the idea to him as a way on going one-up on Mr. Harrington. Tad’s father had long bristled at being the number two man in the power structure of the Vale Valley. Especially irritating was having his son denied what he felt was his rightful leadership of the Prep Clique at Bullworth Academy. The Harringtons had just about always exercised total control, but lately things had began to fray around the edges a little. Derby had really fucked up, and it was just the wedge Mr. Spencer had been looking for.
“How’s all this going to help us ?”, Chad asked.
“It’s awfully hard to hate someone who is giving you presents”, Tad replied. “I predict that in the next few days, our respect level should be returning to normal among the others. It’s all part of the plan we discussed. Give them what they want, and soon enough they will be our puppets.”
“You had a lot of guts going out there alone and unarmed”, Justin remarked.
“Well, yes...and no”, Tad laughed. “That Tard Melvin pulled a Spud Gun on me, but didn’t shoot, and I spoke to the Jocks from the overhead bleachers. I didn’t dare go to the Autoshop, so I just talked to that Dirtbag Peanut and a couple of others from the relative safety of the Fountain. But really, they were so stunned, attacking me was far from their puny minds.”
“What about the Bullies ?”, Chad asked. “They didn’t get anything.”
Tad rested his head on the palm of his hand. “That was tough. They really don’t HAVE anything. That’s what I went to see my Father about today. But there IS something. Father told me that the Souvenir Tent at the Carnival was taken down in the storm, but that the Video Game Consoles survived intact. He has made an offer that Billy Crane can’t refuse to buy them. They’re going to be shipped over here tomorrow and installed in their Common Room at the Dorm.”
“They’re always playing those”, Bryce observed. “That should take care of them.”
“What’s more, Father bought up the old Burger Joint over in the Vale”, Tad informed them. “He’s re-hired that fellow Huntingdon to manage the place. All the Cliques can go there for that cheap fat greasy food.”
“What ?”, Said Chad, shocked. “We don’t want that scum over in the Vale !”
“Relax”, Tad said. “The Police Station is right across the street, and an Officer is always patroling there. It they start any trouble, they’ll be busted. All the better for us. Point is, we put out the word that we are the ones responsible for doing all this for them.”
Just then, Parker and Gord came bounding excitedly down the stairs. “Come Look !”, exclaimed Parker.
“It’s like it was before !”, Gord added, “Our Plants are BACK !”
The others began to head to the stairs, but Tad stopped them and motioned them to gather around. When they had assembled, he pulled out a wad of bills, and passed out to each Prep a hundred dollars each.
“What’s this for ?”, several of them asked.
“This, Chaps, is ‘spreading around’ money. Get those Neanderthals to do little Errands for you, and pay them well. A book left in class that needs retrieved.....Something that needs fetched from the Yum-Yum Market......A message that needs delivered....." Tad paused. “Get the Idea, Chaps ? The one thing that works above all else....The power of Money. In a week’s time, those Paupers will be eating out of our hands. And we will RULE.”
The Preps looked at Tad with a new respect. All along, here was the Leader they really needed. This plan would put them back on top, where they rightfully belonged. Tad made flapping motions with his hands. “Go on.....Look at your new plants. Tomorrow belongs to us.”
The Preps headed up the stairs, a new feeling of confidence rising within them. Tad watched them go, and smiled. This was turning out to be the best day of his life.
_______________________________________
-
Tony and Laurent were standing in the basement of the Dragon’s Wing. All the remaining Nerds were there, as Melvin had ordered them away from the Observatory site until construction was finished. A move, Tony suspected, to keep them from getting in the way. But The Nerds weren’t real happy about it, all the same.
“I’m here to see Fatty”, Tony said, addressing the group. Fatty limped out of the back room at the mention of his name.
“What do you need there, Um....Tony ?”, Fatty said a bit sourly, still ticked off from being excluded from being at the Observatory as Melvin’s second.
“Hmmm....Melvin said you had some Bullworth area maps that maybe I could get a look at ?”, Tony said hopefully.
The other Nerds just stared at Tony, slackjawed. They weren’t even allowed to look a Fatty’s maps. Fatty’s eyes bugged out a little. “Oh, he did, did he ? And just what are you trying to find, if I may ask ? If it’s anything to do with Grottos and Gremlins, the answer is No.”
“Relax, Fats”, Laurent interjected, “It’s nothing like that. Tony has a good reason for wanting to see those maps.”
“And just what would that be ?”, Fatty persisted, as he studied the pair standing before him. “We let you both down here because you are friends of the Nerds, but that doesn’t mean you get to know all of our secrets. So what’s this really all about ?”
Tony stared briefly at Fatty before answering. “I can’t tell you that. All I can say is it concerns the security of the school.”
“Really”, Fatty scoffed. “Tell me another one. Like why this is so important to you.”
Tony sighed. He hesitated a bit before answering, “It’s something that was important to Pete. You remember Pete, don’t you ? Pete who always stuck up for you guys ?”
By all means they did, they all did. “Well, Gee, why didn’t you say so ?”, cried Fatty, “If it’s for Pete, no problem there. But....”, he said, looking Tony full in the face, “You will have to prove your loyalty to the secrets by passing a special challenge.”
“Melvin mentioned a game.....”, Tony began.
“Yes !”, Fatty exclaimed, “This game.....ConSumo !!” He pointed to a rather antique stand-up gaming console that looked like it had seen it’s better days somewhere around 1980 or so. Tony approached the console with Laurent trailing behind.
“It’s not hard to play”, Fatty said, showing Tony the controls, “But you got to be fast !”
Tony studied the layout of the game. It seemed he would control one character, represented by a Sumo Wrestler, about the screen. There were other Sumos too, who would bounce your character about uncontrollably if you came in contact with them. Your Sumo had to grab and ‘eat’ the good food that floated by to gain weight....Apples, Fish, and what looked like Rice Biscuits. There was bad food that had to be avoided....Apple Cores, Fish Skeletons, and Rotten Rice Biscuits. And, there were these orange-looking Blowfish that would kill your character if you came in contact with them.
The other Nerds crowded around as Tony dropped a quarter in the machine and the game’s tune struck up. Tony gripped the controls. The challenge was on to discover the location of Grid 67 on Pirate Island.
“Huzzar !”, Thad shouted, “The Game Is Afoot !”
_____________________________________________
-
As the instruction screen lit up, showing Tony the lineup Fatty had described, Donald said, “You gotta beat Fatty’s high score of 1010, like Jimmy did.”
“Better yet, he should beat Jimmy’s high score”, Bucky sputtered from behind.
“And what would that be ?”, Tony asked, but the game had started and he had to concentrate his full attention on the screen. At first it seemed easy enough, Tony could move his Sumo guy around fairly quickly and gulp down the proper foods while easily avoiding the Blowfish and the other Sumos. The thing about it, though, was that it was time-consuming, for after a few minutes Tony glanced at the score and was surprised to see how few points he had. He focused harder.
Tony was no stranger to video games, at home before he came to Bullworth, he had played plenty. Just like mechanics, he had a certain flair for them, beating his share of the games he played with relative ease. But that was when he had a controller in his hand. Stand-up Console games were different, as one couldn’t quite hold them in their hands. They harked back to a different era, thirty years past. Tony had heard stories from his Parents about the Arcade Stores where there were up to a hundred stand-up game consoles where kids went to after school and on weekends to pour their quarters into until closing time at 2 AM. They told Tony that these places were always packed with kids, even more so than earlier days of Pinball Machines and something called 'Foosball’. All of this was in the world before PC, which Tony found hard to imagine, the same as his Parents would have found it just as hard to imagine that their own Parents had grown up in a world of only Radio and no TV.
No video games were around in this place, though....At least, not many. Students weren’t allowed to have them in their rooms. At times, Tony knew, some kids had been able to smuggle some consoles in, but the lack of Monitors or TV’s to used for playing screens limited their choices to the little handheld units such as PSP’s....And those were confiscated by the Prefects and Teachers any time they happened to be seen, or heard. Since Tony knew the rooms were searched regularly, such things were difficult to hide close at hand. There were computers in the Library, everybody knew that, but they weren’t connected to the Internet. In fact, Tony hadn’t been able to access the Internet since he had been here, or even been able to make a phone call, as those were also tightly controlled. How did he ever come to be in such a crazy nut-hole place, anyway ?
SHIT. Tony had let his mind wander, and his ConSumo guy had ran smack-dab into a Blowfish, killing him. Tony glanced at his score. It was only 650. Crap. He still had two Sumos left. He would have to focus a bit harder, he knew. The new ConSumo popped on the screen and Tony resumed playing.
It wasn’t like Tony hadn’t practiced on a stand-up console. There was one in the Boy’s Dorm called Speed Racer that had been working before Jake’s bomb had torn the common room to shreds. Tony had tried it out, but the game was too slow and hard to control and he had soon lost interest. There were some at the Carnival, he knew.....He just never seemed to have the time to play them. Couldn’t now, even if he wanted to, as the Carnival was closed for repairs due to damage from the Tornado for who knew how long.
Tony was playing with more intensity now, and his score kept moving up and up. The Nerds had gathered around, watching the action as the pounds were dumped onto his ConSumo guy at hundred-point intervals, making him fatter. Tony cleared 900 on the meter, and the Nerd's eyes began bugging out. The Nerds, although smart in a lot of ways, weren’t very dexterous when it came to manipulating gaming controls. In fact, when it came to anything physical, the Nerds weren’t dexterous at all. They played this game all the time and never could get any better at it. Tony couldn’t even guess at why they kept showing up for Gym class just to be battered over and over again, unless they really believed it would make them tough one day at some undefined date in the future.
“Huzzar !”, Thad shouted again, as Tony crossed 1000 and then wiped Fatty’s record into the dust. “You’re So Cool !”
“That Blows....That’s like really lame”, muttered Fatty, seeing his record smashed for the second time in consecutive years.
Ignoring Fatty, Tony pressed on, taking his Sumo character higher. At 1300, Tony noticed that his Sumo was moving a bit slower. The other Sumos were too, and in fact the whole game seemed to be moving slower. Tony didn’t know if that was just because of his perception or if that was a factor in the game. Time was passing, but Tony wasn’t aware of how much....He was ‘In The Zone’ now, focused on nothing but the screen before him. At 1500, the thought flashed in his mind that his Sumo was getting bigger, he wasn’t imagining it. The larger he got, the more difficult he was to control. Small beads of sweat sprung up on his forehead as Tony concentrated on dodging the bad food that suddenly seemed to be everywhere. Darting around, Tony ran his Sumo smack into a Blowfish, killing his second one. He glanced at the score. It read 1726. There was still one Sumo life left. Tony took a shaky breath and prepared to play as the last Sumo popped up on the screen.
As he went along, Tony reflected that this Sumo was definitely bigger, and it was more difficult to keep from bouncing off the other Sumos. The food seemed to be getting bigger, too. The large apples, for example, were looking huge to Tony, although he didn’t know if that was for real or just a trick of his eyes. As he topped 2000, spontaneous yells issued from the Nerds gathered around him.
“Huzzar !”, went Thad again, “He’s going to top Jimmy’s score !”
“Whoa, Super Cool !”, Cornelius voiced, pumping his fists.
Even Fatty smiled at Tony’s progress. If his record was to be beat a second time, at least Jimmy’s record would be too. Tony put everything out of his mind....The School, Karen, The Files, Jimmy in the secret cave, Pirate Island, all of it. Sweat was now flowing freely from his head, stinging his eyes, but he didn’t dare release the controls to wipe it away. As the minutes ticked away, his Sumo grew larger and larger while the crazy music issued from the old speaker set in the console.
“Stop, Stop, you’ll make me Puke”, said Donald excitedly, but Tony didn’t hear him as he went past 2300. He was playing on pure adrenaline now, no longer in this world but inside the tiny screen of the ConSumo, dodging and weaving about to the very best of his ability. His Sumo was so fat now, getting even harder to keep him out of the way of the streaming Blowfish. Tony continued on for several minutes more, until one of the Sumos bounced his Sumo onto the path of a Blowfish that Tony couldn’t avoid, killing him and bringing the game to a sudden end.
“Woah, 2553, That’s Awesome !”, Bucky exclaimed as Tony fell backwards to the floor from exhaustion. “You totally RULED !”
Laurent stepped forward and helped Tony to his feet. The Nerds hearded about him, showering congratulations on him like he was one of their own. Tony pushed his way through them and faced Fatty. “Let’s see them Maps. A deal’s a deal.”
Wordlessly, Fatty led Tony to the back room, then closed the door. Tony saw a bed, the same bed where Algie had gotten his nut blown off, he assumed. Also in the room were two couches and a large wooden reel being used as a table, along with a bookshelf in the far corner and other small junk. On the wall by the bed hung maps of the school grounds with long-unused battle plans drawn on them in red, plans of Nerds long gone, Tony thought with amusement.
Fatty produced some weird-looking keys and then pulled book from the bookshelf. Tony heard a slight click, then Fatty pulled the whole bookshelf towards him. It swung open like a door, revealing a slim, flat cabinet behind. Fatty unlocked the cabinet, them removed an armful of rolled-up maps. He set the bunch down on the table, then began unrolling them on the bed one by one for Tony to look at.
The first few maps were of a standard variety, with no grids or coordinates on them. Then Fatty unrolled a few with regular Latitude and Longitude lines but no Grid Markers. As Fatty spread out the final few, Tony’s heart sank. Although some of the maps had Pirate Island clearly marked, none of them had grid markers on them.
“Is this all you have ?”, asked Tony, holding out only a spark of hope.
“All ?”, Fatty said. “Isn’t all these enough ?”
“No”, Tony replied, “I need a map with Grid Markers on it for the Vale Valley area.”
“Grid Markers ?”, repeated Fatty slowly. “Those are USNG maps. I don’t have any of those.”
Tony rose from the useless maps spread out on the bed. “What’s USNG ?”, he demanded.
“Umm....United States National Grid”, Fatty said, getting nervous at Tony’s agitation.
“Where the hell do I find those ?”, Tony asked stonily, approaching Fatty, fists doubled up.
“Uh...Umm....I...Don’t know...”, Fatty stammered, backing up and raising his hands to ward off expected blows.
“Yes, you do”, Tony hissed. “You Nerds know most everything about stuff like this.”
“Um....Um....Maybe at the Courthouse”, Fatty squeaked. “Maybe at the Assessor’s Office...Tony, why are you being like this ?”
Tony stood chest to flab with Fatty. “Because I just had to beat a stupid game FOR NOTHING !!!”, he shouted. “I coulda just forced you Lameos to give me the maps, but NO, I always have to be nice !!!”
Tony glared in anger at Fatty for a moment longer, then his shoulders slumped. He turned away, saying, “I know this isn’t your fault. You didn’t know exactly what I wanted.”
“Just...Uh....Why is this so important to you ?”, Fatty ventured uncertainly.
“It was important to Pete, just like I said. That’s all I can say.” Tony sighed. “What do I do to get a look at these....USNG maps ? Go to the Courthouse and ask ?”
“Um....No”, Fatty said, his nervousness returning, “They will only let an adult look at them, and only someone with a good reason.”
Tony turned on him. “What are you talking about ? Those are Public Records. Anybody should be able to see them.”
“You know how it is here !”, Fatty cried suddenly, afraid of reawakening Tony’s anger. “We kids, we don’t count for anything ! They make the rules however they want around here !”
Tony knew that to be true. In the Vale Valley, normal rules just didn’t seem to apply. It was part and parcel of what was rotten about this place. Tony’s eyes wandered to the bed, where Fatty’s maps were still spread out. Suddenly something occurred to him. “How did you get those maps ?”, he swung around and asked Fatty.
“Um....Some of them....they were already here....before I came here”, Fatty said, starting to sweat.
“But not all of them”, Tony said, pulling one up off the bed. “Some of these are newer.” He approached Fatty once more. “How did you get them ? GIVE !!”
Fatty backed up until he was squished against the closed door. “I...I...Can’t ! I made a promise not to tell who.....”
Fatty suddenly cut off then, knowing that he had maybe said too much. Tony’s eyes bored into him. “Listen, Fatty....The future of the whole school may be at stake here. Do you understand me ? I need to know who.”
Fatty felt ready to pass out. Tony’s face was in his own, and fear was rising in his gut. “I...I...I can’t, really, I....Just can’t.....”
Tony breathed into Fatty’s face. “The whole school, Fatty. If you don’t tell me, then Pete was shot for nothing. For Nothing !”
Fatty’s eyes bulged, and the acrid smell of sweat began to permeate the air. Suddenly, he could take it no longer. “It was Mr. Luntz !”, Fatty cried. “Mr. Luntz got me the maps !”
Mr Luntz ? Tony stepped back in surprise, and began to wander the room in thought. Released from being squished against the door, Fatty began babbling. “It was a couple years ago, I went to the School Store and just asked him about where I could get some maps, and he got them for me, it cost plenty, it did, but it was worth it, he got me some good ones, and please don’t tell him I told you, I promised I wouldn’t say.....”
Tony waved him into silence with his hand. It all made perfect sense to him, now that he really thought about it....And it had been under his nose all along. Who better to get something than the Janitor that nobody ever paid any attention to ? Tony suddenly wondered if there wasn’t more to Mr. Luntz that anybody ever suspected.
“Don’t worry, Fats”, Tony said, heading for the door, “Your secret’s safe with me.”
“Oh....Thank You, Tony....Thank You....”, Fatty said, but Tony was already out the door and gone.
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Derby was at last released from the Vale Clinic, going home to finish his recovery and bringing Bif with him, as he was being released also. Both knew they weren’t welcome at Harrington House, for Chad had showed up at the Clinic the day before and blabbed about all the events that had transpired in the week since the Townie’s attack on the School.
Chad Morris was an enigma among the Preps. As the only black Prep, his family held a lower standing in the white Prep world, a fact that Chad was all but too painfully aware. Even though his father had inherited a large conglomerate and their family was bleeding green with money, Chad still felt inferior to the other Preps due to old-world perceived prejudice, real and imagined. Throughout his youth, Chad had developed a mean streak as an outward defense, making true friends with only his pet Bulldog, Chester. Insecure about his physical appearance, he had gotten a nose job, and was always trying to prove himself in the Prep’s boxing ring at the Glass Jaw.
Although whiney and often over-dramatic, Chad was a boy of firm loyalties. His first loyalty was to his family’s money, since he expected to inherit it one day. One fact the other Preps were unaware of, as it hadn’t lasted long, was that he had even been with Lola last year, who was only dating him for his money. Chad had balked at stealing money from his family to spend on her, and she dumped him.
In the same way, Chad was loyal to the established Prep power structure at Bullworth Academy. When Chad had first come to the school, Derby was in charge of the Preps. When the Clique had splintered, Chad cast his lot in with Derby, as that was where his loyalty was. But in the wake of the Townie attack, and with both Derby and Bif out of action, Tad Spencer had seized control of the Clique, even convincing Bryce to go along with the change. Chad was trapped. If he didn’t pretend to go along with the others, they would turn him out. Chad cared little for Tad’s threats, as all that about him was already known anyway, but there was no way he could ever be cut loose on his own.
So, he decided, in his own conniving fashion, to play along and in the process become a conduit of information for Derby and Bif. In other quarters, such as a Jailhouse, what Chad was doing would be regarded as being a Snitch. But to Chad, it was a daring plan to be a spy inside the enemy camp and to curry favor with the ultimate victor, whom he was sure to be Derby. In his grandiose thinking, however, he forgot an important reality....A Snitch is never to be fully trusted.
Derby cared little for Tad’s power play. Healthy, Tad was no match for Derby one-on-one. He regarded Tad’s sudden takeover as a low blow, something that could be overturned with a phone call from his Father to Crabblesnitch. But Derby wasn’t going to take the pussy way out. When he was recovered enough, he would challenge Tad for the leadership of the Preps by beating him bloody in the boxing ring. But first, he had a score to settle with Kurt for the humiliation he had suffered at his hands. He was going to find a way to catch that little fuck and settle once and for all just how tough Kurt was without a weapon in his hands.
More alarming was the power play that Mr. Spencer was attempting. No one had dared to overtly cross the Harrington family for many years, and Derby knew that his Father would have none of that. However, Mr. Harrington had again left town the day before with his Mother, bound for parts unknown to Derby. He would have to wait to tell him when, and if, he could contact him on the secure phone line at home. From that point, Derby reasoned, the two corporate giants of the Vale Valley could battle it out, and he was sure that his domineering Father would crush the upstart Spencers and put them in their place once more.
Derby placed little stock in Tad’s threats against Bif, at first. He assumed that it involved Bif’s callous seduction of Christy, on Derby’s orders. But this bit of news that Chad revealed greatly upset Bif, to the point of such paranoia that he refused to return to Harrington House altogether. Derby began to wonder if his friend and bodyguard wasn’t harboring a much bigger secret, something he could use to his advantage. He intended to find out.
As the car carrying Derby and Bif pulled up to the Harrington Mansion, Derby had already decided to kidnap Kurt. He could hold him at one of the many properties his family owned, and torture him into submission before beating the living shit out of him. It would be just retribution for what that punkass lowlife had done to him. Derby would need help, though, besides just Bif, to carry out this plan. As the Townies were all locked up, he couldn’t deal with them. However, Derby knew of someone he was sure who, for the right amount of financial consideration, would be willing to do the family this one little favor. As he stepped from the car, he cracked a smile for the first time in weeks.
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Posted by MikeW June 8, 2011
Russell and his boys were relaxing in the boys dorm. Trent and Tom playing a game of poker in the corner, a stack of money lay on the table. The boys had made a handsome amount of money in their drug dealings and they were having fun gambling with each other when they got the chance. Russell was busy watching TV while the rest of the Bullies were either watching the intense poker game or participating in other activities in the room. "Hahaha, looks like I win", grinned Tom as he placed his cards on the table, a royal flush. "Bullshit to hell anyways!", yelled Trent as Tom scooped up the large stack of bills.
Suddenly, Damon and Bo barged into the common room, demented expressions on their faces. Damon was the first to speak. "Yo, you mutha fuckas got anymore of that baby powda?" It seemed as though the Bullies half-assed cocaine mixture wasn't quite satisfying the massive roid monkey. "By the way, that shit made my insides all itchy! What the shit is up with THAT?", demanded Bo. Wade snickered quietly as he was the one who introduced itching powder in place of a few ounces of crack, this way more batches could be made as well as money. "What you laughin' at?", stated Bo. "Oh, uh...nothin'...inside joke.", responded Wade, now getting nervous. Damon's blood pressure was rising, as usual when he got pissed easily. "I think we been fucked over!", shouted Damon, "I think you boys owe us, and I intend on gettin' what I want!" Trent felt a little bit of piss trickle down his thigh as he began to get a little scared. Finally, Russell spoke up, "Monkies-OUT!" "That's disrespectful, now I'm gonna have to beat yo butt!", Damon retaliated. "Fine, we'll settle this tonight, at the Graveyard. Bring all your boys, Damon and I can handle ya.", said Bo. As the two Jocks walked out of the room, Tom called after them "Do your best, You'll need to!"
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Posted by MikeW June 8, 2011
As soon as the Jocks had departed, Trent frowned. "Where the fuck is the Graveyard?" The Bullies thought and thought. They had never heard anything about a graveyard before. In fact, they really didn't know what happened to people in Bullworth when they died. Suddenly, Davis spoke up. "There has to be one somewhere. My parents told me my Grandmother was buried somewhere in Bullworth." Russell was more than ready to beat the shit out of Damon and Bo, but his empty head was spinning from having to think so hard. The group decided to take a walk into town, hoping to ask around. The boys managed to sneak past Karl at the gate and began to walk towards town. As they crossed the bridge, they passed Tony and Laurent walking towards the school. Wade listened to Tony whisper to his buddy and caught something about maps and Fatty. A lightbulb moment happened to Wade. "Guys, forget about making small talk with the townsfolk, let's go find them Nerds, heard somethin' 'bout some maps and that fat fuck of theirs."
The Bullies were well aware that the Nerds hung out in the Comic Book Store and sometimes in the alley behind it. As the Bullies passed by Dr. Bambillo's office, Tom spoke up "Hey dudes, if we just walk right in there, that fat ass Comic Guy will know something is up and kick us out, or worse, call the cops." Russell was even smart enough to understand this. Russell lead his boys to the alley in back of the shop to think. It didn't take them long. "Hey, how 'bout that door down there?", said Trent as he pointed to the door to the basement. The boys became restless, they were really getting excited about a raid on the Nerds in a place they considered to be of top notch safety. Troy spotted a wooden plank on the ground and picked it up for some extra insurance on his part. "Alright, let's go." commanded Trent. The boys slowly opened the door, but the small amount of light that entered had quickly alerted the Nerds. "Gah! Sunlight!" screamed Cornelius. The Bullies began to attack immediately, no hesitation. Alfred could hear all the ruckus and began to bellow "Get out of my store!" It was over quickly, the Bullies had smashed the shit out of the Nerds, all except for Fatty, cowering in the corner. As the Bullies grinned and approached him, he unleashed a torrent of piss out of his tiny dick and a large yellow puddle formed on the floor. Fatty gasped and hid his face in humiliation. "Hey, Pee stain junior!", shouted Trent, "How about showin' us them maps!". Fatty soon started cussing, "That friggin' muffin fungus!" Fatty was sure Tony must have been careless, how else would these fools know about his maps, and on the same day? "No, I know nothing of maps", lied Fatty. "Don't lie to me, you fat faggot!", yelled Wade, "else I'll have to have Russell crack that fat head of yours!". Trent's face blushed as a result of Wade's homophobic slur. Fatty began pissing again, but it was now reduced to a trickle. "Okay, okay, no purple nurples, PLEASE!".
Fatty led the Bullies into the back room and pulled his maps from the shelf. The Bullies grinned as they poured over them. "Alright, good, it's behind the dam." confirmed Davis. "See ya later pee stain junior", taunted Troy hoarsely. Before leaving, Troy doubled back and gave Fatty a severe titty twister. Fatty screamed in pain as he regretted his plea against a purple nurple.
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“You know I don’t want that Bitch around you”, Karen fumed. “I’m gonna go Postal on her, I swear I will !”
Tony nodded, trying to think of a way to calm down Karen’s rage. It had been a few hours since her encounter with Pinky, and she seemed just as pissed as ever. They were sitting on the front steps of the Girl’s Dorm in the twilight, and Tony was anxiously searching his inexperienced mind for something to say that would quell her ravings. So far, he had come up with nothing.
Like any teen boy, Tony just didn’t understand girls. While they could be sweet and alluring, there was also a darkside to them that could sometimes put even a sadistic killer to shame. Tony decided that the best course of action would be to just let her rant on until she maybe ran out of steam. Inwardly, Tony shuddered to think what would really happen if Karen knew about him being with Pinky, and Lola, right before Christmas. He had a strong feeling that she wouldn’t be very understanding.
Tony let his mind drift back on the events of the day. After leaving the Dragon’s Wing, he and Laurent had walked back from Bullworth Town, crossing the big bridge. The Bully Clique had passed them without greeting them, but Tony was in a deep conversation with Laurent about Fatty not having the right maps, and he had barely noticed Russell, Trent, and the rest pass by. After entering the school grounds, he had continued with Laurent down to the Football Field, as Laurent had not been there yet. Tony filled him in on what he knew about their newest member, Bob, which wasn’t much, as he really knew little about him. Laurent was a bit worried as to what kind of shape the Clique was in after a week with no leader, since Ted was still in the Clinic recovering from his wounds from the Townie attack. Ted had appointed him as second before all that had happened, but Laurent was smart enough to know that the Jocks would never accede to leadership from a noob, which he technically still was.
On the path to the Gym from the fountain, they were surprised to catch up with Damon and Bo, who were both walking at a rather slow pace towards the Gym. Both boys were walking in a jerky fashion, and didn’t seem to even see either Laurent or Tony until Laurent hailed them as they stood practically in front of them.
“Mes amis ! I am back !”, Laurent said to the pair of Jocks. Both Damon and Bo stopped dead in their tracks, staring. Finally, Damon said, “Yo....Wass up ?” Tony thought Damon’s speech sounded more slurried that usual, but then shook off the thought. It was hard to understand him even under the most ideal of times.
Bo was acting jittery and nervous, but managed to squeak out, “Hey, Frenchie ! Good to see you ! How you doin’ ?”
“I be a bit enflammé, but much better than last week !”, Laurent said, attempting a joking manner, but the two Jocks just stood slack-jawed and unfocused.
A few seconds ticked by. “Everything alright ?”, Tony finally asked.
That seemed to break them out of their spell. “S’good. Ever-ting fine”, Damon replied.
“Yeah...Um...We just headin’ down to the Clubhouse”, Bo said suddenly, but stopped when Damon gave him a warning look.
“Yes”, Laurent said, “Tony’s told me about our new couchette maison....Cannot wait to see it !”
Damon rumbled, “Coach’ll wanna see yo’ first”, pointing to the Gym.
“Yeah, that’s right !”, Bo chimed in, “We can catch up with you later !”
With that, the two Jocks walked off. As he watched the retreating pair, Tony commented, “What’s up with them ? They were acting a little strange.”
Laurent shrugged. “Eh...They get moody sometimes, those ones. Guess I will head to the Coach’s Office. Will see you a bit later, mon ami ?”
“Uh...Sure thing”, Tony said. “I got some things to take care of. See you later.”
As Laurent had walked off towards the Gym, Tony turned and headed up to Harrington House. He had been meaning to see Tad anyway. Upon arriving, he had gone through the open doors to find Justin at the counter.
“Can I....Help You ?”, Justin said, a bit disdainfully.
“Umm...I’m here to see Tad. He around ?”, Tony asked, ignoring the ill-mannered Prep.
“I’ll see”, sniffed Justin, and disappeared through the inner set of double doors, leaving Tony waiting. After a few minutes, he was back, with Tad following.
“Tony, old chap ! How good to see you !”, Tad exclaimed, and then surprised Tony by shaking his hand. “Come in, come in, we can sit by the fire and have a talk.”
Tony followed Tad into the huge main room. Tad sat down in what Tony thought was Derby’s old chair and indicated for Tony to sit it the other one. Tony took a seat.
“Now, what do I owe this pleasant visit to ?”, Tad said grandly.
Looking around, Tony said, “I see you’ve taken over successfully”, he said, and then got right to the point. “What’re you up to, Tad ?”
“Up To ?”, Tad said, feigning a shocked look. “What ever do you mean ?”
“All this”, Tony said, waving his hand in the general direction of the school. “All these....Gifts.”
“Why, that was my Father’s idea”, Tad answered, “To give the school a little class that it’s been sorely lacking.”
Tony stared at Tad without saying anything, and a minute spun out. Tad grew uncomfortable. Finally, Tony said quietly, “That’s Bullshit.” Tony’s eyes bored into Tad’s until Tad started flicking his gaze nervously about. The silence between the two became thick with tension.
At last, Tad could take it no longer. “So what if it is ? Everything is all better now. Isn’t that what you want ? What everyone wants ? It’s to be a new era at Bullworth, a glorious new era !”
“A glorious new era for the Preps, you mean”, corrected Tony, “and especially for Tad Spencer, isn’t that what you really mean ?”
Tad grew flustered. “That’s not it at all, not at all, I tell you. I am going to usher in a whole new era of understanding and cooperation between us Preps and the others. We will live in harmony with all the lesser kids, no more of this silly squabbling like in the past !”
Tony smiled wirily. “I sure hope you’re right....Because there’s bigger problems that just who’s going to be King of the School around here. Jake is still out there, and he will attack again. You can take that to the bank, as you Preppies are fond of saying.”
Tad didn’t know what to say to that. Tony rose to go. “Next time, the bomb in Derby’s chair will be the bomb in your chair. You best figure out how to defend yourself against that, because if everyone in this whole place doesn’t pull together, all our asses are all gonna be on the line.”
Tad nodded to show his understanding. “You are right, of course. Listen, Tony....We are more alike than you know.”
Both boys stared at each other, both of these boys who had had Pinky, both of these boys who sought power for their own reasons.
“I’m nothing like you”, Tony said, and had turned to go. He pasued, and said, “If you really want a ‘New Era’, you can start by having your ‘help’ be more courteous to visitors here. Wouldn’t hurt.”
With that, Tony had left Harrington House without looking back. He had wandered up to the Boy’s Dorm, expecting to see Trent and the Bullies, but they weren’t there, in the building or in the yard. Strange. Tony had plopped down in front of the TV to kill some time. He knew he would have to go see Karen, eventually.....But maybe not just right now.
After about an hour, Nick had come into the common room for a soda. Spotting Tony on the couch, he came over to sit by him. Nick took a long drink of his soda before he spoke.
“Had a long day ?”, he asked. “You look zonked.”
“Yeah...Long day”, Tony sighed. “Have to see Karen later.”
“You don’t sound too enthusiastic”, Nick observed. “Trouble ?”
“She saw me talking to Pinky”, Tony answered. “It wasn’t even my fault. Pinky and Christy came up to ME. It wasn’t like.....” He trailed off.
“Yeah”, Nick commented. “I get that too. Melody gets jealous about that type of shit. She usually just starts cussing. I just let her rant on. She gets over it eventually.”
“Oh, yeah ?”, Tony said. “So....just let them go on ?”
“Sure”, Nick answered, “They just have to have you hear them out. Big on getting their feelings out, you know, so they bitch about things like that.” He laughed shortly. “Guess that’s why they’re called Bitches.”
“So...Nothing I say will.....”, Tony began.
“Change anything ? Hell, No”, Nick laughed again. “They have to get it off their minds, or it festers there. Just listen, take it like a man, and they soon run out of steam.”
Tony looked out the window. It was getting dusk. Time he should be going, he supposed, to face the music. But, maybe, it wouldn’t be so bad, if all he had to do was just listen......
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
“Tony ?? Are you Listening to me ??”, Karen was saying.
Tony was pulled out of his reverie. “Uh...Sure, Sweetie, I hear you.”
“Don’t ‘Sweetie’ me”, Karen grumbled, “I know how you boys are. You all think with your Cocks. Something better comes along, and you’re right there.”
Tony just nodded again. Despite what Nick had said, Tony still wanted to find a way to defuse Karen. She must have been going on for quite awhile now, he thought, as he noticed it was now full dark. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him. He dug in his pocket as Karen continued on.
“I know you’re attracted to her, I see the way you look when she’s around....” Karen stopped suddenly, hearing a jangling sound. It was coming from Tony’s hand.
“I’m attracted to you”, Tony said softly, “Have been since we met. And part of that attraction, a Big part, is the things we do together.”
The jangling stopped. Tony held up a key. “Do you remember our midnight ride ?”
“Well....Sure”, Karen said, confused. “But what....”
“Will you come with me ?”, Tony rose. “I have something to show you.”
Tony held out his hand. Wordless now, Karen took it and allowed Tony to lead her away, over the shortcut wall, through the empty Parking Lot, and up to the garage bay door,where he inserted the key in the lock and turned it.
“But...But...”, Karen found her voice, “The Go-Kart’s gone ! It’s been gone since Jake took it !”
“Behold !”, Tony proclaimed, opening up the door. The moonlight revealed the Go-Kart Tony had found in the hollow ditch behind the school. As Karen approached it, Tony hoped that Mr. Neil had at least gotten it back into running order since he had given Tony the keys earlier. As Tony checked it out alongside Karen, he was relieved to see the motor still in place and apparently ready to go. The custom seat wasn’t in, and it still needed a paint job, but it looked good to go. Tony checked the gas tank and found it half full.
He slid into the seat and turned the ignition, and the Cart fired up. Tony pulled it outside and had Karen close the garage door, then pulled her into his lap for the short trip to the Parking Lot gate, which had been repaired once again. “Do your magic”, Tony told Karen. She slid off his lap and jimmied the gate lock and opened it, allowing Tony to pull through as she closed it. She then rejoined Tony. The single seat made for a tight fit, but neither of them minded.
“Where we off to ?”, Karen asked, with a sparkle in her eyes.
“I thought...The Overlook”, Tony said, looking at her longingly. “Just like before. It’s so beautiful up there, remember ? It’s the place where I knew that I was really in love with you.”
Karen squealed and threw her arms around Tony, giving him a huge kiss. Tony grinned, then stepped on the gas, and the pair zoomed off into the night.
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Posted by MikeW June 9, 2011
Russell, Trent, and the rest of their boys made their way through town. It was 8:00 at night and it was starting to get dark. After their raid on the Nerds hideout in the Dragon's Wing comic book store, they had uncovered Fatty's maps and discovered the location of Bullworth's lonely old cemetery. The Bullies were aware of the dam, but never really went that way and the few times they did had never gone beyond it. As the Bullies turned the corner around the gas station, the street lights were starting to come on. Damon and Bo never specified a time to be at the cemetery, but the Bullies figured that 8:30 would be alright.
The Bullies were fairly confident about their upcoming fight, they easily out-numbered the two Jocks and besides, they had Russell. The roaring of the water pouring through the spillways had alerted the Bullies that the dam was fast approaching. Trent decided to stop and check the map. "Okay boys, we should take our next right down this path here." The Bullies took the path to the right and spotted a few dull flood lights up on a high wall. A slight breeze was blowing and the wind made creepy whistling sounds as it passed through the trees and boulders along the path. "Shit man, this is one creepy ass place!", said Wade rather nervously. The boys walked for a short distance more and came upon the twisted iron gates. They had arrived.
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Posted by MikeW June 9, 2011
The Bullies made their way through the old iron gates. The gates were very old and appeared as though they were stuck at the hinges. Luckily, people could still enter as the gates were ajar when they had become stuck. On either side of the walkway were gravestones that were scattered about on the ground. This was probably the oldest section of the cemetery as the stones were not arranged in any particularly ordered manner. After walking further down the path, the boys came to a large obelisk type monument. This apparently marked the center of the cemetery. It appeared as though the Jocks had not yet arrived, so the boys kept on walking and thought they would do a little exploring. The Bullies figured they were in for a fight, but they weren’t worried. After all, they had Russell. The graveyard appeared to be laid out in an “L” shape, the entrance at one end, with a mausoleum at the other. Trent noticed more head stones and had an idea of how his friends could have some fun. Like any juvenile delinquent, Trent had only one thought while in a cemetery. “Hey dudes wanna smash some of these stones?” laughed Trent. All the Bullies got big grins on their faces except for Davis. “No guys, wait. My granny is buried here, I don’t want to ruin her stone.” The Bullies were sure they were alone, but suddenly a raspy voice piped up from behind a small tree. Handy the hobo had been leaning against this tree, gulping down the contents of whatever bottle he was hiding in a brown paper bag. “You fellas shouldn’t be doin’ that. I wouldn’t go vandalizing anything here.” Warned Handy. “Oh, and why not?” asked Trent, his eyes narrowing. “’Cause, this place is cursed. All sorts of crazy occult shit used to happen here. Them Townie kids used to do all practice some sort of devil worship of something. Ouija boards, those pentagram things, you name it.” Handy explained. “What a bunch of horse shit”, scowled Tom. An awkward silence passed while the Bullies and Handy just stared at each other, until Davis broke the silence. “Hey, I found my Granny’s head stone!”
After pausing to pay respects at the stone, a dark shadow came up behind the Bullies, followed by a second one. The boys just about jumped two feet in the air and turned to face Damon and Bo. The two Jocks had finally arrived. “You niggas was scared!” taunted Damon. “No! Russell jump because Russell have springs in shoes!” Russell responded stupidly. “Haha…yeah” said Damon. “So, what the hell do you two roid monkies want anyways?” asked Tom. “What do we want? We WANT more white stuff and we WANT better quality shit this time!” barked Damon. “I swear, some of that last bag had itching powder in it. My insides were itching like crazy last time.” added Bo. The Bullies thought a moment until Ethan spoke up. “Fuck that, you muthas ain’t getting’ shit. Why don’t you go home and play with your balls?” he said. “I’m gonna SPLIT YOUR WIG for that!”, yelled Damon, now in a rage and almost foaming at the mouth. “Oh, it’s on now!” said Bo. The fight began.
Trent and Ethan went to take on Bo, while the rest tackled Damon. While the Bullies greatly out numbered Damon, he was a strong opponent. All juiced up on cocaine, he was a force to be reckoned with. His first move was a shoulder barge that knocked Wade into a grave stone. The stone shattering into a million pieces as Damon slammed into it. While Wade was on the ground, Damon picked him up and through him through the air like he was a discarded piece of rubbish. The force of the landing knocked out the red headed Wade. Meanwhile, Ethan and Trent were making progress on Bo. Trent landed a stiff punch to the Jock’s face as Ethan kicked him in the gut. After a few more nasty blows, Bo was down for the count. Trent and Ethan then decided to help out in taking down Damon. “I’m gonna hit ya ‘til ya love me!” shouted Damon as he attacked Tom. Damon slammed Tom with an axe handle punch that sent Tom’s head smack into another grave stone with similar results to before. The stone shattered under the force of Tom’s face. Pieces of stone and streams of blood going everywhere. Russell then landed a few good hits, but allowed Trent to land a few blows himself. The scuffle was shifting all around the yard. Damon spotted a brick in between hits and picked it up. Taking aim, he hurled it at Russell. The large Bully ducked just in time and the brick took out another nearby stone. Handy was off to the side, enjoying the fight, in fact, he was cheering it on. “Hit him, he called me a drunk!” shouted Handy.
After a few moments, the atmosphere started to change. A pale green mist had started to permeate from seemingly nowhere and a low moaning sound became audible. A few last minute fists flew, but the boys suddenly paused to see what was going on. “Oh shit, what’s happening?” asked Ethan. The group of boys was paralyzed with fear. They couldn’t move a muscle. Handy didn’t seem to take any notice to what was going on in his half drunken state. He was dancing around and still cheering as if the fight hadn’t stopped. After a few moments, a white mist began to form in front of the mausoleum. Trent saw this and let out a little squeal. By this time, Handy noticed that the fight had stopped. “What gives kids? Ya look like you’ve seen a ghost!” laughed Handy. The mist had continued to grow, but now started to form a shadowy figure. Davis could feel something warm trickle down his thigh. He didn’t realize it, but he had just pissed his pants. The figure now looked human-like. It had what looked to be ragged black robes and a sort of jack-o-lantern for a head, but it was unclear. The figure began to drift slowly towards the boys, who were shaking even more than ever before. Handy had no idea what was behind him. He had his back turned as the figure approached. When the being was about a foot in back of him, it reached out with a bony hand, and placed it on Handy’s shoulder. Handy didn’t even turn around. His eyes bugged out and in a split second, he let out a deep throated scream and bolted around the corner towards the gate. No one had ever seen him run so fast, his legs like pistons on an expensive sports car as he tear-assed around the gate and out of site in the direction of the dam.
The being then began drifting towards the boys. More pants were being wet now. The shadow figure lifted it’s arm again and this time, pointed it’s skeleton-like finger at Damon. Instead of cowering, the drugs had caused Damon to act without thinking. “Didn’t yo mamma eva teach you not to point?” said Damon. The being seemed to ignore him and drifted closer, now only feet away. Damon was now about to do the most impulsive thing possible. He crouched down and made a B-line towards the figure. As Damon was about to perform a shoulder barge, he burst into a flash of white light just before making contact. The graveyard was now filled with light and the echoing screams of Damon as he started to vanish into thin air. All of this commotion caused Bo to snap back into consciousness. “JESUS CHRIST!” he shouted in disbelief. “DAMON, NO!” Soon after Damon disappeared, the light faded. The figure then began to slowly make it’s way towards Bo and the Bullies. Before it could get too close, Bo and the others made a break for it, running for the gate. Russell ran awkwardly as he carried the limp bodies of Tom and Wade over his shoulders. None of the boys stopped running until they reached the Oil Spill gas station.
The boys all lay on the ground, attempting to catch their breath. As they tried to calm down, Officer Monson noticed them on the ground, it was well past curfew. “What the hell are you fuckers all doin’ at this hour? You boys trippin’? That’ll plant you right in the slammer.” the cop said. Little did he know of how true this was in regards to Bo. Trent started to talk through his heavy breathing “We….they…Damon….gone!” said Trent through heavy breaths.
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“It’s so fantastic up here”, Karen said, gazing out on the Vale Valley. She breathed in deeply the spring night air. She turned her face to Tony, standing beside her. “You know what I’d like ? I want to go places. I want to see the ocean, the mountains, the forest, all of it....Far away, exotic places....”
“Tropical Islands ?”, Tony asked, looking out at Pirate Island, just a dark shape far from the Overlook, marked by the ever-flashing red buoy.
“Oh, Yes !”, Karen breathed, her eyes sparkling. “Tony, promise you’ll take me places....Strange wonderful places....I feel so bottled up here....Sometimes....I just want to get away....”
Tony chuckled. “I know how you feel. I want to get my license, get a cool car, and just drive until I find....” He paused. “.....A place where I belong.”
“You know”, Karen said, playfully tracing circles on Tony’s chest with her finger, “We could sneak off somewhere this summer, go to the ocean, get on a boat....Lots of Islands in the Narragansett we could see....”
“Think we could pull it off ?”, Tony smiled, “A couple of wild and crazy teenagers like us ?”
“Oh, yes, we could”, Karen said, snuggling close. “We can do anything, long as we have each other.”
“Well, until then, I guess this will have to do”, Tony sighed. “But we can dream, can’t we ?”
“Yeah”, Karen breathed softly. Suddenly she popped up and said impulsively, “Tony, take me out to that Island....You’ve been there already. I want to see it too !”
Tony smirked. “It’s not much of an Island....It’s mostly all rocky. Most of the trees got taken down from the Tornado. Kind of depressing, really.”
“But it has a beach, doesn’t it ?”, Karen persisted.
“Well...Yeah...A small one....But...”, Tony began.
“Then I want to go”, Karen announced, “I want to see it. Besides, why should you have all the fun trying to find that....Whatever you have to look for out there....I could help, you know.”
“Well, there’s a problem”, Tony said. “The Nerd’s maps didn’t have the Grid marks on them I need to find it....” Quickly, he related the events that went down at the Dragon’s Wing, since he hadn’t yet had the chance to tell her.
“So...Fatty thinks that Mr. Luntz can find this....USNG map ?”, Karen asked.
“That what he says”, Tony allowed, “But that means I’ll have to convince Mr. Luntz to get me one of those, if he even can...And if he would even want to help. He hates kids.”
“Hmmm....”, Karen said, thinking, “But...He’s always nicer to girls. I’ll bet if I came with you to ask, he might be more agreeable.”
“Oh, yeah, you think so ?”, Tony asked. “What makes you think girls are more special ?”
“Because we have charms”, Karen replied, and proceeded to show him, planting a huge French Kiss on Tony’s mouth.
The Overlook was empty, as it was after midnight. They had both been here for quite awhile, and the area had been empty of people for more than an hour. Karen pulled Tony over to a grassy area by the rock face where the Go-Kart was parked. Their temperatures were quickly rising to the boiling point as they frantically groped each other while pulling off their clothes. Sliding to the ground behind the Go-Cart, they made wild, passionate love as a gentle breeze blew through the Vale Valley.
_________________________________
-
Officer Monson was in a quandary. While normally he would call in another Officer to help him transport these losers to a jail cell for an overnight stay, space was at a premium at the hoosegow these days....The Bullworth Jail was packed with Townies, which meant it wouldn’t just be a simple trip two blocks up the street but a transport clear to either the New Coventry substation or the Bullworth Vale substation. To add to that, these kids looked like they’d seen a Ghost or something. One ugly kid was laying there babbling something he couldn’t make sense of, while the others were just laying in quiet terror on the pavement. Two of them, he discovered, were unconscious. Usually, these little badass-wannabees would be running away from him to keep from getting caught out after curfew. But the dumbasses just lay there, their white scared faces just staring up into the night.
Fuck It, thought Officer Monson. Calling Officer Morrison on the Police radio, he waited for his backup to arrive in another patrol car. Walking over to the big, dumb-looking one, who he recognized as Russell, he said, “Hey, Big Boy ! Carry your two buddies down to the Clinic !”
Russell seemed not to understand. His eyes were big and round in the moonlight. Officer Monson repeated his request, and getting no response, began ordering him to his feet. Russell at last looked at the Officer and got shakily to his feet, staring at him. Officer Monson once more repeated his order, slapping his nightstick in his palm for effect. Russell looked about in a daze, and suddenly reached down and grabbed up Tom and Wade. The Officer pointed down the street, where the Clinic was just one block away, and Russell began lumbering unsteadily in that direction. Officer Monson watched him go, calling after him, “You’all get right back here afterwards, understand ?”
Russell didn’t answer. Officer Monson watched him progress to the door of the Clinic and go inside. Just then, Officer Morrison arrived, and after a brief conference, they decided to just transport the hooligans back to the school and let the Prefects deal with them. Trent, Troy, and Davis were rousted without resistance and put into the car. Officer Morrison sped off toward the school, and in a short while returned. Bo and Ethan were then led to the Cop car in jerky steps and loaded inside.
Officer Monson hadn’t expected to see Russell again, but as Officer Morrison drove off a second time, Russell came walking back. Looking for all the world like a zombie, Russell drifted over to the Police Car and just stood there. When Officer Monson opened the door, Russell squeezed inside. Scratching his head at such unusual behavior, Officer Monson got in the car and prepared to drive Russell to the school. Suddenly Russell broke his silence.
“Russell Want To Go Home !!”, he moaned.
Officer Monson glanced in the rearview mirror at the white-faced big boy. He had a ghastly look on his face. He was about to say something and stopped. Something was just not quite right here, he realized. Something had put the fear of God into these boys tonight, that was for sure....About the only thing he was sure of.
Every Cop knew where Russell Northrup lived, as he had been busted a number of times over the years. Officer Monson dropped the car into gear and drove to Russell’s house. When they arrived, Russell refused to get out until Officer Monson escorted him to the door. As the Officer left, he began thinking what a strange report this was going to make....If he decided to write one at all.
Inside, Russell turned on every light in the house, then went to his room, pulling his large bed in front of the door to barricade it. He then squeezed into the closet, the same one where he had taken refuge as a child, where he sat awkwardly, rocking back and forth. There would be no sleep for Russell this night. His eyes were still wide awake and staring hours later as the dawn broke.
___________________________________
-
The Jocks trooped to the Gym for a rare Sunday practice around 10 AM. Normally in the off-season, they might work out with weights or run a few laps and be done with it, but Coach Burton had ordered them to run some drills to see how their new teammate Bob was coming along. Grumbling, the Jocks assembled on the Gym floor as Coach Burton came out of his office under the bleachers.
“Allright, You Loser Ladies, I want you to get changed and hit the field Pronto !! Let’s Look Sharp and get.....” Burton stopped abruptly as he noticed something that wasn’t quite right. “Alright...Where’s West and Jackson ?”
The Jocks looked at one another. “Uhh...We don’t know Coach”, Dan Wilson said.
“Whadda mean, You Don’t Know ?”, Burton snapped. “Didn’t they wake up ?”
Laurent stepped forward. “They just were not there, Coach. Nous n'avons pas d'endroit où ils peuvent être Idée."
“WHAT ?” Coach Burton barked. “Speak American, Boy ! This is America !”
Laurent blushed. “Désolé....Er....Sorry. I mean to say, we did not see them this morning, at all.”
Coach Burton was getting really pissed. Damon was the one who had been doing the bulk of the work with Bob Southby on running the plays, which was the whole point on having this Sunday practice. “WELL, FIND THEM !”, he yelled, pointing his finger at Laurent. “If they’re not already in that locker room getting ready, YOU go find them, PRONTO !”
The Jocks shuffled off towards the steps that led down to the lockers, except for Bob, who just stood there. “Uh....Come on Bob, this way”, said Lance, who had become sort of the team’s mascot since his return, even though he wasn’t yet able to practice or play. For some reason, Bob swiveled his head in Lance’s direction, then his granite-sized head gave an almost imperceptible nod, and he began to follow the others. About the same time, Kirby emerged from his place under the North bleachers and joined the others heading for the locker room.
“Французский жопа сосать”, Juri said to Laurent in Russian.
“Россия собака”, Laurent said back, eliciting a surprised look from Juri.
“You Know....Russian ?!?”, Juri said with wide eyes.
“Oui”, said Laurent with a sarcastic smile. “And Polish, and Dutch, and German, and Italian, and Spanish....You might watch who you call de ‘suck ass’, chien russe.”
Juri’s face went slack with confusion, and he ducked ahead with the others. Laurent grinned. He had just called Juri a Russian Dog in two different languages, and the boy had turned tail. Laurent may not be near as strong as the big dumb Russian, but he was certainly a whole lot smarter.
As the Jocks entered the locker room, Dan, who was in the lead, spotted a figure curled up against the far locker by the shower. “Hey, Look ! Here’s Bo !”
The Jocks crowded around. Bo was sitting silently, squished against the locker with a haunted look on his face. Lance limped over to him, relieved to see his brother. Bo turned his wide eyes to him. Lance knelt, as best he could, beside him. “Hey, are glad to see you, bro....Where were you last night ?”
Bo’s mouth opened, but all that came out was a thin high-pitched wail, almost like a banshee. The other Jocks took a step back.
“What’s wrong, Bo-Bo ?”, Lance said, reverting to his childhood name for his brother, “What is it ?”
Bo stopped wailing and took a breath, then exploded. “IT TOOK HIM ! BIG FLASH, AND HE WAS GONE ! JUST GONE ! THAT THING TOOK DAMON !!!”
The Jocks were taken aback. “What the Hell are'ya babbling about ?”, asked Dan.
“DAMON....That...THING....Took Him....”, Bo stuttered. Slowly at first, then faster, he stumbled through the story of how he and Damon had gone to fight the Bullies, and that he had been knocked out but had come to just in time to see Damon charging at a shadowy, ghostly figure only to be swallowed up in a bright flash of white light, and that he had barely escaped with his life.
“Where was this, Bo ? Where ?”, Lance urged him on.
“Graveyard....”. Bo answered in a hollow voice, “In the....Graveyard....”
The Jocks greeted this news in silence, looking uneasily at one another. Suddenly, Dan exclaimed, “That’s fucked up, man....He’s fuckin’ High. Just lookit him, he’s Doped !!”
The other Jocks began to nod in agreement. Bo DID look really fucked up. But Laurent, watching from the back, spoke up. “I’m not thinking...That he be making this up, this fantôme. Look at how scared he be looking.”
Casey, Juri, and Luis began scoffing...Clearly Bo was messed up and spinning some kind of fantasy tale from the borders of drugland. Lance spoke up to defend his brother. “Hey, guys, lay off, OK ?”
Silent until now, Kirby spoke up. “I don’t think he’s lying, man....He SEEN something !”
“Maybe....We should go check the Graveyard”, Laurent suggested.
“I ain’t goin’ near that place”, Dan said. “Sides, Coach says we got to practice plays. Why don’t YOU go ?”, he said, jabbing his finger at Laurent. “Coach told YOU to find Damon.”
“Yes”, Laurent said, “So he did, and so I will.” He turned and walked out of the locker room and headed up the stairs.
“Com’on, let’s get you up”, Lance said to Bo. “Can you walk OK ?” Bo nodded, and let Lance pull him up.
“Shit, now what are we gonna do ?”, Dan grumbled. “How’re we gonna run plays with Mr. Friendly over there ?”, he said, pointing to Bob, who had stood unmoving through all this.
“I think I can help”, Lance said, holding onto Bo’s arm. Making sure Bo was standing on his own, he limped over in front of Bob.
“Say, Bob”, he said slowly, “How ‘bout it ? Wanna run some of Damon’s plays ?”
Bob’s giant head swiveled downward and stared at Lance. For only the second time since he’d been there, the Jocks heard words lumber from his rusty throat, sounding like the low rumble of a coffin lid opening. “BOB DO.”
The Jocks shook their heads in amazement at this. It seemed that Lance had a way of getting through to the big dummy. That went to their lockers and began changing out for the practice.
____________________________________________
-
Laurent headed off to the Boy’s Dorm. Bo had said that he and Damon had gone off to fight the Bullies at the Graveyard, so the French boy figured that the Dorm should be the first place to check. He would see if the any of the Bullies had an explanation for what Bo was talking about.
Laurent arrived at the Dorm and went in, as the outside yard was deserted. Inside, nobody was in the halls, either....But there were sounds coming from the common room. Laurent headed there. At the doorway, he stopped and took in the scene. Along the North wall, where there used to be just one old stand-up video game, there were now five of the stand-up games in a row. Laurent thought these must be the consoles from the Carnival provided by Mr. Spencer that Tony had told him about. Each of the games had a player....Gordon, Ivan, Lance, Trevor, and Ray....None of them were Bullies. Over on the couch, Nick Penty sat, trying to listen to the TV through all the noise coming from the Video Game Consoles without much luck. Laurent went over to him.
“Hi There, Nick !”, Laurent offered, somewhat loudly. “I’m looking for the Bully Boys...You know where they are at ?”
Nick had given up on trying to hear the TV and turned towards Laurent. “Hello, Laurent ! All better, I see.”
“Yes, except for a few headaches”, Laurent said ruefully, “I feel as if I were kicked in my head by the spawn of Satan.”
“We’re gonna get that fuckin’ freak, sooner or later”, Nick said, flexing his muscles, “and when we do, I’m gonna rip off his head and piss down his throat.”
Laurent glanced oddly at Nick, for that was something that Damon might say. He let it pass, and said, “Yes...Quite so....Still, have you seen any of the Bullies ? Russell ? Trent ?”
“Now that you mention it....Ain’t seen ‘em this morning”, Nick replied. “Strange...I know they’re here....Prefects hauled them in last night. Well, at least four of them. Funny thing, though...Everything was real quiet....They weren’t talking trash like usual. Never came back outta their rooms, either.”
“Hmmm”, Laurent mused. “That don’t sound like them.”
“Nope, sure don’t”, Nick said. “They’re usually hogging the card table or these new games we got. That’s why those kids are playing them now....First chance they got.”
Nick was right. The Bullies usually hogged the common room when they weren’t outside. They rarely ever just stayed in their rooms. Another thought occurred to Laurent, and he asked, “Say, Mon Ami, do you know where the Graveyard is located at ?”
Nick thought for a second. “Naw....There’s a Graveyard around here ? News to me.”
“I know where the Graveyard is”, a voice behind him said. Laurent turned. Ray had finished his game and had wandered over.
“That is good”, Laurent said. “Maybe, you could show me ?”
Ray’s eyes went large. “I’d rather just tell you. Strange things happen over there.”
“Oh, Come on”, Nick scoffed, “It’s just a place with a buncha dead people. Whadda think, they’re gonna pop outta the ground and steal your soul or something ?” He snickered. “Only Pussies are afraid of a few tombstones.”
“It’s not so much that”, Ray sniffed, his dignity a bit battered, “It’s that Church. Weird noises come out of that place all the time....Like chants and stuff.”
Laurent was growing a bit impatient with this. “Maybe Tony could help. Where is he at ?”
Nick laughed at that. “Tony’s dead to the world. He came in around dawn. Been out all night with Karen, you know. He won’t be waking up for quite awhile.”
Laurent blinked. Yesterday, Karen had been really pissed. Tony must have turned on the charm, big time. Being from France, he still didn’t understand American girls. “Merde", he said, and turned to Ray. “Show me the Bully’s rooms.”
Ray led him out to the hallway to one of the doors. Laurent knocked on it, loudly, but got no response. The same thing happened with the other doors Ray showed him. Laurent banged on them all, but was met with an eerie silence from the other sides. And all the doors were locked.
“Which one is Trent’s ?”, Laurent asked. Ray indicated the room next to the common room, and Laurent pounded on the door. “Trent !! Wake up !! I am Needing to speak with you !!”
“Go Away !!!”, a hollow-sounding voice said from behind the door.
“Trent...This is important ! Open Up !”, Laurent shouted.
“GO AWAY, GO AWAY !!”, the voice shrieked. “LEAVE ME ALONE MAN !!”
“Trent ! It’s About Damon !”, Laurent tried again. “What Happened To Damon ?”
The door was suddenly unlocked and flung open. Trent stood there, his face white and eyes bugging out. “IT TOOK HIM !! THAT’S WHAT !! TOOK HIM WITH A WHITE FLASH OF LIGHT !!!”
“You must show us, Trent”, Laurent began, “Take us to where this happened....”
“I CAN’T !! I CAN’T !!”, Trent hollered. “I SEEN THINGS, MAN !! THINGS !!!”
And with that, Trent slammed the door and locked it again. A low moaning could be heard from the other side. “Wow, that dude’s whacked”, said Nick, who had walked out to the hall upon hearing all the yelling. “Looks like another brick just fell off his load.”
Laurent turned to Ray. “It’s up to you. Now, you must take us there.”
Ray froze. “I...I...Don’t think....That’s such a good idea”, he squeaked.
“Listen, Ray”, Laurent said, “We are friends...Ami....You want to help your friends, no ?”
Ray gulped. “Umm....I...I guess so....”
“Tony would want you to help, I am sure”, Laurent continued. “He is also my friend.”
Ray wavered. “Well....Alright....I can show you....”
“Good”, Laurent said, and turned to Nick. “Are you in ?”
“Hey, sure thing. I love those places”, Nick replied. Clapping Ray on the shoulder, “Com’on, Ray....Graveyard in the daylight. What could happen ?”
Ray wasn’t sure, but he thought it couldn’t be anything good.
_________________________________________
-
Ray led Laurent and Nick out of the school and across the bridge onto Bullworth Vale. The streets were strangely empty, with few Townspeople about. Cutting through the town, streets and alleyways, Nick made an offhand remark about how quiet it seemed. Turning to go up Hill Street, a sign on the Burger Joint proclaimed it’s grand re-opening tomorrow. Normally, Ray would have been jumping with delight at the thought of the first fast food that the Vale Valley had seen for quite awhile, but he was far to nervous to think about feeding his belly this morning. If only he’d have kept his mouth shut, he could still be playing one of the stand-up video games.
Passing the Newsstand, Nick noticed a posting...”WANTED - PAPER CARRIERS”....taped up on an empty spot on the shuttered storefront. As there was no papers on Sundays in Bullworth, Nick commented that maybe he would come back and check it out. While Nick and Laurent chatted on about Damon’s strange disappearance, Ray kept silent, bracing for his return to the Graveyard....A place he had only been to once before, at twilight a year ago on a dare involving finding a Halloween pumpkin.
Reaching the street that circled around the Happy Endings Retirement Home, Ray indicated a wide, unpaved roadway off to the right. The trio began a walk that extended a few hundred yards into a wooded area. None of them really found it strange that a Church and Graveyard would be located in the woods, but the fact was that this was the only Church and Graveyard in all of the Vale Valley. It wasn’t that the Townspeople weren’t religous, per se....But this Church held it’s ‘services’ for a particular group of people. Just who attended the church was unknown among most, and was never talked about, like many other things in the Valley.
A Gothic-like building loomed ahead and to the right. Laurent saw that it resembled European Churches, with a square bell-tower that rose about three stories from the ground. Nick noticed something else. “There’s no steeple or cross on that”, he observed. As they ventured closer, they could see he was right. The only thing on the tower were four small stone pires, rising from each corner.
They reached the Iron gates fronting the Church, set into what looked to be an eight-foot stone wall, topped with an Iron-spiked fence. There were no signs or writings to indicate the name of the Church. The building itself looked to be old....Very old. Nick guessed at least 300 years old, if not more. Another strange thing occurred to him now....It was Sunday morning, but he saw no cars parked here, no people at all....And these gates were locked. Did this Church, if that’s what it was, even have services ?
“I could Parkour over this”, Laurent said, more to himself than the others.
“Please, Don’t !”, moaned Ray, who was looking greener by the minute. “You don’t know what’s in there !”
“So tell us what’s in there”, Nick said, “You’re the expert here. We never been here before.”
Instead of answering, Ray just motioned the others to follow him a bit farther along the stone wall, where an Iron fence prevailed, to another set of Iron gates, which were rusted in place at the hinges but open with enough room to allow a person to enter through. Behind them, a straight stone walkway ran through what appeared to be a short older section of the Cemetery. Like the Church, it also bore no name. The entire Cemetery was bordered by a stone wall, as they could see from where they stood. There was silence broken only by the occasional cawing of Crows.
“Let’s start to looking”, Laurent said. Up ahead, they passed a low stone wall, also topped with Iron fencing. Off to the right led a stone path to another wall and still another set of gates that appeared to give Church-goers access to the Graveyard. These gates too were locked. Returning to the main walkway, the could see that it led to a square stone Obelisk about 15 feet high, topped with a tapering square cap in the style of the Washington Monument. The Obelisk itself sat in the center of a small stone plaza, about 30 feet in diameter. Bricks laid in a circular pattern radiated out from the center of the Obelisk. At each of the four corners sat Column Cornices, each one containing four columns.
Laurent examined the Obelisk carefully. There were faint engravings on each of the four sides, but they had become so weathered as to render them unreadable. Whatever reason for the Obelisk being here seemed shrouded in the mists of time.
While Nick was examining the Cornices, Ray stayed well outside the circle of the Obelisk, keeping watch. His eyes darted to and fro, expecting....Well, anything. Ray wished the other two would speed it up. He didn’t want to be in this Graveyard a second longer than he had to.
Another stone path led off at a right angle from the Obelisk, eventually stopping at the doorway of a large mausoleum that was about two stories high. The boys headed that way, noting that there weren’t any windows or other openings save for the large heavy oak door, which they could not open. Laurent stepped back a few feet to survey their position. Where they were now standing was almost directly behind the Church. From what he understood, the attack...Or disappearance, rather....Must have happened about here. He looked down, and noticed something.
“Say, what is this ?”, he murmured. He knelt down. Faint traces of whitish powder was scattered on the stone walkway. Laurent extended his hand down and felt it, and was surprised to discover that it had a slick, greasy feel to it, almost like satin....As if it had been exposed to a great heat and then had cooled to it’s present state.
“Found Something !”, Nick called out from among the gravestones along the East wall, where he had been looking. Laurent hurried over to see. Nick was holding a cap. Inside the band were the initials ‘BJ’.
“That’s Bo’s cap !”, Laurent exclaimed.
“Seems they were here”, Nick said.
Suddenly, from where he was standing by the West wall behind the Church, Ray let out a loud moan. “The Voices ! The Voices !”
“What’s he going on about ?”, asked Nick. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Let us go find out”, Laurent said, and the two boys jogged over to where Ray was.
“What’s wrong, Raymond ? Got Ghosts talkin’ to you ?”, Nick grinned.
“No, Listen, just Listen !!”, Ray pleaded.
Laurent motioned for silence. Dimly, almost too low to hear, swelled the sound of voices chanting something. The boys strained their ears to hear. At first, the sounds were unclear, then the volume steadily increased, like turning up a radio.
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi...
“What the Hell...?”, Nick said, puzzled.
“They are having a service”, Laurent said.
“Service ?”, Nick questioned. “How’s that ? There wasn’t anybody there. We checked, remember ?”
“They must have come while we were back here in the Graveyard”, Laurent said.
“Like Bloody Hell they did”, Nick exclaimed, “We woulda heard something !”
“That is the only reasonable explanation”, Laurent maintained. “Since they are surely not Ghosts.”
Near where they were standing, a section of the Iron fencing was missing from the stone wall. Pointing, Nick said, “I say we should go check this out. Let’s go over this wall and see if we can’t get in the Church. Somebody’s bound to know something. People just don’t disappear for no reason. There’s something goin’ on.”
“NOOOO !”, Ray cried. “Don’t Go In There !!!”
“Relax, Ray, it’s just a Church !”, Nick said, exasperated. “No Goonie Monsters, just worshipers in there !”
“Worshipers of what ?”, Ray returned shakily, “Satan ??”
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi...
Laurent laid a comforting hand on Ray’s shoulder. “Hold fast here, I and Nick will go check this, no ? You will be safe from harm here.”
“I’m not so sure about that”, Ray said miserably, still wishing he was back at the Dorm, or anywhere but here.
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi...
Laurent and Nick dropped over the wall, splitting up to circle around both sides of the Church. Laurent noticed the long stained-glass windows set into the side, portraying what looked like a tall, alien-like figure with a sort of blue cross in the center. All the images on the windows were the same. There were no doors.
Nick met him around the front of the Church. “Anything ?”
Laurent shook his head. “Nothing at all.”
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi...
“This must be the only doors, then”, Nick said. “Com’on, let’s try 'em.”
The boys both pushed, and then pulled on the heavy oaken doors with all their might, but they refused to budge. After several minutes of this, they stood back, panting. The chant, louder now, continued to issue from inside, becoming a crescendo.
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi !!!
The chanting suddenly stopped. Both boys looked at each other, wondering what was next. They soon found out, as a fire and brimstone voice began preaching. But this was no Church-like revivalist voice. This was a low, guttural voice straight from the depths of Hell.
“The hour is now come !
The very minute bids thee open thine ear.
Obey and be attentive.
Canst thou remember how is it that this lives in thy mind ?
What seest thou else in the dark backward and abysm of time ?
If thou remember'st aught ere thou camest here,
What foul play had we, that we came from thence ?
Wherefore did they not in that hour destroy us ?”
Both boys were chilled to their bones as they listened to the fiery oration. The words grated on them like rusty knives to the depths of their beings, Images of the most sick and perverted flashed through their minds. Out back behind the Church, Ray, no longer in control of his fear, broke and ran from the Graveyard, his mind bubbling over with insanity from the unspeakable images the demon voice radiated like a cut artery showering blood.
At the hight of the speaker’s fury, the chanting started up again, only different this time.....
goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo.....
A chill wind suddenly blew up, and the darkest of clouds invaded the sun. All at once, Laurent and Nick lost any interest of seeing who might be in the Church. With mutual consent and without saying a word, they broke and ran to the back of the Church, bounding over the wall in one leap. As they approached the Obelisk, they saw strange rays emanating from the capstone downward, imprinting a Pentagram in the circle all around it, the image bleeding red on the stones like the vilest blood from an infected wound.
goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo.....
Veering away from the Obelisk, the boys ran out of the Graveyard, and headed away from the Church. They ran for the Dam, and that’s where they found Ray, propped up on the grating, the water rushing out beneath him.
“You’re Alive !”, he gasped. “Do you believe me now ?”
“Oui”. Laurent said, recovering his breath. “Merde, that place is Evil !”
“I wonder who was in there ?”, Nick asked, shaking his head to clear it.
“I am not going back to find out”, Laurent said, testily, “Are You ?”
Nick shook his head. He had no fear of any opponent that he could beat in a fair match. But this was....Well, he didn’t know WHAT it was. “Not Me.”
“I am thinking”, Laurent began, “That we should only tell of this to Tony, and to no one else. Agreed ?”
“I don’t know if anyone would even believe us”, Nick said, “Except maybe the Bullies.”
“And Bo”, Laurent joked with a shaky laugh. That seemed to break the tension, and the three boys hauled up and headed towards Bullworth Town.
“So, what are you gonna tell Burton ?”, Nick asked Laurent.
“Only the truth”, Laurent replied, “That I could not find Damon. That is all.”
“He’ll probably turn up soon enough”, Nick speculated.
“Maybe so”, admitted Laurent. “This could all be some kind of a trick.”
“Next time you guys want me to show you someplace, make it somewhere fun”, Ray groused.
Nick threw an arm around Ray’s shoulder. “No more Graveyards, that’s a promise.”
“You guys owe me a Burger for this”, Ray continued, “With all the fixings.”
Both Laurent and Nick laughed at that. “First thing tomorrow, after the classes, we will take you to the grand re-opening, yes ?”
“That’ll do”, said Ray, “That’ll do just fine.”
____________________________________
-
Almost as soon as Tony woke up, Laurent and Nick were there, telling him of all that transpired at the Graveyard and Church. After hearing the tale they related, Tony decided to seek out the advice of Jimmy Hopkins, for that and other reasons as well....He wanted to know what Jimmy knew about Mr. Luntz.
Making his way into Jimmy’s secret cave an hour later, Tony found him alone.
“Hey, Jim”, Tony greeted him, “Zoe not here ?”
“No, she’s out scouting out Blue Skies”, Jimmy replied. “Since the Townies are no longer a threat to her, she feels safe in checking out the area now. But here’s the thing.....” Jimmy paused as Tony took a seat. “Now that the Townies are all locked up, seems that Sid and the Punks have sorta taken over their territory.”
Tony was stunned. He had heard about the Punks, of course, but only in passing from comments made by the older students. He had never much perused the matter, because since almost day one at Bullworth, he had been beset with one crises after another. Forgetting for the moment just why he had come to see Jimmy, he asked, “What can you tell me about them ?”
Jimmy stared off, thinking. “Well....There’s Sid...He’s the leader. He’s older than the others, about 30, maybe older. Then there’s the brothers, Denny and Kenny...The others, Frankie, and Sean. That motherfucker Darrell used to be with them too.”
Tony gasped. “The one that...Raped Zoe ?”
“Yeah”, Jimmy said. “From what I hear now, he was cut loose after that. Nobody seems to know what happened to him.”
“That’s just as well, I guess”, Tony said, being glad he didn’t have that problem to deal with.
“Shit, I’d have rather seen the bastard burn in Hell for what he done to Zoe”, Jimmy said, scowling. “But Zoe made a girl outta him with those M-80s, so that’s just as good.”
“I’ve never seen them”, Tony continued, “But I heard about Lance being beaten up last summer.”
“That was right before they left, I think”, Jimmy said. “Around the time that Darrell killed Gary and Edgar.”
“What do they want here ?”, Tony asked. “Why are they back ?”
“Oh, they usually come back every Spring, and stay till Fall”, Jimmy related, “They go somewhere else in the Winter, somewhere warm, I guess, since they don’t exactly rent rooms in the Motel. As to what they want....That’s what Zoe is over there trying to find out. My guess is that they want to rob that stuff in the Warehouse.”
“You don’t mean.....”, Tony began.
“The explosives, yeah”, Jimmy said. “The C-4.”
“But how ?”, Tony asked. “You said the stuff was in heavy crates !”
Jimmy shrugged. “My guess would be....Hijack the train after it’s loaded, stop it somewhere remote, off-load the stuff onto a semi, and disappear. Really not our problem, if that’s the case.”
“Nothing we could do about it”, Tony admitted. “We have our own troubles.”
Jimmy looked up. “How is your progress on the maps, anyway ?”
Tony sighed. “That’s one of the things I need to tell you. The Nerd’s maps didn’t have any grid markers on them. Fatty suggested I ask Mr. Luntz if he knew where I could get those kinda maps...He called them USNG Maps.”
“Hmmm”, Jimmy speculated, “Pete had to get that grid number from somewhere. You think maybe he got it from Luntz ?”
“Well”, Tony mulled, “I do remember Mr. Luntz saying that Pete was a decent kid. But why would he help anyone around here ? He hates everybody.”
“He helped you with that key once, didn’t he ?”, Jimmy observed.
“Yeah”, Tony admitted, “But I don’t know why. What can you tell me about him ?”
“Not much I know”, Jimmy said. “Ain’t nobody knows much about him. I usta see him over at Bullworth Town every once in a while. He has a place somewhere, cause he’s got a car. A lotta times, he bunks in the school basement though. He’s chased me down there.”
Tony nodded, thinking of how he had bushwhacked Mr. Luntz in the basement while he was looking for potatoes to use in the Spud Gun. He regretted doing that, now....But at least Mr. Luntz never knew who attacked him there, otherwise he would never have helped Tony out in order to salvage Pete’s reputation.
“But”, Jimmy continued, “That dude knows things. He must hear everything that goes on around here.”
Tony considered that. It seemed entirely possible, now that he really thought about it. Mr. Luntz was a man that most people would pay absolutely no attention to. He said, “Karen thinks it would be a good idea if we....Her and I....Went to him and asked him about the maps.”
Jimmy raised an eyebrow. “And she thinks that....Why ?”
“Karen said he might be more willing to help if a girl asked”, Tony replied.
“Hmmm”, Jimmy chuckled. “Smart girl. She told me once that she would ‘Totally would hang out’ with me.”
“Yeah ?”, Tony asked, “So why didn’t you ?”
“Ahhh”, Jimmy said, “I was into Zoe by then. Besides, all those girls wanted to make out with me there, even Mandy.”
“The Ice Princess ?”, Tony said, somewhat shocked. “How’d that happen ?”
“Ted broke up with her cause of them pictures”, Jimmy said, neglecting to say that he was the one who took them. “Ernest plastered them up about the school and Bullworth Town, and I spray painted them over. The damage to her Rep was already done, but she wanted to thank me anyway. So, I let her, once.”
Tony shook his head. “Anyway, she’s back with Ted now. She hardly leaves his side at the clinic.”
“How’s he doing, anyway ?”, Jimmy asked. “And Constantinos ?”
“They should be out in another week”, Tony said. “The pellets didn’t go in that deep. Constantinos is all bummed out.”
“Naturally”, Jimmy said, “That’s his nature. So, what are you gonna do about Luntz ?”
“We’re gonna talk to him tomorrow, after class”, Tony said. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“We need that file back”, Jimmy said. “It might be my ticket outta here.”
“Jimmy, do you know what all’s in that file ?”, Tony asked.
“Not all”, Jimmy admitted, “I didn’t have enough time to go through it all before I gave it to Pete. But what I did see was Dynamite. It the right hands, it could bring Harrington and the whole rotten business down.”
Tony rose to go. “Oh, one other thing....Damon seems to have disappeared. Literally.” Quickly, he told of the events of last night and today as Laurent and Nick had related them to him. “What do you think ?”
“That place was always weird”, Jimmy said, “I beat up a kid over there once, and this cold wind started blowing through the Graveyard all of a sudden. I got the hell out of there, quick. I think there’s some kind of.....Spirit.....there that don’t take to people fighting on it’s turf.”
“What about the Church ?”, Tony persisted. “Ever hear strange stuff coming from there ? Voices ?”
“When I had the paper route, I’d hear strange stuff coming outta there a lot. Chants, speeches...", Jimmy reflected, “It’s an eerie place, all right.”
“Could it be some kind of Cult ?”, Tony asked.
“The weird fucks that live in this valley ?”, Jimmy smirked, “It could be anything. I’m sure Damon will show up, somewhere....But until then, there’s nothing that can be done, really....Unless you and your boys wanna try to get into that Church....Or Mausoleum.”
Tony grinned. “Not Me. I got enough problems already.”
“Spoken like a true sage”, laughed Jimmy. “Good luck, Tony.”
“Thanks”, Tony said, heading for the exit from the cave.
“Oh, Say”, Jimmy said, and Tony held up, “Be careful around the Punks. Those dudes carry real weapons....Guns. And they’re not afraid to use them.”
_____________________________________________
-
Posted by MikeW June 23, 2011
The students shuffled through the halls as the bell rang for classes to end in the afternoon. Mr. Luntz was rocking back on his heels as he waited for a customer to approach the school store. This part of his job wasn't much fun. Students rarely visited the store as they often wore the same type of clothes day after day. Davis was standing with Wade outside the windows of the School Store, smug looks on their faces.
Ray Hughes passed by and as he did, nodded his head at the Bullies and greeted them with "Good day gentlemen." Ray knew what the Bullies were up to and didn't want to disrespect them in fear of retaliation.
Wade suddenly reached out and grabbed a hold of Ray. "Hey there buddy, you wanna buy somethin' ?"
Ray shuddered and responded "Umm...uh...no, no, that's okay...I'm all set !" Ray didn't want to be any part of the sales the Bullies were trying to make. Davis laughed as Ray got loose from Wade and waddled away as fast as he could. He had a date with a burger to keep.
Luis Luna, standing nearby, wanted something, unlike Ray. "Hey, I'll, uh, take your best powdered doughnuts", he whispered. Davis looked both ways and handed a bag to Luis in exchange for a wad of bills.
Mr. Luntz saw the whole thing go down and said sternly "Hey There ! That is Not Allowed !"
Wade whipped around and stared at the janitor through the glass. "Oh yeah, you gonna do something 'bout it, tough guy ?"
"I'll tell Crabblesnitch about this !", threatened Mr. Luntz.
Davis suddenly spoke up. "How 'bout we tell Crabblesnitch all about you breakin' in to his office last year ?"
Mr. Luntz's eyes quickly sunk into his head. How the hell did they know about that ? "You know nothing of what you speak of !!!", shouted the Janitor. The Bullies just laughed and walked away, leaving a sweating Luntz behind them.
When the Bullies returned to their other friends, Wade told Trent all about what went down by the School Store. Trent was horrified. "You sold crack in front of the JANITOR !?", he said in disbelief. "Great, now what ?"
Davis then told Trent all about the blackmail he had on Mr. Luntz. The year before, Mr. Luntz had been seen by Melody breaking into Dr. Crabblesnitch's Office after school hours. She had gone into the school after hours to retrieve some Chem Lab notes in Dr. Watts' room, but had first gone to the Main Office to get permission. Instead she had snuck out of the office, alarmed by what she had seen, and in leaving school by the Patio Door had run smack into Davis, who began to bully her. Blurting out that the Janitor was breaking into the Head's Office as a means of distraction, she skittered away. Davis had then snuck into the school himself, going to the Main Office and hiding behind the counter. Just in the nick of time, as it turned out, as he saw Mr. Luntz emerge from Dr. Crabblesnitch's office, carrying a stack of files.
"This is exactly what we need", said Trent. "Leave it to me, I'll make sure that dickweed keeps his mouth shut."
Trent found a brick laying on the ground by the Autoshop. He picked it up along with a nearby piece of paper and began to scribble a message on it before taping it to the brick. Trent made his way into the school on the first floor by the bathroom. Brick in hand, he opened a locker by the school store. Hiding behind the locker door, Trent took careful aim and threw the brick at the school store's window. As the brick crashed through the glass, Trent climbed in the locker and shut the door. The brick sent glass shards everywhere, and collided with the Janitor’s head.
"Ack ! That was underhanded !", Mr. Luntz moaned, as he stooped down to pick up the brick. Mr. Luntz noticed the paper and began to read what Trent had scribbled on it.
WE KNOW WHAT YOUR SECRET IS....COME TO THE OBSERVATORY AT 7:00....OR ELSE !!
Mr.Luntz shuddered. He knew that whoever wrote this note would squeal on him, just to keep him from ratting the Bullies out for obviously selling drugs right in the school....And he couldn't afford that, not now, not when he was so close to getting out of this hellhole for good.
The hell of it was, is that the files he took that evening didn't contain The File that he was looking for. Much, much later, he had found out that Jimmy Hopkins had already stolen that one.
________________________________
-
Tony and Karen waited until almost 6 PM before re-entering the school. There had been just too many kids hanging around the halls to approach Mr.Luntz with their request after classes. When they entered the great Hall, they saw with relief that it was empty, and headed the short distance to the School Store.
As they approached the windows, they saw that one was broken. Mr. Luntz was inside, sweeping up glass and cussing.
“Maybe this isn’t a good time”, Tony whispered.
“Go on”, Karen hissed back, “No time is ever a good time for Mr. Luntz.”
Tony went closer to the broken window. “Uh....Mr. Luntz ?”
“Beat It, Kid. I’m Busy !”, Mr. Luntz said, without looking up.
Karen elbowed Tony. “Er...This is kinda Important.....”
Mr. Luntz rose, a dustpan full of broken glass in one hand. “I said Scram, I ain’t got no time for you kids right now.”
Karen pushed forward. “Please, Mr. Luntz”, she said sweetly, batting her eyes, “We just want to ask you how to find something. You can help us, can’t you ? Pretty Please ?”
Mr. Luntz stood stock still, eyes locked on Karen’s youthful figure. Finally, he said gruffly, “Whadda Want ?”
“We’re trying to find a USNG Map of the area.....”, Tony began.
The effect on Mr. Luntz was immediate. Slamming the dustpan down on the counter, he barked. “Get In Here, Now !!!”
Stunned, Tony and Karen went around to the access door to the right while Mr. Luntz pulled down the overhead metal rollers for each window and locked them down. Flinging open the access door, he motioned them inside while looking both ways in the hallway to make sure nobody was around. Once they were inside, he slammed and locked the access door and pointed them to a couple of stock boxes sitting on the floor. “Sit !”, he commanded.
Tony and Karen sat. Mr. Luntz leaned his butt on the counter. “Alright, whadda need with them maps ?”, he said, eyes narrowing. “Whadda know ? Spill !!”
“Ummm....”, Tony stalled. He glanced at Karen.
“Go ahead !”, she whispered. “Tell him !”
Tony looked back at Mr. Luntz. “Uh...We need to locate a coordinate....To find something....Something that Pete hid.”
A small trace of a smile played around Mr. Luntz’s lips. “I knew it !”, he said, more to himself than the two youngsters sitting before him.
“It’s kind of....Important, Sir”, Tony said, falteringly.
“It’s one of them files, ain’t it ?”, Mr. Luntz said, starting to pace about the small narrow room. “Fact is, it’s THE File, ain’t that right ?”
“What...Er....File would that be...Sir ?”, Tony asked Hesitatingly.
Mr. Luntz halted in front of Tony. “No more games, kid.” He bent level and his gaze bored ito Tony’s eyes. “The File....The same file the Hopkins kid had, the reason he was arrested on them trumped-up charges, why they was holding him all that time, banging on him, trying to get him to crack, tell them what he done with it....”
Mr. Luntz straightened up and resumed his pacing. “But he didn’t crack, he never told them, never let on.....He gave it to Kowalski, that’s what happened, and that boy stashed it somewhere...”
“How....How could you know that stuff ?”, Tony asked nervously.
“I know lots of things, Kid”, Mr. Luntz replied. “I been around here a long time.”
Abruptly, he turned and went to a small door set in the East side of the small room. Unlocking it, he disappeared into what Tony thought was a storage room. In less than a minute, he re-appeared, holding something. He walked over and thrust it into Tony’s hands.
Tony examined the object. It was in the form of a manual, like thousands of government and military books. The cover was tan-colored, with only these words imprinted on it....
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
UNITED STATES NATIONAL GRID MAPS
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
DISTRICT 13
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
U.S. Government Printing Office 2000
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
“Your little buddy Pete came and asked me for this same thing last summer”, Mr. Luntz said. “It all fits now. He had that file, and he used this to stash it.”
“What...Makes you think it was a file he hid ?”, Tony said, unconvincingly.
“Don’t be dense, kid”, Mr. Luntz said. “Them Keystone Cops were in here tearing up everything right before school started, looking for it. Boy, was they pissed when they couldn’t find it.” He bent low once again, his breath with a trace of whiskey blowing on Tony’s upturned face. “You got any idea of what’s in that file, boy ?”
Tony gulped. “I...Was told it was dangerous information......”
“Dangerous enough to bring this whole stinking pile of corruption down around their heads”, Mr. Luntz said smugly, and uttered a short laugh. “Break the backs of all them rich Motherfuckers from Harrington down to Crabblesnitch.”
Tony and Karen watched as Mr. Luntz began pacing again, not knowing what to say. When he turned to address them again, he said, “You take that book, but I want it back when you’re done with it, understand ? Get those co-ordinates and find what Kowalski hid, then hang onto it until the time is right.”
“But...When will that be ?”, Karen asked, her large eyes begging the question.
“A few more weeks”, Mr. Luntz said. “Just a few more weeks....That information has to be gotten to the right hands. All the Tin Soldiers will fall then, every last stinking one.”
A silence spun out as Tony and Karen realized there was something more, something very wrong and dangerous about Mr. Luntz....Something that they could not even name, only guess at. All at once, Mr. Luntz strode to the access door, unlocked it and eased it open, searching the hallway.
“Go. Get Out.” he said, opening the door and turning to them. “There’s something I gotta take care of”, he said distastefully. “Beat It.”
Tony and Karen crowded the door, eager to leave. Mr. Luntz called Tony to a halt. “Calderone”, he said. Tony turned in the doorway.
“Your buddy Kowalski was a good kid”, Mr. Luntz said. “Don’t let him down. Watch your ass.”
Tony nodded, and he and Karen quickly left the School Store unseen.
_____________________________________________
-
Tony and Karen retired to the Mediator’s Office after leaving the School Store. Tony was eager to find just where on the map ‘Grid 67‘ was. He opened the book to the first page for instructions.....
“The USNG is an alpha-numeric reference system that overlays the UTM coordinate system. A USNG spatial address is broken down into three parts --- “
Grid Zone Designation; for a world-wide unique address.
100,000-meter Square Identification; for regional areas.
Grid Coordinates; for local areas.
“Based on the military principle for reading maps (RIGHT and UP), locations on the map can be determined by grid coordinates. The number of digits represents the degree of precision to which a point has been located and measured on a map— the more digits the more precise the measurement.”
“What does that mean, Tony ?”, Karen asked quizzically. “We only have two digits !”
Tony shrugged and continued reading......
“Grid coordinates are used to define a particular place within a local area (within a 1000 X 1000 meter area). Coordinates are written along the sides of a map designating specific grid lines. The two larger numbers identify a grid line and are known as principal digits.”
“Well, there’s the large numbers”, Tony mused, “That must be the ‘67‘.” He indicated a chart.
2 digits - locates a point with a precision of 10,000-meters.
4 digits - locates a point with a precision of 1,000-meters.
6 digits - locates a point with a precision of 100-meters.
8 digits - locates a point with a precision of 10-meters.
10 digits- locates a point with a precision of 1-meter.
Tony groaned. “We only have a two-digit number. Shit !”
“Let’s try the map”, Karen said, “And see what it looks like.”
Tony flipped through the book. It contained about 40 pages of maps. Finally, he found what he was looking for, a large overview map of the Vale Valley area. A third of the map showed Narragansett Bay that led out to the Atlantic Ocean to the East. Tony spotted what seemed to be the peninsula where Bullworth Academy was located. Close off to the left side was a small Island that was certainly Pirate Island, from the images that Tony had seen on the Nerd’s maps. There were 8 dark grid lines bisecting the page, four running both North to South and four running East to West, forming large squares. There were also lighter colored lines, 10 to a square both up to down and side to side, forming smaller squares within the darker larger ones. On the Left margin and also at the bottom of the page were two-digit numbers attached to each dark line. Tony flipped back to the front of the book and read.....
“Determine grids without a coordinate scale by referring to the north-south grid lines numbered at the bottom margin of any map. Then read RIGHT to the north-south grid line that precedes the desired point (this first set of two digits is the RIGHT reading). Then by referring to the east-west grid lines numbered at either side of the map, move UP to the east-west grid line that precedes the desired point (these two digits are the UP reading).”
Tony went back to the map. He could see the numbers 22, 23, 24, 25 attached to the darker lines at the bottom of the page, and the numbers 66, 67, 68, 69 attached to the darker lines at the side of the page. Tracing line 67, he saw that it bisected Pirate Island West to East, neatly cutting it in half. None of the North-South lines came anywhere near the Island, as it was lying between grid lines 23 and 24.
“Look Tony, this line goes right through the Island”, Karen said.
“But what’s that supposed to mean ?”, Tony asked. “Which side of the Island ?”
“What you read here”, Karen flipped back to the front of the book, “Was...Read Left to Right, then Up.” Turning back to the map, she traced it out with her finger. “That means to the North of the dark line would be Grid 67.”
”That leaves the whole North side of the Island”, Tony said. “I don’t have any other digits to narrow it down.”
“Pete didn’t tell you any more ?”, Karen said, a puzzled look on her face.
“All he said was, Pirate Island, and Grid 67“, Tony said. “Maybe he just couldn’t get out any more words. He was pretty messed up.”
“Or....”, Karen said, her face screwed up in thought, “Maybe....There wasn’t anymore. Tony, what if he buried the file somewhere ALONG that line ?”
Tony was thunderstruck. Could that have been possible ? As the though sunk in, it seemed more and more likely that’s what Pete would have done, since he had borrowed this same exact book from Mr. Luntz that lay in front of Tony.
“Karen, you’re a genius !”, exclaimed Tony, reaching over and embracing her in his arms. “That’s got to be it !”, he beamed. “Pretty, and Smart !”
“I have to be”, Karen said, snuggling closer, “I go to Bullworth Academy, after all.” She reached up under Tony’s shirt and began playing her fingers on his chest. “I’ll take my payment now, in kisses.”
Tony obliged her as they locked lips in a deep sensuous kiss. Fire bloomed in their bellies as the flames of passion sparked hot and heavy. They slid to the floor and in no time at all forgot for the moment about Files, Maps, and Grids.
___________________________________
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Posted by MikeW June 29, 2011
"God Damn punks", grumbled Mr. Luntz as he casually walked between the gym and the pool, on his way to meet ‘someone’ by the Observatory. Mr. Luntz had no problem meeting ‘strangers’ here, he figured he was the most dangerous thing anyone would see on this campus. The janitor made his way down the steps to the football field. The Jocks were running about, practicing drills and working out. It was evening, the sky had turned a golden orange as the sun began to set. It was almost 7:00 and Mr. Luntz was not going to be late....Not that he cared if he was, but he just wanted to get this silly crap over with so he could go and have fun with some of his adult magazines, as it was ‘date night’ for Mr. Luntz. He turned the corner and passed under and apple tree before the entrance to the observatory yard. At that moment, a large apple came loose from it's branch and clocked him on the head.
"Ah ! Someone attacking kind Mr. Luntz ?", he said sarcastically. He then looked down to discover it had only been an apple. Realizing his own stupidity, he carried on, grumbling to himself yet again. Once he was in front of the large outer yard, he found no one to be there. Peering through the Observatory gates, he saw nothing. Likewise, the platform overhead containing the Spud Cannon was also deserted.
"Those little pesky snots !", he muttered to himself, as he turned and prepared to give up. Just then, Mr. Luntz noticed someone at the path leading to the archway that in turn led to the boulder-strewn fields to the East of the Academy. The person proceeded to bend over and moon Mr. Luntz before picking up his pants and running down the path.
"You Little Bastard !!!", the janitor shouted. Mr. Luntz ran headlong through the arch in pursuit.
After running for a while, Mr. Luntz stopped in a remote clearing. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed the mooner who happened to be Davis....Although this time he was not alone. Davis was surrounded by Russell and the gang, who had apparently gotten over their Graveyard fiasco and decided they could still be macho on more familiar territory.
"So Dickhead, you think you're tough huh ?", said Davis. "We don't take kindly to pussies like you risking our operations !"
Mr. Luntz got a big grin on his face. He was prepared for ambushes like these and always came prepared. Mr. Luntz ran at Davis and puched him in the face, blood spattering everywhere. The crazed janitor then pulled out a knife and prepared to stab the knocked-down boy.
"Get Him !! Attack !!!", shouted Ethan. The Bullies charged Mr. Luntz and began beating him. The knife dropped to the ground in the scuffle. Russell rained down blows on the out-numbered foe. Before long, Russell's pea-sized brain registered the fact that he was carrying a weapon of his own. The big lunk pulled out a lead pipe from his big blue jeans and began striking Mr. Luntz with it. The other boys backed down as soon as they realized Russell could handle this on his own. The boys cheered and jeered as they egged on the beating.
"Break His Leg !", shouted Trent. Russell, who was still limping as a result of the Pellet in the knee, grinned a wide grin as he took the suggestion. With one big swing, he buired the pipe into the knee of the janitor. Mr. Luntz collapsed to the ground, suffering from extreme pain.
"Ahhh, my knee !", he moaned before passing out. Davis ordered the others to drag their victim behind a tree so that he would not be found.
"Hey, look at this !", exclaimed Trent, as he picked up the knife that was dropped in the fight. He cradled it in his hands before pocketing it. As Mr. Luntz was dragged behind the nearest tree, something large and shiny fell out of his pocket.
"Ooh! I found a shiny thing !", said Troy. The boys crowded around to see and determined it was some sort of large gun.
"Gimme that !", demanded Trent, grabbing it away. He thought it would go nicely with his knife.
"No! Trent Let Troy Have Gun To Hold !" commanded Russell "You Already Have Weapon !" Trent reluctantly handed the large gun to Troy, and then stomped away.
"Holy Shit, man ! That's a Desert Eagle !", exclaimed Wade. "That's like, wicked wild, man !"
The Bullies walked away from the scene of the crime, excited to have a couple new toys to play with. They made their way back to the football field along the trail, leaving the unconscious body of the janitor behind. By the time he woke up in the morning, the Bullies would have had plenty of time to set up an alibi.
______________________________
-
The sounds of birds chirping in the trees greeted Mr. Luntz as he groggily came to. At first disoriented as to just where he was, the flooding pain soon reminded him of the events of the previous evening. His head was pounding and his knee was on fire.
Little Fucking Bastards, thought Mr. Luntz through stabs of pain. Trying to get up, he discovered he couldn’t...He wouldn’t be able to walk. Slowly and painfully, he began to drag himself along.
An hour later, he reached the entrance between the Observatory Yard and the Football Field. His pants were dirty and torn from being dragged along, and the rest of his clothes were sweaty with his efforts. As he pulled himself along the brick walkway, he saw the apple that had bopped him in the head was still lying where it fell. Suddenly hungry, he snatched it up and ate it.
While on his crawling journey, he discovered his weapons were missing. This did not surprise him, as he expected nothing less than to be robbed by those maladjusted freaks of nature. Nor did it concern him that they were now in possession of his firearm, since the gun itself was unloaded. The dumb shits had neglected to search his pockets for the bullets, which he still carried. What really burned his ass was that he fell for the sneak attack in the first place. He should have known better than to let those moral rejects trick him like that.
As he rested, he contemplated his position. He couldn’t afford to make waves, not at this stage, when he was so close to blowing off this place for good. Stupid as they were, most of the rif-raff here at the school only showed intelligence when it came to getting away with their foul deeds. It would do him absolutely no good to turn them in, and might expose himself to unwanted accusations. It was best, he decided....No, Critical....That he maintain his low profile. But, there were other ways to make those scum pay for their blatant attack on him....And they wouldn’t even see it coming.
Mr. Luntz knew that the Townies had been the Bullies main drug suppliers. Now that the Townies were locked up, he also knew that the Bullies would soon run out of drugs to sell. He cracked a painful smile as he saw how he could wreck them at this school for good....And they would never know what hit them.
The School Basement was Mr. Luntz’s kingdom. Stored in it’s many rooms on dusty shelves in boxes were various forgotten items from years past, including things confiscated from students. One of those confiscated items were drugs. The present-day Bullies weren’t the first ones to run drugs in this school, and wouldn’t be the last, Mr. Luntz reckoned. There were plenty of drugs squirreled away here and there, hidden away in places that only Mr. Luntz knew about. Most were scrip meds, drugs that kids swiped out of their parent’s medicine chest at home and brought to school and got caught with. But there were some more dangerous ones there, too.....Uppers, Downers, Coke, Crack, and....Hallucinations. Drugs that would allow the user to take a trip and never leave the farm. Mr. Luntz knew the location of both pill and powder forms.
Packaged up in powder form and cut with other drugs, they would be indistinguishable from the Nickel and Dime bags the Bullies were selling. It would be a very easy thing to leave them unseen on the beds or in the rooms of the Bullies. Mr. Luntz was, after all, practically a ghost at the school and elsewhere, unnoticed by most all of the people he came in contact with. Stupid as they were, the Bullies would assume that the Townies were still suppling them from Jail. A few bad trips from the kids they sold them to would result in those Cliques out for blood. And, as the sellers, the Bullies would be the prime targets for restitution. It was perfect.
As he was laying there, gathering his thoughts of vengeance, some activity began to start on the field. A few runners came out and started jogging around without seeing him. Mr. Luntz then spotted Seth the Prefect, who had come down the steps and was keeping watch for troublemakers. Summoning his strength, he raised an arm and called out to Seth for help. The Prefect came on the run.
“LAWBREAKERS !! SCUM !!”, Seth was yelling while approaching, thinking Mr. Luntz’s raised waving arm meant he had captured someone. He came to a halt when he realized that there was no squirming student in Mr. Luntz’s grasp. It took a few seconds for Seth to even remember just who Mr. Luntz was. He finally identified him as ‘Janitor So-And-So’ in his mind and barked, “Do You Need Assistance ?”
“Obviously, Yes”, Mr. Luntz remarked through clenched teeth.
“Have you been attacked ?”, Seth continued, “Are you Injured ?”
Not the brightest bulb in the socket, Mr. Luntz thought. “Yes, and Yes. I need a transport to the clinic. I can’t walk.”
“Did you see who did this to you ?”, Seth demanded.
“Naw”, Mr. Luntz lied. “It was....Too dark to tell.”
Seth nodded and touched a Bluetooth-looking device in his ear. “Code 12, Code 12....Emergency Transport.” He seemed to listen and again nodded his head. “Help is on the way, Sir.”
Mr. Luntz pointed at the device in Seth’s ear. “Them things new ?”, he asked.
“Why, Yes”, Seth said proudly, “A gift from Mr. Spencer himself. Just got them yesterday. These are going to allow us to swarm far faster than before.”
As if to verify his claim, the other Prefects appeared within seconds, Karl toting a wheelchair. Edward and Max picked up Mr. Luntz and loaded him into it, and then it was off to the School Clinic, with Seth clearing the way. As they wheeled him along, Mr. Luntz contemplated his upcoming role as the Bullies' new invisible drug supplier.
_____________________________________
-
“Seein’ anything Boss ?”, Benny asked coming in the upstairs room with Tibo.
Kurt sat perched at the window, looking through binoculars at the Harrington residence. Without breaking eye contact, he muttered, “Nothing yet. Those two fucks haven’t been outside the walls since that Limo brought ‘em back.”
“Seen the rest of them ?”, Tibo asked, taking a seat on the bed.
Kurt briefly swiveled the binoculars in the other direction. “They’re hanging out in front of the Spencer place right now. Looks like the shit we heard on Benny’s radio is true. They split the ranks again.”
“Got to tell you, I feel a little nervous being between them”, Benny commented.
“I wouldn’t worry”, Kurt said, still staring intently through the binoculars. “Tad’s group won’t do nothing. They’re outnumbered, and they know it. Besides, ain’t they all like, aulteristic now, giving all that spiffy new shit to the Cliques ?”
“Well, maybe so”, Benny said uneasily, “But...Still....”
“But Derby and his little lapdog, them’s the ones that’s gonna want revenge”, Kurt continued.
“Two of them against all of us ?”, scoffed Tibo, “Even he’s not that crazy.”
“No”, Kurt said, “That’s why they will have to bushwack us, try to sneak in, maybe. They haven’t been goin’ to class, so it would have to be here.....We should double up on the guard around the place here....On in front and one in back.....” He broke off as a car, moving slowly up the street, stopped in front of Harrington’s House, then pulled up to the closed gate. A man got out and went up to the gate, then bent low, appearing to speak into a box mounted on the side.
Tibo went to the window. “What’choo seeing Boss ?”
“Somebody just pulled up there”, Kurt murmured. “Some old guy, looks like....”
“Who is it ?”, Benny asked, a frown creasing his face.
“Donno”, Kurt said. “I never seen him before.” He watched as the gate suddenly swung open, and the man returned to his car and drove in. The gate swung shut behind him. “Wish we had one of them ‘bug radios’ in that place like in the ones in the school.”
“BOYS ! Time For Dinner !”, Pinky hollered up from downstairs.
Tibo and Benny made towards the door. “You coming, Kurt ?”, Tibo asked.
“Tell her I’ll be down later”, Kurt said. “I’m kinda busy here.”
Tibo shook his head, but told Pinky what Kurt had said when they went downstairs. As Tibo had figured, Pinky didn’t like it. She was getting a bit weary of Kurt’s obsessions and his aloofness. Maybe, she felt, she should try to approach Tony again....This time, without Karen anywhere around though.
________________________________
-
Derby opened the door. “Come in, Come in, we’ve been expecting you.”
The man crossed the threshold. “Right this way”, Derby said, and began walking towards the living room without looking back. After a bit, the man followed.
Derby indicated a spot on an empty chair, and the man sat, looking around. There was only one other person in the large room, and that was Bif, who was seated on the couch, regarding the stranger owlishly. Derby assumed a spot standing by the huge fireplace.
“Where’s your father, Boy ?”, the man said, thinking that Derby’s father was about to join them.
Derby regarded the man speculatively. “He’s not here. I’m the one who has summoned you here.”
The man blinked, then narrowed his eyes. “Say, what is this ?”, he said harshly, “I don’t work with kids !” He rose as if to leave.
“Sit Down !!”, Derby barked. “Your business is with ME this time, not my father.”
“I don’t deal with pups, Bucco”, the man said, began walking back towards the front door.
“Gary Smith and Jake Brown”, Derby called after him. The man stopped dead in his tracks, and slowly turned.
“What...Did you say ?”, the man asked, his face beginning to turn a whiter shade of pale.
“Oh, you know perfectly well, old man”, Derby sneered. “Cousins, I belive both those boys are, now isn’t that right ?”
“Gary....Is Dead”, the man said heavily. He suddenly looked as if he were going to vomit.
“So he is !”, Derby said cheerfully. “And a fine ending it was for him, just a tombstone in the graveyard now. What a fine productive life he had, taking over the school and all that, for what....Five Minutes ? A true Bullworth Hero, that boy was. And such a fine way for him to go out in a blaze of glory, getting his brains bashed in and all. Such a sterling boy, he was....A real go-getter.”
“You...Can’t talk about him....Like that...”, the man said falteringly.
“Oh, that’s right !”, Derby exclaimed, “Shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, and all that rot. Everything’s forgiven when someone is DEAD, isn’t that so ?”
Derby good-cheer face suddenly turned into a scowl. “Then let’s talk about his no-good cousin, down from the wrong side of the tracks, shall we ?” Derby left his place leaning against the mantle and advanced on the man. “Let’s talk about JAKE, instead. Let’s talk about all the Damage that little pisser peon caused by planting bombs around Bullworth, all the Damage my family had to PAY FOR to fix. Let’s talk of all the suffering and fighting that took place due to that sneaky little bastard. Let’s discuss how those Throwback Boys were the Devil Spawn of the spawn of Your Own Loins, shall we ?”
The man’s shoulders slumped. The tropical shirt he wore, his favorite choice of dress in the days since his retirement from his business empire, looked wilted and so out of date, much like himself. “Who else knows of this ?”, he asked, almost inaudibly.
“Not many, I’m sure”, replied Derby smoothly. “Most don’t have the information to put it all together. And I’m sure you would like to keep it that way, isn’t that right ?”
The man slowly nodded, all his bluster gone. Although a large man, he looked somehow deflated and very old. “What do you want me to do ?”
Derby indicated the chair the man had vacated. “Have a seat, Mister Smith, and I’ll tell you what I have in mind.”
Mr. Smith sat. Derby resumed his place at the hearth and outlined what he wanted to have done. A look of dismay came over the old man’s face.
“I can’t do that !”, Mr. Smith exclaimed. “Why that’s....That’s....Illegal !!”
“Mr. Smith”, Derby said, somewhat sternly, “You owe us....You owe my family. Need I remind you of that salient fact ?”
“But...”, Mr. Smith blurted, “But...This is just Outrageous !!”
“No, Mr. Smith”, Derby shot back, “I’ll tell you what is Outrageous. What’s Outrageous is that this Peon has beaten two of us nearly to death. What’s Outrageous is that this SCUM kidnaped a young lady and held her hostage. What’s Outrageous is that he has somehow brainwashed that same girl into living with him and his trashy friends. What’s Outrageous is that he and his brainless buddies are living down the street in a repossessed manor house and being subsidized by the head of the Academy !” Derby leaned in closer. “In OUR part of town, these PAUPERS are being allowed to live, to thumb their snotty noses in OUR FACE !! We can NOT allow this to continue !! He must be dealt with !!”
Derby circled the floor while Mr. Smith absorbed this information. Bif, who had not said a word up to this point, spoke now in a soothing voice. “We could really use your help in this matter, Sir.”
Derby approached Mr. Smith. “And...Needless to say....Some of your debt to my family will be...Shall we say....Forgiven ?”
Mr. Smith sighed heavily and nodded. “It will be done. I’ll arrange it.”
Derby’s lip curled up in a sarcastic smile. “Good. When you have it done, contact me...And me only, not my father, understood ?”
Mr. Smith nodded and stood, not wanting to tarry. He always had the feeling of something nasty every time he had to deal with the Harringtons.....And now, he had to do a slimy deal for the son. He had roots in the Vale Valley, but was beginning to think that his retirement would be better lived somewhere else. Somewhere far away.
As Mr. Smith shuffled to the door, Derby said, “Bif, open the gate so our guest can leave, would you old chap ?”
Bif complied. After Mr. Smith was gone, Bif remarked, “That was really something. You were truly on form there !”
“Of course I was”, Derby sniffed, “I’m a Harrington, after all. And once I deal with this pig Kurt, I am going to put Tad Spencer in his place. Soon, my friend, we are going to be back in our rightful place in Harrington House.”
___________________________________
-
There was a knock on the door to Tony and Nick’s shared room that evening. Opening the door, Nick saw Ray standing nervously in the hall, casting looks around.
“Say-Hey, Ray !”, Nick boomed, then cracked up at his own stupid rhyming joke. “What’s shakin’?”
“Umm....I need to talk to Tony”, Ray said in a voice barely above a whisper.
“That Ray ? Let him in !”, Tony called.
Nick stood aside, and Ray, still jumpy, entered. He insisted that Nick close the door.
“Uh...Tony, I need to tell you something”, Ray said, looking about.
“Why sure, Ray”, Tony said, swiveling about in the chair he was sitting in. “You know you can always tell me anything.”
Ray eyes jumped towards Nick. “I’m not snitchin’ or anything, just tellin’ what I saw....That’s not bein’ a snitch, is it ?”
Tony frowned. “Of course not, Ray. And, any information you might tell us is confidential, you know that...Right ?”
“Um...Yeah...I guess”, Ray said, still looking like he was going to jump out of his skin.
“Anybody see you come in here ?”, Nick asked suddenly.
“Uh...No...I don’t think so....”, Ray said, “I mean...Nobody in the hall, that is....Think they’re in the Parking Lot....”
“Who’s in the Parking Lot ?”, Tony asked, although he pretty much knew who Ray meant.
“Er....The B-B-Bullies”, Ray said, with a bit of a stutter.
Nick had seen the scared side of Ray, at the Graveyard...But this was somehow different. Not afraid of Spirits this time....Instead, fear of an ass-whipping. “Look, Ray, whatever you tell us don’t go beyond this room. We never heard anything from you, got it ?”
“Yeah, Ray, It’s alright....Spill it”, Tony chimed in. “We protect our sources.”
Ray took a couple of deep breaths, and then suddenly blurted, “The Bullies are selling drugs on campus again....In The School !!”
This was indeed disturbing news. “Where did you see this happen at ?”, Tony asked.
“It was by the School Store, that’s where, it was Davis and Wade, that’s who, Wade grabbed me and wanted me to buy some, but I don’t do that stuff, no sir, so I got away.....” Ray said all of this in a rush, as if it were a hot potato he couldn’t wait to get rid of. Tony got him to slow down, and Ray gave a few other details, including that it looked like they were selling to Luis as he was hurrying away, and that the whole transaction was taking place presumably in the sight of Mr. Luntz, the Janitor.
When Ray had told all he could, he excused himself from the room, first cracking open the door and looking both ways down the hall to make sure nobody spotted him leaving. After he was gone, Tony and Nick sat looking at each other.
“Can you believe that”, Tony said, shaking his head. “What’s wrong with those dumbasses ?”
“Didn’t I just beat Russell to get them to stop doing that shit ?”, Nick asked to nobody in particular. “These assholes ought to be in a special school for Idiots.”
Tony got up suddenly. “I got an Idea. Meet me over at the Parking Lot in a half an hour, OK ?”
“Alright”, Nick said, mystified. “But....Where you going ?”
“Going down to the Football Field”, Tony said, heading for the door. “Gotta see Laurent.”
__________________________________
-
Nick was at the Parking Lot a half hour later, watching the perpetual evening action between the Bullies and the other students who wandered through the area, particularly the Greasers, whose Autoshop area butted up along the South side of the lot. In a normal evening, there was trash talk, threats, intimidation, and a few scuffles....And occasionally a fight or even a rumble. It was no different this particular time, the Bullies were hassling the smaller kids and exchanging the usual taunts with the others. Nick stood against the wall for what seemed like five minutes, until he spotted Tony trotting up to join him.
“Some half-hour”, Nick observed.
“Would be faster....If I could ever....Learn to ride that damn....Skateboard”, Tony huffed.
“Just have to apply yourself”, Nick commented, smiling at Tony’s out of breath condition. “So, where’s Laurent ?”
“They’re coming”, Tony said, getting control of his breathing. “Com’on, let’s do this !”
“They ?”, Nick asked, “They who ?” But Tony was already heading over towards the Bullies.
“RUSSELL !!”, Tony said as Nick caught up, “We Need To Talk To You !”
“What You Want With Russell ?”, the big boy said as he turned to face the pair.
“Listen, we had a deal, Russell”, Tony went on. “No pedaling DRUGS on campus, Remember ?”
“Russell Not Know What You Are Talking About”, Russell replied belligerently.
“Your boys was seen dealing right in the SCHOOL, Russell”, Tony went on, “So ain’t no use denying it.”
The other Bullies had grouped about Russell at this point. Trent suddenly decided to stick his two cents in, for it was about all he was worth. “Nobody see'd us doin’ nuthin’ in the school !”
“Butt out Trent, or I’ll bust your ass”, Nick said easily, cracking his knuckles.
“Yeah ?”, Trent blustered. “You a real tough guy, ain’t you ? Like you could take us all on !”
Nick smiled an evil smile at that. “With one leg tied behind my back, Wuss. I won’t even break a sweat.”
“You can’t talk to me like that, Freak !”, Trent screamed, and charged Nick. Trent wound up to take a big roundhouse swing, but Nick merely stepped aside and brought his knee up into Trent’s guts. “OOOOF !!!!”, Trent gushed, right before Nick’s closed fists swung around and clocked him full in the face with a loud CRACK. Trent went down, knocked unconscious.
Davis and Wade, who had been the ones selling the drugs in the school in the first place, pushed their way to the front, challenging Nick and Tony.
“You two Motherfuckers need to back the Fuck Off !”, Tony warned. They held their ground, hopping and jumping, shouting, “Com’on Man !!” and “We Gonna Get It On !!” The rest of the Bullies, Tom, Troy, and Ethan, were also jumping now, pumping fists.
“You boys weren’t so brave in the Graveyard, I hear”, Nick jeered. “Fact is, I heard you all cut and run like a buncha scared Pussies.”
The Bullies were shocked in to silence at that, but only for a moment. They began yelling even louder, making stepping moves towards Nick and Tony.
“So, do I gotta beat your ass again so as to make your dumb fuck boys stop pushin’ Dope at school ?”, Nick addressed Russell.
“Russell Win Re-Match This Time”, Russell growled. “You Two No Army.”
“How about an Army Of One ?”, called a voice from behind Tony and Nick. Everyone suddemly focused on Laurent, who was sauntering up from around the Parking Lot wall into view, followed by Lance, who was leading the six and a half foot tall figure of Bob.
The Bullies were stunned into silence once more as they took in the imposing sight of Bob Southby. Even Russell had to look up at Bob, who stood a half a foot taller that he was. Laurent began speaking. “Let me to introduce Bob, our new defensive lineman. He has been at Bullworth about two weeks now, I am surprised you do not know of him.”
Wade was the first to find his voice. “We ain’t never seen this dude before”, he muttered loudly.
“Merde, how stupid of me”, Laurent said, mock slapping his head. “He just stays at the Football Field and Clubhouse. You Locos never come down there, do you now, because you be too fearful of the Jocks.”
Davis took offense at that, and with a yell charged Bob. His pardner in crime, Wade, followed after, uttering his own war cry. But before Davis’ swinging fists could even reach him, Bob reached out and grabbed Davis around the throat, lifting him high into the air, strangling his yell into a helpless gurgle. Wade skidded up short and backpedaled, his own yell dying on his lips as he witnessed Davis being plucked skyward as easily as a toy balloon in a child’s fingers. Bob’s gaze shifted to the retreating Wade, and with just a flick of his monster arm sent Davis whipping through the air at Wade, where they collided, rolling over and over like twiddlewinks on the hard asphalt of the Parking Lot.
Still conscious, Wade lay on his back trying to catch his breath, while Davis rolled up on his hands and knees, uttering choking sounds and hacking up his dinner on the pavement. The whole thing had taken mere seconds, but the remaining Bullies shrunk back behind Russell.
“Bob likes to protect the Jocks”, Laurent said amid the sudden silence. “And he will fight on command. Lance, have Bob tell the boys here what he can do.”
Lance said something to Bob, who leaned down slightly to hear. Then he straightened, and looking at the Bullies he uttered two words from his caveman-looking face. “BOB SMASH.”
The word’s effect was not lost on Russell, as dumb as he was, or the other Bullies as well. Their silence spun out as they awaited what was to come next. The tension built.
“How about it Russell ?” Tony asked, “Stop selling Drugs on campus, or fight the new boy ?”
Russell was silent as he gazed at Bob. Used to being the biggest boy in school, despite the fact that he was very near legal drinking age, Russell really didn’t know how to react to this bigger version of....Well, himself. Finally, he cleared his throat and rumbled out a reply.
“Russell Can No Fight Right Now. Got Bad Knee.” Then, to save face, he added, “Maybe Some Other Time.”
With that, Russell led the Bullies off the Parking Lot, Tom and Ethan helping Wade and Davis, while Troy lifted a groggy Trent and headed towards the School Clinic. As they went out of sight, Tony turned to the others.
“Think that’ll work ?”, He said speculatively.
“Maybe for awhile”, Nick said wirily.
“Until the next time ?”, volunteered Laurent.
“If it don’t work, I’m going to have Bob tear them new assholes”, Lance said. “They’re not going to keep poisoning my brother with their fucking trash. Coach’s Steroids are bad enough.” With that, he led Bob away back towards the Gym.
The three boys watched them go. “He’s just like a trainer with them big elephants”, commented Nick. The others could do no more than agree with that.
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Posted by MikeW July 10, 2011
The Bullies felt like they had just had their sacks ripped off after what went down at the parking lot. It was very humiliating for them to have to back down from a fight, especially Russell. A few hours later, they had regrouped inside the old school bus at the edge of the Parking Lot.
"Russell Feel So Ashamed !", the giant boy sputtered.
"This bullshit has to end !", said Trent. who had been knocked down again by Nick and had now built up a severe hatred towards him.
"So, what are we gonna do about it ?”, asked Tom.
"We can't have this happen again", Troy said, as he slowly pulled out the giant pistol they had swiped from Mr. Luntz and began playing with it in his hands, a glum look on his face. As Troy was cradling his ‘toy’, Wade snatched it out of Troy's hands.
"This boys, this right here ! This is the answer to our problems !", Wade said with a maniacal grin.
"What ?! We can't shoot people !", said Tom in disbelief.
"Sure we can....Either that or we look like pussies AND lose our money", Wade pointed out. It would have been devastating for the Bullies to lose their great business, but one thing mattered to the Bullies more than anything and that was looking tough and coming out on top.
Wade lifted the gun out the open window of the bus and put his fingers on the trigger. Taking aim at a nearby street light, he squezzed his finger down on the trigger. There was a click, but no shot. Nothing. "What the Fuck ?, said Wade as he slapped the gun with the palm of his other hand.
"You Dumbass, there's no ammunition in there !", Wade yelled at Troy.
"Ummm, Shit...", said Troy. "Well this is just great, we have perfectly good weapon, and nothing can be done with it !"
Ethan sat in the corner and looked up when Wade lost his mind over the fact that the gun had no bullets. Ethan just sighed and began flipping a quarter with his thumb. Ethan wasn't feeling overly optimistic about the situation. He didn't want to get his head cracked open by that hulk of a boy they called Bob.
Suddenly, the silence was interrupted by Tom. "Say, whatcha got there, Ethan?"
"Uhh, just a coin I found here in the bus.", Ethan replied.
"You know....Let me see that thing”, Tom said. Ethan handed Tom the coin. Tom turned it over in his hand and examined it closely. "Hey Russell, you think you can bend this thing into the shape of a bullet ?", Tom said, and then began to laugh as he figured it could never happen.
Russell snatched the coin and with much straining and focus, the big bully bent the coin and folded it. Looks of astonishment came upon the faces of the boys in the bus as sweat rolled off the forehead of their leader. Wade hastily took the quarter and jammed it into the barrel of the gun, stuck it out the window again. Then he squeezed off the trigger.
CH-CHINK went the gun as the hammer pushed the firing pin and struck the metal jammed in there. Still no shot, though. A glum look came over Wade’s face. So much for that Idea.....
Davis, his voice still hoarse from being briefly choked by Bob, spoke up. “You have to have some Gunpowder in there, Dumbass.” He was still a little pissed that Wade didn’t jump out of the way as Bob was throwing him. “Anybody got a Firecracker ?”
Ethan dug in his pocket and came up with one that had been split open slightly and therefore was no good for lighting and throwing. Davis snatched it worked it powder from it into the barrel of the gun behind the ‘quarter’ bullet. “Now needs something to spark against...”, he muttered, looking about the littered floor. Spotting a pop-top from a can of soda, he picked it up and placed it behind the powder in a position where the firing pin would hit it. “Try it now”, he said, handing the gun back to Wade.
Taking aim once more, Wade aimed at a far target, a spot on the ground in front of Sheldon who was walking by the entrance to the Parking Lot. Wade once again placed his finger on the trigger and pulled.
BANG !! The quarter was ejected at an incredible speed. With a little ‘ping’ sound, it hit the ground in front of Sheldon. Startled by the sound, the little boy ran screaming away from the spot.
A large grin played upon Wade's face. "Boys....gather up all the quarters and pop-tops you can find....Heh, Heh.....We going Hunting !"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Later, behind the Boy’s Dorm, Wade loaded another bent quarter into his new favorite toy. As he squeezed in a bit of powder, jammed in a pop-top, and pulled the trigger again, nothing happened and the trigger only clicked.
"Damn it!", shouted Wade. "What the hell is wrong with this friggin' thing ?"
The other Bullies clustered around. Wade shook his head in disbelief. "What do you guys know about these things ?", he asked.
Tom reached over and took the gun from Wade. "This stuff’s wet. Looks like we need some dry gun powder.", Tom observed. “Anybody got any more Firecrackers ?"
The other Bullies shook their heads No. For the past week, Firecrackers had become a scarce commodity around the school. In fact, the supply of Firecrackers was being horded up by the other Cliques for use in the upcoming Bike Races.
"Well, where we gonna get some gunpowder then ?", asked Wade.
"Maybe in the Chemistry room ?", suggested Ethan.
"No way man, I ain't going to class !", said Wade. The boys had to think, in addition to not wanting to go to class with Dr. Watts, they also figured they wouldn't even know how to make gun powder anyways.
"I got it !", said Davis, "How 'bout at Rocket in my Pocket ?"
_____________________________________
-
Later that night, at around 3 AM, the Punks, along with Jake, broke into the Spencer Warehouse. In short order, they located the crates containing the weapons and C-4. It was easy, Jake discovered, when one knew just what they were looking for. Then, they swarmed the upstairs office, rifling through paperwork until they discovered the shipping orders for the crates. Some of them were missing, because unbeknown to them, Jimmy and Zoe had taken some of those....But no matter. What they did find showed a date that matched up with all the crates containing weapons they had found so far....A shipping date of five days away. Which, coincidentally, coincided with the night that the next train was due to come in, by Sid’s reckoning.
All the files and orders were replaced exactly as they had found them. A few weapons were removed from the opened crates, then they were nailed shut once more and replaced back in their exact positions. Even Jake, as part of the crew, was allowed to pilfer some of the stash from a couple of the crates. As he stuffed his pockets with charges of C-4, so elemental to his plan of takeover, Jake reflected that he had enough explosives on his person to level the School and all of the buildings on it’s campus to a pile of rubble. But, that was not his objective. His plan all along was to seize control of Bullworth Academy. If he chafed being under Sid’s direction, he did not show it, for Jake, unlike his now-dead madcap cousin Gary, finally had learned from all his past failures in his attempts to take over the school. In every case, Jake’s attempts had unraveled at the end because of unforseen interventions.....Cops, The Weather, Pete With A Gun, A Failed Bullhorn, Unreliable Hostage-Takers.....But no more. This time all the would-be foils to his plans would be under his control. And, if the Weather sent a Hurricane, so much the better.
The Punks and Jake left the Warehouse. Now all there was to do was wait. In the meantime, Jake had some details to take care of....Items that would be necessary for this, his final, Ultimate plan.
________________________________
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In a hospital in Boston, the boy awoke from his coma. Precisely when couldn’t be told, as he had had periods of semi-lucidity for some time....But only in bits and fitful pieces. An overheard disjointed conversation here, flashes of dim, filtered grey-looking light there. He seemed to be swimming, fighting a great current that threatened to sweep him away for what felt like a million years. He had no sense of time, yet he was timeless. Scraps of thoughts floated through his mind, swirling like a Hurricane wind at first, chaotic, then slowing, coalescing into a rough form of rational thought. Bit by bit, piece by piece, the storm passed and his mind calmed. He became aware of self, of his existence, and arose from the murky mental pool of confusion that had held him captive for such an uncounted time. Freed, he slowly, ever so slowly, swam upward to awareness.
He opened his Eye.
The boy was sure that he should have had two eyes to open, and should been able to open both eyes, but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. Something beyond his power was preventing him from opening his other eye. A great weight held it tightly shut.
He tried to speak, but no sound escaped his throat. Couldn’t escape. Something was blocking the way, something that felt huge, a lump in his throat he had never felt before. His mind commanded a scream, but nothing happened. He poked his tongue around, trying to lick his lips, tried to clear his throat. He could do neither.
Light flooded his one open eye, causing him to squint. It was as if a strong thousand-watt bulb was shining through a dense fog directly into his face. He blinked rapidly to clear it, as as his pupil adjusted to the intense light, the surroundings came into focus.
He was in a room, a sort of sick pea-green-colored room. There were white curtains on each side of him. He shifted his gaze down, looking at his body, lying in a bed. A bed with rails. He became aware, then, of sounds....A mechanical, rhythmic sound that grew louder then softer, louder, then softer. Underneath that was the sounds of beeping, short high-pitched bursts that also seemed to settle into a rhythm of sorts.
His eye spotted his hand lying beside him. He tried to move it, and with effort, succeeded. He curled his fingers into a fist and back open again, spread his fingers. He became aware that he had another hand he could not see, could FEEL another hand, and commanded it to open and close in time with the hand he could see. This also worked, for even though he couldn’t see it, he felt it, working in rhythm with the one he could see. It meant, he though with relief, that he was not paralyzed, although he didn’t know why he had that sudden thought.
Next, he tried to raise his arms. Straining, he could only raise them a couple of inches off the bed, could only hold them there for a few seconds. Suddenly exhausted, he let them fall back. Weak....He was so WEAK. What had happened ? Sudden memories flooded his mind....A snowstorm....Lots of people fighting....A Bullhorn....Gun in his hand. Then, a sudden sharp, piercing pain...His Eye, his right Eye......
His remembrances were interrupted by voices off to his right. Since he couldn’t see in that direction, he didn’t know who they were. He was suddenly afraid. He was in Danger, he sensed, although he did not know why. As the voices came closer, he closed his Eye.
“......is our patient doing today, Nurse ?”, the one voice was saying as it came closer.
“He’s been making some movements. I think he might wake up soon, Doctor”, the other voice replied.
“Hmmm”, the first voice said, “Let’s take a look.....”
The boy felt something cold and heavy on his chest. It took a great effort of will for him not to react. Something....Instinct ?.....Told him to keep still.
“Hummph....Hummph....”, the voice, now identified as ‘Doctor’, muttered, as he ran the cold, heavy object to different places on his chest. “How are his reflexes ? Breathing responses ?”
“Much improved, Doctor”, the one called ‘Nurse’ answered. “He has been making movements on both sides, and trying to breathe on his own.”
“Well then...”, Doctor said meditatively, removing the cold, heavy thing from his chest, “We’ll take him off the respirator tomorrow. When he wakes up, he should be able to talk.” The Doctor straightened up. “That’ll be good news for those men waiting to ask him some questions. Lord knows it’s been long enough”, he said, shaking his head. “Almost lost this one.”
“I’ll see to it, Doctor”, Nurse said.
Both left the room, and the boy heard the door close after them.
I Have To Get Out Of Here, he thought.
But first, he knew, he would have to get strong, had to recover his strength....And his memories. For the next hour, he struggled to move his arms and legs, and turning his head. By the time he felt he could stand no more, he could raise his arms above his head, pull up his knees halfway, and was able to turn his neck from side to side.
It was all he could for now. He fell exhausted into a fitful sleep, and the dreams came.
______________________________________
-
It had taken awhile for Nick to locate another boat that wouldn’t be missed so easily, but by mid-week, he had found one. Taking off from afternoon classes, Nick, Tony, and Karen were motoring out to Pirate Island at last. As they approached the Island, however, they saw something that gave them caution....There was another boat beached there. And not just a rowboat, either....This was a fancy-looking speedboat, quite new by the looks of it.
Both Tony and Nick pulled their weapons and scanned the beach for a possible attack, but could see nobody. As that reached the shore, both boys quickly hopped out and pulled their boat up onto the sand. Karen stepped out, and the three scoured the small beach for any sign of life. It didn’t take long to discover that nobody else was on the beach or hiding in the rocks above. Satisfied that there was no threat, they wandered over to the mystery boat to have a look.
“What do’ya make of this ?”, Nick asked.
“Donno”, Tony replied, still looking around. “Somebody’s got to be here somewhere. That boat didn’t drive itself here.”
Karen sniffed. “I bet this is a Preppie Boat.”
Tony turned, surprised. “Why would you say that ?”
“Look”, she pointed. On the deck by the stern lay an Aquaberry jacket.
“Figures it would be one of those rich boys”, Nick said. “But what the hell does any of them want to come out to this place for ?”
“If they’re here, they got to be up there”, Tony said, motioning towards the broken trees higher up into the rocky area that covered most of the Island. “Let’s go careful.”
The three started up to the rocky part, Nick and Tony with weapons drawn, and Karen following, since she had no weapon. Thinking, she said, “Do you remember those pictures plastered up on the wall in the big hall awhile back ?”
Tony squinted his eyes, trying to remember. “Ummm....Yeah....You mean the queer ones that fired up the trouble in the Cliques ? Who the hell was in them....I don’t remember.....”
“It was Kirby and Trent in the one set of photos”, Karen said promptly, “And Vance and Gord in the others.”
“So what ?”, Tony grunted, trying to find good footing on the rocks, “What’s that gotta with this ?”
“Well”, Karen said, “In the pictures of Vance and Gord, they were on a Island with rocks and trees in the background.”
Tony stopped climbing. “So....You think...That was HERE ?”
“Know it was”, Karen said. “That half-sunk ship out there was in the background.” She pointed out in the bay.
Nick had been watching the interplay between Tony and Karen with amusement. “She’s got you there, buddy.”
A picture floated up in Tony’s mind of the two boys, Vance and Gord, out here on the Island, doing God-knew-what. “I don’t really know if that means anything.”
“It’s a Preppie boat”, Karen insisted. To Nick, she said, “What do you think ?”
Nick raised his hand, palm out. “Hey, leave me outta this”, he said, jokingly.
The trio resumed their climb. “Got to mean something”, Karen said stubbornly.
As they topped the rocky face and looked out over the Island, Karen’s prediction proved to be true. On the vast rocky plateau of the Island, littered with the deadfall of trees smashed down by the Tornado, a lone figure in a blue dress shirt was bent over, apparently pulling frantically at something.
The trio approached cautiously, weapons at the ready, but it was not possible to do so silently. The figure heard them coming over the uneven terrain, and straightened up. When he turned around, they saw that it was Gord.
“Say there, Tony old chap”, Gord said, somewhat agitated, ignoring the others, “Could use some help here !”
“What...Um...Seems to be the problem there, Gord ?”, Tony asked.
“It’s Vance !”, Gord replied frantically, pointing. “He’s trapped down there ! You’ve got to help get him get out !”
Nick and Tony looked down through the tangle of tree trunks and limbs, and through an opening about a foot square, they saw a face peering back up at them. “Vance ?”, Tony said, shocked.
“Hey, Yo, whadda know ?”, came Vance’s muffled voice. “I gotta situation here, bro....”
“I see that”, Tony remarked. “Just...Uh....How long you been down there, Vance ?”
“Ah, Geezh...Been here awhile....But been trapped here since that big storm”, Vance replied.
“Holy Crap”, Nick muttered, “That was almost three weeks ago.”
“How come you ain’t starved to death ?”, Tony asked. “You must be real hungry.”
“Ahh....No, got me plenty of food still, stashed down here”, Vance said, “But I run outta water a couple days ago....You guys got any ?”
Silently, Karen handed over the water bottle that she had brought along. Tony took it and squeezed it down through the hole. Vance grabbed it and drank greedily, and soon emptied the entire bottle. “Hold on there, Vance, we’ll think of something up here”, Tony said, and then straightened up to talk with the others.
“I tried moving those big limbs, but I can’t”, Gord began to babble, “I should be able to push them out of the way or something, but they wont budge an inch, and Vance is going to die down there and it’s all my fault, and Look ! I’ve soiled my marvelous clothes, and here’s a rip ! Oh, No....”
“Hey, relax, Gord-O, I’m sure if we all put our backs to it, we can get Vance outta there”, Tony said soothingly. “We just gotta work together, that’s all. You Preps are into working together now, aren’t you ? That’s your new thing, Isn’t it ? Well, here’s your chance.”
The boys bent to the task. Karen stood off the the side, watching, an amused look on her face. Tony and Nick were strong, but try as they might, even with a weaker Gord alongside, they were unable to budge the tree trunk much more than a fraction. The boys were sweating and busting, about to go insane with the effort. Unable to contain herself any longer, Karen burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny ?”, Tony demanded, sweat running down her face.
“You all are”, Karen said, still giggling. “I can see none of you pays any kind of attention in Math Class.”
“With evil Mr. Hattrick ?”, Tony grumbled. “I would guess not.”
“If you had”, Karen went on, “You’d know that all you need to move that is a Lever and Fulcrum.”
“A...What ?”, Nick asked. Gord just had a confused look on his face.
“Lever and a Fulcrum”, Karen said, moving over to the spot. “Get a big log that you big boys can handle, then put another log here”, she pointed, “Then use the big log to pry against the tree trunk. Simple.”
The boys didn’t really know what she meant, but fanned out anyway to find some deadwood that they could handle. Rolling a short log into place in front of the cavern entrance, the three then found a long thick log that they carried over. Karen directed them as to where to place it, jammed under the tree trunk that blocked the cavern, and laid against the short log they had set in place. Then Karen said, “Now, all of you, Pull Down Hard !!”
The boys complied, and in short order, the tree trunk began to move away from the cavern entrance. The boys redoubled their efforts, and in no time at all, just like magic, the tree trunk was moved away from the cavern entrance enough to allow Vance to squeeze through.
“Whoa, that was like, cool jewels, man”, Vance said, looking about in a sort of a daze. “Wow, where did all the trees go ? That musta been some storm !”
“Actually, it was a Tornado, Vance”, Tony told him.
Vance looked stunned. “A Freakin’ TORNADO ?”, he exclaimed. “Woah, No Way ! Wait’ll the guys hear about.....” He stopped suddenly. “Oh....Right....”
Karen said gently, “I think maybe your friends might like you to come back, Vance.”
A spark of hope crossed Vance’s face. “Really ?”, he said doubtfully.
“Sure, Vance, just the other day I heard Lefty and Lucky saying how much they missed having you around”, Tony added.
“And I hear you Greasers have a new lift and tools over at the Autoshop”, Nick chimed in.
Vance looked to Gord, who said, “It’s all true....Things have changed. I’m back with my fellows, too ! That’s why I came to find you, to tell you it’s alright now !”
“And Kirby and Trent are back with their Cliques as well”, Tony said. “The only one still missing is you.”
Vance stood speechless, hardly daring to believe his ears. “So....”, he gulped.
“So, it’s alright now”, Karen said. “You can go home.”
Tears welled up in Vance’s eyes and he hurriedly brushed them away. “Well then....What are we waiting around here for ?”, he said to Gord. “I seen enough of this place already. Let’s Go !”
He linked arms with Gord as they made their way across the rocks and deadfall towards the beach. Tony, Nick, and Karen followed. When they got to the speedboat, the boys helped push it into the water.
“You chaps need a ride ?”, Gord asked the trio.
“Brought our own”, Tony said, pointing to the boat farther up the beach.
“What are you doing out here, anyway ?”, Gord asked, frowning.
“Jake escaped to the Island here on the night of the big storm”,Tony said easily, “We’re out here looking for clues.” In fact, that wasn’t their true reason for being here, but Tony wasn’t going to mention that.
“Oh...Well then, good luck with that”, Gord said, not really interested in a chance encounter with the Mad Bomber of Bullworth Academy, as he was coming to be known. “Ah, say, chap....Could you not mention....Our little hiding spot to anyone ?”
“Heh...Your secret’s safe with us, don’t worry”, Tony replied.
“Well then....Cherrio !”, Gord said, as he gunned the speedboat’s motor.
“Ehhy, Thanks for the help there !”, called Vance.
With that, the speedboat executed a turn and sped away. Tony, Nick, and Karen watched it go with traces of amusement on their faces.
“Now, there goes the perfect couple”, Nick quipped, and the others busted out laughing.
Chuckling, Tony said, “Grab them shovels and picks outta the boat. Now, we can go find what we really came out here for.”
__________________________________
-
The trio headed back up the cliff face with their equipment in tow. Karen pulled out the tracing she had made of the Island from the book that Tony had returned to Mr. Luntz.
“It looks like....”, she began, studying the paper, “That the ‘67‘ Grid line runs from where the North edge of the beach is to.....Straight West toward the Carnival......So, should be....Right over here.” She pointed to a spot a few feet away, then went to it.
“How’re we gonna know if we’re facing the right way West ?”, Nick asked as they assembled at the spot Karen indicated.
“That’s where one of these comes in handy !”, Karen exclaimed, pulling out a compass.
“Where’d you get that ?”, Tony asked in amazement.
“I’m not telling you”, Karen said coyly. “A girl’s got to keep SOME secrets, Ha Ha !” Holding the compass steady, she lined up the needle on the North point and sighted a line straight on the West point towards the other side of the Island. “Com’on....This Way !”
They set off along the rocky landscape. Here and there was large cracks which had provided the places where the trees that had grown there, before they were ripped up by the Tornado and scattered, broken, across the island. There was not many places where a hole could be dug along their path, but they tried each spot along the way, usually hitting rock before they had dug a foot or two, coming up empty every time.
As they continued West, they passed within a couple of feet of the cavern that they had just freed Vance from. Continuing on, still digging in spots, they reached the other side of the Island where the rock suddenly dropped off into the water. “Hummph....Now what ?”, Tony wondered aloud.
They retraced their steps, again coming near the hole that led down to the cavern. Karen stopped, thinking for a moment, then said, “You don’t think....Maybe Pete meant this cavern ?”
Thunderstruck, Tony considered that. Since there was not many places to dig on the rocky surface, perhaps Pete HAD hidden the file down there. “Karen, you’re a genius !”, Tony said.
“Keep telling you that”, she said with a smile.
“Maybe someday you’ll believe her, huh ?”, Nick joked.
The three examined the opening. It was agreed that Tony and Nick would go down, while Karen stood watch. Tony squeezed down the opening first, then Nick. There was enough light coming in through the opening to just barely see. Flicking their lighters, the boys could just make out some other details.
The whole place smelled bad. There was an old woodstove there, with an small exhaust pipe snaking up to the surface. A makeshift bed, where Vance had been apparently sleeping, a doorless cabinet partially stocked with canned food, and a couple of empty 5-gallon jugs laying on the floor, obviously holding the water that Vance had run out of. Over in the one corner was a bucket overflowing with shit and piss, smelling horrible, with big flies buzzing around it. Lined up against the far wall were what looked like Pirate costumes. On the floor where they had dropped in was the remains of what looked like a homemade trap door that Vance had probably removed while seeking freedom.
Most of the floor was solid rock. There was barely enough room to stand up in, and as they searched farther away from the opening they had to bend over to keep from bashing their heads against the irregular rock of the ceiling. They discovered several smaller passageways branching to both the North and South, gradually narrowing into nothing after a few yards. In these, the floor surface became uneven and had turned to dirt.
They returned to the hole that was the entryway and called up to Karen to pass down their tools. As she did so, she advised, calling down through the hole, “Remember the grid lines read from South to North ! Anything buried should be the North of where you’re at !”
There were two passageways to the North, so Nick took one and Tony took the other. They began digging in the near-darkness, occasionally flicking their lighters to gauge their progress. After an hour of digging, cramped from being bent over, both became hot and sweaty. finding nothing, Tony was beginning to think that they were on the wrong track.
Suddenly, Tony’s shovel struck something with a light metallic THUNK. Flicking his lighter, he saw a dull gleam of metal. Dropping to his knees from his bent-over position, he dug with his hands and freed up a metal box about a foot square and about six inches deep. Flicking his lighter again to check it, he yelled, “Hey ! I Got Something !”
Nick hurried over from his passageway, glad for the respite to stop digging. Adding the light from his lighter to Tony’s, they examined the box. It was a dull green color, with a lid secured with a large padlock.
“This has to be it !”, Tony said excitedly.
“Must be, I didn’t find anything over there, and I was nearly done”, Nick said.
“Let’s get outta here, this place stinks !”, Tony said, backing out of the passageway with the box.
Nick couldn’t agree more. “It’s about as bad as a stink bomb down here. Sooner the better !”
They both returned to the opening, passing the box and their tools up to Karen before squeezing up to the surface themselves. Out in the open air once more, They were able to examine the box closer, particularly the padlock. It was rusted and clogged with dirt from being buried. “Think you can pick this, sweetheart ?”, Tony asked Karen.
Karen pulled out her lock-picking tools, which she always seemed to be carrying around. She bent to the task, working on the padlock. But the minutes ticked by without any success. Finally, she looked up. “It’s just to rusty and dirty. I can’t get it open. Maybe if we cleaned and oiled it....”
“We should get off the Island”, Tony said nervously, “Before anybody comes poking around.”
“Who’s gonna come out here ?”, Nick asked, looking at the coming twilight gathering darkness.
“We came out here”, Tony observed, “And found Gord out here.”
“Hmm, good point”, Nick admitted. The three gathered up the tools and the box, then made their way down to the beach to the boat. Once there, they loaded their stuff in, and made ready to cast off.
“Where to ?”, Karen asked, settling in and holding the box tightly.
Tony squinted into the distance. “Over that way, to that beach we came out on that night we were chasing Jake. From there, we can go around the back of the school on the old rail line trail.”
“What’s back there ?”, Nick asked, shoving off the boat.
“We can’t even be seen with this thing, so we have to get it to a safe place”, Tony said.
“You mean....Jimmy’s hideout ?” Karen asked, in a burst of understanding.
“That’s right”, Tony replied, “Safest place I know.”
“Who’s this....Jimmy ?”, Nick asked.
Tony faced Nick across the bow. “I guess it’s about time you knew. Pretty sure we can trust you now. Actually, you’ve already met Jimmy.....Except, you know him as ‘Hoppy’.
Nick frowned. “That kid that...Um....Helped us bust Damon out of the Nuthouse ? Him ?”
“One and the same”, Tony affirmed. “But you have to keep that a secret. Wrong people find out, and our goose is cooked.....”
“And this all has something to do with....What’s in there ?”, Nick asked, pointing at the box Karen was holding.
“That...And More”, Tony replied. “A whole lot more. If they were to catch us with what’s in that box, we’d probably never be heard from again.”
Nick mulled that over. “What’s in there is dangerous ?”, he ventured.
“HIGHLY Dangerous”, Tony replied. “Even more that I know.”
Nick cut the motor and the boat drifted in towards the beach. The three hopped out, leaving the tools in the boat. Nick said he would come back later for the boat and return it under cover of darkness. At the entrance to the short tunnel that led to the old rail line trail, Tony gave instructions.
“I’ll go first, Karen will follow with the box in the middle. Nick, you’ll bring up the rear. The trail’s usually empty, so we shouldn’t be running into anyone.....But in case we do, Shoot Them. Keep at it until they’re knocked out”, Tony said grimly.
Nick, who was always up for a challenge, grinned. “Lead the way”, he grinned. “Let’s Do This !”
___________________________________________
-
At about the same time, Gord and Vance were heading back to the Bullworth campus, having spent some quality hours alone at the Overlook, making up for lost time. As they were walking down the winding Vale Valley Road, just past the small bridge east of the park, a figure on a bike zoomed around the corner up ahead of them, riding like a bat out of hell.
It was Kurt, riding a stolen bike. The Rockers could well afford their own bikes, given the ‘allowance’ that Dr. Crabblesnitch gave them, but Kurt always found it a better thrill just to steal a bike. It added to his aura of invincibility. He was in a hurry as he had a gig to play that night with his group, unusual for a weekday.....But the popularity of the group had grown tenfold since the addition of Pinky as one of the lead singers over the past couple of months or so. Even though he really didn’t have the time to dawdle, Kurt couldn’t resist bringing the bike to a skid a few feet in front of the startled pair.
“Well, Well....Lookit who we got here....The Pussy Queer and The Missing Queer”, he jeered. Hopping off the bike and drawing his Spud Gun, he pointed it at the two shocked boys.
“I say, what is this ?”, Gord gulped. “We don’t want any trouble here !”
“Yo, Don’t get A twist in your jeans, jellybean”, Vance chimed in.
“Like the one in your jeans, huh, jellybean ?”, Kurt mocked. “You butt-fuckin’ queers just crack me up. Save it for some of your gay friends who really give a shit. Oh, wait....You misfits don’t have any friends !”
"Trash like you is not wanted here”, Gord said boldly, “Get out of our neighborhood !"
“Trash like ME ?”, Kurt said in feigned surprise. “That’s big garbage talk coming from a small fag like you !”
"You're an embarrassment to the human race !", Gord shot back.
“Yeah, like school on Saturday.....No Class !”, Vance snorted.
“No Class ?”, Kurt laughed. “You sick butt-fuckers should talk ! Giving each other the hot-tongue sandwich ? Pinks told me that is unbelievably disgusting to watch. Absolutely Revolting !!”
Traffic was light on the Vale Valley Road. A couple of cars had driven by during the confrontation, unnoticed by either Kurt or Gord and Vance. Likewise, none of them paid the slightest bit of attention to the black auto slowly creeping up behind Kurt.
“Watch it, Dorkus McDinklestein !”, Vance threatened.
“I’d rather not”, Kurt said. “That kind of thing is really gross.”
"Hey, Bite Me !!", Vance yelled, making a move towards Kurt, who merely pulled the trigger on the Spud Gun and shot Vance in the crotch.
"OOHH! Right in the Hot-Rod !!!!”, Vance screamed. “Ooohhh...."
“How Despicable !”, Gord reacted. "You're Poor, and UGLY !!!"
Instead of replying, Kurt calmly turned the Spud Gun on Gord and shot him in the nuts.
“GA-A-WD !”, Gord yelled, “That was DIRTY !!!”
Kurt moved closer to the pair. “You queer assholes try doin’ each other now, see how it feels !”
“He’s gonna be..... Bleedin’ from....his ears !”, Gasped Vance.
“I’ll make you....Pay for this....For the rest of your life....”, moaned Gord.
The black car had come to a stop a few feet behind Kurt. The back doors silently opened and two construction workers noiselessly emerged. Quietly, they crept up behind him.
“You sick disgraceful pissheads got a world of hurt about to come your way.....”, Kurt began, but was interrupted as the two construction workers suddenly grabbed and tackled him to the street. His Spud Gun was knocked from his grasp and went clattering to the pavement.
“HEY !!!! Git Off Me, You ASSHOLES !!!!!”, Kurt screamed. He struggled, but it was no use. In the matter of a few seconds, the men had wrestled him into the back of the car, climbed in and slammed the doors. The driver mashed the gas and the vehicle speed off.
“What is goin' on ?”, Vance moaned through glazed eyes as the car zoomed away. He looked over at Gord, who was contorted in pain. “This is so SO not cool !”
Inside the car, Kurt was fighting to free himself from the grip of the two men in the backseat. “MOTHERFUCKERS, GET OFF ME !! GET OFF !!!!!!”
The driver turned his head slightly. “Quiet our Guest down, would you, Boy-os ?”
“Sure Thing, Mr. Smith”, one of them replied, cocking back his arm. A huge work-hardened fist smashed directly into Kurt’s screaming face. Darkness followed.
____________________________________
-
Pete. His name was Pete, he remembered now. Pete....Kowalski. He was an orphan, a ward of the state....That’s why nobody was there, by his bedside, anxiously waiting for him to wake up, to CARE if he woke up.....He was alone in the world.
Except, he wasn’t alone....There was more talk of those waiting to ‘ask him questions’....The ‘Doctor’ made mention of it again today as he was pulling the ‘respirator’ from his throat. That had hurt. It took all his willpower not to react to that, although he couldn’t help coughing a couple of times. That was a good sign, the ‘Doctor’ had said, that he would wake up soon. Pete kept his eye closed through all of it, just as if his life depended on it. For all he knew, it just might.
His Eye...his other Eye....Was missing. He had confirmed this when, left alone, he had peeled back the tape and gauze that covered that part of his face and probed the empty eye socket with his increasingly nimble fingers. At first he was shocked, then....Incredibly saddened. Something had happened, a bad something....He couldn’t remember. He replaced the gauze and tape as best he could, and mourned the loss of his eye. How had this happened ?
He had tried hard then to focus. He was Pete. He was....How old ? A piece of an ancient song floated through his mind ---
“......Violence flares, Bullets loadin’....You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’.....You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’.....”
Gun. That Gun he was totin’.....There WAS a gun, he recalled, and suddenly, he remembered firing it.....Fighting....A Snowstorm.....A War ? No....He was to young to go to war.
But it WAS a war......A Faction war.....Other kids, like himself, yet.....Unlike himself. Brutal, Bullying, Stupid Retarded Kids who had no brains and no respect for anything or anybody except for those stronger and more powerful that they were. A bunch of social misfits, thrown together in a cauldron of hate.
And where was this ? He pressed his mind to remember. Images floated up from the murky depths....Buildings, OLD buildings, Gothic-looking, decrepit.....A fountain with a statue, walls with gates, a whole area of despair......Litter everywhere, Rats.....Oh,The Rats.
Exhausted, he began to drift off. Enough for now. But soon, he knew, soon....He would have to remember, would have to escape. THEY were waiting for him, to 'ask him questions’ and who knew what else ? Pete knew what else....They would kill him for what he didn’t remember yet.
He tumbled down towards sleep. At the edge of the Twilight Zone, just before he entered the chasm of his dreams, whispered words escaped his lips.....
“......Jimmy......The File......”
__________________________
-
“Dum, Te Dum Da Dum.....”, Mr. Luntz hummed under his breath as his hands searched the shelves in the fenced-off basement room. Hell, there was a whole drugstore of pharmaceuticals here, all labeled and sealed up in old-style canning jars. At length, he settled on a couple of different substances.....Some Cocaine and the hallucigen LSD.
Taking the jars over to a nearby workbench, he metered out amounts into little plastic baggies he had swiped from the kitchen, adding in some powdered sugar that he was sure that Edna wouldn’t miss, since there was so much of it there. The crazy bitch had a hundred boxes of it back in her storeroom, and used it on everything she cooked, probably to drown out the rancid taste of the slop she served to those little vermin. Mr. Luntz had to laugh at that thought. It was no wonder there were rats all over the place, for that’s all the old biddy’s food was really good for.
Mr. Luntz had no trouble approximating how much to put in each bag, as he recalled with vivid memory just how the nickel and dime bags of his youth on the streets of New York had looked. Besides, he was sure that the Bullies would be cutting the mix further, probably with flour or talcum powder or who knew what the hell else. None of these small amounts were lethal, just in case the stupid ass Bullies were too much of morons to cut it with anything....just enough, Mr. Luntz gauged, to give the users a bad enough trip they wouldn’t likely forget.
Finished, he packed the filled, taped bags into his work satchel. Then, grabbing a dirty scrap of paper, he crudely printed the following message on to it.....
"GIVE OUR CUT TO OUR LAWYER FOR THE DEFENSE OR WE WILL KICK YOU ASSES AGAIN WHEN WE GET OUT (signed) O.R."
Waiting until it was well past 2 AM, Mr. Luntz headed off to the Boy’s Dorm to plant the drugs. He knew exactly where each boy and girl roomed in the dorms, just as he knew about most everything else about Bullworth Academy. Arriving at the Boy’s Dorm unseen a few minutes later, he eased in the front door. The hallways were empty, and nobody was evident in the common room. As a precaution against kids staying up all night playing the video consoles, each was equipped with a timer that shut them off after 1 AM. Not even the Nerds had been able to jack their way around that. Locating the door to Trent’s room, the only one of the Bullies who bunked in a room by himself, he withdrew his set of keys. Sorting through them until he found the proper one, he unlocked the door and silently eased it open.
The sound of Trent’s snores greeted his ears. Mr. Luntz moved silently into the room, using a small penlight to locate a dresser against the far wall. Quickly, he removed the bagged drugs and stacked them on the dresser, weighing down the fake note with the last bag as the snores of Trent continued in the background. Finished with his mission, he hefted the now-empty satchel and quietly left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Leaving the Boy’s Dorm unobserved, he began to sing a little tune by Steppenwolf under his breath from the mean street days of his youth.....
“God Damm !! Go-o-o-o-d Damn, I Say THE PUSHER......
I Said God Damn, God, GOD DAMN The Pusher Man......”
_________________________________
-
Safely making it to Jimmy’s cave hideout without incident, Tony led the others in through the secret door. Upon entering, they found Jimmy and Zoe involved in a game of ‘Catch the Titties’.
Zoe blushed and quickly covered up while Karen smiled and Tony and Nick hid grins. Seemingly a bit annoyed at being interrupted, Jimmy quickly came to full attention when Tony showed him what they had found.
“So”, Jimmy grunted, “Think this is really it ?”
“Has to be”, Tony said. “Pete told me he buried it, and then croaked out Pirate Island after he got shot. We actually found it buried in another secret cave over there.”
“Another Cave ?” Jimmy asked. “What other cave ?”
“There was an underground cave over there that Vance was trapped in”, Tony said, and went on to relate how Gord had found the trapped Vance and how they had freed him.
“But, Gord or Vance doesn’t know anything about this here ?”, Jimmy questioned, indicating the metal box.
“Oh, no no....We waited until they both left the Island to go looking for it”, Tony said. “Gave them a bullshit story about how we were looking for clues about Jake.”
“And the dumb fucks bought it”, Nick added. “They ain’t none too bright, that pair.”
“And...Nobody saw you with this box...Right ?, Jimmy questioned closely.
“Naw”, Tony said, “We came around the back way at twilight. Didn’t see nobody.”
“Hmmm”, Jimmy said, satisfied. He hefted the box. “Well, let’s get this turkey opened.”
“Umm....We can’t”, Tony said. “Karen already tried.”
Jimmy looked up at Karen. “What ? The best lock-picker at Bullworth can’t get this little padlock open ? What gives ? Losing your touch ?”
Karen grew red in the face. “It’s too rusted !”, she said, embarrassed. “If I had some oil or something.....”
“Got just the thing !”, Jimmy exclaimed, and hopped up, heading off to the part of the cave that contained the stove. He returned with an old metal container that was filled with oil. “I use it to get the wood a-burnin’ really hot”, he said. “Works great. Here, I’ll get a cup and pour some in the keyhole.”
With that, he rounded up a cup and dipped it in the oil, pouring it onto the lock and into the guts of it through the keyhole. After waiting a few minutes for it to soak in, he said, “Go’on....Try it now.”
Karen pulled out her lock-picking tools once again and bent to the task. Several minutes went by, and Tony was beginning to think that maybe they should get a hacksaw or bolt-cutters. Suddenly, the padlock made a small 'click’ in Karen’s hands. She tugged on it to work it free. Jimmy leaned over to help pull, and the slowly came open. Jimmy pulled it off the hasp and tossed it in a corner. Picking up the metal box, he opened it to a squeal of rusty hinges.
Everyone crowded around to look. Inside was a large manilla envelope, spotted with faint green moldy spots from being in the damp ground. Jimmy opened it and pulled out a manilla folder containing a thick sheath of papers. Leafing through them, he proclaimed, “Yep, this is them. Here”, he said, handing them to Tony, “I already looked through them long ago....But you haven’t. See what you think.”
Tony took the file and started leafing through it. Karen sat down beside him to read, while Zoe hovered over his shoulder. After several minutes of skimming, Tony mummered “Whoa....I had no idea it went this deep. Racketeering to the first degree.....Ties to the New York Crime Syndicate.....State Officials.....Even Congressmen.....”
The cave was in silence while Tony read, each with the deepening feeling that their lives were at risk just by knowing the information that was spread out before them. Contained within the file were instances of disappearances, presumably down the winding river passage to the ocean and beyond. More than just a smalltown operation, this one had connections from New York City down the coast to Miami, and as far East as Detroit and Chicago.
Coming to the end of the file, Tony held up a piece of paper. Frowning as he read it, he said, “Hey look, Jimmy....It’s your Arrest Report !”
“Lemme see that”, Jimmy said, startled, grabbing it out of Tony’s hand. Scanning it over, he exclaimed, “Those Lying Bastards !! I TOLD them it was that Big Darrell fuck that killed them !!” He pointed to a spot on the Report.
______________________________
-
“How’d this get in here ?”, Jimmy wondered.
“Pete musta gotten ahold of it and added it to the file”, remarked Tony.
__________________________________________________________________________
|
| ** BULLWORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT ARREST REPORT **
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 1. Name (Last, First, Middle) 2. Alias / Nicknames / A.K.A. 3. Case Number
| HOPKINS, JAMES LEE ‘JIMMY’ aka ‘THE KING’ BS-1706
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 4. Address (Street, Buld. No.) 5. City, State, Zip Code 6. Sex
| BULLWORTH ACADEMY BULLWORTH, R.I. O2804 MALE
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 7. Place Of Birth 8. Date Of Birth 9. Age
| GROTON, CONN. 07 /31 / 1991 16
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 10. Race 11. Hair 12. Eyes 13. Weight 14. Hight 15. Build
| WHITE BRN BRN 170 5‘5“ STOCKY
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 16. Education 17. Occupation 18. Employed 19. Marital 20. Citizen
| GR. SCHOOL STUDENT PT. TIME SINGLE YES
|=================================================================
| 21. Arresting Officer 22. I.D. No. 23. Assisting Officer 24. I.D. No.
| P. IVANOVICH #4497 R. MONSON #4438
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 25. Arrest Date 26. Arrest Time 27. Arrest Location
| 08 /18/ 2007 03:15 A.M. BLUE SKIES INDUST COMP.
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 28. Juvenile 29. Weapons Found 30. Defendant Condition
| YES SPUD GUN IMPAIRED
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 31. Miranda 32. Statements 33. Arrestee Status
| YES REFUSED HELD W/O BOND
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 34. Bail Amount 35. No. Of Victims 36. No. Of Offenders
| NONE SET 2 4
|=================================================================
| 37. Arresting Officers Narrative:
| “Subject was found unconscious in the near vicinity of two fatally-
| injured victims, one GARY A. SMITH and one EDGAR MUNSEN.
| Subject was transported to Blue Skies Clinic. Subject was questioned
| upon regaining consciousness and claimed an unknown fourth party
| was present at the scene and committed the offenses. Subject denied
| any role in the offenses. Subject was also questioned about thefts in
| area. At this point, subject refused to make any more statements.
| Subject was then placed under arrest for Attempted Murder and then
| read his Miranda Rights. Upon treatment for his injuries, subject was
| then transported to the Bullworth City Jail to await Arraignment.”
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 38. Arraignment Court 39. Arraignment Date 40. Arraignment Time
| BULLWORTH CTY 22 AUG 2007 8:30 A.M.
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 41. Detail Charges:
| ATTEMPTED MURDER, upgraded to TWO COUNTS
| ASSISTANT TO MURDER on 08 / 20 / 2007
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
| 42. Arresting Officer 43. Supervisor 44. Presiding Judge
| (signed) P. IVANOVICH (signed) G. CARCER (signed) J. STARKWEATHER
|_________________________________________________________________________
-
“They only charged me because of this file”, Jimmy ranted. “They knew I had it, somehow, and when they didn’t find it on me, man, how they leaned on me !! Sent me off to Prison even before there was a Trial, saying they didn’t have the space. Called in favors to the Warden to have the Guards look the other way while they paid off some of the Inmates to beat me up !! BASTARDS !!!!”
Tony was scanning another paper that had been underneath the Arrest Report. “This here seems to bear out what you’re saying, Jimmy.” He handed the paper over and Jimmy took it and read. It was marked “CONFIDENTIAL - INTRADEPARTMENTAL ONLY”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
CASE BS-1706 INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
“Subject was found at Murder Scene unconscious from inflicted injuries similar to the two other victims, who died after transport. There was evidence of a fourth person being present at the scene. Subject was said to be in possession of stolen material in the form of a Company File taken from an important citizen during the course of a burglary of his residence. Subject would not discuss that incident and was so charged with Attempted Murder as a way to exact information on the burglary case, as directed by those higher in authority. Subject continued to deny knowledge of the stolen material and continued to maintain his innocence in both cases. The preparator that the subject named is suspected to be part of the Punks, a regional crime ring, who were determined to not be in the area at the time of the commission of the above crimes......”
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Jimmy seized the paper triumphantly. “I KNEW they knew this !! The Punks ALWAYS hang around in the summer !! Here’s the Proof they railroaded me !!”
“Looks like they made you the fall guy, all right”, Nick observed.
“Damm Right They Did”, Jimmy carried on. “They admit right there to Bogus Charges just to get me to talk about what happened to this Stinking File !”
“They’re not allowed to do that !”, Zoe said. “How can they do that ?”
“That mentions 'as directed by those in higher authority’”, Karen observed.
“Right”, huffed Jimmy, “Fucking Chief Carcer and those who run him around here. And that Goddam Mr. Smith.....He was down there pushing for them to up the charge to Murder One right before you guys sprung me out. He wants revenge for his Idiot Grandson, and since I beat him and he got expelled, so now the old fuck is out for MY blood. He’s not interested in Justice, just wants to stick me with a Murder Rap for wrecking his precious Gary’s plans !”
“I always wondered why Gary never got charged with all that mayhem around school”, Zoe reflected.
Jimmy sighed. “Harrington is behind all this. Him and Smith go way back, even though the old Fuck owes him somehow.....But he’s into it even more than the others. I don’t think Spencer or any of the other rich Prep bastard daddies know just how much Harrington is involved with the crime syndicates, although they must suspect.....” He broke off then, and got up and started to pace about the cave. “Gary was expelled, but only because he scared the shit out of Crabblesnitch by taking him hostage. The good Doctor doesn’t like to have his perfect world upset. That’s why he had the Prefects and the Cops run the Townies off the school grounds, even after they helped me restore order to the school. Instead of thanking them, they just got his kick in the ass.”
“Must have pissed them off plenty”, Tony observed.
“Pissed enough to let Jake have them help him try to take over the school by force”, Tony remarked.
Jimmy stopped pacing. “We’re all in danger now. We all know too much. If they ever found out, we all would disappear down the river without a trace.”
Karen gasped, “They wouldn’t Dare !”
“Hundreds of kids go missing in this country without a trace every year”, Jimmy said wearily. “You think we’re any different ?”
Karen’s eyes grew big as the full import of what Jimmy said sunk in. Tony put his arm around her. “We all got to stick together”, he said. “Get this information to somebody who can do something.”
Jimmy laughed shortly. “Not around here. They’re all corrupt. It’s right there in front of you. We can’t trust anyone.”
“Then....What are we to do ?”, Tony asked. “There has to be a way.”
Jimmy thought, though never a fast process with him. Finally, he said, “Federal Prosecutors. Them guys don’t screw around. They can stick 'em with the RICO statutes. There’s enough there to send up Harrington for life.”
“How....Do you know all this ?”, Zoe marvled.
“Jailhouse Lawyers”, Jimmy cracked a small grin. “Get to learn a lot in Prison.”
“Stuff I’d rather not know”, Karen said, shaking.
“Regardless”, Tony said, “We can’t go back now. We know what we know.”
“Right”, Jimmy said. “That’s why we have to keep this to ourself, least till we can figure out how to handle this. Go back out there and just act like normal. Nobody’s gonna suspect you of knowing anything. We’re just kids, after all.”
“They suspected you”, Nick observed dryly.
“That they did”, Jimmy acknowledged, “But only cause I put myself in a bad situation. I was brash. Too visible. Not like Pete. Nobody much noticed him. And he knows just as much as I do...Even more.”
“Yeah, look what happened to him”, Karen said, unconvinced.
“But that wasn’t the Harringtons”, Tony said. “That was crazy Jake who shot him.”
“It’s all the same to me”, Karen said. “What a horrid place this is !”
Tony hugged her. “I promise, we’re gonna make this better, somehow.”
“And we can start by making a pact”, Jimmy said.
Slowly, they all nodded agreement. The alternative was unthinkable.
______________________________
-
Kurt awoke groggily to a bright light in his face. His head was pounding from the pounding it had taken. Some time had passed, for there was dried blood on his face. At first, he just squinted, trying to escape the devil light that kept wanting to stab into his brain. Hanging his aching head lower, he blinked against the bright light. Trying to move his hands up to shield his face, he found he could not. As his head cleared somewhat, he saw the reason why.
He was sitting in what looked like a large, heavy, wooden chair. His arms were bound to the arms of the chair with what looked to be log chains. His legs, he discovered soon after, were also bound in a similar fashion. Kurt found that pulling against them was no good. They were as tight as could be without cutting off his circulation. Nor could he move the heavy chair so much as an inch when he got the strength to try, which he did for several minutes until sweat was pouring down his face, stinging the cuts there. Somebody had worked him over, he gradually realized. His face felt all puffy and his jaws ached when he opened and closed them.
The bright light was in front of him, it seemed, just a few feet away, mounted on some sort of tripod. It’s glare was so strong that Kurt could see only blackness beyond it. When he was able to move his head without the shooting pains, he examined what he could. He saw that he was in some sort of windowless room. The walls, he noticed, looked like the inside of a log cabin, big rail-tie sized chunks of wood laid atop one another, filled in with mortar at the cracks. Turning his gaze upward, he saw not a ceiling, but large beams of at least a foot thickness criss-crossing under a peaked roof. Looking down at the floor, he saw it was of rough-hewn stone.
The place had a musty smell. ‘Earthy’ might be a better word, he thought. It reminded him of the woods, or rather like what a cave in the woods might smell like. There was also no sounds. It was like being in a tomb. There was just him and a spider, crawling across the floor. At length, the spinning in his head cleared. He probably belonged in the Clinic, he reflected. At last, with no other options, he forced his aching jaws to speak.
“HEY !”, he called out. “Whoever You Are ! You Had Your Little Joke ! Now It’s Not Funny Anymore !!”
Silence greeted this. After thirty seconds went by, Kurt tried again.
“HEY !!!! HEY !!!!”, he called with a strangled voice. “Lemme Loose Of Here Right NOOOOWWW!!!!!!!”
There was a small 'click’ from beyond the light, like a microphone being switched on. Then, a low electric hum. Dimly, in the far upper corner, a small red light flickered on.
“Ah ! I see you finally woke up, Boyo !”, a voice said from behind the bright light.
“Who Are You ? What Is This ? Lemme Loose Of This Right Now !”, Kurt yelled.
“Tch, Tch...No need to repeat yourself, Boyo”, the voice said. “I heard you the first time.”
“THEN LET ME GO, DAMMIT !!!!”, Kurt raged.
“Afraid that’s a ‘No Can Do’, little man”, the voice chuckled. “You going to be here a while. A Long While !”
“Whadda You Talkin’ About, You Retarded FUCK !!”, Kurt hollered. “My Boys Will Be Lookin’ For Me, When They Find Me, I’m Gonna KICK YOUR ASS !!!!!”
The Voice coming through the speaker laughed. “Boyo, nobody is going to find you here. Scream all you want, no one can even hear you. This Resort is a bit off the beaten path, so to speak. You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave, He He !!”
Kurt struggled against his bonds. “This is BULLSHIT !! You Can’t Hold Me Here !! You’ll Go To Prison !! This Is Kidnapping, Dumbass !!”
“The same that happened to a certain young lady just a few months ago, so I hear”, the voice observed with a touch of irony. “What’s good for one is also good for another, isn’t that right Boyo ?”
“That Was Different !!!” Kurt protested. “We Just....Detained Her To Get Weapons From The Preps !! Then I Turned Her Free !! It Wasn’t Kidnapping !!”
“Makes no difference to me, Boyo....I don’t care what you little Perverts do with your time”, the voice said. “I was building an Empire long before you were even a bad seed in your Daddy’s ball sack. You remember your Daddy, don’t you Boyo ?”
“No”, Kurt seethed. “I Don’t Have No Father, Shithead.”
“Why, sure you do, Boyo....Everybody 's got a Daddy !”, the voice chortled. “Unless...You’re a little Bastard....Is that what you are, Boyo, just a little Bastard ?”
“I’M NOT A BASTARD !!!”, Kurt yelled angrily, his eyes bulging at the insult.
“Then where’s your Daddy now, Boyo ?”, the voice asked, shaking with laughter, “Where’s your Daddy now ?”
Kurt let loose with a string of curses at his unseen tormentor, lasting for all of five minutes. When he finally exhausted his verbal repitore, he came to realize the mysterious voice had fallen silent. Sulkily, he said, “You Still There, Scumbag ?”
“I be here, Boyo, but not for long”, the voice answered. “I have other matters to attend to, besides the likes of you. Not to worry, you’ll be....Well Attended to during your stay here.”
“Why Are You Doing This ?”, Kurt blustered. “What Do You Want From Me ?”
“Oh, it’s not me you have to be-a worrying about”, the voice replied, “It’s the Young Master you’ll be answering to, not myself. Till next time we meet, just relax and enjoy your little vacation. Everybody needs a break now and then, Don’t you agree ? Fact is, I’ve been told to have you try out the Spa Treatment. I hear it’s quite refreshing.”
“What Are You Talking About ?”, Kurt said roughly. “Just Whadda You Mean...”
“You got to be all cleaned up before the Young Master meets you”, the voice interrupted. “It’s the only decent thing to do when you got company coming, isn’t that right ? Be checking in on you later, Boyo !”
Another small ‘Click’ announced the termination of the connection, and the low electric hum ceased. Kurt sat, with his mouth open, poised to fire off another volley of rants at the invisible speaker, then closed it. It would do no good if he couldn’t be heard, he figured. He set to thinking about his situation.
Young Master ? Just who the hell was that ? He could think, offhand, of about about ten people who had scores to settle with him. As he was dwelling on that, a drop of water struck him on the head, followed by another, and then another. Quickly, it turned into a small stream, then just as fast became a larger stream. Within seconds, it became a heavy stream, as if a kitchen faucet had been turned on above him. Since he couldn’t move from the spot, he quickly became soaked.
But there was something wrong. This water smelled, absolutely REEKED. Soon, the room became saturated with an evil smell. Kurt then noticed small chunks of brown stuff falling off his head onto his lap. Kurt realized the brown chunks were pieces of shit. He was being washed, alright....With sewer water that should have been bound for the Waste Treatment Plant.
The stinking, shit-encrusted water was building up on the floor in front of him. Kurt leaned forward as much as he could and managed to catch sight of a drain right in front of the chair. The shit was clogging it up. At the same time, he saw something else.....A power cable snaking to the big, bright light on the tripod that was still shining in his face.
_______________________________________
-
“You got da stuff ?”, Luis asked.
“Yeah, sure, big boy, right here”, Tom said, holding out the bag.
The two were standing behind the West bleachers. The morning sun was breaking over the campus from the East, but the section where Tom and Luis were meeting was still in shadow. There was little activity on the Football Field. It was too early for most to be up, including Luis, who just happened to be the one whose turn it was to pick up the drugs this morning. He was in a rather grumpy mood at having to be up so early. He reached out to grab the bag from Tom.
“Not so fast”, Tom said, pulling back the bag. “Show me the Money.”
“Jesucristo, you fuckin’ moron, yo debería latir tu asno”, grumbled Luis, but dug in his pocket and pulled out a pile of bills. “¿Cuanto cuesta?”
Tom had a blank look on his face. “Mucho ? How Much ?”, Luis repeated.
“OH !”, Tom exclaimed. “It’s Twenty for the whole bag.”
“Twenty !?”, yelped Luis. “No me chingues ! That be a lotta Mucho !”
“Can’t help it”, Tom said smugly. “Special batch, just delivered.” Tom had no idea just how special this particular batch was, however. Trent had told him that under no circumstance was he to take any less than $15 for it, and didn’t explain further. Tom figured he could pick up an extra five on the side. After all, he was the one taking the risk, wasn’t he ?
Luis glared at Tom for several seconds, trying to intimidate him into naming a lower price. Tom, however, just stared back. Luis wanted beat his ass right then and there, just piledrive his smirking face into the pavement, and then take the bag and walk away. But dimly, he knew that course of action wouldn’t exactly bode well for any future drug buys that the Jocks would want to make. He unclenched his fist and slowly peeled off a ten and two fives. Mindful of the snatch-and-grab tactics the Bullies had used in the school bathrooms not so long ago, he held the money up in his right hand in the air while stuffing the rest of the bills back in his pocket with the left. When Tom reached for the money, Luis shook his head, and held out his now-free hand for the bag. Tom got the idea, and dropped the bag into Luis’ hand while reaching up to pluck the money from his other hand.
The transaction now complete, Tom said, “Hey, nice doin’ business with you, amigo”, then turned and walked swiftly away.
“Vete a la chingada !”, Luis returned, but Tom was already out of earshot. “¡A la chingada!”, he muttered. What a pain in the ass.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
About the same time, up at the school Parking Lot, Wade was meeting with Ricky to do his own drug deal. Trent had been explicit on the $15 a bag price, but unlike Tom, Wade didn’t have enough balls to jack the price up and thereby gain an extra fiver. In fact, he was rather nervous to be selling out in the open, even though it was over by the old junk bus. Most of his limited attention span was involved with looking around constantly to make sure he was dealing unobserved.
“That there’s Highway Robbery !”, Ricky was saying. “This better be real good stuff for the charges you price !”
“Uh...Yeah, special batch”, Wade said, his eyes coming to rest on Ricky momentarily.
“You best not be fuckin’ ripping us off, man”, Ricky said, while handing over a ten and a five, “This better be good shit.”
Wade gave him the bag, still preoccupied looking for Prefects or even anyone else around the Parking Lot. It was about time for the Teachers who drove to school to arrive, and he didn’t fancy being around when that happened. “Er...Yeah, the best”, he said, handing Ricky the bag. “I gotta go.”
With that, the deal complete, Wade turned and jogged off the Parking Lot as Ricky melted away into the back lot of the Autoshop area. Relieved at not seeing anyone as he headed back to the Dorm, he failed to notice Mr. Luntz’s head poking up from the stairwell leading to the school basement.
The Jackasses had done just as he thought they would, Mr. Luntz grinned. Now, if only they were stupid enough to take the product they were selling....And he was sure they were....Revenge would be very sweet indeed.
_______________________________________________
-
Tony was falling asleep in class. And, in all places, boring Math Class, where Mr. Hattrick held his students in general torture everyday. Tony was definitely not getting enough sleep these days, with all that was going on in his life at Bullworth. Certainly, he reflected (when he had time to do such a thing), not what he had ever imagined when he had walked through the gates of the school last September for the first time. He was a newbie then, but these days he felt like he had lived at this place for a very long time. At least it was Friday.
“Calderone !!”, Mr. Hattrick thundered. “Are You Paying Attention ?”
“Uhh...Yes Sir, I am Sir”, Tony managed to say, as the Preps Justin and Parker snickered in the background. Tony shot them a warning look, and the smiles left their faces, although they couldn’t help still smirking.
“Ah, I See !”, remarked Mr. Hattrick. “Then since you ARE giving such close attention to the problem at hand, would you be so good as to come forward and demonstrate it to the class on the blackboard ?”
Tony groaned and with an effort hauled himself up out of his seat, going to the board amid the small giggles from the girls in the class. Even though he knew everybody here, he still felt embarrassed at being called out in front of any class. Tony slouched to the board and paused, trying to remember just what the hell the math problem was. A few seconds spun into a half a minute, with Tony frozen in front of the board, a piece of chalk in his hand.
“What’s The Matter, MR. Calderone, Forget To Eat Your Wheaties Today ?”, Mr. Hattrick boomed amid the guffaws coming from some of the students.
Uhh...No Sir...It’s just....umm....” Tony faltered.
“The Problem”, Mr. Hattrick intoned, “Is find the value of ‘x’ in the equation 8x - 19 = √169 + 10.”
Tony wrote the equation on the board, then dallied as his mind searched for the answer. Never that great in Math, he nonetheless stared at the numbers, hoping his fogged mind could somehow produce the answer to what should have been a simple problem. Instead, his mind just blanked.
“Well”, Mr. Hattrick said cheerily, “Seems our young whiz is having trouble. Anyone care to help out ?”
Gloria’s hand shot up. “The answer is 5.25“, she said primly. Unlike the others, Gloria loved the challenge of Math Class, even though Mr. Hattrick was probably the most disliked teacher at the school. In return for her loyality to his subject, Mr. Hattrick gave Gloria good grades and leering looks whenever he had to the chance. One of those times was now, as he stood transfixed with his eyes locked onto her youthful figure.
At last he broke his gaze, noticing Tony still standing slackly at the Blackboard. “That’s correct, Miss Jackson”, he said, clearing his throat. “You may sit down, Mr. Caldrone. Usually, I give detention for such ineptness as you have displayed here today....But in your case, perhaps a refresher assignment is in order. Read through Chapter Nine and then solve all the equations from that chapter. Have it on my desk first thing Monday morning.”
Tony slumped to his seat. Just great. As if he didn’t have anything else to do. Mr. Hattrick would have loved to dish out a detention to Tony, but was prohibited by the fact of Tony’s Mediator status. That always burned Mr. Hattrick’s temper that Tony was allowed to have that perk, and he piled it on him as much as possible. Tony sat pissed at his desk. Only a few more weeks of this rotten Math Dictator, and he would never have to take his stinking Nazi class ever again. Wouldn’t be soon enough for him, that was for sure.
________________________________________________________
-
Tony didn’t fare well in his other classes that day either. In English Class, he misspelled a bunch of words he usually got right. Mr. Galloway drifted over to his desk. “You seem to be off par today, Tony”, he remarked.
“Just got a lot on my mind, Mr. G”, Tony mumbled.
“Well, those things happen”, Mr. Galloway said. “Remember what I told you last fall ?”
“Sure, Mr. G”, Tony replied, remembering their private talk by the Library.
“It’s all up here”, Mr. Galloway said, tapping his head. “Word to the Wise.”
“Yes, Sir”, Tony said. “Word to the Wise.”
“Spell It”, Mr. Galloway said, nodding.
“W-I-S-E”, Tony rattled off without thinking.
“That’s Right !”, Mr Galloway said with a wink before walking off.
Tony felt better then, and was able to stay in a good mood almost clear up to the time he blew up a beaker in Chemistry Class. As the acrid smoke filled up the room, Tony exited with the other choking students as Dr. Watts screeched, “Would You Watch What You’re Doing, Young Man !!” Someone pulled the Fire Alarm, and the whole school emptied out into the hallways, milling around. The P.A. came on then, with Ms. Danvers strident voice announcing, “The Fire Alarms Are To Be Used For Fires Only ! Unless The School Is Burning Down, Students Are Expected To Remain In Class !!”
Since Tony couldn’t meet Karen today for lunch, as she was off on a Home Ec field trip into town, he went to his locker and grabbed a bag containing has lunch. Brown Bagging, they still called it here, although the food in this place was so bad many students Brown-Bagged all the time for fear of catching some disease from Cook Edna’s rancid offerings. Normally, Tony would only eat the fruit that was laid out, first checking to see that it wasn’t rotten. But instead of heading to the Cafeteria, Tony ate his lunch on the back steps alone. He wanted some solitary time as he hashed over the various problems he had to face.
________________________________________________________
-
As he had finished Shop classes early, Tony had the afternoon free. But thinking about it, Tony decided to take up on Mr. Neil’s offer to drop by the Autoshop anytime and headed over. He entered the Shop and for awhile watched the Greasers working, a rare occurrence outside of the Autoshop. Tony watched the Greasers with their new toys, the flashy tools, the new pit and lift. At length, he walked over and took a seat by Mr. Neil’s desk.
After some time, Mr. Neil returned from the shop area. Pleased to see Tony there, he greeted him warmly. He took a seat himself behind the massive desk, which resembled a fortress on the shop floor. Tony resumed watching the Greasers. Their '69 Mustang Fastback was nearly fully restored once more from the damage that had been inflicted on it. Tony was thinking that the poor car had been put through hell just by virtue of being in the Greaser’ possession, an easy target for the Cowardly Jake that couldn’t fight back or defend itself from the damage he had inflicted thrice on it in the short space of a few months. Tony was glad to see the Greasers restoring it back to it’s former glory, up on the lift with several of them underneath, turning wrenches and installing parts.
At length, Mr. Neal said, “You look like you got the weight of the world on you, Tony.”
Tony sighed. “Just a few things I need to think over, Mr. N.”
“Ah", Mr. Neil remarked, “The burdens of responsibility weigh heavy on a man’s soul, is that it ?”
“Something like that”, Tony said without elaborating.
Mr. Neil leaned back in his chair. “But, everything seems peaceful of late. No fighting going on.”
“Calm before the storm”, Tony said, still gazing out at the Greasers while hunched over, resting his chin in both hands.
“You think so ?”, Mr. Neil asked. “Well, after all, this is Bullworth. Things are bound to happen.”
“So I’ve found out”, Tony said regretfully, wishing he could still just be a kid.
After a few minutes of silence while Tony continued to watch the Greasers at work, Mr. Neil said, “Maybe you should take a break, Tony. Sometimes, solutions have a way of presenting themselves if you leave the problem alone for awhile and focus on something else. Take the pressure cooker off the stove for awhile, so to speak. Hell, even the President takes a vacation from the world’s problems every once and a while. You should too.”
Tony turned and looked at Mr. Neil. He was right. These things were weighing heavy on him lately because he was letting them weigh heavy. “You might have something there, Mr. N.”
“Just kick back, Take your own vacation for a few days. Have some fun”, said Nr. Neil. “Speaking of fun, aren’t the Bike Races set to start tomorrow ?”
The Bike Race !! Tony had almost forgotten, with all the activity he had been through this past couple of weeks. “It sure does”, he said, almost sheepishly, “Noon tomorrow, in fact. I better go gather the sign-up lists and see who’s racing.”
“You got a fast bike there, Tony. I got a feeling you’ll come out a big winner”, Mr. Neil said, “In more ways than one.”
Tony hopped up, a smile forming on his face for the first time today. “You’re right. I need to get crackin’ !” Tony started to leave, then turned back briefly. “Hey, thanks a lot, Mr. N !”
“Anytime, Tony, Anytime”, Mr. Neil said as Tony sped off.
_________________________________________________
-
A door banged open. “Good Evening, Peon.”
An exhausted Kurt looked up, blinking his bleary eyes against the bright white light. Less than an hour ago, the stream of sewer water and shit had ceased pouring down on his head. Kurt had been occupied for hours....How many, he couldn’t tell....swishing the stinking, shit-filled water with his feet in an attempt to keep the floor drain freed up. Since he could move neither leg, he had to twist his ankles around to keep the water moving, to keep the pieces of shit floating on the water and away from clogging the drain. If the water level had risen to where the extention cord plugged into the cord that went to the big light.....
“Derby”, Kurt said as the figure walked around in front of the light. “What do you want ?”
A laugh escaped Derby’s lips. “How utterly amusing that after all this time you should be asking what I want.” He circled about the front of the big, stand-up light, taking care not to tred in the wet, shit-filled spots that remained on the sloped floor. “Pew, sure stinks in here. Did you shat yourself ?”
“Fuck You”, returned Kurt dully. In fact, he had shit himself since he had been here, and pissed himself too. His undershorts resembled what a baby diaper would look like with a full load in it.
Derby ignored the insult. “Hmm...What DO I want ?", he mused. “What I want, is....I want to see your gang of Paupers off my street and out of my school. I want Pinky released from whatever brainwashing you did to her. I want vermin of your kind to be gone.” Derby leaned forward with hatred in his eyes. “I want you humiliated and on your knees begging for your worthless life, scumbag.”
“Fat chance of that, Asshole”, Kurt returned through puffy lips.
Derby took two quick steps into the remains of the slop on the floor and punched Kurt dead in the face with a right hook. Kurt’s head rocked back from the blow, blood running down his face out of his freshly-damaged nose. Just as quickly Derby stepped back, wiping his feet on the floor.
“Now look what you’ve made me do, I’ve soiled my shoes”, Derby said with disgust. “You’ll pay for that too.”
“You best let me go”, Kurt said menacingly, “You got no idea of who you’re messin’ with.”
Derby barked laughter. “No idea who I’m messing with ? You don’t even know who you are !”
“I’m Kurt, You Jackass”, Kurt rumbled, “I’m the one who kicked your sorry Preppie butt.”
“Yeah ?”, Derby jerred, “Kurt WHO ? Kurt the Orphan ? Kurt the Gutter Runner ? Kurt the Worthless Pauper ?” Derby’s eyes narrowed. “Kurt the Criminal ? Kurt the Kidnapper ? Kurt the COWARD ?”
Kurt seethed without answering, sending a hate-filled look at Derby.
“It was just too much for a Coward like yourself to face me one-on-one”, Derby continued, “Heavens No, you have to have your gang of lackys hold me down. Why, you’re so tough, even that loser Tony can stuff you into trash cans and whomp your sorry arse, you sack of shit.”
Kurt glared hatred, his face turning red. Derby whirled around. “No More !! This is your Armageddon, 'friend’.....This is where you get on the short Bus To HELL !!”
Derby turned and went behind the big light. Kurt heard a click, followed by a low hum. Derby reappeared next to the bright light, which had been the only source of heat up until now, helping to dry him out after his piss and shit shower. Now, however, Kurt felt a warm breeze surge over him. Turning his head to the far right, he spied the edge of what looked like a heater duct set into the wall. Looking back, he saw Derby flash an evil grin.
“I say, getting rather warm in here. Think I’ll be going now, before it gets too hot. Maybe you best get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.” Derby turned and disappeared behind the big light, and Kurt heard the rattle of a door opening. He struggled against his bonds without success.
“You Prep Prick !”, Kurt hollered, “You Can’t Leave Me Here To Cook !!”
“I imagine you’ll be well-done by tomorrow night”, Derby said. “Bon Appétit !”
“HEY ASSHOLE !! HEY !!! HEY !!!!!”, Kurt raged. But his only answer was the slamming of the door and the clicking of the locks.
____________________________________________
-
The air was full of excitement on Saturday, the day of the first big bike race. It was a perfect spring day, blue skies with puffy little clouds drifting lazily along, a slight breeze blowing in from the distant ocean. The students were gathered in groups in the green space between the Parking Lot and the West side of the school, anticipating the start of the race. Tony stood in the center of it all, with his red Flame Job BMX he had retrieved from the bike garage a bit earlier.
It had been a busy morning. Tony had the entry sheets in hand, showing what was said to be a record turnout for a Bullworth Bike race. The Greasers were fielding four entries, The Jocks had also signed up four. The Bullies had three entrants, no doubt on stolen bikes. Even the Nerds had two entries, one more than they usually tried. The four Cliques were gathered around their bikes in different spots the Parking Lot, making last minute adjustments. Gathered around Tony was Karen, who was to be the official starter....Nick, who was watching out for any threats....Melody, sticking close to Nick....And Ray, who was helping Tony go over the entry sheets and checking that everybody that had signed up was there.
Because of the split and subsequent trouble in the Prep Clique, none of them had signed up for the race. It would be the first time in anybody’s memory that a Prep wouldn’t be in the race, which was exactly why the turnout was so good....The Preps always cheated by taking illegal shortcuts and the like, or having some of their members put obstacles in the way of the race leaders to slow them down. Tad, who was now heading the Clique, vowed to be in the races to follow, at least the ones being run from the Shiny Bikes Shops, and had promised that there would be no more cheating of any sort, saying that under his leadership there would be no more of that. In the spirit of the new era of cooperation with the rest of the Cliques, he proclaimed, those types of things would be left in the past. Tony, however, wasn’t so sure about all that, believing Tad to be just another version of Derby. The Preps had always had ulterior motives to most everything they did, and that wasn’t going to change soon, or ever at all...No matter who was in charge.
Likewise, the Rockers had not fielded an entry either. In fact, Tony had not even seen them for several days, at school or in class, now that he thought about it. But, there had been similar times in the past that had happened, so that in itself wasn’t unusual. Generally, the Rockers didn’t mix much in the social life of Bulworth, keeping mostly to themselves these days, which suited Tony just fine because he didn’t have to deal with Kurt anymore. After stuffing the boy in several trashcans and hog-tying him up over the Boy’s Dorm entrance last fall, Kurt had pretty much conceded defeat and stopped making trouble for Tony. Instead, he had come to focus a hatred on the Preps. It made no difference to Tony, as he had come to dislike the back-stabbing Preps anyway, Particularly Derby, the only Clique leader he really couldn’t get along with. Things had taken a turn with Derby out of the picture, to be sure, the Clique had mellowed out under Tad’s leadership and sentiment had changed among the students in light of Tad Spencer’s generous gifts. But Tony was sure that Tad had his own agenda, and whatever he was selling, Tony wasn’t buying it.
Just as Tony was thinking those thoughts, he saw the Rockers enter the Parking Lot at the gate. They were all bunched in a group, with Pinky and Christy among them. Studiously avoiding the other Cliques, they wound their way around to where Tony and his group were. When Karen caught sight of Pinky, she raised her hand and pointed.
“What’s that BITCH doing here ?”, she said angrily.
“Chill, Karen”, Tony said, “Let’s see what they want.”
The Clique approached Tony’s Group. For the first time, Tony saw that Kurt was not with them. When they were but a few paces away, they stopped. Tibo said, “We need to talk to you, man.”
“Is that so ?”, Tony said guardedly. “What about ?” Tony didn’t care much for Kurt’s right-hand flunky Tibo either, remembering their shoving altercation and threats in the school hallway last fall.
“I’ll take this”, Winkie said, and stepped forward, with Christy at his side. Winkie was the most likable of the Rockers, and Tony felt more at ease speaking with him, as Winkie knew he would.
“Kurt is missing”, Winkie said. “We can’t find him anywhere.”
“Missing ?”, Tony said. “Whadda mean, 'Missing’? He goes missing all the time.”
“Not without us, he don’t”, piped up Bonz. “We alluys know where he is.”
“That’s right, we tight, Dude”, spoke Grungy. “Real tight.”
Tibo silenced the others with a look. Tony asked, “So...Umm...When did you see him last ?”
“Thursday afternoon”, Winkie said. “He went off to make arrangements for a gig we was to play that night. He never showed.”
“So ?”, Nick interjected. “Call the Cops. We ain’t the Missing Persons Bureau.”
“The Cops would just laugh at us”, Benny spoke up, sounding rather upset.
Tony thought that was probably true. Kurt had been allowed to get away with a lot of stuff, probably due to the fact that he was the bastard son of one of the gangsters that apparently was in league with Harrington. Jimmy had shared the information that he and Zoe has uncovered about Kurt during their foray into the Harrington Mansion. And, among the papers that he had found in the Secret File, the name of Fonzerelli had popped up quite frequently. And the Cops, stymied in any effort to charge Kurt with the kiddnapping of Pinky or the various break-in he had been rumored to have done, would probably laugh their asses off.
Pinky stepped hesitantly forward in the momentary silence. Disregarding the hateful looks of Karen being directed at her, She said, “Please help us Tony ! Something’s happened to him, I’m sure of it !”
Karen flashed anger. “How dare you ask Tony to do anything for you, SLUT, after all you’ve done !!”
“After all I’ve done ?”, Pinky said in mock surprise. “Well let me tell you just what....”
“OK, OK ! I’ll look into it and see what I can do !”, Tony said, interrupting Pinky before she could make any revelations that he didn’t want Karen to hear. “But, I gotta tell you, I don’t have much luck finding missing people....Jake, Algie, and now....”, he jerked his thumb over at the Greasers, “Damon....He’s missing too. So don’t get your hopes up.”
“All we ask is for you to try”, said Winkie. “We been everywhere and not a trace.”
“I’ll do what I can”, Tony said, “But right now, I got a bike race to run. I’ll have to get back to you.”
Satisfied with that, the Rockers moved off, taking Christy and Pinky with them. Karen glared at the retreating Pinky with anger in her eyes. “I’m gonna waste that Bitch, I swear I will !!!”
“Cool it, Karen...Look”, Tony said, gripping her and swinging her around and looking her deep in the eyes. “She’s no threat. Not to us...OK ?”
“I know, I know”, Karen said, “It’s just that...that...”
“You’re my girl”, Tony said, “Now and always. Understand ?”
Karen blinked. “Yes....Right. You’re right.” She smiled then and leaned forward and kissed Tony, hungrily. When they finished, Tony said gently, “Now com’on....We got a race to run.”
_________________________________________________
-
The Cliques drifted over towards the Parking Lot gate area where the race would be started. Tony went over the route in his head. Down the Parking Lot Drive heading North, then a right turn onto Vale Boulevard, across the big bridge, then turn right on the wide dirt path that led under the rail overpass into New Coventry, running behind the old Wonder Meats warehouse (the same place where Jake had found the barrel of Pig Blood), into a short alley between two buildings, emerging at Industrial Road. Then, a right turn, across the small bridge to Blue Skies, keeping on Industrial Road until the entrance to the Power Station, then another right onto Meats Avenue, straight West around the curve, then a quick duck into a short tunnel under the rail overpass that led to a footbridge over the water, linking up to the old rail line that ran past the tunnel that housed Jimmy’s secret cave. From there, he just had to race the old rail line clear around the back of the school, bending North again and riding like the Devil until it linked up again with Parking Lot Drive, the start and finish point.
Laurent left the Greaser group to come push his bike alongside Tony.
“We are having the big race today Tony, no ?”, Laurent said, clearly excited. It was to be his first at Bullworth as well as Tony.
“No,Yes....The Big One !”, Tony returned, Laurent’s enthusiasm rubbing off on him.
“We gonna win this sucker !”, Laurent gloated. “Do you have your Firecrackers, my friend ?”
Tony patted his pockets. “Right here”, he said. Tony had found out Firecrackers were an acceptable way of slowing down those behind you, as was banging into each other’s bikes and even punching the other riders. It was, apparently, a long-standing race tradition.
“He, He !”, Laurent laughed. “I have some Marbles ! Better watch out !”
“Not gonna use them on me, I hope ?, Tony grinned.
“Mon Dieu, No !”, Laurent exclaimed. “I will have your back, and you will have mine ! Agreed ?”
“Agreed”, Tony answered, “But if it’s just the two of us, up front, we race clean, no tricks. OK ?”
“An honorable challenge !”, Laurent nodded, “I accept !”
All eyes were focused on the starting spot, where Karen was standing, a red scarf in her hand, looking at a watch awaiting the Noon hour to start the race. If anyone had cared to look behind them, which no one did, they would have spotted each rider for the Greasers, the Jocks, and the Bullies wetting their fingers and dipping them into small bags filled with powder surreptitously hidden in their jackets and shirt pockets, bringing them to their mouths over and over again. Mr.Luntz’s tainted drugs, saved just for today’s race.
Karen lifted her eyes from the watch and held the red scarf high.
“READY !! SET !!......” She hollered, bringing the scarf down, “GO !!!!!!!!”
The Race Was On.
________________________________
-
The racers bolted from the starting line, all of them in a dense clump in the narrow driveway. The racers included Tony, Laurent, Troy, Davis, Trent, Norton, Peanut, Ricky, Vance, Kirby, Dan, Casey, Luis, Bucky, and Cornelius. Most of the racers did infact have stocks of various weapons stuffed into every pocket. At Bullworth there was no such thing as a fair race, underhandedness was just the law of the land.
The racers sped around the corner onto Vale Boulevard, nearly knocking Mr. Breckindale flat on his ass as they stirred up a breeze that blew his hair back. Now that the road was wider, the racers started to seperate a bit. Ricky gained the lead, his experience with bike races was sure to help him greatly. Tony decided not to exert too much energy, he wanted to pace himself a bit and wait until the other racers were tired out before putting all his energy into it, just like running a marathon. Laurent rode up beside Tony and kept pace. He looked at Tony and grinned as they both turned back to see Cornelius dragging up the rear. "Look at that Nerd, you think he should have stayed at home, mon ami?", chuckled Laurent. "Haha, I remember hearing that he got the lowest score on the presidential fitness test!", laughed Tony. The two boys felt so exhilarated, the wind blowing through their hair, the excitement of the competition, it was like a dream. The group had now started to cross onto the Bullworth Bridge, the first major milestone. Although the group was starting to seperate still, the bikers still remained relatively close together, no more than 10 feet away from the nearest competitor. The first real hazard presented itself right away. A car driving down the road had it's windows punched out by a quick thinking Ricky. The other racer's hearts skipped a beat as the break lights flashed on and the car stopped. Many of the seasoned racers swerved sharply to avoid eating bumper, but Tony and Laurent squealed on their own hand breaks to make sure the turn was executed properly. The first "fatality" of the race came in the form of Troy. He was so busy reaching in his pocket, he failed to notice the car stop, nevermind the front door open. The Bully slammed into the door and full speed, sending Ms. Kopke ducking back into the car and sending Troy right over the handle bars. He hit the ground with a thud and a gurgled "uuugghhh!". Unable to get back up, he became instantly disqualified. "Oh my God!, did you see that?!", asked Tony in shock. "Oui", replied Laurent, "better him than me!", he said with a smile.
-
Tony and Laurent continued with the rest of the other racers, banging a hard right onto a dirt path. Ricky was still in the lead, but Kirby was starting to gain on him. Reaching into the pocket of his leather jacket, Ricky pulled out a little red cylinder. The next thing he pulled out was a lighter, and after flicking it on, lit a fuse on the object and threw it. The firecracker bounced along the ground and settled in the dust in front of the other students. The night was silent, with the exception of the whizzing sound of the bike wheels spinning and the few taunts coming from the bikers. This relative silence was broken by a sudden, deafening BANG!
Tony took a few moments to realize what just happened. His heart just about stopped beating at the split second he heard the loud bang, seeming to come from only a few feet to his right.....to his right! That's where Laurent just was! Tony looked quickly over his shoulder, only to spot Laurent laying on the ground, his bike mangled next to him. "Shit! Nooo! Laurent!", Tony yelled in grief. Tony was sure Laurent would be okay, but he was still worried about him. Tony sighed and realized he would be better off continuing rather than go back and check. Some of the students not participating in the race volunteered to tail the racers and check for injured students.
A large structure loomed up ahead, it was the large bridge that carried the railroad tracks over the river to Blue Skies. Tony pulled ahead of a few students, riding up alongside Trent. "Hey shitbag, get ready to lose!", taunted Trent. "Fuck you, queer", retorted Tony. For some odd reason, Tony's response made Trent laugh uncontrollably. Ricky, still in the lead pedalled up the steep dirt hill at intense speed. As he approached the crest, he squatted down on the seat and sprang up at just the perfect time, performing a large jump. While in the air, he proceeded to do a back flip and tossed out another firecracker. The trajectory of the thow caused the explosive to be spiked straight down onto the approaching bikers. Trent, still in hysterics, didn't notice as Tony swerved far to the left. BOOM! The firecracker erupted in a flash of intense heat, blowing Trent and nearby Dan off their bikes and throwing them both into a tree. Tony craned his neck to look back and noticed the two of them, Dan hanging limp from a low branch and trent slumped against the base of the tree. Two more down....
-
"Fuck!", said Tony, "This competition is getting fierce!" Tony continued on, the race now lacking 4 people. Surprisingly, the Nerds were still in it. The bikers rumbled down the dirt path, approaching the box cars in back of Wonder Meats. Ricky was starting to lose ground to Kirby who was pedalling like a maniac in order to catch up. Tony thought now was a good time to whip out some "assistance" from his pocket. Tony fumbled for a few quick moments and pulled out an egg. "Shit....not exactly what I was hoping to pull out, but it will have to do." Taking careful aim, Tony threw the egg toward the front of the pack. The egg made a nice arch and fell squarely on Kirby's back. The Jock began to swerve and jerk violently left and right after being scared by the sudden impact on his backside. Tony began laughing loudly, Kirby heard this and shouted out: "That was DUMB of SOMEBODY!" The bikers began zooming up and over the railroad tracks, preparing to make a split second decision whether to go right, through a small tunnel, or left, through the alley. Tony decided he would go to the right and pass through the tunnel as it was a few feet less distance to travel. Ricky and Kirby sped off to the left toward the alley. In a desperate attempt to gain ground on Ricky, the Jock made a jump with his bike to try and jump over the low section of the factory they were going around. Kirby however, misjudged his leap and wound up crashing in mid air into a ladder that spanned across the alley from one roof to another. In an impulse of fear, Kirby reached out and grabbed hold of the ladder....it was a good 10 feet or more to the ground and he didn't want to fall. In order to grab the ladder, Kirby abandoned his bike, letting it crash into the wall below the ladder. He watched as the other racers zoomed under him. Thoughts raced through his head, should he just dangle here? or take the leap of faith and rejoin the race? After a few seconds of thought, he let go......he hit the ground hard. "Ow! Fuck!", he screamed in pain. Just as he was about to stand and retrieve his bike, Cornelius, bringing up the rear, came barrel-assing through the alley and ran right over Kirby, flattening him into the dirt. As the old song goes, "Another one bites the dust"....
-
The race continued, cutting through the small section of New Coventry along the course. Bucky was starting to push forward, his legs pumping like iron pistons. "Later, alligator", he said as he zoomed past Vance and got up alongside Casey. "What the hell? How did you get all the way up here?", said Casey in disbelief. "I've got legs of steel, I'll run you down!", threatened Bucky. Casey was getting pissed. He didn't want some Nerd to catch up to him. "You're going down, smartass!", said Casey as he started throwing punches at the Nerd. WHACK! He landed a punch square on Bucky's face. "Ow! My word!", exclaimed Bucky. From several yards back, Cornelius noticed his friend being assaulted. He began to pedal like never before in hopes of catching up and protecting his fellow Nerd. "You'll be sorry!", he shouted. Just then, Casey landed a destructive blow. Bucky's head snapped back from the impact of the strong fist, his head and body starting to lean back as he lost consciousness. With Bucky out cold, his bike began to wobble and sway as there was no one to control it. When they reached the bridge to Blue Skies, Bucky's bike hit the bump, lifting his hands off the handle bars, causing him to make a nasty, violent spill. With Cornelius dangerously close behind, the crashing Bucky was sent directly in Cornelius' path, causing a chain reaction. "A-hahahahaha!", laughed Casey as he turned back to look at the mess he'd caused.
Now there were only 7 racers remaining.....Tony, Davis, Norton, Peanut, Ricky, Vance, Casey, and Luis....
-
Now that the race had entered Blue Skies, the students had reached the halfway point in the race. Competition was likely to be even more fierce now. Tony was in 5th place, only Davis and Vance trailed behind. He watched as they passed by home after run down home. Tony knew he would have to get moving soon, half of the race was almost over, there wasn't a large amount of time left to build up speed, get in first place and then actually remain in first. Davis was thinking the exact same thing. He figured it was time for drastic measures. Reaching into his shirt pocket, Davis pulled out a little baggie with one hand, keeping the other hand firmly gripped on the handle bars. He stuffed the bag od white powder into his nose, inhaling it deeply. *cough! cough!* "Awww, ugh, I think I might puke!", he shrieked. This had to have been the nastiest bag he had ever had the misfortune to inhale. Although the drugs were a knock-off, there was still enough of the real thing to boost his energy. He began pedalling faster and faster, soon passing by Vance and Tony as they zipped past the police station and under the Spazz Industries building. "What the fuck? Aww, shit!", said Tony as he realized he had just dropped back to 6th place out of 7. Davis had a mean look now, his eyes blood shot. The concentration he had was incredible. Davis didn't even notice a construction worker exting his large truck and plowed right into him, sending him sprawling onto the road. A nearby pedestrian gasped in horror, running to the man's aid. "You bastards! I'm calling the cops!", shouted the pedestrian from behind. Tony's blood ran cold....."the cops?", he said to himself. "We gotta get out of here!"
What Tony didn't realize was that bike racing was outlawed in Bullworth the summer before. The Town's people were voicing too many complaints about injuries and propert destruction as a result of those crazy Bullworth kids and their extreme bike races. Tony had no idea of this, but would surely find out if the cops were to find them.
Tony and the others were just turning the corner around the old Blue Skies shipping when Davis pulled up behind Ricky, entering second place. At the same time, Tony thought he could hear the distant sound of a siren. "Shit, it's the fuzz!", cried Vance. The other racers all heard this bit of news and began to push their legs to the limit. There was no way any of them wanted to get busted by the cops. About a half mile behind him, Tony could see flashing lights....getting closer and closer....
-
The racers shot down Meats Road, picking up speed with the threat of the flashing red lights behind them. Ricky was still in the lead, with Davis close behind him, then Casey, Norton and Luis, bunched up in a pack a ways behind. Trailing but gaining was Tony, with Vance bringing up the rear.
Approaching the turn to Asylum Road past Spencer Street, Davis suddenly began wobbling his bike for no apparent reason. Then, as he made the left turn behind Ricky to Asylum Road, Davis just kept turning, riding around and around in an ever-widening circle. His eyes were wide open and glassy as the hallucinogens in the drugs he had just snorted kicked in.
“WOW !!!”, he exclaimed dreamily, “I SMELL COLORS !!!”
The other riders dodged around him as he continued to spiral around in circles, Tony and Vance just barely missing him as he seemed to pick up speed, shouting gibberish at the top of his lungs. Then, as the last of the riders cleared him, he inexplicitly straightened out and smashed full tilt into the Save Warehouse Building on the corner.
Ricky dived into the short tunnel under the rail overpass, followed in a few seconds by the other riders. As Vance made the turn to be the last into the tunnel, the Cop car was almost upon him. The Officer driving put on a burst of speed, attempting to knock Vance off his bike, but entered the tunnel, which was barely wide enough for a car in the first place, at the wrong angle and wound up crashing into the wall. The racers continued on to the footbridge, the pack beginning to bunch up.
The door to the Save Warehouse opened, and a man emerged, drawn out by the noise of Davis smacking into the side of the building and the sound of the Cop siren, which was still blaring sickly in the distance from the crashed Cop car. He walked over to Davis, who was rolling around on the sidewalk, blood running down his face, in an apparent daze.
Davis’ rolling glassy eyes spotted the man approaching, but without recognition. “Hey, Brudder Man, What Be Tokin’?”, Davis spouted. “Hear Them Colors ? They Taste Good !!! Jelly Jungles Of Orange Marmalade !!! Spill The Wine !!! Dig That Girl !!!”
Mr. Luntz cracked a tight smile. It seemed those dumbasses had done just exactly as he knew they would, partook of the tainted drugs he had left for them in their Dorm room. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, he reflected, as he drew back his leg and planted a hard kick to Davis’ side, hearing a satisfying crack of a couple of ribs as he did so. Davis responded with what seemed to be an orgasmic cry of pleasure. Determined to give Davis the full experience, Mr. Luntz proceeded to rain down kicks to his groin, ass, and head. After each blow, Davis gave cries of pure delight, until a final kick to the head rendered him senseless.
Mr. Luntz looked up from his fun then, seeing workers from the semi-loading area across the street running towards the wrecked Cop car. Unnoticed, he slipped around the Warehouse onto Spencer Street, crossed the road and stood in the shadow of a large panel van. Withdrawing a set of fold-down binoculars from his pocket, he resumed his survalence of the Spencer Warehouse, which was the true reason he was in Blue Skies on this particular day.
With satisfaction, he noticed the change since he had checked just an hour ago. The large crane up on the rail line was swung over, it’s cable pulling up the good-sized crates from Spencer Warehouse through the open slide panels in the roof. Mr. Luntz zeroed the binoculars on the rising crates, confirming that they were indeed the shipment that he had been anticipating was to be moved this weekend. A line of rail cars, their tops just visible, stood on the tracks waiting to be loaded with the crates.
Mr. Luntz smiled and snapped the binocular case closed and returned it to his pocket. It was time to report to Big Mike Tortelli. Soon, Operation Intercept would be implemented, bringing Mr. Luntz one step closer to going home and away from this shitty place for good.
Unaware of the events that held the future of Bullworth in the balance, Tony piled onto the footbridge along with the rest of the racers as the sprint for the finish continued.....
_____________________________________________
-
As the racers grouped up on the narrow bridge, they heard the sound of more sirens in the background. "God damn pigs!", shouted Peanut, "They just don't know how to scram!". As the racers exited the bridge, they entered the old network of mining tunnels, soon to pass by Jimmy's secret hideout. Tony gained a little and now passed by a few bikers, pulling up into 4th place. Tony looked back, his worst thoughts confirmed. The flashing lights of Officer Monson's police motorcycle came flying across the wooden bridge. "Jesus Christ!", screamed Luis. The group now pumped their legs like they had never done before. It was no use though, the cop easily caught up to them. H pulled up alongside the racers, shaking his fist and shouting "You damn punks better quit it!" Tony just about pissed himself. He knew how close Jimmy was to this location and hoped he was holed up inside his cave for his own good.
The race continued and they emerged in an open area in the woods behind the school. The greasers began throwing firecrackers behind them, in hopes of them striking a few other students or even Officer Monson. They were quickly appraoching a large cliff that would most likely scare the piss out of any inexperienced biker. Large explosions erupted around the bikers as the firecrackers began to pop. Ricky, still in the lead, pulled out his own firecracker and stooped down, low in his seat. The Greaser had his own plan in mind as the group came up on the cliff. Ricky sprang up the moment he got to the edge and did an amazing backflip. While in mid air, he let go of his weapon, centrifical force causing it to whip backwards towards the large crowd. There was not enough reaction time in the world to prepare any of them for this. Tony gripped his handle bars tight as he and the rest of the gang sailed over the edge of the cliff. Time seemed to stand still as he made the leap of faith. The firecracker seemed to drift through the air slowly as it came towards the group of bikers and the officer. Suddenly, the firecracker made contact with it's victim. It wedged itself comfortably inside the engine block of Monson's motorcycle. Although it happened in a quick second, Tony and everyone else could feel their hearts come up into their throats. BOOM! The weapon exploded in a furry of bright light. The motorcycle's gas tank was instantly ruptured by the blast, causing a secondary, even greater explosion. A ball of flames expanded, throwing Officer Monson into the air, and knocking Peanut, Vance, Norton, and Luis off their bikes. As Tony reached the ground again, he felt a burning feeling on his face as the fireball licked him. Time suddenly seemed to revert to it's original pace. The motorcycle, along with the abandoned bikes all crashed into the ground in a twisted heap in a blaze of glory, the leaking fuel starting little fires on the ground around the wreckage. Officer Monson, Peanut, and Vance were all knocked out by a combination of the blast and upon impact with the ground. Norton and Luis faired better, but lay on the ground in shock. The only three remaining racres were Casey, Tony, and Ricky. Ricky in the lead, wih Tony in second....the furthest ahead he had ever been since the race started.
-
Suddenly, Casey cut away and started pedaling hard toward the shortcut that ran along the back double-fence of the Football Field, emerging ahead of Ricky and Tony ahead on the trail. Briefly, he was ahead of the other two, but then Casey made a fatal error. His already dull mind buzzed by the drugs he had been eating, Casey cut off onto the second shortcut that ran behind the Jock’s Clubhouse, totally forgetting the ravine that lay ahead with the downed tree across it.
Going full blast by the time he saw the ravine, Casey attempted to bunny-hop his bike onto the downed tree across the ravine with the intent of doing another bunny-hop off the log to safe ground on the other side of the ravine. Alas, Casey just wasn’t that good on a bike, and failed miserably, landing on the downed tree at an awkward angle. He bounced off the tree alright, just not the way he intended. Both the bike and Casey, flailing his arms in a desperate attempt to maintain balance, were thrown into the ravine at a good rate of speed, smashing up against the rock face on the other side of the ravine. Casey came to rest, knocked out, at the bottom of the ravine, not far from where Tony had found the overturned Go-Kart dumped into the ravine by the Tornado.
Seeing Casey appear ahead of them caused Tony and Ricky to put on even more speed as Casey disappeared into the second shortcut. Turning north along the old rail line the two riders were very close. Unable to see around the curve if Casey had emerged still ahead of them, Ricky elected to go straight through the large tunnel where the rail line had gone instead of following the path around it. There were still a few boards nailed across the entrance, but Ricky, jazzed up on the drugs he had ingested, smashed right through them, feeling no pain. However, it slowed him down just enough to let Tony catch up to him as they emerged from the other side of the tunnel, making a dash along the final stretch before the finish. Neither saw Casey ahead of them, so now it was a man-el-mano run to the finish.
Side by Side now, pushing to the limit, the two riders pedaled for all they were worth. Tony’s modifications to his Flame Job BMX were giving him a slight edge. Suddenly, Ricky lashed out with his fist, catching Tony on the shoulder. Surprised, Tony punched back, catching Ricky on the upper arm. The two traded punches then as they rode North toward the finish. With only a hundred feet to go before the path line met the Parking Lot road and the finish, Ricky landed a punch to Tony’s jaw that made him see stars, causing him to wobble his bike and making him slow to keep control.
Looking back, Ricky gloated with crazed eyes. “Ha-Ha-Ha !! That’ll Learn Youse !!!”, he shouted.
Unfortunately for Ricky, he wasn’t watching where he was going and slammed full tilt into an outcropping in the rock wall to the right of the path. The force of the hit catapulted him over the handlebars, catching his crotch on the bolt that attached the handlebars to the frame. His face smacked the wall with and audible SPLAT and he slid down it in a heap, moaning, “Ohhhh....My Johnson !!!”
Shaking his head to clear it, Tony rode past the crashed Ricky, and a few seconds later gained to paved asphalt of the Parking Lot road, where he rode through a ribbon being held up by a couple of students marking the finish of the race. He rode a bit farther, then squealed his brakes and did a 180-degree turn and rode slowly back.
Karen came running up to him. “You Did It !!”, she shouted gleefully, “First across the line !! You WON !! You WON !!” She reached up to give Tony a winner’s kiss, and he winced.
Karen saw his rapidly swelling jaw then. “What happened to your face ?”, she asked.
Tony smiled ruefully. “Took a shot to the face. Almost knocked me offa the bike. That little fuckin’ Ricky can pack a punch sometimes. It’s all good though. I came in first.”
Karen peered down the trail. “You was quite a ways ahead, wasn’t you ? I don’t see anyone else coming.”
Tony laughed at that. “Think I’m the last one left. Guess they all crashed.”
“Wow, No Shit ?”, Karen said, her eyes wide. “What are the chances of that !”
“Easy”, Tony answered, “When most everyone else seemed like they was doped up or something.”
Just then, Laurent came limping over from the crowd in the Parking Lot. “Merde ! You won after all without my help, I see !”
“Ah, Yeah !”, Tony exclaimed. “You all right there ?”
“Aww, sure”, Laurent answered, “Nothing I cannot work out in a few days. So you won the race, what are you going to do now ?”
“Well”, Tony joked, “Right after I get out of this shitty school, I’m going to Disney World !”
Tony got off his bike and the three began walking through the crowd of cheering students. “But seriously, I’m gonna lock my BMX back up in the garage first, then later, me and Karen is gonna take a victory ride on the Go-Kart.”
Karen looked at him, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, that would be wonderful !”
“You deserve it, my friend”, Laurent said, and all three moved toward the garage area, still knowing full well in the back of their minds the real road they had to face before this school year was over.
___________________________________________
-
Algie was puffing, running his laps around the outside fenced-in enclosed place, at the North side of the Asylum. A big Orderly was standing watch, bored out of his gourd at such a waste of his day. Every time Algie came too close to him, he attempted to trip him, which was easy because Algie didn’t have his glasses anymore....In fact, hasn’t had them since Winkie busted him in the face at the Girl’s Dorm a few weeks back. It made things a bit difficult to see with any real clarity. Algie could make out the shapes of things alright, just that they were a wee bit blurry. Well, a lot bit blurry, if the truth be told, Algie reflected as he almost ran into the fence once again on his 50th circuit around the perimeter.
Alige hated this. All the Inmates that weren’t deemed ‘Criminally Insane’ were required to do exercises out here. It was worse than Gym Class, having to do laps on the Football Field. Fenced in on three sides against the unused 'Ward B’ of the Asylum, accessible by only one door leading from the furnace room via the Mortuary, the area was claustrophobic even if it was on the outside.
Worst of all was having to come through the Mortuary to get out here and then leave again. The place gave Algie the creeps, what with that grinning skeleton seeming to look straight at him as he went through. Then there was the autopsy tables with old dried blood all over them, and the revolting smell of the place. Algie was convinced the ghosts of long-departed Asylum inmates haunted the room, waiting their chance to grab any sad sack unlucky enough to wander too close to the bloody tables in the room.
Algie shuddered at the thought of this, despite the spring heat and the gallons of sweat squirting from his pores from the workout. Going through the Mortuary was the only times he didn’t mind the company of the ever-present Orderlies and their electric Cattle Prods. Nobody had to stick a jolt in his ass to make him double-time through that eerie place. Algie had heard that the body of Gary Smith had passed through the Mortuary from Dr. Bambillo, and that was one ghost he sure didn’t want to ever encounter.
It was about time to go back. Algie took his mind off his upcoming passage through the Mortuary by thinking about the commotion he witnessed as he was being brought from his room in 'Ward C’. As Theo prodded him down the hall, shouting had erupted from the open door of a room up ahead. Algie thought he heard a familiar voice yell, “YO !! What’s WRONG Wit You ?”, just as Gregory the Orderly dashed down the hall and dived into the room. Passing by, Algie could just barely make out a figure in a white lab coat holding something while Gregory was busy holding someone down on the floor. He heard a muffled “GET OFF ME !!!!” but could see little. It was all too blurry without his glasses, and Theo rammed the Cattle Prod in his ass to move him along before his squinting eyes could make out any more.
Keeping his eyes to the floor, Algie was escorted through the Mortuary and back to his room without incident. On the way, Algie saw the door to that room where the commotion had occurred was now closed. He strained his ears, but only silence ensued from behind the closed door. As Theo shoved him into his room and slammed the door, he couldn’t help but wonder at just who the mystery inmate was. There was....Something....About that Voice, he thought. Something.....
________________________________________________
-
“I think your friend has had enough”, the voice said. “In my day, all we had to do to boyos like that is just give ‘em a good thrashing, and they’d see the light, soon enough, all right.”
“I’ll decide when it’s enough”, Derby said. “You just keep your mouth zipped and follow orders, old man.”
From far off, in dreamlike fog, Kurt heard their voices without comprehension. If he had been awake to see himself, Kurt would have been shocked at the condition he was in. His face, where there wasn’t dried blood or bruises, was beet-red from heat prostration after being exposed to the 140-degree heat of the room for the past night and day. It had been so hot in the room that the shit in his pants had dried and was now stuck to his ass. He had long ago stopped sweating under the intense heat, and his body temperature had climbed to a dangerous 105 degrees. He was just a click away from total heat exhaustion. His breath was coming in low, shallow gasps.
“I say, he a-looking like he’s got heatstroke”, Mr. Smith ventured, despite Derby’s admonishment to keep quiet. “I know a thing like that can kill somebody”, he added worriedly.
“So, you a Doctor now ?”, Derby said, going close to examine Kurt. With an evil grin he said, “Don’t fear, old man, he’s about to get some relief soon. Go fire up that generator to the AC unit. I’m going to cool this pauper off.”
Mr. Smith left the room to comply, going out to where a large refrigeration unit salvaged from the old Wonder Meats warehouse was located. Soon, Derby heard the sound of the generator running. He walked to the duct and cold air began to belch out the vents. He then went out of the room himself, to a small kitchenette area in another part of the cabin. There was a small, gas-powered fridge in there, and Derby grabbed a bottle of water from it. He then returned to the room Kurt was being held in. Soon after, Mr. Smith returned as well. The room was already beginning to grow cold. Derby laughed. It was about to get a whole lot colder.
“Turn down that thermo as low as it will go”, Derby instructed. He uncapped the bottle of water and took a big swig. Then he stepped over to Kurt and splashed the rest of it in his face. Kurt’s eyelids fluttered and he shook his feverish head.
“You awake, Asshole ?”, Derby grinned. “Good. Wouldn’t want you to miss all the fun.”
“You....You’re...A....Bastard”, mumbled Kurt. “Let....Me....Go....”
“Ha, Ha, What ? Before I have all my conditions met ? I think NOT”, Derby chortled.
“See you....In HELL...First”, Kurt muttered through puffy lips.
“Why, you just been to Hell”, Derby shot back, “Didn’t I just see you there ?”
Kurt made no reply, he just glared at Derby and bared his teeth in a futile gesture of hatred.
Derby began to pace about in front of Kurt, back and forth. “You know, chap, I think all them fire and brimstone nuts have it all wrong. I don’t think it’s hot in Hell at all.” He stopped and leaned down towards Kurt. “I think it’s COLD. Cold as Hell in Hell.”
Kurt attempted to spit in Derby’s close face, but his mouth was very dry from his ordeal. The best he could do was to make pathetic spitting motions with his lips. “You’re....Fucking Insane” was all he could manage to get out.
“Heh...I’M Insane ?”, Derby barked laughter. “You’re are the one who should be locked up in the Psyche Ward over at Happy Volts along with you Nerd buddy Algie. In fact, the whole lot of you buggers belong there, and not out polluting the good citizens of Bullworth Vale.”
“Citizens...Like you ?” Kurt muttered. “That’s a....Laugh.”
“Yeah, like ME”, Derby said, “The ones that run this place. The ones with Money. The ones with RESPECT. Not for Jackwipes the likes of you and your scum buddies.”
Kurt struggled against his bonds at that, but fell back weakly after only a few seconds.
“Still a little hot under the collar, aren’t you ?”, Derby said, as he resumed his pacing. “Well, we’re going to cool you off and give you more time to consider what it is I want. Within the hour, it will be below freezing in here. Then, after that....” Derby stopped his pacing, “You’re going to find that an Artic Expedition is a whole lot warmer than it’s going to be in here.”
“You...Inhuman FUCK”, Kurt managed to say.
“Pfft...You should talk, after all the shit you’ve done”, Derby said. “I’m done here”, Derby called to Mr. Smith, who was standing by the door, the bright light shielding him from Kurt’s gaze. “I’ll be back tomorrow. If you’re not frozen stiff, we’ll discuss how you’re going to give me what I want.”
Knowing it was useless, Kurt made no reply as Derby crossed the room and went out the door with his unseen accomplice. Kurt began to shiver. It had already dropped 20 degrees in the room the short time he had been awake. And it was getting colder by the minute.
______________________________________________
-
He had to get out of here, he knew now. The sooner the better, before those strange men the Doctor had mentioned could get ahold of him. And they would, if they even suspected that he was conscious to any degree to be able to give answers to the questions they would surly seek.
He remembered it all now. Well, mostly all, there were still some gaps. But it was enough. The School, the File, the Bombings...All of it. Enough of it, at any rate, to seal his fate.
Several problems presented themselves. He needed clothing, for one. He couldn’t just sneak out in his hospital gown, he wouldn’t get very far like that. And, he needed food, or money to at least buy some food at a convenience store. And travel. How was he to travel, once he escaped ? He couldn’t just get on a Greyhound bus. They would be watching, once it was discovered he was gone. And, where was he to go ? He had no home, he was a nobody.
He was in Boston. Had overheard them talking, had found out. It was a big city, something Angie was always talking about going to. Funny, he was always shy around girls, even a fluffhead like her. But if he could go back....Back to last summer, he would talk to her, Hell, make a date with her, take her out....
He drifted back in time. Right after school let out for the summer last year. He had stayed on campus, in the Dorm, taking a summer class. After all, he had nowhere else to go, no happy family to go home to. Crabblesnitch had called him up to his office then, gave him the newly-created Mediator job, practically shoved it on him. Pete had gone right along with it, it felt so overwhelming to be finally recognized for something, for his talents. Only later would he realize that it had only been a knee-jerk reaction by Crabblesnitch, a move to insulate himself further from the scrutiny of just how he ran Bullworth Academy.
But Dr. Crabblesnitch had overlooked one thing. Pete was SMART, quite possibly the smartest kid in the whole school. He took his new job seriously. Before the summer was over, he had amassed a huge amount of files, not only on the students, but on the administration as well. Therein contained in all of that was the corruption of Bullworth Academy. And, when Jimmy brought him the Secret File, the corruption of the rich power-players of the Vale Valley was exposed as well.
Pete knew he had to play along then. What he had told Tony was true....He just wanted to graduate and be able to make something of his life, far away from the rotten confines of Bullworth. He was a Senior, just a half a year away from achieving his goal, but that crazy new kid, Jake, had messed it all up, bombing the school at Halloween and inciting the Christmas Eve riot. He had snapped then, just couldn’t take it any longer. He shouldn’t have done what he did, stole that gun and charged out onto the back lot to try to restore order. Look what THAT had gotten him. But, he felt he had no choice. Something had to be done, or else his future lay in ruins. Disarming the Cliques had been a spur-of-the-moment idea, but maybe it had worked.
He didn’t know who had shot him. He remembered Dr. Crabblesnitch and his two idiot Prefects up on the balcony. He didn’t think it was them. After all, he had the Magnum. But he didn’t know. Maybe it was Harrington’s goons ? Maybe they were on to him. But no....Killing him would still leave the Secret File floating around out there somewhere, and that’s what they really wanted, wasn’t it ? Maybe, he reflected, it was Jake. Pete had messed up Jake’s plans with his little stunt. Maybe revenge ?
Pete shook his head and came back to the present, and realized that even if he escaped this place, he would never be free. They would find him, somehow, and make him talk. Then, finish the job. Forget about graduation, that was no longer important. His very survival was at stake.
He had only one chance, he concluded. He must return to Bullworth and retrieve the Secret File. Then, find a way to turn it over to the Authorities. Not in the Vale Valley, of course, not even in the state of Rhode Island. The corruption was everywhere. No, it would have to be to the Feds. And for that he would need help from the only adult he felt he could trust. He would somehow have to find Mr. Luntz.
______________________________________
-
Jake shivered. It was an unusually cold early morning, even for spring. Jake could see his breath. He was up on the railroad line, along with Frankie and Kenny, checking out the boxcars that had been loaded the previous day. Sid had sent them out to confirm that they were loaded with the guns and explosives they had seen in Spencer Warehouse.
It had been relatively easy. Most of the boxcars were not locked, their hardware being rusted and broken long ago. Jake doubted that any of the boxcars he was looking in was less than 40 years old, and many looked even older than that. As he pulled aside the heavy door, with some effort, enough so he could squeeze into the boxcar, he thought again about Sid’s plan.
They were not to touch the contents of the crates. They had taken enough when they had raided the warehouse, before re-sealing the crates. Sid just wanted to confirm that these were the same crates. The operational plan was for all of them to hop aboard the train without being seen after it hooked up to the boxcars and was pulling them through the dark tunnel. Then, each member had to work themselves into position, two back to the caboose and four forward to the locomotive, where, a few miles out of the towns, they would hijack the train at gunpoint.
It seemed like a perfect plan, but Jake still had some misgivings. Used to marching to his own drummer, Jake had problems with not being in charge. Even though his various plans to take over the school had failed, Jake still considered himself to be smarter than any student or the average idiot adult in this low-life place. His planning had been flawless, only circumstances and bad luck had prevented him from archiving his goals. He was a King among fools, a God over the lesser mortals that inhabited the Vale Valley. Like his departed cousin Gary, he was sure of his ability to lead and command these mentally challenged minions in this underbelly of the world.
But Sid was different than anyone he had ever knew. As easygoing as he appeared on the surface, Jake sensed Sid could slit your throat at the slightest provocation. The rest of Sid’s gang obeyed his orders without question or argument. Underneath it all, Jake felt that Sid would have no qualms with beating him over the head with a pipe and leaving him for dead in a dumpster. Jake had been foolish to challenge him like that at their first meeting. And lucky that Sid was tired from their long journey back. Otherwise, this story would have a different ending as far as Jake was concerned. A rather bad ending for Jake.
Sid, as one might expect, had been rather cagey with him about just where they were to take the hijacked train once they took control. Jake had wondered just how they were going to return to New Coventry once they had completed the mission, but on that subject Sid only remarked that it was best not to ask questions and leave the details to him. It rankled Jake to have to take orders and not be in charge, but for now he would just have to go along. If it led to him being able to take over the school, something his stellar cousin Gary had failed to do, then it would all be worth it.
Jake took a small crowbar from his side pocket and pried up a slat on one of the crates within the boxcar, then took a small flashlight and shined it into the interior. As expected, after he had moved the packing aside, was the gleam of gun barrels and packets of C-4. He replaced the slat and banged it back in place, then checked out the other crates in the boxcar in a similar manner. Up and down the siding, Frankie and Kenny were doing the same, confirming that the shipment was the one they had seen in the warehouse. It wouldn’t be long, perhaps as soon as tomorrow night, that the train would be here to transport the boxcars. They would be ready for them.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-
Standing a ways down the tracks in the darkness, Lance lowered his binoculars. So, it was true....The rumors he had heard around New Coventry and Blue Skies were true. Sid and his gang of Punks were back. Lance had been coming to the elevated tracks every night since, trying to catch a glimpse, since it was well known this is where Sid’s gang hung out when they were in town. He recognized those two assholes who had beaten him to within a inch of his life scuttling around in the moonlight from boxcar to boxcar. There was a third person with them who he did not know of. Possibly another gang member, he thought.
He dropped the binoculars in his backpack and limped back to the unused spur line that went to Bullworth. He would have to tell his brother Bo that they were back. They didn’t have a plan yet, but Bo had said that maybe he could enlist all the Jocks to seek revenge on the Punks. If they had beaten the Townies, why not ? It was the best chance he had to make those scum pay for almost killing him. The law in this joke of a place was useless, so it was up to him to get his own justice.
He dropped off the spur line onto the old rail line, making his way back to the tunnel that would lead him to the Football Field. Yeah, that was it. Attack them in force, make them pay. And then he could move on with his life.
Little did Lance know just how difficult that was going to turn out to be.
____________________________________________________________
-
Tony came awake with a start, the chilly night air breeze moving against his face. Karen was snuggled up beside him on the blanket they had brought with them up here to the Overlook.
“What...?”, mumbled Tony.
“Silly, you fell asleep”, Karen said. “Did I wear you out ?”
“Huh ?”, Tony huffed. “Not me ! Not that you couldn’t, you know, you’re a real firecracker, you know, and...Umm....Err....”
“Better quit while you’re ahead”, warned Karen, slinging her leg over Tony’s privates, “Or I’ll really show you what I can do.” Licking her tongue in Tony’s ear, she whispered, “I’ll make you go until you’re empty, Mister.”
She mashed her lips to Tony’s and at the same time reached down and freed what she was feeling for. It was all ready for her, and soon she was bouncing up and down rapidly, her breath coming in short, harsh gasps. At the peak of their ecstacy, she let out a high scream that echoed off the nearby rock wall. Fortunately, they were alone, the chill nigh air having long ago driven off any stragglers.
She collapsed across him then, and they lay there until the heat of their encounter had bled off. When the chill seeped in, they reluctantly pulled on their clothes. Tony walked over to the rail around the overlook, and Karen soon joined him, gazing across the Vale Valley.
“Remember our first night up here ?”, Karen said softly.
“Yes...I do.”, Tony answered. “I’ll never forget.”
They stood at the rail, lost in their own thoughts for a while. It had only been a short six months or so ago, but it felt so much longer than that.
“This all seems so pointless”, Tony said, sweeping his arm out across the night. “It’s like we’re caught in a storm not of our own making.”
“Things will get better”, Karen said, “The Cliques are keeping the peace, aren’t they ?”
“For now”, Tony allowed, “But we have far more serious matters, you know.”
Karen nodded and snuggled closer. “We can figure out something." Looking off at the far-off buoy light of Pirate Island, she said, “You still owe me a trip out to the bay this summer, remember.”
“If we get through this last month till school is out, it’s a date”, Tony remarked wirily. “There’s people missing, and there’s still this business of what to do with the file.”
Suddenly, Karen said, “Hey, I Know !! Let’s ask Mr. Luntz for help ! He already knows about the file !”
Tony looked at her as if she had gone insane. “What ? Trust an adult in this place ? That’s Crazy !”
“No, not at all !”, Karen exclaimed. “Mr. Luntz hates this place even more that we do ! I hear him muttering all the time. You think he likes it here ? That when he was young, like us, he planned to be a middle-aged Janitor at a crappy school in an unheard-of part of New England ? He hates this place ! And, he hates Crabblesnitch !”
“I don’t know”, Tony frowned. “I don’t think he’ll want to help us anymore...”
“We can at least try !”, Karen said, showing Tony her puppy eyes. “Please ?”
Tony was defenseless against that, and had to give in. “Well....Alright. But you have to come along. I think he has a thing for you.”
Karen punched his arm. “Too bad. He’s too old, and I’m already taken. We’ll go see him on Monday, OK ?”
“Sounds like a plan”, Tony said, then hesitated. “If he’s there, that is. Haven’t seen him around much lately.”
“Maybe he has stuff of his own to take care of”, Karen commented.
“Maybe...”, Tony said, “More that we know.” He shook his head, and said, “Guess we better be getting back, where it’s warm.”
“We could always turn up our heat again”, Karen said playfully.
“Well, uh....Right now....I’m kinda.....”, Tony fumbled for words.
“Drained ?”, Karen said with a playful laugh. “Go on, admit it !”
Tony held up his hands in surrender. “All right, you win. I’m just a bit.....”
“....Wore Out ?”, Karen ventured.
“Tuckered”, Tony said. “And, I’ll recover.” Sweeping Karen off her feet, he carried her to the Go-Kart, parked under a tree. Setting her down, they exchanged a long, passionate kiss before getting in the Go-Kart and speeding off back to Bullworth Academy.
_______________________________________________
-
“You’d think they would at least send around a car to pick us up or something”, Ted grumbled. “After all, we did save the School.”
“Hush”, Mandy said, “It’s not that far to walk, and you need some exercise anyway.”
“Not to mention I’m still Class President”, Ted continued on, oblivious. “They should show more Respect.”
“At least you’re finally out”, Mandy soothed.
“Just in time, too, from what you been telling me”, Ted observed. “Time to start ridin’ them guys asses again. This drug thing is getting outta control. Coach don’t give a shit. Hell, he feeds half them guys Steroids anyway.”
“You should’ve seen those guys when they got brought in yesterday”, Mandy said, “They found Casey in a ditch out behind the football field, Luis next to a crashed Cop cycle, Kirby, Dan, and Laurent over in New Coventry. All of them, except for Laurent, were really messed up, saying gibberish and acting real weird.”
Ted frowned. “Seems like they got ahold of some bad stuff, alright.” Ted himself didn’t have to do drugs. He had natural ability that needed no enhancement, and the Quarterback position required quick thinking and a keen mind. Ted knew about the others taking steroids and 'recreational’ drugs, but looked the other way, understanding that was the way things worked in this sport. Hell, lots of sports, he knew. Besides Ted, Laurent was the only other one on the team who didn’t do drugs. His natural running and leaping ability made that unnecessary. Laurent, however, had his own problem with excessive drinking.
The pair trudged on, crossing the Vale Boulevard Bridge that led to the school. Ted cast a glance backwards. “Is that doofus still back there ?”
Mandy looked back. “Still there. See ?”
About a hundred feet back, Constantinos was just slowly making his way onto the bridge. He had been released from the Clinic this morning along with Ted, and Ted had reluctantly agreed to see that he made it back to the school. “Move it along, Junior !”, Ted hollered back. Constantinos raised a hand to signify he had heard, and continued his plodding pace over the bridge.
Ted snorted. “Dumbass !”, he said. Ted had grown tired of Constantinos’ constant bellyaching in the Clinic over his belly wounds and his doom-and-gloom attitude. Hell, he had been injured a whole lot worse than that little Simp, and nobody heard him complaining. The little shit needed to man up, but Ted knew that would probably never happen. Some things never change.
Ted and Mandy gained the entrance to the school at last, with Constantinos still trailing behind. Mandy asked Ted to wait while she ran to her dorm room to get something. Ted lounged in the circle area between the Dorms to wait, and eventually Constantinos came through, walking by without comment and heading towards the Boy’s Dorm.
“Twerp”, Ted muttered, as Constantinos plodded up the walk.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-
Opening the Dorm door, Constantinos just hoped there weren’t any Bullies around to harass him. The last thing he needed on his first day back was a punch to the gut. It didn’t matter to him that they said he was healed, his guts still hurt, pained even more from the long walk back. Like Ted was saying, they could have at least provided a ride. It was all enough to really depress a person.
The hallways were empty, and all the doors were closed. Constantinos moved cautiously into the common room. A sitting figure peered around the couch. It was Nick, Constantinos saw with relief.
“Hi There”, Constantinos said glumly.
“Hey, Big C, you’re back, eh ?”, Nick grinned.
Constantinos didn’t return the smile. “Where....Umm....Where is everybody ?”
“Welp, the Nerds moved out some time ago to live full time in the Observatory, since that there Tad ponied up the money to fix it up, and some of the others went with them”, Nick explained, meaning the non-Cliques. “The Bullies, well, let’s just say they’re workin’ off a baaad trip.”
“Eh ?”, Constantinos looked at Nick quizzically.
“Got ahold of some tainted dope, way I hear it”, Nick said. “Dumbass Fuckers.”
Constantinos scratched his head. “So, nobody’s around ? How ‘bout Tony ?”
Nick laughed then. “Ha-Ha, he sleeping off a real late night out with Karen. He didn’t crawl in till about 5 in the morning. He’s gonna be out awhile.”
“Oh”, Constantinos said after a minute. “Umm...Well then, see you”, he said, wandering out of the common room. Nick went back to watching the shitty Sunday morning programming on the TV.
Constantinos went to his room that he shared with Ivan Alexander and Gordon Wakefield. The door slid open to his touch. Neither of his roomies were there, and Constantinos saw that half their stuff was gone. When he closed and tried to lock the door, he discovered the lock was broken.
Constantinos whooshed a long-suffering sigh, and drug a chair over to the door and jammed it up under the knob. His safety partly assured, he flopped down on his littered bed, holding on to his still achy guts.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-
Ted and Mandy made their way down to the Football Field. The journey from the Dorm area had been eerie. There were no students about on this Sunday. Not on the Quads, not in the Parking Lot, not around the Gym. It was only as they reached the field that they saw any signs of life, for up on the bleachers sat Laurent and Lance, along with a huge hulking figure that Ted assumed must be this Bob he had been hearing about.
“Hey there, Laurent”, Ted greeted as they came close. “I take it everyone is laid low this morning ?”
“Oui, you might say that”, Laurent answered, “Bad trips, screaming, and seeing Ghosts all night. It has finally gone quiet at last.”
Ted’s jaw tightened. “Where did they get that crap ?”
“Word is, the Bullies was selling it”, Lance spoke up.
“Yeah ?”, Ted frowned. “Well, time to teach those dumb shits a new lesson. Seems they forgot the one from the last time.”
“It will take some time for them to recover fully from those bad drugs”, Laurent said, stretching. “Until then, we can do nothing.”
“How did this happen ?”, Ted went on. “We are the top of the heap. We saved the school ! What’s wrong with those lamebrains ?”
Ay, they will not listen to me”, Laurent returned, “I am still too much of a newbie for my words to have any effect on their behavior.”
Ted sat and folded his arms. “I’m not blaming you, Laurent. Shoot, I shoulda known when I made you my second that they wouldn’t want to take orders from you. It was working when I was around to back you up, but alone you didn’t stand much of a chance.”
“They are just not used to my ways”, Laurent said, “And I share not much of common experiences with them for them to respect me.”
Ted mediated for a moment. “I maybe should pick somebody else, and no offense to you, Laurent, but I need somebody those bozos will pay attention to.”
“No offense taken, my friend”, Laurent said, “I did not come here to lead, just to get along and play. I will gladly turn over the number two spot !”
Ted thought that over. “As long as you understand I still trust you fully ?”
“Oui”, Laurent said, “I understand, and accept. You have always been a good leader.”
“Hmmm”, Ted mulled, “Sometimes I wonder, with this gang of idiots. Still, I need a second. Who should that be ? Damon is still gone. I need someone tough who they can’t ignore.”
“What about Bob here ?”, Lance piped up. “He’d be perfect.”
For the first time, Ted really took a long look at Bob. He was the biggest kid Ted had ever seen. He could just imagine Bob blocking out a defender’s line while he threw a pass, or busting through an opponent’s offense and sacking their Quarterback. “Er....Hey, what’s up, big fellow ?”
Bob’s granite-like head swiveled in Ted’s direction. After a pause, he said, “LO. ME BOB.”
“Well....Bob”, Ted began, “I’m Ted. You know who I am ?”
One could almost see the wheels grinding in Bob’s massive head. “YOU ARE JOCK LEADER BOB HEAR ABOUT”
“Yes”, Ted said, “Yes, that’s right. What do you hear Bob ?”
Bob stared a moment, then abruptly said, “BOB HEAR GOOD THINGS ABOUT TED. BOB LIKE.”
“Well, that’s good, Big Guy”, Ted grinned. “How would you like to be my second-in-command for awhile ? Least, till Damon comes back from wherever he is.”
Bob shrugged his massive shoulders. “BOB DO FOR TED.”
“Attaboy”, Ted smiled, and extended his hand. “Shake on it ?”
Bob gazed at Ted’s outstretched hand for a few seconds, then stuck his own out, his massive meaty hand swallowing Ted’s hand like a Whale gulping Minnows. Even so, he took care not to squeeze, for it would be and easy matter to grind Ted’s bones to dust.
“Hey, he likes you !”, Lance exclaimed. “That’s Awesome !”
Ted flashed his winning Quarterback smile, the one that got him elected Class President over and over again. No Nerds could match the star power of that smile, no matter how smart they claimed they were. “I can make friends wherever I go.”, he said.
Suddenly Mandy interrupted. “Hey, boys, Ted and I have to go.” She reached down and gently pulled Ted up from his seat.
“Go ?”, Ted asked, “Go where ?”
“We need some alone time, say behind the bleachers ?”, Mandy breathed. To the others, she said, “You’ll watch out for us, won’t you, boys ?”
“Sure thing”, Laurent said. “Shouldn’t be too hard, considering nobody’s around.”
“We won’t let anybody back there, Don’t you worry none”, Lance added.
Mandy led a willing Ted around to the back of the bleachers. When they arrived, she gently pushed him up against the wall and then attacked him with French kisses, her tongue stabbing into every recess of his mouth. Pulling back, she breathed, “I love how you handled that big guy back there...You Sexy Stud....It’s been too long....I need you to fill me up, deep and hard !”
Ted was more than ready by that point, but asked, “Okay....But where ?....How are we....”
Mandy reached for his belt and undid it. “Just leave that to me”, she said, breathing really hard now. “I’ll do all the work.” Mandy eased his pants down and gently pushed Ted down into a sitting position. Then she slid down her panties and kicked them aside. “Give it to me”, she moaned, and then lowered herself into him. She began bouncing up and down in ecstacy, and soon, all too soon, when they reached the peak of their passion, she let out a cry of pure pleasure.
Up in the bleachers, Lance and Laurent heard, and just for the moment, wished that they were Ted.
______________________________________________
-
The next morning, Hal and Norton sat out behind the auoto shop, playing cards. "Hey, ya remember that idea I had about starting a fight club in the office?", asked Hal with a grin. Norton looked up and raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, I remember you sayin' something about that. What the hell ever happened with it anyways?", he said. "I...uh...well the details aren't important, but I just got an even better idea.", Hal announced. Norton put his cards down, smiled, and began shaking his head. "You gotta be kidding me....but please, lay it on me", Norton replied as he started laughing.
Hal began explaining his new idea for fun to Norton. Hal wanted to sneak into the Girl's Dorm during afternoon classes and raise some hell, maybe even do a little spying to get their rocks off. After Hal explained it all, Norton slowly clapped his hands and nodded his head. "Ya know what? I think I might just like this", he confirmed. "So it's agreed? We'll meet out by the doors to the dorm tomorrow at 3 in the afternoon?", Hal asked. "You know it! I'll bring the lock picks and you bring whatever else we might need", replied Norton.
Unlike Hal's last idea, this one seemed more likely to happen and easier to pull off.
-
Derby pulled the switch and killed the generator before putting on the stylish parka he had brought along. Entering the cabin with Mr. Smith trailing along behind, he pulled on some gloves before unlocking the door to what he was becoming to think of as Kurt’s Dungeon and pushing it open. A blast of arctic air hit him in the face as he entered. Derby went over to the figure slumped in the chair while Mr. Smith watched from alongside the big light.
“Jeezes, he’s froze stiff !”, Mr Smith exclaimed. “Is he.....Dead ?”
“Nope, not dead”, Derby replied, noticing the thin plume of breath issuing from Kurt’s nostrils, made visible in the super-cold air. “Just comfortably chilled.”
“Shit, kid, it must be minus -40 in here !”, Mr. Smith continued, “He’s got to have hypothermia by now !”
“The heat from the big light kept him alive”, Derby said absently, inspecting Kurt’s frosted figure. “I knew it wouldn’t kill him. And don’t call me ’kid’. Remember who you’re working for.”
Mr. Smith edged a little closer to get a good look at Kurt. The Rocker leader was a pitiful sight. Tiny Icicles hung off the peach fuzz on his chin. His face was a ghastly shade of white, and his entire body had a whitish frost clinging to it, like the freezer burn one would see on frozen foods when left too long in their home freezer....Except here, this was a person, not some slab of beef or a bunch of useless leftover vegetables that nobody ate for a week. This, in fact, was serious business.
“Maybe....We should get the Bucko looked at....”, Mr. Smith ventured.
Derby whirled on him. “By WHO ?” He screamed. “By That Quack Bambillo ? Is That What You Want ? You’re Forgetting This Is All About WHAT I WANT !!!!!!!”
Mr. Smith took a step back in the face of Derby’s sudden anger. “Whoa, Boy ! I didn’t mean anything....”
“You seem to forget just what’s at stake here !!” Derby seethed. “These SCUM are in Our Town.....Your Town ! We want them OUT !! I want them OUT !!”
“I’m just saying, I don’t want to be part in any killing”, Mr. Smith said, mollified. “I didn’t sign up to be a-killin’ kids !”
“This asshole is a tough little fuck”, Derby said, “Least he’s always saying so. Does he look dead to you ?”
In fact, Kurt DID look sort of dead to Mr. Smith, what with all the frost that gathered on him made him look like Nicholson in the closing scenes of that old movie, 'The Shining’. But, Jack was just an actor and wasn’t dead, not yet anyhow, and neither was this kid. Not knowing what to say, Mr. Smith said nothing.
“Look, maybe we should try it your way”, Derby said after a while, his anger cooling. “Get a couple of your Dockmen and work him over good. Just keep doing it every day, he’ll crack eventually. Make a babbling, sniveling, coward out of him and his own gang will turn on him.”
Mr. Smith looked relieved. “That’s the ticket ! Just turn him into a wimp, that’s all needs to be done !”
Derby nodded, looking at his hated enemy, thinking. “Get some chains”, he finally said. “There’s some big eyebolts set in the walls there, see ?” He pointed. “Those bolt all the way through to the other side. Chain him up to those.”
“Maybe”, Mr. Smith ventured, “We should feed him some, give him some water....”
“Yeah, do that. Give him some Pisswater to drink and Garbage to eat. While you’re at it, get him some clothes”, Derby said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “He Stinks.”
_________________________________________
-
When the afternoon classes let out, Norton calmly walked over to the Girl's dorm. He cautiously looked around to make sure no one saw him, but eased up and began to strut, hoping that maybe people would think he had a girlfriend or something. There, by the door stood Hal, waiting patiently. "Haha, you made it!", exclaimed the obese Greaser. "Yeah man, I couldn't pass this up!", he replied. Hal made a motion for Norton to keep it quiet. It was critical for them to maintain a low profile and enter the dorm before any girls show up. Hal and Norton climbed the front steps and eased open the front doors.
The two boys carefully peered around the corner, checking to see if the coast was clear. Ms. Peabody usually patrolled the hallway, but was nowhere in sight, most likely upstairs. Hal and Norton scurried off down the hall and entered the first bedroom they could find. The pair winked at each other as they looked around for the dresser. Norton pulled open a drawer, only to find socks. "God damn it!", he said in frustration. Hal looked around when he heard a door open somewhere. "Hey man, I'm gonna shut this door, so nobody comes in", said Hal. Hal walked over and shut and locked the door. They couldn't be found in here. The two boys resumed their search for panties. "Hey man, check it out!", Norton said. He pulled out a pair of panties, and judging by the appearance of them, figured they must belong to one of the younger girls. "Ugh, man, that's not what I wanted to find....but at least now we know what kind of panties Melody has", said Hal as he began to chuckle.
The deep-bellied laughter soon stopped. A light tapping came upon the door. "Hey...uh...is anyone in there?", came the little voice of Gloria. "Ummm, uh...", replied the gruff voice of Hal. Norton elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up and replied in his best female voice "Uhhh...occupied!". Gloria jumped back from the door, shocked at the odd voice she heard. "Melody, are you feeling okay?", asked Gloria. Hal freaked out and quickly jammed his knee into Norton's balls. "UHHHHH-OWWWW....I'm fine!", shouted Norton in a high pitched voice. Hal had to hold his hands over his mouth to hold back the laughter. "Ummm, okay....get well soon", said Gloria as she shrugged and walked off.
-
“Pew, that was close”, Hal whispered. “We better check out the other rooms.”
Norton nodded, and went to the door to listen. Not hearing anything, he unlocked the door and cautiously stuck his big head out into the hall, just in time to see Gloria walking away around the corner, heading for the lounge area. No one else was in sight. “It’s Clear”, he said in a low voice, and he and Hal scurried out the door. Before Hal pulled the door shut, he took a Stink Bomb from his pocket and tossed it in the room.
The pair headed to the next bedroom down the hall, by the side exit door, slipped into the room
and shut the door, leaning against it with their backs.
“Man, what was THAT for ?”, Norton asked, referring to the Stink Bomb.
“Eeey, a distraction, what else ?”, answered a smug Hal. “Anybody comes down the hall, they’ll smell that and go look in there.”
Just as he said that, the tittering of some girls could be heard as they entered through the side door from the Dorm Yard. The chattering came to a sudden halt as one of the girls exclaimed, “What’s That Smell ? EEEEWWWW !!!!”
There was running in the hall. Hal and Norton looked at each other. “We Gotta Hide !”, Hal exclaimed.
In their momentary panic, it didn’t occur to Hal to just lock the door, as he had done in the previous room. Even less bright was Norton. A comical scene ensued, with the two running about the room like Keystone Cops, looking for a hiding spot. Norton at last yanked open the wardroom cabinet door and squeezed his large bulk inside.
“Lemme In There !”, Hal panted, running out of breath.
“NO ! There’s No Room !” Damon said, putting his meaty hand on Hal’s face and pushing him away before closing the door. Hal stumbled back, tripping over a chair. Just then, the doorknob rattled.
“I’m going to my room !”, a girl’s voice said from outside the door. Hal did a barrel roll and squeezed himself under the bed on his belly, no mean feat for a person with as large a gut as he had. As he got tucked under, the door swung open.
Norton strained to see through the loveres in the wardroom door. The girl came through the door and into the room, muttering to herself. “Now I have to take a shower ! What a Stink !”
Hal silently but with difficulty moved on his belly to a position where he could see from under the bed. His heart was racing, and he was breathing heavily. The growing commotion out in the hall, however, covered up any sounds he made. She then closed the door on the tumult, and walked towards the desk on the far side of the room, her dark hair flowing behind her.
With her back to both the hidden Greasers, she removed her blouse and draped it over the chair, then dropped her skirt and did likewise. Then, clad in her bra, panties, knee-hi’s and shoes, she at last turned around. It was Angie.
Both boys recoiled somewhat. Angie was known to be the biggest ditz in the whole school, and was still wearing those unsightly braces on her teeth. Although she had been out with a few boys on dates, her incessant inane chatter often bored even the most desperate of maladjusted boys to tears. After all her time at Bullworth, she was still the only girl who had never had a steady boyfriend, besides that fat cow, Eunice. There was a running joke developing around campus of 'Angie One And Done’, meaning, once was all anybody could stand to go out with her. Both boys groaned inwardly. Of all the girl’s rooms to get stuck in, it had to be Angie’s.
But then, a couple of totally unexpected things happened. Angie reached behind her, undid the clasp, and dropped her bra, exposing a couple of the largest melons that either boy had ever seen. Better than any of their porno mags, her jugs swung around as she turned and dropped the bra atop the desk chair along with her blouse and skirt. Angie had apparently grown a pair over the past school year.
Inside the tight closet, Norton suddenly found he had a boner. Likewise, Hal, under the bed, had to make adjustments to accommodate the growing lump in his own drawers. Angie then stripped off her panties and dropped them to the floor, kicking them toward the bed, where they just about hit Hal in his staring face. Hal paid no attention to that, focusing instead on the patch of dark pubic hair of Angie’s crotch. Both boy’s male members became stiffer at the sight. Angie then walked slowly towards the bed, sitting down and in the process squashing Hal’s ass. Angie lifted her leg to cast off her shoe and peel down her knee-high stocking, affording Norton a marvelous view of her gash. Unable to hold back any longer, Norton groaned as waves of pleasure washed over him at the sight.
“What’s That ? Who’s There ?”, Angie said, hearing Norton’s strange noises coming from the stand-up wardrobe cabinet, bouncing up and down on the bed as she looked toward the cabinet door. The motion was enough to set Hal off, and in the throes of pleasure he reached out from under the bed and grabbed ahold of Angie’s bare ankle.
Angie leaped up and screamed in horror. “EEEEEEEEEK !!!! INTRUDERS !!!!!!!!!”
________________________________________________
-
Angie was too much of a ditz to look down and see Hal's arm. Instead, she ran towards the door screaming "AHH !!! A GHOST !!!". She then proceeded to bust through the door and run down the hall with only her socks on. Norton and Hal both went limp in record time. If it weren't for their boners, they would have pissed themselves. The two greasers could hear the laughter of the girls as they saw Angie streak by. A few moments later, the alarmed voice of Ms. Peabody sounded. "What is the meaning of this?!", she shouted as Angie ran by, her knockers flapping all over the place. "Young lady, what do you think this is? A hoochie house?!".
Angie managed to stop running, and as she did so, realized she had just ran down the hall naked and quickly covered herself with her hands while crossing her legs. "It was a GHOST !!! There was a ghost in my room !! It grabbed my leg !!". Ms. Peabody just stared at her, half in concern and half in disgust. "Why don't you cover up and go sleep with Christy tonight ?", the hall monitor suggested.
Hal slithered out from under the bed, Norton opened the door of the closet just a crack. "Shit, man. That was a close one !", said Hal.
"Yeah, no thanks to you! What the fuck were you thinking ?", asked Norton.
"I...I dunno.", replied Hal blankly. The Image of Angie’s bouncing boobs floated in his mind like something from a dream.
The whole performance put on by Angie reared inside Norton's head for a moment. He began to chuckle at the idea of a naked chick running down the hall screaming, tits-a-bouncing. He had an idea. "Hey man, what do say about making these girls think there is a ghost in here ? Maybe we could scare the building empty. That would give us time to search for our little treasures."
"Oh man, that is the best idea I have ever heard !", replied Hal. he got a shit-eating grin on his face as he reached into his pocket and pulled out some rubber band balls, little miniature versions of the one Jimmy had. Apparently Jimmy's idea had caught on. Hal eyed the little rubber balls in pure excitement. Suddenly, a wet spot formed on his khakis. He finally creamed himself.
-
Hal and Norton knew they would have to migrate to another room. While they wanted to see what kind of goods Angie had in her room, there were not enough places to hide. Hal told Norton to take a look out the open door to see if the coast was clear. The black greaser cautiously peered out the doorway, ready to jump back in at a moment's notice. Norton was happy to see that there was nobody in the hall. Ms. Peabody must have taken Angie upstairs and dispersed the crowd of girls. "Hey man, it's all set!", signaled Norton. The two boys made there way out the door and into the hall. They figured their best bet would be upstairs, there were more rooms up there. Before leaving, Hal snatched Angie’s panties off the floor and stuffed them in his back pocket.
Hal and Norton crept up the stairs slowly, keeping ever vigilant for any signs of unwanted attention. When they reached the top, the saw the hall monitor all the way at the end of the hall. The sounds of Angie's cries came from the bathroom nearby. The boys made a hasty movement across the hall and into the first room they could see. There in front of them, the first thing they saw, was a pair of beds and two, count 'em TWO closets. They knew right away that this room would be perfect for the time being. Hal made his way over to the dresser while Norton closed the door. Being the moron he is, he failed to lock the door....again. After closing the door, he wandered over to a nightstand and began searching the various drawers.
Hal carefully opened the drawer of the dresser so that no noise would be made. What greeted him inside was exactly what they came here for. Panties. Not just any panties, really sexy panties, skimpy, lacy, just perfect. "Jackpot!", said Hal with a smile. Norton stopped what he was doing and came right over, his member instantly springing up like it did earlier. Had it not been attached to his body, it would have blasted off like a rocket and slammed into the ceiling. The two greasers pulled pair after pair of sexy underwear out of the drawer, pocketing a few here and there for themselves. A few layers of panties down, Hal found something. It was a little locket. Inside the locket was a picture of Tony. Hal knew right away who must own these lovely pieces of clothing. Just to add "injury to insult", Hal raised his arm to throw the locket in hopes of wrecking it. "Hey man, what the hell are you doing!?", asked Norton frantically. "You can't do that, Karen will get pissed! I mean, she'll be pissed when she finds out someone broke into her room and took her underwear, but if anything happens to that, she'll probably hunt us down or something. At least the panties thing will blow over if we lay low." Hal saw Norton's point and gently put the locket down where he found it.
After pulling out a few more pairs, Hal noticed a distinct change in the contents of the drawer. The panties seemed to change here. Hal pulled out a pair of this different underwear and noticed it had cartoony designs on it. The others were very similar. Norton saw this too and let out a chuckle. "Heh, these must be the panties she had before she met Tony!" The two boys could barely contain themselves. They actually rolled on the floor laughing, clutching at their ribs in pleasurable pain.
__________________________________________
-
After laughing for a good few minutes, Hal and Norton decided they would pocket a few more of the panties. As they wrapped up, they could hear footsteps coming down the hall. "Quick! Into the closets!", Hal whispered. Both Greasers crammed into one of the tall closets and shut the door. "You be good now, girls.", warned Ms. Peabody as she made her way towards the stairs. When she was gone, the boys emerged from their hiding places. Norton told Hal that it was time they moved on to another room. They quietly moved into the hall and found the next door to be closed. "Aww, we better move on.", said Hal. Norton wasn't so ready though, he put out his hand to stop his friend. "Wait, man, I got an idea", he said. Norton reached into his pocket and pulled out a mirror. Crouching down, he slid it under the door and positioned it. "You see that? Empty.", Norton said. The black Greaser gently turned the door knob and they both slid inside. The room was uniformly one color, pink. "This must be Pinky's room!", said Hal. Norton turned and gave Hal a look that said "No shit, sherlock" and the pair walked over to the dresser to begin extracting the goods. As they opened the door, a soft thump came from the closet behind them. "What the fuck is dat?", asked Norton. Both boys stood up and marched over to the closet, Hal put his fingers up and counted down with them. On three, Hal opened the door with Norton ready to lay out a punch. As the door opened, what greeted them from inside surprised them. THUD! A half-naked Constantinos came tumbling out onto the floor, his hand still gripped on his schlong. All he was wearing was a pair of pink panties, another pair on his head, his pants around his ankles. "Oh my God!", shouted Norton as Constantinos came-to and grimaced at the Greasers. From downstairs came the voice of Ms. Peabody the hall monitor. "I hear something that concerns me!" Followed by the sound of feet on the stairs. Hal and Norton froze, trying to figure out what they should do, there was only one closet and it was likely full of cum by now. Constantinos jumped up and attempted to flee. Without looking where he wa going, his foot landed right in a trash can and he tumbled to the floor in the hallway. Ms. Peabody must have seen him, because from out in the hall came her voice. "YOU are going to the PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE!", she shouted. Soon after came the sound of CLUNK-CLUNK-CLUNK as Constantinos ran away, the trash can still on his leg.
"I think it's time we get outta here!", yelled Norton and the two boys ran out into the hall and too the last door on the left. They came to the room which lead to the attic. Hal and Norton wasted no time in climbing the stairs.
-
The boys gained the top of the stairs, and the more athletic Norton began streaking across the dusty floor towards the far opening, an old large vent hole the size of a small window. The vent had long ago fell out and had never been replaced. On that side of the building, a trellis reached up to nearly the top from the outside. It was, in fact, the way Jimmy Hopkins and a few others had snuck into the Girl’s Dorm from time to time in the past. However, the trellis was growing rickety with age, and Norton had serious doubts if it would support his weight. Having gained the opening, he hesitated. It was more than two stories down.
Norton looked back to see what had happened to Hal. Puffing and panting because he was out of shape, Hal was only halfway across the attic and slowing down. Just as he staggered to a stop to catch his breath, a pounding came from the direction of the steps. The figure of Ms. Phillips appeared, followed by the Librarian, Mrs. Carvin. Both women often served as extra hall monitors after the school day was done. Today, though, they had shown up at the wrong time for Hal.
Hal Panicked. He couldn’t be caught with all these panties on him, they would ship him off to that sex addiction clinic where Earnest had gotten hauled off to. He’d heard stories of how they attached electrodes to a person’s genitals and zapped them every time you got a boner. That just wouldn’t do for Hal at all, no sir. He didn’t want his parts melted.
Hal struggled to run, but the best he could do was a slow walk. The women were gaining fast. Hal’s meager mind swirled with desperation. Then he remembered the tiny Rubberband Balls.
Norton had waited long enough. It was every man for himself. Besides, he knew the rickety trellis would never hold the combined weight of Hal and himself. With a short prayer to the Greaser God Fonzie, he stepped carefully onto the trellis and began to climb down.
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“What are you doing here ?” said Ms. Phillips as she came closer. “You know you’re not supposed to be here !!”
“You can get SHOT for Trespassing !”, Mrs. Carvin spouted, waving what looked like a broom over her head.
Hal frantically reached into his pocket to get the Rubberband Balls, but they were stuffed with panties. He clawed them out of the way and grabbed a couple of the balls. With all his might, he threw them at the approaching women.
Hal had gotten into the habit of picking up those little rubber bands laying around whenever he could find them over the past school year. He had seen the destructive power of the large Rubberband Ball that Jimmy possessed last year, and wanted one too. He had also heard stories that the Nerds had one too, and had used it against the Townies during the aborted school takeover at Easter. But the pickings were slim these days on the rubber bands. Years of students making them had just about dried up all the loose ones available about the school and towns. Hal had wound up with only a large handful after months of picking them up. Since he didn’t have near enough to make a large one, Hal wound a few small ones, not even as big as a Golf Ball. But he had tested them out at the Autoshop one night, and the little suckers were almost as good. If they didn’t knock somebody out, they would sure give them a major headache.
The first ball caught Ms. Phillips in the stomach. “Ohhhh !!! How Could You ??”, she screamed, as she dropped to the floor practically in front of Hal. The second ball missed the still-approaching Ms. Carvin, and she raised her broom to whack Hal in the head.
The small Ribberband Balls acted just like their big brother counterparts. The one that had missed Mrs. Carvin bounced off the far attic wall and shot forward with great force, taking a couple of big hops before plowing squarely into the back of Mrs. Carvin’s skull, knocking her face down on the musty floor. “Ohhh !!! That Is PAINFUL !!!”, she moaned loudly.
Hal didn’t need to see any more. He grabbed up the panties he had spilled form his pockets and loped towards the opening that Norton had gone out of. Behind him, the two women began to rise to their feet, but the small bouncing Rubberband Balls again did their work, slapping them down to the floor again. Hal was lucky that the balls missed him as they were zinging around everywhere.
“You...Need....Serious....Help...”, Ms. Phillips gasped, as another ball smacked her in the cheek. Already pummeled by several hits, Mrs. Carvin just lay there moaning, “Ohhhh...I am not...Doing....Well....”
Meantime, Norton had reached the bottom of the trellis and jumped off. But the alarm had been raised, and Karl the Prefect cam tearing around the side of the building. “Your Ass Is Mine !!”, He hollered.
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Norton took off on a dead run around to the back of the building, and tore through the narrow pathway between the back of the Dorm and the outer wall, Karl hot on his heels. “YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE !!!!”, Karl screamed as he gave chase. Norton knew he was right.
Then dumb Norton did just about the smartest thing he had ever done in his life to that point. He slid to a stop next to the lone dumpster behind the building, and using all his strength, wrenched the dumpster across the path, blocking it. Karl, who was running full tilt after Norton, couldn’t avoid this new obstacle in his way and slammed full tilt into the dumpster, which made a hollow 'BONG !!!’ sound as he hit it. He want down in a heap, rolling around in pain, but remembering to call into his radio, “Swarm !! At The Girl’s Dorm !! Swarm !! Swarm !!!” Norton took off running again.
The other Prefects heard Karl’s cries and came running to the Dorm. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t bright enough to split up and cover both ends, instead all following the same route Karl had taken. By the time they reached Karl and clumsily climbed over the dumpster, Norton was long gone. “We’ll Get You Next Time !!!”, Seth yelled uselessly.
From his perch on the shaky trellis, Hal had watched the whole scene unfold. None of the Prefects had as much as cast an upward glance at Hal as he hung there. Taking his opportunity, Hal climbed the rest of the way down the trellis, taking off in the opposite way that Norton had run. Taking the long way around, he made his way to the back of the Autoshop, where he met Norton just as he was getting ready to pull down the door to the auxiliary garage in the rear.
“What’cha know, Romeo, we got away with it !”, Hal chortled.
“Yeah, yah know, I’m a bit...Er...wore out”, Norton said, stifling a fake yawn. “Think I’m gonna...Uh...Bunk down in here awhile, yah know ?”
Hal looked up at the still-blue sky, then understood. “Umm....Sure, Daddy-O, I gotta blow....Too”, he finished lamely. “See you on the flipper, dipper.”
Norton stepped inside the door and pulled it down behind him, locking it. Pulling his share of Pinky’s panties from his pockets, he prepared to have his fun the old-fashioned way. He had certainly earned it.
Hal liked to think he was made of stiffer stuff, and that waiting would enhance his life experiences. And indeed, he was, for if anyone had checked out the empty shop late that night, really checked it out, they might have found Hal laying in the back seat of the Greasers '67 Fastback, Angie’s panties draped over his face while visions of her lovely melons and dark bush danced through his mind.
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The Time had come. As the train pulled back through the tunnel in the darkness, Sid and the Punks, along with Jake, were waiting. Every one of them were dressed in black Ninja-style suits. Denny, Kenny, and Frankie were crouched in the shadows back at the entrance by the large doors. As the end of the train cleared the opening, it screeched to a stop, and two Brakemen hopped off, heading off in different directions to go to the two rooms where the door controls were located. As the men disappeared into the rooms, the three moved, jumping aboard the Caboose and going inside to lie in wait.
Sid, Jake, and Sean drew the more difficult assignment of taking the Locomotive. Since they didn’t know how long the line of cars was going to be exactly, they had to wait at mid-tunnel until after the Locomotive passed their hiding spot, then hustle to catch up by the time the train came to a stop. When it did, Sid and Jake leaped aboard the catwalk that ran down the side of the locomotive and led to the entry door, keeping low. Sean waited on the side, looking towards the back of the train.
The two brakemen were in for a surprise when they entered the Caboose only to find themselves facing three armed young men with guns. They were quickly subdued and bound with ropes the trio had brought along for just that purpose. Kenny then climbed up to the watchman cupola and withdrew a powerful flashlight from his pocket. He shined it through the window in a series of flashes aimed at the front of the train.
Up by the Locomotive, Sean saw the signal from Kenny telling them that the Caboose was secure. He hopped up on the Locomotive rail, giving hand signals to Sid. The three moved closer to the door, their movement covered by the dark outfits they wore and the idling rumble of the Locomotive’s Diesel engines.
Inside the Locomotive, the Chief Engineer shifted uncomfortably, his hands at the ready on the switches. “What’s keeping those guys”, he grumbled to the Assistant Engineer, seated to the left in front of a similar set of switches. “They’ve had plenty of time to get them damn doors closed.”
“Maybe they ran into a problem”, the Assistant said, “Those doors aren’t in that great of shape....”
Suddenly, the cabin door was pulled open by Jake, and Sid and Sean rushed in. The surprised Engineers turned, only to find themselves staring down the barrels of the loaded Colt 45‘s that Sid and Sean had trained on them. Jake stood to the rear, holding a Spud Gun at the ready.
“Say, What Is This....?”, the Chief Engineer growled, but Sid cut him off.
“It’s A Highjack, Old Man”, Sid shouted. “Get This Train Moving !!”
“But....I haven’t heard from my men in the back...”, the Engineer protested.
Sid flashed a rare, cruel smile. “They’re being well taken care of, I assure you. Now MOVE !!!!”
With a sigh, the Engineer turned and worked the switch handles, and the train began to move, slowly at first, then picking up speed as rumbled on down the track and finally cleared the tunnel, heading to the North.
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Five miles away, on a remote county road that the rail tracks crossed, a man stood waiting in the darkness. His car was hidden down the road in a group of trees and rocks, but nearby a semi-trailer sat with it’s motor idling. The driver and a group of swarthy Italian-looking men stood around the cab. The trailer was empty, save for a large forklift. Ramps had been pulled out of the open rear doors to facilitate moving the Forklift out, and presumably for easier loading.
The man’s ears perked up upon hearing the sound of the approaching diesel engines of the train. Soon, a headlamp split the night darkness, moving along the track. The man hoisted the battery-powered sodium-arc lamp he had been carrying and switched it on. As the train approached, a change in the pitch of the diesel motors indicated it was slowing down. In just a few minutes, the train was moving across the intersection, the brakes squealing as they were applied. A figure hopped down from the Engine as it passed and approached the man waiting by the intersection.
The figure, who was Sean, approached the man. “You our contact ?”, he asked.
“Password”, the man said, waiting expectantly.
“NAPALM”, Sean said, trying to gauge the man’s reaction, as he was masked except for his eyes. The man nodded, satisfied. “Show me the cars we have to unload”, he said. “We’ll have to move the train back and forth to get them all. Communications ?”
Sean hefted a radio that Sid had taken from the Engineer. “Got it covered. Direct communication with the Boss.”
“Good”, the man said. “Then get busy. We haven’t got all night.” He waved a signal to the semi driver and his crew of men. Immediately, one climbed aboard the Forklift and drove it down the ramps, towards the train. The others came swiftly to the man for their instructions.
The entire load of all the crates containing the weapons and explosives were off-loaded in less than a half hour and secured in the semi-trailer. Sean radioed back to Sid in the Engine’s cab as to which way to move the train, back and forth, while the dark-looking men of the semi crew manhandled the crates to the opening of each car so they could be off-loaded by the Forklift. Denny and Kenny came walking up the length of the train to help, leaving Frankie behind to guard the Brakemen.
The man checked the contents of each crate before the Forklift carried them to the semi by removing a couple of slats on the top with a large claw hammer. When the last of the crates were packed in the semi, there was just enough room for the Forklift in the back, with room for the crew to ride alongside it, inside and of sight in the trailer.
When the operation was complete, Sid and Jake hog-tied the Engineer and his Assistant on the floor of the cab. Having watched the Engineer operate the controls, Sid knew what to do. He reached over and moved the switches that would set the train in motion, setting it on a slow speed of about twenty M.P.H. As the train motors whined up and the whole train began to move, the Assistant engineer spoke up.
“You can’t leave us like this ! We have to drive the train !”, he croaked in panic.
“Relax your balls”, Sid replied. “You fellows work together, you can get yourselves loose in a couple hours. I set the train on slow speed.”
“We have to be able to see the signals”, the Engineer grumbled. “If there’s a red indicator light, we have to stop. This is too dangerous !”
“Sucks for you, then”, Sid said in exasperation. “Better get busy on those ropes, I expect. Or rather that we just shoot you ?”
Both Engineers fell silent at that. With the train on the move, Sid and Jake exited the cab of the Engine and leaped off, rolling to their feet as they landed. As the train picked up speed going by them, they trudged toward the intersection with the road.
The reached the road at just about the time the Caboose was going by. Jake saw Frankie appear and take a leap from the Caboose, hitting the ground a bit harder than he had since the train was moving faster now. Sid, Jake, and the rest of the Punks gathered around the mysterious man. The driver of the semi stood by, wielding a shotgun loosely pointed in their direction.
“Good work Boys”, the man said, “Looks like it’s all there.” He handed Sid a black briefcase that he had retrieved from his hidden car a few minutes earlier. Sid took it and set it on the ground, popping the latches and opening it. Inside was Thirty Thousand Dollars wrapped in packs of two grand each. Sid flipped through a few of them to make sure that money and not paper was inserted inside them. He replaced the bundles and closed and latched the case.
“Seems to be in order”, he said as he stood up. “Don’t think your boys could....Uh, like give us a lift a bit closer, could’ja ? It’s a long walk back.”
The strange man uttered a short laugh and shook his head. “Afraid not, boys. For that kind of money, you’ll have to find your own way back. We got a schedule to keep.”
Sid didn’t think the man would agree to that, but it had been worth a try. “Ok, fellows, you heard the man....Let’s get moving.” The group began the long trek back to the tunnel along the railroad track. The man and the semi driver watched them go. When they were a ways down the track, he said, “Let’s get moving. I’ll follow. Keep in radio contact.” The semi driver nodded, and they both moved off to their respective vehicles.
As he got to his car, Mr. Luntz pulled off his mask and tossed it on the seat. The operation had gone perfectly, he reflected. Soon, “Big Mike” Tortelli would have the weapons he needed to finish off “Bloody Vince” Fonzerelli once and for all. It was just a matter of time now, a few short weeks at best. All he had to do now is shepherd the stolen load to New York City for delivery. He didn’t expect any trouble from the law. The train workers wouldn’t be reporting this to any Police, as they all knew they were transporting illegal goods to start with. Mr. Luntz didn’t envy them though, even if they survived the ride....When they arrived at New York without the goods that had just been stolen from them, what remained of Vince’s boys weren’t liable to be kind to them about their hijacked shipment.
Not his problem, Mr. Luntz reflected. He heard the semi motor whine up as the semi driver shot the truck into gear and began to move. He started his car and pulled out onto the county road, following in behind. With luck, he would return to Bullworth tomorrow. Having been gone a few days, he couldn’t wait to see Dr. Crabblesnitch’s ugly face again and sneer at it. The Doctor’s days were numbered now, only he didn’t know it. Mr. Luntz uttered a maniacal laugh as he followed the semi down the road. It wouldn’t be long now.
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Pinky slumped down the stairs at Hattrick Manor. Each new day that came around with Kurt still missing depressed her even more. And, except for Benny, no one else seemed particularly concerned. As Tibo reminded her, Kurt had done this kind of thing before, sometimes needing space to get his head straight. The others, except Benny, voiced their agreement, although Pinky suspected they did so more as a way to cover their own insecurities about Kurt’s disappearance, rationalizing that he would return sooner rather that later, and rather than never at all.
“What do you hear, Benny ?”, Pinky said, as she glumly settled down to the kitchen table, “Anything ?”
“Nothing, Sorry”, Benny answered, referring to what he was listening in to on the shortwave radio. “Everybody seems to be getting along, and there’s been no mention of Kurt at all.”
“That Sucks”, Pinky moaned. “What am I going to do ?”
“You could stop worrying about him so much, and help out more around here”, Christy said, coming back in from the living room carrying a stack of dishes. “He’ll want a clean place to come back to, Ya’know.”
“Ohhh, I just can’t think of housework right now”, Pinky groaned, “Not with Kurt still missing.”
Christy dumped the dishes in the sink, and turned to face Pinky. “There’s not a whole lot we can do about that”, she said, not unkindly. “We will just have to wait and see if he comes back.”
Winkie appeared at the doorway. “Everybody ready ? The bus is coming.”
Pinky groaned again. “I’m not going today." She made sniffling sounds.
“You can’t keep cutting school”, Christy said, “You’ll never graduate.”
“I don’t care”, Pinky sniffed. “Daddy will take care of me.”
Christy crossed the kitchen and grabbed Winkie’s arm, heading for the front door. “Some of us aren’t so lucky like that”, she retorted on her way out. Christy had hardly missed a day at classes. This year, unlike last year, she wanted to graduate.
Benny rose from the table. “I better go, too”, he said. “You gonna be alright ?”
“I...I guess so”, Pinky answered, stinging a bit at the rebuke Christy had leveled at her. Relations had been getting a bit strained between them lately, since Kurt’s disappearance....But Damn it all, Christy still HAD her man. “I’ll be fine, Benny. You’re sweet to ask, though.” She gave him a shadow of a smile. Benny would never admit it, but he had a secret crush on Pinky since he had first met her during the Kidnapping. But Benny was probably the shyest of the Rockers where girls were concerned. So, he just smiled back and nodded, and made his way out of the kitchen and towards the front door. In no time at all, Pinky was alone in the big house.
Hearing the bus go by, Pinky shuffled to the front door and peeked out the window. The bus was stopped between Hattrick Manor and Harrington Mansion. The Rockers and Christy were boarding the bus for another school day. Even though the bus made a stop here in the heart of the rich folks of Bullworth Vale, Preps rarely rode the bus, feeling it was beneath them to ride with the ‘Scum’. And, as Pinky saw, no Preps were riding the bus on this day, either.
Pinky frowned. She knew most of the Preps were staying at Harrington House full time lately, except for Derby and Bif. But those two had returned to classes, she had seen them there. Derby avoided her like the plague, treating her just like the riff-raff she supposed he thought of her these days. There was one difference, though. Derby looked real smug lately, just like he had an ace in the hole and waiting to play it. Even though he was locked out of the Prep leadership, even though he was now mostly shunned, even though his reputation lay in tatters, he acted like he was still king of the Campus.
For really the first time, it dawned on Pinky that Derby might have had something to do with Kurt’s disappearance. Money and Power can buy a whole lot of things, up to and including Murder. Pinky didn’t want to believe that Derby would be capable of going to that extreme, but what did she really know about Derby, even after all these years ? All the Preps were fake and plastic, herself included. But Derby was the most ruthless of all of them, the most vindictive. Could it be possible...?
Still staring out the window at the departing bus, Pinky decided she needed help. There was only one person who could really help her....And that was Tony. She would have to find a way to approach him again and ask him once more. Trouble was, that little bitch Karen was always hanging around, like she was stuck on him with invisible glue. Suddenly, Pinky had an idea. She would have Tony come to her.
She ran to the end table beside the couch and dug through her book bag, and pulled out a test paper with her name on it. Getting a pen and returning to the kitchen, she sat at the table and wrote on the back.....
COME SEE ME ALONE AT THE BEACHHOUSE TONIGHT AT NINE. URGENT !!
She folded the paper and stuck it in her pocket. Waiting an hour, she freshened up. Putting on a stylish jacket, she went out back to get her bike. Seems she would go to school after all today....But not to go to class. Instead, she would go to Tony’s locker.
Pulling up to school, she set the bike in the rack and entered the gates. She took a quick glance around to make sure the coast was clear, and marched up to the school building and went inside when she didn’t see anyone. Inside, she made a bee-line for Tony’s locker on the second floor. She wasn’t worried about the Prefects, they had always left her alone. But she wanted to make sure that no other students saw her slip the note into Tony’s locker.
The upstairs halls were empty, as classes were still going on. Finding Tony’s locker was easy, she knew where it was.....In fact, she know where most everybody’s lockers were. She poked the note in through the vent hole up where she knew the shelf would be in such a way that the note would fall out when Tony opened it. Then, with another look around, she quickly left the hall and skipped down the stairs, then out the building. Retrieving her bike outside the gates, she turned and headed back to the Vale.
But instead of going back to Hattrick House, she turned towards the street that led to the Aquaberry Store. She had a bit of money left, and at the store, she knew, was a skimpy little outfit that would be just perfect to make Tony an offer he couldn’t refuse.
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Ironically, Tony had cut classes that morning also. He was over in Jimmy’s secret cave, discussing, among other things, the Preps. It had also occurred to Tony far earlier than Pinky that Derby might be behind Kurt’s disappearance. He also felt that the Preps, or their people, had something to do with Damon’s mysterious vanishing as well.
“With them, anything’s Possible”, Jimmy was saying. “They were...Are...The most two-faced of all the Cliques here. Everybody else is really straight-up, you know where they’re coming from. Yeah, they scheme and they plan, but it’s right out in the open. But the Preps ? They’ll friend you to your face and stab you in the back all at the same time. That’s how all them rich people are. They’re evil.”
“So I been finding out”, Tony said. “First they glad-handed me, when I was doing the clothing thing. But after they found out I wasn’t stupid enough for them to cheat me, they went nasty. I got them back with a little Greaser help, though.” Tony went on the tell Jimmy of the fake clothing exchange he set up, only to find out that Bif had brought along a bat to beat him with. Tony had allowed the pre-set Greaser attack to happen then, and just stood by as they beat Derby and Bif’s asses. The unfortunate by-product of that was being lured into sex with Pinky, however.
Jimmy laughed at that. “Yeah, she’s good for that. I had her a couple of times myself. Lola, too, right before I got together with Zoe. Johnny kept accusing me of banging her, so I went ahead and did it so’s not to make a liar out of him.”
That brought a fresh round of laughter between the two boys. As their mirth subsided, Jimmy said, “But serious...You got to watch out for them Preps. They’re underhanded as Hell, it ain’t nothing for them to hire others to do their dirty work for them. I think they had Gary in their back pocket the whole time last year, right up to the time I finally beat his ass there at the end.”
That surprised Tony. “Jake’s evil cousin was working for the Preps ?”
“As far as actually working for them, I don’t know”, Jimmy said, “But he was certainly in league with them somehow. Tell you a little story....While Gary was still pretending to be my friend, I ran into a rather wild-looking Tad out behind the Girl’s Dorm, smoking a ciggy. I was just casing the Dorm out, but I think Tad was back there stalking Pinky. I found out he had the hots for her, even though she was Derby’s girl.”
“Still does, far as I know”, Tony said. “He took a hell of a beating for her at the Beachhouse when Pinky got kidnapped by Kurt to start with. They found him naked the next morning at the bottom of the ramp.”
“That’s some strange shit, right there”, Jimmy commented. “Anyhow, I didn’t know any better then, and I hadn’t ever talked to Tad before, so I walked over to him and tried to start a friendly conversation, but then he began to insult me....So, I mentioned Gary, still trying to make conversation, and his reply stunned me -- "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were friends with Gary and the chaps...". After that, every time I talked with him again, he was friendly....Clear up until Gary double-crossed me and lured me down in the Hole to fight Russell.”
“That fight is a legend now”, Tony said. “No one still knows how you managed to beat Russell.”
“Ehh....Little help from a few Firecrackers, and a whole lotta luck”, Jimmy said. “Point was, after that, the Preps all hated me and believed everything Gary told them about me....They lured me over to Spencer’s place and tried to gang up on me, but I beat their asses there. Then, there was the deal about the trophies, they were convinced I stole them in retaliation for them swiping my bike trophy. I didn’t take their stinking trophies, fact is I’m the one who found them and the real thieves, but that didn’t make them like me any better. Then they really got pissed when I beat them in their own boxing match championships and took the Beachhouse from them.”
“But...Everyone was on your side there at the end, Right ?”, Tony asked. “After you beat Gary ?”
“The Preps were out there cheering with the rest, all right”, Jimmy replied, “But they still hated me. The Preps will always try to ally with the winning side, personal feelings aside. But I think they went back to working with Gary to undermine me over the summer. I was a threat to them, being King of the School and all. They knew they couldn’t control me. I think they got Gary to have that Big Darrell fucker to come after me and Edgar Munsen, only nobody expected that jackass to go nuts and start killing people. Worked out for them though....They got rid of Gary and kept me from coming back to school.”
Both were silent for a moment. Then Tony said, “I don’t think the Preps had anything to do with Jake, though. He was only at school a few months before he bailed. Sure, he had that clothing scam set up, but it was with everybody else, too. And he bombed their place along with everyone else. Plus, nobody at all knew he was even Gary’s cousin.”
“Nobody ?”, Jimmy asked. “Oh, There was somebody who knew, alright. And that fucker just might be the most dangerous asshole in the whole Vale Valley.”
Tony looked at Jake quizzically. “Who you talking about ?”
“Why, their Grandfather, of course”, Jimmy said. “Mr. Smith.”
Tony was surprised. “Why would you say that ?”
Jimmy leaned back in his chair. “Cause, Mr. Smith was runnin’ things around here long before the Harringtons and Spencers came along. He made a lotta money, and built this place up from a hole in the mountains to what it is now. Before, it was mostly a shipping port, and before that, mining, as you know. Smith was a developer, and started by buying up cheap land in New Coventry, leasing out the buildings on the strip. Then, he fired up the development of all those shops over in the Vale. More than half the businesses over there are there because of him. He got old and retired, and the Harringtons and Spencers took over, cause his worthless, no good kids couldn’t. Smith went to Florida or somewhere and was gone for awhile, but he came back for some reason a few years back, before I got here. There’s a rumor around that he’s in debt to Harrington, somehow, but I don’t know for what.”
Jimmy stopped to take a drink, then continued. “His real reason for coming back might have been to groom Gary to take over his 'Empire’, as he used to call it....But that went down the tubes when Gary got killed....So, he musta turned to the other Grandson, put him in Bullworth. But if Gary was a psychopath, this kid Jake was even worse, from what you told me of all the shit he done. Old Man Smith’s plans must be in ruins, all because he couldn’t control his Grandkids any better that he could their Parents, his own children.”
“So, do you think he’s in with the Mob, too ?”, Tony asked.
Jimmy thought about that, in his usual slow way, before he answered. “Naw....We never ever seen anything in those secret files about that. Fact, he’s hardly mentioned at all. No, I think Smith is one of those old-fashioned guys who’ll have some dock workers take somebody out in a back alley and beat them until they’re sniveling in their own blood and puke, begging them to stop. That’s his way. The Mob way would be just to put 'em in cement and throw 'em in the river.”
“What makes you think that he wouldn’t Murder ?”, Tony asked.
“That’s easy. Old Man Smith is smart. Leaving a trail of dead bodies behind means someone is gonna come looking for YOU, eventually. Besides, if you kill somebody important, they become a martyr, and maybe even a legend. But, if you totally destroy somebody’s rep, they never come back from that”, Jimmy said. “Look at that Heavyweight Champ from about 20 years back. He was on top of the world then, the undisputed King....Then he raped a girl in a hotel room, and did three years in the joint. After that, he was just a joke, and the only things he could do was bite other fighter’s ears off and do cameo roles in Rocky movies. His rep was gone, destroyed. He’ll never get it back.”
Jimmy went silent then, thinking about his own rep, and how he wanted so much to redeem himself before he left Bullworth behind for good. After a bit, he said, “That’s why it’s important to get that file to the Feds....Not just over the corruption in this place, but to clear me. I didn’t help kill anybody.”
Tony felt a rush of sympathy for Jimmy, whom he had come to regard as his friend. “Don’t worry, Jim, we’re gonna figure out something.”
“Have you seem Luntz yet ?”, Jimmy asked.
“No”, Tony admitted, “He’s been missing for a few days now, but he’s been doing that a lot lately, for some reason. I’m sure he’ll be back, though. He seems to know all about the file and about what Pete was doing.”
Jimmy took a breath. “I never really got on with Mr. Luntz , but for some reason, Pete did. And, I trust Pete. So, there has to be a real reason that he did. I gotta go with that.”
“He’s quite a mysterious man, that much I know”, Tony said. “I can’t help feeling that he’s got a personal stake in all of this. But I still don’t know why.”
“I just want my life back”, Jimmy said, morosely. “Living in a cave is fun for a few days, but after a long while, it just feels like a jail all over again.”
Tony rose to go, as he had to get back before the bell and meet Karen for lunch. “I’ll do all I can for you, Jimmy, you know that. Just hang on a little longer, OK ?”
Jimmy looked up glumly, then slowly grinned. “Sure. One way or the other, it’ll all be over soon.”
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Tony returned to School just as the lunch bell rang. He hurried on to the Cafeteria to meet Karen and found her sitting at a table with Zoe. Tony grabbed an apple and a banana from the basket at the end of the lunch table and hopped into a seat beside her.
“Where you been this morning”, Karen asked, munching on a strange-looking object.
“Over talking with....You-Know-Who”, Tony said, taking a bite out of his apple. Fruit was about the only safe thing to eat at Bullworth Academy, and most students knew that. Every day, Edna the Cook whipped up some of the most vile, disgusting items to be found anywhere, only to have them sit, uneaten, in the metal bins at the front of the Cafeteria. It was a continuing exercise in futility, Tony often reflected.
“Talking about what ?”, Zoe interjected, also munching on a similar strange-looking object.
“Ah, you know, missing persons and missing stuff, just the usual.....”, Tony replied, still eying the strange stuff the girls were eating. “Say, what is that stuff you’re eating ?”
“Jerky”, Zoe answered. “Want some ?”
“Beef Jerky ?”, Tony exclaimed. “Where’d you get that ? Ain’t no Cows around here.”
“It’s not beef”, Karen said, a mildly estatic look on her face. “Think it’s.....Alligator. Got it over at the Yum-Yum Market yesterday. They got a new delivery of stuff from outside.”
“Alligator ?”, Tony said, wonderingly. “How’s THAT taste ?”
“Just Wonderful”, Karen said dreamily. “It’s sooooo good ! Here, try some !”
Tony took a piece and tore off a chunk with his teeth. Chewing it, he discovered that it did indeed taste great. Munching, he began to think, for the first time, of how things got delivered to the Vale Valley. If things got in, things could be gotten out, he thought. Something to investigate soon, he promised himself.
They talked on of various things. Karen wanted to go out on Friday night, and Tony reminded her that he had more bike races he was going to be doing on Saturday. “They’re running four of them from the Shiny Bike Shop”, he told her.
“They’re short ones, right ?”, Karen asked.
“Well, shorter than the one I did already”, Tony said, “But still will make for a long afternoon.”
“I know that you’ll kick ass”, Karen said. “Maybe another victory celebration afterwards ?”
Tony agreed that it would be a good possibility, now that the other bikers maybe wouldn’t be fucked up on drugs. Hands down, his Flame Job BMX was a superior bike that could easily outrace anything they had to come up with.
They talked aimlessly until the bell rang to end the lunch period. Bidding goodbye to Zoe, Tony and Karen headed upstairs to Tony’s locker. Arriving there, Tony bent to work the combination while Karen leaned up beside him.
“Hey Karen !”, Christy’s voice came from behind them, “I’m going to Hair, Nails & Beauty after school. Want to come ?”
Karen turned to talk to Christy. As long as Christy wasn’t hanging around with Pinky, Karen got along with her alright. As the girls gabbed, Tony got his locker open. As he did, a folded paper fell out onto the floor. Tony grabbed his book and then bent and scooped the paper off the floor. Turning it in his hand, he saw it looked like some kind of test paper with Pinky’s name on it. Glancing at Karen and Christy, he saw they hadn’t noticed. He hurriedly stuffed the paper in his pocket.
The halls began clearing. Christy broke off her conversation with Karen and hurried off to class. Tony gripped his book and began walking with Karen to his Art Class. Stopping by the door, Karen told him she was going to the Beauty Shop with Christy. Seems that Pinky was becoming something of a whiney bitch lately, now that Kurt had gone missing. Tony couldn’t imagine why.
“I gotta get to Home Ec”, Karen said. “You watch it. I know you just take Art Class to check out Ms. Phillips’ rack.”
Tony’s face reddened, but he had a saving comeback. “They don’t hold a candle to your gorgeous melons, sweetie.”
Karen smiled at that. She kissed his cheek briefly and was gone.
Later in class, Tony retrieved the paper from his pocket. Unfolding it, he found out it was a Note from Pinky. Reading the short message, Tony sighed. He could guess what Pinky wanted....Either those new clothes she kept bugging him about, or about Kurt missing. But then again, maybe she had some new information. He guessed he would have to check it out.
__________________________________________
-
After class, Tony made a trip down to the Observatory. Since Karen had gone off with Christy, Tony had told her he had business to take care of tonight, so she could take her time. Tony wanted no chance that she would even as much as catch him talking to Pinky.
Melvin was unlocking the gates as he arrived. So far as he could tell, no other Nerds were there yet. Tony approached him. “Hey Melvin !”, he called.
Melvin turned as Tony came near, somewhat apprehensively. Every since the map fiasco, he had been a bit worried that Tony would want some payback for having to win at ConSumo and not getting the map he needed from the Nerds. He looked relieved as he saw Tony had a friendly, though troubled, look on his face. “Umm...Hey there, fellow warrior”, Melvin greeted.
“Got a little something to ask you there, buddy”, Tony began.
“Um...Sure”, Melvin said uncertainly. “What is it you need ?”
“There’s some.....Boxes of things.....Down in one of the storage closets in the basement here”, Tony said. “I need....A few Items.”
If Melvin was surprised that Tony even knew about storage closets in the Observatory basement, he didn’t show it. In fact, as Melvin knew, the Observatory before all the Spencer-sponsored repairs had been one of the most porous places on campus. The ground-level floor had been in ruins from so many years of neglect, the big front doors no longer locked after Jimmy Hopkins had bashed them in with the Spud Cannon, and all sorts of riff-raff snuck in and did all sorts of disgusting things along with the Rats who lived there.
Melvin undid the triple-locks that now adorned the massive heavy front doors, and ushered Tony inside. Tony looked about in wonder at the finished large domed room. All the catwalks were in place, and the massive telescope sat on it’s high perch, aimed toward the sky, just awaiting the night when the dome could be open to all the splendor of the universe.
Wordlessly, Melvin led Tony down the stairs. Tony followed anyway, even though he remembered the way. Once down in the room with the large table, Tony went directly to the particular storage closet that the Clothes boxes had been stashed in last fall. Rummaging around in the back, he recovered all the clothing boxes and hauled them out to the table. Going through the boxes, Tony selected what he wanted and packed it into a single box.
“That’s all I need”, Tony said, then swept his arm over the other boxes. “You all can have the rest. I’m not in the clothing business anymore.”
“Really ?”, Melvin did look surprised at last. Nobody gave a way merchandise at Bullworth. “You mean it ?”
“Sure !”, Tony said grandly. “Lotsa good stuff here. Take it...Sell it. You Nerds could use the extra cash, am I right or what ?”
“Umm...Well, alright, I guess”, Melvin said, uncertainly. “Are you sure you don’t....Want anything for these ?”
Tony gathered up his box and rose to leave, clapping Melvin on the shoulder. “Nope, nothing. Just remember who your real friends are when the time comes, is all.”
Tony left the Observatory basement, leaving Melvin scratching his head in puzzlement.
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For Kurt, few days had gone by, and he awoke to find himself on a mattress. Disoriented, he checked his surroundings, which were fuzzy at first. As his vision cleared, he saw he was still in the same room, only things were a bit different. Gone was the huge spotlight. In it’s place, a lone 200-watt bulb was mounted in a ceiling socket. The chair was still there, but had an addition....A stout four-legged table was in front of it. Outside of that, the room was bare of any amenities.
A heavy blanket had been thrown over him. Pulling it a ways off, he discovered he was naked. Someone had removed his shit and vomit stained clothes, and he had been cleaned up somewhat. Kurt suspected he had been hosed down, for some places felt raw, especially around his privates. Looking around, he saw a pile of fresh clothes had been left beside the mattress. Kurt grabbed them and began to put them on.
Although he was no longer shackled in any way, Kurt found that bound to one of his ankles was a device similar to a home-arrest monitor. He was able to get his replacement shorts and pants over it with no problem, however. He pulled on the shirt, and then attempted to stand, falling on his ass in his first try. He was rather weak from his ordeal, it seemed. On his next try, he was able to get shakily to his feet, using the wall as a support. He took a couple of tentative steps only to almost fall down again as a loud 'Click’ followed by a feedback hum invaded the previously quiet room.
“Hah, the Boyo is awake at last !”, a voice exclaimed jauntily, almost sounding relieved, it seemed to Kurt. “Nice to see yah back in the world !”
Kurt looked towards the ceiling, which was no doubt the location of the speaker and probably a video-cam. “Yeah, I’d like to be able to SEE the world now. How long is this Circus gonna go on, anyway ? I got Gigs to play.”
“Thought that condition has already been established”, the voice said dryly. “When the Young Master gets what he wants, Boyo.”
“Fuck Derby and the Horse Dick he rode in on”, Kurt responded. “And my name’s Kurt, you asshole.”
“I know what your name is”, the voice said, rather chillingly, “Even if the Young Master doesn’t.”
That last statement made no sense at all to Kurt, and he let it pass without comment. Instead, he said, “Hey, I’m hungry and thirsty. You clowns gonna let me starve in here ? That the next way to get your jollies ?”
“Not at all”, the voice said. “There’s food and drink right by the door there.”
Kurt loped over to the door. On the floor right beside it was a plastic plate of food and a fresh water bottle. More thirsty than anything, Kurt grabbed up the water bottle, opened it and chugged half of it down. Then he picked up the plate. An unappetizing mess of what appeared to be meatloaf stared back at him. Kurt scooped up some of the mess with his fingers and tasted it. Immediately, he spit the fowl-tasting stuff out on the floor. “UGH !!!! What Is This SHIT ? Tastes Like....Like.....”
“It’s Dog Food”, the voice said jovially, “Just perfect for a mongrel such as yourself.”
In a rage, Kurt flung the plate at the far wall, where it hit and splattered chunks of Dog Food everywhere. “Such a Shame”, the voice said sadly, “That was your ration for the day.”
Kurt staggered to the middle of the room. “Whadda You Want ? You’re A FUCK !! A Worthless FUCK !!!!!! You Can Let Me The HELL OUTTA HERE, You DICK !!! What’s Your Stake In This ? What’s That Human Waste Paying You ??”
“I’m just settling an old debt”, the voice said smoothly. “And, you should know, Boyo, that I’m the one who has kept you alive. Master Derby would just have soon let you expire.”
Kurt stood flabbergasted. “You’re INSANE !! You’re BOTH INSANE !!!”
“There is a way out”, the voice continued, ignoring Kurt’s ramblings. “Just sign those documents over on the table there, and you can go free.”
Kurt stared at the unseen voice for a moment, then slowly limped to the table. On it were three pieces of paper. The first was a letter to Dr. Crabblesnitch, stating he was withdrawing from Bullworth Academy. The second was a letter to his Rocker Clique, naming Tibo as his successor. The last was a letter to Pinky, telling her he was breaking up with her and leaving town.
Kurt was stunned. While he was looking at the last, the voice said, “There’s a one-way ticket in the deal for you there, too.”
“Ticket ?”, Kurt said dully, “To where ?”
“Why, to your rightful hometown, New York, where else ?”, the voice snickered.
Again, Kurt didn’t understand. Looking at the documents, his rage built anew, and he suddenly wadded the papers into balls and flung them across the room. “I Ain’t Signing NOTHING !!”, he yelled, and loped across the room, flinging himself at the heavy wooden door. Although knowing the door was probably locked, he grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it to no avail.
“LEMME OUT, YUH OLD FUCK !!! LEMME OUTTA HERE NOW !!!!!!!!”, he screamed.
“Tch, Tch....Such Drama”, the voice chuckled. “Time to calm you down, I see.”
Kurt’s beating on the door was suddenly halted by a massive jolt of electricity like that of a Taser from the device strapped to his ankle. Kurt fell to the floor, withering in pain, his breath coming in short gasps. As the jolts continued, Mr. Smith’s voice from the loudspeaker chuckled mirthlessly until Kurt passed out.
_________________________________________
-
Tony hesitated before knocking on the Beach House door. The past few hours he had spent exploring Blue Skies with Laurent and Constantinos, with Nick along for backup if they ran into trouble. Only Constantinos was even vaguely familiar with the area, so he acted as sort of a guide. In the absence of the Townies, Blue Skies was a fairly peaceful place now, and they encountered no problems. For the first time, Tony got a real good look at the docks, where he knew illicit cargo was being brought in and out of the Vale Valley, mostly under the direction of the Harringtons and Spencers. Although he gained some much-needed perspective, his true aim was to be as far away from Karen as he could get, as he didn’t want to chance her seeing him tonight.
Shortly before 9 Pm, the group had returned to Bullworth, and Tony made some vague excuses about ‘something he had to take care of’ and took a bike and rode off alone. He made sure nobody was trailing him and then headed towards the Beach House. Now, he stood at the door, wondering just what in the hell he was doing. In his hand was a new low-cut Aquaberry dress for Pinky, but it wasn’t about that, really. And he really didn’t give two shits for Kurt, who had given him so much trouble last fall. Tony didn’t care if the bastard dropped off the face of the Earth forever and stayed missing. No,it wasn’t that either. What is really was, Tony knew, was that Pinky had something on him....Their encounter over the winter, and the power Pinky had to blow Karen and him apart. That she hadn’t said anything was the reason she could control him like a puppet on a string. Tony didn’t like that feeling, but there was nothing he could do about it but play along...For now.
Tony sighed and rapped on the door. From the other side of the door, he heard Pinky’s voice purr, “Come In !” He cautiously eased open the door and peeked behind it, in case of a trap. Stepping in, his eyes took a quick survey of the large room. Seeing no one, he finally centered his gaze on Pinky. “You all alone ?”, he asked, rather stupidly.
“Oh, Silly !”, Pinky exclaimed, “Course I am.”
“Umm...Brought you something”, Tony said, holding out the dress, hoping that was what was so important for Pinky to send him an 'URGENT’ message.
“Ooooh ! So Pretty !”, Pinky cooed, taking the dress and stroking the material. “I want to try it on !” She turned and went towards the bed, where she set the new dress down and then dropped her own dress to the floor. Tony got a good look at her lace-panty covered buttocks as she changed into the new dress. “Like it ?”, she said, and then made a twirl. “It’s so....Ritzy ! Don’t you think ?”
Small beads of sweat had popped out along the brow of Tony’s forehead. “It looks...Real good on you”, he said, trying to keep himself under control. He hadn’t been alone with Pinky since....Well, since that time last winter. And just seeing her in her panties had re-kindled feelings of latent lust. “Is that.....What you wanted ?”
“Oh Yes !”, Pinky exclaimed, “It’s just perfect. I’ve been looking for something like this.”
“Good”, Tony said, relieved, and turned toward the door, “I’ll be going then.”
“Oh, No....Wait, Tony !”, Pinky said, “I wanted to ask your help about finding Kurt.”
Tony sagged. There for a minute he had hoped that the clothing was all she had summoned him there for, but he knew it had been a vain hope after all. He turned to face her again. “I...Um...Don’t know what else I can do, Pinky....We’re looking everywhere....”
“It’s Derby, he’s got something to do with it, I just know it”, Pinky said, beginning to struggle out of her dress. “He’s been looking soooo smug lately.”
Tony just stared while Pinky removed the dress. “Umm....What are you doing ?”
“Just taking this off”, Pinky said innocently. “It’s a bit wrinkly and musty from being packed away. I’ll just hang it up over here....” Pinky bent and picked up a stray hanger from the floor, then went to a door by the bed that presumably went to a small bathroom. The door had a hook on it, and Pinky had to stretch to reach it. Against his will, Tony’s eyes followed her every move, lingering on her bare thighs and panty-clad butt.
Tony was made speechless by his rising lust, and when Pinky turned around, he still couldn’t take his eyes off those fabulous thighs. Pinky approached him. “See something you like ?”
Tony struggled to say something. Pinky looked down at herself and said, “Here, let me show you something....” She then dropped her panties to the floor and kicked them aside. “You never really got to see this last time....Did you ?”
An electric surge ran through Tony’s loins, and he was instantly fully erect. Pinky watched the growing bulge with amusement. She stretched out her arms and pulled Tony towards her. Tony’s brain was in a storm, and he was helpless to resist. Pinky planted her mouth on his and French tongued him deeply.
“Mnnnnn.....Mnnnnn....Mnnnnn”, Pinky moaned, wrapping her leg around Tony and grinding her pelvis into his. When they broke the kiss, Pinky grabbed his belt buckle and led Tony over towards the bed. “Let me....Help you with this”, she breathed, and proceeded to undo the belt buckle and zipper, freeing his manhood. “Oh...My...”, she whispered.
Pinky laid back on the bed, spreading her legs. “Put it there....If you dare”, she said teasingly.
Tony’s mind lost all sense of reason. He was on her in a flash, and a flurry of activity soon commenced, all to Pinky’s delight. And when it was over, Pinky made Tony do her again, and again.....Until exhausted, both finally fell asleep, twined in each other’s arms.
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-
Pete finally made it out of his room undetected that very night. It was easier than he thought it would be. Wadding up some bedding and throwing a blanket over it to make it look like there was still a person there was an old trick, and he was gambling that it would do until the next bed check, which would be about an hour away. More, if all they did was to not look too closely into the dim room and moved on.
Pete stole down the hallway and located the stairs. It was then he found out what floor he was on. Silently he eased open the door and scampered through, easing it closed. Running quickly down the several flights of stairs, he headed for the basement. He was still wearing his hospital clothing, one of those funky robes that showed one’s asscrack in the back. He would have to find the laundry room if he wanted to effect a real escape.
Coming at last to the bottom of the stairwell, he cautiously pushed open the door. The sounds of the bowels of the hospital greeted him....Far off noises of a boiler, the hiss of steam pipes, the clanks and clunks of whatever running machinery that inhabited the nether world of similar basement places the world over. Pete looked both ways, stretching his neck at odd angles as he did so, for he truly had a ‘blind spot’ now, missing his eye and all.
He moved down the hall in the same fashion, keeping alert. After he had gone what he judged as quite a ways through several twists and turns, his ears picked up what sounded like washers and dryers running. He remembered those sounds from his youth, when he used to hang around in Laundrymats on cold winter days, and some nights too, if they were 24-hour Mats. Pete moved closer to the sound, until he came upon a large room packed with large machines and huge industrial-sized dryers.
The noise was a whole lot louder here. Unlike the darkened halls, this place was brightly lit by the large hanging florescent lights. Pete spotted a few large laundry hampers on wheels nearby, and he headed over to them and began rummaging in them, looking for anything that could pass for clothing in the outside world. First one bin, then another, Pete looked for what he needed without success. Most of the stuff in these were sheets and blankets, and 'gowns’ like the one he now wore. It was beginning to look hopeless.
Suddenly, Pete was startled by a gruff voice. “Hey, Whadda You Doin’ Here Kid ?!”
Pete whirled around to find a rather mean-looking Janitor facing him. Adrenaline pumping, he cut and ran, trying to run around the big lout, but the man grabbed his arm and spun him around. “I Said, Whadda You Think You Doin’ Here, Kid ?!?”
Pete tried to wrestle away, but the man’s grip was too strong. He then tried to nut shot him, but the man easily blocked Pete’s feeble attempt with his leg. The man gripped him by both arms and shook him, bringing his face closer. Pete stared up with his frightened eye wide at the Janitor. It was then that the man got a good look at Pete’s face and his ruined eye socket.
His gaze softened somewhat. “Hey, What Is This ? You A Patient ? Whadda You Doin’ Outta Your Room ? You Lost ?”
Pete found his voice. “Please Sir...I Gotta Get Out Of Here !! There’s People After Me !!”
“Whadda You Babbling About ??”, the man said. “Look, Kid, You Need To Go Back To Your Room !! Youse Can’t Be Wanderin’ Around Down Here !!” The man tightened his grip as Pete struggled. Pete whipped his head back and forth, and in doing so, saw something he had missed because of his missing eye.
Stenciled over the top of the Janitor’s left-hand pocket in block letters was his name. Pete stopped his struggles at once in amazement. The name stenciled there was LUNTZ.
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Hal was having a wet dream. Involuntary, he clutched Angie’s panties closer to him as he cried out in ecstasy. In the time since his foray into the Girl’s Dorm, and seeing Angie in the nude, he had been in an ache of torment, wanting what he had previously ignored. And no wonder he had never paid any attention to her before.....Angie had been the classic ‘Ugly Duckling’.....A mouthful of braces, dorky-looking glasses, stringy, unkempt hair. And, that annoying way of talking that didn’t endear her to anyone for long.
But it was different now. SHE was different. Gone were the braces, the ugly glasses, and the blemishes that used to pockmark her face. And those Melons ! It was like watching a Victory Garden grow. And she had filled out quite nicely from her skinny form of just a year ago. Hal usually leaned toward the more 'filled out’ women....He salivated over Edna’s backside, for instance....But there was just something about Angie’s butt that got his motor running. Possibly because it was the first and only butt he had ever seen in the flesh, as it were. And, Hal guessed, it would only get better and better.
Hal drifted awake, the burning images fresh in his mind. He had to have her, he decided, just had to.....This was driving him insane. He had to ask her out, offer to take her to some fancy-smancy joint. She always was saying she wanted to go the ‘Big City’ with a boy. Well, Hal could be that boy, he thought excitedly. He could take her someplace he was sure she had never been in all those failed dates with others. He could wow her and win her over, then she would gladly show him that gorgeous ass and those marvelous melons.
But how would he ask her ? How would he even approach her ? Hal had ignored Angie, and most of the on-campus girls for years. He was the epitome of what girls found unattractive....A Fat Greaser. He knew that, and accepted his role with frustration, hoping that someday he could have a steady girlfriend. But time wears heavy when one is so young, and Hal was beginning to feel like he was going to be the 'Forever Alone’ guy.....Doomed to a life of getting his licks from old musty prostitutes down on Tennament Row.
Then his rather slow thoughts seized on a sudden idea. He should ask somebody who already HAD a girlfriend how to go about things. Somebody like that kid Tony. He seemed to have a solid with little Karen these days. And, he was not a Clique guy, so there wouldn’t be a problem in approaching him for advice, man-to-man. Last year, he could have just asked Johnny Vincent, and Johnny would have given him the straight dope, even though he might have laughed at Hal for his choice of Angie. But Johnny understood things of this nature, having been with that hot firecracker Lola for all that time. Johnny was a man of the world.
So Tony it would be, he resolved. He would tell him what to do. Hal had been observant, he had seen how some of the other girls mooned over Tony, even that Prep girl Pinky. Tony would give him some solid tips about how to go about things, he was sure. With that, Hal drifted back into dreamland with the vision of Angie’s bush crowding out everything else in his mind.
__________________________________
-
“Your name is Luntz ?!?”, Pete managed to squeak out in shocked surprise.
“Yeah, kid”, the Janitor said in confusion, “What of it ?”
“Do you....Do you know of a Mister Luntz in Bullworth Town ?”, Pete asked, his one-eyed gaze still locked on the Janitor’s name tag. “I...I need....Need to get there, I have to have his help.”
The Janitor relaxed his grip, as it seemed that Pete had stopped struggling to get away. “How do you know Luntz in Bullworth Town ?”, he asked suspiciously.
“I go there”, Pete said, then amended, “Well I used to go there, to the school that is, he’s the Janitor there, and I need to get there, it’s real important....”
“You’re that Kid”, the Janitor said suddenly. “The Kid with the File.”
Pete’s jaw dropped open. “How....How do you know...That...?”
“Because Luntz is my Brother”, the man said. “He tells me stuff.” Janitor Luntz shuffled Pete over to a chair by the wall. “Sittdown here. Spill what you know, kid, and don’t leave nutting out.”
Pete sat, looking up into the face of the Janitor. He momentarily hesitated, not knowing whether or not this Luntz could be trusted. But, thinking it over quickly, he saw he had no choice. He had been caught. It was either trust this Luntz, or deal with the strange men upstairs. And it wouldn’t be long before he would be found missing. He took a deep breath, and began. “Well, Ok....It’s like this....”
For the next few minutes, Pete told the man of what he knew, starting with the events of last summer and concluding with the Christmas blizzard-filled back lot of the school where being shot was the last thing he remembered. Janitor Luntz listened in silence as Pete related the story without interruption. When he finished, Janitor Luntz asked a single question. “What made you decide to confide in my brother about this ?”
“Because”, Pete answered, “He knew that Jimmy Hopkins stole the File. He never ratted, never told, even though the others eventually found out. And more important, he never ratted on me, when he knew that I had it.”
Mr. Luntz the Hospital Janitor turned his gaze to the huge dryers in the laundry room, and said oddly, “That’s because we both got a vested interest in that there File.” He didn’t elaborate on what he said, but turned sharply to Pete. “We gotta get you outta here, kid. I can hole you up at my place till the weekend when I’m off. Then, I’ll get you down to Bullworth.”
He crossed the large room to some cabinets on the far wall. Opening them, he took out some white scrubs and a lab coat, along with a couple of other items. Pete groaned inside. He had been looking in the dirty laundry baskets instead of the clean cabinets. What a dope. Janitor Luntz crossed back over the room and tossed the clothes to Pete. “Here, put these on.”
The Janitor turned his back while Pete changed. When Pete indicated he was dressed, he turned and gave him the other items. “Put these gloves on, they’ll hide your girly hands.”
Pete did as he was told and let the comment pass. Next came a head covering like the kind that was used in operating rooms, and a mask for the lower part of his face. For his bare feet, Janitor Luntz supplied white socks and blue footies. For the final piece of disguise, Luntz produced a strange-looking apparatus. “This is one of them magnifiers they use when they’re cutting on someone”, he said, affixing it around Pete’s head. “It’ll hide that...Uh, missing eye of yours.”
Next, Janitor Luntz led Pete to the rear elevator. “Take this to the second floor. Soon as you leave the elevator, go right in the corridor, then left, right, right, and another left, got it ?” Pete repeated the sequence. “Good. There you will find the skywalk out to the parking garage. It’s quite lengthy. Go to the end. You will find a bank of two elevators there. Take one not in use and go the the ground floor. Go out the door there into the Parking Garage, and head out towards the street.” He produced a pack of cigarettes and a bic lighter. “Sometimes there’s somebody at the booth by the drop gate. If there is, just flash this pack of smokes and wave. Interns go out there all the time to grab a smoke”, he laughed. “Go figure. Walk around the wall out by the street. Stay in the shadows. I’ll be by in ten minutes to pick you up. Now, get going.”
The elevator doors opened and Pete got in. As they closed, Janitor Luntz repeated, “Ten Minutes.” Pete was afraid, but he needn’t have worried. Following the route laid out to him, he encountered no one, and was soon out on the street, hulking in the shadows. Feeling nervous, he copped a ciggy from the pack and smoked it, waiting for Janitor Luntz.
Within a few minutes, a car came slowly up the street. I came to a stop and the lights went out. Pete waited tensely until he heard a low voice call, “Hey Kid !! Over here !!” Pete approached the car enough to see Janitor Luntz driving. The window was down and Pete heard the pop of the trunk being released. “Get in the trunk, kid, and pull it closed. Hurry up !!”
With some misgivings, Pete did as instructed. As soon as he closed the trunk on himself, the car accelerated. Thus began about a 15-minute ride which seemed to Pete to be much longer. At last the vehicle slowed and came to a stop, and the motor was cut off. In the silence, Pete listened as footsteps came closer to the trunk. He was prepared for the possibility of a trick, and gripped a tire iron in his hand as the trunk swung open.
There in the semi-darkness stood Janitor Luntz. Pete got out of the trunk to find himself in a parking spot in a dark alley behind an apartment building. Luntz motioned Pete to follow him. They took a path into the building, where Luntz apparently had a ground-floor apartment. Rats scurried away as they approached a back door entry. Just like being at home in Bullworth, Pete thought wiry.
Janitor Luntz checked the hallway before leading Pete down to his place, where he unlocked five deadbolts on an old scarred door. He ushered Pete inside, closing the door before speaking. “OK, kid...Here it is. Ain’t much, but it’s home. There’s some eats in the kitchen if’n you get the munchies. Couple a things....Don’t turn on any of the lights for nothing. Don’t let anybody in at all. Remember, youse ain’t even here. Case someone DOES break in, take this back door here down the stairs to the basement and hide. And kid....No Noise. None. Got it ?”
Pete nodded his head to show he understood. Luntz said, “Good. I gotta get back afore somebody notices ME gone. They find you gone, they probably gonna lock down the place for awhile. I’ll get back here after my shift, or whenever I can. We’ll talk about gettin’ you back then. Got It ?”
“Got It”, Pete said in a low voice. Janitor Luntz turned and peeked out the door both ways before going out and closing it. Pete heard the sound of all five deadbolts being locked home, and then the subtle sounds of Janitor Luntz leaving. For the first time in months, Pete was alone. With a relieved sigh, he settled down to wait in the silence and the darkness.
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-
Tony slunk into his dorm before the asscrack of dawn, his mind reeling with remorse. He couldn’t believe he had let Pinky seduce him once more, couldn’t believe he had done it again. Worse, there was no one whom he could confide in, no where he could find relief from the burning guilt that was already beginning to fester in him like a splinter jabbed into his brain.
He quickly changed his clothes in silence, as not to wake his roommate Nick. At the desk, he hastily scrawled out a note, saying in it that he had matters to take care of and would be gone for a couple of days, but would be back in time for the Bike Races on Saturday. He would explain things when he got back. He then stuck the note by Nick’s head where he would be sure to find it when the alarm went off, and Tony was sure he would pass the word onto the others.
It was all a lie, of course, but Tony needed some time away to get his mind straightened out. There was no way he could face Karen, not now, not today. She would see the guilt in his eyes. He would betray himself, then where would he be ? He needed to be able to calm his jets, needed to push last night’s mistake...His third mistake...Back into the veiled chambers of his mind so it wouldn’t show up on his face. He had to get control of himself, or all would be lost.
Tony quietly hurried out of the dorm and then off campus. The only place he could think of to go where he could be alone was the homeless shelter over in New Coventry, ironically the place of his last carnal mistake with Lola. Putting that though aside, he hurried on. As long as he didn’t wind up in the same room, what was the difference, really ? He would feel his shame no matter where he went.
Skipping classes for a couple of days would be no problem. None of the Teachers kept attendance anyway. Like most things in this throwback place, nothing one did was monitored too closely. It was part and parcel of why this school, and the whole Valley in general, was like they were....A Wild West mentality.
As the sun peeked it’s way over the horizon, Tony stood in front of the shelter. He had changed into old, scruffy clothes to better play the part, but as he entered the place and bartered for a room, he soon realized that it wouldn’t have mattered if he had showed up at this dump dressed up like Elvis....The bored clerk barely glanced at him as he tossed Tony a room key and went back to watching the flickering images on an old ten inch black & white TV.
As Tony mounted the stairs to the room, he thought that maybe he would use the time to maybe actually look for Kurt. And, maybe, find and confront Derby over the matter. Tony didn’t think he would have any luck finding Kurt, just as he had had no luck finding Damon, or for that matter, Jake. People seemed to get lost quite easily here, intentional or otherwise, and that probably wasn’t going to change. Still, it would pacify Pinky that something was being done, enough to keep her quiet about their encounters. Tony really doubted that Pinky would spill the beans anyway....If it got out, Karen would beat her ass. That was something Pinky probably wanted to avoid, again. But you never knew about girls, Tony thought. With the end of the school year looming, Pinky might feel safe in letting it out, even if that meant losing her puppet-like control over Tony in the process. Anything could happen, Tony thought, as he entered the room, closed the door, and plopped down on the bed. Just anything.
As Tony fell into a troubled sleep, little did he know that more important matters would soon manifest themselves that would make everything that had happened so far pale into insignificance.
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Two hooded burly Dockmen entered the room, closed and locked the door behind them.
Kurt rose up from his sitting position on the floor. “He-e-ey, What Is This ?”
The Dockmen faced Kurt in only silence, bulging arm muscles evident in their crossed arms. The overhead speaker squeaked on. “Ahhh ! You’re awake Boyo !” the voice chortled. “Like yah to meet some associates of mine, Teller and his brother Teller. They don’t hardly speak, so it’s pretty useless to ask them any questions. They’re here to help you seek the true path to freedom !”
“What the Hell.....”, Kurt muttered as the men approached him. He backed up against the wall. The larger of the two suddenly reached out and grabbed Kurt around the throat. Kurt began flailing with his fists as he gasped for air, he blows landing harmlessly on the body of the man holding him. The Dockman turned and flung him across the room as easily as throwing a spitball in the trash. Kurt scrambled to his feet, only to have the second Dockman smash him in the side of his head, knocking him down again. Kurt slid on his butt backwards, fetching up against the wall, where he shakily got up again as the first dockworker closed in on him. Kurt begin swinging, landing some blows with no effect whatsoever. The Dockman planted a huge fist right in his face, rocking Kurt’s head back against the wall. The second Dockman approached and grabbed Kurt’s arms before he could fall a third time. Spinning him around, he held him for target practice as the first Dockman began to pummel him.
“Tch, Tch....Shoulda ate your Dog Food today, Fido”, the voice chuckled. “You’re out of shape and no match for these fellows.”
Kurt whooped in air from a punch to the guts, and summoned the strength to scream, “GET OFF ME, YUH ASSHOLES !!!! FUCK, GET OFF !!!!!!!”
Another large fist smashed into Kurt’s mouth, sending blood and teeth flying. The men continued to beat Kurt, as if playing a game, punching him from one to the other. Kurt took hits to the head, guts, ribs and back, but managed to stay on his feet. Too weak to mount any sort of effective attack, he became a human punching bag between the two muscular Dockmen.
“Such a Shame, Boyo, to mess up your pretty face”, the voice from the speaker observed with mock sadness, “When all you have to do is just sign some silly papers. Ain’t that worth a little fresh air and freedom ? You certainly don’t seem to be enjoying your stay here. A few flicks of the pen and you’re free to go !”
Gasping from a hard punch to the gut, Kurt panted, “I...I ain’t signin’....Anything !”
“Tch...So Stubborn”, the voice said with a tinge of true regret. “Wise him up, boys....But carefully, eh ? We wouldn’t want anything unintended to befall the Prince.”
Kurt didn’t understand that reference, and he had no time at all to mull it over. The two burly Dockmen beat him unconscious before he even had the chance.
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Mr. Luntz returned to Bullworth on Thursday night, and by Friday morning, he was back at his usual spot behind the counter of the School Store. He actually got some business that morning, seeing as how the School Store had been shuttered all week. Dr. Crabblesnitch did not know of his return, just yet at least, for he had not summoned him to his office....But Mr. Luntz knew that it would only be a matter of time before one of those pompous Prefects would inform the old bastard of his presence. He could just hear the old fart ranting now, speaking in that high-stilted speech of his, wanting to know just where he had been all week and how he was taking too many liberties with his job and blah-blah-blah. It would be all he could do not to laugh in the stupid fucker’s face. For Milton Crabblesnitch’s days at Bullworth Academy were to be numbered, and Mr. Luntz was soon to see to that personally.
He had followed the hijacked shipment back to the Big Apple, making sure it was delivered to the proper people. Outfitted with a brand new Magnum to replace the one stolen by those brainless Bullies, he had made sure that the semi was off-loaded at the captured warehouse that was now under Big Mike’s control. Only then did he pay off the driver and his helpers. Then, staying at a safe house, he made arrangements for him and his brother to return home when the time came.
He owed a lot to Big Mike, for even though it had been Big Mike’s sideline operation he had been working for, Big Mike could have just walked away and let Bloody Vince’s hoods kill him and then go after the only family he had left, his brother. However, no....because Mr. Luntz hadn’t ratted him out, Big Mike had made sure Mr. Luntz and his brother had been sent to safety, all arrangements made....And, with promises that one day, things would be different, and Mr. Luntz and his brother could safely return home.
Mr. Luntz’s brother hadn’t been involved in the side rackets, but that didn’t matter.....Bloody Vince had vowed to rub out his entire family. As he and his little brother were orphans, not a whole lot of bullets would be expended. But Big Mike had bought off the Guards, and seen to it they had been stashed safely until they could be sent on their undercover lives with new names.
And now it was almost time. Bloody Vince and his remaining minions were holed up in a rundown section of Brooklyn. But just when Big Mike’s forces were all set to move in and eradicate Bloody Vince and all his Lieutenants, the all-powerful Five Families had called a hold to those operations. The Five Families cared not about turf wars, it mattered little who was in control of the various American Big City Crime Rackets....The methods and results were always the same regardless who ran them. But Organized Crime in America was now highly sensitive to adverse publicity such as a bloody shootout that now presented itself in this situation. Still stinging over the John Gotti hype that made the public once more aware of who really ran things in the country, the last thing they wanted was another bloody massacre splashed over the nation’s airwaves.
Big Mike was taking a gamble with those weapons and explosives. The C-4 was to be planted around the perimeter of where Bloody Vince and the others were holed up. The weapons and ammo would easily overwhelm Bloody Vince and the holdouts, if push came to shove. Unless another solution presented itself soon, Big Mike would take the risk of mounting an assault. In the intervening time, Big Mike was solidifying his position as the new New York City Crime Boss. In speaking with Big Mike, Mr. Luntz had proposed another idea, however. And it had to do with the contents of a certain file at Bullworth Town.
Mr. Luntz reflected on these matters as he manned the School Store. But he hadn’t seen the kid he really wanted to see all day, since he had returned. Where was that Calderone ? As he was mulling that over, the afternoon bell rang, and students flocked the halls. Soon, a familiar face appeared at his window, looking anxious.
“Umm....Mr. Luntz ?”, Karen said softly.
Mr. Luntz bent low. “Where’s that boyfriend of yours ? I need to talk to him.”
“Er...I don’t know”, Karen said uncomfortably. “He wants to talk to you too, about....You know....Only, he’s off somewhere, I don’t know where....”
“Listen, girlie, you got friends ? Friends you can trust ?”, Mr. Luntz hissed.
“Well...Um, yeah....Sure”, Karen replied.
“Then you find him, and get him here, understand ?”, Mr. Luntz said emphatically. “Sooner the better, get it ?”
Karen nodded and backed away, a bit frightened by the intent look on his face. She turned and ran off as Mr. Luntz watched.
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Tony slept most of the day, and woke up in the late afternoon. After sitting and staring out the window for some time, hunger started gnawing at him, so he decided to take a walk over to the nearby Yum-Yum Market and get some snacks.
Tony wasn’t hard up for cash yet, as he was still using what Jimmy had given him. He got some chips, a couple of Hot Dogs, and some soda, then went back to his room in the shelter to meditate some more while he ate. While eating made him feel a bit better, he was still was consumed by guilt for what he had done. Damn those Hormones !! He was unable to control himself when a sexy girl came on to him, and he thought he had been able to at least put up a little resistance to that, now that he had a regular squeeze. But no, it seemed. He still wasn’t the perfect person he wanted himself to be. Maybe, he sighed, as he got older.....
Tony’s mind drifted off to other matters. Thinking about what got him in trouble in the first place, he decided against confronting Derby alone. He would no doubt have Bif the bodygaurd with him, he always did, and going it alone wouldn’t be in his best interest. His thoughts went off to the other missing people. In addition to Jake, who he believed was just waiting for his opportunity to cause more mayhem, there was Algie....Who hadn’t been heard from since the Cops carted him away. There was also Damon still missing.
Tony set his mind to that. From what Nick and Laurent had told him, their examination of the Church graveyard had turned up no clues except for one....The Obelisk. Nick described a strange rays emanating from the capstone downward, imprinting a Pentagram in the circle all around it as they were leaving the Graveyard after hearing the strange voices inside the Church. Laurent had said he found some whitish powder at the scene, also.
Tony decided to go over and check the place out. He needed a diversion from his thoughts. He had wanted to go before, but things kept getting in the way, it seemed. Tony felt like a juggler with just too many balls to keep in the air. At least for now, he thought, with his temporary forced absence, he had time to look the place over for himself.
Tony wasn’t afraid of ghosts and such....In fact, he had grown up with a steady diet of horror movies and his favorite video games (before coming to Bullworth, that is) was the Resident Evil Series. He had also played, and loved, the Manhunt Games. Tony didn’t put any stock in the Supernatural at all, knowing that most of those things were fakes achieved by some sort of trickery. He supposed, though, that most of his vivid nightmares stemmed from his preoccupation with blood and gore. It really made no difference to him. He wasn’t a shrink, so he really didn’t care.
Tony left the shelter once more and walked to Bullworth Town. He tried to use the miniature skateboard, but after falling on his ass twice, he gave that up. Really, he didn’t know why he still carried the stupid thing on his belt. Spotting an unattended bike outside the Shiny Bike Shop, he swiped it and biked to the Graveyard, following Nick’s remembered directions from the Dam.
When he approached the Cemetery and Church, he could see it was as Nick had described it to him. He ditched the bike behind some bushes, he found his way to the gate. Surrounded by a stone wall, topped by Iron fencing, the set of Iron gates were were rusted in place at the hinges but open with enough room to allow a person to enter through. Behind them, a straight stone walkway ran through what appeared to be a short older section of the Cemetery. Up ahead, he passed a low stone wall, also topped with Iron fencing. Off to the right led a stone path to another wall and still another set of gates that appeared to give Church-goers access to the Graveyard. These gates were locked, Tony saw. Returning to the main walkway, he could see that it led to the square stone Obelisk about 15 feet high, topped with a tapering square cap in the style of the Washington Monument. The Obelisk itself sat in the center of a small stone plaza, about 30 feet in diameter. Bricks laid in a circular pattern radiated out from the center of the Obelisk. At each of the four corners sat Column Cornices, each one containing four columns. Tony examined the Obelisk just as Laurent had done. There were faint engravings on each of the four sides, but they had become so weathered as to render them unreadable.
Another stone path led off at a right angle from the Obelisk, eventually stopping at the doorway of a large mausoleum that was about two stories high. Tony headed that way, noting it was as they told him, that there weren’t any windows or other openings except for the large heavy oak door, which they couldn’t open. Tony stopped back a few feet to take a look at the building. From what he understood, the attack and disappearance would have happened about here. He looked down, but saw nothing of the white powder that Laurent had found.
Tony looked around, but saw nothing unusual beyond that. Tony surveyed the mausoleum again, and had an Idea. He would Parkour up to the top of the mausoleum, something Laurent didn’t do. He trotted back the length of the Graveyard to be able to get up enough speed for the run. It had been awhile, but he was sure he could do it. Setting himself, he took off like a sprint runner. Nearing the building he leaped, and....One....Two....Three.....Four....Five.....Just as he felt his center of gravity about to shift, he reached out and grabbed the top stone and was able to haul himself over to the roof.
Tony lay on his back, panting. That had been close. He really should practice the Parkour more. Recovering himself, he positioned himself behind the stone that ran around the roof so that he was mostly concealed, and settled down to wait. From up here, he commanded a good view of both the Church and Graveyard. It was still light, but would be getting dark soon.
After about an hour, it began to get twilight. Tony was getting bored, and was thinking about getting down. Suddenly, he spotted a lone figure entering the rusted gates from the road. Squinting, he tried to make out who it was as the figure entered and went to one of the graves. There, he knelt down and began to moan and then cry. Tony had heard that voice enough to know who the small figure was then, he had heard that whiny voice enough around school. It was Sheldon.
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-
It grew darker, but Sheldon didn’t show any signs of leaving. Tony wondered just what the little twerp was doing over here anyway, all by himself. Although there wern’t many, the smaller kids at Bullworth School had an earlier curfew, like 9 PM or something. And just who’s grave was he caterwalling over anyway ? Tony squinted, wishing he had his binoculars.
All of a sudden, there was a sound like someone stumbling up against the rusted gates at the entrance. Sheldon suddenly perked up and stopped his sniveling. Quick as a rabbit, he ran towards a small raised crypt that lay against the North wall with a small fence around it that Tony had noticed, but hadn’t paid much attention to before. Sheldon jumped the little fence with ease and squeezed himself inside through a small door set into the side of the crypt. Tony watched for a bit, then turned his attention back to the Gates.
Righting himself from his noisy stumble, Handy the Hobo came shuffling in. In his hand he carried what appeared to be a large bottle encased in a paper bag. Weaving back and forth on the path, he made his way up the path to the low stone wall topped with fencing. There he paused, grabbing the wall for support while he tipped the bottle in the sack up to his lips and guzzled greedily. Tony could even hear him gulping the vile liquid of whatever it was down. Handy finally pulled the bottle from his mouth with a gasp, and began mumbling to himself. Tony strained to hear.
“Gorry, thass good stufff.....”, Handy slurred, “....Fit fer a King, it were.....Whoo !”
Handy stood swaying, still holding on to the wall for what seemed several minutes. Then he started moving again, headed for some of the graves. “Blimey...Gotter Piss”, he said to nobody in particular. He stopped in front of one of the graves and then fumbled out his works, made all the more difficult because he was still clenching the bottle in the sack with one hand. When he had freed his member, he aimed it at the grave and a began to shoot a large stream of piss on it. “Ahhhhh......Thass berretter....”, he moaned.
Handy had by chance chosen the very grave that Sheldon had been weeping at a few moments ago. Tony smiled wiry at the coincidence. If Sheldon was seeing this somehow from his hiding spot, it would sure cheese him off, Tony thought. While watching, Tony suddenly noticed how much darker it had become, as if there were a dark shadow over the Graveyard. Then Tony saw something else that instantly chilled him.
From the top of the Obelisk, strange rays began emanating from the capstone downward, imprinting a Pentagram in the circle all around it, showing up as blood red. At the same time, a pale green mist started to permeate from seemingly nowhere and a low chanting sound became audible from the direction of the Church to Tony’s left.
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi !!!
A white mist began to form just behind Handy, who was still blissfully pissing on the grave. The mist continued to grow, but now started to form a shadowy figure, which colelesed into a hooded man-like looking creature. The 'being’ began to advance towards Handy from behind. When the ‘being’ was about a foot in back of him, it reached out with a bony hand, and placed it on Handy’s shoulder.
Handy’s stream of piss slowed dramatically as he froze, the last of the piss dribbling on his pants. Handy suddenly remembered through his alcohol-soaked brain what had happened the last time he had been here, and then recalled why he hadn’t been back since....Until now, that was, when his judgment (such as it was) was impaired. Handy spun drunkenly around.
“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!”, he screamed, stumbling backwards and dropping his bottle in the paper sack, which hit the paving stones and shattered. The shadowy figure lifted it’s arm again and this time, pointed it’s skeleton-like finger in Handy’s face. White as a sheet, Handy broke and ran for the gate, smashing into the wall at first, and then weaving and twisting in pure fear as he managed to bounce through the iron gates and take off on a dead, though shambling, run to safety. Through all of this, the chanting became louder and broke into a crescendo.
goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo !!!!!!
The 'being’ remained static as it seemingly watched Handy’s escape. After a few seconds, as Handy’s footfalls died away in the distance, the mist began to dissipate. As it did, the figure slowly lost form and dissolved. Then, the beam from the Obelisk suddenly cut off, and darkness and quiet invaded the Graveyard once more.
Peering carefully, Tony caught sight of Sheldon emerging from the crypt. He walked over to the grave Handy had pissed on. “Damn Old Drunk !”, he said tearfully, “That wasn’t nice at All-l-l-l !!!”, and began sobbing once more, forcefully.
_______________________________________________
-
Tony had seen enough. Going to the edge of the roof, he slithered down a drainpipe as noiselessly as possible, and jumped to the ground. He begin to run towards Sheldon. Something funny was going on here, and he was going to find out what it was.
Sheldon heard Tony’s running steps towards him. He spun and ran towards the crypt, but reversed course and ran for the gates instead, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hide this time. Tony caught him easily, grabbing him around the throat and lifting him in the air.
“GLURK !!”, Sheldon gasped, “Lemme Go !! Lemme Go !! Don’t Beat Me !!!”
Tony spun him around. “Relax, Sheldon, it’s me, Tony !”
Sheldon stared wide-eyed at Tony in the semi-darkness. “What....What are you...Doing here ?”, he fumbled.
“Looking for some answers, you little Twerp !”, Tony answered, and then began to roughly drag Sheldon back across the Graveyard. “What did you do just then, and how did you do it ?”
“You’re just a BIG BULLY !!”, Sheldon blubbered. “Just like the rest of them, always hitting me and calling me names !!”
Tony stopped in front of the grave that Sheldon had been at. “Think, Sheldon. Have I ever hit you ? Bullied you ?”
Sheldon still seemed terrified, but answered, “Well...Well...Um...No....”
“Then calm down. I just want answers”, Tony said. “To start with, who’s grave is this ?”
“Um....My....My Grandpa’s.....”, Sheldon said, and began to blubber again.
Tony rolled his eyes. “Alright. Chill the waterworks. You got mad cause Handy was peeing on your Grandpop’s grave. I get it.”
“That...wasn’t nice at ALL !!”, Sheldon said, his face crumpling.
“No, it wasn’t”, Tony allowed. He looked around. “So that’s why you come here.”
“Yeah”, Sheldon said tearfully. “And....And I can be safe here, from those Bullies !!”
“So.....You just go hide over there”, Tony said, gesturing at the crypt, “And do....What ? Com’on, spill it Sheldon. What’s in that crypt ?”
“Umm....I don’t know...”, Sheldon said, evasively, “What makes you think....Something’s in there ?”
“I was up on the roof watching”, Tony said, gesturing towards the mausoleum. “I saw the whole thing.” Tony pulled Sheldon over towards the crypt. “Now, start talking, or I WILL have to beat it outta you. What’s in this crypt ?”
Sheldon was cornered. He hung his head. “Umm....Controls”, he said at last.
“Controls ?”, Tony said. “To what....That light beam from the Obelisk ?”
Sheldon nodded. “Yes....And More....”
“More...Yeah...”, Tony said. “More, like that mist, and that...That THING....What IS that, anyway ?”
Sheldon looked miserable. “A...Um....Pro-Ject-Shon”, he said slowly.
A Projection, Tony thought. But more than that. More like an Interactive Hologram, the kind one would see on Sci-Fi shows, the kind that wasn’t just an Illusion, but the type that could alter molecules in the air into solid forms.....Sort of like the Holodeck on the Enterprise. But that was just fantasy....Wasn’t it ?
“How does it work ?”, Tony asked. “Show me.”
Reluctantly, Sheldon squeezed in through the crypt door. There was barely enough room for Tony to get his head inside. It was hard to see, as well. “There’s....These switches here....”Sheldon said, “One to turn on the beam, these here are for the mist...And this one’s for....The Boney Man. This here points the way to move him.” Tony could just barely make the switches out. He also noticed a little peephole. Sheldon went on, “They have to be switched on in order, or it doesn’t work, Grandpa said....” At this Sheldon cut off, afraid he had revealed too much.
“Your Grandpa, huh ?”, Tony said. “So he showed you this.”
Sheldon nodded in the dark. “He showed me right before he.....” Unable to say the word, Sheldon went on, “Um...He said I could always be safe here...With Him...”
Tony was getting claustrophobic. “ Com’on, get out of there”, he said, pulling back. When Sheldon climbed out of the crypt, Tony resumed his questions. “So what’d your Grandpa have to do with all this ?”
“I don’t know”, Sheldon whined. “He used to go to this here Church....Before the Hooded Men.”
“Hooded Men ?”, Tony said. “What, like guys in robes or something ?”
Sheldon nodded. “BLACK Robes. With Hoods. Can’t see their faces.”
“So...You’ve seen these....Hooded Men ?”, Tony asked.
“Yeah.....”, Sheldon said, trembling. “They like....Just go between the Church and that big building over there”, he said, pointing at the mausoleum. “They always got something....Like a...Ritual, or something.”
Tony speculated. Who were the Hooded men ? Suddenly, he asked, “What about all the chanting ? Why does that....Thing....Make them start doing that ?”
“I...I really don’t know !”, Sheldon said, his face threatening to cry again.
Tony thought some more. Then, “You were here when Laurent and Nick came looking, weren’t you ?”
“And, Um, Ray, too”, Sheldon admitted. “I was just trying to scare them, honest !”
“It scared them, alright”, Tony said. “Poor Ray is probably scarred for life.”
“I didn’t mean anything”, Sheldon said, “I like Ray, he never Bullies me !”
“And....It was you when the Jocks and Bullies were here that night !”, Tony accused. “It’s your fault for what happened to Damon !”
“No ! No ! I just wanted to scare them away ! One of them said they were gonna start busting gravestones !”, Sheldon began crying again. “I couldn’t let them hurt Grandpa ! They were gonna fight and bust up the Cemetery !”
“So what happened to Damon then ?”, Tony said harshly, keeping up the pressure.
“I Don’t Know !”, Sheldon cried. “Nobody ever ran AT the Boney Man before ! There was this big Flash, and when everybody ran away, I did too !!!”
Tony lowered his voice. “So....You didn’t see what happened to Damon....After ?”
“No, No....I got scared”, Sheldon whimpered. “I just...Ran away too.”
Tony straightened and looked around. It was becoming clear to him he wasn’t going to get any more out of Sheldon. And what was more, he sensed the little Twerp was telling the truth. He didn’t know what happened to Damon after the big flash.
“I believe you”, Tony said at last, to Sheldon’s great relief. “You better get back to school now.”
“You won’t tell on me, will you ?”, Sheldon begged. Tony thought that was ironic and highly funny, considering Sheldon always tattled on everybody else.
“I’ll keep your secret if you keep your trap shut”, Tony said. “You never saw me here, got it ?”
“Sure !”, Sheldon said, then his face brightened. “Hey, wanna be friends ?”
“Huh...Yeah, why not.” Tony cracked a smile. “Friends. And friends don’t rat on friends, alright ? Now go on, get outta here.”
Sheldon smiled and scampered away through the gates. Better a friend that a little tattling Twerp, Tony thought, although he wondered if Sheldon could keep his trap shut. Still, he had kept quiet about THIS place, that much was clear.
Before leaving himself, Tony took another look around. On the paving stones where the apparition had appeared, Tony saw the whitish powder that Laurent had described. He knelt and felt the texture of the powder. A slick feel to it, almost like satin.....Just like Laurent had said....But not greasy. It was a clue, Tony felt....Just to what, he didn’t know.
With just as many new questions as the ones he had just gotten answers to, Tony left the Graveyard and recovered his swiped bike. He returned to the shelter with at least something to think about other that dwelling on his shameful encounter with Pinky.
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-
Coach Burton put away his playbooks. It was almost time for the Cheerleader Girls to come back in off the Football Field. His loins under his fat guts boiled at the prospect. It had been a long time since the girls had taken the field.....Far too long.
The Coach had watched them as they changed in their locker room through the peephole that he had had drilled years ago, which angled downward from his under-the-bleachers office to the Girl’s locker room below. A fat Nerd from years ago had supplied the fish-eye lens and the magnifying lens for the other end in exchange for being passed out of Gym Class without having to do hardly anything. And another Nerd had supplied the camera and recording equipment with the reward of being passed through without having to come to Gym Class at all.
Coach Burton swiveled his office chair around and undid the secret panel in the wall behind him that uncovered the viewfinder apparatus that still another Nerd had made for him to forever stay out of Wrestling practice. He bent and switched on the VCR and made sure the tape was ready. He had heard of a thing called a DVR that could store much more images on a smaller thing called a Disk, but technology hadn’t really caught up to the Vale Valley as yet.
Just in time. As he adjusted the viewfinder and started the tape, the girls entered the locker room. The three girls, all now Seniors, went to their respective lockers and began to strip out of their skimpy cheerleader uniforms. It had been a warm May day, this Friday had, and Coach Burton hoped they had gotten a good sweat up. He was rewarded with what he had hoped for on this day when the girls shucked their bras, dropped their panties and headed towards the lone shower.
Taking turns getting wet, then soaping up, each girl stepped aside as they scrubbed themselves, washing each other’s backs, then took turns rinsing off. After that came the all-important hair washing. Small trickles of drool began to run unnoticed down the Coach’s mouth as his glazed eyes were locked on the spectacle. Wrapping towels about their heads, the girls then stepped in front of the mirrors to began applying their makeup, their boobs swinging perkily. At about this point, the Coach couldn’t hold back any longer, and panting heavily, went over the edge. It had been soooo long, after all.
Afterwards, the girls went back to their lockers and began dressing in their school clothes, chattering away about all sorts of mundane things. Pinky was lamenting about her missing boyfriend, Christy was being sympatric but still just a bit smug, and Mandy was back to being her bitingly sarcastic self now that she firmly had her Ted back. Next came the hair brushing, which would take several minutes, giving the Coach time to catch his breath. Then the girls grabbed their purses from their lockers and exited the locker room.
Coach Burton reached down and shut off the recorder, popping out the tape. Hoisting himself up on still-unsteady legs, he bow-walked to another part of his office, where he popped loose another secret panel. After marking a date on it, he put the tape on a hidden shelf, where more that a hundred similar tapes were already stacked, all similarly marked with just dates. There was no need to identify them further, Coach Burton knew them all by heart. Underneath, lay a pile of various colored panties. He would be watching this tape again this evening, he knew, with the panties of the three girls jammed into his nose. This one was a Keeper.
_____________________________________________
-
Tony again surveyed the view from up here. It was really something. It was getting dusk, and the lights were coming on all over Bulworth Town. Quite a sight, he thought. He wondered to himself why he hadn’t checked this spot out before. It was probably because he had so much on his mind these days.
It was sure peaceful up here. It was so high up that he could just hear the wind whispering by. The people walking below kinda looked like bugs, just making their way from this place to that place. From up here, one would never think that trouble would come to such an apparently peaceful place, ringed all about with these high mountains.
Tony hadn’t gone back to school on this Friday. He wasn’t ready just yet to face Karen, afraid the guilt would show on his face. Girls were real intuitive about things, at least he had been told. But what did he know ? He was still young. All he knew was that he wasn’t. Intuitive, that was. But what guy was, when it came to matters of the heart ?
“Quite a view up here, ain’t it ?”, a voice said from off to his left. Startled, Tony whirled around with fists clenched, ready to fight. But it was just Jimmy Hopkins, making his way up the ladder and turning to face him.
Tony relaxed. “Whoa, you kinda put a scare into me there. I thought....Well, I don’t know what I thought.”
Jimmy laughed. “It was probably my Incognito Hat”, he said, pointing to the strange-looking thing on his head. Tony looked at it in the gathering gloom, and his eyes seemed drawn to it, distorting Jimmy’s features. Tony shook his head to clear the odd vision. Jimmy laughed again.
Huh....I can see why it’s called that”, Tony said. “Some trick. What’chu doing up here, anyway ?”
“I could ask you the same”, Jimmy said, “‘Cept I probably know. Things just gettin’ too much for you, right ?” Jimmy turned and took in the view. “I used to come up here a lot. Nobody bothers you up here, and you can have a place to think. And boy, did I ever need a place to think sometimes”, he sighed. “A Lot.”
Before Tony could think of anything to say, Jimmy went on. “Then I ruined it by putting up that Tag.” Jimmy pointed upwards, under the huge clock face of the Clock Tower, where the remainder of the spray-painted tag still was visible. It read “BULLWORTHLESS” in large pinkish letters. “It was red when I sprayed that there, just over a year ago. I used a special luminous permanent paint to put that down. Guess it didn’t clean off too well.”
Tony looked up and could see it. Unlike the area where he stood, which had several feet of space and a groin-high railing around it, there was only a narrow ledge under the clock face that could be stood on. It could be accessed by a small ladder, Tony saw, about 20 feet in height. It must have taken awhile to lay down a tag like that, having to stand so close to the wall of the Clock Tower, where just one step backwards would send one pitching to the pavement below.
Jimmy continued. “I was real stupid, doing that. I let Derby Harrington goad me into that, like a fuckin’ Idiot. Pete tried to stop me, but I just wouldn’t listen. When I finally got back to school that night, all hell had broke loose. Gary had somehow got the Nerds to set the Gym on fire, and then somehow set loose crates of Rats in the Library. It just got worse from there. Everybody blamed me for what was happening, and finally I got expelled. Gary took over then, and whipped up everyone into a frenzy. Soon, there was a big free-for-all going on. Johnny went nuts and the Greasers were trying to take over the Girl’s Dorm, Ted and the Jocks were trashing the Library, and the Nerds were setting fires in the Gym again. The whole place was at war with itself. The Bullies were just running around in the mayhem. All except Russell, that is...He was helping me, and I got the Townies to come along to help restore order....”
Jimmy trailed off. Tony asked, “What about the Preps ?”
“That’s the strange thing....They weren’t really doing anything, just hanging outside Harrington House, Partying....Watching it all go down and being full of themselves....Like.....” Jimmy shook his head. “Almost like....Like they KNEW what was going down, somehow, like it was....Part of a plan, or something.” Jimmy’s brow furrowed. “Anyway, I had to fight them too, along with everyone else, before that last big fight with Gary. Which wasn’t much of a fight, anyway. If I had him in the Hole, it woulda been over in less than a minute, he was such a pussy.”
Tony listened to what Jimmy had said, and in the silence that followed, a germ of an idea began to form in the back of his mind. But it was just that, a small gem of a revelation that maybe he couldn’t make the connection to just yet. Jimmy finally said, “I haven’t been up here since. But I thought you might be.” He turned towards Tony and grinned. “Your girl is worried about you, and she came to ask me to track you down. She wants to know you’re alright.”
Tony groaned. Karen ! He ought to have known that Karen would have been suspicious of that little namby-pamby note he had left with Nick in the Dorm. She wouldn’t be fooled for long with that, she was too smart of a girl. What had he been thinking ? That was just it, he hadn’t. Tony backed up and slumped down against the Courthouse wall.
Jimmy was taken aback by Tony’s reaction. “Whassa matter ? Something you ain’t telling me ?”
Tony looked up miserably at Jimmy.....Jimmy who trusted him, Jimmy who was placing his very life in his hands. If he couldn’t trust Jimmy with his horrible burden, who could he trust ? Tony took a deep breath and said, “It’s.....Pinky. I had sex with Pinky. Again.”
“Man, oh man”, Jimmy said, “No wonder you took a powder !”
“Yeah”, Tony said. “Thing is....I can’t be alone with her. She just....Overpowers you. I just couldn’t help myself.”
“Boy, you and me both”, Jimmy replied with and odd glance.
“What ?”, Tony said, surprised. “You done Pinky while....When....”
“When I was with Zoe ?”, Jimmy said. “Sure. I was bangin’ her over last summer. And you’re right. The bitch just does somethin’ to a guy. Makes you crazy.”
“But...But....That’s Cheating !!”, Tony exclaimed. “Don’t that bother you ??”
“Well....Not really”, Jimmy said. Seeing the look of disbelief on Tony’s face, he said, “Look, I had sex with Pinky, and Lola, and Mandy, before I ever even met Zoe. Now, Mandy is a stuck-up bitch who would deny that ever happened, and in fact it was just once, thank-you sex for painting over them naked posters and all...” (Ones he had taken the pictures for and gave them to Earnest, he neglected to add), “....But Pinky and Lola, well, they’re just sluts who can’t get enough. One rich, one poor, it don’t matter. Pinky would run me down wherever she could find me, or lure me, and Lola was just so busted up about Johnny leaving her that she was screwin’ everybody.”
“I don’t understand”, Tony said in shock. “You didn’t feel bad ?”
It didn’t matter, not to me, cause it was just sex, it wasn’t love like me and Zoe came to have”, Jimmy said, attempting to explain. “Me and Zoe were just hangin’ until near the end of school, we weren’t a real BF and GF until I beat Gary. Then, you know, I never had a real Girlfriend before, so I didn’t know how serious she was about it.”
“So....Just when did it get serious ?”, Tony asked, “I mean, for you ?”
Jimmy thought. “I guess I’d have to say....When you brought her to the secret cave, and I saw how much she had pined for me while I was gone all them months. It was right then and there I knew that girl really loved me.”
“But”, Tony moaned, “I cheated on Karen while I was with her....Three times now.....”
“Three times ?” Jimmy asked, mystified.
“Once with Lola, before she left”, Tony said in a low voice.
“Huh, no shit ?”, Jimmy said with a laugh. “Well, tell me something. Did you come on to either one of them, go after them, just to screw them ?”
“No !!!!”, Tony said emphatically. “It was just....I was alone with them.....”
“And they came on to you”, Jimmy finished. “Isn’t that right ?”
“Ehhh...Yeah, sort of”, Tony said. “Damnit, you know how they are !!”
“So I do”, Jimmy said. “So I do. And you’ve gotta stop beating yourself up over it, over something you can’t control. We’re just teenagers, yah know, we get hard for most anything. And when someone comes on to us, It’s not our fault. It’s life, man.”
“I should be able to control myself”, Tony said stubbornly. “It’s just not right.”
“Why, you some kinda Superboy, a fuckin’ King Arthur or something ?”, Jimmy said in an almost jeering voice. “You’re Human, just like the rest of us. You’re gonna make mistakes that are outta your control in certain situations. You just gotta learn from them and move on.”
“Just how do I do that”, Tony said miserably, “When I feel like this ? It’s tearing me up.”
“Simple”, Jimmy said. “Don’t ever, NEVER, be alone with Pinky anymore.”
“But....What if she threatens to tell ?”, Tony asked. “What if it gets out, and Karen finds out ?”
“Psssh”, Jimmy said. “Pinky is just a puppetmaster, likes to play off boys against each other. She won’t tell, she’ll loose her power over you if she does. Besides, Karen would half-kill her, and she’s not dumb enough not to know that. As for Lola, she’s gone, so she won’t be tellin’ anybody.”
“But still....”, Tony said doubtfully.
“But nothing”, Jimmy said. “Look, you saved Karen from gettin’ blown to bits, right ?”
“In the bombings ?”, Tony said. “Sure, I did....”
“And, you’d do anything to keep her from getting hurt, right ?”, Jimmy persisted.
“Well, Sure, of Course !” Tony exclaimed.
“Then, you got to protect her from gettin’ Mental hurt too”, Jimmy said. “You being tore up, and needed to tell someone, that’s fine. You just told me, and that’s enough. It’s gonna HAVE to be enough. Protect her from that hurt by keeping this to yourself. Don’t let her see it, ever.
“So...You’re saying...I should clam up ?”, Tony said, beginning to see Jimmy’s point.
“To protect Karen, that’s what you gotta do”, Jimmy said. “You gotta carry this to keep her from gettin’ hurt. Simple as that.”
Tony thought for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right. That’s just what I’m gonna do.”
“Atta Boy”, Jimmy said. “But one thing....What am I gonna tell her where you been the past two days ?”
“Oh...Well, I actually did do something”, Tony said, and then proceeded to tell Jimmy of his venture over to the Graveyard and his encounter with Sheldon, and finding out about the device there.
“Huh, dig that”, Jimmy said. “I saw that little twerp there quite a few times myself.
“Yeah, but now I’m sure Damon didn’t just vanish from some kind of hocus-pocus”, Tony said. “Someone had to take him. But where ?”
“Maybe”, Jimmy mulled, “Back to the Asylum again ?”
Tony slapped his head. “I didn’t think of that ! Of course !”
Jimmy snickered. “Looks like I’ll have to mount another rescue operation. But not like last time. Low key. One-man operation. I’ll work it out, and let you know when.”
“Sounds good”, Tony said. “Sure knows I got a lot to deal with yet. And, I’m still waiting to see what Jake has in store for us. Only a couple weeks of school left. He’s bound to make his move soon.”
“Welp, I can tell Karen you been looking for Damon, then”, Jimmy said, heading for the ladder. You coming back tonight ?”
Tony debated. He DID need just a little more time. “Naw....Just tell Karen to meet me by the bike garage at Noon”, he said. “We got some bike races to win.”
___________________________________________________
-
The beatings continued. Every two days or so, it was a different set of toughs from the docks. Kurt tried to fight back, but he was too weakened by the things he had been subjected to since he had been held prisoner. It was midnight, and they were at him again, punching him back and forth between them, his hollow face dripping blood as he gasped for air.
Meeting Mr. Smith outside the cabin, Derby asked harshly, “How’s it going ? He ready to break yet ?”
“Soon, Buckko”, Mr. Smith replied, “He can’t possibly take much more.”
Derby turned his cold stare on him. “That’s 'Master’ to you, you old freak.”
Mr. Smith smirked but didn’t say anything. He had just about had enough of this rich punk, Harrington or not. Instead, he motioned to the door and walked to it, entering the cabin. Derby followed.
Kurt lay on the floor, weakly trying to evade the kicks being directed at him by the two dockworkers. Derby watched for a while, unable to hide the smile from his face and not really trying. After a bit, he walked over to the groaning Kurt and planted a viscous kick to his Solar Plexus. Kurt doubled over in renewed pain. Derby reached down and grabbed Kurt by the hair, yanking his head up.
“You FUCK”, he hissed. “Why don’cha give it up ? You can’t win !”
Groggily, Kurt looked up at Derby. “I....Beat you....You....Can’t make me....”
Derby crackled a laugh. “Ha, that’s funny, coming from the likes of you !” He bent closer and spit a huge wad of phlegm in Kurt’s face. “You fucking Pauper. I’m better than you in EVERY way. You will never amount to anything. You’re a Waste !”
“Pinky....Doesn’t think so”, Kurt gasped. “She....Loves me.....”
“PINKY ?”, Derby laughed, long and hard. “Is this what this is all about ? Your holdout in HELL ? THIS is what you’re holding out for ?” Derby released Kurt’s hair and stepped back. “Let me tell you something about that BITCH.”
“She’s....Not a....Bitch”, Kurt gasped out.
“Sure she is”, Derby countered. “You think she’s just waiting, pining away for you ? Let met tell you something, you fucking dweeb. Pinky moved out of Hattrick House and into the Beachhouse. She’s not waiting for you. Just a few mornings ago, Chad saw a boy leaving the place, alone. Guess what’s she’s been doing ?”
“Pinky....She wouldn’t....Do THAT”, Kurt muttered, “She....Just Wouldn’t !”
“Why Not ?”, Derby said harshly, “She’s done it to me. She’s fucked half the school. Bitch is a bigger Slut than Lola ever was. Maybe you shoulda stuck with that, she was more your type.”
A look of pure misery washed over Kurt’s face. “It....Can’t be...Can’t.”
“Face it, Shit-for-Brains, it’s over”, Derby jerreed. “That’s just the way it is. You never really knew her, but I do....For a long time now. He grinned. “The girl loves to Fuck. I should know.”
Despair contorted Kurt’s features. “I don’t....Don’t believe you !”
“Sure you do”, Derby said smoothly, “Cause you know I’m right.”
Kurt sagged, and a wash of tears began rolling down his cheeks. He curled into a fetal position and began rocking back and forth, moaning. He presented a pitiful sight, but there was no pity here, not from Derby at any rate. Derby watched with interest at the breakdown. That old fuck Smith had been right after all. Kurt had been broken.
_____________________________________________
-
“Tony !!! Over Here”, Karen called out gleefully as Tony appeared, coming through the gate into the Parking Lot. She ran across the lot and leapt into his arms, Smothering his face with kisses. “Where have you been, you dirty dog !”, she joked, “Leaving me alone without telling me you were going somewhere !”
Tony was somewhat taken aback. He Hadn’t known what to expect, certainly not this. Karen didn’t seem at all mad, more like relieved. With Jimmy’s words echoing in his head, he decided to just play along. Forcing a smile, he said, “Well, you know, it was just a spur-of-the-moment mission, I got a lead about Damon and had to follow it up.” He then proceeded to tell her of his stakeout of the Graveyard and his encounter with Sheldon while on the way to the Garage. “But, it’s got to be on the Q.T. 'cause I still don’t know just what happened to Damon....But I think someone took him.”
Karen’s eyes widened. “TOOK him ? Wow, do you know who ?”
“Don’t know the who, but got an idea of maybe the where”, Tony answered. “I think they mighta taken him over to......”
“Hey Tony !”, a voice interrupted. It was Constantinos, who had just come around the corner of the brick wall and spotted him and Karen. “Hey, where you been ?”
Tony broke into to a grin at the sight of his friend. “Hello, Ears !”, he said a Constantinos got closer. “Been on a secret mission. Anything been happening here ?”
“Umm....Not really”, Constantinos answered, “Except for a fight over at the pool yesterday after class ‘tween the Jocks and Bullies, it’s been pretty quiet.”
“What Happened ?”, Tony asked snidely, “Not enough water to go around ?”
“Ahhh, the Jocks started charging everybody to use the pool, and the Bullies took offense”, Constantinos related, “A big fight broke out. The Jocks were kicking ass, then Coach Burton showed up to put a stop to it and got accidently knocked in the pool. Then the Prefects came running, and pretty much busted it up.”
“Bet that was some sight”, Tony laughed, picturing the fat Coach floundering and sputtering in the pool. “Did he float or sink ?”
“He....Ummm....Bobbled”, Constantinos said, flashing an unusual smile. “Say, you going to the races ? About time to start.”
“Yeah, just getting ready”, Tony said, turning and unlocking the Garage door where his bike was stored. Pulling the door up, he stood for a second to admire the lines on his Flame Job BMX. “Any idea who’s racing ?”
Constantinos handed him a piece of paper. “Here’s a list, Bo....Tony”
Tony took it and briefly studied it. “Hmm....Preps too, huh ? Well, I can beat anything they have, even if they cheat.” He wheeled his bike out and closed the door. “Still right on top of things, Constantinos. Don’t know what I’d do without you. Here’s for you”, Tony said, handing him a fiver. “See you over there ?”
“Just going now”, Constantinos replied, “Later.”
Tony Turned to Karen. “We better get going too. Can’t be late, can we ?”
“Oh, by the way Tony, I forgot to tell you....Mr. Luntz wants to see you as soon as possible”, Karen remembered suddenly, “Says it’s important.”
“Huh...When was this ?” Tony asked.
“Umm....Couple of days ago”, Karen said.
“Well, It can wait till after the races then”, Tony said, holding up his hands. “Come’re”
Karen moved towards Tony and he scooped her up underneath her arms and sat her on the handlebars facing him. Karen balanced precariously there. “Hey, is this safe ?” she asked warily.
“Sure”, Tony said, mounting the bike. “Just hold on to my shoulders here.”
Karen reached up and gripped Tony’s shoulders and steadied herself. With that, they headed off to the Shiny Bike Shop in Bullworth Town, where the races would be run from.
___________________________________________
-
Several hours had gone by, and Kurt hadn’t moved from his curled-up position on the floor. If anybody had been around to see him closely, they would notice that his eyes were tightly shut and he was sucking his thumb, numbly rocking himself gently.
After a long while, the intercom clicked on. “Say there, Boyo....This can all be over if you sign those papers, you know....You could just walk out of here.”
Kurt stopped his rocking motion and moaned, a long wounded moan. He was long past the semblance of rational thought, hearing that Pinky had possibly betrayed him had been the trigger to push him over the edge. In his altered mental state, he hadn’t even considered that Derby may have been lying, for Kurt had been abandoned all his life....By his absent Father, his crackhead Mother, by the State, and by his girlfriends, first Lola and now Pinky.
Little more than a week’s worth of torture had reduced him to this, a hollowed-out shell. It was over, he was finished. Abruptly, he began crawling towards the table, slowly. When he reached it, he painfully hoisted himself up on the chair. A fresh set of documents had been placed there, copies of the three he had wadded up in his anger in what seemed to be eons ago. With a ghastly, unseeing stare, he picked up the pen and scrawled his name across the bottom of all three papers, then dropped his arms to his sides. The pen slipped from his nerveless fingers and fell to the floor.
The speaker activated again. “That’s good, Boyo.....It will all be over soon”, the voice of Mr. Smith soothed.
Kurt didn’t respond. A few tears leaked from his eyes as jumbled thoughts of his ruined life passed through his fractured mind. He slumped in the chair, looking for all the world like one of the damned, which unbeknownst to him, he soon would be.
_________________________________________________
-
The Bullworth Town Bike Races were all set to run. The turnout was lower than the first race, with only a couple or three kids from each Clique participating. From the Greasers, Hal, Norton and Peanut had returned. Ricky was not racing, as his rep had taken a big hit when he smashed into the wall just yards from winning the last time. The Jocks were fielding Kirby and Dan this time, and the Bullies just had Troy and Davis coming back. Seems that Trent was still in the Clinic from nearly drowning in the pool fight the day before. The tension between the two groups was still in the air, as they traded insults back and forth. Bucky and Cornelius were back for the Nerds, although it was hopeless....No Nerd had ever won a bike race, ever. And Parker and Justin had entered for the Preps, more as show than anything else....They would be closely watched for cheating. Last of all, Laurent showed up, still eager to prove his talents on a bike, since his first race had been cut short.
________________________________________
-
Hal nosed up his bike next to Tony’s at the start line. “Say Hey, Romeo, somptin I gotta know”, Hal spouted.
“Err....Can it wait ?”, Tony said, caught unaware by the sudden interruption to his concentration.
“Won’t take long, just need some nice advice”, Hal replied, then without waiting, launched into his question. “I wanna take out a girl, should I just go ask her or what’s the deal ?”
Tony was somewhat taken aback at the question, being the last thing he would expect Hal the fat Greaser to ask him. “Umm....Do you know this girl ?”
“I know her, sure”, Hal replied, “But...Uh....I never really talked to her before.”
Tony peered closely at Hal, noticing that he seemed rather uncomfortable in what he was asking. “Uh, why are you asking me ?”
“It’s just because....You got a girl and all....And I figured....You would know.....”, Hal trailed off.
Suddenly Tony understood. Hal had the hots for somebody and absolutely no idea how to approach them. Given his looks, it was obvious that Hal had most likely never had any interaction with the opposite sex. Hiding a smile, Tony said, “Well, you got to talk with her first. You just can’t go up and ask somebody out. Let her get to know you, and if she likes you, then ask her out. But you gotta talk to her first.”
Hal mulled that over. “Talk to her, hey ? Hadn’t thought of that. I’ll try it. Thanks a lot, Camelot.”
Tony had to grin at that, and turned his attention back to the business at hand. Everyone was now on the line, awaiting the start of the race.
___________________________________
-
The racers all stood ready at the start line. Tony glanced over at Karen on the sidewalk, who gave him a thumbs up. Tony waved back, and while still feeling guilty about his betrayal, did feel a surge of relief knowing she was there.
Tobias Mason, owner of the Shiny Bike Shops, stood ready on the line to start the race. The course for the first three races would be run mostly on the streets of Bullworth Town, lapping around pre-selected blocks. Tobias intoned, “On Your Marks....Get Set....GO !!!”, and dropped the flag.
Tony had tinkered a bit with his bike since the last race, notably his ability to change gears up and down faster, and leapt into the lead. By the end of the first lap, he was comfortably ahead while the other riders were bunched up a half-block behind him. There was the usual fighting, shoving and pushing, with some Firecrackers and even Marbles being thrown, but Tony encountered none of it, being so far ahead. By the time the four laps were done, Tony was waved in as the winner of the race a full two blocks ahead of the others.
The second and third race went pretty much the same way, with Tony jumping to the lead right off both times. The Flame Job BMX was blazing hot, and none could seem to catch him. He finished again two blocks ahead in race number two, and in the third race, of which a part went behind the old movie theater and briefly into New Coventry, he still managed a one block advantage at the finish.
The Fourth and final race was a straight run from the Courthouse to Bullworth Academy, finishing up at the Football Field. Again, Tony got off the line first and streaked away from the pack, Laurent right behind him in the slipstream. Upon reaching the big bridge, Justin and Parker, who were running fifth and sixth, broke away and took the shortcut via the footbridge next to the big bridge. The cheat didn’t work, however, as Tony still streaked through the Academy front gates ahead of them. Parker and Justin were hot on his tail at second and third, edging out Laurent in fourth. Trailing behind were Norton, Peanut, and Hal, who was doing well due to the Jocks continuing trade punches with the Bullies, which had the net effect of slowing them up. Trailing in last, as in every race, were the Nerds, Bucky and Cornelius.
Justin and Parker went all out then, flinging Firecrackers, Eggs, and Marbles behind them to slow up the other riders. Laurent was their first victim, dumping his bike on the scattered marbles, tumbling end over end and fetching up hard against a wall. The Greasers picked their way around the Marble spill, only to get hit by exploding Firecrackers that knocked Norton and Peanut off their bikes. They rolled and scrambled to get out of the way. Further behind, the Jocks Kirby and Dan finally succeeded in punching Troy and Davis off their bikes just as soon as they cleared the Academy gates. Coming up on the wrecks ahead of them, they slowed down to avoid becoming part of the carnage. Bucky and Cornelius tried to pass them then, only to get beaten down by punches as they attempted to do so.
Tony streaked past the Library and into the back quad, with Justin and Parker gaining on him. Tony timed his bunny hop just right and cleared the steps by the fountain. Tony chose to go to the right of the fountain, as he reasoned that a Prep sneak attack had been planned, and he was right. A fuselage of Eggs erupted from the pathway that led to Harrington House, the other Preps who weren’t running in the race were laying in wait for just this opportunity to disrupt the race. Tony was shielded from the most of it by the large statue, but a few Eggs found their marks, notably one that hit him in the temple. Tony wobbled on his bike then, but still managed to keep control, leaping the steps on the other side and landing smoothly on the path leading to the Gym. Shaking his head to clear it, he poured it on, with some Eggs still pelting his back. Justin and Parker were just a few yards behind, and the pelting stopped when they came into the line of fire. Tony streaked down the path, building up speed for the final leap of the stairs leading down to the Football Field. Crouching down at just the right instant, he leaped his bike up and over the stairs, becoming for the moment suspended weightless in space much as the boy on the bike from the old E.T. movie. Coming down hard, Tony executed a perfect landing and was instantly mobbed by cheering students who had gathered to witness the finish of the race.
Tony looked over and saw Karen running towards him. She flung herself into his arms and planted a seductive French Kiss on his mouth. Tony’s guilt surfaced once more, but was at once overwhelmed by his feelings of desire and love for his beautiful girl. Tony resolved then and there to put his meaningless tryst with Pinky behind him. She was nothing compared to Karen. He would find a way to make it right with her, he swore to himself, if it took the rest of his days.
_____________________________________
-
Derby entered the cabin, undoing the triple-locks and re-bolting them as he did. The massage from Mr. Smith was precisely what he had been waiting for on this Saturday afternoon, and he was eager to collect his prize that was to be the humiliation of his most hated enemy.
Kurt was still seated limply in chair at the table. Derby walked over and snatched up the documents, checking them closely. Satisfied that Kurt had actually signed his name to them, he folded each one and put them into envelopes he had brought along for that purpose. All the while, Kurt sat unmoving in the chair, not uttering a single word.
Derby stuffed the envelopes in his vest pocket. “Now then, my Pauper 'friend’, I am going to be a nice guy and deliver these for you. When that’s done, you’ll be free to go.” Derby bent closer, and spoke into Kurt’s ear. “And by 'GO’, I mean you will get out of town, forever. There’s no coming back, ever. If you do.....I won’t be so understanding.”
Kurt didn’t move, and gave no sign he had even heard Derby. With a look of disgust, Derby stood straight. “Worthless pile of Shit”, he said. Turning to leave, he said to the air, “Wait for my signal, then turn him loose....Not before.”
The intercom kicked on. “It will be done”, Mr. Smith’s voice said coldly.
Fuck him too, Derby thought. Smith would get his just desserts too, in time. He unlocked the triple-locks, taking care to re-lock them on his exit. Then, he hurried through the woods. He had some mail to deliver.
_________________________________________
-
Hal made the Football Field in fourth place behind the Preps, his best finish ever in a bike race. In the crowd of kids that mobbed to field, he spotted Angie. Heeding Tony’s advice, he thought it was now or never. Hal rode his bike up behind Angie, then nosed up beside her.
“Umm....Hi”, Hal said to her.
Angie turned. “Oh...Uh....Hi there, hoo, hoo hoo.....”
“Did’ja....See me race ?”, Hal ventured. “This is my best finish ever !”
“Well...Umm....hee hee hoo hoo hoo....Umm....Sure....”, Angie fumbled, nervously.
Hal tried a different tract. Looking down, he said, “Hey, those shoes are alright !”
“Really ?”, Angie said, looking down at her Penny Loafers, “You really like them ?”
Really”, Hal said earnestly, “They make you look Sweet !”
Really ?”, Angie repeated, stupidly, not knowing what else to say. Why am I always so nervous around boys ?, she thought for the hundredth time. Suddenly she blurted out, “I really love Bunnies ! They’re so nice !”
“That so ?”, Hal said mystified. “Umm, listen, maybe we can get together sometime and talk about them, you think ?”
“Ummm....That would be....Nice”, Angie replied, her heart fluttering.
Hal took the plunge. “So...Um...Maybe we could...Uh...Go Out sometime ?”
“Oh...I always wanted to go to the big city with a boy !”, Angie said nonsensically.
“Um....I can take you to a ritzy place, would’ja like that ?”, Hal persisted.
“Er...hoo hoo hoo”, Angie nervously giggled, “That would be.....Fine !”
“Great !”, Hal said, relieved. “It’s a Date ! I’ll pick you up....Monday night at Eight, and don’t be Late !”
With that, Hal did a two finger wave and rode off, leaving Angie stunned at what had just transpired. After all these months, a boy had just asked her out ! The last time had been....Well, with Nick, and that hadn’t worked out so good. In fact, none of her dates got beyond the first one, and she figured she would be forever alone.
But....Maybe this would be different. Although a bit fat, Hal had always reminded her of a great big cuddly Bunny. And she did so love Bunnies ! Although painfully aware of her ‘one and done’ status at school, she had confidence this one would be different. Maybe, there would be a second date....And more ! She might even wind up going with this one ! And, if her Mom found out, she would be so mad ! Angie giggled at that thought.
________________________________________________
-
As it had taken quite a while for the bike races to be staged and ran, it was now late afternoon. Karen tugged at Tony’s sleeve and said, “We should go and try to find Mr. Luntz now, Tony. He seemed awful insistent that he get to talk with you, like yesterday.”
Tony looked around at the students milling about, actually socializing for a change instead of throwing taunts and fighting. “Well, I reckon we’re not needed here. Let’s go and find out what he wants. Think he’ll be at the school on a Saturday ?”
“One way to find out”, Karen said, and began to playfully pull Tony along with her as they left the Football Field.
_________________________________________
-
Zoe snuck away unseen from the Football Field, and cut through the Observatory grounds on her way to the old short mining tunnel that led to the large cavern. Up on the parapet in front of the Observatory, Bucky watched her go by. Bucky decided to follow her.
Bucky had had his eye on Zoe for quite awhile now, discreetly sneaking looks whenever he felt he could get away with it, even stalking her across campus when he felt bold enough. Afterwards, he would find a safe place to masturbate, usually on the second floor of the Library behind the bookshelves where hardly anyone ever went. He almost got caught once by Mrs. Peabody, and had been considering other places, like in one of the many little caves east of the school.
He didn’t know just what drew him to Zoe....Maybe it was her 'tough girl’ reputation, or perhaps it was her brilliant red hair. He fantasized about her often, and it was growing into an obsession. Since he was all alone at the Observatory, he took the chance. He had often seen her walking by, but he was always in the company of other Nerds. Not today, though.
He tailed her through the scattered boulders of the rockfields towards the tunnel. She seemed oblivious to his presence. Even so, he scurried from boulder to boulder and hid from sight, in case she happened to look back. Soon enough, Zoe entered the tunnel. Bucky counted to ten, then ran after her.
The tunnel was empty when he reached it, and he could see the light of the other side. He hurried through it as not to loose her. It had been eating him up to see just where she had been going on her little forays. Bucky emerged from the tunnel and looked about. She was nowhere in sight.
Suddenly, Bucky was grabbed roughly from behind and slammed into the rock face wall. “You Little Perv !!!”, Zoe yelled. “Why Are You Following Me ??”
Bucky gasped from the impact. Zoe had been hiding in a crevasse, just waiting for him. “I...Um..Um.....Er....Er...”, Bucky babbled.
Zoe hauled off and kneed Bucky in the nuts. He doubled over in pain. “OWW.....Please...Stop !!”
“You Little Fucking TWERP !! Don’t EVEN Think I Haven’t Seen You Stalking Me !!”, Zoe said angrily. “What The Hell Is Wrong With You, You Little Sicko ?”
“I...Was just...Just wanted...T-t-t-to see where...Y-y-you were going”, Bucky stammered through clenched teeth. “I...I didn’t....Mean anything....Honest !”
Zoe glared at him. “If it’s any of your business, Asshole, I go over to check on my old house in Blue Skies. But it AIN’T any of your damn business.” Zoe grabbed Bucky and slammed him into the rock face wall again.
Bucky gasped harder. This definitely was not what he had in mind when he decided to follow Zoe. He began to crawl away. Zoe planted a boot in his ass that sent him sprawling. “You better get outta my sight before I really fuck you up, Pervert ! And Stop Following Me !! I so much as SEE you looking at me again, I’ll kick your little balls up your throat !! UNDERSTAND ??”
Bucky was barely able to stagger to he feet, and smacked against the beam of the tunnel before he began running back through it. Zoe watched him go with an icy glare. As Bucky disappeared from sight on the other side, her face relaxed and broke into a smile. That’ll teach his little Perv ass, she thought. She knew he had been following her around, he was so clumsy that it had been pretty obvious. Good thing she had been paying attention and he hadn’t been able to see where she was really going, which was to see Jimmy. That little bit about the old house should throw him off, though.
In truth, she could care less about that place now. It could burn to the ground for all she cared. Too many bad memories there. She hurried off to meet Jimmy, before something else happened.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bucky returned to the Observatory at a fast trot. His nuts were on fire, but not from Zoe’s kick. Hurriedly, he went inside and down to the basement. He had to find a place, quick. He squeezed himself into one of the closets and bolted the door. He undid his pants as waves of pleasure washed over him. She had touched him, Touched Him !!! Soon enough, he was in ecstasy.
_____________________________________________
-
Tony and Karen entered the school by the back door by the Chemistry Lab. The lights were off, and the hallways dim. They moved down towards the School Store, but as the got there saw that the lovures were drawn down. No one was about, the School appeared to be deserted. Most of the kids were still down on the Football Field.
“I wonder if he’s here ?”, said Karen in a low voice.
“Donno”, Tony said. “Let’s try the Basement.”
They went to the door nearby marked ‘Boiler Room’. Tony tried the handle and found it unlocked. Cautiously they went inside to the little room where two sets of steps descended, one to the large furnace and the general basement area, the other to the area known as 'The Hole’.
“What now ?”, Karen asked.
“I guess we go look”, Tony replied, and started towards the steps.
An access door to the School Store banged open behind them suddenly. “What the Hell.....” The head of Mr. Lunt appeared. “Oh....It’s you Kids.” He motioned them into the School Store. “Get in here, make it snappy.”
Tony and Karen squeezed into the small room. “You...Uh...Wanted to see me, sir ?”
“Ha...Sir”, Mr. Luntz uttered a short laugh. “I like that. Look, Kid, where you been ? It’s going down tonight.”
“Er...What is, sir ?”, Tony asked, somewhat confused.
“What we talked about, Kid”, Mr. Luntz said. “About the file. It’s to be gotten out of here, tonight.” He paused. “You DO have the file still, don’t you ?”
Tony hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.”
“Then you need to get it here. I got somebody coming, and we’re gonna smuggle it out of this lousy place, tonight”, Mr. Luntz said.
“Umm....Well, Um, where to ?”, Tony said uncomfortably.
“Not around here”, Mr. Luntz said, “And not in New York either. Somewhere far, far away, where this corruption don’t reach and where it won’t be ignored.”
Tony was silent. Mr. Luntz peered at him. “Whatsmatter, Kid, you don’t trust me ?”
Awkwardly, Tony said, “It’s not that...It’s...Um....”
“Look Kid”, our lives are at stake here. Mine, yours, and that pretty little tail of yours there”, Mr. Luntz said, pointing at Karen. “Don’t think for a minute this is all about you. You got to step up, and it’s got to be now.”
Karen looked from Mr. Luntz to Tony. “Do It”, she said suddenly. “Just Do It.”
Tony decided to take the chance. After all, Mr. Luntz had never steered them wrong. “All Right”, he said slowly. “When ?”
“Bring it to the outside basement door at 1 AM”, Mr. Luntz instructed. “Knock once, pause, knock once again, pause, knock three times, pause, then knock eight times. Got it ?”
“One, one, three, eight”, Tony repeated. “Hey, that’s the.....”
“The Nerd’s gate code”, Mr. Luntz interrupted. “Yeah, I know.”
Tony wondered anew if there was anything about Bullworth that Mr. Luntz DIDN’T know. In fact, he wondered just who the hell Mr. Luntz really was anyway, and not just for the first time, either.
“Listen, Kid, and listen good”, Mr. Luntz continued. “Come in under cover of darkness, and don’t let ANYONE see you. It’s supposed to be cloudy tonight, so that will help. Tell NO ONE what you’re doing, not now, and not after. That’s vitally important. And another thing”, he said, pointing at Karen, “Leave her out of it. It’s too dangerous.”
Karen stiffened and started to protest. “But I don’t care....”
“Bet he cares”, Mr. Luntz said, pointing at Tony. “If any of us are caught with that file, we will never be heard from again. They will murder anyone connected with it, even the knowledge of it. They are desperate now. The only thing that’s saving you now is they don’t know just where it is.”
Karen blanched. “That...That can’t be....They wouldn’t....”
“Would, and will”, Mr. Luntz hissed. “This is the real world, Missy. Bad things happen.”
Karen was silent. Tony swallowed a lump in his throat and said, “We better do as he says, Babe. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Karen’s face had grown frightened. “But, I don’t want anything to happen to you either !”
“Look”, Mr. Luntz said, “All you have to do is get it here, and that’s it. I’m taking all the risk from there. And, I’m better equipped to handle it, believe me.” He raised the tail of his shirt to expose what looked like a Colt 38 revolver.
Tony and Karen stared at the gun. This was serious business, at that.
“Just do what I’m tellin’ you, and it’ll be alright”, Mr. Luntz said. “Okay ?”
Tony and Karen slowly nodded. “Good”, Mr.Luntz said. “Now scram. Don’t be seen leaving.”
Mr. Luntz pulled open the door, and they left the way the had come in. They sneaked to the front side door and peeked out. Nobody was about, and they left the school unseen.
_________________________________________
-
Darkness had fallen, and Derby was on the move. From his house, he and Bif had scoped out the Hattrick Manor through binoculars. It was merely a precautionary measure, as they had seen the Rockers and Christy leave earlier, presumably to some gig or other. Now Derby stood at the gates of Hattrick Manor. Bif had instructions to fire off a Bottle-Rocket if he saw anybody coming, but Derby expected no trouble....Everybody was gone.
Derby scaled the gate and dropped to the other side, then trotted up on the porch. Removing the first of three envelopes from his pocket marked 'Tibo and Everybody’, he jammed it in the crack between the door and sill. Just as quickly as he had come, he left.
Fifteen minutes later, he and Bif were at his second target, the Beach House. A small sliver of light shone through the crack at the bottom of the door. Derby took the second of the envelopes from his pocket marked 'Pinky’ and shoved it under the door. He then banged on the door three times. From inside, Pinky’s voice called “Who Is It ?”, but by that time Derby and Bif had run down the dock, where they hid at a drop-down area of the dock. While they watched, Pinky opened the door and looked around. Spotting the envelope at her feet, she picked it up and opened it. As she read, a horse cry tore from her lips, and she sagged downward in the door frame. The muffled sound of her crying could be heard over the breakers as Derby watched, a huge vengeful grin on his face. After a few moments, Pinky righted herself and went inside. She re-appeared a few seconds later and hurriedly left the Beach House, moving up the hill towards Bullworth Vale.
In another 20 minutes, Derby and Bif were on the school grounds. They were strangely deserted for this time in the early evening. Both boys made their way to the school entrance, where Derby instructed Bif to stand guard and beat up anyone who tried to enter. Then he went inside. Derby had no fear of the Prefects, they didn’t dare touch a Harrington. Even so, he didn’t want to be seen, so he stealthily made his way upstairs to the School Office. Going behind the counter, he pulled the final envelope from his pocket marked 'Dr. Crabblesnitch’ and laid it on Ms. Danver’s desk. His mission accomplished, he left the school, and he and Bif left the school grounds unobserved.
_____________________________________________
-
Shortly after 11 PM, the five locks of the tenement door were unlocked one by one, and Hospital Janitor Luntz came in the door. Looking about, he spotted Pete sitting at a table, trying to read a newspaper.
“Ok, Kid, we got to leave right now. Darkness will give us cover. I got some supplies for the trip”, he said, indicating the bag in his hand.
“Do you think it’s safe ?”, Pete asked.
“Yeah, think so”, this Mr. Luntz repiled. “I don’t see nobody hanging around the place. They been searchin’ that Hospital high and low, even askin’ me questions, but I don’t know nothin’, see ? They poked around in the basement, but didn’t find nothin’, cause I burned that robe and stuff you had in the boiler.”
Mr. Luntz rummaged around in the bag, then removed and threw an object at Pete, who managed to catch it. “What’s this ?”, he asked.
“An Eyepatch”, Janitor Luntz said. “A Hospital Eyepatch, not a Pirate Eyepatch. You need to look as inconspicuous as possible.”
Pete checked out the patch. Instead of being black, it wes flesh-colored, nearly matching his skin tone. From a distance, no one would be able to see the cavern where his eye had once been. He tried it on. It was a perfect fit. “How do I look ?”, Pete asked.
Luntz looked him over. “Just fine, Kid. Glad you got on that dark clothing like I told yas. Listen, grab whatever stuff you’re bringing’....We’re headin’ out.”
Pete didn’t really have anything to bring, so he and Janitor Luntz left the apartment, locking the quadruple locks behind them. Moving through the back lot to the car in the dark, they encountered no trouble. Mr. Luntz started the car and they drove away, switching from street to street to check if they were being tailed. Satisfied at last they were safe, Mr. Luntz got on I-93 and then I-95, and Pete left Boston behind forever.
______________________________________
-
Once far enough away from the city, Janitor Luntz left the Interstate and got on a series of small highways and roads. Pete watched the numbers blur by....27, 1a, 121, 114. Then for a while, they hooked on to I-295 around Providence, then it was on the secondary highways again, 401, US-1, 403. Pete remembered this road now. As they approached the side road that led to the Vale Valley, Pete pointed. “Here”, he said.
“I know that Kid. Been here before”, Janitor Luntz said, not unkindly. Pete started to say something else, but he stopped him, saying, “I know about the fake wall too. When we get to it, I’ll move it. Meantime, you’ll have to get in the trunk again....Just for a little bit, OK ?”
Pete inhaled, becoming slightly tense. “Okay. I can do it.”
“Good Kid”, Mr. Luntz commented. “We’re almost there.”
They approached the fake wall. Mr. Luntz stepped out of the car and went to move it. It took a bit of figuring out to realize that it was no longer solid, but just a projection. Mr. Luntz walked back and opened the trunk, and Pete climbed inside. “See you on the other side, Kid”, he said, as he closed the trunk. Then he got into the car and drove into the Bullworth Vale Valley.
_______________________________________
-
Mr. Luntz from Boston drove through the silent streets of the Vale, entering the straight drive leading to the Parking Lot of Bullworth Academy. It was about a quarter to one, and no one was out and about. Parking in as much as a shadow that he could find at the North end of the lot, he left his car and scoped out the area. No students were in sight at this late hour. The flashlight of a patrolling Prefect came around from the back of the school, and he hid behind the Parking Lot wall, laughing mirthlessly to himself because he was hiding from a kid.
After the Prefect had passed on his journey around the school, Mr. Luntz from Boston returned to his car and unlocked the trunk, setting Pete free. He quickly hustled Pete to the outside basement steps. At the bottom, he rapped out a code on the basement door, Seven-One-Eight. Pete didn’t know what that stood for, but within a few seconds, the door swung open and they were ushered inside by the Bullworth Mr. Luntz.
The Bullworth Mr. Luntz greeted his Brother Mr. Luntz warmly. “Any trouble on the way down ?”
“Nope. Got away clean”, Boston Mr. Luntz replied.
“Good. It won’t be much longer now”, Bullworth Mr. Luntz said, and then turned to Pete.
“Gee...Uh....Hi, Mr. Luntz”, Pete said.
“Hey Petey”, Mr. Luntz replied, “Good you see you, boy. How’re doing ?”
“Doing Okay, I guess”, Pete replied, “I seem to be missing something lately, though.”
“Yeah, sucks that”, Mr. Luntz replied. “I hope they get that little jackass who shot you.”
“So do I”, Pete said darkly. “Uh...Do you happen to know who it was ?”
“That little Jake Brown Bastard”, Mr. Luntz said. “Figured they would have told you that. Come over here and have a seat on the bunk while we wait.”
Pete followed the Luntz brothers over to a little alcove where there was a cot along with a small TV and Radio on a shelf. “Wait for what ?”
“Someone’s bringing the File”, Mr. Luntz said shortly. “We got a plan, and everything depends on one thing....You.”
Pete’s face was etched in surprise. Briefly, Mr. Luntz outlined what he wanted Pete to do. “It’ll be a bit dangerous, but it’ll be worth it. It will bring this whole rotten mess down. Whatta say, Kid ?”
Pete absorbed what Mr. Luntz had told him. The past few months had turned Pete’s life into a nightmare. This was the only chance he had at true freedom. Resolutely, he nodded. “Yes. I’ll do it.”
“Atta Boy”, Mr. Luntz replied. Turning to his brother, he said, “I need to talk to you.” The two men moved to another part of the basement, and were soon engaged in deep conversation. Pete remained on the bunk, thinking. It had all come to this, he reflected, but at least he still had his life. And the chance to still make something of it.
A few minutes ticked by. Suddenly, there was a knocking at the basement door. Pete counted the knocks. One-One-Three-Eight. Mr. Luntz broke off his conversation with his brother and hurried to the door.
______________________________________________________
-
Mr. Luntz pulled open the door and Tony and Jimmy stepped through. Tony was carrying the file in the original box that Pete had buried it in.
“Hopkins ?”, Mr. Luntz said. “Where have you been hiding out ?” Without waiting for an answer, he said to Tony, “Why is he here ? I said.....”
“Relax, Mr. Luntz”, Tony said quickly, “Jimmy knows everything. And I needed some backup, just in case. I didn’t want to carry this over here unprotected.”
A small smile played around Mr. Luntz’s lips. “I reckon it’s alright then. Since we wouldn’t even have a file if’n he hadn’t swiped it first, eh ?”
“Good to see you too, Mr. Luntz”, Jimmy said snidely.
“Don’t push it, Hopkins”, Mr. Lunt said. “Com’on, you two, someone you oughtta see.”
“Who’s that there ?”, Tony said, noticing the other Mr. Luntz.
“That’s my brother”, Mr. Luntz said without elaborating. He led the boys over to the small alcove. A boy sitting there turned into the full light, a boy with a patch where his right eye should have been.
“PETE ?”, exclaimed a stunned Tony. Jimmy just stared.
“TONY ! JIMMY ?” Pete exclaimed as he rose. “It’s good to see you guys !”
The tree started talking excitedly all at once, Pete relating his waking up in the Boston Hospital, while Jimmy told of his escape from jail, and Tony catching him up on what had happened at Bullworth since Pete had been gone. It was such a relief for Tony and Jimmy to see that Pete was still alive.
Pete noticed the box Tony was carrying. “How did you ever find that ?”, he asked.
“Don’t you remember ?”, Tony said, “You gave me the clues yourself, right after you got shot....Grid 67, Pirate Island....”
Pete shook his head. “I...Don’t remember...”
Tony slapped his head. “Oh, of course not ! What am I thinking ! Anyway, you did, and me, Karen, and Nick tracked it down.”
“Nick ?”, Pete asked, “Who’s Nick ?”
“Oh...He’s a new boy who came to school right after Christmas”, Tony said, “He’s tough, he beat Norton and Russell in the Hole, and Derby in the Boxing Ring. And he’s not with the Cliques. He independent, like us.”
“So...He’s been helping you guys ?”, Pete asked.
“He’s been a lot of help”, Jimmy said. “We trust him.”
Pete nodded. “That’s good. Hard to find trustful people.” He looked towards the two Mr. Luntzs, engaged once more in a conversation of their own. “You can trust them too....Both of them.”
Jimmy looked doubtful. “But...They’re Adults. They always screw you over in the end.”
“I know they have their own agenda”, Pete said patiently, “But they need us, just as much as we need them. Call it.....A Cooperative Endeavor.”
The brothers ended their conference. “Hey, Calderone....Kowalski.....Bring that box over here. Let’s take a look at those files”, Bullworth Mr. Lunt called. “You too, Hopkins.”
The three boys moved over across the room, Tony carrying the box. Mr. Luntz directed them to set it on a table set against the far wall. There, Tony set it down and Pete reached in and pulled out the thick file. Everyone crowded around as the contents were spread out across the table.
Mr. Luntz rifled through them. “Looks like it’s all here”, he said, excitement creeping into his voice. Then, “There's some extra stuff....What’s all this ?”
“Um...I added the stuff I found in the school”, Pete said.
“And...Er...That phony arrest stuff about me is in there too”, Jimmy added.
Mr. Luntz picked up a piece of paper. “And what’s this ?”
“Oh...That’s what me and Zoe found in Harrington’s home”, Jimmy said
Mr. Luntz read it through. “You don’t say”, he said softly. “This is Friggin’ RICH.” He started chuckling. Handing it to his brother, he said, “Here, read this.”
Boston Mr. Luntz scanned the document. “Don’t that beat all. A Fuckin’ Heir !”
“Where’s this kid now ?”, Mr. Luntz asked Tony.
“Um...I donno”, Tony replied. “He disappeared more than a week and a half ago. Nobody’s seen him since. Or not that they will admit to.”
“Hmm...Shame”, Boston Mr. Luntz said.
“We can still use it though”, Bullworth Mr. Luntz mulled.
All the papers were reassembled in the File and put back in the box. Boston Luntz looked at his watch. “I got to be gettin’ back while it’s still dark. Can’t afford to be missed.”
“I’ll take care of things on my end”, Bullworth Luntz told his brother. “I’ll notify you when it’s safe.”
They went to the door, and exchanged parting words. “See you soon”, Mr. Luntz of Bullworth said, laying a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“Soon, Brother”, Mr. Luntz of Boston said. Then he went out the door and was gone.
______________________________________________
-
Mr. Luntz returned to where the boys were standing by the table. “Alright Pete, get ready to move out. We gotta be in the big city before the sun’s up.”
“Okay, Mr. Luntz”, Pete said. He turned to Tony and Jimmy.
“What ? You’re Leaving ? Already ?”, Tony asked, surprised.
“Yeah. I gotta go. It’s not safe for me here”, Pete said.
“I could go with you, Pete”, Jimmy said. “Kinda dangerous for me too.”
“I can’t take you Hopkins”, Mr. Luntz interrupted, “it’s too risky.”
“Too risky ?”, Jimmy asked. “How’s that ?”
“You’re an escaped prisoner”, Mr. Luntz said. “I don’t need the law breathin’ down my neck.”
“I’ll find a way to get you cleared, Jimmy, I swear”, Pete said. “If this works out, everything will change, you’ll see.”
“I sure hope so”, Jimmy muttered. “Gettin’ tired of livin’ in a cave.”
“Wait...I don’t understand”, Tony said, puzzled. “I thought Mr. Luntz was gonna turn this stuff over.”
“No....He Can’t”, Pete said firmly. “It has to be me.”
“But...But...Why ?”, Tony persisted. “We just got you back and all....”
“There’s things you don’t know about me, Calderone”, Mr. Luntz said. “Let’s just leave it at that.”
Tony and Jimmy watched as Mr. Luntz grabbed a big gunnysack from the floor and Pete picked up the box containing the File. “Guess this is....Goodbye, then”, Pete said slowly.
“Will you be back ?”, Tony asked, “After...You know....”
A tear welled up in Pete’s eye and he clumsily brushed it away. “I....Don’t know. I hope so.” He moved towards the door, following Mr. Luntz.
Before he opened the door, Mr. Luntz turned. “Remember....You haven’t seen me, and don’t know where I’ve gone. Except for your little girlfriend, who already knows, you are to tell NO ONE what has happened here tonight. Nobody.”
Both boys nodded. “Uh...Mr. Luntz ?”, Tony said, “Before you go....I have a....Umm...Confession to make.” Tony took a breath. “Last fall....It was me that Bushwhacked you with them Spuds....”
Mr. Luntz turned, a ghost of a smile playing on his features. “I know it was you, Kid. Your buddy Hopkins did the same thing once.” Jimmy grinned sheepishly. “It’s alright”, Mr. Luntz continued, holding up his index finger. “Everybody gets One.”
Then he turned and ushered Pete out the door and was gone.
________________________________________
-
Out in the Parking Lot, Mr. Luntz headed to the Garage fronting the South side of lot, with Pete following behind. Pulling out a key, he unlocked the center door to reveal his car, a nondescript Junker he had had ever since he had been at Bullworth. He went and unlocked the trunk and motioned Pete to put the box containing the File inside. Then Pete began to climb in the trunk after, but Mr. Luntz stopped him.
“Don’t you want me in the trunk ?”, Pete stage-whispered. “Your Brother had me do that.”
“Naw”, Mr. Luntz said, and threw him an Incognito Hat. “Put this on, then just scrunch down in the front seat.”
Pete and Mr. Lunt got in the car, and they moved away across the lot. Pete said, “Uh...Sir, don’t you want to close the Garage door ?”
“Nah”, Mr. Luntz responded, driving through the gates, “I ain’t gonna be using it no more.”
The car motored smoothly out onto the deserted streets of the Vale. Not a soul was to be seen, and no other car was on the move. They headed through the tunnel, then took a right at the Carnival, through the holo-projection wall. It was to be Pete’s last time in the Vale Valley.
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-
Out on 403 to US-1, then a long fall down to Southern Rhode Island, connecting up to Highway 78. Mr. Luntz checked the rear-view often, but there was no sign of being tailed. At times, they had the entire stretch of highway all to themselves, the very early-morning hours of Sunday morning providing a scarcity of any traffic.
Mr. Luntz felt confident that they had gotten away safe. He hooked into I-95 then, for the long journey across Connecticut. The miles rolled away faster, and Pete became drowsy. It had been a long day, filled with potential danger, and Pete breathed relief. Soon, he had fallen asleep to the rhythmic sound of the tires on the highway.
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-
Pete came awake as Mr. Luntz was threading his way through the South Bronx, arriving in a few minutes at a ramshackle Parking Garage. The faint light of the breaking day was just becoming visible as Mr. Luntz drove up to the fourth level and pulled into an empty space, away from any other vehicles.
“We’re here”, he announced. They got out and went around to the trunk, and Mr. Luntz unlocked the trunk so that Pete could retrieve the box containing the File. As Pete did so, Mr. Luntz suddenly came alert, drawing his 38-caliber gun. Two men in trench coats were approaching them in the dim light, unhurriedly. Mr. Luntz trained his gun on them, and when they had gotten to twenty feet away, they stopped.
“Lenny.....Jonesy...?”, Mr. Luntz called, still alert.
“Yo, it’s us”, The taller of the two said, both of the men showing their hands. “Big Mike sent us for an escort.”
Mr. Luntz nodded, and dropped his arm. “There’s supposed to be four of you.”
The one called Jonesy said, “Carmine and Jingles are waiting down below, at the entrance. We got orders to take youse to the Safe Crib.”
Mr. Luntz nodded again, hearing the familiar names. “Get that box, Petey”, he said, and Pete pulled it from the trunk. Mr. Luntz slammed the trunk and said, “Lets Go....Stay Close.”
The group moved away, Lenny and Jonesy pulling their weapons but keeping them at the ready in the folds of their trench coats. Down and around the levels of the Parking Garage they went, alert all the way. At the entrance, they picked up the other two escorts, and the group moved in a tight bunch down the sidewalk, finally stopping at a nondescript house. Two of their escorts, now turned guards, checked out the house while the rest waited outside. Given the all-clear, the group moved inside.
Pete Followed Mr.Luntz to an upstairs room. Once inside, Mr. Lunt had a conversation with Lenny, who told him that he and Jonesy would be standing guard outside the door until it was time for them to leave. Carmine and Jingles would be guarding both entrances. Mr. Luntz closed and locked the three locks on the door. Only then did he relax.
“Okay, Kid, we got to hunker down here awhile”, he said.
“How long a while ?”, Pete asked.
“Till it gets dark again”, Mr. Luntz replied wearily, “Then we can do the second leg of the trip, like I told you. Monday morning, we should be there.” He walked over to Pete and held out the gun, butt-first. “I gotta get some sleep....I’m beat. You know how to use one of these ?”
Images flashed through Pete’s mind of a snowstorm on a night not so long ago. “Yeah....I can handle it.”
Pete took the gun, and while Mr. Luntz slept, he sat guard over the box with the File inside he had sacrificed so much for.
_______________________________________________
-
The locks on the door released one by one with a audible sounds that echoed against the walls of the cabin. The figure on the floor propped up against the wall didn’t react at all, only stared straight ahead into space.
After a minute, the intercom speaker in the ceiling clicked on. “You’re free to go, Boyo. I’ve been instructed to let you go”, Mr. Smith’s voice announced gleefully.
A smaller sound caught Kurt’s attention, and he felt rather than saw the electronic bracelet fall from his leg. “Instructed ?”, he said dully.
“Why yes, the Young Master told me to let you loose”, Mr. Smith’s voice came through the speaker, “Provided, of course, that you leave town right away. Just take that path there, it will lead out to the road by the Church.”
Kurt struggled to a standing position and walked slowly toward the door. He reached down and turned the knob and pulled. The door swung open under his touch, and he squinted at the brightness of the day. He saw trees, and a pathway led away into the woods.
Kurt stood in the doorway and turned to look back on what had been his chamber of torture once more. He looked up at the ceiling, and addressed the invisible Mr. Smith. “Are you only the ‘Young Master’s’ lapdog ? Or was all this your idea ?”
“No”, the voice said sadly, “This is Master Derby’s cabin....And this was all his doing, not mine.”
“I’m sure those thugs of yours were his idea, too”, Kurt said bitterly.
“Boyo, I saved your life ! Master Derby would have killed you !”, Mr. Smith said. “I kept him from doing that, and now you’re free !”
Kurt shook his head, disgusted. “You just keep telling yourself that, Mister....Maybe it’ll ease your conscience for what you’ve done here.”
Without waiting for a reply, Kurt staggered through the door and onto the pathway. It was slow going, every part of him seemed to ache and he felt some of his bones might be broken. He paused and looked back. The mountains of the Vale Valley loomed up behind the cabin, set in a small clearing at the base. A pipeline ran near the side of the cabin and disappeared into the woods. All about him were trees, and the air held a woodsy smell.
Kurt turned to the pathway and started on the trail. He moved slowly, but with each step he took, his confidence returned. He decided he wasn’t going anywhere. Derby may have won this round, all right, but there was no way he was leaving town or leaving his Clique buddies behind. That Prep bastard wasn’t running him out like a dog with his tail between his legs. He would find his boys, and tell them what happened, and when he was healed, he would take care of Derby Harrington, all right. If that fuck thought the last time Kurt has beat and humiliated was bad, just wait till he saw was in store for him now. Kurt would cripple him this time. Maybe even kill him.
________________________________________
-
It took awhile, but Kurt finally came to the trail’s end on a prepisice overlooking the old Church, in fact nearly right across the road from it. The rock face angled down toward the road, a distance of about 20 feet. Kurt looked closely and saw the way down, a twisty way dropping like a switchback down the face of the rock. He stepped gingerly forward and began to climb down.
SPLAT !!!!! SPLAT !!!!! SPLAT !!!!! SPLAT !!!!! SPLAT !!!!! SPLAT !!!!! SPLAT !!!!! SPLAT !!!!!
A sudden fuselage of hard objects struck him, in the guts, on the legs, in the chest, and on his head. Kurt lost his balance and tumbled to the bottom, striking several rock outcroppings on the way down. He rolled out into the road, groaning and moaning.
Derby Harrington appeared from just up the road, holding the Modified Spud Gun designed to shoot Hard-Boiled Eggs that he had bought from Jake at the Carnival last fall. He walked towards Kurt while reloading it with a fresh set of Eggs. From down the road, holding a regular Spud Gun, Bif came walking towards Kurt from the other direction, keeping the Spud Gun trained on Kurt. Both boys had been waiting just out of sight near the rock face to bushwhack Kurt when he appeared.
“So, it’s the Loser Pauper Motherfucker !”, Derby said as he came closer to Kurt, who was withering about in fresh pain. “You think I’d be Stupid enough just to let you loose ?” He aimed the Modified Gun at Kurt and shot him dead center in the forehead with another Hard-Boiled Egg. Kurt’s head rocked back with the force of the blow. “Your Scummy lot is a bunch of Lying Shits. You’re such a Fool if you think I would ever believe you’d actually leave.” He bent closer and said in a taunting voice, “There’s only one way to get rid of you for good !”
Motioning Bif, they grabbed Kurt and hauled him to his feet, dragging him over to the gates in front of the Church. Derby stopped and while Bif held Kurt up, dug in his pocket and produced a true Skeleton Key with the head of a Skull at it’s top. Derby inserted it in the lock of the Iron Gate and unlocked it, swinging the Gates open. Derby and Bif then dragged Kurt through the Gates and up to the front doors of the Church. Kurt’s head lolled, and through his haze, he heard a strange chanting coming from inside the Church.
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi !!!!!
Bif recoiled a bit at the sound, but Derby stepped up and banged out a code on the doors with his fist, six sharp blows, then six more, and six more. In a few seconds the doors were thrown open with great force to reveal two Monks standing there, their faces completely hidden by their black robes. The chanting increased in volume to a crescendo.
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi !!!!
Derby nodded to Bif and together they shoved Kurt towards the Monks, who reached out and caught Kurt in what looked to be fish-white hands. Kurt felt the cold, hard fingers sinking into his flesh as they held him, and his mind reeled in terror.
goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo !!!!!
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH !!!!!”, Kurt screamed in horror as the Monks dragged him backwards into the Church. Waves of cold icy air poured out of the doors of the Church, washing over the boys as they stood there. Bif risked a look into the dank interior, and saw lit candles....Hundreds and hundreds of lit candles, producing an eerie, unearthly glow.
Bif shrank back, his face suddenly gone white. But Derby just stood there as the Monks pulled a still screaming Kurt back further into the Church. Seemingly of their own accord, the Church doors banged closed. Derby began to laugh and laugh as Kurt’s screams echoed inside the Church, drowning out even the chanting.
____________________________________________
-
As the sun’s rays left the South Bronx and darkness fell, Mr. Luntz struggled awake in the room at the safe house. Sitting up, he began getting his bearings. He had slept fitfully, but enough for the long trip that lay ahead of him and his charge. Taking a look over at Pete, he saw he was still sitting silently, guarding the box containing the File. Mr. Luntz rose and went over to a small table where a Coffee Machine sat. Plugging it in, the room was soon full of the aroma of fresh coffee. If nothing else, Big Mike wanted to make sure that he was properly jizzed for his long trip. Everything depended on him delivering his cargo safely.
Mr. Luntz went to the door and gave a coded knock, which was confirmed. He undid the locks and stepped out the door, conferring with Lenny and Jonesy, still on guard duty after a very long day, their weapons still at the ready. Jonesy left the building to check out the safety of the way back to the Parking Garage, and would meet them there. Mr. Luntz returned to the room to have his coffee and get ready for the long drive ahead.
Within the hour he was ready to go, shaved and freshly dressed. He walked over to where Pete was still holding vigil over the File. “I’ll take that now”, he said, reaching his hand out for the gun. Pete looked up at him with his good left eye and silently handed the gun over. “Good Job, Pete. You done good.” Pete smiled a ghost of a weary smile. Guarding was hard work.
Soon, they left the apartment and the safe house, walking back in that same queer formation, Pete carrying the box surrounded by Mr. Luntz and the trench-coated men. Nobody paid them the slightest bit of attention. Far more strange things happened in New York every hour of every day. Reaching the Parking Garage entrance, they met Jonesy. Two of the guards, Carmine and Jingles, went ahead to scope out the cars and the area just in case anybody lay in wait. As they cleared each level, they waved the party ahead, and the odd procession proceeded up the levels until Mr. Luntz’s old beater was reached. Then the trunk was opened and the box with the File was stashed once more. Mr. Luntz and Pete got into the car and started it up. Meanwhile, Lenny and Jonesy ran to another car, and Carmine and Jingles still another car. Mr. Luntz fell in behind Lenny’s vehicle, while Carmine followed behind. In this way, the procession left the Parking Garage and wound through the streets of the Bronx, weapons ready at the front and back.
Hooking on to I-95 once more, the cruised in tandem across the northern spit of Manhattan, slowing to pay the toll on the Washington Bridge across the Hudson, then on to US-46, finally on to the New Jersey Turnpike. Mr. Luntz kept close watch while queuing up to the tool booth, but once underway, he seemed more at ease in what seemed to be his natural environment. All way down past the towns and cities on the Jersey side, Big Mike’s guards kept pace, sometimes in front and behind, sometimes to either side. Pete watched the places slip by....Bergen, Kearney, Newark, Elizabeth, Linden, Perth Amboy. Finally, past the Brunswick exit, as the congestion began at last to thin out, the cars of Lenny and Carmine began to drop back, further and further, until they were gone and it felt as if they were alone, cutting through the night along the ribbon of highway that stretched on and on and on.
Pete began to tire then, now well past midnight, and by the time they crossed into Wilmington, he was asleep, missing entirely the slice of Delaware before crossing the line to Maryland. He was still in slumber while Mr. Luntz piloted the car through Baltimore, heading so much closer to their final destination. The closer they got, the more the traffic increased, and before they even got close to the District boundary, it had slowed to a crawl. Finally hopping the small stretch of I-495, Mr. Luntz dropped off the Interstate at last onto Highway 650. The sun was up and shining in the East as they crossed into the District of Columbia.
____________________________________________________
-
Pete came awake then, as Mr. Luntz began to navigate the streets of Washington in the crush of the Monday morning traffic. It seemed to Pete to be a squirrel’s maze of indecipherable streets, but Mr. Luntz picked his way through with ease, even though Pete was sure he had never been there before. Finally, Mr. Luntz pulled over to the curb at the Intersection of 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
“Stay Here”, Mr. Luntz ordered, and got out of the car. He took a long look around for a minute. Satisfied, he unlocked the trunk and retrieved the box containing the File. Then he re-entered the car. Opening the box, he took a last look to see that the File was still there. Then, he closed it and handed it to Pete.
“Here’s where you get off”, Mr Luntz said. “I can’t go in there. It’s up to you now.”
Pete looked at the sign by the building. It read......
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
“Just like that ?”, Pete worried. “What’ll I do ?”
“All you have to do is go inside”, Mr. Luntz said in a calm voice. “Tell them you want to see the Investigators. Tell them.....You have information on the case of Vincent Fonzerelli.”
“Vincent....Fonzerelli....”, Pete repeated slowly. He had heard that name, somehow. “Who....”
“Better known as ‘Bloody Vince’, Kid”, Mr. Lunt chucked mirthlessly. “Crime Boss of New York, and thereabouts.”
It suddenly occurred to Pete that there was a whole lot more to the File than just corruption at Bullworth and the Vale Valley. And a whole lot more to Mr. Luntz than he would have ever even guessed.
He turned to Mr. Luntz, a question in his eye that he just had to ask. “Umm....Mr. Luntz.....Are you a......Gangster ?”
Mr. Luntz settled back a bit, but avoided directly answering. “It’s been seven long years since I’ve been able to go home safely....My Brother too. This man...This Animal....Has murdered many people. He deals in death every day. The Feds haven’t been able to touch him yet....But the evidence in that File will bring him down.”
Pete was confused. “How....How’s that ?”
“He uses Harrington and Spencer to smuggle illegal goods into the country, through the Blue Skies Docks. Weapons, Explosives, Drugs....You name it, it comes up the river to the Port of Bullworth.”
“But....What does this File do ?”, Pete asked, although he was beginning to understand.
“The Feds never had any proof on how he got his illegal shipments into the country”, Mr Luntz said, “until now. The proof is in that File. Shipping Orders, Bribes, Kickbacks, Coverups...It’s all there in black and white. It’s all they need to make charges stick. This will tip it over the edge.”
“And.....Bullworth ?”, Pete asked. “What happens there ?”
“When Bloody Vince goes down, They all will fall”, Mr. Luntz said serenely, almost dreamily. “Racketeering, Tax Evasion, RICO....They will all be Toast.”
“That doesn’t sound like much”, Pete reflected, looking down at the box in his lap.
Mr. Luntz snorted. “Enough to send Capone and Gotti to Prison for life.”
Pete pondered for a little bit. In a small voice, he asked, “What about me ?”
“Ha, Kid, you’ll be set for life”, Mr. Luntz encouraged. “You’ll be their Star Witness. After, they’ll give you a new identity, set you up in a new life somewhere, even send you off to College if you want.”
Pete sighed. “And....My Friends ?”
“They’ll be fine, because of you. That File will bring all the corruption down. Otherwise, without that......” Mr. Luntz trailed off, the implication unspoken.
Pete took a deep breath. The alternative was obvious. He clutched the box tighter. “Okay. I’m Ready.”
Pete opened the door and got out. Mr. Luntz leaned over and said, ‘One more thing, Kid....You never seen me. You took the bus here, or hitchhiked. Tell them everything, but don’t tell them about me, got it ?”
“But...They’re bound to find out”, Pete said, as Mr. Luntz started the car. “People will talk, they’ll tell who you are....”
“That don’t matter Kid.”, Mr. Luntz smiled. “By that time, I’ll be able to be myself again. They’ll never find me. You see, my name isn’t really Luntz.”
Pete slowly smiled a lopsided smile, and nodded. “See you around, Mr.Luntz."
“I hope not, Kid”, Mr Luntz replied, and pulled the door closed.
Pete crossed the street. At the curb, he paused to look up at the building. He was just able to read the inscription at the top......
“Justice is founded in the rights bestowed by nature upon man. Liberty is maintained in security of Justice.”
From across the street, Mr. Luntz watched until Pete went inside the building. Then, he pulled out into the flow of traffic going down Pennsylvania Avenue and was soon lost from sight.
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(http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/53083272.jpg)
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE BUILDING
------{{ END OF CHAPTER FIVE }}----------
-
THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY
{{ CHAPTER 6 }}
The Final Showdown
Today was May Day, the first day of May. Unlike elsewhere, it was not a holiday at Bullworth. A smell of summer was in the air, but Tony, like most of the rest of the kids at school, was stuck in one of the old, stuffy, antiquated classrooms at the Academy. And worse, it was his least favorite class, Math Class.
“Does anyone know the answer ?”, Mr. Hattrick barked. “Anybody ?”
He was addressing the whole class, but was leering at Gloria. Far from the know-it-all that she usually was, these days Gloria was glum and morose since the disappearance of Damon. That didn’t deter Mr. Hattrick, however, as his lustful eyes bored into her. “Not even you, Miss Jackson ?”
From his desk, Tony stared coldly at the Math Teacher. A whole school year of this shit, of this perverted fat freak hitting on her, he reflected. He wondered again just how this fuck got his job back after what he had heard had happened last year. The ‘Cheating Scandal’, it was called, caught by Jimmy. Another of the legend stories he had heard, with Jimmy presenting Dr. Crabblesnitch with the evidence in the form of photos of Hattrick selling test answers to the Preps, and Crabblesnitch firing Hattrick out in the Parking Lot in front of everybody.
“How about it, Miss Jackson ?, Hattrick went on, licking his lips in a lewd manner. Gloria sat with her head down, averting her gaze. Tony saw tears welling up in her eyes.
Quite suddenly, Tony had had enough. “Leave her alone, Hattrick”, he said quietly.
Mr. Hattrick’s owl-like gaze shifted quickly to Tony, his black face actually flushing red. “What did you say to me, Calderone ?”, he demanded.
“I said, leave her alone !!”, Tony said loudly, “You Fucking Pervert !!”
Standing stock still, eyes bulging, Mr. Hattrick spat out, “I’ll Have You WHIPPED For That !!!”
The class sat in shocked silence. “No You Won’t”, Tony said firmly, rising to his feet. “You can’t do anything to me, you Sicko.”
Mr. Hattrick looked like he was going to explode. What Tony said was the truth. With his special status and protection from the Prefects, Hattrick could not as much as even give him a detention. Hattrick sputtered for a moment, then yelled, “GET OUT OF MY CLASS !!!!”
“With Pleasure, Jackass”, Tony said, then glanced at Gloria. “She’s coming with me.” Tony stepped over two aisles and grabbed Gloria’s hand. “Come on, Gloria.”
Gloria rose, tears now streaming down her cheeks, and followed Tony to the door. “Ill Fail You For This !!”, Mr. Hattrick blustered. “I’ll Fail The Both Of You !!!”
“Do what you have to do, Asswipe”, Tony retorted, leading Gloria out the door and slamming it behind him.
Out in the hall, Gloria began sobbing. “It’s gonna be alright”, he said, trying to console her.
“It...It’s just too much !!”, she blubbered. “Th...The way he LEERS at me !! I...Can’t take it anymore !! I...I...I Need Damon !!!”, she began wailing.
“I know, I know”, Tony comforted, leading her away from the room. “Tell you what, let’s get you back to the Dorm. Mrs. Carvin can look after you.”
Gloria allowed herself to be led downstairs and out of the school. On the way to the Dorm, she began crying afresh. “What’s wrong now ?, Tony asked, kindly.
“I...I can’t fail Math”, she wailed. “I’m the best student in the class ! He....He can’t fail me !”
“He not gonna”, Tony assured her. “I’ll see to that, I promise.” How though, he wasn’t sure.
Tony escorted Gloria all the way to the Dorm, putting her into Mrs. Carvin’s charge. Briefly, he explained what happened. Mrs. Carvin’s face scrunched up in disgust. None of the staff liked Mr. Hattrick. She told Tony that he must leave, then escorted Gloria down the hall to her room.
Tony headed back to school. What a monkey-fuck this Monday morning had turned out to be, he thought on the way back. He needed to talk to someone about this. Suddenly, Tony had an idea. He still had one more class left for the day, after lunch. He knew who could help.
____________________________________________
-
Tony waited until after class to approach Mr. Galloway’s desk. The English Teacher had grown noticeably more suave the past year since he had given up his all-consuming drinking habit. Rumor was that Ms. Phillips had given him an ultimatum he stop his drinking as a condition of continuing their relationship.
“Umm....Mr. Galloway ?”, Tony began, “Can I talk to you about something ?”
“Sure thing Tony”, Mr. Galloway replied, looking up from his papers. “What’s on your mind ?”
Tony stole a glance at the door to make sure that everyone had left the room. “It’s...Uh...About Mr. Hattrick”, Tony started, and then related the morning’s events in Hattrick’s class. Mr. Galloway listened gravely, a concerned look on his face. When Tony was finished with the tale, he sat thinking for a moment before speaking.
“Hattrick is an evil man”, he reflected. “I knew it would only be a matter of time before he slipped up again.”
“Isn’t there something you can do ?”, Tony asked. “Maybe take this to Dr. Crabblesnitch....”
Mr. Galloway waved a hand dismissively. “I’m sure you know that probably wouldn’t do much good, Tony.”
“Yeah, But isn’t that like....Sexual Harassment or something ?”, Tony questioned.
“Yes”, Mr. Galloway acknowledged, “But try to prove it. Do you have pictures of this incident ? Recorded Tapes ?”
“Well...No”, Tony said, “But there’s witnesses, a whole roomful....”
“They won’t talk”, Mr. Galloway said, “We both know that. Besides, who would take the word of a Student around here ? Any Student ?”
Tony had to agree with that. “But there’s got to be a way to stop him, Somehow.”
Mr. Galloway could sympathize. Last year, Hattrick had had tried his damndest to get him fired over his drinking, and almost succeeded. There was no love lost between the two men. Mr. Galloway looked at Tony with a keen eye before asking him a seemingly unrelated question.
“Tell me Tony”, Mr. Galloway asked, a glint in his eye, “Is Hattrick still selling Test Answers to the Preps ?”
“Uh....I think so”, Tony replied. “They hardly ever come to class, but they get passed. They always seem to do real good on the tests.”
Mr. Galloway leaned back in his chair, tenting his fingers. “Say, if one fellow with a camera, like Jimmy Hopkins last year, was able to just happen to get some photographs of those alleged transactions, that just might be enough proof to get Hattrick fired again, maybe this time for good.”
Tony followed along. “And...If that one fellow just happened to get those photographs, Just saying.....Where would those pictures have to go ?”
“It would sure enough be a Mission for the good of the Academy”, Mr. Galloway reflected. “Of course, I couldn’t sanction such a thing, but if such photographs existed, and they wound up here on, say, this desk, in an envelope....Well, then, something would almost certainly have to be done.”
“I, Um, might know someone who could arrange that”, Tony mulled, “If they knew where to wait...”
“The last time, so I hear, the transactions took place on that pathway between Harrington House and the Gym”, Mr. Galloway said serenely. “Now, if someone were to wait on the Gym roof, with a zoom lens....At just the right time.....Say, after classes but before dark....”
“That sounds....Reasonable”, Tony said. “Maybe....Such a thing could be done.”
Mr. Galloway looked Tony dead in the eye. “You don’t have to do this, Tony. I know you have a lot on your plate right now.”
“You don’t know the half of it”, Tony sighed.
“Oh, but I do”, Mr. Galloway said. “I’ve kept my eyes open and my mouth shut around here, you can bet on that. But you know, Tony, sometimes when things get too complicated, then it’s time to tear it all down and start over, if you take my meaning.”
Sudden understanding blossomed in Tony’s mind. “You’re right, Mr. Galloway, you are so right”, he said. “Just....Tear it down and start over.” He looked at his English Teacher with a new respect. “Thanks, Mr. Galloway.”
“Anytime, Tony”, Mr. Galloway returned with a warm smile.
Tony turned and left the classroom. He knew what he had to be done now.
_________________________________________
-
Going to the Head really wouldn’t have mattered anyway, though....Dr. Crabblesnitch was having problems of his own, just lately. And one of them had just landed on his desk this morning in the form of a letter. He had no idea just why, with only less than two weeks of school to go, that the boy he had been charged with keeping track of had suddenly, and apparently, quit school and blew town.
He looked at the letter laying on his desk again. He couldn’t put it off any longer. Sighing, he picked up the phone, and spoke to Ms. Danvers. “Get me Harrington on the line.”
He waited while the phone rang. More that anything, he dreaded this. He had been hoping that the school year would be over before he had to deal with this bastard kid and his friends. The original plan had been to send the boy to New York after school was out, along with his friends if necessary. Once the boy was told who he really was, the thinking went, he wouldn’t want to hang around this shitty place a day longer.
But there was trouble in the Big Apple, his contacts had been telling him. Kurt’s real father was in real trouble. Rival factions had taken over three-quarters of his territory, and he was boxed into a much smaller area. Vincent Fonzerelli was still holding out, still in command....But maybe not for long. Crabblesnitch was hearing rumors of a hijacked weapons shipment that had been intended to fortify him and his remaining minions. That might spell the beginning of the end for the crime boss, but who knew ? He wasn’t called 'Bloody Vince’ for nothing.
The line was picked up. “Who is this ? I’m busy”, the voice on the other end said harshly.
“Um....Milton Crabblesnitch here”, the head said uncomfortably.
“What do you want Crabblesnitch ?”, Mr. Harrington said, his voice taking on an ugly tone.
“There’s a....Situation here....”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said, and then read off the contents of Kurt’s letter.
“Geezus, man, what in the holy fuck is going on ?”, Mr. Harrington said angrily. “Where the Hell’s the boy at now ?”
“Er....We don’t know....”, Dr. Crabblesnitch began.
“What do you mean You Don’t Know ?”, Mr. Harrington interrupted irately. “You Damn Well BETTER KNOW !!! He best be in that expensive house up the street where we stuck him for SAFETY while he goes to your SHITTY SCHOOL !!!”
“Well...Er...No”, Dr. Crabblesnitch hesitated. “He’s actually been....Missing for a couple of weeks....”
“MISSING ?!?”, Mr. Harrington screamed. “GEEZUS FUCK A DUCK, YOU INCOMPENTENT FOOL !!! Why Wasn’t I Informed Of This ?!?”
“Uh....I thought it best not to bother you with that....I have someone looking into it here...”. Dr. Crabblesnitch started to say, but was cut off by a burst of Mr. Harrington swearing, which seemed to go on for more than a minute. When the tirade wound down, he tried again. “I assure you, we will get to the bottom of this.....”
“OH, CHRIST, DON’T BOTHER !!!!”, screamed Mr. Harrington. “I’ll Take Care Of It Just Like I Have To Take Care Of EVERYTHING ELSE AROUND HERE, YOU GODDAM OLD FOOL !!!!!!!”
It was a good thing that Dr. Crabblesnitch was holding the phone away from his ear, for his eardrum would have been blown out by the force of which Mr. Harrington slammed the phone down.
_______________________________________________
-
Tony pulled Karen along the hallway. “What’s the hurry, Tony ?”, she asked. “Where are we going ?”
“You’ll see”, Tony said briefly. At length, they came to the small Mediator Office. Tony unlocked the door. “Com’on.” He pulled Karen inside.
“Tony, what is it ?”, Karen asked. Instead of answering, Tony just stared at the wall where the large chart was at, the collage of single pieces of paper making up the huge poster that covered the entire length of the wall, side to side and floor to ceiling. Events were written on every sheet, and Red and Black lines went everywhere from event to event. It was marvelous in it’s complexity. Tony reached out and began ripping the paper sheets down.
“What Are You Doing ?”, Karen said, startled. Tony...You Can’t....”
“I don’t need it anymore”, Tony said, still ripping down the sheets. “Don’t you get it ? There’s too much here. We already solved most of it. Got to tear it all down and start over.”
“I...I don’t understand”, Karen said in bewilderment.
“All of this is like a Forest”, Tony said, continuing to rip down sheets. He grabbed a chair and got up on it, reaching up to sheets on the top. “The events written on these sheets are like trees. The lines are the branches, connecting them. Right now, they all criss-cross....They’re tangled and jumbled. It makes the few things we haven’t solved....Well, hard to see....Because....”
“We can’t see the Forest for the Trees”, Karen murmured.
“What was that ?”, Tony asked, turning around.
“Nothing”, Karen said, “Just an old saying I remember hearing...”
“But that’s right !”, Tony said, “Exactly Right !” He finished pulling down the last of the sheets and hopped off the chair. “We have to start over, with just the things we haven’t solved yet.” He went to the desk and removed some blank papers from the drawer. With Karen’s help, he labeled them....’Jake’, 'Kurt’, 'Damon’.....He paused, then wrote out 'Derby’ on one. Thinking, he slowly wrote out ‘Harrington’, 'Spencer’, and 'Crabblesnitch’ on some others. Then, he gathered them up and went to tape them on the wall as Karen handed them to him. Stepping back, he said, “Well, some connections are obvious”, and drew a red line from ‘Derby’ to his father, then from ‘Damon’ to ‘Church’. Standing there, he recalled what Lance had told him, and he returned to the desk. He labeled the next one 'Punks’, then went and taped it to the wall. Standing back, he could already see some connections. He grabbed up the markers again and traced in lines. Mulling them over, he realized it wasn’t yet complete. Going back to the desk again, he labeled more pieces 'Graveyard’, 'Jail’, 'Asylum’, 'Bullworth Academy’......and one final piece, 'Takeover’. These he went and taped to the wall also.
“Well there’s a start”, Tony said. “Maybe this will make it easier to figure out.”
“There isn’t much time”, Karen commented. “A week, maybe...”
“If Jake is going to attack again, it will be soon”, Tony said. “And....He’ll need help.”
Karen peered at the new, much smaller chart. “Think it’ll be them ?”, she asked, pointing at the sheet labeled 'Punks’.
“It’s a good bet”, Tony answered. He bent and penciled in a dotted line between 'Jake’ and the 'Punks’, then drew dotted lines from both to 'Takeover’, and from there to 'Bullworth Academy’. He stood back then. “That’ll have to do for now.”
“What about all these ?”, Karen asked, indicating the discarded pieces on the floor.
“Tear them all up into small pieces and throw them in the trash”, Tony said. “I’ll bag them and take them down to the basement later, since Mr. Luntz isn’t here anymore. I’ll throw them in the Furnace.” The two bent to the task, which took several minutes, ripping and tearing. When they were finished, the wastebasket was full.
“I hope Pete made it safely to wherever Mr. Luntz was taking him”, Karen said reflectively.
“We have to believe he did”, Tony said. “Maybe, someday....We’ll find out.”
The two finished up and left the small office, locking up as they left, unaware that they would find out the answer to that far sooner then either of them would have ever believed.
___________________________________________________
-
“You wanted to see me, Father ?”, Derby said, entering his Father’s study.
“Yes, Derby”, Mr. Harrington said, and got right to the point. “Have you seen that Kurt boy lately, or know where he is ?”
Derby hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. “Yes, I saw the Lowlife Pauper the other day.”
“And just where was that ?”, Mr. Harrington questioned. “Crabblesnitch just told me the boy has been missing for two weeks !”
“So ?”, Derby said insolently. “The Old Fart can’t keep track of his own ass. What difference does it make anyway ? Just one less Gutterwipe out and about.”
Mr. Harrington narrowed his eyes. “What did you do ? And don’t lie to me, boy !” His eyes bored into Derby.
“I Took Care Of It !”, Derby said sulkily. “You wouldn’t do anything about that Trash, so I DID !! I got old man Smith to help, and I took care of that sniveling little TURD !!”
“SMITH ?”, Mr. Harrington yelped. “Boy, Are You Insane ?!?”
Derby laughed shakily. “You should be happy I did. Old Smith kept me from killing that Asshole for what he did to me.”
“So WHERE Is He ?”, Mr. Harrington rumbled. “What Did You Do With Him ?”
“Haw”, Derby barked a short laugh. “I gave him to the Monks.”
“THE MONKS !!!!”, Mr. Harrington exploded, followed by a string of curses. “Boy, Do You Know What You’ve Done ?!?”
Derby was confused. “Done ? I’ve just removed some Trash from the neighborhood ! What is so bad about that ?”
Mr. Harrington rose from his desk, his face contorted with anger. He advanced on Derby. “You’ve Just Cut Our Throats, Boy !!”
Derby retreated a couple of steps, but stood his ground. “I Don’t Understand ! You Wouldn’t DO ANYTHING To That Prick, Not After He Kidnapped Pinky, And Not When He BEAT Me and PISSED On Me !! So I Had To Do Something About It, So I Gave Him To Your Friends Who Live In That Weird Church ! So WHAT ?!?”
“The Monks are no friends of mine”, Mr. Harrington hissed, “They’re a CULT, just a group of some kind of religious nut-jobs who have been over at that Church for decades. Why do you think nobody ever goes to Church around here ?”
“But...But...Why do you have a Key to the Gate ?”, Derby cried, pulling the Skeleton Key from his pocket and holding it up.
“Give Me That”, Mr. Harrington ordered, snatching it from him. “There’s certain....Dealings....Arrangements.....We have with them from time to time. It is none of your concern.”
“But, Father, Why....”, Derby began, only to be cut off.
“No More Questions !!”, Mr. Harrington growled. “You’ve Done Enough Damage !! Just Get Out !!!”
Derby stood speechless and unmoving. “Did You Hear Me ? GET OUT !!!”, Mr. Harrington reiterated. “In Fact, Just Get Out Of The House. Take Your Friend And Go Stay At The Vale Hotel. MOVE IT !!!!”
Derby backed towards the door under the force of his Father’s wrath, turning and running from the room. His Father was throwing him out ? This just couldn’t be happening. More confused than ever, he went to find Biff and do what his Father ordered.
Mr. Harrington sat thinking long after Derby left. It would be alright, he finally decided. The Monks wouldn’t hurt the boy, outside of brainwashing him a bit, he concluded. He was sure they would give the boy up in exchange for something they wanted....Wasn’t that the way the world worked ? At least in his world, it was.
He wouldn’t contact them directly. He hated how those Psychos looked, not to mention how creepy they were. Their fish-white skin hadn’t seen the sunlight in ages, giving them the appearance of Ghosts. Communicating with them was difficult at best, and better left up to someone else with more experience. He reached for the phone to call Judge Starkweather.
_____________________________________________
-
“So, basically, you want me to do what I done before ?”, Jimmy mulled, “Just take pictures of Hattrick selling test answers to the Preps ?”
“It’s time to put an end to this Asshole’s shit”, Tony said. “He leaches all the girls, especially Gloria. She’s terribly upset. He has to be stopped Now.”
“But what about the Mission ? Finding Damon ?”, Jimmy asked.
“No”, Tony shook his head. “That’ll have to wait. If Damon comes back now, he’ll attack Hattrick, and they’ll put him in Jail, maybe Prison, beyond our reach. Hattrick has to be dealt with first.”
“IF Crabblesnitch will fire him again”, Jimmy said skeptically. “I don’t see that happening, not after what happened last time.”
“It may not be Crabblesnitch”, Tony replied. “If Pete was successful, they’ll come down hard on this place, soon. But, Finals start at the end of the week. The Preps will get a free ride, again, just like always. They don’t even hardly come to class as it is. All they have to do is ace the Finals, and they’re home free. By that time, someone else might be in charge, though.”
“Maybe”, Jimmy said thoughtfully. “What about the other classes, though ? I never did find out. The other Teachers sell Test answers too ?”
Tony shook his head. “Constantinos told me it’s just Hattrick. He somehow has the Test answers for the other classes, except Mr. Galloway. And Ms. Phillips, Mr. Neil and Coach Burton, they don’t give written Finals.”
“Hmmm”. Jimmy pondered. “But why me ?”
“Constantinos also told me you’re the best there was with a Camera”, Tony said. “Was he wrong ?”
“I do have a certain knack for photography”, Jimmy grinned. “Okay, I’ll do it. I still got my old camera back here, somewhere.”
“Good”, Tony said. “I’ll get the chip from you and print off the pictures in Ms. Danvers class when she ain’t looking, like before. Then I’ll leave them with Mr. Galloway.”
“He’s going to help ?”, Jimmy inquired quizzically.
“Help ?”, Tony replied, “Hell, it was his idea !”
“Just like last time”, Jimmy smiled. “So, what are you gonna be doing, in the meantime ?”
“Getting ready for Jake’s attack”, Tony said grimly. “It’s bound to happen soon....I just don’t know what it’s going to be yet. We better be ready.”
___________________________________________
-
Hal was standing outside the Girl’s Dorm steps promptly at Eight O’clock, waiting for Angie to come out for their date. In his hands were some flowers he had hastily picked from in front of the Library, after beating up a couple of Nerds so they wouldn’t see him doing it. He was decked out in his best leather outfit that wouldn’t show his asscrack, and a fine leather biking cap sat jauntily on his head. In his pocket was a small trinket he had picked up at the Carnival on Sunday. He hoped Angie would like it.
Within a few minutes, she came out the door. Hal was stunned. Instead of the gaudy dark green plaid dress she usually wore around school, she was dressed in a hot purple outfit with a short skirt that showed a lot of leg. Hal salivated as the memory of her naked behind running from her room surfaced in his memory. As she skipped down the steps, he managed to swallow the lump in his throat and hide the lump in his pants. Awkwardly, he thrust the flowers at her. “Here...Um, dese are fer you”, he said haltingly.
“Ohhh....Thank You, They’re....Pretty !”, Angie cooed.
Hal thrust his hand in his pocket and withdrew an object. It was a Key Chain with a small Bunny attached. “And...Er....Here, this too.”
Angie stared in wonder at the trinket with wide eyes. “Ohhh...It’s just Perfect !!!”, she exclaimed.
“Er....I know you want to go to the big city”, Hal said, “But...Uh, I can take you to the biggest joint around dis here town....Hows abouts it ?”
“Oh, hu, hu, hu, hu, ho...”, Angie laughed nervously, “That would be...Fine !”
Hal took Angie’s arm and they walked out of Bullworth School. At the front, a car sat idling. Hal opened the rear door. “M’lady, your chariot awaits !”, he announced. In reality, it was just an old beat-up Rambler, and that Hal had gotten his older friend Chuck from the docks to be their driver. Hal helped Angie in the Car and slid in beside her. “To the Golden Horseshoe, my good man”, he said pompously, and smiled. He felt the date was off to a good start.
As they pulled up to the Golden Horseshoe and disembarked, Chuck leaned out the window and said in a mild Scottish accent, “You wantin’ me to be a-pickin’ you up later ?”
“Ah...No, that’s alright.”, Hal said. “Think we’ll walk back, mac.”
“I would, ja’know”, Chuck said, “It wouldn’t even faze me.”
Hal slipped him a fiver. “Naw....It’s a nice night, full moon in sight”, Hal said and winked.
Hookay”, Chuck replied cheerfully. As he started to speed off, Hal heard him say to himself, “Now, should I go home eiarly ?”
Hal escorted Angie into the Golden Horseshoe. Music was playing, though there wasn’t a live band here tonight. They were ushered to a candlelit table in a more dim part of the room. Another five dollars passed to a waiter’s hand had secured the location.
After they placed their orders, Hal encouraged Angie to talk about herself, and after some initial hesitation, she did. Hal understood then, as he listened to her inane conversation, just why she had gotten the rep she had. But to him, she was music to his ears, just as sure as the music playing in the background. He wondered how she had escaped his notice all the time he’d been at Bullworth. His hormones raging as they never had before, Hal was under her spell.
Afterwards, he walked her back to the Dorm in the moonlight. It had been all so exciting for Angie. Hal actually had his arm around her ! At the steps, Angie started to talk, but Hal found a way to shut her up that nobody else had really tried....He kissed her, long and deep. Angie felt Hal’s boner poking into her belly, and just about went to heaven right then and there. A boy actually liked her ! Never mind that he was somewhat corse and fat....She could finally have what all the other girls at Bullworth had -- Save for Eunice -- A Boyfriend. Mandy and her cheerleaders could go to Hell.
As they broke the kiss at long last, Hal said, “Say, uh..Would’ja like to go out again ?”
Angie about fainted. A boy asking her out twice ! “Umm...That would be...Nice....”, she breathed.
“Okay then. Tomorrow at Eight, it’s a date. Meet at the gate and don’t be late !”, Hal quipped. Angie nodded, and felt a rush of blood to her head. Before she could pass out from sheer bliss, she turned and headed up the steps and slipped in the door.
Hal walked nonchalantly away, even though he felt like running. There was a certain set of panties he wanted to get to, and fast. Maybe this would be the last time. Tomorrow night, it could be the real thing. Hal felt his pockets. Hmm...Low on money. Time to hit up an ATM. And by that, I mean an eighth-grader, he thought, snickering at his own humor.
Truth was, he told himself, he sorely needed some 'grease’ to spread around in order for tomorrow night to go perfectly. For the first time in his life, Hal had a real plan.
_________________________________________________
-
Tony got up from his bed. It was still dark, and ominously quiet. As in a fog, he left his room. He looked in the common room, but no one was there. Walking the halls, he suddenly noticed that all the doors were open, and the rooms within were unoccupied. Where the Hell was everyone ? Feeling groggy, he stumbled outside. He stood at the front of the Boy’s dorm, now more confused than ever. Large chunks of buildings lay about in the Dorm’s yard area. Looking up at the clock-tower of the school, he was shocked to find it was missing. Only rubble remained. Tony raced down the path as fast as his wobbly legs would carry him, and made the left turn going to the quad in front of the school. Breathing heavily now, he came to a quick halt at what confronted his eyes. Among the huge chunks of building materials blown off the school were severed limbs, severed heads, and torsos strewn about. Ropy strings of intestines were draped over everything, and there was just SO MUCH BLOOD !! Bodies were everywhere, torn to shreds. A smoky pall hung in the air. It seemed like the whole school was here. Tony could recognize some of his friends...Laurent, Constantinos, Nick, Ray.....
Sudden panic grabbed him. Karen ! Where was Karen ? Frantically he searched among the remains. At last he spotted her, laying behind a huge chunk of granite, blown off the school. He raced to her, only to find she had been cut in half at the waist. Shocked beyond belief, he dropped to his knees beside her. Her open sightless eyes stared upward at nothing. Overcome by grief, Tony wrenched himself upright and ran for the front gates of the school. He passed through them and kept on running, across the big bridge into Bullworth Town. It was the same here. Collapsed buildings and rubble lay all about. Dead townspeople littered the streets. Tony kept on running, beyond endurance. His head began to throb. Before he knew it, he was in front of the Courthouse. It was in ruins, like much of the rest of the town. As at school, an eerie silence prevailed, mingled with a thin layer of smoke and the beginnings of the smell of rotting corpses. Tony turned and blindly ran back the way the way he had come. No living creature was about. Ripped pieces of dead bodies were everywhere. He headed towards the street that led to New Coventry, but finally exhaustion overcame him and he fell to the pavement in front of the Great Deals Hardware Store, across from the old Movie Theater. He lay there gasping, and looked up. The Hardware Store was relatively undamaged, and had it’s usual bevy of signs hung in the window. Tony's vision narrowed as his head felt like it was going to explode. His eyes were drawn to one of the signs. In gaudy red, white, and blue lettering, it proclaimed......
MEMORIAL DAY BLOWOUT SALE !!!
_____________________________________
-
"AUUUUGGGGHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!"
Tony came awake with a start. Wildly, he looked around. Everything was in place. Getting out of bed and stumbling to his door, he pulled it open to see......
Gordon Wakefield, staring at him, standing over by the common room archway. “Hey, Uh...What’s up, Tony ? You look a little....Strange.”
Tony gave Gordon an odd look, then hurried to look outside, searching. No rubble. No dead mutilated bodies. No Blood.
Tony sagged down against the front door. It was another dream. Vivid, to be sure....Nightmarish. But just a dream. He returned to his room, and glanced at his alarm clock. 5 A.M. He wouldn’t be getting any more sleep this night, he knew.
Tony shook his head to clear the cobwebs. He had come to know that his dreams were just that, dreams. And he had had plenty of nightmares since he’d been at Bullworth. But not like this. Not quite this bad.
But Tony didn’t have to ask himself what it meant this time, though. He knew. Something...Someone....Evil was coming. And soon. Not yet....But soon. Maybe too soon. A shudder seized him as a the line from the old story ran unbidden through his mind yet once again....
Something Wicked This Way Comes.
_____________________________________
-
Derby and Bif were chilling at the Vale Hotel, where they had gone after Derby’s father had told them to get out. They had been lounging around, watching old action-adventure movies on the Hotel’s closed-circuit TV, and ordering room service every hour. The room was littered with the remnants of their binge-eating meals.
“How long will your Father stay mad at you, do you think, old chap ?”, Bif asked during a break from their ‘Die Hard’ marathon.
Derby shook his head. “I don’t know, Bif.” He went silent for a moment, mulling things over. “I don’t understand why Father is protecting that Pauper. He’s just a Gutterwipe. What the devil is so special about that asshole that has Father so much in a dither ?”
“Maybe”, Bif reflected, “Old Man Smith would know...?”
Derby snapped his fingers. “That’s it....Of course. We just find that old fuck, and get it out of him. He’s probably known it all along.”
“Then we need to find him”, Bif said, “And soon....”This whole thing’s got me buggers.”
“Smith has made himself rather scarce lately. We will find him, though. Just a matter of time.”, Derby said. “But first things first. We have to go back to class tomorrow.”
“Back to class ?”, Bif asked. “What ever for ?”
“It’s finals week, remember ?”, Derby said. “We’ve got to pass those stupid tests.”
“How are we going to do that ?”, Bif questioned. “We haven’t been to class in weeks !”
“Same as always, my friend”, Derby said smugly. “Chad tells me that Hattrick is still selling test answers. We just make a deal, like always.”
“But...But...What if Spencer has gotten to him first ?”, Bif asked, with a worried look on his face. “What then ?”
“Then”, Derby said, smacking his fist in his other palm, “I’ll just have to deal with Tad, now won’t I ?” A monevelant light shone in Derby’s eyes. “I’m sure I can see he gets just what’s coming to him.”
________________________________________________
-
Angie was waiting out by the school’s main gates for Hal that evening. Hal had told her to meet him there for their second date, and Angie felt he maybe he was arranging something special for their evening. She had on a short maroon dress that really set off her dark hair, which she had had done into a real attractive cut right after school at the Hair, Nails, & Beauty Salon that day.
Angie was so intently watching out for Hal that she didn’t notice Trent walking up behind her until he said, “So, like...you're pretty cute and stuff."
Gee, thanks”, Angie said sarcastically, turning to him. “How nice of you to notice. You're a smooth one."
“Sooo", Trent said leeringly, “You wanna go out on a date some time ?"
“No", Angie retorted, turning away. “Not with the likes of you !”
“I guess I'll just stand here until you change your mind", Trent persisted.
“Knock yourself out", Angie retorted, walking towards the school, trying to get away.
Trent followed her. “How 'bout now ?"
“NO...!!!”, Angie yelled.
Trent caught up to her and grabbed her arm. Angry now, he said, “And just what makes you so special, Miss One-And-Done, that you can’t go out with a Real Man ?”
Angie struggled against him. “Let me go, you...you DICKWAD !! I’ve already got a date with a Real Man, more than you’ll ever be !!”
“Oh Yeah ?”, Trent laughed harshly, “And just who is that ? Everyone else is just a buncha Pussies compared to me ! What you need, is.....”
WHACK !!!!!!! Trent never finished his sentence, as a Bat whacked him in the back of his skull. He fell to the ground, groaning loudly in pain. Angie turned to see Hal, holding a splintered bat. “Nobody hits on my Girlfriend, Nobody, yah Asshole !”, Hal said to the downed Trent.
“You....Son of a....”, Trent sputtered. Hal kicked him in the ribs for good measure, and turned to Angie “Sorry I’m late....I got a surprise fer you. “You ready ?”
Angie’s heart fluttered. Hal had called her his Girlfriend ! “Uh, hu, hu, hu...”, she laughed nervously, “Uh, Sure !”
“Let’s go then ! Youse is gonna like this...”, Hal said, throwing the broken bat on the ground and began walking her towards the front gate. Angie smiled in anticipation as they reached the gates.
Zoe had seen the whole thing go down, and walked over to Trent, who was still lolling around on the ground. “Give it up Trent”, she sighed. “You DO know that you’re a queer, don’t you ?”
“But...But....I like girls.....”, Trent moaned.
“Keep believing that”, Zoe said with a chuckle.
Just then, Eunice came around the corner from the Girl’s Dorm, almost tripping over Trent in the Pathway. “Whut...Whut’s going on ?”
“Oh, nothing”, Zoe said. “Just Trent wants to go out with a girl.”
“Ohh ?”, Eunice said, looking down at Trent. “Well, I’ll go out with him !”
“Knock yourself out”, Zoe said, and started to walk away. “Better take him to the clinic first.”
Oh, I Will !!”, Eunice bellowed, and bent to scoop Trent up. Behind her, Zoe heard Trent cry “NOOOO !”, and smiled.
_________________________________________
-
Hal had led Angie out to a waiting large car parked by the curb a little ways from the school. There were no Limousines in the Vale Valley, but this was the next best thing. Angie’s eyes bugged out when Hal opened the back door and motioned her inside, sliding in beside her.
Off they went, touring the towns. Hal had the driver go down nearly every street and avenue, showing Angie many places she had never seen before. It was Hal’s way of showing Angie the ‘Big City’ and she loved it. Then, it was off to the Golden Horseshoe once more for an evening of dinner and dancing.....And drinks.
Although he was a bit new to the dating game, Hal knew one thing for sure....A girl with a few drinks in her had less inhibitions than one who didn’t. Being underage wasn’t a problem for Hal, or any of the other Greasers for that matter....New Coventry was their home turf, and the place where they always got all their alcohol. In a town where their regular hangout was the Blue Balls Bar, each Greaser had practically been raised on beer from birth. Likewise, the proprietors of the Golden Horseshoe, just down the street from the Blue Balls Bar, never ever asked any Greaser for an I.D., just as the Preps were never carded at the Vale Hotel nor were the Jocks at the Dry Seaman’s Bar over in Bullworth Vale.
So it wasn’t any big deal to have the waiter serving them to spike Angie’s Coke drinks with a little Rum, just a small amount at first, then in ever-increasing amounts, until half the drinks were alcohol and she was getting too tipsy to notice. Angie wasn’t a drinker, hadn’t ever so much as tasted Alcohol, what would her Mother think ? Hal was afraid she might notice, but he needn’t have worried. Angie was just as much a klutz about how alcohol tasted as she was about everything else.
During the course of the evening, Hal moved his chair closer and closer to Angie, until they were touching. Then Hal took his chance and turned to Angie and kissed her, at first a bit hesitantly, then deeply. Angie responded at once, slipping her tongue into his mouth and moaning as an orgasm exploded deep in her lions. Kissing boys before had never been anything like this. After making out for several minutes, Hal led her away from the table and out of the venue, across to the elevator by the reception desk. He didn’t have to stop to get a room, since he had already arranged to have one as a part of tonight’s plan. The key to a third-floor room had been in his pocket all day.
Up they went, Angie clinging to Hal, nibbling and even licking him, a sensation Hal found not unpleasant in the least. Quickly he hustled her down to the room upon leaving the elevator, his hand shaking as he worked the key in the lock. Once inside the room, he kicked the door closed as Angie threw her arms around him, panting in deep, rasping breaths. She literally tore off the short red dress she had so carefully arranged just a few short hours ago, and ripped off the too-tight bra, springing her melanomas breasts free. Hal cupped them in his hands as she continued to wildly kiss him, then dropped her panties and kicked them aside. Angie half-pulling and Hal half-pushing, they stumbled together backwards to the room’s bed, where Hal fumbled with the belt and zipper of his leather outfit. His Pants dropped just as Angie pulled him onto the bed on top of her, and an orgasmic cry escaped her lips at the first touch of their union.
Angie’s mind exploded in a kaleidoscope of passion more than she had ever known before. Hal too was experiencing a rush of feelings quite different from his juvenile encounters with the streetwalkers on Baker Street. For the first time, the lust that was swirling in his mind was mixed with something else.....He had to have this girl, needed her, wanted to be with her. He liked everything about her, even her inane chatter and klutziness. He couldn’t believe she had been there the whole time, under his nose, so to speak, until his nose was in her panties. Hal was in love.
The time seemed to stretch out forever, as Hal’s grunts and Angie’s cries of pleasure echoed off the room’s walls. When it was finished, they collapsed together in an exhausted slumber. A virgin no more, Angie had found her boy, never having to had gone to the Big City to do so.
__________________________________________________
-
They were back. From his hiding spot in the empty boxcar, Lance could hear them, out there in the darkness, moving around and talking. He could only make out a snatch of conversation here and there. He crept closer to the partly-opened doorway, and could make out the dim shapes in the darkness. It seemed like they were loading something into what looked like backpacks, or maybe checking it, he couldn’t be sure. Eventually, they all gathered around a tall, lanky man that Lance assumed to be their leader, Sid. Lance strained his ears to hear what was being said, and the best he could figure out was they were embarking on some sort of mission.
Lance had been stalking the tracks area every since he had first spotted them back, some time ago. But after that initial spotting, the Punks had seemed to vanish again. Repeated surveillance of the railway area had produced no sightings, although Lance had stubbornly kept returning, convinced they would show themselves again. And he had finally been vindicated. Here they were. If only he could hear what they were up to !
“OK, final check”, Sid was saying in a low voice. “You guys all know your assignments. Denny, Kenny, you two take care of Bullworth Vale....Sean, you and Jake here take New Coventry, then go over and set the charges at the school. Frankie an me, we’ll plant the stuff all around Bullworth Town and the Dam. Whoever gets done first can pick up the rest of the C-4 here and head to the Chem Plant. We’ll really load that place up. Oh, and don’t forget the Asylum”, Sid smirked, “Having some crazies running around will add to the confusion.”
The others nodded, then hoisted heavy-looking backpacks on their shoulders. They contained carefully wrapped packets of C-4 with electronic fuses embedded in them, small loudspeakers to be placed in strategic locations, wiring and tiny radio receivers to be hooked up to both the C-4 and the loudspeakers. There would be no need for timers, as Jake had used before. These charges would be set off by remote radio control, tagged to specific frequencies. Each charge and receiver was tagged as to it’s specific location, and Sid carried a master list of where they would be.
In the time that Jake, Sid, and the Punks had been gone, they had went on a shopping spree of sorts, gathering the electronic equipment they would need for this operation. Jake and Sid had done some extensive planning over the weeks since the rail shipment hijacking, plotting the takeover of the whole Vale Valley. All this had of course taken quite a bit of time. They had traveled as far away a Providence to obtain the necessary materials, and transportation and lodgings had been obstacles to overcome. Still, they had prevailed, and the use of some of their new-found wealth from the hijacking had helped move things along.
Sid held up a Walkie-Talkie. “Remember to keep in touch”, he said. “Keep your Incognito masks on at all times and keep to the shadows as much as possible. We’ll meet up at that house of Jake’s over in the Vale at...” He consulted his watch, “5 AM. Tomorrow, we’ll set up all the radio equipment there. OK, let’s move out !”
The group moved in unison to a pathway that led down to underneath the rail bridge and dispersed to their separate destinations. Only then did Lance emerge from the boxcar. He had only heard bare snippets of the conversation and believed that they were coming back. He would be back also, with the others. He would tell Bo, and together they would organize the Jocks. They would load up with weapons and lie in wait for the bastards. Finally, he thought, he would have his revenge.
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All day Wednesday, Tony had a bad feeling. For Mr. Galloway’s English class, instead of a finals test, the Teacher had him write a composition on any subject of his own choosing. Tony had decided to write about his first year at Bullworth.
As he wrote of his experiences, his feeling of dread increased. There was a lot he had done, much of which he couldn’t put down on paper, for obvious reasons. But what he could relate about was the trouble with Jake....From the bombings to the failed takeover attempt of the school. As he wrote, the thought surfaced in his mind, not for the first time, but stronger now, of just when Jake’s attacks occurred. Each time, Tony knew, was on or close to a holiday. There had been Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter. And the next holiday, the last of the school year, was fast approaching....That of Memorial Day. Although the 'legal’ holiday had come and gone earlier in the week, there still remained the traditional Memorial Day on May 30. And that day was Friday, just two days away. With growing certainty, Tony felt that that would be the time that Jake would make his final try to take over the school.
Tony worked most all morning on his composition, then handed it in to Mr. Galloway. Since he had been kicked out of Mr. Hattrick’s Math class, and he has finished Mr. Neil’s Shop class, Tony had the rest of the day to himself. His finals in Dr. Watts’ Chem class and Dr. Slaughter’s Biology class were set for tomorrow, with the last final on Friday for Ms. Phillips Art class. Next year, Tony knew, he would probably have to re-take Math. He just hoped something would be done about Hattrick before then. Tony quit Gym class early on in the year, and he would also have to take that too, he knew. Tony didn’t relish that idea, since Burton was a real pervo Prick.
Tony decided to check on Jimmy. The plan was Jimmy was to be stationed on the Gym Pool roof to try to catch Hattrick on film selling test answers to the Preps. For that, and since he couldn’t risk being seen on campus, Jimmy was to come in under cover of darkness and stake out on the roof all day into the evening. Tony walked casually down to the Gym area, and when no one was looking, scaled the ladder on the far wall to the overhang, then up to the roof on another ladder. There he found Jimmy, kicking back and chilling with Zoe.
“Howzit going, Jim ?”, Tony asked as he cleared the top.
“Just waitin’ till classes let out”, Jimmy yawned. “Last year, someone told me this was going down, so no sweat. Fact, I almost missed it. You hear anything ?”
Tony shook his head. “No....But it’s gotta be today or tomorrow. Finals started today, and the Preps get to go last, special treatment from the Administration. So, tomorrow or Friday, I would think.”
“Pish....Special treatment for them is nothing new around here”, Jimmy scoffed. “I don’t even know why they go through the whole farce of having them take tests anyway. But”, he continued, stretching his arm around Zoe, “They wouldn’t be Preps if’n they didn’t cheat. That’s how they are.”
“Probably right there”, Tony reflected. “That’s why we’ll get Hatrick. None of them can really help themselves. Wonder who’ll show up, Tad or Derby ?”
“Maybe both”, Jimmy snorted. “That’ll be some fireworks, maybe.”
“I don’t care if they beat each other silly”, Tony said, “Long as we get a shot of Hattrick handing them the test answers.”
“Better be soon”, Jimmy said. “I got that other mission to do, and the sooner the better.”
“I can get Nick and some of the boys to help....”, Tony offered.
“Nope”, Jimmy said firmly, “Not this time. We raised too much hell in there last time. This time, I’m gonna use stealth. I gotta extra Orderly uniform still. I’ll get in and get him out, if he’s there, and they won’t really see me.”
“They could be holdin’ him in that Church, though”, Tony speculated.
“Naw”, Jimmy said, scratching his thinning hair on top his head. “I think there's a connection between the Church and the Asylum. Besides, what would those Monks want with a porch monkey like Damon ?”
Tony had to laugh at that. “You’re probably right there.” He stood to go. “I’m gonna get lunch with Karen. After, I’m gonna go talk to the Cliques.” His face darkened. “I feel something’s coming down soon, very soon. I got to warn them.”
“That Jake kid again ?”, Jimmy asked, “Think he’s gonna try something ?”
Tony nodded. “Yeah. Maybe real soon.”
“Tell Karen I’ll be along soon”, Zoe said as Tony went to the ladder.
“Okay, will do”, Tony said, then he climbed over the edge and out of sight.
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The school was all a-twitter about the latest thing....Angie’s hookup with Hal. From table to table in the Cafeteria at lunch break, it was the main topic of conversation. All morning long, Hal and Angie had been spotted, walking hand-in-hand, out on the quad, in the halls, and at one point even smooching outside Home Ec class. They made no attempt to hide their new status, and in fact appeared too love-struck to really even notice anything around them, save each other.
While at the Prep’s table the relationship was being openly condemned, at the Jock’s table there was general amusement at the new love match. The Bullies table was hostile, goaded on by Trent, being the one that Hal bashed in the head with the bat, vowing revenge. On the other hand, at the Nerd’s table, feelings of dismay and distress were being voiced, particularly by Thad, who had always been thrilled by the sight of Angie’s boobs, and by Bucky, who secretly lusted after every female, even though the best he would ever do was his pet rat.
At the Greaser’s table, opinions were divided. Vance, Lefty, and Lucky seemed glad their long-time pal had found a Girlfriend at last. Ricky and Peanut weren’t so sure, citing Angie’s general nuttiness and her incessant blabber about her Mother and Bunnies. Norton was outright opposed to the relationship, in part because he had seen Angie naked in her Dorm room and had been entertaining ideas of having her himself. Plus, he was a quite bit jealous of Hal when it came right down to it. He reasoned a girl should choose a muscular fellow such as himself rather than a fat, overweight Greaser pig such as Hal. It just didn’t seem fair.
Hal and Angie were nowhere to be seen, and in fact had scampered off behind the Girl’s Dorm once morning classes let out, presumably for a fresh makeout session. At the table where Tony and his friends sat, there was also lively conversation on the subject. Listening to their comments, Tony remarked, “It’s still kind of hard to believe, I think.”
“Why ?”, Karen asked. “Don’t you think everyone deserves to be judged on what they are inside, instead of just their looks ?”
“Yeah, but besides too much food, Hal doesn’t have much going on, on the inside”, joked Tony. “I mean, really.....Not exactly the brightest bulb in Greaserville.”
“So what ?”, Nick remarked snidely, “Angie isn’t much of a genius, either. I took her out once and couldn’t wait to get away from her.”
A surprised Melody said, “I didn’t know you did that !”
“I didn’t want to tell anyone”, Nick laughed. “I had a Rep to maintain.”
“I wouldn’t ever go out with her”, Constantinos said morosely, “She’s too depressing.”
There was general laughter at this, knowing that being depressed was sort of Constantinos’ normal state of affairs. Turning, Karen asked, “Well how about you, Laurent ? You’d go out with her, wouldn’t you ?
“Non”, Laurent deadpanned. “I need a FRENCH girlfriend.”
The whole table busted out in laughter at that. Just then, Zoe came in and joined the group. “Talking about the new lovebirds ?”, she asked.
“Yeah”, Nick said, “But it’s just too weird for words.”
“I saw Angie last night”, Zoe related, sitting down. “Trent was trying to hit on her. Hal cracked him in the head with a bat.”
“No Shit ?”, Tony asked, amused. “Bet he’s pissed !”
“I had Eunice take care of him”, Zoe said with a grin. Everybody erupted in laughter again.
The conversations continued until the bell rang, ending the lunch period. As they rose to go, Tony asked Karen to meet him at the Autoshop after her last class.
“No problem”, she said. “I just got to finish the Home Ec Final, and I’m free. What’re we doing ?”
Briefly, Tony told her of his plan to warn the Cliques to be on the watch out for Jake. Nick overheard and said, “I can come too. That Ok ?”
Tony nodded. He was having the feeling these days that he was going to need all the help he could get.
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-
After several hours sleep during the day Wednesday, Jake and the Punks awoke before dusk with renewed vigor. There was still a lot of work to be done. Sean, who was the more technical of the group, set about altering Jake’s transceiver in the house to more closely match the frequencies on the small receivers attached to the loudspeakers they had planted around the towns. Meanwhile, Frankie, the more mechanically-minded of the Punks, set to work attaching a silent muffler to Jake’s stolen Go-Cart in the houses’ garage. This would reduce the sound of it to no more than a Moped, and facilitate a much-needed source of near-silent transportation.
There was still a lot of the explosive left, so it was decided to set out more that night. That was alright with Jake. He and Sean had barely been able to penetrate the Academy grounds during their foray last night before the approaching light of dawn interfered. Jake wanted to set up a whole lot more of the C-4 around campus, particularly around some of the buildings he had targeted the last time, and one he hadn’t.....The school itself.
When they finished, more than 300 globs of C-4 would be set in nearly every part of the towns. The only thing that would escape the threat of destruction was the Carnival. While Sid wanted to plant some there also, Jake vetoed the idea. The Carnival had been good to him, and he wanted it left untouched. Sid just shrugged. It wasn’t like a bunch of Freaks were going to make any kind of difference in their takeover plan anyway. The people he wanted to terrorize were the very citizens of Bullworth and the associated towns. He planned in putting some of the explosive in the tunnel itself anyway, though. If push came to shove, they could blow the tunnel, trapping the people and preventing them from leaving, and keeping any outside help from reaching them.
Sid didn’t really give a shit about holding on to power once the Towns gave up. He and his boys would plunder them for what they were worth and later move on. Sid cared little about Jake’s obsession to take over the school, but in it he saw an opportunity to rape the towns of all their wealth. What happened to Jake once he and his boys decided to pull up stakes and move on afterwards was none of his concern. Jake was crazy, just like that fucker Darrell was.....Maybe Worse. Sid had no plans to take Jake with them once this operation was over. From what he had seen of Jake so far, he felt he would be better off in a Lunatic Asylum....Or Dead.
The teams set out after midnight to make their final rounds. The Docks would be targeted, as well a Spencer Warehouse, and the Spazz Industries building. The Chem plant was already mined. Over in the Vale, the Park was a target, along with the Mansions of the rich fucks that ruled here. In all the Towns, up and down the streets, businesses were targeted, placing the C-4 behind the buildings when it couldn’t be properly hidden in the front. It made little difference, the stuff packed enough punch to blow out the innards of a building from either the front or back. In Bullworth town, the Statue in the common where the Courthouse was was mined, it would be the first to go, and the Courthouse and Bank were peppered with multiple charges.
Sid wasn’t entirely without a heart, though....The Clinics would be left alone. They might come in handy if any of his crew got injured during the operation. Likewise, the Police Stations were exempt from the charges, because Sid didn’t want any of the Townies left there to escape and muck up their plans. If they had been so inept as to fail to take over the school and get themselves busted, they deserved to stay where they were.
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Tony made the rounds to talk with the Clique leaders, with Karen and Nick along. The Cliques, with the exception of the Preps, respected Tony and listened to what he had to say. They had been through so much this year, and the likelihood of another attack disturbed them. The trouble was, vague warnings of an attack really gave them no clue on how to really prepare for one or how to prevent it before it happened.
Therefore, it never occurred to anyone, not even Tony, to set up an all-night watch in their areas. When Jake arrived later, via the pile of junk at the wall behind the Autoshop, there was no one to spot him. The campus was silent. The last time he had come this way, he reflected, he had been running. Now, soon, it would be those that would be running, and HE would be ruling. And his first act in charge would be to finally deal with the backstabbing fuck Tony and all his piece-of-shit friends.
Jake and Sean slithered over the wall and got to work. Easily dodging the patrolling Prefects, they first set a charge up on the Autoshop roof that Jake accessed via the small iron ladder set into the bricks near the attached garage. Then, it was out to the area between the Greasers and the Preps, where Jake lodged a gob of C-4 in the statue above the fountain. This he would trigger first. On to Harrington House, where they hid a couple charges in the flower patches near the doors. Then off to the Gym. Jake snuck in and laid charges in all the bleachers, on both sides. After that, it was off to the Football Field to pepper the bleachers there with hidden lumps of C-4. Jake gazed at the newly reconstructed Jock’s Clubhouse and scampered over to lay charges along the sides as well. Next, they trekked to the Observatory. The gate was locked, but with a boost from Sean, Jake managed to reach the top and place a good-sized glob of the explosive on the platform, near the Spud Cannon. It would have to do.
By now, it was after 2 AM, and the patrolling Prefects turned in for the night. Jake and Sean moved unnoticed to the Library, where Jake planted more C-4, hidden in the flower beds about the front of the building. Boosting himself over the side wall, he placed some more at the side by the Nerd’s gate. Then the pair took a long sneak through the deserted quad to the Dorms, where they placed charges underneath the dumpsters behind both Dorms.
The school had been left for last. Going cautiously inside, Jake led Sean to the basement door. It was unlocked. Since the departure of the Janitor, nobody was even so much as checking on the doors at the school. Jake and Sean went down to the Furnace Room, which sat directly below the Great Hall. The Furnace had been turned off for more than a month, and it was inside that Jake set a few C-4 charges. Returning the way they had come, they next snuck up to the second floor. Jake was tempted to set one in the office, but passed it up for a better idea. Hurrying silently down the hall, they came to the access door that led to the unused third floor. Jake tried the door and also found it unlocked. Quite possibly, it had stayed unlocked since Karen sprung the lock after the Valentine’s dance. Jake knew Tony got up to that roof area somehow, and this was the only way up. They headed up the staircase that doubled back on itself, coming to another door, which was open to the gloom.
Jake unslung his flashlight from his backpack, and he and Sean began exploring. There were the dusty hallways, but they could find no access to a roof in any of the unfinished rooms. Finally, on closer inspection, they spotted a rung ladder, leading up, close to where they had emerged. Jake and Sean climbed the ladder, coming up through a square hole into what looked like an Attic. Above them was the giant Bell Tower dome. Jake shined his flashlight up and was able to make out a series of ladders and catwalks leading upwards, circling about the interior. Perfect.
Picking their way slowly up the ladders and catwalks, some of them mildly shaky, they reached at last the top platform under the apex of the dome, underneath the Bell Tower itself. What importance the Bells ever had, Jake didn’t know and didn’t care. They would, if Jake had his way, ring out their greatest glory being blown to smithereens. Jake flashed his light around the base of the dome and spotted it....A rather small access door, nearly invisible against the rusty metal interior of the dome. With effort, he worked the tiny pullwheel that opened the small flap door that gave access to the outside of the dome. Having Sean boost him up through the opening, he found himself at the base of the giant set of Bells. He had Sean hand him up two packs of C-4, one for keeps and the other for good measure, and gently slapped them onto the two nearest Bells. He then dropped back down through the opening and closed the access door. They climbed back down the series of ladders and catwalks. Jake looked around a bit more, and decided to plant some more C-4 over by the access door that Tony had used to go out onto the steep roof over above the school’s main doors. Then both made their way back down to the third floor.
The school mined to his satisfaction, Jake motioned to Sean and they left the third floor, and then the building, sneaking their way to the front gates of the Bullworth Academy Campus. Before leaving, on a whim, Jake planted two more packs of the explosive in the niches on each side of the gates. Might come in handy later, he reasoned. Their work done, they left the campus. The next time Jake would be here, he would be calling the shots. Far from being the Ultimate Fixer he once envisioned himself to be, Jake vowed if things didn’t go his way this time, he would surely become the Ultimate Destroyer.
_________________________________________________
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In the weak pre-dawn light, Sid was laying his final charge of C-4, the largest of them all, at the Bullworth Town Dam. This would be the ‘Piece de la Resistance’, the ultimate threat to gain control of the Vale Valley. If they wouldn’t hand over their power, he would blow the dam and flood the towns. Sid was betting it wouldn’t come to that, but Sid never bluffed. He always had an ace in the hole, a backup he could rely on. The charge would be set and the fuse armed with a frequency only he controlled.
With some ropes they had found in Jake’s rented place’s garage, Denny, Kenny, and Frankie lowered Sid over the edge of the dam from the walkway. Sid was not a one to trust just one rope or just one person, so there was only enough rope to lower him about halfway down the face of the dam. It would be enough. Sid squirted some high-grade adhesive that he had obtained in Providence onto the face of the dam, and then affixed the charge to it. Finished, he signaled the others to haul him back up.
Most ordinary C-4 explosives were the size of a fist or less, but this was no ordinary charge. This was nearly the size of a Soccer Ball, with three fuses jutting from it. Sid was taking no chances that the explosive would just crack the dam. This would blow a huge hole in it. The threat was to be real. And Sid would have his finger on the trigger.
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“How much longer we gotta wait ?”, Casey whined loudly. “I’m getting Hungry !”
“Shudda-Up !”, Bo hissed. “You want that they should hear us ?”
“Ain’t nobody here !”, Luis exclaimed. “We been here for hours !”
“Alright, Can It !”, Ted spoke sharply. “We’ll stay here another hour. If they don’t show by then, we’ll go back. In the meantime, shut you face !”
The Jocks had been waiting since dusk in the empty rail car not far from the rail tunnel’s entrance. They were armed with bats, bricks, Golf Clubs, sticks from crates, and any weapon they had managed to get their hands on. As twilight waned and darkness had set in, Lance had been sure that the Punks would make an appearance soon. As the hours dragged on though, with no Punks in sight, Lance had become despondent, wishing that he had at least tried to follow them last night. It would have done little good, with his bum leg he’d never have been able to keep up with them, he knew.
The group lapsed into gloomy silence. In just a couple of hours, it would be dawn, and the whole night’s mission would be a failure. The minutes dragged by, and some of the Jocks began to doze. Suddenly, Ted heard a noise and cautiously poked his head out of the boxcar to investigate. The noises increased, and Ted watched as the giant doors swung open inward on what was a large tunnel-like structure that was set into the mountain, showing what was dimly revealed to be the Caboose of a train inside. Ted could barely make out figures on the back of the Caboose. Once the doors were fully extended, the train began to back up southward towards them. As the train prepared to pass by the empty boxcar, Ted ducked back inside and urged the others to stay hidden. The train rumbled by, and after an interminable time, ground to a halt. Ted waited a couple minutes more, then risked a look outside again. He saw no one.
He motioned the others out of the boxcar. “Let’s see if the bastards are in that tunnel !”, he ordered. It seemed like a logical place, and Ted was getting just as antsy for some action as the others were. They quickly traversed the distance from the Boxcar to the tunnel entrance. Walking alongside the train, they probed ever deeper into the tunnel without seeing anyone. As they did, it became darker and darker. Distantly, up ahead, they could see the lights of the Engines.
Single file they walked along the side of the train, with Ted and Laurent in the lead. Following behind was Kirby, Dan, Juri, Casey, and Luis, with Bo, Lance, and Bob bringing up the rear. They walked cautiously, but quickly, keeping a lookout as as much as possible in the large dark tunnel as they could. A few hundred feet inside, they were suddenly startled when the train ground into action again, and they flattened themselves against the wall, hoping the darkness would conceal them. But the train came to a halt soon after and reversed it’s direction of travel, then repeated the process. It occurred to them then that the train was only in the process of switching boxcars. Silently, they continued deeper into the tunnel.
After an while, the group came close to the Engine. Ted motioned the group to a stop and they gathered around deciding what to do next. Before any decision could be made, however, the Engine began to move again, away from them, only this time it wasn’t stopping. It appeared their night’s work was done. Remembering the men on the Caboose, Ted urged the others to look for a place to hide. Spotting one of the side rooms off the tunnel, Laurent shouted “Look !”
Quickly, they piled in and hit the deck as the train picked up speed and rumbled by. In less than a couple minute’s time, the train had passed their position and was rumbling away through the tunnel to the North. The Jocks emerged from the room slowly, and watched the train’s lights dwindle from sight.
The last of the noise abated and an oppressive silence set in. The Jocks resumed their journey as quietly as they could, but even the smallest noise seemed to echo large in the enormous tunnel. Nevertheless, they continued on in the gloom, checking out every room behind every door they came to, and finding nothing. Finally, they arrived at the head of the tunnel, where the two large rooms lay to each side of the tracks.
Carefully, they examined them, their adrenalin on high alert expecting a fight. But the rooms were empty and silent. Ted and Laurent stood in the big room where not long ago, Sid and Jake had struck a deal to take over the entire Vale Valley. All of that was unknown to them, of course, but even they could see signs that the room had been occupied very recently. There were scatterings of food wrappers all about and some discarded clothing laying here and there. The bunks had a slept-in look, and there was other evidence in plates and dishes laying about.
Ted took a close look at the junk scattered on the table. His eyes spotted an object and he scooped it up. It resembled a small, white ball, somewhat irregularly shaped. To his surprise, it was soft, like clay.
“Huh”, Ted said, puzzled. “Lookit this, Laurent. What the hell’s this ?”
Laurent took the whiteish ball and felt it. “I am not sure”, he said slowly, “But it is odd, a very odd thing.”
For some reason, a vision of an exploding Football from last year flashed briefly through Ted’s mind, then was gone. He shook his head. “Bah, it’s nothing. There’s nothing here. Nobody here. If they were here, we missed them. Com’on, let’s get outta here.”
Ted headed towards the door, and Laurent followed, sticking the funny white ball in his pocket. He decided he would show it to Tony later.
By this time, all the Jocks had all gathered outside the open North mouth of the large tunnel entrance. Some were staring at the big lake off to the left that was created by the Bullworth Dam in the fast-lightening sky. Ted strode up behind them. “All right, let’s go ! You seen one lake, you seen ‘em all. We gonna head back to the school, so stop gawking and move it !!”
“But what about them Punks ?”, Bo mouthed off. “How we gonna get revenge for Lance here ?”
“You see any of ‘em here ?”, Ted barked, sweeping his arm grandly behind him, towards the tunnel. “No ?? Then They Ain’t Here !! The mission is a Bust !” To the rest, he said, “So let’s head back, we’re wasting time here. If any of yahs don’t remember, Burton is supposed to give us the Gym Final today. He’s gonna be pissed if we don’t show up !”
“Today ?”, Juri said stupidly. “Whadda mean ?”
“In case you didn’t notice, it’s like 5 AM”, Ted said, exacerbated. “Don’t you notice it’s getting light out ? Now com’on, let’s move it !!!”
The group trudged back through the tunnel. Casey soon began going on again about being hungry, and the other big Jocks, Juri and Luis joined in. Finally Ted got tired of hearing it and commanded them to just shut up. “Knock it off, yah Pussies. Are you Mice or Men ?”
“We’re like, hungry Mice”, Casey grumbled, but he and the others fell silent. The group kept moving, not quite as fast as normal, as they were getting weary. If it wasn’t for all the lap running they did around the Football Field to keep in shape, they would have crashed long ago.
The trip seemed to last forever. Ted was growing confused. It was getting light, he knew, and he should have been able to see the other end of the tunnel by now. But it was still dark up ahead, in fact, quite black. Ted didn’t understand. He asked if anyone had a flashlight. Only Laurent had thought to bring one, a small penlight easily carried in his pocket. He flicked it on and aimed it ahead. The beam reached out into only blackness. The Jocks kept walking, and their conversation all but ceased. Every eye was straining towards the uncertain blackness ahead.
At long last, the small light shone on a solid object. The Jocks stopped walking, dumbfounded. A small sliver of light showed near the ground across their path, and they were looking at the backs of the huge doors blocking the South end of the tunnel. The doors were shut, and probably locked. They were trapped !!
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Tony had a better-than-expected morning Thursday, actually passing his Chem I final. He thought it was more that he hadn’t blown anything up this time, probably mindful of the real blowing up of things soon if his dreams proved prophetic. Relieved, he headed toward the Lunchroom after stopping to get his bag lunch from his locker, where he found some of his friends already gathered at his table....Nick, Melody, Ray, Zoe, Constantinos, and naturally, Karen. On his way to their table, he noticed that the Jock’s table was conspicuously empty.
“Strange”, he said after sitting down and greeting his friends, “Where’s the Jocks today ? Burton making them run laps of pump some extra iron ?”
“Oy”, Constantinos said, puckering up as if he had eaten a sour Lemon, “They had a little problem last night, I hear.”
“What sort of problem ?”, Tony asked, suddenly seeing that Constantinos was indeed eating a sour Lemon. “Something get their Jock Straps in a twist ?”
“They got themselves stuck in the Train Tunnel”, Constantinos said, taking another bite of the Lemon. “Would still be there, if Laurent hadn’t figured out how to get them out.”
“What Train Tunnel ?”, Tony asked, bewildered. Still sucking on his Lemon, Constantinos went on to explain about the big tunnel that the train tracks emerged from over at the West edge of New Coventry, and how the Jocks had gone there to get payback on the Punks for their attack on Lance the past summer.
“Wait a minute, back up”, Tony interrupted, “The Punks ? Are they back ?”
“Oh, yeah”, Constantinos said, his face still rather pinched-looking. “Lance seen 'em a couple nights ago, over there on the tracks. He’s been out looking for them every since he got back. Not all the time, of course, just when he could, yah know ?”
Tony unexpectedly felt a chill along his spine. He shook it off, and asked, “What....Were they doing over there ?”
“Lance said he couldn’t hear so good, but it was something about them going off on a mission of some sort, with backpacks and all”, Constantinos answered, taking yet another bite of his Lemon.
“Did he....Uh, see his attackers ? Or anybody else ?”, Tony ventured, thinking of Jake.
“Nope”, Constantinos said, finishing his Lemon at last. “Was really to dark to see much of anything. But it was them all right, Lance says.”
“So, how were they trapped ?”, Tony asked, wondering how anybody could get stuck in a tunnel. Constantinos went on to explain about the big doors at the tunnel entrance, and how they were only open when a train was passing through, and how a train just happened to show up there at about three in the morning, and how the Jocks went into the tunnel then, while the train was there. But the train then left, and the Jocks didn’t find anybody, and when they went back to the tunnel entrance the big doors were closed and they were trapped. But Laurent and Ted had found a control room, and Laurent had figured out how to open the big doors so they could get out.
“Whew”, Tony remarked after that long explanation. “I’m amazed you know all this. You should be a Detective or a Private Eye or something. How’d you find all this out ?”
“Easy”, Constantinos yawned, “Laurent told me when I seen him a while ago. I was hanging down at the Football Field cause I didn’t have any finals this morning, and I seen them draggin’ their sorry butts in, all wore out. He stopped to tell me while the others headed to their clubhouse, probably to crash, since they’d been up all night. Oh, yeah”, he said, remembering, “Laurent has something he wants to show you. Later, I guess, after he gets some sleep.
The bell rang then, signifying the end of the lunch break. Tony was uncharacteristically silent as he and Karen walked to their lockers.
“Ok, why so glum ?”, Karen asked, reading his mood. “You still think Jake will attack the school tomorrow ?”
“Yes”, Tony replied absently. “Or No....I don’t know.” His brow furrowed as he thought. “Jake is a Coward. When he tried to run me down with the Greaser’s car and failed, he ran and hid. When he shot Pete, he ran and hid. When he shot ME off the roof and Nick and the others started chasing him, he ran and hid. When he got the Townies to attack the school and that failed, he ran and hid.” They reached the locker and Tony leaned up against it. “Jake will only attack when he thinks the odds are on his side, and it’s always a sneak attack. And the last time, he brought others in on it. That’s why I think he’s going to be bringing these Punks in to do it this time.”
“But what could he possibly offer them to do that ?”, Karen asked. “They’re not like the Townies, out for revenge.”
“I don’t know”, Tony sighed. “Money ? Power ? I can’t figure it out either. But what I do know, is that dream I had ? Destruction....Body Parts laying all over....I haven’t had a dream that violent since before Halloween. And you know what happened then.”
Karen nodded mutely, grimly. As Tony rummaged in his locker, she said, “We gonna be alright ?”
“I think so”, Tony answered, closing his locker, “If we can stop Jake, this one last time.” He turned to her. “Meet me after school in the Mediator Office. We’ll see what we can come up with. Jake always attacked after dark, so we have some time....Maybe a another day, to try to figure out how.”
With a kiss, he left Karen, who wished him luck on his Biology Final. Tony wasn’t even worried about it at all. Dr. Slaughter would have them dissect an animal, probably a rat, and identify each organ and describe it’s function. If there was one thing he knew, it was organs....He had seen plenty of those in his dreams.
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-
After school, Tony and Karen sequestered themselves in the Mediator’s Office, looking for a solution to the puzzle that faced them. It was no use, Tony had to finally reluctantly conclude....They just didn’t have enough information. Jake’s bizarre behavior in the past might have indicated that he would take more drastic steps to take over the school, but Tony was unsure of just what he could be planning this time. Karen was sure that Jake would try another invasion of the school, but Tony tended to rule that out....From what he knew, the Punks were a whole lot smaller in number than the Townies had been, and while they may be able to hold a few areas of the school hostage, there was no way they could keep the whole school in check while Jake carried out his latest plan, whatever it was. Tony had the feeling, because of his dream, that Jake would try to pull off some bombings again, but that hadn’t worked the first time, and he was somewhat doubtful that Jake would try that route again. Even so, he felt that it wouldn’t hurt to have the Cliques and others search inside the Dorms and the other buildings to see if anything could be found. He set off to find Constantinos and Laurent and inform them of his plan, telling Karen to confide in Ms. Phillips what they suspected and search the Girl’s Dorm.
Tony found Constantinos at the Boy’s Dorm, and set him about organizing some of the others, Ray, Nick, Ivan, Gordon, and Trevor. Russell, Trent, and the rest of the Bullies were hanging over in the Parking Lot, as usual, and Tony felt it would be worthless to even tell them anything. From there, he went to the Shop area and talked to Peanut, who promised to have the Greasers search the Autoshop and the other buildings. He then doubled back to the Library, where he conferred with Melvin and Fatty, who were all in favor of carrying out an effective search. Next, he went to the Preps area in front of Harrington Hall and spoke to Tad, who met his request with chilly indifference. Tony just shrugged and headed towards the Football Field.
There, sitting in the bleachers, he encountered Laurent, who explained that Coach Burton had the other Jocks in the Gym, running drills. It seemed the Coach was none too happy about the Jocks missing the Gym finals that morning, then electing to go off to sleep instead of reporting in. For punishment, they had to run drills in the Gym until way after dark. Laurent was excused solely on the fact that it was him who rescued them, as they were forced to relate where they had been and why.
Tony told Laurent what he suspected, and Laurent promised to have the Jocks check out the two Gym buildings and the Clubhouse for explosives. Before leaving, Tony said, “Oh, Constantinos said you had something to show me.”
“Oh, right, ma mémoire”, Laurent slapped his head. “I have been sleeping before now, and I forgot. Here”, he said, digging something from his pocket and showing it to Tony.
Tony’s face blanched when he saw the object. “That’s....That’s that C-4 !!”, he exclaimed. “Where did you find that ? Here at the school ?”
“Non”, Laurent answered, “I find it in the rail tunnel, in one of the far rooms. Is it dangereux...Uh, dangerous ?”
“Not without a detonator of some sort, I think”, Tony answered, gingerly taking the whitish blob from Laurent. “Least I don’t think it is. Look, I’m gonna show this to somebody, just to be sure, Ok ?”
“Oui, fine by me”, Laurent replied. “Just to think, I had that stuffed in mon pocket all this time”, he said with a slight shudder. “I am most happy to have you take it.”
Tony was sure he was. “I think it’s mostly harmless, like this. But I’m gonna find out for sure. I seen this stuff before. Look, just get that search done as soon as you can, and let me know if you guys find anything, alright ?”
Laurent assented that he would, and Tony went off in search of Jimmy, leaving Laurent to wonder just how Tony knew just what that little ball of clay was.
__________________________________________
-
Tony checked the Gym roof, and sure enough, Jimmy was there, holding vigil on the photo mission for the second straight day. Tony climbed the ladders when no one was looking, a greeted Jimmy, who was becoming a bit bored with all this waiting.
They talked of Tony’s ideas on Jake’s next attack on the school, and Tony showed Jimmy the white lump of clay-like substance he had gotten from Laurent. Tony told of where Laurent said he had gotten it.
“Huh...A train tunnel. I always wondered what was behind them doors”, Jimmy said.
“You didn’t know ?”, Tony asked, surprised.
“Eh...I wasn’t ever over there that late at night”, Jimmy said. “There’s a lot of areas I never got into around here, just like you. I mean, I wasn’t here even a year before I got arrested. Look at the Jocks, they been here a lot longer, and they didn’t know.”
Tony mulled that over. “Guess you’re right. Lotta places I haven’t been to around here either.” He hefted the C-4. “Uh...You said this stuff’s harmless without a detonator....Right ?”
Jimmy took the lump of C-4 from Tony’s hand. “Yep, gotta have a detonator of some sort”, he said, looking it over carefully. “But maybe one could be buried inside. You never know.”
Tony got a bit nervous upon hearing that. “You don’t think....One’s in there....Do’ya ?"
“Nah....Probably not”, Jimmy said, and laughed. “If you rather, I’ll just keep it.”
“Be my guest”, Tony said. “You can add it to your....Collection.”
“You tell the Cliques that they should look for this stuff ?”, Jimmy asked.
“Um....No”, Tony admitted. “I just got it a bit ago, from Laurent.”
“Maybe you better”, Jimmy said, and tore off a small chunk of the whiteish-colored clay-like substance. “Here, just show them this.” He put the rest in his pocket.
“Yeah, like they’re gonna believe a piece of clay will blow up. Maybe the Nerds will, but as for the rest, we’re not exactly dealing with the smartest of people when it comes to.....” Tony trailed off as he noticed Jimmy’s eyes were fixed on something happening below. Tony followed his gaze to the pathway between the Gym and Harrington House.
“I believe we finally have a hit”, Jimmy said softly, and pulled out his camera.
Below in the gathering evening shadows, Tony could make out the figure of Tad along the path. He was heading towards another darker figure dressed in a suit. “Hattrick !!”, Tony exclaimed.
Jimmy zoomed in the camera lens as the two met. There was a verbal exchange, which they couldn’t hear, then Mr. Hattrick pulled out a sheath of papers from his breast pocket. Tad produced a wad of money, and the two items changed hands.
“Whoa, lookit all the Benjamins”, Jimmy softly whistled, taking photo after photo of the transaction. “Wonder how much is there. Must be.....Wait....What the Fuck ?”
Another figure was running along the path. Tony saw the stock of blonde hair and knew it was Derby. Tad’s back was to him, and just as he was about to stick the papers in his pocket, Derby crashed into him. Mr. Hattrick stepped back in surprise. Tad regained his footing and shoved Derby back. Tony could just make out angry words being exchanged.
“Man, this is good !”, Jimmy smirked, clicking photo after photo. “You can’t just make this stuff up.”
The two would have come to blows, but Mr. Hattrick intervened, moving forward and physically seperating the two would be fighters. Derby shook his fist at Tad, who in response gave him the finger. Hattrick said something to the two Preps, which Tony could just barely make out.
“Stop It ! Just Stop It !!”, Mr. Hattrick was saying. Then, he continued in a lower voice that Tony couldn’t hear. There was a lot of gesturing among all three of them for awhile, then Tad reluctantly gave Derby some of the papers. Derby in turn then gave Mr. Hattrick another wad of bills. Then he pointed the two Preps to separate spots on the path and stood guard as they left.
“Talk about double-dipping”, Jimmy said, putting down the camera at last. “Hattrick sure is a piece of work.” He removed the card chip from the camera and handed it to Tony. “This is even better than the last time I did this”, he said. “If this don’t get him fired permanent, I don’t know what will.”
“Good deal”, Tony said. “I’ll get these printed right after my Art final tomorrow.” He faced Jimmy. “You ready for your next mission ?”
“Oh, yeah”, Jimmy replied. “I’ll sneak in there tomorrow and take a look around.”
“Think Damon’s in there ?”, Tony asked.
“There ain’t no original thinkers around here”, Jimmy smirked. “He’ll be there.”
“Just don’t get caught”, Tony said. “We might have some heavy stuff going on by tomorrow night.”
“Aw, not to worry”, Jimmy scoffed. “There ain’t a Looney Bin that can hold me !”
With that, Tony took his leave of Jimmy and climbed back down the ladders. He had more work to do this evening.
___________________________________________
-
By Thursday night, the final frequencies were tuned, and the Punks were getting ready to have a planning session at the rented house. Sitting in the kitchen, Jake was fiddling with the Transceiver settings, picking up scraps of conversation from the Walkie-Talkie transmitters he had planted that somehow still worked. Jake listened to what sounded like searches going on inside of some of the places he had previously planted the Pipes filled with Gunpowder last Halloween. He had to laugh real hard at that, seeing as how they were busy looking on the Inside when he had planted this round of explosives on the Outside. The Walkie-Talkies were hidden so well that he had no worries that they would ever find them.
Something DID disturb him, though. From what he was hearing, those inept idiots were looking for 'White Balls of Clay’, meaning, he was sure, what they were calling the C-4. How in hell would they know to be looking for that ? They were too brainless to ever trick to his plans. It must be, Jake decided, the work of his arch-enemy, Tony. Who else would even have the intelligence to discover what he was up to ? Pete, the only other one who possibly could have figured out anything, was gone. So, it had to be Tony. But how had he found out ANYTHING ?
Jake let that question roll around in his already psychotic brain. After a long while, he decided it didn’t matter. Even if those numbnuts found even any of the C-4, they weren’t going to find it all. If something didn’t blow up when he keyed his transmitter, he would just switch to another frequency and blow up something else. It would still be like shooting fresh fish in the Bullworth barrel. As the thought took root in his overtaxed mind, the tension drained out of him. He sat back, closing his eyes, and images of what was to come played like a movie reel behind his eyelids. He could see them, cowering at his feet, bowing before him, Jake, the conquering King. They would grovel before him, and he would have their slaving obedience and their undying loyalty. He would have his pick of their women, the willing girls of Bullworth, for whatever depraved sexual rituals his addled brain could conceive. Maybe a group orgy. It had been so long since he had had a girl, so very, very long......
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In the living room of the house, Sid was quietly going over the final instructions. The first blasts were to be triggered at noon, when most of the townspeople would be out and about. Then, each half-hour or so, they would trigger off new blasts. The small Police force would be unable to cope with the panicked townspeople, and before long, there would be mass hysteria, which would lead to rioting and mayhem. By the time darkness rolled around, the tension would be at it’s peak, and at that time they would began broadcasting their demands over the hidden loudspeakers, while still continuing to trigger off new charges on the same schedule. By the time morning came around, the bedraggled populace would demand that the town leaders surrender the towns to the invisible invaders. Sid knew of the aversion of those who controlled the Vale Valley to having any contact with the outside world. In fact, he was counting on it.
The only fly in the ointment was that damn school. Sid’s aim wasn’t to kill, but to instill terror. He particularly didn’t want to be held responsible for injuries or deaths of any children. As such, he was going to keep Jake from entering the school grounds until just before daybreak on the following morning. By then, the towns should have surrendered, and Jake’s takeover bid of the school should go down quickly and easily. And to make sure that went alright, Sid was sending along the two brothers, Denny and Kenny, to keep a eye on that weird fuck Jake.
That Jake had grown increasingly erratic was an understatement, and Sid would be glad when the whole business was done and over with. In less than a week, Sid and the punks could loot the bank and the businesses of the Vale Valley and be on their way. Whatever happened to Jake after that would be Jake’s problem. Sid doubted that Jake would be able to hold onto the school for too long anyway, for he would have no muscle to back him up. On top of that, his increasing paranoia would make it impossible for there to be any type of beguine rule. Sid reckoned that the very students he sought to rule would overthrow him at their first opportunity. Such is the lot for all Madmen who lust for power. And Jake, Sid was certain, was as mad as a hatter.
As Jake sat drooling in thought in the kitchen, Sid and the assembled the Punks and went over the last of their plans.
_________________________________________________
-
Friday morning proved to be tense for Tony, and he tried to put his mind elsewhere during his Final in Ms. Phillips’ Art Class. That wasn’t all that difficult, as Ms. Phillips was the best-looking teacher in the school and still had a smoking hot body. Most of the class was hormonally-challenged boys, and that was really no surprise. Many of them had absolutely no artistic talent whatsoever, and were here solely to ogle Ms. Phillips’ boobs and butt. For her part, Ms. Phillips remained blithely unaware of the stares of her charges as she flitted about the room, but the general consensus was that she was perfectly aware of what was going on in her class.
Unlike the others, Tony did possess some talent. Putting the final touches on his assignment that was going to be his final grade in the class, he half-smiled with a critical eye. It was a portrait of Ms. Phillips reclining on a couch in all her alluring glory. Others had attempted this same pose and failed miserably, but Tony’s was actually good. Appearing just behind his shoulder, Ms. Phillips exclaimed, “Why, Tony, That is absolutely marvelous !”
Tony blushed at her compliment and the scent of her perfume made him feel slightly dizzy. “I...Um...I’m glad you like it Ma’am”, he said, feeling his loins stir slightly.
“Like it ? I Love it !!”, Ms. Phillips cooed. “So much detail ! What Style ! What Form
! You are so Gifted !”
“Umm....Yes, Ma’am”, Tony fumbled, not knowing how to respond. He was becoming somewhat embarrassed.
Ms. Phillips leaned across Tony for a closer look, her boobs brushing his arm. “This is the most excellent painting I’ve seen all term ! You’re getting an A+ for this, my dear !”
Tony’s groin spasmed in sudden pleasure, not only for the words of praise from his hot Art teacher, but for the closeness of her presence. He fought his urges to reach up and grab her large melons just inches from his face. “Er...Umm...That’s....That’s just great, Ms. Phillips”, he finally managed.
Ms. Phillips straightened up. “You can go early, Tony. This is a very impressive painting. Do you mind if I have it for my Apartment ?”
“Uh...Sure....Sure thing, Ma’am !”, Tony said, feeling slightly woozy.
“I do so hope I will see you next year in Photography Class, Tony”, Ms. Phillips continued, “I’m quite sure you will have some talent there, too.”
“Umm....Yeah, I’m taking Photography next year”, Tony replied, “And Geography, and Music, and probably Math over again.....”
“Ahhh, Music”, Ms. Phillips said dreamily, “The pardner to the great Arts.” She stood staring out at a vision only she could see.
Tony began gathering his stuff to leave, but the other bulge in his pants pocket reminded him of something he needed to do. “Um, Ms. Phillips ? Do you mind if I stay and....Uh, use the computer and printer ? I got a....Project to do for....Mr. Galloway.”
“A....Project for Mr. Galloway ?”, Ms. Phillips murmured, coming out of her revive. “Oh, yes, of course”, she said, beginning to smile her marvelous smile. “I do believe he mentioned to me that you had a.....Project to do for him.” She shot Tony a conspiratorial wink. “Go right ahead, I’ll see to it you’re not....Disturbed.”
“Gee, Thanks, Ms. Phillips !", Tony said as he scrambled up from his seat, hoping the bulge in his trousers wasn’t too evident, and went over to the Photographic part of the classroom. There, he fired up the computer and printer and eased the chip from his pocket and inserted it. The other bulge he would have liked to insert, but that would have to wait for Karen later.
Soon enough, the printer began spitting out the shots that Jimmy had taken from the Gym roof. They were sharp and well-focused, showing clearly the transaction between Mr. Hattrick and Tad, and the others showed the shoving altercation between Tad and Derby, with the final shots showing Mr. Hattrick giving the test answers to both Tad and Derby. Tony placed the photographs in a Manila envelope he found on the table.
The bell rang right as Tony was finishing up. Instead of going to lunch, Tony headed down to Mr. Galloway’s room. Entering, he saw Mr. Galloway seated in his chair, turned towards the window. Noiselessly, he came forward and laid the Manila envelope on Mr. Galloway’s desk. He turned to leave, but was stopped by Mr. Galloway’s voice.
“Oh, I say, Tony, I didn’t hear you come in !”, he said with a smile. “How are things these days ?”
“Oh, umm....Just fine, Sir !”, Tony returned cheerfully, flicking his eyes to the envelope on the desk.
“Well, that’s fine, just fine !”, Mr. Galloway said heartily, following Tony’s eyes to the desktop. “I say, what’s this ?”, he said snatching up the envelope. “I don’t recall this being here.” He dumped the contents into his hand and set about examining them. “I do say, these are very good, just keen.”
“I...Uh...Don’t know anything about them Sir”, Tony said. “I just dropped in to...Um...Thank you for having me in English Class this year.”
“Of course you don’t, Tony”, Mr. Galloway said, giving Tony a knowing look. “Never said you did. They just happened to be here, is all. As for having you in class, it was a real pleasure.”
“Uh...Right Sir”, Tony said. “Well, I better go. I got to get my lunch and all.”
Mr. Galloway nodded. “You do that. I’m sure that whoever left this packet here will know the contents will be put to good use, hey ?”
“Um...Sure thing Sir”, Tony said, heading towards the door. “I’ll see you around, Ok ?”
Mr. Galloway nodded and Tony left the room, heading for his locker. When he arrived, he discovered he had forgotten his lunch. He had probably left his lunchbag at the Dorm. No way was he eating Edna’s slop cooking. He sighed. Already late, he left the school and went to the Dorm to retrieve it. Karen would be wondering what was keeping him.
_______________________________________
-
Jimmy had spent the morning in the laundry room at the Asylum, washing and drying clothes. He was disguised in an Orderly uniform and had literally breezed in unchallenged, walking past the Main Gate and past the Monk Statue with the inscription at the bottom....
HAPPY VOLTS ASYLUM
Home Of The Mentally Unwell
In fact, it was the Monk Statue that made Jimmy sure that Damon was being held at the Asylum once more. After Tony had told him of his experiences with Sheldon at the Graveyard, a certainty arose in his mind as he remembered the Monk Statue at the Asylum. He had heard talk of the Monks at the Church, and reckoned that there was a connection between them. Most likely, the poor souls that couldn’t be completely brainwashed into their secret order would be dumped here, labeled as 'Crazy’. There was no other reason for there to be a mental institution in a small a place as the Vale Valley.
Inside, while walking down the corridor in 'A’ Block, Theo had spotted him and, thinking he was a temp replacement, ordered him to get some laundry done for the inmates because “They Stunk.” It seemed that the regular staff hated to do laundry, and always waited until some poor sap was sent in from the outside to get it done. Jimmy didn’t mind. In fact, as he waited, it had given him a spectacular idea.
It was near noon now, and Jimmy had already been around ‘C’ Block, distributing the freshly cleaned white patient garb through the bars of the few occupied cells. He was well into ‘B’ Block now, wheeling the cart to each cell, and had made an unexpected discovery. One of the cells had Algie as a guest. Algie didn’t recognize him as he handed the bundle of clothing through the bars, in fact hadn’t said a word as he took the bundle and scurried back onto a corner. He looked highly miserable, and it also seemed as if he had lost a lot of weight.
At each cell, Jimmy had banged on the door and said in a loud voice, “Laundry !" Finally, he came to the cell he had been looking for, as Damon appeared in the small barred window. As he handed the bundle through, he looked both ways up and down the hallway. It was empty.
“Damon !”, he hissed. “Listen Up ! Gonna get you outta here !”
Damon took the bundle slowly and eyed Jimmy. “Who You Be, Man ? Why You Trickin’ Me ?”
“Shuddup, Idiot !”, Jimmy said in a low voice. “You want somebody to hear ? Now, just listen. Tony sent me to bust you out. Understand ?”
Damon reconsidered. “For real ?”, he asked in a lowered voice. Then, after a pause, he asked again, “Do I know you ? You sound.....Familiar.”
“You know me”, Jimmy said lowly. “I’m in disguise. You remember how you got here ?”
“Uhhh...” Confusion crossed Damon’s face. “The....Black People....They had me....Then...I wuz here, later. I don’t know how....”
“Never mind”, Jimmy said, stealing a look down the hall. “Tell me later. Just stand ready, got it ?”
Damon nodded to show he understood, and Jimmy moved on the the next cell, resuming the clothing deliveries. When he reached the end of the hall, he took a look into the gated control room. Dan the Orderly was on duty there and was looking rather bored. Jimmy couldn’t use the same trick he had pulled already before when they had sprung Damon. He had to figure a new ruse to make the Orderly open up the control room door.
Jimmy surreptitiously pulled out his Spud Gun as he approached the Control Room, keeping it well hidden behind the cart he was pushing. An Idea was beginning to form in his mind.
___________________________________________
-
Derby Harrington skipped down the front steps out in front of the school. His test-taking was done for the school year, and he should be graduating at long last. It had been ridiculously easy. Screw Tad Spencer and screw this school, he was done with the place. He could now go off to some fancy-smancy Ivy League college and get in with a new group of Preps. The only thing he would be taking from this place was his lap-dog buddy, Bif. The rest could go to Hell.
Derby looked straight ahead as he left the steps and headed across the quad. If he had but looked to his left, he might have spotted Pinky, who was sitting on one of the benches against the wall. She had been waiting for him to make his exit. Derby had been avoiding her for weeks, and Pinky meant to have it out with him. She was convinced he had something to do with Kurt’s disappearance, and she was going to get the truth out of him before he left Bullworth. It had taken her awhile to steel up her nerve for the confrontation, but now it was her last chance. She hopped to her feet and began to trail Derby.
Pinky followed Derby towards the Academy Gates. When he had almost reached the smaller quad area where the pathways from the two Dorms met, she sucked in her breath and yelled, “DERBY HARRINGTON !! I WANT TO TALK TO YOU !!!”
Derby slowed and cast a look behind him. “Fuck Off, Bitch !!”, he returned and kept on walking.
Pinky ran the remaining distance between them, catching up to Derby. She grabbed him and spun him around, no mean feat for the smaller girl. “You’re Going To Tell Me What You Did With Kurt !!!”, she said in a loud voice. “Tell Me Right Now, You BASTARD !!!!!”
A glint of humor laced Derby’s words. “I’m not telling you ANYthing, you Stupid Slut.” He turned to go again.
Pinky grabbed his arm. “You’re Going To Tell Me NOW, You ASSHOLE !!!”, Pinky yelled hysterically.
Derby has stopped again. “Why ?”, he jeered. “Your Oversize Cunt been lonely lately ?”
A look of shock registered on Pinky’s face at that insult. She reached back and slapped Derby’s face as hard as she could.
Down in front of the Boy’s Dorm, Tony had been coming down the steps with his bag of forgotten lunch. As he headed down the path, he became aware of the confrontation ahead of him. With Pinky’s yelling, it would have been hard to miss. He quickened his pace.
A murderous look lit Derby’s eyes. He drew back with his fist and cold-cocked Pinky right in the jaw. Pinky was rocketed backwards and landed in a heap on the pavement.
Little Sheldon had witnessed the incident from several feet away. “Stop !!”, he cried, “Why can’t you just be friends ?”
“Shut Up, you little worthless Twerp !”, Derby growled, “Or I’ll kick your Pauper Ass !!”
“I’M TELLING !”, Sheldon screamed, and began to run away. “I’M TELLING !!”
“Yeah", Derby called after him, “Go Snitch, You Little Piece Of Shit, That’s What You Do, You....”
Derby’s retort was cut short as the form of Tony smashed into him, knocking both to the ground. They both rolled over and jumped to their feet.
“Alright, Derby, You’ve Crossed The Line !”, Tony said hotly. His bag of lunch lay in the pathway, forgotten.
“Well, If It Isn’t The Arbiter Of Right And Just At Bullworth”, Derby returned. “Get Down Off Your High Horse, Little Man. You’re Nothing !”
“I’m More That You Ever Were”, Tony shot back. “I May Not Be Rich, But I Don’t Go Around Punching Girls !”
“Wasn’t Punching A Girl”, Derby returned. “I Punched A Rotten SLUT. Big Difference.”
“Not To Me”, Tony said, moving closer, fists at the ready.
“So....What ?”, an evil smile broke over Derby’s face. “You’ve Had Her Too ?”
When Tony didn’t answer, Derby said, “Thought So”, and began to laugh.
Tony took the opportunity of Derby’s laughter to land a right cross on his jaw. Derby staggered back, but recovered and sent his own smashing right to the side of Tony’s head. He was staggered, but remained on his feet. Both fighters circled each other and began to trade punches.
Sheldon had reached Seth the Prefect and told in a breathless voice what he had witnessed. Seth alerted the other Prefects over the radio, and they converged quickly on the area. As they arrived, the fight between Derby and Tony was in full swing. Seth and Karl grabbed Derby while Max and Edward wrestled Tony away.
“GET OFF ME, YOU MORONS !!”, cried Derby. “Don’t You Know Who I Am ? My Father OWNS This Dump !!”
The Prefects were confused. Instead of responding to a report of a girl being punched, they had broken up a fight between the School Mediator and Derby Harrington. They stood by indecisively, unsure of what to do.
“He Punched Pinky !”, Tony yelled, pointing at Derby and then at the prone form of Pinky, who lay moaning on the pavement. “You Gotta Run Him In !”
“I’m Not Going Anywhere With You Fools”, Derby retorted. “I’m Leaving !”
Edward’s steely blue eyes took in the crumpled sight of Pinky, then turned on Derby. “I think, the both of you should be taken up to Dr. Crabblesnitch and we’ll get this sorted out. Max, see to Miss Gauthier and get her to the Clinic, would you ?” He motioned to the boys. “Let’s get moving.”
“This Is BULLSHIT !”, Derby complained. “I wouldn’t expect this from former Prep Brothers !”
“Seems you don’t have too many Prep fans these days, does it ?”, Edward retorted. “Move Along !”
Derby looked for a second like he would cut and run anyway, but Edward, Seth and Karl had formed a ring around him. Derby dropped his arms and allowed himself to be led back to school. Tony followed behind the Prefects.
“You guys are going to be in deep shit over this”, Derby muttered.
“That remains to be seen”, Edward said tightly. “Dr, Crabblesnitch will decide.”
The group entered the school and walked across the Great Hall while the other students stared and whispered. It was nearly the noon hour.
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-
“These are some serious charges, young Master Harrington”, Dr. Crabblesnitch intoned. “What do you have to say for yourself ?”
“I don’t have to say Anything to you”, Derby said arrogantly. “You’re just a Puppet around here. I’m a Harrington.”
The Prefects were shocked at Derby’s outrageous attitude, but Dr. Crabblesnitch took it in stride. “It’s doesn’t matter just who you are, you cannot be punching girls !”
“Like I told this lame Pauper”, Derby said snidely, pointing at Tony, “I did not punch a Girl.”
“That’s not true, Sir”, Seth said. “He was seen punching Miss Gauthier by a witness.”
“And just who was that ?”, Dr. Crabblesnitch, staring up at the ceiling, wishing he were somewhere else.
“Um, Sheldon Thompson, Sir”, Seth said, “He told me.”
“Hah”, Derby said. “That little Twerp ? You can’t believe him. He’s a Liar. He makes a career out of tattling on everybody.”
“I saw him do it, Sir”, Tony said, suddenly feeling strange to be relying on Dr. Crabblesnitch for any kind of justice in the matter, seeing as how he knew the things he did about the Headmaster.
“You’re a Liar too, Calderone”, Derby said hotly. “Just a douchebag LIAR !!”
Dr. Crabblesnitch sighed and rose from his chair, walking to the window that overlooked the back Quad. “I’m afraid there’s going to have to be consequences for your actions, young Harrington.”
“So, just call my Father and tell him what kind of ‘consequences’ those might be”, Derby said in a jeering tone. He had no more respect for the Headmaster than he did for anyone else, and his voice dripped with venom. “I’m sure those ‘consequences’ will be getting your Pauper Ass FIRED !!”
Dr. Crabblesnitch opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped by the sound of a loud far-away BOOM !!!!!!!!!!! Everyone stood stood stock still at the sound, unsure of what it might be.
Except for Tony. He had a feeling he knew just what it was.
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The hands of the Clocktower in the Bullworth Town Square had just clicked over to high noon when the Founder's Statue in the middle of the Town Square exploded with a mighty roar. Chunks of the statue were thrown in every direction, some of the pieces striking the Townspeople who had, just a few seconds before, been enjoying a warmish cloudless day at the start of the noon hour. People began to run in sheer panic as a huge white cloud of dusty debris enveloped the square.
Sid’s Reign Of Terror on the Vale Valley had begun.
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-
In the Headmaster’s Office at the school, Tony broke the silence. “It’s an Attack ! It’s Jake’s doing, I just know it is !”
Derby turned and eyed Tony queerly. “And just what do you know Calderone ?”, he said snidely, “You seem to know a lot about other people’s business, don’t you now, you Peon Motherfucker ?”
“That’s Enough of that !”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said sternly, turning from the window. “I will not have that kind of talk in my office.....”
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Statue of the long-ago Bullworth Academy Football Player in the Bullhead Mask on the Fountain at the junction of the pathways leading from the Back Quad to the Gym and the Greasers Shop and Harrington Hall exploded with a huge roar, the figure all but disintegrating with the force of the blast. Fortunately, no one was around the Fountain, but the few kids who were on the Back Quad were knocked down. Some of the windows in the back of the school, including those in Dr. Crabblesnitch’s office, were shattered.
“Good Lord !!”, Dr. Crabblesnitch exclaimed, as he looked out the now-broken window at the smoldering wreck. He turned quickly and barked orders to Edward, Seth, and Karl, who were still standing by the double doors to the office. “Get out there and get those children away from the buildings ! That Little Kook will probably blow them up again ! Get Everyone Out !!”
The Prefects raced to obey, leaving the Headmaster, Tony, and Derby still in the office. Derby looked around with a hateful stare at Tony and a dismissive one at Dr. Crabblesnitch. “I’m leaving”, he announced, and walked out, nearly running down Ms. Danvers as she came hobbling into Dr. Crabblesnitch’s office. Derby spit on her, then trotted out of the building at a fast pace.
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-
Jimmy approached the door that led into the Control Room, hidden Spud Gun at the ready. Keeping the laundry cart in front of him to hide the Spud Gun, he leaned over and banged on the door. “Hey !! We Got A Problem Out Here !!”, he yelled.
“What Is It ?”, Dan the Orderly called back, getting up from the Control Panel and coming to the grating.
“Some Roid Monkey Is Tearing Out The Bars On The Door Down In Room 6 !!”, Jimmy shouted back, his finger tightening on the trigger of the Spud Gun.
“Aw, Holy Hell !”, Dan exclaimed, going to the door and throwing it open. “It’s that Goddamn Ape West again.....OOOOFFF !!!!!!!!!!”
Jimmy had leveled the Spud Gun underneath the cart and fired point blank into the Orderly’s crotch. He collapsed in pain on the floor, exclaiming, “Ohhhh, My Boys !!!!!”
Jimmy shot him in the head with another Spud to knock him out, then pushed past him into the Control Room. Rushing over to the panel, he did the same as he had done before, and released all the locks to the cells in the Asylum. As he headed out the door, a the Asylum was rocked by a loud BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At once, the power failed and the interior went dark. Jimmy raced down the hall to Damon’s room and yanked open the door. By that time, the emergency lights placed in the corners of the hallways lit up. “Com’on, Damon, let’s go, NOW !!”
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The Monk Statue has exploded with a mighty roar, scattering it’s chunks over a wide area. One large chunk crashed into the entrance doors, tearing the foyer to pieces and blocking the doors to Block ‘A’. The remaining Orderlies had rushed towards the front at the sound of the blast, only to find that they couldn’t get out that way. When they turned to come back, they found themselves confronted by the inmates who were just leaving their cells. The Orderlies tried to run, but were quickly overwhelmed by the inmates, who began to immediately beat up their tormenters.
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-
“Why, You Ruffian !!", Ms. Danvers exclaimed, startled by the gob of spit on her forehead by whom she considered a model student. But Derby was gone, almost faster than she could even react. She briefly considered going after him, but realized that would have be futile on a broken foot. Instead, she hobbled over to Dr. Crabblesnitch’s desk.
“Milton, you should suspend that boy !”, she told him, “He spit on me !”
“You know I can’t do that”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said wearily, still staring out the broken window at the ruined statue.
Ms. Danvers appeared flustered. “Something must be done !”, she said. “And just what was that horrible noise ?”
“It’s that litle snot Jake, I believe”, Dr. Crabblesnitch replied, his gaze fixed. “Call the Police, would you Dear ? Tell them....Tell them we have a bad problem.”
Ms. Danvers reached for the phone and began to punch in the access number. Both were totally ignoring Tony’s presence in the room. Tony edged towards the door and slipped from the room.
He had to find Karen and check on his friends, and he had to hurry.
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Damon stared at Jimmy for a moment in confusion. “Whut de hell isa goin’ on ?”, he said, as the freed inmates began to wander the halls, their voices beginning to rumble in fear.
“Com’on !”, Jimmy said, “We need to get you out of here, now !”
“Hey, who you be, man ?”, Damon said suspiciously. “You taking me for dose Treatments ?”
“No, you Dumb Fuck, you’re going on a field trip !”, Jimmy shot back, exasperated “See all these crazies wandering around here ? I sprung the doors, this is an escape ! Let’s GO !”
“You look....Familiar”, Damon said, staring closely at Jimmy. “Do I know you ?”
“We already went through this”, Jimmy said, then sucked in his breath and shouted, “HEY CRAZIES, HEAR THAT BIG NOISE ? THEY’RE BLOWING THE PLACE UP !! NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO ESCAPE !!! YOU BETTER RUN AFORE THE BOOGEY MEN GET YOU !!! THAT'S RIGHT, YOU INSANE MORONS, ESCAPE !!! ESCAPE !!! ESCAPE !!!"
The already agitated inmates surged toward the Block ‘B’ doors to the Rec Room. Jimmy hoped that the large explosion had diverted the attention of the remaining Orderlies enough so they could slip by in the confusion. He grabbed Damon by the arm and began to pull him along, when a plaintive voice behind him made him pause.
“Hey, a little help here ?”, the voice whined.
Jimmy turned to see Algie standing there trembling by the door to cell 6. “Little help here ?”, he repeated, staring owl-eyed at Jimmy, missing his glasses.
“Lost some weight, did’ja Algie ?”, Jimmy observed, without thinking.
“Jimmy, is that you ?”, Algie said, startled, recognizing Jimmy’s voice.
“Hopkins ?”, Damon grunted. “Dat be you ?”
Jimmy swore. He hadn’t meant to reveal himself, and had forgotten to disguise his voice. “It don’t matter”, he said, motioning Algie over towards them. “We have to get out now, or else we ain’t leaving. Now, let’s Move !!”
Seeing no choice but to follow, Algie joined Damon and Jimmy as they crept to the doors of Block ‘B’ and into the Rec Room. What greeted them was mass confusion. Like Jimmy had hoped, the Orderlies had been drawn away by the mysterious blast, but the Rec Room was now jammed with inmates, most of who were packed around the doors leading to Block ‘A’, not being able to move further for some reason. One lone inmate was taking a dump on top of the ping-pong table, probably the same one who Jimmy had seen doing it before, the last time he was here, busting Damon out. Jimmy saw at once that they wouldn’t be able to get out that way. He hadn’t been able to bring the Rubberband Ball this time like before, since he couldn’t fit it into the tight Orderly uniform. After just a moment of indecision, he led the group over to the Block ‘C’ doors and kicked them open.
In the mostly unused section, Jimmy could see that some work had been done since he had snuck out Johnny Vincent last year using the same way. There was a circtitious route they had to take through the Mortuary and the Furnace Room to get to the exercise yard outside. The areas were mostly in the dark, since there weren’t the emergency lights back in this section like there was the others. Both Algie and Damon balked somewhat before entering the Mortuary Room. Jimmy ridiculed them, calling them pussies and other colorful names until they finally allowed themselves to be led through the room, averting their eyes as much as they could away from the gruesome spectacles within, even though nothing much could be seen in the dark.
When they reached the Furnace Room, Jimmy had to use his lighter to see the way to the back door to the exercise yard at the North Side of the Asylum. Jimmy fumbled with the locks while balancing the lighter while Damon and Algie waited nervously nearby. He was finally able to push it open and ushered his two charges through it into the bright sunlight, letting the door slam shut behind him as he exited, forgetting for the moment that it was self-locking and they wouldn’t be able to re-enter the Asylum. Jimmy spaced that little detail, in part because he had no plan to go back IN to the Asylum, only to escape. But the sight of the high enclosed fence that went around the area reminded him that there wasn’t any easy way out of this place either. He and Damon may be able to scale the fence, but he knew that to expect Algie to climb anything was like asking a Gnat to fly a rocketship. On top of that, a rim of curly barbed wire now adorned the top of the fence all the way around. It seemed, for the moment, that they were trapped.
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Tony ran down to the Lunchroom to see if any of his friends were there. The place was mostly cleared out, students no doubt had scattered at the sound of the explosion. He doubled back and headed to the rear entrance by Mr. Galloway’s English room and stepped outside. There he encountered a gaggle of students, standing fearful on the steps and scattered all around the back Quad. There was mostly an unbelieving silence, and all eyes were focused on the destruction.
When Tony got close enough to see, he stopped short. The entire statue that had sat on the pedestal above the fountain had seemingly vanished, large chunks of it scattered close by, blocking the way from Harrington House, the Autoshop, and the Gym. Smaller pieces were laying about all over. Tony spotted the stone football with it’s severed hand attached laying just a few feet away. There were a few kids bleeding from being hit by small thrown pieces. It was a miracle that no one had been seriously hurt.
Edward the Prefect had appeared, shooing kids to back away from the rubble and attempting to keep them away from the 'ground zero’ of the blast. It was then Tony noticed the area was all wet....The blast had cracked the walls of the fountain, and all the brackish water had leaked out. Tony looked around then, and spotted his friends standing off to one side of the Quad in a group. He was relieved to see Karen in the group.
Tony counted heads. Besides Karen, he saw Nick, Melody, Constantinos, and Ray. One was missing. “Where’s Laurent ?”, he asked.
“He is with the Jocks”, Constantinos answered. “Burton has them doing Gym finals down at the Football Field.”
The crowd was getting thicker as more students came out of the school to see what had happened. Tony motioned the others. “Let’s go around front”, he said. “Nothing we can do here anyway.”
The group headed around to the Front Quad in silence. Every one of them knew who the bomber was this time. The only question was how much damage was to be done this time. When they reached the Front Quad, it was empty, save for a couple of stray students. The gathered in front of the school steps. It was then that Tony noticed Max the Prefect, standing outside the front gate, talking with what looked like Officer Monson. His Cop car was parked nearby. Tony squinted, trying to make them out. Crabblesnitch must have gotten ahold of the Police. But why weren’t they coming in ?
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two more explosions erupted from the direction of Bullworth Town. Officer Monson said something to Max and then hustled to his car and raced away. Max quickly came back in through the gates and proceeded to close them, running the chains and locking the locks. Then he sprinted towards the Front Quad. Tony moved to intercept him.
“What’s Going On ??”, he hollered at Max.
Max gave him a strange look as he jogged by. “School Is On LOCKDOWN !!”, he said, somewhat self-importantly as he went past. “Police Say Nobody In Or Out !!” He kept going toward the Parking Lot, presumably to close up the gate there as well. Tony returned to where his friends were standing. “We’re on Lockdown”, he related.
“What’s that mean ?”, Melody asked.
“It means”, Tony said, staring at the retreating figure, “That for the present, we’re stuck here.”
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The Two explosions had occurred in Bullworth Town, one where a charge was planted at the side of the Bank, the other at the front of the old Theater. The damage from the Bank explosion had been minimal, cracking the thick foundation and walls, but otherwise doing major damage. The one at the Theater, however, which had been planted directly in the Ticket-Taker’s Box Office, had blown out the entire front of the Theater at street level, leaving a gaping hole to the interior. Several Townspeople milling nearby had been knocked down from the concussion, and a few lay bleeding in the street.
Fresh panic ensued among the Townspeople, as they ran to the explosion sites to survey the damage and drag the wounded clear. A Cop car came wailing up and Officer Williams stepped onto the scene, only to find the crowd out of control. After uselessly trying to move people back he gave up and re-entered his car to speed to the scene of the other explosion. When he arrived, it was to find a bunch of the richer Townspeople rushing the Bank, worried about their money and valuables within. Officer Monson had arrived also, but they were no more effective at holding them back here as had been the case at the Old Theater.
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A fresh explosion erupted at the deserted bar across the street from the Final Cut in New Coventry, spewing debris everywhere and breaking windows up and down the street. Officer Morrison, who had been enroute from the Police sub-station in Blue Skies was diverted to try to handle the situation. As with the others, he had little succuess as the panicky Townspeople just overran him.
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another explosion ripped through the Bullworth Vale business district, cati-cornered from the Vale Hotel. Several people were blown to the ground, and the rest ran screaming in terror. Windows in the Hotel were shattered from the blast, as were windows in the Aquaberry store and as far as clear down the street at the Hair, Nails, & Beauty. Officer Ivanovich was dispatched to the scene and had no better luck at crowd control than his fellow officers.
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At Blue Skies, a large explosion had nearly leveled the unused Wonder Meats Packing Plant, causing the greatest amount of damage to that point. But no one responded to it, as there was no one in authority left to respond. The radio chatter to Headquarters soon jammed Chief Carcer’s lines begging for help. After about a half an hour, the Chief realized that they were just way too undermanned for what was now happening.
Chief Carcer drew in a shuddering breath. He had always feared a day like this would come. Barely able to maintain a modicum of order under the best of times, the force was woefully undermanned for an emergency situation such as this. In addition to the report phoned in by Dr. Crabblesnitch at the school, there were also six other bombings reported in less than an hour. He no longer had a choice. He pulled his phone towards him and punched in a restricted number, his nervousness rising as he did so.
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-
“Where do you think those other explosions were at ?”, ventured Karen.
“Somewhere in town”, Tony said, squinting towards that direction, contemplating. “I wonder just what his game is this time ? Distracting the Cops so he can waltz in here and just take over ?” Images of his dream floated through his mind, about being in front of the Hardware Store, then another, about being here, in this spot on the Front Quad, with destruction all around. Suddenly, he felt a great unease. “We need to be somewhere else”, he said, urgently. Abruptly, he turned to the others. “We have to get down to the Football Field and find Laurent.”
“But, the way is blocked !”, exclaimed Melody, “We can’t.....
“There’s more than one way down there”, Tony replied absently. He turned to Constantinos. “Go round up all the Non-Clique kids you can find, have them meet us at the Library.” Constantinos nodded, and ran off to undertake the mission. “The rest of us....Let’s go ! Hurry !”, Tony urged, anxious to be away from this spot.
Tony led to group around to the Library, and waited in the yard for Constantinos. Along the way, Melvin appeared, heading from the Back Quad leading the Nerds. Tony quickly counted heads and saw all were present, including Fatty, who was still limping on his recently healed broken leg.
“Best stay out of the Library”, Tony advised. “Remember what happened last time.”
“We’re going to the Observatory”, Melvin said. “It ought to be safe there.”
“I don’t know”, Tony observed, “I don’t think the buildings will be safe, anywhere.”
“The Observatory wasn’t touched last time”, Melvin replied stubbornly.
“Don’t mean it won’t this time”, Tony argued. “You know who we’re dealing with.”
“We checked it for those white balls you told us about, inside and out”, Melvin returned. “Didn’t find anything. It’s safe, all right.”
Tony just shook his head, but let it go for now. The rest of the Nerds filed past, heading for the wall. “Everybody’s been ordered out of the School”, Fatty said, catching up and still puffing. “They got the Teachers out back there, trying to keep order.”
“We’re heading for the Football Field”, Tony told him, “Soon as the rest get here.”
Fatty gave him a queer look, then said, “We’ll leave the gate open for you.” Then he trotted away, as much as his limp would allow. The others helped him over the wall, and in no time at all, they went through the gate and were gone.
Just then, Constantinos showed up with Gordon, Ivan, and Trevor. They were full of questions, by Tony didn’t have time for that now. He waved everyone over the wall and made sure they got through the gate. Assembled on the other side, Tony told them briefly where they were headed and why. Then he led them down the outside path around the school, following the Nerds towards the Observatory.
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-
A stunned Gregory freed himself from the reception cage in the foyer of Happy Volts Asylum, and stumbled through the gaping opening of what had been the front entrance. He lumbered towards the front gate, limping badly. Behind him, the inmates finally broke through the rubble logjam and poured out through the front. Spotting him, they charged after him and caught him halfway to the gate, where they proceeded to exact revenge for all the electro-shock ‘treatments’ they had been subjected to. The rest of the Orderlies had already been beaten into submission and lay unconscious in ‘A’ Block.
Jimmy watched the action from behind the fenced-in exercise yard. He ducked low and motioned the others to do likewise. It wouldn’t do to be seen, especially since he was still wearing an Orderly uniform. He had a plan in mind, but it would just have to wait awhile. Since he had been privy to most conversations about Jake from Tony, he could guess what was going on, but he was slightly confused. What did bombing the Asylum have to do with taking over the school ? Or, was this something bigger, something else ? Or just a random nothing ?
Damon and Algie were getting fidgety. Damon was casting a wary eye at Algie, and suddenly Jimmy remembered being told that Algie had engineered those mass Clique attacks all by his little lonesome, after his nut had been blown off over at the Nerd’s basement lair at the Dragon’s Wing Comic Shop. Damon’s look began to turn to hostility. Algie moved a bit back further in the yard and Damon began to follow.
“I’se gonna pound you, yah little snot !”, Damon threatened, “Beat your fat ass fer wot you done to Gloria !”
“I...I didn’t do nothing !”, Algie squealed, “They tied her up ! It was Leo ! I was just guarding them, I swear !”
“You attacked my Clique !”, Damon said, “Sneak Attacked them, you gotta pay for that !”
“That...It....Was a Mistake !”, Algie blubbered. “I was just....Just.....JIMMY, HELP ME !!”
“Jesus Cristo”, Jimmy swore, intervening between the two of them. “Are you Numbskulls TRYING to get the Crazies to notice us ?”, he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, where the inmates were now wandering around the grounds, unable to leave. “If they trick to the fact we’re back here, they’ll come and find a way back here. Do you want that ?”
“Little fat Nerd fuck needs his ass kicked”, Damon grumbled.
“Maybe so, but now is not the time”, Jimmy said firmly. “Don’t forget I can still beat YOUR ass, Damon.”
Damon knew that to be true, and backed away from Algie. Turning, he said, “What’choo doin’ here, Hopkins ? I thought you was in Jail or somptin’.”
“I was, but I been hiding out”, Jimmy said. “Good thing for you, too. This is the second time I helped get you out of here.”
“Second Time ?”, Damon said in disbelief. “Naw, that was....Tony, and Nick....And....”
“And me”, Jimmy said. “You just didn’t see me. I started a distraction so the others could escape with you.”
Damon was further confused now, a natural state with him to begin with. He just stood there staring, not knowing what to say. Jimmy said, as a way to kill some time, “Just how was it you wound up here again, Damon ?”
Damon fumbled for words. “I’se...Don’t know.....We wuz fightin’ the Bullies over at the Graveyard, and this big flash or sumptin’ knocked me out. When I came to, there wuz....Waz a buncha black robed dudes chantin’ somptin’ at me.....Den, I was here, somehow....I donno....”
KA-BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A huge explosion suddenly took out the wooden kiosk that served as a waiting area for transportation at the entrance to the Asylum. The force of the blast also caved in the front gates, knocking down some of the wandering inmates who were a bit too close. Those inmates who still could headed for the breech just as soon as the dust cleared, and loped down the access road to freedom.
The three boys stood watching from behind the fence in shock as the inmates scampered across the rubble and took off. The way was cleared now for their escape, and Jimmy knew just what to do. Digging in his pocket for the lump of C-4 that he got from Tony, he tore off a ping-pong ball sized piece, then he dug in another pocket and found a Firecracker. He jammed the Firecracker in the small lump of whitish clay, and stuck it to the bottom of the fence. Telling Damon and Algie to get back and cover up, he lit the fuse and ran like hell to the back of the yard, flinging himself flat on his belly and covering up as the charge went off.
POW-BOOM !!!!!!!!!!
The explosive took out the whole West portion of the fence and much of the base. Debris rained down around them, but as the charge was smaller, they all escaped unscathed. Rising, Jimmy urged them through the break and they ran across the Asylum yard, clamoring over the rubble at the front gate. Jimmy searched for the tunnel to leave, only to find it choked with debris from the blast. They would have to follow the crazies down the access road.
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The phone rang in the Harrington study, but for the moment, Mr. Harrington ignored it. He was intent on watching a special news report on his special satellite access TV, a luxury that most Vale Valley residents didn’t have. The reporter was saying.....
“.....a late breaking story is just developing here on the Northside near the area where reputed Crime Boss Vincent Fonzerelli is said to be holed up. A group of what appears to be Federal Agents are storming the area, and there are reports of gunfire in the immediate area. There are also unconfirmed reports that this is a raid and that armed Federal Agents are sealing off a six block by six block area with the intent of serving arrest warrants on major underworld figures.....”
The phone kept up it’s insistent ringing, and finally Mr. Harrington reached over and scooped it up. “What Do You Want, I’m Busy Here !!!”, he shouted into the receiver.
“Chief Carcer here”, came the reply from the other end, “A series of bombs is going off in the towns !”
“What do you expect me to do about it ?”, Mr. Harrington growled. “You Morons are supposed to protect the city, so do your job ! Why are you bothering me with this ?”
“We don’t have enough manpower to control things”, Chief Carcer said, somewhat desperately. “We gotta call somebody in to help, maybe the State Police or the Feds....”
“YOU’LL DO NOTHING OF THE SORT !!!”, Mr. Harrington screamed. “May I Remind You That If You Bring Outsiders In, You Will Be A Guest Of Your Own Jail, Sitting In A Cell ?”
“But...But...It's turning into Chaos out here !”, Chief Carcer implored, almost pleading. “We got to have some help to contain the situation....”
“THEN CONTAIN IT, YOU FOOL !!”, Mr. Harrington yelled. “That’s What You Get Paid For, And Rather Well, I Might Add !! Get Off Your FAT ASS And Take Care Of It And STOP BOTHERING ME !! Like I Said, I’M BUSY !!!!!!”
With that, he slammed down the receiver and let fly with a string of curses at the inept Police Chief. He then returned his attention to the TV broadcast in time to hear the reporter say.....
“......our affiliate station WFBC is reporting that CNN is now confirming that a series of Indictments were handed down this morning charging Income Tax Evasion, Racketeering, Bribery, Corrosion, Witness Tampering, and Murder, along with violations of the RICO statutes and the MANN Act, against the top reputed criminals of the organization, including Vincent Fonzerelli, known locally as “Bloody Vince”......There is an unsubstantiated report from an anonymous source in the Justice Department that charges of Terrorism and the commission of Terroristic Acts will also be forthcoming.....Another late report has it that the National Guard has been called in to assist Federal Agents in the apprehension of Vincent Fonzerelli and all his Lutenients.....”
Mr. Harrington could only stare owlishly at the screen as the report went on. What was taking place in New York City would spell doom for him in the Vale Valley.....Unless.....
He reached for the phone to call the other Prep Power Brokers in the Vale and formulate a plan to ward off certain disaster. All of them, except for Spencer, that is. He was going to hang that bastard out to dry.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
A group of men were also gathered about a TV in the Bronx, listening to the same report. A smiling Michael “Big Mike” Tortelli turned to the man sitting beside him and said, “Looks like your boy came through after all.”
“I never had a doubt he would”, Mr. Luntz replied. “Never a doubt at all.”
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-
Coming around the rock-strewn pathway around the outside edge of the Academy on the boulder-strewn trail, Tony and his friends caught up with the slower Nerds just as they ducked through the archway leading back onto school property.
Tony called to Fatty, who was still bringing up the rear, “I really don’t think this is a good idea, Fatty. You fellows should stay away from the buildings until this is over with.”
“It’ll be fine !”, Fatty said stubbornly, “We already checked the whole place and didn’t find any..........”
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Nerds may have checked the Observatory, but they apparently neglected to search the upper platform over the gates where the Spud Cannon was located. The blast blew away most of the archway above the gates and the Spud Cannon was virtually disintegrated, some of it’s pieces being flung backwards into the Observatory’s new doors and punching holes in them. The Nerds, who were just beginning to approach the Observatory, were blown backwards, although the large boulders strewn about in front of the Observatory walls afforded them some protection from the debris pushed out from the center of the blast.
Tony and his friends were still to the South-East side of the rock face and were therefore sheltered from the debris zinging outward from the blast, but the concussion still staggered them all backwards. The noise of the blast receded, but everyone was unable to hear anything except the ringing in their heads. As he looked around dazed at Karen and the rest to make sure they were alright, Tony realized that Jake’s game had turned into a deadly serious one.
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“What Did You Set That Off For ?”, an angry Sid bellowed. “I TOLD You NOT To Set Off Anymore At The School Until Morning !!!”
Jake looked up at Sid from the radio. “Set what off ?”, he said, with an odd look on his face, almost one of glee.
“You Know Damn Well What”, Sid fired back, hotly. “I Saw That Code You Entered.”
“Ehh...So What ?”, Jake sneered. “Need to keep the little Bastards on their toes. It was just the one down at the Observatory, anyway. Those little snots won’t be down there, that bitch Crabblesnitch probably has everybody confined to the Dorms by now.”
“You Don’t Know That !!”, Sid yelled. “I TOLD You, I Ain’t Gonna Be Responsible For Killin’ No Kids !!” Sid grabbed Jake’s chair and spun it around, getting right in his face. In a low, almost dangerous voice, he continued, “We got a lot of time and effort into this operation, which was mostly your idea and your plan, so don’t Fuck It Up !!” Sid locked gazes with Jake and added, “Don’t be messin’ with us, Sonny Boy, or you’ll be windin’ up a cripple in some back alley !”
Jake held his gaze with Sid, eye to eye for several seconds. Finally, he dropped his eyes, a small smile playing around his lips. “Sure Sid”, he said, “Stick to the plan. No more at the School until tomorrow.”
Sid shoved the chair back. “See that you don’t”, he said testily, and stalked out of the room.
Jake’s small smile got wider as he faced the radio again and prepared to transmit the next round of codes to trigger more bombs scattered around the Towns. Despite the run-in with Sid, he was having the time of his life. A feeling of almost God-like grandeur had swept over him. Edging ever deeper in his schizophrenia, he really didn’t give a rat’s ass if their bombs killed anyone or not. In point of fact, he hoped they would. It would be the Ultimate power trip.
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Running down the Access Road, Jimmy sort of wished he had stashed some bikes somewhere for a faster getaway. But on reflection, he realized that he would probably have stashed them in the bus kiosk (which had been blown up) or the tunnel (which had been blocked) and decided it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Following the crazed inmates seemed to be their best option at the moment. As soon as they were past the rail underpass, they could circle back under it again up ahead, then use the small trailway to the footbridge that led back across the water to the cavern outside of the Academy.
Jimmy and Damon waited under the rail overpass for Algie to catch up. Jimmy had another reason for waiting, and that was to peer around the corner at the road as it made a turn to the left just beyond the overpass. What he saw at first was amusing. The crazed inmates had bunched up ahead and were blocking traffic on the road. Horns began honking, causing the inmates to wave their arms around frantically, looking like a Keystone Kops comedy. But as he watched, the scene began to turn ugly. The honking seemed to galvinize the already unstable inmates into attack mode, and the began assaulting the vehicles they were blocking, using their fists to break windows and even jumping up on the hoods and leaping up and down and screeching like monkeys.
Algie finally caught up and began to complain loudly. Damon gave him an icy stare and Jimmy turned around and told him to shut up. The screech of tires brought his attention back to the road up ahead, and he looked just in time to see another car, which had come around the corner up ahead too quickly, smash into the rear of one of the stopped vehicles. The collision caused a chain reaction, shoving the car into another, and another, and another, until the car at the front was shoved over the sidewalk and up against the contrite wall of the rail overpass. This seemingly further enraged the inmates, and they began to pummel the wrecked cars harder, yanking out the occupants and beating on them. From the Truck Weigh Station across the road, several workers ran out in the road and began fighting the inmates.
Hoping that the commotion would provide them cover, Jimmy motioned the other two to follow him out, and headed towards the small tunnel under the overpass up ahead that would lead to the small trailway and the footbridge. As they began to move, a large frontloader coming from the other direction caught the attention of a couple of the crazed inmates. Running, they leaped up on the frontloader and somehow managed to get the cab door open. Grabbing the construction worker who was driving, they pelted him with punches before knocking him off the vehicle, where he landed in a heap in the street. Without a driver, the frontloader veered to the left, now out of control, and smashed into the lead wrecked car. Jimmy watched in dismay as the frontloader ricocheted off the car and plowed squarely into the small tunnel, jamming itself into opening and stalling. Fuel began spilling from the vehicle, and in no time at all, the hot exhaust pipe protruding from it ignited a fire that began to engulf the vehicle.
“SHIT !!!”, Jimmy exclaimed, “SHIT !!!! SHIT !!!! SHIT !!!!” He thought quickly. “Com’on, This Way !!”, he yelled to the others, and they headed across the road to the Truck Weigh Station, meaning to sneak through there and head North. It was risky, as it was still in sight of all the crazed inmates still intently fighting and wreaking havoc at the scene. Jimmy raised his Spud Gun as he ran, paralleling the mess, holding his fire until necessary to conserve his ammunition.
BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!!
The ground shook as tremendous explosions went off at the Chem Plant on the far side of the Industrial Complex to the East. Clouds of a billowing green gas, released by the explosions, driven by the force of the blast and helped along by a slight West wind, began to envelop the South end of Blue Skies.
Jimmy urged the others on, running harder. No longer concerned about being seen now, he was racing to outrun the cloud of greenish gas that was quickly rolling in. Some of the crazed inmates noticed him them, drawn by the sight of the Orderly uniform he still wore. Damon was able to punch a few out of the way as they raced along, following Jimmy. Algie was gamely bringing up the rear, not lagging for once as fright made him move faster.
Jimmy had one hope, to get to what he considered to be the Save Warehouse at the corner of the street up on Meats Road. Last Spring, after beating Edgar Munsen in a fight in the core of the Chem Plant, he had gained access to the Save Warehouse, one of the Townie’s hangouts. He had used it often over the past summer. While running, he felt in the pocket of the Orderly uniform and was relieved to find the key to the door was still there where he remembered leaving it. As the trio dashed across Meats Road the giant cloud of greenish gas rolled across them like a wave. Almost immediately they all began coughing from the noxious fumes, but Jimmy reached the door to the Save Warehouse. Turning and firing a few shots at the crazies still chasing them, Jimmy whirled back to the door, withdrawing the key with a shaky hand and ramming it home in the lock. Feeling sick to his stomach, he wrenched the knob and opened the door, stumbling across the threshold. Damon, coughing, followed, but looked back to find Algie.
Algie was not only coughing, but actively puking now from the fumes, giving him a taste of what he had done to so many others in his sneak attacks the past winter. Damon could have left him out there, as a payback for his crimes, but inexplicably he reached out and pulled Algie inside as he was retching himself, slamming the door. As the boys lay gasping inside, weak pounding came from the other side of the door, as the crazed inmates sought entry. But soon, overcome by the greenish gas themselves, they too collapsed to the pavement, retching their guts out.
Rising to his feet, Jimmy took a look around. The place appeared empty. Fortunately, the Save Warehouse had a contained ventilation system which would keep it free of the gas outside. The unfortunate part though, was that they were stuck here for the time being until the gas would dissipate. How long, would be anybody’s guess, Jimmy concluded. It appeared that this asshole Jake had indeed begun his final assault. He wondered how Tony and the others were faring over at the school, and was particularly worried about Zoe.
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Jimmy needn’t have worried about Zoe, for she was still safe. In fact, she had missed most of the excitement, electing to go back to the secret cave after the morning finals to see if Jimmy had been successful in his rescue mission, which he had told her all about. She had naturally wanted to go along, but Jimmy had nixed the idea, saying that it was to be a stealth operation and there wasn’t any female Orderlies at the Asylum, which was true. Still, she was worried. They had been apart for so long before, and Zoe didn’t want anything to happen to Jimmy. She knew how dangerous the situation was in the Towns and just what was at stake....Their Lives.
Finding the secret cave empty, she worried anew. Jimmy should have been back already. It could be they were hiding out somewhere, as Jimmy wouldn’t be bringing Damon back here to the cave. She sat down at the makeshift table and decided to wait awhile. If Jimmy wasn’t back soon, she would go find Tony.
When the Statue explosions went off, Zoe was able to hear them, even through the rock walls of the mountain. The last blast in particular sounded close. Jumping up, Zoe tried to exit the secret cave to investigate, but was stopped by clouds of choking dust. Returning to the Cave, she had to wait until the dust settled. After nearly an hour, she tried again and found the tunnel clear. Deciding to go to the end of the tunnel that led out to the Asylum, she discovered the way was blocked by debris. Really worried now, she turned back and ran the length of the tunnel to the Cavern, then South to the small footbridge. Crossing that, she headed for the small tunnel under the Rail line, only to see that it too was blocked with the wreck of a large Frontloader that was on fire. Doubling back, she ran back across the bridge, then hoisted herself up onto the remnants of the old spur line that went across the water and led to the Rail line. Hearing other explosions from the direction of Blue Skies gave her pause for a few seconds, but she resolved to go on. Before she was even halfway across the spur line, she saw the cloud of greenish gas that was rapidly growing bigger fill the sky up ahead. Still she went on, pulling up her blouse to cover her mouth and nose. She managed to reach the Rail line and ran across to the fence on the other side. Looking down, she beheld an awful sight.
There were wrecked cars everywhere. Further down Meats Road, she could see the smoldering ruins of the old Wonder Meats Rendering Plant. People were lying about everywhere, gasping and choking on the green gas. Some were wearing the Asylum smocks which marked them as patients. Through stinging eyes, Zoe looked closely everywhere she could, but could see no sign of Jimmy. Before she could be overcome by the green gas herself, she turned and stumbled back across the rail line to the rail spur, and as fast as she could, made her way back across it, stopping a couple of times to vomit from the effects of the gas. It was a good thing she had skipped lunch, she thought with a little bit of dark humor, otherwise she really would be puking her guts out.
Back at the Cavern, the air was still clear. Zoe decided it was time to go find Tony and the others. She headed into the short tunnel that led outward to the pathway around the Academy, and just as she emerged, another explosion shook the ground. This one came from the direction of the Observatory. Running, almost out of breath now, she came to the archway that entered the grounds and, through choking dust, spotted Tony and the others. Looking about, she saw Karen, Melody, Nick, Ray, Constantinos, Gordon, Ivan, and Trevor. They were busy helping Melvin, Fatty, and the rest of the Nerds to their feet. There was chunks of rock strewn everywhere, and when she got closer, Zoe could see why. The walkway above the Nerd’s gate to the Observatory had been blasted clean away, in fact the whole top was missing. The gates lay crumpled and torn, and some of the stone wall had been blown away. Breathlessly, she approached Tony and began to relate what she had seen.
Tony Grimaced. “So, the way over there is totally blocked ?”
“Yes, both tunnels !”, Zoe exclaimed, “And Jimmy is over there somewhere !”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do right now....We need to get everyone up to the Football Field”, Tony replied. “It should be safe there, with no buildings around.”
Laurent came up beside them, having come from the Football Field with the rest of the Jocks after hearing the explosion. Overhearing Tony’s remark, he said, “It is safe. Trent was doing Lawnmower Detention down there this morning. If any explosive was there, it got chopped up.”
“You mean, he’s actually good for something ?”, Tony said snidely. “That’s a break for us. Tell your guys we need to get everyone out there, right now !”
“Will do”, Laurent saluted, and ran off to tell the others. Zoe was breathing easier now, but was still very concerned. “But, what about Jimmy ? He could be in trouble !”
“Look, I need to get these kids safe”, Tony said, “After, I can send somebody to find Jimmy.”
Bewildered, Zoe asked, “You’re not going ? But Jimmy is your friend !”
“I know that”, Tony replied, “But Jake is going to show his face soon, and I have to be here.” His jaw tightened. “It’s a showdown he wants, and that’s what he’s gonna get !!”
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BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!
BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!
Explosions began going off in the Business Districts of Bullworth Town, Old Bullworth Vale, and New Coventry at the top of the 3 o’clock hour. The Mexican Restaurant, The Weet Cavity, and J’s Department Store in Bullworth Town went first, blowing out windows and trashing the interiors. That was quickly followed by explosions at Tasteful Tattoos and the Slab-O-Meat Store in New Coventry. A short time later, Explosions went off at The Bait Shop, The Homemade Ice Cream Place, and the newly re-opened Burger Joint in Old Bullworth Vale. The Townspeople, who had mostly taken to the streets and had been milling about the damaged areas like looky-loos, were galvanized into a fresh round of terror. The Cops, who had managed to finally retain some sense of order, were once again thrown into a frenzy of rushing to the newly damaged areas, only to confront the frenzied Townspeople who were yelling at them to do something and stridently questioning them as to why nothing was being done. One of the loudest voices that afternoon in the Vale was that of Mr. Smith.
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After the nasty business with kidnapping and holding Kurt hostage and helping to torture him, Mr. Smith had left the Vale Valley for awhile. He still had a bad taste in his mouth from the whole affair. He was certain that Derby’s father hadn’t known anything about the whole scheme, otherwise it would have been stopped in it’s tracks.
Unbeknown to anyone, Mr. Smith was privy to the same information that Mr. Harrington and Dr. Crabblesnitch were....That Kurt was the illegitimate son of crime boss Vincent ‘Bloody Vince’ Fonzerelli. He also knew that Harrington and his rich friends were tied up with the crime syndicate, information he had come across in Florida from other jet-setters who were in the know. Unfortunately, he had found that out after he had already accepted huge sums of syndicate money for much of his holdings in the Vale Valley from the Harringtons, the Spencers, and the other rich power players who now ran things in the Bullworth Towns.
He hadn’t known, of course. Mr. Smith could be, in a business way, just as ruthless as the next entrepreneur, but he had accumulated his fortune honestly, without having to align himself with mobsters. He had been a real self-made man, not born to wealth or privilege, and fought for every deal he had to make, even at the expense of neglecting his family. He had been a true success story, a kid from the wrong side of the tracks made good. But if it ever got out to the wrong people that part of his wealth was derived from Mob Money, he would be ruined. The legal fees for his defense alone would consume most of his wealth.
So, he had returned to the Vale Valley with a mission, to try and wrest control back from the rich, syndicate-backed lords who had stolen the Valley from him with tainted money under what he considered false pretenses. Slowly, he had been making deals to try to reclaim some of the businesses back he had sold off to the Harringtons and Spencers and their ilk. He was able to re-aquire the now-closed Blue Skies Shipping and the abandoned Wonder Meats properties. But, the pace was much to slow. Mr. Smith knew he wouldn’t be around forever, so he hit on a plan. He took custody of his Grandson, Gary Smith, and enrolled him at Bullworth Academy. He would groom him to carry on the fight and take over at the appropriate time, in order to carry on his work.
But something had been wrong with Gary that he didn’t know. Gary was a smart, ruthless kid, much like he had been as a youth. Those qualities he recognized and approved of, for it would take a hard-nosed person to go up against the power structure in the Vale Valley. But Gary was also a borderline psychotic and a sociopath, traits he hid well using 'head meds’ he had gotten from the state after his no-good Father, Mr. Smith’s son, was locked away in prison for white-collar theft. Gary’s Mother was also locked up for aiding and abetting in the pyramid scheme his Father used to bilk hundreds of people out of their money. Mr. Smith had been unaware of this highly-troubled part of Gary’s mind.
Gary was also impatient. At the start of his second year at Bullworth, Gary felt he knew enough to take over the school. To further his ambitions, he struck a secret deal with the Prep sons of his Grandfather’s enemies, Derby Harrington and Tad Spencer. Gary’s grand plan consisted of inciting strife within the Cliques of the school, then coming forward to solve the very problems he created. He was successful in that he was made 'Head Boy’ (a position that would later be defined as the 'Mediator’), but he went too far by starting a riot that most of the school became caught up in near the end of the year. That Hopkins kid had stepped in and stopped it, with the help of the dropout and expelled Townie kids, and had exposed Gary’s treachery. For that, Gary had been expelled in disgrace. Mr. Smith completely lost control of him then, and Gary had gone on to incite a war amongst the Townie boys that summer, many of who were pissed off about the lack of respect afforded to them after they aided the Hopkins boy quell the Academy Riot.
Gary wound up getting himself killed, and Mr. Smith still believed that Jimmy Hopkins had participated in his murder. He was not aware of the other factors the Cops had uncovered and then had hushed up. In his mind, Hopkins was guilty as hell, and he was incensed when Hopkins broke out of jail. He vowed anew to seek justice by somehow regaining power over the Vale Valley elite who had allowed this travesty of justice to happen.
After Gary’s death, Mr. Smith acted quickly, taking charge of his other Grandson, Jake Brown, whose release he obtained from the orphanage in Connecticut where he had been placed after his Mother, Mr. Smith’s only daughter, blew her mind out on drugs. It was a sad story, she had run away from home as a teenager to be with her no-good drug addict boyfriend, who had long since vanished after the birth of their only son, Jake. As a gift before he left, Jake’s father had gotten his mother addicted to LSD, and eventually she took one bad trip too many.
Mr. Smith wasted no time with attempting with continuing his plan, using an alias and enrolling Jake in place of Gary at Bullworth Academy. But Jake proved to be even more psychotic that his cousin Gary ever was, setting up a theft ring on campus before stealing a car and attempting to run another student down. He had fled then, after just a bare two months at the school, and was now being blamed for a multitude of attacks on the school, including bombing of buildings on campus and inciting the now-jailed Townies to take the school by force. Seemingly, though, Jake had disappeared, and all the better for Mr. Smith.
Fortunately for Mr. Smith, very few people knew of his relationship to Jake. Unfortunately for Mr. Smith, the Harringtons did, or at least the snot kid Derby and his lap-dog Bif did. That was the 'debt’ they were holding over him, and why he had been compelled to stage the kidnapping of Kurt and be a participant in that boy’s torture.
Mr. Smith had no illusions that that particular 'debt’ would ever be paid, but the unexpected news from New York had brought him back here today. The Harringtons and the rest were about to be in far more trouble that just Mr. Smith would be worth bothering about.....It appeared that 'Bloody Vince’ was going down, and soon. In one glorious stroke, Mr. Smith would soon be able to realize his plans to re-capture his rightful place in the Vale Valley. The Harringtons and Spencers empire would collapse like a house of cards once Vincent Fonzerelli was brought down, and his connection with the kidnapping of the crime boss’ son would never be tied to him. No one would be likely to believe a word of the disgraced Harringtons, and especially not from their snobby, conceited son.
It was his moment to seize the day. He made his way through the throngs of panicky townspeople to his destination, the office of Judge Starkweather at the Courthouse. Mr. Smith smiled. He always operated his best in a crisis.
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Tony and Laurent had managed to assemble the Nerds and the Jocks in the middle of the Football Field. As was usual, the Nerds wanted to go and hide, and the Jocks wanted to go and kick someone’s ass. Each group stood apart from each other while Tony called the Clique leaders over to talk to them.
Standing in a loose circle was Tony, Laurent, Nick, Constantinos, Zoe, Karen, Melody, and Ray, along with Melvin and Fatty from the Nerds and Ted and Bo from the Jocks. A towering Bob stood mutely by, with Lance nearby.
“I’m telling you guys, here is the safest place”, Tony was saying. “There could be bombs anywhere, in any of the buildings.”
“Maybe so, but the Observatory was already hit”, Fatty whined stubbornly, “So we ought to be able to stay there.”
“Correction”, Tony said, “The WALL got hit. Don’t mean there wasn’t anything else planted in the Observatory itself.”
“But, we checked all that, on your orders !”, Melvin exclaimed. “We didn’t find anything !”
“Apparently, you missed the platform”, Nick interjected wirily. “What else did you miss ?”
“BOB SMASH BOMBER”, Bob said suddenly, his granite face showing a hint of anger.
Everyone turned to look at him. His sudden outburst mirrored their frustrations over what they had endured over the past year, and what they all would like to do to their tormenter personally.
Ted turned to Tony and resumed the conversation. “We checked things too, the buildings and such, never found anything. You sayin’ we missed something too ?”
“Did you check the roof, or the grounds, or under the Bleachers ?”, Tony asked, looking about. “The stuff is hard to find, it can be hidden so well. Could even be some planted in the Scoreboard, for all we know. Safest thing to do is keep everyone here, I think. Right here in the field. And we need to get everyone else here as well.”
“How are we supposed to do that ?”, Bo piped up. “The way is blocked. ‘Sides, we don’t want them down here anyway, this is Our Turf ! They don’t belong here ! These lame Jackasses don’t belong here either !”, he spouted, sweeping his arm around to indicate the Nerds.
“That’s a fine attitude to take after all we’ve been through”, Tony said forcefully. “Haven’t you dumb Bozos learned anything ? It’s just that kind of attitude that lets scum like Jake be able to do the dastardly things he does and get away with it !”
“And Gary, before him”, commented Zoe, “And every other Bastard like them.”
“Yeah ? Who are you, King Shit of the World ?”, Bo kept on, getting worked up. “We been here longer than you, who you think you are, comin’ in here tellin’ us what to do anyways ?”
Ted turned to Bo angrily. “Shut Up ! He’s Right. I got shot because of that Jackass. If we don’t pull together, All Of Us, that Fuck is gonna waltz right in here and take over ! Is that what you want ?”
Bo shrunk back from Ted’s wrath. “I’se just sayin’.....”
“It’s been noted”, Ted said. “You don’t like the how the play’s called, fine. But you WILL be a Team Player or you’re gonna be off our team. Got It ?”
Bo looked to the other Jocks for support, but he was getting no sympathy there. They were all as scared as he was, but trying their best to hide it. Lance walked over to him. “Com’on Bro, take a chill. I’m still gonna need some help, Ok ?”
Bo still looked mad, but allowed Lance to lead him off to save face in front of the others. Not that they really cared, not now, not with the ominous threat they might be facing.
Ted turned back to Tony. “What do you want us to do ?”
Tony thought a moment. He could try to organize a way for the rest of the students to get here via the Nerd’s gate and around the trail past the Observatory, but that might take too much time. And what if the next explosion took out the Library, just as a line of kids were going through that way ? No, he had a better plan.
“Get your strongest guys to clear that rubble around the Fountain that’s blocking the way. That way, we can get everybody down here quick”, Tony said. Turning to Laurent, he said, “Go back the way we came and round up everybody. You got an in with the Greasers, they’ll hear you out. Tell ‘em what’s up. Take Nick with you, Russell will listen to him. Constantinos can go too. Melvin, stay here and keep your Nerds in line in case they try to wander off. Zoe, you stay and watch them, they’re afraid of you.”
“I’ll shit kick their asses if they so much as look like they’re going anywhere”, Zoe grinned, stomping her shitkicker boots.
“Good”, smiled Tony, in spite of the situation. “I’m gonna take the shortcut from the Basketball Courts and go see the Preps at Harrington House. Maybe I can talk sense into Tad and get them to come down here.”
“ALLRIGHT ! You Heard The Man !”, Ted called out to the Jocks. “Let’s get that rubble cleared out ! Double Time !” He turned to Bob. “Make sure they get it done, big guy.”
“BOB TAKE CARE OF IT”, Bob rumbled and began to herd the Jocks toward the steps.
Tony looked questionably at Ted. “What are you gonna do ?”
“I’m coming with you”. Ted answered. “Don’t know if they’ll listen to you or not, but I can make ‘em.” Ted paused, then said, “Every since the Preps split, we’ve been the strongest Clique at the school again. And I guess it’s up to me to lead by example. I am Class President, after all, guess it’s time I acted like one.”
Tony clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit. After all, you guys saved the school last time, there’s no forgetting that ! Let’s go !”
Nick and Laurent had already left on their mission, as soon as the words had left Tony’s mouth. As Tony and Ted headed towards the Basketball Courts, Tony asked, “Hey, where’s Coach Burton at ?”
Ted smirked. “He’s been holed up in his Office every since the Statue blew up. It’s like he’s got something valuable in there or something. He won’t come out for nothing.”
“Or maybe....He’s just too scared ?”, Tony guessed.
“Maybe”, Ted conceded. “He is kind of a wimp, in his own way. He really disgusts me sometimes.”
The boys arrived at the wall over which the shortcut path was located, the same one where a few evenings ago Mr. Hattrick was selling off the Test answers to the Preps. As they scaled over and began to walk the path, more faraway explosions from the Towns could be heard.
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Derby had escaped the Academy grounds before they were locked down. He cared little about the explosion that had leveled the statue at the fountain, only that it had temporally gotten him off the hook. Not that that was any big deal either, he was done with that shitty school anyway, for next week he would be graduated and on his way out of the Vale Valley and off to an elite Prep College. There he could meet some high-class girls and select one for his mate. Though still pissed off about Pinky, he was still glad to be finally rid of her. He knew, deep in what might be considered his cold heart, that she would hold him back from being the successful power player he envisioned himself to become.
He had known Pinky since they were children, due to the fact that they were First Cousins. Their families had gotten together and decided that the two would be a good match, moreover that it would combine their fortunes and place them higher in the social registrar. Derby had no problems with that, Pinky was a good-looking girl and made a fine trophy girlfriend. But the problem was, Pinky was a vain, materialistic, vapid, self-centered bitch who went and fucked whomever she got a fancy for. Over the past couple of years there had been Jimmy Hopkins, Tad Spencer, Kurt Fonzerelli, and, apparently, Tony Calderone, and who knew who else ? He was glad he had finally busted her in the mouth, he only wished he had done it a long time ago.
Derby returned to the Vale Hotel and went to his room to wait on his lapdog, Bif. He was not as quick with test-taking as Derby was, and had still been in the school when Derby left. Normally, Derby would have waited for him, but the events of this afternoon compelled him to get out while the getting was good. In light of what had happened, with the explosion and all, the entire incident with Pinky would be totally forgotten about by tomorrow anyhow.
Bif himself was sort of an enigma. He had attached himself to Derby back in Junior High days, providing back-up protection and support, and appeared to be totally devoted to Derby. Most others saw them as fast friends, but in truth Derby just used Bif the same way as he used everyone else. The only person Derby really cared for was himself, and he saw others as just puppets in his own life’s play. In exchange for the illusion of Derby’s friendship, Bif went to any lengths to cater to him. The real reason may have been the deep dark secret that Bif carried and that no one but Derby really knew about....That Bif Taylor was, in reality, second cousins with Zoe Taylor. Both continually denied any relationship to anyone curious enough to ask, Zoe because she hated all Preps and didn’t want to have anything to do with them, and Bif because he feared what the taint of having poor relations would impact on his social standing among the elite Preps. Bif envisioned himself as riding Derby’s glory to the top, and had no problems being the second-in-command. It was far better that being last at the bottom of the Prep pile.
But now things had changed, since the break-up of the Clique. Tad Spencer had taken over the group and left Derby, and Bif, out in the cold. It was not so elite when you had no one to order around. Still, Bif stuck with Derby, for where else could he go ? Soon, they would be leaving Bullworth behind anyway, and he would accompany Derby off to college, where they would build a new Prep power base. One day, perhaps, Bif would be running Derby’s companies, and both would be rolling in the dough. Bif was confident in Derby’s abilities to make everything all right with the world again. It was just a matter of time.
Derby waited by the window in the room of the hotel for Bif to show up. Just where was he ? Derby heard the explosions from the other towns, and then the ones closer by in the Vale. Just what was happening here ? He flipped on the TV, but it was useless. There were only old movies playing. Since his family controlled all the media here, there was no such thing as news coverage except what his Father would allow to be shown. The only real news let in from the outside was the Weather Channel, and that was no help here.
Derby wondered if his Father had cooled enough to let him move back home. He had seemed awfully angry over the Kurt business, and Derby still was wondering why. He was still in the dark as to why his father had obviously been protecting the little turd. He was just burning to know why his honor had been sacrificed to that low-life. Maybe it was time to confront his father and find out why. Derby looked out the window for a while longer, then made his decision. It was close to 4 PM as he packed his duffel bag and prepared to leave.
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“What are you doing over here ?”, Tad asked Ted as he slid easily over the wall from the pathway to the Gym.
“Relax, Tad”, Tony said, coming over the wall after Ted. “We’re only here to tell you guys where it’s safe to go.”
“I think I can decide what’s best for my Clique. We don’t need help from the likes of those people”, Tad said stiffly, pointing with disdain at Ted.
“Just cool it, Tad”, Ted said, “We’re offering you safe refuge down on the Football Field, with no tricks.”
Tad looked about. “I say, it’s safe enough here, I’m sure the chaps would agree. Wouldn’t you, Mates ?”
Milling about were the rest of the Preps....Justin, Parker, Chad, Bryce, and Gord, who was off by himself on the other side of the yard. All began moving towards where Tad was standing.
“Listen, Tad, maybe you don’t understand the danger you’re in here”, Tony began.
“Danger ?”, Tad said in a mock horror voice. “I certainly see no danger here. Maybe on the inside”, he said, pointing to Harrington House, “But certainly not in the open out here.”
“It’s not like that this time”, Tony went on, “There might be explosives anywhere. Didn’t you look around like I told your guys to do ?”
“Of course we did”, Tad sniffed in what sounded to Tony like a lie. “The Bugger must have invaded our House again like last time, planted his poison pellets inside. I’m not going to be in there when a chair blows up again, I can assure you.”
“This is different”, Tony tried again, “This stuff is easy to conceal. It can be molded to be hidden just about anywhere. Even right next to where your’re standing.”
Tad looked down and moved a couple of steps away. The other Preps moved with him.
“Look, Spencer, we don’t have a whole lot of time, maybe”, Ted said, “And certainly not for bullshit. You need to get your boys down there before something happens.”
Tad looked at him keenly. “And it just so happens YOU have the only safe area, is that it ? What makes your area so conveniently safe all of a sudden and our area not ?”
“Because”, Tony said, “The whole field got mowed this morning. Anything that might of been there got chopped up.”
Tad considered that for a moment. Then, “It seems like some kind of trick. You fellows want to get us to leave here and go defenseless into their territory. I don’t like it.”
“You can take your weapons”, Ted told him. “And I give you my word of honor as a Clique leader and Class President there will be no fighting down there.”
Tad looked about indecisively. “Your word of honor, then ? No tricks ?”
“None”, Ted replied, and Tony nodded emphatically. “The Bomber has already blown up the Spud Cannon at the Observatory. The Nerds are all down there now, at the field.”
“We need to get the whole school down there, where it’s safe”, Tony said. “Tad, you’re the one that was telling me you were going to give the Preps a fresh start. If you really mean that, be a leader now.”
Tad considered for a bit longer, then nodded. “Word of honor then.” Tad turned to assemble the Preps and give them instructions. It was then that Tony noticed that every Prep, except for Derby and Bif, was there. When Tad finished, sending a couple inside to retrieve some weapons, Tony asked, inquiringly, “Seems odd that you’re just about all here ?”
“We finished finals rather early”, Tad said smugly. “They were rather easy this year.”
Because of some paid-for test answers, Tony thought, but let it pass. Instead, he said, “Then you don’t know about what happened to Pinky.”
“Pinks ?”, Tad asked, a note of worry creeping into his voice. “Something’s happened to Pinks ?”
“Yeah”, Tony said. “Derby cold-cocked her in the jaw. She’s at the School Clinic now.”
“Oh, My Word !”, Tad exclaimed. “That Bastard !!! How is she ? I mean, is she alright ?”
“She may have a broken jaw, from what I saw”, Tony replied truthfully.
“I must get to her !”, Tad went on, “But....The way is Blocked !!”
“I got my boys working on clearing rubble from our side”, Ted said. “If your boys could help, we could get through a lot faster.”
Tad turned to the group and instructed them to go help move the rubble. Then, to Bryce, just exiting the building with the weapons, he said, “When we break through, Take the rest down to the field. I’m going to see about Pinky.”
Bryce nodded, and most of the Preps moved off without complaint towards the destroyed fountain. Pinky may have been erratic these past few months, but she was still a Prep and one of them. Only Chad held back, muttering, “Derby wouldn’t like this.”
“Go with the rest and help”, Tad said, balling his fists at his side, “Or do I have to teach you a lesson ?”
Chad looked at the steel in Tad’s eye and knew he meant business. Meekly, he followed the others. Tad took a look at Tony and Ted, then followed the others.
Ted sighed. “Guess we better help.” The two boys followed after the Preps, heading towards the steps.
“Sure hope Nick and Laurent are making out Ok”, Tony said. “Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
________________________________________
-
Within the hour, the rubble was cleared enough to provide access around the fountain. With the Jocks working from the South, the Preps from the East, the Greasers from West and the Bullies from the North, two pathways were cleared around the fountain. As soon as they were through, Tad took off to go join Pinky at the School Clinic. Tony met with Laurent and Nick for a little conference.
“I take it you guys didn’t have too much trouble ?”,Tony asked.
“No, it was easy !”, exclaimed Laurent. “The Greasers were very willing to listen once we explained. Even Peanut said that sounded like a good plan.”
“The Bullies were a little harder to convince, but once I told them that Trent was responsible for making the Field safe, they got all puffed up about it”, Nick said. “Maybe they figure they’ll get more respect or something, whatever. It was enough to get them up here.”
Tony watched as the Cliques began threading their way around the ruined fountain and making their way down to the Football Field. “Say, where’s the Prefects ? And the Teachers ?”
“Monsieur Crabblesnitch has the Teachers all to stay inside the school”, Laurent said. “Constantinos went in to see....Oh, here he comes now !”
Constantinos came trotting up. “I got in to see Dr. Crabblesnitch. He said Ok with the plan to get everyone down to the field.”
“Maybe the old coot has got some sense about him”, Nick remarked snidely.
“More like covering his ass, maybe”, Tony replied. “Constantinos, what about the Prefects ?”
“He has Edward guarding the School Office”, Constantinos began, “With weapons.”
“No doubt guarding him and Ms. Danvers”, Tony remarked, remembering Jake had somehow threatened them the last time.
“.....And Seth and Karl are guarding the front and side gates”, Constantinos continued. “Max was sent over to block access to the Library, and by extention, the Nerd’s gate, keeping anybody from going through.”
Tony realized that Dr. Crabblesnitch probably had the same idea as he did....It was most likely the buildings would be targeted, after all. “But...He’s keeping the Teachers in the school, like Laurent says ?”
Constantinos nodded affirmation. “Probably figures it’s safer, somehow.”
And then it struck Tony. “Of course it would be safer. Jake wants to take over the school, not blow it up. That is, unless.....”
“Unless he don’t get his way”, Nick finished for him.
Tony wondered just why Jake hadn’t showed himself yet, but on reflection, he somehow knew that wouldn’t happen until Jake felt the odds were all in his favor. Such is the way of a coward. “You know”, he said suddenly, “I feel there’s a whole lot more to come. A whole lot more that that just this.” Sweeping his arm at the ruined fountain, he said, “This is just the first volley. There’s gonna be more. We’ve got to get everybody rounded up and down there, quick. You guys sweep the Dorms, get the little kids and the girls and anybody else down there to the field. Anybody you can find. How ‘bout them two loner kids, what’s their names....”
“Uhhh....Eddie and....Geoff”, Constantinos supplied.
“Yeah, them”, Tony said. “What about the Rocker boys ?”
The boys looked from one to another. “Haven’t seen ‘em today”, Nick finally said.
“Me neither”, Constantinos said. “Maybe they skipped.”
“Sucks for them, then”, Nick said, “Since they’re bombing the towns.”
“And Christy is probably with them”, Laurent added.
“Just hope they got the sense to lay low”, Tony said. “We can’t do anything for them, we got plenty to handle here. So, let’s get to it. Fan out, we’ll meet back here in a half-hour with any stragglers.”
The group dispersed, going separate ways on their missions to make sure everybody was rounded up, just as the last of the Cliques picked their way through the rubble about the fountain and made their way to the Football Field.
________________________________________
-
“You’ve Got To Call In Some Help !!”, Mr. Smith said emphatically, banging his fist down on the desk.
Judge Starkweather sat unmoved at the outburst and sighed. “We’ve already been through this. Mr. Harrington doesn’t want outside people coming in here and.....”
“Harrington, Smarrington !!!”, exclaimed Mr. Smith. “This has gone WAY beyond that.” He leaned in closer to the Judge. “Haven’t you heard ? Bloody Vince is going down. It’s all in the news in the OUTSIDE world today. How long do you think you and your kind are going to last in here once Big Mike takes over ? You’ll disappear just like Judge Carter, never to be heard or seen again. And so will Mr. Big Shot Harrington !”
“I’m not aware of any problems”, Judge Starkweather said stiffly, “And I’m sure Chief Carcer will contain the situation here shortly and restore order....”
“Carcer’s an Inept ASS”, Mr. Smith said vehemently, “He can’t even keep a Killer locked up it that escape-proof jail of his !”
“Be that as it may, WE will deal with the situation”, Judge Starkweather said coldly.
“You and what Army ?”, Mr. Smith sneered. “Those Punks are just going to take this place over and your Keystone Cops won’t be able to do a thing to stop them. I wouldn’t care, except these are MY Towns, I built them up, I made them what they are !” Mr. Smith straightened up. “You wouldn’t know that, you haven’t been here long enough. All you and your kind do is just play like Chickens to the likes of Harrington and Spencer and the rest. But there’s those here who DO remember, and when this charade is over and done with, they’re gonna have your head on a platter, Bucko !”
“Are you threatening me ?”, Judge Starkweather hissed. “I could have you locked up for that !”
Mr. Smith brayed laughter. “Who’s gonna arrest me ? All your clowns are busy at the moment ! Go Ahead ! Make out a Warrant ! Good luck on finding anybody to serve it !”
“Get Out !”, Judge Starkweather shouted. “Just Get Out Of Here ! I’ll deal with you later !”
“There isn’t going to be a later for you, Bucko”, Mr. Smith retorted as he headed for the door. Just then, two more faraway explosions could be heard.
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mr. Smith paused at the door. “Hear that ? That’s the sound of your doom ! If you won’t call for help, I will. Hell, I’ll go GET help !”
Judge Starkweather leapt up. “You’ll do nothing of the sort !”
“Try and stop me, Bucko”, Mr. Smith chuckled, and walked out the door. Judge Starkweather just stared at the empty place where Mr. Smith had been, then sank back down in his chair.
At the Clocktower on the top of the building, the hands clicked over to four o’clock.
____________________________________
-
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just as Derby was making his way down the stairs, a huge explosion shook the Vale Hotel. It was a good thing he hadn’t taken the elevator, as it would have trapped him possibly between floors. As is was however, the blast did indeed trap him, as it did the other patrons of the Hotel, for the blast was centered at the street-level Shea Lewis Restaurant in the front of the Hotel. There weren’t any patrons there that afternoon, People were too busy running about in fear to worry much about eating. In fact all the stores had closed soon after the blasts had begun. Shop owners had taken to the streets as well, afraid that their own places would be next.
The front of the Hotel was a littered mess, the quaint tables blown quite away, windows shattered and debris was everywhere. Somehow, the Punks had managed to slip some C-4 right through the entrance doors of the Hotel. Derby found he was blocked from accessing the first floor altogether, as the damage was so widespread throughout the first floor & Restaurant. Derby doubled back and finally found an empty room on the second floor. Finding a window, he assessed how far a jump it was going to be to a nearby tree. He had to get out of here. Derby didn’t like being trapped.
___________________________________________
-
Across Town, Mr. Smith made haste to get back to his vehicle. The two explosions he had heard had gone off in the rear of The Mental Dental and The Happy Diner. Nobody was eating now or getting their teeth cleaned, unless they had been standing too close to either of the explosions smiling. Mr. Smith drove across the North Bridge and headed towards the Tunnel. In order to actually go get outside help, he had to get the fuck out of the towns before the Kiddie Cops decided to close off the only escape route. He needn’t have worried though....Bullworth Town’s finest were far too busy with other matters than to worry about shutting off total access to the Towns. Although he knew he must hurry, Mr. Smith stopped to take a few photos of the damaged areas he encountered along the way. As he stopped to take photos of the Vale Hotel, he spotted Derby Harrington climbing out a window and onto a tree. He got his shots and got out quickly. Harrington’s kid was the last person he wanted to deal with right now. Threading his way around the damaged areas and onto Vale Boulevard, he sped towards the tunnel and drove through it unchallenged, taking the sharp 90-degree turn by the Carnival and zooming through the holographic wall without so much as blinking. He had taken this same route less than eight hours ago when he had returned this morning. Now, as he thundered along the access road to the highway, his only problem that remained was just who to get help from.
_____________________________________________
-
Over in Blue Skies, the air was still green from the toxic cloud that had settled across the area, still being fed from emissions from the Chem Plant. Those who could had sought shelter, and those who didn’t still lay in the streets, gasping and choking if they were not unconscious.
Jimmy, Damon, and Algie remained safe in the Save Warehouse. To pass the time, Jimmy began to tell Damon what had happened to him that night in the Graveyard, as he had heard it from Tony. Damon could only recall bits and pieces of his ordeal with the Monks before being taken to the Asylum. He would forevermore fear black-robed people and would never so much as go within a block of a church or graveyard ever again.
After a while, Jimmy was able to get the story out of Algie about his attacks on the Cliques and the reasons behind it, rather the one overriding reason....Algie’s missing nut, taken off in the attack on him at the Dragon’s Wing while he slept. Damon sat by, but under Jimmy’s cautioning, made no threatening moves toward Algie. Since Jimmy was still incarcerated when the attack on Algie happened, and then Algie’s subsequent attacks on the Cliques, he got to hear parts of the story he had only heard second-hand from others. Really surprising to hear was Algie’s hatred of not only whoever had done the nasty deed to him, but his hatred of Tony and his friends for not doing enough to track down the perpetrator and seek revenge.
____________________________________________
-
Within the hour, most everybody was assembled down at the Football Field. Tony and his friends had rounded up all the remaining students but three....Tad, of course, who was at the School Clinic with Pinky, and Bif, whom Constantinos reported was still in the school and wouldn’t leave. Seems he was holed up in Mr. Hattrick’s classroom and refused to come out. Tony could understand that, given his situation. Bif had no friends these days, and he and Derby were outcasts from their own Clique. Wandering around alone down her on the Football Field, he would be subject to attack from just about anybody. It made perfect sense to hide out in Mr. Hattrick’s classroom, Hattrick himself had no friends either, among the students or staff. That was fine with Tony, he didn’t need any more problems than he already had. And there were bound to be plenty more before it was all over.
Another hour spun out. Students were still on edge, and hearing more far-off explosions did little to lessen their anxiety. Tony decided to make the rounds to each group and caution them to stay put, as he believed the danger would be coming soon, in the form of Jake and maybe the Punks with another all-out assault. Some whined and wanted to go sit on the bleachers, but when told that they probably not safe, they backed off. Tony, however, could see signs of restlessness growing among the more vocal members of the Cliques. To forestall any problems, he got the idea to arrange the Cliques in a semi-circle near the center of the Field, and put the Cliques best shooters in the forefront to repel the expected attack. That took another hour to organize, but it was still a long way until dark. Tensely, they waited for an assault that seemed imminent.
________________________________________________
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The news reports were still flickering across the screen in Mr. Harrington’s study. The images were showing Federal Agents leading the suspected mobsters off into paddy wagons. The big cheese, Vincent ‘Bloody Vince’ Fonzerelli, was still holed up, but it was only a matter of time. The net had tightened to just a one-block square area now, and his capture, one way or another, dead or alive, was a foregone conclusion.
Mr. Harrington had been on the phone for most of the afternoon, first contacting the other rich Barrons of Bullworth Town. Pretty much, they were all going to bail, some were already preparing to flee. Mr. Harrington’s plan of having them all point the finger at Spencer Industries fell on deaf ears. Montrose, Morris, Ogilvie, Vendome, Vandervelde, to a man, all refused his plan. Even his wife’s relations, the Gauthiers, refused to go along. They were probably the least culpable among the rich families, and saw no need to adhere to his plan. Or, it could be, Mr. Harrington reasoned, they were still in a snit over Derby’s breakup with Pinky. Either way, Mr. Harrington, who had never really made a friend, was now in this sinking ship all alone. The only person who would talk to him was Attorney Taylor, the group’s lawyer and Bif’s father, and only because Mr. Harrington was still a client. However, if the ax came down on them all, he would likely be disbarred, in addition to being charged himself. He advised Mr. Harrington that if the Feds came for him, he should cooperate. Or he could flee. It didn’t much matter either way, now did it ?
Mr. Harrington had no intention of running. This was his kingdom. And there were plenty of other high-priced lawyers for the buying. But first, he made a series of other phone calls. He wanted his family to be safe. Derby was his only legacy, if worst came to worst. He would make preparations. After those calls were finished, then he called his New York bank. His assets had not yet been frozen, and in one lucky stroke, he was able to transfer the bulk of his funds to a secret Swiss Bank Account. His holdings would be secure, for he had sheltered them behind dummy corporations a long time ago. It would take years for those to be traced back to him.
He sat back then, and gazed numbly at the ongoing news report playing across the huge flat digital screen. It looked as if the scores of Agents were closing in on the very building where Vincent Fonzerelli was located. It seemed it wouldn’t be long now.
A voice from the doorway startled him. “Father....Who are those men on the Television ?”
Mr, Harrington turned in his chair to see Derby standing at the doorway. He sighed and motioned him in. “I thought you were at the Vale Hotel.”
“It got bombed !”, Derby said. “And....The Burger Place, and the Ice Cream Shop....Father, what’s going on ?”
Mr. Harrington motioned Derby to a chair. “It’s that kid Jake, I presume”, he said mirthlessly, “Your pal Gary’s cousin. But you already knew that, didn’t you ?”
Derby, surprised, just nodded slowly. “And those men on the Television are Federal Agents”, Mr. Harrington continued, “About to take into custody my boss, one Vincent Fonzerelli, who just happens to also be that kid Kurt’s real Father.”
Shock registered on Derby’s face. “So...So that’s why.....”, he began.
“Yes”, Mr. Harrington said sadly, “That’s why I was protecting him. At the behest of Mr. Fonzerelli. But I guess that no longer matters now.”
Derby was stunned. It took several minutes for it all to sink in. The images floated on the screen while his mind went on overload. Scraps of conversation floated through his mind....Stuff that Mr. Smith had said......
“Smith !”, Derby said suddenly. “Smith Knew !!!”
“Yes, he probably did”, Mr. Harrington said, “And lucky for you if he did. If that boy had gotten seriously injured or died.....” He let that thought trail off, then shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. But what does matter is that if they ever find that boy and find out what you did....”
“But they can’t”, Derby cried, “There’s no way ! Nobody knows who he is, except....”
“His Father knows”, Mr. Harrington replied bruskly, “He is the one who had the Private Detectives locate him, and made the arrangements to have him and his street friends brought here and placed in the School. I sent reports along to New York. I was told to watch out for his welfare, and I put that idiot Crabblesnitch in charge.....Which looks like was a big mistake.”
Derby’s mind reeled. “Crabblesnitch Knew !?”, he said hoarsely.
“Yes”, Mr. Harrington said regretfully, “And it won’t take the Feds long to find out where the crime boss’ son was at. And come looking for him. If those Monks haven’t completely messed up his mind....They’ll get the story. And be coming for you. I’m not gonna let that happen.”
“Crime Boss ?”, Derby whispered, hearing little else. “Oh, Father, What’s happening ? Tell me !”
Mr. Harrington sighed deeply. He knew this day would have to come, just not so soon he thought. Nonetheless, it was time. For the next hour, he told Derby everything about their financial empire and their connections to organized crime. He concluded with, “So, now you see why it’s important that you be kept safe. You’re this family’s only legacy. I’m going to have a hard fight ahead, and if I’m indicted, you’ll have to take over. But not here.”
Derby‘s mind was reeling. “Oh Father, what am I to do ?”
“It’s all arranged”, Mr. Harrington said smoothly, “You and your Mother are leaving tonight for New York. Tomorrow morning, you’ll both be on a private plane to England. You’ll stay at our London house.”
“But...But Father....What about School ?”, Derby asked, “Bif and I were to go on to Yale next semester !”
“Afraid not now”, Mr. Harrington said. “I have, however, arraigned to have you admitted into Oxford University for the fall term. It’s the Preppest College in all of England. I’m sure you fit right in there with you fake English accent and all.”
“But...What about Bif ?”, Derby asked, still having trouble taking it all in.
“I’ll send your friend along, if I can”, Mr. Harrington lied, not giving two shits about Bif Taylor.
Derby nodded, too much in a daze to think of anything else. Mr. Harrington rose and looked out the window, just in time to see a light blue car pull up. “Here’s our driver. Go get the things you’ll need for the trip. Your Mother should be just about packed now.”
“You’re not leaving”, Derby said. It wasn’t a question.
“No”, Mr. Harrington said. “I’ll stand a better chance staying than becoming a fugitive like common gutterwipes. High-priced lawyers can do wonderful things these days. Besides, they may try to stop me at the Airport.” He paused and scribbled the number of the Swiss Bank Account on a piece of paper and gave it to Derby. “Give this to your Mother when you arrive. She’ll know what it’s for.”
Derby took the paper and stuffed it in his pocket. “Don’t forget your passport”, Mr. Harrington said. He put a fatherly hand on Derby’s shoulder. “Now, get going.”
“Yes, Father”, Derby mumbled, and left the room. Some 20 minutes later, Mr. Harrington watched as Derby and Mrs. Harrington walked outside and entered the vehicle. The driver packed their luggage in the trunk, the got in and the car drove off. Mr. Harrington watched until the car was out of sight. Behind him, on the TV screen, the siege continued.
_____________________________________________
-
BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!
BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!
BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!
As the late afternoon dragged on, more blasts rocked the isolated towns of the Vale Valley. At The Blue Skies Docks, a large explosion scattered cargo into the bay, although due to the cloud of greenish gas, there was no one to see it. In New Coventry, blasts tore through the backs of Hung Lo and the New Coventry Bar. In Bullworth Town, explosions ripped through Bullworth Hair, Nail & Beauty, the Weet Cavity, Come Hither, The Lounge, and the Happy Mullet. Over in the Vale, blasts rippled through OBV Hair, the Coffee House, the Crab Shack, and the Boar Inn, just missing the Chef’s French Restaurant. As the Clock Tower hands slid to six o’clock, the Townspeople braced for another round of explosions. But instead of more erupting explosions, a loud feedback whine suddenly permeated the air from the hidden speakers set above a few of the buildings, followed by a terse message read off in a mechanical form by an unknown person..
“CITIZENS OF THE VALE VALLEY, TAKE HEED !!! THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM THE BULLWORTH LIBERATION FRONT !!! YOU MUST HAVE YOUR TOWN LEADERS CEDE CONTROL OF THE GOVERNMENT TO US BY DAWN TOMORROW !!! FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF YOUR HOMES, INDUSTRY, AND BUSINESSES !!! NO PLACE IS SAFE FROM OUR REACH !!! SURRENDER YOUR TOWNS OR DIE !!! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DOUBT US, LET US SHOW YOU OUR POWER !!!!!”
Aghast, the citizenry gaped and looked about. What did that all mean ?
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The entire ground floor of the Easy Drug Store in the center of Bullworth Town erupted in a mighty roar, blowing out windows and merchandise into the street. The freshly panicked Townspeople nearly went crazy with fear and rage, weeping and cursing at the same time as one common thought overpowered their thinking.....Terrorists.
_______________________________________________
-
As time drifted on down at the Football Field, the Cliques and others began to get a bit restless as the day began to wane. Still, they were too fearful to move from their places on the field or to entertain thoughts about going off on their own. Hearing the far-off blasts that continued to go off on a regular basis served to keep them put. Even so, Tony and his friends were becoming increasingly hard-pressed to keep order, as small disagreements were building on the fringes of where the Cliques were located close to one another. There had even been a couple incidents of shoving.
Tony called a meeting of his friends and the Clique leaders over in the direction of the Jock’s Clubhouse. Peanut, Melvin, and Tad went, representing their groups, Trent went in place of Russell, who didn’t really grasp the situation, and Ted came along with Mandy in tow. Various means to keep everyone settled were discussed.
“I’ve got an idea”, Mandy spoke up primly, “If you’d like to hear it. Some of us could go up to the Dorms and get blankets and stuff. Some of us are going to get cold out here if this goes on into nighttime. The girls are already complaining.”
“That’s an excellent idea, Mandy”, Tony said. “Who are you taking ?”
Mandy considered. “I’ll take....Karen, Melody, and....Eunice, she can carry a lot.”
“I’ll go too”, Ted volunteered firmly. “Someone needs to look after you.”
“I really want to go do a Recon Mission over to Bullworth Town a little later”, Tony said. “I’ll need a couple people for that. See if we can spot Jake.”
“I’ll go with you”, Nick said at once.
“Oui, I shall go also”, Laurent spoke up.
“How are you going to get out ?”, Karen asked, “The gates are blocked !”
“There’s other ways out of here than just those gates”, Tony said. Peanut, who knew just where Tony was talking about, just smiled and said nothing.
Tony frowned. “We can’t leave it too thin here. Someone has to stay and keep order while we’re gone.”
Ted looked around. “I can have Bob do it”, he said. “They’ll listen to him.”
Tony nodded, and the meeting broke up. Ted went over to Bob and said a few words and then returned with the other Clique leaders to their respective groups. Mandy and Karen headed off to make plans with the other girls. Nick and Laurent went over to talk with the Non-Clique kids. Tony found himself alone, and wandered over to Bob, who was just standing there alone, fixing the crowd of students with his usual granite stare. Tony stepped up beside Bob and stood looking for a moment.
“It’s...Um, Great of you to help us out, Bob”, Tony ventured.
Bob’s massive head swung about and fixed on Tony. “BOB KEEP ORDER”, he said.
“Just so you know what to do....”, Tony began.
“BOB KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHAT TO DO”, Bob said. Then, dropping his voice, said, "Bob Not Stupid, You Know.” With that, he dropped Tony a slow wink.
Tony was astounded. “But...Then you aren’t....You’re not...”
“It’s Just An Act”, Bob replied. “Free School, Scholarship, No Classes....” He shrugged.
Tony slowly grinned. “Well, I’ll be”, he mused. “Just between us, then, huh ?”
“BOB NEVER TELL”, Bob said, reverting to his former voice but dropping a grin of his own before heading off. Tony watched him go over and take charge of the Cliques in amazement.
_____________________________________________
-
Soon, Ted and Mandy headed off with the other girls to go to the Dorms. Tony went and quietly made an addition to his squad, that of Zoe, as his real reason for wanting to go out on his mission was to try and find Jimmy. Tony, Nick, Laurent, and Zoe followed a ways behind Ted and his group, until they reached the front quad. There Tad’s group had taken the shortcut to the Girl’s Dorm, the others having to push a complaining Eunice up onto the stone wall onto the path. Keeping a watchful eye out, Tony noticed Karl was still stationed at the Parking Lot Gate, and Seth was still holding forth at the Front Gate. Casting a look up at the school revealed Max standing guard at the main front door to the school, with the other frontside door within his sight. Doubtless they had locked down the other exit doors to the rear already, Tony thought. He decided to stick around until Ted and the girls came back from the Dorms.
The four stayed out of direct sight under the stone wall of the giant patio that circled around the front of the school and waited, talking low among themselves and planning their mission. Since Zoe had told Tony that the way into Blue Skies was blocked off through the tunnels, Tony told the group that they would have to take the long way around, through New Coventry. Tony stressed that it had to be quick, as he was sure Jake would attack the school at night, as that had been his mode of operation so far. The others agreed they would have to move quickly.
Finally Ted and the girls re-emerged from the Dorms, not from the shortcut, but coming around the main walkway, carrying all manner of blankets and pillows. Trailing behind them were Mrs. Carvin and Mrs. Peabody, also similarly loaded with blankets as such. That was good, Tony figured, having some kind of authority figures down on the Football Field would be better that none in the event they had to shelter there after dark. Tony and his crew were unseen by Ted’s group and the two women, loaded as they were with the bedding. Tony let them get a ways ahead, then had his group follow. At the wrecked fountain, they veered right to the Autoshop and went around behind it to the scrap pile, where they climbed it and dropped over to the other side. The last time Tony and Nick had been here was when they were chasing Jake. Now, though, it seemed unlikely they would encounter him at all. Jake would certainly be better prepared this time around. Tony only hoped they could locate Jimmy and return in time. Grimly, they set off on their mission.
__________________________________________________
-
“What do you hear on that thing, Benny ?”, Christy asked worriedly.
Benny fiddled with the dials of his salvaged receiver. “Not a whole lot, Christy. The only thing I’ve picked up was from the Girl’s Dorm. Everything else seems empty, at least I’m not hearing nothing.”
“What did you get from the Girl’s Dorm ?”, Christy asked, with a trace of anxiety in her voice. Christy had finished her finals on Thursday, and hadn’t been back to school since. She and Winkie had gone out to celebrate that night, and Christy was sure she had aced her finals and would this year finally be a graduate. Her plans were uncertain at this point, delayed as they were by her having to stay an extra year at Bullworth.
“I heard Mandy come in and talk with one of the women there”, Benny said.
“Who ?”, Christy asked, “Mrs. Carvin ?”
Benny shrugged. “I don’t know. Anyhow, there was some other girls with her...”
“Do you know who they were ?”, Christy pressed.
Benny shrugged again. “No. They were in the background, anyhow.”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t interrupt so much”, Christy said apologetically. “Can you tell me what they said ?”
Benny furrowed his brow. “All I really heard was that they was after bedding to take down to the Football Field.....You know, blankets and stuff. Seems like the whole school is down there for some reason. That’s probably why I’m not picking up any other conversations from the other places.”
“Do you....Are you hearing anything else from the Dorm ?”, Christy asked.
“No....Nothing now. I think they all left”, Benny said.
“I wonder what’s going on over there”, Christy said, more to herself than to Benny.
The Rockers had heard the far-off explosions all afternoon that had been rocking the Vale Valley, but at the insistence of Tibo, who had taken de facto control of the group after receiving Kurt’s mysterious cryptic letter saying he was leaving forever, the Rockers were staying put at Hattrick House. No explosions had occurred over in this part of the towns, at least not yet, and it was his opinion that they were probably safer here than they would be anywhere else. Winkie concurred with that, stating that whatever was going on wasn’t their fight and they should just stay out of it. Still, every one of them had to wonder just what the hell was going on now in this seemingly screwed up place.
It had been tough since Kurt was gone. They could scarcely believe that their leader would abandon them after all they had been through. To a man, they felt Derby and maybe some of the Preps had something to do with it, but they had been unable to confront Derby or his bodyguard Bif anywhere and beat it out of them. Those two had been keeping a very low profile lately, and the rest of the Preps, now being led by Tad Spencer, denied knowing anything about the whole matter. In truth, the Rockers had skipped most of the last week of finals anyway, not really giving a shit about them. There was some talk of just picking up and going back to where they came from. Without Kurt and Pinky, who had lit out a couple of weeks after Kurt’s disappearance to go live in the Beach House, their band dates had all but dried up. There was really nothing for them here. Since the only reason they were even here to begin with was because of the deal Kurt had worked out with the mysterious strangers in the black limos, there was the very real possibility that Kurt was into some deep shit that none of them knew anything about.
As darkness approached, they gathered on the front porch. The explosions were getting nearer now. All of them were tense with imagined expectations of what the night would bring.
_________________________________________
-
Tony and his party of Nick, Laurent, and Zoe crossed the big truss bridge onto Main Street and were met with the sight of mayhem. The streets were littered with debris from building hit with the explosives. Cars were scattered everywhere on the streets, unable to move. And scores of people, some worked into a frenzy, were clogging the area. Tony had never seen so many people at Bullworth Town before, and in fact had no idea that this many people even lived here.
The Shiny Bike Shop’s windows were all blown out. The four went inside and grabbed some bikes that were sitting inside, and rode them out. No one tried to stop them. The four friends then detoured off on the street that led to New Coventry.
Before going toward the rail underpass though, Tony veered up the street towards the Spazz Hardware Store. He wanted to see something. This street was also littered with debris from blown-out buildings and very closely resembled what Tony had seen in his dream. Tony turned towards the Hardware store, searching. His eyes lighted on a colorful sign in the window.....
MEMORIAL DAY BLOWOUT SALE !
His nightmare was becoming a reality, with only one exception....There were no decapitated or dead bodies strewn about.....At least not yet. Tony knew his precognitive dreams were just a sign of things that might be, not necessarily what would be. And yet, the scene here chillingly was almost a match to his recent dream. Wheeling around, he motioned the others to follow him to the road to the underpass.
Entering New Coventry, they encountered a scene of violence. People were actively fighting in the streets. A group emerged from the Yum-Yum Store on the corner with armloads of goods, obviously looting the place, and there were screams and yells from all sides. Tony headed down the brick street that led past the indoor Bike Park and the abandoned Wonder Meats Warehouse. It was less crowded here, and the group rode on. No one paid them the slightest bit of attention. Finally coming to the corner, they hooked a right and headed for the Blue Skies Bridge.
Before they could get there, they all noticed a greenish cast to the air that grew thicker as the neared the bridge. This area was deserted, which seemed odd as usually it was crowded with a riff-raff of people. As they neared the bridge, they could see an abandoned Frontloader wrecked into the other end of the span. They skirted around it and rode on into the increasing greenish haze.
They had gone only a few hundred feet before they started to feel overcome by the toxic gas. Zoe stopped suddenly and began to vomit. The others pulled to a halt, their stomachs rolling.
“Mon Dieu, we have to turn back !”, Laurent gasped. “It is too much !”
Tony had to reluctantly agree. Nick seemed to be holding up the best, but it was obvious that wouldn’t be the case for long. All were coughing and showing the light-headed effects of the toxic fumes. Tony wheeled around and gasped, “Go Back...Let’s Get Back !!”
Wobbly, they made their way back across the bridge into New Coventry, stopping at the corner to recover. Their heads were spinning and their guts were churning.
“No way we’re getting in there without gas masks, and maybe some air tanks”, Nick coughed.
“Where the hell we going to get any of those ?”, asked Tony.
“Maybe....”, Laurent coughed, “I think maybe the Nerds have some over at their Comic Store hideout ?”
“That’s an idea”, Tony said. “All we need then, is air tanks of some kind.”
Zoe spoke up. “There’s some of those O2 canisters at the Clinics, remember Tony ?”
Tony did remember now. “Hey, that’s right ! We just need to steal...Er, borrow some from one of the Clinics.”
“We should try to find ze gas masks first”, Laurent said, his accent becoming more pronounced with the stress. “Zis O2 won’t do much good without them.”
“Right again”, Tony said. “Com’on, let’s get to the Dragon’s Wing. We need to hurry.”
The four set out for a return to Bullworth Town. Tony felt the slight breeze, blowing towards the North. He hoped the wind didn’t change direction anytime soon, or all bets would be off.
_____________________________________
-
The four returned to Bullworth Town. As before, nobody paid them any attention whatever, and dodging obstacles, Tony and his group rode to the alley behind the Dragon’s Wing. They concealed their bikes as best they could, then following Tony, made their way down the rear steps that led to the basement of the Comic Store. Tony pulled up the mat and found the key there. Using it, he unlocked the basement door and they all filed in.
There was a sort of muffled sobbing noise coming from the small room off to the right, the one where Algie had gotten his nut blown off. Tony and Nick entered cautiously. There, on the bed, was a rather large figure under the blankets, and the blankets were trembling with every wracking sob that issued forth. Nick stepped boldly forward and yanked the covers off to reveal Alfred Owens, the comic store owner.
As the blankets were pulled away, Alfred curled into a ball and screamed, “AHHHHHH !!! Go Away !!!!!! GO AWAY !!!!!!!”
“Relax, Mr. Owens, it’s us”, Tony said. “We won’t hurt you.”
“RUINED, I”M RUINED !!!!”, Alfred went on as if he hadn’t heard Tony at all. “Mad BOMBERS, Mad Bombers, They’re Going To Blow Up My Store, Oh The Humanity !!!”
Zoe and Laurent had crowded into the small room by this time as well. Zoe spoke, rather softly for her, as if to a child, “It’s Ok, Mr. Owens, everything is gonna be alright. We just need your help.”
Alfred Owens moaned. “Help ? Help ? I Need Help !! My Store, My Life !!! The Mad Bombers Are Going To Blow It Up !!!”
“Not if you can help us”, Zoe continued in that soothing voice. We just need to find something, and maybe all of this can stop. Will you help us ? Please ?”
For the first time, Alfred Owens opened his tightly shut eyes and took them all in. “How....How can the lot of you help.....My Store !! My Precious Store !!!”
“It’s a bit complicated”, Tony said, following Zoe’s lead and using a soothing tone, “And we really don’t have time to explain.....But we’re looking for some Gas Masks. Do you have any of those down here ?”
“Gas Masks ?”, Alfred mumbled, “Gas Masks ? Oh, is it that bad outside ? Oh, my Stars !”
“There’s.....A lotta buildings blown up, but the Dragon’s Wing is still safe. We just want to try to catch the Bomber”, Tony lied. “We have to go to a place that has toxic gas. Can you help us ?”
“Catch the Bomber”, Alfred repeated, a tear trickling down his cheek. He squeezed his eyes shut once more, then considered. “Look....In those boxes in the big room.....There was some old surplus gas masks in one of them......”
Tony nodded to the others, and they returned to the basement game room. Before leaving, Tony pulled the covers back over Alfred Owens. “Thanks, Mr. Owens. We’ll get him, don’t you worry.” Tony felt like sort of a puke, lying like that, but he had no other option. What the hell was he going to say ? Out in the big room, they all got started looking into the contents of the many boxes piled against the walls. Tony cautioned the others to hurry. Despite what he said to Alfred Owens, he wondered just how long it would take before the Dragon’s Wing was ripped by an explosion, as many of the surrounding buildings were.
It took all of 30 minutes to finally locate the box with the old Gas Masks in it. Zoe was the one who found it, calling out in triumph, “Here They Are !!”
The others gathered around. In the box were six Gas Masks. More that enough. As they left the basement, Tony threw the key back under the out side mat, noticing the muffled sobbing from the small room had continued.
Next, they needed some Oxygen. They went up the street on foot, and turned North on Main Street. Going up a couple of blocks to the Clinic there, Tony said he would go inside. From his couple weeks recovery there after being shot by Jake, he sorta knew where things were kept.
Their attention was drawn by shouting. From the corner where they stood, they could see an angry group of people in front of the Bullworth Police Station. The doors were shut tight, and nobody was going in or out. Further away, they could make out an even angrier mob on the steps in front of the Courthouse. They couldn’t make out what was being said, but they gathered that the good citizens of Bullworth were not too happy with the Town leadership at the moment.
The sidewalk was fairly empty of people at the moment. Tony figured that most of the people were in the crowds gathered at the Police Station and the Courthouse. Tony sucked in a deep breath and dashed into the Clinic. Nick followed behind. Inside the clinic, it was bedlam. Injured people were all over, standing, staggering, laying, and shouting. The small staff was overwhelmed. Tony darted to the place where he knew they kept the hand-held Oxygen canisters, and groaned when he found only two. The rest were undoubtedly being used about the Clinic. Tony snatched them up and he and Nick left the Clinic unchallenged.
Out on the sidewalk, they held a small conference. “This is all there was”, Tony said. “It’s not enough !”
“There’s the Clinic over in New Coventry”, Zoe suggested. “They Probably have some.”
The others agreed, and the trekked back to behind the Comic Store to retrieve their stolen bikes. With all that was going on, it seemed that stealing bikes was the last thing on anybody’s mind, and they found theirs untouched. Speedily, they mounted up and biked back into New Coventry, taking the same route down the brick street as before, turning left though instead of right at the corner. A half-block away, the New Coventry Clinic was in sight.
They pulled their bikes up to the front, and Tony and Nick dashed in. Laurent and Zoe stood guard over the bikes with their weapons out, as this area still had poeple wandering around and fighting. When someone came too close, they were just popped with a Spud Gun to drive them off. Normally, this would draw the attention of the Cops, but no one was going to be busted this evening.
As much as a madhouse as the Bullworth Clinic had been, the New Coventry Clinic was even worse. Tony and Nick managed to grab one canister each, and those with difficulty, as a Clinic person charged them to try to prevent the thefts. Tony and Nick both fired on him, and he went down, screaming, “OH, MY BALLS !!!!!” Others converged on them then, and it was just to many to fight. They cut and ran pell mell out the doors and hopped on their bikes. The entire group rode to the Blue Skies Bridge like the dogs of hell were after them.
Once on the other side, the group stopped and equipped themselves with their Gas Masks. There was a little slot to plug the O2 canisters in on the masks. Each turned the valve on and started the oxygen flow, and away they went, ever deeper into Blue Skies.
It was surreal. The greenish cloud, which grew denser the farther in they rode, made the whole place appear like a scene right out of an old war movie. Since Zoe knew the area best, Tony let her take the lead. They poked and prodded into all the hiding places she pointed out. Up on the elevated catwalk at Spazz Industries, where there was some storage compartments, Tony could see the bulk of the toxic cloud emitting from the Chem Plant some distance away. Down Meats Street, they could see it was blocked with the smoldering ruins of the abandoned Wonder Meats Slaughterhouse. They doubled back to the Police sub-station and tried the road there.
They were running low on Oxygen by then. The small canisters were only good for about a half-hour, and no more. Raising his mask briefly, Laurent shouted to Zoe, “Is Not There A Clinic There By Your Old House ?” Zoe nodded and they went there. The place, however, had been trashed and looted. Nothing so much as a bedpan remained. The four gathered outside once more. They had to lift their masks to speak.
“We’ve got to get out of here. we’re running out of time !”, Tony panted.
“Wait”, Zoe gasped. “There’s a warehouse that Jimmy used to hide out in, it’s just down the street there, a little ways past Spencer Warehouse ! Let’s try that before we give up !”
Tony agreed, but there wasn’t time to delay. He flipped his mask down and the four biked on, going South down the street.
BLAMM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As they passed the Spencer Warehouse, a huge explosion rocked the second floor offices of Spencer Warehouse. Tony, Zoe, Nick, and Laurent were thrown off their bikes by the shock wave of the blast. Lying there gasping, Tony smelled a new smell that he knew well....That of Gunpowder.
_____________________________________________________
-
Mr. Spencer was on the phone at his home, Spencer Estates. On the line was a desperate Chief Carcer, cringing in fear at the loss of control of the Towns by his woefully undermanned Police Force, still trying to convince somebody, anybody, to let him call in outside help.
“Release me the codes, Mr. Spencer, I beg of you !!”, Chief Carcer was saying. “It’s totally out of control here !! People are rioting, they’re outside of the Station this very minute !!”
“You know full well only Harrington has those outside codes”, Mr. Spencer said serenely, watching the action on a secure channel on his Television, live coverage by CNN of the raid on a certain New York building. “Besides, I have a feeling that there’s going to be plenty of lawmen coming here soon enough.”
“But what am I to do ?”, moaned Chief Carcer.
“I’d hunker down if I were you”, Mr. Spencer said, not unkindly. “Wait it out. It will all be over soon enough, I’m sure. Oh, one more thing, Chief......Destroy all your files. It wouldn’t do to have them fall into the wrong hands, now would it ?”
With that, Mr. Spencer terminated the connection and turned his full attention back to the TV report. The cameras were zooming in on Federal Agents leading men from the besieged building in handcuffs. Mr. Spencer reached for his remote and turned up the volume.
“......As you can see, Agents are just now emerging from the building with the some of the top Syndicate Leaders.....And there is Vincent “Bloody Vince” Fonzerelli, now being pulled down the steps. Sources have it that he has been arrested on multiple counts of Income Tax Evasion, Racketeering, Bribery, Corrosion, Witness Tampering, and Murder, and violations of the RICO statutes and the MANN Act. Other indictments may also be coming soon, according to Justice Department Officials. It appears that the back of this particular branch or organized crime in the city has been broken.....”
Mr. Spencer punched the mute button on his remote. He regretted the action he must now take, but whatever was destroyed could be built up again, just as long as he wasn’t sitting in a Federal Prison somewhere. And that, he had no intention of doing.
He picked up his phone once again. He had lied to Chief Carcer about not having those outside codes. He could very well call for help. But first, before anything else, he had to have time to eradicate any and all evidence against him and the others that he could. Since Harrington had stupidly let that File get stolen, he was sure he would take some heat if that was ever found. But even so, he and the others had a plan....They would turn State’s Witnesses against Harrington in exchange for Immunity. It had all been decided.
He punched in a number he had hoped he would never have to use. On the empty second-floor offices at Spencer Warehouse, a red light on a phone console in his office began flashing, sending an electric current to the various file cabinets and desk drawers that had been packed underneath with dynamite explosives. Mr. Spencer listened as he heard the the tone for several seconds, a drawn out “BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOO.....” that dissolved into static, indicating the job had been done. He knew the resultant fire from the accelerator gels packed with the explosives would take care of the rest of the evidence. The blame would be laid on whomever was bombing the rest of the city, a fortunate turn of events for him.
He replaced the phone then, and rose for his next task, that of stripping his home files of anything incriminatory. Those he would haul down and burn in his huge fireplace. He figured he would be under arrest soon, as Bloody Vince’s far-flung empire was investigated and dismantled. But in any case, there wouldn’t be that much evidence against him, and he had whole lots to tell for just the right kind of deal.
As he went about his task, he whistled a happy tune. In the end, he would finally get it over on Harrington this time.
__________________________________________
-
Tony, Zoe, Nick, and Laurent lay stunned momentarily on the pavement from the explosion they had just rode by. If it had been any closer, or had been at ground level, they might have been in serious trouble indeed. As it was, they were lucky to have kept their Gas Masks on. But the few minutes it had taken them to collect their wits and slowly re-mount their bikes meant all the less oxygen they had left in their canisters. Wobbily, they set off towards the Save Warehouse, not even noticing the fire that was breaking out in the aftermath of the explosion on the second floor of Spencer Warehouse.
They were very low on air by the time they reached the Save Warehouse door, only to find it locked. Zoe took a deep last breath and ripped off her mask. Beating with all her might, she pounded on the door and yelled, “JIMMY !!! IT’S ME, JIMMY !!! LET US IN, QUICK !!!!”
For several seconds, nothing happened. Then the door was yanked open and Jimmy appeared, yanking Zoe inside, and motioning for the others to follow. On the last of their air, they stumbled in, and the door was slammed shut behind them. The friends sank down on the floor in relief, pulling off their masks and sucking in the fresh air of the warehouse.
Zoe hugged tight to Jimmy, sobbing with relief at finding him Ok and unhurt. After a while, Tony saw Damon, who had slammed shut the door, and one other he didn’t expect....Algie. The fat Nerd, minus his glasses, was perched on a nearby crate with a rabbit-scared look on his face. His unfocused eyes were glued on Tony as he rose and walked over, stopping right in front of him. “Please don’t hit me !”, Algie pleaded, raising his arms to protect his face.
I’m not gonna hit you, Algie”, Tony said. “I think you probably suffered enough....Haven’t you ?”
“Yes, Oh Yes !!!”, Algie squealed, “I’m really sorry for what I did !!”
“Not near sorry enough”, grumbled Damon, standing nearby. Jimmy shot a look at Damon and he went quiet.
“Be that as it may”, Tony said, “You got a long ways to go to ever get back the trust of even your own Clique. If you join with us, it might go a little way on the long road back.”
Algie looked slightly hopeful. “I will !! I can !! You’ll see !!”
“Right”, Tony said. He turned away to the others. “Hopefully, we’ll all see.”
When they were settled, Tony filled in Jimmy on the extent of the bombings so far. They had brought along an extra two Gas Masks, but were basically out of oxygen to make the trip back. Jimmy then related that they might be able to squeeze through, or around, the wrecked Frontloader that was wedged in the short tunnel leading to the footbridge. The idea was discussed at some length. The fire had gone out some time ago, Jimmy knew from taking quick looks out the door and down the street. It was only a matter of time before the metal cooled off enough so they wouldn’t be burned making their way past it. That would be the fastest way back to Bullworth Academy. However, the ever-present toxic gas was still a problem. Tony and the others hadn’t seen any bodies laying around, which meant that those affected must have made it to safety somehow, even those who were initially overcome, as Jimmy had told them. But Laurent spoke up, saying that didn’t mean that there wouldn’t be long-range health problems from such a thing, as they didn’t know what the gas was to begin with, and they couldn’t risk it if they had to face Jake or anyone else for control of the school.
Back and forth the debate went, with them finally agreeing to wait out the Toxic Gas. It was sure to dissipate in the next few hours, even sooner if a favorable wind came along. Tony reluctantly agreed, worried as he was about Karen and the others, but he reasoned that perhaps Jake, and assuming the Punks he was apparently working with, would try to secure the Towns first, paving the way for a smoother take-over of the school without outside interference.
They settled in for the wait. Since it was already nightfall, they stood watches so all could get some sleep. It was bound to be a big day tomorrow, whichever way it all came out.
__________________________________________
-
BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!!
BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!!
Night fell across the Vale Valley, and the explosions continued. At Bullworth Town, Worn In Used Clothing and the Shiny Bike Shop were hit, with the biggest explosion coming at the Rocket In My Pocket store. That blast ignited most all of the Fireworks and such inside the store, and citizens ran from the area in panic like scared rabbits. Over in New Coventry, The Final Cut and the Blue Balls Bar, the Greaser hangout, were rocked with explosions. In Bullworth Vale, The Aquaberry Shop, Old Bullworth Hair, Nails & Beauty, and the Scuba Place were the next targets to be hit by the blasts.
Down at the Football Field, the Cliques were getting restless as it grew darker and the sodium-arc lights came on. Ted stepped up to take the leadership role he had so long shirked to maintain order, aided in large part by Bob Southby. Whenever talk arose of a group taking off on their own, Bob was there to say, “EVERYBODY STAY. NOBODY LEAVE.” He would emphasize that statement by smacking his huge basketball sized fist into his other equally large hand. Most grumbling would cease at that point. Having Mrs. Carvin and Mrs. Peabody, the only real adults present, also aided by at least having some kind of Authority figures present. They were going about, making the students lay out the blankets and such into some kind of organized bedding, in the event that everyone would have to bunk down in the Football Field for the night, which increasingly looked like what was going to happen. Meantime, Karen teamed up with Mandy to put on some cheerleading displays, even though she really wasn’t on the squad. Melody joined in also, and for laughs, Eunice was granted a few tries with comical results. The mood gradualy became more relaxed, though some still stayed on their guard with weapons at the ready.
Over at the house that Sid and the Punks occupied, the detonation codes were being fed in with regularity. The had set off close to half the charges they had planted by 11 PM. Starting after dark, Sid had sent out Frankie on several runs with the Go-Kart to survey the Towns and report back to him. After the last run, Frankie returned. All was going according to plan, he told Sid. The Townspeople were an uproar and there was some rioting and looting going on. A large crowd was gathered at the main Police Station and an even larger angry crowd was packed around Courthouse. Both places appeared to be barred shut from the inside. Frankie told Sid that no one had even bothered with him or seemed to pay attention to him whatsoever as he motored about and around the fallen debris. But it appeared that the situation was in limbo. They seemed no closer to taking over the Towns than when they started.
Sid was just getting started, however. Quickly, he disconnected the AC plug from the Transmitter and inserted a DC lead in the proper terminal. This he hooked up to a stolen car battery that he had had the Punks obtain for just such a situation. Actually, this was in his plan all along. With the Transmitter operating once more, he entered a series of specific codes. “Break out the lanterns, boys. Let’s see how they like this.” With that, he triggered the transmitter key.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
KA-BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Over in the South-East section of Blue Skies, C-4 charges planted at the Power Plant substation erupted with a mighty roar. Within seconds, the entire Vale Valley was plunged into darkness.
_______________________________________________
-
Mr. Smith left his hotel room in Provenience and headed off to the Governor’s Mansion. All that late afternoon, since he had arrived, he had used whatever political influence he had to get an emergency audience with the Governor. Having been a large cash contributor to his campaign in the last election hadn’t hurt any either....In fact, that alone was probably the sole reason he was being afforded this late-night meeting at the home of the only person in the state of Rhode Island who could call out the National Guard.
(http://cf2.vgtstatic.com/thumbll/2/4/24785-v1.jpg)
As he was admitted to the residence after being searched, he was ushered to a grandly decorated office, where the Governor was seated behind a massive desk. After taking a seat and making some preliminary small talk, Mr. Smith got down to business.
“There’s some kind of insurrection going on at Bullworth Town, sir. It’s real serious. There are some sort of Terrorists setting off bombs !!”, Mr. Smith exclaimed.
“Terrorists ? Bombs ?”, the Governor frowned. “I’ve heard nothing of this. Just where is this place ?”
“It’s off Highway 403, down south of East Greenwich”, Mr. Smith related, “But it’s a pretty isolated place. It’s not on most maps, hardly anyone knows about it.”
The Governor buzzed an Ade. “Bring me in some State Maps”, he ordered.
In a few minutes, the Ade entered the office, arms loaded with maps of the state. “Show me where”, the Governor ordered. Mr. Smith went rose and went over to the desk. After looking for a few seconds, he pointed. “Right here. This is the place.”
The Governor squinted. “There’s....Nothing there. Just a blank spot near the bay.”
“The Towns are isolated, Governor, shut off to the world. There are people there who have made it that way”, Mr. Smith related, neglecting to mention that he had been one of those people. “You’ve got to believe me, sir, the situation in Bullworth Town is very serious indeed !”
The expression on the Governor’s face indicated he felt he was listening to a raving lunatic, but at the mention of the place, the Ade’s expression perked up. “Bullworth, you say ? I know that place.”
The Governor looked up in surprise, as did Mr. Smith, at the Ade. “How’s that again ?”
“Oh, Yeah”, the Ade said, “I went to this ratty old school there, back in the 80s. They called it an ‘Academy’, but it was a real stone age place.”
“So....This is a real place ?”, the Governor quizzed. The Ade nodded, then excused himself, saying he would be right back. The Governor settled back in his chair. “Tell me more”, he said to Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith did his best to describe Bullworth Town and the Vale Valley, and the creeping isolationism that had crept over the area, spurred on by the rich and powerful that now controlled the area for their own ends. By the time he was finished, the Ade had returned.
“Here’s a much older map, sir. As you can see, Bullworth Town is right here, along with some other towns called The Vale, New Coventry, and Blue Skies”, the Ade related. “They’re pretty small places, as towns go, but I recall they had shipping facilities there, some industries, a rail line, and a dam.”
“That’s interesting”, the Governor said, peering at the map. “And you say someone is setting off bombs there ? Some kind of Terrorists ?”
“I don’t know who they are”, Mr. Smith admitted, “But that was the talk that’s been going around. The city leaders are powerless to call for help, and the situation is far beyond their control. People are rioting, and the law is useless.” He finished by describing the events of the past day and then showing the Governor the photos of the damage he had taken just before he had left.
“So, why didn’t you go to the State Police about this ?”, the Governor asked.
Mr. Smith sighed. “There is a certain level of....Corruption....on many levels. I thought it best to come to you, personally.”
The Governor mulled that over. He knew all about corruption. It was, as they say about the air, everywhere. He leaned back in his chair once more and tented his fingers. “What do you expect I can do about this, provided of course what you say is true ?”
“Send in the National Guard”, Mr. Smith said. “Only you have that power. If it IS some kind of Terrorists, think of what a boost that would be to you in you re-election campaign. Hell, even if they aren’t, just the publicity alone would get you a huge boost in the polls.”
The Governor considered. It WAS an election year, and he was going to be facing a tough opponent this time around, no question about that. If this situation was true, and he took decisive action that restored order, he would be lauded as being a hero. On the other hand, given the situation, and he didn’t act, he would be lambasted by the press and would surly lose come November. This type of thing was political dynamite, it could make or break a career. He leaned forward. “All right, Smith, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. First, I call up an Expeditionary Force to go in and check it out. If what you say is true, I’ll send in the National Guard. Agreed ?”
Mr. Smith nodded. “It has to be tonight ! Things were getting bad when I left. The’re probably worse now.”
The Governor instructed his Ade to connect him to a secure line, and the Ade left to do so. “Tell me, Smith”, The Governor asked while they were waiting, “What’s your interest in all this, anyway ?”
“I live there”, Mr. Smith said sadly, “And I helped build those towns. I can’t stand by and let some kind of Punks destroy them.”
The intercom buzzed. “All ready sir”, the Ade’s voice said. The Governor picked up his phone. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
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The Sodium-Arc lights over the Football Field suddenly dimmed and went out, eliciting cries of dismay from the startled students. Most hadn’t been directly affected by the day’s events since the bombing of the Statue at the fountain, or in the Nerd’s case, the Observatory gateway, but the sudden plunge into darkness somehow made their situation seem worse, and by extension, all the more real. In one way, it made Ted’s job easier....No one seemed inclined to bolt off into the unknown darkness of the campus. The sky was black at this point, there was no moon to guide them at any rate. A cloud cover obscured any stars. Things were a bit tense at first, for this seemed an optimal time for an attack, if one was to come, while they were confused and defenseless, with no target to fire back on in the darkness. But, after an hour or more had passed with no threat, they calmed down once more.
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After the blackout, Sid once again sent out Frankie on the Go-Kart, along with Sean. This time, it would be a specific mission. Standing on the back of the Go-Kart, Sean carried a package, tied to a brick. The Go-Kart zipped quietly along the streets, dodging those pedestrians Frankie could see, while hitting others he couldn’t. By the time the Go-Cart crossed the North Bridge, Sid triggered an explosion at the Bullworth Arts Building, South-West of the Courthouse.
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The blast had the effect of dispersing the angry mob around the Courthouse steps and served to clear the street in front. Just a minute later, by the light of the flames belching from the Arts Building, Frankie drove the Go-Kart up the Courthouse steps and near one of the elevated windows. As Frankie briefly stopped the Go-Kart, Sean hurled the package & brick through the window. Inside the package was a Walkie-Talkie intended for Judge Starkweather. In the fresh confusion and panic, nobody paid the two the slightest attention, and soon they were driving back, their mission complete. By that time, Chief O’Rouke arrived with the pumper truck to fight the new fire. He had just returned from Blue Skies, where he had been able to knock down the fire at Spencer Warehouse. It was fortunate that the Chief had Gas Masks, or the whole West end of Blue Skies and the Docks would have gone up in flames otherwise.
Although no one could see it, the hands on the Clocktower above the Courthouse were stopped at 11:04, the instant the power went out. The faded words under the big clock, “BULLWORTHLESS” glowered eerily in the night.
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-
The time ticked past midnight. The siege on the Vale Valley had been going on 12 hours now, and it was time for the next phase of Sid’s plan. Systematically, he began triggering explosions of the smaller charges of C-4 they had planted near the homes of the residents. A few charges were let off in the alleyways of the Tennaments in New Coventry and the Condos along the more affluent sections of Bullworth Vale, but the main hits were in the residential sections along Bullworth-Vale Road and the rich homes up and down Vale Valley Road. The small blasts drove many into the streets, contributing to the chaos. Soon, the rich mingled with the poor, and in the near total darkness, neither could tell one from the other.
Charges went off too near Spencer Estates and Harrington Mansion, But both men, true to their snobbish heritage, refused to run out and mingle with the common peons. Instead, they retreated to their safe rooms, where each barricaded themselves in to wait out the siege. Ironically, those were to be the first of many small rooms that they would find themselves an unwilling prisoner of in the weeks ahead.
To forestall any intervention from the outside world, although he didn’t expect there would be, Sid triggered the charges planted in the tunnel of the only road out of town. It was here, however, that Sid made a monumental error. Stuck to the ceiling of the tunnel, the charges failed to ignite. The radio signals were unable to penetrate the rock mountain there, and the C-4 went unexploded. For some inexplicable reason, Sid sent nobody to check on the tunnel to assure it was blocked. Instead, he had ordered his gang, including Jake, to get some sleep. It was going to be a big day tomorrow, and he wanted his crew fresh.
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The Carnival on the far west of Bullworth Vale was just as dark as the rest of the Vale Valley, but that didn’t really matter. Billy Bob Crane had loaded his entire crew of Carnies and Freaks into three Clownmobiles and had left the area earlier that afternoon, during the initial attacks. Billy Bob feared that they too would be a target for attack, and he moved with lightening speed to ensure the safety of his workers. The Freaks had all been placed in their own specialized vehicle, with a tank in the back for Courtney the Mermaid. The caravan headed to Stoneworth, a small town in Connecticut, where Billy Bob’s brother, Johnny Joe Crane, had his own traveling carnival. Billy Bob had no worries. Carnies always took care of their own.
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Down at the Football Field, things had settled down. Mrs. Carvin and Mrs. Peabody, possessing flashlights, patrolled the rows of sleeping students with steely resolve. A few remained awake, standing guard in shifts, just in case, but the anticipated attack never occurred. Some were coming to believe it never would.
Karen couldn’t sleep. Worried more and more about Tony with each passing hour, she sought comfort with Melody, who was also worried about Nick. Constantinos and Ray hung around to keep them company, but it was no use. She pictured all sorts of bad things happening to Tony and the others, but resolved to keep her promise to him to stay put. When daylight came, she would go looking for him. Until then, there was nothing she could do.
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Jimmy and Tony traded off watch shifts throughout the night in the dark Save Warehouse. Tony was almost certain now that Jake and the Punks were behind all that had happened this past day. Somehow, Jake had teamed up forces with the mysterious Sid and they had pulled off the attack of the century on the Vale Valley. Tony could see the plan in his mind now, just as surely as if he were back in his Mediator office with the papers taped to the wall with the red and black connection lines drawn between them.
Again, he agonized over his inability to stop Jake over the past few months. Far from the weak psychotic boy Jake had appeared to be when he tried to ram Tony with the Greaser’s classic car, he now loomed in Tony’s mind as an evil genius. Conning the Townies has been one thing, but that he was able to con an adult criminal like Sid to go along with his plans spoke volumes. Tony felt totally inadequate to his avowed task of stopping Jake for good for really the first time. His only hope was that Jake would, in his arrogance, make a mistake. It seemed to be the only hope for him, for Karen, and for his friends.
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-
As the power had failed across the Vale Valley, the electronic locking system of the Towns Jails had failed also. The Townies, who had been locked up since Easter, staged jailbreaks from the main Station at Bullworth Town and two of the other sub-stations at Bullworth Vale and New Coventry, walking out of the empty stations encountering no resistance whatever. Barricaded in his office at the Bullworth Town Jail, Chief Carcer heard them go with no way to stop them, and knew that his career in Law Enforcement was over.
The Townies joined the throngs in the streets, and immediately began looting the damaged stores. Like kids let loose in a candy store, they pillaged everything they could carry, and headed towards Blue Skies. When they found their way blocked by the Toxic Gas, they stashed their loot on the lot of a rundown trailer located near the bridge, behind a building. For the rest of the night, they stood guard, and beat any townsperson who was foolish enough to come within range.
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Judge Starkweather eventually retrieved the Walkie-Talkie that had been thrown in through the window. Pushing the 'Talk’ button, he demanded to know just who was on the other end of the line and just what their demands were. After a while, Sid replied, using a fake accent.
“This Is The Bullworth Liberation Front”, Sid began. “The BLF Demands Your Complete And Total Surrender Of The Towns Of This Vale Valley. If You Refuse To Comply, Your Business And Industries Will Be Totally Destroyed.”
“Impossible !!!”, Judge Starkweather gruffly, mustering a bravado he certainly did not feel. “I don’t have the authority to agree to such an action !”
“Are You Not The Highest Official In The Towns ? There Is No Mayor, No Council, No Managers”, Sid said. “Do Not Lie To Us. It Is You Who Must Turn Over To Us Unconditionally The Control Of The Bullworth Towns !”
“I CAN’T and I WON’T !!!”, snarled Judge Starkweather. “You have NO RIGHT to do what you are doing !!!”
“Then You Will Feel Our Power”, Sid threatened. “We Will Destroy All Your Homes And Businesses !!!”
“You Would’nt DARE !!!”, Judge Starkweather stormed desperately.
“I Will Contact You In One Hour”, Sid said. “We Shall See !!”
The Judge responded with curses, but there was no answer. In the distance, he heard the bombs going off again.
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The Task Force arrived at 2 AM, guided to the nearly obscure road that led into the Vale Valley by Mr. Smith, who had come along to show them the way. A small detachment went in past the now-inactive holographic entrance by the Carnival in a nondescript ordinary car, as not to draw attention. Within a half-hour, they had returned and reported that the Towns were indeed under siege. The Commander of the Task Force, who had stayed behind, stationed just beyond the wrecked Go-Cart Track, radioed in that the situation was just as Mr. Smith had described, and requested a full assault. This information was relayed to the Governor, who ordered the National Guard to assemble and be ready to launch a full-scale assault at dawn. The clock was now ticking.
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The negotiations continued through the wee hours of the night, with Sid issuing more threats and the Judge still refusing to back down. Part of the reason was he had been unable to contact either Harrington or Spencer to get the go-ahead for such a drastic action. It slowly sank in on Judge Starkweather that they had abandoned him, and that he was left to sink or swim just like the stinking Crab in the Vale Bay. Sid had continued to systematically detonate charges laid near homes and some of the businesses that were left.....The Dry Seaman Bar, the Vale Movie Theater, the Vale Shiny Bike Shop, and numerous other small businesses.
The back-and-forth exchanges continued, with Sid threatening to blow up Spazz Industries, the Wonder Meats Warehouse, the Beam Cola Plant, and to sink the rest of the Dock Area. Finally, Sid pulled out his ace card, and told the Judge he would blow up the Bullworth Dam and flood the entire valley. At that point, Judge Starkweather finally capitulated, and agreed to the demands. Sid arranged for the handover of power to be at the first light of dawn, in front of the Courthouse. He stipulated that all codes to all buildings, including the Bank, be handed over, and that the Courthouse was to be cleared. After he broke contact, he went to awaken Jake and his troops.
Sid was going to hold up his end of the deal. Jake was to leave while it was still dark, and would be accompanied by Denny and Kenny, who were to be fully armed. Jake was allowed to carry his Air Rifle and Spud Gun. Sid wanted to take no chances that the erratic Jake would start shooting kids. Brothers Denny and Kenny were being sent along to help with the takeover of the school, and to keep an eye on Jake. If all worked according to plan, the trio should be securing control of the school just as Sid and the others would be taking over the towns. Still, a trickle of doubt ate at Sid, and he vowed to be extra vigilant.
__________________________________________
-
With still plenty of darkness to go until dawn, Jake left for the school, accompanied by Denny and Kenny. Dressed in black, the three took a route that would minimize their being seen. Leaving the rented estate on foot, they traveled the one block South along the bricked street that led to one of the entrances of Bullworth Vale Gardens Park. Strangely, probably the safest place for any Citizen of the towns tonight was the Park, and it was completely empty. Traversing the Park, they headed out a grassy path that led to Vale Valley Road, and crossing that, went down Vale Court. A dirt pathway led off there, and went past the Lighthouse Overlook, where not long ago Tony and Karen had gotten it on in the shadow of their Go-Cart. The trail switchbacked down this elevated part of the Vale, winding up on the beach and passing directly in front of the Beach House where Pinky had been staying of late. The Beach House was dark tonight, as Pinky was still in the School Clinic with a fractured jaw, courtesy of her ex-fiance.
Staying close to the beach wall, they covered the distance all along the shore to nearly the South Bridge, passing a sleeping wino under the big pier. Here, they were forced to go up to the sidewalk to cross the bridge. The kept on the alert, but it didn’t matter....The Townspeople who were out were all too preoccupied with the damage and destruction to even so much as look in their direction. Not that they would have seen much in the dark anyway. The sounds of sirens still uselessly filled the air, and as they watched they saw Chief O’Rouke’s lone Fire Truck moving down Vale Boulevard, still trying to extinguish the resultant fires from the Bombs.
Crossing the bridge swiftly, they headed for the school, turning right at the Parking Lot access road. Going the length as stealthily as they could, they reached the side gate and found it closed and chained shut. The Prefects had long ago withdrawn from the gates to inside the school, and the gate stood unguarded. Jake cracked an ironic smile at that. In spite of his ever-creeping paranoid demeanor, he had admit Sid had been right to have him hold off further explosions on the Academy. The chaos going on outside the school would serve to instill a false sense of security inside the school. Jake regretted now setting off the explosion by the Observatory, only the first one had been necessary.
Neither Jake or the Punks knew how to Parkour, but it was no matter. Cutting right was the old rail line that led around the perimeter of the school, and that was the path they went down, the same one they had used to sneak in to set the explosives in the first place, over the wall that led to the back lot of the Autoshop. Jake would have no use for this particular method of entry after this day, since the morning would see him in his rightful place as King of the School.
Sneaking through the back lot, they peered around to the Parking Lot. It was deserted, and after a short wait, the trio moved to the edge of the lot to cast a look at the West side of the school. Usually one of the Prefects patrolled there at night, but after a few minutes it was clear that there was no one about. Jake and the Punks unslung their weapons, theirs were SKS-45 Surplus Rifles, while Jake had his less-deadly Air Rifle, the same one he had used to shoot Pete in the eye the past winter. Creeping forward cautiously to the Front Quad, and looking about, they also found the area deserted. While Denny and Kenny stood watch, Jake went swiftly to the Boy’s Dorm. At the top of the steps, he eased open the door and stepped inside. Fishing out a flashlight from his backpack, he shined it around and saw no one, only empty hallways. He took a quick look in the common area and several rooms, only to find them empty as well. He took off on a silent run out of the Boy’s Dorm and crossed the path to the Girl’s Dorm. Air Rifle at the ready in one hand, flashlight in the other, he searched there, upstairs and down with the same result. Nobody was there. The students were gone.
Jake returned to the Front Quad. The three then mounted the steps to the school, weapons at the ready in case of an ambush. When nothing happened, Jake signaled them to check the doors. Denny moved to the right to the Patio door, Kenny moved to the left to the Clinic door, while Jake tried the main Doors. All three were locked. Jake removed from his backpack another nifty item he had picked up in Provenience, a little mini-cutting torch. Igniting it, he bent to cut the lock out of the front doors while the two Punks stood guard. In less than two minutes, the lock dropped free on the pavement at his feet. Jake kicked it aside, and the three entered the school, guns at the ready.
The building was eerily silent. Jake watched for the flicker of flashlights indicating patrolling Prefects. After a few minutes, it was clear none was forthcoming. Jake risked turning on his flashlight and led the two Punks up the steps to the second floor and into the School Office. Quickly shining the light about, the mystery of the missing Prefects was partly solved...Seth lay snoring on the short sofa, while Max was slumped down against a nearby wall, likewise asleep. Both were rudely awakened by the Punks with lights shining in their eyes and Rifles jammed at their heads. Jake made them lay down face-first on the floor, withdrawing rope and gags from his backpack. After threats of being shot, Seth gave the information as to where Karl and Edward were. The Punks then bound and gagged them, then Denny followed Jake to the Teacher’s Lounge while Kenny stood guard. They burst into the Lounge to find Karl and Edward likewise asleep and soon had taken them prisoner just as easily as they had Max and Seth. The errant Prefects were marched back to the office, laid on the floor, and soon bound and gagged.
With the Prefects neutralized, Jake turned his attention to the door to Dr. Crabblesnitch’s office. Finding it also locked, he stepped aside and motioned Denny to shoot it off. The rounds crackled from the SKS, then Jake kicked in the door and rushed into the Head’s Office. Having heard the commotion, Dr. Crabblesnitch was on the move. The good Doctor was at the hidden door, pulling it open and beginning to drag Ms. Danvers along with him to the relative safety of the balcony.
“Hold It Crabblesnitch !!”, Jake ordered, firing a pellet at the woodwork above the Head’s head. “That’s Far Enough !!!” He lowered his weapon and trained it on Ms. Danvers. “You wouldn’t want your lady to get shot, now would you ?”
“Oh Milton, Save Me !!”, Ms. Danvers moaned, her frightened features made ghostly in the flashlight’s glare.
Dr. Crabblesnitch backed slowly away from the balcony door. “There’s no need for violence here. What is it that you want ?”
A huge maniacal grin broke onto Jake’s face. “I’ve come to collect on your Resignation, Crabby. This is your last day of school, Turdknocker !!”
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-
The first faint light of day was beginning to make itself seen in the skies over Blue Skies. A mild breeze had sprung up from the South-West, helping to disperse the toxic greenish gas that had blanketed the area for most of the previous day and night.
Jimmy cautiously opened the Save Warehouse door. In the dim light, it appeared that the cast of the sky was going more to blue than green. The light wind in his face told a good story. Jimmy took a breath and didn’t choke. Tentatively, he sucked in a deeper breath and held it. The gas was still there, but just smelled more like a Stink Bomb in it’s final stages. It would be time, at last, to be able to move soon. He stepped back inside and went to wake the others.
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Sid was making final preparations to move out. He shut down the transmitter and disconnected it from the car battery, since he would be no longer needing it. In it’s place he stuck a small, cigarette-pack sized transmitter in his pocket. It would serve well at shorter distances within a quarter-mile radius. It was one of two he had picked up in Providence along with the other electronic equipment. Jake Brown, who had already left for the school with Denny and Kenny, had the other one.
He went to the front room and saw that Frankie and Sean were likewise readying to move, slinging their SKS-45 Rifles over their shoulders. Sid had added a Colt-38 to his weaponry, although it truth, he didn’t expect to have to use any weapons. The populace was scared shitless, and the takeover should go smoothly. But Sid was not one to leave anything to mere chance. He wanted to be prepared if anything should go wrong. Together the three left the hideout house for the last time. Going to the detached garage, Frankie pulled open the door. The Go-Kart awaited for their transport to glory.
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On the access road just outside the Vale Valley, more than 30 vehicles were lined up, mostly Jeeps and Troop Transport Carriers from the National Guard. Captain Calbert 'Cal’ Curry surveyed the line as the first slivers of light began to lighten up the sky. It would be time to move within a few minutes. The Captain’s attention was soon drawn to a line of dark green Government cars moving up parallel to the convoy. The lead car came to a stop and a man dressed in a dark suit emerged, walking over to Captain Curry.
“Captain ?”, the man said, flipping out an Identification Badge. “Special Agent Hosty, FBI. We’re going to be working with you in tandem on this one. I assume you’ve been notified ?”
“That’s correct, Sir”, Captain Curry replied, “We were informed you would be here. My orders state that we are to go in and restore order, and then you may follow at your discretion.”
“Very Good”, Agent Hosty said. “I have 20 agents with me, and we’re expecting to make several arrests. When the situation is stabilized, you will be able to assist ?”
“Yes Sir, should not a problem”, the Captain replied. The Agent nodded and returned to his car to wait. As he got in, he spoke a few word to his passenger in the front seat, who the Captain could see was obviously a civilian.
“Sargent Carter !”, the Captain called to a soldier standing nearby, “Get them ready to move out in five !”
“Yes Sir !”, the Sargent responded crisply, and headed down the line as daylight drew closer.
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Dr. Crabblesnitch and Ms. Danvers were forced into the outer office, already getting a bit crowded with the four Prefects lying bound and gagged on the floor, Denny and Kenny looming over them. “Bind Him !”, Jake ordered.
The Punks quickly complied, shoving the Head roughly up against the wall and tying his arms behind him. “Now, where are the others, Crabby ?”, Jake demanded.
Dr. Crabblesnitch remained silent. Enraged, Jake came closer and shoved the Air Rifle in the back of his neck. “Wanna see what this does at close range, Jackwipe ? Once again, WHERE IS EVERYBODY ?”
Ms. Danvers moaned. Still hobbled by her cast from her last encounter with Jake, she was unable to run, only hobble. When Dr. Crabblesnitch still refused to reply, Jake turned his Air Rifle on her. “Talk, Crabby, or your woman’s get crippled for life !”
“Oh, You Hooligan !”, Ms. Danvers cried. “Why, I Ought To....OOOFFFF !!!!!”, she screamed, as Jake belted her in the stomach. She doubled over and fell to the floor.
“ENOUGH !!”, Dr. Crabblesnitch yelled. “I’ll Talk !!”
“Hurry it up then, or she gets another !”, Jake said, viciously.
“The Staff....Is locked in their classrooms”, Dr. Crabblesnitch began.
“Locked in their classrooms ?”, Jake snickered, and began to laugh. “Oh, that’s Rich !”
“It’s for their safety....”, Dr. Crabblesnitch started to say. Jake cut him off.
“You Old Fool, I got the whole school building mined with explosives !”, Jake crowed. “The rest of the Campus too ! Did it right under your noses ! What’cha think about that, Crabby ?”
Dr. Crabblesnitch was silent at that. Jake went on, “Alright, where’s all the kids ? The Cliques ? Where are they ?” He advanced on Ms. Danvers and prepared to kick her in the gut.
“Down at the Football Field !”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said in a rush. “Don’t hurt her any more, Brown !”
“I’ll do what I damn well please !”, snarled Jake. “I’m in charge here now !”
Jake addressed the two Punks. “Take this Bitch around and unlock those classrooms. She’s got keys to everything. Assemble all them Teachers and Staff out in the big hall. Tell them I’ll shoot Crabby here if they don’t get a move on !”
Denny and Kenny hauled Ms. Danvers up from the floor and she was forced to hobble out with them. Jake ordered Dr. Crabblesnitch to the couch and leaped up on the counter to best keep an eye on everyone. In about ten minutes, the Teachers were assembled out in the Great Hall, lined up by the front doors. In addition, the Punks had also hauled out Nurse McRae from the School Clinic, along with Tad and Pinky, who was sporting a large bandage tied about her head in a rather comical way.
Once the Staff was rounded up, Jake marched Dr. Crabblesnitch and the four Prefects out of the office and down the stairs to join the others. Jake looked them over. He saw Edna the Cook, Mr. Galloway, Mr. Hattrick, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Neil, Miss Peters, Ms. Phillips, Mr. Wiggins, Dr. Slawter, and Dr. Watts. He also spotted Tad and Pinky.
“Spencer ! That you, you Prep Fuck !”, Jake exclaimed. “Wha’ja do, beat your girl there ?”
“I did nothing of the sort !”, Tad replied hotly. “That was Derby’s doing !”
“Harrington, heh ?”, Jake laughed. “I can believe that. One of the biggest scum fucks in the school. But not THE biggest, eh ?” Jake waved to the two Punks. “Alright, everyone outside on the Patio ! We’re gonna have us a little Saturday Morning Assembly !”
Denny and Kenny herded the Teachers and Staff out the busted front doors. Jake followed with the Prefects and Dr. Crabblesnitch ahead of him. He had the adults line up in rows on the patio, and then leaped up onto the banister by one of the pillars. “Spencer !”, he called, “You’re gonna do a little job for me.”
“I’m not doing anything for your kind”, Tad returned stiffly.
“Sure you are, just like you Preps used to do for my dear departed cousin, Gary”, Jake said. He called to the Punks, “Take this sack of shit down to the Football Field, and take Seth here too. Round up all those Jackasses and march them up here. Don’t want anyone missing our Assembly this morning !”, he chortled gleefully. “Have that blue-suited dumbass strip all their weapons and leave them there. Wouldn’t do to have an armed gang at our little meeting here, not on this historic day, now would it ?”
Tad was reluctant to be pushed along. Jake called out, “You go down there and help convince ‘em to come peacefully, Taddie, or your little girlfriend here is gonna get one in the stomach ! And if anybody thinks of giving any trouble down there, I’m gonna shoot little Miss Bitch Danvers in her other foot and cripple her for good !”
Dr. Crabblesnitch nodded at Seth. “Do as he says.”
The Punks moved off with Seth and Tad at gunpoint in front of them.
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-
Jake waited about a minute after Denny and Kenny led off with Tad and Seth, then pulled his mini-transmitter from his pocket. Keying in certain codes, he pushed the transmit button.
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Down at the Football Field, the two C-4 charges he had planted behind the Bleachers exploded, breaking the back retaining walls and crumpling some of the bleacher seats themselves. It was a rude wake-up call for most of the students, who had been sleeping fitfully on blankets on the ground. Cries erupted from the sleepy, startled students, and there ensued a disorganized frantic mad rush towards the back of the Football Field. Bob and Ted attempted to keep order, all to no avail. In the pre-dawn light, all attention was centered on the mass of confused, frightened students, and no one took notice of the pathway some had been previously guarding where they expected an attack to come from. After a couple of minutes though, Constantinos DID notice. He pointed and shouted, “LOOK !! LOOK !!”
At the top of the steps stood two figures clad all in black, somewhat difficult to see in the weak light of the approaching dawn. Both were holding what appeared to be some serious weaponry. Coming down the stairs were Seth the Prefect and Tad Spencer. At the sight, the students gradually fell silent, save for a few shouts here and there. Denny, the figure to the left, raised a Megaphone and began to address the students gathered in fear.
“GREETINGS STUDENTS !! THIS ENTIRE CAMPUS IS MINED WITH EXPLOSIVES, SO DON’T ENTERTAIN ANY FUNNY IDEAS ABOUT ESCAPE ! THIS MORNING, ALL OF YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE CHANGE OF POWER CEREMONY ON THE FRONT QUAD, WHERE YOU WILL MEET THE NEW HEAD OF THE SCHOOL ! THOSE OF YOU NOT WISHING TO ATTEND WILL BE SHOT !”
Consternation broke out among the crowd of students. Shouts of “No Way !” and “Fuck YOU !” resounded. As the babble grew more intense, Kenny, the figure to right, raised his rifle and fired a few rounds into one of the glass lamps on the pillars that bordered the steps, shattering it to pieces.
POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW !!!!!!
Some of the girls screamed, but the demonstration immediately silenced most of the students.
“NOT A WISE MOVE !”, Denny continued. “AS THIS PREP KID HERE CAN TELL YOU, WE HAVE THE UPPER HAND !”
Tad spoke. “They’re Telling The Truth !”, he related. “They Have The Whole Staff Prisoners Up In Front Of The School ! Prefects Too !”
In the crowd, Constantinos muttered, “We can take them out ! We have Weapons !”, and began to raise his Spud Gun.
“Don’t”, Ted cautioned, who was standing right beside him. “Those are Automatic Weapons. They’ll cut you down before you can even reload.”
Constantinos realized Ted was right and lowered his weapon as Denny continued.
“NOW HERE’S WHAT GONNA HAPPEN ! EACH ONE OF YAHS IS GONNA FILE PAST MR. PREFECT-MAN HERE ! EVERYONE IS GONNA THROW ANY WEAPONS THEY HAVE HERE IN A PILE AND GET SEARCHED BY HIM ! HE IS GONNA MAKE SURE NOBODY’S CONCEALING ANYTHING, OR HE’LL GET A ROUND IN THE ASS !”
“Lawbreakers !!!”, Seth said, seething with fury.
“SHUT YOUR PIE-HOLE, YAH BLUE-SUITED FREAK, OR ELSE YOU’LL BE WEARING SOME LEAD IN YOUR UNDERSHORTS !”, Denny said, glaring at Seth. He turned his attention back to the rest of the crowd. “WELL, LET’S GET ON WITH IT ! TIME’S A-WASTING ! OR MAYBE I SHOULD START SHOOTING CLIQUE LEADERS ?”
Slowly, the students began to file up towards the steps, dropping their weapons in an ever-growing pile and then allowing Seth to pat them down. Kenny began backing down the path in front of them as the first students topped the steps, keeping his weapon trained on them. By this time, Denny had jumped atop a pillar at the top of the steps and kept watch with his SRS trained on them. Soon, the pile of weapons had grown to a large mound.
“KEEP IN MIND THAT ANY DEVIATION FROM THE WAY UP TO THE FRONT QUAD WILL RESULT IN EXPLOSIONS BEING TRIGGERED OFF ALONG YOU WAY, SO DON’T TRY ANY FUNNY BUSINESS !”, Denny added. “JUST FOLLOW THAT MAN UP TO THE QUAD AND NOBODY TRY TO BE A HERO !”
The line of students snaked it’s way to the Back Quad. Kenny stepped off then, and motioned for the line to continue around the East side of the school. Here he spoke for the first time, saying, “There is Explosives At The Library, So Don’t Think Of Going There. Just Continue Around To The Front Quad, And Nobody’ll Get Hurt !” He repeated the message to each group that came by.
As the students assembled around the Front Quad, the Preps were in the lead, and wound up on the West side of the Quad. The Jocks followed next, with Mandy, Karen, Melody, Gloria, and Eunice, then the Greasers, then Constantinos and the Non-Cliques, with the Bullies and Nerds trailing in last, taking positions along the East side of the Quad. When Pinky saw Tad, she ran to him and threw her trembling arms around him. Her feelings had been re-kindled for him as he sat through the night with her in the School Clinic.
Last came Seth, prodded by Denny and Kenny, who directed him back up the school steps, where he was bound and gagged once more and sent to stand in line with the other Prefects. Kenny then took up a position on the East rail of the patio to watch over the students, while Denny hopped up on the West rail to do the same thing. Still perched on the railing near the steps, a madly grinning Jake surveyed his new charges. Giddy with glee, for he had at last achieved his goal of taking over the school, a feat that his lame cousin Gary had not. All that was needed now was this little ceremony to make it official. Shouldering his Air Rifle, he withdrew from his backpack a small bullhorn and a folded sheet of paper. He clicked on the little unit, and after a small feedback whine, began to address the assembly.
“GOOD MORNING BULLWORTH ACADEMY !!!!”, he chortled. “SO GOOD OF YOU ALL TO COME ! THE MORNING’S ANNOUNCEMENT IS.....DR. CRABBLESNITCH HAS CHOSEN TO RESIGN AND PLACED ME IN CHARGE AS HIS SUCCESSOR....” Here he shook open the paper and read from it. “I HERBY RESIGN AS HEADMASTER OF BULLWORTH ACADEMY, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, AND APPOINT AND ASSIGN JACOB BROWN AS MY REPLACEMENT, SIGNED DOCTOR MILTON CRABBLESNITCH.”
There were cries of surprise and disbelief from the staff and students alike. Dr. Crabblesnitch spoke up over the din, only wishing he had had enough time to get his Magnum and shoot this little monster. “You Know That Was Obtained Under Duress, Boy ! It Will Never Stand Up In Court !”
“WHAT COURT ?” Jake bellowed laughter. “THE BULLWORTH TOWN COURT ? DON’T LOOK NOW, CRABBY, BUT THAT’S UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT ! OR DIDN’T YOU GET THE MEMO ? MY NEW PUNK BUDS TAKEN OVER THE TOWNS NOW, TOO !!!”
The assembled students and staff gasped. Could that be true ? Was that what had been happening ? Were the Punks now in control of the Vale Valley ?
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The seven kids exited the Save Warehouse in the early morning light, cautiously inhaling the air. It smelled still of rotten eggs, now overlaid with a faint electrical smell, but it wasn’t making them want to puke or feel dizzy. They trooped down the now quiet street, picking their way through the wrecked cars to the small underpass where the Frontloader was still jammed into the short tunnel. The fire had long since burned out. Jimmy laid a hand on the metal, and though still warm, posed no danger of burning them. The others gathered around while Jimmy, Tony, and Nick hopped up on the Frontloader, looking for a place to squeeze through.
It didn’t take long to find a way through, although it seemed it was going to be a tight fit for the fattest member of the group, Algie. They stood on the sidewalk and conferred. It was decided that Zoe would go through first, followed by Tony, Nick, and Jimmy. Then, they would try to squeeze Algie through, and then Damon. Laurent had volunteered to hold back to the last, in case any ‘push power’ was needed to get Algie or Damon through the narrow opening.
Tony hurried them along. He felt the less that they had breathe the air here, the less danger they would be in. Quickly the first four squirreled easily through the opening. Laurent hoisted Algie up on the Frontloader and told him to go for the hole. Algie protested that he wasn’t going to fit, but Damon showed his teeth and gave him no choice. Moaning slightly, Algie crawled to the opening and wedged himself into it....And promptly got stuck.
“EEEEEEEEEEEK !” Algie was literally squealing like a stuck pig. In another circumstance, it would have been funny as hell, but this was not a situation for levity. Tony and Nick grasped Algie’s flailing arms from the other side and pulled. Seeing as how if Algie didn’t make it through the tight place, he wouldn’t either, Damon uttered a curse and managed to plow his massive shoulder into Algie’s rear end. Algie popped through the hole like a cork shot from a wine bottle, and Tony and Nick tumbled over on the other side as Algie landed in a heap at their feet.
Next, it was Damon’s turn to try to fit his muscular bulk through the opening. This time, Tony, Nick, and Jimmy all pulled on Damon’s arms while Laurent pushed from behind. In this way, inch by slow inch, Damon was finally squeezed through the hole to the other side. Laurent quickly followed through, his slender frame presenting no problems. The seven now through the obstacle, the headed east on the pathway towards the footbridge that led to the old rail line. The last time Tony had been this way, he was trying to win a bike race. This time, he felt he was trying to win a race of another kind, and the stakes were ever so much higher.
At the large cavern, the group went through the short tunnel to the pathway that ran around the outside edge of the Academy on the boulder-strewn trail. Tony had come to find out that the Nerds used this area sometimes to stage parts of their Grottos & Gremlins games. The seven trooped to the archway leading back onto school property, and entered. Walking towards the Observatory, Algie was appalled at the damage he saw done to the front wall, and noticed right away the Spud Cannon was missing. Forgetting for the moment he was an outcast, he squealed, “How are we supposed to defend ourselves against those dirty Jocks ?”
Damon grumbled at that, as Algie had also completely forgotten that one of those ‘dirty Jocks’ was standing right next to him. “Your cracker ass don’t have to worry about that, now do it ?”. Damon said, grabbing Algie’s arm and spinning him around to punch him. Jimmy intervened to keep Damon from punching Algie’s light’s out, while Tony said harshly, “Com’on, we ain’t got time for this shit !” Cooler heads finally prevailed, and the group moved on to the entranceway to the Football Field. Algie wanted to hold back, but Damon threatened to kick his ass if he didn’t move along. After all, where else was he going to go ?
Tony’s heart sank as he saw the Football Field was completely empty. “What’s happened ? Where’d everybody go ? Are we too late ?”
Jimmy, who had been hanging back because he didn’t want to be seen, came around the corner. “Maybe it’s over. The attacks, I mean.”
“Oui, that must be !”. Laurent exclaimed. “We have heard no bomb noises for quite a time now !”
He was right. It was very quiet now, almost like a graveyard, and had been since before they left the Save Warehouse. Still, Tony was ill at ease. As the group headed forward into the blanket-strewn field, he still sensed something was very wrong.
Nick was the first to spot the strange pile by the steps. As they got closer, they could see it for what it was. Nick whistled. “Damn ! There must be every weapon in Bullworth on this pile !”
“What the Hell ?”, Tony asked to no one in particular. “Who disarmed them ?”
“Listen !!”, Zoe exclaimed, her hearing being better that the boys. “Up There !” She pointed up the steps, towards the school. The others strained to hear. Faintly, in the distance, they could just catch the sound of what appeared to be someone speaking.
“That’s....A Megaphone”, Tony ventured, “Or a....Bullhorn !” Latent memories of Jake on a Bullhorn the night of the Valentine’s Dance. Another vision surfaced, that of his nightmare, with debris and twisted, broken bodies in front of the school....
“And I know just where that’s coming from !”, Tony suddenly exclaimed. “Com’on, load up with some of these weapons, and let’s go !!”
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Out of the mouth of the tunnel they rolled, vehicle after vehicle, looking for all the world like the Liberating Army they were. Most snaked right down Vale Boulevard, tracking towards the South Bridge, with some breaking away in smaller bunches onto the side streets of the upscale business section of Bullworth Vale. The rest moved swiftly with near-silent motors towards the Great Truss Bridge and heart of Bullworth Town.
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Sid drove the Go-Cart from the driveway of the house at the East end of Vale Valley Road, making the circuit around the Happy Endings Retirement Home and onto the straight stretch of the Bullworth Vale Town Road, as standing on the back of the cart were Frankie and Sean, Rifles at the ready. Like Grant to Appomattox, they rode like the conquers they felt they were, their victory sealed, their domination a foregone conclusion. All that remained was the handover of power, the actual keys to the city, the formal surrender of the citizens of Bullworth. Looking neither right nor left as they navigated the debris and wandering citizens on the road, eyes fixed on the looming North Bridge, they sped forward towards their destiny. Only Sid remained vigilant, still sensing something not just quite right.
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Presiding over his captive audience and flushed with excitement over the final realization of his long sought goal, Jake was winding down his speech, so intent with his absorption with himself that he failed, even once, to look up from the crowd of what he imagined to be adoring faces of those students listening intently to his every utterance, failed to place his gaze for even a second towards the chained Front Gates of the Academy. If he only had done so, he just might have caught a glimpse of the Jeeps and Trucks passing on the road beyond, and perhaps, just maybe, he might have been alerted that something was a bit off, a tad hinky, a little unsettling in his grand plan of paranoia here at the apex of his triumph. But no, he continued on, unaware, compelled to believe he had bested them all, that the had finally emerged the victor in the face of all all the odds stacked against him.
“....AND SO, MY STUDENTS, ASK NOT WHAT YOUR SCHOOL CAN DO FOR YOU, ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR SCHOOL ! FOR THE DAY OF YOUR SALVATION IS HERE ! A NEW ERA DAWNS THIS VERY MORNING AT BULLWORTH ACADEMY, AND THIS FALL WE ENTER INTO THIS BRAVE NEW WORLD TOGETHER AS ONE, A SCHOOL FREE OF STRIFE AND VIOLENCE. I VOW TO BE YOUR FINAL ARBITRATOR, YOUR ULTIMATE FIXER ! FOLLOW ME NOW INTO OUR GLORIOUS FUTURE TOGETHER !!!”
“Nobody Is Gonna Follow You Anywhere, You Psychotic Chickenshit !!!!!”, came a voice from the far edge of the crowd of students. Jake’s head snapped to the right in time to see a line of figures emerging in the pathway from the direction of the library, carrying weapons and defiantly challenging his hard won authority.
Suddenly enraged, Jake reached for his Air Rifle as the line of kids walked boldly to the center of the Quad. His eyes narrowed with hatred as he focused on the leader of the band. It was that traitor Tony and his fucked-up friends.
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Sid crossed the North Bridge, just a few blocks from the Bullworth Courthouse, where Judge Starkweather was waiting to hand over the Bullworth Towns to his control. Frankie and Sean were standing on the back of the Go-Kart, holding onto the roll bar as Sid sped up. Reaching the bottom of the bridge and passing the Oil Spill Gas Station, something on the side street caught his eye. They were past the street before it registered on Sid just what it was. What Sid saw was what he least expected in the highly-Isolated Vale Valley Town of Bullworth.....An LMTV Troop Transport Vehicle.
“LOOK !”, Frankie exclaimed, frantically pointing.
Ahead, the same type of greenish-camouflage-colored vehicle suddenly emerged from Main Street, moving directly across their path. Uniformed National Guardsman deployed from the rear of the vehicle as it came to a stop and began moving to intercept the Go-Kart. Sid hit the brakes and put the Go-Kart into a looping skid that skewered the back around, then hit the gas and raced back the way he had come, narrowly missing colliding with the LMTV Transport truck he had first saw on the side street by the Oil Spill Station. Racing back across the North Bridge, the Punks saw to their consternation that two greenish-camouflage-colored Humvees were moving to intercept them on the other side, with still another LMTV Transport Truck close behind.
Sid banked a sharp U-turn and headed back across the bridge once more. Frankie and Sean were shouting at him, but Sid was thinking furiously. By this time the LMTV Transport Truck had come to a halt in front of the Oil Spill Station, and Sid saw the weapons the emerging Guardsman were carrying, M-16A2 semi-automatic rifles and M-249 squad automatic weapons. He knew they were no match for these soldier-boys, and if there was one thing Sid knew, it was guns. The soldiers formed a line across the street and dropped to one knee, bringing their rifles up into firing positions. There was only one way to go now, and Sid threw the Go-Kart into a sideways skid. Rubber squealing, he gunned the Go-Kart across the front of the line and dived it into the small pathway that led to the Bullworth Dam.
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“That’s Jimmy !!!”, a voice rose above the sudden babble of students at the appearance of Tony and his band of latecomers.
“Look, Damon’s Safe !”, another cried, “Tony found him !”
“Yeah, and look who else he found”, this from a Prep, presumably directed toward Algie. “What’s HE doing here ?
“QUIET !!!!!!!!!!!”, Jake bellowed. “Shut The Hell Up !!!! I’ll Handle This !!!!” He aimed his Air Rifle at Tony. “Drop Your Weapons. You’re Outgunned Here. In Case You Don’t Notice, My Boys Are Holding Some Serious Weapons On You !”
Denny and Kenny swung their SRS Rifles over to cover the group. A look of distaste passed between the two brothers, neither one of them liked being refereed to as ‘My Boys’, since they were full-grown men. However, they played along for the time being. As soon as Sid had his hands on the Town’s money, they were going to leave this psychotic asshole on his own.
Tony gauged the chances of a showdown with Jake and found the odds stacked against them. Jake reacted to Tony’s hesitation with a new warning. “Dump Those Over Here On The Steps Right Now, Or I’ll Shoot Your Little Girlfriends Over There”, Jake grinned evilly. “Yeah, I Know Who They Are. Karen ! Melody ! Gloria ! Tell You Scum Boyfriends To Drop Their Weapons !!”
“Do It, Damon”, Gloria pleaded from the crowd. “Please !”
Karen and Melody remained silent, knowing that pleading with their Boyfriends would seem like giving into Jake’s twisted pleasure of seeing them grovel. Inwardly, Tony was relieved that Karen wasn’t giving Jake the satisfaction of humiliating them further. But Tony also realized that Jake could easily turn his anger against the Girls. With a grimace, he lowered his Spud Gun and tossed it towards the steps. Nick, Damon, Laurent, Jimmy and Zoe did the same. Algie, who didn’t have a firing weapon, threw nothing. Algie did have a weapon of sorts, but only the kind a Nerd would use. He began to back away towards towards the way he came, but stopped when he saw Kenny’s gun following him. A stain appeared on his pants as his bladder let go.
“Well, Well”, Jake glared at Tony. “The Traitor Returns. My First Act As Headmaster Is Gonna Be To Expel You From This School, You Fucking Douchbag.” He turned his gaze to Jimmy. “So You’re Hopkins, Eh ? Heard You Killed My Cousin.”
“I Didn’t Kill Anybody, Yuh Little Pissant”, Jimmy replied unflinchingly. “Better Get Your Facts Straight !”
“Think About That When You’re Back In Jail, Shithead”, Jake said with a smirk. Jake next turned his sights on Nick. “So, You That Boy Nicky. All Tough And No Brains, From What I Hear, Just Like Hopkins There.”
Nick said nothing, just slowly gave Jake the finger. His eyes were smoldering.
Jake laughed harshly. “Just What I’d Expect From An Italian Jackass. Speaking Of Dumb, Where You Been Damon ? That Gorilla Finally Get The Best Of You ?”
“Ise not be sayin’ stuff about me”, Damon said, pointing at him.
“Ah, Shutup, Yah Dumb Monkey”, Jake said, imitating him. “Get Over There With Your Little Skank Girlfriend Before I Decide To Shoot The Both Of You.”
Damon seethed, but walked over to Gloria. If worst came to worst, he could shield her with his big body. Jake next turned his attention towards Algie, who was now standing in a puddle of his own piss. “Algie ! How’s It Hanging, Comrade ? Still Having Those Pesky Bladder Problems, I see ?”
Algie fumbled for something to say. Fear and Anger were mixing in his head, making him shake. “You’re....You’re....Not A Nice Person !”, he finally blurted out.
“Oh, Come Now !”, Jake laughed. “It’s me, Leo Cash, Algie Old Buddy ! Or Maybe You Remember Me Better As Ace Adams, You Got Some Weapon Off Me Once, Don’t You Recall ?”
Algie just stood there in his puddle of piss. It was hard to tell anything about this monster without his glasses.
“Or Maybe”, Jake continued, “Just Maybe, You Remember Me As Just Jake, The One Who Blew You Nut Off !!!!”
Algie’s eyes were budging. “That....That Was YOU ?!?” It comically appeared that steam was coming out of his ears.
“Sure Was !” Jake said with a big grin on his face. “Don’cha Remember, I Told You I’d Personally Bring Your Attacker To You Face To Face. Well Here I am !”
“AAAUUUGGGHHH !!!!! I’M SO ANGRY !!!!!!!!!”, Algie suddenly screamed. He reached around in his back pocket and pulled out a Stink Bomb, the only thing that Damon had let him pull out of the pile down at the Football Field. He whipped it around with the intention of throwing it at Jake, but his sweat-coated hand betrayed him. The bottle slipped from his fingers as he went to throw it, and it fell to the pavement a few feet away, breaking and sending up a cloud of noxious, green, choking smoke.
Algie turned to run, but Jake was quicker. Sighting on Algie through the smoke, Jake fired a pellet round into the biggest target, Algie’s big fat ass. “OH, CRITICAL HIT !!!!!”, Algie screamed as he tumbled over, but he scrambled to his stubby legs and shambled off again. Jake sighted again and fired another pellet into Algie’s thigh. Algie crumpled to the pavement and lay howling in pain.
“BLOCK THAT OFF !!”, Jake shouted, “DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE !!!” Some of the Nerds were making a break towards the Library. Kenny swiveled to the side and sent a shower of bullets smashing into the pavement in front of them, and the panicky Nerds reversed course and moved back towards the quad. Denny continued to guard the West pathway, showing a menacing look to the Preps who looked in danger of bolting. The ruse worked, although both Punks were still under orders from Sid not to shoot any kids with the SRS Rifles. If any had broke and run, they wouldn’t have been able to stop them.
But one person did escape as the green smoke from the Stink Bomb temporarily covered the Eastside wall separating the Quad from the Boy’s Dorm, and he leapt the shortcut in the wall without anyone seeing him.
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Sid tore down the pathway leading to the Bullworth Dam as fast as the Go-Cart could go. When he reached the part where the pathway dipped down, he brought the Cart to a halt. “One of you, GET OFF, and cover this path ! It’s too small for their vehicles to get down here !”
Sean obediently jumped off and flattened himself on the trail. Anybody coming over the rise would eat lead. Sid gunned the Go-Cart again and went on, driving past the face of the dam and continuing to the other end. Here the pathway widened out into two branches....One that eventually went to the Church & Graveyard, the other that paralleled the water and went under the North Bridge. Sid Pulled the Go-Cart sideways on the narrow part of the trail.
“Get off here”, he instructed Frankie, “And defend this side. If anybody tries to get through, shoot them. Use the Cart as cover.”
Frankie complied. “Jeezs, what we gonna do Sid ?”
“I’m gonna bluff 'em”, Sid replied. “We still got a chance to get outta here with the money still.” That said, Sid hiked back to the face of the Dam. He silently cursed himself for not checking that tunnel to see if it was blocked. Sid made few mistakes, but this one was a biggy. But is was too late for recriminations, what was is what was. Water under the Dam, so to speak. Sid was already thinking ahead to his next move.
(http://city-of-tomar.com/carril-water-dam/carril-dam-walkway-tomar-portugal.jpg)
Sid stopped in the middle of the Dam. Looking over the pathway fence, he could just make out the big gob of C-4 still stuck to the Dam about 20 feet down. He backed away to the opposite fence in front of the spillway and sat down. Removing his Walkie-Talkie from his leather jacket, he keyed the transmit button.
“Starkweather, you there ?”, he said into the unit. “Judge, you better answer.”
A few seconds ticked by. Then, the speaker crackled. “Where are you Boy ?”, the Judge came back, a trace of humor in his voice. “We’re waiting for you over here to give in to your demands !”
Sure you are, you old Bastard, Sid thought. He keyed the unit again. “Change of plans, Starkweather. Bringing your Toy Soldier boys in here wasn’t part of our deal.”
“I had nothing to do with that !”, the Judge replied back, but he didn’t sound real happy about it.
Sid didn’t know weather to believe that or not, but it didn’t matter. “Here’s how it gonna be, Judgey. You are to bring all the Bank’s cash out here to the Dam in exactly one hour. Back off all them soldier boys and give us free access out of here with the money. If not, I’m gonna blow the Dam.”
“You won’t do that”, Judge Starkweather scoffed. “You’ll be killed.”
“And YOU’LL be Drowned !”, Sid shot back. “I have a pressure-sensitive detonator in my hand at this moment. You tell them Weekend Warriors that any moves against us, any snipers, anything, and this Dam’s toast. There’s enough explosive here to bring the whole thing down, you got it ? ONE HOUR !!”
Sid released the transmit button and shut the Walkie-Talkie off before Starkweather could reply. Sid was telling a fib, in reality he just had a regular detonator, not a pressure-sensitive one, but they wouldn’t know that. It would buy them some time, and perhaps their freedom if his bluff worked. Sid felt in his jacket for the detonator. It was safe there, all that was needed was to enter the code and press the button. He sat back to wait.
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To say that Trent Northwick had mixed feelings was kind of an understatement. A bully boy through and through, he was the second-toughest Bully after Russell on campus. He actually enjoyed bullying the newer and younger kids, as he put it, “It helps make men out of the new kids”, and even believed his Bullying was ‘showing them the ropes’. But at times, he would show another side, actually defending the very kids he bullied. He liked Girls, but also liked Boys, particularly Kirby Olsen, in a strange sort of way. Sent to Bullworth at his Father’s behest, he simultaneously hated the place and enjoyed it.
Such was his quandary now. He had worked for Jake in the past, even helped him after Jake had fled school after the Greaser’s Car incident. But he had also helped Tony, and had come clean to him about Jake later. The main thing to Trent though, was respect. Even though his fellow bullies had allowed him back, due to Russell’s insistence, he had never fully regained their respect after his bi-sexual tendencies had been revealed. Worse, the rest of the campus no longer feared him and cracked jokes at his expense. Formerly easily bullied kids openly defied him now.
Trent was appalled that Jake had actually taken control of the school. And in Trent’s muddled mind, he could see just what was going to happen. Jake had treated Trent as his lap-dog before, and now Trent would probably wind up as Jake’s slave. If things had been bad before, they were just about to get a whole hell of a lot worse. But a lightening revelation came suddenly to Trent’s usually dull thoughts as Algie's attempt to throw the Stink Bomb had failed. In a flash, Trent saw how he could perhaps tip the balance this very morning and become a hero. And heros are always respected no matter what kind of dumb assholes they were.
Trent’s location played a major part in these events. The Bully Clique had been herded into the Quad just near to the break in the wall that was the shortcut to the Boy’s Dorm. And there was something in the Dorm that he could use. Without bothering to think too deeply about it, Trent snuck to the wall as the greenish gas of the Stink Bomb was obscuring the area, and hopped the wall. He ran for the Dorm at full speed. Jake and the two Punks, occupied as they were, failed to notice his escape.
Inside the dorm, Trent ran to Wade’s room. The door was locked, but with a few kicks, Trent sprung it open. He then spent several minutes looking for what he had come for, overturning mattresses and yanking out every drawer in the dresser. Finally, his searching hand found the item in the bottom drawer buried under some of Wade’s smelly underpants. With a cry of relief, he snatched up Mr. Luntz’s Desert Eagle Gun.
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The line of dark green government cars emerged from the tunnel, some peeling off at the first turn at the corner where the Ice Cream Shop was located, it’s windows blown out and cones scattered in the street in front of it. While the lead cars went on down Vale Boulevard, the others were headed to the mansions of Vale Valley Drive to effect the arrests of Harrington, Spencer, and any other of the rich corporate snobs who had been running the Vale Valley with an Iron Fist for the past uncounted years.
Riding in the lead car, Mr. Smith was horrified at all the damage done to his town. “I made this town, I built it up ! Almost every house and building around here is my work !”, he mourned as he surveyed the storefront scenes. “You know, no one else would have a place to live in this town without me ! This is gotta be one of the worst things I’ve seen in all my years !”
The two Agents in the back seat remained silent. Like all the Agents, they were equipped with some serious weaponry, from .50-caliber rifles, 870 shotguns, MP5/10 submachine guns, M-4 carbine rifles and .308 caliber rifles. For handguns, the Agents also carried Smith & Wesson .357 Combat Magnums and Colt Government Model .38 Supers. Agent Hosty, driving the car, only asked for directions. Mr. Smith directed him over the South Bridge. Passing Bullworth Academy, Mr. Smith took a glance through the gates as they went by. It looked as if some sort of assembly was going on in front of the school. By comparison to the rest of the towns, the school looked relatively unscathed. The car banked left around the curve and across the Great Steel Truss Bridge and onto Main Street, where it slowed to pick it’s way around the chunks of debris and hollow-eyed Townspeople wandering about in shocked and dazed conditions after enduring the horrors of the past day and night.
Several National Guard vehicles were scattered about, and Guardsmen were everywhere on the streets, it seemed. They had moved swiftly to restore order, and the looting had been stopped. Agent Hosty drove around a Troop Transport Truck and zagged onto Courthouse Drive, pulling up to stop at the base of the Courthouse steps. The Agents and Mr. Smith exited the car. Up at the top of steps, by the front door, stood Captain Curry and Judge Starkweather engaged in an earnest conversation.
“Captain Curry”, Agent Hosty said, approaching him.
“Agent Hosty, Sir”, the Captain replied. “The Judge here has just been making me aware of the current situation regarding the Terroristic Activities. It seems that they are threatening to blow up the Dam and flood the place.”
“Is that possible ?”, Agent Hosty asked. “Flood the whole area ?”
“Probably not the whole area, Sir, but it would cause a lot of damage”, Captain Curry replied, “Not to mention possible civilian casualties.”
“Then they must be stopped at all costs, Captain”, Agent Hosty said.
“There are....Some complications, Sir”, Captain Curry said hesitantly, then detailed the situation including the demands for money and safe passage.
“I see”, Agent Hosty said, and turned to the Judge. “Are you Starkweather ?”
“Yes, I am, and what’s the meaning of this ?”, demanded Judge Starkweather. “I don’t have time for this, I have to negotiate with these scum before they sink us all !”
“The Captain here will take over the negotiations, Judge Starkweather. You are under arrest.”, Agent Hosty told him. He motioned the other Agents over. “Agent Greer, Agent Keller, take this man into custody.”
The Agents complied, grabbing Judge Starkweather’s arms and handcuffing him after reliving him of the Walkie-Talkie. “Hey, What Is This ?”, the Judge snarled, his face flushing an angry red.
“There’s a Federal Warrant for your arrest for Interstate Misappropriation of Public Funds, among other things”, Agent Hosty said. “Take him away, boys.”
“This Is Insane !”, Judge Starkweather cried. “I’m not going down alone ! Harrington and Spencer and the lot of them are to blame !”
“Mr. Harrington and Mr. Spencer are also being arrested as we speak”, Agent Hosty said shortly, “Along with others named in the indictments.”
“Carcer !”, Judge Starkweather said with desperation in his voice. “Carcer is their Lapdog ! It’s he who should be arrested !”
“I believe he’s being arrested right now”, Agent Hosty said, pointing down the street, where a group of Agents were leading Chief Carcer from the Bullworth Police Station in handcuffs to a waiting government car.
Judge Starkweather looked like he was having a stroke. His wide-eyed gaze fell on Mr. Smith standing at the bottom of the Courthouse Steps. “SMITH !!”, he screamed. “This Is All Your Doing !”
“I had nothing to do with you gettin’ arrested, Bucco”, Mr. Smith replied, unable to hide a gleeful smile. “I TOLD you to get help yesterday. You shoulda listened to me.”
The Agents dragged Judge Starkweather down to their car. “I’ll Get You For This, Smith !!!”, he screamed as they stuffed him inside.
Not bloody likely”, Mr. Smith said. “I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve never seen an Idiot like you !”
As the Judge sat ranting in the car, Mr. Smith wandered up the steps where he overheard the conversation going on between Agent Hosty and Captain Curry. In this way he came to know that the reprehensible assholes who had wrought so much damage on his beloved towns were, this very minute, down at the Dam, just itching to finish destroying his life’s work.
“Take over the negotiations, Captain”, Agent Hosty was saying. “Keep these Terrorists from blowing that Dam sky high until their capture can be affected. Let me know the minute your men can arrange their surrender. If they refuse, take them out.”
“Yes Sir”, Captain Curry replied, and begin working the Walkie-Talkie to attempt to establish contact. Agent Hosty looked around for Mr. Smith then, as he had forgotten about his presence, but Mr. Smith was nowhere to be seen.
______________________________________________
-
“ORDER !!!! I WILL HAVE ORDER !!!!!”, Jake hollered over his Bullhorn, which then gave a hideous feedback squeal.
“Finding it hard to keep things under control ?”, Dr. Crabblesnitch, now the former head of Bullworth Academy, said with a smirk.
Jake whipped around. “SHUDDUP OLD MAN !! I CAN CONTROL THINGS JUST FINE.” Jake jabbed the Air Rifle in his direction to make his point. Dr. Crabblesnitch went silent, but the smirk remained, morphing into a look of disgust.
“THAT GOES FOR ALL OF YOU !!!” Jake ranted. “I’M THE KING HERE. KING !!!! YOU WILL DO AS I SAY !!!”
“King Of Nothing !!”, Tony spouted suddenly. Jake turned his hateful glare on his nemesis. Karen blanched as Jake’s rifle swung around on Tony. Undeterred, Tony continued. “A Nothing Ruler of a Nothing Place. Is that what you really want, Jake ? You think these kids are gonna bow down to you and call you God after all the shit you’ve done ? Seriously ?”
“CALDERONE, YOU BEST BE WATCHING WHAT YOU SAY”, Jake said in a deadly voice. “YOU GOT PAYBACK COMING, PAYBACK FOR BEING A TRAITOR, PAYBACK FOR INTERFERING IN MY PLANS, PAYBACK FOR BEING A TOTAL SHITASS. THIS IS YOUR LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, MUTHER FUCKER, AND I’M GONNA ENJOY KICKING YOUR ASS BEFORE YOU LEAVE.”
“Well Then, You’ll Just Have To Kick My Ass Too !”, Nick spoke up, and moved closer to Tony.
“And Mine Too !”, Laurent hollered.
“Make That Mine, Also !”, Constantinos stepped forward.
“Mine Too !”, Ray said, stepping bravely forward.
“Don’t Forget About Mine !”, Jimmy said.
“Or Mine Either !”, Ted spoke up.
Cries of ‘Mine Too !’ began to echo about the quad. Jake,his eyes bulging in rage, looked out on the mass of students he had forcefully gathered. “YOU’RE ALL INSANE !!!!”, he shouted.
“You See Jake ?”, Tony went on. “You’re Not Gonna Rule Anyone Here. We Won’t Let You.”
Jake threw the Bullhorn aside. “Then...I’ll Just Have To Shoot You All !!”, he said, and brought the Air Rifle to bear on Tony and his friends.
“You’re The REAL Chickenshit, Jake”, Tony said, cuttingly.
“I’M NOT A CHICKENSHIT !!!”, Jake screamed. “I Can Whip You All !!!!”
“Com’on, Jake, Your Beef Isn’t With All These People”, Tony said calmly. “Your Beef Is With Me, Isn’t It ? Why Don’t You Just Fight Me ?” Tony paused. “Unless You’re Afraid.”
“I AIN’T AFRAID OF NOBODY !!!” Jake screamed once more. “OK, Mr. Big Man Tony, YOU AND ME, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW !!!”
“It Wouldn’t Be Much Of A Fair Fight Unless You Dropped Your Weapons !”, Tony called.
Jake Swore. He unslung his Air Rifle and tossed it over to Denny, who caught it one-handed. He then unholstered his Spud Gun and dumped the spuds out on the pavement behind him before casting it aside. He jumped down the railing and onto the steps. “Just You And Me, Shithead”, Jake growled, his face lit up like a crazy man. “Back Your Buddies Away !”
Tony nodded to his friends. “Back off....He’s all mine, understood ?” Nick, Laurent, Constantinos, Ray, Jimmy, and Zoe all backed away from the center of the quad, leaving Tony alone. Karen cried out, “Oh, No Tony !”, and Zoe went to her and spoke a few words. Tears streaming down her cheeks, Karen nodded and was silent.
Jake advanced on Tony. “You Should Listen To Your Woman There”, he said. “I’m Gonna Fuck You Up !!!!!!"
___________________________________________
-
Mr. Smith, who often said, “I may be old, but I still run like the wind”, was down around the corner before anyone knew it. Going at a steady trot past the Oil Spill Station, he saw up ahead all kinds of Soldiers clogging the pathway leading down to the Dam. A burst of gunfire sounded, and the Soldiers suddenly moved back, taking up defensive positions. There would be no getting down there that way anytime soon, which was what Mr. Smith had in mind. Behind him, a unit of Soldiers, hearing the gunfire, were coming on a run. They totally ignored Mr. Smith and ran past him, going to the North side of the North Bridge, which faced the Dam, and taking up firing positions along the length of the railing. Undeterred, Mr. Smith traversed the North Bridge, for on the West side there a pathway that ran to a beach area by the Vale Pagoda. A splinter pathway curled around and led under the North Bridge there, and eventually to the forked path that went to the Dam. Likely that the Soldiers hadn’t had time to find out about that one yet.
By the time Mr. Smith strolled around under the North Bridge, the bridge itself was packed with solders along the rail on the North side. The bridge was being cordoned off, and no civilians were being allowed to pass there. As Mr. Smith drew closer to the forked trail, he could see that he wasn’t the only Townsperson to get the idea to come down here to this place. There was a small crowd gathering there. As Mr. Smith drew closer, he could see his old rival, Mr. Breckindale, who was his main competitor back in the good old days, before the Harringtons and Spencers and the others had spread their money and their own brand of corruption about here. There was Dr. Bambillo, the Towns nutty Psychiatrist who also doubled as the Town Dentist, dispensing his own brand of advice while drilling teeth at his store, the Mental Dental. Claiming that Mental Patients need good teeth too, he often remarked that if it weren’t for crazy people, he would have to get a real job.
There was Mr. Huntingdon, former owner of the Burger Joint franchise until it went bankrupt due to the closed-off nature of the Vale Valley engineered by the Harringtons and others, who then snapped up the Burger Joint at Tax Sale and recently had hired a jobless Mr. Huntingdon back to manage the place after they re-opened it. There was Mr. Martin, owner of the Crab Shack, who set Crab Traps in the bay and hired schoolkids to go out and collect them for two dollars a trap. Mr. Moratti, the Italian Towns Barber from The Happy Mullet, Mr. Oh, the General Manager of the three Yum-Yum Markets in the Vale Valley, a couple of other townsfolk that Mr. Smith knew, Mr. Ramirez and Mr. Sullivan.
Standing there also was Bethany Jones and Tobias Mason, proprietor of the two Shiny Bike Shops. They were rumored to be a hot item, now that she had dumped her former boyfriend-in-waiting, Mr. Breckindale, when he had finally stood her up one time too many. Off in the background was Mr. Svenson, the Valley’s only Postman and Mail Carrier. So little mail came through from the outside world these days that it was a small miracle he had much of anything to deliver at all. Well, Mr. Smith reflected, that would probably change after today.
Mr. Smith could see that they were standing mostly in a group, waving their fists at an Individual crouched down behind one of those Go-Cart things from the Carnival. That the person had a good-sized rifle pointed at them didn’t seem to faze them in the least. Mr. Smith hurried along to join the group. They were shouting things at the lone person with the rifle, oblivious to any danger.
“Human Waste !”, Yelled Dr. Bambillo.
“Looser !”, trumpeted Mr. Martin.
“Better Not Mess With The Big Cat !”, went Mr. Breckindale.
“He’s Off His Rocker !”, that from Mr. Sullivan.
“Bunch Of Hooligans !, shot out Mr. Ramirez.
Mr. Smith joined in the yelling. “What kind of load of bull is this ? I’ve taken enough crap for one day !” He addressed the others. “Com’on guys, let’s get a good old fashioned ass kicking happening !”
The Townspeople moved closer. Frankie stood up and leveled the SRS Rifle at them. “That’s Close Enough ! Don’t Come Any Further !”
But the Townspeople, outraged by the happenings of the past day and night, took no notice. They kept moving in. Frankie hesitated as to what he should do. Sid had told him to shoot anyone who tried to get through, but unarmed Townspeople ? They had never shot down anyone in cold-blooded murder before. And, there was too many of them. Frankie couldn’t just shoot them all, now could he ?
Mr. Smith was now at the head of the pack. “I’m a Tiger, an animal, I’ll tear you apart !”, he snarled, closing to within a few feet of Frankie.
Someone in the crowd had picked up a good sized rock, and now hurled it at Frankie with uncanny accuracy. The chunk hit Frankie in the head, causing him to drop his weapon. Mr. Smith charged in. “I’ll whup you good ! I’ve had it up to here with you !”, he said as he plowed into Frankie. His angle was just slightly off, due to the position of the Go-Kart, and Frankie went down on his ass but was able to push Mr. Smith away from him. Mr. Smith went into a roll, being carried by his forward motion. Frankie snatched up his Rifle from a sitting position, but the other Townspeople were closing in on him. He fired off a few rounds into the dirt in front of him, and they stopped advancing, but didn’t run.
“What’s Wrong With You People !”, Frankie cried, “Are You All Insane ?!?”
Frankie didn’t dare turn his gaze away from the angry mob of Townspeople, and he fully expected Mr. Smith to attack him from behind. But, as he struggled to his feet, he heard Mr. Smith’s footsteps running away. Fuck It, Frankie thought, Sid Has A Gun, Let Him Deal With That Old Bastard. Frankie couldn’t defend in front of him and behind him at the same time.
Mr. Smith had intended to return to fight Frankie. But then he spied Sid on the dam, and with a shock, recognized just who it was. Mr. Smith began running towards him.
___________________________________________
-
Although he had found the Gun, Trent needed other things to make it work. He searched again through Wade’s drawers for a bent coin to jam into the barrel. Not finding one, he tore up the room again, overturning mattresses and beds, tipping over the dresser and desk. Nothing.
Trent’s slow mind tried to think. He knew Russell had bent up some more coins for the gun, but just who had them ? Troy ? Tom ? Ethan ? Trent ran out of Wade’s room (who he shared with Davis), and went to Troy’s room. He had to kick open the door here, too. Rummaging through it just as he had Wade’s room, he came up empty as well. Since Tom also roomed there, that left Ethan’s room. Trent went and kicked in the door to Ethan’s room and began all over again. Finally, he found a stash of the bent coins in the desk drawer and grabbed them.
Now, he needed gunpowder. That commodity had been in short supply again lately, since Dr. Watts had taken to hiding his chemicals again. This had happened in the past, and usually went on until the absent-minded old chemist forgot and started leaving them out again to be swiped from class. And, none of the Bullies had any left, either. After their drug trade had collapsed with the jailing of the Townies, the Bullies had chickened out of their plans to rob ‘Rocket In My Pocket’ of gunpowder, putting it off until a later time.
Since everyone had been stripped of weapons, including Firecrackers, down at the Football Field, that left out the possibility of him, or anyone else, having them in their possession. Trent really thought hard. The Nerds certainly had some, they always had everything it seemed....But they no longer bunked at the Dorm, having moved full time down to the Observatory. Fact was, the only people still left in the Dorm were the Bullies and the Non-Clique kids....The Jocks had their own digs now, the Greasers stayed at the Autoshop, and the Preps had never lived here.
Then it struck him, there ought to be some in Tony & Nick’s room. Trent remembered that Jimmy had his own Chemistry set, and was pretty sure that Tony did too. He headed to their room. Trent hesitated for a minute, not really wanting to break in because he didn’t really want an ass kicking from either Nick or Tony for doing so. In the end, he rationalized, if he could pull this off, he became certain they would forgive him. He kicked open the door with three well-placed kicks and went inside.
Tony and Nick didn’t use their Chem Set as much as Jimmy had, he saw. There is was, sorta shoved into a corner of the room by the desk, with a layer of thin dust on it. He began rifling through it and at last found what he was after.....A small handful of gunpowder. There was some little baggies there, and he carefully dumped the gunpowder in it. Trent left the room and went to the Common Room.
The last item was easy. All he had to do to get some tabs to use for the firing pin to strike off a spark against was to buy some drinks out of the Beam Cola machine. Trent scrabbled in his pockets and came up with two dollars. It would have to do. Trent bought two drinks, gulping down the fowl-tasting beverage. The morning’s events had left him thirsty. He kept the tabs and tossed the cans aside. Moving to the card table, he laid out his items.
First, he stuck one of the tabs behind the firing pin, then stood the gun on it’s end and carefully poured some of the gunpowder from the baggie into the barrel. Remembering an Idea he saw in an old movie once, he stepped over the the couch and tore a couple of small strips off the upholstery, then returned to the table. Grabbing a pencil lying there, he used it to ram a small piece of cloth down the barrel for wadding. Finally, he took one of the bent coins and jammed it into the barrel using to pencil end to tamp it down.
Now, he was ready. Trent put the extra items in his pockets, including the pencil. But all this had taken him quite a bit of time. Would he be too late ? Trent hurried out of the Boy’s Dorm on his way to his destiny.
_____________________________________________
-
The two boys warily circled each other after Jake had come down the steps. The crowed of students, who had move back to give room, moved in again and formed a crescent pattern around the fighters, a slight variation of the time-honored fight circle, extending from the wall of the patio and circling around the Quad and then back to the wall of the patio again.
A few of the Nerds gathered around the prone figure of Algie, still laying off to the side of the action and moaning. A few even began to feel sorry for him. Even after all that he had done, Algie was still one of them, drummed out of the Brotherhood or not. Melvin pleaded with the closest gunman, Kenny, to let them get help for Algie. Kenny just ignored Melvin’s pleadings, turning a deaf ear to him as he smugly watched the crowd.
Jake landed the first blow, a glancing shot on Tony’s shoulder. Tony gave ground, moving backwards, and quickly recovered. “Why Don’t You Give It Up, Jake ? Nobody’s Going To Follow You, Nobody !”
“We’ll See About That !”, Jake growled. “Once I Beat You, I’ll Take Care Of Your Little Friends Too ! All Will Bow Down Before Me !”
Jake capped that last statement off with a huge roundhouse right at Tony’s head. Tony easily ducked under it and, coming up, tattooed two hard punches into Jake’s right lower ribcage. Jake slung out his leg and kicked Tony away.
“Cheap Shot !”, Jake gasped. “You Fight Like A Pussy !”
“Is That Why You Ran From Me Jake ?”, Tony taunted. “Is That Why You’re A Psychotic Asswipe ?”
“I’M NOT A PSYCO !!!!!”, Jake screamed, and rushed at Tony. He swung and missed, giving Tony a opportunity to bust him the mouth. Jake backed away, wiping a trickle of blood away. “You’re Gonna Pay For That !!!”, he snarled.
“How, Jake ?” Tony taunted again. “Just How Am I Gonna Pay For That ? An Extra Box Of Clothing ? Aquaberry Sweaters ? What Kind Of Payment You Want ? Cash ?”
But Tony had dropped his guard slightly while he was talking. Jake had snuck ever closer, and then delivered a strong left upside Tony’s head. Tony reeled backwards, stunned by the blow. As Jake rushed him to take advantage of the blow, Tony spun and used a leg sweep out of desperation, a move that Nick had taught him.
Jake’s legs were swept out from under him, and like a cartoon character, he flipped and fell on his ass. A little disoriented by the blow, Tony staggered to where Jake was attempting to get up and fell on him. Both boys grappled, rolling about in the litter of the Quad for several minutes. Close punches were thrown, ribs elbowed, chokeholds attempted and rejected, knees to the nuts blocked. Each time one attempted to get to his feet, the other would pull him down, and the street wrestling would continue anew.
Outside Melvin, who was tending to Algie, the other students stood transfixed to the spectacle of the Boss Fight happening in front of them. Against their fear, they began rooting for Tony, at first in a low mummer, and then increasingly louder. But one student’s gaze was transfixed, not on the fight, but on the two Punks guarding over the fight. As latent memories fell into place in his head with a sudden force, he whispered, “That’s Them !”, and then louder, repeating, "That’s Them !!!”
His brother Bo, who had been watching the fight, heard him and turned towards him. “What’chu talkin’ bout, Lance ?”
“That’s Them !!”, Lance repeated. “That the Assholes that crippled me ! That’s the Punks !!”
____________________________________________
-
Captain Curry was on the North Bridge, binoculars in hand. Along the railing of the bridge were about 20 soldiers, along with four Sharpshooters equipped with M-110 Sniper Rifles. Frustratingly, though Captain Curry could see the target, a man on the walkway in front of the spillway on the Bullworth Dam, he couldn’t order any of his men to take him out. Sighting him through the binoculars had confirmed what he had been told, that the man possessed some type of detonator in hand, reported to be a Pressure-Sensitive Detonator. If he were to let go of the trigger for any reason, the bomb on the Dam would be exploded. The Captain had been unable to verify if the detonator was that type or not, but he couldn’t afford to take chances.
He had spotted the Bomb. It appeared to be a huge glob of C-4, stuck to the Dam about 20 feet or so below where the man was standing. Not knowing what explosives were being used as the trigger, he was reluctant to have his Sharpshooters fire on it in an attempt to knock it loose.
Communications with the man had been brief and unproductive. The man had just repeated their demands for money and safe passage, and had set the time limit at 30 minutes. Then communication had been terminated. Further Attempts at contact had been futile.
The Captain raised his binoculars to his eyes again and scanned the area. The man was pacing back and forth on the walkway, holding the detonator and what appeared to be a handgun, possibly a .45 caliber. Scanning to the right, he could not see the other man flattened down on the narrow trail, but could see the barrel of his weapon. When he scanned left, he saw something that disturbed him.
“Sargent Carter !”, he barked. The Sargent, who was nearby, came running over. “What are those Civilians doing over there ?”, he said, indicating where the trails branched to the left of the Dam. They appeared to clustered near another man with a Rifle, standing by some kind of small vehicle. The crowd of Townspeople were off to the left of him.
“Um...I Don’t know Sir”, the Sargent replied. “We haven’t gotten down there yet.”
“Well, Get Down There Then, Sargent !”, Captain Curry ordered crisply. “Take A Detachment !”
“Uh, Yes Sir !”, Sargent Carter said, and went off to gather his troops. Captain Curry was about to take another look when another Sargent named Billingsly came trotting up. “Captain, Sir, we got a communication from that Federal Agent guy, uh, Hosty, his name is.”
“What is the message, Sargent ?”, the Captain requested.
“Um...Seems that Police Chief, er, Carcer, seems that guy has been singing like a bird. He said there’s more of these guys around, these Terrorists. He said that we should check out that School we passed on the way in, there was an explosion there yesterday. Thinks the other Bombers might be over there.”
“I see”, Captain Curry said. “Have you been able to sweep the rest of the Towns ?”
“Yes Sir”, Sargent Billingsly reported. “They are secure at this time, Sir. No evidence of any of these other Bombers.”
The Captain digested that information for a few seconds, then he ordered, “Take a Detachment, 20 men, over to that School and check it out”, he said, and as an afterthought, said, “Take a Sniper also. We’re at a standoff here for the moment. Take Corporal Pyle. He’s a keen shot.”
Yes Sir, Right Away Sir !” The Sargent saluted and went off to carry out his orders.
Before he could raise his binoculars to look again, another officer, a Lieutenant Howard, approached him. “Sir, we found that Fire Chief you requested, fellow named O’Rouke.”
“Very Good Lieutenant”, Captain Curry returned briskly. “See if his men can rig up a fire hose on that trail over there by their station. We can’t get close enough to that gunman guarding that path, maybe we can force him back with a stream of water.”
“Well, uh, Sir, that’s just it...”, the Lieutenant replied uncomfortably, “We, uh, we were only able to find him. No crew.”
The Captain’s eyes crossed. This was one damn strange place. “You mean....He’s the only Fireman here ?”
Lieutenant Howard shrugged. “Um....I don’t know Sir. Looks that way.”
Captain Curry squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “OK, Lieutenant, take some men if you have to, and see if we can’t make this happen. And make it snappy, we’re running out of time.”
“Sir, I’ll get right on it Sir !”, Lieutenant Howard snapped a salute and left to carry out the order.
By the time Captain Curry focused his binoculars on the gunman to the left, the situation had changed. As he watched, the Civilians began pressing towards the man by the Cart. The Captain watched with mounting unease as one of them appeared to throw something at the man, then he saw another older man, dressed in some sort of floral shirt, actually attack the man. The two man tangled briefly, and the older man was thrown forward on the pathway towards the Dam. The gunman raised himself to a sitting position and fired off his weapon, stopping the other Civilians from advancing further. The older man in the floral shirt, Captain Curry saw, got to his feet and began running towards the man at the Dam with the detonator.
Shit, This Is Not Good, he thought.
“LOOK LIVELY !”, Captain Curry ordered. “SOMETHING’S GOING DOWN !!”
____________________________________
-
Mr. Smith began pelting down the pathway towards Sid at the Dam. At first, Sid seemed unaware of his approach, as he was partially turned away. The noise of the water coming over the spillway was louder that Mr. Smith’s approaching footsteps. Sid had been pacing back and forth along a 16-foot steel grating that was a part of the path and went the length of the spillway, and had been looking to see if Sean was still in place. As he turned to walk back, Mr. Smith was just reaching the other side of the steel grating. Sid whipped around his gun and pointed it at him.
“That’s Far Enough !”, Sid warned. “How’d you get through....?” Sid’s eyes searched for Frankie but couldn’t see him due to the soft curve of the path and a tree that blocked his view. Mr. Smith had come to a halt at the edge of the grating, and Sid advanced towards him. Finally he was able to get an angle of sight to verify that Frankie was indeed still up at the top of the pathway. Some other people were gathered there as well, and Frankie was holding his rifle on them. He appeared to be waving it around and cursing. “How’d you get past Frankie ?”, Sid asked again.
“Don’t you dare do anything else !”, Mr. Smith exclaimed, ignoring Sid’s question.
“You better get your ass back up there, Old Man”, Sid said, waving the gun. “I Ain’t Playin’ !”
“Whadda you doing out here, Sid ?”, Mr. Smith said, refusing to move.
Sid’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know me, Old Man ? I don’t know you !”
“Don’t you know who the hell I am ?”, Mr. Smith asked. “I’m Mr. Smith, of Smith Developments. I made this goddam town !! I worked my way up outta the slums, and wound up creating a Development Empire !!”
“Well, La-De-Da !”, Sid said mockingly. “That don’t mean SHIT to me !”
“No ?”, Mr. Smith returned, just as mockingly. “Have you never created...An Empire ?”
“Yeah, I’m making one right now, and you’re in the way”, Sid replied snidely.
“You guys are worthless !!”, Mr. Smith exclaimed. “The problem with you Punks is you think you own the world !!”
There is was again. “How do you know us ?”, Sid demanded roughly.
“I make it my business to know things !”, Mr. Smith answered, “ So Blow it out your ass !”
Sid came closer and jabbed his gun in Mr. Smith’s somewhat sizable stomach. “Listen, you Old Fuck !! There’s a Bomb strapped to this Dam about 20 feet down, and I got my fingers on the trigger !! SO MOVE YOUR ASS BACK UP THAT PATH !!!”
“Don’t talk that way to me, you little piece of crap !”, Mr Smith hissed. “I ain’t afraid of you ! I am 10 times the man you’ll ever be !!”
“I Said, MOVE IT !!”, Sid snarled, getting close to loosing his cool.
“Leave me the friggin’ hell alone !", Mr. Smith protested. “Stop touching me, Meatbrain !!"
Sid was coming to realize that the only way he was going to rid himself of this troublesome character was to either shoot him in outright murder, no doubt in front of scores of witness watching from the path and even the bridge, or to come up with something else. Sid decided to motivate the old bastard with fear. He pushed away from Mr. Smith and walked a few feet away. Tucking his gun up under his arm, he raised his other hand and punched in the codes on the detonator to trigger the bomb on the Dam.
“Ha-Ha, you’re a joke”, Mr. Smith said as Sid walked away. Then, as Sid was entering the codes, he frowned. “What’s the big idea, Snoteater ?”
“I’m Gonna blow this Dam right the Hell Now, unless you Get The Fuck Off !!!”, Sid replied.
Mr. Smith stood open-mouthed. “What kind of person are you ? Have you seen yourself lately ?”
“The kind that gets things done”, Sid replied snidely. “A Turd like you oughtta understand that, Smith. I’m gonna blow up this here Dam, and turn your Empire into Dust !!!”
Suddenly enraged, Mr. Smith shouted, “What Right Do You Got ? I Paid For That !! I PAID FOR THIS WHOLE DAMN TOWN !!!!”
Mr. Smith suddenly rushed at Sid, who was wholly unprepared for such an attack. As he reached for his gun nestled in the crook of his arm, Mr. Smith barreled into him. Sid was thrown back into the railing by the spillway and the gun became dislodged, clattering to the steel grating, bouncing through a gap in the rail, and plunking into the water flowing from the spillway. In a flash, the water pressure pushed it out over the Dam and into the water far below.
“YOU OLD FUCK !!!!!” Sid screamed, and lashed out with his leg, landing a kick to Mr. Smith’s gut.
Mr. Smith doubled over in pain. “AHHUGH ! That still smarts, even at my age !” But he quickly recovered, straightening up. “ I still got the fight in me, you’ll see !!”
“Yeah, We Will See, You OLD BASTARD !!”, Sid yelled, close to coming unglued.
“You sure you can handle me ?”, Mr. Smith beckoned. “I’m gonna humiliate you !”
With a curse, Sid plowed into Mr. Smith and they both went tumbling. Rolling on the steel grating, Mr. Smith was able to get in some shots of his own on Sid, whacking his head and kneeing him in the nuts. Sid was totally taken by surprise at how much strength the old fart possessed. Sid was further handicapped by the fact that he didn’t dare loose his grip on the detonator. If those soldiers watching from the bridge saw him let loose of it, they would know he was lying about it being Pressure Sensitive, and then all bets would be off. They would likely target him with Sniper weapons that they were sure to have.
The two scrambled to their feet. “Do you realize who you’re messing with ? I can still dance like a prizefighter !”, Mr. Smith boasted. “ I’ll beat you, You Dirtbag ! I’ll string you up by the balls !”
Sid Bashed Mr. Smith in the chest with his free fist in reply. Mr. Smith just shrugged that off and laid a right and a left across Sid’s face. “You’re just the same as every other Punk kid I ever seen !”, He said harshly, “Don’t try to rain on my parade, pal. I’ll cut you down to size !”
The blows stunned Sid momentarily, but he lashed out and caught Mr. Smith in the nuts with his leg. “Get Off The Damn Dam, Yuh FUCK !!, Sid screamed.
“You little piece of crap ! I’ll mangle you when I get ahold of you !”, Mr Smith said through gritted teeth. “I eat pieces of crap like you for Breakfast !!!”
“COM’ON THEN !!”, Sid hollered. “I’LL KILL YOU, OLD MAN !!!”
The two reached for each other at the same time and grappled, slinging each other around on the steel grating. At times they slammed into both the steel railing of the spillway and the steel railing over the Dam face, the rusted railings squealing in protest.
“You’re useless ! You’re worthless !”, Mr. Smith taunted.
“You’re a washed-up Old Has-Been !” Sid shot back as they grappled.
They continued to grapple, but Sid was still handicapped by still having to hold on to the detonator. Finally, Mr. Smith got the upper hand. He swung Sid around and smashed him up against the outer railing directly above where the bomb was, pinning him.
“It’s All Over For You, Boyo !”, Mr. Smith crowed. “There’s No Escape !!”
But for both there would be no escape. The combined pressure of the two bodies, added to the years of rust and neglect, finally proved too much for that section of the outer railing to bear. With a horrible screech, it gave way, and both Sid and Mr. Smith tumbled over the side.
As he fell, Mr. Smith spotted the C-4 Bomb, shadowed against the smooth surface of the Dam. He reached out as he was falling, and miraculously was able to sink the fat fingers of both his hands onto it. Sid had gripped the belt of Mr. Smith, and for a half-second, their fall was arrested. Then the weight of the both of them served to unstick the C-4 off the Dam. It peeled off the side of the Dam, detonator charges and all, stuck in the clutches of Mr. Smith’s hands.
Sid knew he was finished. He would drown in the deep water below. But he wasn’t going out alone. Letting go of his grip on Mr. Smith, he brought his arms together one last time and pressed the detonator button a split second before they both slammed into the water.
KAA-BOOM !!!!!!!!!!
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-
A giant waterspout gushed high in the air, higher than even the Dam. The very slight delay of the signal from Sid’s handheld detonator to the explosives packed in the glob of the C-4 proved to be the saving factor. The instant the charges went off, Mr. Smith had slammed into the water with the C-4 bomb held tight to his gut. The water absorbed most of the blast, although the shock wave was transmitted through the water and the ground shook. The Dam quaked, but held.
Sid’s two Punk companions didn’t fare well, either. The Valley shook with the intensity of a low grade Earthquake, enough to knock down Frankie and disorient Sean. Before he knew it, Frankie was overrun with angry citizens who begin pummeling him. He was only saved by the arriving Guardsmen who quickly took him into custody. Sean’s position was overrun by a detachment of Guardsmen before he had time to react. He meekly surrendered to them at gunpoint. The Vale Valley had been saved.
Up on the bridge, there was a stunned silence for a moment, as they peered into the depths of the settling water. There was nothing to be seen, and the bodies of Sid and Mr. Smith would never be found. It would be presumed that they were eventually washed out to sea.
Captain Curry gave new orders. It wasn‘t over yet. “Company A !! Move Out !! Let’s Get To That School !!!”
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For Tony and Jake, their death match had continued. On their feet once more, Jake was sure he could knock Tony out if only he could get close enough to deliver an overhead smash and pop Tony right in the forehead, but when he tried that, he left himself open and Tony had opened up with an uppercut that sent Jake reeling backwards. Tony advanced, ready to bash Jake, but Jake managed to nut shot Tony. Doubled over, Tony gasped as he escaped a vicious kick from Jake.
Cuts were opening up on each fighter’s faces as the battle raged on. The fight had intensified to the point where no words were being exchanged. The crowd of captive students had seemed to have forgotten their inhibitions about their forced participation and were rooting for Tony like it was the greatest Hole Fight ever. The Staff, lined up in two parallel rows up on the Patio from the top of the steps chafed at being held hostages by this lunatic and his two companions.
Suddenly, a far-off loud explosion ripped through the air and the ground trembled. Everyone froze for almost 30 seconds as the Quad went silent. Tony and Jake paused in their fight. The two Punks, still standing guard atop the far stone pillars that supported the railings around the Patio, shot worried looks at each other. Kenny, standing on the Eastern side, dug in his pocket for his Walkie-Talkie and attempted to contact Sid. After several futile tries, he looked at his brother Denny and shook his head. Their last contact with Sid was when they reported their successful take-over of the school, and there had been nothing since. The brothers had assumed that Sid had taken over the Towns, as planned. But as it turned out, Sid had his hands full with his own set of unforeseen troubles.
“Whattsamatter, Jake, trouble in paradise ?”, Tony taunted. “Maybe things not going you way again ?”
Jake glanced at the two Punks, but they weren’t paying the slightest bit of attention to him. Their faces were etched with concern. This had been louder than any of the other explosions over the past day and night, and that could only mean one thing. Jake realized it too, but if the ultimate threat had been carried out, where was the rushing waters ? The Flood ?
“It’s A TRICK !!!”, Jake shouted to them. “A TRICK, Don’t You See ?”
“The only Trick here is YOU, Jake”, Tony jeered, “You’re gonna FAIL at this, just like everything else !”
Jake swiveled his head back to Tony. “SHUTUP !!!! JUST SHUTUP !!!! I Have NOT FAILED !!! I’m The Head Of Bullworth Academy, And I’m Gonna Expel You With These !!”, he said, as he held up his fists.
“Give It Up, Jake, It’s Finished !”, Tony called. “You’re Never Gonna Win !”
“I’ll Show You, You Fucking Asshole”, Jake retorted, “I’m Gonna Stomp You Ass Into The Ground, And Then We’ll See Who’s-----”
But the rest of Jake’s retort was cut short by the sound of a gunshot.
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Trent had made his way out of the Boy’s Dorm and, hugging the wall, snuck back to the opening in the wall to the Quad. Halfway there, a huge explosion sounded somewhere, and the ground shook. Trent, not knowing what is was, stopped and crouched for awhile. In the wake of the noise, things had gone quiet on the Quad. Carefully, he snuck along the wall until he reached the broken part and cautiously raised his head up until he could see the Quad.
An undercurrent of buzzing had begin among the students once more. He could just make out the heads of Tony and Jake, surrounded in sort of a loose circle by the other students. Up on the stone pillar by the railings was the closest gunman, the one called Kenny. The other gunman on the other side was too far away for him to target with any success, and neither would to get a bead on Jake through the mass of Students in the way.
Trent had done some shooting back where he came from. As a boy, he had run around with some unsavory characters from his neighborhood. One of the miscreants had some stolen guns that they would go to the rail overpass nearby and shoot from time to time. Trent had learned to have a steady hand. Very carefully, he looked again at the scene. The Punk Kenny was fiddling with something that looked like a Walkie-Talkie, and his SRS Rifle hung loose on it’s strap from his shoulder. He was facing his fellow Punk that was across the Patio, and wasn’t looking his way. In fact, nobody was looking at this section of the wall.
Trent brought the Gun up and rested it on the broken section of the wall. Attention was being drawn toward Jake and Tony, who had started up a loud verbal exchange in the center of the Quad. Trent sighted on the Punk named Kenny. Holding his hands very still, Trent took a deep breath, then let it out slow. Then he gently squeezed the trigger.
BLAM !!!!!!!!!!!!
The Bent Coin Bullet sped towards it’s target in an instant, striking Kenny in the side of the head, fracturing his skull and pitching him backwards onto the Patio. Students yelled and the girls screamed. Like lightening, Denny brought his SRS Rifle to bear on the far wall, where he saw the glint of Trent’s Gun disappearing behind a broken part of the wall. Then he spotted Kenny down on the pavement of the Patio.
“THEY’VE KILLED KENNY !!!!”, he screamed, “THEY’VE KILLED KENNY !!!!!”
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-
Denny jumped off his perch on the stone pillar and ran to the steps, elbowing his way past Dr. Watts and Dr. Slaughter, practically knocking the old men to the ground. He went partway down the steps until he could again see the break in the wall and raised his SRS Rifle.
“BASTARDS !!!!!”, he screamed, “YOU SHOT MY BROTHER !!!!!!!!!!”
“EEEEEEEEEEEK !” Students screamed and dropped to the ground as he raised the weapon to fire. Denny socked the Rifle to his shoulder and let off a burst at the wall.
POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW !!!!!!
Trent had dropped back behind the wall and was frantically trying to re-load, but he was having a tough time of it. Now that he had done the deed, all bravado had left him and he was shaking badly. As he tipped the Gun up and tried to dump the remaining gunpowder in the barrel, his shaking hands betrayed him and he spilled it all over. Knowing he was toast if the remaining gunman found him, he cut and ran, bent over, towards the back of the Boy’s Dorm to hide, still carrying the now-useless Gun.
“YOU WITH THE FIREARM !!!!! DROP YOUR WEAPON AND SURRENDER !!!!!”, a sudden command on a Bullhorn came from the direction of the Front Gate. Denny looked about with wild eyes, and again brought his Rifle up to fire. A red laser spot appeared on his chest as he did so.
BLAM !!!!!!!!!!!!
Corporal Pyle’s sniper shot was true, hitting Denny high in the right chest and throwing him backwards on the steps. Sargent Billingsly’s detachment of soldiers had arrived at the Front Gate just in time to hear Trent’s shot and see Denny running into range and fire off his burst. To his credit, Corporal Pyle was swift in his response and would later receive a commendation for his actions. As a result of the publicity which was to follow the 'Bullworth Incident’, as it would come to be known, a Television Series would be planned for him to star in called ‘Jim Pyle, R.I.N.G.’
Jake’s eyes were nearly bugging out of his head at the swift turn of events, but he wasn’t giving up just yet. Whipping out his detonator control, he quickly entered in two codes in swift succession and pressed the detonator button.
BOOM !!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!!
The two charges of C-4 that Jake had planted earlier behind the stone supports on either side of the Front Gate exploded. The Guardsmen, escaping injury as they were behind the blast, retreated back into the street. As they did so, the weakened pillars gave way, and the heavy archway collapsed into a huge pile of rubble, smashing the gates.
If nothing else, Jake knew about escape. As the students suddenly realized they were no longer being held hostage, they began to advance on Jake. Without a weapon and no time to search for one, Jake had only limited options. His way out of the Quad was blocked, so he turned towards the steps and raced up them, then pushed his way through the confused mess of Teachers and Staff before they even thought to capture him. He kicked the front door of the school open and zoomed inside. He would get to a place of safety and hold the Bullworth Academy School Building itself hostage.
“He’s Getting Away !!”, Nick hollered, regaining his senses before anyone else.
Tony realized it was true, and sped up the steps in pursuit of Jake into the school.
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-
Jake ran across the Great Hall to the staircase and headed to the second floor, punching in another code as he went. He had to forestall anyone following him until he could find a place to hole up. Jake stopped at the railing in front of the School Office, and saw Tony dashing through the front doors after him. He dived into the Office entrance and pushed the detonator button all at the same time.
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The C-4 Bomb he had planted in the Boiler that lay directly underneath the foyer area of the Great Hall exploded with a mighty roar, turning the school’s furnace into just so much scrap metal and buckling a large section of the Great Hall’s floor above it, collapsing it into the basement below. Tony, who was half-way to the staircase, was knocked down by the force of the blast and skidded across the floor on his belly, whacking to a stop into the Beam Cola machine in the side hallway with a whump.
Jake came back out of the office to survey the damage. Looking over that railing, he could see that there was a giant crater where the floor used to be, extending from just this side of the front doors to halfway across the Great Hall towards the staircase. He didn’t see Tony anywhere, and hoped that blast had finished off that little weasel for good. But he had work to do, and didn’t have time to go check. He ran back into the school office and around the counter, kicking in the doors to Dr. Crabblesnitch’s office....No, make that HIS office. He was the head of Bullworth Academy now, and none of them snot-headed muther-fuckers was gonna take that away from him.
Jake started by tearing out the drawers in the desk. He was sure that Crabblesnitch kept that Colt 45 in here. Where else would it be ? He needed a real weapon, and fast.
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-
Nick and Laurent pounded up the front steps and made to follow Tony. But before they could, a huge blast sounded inside the school, shaking the building and Patio. The boys stumbled and fell as the shock wave blew out the doors, as did a number of the staff who were unlucky enough to be too close.
Recovering after a minute, Nick and Laurent approached the door. Inside, in the settling dust, they saw a huge hole in the floor extending both right and left and more that halfway to the second-floor staircase. The way was impassible.
“Mon Dieu !”, Laurent exclaimed. “Such Damage !”
Nick’s eyes took in the sight. “Where is Tony ?”
Both boys peered into the smokey gloom, but could see nothing moving.
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-
Captain Curry and his platoon arrived just minutes later. Seeing the ruins of that gate, he ordered, “There’s an Industrial Area to the East of here. Sargent Carter, take a detachment and find it, and appropriate a Bulldozer or a Frontloader !”
Yes, Sir !”, the Sargent responded, and gathering a few men, hopped onto a Humvee and sped off. The Captain next turned to Sargent Billingsly. “Everyone alright ?”
“Yes, Sir”, Sargent Billingsly replied. “A little shook up from the blast, but otherwise fine.”
“Good”, the Captain replied, “Gather some men and scout for another way into the Academy grounds. We’re not getting in this way for awhile.”
“Yes, Sir !”, the Sargent said, and went to carry out his orders. More vehicles arrived, Jeeps, Humvees, and Troop Transport trucks, and began filling up the street.
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-
Tony sat up and rubbed his head. He had been stunned, but not knocked out. He slowly rose to his feet. The air was still a bit dusty from the blast, and he shambled back towards the Great Hall. The damage he saw was incredible. Through the dust, he saw Nick and Laurent standing at the doorway. “Is Everyone Alright ?”, he called.
“Oui, They Are All Safe !”, Laurent called, “No one is hurt !”
“Good”, Tony was relieved. “Can You Get Across ?”
“Non, There Is No Room For Me To Jump High, And I Can Not Parkour This !”, Laurent returned.
“Try The Other Doors !”, Tony called. Nick went off to do so, and was back in a few moments.
“They’re All Locked !”, Nick called, “Even The Back Ones, The Clinic, And The Basement ! The Prefects Say The Keys Are Somewhere Inside !”
Tony was perplexed for a few seconds, then a thought bloomed in his head. “Have Karen Get Her Lockpick Set, And Get The Side Patio Door Open !”
“Right !”, Nick yelled, and the boys disappeared from the doorway. Tony went to the foot of the stairway to the second floor. Jake was in the building, up there somewhere. He took a look back on the damage, and suddenly became very angry. Angry at what this Lone Psychotic Jackass had done over the span of the school year to his school....Yes, HIS School, for now the school was a part of him, part of his life. Here he had his Friends, he had his Girl, he had ROOTS here now, and all along there had been Jake, trying to take that away from him, from everyone here.
No more Cat and Mouse, it was to end here, today, this very instant. Jake was weaponless, and Tony would beat him with his bare hands. He started up the stairway and called out.
“HEY ASSHOLE !!! HEY CHICKENSHIT !!!”, Tony called into the gloom. “HEY JA-A-A-KE !!!! COME OUT AND PLA-A-A-A-Y !!!!!”
____________________________________________________
-
Jake heard Tony calling him out. He could easily go out the Doctor’s secret door to the balcony, if he wanted, and escape, run to the Football Field, then the Observatory, and out through the tunnel at the edge of the Nerd’s Playground, to the old Rail Line, then climb the mountains and lose himself in the woods to the South of the school. Escape, regroup, and try again. He could.
But No. He had bet his full hand on this one. There were no more left to recruit to his cause. School was coming to an end for the Summer anyway. And, there were forces from the outside here. No, it was now or never. Unbidden, an image arose in his tormented mind. Facing his Grandfather, Mr. Smith, builder of Empires, and hearing his mocking voice, saying, “You’re a Failure, Boyo ! Just like your no-good Mother, and your Uncle, and your Cousin ! You’re Worthless, Boy, Just WORTHLESS !!”
Jake stopped looking for the Gun. There was no time left to find it anyway. The time had come to even up the score, to put paid to the one fuck who was wholly responsible for the derailment of his plans. But it was going to be on his terms. Jake still had one ace up his sleeve, rather, in his pocket. The Detonator. And he was going to lead that Traitor Fuck Tony to his doom.
Jake ran our of the Head’s Office....HIS Office, Jake reminded himself....And back through the School Office to the railing overlooking the staircase. Tony was just reaching the first landing.
“Well, if it isn’t the Complete Human Trash !!”, Jake said, unknowingly echoing what his Cousin Gary had said in this same hall just a year before. “I’ve been waiting just to finish you off ! But we’re gonna fight on MY turf now ! So follow me, if you dare. Let The Games Begin !!”
With that, Jake broke and ran, past the Trophy Case, past the upper entrance to the Auditorium, towards the near West hallway, where he took a left turn around the corner. Tony ran up the stairs after him, and when he turned the same corner, a door was pushed open....The same door that Tony had ventured through on Valentine’s night. The way to the Third Floor.
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-
Outside, the students had started to disperse into smaller groups. Still uncertain of the outcome of these sudden events, and still uncertain of where to go, most stayed in the Quad. Jimmy and Zoe went up the steps to find Nurse McRae to send her down to help Algie, who was still lying bleeding on the pavement.
“I’m always doing something for that little freak”, grumbled Jimmy.
“Oh, Hush”, Zoe said, “He’d do the same for you, he wouldn’t let you bleed to death !”
“Not so sure about that”, Jimmy said, but nonetheless, they found Nurse McRae in the crowd of staff on the Patio and directed her down to where Algie was at. Since the outside door to the School Clinic was still locked, like the rest of the doors, she would have to treat Algie the best she could where he lay. Turning to go, they were approached by Mr. Galloway.
“Jimmy ! Good to see you !”, Mr. Galloway said sincerely. Mr. Galloway had never forgotten how Jimmy had helped him get free of the Asylum last year and inspired him to quit drinking.
“How have you been, Sir ?”, Jimmy replied, shaking his offered hand.
“Been real good, thanks to you, Jimmy !”, Mr. Galloway returned. “But I hear you’ve had some trouble yourself, I’m so sorry to hear.”
“Yeah, well that.....”, Jimmy began.
“Hopkins ? Is that really you boy ?”, came from Dr. Crabblesnitch, who was approaching, with Ms. Danvers hobbling along in his wake.
Jimmy turned to face him. “Yes, it’s me.” There was no point in running now, everyone had already seen him. Besides, his name would be cleared before long, if his guess was right.
Mr. Hattrick butted in, striding over to the group. “Why aren’t you in Prison ?”
“I Was”, Jimmy said, turning his attention back to Dr. Crabblesnitch. “Why is he even back here ?”, Jimmy asked, pointing at Mr. Hattrick. “For two years in a row now, I took pictures of him selling Test Answers to the Preps !”
“Now, you just wait a minute !”, blustered Mr. Hattrick, “That...That’s not true !”
“Stuff It, Hattrick”, Jimmy said snidely. “I already turned over the proof.”
“What Proof ?”, thundered Mr. Hattrick, then he said, “To WHO ?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know, Cocknocker ?”, Jimmy said mockingly.
“I would like to know, Hopkins”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said. “I won’t tolerate cheating on my campus here !”
“That’s a laugh”, Jimmy said, “You not only tolerate it, you encourage it ! That’s why this Pervert is back here. And talkin’ about Perverts, why didn’t you fire Burton like you told me you was gonna in your office after I saved your bacon form Gary last year ?”
Dr. Crabblesnitch was taken aback. “Well, he was fired !....Er, is fired, as of right now, I’ll see to it !”
“Ahh, save yer breath”, Jimmy said. “I know all about your corruption here.”
“And just what do you mean by that ?”, Dr. Crabblesnitch demanded.
“Let’s just say I read it somewhere”, Jimmy jeered, “In a FILE.”
Dr. Crabblesnitch blanched. “Now, boy, you should have turned that over to the Authorities !”
“Why ? So they could make me disappear ?”, Jimmy said. “Fat Chance !”
“It would have gone a lot easier on you if you had cooperated”, Dr. Crabblesnitch persisted, “And let them know where that File was !”
“Naw, I’d been floatin’ in the bay, just fish food by now”, Jimmy said. “But don’t you worry, Dr. Crabblesnitch, the Feds probably have it by now. You can work off your bad deeds....In Prison !”
Dr. Crabblesnitch looked like he was going to have a stroke. Zoe touched Jimmy’s arm. “Com’on Jimmy, let’s go.”
“Yeah”, Jimmy said, “You’re right. The air is gettin’ too foul here. This place is like a rotten Onion....Peel off one stinking layer and there’s an even smellier one underneath.”
They turned and walked away. Zoe wanted to go back to the secret cave, but Jimmy was having none of that. He pointed over to where Karen, having returned with her lock-picking tools, was working on opening the lock to the side Patio door. Nick, Laurent, Constantinos, and Ray were clustered around her. “I wanna see how Tony comes out. If he don’t finish off Gary’s Cousin, I will.”
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-
Tony chased Jake up the staircase that doubled back on itself, coming to another door, which was open to the gloom. As he ran through to the Third Floor, he was suddenly poleaxed in the guts by a heavy object. He went down on his knees, gasping for breath.
Jake stepped out from behind the shadows from where he had bushwacked Tony as he came through the door. In his hands he had a Sledgehammer. “Ha-Ha !! Saw this little baby on my last trip up here.” He lifted it in his hands. “Seems pretty hefty. Howszat feel ?”
Trying to suck in some air, Tony couldn’t answer. He fell over on his side, doubled up.
“You know what, Shitass ?”, Jake went on, savoring the moment. “I’m much smarter than Cousin Gary. I had everybody fooled. Fuck, I took on TWO other different identities, and nobody even knew the difference. I was workin’ at the Carnival, right under your noses, and nobody knew ! I blew off that dumbshit Algie’s Nut, and later on the pissy fat shit came beggin’ to me for weapons ! I made him work for me ! I snuck in here and planted Pipe Bombs, Balloons full of Cow blood, and C-4 explosives, and you dumb fucks didn’t catch on to any of it !”
Tony said nothing, as he was just able to suck in a breath.
Jake came closer. “You thought you could stop me, you low-life Traitor Fuck ?!? Here I am, and I WON !! And now, I’m head of the School ! I got a paper in my pocket that says so !”
“That....Paper....Don’t mean....Jack”, Tony gasped. “Nobody....Will follow You !”
“We’ll just see about that, now won’t we ?”, Jake snarled. His voice rose to a shout. “Well No, You Won’t See Anything, Cause I’m Gonna Bash Your Brains In !!!!”
Jake raised the Sledgehammer and began to swing at Tony’s head. Tony lashed out hard with his foot at that instant, making contact with Jake’s shin. The Sledgehammer swing went wild, burying itself in the nearby wall. “OUCH, YOU FUCK !!!!”, Jake screamed, hopping on one leg and attempting to loosen the Sledgehammer from the wall. “I’m Gonna KILL You For That, Calderone !!!”
Tony crawled away and got shakily to his feet, but by the time he rose, Jake had ripped the Sledgehammer from the wall and began advancing on him. With no weapon at hand to fight back with, Tony turned and staggered down the Third Floor hallway, Jake trailing behind him and screaming curses.
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It had taken some time, but Sargent Billingsly’s men had finally discovered the other entrance to the Academy Grounds. It had been overlooked, partly because of the long drive back to the gate to the Parking Lot had not really been noticed by any of the incoming Troops to begin with. Bolt Cutters had been rounded up and the Soldiers returned to cut the chains that held the gates shut. The Gates were then thrown open, and the Sargent ordered most of the convoy that was stretched up and down the street in front of the School to proceed back there.
A score of National Guard vehicles poured into the Parking Lot. At about the same time, Sargent Carter radioed in that his men had secured a Frontloader and it was on the way to clear the rubble from the Archway collapse in front of the School. Captain Curry arrived at the Parking Lot to brief the Soldiers on their assignments before invading the Academy grounds. It was not yet known how many suspected Terrorists were still at large, so they were to proceed with Caution.
Up on the Patio, Karen was struggling with the locked side door, trying pic after pic but not yet being able to spring the lock. Nick and Laurent were encouraging her to keep trying, but Karen wasn’t about to give up. Tony’s life was at stake, she reminded herself, as she grimly bent to her task.
Meanwhile, Lance and Bo, followed by Ted and Bob, had gone up onto the Patio. They first walked over to Kenny, who was not dead, but wouldn't be waking up for a long while. Lance looked loathingly down at Kenny, and supported by Bo, planted a vicious kick to Kenny's ribs with his good leg.
The group made it's way over to where Denny laid. He was groggy from being shot, and was trying to sit up. Bob, at a nod from Ted, pushed him back down again.
“Remember Me, Motherfucker ?", Lance said with hatred. “It's Payback Time !"
Denny's eyes widened in recognition just as Lance, supported by Bo, kicked him hard in the head, knocking him out.
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Jake chased Tony toward the end of the dim hallway, and Tony staggered around a corner. Here, light was coming through the dirty windows. Jake swung the Sledgehammer and missed, smashing into the corner of the wall instead, scattering lath and plaster. Tony limped faster to a dark room at the end of the hallway and entered. He discerned he had wound up in what was a bathroom. There were no windows in here to cast in any light, and Tony hoped that he could waylay Jake and disarm him in the dark.
As Tony felt his way along a wall, he tripped over something that resounded with a clanging sound on the tile floor. Tony reached down and found it was a length of steel pipe about two feet long. Tony grabbed it up. At least he had something to defend himself with now.
Jake had slowed, and entered the bathroom cautiously, Sledgehammer at the ready. “You can’t hide from me, Traitor !”, he said, clearly relishing this. “We’re going to have a Smashing good time, I think. Me the Smasher, you the Smashee !” A high giggle escaped him, an Insane giggle, Tony thought. Just how unbalanced had Jake become ?
Tony remained where he was without moving, and stayed silent, his guts still hurting. Jake began moving into the dark bathroom, swinging the Sledgehammer in a lazy arc in front of him. “Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are !”, Jake called gleefully. He was clearly enjoying this.
As Jake moved in further to the bathroom, Tony began to silently slide his feet, feeling his way along the wall the way he came in. Jake was making swooshing noises with each swing of the Sledgehammer that covered any small noises that Tony was making. Suddenly, Jake’s Sledgehammer impacted something with a clatter. Jake had found the stalls on the far side of the bathroom. Thinking Tony was in one of them, Jake cried “HA !!”, and swung the Sledgehammer. A sound of a porcelain breaking resulted from his effort. Jake had busted a toilet.
Undeterred, Jake moved on to the next stall and repeated his swing, with the same results. At the Third stall, Tony slipped around the doorless opening as Jake was busy breaking the third toilet. Out of stalls, Jake moved next to the sink area. Swinging the Sledgehammer in front of him like a Mace, Jake managed to destroy the sinks with a few blows. Breathing heavily, Jake looked to the dimly lighted area of the doorless opening. His quarry must have escaped him, he concluded. He went to the opening, and stopped, listening. Not hearing anything, he stepped through.
“OOOF !!!!!”, Jake screamed as Tony whacked him in the ribs with the Steel Pipe. Jake retaliated by taking a wild swing that Tony easily ducked. The Sledgehammer smacked the doorframe, breaking and splintering the wood to smithereens. At that moment, Tony jabbed out with his left and landed a solid punch to Jake’s jaw. Jake went sprawling and dropped the Sledgehammer. Tony snatched it up.
“Now we’ll see who does the Smashing, you Crazy Asshole !”, Tony said. Jake got to his feet and shot Tony a look of pure hatred. Then, a psychotic lunatic grin lit up his face. Without a word, Jake turned and ran off into the inner gloom of an intersecting hallway. Taken by surprise, Tony lagged, then gave chase.
Jake zigged and zagged down the dusty, unused hallways of the Third Floor. Carrying both the Sledgehammer and the Steel Pipe bogged Tony down, and he soon lost Jake in the maze of hallways. Tony stopped and listened. Faintly, he could hear the sound of someone climbing up a metal ladder.
The Bell Tower Dome !! Tony hurried back to the place of the Third Floor entry as fast as the poor light would allow, hampered by the weight of the Sledgehammer and the Metal Pipe. When he reached the ladder, he had a decision to make. He couldn’t climb up trying to hold on to two objects at the same time. Tony thought, then tossed the Metal Pipe away. It clattered away, making a clanging sound in the dimness.
Tony grasped the ladder and began to climb up after Jake to the Bell Tower dome.
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-
Karen’s persistence finally paid off as the Patio doorlock finally sprang. She rose up and opened the door.
Nick and Laurent made ready to enter the school. Karen wanted to go inside as well, along with Melody, who had joined Nick and the others on the Patio, but Nick vetoed that, saying it was too dangerous.
“I got the door open, I should go in too !”, Karen argued. “I can take care of myself !”
“Of that we are sure”, Laurent said, “But Tony would never forgive us if we let something happen to you !”
“And none of us have any weapons”, Nick added, “What if that lunatic tries to take you hostage ? Or blows up something else ?”
Karen relented, but only if she and Melody could wait inside the door. Nick grudgingly allowed that, provided that they weren’t to come into the hallway, and that they watch for the Soldiers to arrive so they could be directed into the school. Nick had been watching the front, and had seen the arrival of the Frontloader, which had started plowing a path through the rubble. Laurent’s keen hearing had also detected the sounds of trucks in the Parking Lot, it wouldn’t be long until help was here. Tony’s fate, however was uncertain. He was facing off Jake all alone, and there wasn’t time to argue about it.
Nick and Laurent entered the school. They had to go down the hallway by the School Store, then to the end and past the Chem Lab to get to the rear of the Great Hall. They snaked around and headed up the staircase, the last place they had seen Tony, to the Second Floor, and began to search.
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-
Having received their orders, the National Guard soldiers began to stream from the Parking Lot. About half of them went towards the back Quad, where they would continue on to Harrington House, the Gym, the Football Field, and the Observatory. A detachment was sent through the back way to the Autoshop.
A Platoon ringed the school itself, while another detachment went to the Library. The main group headed to the front Quad, where they discovered the students milling about. Barking orders, the students were moved back against the Quad walls for safety, once Captain Curry learned the Bomber was inside the school. Arriving on the Patio, the staff was moved out past the Quad as well. The Prefects, whom everybody has quite forgotten about, were unbound and ungagged, and began following the soldiers around like puppy dogs, asking for National Guard applications. After a bit of that, they too were herded out past the Quad and told to keep their traps shut.
Denny and Kenny were strapped into backboards and taken away on stretchers. They were to await transport in the Parking Lot, under guard, until they could join their two fellow Punks, Frankie and Sean, already in custody.
Karen and Melody, true to their nature, had not stayed put by the door as they promised. They wound up sneaking into the halls anyway, winding up by the School Store, staring at the gaping hole in the floor of the Great Hall. They strained to listen, but could make out nothing in the quiet school save for the footsteps of Nick and Laurent, still searching for Tony.
After a while, Melody whispered, “Do you think we ought to check on the door, like Nick said ?”
“I guess so”, Karen replied after some hesitation. She wanted to go upstairs so badly. She knew she could find Tony, if only the boys would let her look.
Karen and melody went back to the Patio entrance door, and opened it. They must have been in there a lot longer than they realized, Karen thought, for now the Patio was full of soldiers carrying real guns. At last, help had arrived.
Karen spotted a Soldier giving orders and called him over. “Mr. Soldier, Sir, could you come over here, please ?”
Sargent Billingsly hurried over to where they were standing in the open doorway. “What are you girls doing here ? We have reports this building is not safe. You will have to moved away from here with the others.”
“We have to tell you, Sir, the Bomber is inside !”, Karen said in a rush. “He’s upstairs somewhere, and our boyfriends are up there looking for him !”
The Sargent looked at her for an instant, then turned and barked orders. “Corporal Scully ! Get 'C’ Patrol, On The Double ! We’re Going In !!”
“Oh, Please, Sir", Karen went on, “Our boyfriends are Tony and Nick, and there’s another fellow in there too, Um, his name’s Laurent, please help them !!”
“We’ll do our best, young lady. I’ll have you escorted to safety first though, if you don’t mind”, Sargent Billingsly said, eying them both. “Say, would you happen to know the name of the Perpetrator, by any chance ?”
“His name is Jake Brown”, Karen said with distaste, “And he’s a Psychotic Ass----”
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
An explosion that shook the building cut Karen short. In an instant, debris began to rain down on the Patio and the Front Quad. A large, gaping hole appeared 40 feet above the front doors.
“OH, NO !!!! NO !!!!!!”, Karen screamed. “TONY !!!!!!!!!!”
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-
As soon as Tony had climbed from the ladder to the Attic through the square access hole, Jake had triggered the blast of the C-4, set near the small access door Tony had used to climb out onto the steep, peaked roof. Tony was thrown back against the wall by the force of the blast, the Sledgehammer torn from his grasp. Tony lay stunned in a heap on the floor.
Jake had miscalculated. He had barely had time to input the code for the bomb on his detonator after he had climbed to the first catwalk and ran across to the ladder to the second. When he saw Tony emerge from the hole just after he climbed to the second catwalk, his desire for revenge overtook whatever semblance of reason he still possessed, and he punched the detonator button.
But Jake hadn’t had time to place himself up high enough out of the blast’s reach either. The force of the blast flattened him into a corner of the Tower, where he lay stunned also.
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Even before the blast’s echos had died away, Karen tore from the door and ran down the school hallway towards the Chem Lab, followed by Melody close behind. The girls ignored the shouts of the Guardsmen to stop as they began to pour through the door. The girls disappeared around the corner and made for the staircase, taking two steps at a time. Karen was sure she knew just where to go.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ahead of them, Nick and Laurent were already racing to the door to the Third Floor access. They pushed through it and ran up the doubleback staircase in record time, and going through the open door at the top into the gloom of the Third Floor. Hoping Tony was here, they began a search, not even paying attention to the Attic access ladder close by.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On the Patio and the Quad outside, chunks of debris had rained down from the blast. Some of the Gaurdsmen had been struck by the falling pieces, but miraculously none was hurt seriously. The students and staff escaped injury entirely due to the Guard’s action of moving them back against the Quad’s wall earlier. Captain Curry immediately ordered his Troops to assault the School.
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-
Tony got groggily to his feet. He was beginning to feel like a battered fighter with all the hits he had taken this morning, not to mention last night. Tony stumbled to the front side of the Tower where the gaping hole was and looked down. What he saw was controlled chaos, there were chunks of debris everywhere. Tony moved as close as he dared to the hole, warily expecting an attack from the back, and looked down again. He could only make out a part of the Patio, but he saw no students there. They were all lined back against the Quad’s walls, he saw.
A particularly large chunk of granite laying on the Quad caught his eye. Visions of his dream flooded back to him, of seeing Karen lying there, cut in half. Tony half-sobbed in relief to see that there was nothing there....No mangled Karen, no Intestines or ripped body parts riddled about. That much hadn’t come to pass.
At Least Yet, thought Tony with a start. Jake was still here, and was still a danger, and obviously, still had the power to blow things up, Blow The School Up, Tony reminded himself. His job wasn’t over yet. Jake still had to be stopped.
But just where was Jake ? Tony turned and walked back towards the rear of the Tower. He looked briefly for the Sledgehammer, but couldn’t find it, despite the light flooding in from the gaping hole. He stopped by the access hole down to the third floor and heard voices calling his name. Nick...Laurent....and dear sweet God, Karen ! They were all still in danger !
Another noise caught his attention, from up above. Tony looked up and squinted, then saw what he had barely paid attention to the last time he was up here.....A series of ladders and catwalks that snaked around the inside of the Tower, reaching ever upward towards the Bell Tower Dome. A figure was moving around on the second catwalk. It was Jake.
Jake had regained his twisted senses not long after Tony. Still clutching the detonator in his hand, he stood upright. Looking over the railing,he was shocked to see Tony standing there, staring up at him. Incensed at the sight of his arch-enemy looking unscathed, Jake hollered, “WHY DON’T YOU DIE, MOTHERFUCKER ? YOU SHOULD BE DEAD, DEAD, DEAD !!!”
“I Like To Think I’m Made Of Stronger Stuff”, Tony called back. “You Have To Be Stopped, Jake, Stopped For Good !!”
“PHIS-SHIT...BY A LOW-LIFE TRAITOR FUCK LIKE YOU ?”, Jake shouted. “THAT’S NEVER GONNA HAPPEN, NEVER !!!!!”
“I’m Comin’ To Get You, Jake”, Tony called. “There’s No Way Out !!”
“WE’LL SEE ABOUT THAT, COCKSUCKER !!!”, Jake crowed, holding up his detonator. “I STILL HOLD THE KEYS TO THIS KINGDOM. TRY AND STOP ME !!!”
With that, Jake ran the length of the second catwalk and began to climb the ladder to the third. Tony raced to the ladder and climbed to the first catwalk. The race was on.
______________________________________________
-
It took a while for the News Media to catch wind of the crisis in the Vale Valley, but an event this large could not be kept secret for long. As always, there is somebody willing to leak information for the right compensation, and as soon as the word was out that there was a major Anti-Terrorist Operation being mounted by the National Guard at the tiny, obscure Town of Bullworth, the Media descended with a vengeance. The previously almost-impossible-to-find Valley was soon overrun with all manner of Reporters, News Broadcasters, Radio Personalities, and the like. CNN led the charge, followed by the other major networks, arriving in large News Vans equipped with a gaudy array of Satellite Dishes and powerful transmitters.
What they found was what resembled a war zone, with debris and shattered buildings all over the place. Eagerly, Reporters and Cameramen were dispatched from the vans, and live feeds were soon set up to be broadcast live across the country. The leads were prefaced with the headings of “Terrorists Thwarted” and “Bombers Captured”, as the interviews with the Townspeople told of the brave sacrifice of one of their Towns leading citizens, describing in excited prose the events of the morning.
Soon, other vehicles were making their way to the Vale Valley. Most were curiosity seekers, wannabe looky-loos, and opportunists, with a few conspiracy nuts thrown in. It wasn’t hard to find the near-hidden road into the Vale Valley on this morning, all one had to do was follow the stream of vehicles heading there. After this day, Bullworth Town and all the rest would be open for the world to see.
Almost invisible in the bevy of traffic streaming into the Vale Valley that morning was a Black Limo with New York plates. The passenger inside had waited for this day for many long years, and he didn’t intend to miss it. Not one bit of it.
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-
Jake’s twisted mind raced furiously as he climbed. He had hoped that last blast would have taken out Tony and he could reach the Bell Tower unimpeded. Since there were other factors to consider now, he had hastily come up with a new plan. But it all depended on his reaching the charges of C-4 he had placed on the Bells of the Bell Tower Dome.
Jake stumbled over something. Looking down, he saw it was a Brick. In fact, there were several Bricks strewn on this fourth catwalk. He grabbed it up and leaned a little way over the rail. Tony was just climbing up the third catwalk. Jake took aim and threw the Brick hard at Tony’s head.
Tony looked up just in time to see the Brick coming towards him, and ducked. The Brick went clattering off the catwalk and to the floor below. “Throwing Rocks Now Jake ?”, he called. “What A Childish Thing To Do !”
“That’s Because You’re All STUPID CHILDREN, Calderone !”, Jake snarled back. “Violence Is The Only Thing Your Kind Understands !”
“What Are You Talking About ?”, Tony called, but Jake didn’t answer. Instead, he scooped up another Brick and ran for the ladder to the fifth catwalk. Tony ran to the fourth catwalk and began to climb.
WHACK !!! As soon as Tony came to the top of the fourth catwalk, a Brick smashed into his left shoulder. Barely keeping a hold on the ladder, Tony ducked as more Brick missiles came raining toward him. When the flurry of Bricks stopped, Tony chanced a peek. Jake was already running across the fifth catwalk.
Tony struggled back up. His shoulder ached from the hit, but he moved on. Climbing up the fifth catwalk, he took a cautious look, then began to pull himself up.
WHACK !!! With his stomach level with the catwalk platform, Jake had popped into view and began hurling more Bricks at him. One hit him dead in the chest, and Tony lost his grip on the ladder, falling 8 feet to the catwalk below. As he landed, he felt a sharp pain as he twisted his leg.
The catwalk shuddered and swayed sickly, accompanied by metallic tearing noises. Tony gripped and held on, fearing the catwalk would pull loose from it’s moorings. But the swaying stopped and the catwalk held. Getting to his feet, Tony tried putting weight on his leg. It wasn’t broken, only sprained. He glanced up and to his right. Jake has ascended the sixth catwalk, and was running for the last ladder.
Tony climbed the ladder carefully, and limped across the fifth catwalk. When he reached the ladder once more, his climb was a bit harder. His chest and shoulder were aching, and his leg almost buckled under the climb to the sixth catwalk. He limped across, nerves tight for an expected attack, but none came. Jake had already climbed to the seventh catwalk, which broadened out into a platform, and was lost from Tony’s view.
Grasping the final ladder, Tony started up slowly, his leg cramping. Jake would be ready for him, he assumed, but he was also ready. In his back pockets, he had stuffed a couple of Bricks of his own. Tony slowly brought his head to eye level with the seventh catwalk, expecting to see a Brick zooming at him. Instead, he saw Jake further out on the platform, appearing to fiddle with something in the ceiling. It looked like a tiny pinwheel. Tony narrowed his eyes and could just make out the shape of a small hatchway next to it. This must be the way to the Bell Tower Bells.
“That’s Far Enough, Calderone !”, Jake cautioned, barely giving him a glance. “The Next Brick Will Split Your Head Open, And I Won’t Miss !”
“What Are You Doing, Jake ?”, Tony said without moving. “You Can’t Win. It’s Over !”
“It’s NOT Over”, Jake replied serenely. “You’ll See. EVERYONE Will See.” He resumed cranking the tiny pinwheel, and the small access door began to open. “I’m The Ultimate Fixer”, Jake resumed, in a strange voice. “I’m Gonna Make Everything All Right.”
Tony was taken aback by this strange shift in Jake’s personality. Tony peered intently at Jake. His eyes seemed to be shining with lunatic intensity, and a manic grin had appeared on his face. Jake looked like he was opening the Holy Grail.
There was no way Tony could let him escape up through that door. Whatever he was planning lay up above. Steadily, Tony pulled one of the Bricks from his pocket and carefully judged the distance. Quickly, all in one motion, he heaved the Brick hard at Jake. It struck him in the kneecap with an audible 'CRACK !’
“OWWWW !!!!!!”, Jake screamed, grasping his leg and falling to the floor of the platform. “YOU FUCK !!!!!!!!!!!”
Tony scrambled up to the catwalk and advanced towards the platform. At that moment, he heard yelling down below.
“TONY !!! TONY !!! YOU UP THERE ?” It was Nick’s voice.
“TONY !!! ANSWER IF YOU CAN !!!” That came from Laurent.
“RIGHT HERE !!!”, Tony yelled back, looking over the edge.
“You Best Tell Your Fucked-Up Friends To Stay Where They Are !”, Hissed Jake. Tony’s head swiveled back. Jake had regained his feet, and was holding his Detonator in his left hand.
“TONY !!! PLEASE BE CAREFUL !!!”, came Karen’s voice.
Jake flashed an evil sneer. “And The Girlfriend Too. This Is Rich. Tell Them All To Stay Back. One Push Of This Button, And This Dump Is History. I’ll Blow This Tower, And It’ll Collapse Into The School, Just Like Them Buildings In New York.”
“Why would you want to do that, Jake ?”, Tony said, trying to remain calm.
“Because I Can !!!", Jake said harshly. “Because making the Assholes like you and the Morons who ran this place get what’s coming to them will make me feel Great !!”
Tony stared, then called down without taking his eyes off Jake or the Detonator, “STAY DOWN THERE !! DON’T COME UP !! HE HAS A BOMB !!”
“That’s Better”, Jake sneered. “I’m always one step ahead of you, and that’s why I’m smarter than you !!”
Yeah, sure you are", Tony uttered a short laugh. “You hate everyone and everyone hates you !
That’s real Genius !”
“You’re such a Loser !”, Jake snickered. “I took you under my wing, and you just betrayed me, just like the common guttersnipe you are. I had a PLAN, and YOU fucked with it. You’re just Trash !”
“I just wanted a fair cut of the action”, Tony said. “I didn’t want to take over the school, that was your thing. If you’d just tried to talk it out with me instead of tryin’ to run me over with that car, it’ll all been different.”
“No Different”, Jake said. “You’re like all the rest, all fools, just like he said !”
“Just like who--”, Tony began, but then he knew who.
Jake continued as if he hadn’t even heard. That strange lunatic look had come back to his eyes. “He told me I had to be ruthless if I ever wanted to run an Empire, and that’s right as rain, it is. He’ll see now that I’m worthy, better than his precious Gary, I’m the one who should inherit his Empire. Gary could only tie Crabblesnitch up, But I turned his DUMP of a school into a battlefield, blackmailed him, and TOOK IT FROM HIM !!!”
Tony was silent in the face of Jake’s ranting. The pieces all clicked together at last. He had been battling against a unbalanced, power-mad, affection-starved, warped personality for the greater part of the past school year. Anywhere else, Jake would have been institutionalized for his highly erratic behavior, possibly for life....But here in the Vale Valley he had free rein to sink deep into his Psychosis. Tony wondered again, as he had many times, just what kind of place this was, where normal people were locked away at Happy Volts while the crazy ones were let free to roam.
Jake’s mood abruptly shifted again. “You better go join your friends, Calderone. I got work to do.”
Tony shook his head. “I can’t do that, Jake.”
Jake’s eyes registered sudden confusion. “And Why Not ? I’m holdin’ the trigger to the Bomb Here !”
“I can’t leave because of that man standing behind you”, Tony said, shifting his gaze and staring at a point beyond Jake. “Isn’t that....Your Grandfather ?”
“Whaa--”, Jake said, and turned his head to look.
Tony didn’t think his ploy was going to work, but it had. Quickly, he pulled the other Brick from his back pocket and flung it. His aim was true, the Brick whacked Jake’s arm, and the Detonator was knocked from his hand. It clattered to the platform, bounced twice, and sailed over the edge.
“AHH, YOU GODDAM FUCK !!!!!!”, Jake screamed, and charged at Tony. But Tony was prepared and easily ducked the haymaker that Jake swung at him. Tony buried his fist in Jake’s guts and he doubled over. Jake stuck a left into Tony’s ribs, and Tony retaliated with a punch to Jake’s mouth.
Jake retreated back onto the Platform, wiping blood off his face. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU, ASSHOLE !!!!”, he snarled.
Tony advanced on Jake. The immediate danger may be over, but Tony couldn’t be sure that Jake didn’t have some other way to set off the explosive. The only thing he was really sure of was that he couldn’t let Jake go through the access door to the Bell Tower. The two boys began sparing about, both hampered somewhat...Tony with his sprung leg, and Jake with his bashed knee. Tony landed a punch to the Jake’s ribs, and Jake countered with a punch upside Tony’s head. The platform began to shake ominously.
The fight continued until the two began to grapple, swinging each other first one way, and then another, finally mashing up against the railing. The load of two bodies struggling against it were more that the thin railing could bear, and with a screech, it gave way.
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH”, Jake screamed as he fell over the edge, falling 50 feet to the floor, where he landed with a loud 'WHUMP !!!’ Tony had grabbed a piece of the railing before falling, and his stomach slammed into the floor of the platform. He desperately hung on with his legs flailing over the edge.
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-
Karen Screamed. The four had moved to a side wall to better try and see what was happening on the platform far above, heading Tony’s warning about a bomb. After Jake smashed into the floor, Karen tried to run to him, fearing it was Tony.
“TONY !!!!! TONY !!!!! OHHH, NOOOO !”, Karen tearfully cried as Nick and Laurent held her back.
“UP HERE !!!! I’M UP HERE !!!!”, Tony called from above, hearing Karen. “I CAN’T HOLD ON FOR LONG !!! NEED HELP !!!!”
The four looked up and could just make out Tony’s legs dangling from the platform. “HOLD ON !!!!”, Nick yelled, “WE’RE COMING UP !!!!”
“I’LL TRY !!”, Tony called. “HURRY....WATCH THE CATWALKS....THEY’RE SHAKEY....”
They first approached a prone Jake, who had not moved since he hit the floor. “He looks hurt bad”, Nick observed. “Girls, go down and find those Army guys, bring them up here.”
“I’m not leaving !”, Karen insisted stubbornly.
“Well then....Mel, you go”, Nick said.
“I’m staying with Karen”, Melody said firmly.
“But...He might wake up”, Nick said, “I don’t want you girls gettin’ hurt.”
Laurent came up. “Here, they can use this !” He had found the Sledgehammer.
Karen took it from him. “I’ll bash his head in if he so much as moves a muscle”, she muttered. “Now GO !! Go Save Tony !!!”
Nick and Laurent sped for the ladder and began to climb. It seemed a lot longer to Tony, but the boys reached the platform in less than a couple of minutes. Grasping Tony’s arms, they pulled him up on the platform.
“Whew, thanks guys”, Tony said shakily. “What took you so long ?”
“Eh, the Girls”, replied Nick. “You know....”
“Oui, they can be stubborn !”, Laurent chipped in.
“That they can”, agreed Tony said with a smile. “Com’on, let’s get down from here.”
The three friends made their way back down the catwalks without incident. Karen ran to Tony and threw her arms about him. Laurent went off to get the Guardsmen to tell them of the situation. Nick and Melody kept watch over Jake. In just a few minutes, Laurent returned with the National Guardsmen, who had been conducting a room-by-room search and were unaware of the Third Floor or the Bell Tower Dome access. One, a Corporal Spicer, bent and examined Jake, while the others searched the area and some went up the catwalks to the platform to gain access to the Bell Tower and secure the C-4 explosives planted there. One Soldier found and secured Jake’s detonator, which appeared to have broken when it hit the floor, much like Jake himself seemed to be.
“I’m not finding any reflexes”, Corporal Spicer muttered, and looked up. “Private, get me a stretcher and backboard, on the double. This boy is Paralyzed !”
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-
Tony made his way down the ladder to the Third Floor with the aid of Nick and Laurent. Karen and Melody followed, and as soon as they got to the stairs heading to the Second Floor, Karen grabbed his arm, displacing Laurent, and held on tightly as if to never let go.
Coming out into the familiar hallways once more, the five made they way past the numerous Soldiers and headed to the staircase to the damaged ground floor. Skirting around the hole, they went to the Cafeteria to get some bottled drinks, which they devoured greedily. Fighting the bad guys had been a lot of work. Refreshed, they headed towards the hallway that would lead them to the Patio door.
Emerging in the bright sunshine of the late morning, Tony blinked. It wasn’t even noon yet. The entire siege of Bullworth and the Vale Valley had taken less than 24 hours from start to finish. It seemed so much longer to Tony, who was just glad to be basking in the sunshine and still standing on his own two feet. Even his leg was starting to feel better.
Captain Curry spotted them and came over to ask questions. Tony told him what he could, interrupted now and again by the others as they interjected their recollections into the conversation. As they were talking, a couple of Burly Guardsmen approached, hauling a protesting Trent up the steps with them.
“Found this one hiding behind the Dorm over there, Sir”, one of them said. “He was armed with this.” The Soldier held out the Colt 45.
“It’s Not Mine ! I Haven’t Done Anything ! I’m Not A Terrorist !”, Trent said desperately. “Tell Them, Tony !!!”
Tony tried not to laugh, but failed as his friends couldn’t hold back either. “That’s just Trent, Sir”, he said to the Captain. “He’s harmless. Fact is, I think he helped save the school today.”
“You sure about that, son ?”, Captain Curry asked, looking at Trent with suspicion.
Tony laughed again. “I’m sure.”
The Captain flicked his had at the Soldiers. “Release him. Confiscate that weapon.”
“Yes, Sir !”, the Soldier said, the Trent was let go. He quickly ran down off the Patio to join the other Bullies by the Quad wall.
Just then, several Guardsmen emerged from the Patio door, carrying Jake on a stretcher. They came to a halt by Captain Curry and Tony’s group.
“Found this one upstairs, Sir”, the Soldier said. “Medic says he’s paralyzed from a fall he took. Looks like a broken neck”
“Here’s your 'Terrorist’, Captain Sir”, Tony said. “He did all this, and more.”
“This Boy ?”, Captain Curry asked, more in wonder than disbelief.
“He Masterminded the whole thing”, Tony said, looking down at Jake, who was again conscious, his eyes glaring.
“You’ve caused a lot of trouble, boy”, Captain Curry said to Jake. “Got anything to say for yourself ?”
Ignoring the Captain, Jake focused his accusing eyes on Tony. “You Did This To Me !!”, he harshly spat out.
Tony shook his head. “No, Jake....You did this to yourself.”
Jake didn’t reply. As Tony and the others watched, his face seemed to change, and the light in his glaring eyes dimmed. He looked at his hands that had been laid on his chest in a criss-cross fashion, hands that he would never use again. “Useless....Useless....”, he muttered, then was silent.
“Take him away !”, Captain Curry ordered abruptly. The Soldiers carried him off down the steps to the Quad, then around towards the Parking Lot. When the students caught sight of Jake along the way, they began to jeer and hurl insults.
“That boy is going to be in Prison a long time”, Captain Curry remarked to nobody in particular, and Tony silently hoped that would be so, as did the others gathered around.
Another Soldier approached. “Sir, we searched the, uh, suspect...This is all we found.”
He handed the Captain a folded up paper. It was Dr. Crabblesnitch’s resignation. “Thank you, Soldier, I’m sure somebody will want to see this”, the Captain said. He stuck the paper in his jacket pocket.
Still another Soldier approached, carrying a backpack. “Sir, this was found over by the railing.”
“That’s Jake’s Backpack !”, Nick exclaimed.
“Nothing much in here”, the Soldier continued, “A Flashlight, some Firecrackers, bottle of water....But I thought you might want to see this, Sir.”
He handed the Captain a piece of paper, and Captain Curry looked it over. It was Dr. Crabblesnitch’s Confession. “Thank you Soldier, I’m sure Agent Hosty would like to see this.” He tucked in in his jacked pocket where it nestled with the other paper.
Just then, several Guardsmen emerged from the school. The lead one, a Corporal Clayman by his name tag, said “Sir, we’ve completed the sweep of the school. All areas are clear. We’ve defused that C-4 we located up in the Bell Tower.”
“Basement area too ?”, the Captain asked. The Corporal nodded. “All right Corporal. Tell the men to release the students and staff from over at the wall area. But, restrict them to the Quad Area here until we clear the grounds.”
“Yes Sir !”, The Corporal said, and went off to convey the orders to the Guardsmen out front guarding the students.
Freed up, the students began to collect themselves in Clique groups once more in front of the school. The staff wandered up towards the Patio, having nowhere else to go. Jimmy, Zoe, Ray, and Constantinos joined Tony’s group already on the Patio.
“Umm....What happened to Algie ?”, Tony asked
“The Soldiers took him away on a stretcher”, Jimmy answered.
“To one of the Clinics, I think”, Zoe chimed in.
“Wonder if he’ll be back ?”, Tony wondered.
“Where else does he got to go ? The Carnival ?”, Constantinos joked.
There was general laughter at that. It felt good to laugh about something, after what they had all been through.
Tony moved towards the top of the steps looking out on everybody below, and heaved a sigh of relief. The School was safe, at last.
Karen joined him as the students saw him there and began to cheer.
“Any regrets, Tony ?”, Karen asked, putting her arm around him.
“None”, Tony said, “Except....I wish we’d had more time for just us.”
“Well, now”, Karen said playfully, “I think that can be arraigned.”
She kissed Tony deeply and he responded eagerly as the cheers grew louder.
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The remaining dark green Government cars pulled to the front of Bullworth Academy, their other missions about the Towns completed, the arrests made. Agent Hosty emerged from one vehicle, along with Agent Greer. They approached the Sargent Carter, who was on duty in the front of the Academy grounds, along with one Sargent Decker, who had just arrived shortly before himself in a second convoy of 20 extra vehicles.
The Frontloader had succeeded in moving the rubble away from the Academy entrance. Giant chunks of the archway lay to either side of the stone pathway that led to the Front Quad. Most of the men on duty now had the job of keeping the News Reporters, Cameramen, and the Public out of the school grounds for the present time, but that was about to change.
“Sargent, is Captain Curry inside the school grounds still ?”, Agent Hosty asked.
“Yes Sir”, replied Sargent Carter. “Sargent Billingsly is also in the school’s Parking Lot down that road over there with three prisoners awaiting Medavac Transfer at your pleasure, Sir.”
“Very good, Sargent”, Agent Hosty said. “We will need to enter the grounds here to conclude some business. If you could spare just a few men for escort, that would be sufficient.”
“Yes Sir”, the Sargent replied, and called to four men to accompany the Agents.
“Oh, one more thing”, Agent Hosty said. “Have the Media arrange a Pool and they can come in with us. The Director wants this made public.”
“Sir, I don’t have authorization for that sort of thing....”, Sargent Carter began.
“I’M giving you authorization, Sargent”, Agent Hosty said briskly. Federal Authorization. Are we clear ?”
“Yes Sir, very clear!”, the Sargent replied, and went to do what Agent Hosty ordered.
Soon enough, all was ready. The Agents entered the grounds accompanied by four Guardsmen and a few Reporters and Cameramen. The Media was to be restricted to the pathway and the Front Quad area only.
The Agents made their way to the Front Quad. Briefly, they stopped to confer with Captain Curry, and the Captain handed the Agents some papers. The Agents looked them over and nodded, then headed for the steps to the Patio. Many of the Media had stopped to interview the students milling about, but one Reporter and a Cameraman followed the Agents up the steps. A chapter in Bullworth Academy history was about to be closed.
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Dr. Crabblesnitch had wandered over to Tony and his group of friends on the Patio with Ms. Danvers in tow. “Tony, my boy, I hear congratulations are in order !”
“Umm...I suppose they are, Sir”, Tony responded, looking keenly at the Head.
“It appears that you have been able to defeat that dastardly Jake Brown after all, much like Hopkins did for us last year with Gary Smith”, Dr. Crabblesnitch went on. “The school owes you a debt of thanks, young Calderone. Things are bound to change for the better around here now !”
“Maybe sooner than you think”, Tony said, pointing to the approaching agents, who made directly for them and halted in front of Dr. Crabblesnitch.
Agent Hosty sized him up. “Dr. Milton Crabblesnitch ? You are under arrest for being a Participant in the Interstate Transport of Stolen Goods, Conversion, and Violations of the RICO Act.”
“Whaa...? What Is This ?”, a suddenly outraged Dr. Crabblesnitch exclaimed. “You Have No Right----”
“I am an Agent of the Justice Department of the United States”, Agent Hosty said, “And I have a Federal Warrant for your Arrest.”
“Nasty Little Man !”, Ms. Danvers burst out. “You Leave Dr. Crabblesnitch Alone ! He Is The Most WONDERFUL Man---”
“Carolyn Danvers ?”, Agent Greer interrupted, “YOU are also under arrest, on the same Federal Warrant, charged with being an Accessory to the same charges.”
For once, Ms. Danvers was rendered speechless. A sudden flush of redness had crept swiftly into her face, and her knees threatened to buckle. “Milton...?”, she said weakly.
“Secure them for transport”, Agent Hosty told the Soldiers standing nearby, and they roughly took charge, pinning both Dr. Crabblesnitch’s and Ms. Danver’s arms behind their back.
“This Is Outrageous !!”, Dr. Crabblesnitch protested. “I’m The Head Of This School !!”
“Not for long”, Agent Hosty said, patting his pocket. “Not for long.”
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Agent Greer approached Jimmy and looked him over. “Are you James Hopkins ?”, he asked. Jimmy saw no sense in denying it. “Yeah, I’m Jimmy. What of it ?”
Agent Greer motioned Jimmy over to a more secluded area on the Patio. Zoe followed along. “Mr. Hopkins, I’m here to inform you that Criminal Charges against you have been dropped, and your Conviction has been overturned by the Federal Court of Appeals.”
Jimmy was stunned. Nearly a year’s worth of his life hanging over the abyss had suddenly been redeemed. Uh....That’s....Just Great !”, he finally managed to say.
“However”, Agent Greer continued, “We’d like you to come with us to New York as a Material Witness and testify as to what you know in relation to a certain File.”
“Umm....So I’m Free ?”, Jimmy said wonderingly.
“Yes, Mr. Hopkins”, Agent Greer reiterated. “But we will also need your testimony to help complete the Government’s case against certain people. What do you say ?”
“Yeah, well, but I’m a Minor, still”, Jimmy said. “Don’t you like, have to have permission or something to make me do that ?”
Agent Greer sighed. “I think you should be made aware of some facts, Mr. Hopkins. Your Mother and Stepfather were involved in the wreck of a Cruise Boat in the Caribbean over this past winter. Many people were killed, and quite a few have never been found. Your mother and Stepfather are among the missing.”
Jimmy was again stunned, this time for a different reason. Zoe grabbed his arm. “Oh, Jimmy !”, she said.
“So...So I’m a Orphan ?”, was all he could say.
“Most likely, you will be declared as such, and the State will seek custody. There is no telling what will happen then. But”, Agent Greer continued, “If you agree to be a Material Witness, The Federal Government is willing to assume all responsibilities for your protection and care, much the same as we have done with your friend, Peter Kowalski.”
Jimmy thought, and finally said, “I won’t go anywhere without Zoe.”
“We have no use for this girl”, Agent Greer said.
“HEY, I know stuff !”, Zoe exclaimed. “I know just as much as Jimmy, and more about all the corruption around here ! Stuff he doesn’t even know ! And, I’m an Orphan too !”
Agent Greer looked at her quizzically. “Just a moment.”, He said, and walked over to Agent Hosty, who was making sure his prisoners were secured. A brief whispered conversation ensued, and both Agents returned.
“Umm, Miss...Taylor, is it ?”, Agent Hosty said. “If what you say is true, The Government is prepared to offer the same Material Witness status to you, and you may accompany Mr. Hopkins on his journey to New York, provided you are willing to provide testimony as to what you know.”
“Damn right I will !”, Zoe said emphatically. “I’ll hang the Bastards !”
Agent Greer looked at Jimmy. “Mr. Hopkins ? Will you do it ?”
Jimmy nodded. “Yeah. If Pete can, we can too.”
“Excellent, Mr. Hopkins”, Agent Hosty said with a smile. “We will pick you both up here before we leave today. Gather whatever you wish to take with you. It’s unlikely you will be back.”
“If you’ll excuse us, we have this other matter to attend to”, Agent Greer said. “We will be back shortly, so say your goodbyes.”
The Agents left, and Jimmy looked up over the facade of the school building, then at Zoe. She looked back, staring deeply into his eyes. “Are you sure about this, Jimmy ?”
“Hell, Yeah”, Jimmy said without hesitation. “Let’s do this. Long as we have each other, nothing can stop us, Baby.”
At that moment, a hubbub arose on the Quad as the students began to realize what was now happening. The spectacle was about to get more interesting.
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A handcuffed Dr. Milton Crabblesnitch and Ms. Carolyn Danvers were hustled down the walk and out of Bulworth Academy for the last time to one of the green Government cars waiting at the curb to transport them into Federal Custody, a circus of News Reporters and Cameramen trailing in their wake, shouting questions. Tony, Karen, and their friends, along with a bevy of staff and students, followed them, watching the Federal Agents stuff them into the backseat.
Tony’s attention was drawn to a Black Limo parked across the street, nearly lost in the sea of News Vans and National Guard vehicles. The windows were tinted, but the back window was rolled down halfway, revealing a man who was watching through a small set of binoculars. As Tony stared, the man lowered the binoculars and looked at Tony, then waved. Tony smiled as he recognized the man. The wave turned into a thumbs up, and Tony returned the gesture. Then the window was rolled back up, obscuring the man.
Inside the Limo, Mr. Luntz leaned forward and tapped the driver on the shoulder. “OK, let’s go. I saw what I came to see.” The Limo began to move, and picking up speed, crossed the South Bridge going West on Vale Boulevard, and was soon lost to Tony’s sight.
Everyone’s attention had been on the spectacle of the now-disgraced head and his dour-looking secretary being arrested and hauled away by Federal Agents. No one else had noticed the Black Limo, save for Mr. Galloway. He came up beside Tony. “Who on Earth was that ?”, he asked.
“A friend of mine”, Tony said, still looking at the spot on the bridge where the Limo had disappeared. “Just a friend of mine.”
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One week had passed, and it was Graduation Day at Bullworth Academy. The Front Quad had been cleared of all debris a few days earlier, and was now full of folding chairs. Up at the top of the steps, on the Patio, a lectern had been placed in the center, and on either side were chairs for the staff.
This Spring, there was to be only one Graduate, and that was Christy Martin. The State Board of Education had swept down on Bullworth Academy in the wake of all the Media publicity highlighting the corruption and malfeasance at the school, in addition to all the hyped-up attention describing Terroristic activities at both the School and the Towns. What they found were poorly-maintained attendance records, when they were kept at all. Almost none of the students had attended school for the 180-day state minimum, so their credits were disallowed for those courses in which they failed to meet the criteria. Some credit requirements were waived on an individual basis, where the coursework was completed, but there were few instances of that. Christy was left as the only one who qualified for Graduation, having spent an extra year at the Academy. Her determination to finally Graduate had finally paid off.
The State Board of Education had also taken over the school under a law that allowed the State to take control of both public and private institutions that failed to meet state standards, and Bullworth Academy turned out to be one of the worst in the State’s history. The Board had placed Mr. Galloway as the new Acting Head of Bullworth Academy after he had presented Board Members with the evidence of Mr. Hattrick’s providing test answers for sale to the Preps. The State Board had approved the hiring of Bethany Jones as the new School Secretary.
Mr. Galloway’s first action as the new Head was to fire Mr. Hattrick, an action he felt was eminently satisfactory. Mr. Hattrick was thereafter arrested on multiple counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, and had his Teaching License revoked by the State.
Mr. Galloway’s second action as the new Head was to fire Coach Burton. It hadn’t taken the Explosives Experts, brought in by the military who scoured the buildings and grounds for traces of unexploded C-4, to locate and search the Coach’s private under-the-bleachers office. The scores of Video Tapes of naked young girls was found and revealed, and Coach Burton, who had been found still hidden in his under-the-bleachers hideaway by the Explosive Experts, had been arrested and charged with Voyeurism and Possession of Child Pornography. His Teaching License was also revoked by the State.
The entire student body were to be required to attend Summer School to began the process of making up their credits. There was some grumbling at this, of course, but on the whole the news was being taken well. As for Tony, he certainly didn’t want to leave Karen for the summer, and most of the other couples on Campus felt the same way. There were rumors of more students that were to be brought to the School, particularly girls from the State Girl’s Reform School, but nothing was yet announced on that, at least not officially. If true, it would help balance out the glaring gender disparity that had been the norm at the school for so many years.
The Team of Explosive Experts had found all the C-4 that had been planted about the school grounds....Around the Jock’s Clubhouse, on the Autoshop Roof, by Harrington House, at the side of the Library by the Nerd’s Gate, and behind both Dorms. Just why Jake hadn’t set those charges off was anybody’s guess, just as much as why he HAD set off the charge in front of the Observatory. But there was a lot of endless speculation on the subject.
In the search for explosives, the Team did find the two shields belonging to Harrington House, one underneath the Boys Dorm and one inside the Observatory. Both were returned to their rightful place in Harrington House and bolted back onto the walls that they came from. Also found was the missing book. It was returned to a secure area in the Library. Edward Seymour was particularly happy about those turn of events. The area behind the Boy’s Dorm with the loose bricks was slated to be bricked back up as restoration crews began work on the Campus.
Because of all the publicity, the Vale Valley was declared a Disaster Area and the FEMA money soon poured in to aid in the cleanup and restoration. The Explosive Experts Teams had searched the Towns for any unexploded C-4, but found very little. During this time, and for the foreseeable future, the Towns were declared under Martial Law in the absence of a viable Town Government. There was talk of merging the four towns into one, with a Mayor or City Manager, but nothing had been decided as yet.
Mr. Smith was being called a Hero for his actions in saving the Towns, despite the fact that his two grandsons, Gary and the Jake, had been the ones to spark the troubles the befell the School, and ultimately the Towns, in the first place. The Media was playing up his Hero Martyr status in nearly every broadcast to outlets around the country, and there were even plans to erect a statue in his honor by the pathway the led to the Bullworth Dam. Although he had not set out to be famous, Mr. Smith would have loved it.
Fire Chief O’Rouke, known as the last honest man in the Valley, was given the job of Acting Police Chief over any of the other Policemen on the force. They would be allowed to keep their jobs, even as inept as they were. Chief O’Rouke would have to run two departments, but had been promised some Firemen so he wouldn’t be having to go put out fires all by himself.
Billy Bob Crane brought all the Carnival Workers and Freaks back to the Carnival grounds just as soon as the publicity hit the airwaves. With the Towns open to the world, the Carnival would now be the destination spot for countless new customers from all over the area, and Billy Bob was determined to cash in. Soon enough, his profits would skyrocket during the course of the summer, and allow the rebuilding of the Go-Cart Racetrack and to finally fix the Carrousel that had sat broken for many years.
The students were all being housed at the In & Out Motel until repairs had been well underway on the Campus. The greatest amount of damage had been done to the School itself this time, and large steel plates had been laid on the gaping hole in the Great Hall until a new floor could be poured and finished over with marble overlay. The furnace, blown to smithereens by the blast, was to be upgraded with a newer, more efficient model.
The Rockers had decided to leave the Towns and return to New Jersey, with the exception of Winkie. The Clique, now led by Tibo, made the decision after Kurt had been found in the basement of the Church in a catatonic state during a raid by Federal Agents on the Church buildings. None of the Monks were ever found, and the mystery of their identities would continue to live on in the Vale Valley. Winkie was good enough on his own to get bookings at the Golden Horseshoe and elsewhere, and he and Christy were planning to move into an apartment in town after her Graduation.
Just what Christy was planning on doing as a newly-minted adult wasn’t known, though. As the bus carrying the students arrived to the mandated Graduation Ceremony, the students unboarded the bus and filed through the gap where the broken archway was being repaired. Curiosity about Christy future plans was the topic of conversation. It was possible that during her Valedictorian Speech as the only member of the Graduating Class of 2008, she would reveal her future plans. The student body made their way to their seats in the chairs set up on the Front Quad, and waited with rising anticipation to hear what Christy Martin would have to say.
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After the students were seated, the front doors of the school opened. The four Prefects emerged, and formed a two-by-two line on either side of the front doors. Dressed in gowns, the Staff came out next, headed by Mr. Galloway, then followed by Mr. Matthews, Mr. Neil, Dr. Slawter, Dr. Watts, and Mr. Wiggins. Then, Christy, resplendent in a red cap and gown, was escorted out by Ms. Phillips and Miss Peters to the strains of ‘Pomp and Circumstance’.
Playing Pomp and Circumstance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO6NFZa1gTc&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL8EC0A3E19A66A46D#)
Out of loudspeakers mounted to either side of the steps came the tinny sound of a piano going through the notes. Although the audio quality was poor, the power having been restored the day before, the intent was in the right place, considering that the school behind them could have easily become a pile of rubble if things had gone a different way.
Mr. Galloway, as the new Head, approached the podium first. “I’ve often said, that English is a difficult language to teach”, he began, “But it seems now it’s a breeze compared to the road that lays ahead of us. The past couple of years have been rough for Bullworth Academy, and now we face an unknown and untested future. It’s up to us to move forward with everything we have and seize the day ! If there ever was a time for a call to arms, this is it ! We must rebuild the trust and quality that the name of Bullworth once stood for, and began a new era of gallant tradition that will transcend that of the past, for only in that way can the heart and spirit and hope of this grand institution live on in the minds of the future young who will inhabit these hallowed halls....blab...blab...blab....”
Tony disconnected his attention as Mr. Galloway droned on. Really, these kinds of things were boring as hell. His thoughts drifted off to other things he had been planning for the Summer, now changed because he had to stay here at the school. But, he had a few days before classes resumed, time enough for something that Karen had mentioned in passing. It would involve asking a favor of someone he didn’t particularly like. But, Tony was now at the top of the heap, the Top Dog at Bullworth. He had everyone’s respect for finally beating Jake, weather they liked it or not. Mr. Galloway had assured him he was to keep his Mediator position for the foreseeable future, and his time forward at the school seemed rosy now that he had no evil psychotic fiend to fight.
But Tony knew just how precarious his status was. Those at the top always fall, sooner or later. Even the great Jimmy Hopkins, who had risen to the King of the School by thwarting Gary’s every evil plan was turned on by the very students and staff he had helped and aided, and not just once, but twice. People have short memories, and Tony knew it wouldn’t be long before all the bickering and squabbling and fighting started up once again. The Cliques would strive to reassert themselves and the rivalries would began anew. Tony would face new challenges in the Summer ahead, of that he was quite sure.
He looked over at sweet Karen, seated next to him. She was the one it was all for. Without her, his world would be dull and worthless. She felt his gaze on her, and turned and gave him a brilliant smile. “Oh, Tony”, she whispered, “Isn’t it exciting ? Someday, that will be us up there, graduating and getting ready to move on with our lives together !”
Mr. Galloway had finished his commencement speech, and Christy was being escorted to the podium. Mr. Galloway handed her diploma to her and shook her hand. Then, he said to the audience, “I present to you the Graduating Class of 2008, your Valedictorian and Salutatorian, Miss Christy Martin !”
The students rose, applauding and whistling. Christy’s Father, Mr. Martin, who was in the front row, and in fact was the only parent who was in attendance, was clapping loudly, a sheen of tears in his eyes. Christy moved her tassel from one side of her cap to the other, then held up her Diploma in the air in Triumph.
“Thank You Everybody !”, she began. “I heard like 10 people made out here....” There was a spate of laughter at this. “....But now that I’m graduated, I can do that ALL the time....” More laughter, especially from Winkie in the front row. “I used to think if I started a rumor about me being a Princess, it might come true someday. Well, today, I feel like a Princess !” Cheers at that. “ I used to feel trapped here, I felt I belonged with famous people....But now, we’re all famous people !” More cheers at that, because it was getting true.
Tony sat back and reflected. Technology had come at last to the Vale Valley. With all the huge satellite dishes on the news vans, the saga of Bullworth had been broadcast far and wide. Freed from the restrictions of years of imposed Harrington isolation, the Valley had become suddenly become flooded with all sorts of devices. A load of Satellite Dishes had arrived in the towns, and the people were eagerly buying and installing them. Cell Phones were popping up everywhere. And, the Internet was coming to Bullworth. Mr. Galloway had told him that new computers had arrived at the Library, and would be hooked to the Internet just as soon as the phone lines were installed. Tony understood that the events of last week had ‘gone viral’ on You-Tube. Most everybody had been interviewed by the News Media in the past week, their faces becoming famous overnight. There was talk of a Movie, and even a Video Game biased on Bullworth. It was exciting times indeed.
“But, seriously”, Christy was saying, “Life was SOO boring here, I couldn’t wait to finish and get away. But now, I don’t have to wonder what everyone is talking about this week....It’s US !!!” More cheers. “So, I’m not leaving after all !! I’m going to stay and be a Teacher’s Ade, and live in Bullworth Town !!”
Stunned silence greeted this announcement, for just a few seconds. Then, the assembly erupted in even larger cheers. Christy smiled like a Queen. When the hubbub had died down, she continued, “There’s things we need here at Bullworth ! We need, like snack break and tea break in school.....” (Cheers) “And extra Holidays off !” (Cheers) “And Fall Breaks and Spring Breaks !” (Loud Cheers) “And....Sports for Girls !” (Cheers from the Girls) “So, I’m gonna stay and try to make those things happen !!”
The students were going wild at the prospect of the things Christy was talking about. They rose to their feet, clapping and whistling. The commotion went on for a few minutes, and when it died down, Christy resumed, wrapping up her speech. “So, let’s move forward in unity, and remember, if you kiss once a day, you’ll live longer !!” With that, she grabbed her cap and flung it into the air. Those students in the audience with hats, although not graduating, rose and did the same. Christy left the podium and ran down the steps, first going to her Father and embracing him. Then she ran to Winkie and threw her arms around him.
“Hello you, in the flesh !!”, she beamed.
“I got news for you”, Winkie said. “Our place is ready to move into ! We got someplace all to ourselves.”
“It IS !?”, Christy’s eves got big. “I can’t wait ! I like being alone with you....”
With that, they kissed deeply as the celebration continued around them.
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The Graduation Ceremony over, Tony and his friends gathered outside by the street in front of the Academy. The bulk of the students had been released to move back into the Dorms and other places. In front, two giant tall cranes awaited to hoist the repaired front arch back into place so the Stonemasons could complete the job of returning the front entryway back to it’s original condition.
Jimmy and Zoe had already left the past week with the Federal Agents, and they would be missed. They were to be eventually offered the same deal as Pete in return for their help in the Federal Prosecutor’s cases against Vince Fonzerelli and the Harrington bunch. Mr. Spencer and the other rich families of the Vale Valley would turn state’s evidence against Mr. Harrington and the New York Mob Boss in exchange for immunity.
Algie was in the Bullworth Clinic, and would probably be there quite awhile, recovering from his Pellet wounds where Jake had shot him. It was assumed he would return to Bullworth, since he had missed much of the past school year. It was unclear if juvenile charges would still be pursued against him for his part in the attacks on the Cliques, just as much as it was unknown if the Nerds would accept him back as one of them.
Kurt had finally been taken to his intended home, New York City, not as the son of the powerful Mob Boss, but he was to become a permanent resident of Bellview Psychiatric Hospital. His mind broken, Doctors concluded he would live in a Catatonic State for the rest of his life. The rest of the Rocker Clique, except for Winkie, had departed for New Jersey, where they parlayed their Bullworth fame into a performance contract at Atlantic City, playing four nights a week.
Damon would fare much better for his close encounter with the Monks. He blended right back into the Jock Clique without too much trouble, although he would never again go near a cemetery or church, and often had terrible screaming nightmares of black-hooded figures chasing after him with fish-white hands uttering undecipherable chants.
Derby had indeed fled to England, and it was doubtful he would ever be back, that is, as long as his Father was sitting in a Federal Prison. As for Bif, he was to never rejoin his Former Clique leader and friend, instead settling for crawling back to the Prep clique on the condition that he become Tad’s bodyguard. Meet the New Boss, same as the Old Boss. For a long time afterward, the others, with the exception of Chad, treated him like their slave and were openly hostile toward him.
Pinky would recover from the broken jaw that Derby gave her, although it would keep her from talking for about a month. She would also have to drink her food through a straw for awhile. Pinky was to throw her lot in with Tad, and she would again be the Girl of the Clique Leader, although she never would forget Kurt and her longings for Tony.
The Townies blended back into the Blue Skies landscape, largely forgotten about. Their cases had been so badly mishandled by the Bullworth Police Department that the charges against them would eventually be thrown of of court. In the meanwhile, they would reoccupy their old haunts and hiding places, and once again spawn their brand of mischief across the Valley.
The Prefects, who had no more success with trying to join the National Guard than they did with the Army or the Police, would stay on as the enforcers at the campus, under an agreement reached with the State Board of Education. They were to answer to Mr. Galloway now, and although they weren’t to crazy about that, they had nowhere else to go.
Most of these things were known to Tony and his friends by now, though some were not. A lot of the information was dug up by Constantinos, who had seemed to be everywhere this past week, disappearing and reappearing and popping up at odd times with a new discovery to tell.
In fact, as Tony waited with the rest....Karen, Melody, Nick, Laurent, and Ray....Constantinos was off somewhere, having taken a powder from the Graduation Ceremony. Tony took a few steps to where he could see the School Building. Just where was he ?
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-
“Whoa....I think I see him”, Tony told the others.
And sure enough, Constantinos was sneaking down the school steps casting looks over his shoulder. Seeing nobody paying any attention, he came through some of the still-milling students around the folding chairs on the Quad and saundered forward on the path to the Front Entrance. Tony raised his hand and waved, and Constantinos saw him there. He looked more chipper that usual. That usually meant he had found out something.
“Hello, my ears !”, Tony grinned. “Got some more juicy tidbits for us today ?”
Constantinos came into the circle of friends. “A little bit, you might say”, he said modestly.
“Well, come on, Give !”, Tony said laughingly, “Or do you want paid first ?”
“These are freebies”, Constantinos replied, as the others gathered around. “It seems like....Johnny Vincent and Lola Lombardi are coming back to Bullworth !”
“What ? That Slut !?”, Karen and Melody said in unison.
“Hey, No Shit ?”, Ray remarked, a little nervously.
Nick, who hadn’t known either of them, just shrugged.
Tony hadn’t known Johnny, but he sure knew Lola. “Why they coming back ?”
“Homesick for New Coventry, I guess”, Constantinos replied. “Or couldn’t cut it in the Motor City. Either way, doesn’t matter. Looks like they’ll be here within the week.”
Tony hoped Lola hadn’t ever spilled the beans about their encounter last winter, or never would either. “That’s...Uhm....Great....I guess. You said, ‘freebies’, you know something else ?”
“Yup”, Constantinos said, “Somebody else is coming back too. Beatrice Trudeau.”
“What ? What for ?”, Karen asked, surprised. “I thought she was going to some Pre-Med program somewhere.”
“Some of her credits here got axed, or something”, Constantinos said, “So she’s coming back for the year to make them up, I think.”
“Who’s Beatrice ?” Tony asked. He had only vaguely heard of her.
“She’s a Nerd girl”, Melody said. “She’s real weird. She use to go around muttering all these numbers and elements off the Periodic Table all the time.”
“The Nerds will be glad to have her back”, Ray put in.
“I see”, Tony said, not seeing at all. “So, is there anybody else ?”
“As a matter of fact....”, Constantinos began.
“Better not be Earnest Jones”, Melody remarked “That’s one sick pervo piece of crap !”
“No, it’s not him”, Constantinos went on, “Far as I know, he’s still in the Sex Addiction Clinic up in Providence until he’s 18. But there is some others that are coming, and it looks like they’re coming from other....Um, Instutions.”
“Institutions ?”, Tony asked, “What does that mean ? Like...Like...?”
“Boy’s Schools ? Girl’s Schools ?”, Constantinos said. “Hard to tell, but yeah, I think so.”
“So....They are a-dumping, is how you say it, some ‘dregs’ here ?", Laurent put in.
“Seems like there’s plenty of ‘dregs’ here already”, Nick commented, “So yeah, it makes sense.”
“You know, despite all the jerks in this place, I really love this school", Melody said.
There was some agreement with that. Tony turned back to Constantinos. “So, is that it ?”
“One more thing”, Constantinos said. “They’re going to hire a new Coach.”
“Really ? Figured that”, Laurent said, making a ‘You Don’t Say’ face.
“So, who is it ?”, Tony asked, ignoring Laurent. “I’d guess you know !”
“You’d guess right”, Constantinos replied. “It’s some guy by the name of Sanders. Some kind of an Assistant Coach from Pennsylvania.”
“Why would he want to come to this dump ?”, Ray suddenly interjected.
Constantinos shrugged. “I don’t know....Maybe they made him a offer he couldn’t refuse ?”
There was a round of laughter at that, although it was nervous laughter. “Constantinos, you amaze me. “How DO you find out all this stuff ?”
Constantinos shrugged. “Just a Talent, I guess”, he said glumly.
There was a genuine round of laughter from the others at that. “Nah, you’re alright kid”, Tony said, giving Constantinos a Noogie.
There was some general talk after that between the friends, about what the Summer would bring. Finally, Karen said, “You know, we should go somewhere to celebrate !”
There was agreement at this. “How about the French Restaurant ?”, Laurent said. “There is no damage there, and the Chef has it open !”
The selection was to everybody’s liking, so the group began walking. As they came over the South Bridge, the Town of Bullworth Vale was revealed to them. Soldiers still patrolled the streets, for the Valley was still under Martial Law, but they weren’t challenged. Other townspeople were out and around, going about their business. A few News Vans were still evident, but not nearly as many as there was before.
The group reached the French Restaurant, and saw that it was indeed open. They entered in a group, and the smiling Chef came out to greet them. “Bouche bée ! It is all of you ! I non see you for a long while ! Welcome !”
“Hi Chef”, Tony said, “It’s great to be back. Just how are you ?”
“Bien, Merci !” The Chef said. “I am very fine, with thanks !”
“We felt a little celebration was in order”, Tony said.
“Ah, oui, so it is !”, the Chef replied, “For the Heros of Bullworth ! Come, sit at ze tables, we hav-a new shipments this very day, marvelous food to consume !”
The group pushed two tables together and sat down. “Ze special of day is fresh New-Yorka Strip Steak”, the Chef said, “Just in this very morning !”
Tony nodded. He would have that. Somehow, it seemed fitting. The Chef went around and took everyone’s orders, the departed to get the food ready. The group sat talking, mostly about what might happen during the Summer at the school. The talk centered on the disappearance of all the weapons from the school. The pile left at the Football Field had vanished, along with any kind of weaponry from the Dorms and other buildings. The assumption was that the National Guard and the Explosives Experts had confiscated them all and taken them away.
Tony knew it wouldn’t be long before the Nerds began making new weapons, and it would be even a shorter time before everyone would want them. Tony remembered Jimmy’s talk about Parity. This was bound to happen, and Tony would have to once more go about the task of re-arming the Cliques. Deals would undoubtedly have to be made, and he would have to broker them.
As their food came, they began eating a delicious meal and the talk died down until they were finished. Then the discussion started again as to just what kind of place Bullworth would become in the future, their futures. School, and their experiences there, were a large part of any Teenager’s life, for good or bad. Tony let the others talk while he listened, thinking of the way things might be.
“Y’know, I haven’t been here very long”, Nick was saying, “But this School is one strange kind of place. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much violence in such a short time.”
The others had to agree at that, it HAD been a strange last two years at Bullworth. Melody reiterated that she still liked the School, it was just some of the Jerks who made it bad with their Bullying. Karen had to agree with that, but pointed out that all weren’t bad, there was a lot of good kids at the school as well. Karen turned to Tony, who had been silent. “What do you think, Tony ? What kind of place is this, what kind of place can this be ?”
Tony looked at all the faces of his friends gathered around the table, those who now shared a life-long bond with him, and he with them. No matter what became of them in life, their time here would define them all for the rest of their days. They looked expectantly at him, awaiting his answer. All of a sudden, Tony recalled a phrase his old Maine Grandpa, his Mother’s Father, used to say to him about something when it was good.
“It can be.....The Finest Kind”, Tony said, as he swept his gaze around all his friends. “The Finest Kind.”
__________________________________________________
------{{ END OF CHAPTER SIX }}----------
-
THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY
{{ CHAPTER 7 }}
The Endless Summer
Tony gazed out over the water of the Narragansett Bay and sighed. Soon they would have to leave this small paradise and return to Bullworth Academy. Their little vacation was just about over, and classes would start up the day after next.
Karen came up behind him and snuggled her arms around him from behind. “Do we really have to leave, Tony ?”, she sighed.
“Fraid so”,Tony replied. They were staying at a cabin on an Island, ironically named Hope Island. The cabin, and a small bit of land around it was owned by none other than the Spencer Family.
Tony and Karen had come to the Island by way of Tad Spencer’s boat, that was, his Father’s boat. But these days, it was tough to be a Spencer just about now. In addition to the pending charges and deals being worked out against the rich folk of the Vale Valley by the Federal Government, the IRS was getting in the act. Assets were about to be seized, or so the Spencers and others feared, including houses, cars, and pleasure craft, such as the boat now sitting quietly at the end of the pier attached to the cabin.
Tad Spencer had nearly begged Tony to take the boat when he had asked him about borrowing it, something Tony was loath to do in the first place. He didn’t really care for Tad and his snobbish Prep friends in the least. Tony ranked them the lowest of all the Cliques when it came to qualities which made them human beings. Even the Bullies were better, even though they were despicable kids in their own right, but at least they were honest about it. The Preps were nothing but pretentious assholes to the core.
But apparently Tad cared about this one material possession a whole lot more than anyone knew. To keep his precious boat from being hauled away by the Tax Boys, he was willing to turn it over to Tony for safekeeping. He even signed it over to Tony for $1, with the proviso that Tad would buy it back after a year. Tony didn’t even know if that was legal or not, but it didn’t matter. He intended to use the boat anyway. If Tad even knew that Tony had a hand in bringing down the rich families of the Vale Valley, he gave no indication of it. In Fact, Tony reflected, his role hadn’t been that large....It was mostly the work of Pete and Jimmy that had the Harringtons and Spencers and the rest sitting in jail, awaiting their fates.
But whatever. Tomorrow, he and Karen would have to return to school. It had been a wonderful three days on this deserted Island, and Tony and Karen had made the most of it. Besides just sex, there had been long walks in the summer air along the beach, planning their future together. Tomorrow, he would be back in the thick of things, with new problems to deal with. Not with a crazed psychotic kid intent on taking over the school and blowing things up to get his way, that much was over. But, problems nonetheless. He sighed.
“What’s the matter, Love ?”, Karen said. “Thinking about going back ?”
“Yeah”, Tony replied. “I wish we could just stay here. I wish we just were old enough to go somewhere and get on with our lives together.”
Karen stopped walking and drew him to her. “It doesn’t matter. We have each other, and we are strong. With what we’ve been through, it will be child’s play.”
“I hope you’re right”, Tony said. “There’s still going to be the matter of parity, and just what am I gonna do about.....”
“Shhhh”, Karen whispered, putting her fingers to his lips. “It’ll all work out for us, you’ll see.”
Tony marveled at how this little bundle of a girl could calm all his fears and make every thing seem all right. She had plenty of optimism for the both of them, and then some. He held her tight as he gazed out over the calm waters of the bay. At this moment, he loved her more fiercely than he had ever loved her before.
“We still have tonight, Tony”, Karen reminded him. “Tomorrow will take care of itself.”
Tony nodded. He felt revived. “And we can face whatever comes. You and me.”
Karen smiled a dazzling smile. Things would be alright. He would make sure of it.
______________________________________________
-
Ricky was the first to spot the strange-looking car that pulled into the Parking Lot and came to a halt beside the old school bus, which was slated for removal under the on-going renovate Bullworth Academy Project. Lots of vehicles had been in the lot in the past 10 days, mostly the military and news people, but this one was different. It was of a yellow color, and had a rectangular white light on top. Ricky squinted as his puny mind tried to remember just where he had seen such a car, and then he remembered.
Excitedly, he called to the other Greasers that were hanging about behind the Autoshop, “Hey, Youse All ! Come Look ! It’s A....Taxi !!”
The others stopped what they were doing, which was much of nothing, and gathered around. From where Ricky was standing, there was a commanding view of the Parking Lot. The driver emerged, and went around to the trunk of the car, opening it and depositing some bags and suitcases beside the car. Then the back door opened, and a tall, lanky boy got out, followed shortly by a dark red-haired girl.
“JOHNNY !!! It’s JOHNNY !!!”, Peanut yelled, and as a group they all ran towards the Taxi.
“Lola Too !!!”, gasped Vance as he ran. They arrived just as Johnny was peeling off a $100 bill and paying the driver, who tipped his hat in thanks, then re-entered the Taxi and drove off. The group gathered around the couple, excitedly pumping questions and welcoming them back.
“Hey’s Johnny, you coming back ?”, Peanut said, grabbing Johnny’s hand.
“Lola-Bear !! We been missin’ youse around here !!”, Vance chattered, eyeing Lola.
“How’s Detroit ? Is it really a Motor City ?”, Lucky spouted off.
“How‘d youse get that fine ride in style, Johnny ?”, Lefty wondered.
“Damn, Man, we didn’t ever think we’d see you again !”, Hal grinned.
“Youse gonna be here for awhile Johnny ?”, chipped in Ricky.
“Eeey, one at at time, so many questions !”, Johnny said good-naturedly. “Yes, we’re back, gonna be here a long while, Detroit wern’t so hot at all that....”
“Detroit was a Dump !”, Lola interjected, and seeing as how Lola had lived in the worst Tennament building over in New Coventry before, where she and Johnny had been staying in Detroit must have been very bad indeed.
“What she said”, Johnny joked, poking his thumb at Lola and laughing. “It was a rotten hood, all right is was. But we got homesick is all, me and Lola, so we come back. We’re gonna get us a place over in the Neighborhood by Blue Balls, our own pad.”
“But...But, that takes bread, man, real money !”, Ricky said. “How’ya gonna swing that ?”
“Just like I got that ride here, we come back first class all the way !”, Johnny grinned. “When dose people heard we was from here, dese fools started sending us money from all over !”
“What people ?”, Peanut said, mystified.
“People from all over, is all”, Johnny responded. “This place is famous now, been all over the news and that there Intra-Net. Dey musta heard about us, some o’ dem Reporters came and inter-viewed us, and then the word got out we wuz wanting to come back, den all kindas fools started sendin’ us money ! Can you believes it ?”
“Wow !”, piped up Hal. “How much youse guys got ?”
“I donno. A lot. She knows”, Johnny said, poking his thumb at Lola again. The others turned to Lola and began peppering her with questions, but she just smiled sweetly and refused to tell. In fact, Johnny and Lola were carrying just a little under three grand on them that day.
“Hey, Hey, leave her be”, Johnny said, holding his hands up. “I been hearin’ things, stuff I don’t likes been goin’ on here. Hear ones of youse all was bein’ a traitor, takin’ the Clique over. Dat what I hear was right, was it dere, Norton ?”
Norton, who had been mostly silent up until now, still being relegated to the low man on the pole for his recent actions of mis-handling the Clique after Peanut’s ouster, mumbled “It weren’t like dat, not really, Johnny.”
“So, how was it like ?”, Johnny said, giving Norton an icy stare. “Youse know, I left Peanut in charge fer a Reason, and dat diddn’t mean fer him to be backstabbed by one o’ his own, y’know. I’se meant what I said, and dat’s law, cause I’m the King around here. Mebbe youse forgot dat, now did’ja ?”
“Um...Yeah, mebbe I did at that”, Norton mumbled, “But it’sa all good now, Johnny, really !”
Johnny stared at Norton a bit longer, just enough for everyone to get a bit nervous. Then his mouth crinkled in a smile, just like the Johnny of old. “Eeeey, It’s our homecoming. I see every-ting is just fine, right boys ?”
The others sighed in relief as the momentary tension drained away. Johnny half-playfully whacked Norton on the shoulder. “We will speak of this later. But for now, me and Lola want to celebrate our return. So, grab our bags and stuff dere, let us go to the Shop and hang out, just like the old days, heh boys ?”
In a group, they headed towards the Autoshop, all chattering away, while Norton trailed in the rear, carrying all of Johnny and Lola’s luggage.
_____________________________________________________
-
“Who the Hell’s that there ?”, Nick said, pointing towards the front entrance, which had finally been restored to it’s former grandeur by the Stonemasons.
Constantinos swiveled his head to look. He, along with just about half the school, had been watching the Cement Truck parked at the bottom of the steps at the Front Quad, with it’s long flume extending in through the school’s front doors, and the score of workmen moving the fresh cement along it to the inside, repairing the huge hole in the floor left by Jake’s C-4 explosion. In just a couple of days, the marble overlays would be put in place, and it would be like nothing had ever happened to the Great Hall just inside the entrance.
Constantinos squinted at the figure who had just emerged from the car at the curb. She was struggling to carry a couple of suitcases and bags unassisted through the front entrance and having a hard time doing it. “That looks like....Yes, that’s Beatrice !”, he said.
“Bea-Who ?”, Nick asked, half-jokingly.
“Beatrice Trudeau”, Constantinos said. “Remember, I told you guys last week she was coming back.”
“Oh...Yeah. Sort of....”, Nick said with a shrug. “She...Uh....Looks like she could use some help there. Com’on, let’s go.”
“Um....Ok”, Constantinos said, somewhat reluctantly. “I guess.....”
“Whatsmatter ?”, Nick asked. “She needs help.”
“Ehh....You’ll see”, Constantinos replied.
Both boys began walking towards the Nerd girl, and by the time they reached her, she had struggled up the walk to where the pathways cut off to both of the Dorms. As Nick got within hearing range, he heard, “.....Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Fluorine, Neon....”
“What’s she doing ?”, Nick asked in an aside to Constantinos.
“Reciting the Periodic Table of the Elements”, Constantinos replied in a low tone. “She does stuff like that all the time.”
“Really ? What for ?”, Nick said, but by then they were there.
“Umm...Beatrice ?”, Constantinos said loudly, for part of Beatrice’s face was obscured by one of the bags she was struggling with. “Need some...Er, help there ?”
Beatrice stopped stock still and dropped the bags, staring at the two boys. Her eyes narrowed on Canstantinos for a moment, and then she smiled. “You’re Constantinos Brakus ! I remember you !” She looked at Nick. “But...Who’s this ?”
“Err....That’s Nick. Nick Penty”, Constantinos replied. “He’s....Sorta new here. Since Christmas”, he finished lamely. Getting a real good look at her face, Constantinos could see all her zits that he remembered had been there were cleared up. In fact, she was almost downright pretty, with the exception of the ugly glasses she still wore that he remembered well.
Nick made a small bow. “At your service, Ma’am. We here to help with your bags. Are you going to the Dorm, by chance ?”
Beatrice’s eyes were riveted on Nick, who cut quite a handsome figure. “Um...Yes, for now”, she managed to get out.
“Well, fine then !”, Nick said warmly. “Let’s get you settled in, then !” He picked up two of the suitcases and motioned for Constantinos to get the rest. Constantinos just rolled his eyes, but grabbed up the remaining bags, and the trio headed down the path to the Girl’s Dorm.
Coming up the path from the Boy’s Dorm, Trent spotted Beatrice. “Hey, Look Who’s Back !”, he hollered. “Lameoid !!!”
Nick looked around. “Knock it off, Trent”, he said mildly, “Or I’ll knock you off.”
Trent held up his hands. “Hey, I’m just....” He faltered as Nick continued to glare at him. “Umm....Whatever, Dude.” He quickly walked away. Constantinos caught Beatrice batting her eyes in Nick’s direction, and shook his head.
They continued their walk towards the Girl’s Dorm. “So...What were you saying when we came up to you ?”, Nick said, making small talk.
“Saying ?”, Beatrice asked, puzzled. “Oh ! The Periodic Table, you mean ?”
“Uh, Yeah, I guess”, Nick said. “What was that all about ?”
“I like to practice”, Beatrice said primly, “Even though I know all the elements.”
“All of them, huh ?”, Nick queried. “How many are there ?”
“118“, Beatrice answered.
“118 !!!!”, Nick said, astounded. “That’s a hell of a lot !”
“I know other things too, that I like to practice”, Beatrice said. They had reached the steps to the Girl’s Dorm.
Yeah ? Like what ?”, Nick asked, setting the suitcases down.
“Like....I’ve been studying human sexuality, and I want to try....An Experiment....”, Beatrice said, and without warning, she grabbed Nick around the neck and planted a huge French kiss on his surprised lips. Taken aback, Nick naturally responded as Beatrice sunk her tongue halfway down his throat.
Watching, Constantinos rolled his eyes again. Some things never change, apparently. As the slurping sounds continued, Constantinos finally cleared his throat. “Uh-Huuum !”
Beatrice broke off the kiss. “Thank you for being my pardner for this.....Project”, she cooed, her eyes sparkling behind the ugly glasses. “That was exactly as I expected.”
A still-stunned Nick didn’t know what to say, so Constantinos piped up, “Well, here we are. We can’t go in the Girl’s Dorm, so we should leave now”, he lied. In fact, it was only a half-lie, for while it really wasn’t allowed, Constantinos had been inside the Girl’s Dorm more times than there were elements on the Periodic Table. “We best be going, Nick.”
“Uhhhh....Right....”, Nick said, still reeling in confusion. “Yeah....Better go....”
Constantinos looked at Beatrice, and said, “The Nerds are usually at the Observatory these days. Expect you want to see them soon, especially Bucky.”
That snapped her out of her revere, and her face went a shade red. “Oh....Yes...Of course.”
Constantinos led Nick off while Beatrice just stared after them. When they got out of earshot, he said, “Now you see why I wasn’t so eager to go help her.”
“Woah, that girl is....Something else”, Nick said, blinking his eyes.
“She’s smart, and she’s a user”, Constantinos told him. “Better steer clear, I’m tellin’ you.”
“Really ?”, Nick asked. “What do you mean ?”
“It’s like this”, Constantinos said, “When Jimmy Hopkins first came here, she had him doing all kinds of rescue errands for her. One time, she had him sneak back into school after hours and swipe back her diary that had been confiscated, because she’d written this big love fantasy about him and her in it. Then she snogged Jimmy just like she did you there, and she had cold sores on her mouth then. It was nasty.”
“Ewww”, Nick muttered. “Sounds Gross !” Then, a second later, a thought occurred to him. “Oh, Shit ! Hope Melody don’t find out about this ! You won’t tell, will’ya ?”
“What ? Oh, Hell No !”, Constantinos said as they rounded the corner back to the Quad. “But don’t worry, I don’t think anybody saw.”
“Yeah, that’s a relief”, Nick sighed. “Certainly don’t need no trouble there.”
But somebody had seen. Dropping the curtain back in place from the front window of the common area as she watched Beatrice tote her bags up the Dorm steps, Mandy’s lips curved up in a cold hard smile.
The Bitch Was Back.
__________________________________________
-
At that moment, the Nerds were indeed in the Observatory. Rather, in the basement room under it, having a contentious meeting about their immediate future at Bullworth. At issue was the production of replacement weapons. Most everybody was in favor of it, as it represented another chance to become the Clique not to be fooled with. But Fatty was still the lone holdout, believing that weapons would spell the eventual downfall of the Nerds once more.
“We shouldn’t be doing this”, Fatty sulked, sitting with his arms crossed.
“But you know how this place is !”, Melvin reminded him.
“I know how is WAS !”, Fatty shot back. “It doesn’t have to be that way anymore ! We got a new Administration, with Mr. Galloway, not that corrupt one. Everything will be on the up and up now, like a REAL school should be. Besides, the world is watching now, how would that look ?”
Fatty was right. Technology had suddenly flooded Bullworth Academy. The new computers had arrived, and the phone lines carrying the Internet had been run at the Library. The Nerds had literally been going nuts, logging online for the first time in a very long time. There was a great many videos posted on You Tube about Bullworth and the Vale Valley already. And cell phones were beginning to make their appearance at the school, and along with that, the ability to make photos and videos for posting to the web. For the first time in it’s storied history, Bullworth Academy was to be open for all the world to see, for good or ill.
“We can control it now, this time”, Melvin argued earnestly. “We can have the safety of Public Exposure if they try to bully us. They don’t dare to cross us now.”
“Then why do we need weapons ?”, Fatty countered. “WE will look like the Bullies if we use them !”
“Not if we use them for self-defense !”, Cornelius piped up.
“Just the threat of protection”, Donald chimed in, “That will be enough. We won’t even have to fire them !”
“If we only use them for retaliation, it won’t look bad !”, Bucky joined in.
“General Custer made a terrible mistake”, Thad suddenly threw in. “HE didn’t have enough weapons to beat those savage Indians....”
Melvin banged on the table to shut everybody up. No one really wanted to hear about Custer for the umpteenth time anyway. “You’re missing the point, Fatty. The others will get weapons, somehow. We need to have them first, even if it’s only the threat of using them.”
“How ?”, Fatty inquired. “How will get weapons, except through us ? Those Soldiers cleaned everything out. Everything !”
Fatty was right. The National Guard Soldiers and the Explosive Experts had swept the school, removing and confiscating everything that would even remotely pose a threat. The had even taken all the Walkie-Talkies, even the ones Jake had hidden around inside the campus buildings. There was not even a Bat to be found on school property.
“Well, not everything”, Melvin said. “We still have a few over in the Dragon’s Wing basement. Plus parts to make even more. But, the other Cliques will find other weapons. Trash-can lids. Lunch trays. Hammers from the Autoshop. Even textbooks can be a weapon. So, we have to arm ourselves.”
Fatty sat unconvinced, arms crossed. “This will come to no good, you’ll see.”
“It’s been decided”, Melvin said. “The vote has already been taken. It’ll work out, you’ll see. There won’t be anyone stuffing us in trash bins now.”
Defeated, Fatty voiced no further objections. His only comment, muttered, was “At the end of the Summer, you’ll see what I mean.”
That concluded, the Nerds moved on to other matters, particularly the promise by Mr. Galloway to provide a DSL line down to the Observatory and the acquiring of some computers for the Nerds there. On this subject, they all could agree.
_________________________________________________
-
The Preps were having their own meeting, of sorts, in the big room downstairs at Harrington Hall. Tad was sitting in the chair from where Derby used to rule with an Iron Hand, with Bif at his side. Derby was gone now, perhaps forever, but Bif was still there, working for Tad now.
On the chair opposite Tad sat Pinky. The heavy bandages were off her face now, but the swelling from her broken jaw still remained, showing fading bruises of bluish and green. She was still unable to talk, only vocalize noises of assent, but far better than she had been a week ago. Pinky gazed at Tad as he spoke with speculative eyes. Nearly a year ago, she had begun an on-again, off-again affair with Tad, just as she had done with Jimmy Hopkins during the prior school year. She had certainly never been in love with Tad, not the way she had been with Kurt, or even felt the lust for him that she had for Tony. Still, her perceptions of him had changed during the past couple of weeks, since he had been her almost constant companion. It was becoming clear to her that he nearly worshiped her, as much so, that is, that could be expected from someone of their class and standing. Pinky was intrigued, and for once was quite unsure what to make of it.
Although Bif had been forced to come crawling back to the Clique after what he saw as his betrayal by Derby, who had broken their unspoken agreement that they would always travel through a glorious life together in a symbolic relationship, the other Preps, with the exception of Chad, had unswervingly thrown their loyalty behind their new leader. Tad had proved adept at bringing the image of the Preps back from the dumps. With all the improvements at the school he had engineered with the help of his father’s money, they were well on their way back to being the most respected Clique on campus.
Chad, however, was a reluctant follower. Still stunned to find out that Derby had fled the country in the face of his Father’s arrest and charges, Chad didn’t know what to think anymore. Certainly his crumbling loyalty to Derby was called into serious question now, but not to near the extent that Bif’s change of heart seemed to be, meekly submitting to the new leadership without apparent reservations. No, Chad needed a bit more convincing before he was ready to throw Derby under the bus, so to speak. After all, he had been his spy for all these months. Where was he to fit in now, in this new order ? Just the odd-colored Prep with a Bulldog, like before ? That was hardly the image he had envisioned for himself, no, not at all.
“So let’s keep at this media thing going”, Tad was saying. “Keep up the interviews, and stress all the good works the Prep families are doing for the school and the disadvantaged kids that go here.” He laughed, “Us excepted, of course !”
The other Preps, Chad excepted, laughed with him. “Jolly Good Show !”, chortled Gord.
“With all this new outside media interest, we can build up our status as the cream of Bullworth Academy”, Tad continued. “And with the school now in the harsh light of world opinion, that will serve our interests well. The new administration can then deny us nothing. Perhaps go a bit easier on the grading curve, eh Chaps ?”
The Preps nodded at the brilliancy of Tad’s plan, their faces alive with the coming triumph. But Chad, who had been sulking near the fireplace, spoke up darkly. “What about Weapons ? We need Weapons, or the scum will walk all over us !”
“Ah, yes, Weapons”, Tad leaned back in the chair, swirling the liquor in his glass. “We used to have a stash of extra Weapons, until Derby traded them off for Pinky’s freedom last winter. Such a shame he didn’t have the foresight to re-stock.”
Pinky’s eyes widened. She knew about the exchange, of course, but didn’t know the scope of it. “Errrr Unn ?”, she said.
Tad shifted his loving gaze to her. “That’s right, my dear, every one. ALL of our reserve Weapons went out on that deal. He was thinking of his honor, I’m sure. Or maybe that you would return to him, who’s to know ? He started going off the beam after that, poor chap...” At this Tad smirked. “.....But it probably wouldn’t have mattered. He’d been coming unglued long before that, maybe before the Great Clique War...”
Tad broke off his musings as Pinky’s face retained her wide-eyed shocked look. Confused thoughts were running in her head. Derby had treated her so shabbily that she had finally left him. Her abduction by Kurt and the Rockers came nearly a month later. If he didn’t care, why would he go to all the trouble to get her released ?
Tad saw the mix of emotions on her face. “There is more to it, Pinks, much more. Biff knows all about it, he can tell you if you want to hear it. Right, Bif ?”
Bif nodded, a pained look on his face. Tad settled back once more as Pinky’s face seemed to smooth out. “What we have to do”, he resumed, “Is to start leaning on those Nerds to make us some more, is all. But in private, away from cameras, cell phones, Reporters, anything else. Get them one-on-one in the bathrooms, the shower room at the Gym, at night behind the Dorms...Anywhere out of sight. Punch their guts, no face hitting, nothing that shows. Convince them that their best interest is to help us out. But be careful, they will probably be armed. Little buggers will be sure to make weapons for themselves first.”
There were sounds of approval at Tad’s plan. Even Chad murmured words of assent, a strange look on his face. For all that, it seemed that Tad would be just as ruthless as Derby, after all.
_______________________________________________
-
The Jocks weren’t having a meeting, rather, they were waiting to meet someone. Instead of being introduced to their new coach at the first practice session of the summer at the Gym, the new Coach had insisted on coming down to their Clubhouse right after classes. This was practically unheard of, as Coach Burton had never been down inside the Clubhouse in anybody’s memory.
The Jock boys awaited assembled, sitting on chairs in their usual meeting spot by the equipment storage cage. There was some muted conversation among them, mostly concerning the new changes taking place at the Academy. It really hadn’t sunk in yet about the absence of weaponry, as the Jocks were still riding high as the most populated Clique on campus.
Dan Wilson leaned over to talk with Ted. “What’s up with this new Coach ? Burton never came down here. What’s his deal ?”
“Well, you gotta think”, Ted replied lazily, “This guy is a whole different deal. Maybe, he’s one of them coaches who like to have a rapport with his players.”
“I heard he’s an old guy”, said Mandy, who was sitting close to Ted.
“Yeah, they’re all old.”, Ted replied, “Burton was old.”
“No, I heard he was like sixty-something”, Mandy persisted.
“Where do you hear this stuff ?”, Ted asked, with a doubtful look on his face.
“Oh, I’m not telling you”, Mandy said loftily. “You’ll see.”
Ted had to smile at that. “I guess we will, eh sweets ?”
“I still don’t like it”, Dan went on. “Like, Teachers don’t go into the Dorms, no Coach should be commin’ in here.”
“Ms. Phillips goes in the Girl’s Dorm”, Ted pointed out, “So you can’t say that.”
“Yeah, whatever”, grumbled Dan. “He shouldn’t be in here, just sayin’....”
Other Jocks were talking in small groups to pass the time. Damon, Casey, Juri, and Luis were holding a semblance of a conversation of their own over some stupid crap having to do with jock straps. Bo, along with his brother Lance, was sitting with Laurent and Kirby, having an animated discussion while Bob looked on with his usual granite face, saying nothing.
The doors were flung open suddenly, and a figure strode through them. Their new Coach stood there, and Mandy popped Ted on the shoulder in an 'see I told you so’ gesture. The Coach had a stock of white hair, thinning at the top, under a face that reminded Ted of a beaver, right down to the prominent gap-toothed look of his mouth. He wasn’t as fat as Coach Burton, who had been short and sort of dumpy. Instead, this Coach was a bear of a man, towering large in the doorway.
“Hello, Boys !”, he exclaimed, a sort of lecherous look on his beaver face, “I’m Coach Jerry Sanders. Nice to meetcha all !”
_______________________________________________
-
Tony and Karen had stepped off the bus at the front of Bullworth Academy that very morning. Returned from their ideal vacation in the Narragansett Bay, they had stashed their boat at a boathouse North of the Docks at a Boathouse over at Blue Skies and hopped a bus across from the Save Warehouse just in time to get to school. The bell was already ringing, and they hurried. It wouldn’t do to be late on the first day of Summer School.
The areas around Blue Skies had been cleared of all the wrecked cars and other vehicles, and damage from the blasts had been cleaned up in the interval. Tony had sniffed the air several times and detected no trace of the toxic gas that they had to breathe on the last time they were there. On the ride over, he had told Karen a brief account of their experiences there that night.
Unnoticed as they rounded the corner down the street in the vicinity of the repaired Electrical Substation, two sets of eyes had watched as the bus went by.
“There he goes”, remarked Otto Tyler. “Big Man on Campus.”
“Yeah...That’s HIM”, Omar Romero confirmed. “Got his little girlie with him.”
“What’chu gonna do ?”, Otto asked. “You got something in mind ?”
“Payback”, Omar replied darkly. “For them months we hadda sit in that stinking jail.” His eyes tracked the Bus as it motored out of sight up the street. “Somebodies are gonna pay. Several Somebodies.”
____________________________________________
-
Mr. Galloway leaned back in the big chair and sighed. Things had been running well on this first day of Summer School. Almost too well. He had jumped at the chance to be Headmaster when the State Board of Education had offered it to him, just a couple of weeks ago. But he had serious gnawing doubts that had been growing every since about his abilities to handle the job. He was really only an English Teacher. What did he know about running a school ?
There were sure to be problems, he knew. He had been here many years, and had seen them all. But, he had never had to deal with them. After class each day, he had been free to walk out of the school and be content to let others deal with them. Now, if anything arose, HE would have to be the one to take care of those problems. And, he didn’t know if he was up to it.
Mr. Galloway had checked out the office in which he now resided, even looking into all the drawers of the massive desk that Dr. Crabblesnitch had sat behind, in this very chair. There was something in the bottom right had drawer he could use if the pressure became too much, he knew. Like a man possessed, he moved his arm down toward the drawer, and laid his hand on it. As he slid it open, a familiar glass bottle with the famous black label came into view. He mouthed the words on the label as if they were his long-lost friend. The amber liquid behind the label beckoned to him, and that old urge rose up in him, one he knew well.
A knock on the door leading to the outer office startled him, and he looked up in time to see a comely dark-brown haired young woman poke her head through the set of doors. It was Bethany Jones, his new Secretary.
“Looks like that’s all for the day, Mr. Galloway”, she said in a cheerful voice. “The office is empty...No trouble today !”
“That...That’s fine, Miss Jones”, Mr. Galloway said, recovering his composure. “You may leave for the day then.”
“Great !”, Bethany replied. “See you tomorrow then !”
The door closed, and Mr. Galloway could hear Miss Jones’ high heels clacking away. For a minute he sat, looking down at the bottle of Whiskey in the drawer. Then, he gently closed the drawer, and the Jack Daniels was hidden from view once more.
Not Today, he resolved. Besides, he was meeting Deidre Phillips after school, ostensibly for a celebratory get-together marking his first day as Headmaster, even though it was only 'Acting’ at this point. But, he knew, it would probably turn into a full-fledged date, probably they would wind up at the Golden Horseshoe at the end of the evening. There would even be the possibility of a rented room. It wouldn’t do to break his vow of sobriety just yet.
Mr. Galloway rose and squared his shoulders. He had this. At least for today.
________________________________________
-
Silence had greeted the new Coach’s appearance. After a moment, Coach Sanders spoke again. “Well, boys, who do we have here ? It’s alright, I don’t bite !”
Ted recovered himself. “Umm...I’m Ted Thompson, Quarterback, and Team Captain.”
“And....Class President !”, Mandy chipped in, somewhat nervously.
“And, these are....Bo Jackson, Dan Wilson, Laurent Loiselle, Kirby Olsen, Lance Jackson, Damon West, Casey Harris, Luis Luna, Juri Karamazov, and Bob Southby. They’re the Team.” Ted had pointed to each as he introduced them.
“I see”, Coach Sanders said. “So we have a full team of 11 here. That’s good !”
“Well....Er, it hasn’t always been that way”, Ted went on. “Laurent, Bob, and Lance are sorta new here, and Lance has a...Disability. He can only hike the ball, and then get out of the way.”
Coach Sanders looked at the Team speculatively. “So, there is no bench ?”, he said, meaning there were no reserve players.
“Well...We’re just sorta a small school”, Ted admitted lamely. “We don’t get a whole lotta Athletes that come here...”
The silence spun out again as Coach Sanders stared at each one in turn. The Jocks shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, even Bob. Laurent, probably the smartest of the Jocks there, had a flash of insight as he looked at the new Coach. There was something decidedly odd in his manner. He seemed to be Leering at each and every player in turn....The kind of look he had seen Coach Burton have every time Laurent caught him looking at the Cheerleaders.
“Well, we can fix that with recruiting”, Coach Sanders said suddenly. “I come from a big recruiting school. We’ve had a lot of successful teams there.”
“Just...Where DID you come from, Coach, if you don’t mind us asking it ?”, Laurent spoke up.
Coach Sanders head turned and the eyes in his beaver-looking face bored into Laurent. “I come from Pencil State University, down in Pennsylvania”, he said. “I was Assistant Coach there for many, many years. I’ve seen boys like you come and go, come and go. There might be some potential here for a championship season, hey ?”
The boys perked up a little at that. Coach Burton had never expressed any kind of positive encouragement to his charges, only calling them ‘Sissys’ and ‘Babies’ when he was in a good mood. This Coach was saying something new to them, and like thirsty dogs, they lapped it up.
Coach Sanders’ eyes looked around the walls of the Clubhouse, seeing each of the old banners proclaiming the past Bullworth’s Teams achievements. There had been none for many years, he noted. “When was the last time you fellows hung a banner ?”, he asked.
“Well....Um....We never have”, Ted said uncomfortably. “The last was....Back in the 90s, before our time.....”
“I see”, Coach Sanders said. He zeroed in on Ted. “What was your won-loss record last year ?”
“Umm....4-8“, Ted said, “But we had some close games....”
“And, the year before ?”, Coach Sanders persisted.
“Er......3-9“, Ted answered. “But we improved !”
Coach Sanders stared at Ted for quite awhile, until Ted’s face reddened in embarrassment. “Well, Mr. Quarterback, that’s just not good enough. Not good enough for this team, and not good enough for this school ! Understand, everybody”, he continued, addressing the Team, “That we are going to do things the Jerry Sanders way from now on, and that way is the winning way. There is no room here for losers. I don’t come here from losers, and you will not be losers, you will be winners !! Starting today, right now, you are going to be in intensive training to have a winning season. I will not accept less ! Do you read me ?”
The Jocks sat in stunned silence. This was quite a different Coach than the ones they had been used to. This Coach seemed to radiate a kind of cheesy confidence along with his strong words. Numbly, they nodded in assent. Even the thoughts of the stupidest among them drifted to their scholarships, and beyond that, their possible futures.
Coach Sanders nodded. “I want all of you out on the field in five minutes. We are going to start your championship training. You are going to learn how to have a tough defense and an unstoppable offense. How to make dazzling hard plays and poke it to your opponents. How to make them suck and choke on your manliness and swallow their bitter defeats. How to strip naked and expose their puny plans and ram it to them until the cry and beg for more. Now, ladies, get your gear together, we have a Championship Team to build !!”
The Jocks hurried to get their gear together, and filed out onto the Football Field. It didn’t occur to any of them to wonder just why this Coach had left the program of a rather prominent State College to take a job at lowly, crappy, Bullworth Academy. No, none of them wondered at all.
_______________________________________________
-
As classes let out for the first day of summer school, two new students were finding their way back to the Girl’s Dorm. Both had arrived late in the school day, in fact just after lunch. It was still a bit hard to get into the Vale Valley these days, but instead of the place being hard to find, the exact opposite had occurred....It was now too congested on the single road leading there, tending to bottleneck at the hairpin turn in front of the Carnival. It made for something unusual these days...A traffic jam. Hundreds of curiosity seekers were still invading the area every day, and the result was massive backups, sometimes clear out to the main highway.
Instead of an orientation, the two new girls were shipped off right away to classes by a cheerful Miss Jones, who hurriedly wrote out their schedules and hustled the off. Although they had arrived at just about the same time after being stuck in traffic much of the morning, the two girls were quite different.
One was a bubble-gum popping sassy brown haired beauty who went by the name of Binky. She wore tight-fitting black leather pants with high-heeled black boots and a black leather jacket, underneath of which were assorted tattoos of various designs. Her real name was Breanna Rose, but from infancy she had been better-known by the name of the pacifier she had used as a child. It seemed the girl always had to have something in her mouth. She was a Greaser Girl through and through, and could hardly wait to go and mingle with the Greaser Clique she had been seeing on You-Tube these past couple of weeks. One might say they were 'Right Up Her Alley’.
The other Girl was a quieter sort given to introspective thinking. It had been nearly impossible to not have heard of the now-famous Nerd Clique at Bullworth, and she had prevailed on her parents to send her there for the summer. The stories that had been flowing out onto the Internet about the recent past events at the Academy excited her. She so wanted to meet the brave leader who had stood off the assaulting Townies with only a Shield and a magical Rubberband Ball. She couldn’t wait to introduce herself to the heroic Melvin and the other Nerds. She figured she had a sure in with whoever she would meet at Bullworth, having read the stories of the near-mythical Jimmy Hopkins....For her name was Jimmette Jumpers. Finally, her parents desire and ultimate disappointment in not having a boy, and thus her name, would finally pay off. She had even chosen the green plaid uniform that the Nerds here seemed to favor, although on her slim body, it actually looked good.
The two girls departed classes that afternoon, each making their separate ways to the Girl’s Dorm to get their room assignments and settle in. In the evening, there would be plenty of time for each to seek out what they though would be the ultimate summer.
_____________________________________________
-
Classes being over for the day, Tony made ready to visit the Clique leaders to talk. He thought first he should meet the famous Johnny Vincent, whom he had heard much about. Nick volunteered to go with him.
“Know anything about this guy ?”, Nick asked as they made their way to the Autoshop.
“Just what I’ve heard”, Tony replied. “That he’s not real bright, but he’s crafty. And, he has some kind of charisma.....The Greasers seem to almost worship him. I think they’ll be a tougher Clique now that he’s back.”
“Guess that’ll even up things a bit, now that the Preps and Jocks seem to have their shit together”, Nick remarked.
“There’s one thing”, Tony said, “I hear he was just plain obsessive about Lola....And she’s come back with him. We’ll have to watch ourselves around her. No leering looks at her.”
Nick gave him an odd look. “What if she starts a-hitting on US ?”
“Just ignore her, Nicky”, Tony said with a grin that went to a smirk. “Just Ignore her the best that you can.”
______________________________________
-
The boys approached the Greaser area. At the Gate, Hal waved them in. “Seen you got back, JabberJack. Whatchoo know, Tony-O ?”
“Just here to see Johnny Vincent”, Tony replied with a smile at Hal’s lingo. “Bout time I got to meet this fellow ‘youse’ are always talking about.”
“He be right over there”, Hal pointed towards the Autoshop entrance, where most of the Greasers were gathered around, talking and smoking ciggys. “He be a-wantin’ to meet you too, Daddy-choo !”
Tony wasn’t surprised to see Angie standing nearby, as she was Hal’s girl now. But he was somewhat shocked to see her smoking a ciggy herself. Next to her was a girl he didn’t recognize, and they were both outfitted in black leather jackets and pants with high-heeled black boots. It looked odd to Tony to see Angie outfitted like that, and he briefly hesitated.
“Hi Tony-O and Tricky Nicky !”, Angie rattled off. Tony was amazed at how fast she had adopted the Greaser lingo as her own. She pointed her thumb. “Hey, this here be Binky, she be a new girl this here summer.”
Tony and Nick looked at the girl. “Um...Nice to meet’cha”, Tony said.
“Er...Likewise”, Nick mumbled, for lack of anything better to say.
Binky just arched her eyebrow at them both and took a long drag on her ciggy, then slouched back against the wall without a word, looking bored.
“Erm...We’re on our way to see Johnny”, Tony said to Angie, still eying the new girl.
“Fer sure, he’s a-wantin’ to meetcha !”, Angie said brightly, giving them both a wicked smile.
“Uhh....Right....Sure”, Tony said, giving her a strange look. “Umm....See you.” He motioned to Nick and they approached the group of Greasers clustered about the Autoshop door. Tony encountered Peanut first and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, Hey, Peanut.”
“Heya, Tony !”, Peanut exclaimed. “How you doin’, Cuzin ? Heya, come on over and meet Johnny, why doncha ?”
Peanut steered him over toward the Autoshop door. Beside it was Johnny Vincent, leaning up against the wall. Beside him was Lola. Their eyes locked for a moment. Then Lola gave him a brief smile and a wink, which Johnny didn’t see. Their secret was still safe.
“Hey, Johnny, here’s that cool head we’uns been tellin’ youse about. This is Tony Calderone !”, Peanut beamed.
Johnny didn’t speak, but instead looked coolly at Tony and Nick, slowly taking a long drag off his ciggy. Nick shifted uncomfortably behind him, and for a second Tony flicked his gaze to Lola with questioning look.
“Youse see sumptin’ you like there, Buckaroo ?”, Johnny said then, jerking his head in Lola’s direction. “Don’t be starin’ at my girl, unlessin’ you be wantin’ me to take yours eyes outta youse skull and feed 'em to yah.”
“Hey, I didn’t mean anything....”, Tony begin, only to be cut off.
Johnny faced him off. “Dis here be MY girl, Youse unnerstand ? NOBODY makes EYES at what’s MINE, get it ?”
Tony put his hands up and waved them. “It’s....Not like that...”, he said, perplexed at Johnny’s sudden behavior, and with a growing unease that maybe this Johnny knew or suspected about his one-time encounter with Lola. Or, could it be that he had misread Lola’s signal ?
“Looks like it to me, Meathead !”, Johnny snarled, and put his fists up.
Lola intervened then, laying a hand on Johnny’s arm. “Johnny....JOHNNY....It’s Alright ! This is Tony, the one who got me through the snowstorm to find the bus so I could come be with you ! Don’t you remember me tellin’ you that someone helped me ? This is who it was ! Com’on, Johnny, cool it now !”
Johnny’s eyes flicked to Lola and back towards Tony. “That So ?”
“Yeah, That’s So”, Tony said unflinchingly.
Johnny held his stance for a bit more, then dropped his fists. “Heh, my bad then. It’s just, I don’t cater to nobodies making goo-goo eyes at my Lola, yah understand ?”
“I wasn’t...”, Tony began, then dropped it. “Look, Johnny, if I may call you Johnny....”
“That’s my name, Ponyboy”, Johnny said, “So use it.”
“I gotta talk to you about something really important, now that you’re back”, Tony said.
“So, talk then”, Johnny returned. “Let’s hear it.”
“I think, maybe we should do this in private”, Tony said, looking about.
“What Private ?”, Johnny said, “I don’t keep nuttin’ from my boys here.”
“It’s just the way I do things”, Tony said, “I go to the leaders first. Then, if they want to let their Clique know about it, that’s up to them.”
Johnny considered this. As he did so, he finally noticed Nick. “Who’s that there ? Yer Bodyguard or sumptin’ ?”
Peanut, silent until now, piped up. “That’s Nick Penty, Johnny. He’s the one who whose I told you about, what that beat Norton in the Hole !”
Johnny’s eyes narrowed as he sized Nick up. “Oh, Tough Guy, huh ?”
“So I’ve been told”, Nick replied with a bland look on his face.
One could almost see the rusty gears grinding in Johnny’s head. Finally, he said, “Alright, Alright, we will have our private talk, inside...” At that, he jerked his thumb at the Autoshop. “But, I’m bringin’ Peanut along.”
“And, I’m bringing along Nick here”, Tony said firmly.
Johnny grunted assent, and the four entered the Autoshop.
___________________________________
-
At the far end of the Autoshop, where the last table for bike repair was located, the boys gathered around, Johnny and Peanut to one side and Tony and Nick to the other.
“So, what’s the blow, Joe”, Johnny said, addressing Tony, “They tell me you’re in the know.”
“Well...Um, Johnny, it’s like this”, Tony began, “I don’t know what you’ve heard about this last year around here....”
“Now lets me stop you there”, Johnny said, holding up a hand, “I seen alluava them Intra-Net Videos about this place. There was some kinda fucked-up shit going on here. It is a wonder allus my boys here weren’t kilt or somptin. Bombings and sneak attacks by lone-nut Nerds and people shooting wit real guns. What de FUCK happened to this place ? Dis ain’t no Detroit, wit Junkies runnin’ the streets, dis is a school ! What de hell is wrong wit you bozos ?”
“I’m sure if you let Peanut tell you...”, Tony tried again.
“Peanut HAS been tellin’ me, and Lola too !”, Johnny exclaimed. “When I sawer them videos, that’s when I was tellin’ her we was comin’ back and puttin’ things right !”
“Well, things are pretty much fixed now, Johnny”, Tony said, “It was mostly the cause of a kid named Jake, a cousin of Gary. But they’re gone now, never to return. The school is safe....For now. But that’s the problem.”
“Problem ?”, Johnny said, “What problem ? I’m back now, and there ain’t gonna be no more problems.”
“You see, all the weapons where taken by the soldiers that were here, but the Nerds will start to make more”, Tony continued, ignoring him. “We went thorough this once already, and had to re-arm everybody, Peanut can tell you that.”
Peanut nodded. “That’s right Johnny, right after Christmas, nobody had weapons ‘cept them Nerds.....”
“So What ?”, Johnny cut in, “Youse couldn’t handle dem four-eyed freaks ?”
Tony cut in before Peanut could answer. “It wasn’t a matter of that, Johnny.”
“Den what is it ?”, Johnny looked back at Tony. “Youse sayin’ my boys are Chickenshits ?”
“Not at all, Johnny”, Tony said. “It has to do with a thing called Parity.”
“Par-It-Ty ?”, Johnny said with a smirk. “What de hell is dat ?
“It means the balance of power”, Tony explained. “It’s the quality or state of being equal or equivalent. If all the Cliques are armed, then no Clique is gonna attack another Clique without getting retaliated on immediately.”
There was silence as Johnny’s slow mind digested and translated this information. After a moment, he said, “So’s if we have weapons, ain’t nobody gonna attack my boys here ?”
“Not if they know what’s good for them”, Tony replied. “But if anybody tries to pull a sneak attack, you’ll be ready.”
For a few seconds, nobody said a word. Then, a slow grin spread over Johnny’s features. “I like that there idear....I like that a lot. Keeps them from a-bushwackin’ my boys, like the last time I heard about. Ok, Hero Man, I’m in. Youse gonna get us those weapons ?”
“I’m gonna do the negotiations for them, yeah”, Tony replied. “They’ll want payment for them, naturally.”
“Naturally”, Johnny said, and patted his pocket. “Won’t be a problem. But you tell them Nerds nottin’ about what we got, unnerstand ?”
“Since I don’t know what you all have, I won’t be revealing anything”, Tony assured.
“Good enough”, Johnny said. He looked at Tony for a moment, like he was sizing him up. “You know, I was hearin’ bout how you kicked that kid’s ass that was a-causing all that trouble. Crippled him for life, wasn’t it ?”
“That wasn’t my intention, really”, Tony said, “But it came down to either him or me falling off that platform. Just one of them things, him being paralyzed. It could’ve been me.”
“Heard you put up a hell’ve fight before that”, Johnny said. “And, all my boys have respect for you. Lola was tellin’ me how youse kept her safe and got somebody to take her through a snowstorm so’s she could catch a bus back to me. Reckon that makes youse Ok in my book.”
Um....Yeah, sure”, Tony said uncomfortably. But all the same, Lola was keeping quiet the secret of their encounter. Hopefully, that would stay buried forever.
Johnny cast a glance at Nick. “So’s you really put it to Norton in the Hole real good, Huh ? Got some moves, what I hear.”
“A few”, Nick allowed. “Just the same as I used against Russell in the Hole and Derby in the Ring.”
“I could use a good man likes you”, Johnny said, half in humor. “If’n youse ever want to join up wit us.”
“I’m fine where I’m at”, Nick said. “And, I’m gonna stay that way.”
“Youse sure ?”, Johnny pressed. Nick shrugged, and nodded.
The meeting was over. Their business concluded, Tony and Nick left the Autoshop. Tony thought he should head down to talk to Ted next. On their way down to the Football Field, they picked up Constantinos coming the other way, and he decided to tag along. Tony briefly explained their mission.
Constantinos had a question. “What makes you so sure the Nerds are gonna start making weapons again ?”
“Because, my friend”, Tony grinned, “They’re Nerds. They just can’t help themselves.”
___________________________________________
-
As Tony and his friends approached the Football Field, they were surprised to see the Jocks....Every one of them, it seemed.....Running laps around the field. This was a sight unseen since the end of Football Season last fall. Puzzled, Tony, Nick, and Constantinos started down the steps and approached the pillars at the bottom that bordered the field. As each Jock zipped by, their faces contorted with the strain, Tony sought to find Ted. After awhile, he spotted him running toward him.
“Hey...Uh...TED !”, he hollered as Ted approached, but Ted just ran on by without seeming to recognize him. Bewildered, Tony watched him make another circuit. Ween he got close again, Tony hollered again. “HEY TED !!!!!!!”
This time, Ted saw him, his mouth open and gaping like a fish. Ted pinwheeled his arms in an odd manner and continued on. Tony had no idea what that meant. “Strange”, he said.
“Weird”, Nick agreed.
“What the Hell...?”, Constantinos chipped in.
Ted made another circuit of the field, along with the other Jocks, all of whom were also seemingly ignoring everything else while concentrating on their running. They all looked a mite uncomfortable to Tony, beet red in their faces and looking for all the world on the verge of passing out in the late Spring heat. As Ted came closer for the third time, he seemed to slow, and managed to grunt out a few words as he passed.
“*Gasp*....run with me....if you wanna....talk...*Puff*”, he managed to say.
Shrugging, Tony beckoned Nick and Constantinos and began to run. Soon, he and Nick caught up to Ted. Constantinos lagged, and soon dropped back, though he still gamely continued to try and keep up. When Tony pulled up even with Ted, he tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, Ted ! I need to talk to you ‘bout something !”
Ted looked about. His face was contorted. “Fine...”. he gasped. “Talk...Then.”
“Umm”, Tony began, “First....What are you all doing ?”
Ted cast him a crazy look. “Err...Running....Whatis....Look like ?”
“Yeah...But why ?, Tony persisted. “You guys are....a little outta season, ain’tcha ?”
“New Coach”, Ted huffed, “Coach....Sanders....Making us do....Training laps....”
As Tony rounded in front of the Jock’s Clubhouse at the East end of the field, he spotted the Coach that Ted must be referring to, holding a clipboard in one hand and what looked like a stopwatch in the other, dressed in grey sweats. He frowned at Tony and Nick as they ran by along with Ted.
“So...What for ?”, Tony asked. “Why run laps ?”
“Make us train....Now..”, Ted puffed, “Gonna make us Winners....he says...”
Tony made a face. “So....By running you all to death ?...Where’d this guy come from, anyway ?”
“From....Somewhere....Called....Pencil State....”, Ted got out through gritted teeth. “Some....University....Outta state....”
“And....This helps you guys....How ?”, Tony replied.
“Gets us tough...”, Ted panted, “Makes us....Strong....Winners....”
“How many laps ?”, Tony wondered, “How many laps to....make you Winners ?”
“Fifty”, Ted replied, nearly out of breath. “Fifty laps....every day....”
Tony let that sink in for a moment, then shrugged. It wasn’t any matter to him if this new dumbass Coach was intent on running his new charges to death the very first day. He had more important things to think about. And, he was becoming a little winded himself. The Jocks were running a brutal pace. Tony certainly didn’t intend to wear himself out.
He broached the reason for his visit. “Ted, I came to talk to you about Weapons and Parity”, he said. Quickly, he outlined to Ted what he had told Johnny just a while ago. Ted, the strain showing in the throbbing veins on his neck, listened in silence as he huffed in deep gulps of air into his lungs.
“So, that’s it in a nutshell”, Tony finished, “We get the Nerds to make more Weapons and sell them to the Cliques, for their own protection. You Ok with all this ?”
Ted turned his eyes towards Tony. “Agreed.”, He gasped out. “We are....the biggest Clique, now....But still need....Protection. You will....arrange this ?”
“Yeah”, Tony replied, “I’ll....handle all that....Contact you when the deal is ready....Good enough ?”
They were approaching Coach Sanders at the Clubhouse again, and he was owlishly staring at Tony and Nick with a sour look on his face. Ted had time to say, “Sounds....Fine....” before an ear-splitting whistle ripped through the air.
TWEEEEEEEEEEET !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At the sound, all the Jocks dropped in their tracks, puffing heavily, a couple of them actually throwing up. Tony and Nick stopped running and just stood there, panting.
“YOU TWO !!!!!”, Coach Sanders yelled, pointing at Tony and Nick. “YOU’RE NOT JOCKS !! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ??”
“Um, No, we’re not....Tony began, but then Nick piped up, “What’s It To You, Jackass ?”
“WHAT DID YOU CALL ME BOY ??”, screamed Coach Sanders. “THIS PRACTICE IS FOR JOCKS ONLY !! GET YOUR ASSES OFF MY FOOTBALL FIELD !!!”
Nick balled up his fists and started forward, but Tony grabbed his arm and restrained him. “Com’on Nick, we don’t need any of this....Com’on, now.”
Nick shot the Coach a hateful look, but relented. The two trotted quickly away, towards the stairs by the bleachers. On the way, the picked up Constantinos, who was sitting on his butt, out of breath. “Oh, man, I ain’t never takin’ Gym from that guy”, he grumbled. “If this is what you guys are up to today, torture, count me out.”
Tony grinned at that. It couldn’t be helped. But as the three mounted the stairs to leave the field, a rumble of disturbance came to Tony’s mind. It seemed to him that that name sounded familiar, somehow. Sanders....And the place Ted had mentioned, Pencil State University. Tony dimly recalled something about that place, some sort of scandal, maybe, that had happened just before he had come to Bullworth. Something about........
Tony shook his head. He couldn’t remember. Maybe, it would come to him later. Right now, he had business to attend to. He would give thought to it some other time, perhaps.
________________________________________________
-
As the three walked toward the fountain, now statue-less, Constantinos piped up, “You guys going to see the Preps now ?”
“Yeah”, Tony answered with some distaste, “Fraid so.”
“Well, um...I’m gonna go sit this one out, if you don’t mind”, Constantinos said, and began walking rapidly away.
Tony and Nick watched him go. Nick remarked, “Guess he don’t like the Preps, huh ?”
“Who does, except themselves ?”, Tony said. But as they trekked the pathway to Harrington House, a chill came over him. These were the sons of the men who had brought Bullworth Academy and the Vale Valley to it’s ruin and fostered the emergence of such characters like Gary and Jake. There was a nagging feeling of mistrust in Tony’s mind over any dealings with these boys. The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree. Pete had been right in his speech last Christmas Eve, this place was not normal in any sense of the word.
The Preps were out and about on their Quad. Tony spotted Tad, now the undisputed leader of the Clique, and headed his way. Bif was standing a little ways from him, hovering, it seemed, and a still-mute Pinky was at his side. Her luscious eyes locked on Tony as he approached, sensual and full of longing. Watching Tony and Nick approach, Tad seemed oblivious to Pinky’s expression.
“Well, hullo, Chap !”, Tad said with false comradery, “To what occasion do we owe this visit ?”
“Well, um, first off, to thank you for the use of the boat”, Tony began. “We docked it away where you wanted it all safe and sound.”
“Good boy, good boy”, Tad murmured, a touch condescendingly. “Any problems ?”
“No...None”, Tony said, a bit put off by Tad’s attitude. “Now, what I came to talk about was Weapons Parity”, and with that, launched into an explanation similar to what he had already told the other Cliques that afternoon. Tad listened with a bored look on his face, an all too familiar expression of the rich when dealing with the lower-class. Tony ended his summation by saying, “You understand that they will probably want an exchange of monitory compensation for their providing of the weapons, so...Are you up to that ?”
At the mention of money, Tad’s demeanor changed. “Plea-use”, he scoffed, “Money is no problem for a Prep, as you know that, so do not insult us on the subject of our ability to secure the necessary funds.”
“Um...Given recent events, I didn’t know if there would be a problem.....”, Tony began.
“No problem at all”, Tad said loftily. “You will handle the transaction, no doubt ?”
“Yes, I will arrange things with the Nerds”, Tony replied, “For all the Cliques.”
Good man, good man”, Tad said, this time in a less condescending way. Then he said reflectively, “Odd, isn’t it, to have to arm to keep the peace ? But that’s what has made our people rich for centuries, trading on the fears of others.”
Tony didn’t know what to say to that. “Well, I’ll see you again when I finalize the deal.”
“I’ll be expecting you”, Tad said. Looking about, he finally noticed the mooning look on Pinky’s face. “Here, sweet one, you face looks a fright. Let’s go fix that make-up, what say ?”
And with that, he led Pinky off toward Harrington House. Mutely, he jaw still wired shut and unable to speak, she followed, but cast a look back at Tony, full of lust. Just before going through the doors, she briefly reached up and massaged her breast, and then was gone.
“Whew”, Nick said, “That girl still has the hots for you, don’t she ?”
“Seems so”, Tony said uncomfortably. “Let’s get outta here.”
As they walked out of the Quad and back on the path to the destroyed fountain, the other Preps paid them not the slightest bit of attention.
“Where next ?”, Nick asked.
“Let’s go find Russell and Trent”, Tony replied.
“That sounds like fun”, Nick said, as off they went.
_________________________________________
-
Tad chortled to himself as he guided Pinky to the upstairs bathroom in Harrington House. That fool Calderone had just presented to him the solution to the weapons problem. If this exchange worked out properly, there would be no need to lean on the Nerds with physical violence and risk tarnishing their upper-crust image should there be any accidental and unwanted media lurking about. They could regain their weaponry stocks without conflict of any kind.
Tad was acutely aware of the Prep’s precarious position these days. With their fathers in legal troubles for an undetermined time to come, and the resultant publicity branding the rich elite as the cause of all the problems of Bullworth and the Vale Valley, Tad knew he faced no easy task in restoring the Preps to the top of the food chain at the school. It would take a lot of careful planning mixed with favorable publicity of the Preps as a whole to pull it off. And, like it or not, Tad would have to curry favor with the new administration to have any chance at all in restoring the Clique to their former glory.
And then there was Pinky. Her moon-eyed looks at Tony had not gone unnoticed. Tad knew Pinky and her ways very well, for after all, she had been cheating on Derby with him as far back as two years ago. He also knew of most of her other little affairs over the years. But Tad also knew of how shabbily Derby had treated her throughout their time together. Pinky definitely felt hemmed in by the future betrothal to Derby arraigned by their respective families, something not uncommon in their circles, but for a free-spirit such as Pinky it represented a crushing weight. Tad fully understood why Pinky felt compelled to escape the boundaries that she had been restricted to.
And yet, with one blow to the jaw, she had been freed from Derby forever. She was his now, finally and ultimately. Or was she ? Tad gave some deep thought to this question, as her heard Pinky in the washroom running water. Pinky’s past attraction to Tony was not unknown to him, it was something he had heard Derby complain bitterly about and was one of the factors in their final breakup this past winter. But Tony Calderone had a real solid relationship with that little Jock girl Karen, by all accounts, and had never to Tad’s knowledge expressed any kind of interest towards Pinky. So why the longing looks, the sensual arousement ?
Tad could only conclude that Pinky was not yet used to her new-found freedom. Plus the shock of Derby’s vicious attack on her, combined with the fate that that bastard Kurt had met with (which, according to Bif was Derby’s doing), had sent her into such a shocked mental state as to revert to her old ways. While in the Clinic, she had held tightly to Tad through numerous crying jags, and even though she couldn’t speak, it was evident to Tad that those were about so much more than just her physical pain from her injuries.
To Tad, Pinky was a jewel beyond treasure. He would not mistreat her or put her through the misery that Derby had done. He would not kidnap her and somehow get her affections as Kurt had done. No, he would do a very Un-Prep like thing.....He would be gentle and patient. In time, Pinky would come to know of his real intentions, and pledge her whole heart to him alone.
As he was thinking these thoughts, Pinky emerged from the washroom. She came to him and turned her face this way and that. “Huunt Berrerr ?” she managed to lisp out.
“Why, Yes, much better, my love, much !”, Tad exclaimed. “You look just stunning !”
Pinky gave him a lopsided smile at that, even though she had to wince while doing so.
“Say, Angel, I was thinking”, Tad went on, “That maybe we should take in a movie, now that the picture-place is open again, then after perhaps we could go to the Carnival ? I could win you a prize. Would you like that ?”
Pinky’s eyes flashed a sparkle at Tad, and she moved closer and linked arms with him. “Ummhumm”, she managed, and nuzzled his shoulder. Arm in arm together, they descended the stairs and returned outside to the other Preps on their Quad.
________________________________________
-
While Tony and Nick were taking the West pathway around the school by the Parking Lot, looking for the Bullies, Beatrice was leading Jimmette out of the Library after finding out that the Nerds were all hanging out these days down at the refurbished Observatory. She still knew the code for the Nerd’s gate next to the Library that led down there, but elected to go down through the entrance from the Football Field. After all, it wouldn’t do to reveal secrets before being properly introduced, now would it ?
The two Nerd girls had hit it off almost at once after meeting. They both got assigned to the same room, and Beatrice had regaled Jimmette with the stories of the Bullworth that she knew, the one of Jimmy Hopkins and Gary Smith, of Johnny, Derby, Ted, and the rest.....Of how the other girls were all just bitches who acted like giving out a spot on the Cheerleading Team was like cutting off their noses, but would fuck the boys at their earliest opportunity. All except for Eunice, that fat cow downstairs who was still bellyaching about having to go to Summer School even though she had rarely missed a class.
She also described the Nerd boys in detail, and seemed genuinely shocked that Ernest Jones had been shipped off to a sex-addict clinic nearly a year ago. Of course, she hadn’t ever seen Earnest pounding his pud over those nude pictures of Mandy in his secret dark places either. Beatrice told Jimmette of all the Nerd boys, of Fatty, Thad, Donald, Cornelius, Algie, and her best friend, Bucky. But when she got to Melvin, Jimmette’s eyes really lit up. She particularly wanted to hear about Melvin, the Hero Nerd who had gallantly held off the Townie attack on the Observatory with only a shield and a Blue Rubberband Ball. She had dreamed of meeting him every since she had read his story and saw his oh-so-handsome face on the Internet.
Jimmette prevailed on Beatrice for an introduction after they had eaten dinner in their room, and having nothing better to do, Beatrice readily agreed. It was time to get back together with the boys herself at any rate. Maybe she and Bucky could even go off to the Dragon’s Wing together, she had fond memories of that wonderful basement place and their times playing ConSumo there. Beatrice was confident she still held the girl’s high score on that gaming console, and wouldn’t it be fun to try to beat that ?
By the time they reached the Football Field, Beatrice was ready to warn Jimmette to steer clear of the Jock boys, as they had a nasty habit of pinching the girl’s asses if they walked by too close. But the warning was unnecessary, as she saw the Jocks engaged in some sort of workout session over towards the West end of the field. The girls walked unmolested to the opening leading to the Observatory.
Coming up to the entranceway, Beatrice was shocked. She had heard that a bomb had been set off here, but wasn’t expecting to see the entire upper platform gone and the old Spud Cannon missing. There had been only partial repair so far, the gates had been replaced, but the upper masonry still bore the scars of the explosion. The gates were chained, and attached to one of them was some sort of box. Beatrice went closer and examined it. It had a red and green push buttons on it, and it’s shape suggested what an old drive-in speaker looked like. After a few seconds, Beatrice figured it out and pushed and held the red button, then released it.
There was a short delay, then the box squawked, “Who Are You ? What Do You Want ??”
Beatrice then pushed on the green button. “Hey, it’s me, Beatrice !! Come let me in, I’ve brought a new friend !”
“Beatrice ?”, the voice said, somewhat softer. “That Really You ?”
“Of course it is, silly !”, Beatrice said. “Did you not hear I was back ?”
“Yes, We Heard”, the voice returned, “But We Still Need The Code !”
“Oh, for cripe’s sake”, Beatrice said, exasperated. “T-H-X, Hydrogen, Hydrogen, Lithium, Oxygen.”
“Beatrice !!”, the voice exclaimed, “It IS You !!!”
“Told you”, Beatrice returned. “Now let us in ?”
“Be Right There !!!”, the voice promised.
No less that 15 second went by and the great doors of the Observatory began to swing open. Beatrice and Jimmette noticed that while the doors seemed sorta new, there were two large holes punched in them and a few smaller ones, as if they had been struck by something with great force. Then one boy was running with key in hand to unlock the padlock that held the chains about the gates. It was Bucky. Fatty came limping out the door next, followed by Thad, Donald, Cornelius, and finally Melvin. As the chains fell free, the gates were swung open and Beatrice and Jimmette walked through to greet the waiting Nerds.
Beatrice hugged each one in turn, saving the longest hug with Bucky at the last. Then she turned and said, “Hey there, this is Jimmette. She’s a Nerd, just like us ! I’ve been telling her all about us !”
“Not everything, I hope !”, Fatty exclaimed, but was largely ignored as the group gathered about Jimmette.
“Like, Wow, I’m so honored to meet you !”, Jimmette exclaimed, her eyes aglow. “You guys are famous all over the Internet, the Nerds who battled those evil Townies and beat them, Especially...”, and here she looked directly at Melvin, “....The Brave Knight Lord Melvin, the Hero of the Battle !”
“Ah, Shuckles, it wasn’t anything...”, Melvin blushed.
“General Custer made a big mistake, but Melvin really put it to those creeps”, Thad interrupted.
“Geezh, shut up about Custer already, Thad”, Fatty said, rolling his eyes.
The other Nerds scattered some nervous laughter. But Jimmette was gazing into Melvin’s eyes, fluttering her lashes at him. “I’d really like to hear all about it”, she said breathlessly.
Melvin stood frozen, entranced by Jimmette’s worshipful stare. Never had a girl looked at him in such a way.
“Hey, can we like go inside ?”, Beatrice suddenly said. “I hear the place is all fixed up now.”
“Oh, Yeah, we even got a Telescope now, a REAL one”, Bucky said. “Wait’ll you see it !”
The Nerds began to move back to the doors, and Bucky raced to the gate to chain and re-lock it. Then he joined Beatrice.
Jimmette moved closer to Melvin. “Yes”, she whispered, “Show me.” She grabbed ahold of one of Melvin’s arms. As in a trance, Melvin began to lead her inside, and the others followed. Bucky and the rest of the Nerds began showing them the new Telescope and Catwalks leading up to it, and talked about opening the dome when it got dark to let the girls get a look. They jabbered on about all sorts of technical stuff, which the girls understood perfectly.
At some point, Jimmette and Melvin stole away downstairs. The other Nerds were so preoccupied that they never even noticed. Long before the evening would turn to night, Melvin had obtained something that his whacked-out predecessor Earnest never had....A Girlfriend.
__________________________________________________
-
Hal had come over to where Angie and Binky were leaning up against the wall, and about time, too. Angie had been growing rather impatient and bored, and she was getting dizzy from smoking so much. Looking cool while puffing away was a lot harder that she imagined it would be, even though she had thought she would be used to being a ‘Bad Girl’ by now.
Hal was in a good mood. Having Johnny back to lead the Clique once more seemed to bolster all the Clique members, even Peanut, who was now reduced once more to Johnny’s second-in-command. But strangely, Peanut was relieved to not have to bear the burden of command all alone. As Johnny’s second, he actually had more power and respect than he had alone, as he was still in charge of carrying out Johnny’s directives. The difference was that Johnny once more had his back. Over the past year, his leadership had been continually questioned, and as the revolt led by Norton and Ricky had shown, the other Greasers were more than all too willing to turn against him. But all that was over now. They wouldn’t dare question his authority ever again and risk Johnny’s disapproval, not as long as Johnny was the leader of the Clique. And, as Johnny had told him, he didn’t want to leave the Vale Valley again. He and Lola were getting their own place in New Coventry. He had even talked of the possibility of them running the Pool Hall at the Blue Balls Bar.
Hal scooped up Angie and swung her around like a feather, which made Angie even more dizzy and slightly nauseated. “H-e-e-e-y !!!!”, Angie gasped, “You’re gonna make me barf !!”
Hal didn’t seem to notice her discomfort, instead he laughed. He was in a high good humor indeed. “Heya Babe, what say we go off to the Carnival, just us ? I bet I can win you that new stuffed Bunny !”
“Bunny ?”, Angie gasped, her nausea forgotten. “I LOVE Bunnies !!!”
“Then let’s go !”, cried Hal with a big grin. He still was enchanted with everything about Angie, including her Bunny fetish. Looking at Binky, Angie said, “I have to go...See’ya.”
Binky said nothing, just gave her a slight nod. Hal and Angie headed across the lot, stopping briefly to talk with Peanut about their plans. Peanut gave approval, cautioning him to be on guard against attack by other Cliques, and to check in when they got back. It was all a precaution, these days attacks against single members were rare with all the media people still hanging around with cameras quick to record their every move. Hal and Angie then moved off. Peanut was left looking after them, then he shifted his gaze to the wall, where Binky was standing.
She was an odd character, Peanut thought. Here she was, this new chick, and she seemed coolly aloof to the goings-on around her. That she was there at all was a mystery. She had just showed up one day and hung around, not speaking much, but always with a knowing smirk on her face. Several of the Greasers had tried to put the moves on her and had been rebuffed, politely and inoffensively. It seemed she wasn’t interested in a relationship, but only in the observation of them. Peanut wondered again just who she was.
As he was thinking these thoughts, Peanut found himself moving closer to her. He halted several feet away, staring at her. She returned his gaze for an instant, then looked away, taking a drag off her cigarette and exhaling the smoke with a smug look on her face. She knew all about those Greaser boys, their wants and desires, from her time in Newark. From what she had been able to observe, there was no difference from that old neighborhood to this bunch, except that these Greasers were famous.
Haltingly, Peanut said, “Heya dere.....Umm....Da boys is planning a get-together for later....Youse wanna come ?”
A whisp of a smile played on Binky’s lips. “That So ?”, she said as she pulled another drag on her ciggy. “And I’m invited, I take it ?”
“Why...Sure”, Peanut said. “I’m, um....Peanut, by the way, and de rest are.....”
“I know who you are, Larry Romano”, Binky said, blowing a smoke ring.
Peanut was stunned. “You....Youse knows my name ? Howzat ?”
Binky did smile then. “Cause you’re famous, don’cha know. A real Internet Sensation.” She swept an arm out in an inclusive gesture. “I know who all of yous are.”
“Hows can dat be ?”, Peanut wondered, still a bit unsure. He had heard of these things, although in the backwards Vale Valley to this point, he had never so much as seen a You-Tube video.
“You’ve all gone viral, is how”, Binky said. “I don’t guess you all would understand it, though. Maybe Johnny and Lola would, since theys been out in the world.”
“Hey, I can unnerstand stuff”, Peanut retorted, a bit put off.
“Not sayin’ you couldn’t”, Binky suddenly tittered, with a small laugh. “No offense there. Just that, yous all don’t know, is all.”
Mollified somewhat, Peanut said, “Wells, none taken, I guess. Johnny says it’s a big world out there, at dat.”
“Dat it is”, Binky returned, pulling another drag off her ciggy and looking at Peanut speculatively. “Say, if’n you don’t mind my askin’, how’d you get called Peanut ?”
“It’s uhhh....”, Peanut fumbled, looking around, “It be cause of me bein’ so.....Short.”
“Short, huh ?”, Binky said. “You’re taller that me.” She looked around. “I noticed lots are tall ones around here. Even the girls.”
“Everyone’s so tall !!”, Peanut exclaimed with venom. “Tired of all these tall punks around !! Even the short little kids gets tall !!”
“You know”, Binky said with an ironic smirk, “We could make our own short club at this here place. Like, the magical daily life of Peanut and Binky the short.”
“Yeah, could”, Peanut said. “I’se gets so pissed wid all of dis. Could use some-o-dem elevator boots like youse girls.”
“This ?”, Binky said, sticking out her leg which was clad in a stylish thigh-high 4-inch heel boot. “Still not high enough to be tall, not even close. Look funny on you, though.”
Peanut broke a smile. “Naw, guess not.” He watched as she finished her smoke and then dropped it, grinding it out with the same booted foot she had just displayed to him. Peanut’s gaze was riveted on her shapely leg as she ground the butt back and forth. To distract himself, he said, “Your name can’t really be Binky. Dat’s like a baby name or someptin.”
“Nope, that’s right, it’s not”, Binky said. She pulled out a piece of bubble-gum from her vest pocket and proceeded to lick it with her tongue before popping it into her mouth and starting to chew.
Peanut was watching her moves closely. “So....What is it, den ?”
Binky just chewed her gum without answering, finally blowing a bubble and popping it.
“So, youse ain’t a-gonna tell me, huh ?”, Peanut said after a while.
“Nope”, Binky said and popped another bubble.
“So...Why not ?”, Peanut said with mock dismay. “It’s not fair, youse knows mine, y’know.”
“A goirl gotta have some secrets”, Binky said with a smarmy laugh. She blew and popped another bubble. “I didn’t say I’d never tell. Maybe, if’n I get to know you better...”
“Oh...”, Peanut said. “Umm....So, youse wanna hang ? Since we gonna be in the same club and all ?”
Binky looked at him a long moment. Then she said, “Sure”, followed by another blown bubble. Peanut slouched against the wall beside her and shook a ciggy out of his pack and lit it. Binky gave him a sidelong look, and the corner of her mouth turned up in a lopsided smile.
_________________________________________________
-
As Tony and Nick crossed the front Quad on their way to the Boy’s Dorm, a commotion of sorts greeted their eyes. A line of girls was being herded through the front gates by what looked like three tough-looking female guards dressed in uniforms with nightsticks at the ready. Through the gate, Tony could make out a dirty-looking greenish bus parked on the street beyond. Waiting to meet them at the intersection of the dorm paths were Mrs. Carvin, Mrs. Peabody, Nurse McRae, Miss Peters, and Bethany Jones. Standing slightly off to the side were Ms. Phillips and Mr. Galloway, along with all four Prefects, who were doing their best to look important.
The girls appeared to be linked together by a thin belly chain that ran from waist to waist. As the boys watched, fascinated, the tough-looking female guards halted their charges at the intersection and began to loosen their bonds. One went over to where Mr. Galloway was standing and began to talk to him, obviously giving instructions. She totally ignored the blue-suited Prefects who crowded around behind him and Ms. Phillips. After a couple minutes, she turned and began barking orders, and the line of girls were led off along the path towards the Girl’s Dorm. Tony counted four black and four white girls in the bunch. They looked mean.
“Looks like the Reform School Girls have arrived”, Nick said wirily.
“Yeah....Just what we need”, observed Tony. “Trouble.”
____________________________________________________
-
“HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA !!!!!”, the lusty voice screamed.
The other Reform Girls laughed uproariously at that. The largest black girl, who had bellowed the nonsensical yell, was looking around the yard and at the Girl’s Dorm in disgust. “DIS PLACE BE UGGGGGLY !!!”, she screeched. “WE BE EXPECTED TO LIVE INA DIS DUMP ?” The Reform Girls laughed anew at that one.
“That Will Be Just ENOUGH !!”, Mrs. Carvin yelled, contrary to her Library voice. “There Will Be ORDER HERE !!”
That only set off a round of ferocious giggling from the Reform Girls. The large black one was named Shideed, and was the de facto leader of this band of female misfits. Her second-in-command of this sorry bunch of social outcasts was LaDonna, yet another large fat black girl. Two other black girls in the group were Katrina, also known as just 'Trina’, who looked like she was constantly pissed off about something, and Whitney, who looked for all the world like a meal-starved drug-addicted crack whore. The other girls were white, and nowhere as big as the lead two of Shideed and LaDonna. There was Tess, probably the chunkiest of the white girls, as wholly unattractive as Eunice but with an unkempt blonde mop of hair piled on her head. And also Carla, just as equally unattractive and stupid as Tess, but with some big knockers. She contrasted sharply with Tiffany, who was a skinny wisp of a girl who had dark hair and almost no boobs at all. Lastly, there was Hayley, an average-sized silver blonde girl who looked perpetually bored with her surroundings and life itself in general.
“SHUDDDDDDDDDDUUUUUUUPPPPPPP !!!!!!!”, the head guard screamed through a small megaphone that had suddenly appeared in her ham-like hand. The guffawing and laughter subsided. She turned to Mrs. Carvin and said, “It takes a firm hand with these trashy hoes. Here, you’d better take this.” With that, she held out a thin, long tubular object.
“That looks like....A Cattle Prod !”, exclaimed Mrs. Carvin, who grew up on a farm and was somewhat familiar with such objects.
“That’s just what it is”, the female guard replied, “You got to keep these wastes of society under control or they’ll get into all kinds of mischief.”
“But...But, that’s Inhuman !”, Mrs. Carvin. “I can’t use that on these girls !”
The female guard shrugged. “It’s your funeral. But, I’m warning you, it’s going to take this kind of thing, and more.”
“I’ll take that”, Mrs. Peabody, who had walked over to the pair, said. She grabbed the offered item and hefted it. “Just what I’ve always been needing.”
“You’ll have to stay on them every minute”, the female guard said. “They usually like to carry out all sorts of minor crimes.”
“There’s no such thing as a minor crime”, Mrs. Peabody said grimly. “Not at Bullworth Academy. They’ll soon be model citizens, if I have to shock the devil out of them ten times a day, I can assure you.”
“Then”, the female guard said, “We’ll take our leave. The’re your problem now. Good luck.” With that, she signaled the other two guards and they left the campus to return to the bus.
Mrs. Peabody walked to the bottom of the steps of the Girl’s Dorm and addressed the Reform Girls. “LISTEN UP !!! You Are To Go Into The Dorm Here And Get Your Room Assignments !! You Will Only Be Allowed Out For Class To Start With. If You Behave Yourselves, We Will Think About Affording You Privileges !! So, Let’s Go !!”
The Reform Girls milled about uncertainly. Behind them, the four Prefects of Max, Seth, Karl, and Edward blocked their way. Mrs. Peabody brandish her Cattle Prod like a sword, waving it about in the air. “I SAID MOVE IT !!!”, she yelled.
There was some low grumbling, but the Reform Girls moved toward the steps and began slowly mounting them. Mrs. Carvin held the door open as they filed in. The girls all gave her the hard stare as they filed in, and she shuddered. “I’ll bet not a one of them has ever even read a book”, she muttered, one of the biggest insults she could muster.
Tiffany, the last girl in, overheard her mutter. She grinned evilly to herself. A liar and a thief in addition to being a raging Kleptomaniac, she had a grand idea for her first mission at Bullworth.
_________________________________________________
-
Tony and Nick watched for awhile before turning their way down the path leading to the Boy’s Dorm. Tony didn’t have to wonder where the Bullies were.....About the entrance to the yard, the Bullies had gathered, watching from afar the arrival of the Reform Girls. There was a lot of chatter being bandied about.
“Shee-it, did’ja see them Fatasses ?”, chortled Wade, “I didn’t knows shit was piled like that !”
“And, so damn UGLY !”, Tom spewed, “Them girls make Eunice look good !”
“Uhh, dey wasn’t ALL uglies”, Troy put in, “Dere wuz a couple wasn’t so bad...”
“What not bad ?”, Davis quizzed. “YOU can have that one wit no tits ! That’s right up your alley !”
“Duhh....What’s dat supposed to mean ?”, Troy said, a bit slow on the take as always.
“Just...She’s more your speed”, Davis said, laughing, and the others guffawed.
Troy knew he was being laughed at, if nothing else, and he started to get mad. “Uhh, You’s can’t all talk to me like that !! Puts ‘em up !!”, and he raised his fists and began to dance around.
Tony and Nick arrived just then. “Cool it, boys. We don’t want to get nasty”, Nick said.
The Bullies looked at Tony and Nick standing there. “Uh, Hey, no problem here !”, Trent said. “Dey was just playin’....Right, guys ?”
“Uh, Yeah....“, Tom said uncertianly....”Right, sure, dat’s all we’us was doin’, just funnin’, y’know ?”, Tom said, beads of sweat forming on his upper lip. These days, nobody challenged either Nick or Tony. They knew better.
Tony ignored them. “We’re here to see Russell. Where’s he at ?”
“Uh...Over there, by the steps”, Trent said, and pointed. Tony and Nick walked over to where Russell was at, and Trent followed.
“Hey, Russell”, Tony greeted. “Not watching the new girls arrive ?”
Russell gave the pair a forlorn look. “It Not Matter. No Girl Want Russell.”
Tony was taken aback by that statement. He had really never given any thought to how Russell felt about such things. Or, any of the Bullies, really, because they were....Well, Bullies. It didn’t ever occur to him to think that they would even want girlfriends. With the exception of Trent, Tony had never seen any of them so much as show an interest in any of the girls here. All they liked to do, it seemed, was to razz and insult them non-stop.
Tony shrugged, and got to the point. “Er, we came to see you, Russell, to talk about Weapons.”
“We Gots No Weapons”, Russell said morosely. “Justs Our Fists.”
“So, we’re gonna get you some weapons”, Tony said, “In fact, everyone is going to have weapons again”, Tony told him, and then proceeded to explain, as best as he could, about the concept of Parity to Russell. Trent listened intently, but Russell just stared off into space, or maybe only something he alone could see.
As Tony finished up, he couldn’t tell if Russell understood or not. He took a deep breath and began to try again. “You see, it’s like this....”
“Bullies Have No Money”, Russell suddenly said. “Have Nothing To Trade For Weapons.”
Tony was surprised that Russell had even come out with that, considering his apparent sorry mood, but said, “Um, we’ll find a way to see you all are supplied with Weapons somehow....”
“Have Trent Find Way”, Russell went on in a monotone, “Trent Good With Stuff Like That.”
Tony looked at Trent. “We’ll work out something. But NO selling Drugs again, got that ?”
“Um...Yeah, sure”, Trent said. “No Drugs. But...How....”
“Let ME take care of that”, Tony said. “It my job here. I’ll be seeing you fellows in a few days about this.”
Business concluded, Tony and Nick took their leave, walking back towards the school. Tony seemed lost in thought. Nick broke the silence at last. “So...You’ll find a way, huh ? How’s that ?”
“I’m going to buy their weapons”, Tony said, after a pause.
“Say, What ?”, Nick exclaimed. “How’s That ?”
“Jimmy left me some emergency money”, Tony said. “That’s how.”
“But....”, Nick said, shaking his head, “This all seems really weird....”
Tony stopped at the base of the steps. “No, just think of it. They are gonna owe US. We set up a condition for the money. They don’t have to know where it comes from, only they will have to do something in return for it.”
“Yeah ?”, Nick asked, “What Condition ?”
“I don’t know yet”, Tony admitted. “But I’ll come up with something.”
“Better make it good”, Nick replied, and shook his head. “I’m glad I’m not the Mediator. So, are we off to see the Nerds now ?”
“No”, Tony said, “That can wait until tomorrow, after school. I gotta come up with an offer they can’t refuse....Or at least a reason they have no argument against.”
“Well...If you don’t need me, I’m gonna go off to the Library, then”, Nick said.
“The Library ?”, Tony said, “What for ?”
“They got the computers in and hooked up”, Nick replied. “I haven’t been able to get on-line since I came here. Got some old friends to look up. Nobody’s much over there now, since the Nerds moved full time into their new digs. It’ll be peaceful.”
“Huh....Never figured you for a geek”, Tony mused with a grin.
“Not about just geeks anymore”, Nick returned. “Soon, everybody’s gonna have to have it just to live.” He waved as he walked off, leaving Tony standing alone.
Tony looked about him and sighed. He should go find Karen, he decided. She could help him sort this out. Maybe it was time to set up the connection posters on the wall in his office, once more. Before things got too complicated.
______________________________________________
-
“You thinkin’ that’s a good idea ?”, Gurney said, somewhat shocked at he was hearing. “That’s a Fed Crime, y’know.”
“Don’t mean nothing”, Omar replied. “Them whacked-out Rocker kids did it, and not a damn thing ever happened to them ‘cuz of it.”
“Things is changed now”, Gurney went on, doubtfully. “There’s them Guard soldiers still patrollin’ the streets over there, and then that curfew things still in place....”
“Yeah ?”, Omar cut in, “So you see ‘em over here ? Or in Coventry ? Fuck No, you don’t, not much, this still be the poor people’s area, where us scum live, ain’t nobody wants to bother with the likes of us, not even those do-goody yessir soldier boys. As for that curfew, that’s a joke...Have we had any problems getting around at night ? I think not.”
Gurney had to allow that that was so. “But....It just seems risky. We gotta have a place to stash them, and then keep ‘em from escapin’, and then there’s feedin’ and stuff....”
“We’ll keep ‘em right here”, Omar said, sweeping his arm grandly around. “Since that there EPA shut this place down, this whole section of town’s deader than hell. Nobody comes back here anymore for fear they’ll get poisoned or something. They haven’t even re-activated the Cop Station.”
All that was true. The Chem Plant had been shut down by the Environmental Protection Agency as a result of the bombings and fires that had spread the toxic gas throughout Blue Skies, and there was still a massive cleanup and repair to do before the plant could be deemed anywhere near safe to resume operations. The closing had put a lot of people out of work, but they were being propped up by receiving unemployment and other disaster aid, which they used mostly by drinking it up in the few bars that were still open in the Vale Valley that escaped being bombed.
Blue Skies was still a mess. Where FEMA money was busy re-building most other parts of the Towns, not much was being done here. Quite possibly, that was due to there being so little housing or still-operating businesses left in the section. It was true that the docks were still working, and that the old Blue Skies Shipping had been geared up to handle the freight shipments to the railroad, which has also resumed operation within a week after the bombings. Spencer Warehouse still lay partially in ruins, but would probably be repaired if a new owner ever got ahold of the building, since it was still in a prime location to transfer cargo from ships to the railroad and vice-versa. But the rest of the sector was dead for now, and probably for some time in the future....Just what Omar was banking on.
“There be nobody even come lookin’ back at this place for a real long time”, Omar continued, “And if’n we have to, we can take 'em down the river and stash 'em somewhere where they won’t never know where to look.”
“Well...Suppose it could work”, Gurney said. “But why this ? We could just face down them two, get them on OUR turf.....”
“That won’t do”, Omar said, “We can’t lure them over here alone. And even so, don’cha remember what happened the last time, one on one ?”
Gurney did. He recalled how Tony had beat him nearly senseless on the Football Field in the face of the coming Tornado, and blackened his eyes. “Yeah”, he said bitterly, remembering that Nick had actually knocked Omar out in the same fight. “We owe them payback, big time.”
“Oh, we will get that payback, and then some”, Omar said, somewhat sadistically, “We’ll control those two fucks like puppets on a string. We will make them crawl, then destroy the very things they cherish the most.” He gave a rough laugh. “If you know what I mean.”
Gurney nodded. “So, when do we do this ?”, he asked.
“Two weeks”, Omar said. “We bag ‘em on the fourth, while the fireworks are going off. Good ole Independence Day is gonna be Captivity Day for them assholes.” He brayed a bit of laughter, and Gurney joined in. Their laughter bounced off the inner walls and echoed about the inside of the deserted Chem Plant.
______________________________________________
-
“Oh, This Is Fun !!!”, Karen exclaimed as the Carousel Horse rode up and down.
Beside her, Tony grinned. She was right, it WAS fun. And he sure felt better, getting out and being a kid again, his worries and cares being put aside for the evening. The Merry-Go-Round whirled about as the calliope music played, Tony and Karen riding the plastic gallant steeds as they made their eternal trek to nowhere speared in the middle by a ten-foot shiny metal pole.
Prospect Park Carousel in Brooklyn, New York (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP7QXwnwdhM#)
It had been years, it seemed, since he had ridden such a ride. In the hazy days of his youth, he recalled being taken to Coney Island and spending the day there, riding all sorts of rides at a place called Astroland. He dimly recalled his Father telling him about a grand amusement park called Palisades Park he had went to as a boy. Then, there were county fairs and the like, small temporary ride parks that came and went with the breeze.
Tony sighed. The parks were long gone from his life, just like his Father. But, this place...! With all that had been happening over the past year, he had rarely had time to get over here and enjoy it. There were few rides here, an Octopus-type ride called the “Big Squid”, a Roller Coaster called the “Big Canyon Railway”, and a Ferris Wheel called the “Round The World”. But, there were other things, primarily the Freakshow House, the Fun House (in which Tony had never been), and all the Midway Games, where one could win tickets to cash in for prizes at the Souvenir Tent. It wasn’t much, but enough for a small burg like this. Now, the Merry-Go-Round was restored, and the Go-Kart Raceway Track was being reconstructed. Soon, the place would be even better, if the extra jolt of tourists kept coming through the summer. It would do for now.
“Hey, What’s Going On Over There ?”, Karen shouted suddenly, interrupting his reflections. Tony craned his neck around to look, but the Merry-Go-Round had already spun past the site where Karen was pointing to. Tony had to wait until the ride circled around again to see what was happening. Meanwhile, people, adults and kids alike, were running towards the commotion. When the Merry-Go-Round had come around to the spot again, Tony saw what the disturbance was. There was a fight going on in front of the Midway booth “Strike Out”. Tony could see figures, one in a blue sweater and one in a black leather jacket fighting.
Tony slid down off his horse and indicated to Karen to do likewise. “Com’on...Let’s go see what’s happening !”
They hopped off the ride that was already slowing down, and ran towards the booth.
______________________________________________
-
“UNNNHHH !!!!”, Tad screamed, as Hal’s meaty fist smashed into his face with an audible crunch, bringing a spray of blood from his nose. “You Filthy Lowlife !!”
Hal threw another fist, but Tad ducked it and landed a blow to Hal’s Solar Plexus that made him gasp suddenly for air. “Fuckin’.....Femboy !!”, he spat out as he retreated a couple of steps.
Both fighters began to circle each other as a crowd gathered. Tony and Karen arrived and pushed their way through. Off to the side stood Pinky, who was clutching a large stuffed Bear. Nearby, holding an equally large stuffed Bunny, was Angie, who was extremely agitated, jumping up and down in frustration and screaming something. The moment she spotted Tony, she yelled, “Eeeee, Tony, Make Them Stop !!”
Pinky appeared to be the calmer one, but her face showed an anxious expression. She turned imploring eyes at Tony that seemed almost begging. Tony approached the fighters cautiously as he said, “Com’on, fellows, break it up !”
“This is none of your concern !”, Tad hissed through the blood leaking from his nose. “This Peon rudely Shoved me and made me miss my shot !!”
“It was MY turn, Prepwipe !!”, Hal said savagely. “Youse been Hoggin’ dat booth long enough !!”
“Com’on, guys, it don’t matter, you can’t fight here”, Tony said, “You’ll get busted....”
But it was already too late. Pushing through the crowd came two burly men that Tony had never seen before. They had on black shirts with the word “SECURITY” across the front in neon yellow letters. Before the two fighters could so much as try to throw another punch, they were grabbed and wrestled to the ground.
It was all over in seconds. Both Hal and Tad were taken down swiftly despite their yells of protest. Tony had never seen that kind of speed before, not from the Prefects or even from the Bullworth Cops. The Security men were lean, tough, and they meant business. Tony wondered where they came from. Carnival Owner Billy Bob Crane must have hired his own goons to patrol the Carnival grounds since the last time he had been there. Logical, it seemed. Business must have really been picking up.
“Hey, Watch It !”, Hal howled as he was thrown to the ground.
“Like to fight, huh ?”, one of the Security Men said. “Let’s see how you Hoodlums feel about it after a night in jail !”
“Hoodlums ?”, Tad gasped. “Do you not know who I am ? I’m Tad Spencer !”
“Don’t care if you’re the King of Siam”, one of the Security Men said, “You’re Goin’ down !” He turned to the other and said, “Get on the radio and have the Cops meet us out front.”
Angie uttered a small scream, and Pinky seemed to become agitated. Tony stepped forward and spoke to the Security Men. “Um...Sirs ? That really shouldn’t be necessary, they were only fighting....”
The Security Men looked at Tony. “Who the hell are you kid ? Their Babysitter ?”
“Um...I’m the School Mediator”, Tony said, a bit hesitantly. “It’s sorta my job to....Look after things.....”
“Well, this ain’t the School, kid”, The Security Man said. “We got our own ways of handling Hoodlums like this.”
“They’re not Hoodlums, they’re just students”, Tony said, “And they just had a misunderstanding. Really, there’s been no harm. Nothing is damaged, is it ? Sending them to Jail for just a little fight seem excessive, really...”
The crowd about them had gone silent. The two Security Men took notice of that and exchanged a look between themselves. Then the Security Man who was holding down Tad said, “Tell you what....We’ll take these two to Mr. Crane. He can decide what to do with them. You can Come along and plead their case.”
Tony nodded at that. The skill of negotiation learned from Mr. Galloway had worked again. The Security Men hauled Tad and Hal to their feet, positioning their arms behind them in an arm lock, then marched them down the Midway to Billy Bob Crane’s office. Tony and Karen followed, with Pinky and Angie trailing after. The crowd behind them dispersed quickly, the excitement over. There were still rides to ride and games to play.
__________________________________________
-
“Whacha got here ?”, Billy Bob Crane said as his Security Men hauled Tad and Hal into his office, followed behind by Tony and Karen with Pinky and Angie silhouetted in the doorway, unwilling to venture in any farther.
“These two were fighting on the Midway”, one of the Security Men said.
“And, who are those two ?” Billy Bob asked, indicating Tony and Karen.
“Um...I’m Tony Calderone, and this is Karen”, Tony spoke up. “I’m the Mediator over at the School.....”
“Ah, right, the Hero Kid and all”, Billy Bob interrupted. “That was a fine thing you did there, getting rid of that maniac and his buddies. Bad News there, them ones was. Bad for business, too.”
“Err...Thank you Sir”, Tony began. “Umm....I’d like to take charge of Tad and Hal, here. They was fighting, sure, but there wasn’t any damage or anything, ‘cept to themselves.”
“Would you like us to turn these two over to the Police ?”, the other Security Man inquired.
Billy Bob tented his rather fat fingers before him. “Miscreants, Heh ? I don’t take kindly to fighting here. This is a place of fun for everyone. I got paying patrons and their safety to consider.”
“It was just a....Misunderstanding, Sir”, Tony went on, “Just one of those things, I’m sure they meant no harm. If you could give them a break....I’ll see to it they cause no more trouble.”
Billy Bob Considered. The Carnival was packed on this fair summer evening. It might not do to have the Cops show up just now. Maybe bad for business. Besides, what was the harm ? He cleared his throat. “All right. No Cops. But there must be a punishment.” He pointed to Tad and Hal, who had stood sullenly silent until now. “You two are banned for a month from the Carnival. Show your faces here, I’ll have you arrested for Trespassing. Got It ?”
Both boys mumbled assent. “Escort these....Boys to the gate”, Billy Bob said to his security men, “And make sure they go down the road.”
Both Security Men nodded, and grabbed ahold of their charges by the arms, hustling them out of the office. Karen and Tony followed, and were at the door when Billy Bob said, “Say there, Tony....How’s your friend Algie getting along ?”
Tony stopped, and looked around. “Um....Better, I guess. He got shot in the butt, y’know. I can...Um...Check for you, if you really want to know ?”
“You do that”, Billy Bob said, and a grin spread over his face. “And....Tell him he’s welcome to have his job back here anytime he wants it. Tell him also....That Paris is missing him terribly.” With that, he bellowed a gale of wild laughter. Tony nodded and then hurriedly escorted Karen out to the Midway.
_________________________________________________
-
Tony and Karen followed the Security Men down the Midway, who were in turn closely following Hal and Tad towards the front gates. Pinky and Angie were also walking along behind, Pinky not saying anything because she couldn’t, and Angie was also being silent for once. Tony knew his fun at the Carnival was over for this evening.
The Security Men halted at the gates while the kids filed through, and stood there with arms crossed, waiting for them to be on their way down the road and through the tunnel. They milled briefly. Both groups couldn’t leave at once.
“Better take off”, Tony said to Hal and Angie. “See you back at school tomorrow, hey ?”
“Yeah”, Hal said, giving a nasty look at Tad. “Hey, thanks a lot, Tony-Boy.”
“Don’t mention it”, Tony replied, and watched as Hal and Angie walked off towards the tunnel back to town. When they were almost out of sight, he turned to Tad. “Well, your turn. Start walking. Don’t be thinkin’ about gettin’ in any more scuffles tonight.”
“So, what do I owe you for this ?”, Tad said in a flat voice.
Tony looked at Tad for a moment. “Nothing. Consider it a payback for the boat loan.”
Tad nodded with the trace of a smirk. “Fair enough.” His eyes darted around to Pinky, and he noticed suddenly that she had resumed her mooning look at Tony, and said hastily, “I say, luv, let us go to the Beach House, shall we ?”
Pinky reluctantly drug her eyes away from Tony. She seemed unaware that Karen was glaring icicles at her. Pinky looked at Tad, and for a moment, she seemed confused. Then her face cleared, and she nodded assent. The two walked off and soon were going through the tunnel and out of sight.
“I swear, as soon as she heals up, I’m gonna clean her clock”, Karen said angrily. She started off, and Tony followed, shaking his head. What a night.
________________________________________________
-
“Good Morning Mr. Galloway !”, a pert, chipper voice said.
Mr. Galloway looked about to see who had spoken to him. He had been looking out over the Great Hall from the second-floor railing just outside the School Office.
It was Christy Martin. “Why, Hello, Miss Martin”, he said, “And a fine day to you, also. Heading to class ?”
“Yes, I am....I’m helping Ms. Phillips today with some of the student’s artworks”, Christy said. “And, you can just call me Christy, like before, if you want. ‘Miss Martin’ sounds so formal !”
“Well, yes, it does a bit at that”, Mr. Galloway conceded, “Sound formal, that is, but out about in the school we use our formal titles, in front of the students you know.”
“Oh, yes, I completely understand !”, Christy replied. “It’s just that....I don’t know, it’s like, I’m not ready for that yet, I guess. To be called ‘Miss’. It just sounds....Strange, is all.”
“You should come to the Teacher’s Lounge for lunch, or after school, then”, Mr. Galloway smiled, “We use our first names there.”
“That sounds nice”, Christy said, “But I’m just a Teacher’s Ade, not a real Teacher yet....Am I allowed to go in there ?”
“Why, most certainly, my dear”, Mr. Galloway answered, “We don’t stand on ceremony here about that. You’re on staff now, don’t forget. Please do come.”
“Ooh, that would be Super !”, Christy gushed. Impulsively, she reached out and gave Mr. Galloway a hug. “You were always my favorite Teacher, you know !”
Mr. Galloway suddenly felt a deep stirring that he hadn’t felt since he was a High Schooler himself. “That’s.....Quite nice, my dear....To hear that....Thank you....”
Christy disengaged herself from the hug. “But....I don’t know anyone’s first name, except for Deidre....Umm, Ms. Phillips.” She looked about. The students were thinning out, as it was getting close to class time. Even though there was no one near, her voice dropped to almost a whisper. “So....What’s your name, Mr. Galloway ? What do I call you in the Lounge ?”
“Umm....It’s.....Lionel”, Mr. Galloway managed to get out, despite his strange feelings.
“Oh ! Ok, I’ll remember that”, Christy said in a conspiratorial whisper. “Lionel. I like that !”
Just then, the bell rang, summoning students to their first morning class. From behind Mr. Galloway, there came a familiar voice. “Why, there you are dear ! Come along, we’re late for getting class started !”
They both turned to see Ms. Phillips standing there. “Oh, right !”, Christy twittered. “I’m on my way, right now ! Bye, Lionel...Um, Mr. Galloway !” She gave him a wink and hurried off.
Watching Christy head down the hall towards the Art Room, Ms. Phillips observed, “Getting a little chummy there, wasn’t she.” It wasn’t a question.
“She was just...Er....Expressing gratitude, I suppose....”, Mr. Galloway said lamely, his stirring feeling somewhat abating.
“Gratitude ? For What ?”, Ms. Phillips asked.
“Um....For me being a good Teacher....She said...”, Mr. Galloway replied uncomfortably.
Though she was known as somewhat flighty, Ms. Phillips stare bored right into Mr. Galloway. “That better be all it is. Remember who has always been your real champion around here.”
With that, she turned and flounced off. Headed for class, Mr. Galloway supposed. He turned and leaned on the railing once more, and sighed. One more piece of trouble he hadn’t asked for. Little did he realize that this wouldn’t be the end of it. No, not at all.
___________________________________________
-
All morning, Tony struggled with the question of just what leverage he could use with the Nerds to convince them to start making and selling weapons to the other Cliques. Then, during Math Class (now being taught by a new Teacher, a Mr. Berryhill Newton), he hit upon a plan.
Lunchtime found him in the School Office. Miss Jones looked up inquiringly. “Yes ? May I help you ?”
“I’d like to see Mr. Galloway, if it’s not too much trouble”, Tony said. “It’s rather important.”
“Well....He’s taking lunch in his office now”, Bethany Jones said uncertainly, then she brightened into a smile. “But I’m sure he will see you, at that. Let me go ask !”
Tony had a seat while he was waiting. He had already decided not to mention anything about weapons to Mr. Galloway. Instead, he was going to try a different angle. Miss Jones returned soon and said the Headmaster would see him, and he was ushered into his office.
“Tony ! Good to see you !”, Mr. Galloway said, taking a bite of his sandwich. He motioned Tony to a chair. “What is it you need to talk about ?”
“Well Sir, it’s like this....”, Tony began, “All this while, we’ve been trying to increase security for the students here, and to avoid any more mishaps here with the likes of people like Gary or Jake ever rising to gain control of the school or the grounds again. But, in order for the kids to feel truly safe from attack here, each needs their own specific areas where the can feel relatively safe from attack, by lone people or other Cliques. Granted, it’s peaceful now, but you know that eventually tensions will break out again, and we’ll be right back to the way things were. So, here is my proposal......”
At that, Tony launched into what he had envisioned. Mr. Galloway listened with rapt attention, for he had in fact been pondering the same thing himself. As Tony concluded with his plan, Mr. Galloway was nodding. “That sounds like a super idea, Tony”, he said. “Been giving a lot of thought to this, have you ? That’s an extraordinary solution, and really so simple.”
“Then we can do that ?”, Tony asked, holding his breath.
“I don’t see why not”, Mr Galloway said enthusiastically. “I’ll direct some of the recovery funds to it right away. Great idea, Tony !”
“Thanks Mr. Galloway !”, Tony exclaimed, and rose to leave. “I think this will help a lot !”
Leaving the Headmaster’s office, Tony then ran down Melvin, and arranged a meeting for after school down at the Observatory. By the time the bell rang for afternoon classes, Tony felt certain that his plan to re-arm the Cliques would be a success. There was only the Nerds left to convince.
____________________________________________
-
The final class of the day over, Tony met his friends in the Lunchroom, where after-school snacks were now being provided as part of the ‘New Image’ of the School. Edna’s food was still as terrible as ever, but no one seriously expected that would ever change. The snacks, however, were being trucked in from the outside world, and included things like Twinkles, Cupcakes, Fruit Pies, Chips Ahoy, and similar items.....So the students deemed them safe to eat.
Assembled at the table were Tony, Karen, Nick, Melody, Laurent, Constantinos, and Ray. In a low voice, Tony told those trusted friends an outline of his overall plan, and swore them to secrecy. It would depend of a lot of factors if his overall re-arming plan was to be successful, and at the core of it was Tony’s new plan to make certain areas more secure. This is what he had been discussing with Mr. Galloway, he told them, and even though forms of it had been used in the past, there had never been an effort to really make it a campus-wide reality. “But now”, Tony said, “With these new funds pouring in to re-hab this place, this can be possible, for probably the first time in school history !”
Laurent frowned. “About how long will this take ?”, he asked, “And how will we hold things together and keep any incidents from happening in the meantime ?”
“About two weeks, I estimate”, Tony replied, “All of it could be in place around the 4th of July holiday. As for keeping any trouble from happening in the meantime, we will just have to be vigilant. Constantinos, you’re the best digger of information in the whole school. Keep your ears to the ground and report anything you find out, no matter how trivial it might seem.”
Constantinos nodded. “I can do that”, he grinned.
Tony turned to Ray. “And Ray, you keep your eyes open for anything happening around the Dorms and in School. Dirty looks, threats, name-calling, rude remarks, things like that.”
Ray vigorously agreed to that, happy to be included in an important job at long last. Next Tony said, “Nick, it’ll be your job to walk the areas of the campus where trouble most likely happens and just look mean and tough. Nobody will be starting any trouble if they know they have to deal with you, the toughest kid at school.”
Nick had to agree with that. Then Tony addressed the girls, “Karen, Melody, I want you girls to look after the other girls, particularly those new ones. I got a feeling they’re gonna be trouble, and probably soon, too.”
“You got that right”, Melody piped up, “They already tried to take over the Dorm. If Mrs. Peabody didn’t have that Cattle Prod, they’d have been all over us by now.”
“They’ve already been taunting the younger girls”, Karen observed, “I don’t think they’re used to any kind of civilized behavior. Those two big black girls, particularly.”
“That’s the kind of stuff I’m talking about”, Tony said. “We have to stop things like that, before they turn into fights, like last night at the Carnival. It’s stuff like that, that will get Cliques fired up against each other again.”
“How do you think that we are going to ‘keep a lid’, as you say, on things ?”, Laurent spoke up.
“Look”, Tony said, “Right now, we’ve got just about 100% respect from everybody, saving the school and all. So, they’ll do what we say....For now. But, that won’t last forever. That’s why these plans have just got to work. It’s really this place’s last chance.” Tony settled back, and sighed. “And, with most of us looking at another two years at this place until we graduate, we have to do something. I can’t take another year like the one we just went through.”
There was mumbled agreement at that. In their hearts, every one sitting at that table on this warm summer’s day wanted nothing more than to have a normal school life. This was perhaps as close as they could ever get to realizing that wistful dream.
Their snacks finished, the friends broke up and went on their separate ways. Tony walked with Karen to the back Quad. “Well, I’ve got to go and meet with the Nerds now....Wish me luck.”
“I should come with you”, Karen suddenly said.
Tony frowned. “I think Melvin is only expecting me....I don’t know if he wants a girl around sitting in on our talks.”
“Oh, Pshaw”, Karen said. “Melvin’s already got a girl down there now, her name’s Jimmette. She’s down there most of the time when she isn’t in class. I hear Melvin is quite taken with her.”
This was news to Tony. “No shit ? What kind of girl would hang around with Melvin ?”
“She’s a Nerd girl”, Karen said, “Surprised you haven’t noticed her around school.”
Tony had to admit he hadn’t. “Well, no, tell the truth. I haven’t. But there’s a whole bunch of new ones that came in, I just assumed they were all from that Reform School.....”
“No, not her”, Karen said, “She’s nice, I’ve already talked to her. Seems she has a thing for Melvin, saw him on the Internet and wanted to go here, whatever.” She shrugged. “But...If you take me down with you, I can talk to her some more....And maybe it could be another way to convince Melvin to go along with all this.”
Tony brightened. “That’s a super idea !”, he exclaimed, and planted a kiss on Karen’s sensual lips. “You always amaze me ! But I guess I should be used to that by now !”
“You better believe it, Mister”, Karen said, and then stole a rub on Tony’s sensual parts. “And, if this works out, maybe you and I should go celebrate somewhere private, afterwards...Huh ?”
“You got a date, Lady !”, Tony told her, trying to quell for the moment his rising passion. “Let’s go do this !”
Arm in arm, they headed down towards the Observatory.
______________________________________________
-
Lucky DeLuca looked into the bay and squinted. He could see a couple of figures inside in the gloom, smoking ciggys. He entered to find who he had been looking for, along with somewhat of a surprise. Sitting beside him was that new girl, Binky. “Hey, Peanut, Johnny’s been lookin’ for yer.”
Peanut turned lazily on the bench towards Lucky. “Yeah ? Wut’s he want ?”
“I Donno”, Lucky answered, “Why don’cha go see ? What am I looking like, a message board ?”
Peanut took a last couple of drags off his ciggy before dropping it to the floor and grinding it out with his biker boot. “Well, alright......I’ll get back wit you Binks, a little later. Maybe, around that place we wuz talkin’ about ?”
Binky nodded, a quirky smile curling on her face. Peanut rose and faced Lucky. “So, where be Johnny at ?”, he asked.
“Out in front of the Autoshop, by the front door”, Lucky answered. “Youse know, where we usually hang ?”
“Oh, right, right”, Peanut said. He seemed somewhat distracted.
“Where you been all day, anyhoo ?”, Lucky asked. “Didn’t see youse in school.”
Peanut brushed by him. “Cuz I weren’t. Me and Binky skipped the day to hang out.”
Lucky shook his head. “You shouldn’t oughter do that. We gotta lot to make up.”
Peanut stopped in the doorway. “What’s it matter ? Hell, we’re all famous now, so’s I hear. Who needs a buncha edu-macation ?”
Lucky, who probably had the best attendance in class out of all the Greasers and was an advocate of staying in school, was aghast. “Why, we do, blue....Never knows what’s gonna come down the pike o’ life, y’know. How you gonna get a good job witout it ?”
“Gaaaa....I don’t give a shit, Sherlock”, Peanut said as he walked off, leaving Lucky open-mouthed without a good comeback.
Feeling eyes on him, Lucky turned to where Binky was still sitting. Although it was shady in the bay, he could make out her features quite clearly. On her face was a smirk of contempt. “What’s wrong wit you ?”, Lucky asked. “Youse been corruptin’ Peanut or somethin’?”
Binky gave out a little laugh. “Hardly. Why don’t you mind your business, little boy ?” She took a last drag off her ciggy before dropping it and grinding it out.
Lucky felt insulted. “Cuz, Peanut IS my bizness. He’s one of us, and you ain’t !”
Binky stood up and arched an eyebrow. “That so ? We’ll see about that.” She started to leave.
As she brushed by Lucky, he laid a restraining hand on her shoulder. “Hey, where you goin’? I ain’t done talkin’ to you....OOOF !!!!!!”
Catching Lucky completely unaware, Binky had whipped around and planted the pointed toe of her booted foot directly in his nuts. Lucky fell to his knees, unable to speak.
“Don’t EVER touch me !!”, Binky hissed. “Just because I’m short don’t mean you got any rights to do whatever you wants !”
Lucky groaned with pain and fell on his side. Thorough half-lidded eyes, he watched Binky walk away. Next time, he was thinking, someone else could be the messenger boy.
____________________________________________
-
Passing the Football Field, Tony noticed the Jocks already working out under the steely gaze of their new beaver-faced coach. Even Laurent was huffing and puffing about the field, as it looked like they were doing tackle runs today. Tony was glad he had opted out of Gym Classes last year and had not attempted to join any teams. Not that Bullworth Academy had any other real teams to speak of, but all that might change now. Unlike Coach Burton, this guy was a workout demon.
Unnoticed, Tony and Karen walked along the bleachers and came to the opening in the wall that led to the Observatory. They walked up the path to the gates. Tony’s eyes were on all the wrecked masonry still waiting to be repaired, and did not notice the chained gates until they were right up on them.
“Whoa, look at this !”, he exclaimed to Karen, pointing to the log chain with the big padlock. “Just shows how much they really need protection, now that the Spud Cannon was blown to smithereens.”
As they had reached the gates, they noticed a box-like thing with red and green push buttons on it attached to the bars. After a few seconds, Karen figured it out and pushed and held the red button, then released it.
“Who Goes There ?”, a tinny voice issued from a speaker on the box. “Identify yourself !!”
Karen showed Tony to press the green button, and he did. “Um....It’s Tony Calderone. I’m here to talk with Melvin. He’ expecting me.”
For a full minute, there was no answer. Then, “What is the code ?”
Tony was ready for this. “THX-one-one-three-eight”, he spoke into the box.
A few seconds dragged by. Then, “Wait. Someone will be right out.”
‘Right Out’ turned out to be about 5 minutes. Then the big doors of the Observatory were pushed open, and Donald came out, followed by a limping Fatty. When they reached the gates, Donald began unlocking the padlock and undoing the chains. Fatty spotted Karen and whined, “We didn’t hear about any Girls coming.”
“It’s just Karen”, Tony said, as patiently as he could. “You know who she is. Maybe, she could talk to that new girl, Jimette, while me and Melvin talk ?”
Donald and Fatty exchanged a look. Then Fatty said, “Sure, yes, that sounds fine.”
The chains were pulled off, the gates opened, and Tony and Karen walked through. Fatty escorted them inside while Donald rewound the chain about the bars and re-locked the padlock.
“That must be a real bitch to have to do that every time”, Tony observed.
“Yes, well, we have to keep ourselves protected”, Fatty said.
“I believe I can help with that”, Tony said, as they headed to the steps leading to the basement. Fatty gave him a quizzical look, but Tony did not elaborate. Instead, he asked, “Is Melvin down below ?”
Fatty nodded, and Tony and Karen headed down the stairs. At the bottom, Tony found himself in familiar surroundings once more. The room with the big long rectangular table, and the smaller doors dotted along the one wall that he knew were the storage rooms. Some of the doors were open, and Tony could see mattresses thrown on the floor within, the Nerds must be using those places for their sleeping areas now.
Sitting at the big table was Melvin, and the new girl Jimmette. Tony approached Melvin. “Hi, Melvin. How you been ?”
“Greetings !” Melvin returned, and shook Tony’s hand. “And, Um.....Nice to see you too, Umm, Karen...”
“Oh, I just came to meet Jimmette”, Karen said brightly. “I thought she could show me around while you boys talk.”
“Why....Uhh...Sure”, Melvin said. “That would be....Just fine !”
“I feel like I know you both already !”, Jimmette said, getting up, “I’ve read so much about you both !”
“We’re just regular people”, Karen said, “Really nothing special.”
“That’s not what the world thinks !”, Jimette said with a trace of awe in her voice. “Everyone here is famous ! But you two are the most famous couple !”
“Well”, Karen said, a bit nervously, “What do you know about that !”
“Jimmette, dear, could you show Karen about, and let her see our new improvements ?”, Melvin said.
“Most certainly !”, Jimmette said brightly. “We’ll be right back !”
“Take your time”, Tony said, “We got a lot to talk about.” He shot Karen a meaningful glance.
“Right, lets go !”, Karen said. “I’ve never seen the inside of the Observatory before !”
As the two girls headed to the stairway, Fatty was clumping down. They waited until he cleared the opening with his huge bulk, then headed up the steps, chatting.
“Uh, I hope you don’t mind Fatty sitting in on our talk”, Melvin asked.
“Course not”, Tony said, taking a seat opposite Melvin. “This concerns him as well.”
Fatty sat heavily in a seat next to Melvin, the poor chair groaning in protest as he did. Both boys looked at Tony expectantly.
Tony didn’t waste any time with preliminaries. “I hear you’re making weapons again.”
Both Nerds were suddenly wary. Nervous sweat popped out on their foreheads. “Wh...Where’d you...Hear that ?”. Melvin asked, his eyes darting about.
“A little birdie told me”, Tony said. He hadn’t known for sure, until this moment, that the Nerds were in fact making them. “Com’on, you know I have sources.”
“But...But...That’s not true !”, Fatty protested. “We couldn’t do that, it’s...It’s.....”
“Relax”, Tony said. “It’s alright. I WANT you to make weapons for yourselves.”
Both Nerd’s eyes bulged. “You....You DO ?”, Melvin stammered.
“Most certainly”, Tony said. “What’s more, I want you to make them for Everyone.”
There was a tick of dead silence as if the Nerds couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Then the both began to jabber at once.
“Impossible ! We’re not doing that again !”, Fatty spouted.
“We finally have the upper hand here, this time”, Melvin protested.
“There shouldn’t even be any them having any at all !”, Fatty put in.
“No way are we going to arm the others when we’re so vulnerable !”, Melvin sputtered.
Tony let the jabber on, sitting with his arms crossed. When they seemed to have run out of protests, he said, “Gentlemen, have you ever heard of Parity ?”
Unlike the other, dumber Cliques around Campus, the Nerds knew exactly what that meant. “Balance of Power”, Fatty said sourly. “The downfall of every empire who believes in that false premise.”
“We tried this before, and look what happened”, Melvin pointed out.
“Ahh...But things are different now”, Tony said. “There will be security just about everywhere on campus now, in one form or another, to keep open attacks from happening. The only problem, as I see it, is your position down here, in a relatively secluded area, that just might invite....Shall we say, unwanted visitors ?”
The Nerds appeared confused. “That’s exactly why we don’t want anyone to have them but us !”, exclaimed Melvin.
“What If I told you that you could have the most secure stronghold on Campus, right here ?”, Tony asked craftily. “Your lifelong dream, an impregnable fortress, secure from any attack ? What would you say to that ?”
Both Melvin and Fatty say somewhat speechless at that. “H-How ?”, Melvin choked out.
“It’s simple”, Tony said, rather enjoying himself. “There will be money compensation, of course. But beyond that, if you agree to what I ask, I am authorized to offer you the following.” Tony leaned forward and stared into their faces for emphasis. “A brand new dividing wall between here and the Football Field, with a door built in that only YOU can access. Barbed wire on the top that not even Laurent can Parkour over. AND, a fixing of the fencing at the gate by the Library, with the same barbed wire strung along the top. Your whole G&G Battle game area returned to you alone between here and there. No one tramping through there any more, with a new gate built into the access tunnel that only you would control. And that’s not all.” Tony’s eyes bored into theirs. “A complete rebuild of the front gate here at the Observatory, with a special locking code that only you control. And with the same barbed wire set-up, naturally.”
Both Melvin and Fatty sat with big rounded eyes. “And....Um....Our Spud Cannon ?”, Melvin whispered.
Tony shook his head. “Can’t get you you that. But, with what you’re going to be raking in in bucks, you can build yourselves a new and improved one, hell, a double-barrel one if you want. You won’t really need one though....You boys will be Impregnable.”
Fatty found his voice. “How is all this going to happen ?”
“It’ll all be arranged, if you agree to my proposals. Recovery money will be diverted to this project with top priority”, Tony said, fudging the truth just a bit. Actually, what he had discussed with Mr. Galloway included all the Cliques in the project, each with their own area secured....All except the Bullies, that is, who were still living in the Boy’s Dorm. But that would be another matter. “Just think of it, boys....You can have a clear shot from the Library to here with no hassle once more, just the way it was intended. You won’t ever have to even go anywhere on Campus except the school, if you don’t want to. And with all the new security, you should have safe access out the front gate to go to Bullworth Town and the Dragon’s Wing.”
Tony stopped and watched the reaction of the two Nerds. He kept a poker face, giving no hint to his uncertainty that the Nerds might not go for it. But he felt relatively sure they would. He certainly couldn’t outsmart them, but appealing to their greed would carry the day, he was sure of that. He resumed, bringing home the deal. “Just think....Total freedom. To live the way you were meant to live, free from hassle, free from bullying, free from fear.” he leaned forward again, this time like a carnival barker, reeling in a mark. “So, whadda say ? Ready to grab the chance, right here and now, and live the good life ?”
Melvin and Fatty sat in total silence, their eyes holding a dreamy, far-away look. One could almost see the drool beginning to run down their chins. At long last, they turned their gaze at one another. An unspoken communication, then both faced forward once more. “Umm....Could we talk of this with our comrades ?”, Melvin asked, almost pleadingly.
“Why, of course”, Tony said, leaning back in his chair. “Just don’t take too long.” He rose, as then coming back down the stairs was Karen and Jimmette. Both girls were carrying on a conversation like old friends by this time. Melvin mumbled something to Fatty, and Fatty struggled up and headed towards the stairs, presumably to gather the others. Jimmette broke off and went to Melvin, sitting beside him. She began whispering something to him.
Tony rounded up Karen and headed upstairs. Once there, they watched the other Nerds file down. When they were alone, Tony asked Karen, “Did you put a little bug in her ear ?”
“Yep, I did”, Karen smiled mischievously. “I told her how great the security was going to be here from now on, if Melvin and the others took the deal. She got real excited.”
“I’ll bet she gets excited a lot, just to be here”, Tony observed.
“I think she is stuck hard on Melvin”, Karen said, "And he is stuck just about as hard on her.”
“Welp, I guess you can show me around now”, Tony said. He hadn’t really gotten the chance to see all the new stuff that the Spencer money had paid for, the new Telescope and all. They ascended the platforms as down below, they could hear the sounds of voices drifting upwards.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tony thought it would all be over quickly, but 25 minutes dragged by before Melvin appeared at the top of the stairway from the basement. Hand in hand with Jimmette, he came over to where Tony and Karen were standing.
“Tony, you have yourself a deal !”, Melvin said, a trace of joy and exuberation on his face.
“Hey, that’s just fine, Melvin”, Tony said. “You won’t regret this. This will make this school a new place, and no one will be attacking anyone else.”
“More than that”, Melvin said, squeezing Jimmette close to him, “Now, I have someone more to watch out for than just the other fellows.”
Tony drew Karen close. “I glad we could reach an understanding of what’s important.”
“Yes”, Melvin said. “They are, at that. One question....About how long will the improvements take ?”
“About two weeks”, Tony said, “Should be in place by the 4th of July holiday. So, I trust you can construct enough weapons by that time ?”
“We can”, Melvin promised. “We will start tomorrow, to be sure.”
“Fine”, Tony said, “I’ll broker the deals with the other Cliques. You won’t even have to deal with them.”
“Oh, Wonderful !”, Melvin spoke. “How thoughtful of you !”
“Guess we’ll take our leave now”, Tony said. “Thanks, Melvin. It’s been fun.”
“Farewell, Gallant Knight !!”, Melvin cried, as they made their way to the door. Donald went ahead of them to unlock and unchain the gate. Soon, Tony and Karen were out once again in the late afternoon summer air.
“Hey”, Tony said to Karen, “Where was that Beatrice girl ? I thought she was hanging with the Nerds ?”
“That’s because she IS a Nerd”, Karen replied. “But she’s been staying at the Girl’s Dorm.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s not ‘proper’ for her to bunk with the boys, she says. But, then again, she always thought she was better and smarter than anybody, when really, she’s just a little conniver.”
“Really ?”, Tony asked, surprised. “Nick said she seemed nice...”
“Oh, what does he know ?”, Karen laughed.
“Nothing, that I know of”, Tony answered.
“Anyway, Mandy’s got it out for her”, Karen said. “She’ll make her life miserable, just like before.”
The Football Field was empty as they walked by. “That new Coach musta wore the Jocks out”, Tony observed.
“There’s something queer about him”, Karen said suddenly.
“Yeah, I think so too”, Tony said, that strange feeling he had had before coming back. “Can’t put my finger on it though, but I think I heard something about that guy, somewhere.”
“What sort of something ?”, Karen asked. She wasn’t much of a Jock girl anymore, having been with Tony for so long, but she still felt a kinship with them.
Tony shook his head. “I...Don’t really know. Something..... It’ll come to me, I suppose.”
“Hey”, Karen said, changing the subject, “Want to go somewhere to celebrate ?”
“Hell, Yes”, Tony said. “Let’s go to Chef’s and have a decent meal. We deserve it !”
_____________________________________________________
-
The next week went by rather peaceably, much to Tony’s relief. Tad and Hal never did settle up their fight that had been interrupted at the Carnival, though Tony was sure it wasn’t forgotten. There were no other major incidents at the school or on the grounds, only some minor stuff like name-calling and shoving in the hallways, and those were quickly quelled by the Prefects, who were frankly quite bored out of their skulls and began to long for the days gone by when they would bust up to 10 students a day each.
Part of the reason was that there was still a large adult presence at the school and on the quad areas. Much of it was the workers who were refurbishing the school and the grounds. Some, like specific tradesmen, had been brought in from the outside. Others were the out-of-work Dockmen and Chem Plant Workers that used to have jobs over in Blue Skies. Though the Docks were technically still open, there was a lot less being shipped in and out these days. Much of the products were arriving by truck, now that the road was open to the world.
Most of the soldiers were gone, although they maintained a presence in Bullworth Town and the Vale, as there was still Martial Law in effect. Mostly, the soldiers didn’t bother much with New Coventry, only running a patrol a day through the streets. With Blue Skies, they didn’t even bother. That was almost like a Ghost Town these days, since much of the workplaces hadn’t re-opened as yet in the wake of the attacks. There was still a trace of the poisonous gas that hung in the air and seemed to cling to the buildings and even the landscape. The Police Sub-Station hadn’t re-opened, nor had the Clinic. Blue Skies Shipping was operating, but just barely had enough to ship in and out since it was difficult now to hoist their loads up and down to the rail cars. It had been an efficient set-up doing that from the Spencer Warehouse, but that place now sat damaged without much hope of being repaired. As the business was in receivership, due to Mr. Spencer’s legal problems, it was to be a long spell if it were ever to open for business again.
The crown jewel of the Harrington Empire in the Vale Valley, their money-maker the Chem Plant, sat shuttered by order of the EPA. Investigators had descended on the site, and declared it a likely candidate for the Superfund Cleanup List. With the slowness of the Federal Government in such matters, it would take months or years for any actual cleanup to even began, and even longer to be deemed fit for operation. The investigators had shuttered the plant and left town. The Chem Plant’s only occupants now were the Townies, who had broken in and moved in, lock, stock, and barrel. Just like in the old days of the late Edgar Munsen, they had the run of the place. The posted skull & crossbones signs that were peppered everywhere around the property proclaiming toxic poison virtually guaranteed everyone else would stay far away.
_____________________________________________
-
True to his word, Mr. Galloway arranged for the workers to began setting up the gates and barriers that Tony had envisioned. The workers had arrived promptly arrived the next morning and began repairing the stone wall in front of the Observatory. By the time school had let out for the day, that much was finished. In another day, the gates were repaired, as was the front doors of the Observatory itself. That completed, work moved on to the building of the large steel barrier wall between the Observatory and the Football Field. That occupied the better part of the rest of the week.
After the stonemasons had finished repairs to the Observatory wall, they began construction of a new wall on the West end of the Football Field, in front of the Jock’s Clubhouse. The wall extended both North and South, giving a small yard space in the front of the Clubhouse. This pleased the Jocks immensely, as they would finally have their own private area. It also quite displeased Coach Sanders, who felt he ought to access to the Clubhouse just the same as all the other areas. But, in the end, he had to reason that there was still access to the showers.
Before the week was out, construction was also done at the end of the path leading to the Autoshop, replacing the rickety corrugated metal contraption the Greasers had cobbled together to protect their turf with a nice-looking wall containing a secure entry gate. The same was done at the North end of their domain, where the Garages faced the Parking Lot to the old fenced-in Hobo’s Lair. This gave the Greasers a secure back lot area as well.
Last to be done was the gated entryway at the end of the path leading to the Harrington House quad and yard. This was a more simple, but elaborate affair, built to match the decor of the Prep House. Also on the bill was the repair of all the fencing that had been knocked down over the years, cutting off the shortcut between the Library and Harrington House, and the shortcut from the Greaser’s area to the back quad of the school. Such was the price of progress.
____________________________________________
-
As the week wound down, the Nerds were in full production mode, making their weapons over in the Dragon’s Wing basement, the place where all of their creations came from. Since there was a scarcity of Gunpowder these days, the Nerds elected not to make any more Bottle Rocket Launchers. Instead, they focused of producing Spud Guns and their variant, the Egg Gun. What little Gunpowder that they had went into the making of M-80 Firecrackers.
The making of the Guns was simple....Several empty cans were soldered together end-to-end to make the barrel, and then the addition of the Piston Valve and the Manual Air Pump at one end, operated by a simple pump action of the user. Then, a trigger was set in place and soldered to the barrel. Working steadily, a Nerd could turn out about two guns an hour.
Since they were Pneumatic Launchers, they required no fuel or chemical powder. Their ammunition was plentiful, as a large store of potatoes was always in a pile in the Basement of the school, used incessantly in Edna’s strange stew concoctions. Since the absence of Mr. Luntz, the Janitor position had not been filled with any sort of regularity, giving most anyone free access to the Spud pile without fear of getting busted. As for the Eggs, they had always been readily available at any of the Yum-Yum Stores. The Nerds didn’t bother with the ammunition aspect for the weapons, as that wasn’t part of the deal. The Cliques were on their own to find their own, as it were.
It was entirely possible that the Nerds could also make Air Rifles, if they had the material to do so. But that was one thing that Tony forbade. After what had happened to Pete and a few of the others, those were deemed far too dangerous to be in any kid’s hands at the school. Tony had heard the rumors that there were still some around, somewhere. It was difficult to tell just how many Jake had robbed from the Carnival, and how many still existed after their mass destruction in the school’s furnace and the sweep by the soldiers. But there were some, Tony knew. The Carnival was still operating the Shooting Range, so there was some known Air Rifles there.
Tony gave this matter a lot of thought. Near the end of the week, it was Karen who came up with a splendid idea, as they were sitting alone in his Mediator Office.
“It’s simple really”, she had declared, “We just need a Mole to keep watch on them.”
“A Mole ?”, Tony repeated, and then he got it. “You don’t mean....”
“Exactly who I mean”, Karen giggled. “There wouldn’t be anyone better !”
Tony picked Karen up in his excitement and spun her around in the air. “That’s a GREAT IDEA !!”, he proclaimed, finally setting her down again. “That just might work !”
Karen snaked her arms around Tony’s neck. “Here’s another Great Idea”, she said, and planted a huge french kiss on Tony’s unprotected lips. Their passions flared, and quickly discarding their clothing, they sank to the floor and forgot anything about weapons for awhile.
______________________________________________
-
Algie struggled awake in his Clinic bed on that Saturday. Another day of shit, his bleary mind thought, as he unwillingly banished dreams in where he was the owner of a large Internet company and nobody ever dared to call him 'Pee Stain’. As he opened his gummy eyes, he was startled to find a group of people gathered around his bed.
“Whaa....What are you all doing here ?”, he croaked. “What...Do you want ?”
Around his bed were standing Tony and Karen, Nick and Melody, Constantinos, and that fat Ray kid (Who Algie always thought of as fat, even though Algie was way fatter). There was also an adult there, whom he recognized as Chief O’Rouke. As his still-cloudy eyes went from one to the other, he relaxed somewhat from his initial anxiety. Instead of the hostile stares he had come to expect these past few months, they were looking at him in what appeared to be good humor. One might even say they were friendly looks.
“Umm...What is it ?”, Algie said warily, “Why are you all here ?”
“Up and at ‘em, Algie”, Tony said cheerfully. Algie shot Tony a confused look.
“It’s release day for you !”, Constantinos said, and for once Algie noticed he spoke without his usual depressing tone.
“Oh. Hooray. Lucky me”, Algie said morosely. “Did you all come to take me to Jail ?”
“Nay, nothing of the sort”, Chief O’Rouke spoke up robustly. “Far from that, me boy. The lads have a mission for you, and if you accept, all charges for your past mis-deeds will be swept grandly away and dismissed !”
Algie was confused. “How...is that even possible ? Everybody hates me.”
“But that’s just not true !”, Tony exclaimed. “If you hadn’t tried to throw that Stink Bomb, the Punks wouldn’t have gotten dis-armed, and maybe none of the other stuff would have happened that led to the school being saved. Don’t you see, you played a part in the overthrow of Jake, just like the rest of us here.”
“Still, my brother Nerds hate me. They made me Outcast”, Algie said sadly. “Melvin told me.”
“Doesn’t mean that can’t change”, Tony replied. “If you do this mission we have in mind for you, I can just about Guarantee that everyone will accept you back, even your brother Nerds.”
A small spark of hope lit Algie’s eyes for a second. “Umm...What mission would that be ?’, he said warily.
“It’s like this”, Tony said, and went on to describe the mission for Algie, that of watching over the Air Rifles at the Carnival and see that those remaining there didn’t get stolen. “These weapons need to be kept away from the school and out of the kid’s hands, so that what happened to Pete and others, including yourself, will never happen again. “ Tony didn’t mention that at this very moment Algie’s former brother Nerds were busy making other weapons to re-arm the school.
“Weell....I don’t know....”, Algie said indecisively. “How am I supposed to do that ?”
“It’s all been arraigned”, Tony said. “Billy Bob Crane wants you to come back to work at the Carnival. All you would have to do is check in with that Crystal every night to make sure none of the Air Rifles has gone missing. If that happens, you just come tell one of us.”
Algie’s hopes rose a little. “Yeah....But how’s that going to help me at the school ? I’m nothing but a big traitor. They’ll never accept me again.” He looked down at the bedsheets, tears welling in his eyes.
“But that’s just not true either”, Tony said earnestly. “Look, Algie, everyone knows how Jake tricked you and used you. He tricked a lot of other people too. They’re no better than you, and just as ashamed. But most of them didn’t do anything on that day to help save the school, and you did. That’s gotta count for something. And when we tell them that you’re making amends by helping to keep things safer, I can promise you that the word will be out that you’re one of the good guys.”
Algie sat there considering. “Yeah....But, I attacked them all. They’re not going to forget that. They’ll all want revenge.”
“Or”, Tony said, “They’ll remember you carried those attacks out all by yourself, without help from anyone else. My guess is that they’ll all fear you might be prompted into doing that again, somehow. I think you’ll find a sort of respect for that kind of ability. None of them ever had the brains to pull off what 'Piff The Skull’ did. They’ll be afraid to bully you ever again.”
Algie had never really thought of it from that angle before. For the first time in many, many months, his future didn’t seem so dark and dismal. “And....I’d be able to come back....To be accepted ?”
“Sure you would”, Tony said encouragingly. “Hell, you’ll be a legend. Just work the rest of the summer at the carnival, and I’m sure Mr. Galloway would let you come back to school in the fall. Fact is, we’ll all talk to him about it, won’t we guys ?” Everyone around the bed nodded assent. “And besides that....I hear that Paris has been missing you lately.”
A sudden burst of emotion overtook Algie as he thought of Paris, her huge rounded curves so much like his dear mommy. He had almost despaired of ever again being able to sink his face into her enormous bosom, or the feel of her chip-stained hands caressing him. At that moment he was decided.
“All Right, I’ll do it !” he declared, looking at the faces around him.
“That be right fine !” Chief O’Rouke declared. “I’ll go get your transport arranged. Plus, I got other things to attend to, City Bussiness !” And with that, he was off.
Tony and the others took their leave as well. Outside the Clinic, they gathered.
“Want to go over to the Burger Joint to celebrate ?”, Ray asked, meat always being on his mind. “The others are going. Hear they got a new Saturday Special, half-price !” At the mention of a reduced price, the others began clamoring to go.
“You guys go on ahead”, Tony said. “Me and Karen are gonna drop by the Dragon’s Wing and see how the Nerds are coming along. We’ll catch up with you later.”
The group split up then, with Ray, Constantinos, Nick, and Melody heading off towards the Vale. Tony and Karen trudged the few blocks to the Dragon’s Wing.
“I hope they’re all on schedule”, Tony commented on the way over.
“Are you going to say anything to them about Algie ?”, Karen asked.
“Nope, not yet”, Tony replied. “Not until the time is right.”
“Kinda walking a fine line with all of this, aren’t you ?”, Karen observed.
“It’ll all work out”, Tony said. At least, he hoped so.
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During the course of the next week, the Nerds were able to complete enough weapons to re-supply all the Cliques. Getting them into the Academy grounds were no problem, the Nerds just did as they always did, concealing a few weapons under their clothing each time they went back and forth to the school. Nobody ever paid much attention to the Nerds anyway, even the remaining Media that still lurked in the area.
At the end of the week, on Saturday, enough weapons had been gathered at the Observatory for Tony, Nick, and Constantinos to began deliveries to the Cliques. The first were to be delivered to the Jocks, as they were the closest to the Observatory. But what should have been the easiest of all turned out to be the hardest. The problem was the new Coach. He constantly hung out on the Football Field, from morning to night. Except for the Jocks themselves and the Cheerleaders, anyone else who tried to venture onto the field was run off. The gaming field was no place for pussies, Coach Sanders declared, and only the fittest of the school were to be allowed there.
The Coach didn’t, or couldn’t, ban anyone from the bleachers or the general area of the Gym or Pool. Not that a lot of Non-Jock kids wandered down there anyway, but just as with any other restricted place, the field ban drew the curiosity of the students. They began to come down to the Football Field, first in trickles of just a few students, then in larger Clique groups, to sit in the bleachers and gaze on the now-forbidden field. It was the same old Football Field, nothing had changed there, but the denial of their perceived rights to even walk on that field, which had always been taken as a matter of course, made it suddenly an object of tantalizing desire.
Sitting in the bleachers, the students beheld the rigorous new training schedule the Coach had imposed on his new charges. The blasts of his whistle became so commonplace that soon it just became part of the decor of the Football Field. At first, the gathered students would laugh and guffaw at the Jock’s discomfort and exhaustion, cracking jokes and pointing with hilarity at their unfortunate schoolmates. But as time went on, and the Jocks slowly began to show more stamina, a sort of school pride began to creep into their senses, and the laughter and jokes began to subside. The daily 50-lap run became a central event, with some even cheering on their favorites and some others betting and wagering on the outcomes.
Coach Sanders would finally retire after 9 PM to the office areas under the Gym bleachers, inherited from his predecessor, and it didn’t take him long to discover the spy tube that angled down into the Girl’s Locker Room. He took to bunking in the area under the North bleachers, however, upon the discovery of a similar spy tube which angled down into the Boy’s Locker Room. Unlike Coach Burton, he didn’t set up any taping equipment though, being quite a bit smarter than that. Coach Sanders had been at this game a very long time without getting caught.
Tony came to realize that he would have to deliver the goods after dark....In fact, to be safe, after curfew.....To the Jocks in the Clubhouse itself. Leaving the Observatory with Nick and Constantinos, each of them with a ring of Spud Guns strapped about their waists and covered with bulky sweaters, they traversed the space between the Observatory and the Jocks Clubhouse. They had to keep a sharp eye out for the Prefects, who were patrolling the area much more than they used to, having for some strange reason taken a liking to Coach Sanders and his authoritarian ways.
The new wall between the Football Field and the Observatory area had been completed, but Tony was privy to the new passcode at the small door set in it’s base. He and his friends stealthily traversed the distance to the Clubhouse without incident, and Tony rapped out a code on the Clubhouse door that he had prearranged with Ted the day before in school. They were ushered inside, and unlimbered the weapons, then the agreed-upon cash payment was handed over by Ted. Tony was to keep a part of that for his and his friend’s commission. While not a large amount, it was more than adequate for the night’s work.
Tony and his friends left just as silently, meeting behind the bleachers to divide the commission, then Nick and Constantinos faded off into the darkness, returning to the Dorms. Tony himself returned to the Observatory and gave the Nerds their asked for price for the weapons, then snuck back to the Dorm himself, taking the way around via the Nerd’s pathway to the gate by the Library. This same process was to be repeated with the other remaining Cliques, and by Monday morning, the whole of the campus would be re-armed. Full Parity, and hopefully lasting peace, would be realized.
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Sunday saw a repeat of the deliveries, first to Johnny Vincent and then to Tad Spencer. Both times Tony, Nick, and Constantinos packed the weapons around their waists as they had for the Jocks, and merely covered them with bulky sweaters. They were not accosted on their way to the Clique’s locations, other than a far-off shout by one of the Prefects, “Why Are You Wearing Those Clothes ?”, which they ignored.
At the Greaser’s Autoshop, Johnny peeled off the amount from a large roll of bills he pulled from his pocket. Not ones to be trusting banks, the Greasers always carried cash if they had any. But it was unusual, in Tony’s experience, for any one Greaser to have so much. However, that wasn’t his concern, so he kept silent as the bills were plunked in his hand. Johnny even included a hefty tip for Tony and his friends over the asking price. Tony briefly wondered if Johnny would have been so generous had he known of his one-time liaison with Lola, and decided not. At least Lola was keeping quiet about that, much to Tony’s relief.
A small bit of trouble arose in Harrington House when Tad tried to pay for their weapons with a check drawn on a New York bank. Tony demanded cash money and threatened to pull out of the whole deal, leaving the Preps weaponless. Reluctantly, Tad complied, having the other Preps 'pony up’ their share one by one. There was some delay as they searched the house for hidden cash, but finally enough was produced. Tad grumbled something about 'Blood Money’ as he counted out the bills, thrusting them rudely at Tony, while Pinky stood silently behind them casting mooning looks at Tony once more. For the first time, Tony wondered if he was making a mistake in re-arming the Preps, but shook the idea off. Everyone would have to be armed for this plan to work. Even so, he was glad to have the business completed and get out of Harrington House.
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The final Clique to re-arm was the Bullies, the most broke-assed students in the school. They were always the laziest kids whose chief occupation was stealing from others. Tony knew they wouldn’t be able to come up with the cash to buy their weapons outright, since their sources of income -- Dealing Drugs and swiping things from the town’s stores -- had been severely curtailed of late. They were also at a loss of what to do now, since there was no one left for them to bully. They couldn’t go after the Nerds anymore, not without getting a spud in the nuts for their trouble, and the last of the little kids....Sheldon and Pedro....Had gone home for the summer. As a matter of fact, there wouldn’t be any more little kids come fall, either.....The State Board of Education had decided that Bullworth Academy was to be a High School only from now on, as part of their restructuring. Sheldon and Pedro would be allowed to come back, as they were to be Freshmen in the coming school year.
But Tony thought he had a solution, of sorts. He would finance their weapons, out of what Jimmy Hopkins had left behind. In return, he was going to impose a set of conditions on the Bullies. Not that he was ever going to change them for the better, or curb their wild ways. In fact, Tony figured that most of them would wind up in Prison eventually. But what this might do was buy him a whole lotta time, and give him some sort of control over them for the foreseeable future. Tony still had two years to go to even see graduation himself, and the Bullies would always be here....Some were older than he was, and still they persisted in hanging around. They would probably still be here when he finished High School, as they were too stupid to graduate themselves.
Tony, Nick, and Constantinos made the trek from the Observatory as before. This time, they went to behind the Boy’s Dorm, and waited. Tony noticed that the hole that led to underneath the Dorm had been bricked up and mortared. His memory went back to the time when he first saw that hole, when Jake had pulled away the bricks to show it to him before having Tony stick the stolen clothing boxes inside. Was that only just a short 10 months ago ? It seemed to Tony that years had passed since then.
Tony’s remembering was broken soon enough, as Trent came into sight, followed by Russell. As they came up to the dumpster that the boys were standing by, Trent said, “You got the stuff ?”
Tony pulled up his sweater to show off the ring of Spud Guns around his waist. “Right here.”
Trent looked at the weapons with a gleam in his eye. “So, hand 'em over already !”
“Not so fast”, Tony said, dropping his sweater. “You got any cash to pay for these ?”
“You...You Know We Don’t !!!!”, Trent cried. “You said....Uhh, we’d work out something !”
Tony slowly grinned. “Did I now ?”, he said slyly, and almost laughed at Trent’s comical expression of despair.
“You know, I’m wondering”, Tony said as he stared to pace back and forth along the dumpster, “Just HOW much you fellows really need these weapons. I got to thinking, surely you all could take care of yourselves, even though every other boy in this school will be armed. You guys are tough, right ? It shouldn’t matter to you. Why, you could take a few spuds to the nuts, and bounce right back up, kick some ass anyway. I mean, what’s a few injuries among enemies, anyway ? A little time in the Clinic, and you’re as almost good as new. Oh, you might get knocked out a few times by some shots to the head, but so what ? You can bushwhack them later, you all are good at that, right ?”
Trent stood agape. “Are you Loco ? Those apes will....Will.....”
“They Will Come After Us”, Russell suddenly intoned. “Settle Old Scores.”
Trent looked around, startled. He had completely forgotten Russell was standing right behind him. “Uhhh...Yeah ! That’s Right ! What he said ! Com’on, Tony, you can’t do this to us ! We need protection too !”
It was all Tony could do to keep from laughing out loud. Beside him, Nick was trying to hide a smile, and even the corners of Constantinos’ mouth were twitching. Tony laid a hand to the side of his head like he was thinking and coming to a decision, although he knew exactly what he was doing.
“That’s pretty rich, considering what you all do”, Tony said.
“But...But we’re Bullies !”, Trent exclaimed. “That’s what we do !”
Tony stopped pacing. “That’s exactly right. But if you want these weapons, you’re going to have to use your talents in a different way.”
Trent was confused, not an unusual condition among the Bullies. “But....How ?”
“Simple”, Tony said. “You Bullies are about to become my personal Army.”
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Trent stood stock still as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard. “Uhh...Say WHAT ?”
“I need to have an Army”, Tony said, “And you’re it.”
“An Army ?”, Trent said, confused. “What for ?”
“For when I need one”, Tony replied. “In case things get out of hand this summer. In case another Jake comes along. Or another Sid and his gang.”
Trent’s eyes bugged. “You can’t be serious ! We can’t stand up to adult criminals !”
“Why Not ?”, Tony asked. “Isn’t that what you tried to do already ?”
“Yeah, but....That was a....Fluke, man!”, Trent sputtered.
Suddenly Russell spoke up. “Russell Surrounded By Weaklings !”
Trent recoiled at that, once more forgetting that Russell was standing right there.
“See, Russell knows”, Tony said. “Don’tcha big guy ?”
“Russell Help Make Jimmy King ! Trent Help Save School !”, Russell rumbled. “We Can Do This !”
Trent stood undecided. “What does this mean, then ?”
“It means”, Tony said, “You take these weapons, you work for me. With Conditions.”
“What Conditions ?”, Trent asked suspiciously.
“Here’s the way it is”, Tony said. “There are now no weak Cliques at Bullworth....Except you fellows. Everyone is armed. There’s no one left for you to Bully. Even the Nerds will have twice the firepower you will have, which will just about make up for them being physically weaker. Everyone, that is every boy, will be armed. All will be equal. If one Clique attacks another Clique, there will be no winners. Each side will be defeated. It’s called, 'Mutually Assured Destruction’, and everybody will be spending their summer in the Clinic.”
“Yeah....So ?”, Trent said.
“So, the conditions are....One, you can’t Bully anyone anymore. There won’t be anyone left to Bully, until new kids arrive in the fall. Two, there will be NO Drug Selling. Already have that in place, from our earlier agreement, but just want to remind you. Three, there will be no more stealing. That means bikes, lunch money, anything. You need money, go get jobs.”
“JOBS ?”, Trent yelped, as if it was a dirty word. “Jobs at What ?”
“Running Errands, Delivering Papers, Mowing Grass.”, Tony said. There’s plenty of work out there. I figure you guys would be experts at grass mowing, as many times you gotten detentions.”
“We can’t Work !”, Trent exclaimed. “It just so....Ehhhhh....” He shuddered.
“Time to grow up Trent”, Tony said. “What are you gonna do when you finally leave this place ? Live in the Tennaments ? On Welfare and Food Stamps ? Rob and Steal and Murder ? Spend most of your lives in Prison ? Don’tcha want the finer things in life ? Don’tcha wanna be important ?”
Trent didn’t have anything to say to that, just like at any other time when someone confronted him with the facts.
Tony tried another tact. “You know, it only took ONE Nerd to bushwhack the lot of you. Without Weapons, you think you’ll be safe ? From Anyone ? There’s still a lotta payback coming your way. Think about it.”
There was silence for a moment. Then Russell bellowed, “TONY RIGHT !! We Take Weapons, Make Army ! We Be STRONG !”
Trent finally gave in. “Ok....Deal”, he said. Tony, Nick, and Constantinos unlimbered the weapons from around their waists and handed them over.
“Glad to see you made the right choice”, Tony said. “I may never have to use you, but in case we’re ever attacked again from the outside, we’ll be ready.”
We Be Good Army”, Russell said. Tony noticed he suddenly didn’t look his usual chipper self, and rattled the words off without enthusiasm.
“You all right there, Russell ?”, Tony asked.
“Cafeteria Food Made Me Puke All Night”, Russell moaned, looking positively greenish now.
“That Sucks”, Tony said. “Get jobs, and you won’t have to eat there anymore.”
Their business concluded, the trio headed back to the observatory for their final mission of the day, to pick up the last load of weapons to be distributed to all the non-Clique boys.
“That was some speech, Boss...Er, Tony”, Constantinos remarked. “Was that just bullshit, or for real ? Had me convinced. We expecting trouble from anybody ?”
Tony’s jaw set. “There’s still one group out there that’s proven trouble.”
“Eh....Lemme guess...Those Townie boys ?”, Nick said.
“Bingo”, Tony said. “They got away scott-free for attacking us at Easter. Now that Sid and the Punks are gone, they got the rule of the roost. Wouldn’t put it past them to try something again on their own.”
“But another attack on the school ?”, Nick said, “They’d be crazy to try that.”
“Maybe something more sinister”, Tony said darkly. “I know there was a couple of others besides that Big Darrell fuck involved in Zoe’s rape last year. They never paid for that, either. If anything else, we gotta be prepared to protect our girls from those slimeballs.”
“Amen to that”, Nick said.
Little did Tony know just how prophetic his words would soon turn out to be.
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The new school week began on Monday, as the last of June bled away. It was to be a week of anticipation, however, thanks to the efforts of Christy Martin. The holiday of Independence fell this year on a Saturday, and the plan was already in place to dismiss classes very early on Friday. Christy had prevailed on Mr. Galloway to allow a school dance that evening in the newly-repaired Great Hall.
In the Teacher’s Lounge at the weekly staff meeting, Mr. Galloway had informed the other Teachers and staff of the upcoming event. “I believe it’s time to began the process of returning this school to normalcy....Or, at least make it more like a normal school. To that end, I’ll be needing chaperones for Friday evening. Whoever is next on the list will be required to attend.”
One could almost hear the sound of crickets chirping as the staff digested this bit of news. “Or...I’ll take volunteers”, Mr. Galloway finished lamely. The Teachers looked around. Just as in class, nobody stuck their hand up.
“It’ll just be another bloodbath like the last one”, Mr. Wiggins commented sourly. “Count me out.”
“Hush up, you weren’t even there”, Miss Peters retorted. “As I recall, you had the Boogie-Woogie Flu. Or maybe it was Keep-On-Truckinitis.”
Mr. Wiggins muttered under his breath something about History repeating itself and people being doomed to repeat it, then fell silent.
The seconds dragged on with with nobody volunteering. “Come on now, somebody should volunteer. I’ll be there, and so will Miss Jones”, Mr. Galloway said entreatingly. “And, the Great Hall will be thoroughly checked for any...Ahh, trouble.”
The new math teacher, Mr. Newton, hesitantly spoke up. “Um....I know I’m new here, but I wouldn’t mind.”
“Splendid !”, Mr. Galloway said, relieved to have at least somebody break the tension. “Who else ? Com’on, don’t be shy !”
“I guess I can do it”, Miss Peters sighed, “Even though there’s some others here that should be taking their turn.” As she said that, she looked pointedly at Dr. Watts and Dr. Slaughter. It seemed unfair to her that anyone who had stuck a “Doctor” title in front of their names felt that they were somewhat exempt from chaperone duties, or just about anything else that involved being around teenagers except for class.
“I have some plants to grow”, Dr. Slaughter said evasively.
“And I have a date with Lady Edna”, Dr. Watts said suddenly.
“I’m sure you both are very busy”, Mr. Galloway added hastily, trying to stem any discontent. His comment was mostly unheard as the others reacted with shocked looks that the Chemistry teacher would be taking the Lunch Lady out again. It bordered on madness.
After a pregnant moment, Miss Peters spoke again. “I sure would like to have a man along. What about you, Harold ?”, she said, looking at Mr. Matthews, the Geography teacher.
“Well, I was planning on reading that new documentary about unexplored Antarctican mountians....”, he began in his faint English accent, but stopped as Miss Peters shot him a withering look. Before she could get nasty, he hastily amended, “Umm....But surely, I could very well find the time, I do believe.”
“Excellent !”, Mr. Galloway beamed. “So, it’s all set.” He turned to Christy. “Since this was your idea, Christy, you should be there also.”
Christy smiled self-consciously and said, “Uh...Ok ! Can I bring Winkie along, book him for the entertainment ?”
“That would be just fine, my dear”, Mr. Galloway said grandly.
“I’m coming too”, Ms. Phillpps said suddenly, throwing frosty looks at both Bethany Jones and Christy Martin. “Someone has to show these new girls their responsibilities. And how to keep control”, she added pointedly.
“Um....Why yes, of course”, Mr. Galloway said quickly. “I just assumed you would be there.”
Mrs. Peabody piped up, “Are those hooligan girls allowed to attend this ?”, Referring to the Reform School girls. “Because they should be kept under lock and key. I have to recharge that Cattle Prod almost every night.”
“Uh...No”, Mr. Galloway replied. “Why ask for trouble ? Keep them away. But...”, he said, moving on, “There’s going to be some new students coming in this week. I hear they’re alright kids, for the most part.”
Mrs. Carvin groaned. “How many this time ? We’re running out of space at Dorm. Any more and I’ll have to bunk four to a room.”
Mr. Galloway shuffled through some papers. “Let’s see”, he mumbled, “Looks like...Eleven girls and.....Three boys. That’s going to be it, least until fall.”
Protests began issuing from the older teachers attending. This meant more work.
“Great. More kids to blow stuff up in class.”, said Dr. Watts.
“More Girls who don’t know a thing about Home Economics”, complained Mrs. Peabody.
“More kids who don’t know where anything is at”, interjected Mr. Matthews.
“And have no clue to what animal insides look like”, commented Dr. Slaughter.
“No idea of where they came from or where they’re going”, said Mr. Wiggins.
“I’m gonna need more bicycle parts for building projects”, Mr. Neil put in.
”More books to be filched from the Library”, Mrs. Carvin grumbled.
“Where are we going to put everybody ?”, Miss Peters asked.
Mr. Galloway raised his hands. “All your concerns will be addressed”, he said hurriedly. “Soon, construction will be underway to re-furbish and open up the third floor for extra classroom space. And, new teachers will be hired this summer, like Mr. Newton here, for Math and to take over English classes. And, maybe start some new ones, like Calculus and Honors classes. Just be patient. I know this isn’t easy for anyone.”
“Be a lot easier if I got a raise”, Mr. Wiggins remarked to cries of “Hear, Hear !” from the others.
“There will be raises come fall, when your contracts are re-negotiated, I’m sure”, Mr. Galloway continued, “So just hold on until then.”
The idea of possibly more money mollified the staff somewhat, and Mr. Galloway took that opportunity to close the meeting and escape the Teacher’s Lounge. This was getting even harder than he thought it would be. No wonder Crabblesnitch had largely ignored Teacher’s concerns over the years and let the place go to hell. But then again, the 'Good Doctor’ was one corrupt son-of-a-bitch who was content to line his own pockets at the expense of everyone else.
Mr. Galloway squared his shoulders. Certainly he was made of stronger stuff. If he could conquer Alcoholism, surely he could tackle this. It was up to him now, his skills, his leadership. If things were to be put right at Bullworth Academy, it would have to be on his watch. He must succeed and allow no room for failure.
Still, a icy shiver traced along his spine, and he couldn’t help but wondering if he was equal to this enormous task.
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July dawned hot and humid in the Vale Valley, unseasonably so for their location not that far from the ocean. Summers in the North-East usually were pleasant, idealic affairs, but as the day wore on, it became positively a scorcher. Since Bullworth Academy had never had air-conditioning of any sort, the classrooms became nearly unbearably hot. Even prying up the old windows in their ancient frames offered little relief. Some of the teachers gave in and dismissed classes early, while others soldiered on while the students sweated. In all, it made for a fairly miserable day.
In the midst of the afternoon, a transport bus pulled up to the front of the school and disgorged the new students that had been assigned to the school. Unlike the lot of the Reform School girls, there were no guards accompanying these new students. Miss Jones met them at the gate and quickly ushered them to the office to be registered and set up with schedules. The new kids consisted of nine girls, ranging from 13 to 16 years old, and four boys, who were all around 15-16 years old.
The new kids were registered in and given schedules to start classes the next day. The girls were obviously from different backgrounds, and some would eventually blend into some of the existing Cliques on campus. There was Vanessa Bouvier, a snotty-looking Preppish type of girl, and athletic-looking Paige Parsley, There were other girls too, rather nondescript New England-type girls, neither strikingly pretty or downright ugly, but suddenly sweating and uncomfortable in the unusual heat. Their names were Hannah, Claire, Nina, Joan, Jessica, Amber and Misty. They all took their schedules without comment and followed Mrs. Carvin to the Girl’s Dorm to get settled in, hoping their new rooms at least had fans.
In Contrast, the new boys seemed to be a lively lot, cracking jokes about the heat and and snickering about the apparent old age of the school. And it appeared that they were friends, of a sort, despite their obvious differences. There was Alex Alda, Dave Castle, Art Harris, and Dylan Mitchell, all from Long Island. As the summer waned, they would disappear into the underground of the Bullworth students, much the way that friends Geoff and Eddie did, preferring their own company and content to be just observers of Bullworth’s life and times, avoiding the inherent violence of the School as much as possible by keeping a low profile.
It was at Bullworth Academy these new kids landed, by choice or not. They were to be the next generation to walk these not-so-hallowed halls in an seemingly endless procession of time. Slowly, if they stayed on, they would be incorporated into the fabric of the school, and one day pass into history, just as Tony and his friends, and everyone else at Bullworth would. But, the new kids promised to be the first lot in a kinder, gentler school, that is if Tony’s grand plans were to succeed. Only time, the great equalizer, would tell.
The new boys were turned over to Seth, who resented being a babysitter, even if it was only walking the newbies to the Dorm. This certainly didn’t seem the sort of work befitting those who wore the Blue Jackets of pseudo-authority. “Allright, Get A Move On !”, he grumbled loudly. “I Haven’t Got All Day !”
The group headed towards the Boy’s Dorm, with Seth in the lead and hating every step.
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Steve the Greaser returned to Bullworth Academy that very evening. He hadn’t even been on campus since he had left last year to start his own Bike Repair business. But he wasn’t returning to the school to take up classes again, nothing of that sort. Instead, he had come to tell the other Greasers of some news he had just learned, both good and bad.
It seemed that the owner of the Blue Balls Bar, old Charley ‘The Fonz’ Barduchi, had just died up at a hospital in Providence. He had gotten the rundown bar just the year before from Damon West’s father, who had been a Wide Receiver for Detroit once upon a time. The Blue Balls had been closed since the bombings, even though it had not been targeted. Business had been spotty before that, with the place only open sporadically, as bartenders came and went and with Old Charlie being sick and away. The Bar was a wreck, and needed some fixing up....Not a major makeover, by any means, but a bunch of cleanup and particularly fixing of the bathrooms and such. The Greasers had long used Blue Balls Bar as a hangout in New Coventry, despite their being underage and technically shouldn’t have been allowed in the place. But this was the Vale Valley, which for years had been mostly cut off and isolated from the rest of the world due to the control of the Harringtons and Spencers. The Greaser had had free run of the Bar for ages, and old Charlie 'The Fonz’ had always had an accepting attitude to it all, seeing as how he was an old Greaser himself. And the Greasers had mostly only used the bar in the afternoons and late in the evenings after hours, so it had never been a real problem.
The good news was, however, that Steve’s Uncle, Salvatore Salmineo, had worked out a deal to buy the Bar from Charlie ‘The Fonz’ a week before the old man died. Salvatore (known as ‘Sal’) wanted Steve to take charge of the repairs, and then to manage the Bar as it re-opened. Steve broached the idea that the Greasers could be the ones to fix up the place after school for a few days until it was done. In fact, he already had some new toilets that had been delivered to the place earlier in the day just awaiting installation. The Greasers, usually a lazy lot except where bikes and cars were concerned, jumped at the chance to fix up their old digs. The Johns had been particularly nasty for quite a long time.
The Greasers had skills outside of just motors and bikes. They were handy at all sorts of carpentry and such, and they would occasionally make skateboards although they rarely ever used them. So it came to pass that after school that afternoon, the all went to New Coventry to began the fixing up of the Blue Balls Bar. The three Greaser girlfriends of Lola, Angie, and Binky tagged along to make sure that the Girl’s Bathroom was fixed up to their liking. Although Lola still regarded Angie as sort of a flake, she seemed to be forming a bond with the new girl, Binky. They had been hanging out quite often of late, that was when Lola wasn’t with Johnny and Binky wasn’t hanging out with Peanut.
Entering Blue Balls Bar, one would see a large forward area with tables and chairs for the patrons. There was an old stand-up video game console just to the right of the entrance called ‘Monkey Fling’. It hadn’t been played for quite a long time, more than a year that anyone could remember. Over a ways from that was an old stained mattress supported by a rather rotted bedframe. That would be the first thing in the dumpster, as it was infested with all sorts of numerous bugs. Toward the back to the left was the Bar, with a Beam Cola machine to the left of it, next to a door marked ‘Employees Only’ where the liquor was kept. To the right of the Bar was a large couch that faced a TV. There was once some Pool Tables in the area, but they were long gone now. Steve had a plan to bring some back in, at least two, and set them up in the area behind the couch. There was another door set into the back wall here also, this one led to a back bedroom where Old Charlie used to crash, and it also led off into a room to the left of it that served as an office.
The Greasers fell to work in earnest, pulling out the old stalls and toilets and leaky pipes and replacing them, fixing the holes in the walls and doors and re-setting the stall walls. It was late in the evening when they finished up, and after Johnny and Lola left for their apartment down the street, the other Greasers began drifting away, one by one. Hal and Angie departed after the others, leaving just Peanut and Binky, who were curled up on the couch, watching the TV. Peanut had wanted to stay and watch the movie “Rebel Without A Cause”, which was playing that night on the Classic Movies channel. Although he had seen the movie before, it had been a very long time, and he wanted to watch it again. Besides, it was the chance to spend some alone time with Binky.
As the Valley had opened up to the world after the controlling rich and powerful who had blocked access from it were brought down, there had literally been an explosion in electronic media now available. The past month had seen the installation of scores of satellite dishes and other antennas, picking up hundreds of channels. A particular passion had arisin in Peanut in the watching of the old movies of the eras of the Gangsters and Greasers of the 50s.
Binky surprised him by snuggling up to him soon after the movie started. To this point, they hadn’t even kissed or anything. But each had become more comfortable with the other in their short time together, and there was a certain rapport that had been building between them. Binky reached up and began to gently stroke Peanut’s hair. Engrossed as he was in the movie, he barely noticed, but he did slide an arm around her and hold her closer. Binky’s face softened in the flickering light of the Television, and she came to a sudden decision.
A few minutes into the movie, Binky announced, “I’m going to use the Bathroom. Be right back.” Peanut let her go with a curious glance, then resumed watching the movie. After a few minutes, during a scene change, he briefly wondered what was keeping her. Then, the scene in the Police Station started and his full attention was drawn back to the movie once more.
As Binky returned at last from the bathroom, Peanut had become so engrossed in the movie he had no longer noticed just how long she had been gone. Moving up behind the couch so that she was nearly directly behind him, Binky bent close and said softly, “Peanut.....”
His eyes glued to the screen, Peanut didn’t respond. Binky waited a few seconds, then said, louder, “Peanut !”
“Whaaa....”, Peanut said distractedly, still watching the screen. The powerful Police Station scene was playing, and James Dean was just starting into his drunken ramblings.
“Peanut”, Binky said firmly, “Look At Me.”
Peanut reluctantly dragged his eyes away from the movie and twisted around. “Whadda want ? It’s just gettin’ to the good part here, and....and....and.....” He suddenly stopped as Binky came into his full vision.
Binky was standing there naked except for her killer high-heel boots. A small smile played around her lips. Peanut was left agape, his mouth hanging open like a caught fish out of water. When he could recover his speech, he could only manage, “Binks.....You look.....Awesome !”
Binky stepped around the couch. Peanut’s eyes followed her every move, the action of the movie totally forgotten about as he beheld this beautiful creature. Binky came to a halt directly in front of him. Her smile growing, she said, “Peanut.....I want you to Do Me.”
A sudden excitement he had never know surged up within him, and his loins were suddenly on fire. Lust overtook him as the heat stoked higher and higher. Teasingly, Binky reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a standing position. “Com’on”, she breathed, and began walking backwards, guiding him towards the door to the small bedroom. She opened the door, then playfully grabbed his belt buckle, pulling him inside the rest of the way. On the TV screen behind him, stabbing through to his consciousness, James Dean cried out, “YOU’RE TEARING ME APAR-R-R-RT....!!!!” To this, Peanut could relate.
Binky kept pulling him over to the bed. Then she quickly undid the heavy belt and then put her hands to Peanut’s sides, gripped and pulled down. In the dim light, she saw that there was one thing about Peanut that wasn’t short at all, contrary to what everyone seemed to believe. Clutching it with her hand, she lay back on the bed, and repeated once more, “Do Me.”
Peanut complied, eagerly. After a few minutes, he discovered something else about Binky that he hadn’t known before. She was Sweet. Oh, So Sweet.
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Mandy Wiles was put in charge of what was being called the ‘Independence Dance’. At first, she was reluctant to do it, considering what had happened the last time. But Ted gave her a pep talk, telling her that there had been no fault on her part that the Valentine’s Dance had ended so horribly. Everything she had done was perfect. That it had turned into a bloodbath (and would forever be remembered as such) was the the fault of that bastard Jake Brown, not her.
So Mandy had agreed. Her first task was to secure the buffet food. Headmaster Galloway had given her an unlimited budget, so Mandy decided to have the affair catered as before, this time with bar-barque and ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, apple pie, cole slaw, clam bakes, and watermelon.
It had been decided to cancel all classes for Friday instead of even bothering with a morning session, so right after classes let out on Thursday, Mandy assembled her all-girl work crew to put up the decorations. Angie, Karen, Melody, Gloria, and even Pinky were a part of the crew who were doing the decorations. Pinky was scheduled to get her jaw unwired on Friday morning, so she would only help on Thursday, but Mandy tapped some of the new girls that had just arrived to help with the final Friday set-ups. Christy and Bethany also chipped in to help.
The Tables were covered with red, white, and blue crêpe paper, decorated with small American flags that were also cut from colored crêpe paper, and pasted on a base of white cheesecloth, which had been cut the size of small table cloth covers. The napkins were speckled with fireworks bursts decorations to complement the table covers. The centerpieces, made in the form of beautiful flowers, were mounted in the arms of Statue of Liberty bases. Red, White, and Blue crêpe streamers wound around the tables completed the effect. Draped from the railings on the second floor were posters of the Statue of Liberty, Washington crossing the Delaware, American Flags on the Moon, John Paul Jones’ ship in battle, and other patriotic themes. Nothing was to be hung from the ceiling, however. The Red, White, and Blue balloons would stay on ground level. No one wanted to be taking those kind of chances, supposedly safe or not.
In the Auditorium, the Theater Group, comprised mostly of the Nerds, also had the task of putting up streamers and balloons over and around the stage area in preparation for Winkie’s solo performance. There was talk of somebody who would accompany him in some form, and rumors were going around as to just who it would be.
Close to midnight, the final touches were put in place to Mandy’s satisfaction, and everyone was released to go on their way. There was nothing to do until the catered food would arrive the next afternoon. The Prefects would again be given the task of overseeing the delivery and then guarding the food once it was in place, much to their dislike. They would also be policing the dance itself to prevent any shenanigans. Mr Galloway emphasized that it wasn’t to be like the last time....No doors were to be locked and no student was to be barred from leaving at any time.
The Prefects as a group still didn’t like taking orders from the likes of Mr. Galloway, whom they still considered a raging alcoholic and an usurper to the title of Headmaster. They grumbled among themselves about maybe staging a rebellion by refusing to enforce the rules. But it was made clear to them that if they slacked off in such a manner, they would be demoted back into just being students, which would certainly expose them to retaliation from several of the Cliques. Even dumb kids possessed long memories when it came to revenge.
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“.....And, this here is where we keep stuff like, uh, Paper Towels and, er....Toilet Paper, for the bathrooms”, Mr. Galloway said, opening the door next to the School Store. The man with him silently followed Mr. Galloway into the room, and saw right away the two sets of steps that went down to different parts of the basement.
Silently, the man looked around the room. It seemed well stocked, the cabinet full of toiletry supplies, 2 mops and buckets on wheels, and a pushcart with cleaning supplies. It seemed adequate. He asked a brief question about what the far stairs led to.
“Oh, uh....This goes to the Furnace Room, I believe”, Mr. Galloway said, pointing to that set of steps. “Farther back is basement storage rooms, I think.....And somewhere back there is a workshop, and umm....quarters”, he finished somewhat vaguely. The man then quietly asked where the other set of stairs led to. Mr. Galloway repressed a shudder.
Mr. Galloway had never been down in the basement, not even to hide his liquor bottles, although it would have been just about the perfect place. Two things had prevented him form doing so -- Rats, whom he had an unreasonable fear of, and Mr. Luntz, the former Janitor, whom he also had a fear of, but to his mind, not unreasonable.
“They...Uh....go to the Sewers....I believe”, he managed to get out. “And....Some kind of ‘Hole’, where some of the students go to.....Settle their differences”, he said lamely. He had only heard about the place times uncounted, and a group of Budwiser Horses couldn’t have dragged him down there. Those Rats !! He shuddered again.
“Now, ummm.....Here, let me show you the School Store, it’s where you’ll be for part of the day....It’s been closed for awhile, so I know the students will be glad to see it open again so they can get the required clothing they need....” Mr. Galloway led the newcomer over through the door into the School Store, flicking on the lights, and they entered.
“You’ll see it’s well stocked, with just about any article of school-related clothing they will need”, Mr. Galloway continued, somewhat more at ease now that the basement was left behind. “On these shelves here are the uniforms, and over here are the jackets....This one has sweaters, and over here....” The man listened while Mr. Galloway droned on. He allowed himself a small hidden smile. Yes, he was going to be able to fit in here. The pay wasn’t much, but combined with the monthly bonus his bosses were giving him to take the job at this craphole, it would do just fine.
Mr. Carl Riddle, the new School Janitor, was going to have a dandy time here. Just Dandy.
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A festive mood prevailed on Friday, as the Vale Valley geared up for the biggest Independence day bash that was to be had in years. Harrington and his rich cronies had discouraged such activities in years past, concluding that the Townspeople, when reminded of the freedoms everyone else in the country took for granted, might just ferment a bit of rebellion of their own against their iron-fisted authority the rich and powerful exercised over them here in the valley. On that point, they were probably right. Best not to take chances, so the thinking went.
But the Vale Valley was open to the world now, and the inhabits were more then ready to celebrate their new-found freedoms. It had been a highly stressful time, these past few weeks, and each and every citizen was eager to blow off steam and party like it was 2009. Grand things were being planned.....An All-Star Parade, with some regionally famous people coming in, was in the works for Saturday afternoon, and was to be capped off by the longest, biggest, and grandest Fireworks Show the Valley had ever seen.
But on this Friday, it was more like a street festival. Stores that were open piled their wares on tops of tables out on the sidewalks. Patriotic Music played everywhere, fed to loudspeakers mounted on poles all over Bullworth Town and Bullworth Vale. Red, White, and Blue bunting was hanging from stores and buildings, and the streets spilled over with people in a joyous mood, like long-time captives that had been released from the bonds of slavery....Which, in point of fact, they had been.
Billy Bob Crane had waited for this, literally, for years. The Carnival had opened it’s gates at 7 AM, and it was to stay open for the next 64 hours, day and night, until Sunday at 11 PM. It was going to be the biggest money-making weekend of Billy Bob’s life, and he had been in the Carny business for just about all his life. He drooled with anticipation of counting all the greenbacks that would be piling his desk come Monday morning.
The Bulworth Academy kids, freed from threats for the first time in a very long time, populated the streets with the Townspeople and others, confident in their new-found and hard-won safety. It was to be a grand holiday for the most of them. But, for a chosen few, it would become a decidedly darker one.
________________________________________
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Christy Martin sat at the table in a crowded Shinjo’s Restaurant, waiting. Yesterday, as she was leaving Art class (where she was a Teacher’s Ade to Ms. Phillips), she was approached suddenly by Pinky, who had slipped her a note without a word. Christy could understand that, seeing as how Pinky couldn’t talk with her jaw wired shut and all....But something was amiss. Pinky had been furtive, nervously looking about as she passed her the note. She had flashed an almost pleading look at Christy, and was then gone as suddenly as she appeared.
Christy fished out the note and scanned it once more. It read, “Meet me at our old table at Shinjo’s, noon tomorrow. Important !” That was it. No clue to what it was that Pinky wanted to see her about. Christy sighed and put the note away. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was already 20 minutes after. It was just like Pinky to be fashionably late, she was thinking as she toyed with what was left of her Lasagna. It had been fortunate for her to have even gotten this table to herself, considering the crowds because of the festivities. The place was packed. Still, she couldn’t help feeling something was wrong.
They hadn’t met for quite awhile, not since just before Kurt’s disappearance. When Derby had broken her jaw, Christy had gone to see her in the Clinic, but of course Pinky couldn’t talk, and was drugged up on pain meds anyway. So much had happened in the last few weeks that she had just been too busy adjusting to her new life to keep a check on her friend. She was regretful of that, but the fact was, she hadn’t seen Pinky around very much at all since her release from the Clinic. She resolved to wait just a bit longer before giving up.
Ten minutes later, as Christy was thinking that she wasn’t going to show, Pinky walked in. She glanced around at the crowd, searching faces. There were only adults in the restaurant, most all the other kids went to the Burger Joint these days. Seemingly satisfied, Pinky headed back to the booth where Christy was and slid into the seat opposite her.
Pinky attempted a smile with some difficulty and said, “Hello !”
“Pinks !”, exclaimed Christy, “You can talk !!”
“Yup”, Pinky said, “But...It’s a little...Hard...”
“So you got the wires off ?”, Christy asked with a smile.
“Today”, Pinky replied. “Just a while ago. I still sound like me ?”
“Why sure !”, Christy enthused, “Just as normal as ever !”
“That’s good”, Pinky said, “Because I need to talk.”
Christy leaned forward. “Your note said Important. Is anything wrong ?”
Pinky sighed. “I...I Don’t know. I feel so....Trapped.”
“Trapped ?”, Christy repeated. “But...What ? I thought you were with Tad now, and safe ?”
“Oh, he keeps me safe, all right”, Pinky said, sounding discouraged. “A little too safe. He watches me like a hawk. I can’t go anywhere or do anything on my own.”
“But....You’re here now !”, Christy exclaimed.
“Tad doesn’t know that”, Pinky said. “He dropped me off at the Clinic and is going to pick me up in about an hour from now. He has something to do at the Gym, I think the boys are rigging up a float for the Parade tomorrow, something about using that to be accepted back by everyone and all that rot.....Ouch !” Pinky rubbed her aching jaw.
“Try to just keep to short sentences”, Christy said, repressing a smile.
“Right”, Pinky said. “Anyway, I feel trapped. He treats me like....A child, or something.”
“Maybe because you’ve been through a lot ?”, Christy sugguested. “He’s just being protective ?”
“It’s....More than that”, Pinky said, “More like....Obsession.”
Christy considered what Pinky was saying. “But....You Love Tad....Don’t you ?”, she said softly.
Pinky sat for a moment before answering. “I....Don’t know. He says he loves me. Calls me his Princess. But still.....I don’t know. He’s nothing like Kurt.”
Christy leaned forward again. “Yes...What happened to Kurt ? Do you know ?”
Pinky nodded. “Bif...He told me. Him and....umm....Derby gave him over to the Monks. They messed with his mind, or something. He’ll never be right again, I hear.” She sobbed, “It’s like he....Died, or something.”
Christy reached a hand over and laid it on Pinky’s arm to comfort her. “Gee, that’s tough. I felt soooo bad when Bif betrayed me, when I found out he was just using me under Derby’s orders....These are rotten feelings to have, just rotten !!”
Pinky sniffed. “And it was all because of that Bastard Derby”, she said vehemently. “How I HATE Him !!!”
Christy commiserated, “And I hate Bif, too, for what he did to me. But we have to move on, Pinky.” She patted her arm. “We’re better than that.”
“I suppose so”, Pinky replied, her anger slowly deflating. “Still....I need to be with somebody who treats me right, like a human and not just....An object.” She sighed, and a far-away look came into her eyes. “Someone like....Tony.”
“Oh, Pinks, you still don’t have the hots for him, do you ?”, Christy asked, startled and just a bit scandalized. “He’s solid with Karen, you know that !”
“Things change”, Pinky said airily. “Who knows, something might happen to her, then where would he be ?"
“Oh, Pinky, you wouldn’t do anything to her, would you ?”, Christy said, shocked.
“Of course not”, Pinky replied. “How could I ? Just saying, things happen sometimes, y’know ? When it does, I’ll be there for him in a hot minute.” Pinky’s face took on a longing look.
“Pinks, you’ve got to stop this”, Christy said. “Tony is taken, that’s all there is to it. He’s never going to leave Karen. Getting a bit obsessive there yourself, don’cha think ?”
Pinky considered. “I suppose you’re right. Still.....”, she sighed, “It’s nice to dream.” She looked up at Christy. “What about you ? You still with Winkie ?”
“Oh, Yes”, Christy answered, “He’s the best, the very best. We’re just so much in love. We have our own place, over in Bullworth Town. He treats me real nice, I can do what I want, and....and....”
Christy stopped. A wiry look come to Pinky’s face as she said, “I know....You have this perfect life, and I’m such a mess.”
“Oh, Pinks, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just....just....Things will get better for you, I’m sure they will !”, Christy faltered.
“Only if I make them happen”, Pinky reflected, pensively. The girls were silent for a moment, then Pinky resumed. “If I leave Tad, can I come and stay with you guys ? I can’t go back to the Dorm, there’s too many of those new girls there.”
Christy was taken aback. “Why....Of course you can....If it’s alright with Winkie, that is. I’m sure he won’t mind, though. Are you really thinking of leaving Tad ?”
Pinky smiled, as much as she was able. “I might. I just might.” She glanced around, and spied the clock. “Oh, my.....It’s way after One. I’ve got to go.” She rose suddenly. “We’ll meet again, Ok ? I’ll let you know. Bye !”
Christy watched Pinky hurry off, out the door and down the street, making her way back to the Clinic. She sat in reflection for a while before finally leaving herself. Pinky had certainly had a time of it these past few months. A series of breakups with that monster Derby, being kidnapped, falling for her kidnapper, only to lose him too, getting her jaw broken by her Ex, and now caught in the clutches of still another obsessive Prep. It was a story of tragedy, all right, fit for the finest soap opera.
Christy walked from Shinjo’s down to the Ice Cream Shop. Turning left and looking down the Vale Boulevard, she spotted Pinky through the crowds a block off, with a group of Preps. They were making their way back towards the school. Tad had his arm thrown around Pinky in a protective grip....Or so it would seem to an impartial observer.
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As the afternoon wore on, the festivities continued. The Carnival was packed, the Restaurants were filled, the shops ane store had shoppers by the score. Tradewise, it became the biggest day in all of the history of the Vale Valley. The local populace was supplemented by hordes of people that swarmed the valley, brought in by the pure sensationalism of the story of Bullworth. Even the reporters returned, bringing their huge hulking news vans with them, their monolithic satellite dishes poking upwards towards the sky like a new breed of modern-day dinosaurs. Students and Townspeople alike were once more stopped in the street and interviewed again about the events of the past year. Not being jaded or paparazzi-shy like so many of today’s celebrities were, they would cheerfully, almost eagerly, comply.
Though the Media were still barred from school grounds, they nevertheless camped their vans out front, reprising the time of just a month ago when the news had first broken of the bombings and the salvation of the Vale Valley by a particular band of heros. The students, still reveling in their new-found fame, gathered around the front of the school giving interviews to any reporter who would ask. All was still under the eye of the National Guard Soldiers, still in the valley, though in reduced numbers. After their initial action, their tour of duty had become rather boring as the very peace they were assigned to protect became a tedious watch.
Towards dusk, students began appearing in their finest clothes, making their way towards the Great Hall at the school for the Independence Dance. Even the Reform School Girls filed out under the watchful eye of Mrs. Peabody and her Cattle Prod. The other new girls were heading for the dance as well, some had only been at the school for a couple of days. Boys from all the Cliques were attending, spurred on by the promise of finally getting acquainted with the new girls at Bullworth, and maybe getting the chance at having some potential future girlfriends. It would prove to be a stellar affair.
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The Independence Dance was slated to start at 7 PM, but it took more than an hour for all the students to get there and sign in. Unlike the last, disastrous dance that had been held in the school, there was to be no mandatory participation. Students could attend, or not, so some stayed away, most notably Bif, who was in the awkward position of not only being mostly shunned by his Clique but also reviled by the girls on campus for how he had taken advantage of Christy, by tricking her into having sex and making her believe he really cared for her. Girls tend to have long memories, and once a cad, always a cad.
Others who weren’t coming included Russell, for as he said, no girl wanted him....Some of the Jocks, Bob, Bo, and Lance, who just wanted a wild night off from Coach Sanders’ rigorous training schedule.....A couple of the Greasers, Lucky and Lefty, who were putting in time getting the final touches done on Blue Balls for it’s grand re-opening the next day.....And Fatty, who was working in secret these days, when he had the time, to develop a combination Super Spud Gun and Bottle Rocket Launcher with the capability to explode the Spuds with fireworks upon impact.
Things were fairly tame to start with, as soon as the students entered the Great Hall everyone was nervously peering up at the ceiling, trying to spot potential balloon bombs filled with some god-awful substance. There were none, but it didn’t keep anyone from glancing up from time to time during the evening, even the Prefects and Staff. But, soon the attention was focusing on the new arrivals. Despite his original misgivings, Mr. Galloway relented and The Reform School Girls, under the watchful Prod of Mrs. Peabody, were allowed to attend. Even the normally boisterous Shideed was struck to silence as she looked at all the fixings, particularly the food. Ladonna, Whitney, and Katrina followed suit, while the lesser white girls, Tess, Carla, and Tiffany just kind of looked around in boredom.
The new unattached girls arrived then, Hannah, Claire, Nina, Joan, Jessica, Amber, Misty, Hayley, and the obvious Prep girl Vanessa, followed by the body-builder Paige. The Prep boys drifted over to hover around Vanessa, who quite purposely ignored them, being the snob she was. In contrast, Paige went right over to the Bully boys and began talking with them, flexing and showing off her muscles.
Then, one by one, the regular girls began arriving in all their finery, along with their escorts. There was Mandy and Ted, looking spectacular, as befitted their status of Class President and his consort. For Mandy, this was to be the regaining of her most popular girl on campus status, a role that had been usurped by Pinky for much of the past year. Pinky herself arrived with Tad, looking more like her radiant self than she had for some time. Still, she seemed uncharacteristically restrained, as if not quite enjoying the evening as much as she should.
Lola and Johnny made their entry then, and were hands down the hit of the night. They wore matching cool leather outfits with all the trimmings. The sight of Lola in her shortest leather skirt and killer stiletto boots had most of the boys drooling, although they did their best to hide it. Nobody wanted to rouse Johnny’s famous jealous temper, and the boys weren’t so sure to try to test him in battle, as he had been away in Detroit for the past year, one of the toughest towns around. Having missed the Valentines Dance Bloodbath, they were about the only ones not to look up during the whole evening.
Almost unnoticed except by his fellow Nerds, Melvin entered the hall with Jimmette on his arm. They made quite a picture, the slim Jimmette next to the bulk of Melvin, but the couple seemed happy and paid no mind to the few stares of surprise that greeted them. The other couples came in then, a glowing and still-dazed Peanut with Binky, who looked for all the world to be the coolest girl there, Hal followed with Angie, who was going to a dance for the first time with a boy, Damon with Gloria, who was looking quite grown-up these days. Beatrice showed up, escorted by Bucky, who she quickly ditched just a few minutes after they arrived to hang around the new kids of Alex, Art, Dave and Dylan, who were laughing and pointing at some of the more unfortunate kids and cracking jokes.
The last couples to arrive were Nick and Melody, followed by Tony and Karen. Both girls had killer outfits on that highlighted how they were obviously blossoming, their fine curves and shapely legs paramount as they moved with confidence and grace. The four were roundly cheered as they entered, their roles in saving the school still fresh in the minds of the students. The did some waving, and then quickly began to mingle as music started playing from the large speakers set up about the hall, signaling the start of the dance.
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“Say, Chap, who is that marvelous creature ?”, Tad said in an aside to Bryce, who happened to be standing there with him. Pinky was off at the refreshment table, getting some drinks, or else he wouldn’t have said anything.
“Ummm....One of the new girls, is all I know”, replied the usually quiet Bryce.
“I do say, she looks absolutely intoxicating !”, Tad went on. “I must know her name !”
Bryce gave Tad a sidelong look. Pinky was still at the refreshment table area. “Want me to find out ?”
Tad nodded his head. Stealing a glance over at Pinky, who was just collecting the drink cups, he said, “Yes....And tell her, the leader of the Prep Clique would like to speak to her at her earliest continence, will you Chap ?”
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Mr. Galloway and Ms. Phillips stood watch on the second floor balcony to keep check on how things were progressing. Mrs. Carvin, Miss Peters, Miss Jones, Nurse McRae, Mr. Newton, and Mr. Matthews were serving as chaperones. Edward was over by the entrance to the lunchroom, as Seth was in the opposite corner, next to the Auditorium entrance, both guarding the access to the hallways in the school near the back. Karl, over by the School Store, and Max, at the other end of the Great Hall, guarded the access to the hallways in the front of the school. As the evening grew longer, the Hall became more crowded, making their jobs of keeping the students out of the rest of the school harder. A few did slip by them, those that were seen were chased down and hauled back. But not all were seen.
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Long about 9:30, a bunch of the students began drifting towards the Auditorium, as the concert was due to start. About half the others stayed out in the Great Hall, eating food from the tables, or preparing to rock out on the floor to the music, which was being piped in via the large speakers. Tony escorted Karen in to front-row seats, followed by Nick and Melody. The Nerds were going to be putting on a little program in advance of the main performer, Winky.
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Mr. Riddle had observed the entrances of the students as he slouched unnoticed against the wall by the School Store. The old adage that nobody ever noticed the Janitor was certainly as true here as it was elsewhere, as not even Karl paid him the slightest bit of attention, even though he was standing just a few feet away.
After nearly an hour, he was starting to get bored. Then suddenly a cheer went up as two couples entered through the small foyer. Mr. Riddle’s eyes focused on the two couples, and he narrowed his eyes to nearly slits as he again conjured up the image of the person he sought. Ignoring the girls they were escorting, his gaze locked on to one of the two boys. He scanned the face, comparing it against the mental image he had been trained to recognize. As the couples moved off across the floor of the Great Hall, he nodded to himself, satisfied.
Pulling away from the wall, he moved around the shuttered School Store and into the adjacent hallway. Quickly, he strode to the door that led to the basement and, looking both ways to make sure he was unobserved, unlocked the door and slipped through, re-locking it behind him. Once inside, he headed for the steps that led into the bowels of the basement, past the new furnace and winding around in the several connecting rooms that led to the back.
Eventually, he came to the loading area where a door was set for access to the outside. Before that, there was a small area containing his quarters, with a cot-looking bed and a small TV and Radio that could be played while attending to his duties. Veering towards the cot, he knelled down and pulled out a suitcase from underneath.
The suitcase was heavy, and laced with triple-combination locks. Mr. Riddle set the case on the cot, and accessed the combo-locks one by one, finally opening the case to reveal not clothes, but a sophisticated Radio Transceiver Unit. To this he attached a slim cable that led to one of the outside vents, where it terminated in a tiny, nearly invisible UHF antenna. He then attached a special power cord with a plug-in of which design was unlike anything else. When all this was complete, he powered up the unit.
Mr. Riddle pulled up a tiny microphone from the case and fiddled with the dials set inside the case. When he was dialed into the frequency he desired, he spoke tersely into the mike. “BAL-7620, BAL-7620, Whiskey Victor Tango”, he intoned. “BAL-7620, This is CRB-3847, Do You Read, Copy ?”
There was a low hiss of static. Mr. Riddle repeated his call, and waited again. Within seconds, there was an answering voice. “CRB-3847, This Is BAL-7620. Switch To Secure Frequency.”
Mr. Riddle complied, fiddling with the dials again, then spoke, “BAL-7620, CRB-3847, How Do You Read ?” The signal from the small Transceiver zipped along the cable and to the small antenna, where it was flung hundreds of miles into space, bouncing off an orbiting satellite to it’s destination.
“Copy You Clear, 3847“, the voice responded. “EarthNet Link Is Confirmed Secure. What Is Your Report ?”
“Have Confirmed Target Subject”, Mr. Riddle said. “Are There Any Instructions, Copy ?”
“None At This Time, 3847“, the voice spoke. “Continue Observation Mode Only. Report If Any Contact With Target, Copy ?”
“Copy That, 7620“, Mr. Riddle replied. “Will Make My Next Report On Seven-Five At Alpha Zulu Time, Copy ?”
“Copy, 3847“, the voice said. “7620, Out.”
Mr. Riddle replaced the microphone, then powered down the Transceiver. As he closed and re-locked the case before secreting it underneath the cot once more, he reflected on just how easy an assignment this was turning out to be. A little too easy, maybe.
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As the Students settled in the Auditorium for the show, the curtain rose to reveal the Nerds, dressed in patriotic costumes, the funniest one being Melvin, dressed up as the statue of Liberty. Just why Beatrice or even Jimette wasn’t chosen for that role wasn’t clear, but it probably had something to do with with them being dressed up in their dance clothes. A recorded version of “America” played over the speakers while Bucky, Cornelius, Thad, and Donald pranced in a circle holding sparklers around Melvin, who was holding some sort of battery lit torch aloft.
The whole performance was rather lame, and the students began booing and cat-calling, which continued until Melvin split the pants part of his costume when turning to leave the stage. The Auditorium exploded in laughter and jeers, and the curtain was quickly lowered. The Students began to babble amongst themselves, and the noise level increased while waiting for Winkie’s appearance.
Then the lights were dimmed, and the curtain rose again to reveal Winkie, seated on a stool with an electric gituar. Behind him was a band called the Trackers, who had come to the Vale Valley only recently from the Boston area to play local gigs. But the surprise of the evening was Christy, who was seated behind a piano off to the left. A number of the students were dumbfounded, only a few knew of Christy’s ability to play.
Winkie began to strum the gituar and rock out with a rendition of “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A."
They come from the cities
And they come from the smaller towns
Beat up cars with guitars and drummers
Goin crack boom bam
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. yeah, yeah !
Rockin' in the U.S.A......
R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCROqX3v2eU#ws)
As Winkie sang, the Auditorium began to rock out, tensions being released with the music for the first time in a long time. In the back, Johnny and Lola got up and began dancing in the aisle, and then Peanut and Binky joined in. Hal and Angie were a bit too shy, but some of the newer girls, not so inhibited, streamed towards the front and front and began to dance, sans pardners. To the Reform Girls in particular, jaming out to the music was second nature.
As Winkie wound down the song to cheers, he immediately swung into his next song, the Neil Young classic, “Rockin' in the Free World"
Neil Young - Rockin' In The Free World (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdiCJUysIT0#)
There's colors on the street, red, white and blue,
People shufflin' their feet, people sleepin' in their shoes.
But there's a warnin sign on the road ahead,
There's a lot of people sayin we’d be better off dead.
Don't feel like Satan but I’m to them,
So I try to forget it anyway I can.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
I see a woman in the night with a baby in her hand,
Under an old street light near a garbage can.
Now, she's put the kid away and she's gone to get a hit,
She hates her life and what she's done to it.
That's one more kid thatll never go to school,
Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool,
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
We got a thousand points of light for the homeless man,
We got a kindler, gentler, machine gun hand.
Weve got department stores and toilet paper,
Got styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer.
Got a man of the people says keep hope alive,
Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
As the song ended, the Auditorium exploded in cheers that went on for several minutes. As it got quieter, another surprise was in store, as Pinky, who had been waiting backstage, emerged and walked to a microphone to sing harmony and backup to the next song. This had been pre-arraigned, and Tad hadn’t objected. Even if he had, Pinky would have done it anyway. She missed her days with Kurt and the band, and that would probably never change. Besides, she was beginning to chafe under Tad’s increased dominance. She was used to being the center of attention, not being locked in a cage.
Winkie set into his last song, “Pink Houses", the tale of everyday America, starting with a slow pace. Pinky, while rusty and without the vocal range she once had until her jaw was fully healed again, nonetheless did well.
Pink Houses by John Mellencamp (with Lyrics) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHij2OhSOQc#)
There's a black man with a black cat livin' in a black neighborhood,
He's got an interstate runnin' through his front yard,
You know he thinks that he's got it so good.
And there's a woman in the kitchen cleanin' up the evenin' slop,
And he looks at her and says, "Hey darlin', I can remember when...
You could stop a clock."
Ah, but ain't that America, for you and me !
Ain't that America, somethin' to see baby !
Ain't that America, home of the free,
Little pink houses, for you and me.
There's a young man in a t-shirt,
Listenin' to a rock & roll station.
He's got greasy hair, greasy smile,
He says, "Lord this must be my destination !"
'Cause they told me when I was younger,
"Boy you're gonna be president."
But just like everything else those old crazy dreams,
Just kinda came and went.
Ah, but ain't that America, for you and me !
Ain't that America, somethin' to see baby !
Ain't that America, home of the free,
Little pink houses, for you and me.
Well there's people and more people,
What do they know, know, know....
Go to work in some high rise,
And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico.
And there's winners and there's losers,
But they ain't no big deal.
'Cause the simple man baby pays for the thrills,
The bills, the pills that kill.
Ah, but ain't that America, for you and me !
Ain't that America, somethin' to see baby !
Ain't that America, home of the free-e-e-e-e....
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.....
Little pink houses, for you and me !!
The song left the Students exulted, and they cheered and cried out for more. Winky was finished playing his set, though he promised to come back a bit later and do a couple more. In the interim, the Trackers would play some tracks. When the lights briefly came up as they left the stage, Pinky spotted something disturbing. Seated with the Preps, right next to Tad, in fact, was that new girl, Vanessa.
The crowd thinned out a bit before the Trackers began their set. Some of the couples were leaving the dance, but not to call it a night. Special plans had been made for the remainder of the evening. Private, intimate plans, to be done at other locations besides the school. And what better time for those plans than the Holiday ?
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All three Greaser couples had the same destination....The Golden Horseshoe Bar & Hotel over in New Coventry. Johnny had generously rented them rooms on the third and fourth floors. Hal and Angie went to the third floor in a less expensive room, mainly because Johnny didn’t care much for Angie or her new-found Greaser wannabe religion. It just seemed all fake to him, especially since Angie was a scatterbrained fool. About the only thing that wasn’t fake about her was her big boobs, and Johnny wasn’t even sure about that. However, that was what Hal had said. Johnny knew Hal liked big stuff, since he was sorta big himself. In fact, when Johnny had left for Detroit, Hal was still drooling over fat Edna, the Lunch Lady. It was a total surprise then, when he returned, to find Hal had latched on to skinny Angie. It had to be the boobs, he reasoned.....It couldn’t be anything else. The girl was just plain annoying.
When Hal and Angie reached their room, it didn’t take long for them to start making the bed creak and groan. To Hal’s ongoing amazement, Angie seemed insatiable, and he had to ride her bunny over and over. Not that he minded in the least.
Peanut and Binky stepped into their room on the fourth floor, and this time, Peanut was the aggressor. There wasn’t even time to remove all their clothes for their second time around, and Peanut tore into her with a passion long pent up by years of frustration. Binky didn’t mind, and gave just as good as she got. Another chapter was added to the Adventures of Peanut and Binky the short....And then another, and another, and another.
Johnny treated Lola to the biggest suite on the top floor, the so-called Carlton Room (named, no doubt, after some long-dead proprietor). To Lola, this was roomy when compared to their tiny apartment, and nowhere near as rundown. They took their time, settling in and having drinks before getting down to the business of lovemaking, as they were old hands at this. Still, their feelings had increased ten-fold for each other in their long absence from Bullworth, and there was talk of Johnny making her a proposal.
As yet, they were still young, and Johnny’s jealousies were still intact, although he was well used to her flirting ways. Still, it bothered him that Lola did that, as she was well aware of her effect on men and boys alike. Johnny considered her the hottest girl in all of Bullworth (and even on the planet), and it made him feel highly vulnerable that she could exercise such power over any man she chose. It also made him feel uncomfortably weak, and as a leader, he could ill afford to show weakness. The whole of Johnny’s image depended on her, and he knew it.
Lola was a free spirit, and Johnny or no other could ever corral her. Still, when she whispered, “Give it to me....Give me all you’ve got !” in their throes of passion, Johnny know he could deny her nothing. So, the night went, like so many others. Lola knew how to satisfy her man, and in innumerable ways, she did.
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Damon and Gloria made their way to the newly-reopened Lounge Hotel in Bullworth Town. There was still some vacancies, as the place, formerly known as the Lounge Bar & Grill, had not been able to advertise much as yet. They found themselves on the top floor of the edifice, which was the fourth, befitting the Holiday. Even though the room partitions were new, the building was quite old, having been around since the days of the founders. As such, everyone on each floor had to share a communal bathroom.
Still, it wasn’t so bad. Gloria had been waiting for just this very thing for months. She had gotten so utterly exhausted just jamming herself on Damon in back of the Girl’s Dorm in those rare, hurried sessions which left her wholly unsatisfied. Now for the first time, she could have sex like a proper lady, with a bed and bedsheets, instead of having a dumpster for a pillow. By the time she had returned form the bathroom down the hall, Damon was waiting, ready to go. He beckoned to her, and she ran to him, leaping on top of him and seizing what she needed. It was time to show this Gorilla some new tricks.
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Laurent, who had long been holding out for a French girlfriend, had found out he was to be at least staying another year at Bullworth Academy. He looked around at the dance, seeing new possibilities. There were so many couples getting together now, and he decided, why not ? He certainly deserved some happiness too, did he not also ? One of the girls caught his eye above all others. She was, in fact, wildly pretty to Laurent’s eyes. He approached her and asked her to dance. Later, he invited her to come along after the dance to the Chef’s Place, and she accepted.
Nina was a dark-haired beauty, with olive-complected skin. Her first name, Laurent learned, had Hebrew origins, but to his delight, her last name was Boulanger, a French name meaning Baker. At least, it wouldn’t be so much of a stretch, he figured, to have an American girlfriend who was not that far removed from his homeland. As they sat and chatted at Chef’s, Laurent became more and more mesmerized with this fine girl. She seemed witty and very sweet, and they hit it off from the start. For the first time, Laurent felt a primal need arise from within him. He never realized just how really lonely he was here in America. Oh, sure, he had great friends here, but nothing like this. Here was his desire, his true passion, he suddenly realized. His heritage had been long known for their passions, and now Laurent discovered why. His life would never be the same, something deep within him knew. The possibilities from tonight onward were endless.
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Ted and Mandy stayed until the very end, as the dance was her responsibility. When the last of the Students had left without incident and the event was officially over, Mandy felt a sense of relief that it had gone off without some terrible tragedy. At the same time, she felt a sense of wild triumph, a feeling she had so long been denied. She was back to the top of the heap, the Queen of Bullworth Academy. Her social status was cemented, her popularity would soar after this night. All that business with the naked pictures and that perv Ernest would be buried forever. The last dance disaster would no longer stain her reputation. She had ascended to the peak once more, and this time she was going to stay.
Mandy practically drug Ted back to the Jock Clubhouse, unable to quell her rising passion for another minute. Tad told the Jocks, who were assembled on the Football Field and Bleachers, to stay out of the Clubhouse’s new second floor quarters as a courtesy. That presented no problem, as Coach Sanders had gone away for the holiday, their plans were to stay out under the sodium arc lights and get wasted on booze, something that had been denied them for some time now.
Mandy assaulted Ted when they reached the upstairs. She tore off her clothes and leaped atop him, bearing him down onto the mattress and pounding her hips into him over and over. She let loose a huge scream at her peak, and then made Ted do her over and over again. For his part, Ted had never known her so passionate. She rose and fell like a piston in a fine racing machine. Lucky for him he had recovered in full from his wounds in the spring, and became as intensified as she was. Shortly before dawn, they lay spent, but pleasantly exhausted in their bliss.
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Trent was transfixed. Here, right in front of him, was a girl who was also sort of a boy. She had some feminine ways, as in clothing and such, but she had the personality of a WWE wrestler. She was brash, in-your-face, and had spent the evening bragging about how many guy’s asses she had kicked. Nominally, even though she could be classified as a Jock-type girl, Paige Parsley seemed more like the ultimate Bully girl in her speech and mannerisms.
Finally, as they were leaving the dance, Trent worked up his courage. “You shouldn’t pay any attention to these other yucks. I’m the leader here.”
“That so ?”, Paige arched a bushy eyebrow. “And that makes you better how ?”
“I saved the school, that’s how”, Trent replied, somewhat stretching the truth. “I shot one of them dudes with a real gun.”
“Hmmm....Think I heard something about that”, Paige remarked, teasingly.
Her tone emboldened him. “I think you should go out with the Trent Man.”
“Think so ?”, Paige asked inquiringly. “Sure. Where to ?”
Trent fumbled. He hadn’t expected her to accept so quickly. “Why...Um....We could go....” He thought quickly, something unusual for Trent, “....To the Burger Joint ! They’re open late !”
“OK, it’s a date !”, Paige exclaimed, and off they went, just like that.
They were a couple of hours over at the Burger Joint, where they ate sandwiches and tarts, talking over a number of things. Trent learned Paige wasn’t at all adverse to bullying, as she told him she was already looking to kick some of the girl’s asses over in the Dorm, especially those fat, loudmouth Reform Girls, along with the skinny ones too. “Those Bitches think they’re tough ? I’ll show them tough !”, she said, smashing a Beam Cola can upside of her head and squashing it. As she smiled an evil smile, Trent fell under her spell. Trent was in love.
On their way back to the school, Trent asked, “What kinda moves you got ?”, referring to her fighting moves.
“When we get back, I’ll show you”, Paige promised. When they reached the school, Trent led her back behind the Boy’s Dorm, where nobody would bother them.
“So, like show me”, Trent challenged.
“Sure”, Page said. “Come at me.”
Trent charged at her, acting like he was going to belt her one. Paige grabbed his outstretched arm and pulled, pivoting her hip into his pelvis, then tossing him over like a giant rag doll.
Trent landed on his ass. “Ouch ! That was Awesome !”
“Try it again”, Paige teased witchingly.
Trent got up and approached her more cautiously. But he got a bit too close, and Paige lashed out with a leg sweep that put Trent on the ground again.
“Wow !”, Trent said, as he shook his head and got up. “You’re Good ! But how are you at grappling ?”
“I can grapple just fine”, Paige replied, her face flushed with excitement. “Com’on, boy, show me what you got !”
Trent locked arms with Paige and they commenced grappling. After a half a minute, Trent suddenly let go of one of her arms and latched both hands on the other, then spun her around. With his head buried in her back, he bear hugged her and lifted her off her feet. Taking two steps, he smacked her shoulder into the stone wall and then dumped her on her ass.
“Not bad....Not bad”, Paige uttered, a bit out of breath. There was a stirring within her, adrenalin pumping. “Let’s go again !”
Paige leaped to her feet and grabbed Trent. This time, she avoided Trent’s tricks and wound up smacking him up heavily against the Dorm wall. She kept the pressure on, her face inches from his.
“I’ve got another move”, she uttered in a sensual tone of voice.
“Oh yeah ?”, Trent spoke, struggling against her. “What’s that ?”
“I’m going to shag you....Right here”, Paige answered, breathing heavily. “How do you like that, boy ?”
Trent liked that just fine.
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While the other Nerds made their way back to the Observatory, Melvin and Jimmette were walking through Bullworth Town, heading for the Dragon’s Wing...Or more specifically, the basement of the Dragon’s Wing. The proprietor, Mr Owens, as he was now known, wasn’t above taking a bribe to be conveniently absent from the store entirely this fine evening. Still, Melvin led Jimmette down the back steps to the basement door, where he produced a key, unlocking the door and leading her inside.
Jimmette had never been to the Dragon’s Wing before. She looked about the room in wonder, at the posters and battle maps on the walls, at the old ConSumo arcade game right by the door, at Fatty working under a spotlight in the far corner.....
Fatty !!! Melvin groaned inwardly. He had forgotten all about Fatty, forgotten he was here, diddling around with some new weapon he’d been working on. Melvin crossed over to where he was at. Fatty was so absorbed in what he was doing, he didn’t even notice Melvin was there until he spoke.
“Eh...Hey, Fatty....How’s the Super Spud Gun coming along ?”, Melvin ventured.
Fatty’s head shot up. The spotlight reflected off his glasses, making him look like a huge Hoot Owl. “Oh....It’s not. Too many problems with the trigger release on the increased velocity spring.”
“Uh, yeah....That’s....Disappointing”, Melvin allowed, trying to figure a way to get Fatty to leave.
“But I got something better. Look.” Fatty held out a strange-looking contraption. It was a slim pipe, rigged with a hand-sized grip stock attached, which contained a small trigger.
“So....What’s this ?”, Melvin asked, his interest peaked.
“It’s a Spud Rifle”, Fatty announced, a look of triumph on his face.
“Well, er....That’s great, Fatty”, Melvin said, wondering if Fatty had finally gone insane. “Except, uhh....A Potato won’t fit in there.”
“These Potatoes will”, Fatty proclaimed, holding up a tiny object. Melvin examined it curiously. It was small and round, about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. “What is that ?”, he asked.
“It’s a Baby Potato”, Fatty said. “I got a whole case of them from that Chef guy over at the restaurant. They’re used in Potato Salads or something. They come in cans, too, so it’ll be easier to reload them. I gotta add another pipe underneath for a reloader, and the springs....”
“So, where’d you get the pipes ?”, Melvin asked.
“There was a box of them, under the stairs”, Fatty replied, pointing. “Plumbing Pipes, it looks like. Got about 24 here. More than enough for just us,”
“What do you mean ?”, Melvin asked, but he already knew the answer to that.
“You guys can sell all our weapons”, Fatty said, indicating Melvin and all the other Nerds, “But not this one. This is just for US. That Parity stuff is garbage, we get attacked with our own weapons, we’re gonna lose even if we have weapons. But this will give us the upper hand.”
“What about Thad ?”, Melvin asked. “Won’t he be....”
“Phffft”, Fatty raspberryed, “He’s not the only one who can make weapons. He’ll get over it. I’ll let him invent the trigger springs or something.”
“About the springs”, Melvin asked, “Won’t they have to be stronger ?”
“Naw”, Fatty said, “The same strength tension will velocity these little Spuds five times faster, cause they’re a lot lighter. Anybody that gets hit will feel just like Rubber Bullets hit then. Plus, the range will be a lot farther. We can hit somebody from a hundred yards away.”
Melvin considered for a moment. “That sounds good, real good. But, uhh,....Dont you think you ought to take a break now ? Like, uh, just knock off for the night ?” He cocked his head towards Jimmette, who was still looking around.
Fatty looked at him balefully. “Gee, if you want me to leave, why don’t you just say so ?”, he whined.
Melvin tried a different tact. “Say, aren’t you hungry ? Bet you’ve been down here all day and forgot to eat, didn’t you ?”
Fatty suddenly realized he WAS hungry. Very Hungry. “Umm, Yeah ! I’m Starving !”, he moaned. His stomach suddenly felt like an empty cavern.
“There’s still some food at the dance”, Melvin suggested. “It’s about over, but I’ll bet there’s a bunch still out....”
Melvin didn’t even finish his sentence before Fatty had packed his stuff away and went limping for the door. In a flash, he was gone. Melvin shook his head. He should have mentioned food earlier. But the way was clear now. He had Jimmette alone. He called over, “Hey, Jimmette, I want to show you something !”
Jimmette followed Melvin into the little sleeping room off the basement. She looked around in the dim light, her eyes taking in the spool table, the chairs, and finally lighting on the bed. The dirty mattress where Algie had had his nut blown off had been replaced with a new one, all comfy-looking with fresh sheets and soft blankets.
She turned wordlessly and embraced Melvin, running her tongue over his lips before plunging it through. Gently, she edged him back towards the bed, helping undo his pants before shoving him down. With a graceful motion, she pulled off her dress and dropped her panties before climbing on him.
Over the course of the next few hours, she showed Melvin things that he had only dreamed of.
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Tad and Pinky had returned to Harrington House, where Tad wooed Pinky into having sex as a sort-of celebration of the big night and of Pinky getting her jaw unwired. They had of course been doing it for quite awhile now, and she had indeed felt more bonded to Tad as a result of all the days and night he spent with her in the Clinic. But tonight, her response to sex was mechanical and unenthusiastic, merely going through the motions. It was obvious to Tad that something was on her mind. After their session was finished, Tad broached the question, “What’s wrong, Pinks....You don’t quite seem to be yourself this evening.”
Pinky laid on her side without responding for awhile. Then, she said, “How is that new girl, Tad ? I saw you sitting with her.”
“Oh, you must mean Vanessa”, Tad said airily. “Her name is Vanessa Bouvier, she’s a Prep, just like us, you know. I was just getting to know her, that’s all.”
“She may be a Prep, but she’s not like us”, Pinky suddenly fumed, sitting up in the bed. “I know that name, her family is an Ultra-Rich, and she’s probably just a snob !”
Tad was taken aback by her sudden outburst. “So Bloody What ? We are also Rich, that’s what being a Prep is all about !”
“You know what I mean !”, Pinky went on. “She’s OLD money, real old, and we’re not ! After all this mess is over and done with, the Courts and the Lawyers, our families will the POOR rich !
“I don’t think so”, Tad said, rather condescendingly. “My Father will turn State’s Evidence against Derby’s Father, and it will be the Harringtons in the poorhouse, where they belong.”
“And they will drag my Daddy down with them, did you ever think of that ?”, Pinky exclaimed.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen”, Tad said loftily. “You shouldn’t worry over such things..”
“And another thing”, Pinky said, going off on another track, “What were you doing sitting with that Bitch anyway ? Don’t you think everyone SAW ?”
“No, it was kind of dark”, Tad said dismissively. “Nobody was paying attention anyway.”
“If I could see you from the stage, then everyone could see you !”, Pinky said incredulously. “Didn’t you think what would do to MY reputation and MY respect to have everyone see you sitting there having funzies with some other girl ? We’re supposed to be together ! How do you think that looks ?!”
“You should talk”, Tad sneered. “Everyone can see those goo-goo eyes you lay on that Calderone kid every time he’s anywhere near you !”
“Oh, That Is It !!”, Pinky exclaimed, jumping up and gathering up some sheets and blankets and then stomping towards the door and yanking it open.
“Where do you think you are going ?”, Tad demanded, somewhat harshly.
“I’m sleeping downstairs”, Pinky returned in kind. “You can stay up here and Diddle yourself !!”
“Oh, Bloody Hell, Then, Go On !”, Tad shouted, but before he could get the last words out, he was already yelling at a slammed door.
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Constantinos left the dance, heading towards the Boy’s Dorm. The dance was winding down, the party over. Nothing serious had happened, no blood-filled balloons had marred this event, no bombs exploded in the hallways, no armed gunman had appeared attempting to take over the school. A sense of relief overcame him, an actual school event without any injuries or damage to anyone had come and gone. It was a brave new Bullworth Academy, all right.
Some students had congregated on the Patio, others were scattered about the front Quad. Constantinos walked with a light step. He had come stag to the dance, but had gotten kissed by a girl. It had happened when the lights were low and the music loud, underneath the staircase in the Great Hall in the shadows. It was a slim dark-haired girl, one of the new ones, who walked up to him. She didn’t say anything, just began making out with a surprised Constantinos, poking her tongue in his mouth a swirling it around. It tasted of alcohol, and Constantinos briefly wondered where she had gotten that, but those thoughts vanished when she started humping up against him. He had almost went off in his pants.
Just as suddenly as she had appeared, she was gone, lost in the crowd. Constantinos looked about for he to no avail. She hadn’t said anything, even her name. He looked for her throughout the night, but it seemed that she had turned into a ghost. However, instead of being depressed about that, as he normally would be in many situations, Constantinos was exalted. He prided himself in knowing most all the goings-on at the school. He was confident that he would be able to track her down, given a bit of time. And maybe, he told himself, there was maybe a chance to have a real girlfriend.
Ahead of him, he saw Tony & Karen, and Nick & Melody heading out the front gate. They were off to the Vale, he knew, and he also knew just how their night would wind up. He envied his friends for that, but also wished them well at the same time. One day, he thought, it would be his time to escort a girl somewhere, anywhere. It might go a long way to dispel his prevalent gloomy attitude. He turned down the path that led to the Boy’s Dorm.
Constantinos had just passed the archway into the small Quad of the Dorm when a strange feeling overtook him that he was being followed. He stopped and then whirled around. No one was there. He could see clear down the pathway, and clear along the pathway to the Girl’s Dorm, and both were empty. Cautiously, he waited and looked. Then he backtracked a bit, glancing in the places one could hide around the arch masonry. Nothing. He hesitated for a while, then resumed his trek to the Dorm. Climbing the steps, he once more looked back. A couple of the Bullies were hanging about the yard, but that was all. Shaking his head, he went inside.
Tiffany watched Constantinos enter the Dorm, and giggled. She had jumped into a trash bin, dress and all, the split-second before Constantinos turned around. She watched over the lip of the can as he looked around in vain for his stalker, and as he ascended the steps and entered the Dorm. This one will do, she had decided. Tiffany had a cute face, but not enough in the other looks department to be able to go after the top dogs, and she knew that. She was painfully thin, and barely topped 5 feet in height. She had decided she would get boob implants one day, if she didn’t start growing a pair soon. This boy here was handsome enough, she reckoned, even with his hang-dog face and bushel of dark hair. She knew enough to know he was not one of the power-player kids on Campus, but also knew he was connected to some who were.
It seemed perfect. She would stalk him, trap him, and make him her slave. Then, she would make him assist her on her Kleptomaniac Missions. She would have him eating out of the palm of her hand, and another place too, before much time had passed. Of that, she was sure.
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Beatrice Trudeau was walking back to the Girl’s Dorm shortly thereafter, all alone. She had ditched Bucky early on, but had struck out with trying to strike up a relationship with any of the new kids. She was somewhat attracted to that kid named Alex, but all he could talk about was Sports. She tried to talk of Chemical Equations and String Theory, but the only person that seemed interested was the new girl Joan. What a beanpole, she thought. Not only that, her face looked like she had a major disease. Beatrice had been through some facial issues herself in her time, but that girl looked like an Acne War just waiting to happen.
Nick had left the Dance with that insipid little Melody, so Beatrice followed them out. She hung around the Quad, watching them head off with another couple, Karen and that Tony guy, towards the main gate. Probably going somewhere, she sighed. What Nick was doing with that dumbass girl, she just couldn’t figure out. Nick was muscular, and dreamy, and strong....While Melody was just....Well, wrong for a stud such as Nick. Beatrice had had her own little ‘fling’ with Jimmy Hopkins last year, but it never got past the kissing stage. Beatrice was much too prim back in those days. But now, those hormones were taking over, and even though Beatrice knew what that meant, she was finding it extremely difficult to control herself and her urges, especially where Nick Penty was concerned.
As she began to make the turn towards the Girl’s Dorm (and another lonely night), she was suddenly startled as a figure leaped from the trash can to her right. It was one of the new girls, her red dress somewhat disheveled from being in the trash can. She started trotting towards Beatrice, casting a look over her shoulder so that she nearly ran into Beatrice, and would have if Beatrice hadn’t stepped back. The dark-haired girl, who couldn’t have weighed but 90 pounds, cast her a baleful look as she hurried by without speaking. She ran on ahead to the Dorm. After a while, Beatrice followed her, as there would be no date for her tonight, either.
Beatrice returned to thinking about Nick. How could she get him away from that little tart ? At the bottom of the Dorm steps the idea struck her. Recalling the incidents with her notes and her Diary that had brought her and Jimmy together for a short time, she smiled. All she needed was a foolproof plan. She hurried up the steps. She must get to her room. She had some Diary entries to write.
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Christy helped Winkie pack up before they left the Dance. The night was over, and the Trackers were also getting their instruments packed up. The leader of the band, a fellow going by the name of Axel Flowers, stopped to chat with Winkie about the group’s appearance at the Golden Horseshoe the following night, of which Winkie would be a part of. “Say, Bring your girlfriend along. We could use a piano player for some of them tunes.” Winkie nodded and said he would indeed bring Christy along, and everyone took their leave.
On their walk back to their apartment, they talked of their future. Christy was exuberant from her debut on the piano, and asked Winkie if it was possible to get Winkie’s new band to include Pinky as a backup singer. Winkie said he would have to check with the band members. He didn’t want to start asking too much, as he was a newcomer to the band, and didn’t know the others all that well yet. But, he said it wouldn’t hurt to maybe arrange Pinky an audition with them and see how it went.
Winkie was carrying his guitar, and pulling his amp on rollers. It was a long ways to walk. Christy stopped at one point and pulled off her High Heels to just walk barefoot. “Don’t you think we ought to think about getting a car ?”
“Well, yes”, Winkie answered, “But I need to make a bit more money before we do that. There’s also the license, insurance, registration to think of, not to mention gas and upkeep.”
“I’ll put in some from what I’m making”, Christy said, “We could do it, I think. Beats walking.”
“At some point, I’ll probably have to go out on the road with these guys, too”, Winkie said, “And you want to go to Teacher’s College, right ? So we have to plan carefully.”
“I know”, Christy said, “But I think we can make it all work out.”
“Besides”, Winkie said with a grin, “We’ll have to go out of town to find a car....No new or used car dealers here !”
“Oh, that’s right !”, Christie exclaimed, laughing. “Forgot about that !”
They continued their way over the Great Bridge to their apartment. Christy drew closer to Winkie. The fires of desire were kindling in her guts, and as soon as they reached their place and hauled the equipment upstairs, Christy could contain herself no longer. Stripping off her clothes right there, she stood naked before her man.
“Hey You, here’s my flesh”, she teased. “Are you ready to rock ?”
Winkie was more than ready. He desired this beautiful girl day and night, and even more on weekends. They moved to the small bedroom, and Christy covered Winkie with kisses while she helped remove his clothing. She lay down on the bed, pulling her man with her, and soon her cries of passion echoed off the walls all around the thrusts of their union.
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The school was at last quiet. All the students had left, the hallways were quiet. Mr. Galloway told Max the Prefects could leave early as well, and just to patrol outside until Midnight, making sure everyone got to their Dorms or wherever on Campus they were going to. After that, he told them they could knock off early for the holiday tomorrow.
Soon enough, the school was deserted save for three people....One was Mr. Riddle, tucked away on his cot in the basement, turning in early, since he would have his first major clean-up job come morning, taking down the decorations, removing the bunting and other stuff from the tables, and folding and packing away the tables themselves back into the bowels of the basement from where they came.
The other two people were in the Headmaster’s Office. Their day finished as well, Mr. Galloway and Ms. Phillips prepared for some celebrating of their own. For the first time in a long time, a school event had gone off without a hitch. Even the potentially troublesome Reform School Girls had caused no problems. There had been no fights, no vandalism, and best of all, no blood-filled balloons falling from the ceilings. It had gone so well that Mr. Galloway was thinking ahead to having a Prom next year, like a normal school. As the night had worn on, all his misgivings had melted away in the splendor of the dance. For the first time, he felt truly in charge of this hallowed institution known as Bullworth Academy.
And as a special treat, Ms. Phillips even allowed him some alcohol, in the form of champagne, which she had been holding back for a special occasion. They drank a toast to success, they drank a toast to the renewal of Bullworth. The drank toasts for more than an hour. The bottle flowed freely on this night, and for a long time afterwards, Mr. Galloway would recall this night as he lay in the throes of his constant craving for both the sauce and the zest of life.
Along about midnight, Ms. Phillips came alive in a flurry of motions. She stood and stripped off her red gown, tore off her bra and panties and stood before him in only her nylons and heels. She was as flawless as her students painted her in Art Class, a stunning beauty with perfect breasts and a firm behind. She ordered Mr. Galloway to drop his pants. “Lionel...It’s time for your Detention !”, she said, moving closer and pushing him back into the Headmaster’s chair. Mr. Galloway was a bit tipsy from the champagne, the first alcohol he had had in many months, and he damn near stumbled before he reached the chair, plopping back heavily in the seat. But the rest of him was at attention, as befitted a Fourth of July firework, and Ms. Phillips quickly mounted him and began slamming herself into his pelvis over and over at a furious rate.
“Ohh...Dedrie....”, He moaned, as the pummeling continued. Here, he had every thing he had ever dreamed of, an almost impossibility just a year ago, underlaid with despair and drying out trips to the Asylum. The long days and even longer nights of his lonely existence had been replaced with this important job and this sexy woman. It was a life born anew, out of the pits of his downtrodden soul.
Why then, did images of Bethany Jones and Christy Martin streak across his mind just now, pushing him even closer to his edge ?
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The Vale Hotel had just reopened for business a few days prior to the Holiday. It had taken a month to clean up and repair the damage caused by the bombing to the lobby and the Shea Restaurant, for the Vale Hotel had to have the best as they served an upscale clientele. Tony had made reservations for this very night right before he and Karen had gone on their island cruise, hoping the Hotel would be reopened in time.
The four friends entered the lobby. It was thronging with people, mostly out-of-towners that had poured into the valley for the festivities. The Clerk barely paid any attention when Tony showed the reservations and asked for the room keys, as he was on the phone and other patrons were lined up. Tony, Nick, and the Girls made their way to the elevator and went up.
The Vale Hotel had only three floors, but it was a long building, stretching a block towards the back. Tony had been able to get the more expensive third-floor rooms at a discount when he made the reservations, since the Hotel wasn’t making any money while shut down and the management was more than happy to tale a lower, non-refundable cash payment in advance.
They left the elevator and filed down the hall to their rooms. Tony and Karen had Room 323 and Nick and Melody had Room 324 across the hall.
“Well, we’re here !”, Tony said jovially, handing Nick his key and then inserting his own into the lock. No electronic keys in this Hotel, like their was in so many places these days. Still, since technology was coming to the Vale Valley, it probably wouldn’t be long until they did. Karen scampered into the room ahead of Tony.
“We’ll see you in the morning...Maybe”, Nick returned, as he unlocked his own door and ushered Melody through. Nick went in after her, and while closing the door noticed Tony and Karen’s door was already closing as well. He went over to the room’s air conditioning unit and turned it on, while Melody went into the bathroom to change out of her dress.
Melody Adams was a bit nervous. This was her first time in such a fancy place. She wondered just what her Parents would think if they knew where she was tonight. She shook that thought off, and instead concentrated on getting to look just right for Nick. Melody was a sort of plain girl, mildly attractive in an average way, with nondescript black hair, which she usually tied back with a white hair band. Her body was average size too, with breasts that were proportionate to size. Her best features were her blue eyes and her open, energetic face. She was smarter than the average girl, and kept to her studies well, sometimes saying she wished she could go to school seven days a week.
From her purse, she pulled out her evening’s attire, a pink nightie. She usually liked teddys, but this garment in particular was one she had never worn. It was sheer, and would show off all those parts of her body Nick had never seen before now. She was desperately hoping that Nick would find her attractive, for while they had had several sexual encounters over the past few months, they were the hurried ones in whatever places they could find, and she had never been wholly naked in front of him. She didn’t want him to be disappointed.
She put the nightie on and primped herself as best she could. Then, taking a deep breath, she emerged from the bathroom. Nick had set the lights down low, put on some soft music from a TV channel, and arraigned the bed. Swallowing back her fear, she bravely said, “I totally want to hang out with you !” A smile trembled on her lips.
Nick stared at her for a moment, and she grew nervous. Then, he extended his hand and said, “Come over here.” Slowly she walked the length of the floor and stood in front of him. Nick embraced her in his arms and kissed her, long and deep.
“You know....I’m crazy about you”, he said, when they broke the kiss.
“Oh, Nick”, Melody breathed. “Show Me.”
Nick gently laid her on the bed. She could see he was ready for her. He lowered himself, and they began at a slow, deliciously erotic rate. Unlike their rough, earlier encounters, this slow pace brought ecstasy to Melody she had never before experienced. “Ohh, Nicky...I love you...I love you....”, She moaned. All too soon, her universe exploded in a kaleidoscope of sheer pleasure. She cried out in a string of curses as she went over the top.
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In the other room, Tony and Karen talked for quite a bit on how the dance had gone, and what a refreshing change it was to not have to always be constantly in danger anymore. It seemed that Tony’s Weapons Parity plan was working, for the had been no major fighting incidents lately. All the Cliques seemed to be behaving themselves for the present, and Tony hoped that would continue through the rest of the summer.
Granted, the Jocks were too busy training under that rigorous schedule set up by the new Coach, and the Greasers seemed really busy with their Blue Balls enterprise to cause any trouble. The Preps seemed ever more reclusive, hardly venturing far from Harrington House except for classes, and the Nerds were not being bothered these days as everyone suspected them of having extra weaponry. Even the Bullies were keeping in line, but weather that was because of their agreement with Tony or not really having anyone to bully anymore, it was difficult to say just why.
After awhile, Tony and Karen’s mutual passions began lighting up, and Karen headed toward the bathroom to make herself ready for the evening. She had a surprise for Tony....A sheer lime-green nightie with frills on it that looked stunning on her. Unlike Melody, Karen had no qualms about her looks or her body. Her times of hanging with the Jocks and exercising had toned her up rather nicely. She was a bit muscular, but it all was spread around in the right places. But Karen was also very feminine, with larger than average sized breasts, a firm butt, and shapely legs. Her auburn-blonde hair was a striking contrast to her deep blue eyes. And while Mandy, Lola, Christy, and Pinky could have been judged to be the prettier girls at the school, Karen was fast overtaking them, if she hadn’t already.
Karen slipped the nightie on and inspected herself in the mirror. Tony was going to like what he saw, she was sure of that. He often told her how beautiful she looked, and this time she would really sparkle. She tussled her hair a bit, then exited the bathroom. Tony was just finishing undressing and she saw he had gotten the room ready, the bed turned down and waiting for them.
Coming together, the kissed deeply, long and hard, their passions for one another rising to a fever pitch. Unlike their friends, they were old hands at this, and knew exactly when their desires peaked to the point of no return. When that point was reached, they tumbled into bed and began in earnest, hard and pounding. They went at it again and again, switching positions often, their grunts and cries echoing off the walls as they ravaged each other.
Finally, spent and exhausted, their breath huffing deeply, they lay spent in the glow of their pleasurable aftermath. Wordlessly, they caressed each other until they fell into a deep, deep satisfied sleep.
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Tony was in a dark place. Traces of light from above filtered in through the gloom from a jagged hole far, far above. Tony squinted as his eyes adjusted. How had he come to be here ? Finally, he could discern he was in a huge cavern that stretched for miles in diameter. He could just barely make out the other side. There were all sorts of unidentifiable obstacles that littered the way to where he saw he must go. Glancing upwards, he made out that the cavern was dome-shaped, and came together at the irregular hole at the apex of it, Hundreds...No, Thousands of feet overhead. A great loneliness engulfed him. There was no one to be seen, and he had the sense that this great cavern was empty of all life. Unlike his previous forays into these netherworlds, there were no bloody bodies with severed limbs or corpses of his friends cut in half. There was nothing, save for those unknown shadowy obstacles, only desolation. It was very quiet. Tony tried shouting, but his yells were swallowed up in the gloom with nary an echo. A sense of grief washed over him. Something was missing, maybe irrevocably lost, and he despaired of ever finding it again. But find it he must, whatever the cost, for without it he would wander in this place of misery for all eternity.
Something Wicked This Way Comes. Tony began to move, onward to whatever destiny awaited him.
The dream shifted somewhat, and Tony’s legs moved in his sleep. He turned to his side and laid his arm across Karen. Asleep, she nestled against him, and as she did, Tony’s dream faded into oblivion.
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As Independence Day dawned, the Vale Valley really sprang to life. There were shops open everywhere, Particularly in the Vale section, with merchandise set out into the streets. Crowds thronged from early morning to early evening, much of those were out-of-towners who had flooded the area for more effectively than water from the Dam (had it been blown up) would have. The Vale Valley was the new 'Hot Spot’, fueled as such by the nationwide publicity of the happenings that had taken place here, and kept alive by the viral web of the Internet. Everybody, it seemed, wanted to visit the Valley, to see the towns, to be at the place where they had heard and read so much about. The population of the Valley, nominally just a few hundred, had swollen to more than five thousand people on this weekend.
Since parking had become a huge problem, charter buses had been commandeered to bring in the hordes of those seeking a look and a stay in the Valley areas. The Valley’s only Motel, the In-And-Out Motel, was packed 10 people to a room. The other three Hotels were similarly booked up, doing the best business of their histories. Not to be left out of the money train, many of the Townspeople were renting space out in their homes at outrageous prices, or spaces in their yards for people to just camp out in. Many had already sold parking spaces in their yards, similar to what one would see at racing events, for as much as $250 a slot. At the large Vale Park, people were camped out everywhere, as if it were one of those huge campgrounds like KOA. The cash was flowing quite freely, and it was intoxicating to the long-time residents of the Vale Valley, who’s economy had for years been suppressed by the few rich and powerful who controlled it.
In Bullworth Town itself, the Courthouse Square area was filled with people. The wreckage of the Founder’s Statue had long since been removed, but it became a gathering spot much as Ground Zero, with people taking plenty of photos and starring at what once was and no longer there. The Town’s only Gas Station, The Oil Spill, was constantly crowded with vehicles seeking fuel or some other mechanical service. The shops and stores that had re-opened were doing as much business in this one day as they would have in 10 years time.
Even the Tennaments and New Coventry had gotten in on the act. The streets were also crowded there as the overflow of outsiders had swarmed into the area. Some had even broken into the condemned buildings and were camped out there like squatters. Everywhere one looked, there were throngs of people, moving about on the streets, the shops, the stores, the bars. The Bike Park building, much to the dismay of the Greasers, was opened up to accommodate even more people for the weekend.
Curiously, few of the newcomers to the Valley ventured over across the small bridge to Blue Skies. Those of the tourists who did would usually drive, taking quick looks at the damaged Spencer Warehouse or taking the road out to Happy Volts Asylum for a quick look through the repaired gates and then turning around, scampering back to the more favorable areas. There was still rampant rumors of poison gas blanketing the area, and car windows were kept tightly rolled up. Most of the gasses had been dispersed by the winds in early June, but a faint oder still remained, enough to convince the less knowledgeable not to hang around the area too long.
But one group still hung around there, for it was their home. They were fugitives now, but because of what had gone down during the Punk’s bombings, nobody really realized that...With the exception of the few leftover Police Officers who had been kept on, who weren’t about to say anything regarding the escapees. Having been passed over for a promotion to Police Chief in favor of Fire Chief O’Rourke (who was doing both jobs for now), and only retaining their jobs by the barest of threads, they weren’t about to admit to their huge lapse of duty in allowing their prisoners to escape during that ensuing power outage.
And so it was, for the time, that the group was free to plot and plan. And their zero hour was fast approaching.
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The Fourth of July parade began at noon, just about when Tony, Nick, and the Girls left the Vale Hotel. They had slept in until about 10 o’clock or so, then went down to the Shea Restaurant for lunch around 11 o’clock before checking out. The parade had organized in the tunnel area leading to the Carnival, and made it’s way East on Vale Boulevard. The route of the parade took it over the South Bridge, past the school, over the Great Bridge and into the downtown area of Bullworth Town before ending by circling around the Courthouse Square, which wasn’t really square at all, but horseshoe-shaped.
The Parade featured the usual participants, important Bullworth citizens riding in cars, including some of the better-looking women of the area, like Ms. Isaacs, Ms. Rushinski, Miss Kopke, and even Bethany Jones, now representing the school. There were also some imported marching bands from outside the valley, some jugglers, and even some Shriners with their funny little scooters.
But the biggest thing in the parade was the floats. Several businesses had chipped in for floats, looking to cash in on the national publicity with the exposure. CNN was televising the parade live, as a special news program. The commentators would be talking about recent events and the revival of the hitherto-unknown Vale Valley.
Random Draws were assigned for the floats, and they were interspersed by the other marchers and cars. First down the line was Betty Toombs of the Final Cut, with her float depicting rows and rows of spiky wigs and all sorts of strange Goth-type products. Not to be outdone, Maria Teresa of Hair, Nails, & Beauty followed with her float, with several bath-robbed women on it under hair dryers, soaking their hands and feet in tubs of water. Next came Mr. Moratti of The Happy Mullet Barber Shop under a giant pair of scissors, with various men parading around sporting various stylish haircuts. Mr. Carmichael of The Aquaberry Store followed next, with a floatfull of mannequins showing off the various Aquaberry clothing under a flashing blue Neon Aquaberry sign.
The next float down the line was the Shiny Bike Shops float, highlighted by Tobias Mason astride a giant replica of the Lightning F-40, reputedly the fastest bike in the world. Below him in a circle were sparkling shiny new bikes the were available at his stores. Next came Nicky Charles of the Worn-In Clothing Store. His float was piled high with Goodwill boxes and Dressmaker’s dummies clad in various used clothing. The Crab Seafood Restaurant float followed, manned by Mr. Martin underneath a huge Red Crab, with chum buckets spread all around. The Yum-Yum Markets float was next, with Mr. Oh and his Clerk Stan balanced atop a set of giant scales, with bags of groceries were set around the parameter. Following next was the float of the Mental Dental that featured a huge tooth in the center with what looked like robot drills spaced around it. Dr. Bambillo was seated towards the front, next to a couch that had a person playing a patient laying on it. Then the Chef’s French Restaurant float followed, with the Chef actually cooking various delicacies while standing beneath a huge Croissant.
Tony, Karen, Nick, and Melody walked past the Vale Theater and arrived just in time to see the Chef’s float go by. They waved from the crowd, and the Chef saw them, giving a thumbs up sign before resuming his cooking duties on the large stove mounted on the float. But it was the last float in line that was the surprise and shocker for Tony and his friends. It was the float the Preps had been working on all week, and it was the only float entered by anyone from the school.
On it, the Preps had constructed a smaller replica of their boxing ring over at their private Gym. Parker and Justin were sparring about the ring, lightly punching each other. Scattered about the parameter were the other Preps cheering them on. On a platform at the back, Bryce stood punching a large bag, near a banner that read, “Prep Pride”. While the mostly out-of-town crowd cheered this float just like any other, the regular townspeople gave it disgusted looks and some even popped up their middle fingers and shook them at the Prep float. They weren’t going to soon forget that these boys were the sons of the men whose iron-fisted control of the Vale Valley had almost brought them to their ruin.
Tony watched the Townspeople’s reactions amusingly. If the Preps thought that this was going to bolster their status in the community, they were sorely missing the point. After the recent near-destruction of the Vale Valley, most of the Townspeople harbored a vile ill-will toward all of the Prep families, even those who had formerly dealt with them. It mattered not to them that it was Jake and the Punks who had set off the bombs, but it did matter to them that Harrington and his kind were the ones that made that possible in the first place.
Tony shook his head and urged his friends on. There was a couple of errands to do on this day, and he had better get to it. One in particular they had been waiting to accomplish for a very long time.
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The four went back to the school to change their clothes and get some more comfortable duds from their wardrobes. Once that was done, they met up again at the front gates and trekked into Bullworth Town, walking across the Great Bridge and straight ahead down Main Street. There was a new Electronics Store opening up, and Tony heard that they were going to have all the newest nifty stuff available. However, when they got there, they found very little stock yet available, no I-pads or I-phones were there. They did have a bunch of elementary Cell Phones in stock, and that was really what Tony was after. There was no camera functions or even a text screen, but they were cheap enough. After so long without anything of the kind, it was sure better than nothing.
Tony bought four phones, one for himself and one each for Nick, Melody, and Karen, and then had them activated. He also bought a fifth phone, which he had put on restricted access. There was now the very first completed cell-phone tower in the Vale Valley, located up on the plateau in Old Bullworth Vale not far from the cabin where Derby had tortured Kurt. Doubtless there would be others, in time. But this would do for now. Tony felt a bit more comfortable with having direct access to Karen. He’d had a strange disturbing dream last night, and even though he didn’t recall much of the dream, it nonetheless made him uneasy. There had been no jarring images of destruction and death as in his past dreams, and yet....There was a remnant of the feeling of great loss, of unbearable loneliness. Tony couldn’t figure it out. Everything was going smoothly now, there was no imminent threat, no mad bombers, no enemies to defeat. Still, Tony couldn’t shake the feeling of something.....Undefined.
They left from the Electronics Store then and strolled over to Worn-In Clothing, where Tony and Nick waited outside patiently while Karen and Melody shopped. They took time to observe the old Bullworth Theater down the street while they waited. The old Theater was getting a renovation at last. The front and lobby areas were gutted out, and new interiors were being installed. When finished, patrons of the In-And-Out Motel would have an entertainment venue close by. That would no doubt please the shadowy Indian owner of the Motel. In a strange flash of thought, Tony realized he didn’t even know the owner’s name.
When the girls finished shopping, they came out loaded with bags and sacks. The four walked back to the school. It was still afternoon, and the festivities weren’t set to began in earnest until later, capped by the planned Fireworks show this evening. Time enough for Tony to do a quick mission.
Two sets of eyes watched them as the group moved, and then followed them at a discrete distance.
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Tony decided to handle his mission alone, while Nick was dispatched to gather up Laurent, Constantinos, and Ray and invite them to come along with them to the planned Boat Show out in the Vale Bay. When darkness came, they could all go up to the Lighthouse Overlook to watch the Fireworks Show.
Tony got his bike, the Flame Job BMX, out of the East Side Garage Bay where it was being stored. He ran his hands along the frame. It had been awhile since he had even ridden the bike he had so lovingly built and used to win some races with. Other events had gotten in the way, and he had just plain not really had the time to go riding. But that would change now. If the peace held at the school, he’d be able to spend more time away, if he chose. It suddenly occurred to him that he should buy Karen her own bike too, so they could go riding together. Her birthday was coming up next month, he just might as well get her an early birthday present.
Tony biked from the Parking Lot to the road, then crossed the South Bridge. There was plenty of traffic on Vale Boulevard as he headed towards the tunnel and went through it, at last parking his bike in the bike rack in front of the Carnival. He undid the chain lock from under the seat and then chained to bike to the rack by it’s frame. Then he entered the Carnival, having to pay $2 to get in. Billy Bob must have jacked up his prices, he thought wirily, as he made his way down the crowded Midway. He headed towards the rides, then did a turn and made his way to the Freak Show House.
Entering, he moved down the hall until he came to a particular window, and looked in. There sat Paris, still fat as ever, stuffing her bearded face and watching TV. Beside her sat Algie. Tony rapped on the window to get Algie’s attention. When Algie looked over at him, Tony pantomimed that he wanted to meet him outside. Algie nodded that he understood, and Tony went outside to wait.
It took Algie about five minutes to show himself. Tony beaconed him around to the side of the Freakshow House for a little privacy. “Whadda want ?, Algie asked, when the were mostly away from any prying eyes.
“Just a Report”, Tony said. “You been keeping a watch on those Air Rifles like we agreed ?”
“Oh, Yes”, Algie said, in a less belligerent tone. “There’s still five of them left. I guess that.....Jake didn’t steal them all. They’re chained to the counter now at the Shooting Range, and at night, Crystal takes them to the Fun House and they’re locked away in a room there before the Fun House is locked up for the night.”
“I see”, Tony said. “Very good. What else is going on around here ?”
“Well....”, Algie began, “Freeley makes fun of me, a lot, and Dorsey makes me tote all the trash every night”, he complained. “Zeke and Lighting are always fighting over my Paris....” Here he blushed. “And, oh, Hector and Brandy are going to have a real Midget Wedding Ceremony tomorrow night. Mr. Crane says that it will be a big draw !”
Tony had to smile. “That’s....Great, Algie. Just great. Keep it up, and I’ll bet that you’ll be able to get to come back to school this fall for sure.”
“You really think so ?”, Algie asked. “I really miss my fellow Knights.....I know they probably hate me, but I still miss them.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say ‘Hate’, maybe just dislike would be a better word there”, Tony said in return. “But you know, when I tell them what you’re doing here, having a hand in keeping us protected and all, I think they’ll change their minds.”
“Ohhh, I hope so !”, Algie blubbered, tears springing to his eyes. He pulled off what looked like new glasses and wiped his eyes quickly.
“Oh, and here, this is for you”, Tony said, handing him the fifth cell phone he had just bought earlier.
“A Cell Phone !!”, Algie said in amazement. “How did you get this ?”
Tony swept his arm around. “They’ve put up a Cell Tower, so one of the stores in selling them now. But, this phone is just for reporting. It’s restricted to just mine and Nick’s numbers, which I’ve entered in there. If you see anything suspicious....And I mean ANYTHING.....Call us right away, understand ?”
“Yeah, Sure, sure I will !!”, Algie exclaimed. “You can count on me !”
“I hope so”, Tony said. “You do well on this mission, and things will be getting better for you, I can promise that.”
Satisfied, Tony left then, winding his way back through the Carnival. He stopped to take a turn on the High Striker before he left. Since he had to pay to get in, he might as well take advantage of it, even though it cost him an extra buck. Still, he rang the bell, for which he received some prize tickets, which he stuffed in his pocket to cash in later. Outside the gates, he collected his bike and rode back to the school to round up Karen and his friends. He was thinking a meal at the Chef’s French Restaurant might be just the thing before they headed off to the festivities.
As he turned into the long road that led to the Parking Lot, those eyes watched from a distance, near the pathway opposite the front of Bullworth Academy. They were still watching as Tony and his friends left a while later, headed to Bullworth Vale.
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Hundreds and Hundreds of people were lined along the Beachwall, watching the Boat Races out in the Bay. The walk-out pier was packed, with just a slim walkway in the middle to navigate the way. A vast plethora of boats were racing about the Bay, some had been brought up the river from the ocean, but most had been brought in on trailers and off-loaded onto the branch river that was fed by the Bullworth Dam, that being the only place with ramps big enough to drive the trailers down to the water’s edge.
To everyone’s surprise, Laurent had brought along a girl, whom he introduced as Nina. She was one of the new ones, Tony saw, but not one of those Reform School girls. At first she was rather shy around the others, but by the time that the group was eating at the Chef’s French Restaurant, she seemed to open up and be somewhat more at ease. She seemed like a nice girl, and Tony was happy for his friend. By the time they had finished up their meal and were walking towards the beach area, Karen nudged Tony and pointed. Walking ahead of them just a ways, Laurent and Nina were holding hands.
Tony and the others had managed to wedge themselves into a place at the end of the walk-out pier. They watched as the speed boats up and down the length of the bay. It was a fine late summer’s afternoon, clear skies and sparkling water. There was a heat wave coming, the forecasters said, but today was the kind of day that was just about as close to perfect as one could get. Even the very air had an energizing quality, and the light breeze seemed to scrub everyone with a fresh vitality, washing away from the valley all the ugliness of the past year.
Cigarette Offshore Power Boat Racing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et6n64XhoyM#ws)
Time seemed to pass quickly, as it always did when things are pleasant and good. Before they knew it, the Boat Races were winding down, and some of the crowd was dispersing. Tony suggested they get on up to the Overlook so they could get good spots by the rail for the Fireworks Show. But Ray seemed to be in some discomfort.
“Im hungry again !”, he complained. “Can’t we go eat somewhere ?”
“You’re always hungry”, observed Constantinos with a smirk. “Bottomless Pit.”
“The Chef’s crème de la crème was not enough for you ?”, Laurent guffawed, shaking his head.
Tony didn’t want to delay too long, but Nick had an Idea. “Why don’t we stop by the Burger Place and pick up some takeout ? We’re gonna need something to snack on while we watch, right ? Won’t take too long.”
The idea was met with a chorus of agreement, and so the group headed to the Burger Place, where they had great fun just walking up to the drive-thru window and ordering there, laughing uproariously about not having a car. They got a bag of burgers for Ray, and the rest got Tarts and Fruit Pies as snacks. Sufficiently stocked, they walked the short distance to the stairway next to Shinjo’s that would take them up to meet the dirt switchback road that went up to the Overlook.
As they so moved, the watching eyes followed, always keeping a safe distance.
____________________________________________
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The West and Northwest sections of Old Bullworth Vale sat up much higher than the rest of the Vale Valley, more than 50 feet higher in most places. The far Western section, where the mountains crowded in towards the Bay, the drop was a sheer one of more than 100 feet to the water. To gain access to the valley, the early inhabitants had found it necessary to carve out a tunnel that ran right underneath where the small Lighthouse Overlook Park was now located. It was through this tunnel that the carnival could be accessed, and that the only road in or out of the Towns could be found.
The homes that sat up on the plateau in the Northwest section of the Vale were the residences of the wealthy and well-to-do. Much as castles were built on higher ground, where the privileged could lord it over the lower classes, so had this section of the Vale been built, where the Manors and Estates of the ultra-rich were planted all along the twisty winding Vale Valley Road. However, when the stores and shops expanded south from the upscale business section of the Vale to to Vale Boulevard and almost the beach itself, a problem arose. It had been judged too steep to build the Vale Valley Road directly to that upscale business area, and so it was built much further to the north, where it junctioned with Town Hall road, which ran South from District Street and then to the North, eventually meeting with the Bullworth-Vale Road. Therefore, the planners came up with two pedestrian shortcuts that would not inconvenience or delay those well-to-do folk who wanted to take a short stroll into the shops and stores.
From the level of Vale Boulevard, where a short street (aptly called Hill Street) rose higher to the North, the Ice Cream Place was located on the corner. From there, a wide set of steps on the sidewalk led up to the next level, which went past the front of Shinjo’s Restaurant. Between Shinjo’s and the next building to the North, the Scuba Shop, a set of steeply ascending steps had been built rising to the West, where they topped out into a patio area. A short turn to the South led to the Dirt Road, which led to the Overlook one way, and switch-backed down the steep mountainside to end up at the beach by the Lighthouse (and the Prep’s Beach House) going the other way. It was these stairs which Tony and his friends climbed this evening on the way to the Overlook.
On the other side of the Scuba Shop, Under a archway, another set of steeps steeply rose to the West also. These were much longer, containing two landings, for they eventually climbed to Vale Valley Road, at the point just before it crossed a short bridge over a culvert. It was this way that the Idle Rich could easily make their access to the business district and thence to the shops beyond, and was also at the point where the short Hill Street turned East to become District Street, which led directly in front of the Burger Place where it sat on the corner with Town Hall Road.
It was to be because of the convergence of this long-ago architectural design with unexpected timing, chance happening, and just plain bad luck that a quick drama was going to play itself out on this very night.....The circumstances of which would plunge Tony and his friends into a desperate quest.
____________________________________________
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A sizable crowd was already at the Overlook when they arrived. Tony, Nick, and Constantinos found an opening on the South railing overlooking the Carnival and squeezed in, while the others packed in behind them. There was still a few minutes left to the Fireworks show, and they joked somewhat about the cramped conditions. Then, suddenly, far below in front of the Carnival gates, two large Fireworks Pinwheels sprang to life, and loudspeakers placed in strategic locations all along the bay blared out, “ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE ?!?!?!”
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff123/ErisPriestess/fireworks7.gif) (http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff123/ErisPriestess/fireworks7.gif)
Lets get ready to Rumble - Jock Jams (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOvDTCbcHe0#ws)
As the Rumble Song was playing, the first bursts of Fireworks appeared, shot off from the lot just West of the Carnival, where the Go-Kart track was being reconstructed. The crowd jostled for a better look, pushing back Karen and Melody, who had been right behind Tony and Nick. Similarly, Laurent and Nina were also pushed to the side by the surge of the crowd. Only Ray was able to hold his position, and his bag of burgers, due to his size. There was a lot of talking and noise from the crowd.
Awsome fireworks show (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvIVTJz3vLo#ws)
The Fireworks lagged for a little bit, then resumed. Tony and Nick at the rail fought for some better space, shoving off people to their left. This at least got the tall tree down below out of their way that was blocking some of some of their view, and allowed a bit more space for Karen, Melody, Laurent and Nina to push forward. Ray was able to hold his original position, but was now more focused on gulping down the burgers from his bag than watching the show.
Then, the show begin to get more intense. The crowd surged again, this time completely cutting off Laurent and the three girls from Tony, Nick, and Constantinos in the front of them. At the same time, the speakers begin to blare out “Party In The USA", making hearing anyone difficult.
Miley Cyrus - Party In The U.S.A. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA#ws)
So I put my hands up, they’re playin’ my song,
The butterflies fly away, I’m noddin’ my head like’ Yeah !!
Movin’ my hips like. Yeah !!
Got my hands up, they’re playin’ my song,
They know Im gonna be okay,
YEAAAH !! Its a party in the USA !!
YEAAAH !! Its a party in the USA !!
Feel like hoppin’ on a flight {on a flight}
Back to my hometown tonight {town tonight}
Something stops me everytime {everytime}
The DJ plays my song and I feel alright.
So I put my hands up, they’re playin’ my song,
The butterflies fly away, I’m noddin’ my head like’ Yeah !!
Movin’ my hips like. Yeah !!
Got my hands up, they’re playin’ my song,
They know Im gonna be okay,
YEAAAH !! Its a party in the USA !!
YEAAAH !! Its a party in the USA !!
As the song played on and the brilliant bursts over the Bay lit up the night sky, Melody was becoming uncomfortable. Short as she was, just a touch over five feet tall, she felt dwarfed by the people around her. And added to that, another uncomfortable feeling now presented itself.
She tugged on Karen’s sleeve. “I have to go to the Bathroom !”, she said as loud as she could, without being too loud as to be overheard.
“Really Mel ? Can’t you hold it ?”, Karen answered back. “There’s no place to go here !”
“No, I can’t, not much longer”, Melody said, “I feel like I’m gonna pee myself !”
Karen considered. “About the closest places are the Porta-Johns at the Park or back at the Burger Place.”
“Ugh, I’m not going use those gross, smelly Outhouses”, Melody made a face. “I’d rather go to the Burger Place bathrooms. Karen, will you come with me ?”
“Uh...Sure, I guess so”, Karen answered. “We should tell the boys, though.” She began calling, “Tony !! Tony !!”
But the crowd had jostled the gap between them even wider. Karen’s shouts went unheard in the noise from the crowd, the blaring music, and the Fireworks. Finally, she gave up and pushed her way over to Laurent. Nina was clinging on his arm, looking a bit frightened from the crowd pressing in around her.
“I’m Going With Melody To The Bathroom At The Burger Place”, she shouted. “Tell Tony And Nick, OK ?”
“Are You Sure That Is Safe ?”, Laurent said back loudly, in order to be heard. “Want Us To Go With You ?”
“Psh, It’s Safe Enough, You Guys Don’t Have To Go”, Karen retorted, than added jokingly, “There’s Plenty Of People Around ! Just Tell The Boys, We Should Be Back In About 15 Minutes !”
Laurent shrugged, then nodded to show he understood. Karen and Melody began pushing their way to the back of the crowd. They finally emerged near the entrance to Overlook Park and made their way towards the Dirt Road. There were still lots of people there, but very much thinned out from what was jammed in at the Overlook. The two girls began walking down the Dirt Road towards the cutoff that went to the steps.
As they had emerged from the Overlook and began walking away, a figure dressed in Ninja Black pulled out a Walkie-Talkie and began frantically speaking into it.
____________________________________________
-
As Karen and Melody got to the top of the steps, they heard what sounded like a nearby muffled BOOM !!!
Unknown to them, an unexploded Fireworks shell had dropped from the sky and had landed on the decking of the Dry Seaman’s Bar a couple of blocks away, where it promptly blew up and caught the deck on fire. When they reached the bottom of the steps between Shinjo’s and the Scuba Store, what people remained on Hill Street, and that had been hanging about the Burger Joint, were now running down towards Vale Boulevard to get a look, as people are apt to do wherever a fire is concerned.
But the girls paid no attention to that as the hurried up the walk in front of the Scuba Store. The Burger Joint was in sight to their right, and Melody was practically dancing now, trying to hold her bladder. As they passed the archway where the second set of steps that led up to Vale Valley Road lay, they had their eyes fixed ahead on their destination. The streets were now suddenly empty of all people, but in the shadows under the archway, two black-clad figures moved forward swiftly.
Melody was lagging about a step behind Karen, walking a bit funny from trying to hold her pee. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind by a powerful arm around her throat, while the hand of the other arm pressed a fowl-smelling rag over her mouth. The rag was soaked in Chloroform, and as she attempted to breathe, the drug quickly knocked her out.
Karen heard Melody’s muffled noises slightly behind her and began to turn. But before she could even look, she too was grabbed by a second figure and a Chloroform rag was plastered over her mouth. Karen, being stronger, attempted to struggle, even stomping her foot onto her attacker’s instep. But she too had to breathe, and in whiffling a couple of breaths of the drug, she too passed out.
The two black-clad figures dragged the girls backwards towards the arch. Made unconscious by the drug, Melody’s bladder relaxed and she pissed herself, the urine soaking her panties and coursing down her legs onto the pavement. The attackers quickly dragged the girls up the two flights of steps and onto Vale Valley Road, where a nondescript black car was waiting. The driver popped the trunk, and the two girls were unceremoniously dumped inside and the trunk slammed. The black-clad figures swiftly got in the car and it sped off. As they did so, a Fire Siren could be heard in the distance.
The entire abduction had taken only 30 seconds, and there were no witnesses.
______________________________________
-
Up on the Overlook, the muffled blast of the errant Firework went unnoticed amid all the noise of the people, the loud music, and the explosions of the Fireworks above. Eventually, a few people along the Eastern railing did notice the blossoming fire at the Dry Seaman’s Bar far below, and the word spread through the crowd. As it did, the pack of people around Tony and Nick gradually lessened and pushed to the East to see. A fire siren could be heard in the distance, for those astute enough to make it out, but unheard by the majority of those up on the Overlook.
The Fireworks Show progressed onward, it was topped off by a hitherto unreleased musical track called “Firework” near the end.
Synchronized Fireworks Show - 4 [FWSIM] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNjggrxUQ78#ws)
You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine,
Just own the night, like the 4th of July.
'Cause baby you're a firework !
Come on, show 'em what you're worth !
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y.....
Baby, you're a firework !
Come on, let your colors burst !
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe....
Boom, Boom, Boom !!!
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon,
It's always been inside of you, you, you,
And now it's time to let it through-ough-ough....
'Cause baby you're a firework !
Come on, show 'em what you're worth !
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y.....
Baby, you're a firework !
Come on, let your colors burst !
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe....
Boom, Boom, Boom.....
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon.
Boom, Boom, Boom.....
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon.
After that, the Fireworks Show came to it’s grand finale. The crowd cheered as the sky lit up with brilliant colors. The Fireworks Show now ended, the crowd began to disperse, allowing Tony and Nick to look for their friends once more in the sudden darkness.
“Umm....Where are the girls ?”, Tony asked.
“Yeah, they was right behind us....Wasn’t they ?”, Nick queried.
Tony spotted Constantinos and they made their way over to him. “Hey, where are the others ?”, Tony asked him.
“Beats me”, Constantinos replied. “You guys are the first ones I’ve seen.”
They looked around some more. It was hard to make out people in the darkness, but every 10 seconds the Lighthouse beam would sweep over the area, illuminating it for a brief second. Because of this, they found Ray, over by the rock face to the North. He was just polishing off the last of his bag of burgers.
“Hey Ray !!”, Tony hollered. “There you are. You seen the others ?”
“Ummm....No, I haven’t”, Ray replied, gulping down the last bite of burger.
The four gathered together. “Well, they got to be somewhere”, Nick said.
“Yeah....But where ?”, Tony said, puzzled.
People were now pouring out of the Overlook as fast as foot traffic would allow. They decided among them that they would go out to the dirt road and wait. When they got there, they saw Laurent, off to the side away from the flow. Nina was clinging tightly to him. She seemed upset.
“Hey Laurent”, Tony greeted him. “What you doing out here ?”
“Ze Crowd was freaking her out”, Laurent replied. “I had to get her away from them.”
“I guess....I don’t like big crowds”, Nina said meekly. “I think I’m a little claustrophobic.” She attempted a trembling smile.
“Not a big fan of them myself”, Nick said, trying to put her at ease.
“Hey, no problem !”, Tony said. “They can get a little hairy.” To Laurent, he asked, “Have you seen Karen and Melody ?”
“Oh, Oui”, Laurent replied, “They say to tell you that they went off to the bathroom at the Burger Joint.”
“Oh...Ok”, Tony said. “Uh...How long ago was that ?”
“Quite a long time now”, Laurent admitted. “I try to find you to say, but could not. And then, she became afraid”, he said, indicating Nina.
“Well...I don’t see them here”, Tony said, scanning the last of the people streaming from the Overlook. “I guess we’ll have to go check at the Burger Joint, then. Com’on, everybody.”
The group trudged down the Dirt Road and cut off towards the steps. The last of the crowd from the Overlook was mostly in front of them. When they descended the steps, they saw most of the crowd was heading South, towards Vale Boulevard and the beach area. They continued North along Hill Street and turned towards the Burger Joint. There was some odd splatters on the walk, but only Laurent noticed them as he stepped around them, guiding Nina.
Inside the Burger Joint, they sent Nina back to the Girl’s Bathroom to check for the missing girls. Soon she was back, and reported no sign of them there. Then the friends searched around the Burger Joint, and then exited and looked at all the outside tables. But still no Karen or Melody.
Tony remembered the Cell Phones then, he had completely forgotten about having them up to this point, as they were so new to him. The same went for Nick, he had also forgotten. Each of them tried calling both Karen and Melody then, but got no answers after repeated tries.
Tony was getting a bit worried now. Karen was always so insistent that she could take care of herself. In fact, she had often gotten mad at Tony’s attempts to 'protect’ her. She only stood about 5 foot 4 inches, but she was tough. All the girls in school were afraid of her (except some of the new ones who didn’t know any better yet), and many of the boys even were. But it wasn’t like her to just not come back. Or not even answer her new cell phone, for that matter. Unless something had happened to Melody, or both of them. Uneasy, Tony suggested they head back to school and see if the girls were there.
But Laurent was bothered by something. He was blaming himself for not finding Tony earlier to tell him of where Karen and Melody had gone. She had said they would be back in 15 minutes, were going to the Burger Joint bathroom because Melody had to go pee. And Melody DID look like she really had to go....Maybe even having trouble holding it in.......
“Wait”, Laurent said. “There is something we should check first.”
The others were curious, but Laurent was already walking back along the sidewalk to where he had spotted the splatters. He was kneeled down when the others reached him and gathered around. Sticking his finger into the splatter on the pavement, he brought it to his nose and sniffed. “This is Urine”, he announced. “Melody had to go to the toilet, very badly....Maybe, she did not make it there....”
“Look !”, Nick suddenly said. He pointed at spots along the sidewalk, leading back in the direction of the Scuba Shop. “It’s....Like a trail.”
And it was. The group followed the drippings. They went under the arch, and there it got too dark to make out anything. Constantinos produced a Bic lighter and flicked it. They were able to pick up the trail once more, and it led up the steps.
At the First landing, it was Ray who spotted an object. “Look ! I found something !”, he cried scooping it up. He handed it to Tony as Constantinos brought the flickering light to bear. It was a girl’s right shoe. Tony recognized it right away and blanched. “That’s Karen’s Loafer !”, he exclaimed, a strange sense of dread creeping up his spine. “Why is this here ?”
But Constantinos was already moving the light. The trail continued up the second flight of steps. The group followed, topping the stairs and coming out onto Vale Valley Road. There, by the curb, was a larger splatter on the roadway, and then.....Nothing. The trail ended here.
“Geesus Shit”, Nick muttered. “What Now ?”
But Tony couldn’t answer, because all of a sudden, the full import of his disturbing dream of the night before came crashing down on him. Something had happened. Karen was gone. Melody was gone. They were gone. The others stood stunned as the realization swept down on them like a sudden cloudburst. Evil had happened this very night.
Tony stumbled out to the middle of the street. “Where is she ?”, he whispered hoarsely. A bubble of anger and rage rose up in him. He raised Karen’s shoe to the moonless night sky and shook it.
“WHERE ARE THEY ?!?”, he screamed. “WHERE ARE THEY ?!?”
__________________________________________________
-
The mood of the Vale Valley on that night was one of exuberance. Freed from the repressive shackles of isolationism imposed by the likes of the now-departed Harringtons and their kind, the residents were like kids in the proverbial candy store, intoxicated with their new freedom. Egged on by their visitor’s example, they raided the burning deck at the Dry Seaman’s Bar along with the outsiders, ripping away pieces of the burning timbers by hand and carrying them across Vale Boulevard and down to the beach, piling them in widely scattered areas and creating bonfires. The undermanned Police Force, as it were, attempted a form of crowd control to no avail. The Soldiers, lacking orders from their superiors, stood by and watched impassively. Chief O’Rourke had arrived at the Dry Seaman’s Bar with the valley’s lone Fire Engine to find very little left of the fire to put out.
Soon enough, the liquor was brought out to the beach also, and fabulous beach patties were into full swing by midnight. Like Men and Women denied their pleasures far too long, they partied until the first rays of dawn broke over the valley. Unknown to any of them, even the reporters covering the first true Independence weekend the Vale Valley had seen in several years, was the fact that two teenaged girls had vanished overnight, plucked from the Vale without anyone seeing a thing. Not a thing at all.
__________________________________________
-
By Sunday Noon, the temperature had soared to 90 degrees as an unusual heat wave enveloped the Valley. At Bullworth Academy, about half the kids, mostly the Jocks, Nerds, and Non-Cliques, were at the Pool in what was now being called the Aquatics Building.
Tony, followed by Nick, wandered in through the door from the outside Basketball Court. His face was gaunt, and his eyes held a hollow look. He had been out searching for Karen and Melody all night and and morning and had gotten no sleep whatsoever. After the trail of the girls had apparently come to an abrupt end on Vale Valley Road, Tony and his friends had searched through the Vale Gardens Park, which seemed the next logical place to look. They next checked the clinic, just in case one or both of them had been injured somehow. Finding nothing, they had returned to the school in the vain hope that the girls, for some reason, had gone there.
Laurent had taken Nina back to her Dorm and then rejoined the others. From there, they had all gotten their bikes and went off in separate directions to search some more. Long about 3 AM, Ray had given up, and following soon after, Constantinos and Laurent had given up also for the night. Tony and Nick had kept at it until dawn, when Nick returned to the Dorm for a bit of sleep. Tony kept at it though, getting out the Go-Kart and searching again, going down every street and pathway in the Towns over the next several hours. Failing to find a trace of the missing girls, Tony returned to the Dorm to find Nick, awake now. Tony refused to think about sleep, so Nick suggested the search the campus for any sign of the Girls. Karen and Melody hadn’t returned to the Girl’s Dorm. Tony and Nick had worked their way down to the Pool and Gym.
Mandy saw Tony come in, with Nick behind him. She was sitting by the North door at the edge of the pool with her legs dangling in the water. She was suddenly struck by how they both looked. It reminded her of Zombies. It occurred to her intuition that something was wrong, for she had never seen either of them look so haggard. They started scanning the pool and the areas around it. Tony’s half-lidded eyes fell on her, and they walked over.
“Hello boys”, Mandy said tentatively. “Is....Something wrong ?”
Instead of answering right away, Tony scanned the Pool again. The he asked, “Where’s Ted ?”
“He’s not here right now, he had to see about something”, she replied. “Is there anything you want me to tell him ?”
Tony just stared at her for a second. Nick was looking around, as if searching for someone. Tony cast another look around, then said, “Mandy....Can we talk private somewhere ?”
“Well....Um, sure”, she said, getting up. “How about...Up there ?”, she said, pointing to the overhead bleachers, which were empty.
Tony nodded, and Mandy walked to the nearest set of steps that led up to the overhead bleachers. She knew something was troubling the boys badly, since they didn’t even run their eyes up and down her bikini-clad body as they followed. When they reached the top and found a bleacher, they all sat, with Mandy in the middle.
“What’s this all about ?”, Mandy asked over the noise drifting up from the kids in the Pool below.
“Karen an Melody are Missing !”, Tony blurted out. “They’re Gone !”
“What ? How can that be ?”, Mandy said. “Have you checked the Dorm ?”
“Yes”, Tony said hollowly. “They’re not there. Let me explain....They disappeared last night....” He went on to tell of the events of the previous evening, of the girls going off to the bathrooms alone, of their search, of finding the pee trail and Karen’s loafer. Nick chipped in to add details from time to time, but was otherwise rather subdued. Tony also related of all the searching they had been doing since then.
Mandy was taken aback. It wasn’t like those two to just run off. They were a couple of the straightest arrows at the school. She knew Karen the best, as she had come to the Jocks last summer, seeking protection from the Bullies. Mandy had taken the younger girl under her wing, so to speak, and arraigned for the Jock boys to teach her some moves and put her under a training program. Karen had taken to it well, and in a short time become a rather strong girl for her size, and even feared by many of the students. Mandy had even heard of her kicking Pinky’s ass a time or two. All the Jocks felt an affection for her, even granting her Clique status.
Melody, she knew a lot less about, other than she had been a former tattle-tale and was viewed as an all-around ‘Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes’ by most of the kids. She was attracted to what was considered the 'Bad Boys’, which explained her initial attraction to Nick. But why Nick wound up choosing her over all the other girls was still a mystery to Mandy, as she knew there were several girls clamoring for his attentions. Nick himself wasn’t really a ‘Bad Boy’, but played the part well while beating all the toughest at the school just as Jimmy Hopkins had done. Mandy got along allright with Melody, however, having seen more of her these past few months due to Nick’s favorable status and respect within the Jock Clique.
“So, have you gone to the Cops ?”, Mandy asked.
“No”, Tony said miserably. “The stations were all closed up due to all the Cops being out doing crowd control. We even tried the Substations.....Well, all except Blue Skies, that one’s closed still. We couldn’t even get the Army guys to pay any attention to us.”
“Tony, you guys need to file a missing-persons report”, Mandy said. “Go find Mr. Galloway, he’s an adult and may have more luck with getting the Police to listen. Tell him everything you’ve told me. This sounds serious. Somebody might gave taken them !”
Tony nodded wearily. He had been thinking the same thing. But who would do that ? And Why ?
Mandy got up. “You boys look like ghosts. You should see Mr. Galloway, then get some sleep. You both look dead on your feet. You can’t help find them if you’re exhausted.”
Tony nodded again, although he inwardly shuddered when Mandy said the word 'dead’.....It was something he didn’t want to hear in any case.
Mandy led them out, saying she would put out the word on the missing girls at the school, and in that way more people would be on the lookout for them. Mandy was good at spreading gossip at the school, in fact had turned it into an art form of sorts....But this time, it could be used for potential good.
Tony and Nick returned to the school where they were able to find Mr. Galloway, who was just stopping in to direct the last of the cleanup from the dance and to make sure everything was in readiness for classes tomorrow. When they told him Karen and Melody were missing, he took them up to his office, where Tony repeated to entire story once again. Mr. Galloway promised to get in touch with Chief O’Rourke and to get the investigation started. He advised both boys to get some rest, as it would probably take several hours to hear anything, progress-wise.
This time, Tony didn’t object. His steps back to the Boy’s Dorm were slow and uncertain, and his mind was muddled and confused. One thing he was sure of, as he tumbled into his bed, was that someone had stolen Karen and Melody. Totally exhausted, Tony fell into a deep and troubled sleep.
______________________________________________
-
Tony was still in the Dome. He had traveled far, yet seemed no closer to his still distant objective. He had surmounted one obstacle, that of shock and disbelief, but so many, many more littered the way he must travel. His senses were sharper somehow, he knew his quest. An overwhelming sense of loss and grief enveloped him, yet he pushed on. They were out there, she was out there, somewhere. The silence of the Dome was eerie, overwhelming. Tony looked out over the desolation, but still could not make out his final destination on the other side. The light from the jagged hole at the top of the Dome was muted and cloudy. A sense of great danger came to him, the way would not be easy, but torturous. His only relief was that there was still no bodies or dismembered limbs. They were not dead, he told himself, only missing, and he must find them, whatever it took, whatever the cost, for without her, he would remain in this vast wasteland of hell forevermore. Dark forces were at the end of his journey, if he were to reach the end, he knew, and there would be a battle, a hard battle. Although the Dome seemed timeless, Tony had a strong feeling of urgency, as if his time to complete his quest was short, else all would still be lost despite his best efforts. A sudden vision appeared to Tony, sort of a dream within a dream. A ghostly Mr. Luntz stood in the school hallway, beckoning Tony and pointing towards the School Store. Then the vision poofed away in a cloud of dust, and Tony was once more left in the desolation of the Dome.
Tony groaned in his sleep. He must move, he knew, get on with it. But where ? What first ?
Sweat stood out on Tony’s sleeping forehead. His features contorted into an agonized grimace for several long seconds, then relaxed as he slid deeper into his exhausted sleep. The dream faded, for now.
_______________________________________
-
The early Sunday morning sky over Blue Skies was swathed in an oppressive haze, as the beginnings of the heat wave presented itself to the Vale Valley. The air was still in the Industrial Complex as no work was being done on this day. There was no movement on the roads or the Docks, no cars prowled the streets. While the rest of the Valley prepared for another day of holiday partying, Blue Skies seemed like an Old West Ghost Town in comparison.
The largest structure in Blue Skies was the Chem Plant, the key building in the Chemical Company complex of buildings that occupied the South-East part of the Industrial Complex, and of Blue Skies itself. Built in the 1920s, it was a large, round-shaped structure 150 feet in diameter, sheathed entirely in steel walls that rose to a height of five stories above ground. A unique feature was incorporated into the building around it’s perimeter....An enclosed circular ramp, 12 feet in width, that rose up to the level of the flat roof on the top of the building, to facilitate the loading and unloading from the various floors.
Unknown to most, though, was the three sub-floors that lay beneath the Chem Plant. The only ones who had knowledge of those floors, prior to the year before, were the small band of scientists who had worked there, the Plant Manager, and of course Mr. Harrington himself. The Chem Plant was the first structure to be built in the Industrial Complex and it’s initial purpose was to make chemical fertilizer for the then-infant crop fertilizer market. Over the years, the Chem Plant Complex went through various owners until it was acquired by the Harrington Group. The three underground floors were, and continued to be, a secret testing facility for the product the plant produced. The bulk nature of production was shifted then from crop fertilizing chemicals to chemical weapons, which were smuggled out of the country via the shipping docks and down the river to waiting freighters on the ocean, to be from there sold on the black market to the highest bidder.
The Chem Plant thus became the biggest money-maker in the Harrington Empire. The regular workers in the above-ground floors were unaware that the chemicals they were making along with crop fertilizer were intended for chemical weapons. The same held true for employees of the Gloop Oil Refinery, which lay just to the West of the Chem Plant. Gloop Oil was a small refinery, producing oil products and a moderate amount of Gasoline which served the Vale Valley. The Gasoline was shipped to the Oil Spill Gas Station in Bullworth Town to be bought by the public, and was more than enough to serve the Valley’s modest means. Employees of Gloop Oil were permitted access to the upper floors of the Chem Plant to pick up the chemicals that they then added to their product -- Pentane, Hexane, Septane, Octane, Nonane, Decane.
There was a secret access to the underground part of the Chem Plant Building. A disguised storage room on the ground floor hid a secret panel that gave access to the stairs that led down to the first level underground, which was used primarily for storage of the chemical weapons. Below that, on the second level underground, were various testing laboratories, including animal pens for testing on live animals. The favored animals for use in testing were dogs and rats, which explained in part why they were so numerous in the Valley. For many years, feral cats had been caught and killed, to be chopped up and used for the food supply of the test animals, until at last cats had become extinct in the Valley. At that time, other wild animals such as possums and raccoons had been used, but they were fast disappearing from the Valley as well. Lately, the test animals’ diet had begun to feature dead fish, those ones that could be found washed up on shore just about anywhere, but this was a less-that-satisfactory substitute. Beneath these levels, lay the third level underground, which contained the living and sleeping quarters, including a kitchen and recreation room, for the scientists and associated personnel who worked in the secret underground areas of the plant. A final addition was a secret tunnel leading from this lowest level to a camouflaged hut downriver. It was to this tunnel that the scientists and personnel had escaped the blasts that Sid’s Punks had planted on the second floor of the Chem Plant which released the toxic gas, and they had been picked up and spirited off, out of the country, to parts unknown.
The secret of the underground levels had remained a secret for many, many years, until a little less than a year before. It had been discovered by Big Darrell, the former Punk who had taken over the Townies by brute force after the killing of Edger Munsen and the murder of Gary Smith, events which happened simultaneously and for which he had been responsible. He had caged himself a job as the night-shift security watchman for the Industrial Complex, working out of Building XX-7, which contained a bank of 32 closed-circuit monitor screens connected to cameras placed around the entire complex. While idly watching the monitors one night, he happened to notice people wearing white lab coats going in and out of a particular storage room on the camera that he read was assigned to the ground floor of the Chem Plant. Curious, he had snuck in the Chem Plant the following afternoon, disguised as a worker. Hiding among the bags of chemical product in that storage room, he had waited until evening, until someone had come in and activated the secret panel that led to the first underground level. Following a bit later, when he reckoned the coast was clear, he accessed the stairs that led down to the first level, and poking around discovered the way down to the second level, where he found the multiple animal testing rooms and cages where the dogs and rats were kept. He then found the stairs down to the third level, but in sneaking partway down them he heard voices, and decided to retreat before he was discovered. He left the Chem Plant then, armed with the new knowledge, and later that night went to his job at the Control Room in Building XX-7. This time, he closely watched the monitor showing the ground floor of the Chem Plant and made notes of the traffic and times people were entering and leaving.
Last November, Big Darrell had been confronted outside Building XX-7 on his way into his shift. He had been running late that night, and the second shift guy had already left, he knew. He wasn’t worried, as no one seemed to keep track of the comings and goings of the shift worker’s times. But what did happen that night, was that girl Zoe, whom he had Otto and Leon hold down while he raped her a few nights before, had bushwhacked him out of the shadows along with the aid of Trent, one of the Bully boys from the school. Zoe then had rigged explosives in a bag tied to his crotch, and the resultant explosion had blown off his nuts along with some of his other parts, in the Control Room of Building XX-7. He was found the next morning, near death from blood loss, and had been made to disappear after that. No one ever knew what became of him, and little did anyone really care. After a brief struggle for leadership, Omar Romero had taken over the Townies.
There the knowledge of the secret underground levels of the Chem Plant might have remained secret. But Big Darrell had bragged to Omar about what he had discovered, telling him that if things ever became too hot, that there was a place the Townies could hide out in....Provided, of course, that the Plant was ever to be closed down and absent of people. Omar had stored the information away. It seemed unlikely that there would ever come a chance to use the place unless something disastrous happened to close the Plant. Then, the Punks rigged bombs in the Chem Plant, as a part of their bid to take over the Towns and ultimately extort money from it. The Townies, who were being held in the Town’s Jails on multiple charges of Assault and Hostage-Taking from their earlier bid to aid Jake in taking over the school, all escaped during the resulting power failures while the Vale Valley was under siege by Jake, Sid, and the Punks. Afterwards, the Chem Plant had been locked off by the EPA. It presented the perfect opportunity for the Townies, who broke into the Plant from the access shack on the roof. The public perception, fueled by dire warnings from the government, that the Plant was now too toxic, mattered little to the Townies. They had found their ultimate hideout.
It was in one of those underground third-level sleeping quarters that Karen and Melody came to on that Sunday morning. They were blindfolded, sitting up on separate mattresses laid out on the floor, with their backs against the wall. Their arms were shackled in handcuffs that were attached to sturdy pipes that ran along the wall about 4 feet off the floor above them. After some brief confusion over their situation amid assurances between themselves that each of them hadn’t been harmed, they came to realize that they had been abducted. And they also discovered that their panties had been removed. A little sick to their stomachs, they were nevertheless terribly thirsty. But, the overriding questions uppermost in their minds were, who had taken them, and why ? They would soon enough find out those answers, and soon after that discover what terrible fate awaited them.
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When she awoke, Nina was still upset. New to the school as she was, and already she had just missed, by the barest of margins, getting snatched like those two girls apparently had been. If she had only gotten to know them better, she might have gone with them, probably WOULD had gone with them, and now where would she be ? Beaten, raped, and in a shallow hole in the ground, that’s where. Like everyone else, she had heard about such things. And, just like everyone else, she had never believed such a thing could happen to her.
She shuddered. Last night has been so upsetting. She didn’t really know anybody just yet, and she needed to talk to someone. She was just getting to know the other new girls, but it was a slow process, as she was rather shy. She found it hard to open up to anybody she had just met. But, there was Laurent. Even though she had only known him since Saturday night, she felt a strange affinity for the French boy. It had seemed so natural and easy once he had approached her at the dance and began talking to her, and she had been drawn to him immediately.
It was Laurent she must see, she decided by late morning. She set out from the Girls’s Dorm, headed towards the Football Field. She hadn’t been beyond the back Quad since she’d been here yet, so once she got to the circular pool, which had been repaired but without it’s former statue, she hesitated, unsure of which way to proceed. No one was around. She looked down the paths that led to Harrington House and to the Autoshop, and decided that those probably wasn’t the way. So, she headed off towards the way to the Gym and Aquatics Building.
Getting closer, she began hearing voices and noise coming from the Aquatics Building, the sounds of laughter and of kids having an all-around good time. Tentatively, she went to the door and peeked in. A bunch of kids were engrossed with swimming and generally horsing around, the same as could be seen at any pool almost anywhere in the world. Nina saw a girl sitting at the edge of the pool with her legs hanging over in the water. Not seeing anyone else she would be comfortable with speaking to, she approached her.
“Um...Excuse Me ?”, she ventured, having to raise her voice somewhat to make herself heard. “I'm....Um....Looking for the Jocks ?”
Mandy swiveled her head around. “Well, you found them”, she said, giving Nina an appraising look. “Most of them anyway.” She watched as Nina scanned the Pool area. “Someone in particular you’re looking for ?”
“Um....Yes.....Laurent”, Nina replied, continuing to look around.
“Well, He’s not here”, Mandy said, still sizing Nina up. “He’s probably down at Clubhouse, still bunked out. Why do you want to see him ?”
Nina turned her attention back to Mandy. “I just need to talk to him, that’s all. We went out last night to see the Fireworks together, and....” She shook her head. “I just need to see him, is all.”
Laurent taking a girl out ? This was news to Mandy. “Just go down to the Clubhouse at the end of the Football Field and bang on the door”, she said. “If nobody answers, just go on in, and holler upstairs. He should be there.”
“Oh...Ok. Thanks”, Nina said, and turned to go.
“Ever done any Cheerleading ?”, Mandy asked suddenly.
Nina looked back around. “Er...No, I haven’t.”
“You should”, Mandy said. “You got the body for it.” She looked at Nina speculatively. “Tryouts are next month, on the Fifteenth. You should come down for them.”
Nina was taken aback. Nobody had ever asked her to try out for anything before. “Well...Um....Sure....I guess....I could....”
Mandy nodded. Nervously, Nina fidgeted. “Well, I have to go now”, she said, and turned and left. Mandy watched her go. She would need to build up the Cheerleading Squad for the coming school year, and she might as well start with someone who was apparently going out with a Jock.
She also wondered if Nina’s wanting to see Laurent had anything to do with Karen and Melody’s disappearance last night. Tony, who had left a bare half-hour ago, had told her that some of his friends had been with them, including Laurent. Mandy settled back, splashing her shapely legs in the water. She would find out soon enough, she decided. By the end of the day, she would know everything.
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After some time to get their bearings, Karen began to shout out. “HEY !! HEY !! IS ANYBODY OUT THERE ? WE’RE THIRSTY !!! COME AND GIVE US SOME WATER, YOU BASTARDS !!!” Her cries were met with silence.
“Goddamnit !!”, Melody moaned. “They’re gonna leave us here to die !!”
“I don’t think so”, Karen answered. “Why go the trouble to kidnap us just for that ? They coulda just killed us already. Doesn’t make sense unless we’re being held for ransom or something.”
“It’s the something”, Melody squeaked, her voice cracking. “They took our panties !! They’re gonna rape us !!!”
“Don’t be ridiculous”, Karen said, “They’re not going to damage the goods, meaning us. They’re going to need to keep us alive and healthy.” But in saying that, Karen wasn’t so sure. Melody sounded on the edge of hysteria, and Karen needed to say something, anything, to try and calm her. She felt confident, or at least thought she did, that the boys would find them somehow.
The girls froze at the sound of a lock being disengaged, a sound that Karen knew well. There was a gentle sound of a door opening, then the light tread of footsteps came towards them. Karen and Melody held their breaths, waiting. But instead of speaking, they heard the footsteps retreating away, and the sound of the door closing and the lock being engaged once more.
“HEY !!!!”, Karen screamed. “HEY, COME BACK HERE !!!! WE NEED SOME WATER, ASSHOLES !!! CAN YOU HEAR US ? COME BACK HERE !!!!”
At that, Melody exploded, thrusting her body against the restraints. “MOTHERFUCKERS, LET US GO !!!!”, she screamed suddenly. “LET US LOOSE, LET US GO, LET US LOOSE, LET US GO-Oh-Oh-Ohhhhh” She broke down in wracking sobs, tears flowing from beneath her blindfold.
“Mel, Cool It Mel....It’s not going to do any good”, Karen cautioned her. “The boys will come for us, It’ll be all right. Gonna be all right.” But even as she said those words, a frightening feeling was already stealing up from her insides. This was Bad. Real Bad.
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Omar was sitting at a table in the central Rec Room, playing cards with some of the other Townies. The Recreation Room was in the center of the third-floor underground section. To the North-West, outside the Rec Room, was the Kitchen Area, and to the South-West lay the Dining Room. A wide hallway extended out from the Rec Room to the West, dividing the Kitchen and Dining area, and ultimately connecting onto a tunnel through steel doors that led to other buildings in the complex. One small hallway went to the south, connecting to the stairs that led up to the second level, and another small hallway went to the North, to connect to the emergency escape tunnel. Spread out in a fan-like placement to the North, South, and East around the Rec Room were the large offices of the Scientists, along with some research rooms. Spread out behind those were other rooms, including storage rooms, bathrooms, utility rooms, washrooms, and shower rooms. Out along the perimeter were the living quarters, which was the farthest out of the concretic circles, which were all dived from the other circles by a narrow hallway. It was in one of these Living Quarters that the Karen and Melody were being held.
Gurney came into the Rec Room and approached Omar. “They’re awake”, he reported. “Asking for some water.”
Omar folded his hand. “Well, then give them some. We don’t want them gettin’ dehydrated, now do we ?”
Gurney flashed an evil grin. “Sure don’t. They all got to be all lubricated up for tonight, all right !” He let out a laugh, and Omar joined in. The laughter spread to the other Townies as well, and soon the echos of it drifted out to the rest of the third floor like ripples in a pond.
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Not getting any answer to her repeated knocks, Nina cracked the Jock’s Clubhouse door open. Looking about in the dimness and not seeing anyone, she debated about going in. Even though that Mandy girl said she could, she was rather timid. Indecisively, she took a tiny step inside. When nothing happened, she took another, and then another.
The inside of the Clubhouse looked pretty much the same as it always had, having been rebuilt after the bombings of the past Halloween and the Tornado of the past Spring. There was the Equipment Cage in the right-hand back corner. In front of that was one half of a bunk bed. It faced a TV, which was on, playing some silly old movie. That whole part comprised some sort of common area, as some chairs and tables were scattered around, along with a desk. The central part was open, with some mats on the floor. Towards the back, there were ball racks and big wire ball baskets. Hanging on the rear wall were the surviving banners, which would surprise any non-Jock in the school, since they depicted past Baseball Championships, the latest being 1997, a Basketball Championship from 1975, and another banner which indicated membership in a long-ago Soccer League.....None of these were sports that Bullworth Academy had participated in for a decade or so. Off in the left back corner were lockers, but they were now under sturdy metal stairs that went to the newly-built bunkroom on the new second floor. At the bottom of the stairs was a Beam Cola Machine.
A bit intimidated by her surroundings and afraid to call out anymore, Nina sat down on the bunk bed and began to watch the TV. Satellite Dishes had be begun to skyrocket since the downfall of the Harrington empire in the Valley, but the school had not yet benefited with dishes of it’s own, so there were still only the same two channels that there always had been. Nina decided to wait until Laurent was awake, or maybe someone else would appear that could go up and get him. She wasn’t ready as yet, if she ever would be, to invade the sleeping quarters of a bunch of Jocks.
Some time went by, and she became drawn to the old movie that was playing on the TV, so she sat down on the bunk bed to watch. It was an old black & white movie with a simple plot -- “White Christmas”, she thought, and wasn’t that strange on this hot day. But it was better than boredom, and Nina hated to be bored. So immersed in the film she became that she didn’t hear the footfalls of the two Jocks come down the metal stairs, and in fact, didn’t notice their presence until the were nearly next to her. When their movement caught the corner of her eye, she looked around suddenly, and let out a horrific scream.
Standing there was absolutely the biggest person she had ever seen. His arms looked like slabs of Beef one would see hanging in a Meat Market. The giant stood six and a half feet tall, and his massive head seemed to almost touch the ceiling. Nina scampered over on the bunk bed, away from the massive figure and cringed with her back up against the Equipment Cage. The giant opened his mouth, which seemed like a cavern, and said, “LO ? WHO YOU ?” Too terrified to speak, Nina could only stare mutely at the huge figure, her eyes wide and frightened.
“Hey, Bob, back up, man....You’re scaring her”, a second figure said, whom Nina hadn’t even noticed as her eyes were fastened on Bob’s huge presence. He limped around to where he was in front of the huge Jock and addressed Nina. “Don’t mind Bob”, he said, “He’s harmless and really a real nice fellow. My name’s Lance. Is there....Something we can do for you, or....Are you looking for someone ?”
“Um....Laurent...”, Nina managed to get out, “I came to see....Laurent.”
“Oh...He’s upstairs. Probably up by now, he was stirring around whens we gettin’ ready to go.” He nudged Bob. “Hey, Bob, be a bro and go tell Laurent there’s a girl waiting down here for him, would’ja ?”
Bob’s massive head nodded, and he moved off without a word towards the stairs. Still a little unsettled, Nina watched him go. Lance attempted to put her at ease by saying, “Laurent told us he was taking out a girl...That must be you.”
“Um....Yes”, Nina said. As Bob climbed the stairs, she turned her attention back to Lance. I’m Nina....Nina Boulanger. I’m new here. It’s been quite a week, I must say.”
“Yes, it has been”, Lance said. “Laurent told us about what’s been going on”
They continued to talk until Bob came back down the stairs, followed by Laurent. Then Lance and Bob took their leave and bid goodbye. Laurent came over to Nina and sat on the bunk bed next to her. “Hey, I was just going to come to see you”, he said, adding ruefully, “When I woke up, that was.”
Nina turned her face towards his. “Oh, Laurent, I have to talk to you. I feel so bad about Karen and Melody ! I feel so guilty about not going with them ! I hardly knew them, but I think we could have become good friends !”
“Yes, they are very much great girls, that is true”, Laurent consoled. “But they are only missing. They will be found, and you will get to know them well.”
“It’s not only that”, Nina said, her lip trembling, “I keep thinking....What if I had gone with them ? What if someone took me too ? I thought this place was safe now, that’s why I agreed to come here. It’s only been a few days, and I’m scared !!” She suddenly buried her face in Laurent’s chest and began sobbing.
Laurent embraced her and stroked her hair. “It will be all right”, he soothed. “We will find them, and find out who is responsible, and they will pay.” Laurent’s face slackened then. He was feeling guilt himself about not fighting his way through the crowd and telling Tony and Nick right away where the girls had gone. Or maybe, he should have just taken Nina and gone with them. But he didn’t think anything would happen. Nobody did. A thought stole into his mind that maybe Tony and Nick should have been paying closer attention to their girls, not get separated from them like they did. He had, after all, kept Nina close by him. But as the thought surfaced, he dismissed it. Those girls had their own minds, and there might have been nothing anyone could have done to stop them from going off together. If anyone had any suspicion that there would be danger, it all would have played out differently. Nobody was to blame....Except the abductors, that was.
Nina lifted her tear-streaked face to Laurent, who said gently, “Do not fear. I will keep you safe, I swear it.”
Nina suddenly threw her arms around Laurent and kissed him, long and hard.
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Chief O’Rourke mulled things over. Only one month on the job, and now this....Two missing and possibly abducted teenage schoolgirls. It wasn’t enough that he was having to do two jobs at the same time....Police Chief and Fire Chief....But had to depend on the same inept officers that had worked under the now-jailed former Chief Carcer.
The two boys that reported the missing girls had left over an hour ago. They had described what they thought had happened, and where, and had even told the Chief who they thought might be responsible. It was a long list, and many of those on it were shadows themselves....The Harringtons, the Spencers, the Monks, the Punks, the Townies.....Those gone from the Valley, or presumed gone. There were other suspects also, some of the other students and a few select townspeople. Left out of the litany of suspects were the Outsiders, those who had flooded in to the Valley over the past month, seeking to be at the place where the incredible events of the past two years had been hidden and then suddenly exposed to the world.
Chief O’Rourke was no detective, but he knew enough to know that children, particularly girls, disappeared across the country almost every day. Some of the time they were runaways, but much of the time they were snatched.....Taken, most times never to be heard from again until their bodies were found dumped in some rural location. Tony and Nick had been adamant that neither of the girls would ever think of running off or even had any reason to do so. The two boys insisted they had checked everywhere, even the Clinics, and found no sign of them. Calls to their new cell phones went unanswered. No one had seen them since last night.
The Chief knew he needed help. These Idiot Keystone Cops still in the Valley were useless, he knew. Still, he had put out an APB, just in case the Morons spotted them. But he had little hope that anything would come of that. There was a growing certainty, a conviction, within him that these girls had been taken....Kidnapped. That boy Calderone had told of another girl, a Pinky Gauthier, who had been kidnapped by another student and his Clique this past winter. The girl had been released once their demands had been met, and she later went to live with her abductor. The whole affair had been kept under wraps, hushed up by Mr. Harrington himself, and never made public.
But not this time. Chief O’Rourke came to a decision. He picked up the phone. Released from the restrictive codes that Harrington had imposed on the phone lines, calls could now be made to anywhere in the World outside the Valley. His first call was to the State Police. Ironically, there was a Branch Post near the town of North Kingston, not too far away from the Vale Valley. In fact, it was the town where the French Chef had driven Tony and Lola to the Bus Station through a snowstorm last Christmas Eve. Explaining the situation, they promised the Chief that they would send over Investigators right away. His next call was to the National Guard, who would pass the word down to the Commander on duty of the soldiers that still stationed in the Vale Valley on patrol.
After some thought, the Chief put in a call to the F.B.I. Boston Division, who had jurisdiction for the New England states. Kidnapping was a Federal Crime. Hearing his story, they agreed to send an Investigator down the next day. Hanging up, the Chief leaned back in his chair. Help was on the way. Unbidden, grisly images of mutilated, murdered girls in shallow graves rose in his mind. He rose to his feet, secured his radio to his belt, and headed out to the back Parking Lot. He would get in a Cruiser and take a look around himself. The images of murdered girls persisted.
Not On My Watch, he vowed silently. Not On My Watch.
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As the sun went down, the beach parties began to wind down also. Little by little, people were streaming out of the Vale Valley. They were hampered somewhat by having to go through a Checkpoint hastily set up by the State Police, who shined flashlights into their interiors and checked their trunks before letting them pass. They were looking for two teenaged girls, one dark-haired, one strawberry blonde. A few people who had children that matched that description were detained briefly, then released when the girls in question were proven as their own. The Carnival was still packed, however, also making exiting the Towns on the only road out of the Valley difficult.
Tony and Nick had finally returned to the Dorm and locked themselves away in their room. By that time, the word had been spread across the school campus about Karen and Melody’s disappearance, thanks to Mandy. True to her word, she had made sure every Clique and Non-Clique person was made aware of the missing girls. Reactions ranged from complete shock from those who counted the missing girls as their friends to complete apathy in the case of some of the members of the Prep Clique, who could have cared less. The lone exception to that was Gord Vendome, whose gay lover, Vance Medici of the Greasers, had been rescued mostly by the quick thinking of Karen from Pirate Island. But even though the word had been spread about the school, there was nobody who had any other information on the missing girls.
Omar and the Townies knew nothing of this. Hidden away at the vacant underground lair of the Chem Plant, they had no access to the now-outside world of the Vale Valley....Save for one way. Among the items in Karen and Melody’s purses had been two brand-new cell phones, which Omar had ordered shut off as soon as they had been found. Not so dumb as the others, he knew there was a way of tracking active cell phones. Knowing that gave him an Idea that he would carry out later. For now, though, there was business to take care of....Mixed with a little bit of pleasure and revenge.
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The Clock in the Bell Tower at the top of the School struck midnight. At the Carnival, the gates were closing after an incredible straight 64-hour run of customers, which had netted Billy Bob Crane more money than he had made in the past year alone. On the road leading out of the Vale Valley, traffic had gone down to a trickle of those tourists leaving the area at the culmination of the Independence Day weekend. At the School, most of the students were settled in for the night, getting rested up for the continuation of Summer School the next day. At the Boy’s Dorm, in the darkness of Tony and Nick’s shared room, the two boys slept like the dead after the mentally straining events of the past 24 hours.
Over at Blue Skies, the streets were deserted and the Docks were empty of workers. A lonely foghorn bleated out a warning of the mist rising off the waters that had been heated by the day to boats that were absent this night. The Industrial Complex sat quiet with no activity apparent, the only sounds were the vibrating hum of the repaired Electrical Sub-Station and the occasional belching of the gas fires from Gloop Refinery. But underneath the Chem Plant, where the Townies had literally gone to ground, there was to be a lot of activity, and soon.
The time had come, Omar decided. He rose from his place in the Common Rec Room in the underground third floor and headed for the hallways that would lead back to the living areas at the rim of the circular facility. He had a smirk on his face and a hard lump in his crotch in anticipation of the night’s fun. Close behind him was Gurney, who was also to have a stake in this evening’s events. Trailing them both were the other Townies, Otto, Leon, Jerry, and Floyd. Missing from the group were the newer Townies of Ian, Nate, and Sam, who had not taken part in the abduction of Karen and Melody, and therefore not invited to the big party Omar was planning. Even though they had taken part in the failed takeover of the school, they had not been involved in the big battle, and Omar reasoned that they had no right to participate in what was going to happen to the two prisoners.
Also missing was Clint Henry. About a week before the Punks bombed the Towns, Clint had been sent to the Asylum, judged too insane to be kept in Jail. During the bombings, Clint escaped with the other inmates, only to be caught up in the mob of Crazies who escaped to Blue Skies and were then laid low when the greenish gas began choking them all from the explosions in the Chem Plant. All the Crazed Inmates, including Clint, had been found later and returned to the Asylum after medical treatment. But as far as Omar and the Townies knew, Clint had disappeared to parts unknown. The last Townie, Duncan, was slouched on a chair outside the room where he was keeping guard. Duncan, who wasn’t as excited as the rest about Omar’s plans for their hostages, but still remembered the pummeling he had taken at the hands of those asshole school kids and wanted to see revenge carried out.
As Omar headed back to the room where Karen and Melody were being held, he reflected how absurdly easy it had been to snatch them. Watching the Girl’s movements for days when they were off school grounds, the original plan was to have infiltrated the crowd up at the Overlook and quickly grab them from behind during the fireworks show whenever the chance presented itself. But it had worked out so much better when Jerry had radioed that Karen and Melody were heading off alone. Omar was in the black car Gurney had stolen, and they were parked in Vale Court, next to the dirt road that led to the overlook. There was virtually no chance of them being detected there, as there were scores of cars parked all over the Court, and spilling out to Vale Valley Road. Omar and Gurney were just about to leave the vehicle, but once Jerry got on the Walkie-Talkie and told them which way the girls were heading, Omar immediately changed plans and had the car driven over by the small bridge on Vale Valley Road. Leaving the car with Otto and Leon inside, he and Gurney had raced down the steps of the shortcut on the North side of the Scuba Shop and waited in the shadow of the archway for the girls to pass.
Several things happened to make the snatch go smooth as silk. First, Floyd, who was buried in the crowd, had radioed that the girls had separated from the boys, which alerted Jerry to keep a watch for them coming away from the Overlook in the crowd. Jerry then followed them enough to see from the top of the South steps shortcut that they turned to the North when they reached the bottom. Second, the errant firework had set the deck of the Dry Seaman’s Bar on fire, prompting the people hanging outside and around the streets of the Burger Joint to race down High Street and see what was happening. Third, the girls passed within just scant feet of Omar and Gurney, hidden in the shadows of the arch.
By the time the girls had passed their position, that part of the streets were empty of all people, making sneaking up behind and grabbing them a cinch. The whole thing went off quickly, and as the girls were dumped in the trunk of the car, Omar and Gurney leaped inside and it sped off with Otto and Leon, who was driving. Once they reached the Industrial Complex without incident, they had driven the car in a complicated maze to reach the Chem Plant entrance and drive up the ramp to the roof. The girls were slung over their shoulders like sacks of flour and carried down the five stories, then through the hidden entrance and down three more stories to where they now lay shackled. Noticing that one of them had lost a shoe, Omar ordered the trunk searched before the car was driven back to just about where they stole it from and ditched. Jerry and Floyd, meantime, had made their way back on foot, unobserved.
Omar approached the door. Duncan, who was half asleep, had his chair rudely kicked. “Open it up”, Omar commanded, and Duncan scurried to get the lock undone. Silently, the group entered the room and paused to look at their prizes.
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“Who’s There ?”, Karen said suddenly as the silence spun out. Up until now, the only words her captors had uttered to either her or Melody was “Water” and “Drink” when cups had been roughly shoved up against their lips. Both drank greedily, being so thirsty. The cups had been huge, and they were allowed as much as they could drink, but about a third of it had wound up sloshed on their blouses.
Both the girls heard footsteps approaching them, then stop. “Who Are You ? SAY SOMETHING !!!”, Karen yelled.
In answer, there was a sharp heavy slap across her face and a guttural “Shuttup Bitch !”
Melody whimpered in fear. “Karen....Don’t make them mad !”, she whispered.
The blow had been heavy enough to make Karen see stars behind her blindfold, but she shook it off and said hotly, “Fuck That. You Bastards Better Let Us Go ! Our Boyfriends Are Gonna Find Us, And Your Asses Are Gonna Be Toast !”
Snickers greeted that statement and laughter soon followed. All at once, a voice said, “Enough !!” The laughter died down suddenly, as if cut off by a switch. “Move”, the same voice said. “It’s Time.”
Suddenly, the figure who had spoken took a few steps to the mattress where Melody lay. Karen heard, and Melody felt, the handcuffs that shackled Melody to the pipe suddenly being released. Melody was yanked to her feet, where she swayed unsteadily. Her arms were rudely pulled behind her back and the handcuffs re-locked.
Melody had little time to get her bearings, as she was roughly yanked from the mattress and dragged across the floor. “Let Go Of Me, You Cocksucker !!!”, she squealed in fear. “What Are You Doing ?? Where Are You Taking Me ?? Karen, HELP !!!”
Karen struggled against her bonds. “What Are You Motherfuckers Doing ?? Let Her Go, GODDAMMIT !!! Urrrugh !!!!”
“Move it, you little Bitch”, the voice hissed in Melody’s ear, yanking her towards the open door and dragging her through. “I’m gonna enjoy this.”
“K-K-Karen ?”, Melody stammered. “Help !! HELP !!!!”
“You Fucking BASTARDS !!!”, Karen yelled. “Let Her Go, Let Her GO !!!”
“Heh, chill”, the guttural voice said, “They’re just going to the next room.”
Karen listened as the sound of Melody’s voice grew more distant. Then a door was slammed. A few seconds went by, and Karen struggled to pull herself up against the pipe her arms were shackled to. “Whaa....What’s happening to....”
Melody’s sudden screams cut through the walls, screams of mortal terror. “What’s Happening To Her ?”, Karen implored of the strangers. “WHAT IS HAPPENING TO HER ??”
“Yer little friend is just feelin’ revenge the hard way”, the guttural voice chuckled. Suddenly, Karen felt two rough hands yank her legs apart. “Now, It’s MY Turn.”
A surge of fear mingled with anger charged through Karen, and she kicked and lashed out with her legs. Her bare foot found a stomach and a soft “OFFF !” was heard. “You Little Bitch !”, the guttural voice swore. “You’ll Pay For That." Another stinging blow was delivered to her face, stunning her. “Hold Her, Boys !!”
Two sets of hands grabbed her legs. She struggled and screamed, but it was no use. Then the sudden weight of a man’s body was upon her, and as she was assaulted, Melody’s screams continued to echo on and on from the next room.
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In the Dome once more, Tony could barely see. It was very dark, as if an unseen gigantic evil malignant force was present, overshadowing even this vile place. From far off, for the first time, Tony heard sounds. He strained his ears to hear, and after what seemed like hours, the sounds became more distinct. They were screams, he realized. The screams of....Girls. He listened closer as the screams grew louder. Then in a rush, panic filled his soul. The screams were from Karen, and Melody !! The heart rendering mournful cries were screams of utter despair, the searing upset of something being irrevocably lost, stolen away forever and never to be recovered.
Tony started forward blindly in the gathering gloom. He must get to them, must save them ! Unseeing, he ran full tilt into an obstacle so hard that it knocked him on his back. His senses swam, distorted. He lay paralyzed, unable to move, unable to recover. As his eyes looked up at the impenetrable gloom, a small pinpoint of light appeared from the jagged hole in the top of the Dome. Growing slowly into a ball, it became larger and larger, until Tony could make out something inside. The ball floated towards him swiftly and became larger still, until at last it encompassed him, and he was inside of it.
Tony was in the school hallway. Dazed and blinking in the sudden light, he scanned around only to once more encounter the ghostly figure of Mr. Luntz, who was pointing insistently at the School Store over and over again. Tony followed the direction of his pointing finger and saw that behind the glass was a stranger, a man whom he had never seen before. Turning back to the transparent figure of Mr. Luntz, Tony heard himself say, “What Does It All Mean ?”.....But the figure was already fading, turning to dust. A single word escaped the apparition and echoed through the empty hallways. “GO !!”, it urged. Tony wanted to ask what it was all for, but the figure of Mr. Luntz was gone even before the last echoes died.
Then swiftly, the ball contracted, growing ever smaller. Tony was squeezed out and again was back on the floor of the Dome in the darkness. Unseeing, he closed his eyes as a great weariness overtook him, and he slept within his dream.
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On Monday morning, shortly after 10 AM, classes had already been in session for more than an hour at Bullworth Academy as the students adjusted again to the rigors of class time in the morning in which stuffiness was already beginning to ramp up as the heat wave continued. But four students weren’t in class to start this week....Two taken and Two lost.
Tony and Nick awoke late, still staggered by the events of the weekend. They both walked like Zombies from the Dorm to school, but not to attend classes. With his dream still fresh in his mind, Tony convinced Nick that there was still one place they had to go...The School Store.
They stood in the empty hallway across from the School Store. As in his dream, there was a stranger behind the glass. Tony figured he was the new Janitor, otherwise why would he be there ? Everything seemed to look the same as in his dream, as much as he remembered, except the ghostly figure of Mr. Luntz wasn’t there. Tentatively, he approached the window.
“Wanna buy something, Kid ?”, the man behind the glass asked, his eves zeroing in on Tony like a shark. “Hows about a cap to keep the sun off your head ?”
“Um....No”, Tony said, feeling a bit foolish now that he was finally here. What did he expect to happen ? That this stranger could impart him some sort of clue about the girl’s disappearance ? “I was just....Umm....Hoping you had some information for me....Somehow. I know that sounds....Foolish....But, you see.....”
“Riddle Me This”, the stranger suddenly said, “Who sees all, knows much, but is unseen by most everyone ?”
“Err....”, Tony said uncomprehendingly. The man’s eyes bored into his, forcing Tony to focus. With an effort of will, Tony examined the words the man had said, and then the answer blazed across his consciousness. “It’s a Janitor ! The answer is...A Janitor !”
The man cracked a smile. “That’s right kid. The Janitor. That’d be me. And you’re....” The man closed his eyes for a second and squinted, as if calling up an image. “.....Tony Calderone. And your friend over there is....” Another squint. “....Nick Penty. And both your girlfriends disappeared Saturday night....Or most likely snatched.”
“How....How do you know these things ?”, Tony wondered, temporarily forgetting his pain over losing Karen by being utterly surprised. “I....I don’t even know you....Who are you ?”
“Riddle”, the man answered. “I’m Mr. Riddle, the new School Janitor. As to the rest, that’s what’s been going around all morning. It’s the talk of the school.”
Tony digested that as he looked at Mr. Riddle. That all seemed so simple, and yet....There was something else the man wasn’t saying. As these thoughts ran around inside his head, Tony suddenly blurted, “Do you know Mr. Luntz ?”
“Luntz ?”, the man said, his face impassive. “Don’t think so, Kid. Should I ?”
“I....I just thought....You might....”, Tony faltered. “He was...Umm....”
“The Former Janitor”, Mr. Riddle said. “Yes, I know.”
And a Friend of mine, Tony wanted to add, but didn’t. He actually didn’t know what else to say at this point. He didn’t really understand why he was here. He had only come on the basis of his foggy dream, desperate for hope of some kind, a lead as to where to look, a place to start at least, before he went stark raving mad. The disappearance of Karen, and Melody too, ate at his mind like a bunch of hungry Rats every single waking minute. He stepped back. “Well...Um...Sorry to have bothered you....”, he said lamely, and turned to go.
“Hey Kid”, Mr. Riddle called. Tony stopped and turned back. “I’ll keep my ears open. Come back and see me in a few days. I just might hear something, hey ?”
Tony paused, then nodded. He was grateful for whatever help there was to be had. He motioned for Nick to follow him, and together they left the school.
Mr. Riddle drummed his fingers on the counter. This was bad business, all right. Might even upset the balance of things around here. Short-circuit the beginning of the positive changes that had been started at the school. That Tony kid was the pivot of the whole deal here.
Suddenly he pulled the inner shutters down on the School Store windows and left, going directly to the Basement. Winding his way through the warren of the maze back to the area where his cot was, he repeated the process of Friday night and pulled his suitcase containing the Radio Transceiver Unit. Plugging in the leads for the antenna and the special power cord, he powered up the unit.
Speaking into the mike, he intoned, “ “BAL-7620, BAL-7620, Whiskey Victor Tango....BAL-7620, This is CRB-3847, Do You Read, Copy ?”
This time the voice on the other end answered almost immediately. “CRB-3847, This Is BAL-7620. Switch To Secure Frequency.”
Mr. Riddle complied, then said, “BAL-7620, CRB-3847, How Do You Read ?”
“Copy You Clear, 3847“, the voice responded. “EarthNet Link Is Confirmed Secure. What Is Your Report ?”
“Have made direct contact with Subject. He approached me on his own, and made a reference about Luntz”, Mr. Riddle said. “There’s a potentially serious problem that has come up here...” He went on to outline the disappearance of the two girlfriends. “Request backup and Intel to diffuse the situation and locate the two missing girls.”
There was a long pause. Then, the voice came back. “Roger that, 3847. Will alert all contacts. Check back in 48 hours for further.”
“Copy That, 7620“, Mr. Riddle replied. “Next Contact On Seven-Eight At Gamma Zulu Time, Copy ?”
“Copy, 3847“, the voice said. “7620, Out.”
Mr. Riddle cradled the mike and powered down the unit. He sat back, reflecting. It was all he could do for now.
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Noon came, and Constantinos was in the Library. He hadn’t planned on being here, but an unsigned note stuck into his locker, written in a definitely feminine hand, had requested an errand of him. The note wanted him to check out a few certain books and to bring them to the Trellis on the side of the Girl’s Dorm at 1 o’clock. Constantinos didn’t mind, asking for errands was rather common around the school, and it usually involved the payment of some money to the one doing the errand. Constantinos had done errands many times, in fact he rather depended on them for spending cash. Besides, it was also a good way to glean information and pick up on the latest gossip.
He found the books listed, and took them up to the counter to check them out. Mrs. Carvin gave him a funny look as she processed the titles and stamped the due date on the inside cover of each one. They were frilly romance novels, the kind girls usually liked to read, but she made no comment on Constantinos’ choice of reading material. But she did ask Constantinos if he knew anything about any similarly-themed books that had gone missing from the Library of late, to which he answered, “No, Ma’am.” Mrs. Carvin cast a suspicious look at him anyway as she handed over the checked books. Constantinos took them and hastily beat it out of the Library.
Since he had a bit of time before his appointed rendezvous, he sat on one of the benches outside the Library and ate his sack lunch, which he had brought along with him. Idly, he wondered about Mrs. Carvin’s question. Who would steal books from the Library ? Besides the Nerds, most of the kids at the school didn’t read much, except for Constantinos and a few kids he knew. And why take them if they could just be checked out for free ? He couldn’t figure it out, and eventually dropped it, turning his thoughts instead to the matter of who had tagged him for this errand. It was clearly a girl, so he thought....Unless it was one of the queer guys who couldn’t be seen checking out such girly books. Gord, Maybe ? But then again, that note....Such flowery script. No boy wrote like that.
Constantinos strolled to the Girl’s Dorm, taking his time. It was close to afternoon classes, but he had none scheduled for afternoons on Mondays. When he approached the Dorm, the Quad was empty, so he went around the side to wait by the Trellis. A few minutes went by. He faced the front of the building, waiting expectantly. He didn’t have to wait much longer.
“There You Are !”, a girl’s voice behind him said. Constantinos’ head spun around, then his jaw dropped as the girl emerged from around the back corner. It was the dark-haired girl from the Dance ! As she approached, his heart suddenly began to beat faster. His memory lit up with the taste of her tongue in his mouth. She approached him and held out her hands. “You got the books ?” Constantinos nodded dumbly, unable to speak just yet, and handed them over. She took them and stood there, looking at him appraisingly.
Constantinos was having a good look himself, for the first time. This girl was almost painfully skinny, and hardly had any boobs at all. An 'A’ cup would have been quite generous on her, to say the least. But he saw she had an exceptionally cute, mischievious face and long raven-dark hair that hung nearly to her ass. She stood almost as tall as Constantinos, who was just a bit on the short side. And those eyes....Dark and shimmering. Nervously, Constantinos fumbled his words, “Uh....There’s usually....Some....Compensation....For an Errand.....But....But.....”
He was about to tell her to forget about that, it was on the house this time. But before he could stutter out anything further, she suddenly dropped the books to the pavement and leaped at him, pushing him back into the wall. Constantinos’ eyes bugged as she smashed her lips to his and plunged her tongue into his mouth, swirling it around frantically. Her left hand came up behind his head and drew him closer, while her right hand began furiously rubbing his crotch. She kept up the pleasurable punishment for a full minute at the same pace until Constantinos, unable to control himself any longer, came to his release. He groaned loudly as he did so, and sank weak-kneed down the wall.
Tiffany stepped back and watched him sink down, collecting her books off the pavement where she had dropped them. A smile played on her lips. “There’s lots more where that came from, if you bring me some more books”, she promised. “Bring them to my room tomorrow night after lights out. I’m sure you know how to get in.” She let out a bit of a throaty chuckle at that. “I’ll make sure we’re alone.”
Constantinos gasped for air, unsuccessfully trying to quell his raging hormones. “Ok...Ok....But...It’ll look suspicious if I check out too many....”
“Who said anything about checking them out ?”, she grinned evilly. “Just Take Them !”
In his current state, Constantinos could find no reason to argue against that, so he just nodded his head dumbly. “Allright....Allright”, he breathed. “Tomorrow....Night.”
Tiffany blew him a kiss and laughed, then disappeared back around the corner, leaving Constantinos to stew in his own recently-ejected juices.
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Mandy not only had found out what there was to find out about Karen and Melody’s disappearance, she was one of the few actually doing anything to help. Aultrisim was not a word in Mandy’s usually selfish vocabulary, but in this case she felt motivated by an unfamiliar feeling of concern for Karen’s welfare. If it had been just Melody, she probably wouldn’t have bothered, but Mandy had developed a sort of bond with Karen in the past year since she had come to the Jocks seeking protection from the Bullies last summer. In fact, she considered herself Karen’s mentor and had selected her to become her successor once she graduated.
Mandy’s idea was one that was borne out of her own past bad experience when Ernest, the sex-addicted former Nerd leader, had hung naked posters of her about the school grounds and around Bullworth Town. Jimmy Hopkins had seen to it that the posters were defaced just a short time after they had gone up, but the impact of those posters had been enough to wreck her reputation as the Queen of the School for most of the next year to come, and caused her break-up with Ted. They eventually got back together just a few months ago, but Mandy never forgot just what impact those posters had on everybody.
On Monday after school, with the help of Ms. Phillips, Mandy had pulled photos of Karen and Melody from last year’s School Yearbook and had mounted them side by side on a poster of her own. At the top she added in big block letters “MISSING” followed underneath by “July 4, 2008, from Bullworth Vale”. Under each photo were added descriptions of the two girls, including what they were wearing the night they disappeared. After much thought, it was decided to put the word “REWARD” at the bottom along with the phone numbers of the School and the Bullworth Police Department, without specifying just what kind of Reward. She then got Ms. Phillips, who thought it was a great idea, to print up 100 copies of the poster.
Next, she had the Jocks take off the next day to hang the posters around the Campus, and more importantly, around the Towns of the Vale Valley. Bullworth Town presented no problem, but the Jocks went as a group into the Vale and New Coventry, just to be on the safe side and complete the mission. By Tuesday evening, most all stores had the 'Missing’ posters in their windows, and many of the Light Poles and walls did also. Soon, most of the Vale Valley would know about the missing girls. It was probably the best way to get the word out, since news about local events, even though greatly improved in the past few weeks, still had a long way to go to be considered anywhere normal. Nobody, however, ventured into Blue Skies to hang posters, as it was still considered somewhat toxic.
While the other girls at the school were not spurred to action in the way that Mandy was, one other girl knew full well what it was like to be kidnapped. Pinky was recalling bitterly how no one had mobilized or come to her aid when Kurt and the Rockers had taken her out of the Beach House in a bag. That she had fallen in love with her captor and later moved in with the Rockers, getting to like them and even singing in their band was not the point. The whole thing had been covered up by those in power, and hardly anyone but the Preps, who had been forced to trade weapons for her release, even knew she had been gone. There had been no ‘missing’ posters for her. But to do all that for her avowed enemy Karen and her dopey friend Melody ? The whole thing galled her.
But Pinky had something else on her mind that Tuesday. Tad had announced in front of everybody that very morning that he had invited the new Prep girl, Vanessa, to move into Harrington House with all of them. The other Preps had received this news with cheers, while Pinky stood red-faced off to the side. No one seemed to take notice as she fumed. She wasn’t about to start a fight with Tad in front of the others over it, so she left Harrington House for class ahead of the others without speaking to anyone. If Tad Spencer thought he was going to be having two girls at once, he’d find he had another thing coming. She wouldn’t just stand by for that. But if that indeed came to pass, she had no qualms..... As long as Karen stayed missing, Pinky would have a clear shot at whom she had wanted all along....Tony Calderone.
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By Tuesday night, Omar had allowed most all the other selected Townies to have a go at both the prisoners. From the first they had screamed and fought, but as time progressed, they seemed to become resigned to their fate and offered less and less resistance. Melody, in particular, began to zone out during the assaults, becoming almost as limp as a dishrag. This did not deter the Townies in any way from getting their jollies, as none of them ever had what would be considered normal relations with the opposite sex anyway. Of all the Townies Omar had let have access to the girls, only Duncan had yet to participate in this particular circus of revenge, mostly content to just watch, which was at times downright creepy. However, Duncan had always been an asset to the group, not only because of his break-in skills, but because he was the closest thing the Townies had to a Techno-Geek. While going through the girl’s possessions in their purses, their cell-phones had been discovered, and it was Duncan who told Omar that a location could be traced through an active cell phone, a process known as ‘Pinging’ off a cell tower. He showed Omar how to shut the phones off, and advised him to get rid of them. But this had also given Omar an idea. He could use the cell-phones for a spot of misdirection, in the event that the phones were ever traced.
Calling Jerry over that evening, he handed Melody’s cell phone over to him and gave him a mission. “You and Duncan take this phone to that old Church in the Vale after midnight. Turn it on and toss it inside. That way, if they try to trace the thing, it’ll lead them there.”
Jerry’s eyes widened. “Whoa. No way I’m going inside that place, it’s creepy and those voices freak me out !”
“You don’t have to go inside, Numbnuts”, Omar said, somewhat impatiently. “Just pull open the door and pitch it inside. Or throw it through one of them stained glass windows, I don’t give a shit. Just get it inside the place.”
“But what if them Crazy Motherfuckers that live there try and chase us down ?”, Jerry said uncertainly. “We've heard stories about people disappearin’ from that place and never being seen again....”
“Now, Jerry, you’re a smart guy”, Omar said, playing to Jerry’s ego. “You don’t believe that kind of nonsense shit, do you ? Everybody has to go somewhere, don’t they ?”
“Well....Yeah, guess so...”, Jerry replied dubiously.
“Attaboy”, Omar said, slapping him on the shoulder. “Oh, and don’t be seen, goes without saying.”
“No problem that, I’m not stupid”, Jerry said, regaining his natural arrogance. “Piece of cake.”
“That’s what I like to hear”, Omar said. Jerry walked off to round up Duncan. The truth of the matter was, the Townies used to hang out at the Graveyard at night quite often. It was the perfect place for drinking and general rowdiness, and if anybody wandered into the Graveyard while they were there, the Townies would have a fun time harassing them and running them off, or in the case of any kids, outright bullying them. But one evening they had made the mistake of Bullying Sheldon. Not long after, they were at the Graveyard one night, and unbeknown to them, Sheldon was there also, hidden in the Crypt. He had triggered off the Holographic Projector of what he called 'The Bony Man’ and the Townies had run for their lives, unaware it was all just a trick. They hadn’t been back since. It was then that they began to pay attention to all those stories they heard, particularly when they heard that Damon had disappeared. As far as they knew, he was still missing, since they had all been locked up in Jail and escaped before his return. Omar, who hadn’t been with them that particular night, didn’t hold with their story and thought they were just a bunch of scared, drunken pussies.
Otto approached Omar then. “Hey...Uh, those bitches have taken to yelling to each other through the walls....Gettin’ kinda annoying.”
“Hmmm...”, Omar thought. “Tell you what....Move the dark-haired one down the hall a far ways. That oughtta put a stop to that bullshit. Make a room ready before you take her, test the locks and such, make sure she can still be cuffed to a sturdy pipe.”
“Okay”, Otto grinned evilly. “Will do.” He would also take an extra crack at Melody, just to 'break in’ the new room’s mattress. Otto nearly ran from the Common Room to undertake his new task.
Omar fingered the remaining cell phone. Now what should he do with this, he wondered ?
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After classes Wednesday, Tony visited the School Store once more, hoping to see if the new Janitor had any news for him, maybe just a lead that he could check out on his own. Tony had been over to Chief O’Rourke’s office every day, hopeful of some breakthrough as to what had become of Karen and Melody. At first Nick came along, but after the two F.B.I. Agents arrived and basically took charge of the Investigation, Nick stopped coming. The two Agents refused to disclose anything to them, and in fact treated them like children. This only served to make Nick angry, and he left the Station uttering a string of curses. It made Tony mad as well, but he was willing to submit to the Agent’s abusive attitude towards what they considered as ‘kids’ in order to maybe gain just a little hint as to what the Agents were checking. Chief O’Rourke wasn’t faring much better, as the Agents weren’t telling him much either. Once the F.B.I. had taken over the case, the Chief was mostly out of the loop and virtually powerless.
It seemed like Tony’s last hope somehow lay with this strange connection to the new Janitor, one that had been vaguely formed from a dream. If he wasn’t so desperate, Tony would have called the whole thing crazy. But then again, the past few days had been nothing short of a waking nightmare.
Tony waited until the way seemed clear, then approached Mr. Riddle. His eyes were both hopeful and pleading as he asked, “Do you....Have anything to tell me ? Anything ?”
Mr. Riddle’s eyes glanced about, making sure there was nobody close enough to hear. After a moment, he seemed satisfied, and spoke directly to Tony through the speaker set in the glass.
“Riddle me this”, the Janitor said. “Where do many turn to in their hour of dire need and deep despair for solace and comfort, only to be told that their fate is in the hands of an unseen other ?”
“I...I don’t understand”, Tony said, confused. “Why are you....Telling me things in Riddles ?”
“Because that’s my name, son. It’s what I do”, Mr Riddle answered.
“That doesn’t....Make any sense”, Tony said, his face going slack.
“It will, if you only think about it some”, Mr. Riddle said, his face impassive.
“Is that....All ?”, Tony pleaded. “Can’t you tell me....Anything else ?”
“Nah, Kid, that’s it”, Mr. Riddle said, and added, “It’s all that’s allowed.”
“Allowed ?”, Tony questioned. “Allowed....By Who ?”
“That’s not for me to say”, the Janitor said. “I’ve said too much already.” His eyes were drawn to a couple of Jocks who were approaching the School Store, pointing at some jerseys behind the window. “Look, I got customers. Just think about what I told you. When you figure it out, you’ll know where to look. That’s all I got right now. Check back later. Now, Scram.”
Tony moved back as the Jocks approached. It was Lance and Bo. They greeted him, but Tony just mumbled back a “How you doing” before moving off. He wandered through the halls for a bit, trying to make sense of what the Janitor had said. His heart ached. He wished Karen was here, she was so smart and good at figuring stuff like this out.
He wound up in his Mediator’s Office. He hadn’t been there in a week. He stared at his new charts on the wall. Maybe he needed to map out some fresh connections. It was painful, but he began writing out on sheets the events of the past week and posting them on the wall. Hours went by as he searched for any connections. Finally, he slumped wearily in his chair and fell into a fitful doze.
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“Who’s there ?”, Karen said as she heard the door to the room unlocked and the sound of a single person entering. She didn’t really expect an answer, not ever hearing any, but as the door was slammed shut and the locks engaged, she got one.
“What’s it matter, you little Bitch ?”, a harsh voice said. Karen heard movement about the room. There was no sound of plates or dishes, so this meant that this one was probably preparing to rape her again. For the past five nights, she had been assaulted every night by different boys (or men ?). Presumably, Melody had been too, although Karen hadn’t heard from her since last night. She was thinking they must have moved her to a different area.
“What have you Pervos done with Melody ?”, she asked again, as she had continually since last night, when she could no longer hear her in the next room. Not expecting an answer to this question either, as none of her abductors ever answered her questions about Melody, she was surprised to get one.
“Same as we’re doin’ with you”, the voice answered. “Gettin’ Payback.”
In the days and nights since she had been held captive, Karen had a lot of time to think. She forced herself to dwell on listening to any sounds she could hear that would give her a clue to where they were being held. There was not much. Karen could only catch very faint traces, more like vibrations rather than actual sounds. It seemed like machinery was running, far off. And the smell of the place reminded her somewhat of Chemistry class. Karen also listened intently to the voices of her captors, thinking she might need to identify them later, if there was to be a later. As the days and nights rolled on, that was becoming a dim possibility. However, it suddenly occurred to Karen Just where she had heard this particular voice before. More than a year ago, as a band of outsiders were helping Jimmy restore order to the school one night. And, more recently, at a stormy night on the Football Field during a fierce battle.
“I know who you are !”, Karen blurted out before she could think of any consequences, “You’re Omar....Omar Romero ! I recognize your voice ! And the others are all your Townie flunky friends !”
Steps approached her. Karen feared she had gone too far with her sudden outburst, and braced herself for a punch in the head. Instead, a hand roughly grabbed her blindfold and yanked it off. She blinked in the sudden dim light.
“You’re a smart little Bitch, too smart for your own good”, Omar said.
“Where is Melody ?”, Karen tried again, struggling against her bonds. “You sick Perverts better not have hurt her any, or else....”
“She’s just fine”, Omer cut her off, tired of hearing Karen’s empty threats. “She’s in another room, bein’ watered and fed, just like you are.”
“And Violated ?”, Karen said hotly, already knowing the answer.
Omar just shrugged. “Just like you. Your boyfriends put you both in the same boat. Now, the both of you got the ride the same voyage.”
“For how long ?”, Karen blazed. “How long to sooth your fucking injured pride ?”
“As long as it takes”, Omar said snidely. “Once we get done with you bitches, your Macho boyfriends will take a powder on your asses. We’ll have our revenge in a way that will hit them harder than any punch.”
“That’s Bullshit !”, Karen shot back, thinking of Tony. “He would never desert me, ever !”
“Keep on believing that in your fantasy world”, Omar laughed. “Real Life is different.”
“Why are you really doing this ?”, Karen asked boldly, her anger building.
Omar didn’t answer for a moment. Then he said, “When I was kid, I watched my little sister dressing up her Barbie Doll.” He barked laughter. “One day, a moment occurred to me that I should be undressing that fancy Barbie Doll.”
“That’s no answer”, Karen said flatly. “That’s just being perverted.”
“Is It ?”, Omar returned angrily, and for a moment, Karen thought he was going to strike her. Then, the anger seemed to bleed from his face. “That’s what she said too. Then....She was gone.” Suddenly, the room seemed very quiet to Karen.
“What...What happened to her ?”, Karen said in the stillness.
Omar turned away. For a moment, Karen didn’t think he was going to answer. Then, in a low voice, he said, “She...She got out in the street.....Got run over by one of them big Frontloaders that was always going by in front of our shitty house.”
“That’s....That’s Terrible !”, Karen said softly.
Omar composed himself. “It was a long time ago. Doesn’t matter now.”
“That’s not true”, Karen said. “It still matters to you.”
Omar whirled on her. “And what the Fucking Hell would you know about it ?”, he said angrily. “Kids like you don’t have to deal with real tragedy. Your kind lives a life of privilege !”
“Privilege ?”, Karen said, shocked. “Where do you get that from ? I’m not rich !”
“Oh No ?”, Omar sneered. “Did you grow up in the Ghetto ? Did you eat outta Garbage Cans ‘cause that was your meal for the day since your Mama was an addict and supper to her was the next Fix ? Or sleep outside in a cardboard box all year round so your drunken Papa couldn’t find you when he came home sloshed and itchin’ to beat your ass ? Tell me what kind of privilege you didn’t have.”
“No. I grew up in a house with my Mother and Father”, Karen answered stiffly. “They are good and decent people, not....”
“Privileged Assholes ?”, Omar snorted. “Tell me another one, Princess. All those so-called upstanding role-model people are corrupt assholes ! Just like that Fucking School you kids seem to love so much. Look at all the shit that’s gone down there in the last few years, hell, in the whole history of the place, nothing but a buncha corrupt fuckers are in charge, not only of the school but the whole fucking valley. Some kind of sterling citizens you got to look up to there, ain’t it ?”
“You could go back !”, Karen said. “It’s different now. Harrington, Carcer, Crabblesnitch, Hattrick, Burton, they’re gone ! All the corruption is gone now. There’s still some things to set right, but.....”
Omar cut her off with a laugh. “Is that what you believe in that fairy tale world of yours ? That just because a few people leave, things are just suddenly magically different ? There’s still corruption there, it’s just in a different form now.”
“I don’t believe that”, Karen answered stubbornly. “If you were there now, you’d know that just isn’t true.”
“We’re all too old to go back”, Omar said, lifting himself up. He was tiring of this insane conversation. This stupid girl would never understand the life of a Townie, where everyone was set against you. He walked off a ways and removed his clothing. It was past time to do what he came in here to do.
“Just...Just let us go”, Karen said, knowing that he wouldn’t.
Omar approached her, grabbing her knees and pulling her legs apart.
“You don’t have to do this”, Karen said, looking him in the eyes.
“Oh, but I do”, Omar answered. “It’s in my blood.”
Karen searched his face, looking for a trace of compassion, but finding none. She sighed in resignation and looked away. “Do what you have to do then.”
Omar did. But this time, he didn’t enjoy it as much as he thought he would.
___________________________________
-
Unable in his misery to figure out what the Riddle meant that the Janitor had told him, Tony had gathered his friends together in his room Thursday after classes. He hadn’t had any more of the ‘Dome’ dreams, or any other, and as much as he dreaded having bad dreams of any kind, he almost wished that one would come back and maybe give him a clue as to what the cryptic message from the Janitor meant. He had wanted to ask Mr. Riddle more, but he had been strangely absent from the School Store. Tony even sneaked down into the basement of the school and had no luck there in finding him.
So, with nowhere else to turn, he thought it might help if he got some opinions from the others. Maybe, one of them might have an idea as to what those strange words meant. If nothing came of it, he might be forced to go ask the Nerds, who were reputed to be clever puzzle-solvers. But Tony didn’t really want it to come to that. They might want a big-time favor he would have to promise, or maybe they would make him play another stupid Arcade Game, like they had when he asked to see some maps. Tony was just about out of things he could deliver, and he wasn’t up to beating somebody’s high score right now.
When the friends gathered in the room, Tony shut and locked the door. Nick was there, since it was his room too. The others were Laurent, Constantinos, and Ray. In hushed tones, Tony told them of the strange riddle the Janitor had told him. “It was something about ‘where many turn to in their hour of need and despair for comfort, and being told their fate in in the hands of some unseen other’.....I just can’t make sense of it.”
“What is it about these Whacko Janitors ?”, Constantinos commented. “First Luntz, and now this guy....”
“Is this fellow even on the...How you say....The Level ?”, Laurent frowned.
“He seems Legit”, Nick said morosely, lounging on his bed. “I was with Tony here the first time we went to see him.”
“Janitors....They, um.....Seem to know everything”, Ray spoke up shyly. He wasn’t used to others asking for his opinion.
“He is having fun with you then”, Laurent said flatly.
“I...Don’t think so....”, Tony said slowly. “There’s....No reason.”
“So what makes you not think so ?”, persisted Laurent.
“It’s....Just a feeling, is all”, Tony said, unwilling to say that the idea to see Mr. Riddle had come to him in a dream. Nick knew that, but Tony didn’t want to appear like he had gone off the deep end to the others. Nick was still skeptical about all that dream stuff, but he kept quiet.
“Hmmmm”, Laurent said. He turned towards the window, appearing to be in thought. “In my Country.....Many in despair turn to....Religion. Where their fate lies in the hands of the unseen other....A God.”
“A God ?”, Tony repeated. Then it came to him, all at once. “They turn to....A Church ! That’s It !! They turn to the Church !! That’s the answer ! He was telling me we should go check out the Church !!”
Instead of elation at this revelation, strange looks came on the faces of Tony’s friends. “What’s wrong ?”, he asked. “What ?”
“Umm...No Way am I ever going back to that place”, said Ray, a queasy look on his face.
“There are bad things that happen there”, Constantinos said firmly. “I won’t go there, Boss.”
“I did not much care for what I was hearing and feeling from that Church”, Laurent said, shaking his head. “I would not want to go in there.”
Tony looked about at his friends. Nick didn’t say anything, but did he detect a slight look of fear on his face ? “But....It’s All Fake !! There’s this strange machine that projects images and sounds !” Tony then realized that he had never told anyone except Jimmy what he had discovered the day he caught Sheldon in the Graveyard scaring Handy the Hobo away, operating the hidden machine from the Crypt. Quickly, he told his friends about the ancient machine and how he witnessed it, remembering his promise to leave Sheldon’s name out of it.
“So who was operating this strange machine ?”, Laurent asked.
“I made a promise not to tell, in exchange for information”, Tony said. “I can’t break my word.”
The others digested that. They had to respect Tony for keeping a confidence, but still they wondered who it was. “This machine, it was just out in the Graveyard ?”, Constantinos asked.
“Why, yes...In that small Crypt, like I told you”, Tony answered. “Why ?”
“Then how does it control anything that comes from the Church ?”, Constantinos continued. “According to what you’re saying, how does it control those voices coming from the Church ?
“I don’t know that”, Tony admitted. “But they started up when that thing was running, I remember.”
“There’s supposed to be some kind of Cult there”, Constantinos went on. “Story goes way back, many years, decades, maybe centuries....”
“Oh, come on....If anybody like a cult was really there, wouldn’t those Government Men have found them ? They went in the place and found Kurt there, in the Church. Not a mention of anybody else being around.”
“They were probably in hiding”, Constantinos said. “There are stories of Hooded figures being seen around the vicinity of the Church and Graveyard.”
“Even so, and even if they are there, they may be the ones holding Karen and Melody !”, Tony cried. “We’ve got to at least consider the possibility !” Tony didn’t reveal what else he had learned from Sheldon about the strange 'Hooded Men’ or their access to to the Church or Mausoleum. “We’ve got to get in there and find out !”
Constantinos shook his head. “Getting in there would be impossible. Those heavy doors are always locked tight....Maybe even barred from the inside.”
“But the Government Men got in there !”, Tony exclaimed. “There’s got to be a way !”
Regretfully, Constantinos said, “I don’t think so, boss....Nobody I know of has ever been able to get in there. Or, if they did, they don’t remember....Like what probably happened to Damon.”
Tony circled the room. Something was nagging at him. He closed his eyes and concentrated. An image of his Mediator Office wall came to mind. There was a paper labeled ‘Kurt’ with lines drawn to other papers mounted to the wall. One of the lines led to a paper labeled ‘Church’ with a question mark beside it. Many other lines led to a variety of things....But one led to someone he knew all too well.
“Pinky.....She might know”, Tony said slowly, recalling the day that Pinky had her jaw broken. “She was dead sure that Derby had something to do with Kurt’s disappearance. And Kurt was found in the Church. There’s got to be a connection.”
“How do you think that ?”, Laurent asked. “What connection could there be ?”
“The Harringtons ran everything”, Tony said. “They and their rich friends had their hands into all aspects of the Valley here. That Church is in the Vale. What better way to control people ?”
“I do not know”, Laurent said doubtfully. “Even if it may be so, that she may know something about how to get in to the Church, how do you propose to find out ?”
“I...Can find out”, Tony said. “She’s always had....Well, sorta the hots for me, for some reason....I don’t know why....”
“That’s gonna be hard....I hear Tad guards her like a hawk these days”, Constantinos commented.
“Oh, I know a way”, Tony said, thinking back to the last time how he came to be alone with Pinky. “That’s the easy part. Finding out might prove to be a little harder, I’m afraid.”
_____________________________________
-
Coach Sanders sat in his Office under the South Bleachers. The Jocks would be coming in soon from practice, and Mandy and her new Cheerleader recruits would be in also. Everyone would be heading for the showers soon, and the Coach was preparing to head to his living quarters, which he had set up under the North Bleachers, which up until his arrival had been occupied by Kirby. But Kirby had been moved off to the Clubhouse (abet, in his own small room) once Coach Sanders arrived.
The new Coach knew all about the old Coach’s little obsession, that of spying on and taping the naked showering girls in the Girl’s Locker Room below and just to the East of his under-bleachers Office. He had found the spy tube on the first day, overlooked by the Explosive Experts who searched the Office and found all of Coach Burton’s taped goodies. But Coach Sanders wasn’t at all interested in salivating over naked girls.
The Coach made haste to exit his Office and hurried to his Living Quarters. It was almost time. He raised the bleachers and went in, closing them down and securing them behind him. He flicked on a dim light, then rummaged under a pile of clothing seemingly carelessly tossed on the floor in the East corner. Pushing them out of the way, he removed a small panel, uncovering a second spy tube that angled down into the Boy’s Locker Room that he had discovered on his second day here. He then flicked off the light and sat down to wait. It wouldn’t be long until the Jocks would be showering.
Coach Sanders wasn’t dumb. He had no intention to film naked showering boys. That was the kind of thing that if found could be used as evidence against someone. No, Coach Sanders had other plans. He would find, befriend, and seduce the most likely target. One like him, who would stay quiet for years, decades. That Kirby kid looked promising.
The Coach believed he was the Master at his particular obsession. After all, he had gone un-caught for many years, although the last time it had been a close call. He had left Pencil State University under a cloud of suspicion, but others wound up taking the fall, including the Head Coach. He had gotten a little sloppy, was all. But he wouldn’t repeat his past mistakes. He would be much more careful this time, he vowed.
He pressed his face to the spy tube as the Jock boys entered.
_________________________________________________
-
School was long over for the day Friday. Miss Jones knocked at the door of the new Headmaster, but got no answer to her repeated knocks. Mr. Galloway had not shown himself outside his office all afternoon, not since those irate phone calls from those missing girl’s parents she had put through. Cautiously, she cracked open the door and peeked in.
Mr. Galloway was still there, all right. He was slouched in the great chair, which was turned away from the desk a bit. A near-empty Liquor Bottle stood sentinel on his desk. It seemed Lionel Galloway has fallen off the wagon train of sobriety yet again.
Bethany Jones stepped into the office and closed the door, leaning back up against it as she contemplated Mr. Galloway. Poor Man, she thought. He wasn’t responsible that those girls had gone missing, yet he was being blamed by the girl’s parents as if he was the one who had made them disappear. First Melody’s parents and then Karen’s parents had called in quick succession, literally raking him over the coals, calling him a criminal (among other things), and threatening Civil Lawsuits against him. Miss Jones knew this because she had surreptitiously listened in on both calls, which were very rude to the extreme. It didn’t matter one wit what Mr. Galloway said, the calls dripped with so much venom that she felt that she was holding a snake rather than a telephone receiver.
She focused on Mr. Galloway as she stood there. Although he was partly turned away from her, she could still see the left half of his face. Although his eyes were closed, his face was contorted as if he was in the throes of some kind of mental agony. His breathing seemed labored, and wet places on his cheeks indicated he may have been crying as he drank.
Miss Jones stood there a bit longer, then came to a decision. Reaching behind her, she locked the door. Then she slowly approached Mr. Galloway.
“Mr. Galloway ?”, she said softly. When no answer was forthcoming, she said, louder, “Lionel ?” Reaching the desk, she bent forward and shook him gently.
He was snockered, as she could plainly see now. He slurried a few unintelligible words and again fell silent. Miss Jones dropped her purse on the desk, then went around and stood in front of him, studying him closely.
What a handsome man he was ! She felt her heart beating faster as she beheld him. He was 10 years older than she was, but he had been her English Teacher when she had gone here to Bullworth as a teenager herself. Then, he was a young man, full of hope and fire, and he conveyed the feelings to his students....Unlike the older, stodgy teachers, who seemed to be going through the motions of teaching. People in his class were inspired, the girls mostly, who often talked at night in the Dorm about their secret longings of being with him, of having him ram that hard delicious body of his into them while they screamed in pure ecstasy. He was older now, but his features were still ruggedly handsome, like a chiseled Adonis.
Her eyes fastened on his crotch, and that was when she saw the bludge there. Desire flamed in her loins. Her mind worked furiously. She had time, she knew. Her intention in knocking at his door in the first place was to tell him that Ms. Phillips wouldn’t be around to get him this evening, as she usually did....Seems there was a ruckus in the Girl’s Dorm that she had been called away to help handle, something to do with those Reform Girls, and that she would be way late this evening. Bethany had also intended to bid him goodbye for the day, as what had become her usual routine, asking if there was anything further before leaving.
But now this ! Bethany had locked the door on impulse, never really thinking that her chance might come this very day, the chance to fulfill a teenaged dream. She dropped to her knees in front of Mr. Galloway, and tentatively began stroking his bludge. He stirred somewhat, but then relaxed. Miss Jones became bolder, stroking harder, and the bludge grew. Reaching up deftly with her other hand, she undid his belt, and pulled down the zipper. She peeled back his shorts and exposed him fully. As she engulfed him, a moan escaped his lips.
After a few moments, panting, she broke away and stood up, stepping back. Reaching up under her dress, she stripped away her panties, letting them drop to the floor. She attempted to kick them away, but they became entangled on her high heel as she moved forward again. She nearly fell on Mr. Galloway as she stumbled, her left high heel coming loose and skittering across the floor, coming to rest underneath a nearby clothes wardrobe. She cared nothing for that, at the moment she was focused on her mission. She spread her legs and sank herself down on Mr. Galloway’s huge bludge to the hilt.
Rapidly moving herself up and down, her own crotch exploded in sheer pleasure as she rode her trophy. If only the girls could see her now. They had all talked about it, but she was actually doing it !! Mr. Galloway seemed to come alive then, thrusting upward, even though his eyes remained closed and his face slack. He began breathing harder as well. In just a few minutes, he voiced his first real words since Bethany had entered the office. “Ohh....Dedrie !”, he moaned.
Putting her lips close to his ear, Bethany breathlessly whispered, “No....Guess again !”
“Uhhh......" A frown creased his features. “Uhh...Christy ?”
Bethany slammed him harder. “No...”, she gasped. “It’s.....Bethany....”
A look of confusion swirled about his features. “Ummm...Beth.....Miss Jones ??”
“Now you got it”, Bethany panted, slamming him harder still. “How do you like me now ?”
“Ohhhhhh.....”, Mr. Galloway groaned, but he reacted with more force, matching Bethany’s strokes. “Ohhh... Ohhhh...,My !!!”
The frenzy built up, until they both shattered with release. As his manhood shrank away, so did Mr. Galloway, falling back into the large chair. Bethany rose from him, panting hard. In the time it took her to slow her breathing, Lionel Galloway fell into a drunken sleep.
Without thinking, Bethany approached him again, reaching out for his shrinking bludge one more time. She then tucked it away in his shorts, and fixed his pants, zippering them and re-securing his belt. Then she looked about the floor and recovered her panties. But her shoe was nowhere to be seen. She began looking for it, searching in ever-widening circles.
Suddenly, a knock came at the office door. “Lionel ? Open up....I got done over there, we can go home now.” The doorknob shook. “Lionel ?? Let me in !”
Oh Shit, it’s Dedrie Phillips !!, she thought frantically. Abandoning her search, she stuffed her panties in her purse, then picked it up and slung it over her shoulder. Just then a key sounded in the lock. Of course Ms. Phillips would have a key, even though Bethany didn’t. She had to get out of here. Remembering there was a not-so-secret door leading to the outside balcony, she was quickly able to locate it, open it up, and step outside. And not a second too soon....As the door closed behind her and the lock engaged, she could faintly hear Ms. Phillips voice, now in the office.
“Come on, Lionel...Why was the door locked ? Let’s get going, I’m tired, and.........Oh, what is this ?? Drinking again ?? And you were doing so well !! Come on...Wake Up !!......”
Miss Jones didn’t wait around to hear any more. She approached the edge. She would have to climb down the trellis. She surveyed the back Quad. There were only a few students moving about, and it was almost dusk. Taking a deep breath, her heart again racing (mostly due to her narrow escape), she grabbed hold and begin to climb down, her eyes clenched closed. Reaching the bottom successfully, she had only to jump down from the ledge onto the Quad. This she did carefully. She smoothed her dress, and then hobbled away. No one had seemed to notice her.
She would have to look for her lost shoe on Monday, as the office would be locked over the weekend, and she didn’t have a key. But she really wasn’t worried about that. It had probably gotten wedged underneath something. Right now, it was only a minor inconvenience. It really didn’t matter much at all. Her lions still burned warmly, and she could barely feel her off-kilter steps as she walked away.
_____________________________________
-
It was dark, and Tony was waiting in the shadows underneath the Boardwalk the led up to the Beach House. Earlier in the day, he had left a short note in Pinky’s locker, pushed up through the little vent spaces in the locker door. It read simply, “Need to see you, IMPORTANT”....He had signed it ‘247‘, his locker number. After school was let out for the day, he returned and checked his locker. Sure enough, Pinky had left him a return note, directing him to come alone to the Beach House well after dark, without stating a time. Tony thought it was a good idea to stay hidden, in case any Preps, Tad in particular, were going to follow her down there.
Tony had been here for almost two hours now. It was cramped in the spot he was hiding in, wedged in would be more like it. It was the only place that afforded him a measure if invisibility. Even so, he could still be spotted if someone was standing right in front of him, but he figured that by then it would be too late....He would have the advantage of surprise. He occasionally poked his head around to survey the beach leading from the Vale. After a while it had become tiresome to do that, and it was getting too dark anyway. He settled back to wait, and even dozed for a bit. The soothing sound of the water lapping up gently on the shore lulled him.
He didn’t know what pulled him back to alertness. Whatever it was, he was suddenly fully aware. There were low shuffling sounds on the sand....Or was it just his imagination ? His question was answered when light footsteps began ascending the ramp directly above him, leading to the Beach House door. He heard the door open, then chink closed over the light summer breeze. He risked a peek at the beach, but could see nothing in the darkness but the lights of the Vale, seemingly far off. Tony hunkered down for another 15 minutes, then cautiously crept out of his hiding place, weapon at the ready. He encountered no one.
After a few minutes, he crept up the walkway to the Beach House door and listened. He could only hear soft music playing inside. Looking about once more, he rapped on the door. Within a few seconds, it was flung open, and Pinky was standing there, dressed in a skimpy Prep outfit of knee-high blue high-heeled boots, a short-short Aquaberry skirt, and a sexy halter top. “Come in”, she urged in a sultry voice, “I’ve been waiting for you !”
Tony groaned inwardly. This was the last thing he wanted. He needed information, not a seduction. Still, he could see no other way around it. What he needed to do, he told himself, was to get her to tell him what he needed to know, then get out of here. Mentally convincing himself that could be just that simple, he sighed and entered. Pinky closed the door behind him and surreptitiously locked it.
“I knew you couldn’t stay away, Tony Boy”, Pinky purred, posing by the door. “We’re all alone, I made sure. Tad and the others are off at the Gym all night.”
“It’s not like that, Pinky”, Tony said, standing stock still in the middle of the room. “I just need some information, and hoping you have it, that’s all.”
“Ohhh, sounds mysterious”, Pinky said playfully, approaching him, flashing her eyes at him. Tony couldn’t help but notice they were made up, making her appear more womanly.
“Well, it’s a mystery to me”, Tony said, “And somewhat important. I need to find something out.”
Pinky moved closer to him. “Does it have to do with your missing girlfriends, you and that Nicky Boy ?”
“Yes”, Tony admitted, seeing no way to really hide the truth. “It has to do with that Church over North of the Vale, and....”
Pinky gripped his arms. “That’s an Evil Place !”, she hissed in a low voice. “You should stay away from there !” Her eyes went huge and round.
“I think it’s a trick”, Tony said, his heart beating a bit faster in spite of himself from Pinky’s touch. “There’s just a device over there for keeping people away, is all.”
“Noooo.....There’s more than that”, Pinky said in a low voice. “Much More !”
“That so ?”, Tony said. “Tell me then.....What’s the ‘More’ about it ? Just what do you know ?”
Still gripping his arms, a sly look came to Pinky’s face. “You want to know ?”
“Of course I do”, Tony answered, not liking where this was going, but unable to escape Pinky’s clutches. A powerful stirring was building in his groin.
“Then it’s going to cost you”, Pinky half-whispered, moving even closer to his face.
“Yes, all right...Of course”, Tony fumbled. “How much do you want ?”
“All Of It”, Pinky breathed. “I want you to do me with that big battering ram, long and hard. Do you understand ?” She moved her pelvis into Tony’s crotch, where a huge bludge was already erect, despite Tony’s best intentions for it not to be so.
“Pinky....I can’t....”, Tony objected, his breathing coming really fast now. Pinky moved her marvelous, sensual lips to just a fraction away from his.
“Oh, Poo...”, she scoffed, “You know you can’t forget about us.”
“There....Is no Us”, Tony said chokingly. “What about Tad ? Aren’t you...Still with him now ? How can you just....Just....”
“Tad is turning into another Derby”, Pinky said, a smirk crossing her face, “Bringing in that Prep Slut Vanessa to live in the House.....He wants to have her too, but HE’S not going to treat ME that way....I do what I want, when I want....And right now, I want you.”
“But...But...I can’t be cheating on Karen, not again !”, Tony protested weakly, “It’s....Not Right !” But even as he said those words, he didn’t stop Pinky’s hands from undoing his belt and lowering his zipper, then tugging him gently towards the bed in the far corner. All the power seemed to fade from him at her touch on his most private of members.
“She may be gone”, Pinky said in a kind voice, “But I’m here. I’ll tell you what I know about that place.....After.....Promise....”
They had reached the bed. Pinky reached up and undid her halter top, dropping it to the floor, then pulled her short skirt down, stepping out of it. She had no panties on. Tony’s eyes bulged at her beauty revealed. “Do Me Now”, she breathed, pulling his pants the rest of the way down. She grabbed onto him as she lay back on the bed, guiding him to her. “Do Me Hard !”
All of Tony’s reserve failed him as he mounted her, slamming his hormone-fueled body into hers. All his worry, guilt, and frustration from the past week that clouded his mind screamed for release. His very thoughts clouded and he became not unlike a starved, beaten animal, seeking surcease for his suffering. At the peak of her passion, Pinky wrapped her boot-clad legs around him and urged him on to the climax, and screamed in sheer pleasure as he emptied himself into her willing body.
Tony rolled off her, panting. Through the clouds in his mind, he knew the guilt would crush him later, but at the moment, he didn’t care. “Now....”, he gasped, “Tell me....About that place...”
But Pinky was still coming down from her high. It was a few moments before she spoke, and when she did, it was in a sad way. “Tad....Told me to ask Bif what Derby did to Kurt....So, when I could talk again, I asked him. He said he and Derby gave him over to the Monks. They messed with his mind, somehow.....”
“Wait..”, Tony said, his mind still fuzzy, “Who ARE these Monks ?”
Pinky sighed, still thinking of Kurt. “The Monks are.....Like, this Cult who have been in the Valley, like forever. Since the early days, at any rate. Nobody hardly ever sees them, they stay boxed up in that Church all the time. Derby’s family had some kind of arraignment with them, according to Bif....I don’t know what kind....”
“What do they look like ?”, Tony asked, more keen for information now.
Pinky looked at him. “I’ll tell you after we have another go at it”, she said, a tiny smile creasing her face.
“Hey, wait, that wasn’t the deal, you said that....That....” Tony’s Protests were cut off as Pinky suddenly grabbed him and began massaging him. Then, with out warning, she sat up and bent over, gobbling him up before he even knew what was happening. Blood surged within him, and it was like before, he was helpless to do anything.
After a full minute, Pinky let go and licked her lips, then straddled him. “This time, I want to do YOU”, she purred. She then proceeded to ram her pelvis into his. Tony reached up and gripped her thighs as she rode him. Soon, she was slamming him hard over and over, just like the world’s best Bull Rider. Tony responded in kind, and they went hard at it for nearly a half an hour, until Tony could hold out no more, and their groins both exploded in dazzling erotic pleasure.
Breathing hard, Pinky rolled off him at last. Puffing, she said, “That was....Nice.”
Tony felt like he had lost his mind. “All...Right.....Now talk....What about....These Monks ?”
Pinky slowed her breathing before answering. “They....Are very strange people....If they are people....I’ve never seen them, but Bif told me that they wear black hooded robes that cover their whole bodies, even most of their faces. Bif said he remembered seeing their hands....They were like, Fish white.....Like they never saw the sun, or maybe like....Dead People, or something.” She shuddered in spite of the still-warm glow from her crotch. “And....They have this weird kind of chant....’Abdobie’, or something like that.”
Tony remembered Laurent and Nick mentioning something about that. And something else as well. “Laurent mentioned something about it being cold....”
“Bif said there was like....Waves of cold flowing out the door, even though he could see lots of candles lit inside”, Pinky went on. “He said it felt like a meat freezer with a big fan blowing at him.”
Tony closed his eyes as he processed what Pinky was telling him. Pinky got up from the bed to go the the bathroom in the small room behind them. Tony considered leaving then, but he had more questions to ask. Whatever it took, he was going to find the answers. Karen and Melody’s very lives could depend on it.
When Pinky returned, she snuggled up next to Tony. “Get a bit of rest now”, she giggled. “When I wake you up, you can do me again....I’ll tell you more then.”
Tony sighed and then dozed off. During the next few hours, Pinky revealed more about the Church and the Monks each time after Tony could work it up and do her again. At one point, she pulled off one of her boots and massaged him with her foot just to keep him going. But finally, as the faint streaks of light began to filter through the sky, he had gotten all the information that he could from her. When she started talking about the Ghostly Figures in the Graveyard behind the Church, which Tony knew was nothing more than a Hologram from the very old machine Sheldon had shown him, he knew there was nothing more for her to tell.
He wearily got up and dressed. He had to head back to the Dorm and get some real sleep before trying to tackle the mission to see what was in the church. He only hoped it would lead to something, like being able to rescue the girls. His biggest fear was that their minds would be warped beyond repair, as Kurt’s had been. He stepped out into early morning. Soon enough, he vowed, he would find out.
__________________________________
-
Constantinos had been out late, too. On that Friday night, he had hidden in the Library before the closing time of 10 O’clock, upstairs in the farthest bookcase row. His reason for doing so was to steal some romance books for Tiffany. Since he had already checked out three such books, he knew it would look if he were to try checking out more of that type of books. Besides, he hadn’t returned the ones he had checked out already, which would automatically put a flag in the system on him. He might never return them, a tiny part of his mind cried, but he paid that no attention. His full-blood lust had been awakened, and now he would go to any lengths, commit any crime, battle any forces, and generally be a man-slave, all in pursuit of the Holy Grail Booty....No matter how skinny and bony it may be. He had promised to get her the books by Wednesday night, but was unable to hide successfully in the Library until this very night. He hoped she would understand.
Swiping about 10 books, he stashed them in his Backpack and snuck out of the Library well before midnight. Avoiding the patrolling Prefects, he made off to the Girl’s Dorm, where he went to the same side where Tiffany had surprised him with her moves. Just seeing the place made his blood pump faster. He was hoping for a similar experience tonight.
Constantinos had been here many times, and had climbed the trellis to the small window in the attic more times than he cared to count. He liked to steal into the girl’s rooms and hide in their wardrobes, where he would spy on them. Ostensibly, he was gathering information when doing so, but in reality he got off on watching them undress. He had seen just about every girl at Bullworth Academy naked....Except the new ones, of course. In the outside world, away from the Vale Valley, he might be regarded as a Voyeur. Here, though, he was just another sex-starved teenager, dreaming of the time when he could join the ranks of the non-virgins.
He had rarely been caught. Mrs. Peabody had caught him once, when he was a bit slow in getting into a wardrobe and she had spotted him. Once, just a few months ago, Hal and Norton had discovered him in Pinky’s room while trying to hide from the Monitor themselves. In the ensuing fracas, he had wound up stepping into a wastebasket, getting stuck, and clumping down the hallway with Mrs. Peabody in close pursuit. He had to serve five detentions for that, but it had been worth it.
Climbing the familiar trellis, Constantinos marveled at the construction of it. The trellis had undoubtedly been climbed hundreds of times, and yet it still held firm. Squeezing through the small window into the attic, he withdrew a small flashlight. The cobwebby attic looked the same. He tread lightly over the boards as not to be heard. In this fashion he crossed the attic, here a set of crude stairs led down to a storage room on the second floor. As he descended those steps, he kept an ear out for any strange sounds which might indicate he should turn back. Not hearing anything, he reached the bottom and crossed over to the door.
Constantinos snapped off his light, then eased open the door and peeked around the corner. The hallway was empty. Being a Friday, the girls were allowed to stay up way later than the would during the week. The were probably down in their Common Room. He could hear them distantly, the fat girls in particular, bellowing something. He wondered briefly why fat girls were always loud. Mostly one could hear them from a mile off. Constantinos sneaked down the hall. He knew where most of the girl’s rooms were at, and guessed that new ones were being housed at the last room, near the top of the stairs leading to the first floor. He snuck in the open door. The room was dark, and he shined his flashlight about. This room appeared to be shared by four of the Reform Girls, according to papers scattered on the lone desk. It was also unkempt, which was another clue. Constantinos shuffled the papers around and finally found one with Tiffany’s name on it. Since Tuesday, he had made sure to find out who she was. He moved to the all-too-familar wardrobe, climbing inside. He would have to wait.
His wait was not a long one. Within a few minutes, the lights flicked on and he heard someone enter the room. Looking through the slats, he saw it was a ugly overweight girl with big boobs. She moved about the room, rummaging in some boxes by one of the beds, then pulled out a tampon. Then, she turned and headed out the door, presumably to the bathroom. She left the light on. Not too long after that, two other girls came into the room. One, he was relieved to see, was Tiffany. The other was a silver-blonde girl, not too bad looking. Constantinos thought it was probably that Hayley girl. He watched as they moved about the room. The one he identified as Hayley stopped at the box that the fat girl had just pulled the tampon from.
“She’s at it again”, she said disgustedly. “That’s the third one today !”
““Are you sure it isn’t Tess that’s been takin’ those ?”, he heard Tiffany ask.
“Naw, it’s Carla”, Hayley said. “She’s the one who takes ours. Tess uses those great big ones cuz she has a big twat.”
Tiffany tittered laughter. It was short, and musical to Constantinos’ ears. “Well, I hope Tess has enough to last her the night, considering what they done.”
The two girls moved about the room, laying out their nightclothes. Constantinos waited until Tiffany came close to the wardrobe, then rapped gently.
Startled, Tiffany looked closely at the wardrobe. Constantinos cracked open the door ever so slightly. Tiffany peered inside and a smile curled her face. She cast a glance at the other girl, who seemed not to have noticed. Then she said, “Heya there, Hay-Ho, could you go get us some of that sanitizing soap from the downstairs Washroom ? If there's any left after the big mess Trina and the others made, that is.” She giggled.
The other girl looked up from what she had been doing and shot a skeptical look at Tiffany. “Tiff, what’re you up to ?”
“Nothing”, Tiffany said with mock earnestness. “Just go get some...Pretty Please ?”
Hayley gave her strange, knowing look. Then she walked towards the door. “Sure”, she said, deadpan. “Just tell me later, alright ?”
Constantinos heard the door close. Tiffany flung open the wardrobe. “You're late...Did you get 'em ?”, she asked eagerly.
Constantinos nodded, almost afraid to speak. “Good”, Tiffany said. “Quick, we gotta get to the attic !”
“The....Attic ?”, Constantinos repeated stupidly. “But....Why ?”
“That’s where I keep 'em”, Tiffany said impatiently, and went to the door. She peeked out. “Com’on....It’s clear. Let’s go !”
She took off through the door. Constantinos jumped out of the wardrobe and followed her. The hallway was indeed empty. He ran as silently as he could, trying to keep up with the dark haired nymph. She was so quick she seemed to fly. Within seconds, it seemed, Constantinos found himself back in the attic he had so recently entered.
“Over Here !”, Tiffany whispered loudly. He couldn’t see and pulled out his flashlight again. Shining it about, he located her, off in the far corner. He made his way back to her.
“Gimmie”, she demanded as he reached her. He slung off his backpack and opened it, then dumped the books on the floor. She knelt and examined them. “Ohhh....Nice Haul !” She started stacking the books. “Put them over there, with the others”, she directed.
Constantinos shined his light around and it came to rest on a pile of books further under the eves. He began scooping up the books to move them. “What....Are all them other books ?”, Constantinos asked.
“They’re my stash”, Tiffany said, helping to pile the books back with the others.
“But....Why do you need all these books ?”, Constantinos asked, flabbergasted.
With an evil grin, Tiffany said, “Cause I’m a Klepto.”
Constantinos didn’t know how to respond to that. Tiffany finished stacking the books. A look of pure enjoyment peppered her features. Then she turned to Constantinos. “Now for your reward”, she said breathlessly. “Lay down on the floor !”
“But...It’s dirty...”, Constantinos protested.
“Down on the Floor !”, Tiffany ordered.
Constanos sighed, but did as he was told. “Now, Watch !”, Tiffany said.
Constantinos shined his light on her. With a look of euphoria, Tiffany undid and stripped off her jeans. The panties were next. As they dropped to the floor, Constantinos’ eyes and another part of his body suddenly budged. With a little laugh, Tiffany keeled and flung herself across Constantinos, grinding her pelvis into his. Poking her tongue into his mouth, she swirled it around, wildly kissing him. After a couple of minutes, she rose up.
“Now, it’s time for you to get your tongue wet”, she breathed. Suddenly, she knee-walked up his torso and thrust her crotch into Constantinos’ face. “Do It !!”, she ordered.
Constantinos complied. His head was spinning at this turn of events, and his hormones were in full rage stage. He had missed his supper, but he certainly didn’t expect this kind of meal. She was in total control now, and Constantinos only mission at the moment was to satisfy her desires. He reached up with his hands and caressed her ass.
After a few more minutes, she suddenly stood up. “Enough”, she panted. “Now, it’s time !”
She moved downwards, grabbing Constantinos’ pants, her fingers ripping open the zipper and pulling his shorts out of the way. Grabbing his manhood, she sank down on it until their pelvises touched, and began bouncing herself rapidly up and down.
Constantinos lost his mind. Her long, dark hair made a tent about his head, softly brushing his face. Though it seemed like hours, it lasted only a few minutes, until he could hold out no longer. His muscles seized at the moment of release, and for an instant, a blackness descended, blotting out all thought. Tiffany cried out softly, and it was finished.
Tiffany got up and felt around for her jeans. She located them and slipped them on. Her panties she found and she tossed them on Constantinos’ chest. “Next time”, she panted, “Bring me some more books....And we’ll do this again !” She trilled a little laughter, then was gone, finding her way to the stairs. Constantinos barely heard her tiny footfalls go.
He lay on the floor for a long time. By the time he roused himself, his flashlight had grown dim. With shaky fingers, he fixed his pants, and got unsteadily to his feet. He stumbled to the small window, but took several minutes before he felt he could climb back down the trellis. Gripping tightly, he slowly made his way down. When he reached the ground, he had to lean up against the building to regain his bearings.
Though his brain seemed like a cauldron of swirling emotions, one thought stuck dimly to the back of his mind, crying in the wilderness. There was something not right here, it whispered....This Girl Is Nuts.
___________________________________
-
Tony drug himself in to the Boy’s Dorm right before dawn. Going to his room, he lay down wearily on his bed. He had to get some real sleep. Guilty feelings enveloped him, but not as bad as the times before. Whether it was because he was so tired, or because he was virtually seduced by Pinky in exchange for the bits of information he had obtained, he couldn’t tell. A small spurt of anger flared up a Pinky for doing such a thing.
But he was much too tired to dwell on it now. He needed sleep....And time to figure out a particular thing that Pinky had told him. As he settled down and drew the cover over him, Nick’s voice came out of the semi-darkness of the room. “Kinda real late night, heh ?”
Tony jumped, startled. He had forgotten all about Nick being in the room, tired as he was. “Ummm.....Yeah....Real late.”
“You musta found out a ton of stuff, if it took you all night”, Nick commented. Tony couldn’t tell, but he was sure Nick was smirking in the dark.
“Yeah, I found out some stuff, alright”, Tony said, stifling a yawn. “Not real proud of myself, but I took one for the team.” Between yawns, Tony began to tell Nick what he had learned about the Church and the shadowy people called the Monks....If indeed they were people. He finished up by saying, “Later today, we can go over there....Check it out.”
Nick was silent for a bit, digesting the information. Tony’s eyelids drooped. Just as he was about to fall asleep, Nick popped out a question. “How are we supposed to get in there ? It was locked up tight when me and Laurent was over there. Couldn’t budge the doors.”
Tony drug his eyelids back open. “Ummm....Wait....Pinky told me something about that.....”
What had Pinky said ? Tony searched his numb mind. It was one of the last things she had told him, but it had been strange and cryptic. Not that she had ever been in the place herself, her Daddy had always warned her to stay away.....It was part of what Bif had related to her about the day he and Derby had given Kurt over to the Monks.....It was....
“Oh, yeah”, Tony said as last. “It was something Bif told her....To get the doors to open, Derby had to pound the Devil’s Code on them...”
“The Devil’s Code ?”, Nick asked. “What the fuck is that ?”
“Donno”, Tony yawned. “That’s all she said about it. I can't figure it out.”
“Sounds like some Satanic thing”, Nick remarked. “Who the hell around here would know something like that ?”
“Maybe....The Nerds...”, Tony yawned. “They know shit like that, I guess....You should go ask them today.....While I get some sleep.”
“The fuckers will probably make me play a old video game before they tell me anything”, Nick said, “And I ain’t real good at video games like that. I could just beat it out of them...”
“No....Violence.....Remember ?”, Tony mumbled. “We’re trying to establish....A peaceful society here.....Wouldn’t do good to get them pissed.....Since they control the weapons production....”
“So....Who the hell else can I find this out from ?”, Nick asked, a bit sarcastically. “Everyone else is kinda stupid around here.”
“Wait....There is one other....”, Tony said sleepily. “She’s supposed to be real smart, and.....”
“She ?”, Nick exclaimed. “Oh, You don’t mean that one girl.....”
“Oh, yeah....That one who....Was gone a year, and just came back”, Tony yawned again. “Her name’s.....Beatrice....I think. She’s a Nerd girl, supposed to be nice....”
“Yeah, nice and Horny”, Nick said, recalling his previous encounter with her. Constantinos had filled him in on just what kind of weird girl she was after that.
"Ah, so what ?” Tony said. He could barely keep his eyes open. “At least she won’t make you....Play video games....”
“No, just other games”, Nick said sarcastically, “That I also don’t wanna play.”
“Just...Try it”, Tony said, half asleep now. “Your turn to....Take one for the team. We gotta....Find the girls.... Gotta.”
Tony surrendered to the sleep fairy, unable to stay awake a second longer. Nick heard his rhythmic breathing and knew he was out. But Nick couldn’t return to sleep, not right away. He lay contemplating on this new and potentially messy mission.
____________________________________
-
Nick did get some more sleep, but he was up way before Tony, who would sleep in until mid-afternoon. He had qualms about seeking out Beatrice, but couldn’t think of an easier alternative. He fortified himself with a quick snack before he left, and a Beam Cola. Then he set off for the Girl’s Dorm. There he would check first, then the Library, then the Observatory. The only other place she could be at this time of day would be the Dragon’s Wing, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He needed a quick resolution to this mission.
As it turned out, the first place he looked was where he found her....Not inside the Girls’s Dorm, but outside, around the corner by the side door, sitting on the steps crying. He approached her against his better judgment, and said, “Sooo.....What’s wrong there ?”
Beatrice looked up. “Ohh, Thank God, it’s you !! My Savior !!”
Nick backed up a step. “Whoa, don’t get carried away here. It’s just me, Nick.”
“Oh, no, you’re much more, you protected me !”, Beatrice sniffled.
“Ok...Whatever”, Nick said. “Look, I need to ask you something, you may know....”
Beatrice broke out in fresh sobs and went on like she hadn’t even heard him. “You’ve got to help me ! It’s Vital !”
“Umm....But I need to....”, Nick started to say.
“Mandy stole my Diary !”, Beatrice wailed, cutting him off. “I thought she would have changed or I never would have come back here ! She even threatened me ! She’s still just a Mean Bitch !”
“Stole your Diary”, Nick repeated. “So what’s the big deal ?”
“If anyone sees what’s in there, I will just die !”, Beatrice sobbed. “It’s really personal !”
“Well, that sucks”, Nick said, nonplussed. “Nothing like have your deepest secrets exposed.”
“Yeah, well....You’ll soon find out.”, Beatrice sniffled.
“Me ?”, Nick said, somewhat startled. “Why ?”
“In my Diary....I wrote a lot about you and me”, Beatrice said meekly.
“What ??”, Nick Exclaimed. “First off, there is no ‘You and Me’....”
“Well, Yeah, there is”, Beatrice explained falteringly, “There’s, like you saved me from that Bully, and how we fell in love...How you brought me flowers and wrote me poetry, and showed a kind, sensitive side that soon the whole world is going to know about....All because she’ll put what I wrote on the Internet and then absolutely everyone will know !”
Nick was dumbfounded. What the hell did this Ditz have to go and write all that for ? This girl was supposed to be smart, and here was about the dumbest damn thing he had ever heard. In fact, he suddenly recalled something that Constantinos has told him about her. “Say...Didn’t this happen before....Didn’t Jimmy Hopkins have to rescue your Diary once ?”
“Oh, Yes !”, she exclaimed. “And my lab notes too ! We were like....Doomed Lovers !”, she said, with a dreamy look on her face.
“You do know, that I’m with Melody, right ?”, Nick asked her.
“Well....Yeah...But she’s such a little girl”, Beatrice said dismissively. “I’m a real woman....Well, almost.....But I’ve done quite a few experiments on the matters of love. I’ll be a whole lot better for you, I’m just about grown up, and I’m going to go to Medical School, so you’d never have to worry about anything, you see, I’m going to be a famous researcher....”
“And you DO know that Melody got kidnapped, don’t you ?”, Nick interrupted.
“Oh, yes, and I’m real sorry about that”, Beatrice said sincerely. “That is a terrible thing, just terrible, it must be horrible. But you’ll be so much happier with me, you’ll see. When I get my Pulitzer Prize, we’ll live on a estate with our 2.3 children and.....”
“Beatrice”, Nick interrupted again, “Listen to me. We have got to find out something that only a Nerd would probably know. It’s about a certain code....a Devil’s Code...”
“Oh, that sounds exciting !”, Beatrice said excitedly. “Intrigue ! That’s what you boys do, isn’t it ? I’ve been reading all about your exploits....They’re all over the Internet ! You boys are already famous, you know. You’re the most handsome one, and when we get married it will a big media event, we’ll be like the jet set, the beautiful people....”
“Enough ! I’ll get your Diary back. Sheezh”. Nick said, exasperated. “Just where is it ?”
“Last time, Mandy hid my notes in her Gym locker. She’s probably done the same with my Diary, she’s not real bright”, Beatrice told him. “I can’t go down there, she’ll beat me up.”
“Ok. But....Just tell me what that code thing means, allright ?”, Nick tried again.
“I’ll tell you when you come back with my Diary. “I’ll be waiting in my room, second floor by by the bathroom”, Beatrice said. “I’ve got to have it back !”
“You promise ?”, Nick asked, feeling a bit put out.
“Oh, of course !”, Beatrice said primly. “I’m an Honor Girl !”
Nick shook his head as he walked away and jumped the wall, a shortcut to the Front Quad. This is a whole lotta trouble for just a little bit of Info, he thought. Tony better be right about this Monk thing.
_______________________________
-
Nick reached the Gym soon after. He was a bit worried about actually finding the Diary. What if he couldn’t locate Mandy’s locker ? What if he couldn’t get it open ? Then what ? He began to regret his rash pledge to rescue Beatrice’s Diary.
As he entered the Gym, he could see it was empty. That was good. On the other side of the connecting tunnel was the Pool House, but as it didn’t open until noon, he had plenty of time. Going down the steps to the tunnel where the Locker Rooms were at, he heard a toilet flush from somewhere, and froze. It wouldn’t do to be seen down here right now. Indecisively, he waited for a little while. Then he heard sounds from the Boy’s Locker Room. Moving forward a bit, he glanced in at an odd angle and spotted Damon washing up. Suddenly, he had an idea.
He boldly walked into the Locker Room. “Hey there, Damon !”
Damon turned around from the mirror, where he had been primping himself. “Yo, what’s crackin.”
He walked up to Damon and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. “Damon, I need your help.”
“Really ? What’s shakin’?”, Damon said, “Need me to beat up on somebodies ?”
“More important than that”, Nick said, looking around to make sure they were alone. “Anybody else here ?”
“Nobody I know of....I just tooka dump”, Damon replied.
Nick looked in the stalls anyway and behind the locker row just to make sure. Then he went back to Damon and said, “I have an important mission. It’s about Karen and Melody.”
Damon’s face went sad. “Bad thing that, gettin’ swiped and all. Happened to me once, over in that there Graveyard.....I won’t never go back there, ever !”
“We’re trying to find them, and I have to look for clues in the Girl’s Locker Room”, Nick said. “Will you help out ?”
“Gees, I donno”, Damon said, “We aint’s supposed to go in there....”
“You don’t have to go in”, Nick said, “I just need someone to stand guard, so nobody else does. Can you do that ? For Karen and Melody ?”
“Help Karen ?”, Damon said. “Sure, I can do that.”
Nick led Damon out to the hallway between the two Locker Rooms. “Just stand here and block the doorway”, Nick instructed. “If anyone comes down and tries to get in, tell them....It’s being cleaned, or something. Got it ?”
Yo, no problem”, Damon said. Nick entered the Girl’s Locker Room while Damon took up a position blocking the doorway.
He needn’t have worried about finding the Diary, it turned out to be simple. All the lockers had a strip of masking tape stuck to them with the name of the owner written in it. It only took half a minute to find Mandy’s. He glanced to see where Damon was. The big monkey was still blocking the doorway with his back to him, head swiveling to the right and left then back again.
Although he didn’t do it much, Nick was rather skilled when it came to getting into lockers. He bent to his task at the Combination Lock. It helped that it was so quiet down here this morning. He goofed up on the first try, but got it on the second. He undid the Combo Lock and opened Mandy’s locker.
Inside was a mess. Books were scattered here and there, with clothes and Cheerleader outfits scattered all over. Women, Nicky thought, shaking his head. They keep everything else clean, but trash up their cars and their lockers. Go figure. Rooting around, he finally came across a book that looked different from the rest. He flipped it open. The first page read, “DIARY”. He skimmed enough pages to spot his name written several times in flowery script and doing those things he had never done. This was the one. Stuffing the Diary up under his shirt, he closed and re-locked the locker.
Now to get this back to Beatrice, so then she would tell him the secret of the Devil’s Code, and then from there maybe how they could use it.
_____________________________________
-
Nick made his way back to the Girl’s Dorm. He stood on the asphalt, weighing his options. That crazy ditz said she would be in her room. How the hell was he supposed to get to her ? Nick didn’t really know about the attic entrance, although he had heard stories.
The Yard was nearly empty. Just then, Nick spotted Nina, who was coming out the front door and heading down the steps. Probably off to see Laurent, he figured. He hurried to intercept her.
“Heya, Nina”, he said as he approached her. “Could you do me a favor ?”
Nina stopped and faced him. “Why, uh...Sure, if I can.”
“I need to get inside without being seen”, Nick said, pointing at the Dorm. “I gotta meet somebody.”
A kind of a shocked look came over Nina’a face. Nick saw it and hastily added, “It’s nothing like that....The person I have to see may have information that might help up find out where the girls are....That’s all.”
Nina’s face cleared. “Oh ! I thought that.....Never mind. Sure, I’ll help. You’re in luck, the Matrons are gone. They took those nasty Reform Girls into town on the school bus.” She shuddered. “One of them had a Cattle Prod, and she was using it !”
“So, what happened ?”, Nick asked, only mildly interested.
“Um, sometime after school yesterday, those fat black girls were beating up on one of the new girls, and then they had barricaded themselves in the Laundry Room”, Nina related. “Took a while to get them out.”
“Hmm....Well, anyway, I need to get inside”, Nick told her.
“Umm, Okay, let me go check”, Nina said, and went back up the steps and inside. A few minutes later she re-appeared at the door and motioned Nick inside.
“It’s all clear, least the first floor is”, Nina told him once he entered. Nick crept up the entrance foyer and sneaked a peek around the corners into the hallway. It was empty. A bit further, the common area was also empty.
“Good Luck !”, Nina called softly as Nick trotted toward the second floor stairs. Nick answered with a wave. Nina watched him mount the stairs and then left the building herself.
The second floor hallway after the top of the stairs was likewise empty, and Nick quickly walked down it, looking for the Bathroom. Finding that, he continued to the next door, and softly rapped on it. It was flung open a couple of seconds later.
“Oh, there you are !", Beatrice greeted him. “Did you get it ?”
Nick pulled the Diary from under his shirt. “This the one ?”
“Oh, Yesss !” Beatrice squealed, grabbing Nick’s arm and pulling him inside. She closed and locked the door behind them, then leaned her back against it before taking the Diary from Nick and cradling it to her breasts. “O-o-o-h, Thank You, Nicky !”
“Quite all right”, Nick said, “I didn’t read it...Much. Now, tell me about the Devil’s Code.”
“Oh, I will....”, Beatrice said. “But....First, I want to do a little....Project.”
“Project ?”, Nick said, confused. “Look, I brought your Diary back, that was the deal. Now what ?”
Beatrice turned to her desk in the room and put the Diary in a drawer, and took out a ruler. Then she came right back up to Nick, who thought she was going to French-Tongue him again, as she had on the first day he met her. Either that, or smack him with the ruler. Instead, she grabbed his crotch and began massaging it rapidly. Nick’s bludge grew spontaneously as he suddenly felt short of breath.
“I want to take some....Measurements”, Beatrice said, her eyes bright behind her ugly glasses.
“And then you’ll tell me ?”, Nick persisted through his growing horniness.
“Ohh, Yesss”, Beatrice breathed. “Take it out !”
Nick sighed and shrugged. Anything for the Mission. He undid his belt and zipped down his pants. Fumbling with his shorts, he pulled out his bludge. Beatrice grabbed it and put the ruler next to it. At her touch, it had grown more. She ohh’ed and ahh’ed.
“Now....Let’s see what happens....”, she said. Nick had no idea what was coming next. Beatrice suddenly pulled off her blouse, then reached around and undid her bra, letting both fall to the floor. Nick’s bludge grew a bit more. Beatrice quickly measured it again, then returned to her former position, this time dropping her dress, followed by her panties, to the floor. Quickly measuring it again, she could tell it had grown even more. She wrapped her hand around it, gently massaging it and at the same time pushing Nick backwards into the desk chair. Nick was nearly helpless against his tide of rising desire.
Spreading her legs, Beatrice rammed her crotch onto his bludge. Mentally feeling like he had been suddenly transported to the Twilight Zone, Nick’s body nevertheless instinctively thrust upward. He could tell that she wasn’t a virgin. Dimly, he recalled Constantinos telling him that Beatrice was a real cunt who ‘Pounded the Nerd Boys’ and that he should steer clear. But all he was feeling now was lost in lust as the Nerd girl rammed up and down on him.
At nearly the peak of her passion, Beatrice reared up clear of his bludge. Her breath coming in hard gasps, she measured it one more time, then gave out a primal scream as she thrust down on it again, urging Nick on to his release. He felt his entire insides drain out of him in a brilliant blast as Beatrice slammed down on him one final time, her fingers digging marks into his shoulders.
Beatrice laid up against him, her boobs in his face. Exhausted, Nick could not move for several minutes. Eventually, Beatrice stopped nibbling on his ear and rose up. She reached over and replaced her ruler in the desk drawer, then hopped off and hobbled over to retrieve her clothing.
“Thank You for being my pardner in this....Project”, she said. “I’m going to include these findings in my dissertation paper.”
Nick’s head was spinning. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. But although he felt fried, he remembered to ask the essential question again. “Now.....What is the....Devil’s Code ?”, he gasped.
Beatrice looked up. She was just fastening her blouse up. “Oh, that....It’s really very simple”, she said. “It’s actually the Devil’s Number, or better known as the Mark of the Beast, the sign of the Antichrist, and is mentioned in Revelation 13:18....’Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six’.....Which means 6-6-6.”
Nick shook himself. He should have known that. All this for.....Never mind, he told himself. What’s done is done. He rose shakily to his feet, pulling up his pants and zipping up, then re-buckling his belt. “I have to go now”, he said heavily.
“Oh, so soon ?”, Beatrice said brightly, giving what seemed to Nick to be a gruesome smile. “Don’t be a stranger now. I’ve got more projects in mind.”
Unbelievable. Nick headed out the door, not caring if there was anyone in the hall or not. He had to get out of here. Melody beckoned from far away in his mind. He hoped this had all been worth it.
After he left, Beatrice retrieved her Diary from the desk drawer. She had some new entries to write.
______________________________________
-
Tony had just woke up by the time Nick stumbled back into their room. Throwing himself back on his bed, Nick groaned. “Whatsmatter ? Get in a fight ?”, Tony half-joked.
“You might say that”, Nick said. “I’ll just say that now, I took one for the team.”
“Are you kidding me ?”, Tony asked in surprise. “You mean that girl....Uhh....She....”
“Seduced me ?”, Nick said sarcastically. “Hell,Yeah. Just like what was done to you.”
Tony might have guessed it wouldn’t be easy to obtain the Devil’s Code, but it really hadn’t occurred to him that Nick would run across another girl who would force Nick into the same 'trading sex for information’ scheme as Pinky had done to him. It always amazed him that no matter how well he thought he knew this place by now, there was always something new to learn about Bullworth. Tony shook his head. He never thought a Nerd girl would be the one to take advantage of Nick, the most feared fighter at the school....But then again, Nerd girls were probably the horniest girls in the whole school....Outside of Eunice, that was.
“Looks like we both got secrets to keep from the girls”, Tony remarked.
“If we ever find them, that is”, Nick said, rather wearily.
“Speaking of.....Did‘ja find out what the Devil’s Code is ?”
Nick placed his arm over his eyes, and sighed. “The Devil’s Code is really the Devil’s Number, the mark of the Beast....Which is 6-6-6.”
Tony slapped his head. “Damn, I shoulda figured that out ! I’ve heard of that !”
“Wish you had, bright boy”, Nick remarked, “Before I had to.....Never mind. You was real zonked out this morning, probably couldn’t think straight.....Like....Like...”
“Like you are now”, Tony said with sincere sympathy. “But we need to get the others together....We’re gonna need backup, and it’s afternoon already. I don’t want to go over there in the dark.”
“What about your Bully Army ?”, Nick asked with a short laugh.
“After what happened to them over there the last time, I doubt if they’ll go within a mile of the place”, Tony answered. “Same with the Jocks. No, I think our friends are all we got.”
“You go and round them up, then”, Nick said. “I feel....In need of a short break.”
Nick was dozing before Tony even left the room. Poking around on campus, he found Ray, and together they went down to the Jock’s Clubhouse and convinced Laurent to come along. But look as they might, they were unable to find Constantinos. Returning to the Boy’s Dorm, Tony tried his room. Constantinos’ door was locked. Tony knocked loudly, but got no answer. Tony wondered what had become of him, but it wasn’t unusual for him to disappear at times.
When they Entered Tony’s room, Nick was sitting up on his bed, no worse for wear, or so it seemed. Tony began to outline his battle plan. “We’re going to try to get into the Church. It might be where Karen and Melody are being held prisoners.”
“I’m not going in that place, I already told you that !”, Ray said fearfully.
“I also do not wish to go inside there”, Laurent said rather stiffly.
“Look, fellas, we don’t want you to go IN with us, we just want to to be backups”, Tony said earnestly. “Get help in case we don’t come back out in a certain amount of time....Ok ?”
Laurent considered. “Oui, I can do that.” Ray didn’t say anything, looking like a scared rabbit....But he didn’t say no.
“Where are they supposed to get help from ?”, asked Nick. “The Bullworth Militia ?”
Tony hadn’t thought that out very well. .”Um....Well, you should go to Chief O’Rourke....Or Mr. Galloway, maybe. Or maybe those Soldier guys that are still hanging around”, he said. “Or, maybe....The new Janitor, Mr. Riddle.”
The last took both Ray and Laurent by surprise. “What does he have to do with anything ?”, Laurent asked keenly. Laurent knew that the former Janitor, Mr. Luntz, had helped Tony in some manner, but Tony had never revealed the full extent of just how. Ray, who knew nothing about either, was speechless.
“He’s been....Helping us, I guess”, Tony said, but didn’t elaborate.
They looked at Nick, who nodded. “He is, somehow.”
A silence spun out. “Look, it’s like this....Laurent, you can hide behind the wall by the front gate of the Church. Ray, you can hide....Well, further away. Give us and hour, if we get in. If we don’t come out by then, go off and get help, like I said.”
The others just looked at him. “Don’t you guys understand ?”, Tony said then. “We’re going in that Church, one way or another. The girls might be there. We can’t just stand back and wait for somebody else to do it. It might be too late already. But we have to try !”
The others suddenly realized it was as Tony said. Crazy or not, he and Nick had little choice. Even Ray had to respect them for their bravery, being willing to risk all odds in the face of unknown danger.
“We will need some weapons, Yes ?”, Laurent said suddenly. “Lots and Lots of them, and Ammo, too.”
“Maybe....Stink Bombs ?”, Ray ventured. “That’ll cloud things up for them Spooks !”
“Only problem is...”, said Nick, “Is that the Nerds have all the Stink Bombs these days.”
Tony knew they weren’t going back to ask the Nerds for anything. Besides, there wasn’t time. Laurent frowned when he heard that, but pointed at Jimmy’s old Chemistry Set, which had been slowly gathering dust in the corner. “What about that ?”
“Um, I’ve...Er, never been much good in Chemistry Class”, Tony said sheepishly. “That’s why....I don’t use that thing.”
“Me neither”, Nick said. “Chemistry Sucks.”
“I have passed Chem 5 with a B average”, Laurent said. “I can make ze Stink Bombs.....No problem, as long as there are the right chemicals.” Laurent went over to check. After a minute, he nodded. “There is enough here for us.”
“How long will it take to make some up ?”, Tony asked.
“Less than an hour, I thinks”, Laurent replied. “Ray, you must assist me.”
“Right, Ok !”, Ray said, glad to be doing something as long as he didn’t have to go into that Church.
“All right then !”, cried Tony. “I’ll round us up some weapons. We leave in an hour !”
____________________________________
-
Tony and Nick stood at Church, the large heavy oaken doors directly in front of them. They, along with Laurent and Ray, had biked over from the School. Ray had stopped down the wide, unpaved roadway just as the stone walls of the church had come into sight, refusing to go any further. Laurent had been left at the locked Iron gates fronting the Church, where he would be able to see directly the front doors, and watch for Tony and Nick to come out....That was, if they were able to get inside at all. Tony and Nick left their bikes there and headed around through the Graveyard gates. Traversing the Graveyard, they hopped over the stone wall behind the Church where the section of Iron fencing was missing.
Nick commented in a low voice how everything seemed the same as the last time he had been here with Laurent, except for one thing....It was strangely quiet. There was no chanting coming from the Church like last time. In fact, it was eerily quiet. No bird or animal sounds issued from the woods that circled around the Church and Graveyard. When the two boys reached the front doors of the Church, Nick had attempted to do what he and Laurent had done before, push and pull on the heavy doors. Like before, they refused to budge.
“I wonder how those Government Men got inside to find that kid”, Nick muttered, referring to Kurt.
“I don’t know”, Tony said in a low voice, “I never heard how. Only that they got in.” He stepped closer to the doors, and raised his fist. “Here goes nothing”, he said tersely, and banged out the Devil’s Code on the doors with his fist, six sharp blows, then six more, and six more. Tony stepped back, and as he did, a muffled ‘CHINK’ was heard. The heavy doors went into action then, opening slowly inward.
A blast of cold air suddenly rushed out, chilling the boys in more ways than one. Tony had been prepared for this, and both he and Nick were wearing jackets, which had been uncomfortable in the July heat. At the same time, clouds scudded over the sun, reducing the amount of light to about half of what it had been.
Peering inside in Church, both boys could just make out the shapes of objects from the dim reddish light that filtered in through the stained glass windows. Tony glanced at Nick and nodded. They had both packed flashlights, and they took them from their pockets now. Moving even with the open doors, they shined them into the interior, then moved forward from the foyer.
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The darker shapes before them were pews, they saw, lined up in rows to the left and right of them. But the one thing that stood out to Tony was the Candles...Hundreds and hundreds of burnt-out candles, on the walls, on the Alter, and in multiple Floor Candelabras. The smell of stale Candle Wax hung heavy in the chill air.
(http://stewartsspecialevents.com/store/secure/images/categories/1219.jpg)
Hideous Gargoyle figures lined the walls, four on each side, set upward toward the ceiling. Large Pentagrams were placed above them. “Eight”, Nick commented suddenly, making Tony jump. “Laid on it’s side, the symbol for Infinity.” Nick moved his flashlight to shine on the distant Alter at the rear of the Church. There were three Pentagrams there, one to the left, one to the right, and one set in the center, above the others. “Three”, Nick said softly, “The number of Discord.”
A chill ran through Tony. “How do you know so much about that ?”
“There was a lot of Cults in L.A.”, Nick answered. “I’ll tell you about it sometime.”
Tony wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. He shined his flashlight at the Alter along with Nick’s. There was something below the center Pentagram, but he couldn’t see it from this distance. The reddish glow through the stained glass windows seemed to diffuse the glow of their flashlights somewhat.
Cautiously, Tony and Nick started forward. When they were even with the back pew on the center aisle, the heavy oaken doors begin to close. Alerted by the small squeaks of the hinges, both boys turned and ran back, not wanting to get trapped.
But then a strange thing happened. Before they could reach the them, the doors stopped in their motion of closing and began re-opening again. The boys came to a halt.
“Must be....Some kind of motion sensor”, Tony said in the stillness.
“At least we can check out anytime we like”, Nick murmured.
The boys resumed their inspection of the Church, no longer fearful of being shut in. There was nothing in the back, save for some old plaques hanging on the rear walls with writing on them in a strange language. Tony played his light towards the peaked ceiling. Other than some rather ghastly painted images, there was nothing. Tony noted that there was no attic.
The boys started down the center aisle, shining their flashlights down the length of every pew on both sides, and underneath as well. There was nobody lurking there, not a single worshiper. Reaching the front pew, the two boys split and each went to the side aisles, shining their lights down them towards the rear of the Church. There was nothing there.
The only thing left to check out was the Alter. Tony and Nick approached it cautiously from each end, stepping up on to the raised platform. Instead of an enclosed Sermon Lectern, like many churches had, there was a ten-foot long Dias that spanned the center for a speaker to stand behind, a slightly raised part in the middle. The whole thing was draped in a whitish cloth. Upon closer inspection, Tony could see red fibers woven into it. Candelabras graced the length of the Dias.
The boys turned to inspect the Alter. It was mounted on what appeared to be a molded stone wall about three feet high. Between the two outer Pentagrams was a large open book. Tony could make out the title on the top of the pages as Gospeil Of Bleezebub but the rest of the test was just so much gibberish, written in a language he couldn’t identify. Above that, and directly below the center Pentagram was an area that appeared dark until Tony shined his flashlight on it. He almost dropped his flashlight when an image revealed itself, a large upside down Cross. Nick played his flashlight over the Cross. It’s glassy surface reflected back a dark blue color, seemingly pulsing and luminescent. Taking their lights off it, it reverted back to neutral, unseen.
“The reddish light overwhelms the blue, making it seem black”, Nick spoke wonderingly.
“What do you mean ?”, Tony asked, surprised again that Nick knew stuff like that.
“The red light shift has a way of canceling the blue, making it appear dark”, Nick said, shining his flashlight back on the Cross. “I’d bet that there is a light source behind this Cross so it can be lit up during their....Services.”
Under the flashlight’s glare, the Cross resumed it’s strange pulsing color. Tony couldn’t recall seeing a blue color quite like this. It was dark and mesmerizing all at once. “It’s almost....Hypnotic....”, Tony said slowly.
Nick pulled his light off the Cross and examined the other areas of the Alter. On either side of the Cross and directly above the outer Pentagrams were two tall flat stones resembling tablets, filled with indecipherable writings. Two smaller Gargoyle figures set above them. Going around to the side of the Alter, he could see it was set against the back wall of the Church. There was no way to go behind the Alter, as there was in most Churches.
“No way back there”, Nick said, coming back to where Tony was. “Seems like this all is a bust. We’re not gonna find anything here......Tony ?”
But Tony had shone his Flashlight on the Cross once more and was staring intently at it. The Cross was encased in an outer coating of dark Brass. It presented a smooth outline that bordered the strange glass-like material of the Cross. But there was one imperfection in the Brass material that surrounded the Cross....At the very bottom (which was really the top of the upside-down Cross) a piece of the brass casing protruded out about an inch.
Tony felt as if in a trance as the pulsing blue light reflected on his eyes, but in the back of his mind an image was flashing also....That of a fist-sized rock sticking out a little ways in the tunnel, the trigger that revealed the secret opening to Jimmy’s secret cave in the mountain. His hand rose, unbidden, and he touched the protruding part with his fingers.
“Tony ?”, Nick repeated again. “Hey, you shouldn’t be touching that....”
But Tony acted like he hadn’t heard. He did more than just touch, pressing hard on the protruding Brass metal with his fingers. When enough pressure was applied, the protrusion suddenly gave way and moved back even with the rest of the metal.
A sudden whirr was heard, and a rumbling began. A section of the stone wall base of the Alter began to move backwards. Tony’s trance was broken then and he jumped back, along with Nick. The stone wall of the Alter continued to move to reveal a hole underneath.
Both boys stood by the Bias as the moving stone wall ground to a stop. Going slowly forward again, the shined their flashlights in the hole. A set of circular stone steps wound downward.
The Church had a basement. Tony and Nick looked at each other, and nodded. It seemed their search was not yet over. They moved forward and carefully descended the stairway.
_____________________________________
-
Constantinos finally awoke. After a bit of laying there and staring at the ceiling, he sat up and swung his legs over, preparing to stand up. As he did, something fell on the floor. He reached down and picked it up, and the whole crazy night in the Girl’s Dorm attic came crashing down on him. In his hand was Tiffany’s panties.
Constantinos groaned. He was hoping it was just all a dream. He was feeling as ripped apart as if he were a Telephone Book in a Circus Strongman’s hands. After all this time....Hell, all his life....He was in love. And he felt just awful. This was far worse than being shot in the guts.
He supposed he had a girlfriend now. But that nagging voice in his head insisting that something just wasn’t right was louder now. Didn’t he hear her say she was a Klepto ? Did stealing books (or having others stealing books for her) turn her on ? And what was up with her stuffing her twat in his face ? Did she get off on that ? Is that what street girls like her did for kicks ?
So many unanswered questions. At the root of it all, Constantinos ruefully realized, was that he hardly knew her at all. Had she done the same thing to others ? She certainly seemed experienced at this. Constantinos had never in a million years thought that his first time with a girl would be anything like this. He had dreamed of finding a girl, taking her out on dates, being with her....Then maybe the sex would happen. But not like this.....This was depraved insanity. Sure, he hid out in the Girl’s Dorm sometimes. Sure, he smelled panties to get himself off. But last night was far removed from hiding in a wardrobe like a voyeur and spying on naked girls.
Constantinos arose from his bed. Taking another look at the panties in his hand, he couldn’t fight the compulsion to bring them to his face. The fact that their owner had had sex with him made it all the more terribly exciting. Constantinos took a deep whiff and became unsteady on his feet. He was hooked, pure and simple. His desires overruled that crying, logical voice that told him that Tiffany was a head case. He just had to have more. The fact that she had ordered him around like a puppet did not deter him. He would suffer any humiliation, fulfill any of her desires, steal every book in the Library, lick her feet if she asked him to. He would become her Bitch.
Forcing himself to pull her panties from his face, he stuffed them under the mattress. He recalled that Jimmy Hopkins had hung the panties of his conquests on the wall of his Dorm room. He wasn’t quite ready for that yet. In fact, he had the growing certainty that this was going to be a secret....At least for the time being. He had to know more about her, had to see her, had to talk to her. He set off resolutely from his Dorm room with that mission in mind, holding on to that, as his brain boiled with a combination of lust, desire, uncertainly, and despair.
He drifted over to the Girl’s Dorm. There were a few girls hanging about, some that he had already spied naked in his frequent forays inside, hidden away in wardrobes. But there were none here now that he felt comfortable talking with....Except maybe one. That new girl Nina, who was now seeing Laurent. He remembered her from a week ago, all scared and vulnerable the night Karen and Melody had gone missing. He approached her with a greeting.
“Umm....Hey there, Nina....Remember me ?”, he asked in a gentle voice.
Nina stared at him. Then she said, “Uh...Why, yes....You’re that boy that was with us at the Fireworks that night...Right ?”
“Right, Right”, Constantinos answered. He was surprised she remembered. Most people hardly even saw Constantinos. In fact, he rather counted on that. It made the gathering of information fairly easy, and a big part of why he was so good at it. “Umm....You seen one of the new girls out today ? Long dark hair, really skinny, about my height ?”
“Um...No”, Nina answered. “Isn’t she one of those nasty Reform School girls ?”
“Uh...Yeah, I think so”, Constantinos replied, somewhat unwillingly.
“Well, she probably went off with the lot of them to town in the School Bus with the Matrons”, Nina said, “After all the trouble yesterday.”
“Trouble ?” Constantinos asked. “What trouble ?”
“Well...I shouldn’t be saying”, Nina confided, “But those bigger fat girls...I think their names are Shideed, LaDonna, Trina, and Tess.....Were bullying one of the new girls....Jessica, I think....Really beating on her ! Then, they barricaded themselves in the Laundry room downstairs, and tore up a bunch of stuff ! I heard Trina did the most damage, broke the Washers and smoked the Dryers....When the Matrons and Prefects finally got them out, the room was in ruins !”
“So...When did this happen ?” Constantinos asked, keenly interested. This was the first he was hearing of this, and he hated being out of the Information Loop.
“Didn’t I say ?”, Nina answered. “It was yesterday, late afternoon, after school. It was all over by 7 PM, though. I heard they handcuffed them and took them to the School Basement for the night, but I don’t know if that’s true. Anyway, the whole Clique was loaded onto the School Bus this morning and taken to town. They’re not allowed off campus without an escort, but I haven’t heard where they went.”
Nina may not have known, but Constantinos had a good idea where they were taken. “Umm...Well, thanks Nina. I have to go now.”
“Ok, Bye !”, Nina said as Constantinos sprinted off. Funny little guy, she thought to herself.
_________________________________________
-
Tony and Nick reached the landing at the bottom of the circular stone steps and peered into the darkness with their flashlights. The air down here was even colder, more like the Arctic than the Meat Locker cold the upstairs had been. The boys actually shivered in their jackets as they filled their lungs with the chill air and exhaled.
Stabbing their flashlights ahead in the darkness revealed little. The beams from them traveled only a few feet before being swallowed up by the darkness. It was as if the blackness ate up the light and rendered it inert. There was a large knife switch set into the wall that looked like something out of a Capcom Video Game. Tony hesitated, the reached up and pulled it down, hoping it was for the lights. Instead, a rumbling was heard up at the top of the steps. The tiny amount of reddish light filtering down from the opening at the steps began to diminish. The Alter was closing !
“Push that back !”, Nick whispered hoarsely. “We’ll get trapped down here !”
Tony reversed the switch, and the rumbling stopped, then started up again. The tiny amount of reddish light increased, and soon after the rumbling stopped.
“Whoa”, Tony said, sweating. “So that’s how to get out. Let’s see what’s down here.”
The boys began moving forward, slowly moving the flashlights from side to side. Against the walls on either side were tables, piled with strange books and pamphlets. Tony stopped to examine one. “Look at this....", Tony said to Nick, “It shows some very strange creatures....”
“WHO DARES TO INVADE OUR SANCTUARY ??”, a voice coming out of the dark spoke chillingly.
If there had ever been any criteria in the boy’s minds as to what a heart attack felt like, this was it. Both their hearts took jolts of pure fear as they gasped and staggered. in a few seconds they recovered and shone their flashlights in the direction of the voice. A glint of darkish blue reflected back to them.
“UNLOOSEN YOUR TONGUES, UNCLEAN ONES !! YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HERE !! LEAVE AT ONCE !!!”, the strange voice spat.
“Umm....”, Tony began, trying to regain his composure, “We....We’re looking for our Girlfriends ! They...They disappeared a week ago ! We’re.....From the School ! We mean...No Harm !”
A dark figure, barely visible, emerged into the faint beams of the flashlights. “THEY ARE NOT HERE. YOU MUST GO.”
“Do you mind if we check around for ourselves ?”, Nick said, somewhat belligerently, a bit pissed at being startled.
The figure advanced to the outer perimeter of their flashlight beams and halted. “THAT IS NOT NECESSARY. WE HAVE NO CHILDREN HERE.”
The boys stared at the figure, fascinated. It was robed all in black, with a hood that covered the whole of It’s head. There was just a slit where It’s face would be, and only the best of glimpses would have revealed the hawkish nose and red eyes set into the white death-mask of a face. But the feature that could be seen the clearest by the boys was the large upside-down Cross the figure wore around it’s neck. The Cross was a smaller virtual copy of the one up in the Alter. It’s dark blue light shimmered in the flashlight beams.
“We’d like to find that out on our own”, Nick continued, drawing his Spud Gun. Nick’s fear of the unknown had vanished upon seeing the Hooded Figure. This was not a ghost, it was a thing which could be fought and beaten.
“YOUR PUNY WEAPONS HAVE NO POWER HERE”, the Hooded Figure intoned. “THEY ARE USELESS.”
Nick raised the Spud Gun and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. He tried again with the same result. Tony put a hand on Nick’s gun and pressed downward. “Don’t. I think he...It...Is telling the truth.”
Nick put the Spud Gun away. “Don’t matter. We can take him. It’s only one old deranged fuck, we can take him down....He’s gonna tell us where the girls are !”
The Hooded Figure didn’t say anything to that, but just raised It’s arms, palms outstretched. Both boys watched with rapt attention as the robe slipped down it’s forearms. They were fish-white, as were the hands, with very long, bony fingers. The dark blue light of the Cross shimmered faster, and a reddish light flooded the basement, revealing a score more of similar black-robed beings grouped behind the Hooded Figure.
Tony and Nick’s jaws went slack with amazement. “THERE ARE MANY OF US, YOUNG ONE. YOUR THOUGHTS ARE FUTILE.”
Tony tried a different tactic. “Won’t you please help us, Sir ? Our Girlfriends, they were....Taken....Kidnapped....Over by the Burger Joint in the Vale. We don’t know who has them, or why, or even if they’re alright or not.....We’re just looking for clues, that’s all....One of our schoolmates....Damon....Disappeared out in your Graveyard one night, and we thought, that maybe....Well, that maybe that happened to our Girlfriends, too......"
Tony trailed off. The hooded figure seemed to be staring at him, analyzing him....As much as Tony could tell, given that it was nearly impossible to see the details of his face. At length the Hooded Figure spoke. “YOU ARE QUITE THE CLEVER ONE, ARE YOU NOT. NO ONE, NOT EVEN THE FEDERALS, HAVE EVER BREACHED THIS FAR INTO OUR SANCTUARY. YES, YOUR FRIEND WAS IN OUR CARE FOR A BRIEF TIME, AND WE SENT HIM AWAY TO A DIFFERENT PLACE. IT IS NOT OUR MISSION HERE TO LOOK AFTER SUCH CHILDREN.”
“There....Was another also....A few weeks ago....That was inside this Church too”, Tony moved on, feeling a little less threatened. “A boy....About my age....Named Kurt....He was found here.....”
The Hooded Figure seemed to be debating before answering. “YES...SAD CASE THAT WAS. THE BOY WAS DAMAGED. WE COULD NOT RESTORE HIM. BEFORE WE COULD SEND HIM OFF, OUR SPACE WAS INVADED !” The Hooded Figure said the last part with a trace of anger.
Tony seized on something the Hooded Figure had said. “You mentioned....Your Mission....What is that ?”
“OUR MISSION IS TO PROTECT THE VALLEY”, the Hooded Figure said at once. “FOR THREE CENTURIES NOW WE HAVE STOOD GUARD. THIS WAS AN ENCLAVE UNSPOILED BY MAN. WE SOUGHT TO KEEP IT SO.”
Tony was highly skeptical that apparent Satan-Worshipers were charged with protecting anything, and he continued on, “But....Some Punks tried to destroy the Valley”, Tony said. “They bombed buildings and almost blew up the Dam ! Where was your so-called protection then ?”
“OUR POWERS ARE LIMITED”, the Hooded Figure admitted. “WHEN THAT MAN SMITH CAME TO THE VALLEY AND BEGAN BUILDING, MORE PEOPLE CAME, UNCLEAN IN THE WAYS OF THE ULTIMATE. WE HAD TO WORK WITH OTHERS TO LIMIT THE CONTAMINATION OF THE VALLEY.”
“Did those others include Harrington and Spencer and that lot ?”, Tony asked before he even realized what he was saying.
“IT DID”, the Hooded Figure answered. “THEY ARE ALSO UNCLEAN AND CORRUPT. BUT THEIR GOAL WAS SIMILAR TO OURS, TO LIMIT ACCESS TO ANY MORE OUTSIDERS.”
“But....What about the School ?”, Tony asked. “If you wanted to keep people away, why allow a School to be built ?"
“BULLWORTH ACADEMY, AS IT IS KNOWN, WAS BUILT FOR THE CHILDREN OF OUR PEOPLE MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO. MANY OF US HERE ARE GRADUATES OF THE ACADEMY. I, MYSELF, AM FROM THE CLASS OF ‘06.”
“Class of ‘06 ?“, Tony whispered, realizing what that meant. “1906 ? That isn’t possible !”
“ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE UNDER THE CARE OF THE ULTIMATE”, the Hooded Figure intoned.
“If that’s so”, Tony said, “Then why not protect your Alma Mater ? It was bombed last year, y’know, kids coulda gotten killed !”
“THAT WAS REGRETTABLE”, the Hooded Figure allowed. “UNTIL SEVEN SEASONS AGO, WE HAD A MAN IN PLACE OVER THERE TO LOOK AFTER THINGS, BUT HE WAS TAKEN BY OTHERS.”
Taken by Others ? Tony thought. Did he mean the Old Hobo Grant that Tony had heard stories about ? Tony counted back 7 seasons. That would have been...The Fall of 2006. Tony shook his head. This was almost too much to absorb. “So what about now ?”, Tony asked. “The corrupt have been run out of the School, out of the Valley....The ‘Unclean’, as you put it, aren’t in charge anymore.”
“THERE WILL BE OTHERS TO TAKE THEIR PLACE”, the Hooded Figure said. “THERE ALWAYS IS. THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS SHIFTED, FOR THE PRESENT. BUT IT WILL REALIGN ITSELF. THE WISDOM OF THE ULTIMATE TELLS US THAT IS SO.”
There was silence for a moment. Then Nick, who had been quiet for awhile, said “We don’t care about any of that, We just come seeking our Girlfriends, and that’s all.”
“ON THE CONTRARY, WE BELIEVE YOU CARE VERY MUCH." the Hooded Figure went on. “YOU YOUNG ONES ARE KNOWN TO US. THE HEROS OF BULLWORTH. YOU ARE BOTH VERY CLEVER TO HAVE BROUGHT DOWN THE CORRUPT ONES.”
“Yeah, well, we had lotsa help”, Tony said. “Some had to pay a big price.”
“WE KNOW OF THOSE AS WELL”, the Hooded Figure intoned. “AS FOR THE ONES YOU SEEK, THEY ARE NOT HERE, NOR HAVE THEY BEEN. YOU MUST LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR THEM, IN A PLACE FAR FROM HERE.”
The Hooded Figure then slowly approached Tony and Nick. They could almost feel the numbing coldness washing from the Figure as he drew closer. From inside the robe, it’s hand withdrew something and held it out. “HERE, TAKE THIS. IT WAS THROWN THROUGH ONE OF OUR WINDOWS EARLIER. IT MIGHT PROVIDE A CLUE.”
Tony stretched out his hand, and the figure dropped an object into it. Tony’s finger brushed the Figure’s hand in the process and went instantly numb. The Figure drew back as Tony looked at the object. It was a Cell Phone.
“Thank You”, Tony said, fingering the Cell Phone. “Just....Who are you people anyway ?”
“WE ARE THE MONKS OF THE ORDER QUANTUM ELECTI”, the Hooded Figure answered. “BUT YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER THAT, OR ANY OF THIS.”
“What makes you say that ?”, Tony asked, fearing that these Monks intended them some harm after all.
“WE HAVE THE POWER TO CLOUD MEN’S MINDS”, the Hooded Figure said in reply, “NOW YOU MUST GO.” At that, the Monks behind him started to chant.
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi....
The upside-down Cross on the Hooded Figure’s chest suddenly began to pulsate, literally shooting out the dark blue light in the direction of Tony and Nick. Their instinct was to turn and flee, but they were frozen there, their eyes drawn to the light like a magnet is to steel. The blue light elicited a hypnotic power over the two boys. The intensity of the light built into a blinding flash as the chanting reached a crescendo.
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi !!!
__________________________________
------{{ END OF CHAPTER SEVEN }}----------
-
THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY
{{ CHAPTER 8 }}
The Daring Rescue
Constantinos biked over to the Bullworth Police Station. Sure enough, the School Bus was parked out front. He stood before the Police Station, debating with himself. Should he go in ? The last time he was in there, he and Tony were breaking out Jimmy Hopkins from jail, a transgression for which they had never been caught. Constantinos was pretty sure that they hadn’t been seen by Officer Williams or Officer Morrison during that time, but still felt like a criminal every time he saw the Officers out and about. He glanced up at the roof and recalled the long cold night he had spent hiding out there. Had that only been last Christmas ? Seemed longer than that to him. A few more minutes of indecision, and at the thought of Tiffany, he sucked it up and walked in.
To his great relief, he saw neither Officer Williams or Officer Morrison inside. In fact, Chief O’Rourke was the only occupant behind the counter. Constantinos approached slowly. The Chief looked up at last and saw him. “Be somethin’ I can help you with, M’boy ?”
Constantinos swallowed hard before speaking. “Ummm.....Yeah.....Was there some....Girls brought in ? I saw the Bus outside, and...Uhh....Wondered if they were...Uh, here.”
“Oh, and Gorry, they was here, you just missed them”, the Chief said, “Is you to be a witness ? They was just taken over to the Courthouse, they was, for a hearing, we got us a new Judge, just come in this week past....It’s to be his first case, it is !”
“Oh...Well, I should go over there, then”, Constantinos said, eager to be out of there.
“Aye, and right you should”, Chief O’Rourke said. “The Hearing be starting any minute now !”
Constantinos thanked the Chief and hurriedly left the station, sighing with relief once outside. Looking up the street, he could see the Courthouse, a large building even more imposing than the Police Station.
“Do I have to ?”, he asked himself out loud. He supposed he did. Reluctantly, he walked towards the Courthouse.
___________________________________
-
Tony and Nick were sitting on one of the front pews in the Church. They were just suddenly there, it seemed to them. They looked at one another.
“What the Hell....?”, Tony said in confusion.
“Weren’t we just...Up there ?”, Nick said, pointing at the Alter.
“Uh...Yeah....Looking at that Cross-thing”, Tony said. “What happened ?”
“You was touching it”, Nick said, “I remember that....That blue light....”
“Maybe....It was Hypnotic....”, Tony said, a bit dazed. Right then, he became aware of something in his hand. He lifted his arm to see what it was. Clenched in his fingers was a Cell Phone. He looked at wordlessly.
“Where’d that come from ?”, asked Nick, pointing at the Cell Phone.
“I...I don’t know....”, Tony said. “I musta picked it up somewhere....”
Nick looked towards the Alter. “Had to be up there, then. Let’s go look again. Just don’t look at that Cross-thing.”
“Hey, where’s our flashlights ?”, Tony asked. They weren’t holding them. Both boys began looking around and feeling on the pew. When they didn’t find them there, the began patting on their clothing, finding them in their jacket pockets. They were switched off.
“I don’t remember putting this here”, Nick said with a quizzical look.
“Neither do I”, Tony said. “Something weird is going on here.”
“Com’on”, Nick said, standing up. “Let’s go look again.”
Tony got up, slipping the Cell Phone into his pocket. It was then he discovered his finger was numb. “What the Fuck....?”
But Nick was already back at the Alter, looking around for anything he had missed. When Tony joined him, he was shining his light around the sides of the Alter. The two inspected the Alter and then checked the Dias, lifting the cloth covering it and peering underneath. They found nothing.
Tony was about to say that they should check the back of the church again, when suddenly a bell sounded. It was followed by jangly crashing music at a loud volume.
“Where’s That Coming From ?”, Nick yelled, looking frantically about.
“Don’t Know !”, Tony yelled back. “Let’s Get Outta Here !!”
Both boys cut and ran down the aisle towards the back of the Church. As they neared the doors, the doors eased open as they had before. Tony and Nick spilled out of the Church, and as they did so, the doors banged shut behind them. Right then, a voice inside began speaking over the music.
Evig Mørkre - Dåp (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhvzgS999O8#ws)
At alle er fødd syndig og treng,
frelse tyder på sviktande mental helse.
Kva gale kan eit spedbarn ha gjort,
som gjer at det treng frelse so fort ?
Høyr på bornet som skrik!
Det blir tvinga til noko det ikkje lik.
Ein tradisjon som ikkje er snill.
Kven har spurt bornet om det vil ?
Det blir gjort for å gje bornet håp.
Kva hjelper det med ein tvungen dåp ?
Indoktrineringa startar allereie då;
"frelst" før han i det heile kan gå !
Som utgangspunkt ei flott rituale,
men det blir fylt opp alt som er gale.
Bornet veit ikkje kva som skjer;
dei held han på hovudet og ber.
Etterpå inviterast det til fest,
for alle, inkludert prest.
Dei skrålar og syng Herrens pris,
og seier at Gud; han er vis.
Eit betydeleg valg har no blitt gjort,
men bornets ønske det kom til kort,
Vil han bli kua av religionens makt ?
Eller vil han klare å finne si eiga takt ?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Laurent was staring intently through the gates, and as Tony and Nick burst from the Church, broke into a look of relief. But the jangly, off-kilter music and then the strange dialogue that started up as soon as the two boys cleared the Church doors suddenly made him want to vomit. It sounded so vile, so repulsive, and so demented as to make one want to stab ice picks in their ears to blot out that horrible sound.
Tony and Nick lost no time racing around to the back of the Church and climbing over the wall to the Graveyard, then running to the Graveyard gates. Once out the headed for Laurent and their bikes. Just as the reached the locked front gate where Laurent stood, his hands pressed close against his ears, the jangly music and that awful voice came to an abrupt end.
The three boys paused. “Merde ! Is it over ?”, Laurent grimaced.
“Think so”, puffed Tony. “What the HELL was that ?”
“Wasn’t anybody in there”, Nick grunted. “How in Hell....”
“Maybe that is it”, Laurent said, “That it is a Church of Hell ! What happened in that palace, anyhow ?”
“Tell you later”, Tony said. “Right now, let’s get the fuck away from here. Round up Ray and go to the Burger Joint or something. He’d like that.”
The boys mounted their bikes and rode to where Ray was waiting. Nick had a final comment on the matter. “Whatever Demons they are, they sure have a Hell of a Sound System !”
_________________________________________
-
“Hear Ye, Hear Ye, all persons having business before the Honorable Judge Leonard Kasper of the Bullworth City Court, County of Washington, State of Rhode Island, draw near. Give your attendance and you shall be heard.”
Constantinos had arrived just in time. The Court Hearing was just getting underway. He snaked in and took a seat as unobtrusively as he could near the back, as the rest of the spectator seats were nearly empty and he really didn’t want to get noticed. In front of him, taking up two tables, were all eight Reform Girls. Constantinos couldn’t tell, but it seemed that they were all shackled together.
Constantinos was confused. Why were they all up there when Nina had told him only four of them were involved in the beating of that one new girl and the subsequent Laundry Room damage ? Shouldn’t the other four be back in the spectator seats ?
Constantinos also saw Mrs. Carvin and Mrs. Peabody sitting at what he took to be the Prosecution Table, along with a man he had never seen. Over with the Reform Girls there was another woman, who he would later learn was a Public Defender. Two Cops stood guard close by...Officer Monson and Officer Ivanovich, he saw, relieved.
The Judge settled in his chair and picked up some papers. “Since this is my first case, this will be Cause 0001....State of Rhode Island vs Shideed Brown, LaDonna Tremé, Katrina Trask, Whitney Worth, Tess Gerritson, Carla Harris, Tiffany Cartier, and Hayley Harper, on the charges of Assault and Battery with bodily harm on one Jessica Jamison and destruction of the Property of a State Institution, to wit, one Bullworth Academy.”
“Your Honor”, the man at the Prosecution Table began, “These defendants were witnessed attacking another female, one Jessica Jamison, on School Grounds, and subsequently barricaded themselves in the Laundry Room of the Girl’s Dormitory from approximately 4 PM to 7 PM yesterday, refusing to surrender themselves to authority, and while there caused extensive damage to the contents of said room in the excess of $2,000. They were finally subdued and taken into custody on School Grounds, based on the sworn testimony of these two witnesses, Mrs. Peabody and Mrs. Carvin, Matrons of the Girl’s Dormitory. I recommend they be held as they are a flight risk, since they are on Restricted Temporary Probation from the State Girl’s School in Newport, and bound over for trial at the Court’s earliest opportunity.”
“Thank you, Mr....Denton, is it ?”, the Judge said. “Um, Miss...Hall ?...I believe ?....Anything from the Defense ? Witnesses ?”
“Uh, No, Your Honor, not at this time....”
“SHE-IT !! We Didn’t Do Nuttin’ !!”, Shideed suddenly hollered.
“Yeah, Judge Man, We Bein’ Rail-Roaded !!”, chimed in LaDonna
“Da Man Be Tryin’To Bring Us Down !!”, screamed Trina.
“Oooh, Big Bad Man !!!”, Tess joined in.
“QUIET !!! There Will Be ORDER !!!”, Judge Kasper banged his gavel.
Constantinos was torn. Held over for trial ? On the one hand, if that were to happen, Constantinos would be released from Tiffany’s encircling clutches and could return to his normally boring life, as it were. On the other hand, locking up Tiffany meant he wouldn’t get to be talking to her anytime soon, wouldn’t ever be taking her out on a normal date, and there damn sure wouldn’t be any more sex, degrading or not. Constantinos battled with himself while the Judge was threatening to gag the Defendants if they didn’t SHUT UP, for crikes sake, and his darker side won out.
“STOP !!!”, he cried, jumping to his feet. “IT’S A LIE !!!!”
The entire Court went silent at Constantinos’ outburst. Finally, the Judge broke the silence and said, “If you have some testimony to offer to this Hearing, come forward young man !”
Constantinos stood stock still for a moment. He already regretted his rash action. This wasn’t usually in his nature, generally he was the invisible boy in the back, preaching gloom and doom statements to which nobody paid any attention to. But now, he had really done it. Everyone was starring at him. He slowly put one foot in front of the other and began walking to the front of the Courtroom. Mrs. Peabody and Mrs. Carvin were starring daggers at him.
“Be sworn and take the stand, young man. What is your name ?”, Judge Kasper asked.
“Constantinos Brakus”, he said dully. He was sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, then was duly seated.
“Now, what do you know of this, Mr. Brakus ?”, the Judge asked.
“Well...Um...”, Constantinos began nervously, “That there man is saying that all these girls did those things, and that’s just not true. I know that at least three of them was still in the Dorm long after he said they had been caught and held !”
“And Just how would you know that ?”, Mr. Denton, the Prosecution man asked.
“Umm....Because I was up in Tiffany and Hayley’s room just before Midnight, and they was there”, Constantinos gulped. “And....I also saw that girl there....Um, that one, right there....Uh, Carla.”
There was a hubbub at the Defense table, as the girls started talking all at once. The Judge banged his gavel again. “Miss Hall, control your clients !”
“Your Honor, this boy’s testimony is unsubstantiated and thereby inadmissible”, Mr. Denton, the Prosecution man said. “There are no collaborating witnesses. I move that this testimony be stricken and expunged, and the defendants be bound over for trial !”
The Judge sighed. “I’m afraid you’re right, Mr. Denton. It seems I have no other choice. Young Man, you’re excused, and your testimony ,,,,,,”
Just then, the Courtroom doors opened and a woman hurried in. “Oh, please excuse me, I know I’m late...It couldn’t be helped...”, she cried. “I’m here to testify !”
Interrupted, the Judge sighed again. This was certainly becoming an interesting first case. “Come forward and be sworn, Miss.....”
“Phillips”, she said, “Ms. Dedrie Phillips”, she said, coming up to the witness stand. She was duly sworn in and seated.
“Now, Ms. Phillips, tell the Court what you know of this”, The Judge said.
“Well”, she related somewhat breathlessly, “Those four girls over there....Shideed, LaDonna, Tess, and Katrina....Were beating that poor girl Jessica, and I caught them at it. But when I summoned the Prefects, they ran into the Laundry Room and shut themselves in there, blocked the door somehow. We heard smashing going on, I just knew they were breaking something ! It took a long time to get them out, they blocked the door with a broken Washer !”
“And just what happened then ?”, Judge Kasper continued.
“Oh, the Prefects took and locked them in the School Basement, where our Janitor could keep watch on them all night”, Ms. Phillips said. “That was about 7 PM or so.”
“Could you tell the Court if any of the other Defendants were involved ?”, the Judge asked.
“Oh, No, not that I saw”, Ms. Phillips said. “Just those four.”
“Thank you, Ms. Phillips”,the Judge said, “You may step down.” To the others, he said, “I belive I’m ready to make my ruling.”
Constantinos had moved past Mrs. Carvin and Mrs. Peabody as he went back to the seating area. “You little Twerp !”, Mrs. Peabody hissed. “You’ll get a month’s detention for this !”
“The Court finds that Shideed Brown, LaDonna Tremé, Katrina Trask, and Tess Gerritson shall be bound over for Trial. Also, this Court orders the revocation of their Restricted Temporary Probation. Bail is denied. Charges are to be dropped against the remaining Defendants.” He banged his gavel, happy to have this hearing over with. “So Ordered !”
A wail arose from the fat girls as they realized what the ruling meant. The Officers quickly hustled them off in chains. Constantinos left the Courtroom and headed out of the Courthouse. As he was leaving, Tiffany had caught his eye. She gave him a grin, making a circle with her thumb and finger of one hand while using fingers of the other to go in and out of the circle.
Constantinos hurried to get his bike before the others came out. He didn’t feel like hanging around. He hopped on it and began to ride across the Town Square. When he got to where the old Statue used to be (blown up by the Punks), he heard someone calling his name.
“Constantinos !” It was Ms. Phillips. “Wait Up !”
Constantinos brought his bike to a stop and waited. Ms. Phillips came up to him. “I heard what you did”, She said. “That was a brave thing to do.”
“Yeah, well, Mrs. Peabody and Mrs. Carvin are really mad at me now”, Constantinos said morosely.
“Oh, Poo”, Ms. Phillips said, “Don’t listen to those old biddies. They just wanted to get rid of all those Reform School Girls. That’s why they lied.”
“But, I’m gonna get a month’s detention”, Constantinos groaned.
“Oh, no you won’t. I’ll fix it with Mr. Galloway. But you’ll probably have to do some detention for being in the Girl’s Dorm.” Ms. Phillips looked him in the eyes. “It’s not the first time, you know. You need serious help”, she said, not unkindly.
More than you know, thought Constantinos. Aloud, he said, “Well, Um...Thanks, Ms. Phillips. I’ll try to do better.”
“I’ll see you at school Monday”, Ms. Phillips said. “But I’ve really got to go now....I’m tending to somebody who’s been....Sick.”
Constantinos rode slowly back to School. I may have done the right thing, he thought, But it might turn out to be the wrong thing for me.
_______________________________
-
“There was nothing in that Church except for this”, Tony said, showing the others the Cell Phone. “I think this belongs to Karen or Melody. Looks like the battery’s dead, so I can’t turn it on...But it’s the same kinda phone as what we got that day.” He stuck it back in his pocket.
The four were gathered around the table in a booth at the Burger Joint. Tony had gotten some fries, but they were going cold fast as he just picked at them. Nick had declined to get anything, and Laurent was munching only on a hot roll. Ray, however, was happily scarfing down the first of many Burgers to follow, happy as hell to have avoided anything with that Church.
“Just where did you find that ?”, Laurent asked, “Was it hidden ?”
“Well....That’s just it”, Tony related, “We....Don’t know.”
Laurent was dumbstruck. “How can you not know ? You both were in for almost an hour ! You would remember the place where you found that, would you not ?”
It was Tony’s turn to be surprised, along with Nick. “We weren’t in there that long....Were we ?”
“It didn’t seem like that to me”, Nick said positively. “More like a half-hour, maybe.”
Tony thought about what Laurent said about the time. He had asked Laurent to keep track of the time, and was fairly certain he was accurate. If that was so, other questions followed. Where DID he find that Cell Phone ? And why were they suddenly on that pew when they had just been up on the Alter ? It was like one moment they were at the Alter, and then the very next second, they were on the pew. He remembered starring at that blue upside-down Cross....And then he was on the pew. Could he have been hypnotized ? That seemed like a reasonable possibility. But what about Nick then ? He wasn’t starring at the blue upside-down Cross, but his experience was the same as Tony’s....He was missing time as well.
“What are you thinking ?” asked Nick, peering keenly at Tony.
“I think...”, Tony said slowly, “That we WERE in there for almost an hour. We were hypnotized....Somehow.”
“Well, I wasn’t looking at that Cross, you were”, Nick said. “And there wasn’t anybody there.”
“Wasn’t there ?”, Tony said. “If you had been hypnotized, how would you know ?”
“Dammit, the place was empty !”, Nick argued. “We looked everywhere !”
“Maybe we did look everywhere....”, Tony said. “Maybe that’s why.....Look, what’s the last thing you remember ? Before we were on the pew ?”
Nick leaned back and half closed his eyes. “I had been looking around the edges of that Alter thing. It was set up against the back wall, so there couldn’t be anything behind it. I came back around the front to tell you that, and you were.....Starring at that blue Cross thing. Then you....” Nick squeezed his eyes shut, recalling. “....You were....Touching it....I said something to you, but you kept on.....Touching it........NO !”, Nick cried suddenly, “You were PUSHING on it ! Pushing on the....Metal Frame !”
“And then what ?”, questioned Laurent. “What happened next ?”
“Then....We were on the pew”, Nick answered, seeming more confused than ever.
“And our flashlights....They were in our pockets, remember ?”, Tony said suddenly. “We had them in our hands, then they were in our pockets !”
“And the Cell Phone ?”, Laurent persisted. “When did you have that ?”
“It was....In my hand, on the pew”, Tony said. “But....I didn’t have it before.”
“Man, that’s weird !”, Ray broke in between bites of his Burger.
Tony withdrew the Cell Phone from his pocket again. His finger was still numb, and how did that happen ? He starred at the Phone resting in his hand, and unbidden, a cloudy image arose in his mind. The Cell Phone dropping into his hand. His finger brushing against....What ?
“I didn’t find this”, Tony realized, “Something...Or Someone....Gave it to me.”
“But who could’ve done that ?”, Nick asked. “There wasn’t anybody....Unless....”
“Unless it was the ones we went there to see”, Tony said. “The Monks.”
“And....We just don’t remember, because we were.....Cast under some kinda Spell ?”, Nick said.
“Exactly that”, Tony surmised. “Something....Or Somebody....Erased our memories.”
Nobody said anything for a bit as they all considered that. Then Laurent said, “So what is to be the next move ?”
Tony gripped the Cell Phone. “Back to the Dorm, so I can charge this. Then, we should go talk to the only other person still around I think was ever in that Church.....Damon.”
“He does not recall much”, Laurent said, “And has been very.....Reluctant to speak of it. But he has....Nightmares about it still.”
“Maybe I can get something out of him”, Nick said, “He likes me, since I helped rescue him from the crazy place.”
“After that, we need to find out more about those Monks”, Tony went on, “And for that, I think we need to talk to a Nerd.”
“I’m not gonna near that crazy bitch again”, warned Nick. “Not for anything !”
Ray and Laurent didn’t understand that reference, but Tony laughed. “No, not her....There’s another who just might know, and he owes us. We’ll have to wait ‘till the Carnival closes tonight, though....Then we’ll see him.”
__________________________________
-
“Why do you have to be that way, Lola ?”, Johnny almost whined. “Youse know it’s not safe out there !”
“Oh, Silly !”, Lola exclaimed, “It perfectly safe ! I’ve been riding around for years, and I’m still in one piece !”
“I don’t like it, and I don’t think you oughter be doin’ it !”, Johnny retorted. “Those two girlies got taken ! Are you Tryin’ to get snatched ?”
“Nothing’s gonna happen”, Lola said airily. “I can watch out for myself, y’know.”
Lola was astride her bike, which she had finally managed to recover after he return. It had been over at the Tennament house when she had left town, got stolen, then got stolen again. After some time, it had been taken and traded in at Greaser Steve’s former mini-bike shop, and there it sat until lately, when Steve had liquidated his bikes & parts to the Shiny Bike Shops in order to take over at the Blue Balls Bar. But he had kept Lola’s old bike, because it was a girl’s bike, along with a couple others he stashed in his apartment. Steve overheard Lola wish she could go riding again, like she had in the old days in New Coventry, and brought it to her last evening, much to Johnny’s displeasure.
Lola loved to go riding. It matched her free spirit and longings for excitement. She didn’t realize just how much she missed riding until lately, after she and Johnny had returned to Bullworth. In Detroit, there had been no bikes for her....Any bike left laying around there was stolen immediately and sold for scrap. In fact, most cars were stolen only to be cut up and sold for scrap, along with just about anything metal. In comparison to that place, New Coventry seemed like a haven from heaven. But Johnny didn’t particularly want her to go riding these days, for more reasons than one.
“Oh, sure, just like you looked out for yourself when you let that fat fuckin’ Nerd trick the lot of you and gassed you and shot you inna guts !”, Johnny exclaimed. “If’n I ever get my hands on that pisser Algie, I’m a-gonna break his face !”
“Oh, stop whining, it’s annoying !”, Lola said dismissively. “It’s no big deal now.”
“That’s makin’ me really angry !” Johnny said. “That fat snot needs to be hurt, after what he done to allus my boys and you !”
“But really, it turned out all right”, Lola said, trying to sooth him, “It made me want to go and be with you !”
“Still, it weren’t right”, Johnny said ominously. “And youse shouldn’t be riding now ! A Stalker will probably see you !”
Lola rolled her eyes. “Oh, a Stalker ! How Exciting !”
“Or maybe”, Johnny said darkly, “You’s just wantin’ to meet another kid like that Kurt fucker I keep hearin’about, by gettin’ hit by a car !”
“Johnny, you been acting all jealous lately”, Lola said, trying to deflect the conversation away from an another argument about Kurt. “I don’t like it !”
“Yeah, you’s keep sayin’ that, over and over !”, Johnny smoldered.
“Maybe I do, but this time I really mean it ! You got to stop with it !”, Lola returned. “You know, I’m with you....But I can get any boy I want.”
With that, Lola pushed off and started riding down the street, leaving Johnny seething in front of the Blue Balls bar. “You're really pissing me off, Lola !", he yelled after her.
He watched her ride away and shook his head angrily. “I knew it ! I just knew it !", Johnny muttered. “Come back here and dis shit starts all over again !”
Lola was steaming as she rode away. Maybe she SHOULD go find another boy like Kurt, that’d show him. She sighed heavily as she rode deeper into New Coventry. She couldn’t help it if boys found her attractive. She was hot and she knew it.....And so did they.
Sometimes, she thought, they were all just freaks in one big Freakshow.
__________________________________
-
Ms. Phillips returned to the Apartment she shared with Mr. Galloway. They had moved in together just about a year ago, after repeated attempts to wean him away from his drinking finally succeeded....Or had, until last evening’s incident. She was hoping he would at least be recovered enough to tell her what sparked off his drinking binge this time.
Mr. Galloway was still spread out on the couch. His face was a pasty white still, but some color was returning to it at least. Thank Heaven he wasn’t vomiting anymore, that had been quite a mess to clean up this morning. By afternoon, she had been able to get his to swallow some liquids, juice and such. Ms. Phillips had almost forgotten to go to Court to testify. It hadn’t been a common practice under the old Judge. She supposed it was a good thing she did, or some of those misguided girls would have been railroaded back off to the Reform School.
It was clear enough that both Mrs. Carvin and Mrs. Peabody had lied in order to get rid of the entire group. Not that she could blame them, those Reform girls were quite a handful. Ms. Phillips disapproved of the use of the Cattle Prod by Mrs. Peabody. That was taking things a bit too far, these students were still only girls after all....Despite the fact that the bigger ones could probably beat up any of the Bullies, or at least hold their own with them.
Ms. Phillips busied herself in the kitchen after that, getting a meal started that she hoped Mr. Galloway could eat when he fully woke up. She knew from past experience that he usually needed several days to recover fully from one of these binges. She resolved to go to the school tomorrow and straighten up his office. Besides the near-empty bottle that was left on his desk, the rug had been bunched up behind his desk, and the trash can had been kicked over, papers strewn on the floor. She hadn’t had time to deal with it last evening, she had to focus on getting Mr. Galloway away from the School unseen. Which hadn’t been easy, considering he could barely walk to her car in the parking lot. Tomorrow would be the perfect day to not only straighten up, but to look for any other hidden Liquor bottles, as it would be Sunday and no students would be there.
As she was finishing the dishes, she heard Mr. Galloway groan from the other room. She went out to check, and saw him coming awake. She went and helped him sit up.
“Ohhhhh.....My Head !” he exclaimed softly. “Ohhh, my....I fell off the wagon again, didn’t I ?”
“Yes, dear, you did”, Ms. Phillips replied kindly. “Can you tell me what happened ?”
“I think....Everything just got to me”, Mr. Galloway related. “The pressure of running the school...and those poor girls gone missing....Some reporter got through on the phone, pretending to be from one of the supply companies.....Asked me how it felt to have those girls abducted from right under my nose....Like I was to blame....” Tears welled up in his eyes. “Maybe I am to blame....Maybe I’m not cut out to handle this job....Everything’s so hard.....”
“Shhhh....”, Ms Phillips said, cradling him in her arms, “You’ve been doing just fine. Don’t let those people get to you, they just want a juicy story. The truth is that Karen and Melody disappeared far from Campus. There was nothing anyone could have done. “You couldn’t have known....None of us could.”
“I’m...So glad you came in there and....Made love to me....Before you got me out of there”, Mr. Galloway went on, “I was thinking of....Breaking that bottle and cutting my wrists.....But you made it all better....”
“What ?”, Ms. Phillips asked, dumbstruck. “I didn’t.....”
“Ohhh, you were sooo passionate”, Mr. Galloway went on, not hearing her. “So loving...You make it all possible....I’m going to try harder....No more booze....Back on the wagon....For...Me...For....Good....”
Mr. Galloway was nodding off, she saw. Gently, she laid him back down, and then stood up, thinking.
Made Love ? Ms. Phillips didn’t know what that was all about.....But she resolved to find out.
________________________________________
-
After Tony had charged the Cell Phone, he turned it on. It had belonged to Melody, as they saw, for Nick, Tony, and Karen’s numbers were listed in the ‘Contacts’ section. They had all programmed each other’s numbers in at the store when they bought them. Checking the ‘Missed Calls’, they found numerous calls from both Tony and Nick’s Cell Phones, and likewise the Voice Mails they had left in vain. There was nothing else. Tony switched the phone off and stashed it in his dresser under some clothes for now.
With Laurent’s help, Tony and Nick decided to go to the Football Field that evening to talk to Damon. As usual, the Jocks were out in force, hanging about the bleachers, some on the field tossing a Football around, but mostly lounging around, gathering in groups and talking, waiting for the later-night hours when they could break out their stashes of booze, winding down from their Saturday workouts.
Tony was still fascinated with what had happened to Damon. He had learned that Sheldon had set the strange machine in motion that produced the hologram of the 'Bony Man’. What he didn’t know is just how Damon had disappeared in front of witnesses or how he wound up at the Asylum. He recalled that Jimmy seemed to be of the opinion that those Monks had somehow sent Damon to the Asylum.
Jimmy also had let on that Damon hadn’t remembered much at all about his capture or just how he had wound up in the Asylum. But, Tony hoped that since some time had gone by, Damon just might have recalled some details of just what had really happened to him that night. The three boys approached him up on the West bleachers, where he was sitting alone.
“Bonjour, Damon !”, Laurent greeted. “I have brought some camarade...Er, friends to see you !”
“Yo, what’s crackin’?”, Damon said as he looked up.
“Just hoping you can help us.....We’re still looking for clues about what happened to Karen and Melody”, Tony told him.
“Wadda about that there clue from the Locker Room ?”, Damon asked Nick. “Did that help ?”
“Umm....Yeah, it sure did”, Nick replied a bit uneasily. “But...It raised more questions that we need to find out about.”
“Dat so ?”, Damon asked, not having a clue to what that meant.
“Yeah, it did”, Tony took over, “It led us to this certain place....The Church by the Graveyard.”
Damon’s face suddenly changed at the mention of the Graveyard. “Dat’s a BAD place !!”, he said fearfully. “Yous shouldn’t be a-goin’ in there !”
“Oh, but we did”, Tony said, “And what’s more, we went into the Church.” As Damon’s eyes bugged out, Tony explained as simply as he could about the Holographic Machine that had produced the image of the ‘Bony Man’. “So you see, Damon, it was illusion, not real at all.”
“It be just a trick ?”, Damon said in surprise. “Den how I get to de Crazy Place ?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out”, Tony said. “We sorta think....That you mighta been...Hypnotized, somehow. That’s why we want you to tell us anything you can remember about after that and how you got to the Asylum.”
Damon actually looked relieved not to have really been nuts. In truth, the episode bothered him a whole lot more than he let on, and now he finally had an explanation of at least a part of what he had experienced that night. Grasping the gist of what Tony had told him, he began to search his limited memory, opening that door in his mind to a place he only reluctantly wanted to think about.
“I’se don’t remember a whole lot....”, Damon began to dwell. “I’se remember....I’se was inna dark place....Wid dis....Red glow.....Dere was dese.....Black robed dudes, chantin’ somptin’ at me.....Den, I was at de Crazy Place, inna room.”
“Anything else you can remember ?”, Tony asked. “Those black robed guys, what they looked like, what they were chanting at you ?”
Damon shook his head. “Nots really....Dey was all robed up, wid like, hoods or somptin, no faces...Don’t know what dey wuz chantin’, somptin’ soundin’ like....Devil chants, I’se guess. Dere was one....I’se thinks....hadda like a blue somptin’ on his chest....”
Tony and Nick cast a glance at each other. Something had tickled in both the boy’s subconscious. “Go on”, Tony prodded gently, “What happened then ?
“Den....I wuz just at the Crazy Place, Dat’s all I remember”, Damon said, and added, “It wuz light out den.”
They talked a bit more to Damon, but it was obvious to them that was all they were going to get. They hung out for awhile until after night fell, then began the journey over to the Carnival, minus Laurent, who had a date with Nina. On the way, Tony and Nick speculated as to what all this could have had to do with the disappearances of Karen an Melody.
“Well, they were taken, and nobody saw it, right ?”, Tony said. “I mean, even where the pee trail ended, something musta happened.”
“Yeah, but who took them from there ?”, Nick wondered. “Was it them Monk people, or some outsiders, someone in for the Fireworks ?”
“Jimmy told me once he thought there was a connection between the Church and the Asylum”, Tony said, “But nobody’s ever saw these Monks outside of the Church Graveyard, as for as we know. But what happened to Damon coulda also happened to the girls.”
“You think they’re at the Asylum ?”, Nick asked, thunderstruck. “I never saw any girls or women in there !”
“No”, Tony admitted, “I don’t think so. I mean, even the Cops or the Fed guys woulda checked that out, I would think. No, I’m beginning to think it’s something else.”
“What would that be ?”, Nick asked. But he wasn’t expecting Tony’s answer.
The thought had come to Tony, that as improbable as it must be, the only logical answer it could be was from the realm of Science-Fiction. It could certainly explain what happened to Damon, and maybe the Girls as well. “Teleportation”, he said.
____________________________________
-
“You can’t be serious !”, Nick scoffed, as they went through the Vale Boulevard Tunnel towards the Carnival. “That’s just a buncha hocus-pocus science wannabe shit.”
“Oh, but I am”, replied Tony. “Damon gets whacked, recalls seeing these Monk dudes, then POOF ! It’s morning, and he’s at the Asylum. Now, how do you suppose he got there ? The Monks don’t leave the place, that much we know.”
“So how do they get their food ? Their drinking water ?”, Nick argued. “I didn’t see any sinks in that Church. Matter of fact, I didn’t see THEM in that Church.”
Tony shrugged. “Maybe they get Mana from Hell. Maybe they drink each other’s blood. They’ve been seen going from the Church to that Mausoleum building, maybe they grow their own there. And maybe they’re in hiding, ’cause those Fed guys got in there and found Kurt, and didn’t see any of them either.”
‘Whatever”, Nick said. “But as far as Damon goes, someone coulda picked him up, took him to the Asylum, like the Prefects had done to him the first time.”
“Who would that be ?”, Tony said. “The Cops ? The Harringtons ? The Spencers ? I doubt if they’d bother. And how would anyone know ? There was no phone in there, and even if there were, was they just gonna call the Ghostbusters or something ? I tell you, I think he was Transported over there.”
The boys were going through the Carnival entrance gates by then. “I kinda wish we coulda met those Monk people, maybe we’d have some answers”, Nick commented.
“Maybe we did”, Tony replied. “Maybe that’s why we got Hypnotized....Otherwise....”
Tony let that thought trail off as they walked up the Midway. Since there was still an hour to go before closing time, he and Nick decided to play some Carnival games and ride some rides to pass the time. They did, but their hearts weren’t in it without their missing girlfriends being there with them. They wound up outside the side entrance to the Freakshow and waited for Algie to come out at the end of his shift as the Beardless Fat Man.
They waited silently, each occupied with their own thoughts. A stream of odd freaks began filing out, the ones that were free to leave the Freaksow Tent, and then they spotted Algie an motioned him over. He approached them rather nervously, saying, “Um...Hi there...Er....Everything’s still accounted for, none of those weapons missing, I’ve been keeping track !”
“That’s fine, Algie, good to hear”, Tony said. “But we come on a mission, of sorts, to ask you something.”
“Umm...Sure !”, Algie said, still nervous. “Ask me anything, I’ll tell you if I can !”
They took Algie aside for privacy. “We need you to tell us everything you know about the Monks and that Church in the Vale”, Tony told him.
A stricken look took over Algie’s fat face. “No-o-o-o.....That stuff’s Taboo !!”
“Taboo or not, we got to know”, Nick told him, somewhat menacingly.
“No need for that”, Tony said, putting a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Algie knows we wouldn’t be asking if it weren’t of extreme importance.....Now would’ja, Algie ?”
“I....I guess not”, Algie said uncertainly. “It’s....Just that....That....It’s not supposed to be talked about ! It’s part of the Knight’s Code !”
“Algie”, Tony said as gently as he could, “You’re not a Knight anymore....You were Outcast, remember ? But telling us may help with something important, even more important than keeping an eye on these weapons here.....What you can tell us may save lives. And that will go a long way on getting you back into school and getting your Clique to accept you back.....You understand what I’m sayin’ here ?”
Algie stood uncertainly for awhile. Beads of sweat began to appear on his fat forehead. A little more than six months ago, he had shot a Pellet into Tony’s arm with an Air Rifle. And yet, Tony had never sought revenge against him for that act, nor had he ever bullied or beaten him, unlike so may others. Algie dropped his shoulders and nodded slowly. “Ok....I’ll tell you. What do you want to know ?”
“Who are the Monks ?”, Tony questioned, “For starters.”
Algie took a deep breath. “The Monks are....A secret society that started many years ago, maybe even before there were any people at all in the Valley. This place is...An unusual spot in Rhode Island. The State isn’t really an Island, you know, but the Rhode Island Colony was founded on one that goes by the name of Aquidneck Island today, down by Newport.”
“Just skip the history lesson”, Nick said impatiently, “And tell us who they are !”
“I’m getting to that”, Algie said defensively. “It don’t make sense without the background !”
“Go on Algie”, Tony said gently. “We got plenty of time. Go ahead.”
“Well...Like I said, this here is an unusual place", Algie continued. “Most of Rhode Island is flat, the highest spot is 812 feet, at a place called Jerimoth Hill, up in the North-West part of the state, near Connecticut. But this Valley is in a spot ringed in by this small mountain range, and was really not very accessible in the early years after colonization in the 1600s. But a small group came here...They were some sort of a Cult....Really kind of an Anti-Cult....And they built that Church in the woods, maybe some 300 years ago.”
“And....These people became the Monks ?”, Tony asked.
“Yeah....Well, the early Monks, maybe”, Algie said, “They had families and everything, women and children...The Valley was secluded enough that they could practice their....Anti-Religion here without interference. Their descendants carried on, until about a hundred years ago, that is.”
“What happened then ?”, Tony frowned, really getting interested now.
“Well...It seems that...There wern’t any more children after that”, Algie explained. “The Miners had come in, about the middle 1800s, by way of the river from Narragansett Bay. Even though they mostly occupied the place around where Blue Skies and the School is now, they contaminated the Valley somehow in the eyes of the Monks. Eventually, the mines gave out and the Miners left, but some people stayed behind. The school was built after they left, the ‘History of Piff’ says the Monks were the ones responsible for that. But, for some reason, there were no more Monk families left after that, no more women, and then no more kids.”
“So....Who are those Monks over there today ?”, Tony asked, intrigued.
“They’re....The last generation of them”, Algie answered, somewhat reluctantly.
“Now, that’s not possible !”, Nick scoffed. “That’d make them as old as....”
“That sounds pertty fantastic, Algie”, Tony interrupted. “You gotta admit !”
Algie shrugged. “Eh, that’s all I know of their history. The Nerd called 'Piff the Skull’ found a lot of that out, back many years ago.”
“That was the name you used when you did those attacks on the Cliques”, Tony said. “Why did you use that name ?”
“I had to use an alias”, Algie said ashamedly, “So I picked that, because nobody else but a Nerd would know who it was.”
Tony considered, but let that drop. That was a mystery for another time. Right now, he needed to find out whatever he could about the mysterious Monks. “So, what about the Monks today ?”, he asked. “Do they have any dealings with any of the Townspeople ?”
“Some, I think”, Algie related. “I don’t know for sure. I used to go to the Graveyard with Sheldon...His Grandpa’s buried there....There’d be people there, sometimes, just hanging around. People in suits, like that Doctor from town. Even the Townies used to hang out there at night.”
Tony’s interest suddenly sharpened. The Townies ? “What were the Townies doing hanging around there ?”, he asked.
“I heard that they did like, Satanic Rituals there”, Algie said, “But I don’t know that for sure.”
Tony thought, but then realized that Algie had spoken in the past tense. “What do you mean, used to ?”
“About a year ago, they stopped coming over there”, Algie said, seemingly looking mystified. “I think something must have scared them off.”
“The Obelisk”, Nick muttered. “The Bony Man.”
“You know about that ?”, Algie asked in surprise.
“We do”, Tony said without elaborating. It seemed maybe he wasn’t the only one who knew about Sheldon’s secret. And it was a sure bet that Sheldon had used the Ancient Machine to run those Townies off....And Algie knew about it.
“So, which ones of them did you see over there ?”, Tony asked slyly.
Algie realized that Tony and Nick were on to the secret. “All of them, at one time or another", he admitted, “....Except Edgar Munsen.....Mostly, they came in groups of two or three, always in the evening. Two of them came more than the others.....Clint Henry and Otto Tyler.”
Tony paused in his questioning of Algie, thinking. No one had really seen the Townies since their abortive attempt to take over the school last spring. They had been taken to Jail, the whole lot of them, in the aftermath. Tony had learned that they had escaped sometime during the bombings of the Towns, probably when the power went out, and hadn’t been seen since. It was generally believed they had left the Valley. But what if they had come back ?
Tony felt Nick’s eyes on him, and realized he had been lagging. He looked at Algie again, trying to assimilate all the thoughts swirling about in his head. One final question surfaced, something that nagged at him, somehow. “These Monks....They must have a name....What is it ?”
Algie looked miserable. Reluctantly, he said, “They call themselves....The Quantum Electi.”
_____________________________________
-
Karen heard the door unlock and slide open. She was back to wearing her blindfold again, as Omar had warned her that the other Townies were not to know she had identified the Clique as their Kidnappers. “It’s best for you they don’t find that out”, he told her, his face just inches from hers. She could smell the beans on his breath. “Some of these Dudes are crazy....They’ll take the both of you down to the river and hold your heads under ‘till you drown, then just let the current take you both out to sea.”
So Karen kept her mouth shut, only being able to be rid of the blindfold whenever Omar was in the room alone with her. She would only know if that was the case when he approached her and removed it. Most times, it wasn’t removed, and whatever Townie it was would roughly yank her legs apart and start to assault her. Karen had lost count of how many times she had been raped in this room since this all started. She had also lost track of time, as there was no way to judge it. The room was kept dimly lit at all times, and she was only fed on a irregular basis. Water was always given to her, each time, though. Karen knew that was so she wouldn’t dehydrate and spoil their fun. A bucket that acted as a ‘Chamber Pot’ was close by, it was emptied often by whoever came into the room, to keep the smell at a minimum.
A while ago (She didn’t know how long), one of them had come up with an idea of how to secure them better (It was probably Jerry, she thought). A thin chain had been secured around her waist, and her wrists had been cuffed to it. Karen recalled seeing news videos of prisoners being led from Jails to Court, and thought it was a similar thing to that. Along with that, one of her ankles was now cuffed to a log chain, which in turn was attached to the pipes running along the wall. Karen felt this had been done to make it easier for her tormenters to assault her, rather than having to do with her comfort. But she was thankful for that, it had been so difficult always having her arms chained up over her head, so much that her hands would often go numb.
The door closed and she heard the locks slide home. She heard the footsteps come closer and a hand was laid on her head, then her blindfold was being removed. It was Omar this time. He grunted, “Got a surprise for you”, and moved to one side. Halfway between the door and her mattress, another figure stood there. Karen blinked to get her eyes adjusted, then saw who it was. Melody was standing there.
“MEL !”, she burst out. Omar quickly silenced her, saying in a low voice, “Shut It ! Nobody knows she’s in here ! My turn to stand guard tonight.”
Omar rose and went to Melody, removing her blindfold. She was hooked up in the same kind of apparatus as Karen was, her hands cuffed to the chain about her waist. She stood stock still and didn’t speak. “Melody ?”, Karen said uncertainly.
Omar put his hands on Melody’s shoulders and slowly turned her towards Karen. Her eyes were blank and unseeing, devoid of any recognition, her face like a smooth mask. Omar led her, like a puppet, over to where Karen was sitting and pushed her down gently beside her. “Melody ?”, Karen said weakly. “Oh, Mel, it’s me, Karen....What’s the matter....Melody ?”
But Melody would not speak. The only response was that she laid her head on Karen’s shoulder, still starring blankly ahead. Melody had retreated to within herself. The cumulative toll of the assaults over the past week had broken her. Karen shot a look of anger and pure hatred at Omar. “What have you Sick Perverts done to her ?”, she demanded.
“She been like that a couple days now”, Omar said, avoiding a direct answer. “Gonna leave her here awhile with you, see if you can snap her out of it, somehow. Two, Three hours, I’ll get relieved, so gotta have her back to her room before then. Help her out, Hey ?”
Omar strode back to the door, undoing the locks, then opening and stepping through and closing it behind him. Karen heard the locks sink home. She was so suddenly overwhelmed that she had been unable to muster a reply.
In the ensuing stillness, Karen was, for the first time since their ordeal began, truly terrified. She still held to her faith that Tony would find her, would rescue them, somehow. But, she fervently hoped it would be soon, real soon. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Strong as she believed herself to be, at her very core she was still just a scared little girl. She stroked Melody’s hair as best as she could through the restraints, and tried her best not to cry.
__________________________________
-
Laying in the darkness, Tony had a hard time getting to sleep that night. He kept running over things in his mind, trying to make sense of how they might relate to Karen and Melody’s abduction. There was so much to assimilate, so much to figure out. What was turning over in his mind seemed too fantastic, too surreal, like something out of the Twilight Zone.
If only she was here, to help me make sense of all this, he thought. Images of the all the times they had brainstormed in his Mediator’s Office, tracking down the intricate mystery of the secrets of the School and the Vale Valley itself rose in his mind. Flooding in along with that was their short time on the Island in the Narragansett Bay. Oh, how he missed her so much !
In his heart of hearts, he fervently believed she had been taken and was being held somewhere. He refused to acknowledge that something even more sinister had happened to her. No bodies had been found, no gruesome remains had been unearthed. The possibility they could have been taken by outsiders had occurred to him, some evil visitors to the Valley using the Fourth of July celebrations as a cover to swipe two young girls, but he felt...Believed....That they were still in the Valley, somewhere. Their abduction would have been too much of a sheer chance to be anything like that. He couldn’t let himself think otherwise.
He cast a look over towards Nick’s bed. He was already snoring. Tony knew Nick was hurting just like he was, but Nick was able to keep it bottled up, somehow. His time with Melody had been far shorter than his with Karen, maybe that had something to do with it. Tony was astute enough to know that different people handled a loss differently. But in the recesses of his mind, Tony wished he could be more like Nick. Maybe, he would be able to see things a bit clearer.
In thinking that, he began to fall into sleep himself, still worrying the mystery of what had happened to Karen, to Melody. Ghostly voices filtered through his subconscious, pinging off each other like echos in a cavern.....
“Nobody ever ran At the Boney Man before !”
“Dere was dese Black Robed dudes, chantin’ somptin’ at me.”
“The Hooded Men....Black Robes, can’t see their faces.“
”Fish white, like they never saw the sun, or maybe like Dead People”
“They call themselves....The Quantum Electi.”
”Even the Townies used to hang out there at night.”
“Den....I wuz just at the Crazy Place, Dat’s all I remember.”
“I think there's a connection between the Church and the Asylum.”
The voices swirled in his mind as he tunneled deeper into the realm of darkness.
___________________________________________
-
Suddenly, he was in the Dome once more. It was a bit lighter, he saw, although the way was still dark and gloomy. He had traveled some, he realized, although he still had quite a ways to go. The sense of loss and grief still enveloped him, but there were still no bodies or dismembered limbs. They were not dead, he told himself again, there was still hope. But he sensed his time was still short. Suddenly, hearing very low chanting behind him, he had the urge to look behind him, fearful of something, or someone, tracking him. What he saw was a cave, and far back within was ghostly, black hooded figures with fish-white hands and partial faces showing. At the front, one figure stood out from the rest, an upside-down pulsing blue cross on it’s chest. The figure’s arm was pointing outward, beyond Tony. The low chanting changed pitch, and words seemed to materialize from it like a whispering wind. “THE ONES YOU SEEK, THEY ARE NOT HERE, NOR HAVE THEY BEEN. YOU MUST LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR THEM, IN A PLACE FAR FROM HERE. THEY ARE NOT HERE. YOU MUST GO.” At once, Tony felt an object in his hand. Looking at it, he could see it was Melody’s Cell Phone.
Tony watched for a bit longer, but the lead figure kept insistently pointing to the far side of the Dome, the apparent direction in which Tony was heading. He saw then that the cave was an obstacle of which he had surmounted, the largest one of a series of obstacles from where he had started. Facing back the other way once more, he peered into the darkened landscape. Obstacles that lay ahead were shapeless and indistinct, save for one. It resembled a wall with gates interrupting it’s expanse across his path. It was still a bit away, and Tony couldn’t tell just how far in front of him it was, as the concept of distance was somehow skewered here. Tony looked up overhead at the jagged hole far away in the apex of the Dome, and it seemed to him he HAD moved, had made progress. He started forward again, with new resolve, and walked into a sudden mist which swirled ahead of him.
Tony waved his arms and the mist dissipated somewhat, showing the familiar scene of the School hallway by the School Store. Ghostly Mr. Luntz was there once more, pointing again towards the School Store. But when Tony looked, he not only saw the figure of whom he now knew to be Mr. Riddle behind the window, but also the figure of Lola, standing just to the outside. She smiled at him and beckoned him forward. Her lips were moving, but no sound issued from them. Tony moved forward to hear, but the white mist enveloped the entire scene once more, and gently Tony drifted downward into a deeper, dreamless sleep.
____________________________________________
-
Ms. Phillips arrived early at the School Office on Sunday morning. She chose to come in early for a couple of reasons....Mr. Galloway was in deep sleep and wouldn’t wake much before noon, and she had to make sure the office was cleaned and that no evidence was left from Mr. Galloway’s drinking binge. She hadn’t had the time to clean up then, she had to get him out of there without being seen. All they needed was for the drinking rumors to start up again....If the State School Board got wind of THAT, Lionel Galloway would be finished at Bullworth Academy, or anywhere else for that matter. A byproduct of getting rid of the corruption and opening up the Vale Valley to the world was that secrets would be so much harder to keep secret.
Dedrie Phillips unlocked to door to the Headmaster’s Private Office, recently that of Dr. Milton Crabblesnitch, and now that of Mr. Galloway....And she intended to keep it that way. Last year, that dick Hattrick had caught him drinking, and virtually blackmailed Mr. Galloway into checking himself into the Asylum to 'dry out’ in exchange for his silence. But Mr. Hattrick had gone to the Headmaster anyway with his accusations. A student named Jimmy Hopkins had shown up just in the nick of time with photographs proving Mr. Hattrick was selling test answers to the Preps, and Mr. Hattrick was fired instead (He later got his job back after filing a lawsuit against the school for improperly firing him, but not before losing his house due to no income and legal fees). In the meantime, when Mr. Galloway wanted to leave the Asylum, he was refused. Ms. Phillips turned again to Jimmy Hopkins to sneak in to the Asylum and break Mr. Galloway out, as Mr. Hattrick had somehow arraigned for her to be barred from getting him released. Jimmy did so, and Ms. Phillips was waiting in her car to spirit him away.
Those things were mostly buried under the lid of secrecy, like many other things about Bullworth Academy, and in fact the Towns, was in those days. Ms. Phillips had convinced Mr. Galloway to give up his drinking habits, and to settle into a life with her. For some unfathomable reason, she loved him dearly, despite his being an Alcoholic. The ones who had known about his secret vice were gone now, but if any word got out now about his recent lapse, it would probably become Internet News, and it would be all over. Ms. Phillips had worried about how Mr. Galloway would handle the stress of his new unexpected job. She had thought he had been holding up well, but it seemed that something pushed him over the edge.
Ms. Phillips had a pretty good idea what that was....It had been the two girls that vanished just a week ago, Karen and Melody. He had talked of it every night since, feeling that somehow he was to blame for their disappearance, that he could have prevented it somehow. That was one thing she loved about him the most, his caring and loyalty to his students. She comforted him, telling him that he wasn’t to blame, but she should have seen the signs. He had been more morose lately, feeling he had failed them somehow. So, he had buckled under the pressure of his perceived failure of leadership, and gave into the bottle.
Unlike last year, when this sort of thing was easily covered up, this would be big news if it ever got out to the out-of-town Press Reporters who were still hanging about. Ms. Phillips was determined that wasn’t going to happen. Ms. Phillips would keep him at home for a few days, under the pretense of illness, and run things in his absence. But her first task would be to scour the Office and dispose of any evidence, primarily any other Liquor or empty bottles, just as she had done the same last year. After, she would check the Outer Office and his old English Room (for which classes weren’t being run this summer). Then, the rest of the school, in the places where he used to hide his empty bottles. The task would take most of the morning, so she began with the Office.
The near-empty bottle he had been drinking from still sat on his desk. She pulled out a trash bag from her purse that she had brought along and stuffed it in there. The desk was a bit messy, so she cleared it up, then checked the drawers for any other bottles. Finding none, she bent down and looked under the desk. Nothing was there either. She then checked inside the file cabinets, the drop tables, the clothes wardrobe and the bookshelves, still finding nothing. She then proceeded to get down on hands and knees and look under everything in the room. She didn’t find any Liquor Bottles, but she did find something unexpected, under the Wardrobe. She grasped it and pulled it out, holding it up. It was a black high-heel shoe.
Ms. Phillips held it up to see. She didn’t think it was hers, having never lost a shoe here in the Office. She brought the shoe closer to her face and wrinkled her nose at the smell. She had been thinking that it might have belonged to that battle-ax, Ms. Danvers, but the odor coming from it was too strong. It had been worn recently. She glanced inside, near the heel, and read the size stamped there. It read, 'USA SIZE 6'. It definitely wasn’t hers, she was a Size 7.
Ms. Phillips was no dummy. She quickly realized what Mr. Galloway was talking about when he said they had 'made love’. He didn’t mean that time a week ago, he meant Friday night. Somebody had been in here and had taken advantage of his drunken state, pretending to be her. And Ms. Phillips had a pretty good idea of just who that was.
________________________________
-
Trent and Paige were hanging outside early beside the Boy’s Dorm with Russell. Paige had brought along another one of the new girls she had gotten to know named Amber Anderson. As it turned out, Amber had a strange fascination for Russell. After learning that Paige was having a relationship with Trent, she prevailed on her for an introduction to Russell.
It was a strange paring, big Russell and this wisp of a girl. Amber was barely over five feet tall, and weighed in the neighborhood of a hundred pounds. She had a rather plain face with thin, dirty-blondish hair that hung down straight on either side of her face to just above her shoulders. Her figure was thin, but she did have a couple of tiny breasts poking through her blouse. She wasn’t a bright girl by any means, and her voice showed a slight speech impediment when she talked, witch wasn’t often, as she really didn’t have much to say.
However, once introduced to Russell, she asked if he could show her any tricks. At first, Russell was normally confused as to what she meant. “What You Mean ?”, he asked her.
“Lika, Strongman tricks”, Amber said, somewhat shyly.
“Oh !”, Russell said brightly. “Russell Can Do That ! Trent ! Get Russell a Soda Can !”
Trent had a soda can in his hand. “Got one right here, big guy, but it’s....”
“That Will Do !”, Russell proclaimed, snatching it from Trent’s hand. “Watch This !”, he said to Amber, and he proceeded to smash the can against his forehead. Unfortunately, the can was still almost half-full, and the Beam Cola squirted all over Russell’s head and some splattered onto Amber. But instead of being angry, Amber uttered a gleeful laugh. “Showa me some more !”, she begged, wiping a hand over her face.
Russell laughed too, soda running down his face, and said, “How Abouts Russell Pick Up Dumpster ?” Amber clapped her hands together in glee, and they both headed off to where the Dumpster was located behind the Dorm. Trent and Paige watched them go.
“Seems like a match”, Paige commented. “They like each other.”
“I don’t know”, Trent said. “Russell’s never had a girlfriend.”
“About time then, wouldn’t you say ?”, Paige said, as Russell and Amber disappeared around the corner. She turned her attention toward a lone figure who had caught her eye, heading towards the arch from the Dorm steps. “Hey, who’s that ?”
Trent turned to look. “Oh, that’s just Constantinos”, he said, spotting him in the otherwise empty yard.
“Oh....Yes”, Paige said, squinting. “That weird little kid. He’s a strange one.”
“Heh, yeah, real strange”, Trent laughed. “Did you know he used to be the Bullworth Mascot ?”
“This place had a Mascot ?”, Paige asked. “I never knew that.”
“Ah, yeah”, Trent related. “That kid there, we used to Bully the hell outta him. So, he went off and volunteered to be the Mascot. Then, he’d go around Campus wearing that stupid red outfit, even had a Bull Head that went along with it. Said it made him stronger.”
“So....What happened ?”, Paige asked. “There’s no Mascot now.”
“Yeah, funny that”, Trent responded, “Hopkins beat him up one day down at the Pool and took the Bull Head away from him. He never give it back, either”, he laughed. “They become kinda friends after that, and Jimmy even protected him, but he never gave the Bull Head back.”
“So, what’s his deal now ?”, Paige asked, puzzled.
“He got the Bull Head back, after Jimmy got....Arrested. And was gonna be Mascot again, but I hear Tony beat him up, or something. So...He’s Tony Calderone’s bitch now”, Trent said. “Hangs around, eavesdropping on people, gettin’ the latest dirt and all that, sells him the information. If he weren’t under Tony and Nick’s protection, I think half the kids in school would gladly beat the shit outta him.”
“That so ?”, Paige said. “I think....I seen him before, hanging around the Girl’s Dorm....”
“Around, and probably in, too”, Trent said with a chuckle. “The Snot’s pretty good about gettin’ in and outta places without being seen.”
“Hmmmm”, Paige said, looking at the arch where Constantinos had disappeared. “Wonder where he’s off to now ?”
__________________________________
-
Beatrice finished putting her entry in her Diary for the day. It had all been so easy, she confided to it, how she had ‘stolen’ her own Diary and snuck down to Mandy’s Gym Locker after hours and stashed it there. The Combination Lock had presented no challenge to her....After all, it was just about numbers and random probabilities, just child’s play for her. She had buried the Diary under the mess in Mandy’s Locker, and locked it back up, then high-tailed it back to the Dorm, unseen.
She had been scheming on how to approach Nick to enlist his ‘Help’ in getting the Diary back, but in a stroke of karmic luck, he had instead come seeking her out. As soon as she spotted him, she put on her crying act, and from there, it was just a snap to reel him in, like a fish hooked on a line. Her Line, that was. Honestly, she thought, Boys are so Predictable. Turn on the waterworks and watch them swarm.
Now she was was brainstorming ways she could get Nick back for a return visit. She had carefully written down all the measurements she had taken when he was here, but she had overlooked one.....What she termed as the ‘Deflated Bulge’. She would definitely have to get that one the next time. She had gotten caught up a little too much in the heat of the moment and forgot to take that one, and it was a needed component in her research for Human Sexuality. A small giggle escaped her. When she finally wrote up all her findings, it was going to make a great paper. She even had a humorous title for it....”Battle Of The Bulge.”
Her attention was suddenly drawn to a figure apparently sneaking past her partly-open door. She bounced up off the bed and went to the door to see who it was. Beatrice saw a dark-haired boy stealthily moving away from her down the hall. Instead of screaming, she called out, “Hey, you little Pervo, what are you doing up here ?”
Constantinos froze. Crap, he’d been spotted. He turned slowly around. “Ummm....I was just....Leaving ?”
Beatrice’s eyes narrowed. “Say-y-y....I know you ! You’re that boy that used to hide out in our Wardrobes and spy on us !”
“Umm...Yeah”, Constantinos said. “Look, I just come up here to see someone....”
“I’m sure you did”, Beatrice interrupted. “It’s what you do, isn’t it ?”
“Well...Um, Yes......No, No”, Constantinos backtracked, “I just come to see one of the new girls, Ok ?” His eyes darted around. “Please don’t call the Matrons. This is Important !”
“That so ?”, Beatrice paused, leaning back against the doorframe. A germ of an idea was sprouting in her over-active brain. “You know a boy named Nick ?”
“Uhhh...Yeah....I do”, Constantinos replied, wondering what that had to do with anything.
“Good”, Beatrice said. “Tell him to meet me up here in my room tonight after lights out. I have something to tell him in private.”
“Er...Umm...I...I don’t know....”, Constantinos stuttered, sweat popping up on his brow. Every second he stood here he risked getting caught.
“Say you’ll do it, or I’ll Scream”, Beatrice said sweetly.
“OK ! OK! I’ll tell him, allright ?”, Constantinos exclaimed.
“Fine, then”, Beatrice said, and flicked her hand. “Get along now.”
Without another word, Constantinos turned and hurried down the hall. Beatrice watched him go to the last room, opposite the stairs, and rap on the door. After a few seconds, the door was pulled open, and Constantinos slipped inside.
Pervo Little Twerp, thought Beatrice. She remembered him, all right. But it seemed he wasn’t spying on someone this time, though. She laughed. Did he have a little girlfriend ?
___________________________________________
-
Melvin banged once again at the door in the basement of the Dragon’s Wing. “Com’on, Thad, open up !!", he whined. “You’ve been in there for days !!”
Actually, that was an exaggeration....Thad had only been holed up in the tiny room since Friday after school. At first, it hadn’t been noticed that he was even missing, and it wasn’t until late Saturday that Bucky had even mentioned anything. After looking high and low for him, the Nerds had finally discovered him holed up in the small basement room Sunday morning. Melvin had keys to the locks, of course, but it appeared that Thad had done something to them....Stuck Gum or Glue in them, maybe. The only way it had even been known that Thad was in there was when Melvin tried to get in. Thad had yelled out, “GO AWAY !! I’M BUSY !!” through the door. When Melvin tried to persuade him to come out, his only response was to repeat the he was busy, and to come back later.
Well, it was now several hours later, but Melvin was getting no response. He got to thinking that something had actually happened to Thad, and that maybe he should get a couple of their M-80s (which were in short supply these days), and blow open the locks. Just as Melvin stepped back from the door, however, the locks clicked and the door was flung open to reveal a rather haggard-looking Thad.
Thad was a mess. His hair was wildly tangled, and rivets of sweat were running down his face. His glasses were spotted with drops of moisture, and his shirt was in disarray, unbuttoned and open. He had a wild look in his eyes as he faced Melvin....But it was a look of triumph.
“Thad ?”, Melvin said, taken aback at the sight of him, “What’s....Happened to you ?”
“I’ve Done It !!!”, he declared, a note of elation in his voice.
“Umm....Done what ?”, Melvin asked, wondering if Thad had gone insane.
“Figured it out”, Thad crowed. “The Trigger Release....The Increased Velocity Spring...I’ve built it !!!” Thad led Melvin into the room. It smelled of sweat and farts, like it hadn’t been aired out in a while. “Look !!!”, Thad exclaimed, pointing to an object on the table, “There It Is !!!”
Melvin looked. On the table lay the biggest hand-carried weapon Melvin had ever seen. “Is that.....”
“The Th-uper Th-pud Gun !!!”, Thad lisped proudly. “After all these years, we finally have the Ultimate Weapon, and it’s ME that will go down in Nerd Hith-thory !!!”
(http://3-ps.googleusercontent.com/x/www.trendhunter.com/cdn.trendhunterstatic.com/thumbs/xspud-gun-contests-potato-launching-science.jpeg.pagespeed.ic.o6pej1WMI6.jpg)
Melvin examined the weapon. It’s Barrel looked three times the length of a regular Spud gun, and had aiming sights at the tip. It’s handgrip was a little larger than a standard-size Spud Gun, presumably to house the larger Increased Velocity Spring in the Trigger Assembly and the Compressed Air Charge. There was also a Collapsible Buttstock attached for optional shoulder firing. Melvin could see that the Multi-Stock also acted as the Magazine for storage of extra Spud rounds. It was quite a formidable looking weapon.
“Hmmm.....It looks powerful”, Melvin observed, “But....Just how long is that ?”
Thad whipped out his trusty yardstick. “A bit more than 36 Inches”, he announced, measuring it.
“But....That’s too long !”, Melvin protested. “We won’t be able to hide this thing if we’re carrying it around !”
“Oh, Yess, we will !”, crowed Thad. “I made the Barrel collapsible, Th-see ?” And in so saying, Thad showed him, collapsing the Barrel down to just a third of it’s size, then back again.
“How’d you do that ?”, Melvin said wonderingly.
“It’s really three tubes, they fit inside each other”, Thad explained, “It’s these Ball Bearings that lock them into place, Th-see ?”
Melvin saw. “Wow....With this thing, it’ll almost be like a....Potrable Spud Cannon !!”, he exclaimed excitedly. “Have you tested it yet ?”
“No”, Thad admitted, “I just got it done ! But I want to go th-ry !”
Melvin looked at him, and wrinkled his nose. “Clean yourself up some first. Then we’ll go to the G&G Field and test it out !”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
An hour later, they were at the area between the school and the old rail line path, a spot long used as the Nerd’s G&G Battle Game Area. There were low rock faces on both sides, and the area stretched from behind the Library down to beside the Observatory and a little ways past. They had entered through the Nerd’s Gate, set beside the Library and now much more secure than it ever had been. Melvin had grabbed a small empty wooden crate to take along for a target, and when they encountered the cleared area, Melvin laid down the crate and they began counting steps. Walking South, they had paced off a bit more than 500 steps. By this time, there were near the mounds at the South end, so they climbed one and Thad pulled out and un-collapsed the weapon. Resting the Buttstock on his shoulder, he sighted back to the wooden crate, now just barely visible, and squeezed the trigger.
The sharp, unexpected recoil knocked Thad on his ass, the Buttstock of the Super Spud Gun dropping into Thad’s crotch as he fell. “OH, NUTS !!”, he exclaimed loudly, but he still kept ahold of the Barrel.
Melvin had paid no attention to Thad’s woe, though. He had been tracking the path of the Spud as it sped toward it’s target, almost too fast for him to see. The wooden crate splintered to pieces in less than a second after Thad had pulled the trigger. “Oh, Mah Lord !”, Melvin uttered in sheer amazement. A line of poetry ran through his mind as thoughts of what his overbearing Father would say to such a display, and he whispered the words.....
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock ?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day ! Callooh ! Callay !
He chortled in his joy !”
Thad struggled back to his feet. “Holy Castles !”, he exclaimed. “It Works !! WORKS !!”
“Wow....", Melvin said, as if in a dream. “Wonder how fast that was traveling ?”
“The th-peed of light times the th-peed of a flying th-paceship", Thad cried gleefully. “Not Impossible !!"
________________________________________
-
Johnny sped his bike into the Greaser area at the Autoshop and skidded to a stop. His face white, he leaped off the bike and headed to the door. Flinging it open, he hurried inside, and spotted the only person up and about.
“Peanut !!”, he gasped harshly, nearly out of breath. “I need....Need.....”
Peanut came closer. He’d been bunked out in the corner of the Autoshop in a sleeping bag with Binky. Greasers rarely were up early if they didn’t have to be, and being Sunday that meant usually not until noon. “Johnny ? Dat be youse ? Whatcha need ?”
Peanut was startled at the way Johnny was looking. He seemed really frazzled, his hair out of place. A Greaser never let his hair get out of place, even in a fight. Johnny stared owlishly at Peanut. “Where....Ise everybody ?”, he got out.
“Why...Dey sleepin’, y’know....”, Peanut answered uncertianly. “Dis here’s Sunday, y’know, nobody’s up early....”
“Den wake 'em up”, Johnny ordered, “Right now, have dem meets up wid me’s out front.”
“Well...Ok, busts they ain’t gonna like being woke up so soon, y’know....”, Peanut began.
“RIGHTS NOW !!!!!”, Johnny practically screamed, cutting him off. Peanut jumped at the forcefulness of his demand, and scurried to comply.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Still, it took a good 15 minutes to get everybody assembled and out front. As the Greasers filed out the Autoshop door, grumbling, Johnny was pacing back and forth impatiently. The Greasers lined up, somewhat nervously. They hadn’t seen Johnny this wild-looking since....Well, since last year, right before Total Mayhem at the school that one night. Peanut spoke up in a subdued voice, “K, Johnny, everybody’s here....Cept, Norton and Hal....So, what’s up ?”
Johnny continued pacing as he spoke. “Lola....She didn’t come home last night !”
At first nobody said anything. Then some mumbling arose, mostly in the course of, so what ? While Johnny had been gone, and Lola had still been here, it wasn’t unusual for her to drop out of sight for days or even weeks at a time. Since she had quit school last Summer, they had pretty much stopped keeping track of her, only seeing her occasionally in New Coventry, or the rare times she came to the Autoshop to see them. So, they didn’t really understand what Johnny was all worked up about.
Johnny noticed their reaction, and said, a bit more franticly, “Don’t youse gets it ? She’s MISSING, prollby gots SNATCHED like dem other giols !! We gots to Find Her !!!”
They hadn’t thought of it like that, being a little slow on the take. “Ummm....How long she be missin’ there, Johnny ?”, Vance, who was probably the most sensitive of the Greasers, asked.
“Since shes went off on her bike yestiday”, Johnny moaned. “Get ever-body mounted up, we needs to look for her !”
“Umm...Sure, Sure, Johnny....Right away”, Peanut said. “We gots to find Hal, and Norton, let them know.....”
“Dey already know”, Johnny said, “Dey was at Blue Balls dis mornin’, I tolds dem. Dey out lookin’ now. Gets ever-body on der bikes, we search New Coventry foirst, den spread out.”
“Right”, Peanut said, then hollered, “Youse Heard Johnny !! Let’s Move Out !!”
One by one, the Greasers took to their bikes, and soon a line of them was biking out towards the school’s front gates, led by Johnny with Peanut bringing up the rear.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tony left the Boy’s Dorm and headed towards the school, last night’s dream still heavy on his mind. Nick was still sleeping in, so he decided to go in alone. Since the School Store was not open on Sundays, he would have to try and find Mr. Riddle elsewhere....Probably in the basement, he thought. As he neared the main pathway and began to turn to the left, the entire Greaser Clique, it seemed, came zipping by him, led by Johnny Vincent.
Tony stopped and watched them go by. Where the hell were they off to in such a hurry ? Spotting Peanut at the end of the line, he stepped out and waved at hin to stop. Peanut almost hit him, skidding to a stop just inches away.
“What’s Going On ?”, Tony shouted to Peanut.
“Lola’s gone missing !”, Peanut explained quickly, “Since yesterday ! We’re goin’ lookin’ for her ! I gotta go now !!”
Tony nodded and stepped back. Peanut wheeled around him and took off the catch up with the others. Tony watched him go.
Tony’s strange dream filtered back to him. It had directed him not only to see Mr. Riddle again, but Lola as well. Tony stood for a while in indecision, wondering if he should join the hunt. Then, he decided it could wait. Missing since yesterday ? If the Greasers didn’t find her, Tony had an idea of where she might be.
He should try to see Mr. Riddle first. Tony turned and resumed his course for the school building.
_______________________________________
-
Going in the front door of the school, Tony nearly collided with Ms. Phillips. She seemed to be in a hurry, and was carrying a black trash bag.
“Oh Dear....Tony !”, she exclaimed. “I...Didn’t see you there !”
“Um....That’s Ok, Ms. Phillips, my fault !”, Tony said, wondering what was in the black trash bag. Clinking sounds were coming from it as Ms. Phillips tried to hide it. “I’m...Um, just trying to find Mr. Riddle.”
“Oh....Mister....Riddle ?”, Ms. Phillips said absently.
“The new Janitor”, Tony said, frowning.
“Oh....Yes, of course.....The Janitor”, Ms. Phillips said distractedly.
“Umm...Ms. Phillips, you all right ?”, Tony questioned.
“I’m....Just fine”, Ms. Phillips answered, seeming to regain her composure. “I just have something to take care of. See you in class tomorrow, Ok ?”
And with that she slipped around Tony and hurried across the Patio and down the front steps. Tony watched her go, shaking his head at her strange behavior. What was in the black trash bag, he wondered, and why did she have a black high heel that Tony had glimpsed, sticking partway out of her purse ? Did she carry extra shoes around ?
Mysteries for another time, he supposed. He could ask Constantinos, if he was around, he would probably know. But Constantinos seemed to be pretty scarce lately, either locked in his room or gone. Tony wondered just what was his deal. If he was having problems, he could come to Tony and let him know. Tony liked to think they had become good friends, after all they had been through together. Maybe, Tony thought, with Karen and Melody’s disappearances, Constantinos didn’t feel like he should load anything else on him.
Whatever the case, Tony would have to deal with it later, if and when he could catch Constantinos alone. For now, he had a mission to accomplish. He went into the school, the door closing behind him.
As he figured, the School Store was vacant and shuttered. That left the Basement. Tony went around the corner to the hallway and went to the door that led to the basement. Trying the handle, he saw it was unlocked. He opened the door and headed into the basement.
__________________________________________
-
“Ooooh, look who’s here !”, Hayley said as Tiffany let Constantinos in the door.
“Who be dat boy ?”, a painfully thin, hollow-eyed girl said from the other side of the room.
A fattish girl flounced up off the bed. “It’s that boy that done testified for us !”
Tiffany giggled. “This here’s Constantinos”, she told them, then pointed out the other girls. “Hayley you know, that there’s Whitney and over here’s Carla.”
“Meetcha”, Constantinos mumbled, shifting his weight uncomfortably.
“What’coo get a boyfriend ?”, Whitney spouted out, sounding like she was on Crack. “Where’s we get us some boys ?”
Carla gave her a withering look. “Like anybody would want yo’ Skinny Ass, Whit.”
“Yous should talk, you Fat Bitch !”, Whitney whipped back, he eyes bulging from her skull of a head even more than usual. “Cows not be that attractive, y’know !”
“Can it, ladies”, Hayley said, rolling her eyes. Turning to Tiffany, she said, “I suppose you want some private time now ?”
“If’n you all don’t mind”, Tiffany said, her eyes locked on Constantinos, her stare boring into him. Carla and Whitney resumed their verbal sparing as Hayley went to the door and opened it. “Com’on girls, we’re not needed here. Let’s take a walk.”
The girls continued to fling insults at each other as Hayley ushered them out the door. In parting, Whitney snidely remarked that Tiffany could at least share, to which Tiffany just laughed in her face. “Get some meat on them bones, maybe we see then !”
As soon as the door shut behind the three girls, Tiffany grasped Constantinos by the belt and led him to her bed. “That was a braaaave thing you done yesterday. Them ole bitches had it out for the lot of us, y’know. Wanted to send us all back up the river for what Shideed an’ LaDonna started. But, you showed up and saved our day.” Constantinos stood mute as she undid his belt and slid down his pants and shorts. His bulge was already at attention. Tiffany pushed him back on the bed and kneeled down. “Now....Here’s your reward”, she coo’d, and engulfed him in her mouth.
The part of his mind that was occupied with sex, a pretty substantial part where boys were concerned, totally took over. Constantinos was just an observer along for the ride, and what a ride it was. Tiffany bobbed her head up and down, faster and faster, until Constantinos’ world blew up. He fell back on the bed, drained.
But Tiffany wasn’t done. She continued to massage him. She smiled evilly and said, “Boy, you gettin’ me some more books tonight ?”
Constantinos couldn’t speak right away. “Ummm-Hummm”, he responded, feeling stirrings that would not abate.
“That’s good”, Tiffany said smoothly. “I got big plans for you, yes I do.” As she talked softly, she wiggled out of her pants and panties with one hand while keeping the other firmly latched on to him, squeezing.
“How many.....More books ?”, Constantinos gasped, against a tide of freshly rising passion.
Tiffany rose and straddled him, grasping his bulge. “All Of Them !!”, she said, ramming herself down on him. "The Whole Library !!" She began slamming him, harder and harder. “You’ll get them for me, won’t you Boy ?”
“Unnnnnngh !”, Constantinos grunted, no longer in control of himself. “Unnnnnnngh !!”
“Won’t You, Boy ?”, Tiffany repeated, her hips moving like pistons now. “Won’t You ?”
At the edge of his passion, he could deny her nothing. He would even murder for her, for this.
“YESSSSSSS !!!!!”, he screamed, as his universe exploded.
________________________________________
-
Tony headed for the steps that led down to the Furnace Room. To his left was a brand-new gas-fired Furnace. Long ago, someone had tapped downward into a natural gas source, probably when the school was built, as there was no ‘Gas Company’ in the Vale Valley. Other, older buildings probably had done the same. It was, in effect, free energy....For as long as the natural gas pocket held out.
Tony knew his way around the basement, having been here several times before already. He wound his way around the maze of rooms until he reached the back area. He hadn’t been here since he and Jimmy had seen Pete and the Luntz brothers off that night back in late April. He cautiously crept into the large back room. Looking to the left, he saw the little alcove where there was a cot along with a small TV and Radio on a shelf. There at the Cot was Mr. Riddle, bent over and shoving something underneath it. Tony waited until he stood up and called, “Umm....Mr. Riddle, Sir ?”
Startled, Mr. Riddle jumped and suddenly reached into his pocket, withdrawing a small, snub-nosed revolver. “Who’s Out There ? Show Yourself !!!”
Tony froze in fear. He hadn’t expected this. Who was this Mr. Riddle anyway ? “Uhhh....It’s....Just me, Mr. Riddle....Tony Calderone !! Don’t shoot !!”
“Whadda you doin’ down here kid ?”, Mr. Riddle snarled. “This is my private area !”
“Umm...I know that, Sir....", Tony began, haltingly. “But I used to come down here when Mr. Luntz was down here....And, I didn’t think you’d mind any....I need some help, you see, and....”
Mr. Riddle remained tense for a bit longer, then relaxed when he saw that it was just Tony and that nobody else was with him. He stuck the gun away. “Still, kid, you shouldn’t be down here”, he said. “You might get hurt.”
“You left the door unlocked”, Tony pointed out. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
“I was told to do that”, Mr. Riddle grumbled. “Something about kids having fights in ‘The Hole’, whatever that means.”
Tony half-smiled, and explained about the Hole Fights. Mr. Riddle listened, and when Tony was through, remarked, “Guess that’s one way to settle scores. Crude, but effective.”
“Seems to work”, Tony said, “Although it hasn’t been used much lately.” He was thinking of Tad maybe fighting Hal over their incident at the Carnival, but the stuck-up Preppies didn’t much like to use the Hole, preferring to use their Boxing Ring instead.
“So, what kinda help you need ?”, Mr Riddle asked. “Still about the missing girls ?”
Shocked, Tony replied, “Of course it is ! What do you think, that it’s some other stupid thing ? Why do you think I’d even come to you ?”
“Why DID you come to me ?”, Mr. Riddle asked, intrigued.
“Well, I....I...”, sputtered Tony. He was so close to anger over Mr. Riddle’s first questions that this last question threw him. Tony stood with his mouth open, indecisive. If Tony told him that he was here because of some dream, Mr. Riddle would likely laugh in his face. But what else could he say ?
Finally, Tony sighed. In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought. “It’s....Because of these dreams I have. They show me.....Well, they show me the School Store....With you behind the counter. Kinda stupid reason, I know....”
Instead of ridiculing Tony, Mr. Riddle said, “There’s something to be said for dreams. Sometimes, they’re pre-cognitive, you know. It’s even said that Lincoln had a dream he was gonna die before he got shot.”
“So....You don’t think that’s...Dumb ?”, Tony asked in surprise.
“Tell me....Do you have these kind of dreams often ?”, Mr. Riddle asked.
“Uhh....Well, yes...." Tony answered, then added, “But most of them before showed me the worst that could happen, bombs, explosions, dead people....”
“And did those things happen ?’, pursued Mr. Riddle.
“Yeah, the bombs and explosions happened”, Tony said, “But not the dead people, because....Because....”
“Because you prevented that”, Mr. Riddle told him. “Somehow, you kept whatever was going to happen FROM happening. Not all dreams foretell the future, Tony. Some foretell what MIGHT BE if nothing gets done to stop it. Don’t you see ?”
“Well....Yeah”, Tony said, with a troubled look. “But....They’re different now. I’m in this, like, Dome place or something, and it’s really weird....” Tony went on to describe his latest dreams, starting with the one he had the night before Karen and Melody went missing, concluding with last night’s dream. “So....I really don’t understand these so well.”
“Tell me Tony”, Mr. Riddle said, appearing lost in thought, “Do they leave you clues ? Any clues at all ?”
“Not really....I came to you for the clues !”, Tony answered. “And, it was a dead end ! Karen and Melody weren’t at that Church !”
“You say there wasn’t any clues ?”, Mr. Riddle asked. “Weren’t there ? Think.”
Tony did think. He turned and closed his eyes, dwelling on those dreams. As he concentrated, voices returned to in his mind.
“The ones you seek, they are not here, nor have they been !”
"You Must look elsewhere for them, in a place far from here !”
Unbidden, more voices floated up into his mind.
“Your friend was in our care.....we sent him away to different place.”
“You young ones are known to us....The Heros of Bullworth”
“All things are possible under the care of the Ultimate !”
“Here, take this...It might provide a clue.”
“They are also unclean and corrupt !”
Tony’s eyes flew open. There was more ! From....Where, exactly ?
Mr. Riddle smiled. “Here’s another”, he said. “Riddle me this....In the place of great despair, where souls have lost all hope, does the one with the most jagged mind hold the key that is sought ?”
Tony had a confused look on his face at Mr. Riddle’s pronouncement. “What does that mean ?”
“It means what it means, kid”, Mr. Riddle said. “It up to you to figure it out.”
“But....I Can’t !”, Tony said, then dropped his voice to a near whisper. “I just Can’t.”
“You figured out the one that led to the Church, didn’t you ?”, Mr. Riddle asked.
“Well....Yeah...”, Tony said, “But....Why can’t you just tell me ? Why the riddles ?”
Mr. Riddle began to pace up and down. “You know, Tony, you’re famous now. Everyone in the world who cares to turn on a computer knows your story, and the story of Bullworth. There’s people who would like to help....Want to help. But, they can’t do it directly.”
“What does that mean ?”, Tony asked, “Can’t do it directly ?”
“There’s more than just the Cops and the FBI looking in on this case”, Mr. Riddle answered, “But, they don’t know where the girls are. No one does, except their kidnappers. But, there’s people who are trying to help, from a distance. They have to take what they’ve learned about this place, and provide some kind of clues.”
“Who are these....Others ?”, Tony asked. “Why would they want to help me ?”
“When you and your friends brought down the corruption here, that in turn brought down a Crime Syndicate. Not just any Syndicate, the biggest in the country. For that, there’s bound to be.....Repercussions. Since you and your friends are still out here, in the open, there’s a possibility that you could become....Targets. Then again, there’s some people that want to see that you stay alive and all right. And, they are working in your behalf, trying to point you in the right direction.”
“But....We’re just Kids !”, Tony exclaimed. “And everything oughta be safe now, Safe !”
“Fact is”, Mr. Riddle said, somewhat sadly, “No one is ever really safe. You have to guard your life, every day. Some more than others.”
Frustrated, Tony dropped his head. This was a lot to take in. He needed time to think. Raising his head, he eyed Mr. Riddle. “Who are you, really, Mr. Riddle ?”
Mr. Riddle stared back a bit before answering. “I’m just a man. kid. Nothing more.”
“And, are you sure you don’t know Mr. Luntz ?”, Tony asked.
“Nope”, Mr. Riddle replied blandly. “I don’t know anybody by that name at all.”
____________________________________________
-
Pinky had finally had it. Coming downstairs from her and Tad’s room at Harington House, she was shocked to see that high-class Slut Vanessa sitting in Tad’s lap. Tad’s chair had it’s back to the stairway, and even though Vanessa could have easily looked around and seen Pinky on the stairs, she was too busy fiddling with Tad’s hair to notice.
Pinky moved noiselessly down the stairs in her bare feet, fuming. Sure she had slept in, this was a Sunday, after all. But what right did it give that Tramp to move in on what was supposed to be her man ? Not that it was the first time she had laid her hands on him, oh no. There had been a few other occasions where Pinky had caught her touching him, flirting with him.
Pinky carefully removed one of the decorative Cricket Paddles from the wall at the foot of the stairs. There was no one else in the huge room except the three of them, and Pinky crept closer to the chair until she was almost directly behind it. Vanessa caught a movement from the corner of her eye, and looked up just in time to see the Cricket Paddle arcing towards her face.
WHACK !!!!!!! Vanessa was knocked off Tad’s lap and went sprawling on the floor. She rolled once and got up on her elbows, her dark hair hanging disheveled in her face. A trickle of blood ran down her temple. She glared at Pinky standing by the chair wielding the Cricket Paddle.
“You Low-Life BITCH !!!”, Vanessa growled in a very un-ladylike voice. “How DARE You Attack Me !!!!” Quick as a flash, she was on her feet, advancing on Pinky, apparently without fear.
Pinky wasn’t expecting her to get up. She backed a step up, taking another swing with the Paddle that only hit empty air. Tad had recovered from his initial shock and began to rise from the chair. “I Say, Pinks, What On Earth Are You Doin....”
WHACK !!!!!!! Pinky’s next backswing smacked Tad full in the face, and he fell back into the chair. Blood spurted from his nose in a spray. “Ohhh, My Word !!!”, he cried, “My Dose !!!!”
“Who Are You Calling A Low-Life, You High-Flouting SLUT !!!!”, Pinky screamed, totally ignoring Tad and his busted nose.
“I Hear Girls Like You Marry For Money, Guess You Don’t Have A Trust Fund Anymore !!”, Vanessa shot back.
“What’s The Matter, You Run Out Of Cousins ?”, Pinky yelled. “That Why You Came Here ?”
“Low-Rent Is Always Low-Rent, And I Hear That’s What You’re Going To Be, Miss Poor Broke Bitch !!!”, Vanessa screamed back.
“Now You’ve Gone And Done It !!”, Pinky shouted, enraged. “You’ll Be Sorry !!” She began to advance on Vanessa once more, swinging the Paddle. Quickly, Vanessa ran to the other side of the room, grabbing another decorative Cricket Paddle off the wall and whirling around.
“Come At Me, Bitch !!”, Vanessa screamed, “Come At Me Now !!!”
The other Preps who had been in the Common Lounge on the second floor had heard the commotion, and had quickly lined up along the upstairs railing. This was very interesting, as none of them had ever seen two Prep Girls go at it before. Soon, they even began to cheer the fight on, being unable to help themselves.
”How Exciting, A Girl Fight !!!”
“I Say, Kick Her Ass, Vanessa !!”
“Knock Her Block Off, Pinky !!”
“Fight !! Fight !! Fight !!”
Pinky Advanced on Vanessa. “You TRAMP !!! I Saw What You Were Doing With Him !!”
“Are You Mentally Damaged Or Something ??”, Vanessa shouted, swinging the Paddle at Pinky.
“Do You Know What You Just Did ? Do You ??”, Pinky yelled, ducking the blow.
“I Hear You’ve Dated From A Lower Social Class !!”, Vanessa gloated, stepping closer and landing a blow to Pinky’s shoulder.
“OUCH !!!", Pinky howled, backing up a bit. “Step Away From Me !!”
Vanessa swung again, but missed. “You’re Just A Thug In Good Clothes !!”
Pinky swung back and also missed. “Do You Really Think You’re Interesting to Tad ?”
“Better Than You”, Vanessa swung back. "You’re Just Compensating For Being A LOOSER !”
“You’re A Sick, Evil, Psycho Creep !!”, Pinky shouted, striking back and catching Vanessa in the side.
“Ooooff !!! You BITCH”, Vanessa screamed. She retreated a couple steps, but as Pinky advanced, she began flailing away with the Paddle again. Both Girls were swinging hard now, with none of the swings connecting as they continued to swear at each other.
CRACK !!!! Suddenly, the two Cricket Paddles met in mid-air and broke in half. Screaming in rage, Vanessa threw the broken handle aside and charged at Pinky, hands extended, trying to claw at her eyes. Instead, she wound up scratching Pinky’s face.
Owww !!”, Pinky screamed, “Did You Just Touch Me ??”
Both Girls began clawing at each other, then began yanking on each other’s hair. The Preps on the railing above witnessed a strange dance, as the girls pulled themselves awkwardly about the room, grunting and cursing. The Preps on the railing increased their calls with cheers and whistles as the girls finally pulled each other to the floor, rolling around like dirty sandlot fighters. In those close quarters, the weak punches of the girls had little effect, until Pinky managed to push Vanessa away from her a bit and then rammed the handle of the broken Paddle deep into Vanessa’s stomach.
“Uuuuuggghh !!!”, Vanessa gasped, and then began to gag. She rolled over on all fours and threw up. “You....Insane....Bitch !”, she sputtered.
“Yeah, OK, Whatever, Psycho”, Pinky said, rising to her feet and planting a solid kick to Vanessa’s ass. She went sprawling, still puking. The fight was over.
Pinky stood, breathing heavily. She stared at a defeated Vanessa for a bit, then looked around for Tad. He was still sitting in his chair, eyes closed and hands to his face, moaning over his busted nose. She marched over to his chair.
“I’m Leaving”, she announced. “We Are Over, Understand ??”
“But...But....Pinks....Come on, now....”, Tad snuffled, blood still leaking from his nose.
“Why Are You Even Talking To Me, Tad ?”, Pinky said. “I’m Done !”
With that, Pinky stalked off, climbing the stairs to her room to pack up her things. She pushed through the other Preps who were congratulating her without a word. Deep down, her emotions were swirling....Anger, most certainly, but also a sense of triumph for having kicked that pretentious bitch’s ass.
As she was packing up, she gave no thought to the fact that she herself had been cheating with Tony just a couple of nights ago. In Pinky’s world, that made no difference whatsoever. Derby and her had cheated on each other, and often, of that there was no doubt. But at the very least, they both had the breeding not to flaunt it around each other.
She hauled her bags, a bit painfully, out of the room and down the stairs. The rest of the Preps had dispersed back to their common lounge, without bothering to attend to Vanessa, who was laying on the floor in her own puke. Tad was still sitting in his chair, bleeding. She walked past without saying anything, and left Harrington Hall for good.
___________________________________________
-
Tony used the Basement door that faced the Parking Lot to leave the school. There were still many questions in his mind, and he felt he should maybe take a ride to sort things out. Perhaps, something would occur to him that he was missing. He headed over to the Garage Area of the Autoshop that faced the Parking Lot, unlocked and raised the Garage door where his bike was. Pulling it out, he closed the door and began to ride, going through the gate to the long access road.
Coming to Valley Valley Boulevard, he hung a left and rode on to the Vale. He biked around aimlessly for awhile, then decided to return to the ‘Scene of the Crime’, as it were. He headed off towards Vale Valley Road, and finally came to a stop at the place just West of the little bridge where the Abduction had apparently taken place. Sitting on the curb by the road, he ran things through his mind once more as he stared at the street. What was he missing ?
Clues. What clues did he have ? There was Mr. Riddle’s riddle. There were the Ghostly Voices of his dreams. There was the scraps of information he had gotten from others. How did it all make sense ? It was like a large, oppressive weight bearing down down on him. Tony sighed. He had the feeling that he could make all the connection lines on all the charts up in his Mediator’s Office and still not find the answers he needed.
Tony remembered seeing an old movie called “Demon With A Glass Hand”, about this man from the future with no memory. The man had a computer for a hand, but it was missing some fingers, and he was being chased by Aliens, also from the future, who wanted to kill him and take his glass-hand computer. As the show progressed, the man had to find his missing glass-fingers and plug them in to the glass-hand computer, much like a ‘finger drive’ would plug into a USB port. The glass-hand computer could actually speak to the character when he sought information as to who he was and why he was there, telling him certain things, but also letting him know “I Am Incomplete. My Mechanism Is Not Whole. I Can Serve You Better If I Am Complete.” The character’s name, ironically, was Trent.
Tony was feeling a bit like ‘Trent’ right now....Clueless about what the Clues meant. But in thinking, there was one clue he hadn’t tracked down yet, that of his dream vision of Lola. Tony couldn’t imagine what she could possibly tell him about any of this. And although they hadn’t really spoken since last winter, when he and the Chef had delivered her to the Bus Station in a raging snowstorm, Tony felt that Lola would be willing to help him in his quest to find Karen and Melody. But to be able to talk with her, he felt certain that the only way to do that was for them to be alone, without Johnny Vincent being around, given his obvious jealousy problems.
Tony rose from his spot on the curb and mounted up on his bike. It was time to go join the hunt for Lola, although he had a feeling he wouldn’t have to look too far. He didn’t believe she had been snatched or kidnapped like Karen and Melody, because what Mr. Riddle had said made sense....It was Tony and his friends, the girls included, that were the targets. Tony had the growing conviction that the girls had been taken as some form of revenge. Their disappearances had been quick, efficient, and with no witnesses whatsoever, and that spoke of some sort of professional planning.
Since Lola had played no part in the events which Tony and his friends had done to bring down the corruption in the Vale Valley (and elsewhere, as it turned out), it was very unlikely she would have been abducted by those seeking to avenge themselves. If what Mr. Riddle had relayed to him was true, he and his friends....Nick, Laurent, Constantinos, and maybe even Ray....Were still in danger. Snatching the girls may have only just been the beginning.
________________________________________
-
Nick finally awoke well after Noon. Unlike Tony, he had no pre-cogitative dreams, or dreams of any kind, it seemed. At least none that he could ever remember. Sometimes he wondered if Tony was just making all that shit up, or had an overactive imagination. Still, he had to admit, from what he had heard, there might be something to it after all. But just not for him.
Nobody was around, the Dorm was practically a ghost town. Nick didn’t want to be cooped up in the Dorm, anyway. He decided to head down to the Football Field, and maybe hang out with the Jocks if he could. They were the only Clique he really felt comfortable being around, since they had accepted him as nearly one of their own after his rescue of Damon from the Asylum. On his way down there, he kept a sharp eye out for Beatrice. That was one crazy bitch he didn’t want to be running into today, or ever again if he could help it.
As he approached the Field, he could see that the Jocks were being run through some kind of practice drills in the early afternoon heat. He went down the steps anyway and headed over to the bleachers. Mandy had the new Cheerleaders out too, in their skimpy outfits, and at least he could watch them, he figured. As he looked up in the bleachers, he saw a couple other people and climbed up to join them.
It turned out to be that kid Lance and the big boy, Bob. Nick didn’t really know either of them very well, but they seemed friendly enough when he greeted them and sat down. After some initial polite conversation, Nick found out that Bob wasn’t feeling too well and had been excused from the practice drills. Lance had been assigned to look after him,in case he got sick or something.
It seemed that Bob was suffering from the effects of heat exhaustion just a mite. His large face was beefy and reddish. Lance had put a wet towel over his head and it seemed to be helping. Nick thought it might have been better to keep him in the shade, but he didn’t say anything. After a while of small talk, Lance asked him a question.
“Hey, ummm....I heard you guise, like went to that Church”, Lance said. “Is that true ?”
“More than that, we went into that Church”, Nick replied, his eyes on Mandy and the Cheerleaders. One of them reminded him of Melody, and that made him sad.
“Inside !?”, Lance said incredulously. “What was it like in there ?”
Nick wondered just how this kid had heard about their adventure. He concluded that Ray had probably blabbed about it to someone. Word traveled fast around this place, it seemed. He wished could find out just what happened to the girls. He gave Lance a brief version of the inside of the Church and their events that took place while they were in there. He concluded with, “It really didn’t seem all that helpful. We didn’t find any clues as to what happened to the girls.”
HERE, TAKE THIS....IT MIGHT PROVIDE A CLUE. The sudden forcefulness of the voice that slammed into his mind unnerved him. A ghostly image of a Cell Phone dropping into a hand accompanied the unreal voice. Where had that come from ?
“Man, that Sucks”, Lance went on. “So, you guys got any ideas where to look next ?”
AS FOR THE ONES YOU SEEK, THEY ARE NOT HERE, NOR HAVE THEY BEEN. YOU MUST LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR THEM, IN A PLACE FAR FROM HERE. The voice came again, just as forceful as the first time. Nick closed his eyes and shook his head. What was this ?
“Hey...Um, Nick ?”, Lance said, “Something wrong ? Heat gettin’ to you ?”
WE SENT HIM AWAY TO A DIFFERENT PLACE. IT IS NOT OUR MISSION HERE TO LOOK AFTER SUCH CHILDREN. The voice continued to echo in his mind like a Megaphone. Nick felt nearly sick to his stomach.
“Hey...Nick !”, Lance exclaimed, seemingly from far away. “Snap out of it, Man !”
BUT YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER THAT, OR ANY OF THIS. The voice spoke again, but fading now. Abruptly, Nick’s mind cleared. He raised his head and blinked, looking over at Lance. “Err...I’m alright, I guess. Just a...Something. Ok now.”
“Maybe you’ve taken too many punches”, Lance observed, knowing of Nick’s fighting prowess.
“No...I don’t think so”, Nick said, but nevertheless still felt a bit sick. “I’ll be fine, seriously.”
“Bob No Feel So Good”, Bob suddenly piped up. “Maybe Go To Infirmary Now.”
Lance looked over, startled. “Oh ! Course, big guy. I’ll walk you over.” Turning back to Nick, he said, “You gonna be alright ?”
“Yeah, just fine”, Nick answered absently. He was dwelling on something the voice said. “You guys go on, I’m gonna just sit here awhile.”
“Ok, if you’re sure”, Lance said, rising. “Com’on Bob, let’s go.”
Lance and Bob left then. Nick watched them go. He then sat there awhile, looking back at the Cheerleaders. The one reminded him of Melody. What had that voice said ?
The Cell Phone. Something about the Cell Phone. Melody’s Cell Phone. Some kind of clue ? But that wasn’t possible. Tony had checked it out, he had watched him do it. But had he checked everything ? What if they had missed something ?
Nick rose to his feet. The Cell Phone was stashed in a drawer back in their Dorm room. He trotted down the bleachers and headed up the steps by the Gym, heading back to the Boy’s Dorm. He had to find out.
___________________________________________________
-
Christy returned to the house to find Winkie sitting on the porch stoop. She climbed the short steps and sat down beside him.
“Hey, Babe, where’ya been ?”, Winkie greeted. He’d been asleep, as he had a gig to play that night.
“To the Store”, Christie answered, pulling out a Zagnuts candy bar for Winkie and handing it to him. “This heat is Soooo Annoying.” It had been a rather hot week by New England standards, and she was perspiring.
Winkie unwrapped the candy bar and bit into it, his favorite. “Thanks for the candy bar”, he said between bites. “This a special occasion ?”
“I had to go to the Store cause I was bored”, Christy said. “I feel like summer break should be, like five months long, and not so hot all the time.”
“So, anything interesting happen ?”, Winkie said conversationally, still munching.
“No...Not really”, Christy said. “Except.....I ran into Ms. Phillips on the way home. She was acting....Strange.”
“Strange how ?”, Winkie said, licking his fingers of the melted chocolate as he finished the candy bar.
“Um, well...”, Christy said, dropping into her gossip mode. “I don’t really know. She was kinda....Spacey. More than usual, that is. She told me I was going to have to take over her classes for a few days, cause she had something to do. And then, she started asking me questions about Miss Jones.”
“What kinda questions ?”. Winkie asked, not really caring but humoring her, as always.
“About where Miss Jones was Friday, what she was doing after school, stuff like that”, Christy answered. “I told her I didn’t know, I left right after classes and came home, as you well know. All that time, she was looking at my feet, at my shoes I guess. Then, she asked what my shoe size was. So, I told her, what a strange thing to be asking, but she insisted I take one of my shoes off and show her ! So, I did, and she saw it was size 8 and gave it back to me. Then she pulled this black high-heel out of her purse and asked me if I’d ever seen that before, and I told her sure, there’s a lot of black shoes like that, a lot of women wear them around here, but it did look like someone with small feet, cause the shoe wasn’t that big, y’see. So then she just sighs, and says she had to get going and she’d see me tomorrow before school and give me the lesson plans for the week. Then she just walked away, muttering something. Real strange.”
“Um, So...What ?”, Winkie asked, “Did she think that shoe was yours, or something ?”
“Eh, I don’t know”, Christy said. “But everybody knows I don’t wear heels much, I always wear loafers, cause I’m too tall anyway.”
“It’s a wonder she didn’t have you try it on”, Winkie joked, “Just to see.”
“I thought she was going to, there for a second !”, Christy exclaimed. “I could almost see her wanting to, then she just stuffed it back into her purse.”
“Hmmm”, Winkie said, for lack of anything better. “Well, I don’t really know the lady...She seems nice enough....”
“Yeah, but Ms. Phillips hits on male students”, Christy said disdainfully. “She has them paint pictures of her in Art Class, reclining on a sofa. Those boys eat it up, sniff around her like dogs in heat. I think she gets off on it.”
Winkie greeted that comment with a shrug. About every school had a hot teacher that teen boys were liable to whack off to. It was almost like a tradition. The conversation lagged as Christy perspired more in the heat. She stared idly down at her worn loafers. Maybe it was time for some new shoes. “I wish I had, like five thousand dollars so I could go buy everything”, she said wistfully.
“We’ll get there, Babe, someday”, Winkie answered. “It just takes time, y’know.”
Christy sighed. “I know....It’s just that....I think I ought to get some 'grown-up’ shoes, if I’m going to be taking over her class for awhile. They all treat me like I’m still a student, maybe if I looked older, or something, I’d get more respect....”
“Well, I suppose we could afford some things...”, Winkie allowed.
Christy turned to him. “Then...Could you be a dear and walk with me to the Clothes Store ? That would be just Super !”
Winkie nodded, smiling. Christy seemed energized at the idea of shopping. She leapt up and hurried inside to put away the stuff she had gotten from the Yum-Yum Store. Then she rejoined Winkie, ready to go. Arm in arm, they headed off to the Worn-In Clothing Store.
________________________________________
-
Nick returned to the Boy’s Dorm. On the way, he ran across Constantinos, who curiously looked like he was headed to the Library. Nick asked him if he had seen Tony around.
“Umm....No, I haven’t”, Constantinos answered, somewhat distractedly. Then he stopped and glanced queerly at Nick. “Er, uh....I’m supposed to tell you that....Uhh, Beatrice wants to see you tonight....In her room ?”
Nick swore. “I don’t wanna see that crazy bitch, and certainly not in her room”, he said, almost adding 'ever again' to the end of his sentence. “That girl’s plain Nuts, smart or not.”
“Um...Maybe you better”, Constantinos said, “It sounded....Important.”
Nick shot Constantinos a strange look. It almost seemed like he was begging. “Look, I’ll talk to the bitch, Ok ? But I got stuff to take care of, first. About the girls, y’know.”
Constantinos looked relieved for some reason. “Ok....Well, I got something to do, too....So, I’ll see you around....”
With that, Constantinos wandered off, still in the direction of the Library. Nick watched him go and shook his head. He didn’t have time to figure out what was bothering Constantinos, and anyway that probably wasn’t any of his business, unless Constantinos wanted wanted to tell him, which he hadn’t. He resumed his way to the Dorm.
Arriving in the room he shared with Tony, he began searching for Melody’s Cell Phone. Tony had stashed it somewhere, Nick just hadn’t been paying attention where, though. After about 15 minutes of searching, he found it, hidden in the bottom dresser drawer buried under some clothing. He snatched it up, went over to his bed and sat down.
It was a Flip Phone, so he opened it up. He could see it was switched off, so he pushed the small button to turn it on. While it powered up, he tried to remember what Tony had checked out. He could see the battery power was about half. He went to the Menu of the phone and checked the ‘Messages’ icon. There were multiple Text Messages from both him and Tony, asking as to their whereabouts. He scrolled through all of them. There had been no sent messages from the phone.
He next tried Voice Messages. Again, there were multiple messages from both him and Tony, becoming more frantic as they progressed. He listened to them all, but they held no clues beyond what they already knew. He checked Instant Messaging and Multimedia, but found nothing. He checked ‘Contacts’ and found only those of Tony, Karen, and himself listed there.
Next he switched to the ‘Call Log’, where there were three options. Checking the ‘Missed Calls’ revealed again multiple calls from both his phone and Tony’s phone, there were no others. Although Nick was sure they had called many more times, the listing was capped at 10 missed calls, earlier ones had been automatically deleted from the list. The same went for ‘Received Calls’ which were also capped at 10. All those were made on the day they got the phones to start with, most of them were from Karen’s phone, he saw. Lastly, he searched the final option, 'Calls Made’. As he scrolled through the listing, which were all calls made to Karen’s and his phone, he accidentally discovered that there was another page. The 'Made Calls’ listing apparently saved 20 listings instead of 10, and there on the second page was an unfamiliar number that was neither Tony’s, Karen’s, or his. Tony must not have realized that there was a second page.
Nick clicked on the strange number and a new page popped up. At the top was ‘Call Time’. Nick pushed that option and read what appeared....07/07/2008. Nearly three days after their disappearance.
Nick backed up and went to the ‘Call’ option for the strange number. He pressed the button and held the Cell Phone up to his ear. The call connected and a phone began ringing somewhere. On the fifth ring, it was picked up and a bored voice answered, “Happy Volts Asylum."
Shocked, Nick let the phone fall to his lap. From far away, the tinny voice said, “Lo ? Anybody There ? Lo ?” Finally there was a curse and the connection was severed.
Nick closed the Flip Top on Melody’s Cell Phone. Digging his own Cell Phone out of his pocket, he quickly called Tony. The phone rang a number of times and then went to Voice Mail. Tersely, Nick left a short message. “Tony, it’s Nick. I’ve found something. Call back as soon as you get this, it’s Important !”
______________________________________________
-
Unbeknown to Nick, Tony had set his Cell Phone to 'Silent’ earlier in the day, as he was preparing to go on his ride. So, as Nick was leaving a message for him, he was biking about New Coventry, looking for Lola, along with the rest of the Greasers. So far, they had scoured from the West end to the Tennements, including the Junkyard, and were moving to the South-East end of New Coventry.
Tony himself peeled off to check out the Clinic, on the off-chance Lola had wound up there, but he really didn’t believe she was there. If his hunch was right, he had a good idea where Lola was, but it was a idea he didn’t want to share with the Greasers. If she was where he thought she was, he needed to see her alone.
As the afternoon began to wear down, the Greasers decided to move the search to Blue Skies. The poisonous greenish gas was no longer considered a threat, although the residue still clung to the buildings and about everything else in the area. Tony told the Greasers he would go over to Bullworth Town and check around there. Johnny even thanked him for his help before the Greasers took off for the bridge to Blue Skies. Tony was sure that Johnny wouldn’t be so thankful if he had known about his and Lola’s little tryst last winter.
Tony did indeed go back to Bullworth Town, but only to leave his bike at the Shiny Bike Store’s bike garage, which he had access to. He didn’t want to get his Flame Job Bike stolen, not after all the work he had put into customizing it. After he had secured his bike, he walked back to New Coventry.
One place the Greasers hadn’t really checked out was the place where Tony was headed now, right around the corner from New Coventry’s Yum-Yum Market and real near the indoor Bike Park. The building was a nondescript structure where he had went to spend a night before, looking for some alone-time but winding up escorting Lola through a stormy winter’s night to get her a ride to the Bus Station in the next town.
Arriving at his destination, he stopped at the steps and took a deep breath. Looking up, he sighed and entered the Halfway House.
____________________________________
-
Constantinos broke into the School Library. Since it was now closed on Sundays, he didn’t seem to have much choice. His new-found obsession with Tiffany made her Kleptomaniac obsession his obsession as well. Normally, in times before, a break-in at the Library in daylight would have been noticed. But the Nerds rarely hung out in front of the Library these days, they had a much better Bully-free place at the Observatory now. And without trouble to bring them, the Prefects rarely patrolled the grounds of the Library.
There were many who would have been surprised to find out that Constantinos had talents other than being Tony’s sneaking little depressing snitch who used to run around in a Bull Head costume that he claimed made him stronger. He could also pick locks. He was nowhere as skilled as Karen was at it, but the older, simple locks he could open with ease. Such was the old Skeleton Key lock of the Library entrance doors. In just a couple of minutes, he had sprung the lock and slipped inside.
It was dim inside, with just a couple of maintenance lights left on, but Constantinos knew just which section to go to. Shining his small flashlight on it, he could tell about half of the Romance section was gone. He unslung his backpack and began loading the rest of the books in it. Perhaps this might quench her Klepto desire for this sort of thing and they could move on to more ‘normal’ relationship. He could only hope so and desperately did.
Sneaking away from the Library, he then snuck to the Girl’s Dorm, entering in his usual way....Through the attic window. He went right to Tiffany’s stash in the far corner and unloaded his backpack of all the books he’d just swiped, arranging them just as he remembered them on the shelves at the Library. Then, he arranged the rest of the pile in the same manner, remembering to take back the three books he had checked out, since he was responsible for returning them. Those he pushed into his now-empty backpack. Then he stood and admired his work. That ought to get her juiced up, he thought, and maybe.....
“Looks pretty good”, a voice said behind him. Constantinos nearly jumped out of his skin. Fearing he was busted, he gawked around in the semi-darkness. The slender dark-haired girl was leaning against a beam behind him with a gleam in her eye that he was coming to know real well.
“Damn !!”, Constantinos exclaimed, his heart racing. “I....I didn’t even hear you sneak up.” Mixed with his momentary fright was a real sense of admiration. It wasn’t often that anyone even came close to being the sneak he was.
Tiffany came closer to examine the spoils Constantinos had brought her this time. Her face went dreamy as she saw how he had arranged the books on the dusty floor. She began running her hands over her body as she stood there and then cupping her breasts. Her breathing became faster and harsher as her eyes seemed to glaze over. If Constantinos didn’t know better, he could have sworn she was having an orgasm.
Suddenly, she began tearing off her blouse, then her bra. Peeling down her pants and undergarments, she kicked them aside and stood there naked, rubbing her crotch. “Get down on the floor, Boy !”, she commanded breathlessly. Constantinos shed his clothes in record time and did as he was told.
This time it was even better than he ever dreamed possible, as Tiffany nearly slammed him through the floor.
_____________________________________________
-
Nick went over to the Parking Lot to see if he could snag a bike. Kids were always leaving them laying around for some reason. Maybe it was because mostly they were just pieces of shit. Arriving, he saw a few Bullies hanging about, over by where the old junk School Bus used to be. It seemed that the ‘Old Hobo Hideout’, as it was now being called, was holding a great fascination for some kids today, the Bullies in particular.
Spotting a bike laying over by the East wall, he headed over to pick it up. Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers, least that’s how the childhood wisdom of the ages always went for untold decades. He mounted it, but as soon as he did, one of the Bullies started pointing at him and then came running over.
“Hey !! You Can’t Take That, That’s Mine....”, the Bully yelled as he was running, but he stopped short when he saw it was Nick Penty doing the taking.
“Yeah, well, it’s like this, Davis”, Nick said easily, “I’m gonna ‘borrow’ this here bike for awhile. You gotta problem with that ?”
“Umm...Er....I guess not”, Davis said, somewhat resentfully. “Just don’t mess it up none, Ok ?”
Nick looked down at the beat-up bike and almost laughed in Davis’ face. “I’m sure me riding it can only be an Improvement”, he said, and then asked, “I’m looking for Calderone. Any of you seen him ?”
“Um, yeah...”, Davis said, still resentful that Nick was copping his bike. “He was, like taking off on that fancy bike of his when we was just coming over here.”
“How long ago was that ?”, Nick asked, knowing that this dumbass wouldn't think to tell him unless asked....Or threatened.
“About two hours ago”, Davis answered. “Hey, you goin’ to be careful with that, right ?”
“You’ll get it back”, Nick said. “Which way did he go ?”
Davis pointed towards the Parking Lot gate that led out on the access road. “That way.” He still didn’t sound too happy.
Nick pedaled the bike past him without another word and left the Parking Lot. The bike handled like a Tank and there was what felt like bent rims. It kept wanting to pull off to the right. It was no wonder that the Bullies never won any bike races since they were riding crap like this. Then Nick thought that it didn’t make any difference, since they probably stole all their bikes anyway.
Nick biked all around the Vale, and then Bullworth Town without spotting Tony. It was slow going on that hunk of shit, the bike seemed like an unbroken old Horse, trying to buck him off at every opportunity. At least another couple of hours went by. Finally, while riding under the Railroad underpass into New Coventry, the chain suddenly jammed and fell off. Nick nearly had his nuts run into the handlebars as the pedals suddenly became loose.
He got off the bike and looked at the chain. It was a rusted, tangled mess. Nick swore, then picked up the bike and heaved it to the sidewalk where it bounced once, smacked into the bridge wall, then fell on it’s side and lay there, looking like a dead animal. Fuck Davis, he can come get this piece of shit if he wants it back, Nick thought.
Nick didn’t feel like walking around New Coventry looking for Tony. It would be getting dark in about two or three hours anyway. He walked out from under the bridge, then pulled out his Cell Phone and tried Tony again. But, again, he got the same result. Nick cut the connection without leaving a Voice Mail this time. Where could Tony be ?
Nick decided to walk back to the school. Tony might even have returned while he was steering that piece of junk around looking for him. Heading on back, the same nagging questions filled his mind. Who had used Melody’s Cell Phone to call the Asylum ? And Why ? Did that mean the girls were being held over there ? And, if that was so, wouldn’t the Cops have found that out ? Or those F.B.I. Men ?
The Cell Phone had been a clue, all right. He just didn’t know what it might mean. Nick was nowhere near a good as Tony was at analyzing clues or using reasoning deduction. His strengths lay in how to kick an opponent’s ass, not how to solve mysteries. But Nick had a strong feeling about one thing....Another Mission to the inside of the Asylum would have to be carried out. And for that, they would need a plan.
_________________________________________
-
Pinky gazed out the second-floor window of the Boar Inn onto Vale Valley Boulevard. Traffic was light for the late Sunday afternoon. Further on was the Bay, and a few small boats were plying the waters. The whole mid-summer scene seemed peaceful, but Pinky was feeling far from peaceful about her decision to leave Harrington House, and the Preps, for good.
That little Vanessa bitch had been right about one thing, she reflected. She wasn’t going to have a Trust Fund anymore, not when the Lawyers and the Legal System got through with her Father. She would probably become just as Vanessa said, a poor broke bitch. The Spencers and the other rich families would likely weather the legal mess just fine, once they turned state’s evidence against the Harrington Family to save their own asses, but the Gauthier Family was inexorably tied to the Harringtons because they were related. Her Father would go down on Harrington’s sinking ship. The only good thing that would come out of the whole mess was that Pinky’s bitch of a Step-Mother would probably leave her Father once they became poor.
Pinky didn’t want to be tracked down by Tad or his minions, and the Boar Inn was the perfect hiding-out place. Although quaint-looking, it was considered rather low-rent for the upscale Vale area, containing only 10 rooms and no fancy eating place on the ground floor like the Vale Hotel. With the Preps mentality, they wouldn’t think to look for her here, in what they would consider a dump. It was very affordable, so she could stay here awhile, at least while she still had some active credit cards.
Pinky sighed. She guessed she would have to get used to living poor. She’d already had some practice at that, when she had been living with Kurt and the Rockers. It really wasn’t any mystery to her as to why Tad was allowing Vanessa to flirt with him. She was after the prestige of being with the Leader of the Preps, and he was after the trail of old money. It was something that Preps did by instinct. Tad knew very well just what her situation was going to be, and even though he professed such great affection for her, he wouldn’t be able to help himself from going after Vanessa. It was, as they say, in the Blueblood’s blood.
Pinky had considered going to live with Christy, as they had talked about briefly at their last meeting at Shinjo’s. But, living with Christy and Winkie in that cramped apartment would mean she would probably wind up on the couch, and have absolutely no privacy for any 'Gentlemen Callers’, to put it nicely....And listening to their muted sexcapades through the thin walls while she had no one. That didn’t really appeal to her, especially now that she was on the trail of Tony Calderone. Her loins flamed in sudden desire as she recalled their recent night together. While it was true that she didn’t expect him to forget about Karen, the longer she remained missing would work in Pinky’s favor. Despite Tony’s protests, there was almost a kind of electrical energy that sparked between them whenever they were in each other’s presence. Eventually, he would realize that Karen wasn’t coming back, and when that happened, Pinky would have him all to herself. And Tony wouldn’t care if she were rich or poor.
Still looking out at the Bay, but without seeing it, she began scheming on how to lure Tony to the Boar Inn, and just what seductive outfit she should wear this time.
________________________________________
-
Returning to the school, Nick decided to check the Boy’s Dorm to see if anybody was around, but the place was like a Ghost Town. Tony wasn’t back, Constantinos was still missing, even Ray was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the whole place was empty except for those two weird kids, Eddie and Geoff, who never associated with anybody except themselves. They were taking the rare opportunity to play the stand-up console games by themselves in the common room. Nick wondered briefly if they were queer for each other, then shrugged and decided it didn’t matter. What they did was their own business, and since nobody hardly saw them around anyway, it was probably for the best.
Nick then thought that he should return to the Football Field. The Jocks had certainly finished doing their workouts by now, and maybe he could talk to Laurent about this. He took the shortcut over the wall direct to the Front Quad, and hurried along the East path around the school, keeping as far away from the Girl’s Dorm and a possible encounter with Beatrice as possible. The hell with that crazy bitch.
When Nick got down to the Football Field, he saw that indeed the workouts had ended some time ago. However, as Kirby had informed him, Laurent had also left to take Nina out on a date. Disappointed, Nick snagged a beer from the group of Jocks and went to sit alone in the Bleachers. He needed time alone to ponder what he should do.
After a while, Mandy came out of the Jock’s Clubhouse. She was still wearing her Cheerleader’s outfit, and was heading to the Girl’s locker room up in the Gym to shower and change. As she passed by the Bleachers, she spotted Nick sitting there, and called up to him. “Back again ? I saw you here earlier.”
“Um, yeah”, Nick called back, “It’s about the only spot I can hang out around this place, except the Dorm.”
Mandy came closer. “Any word on where the girls are yet ?”
“No”, Nick said morosely, “Although we find a few clues, they never seem to pan out.”
“Wow, like that’s a real shame”, she said, coming even closer to where Nick sat. “I really hope Karen is all right. Melody too”, she added hastily. “None of the girls are really feeling safe these days, not the new ones, anyway. There’s a lot of gossip going around.”
“I’ll bet there is”, Nick said, somewhat dully. He eyed Mandy for a bit, then said, “Mandy, I need to ask you something, and I don’t want it to get out to anybody. Can I trust you to be...Discreet ?”
“Sure !”, Mandy said, sitting down next to Nick, sensing some juicy tidbit. “You can trust me, y’know. It’s like, I’m the Queen of Bullworth !”
Nick wasn’t so sure about that, but he went on. “It’s about....Uh...Beatrice.”
Mandy’s eyes narrowed. “That little four-eyes Bitch ? What about her ?”
Nick let spill the story of how Beatrice had sent him to get her Diary back, saying it was in Mandy’s locker in the Gym. “But, that can’t be true !”, Mandy protested. “I never took that cunt’s Diary ! Not even last year ! Oh My God, is that what she told you ?”
Nick nodded. “What’s more, that’s just where I found it, in your locker.”
Mandy’s eyes went wide. “You broke into my LOCKER ? Oh My God, that can‘t be true!”
“Yep, I did, and the Diary was there, underneath a buncha stuff”, Nick said, unfazed. “Really sorry, but she said she had information for us, and that was the deal. You really oughtta keep your locker neater”, he added.
“But...But I didn’t take anything from that Geek Bitch !”, Mandy said, shocked. “Well, except for some lab papers, last year, and that cunt had that coming. But never her Diary, ever ! She is SUCH a LIAR !”
Nick frowned. “Now that I think of it, it does seem rather strange that she sent me off to just your locker, in the Gym....Like she knew where the Diary was at.”
“Because she PLANTED it there”, Mandy said angrily. “I can’t believe she did it, but she totally did. And that‘s totally Not Allowed !”
Suddenly it occurred to Nick that he had been snookered. “Oh, Man. I’m a real dumbass.”
“Oh My God, Beatrice is such a dork. She’s the biggest social outcast in all of Bullworth”, Mandy said. “She’s smart enough to be real sneaky, if you don’t know her any better.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not all”, Nick allowed, and went on to tell Mandy about what Beatrice did next. “She still wouldn’t give up the information unless I did....Um....Unless I let her....Um...Seduce me...”
“You’ve got to be kidding !”, Mandy exclaimed, her eyes wide. “That Little Slut ! I’ll bet she learned some new ‘Tricks’ while she was away at that fancy uppity school she was going to ! That Bitch !!”
Nick felt a little better that Mandy seemed to be on his side. He was afraid she would be pissed about him busting into her locker. “Eh, it’s all over and done, now. But she wants to see me again....Probably start saying I’m molesting her or something if I don’t play along. I don’t need that shit hanging over my head, especially not now, with Melody and Karen missing and us trying to find them...”
“Leave that to me”, Mandy said promptly. “I’ll take that Bitch down a notch or two. Maybe a whole rung once I get finished with her.”
“How you gonna do that ?”, Nick asked, intrigued.
Mandy flashed a grim smile. “She can’t stand pain. I’ll convince her to see the light.”
Nick was relieved. “That would be a load off, if you could keep her off my case. I need to talk to the others....If you see Laurent later, tell him I need to see him, pronto, will you ? Tony’s off somewhere, something about wanting to talk to Lola about something....Some other clue, I guess, though I can’t see what she’d know about anything....”
”Can you believe Lola ?”, Mandy piped up. “I‘ll bet she‘s been with at least half the boys in the school just to make Johnny jealous !”
“I wouldn’t know about that”, Nick said, amused. “I only seen her up close one time. She got some big knockers, maybe that’s why those morons pant after her.”
“Maybe Lola’s are bigger, but mine are definitely perkier !”, Mandy said with a grin, thrusting her chest out.
“Hey, whoa !”, Nick smiled. “Better not let Ted see you doing that...Unless he don’t care, that is.”
“Oh, like he doesn’t care ?", Mandy joked. “Of course he cares, I mean, just look at me !”
Nick had to laugh. “Say, just where is Ted, anyhow ?”
“Oh, he had to rest, poor baby”, Mandy answered, giggling. “That workout was brutal today, out here in the heat. I swear that new Coach is some kind of masochist. Even I’m all sweaty and nasty. I gotta get out of this outfit and into something comfortable.”
“Well, thanks for helping me out, with all this...”, Nick said, “Just keep it on the Q.T., if you could....?”
“Sure, no problem”, Mandy said as she rose to go. ”Oh, and don‘t worry none about Beatrice”, she added. “I’m gonna totally demolish that little Cunt !”
________________________________________________
-
It was eerily reminiscent of the last time Tony was here. A fast Twenty to the disheveled guy acting as clerk was all it took to gain access to the upstairs. Tony climbed the stairs and it was just like before, the ancient, unkempt hallway, the musty smell of decay. He tred lightly to a door he remembered well, and put his ear up to it.
Sounds of tinny music bled through the door, accompanied by the sound of a girl lightly singing. Tony partly grinned, as he would recognize that voice anywhere....Even though he hadn’t heard it much, and would never admit it to anyone else, he always thought that Lola had the sexist voice of any of the girls, at least around these parts. Tony eased open the door.
Lola was not only singing, she was dancing too. Tony watched with appreciative eyes as she moved her hips to the music, her arms swaying above her head. His gaze focused on her incredible behind as she gyrated, a sudden urge sweeping his groin. He tried to tamp down his feelings of lust, he was on a mission here, after all. He moved a bit into the room, and at that moment Lola turned in her dancing and saw him.
“EEEK !! What Are You Doing Here ??”, she squealed.
“Relax”, Tony cautioned, quickly closing the door. “Everyone’s looking for you.”
“Yeah ? So What ?”, Lola demanded. “You everyone’s errand boy or something ? I came here to get away. Johnny’s been acting all jealous lately. He gets so angry sometimes. I can’t stand it anymore !”
“I’m not here to turn you in, or anything, I’m alone”, Tony quickly said. “There’s no one with me, and no one knows I’m here. So, just chill.”
Lola turned and went over to a beat-up looking dresser against the far wall. She turned down the music coming from an old CD player sitting on top of it. Then she turned back around, eying Tony. “So, why are you here ?”
“I...Um..”, Tony faltered. Just why WAS he here ? Because of a dream vision ? He couldn’t be saying that without seeming to appear as some kind of nut job. Thinking fast, he quickly turned the question around. “Never mind me, just why are YOU here ?”
“I told you, I had to get away !”, Lola answered. “Look, Johnny’s been following me, checking up on me ! I can’t even go shopping without him getting all steamed ! He thinks I’m gonna make out with the Clerks ! He’s so mean to me sometimes, I don’t know what to do !”
“Oh”, Tony said. “But I though you two were solid, and all. Wasn’t that what that whole ride through the blizzard to catch that bus was all about last Christmas ?”
Lola sighed. “When we were in Detroit, everything was fine with us. Johnny didn’t act this way. I thought he’d finally grown up. But once we came back home here, he just went back to his old ways. It’s so annoying !”
“So...Why not go back to Detroit ?”, Tony asked, sensibly he thought.
“Give me a break", Lola scoffed, “That’s a stupid question.”
“Stupid how ?”, Tony asked. “That seems like a reasonable thing, Maybe, it’s just this place where he doesn’t trust you, because it's familiar.”
“Oh, you Dummy”, Lola said, then elaborated when she saw the look of confusion on Tony’s face. “In Detroit, there was violence everywhere, Gangs, and Shootings even ! It wasn’t safe for a girl to go out alone ! I never got to do anything ! I couldn’t even ride my bike anywhere !”, she pouted. “No one dared to even look at me, everybody was so Afraid of everything. So, we decided to come back, where it wasn’t so....Dangerous.”
Tony had to laugh at that in his mind. If she’d been around for all the bombings last spring, she might be thinking a bit differently. True, she’d seen the Halloween school bombings, but they paled alongside the reign of terror that Jake and the Punks had engineered in bombing the towns.
Lola sighed and went over to a little table set against the wall. She pulled out one of the two chairs and sat down. “I just want to ride my bike”, she moped. “Is that so wrong ?”
Tony moved over to the table and pulled out the other chair. Sitting down, he said, “Of course not. He’s just probably concerned about you, maybe afraid you might get kidnapped, like....Karen and Melody. That’s probably what it is.”
“I know”, Lola said, her voice trembling somewhat. “But we’re always fighting over the stupidest things. It’s so annoying.”
“At least you have someone to be annoyed with”, Tony consoled, thinking he would give just about anything to be annoyed by Karen again.
Lola uttered a shaky laugh. “If he don’t watch himself, he’ll wind up in the Asylum again, like he did early last year when he blew a gasket over me.”
Tony’s radar immediately perked up. “Johnny was a patient in the Asylum once ?”
“Oh, Yes”, Lola told him. “He got real crazy, we broke up for awhile, and he went really bonkers !” She went on to tell Tony all about it, and how Jimmy Hopkins got in the place and busted him out. She finished up by saying, “He gets so crazy jealous. I think maybe boys just like me cause I’m hot. That’s not MY fault.”
Tony’s mind was in overdrive. What was that Mr. Riddle had said ? In the place of great despair, where souls have lost all hope, does the one with the most jagged mind hold the key that is sought ? What did that have to do with Karen and Melody ? Did Lola know something ?
Lola was looking at Tony while he thought. A strange but familiar mood fell over her. She snaked out her tongue and licked her lips slowly. Before Tony could compose in his mind the question he wanted to ask her, she snaked her right leg up into his lap. “Pull my boot off, would you ?”
Tony was jolted from his train of thought. “Wha..? Lola, I don’t think you oughtta be....”
“Please !”, Lola implored. “It’s getting kind of hot in here...Don’cha think ?”
Tony relented and gripped her leather high-heeled boot, and began to pull. It was hard going, and he struggled. Why do girls wear these things anyway ?
“Oh, I think you’re getting it !”, she exclaimed, and then pulled her foot free as Tony nearly lost his balance on the chair, his own legs moving apart to keep steady. Lola took that opportunity to stick her foot in his crotch. She wiggled her toes against him, and immediately Tony’s bulge shot to attention. “Like that, don’t you ?”, Lola giggled.
“Lola...”, Tony gulped, his hormone levels suddenly spiking, “I....I can’t do this...Can’t cheat...On Karen...Again...”
“Oh, Bosh, Silly”, Lola laughed. “It’s not cheating....We’re just Friends....Aren’t we ?” As she talked, she dug her toes deeper, harder. “Friends ? But I’d love to hang out with you, Tony”
“I...I...”, Tony gasped. His ability to speak had vanished in his sudden desire for her, the best-looking girl in all of Bullworth. Lola gave another throaty laugh and suddenly stood up. From under her leather skirt, she stripped away her panties, letting them drop to the floor. Reaching down to an unresisting Tony, she grasped his belt, undoing it and zipping down his jeans, pulling his underwear back to expose him. She fondled his bulge, and then straddled him, guiding him into her.
Tony moaned as she moved up and down on him, slowly at first and then with increasing vigor. The old chair creaked as she ravished him with ever increasing speed. Tony was powerless to resist as he raised his arms and clutched her hips. Lola was skilled enough to keep him just on the edge for many minutes, but finally she let out a scream. Tony’s mind dissolved in a puddle of pleasure as he forcefully let go.
Lola slumped against him, breathing hard. Tony recovered after a bit, and asked, “Why...Why did you...Do this to me, Lola ?”
“Silly”, Lola breathed. “Because I can. Besides....I never properly thanked you for...Helping me last winter.”
A 'Thank You’ would have done just fine, Tony thought. Marshaling his thoughts, he tried to focus back on his mission. “Lola....When Johnny was in the Asylum....Did he ever tell you of...The most crazy people in there ?”
“They were all Nutsos”, Lola said, nuzzling against him.
“I mean...Was there one who was crazier than any of the others ?”
Lola rose away from him, suddenly taking off her leather jacket, then stripping off her blouse underneath. “Unclip my Bra”, she demanded.
“Lola....Please....”, Tony all but begged. “If you know something, tell me !”
“Undo my Bra”, she said again. “It’s too hot for my girls !”
Tony reached around to unclip it, his hands fumbling. “Com’on”, Lola begged, “You’ve done this before...”
Just not with you, Tony thought, as the bra finally dropped free. Lola mashed her massive boobs in Tony’s face, and he felt his desire rekindle. “Lola...Please...Tell me what you know...”, he asked, his voice muffled.
Lola suddenly rose up, and grasping his arm, started pulling him toward the small bed. “After you do me, I’ll tell you”, she breathed harshly. She lay back, spreading herself wide open. “Com’on, Big Boy.....I’m not cheap, y’know.”
Tony’s passions overruled his good sense, and he attacked her with new vigor. Frustrated, he began to slam her over and over. Lola coo’d in ecstasy giving back as good as she got. It went on far longer this time, and when Tony finally went over the edge, it was full-on dark outside the tiny room window.
“Ohhh”, Lola gasped, “You really know what you’re doing, Huh ?”
As he lay trying to slow his breathing, he tried to question her again. “So....tell me now...Just...Who is the craziest person in the Asylum ?”
“So, like, anyways...”, she started, trying to slow her breathing herself, “It’s...One of those Townies....There’s about three of them....Who are always in and out of the place....”
Tony became alert again. Townies ? But they were gone, weren’t they ? Disappeared ? “Which one ?”, he asked. “Which was the craziest one ?”
"Ohh...Johnny said it was...Clint.....Clint Henry.”, she said at last.
Tony sat up, intending to get his clothes in order. It seemed like another mission was needed...This time to the Asylum.
Lola reached over and grabbed his arm. “Don’t leave. Stay here with me.”
“I got to go”, Tony said shortly. He stood up, securing his pants and belt.
“I’m sure you’ve stayed the night with Pinky before”, Lola said cagily. “Be a shame if THAT got out, wouldn’t it ?”
Tony sighed. What was wrong with these girls ? He was already damned to Hell for what he had done this weekend anyway. A few more hours would make no difference. Besides, he would have to get the others together and do some planing. It might not be so easy to get into the Asylum this time. “All Right”, he relented. “But you got to come out of hiding, first thing tomorrow, Deal ?”
“Deal, friend”, Lola murmured sleepily. “I just hope Johnny won’t be too mad at me.”
Unbelievable, Tony thought as he lay back on the bed.
__________________________________
-
Early Monday morning, Bethany Jones tried the door to the Headmaster’s Office and found it unlocked. She gently opened the door and poked her head around it, expecting to see Mr. Galloway. Instead, the Office was apparently empty. She quickly moved from the anteroom area to where she could fully see Mr. Galloway’s desk. It was unoccupied, and looking about she could see no one. Mr. Galloway must have already been in before she got here, and went off elsewhere, she reasoned. She let out a sigh of relief at her good fortune, but he might be back any minute. She would have to hurry, so she began searching for her lost shoe. After a sweeping look around, she dropped to her knees and looked up under the massive desk. Seeing nothing, she looked under the nearby Wardrobe and then under everywhere within a 10-foot range of the desk, coming up empty each time. Disgruntled, she returned to the Wardrobe, getting almost flat on the floor as she stuck her hand underneath, searching.
Bethany was getting a bit frazzled. “Where the Hell is it”, she muttered under her breath.
Behind her, Dedrie Phillips emerged from the long drop curtains by the window, where she had been hiding. “Looking For Something ?”, she intoned chillingly.
Startled, Bethany scrambled to her feet, nearly whacking her head against the Wardrobe as she did. “Oh !....I...I didn’t hear you come in !”, she gasped, as Ms. Phillips glared at her. “I’m...Err....Just looking for....Umm....A file....That I dropped....Err....Friday....”
“Oh ? So your not looking for this ?”, Ms. Phillips asked, withdrawing her hand from behind her back.
Bethany’s face drained of all color as she saw that Ms. Phillips was holding Bethany's black high-heel in her hand. “Ummm....No !”, she squeaked, “That’s....Not mine....I, uh, lost a file, that’s all....”
“Huuuh....Puzzling”, Ms. Phillips said. “Are you sure you’re telling the truth ?”
“Oh, yes, absolutely !”, Bethany said emphatically, recovering some of her composure. “Um...Where did you....Find that ?”
“I think it was somewhere around here”, Ms. Phillips said, indicating the Wardrobe by pointing at it with the point of the shoe in her hand. Bethany’s eyes were locked on to the high heel as she did so. “I thought it might be one of mine, but it’s the wrong size.”
Bethany didn’t say anything as Ms. Phillips came towards her, nearly close enough to touch. “So, it’s of no use to me”, she said as she stepped around Bethany and dropped the shoe in the trash can.
“Why did you do that !?”, Bethany squealed, her features registering shock.
“Well, I certainly can’t wear it”, Ms. Phillips said smoothly. “I suppose it might be one of Ms. Danver’s shoes, left over here from when that nasty boy broke her foot.”
Relief flooded Bethany’s face. “Why...Of course....That has to be it. Why else would it be here ?”
“Why else indeed”, Ms. Phillips said as she turned to face Bethany. Casting a look down at Bethany’s feet, she said, “I say dear....Are those new ?”
Bethany looked down at the brown high heels she was wearing. “Well....Sorta new....I got them not too long ago....”
“That’s excellent workmanship”, Ms. Phillips exclaimed. “Do you mind if I take a look ?”
Bethany couldn’t think of a quick reason to refuse. Slowly, she reached down and removed her right high heel, then handed it towards Ms. Phillips.
“Marvelous”, Ms. Phillips said, taking the shoe from her and looking it over, then looking inside. “Are these real Louboutins ?”
“Um....No....They’re just knockoffs...”, Bethany said nervously. “Real ones are too expensive, and....”
Suddenly, Ms. Phillips turned and dropped Bethany’s shoe in the trash can, where it nestled up with the other one.
“What Are You Doing ?”, Bethany nearly howled. “You can’t just do that...!”
Ms. Phillips whirled on her. “LIAR !”, she hissed, advancing on Bethany and shoving her to the floor. Unprepared, Bethany’s ass hit the floor with a painful jolt. “That’s a size 6, just like the one I found !”
Bethany scrambled to her feet, for the second time in so many minutes. “That doesn’t mean anything !”, she cried. “Lots of people wear size 6 !”
Ms. Phillips advanced on Bethany, grabbing he by the shoulders and marching he backwards until she slammed her into a bookcase. “You are in a world of trouble, young lady !”, she snarled. “I’m gonna teach you a lesson !”
It had all happened too quickly for Bethany to put up much of a fight, but she struggled against Ms. Phillips’ grip. “Let me go !”, she gasped. “What...What’s this all about, anyway..?’
“You know Damn Well what it’s about !”, Ms. Phillips said angrily, slamming Bethany against the bookcase again. “You’ve gone too far ! You think I’ll put up with this ?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about !”, Bethany shrieked.
“I’m talking about a size 6 with a fresh odor that got left under a Wardrobe”, Ms. Phillips spat in Bethany’s face, “And a little Obnoxious Bitch who took advantage of my Gally-Bear !”
“But he’s a Drunk !”, Bethany retorted, struggling against Ms. Phillips’ iron grip on her upper arms. “What’s the difference, anyway ?”
“You get some sort of KICK out of this ?”, Ms. Phillips raged. “You should be ASHAMED of yourself ! How can you face yourself in the Mirror ?”
“He Liked It !”, Bethany screamed. “He Blew His Load Just Fine !!”
“That’s ENOUGH Out Of You !”, Ms. Phillips shouted back, and suddenly sunk her fist deep into Bethany’s guts. Bethany slid to the floor, gasping for air. “That’s Unacceptable Behavior !”, Ms. Phillips snarled, “Absolutely Repulsive !”
“I’ll.....Tell...”, Bethany choked out, her face now red with the effort to breathe.
“Are You Confused ?”, Ms. Phillips said grimly. “No one will even believe you, you little Tramp. Lionel thinks it was me, THAT’S how much he remembers !” She bent low to Bethany. “And, nobody’s going to tell him any different, you hear ?”
“You’ll....Get...In trouble....For this...”, Bethany gasped.
“You are Pathetic !”, Ms. Phillips pronounced, and reached for Bethany as she lay on the floor.
“Eeeek !!”, Bethany weakly screeched, as Ms. Phillips grabbed her by the hair and commenced to dragging her towards the Office doors.
“You spread this around, and I’ll see to it you get arrested for Assault", Ms. Phillips told her. "I know Chief O’Rouke really well.”
Ms. Phillips slammed Bethany’s head into the door before opening it. Hauling he up by the hair, she planted the sharp toe of her own high heel in Bethany’s ass, and Bethany went sprawling on the outer Office floor in a heap.
“Oh, you’ll be interested in this...”, Ms. Phillips said, standing in the open door, “I’m going to be taking Mr. Galloway’s place for a few days. And I’m not to be bothered at all today, I even packed my own lunch. And just so you know, I’ll be sure to have Mr. Riddle empty ALL the trash before I leave.” She leaned on the doorway, a grim smile on her face. “Now, get your Ass back to work, Miss Jones.”
Turning, she closed the door, locking it. Then she sagged against it. Not normally violent by nature, her outburst had been surprising, even to her. But the little trollop had it coming. She sighed.
I don’t know why I should even stand for this, she thought. But....It bothers me, It bothers me greatly.
_______________________________________________
-
Tony arrived back at the Boy’s Dorm Monday morning just as Nick was getting ready to leave.
“Hey, where you been ?”, Nick asked snidely, “Another late night ? I been tryin’ to call you !”
Tony slapped his head and pulled his Cell Phone from his pocket. “Oh, Damn, my bad...I had the thing shut off. Was it important ?”
“I’ll say”, Nick answered, and went on to tell Tony what he had discovered about the call on Melody’s Cell Phone that turned out to be to the Asylum.
“How the hell did I miss that ?”, Tony said, shaking his head. “Good catch, Nick....And I can go you one better....I know who we gotta find over there.” Quickly, Tony related his suspicions about Clint Henry that he had learned from Lola, leaving out the sex parts.
“And you found this out how ?”, Nick smiled. “By taking one for the Team ?”
Tony got red in the face. “Um....yeah”, he admitted. “But it’s still good information !”
“So...What ? You think this Townie guy is in the Asylum now ?”, Nick asked skeptically. “I thought all the Townies cleared out after their escape during the bombings....Left the Valley.”
“But...What if they didn’t ?”, Tony asked hypothetically. “What if, they’re holed up somewhere, just biding their time until they can get revenge on us for beating back their attack on the school ? What if...” And here Tony voiced a suspicion that had been festering at the back of his mind, “What if they are the ones who took the
girls ?”
“Pffft”, Nick responded. “They’re not smart enough to pull something like that off. No witnesses, no clues left, no trail....Impossible.”
“But what if they did ?”, Tony persisted. “Look, everything we’ve found out is starting to point to them. We got sent to the Church. Sure, the girls weren’t there, but we get a clue dropped in our hands, Melody’s Cell Phone. These odd dreams I have, they sent me to see Mr. Riddle and Lola. These last clues all point straight to the Asylum !”
“Huh, you think the girls are being held there or something ?”, Nick said uncertainly.
“No”, Tony admitted. “If they had been, I think Chief O’Rouke woulda found that out pretty quick....Or those F.B.I. guys. No, they’re someplace else, I think. And maybe that Clint Henry knows where they hole up at, when they don’t want to be seen.”
“What makes you think this Clint Henry is even still there ?”, Nick scoffed. “Didn’t all the patients escape because of the bomb blasts ?”
“Most of them did, I think”, Tony admitted, “But we saw a bunch of them, knocked out and laying on the pavement, by that greenish gas cloud as we were trying to get in to Jimmy’s Save Warehouse. When we went out the next morning, all them inmates were gone. I figure they musta got picked up and taken back to the Asylum....I never heard anything about anybody ever seeing them again.”
“Soo....Looks like we need another Mission to the Asylum, to try to find this Clint Henry, who may or may not be there”, Nick brooded.
“Everything’s directing us toward it”, Tony urged. “Besides, it’s the only place we got left, all of our clues are pointing right at it !”
“Maybe so”, Nick admitted. “But it won’t be as easy to get into the place this time...I’ll bet they got all kinds of increased security now.”
“I been thinking about that exact same thing, on the way back”, Tony ventured. “Tonight, my friend, you and I are gonna become Orderlies.”
_______________________________________
-
Tony went ahead and went to Math class, mostly because he needed to still make up the class he had been so unceremoniously been kicked out of by Mr. Hattrick about a month before the bombings. Tony liked to think he had left out of principle, but the end result was the same. He still needed the Math Credits. The new teacher, Mr. Newton, was a lot more friendlier than Mr. Hattrick, and seemed genuinely interested in actually teaching.
Gloria had come out a bit luckier than he had...Tony had interceded with Mr. Galloway once he took over as Headmaster, and Gloria was allowed to pass Math Class, after she had done a couple weeks of make-up work for what she had missed. Tony hadn’t been able to keep his promise to Gloria to not have Mr. Hattrick fail her, but it had all worked out in the end.
Nick was taking a summer Shop Class, which was pretty cozy, since the Greasers were mostly absent, as usual. Nick was working on building his own custom Flame Job bike, and had progressed quite far on it. Both boys needed something to divert their attention to for a little while, to ease the constant worrying over the Girls and their fate. There was nothing that could be done until this evening, at any rate. Plus, it gave Tony time to come up with a plan on how they were going to approach the Asylum this time.
After class, Nick went to the school to meet up with Tony, only to find him in conversation with Laurent. Nick had an urgent message to relay from Peanut.
“Oui, I will be glad to be the back-up”, Laurent was saying. “Come get me when ready, Mon Amine !”
“That’s good”, Tony said, relieved. “It’ll probably be close to Midnight. Look for us about then.”
Laurent moved off, probably to go find Nina. Those two were seeing a lot of each other these days, Tony realized with some surprise, and a bit of envy. Just thinking about that made him miss Karen all the more. He turned his attention to Nick. “Well...We’ll have some backup, at least. Now, we should find Constantinos.”
Nick shook his head. “Ain’t nobody seen him. I asked around.”, he said. “Listen, Peanut came to the Autoshop to tell me that Lola showed up this morning.”
“Well, that’s good”, Tony said, relieved that Lola had stuck to her end of the bargain.
“Maybe not so good”, Nick responded. “Peanut also said that Johnny wants to meet you. Seems that Lola broke up with him right after.”
Tony’s guts sank. This kind of trouble he didn’t need, especially now. “Meet him where ?”, he asked.
“Peanut said, under the railroad bridge at New Coventry”, Nick answered. “Say, um....Did you really...Er...”
“Yes”, Tony groaned. Had Lola somehow let on to Johnny about last night ?
“Hey, want me to come along ?”, Nick asked. “For back-up ?”
“Yeah...Sure”, Tony said. “Just stay in the background, though. I might be able to take him...”
Nick slapped his fist in his palm. “He’ll have to be dealt with, we can’t let anything interfere with us getting into the Asylum tonight.”
Tony sighed. “Better get it over with then. Meet you out front in five minutes.”
_______________________________________
-
Beatrice returned to her Dorm room after class and changed. She was a bit miffed that Nick hadn’t been around to see her last night. She was a bit more upset that she hadn’t seen him at all since their encounter. It was like he was avoiding her or something. She had expected to see him in school today, not knowing he was going to Shop Class over at the Autoshop.
So he was playing hard-to-get, she thought. He wasn’t like those geek boys at the Pre-Med School, who came panting back around once they had sampled her wares. They were totally inadequate, of course...Big minds but small members. Nick’s was the biggest one she had ever measured, and it had stretched her to the limit. She needed another session with him, this time to find out his circumference. What a great paper that would make ! Her loins began juicing just at the thought of it.
Discarding her usual Nerdy green-checkered outfit for something more alluring, she pantomimed herself in the mirror. Black chunky heel ankle-boot shoes, combined with an extremely short tight-fitting black skirt, topped by a skimpy sleeveless pink blouse just ought to do the trick, she reasoned. She had switched out her Nerd-ish looking glasses for some round-lensed ones. The only thing left was her hair. She pulled the stupid-looking bow from it and teased her hair into a semblance of something more acceptable.
Checking her look in the mirror once more, she sighed. It would have to do. Now to go find this Nicky-boy. He couldn’t hide from her forever, the campus wasn’t that big. She headed out the door of her room and nearly ran pell-mell into Mandy, who was standing there, just waiting on her departure.
“Going Somewhere, Einstien ?”, Mandy said brightly, shoving Beatrice back into the room.
“Hey, you can’t just do that !”, Beatrice protested. “I’ll Scream !!”
“Are you threatening me, Metal Mouth ?”, Mandy jeered, pushing Beatrice to the center of the room. “There’s nobody here, Small-Tits. Nobody at all.”
“What Do You Want ?”, Beatrice trembled, growing fearful as the initial shock at seeing Mandy subsided. The two girls had a long and adversarial history at Bullworth.
“I want you to STOP ‘experimenting’ on our Mascot, that’s what, Diddle-Brain”, Mandy said, poking her finger into Beatrice’s chest for emphasis. “He is the property of the Jocks, and YOU’RE not going to get your chewed-nailed claws into him !”
“What...What’s it to you ?”, Beatrice asked, on the verge of blubbering. “I...I LOVE Him !!”
“Pul-ease”, Mandy smirked. “The only thing YOU love is term-papers and Thesis. Nick told me about the weird shit you did. How disgusting !”
“We made LOVE !!”, Beatrice insisted. “It was so...Amazing !!”
"You make me SICK !” Mandy spit back, grabbing Beatrice by the shoulders and shaking her. “That’s not ‘love’, it’s just your twisted fantasy ! I’m taking that boy BACK, he’s under MY protection, you understand ?
“You can’t just steal him from me !”, Beatrice shrieked. “He’s MINE !!”
Mandy suddenly kneed Beatrice hard in the crotch, then shoved her hard back into the desk. Beatrice crashed into it with force and slumped to the floor, where she withered in pain. Her groin, which had been going moist just a few minutes ago in anticipation of another session with Nick, now burned with pain of a different kind.
“Unfortunately for you, my pig-ugly ‘friend’, that is exactly what I CAN do”, Mandy retorted. “In fact, I can do anything like in this place....Anything at all.”
“Oh, boo-hoo-hoo”, escaped from Beatrice as she started to cry, tears leaking from her eyes. Mandy stepped over and stomped on her leg, drawing a fresh outcry from Beatrice. “This was a warning, Zit-Face”, Mandy said. “Stay far away from Nick, or you’ll have REAL trouble.”
Mandy turned to leave the room, stopping briefly at the door. “Go back to Bucky....he’s more your speed. Later, you Pervo.”
_______________________________________
-
“So you came, huh ?”, Johnny Vincent said sharply.
“Yeah”, Tony said, walking further under the Railroad Underpass. Nick stayed just to the outside of the Underpass, as Tony had instructed him, ready to attack at the first sign of trouble.
“I bet youse think I’m funny, don’cha ?”, Johnny piped off. “A laughingstock ?”
Tony shrugged. “Not really. Truth is, I hardly even know you.”
“Yeahs ?”, Johnny said, somewhat aggressively as he walked closer. “And everyone is Laughing at me. All of yous...At Me !”
“What are you talking about ?”, Tony said, a knot growing in his stomach.
“Don’t play dumb with me !”, Johnny growled. “Have you had her ?”
“Who’re you talking about ?”, Tony returned, feeling denial was the safest course to take at this point.
“I’ll bet you have !”, Johnny said, grabbing Tony’s arm. At the entrance to the Underpass, Nick tensed.
“What are you doing ?”, Tony shouted, shaking himself free. “WHO ?”
“LOLA !” Johnny shouted, “That Slut !” Johnny glared a Tony for a few seconds, then his face crumpled. “That Slut...That...I Love.....”
“Aw, man, I thought you two were solid”, Tony said. Nick had come up behind him, and Tony turned and held his hand out in a halting motion.
“Aww, she’s cheatin’ on me again, I know she is !”, Johnny groaned, not paying any attention to the appearance of Nick. “It’s Killin’ Me !", he wailed, “Me, dyin’ over a Broad. I knew this was gonna happen again when we come back here !”
“Look, Johnny, I saw her this morning, over by...The Yum-Yum Store”, Tony lied. “I told her to go home.”
“Oh, she came home all rights !”, Johnny wailed. “Then she broke up with me ! Didn’t Peanut tell you's that ?”
“Er...No”, Tony replied, and that was the truth. Peanut hadn’t told him anything.
Johnny walked away a few paces, and buried his face in his hands. “It’s just like before”, he mumbled. “Dat’s why I went to Detroit. I’se just couldn’t stands it anymore.”
“What happened, Johnny ?”, Tony asked. Relief was flooding over him....Johnny didn’t know about him and Lola. “What happened this morning ?”
“She just....Just rode up on her bike...”, Johnny said miserably, “....And broke up wit me ! Said...She wanted hers ‘Freedom’....And dat I wuz bein’....’Restrictive’ and all....Jealous again, and stuff...”
Tony said, “Listen Johnny....She told me that too....When I told her she should go home....Maybe....”
“But, I’m NOT !”, Johnny exclaimed. “Ise just wanna....Protect her....Youse know, from gettin’ snatched....Like youse girls...”
Tony exchanged a glance with Nick. Then he said, “Look, Johnny, I’m sure she’s safe from anything like that happening....”
“HOW ?”, Johnny shot back. “Happened to youse girls, could happen to Lola...To Anybody !”
“Umm...No”, Tony said. Nick came up alongside Tony. “We think the Townies took them.”
“The Townies ?”, Johnny responded, a frown creasing his face. “Why would youse think that ? Dey ain’t around anymore !”
“We think they are”, Nick said. “They’re in hiding somewhere.”
“We’re also pretty sure they took Karen and Melody for revenge on us”, Tony added, “For beating their asses down on the Football Field last spring, and gettin’ them locked up.”
“Ise heard sompin’ bout that”, Johnny said, his anguish for Lola temporarily put aside. “But, I also heards dat dey escaped and den left the Valley.”
Tony shook his head. “We have new clues that indicate different”, he said without elaborating. “And we also think....That at least one of them is in the Asylum, right now.”
“Asylum ?”, Johnny shuddered. “Dat Place ? You’s sure ?”
“Yeah, pretty sure”, Tony said. “We’re gonna....Try to get in there tonight, find out for real....Maybe, get some information as to where the rest of them are.”
Johnny stared a Tony and Nick for a bit. Then a slow grin creased his face. “Youse guys are pretty brave and all, right ?”
“I’ve been in there already, to get Damon West outta there”, Nick deadpanned. “It’s almost like home.”
Johnny’s eyes darted between the two. Suddenly, he said, “Take me’s wid you.”
“What ?!?”, Tony and Nick said in unison.
Johnny’s jaw was set. “Sure....I’se gonna wind up in there anyway, just like last time.”
Tony already knew, but he asked anyway. “What was you in there for ?”
“Some kids said they got together with Lola”, Johnny said, ”I went a little crazy ! Buts, that Jimmy Hopkins kid come and sprung me out.”
Tony and Nick glanced sidelong at one another, somewhat smirkingly.
”Youse think it‘s funny, do you ?”, Johnny said as he saw their look. ”You think I'm a joke? Well, my little friends, I‘m the King around here ! ME !! And after I’se does a Mission like this, Lola will come back to me when she hears abouts it !”
“What makes you so sure ?”, Tony asked, hiding his smile with some difficulty.
“Cause....She be the one who’s sent Hopkins to get me out, that be why”, Johnny explained. “Deep down, I knows she loves me. Sides, I know just where they keep them Townie losers in there....Save youse a lotta lookin’.”
“Let me guess”, Nick said. “Block C ?”
Johnny cocked a finger at Nick. “You gots it.”
Nick looked at Tony, who shrugged. “Might as well”, Tony said. Turning to Johnny, he said, “All right...You’re in. Meet us....At the at the pathway underpass by the Save Warehouse about midnight tonight.”
“I’se be there”, Johnny said. “Counts on it !”
“And...Bring some of your Clique”, Tony said. A plan was already forming in his mind. “We can use them.....For distraction.”
______________________________________
-
Nobody had seen Constantinos because he hadn’t even left the attic of the Girl’s Dorm. He was too emotionally carried away with the wonders of Tiffany....Rather, the wonders of a particular part of Tiffany, which she knew how to use extremely well. This was a thousand times better than getting off to the stolen panties he so recently had been sneaking in here to steal.
Tiffany had snuck up here to the Attic, just this morning, completely naked under her nightgown, which she had hurriedly stripped off, then directing Constantinos to strip and lay in the pile of books he had so neatly organized. She then selected one of the romance books and flipped through it, until she found one of the racy love scenes in it. Grabbing Constantinos with her free hand, she began massaging him. “Let’s Roleplay !”, she said in an excited voice, and began softly reading out loud.
As she read, she mimicked the female’s love scene actions in the book, having Constantinos play along with the male’s part. The more into it she read, the hotter she became, which in turn made Constantinos hotter. By the time she reached the part where the story couple were were about to begin relations (a part that was always left out of such trashy love novels), Tiffany flung aside the book and mashed herself down on Constantinos, saying, “Now, Big Boy, let’s finish where they left off !”....Which Constantinos was more than willing to do.
Afterwards, she instructed him to wait until she returned from classes later in the day. Constantinos voiced no protest at that, he was way past the point where the illogic of his situation could override his out-of-control emotions. After years of being in a sexual desert, the sudden events of the past few days had been like the dumping of a waterfall on a fellow dying of thirst. It no longer mattered that Tiffany was a crazy psychotic bitch. The little voice in the back of his mind that had been screaming that something was wrong here, VERY Wrong, had been muffled and gagged into ineffectiveness.
Constantinos waited into the late hours of the afternoon before Tiffany made her re-appearance in the attic. She brought along some food from the cafeteria and a couple of Beam Colas. Although the food wasn’t that great, Constantinos scarfed it down like it was a feast, ignoring the crummy taste and washing it down with the Colas. As he did, Tiffany told him what she wanted him to do next. Since the Romance Books had all been taken out of the Library, he was to go after a new target....Anatomy Books.
“We're gonna trash that old Bitch's Library before the Summer's over", Tiffany said with evil glee, “Till there ain't a book in the whole place !"
________________________________________
-
Tony and Nick gathered Laurent up at the Football Field shortly after 11 P.M. Accessing the door set into the new wall that separated the Field from the Observatory, they moved on to the large field the Nerds used for their G&G games mock battles, arriving at the short tunnel, which now also had a door set into it. Tony was privy to the code for this door too, and he popped it out with no trouble. Quickly they traversed the short tunnel, coming out into the large domed cavern where the rail line used to go through.
It wasn’t too far to the wide wooden walkway across the Southern tip of the bay, but Tony had to get some things to equip themselves with first. The trio headed off into the longer tunnel where Jimmy’s secret cave was located. While Nick held a small flashlight, Tony pushed on the trigger rock set low into the wall, and a 'CLINK’ was heard. Tony rose and pushed open the secret door set into the tunnel wall, and the three boys squeezed through, with Nick closing the door behind him.
Using their flashlights to navigate the narrow walkway, the came into Jimmy’s secret chamber. Shining his light towards the old sturdy table, Tony went to it and lit the small lantern that rested on it, turning up the wick. Soon the cavern was comfortably illuminated. Tony next went to the large metal bin set against the wall, which was secured with chains and a combination lock. In no time at all he had the chains free and opened the bin.
He pulled out some Bottle Rocket Launcher and passed them around after checking to see that they were fully loaded. The Launchers weren’t used much anymore, mostly due to the enforced shortage of Gunpowder. But there were still plenty of charges here, along with a great deal of M-80 Firecrackers. Tony grabbed a handful for each of them. Digging deeper, he found some bags of Marbles. He had everyone stick some in their pockets just in case. Before he closed the bin, he eyed the Rubberband Ball, then decided against it. That Ball was the only one left in existence now, since the Nerds had blown-up the only other one during the Townie attacks. Tony wasn’t confident that he would be able to scoop it up in time if he had to use it, before it exploded. Best to leave it for something when it would be really needed.
Going to the Wardrobe next and rummaging around, he pulled out 2 Orderly Outfits and tossed one to Nick, who caught it deftly. Laying one aside for himself, he dug deeper into the Wardrobe, and pulled out Greaser garb for Laurent. Tossing it to him, he said with a grin, “You’re a Greaser for tonight !” Laurent gave the outfit a distasteful look. “Just think of it as Halloween”, joked Tony as he dug in the Wardrobe for one more item before closing it up.
By the light of the lantern, they changed into their outfits, then made ready to leave. “What the hell’s that for ?”, Nick asked as Tony picked up the bundle he had pulled last out of the Wardrobe.
“Oh, This ?”, Tony said, and unfurled the item. “It’s a Straight-Jacket. It’s our ticket into the Asylum tonight !”
_______________________________________
-
As the boys made their way across the wooden bridge walkway, Tony had Laurent walk up front while he and Nick covered him with their Spud Guns, which the had also brought along. It wouldn’t do to spook the waiting Greasers by suddenly appearing as Orderlies.
Passing by the small little Park along the side of the path, Tony could dimly make out the small underpass beneath the rail line, and what looked like a group of people milling about. Tony and Nick pealed off to the side while Laurent continued on ahead. When he got quite near the underpass, he called softly, “Oh, Johnny ? Johnny Vincent ?”
There was a movement among the figures shadowed in the underpass. One emerged and called out sharply, “Whadda You Want ? Who Be Youse ?”
“Err...Hello there, Johnny”, Laurent began. “You do not really know me, I am Laurent, I come with Tony and Nick tonight.”
The figure of Johnny Vincent emerged from the underpass. “Yeah ? Where Dey Be, Den ?”
“Right here, Johnny”, Tony said, emerging from around the corner of the underpass. Likewise, Nick emerged from the other side.
There was a shocked look in Johnny’s features and the two boys closed in on him. The Greasers behind Johnny began uttering insults and threats, and Johnny himself took up a fighting stance. “Youse Better Get Away From Me !”, Johnny hollered roughly.
“Hey, Hey, Relax Johnny, Relax....It’s Us !”, Tony said, suppressing his laughter. “It’s Nick and Tony ! We’re in disguise !”
Johnny kept his fists up while still moving around, his face going slack as he absorbed Tony’s words. Finally, he cautiously let down his fists. “Dat...Be really youse ?”, he said, still uncertain.
“Yep, really us”, Tony laughed in spite of himself. “Had you fooled, huh ?”
“Wells, ain’t dat somptin”, Johnny said in amazement. “Dat’s a good disguise !”
“Oh there’s more”, Tony said, holding up the Straight Jacket. “This is for YOU !”
_________________________________
-
Trussed up in the Straight Jacket, Johnny trudged up the road to the Asylum, flanked on either side by Tony and Nick. It took a little bit of convincing for him to go along with Tony’s plan, but after Tony explained it in painstaking detail, Johnny reluctantly agreed. As they neared the bend in the road but sill not in sight of the Asylum, the Greasers walking behind them about 20 feet back began to guffaw and make snide comments at Johnny’s expense.
“Now everybody‘s laughing at ME !", Johnny fumed. Still walking, he turned to glare at his Clique boys. “Well, not anymore !”
Peanut tried hard to suppress his laughter. “Eey, sorry Johnny....Youse just looks so damn funny there !”
“All bound up like a Turkey on Thanksgivin’, dats what !”, Hal joked, which set off a fresh round of laughter among the Jocks.
Tony and Nick stopped in their tracks and faced the Greaser Clique. The Asylum was almost in sight around the edge of the small rock-faced mountain on their left. “Com’on guys, cut the crap”, Tony ordered. “Do like we rehearsed and start heckling us. We’re almost there. Just pretend we’re The Man, and takin’ Johnny in for real. Don’t forget to mutter some threats.”
The Greasers’ mirth subsided, and they went about putting on some angry faces. Finally, Ricky got the insults rolling with “Where yous takin’ Johnny, youse asshole pieces of Shit !” Norton joined in with “There goin’ to be an Ass Beatin’ if’n yous don’t be lettin’ him go !” Similarly, Lefty, Lucky, and Vance joined in with more threats. “That’s better”, Tony said. “Don’t forget to get louder when we get closer. Let’s Go !”
As they rounded the curve in the road, the Asylum gates came into full view. Tony could see right away that a few changes had taken place. For one, the large kiosk at the edge of the sidewalk was gone, blown away by the explosions and not replaced. The remains of it, along with some other rubble, was pushed up against the side of the mountain where the tunnel was, effectively blocking it. Unlike before, the whole area was open to scrutiny. Laurent, who was trailing a little ways behind the Jocks, would have to be real sneaky to be able to get through unseen and take up his position in the tree as planned. Tony didn’t think it would be any trouble for him though...Hell, he could probably Parkour it, even in the Greaser outfit he was wearing.
The large gate across the road had been repaired, with the addition of some gnarly barbed-wire across the top, as had most of the other fencing, as far as Tony could see. The smaller gate had also been restored, but as a totally see-through gate, he noticed. The change that mattered most, at least to their mission tonight, was the glassed-in Guard Booth that was now set just to the other side of the gates. It was hard to miss, as it was lit up from the inside. A bored-looking fellow was inside, looking at what seemed to be a girlie magazine. Tony gulped as they moved forward, the Greasers behind them loudly heckling them now. He hoped his plan would work. Unlike Nick, he had never been inside the gates before. Tony glanced over at Nick, who showed no fear as they approached closer. Tony took heart at that, and adopted Nick’s swagger as they closed the distance to the gate, walking like they owned the place.
The fellow in the booth frowned as he heard the commotion outside the gates. Who dared to disturb his evening ? It was usually always peaceful here. “Lousy Americans”, he grumbled, dropping his magazine. Standing, he exited the booth to see what all the ruckus was about.
The fellow, whose name was Konstantin, stared out beyond the gate. He saw two Orderlies there, with a guy in a Straight Jacket between them. Behind them were a bunch of oddly-attired kids, looking like throwbacks to another era. Konstantin scratched his head. He hadn’t been in the Valley long, so he really knew nothing of the Greasers. He had come here after the big trouble at the behest of his Uncle Milhailovich to help run the In And Out Motel. As the tourist traffic had died out after the Holiday, his Uncle had told him to go get a real job and stop hanging around the Motel like a lazy bum. So, he had gotten work here, at the Asylum, where he still hung out like a lazy bum, but at least he got paid to do so.
“See Here ! What Is-a All This ?", he asked, raising his voice to be heard above the din.
“We got a new...Er, Patient here !", Tony announced. He had almost said ‘Prisoner'.
“Where Is Your Van ?", Konstantin inquired suspiciously. Most Patients in Straight Jackets were brought in by Van. Or so he heard.
“Broke Down", Nick said, taking over from Tony's lead. “Right after we came from Coventry. Been walking every since."
“These Freaks have been tailing us", Tony joined in. “Friends of His." Tony jerked his head towards Johnny, who as planned was struggling against the Straight Jacket and cursing.
“So let us in already", Nick said briskly, then suddenly turned and made threatening motions towards the Greasers. “Get Back ! Get Back, I Tell You !"
“Wait, I will let you in, sure”, Konstantin said, reaching inside the glass control booth and activating a switch. There was a BUZZ ! and the small gate popped open. Tony and Nick hustled Johnny, still cursing and yelling crazy stuff, inside. He struggled between the two boys, twisting and bumping. Staring wild-eyed at Konstantin, Johnny proclaimed, “I’m Coo-Coo As Coca Puffs !!!”
Konstantin reached behind them and shut the gate, witch gave out an audible ‘CLINK’ as it was shut. He turned to face Tony and Nick, still holding a struggling Johnny, who was now doing Rooster Calls. Still making a commotion, the Greasers crowded close to the gates and spread out, allowing Laurent to sneak off unseen to his target of the big tree.
“There, you go inside now”, Konstantin said, indicating the Asylum. Pointing to the Greasers, he asked, “What will I do about-a these wild American Boys here ?”
“Ah, they’ll back off after a bit”, Nick bluffed. “If they don’t, threaten to call the Cops.” Tony almost laughed out loud at that. The Cops were still short-handed, and would probably never come over to this part of town anyway.
“Ok-a, I will-a do that !”, Konstantin said, and then turned and began to hurl insults at the Greasers in his native language. The three boys headed across the yard, bound for the asylum building. Unlike last time, they saw no one patrolling the grounds, a break for them.
Halfway across, Tony hazarded a look back. “Boy, that was great Johnny...You should give acting lessons !”, he said wiry.
“Didn’t I already tells you’s ?”, Johnny said. “I’m the King around here !”
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Entering the Asylum, the boys caught a couple of other breaks....For one, while the damage caused by the chunks of Monk statue that had come crashing into the reception foyer during the bombings had been repaired, there was not yet a working card key lock on the new front entry doors.
There was no one at the caged reception area to the right, either. Tony had been banking on there being a much smaller staff at night, and that seemed to be the case. Going through the two doors towards ‘A’ Block, Johnny said, “How much longer I gotta wears dis thing ? I’se gettin' un-comfor-tables !”
“Easy, big guy, it won’t be much longer”, Nick said offhandedly. “We gotta go to ‘B’ Block first.” Tony was actually glad to have Johnny trussed up like this, for if Johnny only knew what he and Lola had been up to last night about this time, he wouldn’t be so docile.
In 'A' Block, Tony strived to act like he belonged there. Nick looked much more comfortable than he felt. Then again, Tony felt that a lot was riding on this, maybe unlocking the clue that would lead them to the Girls. Even the responsibility for the fate of the School and the Towns had not weighed as heavily on him as did this mission tonight.
They saw no one in the halls of ‘A’ Block, save for some of the Inmates who peered out through their barred doors to watch them pass. Muffled whispers of “New Fish, New Fish, New Fish !!” began to circulate in the hall about them, and Tony shuddered slightly. He wondered if this what Jimmy had gone through the first time he had to walk the halls of Prison, then decided that it was probably just like this, and worse.
They went through the double doors out of ‘A’ Block and entered what was referred to as the ‘Rec Room’, although very few inmates played anything in there. At far end was a couch facing a TV. It had been occupied by an Orderly last time Nick was in here, but was empty now. Another break.
The trio moved to the double doors of ‘B’ Block and proceeded inside. As they rounded the first corner, they could see why they had broke lucky so far. There were two Orderlies struggling with an Inmate, trying to push him back into a cell. One had what looked like a Cattle Prod, and was trying to shock the Inmate, who in turn was hanging onto the doorsill to the cell with all his might while kicking and screaming.
Nick nudged Johnny to go into his crazy act as they got closer. Johnny started spouting nonsensical Greaser stuff. When they got closer still, Nick suddenly left and went to help subdue the patient. Tony pretended to hold onto Johnny’s Straight Jacket to keep him from escaping. It took some doing, but the Inmate was finally wrestled back into his cell, and the door slammed shut. In the process, the Cattle Prod had been knocked to the floor, and Nick picked it up.
“Ey, thanks, bud”, one of the orderlies said, who looked to be Theo. “Damn Loonies, do ‘em a favor by takin’ them to the shitter, and see what happens.”
“S’allright”, Nick replied, “I seen you all had your hands full.”
“You boys new here ?”, inquired the other Orderly, whom Tony thought must be Gregory.
“Yeah”, Nick said nonchalantly, “Just brought in a pick-up from Coventry, one of them Crazy Greasers.” As he said that, Johnny launched into his Rooster calls again.
“The whole lot of them oughtta be locked up”, the first Orderly said.
“Damn Straight”, Nick replied. “Oh, uh, here’s you Prod.” Nick held the Cattle Prod out to them.
“Naw, just keep it”, the first Orderly said, eying Johnny, who was still making crazy noises. “You might need it for that Nut Job there.”
“See Dan up there in the Control Room cage and get him signed in”, the second Orderly added. “We’re a bit short-handed around here.”
“Ok then...Thanks fellows !”, Nick said smoothly, and he motioned Tony to bring Johnny and head for the back of the Block. The two Orderlies took off in the direction of the Rec Room.
“Pretty smooth there”, Tony said in a low voice, between Johnny’s crowing. Nick rarely carried on conversations with people past a few sentences, and most of the time didn’t say much at all. Tony had no idea that Nick could bluff people like that. He garnered a new respect for his friend’s abilities.
“I have my moments”, Nick said with a deadpan look on his face. Tony almost laughed. “Shh, we’re almost here.”
They had reached the Control Room. Behind it sat Dan the Orderly. Tony took the lead here, on the off chance Dan would recognize Nick’s voice from before. “New Inmate Here”, he announced, “Supposed to go to ‘C’ Block, we were told.”
Dan looked up from the Porn Magazine he was ogling. “Huh ? Oh, yeah, sure. Electro-Shock Treatments ?” He peered a bit closer at Johnny, who was still doing his crazy routine, making finny noises and bugging his eyes out. “Hey, I remember this one....Screwed up over girls again there, Whacko ?”
Tony felt that Johnny ought to get an award for not breaking character. In the face of an insult, he just continued with his act. Dan looked quizzically at Nick next. “Hey...Don’t I know you ?”
“We’re new”, Tony said quickly, “Just come in for the summer work and all.”
Dan eyed Nick a tick longer, then said, “Ahh, guess not then.” He fished around on the counter and handed a plastic card through the grating to Tony. “Here, you’ll need this Key Card to open them new locks back there. Just got installed last month. Just pick a cell close to the Morgue, that’s where the Shock treatments are done. Pretty empty back there right now, only got one of them Dropout kids back there.”
Tony took the card and exchanged glances with Nick. Dan went back to his Porno Mag, and Tony and Nick hauled a still-babbling Johnny back down the length of ‘B’ Block and then through the double doors to the Rec Room. Gregory and Theo were now on the couch, watching TV, and barely gave them a glance as they hustled Johnny across the Rec Room and through the double doors of ‘C’ Block.
As soon as the were safely inside, Johnny dropped his nutso act and said, “Whoa...It’s hard playin’ crazy ! Get me outta dis thing, would’jrs ?”
“Sure Johnny”, Tony said, and undid the tied-down long sleeves. Johnny whooshed and flexed his arms as the Straight Jacket came off. “Damn...That’d be a good torture thing to use on dem ugly Preps !”
“Let’s get to looking”, Nick said, and pulled out his small flashlight. “Check every room.”
“We oughtta let Johnny search”, Tony said, “He knows them better than we do.”
Nick agreed, and handed over his flashlight to Johnny, “I’ll go stand guard”, he said.
Nick stayed by the double doors while Tony and Johnny started checking cells. Shining the flashlights through the barred windows, they first went up the West row, finding them all empty, then doubling back and starting up the East row. With just a couple of rooms left, Johnny said suddenly, “Look ! Dere He Is !”
Tony stepped closer to look through the cell door window opening. The Insane face of Clint Henry stared back at them, drool running from his mouth.
_______________________________________________
-
“Go get Nick”, Tony told Johnny as the flashlight beam played on the figure of Clint Henry. “Tell him we got him.”
Johnny went off down the hall to round up Nick and they soon returned. “Found him, huh ? What’s the plan ?”
“A little Interrogation is in order”, Tony said, swiping the Key Card through the electronic lock. “You still got that Zapper thing ?”
Nick nodded, pulling it out. “Right here.”
“Good”, Tony said grimly as the door sprung open. “Let’s go get him.”
The three filed in the small cell. In the flashlight beam, Clint Henry sat on the floor, his back to the wall. His knees were drawn up and his arms encircled them. He was rocking back and forth, muttering some sort of gibberish to himself. Tony heard him say, "If I had a monkey in a sailor outfit, I'd call him Admiral Apeface !"
Tony maneuvered the Flashlight around a saw a light switch. He flipped it on, and a dim light flooded the cell. Clint blinked in the sudden light, clearly disoriented. “Whadda Doin', School kids ?"
Tony blinked. Could he see through their disguises ? “That’s Crazy !”, muttered Nick.
Clint seemed to hear that, for he responded, “I'm crazy, rich boys, Crazy, and you are starting to annoy me !"
Tony frowned, and said, “We’re here to ask you some Questions, Dirtball !”
Clint‘s wandering eyes focused on Tony. “So what's it to me ?", he spouted. Then his gaze shifted to Johnny, standing slightly behind Tony and Nick, and he said, “You don't belong around here !"
“Henry”, Johnny said the name as if it were acid burning his mouth. “How’ya doing dese days ?”
“Me ? Just Fine !", Clint said, then punched himself in the head. “Top of the World !"
“This isn’t getting us anywhere”, Nick said, disgustedly. “This guy’s Nuts.”
“You sayin' I'm Crazy ?”, Clint said, focusing on Nick. “Cuz I am ! I’m three-quarters short of a dollar bill !” With that, he punched himself in the face. “Ahhh, My Nose !”, he cried, then talking to himself, said, “You call that a punch ?"
“Listen to me, uhh...Clint”, Tony tried again, beginning to feel like this whole thing might be for nothing, “Where is Omar and your friends ?”
“Who Knows ?”, Clint said distractedly. “Out where the wild wind blows !” A course of blood mixed with snot trickled from his nose and he laughed manically.
Johnny flexed his fists. “Lemme at’s him. I’se get him to talk !”
“No”, Tony said. “Let’s try something else.” Turing to Nick, he said, “Zap Him.”
Nick pulled out the Cattle Prod and approached Clint, who didn’t move. Sticking the Prod in Clint’s side, he depressed the trigger.
”ARRRUGH !!!!!!”, Clint screamed, and a blissful look overtook him. “Do that again !”
Tony was stunned. He wanted more ?? An Idea began to form in his mind. “Clint, you like Electroshock ? I like that too !”
“Not as much as I do !", Clint said, gasping in pleasure.
Turning to Johnny, Tony asked, “You got that Straight Jacket still ?” Johnny handed it over. “Good. Let’s take him to the Morgue.”
They approached Clint Henry. Nick and Johnny grabbed him under his arms and hauled him upright. ”Someone‘s gonna get hurt !”, Clint said. “You wanna fight me ? Cuz I really like that !"
While Nick and Johnny pinned Clint’s arms, Tony struggled to get the Straight Jack on him. It took some time, since Clint became aggressive, muttering vague threats. Nick zapped him again with the Cattle Prod, and his resistance faded as an almost orgasmic look flooded his features.
“There’s more where that came from”, Tony said, feeling funny that he was meaning that as a promise and not a threat. “You know the way to the Morgue ?”, he asked Johnny, who nodded. Clint offered no resistance as he was led from his cell. Tony shut off the light and closed the door, in case any of the other Orderlies wandered back here. They set off towards the Morgue with Johnny leading the way.
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“Down this-away”, Johnny said. “Through here. Gimme your flashlight !” Tony pulled out his flashlight, fumbling it somewhat as he gave it to Johnny, as he was trying to hold on to Clint Henry along with Nick. It wasn’t as easy dragging him down the hall as he thought it should be, since Clint kept trying to bash his head into the wall every couple of steps.
“Through here”, Johnny pointed. The doorway gave way to a wide hallway about 20 feet in length. Together, Tony and Nick struggled to pull and push Clint along. Finally, they went through another doorway and stepped into the Morgue. Johnny let them pass, then located the light switch and turned it on, closing the door behind them.
Tony and Nick had never been in the Morgue before, and looked about in the sudden brightness. The room was about the size of one of those old Army Quonset Huts, and shaped the same with a domed ceiling. On one wall was one of those backlit white screens where X-rays were stuck into them to be seen. Straight in front of them were a bank of 12 ‘Meat Lockers’ where, presumably, Corpses were to be stored. On both sides of that were metal lockers, built into the wall. By the right one stood a complete Skeleton on a pole, and next to that was a series of connected sinks for washing up. To the right of where they stood were an assortment of tables for putting bodies on, it would be assumed. The farthest one by the wall was the only stationary one, so that’s where they headed, dragging a now-weeping Clint Henry. "Stop your blubbering !”, he ordered himself, as they drug him over to the table and slung him up on it with some effort. There were straps there, and they quickly strapped him down.
“So where’s the Electro-Shock machine thing ?”, Tony wondered out loud, looking around.
“It be in that Locker Cabinet, over by the Skeleton there”, Johnny directed. “I would get it, but I’se not goin’ near that thing.”
Tony wandered over to the Cabinet, curiously taking a look at the Skeleton. For all intents, it seemed like a regular Skeleton....Until one got really close. Then Tony noticed that the Skull was misshapen, looking far bigger at the top than the bottom. A chill ran through him as he noticed that the Skeleton Fingers appeared obviously too long for what would be a normal human hand. The feet, also, looked oddly different....And, the rib-cage was different. Seemed....Alien.
Tony shook off his willies and opened the Cabinet. Sitting there on a shelf was a rather large box-like thing. He wrestled it out, and lugged it over to the counter by the table where they had placed Clint Henry. Feeling around it, he saw it had a detachable lid, so he unclipped it, pulled it open, and removed it. Inside was an old-looking machine that seemed like something out of the 1930s. There was an identifier on it under a huge dial.....
Electric Shock Machine
Model PS-1
Electro-Physical Laboratories, Inc.
New York
(http://collectmedicalantiques.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/preview/gallery-images/2010/25/quniversalquackery016.1282770556.jpg)
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Clint lay gurgling obscenities on the table as Tony inspected the Eletro-Shock Machine. On the top left, it appeared there was a round circular plug-in for something. To the top right was what looked like a light sticking up through the plate, with the reading below, “Do Not Operate unless this tube glows”......In the top center between them was that huge dial, marked “Voltage Selector” with readings in Volts around it from ‘0-120V’. Down below that, on the left, was a place marked, “2 Amp Fuse", and to the right of that was a “Power“ switch, with ‘On / Off’ settings. Below those, on the left of the Identifier Logo was “Treatment Switch” with ‘Treat / Off’ settings, and to the right of the Logo was a dial marked “Timing In Seconds”, marked from ‘1-6‘. At the bottom, two heavy wires plugged in, and led to a couple of round metal paddles. In a side compartment on the left, there was a more heavy wires and a rolled up strap that looked like a headband.
“How do I work this thing ?”, Tony wondered out loud, as Nick came over to look.
Johnny came up behind them, but not too close. “Take dat dere wire in the side compartment and plug one end up there on top...De other inna Outlet”, Johnny instructed. “Den dat dere strap thing goes around his forehead, an’ take and stick them two metal paddle things under the strap on his temples.”
Tony did as Johnny said, hooking the round part of the heavy wire into the machine, then finding an outlet on the wall nearby to plug in at. Nick put the headband on Clint’s head and shoved the Paddles under it at the temples. “Now What ?”, asked Tony.
“Den just turn it on”, Johnny said distastefully. “Youse can figger it out from there, you smart kids, aint’cha ? I’se gonna go stands over there and keep guard.”
Johnny went over by the door, placing some distance between himself and the machine. Tony wondered how he knew so much about it, and then decided that maybe it was because it had been used on him at one time...Or possibly more.
Tony turned the machine 'ON’ with the “Power” switch first. The light, which was actually a vacuum tube, glowed a dim orange, then slowly brightened as it warmed up. Next, he fiddled with the switches, adjusting the “Voltage Selector” to 20 Volts, and then set the “Timing in Seconds” switch to '4'. The machine gave out a hum as he did those things, like the purr of a Pussycat, but like one that could easily become the roar of a Lion.
He then turned to Clint, still laying on the table muttering indecipherable crap. “Ok, um...Clint. Got some questions for you, and you better give some straight answers.”
Clint stopped his muttering and focused his wild eyes on Tony. “Think you're funny, Doncha ? A Real Gas ?"
“Not funny, Clint, I’m serious here.”, Tony replied, his hand on the “Treat” switch.
“That’s what that Shrink said", Clint said. “So I headbutted him."
“Where is Omar and your friends”, Tony asked, ignoring him.
“Where is Omar and your friends”, Clint mimicked. “Why should I tell you, Schoolboy ?”
Tony flipped the “Treat” switch to ‘on’ and watched as the electricity surged into Clint’s head. “I’m REAL serious, that’s why. Where are they ?”
“AHHHHHH !!”, Clint exclaimed in ecstasy, “That’s The Stuff !!”
“Like that, do you ?”, Tony asked, and turned the dial up to 40 Volts, flipping the “Treat” switch off and then back on again. Another, stronger surge hit Clint’s head.
”Damn Straight ! ARRRUGH !!!”, Clint hollered. “WHOO !!!!”
“Where are your Pals hiding out at ?”, Tony persisted. “I Wanna Know !!”
“Down In The Tunnels Of Love !”, Clint cried out, his body twisting under the shock.
“What kind of answer is that ?”, Tony questioned. “Gimmie the Straight Dope !! Where Are They ?” Tony turned the dial to 60 Volts and zapped Clint again.
“AHRUGGGGGH ! Down Where The Rats Run ! “, Clint replied, his face twisting.
“What the HELL does that mean ?”, Tony said. He was getting frustrated. “Make Some Sense !!" He jacked the dial up to 80 Volts, and zapped Clint again.
“OHHHHHHHH !!” escaped Clint’s lips through gritted teeth. His whole body seized up like a hard wooded board.
From across the room, Johnny suddenly said, “Ask him where Edgar Munsen be at.”
Tony flipped off the “Treat” switch and frowned, remembering. Wasn’t that who Jimmy had told him was the Townies leader before ? But he was dead, according to Jimmy, killed by Big Darrell. He looked at Nick and Nick shrugged, saying “Why Not ? We’re not gettin’ anywhere anyway.”
Tony looked down into Clint’s crazed features. Worth a shot, he supposed. “Clint....Where is Edgar ? Edgar Munsen ?”
A tear seemed to come to Clint’s eyes, or maybe it was just a watery gaze. “Edgar..? Edgar’s on the Second Level....With the Dead Animals...Lots and Lots of Dead Animals....”
Nick shook his head. “He’s babbling. What the Hell does that mean ?”
“I donno”, Tony said. “I’m gonna try again.” He set the dial up to 100 Volts, and got ready to flip the “Treat” switch again. “One last time, Clint....Where is Omar and the Townies ?”
“You think...I'm a Moron, don't you ?", Clint gasped. “Omar’s gonna....Get’cha back, don’cha see ? Goin’ take sopmtin’ from you Schoolboys, oh Yes...”
Tony hit the “Treat” switch again. Clint’s features tightened and his body strained against the bonds. “MMMMMMMPH !!!!!”, was all he could muster between clenched teeth.
“WHERE ARE THEY ?” Tony shouted in his face. “TELL ME, GODAMMIT !”
The cycle timed out and Clint collapsed, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “Third Level...Third....Down the Tunnels.....Already....Told You....Schoolboy...”
“Third Level Where ?”, Tony said angrily. “Make Sense, Sicko !!”
“Industrial....Complex...”, Clint said, “Fuckin’....Morons...”
Pissed, Nick reached across Tony, jacking the dial to the full 120 Volts and flipping the “Treat” switch. Electricity surged into Clint’s head, distorting his face into something almost unrecognizable. His body arced off the table nearly a full foot, straining tight against the bonds. Tiny wisps of smoke began leaking from his ears.
“Shit, Man, SHIT !!”, Tony exclaimed. “That’s Gonna Kill Him !!” The Electro-Shock Mackine was humming loudly now, and the lights overhead were dimming. It didn’t seem like the Machine was going to cycle out this time, the Voltage was set too high, maybe. Frantically, Tony grabbed at the electrical cord and yanked it from the wall.
Clint slammed back down on the table. Drool ran from his open mouth in a steady stream. If his brains weren’t fried before, they certainly were now. Tony checked to see if he was still breathing, and heaved a sigh of relief. Clint was, but it was ragged.
“We gots to get outta here”, Johnny said from the door. “Dey gonna see dem lights dimmin’ and comes a-lookin’....We gots to get hims back to his cell and get da Fuck Out !”
Tony and Nick hurried to undo the straps that had held Clint down to the table, then hoist him up. It as like trying to move a dead body. Clint’s limbs flopped everywhere. Tony pulled off the metal paddles and headband from Clint’s head. There were burn marks on his temples. Johnny came over to help. Lifting under one of Clint’s arms, he told Tony, “Puts that...Thing...Away, back where’s you gots it. We can gets him back to his cell. Com'on, Hurry !”
Tony piled the cords and things back into their compartments, then replaced the lid. Dragging the Electro-Shock Machine back to the cabinet, he struggled to lift it inside onto the shelf, as it was heavy. Finally, he got it in, then secured and closed the cabinet.
There was still time to wait until Johnny and Nick got back. Tony looked to his left and noticed the 12 ‘Meat Lockers’ again....The refrigerated vaults where dead bodies were kept until they were buried or disposed of. To these vaults, he knew, the corpses of Gary Smith and Edgar Munsen had passed through, along with countless others over the years. Tony had seen enough TV shows to know just how they worked, with their slide-out tables and all. Since he wasn’t planning to ever come back here, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. Might even find a clue.
He opened each door in turn, shining his flashlight inside and seeing nothing. He looked into 11 of them and came up empty, but one of the vault doors on the bottom row was stuck. He pulled and yanked without success, then braced his feet against the wall and gave a mighty heave. The door popped open suddenly, spilling him on his ass. Ruefully, he got up, and went to look inside.
His flashlight spotted something inside, and he pulled on the table. It too was stuck, and it took some doing to get it to come out even halfway. Finally, it was out far enough. Tony rose and took a look, then gasped with horror at what he saw on it.
______________________________________
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Nick and Johnny clamored back through the door, closing it. “Come on, Tony, they’re coming !”, Nick shouted. “We got to clear out, NOW !”
Tony numbly backed up from the sliding Vault table, his face registering shock. The image of what lay there was burned in his Retinas. “Ummm.....What ?”
“I said, we got to go !” Nick said. Seeing that Tony looked dazed, he said, “Man, are you all right ?”
“Um....Sure....Just fine”, Tony replied, shaking his head. He looked around. “How do we get out of here ?”
“Lets go out the back way, follow me !”, Johnny said, and went to a door set into the wall by the X-ray Screen Reader. Opening it, he wen through it, and Nick and Tony followed.
It was the Asylum’s Furnace Room. Tony saw that strangely, the furnace was still on, even though it was summer, a fire burning merrily within. But there wasn’t time to tarry. Johnny was already at another door, and when he opened that, Tony could see it led outside. “Com’on”, Johnny said, “We gotta climb the fence !” As they headed out the door, alarm bells began ringing inside.
But once outside, in what was the Asylum’s ‘Exercise Yard’. they all saw that they didn’t have to climb a fence after all. This is where Jimmy had waited with Damon and Algie, as the bombs exploded all over the towns, and then around the Asylum. Jimmy had told him he how blew the fence here with a little bit of C-4 and then made their escape, winding up holed up in the Save Warehouse as the Greenish Gas blanketed Blue Skies from the Chem Plant explosions, and a good thing for Tony and his crew that day that they did.
The fence, he saw, hadn’t yet been fully repaired. The base wall was new in places, but there were only 4x8 pieces of plywood set in place where the fencing was missing. It was only the work of a moment for the three of them to pull one of the sections loose and scamper through the opening. “I’ll run across to the gate foirst....Youse guys act like yous is chasin’ me !”, Johnny said.
That made good sense, as Tony and Nick were wearing Orderly Uniforms. Johnny took off running, and Tony and Nick followed after a few seconds. It seemed the escape would go smoothly. Unfortunately, Theo was now patrolling outside, looking for the escapee that the alarm was ringing about. He spotted Johnny and gave chase.
But just before he was going to catch up to Johnny, a Spud slammed into Theo’s guts. “Oh, MY BOYS !!”, he screamed as he fell to the ground. “So Sorry, I didn’t see it coming !”, he gasped as he got up on his knees. A second Spud smashed into his shoulder, and a third into his head, and he went down, groaning.
Tony and Nick spotted Laurent up in the tree and signaled to him by waving their arms so he didn’t shoot them too, as they were in the Orderly Uniforms. In the Moonlight, Tony could see him wave back, and the boys increased their speed to catch up with Johnny.
But Johnny had made the gate now, as planned. Konstantin charged out of the Guard Booth and tried to grapple Johnny against the gate. “I Got Him, He’s Right Here, Boys ! Come Help, I got...URK !!!!”
The first Spud slammed into Konstantin’s kidney, shot by Tony, and the next one shot by Nick splatted into the back of his head. He went down, unconscious, never even knowing that he had been nailed by the two ‘Orderlies’ chasing after Johnny.
Tony reached into the Guard Booth and activated the switch to open the small gate. There was a BUZZ ! and the gate popped open. The three boys went through and out to the road beyond. Laurent had dropped down from the tree and joined them. The Greasers themselves, as per Johnny’s instructions, have retreated to under the Rail Bridge to await their return.
There were a bunch of high fives upon Johnny’s return. Tony and Nick were sure to tell them that without Johnny, they couldn’t have carried out the mission, and that he had acted heroically under stressful conditions. Tony knew the news would get spread around by morning, and that Lola would hear of Johnny’s success. She would find that exciting, and most likely return to Johnny. It was all so predictable.
The Greasers mounted up then and sped off for the Blue Balls Bar, leaving Tony, Nick, and Laurent behind. They began walking back the way they came, through the small Park and the wooden walkway, back to the Secret Cave to change out of the Orderly and Greaser Outfits. It had been a long night, it seemed, even though only a couple of hours had passed.
“Glad that’s done”, Nick commented as they got closer to the Cavern.
“Got that right”, Tony said. “Least we got some clues.”
“Merde, I am bushed !”, Laurent commented, even though all he did was wait in a tree.
“Hey, uh...What was you looking at, right before we left the Morgue ?”, Nick asked.
Tony made a face. “Let’s get changed first. I’ll tell you all about it on the way back to the Dorm.”
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-
Tony had a lot of trouble getting to sleep, even after such a tense mission. The horror he had seen on the Mortuary tray haunted him. Even after he had told Nick and Laurent about what he had seen, they reacted with disbelief, telling him he had surely been mistaken. It couldn’t have been that bad, they said, pointing out that even by his own admission, he had only a fleeting glimpse of whatever it was he thought he saw.
But Tony knew better. This had been the sort of thing that real nightmares were made out of, Jason and Freddy Kruger all rolled up at the Bates Motel, waiting on their next victim. The image burned in his mind even as as his exhaustion overtook him and sent him down into an uneasy sleep. Soon enough, though, he went deeper, ever deeper.
He was back in the Dome. He had traveled far, a bit more than halfway, he saw. The jagged hole at the top loomed directly overhead now. He looked behind him to judge his progress, and was surprised to see he was in some sort of rift. A depression in the middle, perhaps ? He was in a canyon-like area that twisted and snaked to either side of him as far as he could see in the dim light. He looked about, and judged the height of the walls as too tall to Parkour. He moved ahead to the canyon wall, and then moved along it, seeking a way he could continue forward, a way to surmount this obstacle and continue on to the other side where he must go, for he knew his time was even shorter now than it ever had been.
An oppressive, humid air hung about him as he searched, the sense of danger like a live, palatable, living thing just out of sight. After what seemed to be an interminable time, he spied a stocky, block building far up ahead, butted up against the canyon wall. As he got closer, he could see the structure was actually merged into the canyon wall, with no definition as to where one left off and the other began. Finally arriving, he examined the building, walking around it slowly. There was only one way of entry, a steel door set into the side. To the left of it was stamped ‘XX-7‘ in large black stencil. He tried the knob and found it locked. He jiggled the knob uselessly and groaned. The feeling overwhelmed him him that he had to get inside, there was something in there he needed, something that he had to see, to know about, to discover. He chafed at the unyielding knob in his grip. If only he had the services of Bullworth’s Master Lock Picker, but she wasn’t here with him, and might never be again unless he could find her. He banged his other fist on the door in frustration.
Suddenly he felt a warmth in his pants pocket against his leg, which quickly began to build to a burning sensation. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small object, which cooled as he did so. It was a key, he saw, and on closer inspection, with the letters 'NP’ scratched onto it. He tried the key in the door lock, and with some jiggling around, the lock was released. Cautiously, he opened the door and looked inside.
It was an large-sized room. The same dim-ish light that prevailed in the Dome was here, also. Ahead and to the right of him were banks of TV Monitors, too many to count quickly, and consoles underneath. He moved into the room towards them for a closer look. None of the Monitors were on, they were just as dead as everything else in this place. A strange scrambling noise attracted his attention to his left, and her whirled around to see what it was.
Incredibly, the wall to that side now was the Mortuary wall, with the gleaming doors of the 'Meat Lockers’ embedded into it. Rising from the tray where the door that he had wrestled open in the lower bank was the horror he had seen earlier in the Mortuary. The figure gained the floor and stood up, facing him, the black molted robe flowing about it like a putrid swamp. In his dream state, Tony was frozen with fright, unable to move or speak. The part of the robe covering the face of the figure had fallen away somewhat, revealing the horrid white face, strips of which were peeling away like old paint from a wall, wet and diseased. The figure raised one arm and pointed to it’s left, towards the corner, where there was an oversize red push-switch mounted on the face of a box attached to the wall.
The thing opened it’s mouth, and a flood of green-ish blood-like fluid poured forth. In a ragged, guttural voice the creature spoke, the very sound of it akin to centuries of evil and depravity that Tony could only barely begin to imagine. “THE ONES YOU SEEK ARE NOT HERE. YOU MUST GO INTO THE TUNNELS THERE. GO, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, ELSE THEY WILL BE FOREVER LOST.”
He could not move, but his frightened dream-eyes shifted slightly to the corner that the figure was pointing to. As he did, the creature began to suddenly dissolve from the head down, collapsing like those two towers had done seven years ago, falling to dust. Tony fell too, fell into blackness, into the darkness and the sleep of the dead.
_________________________________________
-
It was nearly 5 AM, and it would be getting light soon. Constantinos scuttled from the Library, easily dodging the lone Prefect roaming about. In his backpack he was carrying a load of books, his fifth such haul of the night. He hurried to the lattice ladder at the side of the Girl’s Dorm and ascended it, the weight of fifty pounds of stolen books pulling at him. If nothing else, his overwhelming infatuation with Tiffany was getting him plenty of physical exercise....And a good thing that, for it helped give him stamina for his encounters with Tiffany, the thing that he craved most of all just lately.
Taking a bit of a breather, he surveyed the attic. He had in mind to move the entire stash of books deeper into the attic, more under the eaves and back where it was darker. Though the Matrons rarely came up to the attic, Constantinos’ muddled mind knew it was an eventual possibility. There was one more trip to take before it was to become light out.
Relieved of his load of books, Constantinos was able to quickly slither back down the lattice, and headed off the the Boy’s Dorm. Entering his room for the first time in days, he found his roommates still asleep. In silence, he stripped his bed of sheets and blankets and swiped as many as he dared from the sleeping roommates. Then he retrieved some items from his Wardrobe stash, including a half-used roll of Duct Tape. He bundled everything together and left the the Dorm, sneaking unseen back to the Girl’s Dorm and back up the lattice for the final time tonight.
Once back in the attic, he used the Duct Tape and sheets to make sort of a room in the far South-West corner of the attic. He put the blankets on the floor inside, ironically on top of Mandy’s old room, the head cheerleader whose panties he had stolen numerous times. He then moved the entire stash of books into the new ‘room’, arranging them in a display the she was sure to like.
By the time he was finished, it was light out and he could hear the sounds of the Girls moving about below. It wasn’t too long before Tiffany snuck up to the attic, and Constantinos proudly showed her what he had done. She was estacitic, her eyes flashing brightly as she ran her hands over her new treasures. A look of psychotic delight came over her features as she ran her hands over the books. Then, she stripped off her nightgown and grabbed a couple of the books, rubbing them in her crotch and moaning.
Soon, she turned to Constantinos, pulling him over to the blanket-bed. She lay down, spread-eagle, and ordered him to do her, right now. Constantinos lost no time shedding his clothing and climbing on top of her, his excitement rising as it would be the first time she had allowed him to be on top. She urged him to ram her, ram her HARD, and he did just that, long after the bells had rung for morning classes.
______________________________________
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Bethany Jones was fuming. That Bitch Phillips had forced her to clump around all day yesterday missing one of her new high-heels. That, and plus her guts hurt all day because that Bitch had punched her, and she had a headache still because that Bitch had slammed her head against the door.
Bethany was not a woman who backed down lightly. It was true that she came across as a bit ditzy and immature, but she had at one time been on her way to being a professional glamour model, doing photo shoots in such places as Boston and New York. But it was a highly competitive choice for a career, and Bethany was forced to spend a lot of money on clothing and accessories. In the end, she had to return to the Vale Valley, but not, in her mind, as any type of failure. She was firmly convinced she would have fame and glory one day, as her sense of entitlement was the equal to that of any Prep.
But an ugly thing was creeping in from the outside world. It’s name was the Great Recession, and it had made her put her future plans on hold for now. Being as it was hard to live a glamorous lifestyle with no income or trust fund to supply it, she eagerly took the job at Bullworth Academy. It would only be for awhile, she reasoned, not really knowing anything about economics or how things like that worked in the real world.
So, she got this job, and one of the more alluring perks that came with it was to work for her teen teacher idol, Mr. Galloway. Of course, back then she had been a foolish teenager with a crush on a handsome new teacher. Still, he had never left her fantasy, and when she saw her chance to have a little tryst with Mr. Galloway, she did not hesitate. After all, the situation presented itself, and she merely took advantage of it. The fault wasn’t hers at all, she decided, it was that Bitch Phillips for showing up early when she said she would be late.
True, Bethany was a bit promiscuous, and often bragged about the number of ‘Gentlemen Callers’ she'd had, particularly Mr. Breckindale, who had been her latest ‘Sugar Daddy’. But wasn’t everybody into sex these days, even the snots and brats at this place ? What gave that Bitch Phillips the right to be so high and mighty, like her shit didn’t stink ? By last count, that Slut had two or three Ex-Husbands already. It was plain to see, at least to Bethany, that she was no good at relationships either, that sanctimonious Cunt.
She’d been taken by surprise and caught rather red-footed on Monday morning. But that wasn’t going to happen again, she vowed. The next time she seduced Mr. Galloway, it wouldn’t just be on the spur of the moment. It would be a planned seduction, executed to perfection. And if that Bitch Phillips wanted to make something out of it, well she could just bring it on. Bethany wouldn’t back down the next time.
_____________________________________________
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Tad Spencer had woken up early enough to get to classes on this Tuesday morning, but wound up not even making his first class at all. The figure of Vanessa stirred beside him as he slowly ran his hand up and down the naked curve of her sexy ass, and his early morning bulge increased in size as he did so.
It hadn’t taken long for Vanessa to wind up in Tad’s bed after Pinky left, the next night in fact. After a day to let her injuries from the fight heal, they had bonded closer on their visit to the School Clinic. Vanessa knew what she was after, and the door was wide open now. She had come to Tad’s room last night, and did things to him Pinky never had.
It was a natural fit, according to the set of rules the Preps lived by. Vanessa came from 'old money’, her family was filthy rich, and her station demanded no less than being the girl of the top Prep on Campus. Tad, on the other hand, desired Vanessa not only for her incredible beauty, but for a possible future union. Although far from poor, the Spencers were going to take a hit financially from the recent trouble, and a lasting match-up with Vanessa (and her family’s money) would go a long way to restoring the Spencer Fortunes. Tad was sure his Father would be pleased.
He gave fleeting thoughts to Pinky. While he cared for her, after his own fashion, he regretfully would have to let her go. It didn’t look too good for the Gauthiers, being inexorably tied to the Harringtons as they were related (Pinky being a Cousin to Derby), and they were sure to take a huge financial hit to their fortunes by the time the criminal cases were all settled. Pinky would become ‘Poor’ by Prep standards, although ‘well off’ still by anyone else’s definition....And that just wouldn’t cut it when it came to the social standings in the Prep world. No, it just wouldn’t do at all.
Vanessa stirred and turned over, opening her eyes. Her face lit up with a brilliant smile. “Want to play Stock Market ?”, she asked coquettishly.
“Sure, as long as I get a Preferred Share”, Tad answered, playing along.
“You’re not going to be doing any Short Selling because of last night’s Market Activity, are you ?”, Vanessa giggled, snuggling closer.
“Hell, No”, Tad huffed. “I got plenty of Shares left in my Principal Trade instrument.”
“Well then”, Vanessa said saucily, swinging one leg over Tad and mounting him, “I’m going to issue a Call Option on you right now."
“I believe I have enough left in my Margin Account to cover that”, Tad said, his bulge rising to the task. “Where would you like me to deposit the Funds ?”
“Right here in my Stock Split”, Vanessa breathed, grabbing his bulge and guiding it into her Assets. “Add it to your Investment Funds”, she cried, ramming her hips toward his crotch, then rising and slamming him again, over and over. In due time, Tad would make another Deposit to his new Account.
_________________________________
-
Tony and Nick didn’t make first classes either, as both were still asleep when the bell rang, and in fact, for quite awhile after. Tony woke first, his latest Dome dream burning in his mind. What the Hell did it all mean this time, Tony wondered. He cast a look towards Nick’s bed. Nick was snoring away still, sleeping like the dead. Tony wondered how his friend could be such a sound sleeper, given all they had been through lately. Tony himself felt exhausted much of the time these days. His worry and fear that he would never find Karen alive grew bigger as each day passed.
Tony hauled himself out of bed, going to his Wardrobe and picking out a less-rumpled outfit. He decided to head to school, not to try to go to class, but to see if he could talk to Mr. Riddle. He let Nick sleep as he headed off to the School. There was nobody around as he crossed the Quad and went up the steps.
The hallways were empty as well, classes were still in session. Tony headed around to the School Store, and saw Mr. Riddle sitting inside, reading something. As Tony approached, he looked up.
“I, uh...Need to talk to you, Mr. Riddle”, Tony said, “It’s kinda important.”
Mr. Riddle glanced both ways into the halls, seeing them empty. He motioned Tony, saying, “Go to the back room, through the basement door.”
Tony did as he was told and went around to the basement door and went inside. Mr. Riddle entered through the access door from the School Store and said, “Pull up a crate and tell me what’s happened.”
For reasons unknown even to himself, Tony felt he could trust Mr. Riddle. On the face of it, that seemed rather crazy, having known him less than two weeks. But this new Janitor had been nothing but helpful, even though he exuded an air of mystery about himself just as Mr. Luntz had done. It could be that Tony felt this way because his dreams had directed him to Mr. Riddle in the first place. Whatever the reasons, Tony began relating the events that had happened since Sunday, the last time he had seen Mr. Riddle. He told of Nick’s finding of the Cell Phone call from Melody’s phone to the Asylum, of his finding out that there was a Townie still locked up in there, of their foray into the Asylum last night and their interrogation of Clint Henry. Tony also related his latest dream, about finding the strange building with the dead TV monitors inside and the vision that came along with it, that of the horrid rotting Monk figure pointing him towards an electrical box with a red button while saying something about them going into tunnels before it was too late.
“Whew”, Mr. Riddle whistled when Tony had finished, “You’ve been quite busy in the last couple of days !”
“Yeah, well, I just keep following the clues, like you said”, Tony replied, “But all it seems like is they just go to more clues, and so on.”
“That’s sometimes how it is in life”, Mr. Riddle told him. “The way isn’t always clearly defined, you have to zig-zag from one point to another to reach your objective. Let’s examine what we know, starting at the beginning. It’s pretty obvious that those girls didn’t vanish on their own, so that means they were abducted.”
“And, no one else had been taken since and no ransom demands have been made known”, Tony said, following along, “So it might be personal against Nick and me as some form of revenge. The only ones that come to mind, now that Jake and the Punks are locked away, is the Townies. Even Clint Henry told us that Omar was going to ’Get Us Back’ and was ‘Gonna Take Something’ from us.”
“The Townies all escaped from jail during the power blackout, except one, who had probably been sent to the Asylum beforehand”, Mr. Riddle continued. “They supposedly disappeared after that, but may be in hiding somewhere.”
“The first clue from my dream, and from you, was to go check out the Church, where we somehow found Melody’s Cell Phone”, Tony went on. “The Monks who may be there in hiding hypnotized us somehow, but let us know that the girls weren’t there, but somewhere far from there. There is a connection between the Monks and the Asylum, but I’m not sure what that is.”
“Then, several clues pointed you towards the Asylum, where you found this Townie fellow”, Mr. Riddle said, “And he revealed things to you as to where his gang may be hiding. What did he tell you exactly ?”
“He told us...”, Tony began, “Well, first he said, ‘Out Where The Wild Wind Blows’, which doesn’t make much sense, then he said, ‘Down In The Tunnels Of Love’, whatever that means. Then when we zapped him more, it was ‘Down Where The Rats Run’, and then he said that Edgar was ‘On The Second Level, With The Dead Animals’....No idea what that means. Then he said last, ‘Third Level, Down The Tunnels’, and then ‘Industrial Complex’. That was the last we got out of him.”
“Hmmm”, Mr. Riddle sat in thought. “So, then you have a dream, last night, that essentially tells you the same thing, about some tunnels. But you have to locate a certain building to get access to them, apparently. What were that painted on it, that you said ?”
“Um...’XX-7‘, that was it”, Tony said. “It looked like, inside, some kind of monitoring station or something, with all them blank TV Screens.”
Mr. Riddle seized on that. “Why where they blank, do you think ?”
“Well....There was nobody there, for one thing, I guess”, Tony said, recalling.
“Or maybe....There was no power ?”, Mr. Riddle suggested.
“Yeah, that’s it !”, Tony exclaimed. “It was like they were dead, or was turned off !”
“And much of the Industrial Complex over there isn’t back to operating, is it ?”, Mr. Riddle queried.
“I don’t know”, Tony answered. “I think I heard that Blue Skies Shipping still is, and maybe the Refinery. I really haven’t been over there since the Bombings, except to do that mission last night. I should check around, do you think ?”
“Yes, I do”, Mr. Riddle told him, “And maybe you should concentrate on the part of the Complex that’s NOT working there....That could be a reason this 'Control Building’ isn’t running also.”
“Yeah, maybe that’s right”, Tony speculated. “But, I’m wondering what that ‘Level’ thing that Clint Henry said was, and that blabber about ‘Dead Animals’....He is a little deranged.”
“Seems that way”, Mr. Riddle said. “But even Idiot’s blabber holds some grains of truth. You just have to follow the leads, Tony. That’s all you can do.”
“I suppose so”, Tony said, somewhat dejectedly. “Got any advice for me, Mr. Riddle ?’
“Well, first off, I think you should turn over that Cell Phone to the Police or the F.B.I.”, Mr. Riddle told him.
“Oh, yeah, like they’re gonna get real hot and solve the case”, Tony scoffed. “They been doing such a bang-up job so far.”
“One thing that Cell Phones do, when they’re on and activated, is to ‘Ping’ their signals off the nearest cell tower. Locations of calls that are made can be traced and pinpointed to a specific location”, Mr. Riddle informed him. “If the Police or the G-Men can’t find any clues, they can’t do their job, y’see. You know, it wouldn’t hurt to have some backup on this, Tony. Better than taking it all on by yourself.”
“I got plenty of backup”, Tony replied. “I think I can get up whatever I need, there’s plenty of people upset about all this, particularly those who’s got girlfriends.”
“I know that”, Mr. Riddle said, “But what do they have ? You really think you can save those girls with some fists and a few slingshots ? From what I understand, it took the Feds and the National Guard to stop the whole valley from being blown off the map. These boys, these...Kidnappers, they’re dangerous. You find where they’re at, back them into a corner, they might hurt those girls, or worse. You might want to consider that.”
Tony really didn’t have an answer for that. “I guess....You might be right...”, he reluctantly admitted. “I should take the phone to the Cops. But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop looking for them”, he added.
“Of course not”, Mr. Riddle said. “But you should make sure that you give those girls their best chance to get rescued. They deserve that much.”
Tony sat in silence, digesting that. “Yeah, maybe you’re right”, he said, rising to go. Tony faced Mr. Riddle and cracked a crooked smile. "Got a Riddle for me before I go ?”
“Sure”, Mr. Riddle said. “Riddle me this....Where is the place down low that can only be entered up high ?”
“Don’t suppose you can tell me what that means ?”, Tony said, not really expecting anything.
“Nope, sure can’t”, Mr. Riddle replied, preparing to return to the School Store. “I just tell ‘em, kid....To solve ‘em is up to you.”
________________________________________
-
As Tony walked back to the Dorm to see if Nick was awake yet, his Cell Phone rang. He snatched it out of his pocket, wildly hoping it was Karen. But it wasn’t.
“Tony !!”, he heard the nasally voice of Algie whine, “There’s been a theft ! The Shooting Range booth was broken into last night and all the Air Rifles are missing !”
Tony groaned. This was some serious shit. He could think of only one group that would be ripping off weapons about right now. “Stick around there, Algie. We’re on our way !”
Tony punched the ‘off’ button on the Cell Phone and stuffed it into his pocket before he burst into a run to the Boy’s Dorm. When he arrived at his room, Nick was sitting up on his bed, obviously having finally woken up. “Hey, get some duds on, they jacked them Air Guns from the Carnival !”, he said in a rush.
Startled, Nick rose and went to his wardrobe to throw on some clothes. “All of them ?”, he asked while dressing.
“Yep, that’s what Algie said when he just called”, Tony replied. “We need to get over there.”
“What happened to those Guards, I wonder”, Nick said as he finished dressing. “Where were they at ?”
“I donno”, Tony said, “Guess we’ll find out when we get there.”
Both boys hurried from the Dorm and headed toward the Autoshop Garage to get their bikes.
________________________________________
-
Arriving at the Carnival, Tony and Nick went through the Front Gate on Tony’s pass card. Just inside was a small Clinic to the left. There were two burly figures inside laying on cots, they both saw. “Guess that's what happened to them”, Nick remarked as they went by. They continued up the Midway towards the Rides, keeping an eye out for Algie.
They didn’t have to look too far. Algie was near the Big Squid ride, along with a bunch of other Carnival workers and some of the Freaks. Tony was mildly surprised that they were even let out of their cages. There was also some fairgoers milling about. All eyes were fastened on the Shooting Range area, which had been roped off with Police Tape. Officer Monson was in front of the Gallery, interrogating one of the Carnies, which looked to be Crystal. Neither Tony or Nick had seen a Police Car, so it must be that Officer Monson had walked there or had gotten dropped off.
The boys sought out Algie and drew him aside. “Ok, what happened ?”, Tony asked.
“Like I told you, someone stole all those Rifles”, Algie answered. “Freeley found the guards unconscious when he went to open up this morning at 10 O’clock, one near the front gate and one back toward the Roller-Coaster. It looked like they got Bushwhacked !” Algie shuddered, ironically forgetting that he himself had 'Bushwhacked’ half the kids in the School last winter.
“How’d they get in there ?”, Nick asked, pointing to the Shooting Range building, which had large fold-down flaps that were locked every night.
“It looked like all those big padlocks were cut”, Algie said, “Just sheared off !”
“Boltcutters”, muttered Tony, then said snidely, “Now, I wonder who has access to those ?”
“Yep”, Nick said grimly. “Gotta be them, all right.”
“W-who ?”, Algie asked nervously. “Them, Who ?”
“The Townies”, Tony spat out. “They’re arming up.”
“But...But they disappeared !”, Algie said, perspiring a bit more in the early day heat.
“So they wanted everyone to think, after they broke Jail”, Tony said. “But, they’re here...Were right here, that is.”
“If we find them, they’ll be armed to the teeth”, Nick said. “Every one of them will have a Rifle.”
“This just got more dangerous”, Tony said, “We really got to watch our step.”
Algie’s eyes ping-ponged back and forth between Tony and Nick as they talked. Then he squeaked, “Are...Are they gonna come after....Me, do you think ?”, fearing that the Townies would have it out for him for his part in the failed attack on the School.
Tony stared at Algie, though not unkindly. “No, Algie....If they wanted retribution on you, they’d have done it already. After all, they was right here,”
A bit of relief mixed with hope crossed Algie’s face. “Then...I’m safe ?”
“We didn’t say that”, Nick told him. “Just be on your guard, eh ?”
“They’re after us”, Tony told Algie. “We think....They’re the ones who kidnapped the Girls.”
A mix of emotions ran across Algie’s face. “So....I’m not safe....”
“Look, Algie, just stay in your Carny disguise and they’ll never know it’s you”, Tony told him. “Nobody ever really notices a Carny.”
Algie nodded and gulped. “Okay”, he said, than after a bit, added, “Did I do good ? Letting you know ? I called as soon as I knew.”
“Yeah, you did good, Algie”, Tony said, “I’ll be sure to tell Melvin and Fatty you helped.”
That seemed to pacify Algie, and after a while, he whined, “I’m hungry. I’m going to the food tent for something to eat. You guys need anything else ?”
Tony and Nick shook their heads, and Algie wandered off. They stood for a while longer, watching the scene, before deciding to leave themselves. It was time to make new plans.
________________________________________
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Tony and Nick made a bike run back to the Boy’s Dorm to get Melody’s Cell Phone. Tony explained his reasons on the way back for wanting to turn it over to the Police, and ultimately the F.B.I. Nick wasn’t so sure that was the thing to do, what if the Girl’s abductors tried to call Melody’s number using Karen’s Cell Phone, which they surely still had, to make demands ? Tony pointed out that their names and numbers were in both Cell Phones, if the kidnappers wanted to contact them, they had most likely kept Karen’s Cell Phone for that purpose.
Nick was still bothered, however. He still didn’t understand just why the Cell Phone was at the Church in the first place. “I still think those Monks, or whatever they are, had something to do with all this”, he said.
“No, I don’t think so”, Tony answered as the swept toward the school. “I found out from a few people how the Townies used to hang out at the Graveyard late at night, and I think the Monks ran them off for some reason. I’m convinced the Townies planted that Cell Phone over there. Don’t you remember ?”
“Remember What ?”, Nick asked as they crossed the South Bridge.
“What that Monk said to us when we were in the Basement, about the Cell Phone”, Tony said back. He could hear it clear in his mind right now....'HERE, TAKE THIS. IT WAS THROWN THROUGH ONE OF OUR WINDOWS EARLIER. IT MIGHT PROVIDE A CLUE.’
“What Basement ?”, Nick said. “What Are You Talking About ?”
It suddenly occurred to Tony that he could remember being in the Church Basement, and the vision of a Monk with a blue upside-down Cross floated before his eyes. The suddenness of it came smashing in on his senses, so much so that he nearly crashed his bike into the side of the school wall as they approached the front gate. He braked his bike hard and brought it to a stop, feeling rather shaky.
Nick came to a stop as well. “What Is It ? You remember something, don’t you ?”
“Yeah”, Tony said, his mind spinning. “Just bits and pieces....What about you ? You can’t say you never remembered anything at all, now can you ?”
“Well....No, I can’t say that”, Nick admitted, recalling the strange voices that had come unbidden to his mind that day down on the Football Field as he was talking to Lance and that big kid Bob. “I’ve remembered....Stuff. So, what did you just remember ?”
Tony told him, including a chilling glimpse at the Monk. “That’s why I think it was a Setup”, he finished. I’m more sure of it now as ever !”
“Well, maybe you’re right”, Nick admitted grudgingly. “Maybe those weird fucks didn’t have anything to do with it after all.” He started his bike towards the Dorm. “Let’s jut get the Cell Phone and get this over with....Never been real fond of Cop Stations.”
__________________________________________
-
After retrieving Melody’s Cell Phone from their room, Tony and Nick biked over to the Bullworth Police Station. Going inside, they asked at the front desk to see Chief O’Rourke on a matter of inportance, and were escorted to his office.
“Gorry Be, boys, I have no new news on the girls disappearin’, if that’s what ye be here for”, The Chief said.
“We do, Chief”, pulling out the Cell Phone and laying it on Chief O’Rourke’s desk. “This is Melody’s Cell Phone.”
“Why, I’ll be”, the Chief said, picking it up. “Where did you all find this ?”
“Er...In the bushes by the Park, over by that small bridge on Vale Valley Road”, Tony lied. He had already decided not to let on that they had found the phone in the Church....Or rather, had been given the phone in the Church. It might just lead to too many questions that he and Nick just couldn’t answer, and would come out as being rather bizarre, to say the least. Besides, Tony had a strong feeling that the Monks wouldn’t take kindly to having their Sanctuary raided again by Federal Agents. Added to that, the fact that they had given over the Cell Phone to Tony in the first place indicated that they had been inclined, for whatever reasons, to aid them in their quest to find the girls.
Chief O’Rouke flipped the Phone open. “How does one work these contraptions ?”, he asked. Like most of the long-time populace of the Vale Valley, the Chief was unknowing about even the simplest technology such as Cell Phones. Tony showed him how to turn it on, and then showed him how to check for calls on it....Made calls, Received calls, and Missed calls.
“See, and here’s why this is important”, Tony went on, “This here made call was done a couple of days after the girls went missing. That means whoever took them used the phone !”
Chief O’Rouke peered at the small screen and squinted. “This number looks sort of familiar, it does.”
“It’s the number to the Asylum”, Nick spoke up. “We already checked it out.”
Tony shot a warning glance to his friend not to say too much. “Um...Yeah, we um, found out that there was still one of them Townies locked up over there. What we think is that their buddies we using Melody’s phone to call and check up on him.”
“That’s an awful big leap there, isn’t it Boyo ?”, Chief O’Rouke said. “Anybody could be callin’ there for any reason, any reason at all. What be makin’ you think it was after this Townie boy ?”
Tony sighed. He guessed he would have to tell, at least in part, of their little adventure last night. “Well, Sir, we, um, went to see for ourselves....And, he was there, all right, a guy named Clint Henry. He, um...Let on to some things.”
“How did you boyos get into there, that’s restricted and all...”, The Chief said, then backtracked. “No, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know that. I have enough to be handlin’ in this place without havin’ to clap you boys in the brig. Just tell me, what did the miscreant say ?”
Tony took a breath, relieved. “He said that, um....That their leader, Omar, had it out for us, and was gonna 'take something from us’, and also said something about tunnels under the Industrial Area, and something about 'Levels’....He wasn’t real clear about stuff, cause he’s pretty crazy and all. But we think the Townies are still here in the Valley, hiding somewhere, and that could be the place. They Kiddnapped the girls to get revenge on us for beating them when they attacked the school. It all fits !”
The Chief looked doubtful. Nick spoke up again. “Tell him about the Cell Phone Tracking.”
“Oh...Yeah”, Tony said. “There’s a way to track these things here, it’s called ‘Pinging’, off the nearest Cell Phone Towers. There’s only one in the Valley, up in the Vale Woods, that’s what the guy who sold us the phones said anyway....So, anytime a call is made, a location can be pinpointed, how close I don’t know, but at least it could be a clue !”
“So, you be tellin’ me...”, Chief O’Rouke said slowly, “That this here phone could lead to a possible location ?”
“Yes, that’s it !”, Tony exclaimed. “But, how close, like I said, I don’t know. But it’s a chance, isn’t it ?”
The Chief fingered the phone. “Aye, it’s a chance. I’ll have to turn this over to the F.B.I. Agent-In-Charge, we have no way of checking it out at our local level, regrettably....We are just so far behind the times still.” He didn’t add his resentment that the F.B.I. had virtually taken the case away from the Bullworth Police, who were ridiculed far and wide these days for their incompetence. More that anything, the Chief O’Rouke wished just to go back to just being Fire Chief once more. At least in that job there was a modicum of respect.
“So...You’ll let us know if they find anything ?”, Tony asked. “We’ll give you our Cell Phone numbers, just in case.” Tony grabbed a pen and paper from the desk and wrote them down.
“Aye, if I can”, the Chief said, a mite irritably. The chances that the F.B.I. would tell him any information was rather small, as they hadn’t updated him on anything so far.
The boys got up to leave. “Well...Thanks Chief”, Tony said. “We’ll check back in if we find out anything else.”
Chief O’Rouke pointed at them. “You boyos stay out of trouble”, he warned. “Let the professionals handle this.”
“Oh, you are so right, Sir !”, Tony said, having no intention of doing that at all. The boys exited the office, and then the Police Station.
Outside, they gathered their bikes and got on. “What now ?”, Nick asked.
“Now, we go look for that building”, Tony said, “And try and find those tunnels. Let’s go !”
_______________________________
-
Tony and Nick biked over to Blue Skies by way of New Coventry. Since neither one of them were really much familiar with the area, they started going up and down every street that had any kind of buildings, inspecting them closely. The largest one, the Spazz Industries Factory, had begun operations again, Tony noticed. There were ramps up the side of the East building that went up two stories on the side to some storage rooms, but there were no numbers on them, and they didn’t look like the building in Tony’s dream anyway.
Down the road around the corner, on Meats Street, the wreckage from the nearly-leveled Wonder Meats Packing Plant had been cleaned off the road, Tony saw, but had just been piled in the spot where the building had once stood. Like most things on this end of Blue Skies, there hadn’t been a whole lot of actual clean-up as there had been in the other areas. Down the road from that was Blue Skies Shipping, which was now the only place handling anything coming or going by rail or boat these days, since the Spencer warehouse was closed now. Tony wondered how the goods were being taken to and brought from the elevated rail line now.
After they had been looking around about an hour, Nick said, “Maybe we should just go ask somebody where this damn building is.”
“Who would know that ?”, Tony asked. Constantinos would know something like that, but he hadn’t been seen at all lately. Tony had begun to wonder where he was off to these days.
“Maybe...”, Nick shrugged, “Somebody on the Docks might know.”
“Capitol Idea”, Tony replied. “Let’s try there....I think they’re this-a-way.”
Tony remembered that the docks were on the other side of the elevated rail line, and that there was an underpass to them, around the vicinity of Spencer Warehouse. It was where Tad had him leave the boat Tony had borrowed from him to take Karen to Narragansett Bay. They biked that way, and there around the corner on the North side of the Warehouse was the underpass they sought. As they came through underneath, Tony could see the large boathouse where he’d left the boat as per Tad’s instructions. Next to that was another building, and around the corner then down a large ramp was the way the led to the Docks themselves. Tony could see the water now and the Bullworth School Tower in the distance.
Not seeing anyone, they biked North along the Dock, coming to another large Boathouse. They had to detour around this one for a distance before being able to get back near the water again. It was on the Northernmost Dock that Tony spotted some workers, using a crane to load a small freighter. Tony and Nick biked up to the nearest one.
“Um...Pardon me Sir”, Tony asked, “We’re looking for a particular building.”
The man looked at them and grunted. “Whadda you kids doin’ over here ? Ain’cha supposed to be in summer school or somptin’ ?”
“Well....Actually, we’re on a School Project of sorts”, Tony lied. “We’re supposed to find this particular building, it’s marked ‘XX-7‘....You wouldn’t happen to know where it is, would’ja ?”
“Umm...Naw, kid, I don’t”, the man said. He looked over towards another worker and said, “He might know...Hey, Salvatore, com’ere !”
The other man came over. “Whadda want, McInnis, I’m kinda busy over here.”
McInnis gestured to Tony and Nick. “These two are asking about some building, maybe you know where it’s at.”
“Yeah ?”, Salvatore said, “What building ?”
“Umm...’XX-7‘, Sir”, Tony told him.
A queer look came over Salvatore’s face. “What’cha want with that building ?”
“It a...School Project”, Tony lied again. “Sorta like a Scavenger Hunt. We’re supposed to take pictures of certain buildings around the Towns for an assignment.”
“Oh”, Salvatore said. He considered a bit, then shrugged. “Well....It’s way off in the South end, down by the Chem Plant and Gloop Oil Refinery. You have to take that road that goes by the Power Sub-Station. The road did go straight to the Chem Plant, but the Feds ordered it blocked off, cause of the poison gas that was comin’ out of the place due to them bombings. But, there’s another road that breaks off and goes West....That building you’re looking for is right next to the old Red Star Industries building.”
“Ok, Sir...Thanks !”, Tony said, and made ready to leave.
“You kids stay away from that Sub-Station”, McInnis said. “Some fool kid ‘bout got himself electrocuted messin’ around in there a couple years ago.”
“Ah, don’t worry Sir, we don’t wanna get fried”, Tony said as he and Nick biked off, retracing the way they came in.
______________________________________
-
Tony and Nick found the road, which had been partly barricaded. They picked their way through and continued on. Tony looked left and saw the Power Sub-Station, and up ahead a ways was a large metal barricade, topped with razor barbed wire. In the distance behind that rose the huge foreboding hulk of the Chem Plant. Off to the right, as Mr. Salvatore had said, was another road.
The boys continued on down that one for a ways, but up ahead, it too was blocked. They were nearly directly behind the ruined Wonder Meats Plant, and the wrecked remanent of another building spilled across the road here. They came to a stop and looked at the mess. From what they could tell, it had been a storage building of some sort at the back of Wonder Meats. Without knowing it, they were looking at the remains of the building where Kurt had held Pinky hostage last winter.
“Look !”, Nick said, pointing to a red brick building to the left of them, on a rise and enclosed by a chain-link fence with razor wire running along the top. At the top of the three-story structure was faded lettering reading ‘Red Star Industries’. “That must be the building that guy was talking about.”
“Yeah...”, Tony said, looking up at it. “Wonder what they made there ?”
“Gaaa, who knows”, Nick said. “Hey, look off to the the side there....That look like the building in your dream ?”
Tony followed Nick’s gaze over to the left of the Red Star building. “Umm....Could be. Let’s go look !”
They backtracked a bit, and were surprised to see a ramp leading up between the two buildings. “Wonder how we missed this ?”, Tony asked.
“We weren’t looking for it, is how”, Nick replied, “We was looking up at the buildings.”
They biked up the ramp. To the left was a single steel door set into the front of the Building. They dismounted and walked over to it. To the left of the door, a black ‘XX-7‘ had been stenciled against the dark concrete.
“This Is It !”, Tony cried. He put his hand on the knob and twisted. It was locked. Somehow, he should have known that was going to happen. Tony tried to twist the knob but it wouldn’t move. He banged his other fist on the door in frustration.
Suddenly, his dream came flooding back. Along with that, a warmth in his pants pocket began to burn against his leg. He dug into his pocket for the key he knew must be there, and found....Nothing.
“What are you doing, Tony ?”, Nick asked, watching his odd behavior.
“There’s a Key”, Tony said, “A KEY is supposed to be there.” He turned the pocket out. It was empty. “God Damn It, Where Is It ?!?”
“What are you talking about ?”, Nick said, “What Key ?”
“The one that’s supposed to be here !”, Tony said uncomprehendingly. “Where is it ??”
Nick looked at him strangely. “You....Talking about a Key in your dream ? Cause you ain’t got nothing.”
Tony leaned his head against the cold metal door and closed his eyes. “Yeah....Yeah, that’s it...It was in my dream. I thought.....Well, I don’t know what I thought....That it might be there.”
“What did it look like ?”, Nick asked suddenly. “The Key in your dream ?”
“It was....A Key, man, just an ordinary Key”, Tony said miserably. The feeling was strong in him that he had to get in there. He scrunched his eyes and tried to recall. The shape. The size. What ?
“Was there anything on it, or stamped on it ?”, Nick asked, trying to be helpful.
Tony’s eyes opened suddenly. He remembered. “YES !”, he exclaimed. “There was...an ‘NP’ on it...Like it had been scratched on it !”
“NP ?”, Nick said. “Uh...Them’s my initials, man.”
“That’s it !”, Tony said. “It’s You ! You’re the Key !”
Nick felt in his pockets. “I ain’t got no key, man...Nothin’ like that.”
“No, No....It’s YOU”, Tony insisted. “Not a Key....YOU have to open the door !”
“Me ?”, Nick asked. “You mean like, pick the lock ?”
“Yes !”, Tony said. “At least, I think so. I needed the Master Lock Picker, that’s Karen, she picks all kinds of locks...But she wasn’t there, in the dream. But YOU can pick locks, can’t you ?”
“Well....Yeah”, Nick admitted. “But....I’m a little rusty....This ain’t exactly L.A. you know.”
“Will you at least try ?”, Tony asked, almost pleading.
“Hmmm.....I guess”, Nick shrugged. He bent to examine the lock on knob, inspecting it closely. “Looks fairly simple.” He dug around in his pockets and produced a couple of strange-looking tiny picks.
“You carry those around ?”, Tony asked in surprise.
“Force of Habit”, Nick muttered as he bent to the task.
Tony took a breath as he watched. Overwhelming was the feeling that he must get inside. Something was waiting.....Something.
_______________________________
-
Not long after Tony and Nick had left to turn Melody’s Cell Phone in at the Police Station, Constantinos clamored down the trellis from the Girl’s Dorm Attic. He was badly in need of some sleep, having been up all night robbing books for Tiffany from the Library. She had smuggled him up some food this morning after their sex-capades and before she went off to class, but what he really needed right now was a comfortable bed to catch some rest in. The blankets on the Attic floor weren’t much of a mattress.
He blinked in the bright sunlight, letting his hollow eyes adjust. He’d been up in the dark attic so much lately he was beginning to feel like a Vampire. He hiked off to the Boy’s Dorm without seeing anyone.
When he arrived at the Dorm, it too was empty, save for those weird kids Eddie and Geoff, who were, as usual when nobody was around, in the Common Room playing the stand-up console video games. Constantinos wondered afresh just what their deal was, then wearily decided he still didn’t care. When he got to his room, it too was empty of anyone, and he flung himself down on his still-rumpled bed and quickly went fast asleep.
Constantinos didn’t like to even acknowledge his dreams, as they were always dark and depressing. This one that he found himself in was no different, in fact far worse, for elements of horror and terror were laced into it.
He was in the Attic. Beside him was a huge mound of books that stretched nearly the length and width of the Attic. It came to him that he was finally done with his task, he had robbed all of the books from the Library. Little footsteps pattered up the stairs then, and there was his Angel Tiffany. She would be so pleased, he knew, and his crotch burned with anticipation and desire. He was about to receive his ultimate reward, the finest sexual experience of his life. She grinned wickedly as her vapid eyes took in the huge mound of books. Tiffany looked at Constantinos and ordered him to strip and get down on the floor, drool running from her mouth. She leapt atop him as he did so, attacking his privates with a fresh vigor like never before. Constantinos laid back and closed his eyes, his hormones raging. Tiffany engulfed him, making vile slurping sounds like those of a rabid animal. It intensified to the point where it became painful, and Constantinos gasped. Lifting his head, he gazed down and saw. His Bulge was in her hands, and she was consuming him, bits of tissue and blood streaking down her face as she chewed. Tiffany had castrated him. In his dream mind, Constantinos screamed and screamed as he descended into the pits of his own private Hell.
_____________________________________
-
“Got It”, Nick announced. He turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Tony pushed away from the wall he had been leaning on. “Arm Yourself”, he said, drawing out his own Spud Gun and cock-loading it. Nick did the same, and they cautiously entered.
The daylight spilled into the room for a little ways, enough for Tony to see reflections off the darkened screens at the far end. The balance of the room was in darkness, however. “Flashlights”, Tony whispered, feeling foolish that he was being fearful of a darkened room.
The boys pulled out their flashlights with their free hands as shined them around. The room was just like Tony had seen in his dream, with the exceptions of there being no Mortuary Vaults against the left-hand wall, and of course there was no decaying Monk standing there either.
Tony shone the light directly ahead and saw the banks of 16 TV Monitor screens on the back wall and 16 TV Monitor screens on the side of the wall to his right. They were all blank and dark. Tables with cheap chairs sat underneath them. Nick turned and played the light along the wall to his left, picking out a couple of filing cabinets and more tables and chairs. On the front wall, near the door where they entered was also a bank of another 16 TV Monitors, also blank and dark, with still more tables and chairs.
Tony whirled to his left, half expecting to see the nightmarish figure of the Monk. Instead, there was only a calendar on the bare wall. Tony stepped closer and saw it was this year’s calendar, displaying a pastoral country scene. The month page, however, was still set on May, meaning this room had probably not been worked since then.
Nick turned and came forward to about the middle of the room. “Sorta dead in here”, he half-joked. Unbeknown to both of the boys was that Nick was standing in the same spot where Zoe had stuffed a bag of M-80s down the pants of an unconscious Big Darrell and lit them, blowing his nuts off, among other damage.
Tony turned his flashlight to the right, into the corner. “There !”, he exclaimed, pointing towards an electrical box with an oversize red push-button mounted on the face of it. “That’s the thing I saw ! The one that...That Monk-Man was pointing at in my dream !”
“You sure ?”, Nick asked, coming over closer to get a look.
“I...Think so”, Tony said. “I didn’t get a real good look, but....This has gotta be it, there’s nothing else here.”
The boys approached the box. “So, what we’re supposed to do”, Tony wondered.
“Push it ?”, Nick suggested. “Nothing much else we can do.”
Tony reached forward and pushed on the big red button. Nothing happened.
“Well....What the Hell ?”, Tony said, confused.
“Hmmm.....No Power is probably why”, Nick indicated.
Tony slapped his head. “Of Course ! Duh....I’m not thinking clearly, I guess.” He looked again at the Electrical Box. “Wonder if there’s a way to turn it on ?”
Nick shined his light around the box. “There might be....Lemme look.”
“You know about this kinda stuff ?”, Tony asked. Nick was certainly full of surprises.
“A little bit”, Nick admitted wirily. “I was thinkin’ about becoming a Journeyman Electrician some day.”
Tony couldn’t tell if Nick was joking or not, as he was such a hard person to read. Nick ran his fingers around the box, searching for a switch. There was lateral indentations on both sides of the box, just enough to stick the four fingers of a hand into. Nick tried one side and pushed, but nothing happened. Reversing, he tried again from the other side. There was a 'CLICK’ and suddenly the lights in the room blazed on.
“Hey, you did it !”, Tony exclaimed, pocketing his flashlight. “Let’s try the red button now !”
Eagerly, Tony pushed the big red button. There was a click and a whooshing sound. But that was all. Tony’ hopes deflated. “What the Fuck....”, he muttered.
“Thought I heard something outside”, Nick said, cocking his head. Unable to think of anything else to do, the boys trotted outside, looking around.
“Hey, wasn’t this big gate here closed when we got here ?”, Nick asked, indicating a now open gate between the XX-7 building and the Red Star building.
“Think it was”, Tony replied after a moment’s thought. He shrugged. “Com’on, let’s go check it out....Maybe we’re supposed to go this-a-way.”
They both mounted their bikes and rode through the open gate, into unknown territory.
_____________________________________
-
Christy Martin went to the School Office over the Lunch Break, finding Bethany Jones working behind the Secretary’s desk, her normal place. She leaned over the counter. “Is Ms. Phillips in ? I have to ask her something about the Art Class program.”
“She’s not here”, Bethany said sourly without looking up. “She went out for Lunch.”
“Oh !”, Christy exclaimed. “I’d just wanted to ask her.....Oh, never mind. I’ll try to catch her later.”
Bethany looked up. Christy seemed slightly agitated. “What’s the problem ?”, she asked.
“Oh...It’s nothing, really....It’s just....Just....” Christy’s face crumpled somewhat, like she was just about ready to cry.
Bethany got up and came to the counter. “What’s wrong ? Maybe I can help.”
A tear spilled out of Christy’s eye. “Those BOYS.....”, she spat out, “They said I had to take more clothes off.....For their paintings, you know.....Said, that what Ms. Phillips does....”
Bethany came around the counter and took a full look at Christy. She saw that Christy was wearing a short-sleeved blouse, a short skirt that was not quite a mini-skirt, and tan high heels. She had a styled salon hairdo. She looked much older than 18, in fact she more resembled a woman in her mid-to-late 20s. If she were to remove any more clothing for posing for their paintings, Christy would be down to little more that Bra and Panties. Bethany could see what those ruffian boys were on about, and in fact knew the story of Christy’s disastrous relationship with Bif and the reasons behind it. In a place like Bullworth, any scandalous thing like that always got around eventually.
“Who are these nasty boys wanting you to do this ?”, Bethany asked her, knowing the answer.
“Bullies, mostly”, Christy answered, and then with disdain, “And a few of the Preps.”
“Well, they have no right to tell you that”, Bethany scoffed. “Really, I can’t see Ms. Phillips doing what they claim.” That Tight-Ass Cunt, she added in her mind.
“But....She does....They showed me paintings”, Christy nearly wailed, “She had them in her Art Desk, and they got them out and showed me ! What am I going to do ? I’ve got them next period !”
“In her Art Desk, eh ?”, Bethany said under her breath. A plan was forming in her ditzy mind. To Christy, she said, “Just relax, Dearie...I’ll arrange for some Prefect protection for your class today. You won’t mind having some company in class, will you ?”
“Oh, no, not at all !”, Christy said, relieved. “Could you get Edward ?”
“I think that can be arranged”, Bethany said as she went back around the counter to her desk. Picking up the Intercom, she paged, “Edward Seymour, report to the Office Immediately, please ! Edward Seymour, report to the office !”
Edward arrived within a few minutes. When Bethany told him to go with Christy and sit in on Art Class, he wasn’t too pleased. It was bad enough that the new Administration had severely cut back on their enforcement powers that they had previously enjoyed under Dr. Crabblesnitch’s rule of the school, and only now to be sent on what seemed to be a babysitting mission was practically intolerable. But once Bethany explained that a few lustful boys would have to be kept under control by any means necessary, Edward’s mood brightened. It had been awhile since he had been able to give anyone a sound thrashing. He turned to Christy and gave her a rare smile. He recalled how she had beat up that man-whore Bif with her book. People like him reflected poorly on his native Preps.
As Christy left with Edward in tow, Bethany sat at her desk in thought. It looked like she would need to stay overtime after school today. There was a certain Art Desk she had to take a look into after hours.
_________________________________
-
As Tony and Nick biked through the gate, they could see that the XX-7 building with it’s Control Room was actually hooked into a much larger building behind it that stretched off towards the South-West, where it abutted against a still larger building. In effect, the boys rode around the backside of the Red Star Industries building in sort of an alleyway, circling around to where they were near the front of it. Just next to the Red Star building was the larger and longer building. There was a Parking Lot in the front of it, in which an old decrepit Delivery Van sat, it’s windows broken out, as the Lot’s sole vehicular occupant.
Tony and Nick hopped off their bikes and examined the Red Star building. The building was of red brick, with factory-sized dirty windows that reached three stories high. There was one entrance set in the middle front of the structure, comprising of two steel doors, each with a tiny vertical window. Tony went and looked in, then Nick did the same, but it was shrouded in darkness within. They tried the doors, but they were locked tight, and Nick commented that they seemed far more secure than the lock on the Control Room door had been.
The building to the right of Red Star was an older-looking structure nearly five stories high, and was much wider. There was no identifying markings on it as to what it was, and no windows on the ground floor. There were three widely-spaced entrance points, two single steel doors, one to the far left and one in the center, and what looked like a loading bay to the far right, where two heavy steel swing-in doors were, apparently bolted from the inside. Right in front of that was a wide ramp that led down to the street.
As they biked down the ramp, they could see it was the same street they had been on originally, the wreckage from the destroyed Wonder Meats storage building scattered across the road, blocking it. Tony wondered why the wreckage hadn’t been removed, but thought it probably wasn’t much of a priority, given the lack of activity around the area.
They headed the other way, and further on the street widened and branched out, a road running to the West and another going to the South-East. They first biked up the latter. There was a smaller windowless warehouse-looking building off to the right with two very large loading doors in the front. Tony noticed two rail cars nestled up on the side of it on a rail spur line. Looking behind him, he could see the spur line ran North towards Blue Skies. It occurred to Tony that it must be the same spur line that ran the length of Blue Skies, neatly dividing it in half. At the moment, other rail cars sat on the line there, otherwise they could have just biked here on the rail spur line itself.
Further on up the road was a massive dirty building that looked to have been cream-colored brick once upon a long time ago. It was at least seven stories high, Tony estimated. The only windowed areas were above the two large front doors sent in the center. Much of the glass panes in the windows was broken out, and in general the structure looked like it hadn’t been used in many years. Neither building had any identifying marks on them. To the left side of the road was a high brick wall, topped with razor barbed wire.
Since a large gate across the road blocked them from going further, they turned around and checked out the other branch road. Tony saw that the rail spur line connected to a railway turntable in a large open area up ahead. They biked ahead a discovered a second rail spur line that also went North towards Blue Skies, although neither knew where. It too was clogged with rail cars. The spur line was flanked on both sides with close-set outbuildings. They dismounted and peered down the line, trying to see where it went. Tony thought he caught a glimpse of the Save Warehouse in the distance.
Further on past the turntable was the massive form of the Roundhouse, where the rail cars were raised and lowered form the main overpass line above. There was some activity there, the boys saw, a few workers in the process of moving out another rail car towards the turntable. The boys skittered around towards the South-East, going past the back of the Warehouse and the large dirty building they had just seen a few minutes before, and came across another road...Rather the same road that they had been on that was blocked by the gate across it. At this point, the road turned toward the North-East and continued on a ways. Both rode down this unexplored section. To their right, directly South, was the Gloop Oil Plant. Neither boy could see an entryway, a giant steel wall extended up several yards high, topped with the usual barbed wire. At the top of the massive four-story structure were three huge smoke stacks, spitting out belches of gas fires. The smoke stacks were the tallest things in Blue Skies, and probably in the whole of Vale Valley.
To their left as another large building, which was less than three stories high but covered a lot of space. A ramp led to an encircling walkway around the building. Down the road, they could see another gate blocking the road. They pedaled down towards it and saw a gate door set into it. looking further, they saw another gate across the road with a gate door set into it also. Behind that, the round hulking edifice of the Chem Plant rose into the sky, looking like an evil Monolith.
“So where are these tunnels at ?”, Nick asked. “Looks like we been about everywhere.”
“I don’t know”, Tony replied, a note of frustration creeping into his voice. “Obviously, they’re probably underground.”
“Yeah...But where ?”, Nick said. “How do we access them ?”
“That’s the million-dollar question, right there”, Tony said, his mind mulling over the problem. “It seems to me.....If they are here....There would have to exist a record of them, somewhere....”
“City Hall, maybe ?”, Nick suggested. “We could try there.”
“Maybe”, Tony said, but in his mind, he doubted it. If such tunnels were here, they would have almost surely pre-dated the construction of many of these old Industrial Buildings....And that meant going back as much as a hundred years.
“Seems like....We need another clue”, Nick speculated.
“Yeah....And fast, too”, Tony said morosely. “Time is running out.”
____________________________________
-
The locks jiggled and the door opened. Behind the blindfold, Karen could only hear the sound of heavy breathing as whoever it was entered the room. A whiff of Liquor followed, and as soon as her nose registered that, she knew this was not to be a friendly visit. Karen mentally prepared herself to be assaulted again.
Karen heard the dropping of something heavy on a table, then the unmistakable sounds of clothing being removed. There was a cough and a burp, then the scent of sweat and alcohol became stronger as the person came closer to the now-dirty mattress she lay prisoner on.
“Time for some fun, little girl”, a guttural voice said. “MY fun, that is, He, He !!”
The words were slurred somewhat, but Karen had come to know this voice well. She thought it was probably Gurney. She was in for a rough one this time, he always assaulted her with what seemed to be a sadistic pleasure. Karen thought that was because, if this was indeed Gurney, he had a particular reason for doing what he was doing to her....He had been the one that Tony was beating the shit out of on the Football Field that night just before they broke and ran.
Karen no longer wondered why the Townies had kidnapped them and had been doing this to her and Melody. It was pure revenge in it’s lowest form. It was chiefly Tony and Nick who had been responsible for their defeat and subsequent arrest and jailing. It was because of Tony and Nick that they were on their way to Prison, before fate intervened and led to their untimely escape. They could have let it go then. But they couldn’t. People like that never could, ever.
“Make yourself ready, yuh little Bitch, I gots a Big-un tonight”, Gurney’s voice continued. Karen dutifully spread her legs open. There was no sense fighting the inevitable.
“Yah know what”, Gurney said drunkenly, “Thinks I wants it Doggie-style. Get on yer hands and knees.” Karen struggled against her chains to turn around. She had to lay on her face, as her hands were shackled to her sides still. Gurney seemed not to notice. He laid his hands on her ass cheeks and roughly pulled them apart.
“OW !”, Karen squealed. “What are you doing ?!” She squirmed to no avail as Gurney firmly held her in place.
“Think I’ll try it the other way”, he said sadistically. “Bust me some Cherry Ass.”
At those words, Karen clenched her ass tight, but it was no use. Gurney rammed her hard and Karen felt her insides painfully filled. “AARRRRRRUUUUUGGGGGHHHH !!!!!!”, she screamed in pain and terror. “GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF !!!!!”
A sudden blow to the head stunned her. “Shut yer pie-hole Cunt, or I be fillin’ that next”, Gurney threatened, slamming her again harder. Karen bit down on her lip hard, drawing blood.
As Gurney continued his anal assault, only one clear thought ran in Karen’s mind through her pain. She had to get out of here somehow. She had to find Melody and escape. There wasn’t any more time to wait for a rescue.
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-
“Staying late, Dearie ?”, the voice dripping with sarcasm inquired. “You should make better use of your time instead of diddling yourself.”
Bethany Jones didn’t look up at Ms. Phillips. Instead, she muttered, “Gotta finish these Attendance Reports.”
Ms. Phillips leaned over her desk. “Keep you infantile mind off my Lionel, and you’ll probably get your work done faster.”
Bethany seethed. She wanted to punch her, hard. Ms. Phillips was so close. But she did nothing, said nothing.
Ms. Phillips pushed away from Bethany’s desk. “See that you stay out of the Inner Office. It’s locked, so that should let even the most mentally challenged person know they shouldn’t be in there.”
Bethany stayed silent, eyes on the papers before her. Ms. Phillips gave her a look of disgust, then left the Office. Bethany snatched up the heavy stapler on her desk and cocked her arm back to throw it into the back of Ms. Phillips retreating head. But common sense took over in her insipid mind. There was a better way, it cautioned. And that way lay in the drawer of the Art Desk.
Bethany waited for a while to make sure Ms. Phillips had left the school. Then, she left the Office and went down the hall to the Art Room. She passed a few students along the way that were milling about, but they paid her no attention. Unlike Ms. Phillips, Christy did not have the sense to lock the door to the Art Room. Bethany slipped inside, unseen.
The Art Room was a rather large room that occupied the South-East corner of the second floor. There were Art Tables in rows for the students to draw on. Easels of all shapes and sizes were scattered about the room. The walls were lined with large cabinets and shelves containing Art materials on two sides, a photography area was off in a corner. A bank of windows with draperies adorned the North side of the room. The last side of the room contained the blackboard, Ms. Phillips’ desk in the front of it, and next to that, a Green-ish old style Victorian couch encased in dark wood grain set off by itself. Nearby was another huge desk with a drawing pad on the top and drawers in the bottom. Bethany thought that must be the ‘Art Desk’ that Christy referred to, as it was different-looking than anything else in the room.
(http://ancientpoint.com/imgs/a/e/e/a/c/antique_art_deco_tiger_oak_wood_secretary_bureau_drop_front_desk_cabinet_3_lgw.jpg)
Bethany went to the Art Desk and opened the top drawer. There were various projects in there, mostly small clay sculptures. Some, a few, showed a bit of real talent. She pulled open the next drawer and found various drawings, mostly watercolor, chalk, and pen/pencil drawings. Again, there was some that were talented. Most were of objects and landscapes. Bethany pulled open the bottom drawer and found what she was looking for....Drawings and Paintings of Ms. Phillips.
Bethany rifled through them. Most showed Ms. Phillips in various poses on the Victorian couch nearby. In most all, she was fully dressed in her usual Teacher’s Outfit, a tan blouse, dark green sweater, a darker green plaid skirt, and calf-length high heel boots. But a few showed her with less clothing, down to bra, panties, and boots, and five of them showed her nude with nothing on except her boots. The paintings were nearly life-like. Bethany set these aside as an evil grin came to her face.
She glanced around. In the room was also a scanner, and a copy machine. She was sure she could find plenty of poster paper, hadn’t that Mandy Bitch used some to make posters for those missing girls ? A plan of revenge and conquest was shaping up in her mind. All she would need after tonight was some duct tape and a bottle of Mr. Galloway’s favorite Liquor to make it happen. She rose up and got to work.
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-
Arriving back at the Boy’s Dorm, Nick and Tony ran into Ray sitting on the steps. Greeting them, he asked, “Where you guys been ? Ain’t seen you all day.”
They told him they had been searching around the Industrial Areas of Blue Skies. “But, we didn’t find anything real important”, Tony said. “Ray, you been here a long time, you wouldn’t know anything about underground tunnels over there, would’ja ?”
“No...I never go over there, sorry”, Ray said. “But, Constantinos might know.”
“Yeah”, Nick laughed, “If we could only find him.”
“Oh, he’s in his room !”, Ray said. “Ivan told me ! Says he’s been sleepin’ !”
“That so ?”, Tony asked. Ray nodded emphatically. Tony looked at Nick. “Let’s go wake his ass up, what do you say ?”
“Sounds like a plan”, Nick agreed. The boys raced up the steps and headed toward Constantinos’ room, pushing open the door.
Constantinos was sitting up, stuffing some books into a backpack when Tony and Nick burst into the room. He looked up quickly in guilty surprise.
“Hey, where you been, Ears ?", Tony asked him.
“Yeah, we're kinda high and dry here", Nick added.
“He has a little Girlfriend", Ivan smirked from across the room, “But it's not a FRENCH girlfriend."
Tony shot a glance at Ivan. “Why aren’t you sleeping ?” Ivan was notorious for sleeping after school let out for the day.
“Hey, I had a nap, I’m good !”, Ivan insisted.
“Then take a powder”, Nick told him. “We got Business.”
“Ok, Ok, I can take a hint”, Ivan said, and shuffled from the room.
“So what gives ?”, Tony addressed Constantinos. “Why the disappearing act ?”
“I’ve just....Umm...Been busy, is all”, Constantinos mumbled. “It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal ?”, Tony said, and peered closely at him. Constantinos looked like hell. “Hey...You really got a girlfriend ?”
Constantinos’ face reddened. “Well....We’re just keeping that on the down low....”
“Whatever”, Tony rolled his eyes. Constantinos having a girlfriend was just about as believable as a shark strolling along a beach. “Listen, we got a problem here.”
Constantinos groaned inwardly. When didn’t these guys have problems ? “What is it ?”, he asked dully.
“We been poking around the Industrial Area all afternoon, tryin’ to find some underground tunnels. You know of any over there ?”
Constantinos squinted his eyes in concentration. Finally, he said, “Yeah....Think so. I never been in any, but.....I heard they was under the whole complex there.”
“Now we’re gettin’ somewhere”, Nick cut in. “How do we find them ?”
Constantinos looked at Nick. “I think....Not for sure....I’ve heard they go to all the buildings over there. All the Plants, that is, maybe more. I heard some workers talking about them once, a long time ago....Guess that how some of them get around....Move stuff from place to place.”
Tony and Nick looked at each other. “Thinkin’ what I am ?”, Nick asked.
“Those....Rail Cars.....Up against that building.....”, Tony said. “A Loading Dock....”
“All those empty buildings.....That’s where they are.....They’re in one of them”, Nick went on, “They gotta be.” He looked up. “We gotta go back....Find it.”
“We should get some sleep first”, Tony said. “Go in tonight. Get some stealth Ninja clothes.”
“Mmm....Yeah”, Nick agreed. “Guess we should go in fresh....And armed to the teeth.”
Tony looked at Constantinos. “You in on this ?”
Constantinos rose from his bed and slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Umm...No”, he answered. “I gotta....Take some books back to the Library....And after....I got somethin’ Important to do.” He moved mechanically towards the door.
“But....Constantinos....This is about finding Karen and Melody !”, Tony burst out. “Don’t you wanna help ?”
“Can’t”, Constantinos said, going out the door. “Got somethin’ Important to do”, he repeated morosely. Tony's face had a shocked look as Constantinos’ footsteps went off down the hall.
“What the Hell...?”, Tony shook his head back and forth as if someone slapped him.
“Let him go”, Nick said disgustedly. “We don’t need him.”
“I....Guess not”, Tony said slowly. “Unbelievable.”
_______________________________________
-
Coach Sanders had found his Mark. As he gazed through the Spyhole into the Boy’s Locker Room, he could see him now, showering alone. His name was Kirby Olsen.
It had taken awhile to discover that Kirby didn’t shower with the other Jocks. Normally, at the conclusion of the Coach’s infamous workouts, the Jocks headed en-mass to the showers to wash off all the day’s sweat and grime which clung to their skin. The hotter the weather, the sooner they swarmed the showers.
But not Kirby. Coach Sanders came to realize this when he would return to his under-bleachers Office after workouts. At first, it didn’t register with him as to why Kirby would just be sitting in the Gym bleachers or on the steps leading to the underground Locker Rooms. But then it hit him...There was a reason the boy wasn’t going into the showers with the others.
Coach Sanders began to watch Kirby closer during workouts. He gradually came to see how Kirby was ostracized from the other players. The only one he appeared to have any interaction with at all was Dan Wilson, and that was on a limited basis. The other players seemed to snub him, sometimes deliberately. He didn’t hang with any of the groups during breathers, and was usually always on his own. Kirby was one of the team’s wide receivers, and sometimes Quarterback Ted Thompson would throw the ball at him hard enough to knock him down. Not unusual, but Kirby was the smallest kid on the team. Coach Sanders wondered just why he was even on the Football Team, Kirby seemed to lack drive and ambition. The Coach decided to try and find out.
Coach Sanders left his lodgings under the North Bleachers as Kirby was finishing his solitary shower, and went to wait for him at the top of the stairs. Soon, Kirby emerged from the Locker Room and made his way up the steps, surprised to see the Coach waiting on him.
“Olsen !”, Coach Sanders said gruffly, “I want to see you in my Office, now !”
“Umm....Sure, Coach”, Kirby said uncertainly. Was he in trouble ?
Without another word, the Coach strode to the South Bleachers and lifted the section that led to his Office. He ushered Kirby inside and then closed the section, going around to his desk and sitting down. He peered at the student standing before him.
“What’s wrong with you Olsen ?” the Coach said bluntly.
“Why....Nothing, Sir !”, Kirby said nervously. “What do you mean ?”
“You lack Fire, kid. You have no motivation. Where’s your passion for the game ?”, Coach Sanders asked.
“But...I have plenty of motivation...Sir”, Kirby responded. “I’m the youngest player ever to get a letter in Bullworth history !”
The Coach leaned back. “Couldn’t tell it by me. Your performance out there is lackluster. You run too slow. You drop passes. You fumble the ball !”
“That’s not my fault”, Kirby said. “It’s just that....That....”
“That WHAT, boy ?”, Coach Sanders said. “Don’t you get on well with your teammates ?”
Kirby hung his head. “I....I really can’t say, Sir. I feel like....They don't respect me as a Football player, or as an individual.”
The Coach leaned back, a speculative gleam in his eye. The silence in the Office spun out for a moment. Then, he suddenly said, “Tell me, Olsen....Do you like girls ? How about that Mandy Wiles ? She’s cute, ain’t she ?”
“Umm....”, Kirby Hesitated. “I guess so....She has pretty feet...”
So there it was. Coach Sanders felt this was confirmation of what he had been thinking. This boy was ‘Gay’, and the others on the Team probably knew it. The Coach felt a surge of elation. Usually, he would have to wait for months or even longer to find a suitable candidate. But here this shrimp kid was, all primed and ready for him to take advantage of.
“Olsen”, the Coach announced, “I’ve decided that you need some special work, for the good of the Team. And”, he continued, “I think you can benefit from some one-on-one personal instruction, which I’m willing to do for you, since I have no assistants yet.”
“But....The others”, Kirby started to protest, “I don’t want them knowing that....I have a hard enough time already. If they think I’m getting special help....”
Coach Sanders held up his hand. “Not to worry. I’ll find someplace secluded to run our practice schedules, off-campus. All you need is some work, that’s all. I can help bring you off...Er, up to your full potential. Make it so you can get some respect for your abilities. How about it ?”
“Well, umm....I guess that would be fine, Coach”, Kirby said. “That’s all I really want, some respect.”
“Boy, you look like you could use a friend”, Coach Sanders said, going in for the kill. “I can be that friend. I can get you glory.”
Kirby smiled weakly. He did need a friend. And this Coach wasn’t anywhere as near as nasty as Coach Burton was. “That’ll be great, Coach. Just let me know when ?”
“Sure thing, boy”, Coach Sanders said, rising from his chair. He escorted Kirby from the Office with a fatherly hand on his shoulder. “Just keep the between ourselves, got it ?”
“Got it”, Kirby said, and left. Coach Sanders pulled down the bleacher section and gleefully returned to his desk and sat down. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. The grooming had begun.
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Pinky looked out her window at the Boar Inn. It was kind of lonely these days and nights. She took the bus and went to class, ate her lunch alone (which she brought with her from the French Restaurant nearby, none of Edna’s crap food for her), went to class again, then took the bus back to Vale Valley Boulevard, went to Shinjo’s for dinner, then came back to the Boar Inn to spend her night alone. How boring was that ? Pinky had a ready answer to that question....Plenty.
Since she had walked out on Tad, she’d had lots of time to dwell on her turbulent relationship with boys. There had been Derby for years, from the time they were both small, and their arranged ‘betrothal’ by their families. Derby was then, even as a child, extremely arrogant. He took his pairing with Pinky as his god-given right, and treated her accordingly, making sure that she knew just who was in charge in their relationship....Him. When Pinky was but 13, Derby initiated sex with her (he was but a few months older), and that first time was clumsy and short. But it got better, over time, or so it seemed to her. She had no other sexual pardners to compare Derby with, so it just seemed natural to her the way it was.
Then, a couple years ago, there was Tad. He was the only other Prep who dared make a move on her. They met in secret, always under fear of discovery, which made it exciting. They grew to be an obsession for each other, each for their own reasons. Tad had been in a running rivalry with Derby for as long as she could remember. He always felt he should be the leader, and what better way than to diddle the leader’s girl on the sly ? And although the passion grew for Tad, it didn’t for Pinky....It was just an affair for her, one that she could fall back on if needed.
There were others, also. That boy Jimmy was next. He attracted her with his brash style, he excited something in her, something savage. Jimmy was a little dynamo, even though he wasn’t much to look at....He stood a head shorter than she did, and was downright pudgy, but he was able to do things to her no one else ever had. She had gotten her first orgasm with Jimmy, and it exploded through her with the force of an Atom Bomb. Alas, it was not meant to last...Jimmy was smitten with that Townie trash girl, Zoe, and that spelled the end of that.
Next was Tony. Pinky stalked him, sometimes in Derby’s presence. He was like her prey, always unwilling to be captured, until Pinky had seduced him last winter. Tony was the first to give her multiple orgasms. He was the most truly sensual lover Pinky had ever had. But he was taken with that plain-looking little bitch Karen, and would never truly give his heart to her unless Karen was out of the picture for good.
And then there was Kurt. At the first, the deranged ruffian who had so outrageously kidnapped her and the sped her across the Valley all trussed up inside a Potato Sack. From the first, he had made known his hatred for Preps and all those like them. But Pinky became drawn to him over the course of her captivity. His mystery and what he revealed to her of his background intrigued her, so much so that a new feeling arose in her....Compassion. That last day, when they locked eyes as he was passing back her shoe, was electric. She had never felt such a surge like that, with anybody. As she had broken up with Derby that final time, she moved in with Kurt and his band not long after. Kurt was a highly troubled and emotionally messed-up boy, but he never mistreated or scorned her the way Derby had. And he also gave her orgasms, lots of them. She felt he was the only one who had ever truly loved her.
But now Kurt was gone, that confused and disturbed mind forever shut down, rotting out the rest of his life away in a New York Asylum, never to return to her, to anybody. She was left back where she started, practically, with Derby breaking her jaw and Tad professing his love for her. It had been enough for awhile, until Tad was drawn away by a richer, prettier, sexier one. It had been all a lie, just lies in the end. Was this how it was to always be ?
She could seduce Tony again, she knew, and probably would. But that was the only way she would ever have him....She would never have his heart. She wondered if there would ever again be anyone to seduce HER...To make her feel special, to feel wanted, to feel needed. Someone who’s dream of the perfect girl was one snooty and not-so-rich Prep girl.
She sighed as she looked down the street from her second-floor window. Something caught her eye in the approaching darkness. Down on the sidewalk she spotted someone from school, approaching the Boar Inn from the direction of the Chef’s Restaurant. Who was it ? She squinted her eyes to see, finally recognizing who it was. That black-haired French Jock kid who hung around with Tony....What was his name ? One of those new girls was with him, a sort of mousey-looking thing. She watched as they got closer, and stopped virtually underneath her window. There was some conversation going on, she saw, and a little arm-waving. They then disappeared from sight as they entered the Small Hotel. Pinky could dimly hear the quaint bell ringing downstairs.
There was only one reason for a couple to be coming to the Boar Inn for the night. A sudden plan flared in her simple mind. She hopped up and went to the door of her room.
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“Ummm....I’d like to return these”, Constantinos said, sliding the three books over the counter.
Mrs. Carvin looked up from her computer screen, casting a withering look at Constantinos before scooping up the three books. She didn’t really like Constantinos much, but tolerated him because he did check out, and presumably read, books. She flipped open the covers to check to see that they weren’t overdue, and then examined the titles.
“Did you enjoy reading these ?”, she asked acidly, noting the Romance Book’ titles.
“Umm....Yes, Ma’am, I did”, Constantinos said, his face reddening. He was only turning these particular books back in because he didn’t want to get fined for them, as these were the first ones he had gotten for Tiffany, and only these three had he checked out.
Mrs. Carvin looked suspiciously at Constantinos over the top of her Library glasses. “There’s several of these types of books missing from the Library. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about THAT, would you ?”
“Err....No, Ma’am, I don’t”, Constantinos answered, knowing that they were all missing. He sensed a trap, so he added, “Are there still some others left I can check out ?”
“No, there’s not”, Mrs. Carvin said in a huff. “Some Miscreant has Stolen them !”
“Umm....That’s too bad”, Constantinos mummered, “Guess I’ll have to find something else, then.”
“You do that, young man”, Mrs. Carvin said severely, “Something perhaps more fitting.”
“Yes, Ma’am”, Constantinos said, and quickly wandered off before the old bat could find anything else to say. He disliked dealing with adults far more than dealing with kids, most of whom he didn’t care for at all, really. He was good at covertly listening and sneaking around, not making conversation. He had formed very few friendships in all his time at Bullworth, and had always just done what he had to in order to survive.
But the fever that now overtook him would spell his doom if he wasn’t careful. He scoped out the Library as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. There were a few other students in here, a few Nerds, a couple of Preps, a few non-cliques. That was good, he had cover. He would grab a book to read until near closing time, when everyone would be leaving, then hide behind the couch upstairs until midnight. Just like before. Then, a new load of books to to satisfy Tiffany’s unending desires, and by extension, his as well.
But Mrs. Carvin’s suspicions were not so easily laid to rest. Her eyes tracked Constantinos like a hawk.
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“We about ready ?”, Nick asked as Tony returned to the Dorm.
“Yeah...Here, got our Outfits”, Tony replied, handing over Black Ninja clothing to Nick. “We can change over at the Save Warehouse. Some extra ammo for the Spud Guns, too.”
“Good”, Nick said. “We got anybody coming with us ? Laurent, maybe ?”
“He’s occupied tonight...Out with Nina somewhere, they told me”, Tony said, referring to the Jocks. “No trace of Constantinos....Nerds said he was seen at the Library earlier, nothing since.”
“Rumor is he’s got a girlfriend”, Nick told him.
“Constantinos ?”, Tony laughed. “Impossible ! Where’d you hear that ?”
“From his dorky roommate”, Nick answered, “But I guess the rumor’s all over school. Seems he was given a ‘crotch job’ on the side of the Girl’s Dorm a week ago or so.”
“You’re kidding !”, Tony said. “Who’s the girl ?”
“One of them new ones, I guess”, Nick said. “Maybe one of them Reform Girls. I ain’t going anywhere around the Girl’s Dorm to ask, though.”
Tony couldn’t blame him for that. Still, it was strange to think Constantinos might have a girlfriend, although that would explain why he was absent a lot more than usual lately. But, there was really no time to dwell on that now, they had a job to do. “So, it’s just us for this mission tonight. We’ll take the short route over to Blue Skies, and stash our bikes at the Save Warehouse. We can hike it from there.”
“Sounds like a plan”, Nick said. They both grabbed their backpacks and headed out, going to the Bike Garage that was attached to the North side of the Autoshop. Tony was letting Nick share his spot in the Bike Garage, as it was more than big enough. Tony wheeled out his red Flame Job BMX, while Nick followed behind with his blue Nuke Job BMX. Nick hadn't yet finished the modifications to his bike, so Tony had to hold back from out-pedaling him.
They crossed campus at just about curfew time, shortly before 11 PM, soared off the steps to the Football Field, and stopped briefly to access the Observatory grounds. Then it was off to the short tunnel and on to the wooden walkway to Blue Skies that led to the path that went under the smaller underpass beneath the rail line. Tony noticed something then he had never paid attention to before, but this time he was looking for it....A line of Boxcars sitting in the huge loading area directly across the street from where they emerged from the underpass.
They biked over and checked the complex out. It was much larger than Tony thought it would be, with catwalks and large overhead cranes for loading and unloading. Some Semi-Trailers sat around, in various stages of loading, and Tony saw that the Boxcars were sitting on the Spur Line he had noticed earlier, splitting the complex down the middle. The reason he had never really noticed the Spur Line before was that it terminated before it reached Meats Street, so there were no crossings for it. Tony checked the end of the line, the Boxcars were still blocking the access to the Rail Yard, or a may have been different Boxcars....Whatever the case, they would have to go the long way around.
They went to the Save Warehouse. Tony really didn’t know much about the Save Warehouse, as to who owned it or what was stockpiled there. Jimmy had left him a key to this place, among others, when he left. All he knew was that Jimmy had won access to this place from the Townies after beating Edgar Munsen, who was then their leader. Just why the Townies had access to this place, Tony didn’t know.
They hadn’t been here lately though, Tony knew....The inside looked just as it had the last time he had been in here, at the hight of the Town Bombings and the greenish Poison Gas. Tony hadn’t really wondered about the layout of the inside then, as he was too exhausted from his experiences, but he took time to look now.
He noticed that, while he could enter the Save Warehouse from the south, the only real area that was accessible to them was the South-East quarter of the building. This area acted like a distribution station, and had various things here....Some wood and metal shelves, empty wooden wire reels used as tables, some chairs, a round card table, small portable TV, and old stand-up gaming console, a double sink, even a couch and a bed. Chiefly, there was a sort of Station, a big desk with a large order book on it, and also a portable radio. The rest of the Warehouse was restricted by mesh wire gratings running along the interior West and North sides. A metal mesh gate was set into each of these, and to these Tony didn’t have a key. Beyond, in the other parts of the Warehouse, crates and wood boxes, large and small, could be seen. There was even a Uniform Wardrobe here, which Tony did remember, and was his reason for changing into the Black Ninja Stealth Outfits here.
This is what they did then, and after securing their bikes inside and loading on their backpacks once more, they set out into the deeper part of the Industrial Complex, following the same route as they had before.
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Pinky cracked open her room door and listened. She could hear voices down below. She waited an interminable amount of time before footfalls began ascending the stairs. Her room was at the front, so she had a birds-eye view of the entire length of the upstairs hallway.
Finally, two people came into view at the top of the stairs, which was down the hall just a ways. The boy she recognized as Laurent, that was his name, she remembered. The girl she didn’t know, but she vaguely remembered seeing her around. They turned and came her way, and she squeezed the door closed to just a slit.
They kept coming her way, then stopped at the room next to hers. The boy began fumbling with the key to the door, dropping it and laughing. He appeared to be slightly drunk. The girl was hanging on to his arm and giggling. She looked a little toasted as well. It was readily apparent what they were here to do.
Laurent finally was able to get the key in the lock and open the door. The girl went in and Laurent sort-of stumbled in after her. Pinky couldn’t see inside the room from her angle, but that wasn’t necessary. She heard, rather than saw, the door close. Laughter bubbled up from inside. This gave Pinky an idea.
The walls in this old Hotel were thin. She could listen. Pinky quietly shut her door and went to the adjoining wall, pressing her ear to it. She could hear some movement in the room on the other side. Then, snatches of conversation, followed by apparent making out sounds punctuated by more giggling and laughter. In a short amount of time, it became quieter, and Pinky began to hear unmistakable making out sounds, followed by grunting and panting.
Then Pinky heard sounds she was well familiar with. Her insides turned to Jello as the passion in the next room continued at a more frenzied pace. It excited her so much to be listening like an intrepid voyeur that her crotch was soon burning like a five-alarm fire. She reached down and began to rub herself in time to the happenings in the next room. As the minutes went by, Pinky got hotter and more excited the closer and closer the pair in the next room built to their climax. When that happened, as evidenced by the girl’s sharp cries, small explosions went off in Pinky’s groin as well.
Pinky slumped against the wall and tried to quiet her own harsh breathing as not to be heard. It would have hardly mattered, as there was plenty of huffing and puffing from the next room. In a few minutes, some conversation emanated from the pair. She heard Laurent say something about going to the bathroom, and the girl saying to please bring her back something to clean off with.
Pinky tip-toed on weak and shaky legs to her door and she opened it a crack. The Boar Inn had no bathrooms in every room, there was a communal bathroom on each of the two floors, down at the end of the hallways at the North end of the Hotel. Pinky was just in time to watch the next room’s door open and see Laurent stumble down the hall towards the bathroom.
Pinky stripped off her panties and dropped them to the floor. As soon as Laurent had entered the bathroom and haphazardly pushed the door closed, she squeezed her way out or door and strode silently down the hall to the bathroom. In the state he was in, Laurent hadn’t bothered to completely close, let alone lock the bathroom door. Pinky stole in silently and pushed the door closed, her back to it.
The bathroom was long and narrow. Just to Pinky’s left was a bank of three sinks, a paper towel dispenser by her shoulder. A small partition divided off the two urinals, which were next. Three enclosed stalls completed the bathroom after that. Laurent was at the second urinal, and had not even heard Pinky’s entrance. Pinky moved to her right just a bit and caught sight of Laurent’s equipment. Even at this range, it looked like a large snake.
Pinky had heard of these French Boys and how great of lovers they were supposed to be. When Laurent finished his business and turned her way, she got to see full-on what kind of monster he possessed. Looking down and drunkenly fumbling with his clothing, he didn’t see Pinky as he stumbled towards the sink.
“Hello, Big Boy”, Pinky tittered. The bathroom walls amplified her voice and Laurent looked up in stunned surprise. “Don’t put it away, I want to see it”, she said saucily. Pinky reached behind her and locked the door, then approached Laurent.
“Unnn...”, Laurent stammered. “Why....Who....Ohh...I know of you....You are.....”
“That’s right, you Stud...I’m Pinky.” She was very close to him now, and reaching down, she quickly wrapped her hands around his still-exposed member. “I need you to do something for me....It’s real important.” Pinky began squeezing and rubbing him, which in Laurent’s ineberated state he responded to rather quickly.
“Qu'est-ce que vous voulez ?”, Laurent asked in total amazement, reverting to French.
Pinky didn’t understand what he said, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. “Get on the floor, right now !”, she breathed. The dark-haired French boy was helpless to resist, as Pinky pulled down on his member and forced him down. As soon as Laurent hit the floor, Pinky was on him in a flash, guiding his snake into her crotch and sinking down. “Gaaahhhh !!”, Laurent cried as Pinky started slamming into him.
It had all happened so quickly that Laurent had no clue, but he automatically responded, thrusting upward in time to Pinky’s frenzied movements. For her part, Pinky was already on the edge. She leaned down and forced her tongue into Laurent’s mouth. She had always wondered how the term ‘French Kiss’ had come to be, and she found it highly exciting to be doing that with an actual French boy. It didn’t take but a minute or so for Pinky’s crotch to flood with orgasmic pleasure. “Ohh, Damn !”, she moaned, gasping.
“Mon Dieu dans le ciel !” Laurent cried, as he exploded for the second time that evening.
Pinky hunched, taking all she could get before collapsing, her breath coming in harsh gasps. Laurent finally lay still, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, still trying to understand just what had happened. He then blinked in confusion. “Ce que l'enfer...?”, he muttered.
Pinky spoke into his ear. “I want....I want you to get your friend Tony....To come see me, tomorrow night”, she said. She rose up off of Laurent and got to her feet. “I have something...Important for him to do.” Pinky looked down on Laurent, who was blinking his eyes, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. “You understand me, don’t you Boy ? Either I see Tony, right here in the Boar Inn tomorrow night, or I tell your little girlfriend what you just did.”
“Moi ?”, Laurent said in surprise, “What I did ?”
“Yes, what you just did !”, Pinky said. “Took advantage of me ! But, I won’t say anything to your little mousy girlfriend if you do what I say.”
Laurent was beginning to understand. “Ohh....Non, do not say this to Nina !”
“Tony shows up tomorrow night in my room, and you’re off the hook”, Pinky told him, reaching for the door. “Otherwise....”, she shrugged. “Bye now !”
Pinky pulled the bathroom door shut behind her and snuck back down the hall to her room unseen, suppressing laughter all the way.
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The Midnight hour was approaching, and Constantinos slid from behind the couch where he was hiding. He stood, flexing his arms and legs. It was rather cramped behind there, to say the least, and it took several minutes to work out all the kinks from his hours of hiding.
Constantinos crept out and looked over the railing at the first floor. The Library was closed, and he detected no activity below. That was good. Now he could began his night’s work of thievery. He stole over to the section where the Anatomy Books were located and got to it, pulling them off the shelves and stuffing them into his backpack. With luck, he could clean out the whole section tonight. He daydreamed as he did so at just what insane and degrading sexual stuff Tiffany would have him do this time. He could just imagine what ideas these Anatomy Books would give her.
The voice of reason that had been desperately trying to tell him that there was something terribly wrong with Tiffany, that she was a crazy bitch who deserved to be in a Looney Bin, had been stilled. It no longer mattered. He had put all his cards in on this, for good or ill. He had even blown off his friends for her, they had what sounded like an important mission tonight. He didn’t even care. All of him was centered of Tiffany, and the depraved pleasure she brought to him. He would have stolen Elephants for her, if that was what she wanted. For too many years he had ridden the Pain Train, now it was his time to ride the Pleasure Train as far as it would take him. And no one, friend or foe, was going to get it the way.
Finally, his backpack was full. He could stuff in no more. He surveyed what was left. Another two trips ought to do it. He’d even be able to get a few hours sleep before Tiffany appeared in the Attic come morning to work her crazed magic on his loins. He was getting excited just thinking about it.
He slung his backpack on and crept out to look over the railing once more. He carefully listened and peered into every area he could see. It appeared that the coast was clear. There was always a few lights left on in the Library, enough to see and navigate by. He snuck downstairs, pausing to listen and look once more. It seemed like free sailing. He made for the front doors of the Library.
At the very front of the Library, there was a long foyer that ran the length of the building. It resembled a very long rectangle, and was more in darkness than the rest of the Library. Instead of trying to peer into the gloom on either side as he passed, Constantinos made for the doors just straight ahead, intent on who might be on the other side, outside. He laid his hand on the doorknob.
“STOP RIGHT THERE, EVILDOER !”, the voice from the shadows ordered.
Constantinos Froze, then whirled to see the figure of Prefect Seth Kolbe coming at him.
“What Do You Think You‘re Doing Here ?”, Seth demanded. Constantinos turned back and tried to escape, but it was too late. Seth grabbed his arm from behind with one hand, the other hand ripped off Constantinos’ backpack. When it hit the floor, it burst open. The books came spilling out.
“What’s This ?....Are You THIEVING BOOKS ?”, Seth cried gleefully. “Oh, You Are In BIG Trouble Now !”
Constantinos made a desperate attempt to escape Seth’s grasp, only to have Seth yank him to the floor. “You Should Not Have Done That !”, Seth exclaimed, and started to beat on Constantinos to subdue him. “I’ve Been Wanting To Do This For A Long Time !”
Constantinos groaned under the pounding. His Goose was cooked.
___________________________________
-
“There it is”, Tony said, pointing. “Look !”
They were back in the Industrial Area, on the road West of Red Star Industries. Tony was pointing towards the windowless Warehouse building they had noticed before by the Rail Yards that had the two boxcars on the Spur Line right up against it. But now, there was only one boxcar, and where the other one had sat, they could see a Loading Dock that inset into the side of the Warehouse.
“Well, I’ll be damned”, Nick said. “This has to be it....The main access point.”
“Let’s go check it out”, Tony said. It was a cloudy night, but some moonlight illuminated the sky above, giving an eerie light of sorts. The boys snuck to the building and squeezed past the boxcar, climbing up on the loading dock. There was a rolled metal pull-down door, but it had not been closed, probably because some careless worker had forgotten to roll it down.
(http://static3.depositphotos.com/1005520/198/i/450/dep_1989785-Old-loading-docks-for-railcars.jpg)
There were various items, crates and stuff, laying around on the inner platform. Further back was a rather large Forklift for moving materials in and out of the boxcars. The went deeper into the Warehouse, their flashlight beams probing the interior. In a clear part near the center, they saw the open Freight Elevator.
(http://www.atlanticlifts.com/Portals/0/Images/freight-elevator_model-DFE.jpg)
They shined their light up above it. Like many Warehouses, it had a high ceiling, but no second floor. There was only one way this Elevator went, and that had to be down. They went aboard, shining their flashlights around for the controls, which they easily found. The power was off, but that presented no problem, as there was a large electric box with a knife switch on a nearby supporting beam. Standing back on the Elevator, they punched the lower of the two buttons. Electric Motors whirled to life, and the elevator made a show descent into the abyss.
When it thumped bottom, the Freight Elevator stopped. It was black as tar, and the boys shined their flashlights ahead. In front of them stretched a tunnel of undetermined length. Nick shined his flashlight to the top of the tunnel. It was large enough and tall enough to accommodate that Forklift they had seen. Tony began shining his flashlight on the walls, and near the Elevator, he found something. “Hey, look at this....It’s a Map !”
(http://mspencer.net/daggorath/scroll_level_2.jpg)
The boys centered their Flashlights on it. The Map showed a virtual maze of tunnels, branching off to many places. There were small, scrawled notations of parts of it, nearly faded away with time. Tony had to hold his Light at an angle to see most of them. Others were too faded to read. He could make out ‘swh’, ‘ssw’, ‘bss’, 'wmp', ‘isw’, ‘sif’, ‘gor’, ‘sif’, ‘rsi’, ‘cop’, ‘bcw’, ‘ihp’, and a few others of which he could only make out a letter of two. The Map was inside a clear, though dirty, plastic folder, and was hung from the wall with a clip. Tony was able to pull it down off the wall.
“What do you make of that ?”, Nick asked about the notations.
“Must be....Where the tunnels go, I guess”, Tony said. He could guess at a few, others he had no clue. “This must be East”, he said, pointing to the right side of the map, “And this West. It must correspond with what’s above....These notations are probably the businesses and warehouses.”
“What about them little white squares ?”, Nick asked. “Any idea ?”
Tony shook his head. “Nope. Guess we’ll just have to find out what they mean.”
“We’re going to have a hard time in the dark finding out anything”, Nick commented. He began shining his light around.
“What are you doing ?”, Tony asked. “Looking for something ?”
“These tunnels are underground”, Nick said, “So there has to be some lights. Otherwise, whoever drives that Forklift would be running into walls....Aha, look there !”
On the opposite wall was another electric box, a smaller one, with a throw switch on it’s side. “Turn that on”, Nick directed. Tony went to the box and threw the switch. Overhead lights came on in the ceiling of the tunnel and stretched down quite a ways. “I’ll bet there’s more boxes as we go along. We’ll have to keep an eye out for them.”
(http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/1349466791_no-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.jpg)
“I guess we better head out then", Tony said, and hesitated. “We should come up with a way that we don't get lost. This is a lot of tunnels to explore."
Nick flashed a rare smile. “Got that covered", he said, and reached into his backpack. He pulled out two cans of white spray paint. “Here, we just mark our path every hundred feet or so...That way, we can backtrack when we have to, and know where we've been."
“Dude, that's brilliant !", Tony exclaimed. “How'd you think of that ? And where'd you get those cans ?"
Nick laughed. “I took them from a couple of the Bullies who was tagging the Dorm walls a while back. Stupid defacing bastards. Place looks like enough of a shitpile without them doing that crap to it. As to the idea, I saw it in a Video Game I used to play called ‘Androne'. Your character picked up square ‘dots' off the floor as he went down corridors....We'll just do that in reverse."
Tony shook his head in admiration. There was still a lot about Nick he didn't know. “Sounds good....Let's do it, then !"
The boys headed down the first tunnel, hopeful it would be leading them closer to their girls.
_______________________________
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Bethany had her work cut out for her. Armed with a sling-over shopping bag full of 100 poster copies of nude Ms. Phillips paintings, a roll of Duct Tape and a tube of Super Glue, she set out from her upstairs apartment around midnight not too far from the Bullworth Courthouse, on the street known as Theater Road, so named because of the Old Bullworth Theater, which was in the process of renovation. The streets were empty of people.
In fact, that is where she started, at the Theater, taping up the first two posters, one on each side. She stood back briefly, admiring her work. Then, systematically, she hung, taped, and glued posters all about Bullworth Town, on store windows, power poles, brick walls, and bridge abutments. When she finished there, she headed over to Bullworth Vale, repeating the process in the business and entertainment areas of the Town. She hadn’t bothered with New Coventry because, frankly, nobody over there would be shocked by nude posters. Her aim was to place them in areas where the townspeople would be outraged, generating protests and calls for her dismissal from the school. Maybe even get her arrested and charged with corrupting the morals of minors. Bethany doubted that those extreme measures would ever happen, but at the very least, it would embroil Ms. Phillips in a huge scandal. She would be so busy trying to extricate herself and salvage her reputation that she wouldn’t have time to bother with anything else.
She saved the last two posters for the front of Bullworth Academy, using the rest of the glue to attach them to each side of the stone arch at the entrance gates. As with the first posters, she stood back to admire her work. At the top of every poster, she had copied on the words, DEDRIE PHILLIPS, BULLWORTH ART TEACHER. In the center was her naked pose on the green couch, and beneath that was, POSES NUDE FOR STUDENTS IN HER CLASS.
A smirk came to her face as she scanned the posters. It was past 4 AM now, and Bethany was going to take the day off from work today. But she would only grab a few hours sleep, for when she awoke it would be time for her to put phase two of her plan into operation....Her second seduction of Mr. Lionel Galloway.
____________________________
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Weapons at the ready, in case they encountered any danger, Tony and Nick moved out into the tunnel. About a hundred feet down, they came to a T-passage. Nick sprayed a reverse arrow on the floor, pointing back the way they came. Rummaging in his backpack, he pulled out a Compass and consulted it. “That way’s South-West”, he announced, so this passage runs...North-West by South-East.”
Tony continued to be amazed by Nick’s foresight. “How’d you think to bring a Compass ?”
“Got lost in some caves once when I was a kid”, Nick grunted. “Was kinda hairy. So, which way ?”
“Let’s....Go left here....Maybe check out those places we couldn’t get into”, Tony said. “We can backtrack to here after, long as you keep on spraying them arrows on the floor.”
“Sounds like a plan”, Nick said, “Let’s move.”
The boys moved down the new tunnel, which was quite long. Along the way, several other tunnels branched off from it to the right, but they kept going. It finally terminated in a dark room. The boys pulled out flashlights and shone them around. There was another tunnel off to the other side of the room that continued on. Tony found a smaller version of the freight Elevator, known as a Lift. It was big enough to put a good-sized load on, but not a Forklift along with it. The boys got on the Lift. As before, they had to switch the power on. The Lift moved up to reveal them in a Warehouse. It was in semi-darkness, a portion of it was lit. The boys moved toward the lit part and eventually came to a steel-mesh gate.
“Hey, look, it’s the Save Warehouse !”, Tony exclaimed, looking through the gate at the area they had just been in less than a hour ago.
Nick consulted the Map. “Least, that gives us a perspective on where we’re at.”
“Huh...Could have jimmed the lock and started here, if we had known”, Tony said. “Well, let’s look around.”
They did a quick check of the Warehouse, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Taking the lift back down, they went into the tunnel on the other side. This one wasn’t as long as the other one, and and had only one other tunnel branching off it to the right. It sloped upwards near the end, terminating at a damaged set of double doors. They were able to push their way through and found themselves in a dark Warehouse. Shining their flashlights around, they beheld an enormous amount of damage. There was broken goods all over the place. Giant Racks had been toppled over, and parts of the ceiling were littered in pieces around over the top of it all.
“What place is this ?”, Nick wondered, scanning the Map.
Tony suddenly realized what it was, recalling the huge explosion that had knocked him off his bike as his group was biking past this place trying to reach the Save Warehouse in time before they ran out of Oxygen. “It’s the Spencer Warehouse !”, he exclaimed.
“It must be what these scrawls on the Map means”, Nick said, his finger on the faded notations. “This one, ‘ssw’ means Spencer Shipping Warehouse, and this one, ‘swh’ must be the Save Warehouse.”
“Wow”, Tony said, looking at the map under the flashlight’s glare. “That’s....At least 12 places...Maybe others that aren’t marked, to check out.”
“Yeah”, Nick grunted. “Not much chance they’d be here....I don’t hear anything.”
Tony shined his flashlight around. “I agree, they can’t be here. This place is trashed. Let’s go back, and check out some others.”
The Boys retreated and decided to take the spur tunnel, which was the last one they had passed. Nick carefully marked the floor at the junction. The new tunnel went for a ways, until it too sloped upward. This time, they were met with a solidly closed set of steel doors that appeared to be electronically locked. Looking about, Nick saw another electric box, recessed into the tunnel wall. It had a place for a padlock to be attached, but the lock was missing, a lucky break for them. Nick pried it open and was able to activate the lock. There was a buzz and a click, and the lock released, allowing them to enter.
They came into what appeared to be another Warehouse. It was totally dark, and smelled of disuse and dead rats. There was another smell, mixed it the air, but Tony couldn’t identify it although it seemed familiar, somehow. The boys started moving around, shining their lights here and there. There was plenty of crates sitting around, some stacked. However, they had a newer look to them, as if they hadn’t been here long. In contrast, this Warehouse was badly neglected. Windows circling the top were broken out and the beams were so rusted it was a wonder the place was still standing. Nowhere that they looked could they make out any kind of name for the building.
It didn’t take long to search the place. The boys came to what was the front. Through busted-out windows covered with heavy mesh wire, Tony could make out the remains of Spencer Shipping in the distance to her near left. He also saw that there was another indented loading dock and an empty rail car sat outside to his right. Tony surmised that he was where the other rail spur line cut through. Across the street was a smaller building, connected by an overhead walkway. There was a faded sign on the roof that read, BULLWORTH PAINT SUPPLY. The dilapidated building appeared deserted as well.
The girls weren’t here, so they decided to move on. Cutting back to the tunnel, that strange smell assaulted Tony’s nostrils again. “What the hell is that smell ?”, he wondered aloud.
“I thought you knew”, retorted Nick. “That’s Cocaine.”
“Drugs ?”, Tony said, and then made a connection. “Shit, I’ll bet this is where Spencer stashed those drug shipments ! Wonder why the Feds didn’t find this place ?”
“Probably cause it don’t look fit to store anything here, if the outside looks anything like the inside”, Nick commented. “Com’on, lets get outta here.”
The boys retreated into the tunnel again, and headed back the way they came. There were a few cross-tunnels, they noticed, but after a bit of discussion, they decided to stick to a plan of investigating the tunnels in a West-to-East manner, returning to a familiar spot each time and decreasing the chance that they could become lost.
They retreated back towards the Save Warehouse. When they were almost there, they took the other branching tunnel they had noticed earlier. A couple hundred feet further on, they came to another lift. Climbing in, the lift took them upwards as two steel plates opened above them. When they reached the top, they were in the open night air, in-between to large round tanks, in a fenced in area all around.
“Hey, this must be the Industrial Waste Treatment Tanks”, Tony said, spotting the side of the Save Warehouse through the fence across the street.
“Yeah, then this must be the ‘isw’ notation on the map”, Nick said. “Industrial Sewage Waste. Too open to hide them here.”
“And, they wouldn’t be in those tanks”, Tony observed, and then shuddered. “Unless...They’re...”
“No way”, Nick said, “Don’t think like that.”
“There’s been no ransom calls”, Tony said. “They could’ve....”
“Yeah, but they’re not killers”, Nick said, “Now are they ?”
“One of them was”, Tony said, “That Big Darrell...”
“But...Wasn’t he a Punk to start off with ?”, Nick asked.
“Um....Yeah”, Tony said, “That’s right....Still....”
“Com’on....Let’s push on”, Nick said. “We got lots to cover yet.”
________________________________________
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The tunnel continued on past the Industrial Waste Treatment Plant tanks. The next Lift they came to and rode up in put them into the Westernmost building of the Spazz Industries Factory. There was some work activity here, they could hear, so they only took a quick look around before departing. Continuing on in the same tunnel for just a short ways, they encountered a large Freight Elevator similar to the one they had started this strange journey with at the end. Although they had pretty much figured what they would find, they rode the Elevator up anyway and found themselves in the Easternmost building of the Spazz Industries Factory. This time, they sent the Elevator back down right away, as they actually saw some workers about.
“No way would they be holding them in there, with people about all the time”, Nick commented, and Tony had to agree with that.
“Guess that takes care of the 'sif’ on the Map, there”, Tony said. “Let’s head back.”
Since they were at the end of this particular tunnel, they stuck to their plan and returned back to where the junction was, underneath the Save Warehouse. Backtracking South-East past there, they tried the next T-junction, remembering to lay down the spray-paint arrow on the floor first.
It wasn’t long before they came to the next Freight Elevator. Turning the power on and taking it up found them in still another Warehouse. This one was smaller and shabby looking, but there was plenty of signs of recent activity here. There were fresh crates of all shapes and sizes here, plus lots of merchandise, such as lamps, statues, and glass in wooden frame holders. In fact, the place was packed. They looked around and eventually located an Office. From the papers there, they learned they were in Blue Skies Shipping.
When they had thoroughly checked the building out, they returned to the tunnel and moved on to the next location, just a scant hundred feet away. A lift was here, but it would not move at all, power or no power. Shining their flashlights upward, they could see the Lift Shaft was clogged with debris. No way were they going up there. They left the lift, but wasn’t able to go much further...A few yards ahead, the tunnel was also caved in.
Nick consulted the Map. “Let’s see....Last was Blue Skies Shipping. That was the 'bss’ notation on here...This one is 'wmp’, so that’s.....”
“Wonder Meats Packing”, Tony said. It got blown up in the bombings. Only a little piece of the building survived, to the East. We’ll have to backtrack, try the next tunnel.”
Again, they made their way back, ignoring the side tunnels so as not to get lost. When they regained the familiar tunnel once more, they continued South-East. The next T-junction they came to was the tunnel they had started with. Nick laid down a fresh arrow on the floor, and they continued on. It wasn’t long before they came to the next T-junction, going left. They took this route.
The first Lift they came to set them in the bowls of a rather large building. In the course of their search, they were to learn that this four-story building was connected to at least two other buildings of shorter height, each with their own Lift Elevators. It took more than an hour to scour all of the buildings before they returned to where they had entered. In all that, they could find no clue to the building’s original functions. The large one seemed like it was once a manufacturing plant of some sort, but there was no clue as to just what. The buildings attached to it and sprawled out at odd angles appeared to be old storage buildings. Neither of them were to learn until way later that it was the old Beam Cola Plant and storage facility.
They returned to the tunnel and plodded on. It ended at a Freight Elevator, so Nick activated it and they rode up, coming to rest in what once was defiantly a Factory. There was plenty of machinery around on each of the three floors, and even remanents of the products once made there....Plastic blow-up dolls, whips, chains, masks, and all sorts of S&M devices. In the office they found the Red Starr Industries name on quite a few of the old invoices and correspondence there.
“Guess that’s what they made at Red Starr....Sex Toys”, Nick remarked. “Kinky.”
“That would be the 'rsi’ notation on the map”, Tony said. “End of the line on this one, so we’ll have to check out the next Junction.”
The returned back down the tunnel to where it had T-junctioned. Nick spotted his arrow mark, and the went left. Only 60 feet more, at another T-junction led to the right. They took this way, which proved to be about the same length as the original tunnel they entered, with an identical Freight Elevator at the end. This Elevator lifted them into a large building as well, and they saw right away that it belonged to the railroad. There were all sorts of extra Rail Car parts stored here, wheels, axles, brakes, couplers, and even sections of Rail Cars. Towards the West end of the building were offices, a time clock, and a breakroom for employees, with vending machines. The building itself had a dilapidated look, but was still very functional. They found more of the same on the other floors, offices and parts storage.
They re-mounted the Elevator and returned to the tunnels. “Not much more to go”, Tony commented, glancing at the map. “Maybe we’ll have more luck up ahead.”
“Sure hope so”, Nick grumbled. “Been a long night already.”
_________________________________
-
Not too far up the South-East tunnel, they came to another T-junction, but Tony elected to go to the end of the one they were in first. There seemed to be brighter lights ahead. Up ahead a good ways more, the area opened up into more of a room. To the right was another Freight Elevator, to the left another tunnel, and straight ahead the tunnel sloped upwards to a set of large double doors.
They trekked up the ramp to the double doors first. These doors had windows in them, and Tony looked in on what surely was the Gloop Oil Refinery.
(http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/3753348/2/stock-photo-3753348-interior-inside-oil-refinery.jpg)
(http://www.doosan.com/attach_files/business-product/img/20130119/isb04_03_01.jpg)
“Whoa, look at that....This place is huge !”, Tony said in wonder.
“Yeah....Takes a lot of Oil turned into Gas to drive around in circles in these towns”, Nick said, half-jokingly.
They could see workers about, doing whatever workers at a refinery did, so they didn’t go in, even though the doors were not locked. Instead, they retreated back down the ramp and then rode the Freight Elevator up.
They were in the corner of what looked like a huge storage room, full of barrels of Oil of different colors. A forklift sat nearby. “Crude in, Gasoline out”, Nick commented, pointing to the different colored barrels.
(http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/red-oil-barrels-3854546.jpg)
(http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/warehouse-oil-24678351.jpg)
It was obvious the girls weren’t being held at this busy location. They took the Freight Elevator back down, then turned their attention to the other spur tunnel they had seen. It went for about a couple hundred feet and ended in a Lift. The boys took that up, thinking it would be another building, but it was still Gloop Oil, just a different section. Various things were stored here, relating to the operation of the Refinery....Spare Pipes, Tubes, Pressure Meters, and electronic components. Tony and Nick took a curious look around, then descended back into the tunnel.
“This whole section was Gloop Oil”, Remarked Nick. “That’s the 'gor’ notation on the Map.”
“So what’s left ?”, Tony asked. “Just that last T-junction we passed ?”
“Yeah...That should be it”, Nick said. “Let’s get to it, I guess.”
__________________________________________
-
Tony and Nick backtracked to the T-Junction they had passed. Nick laid down a spray-paint arrow, and off they went. This tunnel went North-East. About a Hundred feet down, a short spur tunnel branched off to the left. The boys took that branch on impulse, because Tony spotted another Lift at the end of it, which wasn’t too far away.
Nick noticed the floor here was dusty. “Nobody’s been down this way for awhile”, he commented dryly.
When they reached the Lift, there was some trouble getting it to work. It came to life after Nick had switched the power on, but groaned and squeaked as it rose, like an animal awoken after a long slumber.
They came up into a building that gave no clue as to it’s function. There were many crates scattered about, all with a thick film of dust on them, as was the floor. Tony and Nick moved from room to room, finding the same thing. There was a second story, and they checked that too, but with the same results. Whatever this building had been, it hadn’t seen use for quite awhile.
Returning to the Lift, Nick coaxed it back down. “Well, that was a waste of time”, he said.
“Not really”, Tony said. “We have to check out everywhere. At least, this is eliminated. I wonder what this place was ?”
“Close as I can figure, it’s probably the spot marked ‘iwp’ on here”, Nick said, looking at the map. “It’s in the same area, anyway.” He sighed. “Last place left is this one marked ‘cop’, whatever that means.”
The boys returned to the tunnel they had been traveling North-East in and pressed on. After a time, they came to the terminal end of the tunnel, and were surprised to see both a Freight Elevator to the right and heavy steel doors straight ahead.
(http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111129072541/runescape/images/7/72/Strength_door.png)
There was a large steel bar across the doors. To the left was an electric box with a card reader, and an input keypad with the numbers 0-9 on that. Nick bent to examine the box while Tony inspected the door. “I don’t think I can bypass this", Nick said, “It needs a card and a code.”
“It wouldn’t do any good anyway”, Tony said, “Look, these doors have been welded shut !”
And so they were, Nick saw. Not only the doors, but the steel bar across it was welded to the door. “These look like fresh welds”, Nick commented. Once again, Tony wondered how he knew about such things. “We’re not gettin’ through these.”
Tony turned and looked at the Freight Elevator. “How about the the Elevator ? Let’s check that out.” They went to the Elevator. It was similar to all the others they had seen, but with one exception. “This one doesn’t go up”, Nick noticed, looking at the concrete ceiling over the top of it.
“So...It must go down !”, Tony exclaimed. “Another level !”
“Two other levels”, Nick grunted, looking at the control panel, which had buttons marked ‘1‘, ‘2‘, and ‘3‘ on it. He looked around and located the power switch on the wall, and flipped it on. “Let’s take a ride.”
Nick pushed the button marked ‘2‘, and the Freight Elevator began to move. They descended into what was a bigger room. There was no tunnel here, but it was large enough for a Forklift to navigate a load from the Elevator to another set of steel doors, set into their right. They got off and examined them.
They were identical to the steel doors up on the first level, including the large steel bar across them. There was an electric box with a card reader and keypad here too, but just like up above it didn’t matter....These doors were also welded shut.
Back in the Freight Elevator, Nick pushed the button marked '3', and they glided downwards to the third level. It was an exact replica of level 2, down to the steel doors with the large bar across them, the electric box with a card reader and keypad. These doors too were welded shut.
“Well, shit”, Nick said. “End of the line.”
“Maybe not”, Tony said, trying to recall something. Then it came to him. “Where is the place down low that can only be entered up high ?”
“Huh ?”, Nick said, a confused look on his face. “What’s that supposed to mean ?”
“Something Mr. Riddle said to me”, Tony told him.
“Riddle again, huh ?”, Nick said unkindly. “What’s he got to do with all this ?”
“I’m not entirely sure”, Tony admitted. “But he said there are people trying to help us.”
“What people ?”, Nick scoffed. “If that’s so, they’re doing a real bang-up job so far.”
“No, listen”, Tony said, “Every clue so far has led us closer. What he said means something, don’cha see ? We can’t enter here, we have to enter whatever this place is up high ! That’ll bring us closer !”
Nick shook his head doubtfully, but checked the Map anyway. “Well....This probably goes to this ‘cop’ place, whatever it is.”
“We need to get topside”, Tony said, “And look at it from up there...We’ll be able to see it then, I’m sure of it !”
Nick never had placed stock in dreams and riddles, but recalling the bits of experiences that had suddenly came to him where he had heard the Ghostly Monk’s voice in his head, he had to admit that there were some things he just would never understand. “Ok”, he said, “Let’s go take a look.”
Not knowing that they were closer to Karen and Melody than they ever had been, Tony and Nick rode the Freight Elevator up to the first level, and from there evacuated themselves from the tunnels back the way they had entered.
_______________________________
-
Tony and Nick emerged from the dock at the Warehouse building and jumped to the spur tracks below. “We need to go around the other way, if we can...There’s a gate blocking that road, remember ?”
Nick did recall that. The boys moved around the Western side of the building, closer to the Roundhouse. It was past 5 AM now, the Railroad workers would be showing up for work soon. They moved around what they now knew was the Railroad Warehouse with it’s offices and breakroom, and came out on the other side of the gated road. That road took a sharp turn here, running in front of the Gloop Oil Refinery. As they moved down the road further, their way was blocked by two more gates that they could see. Ahead of that rose the hulking round building of the Chem Plant.
“Shit”, Nick swore. “What is that place, Fort Knox ?”
To their left was a building with a raised concrete platform running around it. Tony spotted a switch mounted to the brick wall by the corner. “Nick, look, a switch !”, he said, “Go try it out !”
Nick leapt up to the ledge and climbed over a low railing. Reaching the switch, which had a big red button, he pushed it. For a second, nothing happened, then Tony heard a whoosh from behind him, around the corner. He ran back in time to see the gate across the road by the Railroad Warehouse sliding open. He turned back to look at the two other gates, only to see them still blocking their way. Like all the other gates around here, they were laced top with rolled barbed wire, making them hazardous to even attempt to Parkour.
“Fuck”, Tony muttered, as Nick jumped down off the platform and re-joined him. “So much for that.” A sudden noise from the Rail Yards made both of them turn and look back. A Rail Car was being moved, meaning someone was around. “We’ll have to come back tonight and figure out how to get in there”, he said, looking back towards the Chem Plant.
Nick was looking intently at the Chem Plant. “Hey, look at that logo up by the top of it there”, he said. “Can you read what it says ?”
Tony squinted. “Um...Yeah. Looks like....’Chem-O’ on the side.”
“Chem-O”, Nick repeated. “That it’s real name ?”
“I guess...”, Tony said, uncertainly. “I never heard anyone call it that, only just the 'Chem Plant’...”
“Well, that fits with the 'cop’ notation on the Map we saw”, Nick said.
“I heard, like, the EPA shut that place up, after the bombings”, Tony remembered. “Might not be so easy to get in there.”
“If those Townie freaks can get in and out of there, there must be a way”, Nick pointed out.
“Yeah, that’s right”, Tony agreed. “And they’re probably in there, holdin’ the girls underground. Those bombs probably trashed the insides up, above ground.”
Another set of noises sounded from the Rail Yards. “We better boogie”, Nick said. Tony nodded, and they walked around the corner through the now open gate on the road. They had to take the long way out, as they had when they came in. They went back to the Save Warehouse, and decided just to bunk down there instead of going back to the Dorm. They were weary from the night’s activities, and it wasn’t like they were going to go to any classes today.
Tony took the bed and Nick curled up on the couch in the Save Warehouse, and they were soon fast asleep. As they slept and the day began, all hell in the form of scandal was breaking loose at Bullworth Academy.
____________________________________
-
Ms. Phillips arrived at the School Parking Lot in a near panic. Driving past the front of Bullworth Academy on her way in, she saw a bunch of students gathered around the front gates, looking at the two posters of her naked body, stuck somehow to either side of the archway....The same posters she had already seen plastered about Bullworth Town when she begin her drive to school. The first one she had seen, taped to a pole, nearly caused her to run right into the back of Ms. Isaac’s car. From there, it had only gotten worse. It seemed they were everywhere, on poles, sides of buildings, and in shop windows. Worse, it seemed now that they were at the school ! She trotted quickly from the Parking Lot into the school, suddenly aware of some of the students whispering and pointing at her.
Ms. Phillips knew right away what the posters were. They were copies of those paintings that a few of the male students had done of her, reclining on the green couch, as their final Art Class project. She had not posed in the nude for those boys, the students had just elected not to paint any clothes on her. Ms. Phillips had gently reprimanded them for doing that, while praising them for their free artistic spirit. She had confiscated the paintings though, tucking them away in the bottom drawer of the Art Desk. She had not destroyed them, as they represented ‘Works of Art’ to her. Now, however, she was wishing she had.
At the first, she was at a loss to understand who would do such a thing. Her first thought was that it was one of the boy students....She had plenty of experience with the male species, and knew the effect she had on them. Teenage boy’s crushes on her were not uncommon, she had a sexy body and she knew it. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities that one of them had developed an 'Unrequited Love’ syndrome and had decided to retaliate in such a manner. But after arriving at the School Office and finding Bethany Jones absent, she began to realize that it may have had nothing to do with any of the students after all. An hour later, when Bethany still did not show up, she was sure of it.
In fact, it was virtually confirmed when Christy Martin came into the Office and asked if she would have a Prefect in class today. From Christy, she found out that it was Bethany who had been the one who assigned Edward to sit in on the Art Class yesterday and why. More importantly, it was what Christy had related to Bethany, revealing the existence of the nude paintings to her to begin with. After assuring Christy that she never had, in fact, posed nude for any Art Projects and calling Edward to once again accompany her to Art Class, Ms. Phillips sat back in the Headmaster’s chair, sure of the fact that Bethany was the one responsible for the posters.
Her problems that morning were further compounded when Seth the Prefect came to the Office, dragging an unwilling and totally morose Constantinos Barkus with him.
“Here’s the Book Thief !”, Seth announced grandly. “Caught him myself in the act last night, stealing more books !”
Ms. Phillips knew only marginally about the book thefts. She had just heard that quite a few were missing from the Library. Putting aside her problem with the posters for the moment, she asked Seth to explain more about it.
“Where is Mr. Galloway ?”, Seth said, looking around. “He is the one I need to report to.”
“He is out sick”, Ms. Phillips said. “I’m in charge for the present, you will report to me.”
“Very well”, Seth said stiffly. He proceeded to explain about the rash of thefts, and how Constantinos brought three of the Romance books back yesterday that he had previously checked out. This had raised Mrs. Carvin’s suspicions of him, for it was right after Constantinos had checked those books out that the thefts of the Romance books had started. Mrs. Carvin had asked Seth to stand guard in the Library last night, hidden in the shadows of the foyer, just in case another theft occurred. And he had caught Constantinos red-handed, with a backpack full of books.
“All right, Seth....Wait in the outer office”, Ms. Phillips sighed. “I’ll call you when I’m finished.”
Seth didn’t look too happy about being excluded, but he complied and left the room. Ms. Phillips turned her attention to Constantinos, who was just standing there, saying nothing. “Is this true, Constantinos ? Have you been stealing all those books ?”
Constantinos said nothing, and just stood starring at the floor, his hands clasped in front of him.
Ms. Phillips tented her hands in front of her. Ms. Phillips knew all about Constantinos’ history of being bullied here at school. “Constantinos, I know you wouldn’t have done something like this unless somebody was making you. Can you tell me who was forcing you to do this ?”
Constantinos was still looking at the floor, but mumbled, “No, Ma’am, I can’t.”
Ms. Phillips sighed. “Can you....At least return the stolen books ? That would go a long way to resolving this whole thing.”
Constantinos turned his head slightly. “No, Ma’am, I can’t do that, neither.”
The silence spun out. Obviously, Constantinos wasn’t going to reveal anything. When would children ever learn that protecting someone else did them no favors in the long run ? She shook her head. Why did this have to happen today ? It just wasn’t right. She realized just why Lionel felt under so much pressure, and his misgivings about handling the job. It could be tough.
She folded her hands. “All right, Constantinos, you leave me no choice. Pending the return of Mr. Galloway, you are suspended from school, and are to be confined to your room at the Dorm until further notice.”
“Yes, Ma’am”, Constantinos mumbled, still looking at the floor. Ms. Phillips rose and went to the double doors to the outer office. “Seth ? Take charge of this young man....He is to be confined to his Dorm room, except for meals and going to the bathroom. Do whatever is necessary to enforce that, until Mr. Galloway returns to make a final disposition. Is that clear ?”
Seth’s lips curled up in a smile. Now, this was more like it. “Yes, Ma’am !”, he exclaimed. He strode into the inner office and grabbed Constantinos by the arm. “Come along, scofflaw ! Don’t even think about giving me any trouble !”
After Seth had taken Constantinos away, Ms. Phillips returned to her problem, the posters. They had to be taken down ! The scandal and damage to he reputation would be great enough as it was, worse if she allowed those posters to remain up a minute longer than she had to. She sat, lost in desperate thought. She wished Jimmy Hopkins was still here. Jimmy had done many discreet missions for both her and Mr. Galloway when he was at Bullworth. But he was now gone, long gone. She could trust only one with such a mission. She went to the outer office, which was still empty. Picking up the Intra-School Intercom, she depressed the 'talk’ button.
“Tony Calderone, report to the School Office ! Tony Calderone, come to the School Office Immediately !!”
______________________________________
-
Tony woke in his dream in the Dome, looking up. He was three-quarters across, he judged, maybe more, according to his position from the jagged hole at the top. He had come far, but not yet far enough. The Dome was not silent, a storm was brewing, a big one, by the sound of the winds. He could almost SEE the wind as it eddied around him, nipping at his hair, his clothing, his soul. Precious time was short, he felt with a shudder.
A scream was carried on the wind. He rose to his feet, disoriented. Was that a girl’s scream ? The wind positively howled around him now. Tony looked around, shielding his eyes. Where was he at ? He squinted. He was past the ridge, somehow. Ahead of him was a plain, littered with obstacles. Further, towards the wall of his enclosure, was a roundish Monolith, dark and foreboding. It sat on the edge of a rim. It was hard to make out exactly, the light, or what there was of it, had turned gray and dim. A menacing fog swirled about the distant object, evil and vile.
That was his destination, he knew now. He had always known it, he realized. That Dark Tower would be his salvation from this Dome, the way out....Or it would be his curse, forever trapping him within the walls of this horrid, unyielding, place. He started forward, eager to get on with it, to have it finished, done, over with. He stumbled on something unseen, and fell. Stabs of pain touched his legs. He looked down to see rolled barbed wire wrapped around them, curling like a living Snake.
“TONY !!!! HELP !!!! HELP !!!!” Tony whipped his head around towards the dark, roundish, Tower. That was Karen !! He felt his blood run cold. The evil Monolith mocked him by it’s presence, putrid evil bleeding in giant flakes from it’s rusted sides.
HELP !!!! TONY, HEL-L-L-L-P !!!!”, Karen’s screams came again, laced in fear and terror. Tony struggled to free his legs. He had to get to her ! He clutched the ground, dragging himself against the entrapping wire.
“KAREN !!! I’M COMING, KAREN !!! HOLD ON !!!!”, Tony yelled hoarsely. He desperately lunged against his bonds as the sky turned black.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“KAREN !!! I’M COMING, KAREN !!! HOLD ON !!!!”, Tony screamed himself awake, fighting against the blankets wrapped about his legs. Thrashing, he rolled to the floor, whacking his head on the concrete.
Tony’s yells had awakened Nick, who was up off the couch in a flash, brandishing a weapon. When saw was that it was just Tony, rolling around on the floor, seeming frantic to extricate himself from some harmless blankets, he was able to relax his tense stance.
Nick lowered his weapon. “Have another dream, did’ja ?”
“Umm...Yeah”, Tony replied, somewhat dazed. “Guess so....”
“Hmm...”, Nick observed, nodding. “Any more....Revelations ?”
“Yeah”, Tony said, disentangling himself from the blankets at last. “We’re on the right track.”
Nick just grunted, making no comment. He had never been one to acknowledge the power of dreams, but there were so many strange and unusual things that had happened since he had been here that he could no longer rule out anything. He moved towards Tony. “Maybe we oughtta get back to the school. I ain’t gonna be able to get any more sleep on that hard-ass couch, anyway.”
“Maybe you’re right”, Tony said. “We need to get a plan ready for tonight, on how to get into that thing.” Tony didn’t say, but Nick understood what he meant. The Chem Plant.
________________________________________
-
Tony and Nick biked back to school the way they had left, across the wooden walkway, through the Observatory grounds and the Football Field. Putting their bikes away in the Bike Garage, they soon learned from Trent, who was skipping class, that Tony was wanted in the School Office some time ago. It was a little before Noon.
“Want to come along ?”, Tony asked Nick.
“Sure, what the hell”, Nick shrugged.
They trudged to around to the school entrance, thinking it might be about missed classes or something. They saw nobody from the Parking Lot to the School Office. When they got there, there wasn’t anyone in the outer office. That wasn’t unusual, sometimes Miss Jones (and Ms. Danvers before her) was out of the Office for unknown reasons. So, they sat down on the uncomfortable couch to wait.
A half-hour went by. Tony and Nick sat dozing on the couch when Ms. Phillips darted from the inner office and snatched up the Intra-School Intercom. ““Tony Calderone, report to the School Office ! Tony Calderone, come to the School Office Please !!”
That brought the boys out of their doze. ‘Uhh...Right here, Ms. Phillips”, he spoke up.
“Oh, Tony !”, Ms. Phillips said, surprised. “I didn’t see you there ! Where have you been ?”
“Oh, Umm....We overslept”, Tony said, and that wasn’t a lie. “Sorry, we missed class....”
“I don’t care about that”, Ms. Phillips said dismissively. “Come into the Head Office...I have an important mission for you !”
“Um...Ok”, Tony said, standing. “Er...Can Nick come along ?”
Ms. Danvers considered. Two boys tearing down those horrible posters would go much faster that one. “Yes....All right. Both of you get in here now and I’ll explain what I need you to do...But hurry !”
______________________________
-
Miss Jones awoke at just past 11 AM, and took a bit of time getting herself ready. She dressed carefully in her sexiest outfit, a pretty pink blouse with matching short skirt. She didn’t bother with panties, not after what had happened last time. Instead, she just used a garter to hold up her nylons. She polished off her look with killer High-Heels. It felt a little odd to be naked just under her skirt, but it would facilitate her planned seduction of Mr. Galloway. She primped her short dark hair and applied her makeup with care.
Last night, before she had hung all the posters, Bethany had gone to the Yum-Yum Store in New Coventry, the only outlet that handled liquor, and got a bottle of what she knew was Mr. Galloway’s favorite. She slung her bag over her shoulder, the same handy bag she had used to tote around the posters she had hung about the towns, and now she slipped the bottle of Liquor into it. With no time for breakfast and probably not lunch, she grabbed an Energy Bar to take along and eat on the way, and a can of Beam Cola to wash it down with. Then she set forth from her apartment.
She walked the distance to the apartment that Mr. Galloway and Ms. Phillips shared, just a few blocks from her own. She smirked as she munched on her Energy Bar along the way, feeling the lustful stares of every male on the street. She laughed in her mind about just how easy it was to bend men to her bidding, to make them follow her, panting like sex-starved dogs. A few well placed curves, a proper shake of the ass when she walked, a set of prominent melons, a slim waist, a cute face and a crown of beautiful hair was all it took to make them her slaves.
She arrived at their apartment just before Noon. Looking about, she didn’t see Ms. Phillips’ car anywhere about. That was good, she smiled. Ms. Phillips was going to be one busy bitch today, what with all those posters to deal with. The apartment was on the second floor. Bethany entered the building and climbed the stairs, polishing off her Beam Cola along the way. At the door, she stopped to listen. Hearing nothing, she rapped on the door, which opened slightly as she did so. Ms. Phillips must have forgotten to lock it when she left this morning. Bethany pushed open the door and entered the apartment.
______________________________
-
It was really gloomy day for Constantious. Caught as he was, Nailed in the act of thieving those books for his psychotic girlfriend, expelled from school, and confined to his room like a Rat on House Arrest, he wallowed in his bed deep in depression. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it, though. He was stuck here until a final decision was rendered, and he pretty much knew what that would be. Permanent expulsion from this shitty school, arrest, trial, conviction, jail, Boy’s School, or maybe even Prison lay directly in his future.
The worst thing of all was not being able to be with Tiffany. He ached for her touch on his privates, her wild sensual body slamming him to the floor over and over, her desires and domination of him. Oh, what was to become of him now ? He couldn’t even go back to spying in the Girl’s Dorm for his jollies after this. He would be in a cell, in a place with ugly others, who would pump his ass full of lead. He could never again even get his kicks smelling panties or drooling over the images in Porn Mags. Once one has had Clavier, going back to soup was impossible. He may as well castrate himself, here and now. Life without his girlfriend would be no life at all. He would truly be in permanent Hell.
“If she really WAS your girlfriend”, that Voice of Reason from the back of his mind pronounced. “You KNEW she was Psycho the first time you met her, and STILL let her control you with your own frustrated, unsatisfied, and unfulfilled latent sexual urges.”
Constantinos’ eyes widened in fear and self-loathing. The recrimination and doubt he’d been feeling had the effect of freeing the voice of reason he had managed to entrap all this past week as Tiffany had forced her obsessions on him and made him her slave. “No....No...”, he gasped. “That’s not right....She loves me, she must....”
The Voice of Reason snickered in his head. “You’re just her Puppet. She used you for her her own sick desires, and you went right along with it ‘cause she’s gettin’ your rocks off like no one ever has before. You really think that’s what a NORMAL relationship with a girl is ?”
“Oh, I don’t know...”, Constantinos moaned. “What do I have to judge by ? I never had a girlfriend before, and you know that !” Constantinos felt a lump rise in his throat, or maybe it was bile. “Why don’t just leave me alone ?”, he choked.
“Look at yourself”, the Voice of Reason continued, disgustedly. “Get your lazy ass up and look at yourself, right now.” The mirror above the dresser next to his bed shimmered.
“I...I don’t wanna”, Constantinos pleaded. “Please....Go Away !”
“DO IT !!....DO IT NOW !!!”, the Voice of Reason screeched, in an eerie imitation of Tiffany.
Constantinos threw off his blanket and stood up on the floor, as the voice directed. He reluctantly looked up at his own image in the mirror, feeling ill and miserable. But this Constantinos glared angrily back at him, LEERING at him in a mixture of pity and disgust.
“You’re EVERYONE’S Puppet”, the voice and the Image declared. “Do you like what you see ? WATCH.”
Before his eyes, his image was quite suddenly peppered with boils and sores, gooey whitish pus-looking stuff oozing from them, running down the face. The image, along with the Voice, gave out a grisly laugh. “Like like what you see ? This is what you’ve done to me. This is what you’ve done to US.”
“NOOOOO !!!!!”, Constantinos screamed, raising his hands up over the sides of his head in a strange parody of the kid in the ‘Home Alone’ movies. “You’re Not Real !! You....You....You’re...Just....Just.....”
“I’m just YOU”, the Voice and Figure in the mirror said, pus running down it’s face. “I’m just what you’ve made us.”
“That’s....That’s not true !”, Constantinos whispered, pointing a shaky finger at his putrid image in the mirror. “I’m not....Like that...”
“Don't Lie”, the Voice said and the Image snickered, “I know everything. WE know everything. Now, don’t we ?”
Constantinos sank to the floor, unable to gaze at his diseased image in the mirror any longer. “Nooo....I....Don’t know anything.....Leave me alone, Please !!”
“Now, I can’t very well do that, can I, since we are one and the same”, the Voice of Reason continued. Then,it’s tone turned nasty. “You’ve dragged us down, all of us, and we don’t have a choice....We have to go with you, SUFFER with you, all because one crazy psychotic BITCH grabbed your joystick and made you a Pussy.”
“All....Of us ?”, Constantios whispered. “What....Are you....Talking about ?”
The Voice of Reason laughed sadly. “The rest of Us. You think there is just You and Me in here in your head ? There are Others....Many Others.”
A sob rose in Constantinos’ throat. “Noooo.....I’m going...Crazy !”, he sputtered.
“No more crazy than anyone else”, the Voice of Reason said, and now it sounded a trifle soothing. “But, we are all going to be crazy, and soon, where you have us going. Soon, it will be too late. You must do something. There is little time. You must redeem yourself. It’s our only chance.”
“Oh, what do you mean ?”, Constantinos moaned. “What can I do ? It’s all over, my life is over, don’t you get it ? There’s....Nothing I can do !”
“You can Stop being a Coward”, the Voice of Reason said. “Stand up for yourself. That little Cunt will sell you down the river when they catch her. And, we all know she will get caught. Now don’t we ?”
Constantinos moaned once more. It felt like there was a war going on in his mind. His hormones seemed to scream in protest, but the logic the Voice of Reason was telling him was undeniable and overpowering. Finally, he capitulated. “What do you want me to do ?”
“Come Clean”, the Voice of Reason said, “Spill the Beans. Dump it all out. Strike the first blow, for once in our miserable life. Do it for us, for all of us. Our salvation is up to you. Only you can set us free.”
Constantinos curled up into a ball on the floor, thankful that he was alone and there was nobody to witness his shame. The Voice of Reason continued, softer now, and fading. “Defeat this vile she-monster who has disrupted our lives and threatens our future. In time, you will come to know, as we all do, what evil she has intruded into our lives. Save us....Save yourself......”
As the Voice of Reason faded, Constantinos sunk into the wells of depression and lay unmoving on the floor.
_____________________________
-
Ms. Phillips directive to Tony and Nick was simple -- Take down or destroy all of the posters that could be found with the pictures of the nude paintings on them. Tony’s first task was to check out the school itself, to see if any were hung in any of the rooms, hallways, or bathrooms. Nick was sent out to eradicate the two posters Ms. Phillips had seen in front when she came in, which he was unable to peel them off the block archways, but covered them with black Spray Paint.
Then, the next to check was the school grounds and buildings. Nick took the North part of the campus...The Dorms and the Library, while Tony checked the Autoshop and Harrington House. They then met up and checked out the Pool, Gym, Observatory, and Football Field.
As they were coming from the Observatory, the Jocks were letting out of Gym Class and heading to Practice. Laurent spotted Tony and Nick, and called to them. “Heya, Tony...Nick...Wait up !”
They held up as Laurent trotted over to them. Tony noticed his face looked a little pasty, as if he were in the process of having a hangover. Laurent also had a very worried look on his face. “Tony, mon friend, I am so glad to see you !”, he said, but Tony thought he looked anything but glad.
“Hey, what’s shaking, Big L”, Tony said, trying to be jovial. “Been hearin’ you been off with Nina a lot lately. No time for your old friends, is that it ?”
A look of sorrow mixed with chagrin settled on his features. “Oui, it is true, I have been with Nina much lately....But I have mauvais difficulté....There is a message, first of all....I must tell it en privé....”, Laurent seemed anxious, his eyes darting around. “Over there, I will tell you all of it...”
He led the boys around the back of the East Bleachers. Tony wondered just why he seemed so upset. Laurent looked carefully around before he spoke. “Last night, I was romancing the belle Nina....We went to ze Chef’s Restaurant, and had Cassoulet and Truffade, with Crêpes and Tripes à la mode de Caen, and Terrinée for a dessert.”
Tony didn’t know what most of those things were. “Ok...So...You took her out on a date. So what ?”
Laurent lowered his voice. “We also had...Some Champagne and Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure....We became very....Intoxiqué....And went down le street to the Boar Inn...You hear of such place ?” Tony nodded, and Laurent continued, “We rent room, go up the stairs and then make sweet rapports with each other....You know that what I mean ?”
Tony took that to mean that they had sex, and nodded. Laurent paused, then went on. “After, I went down the hallway to la salle de bain, and as I came out of la stalle, that Pinky girl...was IN there....” Laurent got red in the face at this point. “Elle m'a séduite !!” he proclaimed.
Tony thought Laurent must be really upset to be sprinkling so much French into his phrases. "Umm...Translate, please ?”
“Oh...Sorry”, Laurent said. “It’s...How you say...She deduced me.”
“Seduced is what you mean, I think”, Tony said, hiding a smile, although a bit shocked at this piece of news.
“Man, don’t that girl ever quit ?”, Nick said wirily.
“Is worse”, moaned Laurent. “She threatened to tell my belle Nina that I was the one to do that to HER !! I could not stop her because of my intoxiqué state, she attrapé me and made me !”
Tony could only imagine how that went down. Although he could really feel Laurent’s distress, having been through that himself, at least it hadn’t been him this time. Then, he remembered something else that Laurent said. “You said something about....A message ?” Tony wasn’t sure whether he wanted to hear it or not.
“Oh...Oui”, Laurent said, “This Pinky said....She would not tell sweet Nina about our....Rencontrer....If I were to have you go to her room, this very night !”
Tony facepalmed himself in the forehead. “Oh...Mah...Gawd”, he said. Now, she was using his friends to have her way with him ? Pinky had gone too far this time.
“I am so sorry, Tony”, Laurent said fervently. “It was my own drunkenness that is at fault, I know. I do not mean to bring troubles onto you !”
Tony gazed at his friend. He could not blame his erstwhile French friend for something he himself had fallen victim to, and not just once. “It’s all right, Laurent. I know what a handful she is. I’ve been trying to steer clear of her for months. She’s not gonna pull my strings this time !”
Laurent’s face looked stricken. “Oh, but you must go and see her !”, he exclaimed. “She will tell my belle Nina otherwise, and our relationship will be ruined !”
Tony sighed. The things he did for his friends. “All right, Laurent, don’t worry. I’ll take care of Pinky myself....Tonight !”
_______________________________
-
After leaving a distraught Laurent, Tony and Nick continued their search. Finding no other posters on school grounds, they headed to Bullworth Town on their bikes. There were a lot of posters there, on power poles, sides of buildings, and in shop windows....Although some of the shop owners had removed them already from their windows. Most of the posters they could just simply tear or cut down. Those they stashed in their backpacks. But the ones fastened to the sides of buildings seemed to be glued there with some strong adhesive, and couldn’t just be pulled down. Those posters the boys covered over with the black Spay Paint that Nick had brought along.
“Y’know, this stuff would make a great weapon in close quarters”, Nick commented, hefting a can of Spray Paint.
“Hadn’t though of that”, Tony said, eying the Spray Paint can keenly. “That’s a good idea. Where’d you get this stuff, anyway ?”
“At the Yum-Yum Store”, Nick shrugged. “I though you knew they sell it there.”
Tony had seen it there, he recalled now. “I’ve seen it, just never thought of it as a weapon before.”
“We might have to use it, if things get ugly”, Nick said. “We need every advantage we can get.”
Tony had to agree with that. They would be facing some stacked odds if they had to do battle with the Townies to try and rescue Karen and Melody.
When they had scoured Bullworth Town and were sure that no other posters were evident, Tony and Nick biked into New Coventry. But search as they did, they found no posters there. Their next target was the Vale, and there was a bonanza of posters there. Again, as with Bullworth town, some of the shopkeepers had taken down posters hung on their windows. Still, by the time Tony and Nick judged they were done, they had a haul between them of 75 posters.
They had ridden further into the Vale residential areas and found nothing. Their last stop was at the Carnival, but there were no posters there. Except for the two posters hung outside the gates on the arch at Bullworth School, it seemed the poster-hanger had targeted only the business sections of the Vale and Bullworth Town.
It was late afternoon by the time they were sure their task was reasonably finished. The boys headed back to Bullworth Academy with their loads of posters, mission accomplished. Their destination was the school’s basement, where the posters were to be thrown into the furnace and destroyed by fire, per Ms. Phillips’ orders.
__________________________________
-
Bethany entered the apartment cautiously, peeking around corners as she went. It wouldn’t do to unexpectedly run into Ms. Phillips, even though she was sure that the ole hag was busy with damage control because of the posters. Bethany could only imagine the calls she must be getting from the outraged and upright citizens of the Valley right about now.
The hallway was short. To the left was a living room area, which was empty. To the right was a small efficiency kitchen, beyond that, another short hallway, where to the right was the bathroom, the left was closet space. At the very end was a closed door that could only be the bedroom. Bethany came close and listened intently.
Someone was talking beyond the door. “That’s Right ! Good One ! Well Done ! Keep It Up !" Bethany recognized the voice as Mr. Galloway, but who was he talking to ? She turned the knob and eased open the door for a peek.
Lionel Galloway was lounging in bed in his nightclothes, covers askew. He was alone, apparently just spouting dialogue into empty air. His eyes were bleary and unfocused. “Moby, yah Bastard, where are you, big white tub o’ whale blubber !”, he fired off suddenly. Bethany eased through the door into the bedroom.
“Um...Hello, Mr. Galloway”, Bethany said tentatively.
Mr. Galloway’s head swiveled around. “Ah, what have we here, a statue wearing high heels ?”
“Ah, no, Mr. Galloway”, Bethany ventured, “It’s me, Miss Jones.”
“A wondrous apparition, provided by a magician !”, Mr.Galloway cried. “Miss Jones ! Good to see you ! Come in, come in, fair lady !”
Bethany moved closer to the bed. “I, uh....Heard you weren’t feeling well....So, I thought I’d bring you something.” Bethany reached into her bag and pulled out the bottle of liquor.
“I say, Good Show !”, Mr. Galloway said, his eyes fastened hungrily to the bottle. But then a fearful look came to his face. “Hang on, hang on, I’ll be in trouble if she sees this !”
“No, no”, Bethany soothed. “It’s really alright. She’s quite busy today, so I let her know I’d be dropping by to look after you.”
Mr. Galloway wavered, his watery eyes returned to the bottle. “I was trying to get to the liquor store....Umm, yesterday.....I need a drink !”
Bethany uncapped the Liquor bottle and handed it to him. Mr. Galloway’s shaking hands took it and lifted the bottle greedily to his lips. Bethany watched as he emptied a quarter of the bottle. It appeared that he remembered nothing about last Friday evening, due to his Binge Drinking episode. It was obvious to Bethany that he was still in withdrawal....The shaky hands, watery eyes, difficulty concentrating, and apparent hallucinating, talking to phantoms in the room before she came in....And the big clincher, an overwhelming urge to drink.
“See, isn’t that better ?”, Bethany asked in a teasing voice.
“Really”, Mr. Galloway gasped. “That’s...An interesting observation, Miss Jones... Sometimes, you can be quite perceptive.”
“Why don’t you just call me Bethany, like in the old days”, Bethany said softly, sitting on the bed and laying her hand on his arm. “When we were back in class, and you were my Teacher ?”
“We...We should both be in class right now”, Mr. Galloway said. “Things are so much simpler there....I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders now.” He took another chug from the bottle.
“What ever do you mean ?”, Bethany asked sweetly.
“There is so much....Pressure....Running a school, especially a place....Like Bullworth”, Mr. Galloway answered. Bethany noticed he was starting to slur his words just a bit.
“You should have a drink or two, try to forget about it”, Bethany said. “There’s no harm in that, now is there ?”
“Not according....To that Mad Dog, Hattrick”, Mr. Galloway said. “HE thinks he’s so high and mighty, but he cheats, sells test answers to the students !”
“But you fired him, didn’t you ?”, Bethany went on in a soothing tone. “He’s gone now, and you can have a drink when ever you like.”
“Ohhh....Right....Fired thaa Asshole...”, Mr. Galloway said, and took another big swig from the bottle. It was half empty now. “But I’m still a failure !”, he moaned. “I think my big mistake was graduating from Teacher’s College....I don’t belong here...”
“Oh, that’s nonsense’, Bethany coo’ed. “You were the best teacher in the school ! All the girls just Loved you ! So Intelligent....So Manly.....We couldn’t wait to get to English class everyday, just to gaze at you !”
“I don’t see how anyone could see anything positive in me, I certainly don’t”, Mr Galloway choked out. “I’m a disgrace. Why do I even try ?”
“Because, you care”, Bethany said, moving closer to him on the bed. “You are the one who can turn that school around, give it a fresh start, move in the right direction !”
Mr. Galloway’s eyes tried to focus on Bethany. “You...You remind me of myself at your age...So full of hope....So full of vigor....”
“But I’m grown up now....Lionel”, Bethany said, crossing one nylon-clad leg over the other. Mr. Galloway’s eyes waveringly followed her movements. He took another large swig from the bottle.
“I...I need you to help me...Miss...Bethany...”, he mumbled. “The Staff....They don’t respect me....”
“We can fix all that”, Bethany said, scooting even closer. “Once you really take charge, they’ll fall in line.”
Mr. Galloway took another large gulp of Liquor. The bottle was getting close to empty. “You...Really....Thinks so...?”, he said. The slurring was more pronounced now.
“Yes...I do”, Bethany breathed. She moved her hand to his upper leg and slowly massaged it, hiking her skirt higher in the process. “If you finish your drink, I can show you how.”
Mr. Galloway drained the bottle, his wavering eyes fastened on Bethany’s sexy legs. He could almost see her crotch, and he blinked. “Miss Jones....Have you ever...Been infatuated...With a colleague ?”
“Like right now ?”, Bethany teased. This was her chance. Quickly, she moved her hand to his rising bulge under his nightclothes and began stroking it. “I would say...I have.”
Mr. Galloway stiffened under Bethany’s hand. The empty Liquor bottle fell from his grip and rolled to the floor as Bethany freed his bulge and quickly climbed on top of him, jamming her pelvis onto it. Slowly at first, then with ever increasing speed, she ravaged him.
“Aaaaahhh !!!”, Mr. Galloway cried as Bethany continued to pummel him. Fleeting thoughts of Deidre Phillips ran through his alcohol-soaked mind, but by the time Bethany brought him to completion, he would no more remember this than he had remembered what had happened last Friday evening in his Office. He drifted off into a drunken slumber.
_________________________________
-
“There....That’s the last of them”, Tony said, as Nick tossed the remainder of the posters into the furnace. Since it was Summertime, the boys had to use some old propane torches they had found in the basement to set fire to them.
“Thank you so much, boys”, Ms. Phillips said profusely, as she watched the last of the posters burn up. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been able to get these taken down.”
“Aw, it weren’t nothing, Ms. Phillips”, Tony said, “We were glad to help.” Tony knew Ms. Phillips didn’t pose nude for students....He had been through both Art and Photography classes under her, and had never so much as heard any rumors that she would do such a thing.
Nick gave Tony a look, saying, “It was nice to have something to do today besides class.”
Tony almost laughed, but Ms. Phillips didn’t notice, as she was rummaging in her purse. “I’m going to give you boys a reward”, she said, handing them $50.
“Whoa, for real ?”, Tony exclaimed, taking the cash and handing Nick his share.
“It’s worth it, just to get these horrible things taken down”, Ms. Phillips said. “I’ve gotten sooo many calls today about them....I had to explain that I’d NEVER do something like that, and that it was probably a prank by SOMEONE.....” She halted there, as if not wanting to say anything more about it. “Anyway, it’s time for me to get home...Poor Lionel still needs looking after. Goodbye, boys...And thanks again !”
Ms. Phillips left the basement. Tony and Nick stayed behind, watching the last of the posters turn to ash in the furnace. From the next room, Mr. Riddle, who had been silently eavesdropping, walked in. “Hello, boys...Having a cook-in ?”, he asked humorously.
“Just had to take care of something for Ms. Phillips”, Tony said, without elaborating further.
“I see”, Mr. Riddle said, then watching the fire for a bit. “Say, Uh...How goes the search ? Those clues prove helpful ?”
“I’ll say they did !”, Tony replied, then proceeded to tell Mr. Riddle of their adventures the past few days. For some reason that he still didn’t fully understand, Tony felt he could trust Mr. Riddle and knew somehow he would keep in confidence what he told him. Tony brought him up to date on what they’d found out.
“....And, that riddle was dead on, about the place down low that can only be entered up high ? We think the girls are being held underneath the Chem Plant...It’s the only place we couldn’t check out, because the tunnel doors are blocked with welds”, Tony concluded.
“Well, you boys have been busy”, Mr. Riddle remarked. “Are you going to tell the Cops or the F.B.I. any of this soon ? Maybe it’d be better to let them handle it.”
“Not until we’re sure”, Tony replied. He hesitated, then said, “We haven’t figured how to get into the Chem Plant yet....The access is blocked by gates, fences, and barbed wire. But, we’re gonna go on a reconnaissance mission tonight and try to find a way in. Maybe after that....”
Tony trailed off. Mr. Riddle stood there, watching the dying flames, seemingly lost in thought. Turning to Tony and Nick, he said, “I’ll see if I can find out anything. If that IS the place, you can’t just go in there by yourself. You’ll need plenty of backup. Give me a day to find out, and come see me tomorrow night...Can you promise me that ?”
Tony debated, remembering his dream. “I can’t promise”, Tony said at last. “Karen and Melody are in real danger now....I can’t explain, but I just know.” He looked Mr. Riddle in the eyes. “If it was your girl, what would you do ?”
Mr. Riddle looked at the poster fire, almost all but out now. “I suppose...Just about what you’re doing now”, he said, then added, “But listen...If you aren’t back tomorrow....”
“Fair enough”, Tony said. “If we’re not back.”
“Till tomorrow, then”, Mr. Riddle said, and took his leave, disappearing back into the bowls of the basement.
“Fire’s out”, Tony said to Nick, “Let’s get outta here.”
“Back to the dorm for some sleep ?”, Nick suggested.
“Not for me”, Tony said. “I’m gonna go...See Pinky.”
“No”, Nick said, frowning, “You’re not, are you ?”
“Yes...Yes, I am”, Tony replied wearily. “It’s time to put an end to her crap.”
_________________________________
-
Mr. Riddle sat in his basement enclave, the suitcase with the triple-combination locks open in front of him on the cot. He had attached a special power cord, and had attached a slim cable that led to the tiny, nearly invisible UHF antenna outside. The Transceiver was powered up, and he brought the microphone to his lips to speak. “BAL-7620, BAL-7620, Whiskey Victor Tango”, he intoned. “BAL-7620, This is CRB-3847, Do You Read, Copy ?”
A voice answered him in a few seconds, riding over the hiss of static. “CRB-3847, This Is BAL-7620. Switch To Secure Frequency.”
Mr. Riddle did so, as this was standard procedure. “BAL-7620, CRB-3847, How Do You Read ?”
“Copy You Clear, 3847“, the voice responded. “EarthNet Link Is Confirmed Secure. What Is Your Report ?”
“I need vital information ASAP on a certain building in the Blue Skies area”, Mr. Riddle began, and then went on to describe as briefly as he could just what he needed and the reason why. When he finished, he added, “Again, repeat, this information is vital and needed within 24 hours. Quite possibly the lives of two female students are at stake, Copy ?”
There was a stretch of static that went on for about 15 seconds. Then, “Copy that 3847, will attempt to secure information by 1700 hours alpha zulu on seven-sixteen. Contact again at that time, Copy ?”
“Copy That, 7620“, Mr. Riddle replied. “Will make contact next on seven-sixteen at 1700 alpha zulu, Copy ?”
“Copy, 3847“, the voice said. “7620, Out.”
Mr. Riddle replaced the microphone, then powered down the Transceiver. He sighed, hoping that there was a way the information could be unearthed in such a short amount of time. Even without it, he was sure that Calderone boy would attempt to breech the Chem Plant...Perhaps with disastrous results.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Operator laid down the microphone, and turned in the swivel chair to the man seated nearby. “Did you hear all that ?”
The man who was once Mr. Luntz at Bullworth nodded. “Get on this right away. We need Blueprints, Schematics, anything that could be of use. Pay particular attention to those underground areas of that place.” He rose from his chair and went to the door. “Call me right away if you’re able to access anything.”
“Right, Boss”, the operator said, and turned back to the unit to get to work.
___________________________________
-
Ms. Phillips returned to the apartment. It had been a long, horrid day. She still didn’t know how much damage had been done to her reputation yet....She supposed she would find out in the coming days or even weeks. She started to unlock her door, only to be surprised to find it wasn’t locked. Drat, She thought to herself worriedly, I hope that Gally-Bear didn’t try to go out somewhere.
She entered the apartment. Everything seemed normal. Sidetracking to the kitchen, she dropped her bag and purse on the table, opened the refrigerator and got a quick snack. She hadn’t had time to eat at all today with all the madness from the posters and the fallout from that. She munched down the snack and then headed to the bathroom, which was something else she had neglected to do all day.
It was time to check in on Mr. Galloway. So far, the apartment had been quiet, and she hadn’t heard him talking to himself. That meant, hopefully, that he was getting through the withdrawal and would be able to return to school soon. She eased open the bedroom door to look.
Ms. Phillips wasn’t expecting to find the sight that greeted her. Mr. Galloway lay askew in the bed, head hanging over the side with drool running out of his mouth. Covers and blankets were strewn haphazardly about the floor, and the nightstand was overturned.
“Lionel !!”, Ms. Phillips cried out, making her way to him. She stumbled over something on the floor underneath a blanket. Throwing it aside, she saw what it was and snatched it up. It was an empty bottle ! She quickly went to him, righting him up in the bed. As she did so, the strong smell of the Liquor assaulted her nose. Mr. Galloway was drunk !!
Lionel Galloway lay like a dead weight, totally passed out. Ms. Phillips became angry. With all the shit she had to deal with today, and now this ? Her first thoughts was that he had gone out on his own and had gotten the Liquor. Why would he have done that ? Just when he was close to getting over the hurdle. They had talked just last night, and he had given her his word ! Really, all men were just pigs, she fumed, as she began to straighten up the room.
But as Ms. Phillips cooled down and took stock, some things struck her as odd. Mr. Galloway was wearing the same exact nightclothes as he was when she left this morning. In fact, he had been wearing them for several days. The closest place to get that particular bottle of Liquor was over at the Yum-Yum Store in New Coventry, that much she knew. That would mean Mr. Galloway would certainly would have had to have gotten dressed to do that, since he would have had to walk there, and back.
There were no street clothes laying in the bedroom anywhere. Gripping the empty bottle, she went out into the short hall and looked into the closet. There, she saw Mr. Galloway’s suit neatly hung up, right where she had placed it earlier in the week, after she had gotten it cleaned. Similarly, his other clothes were there, just where she had put them. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. No man ever hung up his clothes when there was a woman around. If he had gone out, he would have dressed, when he returned, he wouldn’t have bothered changing back...That would have been the last thing on his mind. He would have gotten stinking drunk wearing his suit, just like he used to do in class after school.
Stepping back, she looked again at the empty bottle in her hand. Someone had brought this here. And she had a pretty good idea of just who. And just as soon as she tended to Lionel Galloway, she intended to find out for certain.
_____________________________________
-
There was a knock at the door. Pinky rose and hurried to answer it. Cracking the door open, she saw who it was. “Hello, Handsome, come on in !”, she said coyly.
Tony just stood there. “This is it, Pinky. You’ve gone too far this time. You can’t be blackmailing my friends like this !”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about”, Pinky said sweetly, trying to play innocent.
“You know damn well what what I’m talking about !”, Tony replied harshly, “Doing that to Laurent ! Have you lost your mind ?”
Pinky opened the door wider. “Come on in, and we’ll talk about it”, Pinky said, giving Tony a knowing look.
Tony rolled his eyes and sighed. Even though he knew better, he stepped inside. Pinky closed the door behind him. “Pinky, what you did was despicable. How could you do that to a boy you hardly even know ?”
“I don’t know what you mean”, Pinky said loftily. “He was the one that....”
“Oh, Come Off It !”, Tony interrupted. “He told me what happened, you boxed him in the bathroom and assaulted him ! Then threatened to tell Nina that he assaulted you ! Who does that ??”
“Oh, Posh, I won’t tell his mousy little girlfriend anything about it, now that you’re here”, Pinky said. “I’ll keep my word and not say anything.”
“That’s Not The Point !!”, Tony exploded. “You can’t just play people like that, they’re not Puppets in you own little private Carnival Show !! And you can’t just go around threatening to expose people just to get your way....Like you do to me !”
“I’ve never told Anybody about us”, Pinky said primly. “Never once !”
Tony hung his head and groaned. “There IS no US. I keep telling you that. I belong to Karen, my heart and my life is with Karen. Don’t you get that ?”
“Oh, is that so ?”, Pinky said airily. “I suppose I forced you to make love to me that first time, last winter ? Held a gun to your head and made you get hard ? Forced you to drag me to the bed and hammer me with your big stick ? And not just once....Several times. There is too an 'Us’, mister.”
Tony put his hand to his forehead. In a flash of sudden clarity, he had to concede that Pinky was right. She hadn’t controlled him...Rather, it was that he couldn’t control himself. He walked over to the chair by the room’s desk and sat down heavily. What did this speak to his character, he wondered anew, if he couldn’t even control that animal side of him that lusted ? And it hadn’t been with just Pinky, it had been with Lola too. He was not worthy of a girl like Karen. He was flawed and imperfect. He didn’t deserve Karen, and her kidnapping was the karma of his punishment. The innocent always pay for the crimes of the guilty, do they not ?
“Why me, Pinky....Why me ?”, Tony said wearily. He was tired of all this, tired of the stress and strain, not only of the abductions, but all that had been laid on his shoulders the past year. He felt stressed to the breaking point. He looked up miserably at Pinky. “You can have just any boy you want....Why go after me ? I’m no prize, nothing special.” He uttered a bitter laugh. “I cheat on my girlfriend. That’s pretty low, I guess.”
Pinky approached him and stood before him. “I cheated on Derby...Lots of times”, she said softly. “Even with you.” She knelt down in front of him. “I’m....All alone now”, she whispered softly. “I don’t have anyone.”
Tony, struck by his own self-pity, didn’t respond right away. Then, regaining his composure, looked at Pinky and said, “Pinky....I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you....Derby...Kurt...Tad....I don’t know why things happen like that. Maybe....It’s because we’re just messed-up teenagers in a messed-up place....Maybe...We deserve what we lose....Maybe, deep down, we’re not good people, we just pretend we are....”
Pinky laid her hands on Tony’s legs. “You’re a good person, Tony-boy”, she said slowly. “There’s something about you....Something I don’t have....A Charisma, a Force....Whatever you call it....I want that....I need it, don’t you see ?” She rubbed her hands up and down on Tony’s legs as she spoke. “That’s why I burn for you, that’s why you excite me....”
Despite himself, or maybe because of himself, Tony felt his passion flare in the midst of his misery. Pinky saw, and laid a hand on his growing bulge, stroking it. “We can only be who we are”, she breathed, “If only for a little while.”
After a moment, Pinky stood up and began removing her clothing. Tony could only watch as his uncontrollable lust climbed higher. When she stood naked before him, she reached out her hand to him. Unable to resist and hating himself for his weakness, he let her draw him near to her and began to undress him. When he stood as naked as she was, he offered no resistance as he allowed her to pull him to the bed.
“Do Me, Tony”, she whispered, “Do me real hard...I need it so badly.” Pinky mashed her lips on his, poking her tongue into his mouth in a passionate French kiss. Tony followed her down on the bed as she gripped him and guided him into her.
Unable to help himself and far past the point of even trying to do so, Tony did as she wanted, ramming her hard over and over again. Pinky responded in kind, thrusting up to meet his hard strokes, like two lonely ships in the night on a collision course. They poured out their frustrations and self-loathing into each other as the shadows lengthened and darkness began to descend on the Vale Valley.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
After it was finished, Tony laid immobile for long while before rising. Recovering his clothes, he began to dress. “I’ve got to go”, he said shortly. “I have a mission to do tonight.”
Pinky propped up on her elbow, her dark hair tangled and falling in her face. She brushed it back and asked, “A Mission ? Tonight ?”
“Yeah”, Tony said shortly. His pants pulled back on, then slid on his shirt. “We think...The Townies are holding the girls. I’ve got to go scout it out.”
“All by yourself ?”, Pinky asked. “Those....Boys....Are awfully tough.”
“I’ll have some help”, Tony said. “Probably not enough, but I’ve got to make sure if we’re right.” He finished dressing and faced Pinky. “I have to do this...I have to try. I’m going to Hell for what I’ve done...It's the only way to redeem myself. If I fail, it’s all over anyway. But I’ve still got to try.”
Tony went out the door, closing it noiselessly, and left the Boar Inn. Pinky rose, wrapping the sheet around her, and went to the window. She watched Tony head down the street.
“I need redemption too”, she whispered to herself as Tony dwindled from her sight. “I need redemption too.”
________________________________________
-
Ms. Phillips was in a place she hadn’t been in a long time....The Yum-Yum Store in New Coventry. She approached the clerk at the counter, a person she had never seen before. Withdrawing the empty liquor bottle from her tote bag, she held it out to him.
“Excuse me, can you tell me if you sold a bottle of this today ?”, Ms. Phillips asked.
The clerk, a swarthy-looking fellow by the name of Pandar, took the bottle from Ms. Phillips and examined it. He thought this to be a bit of a strange request, but having been in the Vale Valley just a few weeks, but he shrugged it off. There had been plenty of strange things he had seen in the short time he’d been here. “I do not sell any of this today”, he said frowning, “But I have been here only since my shift started at 4 PM. Mr. Oh was here in the daytime. However..”, he continued, “I sell a bottle of this last night, I recall.”
“Can you tell me”, Ms. Phillips said eagerly, “Just who you sold it to ?”
“Yes”, Pandar the clerk answered, eying her. “It was a pretty lady, such as yourself, but with short dark hair, and maybe not so tall as you. What, in your country, would call a ‘pixie’ style ?” He handed the empty bottle back to Ms. Phillips, who returned it to her tote bag.
“Oh...Thank you so much !”, Ms. Phillips gushed. She had been right ! It had been that little bitch Bethany. She dug into her purse and passed a Ten dollar bill to the clerk. “Here’s a tip for you trouble !”
“Many thanks, pretty lady”, Pandar said, but by that time Ms. Phillips was quickly exiting the Yum-Yum store. Again, Pandar thought this was rather odd, but he shrugged. It was none of his business.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ms. Phillips drove back to the school. There was something she had to check. Leaving her car in the Parking Lot, she hurried into the school. It was just starting to get dark, and a few Bullies were out in the Parking Lot. They watched with lecherous eyes as she passed, but did not say anything, at least not that she could hear. Inside the outer Office, she made for the filing cabinet containing the Employment Records. Pulling Bethany Jones’ file, she looked up the address, and wasn’t surprised to find that it was just a few blocks from her own, on the third floor above a row of six business buildings located on Theater Street. Bethany’s apartment was just a few buildings North of the Worn-In Clothing store, which explained where she got her cheap knock-offs at.
Ms. Phillips left the school and returned the Parking Lot. The Bullies were still clustered there, leering at her as she passed them on the way to her car. She had no fear that they would try to harass her, but she felt an embarrassing shame over what they must have seen on those posters, even if it was only a painted image of herself. She wished anew that she had destroyed those long ago, artistic content or not, but it was too late now, the damage had been done. Now, she must deal with that little bitch Bethany before this went any further. She drove her car back to her apartment. After a check on Mr. Galloway, who was slumbering in his drunken stupor, she grimly set out on foot for Theater Street and a showdown with Bethany Jones.
________________________________
-
Miss Jones’ apartment was located on the third floor of a red 4-story red-brick building, tucked in-between a 2-story cream colored brick building and a 3-story dirty-brown brick building. The storefront of her building was closed up, the business part on the first floor vacant. However, there was a ramp the went up on the side of the far-north building and wound around the back of the entire block of the six buildings, at the second-story level. Ms. Phillips climbed that and began to search for a way in. She found only one door that gave access to the second story of the block of buildings, and that was located in the back of another red-brick building to the South, which was at the back-end of the Worn-In Clothing Store.
Ms. Phillips tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. She opened it and found herself in a short hallway the T-junctioned into another hallway farther on. Advancing to that, she saw that this hallway ran the North-South length of all the buildings. Turning right, she made her way towards Bethany’s building. Each of the buildings had a foyer of sorts, with stairs leading up to the floor or floors above, as the case may be, except for two of the buildings on the block which were only two stories to start with. Each foyer also contained a bank of mailboxes near the stairs with the tennant’s name on a strip behind a dirty piece of plastic. When Ms. Phillips judged she had reached Bethany’s building, she stopped to peer at the names there, and easily found the one marked '3A--Miss Jones’. Grimly, she climbed the stairs which came out on a landing. She quickly discovered that '3A’ was the front apartment, and she went to the door.
Ms. Phillips listened for a bit. She heard the sound of a TV or Radio playing in the background, and then some movement inside. She raised her hand and knocked sharply three times on the door. From within, she heard Bethany’s voice call out, “Who Is It !?”
Lowering her voice as much as she could as a ploy, Ms. Phillips rumbled “Rent !!” A few seconds passed, and then the door was un-latched and pulled open. An irritable Miss Jones was saying, as she opened the door, “I PAID the rent last week, what is the prob....”
Bethany cut off abruptly at the shock of seeing Ms. Phillips standing in her doorway. She tried to shut the door, but Ms. Phillips pushed her way in, catching Bethany off-balance. Bethany stumbled back as Ms. Phillips charged in, pulling the empty bottle from her tote and brandishing it at her. “You Little Bitch !!”, she hissed, “I Warned You Not To Mess With My Gally-Bear !!”
Deirdre Phillips flung the bottle at Bethany Jones, but Bethany ducked. The bottle sailed on, smashing into the TV, and both shattered with a looping electrical buzz. “Goddammit, That Was MY TV !!”, Bethany screamed. Fury replaced shock on her face and she charged at Ms. Phillips, but Ms. Phillips was ready for her. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the Mace canister that had sat unused inside for who knew how long and triggered off a blast square in Bethany’s face as she ran at her with fists upraised.
“EEEEYYYYYKKKK !!!!!”, Bethany screamed, “MY EYES !!!!!” Bethany flailed around, managing to catch ahold of Ms. Phillips hair in the process. She blindly slammed Ms. Phillips’ head into the wall. “AAAAUUUUGGGHHHH !!!”, Deirdre Phillips yelled, “YOU LOW-LIFE CRETAIN !!” She kneed Bethany in the guts, and she fell back.
Bethany staggered upright, and Ms. Phillips came after her, head throbbing. “Is That The Best You Can Do ?”, she growled, panting, then grabbing Bethany by her short hair and yanking. “EEEEKKK”, Bethany yelled, digging her fingernails into Ms. Phillips’ wrists, drawing blood. “OUCHHH !!”, Ms. Phillips screamed, letting go of Bethany’s hair.
Bethany followed up by landing a punch in Ms. Phillips guts. “OOOOFFFF !!!”, Ms. Phillips groaned loudly, doubling over. Frantically wiping her eyes trying to clear the Mace from them, Bethany tried to throw a roundhouse punch to Ms. Phillips head, but missed, slamming her fist into the wall. Bethany howled, staggering back once more, blinking her eyes and holding her swelling hand. Blindly, she tumbled over an end table and fell to the floor.
“Look Where You’re Going, Moron !”, Ms. Phillips laughed weakly, trying to straighten up. It was only then she was able to get a good look at Bethany as she kicked around, trying to regain her footing. Bethany was wearing a pink blouse, pink high heels, and a short pink skirt. Underneath the skirt were no panties. Ms. Phillips could see her naked pelvis as she flailed about, trying to get up. Sudden revelation crashed through her mind. It couldn’t be...But...
“You...You Did It Again, Didn’t You ?”, Ms. Phillips hissed. “You Little Strumpet !! You Got My Gally-Bear DRUNK And Did That Again, Didn’t You ??”
Bethany laughed harshly. “YES, I FUCKED HIM !!! That’s Right, I FUCKED HIM HARD, And You Know What ? HE LIKED IT, LIKED IT JUST FINE !!!”, she screamed.
“That Does It, I’ve had Enough !”, Ms. Phillips said angrily. “I’M GOING TO TEACH YOU A LESSON !!!”
“WHAT ? How To Pose Naked In Front Of Adolescent Boys ?”, sneered Bethany.
“ARE YOU CONFUSED ??”, Ms. Phillips bellowed, “I NEVER DID THAT !!!”
“Right....And You Never Dumped Three Ex-Husbands, Either, Did You ?”, Bethany retorted. “You’re Just A Dried-Up Old PRUNE Now !!”, she jeered. “Lionel’s A Single Man, You Have No Claim On Him, There’s No Ring On His Finger !! HE’S MINE NOW, ALL MINE !! He Loves My Sweet Tight Box, Not Your Old Baggy Used One !!”
“YOU UNCIVILIZED BITCH !!”, Ms. Phillips screamed, rushing at Bethany in a rage totally unlike her normal pacifist artistic self. But Bethany had already prepared for her charge, having reached down and yanked off her left high heel to use as a weapon. She waited just like a batter in the box at a World Series game, and when Ms. Phillips barreled near enough, she gripped the shoe and swung the sharp heel at the side of Ms. Phillips head.
At the last second, Ms. Phillips saw and ducked, but the heel pierced her left ear in the instant before she crashed into Bethany, both of them tumbling over an easy chair and falling to the floor. Ms. Phillips rose before Bethany, looking for all the world to have the strangest-looking earring hanging off the side of her head. As Bethany attempted to rise to her knees, Ms. Phillips planted her fist with all her might directly in the middle of Bethany’s cute little upturned nose.
“AIIIIIEEEE !!!!!!!”, Bethany screamed as Ms. Phillips fist smashed into her nose, crunching cartilage and spurting out huge amounts of blood. Her hands came to her face, and Ms. Phillips pinned her down. Reaching up to the side of her head, Ms. Phillips removed the shoe from her bleeding ear and then jammed it into Bethany’s open screaming mouth, pointed toe first.
“I’m Going To Make You Eat This”, Ms. Phillips hissed, “Since You Like Big Things !” She forced the shoe halfway into Bethany’s mouth, the pointy toe jammed down her throat. Bethany gagged and began to buck up against Ms. Phillips in real terror. “How Do You Like Your Size Sixes Now ?”, Ms. Phillips taunted.
Youth and fright drove her strength, and Bethany was able to buck Ms. Phillips off. Ms. Phillips’ head struck the overturned end table, and she lay stunned for a moment. Bethany was able to get on all fours, wrenching the shoe from her mouth and vomiting right after.
Just as Ms. Phillips was coming out of her daze, Bethany picked up a lamp that had been on the end table and hurled it at her. Ms. Phillips saw it coming and ducked just in time, the lamp grazing her head and crashing to the floor behind her. Both women rose shakily to their feet, Bethany by one of the front windows of the apartment, Ms. Phillips just a few feet away.
“You’ve Gone Too Far !!!”, Ms. Phillips said menacingly. “Don’t Think For One Second That I’ll Put Up With This !!”
“Who Are You...To Be Dictating Anything To Me !?”, Bethany returned in a muffly voice, blood running from her damaged nose, making her look like a clown.
“Don’t You Know ?", Ms. Phillips said snidely, “You Just Ran Into An Artist !!!”
Both women began to charge at each other, but Ms. Phillips started first and had the greater momentum. They crashed together, arms flailing, but Bethany was pushed back towards the window, followed by Ms. Phillips. They both smashed into the window, teetering on the ledge for a moment, then they both tumbled over and fell the three stories toward the sidewalk.
The small awning over the first floor might have been enough to break their fall, if only it hadn’t been so old and moldy. As it was, the awning only arrested their fall for a split-second before ripping and dumping them onto the pavement. They still landed with a considerable amount of force, Bethany slamming into the sidewalk first and Ms. Phillips landing on top of her, then being pushed away due to the rebound.
As gaping townspeople gathered around in the oncoming darkness, Ms. Deirdre Phillips lay stunned. She had rolled over on her back. There was a great deal of pain in her right arm and knees, which had struck the pavement first. She was in Shock, and the world blurred in and out. “What did I come here to do again ?", she muttered. She turned her head to the side and saw Bethany Jones. She lay unconscious, her left leg twisted up under her, obviously broken. There was also a stain of blood seeping from her head.
“Ohhh....How....Nauseating.....”, Ms. Phillips murmured, and then passed out.
_____________________________________
-
It would be full dark before the time Tony would make it back to the Dorm. Needing time to think, he had decided to go down to the beach just before he reached the South Bridge. It was more isolated in that spot, a bit rocky, and there was a spot on the flat rock shelf out of view where one could just sit and contemplate.
Tony thus sat and thought long and hard about what had just happened. It really hadn’t been his intention to cheat once again with Pinky. But he had. Instead of standing his ground and telling her off, come what may, he succumbed to her ‘charms’....Again. And to top it off, this was the third time he had cheated since Karen had gone missing....All in a mere, what ? 11 days ? It seemed like it was so much longer. It was as if some crazy writer was intentionally slowing down his life story and prolonging the misery.
He wondered again for the thousandth time how he allowed himself to get caught up in the situations in which he found himself that led to now his Sixth time of cheating on Karen...Four times with Pinky, and...Two times with Lola. This couldn’t continue, he knew. If he was ever lucky enough to get Karen back, this would have to stop. With every encounter, the risk multiped exponentially that he would be found out, exposed, revealed. And what would be his defense to Karen, when that got back to her ? That he couldn’t help himself, that he was powerless to resist ?
"You some kinda Superboy, a fuckin’ King Arthur or something ?" Jimmy’s voice floated into his head, an echo of the night they had talked up on the Courthouse Clocktower. "You’re Human, just like the rest of us. You’re gonna make mistakes that are outta your control in certain situations. You just gotta learn from them and move on", he had said. Yeah, he was doing a bang-up job of learning from his mistakes, all right. Three times in less than two weeks. The term 'Reverse Progress’ mockingly went through his mind.
But, he reflected, he had forgotten the key piece of advice that Jimmy had dished out on that night under the giant Clock....."Don’t ever, NEVER, be alone with Pinky anymore", he had said. And that applied equally to Lola, or any other girl who laid out their traps for him. He had somehow forgotten that part of their talk, but it was true....They can’t play if one stays away, simple as that. Tony dwelled on the circumstances of the past couple of weeks that had impelled him to be alone with those girls....Twice for information, and now once to help his friend Laurent out of a jam. If these were ordinary times, would those have happened ? He had to conclude that that they probably wouldn’t have....But this was not ordinary times.
The rotating shaft of light from the distant Lighthouse on the Bay brought him out of his revere. It was getting late, and he had a mission to accomplish. Laying his guilt aside for now, he rose and mentally shook himself. He must focus on what he had to do now. There would be plenty of time for recriminations later. Instead of moping about himself, he had to get Karen back. She was surely going through much worse than what he was.
Climbing back up the rocks to Vale Valley Boulevard, he set off towards the Dorm with urgent resolve.
__________________________________
-
“What took you so long ?”, Nick asked as Tony entered their room.
“I don’t want to talk about it”, Tony said. “Let’s just say Laurent’s secret is safe...For now.”
Nick grinned, but made no comment. Instead, he said, “Well...Here’s some news. Constantinos got expelled. He’s confined to his room for now.”
“Expelled ?”, Tony exclaimed. “What the hell for ?”
Nick shrugged. “Don’t know. Musta been something bad...Maybe he got caught hanging around in the Girl’s Dorm once too often.”
“Well, that sucks”, Tony said. “Maybe it’s got to do with that mystery girlfriend.”
“Maybe”, Nick said. “But look....He’s been around this place far longer than we have. I’m thinking...He might know a way we can get past them gates to the Chem Plant. Save us a lotta time.”
“Shit, that’s right”, Tony said, facepalming himself. “We gotta go talk to him. Wait...You said ‘confined’ to his room ? Is he, like, under guard or something ?”
“Naw”, Nick answered. “Seth the Prefect just comes in once an hour to make sure he’s still there. Seems to really enjoy it.”
“When was the last time he checked on him ?”, Tony asked.
“Few minutes before you got here”, Nick told him. “We got time.”
“Ok, let’s go !”, Tony said. The two boys left and went down the hall to Constantinos’ room. They opened the door without knocking. Constantinos was huddled in his bed with the blankets drawn up under his chin, looking like the most pitiful and miserable creature on earth. On the other side of the room, Ivan appeared to be actually studying, having a schoolbook and some papers spread out on the room’s lone desk.
“You guys might try knocking”, Ivan said, looking up.
“Beat it”, Nick told him. “We gotta talk to Constantinos.”
“Ha, good luck with that”, Ivan laughed. “He ain’t said a word since he’s been back. He got expelled, y’know.”
“Yes, we heard”, Tony said. “Would’ja mind giving us some privacy ?”
Ivan was about to retort, but the mean look on Nick’s face changed his mind. “Ok, all right, I’m going”, he said, gathering up his book and papers. “Geesh, maybe when they build the second story on this place I can get my own room.”, he grumbled as he made his way out the door.
Tony and Nick went and stood over Constantinos’ bed. “Hey, we need to talk to you”, Nick told him.
“Oh, go away !”, Constantinos moaned, covering his face with his blanket.
“This is important”, Tony said, “We need to know how to get into the Chem Plant.”
Constantinos didn’t answer, just moaned some more. “Look, it’s about the girls. We think they’re being being held there by the Townies.”
Constantinos still didn’t answer. Tony reached out and slowly pulled the blanket off his face. Constantinos’ eyes were wet. Tears were coursing down his cheeks. Tony sat down on the bed beside him. “Hey, man, what’s wrong ? We know you got expelled and all...But what’s really bugging you ?”
“I...Can’t talk about...It”, Constantinos said, squeezing his eyes shut. “Can’t.”
“Sure you can”, Tony said. “Look, we’re your friends. You can tell us anything...Really. It won’t leave this room, I promise. If you can’t tell your friends, who can you tell ?”
Constantinos opened his eyes a slit and looked at Tony, who had a sincere look on his face. He swiveled his eyes towards Nick, who nodded, saying, “Com’on, man....Let it out.”
“Come Clean”, the ghostly voice of reason in Constantinos’ mind echoed. “Spill the Beans. Dump it all out. Only you can set us free."
Constantinos’ face crumpled. From deep inside him, the emotions he had been bottling up came boiling to the surface, hard and fierce, and he burst out crying. “Ohh...It’s....It’s AWFUL !!”, he blubbered. “It’s so...TERRIBLE !!!....It’s the WORST !!!”
“That’s Ok”, Tony said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Let it out. We’re right here, and we got plenty of time. Let it all out.”
Constantinos did. Slowly at first, and then faster, he revealed to whole sorted mess, from the night of the Independence Dance and the kiss from the mystery Tiffany, to their next encounter at the side of the Girl’s Dorm, to her building Kleptomaniac obsession using him as a Proxy to steal books from the Library, the downright weird sex sessions up in the Attic with Tiffany’s almost fetish-like worship of the stolen books, to his getting captured by Seth in the Library with the latest haul...all of it. For 15 minutes he wrenched his tale of woe from his clenched guts like a mountain man battling a bear to the death.
Tony and Nick sat stunned at the revelations. It was no wonder that Constantinos had been so preoccupied lately....This girl made made most of the girls in Bullworth seem normal by comparison. Tony’s problems with Pinky, and to a lesser extent Lola, seemed trivial in the face of this whacko chick. Even Nick’s encounter with Beatrice, strange as it was, didn’t even come close to what Constantinos had been dealing with.
“I’m so Ashamed”, Constantinos blubbered hopelessly. “She....She USED me....I was just her Patsy !”
Tony nodded in sympathy. He could relate, although neither Pinky nor Lola had risen to the level of madness this girl Tiffany apparently had. “We understand, Constantinos, really. That girl is over the top....Certifiably Crazy.”
Constantinos uttered a depressed laugh. “Trouble is, I actually miss her. That’s pretty fucked up, isn’t it ?”
“Not at all, man”, Nick answered him. “That’s actually pretty normal in those kind of relationships....There’s been studies about that sort of thing.”
Tony looked at Nick queerly, wondering again how he knew about stuff. “It’s, Uh...Yeah, like he said....But all girls aren’t like that. You’ll get a normal girl....Someday. They can’t all be nuts.”
“I...Don’t know about that”, Constantinos said, wiping his nose. “But, uh....Thanks for listening, guys....I feel....Better for letting that out.” And, he did feel better, Constantinos reflected. The Voice of Reason had been right....Only the truth can set one free. Just as long as not too many knew about it.
“That’s what friends are for”, Tony said. “We guys gotta stick together.”
Constantinos looked up at Tony. “Are you really my friend ?”, he asked. "Right after we met, you punched me....Remember ?”
“Well...Yeah”, Tony admitted. “And, I’m sorry about that....But I didn’t really know you then...I was just trying to survive in a new place....And the only ‘friend’ I had then was Jake, which really turned out to be a bizarre joke.”
“Yeah...I guess I can understand”, Constantinos said. “Place was more of real jungle then...”
“I suppose we’ve come a long ways since those days”, Tony said, then sighed. “And, sill a ways to go, it seems like.”
Constantinos lay contemplating for a bit. Then he said, “I can show you how to get in to the Chem Plant.”
“We need to get past those gates first”, Nick said. “That’s the hangup.”
“Ahh, those are easy”, Constantinos said. “The hard part will be getting in the Plant...I heard the EPA chained all the doors shut....Probably welded them, too.”
“Oh, that’s great !”, Tony groaned. “How the Hell do we get in there then ?”
“You have to take the Ramp up to the roof”, Constantinos told them.
“Ramp ?”, Nick asked. “There’s a Ramp ? We didn’t see a Ramp.”
“Oh, Yeah....It winds up around the building inside the outer skin”, Constantinos said. “Then, there’s an access building on the roof that leads inside.”
“The place down low that can only be entered up high !”, Tony exclaimed. “That’s what that means, Nick !”
“You think so ?”, Nick asked. “Yeah, I guess It’d make sense, since we couldn’t get in through the Tunnels.”
“You guys found the Tunnels ?”, Constantinos asked, forgetting about his own misery for the moment.
“Yeah, we were in them last night”, Tony answered, “Only the access doors to the Chem Plant were welded shut....All three levels.”
“There’s....Three levels underground ?”, Constantinos asked.
“Well, there is there", Nick said, “That seems to be the only place.”
“And you guys think...”, Constantinos puzzled, “That Karen and Melody are there ?”
“We think the Townies are holed up in there”, Tony said with a trace of anger, “And we think the Townies are the ones who kidnapped the girls.”
“Whoa”, Constantinos muttered. “That’s heavy. If you guys can smuggle me out of here tonight, I can show you how to get in there....Faster to show you than tell you.”
“Sure”, Tony said, “But there isn’t much time....Here’s what we’ll do....” And with that, Tony begin to outline a plan.
______________________________
-
Tony had Constantinos cover up everything but the hair on his head as he laid in the bed, then he and Nick went out into the Common Room. A few of the Bullies were there, Tom, Wade, and Troy, playing some of the stand-up Video Game Consoles in a bored manner. Over at the lone round table sat Ivan, still working on his homework, and on the couch sat Gordon, watching TV, which had a lot better programming on now since the Valley had opened up to the outside world.
Tony and Nick went and pulled out a couple chairs and sat down at the table. Ivan looked up, startled. “You guys finished in there ? Can I go back to my room now ?”
“Ehh, just hang here for awhile”, Nick told him with a hard glance.
“Um, yeah, we’re gonna tuck Constantinos in a bit later”, Tony added. “He needs some alone time for....Meditation.”
“Ehhh, Whatever”, Ivan sighed, and returned to his homework.
I a few minutes, Seth the Prefect came strolling in the door of the Boy’s Dorm. Prefects didn’t usually come in the Dorms very often, for reasons that were long buried in time. Tony thought that this might change once the second story was added on. Seth barely gave anybody a glance as he turned the corner and marched to Constantinos’ room down the hall.
Tony had unscrewed the light bulbs when they left Constantinos’ room, forcing Seth to use his flashlight to be able to check to see if Constantinos was there. Seth actually had to enter the room and shine the flashlight on Constantinos’ head to see if he was there under the blankets. As soon as he saw the unruly sight of his dark hair, he uttered a snort of disgust and then turned and left the room. Seth marched back down the hall without so much as looking in the Common Room, turned the corner to the Main Hallway and was quickly gone through the Dorm doors.
“That was short and sweet”, Nick commented.
“What I’m counting on”, Tony said. “Com’on, let’s go.”
The boys went to their room first of all. Tony rummaged around in his Wardrobe and finally located what he was looking for, pulling out a Wolf’s Head Mask that was left over from Halloween. It wasn’t his costume, but he had come across it somewhere and stashed it. “This dark hair on here is a perfect match for our lad’s mop”, Tony said.
They went back to Constantinos’ room and entered. Tony used his flashlight and screwed the lightbulbs back in. Then he roused Constantinos and while Nick fluffed and stuffed clothes and pillows under the blankets, Tony fixed up the Wolf’s Head Mask on Constantinos’ pillow with the head of dark hair facing outward. When they finished, it looked as if Constantinos was still in bed, that is if one didn’t look too closely.
Unscrewing the lightbulbs once more, they snuck Constantinos back down to their room to wait. Tony went back to the Common Room and told Ivan that Constantinos was fast asleep but the lights were out. “So, if you got anything else to do, you’ll have to do it here”, Tony said.
Ivan yawned and closed up his book. “That’s Ok, I’m done for tonight anyway. Fact, I’m rather sleepy...Guess I’ll turn in.”
“Well, alright”, Tony said. “Just don’t wake up Constantinos. We had a devil of a time getting him to sleep.”
“No worries”, Ivan said, “I’ll be a Rat...Er, Mouse.”
He left, and Tony returned to his room. The three boys made ready by dressing in Black Ninja outfits for stealth, and waited until Seth made an appearance in the Dorm again. Like before, he was in and out quickly, checking on Constantinos’ room. “Our ruse worked...He don’t suspect a thing”, Tony said, peering out his door. “Let’s get ready.”
_________________________________
-
Close to Midnight they snuck out of the Dorm, crossed the yard to the shortcut to the Quad, then snuck some more to the Library, where they breached the wall and went through the Nerd’s gate. Having successfully spirited Constantinos away from the school, they were more at ease as they traversed the Nerd’s battlefield and entered the Tunnel to the cavern. From there, they made their way across the wooden walkway to Blue Skies.
When they emerged from the trail underpass, Tony noticed something immediately. “Look”, he pointed, “Those Rail Cars are gone !”
And so they were. The whole short spur line stood empty, and they could see the entire loading complex across the street. More importantly, the direct access to the Rail Yard was open and unblocked. “Hmm....Don’t see that often”, Constantinos remarked. “Musta got their work done today.” The boys crossed the street and followed the spur line to the Rail Yards.
Tony showed Constantinos the windowless Warehouse building where the loading dock was clearly visible now. “That’s where we accessed the Tunnels”, he told him.
“Really ?”, Constantinos said. He seemed a bit more chipper now, perhaps because he was out doing something familiar...Sneaking around. “I never seen that space empty before.”
They moved on past that to the Railroad Warehouse, with it’s storage for Rail Car parts, offices, and the breakroom. Rounding the corner, they joined the road that went past the Gloop Oil Refinery. Ahead of them, the monolith tower of the Chem Plant loomed ahead, glittering a rusty red evil in the moonlight.
They trudged up the road towards the first gate. “This is where we got stopped before”, Tony said. “We couldn’t find a way through.”
“Did you try pushing that red button up there ?”, Constantinos asked, pointing to the switch mounted to the side of the building to their left.
“Yeah, Duh”, Nick said, “Didn’t work. Why do you think we brought you out here ?”
“Did you push it twice ?”, Constantinos asked, smirking.
Tony and Nick looked at Constantinos thunderstruck. “Could...It be that simple ?”, Tony asked, facepalming himself. Constantinos actually half-smiled as he leapt up on the raised concrete platform and climbed over the railing. Going over to the switch, he pushed the red button once. Tony heard that familiar whoosh from around the corner, meaning the gate from that road was opening. Then Constantinos pushed the red button again, and a whoosh sounded in front of them as the first gate swung open.
“Shit, simple as that”, Nick said with a trace of disgust. “I’ll be damned.”
Constantinos hopped down and rejoined them. “See, piece of cake.”
“Ok, Genius”, Nick growled as they walked up to the next gate. “Let’s see you get this one open so easily.”
“Not a problem”, Constantinos said, and scampered away, running up a ramp by the next building and disappearing around a corner.
“Where the Hell’s he off to ?”, Tony wondered aloud.
“Hard telling”, Nick said. “We never got this far.”
“You think this building...Was that last big one we were in ?”, Tony speculated.
“That one that was stretched out ?”, Nick said. “Yeah, looks like it.”
In less than a minute, Constantinos reappeared on the other side of the gate. “How the Hell...?”, Tony asked in confusion.
Constantinos went to another electrical box switch mounted on a low stone wall and pushed the red button there. With a whoosh, the gate ahead of them opened up. “Gotta give him props...”, Nick muttered.
The boys went through the gate. A few yards further on found them standing in front of the Chem Plant. Tony could see a road led up to it from the North to a sidewalk in front of the Plant. behind the sidewalk was another gate, but this one stood open and obviously hadn’t been used for some time. The reason was clear, for a hundred feet down that road to the north was a large tall metal barricade across it, strung over the top with double rows of razor barbed wire.
Constantinos joined them. “When I first came here to Bullworth, that thing wasn’t there”, he said, pointing to the barricade. You could drive straight down the road from Spazz Industries and wind up here, right in front.”
“So...Why’d they put that up ?”, Tony asked, looking at the barricade.
“About three years ago, they stuck that thing there, almost overnight”, Constantinos related. “We heard it was to keep the Townies and other riff-raff out. Same with them gates we just went through. But that didn’t work for long, they found a way in here anyway.”
“Just like we did”, Nick observed ironically.
Constantinos nodded. “The Townies kinda made this place their hangout, after hours, when the workers had gone home for the day. It was kind of a joke, really, all this. What they really needed was some good security. But they were skinflints, Harrington wasn’t about to waste money on a real security force. They’d just put a couple guys in Building XX-7 with them monitor screens, and only one guy at night. They were supposed to call the Cops if they spotted anybody sneaking around. But half them screens didn’t work right...The cameras were old and lots of them were busted. The Townies still came here, they’d get inside by the way I’m gonna show you. The Chem Plant people just treated them like harmless parasites.”
“Not so harmless now”, Tony said ominously.
They turned and walked in through the big open gate in front. Ahead of them were the metal front doors, which were chained and welded shut, just as they had heard. The EPA was apparently dead serious about shuttering the place. Tony wondered just how toxic it still was in there.
“Jimmy Hopkins tracked the Townies here, and had a big Boss fight with Edgar Munsen inside, which he won”, Constantinos continued. “He had to get in by just the way you’re gonna see, that access shack at the top. Jimmy had to fight through a buncha Townies up on the roof to just to get in and go after Edgar. It’s all part of his legend.”
To the right, Tony could see the ramp that Constantinos had told them about. It was a bit wider than a car, and wound up around the curve of the building a bit before disappearing inside the outer skin of the round Chem Plant building. A faded and dirty sign overhead read ‘Employees Only Past This Point’.
“That our cue”, Nick said, and they began walking up the ramp, using caution to move silently. They had automatically unlimbered their weapons in the event they ran across anyone, and Nick kept his eye to their rear as they ascended. But they encountered no one. As they moved, Tony saw that on each floor were rounded steel doors which had also been welded shut. The enclosed ramp was a bit claustrophobic, but they dared not use their flashlights. Several minutes into their upward climb, the began to see moonlight ahead, streaming around the bend. They slowed, and at about that point, the slope of the ramp began to flatten out. A few yards further, and the were on the roof level, though still within the enclosed structure.
Tony could see the opening up ahead, where the moonlit sky replaced the ramp’s ceiling. An eerie breeze was blowing, making a slight whistling sound at this height. To their left, suddenly, was an opening to a long narrow storage area that would turn out to be a metal shack that was set level with the roof, running along the South side. It was hard to see inside without lights, but it appeared that there was a number of wooden crates inside. Just a few feet past this opening the metal side walls ended. Nick put one hand up to Constantinos and laid his other hand on Tony’s shoulder, and motioned both of them to flatten against the wall.
They could see just a small portion of the roof from their hiding spot. Tony inched forward and slowly was able to peek around the corner. Then he spotted the access building, set about fifty feet away, and understood why Constantinos had called it a shack....It was a little less than ten feet wide, but the length, from what he could tell, was about double that. It was a little hard to judge, because there were crates stacked up on either side of it. But it wasn’t what Tony saw that chilled him...It was who.
Standing guard were two Townies. Tony couldn’t make out which ones, but he could see clearly the Rifles that were in their hands.
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Tony pulled back and motioned Nick to go forward and take a look. Nick peeked around the corner for a minute and backed up, motioning the others back as he did so. Using hand gestures, he indicated that they should go back down the ramp.
All three boys snuck back towards the ramp and went down silently. When they reached the bottom where it was safe to talk, they held a hurried conference.
“You see them Rifles ?”, Nick said tightly.
“Yeah, I did”, Tony said. “I can’t tell what they are though...Didn’t get a good enough look.”
“We don’t have the weaponry to face up to those”, Nick said. “The minute we step out to fire, they’ll cut us down.”
“Maybe....They’re the Air Rifles that were stolen from the carnival”, Tony suggested. “If we can get the drop on them....”
Nick shook his head vehemently. “We have no cover whatsoever. Just to shoot our weapons at them we have to expose ourselves. They got cover, they set those crates out there to get behind. We got nothing.”
“There’s...Those crates in that side shed”, Constantinos ventured.
Nick again shook his head. “We got to take them by surprise, it’s the only chance we got. Moving crates make noise.”
“We could lob some M-80 at them”, Tony said, but he was getting a sinking feeling.
“You gonna stand out there and do that ?”, Nick asked. “They’ll cut you to shreds before it leaves your hand.”
“But, there’s only two of them”, Constantinos put in.
“They probably have Walkie-Talkies or Radios”, Nick said. “They’ll call up the rest of the gang...We’ll have to fight them all. And that is the absolute worst place to launch an attack from. Think about it.”
“But...Dammit, We got to do something !”, Tony exclaimed. “The Girls...”
“I know...I know”, Nick said. “But we can’t help them at all if we get shot up. We got to fight our way inside, go down inside that place in the dark, where we could be ambushed at any time, find those lower levels, and then rescue them. Look, even if they are only Air Rifles, you told me just what ONE of those pellets did to your friend Pete. We can’t save the girls if we get taken out !”
“Hell”, Tony said, realizing that Nick was right. “God Damn It.” He leaned wearily against the flaking, rusty walls of the Chem Plant. “We need help....Some Sacrificial Lambs....Throw them in front of us...”
“How about the Bullies ?”, Constantinos suggested. “They got a score to settle with the Townies, don’t they ? From last year ?”
“Yeah...”, Tony said slowly. “The Bully Army. I think it’s about time to give them their marching orders.”
“You seriously think those Fuckups can hold off Air Rifles, or anything at all ?", Nick asked skeptically. “Get Real, man.”
“No...”, Tony said, “But just maybe long enough for us to get some crates into position for cover. Look, we take every weapon we got, all the ammo we can round up. We get cover, and we can outlast them. They can’t have unlimited ammo for them things. They only stole so much. We can get more, much more.”
Nick still looked doubtful. “I don’t know, man. I just think....”, He threw up his hands in frustration.
“The girls don’t have much time”, Tony said. “They’re guarding the place for a reason...The girls are still alive....They got to be. We have to do something, we have to try !”
Nick drew a breath and sighed. Dropping his shoulders, he said, “Ok....The Bully Army it is.”
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The new day begin at Bullworth Academy in administrative disarray. Rumors of what had happened the previous evening had filtered in to both Staff and Students alike, full of wild speculation and gross inaccuracies. The most pervasive rumor being bandied about asserted that a former lover of Miss Jones had tried to murder her by pushing her out the window in a fit of rage. Just why Ms. Phillips was also apparently tossed out the window, or what she was even doing in Bethany Jones’ apartment, was also up for debate. Some were speculating that one of her Ex-Husbands was involved, although nobody knew who they were. Others were saying, correctly without knowing it, that it had something to do with the posters depicting the nude painting that had been hung up around the Towns the previous day. It was hinted that the Police were looking for a would-be killer or killers of the two women. Since both had been been working in the Bullworth School Office, the suspect was said to be Mr. Galloway, who hadn’t been seen by anyone since last Friday.
None of the Staff seemed inclined to temporarily take over the running of the school. One by one, they declined, until Mr. Neil reluctantly agreed to step up and take over. It was his fear that the State would step in and take over again, this time for good. When that happened, the Staff at Bullworth Academy would be sacked, he was very certain. Mr.Neal was sure that some kind of conspiracy was afoot. First, Dr. Crabblesnitch and his operative Ms. Danvers had been arrested and hauled off to jail by the Fascist Government as a result of what turned out to be the biggest conspiracy ever. The only reason the State didn’t fully take over then and give everybody their pink slips was the glaring light of publicity that had suddenly been focused on the Vale Valley.
But now, very few Reporters were left in the area. The Media had moved on to other sensational events. Bullworth and the Vale Valley were yesterday’s news. Those girls going missing had re-sparked some interest, but scores of teenagers went missing every day, and in only a few days attention was directed elsewhere to newer, more cutting-edge breaking stories. So, the time was right for the evil conspirators from the State Board of Education to carry out their nefarious plans to wrest away control of the school and fire the whole staff, himself included.
So, it came as no surprise to him the events of last evening. He suspected that something like this might be in the works. The mysterious disappearance of Mr. Galloway had only been the first step, he knew. Now, his consort Ms. Phillips and the only other person in the School Office, Miss Jones, had also been removed from the scene. Mr. Neil knew conspiracy when he saw it, even if others were blind. And he also knew that with the school rudderless, they would all be out on their ass by this time next week, every last Teacher on the staff. He could plainly see what was happening, even if those other dunderheads on the Staff couldn’t.
Mr. Neil Robert Neil was long an adult now, but he used to be the Greasers leader when he was a student here at Bullworth Academy. Since then, he had achieved his dream, the running of the School’s Autoshop. It was his obsession and desire. Mr. Neil had never married, nor had he a girlfriend...The Autoshop was his mistress. He wasn’t about to let those scheming fascists pull his life out from under him.
Mr. Neil went to the School Office. There was a few kids in there, needing something, as always. He chased them all out and then got on the phone. First, he called Chief O’Rouke to get the lowdown on just what had happened. The Chief couldn’t tell him much of the particulars, as the matter was still 'under investigation’. Next, he called the Clinic to see what the conditions of Ms. Phillips and Miss Jones was. Then he made a third call, to the Blue Balls Bar. After a few minutes, he hung up from his last call, then picked up the School Intercom and announced that everyone was to assemble in the School Auditorium right before Lunch.
When the appointed time came, all the students that were in school that day and the staff made their way to the Auditorium. After they had all filed in and were seated, Mr. Neil rose to speak.
“There's so many schemes and plans within plans and schemes", Mr. Neil began. “This may be the case with what happened last night to some members of our staff. However....Rumors and speculation will not remove us from this quagmire of mis-information. We are under assault by those forces who seek to undermine and alter us here at Bullworth Academy. We all must stand vigilant against them. So, from now on, you must not speak of this to any outsiders.”
The student body sat in confused silence. What the Hell was he talking about ?
Mr. Neil looked around at the blank faces, and sighed. “What I mean is...Don’t talk to anybody. Especially not reporters or anybody in the Towns. Just sayin’.....We’ll get invaded again with outsiders. Until we find out for sure just what’s happening, just chill, alright ?” He shuffled a paper in his hand. “The facts are this...Ms. Phillips is in the Clinic with a broken arm, cracked kneecaps...And some kind of strange injury to her ear. Miss Jones has a badly broken leg, a broken nose, and is unconscious from some sort of head injury. Mr. Galloway is still out sick, as far as we know, form an undisclosed illness...”
There was some tittering laughter at that, and Mr. Neal held up a hand. “That’s enough of that. It’s really important not to be spreading around a bunch of rumors about this. We need to go about things as normal. Now, the Prefects will be assigned to more Gate Duty, like before, to keep out anyone who doesn’t belong in here. They will also be patrolling the school more. The Office area will be re-opened tomorrow.” Mr. Neil paused for a moment, looking about the auditorium. “That’s all. You are dismissed.”
The Students got up and filed out, talking among themselves. They knew little more than they did before they came in. The rumors and speculations would most likely continue.
There were some conspicuously absent from the gathering....Tony and Nick had slept in after their excursions the night before. Constantinos was missing too, but then again, nobody noticed that.
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Tony and Nick had slept in after their late-night mission, and it was a good thing they had. There was to be a busy day today for the both of them. They has safely smuggled Constantinos back into his room when they returned, but when the boys awoke, they found him sitting at the desk in their room, like a wraith.
“About time you guys woke up”, he grumbled. “Thought you were gonna sleep all day.”
“Tony was somewhat startled by Constantinos’ appearance in their room, but said foggily, “Yeah, Mornin’ to you too...”
“Not much morning now, it’s almost lunchtime”, Constantinos commented as he hopped up from the chair and began pacing. Nick watched him with bleary eyes but said nothing. “Something’s come up, and it’s sounds nasty”, Constantinos continued darkly.
Tony groaned and sat up. “What now ? A Riot ?”
“Got wind of it this morning”, Constantinos said. “Seth stopped coming to my room to check on me after 8 AM. So I started nosing around, on the down-low.”
“So....What do you hear ?”, Tony asked, stifling a yawn.
“Something happened to Ms. Phillips last night, and Miss Jones too”, Constantinos said, and went on to describe what he had picked up from all the rumor and gossip. He had even been able to go outside and snoop around, finding Seth was now guarding the front gate, and heard that Carl was guarding the other gate. Max and Edward were said to be guarding the school.
“Whoa”, Tony muttered, rising and getting his bearings. “So....They fell out a window ? That sounds rather....Bizarre.”
“Fell, or Pushed”, Constantinos said. “And what’s more, there’s some even saying that Mr. Galloway did it. Others are going on about a would-be killer on the loose. It’s all very mysterious at this point.”
“I’ll bet”, Tony mumbled, trying to absorb what Constantinos has told them.
“Are they restricting access ?”, Nick suddenly asked.
“Out of the School ?”, Constantinos asked. Nick nodded, and Constantinos continued, “I don’t think so....But I don’t really know. I’m not getting close enough to any of the Prefects to find out, you understand. But a little while ago, a bunch of the Greasers came in through the front gate, I guess from New Coventry.”
“Why would....Well, weren’t they in class ?”, Tony asked, a bit confused.
“A lot of them, I think, have been staying over at Blue Balls Bar....I knew they were fixing the place up, before....”, Constantinos said, trailing off before saying when he got bound up with Tiffany. “Anyway, I also heard Mr. Neil took over the School. Everybody’s up in the Auditorium, right now I think....I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Mr. Neil ?”, Tony asked, surprised. “Why, is this some power grab ? He’s not like that.”
“I heard nobody else would do it”, Constantinos said. “Somebody has to.”
Nick looked at Tony. “This is gonna screw our plans for tonight.”
“No...It’s not”, Tony said. “We got to go in, no matter what. Look, let’s split up...Nick, you go to lunch, like normal, and see what you can find out. I’m gonna get outta here, while I still can, and go into town. When I get back, I wanna talk to Russell and Trent....Don’t tell them anything yet, I’ll do that once we find out what’s really going on.”
“What should I do ?”, Constantinos asked.
“Stay out of sight, at least stay away from the school", Tony told him, "And....The Girl’s Dorm. Do what you do best and keep invisible. Find out what ever else you can. I’ll be back at about 5 PM, cause I gotta see Mr. Riddle.”
Constantinos gave Tony an inquiring look. “Mr. Riddle ? The new Janitor ?”
“I’ll...Uh...Fill you in later about that”, Tony said, then asked, “You think they took Ms. Phillips to the Clinic ?”
“What I heard”, Constantinos said. “That, uh, Miss Jones too.”
“You gonna tell her about our plans ?”, Nick asked with a frown.
“No...Nothing like that”, Tony said. “I want to find out if Mr. Galloway’s a killer. That could change everything at the School, and for the worse....It might interfere with what we have to do.”
Tony went to his Wardrobe and changed into a preppy-looking outfit. He brushed back his hair to look more preppy. Turning, he asked, “How do I look ?”
“Like you just came from Harrington House”, Nick commented.
“Great”, Tony said. “I’m off then...Good Luck, and we’ll meet back here later this afternoon.” With that, Tony left the room and exited the Dorm.
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Tony didn’t have any trouble getting past Seth the Prefect, now patrolling the front gate. Seth looked rather comical, in fact, marching back and forth in front of the gate like a sentinel of some sort. “Where Are You Going ?”, Seth barked at him as he approached.
“Uh..To Town”, Tony replied firmly. “Problem with that ?”
Seth looked Tony over in his preppy outfit. “Oh, it’s you. Go on ahead, then. But don’t tarry too long. Expecting the gates will be closed soon to keep outsiders out.”
Tony just nodded and smiled, heading out through the gates towards the great bridge and Bullworth Town. He kind of wished he had his bike, but didn’t know if he would have been allowed to leave with that, given the circumstances. With his Mediator status, he probably could have faked his way through somehow, but it wasn’t worth the hassle. When things went sour, the Prefects got all self-important, like it really mattered anyway.
Tony had quit carrying the collapsible Skateboard long ago, since he really sucked at using it. Some kids had really mastered it, but it was something he never got the hang of, so to speak. So, he had to walk, but really didn’t have far to go....If he needed to go elsewhere, he could look for a un-tended bike to swipe for awhile.
Tony got to the Bullworth Clinic in about 15 minutes and went inside. Because of his preppy-looking clothes, nobody paid him any attention as he hunted the beds for Ms. Phillips. Finally, he spotted her and went over to where she was. As he approached, he could see a huge cast on her right arm. Her eyes were half-closed, but she was breathing regularly. “Umm....Ms. Phillips ?”, Tony said tentatively.
Ms. Phillips rolled her head in his direction. “Wha...Who...” As she did, Tony could see a huge bandage on her left ear.
“It’s me, Ms. Phillips...Tony”, he told her in a soft voice. “Can you talk ?”
“Ohhh...It’s you, Tony....I...Didn’t recognize you...”, Ms. Phillips said haltingly. Tony could tell she was drugged up, probably for the pain. He recalled being in a similar situation just this past February, after his fall from the front roof of the school. “Is....Anyone....With you ?”
“No, Ma’am, I’m alone”, Tony said, keeping his voice low. “What’s happened ? There’s all kinds of rumors going around....”
“Ohh...I’m so glad...That it’s you, Tony”, Ms. Phillips said. “Never mind...About rumors...You need to do something...Real important...For me....”
“Well, sure”, Tony said, “What ever I can do to help.”
“I...Need you to look in on...Mr. Galloway”, Ms. Phillips said, in a begging tone unlike Tony had ever heard from her. “He needs....To be fed....He’s not well, after what.....What that Skank did to him....He has to be looked after....Help him, Please...”
Tony was confused, but it looked as if Deidre Phillips was close to crying, so he didn’t press for details. “Well...Yes, of course...Should I get some help, maybe ? Like, if he’s sick or something...?”
“NO !!”, Ms. Phillips said as forcefully as she could muster. “You must....Tell No One...Understand ? They’ll....Take him to Happy Volts....He’ll....Lose his Job !! Please...Help him...Help us....”
Tony suddenly understood then....It had something to do with Alcohol. And something, or someone, had triggered a relapse. Like everyone else, Tony had heard all the stories about Mr. Galloway’s addiction, and his remarkable recovery from what would have been a path to his certain ruin instead of the Headmaster’s job. But now, all that was threatened, and Tony, in a flash of insight, thought that the culprit was the ‘Skank’ of which Ms. Phillips referred to...None other than Miss Bethany Jones, the only other player in this strange drama. Tony bent low and said, “Relax, Ms. Phillips...I’ll take care of it, somehow. You just rest, Ok ?”
“Yes...Thank You, Tony....He’s at...Our apartment....”, Ms. Phillips said, and gave Tony brief directions on how to get there. “Look after him...He has...To recover...”
“I’ll take care of it, somehow", Tony repeated, “Don’t worry.” He looked up. Someone, one of the White Coats, was approaching, with a frown on his face. “I have to go now”, Tony said shortly.
“Be...Careful, Tony....”, Ms. Phillips said, and groaned. Tony got out of there quickly, before he could be confronted.
Out on the street once more, he headed for the place Ms. Phillips had described, thinking as he went. He kept a sharp eye out, in case anyone was observing him, but detected no one. Still, he took a longer route, going through alleyways in a circular pattern, in case he was being followed. He didn’t know the whole story, by any means, but could surmise that if the truth of the situation ever got out, the scandal that would result would be far worse than just some posters of a naked painting hung about the Towns...It would be devastating. Tony quickened his pace.
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Nick began to work his way around the Campus, but avoided the Girl’s Dorm area. First, he went to the School Cafeteria as Tony had suggested. Of those who were there, he heard a lot of chatter, mostly rumor and speculation as to just what had happened last night.
At the table they usually frequented was only Ray, sitting by himself. Nick grabbed an Apple from the fruit basket and sat down beside him. “Whadda you hear ?”, he said quietly.
“It’s like...A Takeover”, Ray said. In a low voice, he told Nick of the meeting in the Auditorium that had just happened, and of the somewhat confusing speech of Mr. Neil, which had only apparently added to the rumor mill instead of defusing it. “Something’s going down, but nobody really knows what it is.”
Nick looked around tersely, taking a bite of the Apple and chewing it slowly. “Look, I have an important mission to do tonight, and we’re gonna need some help. Can we count you in ?”
“Why...Sure. What....What is it ?”, Ray asked, a bit uncertainly.
“It’s Dangerous”, Nick said, taking another bite of the Apple. “You still up to it ?”
“Umm...Uh, sure....I guess...”, Ray said, trying to be nonchalant.
“Good”, Nick said, finishing the Apple. “Can you cut class the rest of the day ?”
“Oh, yeah, sure !”, Ray said, sounding much more positive.
“Alright then...Come with me”, Nick said as he contemplated the Apple Core in his hand, before tossing it at a group of girls gathered at another table. A couple of them screamed, and then somebody shouted, “FOOD FIGHT !!!” In the wink of an eye, bits and pieces of food were being thrown about, and Nick and Ray left the Cafeteria unobserved, which erupted in pandemonium in their wake.
Out in the Great Hall, they observed what looked like the entire Greaser Clique come streaming from the School Office and head down the stairs. Nick noticed that even the girls of the Clique, Lola, Binky, and Angie, were with them. He watched them trail around and head towards the back exit by the Chemistry Room.
“Com’on”, Nick muttered. “There’s stuff we gotta check out.”
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Tony had located Ms. Phillips’ apartment. He stood before the door on the second-floor landing and turned the knob. It turned easily under his touch and he pushed the door open with a sigh of relief. He was afraid that he was going to have to break in, and was glad the door was unlocked. Ms. Phillips hadn’t mentioned anything about keys, and he had forgotten to ask. He did wonder briefly if Mr. Galloway had gotten out somehow, but as he approached the bedroom door, he heard mumblings from the other side in Mr. Galloway’s voice. Ms. Phillips had fortunately forgotten to lock the door when she had went out last night. Tony eased the door open.
A quite appalling sight greeted him. Mr. Galloway lay sprawled crossways on the bed, sheets and blankets in disarray. There was a strong smell of shit mixed with the fainter smell of alcohol in the stuffy air. Tony almost wanted to barf at the stink. He crossed the room quickly and went to the room’s lone window. Struggling, he got it raised, and the summer air wafted into the room, diminishing the sickening stench somewhat.
Tony’s struggles with the window had brought Mr. Galloway to a certain level of awareness. “Hi-Ho, who goes there ?”, he inquired, his watery eyes just open to slits against the light.
Tony turned back towards the bed. “It’s...Uh...It’s me, Mr. Galloway....Tony.”
Mr. Galloway blinked several times. “To-ny....Ah, yes...The Don Quixote of Bullworth....Tripping against those Windmills today ?....Where is....Your Sancho ?....What are you....Doing in La Mancha ?”
“Um....Ms. Phillips sent me”, Tony said, “She said to look after you. Mr. Galloway....You look like you need something to eat....”
Mr. Galloway’s blue eyes stared off across the room. “Deidrie ?”, he said, so low that Tony could barely hear. “I need.....” He cut off abruptly and peered down at himself, taking in his rumpled nightclothes. “I’m....A mess...”, he groaned. “Tell....Deidrie....I need...Fixed up...”
“Yes...You do”, Tony observed, “And I’m gonna help you, Sir...Ms. Phillips is...Um, not able to make it back here right now....She sent me to help.”
“I...I don’t do...Boys...”, Mr. Galloway mumbled. Tony had no idea what that meant.
“Uh...First, I think we should get you cleaned up, Mr. Galloway”, Tony said. Mr. Galloway made no comment to that. In fact, his eyes were beginning to flutter slightly. Tony rose and started looking around. There was no Wardrobe or closet in the small room, so he started looking in other places. Out in the short hallway, he came across the closet in an area with cheap double sliding doors. Inside, he saw suits and dresses on hangers, and some shelving with other folded things. He poked around until he found some fresh nightclothes. He also grabbed a fresh clean sheet, pillowcase, and blanket. These items he returned to the room.
It became obvious that Lionel Galloway had soiled himself, in not one but all three directions...Piss, Shit, and Vomit. Tony was able to hoist Mr. Galloway off the bed and place him on the straight-back chair by the room’s desk. He then stripped the bed of all the sheets and blankets, tossing them in a pile on the floor. Tony proceeded to flip the mattress over, them re-made the bed, changing out the pillowcase as well.
He carried the soiled bedding to the bathroom. There he found a small tub under the sink and filled it with water. Finding some rags and towels, he carried everything back to the bedroom and began the grim task of changing and cleaning Mr. Galloway up. While he worked at this disgusting job, Tony kept his mind on other things as to not be upchucking his own stomach.
It was clear that Mr. Galloway had been drinking lately. Tony knew he had been out of school all week, and he knew Ms. Phillips wouldn’t have been the one providing him with any alcohol. His mind fastened on something Ms. Phillips had said....What that Skank did to him....And slowly realized there was a whole lot more to Ms. Phillips’ drama than he knew about. There were three players to this little tragedy, he thought...And the third person involved in all this had to be none other than that Miss Jones, who was now laying unconscious in the Clinic. In a flash of insight, Tony thought that Bethany Jones could also be the one who had engineered the nude posters that had been plastered about the Towns.
It was all a mystery to Tony, but he was sure of one thing....These two of his favorite teachers were in deep shit. Was it something that could be easily explained if he knew more facts, or was it something more sinister ? Was there another plot afoot to take over the school ? And if so, who was behind it ?
Tony finished re-dressing Mr. Galloway as he was thinking those last thoughts, and he got him back into bed and settled. Tony next went out to the kitchen to see what he could find. After washing himself up like a surgeon, to ensure that all the crap he had cleaned off of Mr. Galloway was not on him, Tony checked the refrigerator and pulled out a few items, which he carried to the stove.
Like most boys, Tony wasn’t exactly a cook, but he knew how to make some food to be able to get by. He had selected some eggs and bacon, and began frying them, also popping some toast in the Toaster. He wound up making some bacon & eggs sandwiches, of which he ate a couple. Taking the food into Mr. Galloway, he also brought some Milk and Juice he’d found in the fridge along.
Mr. Galloway was compliant, and wasn’t saying much, to Tony’s relief. He had the idea that Mr. Galloway was somewhat embarrassed by the state he was in and what Tony had to do for him. As Tony fed him small bites of the sandwiches he’d made, his mind returned again to his mission set for tonight. He’d have to get back to the school soon and get his forces lined up for the assault on the Chem Plant, plus he needed to round up a whole lot of weaponry and ammunition. He had already taken almost two hours tending to Mr. Galloway, and he would have to find someone he could trust to look after him later tonight....Maybe longer, depending how the mission went tonight. He had promised Ms. Phillips.
Tony made sure Mr. Galloway drank enough juice and milk. When he could hold no more, Mr. Galloway laid back and sighed. His color already seemed better. He looked at Tony with clearer eyes and said, “I guess....I’m in a real mess this time.”
“You’ll get better, Sir”, Tony assured. “This will pass and you’ll be fine.”
“I think....It was the Delirium Tremens”, Mr. Galloway said sadly. “So many times.....”
“You’re gonna be fine”, Tony assured again, eager to get going. “Just need some rest, you’ll see.”
“Yesss....Rest....”, Mr. Galloway murmured, closing his eyes. Sooner than Tony thought, he drifted off to sleep.
Tony took that opportunity to leave quietly, leaving the door unlocked. He already had in mind who he could get to take on Mr. Galloway’s care, but she would have to promise to keep her mouth shut. Tony walked down the steps from the second story apartment, intending to get back to the School. At that moment, his Cell Phone rang.
Tony pulled it out of his pocket, thinking it was probably Nick, wondering where he was. Instead, the caller I.D. that flashed on the screen was totally unexpected: KAREN.
Hand shaking, he depressed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear. “Karen ?”, he said hurriedly into the Phone, “That you ? Where are you ?”
But instead of Karen, a muffled voice spoke ominously. “We Have The Girls. We Demand One-Hundred Thousand Dollars Cash Ransom. You Have 24 Hours. We Will Contact You Then With Further Instructions. Do Not Call The Cops Or The Feds, Or They Will DIE.”
“WHO IS THIS ??”, Tony screamed into the Phone, but it was too late. The connection was cut.
____________________________________
-
Nick led Ray out to the back Quad after the Greasers had left the School. They held back as the Greasers trooped south, to where the Fountain used to be, and turned right to the Autoshop area. Ray didn’t quite understand what Nick was doing, since he hadn’t revealed any details about the mission he had been asked him to join.
“Don’t you want to...Talk to them....About maybe joining the mission ?”, Ray ventured nervously.
“Nah”, Nick replied, “I don’t think they’d be in any mood to be talking to me.”
“Uh...Ok”, Ray said, confused. “Umm....Why not ?”
“I made Ricky drink a can of piss a few months ago, after I beat him up”, Nick said. “They haven’t been real friendly every since, for some reason, unless Tony is along with me.”
“Oh...Yeah, guess that would...Uh, kinda put a damper on things....”, Ray remarked. “So....Where are we going then ?”
“To see the Jocks”, Nick replied. “Com’on, let’s go.”
Nick headed off to the Football Field with Ray trailing behind, trying to keep up. He marched past the former fountain looking neither right to the Autoshop nor left to Harrington House. Ray could tell Nick apparently didn’t have an interest in talking to the Preps either. Purposely, Nick strode past the Gym and Pool and didn’t stop until he reached the steps that led down to the Football Field. The Jocks were out, just starting their workout exercises. As Ray caught up, he saw that Nick was scanning the field, obviously looking for someone.
“There he is”, Nick murmured. He waited until Laurent appeared to be looking in their direction and then waved and signaled him to meet them by the North Bleachers. Laurent waved back, and Nick abruptly started down the steps. Ray scrambled to follow.
Down near the Bleachers, Mandy was working out some Cheerleader moves with a group of the new girls. The girls who had always been on the squad in seasons before...Pinky, Lola, and Christy....Were otherwise occupied these days, so Mandy was having to break in a whole new crop. Nick walked past them, and Mandy saw him and waved. “Hey, Nicky !”, she called.
Nick stopped and waved back. Ray almost ran into the back of him. Nick seemed to be thinking about something for a second, then motioned Mandy over. She told the newbie Cheerleaders to take a break and came over to meet Nick.
“Mandy...Can I talk to you a minute ?”, Nick asked her.
“Sure”, Mandy said brightly. “What’s up ?”
Nick indicated they should sit in the Bleachers, as Laurent came trotting up to join them. When they were gathered in one spot, Nick said, “Laurent....Mandy....We need the Jock’s help for an important mission tonight. Tony and I....Well, we think we’ve found out where Karen and Melody are being held at, and we’re gonna go in and try to free them...” Nick briefly explained about their suspicions and what had led them to discover the Townies at the Chem Plant. “So, it’s going to be dangerous.....We’re gonna need some backup”, Nick went on. “Tony thinks to bring the Bullies....But I think we’ll need somebody who can actually BEAT those fools.”
“Why sure, the Jocks will come help !”, Mandy exclaimed. “If those reject Townies are the ones responsible for taking Karen, then we have to rescue them....And, Melody too, of course”, she hastily added. “I’ll talk to Ted, and tell him what’s going on. I just know he’ll agree to help.”
“What about La Police ?”, Laurent spoke up. “You say they have guns of some kind, would that not be dangerous ? Should not we let them go and raid this Chem Plant ?”
“Oh, Right”, Nick said sarcastically, “Let those bumbling Idiots roll up there with their lights and sirens going, then get on a megaphone and ask them to pretty please come out and surrender ? Yeah, that’ll work out real fine.”
“Well...I did not mean it in that way...”, Laurent said. He had just momentarily forgotten where he had been living for this past year. “But, you are right, of course.”
“We need stealth”, Nick said. “To take them by surprise, all at once. It’s our only chance against those Air Rifles. Hit ‘em hard and quick, overwhelm them with force. That’s the only way for it to work. Those Cops....” Here he laughed harshly. “They’ll just muck it up.”
Nick told Mandy and Laurent the particulars of where they were to meet and the approximate time that the mission would be carried out. Then he and Ray took their leave from the Football Field. Their next objective, Nick told Ray, was to see the Nerds once school was over for the day. They would need extra weapons, and Nick was sure he could convince them to donate to the cause.
______________________________________
-
Tony sat down heavily on the steps, his knees suddenly weak. He felt like some big fist had suddenly punched him in the guts. He was stunned. Why, after all this time, were the Kidnapers demanding ransom ? Had something happened to the girls ? Were they still alive ?
Tony fingered his Cell Phone as he stared at the blank screen. His thoughts swirled. Maybe, the call could be traced, like he had heard about. But that would mean....He would have to tell Chief O’Rouke about the call. Maybe even turn over his Cell Phone to the Feds. But wait....The Caller had said no Cops and no Feds, or the girls would die. They wanted $100,000 ransom. Where was he to come up with that on his own ?
As these frantic thoughts were zooming through Tony’s head, the Cell Phone suddenly rang again. Startled, Tony jumped and damn near dropped the phone. With shaking hands, he sought the answer button. The screen flashed a new name: ALGIE.
Pushing the button, he brought the phone to his ear with a numb hand. “Algie ? That you ?”
“Tony....There was a Townie Here !!”, Algie’s voice spoke hurriedly. “Up by the entrance inside the Freakshow House ! I could see him from my Station !”
“Could you tell...Who is was ?”, Tony asked, his head swirling. “What was he doing there ?”
“I think it was....Jerry”, Algie answered, “And....It looked like....He was making a call on a Cell Phone !”
Tony felt a surge run through him. That must have been the call he just got !
“Algie”, he spoke into the phone, “Is he still there ? In the Freakshow House ?”
“No, he just left, right as I was calling you”, Algie related. “He just came inside a little ways, I could see him down the hall from where me and Paris are at, and....”
“Algie, can you follow him ?”, Tony interrupted, “Find him and tail him ?”
“Uh...I don’t know”, Algie said, “He’s gone....But, I can try.”
“Alright, Listen !”, Tony told him, “I’ll be right over, quick as I can !”
Tony cut off the connection, and jumped up from the steps. He certainly couldn’t run over to the Carnival, it would take too long. He needed transportation, and fast. He began moving down the street, looking around for an bike to swipe. As he was doing so, he called Nick.
“Yo”, Nick answered on the second ring. “Where you at ? I been gettin’ some things set up for tonight....”
“Nick, there’s a Townie over at the Carnival !”, Tony interrupted in a rush. “He just made a ransom call to my phone ! Algie just seen him over there, doing it ! Grab a bike and head that way, maybe we can catch the Bastard !”
“Ok, I’m on it”, Nick answered tightly. “Meet you there.”
“Take the Vale Valley Boulevard”, Tony said, “In case he makes a run for it, you can spot him, or maybe catch him before he clears the tunnel. I don’t think he’ll hang around the Carnival long.”
“Gotcha”, Nick replied, and cut the connection.
After like what seemed too long, but was only minutes, Tony found an untended bike behind the Oil Spill Gas Station. He hopped on and began to pedal. The bike was slow as crap and was a piece of shit, but Tony pushed it to it’s limits. Taking the shortcut off the North Bridge through the Vale, he was soon breezing through the tunnel leading to the Carnival.
_____________________________________
-
Stuffing the Cell Phone back into the Zip Lock baggie and dropping it into his pocket, Jerry climbed unseen over the short bridge just outside the Carnival entrance South of the tunnel, at the bend of the road. He dropped down out of sight under the bridge, which spanned a small creek that led out to the bay. The sides of the gorge was steep-ish, and Jerry had to splash the fifty yards or so until the creek came close to a small strip of beach at an inlet, where a small boat was pulled up onto the sand. The boat was outfitted with a small 7hp motor, and Jerry had 'borrowed’ it from one of the Boathouses along the docks at Blue Skies.
Jerry pushed the boat out into the water and climbed in. Checking the Cell Phone to make sure he had shut it off, Jerry then fired up the small motor and put some gas to it, heading out of inlet into the bay. Soon, he was lost to sight, mixing in with the other pleasure boaters out on the bay.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When Tony arrived and dropped his 'borrowed’ bike, Nick was already there at the Carnival Gates, having arrived just a bare couple of minutes before Tony had. Tony quickly filled Nick in about the message he had been given and the ransom demand as they moved inside. Partway down the Midway, they came across Algie, dressed in his Carnival outfit.
“Where is he, Algie ?”, Tony asked. “Did you find him ?”
“N-No”, Algie stuttered, clearly high-strung, “I looked all around, he’s not here !”
“Maybe he’s on a ride, or hid out in the Fun House”, Nick said tersely. “We should check everything to make sure.”
“That’s a good idea”, Tony said. “Call on the phone if any one of us finds him.”
The three split up, with Nick going to check the rides, Algie going to the Fun House, and Tony going out to check the newly-rebuilt Go-Cart Track. But after more than a half-hour, it was obvious that they had missed their prey. They all met back up under the shadow of the Roller-Coaster. The Carnival was crowded, not overly so, but it seemed that the Carnival-goers were packing in their fun early on this day in the face of an expected summer storm that was due in later in the evening.
“Looks like he got away”, Tony said. “But we know where he went....Right back to where they’re holding the girls.”
“He musta took off right after making that call”, Nick said dejectedly. “We woulda caught him if we’d got here sooner.”
“I...I...I called as soon as I seen him”, Alige said, “Really !”
“I know you did, Algie....Nobody’s blaming you”, Tony said. “Just...Uh, go on back to your station, I guess. If you see any of the other Townies over here, just let us know....Though I don’t think any will be back here. At least not today.”
“What ? Y-You think they will be back tomorrow ?”, Algie said nervously.
“Not if we can help it”, Nick vowed. “We’ve gotta get them before they decide to kill the girls.”
“Kill ?”, Algie gulped. “What do you mean, Kill ? They’re not Killers !”
“That’s what they just threatened in that call”, Tony said, darkly. “I wouldn’t put anything past them.”
Algie was shocked at this turn of events. He knew the Townies, not well of course, but didn’t really think of them as Killers. There had been that Murderer, Big Darrell, everyone had heard about that right after Jake was defeated and Jimmy Hopkins had been cleared of the involvement of the murders of Gary and Edgar....But Darrell hadn’t been a true Townie, but a Punk as it turned out. Algie had associated with the Townies in the past, even before being tricked by Jake into joining up with them and taking a part of the failed school invasion last Easter. They were rough young men, but Kidnappers and maybe Killers ?
“I...I...Uh, guess....I should get back to Paris”, Algie said, looking sort of white-ish in the face.
“Yeah, you do that”, Nick said, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice and failing. He had no sympathy for the likes of the Nerd who had brought such misery on others himself, then expected to be forgiven for his crimes.
Tony watched Alige slink off dejectedly. He wondered then what time it was. He had used up most of the afternoon on tending to Mr. Galloway, and then this. There was still the matter of arraigning the Bully Army for tonight, seeing Mr. Riddle, gathering ammunition for tonight’s raid, and getting a caretaker for Mr. Galloway. “Let’s head back....Class is probably over for the day, and we got lots to do yet.”
Nick then told him of bringing the Jocks in on the planned assault for tonight. Tony liked that idea, but they would still need the Bullies for the initial frontal assault. Tony had a twinge of moral misgivings for setting them up to be sacrificial lambs, but reasoned there was little choice. This was War, and the girl’s lives hung in the balance. He would have sacrificed every kid in the school to get Karen back, if it came to that, no question. Even his friends. Even himself.
Tony and Nick retrieved their stolen bikes and headed back to Bullworth Academy.
_______________________________
-
Streaking Eastward on Vale Valley Boulevard, The boys heard someone calling over the traffic. “TONY ! Hey, TONY ! STOP...Stop, Please ?!”
Tony spotted Pinky on the sidewalk, near the Boar Inn, jumping and waving. Reluctantly, he pulled over to her, followed by Nick, who was saying to him, “We should just move on, y’know ?”
Tony screeched to a stop in front of Pinky. “What do you want, Pinky ? We’re kinda busy today.”
“I just...Want to talk with you....”, Pinky said, somewhat wistfully. Tony sighed. “Just for a moment....Please ?”, she entreated.
Nick lurked in the background, shaking his head. Tony eyed Pinky and sighed again. To Nick, he said, “Go on ahead....I’ll catch up.”
“You sure ?”, Nick asked, a tone of doubt in his voice.
“Yeah...It’ll be all right”, Tony replied, looking at Pinky. “Go ahead, start getting things set up...I’ll be along soon....Really.”
“Well....All right then”, Nick said, casting a snide look at Pinky before pedaling off. Pinky watched Nick go with puzzled eyes. “What’s with him ?”, she asked.
“He...Uh, kinda knows what you’ve been doing, um...To me”, Tony said. Pinky frowned, and Tony added hastily, “I didn’t tell him anything....He just figured it out on his own.’
Pinky’s face cleared somewhat. “That’s what....I wanted to talk to you about, Tony....Listen, I’ve been thinking....About what you said....”
“Yes ?”, Tony said, expecting some more crap, or maybe blackmail.
“Well....”, Pinky said slowly, choosing her words, “I....I think you’re right...About what you said....And....I want to help.”
The last thing Tony expected to hear from Pinky’s lips was an offer of help. “Well...Um, I don’t think there’s anything you could do, Pinky....Unless you’ve got a Hundred Thousand Dollars for the ransom those pricks want.”
“They want....Ransom ?”, Pinky asked. “You didn’t tell me that before.”
“Just found out”, Tony said without elaborating. “I can’t imagine just what the girls have had to go through, and now this...”
“You forget....I was kidnapped, once....”, Pinky said. “I know what....Karen and Melody....What they’re going through....I can help them, maybe....”
“We gotta rescue them first”, Tony said. “And it has to be tonight. We’re getting a mission together....”
“A Mission ?”, Pinky said, surprised. “I thought your mission was...Last night ?”
“An exploratory mission”, Tony said. “To see what we are up against....Top of the Chem Plant....And it’s bad, real bad...They’ve got Air Rifles, like what shot Pete. We have to fight them....And get in. Still...There’s no guarantees we’re gonna find Karen and Melody alright....They’ve threatened to kill them.”
Pinky was stunned at that last statement. “Kill them ? Oh, they wouldn’t....”
“Wouldn’t they ?”, Tony asked, not really expecting an answer. “People get desperate enough, they’ll do anything.”
“Maybe....I can still help....Do something....”, Pinky said uncertainly.
“Well....If you think of anything before tonight, let me know”, Tony said, tired of this parlay. “I’ve got to go now, really....I got a lot to get ready.”
Tony peddled off, not waiting for anything else Pinky had to say. It was ridiculous to even consider that Pinky, or any of the Preps, would put up the ransom money for anyone not of their own kind. In fact, with all the financial mess the Preps must be in lately, it was doubtful that a hundred grand in cash could even be raised among the lot of them.
Pinky watched Tony go. Standing on the sidewalk, a germ of an idea bloomed in her otherwise self-absorbed mind. Maybe there was a way to help, after all. She couldn’t go to Tad with this, that was over and done. No, for what she was thinking, she would have to talk to the least offensive Prep there was. Maybe he could convince the others. It was worth a shot, at any rate. It could lead to her redemption. She began walking to the Prep's Boxing Gym.
_______________________________________
-
Tony hurried to the school. He had been right, classes had let out. As he neared the front entrance, he could see a few kids leaving school, some headed for Bullworth, some for the Vale. He also spotted one other, and he changed course to intercept her, catching up to her before the big bridge.
“Hey, uh, Christy...Wait up !”, Tony said as he biked up alongside her.
Christy stopped and turned. “Why, hello, Tony !”, she stopped and said.
“Look, Christy...Or should I call you Miss Martin ?”, Tony asked, mindful of her new Teacher’s Ade status. “I need you to do me a favor.”
“No, just Christy is fine”, Christy laughed. “What favor do you need ?”
Tony got off the bike and indicated they should walk. “Well...It’s actually for Ms. Phillips”, Tony said, and went on to describe Mr. Galloway’s state, and how Ms. Phillips couldn’t get home to care for him, seeing as how she was injured and in the Clinic. By the time they had walked to the other side of the bridge towards Bullworth Town, Tony had revealed his suspicions about Miss Jones, how she was probably the one behind hanging the posters about the towns, and most likely the one responsible for Mr. Galloway’s condition.
Christy was shocked. “Why would she do such things ?”, she asked, and then stopped an put her hands to her face. “Ohmigod...I was the one who told her about those nude drawings in the first place ! It’s all my fault !”
“No, it’s not, don’t be thinking that”, Tony said, “You’re not responsible for what other people do. But Ms. Phillips really needs help now, and I can’t do anything about taking care of Mr. Galloway tonight...I was over there earlier, and he’s all set for now, but he’ll need fed and all...”
“Why, of course I’ll help”, Christy said, “I’ve always liked Mr. Galloway. I’d be happy to look in on him...Except...” Christy’s face clouded. “Except maybe, I shouldn’t be going over there alone...”
“Just take Winkie with you”, Tony said. “He can help out too...You think he’d be Ok with that ?”
“Why sure !”, Christy’s face cleared. “He can come with me....We haven’t anything to do tonight, and his next Gig isn’t until next weekend.”
“It’ll only be for a couple days”, Tony said. “The sooner he can get back to school, the better for everybody, I think....Given all these rumors going around.”
“Sure, no problem”, Christy said, “I’ll bet he just needs some Chicken Soup !”
Tony told her the address, and that the door was unlocked, so she wouldn’t need a key. Before he left her, he said, “Oh...Christy, keep this on the down-low, alright ? We don’t need any more rumors feeding the fire, y’know ?”
“Cross my heart !”, Christy told him, “I won’t say a thing !”
Tony took his leave of Christy, biking back across the big bridge, headed once more to the school. Seth the Prefect was still patrolling the front gate, seeing that no outsiders came in. Tony thought it was kind of ridiculous, as he hadn’t seen any reporters or news people all day. Still, strangely it was serving the best interests of the school....To keep things under wraps. Seth didn’t bother with him, and Tony hurried in. He had someone to see, whom he hoped had important information for him.
_____________________________________
-
Firstly, though, Tony looked around for Nick. He found him in an unlikely place, outside of the Library, talking with the Nerds....Or rather, dictating to the Nerds. “.....And we’ll expect those weapons and ammo over at the Boy’s Dorm tonight, understand ? Don’t make me come looking for you all, or there’ll be real trouble !!”
“You don’t have to be a Big Bully about it !”, complained Fatty. “You could have just asked nicely !”
“I don’t have the time to be nice”, growled Nick. “Melody and Karen’s lives are in danger...Don’t you pencilheads understand that ? We need that stuff tonight, and if we don’t get it, I’ll have to come looking for it with my Fists !”
Fatty, Melvin, and the other Nerds who were there were getting fearful looks on their faces. They had never heard threats from Nick before, and it was scaring them. Why, he could take the whole lot of them apart and never even break a sweat. “Well, I...Um, we...Uh.....”, Melvin stammered.
“Hey, uh....Nick ?”, Tony interrupted. “Say, um...Listen....Why don’t you go round up the Bullies ? We’re gonna need to talk to them, too....Over by the Dorm...Ok ? I’ll handle things here.”
Nick stuck a clenched fist in front of Melvin and Fatty’s face. “Yeah...You do that. I’m about done talkin’ to these Pencil-Neck Geeks !!” He turned and stomped off.
Tony waited until Nick left the Library area, and then spoke to Melvin. “Uh...Look, Melvin, Nick’s just a little worked up....But we really need that ammo. A few extra weapons we’ll need, but it’s the ammo we need most of all.”
“Well....I don’t know....”, Melvin said nasally, a little braver now that Nick was out of sight.
“Look, it’s real important, like he said”, Tony said. “And...I’ll see to it you guys get compensations, alright ? We got to go out at midnight on an important mission....And we got to fight the Townies, and they’ve got some heavy firepower, those stolen Air Rifles....Can I count on you fellows ? Will the Brave Knights come through for us ?”
Melvin appeared to give it some thought, but he really had no choice. “Well....Ok, we’ll get you some ammo and a few weapons.....”
“Good”, Tony said, relieved. “We’re gonna need plenty of M-80s and Stink Bombs, most of all...Enough for a siege....It might be a long one. And, enough backpacks to carry it, we have to go to the top of the Chem Plant to ambush them. Bring the stuff around to the back of the Dorm about 10 o’clock....Got it ?”
Melvin nodded, even though Fatty looked on in disapproval. “Fine....See you then”, Tony said, patting Melvin on the shoulder and moving off. The Nerds watched him go down the steps and disappear around the stone wall corner beyond.
_______________________________________
-
While Tony was waiting for Nick to gather the Bullies, he headed into the school. Still wearing his preppie outfit, he wasn’t challenged by Edward the Prefect, who was patrolling the Great Hall. Tony headed for the School Store, and was relieved to see Mr. Riddle still there behind the glass.
“Ah, there you are, kid”, Mr. Riddle said, “Been waitin’ on you.”
“Umm...You got anything for me, Mr. Riddle ?”, Tony asked hopefully.
“Yeah, kid....Go over through the basement door over there, be with you in a minute”, Mr. Riddle said, and began closing up, rolling down the metal louvers to cover the windows. Tony went around to the basement door and entered the room. In a few seconds, Mr. Riddle entered by the access door from the School Store.
Tony waited expectantly. “We got to the top of the Chem Plant last night”, he said, “But they’re guarding the entrance, at what looks like some kind of Shack. They had weapons, so we sneaked back away without being seen....We’re getting a bunch of help to go back in tonight.”
Mr. Riddle had grabbed a paper drawing pad that he had apparently stashed, and pulled up a crate next to Tony. “Just a little while ago, I heard back from my....Contacts”, he told Tony. “It took quite a bit of digging to find anything on that rustbucket place...Seems the Chem Plant was listed as an asset of a corporation called ‘The Camelot Corporation’, which is a dummy corporation set up under the Harrington Enterprises umbrella of questionable Tax Write-offs. It’s listed as the 'Chem-O-Lot Research Facility’ on the records, which was its original name. The Blueprints for its construction were buried in the Department of City Planning, not at Bullworth Town like one would think, but in Warwick, which was the biggest city around these parts at the time.”
“So, you have these Blueprints ?”, Tony asked eagerly.
“No”, Mr. Riddle said regretfully, “They weren’t able to be scanned properly since they are quite a bit degraded....Weren’t really stored properly, y’see....But, I have descriptions of the insides of the place, including the underground floors.” Mr. Riddle began doodling on the drawing pad, which Tony could see already had a bunch of round circles drawn on it, with squiggles and notations. “See, each of these represent the floors of the Chem Plant”, he went on. “On this page, there’s the five floors of the Plant, the ones that are above ground. On the Top of the building is that Access Shack....Get through that, and there’s a circular ramp that goes around the fifth floor and comes to an electronic double-door. The plans showed a keypad next to it, so there’s probably a code to be entered. Those boys ought to know what it is....Capture one of them and make him let you through. Then, down a long corridor, is an elevator. If it’s working, take that to the first floor.”
“What if it’s not working ?”, Tony asked, reminding Mr. Riddle of the possible damage from the explosions the Punks had rigged up inside the Plant.
“Then, you have to go down these Catwalks and Ladders”, Mr. Riddle said, pointing to the different drawings. When you get to the first floor, you’ll know....It has a depressed area that sort of looks like your fighting 'Hole’ here in the basement, only bigger. Around the perimeter, there are offices, storage rooms, and such. The plans don’t show it, but there has to be an access to the below ground floors from one of them....Probably camouflaged. You’ll have to find that. On the Blueprints it wasn’t shown. But there has to be a way they access it.”
Tony mulled all that information over, then asked, “What about the underground floors ?”
Mr. Riddle flipped the page over on the next drawing, which contained three circles. “The first underground level was mostly blank, and the sources think...” Here he paused... “Um, they think that it’s probably used for....Storage or something. There’s stairs over on the South end, though...They go down to the second underground level. There’s a large room there, more than half the floor, that was marked 'Testing’....I don’t know just what they tested there. The rest appear to be offices and Lab spaces, from the size of them. Now, at the same part on the South end, the stairs continue down to the third underground level. As you can see, there’s a lot of rooms and such here.”
Tony bent low to get a closer look. “It looks like a....Well, circles within circles”, he commented.
“At first glance...But they seem to contain...Rooms”, Mr. Riddle said. “There’s this large one in the middle, then the next circle is divided up into large, and then larger, rooms. The next circle is also divided up into rooms, somewhat smaller. But see here, on the outer circle, it appears that this one is divided up into really small rooms. My....Sources...Believe that this last level may be a living area of some sort.”
“That’s where they have the girls !”, Tony exclaimed, in a flash of clarity. Looking at the third level drawing again, he said, “What’s these....Paths....Here ?”
“They should be hallways”, Mr. Riddle said. “The big one leads, apparently, to those tunnel doors you saw, welded shut. Those are here, and also here”, he said, pointing to spots on the drawings of the other two levels. This smaller hallway here goes to the stairway, and the other one....” Here Mr. Riddle hesitated. “Goes somewhere.....No one is quite sure where.”
Tony studied the drawings. “Well....This sure will help tonight, Mr. Riddle....Thanks. I can take these along, can’t I ?”, he said, indicating the drawings.
“Well...Sure”, Mr. Riddle said. “But...Tony, are you sure you don’t want to go to the Police or the Feds on this ? This whole thing could be more dangerous than you think.”
“That’s just it....I can’t”, Tony said. “I got a ransom call today. They threatened to kill the girls if we did that....And I....I just can’t risk that.”
“Ransom ?”, Mr. Riddle said. “What kind of ransom ?”
“A Hundred Grand”, Tony replied. “And they only give us until tomorrow.”
Mr. Riddle shook his head. “Amateurs”, he said in disgust. “You know, it looks like they’re desperate....They got themselves into a hole with this kidnapping business and don’t know how to get out.”
“They aren’t too bright”, Tony conceded. “That maniac Jake paid them to invade the School so he could take over, and they wound up in Jail over it.”
“Sounds like they have no, what’s called, ‘Exit Strategy’....No cohesive plan for after”, Mr. Riddle postulated. “So, they’ve suddenly decided to get out of their mess by demanding all that money, so they can disappear and get a stake for somewhere else.”
“I’d pay them the Hundred Grand, just to get the girls back, if I had it”, Tony said with conviction.
“Wouldn’t do any good”, Mr. Riddle said sadly, “If your girls know who they are, they will kill them anyway. There’s life sentences for Kidnapping....They’re not that stupid that they don’t know that. They can’t afford to leave witnesses.”
Deep down, Tony knew that was true....And although he didn’t even want to think that, there it was. He looked at Mr. Riddle with curiosity once again. He sounded like he had experience with such things. Just who was this man, anyway ?
“Um....Mr. Riddle....”, Tony started to say.
Mr. Riddle held up his hand. “Tony, I’m gonna give you my Cell Phone number. If you run into serious trouble tonight, call me.” He rattled off the number and made Tony memorize it.
Tony rose, stuffing the drawings in hi pocket. “Um...I have to get a couple sacks of Spuds from the basement”, he said, “For...Tonight.”
“Sure, kid....I’ll help you”, Mr. Riddle said, and together they walked down the stairs towards the Hole, then detoured to the short tunnel where the Potatoes were stored. There were plenty of Potato Bags located there, and Tony filled a couple up to the max. Then they walked back the way they had come, accessing the other stairs that went to the Furnace Room and beyond, back into the bowels of the basement and winding up in the open area where Mr. Riddle (and Mr. Luntz before him) bunked out. Mr. Riddle let him out the basement door. Before leaving, Mr. Riddle admonished him again to call if there was serious trouble. “I can maybe get some of my....Associates....To come help”, he said.
Tony stopped, full Potato Bags slung over each shoulder. He just had to ask. “Mr. Riddle....Just who are your....Associates ?”
“Just some people who are concerned about your welfare”, Mr. Riddle answered. “That’s all there is to it.”
“But...”, Tony said, then shook his head. It was useless. Crossing the threshold, he turned back to ask one more question, one that he asked before. “Mr. Riddle....Are you SURE you don’t know Mr. Luntz ?”
“Like I already told you, kid....I don’t know anybody by that name”, Mr. Riddle said, gently closing the basement door, leaving Tony standing alone on the steps.
________________________________________
-
Tony returned to the Dorm, slinging the bags of Potatoes over the wall at the shortcut first. Off to the side he saw Nick and the Bullies assembled in the yard at the South side of the Dorm, but he went inside first to change out of his preppy clothes and into something more tough-looking. Clothes still made the man at Bullworth, and he wanted to impress on the Bullies the urgency of his mission. He headed outside then, and went around to where they were gathered.
The Bullies were talking among themselves as Tony came out. Nick was standing off to the side, arms crossed. “They’re all yours”, he said, gesturing to the Bullies. Tony cleared his throat and called, “All Right, Listen Up !”
“What did you have us all come over here for ?”, Trent spoke up. “Your henchman over there all but threatened to beat us up if’n we didn’t all come over here. What Gives ?”
Ignoring Trent, Tony announced, “Gentlemen ! You’ve been gathered here for the chance to participate in an honorable mission tonight. Under the terms of our agreement when we provided you funds to buy your weapons, I am activating the Bully Army !”
“What For ?”, Russell bellowed. “What We Have To Do ?”
“Tonight, you will have the opportunity to fight in a glorious battle against a dastardly foe, one who has bedeviled Bullworth for a long time now”, Tony spoke, he hoped enthusiastically. “If you win, you will become the Heros of Bullworth and gain much respect and honor !”
“A Fight ? All Right !”, shouted Wade.
“Get to Kick Some Ass !?”, Tom Exclaimed.
“We been Waitin’ for This !”, Ethan yelled.
“Let’s Tear 'em Up !”, yelped Davis.
“Hey, Wait !”, Trent spoke up. “Who is it we gotta fight ?’
“Oh”, Tony slapped his head in mock forgetfulness. “Didn’t I say ? It’s those dastardly Townie boys, those ones who caused you so much trouble....That’s who you have to fight !”
”WHAT ?”, Trent said, stunned.
“The...The Townies ?”, Tom said uncertainly.
“Are you...Uh, Sure ?”, Davis cried out.
”You....You Crazy ?”, Tom said fearfully.
“Aren’t they...L-like...In Jail ?”, Troy stuttered.
Russell was shaking his head. “No Can Do !”
“Whoa, Whoa, Whoa !!”, Tony said, holding up his hands. “Don’t you see what a grand opportunity you have here ? Don’t you want revenge on those despicable bastards who beat you down last fall ? Who raped Zoe ? Who held you hostage in your own Dorm last spring ? Who disrespected and humiliated you, not just once, but many times ? Here’s your chance to get Payback !”
There was mumbled grumbling from the Bullies. Their pride, already low to begin with, was being called into question. They didn’t want to appear as scaredy-cats, they fancied themselves as the toughs of Bullworth....Even though it had been a very long time since they had been able to bully anybody except the Nerds and some of the Non-Clique kids.
“Boys...Here’s what you’ve waited for”, Tony said grandly, “To get back at those Townies and show them just what steel you’re made of ! What they’ve done is an Insult to you and everyone at this school. Now, they’ve gone and taken our own girls and are holding them hostage. Once and for all, YOU can be the ones wipe their scourge out of the Valley for good !”
“Do we...Have to go in this fight...Alone ?”, Trent asked. “Is that what you mean ?”
“No...Not at all !”, Tony exclaimed. “The Jocks are going to be our backup, and the Nerds are bringing plenty of ammo for us to use. Me and Nick will be there, also, fighting alongside. We’ll surprise attack them on their own turf and beat them down so they’ll never get back up. Com’on, whadda say ? Are you Mice or are you Men ?”
The two Bully girls were there too, Paige and Amber. The Bully boys could ill-afford to look like pussies in front of girls, especially the newest members of their Clique. They stared pointedly at their two new boyfriends, Trent and Russell.
“All Right”, Russell boomed, giving in. “We Bullies Go To War !”
There were no cheers, just mumbled assent at the announcement. Tony decided to sweeten the pot, as it were. He said, “And....For your successful participation in this mission, you all will be freed from your obligation to provide further compensation in the form of payment for the weapons you received last month. In other words, we will be even, and you will no longer owe me anything. What do you think of that ?”
This made the Bullies feel better. They were used to taking and stealing, not owing. They made noises of acceptance, and Tony gave them final instructions. “We move out at Midnight. Meet here, and we will load up on weapons and ammo. Dress in black, if you can, or at least dark color clothes. This is going to be a stealth mission.”
Tony and Nick left the Bully gathering then. Nick then told Tony that Laurent had been by, saying he was going to go and talk to the Greasers and try to enlist their help, and maybe find out the latest on just what they were talking about in the School Office with Mr. Neil. Tony told Nick he was going back to the School for a little while to check on some things in his Mediator’s Office, and he would be back later. Strolling off, Tony felt a bit better about their prospects of success, and his mind was beginning to envision a strategy for tonight’s mission.
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-
Up in the Mediator’s Office, Tony looked up at his wall. He had taped some connection papers up, from the time of Karen’s kidnapping. There was that, and connections to the Church and the Asylum they had found, then the Tunnels and finally the Chem Plant. Tony made out a couple more, about the call from the Carnival today and the Mystery Contacts that Mr. Riddle had made reference to. Everything that led to his Mission tonight.
Tony flopped down in his chair behind his desk and sighed. There were many who were going to aid him this evening, but he had never felt so all alone. It just wasn’t, and never would be, the same without Karen. He closed his eyes, and in doing so, could envision her, sitting perkily on the desk in front of him, laughing and joking as they used to do, to ease the tension over the long hours they had spent together in this very place, when it seemed the fate of the School and the entire Vale Valley was in their hands.
Without her, he was nothing but an empty shell, a tumbleweed in the hollow wind in an empty ghost town. She was everything, and everything was her. If he did not find her, could not rescue her, he would forever walk the Earth a lonely man for the rest of his days. This mission tonight must succeed at any cost, any sacrifice. He would send the entire school into the line of fire, if that was what it took, to save her....The grateful and ungrateful alike.
He leaned back wearily in his chair, eyes closed, and soon dozed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tony was back in the Dome. He knew it, although he could not see it. Everything was dark. He was inside a strange place, circular, enclosed. There was danger here. He could feel it, bleeding into the confined space he was in. Under his feet was some sort of Catwalk, and he was carefully stepping along, feeling his way. A railing was felt beneath his hand, and he grasped it. In his other hand was a weapon, but he did not know which kind.
Abruptly, his way was blocked. Tony felt out with his hand and encountered a steel door of some kind. As he felt around the edges, the palm of his hand burned. Reactively, he pulled it to his face, and in the darkness he saw a glow within his fist. He opened his hand to reveal the glow and saw them to be letters....VX-CHNOPS.
As his eyes adjusted further to the darkness, Tony could make out a square shape set next to the steel doors. Setting down his weapon, he fumbled in his pockets and came up with his lighter. He flicked it on, and the brightness that flared showed him a keypad. It was similar to the keypad at the Nerd’s gate, but square, and instead of numbers showing on it, the pad was full of a jumble of different letters. Tony punched in the letters that were glowing but fast fading in his palm, and at once the doors unlocked with a metallic ‘chink’ and rolled open.
Out before him was a long, dimly lit hallway that seemed to stretch the length of the enclosure. Picking up his weapon, Tony moved silently down the hallway. At the terminal end was an elevator shaft, enclosed in metal mesh wire. A red call button was at the ready, and Tony pressed on it. The elevator motor whirred to life as something moved far below. At that moment, a scream rose up the shaft with the force of a tidal wave.........."HELP !!! TONY, HELP !!!! HELP !!!!!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tony awoke with a start, the scream echoing through his mind as if it were real, right here in the small room. He caught his breath, his heart pounding. Karen, he thought wildly, That Was Karen !! He shook his head to clear the dream, but before he forgot, he grabbed a pen and pulled a piece of paper towards him, writing down the fading letters he had seen in the dream, before they were lost to him.
What time was it ?, Tony thought to himself. How long have I been asleep ? It didn’t feel like too long, but sleep was funny sometimes....It could have been only minutes, but it could have been hours. He rose shakily to his feet, and shook his head to clear it. He had to get back, and right away. He had an Army to lead.
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-
The predicted summer storm had arrived, late but in force enough to spawn high winds, lightening, and thunder. Rain fell in sporadic bursts, but was not constant, as the Eastward-pushing low front ground up against the warmer high front, stalling for a few hours and making little headway. As the warmer air slowly retreated, the cooler air rushed in to fill the void.
Huddled in the front of the Chem Plant were Tony, Nick, and the assembled Army of the Bullies, headed by Russell and Trent. Close behind were the Jock Clique, with Ted, Bob, and Laurent in the lead. The winds whipped down through the Industrial Complex, the narrow spaces between the buildings acting like a vortex, making hearing difficult. Tony had to huddle everyone and talk loudly in order to be heard, as he issued instructions and laid out his plans for the assault.
“Ok, Listen Up !”, he began. “First off, we need to maintain complete silence as we ascend the ramp to the roof. We don’t want to give ourselves away. The winds are gonna help mask our presence, but I don’t wanna take any chances on them hearing us before we attack. Is that understood ?”
Tony waited until he was sure that everyone had gotten the message. The Leaders indicated that everyone had heard and understood, and Tony continued. “Right before we would come out in the open, there is a long shed attached to the ramp tunnel. Inside are a whole bunch of wood crates. The plan is to move out these crates and stack them across the point where the ramp meets the roof. This will serve two purposes....It will be a defensive barricade for us to fire at them while protecting ourselves, and it will prevent any Townies from leaving. Your Cliques need to form a line and pass out the crates where we will be building the barricade. Now, as soon as we start building the barricade by moving out the crates and stacking them, they’re gonna see us and probably start firing on us....So, me and Nick are gonna be laying down cover fire. Now, this is real important....Stay BEHIND the crates at all times while moving them, so you don’t get hit. Once we have the crates stacked for cover, we can cut loose and hit 'em with all we got. Does everyone understand all that ?”
A couple minutes went by as the groups conversed among themselves. Tony wanted to make sure that everyone knew the plan, so there would be no mistakes. Finally, Laurent and Trent made known to Tony that everyone was aware of what they had to do, and Tony signaled that they should move out. The entire group began moving up the ramp that wound around the Chem Plant.
Laurent came up beside Tony and Nick. “Where is Constantinos and Ray ?”, he asked in a low tone.
“We left them behind at the underpass, to guide any of the stragglers to where we’re at”, Tony told him. “Nick gave them his Cell Phone to keep in contact with us.” A few of the Jocks, notably Bo, Lance, and Kirby, had not made it when the Jocks had moved out through the Nerd’s Observatory gate (Which Laurent had the access code for), and then then through the tunnel to the Boardwalk. “Also, maybe the Greasers will show up, like you said.”
Laurent had tried to get the Greasers to come along on the mission, but something was decidedly strange in the way they were acting. They gave no indication one way or another whether they would join the mission or not. They seemed to be a bit uppity, so odd for a Greaser to be. Laurent left empty-handed without a commitment, but thought there was still a chance they would come.
“Oh...Yes”, Laurent said. “I forgot for the moment.” He shrugged. “Maybe, they will still decide, but I do not know.”
Also left behind there were the Girls, Mandy, Paige, and Amber. It was deemed too dangerous for them to be involved in what was sure to be a firefight, although Mandy protested that she had already been in a dangerous fight, thank you very much, and she had no fear of fighting. Also, she was afraid of Ted being shot again. She was persuaded to remain behind, however, on the promise she could join them later, after the fight was over.
Tony and Nick had led the Bullies through the Nerd’s gate and down to the tunnel, then on to the boardwalk. The Nerds had delivered the needed weapons and ammo as promised a couple hours earlier, and had left without comment. Tony hadn’t even considered asking them to join in, given that the only assaults they ever made were on the imaginary Grottos and Gremlins battlefield. And outside of telling Pinky, Tony didn’t bother trying to recruit the Preps to their cause, seeing as how they never allied with anyone and only cared about themselves.
As the group reached the top of the ramp, stealthily moving, all was going well. Everyone was maintaining silence. The wind, however was the big noisemaker, making an eerie howling sound as it blew through the entrance from the rooftop. Crashes of thunder were also making noises, coming at the rate of two or three times a minute. Tony and Nick reached the end first and cautiously peered around the corner.
Around the entrance to the Access Shed, more crates had been piled, three boxes high. A large tarp had been thrown over the tops of them and secured down, having the effect of making the whole place look like a small fort between the stacked crates and the wall of the Access Shed. The boys watched for awhile, even though it was hard to see anything in the cloudy, dark night. They were only able to get a good look when the lightening would flash. For long minutes, they saw nothing, then Nick detected some movement during one flash. When the lightening flashed again, the boys saw a head poking up over the tarp. They quickly shrunk back out of sight.
“They’re there”, Nick whispered.
“Yeah, I saw”, Tony whispered back.
Without a word, he motioned the Trent to lead the bullies into the side shed, where those crates were stacked, and to start moving them out. The Jocks, Tony had line up to pass the crates forward to just out of the sight of the Access Shed. If the Townies who were guarding the entrance were mostly staying under the tarp so they wouldn’t get rained on, it was going to make it easier for many of the crates to be moved into position before they were spotted.
Tony felt that luck was at last aiding them. Last night, it wouldn’t have been possible for them to build a defensive position to attack from...They would have been spotted right away. Tonight, as long as the winds and rains kept up, they had a chance.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Inside the tarp, striving to keep dry, were Sam, Ian, and Nate. Being the lower-ranking of the Townies, they consistently drew the night guard duty. Usually, it was just two of them, but tonight Omar had ordered three of them up. They loosely held their Air Rifles at the ready, but really, they weren’t expecting any kind of attack in this sort of weather, no matter what Omar thought.
These newer Townies, younger as they were, had not been allowed to participate in the assaults on the two prisoners like the older Townies were, and somewhat resented that they had to bear the brunt of being nighttime watchdogs. Plus, they weren’t being told of everything that Omar was planning. After almost two weeks, something had changed suddenly. There was tension in the air down at the third level today. The only real thing they had overheard was something about a ransom. Even so, Omar’s paranoid precaution of having three guards tonight seemed nonsensical. Nobody even knew they were still in the Vale Valley. What could happen ?
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Something was up, Karen knew. The Townies had become careless.
It had started a few days ago. The first crack was when they started leading her to a small bathroom to do her business, instead of making her use the ‘Chamber Pot’, as it was called. At the time, she thought it was just because they were getting tired of emptying the Pot every day, something she knew they all disliked. But other things began happening too.
Yesterday, as she reckoned time, they had put Melody back in the room with her, and had not removed her after a few hours, as they usually did. In fact, Karen was sure more than a day had passed since then, much more. And then the biggest strange thing of all happened...Or rather, had not happened. In all that time since Melody had been put back in the room, neither of them had been assaulted.
It had been the longest period of time since their captivity began they had gone unmolested. Even so, Melody was still bearing all the signs of what Karen thought was probably Rape Trauma Syndrome...Her mind had basically cut itself off from the horrible events and dissociated itself from reality. Her eyes stared out onto nothingness, although she could see. When spoken to, she would not respond, although when told to do something, she would do it, in a eerie robotic, mechanical way. She would not respond to conversation, but would obey....When told to eat, for example, she would dutifully do so. The way she acted reminded Karen of an old Star Trek episode she had seen back home (where they were always in constant reruns) entitled 'Spock’s Brain’....Aliens had somehow stolen Spock’s brain and used it to power a giant computer on their homeworld. Melody acted just like Spock’s body, minus his brain, had done. It was chillingly similar to Karen.
(http://parts.mirageinc.com/content/images/thumbs/0000875_tissue-roll-holder_300.jpeg)
But Karen had not let her opportunities go to waste, as she was still intent on escape if at all possible. While in the small bathroom the second time they took her there, Karen had managed to remove the Spindle from the Toilet Paper Roll Holder mounted to the side of the stall, and extract the Spring from inside it. The Spring she hid in her hair, and she then arranged the Spindle back in place. The Toilet Paper was just stacked on the floor by the toilet anyway, and being just boys, nobody had ever bothered to put a new roll in the Holder. Karen was sure the theft would go unnoticed. When they had taken her back to her room, she had managed to hide the Spring under her mattress before being handcuffed back up again.
Their biggest mistakes happened this evening, though. The Towine who had brought in the last meal to eat had somehow forgotten to handcuff her arms back to the chain around her waist. Karen had put her arms back to her sides when she had finished, but the Townie had overlooked locking her cuffs back to chain. She was unsure just who the Townie was, as Omar was still forcing them to undergo being blindfolded in the presence of everyone but himself, but she thought it was probably one of the newer ones. He had only uttered the words “Eat” and “Hurry up, Bitches” in an irritated manner, so it was hard for her to tell.
After he had gone, Karen waited for a long time before moving. She was fairly sure that it was nighttime, as the meals roughly corresponded to a daily schedule, about six hours apart until the third meal, then a long stretch of about twelve hours before the next one came and the cycle would start again. This had been the third meal. Usually sometime after, the assaults would take place, so Karen waited. But for the second 'night’ in a row, none of the Townies entered her room to rape her, nor did anyone come to take Melody away.
When she judged enough time had passed, Karen removed her blindfold and dug under her mattress for the Spring she had stolen from the bathroom. Pulling part of it straight, she begin the slow process of picking the chain lock that was secured around her ankle. It took a good 15 minutes, but her lock-picking prowess was good enough to finally spring the lock and release her shackle. She then moved over to Melody and began picking at the chain lock that was fixed around her leg. Karen spoke softly to Melody as she worked, but her conversation was one-sided, as Melody neither replied or showed any indication she even heard Karen. But Karen fervently hoped that somewhere inside her seemingly shut-down mind, Melody could hear her, and understand.
It took her less time to unlock and remove Melody’s shackle, about 10 minutes. It was then that Karen noticed that Melody’s wrists were not cuffed to the chain around her waist either. Melody just about always kept her arms down around her waist, unless being told to do something, as a result of her Catatonia anyway. That had been the second mistake by the greenhorn Townie, if that’s who it was. As Karen snuck to the door to try to figure out how to start picking that lock, she discovered a third mistake....The door was unlocked.
This was the most dangerous part, Karen knew. There was always a guard outside the door, no matter what the time. But Karen had gleaned through snatches of conversation she had heard that sometimes the door was unguarded for short stretches, and that sometimes whoever was on duty nodded off and went to sleep. When Karen first gripped the doorknob and found to her surprise that it would turn, she held her breath. Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned the knob with the same finesse as a Safecracker would, until she could rotate it no further. Then, with equal stealth, she edged the door open a crack and peered out.
The Townie on guard was slumped in a chair by the door, lightly snoring. Karen watched for several minutes through the crack to make sure. Finally, she broke her paralysis and went into action. It was now or never, it seemed, their only chance. Karen quietly went back to Melody. Removing Melody’s blindfold, she whispered, “Come on Mel...It’s time to go.” Melody gave no indication she heard, he eyes staring ahead in the gloomy room, but she mechanically stood up.
Karen took her hand and gripped it. “Com’on Mel....Go this way”, Karen told her. Melody began to walk across the room in the direction Karen was tugging her. When Karen reached the door, she held up and Melody stopped behind her. Karen edged open the door ever so slowly. The Townie, who was Duncan, hadn’t moved. Karen tugged on Melody’s hand, and stepped into the hall. To her relief, Melody followed along. The two girls move soundlessly around the sleeping Duncan and moved down the hall, with Karen looking for the way out.
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Omar stayed awake long after the others had gone to sleep, some on a few chairs in the Common Rec Room. He was thinking about the coming day, and about the possible ransom he could get for those two little bitches. It was the group’s only hope to get out of this mess, to take the money and run, off to a new city, far away, to find a place to go to ground once again. Omar had in mind the Hartford Park Housing Projects neighborhood in Providence, an ugly place where they could lose themselves with little trouble.
That one little yacky bitch, Karen, knew who he was, who they all were. Once he realized that his original plan to release those two after he and his boys raped them repeatedly and broke them was doomed to failure, he had finally come up with demanding a ransom. The only other option was to murder the little cunts, but the Townies were not killers, unlike the Punks, who’s leader Sid had gone on to his just reward, as he had heard the story. No, that was not an option he ever wanted to consider, for once the Townies crossed that line, they would be finished. There was no Death Penalty in Rhode Island, and no prisoner had been executed since 1845, but for murder, they would be incarcerated for life at the State Prison at Cranston.
They had succeeded in breaking the dark-haired bitch, Melody....She was the weaker of the two, and had broken in a matter of days, her mind shutting off against the horror and becoming Zombie-like. But the other girl, Karen, had proved far more resilient, even correctly identifying Omar and the others despite being blindfolded. That information Omar had kept from the others, and Karen had wisely refrained from revealing to the other Townies that she knew who they were. Omar still nursed hopes that Karen could be broken, but as the days wore on, that became more and more a remote possibility. It was then that Omar came up with the alternate plan of demanding ransom. He had sent Jerry to the Carnival to make the ransom call from the remaining Cell Phone...That way, it would throw off anyone who might be remotely tracking the phone to a bogus location. After Jerry had completed that mission earlier that day and had returned the stolen small boat to the Blue Skies Docks, Omar had directed him to steal a larger boat, one that could hold them all, from the big Boathouse along the Docks, and pilot it down the river towards the Narragansett Bay to a small dock that was nearby where the Escape Tunnel from the underground third-level of the Chem Plant led out. Jerry had carried that out with ease, and had returned just a few hours ago.
Their escape route boat gassed up and awaiting them, Omar had turned his thoughts to how to collect on his ransom demands. It was only then that he had divulged to his more trusted Townies his latest plan, saying the risks were just too great for them to continue staying in the Vale Valley. Sooner or later, he told them, the Law would catch up to them if they continued to stay here. Better to get a stake and establish a new base of operations, far enough away. They could even take over where the Punks left off, robbing places over a wide area and raking in the cash.
The Townies in the know reluctantly accepted Omar’s plan. The lure of quick cash was hard to resist. Plus, they all knew that when the EPA and the Feds arrived to do clean-up on the Chem Plant, they would lose this secure hideaway. It might take years, or only a few months, but it would happen. They would have to leave, why not leave with a stake to start fresh ? That decided, they got down to a discussion of how to collect the ransom money and make their escape.
Omar knew that dickwad Tony would never be able to come up with a hundred grand. Only the Prep families could afford that kind of cash, and they were in dire straights these days, so he heard. Most would be able to buy their way out of trouble, but for now, Omar couldn’t see that there was anyone who would pony up that kind of scratch for two little nobody bitches like Karen and Melody. No, Omar knew there would be negotiations for far less, possibly he could get as much as ten grand, maybe. When he sent Jerry out tomorrow to make the followup call, they would see.
But these next few days would be dangerous for them. Despite the death threats, if that prick Tony decided to go to the Cops or the Feds, it would be all over and the Townies would have to flee empty-handed. In that case, they would have to drag those useless bitches along with them as hostages. That was something Omar really didn’t want to do, although strangely, he wouldn’t mind at least taking Karen along with them. Because, for some unexplainable reason, although he had assaulted both girls multiple times, he felt himself being inexplicably drawn to Karen.
Omar rose and began pacing. Walking to the wide-open West side of the Common Rec Room, he stopped, gazing at the gaming tables set in a arc in front of him and down the wide hallway that divided them, lost in thought. Deep within him, although he would never admit it to even himself, he had always craved a more normal life like other, better people seemed to have. A normal life, with a girl much like Karen, with hopes and dreams of the future. What he despised most about others who were not his kind was the type of life he knew he could never have....And that was precisely why he hated them so much.
His gaze swept across the area in despair. It had come to this, his entire existence, surviving but never really living, feeling but never being loved, not ever. And now ? He shook his head to clear the images from his mind. It would do him no good to dwell on what would never be. It would do him no good whatsoever. Standing at the apex of the three hallways, he turned to go back deeper into the Rec Room, and as doing so, movement caught his eye down the narrower hallway that went to the South.
At first, he couldn’t register what his eyes were seeing. He stared down the hallway intently, and then it became clear to him. In the alcove at the end of the hallway that led to the stairs that went to the second level above, their two hostage girls were moving silently, heading for the stairs. Omar’s eyes bugged out as the reality sunk in. Those two little bitches were trying to escape !!
Omar turned and ran full into the Rec Room, where Gurney, Jerry, and Otto were sleeping, slumped in chairs. Shaking them awake, he yelled, “Them Bitches Are Loose !! They’re Headed Up To The Second Level !! Stop Them !! Stop Them NOW !!!”
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Karen heard Omar’s voice yelling. She had just found this alcove and saw the stairs leading upward. There were no stairs going down, but she had apparently run out of time to look for any. “Com’on, Mel...We got to climb...Hurry !”, she whispered fiercely, tugging her forward.
Karen had quickly learned one thing about Melody in her present condition....She could only move at Zombie-like walk, which wasn’t very fast at all. Karen urged Melody up the steps, practically dragging her up each one after another. It seemed agonizingly slow, and Karen knew that their chances of escaping were growing less and less by the second. It took fully a half a minute for the girls to reach the landing on the second level. The girls were in another alcove, and Karen saw no more steps going up. She pulled Melody out of the alcove and onto the main floor of the second level.
It was dimly lit. Karen could see lots of desks and what looked like lab tables scattered about in the huge area, which seemed to be circular in diameter. Across this large room, on the farther side from where they were, a long straight wall that bisected the circular room. The long wall was composed mostly of glass windows, and it was dark on the other side, as no lights were on. Karen’s eyes moved up and down the length of the wall, and she saw a door.
From out of the alcove behind them, Karen heard voices, getting closer. They were out of time. Karen grabbed ahold of Melody’s hand and pulled her towards the glass wall towards the door she had seen. There was no choice now, they had to hide, and quick. The girls reached to door and Karen pulled it open, thankful it wasn’t locked. Karen dragged Melody inside an closed the door.
(http://library.centennialcollege.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=5867)
Once inside, Karen could see from the dim light filtering in through the windows in rows upon rows of what looked like cages of some sort. Dim, unmoving objects lay within, but she couldn’t tell what they were, and she had no time to investigate. She pulled Melody deeper into the room, looking for a darker place to hide them both. There was the smell of death and decay in the room, which grew stronger the farther back they went. Karen wrinkled her nose at the stench and pushed in deeper to where no light penetrated. Feeling around the cages, she urged Melody into a squatting position behind them, and they hunkered down. The smell was so powerful here that Karen felt like gagging. Holding her nose, she breathed through her mouth and hoped for the chance to sneak away as soon as they could.
No sooner had the girls entered the Animal Lab had the Townies had burst from the alcove. “Find Those Bitches !!”, Omar ordered. Jerry and Gurney he sent to the first level, on the chance that the girls had found the alcove that contained the stairs to it, which were just a few yards away from the alcove they had just exited. Leon and Otto began methodically searching behind the lab tables and desks in the outer room as Omar followed behind, getting closer to the Lab area. Within minutes, Jerry and Gurney returned from the first level.
“All clear”, Gurney grunted, shaking his head.
“What about the access to the ground floor ?”, Omar asked.
Jerry shook his head also. “Ain’t been touched. Be hard for them to find, being in a hurry and all, anyways.”
Omar directed his attention towards Otto and Leon, who were just about done with their search. “Anything ?”
Both answered in the negative as they finished the last row. “Nothing”, Leon answered. Otto shook his head and rose his arms in the air, shrugging.
Omar eyed the Animal Testing Lab, searching the darkened windows. “They’re in there”, He said. “Have to be.” To Leon, he said, “Get the lights.”
Leon strode to the light switches by the door, flicking them on. Like tumbling dominoes, the lights flickered on in sequence, throwing the lab into brilliant brightness.
Inside, huddled behind the cages in the light, Karen came face to face with one of the sources of the horrible smells that pervaded the large room. There, mere inches from her face lay the corpse of a putrid, bloated, dead animal that she couldn’t identify. Bile rose suddenly in her throat and she gagged. She struggled to her feet and looked around wildly. All around her were cages full of rotting animals of all shapes and sizes, their eyeless sockets mocking her.
Karen failed to notice Melody, who was staring into the cage. As the image worked it’s way past her retinas, the trauma that had closed her mind was broken. Melody’s eyes widened at the horror she was seeing, and she cut loose with a scream.
“AIIIIEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, she gasped, her shaking hands rising to her face, her features a mask of terror. “EEEEIIIIIAAAAAAAAHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!”
______________________________________
-
Under the tarp, the younger Townies were playing an on-again, off-again game of Craps, rolling the dice by the fading glow of Ian’s flashlight to pass the time. They had been on duty for about 2 hours, and it was approaching 1 AM. There was still a lotta hours to go until morning.
“Snake Eyes”, intoned Ian, as the dice bounced off the side of the shack. “Next shooter.”
Nate rolled the dice. “Boxcars !”, Ian exclaimed. “Winner !”
Sam took the next roll. “Acey-Ducey”, Ian said, and then stopped, listening above the wind. “Hey....You guys hear something ?”
“What’s to hear ?”, Nate said. “The wind ? The rain ? Ain’t nothin’ out there.”
“No...I heard something too....Like a scraping sound”, Ian said. “I’m gonna take a look.”
Sam scooped up the dice as Ian threw back the tarp and poked his head up over the barricade of crates. He squinted intently out into the black night. The sound came again, that scraping sound, coming over the wind, off to the left.
“Whatsmatter, you a Nervous Nellie”, Nate jerreed. “Nothin’ ever comes up here. I think Omar’s got his panties in a twist over them two snooty bitches....”
“SHUTUP !”, Ian hissed. “I hear somethin’, I tell you ! Keep Quiet !” Ian resumed staring at the place where the sound came from. A few moments went by, then a flash of lightning illuminated the rooftop. and Ian saw what looked like a row of crates, stacked two high, extending out from where the ramp came out onto the roof.
Ian Blinked. What the Fuck was that ? He reached back quickly for his Air Rifle. A few seconds went by, then thunder crashed as several flashes of lightning, looking like a Strobe Light flickering, lit up the rooftop. The stacked crates were clearly visible now, as were figures moving behind them.
“Shit !! Shit !!”, Ian exclaimed. “There IS Somebodys Out There ! Get Ready !”
Nate and Sam grabbed their Air Rifles and stood up, pushing back the tarp. Ian gestured to where he had seen the row of crates. The three stood ready for the next lightning flash, and when it came, Ian ordered, “Start Firing !!!”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!!
“They Spotted Us !”, Nick said. “They’re Shooting !” A round caught Wade in the shoulder, throwing him back. The others ducked and fell back.
“OPEN FIRE !!!!”, Tony yelled, the need for silence gone. “ATTACK !!!”
The Bullies, and the Jocks behind them, unlimbered their weapons and took aim over the top of the crate barricade they had constructed. When the lightning lit up the area again, they unleashed a barrage of Spuds and Bottle Rockets in the direction of the barricade in front of the access shed. The Battle was on.
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!!
POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!!
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!!
Ian grabbed a Walkie-Talkie from his back pocket. Depressing the Talk button, he screamed into it, “WE’RE UNDER ATTACK !!!!! WE NEED SOME HELP UP HERE !!!!!”
_________________________________________________
-
Melody’s screams made it easy for the Townies to locate her in the Animal Testing Lab, and she was easily captured. Karen, who would not desert her, was re-taken as well. The girls were pulled out by Otto and Leon, with Jerry in front and Omar and Gurney following behind. Melody kept hitching her breath and screaming as they passed by the cages with the unspeakable horrors of the dead, decaying, and rotting animals within.
“Keep Her Quiet !”, Omar ordered, directed at Karen. He shook his head. For a week, the little dark-haired bitch wouldn’t say anything, and now she wouldn’t shut the fuck up. Her ragged screams cut like a knife through his brain, enraging him. “Shut Her The Hell Up, I Tell You !”, he snarled, grabbing Karen by the hair from behind.
“OK, OK !!”, Karen gasped. The Townies dragged them out through the Lab door, and Melody’s screams tapered off at the urging of Karen. She was becoming truly terrified, now that their escape had failed before they even had a chance. All sorts of thoughts ran through her mind, none of them good, as they were half-pulled, half-pushed across the Second Level to the alcove and herded down the stairs back to the Third Level.
“Take them to the Rec Room and chain them up !”, Omar ordered. He detoured to the right and went down the outer circular hall to where Duncan sat, still slumped in his chair, sleeping. Omar kicked the chair out from under him, and Duncan fell on his ass, suddenly flailing about. “Whaa....Who.....”, he gibberished, wildly looking about. He spotted Omar, and said, “Hey....What gives ?”
“You let them girls escape, Dumbass”, Omar pointed out, gesturing to the door to their room, which stood ajar.
“Whoa, No Way !”, Duncan exclaimed, scrambling to his feet and looking ruefully at the door.
“Yes, Way”, Omar said, and sunk his fist deep into Duncan’s guts. “Fuckin’ Slacker. Now they’ve seen our faces, thanks to you, Dumbshit.” He turned and strode away in disgust, but before he made it to the Rec Room, it occurred to him that nobody would be questioning his plan about the ransom now, and that he could also blame Duncan for those two bitches knowing who they were. He walked in to confront Karen and Melody on just how they had managed to almost escape.
Instead of screaming, Melody was just moaning now, but she seemed reasonably coherent, unlike before. “What’s....Happened....”, she whimpered to Karen. “Are we....Gonna....”
“Shhh, don’t....It’ll be Ok”, Karen attempted to comfort her. She turned her head and glared at Omar as he approached. “You’re a Pig. You all are, every last one of you !”
Omar glared back at Karen, his face inches from hers. “I though we had an understanding”, he said. “Now you’ve gone and fucked it all up. How did you get out of those chains ?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know”, Karen returned unflinchingly, refusing to show intimidation. “And, you Bozos are the ones who’ve fucked things up, by kidnapping us in the first place !”
Omar made to reply, but at that instant the Walkie-Talkie hooked on his belt crackled to life, electrifying the room. “WE’RE UNDER ATTACK !!!!! WE NEED SOME HELP UP HERE !!!!!”
Omar grabbed the Walkie-Talkie and spoke into it. “How Many ? Where They At ?”
“A BUNCH !!”, the voice came back. “THE CAME UP THE RAMP !! WE NEED HELP !!”
“Ok...I’ll Send Up Some More Ammo And Weapons !”, Omar said, and turned to the Townies in the room. “Jerry....Floyd....Take a buncha ammo and a couple of Spud Guns and Rocket Launchers up to the roof, quick !”
Jerry and Floyd scurried to comply, heading for the room they kept the stash in. Karen, who had heard the whole conversation, felt hope bloom like an explosion in her chest. “It’s Tony...And Nick”, she said boldly, “They’re coming for us, and you miserable assholes are gonna pay !”
Omar regarded her with disdain. “You better hope they don’t, Princess, for their sakes. We’ll cut them to ribbons with pellets if they so much as try, and you two will never go free !!”
_____________________________________________
-
Up on the Chem Plant roof, the battle began to rage, although each side could only spot their respective targets when the lightening flashes lit up the sky. Worse, for both sides, was that the rain increased in intensity, making precise aiming nearly impossible. Even so, the Pellets from the Air Rifles were having some effect, splintering the stacked crates and sometimes shattering them. The group hurried to replace them with more to maintain their barricade, however casualties ensued. Wade was already down, and Ethan caught a Pellet in the arm and Kirby took one in the wrist. The injured were pulled back out of the line of fire, left to staunch their bleeding as best they could.
POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!!
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!!
The firing intensified as multiple lightening flashes lit up the skies and the thunder boomed. Tony almost missed the urgent ringing of his Cell Phone, the noise was so loud. Fading back, he tore it from his pocket to see who was calling. It was Constantinos. “Yeah, what is it ?”, Tony said loudly, jamming the phone against one ear and plugging the other so he could hear. We’re kind of busy up here !”
“There’s more coming through !”, Constantinos announced. “The Greasers, some of the Preps, and...The Nerds are comming too !”
Tony was stunned. “What !? They’re coming to help us ?”
“Looks like it”, Constantinos replied. “And there’s more....The Preps brought those Shields....Them ones from Harrington House. And the Nerds have some kind of big Gun, like a cannon !”
Tony almost dropped the phone. Behind him, the battle continued, but it was like someone had turned the volume down. Thoughts raced through his mind. Why had the other Cliques decided to come ? Was it because they wanted to revenge themselves ? Was it because they would lose respect if the Bullies and Jocks fought and they didn’t ? Or could it be that they really wanted to help, wanted to see the girls be rescued ? Had he misjudged them all along ?
“Tony ? Tony, you still there ?”, the voice in the phone crackled.
Tony shook his head to clear it. “Yeah....Still here”, he said.
“Look, there’s more”, Constantinos went on. “The Cops are in Blue skies....I seen their lights flashing, over by the Save Warehouse.”
“Did they see you ?”, Tony asked, suddenly afraid for Karen, remembering the threat to kill the girls if the Police were to find out. “Did they see any of you over there ?”
“Aw, Hell No”, Constantinos scoffed. “Don’t you remember how stupid they are, always driving around in circles ? Like that night we spent on top of the Cop Station roof ?”
“Yeah...I remember”, Tony said distantly, the battle picking up behind him, a battle he must return to soon. He was still uneasy, dumb Cops or not. “Listen...I Gotta go...”
“But, there’s more”, Constantinos said, with a bit of urgency. “I snuck over there, to the Save Warehouse....Stayed in the shadows. There’s a bunch of black cars over there, parked around, and....Those Government Men...Inside that Industrial Waste Treatment Plant....In-between them two big tanks. They were on...I don’t know, some kind of funny looking thing....Can’t quite describe it...”
“My God”, Tony muttered, “The Lift....They’re going into the Tunnels....” But how ? How did they know ? Tony stared at the phone in his hand.
“What ?”, Constantinos said. “I can’t hear you. Listen, if you can hear, me and Ray are coming up too.....Nobody’s here now, and there ain’t no reason for us to stay here. Be up in a few minutes !”
“Yeah....Sure”, Tony said numbly. He depressed the ‘End’ button and stuck the phone back in his pocket, turning it off first. He turned back toward the battle. They would have to get in there soon, before the Townies realized the Cops and the Feds were closing in on them also. It was a matter of life or death.
_________________________________________
-
Tiffany stood up in the Attic of the Girl’s Dorm, looking morosely at the dark pile of stolen books in the gloom. It should have been exciting, but instead all she felt was kind of an empty feeling, since she didn’t have her little flunky Constantinos here to act out her fantasies with. She knew that he had been busted, it had been all over the School yesterday that he had been expelled. And she also heard he was confined to the Boy’s Dorm until some kind of decision was made about what to do with him.
The fact that she hadn’t been busted and that these books were still here, untouched, also meant he hadn’t ratted her out. In a way, that kind of excited her too, just like in a Romance Novel, the hero protecting his lady from harm until the very end. A new passion began to burn in her loins at the thought of that, and into her twisted mind came an idea. If he couldn’t get to her, she would have to go to him. It was the only way to quench her burning desires.
Removing a lighter (which she wasn’t supposed to have) from her tight jeans pocket, she flicked it into brightness and rummaged in the pile. She selected the Romance book with the hottest love scenes in it and gripped it tightly to her breasts. Her nipples were erect at the thoughts that were flooding her mind. Standing, she stole over to the Attic window and began climbing down the trellis.
The night was a perfectly dreadful one, with scattered rain backed by thunder and occasional lightening. Tiffany had dark clothing on, dark blue jeans and a black blouse, and had no worries about being spotted. She snuck across the asphalt yard and headed down the path towards the Boy’s Dorm. Going across the wide path that led from the street, she saw that the front gates were shut, and that there was a Prefect patrolling there. She easily zipped past unseen, and made her way to the yard of the Boy’s Dorm.
She paused, looking up the steps, her excitement mounting. This was about to be a new experience for her, entering the boy’s domain, and her body shivered at the thought. Boldly, she went up the steps and walked right in.
In the hallway up ahead of her was a lit room, with a diagonal hallway running to each side. The room, which she thought to be a Common Room, had voices coming from it. She stole to the large open doorway and silently stood there. Three boys, Trevor, Ivan, and Gordon, were gathered about a table, talking. There were cards spread out in front of them, but it seemed thay had long ago abandoned their game.
“I say we go”, Gordon was saying. “We’ll look like pussies if we don’t !”
“Are you sure ?”, Ivan retorted, “No one ever pays attention to us anyway.”
“We’re more known than those freaks Eddie and Geoff”, Gordon returned, “Or them other new kids.”
“Oh...Yeah”, Ivan said. “Where the hell are they at, anyway ?”
“Who knows ?”, Gordon said, somewhat impatiently. “Point is, we should at least show up and see what’s going on.”
“Gordon’s right”, Trevor said suddenly. “We owe them. Look at how Nick’s taught us to fight, the Bullies hardly bother with us anymore. And look at Tony, how he’s saved the school and made things better for everyone. And now they’re off to fight those bastards who made jokes out of us last Spring, and we just sit here, like a bunch of cowards. We should go and help.”
There was a brief silence. It was then that Ivan looked over at the open doorway. “Hey, Look ! A Girl !”
Three sets of eyes were fastened on her. After a brief pause, Tiffany spoke. “I’m...Um, looking for Constantinos.”
“Hah...He’s not here, sweet thing”, Gordon said, “But we are.” The boys ran their eyes up and down her body. While she wasn’t much in the Boob department, her slim figure, cute face, and extremely long dark hair made her appealing.
“Where did he go ?”, Tiffany asked, somewhat deflated, a disappointed look coming over her features.
“Ah...We’re about to go join him”, Trevor said, “Weren’t we boys ?”
“Um....Yeah !”, Ivan said. “That’s what we’re gonna do, sure !”
“Wanna come along, Honey ?”, Gordon said. This must be that mystery girlfriend of Constantinos they had been hearing about. All of them found it a little hard to belive that Constantinos even had a girl, but here she was in the flesh. Didn’t mean they couldn’t at least put some moves on her.
“I’m Tiffany to you, not Honey”, Tiffany said with a frown. “And I only go with exciting boys.”
“Umm...We can be exciting....Fact is, we’re going to a rumble”, Trevor said, and added, “That’s where Constantinos is, right now.”
A sparkle came to Tiffany’s eye. “Well....What are you waiting for ? Let’s go then.”
“Get our Weapons”, Gordon told the others. “Let’s do like the lady says !”
_____________________________________
-
Lugging the weapons and ammo up the two flights of stairs to the First Level, Jerry and Floyd crossed the large space to where a ladder was set against the wall. There, they had to climb straight up to the ground floor level of the Chem Plant, passing up the ammo and weapons in stages. The ladder went through a rounded opening several feet thick, as it was the foundation that the entire weight of the Chem Plant sat upon.
Within a meter of the edge of the ladder was the secret panel that led into the storage room on the first floor. This was the disguised entryway to the levels underground, that before the bombings just two months ago was known to only a select few. Now, the entire band of the Townies knew of it’s existence, thanks only to a wannabe Townie refugee from the Punks, and his big mouth.
Jerry tricked open the secret panel which opened up into the storage room. It was an ordinary storage room, filled with all kinds of junk one would expect a storage room to have. It was the perfect disguise. Jerry and Floyd wound their way around various items of stuff until they got to the door, which led out to the Chem Plant floor proper, opened it and headed to the elevator.
The Townie Clique of discarded boys had hung out after hours at the Chem Plant for some time, and had never suspected that there was underground levels. Not even their former leader, Edgar Munsen, had known about them, at least not that they knew about. The workers in the main Chem Plant had long known about the Townies sneaking in the place after hours and during shutdowns, but did nothing to stop them. The attitudes that prevailed in those days was to mind one’s own business, and besides, none of them were getting paid enough to be watchdogs on their time off. Added to that was that they could care less. The Townies were seen as harmless in that rough area of the Towns.
But Omar had apparently known, for after they had broken Jail, he had led them here. At first they were overwhelmed with the luxury of their new quarters down on the third level....This was far superior to any digs that they had ever lived in, and with a nearby Kitchen, Recreation Room, and small Bathrooms near at hand, they were in hog heaven. When the plan had been announced to snatch those two Bullworth bitches, they went right along with it, confident in their ability to exact the prefect revenge on those asshole schoolboys who had humiliated them. But now, cracks were beginning to appear in that perfect plan.
Jerry and Floyd loaded the ammo and weapons in the elevator and closed the gate, punching the button for the fifth floor. Jerry, in particular, was glad he didn’t have to tote the whole load up to the roof via the stairs and catwalks. That was how they had to lug the two girls down here after the snatch, as the elevator did not work then. It had only been last week, in fact, that Gurney had been able to repair the severed electrical connections that had been damaged in the explosions and restore power to the elevator. It had been a real pain to navigate the wrecked areas, especially around the second floor, where most of damage had been done.
Arriving at the fifth floor, the elevator came to a stop, and Jerry clattered the mesh-wire gate open. Ahead of them was a long hallway that traversed the length of the building. Jerry and Floyd picked up the ammo and weapons and made their way through the hallway, where it met a set of double steel doors. Jerry stopped and entered a code on a square keypad by the doors, and they emitted a 'chink’ as a bolt was released and the doors slid open.
Beyond the doors, a circular catwalk snaked around and up, until it came up inside the small Access Shed on the roof. It had been dimly lit most all the way up, but there was nearly no light inside the Shed. The two Townies felt their way to the doorway, and opened it. The sound of battle assaulted their ears, along with the wind, rain, and thunder.
POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!!
KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!!
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
In the flashes of lightening, Jerry and Floyd could see Nate, Sam, and Ian firing at a target of what looked like a barricade of crates off to the left, from behind their own crate barricade. Jerry moved near the closest Townie, which was Ian. He had to shout to be heard. “How Is It Going ?”, he yelled.
“We’re Using Up A Lotta Ammo !”, Ian said back loudly over the battle noise. “There’s A Bunch Of Them, Don’t Know How Many !”
“Can You Tell Who They Are ?”, Jerry shouted back, the thunder rumbling.
“No !”, Ian returned, “But Don’t Think They’re Cops Or Nothing. They Would Have Brought Their Motorcycles And Stuff Up If They Was, And Surrounded Us !”
Jerry nodded, although Ian couldn’t see him. “Think It’s Them School Kids ?”
“Donno”, Ian said, getting ready to fire again. “There Sure Is A Lotta Them, Though ! We’re Gonna Need A Lot More Ammo To Hold ‘Em Off !”
“I’ll Go Back For Some More !”, Jerry shouted. To Floyd, he said, “I’m Going Back Down For More Ammo ! Be Back In About 20 Minutes Or So ! You Stay And Help !”
Floyd started unpacking the Weapons and Ammo they had brought, and nodded. “Just Don’t Take Too Long ! This Is Gonna Get Ugly !”
____________________________________
-
The battle still raged, growing more intense. With four shooters now, using the powerful Air Rifles, the Townies seemed to have the advantage. Even though it was dark and stormy, the guns were far more accurate that what the students had to use. The Bottle Rocket’s fire, never very accurate to began with, was rendered nearly useless in the wind and rain. The more accurate Spud Guns, less affected by the wind, had little effect even when they did strike the crates stacked three high that the Townies were barricaded behind.
But the Townie’s shots that struck the barricade of crates that the students were using for cover would splinter and sometimes shatter them. More crates were funneled from the Storage Shed to replace them, but Tony knew there were only so many. If the battle to gain entry to the Chem Plant lasted too long, they would eventually run out of crates to keep their position fortified. Added to that were the mounting casualties....Dan took a shoulder shot, and Bo took a Pellet to the thigh. The Bullies lost Troy to a Pellet in the gut when he stupidly stood up trying to aim. That brought the total sidelined to five, and the battle was barely a half-hour old. Tony knew something would have to be done, or their standoff would soon turn into defeat. He wished now that he had held out at least one of the Air Rifles they had tossed in the School Furnace last winter....But Max had been there, watching, and it would have been near impossible to hide even one.
POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!!
Nick saw the concern on Tony’s face when they ducked down to reload. “We Should Try Using The M-80s !”, he shouted.
“Can’t”, Tony hollered back, “In This Wind They’ll Be Useless ! We Have To Think Of Something Else !”
“Look !!”, Nick said, and pointed. “Reinforcements !”
Coming up the ramp were the the Greasers, with Johnny and Lola in the lead, followed a ways back by the Nerds, led by a limping Fatty and Melvin. Trailing behind them were a few of the Preps, Gord, Justin, and Parker, being led apparently by Bryce Montrose. They were carrying the two Shields from Harrington House.
Tony went to meet them as the battle continued. He Greeted Johnny. “Hey, uh, thanks for coming.”
“Ey, no prob”, Johnny said. “When Lola told me youse was goin’ after these freaks who messed up our Car and my boys, I just hadda come fer some payback. Nobody messes with Johnny’s boys and gits away wid it !”
“Well, we sure can use the help”, Tony said, eyeing Lola. How she had found out about this, Tony didn’t know. “So...Let me tell you what we’re doing here...”
“Ay, just tell Peanut here, I’se be grabbing a weapon here and gettin’ to it”, Johnny said.
Tony turned to Peanut to explain about the crates for the barricade. It was then that he saw that Binky was also along, clinging to Peanut’s arm. He also spotted Angie next to Hal. “Um...These girls shouldn’t be here....It’s kinda dangerous....”
“Don’t be silly”, Lola piped up. “We’ll just pass the ammunition.” She smiled sweetly at Tony, communicating their shared secret.
“Um....All right”, he said, and briefly gave Peanut instructions. Tony then moved back to talk with the Nerds.
“Melvin...Fatty....Glad you could come, after all”, Tony said, eying the huge cannon Fatty was carrying. “Uh...What’s that thing ?”
“That...”, Thad boasted proudly, from behind Fatty, “Is the Th-uper Th-pud Gun! Accurate to allmosts Three-Thundred Yards !”
“Wow, that’s impressive”, Tony said, impressed. “You...Uh, tried it out yet ?”
“Yeth !”, Thad exclaimed, “And ith’s AWESOME !”
Tony turned to Melvin. “If that thing works, it could turn this battle...So, I’m real happy you guys brought it.”
“Well, Jimmette said we should come help”, Melvin said, “So...Here we are.”
Tony then saw that Jimmette was also in the pack of Nerds. “Just...Uh, keep her back outta harm’s way....Ok ?”
“Oh, he will”, Fatty said nasally, and with a trace of jealously, Tony thought. He pointed them to the frontlines and told them to see Nick, then moved on to see the Preps.
“I, uh...Didn’t expect you fellows”, Tony said to Bryce, eying the shields.
“Pinky told us we should come, and said we should bring these”, Bryce said, indicating the Shields. “Said they would help.”
“I heard about these”, Tony said, looking at the Shields. “Think they will come in handy....We need to get in there, somehow....Maybe with these, we have a chance.” He looked back at Bryce. “So...Pinky got you to come ?”
“Yes...She came to me and explained some...Things”, Bryce said, a trace of irony in his voice. “She said, here was our chance to even up the books on those who held our chaps bound at the house, and to redeem ourselves in the process. That’s why we’re here.”
Tony looked at the Preps. “Only....The four of you ?”
“We fellows don’t particularly care for the direction Tad is taking things”, Bryce related, “So, this is all I could muster, for now. He didn’t object to those who wanted to come along, or for us taking the Shields....Points in his favor, I suppose.” He looked at Gord, who was carrying the other Shield. “What say, Chap ? Shall be do battle with those Devils ?”
“Let’s do it !”, Gord replied with a lopsided smile. Tony told them to see Nick, but his mind was forming a plan. He needed to return to the battle, but saw one more group straggling up the ramp....Mandy, Gloria, Paige, and Amber, with Ray trailing behind. He went to meet them.
“I thought you girls were staying behind, like we talked about”, he said to them.
“And leave Ted to get shot at again, and me not be there ?”, Mandy replied. “No way. Besides, you’re going to need someone to tend to the wounded, right ? I know you have some, like last time. We have rags and bandages.”
Tony had to concede she was right. Besides, he was allowing those other girls to be here, and he couldn’t very well say no. “There’s five wounded, so far. Go ahead, but for cripes sake, stay outta the line of fire. That means you too, Ray.”
The girls and Ray agreed and moved on. Tony hurried ahead to get back, thinking about how to best use the Shields and Super Spud Gun when the chance presented itself. It was becoming clearer in his mind what should be done....But it would be risky.
___________________________________________
-
Jerry rode the elevator back down, getting out at the ground floor and rattling the wire gate shut. He headed towards the Storage Room and wound around to the secret panel, going through and closing it, then climbing down the ladder to the first level. Jerry looked around briefly in the dim light. There wasn’t much to see here, just some long crates of stuff, some lined up in rows, presumably waiting to be shipped out. Ringing the perimeter of the level were what looked like Labs. Jerry had never investigated them, or anything on the first level, for that matter.
He headed across the space towards the alcove where the steps led down to the second level, passing a set of steel doors that couldn’t be opened, at least not by them. Jerry knew there were identical sets of steel doors on all three levels, and none of them were able to be opened.
Gurney, who had fixed the damaged conduits to the elevator and restored the power to it, as well as the underground levels, was at a loss to explain just why the electronic locks couldn’t be opened. The power was there, but they refused to budge. It was supposed that the doors led to an elevator of some kind, but nobody knew. It would have been nice if they had, for it got tiring going clear up to the roof anytime they wanted to leave. Climb Up, Climb Down, Jerry thought wirily. At least they were getting their exercise.
But Jerry was tired. He’d been up all day, stealing boats, going to the Carnival and then down the river. The only break he’d gotten was coming back from the small river dock via the secret tunnel to the third level. Even though it was a long walk, Jerry had taken his time. He had been hoping to sleep tonight, and to prepare for tomorrow, when he expected Omar would use him somehow to pick up the ransom for these little bitches. But now, it looked like his night would be spent running up ammo up to the roof for as long as it took to beat back this sudden attack.
Going down the stairs to the second level alcove, he entered the level and took a brief look around. The lights were still blazing in the large Animal Testing Lab where they had recaptured those bitch girls. In a way, it was sort of funny. That little dark-haired one’s screams led them right to the wannabe escapees, and the honey blonde one was tugging on her instead of saving her own skin. Not that they would have gotten away, anyhow. Jerry was glad he had a strong stomach, though. All the dead animals going to rot in those cages almost made him lose his lunch.
Jerry skirted around to where the alcove was for the stairs to down to the third level. These stairs were in a different alcove from the ones up to the first level he had just come down, in fact several yards away. Those little bitches hadn’t had time to find the alcove that led up, so they had run off into the dark Animal Testing Lab, hoping to fool their pursuers. But the ruse hadn’t worked for long. Jerry took the down steps two at a time, despite his weariness, and went down the hall to report to Omar.
“Um...I gotta run more ammo up to them”, Jerry said as he approached Omar.
“Whatsamatter ? Why they need more ?”, Omar fumed. “It’s only a few of them kids, ain’t it ?”
“Well, I couldn’t tell”, Jerry said, “It’s dark, and there’s only shadows except when the lightening flashes.....Ian said there was a lot of them, though.”
“Shit !”, Omar replied, and swore some more. “Take another bag of ammo to them then, but only that. Tell them Greenies to hold 'em off at any cost !”
From the chairs where she and Melody were chained up, Karen spoke suddenly. “Trouble in your Paradise, losers ? You just wait until Tony shows up, you bastards are gonna be in a world of hurt when him and Nick find out what you’ve done to us !”
“You’re a....Monster !”, Melody squeaked. It was coming back to her what the Townies had been doing to her.
Gritting his teeth, Omar whirled on them. Glaring, he said fiercely, “That’s enough out of you bitches ! Any more of your moronic comments, and I’ll Duct Tape your mouths shut !! Understand !?”
“You...”, Karen started, then stopped. With a look of hatred, she glared at her and Melody’s tormenters.
Leon and Otto were hovering in the back of the Rec Room. “You, uh...Wantin’ us to do anything ?”, Leon asked, nervously.
Omar pulled his gaze away from Karen and looked towards Leon and Otto. “Go back and get out our weapons and ammo, and bring them here, just in case.”
The three Townies went to carry out their orders. A minute later, Gurney came into the room. “Perimeter is secure, on all three levels. No sign of intruders.”
“Doubtful they can even find a way down here, even so”, Omar said to him, then drew close and lowered his voice. “Get Duncan, and bring his sorry ass in here to help guard these sluts....And he better not fuck up this time. Then, go check out the escape tunnel....Make sure the lights are on, in case we have to dump this joint in a hurry.”
“Right”, Gurney drawled, and went off to round up Duncan. Omar picked up the Walkie-Talkie and pressed the talk button. “How is it up there ? Report !”
A few seconds went by, the the radio crackled to life. “Holding Our Own”, the voice of Ian said, “But We Need That Extra Ammo !”
Omar could hear the pneumatic sounds of the Air Rifles being fired in the background, as well as explosions for what sounded like Bottle Rockets and sounds of things spatting against wood and metal. A sense of relief went through him. If the attackers had been the Cops or the Feds, they would be using real guns, not those schoolkid’s toys. “Some more is on the way....Hold your positions !”
“Will Do”, Ian responded, and in the background the firing seemed to die down. “I think we can run them out of ammo first.......”
Ian trailed off, but still had the button depressed. Omar heard some shuffling noises, then voices from the other Townie newbies on the roof. “Dear Gawd !”, one exclaimed. “What The Hell Is That ?”, another cried. The firing started up again, intensely, and more cries went up. Suddenly the Walkie-Talkie was dropped and the connection was severed.
_________________________________________
-
Tony’s plan was being put into action. Having his forces assembled along the crate line lay down a steady sustained fire of Spud Gun and Bottle Rocket fire, he had the Nerds throw Stink Bombs at the distant Townies barricade. Although the Stink Bombs fell short of actually reaching the barricade, they sent up enough clouds of noxious fumes to hide what Tony was engineering.
As the greenish clouds blocked the Townie’s view, several crates were pulled back along the student’s line. Through this gap, Tony sent two Preps, Bryce and Gord, carrying the Harrington House Shields in front of them. Right behind them went Melvin with the Super Spud Gun. Tony, Nick, and Laurent followed close behind. The strange line snaked it’s way toward the Townie barricade in front of the Access Shed.
They had to hold up a bit until the Stink Bomb fumes dispersed. The next flashes of lightening revealed to the Townies the strange procession coming right at them. All they could see in the intermittent flashes was the images of the two Shields, and the unexpected sight generated immediate alarm in their ranks.
“Dear Gawd !”, Floyd Exclaimed, eyes bugging. He had seen one of those Shields already, in the Nerd‘s Observatory.
“What The Hell Is That ?", Nate shouted, blinking furiously at the advancing sight.
Ian, who had been talking on the Walkie-Talkie with Omar, looked on speechless as the strange Shields advanced. So surprised was he at the sight, he dropped the Walkie-Talkie onto the roof surface, where it broke open. “OPEN FIRE !!!”, he screamed, “OPEN FIRE !!!!!”
The Townies targeted the Shields and began pouring a steady stream of Pellets at them, which bounced off harmlessly. As the column advanced to within a few feet of the barricade, darkness took over again as the thunder rolled. Bryce and Gord separated slightly and Melvin pushed the Super Spud Gun through the gap between them. At the next lightening flashes, Melvin opened up, firing round after round of the Supper Spud Gun at the middle of the Townie’s barricade.
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
The accelerated force of the Spuds from the Super Spud Gun shattered the crates it hit. Melvin moved the aim in an up and down position, until a hole was created in the barricade right in front of the Access Shed’s lone door. Melvin then targeted the door itself, unleashing a fresh round that battered the thin steel door. Melvin tried for the center of the door, trying to bash the door with enough rounds to spring it open.
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
The Townies were taken aback at the force of the attack, and had hunkered down for cover. The Door sprung open, bent and twisted, right before the Super Spud Gun ran out of ammo. Tony pushed through then, tossing a couple of lit M-80s into the gap. Although the explosions did no harm to the Townies, it disoriented them enough to allow Tony, Nick, and Laurent to slip through the gap in the barricade unchallenged and run through the now open door.
“Fall Back !!!”, Melvin cried as a way to let the Preps know he was out of Spuds. Backing up quickly, with Melvin retreating behind them, Bryce and Gord kept their Shields in front of them as they returned to their barricade. Regaining their senses, the Townies began to fire on their opponent’s line again, once more in the dark. The students answered with a barrage of their own, and a lucky shot from a Bottle Rocket nailed Sam, knocking him out.
Inside, Tony, Nick and Laurent moved as quickly as they could in the dark around the circular enclosed catwalk towards their first inside barrier between them and the Kidnapped Girls.
_________________________________________
-
Carefully moving along, feeling his way, Tony’s dream image bloomed in his mind. He knew what was ahead. Holding his Spud Gun in his hand, he felt for the railing he knew had to be there, and grasped it. Behind him, Laurent walked, catlike. Nick brought up the rear, his weapon at the ready, looking behind them in case any of the Townies had followed them. But none did, it seemed they were far too occupied to chase them.
After what seemed like a long time, but was less than a minute, Tony felt the railing drop away. He felt out with his hand, and as in his dream, encountered the steel doors. Feeling the surface, the palm of his hand burned. Tony brought it to his face, but there was no glow. Then he remembered, and began fumbling around in his pocket for the piece of paper he had jammed there earlier, and dug out his lighter from the other pocket, shifting his weapon to do so.
In the flickering light from his lighter, he saw the square Keypad set to the side of the doors. He bent to examine it as Laurent and Nick crowded close. It contained not numbers, but letters. There were five rows of five letters each, all jumbled up. One letter was missing in the mix, but Tony couldn’t tell which.
Nick took a look at the paper in Tony’s hand, where he had written the code from his dream, VX-CHONPS. “That’s interesting”, Nick commented as Tony began to enter the code on the pad, punching in the letters as he found them. “That code contains the components of VX Nerve Gas.”
“Nerve Gas ?”, Tony exclaimed, pausing and looking at Nick. “How would you know that ? I thought you sucked at Chemistry !”
“I do suck at Chemistry”, Nick said dryly, “But I know about VX. Me and my Mom used to live close to a place called Newport, where the Government stored a lot of that shit. It’s so lethal that one drop on your skin can kill you. There was big write-ups in the papers when they began to dilute it with other chemicals to, as they called it, ‘destroy’ it. We moved away to L.A. after that, and not soon enough for me, I’ll tell you. Bein’ around that stuff made me nervous.”
That was a long speech, especially for Nick. Again, Tony wondered about him. Nick never said much about his past life or even his family. Tony could relate, for he didn’t confide to anyone about that sort of stuff either, not even to Karen. Not many kids did. But Nick seemed to have had some unusual experiences.
Tony had no further time to dwell on the matter, for as he entered the last letter on the Keypad, the steel doors unlocked with a metallic ‘chink’ and rolled open.
Out before them was a long, dimly lit hallway that seemed to stretch the length of the Chem Plant. Securing his weapon, Tony motioned the others forward and began to move silently down the hallway.
“Wait !”, Laurent said, still standing in the open doorway. “We will have to block this open, so the others can follow !”
“Like those Townies up there ?”, Nick said snidely. “We don’t need them on our tail, not with those Air Rifles.”
Laurent shook his head. “They will already know ze code, our forces do not !”, he said. “We must keep these doors from closing !”
Mentally, Tony slapped his head. Of course. Laurent was right. “Um...Nick ? Could you go on up ahead and see if you can find something...?”
“Already on it”, Nick said, rather embarrassed at not thinking of that. Tony watched Nick tred down the hallway, weapon at the ready, and disappear into the gloom. It seemed like a long time, but it was only a couple minutes before Nick reappeared, carrying a short length of steel pipe.
“Here”, he grunted, “Saw this on one of them catwalks.” Nick set the pipe down crossways in the tracks of the steel doors, and had Laurent step out of the way. As soon as he did, the steel doors began to roll closed, but caught and jammed on the steel pipe. There was sudden whining sound as the doors attempted to overcome the obstruction, then sprays of sparks and smoke erupted from both keypads. Abruptly, the motion of the doors stopped.
“That’ll hold them”, Nick said with a rare smile.
“Right”, Tony said, relieved. “Let’s Go !”
The boys tracked down the long hallway. At the terminal end was an elevator shaft, enclosed in metal mesh wire, just as Tony had seen in his dream. Catwalks went out from both sides to the left and right from in front of the elevator.
Tony searched, and then found what he was looking for. The red call button was at the ready, and Tony pressed on it. The elevator motor whirred to life as something moved far below.
“I suppose you saw that in your dream”, Nick commented, and Tony nodded. “Any thing else you remember ?”
“No...This was it”, Tony said as the elevator rose up the shaft. “We’re on our own now.”
____________________________________
-
“Ian ? Come in, Ian !”, Omar spoke into the Waklie-Talkie. Only static answered him. After more time uselessly trying, Omar slammed the Walkie-Talkie down on the table. “SHIT !!!”, he cursed.
“Trouble ?”, Karen jeered, despite Omar’s threat to gag her. “What you Pervos gonna do now ?”
“I Told You To SHUT UP !!!”, Omar exploded. “You got a problem with your EARS ?”
“No problem at all”, Karen replied. “You’re keeping us underground, aren’t you ? Levels ? Your rotten friends up above ? I can hear fine....Just Fine.”
“You think you’re smart, don’t you girlie ?”, Omar hissed. “You keep rappin’ yer trap, and the others are gonna find out that you two know a hell’ve lot more than you shoulds. I won’t be able to protect you bitches from the others....You ever think of that, Smarty ?”
“I....I didn’t think of that....”, Karen uttered, an icy touch of fear stealing over her.
Just then, Jerry came by the front of the Rec Room, lugging the bag of ammo. “Ok, I’m goin’ up now !”
Omar turned his attention to Jerry. “You still here ? Get that shit up there, pronto ! And report back quickly. I wanna know what’s goin’ on up there !”
Jerry nodded and began lugging the bag of ammo down the hall towards the alcove stairway. As he was doing so, Leon and Otto appeared, lugging more ammo into the Rec Room. “Uh...Where should we stash this ?”, Leon asked.
“Put it in the back there”, Omar muttered, pointing to the back of the Rec Room.
“Where’s Jerry off to ?”, Otto asked, “Taking ammo up ?”
“Yeah”, Omar said. “Looks like it gonna take a little longer to beat those snots down. But we’ll get ‘em. They’ll be cryin’ and full of Pellets.”
“You want we should go up and help ?”, Leon ventured.
Omar went to reply, but Karen cut in suddenly. “Yeah, do that...Our friends can pick them off too, and when Tony and Nick come to get us, there’ll be less of you rapist fucks to deal with.”
“Karen, shut up !”, Melody squeaked. “You’re making it worse !”
“How much worse can it be ?”, Karen said, her heart pounding in spite of her bravado. “They’ve already done their worst to us.”
Omar glowered at Karen. “You best listen to your cumbag friend, bitch, and keep your pie-hole closed.” To Leon and Otto, he said, “No....Stay here and run the perimeter, and check upstairs every few minutes. Just as a precaution. They can’t possibly find their way down here, even if they do get in. Besides, with all that ammo, they’ll get cut to ribbons if they even try.” But even as he said those words, doubts were creeping into his mind.
At this moment, Gurney returned with Duncan in tow. “Found him sacked out in one of the rooms”, he announced.
“That so ?”, Omar said disgustedly. “Get over here, freak, and guard these bitches. And don’t let me be catchin’ you sleepin’ no more tonight !”
Ok, Ok, I’m going”, Duncan mumbled. “Just don’t hit me no more !”
“I’ll do more than that if you fuck up again !”, Omar threatened. He let out a sigh of frustration, but knew he had to keep his cool. The boys couldn’t see him coming unglued. He headed off toward the Level’s Kitchen. Maybe a late night snack would help sooth his frayed nerves.
_______________________________________
-
The large flaps opened and the lift returned to the top. The two Agents on the lift remained silent until they stepped off, then went to confer with the other Agents standing nearby, under the shadow of the two big tanks of the Industrial Water Treatment Plant.
“Everything checks out”, the first Agent, whose name was Kellerman said. “Underground entrances to all the buildings are open, except for one....The Chemical Plant.”
“We found those access doors welded shut, at all three levels”, the second Agent reported, whose name was Hill. “Looks like Harrington’s people made sure everything was sealed off before they cut and ran.”
“I see”, Agent Hosty said. “It’s like we suspected, to run up against something like this.” He turned to Agent Greer, who was standing alongside him. “See if that Chief can round up some Acetylene Tanks and Cutting Torches. They’re sure to have some around on the Docks or in one of those Warehouses somewhere.”
“Right”, Agent Greer answered, and went off to speak with Chief O’Rouke, who was over by the gates near the street. As he did so, two more Police cars pulled up on Meats Road, followed by three more dark-colored Government Vehicles. As Agent Greer conferred with the Chief, more Agents spilled from the vehicles, arms at the ready. Officers exited their vehicles also, it appeared the entire Bullworth Police Force was here. Everyone gathered around the Chief and Agent Greer, and a discussion ensued. Within minutes, the Officers and some of the Agents returned to their cars and sped off in different directions to round up what Agent Hosty had requested.
Agent Hosty returned to where Agents Hill and Kellerman were standing. “It won’t be long now. I just hope we can get inside that place in time, before.....” Here, he trailed off.
The Agents stood grim faced, the unspoken danger left unsaid.
*********************************************************
Constantinos snuck from the shadows of the Save Warehouse as the cars pulled up on Meats Street. It was unlikely he would be seen in the darkness and the storm, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He headed through the outskirts of the Semi Loading Complex and followed the Rail Line deeper into the Industrial Area. On the way, he tried calling both Tony and Nick on the Cell Phone, but both calls went right to voice mail. They must have turned them off.
Emerging from the underpass, Tiffany and the boys that had brought her here saw the retreating form of Constantinos in the lightening flashes that lit up the sky with a strobe-like effect. A ripple of excitement rose in her. “Look !”, she pointed, “There he goes !”
Gordon, Ivan, and Trevor had seen. There was also something else they noticed, a bevy of cars off to the left, crowded around the Meats Street and Spencer Road by the Save Warehouse. “What’s going on with that ?”. Trevor wondered.
“Who Cares ?”, Tiffany said, her eyes fastened on the back of Constantinos, now trotting down the Rail Line. “Let’s Go !”, she said breathlessly, anticipation evident in her voice. Tiffany began running lightly across the street towards the Rail Line. The boys looked at one another and shrugged, then followed behind.
_________________________________________________
-
Tony, Nick, and Laurent had indeed shut their Cell Phones off, as the descended in the Elevator towards the lower floors of the Chem Plant. They looked out into the dim light at the destruction wrought by the bombings as they passed the floors through the mesh wire on the way down. None made any comment, as they agreed to remain silent, having no idea of what awaited them below.
Their weapons were at the ready as the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor. Nick rattled the elevator gate open and they exited quickly at once, expecting all the while to be fired on. If there ever a time that they were virtually sitting ducks to be picked off, this was it. They headed off in different directions in the dim interior to find shelter from any anticipated fire.
After a few minutes, it became apparent that no defense attack was forthcoming. In fact, it was eerily silent. They could hear the far-off sounds of thunder, which echoed weakly from the outside. As they realized that nobody was keeping guard, they began to seek one another out, coming together again near some skids of fertilizer.
“Does not seem to be any persons here”, Laurent whispered.
“I’m not hearing anything either”, Nick said in a low voice.
“Seems strange they wouldn’t guard this floor”, Tony mused quietly. “They have to know they are under attack. Makes no sense, unless....”
“Unless....They’re sure nobody can get to them”, Nick finished.
“That means....”, Tony paused. “The way down must be hidden, somehow.” They all looked about in the dim light. The level was basically open in the middle, containing pallets of boxed and bagged chemicals, mostly fertilizers and the like. Ringed around the area, towards the outer wall, were what seemed like various offices, labs, and unidentified rooms. “We’ll have to start looking, probably in all them rooms”, Tony continued, “We’ll have to use our flashlights, I think we can without worrying about being seen, since there don’t seem.....”
“Shhh !!!”, Nick said suddenly. “Quiet !! I hear something !”
The boys fell silent. Listening intently, they turned their eyes towards the sounds that seemed to be coming from the South of them. They crept closer to the noise, which sounded like something being dragged. The sound continued, then stopped. Then suddenly, a door was pulled open in a room with no windows a little to the left of them. The boys immediately shrunk back behind a Pallet of bagged fertilizer, peering over the edge.
The figure of Jerry appeared, his back to them, pulling a large canvas sack out through the now-open doorway. As the sack cleared the frame, he reached back in and shut the door. That done, Jerry resumed dragging the sack across the floor, heading towards the elevator.
Tony looked at the others and made a small signal with his hand, then aimed his Spud Gun. Nick and Laurent targeted Jerry as well, tracking his path. “Now”, Tony whispered, and squeezed the trigger, with Nick and Laurent following.
SPLAT !!!!!!!!!! SPLAT !!!!!!!!!! SPLAT !!!!!!!!!!
The three Spuds hit Jerry, one in the gut, doubling him over, the next in the shoulder, spinning him around, and the third in the leg, knocking him down. In a flash, the boys were on him, training their weapons for another shot.
“Ohhh....I can’t feel my legs !”, Jerry moaned. “You ruptured my stomach !”
“We’ll do more than that”, Tony said. “Where are the girls ?”
“Are you friggin’ Stupid ?”, Jerry groaned, “I ain’t tellin’ you nothing !”
“You took them, didn’t you ?”, Tony said harshly, “You and your asshole friends !”
”You must be pretty stupid”, Jerry said, “I’m not even gonna answer that.”
“Haul him up”, Nick said, “I’ll get him to talk.”
Tony and Nick reached down and pulled Jerry upright, wrestling his arms behind him, while Nick kept his weapon trained on his head. “Show us the way down”, Nick said menacingly.
“You’re not too bright, are you ?”, Jerry said, “I ain’t tellin’ you that !”
Freeing one hand, Nick sent a hard punch into Jerry’s jaw, rocking his head back. Jerry attempted a laugh which didn’t quite come out right. “You call that a punch ?”, he taunted. “I can hardly feel that !”
Nick drew back again and sent a hard smash into Jerry’s nose. “Owwwww !”, he howled, blood running down his face. “Son of a Bitch, I’m bleeding, for cripes sake !” He spit out the blood that was leaking into his mouth. “I’m gonna get you back for this !”
“That so ?”, Nick said, and jumping up, kicked Jerry hard in the nuts.
“ARRUUGGGHHH !”, Jerry screamed. “I’ll Never be able to piss again ! You‘re gonna regret that one, Bigshot ! You know who you‘re messin‘ with ?”
“I know Slime when I see it”, Nick said. “You’re nothing but a Turd to me.”
“You’re stupider than a piece of Turd !”, Jerry shot back. “Back off, you dumb animal !”
“We need to secure him”, Nick said to Tony.
“I have some rope with myself”, volunteered Laurent.
Nick swept Jerry’s legs out from under him, and he went down, with Tony still restraining his arms. Laurent dug into his backpack and produced a length of sturdy rope. The boys bound Jerry’s arms and hands behind him, and drug him back to his feet.
“You can’t do this to me, do you know who I am ?”, Jerry complained, trying to yank free and failing. “Look, I haven’t done anything to you, Ok ?”
“Not Ok, you’re gonna tell us how to get down to where your asshole pals are holding Karen and Melody !”, Tony said harshly. Tony took a look at the bag Jerry had been dragging across the floor, and went over to it. Looking inside, he exclaimed, “Ammo ! It’s all Pellets !”
“We should stash that somewhere out of sight”, Nick said. “Them bastards up above are gonna run out, that’s where he was going with it. We can outlast them up there pretty soon.”
Tony eyed the door where Jerry had emerged from. “He came out of that room over there, the way down must be in there ! I’m gonna go look.” Tony went over to the door that Jerry had come out of and pushed it open. It wasn’t locked.
“Hey Kid, you can’t go in there !”, Jerry cried.
“Watch me”, Tony retorted. Looking back, he said, “Bring him.”
Nick and Laurent hauled a struggling Jerry across the floor and pushed him through the doorway. Then the boys pulled out their flashlights and shone them around the room. It was not large. There were metal shelves lining some of the walls, with various things on them. It appeared to be a storage room of some kind, as there was also items of stuff scattered here and there on the floor. The boys dumped Jerry on the floor and started inspecting the room.
“You’re never going to get down there”, Jerry mocked. “Even if you could, we’re gonna wipe your asses with the Floor !”
“We’ll see about that”, Nick muttered, and began digging in his own backpack. Fishing out something, he approached Jerry with an object hidden from his sight. “One more time. How do we get down there ?”, Nick said, his voice full of acid.
“Get Bent”, Jerry said. No sooner had the words left his mouth than Nick raised the object he was holding, a Spray Paint can, and shot a load into Jerry’s eyes.
“ARRRUUUGGGHHH !!! I CAN’T SEE !!”, Jerry screamed. “MY FUCKING EYES !!!”
With his other hand, Nick began beating the helpless Townie, in his guts, in his chest, and on his face. “Spill, You Motherfucker, Or I’ll Beat You To Death !!”
“No, Please, I’ll do anything you say, just don’t hit me no more !!”, Jerry gasped, squeezing his eyes rapidly and trying to clear the Spray Paint from them.
“Tell us how to get down there”, Nick said in the deadliest voice Tony had ever heard him use.
“It’s...It’s that back panel....Behind the rack, there’s....A Lever....”, Jerry spit out, crumpled in pain.
Tony and Laurent quickly searched. “Found it”, Tony announced. His fingers closed on the hidden lever, and pulled it. A panel in the back wall slid open. Beyond it, their flashlights revealed a circular hole in the floor, set in contrite, with a ladder poking a bit up from it.
Tony eyed Laurent. “Stash that Ammo out there, hide it. Go back, up the elevator, and wait for the others. Show them how to get down here. If you come yourself, make sure somebody stays to show any others the way.”
“Right”, Laurent said. “We will be with you soon, I can promise that !” Laurent left the room then to attend to business. As he exited, Jerry stirred.
“I can’t believe it”, Jerry said weakly. “I’m Intelligent, this can’t be happenin’ to me !”
“Believe it”, Nick said tersely. “You Scum are gonna pay for Kidnapping our girls !”
Jerry uttered a low, painful laugh. “You dumbo school kids ain’t gonna like what you find.”
“What do you mean by that ?”, Tony asked from across the room. “You fucking freaks better not have hurt them any !”
Jerry coughed and then chuckled. “Have you ever got to home base with two chicks at the same time ?”
Tony looked on, confused, not understanding. But Nick’s face suddenly became enraged. He picked up his Spud Gun and pointed it at Jerry’s head.
“No, Don’t !”, Jerry exclaimed, “They made me do it !”
Nick pulled the trigger and shot a Spud directly into Jerry’s forehead, who flopped backwards, knocked out.
______________________________________________
-
Constantinos came up the ramp to quite a sight. The firefight on the Chem Plant roof was in full throttle. As he approached, the first thing he saw was a sort of Triage Area, illuminated by a few flashlights and the frequent flashes of lightening. Constantinos counted six girls, all tending to the wounded with various rags and bandages, that were grouped a ways back from the main fire. He saw Troy, Wade, & Ethan from the Bullies, Dan, Bo & Kirby from the Jocks, Ricky & Vance from the Greasers, and Cornelius from the Nerds being tended to for various injuries. As he watched, Lucky of the Greasers was dragged over by the others with a Pellet shot to the leg.
He moved closer to what was the ‘Front Line’ and saw some of the kids that were dragging out wooden crates from the storage area and pushing them towards the line to replace shattered ones, other kids were firing from what cover they had. Behind them, others were busy reloading weapons and passing them forward, receiving the spent weapons in return to reload those. He saw Mandy and Lola passing ammo to those reloading.
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!! POW-THUNK !!!!
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
The Townie adversaries were not firing back as much as the Students were managing to fire at them, but the Townie shots from the Air Rifles were proving to be making hits, whereas the efforts of the Students were yielding nothing. Constantinos approached a group gathered nearby the wall, who appeared to be in a heated discussion.
“I say we assault them again, like before”, Ted was saying.
“Naw, man, wait until they runs out of ammo, then we go gets them”, Johnny disagreed.
“The Super Spud Gun is loaded and primed for another run”, put in Melvin, “We should go !”
“Yeah, well that be up to who’s carrying dose Shields, Don’cha think ?”, Johnny retorted, pointing at Bryce and Gord. “Mebbe they don’t wants to be sittin’ ducks.” Johnny’s comment was a direct disrespect aimed at the Preps, whom he considered cowards.
Bryce let the insult pass. “Well, I am game, if you are ?”, he said to Gord.
“I’m up for it”, Gord replied. “Worked before....These Shields are amazing.”
“Then that’s it”, Ted said, “Get ready to go on my mark.” Ted had sort of taken charge since Tony and Nick, with Laurent trailing, had gone inside with the last assault.
“Wait”, Constantinos interrupted. “Is that all you have ?”, he asked, indicating the Spud and Bottle Rocket Guns in Ted and Johnny’s hands.
“Sure”, Johnny replied, shrugging. “What else is there ?”
Constantinos sluffed off his backpack and dug around it it. “These”, he said, removing something and holding out his hands. The others took a look and his handful of M-80s.
“Whoa....There must be....20 of those there”, Ted exclaimed. “Where did you get those ? Calderone and Penty took with them whatever they had.”
“I have even more”, Constantinos said. “I’ve been.....Hoarding them. Just in case....”
“Ain’t you suspended ?”, Johnny grunted suddenly to Constantinos.
“Well....Yeah....But I’m here to help out, anyway”, Constantinos responded, realizing as he said it that he needed redemption too.
“Then it’s a plan”, Ted declared. “Line up behind us. When Melvin blasts those crates, lob some of those in there. Let’s do it !”
The formation made ready again, Bryce and Gord in the front, Melvin behind with the Super Spud Gun, Johnny and Ted behind them, with Constantinos squeezed in the middle. When there came a lull in the Townie’s firing, they set off, advancing on their barricade once again.
______________________________________________
-
Tony and Nick, having climbed down the ladder to the first lever, cautiously took a look around. In the dim light, there was nobody in evidence. Still, the boys hunched down and tred quietly. The level looked like a warehouse of sorts, although there wasn’t much here, just a few long crates lined up in rows. Ringed around the level was what seemed to be Labs. Tony went past the set of steel doors that looked familiar, and paused to investigate them.
“Hey, look !”, he whispered, “These look like those ones we saw in the tunnels !”
Nick didn’t answer. When Tony turned to look, Nick wasn’t there. Instead, Nick had gone off to inspect those long crates, which lay about 25 feet away. Tony went over to see just what was so interesting about them.
(http://www.jacobsandco.biz/images/Long%20crate120.jpg)
“Whadda you doing ?”, Tony said lowly, as he came up beside Nick. “We gotta find the way down, and then find the girls !”
“Look at this”, Nick said, seemingly ignoring Tony’s urgency. “Check out the Label.”
“Huh ?”, Tony said, confused. “What for ?”
“Just look”, Nick repeated. Tony looked. In the dim-ish light, he could just make out the letters IUPAC stamped onto the white shipping tag of the crate.
“Yeah...So what ?”, Tony said, eager to get going. “That supposed to mean something ?”
“It stands for the.....International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry”, Nick said tightly. He suddenly started looking around. “We gotta open this crate.” Nick began hunting around, trying to find something to pry open the crate.
“Have you lost your mind ?”, Tony said, forgetting to stay quiet. “Com’on, we got a mission to do !”
But Nick kept rooting around, finally returning with some sort of Pry Bar. He shoved it under the lip of the lid and began working the lid off. Tony watched with increasing confusion. What the hell was wrong with him ?
Nick pried the lid loose and pushed it aside. “Just as I thought”, he said, suddenly pulling back. “Bastards !!!”
Tony looked inside the crate, and saw a sight that stunned him. In a flash, he had a realization. This was what Harrington had built his empire on....Banned Biological Weapons.
(http://blog.oregonlive.com/news_impact/2009/08/large_nerve.jpg)
The VX Nerve Gas canisters glistened in the weak light. Tony moved his hand in to dust off the fine writing on one of the canisters.
“Don’t Touch That !!”, Nick said urgently. “If those things have leaked any....”
Tony hastily pulled his hand back. “So, this was what it was really all about”, he said wonderingly. “The Isolated Valley, the shutting off of the outside world, all the secrecy, all the corruption.....All that, just to sell death and destruction.”
“It’s just a good thing the Punks didn’t know about these levels when they set those C-4 charges”, Nick said. “Otherwise, we’d all be dead.”
Tony gingerly replaced the lid on the crate, his hands just a bit shaky. “Yeah, guess so.” He turned to Nick. “We gotta get the girls outta here. More than ever now.”
________________________________________
-
The Assault line snaked towards the Townie barricade once again. Furiously, the remaining trio of Nate, Floyd, and Ian fired salvos at the Shields with the same result as before, the Pellets ricocheting off the tough surfaces. When Bryce and Gord were close enough, Melvin poked the Super Spud Gun between them and opened fire, targeting the right side of the broken barricade of crates, where Floyd stood alone.
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
The rapid fire Spuds smashed and splintered the crates to pieces, leaving Floyd exposed to the withering fire. Floyd tried to escape then, but was cut down by a fresh fuselage of Spuds that hit him in the guts, chest, and finally his head. Knocked out, Floyd fell to the roof’s surface to join the already-unconscious Sam. Melvin next turned his fire on the crates that Nate and Ian were sheltered behind, concentrating on the upper rows of crates before he ran out of Spud ammo.
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
The crates disintegrated into Nate and Ian’s faces. Melvin tried to fire another round, but the Super Spud Gun had run out of ammo. Constantinos ducked around to the right and began lighting and throwing M-80s into the breech, toward the doorway to block the Townies from escaping into the building.
BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!!
Nate and Ian panicked. No longer even trying to fire their Air Rifles, their escape route cut off, they huddled behind the remaining lower row of crates as the M-80s went off around them.
“Move Back !”, Melvin urged, “Out of the Way !”
Bryce and Gord understood, moving off the the left, opening up a direct line of fire from the Students at the barricade line. “Open Fire !”, ordered Ted, and the Students laid down a steady, withering fire at the remains of the Townie barricade.
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! KA-POW !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
Unobserved, Tiffany watched with shining eyes and a fast orgasmic stirring at her plaything Constantinos, as he bravely took it to the armed Townies. Her breathing was fast and hard, her legs weak and rubbery. This was even better than any love scene in any book she had ever read. Her fantasies rose to new heights as the book she had carried from the Dorm Attic slipped from her fingers and fell to the roof of the Chem Plant, unnoticed.
Unable to rise up and defend themselves, Nate and Ian crawled around the edge of the Access Shed to escape the fire. Seeing this, the Students rose and vaulted their barricade. “Let’s Gets Them !!”, yelled Johnny, and the mass of Students charged onto the roof at the Access Shed, some cutting around to the right to cut off the Townies route of escape, the bulk heading to the left directly at the corner of the Access Shed.
Running behind the Access Shed, Nate and Ian were met by a wave of advancing Students coming at them from around the other side. Reversing course, they ran an angular path around the edge of the roof. Because of the six-foot high fence that ran around the perimeter of the Chem Plant roof, there was not even a way to quickly jump off. The Students began to chase Nate and Ian around the roof in an almost comical scene, punching, taunting, and slapping them as a cat would do to it’s prey. Finally, Ian and Nate were both tackled and wrestled down to the roof, the Students raining blows on them much as the steady rain was falling on everyone.
Within a minute, the fight was over, the Students parting to let the two biggest among them deliver the final blows. “RUSSELL SMASH !!”, he bellowed, as he planted a huge fist to Ian’s head, knocking him out. A few feet away, Bob grinned as he shook Nate before planting his huge ham-like fist dead center in his face. Nate went limp, and Bob smiled in the direction of Russell, who smiled back. They might meet in the Hole someday, but tonight, they were brothers in a common cause.
“Let’s Go !!!”, Ted shouted as the Townies were dealt with, and the Students began to pour into the doorway of the Access Shed, heading into the interior. For the moment, Constantinos held back, gathering Ray and latecomers Trevor, Ivan, and Gordon to secure the defeated Townies of Floyd, Nate, Ian, and Sam as prisoners. While the Townies were being bound with strips of rags, Tiffany approached Constantinos.
“Hello, Lover”, she breathed in a sensual voice, surprising him.
“Wha...What are you doing here ??”, Constantinos asked in confusion.
“Watching You”, Tiffany said huskily. “I am soooo turned on right now !” Her hand dived to Constantinos’ crotch, grabbing his sudden bludge. “I want it Now !!”
“Tiffany, this is crazy !”, Constantinos protested, his heat rising inside of him in spite of his resolve to not have this girl play him any more. “I can’t do this anymore. You’re Nuts !!”
Tiffany seemed not to hear him. “I want it Now”, she repeated, “And this time, no books, no stories, no love scenes....I just want You.”
Before he could protest further, Tiffany mashed her lips to his in the most passionate kiss he had ever known. His token resistance evaporated as she grabbed his belt and pulled him towards, and then behind, the Access Shed, out of sight of the others, who weren’t paying attention to them anyway.
Tiffany undid his belt and yanked down his pants, then literally tore off her panties, urging Constantinos down on the roof. Then she jammed herself down on him, over and over again, until her universe exploded in the greatest pleasure she had ever known, as the cleansing rain beat down on the both of them.
__________________________________
-
“Let’s get going”, Tony said in a low voice. “We have to find a way down....”
“Shhhh !”, Nick sounded suddenly. “I hear something !”
Tony listened, then he heard it too. Somebody was talking somewhere. The sounds were a ways off yet, but getting closer. He motioned Nick, and they took cover behind the long crates. Not the best option, Tony realized, if any pellets should hit the crates and somehow break one of those VX Nerve Gas Canisters if a firefight started, they would be screwed.
The voices came closer as they listened. Tony chanced a peek over the crates in the direction of the sound, and saw two figures emerging from from some kind of alcove in the far wall. They were in conversation, and not being very quiet about it.
“.....Donno why we gotta check these out, ain’t nobody gonna find the way in here that don’t already know”, one voice was saying.
“Ahh, Omar’s just bein’ cautious”, the second voice said. “It’s been a fucked up night, so far, with them Bitches tryin’ to escape, den those kids on the roof.”
“Really think that’s who it is ?”, the first voice wondered.
“Sure, who else ?”, the first voice answered, as they came closer. “Been those Cop Clowns, they’d never even come up there, and even if’n they did, they’d of rode them Motorcycles up the ramp. Gotta be dem Schoolkids.”
Neither Tony or Nick could risk a look without giving their position away now, even though it was pretty dim on this level. The conversation came no closer, and Nick couldn’t hear them walking anymore.
“Don’t see nothin’ here”, the first voice piped up suddenly. “It’s pretty quiet.”
“Maybe we should go up, get in the action...”, the second voice said.
“Naw, Omar said we should just check here and then go back down and cover the perimeter”, the first voice returned. “Sides, with all the ammo and shit Jerry took up, those Newbies should be able to shred those bastards to pieces. Tomorrow, we’ll be on our way to our new digs with our pockets full of cash.”
“Shame though”, the second voice said, sounding somewhat further away. “I hope we get to poke those Bitches one more time before we hafta leave.”
“Well, if he puts ‘em back in the rooms, we could do that still, I think”, the first voice said, sounding further off. The pair was obviously leaving. Tony risked a look over the crates, and saw the two figures walking away, back towards the way they came from.
“I hope so, 'cuz I wanna poke that little dark-haired one in the ass, like Gurney done”, the second voice said. At that, Nick suddenly shot up from behind the long crate, pulling his weapon up silently to take aim. Startled, Tony laid a hand on his friend’s arm, violently shaking his head and pointing to the long crate. It was only by sheer willpower that Nick held off from firing.
“Man, that’s Sick”, the first voice said. “You do know Poop comes out that hole, dont’cha ?”
“Hey, don’t knock if you ain’t tried it”, the second voice said, fading now. As Tony watched, the Two Townies entered the alcove and appeared to start downward. The had never looked back, which was a good break for Tony and Nick. But even as the voices of the two faded away, Nick remained tense, dark anger on his face.
“I’m gonna Kill ‘em”, Nick muttered through clenched teeth. “They’ve been molesting them.”
“We don’t know that”, Tony said, “They could just be talkin’ out their ass....”
“Face It”, Nick said, his own face full of fury. “Those Lowlife Scum have been Raping Our Women ! I’m gonna rip off their Cocks and feed it to them !”
As much as he fervently wanted to deny the possibility, deep down Tony knew Nick was right. He had just heard with his own ears, and as much as he didn’t want to believe such a horrible thing could be so, his thoughts began to crumble as the realization crashed into his mind. Emotions washed over him then....Shock, Anger, and then Hate.
“We’ll get them”, Tony said coldly, ice stealing into his veins. “And we’ll make them Pay, all right. We’ll make them Pay, BIG.”
__________________________________________
-
In a group, they charged down the circular catwalk, through the doors held open with the pipe that Nick had placed there, and down the long hall towards the elevator. In the lead were Bryce and Gord, still carrying the shields in front of them to ward off any attack, followed closely by Trent, Ted, and Johnny. Behind them came Davis and Tom of the Bullies, Damon, Casey, Juri, and Luis of the Jocks, Justin and Parker of the Preps, Peanut, Hal, Lefty, and Norton of the Greasers, with Lola tagging along, who had somehow obtained a Spudgun. Trailing last was the band of Nerds, Melvin in front lugging the Super Spud gun, with Bucky, Donald, and Thad following closely.
Some had stayed on the Chem Plant roof....Russell and Bob, who were busy kicking and stomping on their defeated opponents....Trevor, Gordon, Ivan, and Ray, who were helping pull the wounded back out of the rain and into the sheltering ramp, where the girls of Binky, Angie, Mandy, Gloria, Jimmette, Paige, and Amber were tending to their wounds....And Fatty, whose limp was making it hard for him to get around. In all, there were 11 casualties so far, but none had suffered real serious wounds, though they were bleeding a lot. And, behind the Access Shed, Constantinos and Tiffany were still busy at her game, which had taken of a whole new flavor.
Johnny, Ted, and Trent had relieved the Townies of their Air Rifles, but had discovered the guns were very low on ammo. They brought them along anyway, but still carried their primary weapons. The entire group approached the elevator in the dim light, and then saw Laurent step from the elevator.
“Mon Dieu!”, Laurent exclaimed, “I am so glad it is you fellows ! How is going the big battle ?”
“They’re all defeated”, Bryce informed him. “Where do we have to go now ?”
Laurent’s face showed relief. “This way, ride down the elevator, I will show you....But it can only ride five at one time.” He looked beyond them, and saw the long hall crowded with students. “It will take several of such trips....”
“Then, we better get started”, Ted said grimly, the memory of the Pellet shot into his chest just a few months ago by Omar burning in his mind for revenge. “Take us down !”
Laurent nodded, then herded the front four of Ted, Trent, Bryce, and Johnny into the elevator. He then got in himself, pulled the gate closed, and pushed the button for the ground floor. “Make ready !”, he called out to the others as the elevator began to move, “I will return shortly for more !”
In all, it would take twenty minutes and five more trips with the elevator in order to bring the remaining Students down to the ground floor, and on his last trip, Laurent was to bring down the last two Nerds of Bucky and Donald, along with two last minute passengers who appeared just as he was ready to close the gate....Constantinos and Tiffany.
_______________________________________
-
(http://www.bonsecoursgoodsharing.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/stairs.jpg)
Tony and Nick had made their way cautiously down the U-shaped stairs that led to the second level. They came out of the alcove at the bottom with loaded weapons at the ready, but after a few minutes it seemed certain there was nobody on the floor. Otto and Leon, who had been the two Townies up on the first level just a while ago, had presumably gone down to the third level.
The second level provided more light, as most of it was coming from a sort of straight line glass-walled area that bisected the circular room. Tony and Nick walked towards it, hunched over and looking around everywhere at once, in case an attack were to come. None did, however, and they arrived at the glass wall, peering in.
A ghastly sight greeted their eyes. Inside were scores of cages, and within them were the rotting remains of hundreds of dead animals, large and small. It was a gruesome sight, and Tony could only imagine at how this came to be. The one dead dog that was in a cage directly in front of Tony bothered him the most, for unlike most of the rest of the other animals who had rotted into mostly shapeless masses of flesh, this poor dog had managed to survive longer than many of the other animals. Tony gazed at the dog who had surely died of hunger and thirst. He was just beginning to rot, as much of his once-shiny coat was still intact. A memory welled up in him about his pet dog Fluffers, who had gotten hit by a car on the road where he lived. Tony wound up having to bury his canine pal in the backyard. A great sadness welled up in him as he looked at the poor dog who had died friendless and alone, and on the heels of that, a great anger.
(http://media.adn.com/smedia/2010/01/02/21/4916140.45351.original.aurora_standalone.prod_affiliate.7.jpg)
Nick laid a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Come on”, he said, not unkindly. “We got to go.”
Tony swallowed, and turned away from the sight, not looking back. The cruel callowness of those who had run the Vale Valley still never ceased to stir feelings of revulsion in him. Those who had fled and left these animals to their awful fates were heartless monsters indeed. And the remnants of the way of life that they had imposed upon the Valley, the very ones that the rich had disenfranchised, lay beneath them....The Townies, victims who had turned perpetrators. Greed an Hate always spawns more Greed and Hate, no matter what the class. It was time for this cycle to end, right here, tonight. Not only to rescue Karen and Melody, but to rescue the kind of life to which all were entitled, free of fear and madness.
The boys found the other set of stairs in an alcove not far from where they had emerged, in another alcove. They were identical to the stairs they had just come down. Just why they weren’t in the same place as one stairway was a mystery. Tony an Nick tred down, weapons at the ready, just as noiselessly as Foxes hunting in the night. At the bottom, from the shadows of the alcove, they gazed out onto the third level.
________________________________________
-
“Nothing up there, Boss”, Otto reported.
“Yeah, didn’t see nobody”, Leon added, “Or hear anybody.”
“Hmm....That’s good”, mused Omar. “Did you see Jerry ?”
“Ahhh....No. We didn’t go up above”, Otto replied. “You just told us to check the Levels, remember ?”
“Yeah, he oughtta be back soon”, Leon said, hopefully.
Omar wasn’t so sure. “Then, where is he ?”, Omar muttered, more to himself than the others. Again, he picked up the Walkie-Talkie and tried again. “Jerry....Come in. What’s going on up there ?” Only static answered him.
“He won’t answer you”, Karen jeered suddenly, viciously. “He’s beaten, they’re all beaten, and Tony and Nick are coming for your Prevo Asses !!”
Even though still afraid, Melody piped up bravely, “They’ll make you Sickos Pay for what you’ve done to us !”
Omar seethed at their words, but just turned and looked at the girls. It wouldn’t do to show that these two little girls were getting to him. “So, you Bitches know just what’s gonna happen, don’cha now ?”, he said with a smirk. “Those Schoolboy Princes of yours are just gonna waltz down here and save you from the bad men, is that it ?” He walked over and faced the bound girls. “Lemme tell you how it’s really gonna be. First off, your boyfriend Clowns aren’t gonna find their way down here, it’s too well concealed. So then, they’re gonna pay us some money, or else you two Sluts are gonna be comin’ with us to our new digs a long way from here. There, you’ll be our Slaves, and will do anything we want, eventually. You’ll even get to like it.”
“We will never Like It, and we won’t be you Slaves, either !”, Karen shot back. “You’ll never be able to hold us, ever !”
“Yeah ?”, Omar guffawed. “I heard tell of this guy in Cleveland who’s keeping three girls he snatched right in his house, for years. And he’s just one dude. What chance you Bitches think you got ?”
Gurney came up behind Melody while Omar was talking, and grabbed her under her boobs, cupping them. “I want another crack at this one a’fore we leave”, he said in a lecherous tone, “Now that she ain’t a Zombie no more.”
Panic seized Melody at his touch. “Leave Me Alone Motherfucker !!!”, she screamed, struggling against her bonds and trying to shake off Gurney’s hands.
“Shuddup, CUNT !!”, Gurney reacted, and suddenly smacked Melody in the side of her head.
A cry of protest arose from Karen. “Stop That, You Asshole !!”
“Why, You Bitch....”, Gurney said, raising his hand to strike Karen also.
But Omar interrupted him. “Cool it, right now !”, he ordered. “Don’t be damaging the merchandise. If we get that ransom, and do turn these Whores back over to to their Asswipe boyfriends, I want those Bastard’s crotches to ache and their hearts to break every time they think about us havin’ them, just like a knife to their guts !”
That last part Omar said savagely, almost gleefully. Preoccupied as they all were, no one thought to look towards the alcove stairway down the narrow hall to the South and and chance to see two figures sneaking in.
______________________________________________
-
Shadowed somewhat in the alcove, Tony and Nick looked down the narrow hallway, where they could just make out some figures in what appeared to be a glass-walled portion of a room towards the center of the third level. Just outside the alcove, what looked like a circular hallway ran both left and right.
“Which way ?”, Nick whispered, indicating the circular hallway, since advancing straight ahead was not an option.
“Um....”, Tony whispered back, struggling to remember the crude drawings that Mr. Riddle had made. He had them shoved in his pockets, but this wasn’t the time or place to pull them out to look at. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and then he had it. “That way...To the left”, he told Nick.
(http://www.chinadwelling.dk/images/jpg/chengqilou-gr.floor.jpg)
As they could tell nobody was looking in their direction, they slipped into the circular hallway. Cautiously, weapons at the ready, they tred around past what seemed to be smaller rooms to their left and larger rooms to their right. Within less that a minute, there was a break in the pattern, as a space to the right opened up. They both cautiously peered around the inner wall.
Beyond a small open area, a glass entry door gave way to a much larger room. Peering through, they could see tables and chairs arranged within in an familiar, orderly fashion. This was a Lunchroom of some sort, Tony decided. There was a glassed-in area that contained vending machines off to the left. He took note of the tables. They were thick, looking like solid wood, rather than the cheap plastic ones he was used to seeing in a normal lunchroom.
(http://www.qjanitorial.com/media/resize/800/600/Widgets/LUNCH%20ROOM1.jpg)
Tony chanced to pull out his drawings then, and quickly shuffled though them, finding the third level one. Crude as the drawings were, the area was noted there. He also saw that it wasn’t far off to the Steel Doors and the wide straight hallway. Stuffing them back in his pocket, Tony pointed back towards the circular hallway, and they resumed their advance.
Nick was the first to spot the Steel Doors on the left just a few seconds later. He bumped Tony’s arm and pointed. The wide hallway led from there, and the boys edged up to the corner. Nick took a quick look around the edge, then pulled back so Tony could take a look. Tony edged his head around the corner slowly. The first thing he saw, at kind of an angle, was what resembled a Cafeteria Line, set running parallel to the wide hallway, with a Kitchen area behind it.
(http://www.galleyline.com/images/schools_1.gif)
Tony poked his head further around until he was looking straight down the wide hallway. He was looking at a large glass-enclosed area at the center of the level. There were two glass entry doors that had been propped open. Inside were tables and other things. But what made Tony’s heart race was not what he was seeing, but whom.
There were the Townies, all right. They were involved in a discussion of some sort, he could hear voices. As a couple of them moved, Tony caught a glimpse of two other figures who were seated....A dark-haired person and a strawberry blonde person. He could just see the tops of their heads, but it was enough. A sudden stab pierced his heart. He would recognize that hair anywhere. It was Karen ! And the other one had to be Melody. They had found them at last.
As Tony pulled back, a sort of giddy feeling rose in him. But it was quickly tempered with the reality of the situation. He had also glimpsed the weaponry that the Townies were carrying, slung over their shoulders. It was the Air Rifles. There was no way that they could mount an attack, as much as he wanted to. It would turn into a suicide mission, and the girls would still not be free.
“We need help”, he whispered to Nick, who already had assessed the situation and nodded. Just their Spud Guns wouldn’t be able to hold out for long against those Air Rifles....Not to mention that they were outnumbered. “We gotta go back, and get some of the others....If they made it down !”
Nick considered, then whispered, “You go....I’ll stay.”
“What ??”, Tony mouthed. “Are you Nuts ? What ...?”
“Go On”, Nick whispered urgently, “Go bring them...The Shields....Super Spud Gun....Just like we did up top. It’s the only way !”
“But...I can’t leave you here !”, Tony whispered hoarsely.
“I’ll be alright”, Nick whispered back. “I’ll duck into that Lunchroom if any of them come. Now, GO !! Get them here !”
There wasn’t time to debate. Tony nodded and headed back the way that they came, hoping the rest of the assault at the top had been successful.
_______________________________________
-
“So what now, man ?”, Trent asked Laurent as the students stood milling around the Ground Floor.
“Yeah, like where dem Bastids at ?”, voiced Damon. “I wants to tear dem up !”
Other voices joined in the throng. The consensus was to go after the remaining Townies. There was payback to be had, the one uniting factor among the diverse Cliques. Laurent held up his hands. “They are below !”, he addressed the group. “Under where we now stand, somewhere !”
This revelation jolted the group, who had not been told of the underground levels. They had expected to fight the Townies here, like a replay of the fabled Jimmy Hopkins - Edgar Munsen fight of more than a year ago, now a part of school lore. “What do you mean, below ?”, Ted demanded. “Like in a basement or a cave ?”
“I am...Um, not sure”, Laurent admitted. “Tony, Nick....They went ahead to scout it out. I am to show you the way....But....”
“But what ?”, Johnny asked snidely. “What’s more to it ? Just take us there, we fix der wagons, real good !”
“It...It is not so simple”, Laurent said weakly. “The way, it is unknown, past where we must go down....We will not know of which way to take once we are there.....”
“I Will Show Them The Way !”, a voice spoke from across the large room. The group turned to see Tony, who had emerged from the Storage Room and was standing beside the open door. All their attention has been focused on Laurent, and nobody had seen Tony enter. They started en mass towards him, but Tony held up his hands. “Wait !!”
The students halted in their progress, confused. “There are some things have you must know first !”, Tony said. “First...The girls are there ! But, they are being held in with the group of Townies. They must not be harmed by our firing on the Townies. Second, they have more Air Rifles, like up above...”
“We have some too now”, Ted said, “We took them off those ones up above when we beat them. They’re low on ammo, though.”
“We have the ammunition for them”, Laurent exclaimed, “We have taken a whole bagfull from that Jerry !”
Tony held up his hands again for silence. “There are other things you need to know. There are three underground levels, and they are being held on the lowest one. We must go down, single file, and above all, maintain silence ! We have a chance if we attack them by surprise.”
Tony looked towards Laurent. “Go get that ammo...Let’s load up. There’s not much time. Nick is down there alone, waiting on us.”
Within a few minutes, they were ready to go. Tony picked Bryce and Gord, who were carrying the shields, to be up front with him, followed by Melvin with the Super Spud Gun. Ted and Johnny came next, followed by the Jocks and Greasers. The rest of the Preps and Bullies fell in behind, with the Nerds following. Constantinos was to bring up the rear. Tony gave him the eye when he saw Tiffany with him, but said nothing. He assumed that she would stay up on the Ground Floor with Lola.
The line of students went down the ladder in the opening from the Storage Room, and snaked down through the first two levels, strung out as Tony had indicated. They maintained stealthy silence on the way down, and soon the front of the group started down the steps to the third level.
________________________________________
-
The Recreation Room was in the center of the third-floor underground section. To the North-West, outside the Rec Room, was the Kitchen Area, and to the South-West lay the Lunch Room. A wide hallway extended out from the Rec Room to the West, dividing the Kitchen and Dining area, and ultimately connecting onto a tunnel through steel doors that led to other buildings in the complex. One small hallway that went to the North connected to the emergency escape tunnel. Another small hallway went to the south, connecting to the alcove and the stairs that led up to the second level, and it was this hallway that Omar looked down as he came towards the front of Rec Room while his bantering with their girl hostages continued.
“You Bitches just don’t get it, do you ? Your so-called boyfriends ain’t gonna want you back, nohow....You’re damaged goods, you been havin’ sex with the lot of us”, he laughed. “You know how repulsive that is to a guy, havin’ other guys dippin’ their candles into their women’s snatches ? They’ll dump you so fast, you Cunts won’t even have time to change yer underwear....”
Omar suddenly froze as he glanced down the hallway, his mouth still open but no words coming out. Momentarily, it was hard for his arrogant brain to process what his bugged-out eyes were seeing....A stream of those snot-nosed schoolkids filing out of the alcove on the end, taking a left turn into the outer hallway.
“Well, Tony and Nick aren’t like that !”, Karen said hotly, not noticing that Omar had cut off in mid-sentence. “They’re gonna know we were forced to by you Animals ! An then, they’ll take you Fuckers apart, and...and....” Her words faltered as suddenly Omar pulled open the narrow side glass door, then raised his Air Rifle to his shoulder.
“SHIT !!!! SHIT !!!! They Got In !!!”, Omar screamed, as he began firing the Air Rifle as fast as he could move his finger.
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
“Cover Them Hallways !!”, Omar yelled to the others, and they scrambled to comply as Omar reloaded. Gurney headed to the North hallways and Otto and Leon scrambled past Omar to head for the South hallways. Duncan went out the double-glass doorway into the wide hallway, planning to cut through the Lunch Room.
Omar socked the Air Rifle back to his shoulders to resume firing down the small hallway. His first burst had dropped some of the invaders, namely Justin and Parker, who had been unlucky enough to have been the first to have appear in Omar’s sights, and Tom and Davis, who had been right behind. His next rounds took out Bucky and Donald, who had little time to react to the carnage in front of them, getting cut down as they turned to flee backwards. Only Thad somehow made it through, and broke to the right rather than the left.
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
Thad stumbled by the others slumped in front of him, and took off down the circular outer hallway. He made it as far as the room where Karen and Melody had been held before encountering Otto and Leon coming at him from around the curve of the hallway. Skidding to a stop, he let off a couple of rounds from his Spud Gun, which missed wildly, before turning and running back, all the while trying to think of what General Custer should have done.
Pinwheeling his arms as he ran, he nearly stumbled over his fallen comrades and the two Preps, but somehow missed getting shot as Otto and Leon raced after him. It was difficult to shoot Air Rifles on the run with any degree of accuracy, and their shots went wild. The backend of the line, which were now the Greasers of Lefty, Peanut, Hal, and Norton, realized that nobody was now following them and turned around in time to see Thad running at them, calling for help. As Thad ducked in front of them, first Lefty and Peanut, then Hal and Norton let loose with their Spud Guns, missing Otto and Leon around the circular hallway but driving them back. They were to make up the rear defense for the next half-hour or so, pushing the two Townies backwards in the hallway to a standoff.
Meanwhile, Duncan had moved forward in the wide hall, making his way to the Lunch Room. Suddenly, Nick stepped around the corner and nailed Duncan with two shots from the Air Rifle he held. KA-POW !! THUNK !! KA-POW !! THUNK !!
The Pellets hit Duncan in the knee and the gut, bringing him down. Dropping his weapon as he fell, he never got off a shot. Hearing the shooting, Omar left his position and reloaded. He barreled to the front glass doors and out into the wide hallway just as Duncan fell. Spotting Nick, he made to take aim at him when Nick raised his own Air Rifle to draw a bead on Omar. Stunned to see Nick wielding an Air Rifle, he jumped to the side, squeezing off an ineffective shot the went wild, striking the Steel Doors behind Nick.
Nick’s shot missed also and smashed into the glass to the left of the enclosed Rec Room, shattering it. Karen and Melody screamed as the broken glass showered backwards towards them. Omar scrambled back into the Rec Room as Nick ducked back around the corner. Needing something to take cover behind, Omar upended one of the thick, long tables in the Rec Room and pushed it up against the opening where the double-glass doors were.
In the meantime, Tony, Ted, and a few of the Jocks had gone into the Lunch Room, seeking a way to get closer to the Rec Room to rescue the girls. Hearing the girls scream and looking through the glass at the fallen Duncan, fear rose in him that Karen or Melody may have been hit. Ordering the Jocks to pull out a couple of tables into the outer hallway so they could set up a defensive line, he went to out himself to check with Nick.
Nick was unhurt, but like Tony, did not want to risk injuring Karen or Melody with random gunfire. “The Girls are all right....What Now ?”, he asked Tony. “One of them is putting up a barricade.”
“Then we have to do the same, just like up above”, Tony said, as Damon, Casey, Luis, and Juri emerged from the Lunch Room, dragging the heavy tables. Tony told them to upend them and shove them into the wide hallway in front of the Steel Doors, to provide them cover.
While they were doing that, Gurney was sneaking up on their position around the North side of the circular hallway. As the Jocks were pushing the last table into place, Gurney let off a shot from his Air Rifle that hit Casey in the thigh. Blood flowed as the other Jocks took off after him, showering the hallway with Spud Gun fire. Gurney was un-hit as he retreated back to the short hallway by the escape passageway, where he ducked around a corner. As the Jocks came close enough, he stepped out to fire, and they retreated back a bit.
With both sections of the outer hallways defended, and the barricades in the wide hallway, it seemed to be a standoff. But Tony was sure of one thing....These Townies down here probably didn’t know about the Shields and Super Spud Gun. He drew Melvin, Bryce and Gord towards the Lunch Room. They would launch their assault from there.
_________________________________________
-
Unable to convince Tiffany to stay put on the second level after the Nerds in front of them had gotten blasted, Constantinos gave up trying. She told him that Lola had gone down, so she was going too. Besides, this was exciting, and sure beat anything that happened in Reform School.
They made their way down the stairs cautiously, having to step over the injured of Bucky and Donald, who were moaning and crying. As they reached the alcove and ducked to the side, they encountered Lola, grimly trying to tend to the other fallen students of the Preps. She had a Spud Gun that she had picked up somewhere, slung across her back. Johnny, having drifted back to see about his Clique, stood guard over her. Working his way to a more forward position, Constantinos briefly spoke to Nick, then sought out Tony, who he found in the Lunch Room.
Tony looked at Tiffany, who was trailing in behind Constantinos. “What is she doing here ?”, he asked pointedly.
“Well...You know...”, Constantinos muttered, “I can’t really....Control her...”
“Hey, I can fight !”, Tiffany said with and wicked look. “Just gimmie a gun !”
Tony shook his head and shrugged. He could hardly believe that Constantinos had been sucked back into her matrix somehow, but there was no time to dwell on that now.
“Here, I brought these”, Constantinos said, showing Tony the M-80s. “The back of the line got hit....Thad is the only one left. The rest of the Nerds and Preps are down. But the Greasers are holding that side of the hall now...They musta spotted us, coming in....”
“Shit”, Tony muttered. “How many down ?”
Constantinos shrugged. “Four, I think....Five, if you count Casey, he got nailed from the other side.”
“Where’s the rest of the Jocks ?” Tony asked. “Did they get the barricade up ?”
“Yes, they did, and they’re holding the other hallway right now”, Constantinos told him, “According to what Nick said.”
Tony squinted his eyes, lost in thought. Laurent had ferried down about 20 Students, it looked like, and they had already lost a quarter of them. So much for the element of surprise. Tony stared at the M-80s clutched in Constantinos’ hand, and a new idea blossomed up in his head. It would take some timing, however. Leaving the others in the Lunch Room, he headed out into the circular hallway to find Nick. Ted followed him out.
When Tony left, Constantinos regarded Tiffany, thinking. If he was going to get suckered back into her web, as he felt Tony was probably thinking, he might as well make it worth his while, for however long it lasted. Having grabbed the last Air Rifle left on the Chem Plant roof, he pulled out his Spud Gun and tossed it to Tiffany, who deftly caught it. “Here...If you really want excitement, you’ll have to fight, just like the rest of us.”
Tiffany looked back at Constantinos. A new understanding came to her, not about using him as a pawn in her perverted games of lust, but something else. She cocked a Spud into the chamber. “I’m ready....Count on it !", she said with a gleam in her eye.
Meanwhile, Tony and Ted had located Nick at the new barricade, and told him his plan. Laurent, Trent, Bryce, Gord, and Melvin listened in. “It might just work”, Nick said when Tony had finished. “We can only try it....If we can fool them....”
“I think we can”, Tony said, “They really aren’t all that bright. And since Jerry and Duncan are down, plus those ones on the Roof, there can’t be too many of them left. If we can make them think that we don’t have very many either, they might get too smug.”
The group made preparations to implement the plan. First, Tony had Nick assemble shooters behind the barricade. Nick, Ted, and Constantinos were to line up behind it, bearing the Air Rifles, Laurent and Trent would have Bottle Rocket Launchers. Any others left would just show Spud Guns or Bottle Rocket weaponry. Johnny had the fourth Air Rifle, and Tony the fifth Air Rifle, but Tony felt sure that the Townies didn’t know just what they had....If they could convince the Townies that the Students were still outgunned, it might buy them time for what Tony was planning.
Next, Tony had the shooters open attack on Omar behind his barricade in the Rec Room, to which Omar responded. Just as Tony thought, the heavy up-turned tables were too thick for the Pellets to penetrate. Tony had been sure to specify that the Student shooters only fire at the table of the Townie barricade, and not to chance hitting Karen or Melody in the room behind.
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
Tony let the barrage continue while he assembled his team in the Lunch Room....Bryce and Gord, with the Shields, would head out the door of the Lunch Room, with Melvin following with the Super Spud Gun, just as they had done on the Chem Plant Roof. Tony would fall in behind with the M-80s. If they got close enough, they could take out Omar and whoever else was behind the barricade without harming the girls.
The siege was on, and continued for the next 15 minutes. Tony then signaled he was ready, and the Student line slacked down on it’s firing, waiting for Tony’s new assault.
__________________________________________
-
That was a close one, Omar thought as he upturned one of the tables and shoved it up against the open double glass doors. How had that shit got ahold of that weapon ? He had to have taken it from one of the younger Townies on the roof....Which meant, since a lot of them had somehow gotten down here, that they probably taken all those weapons.
How did did this happen ?, ran through Omar’s mind again. There was only one way, he surmised....Somebody had talked, had revealed the way. It had to have been one of the kid Townies. And why hadn’t Jerry returned ? They must have got him too. Omar’s mind raced. How many of them were left ? He’d made a mistake in sending Duncan out towards the Lunch Room, now he lay bleeding and disabled in the wide hallway floor. That left....Just four of them.
Melody continued to issue short screams due to the glass shower the girls had gotten. Neither of them had been injured by it, being far back in the Rec Room, but the sound was irritating and was getting on Omar’s already frayed nerves. Hunkered down behind the table, he turned his weapon toward Melody. “Shuddup, Bitch !”, he commanded, “You Ain’t Hurt None !”
“Shhh, Mel”, Karen cautioned, “”It’s all right...They’ve come for us....”
“You Shuddup Too !”, Omar growled, swinging the Air Rifle slightly at Karen.
Karen opened her mouth to reply, but thought the better of it with the Air Rifle pointed at her and the ugly look on Omar’s face. At that moment, Leon came charging into the Rec Room.
“Get Down, Fool !”, Omar hissed. Leon ducked and joined Omar behind the overturned table.
“How goes it over there ?”, Omar demanded.
“It’s all right”, Leon answered. “Just taking potshots, we just snipe back if the try to come around the hallway.”
“Got plenty ammo ?”, Omar grunted.
“Yeah, we can hold out for a long while”, Leon said.
Omar thought furiously. All may not be lost. “Go relieve Gurney and send him back here. He’s holding the other hallway. And, stick a table there”, he said, indicating the short hallway extending towards the alcove and stairs. “That opening makes me nervous.”
“Yo, Boss”, Leon said. He wasn’t one to question orders, it took too much thinking time. He pulled an upturned table over to cover the side opening, then took some ammo from the back and headed off down the other short hallway towards Gurney.
A few minutes ticked by. The only sounds were an occasional shot from an Air Rifle or Spud Gun in the outer hallways. Gurney finally appeared, and as he made ready to enter the Rec Room, the Students suddenly opened a barrage from behind their barricade at the end of the wide hallway.
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
Gurney dived behind the table next to Omar. The shots hit mostly the table they were protected behind, with some stray pellets striking the glass to the right of the enclosed Rec Room, shattering it and once again showering the girls in the back with bits of it, eliciting more screams from them. At a lull, Omar and Gurney rose up and fired back a barrage of their own.
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!! POW-THUNK !!!
These shots failed to strike anyone either, the Pellets unable to breech the heavy, solid wood of the tables. It was just like shooting into a tree. Nick, Ted, and Constantinos had all ducked down to reload for another round. At the end of the Townie’s firing, the shooters on the Student line popped up again and let loose another barrage. So it went for 15 minutes, neither side doing damage to the other, only peppering the up-turned tables with a lot of pock-marked Pellet holes.
In the eerie silence that prevailed after the last round, Omar suddenly called out. “HEY FUCKERS, WHERE’S THE MONEY ? SHOW US THE MONEY, AND THESE BITCHES MIGHT GO FREE !!”
_______________________________________
-
There was silence at this pronouncement. Tony, who had just been ready to move out behind the Shields of the Preps and the Super Spud Gun of the Nerds, suddenly changed his mind. Putting the team on hold, he exited the Lunch Room and went back to where Nick and the others were manning the table barricades.
“What now ?”, Nick muttered as Tony hunkered down beside him.
“Bluff ‘em”, Tony answered, thinking a new plan that might be better than a direct assault.
“WELL ?”, Omar called. The two barricades were at least 60 feet apart, necessitating the shouting. “YOU FUCKERS DON’T HAVE IT, DO YOU ?”
“WE HAVE IT !”, Tony lied, and then, to make it more believable, added, “NOT ALL OF IT THOUGH.”
“YEAH ? HOW MUCH ?”, Omar shouted back.
Tony deliberately paused for effect. Then, not as loudly as before, he lied again, “HALF.”
Omar sat figuring. Half was $50,000. That could carry them for a long while. Whether or not they released those girls, they would still have to leave the Valley. They would have to have a stake, no matter what. But what if the kid was lying ? “WHERE’D YOU GET IT, SCHOOLBOY ? YOU ROB THE BANK OR SOMETHING ? KIDS LIKE YOU DON’T HAVE THAT KIND OF SCRATCH.”
“I GOT IT....FROM THE PREPS”, Tony hollered back with a third lie.
“THE PREPS ?”, Omar guffawed. “THEM BASTARDS DON’T NEVER GIVE OUT THAT KIND OF DOUGH !”
“THEY OWED ME !”, Tony shouted with a fourth lie, although there was some truth in it.
There was a long silence from the Townie’s side. Omar conferred with Gurney. Then shouted back, “WE’LL TAKE IT. WHERE’S THE MONEY AT, SCHOOLBOY ?”
Tony thought fast. “Uh...I HAVE IT WITH ME ! IN MY BACKPACK !” A fifth lie.
“SURE, RIGHT”, the sarcastic answer came back from Omar. “SO WHY ATTACK US THEN ? WE COULDA MADE A DEAL.”
“FOUND OUT WHERE YOU WERE AT”, Tony spoke, truthfully this time. “COULDN’T GET ENOUGH BEFORE THE DEADLINE, SO WE ATTACKED !”
A half-minute of silence ensued. Then Omar spoke again. “BRING ME THE MONEY THEN, SCHOOLBOY, AND WE’LL LET THESE BITCHES GO !!”
“NO DEAL !”. Tony responded. “BRING KAREN AND MELODY TO US, AND YOU’LL GET YOUR MONEY !!” A sixth lie, stalling for time.
“NOT A CHANCE, SCOOLBOY !”, Omar hooted. “BRING ME THE CASH, OR THESE BICHES ARE DONE, YUH HEAR ME ? DONE !!!”
“What are you doing ?”, hissed Nick hissed at Tony, “We don’t have any money !”
“They don’t know that”, Tony replied, “Their greed makes them believe.”
“Now what ?”, Laurent interjected, “Are we to attack ?”
“Yes”, Tony said, “But maybe we can take them by surprise after all.”
Raising his voice again, Tony hollered, “OK...BUT I’M BRINGING PROTECTION WITH ME !”
“WE’LL HAVE OUR GUNS ON YOU SCHOOLBOY !”, Omar called back. “DON’T TRY ANYTHING FUNNY !”
“They’re gonna think funny”, Tony muttered. Out loud, he said to Nick and the line, “Keep your guns trained on them, just in case. Constantinos, come back to Lunch Room with me.”
Tony headed back to the Lunch Room, followed by Constantinos. When they reached it, Tony hauled off his backpack. “Gimmie them M-80s”, he said to Constantinos, and the boy gave them to him. “Melvin, help me rig these up”, Tony said next to Melvin. The two went over to a table, where the M-80s were tied together and then Tony pushed them down in the backpack with a short fuse hanging out.
“You better toss this quick after lighting these”, Melvin advised him.
“Don’t you worry about that”, Tony replied, “I plan to. You just lay heavy with that Super Spud Gun on that table they’re behind. With any luck, we can...Turn the tables on them.”
_______________________________________
-
Omar waited as a couple of minutes went by. Getting pissed, he hollered, “HURY IT UP, SCHOOLBOY, WE AIN’T GOT ALL NIGHT !!!”
“They’re stalling”, Gurney muttered, “They ain’t got nothing.”
“They better have something”, Omar returned darkly, “Or else we blast ‘em. They get close up, these guns’ll tear ‘em a new asshole.”
“If they do got cash, you gonna turn them Bitches over to them ?”, Gurney asked.
Omar debated, and then said, “Yeah....Gettin’ tired of watchin’ them all the time. And it’s not like they’re a good fuck either, layin’ there like stiff boards when you do ‘em. We set out to take them two fucks down what beat us, to cause them PAIN, and sendin’ them Bitches back to 'em is gonna do just that. They can heal up from a beating or a Pellet, but there ain’t no healing up from them knowin’ that we put our loads in them. That’ll haunt them for the rest of their lives.”
“You may be right”, Gurney chuckled, “But I’ll miss corn-holing them little Cunts.”
“You would”, Omar muttered. “Listen, in case this is on the up and up, we’re gonna hafta get a move on tonight......”
“Look !”, Gurney said suddenly, pointing.
A strange procession was coming out of the Lunch Room, threading it’s way up the wide hallway towards them. Two in front, carrying giant Shields of some sort, were followed by what looked to be maybe two other hidden behind.
“What the Fuck”, Omar muttered, watching the procession come closer.
“That’s....That’s them Shields that Otto and Floyd told us about, when they was fightin’ those Nerds at the Observatory”, Gurney said. “Them things are practically impenetrable ....”
“He did say he was bringin’ protection”, grunted Omar. “Listen, go back and unchain them Bitches from the chairs, and bring ‘em up here....But leave their hands shackled to those waist chains. We gonna have us some Shields too.”
Gurney hurried to the back of the Rec Room and unchained Karen and Melody, slinging his Air Rifle over his shoulder to do so. He grabbed both the girls roughly under their arms and begin to bring them forward.
At that instant, something happened that froze everybody in place. The bright, white-hot flame of a Cutting Torch suddenly bloomed, punching a hole in the Steel Doors behind the table barricade that Nick and the others were behind. Sparks showered several feet forward, and the boys scattered and ducked with cries of shock and surprise.
(http://ak3.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/1956805/preview/stock-footage-metal-cutting-with-gas-welding.jpg)
Hearing the cries, Gord made the mistake of turning to look behind him. Shouting, “IT’S A TRICK !!!”, Omar rose, aimed and fired, striking Gord in the shoulder and driving him back, where he slipped and fell on the floor, his Shield clattering away.
“Melvin, FIRE !!!”, Tony shouted, and Melvin made a step to his left, pointing the Super Spud Gun at the Townie’s table barricade and working the trigger.
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
The barrage pushed the heavy table backwards, dislodging Omar, who sank down on his knees. At that instant, Tony lit the fuse to the M-80s, and flung his backpack towards the table barricade of the Townies. However, the distance was too far, and the backpack struck the table and bounced, falling in front of it.
BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!!
The table cracked, but held. Gurney shoved the girls farther towards the front, up to the table. “You All Right ?”, he called to Omar.
“Yeah”, Omar said, rising. He roughly pushed by the girls, getting behind them and leveling his Air Rifle dead at them. “Go get Otto, we’re cuttin’ out !!”
Melvin was out of Spuds. Bryce went over to Gord, attempting to pull him back behind his Shield. Melvin and Tony backed away towards the Lunch Room, but Melvin tripped over the prone form of Duncan, who groaned and said weakly, “Ayyy, I’m bleedin’ here...”
Tony’s eyes bugged out as he saw Omar behind Karen and Melody, holding the Air Rifle on them. “FALL BACK !!!”, he screamed, “DON’T FIRE !!! CEASE FIRE !!!!”
Omar yelled then, “YOU DOUBLE-CROSSIN’ BASTARDS !!! PULL OUT, NOW, OR THESE CUNTS GET IT !!! UNDERSTAND ?? I’M DONE PLAYIN’ HERE !!! MOVE OUT, NOW !!!!”
Omar eyed the steady progress of the Cutting Torch on the Steel Doors, and knew it would be only a matter of minutes before they were breached. But by whom ?
(http://www.metalmagician.com/revision_photos/torch_cut.jpg)
_________________________________________________________
-
While shooting and exploding Fireworks were going on in the wide hallway, the Greasers pressed forward around the circular hallway. With Johnny in the lead and Peanut following, they cautiously crept along the inner wall. There had been no scattered fire in the hall to hold them back for quite some time, and Johnny figured that whoever was doing the shooting was low on ammo.
Peering around the curve in the hallway, Johnny finally spotted someone at an intersecting hallway, half hidden and looking down the other hallway, towards the sounds of shooting. Johnny and Peanut crept closer, behind them Norton, Lefty, and Hal followed. Unknown to them, Lola trailed behind, Spud Gun at the ready.
Johnny swung out into the hallway and took aim. Alerted by the sound, or maybe movement from the corner of his eye, Otto looked up suddenly and took aim on Johnny, stepping into the short hallway for cover. Both fired at the same time, their Air Rifles sounding loud in the narrow hallways. POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !!
Due to his ducking for cover, Otto was only winged on his left arm, but Johnny was hit square in the lower ribcage, bones snapping. He fell back as Peanut and the others charged forward. Otto tried to raise his Air Rifle to draw a bead on them, but his just-shot arm was a bit too slow and Both Peanut and Hal shot him in the guts and legs with their Spud Guns.
SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
Otto went down on his knees, groaning, “You...Little...Punkass....Bastards....”
Seeing Johnny down, Lola charged past the others, shooting Otto in the chest with a Spud as he wavered there. Still, it did not take him down. Enraged, Lola came closer, smashing Otto in the face with the butt-end of her Spud Gun. Blood and Teeth exploded from his face as he fell back, knocked out. Lola stared with hatred at the battered Townie, then ran back to Johnny. Kneeling and cradling his head in her lap, she cried, “Johnny....Oh, Johnny !!”
“Gotta Help Johnny !”, Peanut exclaimed, and the Greases formed a protective ring about him. Gurney happened to come down the short hall then, to alert Otto that they were bugging out, but instead seeing him on the floor. He snapped his Air Rifle up and took some shots at the Greasers gathered at the two hallway’s junction. POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !!
One shot in the hip took out Lefty, but Gurney was met with a hail of Spuds from the remaining Greaser’s Spud Guns. SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
Gurney easily ducked the Spuds and retreated, heading back for the Rec Room. The Greasers froze in place then as they heard Tony yelling to cease fire and stand down. Not knowing just what was happening, they resumed their protective ring around Johnny and Lola, and did not go after Gurney.
Tony had retreated back towards the Lunch Room, stopping only briefly to grasp Melvin’s arm and drag him backwards with him. Glimpsing the Cutting Torch flame inching along the skin of the Steel Doors, he had no time to dwell on just who that might be, but he was certain of one thing...It was somebody the Townies weren’t expecting, just as much as he, Nick and the rest of the Students weren’t expecting. Thoughts of Karen, and Melody, loomed large in his thinking. It was now the Townies’ next move, and they weren’t going to be too long in making it, of that he was convinced. He would have to do something, think of something, fast.
Gurney returned to the Rec Room then, staying low. He went over to where Omar was holding the girls at gunpoint. “Otto’s had it”, he told Omar. That just left three of them.
“Let’s move, right now, before they wise up”, Omar said. He reached forward and grabbed Karen, and Gurney grabbed ahold of Melody. The two Townies hustled the girls towards the other side door and into the narrow hallway that led to the Escape Tunnel. Mass confusion was taking place in the length of the wide hallway, with attention being drawn to the ever-increasing path of the Cutting Torch.
“HELP !!!”, Karen suddenly screamed, “TONY....HELP !!! HELP!!!!”
“NICKY !!!”, Melody sobbed, trying to drag against being pulled into the narrow hallway. “NICKY !!!!!”
____________________________________
-
Tony looked back out in the wide hallway, just in time to see Omar and Gurney hauling off Karen and Melody into the short hallway leading North. Running into the Lunch Room to grab up his Air Rifle, he then charged back into the wide hallway. The Rec Room was now empty of anyone, he saw, but was unsure as to where any other Townies were. Catching Nick’s eye, he pantomimed that Nick should go down the circular outer hallway, where the Jocks had gone. Nick signaled he understood, and Tony ran to the small hallway where he had seen the girls disappear, followed by Trent who vaulted the table barricade and ran after as backup.
Omar and Gurney had dragged the struggling girls to the Escape Tunnel doorway, at the junction of the small hallway and circular outer hallway. Leon was there, armed with his Air Rifle pointed out towards the circular outer hallway, where he had been in a standoff with the Jocks around the curve of the outer hall. Omar stopped to briefly give Leon instructions.
“Hold them off for....30 seconds, then follow us”, Omar told him, “And lock the door after you.”
“What...Uh, what about Otto ?”, Leon asked, “Ain’t he coming ?”
“Otto’s down”, Gurney said, “It’s just us now.”
“Um...Ok then, I’ll follow right after”, Leon said.
(http://www.miralabici.net/fr/recit_du_voyage/IMG_0769.jpg)
Omar pulled Karen into the Escape Tunnel and Gurney followed, dragging Melody, closing the door after them. The girls struggled, but were no match for the much stronger Townies. Still bound by handcuffs to their waist chains, they could do little to resist the strong hands digging into their upper arms pulling them along and making bruises. The Tunnel was old and arched, though clean and well lit with lights set along at intervals along the apex of it’s arched ceiling. Omar and Gurney were slowed to a pace less than a walk, having to pull their unwilling captives along, but Melody in her rising panic resisted more. Soon, a gap grew between Omar and Gurney as they moved deeper into the long tunnel.
Stopping briefly to get some M-80s from Constantinos, Nick charged into the circular hallway, until he encountered Damon, Ted, Juri, and Luis. Going ahead of them, he then crept around the circular hallway on the inside until he spotted the silhouette of Leon. He had slung his Air Rifle on his shoulder as he prepared to light and toss some M-80s. He had been followed into the circular hallway by Ted and Constantinos. Nobody saw Tiffany as she pattered into the circular hallway after Constantinos, a Spud Gun at the ready in her hands.
Tony edged down the short hallway as quietly as he could, followed by Trent, and slowly drew nearer to where Leon was standing. Laurent had run the length of the wide hallway and entered the short hallway behind them both, planning to be a second backup. Finally, Tony spotted Leon, or rather a part of Leon. The Townie was faced towards the circular hallway, and Tony could only see Leon’s back and butt, as the wall blocked a clearer view. Tony sighted with his Air Rifle for a clear shot, and as he did, A series of explosions went off.
BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!!
Nick had lit and tossed the M-80s in rapid succession as far into the circular hallway as he could, and then prepared to step out and forward to shoot at Leon. But before he could, the smaller figure of Tiffany darted past him, coming to a stop a few feet ahead. A look of orgasmic bliss on her face, she triggered off a volley of Spuds at Leon. SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!! SPLAT !!!
But only one of the Spuds hit Leon, a glancing blow on his hip. Firing through the smoke the Firecrackers had thrown up, he spotted Tiffany and laid three shots to her mid-section. POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !! Her eyes wide, Tiffany crumpled to the floor.
“TIFFANY, NO !!!!”, Constantinos cried. He had chased after her as soon as he saw her speed past him, too late as it turned out. Unheeding, Constantinos ran to her, directly in the line of fire. Nick moved, trying to get a better sight on Leon, who had stepped back to re-sight on Constantinos, now kneeling by the wounded Tiffany . Unfortunately for him, Leon had moved back far enough to come fully into Tony’s sights, and Tony squeezed off a couple of shots. POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !!
Tony’s shots hit Leon in the left shoulder and upper thigh, throwing Leon against the outer wall, where he slid to the floor, his weapon falling by the Escape Tunnel door. Nick and the Jocks behind him moved up quickly on his position, and Tony, with Trent and Laurent following, closed in from the other direction.
Nick arrived first, and stuck his Air Rifle in Leon’s face. “Where Did They Go ?”, he demanded grimly, “Where Is Our Girls ?”
“Fuck Off....Schoolkid”, Leon retorted, “I ain’t tellin’ you nuttin...”
Tony pointed his Air Rifle at Leon’s crotch. “Maybe I oughtta put a Pellet here”, he remarked.
“I’se take care o’dis”, came Damon’s voice. He stepped forward and grabbed Leon, hauling him up. “I’ll hit him so hard his head will come off !”
“Hey, now, you wouldn’t hit a Brother, would’ja ?”, Leon said pleadingly.
“I’m gonna bust your gut up and watch you Bleed !”, Damon responded, and sent a huge meaty fist into Leon’s nose. An audible cracking and a spray of blood was enough to know that Leon’s nose was broken. “Nows, where’d they go, BROTHER ?”
“Ung...Ung....”, Leon snuffled, streaks of blood oozing down his face. “Dey’s wenta in dere !”, he said, pointing to the Escape Tunnel door beside him. Damon dropped Leon to the floor in a heap. Tony bent down and retrieved the dropped Air Rifle, tossing it to Laurent, and opened the tunnel door.
Just then, there was a loud CLANG that sounded throughout the Third Level. The metal of the Steel Doors had been cut through. Trent backtracked in the short hallway to see what was going on. Tony didn't have time to wait on a report. He turned to Damon and the Jocks and said, “Hold off whoever that is....We’re going after the girls.”
Nick and Tony charged into the Escape Tunnel. Laurent, following for backup, closed and locked the tunnel door. The chase was on.
___________________________________
-
The cut metal of the Steel Doors fell to the floor with a huge CLANG, and the fire from the Cutting Torch went out. Federal Agents poured through the newly-cut opening, with weapons drawn. They were equipped with some serious weaponry, from .50-caliber rifles, 870 shotguns, MP5/10 submachine guns, M-4 carbine rifles and .308 caliber rifles. For handguns, the Agents also carried Smith & Wesson .357 Combat Magnums and Colt Government Model 38 Supers.
There wasn’t anyone at the table barricade at the time the Agents came through, the ones who had been there just bare minutes ago had gone into the circular tunnels to fight as the Townies had cut and run.
Only Melvin remained in the Lunch Room, along with Bryce, who had dragged a bleeding Gord inside. Bryce had stacked the Shields in a corner as he used strips torn from his shirt to staunch Gord’s blood.
Mustering up courage he didn’t know he had, Melvin advanced into the wide hallway with the reloaded Super Spud Gun in front of him to face the latest invaders. Jimmette would have been proud of his bravery.
The Agents spotted him immediately. “YOU !!! DROP THAT WEAPON !!! NOW !!!!!”
Melvin’s wide eyes fastened on the Agents, who had all drawn a bead on him with their various weapons. Slowly, he let the Super Spud Gun fall, where it clattered to the floor.
“GET ON THE GROUND !!! GET ON THE GROUND !!! NOW !!!!”, several of the Agents shouted at him, and Melvin had never moved faster in his life as he dropped to the floor, spreading his arms out like he had seen on old TV shows. Five Agents swiftly surrounded him, one pinning Melvin’s arms behind him and slapping on handcuffs.
“Hey, I’m not the bad guys, they’re getting away !”, Melvin protested.
“Right now, we don’t know WHO you are, kid”, one of the Agents said. “So just lay there and keep quiet !”
“Spread Out, Look For Any Others !”, another Agent ordered, who also seemed to be in charge, as the other agents broke away and began investigating the other areas leading off the wide hallway, the Kitchen and Lunch Room. A couple then headed for the Rec Room in the center, weapons at the ready for any sign of threat. Trent was found and forced to surrender, his hands cuffed behind him. Bryce was taken into custody, but handcuffed in front and allowed to stay to tend to Gord.
After some more checking, one by one the Agents called “ALL CLEAR !!” to the areas they were searching. “Get To Those Halls !”, the Agent standing by Melvin, whose name was Hill, ordered. Another Agent back by the cut Steel Doors, whose name was Kellerman, also ordered the rest of the agents both ways down the circular hallways.
“What kind of Weapon is this ?”, Agent Hill said, as he shoved it away from Melvin.
“It’s....It’s a....Super Spud Gun”, Melvin said shakily, trying not to blubber.
“You shoot this boy over there with that ?”, the Agent asked, indicating Duncan, who was laying nearby, moaning.
“N-no !”, Melvin replied nervously, “I didn’t shoot him, that was....Was somebody....Else...”
“Then what are you doing with a thing like that ?”, the Agent asked him, not really expecting an answer.
“It’s...For Defense !”, Melvin exclaimed, somewhat defensively himself.
“That’s what they all say”, Agent Hill said, looking around. His attention was drawn from far-away commands of the other Agents as they encountered the remnants of the Jocks and Greasers, with shouts of “DROP YOU WEAPONS NOW !!” and “GET ON THE GROUND !!”
Soon enough, the Agents began herding kids from the circular hallways, moving the tables out of the way where the Jocks had put them, and gathering their detainees in the wide hallway, where they were quickly handcuffed and made to sit in groups on the floor. Similar to Bryce, Lola had been allowed to stay with Johnny, and Constantinos had been allowed to stay with Tiffany, after they all had been disarmed.
“There’s multiple wounded in the halls, Sir”, one of the Agents reported. “It looks like there was some kind of War here.”
“Get on the Radio”, Agent Hill told Agent Kellerman, “See if this burg has any Ambulances and send them here for evacuations.” Agent Kellerman pulled out the Radio and began relaying the message to those up above.
While he was doing that, Agent Hill addressed the group of detained Students who were gathered in the wide hallway. “All Right, Listen Up ! I Want Answers ! Just What Is Going On Here, And Where Is The Rest Of This 'Townie’ Group ?”
Naturally, everyone started trying to talk at once. The babble rose as the Students tried to outtalk one another. Finally, Agent Hill whistled and shouted, “ALRIGHT, SHUT UP !!!! Just One of you talk !” He pointed at Ted. “You...Start Talking !”
Ted spoke up and tried to concisely explain that they were there to help Nick and Tony rescue the kidnapped Karen and Melody, and the battle that they just had to try to defeat the Townies, only now that some of them had escaped.
“Well, Now We’re Getting Somewhere”, Agent Hill said, “So Where Did They Escape To ?”
“Umm....I don’t know....He knows”, Ted said, pointing at Damon.
Agent Hill turned his eyes to Damon. “Where’d They Go, Kid ?”
“Uhh...Dey went in that door, rights there by where yous Po-Po’s found me”, Damon said.
Agent Hill spoke to a couple other Agents. “Take that boy back there and check it out.” The Agents complied, grabbing up Damon and escorting him back to the Escape Tunnel door. In a couple minutes they returned, the Agents telling him that the door was firmly locked. “Get that Acetylene Torch back there. Cut through that lock. Some of us will go in after them.” Agent Hill pointed to several Agents nearby. “You, You, and You. The rest of you, secure this Level. Check ALL the rooms. Let’s Move, People !”
_______________________________________
-
Through the Tunnel they raced, Nick in the lead as he was faster than Tony. Laurent hung back a bit behind them, casting looks behind him in case of pursuit, even though he had locked the door.
The Tunnel went straight for quite a distance, then began to slope downward. At the bottom of the slope, the Tunnel bent slightly to the left, and that was where a racing Nick spotted Gurney, practically dragging Melody behind him. Nick put on an extra burst of speed to close the distance between them. Gurney heard the running steps and turned, seeing Nick charging at him around the slight curve. Melody also saw Nick.
“NICKY !!!” she screamed. Melody suddenly began to struggle harder in Gurney’s grasp. Gurney would never be able to drag her along and outrun Nick, so he didn’t try. Instead, he grabbed Melody around the neck with one arm, and with the other one stuck the Air Rifle in her face.
“THAT’S FAR ENOUGH KID !!”, Gurney hollered. “COME CLOSER AND THIS LITTLE BITCH GETS A FACEFULL OF PELLETS !!”
Nick came to a stop, but brought up his own Air Rifle, drawing down a bead on Gurney’s head. “LET HER GO, ASSHOLE !!”, he shouted back. Melody screamed anew.
“NOT A CHANCE, DUMB SHIT !!”, Gurney shouted back. “THROW THAT WEAPON DOWN OR THIS STUPID CUNT GETS IT !!” In so saying, Gurney brought his hand up to Melody’s face, covering her screaming mouth and lifting her up off her feet so her head was nearly level with his own. Melody kicked the air with her legs to no avail. “TOSS THAT WEAPON, NOW !!!!!”
Nick hesitated a second or two, then slowly lowered the Air Rifle. He couldn’t risk shooting Melody by trying to snipe Gurney. He tossed the Weapon from him as Gurney made threatening gestures at Melody by poking the barrel of his Air Rifle in Melody’s cheek.
Tony came around the curve and spotted Nick, who heard him coming up behind him. “Stop Right There”, Nick called without looking back, “Lay Down You Weapon. Do It Now.” Tony stopped and looked past Nick, and saw what was happening. Slowly, he laid his Air Rifle on the floor beside him.
“THAT’S RIGHT, MOTHERFUCKERS !!”, Gurney chortled. “KEEP YOUR LAME ASSES RIGHT THERE WHILE WE BACK AWAY, YOU PIECES OF SHIT......OWWWWW !!!!!!”
Gurney screamed as Karen bit down on the meat of his thumb, which was nearly jammed in her mouth. Gurney reflexively dropped her while also lowering his weapon. In a flash of anger, he smacked Melody hard in the head, driving her against the tunnel wall.
Enraged, Nick speed forward with the speed of a track runner, closing in and launching himself feet first, at Gurney’s head. Gurney pulled up his weapon and fired at the form of Nick the instant before Nick’s feet slammed into his face. KA-POW-THUNK !!!!
The Pellet smashed into Nick’s neck, running through the soft tissues before striking his upper jawbone, breaking it. Gurney was thrown back by the force of Nick’s charge, losing his grip on his Air Rifle, his nose and face exploding in a shower of blood. They both fell heavily to the ground. With a single-minded purpose, Nick crawled to where the Air Rifle landed, then to a prone Gurney. Getting to his knees, Nick slammed the but of the Air Rifle into Gurney’s head over and over before collapsing himself.
“NICKY !!!!”, Melody screamed again, running over to him, despite being slammed into the wall. She threw herself down on her knees by his side, sobbing and crying.
Tony watched the events swiftly unfold in front of him. By the time he scooped up his Air Rifle and charged forward, Nick had already sailed through the air and nailed Gurney. Tony got to him right after he fell, seconds after Melody, who he now noticed was handcuffed to a chain around her waist. Nick was bleeding copiously, blood running out of his neck. Laurent caught up to them at last, and moved over to where Nick lay also. Seeing Nick bleeding, he stripped off his shirt and knelt down. “We Have To Compress Ze Blood !”, he exclaimed.
“You know what to do ?”, Tony asked him. Laurent nodded, and placed the shirt on Nick’s neck, applying pressure. “Good....Take care of him. I’m going after Karen !” He rose and ran off past the unconscious Gurney and down the Tunnel, where his and Karen’s fate awaited them both.
____________________________________
-
“Const....Constan....”, Tiffany murmured weakly.
“Shhh...Don’t talk....”, Constantinos said. He was shirtless, holding his bunched-up shirt against Tiffany’s stomach to keep her from bleeding any more. Tears sprung to his eyes as he gazed at her, but he quickly wiped them away so she wouldn’t see.
“I’m....I’m scared”, Tiffany moaned. “Afraid....Ohh....It hurts...”
“It...It’s gonna be Ok”, Constantinos told her, desperately wanting to believe that himself. “Listen...I got gutshot, back in the spring....I made it through....You will too....Just...Lie still...Save your strength....”
Instead, Tiffany drew a shuddering breath and said, “Constantinos....I got to tell you something...Important....”
“Please, Tiffany....Stay calm....You can tell me later....After....”, Constantinos said, icy fear creeping along his spine.
“No....Have to....Tell you now”, Tiffany said, barely above a whisper. She grimaced as the pain gripped her. “I....I think I...Love you....Really...Love you....So strange.....I’ve never....Loved anyone....Before....”
Tiffany gasped then as a bolt of pain hit her and she quickly fell unconscious. Tears flowed down Constantinos’ face, but he didn’t bother to wipe them away this time. Around him, the Agents continued their room-by-room search up and down the circular hallway with a single-minded purpose, ignoring them on the floor. Constantinos had never felt so much alone.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On the other side of the Third Level, in another circular hallway, Johnny Vincent lay with his head cradled in Lola’s lap. He moaned, coming back to consciousness. “Ohhhhh....I’ve been hit...Me, the King....Hit !!”
“Shhh, don’t talk”, Lola cautioned, “You’ll get the bleeding started up again.”
“Eeey, did I get him ?”, Johnny gasped, “Is that asshole down ?”
“He’s down, Johnny, we got him”, Lola replied, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“Thass good...”, Johnny said, having a bit of trouble breathing. “Howya doin’ Lola ? You all rights ?”
“I’m fine, Johnny, just fine”, Lola said, a sob escaping her lips.
“Eey, Eey...What’s dis ?”, Johnny said. “Don’ts be cryin’ now....Ise gonna be all rights....It’s just a flesh wound, rights ?”
“Oh, Johnny !!”, Lola sobbed, her voice breaking, “I Love You !! I promise Never to break up with you again, or play games on you, ever, ever, again !!”
“What’s dis you talkin’, I’se gonna be fine, we gonna be like we was, Johnny and Lola, rights ?”, Johnny said with some difficulty.
“Oh, even better, I promise !”, Lola told him. “Just you and me....For all time !”
Johnny tried to chuckle, but it came out as a cough. “You knows....Youse drive me crazy....The foist time I seen yous, Ise was in Love wit yous, you know dat ? Den, I have yous for my Girol, and dat makes me feel like a King....Lola....I wants to marry you someday....”
“Oh, Yes....Yes, Johnny, Yes”, Lola said, openly crying now, her love for Johnny overflowing her thoughts. At the same time, she felt extremely terrified....Not for herself, but for Johnny, her Man among Men, her King among Kings. She stroked his brow with one hand while keeping pressure in his wound with the other. She would much rather loose that hand than to see him die. Johnny slipped back into semi-consciousness as the bustle of Agents searched rooms unnoticed around them. For that moment, it was only the two of them in the World.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“All the rooms are clear, Sir”, the Agent reported to Agent Kellerman. “We found one kid, hiding under a bed, scared shitless. He’s been put with the others.”
“Very good”, Agent Kellerman said. “I think we got the whole story now....You and the others guard these kids in the big hall here until further orders.” With that, he went off to report to Agent Hill, who was at the North end of the Level, having finally gotten the Cutting Torch to the Escape Tunnel door. On his way, he passed the latest arrival to the group in the wide hallway, Thad Carlton, who had made even a bigger mistake than General Custer ever did, turning tail under fire, running and hiding under a bed like a little chicken. Unlike the General’s blunder however, Thad’s cowardly acts went unnoticed to all, but would eat at him for the rest of his days. He had dismally failed the Code of the Knights.
________________________________________
-
Tony ran through the Escape Tunnel, which seemed to be a half-mile long. He had no idea of where it was leading him, but urgency moved his feet. Since he had been delayed, Omar certainly had a big lead on him now. If he was ever to catch up, he feared there would be a protracted battle, another standoff, with Karen caught in the middle. His backup was gone now, and he was alone.
In less than five minutes, the Tunnel came to an abrupt end. At it’s terminal point, a ladder was set into the wall of the tunnel. Tony searched around and saw nothing else. He took a look up the ladder and saw the ladder went up into a circular opening. With no other options left, he climbed up.
(http://www.artofthestate.co.uk/photos/feltham_40_acres_tunnel.jpg)
He emerged into a small, dark room. Tony had left his flashlight behind on Level Three, but he still had his lighter. He pulled it out and flicked the wick. When his eyes adjusted, he could see he was in a very small room indeed....More like a closet. There was a door just a couple of feet from him. Tony stepped forward and tried the knob. It was unlocked, which he expected, as Omar was to have been followed by Gurney with Melody as hostage, and perhaps Leon afterwards. Tony eased the door open, Air Rifle at the ready. Gradually was revealed what looked like the inside of a Cabin. There were some lights on. Tony entered cautiously, looking both right and left for any signs of a sneak attack, but none came. A quick look around the smallish Cabin told him it was deserted.
(http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/1b/32/13/inside-of-riverside-cabin.jpg)
Tony went to the only door the Cabin presented, in the front. As before, he eased open the door. A light was on outside, overhead, but he saw nobody, and no movement of any kind. He stepped out onto a small porch. Realizing then that he made a prime target to anyone watching, he hurried down some steps and crept off further away into the darkness. It looked to be a wooded area, from what he could see. He turned and glanced back at the Cabin. It was set nearly flush with a rising stone faced wall behind it, similar of many places in the Vale Valley.
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YehmT8joybo/TTuzxYA1TII/AAAAAAAAHIU/IwsHWeTG_RQ/s1600/IMG_4837.JPG)
There was a pathway leading from the steps he had just been on. Tony turned back to the wooded area in front of him, and was able to pick out the trail. It was then he realized it was no longer raining. The storms had apparently passed while he had been inside, and underneath, the Chem Plant. It was still somewhat cloudy and windy, but the clouds were thin and some Moonlight was showing through them, making them appear white-ish. It was enough to give him some visibility to follow the trail.
(http://cdn2.irishviews.com/irishviews-cdn/moonlit-clouds7.jpg)
The wooded area ahead wasn’t a forest, and the trail began dropping down steadily, as if on a hill. The stand of trees he was traveling through cut down the wind sounds considerably, and as Tony moved ahead, other sounds came to his ears. The first was the sound of water moving. The second was of a motor running. As Tony emerged from the stand of trees, he was in a more open area, and ahead of him, although he couldn’t see it very well, was a River.
In a sudden flash, Tony realized where he was at....In fact, he had been here before, on this very River, the River that was fed by the Bullworth Dam some three miles distant, the River that ran out to the Narragansett Bay....Just a few weeks ago, as he and Karen had ventured off on their vacation aboard Tad Spencer’s boat after Jake and the Punks had failed in their attempt to take over the School and the Towns. The motor sound was coming from off to his right, and as Tony looked that way, he saw a Boat Dock sticking out into the River a short ways. On the other side of the Dock was a mid-sized boat with it’s running lights on, aft and stern. The motor was idling. Squinting, Tony could make out two figures on the boat. He couldn’t tell just who they were, so he crept closer, and then saw one was the figure of a man, and the other a woman...Or a girl. Her arms seemed to be restricted by her sides somehow. Tony’s heart leapt...It had to be Karen !
(http://sar-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/superphoto/BoatHitsDock052713c.jpg)
Tony crept slowly to the Dock as soundlessly as he could. He reached it and paused. The figure he believed to be Omar was fiddling with something, and wasn’t paying attention to the Dock. It looked to be ropes to Tony’s eyes, and he realized that Omar was preparing to cast off, only waiting for the other Townies before removing the final rope from the stern.
There was no other choice. Tony started moving on the dock, with the goal of getting close enough to be able to cleanly target Omar, if that was him. He would only get one shot, after that his element of surprise would be over. He moved slowly, as not to attract attention, and the journey was an agonizing one with what seemed to be Karen right there in his sight.
Tony was more than three-quarters of the way to where he judged he would have to be when Omar looked up in his direction....Expecting to see Gurney with Melody, no doubt, since he spoke up sharply, “GURNEY ??”
Tony kept moving, any doubts dispelled about who was on the boat. He had his Air Rifle raised to try to obscure his face, but not pointed at anything, as Omar was in temporary confusion. Each step brought him closer to a better shot. “LEON ? THAT YOU ??”
It was time. Tony could wait no longer. Dropping the Air Rifle level, he sighted Omar and let loose a few rounds. POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !!
But Omar was no dummy, as it swiftly occurred to him that the person on the Dock was neither Gurney nor Leon. He ducked to the deck as the Pellets from Tony’s Air Rifle smashed into the partly-open bridge overhead of him. But instead of raising up and firing back, as Tony expected he might, a crouched Omar went to where Karen was still standing on the deck. She didn’t see him approaching, he eyes were fixed on Tony.
“TONY ?!?”, Karen squealed, "I’M RIGHT HERE !!!”
Omar grabbed Karen around the waist and spun her around, placing her in-between himself and Tony, much as Gurney had done with Melody. “BETTER STAND DOWN SCHOOLBOY !!”, he yelled, “SOON AS THE OTHERS GET HERE, WE’RE LEAVING AND TAKIN’ THESE BITCHES WITH US, SINCE YOU AIN’T GOT NO RANSOM !!!”
“YOUR FRIENDS AIN’T COMING, THEY BEEN PUT TO SLEEP !!!”, Tony couldn’t help jeering, sighting on Omar with the Air Rifle. “IT’S ALL OVER, SO GIVE UP AND LET KAREN GO !!”
“Yeah, Let Me Go, You Perverted Bastard !!”, Karen said, struggling against Omar. “I Told You Tony Would Come Save Us And Make You Assholes Pay !!”
Already under pressure and angered by another of Karen’s outbursts, Omar moved his arm holding Karen upwards, and in a flash grabbed her around the throat from behind, lifting her up on her toes. “You Just Won’t Shut Up, Will You ?”, he said as Karen gurgled. Omar raised his Air Rifle and poked the barrel under Karen’s ear. To Tony, he yelled, “AIN’T NOTHIN’ OVER SCHOOLBOY !! I’M TAKIN’ THIS BITCH AND LEAVIN’, RIGHT NOW !!! THROW DOWN YOU WEAPON AND STEP BACK, OR I’LL TAKE A MIND TO PUT SOME PELLETS IN THIS CUNT’S HEAD !!!”
“NO, I WON’T !!!”, Tony shouted back, seeing Omar doing practically the same thing as Gurney had done with Melody. Unlike Nick though, Tony wasn’t about to drop his gun...Omar would just start shooting at him. With no place to duck for cover on the exposed Dock, he would be shot even before he could jump off the other side into the water. Omar would zoom off with Karen, and Tony would fail. He would never see her again. Tony settled the Air Rifle’s sights directly on both Karen and Omar’s heads. He shouted back with grim determination in his voice, “YOU SHOOT HER, AND YOU WILL BE FULL OF PELLETS THE SECOND AFTER YOU DO....AND I WON’T STOP FIRING TILL THIS THING’S EMPTY !!”
“YOU KEEP THINKIN’ THAT, SCHOOLBOY.....BUT YOUR LITTLE GIRLFRIEND WILL BE MIGHTY FUCKED UP, MEBBE FOR LIFE !! CAN YOU LIVE WITH THAT ??” As he spoke, Omar begin to slowly move towards the stern to cast off the last line, keeping Karen between them as Tony tracked them with his Air Rifle.
“I’LL KILL YOU, MOTHERFUCKER !!”, Tony replied, with a depth of hatred he didn’t even know he possessed. “I’LL SHOOT YOUR RAPING ASS DEAD....THEN I’LL SMASH YOUR FACE IN, TILL IT’S JUST A BLOODY PULP, EVEN YOUR MAMA WONT RECOGNIZE YOU !”
“THAT’S BIG TALK, SCHOOLBOY !!”, Omar yelled back, still on the move, “BUT I AIN’T GOT A MAMA, OR A DADDY EITHER, YUH DUMB.........OOO-OUCHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!
While dragging Karen in front of him, Omar had let her drop slightly, enough so her feet could touch flat on the deck. Shifting her weight to her left leg, Karen slammed the heel of her right foot down on Omar’s instep as hard as she could, a move that the Jock leader Ted Thompson had taught her the year before, when she had sought refuge within the Jock Clique for protection from the Bullies. She mashed down so hard that she actually cracked her heel bone, though she wouldn’t feel that until later.
“NOW, TONY....NOW !!!!!!”, Karen screamed, ducking down and falling to the deck as Omar released his grip on her.
POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !! POW-THUNK !!
Tony fired off a stream of pellets as Karen dropped. The first ones struck Omar in the chest, cracking his sternum and driving him backwards, where he dropped his Air Rifle. Two more slammed his guts, pushing him back further, to the knee-high gunwhale of the boat. The final Pellet struck him and toppled him over the side of the boat, where he hit the water with a splash.
Immediately, Tony raced on the Dock and jumped the short distance into the boat. He frantically searched for Karen in the weak light, and about pissed himself in relief as he saw her on the deck, struggling to sit up. He went to her and bent down, circling her with his arms. “Karen, Karen, Are You Alright ??”
“Yes, Yes...But Watch Out For Omar, He’s Got A Gun !!”, Karen responded, not having seen Omar fall over the side of the boat.
“It’s Alright”, Tony told her, “He Went Over The Side....You’re Safe Now, Safe !!”
Karen burst into tears of relief at Tony’s touch. She could hardly believe her ordeal was over, at long last. “Oh...Tony, Tony !!!”, was all she could say, as she buried her face in his chest.
“HELP !!!! HELP !!!!”, Omar’s voice called suddenly from out in the water. “HELP !!!! I CAN’T SWIM !!!! HEL-L-L-L-P !!!!!!”
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“Stay here”, Tony told Karen as he gently pushed away. “Stay down on deck.”
“Oh, Tony, don’t go !”, Karen begged. “It might be a trick !”
“I wounded him”, Tony said, “I know my shots hit him. Don’t worry, he can’t fight me now.”
Tony left Karen and went to the side of the boat where Omar had fallen over. Peering out into the Inky water, at first he could see nothing. As anyone who has ever been out on the water at night knows, without light, water is black, and becomes indistinguishable from the horizon. Tony kept looking though, and then he saw a head bob to the surface about 50 feet away.
“HELP !! *cough, cough*, HELP !!”, Tony heard Omar say again, only in a weaker voice. “CAN’T *glub* SWIM.....”, he sputtered, before going back under.
The current was carrying him off, Tony knew, and fairly swiftly too. Tony was a good swimmer, he had practically grown up in the pools around his neighborhood as a young boy. But a river was different, particularly one with fast currents. There were many spots where a sudden undertow could pull the best swimmer under, even when wearing a Life Jacket. Tony had been pulled under by such an undertow in a much smaller river when he was but 8 years old, and was barely able to make it back to shore. And that was a much calmer river than this one was tonight. The Storms that evening had swollen the volume of the river from the Bullworth Dam clear out to the Bay, and the current had increased double as a result. It would be madness for him to jump in and attempt any kind of rescue.
Tony hurried to the partly-open bridge. “Tony...What Are You Doing ?”, Karen called, but he ignored her for the moment, looking for something, anything he could use. Spotting a Life Preserver cast off in the corner of the bridge, he grabbed it up. A thin nylon rope was tied to it, and he gathered that up also. Before leaving the bridge, he saw the key by the Pilot’s Wheel and turned the motor off. Heading back to the side, he fumbled with the rope and found the end of it, which he tied off to a nearby cleat. Then he heaved the Life Preserver as far out as he could, in the direction where he last saw Omar.
The Life Preserver drifted out swiftly with the current. Tony looked hard, but he couldn’t see Omar anywhere. Seconds ticked by, and what looked like a white face emerged in the water more than a hundred feet distant, and then was gone as quickly as it appeared. Then, nothing.
Karen had struggled to he feet and went to Tony, where he was standing by the side. He had a peculiar look on his face. “Tony...What is it ? What are you doing ?”, she implored. “You’re...Not going in after that Bastard, are you ? Are You ?”
Tony was silent for a moment, debating. He could grasp the thin rope, go over the side, keep a grip while he was searching....But it would be incredibly risky. Would it even be worth it ? There was not much chance of finding Omar now. Karen was staring at him, begging with her eyes, waiting for his answer.
“No”, Tony said at last. “I’m not gonna do it.”
Karen pressed up against him in relief. She wanted more than anything to put her arms around Tony and hold on tight forever, but the Townie’s handcuffs still bound her wrists to the waist chain. Karen had to settle for burying her face in his chest. Tony encircled her with his arms as he gazed out at the black water of the river.
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Heavy running footsteps sounded on the wood dock. Tony quickly grabbed up his Air Rifle and prepared for another attack, but suddenly he and Karen were bathed in a bright spotlight as a voice spoke through a Megaphone, shattering the stillness of the night.
“DON’T MOVE !!! F.B.I. !!! LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPON AND SURRENDER !!!”
Tony did as he was told, extending his arm and dropping his Air Rifle to the deck, then raising his hands. “PLACE YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD AND STAND STILL”, the voice ordered, “WE ARE BOARDING YOUR VESSEL !!”
In front of the near blinding light directed at him and Karen, Tony saw figures jumping onto the boat. He as quickly surrounded and then handcuffed. Tony’s weapon was picked up, as well as the Air Rifle Omar had dropped. Some of the Agents, with weapons drawn and using flashlights, began to search through the boat from bow to stern. After some minutes, they called, “All Clear Here, Sir”, and “Clear Here Also, Sir.”
The spotlight was lowered and not directed at Tony and Karen any longer, although it continued to brightly illuminate the boat. One of the Agents approached Tony. “I’m Special-Agent-In-Charge Clifton Hill”, he said. “Are you Calderone ? Tony Calderone ?”
“Yes, that’s me”, Tony admitted.
“And is this Karen Johnson ?”, Agent Hill asked.
“Yes, that’s her”, Tony said, and Karen nodded, not speaking.
Agent Hill nodded to another Agent. “Release him”, he said, and then noticing Karen was also shackled, said, “And, get those cuffs and that chain off of her and bag them for evidence.”
The other Agent uncuffed Tony, then went to work on Karen’s bonds. In less than a minute, her Handcuffs and the Waist Chain were removed from her. When that was complete, Agent Hill poised a question to Tony. “Where is Omar Romero ?”
Tony pointed towards the River where he had last seen Omar. “Out there, Sir....He fell overboard, after....Umm....After I shot him.”
“You shot him ?”, Agent Hill said, but not as a question.
“Um...Yeah....See, he was, that is, he had a gun to Karen’s head, as she somehow, Uh, kicked him or something...”
“I stomped on his foot”, Karen said, speaking up.
“Umm, yeah”, Tony continued, “Then I shot him with the Air Rifle, and I hit him, I’m sure, cause he stumbled back and then fell overboard...”
“I see”, Agent Hill remarked. “So....You killed him ?”
“No, No”, Tony said, “He wasn’t killed, he was shouting for help, and the current was taking him off, then he shouted he couldn’t swim....I threw a Life Preserver I found out there, but he was too far off then, and he went under. I....I couldn’t see him after that.”
Agent Hill listened impassively as Tony related those events, giving no hint as to weather he believed Tony or not. Then he said, “If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I’ll be right back...Wait here.” He strolled to the other end of the boat, pulling out a radio as he went. Tony watched as Agent Hill began talking into it, although he couldn’t hear what was being said. When the Agent returned, he said to Tony and Karen, “We’re going to be taking you both back to Bullworth Town for the remainder of the night.” Looking at his watch, he continued, “It’s about 4 AM. I suppose you both need some rest, after what you’ve been through. We will debrief you tomorrow afternoon about all the events that have transpired here tonight then. If there’s anything else you can think of, then that’ll be the time...”
“Uhh...There is one thing...”, Tony said, “Um, me and my friend Nick found some...Containers of that....VX Nerve Gas, up on the first level, in some long-ass shipping crates....”
Agent Hill’s eyes lit up. He pulled up his radio, not bothering to walk away this time. “Patch Me Through To Hosty”, he said.
In seconds came a reply. “This Is Hosty...Go.”
“Those WMD’s We’re Looking For Are On The First Level, Repeat, First Level, In Long Shipping Crates...Copy ?”, Agent Hill said, excitement creeping into his voice.
“Aye, Copy That”, the radio crackled, “Long Shipping Crates, First Level. Good Job. Secure Those Immediately And Prepare For Transport, Copy ?”
“Yes Sir, Copy That Fine”, Agent Hill spoke, a look of satisfaction settling on his features. Tony and Karen were turned over to a couple of the other Agents then, who led them to the dock. Agent Hill then directed the other agents to seize the boat and to conduct a search for the missing Omar at first light. He then joined the Agents on dock and they all began the walk back to the Cabin, and after that, the Escape Tunnel. From there, they would wind their way back through the Tunnel system to Blue Skies.
Tony walked arm and arm with Karen, as he reflected what the night had cost them, had cost his friends, had cost those who had come to help them. Karen and Melody were free at last, but the price for their freedom had been an ugly one. Tony hoped his friend Nick would be alright. He hoped everyone would be alright, would recover from their wounds, there were so many. Most of all, Tony hoped he would never have to go through something like this ever, ever again. He Hoped.
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------{{ END OF CHAPTER EIGHT }}----------
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THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY
{{ CHAPTER 9 }}
The Binding Agreement
“Are we ready ?”, the Reporter asked. The Cameraman nodded and gave the countdown signal with his hand...Five, Four, There, Two, One...Go. The Reporter assumed a professional air as she began to speak, a room in the Bullworth Courthouse behind her in the still dark and overcast early morning.
(http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110531202334/manhunt/images/c/c0/ProjectManhunt_OfficialGameScreenshot_%2847%29.jpg)
“This is Robin Miller with a Special Breaking Report from Bullworth Town, Rhode Island. According to a reliable anonymous source, the two girls that were kidnapped from the Fourth of July celebrations here nearly two weeks ago have been rescued alive and well. There has been a flurry of activity here at the Courthouse Building and at the Bullworth Police Station just down the block in this past hour. The Source has told us that the rescue was carried out in the Blue Skies Industrial Area overnight, and that Federal Agents and a number of Students from Bullworth Academy were involved in the rescue. No other Information is forthcoming at this early time. Stay Tuned to this Station for further updates throughout the day on this breaking live story. For WPRO 12 News, Robin Miller, Reporting.”
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In all, 21 injured Students were taken out of the Third Level and off the roof of the Chem Plant by dawn. The most seriously injured, Troy, Gord, Johnny, Nick, and Tiffany, were taken to the Vale Clinic, as they had the better care facilities. The lesser injured of Dan, Bo, Lucky, Wade, Davis, Tom, Bucky, Donald, Justin, Parker, and Casey were divided up between the Clinics of Bullworth Town and New Coventry. The least injured of Ricky, Vance, Kirby, Ethan, and Cornelius were treated and able to be released before the day was over. Karen and Melody were taken to the Vale Clinic as well, and were checked out and had Rape Kits administered. Karen had a cracked heel, and a ‘boot’ was applied. Both girls were traumatized by their captivity, Melody more than Karen, and would need Physiological Counselling in their futures.
All the Townies were injured, many seriously. They were taken to the Blue Skies Clinic, which was reopened just for that purpose, and kept under heavy guard until such time as they could be transported to the State Prison to await their Trials. All were charged with Kidnapping, Extortion, Rape, Confinement, Infliction Of Bodily Harm, Assault With A Deadly Weapon Against Minors, and a host of other lesser offenses. In addition, the Cases for their abortive attempt to take over the School were re-filed against them. Ironically, the craziest Townie of them all, Clint Henry, escaped prosecution altogether, since he was not a part of the kidnapping and was judged too insane to be recharged for his earlier crimes. Instead, he would become a resident of Happy Volts Asylum for years to come, and would gradually even forget about his former Townie colleagues as he sank further into the depths of his insanity.
The body of Omar Romero was recovered just before dusk that Friday, caught up in the branches of a tree downed by the storm near the mouth of the river by the Narragansett Bay. He was shown to have been shot 5 times, but the worst of the wounds was a cracked sternum, and his death was ruled as drowning. His body was brought back to the Blue Skies Docks in a Body Bag, and then sent on to the Morgue at the Asylum, where he would occupy the same Cold Storage Vault as his former leader Edgar Munsen had lain in just less than a year before.
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School was cancelled for the day Friday after only a handful of students showed up for classes. The bulk of the uninjured students who had participated in the Chem Plant raid were returned to Bullworth Academy after being disarmed and then questioned briefly at the Bullworth Police Station. As they arrived, they went to the Dorms or other areas and went to sleep, since they had been up all night. By Friday evening, they were awake, and gathered in their groups on campus, telling and reliving their exploits to one another of the previous night’s raid. A strange era of peace and tolerance settled over the campus, as the Cliques who had spent untold years fighting each other now afforded respect to one another after having battled together in a common cause.
There were a few exceptions however. Tad, and those Preps who had not joined in on the raid, poo-pooed the efforts of the others. Bryce, who had been allowed to bring the Shields back to Harrington Hall, was frankly disbelieved as he tried to tell the others of the heroism of Gord, since he was the lone returning Prep as the others had been shot down. An argument ensued, and Bryce stormed out, saying he was quitting the Clique and that Tad and his chaps could go to Hell. Bryce went to the Beach House and took up residence, and eventually Gord, Justin, and Parker would join him there, creating yet another split in the Prep Clique ranks.
Melvin, disarmed of the Super Spud Gun by the Federal Agents, would face the wrath of Fatty for the loss of the weapon, and it would eventually come to blows. Thad, the only other unhurt Nerd, who had run and hid, tried to concoct a fantastic fantasy tale of his exploits which was roundly disbelieved and he was labeled as a liar. In addition, the Nerd Clique would come under pressure to make and resupply new weapons, since all of the weapons used in the raid had been confiscated by the Feds. This would create further dissention within their ranks.
Trent, who was forced to surrender by Agents sticking guns in his face, never even got to shoot a Townie, but it made no difference. He preformed well in his backup role, as had Ted, who didn’t land a shot on any Townies either. Both of them were accorded respect nonetheless for being in the thick of the action. In all, there was enough heroic stands to go around for all the Cliques who fought that night, and there would build wild and incredible embellished tales of the Student’s involvement in the raid that would pass into legend as the months and years rolled ahead. But for now, all was peaceful on the Campus, there was no fighting, taunting, or plans for revenge. Prefects stood around with nothing to do and nobody to bust, their roles finally relegated that evening to guarding the school gates and keeping the Media out.
All this peaceful co-existence benefited Tony, who spent the afternoon and evening being questioned and debriefed by the Federal Agents. A return trip all day Saturday to the Courthouse Conference Rooms for more grilling also kept him off Campus until late that evening, unable to even attempt to tend to his Mediator responsibilities. However, the peace would be short-lived, as things would gradually drift back to normal in the coming weeks, forcing Tony to try to come up with the ultimate plan to prevent a return to the total violence of the past at Bullworth Academy.
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At the first, Tony had been sequestered in the fancy Vale Hotel under guard until Friday afternoon, before being taken by the Agents in their black car to the Bullworth Courthouse for questioning and debriefing. He didn’t know where Karen had been taken, and was relieved to see her in the hallway near the Conference Room where he was being taken himself. She had been kept separately (and ironically) under guard at the Boar Inn. They had rushed into each other’s arms as the Agents stood by and watched.
There were no words for the moment as they had just stood and held each other tight. It had seemed far too long since early that morning, although it had only been a few hours. Even that had seemed too long for Tony, much too long after waiting nearly an agonizing two weeks not knowing if he would ever see her again. There were some whispered words before the Agents gently separated them and led them off to different rooms for their interrogations.
Tony spent that Friday afternoon and evening telling the Agents everything that had transpired from the time of the Kidnapping to the appearance of the Agents at the Dock, leaving out only his interaction with Mr. Riddle and his strange contacts. For reasons he still didn’t fully understand, he felt he should keep that information under wraps. When the Agents had inquired just how he had known of the secret levels under the Chem Plant, Tony told them of the twisting path he had traveled, first suspecting the Church and the mysterious Monks, then following the lead to the Asylum, then to the Chem Plant from the discovery of the tunnels. He wasn’t so sure the Agents believed him, but he stuck to that, and then began telling them about his dreams, which was the truth, the parts that gave him clues on how to proceed, again leaving out the parts that concerned Mr. Riddle. The Agents may have though him a little off by those admissions, but if they did, they gave no sign.
Finally, at close to 9 PM, Special Agent Hosty entered the room. “Hello, Mr. Calderone”, he said, “We meet again.”
“Oh...Hello, Sir”, Tony said, “You’re the one who arrested Dr. Crabblesnitch and took him away, right ? I remember you.”
“Yes”, Agent Hosty showed a rare smile, “I am indeed. The Doctor has a nice tidy cell these days and three squares, awaiting his upcoming trial. I see you’ve been keeping busy yourself.”
“Only because I had to, Sir”, Tony said, “I didn’t really plan on this....I just wanted to have a nice summer, after all that other stuff happened, you know....”
“I’m sure you did”, Agent Hosty replied. “Tell you what, we’re going to cut this short for today, since it’s late. All of those ‘Town Boys’, as you call them, have been rounded up, and we don’t believe you or Miss Johnson are in any further danger, so....We’re going to transport you both back to your school for the night. We’ll send someone for you tomorrow morning though, there’s still more we want to discuss with you.”
“But...I’ve told everything I can”, Tony said, worriedly, “What more is there ?”
“We want to discuss how you came across that VX Nerve Gas up on the first level”, Agent Hosty said, “All the particulars and details of that. I want you to remember everything about that, since it will help us in building cases against certain people.”
“Well...Um...Ok”, Tony said, “But...You should talk to Nick about that too, he was the one who really found it....He’d maybe be able to tell you more....”
“Regrettably, Mr. Penty is in a coma right now, and won’t be of much help”, Agent Hosty sighed. “This information is vital, and time-sensitive.....Anyway, we’ll fill you in tomorrow about that.”
“Nick’s in a coma ?”, Tony asked then, suddenly really worried. “Is he gonna....Be all right ?”
“I’ve been told his injury is not...Life Threatening, but it was a near thing”, Agent Hosty told Tony. “I understand there’s a Surgical Team en-route here this evening, to remove the....Projectile from his neck. I believe he will recover, based on what I’ve heard.”
“Whoa”, Tony muttered. He really hadn’t given much thought to Nick today, or Melody either for that matter. “What about Melody ? Is she...All right ?”
“Miss Adams is unharmed”, Agent Hosty said, opening the door and ushering Tony from the room. “Since she was checked out, she’s been keeping vigil at Mr. Penty’s bedside.”
Karen was waiting in the hall with another Agent. “This is Agent Kellerman”, Agent Hosty said, “He’ll transport the both of you back to the school.”
Agent Kellerman nodded. “Come with us, you two. There’s lots of reporters hanging about, but don’t comment on anything. We’ll escort you to the car outside.”
It was a bit of slow going, as Karen had to contend with her cracked heel, limping all the way. What the Agent had said was true, there was a bevy of Reporters and cameras awaiting out side the Courthouse, and they began shouting questions as soon as Tony and Karen started down the Courthouse steps. Getting to the car without saying anything reminded Tony of some of those old Gangster movies. The dark vehicle sped off and went to the school, where there were even more Reporters and cameras about, almost as much as there had been right after the town bombings of just six weeks ago. Those Reporters too shouted questions and stuck microphones in their faces as they walked to the entrance, which Tony saw had the gates shut. They had to endure a minute longer for Karl the Prefect to unlock and open the gates for them, then close it off behind them. Still, the Reporters persisted, shouting their questions through the gate bars. Tony got Karen up to the small plaza between the Dorms, and then began to walk her slowly toward the Girl’s Dorm, as she was limping badly.
“Maybe you should have gotten some crutches”, Tony remarked, when the rabble of voices were behind them.
“They offered me some, I turned them down”, Karen said. “Wished I’d taken them now !”
“Just hang on to me”, Tony said gently, “Maybe Mrs. Peabody will let me take you up to your room.”
Karen held closer to Tony, and said suddenly, “Tony...Don’t leave me...We’ve been apart so long !”
“But...What about Mrs. Peabody ? Or Mrs. Carvin ?”, Tony asked, “They likely won’t let me stay...Probably make me leave...”
“Just let them try”, Karen said viciously. “I’ll tell them old biddies where they can shove it !”
Tony had to laugh, and then Karen laughed too. It was so good to finally be able to laugh again.
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Pinky had left early Friday morning from the Boar Inn to stroll down the street to Shinjo’s to have a bit of Breakfast. It was convenient, as it was just a short walk past the Dry Seaman’s Bar and the Vale’s Shiny Bike Shop to the West. On the corner of Vale Boulevard and Hill Street was the nondescript Vale Finance Institution (known as VFI), and across the street was the restored Homemade Ice Cream Shop. Up the walk steps and a couple of buildings to the North was Shinjo’s, her favorite eating spot in the Vale, the scene of many a meeting lunch meeting with Christy in the past, when Pinky was with Kurt and the Rockers. She didn’t get to see much of Christy these days, at least not socially...Both her and Winkie were tied up with the work thing and their time with each other, but she missed them both.
Pinky hadn’t really looked down the street the other way as she left the Boar Inn. If she had, she would have noticed three dark Government cars parked in front of the Vale Clinic on the next block. Eating alone, as always these days, she finished her Breakfast and sighed. Time to catch the bus for school, she supposed. At least it was Friday. With only a month more to go in the Summer Term, she'd be out of school for a while, that was, until the month following that, when she would finally get to her Senior year at long last. Then she supposed she could go to Paris or Milan after she finally graduated to model or something. Since her Daddy was tied up in all that legal trouble, she probably wouldn’t have a Trust Fund and have to earn some actual money to sustain herself. A year ago, her future had been all but decided.....She was to marry Derby and become a Prep’s kept wife. But Derby was long gone now, sent away she’d been told. She wouldn’t have gone back with him even if he had stayed, broken jaws had a way of changing one’s outlook on life. Kurt was gone too, a mental vegetable now, so she heard. She had been willing to plunge into his exciting seedy underworld life with him, but that was not to be either. She was done with Tad, if she were ever to take up with him again, there would always be a Vanessa in the shadows. Then there was Tony, who had made it clear enough that he would never be with her, whether Karen was rescued or not. No, it looked like her future was pretty uncertain these days, and that she would be fighting it alone.
Pinky left Shinjo’s, going across Vale Boulevard to the Bus Stop there, almost directly across the four-lane Boulevard from the Dry Seaman’s Bar. It seemed The Bus was late, and she idly looked around, bored. A glance across to the Boar Inn sparked her interest then, as a dark car pulled up in front. More interesting was what seemed a cluster of people with cameras and microphones following along the walk and gathering in front of the Boar Inn. The car doors opened to the sidewalk side, away from her sight, and some men hustled out. In the middle of them, Pinky could barely see something all too familiar....A person with a head of honey-blond hair. She was being hustled into the Boar Inn through the crowd. One of the men in black from the car blocked the entrance after the girl was taken in, denying entrance to the crowd, who must surely be those News People, Pinky thought.
But that girl....Pinky had almost no doubt as to who it was. It had to be Karen....Kidnapped Karen, her nemesis for Tony’s affections, the girl who had slammed her into a wall, not once but twice....And the girl she had gone to Bryce to enlist his help for, to somehow aid Tony to save her. Why else would all those News People be gathered around her ? Tony and his friend Nick must have succeeded in their mission.
But what about Bryce ? Had he been able to convince any other Preps to go along ? Had anyone gotten hurt ? Had Tony gotten hurt ? Had Bryce ? These questions swirled in her mind as the Bus pulled up at last. The door was opened and she stepped up and inside...But the bus was empty.
“You being the only rider today, looks like”, Chuck the Bus driver said. “Some big goings-on this morning, all right....Buncha those News Freaks are comin’ out of the woodwork like Cockroaches. I gotta park this thing and get the Cab going soon”, he added. Chuck drove the Valley’s only Taxi as well as the School Bus.
Pinky took the seat behind the driver as the Bus lumbered on towards the School. Pinky knew one thing...She would have to track down Bryce and find out what had happened....To find out if it had been enough, that she had done enough, to be able to start on the road to her redemption.
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Constantinos sat hollow-eyed by Tiffany’s bedside at the Vale Clinic that Friday night. He had barely dozed since....Who knew when ? Seemed like days. Already, the self-recriminations were washing over him like a Tsunami. He shouldn’t have taken her along into the bowels of the Chem Plant. He shouldn’t have given her that Spud Gun. He should have watched her closer, protected her somehow from danger. He knew how unstable she was, better than anyone.
His mind swirled like a Tornado. How had this happened ? How had he allowed this to happen ? It had all spun out of control, as if he had any sort of control to began with. Over and over, her last words echoed in his head, like an old record skipping back in a groove....
“I....I think I...Love you....Really...Love you....So strange.....I’ve never....Loved anyone....Before....”
Then, she had passed out. As yet, she hadn’t woken up. Maybe never would. A terrible shiver wormed it’s was through his own guts at that thought. If she died........He couldn’t continue the thought, couldn’t deal, and his mind rebelled in an agonized spasm.
“Yep, you really fucked up this time !”, the Voice of Reason chortled. “Really pissed it right down the john ! You might as well just shot her yourself, up on the roof, saved us all a trip down to that Hellhole.”
“Nooooo.....”, Constantinos moaned. “”Go away.....”
“Can’t very well do that, buckaroo, since we’re LOCKED IN YOUR MISERABLE HEAD”, the Voice continued, unheeding. “It ain’t no picnic watching you fuck up, you know. In fact, it just makes us want to throw the hell up, but we can’t of course, cause we don’t got no finger to stick down your miserable throat.”
“Leave me Alone”, Constantinos muttered, squeezing his eyes shut tightly.
“Would if we could Chief”, the Voice of Reason continued, “Impossible, since we’re kinda stuck in what they call a Symbolic Relationship here. If you really want us gone, why didn’t ja just take that gun you had down there and stick in your mouth ? One pull and we’re all outta this misery. One pull on the trigger and we could all end this. But you don’t have the BALLS to do that....Do You ?” The voice snickered as Constantinos moaned anew, his hands grasping his head. “Of course not...You’d rather just sit and watch her DIE, wouldn’t you ?”
Constantinos broke down in sobs then, as his swirling emotions of grief, guilt, self-hate, and despair overwhelmed him. He had no answer for the Voice of Reason. None at all.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Medical Team who had responded to the call for help concluded that Tiffany was in very serious condition. Because of her petite size, the Pellets shot by Leon had penetrated her abdominal muscles and punched small holes in her Intestines. Tiffany needed an operation to remove the Pellets and repair her Intestines, and soon, as Peritonitis was setting in and would lead to Septicemia and eventually death.
With all the injured that had resulted from the two battles....30 in all, including the Townies...The skeleton staff that manned the Clinics in the Vale Valley were quickly overwhelmed. Ergo, a Medical Team had been summoned from nearby Warwick before that afternoon. Still, there were a few simultaneous serious cases to deal with at the Vale Clinic, as well at the Blue Skies Clinic, where the Townies had been taken. The decision was made late Friday evening to airlift Tiffany by an Air Medical Helicopter to a Hospital in Providence.
The Reporters stationed outside the Vale Clinic were galvanized as the Helicopter flew in that evening and landed at the foot of the Long Pier across the Vale Boulevard not far from the Clinic. A couple of Paramedics hustled out of the Helicopter with a stretcher on wheels and headed for the Clinic, ignoring the Reporter’s shouted questions as they went inside. In a few minutes they reappeared with Tiffany in tow, the Reporters following them across the street still shouting questions which the Paramedics still ignored. The Idling Helicopter powered up as soon as she was loaded in, and then rose into the sky, heading off swiftly in a North-East direction.
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xzoyMFOoEFE/TlhoZ4pJ_aI/AAAAAAAANOA/fkH_B2zH3GE/s1600/%25210_0000_MORGUE_Helicopters-Medical_LifeNet.jpg)
Constantinos had followed Tiffany’s stretcher out into the street. The Reporters, who were focused on the girl on the stretcher, ignored him. Constantinos watched with tears flowing down his face as the Helicopter rose and flew away. Then, he turned and headed down the street, wandering aimlessly, and disappeared. He would not be seen again for more than a week, and in the commotion of events, hardly anyone noticed.
________________________________________
-
In another room at the Clinic, Johnny Vincent came to. “Ohhhh....Ooohhh....Lola....Lola Babe...”
“I’m right here, Johnny, right here !”, Lola responded eagerly. She had been sitting with him in the room every since he’d been taken care of by the Medical Team, who had extracted a Pellet from his chest earlier in the day.
“Wheres...am I ?”, Johnny said woozily, trying to move.
“In the Clinic”, Lola told him, putting her hands gently to him. “Try not to move around.”
“Is...It Bad ?”, Johnny asked, pointing to his chest.
“Not so bad”, Lola assured him. “Couple of broke ribs...A...Punctured Lung....” She broke off with a short sob.
“Eey....None’s of that”, Johnny said, “Ise gonna bees just fine, rights ?”
“Yes....”, Lola said, hitching in a breath, “They told me...You would.”
“Sees ? It’ll bees just Ok”, Johnny said, “Just likes new....Sames as always.” He gave her a slightly painful grin, and her eyes brimmed with tears.
”Johnny...Did you mean it ?”, Lola asked, “About wanting to marry me ?”
“Sures I did”, Johnny said, “Lola, we’s gonna be...Engaged.”
The tears spilled over Lola’s cheeks. “I meant what I said, Johnny...Being there, seeing you shot....We are the most important thing, I know that now....I won’t ever leave you again, Ever !”
“Ey, rights....We a Team, youse and mees”, Johnny said, “I always Loves you Baby, yous knows that....We should gets our own place, Ise be runnin’ the Blue Balls, we’s can make out, sure...”
“You mean it Johnny ?”, Lola said, “Our own place and all ?”
“Sure, Sures, we get us an Apartment foirst, likes we had in Detroit, den we can mebbe gets a house, when the Bar picks up...”, Johnny said, “We’s can make it, Lola, all the way...”
“And....No more jealousy, Johnny, hey ?”, Lola asked, “I want you to trust me, really trust me.”
“Ey, de boys said youse stepped up for mees...Down there...”, Johnny mummered, “Says youse took outs dat Townie boy good....Ise can always trusts you now....”
“I bashed his face in”, Lola said, with a trace of savage vengeance. “It felt...Good.”
“Heh...Dats my giorl”, Johnny said, sleepily. “De mos beautiful warrior...”
They chatted on, as Johnny fell down into sleep. Their days ahead would be better, she knew now. Together, they would make them so.
_______________________________________
-
Melody came awake with a start. It had to be after midnight. How long had she dozed off ? She looked over to the bed next to her chair in the Clinic, fearful that Nick wasn’t there, that he had been moved like that other girl, taken off on a Helicopter, or maybe that he had, maybe....Died.
Her heart hammered, and then she saw him there, still in the same place, the same position, breathing slow and regular. Melody let out a harsh breath and hitched a sob. Nick was still sedated to keep him from moving because of what had happened to him. The Medical People had told her the Pellet had entered his neck, just missing his right Carotid Artery. Apparently because of the way he had jumped, feet first, Gurney’s shot had struck his neck at an upward angle and wound up smashing into into apex of his upper jaw, breaking it because of the close range. He could not be safely moved, they said. As it was, he had been extremely lucky, they told her. The Pellet would be removed later, when it was deemed safe.
“Oh, Nicky”, she moaned, the tears coming again. He looked horrible, bandages swathed his neck, and some sort of brace was fitted to his jaw. His lower face was swollen and purplish-looking. She lifted her hand and gently grasped Nick’s hand, which was laying alongside him, stroking it. He had rescued her after all....Karen never seemed to have doubts that the boys would come for them, but in the depths of her terror, when she was alone, with all those filthy monsters using her, degrading her, she had shut down and ceased to believe in anything.
It was all her fault, not being able to hold her pee. Her fault for getting separated from Nick in the first place. Her fault for asking Karen to go with her. Her fault that Nick got shot. Gurney had stuck his thumb hard against her lips in that tunnel, and in her fear and terror, she opened her mouth and bit it, bit it hard, just as she wanted to do to that other thing he put there but didn’t dare. All her fault, she knew.
Those Government people had wanted to talk to her. She refused to go, to leave Nick lying here alone in the Clinic. Even Karen had wanted her to come along today, after their exams, to talk to those Government Men about what Omar and Gurney and the rest of those foul bastards had done to them. Melody didn’t want to talk to anybody about that. Not Ever.
A small stab of anger went through her. Karen had her man. Tony wasn’t hurt rescuing her. He wasn’t shot like Nicky had been. Tony hadn’t even looked at her, or asked if she was all right, he just ran off after Karen. If Laurent hadn’t been there, Nick would have bled to death. Those Government Men virtually ignored her, most rushing past her heading further into the tunnel. The ones that stayed only hustled her back to that horrid underground place, not allowing her to stay with Nick. They didn’t even unshackle her until everyone was taken out of the underground via some other tunnels soon after that. No one had comforted her.
Melody gazed at Nick as the sobs overtook her again. She just wanted back what she had lost two weeks ago. She had been saved from that terrible place now, but she wasn’t really free. Her tears flowed at the bitter price that had been levied, as outside the night wore on.
____________________________________
-
The Government car was waiting at the curb, as Tony and Karen headed for the front gates. Tony had actually stayed the night in Karen’s room. No one had tried to stop him. In fact, Tony hadn’t seen anybody....Not Mrs. Carvin, Mrs. Peabody, or Nurse McRae. Tony and Karen had fallen into bed and quickly slept. It had been much the same this morning also....They saw no Adults.
Edward the Prefect, looking bleary-eyed, watched them approach. A few News Reporters could be seen out on the walkway.
“They’re here for us”, Tony said to Edward. “You’ll have to let us through.”
Edward stared owlish at them. For a few seconds, Tony thought Edward wasn’t going to make a move, then he went robotically to the gate. Before he swung it open, he turned and said, “Better get back here as soon as you can, Calderone. All the Staff have fled the Campus, except Mr. Neil...And he’s holed up back at the Autoshop.”
“What ?”, Tony asked, “There’s nobody watching over things ?”
“Just Us”, Edward said, referring to the Prefects. “The Teachers and Staff took a powder after classes were canceled yesterday morning. Hardly any Students showed up, due to your little escapades, so they all left.”
Tony ignored the tone of Edward’s voice....The Prefects were probably peeved that they hadn’t been invited along. Most likely, they would have enjoyed beating some Townie’s asses and getting some of the glory. But being the way they were, they would have tried to take over the whole mission and would have likely mucked it up. Tony didn’t think much of the Prefects anyway, and even less since he’d become the Mediator and had gotten immunity from their overbearing discipline.
“Don’t they usually go home for the weekends anyway ?”, Tony replied. “How is that a big deal ?”
“They don’t ALL leave, as you well know”, Edward said as if he were talking to a Third Grader. “Mrs. Carvin, Mrs. Peabody, Mrs. McRae, they all monitor the Girl’s Dorm, Miss Edna’s always here on weekends....Several live on Campus. Why, Dr. Crabblesnitch mostly stayed at the school day and night, and Ms. Danvers too.”
“So, I see you’re still here”, Tony commented snidely. “I’m sure you four can handle things.”
Edward unlocked the gate and pulled it open. “We’ve been ordered to watch the gates, and keep those people out”, he said, indicating the Media. “We’re doing shifts, day and night, no thanks to you and your pals. No time to Police the Campus. You’d better get back here soon and maintain order...That’s your job, isn’t it ?”
“I’ll be back just as soon as Important Government Officials are done talking with me”, Tony said pointedly, as he led Karen through the gates.
“You’d better, Calderone, before some other crazed maniacs try to take over the School again !”, Edward proclaimed, getting in the last word.
Karen, who had not spoken to that point, openly laughed out loud. Who was left to try and take over ? Tony smirked, and Edward looked after them disgustedly as he closed and re-secured the gates.
“Hey, isn’t that one of them Kidnapped Girls ?”, a voice from the Reporters shouted, and as if they were Drones to a Hive, the Media people closed in on them from both sides. Two Agents got out of the car and began pushing the News People back. Tony and Karen made a loping run for the car amid their shouted questions and piled in the back seat. The Agents returned to the car, and then it sped off.
But on the way over to the Courthouse, Tony got to thinking. Having a Power Vacuum in the Administration was not a good thing. Without any kind of controls, chaos would eventually result. He mad a mental note to check in on Mr. Galloway just as soon as he could. With all that had been going on, he hadn’t so much as given a thought to how his recovery was going. He hoped that Christy and Winkie had been looking after him well, and that his Demon addiction had been quelled.
_______________________________________
-
Gord woke up Saturday to find his Shoulder immobilized and strung up, Bryce sitting patiently in a chair next to the bed. “Hey there, Chap, what’s happening ?”, Gord said groggily. with a wince of pain.
“You got shot”, Bryce told him. “Hit that meat part of your upper shoulder....Chipped a bone, as they tell me. You’ll recover just fine.”
“What about....The other Chaps ?”, Gord asked, “How are they ?”
“Justin and Parker got hit with a few Pellets, but nothing serious. They’ll be in the Clinic a few days”, Bryce said, and added, “That OTHER Clinic, at Bullworth Town.”
“Oh...Just horrible...Maybe they could transfer here later ?”, Gord said hopefully. The snooty Preps didn’t like to be treated in what they considered to be the ‘Low Class’ Clinics, which was anywhere else than the Vale Clinic.
“Maybe”, Bryce said. “I’ll have to see to it, Tad won’t bother with them.”
“Have you....Spoken to Tad ?”, Gord asked.
“Yes”, Bryce said sourly, “I went and returned the Shields yesterday.”
“What did he have to say ?”, Gord asked, frowning.
Bryce sighed. “He said....That I was worthless for going off to help those low-lifes, and that I got all you Chaps shot.”
Gord was somewhat shocked. “Why, that’s not true, we volunteered to go along ! Didn’t you tell him those dastardly devils were defeated ?”
“Makes no difference”, Bryce said. “He said the whole thing was a farce, and he shouldn’t have let anybody go in the first place.....Basically called me worthless, and said I didn’t deserve to be a Prep.”
“I say, that’s not Cricket !”, Gord exclaimed indignantly. “You should have given him what for ! Did you ?”
“We got into a big row about it”, Bryce admitted, and taking a breath, said, “I....I quit the Clique.”
You What ?”, Gord said, really shocked now. “Quit the Clique ? What’s to become of you now ?”
“I...Um, moved into the Beach House, for now, since it’s unoccupied”, Bryce said. The Beach House technically still belonged to Jimmy Hopkins, who had won it in a series of Boxing Matches, but the Preps had been using it on and off since he was no longer here.
“Well”, Gord reflected. “Maybe, I should join you there....Tad and I are not the best of Chaps.”
“You’re welcome to, if you want”, Bryce told him. Settling back, he turned reflective. “I can’t help but think that Tad is acting like this because he found out who really sent us on that mission....Pinky.”
____________________________________
-
“Hey, Troy, how you doin’ ?”, Trent said, as he walked into room. “Real fancy digs you got here.” Trent looked about the clean room. It was far better than the other Clinics, where the Bullies usually wound up.
“Oh..Uh...Yeah...I’m, Uh, gonna be Ok”, Troy said, “That’s what they told me...”
“They tell everybody that”, Trent laughed, continuing to look around, trying to find something to swipe. He zeroed in on a Hospital-type Urinal. “Hey, what’s this thing ?”
(http://cdn.southwestmedical.com/fs/225/images/products/images/urinal.JPG)
“Uhh...I pee in there !”, Troy told him. “It’s a....Portable Toilet !”
“Ick, Gross !”, Trent exclaimed. “But....Interesting though.”
“Whadda mean ?”, Troy gasped, a spasm of pain hitting his guts.
Trent picked the little Urinal up. “We could take this thing on missions and stuff. Might come in handy. We all gotta piss sometimes.”
“Put that nasty thing down”, Paige said, walking into the room. She had been checking out other areas of the Vale Clinic.
“But, Babe, we could use something like this”, Trent protested. “Like, tie it to our belts when we go to fight somebody !”
“Don’t be ridiculous”, Paige laughed. “Walking around with Urinals on you belts ? You know how stupid that would look ?” She walked over to Troy’s bed. “How are you Troy ? Feel any better ?”
“I feel too slow”, Troy lamented, “I Lost.”
“Poo, we didn’t lose, we won !”, Paige exclaimed.
“I’m so angry about this !”, Troy went on, like he didn’t hear her.
“Shouldn’t have stood up in the line of fire, Dumbass”, Trent commented.
“I screwed up. How could I screw up like that ?”, Troy wailed, heedless.
Trent started to respond, but Paige sent him a warning look. “It still came out just fine”, she said to Troy.
“I really dropped the ball this time”, Troy continued, “We let those girls down.”
“Those girls got rescued”, Paige said. “Nobody was let down.”
“I’m not tough enough !”, Troy kept up, morosely. “Sometimes I think I’m not manly enough....That Sucks ! So much for the Army. I’ll never see a war now !”
“Don’t be silly”, Paige soothed. “Of course you’re manly....You got shot in battle ! You’ll be a like a Hero now !”
Troy looked up at her. “Uhhh....You think so ?”, he questioned.
“Sure”, Paige said. “Fact is, there’s a bunch of Reporters just waiting to hear all about your exploits outside right now, soon as you’re healthy.”
“But....Uh....I don’t get it", Troy said, frowning, “This is too confusing for me !”
“It’s simple”, Trent said, “All the others got shot too, ‘cept for me and Russell....But you were hit the worst. Instant Fame !”
At the mention of Russell, Troy’s face clouded. “Russell ? He must think I’m no good, gettin’ shot down bein’ stupid !”
“Are you kidding ?”, Paige said, “Russell’s the one who carried you down from the roof, after I got your bleeding stopped. He’s actually real worried about you !”
“He Is ?”, Troy asked, and a smile broke out slowly on his face. “Wow....Where is he ? He gonna come see me ?”
“They, uh, wouldn’t let him in”, Trent told him. “Somethin’ about bein’ too big, or scaring the other patients, or something. But he said to get better soon and get back to the Clique.”
A look of relief crossed Troy’s face. “Maybe, when I’m better, I should go beat some other boys or something ?”
“That’s the spirit”, Trent told him. “Nothin’ like a good beatdown,...That’ll perk you up for sure.”
“Trent, we gotta go soon”, Paige interrupted. “Out time’s almost up.”
Trent nodded, then cast a look at the Urinal again. Paige saw that and shook her head. Troy suddenly said, “Hey...You gotta do this for me.”
“What ? What do you need ?”, Trent asked.
“Tell me....Somebody said Thad made a Grenade out of an Eraser”, Troy asked. “Is that true ?”
Trent laughed so loudly he could be heard out in the hall. “Shit, No !”, he exclaimed, “That little Wimp ran and hid like a little Chicken ! BRAWK ! BRAWK !”
Then Troy did laugh, wincing at the pain. It would be all right after all. They would be famous this time. Why, maybe they could even do a TV show about it.
______________________________________
-
Tony and Karen sat in the Courthouse Conference Room where the minor Agents had left them. In a few minutes, the chief Agents on the case, Hosty, Hill, Kellerman, and Greer, filed into the room, followed by Chief O’Rouke. They all took chairs at the big Oak table, opposite where Tony and Karen were sitting.
“Good Morning, Mr. Calderone”, Agent Hosty said, and looking at Karen, added, “And to you also, Miss Johnson....But your presence here today is not necessary.”
“But I want to be here”, Karen said, almost timidly. “Tony and I are in this together.”
There was a whispered conference among the Agents, while Chief O’Rouke sat by impassively. Finally, Agent Hosty spoke up. “All right, Miss Johnson, you may stay, but the both of you need to understand that some of what we are going to discuss here relates to National Security Issues that are not to be discussed with anyone else. Is that clear ?”
Karen nodded, almost meekly, and Agent Hosty continued. “Both of your accounts as to what took place at the Dock and on that Boat that night match up, so we are well convinced your accounts are truthful and accurate as to what took place there.”
A measure of relief appeared on Tony and Karen’s faces, and they briefly smiled at one another. Agent Hosty continued, “I can tell you now, that Omar Romero is dead. His body was recovered early Friday morning at the mouth of the River by the Bay.”
Neither Tony or Karen were really shocked at the news, as that wasn’t an unexpected outcome of what happened that night on the boat. Still, it was worrisome, as charges could possibly be leveled at Tony for shooting Omar. That worry, however, was dispelled as Agent Hosty continued. “An Autopsy that was done late yesterday showed that Mr. Romero had been struck by Five Pellets from that Air Rifle you used....Two to the chest that resulted in a cracked Sternum, two to the Abdomen that penetrated into the muscular area but no further, and one struck up high, chipping the Collarbone. None of these wounds would have been fatal. Omar Romero died from drowning, as the Autopsy has shown. Both of your accounts match as to what took place, and since Miss Johnson’s life was in obvious jeopardy, you, Mr. Calderone, will be absolved of the shooting of Mr. Romero. It will be ruled as justifiable. Isn’t that right, Chief ?”
Chief O’Rourke responded, “Aye, no charges, that be right. Justifiable for sure.” The Chief looked a mite uncomfortable in the room in comparison to the four Agents, like a fish out of water. It was obvious he would rather be out fighting fires that sitting in on an interview.
“Nor is anyone else going to be charged for taking part in your little raid on the Chemical Plant”, Agent Hosty continued, “Since it been fairly well established that those Town Boys were the first to open fire on both the Roof and down on that Third Level, from all the interviews we’ve conducted. But I feel bound to mention that what you did was a very ill-advised venture.” At this point, he removed a notebook from his jacket pocket. Flipping it open, he began to read. “It appears you drew 51 people to the Chemical Plant, most of them Students, just as yourself....And of that, 21 of those were shot by Air Rifle Pellets, resulting in wounds that ranged from minor to extremely serious.”
“Well, um...”, Tony said, a bit nervously, “Really...Only a few fellows came with me....The rest just kinda....Showed up.”
“We’re aware of that”, Agent Hill put in. “But it seems many came because of you, and some because of their desire for revenge against those Town Boys.”
“At this junction, it’s really immaterial”, Agent Hosty continued, “Since there is no way now to alter what has happened. But you should have come to us with your suspicions about where the kidnapped girls were being held...No offense to you, Miss”, he added to Karen.
“But if Tony hadn’t gotten there when he did, Omar and them were going to take us far away and make us their Slaves !”, Karen exclaimed. “That was their plan !”
“Be that as it may, Miss Johnson, the presence of Mr. Calderone, Mr. Penty, and the others seriously interfered with our Operational Mission that night, and might have compromised your entire Vale Valley, not to mention the prosecution of certain dangerous individuals”, Agent Hill told her.
Tony was becoming confused. “What do you mean ?”, he said, frowning. “Didn’t you invade the Chem Plant to capture the Townies and free Karen and Melody ?”
“No, Mr. Calderone”, Agent Hosty told him, casting a look at Agent Hill. It seemed the cat was out of the bag now. “Our Primary Mission was the recovery of something else.”
_________________________________________
-
The Jocks slept in that Saturday morning, reasoning there would be no need for practice sessions this particular weekend. With the school all but in Lockdown after yesterday’s events, nothing certainly was going to be taking place today. All the Teachers were apparently missing anyway.
In the only closed-off room on their new second floor in the Clubhouse, Mandy snuggled against Ted. At least he hadn’t gotten shot this time, and had returned to her uninjured. Mandy had stayed on the roof of the Chem Plant, taking care of three of the other Jocks who had been injured, Dan, Bo, and Kirby. None of them had been hurt seriously, and when the Agents had gained the roof, all of them had been transported down. Later she found out that Casey had gotten hurt somewhere down in the Plant, but not seriously either...In fact, he was the only Jock to be hurt down there, and when she had learned that, her heart leapt, for that meant her man, Ted, was quite alright. She snuggled closer, and Ted began to wake.
“Ummm”, Ted said sleepily, feeling Mandy’s hands slide along him. She kept fondling him, moving down to his privates. ‘Teddy”, she breathed, “How bout a little Overtime ?”
Ted turned over on his back while Mandy stroked him. “Anytime is Gametime with you”, Ted grinned. Mandy, who was naked beneath her nightie, slung her leg over his big log and mounted him, ramming down hard. She stayed mashed down, swirling her hips while kissing Ted hungrily, her moves that she knew would drive him wild. She was rewarded as she felt his Bludge grow larger inside her. Only then did she set up a smooth steady rhythm, teasing Ted all the way, keeping the game close. In the end, she let him score a spectacular Touchdown and spike his balls.
Mandy fell atop him, giggling. She and Ted were all set for the rest of their extended Senior year. From what she had learned, all the other Cliques had taken serious hits as a result of the raid on the Chem Plant, and she had found out last night that the Prep Clique was on the verge of splintering once again. All indicators pointed to the Jocks regaining their dominant place on Campus. They would hold the most power. Once again, Ted would be King and she would be the undisputed Queen of the Campus. It would be glorious.
_______________________________________
-
When Pinky had arrived at School that Friday morning, it soon became quite obvious that classes were being called off for the day. Hardly anybody showed up, and what few did were quickly dismissed by the Teachers, who soon fled the Academy themselves. Pinky was hoping she could find Bryce on campus, but had no luck in seeing him in school or on the grounds. She was almost tempted to go to Harrington House to ask, but the thought of seeing Tad again, with that slut Vanessa hanging all over him, was not something she wanted to deal with that morning. Not that she couldn’t beat that bitch’s ass again if she wanted to, but her main focus was on finding Bryce to see what had happened.
Pinky went to the Girl’s Dorm. Although it had been quite awhile since she had lived there, it still seemed very familiar to her. She was surprised to find no Matrons about, and the few girls who were there that morning really could tell her nothing, since they hadn’t gone on the mission against the Townies. Several of the girls were missing, which was seemed to be a mystery. But as nobody knew that the girls who had gone on the Chem Plant raid were being interviewed by Federal Agents that morning, everybody was in the dark as to just what exactly what was happening. Pinky even saw that nut-case Beatrice roaming the hall muttering equations to herself, but didn’t bother trying to talk to her.
Pinky had then wandered out to the main gates with the intent to leave, and was again surprised to find Edward manning it. He gave her an appraising look as she approached. Pinky really felt a bit uncomfortable around Edward, who always seemed to be staring at her and undressing her with those owlish eyes of his. The gates were shut, and she primly asked Edward to let her pass. As she glanced out past the gates, she could see some of those News Reporters gathering out beyond them, just as they had been gathered out in front of the Boar Inn. Something had happened, all right, besides the rescue of the kidnapped girls. But what exactly ?
“Going Somewhere ?”, Edward asked leechingly. Pinky ignored him and just stood there waiting, feeling his stare on her. At that point, the Prefects hadn’t received any orders to keep anybody from leaving school grounds. Edward let his eyes play up and down Pinky’s sexy body a few more times, then finally unlocked the gate. He was well aware that she was without a man now, or else he wouldn’t be acting like this, she thought. Pinky stepped past him, and Edward said snidely, “Don’t talk to those Reporters about anything !”
“I don’t know anything, so there’s nothing to talk about”, Pinky said flippantly as she walked past him. She could feel his eyes boring into her backside as she plunged into the gathering crowd of Reporters, who began shouting questions at her. “I have no comment, I wasn’t on any raid...Let me through please”, she said several times. At last she was free of them and began walking towards Bullworth Vale.
She decided to try the Prep’s Boxing Gym, maybe Bryce was there. It was the last place she had seen him, and in fact, it was the place he mostly hung out, and was where she had talked to him last. But arriving at the Gym, she found it completely empty. Up until then, she hadn’t seen a single Prep that morning, and that didn’t change as the day wore on. Pinky hung around the Prep’s Gym for hours, but nobody put in an appearance. Defeated, she finally left the Gym and walked to Shinjo’s to get something to eat. She remained there the better part of the afternoon without seeing anybody she knew. She was wishing that maybe Christy would come through the door, and they could sit and gossip, like in days gone by, but no dice.
Feeling lonely, she at last headed back to the Boar Inn. She would just try tomorrow, she vowed. Something was bound to turn up then. As she approached, Pinky saw that the News People were no longer staked out in front of the Boar Inn. The desk clerk told her that indeed that kidnapped girl Karen had been there that morning, brought in by those Government Agents, who guarded the room she had stayed in. But, she had been taken away about mid-afternoon, destination unknown. It was just a chance for her to rest after her ordeal, he had been told, and not much else, other than that she wasn’t expected back.
Pinky trudged up to her room. Entering it, she kicked off her shoes and stripped off her clothes, then fell wearily onto her bed. It had been an exhausting day and she had accomplished nothing. After watching some TV, which was giving garbled and conflicting reports about the whole thing, she drifted off to sleep as dusk fell. It didn’t occur to her until the next morning to go and check out the Clinics. There had been reports of some Students injured. Maybe, Bryce was among them ?
__________________________________________
-
“Hello, Gord”, Pinky said in a soft voice. “Are you awake ?”
Gord’s eyes came open slowly. “Yes....Awake....I’m awake.” His eyes rolled towards her. “That really you, Pinky ?”
“Really me”, Pinky said with a little giggle. “How do you feel ? They told me you were shot !”
“Little better than yesterday, that’s for sure”, Gord said, trying to be brave through the pain. “I’ll be all right, though.”
“That’s good”, Pinky replied. Then, “Where are the others ?”
“Justin and Parker got hit”, Gord said, “But not bad. Bryce told me they were in that OTHER Clinic.”
“Eeew”, Pinky said, thinking of the other, lower-class Clinics. “You say Bryce told you ? Where is he ? Was he hit ?”
“No...He was just by last night”, Gord said, “He was the only one of us Chaps who went that didn’t get shot. He had a big row with Tad over us going, and he’s staying at the Beach House now.” Gord hesitated, then added, “Bryce said....That it was you who sent us on that mission. Is that true ?”
Pinky nodded, slowly. Gord saw, and asked, “But....Why ?”
“It’s....Complicated”, Pinky told him, and sighed. “I’m not sure I even know myself.”
Gord was getting a bit woozy, and let the matter drop. They chatted on for a bit, then Pinky rose to leave. Gord was falling asleep, but before he did, he asked, “Could you....Do a Chap a favor...Find out what happened to....Vance....Could you ? I think he got hit...”
Pinky, who was well aware of Gord’s relationship with the Greaser Vance, told him she would do what she could, and Gord’s eyes fluttered and closed. Pinky left the Clinic and headed for the Beach House to find Bryce.
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-
“Something Else ?”, Tony echoed. “You don’t mean....”
“The Nerve Gas”, Agent Hosty said. “The VX Nerve Gas Canisters. That was our Primary Mission, the recovery of them. We didn’t know you kids were in that Plant.”
Tony was stunned. “You mean...You people weren’t cutting through that steel door to rescue Karen and Melody ?? It was all about that stupid Nerve Gas ??”
“That’s correct, Mr. Calderone”, Agent Hosty replied. “We got some information from one of those under Indictment recently, relating to the arrests we made here early last month. He revealed the existence of the underground levels, and the canisters of Nerve Gas. Best we knew, those Canisters were close to becoming degraded. We had to move fast.”
“Someone....Under Indictment ?”, Tony repeated, confused. “Who was that ?
“I’m not a liberty to say”, Agent Hosty said. His eyes bored into Tony. He appeared to be weighing something as the silence spun out. Then he added, “I believe you know his Daughter.”
At first, Tony had no clue as to what the Agent meant. He sat there staring at Agent Hosty.
“What does he mean, Tony ?”, Karen asked. “Whose Daughter do you know ?”
And then it came to him, all at once. The arrests that had been made, right after the bombings. All the Prep’s Fathers....Mr. Harrington...Mr. Spencer....And Mr. Gauthier. “Whom we both know”, he said to Karen in a strange voice, without looking at her. Focusing on Agent Hosty, he said, “But why ? Why cut into the third level ? That Nerve Gas wasn’t there, it was on the first level. Why not just cut through there ?”
“Because”. Agent Hosty said, “We didn’t know WHERE it was at, only that is was being stored underground, beneath that Chemical Plant. The EPA hadn’t turned up anything like that when they scoured through the Plant last month. Dangerous Chemicals, yes, but not Nerve Gas. We had to try the most likely place first....The lowest level.”
“Then...How did your people know about the Tunnels ?”, Tony asked, trying to make sense of it all. “We just accidently found them only a few days ago !”
“That was a strange thing”, Agent Hosty said, frowning. “We received an anonymous tip just two days ago about them....Although, as it turned out, it was common knowledge among the workforce in Blue Skies, if we had only known who to ask.”
Tony sat back in his chair, thinking. Could Mr. Riddle’s 'contacts’ have been the one to spill the beans to the Feds about the Tunnels ? After all, they had somehow relayed the existence of the Levels to Mr. Riddle, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. But he might never know, Tony concluded. Maybe better not to ask, even. Things had worked out. Karen was safe now.
But he couldn’t help to ask one more question. “Were you even...Looking for the girls at all ? I mean, I turned over Melody’s Cell Phone we found in the Church....Wasn’t that of any use at all ?
“Why, certainly it was”, Agent Hill answered him on that. “In fact, we were able to ‘ping’ on that phone, to track it in other words, to several different locations, including the Blue Skies area. From that, we knew Miss Adams and Miss Johnson here were probably still in the area.”
“We felt we were getting close”, Agent Hosty resumed, “But the mission to recover the Nerve Gas was vitally important. If that gas got into the atmosphere....Well, I don’t like to think of what may of happened. It’s a good thing you let us know of it’s location when you did. We were able to contain it just in time.”
Tony’s mind swirled with still another question, one that didn’t make sense. He addressed Agent Hill. “But...I told you about it, about the Nerve Gas, out on the Dock....What were you doing out there ?”
“We thought that Omar Romero may have taken the Nerve Gas”, Agent Hill said.
“But....How could you...Think that ?”, Tony said. “That doesn’t make any sense !”
“Fact is, Mr. Calderone”, Agent Kellerman spoke up for the first time, “We didn’t know WHAT to think. We burn through a steel door to find a bunch of kids, armed with weapons, with others scattered around wounded. We had Intel that those Town Boys had hung out at the place. We knew they had escaped Jail and were lying low someplace. It wasn’t out of the question that they could be hauling the Nerve Gas off. When your friends told us where they’d escaped to, the ones who hadn’t been shot down, Agent Hill and other Agents went after them, through that last Tunnel.”
Agent Greer spoke up too. “You have to understand, Mr. Calderone, we had to consider all possibilities....Until things were sorted out and we recovered that Nerve Gas, everything and everybody was suspect. Just be glad it all worked out, and you’ve both lived to tell the tale to your grandchildren.”
Tony sat back again, his thoughts reeling. Karen just looked at him, a sort of lopsided smile on her face. Agent Hill smiled at the both of them. “It’s like that”, he said. “We all got what we wanted out of this....The Nerve Gas is safely secured, Miss Johnson and Miss Adams have been rescued, and a whole lot of bad people are going to Jail for a very long time.”
“Well....I guess that’s right”, Tony admitted, reaching over and grasping Karen’s hand. “Things could have turned out a lot differently....I’m really glad they didn’t.” He returned Karen’s smile as he gazed into her eyes.
________________________________________
-
There was a knock at the door. “Bryce, are you in there ?”, Pinky called.
Pinky could hear some movement inside, and a half minute later the Beach House door was unlocked and thrown open. Bryce stood there looking at Pinky. His eyes darted away, looking down the ramp, and then he quickly scanned the beach before returning his gaze to her.
“Come on in”, he muttered, practically pulling her inside. One more look around, then he closed and locked the door. Pinky saw there was now a couch and chair in the big room now, as well as a TV over on the Bar. Bryce waved Pinky over to the couch while he went to the Bar and mixed them some drinks. When he was finished, he walked over and handed Pinky her drink, a Bloody Mary, before sitting down himself.
“Oooh, my favorite !”, Pinky said delightedly and took a big gulp. “A little early, but so what.” She took another drink, then turned to Bryce. “So what happened ? I saw Gord in the Clinic, and he said you had a big row with Tad. What was that about ?”
Bryce took a big slug of his drink before replying. “He, uh....Wasn’t real happy about the other Chaps getting shot up. Said that reflected poorly on the Prep Image. Not that he cares about us one wit, that fucking twit.”
“Why, that just isn’t right”, Pinky said, not really surprised by Tad’s callowness. “If he feels like that, why did he let you go and take the others in the first place ?”
“Because, he didn’t want us to look like cowards after he heard the other Cliques were going to fight”, Bryce said bitterly. “Not that he gave two farts about those kidnapped girls, and certainly not like he and his lackeys Bif and Chad would go along....Content to send the rest of us in harm’s way. Not such a sporting chap at all.”
Pinky sat silent through Bryce’s tirade. It was unusual that he even spoke so much, normally he said very little. His entire reason for living always seemed to be hitting the big punching bag in the Prep’s Gym. Anyone could see him there, night and day when he wasn’t in class. He had always been nice to Pinky, even though they had never really talked before....Pinky had just about always been the Clique Leader’s girl, and when she wasn’t, which had mostly happened since the Winter, she had tended to stay away from the Clique altogether. But Bryce had never treated her any differently, in good with the Clique or not. He had always been steady.
“Bryce”, Pinky said after he had stopped speaking and sat silent, “I know I asked you to go....But why did you ? Just why did you go ?”
“Why did you ask me ?”, Bryce said, turning the question back on her. “Even though, I know you didn’t much get along with those girls...Why have me help save them ?”
Pinky didn’t quite know how to answer that. She sighed, and said, “It’s what Tony said to me...What kind of people we are....What we do to each other....How we need to redeem ourselves....I felt....So Sad....How empty my life has been...” Her eyes searched Bryce’s face. “Do you....Understand ?”
Bryce was silent for a moment, then said, “Yes....I do.”
Pinky felt a rush of something....Fulfillment ? She reached for Bryce’s hand and grasped it. He didn’t pull it away. “Bryce”, she said, “You never answered me....Why did you help ?”
Bryce gripped her hand before he answered. “It was....Because you asked me to”, he said. “Because you came to me....Finally, you came to me.” Bryce bowed his head and turned away. “It was all because of you.”
Pinky was nearly speechless at his response. The question slid from her lips before she was aware of it, all at once. “Bryce...Do you have feelings for me ?”
Bryce raised his eyes to the ceiling and let out a pent-up breath. “For a long time now....Longer than you know.”
Pinky was stunned. “I...I never knew”, she said wonderingly. “Why didn’t you ever say something ?”
“I...I just...Couldn’t”, Bryce said slowly. “You were always with someone....Derby, Tad, that Rocker kid.....I just kept punching that bag.” Still holding his drink, he suddenly raised his glass and chuffed it down, all at once, as if needing relief for all his suffering in silence.
The thought streaked through Pinky’s mind. Here it was, it had been here all along, right in front of her, in fact, if only she had bothered to really look. Her drink forgotten, she moved towards Bryce, lifting her shapely legs under her, curling herself up close to him, and settling her head on his chest. “Bryce....Tell me what happened over there”, Pinky said softly, snuggling against him. “Tell me everything.”
Haltingly, Surprised by Pinky’s sudden closeness, Bryce began. “Well....We used the Shields...Gord and I....Those Townies were firing Air Rifles at us....We became the line of defense....It wouldn’t have worked without us, right out in front.....”
Bryce relaxed as he talked on, more that he had ever talked before. Pinky listened, really listened for the first time, to his easy voice as he described the raid. A feeling of real closeness bloomed inside her, of contentment....Of Safety. Perhaps, this was what she really needed so badly. Perhaps, this was her Redemption.
________________________________________
-
Once again, Peanut was in charge of the Greasers. This time, there was no doubt. Direct orders from Johnny, for the duration of his recovery. And probably even after.....It seemed Johnny and Lola had plans, and those didn’t involve staying around Bullworth Academy. Peanut knew all this, for he, Hal, and Norton had snuck out last night via the ‘Trash Pile’ escape route over the wall in back of the Autoshop. The Prefects were being real chinchy about letting Students out of the gates, due to the presence of the News Media that was camped outside the school, so sneaking out at after midnight was the least troublesome option.
During their brief visit in the Clinic, Johnny outlined what was to be done, Lola at his side. They were going be running the Blue Balls Bar, if he could work it out, he said, and they were going to class the joint up, bring in some acts, give the Golden Horseshoe down the street a real run for their money. He and Lola had plans, they were going to get married, someday, and they were going to become upstanding members of the community....At least the New Coventry community. Big things were going to be happening.
Peanut drank it all in, again. When Johnny had left before, Peanut had thought he was prepared to assume charge of the Greaser Clique. But he hadn’t been really ready, unable to live up the the legend that was Johnny Vincent. Always in his shadow, Peanut’s leadership was constantly called into question. It had culminated in what became known as 'Norton’s Revolt’, where the Clique had been taken over. Lucky for Peanut, Norton had proved to be a more inept leader than he ever was, and when Norton really screwed up, Peanut was able to reclaim his hold on the Clique and even settle the score with Ricky, who had egged Norton on in the first place.
It had been a rough year, all around. Peanut was almost relieved when Johnny returned, almost happy to turn the Clique back over to him, lock, stock, and barrel. To shed the responsibility, to relive himself of the burden, seemed so appealing. He needed a break, just to return to being a normal Greaser once more. No more worries, no more hassles. Time to relax in the long summer, time to spend with his new girlfriend Binky. Time to live.
But something nagged at Peanut. He found that he actually missed being in charge. Missed being in the action, even missed the measure of respect that he did receive. Being short in stature, he was constantly plagued with doubts about his abilities and about his manhood. Leadership had accorded him some comfort from his insecurities, and he found that having a hot girlfriend even shorter in stature than he was made life pleasantly bearable.
A year had gone by since a woefully inadequate Peanut had first taken control of the Clique. He was a year older now, a year smarter. There could be no question about his bravery, his manhood, now. He had been in the thick of battle on that mission, had been the one who shot Otto down in fact, and the other Greasers knew it. His destiny had been revealed clearly to him. This time, he was really ready. He would become the new King of the Greasers, and Binky would be his Queen.
_________________________________________
-
Laurent woke up real late, around noon. Everyone else, who wasn’t still in one of the Clinics, were still asleep or lounging in bed. Laurent thought he would try to track down Tony, whom he hadn’t seen since Tony was charging down the tunnel after Karen and her Kidnapper. He headed out of the Jock Clubhouse and across the Football Field to the stairs that ran up between the two bleachers. Jauntily hoping up the steps, he was rudely surprised to see a glowering Coach Sanders waiting at the top.
“Loiselle !! Where The Devil Is Everyone ??”, the Coach yelled, even though he was only a few feet from Laurent.
Laurent had stopped still. “Um....They are still in ze beds”, he answered in a guarded tone.
“What The Hell”, Coach Sanders went on, “We Were Supposed To Have Practice This Afternoon !! Bunch Of Slackers !!”
Laurent felt trapped. “Er...There is nobody who thought anything of it”, he said, “As because of....What has happened, they has thought practice session would be canceled for today.”
“If You Mean That Little Escapade All Of You Snuck Out And Did, Loiselle, ALL Of You Should Be Getting Detentions, If It Was Up To Me !”, Coach Sanders fumed.
“Um....Who is that up to, Coach ?”, Laurent asked, curious despite himself.
“What ? Never Mind !”, Coach Sanders said, and abruptly changed the subject. “I Heard Some Of You Boys Were Injured. Who Were They ?”
Laurent saw no reason not to tell him. “There was....Casey, Dan, Bo....And Kirby”, he said.
“KIRBY ??”, Coach Sanders yelled. He looked like he was going to have a stroke. “That Boy Got Hurt ? Where The Hell Is He ?”
“Umm....He wasn’t hurt bad....He should be in his place under the Inside Bleachers”, Laurent told him, thinking it strange that the Coach would single him out from the other injured.
“Well, He Isn’t There !”, Coach Sanders exploded. “I Want That Boy Found, Y’hear Me ?”
Laurent thought fast. “Would you be wanting me to go and look for him ?”
Coach Sanders scowled. “I Don’t Know How You Beggars Expect To Be A Top Notch Team If You’re Going Out And Getting Injured Doing Shenanigans Off The Field. Bunch Of No-Gooders, Letting That Boy Get Injured. Well What Are You Waiting For, Loiselle ? Go Find That Boy And Tell Him To Report To Me !”
“Um..Yes Sir !”, Laurent said, turning and heading off between the Gym and Pool Buildings, glad to get away. He had an Idea of where Kirby was at, but wondered anew why Coach Sanders seemed to take a special interest in him while ignoring the others who had been injured more seriously.
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-
Tony and Karen spent most of the rest of the day recording their statements, which were then transcribed and then given to them to read over and sign. Tony was then Deposed, which meant that he would probably be spared from having to testify in the Federal cases against those responsible for manufacturing the VX Nerve Gas. A Deposition is the out-of-court oral testimony of a witness that is reduced to writing for later use in court. However, the Agents advised them that they might still have to testify against the Townies at their trials, unless they cut a deal and plea-bargained with the Prosecutors. Either way, the remaining Townies were going down for a very long time.
It was late afternoon before they were finished, and then were allowed to leave. They were offered a ride back to school by the Agents, but Tony had some other things to see about. He had the Agents drive him to another part of town, away from the jabbering Reporters and News People. As the Agents left them and drove off, Tony and Karen stood looking up at the building that Mr. Galloway shared with Ms. Phillips. While things were winding down after the girl’s rescue, Tony’s thoughts were returning to other, unfinished things. It was vital that Mr. Galloway returned to the Headmaster’s Office, and soon. It had been the talk of the Girl’s Dorm that morning about the absent teachers and staff, and something would have to be done before anarchy took hold on the Bullworth campus. He and Karen climbed the stairs to the second-floor apartment. Tony only hoped that Christy had been able to keep Mr. Galloway on the road to recovery, and that he had not suffered a relapse.
_____________________________________________
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The day after the Chem Plant assault had been a whirlwind for Melvin. Since he was the one who had done all the shooting with the Super Spud Gun, he was held and interrogated much longer the most of the others who had been involved in the raid. In the end, Melvin wasn’t charged with anything, but the Federal Agents wound up confiscating the Super Spud Gun, classifying it as a Dangerous Weapon. This didn’t set well with Fatty, who had poured so much time and effort into making it in the first place and never even got to use it in battle.
Melvin decided to go see Bucky, Donald, and Cornelius at the Bullworth Clinic, and so he went and picked up Jimmette to go along with him. Edward let him pass the Front Gate without comment, and the Reporters were on him at once, shouting questions. Out of earshot of Edward, Melvin said, “Follow me, Boys, and I’ll tell you the whole story !” The Reporters eagerly followed, and as they crossed the huge truss bridge into Bullworth Town, he outlined the whole raid, with Jimmette chipping in what she had seen on the Chem Plant roof. After all, Melvin reasoned, he was one of the Heros involved in the rescue, and the story was bound to get out anyway. Arriving at the Clinic, he and Jimmette visited with Bucky and Donald, finding that Cornelius was ready to be released. The three left the Clinic after a while, and went then to the Dragon’s Wing, Reporters trailing along.
Once there, Melvin held court out front on the sidewalk, expounding on his and the Clique’s adventures in the Chem Plant Raid, as it would become known in legend. Answering the Reporter’s many questions in front of the glare of lights and rolling cameras, Melvin was also thinking of something else, mainly that when this got out across the country, it could only serve to bring more Nerds to enroll at Bullworth. Melvin would be able to preside over them all as the new Nerd King, his fame and battle exploits firmly established in that legend for all time.
Strangely, there was no mention of Thad, who seemed to have disappeared since the raid, completely forgotten about.
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-
“Come in, come in !!”, a hearty voice said at Tony’s knock. Tony and Karen exchanged glances and Tony shrugged. He turned the knob and entered, walking down the short hallway, and turning left to the living room. Then they both stopped at an unexpected sight.
“Hello, Tony !”, Mr. Galloway said cheerily. “And Karen too ! Guess that means you’re free of your captors ! That is indeed excellent ! How about the other girl ? Is she free too ?”
“Um...Melody is free too”, Karen said. Tony just stood there staring.
“Well, that’s great news !”, Mr. Galloway said, with joviality in his voice. He took a sip of what appeared to be Tea while Tony watched. Mr. Galloway was made up like an Gentleman, Suit, Tie, clean-shaven and hair slicked back. Nothing about him indicated an air of an alcoholic...Quite the contrary., in fact. Tony had no idea what had happened to bring this about. He would have to be sure to ask Christy the next time he saw her just what had sparked this amazing transformation.
“It’s...Uh, nice to see you looking so well”, Tony ventured, remembering what a wreck he had been just a few days ago.
“Ah, that’s all due to Miss Martin and her wonderful fellow”, Mr. Galloway said expansively. “Great kids, both of them. They showed me the error of my ways. In fact...” Here he glanced at his watch, “...They should be here very soon. I’m ready to go back out into the world, and they’re going to take me. First, I must go see Deidre at the Clinic, and show her the ‘new’ me. She’s been asking for me, you see, but I wanted to go when at my best, and take some worry off her mind. After that, I’m ready to return to the School and take charge. I hear things have gotten out of hand there.”
“Say, that’s just great, Mr. Galloway !”, Karen said, smiling.
“Um, we heard all the Teachers took a powder”, Tony said, “You’ll have to get them back. Mr. Neil was supposed to have taken over, but no one knows where he went, least that’s what I heard.”
“Mr. Neil ?”, Mr. Galloway said, shaking his head. “He’s a fine Shop Teacher, but he’s no Administrator. I trust the School isn’t having a riot today ?”
“Nothing like that, Sir”, Tony said, “See, a lotta kids got hurt in the rescue, and nobody’s thinking about making any trouble, at least not yet.”
“Well that’s good to hear”, Mr. Galloway said with some relief. “Come sit down and tell me what’s been happening, and how the girls got rescued. We have a little bit of time before Christy and Winkie arrive. Tell me everything you can !”
Tony and Karen sat down. Tony did most of the talking, telling Mr. Galloway what had happened during the raid, but leaving out the part about the VX Nerve Gas as the Federal Agents had directed. Karen didn’t say much, preferring not to relieve her experiences of being kidnapped and raped. Tony talked on for the better part of a half-hour, telling a summary about the battle on the roof, finding the levels and the battle there, and of chasing Omar and Gurney though the tunnel and the rescue of first Melody and then Karen on the boat. He didn’t feel like going into detail for the third time today.
Christy and Winky arrived then, and there were handshakes between Tony and Winky and hugs between Karen and Christy. Both Tony and Karen were invited to come along, but they declined. They would go see Ms. Phillips later, but for now they had a more pressing place to go....A visit to the Vale Clinic to see Nick.
______________________________
-
Melody lay sleeping fitfully in a chair next to Nick’s bed, they saw as they entered the room in the Vale Clinic.
“Poor thing”, Karen murmured. “Wonder if she’s been here the whole time ?”
“Seems like it”, Tony said back in a hushed voice, “Look at her clothes....They’re a mess.”
Silently, Tony went off to get a couple more chairs. Karen stayed, looking bug-eyed at Nick, still laying there unconscious with his neck swathed in bandages. She hadn’t realized just how bad he had been hurt. His slow, even breathing filled up the silence in the room. The part of his lower face that she could still see was an ugly purplish color. It was certainly a sight she had never expected to see. Nick was the strongest, toughest, quickest, fastest. and the most potentially dangerous person she had ever known. It was partly because of him that Tony had succeeded in defeating the dastardly Jake, and a big reason why some kind of order was maintained at the school. As tough as Tony was, he was more of a finesse guy who had learned negotiation skills to try to deal with the myriad of student problems in the school....Nick, on the other hand, was more apt to use his fists and fighting skills to settle any disagreements that arose. Nick had been in several Hole fights, whereas Tony had never fought in the Hole. Nobody in the school would now dare go up against Nick, and his respect level was very high.
Now look at him, she thought. If others knew, truly knew, what kind of shape he was in, would that mean disorder and chaos return to Bullworth ? And what would that mean for Tony ? For her ? And, most of all, for Melody ?
Karen’s thoughts were interrupted as Tony returned with two more chairs for them. Although he tried to set them quietly, Melody heard and stirred. “Mmmmhhhh”, she voiced, and her eyes came open. Spotting Karen, she rose clumsily and rushed into her arms, fresh tears leaking from her eyes. Karen just simply held her as she sobbed out all of her pain and frustration. Even Karen leaked tears as they grasped each other. They would forever share the terrible bond forged in the rooms beneath the Chem Plant.
Tony let them be, and focused on Nick. He didn’t look good, but he was breathing regular and didn’t seem to be in any distress for the moment. From the discoloration on his lower face, Tony knew he would be in for a painful recovery, though. The same thoughts were drifting through his head as had Karen’s.....It would be doubly difficult to deal with the Cliques without Nick if they were to get up to any shenanigans over the next few weeks.
After a few minutes, Melody appeared cried out, and Karen gently asked, “How is he ? Do you know ?”
“Yes”, Melody hitched her breath, on the verge of blubbering. “They....They took the Pellet....Out of his neck....Said, that he should....Recover....Tomorrow, he should be out of the....Danger Zone...” Her face crumpled then, and a fresh wave of tears flowed down her face.
Tony stayed silent, thinking it could very well be him laying there had things worked out differently. A rush of gratitude rushed through him then, as he recalled all the things that Nick had done in rescuing the girls. They had been through so much in the past couple of weeks, and it occurred to Tony then that he would not have long to rest before trying to find a way to keep order restored in the school without Nick being there to back it up. He would need a plan, he thought...A Master Plan of some sort.
Melody seemed to notice Tony then, and glared at him. Accusingly, she said, “Why did you leave us there ? You should have....Helped Nick ! You just took off !”
Surprised, Tony looked around at Melody. “I....Had to go after Karen”, he said simply. “If I hadn’t, she....Wouldn’t be here now. Try to understand. I made sure Laurent held a compress on Nick before I left, but....I had to go....I didn’t have a choice, don’cha see ?”
Melody dissolved into tears once more. When she recovered to just sobs, she said, “Of course....I’m sorry....It’s just....Nobody else was there....And I was sooo scared....”
Tony moved towards Karen and Melody and embraced them both. “It’s gonna be alright”, he said softly. “Nick’s a tough guy, he’ll pull through this and be good as new, you’ll see. In a little while, everything will be fine, just like it was.”
Fresh sobs broke out from Melody. “I know.....But....Will he still want me, after....After what those horrible Monsters....Did to us ?”
Karen telegraphed a look to Tony that essentially contained the same question, for neither of them had mentioned it between themselves. “Look”, Tony said to Melody, and to Karen as well, “It wasn’t your fault. None of this was your fault. All Nick was about these past couple of weeks was getting you back...Both of us, we just wanted you girls back. You think Nick would go through all this, just to turn around and throw you away ? Nick doesn’t think like that....And neither do I.”
It was what Melody needed to hear. She cried fresh tears then, but tears of relief. Karen stared at Tony with a look of gratitude. It was what she needed to hear too.
Tony and Karen decided to stay at the Clinic room and keep Melody company. Tony rounded up some blankets from the staff, and they stayed through the night. Karen sent Tony up the the Chef’s Restaurant to get some food for the three of them before dark, because they were all suddenly very hungry. By the time Sunday morning came, Nick groggily woke up.
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Across the Vale Valley as dawn broke, most all were asleep. It was promising to be a hot summer day, already a thin heat haze was evident. With the news that the Kiddnappers had been captured and the school girls freed physically unharmed, the tension of suspense and fear that had hung like a pall over everything had now been lifted. Today, crowds would flock once again to the beaches along the river and the cove without the shadow of evil hanging over their Towns, and promoters and travel agencies could now renew their push billing the Bullworth Vale Valley as a safe and desirable destination for vacation travelers.
A bit after 5 AM, in a room in the Vale Clinic, Nick came awake slowly. At first, it was as if he were surging up from a murky swamp, full of dangers. He mentally fought then, his muscles twitching in the exhausting effort. Gradually, little by little, more consciousness was allowed to him. He became dimly aware of pain then, which increased along with him rising to the top of the clinging swamp he was fighting to be free of. With a great effort of will, he forced his eyes to open, only to will them shut again as too much light assailed them, even though where he was at was just revealed briefly as a dim room.
He managed to take a deep breath and tried again, only this time he was careful to just open his eyes to slits. While he awaited for the blurriness to render itself into a more clear image, he once again became aware of the pain. It seemed monsterious, and weighed as heavy on him as a barbell with 200 pound weights on each end. It was a part of him, a part of his head, somewhere. As his confusion slowly cleared, he identified it as being his neck, his jaw. His mind struggled to remember, to recall. What had happened to him ?
He focused his attention on his hands. Were they still there ? He found they were by managing to twitch his fingers. He could barely feel them, but they were there, all right. He focused harder, willing them into fists. The effort exhausted him for the moment, and he allowed them to relax. He breathed deeply again to regain his new-found strength, and discovered then he was unable to open his mouth, try as he might. Something was holding it closed.
After a couple of minutes that seemed like an hour, he tried again. Slowly, ever so slowly, he was able to move not only his hands, but his arms also. Little by little, he was able to bend his elbows and crawl his hands along his stomach and then his chest, moving them ever closer to the places that were hurting fiercely. When at last his fingers clawed at his neck, all they encountered was a thick swath of gauze.
His vision was clearing then, getting used to the dim light in the room. He was able to open his eyes and really take a look. He couldn’t turn his head any, that proved to give him a sword-like stab of pain when he attempted it. He had to settle for moving his eyes as far as he could. Since he was laying almost flat, this restricted his view of the room somewhat. He flicked his eyes right, but was only able to see the top of a doorframe. He moved his eyes to the left then. He was about to look back the other way when he thought he saw something dark at the very lower edge of his vision. He strained to make out just what it was, feeling like his eyes were bugging out of thi head, and slowly the image resolved itself. It was a head of hair, of familiar dark hair.
His heartbeat quickened. Could it be her ? He drew a breath and tried out his vocal chords. “UHHHHHHHH”, he was able to vocalize. His lips fluttered, but his mouth still seemed glued shut. He tried again, this time he came out with “EEELLOODDEE”, meaning to say Melody but not quite succeeding. He drew breath, and tried again, a bit louder this time. “EEELLOODDEE !!!”, he rasped, and this time the head of hair moved and a tired face came into view.
Pulled from her fitful sleep by the sound of Nick’s voice, Melody raised her head from the bedrail where she had been dozing. At first, it was hard to process what she was hearing. She gazed full into Nick’s face then, and saw him starring at her with somewhat bulged eyes. “Nicky ?”, she mumbled, “Are you....Oh, Nicky, you’re awake !!”
Melody reached up and grabbed one of Nick’s hands in her own, and squeezed. Nick squeezed back, and then she knew for sure. “Oh, Nicky, you ARE awake !!”, she said again, her voice breaking in relief. For the first time in over two weeks, a wavering smile came to her hollow face as she gazed into his eyes. Her nightmare was finally and mercifully coming to an end.
“WAAARRR”, Nick voiced then. Melody didn’t understand at first. “WAAARRR”, Nick repeated, and then she understood. There was a jug of Ice-water on the small table by the bed, along with a cup. Melody poured some in the cup, then opened the little drawer in the table. Rooting around, she found a straw, and put it in the cup. Releasing her hand from Nick’s grip, she carefully raised the cup up and poked the straw in-between Nick’s lips.
Even though he was hooked to an I.V. to keep him from dehydrating, Nick had felt suddenly terribly thirsty. He was able to make a suction with his mouth and pull some of the water up through the straw. Even though he could not open his jaw any at all, as if it were wired shut, he was able to pull the cool liquid through the gaps in his teeth. As the water flowed into his dry mouth, an almost blissful feeling enveloped him, and his level of pain dropped as a result, becoming more bearable. He took a few more sips before releasing the straw from his lips.
Melody set the cup down and said, “Nicky....You’re going to be Ok....You have a broke jaw from a Pellet in your neck, but they said you’ll be alright....Just don’t move around too much, so you can heal, Ok ? They took the Pellet out, but it has to heal....Can you understand ?
Nick couldn’t nod, so he just blinked his eyes slowly three times to show he understood. Melody thought that to be a yes. Suddenly she stood up. “Nicky....Tony and Karen are here...We’ve all been waiting for you to wake up....Wait, I’ll get them.” She went to the other chairs and shook Karen and Tony awake.
“Wh-what’s happening ?”, Karen mumbled, and Tony sleepily muttered, “S-somethin’ wrong ?”
“Nicky’s Awake !”, Melody said happily, “He Woke Up !”
At that, their drowsiness fell away, and they got up and went to Nick’s bedside. Melody returned to her previous place and grasped Nick’s hand once more. “See ? He’s Awake !”
Nick could see them all now. Flicking his eyes around, he tried a grin, but the best he could do was curved lips. “HOOL LOOGG ?”, he attempted to ask.
“What’s that mean ?”, Tony asked. Karen had a quizzical look on her face.
“I think he means, How Long”, Melody said, guessing correctly.
“Oh”, Tony said. “Been like...Two-Three days, I guess.”
Nick blinked his eyes to show he understood. Raising his free hand to to his neck, he pointed. “GURR DO DAT ?”
“Yes”, Tony said, understanding. “But you got him. You smashed his head in pretty good, from what I could see. Dude, you saved Melody.”
Slowly, Nick made a fist and then gave Tony a Thumbs-Up. “GOOOD”, he uttered, then again pointed back to his neck and jaw. “HURRITTS”, he voiced.
“Damn, it must”, Tony said, suddenly thinking. While Nick was unconscious, there hadn’t been any need for pain medicine. “Look, I’ll...Um, try to find a staff person, Ok ?”
Tony went looking through the Clinic and found a Nurse. Telling her that Nick had woken up, he said that Nick was in pain, and in a few minutes she returned to Nick’s room with Tony, where she gave him a pain shot. “Now, this is a narcotic, so when he wants to sleep, let him”, she instructed. “He’s going to need plenty of rest to heal.”
Within a couple of minutes of the shot, Nick’s pain decreased dramatically, and he was able to relax better. The Nurse left, saying she would check back regular during the day. Nick looked to Tony and said, “WHAA HAPPNN ?”
Tony was unsure what that meant, but Karen said, “I think he wants to know what happened after, isn’t that right Nick ?”
“YSSSSS”, Nick said through the wired teeth, “TEELLL EE.”
“Quite a lot happened”, Tony began. “The Feds are the ones who were cutting through the big Steel Doors. But Laurent was the one who locked the Escape Tunnel Door, so they had to cut through that too, while we were chasing those assholes. So after you got shot, Laurent kept you from bleeding out while I went after Omar and Karen....” Tony moved on, telling the story again of the rescue of Karen and the shooting of Omar out on the boat by the Dock. He left out the part for the real reason the Federal Agents invaded the third level due to the VX Nerve Gas, but he would tell Nick that later. It was likely that Nick would also be debriefed and have to give a deposition when he was able. When Tony told him that Omar had drowned, Nick raised his eyebrows but gave no comment.
Eventually, Nick’s eyes began to droop. Melody saw that and laid her head on his chest as close as she dared. “Nicky....I love you so much !” Nick tightened his grip on Melody’s hand. “LUVV UU EEELL”, he said, his muffled words slurring. Eventually, Nick drifted off into a peaceful sleep while the others watched over him.
__________________________________________
-
Edward looked impassively at the man through the bars of the Front Gates.
“Well, are you going to let me through, Edward ?”, Mr. Galloway said. “Be quick now, I have a lot of things to catch up on today.”
“Um....Of course Sir”, Edward muttered as he bent to unlock the gate and let the Headmaster pass through. This was about the last person he’d been expecting to see today. Or any day, for that matter. He’d heard all the swirling rumors about Galloway falling off the wagon once again, really hard this time. And then there was that business about that batty Ms. Phillips getting injured in some sort of knock-down drag out with Miss Jones. Crazy as Loons, all of them.
None of the Prefects had been very happy when Dr. Crabblesnitch had been arrested and hauled off in disgrace less that two months ago, but they all had been positively shocked when that sot Galloway had been put in charge of the Academy. More disturbing was that their powers to beat people had been severely limited since that time. Edward, more intelligent than the other Prefects, understood that since Bullworth Academy had just been laid bare to the scrutiny of the outside world, a whole lot of discretion in their activities now had to observed. No longer could they just chase and beat down students in public view, now they were only allowed to collar them and drag them off to the Head’s Office. But it lessened their authority and the students knew it, some of them becoming more defiant. A few of them even took refuge on hight places and took potshots at them with Slingshots or even Spud Guns.
Intolerable as all this was, it was made even worse by having to take orders from that washout Galloway. Just how a drunk had been put charge of the school was anybody’s guess. To Edward, it all seemed rather fishy. He supposed it had been political, an effort by the State Board to put an indecisive weakling in charge in a effort to cover up the real Bullworth from the prying eyes of the outside world. Still, he and the other Prefects universally disliked Galloway and bet among themselves that he wouldn’t last long once the spotlight was off the school as things gradually returned to normal. In fact, they were counting on it.
Mr. Galloway was still waiting as Edward re-locked the gates and turned around. “Er...Something else, Sir ?”, Edward asked, an obvious lack of respect in his voice.
“Why, Yes, Edward”, Mr. Galloway said, ignoring the tone of his voice. “Is there any of the Teachers around today ?”
“No Sir”, Edward answered, glancing away, “Except for...Mr. Neil, he’s in the Autoshop Office, I believe....And that new Coach Sanders, I think, down in the Jock’s area somewhere. All the rest left Friday.”
This didn’t seem to surprise Mr. Galloway. “Well, then, I’d best get them back here so school can open tomorrow. Looks like I’ll have a lot of phone calls to make.” Mr. Galloway spoke with an easy authority, to Edward’s surprise, who expected the bumbling speech of a Rummy. He eyed Edward sharply, and said, “Who put you on gate duty ?”
“Um...Mr. Neil did, a couple days ago”, Edward answered, “To keep out the Reporters and Media People. We’ve been doing shifts on both gates, 12 on and 12 off.”
“Well, that won’t be necessary much longer”, Mr. Galloway said airily. “Fact, tomorrow things will be getting back to normal.”
“How’s that Sir ?”, Edward asked, a bit of interest bleeding through despite himself.
“Because we’re going to let the Media in for a Press Conference tomorrow morning”, Mr. Galloway said grandly, “Right here on the Front Quad. Answer their questions to the best of our ability, so they won’t be shouting them at everyone all the time. They get what they want, and we get rid of them.”
Edward was aghast. “But...That’s not the way the Doctor would have done things....”
“The Doctor is no longer here”, Mr. Galloway sharply, “I am in charge now, and this is how it’s going to be handled. Unless, you and your Blue-Suited Squad would rather be on Gate Duty for the rest of the week ?”
Edward’s eyes blinked owlishly behind his glasses. “Umm....Course not, Sir.”
“Excellent !”, Mr. Galloway exclaimed. “Well then, carry on !” He gave a little two finger salute, then turned on his heel and walked towards the school, whistling.
Edward watched him go. Madness, he thought, Pure Madness.
___________________________________________
-
Tony and Karen stayed much of the day with Nick and Melody, a couple of times Tony going out for some more food for them to eat. Nick seemed to be improving by the hour. Eventually, they took their leave, Melody staying with Nick. It was getting dark now, and they were somehow able to evade the News People hanging about on Vale Boulevard and finally return to the school.
They went up the Parking Lot Road instead of going to the Main Gate, to avoid any of the Newshounds that might still be hanging around. The Parking Lot Road proved to be empty, and they were let in the gate there by Seth, who passed them through without comment, only with a sour look on his face.
At this point, Tony’s mind was beginning to move. He was well aware of what the loss of Nick’s services would mean to the fragile peace that had been forged with the Cliques. Sure, for the moment, he expected no trouble....After all, the Cliques had cooperated together for the most part in the assault on the Chem Plant which led to the rescue of the Girls. And right now, they were basking in the glow of public admiration for their bravery of doing so. But it woudn’t be long before the old tensions re-asserted themselves, before the Cliques returned to quarreling and fighting with each other once again. Tony needed to come up with a firm plan, something that could be agreed to by all the diverse Cliques and Students at the school.
Instead of going to their Dorms, Tony led Karen into the back of the school, then up to the second floor. The school looked gloomy as they went to a place where they hadn’t been together in what seemed to be a long time....The small Mediator’s Office.
Once inside and the lock safely secured, Tony began the work of taking down off the wall all the papers he had layered up during the kidnapping. Karen, who had not yet learned all the twists and turns that Tony and Nick had taken in order to narrow down where she and Melody were being held, was frankly flabbergasted as she stared up at sheer mass of clues and connections that Tony had built up on the wall. From his dreams, to help from Mr. Riddle, to the Old Church and the Monks, on to the Asylum and the one Townie Karen now realized she never saw in the underground levels, crazy Clint Henry. After that, the network of underground tunnels that eventually pointed to where they were being held, underneath the Chem Plant.
Karen had started asking questions from the first, and Tony fell into keeping a running commentary as he pulled each sheet down, giving a brief explanation of events as he did. Even so, it took a full hour until all the papers were pulled off the wall and lay in a heap on the floor.
Tony stared at the blank wall for a moment, lost in thought. How to begin ? Karen stayed silent as Tony cast about thinking. Then, making up his mind, he strode to his desk, where he sat in the chair as he reached into a drawer for some fresh paper. Drawing forth a marker, he labeled the first five sheets with each Clique’s name, filling in a sixth with just label 'Other Students’. This is where it would began, he knew, where the beginning of any kind of agreement would have to start. He directed Karen to tape them up on the blank wall.
From there, he brainstormed. What did the Cliques and students want ? What did they expect ? What rights did they have, and what rights should they afford others ? Karen sat on the desktop and made comments and suggestions, just like in their days gone by in this very room when they were unlocking the mysteries of Bullworth Academy and the Vale Valley. Eventually, over the course of a couple of hours, they crafted a rudimentary form of what would become known as The Binding Agreement.
There would be additions and concessions, of course, and each Clique would have to sign off on it in the name of peace for it to work. There would be sanctions and penalties levied against those who violated the rights of other Cliques and Students. It would be Tony’s job to negotiate this among the Cliques in the coming weeks. On the surface, it seemed to be an impossible quest. But there was something that Tony was aware of that most of the other kids at this place didn’t know, and that just might tip the balance towards the Cliques having to accept such an agreement.
Tony also had a personal stake in all this. He had two more years to go before he could graduate, and he certainly wasn’t about to leave Karen behind by transferring to another, more normal school. For him, that was not an option.
Having gone as far with his idea as he could for the evening, Tony relaxed. There would be more time for this tomorrow and in the days following to refine the agreement. Karen perched on the desk still, looking at Tony with speculative eyes.
“Um...Did you mean what you said, back there in the Clinic ?”, Karen asked suddenly.
“Mean about what ?”, Tony asked, confused by the sudden shift in the conversation.
“About....You know, not throwing me away because of what those Monsters did to us ?”, Karen asked, almost meekly.
“Of course I did !”, Tony replied, astounded. “How could you even think that ?”
“Because...”, Karen’s voice hitched, “It’s been three days....You haven’t even tried to...” Tears were openly leaking down her face now. “Tried to...You know....”
Tony rose from his chair and embraced Karen. “It’s only because I’ve been waiting until you’re ready”, he said gently.
“Oh, Tony”, Karen said, starting to sob, “I’ve taken several showers....And I still feel the Stink of those Filthy Animals on me....”
Tony didn’t know how to respond, so he just held her tight. Guilt flooded him once again about his own indiscretions with Pinky and Lola, and he secretly wondered if Karen would want him again if she knew.
After a while, Karen’s tears and sobs subsided. “I’m...Ready now”, she said in a small voice. “Really, I am. Oh, Tony, make love to me, please....Right now ?”
Without a word, Tony lifted Karen from the desk and carried her to the small couch by the door. There, he undressed her, and then himself. Laying her gently down, he plunged into her and set a slow sensual pace that sent Karen to moaning. It went on longer than their usual encounters, and in the end a cleansing orgasm washed strongly through her loins.
______________________________________
-
Mr. Lionel Galloway was a changed man. What exactly had prompted his new-found confidence could not be traced to any one thing in particular, rather a series of events over the past week that had gradually revealed to him just who and what he really was....A bitter alcoholic who had become disillusioned with his seemingly dead-end life years ago. He’d had plenty of time over the last few days to be really introspective while being cared for by Christy and Winkie. Seeing how the two of them, so young and fresh at the start of their young lives, and how they interacted with each other, full of hopes and dreams, reminded him of how it was years ago when he was young and fresh himself, beginning his first term at Teacher’s College so full of his own hopes and dreams.
What had happened to him in the past 15 years to have put him so deeply in the position he found himself in ? He had taken the teaching job at Bullworth Academy right out of College with the expectations that it would be the first step towards a glorious academic career. Instead, it had become a swamp from which no escape seemed possible. Years of indifferent students and missed opportunities had taken their toll, and little by little he had become bitter and sought solace in the bottle at an ever-increasing pace. His youthful dreams had faded and were gone before he was 30, leaving just a shell of his former self, marking time in the endless hell of this dysfunctional place.
Only one bright spot had appeared, and it came in the form of Dedrie Phillips. Always a handsome man, he nevertheless had no luck with the ladies of the Vale Valley. The women here were self-indulgent status seekers, always chasing after the more professional men in the Valley. They weren’t about to condensed to go out with a low-paid English Teacher from the archaic and lowly-regarded Bullworth Academy. Years went by and Mr. Galloway couldn’t even get a date, and he eventually quit trying, adding to his depression and further fueling his drinking. Then, just a couple of years ago, Ms. Phillips had approached him and unexpectedly asked him out. Taken by surprise, he had agreed, and they had gone to the Shea Lewis at the Vale Hotel, which had cost nearly a week’s pay. As time went on, he would take her out more and more. In the process he learned more about her, the three failed marriages, her flighty personality, her strange way of relating most everything to something artistic. It seemed, in her own way, her life was just as dysfunctional as his was. Kindred spirits, in a manner of speaking. Eventually, they had started a sexual relationship, on the night she had worn her red dress when he had picked her up at the school long after classes were over for the day. They had wound up at her apartment later that night and she had seduced him.
It wasn’t love at first, least not for him. Bitter and disillusioned, he didn’t see why anyone would set their sights on him, a nowhere person with a nowhere job going nowhere in life. Blind, he didn’t know that she had made him her personal project, getting Jimmy Hopkins to round up his empty bottles and then getting him out of Happy Volts Asylum when Hattrick was trying to get him fired. But eventually, he had come to care for Ms. Phillips a great deal, and resolved to try to better himself by laying off the booze and trying to reclaim something of his life for her sake.
On Sunday, before he had returned to school, Mr. Galloway had visited Ms. Phillips at the Bullworth Clinic. In hushed tones so that no one would overhear, she related her fight with Bethany Jones and revealed what had led up to it, the seductions that Miss Jones had carried out on him which he couldn’t remember due to his alcohol-sodden state. He was amazed that she had fought so passionately for him, and realized that he truly loved her. Seeing her lying there helpless because of him, he realized that it was up to him now to take charge, and he resolved to return to the school and do just that.
Whatever the reasons that the State Board had elevated him to Headmaster didn’t matter. This was his opportunity, at long last, to prove himself and become an effective leader of this downtrodden school, to raise it up from the muck of what it had been for countless years. All of his doubts about his ability to do the job were suddenly resolved as he looked down upon Ms. Phillips. If she could fight for him, then he could fight for her, and for their future.
The first thing Mr. Galloway did on returning to the Headmaster’s Office...His Office, he reminded himself....Was to terminate Bethany Jones from employment at the school. Next, he began calling the Teachers and Staff, ordering them to return to the school the next morning. Then, he got ahold of the News Media and arraigned for a News Conference the next morning. Leaning back, he considered. He would have to order the Prefects to round up as many of the principle students involved in the rescue as possible tomorrow morning for the conference.
He decided to sleep in the office for the evening and get an early start the next day. There was much that was going to have to be done, and he resolved himself to carry it out.
___________________________________
-
Tony and Karen were waiting by the School Store early Monday morning when Mr. Riddle rolled up the awnings behind the windows. As he saw them, a ghost of a smile played on his lips. He glanced left and right, as far as he could see, into the hallways. “Anybody else around out there ?”, he asked.
“No, nobody”, Tony said, taking a sweep around with his eyes, “That’s why we came early. Sorry I couldn’t come see you earlier, we been, like, real busy and all.”
“It’s all good”, Mr. Riddle said. He looked at Karen. “This must be the Lady Karen....I see you were successful then ?”
“That we were, and thanks to you”, Tony told him. “Your riddles were actually spot-on, they helped out a lot.”
“And the other girl ?”, Mr. Riddle asked. “I hear she got out too ?”
“She did”, Tony replied, “She’s been staying with Nick, at his bedside, while he recovers.”
“I heard there was some casualties”, Mr. Riddle said, “But you knew that was a possibility going into this. Were there many hurt badly ?”
“One girl was hit real bad”, Tony said, referring to Tiffany. “There were others hurt, some are still in the Clinics, though....I don’t know how many.”
Mr. Riddle arched an eyebrow. “Girls went into this fight also ?”
“A few”, Tony admitted, “Although I tried to see that they stayed behind the lines....Most stayed up on the Chem Plant roof. A couple came along on the raid of the third level, though”, he said, thinking of Lola. “But, only the one girl got hurt.”
Mr. Riddle mulled that over. Then he said, “You probably got a lot to tell, and I’d like to hear it all....But not here. Why don’t you kids meet me, say, 5 O’clock, after school, and we can talk about it all ?”
Tony looked at Karen, and she nodded. “Sure thing, Mr. Riddle. Should we meet you here ?”
Mr. Riddle shook his head. “No...Come to the outside basement door. Sneak down the stairs without being seen. Rap on the door, like this...” Here Mr. Riddle rapped out a code on the counter -- RAP RAP RAP...RAP RAP RAP...RAP RAP RAP RAP RAP -- “And I’ll let you in. Got it ?”
Tony nodded. 3 Raps, then 3 Raps, finishing with 5 Raps. “Got it. We’ll be there.”
“Good”, Mr. Riddle said. “You better scram now, before the others start coming in.”
“Mr. Riddle”, Karen said suddenly, “Tony’s told me a little about you....But I have a question.”
Mr. Riddle crossed his arms and looked at her. “Make it fast”, he said.
“Well”, Karen began, summoning up her courage, “If you knew where we were being held, then why didn’t you just tell Tony and Nick where to find us ? Why the Riddles ?”
“Because”, Mr. Riddle said, looking Karen in the eyes, “I didn’t know. I only had Clues, which I had to pass along as Riddles. It was up to Tony to solve them and track you down. It had to be his doing....His Karma.”
“But...I’m confused”, Karen said. “Who did know ?”
“I’ll answer you questions, as much as I’m able, when we meet later”, Mr. Riddle said, not unkindly. “Now, you really must go. I see people coming in the front door.”
Tony glanced towards the Great Hall and saw that was true. Mr. Riddle turned away from them then, ignoring them. Tony touched Karen’s arm and urged her to walk down the hall, towards the Chemistry classroom. There would be time for answers later.
____________________________________
-
To the surprise of many, the News Conference called by Mr. Galloway went off rather smoothly. Calling out of class as many of the male Students available that were known to have participated in the raid on the Chem Plant, they were assembled on the patio at the front steps. The Reporters were let in the front gates and led to the front quad at the steps. One by one, the the Students were allowed to tell their stories and then afterword answer questions from the Reporters.
Although reluctant to have to re-tell his story again for the umteenth time, Tony went last. This was whom the Reporters really wanted to hear from, as he and Nick had been the actual ones to free the girls from their Townie captors. Tony knew he had to give a highly censored account of the rescue, there could be no mention of the VX Nerve Gas that was found at the plant, since the Government was keeping that under wraps. The Gas Canisters had been removed in utmost secrecy last Friday night via a special train chartered by the Government and loaded by the Agents themselves, and was by now at a disposal facility in New Jersey. Still, the Government had wanted the fact that the Nerve Gas had been housed in the Vale Valley kept quiet until the secret incitements against Harrington and Spencer would be revealed in the future. Also, the fact that the VX Nerve Gas was stored at the Chem Plant during the recent bombings, one of which was a large one that had been detonated inside the Chem Plant, would have caused a public outcry, if known, and would have undoubtedly led to a large-scale investigation and perhaps public panic, even though the threat had been removed.
One standing rule of the Press Conference was that the treatment of the girls while they were in captivity was not to be discussed. Only Tony, Nick, and the Townies themselves even knew about the rapes which had occurred, outside of the Agents themselves and the medical personnel who had treated the girls and were sworn to secrecy. This was seen as being protective of the girls, who were still minors, and no public record would ever be released on the matter. In fact, in exchange for the Press Conference to even take place, the Press Core had to agree that none of the girls involved in the raid were to be questioned or interviewed at any time.
Many of the questions then centered on the weaponry that was used, and just how a rag-tag group of Students had attacked and defeated the Townies with just homemade Spud Guns, Bottle Rocket Launchers, Firecrackers, and Stink Bombs, all the while being shot at with the much more potentially deadly Air Rifles by the Townies. The strategy of using the Box Barricades, the Shields, and the Super Spud Gun to break in were revealed, but it was stressed that these minor weapons were only employed in the assault to gain entry, while the Townies were using the Air Rifles stolen from the Carnival. It was the planning and execution of assault, along with the surprise factor, that carried the day for the Students, the Press was told. It was also emphasized that hitherto unprecedented cooperation between the various Cliques and other Students had also been a major factor in making the rescue successful.
There were many questions about the actual rescue of the girls themselves, to which only Tony and Nick had been responsible for. Tony told the Press that they had indeed been the ones to affect the actual rescues, but he and Nick could not reveal any details of that, since it could possibly jeopardize the upcoming court cases against the Townies for the kidnappings. Other than that, he told them, all were very happy that everything had worked out for the best, and that he and the other Students wanted to move on with their lives and just be regular High School Students from then on.
To Tony’s relief, the Press Core seemed unaware of Omar’s death, the Government was withholding that information, just as it was about the arrests and detainment place of the Townies. In actual fact, the Townies were being held at the Blue Skies Clinic under heavy guard. National Guard forces had been brought back to the Valley and had virtually sealed off Blue Skies from the rest of the Towns at the bridge leading from New Coventry. No one was allowed to pass through except the Factory Workers and Dockmen, and they were carefully checked, and threatened with arrest and jail if they were to reveal anything they saw or heard. This also had the effect of sealing off Happy Volts Asylum from the outside world, it’s personal were forced to live at the Asylum with their whacky patients for quite a while afterwards.
It was getting close to Noon, so Mr. Galloway stepped forward and announced the Press Conference was over. The Press Core hadn’t gotten all they wanted, but certainly more than they expected. There would be lots of juicy stories to write on just what they had learned today that would keep them busy for quite awhile. In return for this access the Press had been granted today, they were to be banned from the Bullworth Peninsula, which included that stretch of road which ran between the two bridges, from the South Bridge that ran from the Vale to the Steel Truss Bridge which led into Bullworth Town. Students would no longer be harassed anywhere near the gates of the school, although the Press would still be free to interview them elsewhere.
As the Students left the Patio to head for the Cafeteria for lunch, Tony caught Mr. Galloway. “Now, that I’ve done this for you, Sir, I’d like you to do something for me.”
“Why sure, Tony, anything I can”, Mr. Galloway said warmly, “Anything I can !”
“I’d like to meet with with you, about the future of the School”, Tony told him.
“Why, it seems things are pretty calm right now”, Mr. Galloway. “That’s a start !”
“True, things are good right now”, Tony said, “But it won’t be long before kids start bickering and fighting again. It’s just their human nature. By next fall, things will be right back to where they were, unless we do something.”
Mr. Galloway was intrigued. “What do you have in mind there, Tony ?”
“An Agreement”, Tony told him, “Between all the Cliques and Students.”
“Agreements can be broken”, Mr. Galloway observed.
“Not this one”, Tony said. “It’ll be a Binding Agreement, one that they all agree to, with sanctions and penalties if they violate it.”
“Hmmm....Sounds interesting”, Mr. Galloway said. “And, just how do plan to enforce such an Agreement ?”
“That’s what I need to talk to you about”, Tony said, “I need some help from your end.”
Mr. Galloway clapped Tony on the back. “I’ll do what I can....But this may be a hard sell, you know. Just how on Earth are you going to get those boys to agree to anything ?”
“Simple”, Tony said, “Something you taught me, Sir. Negotiation.”
_________________________________________
-
Tony kept a sharp eye out. When he saw the area was clear with no one looking their way, he hustled Karen and himself down the outside basement steps and out of sight. It was nearly 5 PM, and they waited for a bit before Tony knocked out the code on the door.
RAP-RAP-RAP....RAP-RAP-RAP.....RAP-RAP-RAP-RAP-RAP. Tony and Karen waited, and in a few seconds, the door was unlocked and squeaked open. Mr. Riddle eyed them and motioned them inside. “Anyone see you ?”, he asked.
Tony shook his head. “No, nobody saw us....It was empty out there.”
“Good”, Mr. Riddle smiled. “Come on over here, to the table I set up.”
Mr. Riddle led the way to a round table with some chairs set around it. “I reckon my predecessor just took his meals at the bunk over there”, he said, pointing to the small bed in the nearby alcove. “Me, I always like to eat at a table. More homey-like, y’know ?”
There was some food and plates on the table. Mr. Riddle said, “Help yourself, that’s good food, not from the Cafeteria here....I order out.”
Tony and Karen sat down. There was some Roast Beef and Vegetables, along with some Rolls, with a tub of butter nearby. They all took some helpings on their plates and began to eat. The food was good, to Tony’s surprise, almost like Shea Lewis food. They ate in silence for awhile, and Karen thanked Mr. Riddle for sharing his food.
“Aw, that’s Ok”, Mr. Riddle said, “I don’t get much company. Being a Janitor seems to be a lonely job.” He turned to Tony. “Well, tell me what happened, after I last saw you. It must have been a hell of a battle, from what I’ve been hearing.”
“It sure was”, Tony said, and began again to re-tell the story of the Chem Plant assault. Karen had already heard this, but still listened with interest as Tony described the attack on the rooftop, and the sending in of the Preps with the Shields with Melvin following behind with the Super Spud Gun, then Tony, Nick, and Laurent behind them. The three had been able to gain access through the shed door to the inside, and from there to eventually find the elevator and get down to the ground level, where they encountered and attacked Jerry. Mr. Riddle half-smiled as Tony related how Nick literally beat the shit out of Jerry to get him to reveal the secret passage that led to the lower levels. From there, Tony told Mr. Riddle about their descent into the bowels of the Chem Plant.
When Tony began to tell about the Animal Testing Lab on the second level, Mr. Riddle interrupted him. “What about the Gas, Tony ? Where did you boys find that ?”
Tony actually gasped. “The Gas ? How do you know about that ?”
Mr. Riddle smiled. “I have my sources, as I’ve told you. It was the VX Nerve Gas the Feds were really after that night....But you know that, don’t you ?”
“Yeah, we do”, Tony responded. “The hell of is was, they had totally put the search for the girls on their back burner and went looking for those Gas Canisters....And the Townies were getting ready to bug out with Karen and Melody to another city, somewhere where they’d never be found.” Tony shook his head, and said, “Nick found the VX on the first level, in these long crates, to answer your question.”
“I see....Good thing it all worked out in your favor then”, Mr. Riddle observed. “Well, tell me what happened next....Something about an Animal Testing Lab ?”
“Oh, that place was Horrible !”, Karen interjected before Tony could speak. “All those poor dead animals, they were all starved to death ! Someone just left them there to die !”
“Yeah, that place was gross, all right”, Tony added. “Karen and Melody had escaped, but only got as far as that place before the Townies captured them again.”
Interested, Mr. Riddle turned to Karen. “You actually managed to escape ? How did you manage that ?”
“It was because of a spring in one of those Toilet Paper holders”, Karen said, and went on to tell how she had used it to unshackle herself and Melody from their bonds and sneak out past a sleeping Townie. They had been spotted by Omar, though, and the chase was on. Karen led Melody to the darkened Animal Testing Lab to hide out, but the Townies had found them anyway just by turning the lights on, causing Melody to scream at the gruesome sight that confronted them.
“That must have been horrible”, Mr. Riddle said sincerely.
“It was, but it brought Melody out of her Cationic State”, Karen said. “She had become almost like a Zombie after all the things those Bastards did to us.”
“I won’t ask you to talk about that”, Mr. Riddle said softly. Turning back to Tony, he asked, “So tell me, after that, how were you able to invade the third level ?”
“Well, we snuck down first”, Tony said, “Me and Nick, to check it out. I went back to get the others, and a lot got through, before being spotted. Then the Level Battle really began.” Tony went on to tell about the battle, about Nick shooting Duncan, about putting up the barricades and about the standoff that eventually occurred as it was made clear the girls were inside the Rec Room with Omar and Gurney. Then, Tony related about the new barrage, Omar’s sudden demand for ransom, and the attempt to send the Preps in with the Shields as a bluff. The sudden appearance of the cutting torch flaring through the steel doors had thrown everything in disarray, causing Omar and Gurney to cut and run with the girls in tow to the secret tunnel. Tony described how he had to shoot Leon after he had cut down Tiffany, and then how he and Nick had chased the Townies through the tunnel, having to hold up when they caught up to Gurney, who was dragging Melody. Tony related how Nick got shot while rescuing Melody, and how he continued on, chasing Omar, who still had Karen. He wound up by relating the events on the boat and his shooting Omar. Karen chipped in with details, including Omar’s apparent drowning and the arrival of the Federal Agents.
“Wow, that’s quite a story”, Mr. Riddle said, “You were lucky to survive all that.”
“I guess we’ve been lucky to survive the whole year at Bullworth Academy”, Tony allowed wirily, “After everything that’s happened. Not the kind of High School experiences that are considered anywhere normal.”
“Tell me, Tony....How are your dreams now ?”, Mr. Riddle asked suddenly.
“Well, they’re....”, Tony began, then stopped when he realized something. “I guess....I haven’t had any since the raid. Maybe that means....Everything is gonna be alright now. Maybe, we can start living like normal people now, real High School kids.”
“I certainly hope that will be the case”, Mr. Riddle said. “But....If you ever need help, I plan on being here awhile.”
Tony started to speak, but Karen suddenly said, “Mr. Riddle...I don’t know you....But...Who are you, really ?”
“I’m the Janitor at Bullworth Academy”, Mr. Riddle answered, and held up his hands as Tony and Karen started to protest. “I’m also here to look after you two, and help in any way I can.”
“Then...You’re here because of us ?”, Tony asked. Mr. Riddle nodded. “But...How ? Why ?”
“There are those who value your protection”, Mr. Riddle said, “And before you ask, I am not a liberty to reveal who they are."
“Does this have anything to do with Mr. Luntz ?”, Tony asked, “Can you tell me that ?”
“I’ve told you before, I don’t know anybody by that name”, Mr. Riddle said.
“Alright then, the guy who was Janitor here before you”, Tony said, flustered. “Is he a part of this ?”
Mr. Riddle lowered his head before answering. “I’m not supposed to tell you.....But Yes.”
Tony sat back in his chair, openmouthed. He remembered when the Federal Agents were hauling Dr. Crabblesnitch and Ms. Danvers away, and the Limo on the other side of the street, Mr. Luntz inside, giving a thumbs up before driving off. “So....He’s keeping tabs on us ?”
“Only conditionally”, Mr. Riddle said. “You are still to make your own way, follow your own Karma. When trouble comes, you must be the one to figure things out.”
“That’s why the riddles”, Tony said, the truth dawning on him at last.
“That is why the riddles”, Mr. Riddle repeated. “Beyond that, I can tell you no more.”
______________________________________
-
Melody and Nick both stared at the unexpected visitor that suddenly appeared in Nick’s Vale Clinic room.
“What are you...Um, doing here ?”, Melody asked uncertainly.
“Oh, I thought I’d come see how Nick is doing”, Beatrice answered breezily. “I heard he got injured....Oh, My, is that a neck brace ?”
Nick, who was half-awake, just glared at Beatrice. Melody noticed his look, and turned her eyes back to Beatrice. “Um, excuse me....Do you even know Nicky ?”
“Sure...Everyone knows Nicky, all the girls, you know. He’s quite the stud”, Beatrice replied.
Melody rose from her chair by Nick’s bed. “Just what do you mean by that ?”
“Just that he’s well-hung”, Beatrice said in a matter-of-fact voice. “Don’t tell me you never measured his Rod, it’s quite impressive, you know....Or should know.”
Melody began to get angry. “How would you know about anything like that ?”
“Because I measured him when he was hard”, Beatrice told her. “Part of my ongoing experiments for my dissertation paper on male sexuality.”
Melody couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You did WHAT ?”
“Measured him”, Beatrice explained, as if she were talking to a Moron. “Then, I tried out the goods, and it was exceptional ! Better than those clueless Med School boys, at any rate. That’s why I’ve decided to marry Nick when I finish Med School and have his babies.”
Shaking, Melody advanced on Beatrice. “We haven’t got time for your fantasies. Nicky needs to recover. Just get out !”
Although Melody had known Beatrice a long time, she barely had ever interacted with her. None of the girls did. Mandy, in particular, had been having an ongoing hostile relationship with Beatrice for as long as Melody could remember. It had long been rumored that Beatrice 'pounded the Nerd boys’ and in particular Ernest, the former Nerd leader. It had further been said that Beatrice had dumped Ernest for being 'too small’ and that was what had driven him into his sex addiction abyss that ultimately led to his complete breakdown, being removed from Bullworth and taken away to a Sex Addiction Clinic, where he remained to this day. Beatrice had left to go to a Medical Prep School soon after, so the truth of all that never really came out. It was also well known that Beatrice engaged in wild fantasies concerning the more 'Stud’ boys at school, as Jimmy Hopkins could attest to. So Melody was unsure if what she was saying had any truth to it, or was just more shit she was making up. The matter was dispelled at what Beatrice said next.
“Oh, I’m serious”, Beatrice said in a matter-of-fact voice, “Nick was up against my Cervix, and still had more of his rod not in me....He’s really huge, and we’re going to make excellent, strong babies together. You’ll see.”
Melody balled up her fists. Beatrice had never considered Melody a threat, just a little kid. Melody stood a foot shorter that Beatrice, but that didn’t matter today. Melody swung a hard right at Beatrice, smashing her fist dead center in Beatrice’s nose, crunching it. Blood gushed from Beatrice’s nose as she staggered back against the doorframe, her glasses knocked off in the process. Melody’s left fist smashed into Beatrice’s mid-section, doubling her up as she suddenly gasped for air. Melody then reared back and kicked Beatrice, her foot landing on her boobs. Beatrice was pushed back in the hall and tumbled to the floor in a heap.
“Bitch, I told you to leave”, Melody hissed. Looking up and down the hall, she called, “Nurse ? There’s Someone Injured Here !” She waited until she saw someone coming, then shut the door.
Unable to really move, Nick had watched the whole thing rapidly unfold with wonder and new-found admiration for Melody’s hitherto unknown fighting skills. Melody returned to the chair by the bed and sat down, rubbing her fists.
“Nicky”, she said softly, “That wasn’t true, what she said....Was it ?”
Nick sighed and closed his eyes. Better get it over with. “YESSS”, he answered.
Tears sprang to Melody’s eyes. “But....Why, Nicky, Why ?”
“FERRR INFERMAASHOIN”, Nick managed to get out.
“Information ?”, Melody asked. “I....Don’t understand....What Information ?”
“DEVILLS CODE”, Nick hissed through gritted teeth. “GEETS INTO CHURRCH....OURR FIRRRST CLUU....”
“What clue was that ?”, Melody asked, trying to understand.
“YER SELLL FONNE”, Nick responded, “WASS IN THEER”
“So....Beatrice wouldn’t just tell you that Code ?”, Melody said slowly, “She made you....Nicky, did she make you fuck her for....Before she would tell the Code ?”
“YESSS”, Nick answered. “CRAZEE....MEASUREED ME....DURRIN IT....”
So that was it. “That Bitch”, Melody muttered. Seemed like there was still going to be a score to settle, and soon.
“MEL...”, Nick said, “LUV ONNLY YOUU.....NO ONE LLSE...”
“I know, Nicky, I understand”, Melody said. She grasped his hand and squeezed it. Oddly, she felt a bit better. Seems she and Karen weren’t the only one forced into sex as a result of the Kidnapping, and somehow, that made her ordeal a bit easier to bear.
________________________________________
-
That evening, Tony and Karen made the rounds of the Clinics, to see and thank those who had been involved in the rescue for their efforts. Lucky, Wade, Davis, and Tom were in the New Coventry Clinic still, and Dan, Bo, Bucky, Donald, Justin, Parker, and Casey were in the Bullworth Clinic. Tony stopped beside each of their bedsides and praised them for their bravery in the raid, which lifted their spirits. The more seriously injured of Troy, Gord, Johnny, along with Nick, were at the Vale Clinic, and Tony and Karen visited them in their private rooms in turn.
Troy was still bemoaning getting shot stupidly, but Tony told him that could have happened to anyone, and that he showed bravery nonetheless by joining in the fight. Troy felt a little better at that about himself, and even though he had nothing to brag about, began to understand that it took the efforts of everyone for the raid to have succeeded.
Tony especially praised Gord for manning the Shields along with Bryce, it had made the pivotal difference in the raid....Without gaining access, there never would have been any rescue. Gord, who was unused to any kind of praise whatever, was nearly brought to tears by their thanks, especially that of Karen’s, one of the rescued hostages. He began to feel lots better about himself from that day on, and that would prove to be a turning point in his life in the future.
Johnny accepted Tony’s thanks as a matter of course, as befitted the King he believed himself to be. It was all in a day’s work, he said, and gave some of the credit to Peanut and Lola, who had shot and then bashed Otto in the head with her Spud Gun. Lola, who was sitting by his bedside, just smiled, and when neither Johnny or Karen were looking, dropped a wink at Tony, letting him know their secret was still safe. Tony just smiled blandly in response, and soon he and Karen took their leave, headed off to see Nick.
_________________________________
-
Entering Nick’s room, Tony and Karen found that Nick was asleep. The past few days had been rough, and he needed his rest. Melody said in a hushed tone, “He’s asleep now...He’s going to get all better now, I just know it !”
“We know he will”, Tony said softly, “Nick’s a tough character, everybody knows that. He be back, better than ever, you can count on that.”
A small sob escaped Melody and she lowered her face in her hands. Karen went to her and embraced her. “Mel, have you eaten today ?”, Karen asked her. Melody shook her head no. “Look, Mel, you’ve got to keep your strength up, for Nick’s sake. Why don’t we go get you something to eat ?”
“I...I don’t want to leave Nicky”, Melody moaned. “I....I can’t.”
“Then we’ll go get you something and bring it back”, Karen said, “But you have to promise to at least try to eat something, Ok ?”
“Well...Alright”, Melody said. “But Karen...I need to talk to you.”
Karen knew what Melody meant...Girl to Girl, in private. “Ok, sure Mel. Tony, would you go and get us some meals from Chef’s, please ?”
Tony looked at both girls with a slight frown, then he got it. Girl talk. He sighed and said, “Sure...And I guess I should take my time, right ?”
“That’s right”, Karen told him with a knowing look. “Now you’ve got it. Bring back the Boeuf Bourguignon, would you ? We all like that.”
Shrugging, Tony left the room and headed out of the Clinic. On the way out, he noticed something he hadn’t seen on the way in....At a far corner of the open ward, a girl lay on a bed with what looked like a bloody towel covering most of her face. She was sobbing, which was what caught his attention. Looking closer at the dark-blond haired girl, he saw that it was that Nerd girl, Beatrice. What was she doing here ?
Back in the room, Karen and Melody had moved to the guest chairs, away from Nick’s bed. “Karen, I got to tell you something”, Melody began, and the proceeded to tell her about the recent visit from Beatrice. Karen gasped as she heard what Beatrice had said. When Melody finished off by telling Karen she had punched Beatrice in the nose and guts, Karen said, “Well, good for you ! What a Bitch ! Do you think she was just making that up ? She does do a lot of fantasy stuff.”
Melody shook her head. “No”, she said miserably, “She described Nicky’s....You know....And Nicky admitted it was true.....But he told me it was to get information from her to help find us.”
“What sort of information could she possibly have had ?”, Karen asked, slightly confused. “She had nothing to do with any of this !”
“Nicky told me it was about....Some kind of ‘Devil’s Code’, to get into the old Church”, Melody said. “They found my Cell Phone in there, and that was their first clue, he said.”
In the rush of days since their rescue, Tony had yet to tell Karen about what had led he and Nick to the Chem Plant, or the clues they had followed to determine that was where they were being held. In fact, she really hadn’t wondered about it until just now. She would have to ask him. Karen was sure it would be quite a story. Aloud, she said, “We can’t let Beatrice just get away with this. You know how she used to hound Jimmy when he was here. Zoe Taylor was ready to kick her ass just before she left school, remember ? She just wouldn’t quit with that fantasy stuff about her and Jimmy.”
“But I don’t think she ever trapped Jimmy into... Doing that”, Melody said, “Least I never heard so....But she did trap Nick ! And she won’t quit, you know her, she’s a Psycho ! What am I going to do ? I don’t want that Bitch hanging around him !”
Karen knew how Melody felt, as she felt the same about Pinky’s attempts to hang around Tony. It had taken a couple good ass-whippings to get Pinky to back off, but she still approached Tony even after that with requests for 'Help’ with one thing or other. Karen thought for a few minutes. What was the best way to get Beatrice never to even look at Nick again ? Or for that matter, Tony either. “I know what we can do”, Karen finally said. “I can go talk to Mandy about this. She hates that Crazy Bitch. She’ll know what to do.”
“But...What if she says something ?”, Melody asked fearfully. “I don’t want this getting around, it’ll make Nicky look like a Cheater or...Or worse !”
“Mandy won’t tell anyone”, Karen said, “She’ll keep it quiet if I ask her to. Fact is, I’ll bet that we’ll be rid of Beatrice as soon as the Summer Term is over with.”
“How can you be so sure about something like that ?”, Melody asked.
“Because”, Karen said, “With the right kind of persuasion, even that Nut-Job Bitch will figure out that she would be much better off somewhere else.”
________________________________________
-
After school, Melvin and Jimmette had come to the Dragon’s Wing after finding the Observatory empty. There, in the basement, they discovered Fatty and Cornelius, who was still nursing a minor wound from the Chem Plant roof battle.
“Here you guys are !”, Melvin exclaimed. “I couldn’t find anyone at the Observatory.”
“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Hero”, Fatty said nastily from the other side of the room, where he was sitting by a table. “Nice of you to grace us with your presence, O Mighty One.”
The good humor slid from Melvin’s face. “What...What do you mean by saying that ?”
“You oughtta know, since you’re such a big man now”, Cornelius said sourly.
“That was some speech you gave at the Press Conference”, Fatty mocked, “You made it sound like you defeated the Townies all by yourself.”
“And not a mention of us, or the others, either”, Cornelius added in disgust.
Melvin’s momentary confusion began to turn to anger. “Well....I did beat them...On the roof, anyway, and that counts !” He stabbed a finger at Fatty. “I didn’t see you putting yourself in any real danger !”
“You know I couldn’t go out there because of my bad leg”, Fatty whined, “Otherwise I would’ve been doing the shooting myself !”
“If you hadn’t fallen off the stage, you wouldn’t have broke your leg”, Melvin pointed out.
“Hey, that’s not fair”, Cornelius interjected, “That wasn’t his fault !”
“And you got yourself shot”, Melvin turned to and said to Cornelius.
“And you lost the Super Spud Gun, which I BUILT !!”, Fatty yelled.
Melvin looked back at Fatty. “Is that what this is all about ? That those Feds took the Super Spud Gun ?”, he snorted. “So what ? You can build another one ! Fact is, you and Thad need to start making more Weapons again, anyway. What’s the big deal ?”
“I’m not making any more Weapons”, Fatty declared. “You can make them yourself if you want them, I’m done !”
“You’ll make them if I say so !”, Melvin said, raising his voice. “I’m the Leader here, maybe you forgot that !”
“Some Leader”, Fatty jeered, “One who takes all the credit while we do all the work ! I won’t do it, I tell you, and you can’t make me !”
“You will so, and I will make you, even if I have to beat you !”, Melvin exclaimed, Raising his fists and getting closer to Fatty.
“Well...You just....Bring it on !”, Fatty cried, raising his fists and moving forward. “I still outweigh you !”
Both Nerds moved closer and began swinging on one another. Watching Nerds trying to fight was rather comical, and of the punches thrown, most missed. Melvin did manage to hit Fatty’s arm, to which he exclaimed “OW !!”, and Fatty did get to strike Melvin’s wrist, to which he also said, “OW !!”, but they both kept trying to hit one another.
Jimmette had been watching all this unfold with trepidation, and then outright horror. Suddenly, she screamed, “STOP IT !!! JUST STOP IT RIGHT NOW !!!”
The Nerds had quite forgotten that Jimmette was even there. “What’s Wrong With You ?’, she continued. “Is This How Nerd Brothers Act To Each Other, By FIGHTING ??”
Melvin and Fatty lowered their fists, suddenly ashamed. Jimmette was right. This wasn’t their way.
“I, um...Guess I was too hasty”, Melvin said. “I’m...Sorry.”
“Maybe...We should talk this over”, Fatty said, his face reddening. “I didn’t mean...”
“No...It’s alright”, Melvin said, “We’ll just get Thad to make some weapons....We will need some, you guys know that, right ?”
Fatty reluctantly nodded and said, “Yeah.” Off in the corner, where he hadn’t moved from, Cornelius nodded too. Nerds at Bullworth had never been weaponless, it was how they survived.
“Say, where is Thad ?”, Fatty suddenly asked. “I didn’t see him at school.”
“He wasn’t at the Press Conference, or the Observatory, either”, Melvin said, thinking. “Strange...Wonder where he can be ?”
___________________________________
-
Pinky went to the Beach House after getting a Meal at Shinjo’s. As she walked in the door, she greeted Bryce. “Hi there, handsome ! That was some speech you gave at the Conference-thingy today !”
Bryce was happy to see Pinky, but blushed. “Aw, it wasn’t that good”, he said shyly. In fact, he had stumbled and mumbled through most of it. Bryce was unused to talking to people in general, not to mention doing public speaking. His part had only lasted a few minutes, but had felt like a hour.
“Oh, poo, you were great !”, Pinky said, coming closer. “And I think it was sweet, you giving all the credit to Gord.”
“Well, he deserved it”, Bryce answered, “After all, he got shot up pretty bad for his efforts.”
Pinky came closer and put her arms around Bryce’s neck. “Well, I think you’re both Heros. Without you two, the whole thing wouldn’t have worked, now would it ?”
Bryce had to allow that was so. “I guess not....We probably wouldn’t have been able to break through the roof and get inside without those Shields.” He liked having Pinky so close, and his longing for her began to heat up.
“But you’re my Hero”, Pinky breathed, gazing at his blushing face, “You went and did this just because I asked you to, without expecting anything in return. So, you’re my Hero, mister.” Pinky brought her face closer to his. “And Heros deserve a reward.”
Pinky brought her lips to his in a tender kiss. Bryce slowly brought his arms up and encircled her. Her kiss went deeper, and became a French kiss, her tongue swirling in his mouth. His reserve broke as he pulled her to him.
After some time, breathless, Pinky pulled back. “Oh, Bryce....You’re not like the others....You’re all Man. Make love to me....Please ?”
Unable to speak and breathing heavily, Bryce nodded. Pinky took him by the arm and led him to the bed. There, she let him go and undressed in front of him in a slow, sensual manner. Bryce felt like he was going insane as she stood naked in front of him. Then, she kissed him once more, helping him remove his shirt, and then his pants. His bludge was firm and hard, and she fondled it, feeling her passion rising.
“Oh, Pinky”, Bryce panted, “I’ve wanted you for so long....”
“Then have me”, Pinky said, and lay on the bed, pulling him on top of her. “Take me, you Rouge, take it all !!” And as Bryce entered her, she found out that his muscles weren’t the only big thing about him.
_______________________________________
-
Laurent took Nina out to the Chef’s Restaurant that evening. It was the first time they had been out in awhile, with everything that had been going on. But now, trouble was behind them, and it was safe to be out again.
The Kidnappings had loomed large in Nina’s mind. Naturally fearful about things to begin with, just the thought of being taken like Karen and Melody had been unnerved her beyond all reason. And what had been truly upsetting was that she was there that night when they had been snatched. Why, if she had known them better, she might have gone along with them, and those evil people who had taken them would have took her as well. It made her shudder with fear just to think about it.
But this evening was a celebration. Laurent had gone on that dangerous rescue mission, been in the thick of things, and had returned without a scratch. He was back to protect her again, and that served to put her mind somewhat at ease. Every since she had met him, she had been attracted to him in ways she really didn’t understand. Needing to feel safe was one part of it, yes...But Laurent was unlike anyone she had ever met. He was brave, daring, flamboyant, and...Exotic. Being from a far away land fabled for romance was probably a part of it too.
They had a meal of French Onion Soup, Quiche, and Cassoulet. There was also a bottle of French Red Wine at their table, some Merlot. Technically, they were both underage to be having Wine, or any other alcoholic drinks, at a Restaurant. But in France, where Laurent came from, it was very common for teens to have Wine with their meals, as it was seen as a meal accessory. As the Chef was also from France, he saw no problem serving it to a fellow countryman within his Restaurant. Nina went along, matching Laurent drink for drink, although she really wasn’t used to drinking Wine. But, it was all so Exotic.
Midway through their meal, Laurent’s friend Tony came in. Nina had conflicting emotions about Tony and his friend Nick. On the one hand, they appeared to be decent fellows, unlike some of the others around here....But on the other hand, it was their girlfriends who had gotten kidnapped, and it seemed to Nina that they had been less than alert in their failing to protect them. It was because of that, of them, that Laurent had undertaken such a dangerous mission to go and help his friends rescue them. Still, they were Laurent’s friends, and she had resolved to not try to stand in the way of their relationships, as they had been formed long before she ever knew Laurent.
Tony came and sat at their table for awhile, as he was waiting on some orders of take-out Boeuf Bourguignon to take back to the Clinic. Karen was there with Melody, he explained, and Melody had been keeping an around-the-clock vigil at Nick’s bedside. Tony told them that the Pellet had been removed and Nick was well on the road to recovery, but it had been a close thing.
“That Pellet just missed his Carotid Artery”, Tony told them. “It was a good thing you kept pressure on that wound, you probably saved his life.”
“It was just a good thing I was there to help”, Laurent said. “I am glad Nick is going to be all right, is all.”
“You should come by the Clinic and see him”, Tony said, “He’s mostly awake now, it’s just that he can’t really talk with his jaws wired shut.”
“Ah, then I will go and see him then, but not tonight”, Laurent said, “For I am on ze date with the lovely Nina. But I will be sure and do that.”
Tony could tell that Laurent was a little tipsy, and seeing the half-full bottle of Wine on the table, he could understand. “Maybe, later would be best, at that.” Looking at Nina, he said, “It’s nice to see you again, you’re looking very well.”
Nina managed a smile and said, “It’s because Laurent is back and safe, to protect me.”
“Yes, and I’m happy about that”, Tony said. “With all the bad people finally gone from the Valley here, maybe there won’t have to be any more missions like that. I’m looking forward to the rest of my time here as being peaceful....In fact, I’m gonna work real hard to make that so.”
“What about the Cliques ?”, Laurent asked. “Do you not think they will start fighting again ?”
“I have a plan for that”, Tony said, “I’ll explain it to you sometime....Maybe you can even help.”
“Maybe, could be”, Laurent said, slurring just a tiny bit. “We will have to see, no ?”
“Yes, we will”, Tony said. “I think it will be of great benefit to everyone.”
Just then, Tony’s food order was called and he took his leave, bidding Laurent and Nina goodbye. Long after he left, the food was eaten and the Wine bottle was empty. They rose to leave, but Nina was suddenly very unsteady on her feet. She had worn some high-heels for the occasion, which made it doubly hard to walk, given that she was now in a partly-intoxicated state, being unused to drinking.
The Chef saw them as they approached the counter, Laurent wavering and Nina wobbling. “Mon Dieu ! Where are you going ? I cannot let you go back to the School in such a state !”
“We are...All right”, Laurent said, then belched. Nina giggled.
“Non, I can not let you go”, the Chef said. “Did you drink that whole bottle of Wine ?”
“Um...Nope”, Laurent said, “She helped.” Nina giggled again.
“Dieu dans les cieux”, the Chef muttered. “Listen....Go and sleep on the Matelas in ze basement for this evening. I will wake you by morning.”
“Sounds bonne to me”, Laurent said. “Come, mon amour, let me show ze way.”
Nina giggled some more, as Laurent took her to the stairs and they started down, one challenging step after another. By the time they had reached the mattress in the basement, a good 10 minutes went by. Nina managed to pull off her dress and undo one of her shoes, while Laurent was able to remove his shoes and pants. The mattress had pillows, sheets and blankets on it, and they managed to pull back the blankets far enough to fall onto the mattress and pull the blankets over them, Laurent now laughing to go along with Nina’s giggles.
They lay there for awhile, oblivious to the world. Still giggling, Nina said, “Laurent, my dear boy, you know that I love you ?”
“Ah, but it is I who loves you, mon cherie”, Laurent replied. They both looked at each other in the semi-darkness and moved closer together. Unbidden, they kissed, their heads heady with the Wine. Hormones flared in the both of them, and soon Nina was fondling Laurent’s bludge.
“Oh, Laurent, I wish to be with you forever”, Nina breathed, “Will you....Make love with me ?”
“Oui, sweet Nina, I will, and will be with you always”, Laurent said, his desire raging.
Nina clumsily managed to get her panties down. Laurent was at the ready. “Please....Be gentle with me, my love ?”, Nina breathed softly.
And Laurent was, as it turned out to be her first time.
___________________________________________
-
Peanut was excited, and in more ways than one. He had gotten to tell his story at the Press Conference, and mainly talked about the ‘Battle of the Hallway’, as he coined it, and how he and Hal had shot down Otto after he had wounded Johnny severely, and how Lola had charged in and bashed Otto in the head for good measure, and then how they had driven off Gurney afterwards and forced the Townies to make a run for it. He gave such a glowing account, in his Greaser-laden language, that everyone was ears-open and furiously writing and recording his every phrase. Clearly, he was the hit of the Conference.
Now there was no question. He WAS the Greaser leader, and his confidence was never higher. A new level of respect was being given to him by the other Greasers, and while there was certainly enough glory to go around for many who fought the in the third level, the Greasers believed they were the best of the lot. Nobody would be messing with them now.
In the hallway after the conference, Binky approached him. Looking at him with lustful eyes, she said, “I’m gonna rock your world tonight, Hero. You better be primed and ready !”
Not only did Binky make that pronouncement, she took every chance to stoke the fires of their desire during that afternoon and evening. They finally wound up at the Blue Balls Bar, just as Steve the Greaser was closing up. Seeing the electricity sparking between the two of them, Steve just grinned and said, “You got the whole place to yourselves....Have fun !” Steve shut off the lights, locked up, and left. Peanut and Binky headed for the back room.
A wild kissing session ensued, as they tore at one another’s clothing while stumbling towards the bed. Peanut removed the last remnants of his clothing only to look up and see Binky in all her glory, all naked except for her thigh-high high-heeled black Greaser boots. She roughly pushed him backwards onto the bed and the drilled her crotch onto his hardened buldge, slamming him savagely over and over again, his cries and her screams escalating as their passion climbed ever higher and higher, until they both suddenly exploded, Binky taking as much as Peanut could give her, and wanting more.
Binky had fired up Peanut all day, and the more she wanted soon came. She laid back and had Peanut have his go at her, lifting her short legs and resting them on his shoulders as he drilled her. The feel and smell of her boots on either side of his head made him plunge deeper and harder, as Greasers are well known for their obsession with Leather. Their passions ramped up again to heights unknown, and stayed there for the longest time before each of them shattered in release.
But this night was far from over. After a brief nap of exhaustion, they were at each other again...And then again.
_____________________________________________
-
Mandy was feeling a bit queasy, so instead of sex, she just gave Ted a blow job, hoping to settle her stomach. Just after she had finished up and Ted had fallen asleep, there was a soft rap at the door. Mandy opened the door a crack and peeked out. It was Juri.
“извините....er, sorry”, he said, taken aback to see Mandy in her nightie, “There is Karen here too see you, waiting below.”
“This late ?”, she wondered. Must be something important. “Tell her I’ll be right down.” Juri nodded and she closed the door. Quietly, as not to disturb the sleeping Ted, Mandy slipped on some old jeans and pulled on a top, then she headed to the downstairs of the Clubhouse. Swallowing the last traces of her encounter with Ted, she decided her stomach DID feel better. Nothing like Milk ‘O ManTediga to settle her tummy.
Karen was sitting on a bench over by the Equipment Cage and motioned Mandy over. It had been a long exhausting day, and after visiting with so many of the injured and then staying some time with Nick and Melody at the Clinic, both her and Tony had just decided to return to their Dorms for the night and get some rest. But Karen felt this should be taken care of first.
“What’s up, Jellybean ?”, Mandy said, plopping down beside Karen, using her pet name for her.
Karen sort of smiled at the mention of the nickname that Mandy had bestowed on her when she first came to the Jocks for protection the previous summer. Then she said, “It’s that Slut-Bitch Beatrice. She forced Nick into having sex with her while we were Kidnapped !”
“I know”, Mandy said, while rubbing her belly. Her stomach really did feel better.
“You Knew ?”, Karen stared at her, open-mouthed. “How ?”
Mandy brushed back her hair from her face. “Nick came to me and told me what happened, how she pulled that little trick on him and then seduced him.” She went on to explain about Beatrice hiding her Diary in Mandy’s own Gym Locker and then sending Nick to retrieve it, then faking gratitude for the Diary’s return and seducing Nick for another one of her ‘Human Sexuality Experiments’. “Nick was really upset about it, so I told him I’d take care of it. I caught her later alone in the Dorm and gave her a new painful sensation in her crotch with my knee, told her to keep away from Nick or else.”
“Well, it didn’t work”, Karen said glumly. Mandy sat as Karen began to tell, her anger growing. “Beatrice showed up at the Clinic today, in Nick’s room. Right in front of Melody, she related how she had ‘tried out the goods’, as she put it, and how she was going to marry Nick and have babies with him. Then she went on about how huge Nick was, and how they were going to have strong babies together.”
“That’s Outrageous !!”, Mandy exclaimed. “That Sanctimonious Bitch !!!”
“She’s nuts alright”, Karen agreed. “But Melody stood up to her.”
“Really ?”, Mandy asked. “What did she do ?”
“Well, she bashed Beatrice in the nose, punched her in the guts, and kicked her out into the hall”, Karen replied.
“She did that ?”, Mandy exclaimed, “Little Melody ?”
“Not so little now”, Karen said, “She...And I, too...Have been through a lot. She had to grow up, or die in that hole we were in.”
Mandy hadn’t yet heard what had happened to Karen and Melody during the time they were held hostages. “Really rough, huh ?”
“You don’t know”, Karen said, suddenly subdued. “Those filthy animals...They...They Raped us, over and over.”
Mandy was horrified at what she was hearing. “Oh...My God !”, she exclaimed. “That is so...Terrible ! How awful for for the two of you !” Mandy rarely showed any empathy for anyone, as she was usually so self-absorbed. But in Karen’s case, they had developed a bond since Karen had first come to the Jocks seeking protection.
“Yeah, it really sucked”, Karen said, reluctantly revisiting her recent captivity at the hands of the Townies.
“I wish now that I would’ve come down there with the rest of them, with a big knife, and cut all their cocks off, those stinking Bastards !”. Mandy said with venom in her voice.
Karen had to half-smile at that, as the picture of Mandy slashing away with a knife hacking off the privates of the Townies rose in her mind. “Well, it’s over now, and those assholes are gonna serve the rest of their lives in Prison, getting butt-fucked by big hairy men. So, I just hold on to that, every time I feel like going crazy over it.”
“Just for Kidnapping and Rape ?”, Mandy asked, “Won’t they get out someday ?”
“There’s other things they’re charged with, serious things, and they’ll never get Parole”, Karen said without elaborating. “They will never get out, ever.”
“I guess that’s some relief”, Mandy said. “But Karen...You should have told me sooner ! I had no idea that you, and Melody, went through all that !”
“There just hasn’t been time until now”, Karen said. “But...Mandy, keep this secret and never tell anyone, Ok ? If the other girls find out....”
“I promise I won’t ever say anything”, Mandy said, and she meant it. “I’m your protector, remember ? But if you ever need to talk about it, you can always trust me.”
Karen did smile then. “Thanks...You don’t know how much that means to me. But, I’m really worried about Melody, this thing with Beatrice could really drive her over the edge, with all she’s been through, plus having Nick hurt really bad...I’m afraid she might have a breakdown and never recover !”
“I don’t even know why that twit came back here”, Mandy said, “What, for a couple of credits ? She could have gotten them anywhere....Why here ? Tell you what, she needs to be run out this school for good.”
“If there was only a way to do that”, Karen remarked, “It would really be a big help to Melody.”
Mandy was thinking, and a gem of an Idea was forming in her mind. “There is a way....And we don’t even have to kick her ass. Though I probably will, just for the fun of it”, Mandy told her.
“What do you mean ?”, Karen asked. “We could get rid of her ?”
“Get rid of her forever”, Mandy said, her voice smug.
“But...How ?, Karen asked, hopefully.
“Metal-Mouth has a weakness”, Mandy pronounced, “And that weakness is...Her Diary.”
____________________________________
-
Trent wandered about after school was out for the day. He had managed to escape injury in the Chem Plant raid, which had sort of made him the Bully spokesman at the Press Conference. He told his story, as brief as it was, but there had been no heroics by the Bullies at the third level battle. Troy, Wade, and Ethan had caught it on the roof, and Davis and Tom had been taken down at the first strike down below. Russell had not even came down to the third level, he had been having too much fun chasing and stomping Townie heads up on the roof.
So, that just left him alone down below, and he was unspectacular, to say the least. He hadn’t even hit any Townies he fired at, and the most that could be said was that he did well in his backup role. So, while he could tell of the actions of others, there wasn’t anything to say for himself. As the Reporter’s questions opened up at the conclusion of his short speech, one of them made a striking connection with an earlier event.
“Say, weren’t you the boy who shot that Punk during the bombings ? We never got the full story on that”, the Reporter shouted.
Because that wasn’t really his finest hour...Trent had been scared and shaky the whole time...Trent had never really talked much about the incident. It had just been pure dumb luck, as it turned out, that he had even been able to hit Kenny the Punk with that Bent-Coin Bullet at all. Trent had just taken his hero status from that day and avoided telling about his actions. Sure, he made the jump over the shortcut gap in the wall with the best of intentions, had ran and recovered the gun from Wade’s room, found a way to load the gun with a Beam Cola tab for a firing pin, Gunpowder he found in Tony’s room, a few torn strips for wadding, and a bent coin from Ethan’s room. While he successfully loaded the gun in the Dorm, he couldn’t reload it at the wall for a second shot. Badly shaken, had had cut and run, hiding like a coward, until the Soldiers found him later.
But the question had been asked, in open public now, and Trent had to answer. So, he told them of a more heroic story that what it really had been, saying the gun had failed to fire the second time and he had retreated to safety, as any sane person would. The Reporters bent to scribble down his words, while others ran cameras to capture the high points of Trent’s story. At the end, Trent felt better about the whole thing.
But Trent knew who he really was. He was a coward inside, just as any Bully was, as well as a thief, a liar, and a dumb fuck. He was also a half-queer, which was pretty much common knowledge. He had a girlfriend now, but Trent suspected she was half-butch, and swung both ways herself. Hanging around the empty Parking Lot, he dwelled on these things. The school grounds were nearly deserted, with so many in the Clinics still. Of all his injured Clique, only Ethan was out of the Clinic, and Trent had no idea where he was at. Same with Russell, who hadn’t shown up at the News Conference either.
Eventually, it began to get dark. Trent decided to try Russell’s house, that was where he usually went when he wasn’t around. It took him a good half-hour to find a bike to steal, one that looked like it had seen it’s better days. Biking away from Bullworth at a slow pace, Trent was struck with the thought of how much had changed this summer. He had no clue about what this meant for his future, or that of his fellow Bullies. He had always relished beating up the new kids that came to the school every September, but now he wondered if that would ever happen again. Things were changing, and Trent was as a loss to understand what HE would do.
He finally arrived at Russell’s house. Russell’s parents were almost always gone, out of town for one reason or other. Russell’s place was on the Circle Street in the Vale, just across from Happy Endings Retirement Home. From Russell’s block, and to the East of the Retirement Home, lay the middle-class homes of the white-collar working folk, including some of the Bullworth Teachers. To the West of the Retirement Home was the homes of the Rich, the movers and shakers of the Vale Valley, and until recently, the homes of Mr. Spencer and Mr. Harrington. It was unlikely now that they would ever return, but the other rich would move up to take their place. Just like Trent’s world, theirs was Dog Eat Dog, just on a higher plane.
Trent found Russell there at home, alright. He was moping around, watching wrestling on TV.
“Say Big Guy, where you been ?”, Trent asked, trying to sound cheerful. “Missed you at school.”
He didn’t answer for a bit. Then, “Russell In Funk. No Clique To Lead. No Nerds To Beat. Russell Sad.”
“They’ll be back, don’t worry about that”, Trent said, trying to cheer Russell....For the hundredth time ? More ? “The Clique will be whole soon, and everything will get back to normal.” But even as he said the last part, Trent didn’t believe it.
“It No Matter”, Russell said morosely. “Things Different Now, World Different Now.”
In that, Russell showed some insight, unusual for him. “We’ll get it all back”, Trent tried again, “It’ll be even better.”
“No”, Russell said sadly, “It About All Over.” With a look at Trent, Russell revealed something else. “Besides...Russell Can Not Come Back To School For Next Year Anyway.”
“What ?”, Trent asked, not sure he was hearing that right. “Why Not ?”
“Because”, Russell wailed, “Russell Going To Be 21 Soon. Can’t Go To High School Then.”
“What ?”, Trent said again. “Who says ?”
“The State Says”, Russell Moaned, “No Can Go To High School At 21.”
“Geezus, Russell, I didn’t know you was that old”, Trent said.
“Russell Feel Like Old Man”, Russell moped.
“Well...", Trent said, “That don’t mean nothing, we can still hang around and all that....”
“No”, Russell shook his head, “Not At School. Maybe Outside, Not In.” Russell looked at Trent in a real serious manner. “Trent, You Must Take Over, Like Before.”
“Take Over ?”, Trent echoed. “But, there’s still some time to go before your birthday, isn’t there ?”
Russell shook his head sadly. “Not That Long. Be Soon. Russell Done.”
Trent didn’t know quite what to say. He was silent for awhile as he thought. Russell was offering to him the Clique, lock, stock, and barrel. Was this his future ? Was this what he was supposed to do ?
“So...When do you want me to take over ?”, Trent asked, “When school starts ?”
Russell didn’t hesitate. “Take Over Now. Make Decisions. Russell Through.”
Trent didn’t quite understand why Russell wanted to quit now, especially since he wasn’t 21 yet, and was technically still a student. “Why now, Big Guy ? There’s still the Summer left. You could stay on, till school starts in the Fall ?”
“No...Things Different Now”, Russell said. Then he related, “Russell Have Good Time, Beating In Townie Heads Up On Chem Plant Roof. But There Will Be No More, Different Now. Russell Go Out On Top, Not Just Fade Away.”
So there it was. When the rest of the Bullies returned from the Clinics, they would have Trent as their leader once more.
___________________________________________
-
Along about Midnight, Tad Spencer and what was left of the rest of his Prep Clique were standing out in front of the gates of Spencer Estates on Vale Valley Road, smoking ciggys. Tad was having a little rant-on bitchfest to his captive audience, which consisted of Bif, Derby’s former lap-dog and now Tad’s lap-dog, Chad, who was the only person at the school to actually have a dog, and Vanessa, who stood coolly taking drags of her own Virginia Slims.
“Did you hear that Twit, going on about how Gord and him played the Heroes ?”, Tad fumed. “Never even mentioned that I was the one who offered him the Shields ! What an Ingrate !”
The others knew that wasn’t so, Bryce had come asking for the Shields, but nobody said anything.
“Then he had the audacity to talk to me like that !”, Tad went on, “Like he thinks he's better than us !"
“We could have gone along”, Bif said mildly, “Joined in the battle. Everyone else did.”
“Shut The Fuck Up !”, Tad yelled. “What do you know about it ? What do know about ANYTHING ?”
“You shouldn’t ought to talk to me like that”, Bif said, still in a mild tone. But there was steel in his eyes. “I was only making an observation.”
Tad’s eyes bulged. “You best show Respect ! I’m the Leader of this Clique !” Already angry, Tad felt highly insulted by Bif’s insolence.
“Some Clique”, Bif said, “Bryce is gone, and when Gord gets out of the Clinic, he will probably go join him. Justin and Parker too. We’re all that’s left.”
“They’re Loyal To Me !”, Tad shouted. “They’ll all be back. Where else to do they have to go ? The God Damn Beachhouse ? That’s real fine Prep living quarters !”
Bif shrugged. “Are any of us loyal, really ? We’re Preps, you know. We have no loyalties.”
Tad sneered. “You did. You were Derby’s slave. Anything he wanted, you jumped like a puppet on a string. He had you seduce Christy, remember ? You went right along with his program, just like always.”
Bif’s face reddened. He was now ashamed of how he had played Christy, on Derby’s orders. He had the chance to have a real girlfriend, even though she wasn’t a Prep. But he went about it in the wrong way, he knew that now. After the word of that had gotten out, there wasn’t a girl on Campus who would ever go out with him again. “Not my finest hour”, he admitted. “Derby was obsessed with Pinky and those Rocker boys. He wanted his revenge, and I helped. But you’re not any better yourself, you know.”
“What do you mean by that ?”, Tad said, shocked. “YOU’RE the one who came crawling back, practically begging for us to take you in after Derby cut and ran to save his hide. You have no right to talk...About Anything !”
Chad watched the strange interplay between Tad and Bif without saying anything. Used to his role as the Token Prep, he kept his trap shut. He had witnessed the change in Tad since taking over the Clique, and it seemed to him that the players may change, but the game never does. But being far down in the Prep pecking order, he had no choice. He would stick with whoever was the Prep Leader. Besides, if he wasn’t at Harrington House, who would feed Chester, his dog ?
“You know”, Bif said idly, “I could challenge you for leadership, and I’d win. You know I’m the better fighter.” He paused while Tad’s anger built. “But I won’t. I don’t have any interest in it.”
Tad’s face was near purple with rage, but he knew Bif was right. Bif could knock him out in one round. Tad decided not to rise to the challenge and take a Prep’s graceful way out.
“I don’t have to stand here and listen to this crap”, he declared loftily. “It’s late, and I’m going into the Mansion. If you whiners want to come along, that’s fine. Otherwise, you can do what you want.” Flicking away his long burned-out ciggy, he turned to Vanessa, who had been just standing against the wall, taking it all in. “Let’s Go." She gave a small nod and followed Tad in through the gates.
But she cast a look back at Bif. She had come to Bullworth to be the Prep Leader’s girl, and she would be just that, no matter who the Prep Leader was. That was her only Loyalty.
________________________________________
-
Early afternoon the following day, the Jocks were having a workout at the Football Field. Statistically, the Jocks had lost the least amount of participants in the raid, with only four boys hit by Pellet fire. True, the Preps had only lost three to Pellet fire, but there had only been four of them in the raid. As a fact, the Jocks now had the most uninjured Students left of any Clique.
Three of the Jocks were still in Clinic care, the most serious was Casey. Dan and Bo were due to be released soon, possibly today or tomorrow. Kirby had been released the day after the raid, he suffered a broken wrist when a Pellet struck him.
Wearing a cast on his right wrist was the reason Kirby was excused from most of the workout, and stood beside Coach Sanders as he oversaw the others, now doing jumping jacks with Ted leading. Across the field, Mandy was trying out some new Cheerleader prospects, including the new Prep girl Vanessa and the Reform School girl Whitney.
“Gonna whip these boys into shape, despite themselves”, the Coach commented. “Gonna win some games this year, isn’t that right, boy ?”
Kirby, who would be poundcaking anybody for quite a time to come, just nodded. “If you say so, Coach.”
“We’re gonna get you rehabilitated so you’ll be able to catch a Football again, hey ?”, the Coach went on. Inwardly, he thought, You little twit, getting yourself shot. Dumbass.
“Um...Sure, Coach. I’d like that”, Kirby replied.
“No one can hear us here”, Coach Sanders chided, “You can call me Uncle Jerry, just like when we’re out on our Special Workouts.”
“Oh, sure Co-, um, Uncle Jerry”, Kirby said, a little more at ease now. “Do’ya think I’ll be Ok in about a month or so ? I wanna be a starter.”
“Maybe...Maybe six weeks”, Coach Sanders said, “Just about when the new season starts. But we’ll get you in the line-up, don’t you worry none.”
“That’s good”, Kirby said, relieved. “I promise I’ll keep in shape...I can still run and do squat-thrusts, stuff like that. And I’m a fast healer, just ask the others !”
“I’m sure you are”, the Coach said, closely watching the other Jocks exercising. Coach Sanders was very pissed when he first learned Kirby had been among those injured, he was certain it would disrupt the secret private training sessions he had been having with the boy. He had been slowly working hard to gain Kirby’s complete trust, and initially feared that it would mess up his plans to further groom the boy. But he was beginning to realize that might give him a new advantage. Making sure no one was looking, he laid his hand on Kirby’s shoulder, caressing it gently, an action that Kirby had grown used to over the past month.
“And, I’m sure everything will work out fine”, Coach Sanders said, “Just Fine.”
______________________________________
-
Before the final class that afternoon, Tony saw Melvin in the hallway at school. “Hey Melvin, I got to see you a minute. Got time ?”
“Um, yeah, I guess so. What’s Up ?”, Melvin said somewhat uneasily.
“Follow me to my locker”, Tony told told him, and they began to move down the hall.
“Great speech, by the way”, Tony said, referring to the Press Conference.
“Er...Thanks...I just told the story, as it happened.” Melvin said, leaving out that he had neglected to include the part about the Agent disarming him and the loss of the Super Spud Gun.
“When’s the next time you Nerds are gonna have a Knight’s Council ?”, Tony asked him as they turned the corner into another hallway.
“Ahh...End of the week, when Bucky and Donald are back”, Melvin said. “Cornelius got released today. Why ?”
“Because”, Tony said, reaching his locker, “I need to see all of you together. It’s Important.”
“It always is”, Melvin half-groaned as Tony fiddled open his locker. “What is it now ?”
“You’ll find out”, Tony said, plucking an envelope from among his stacked schoolbooks. “Here, I got this for you.” Tony handed Melvin the envelope. “Here.”
Melvin took the envelope and looked inside. There was money. “Whoa”, Melvin said.
“There’s $300 dollars”, Tony said, “That oughtta cover those Weapons you guys supplied for the raid. Sorry Nick leaned on you kinda hard, but we was in a tough spot, y’know.”
“Wa-all, this should be enough, sure”, Melvin, wondering how Tony came up with the money so fast, and in hundred-dollar bills.
“How would you like to make even more ?”, Tony asked, pulling out a book and closing his locker.
More ? How ?”, Melvin asked, already knowing the answer.
“I’m gonna need more Weapons”, Tony told him, “Quicker the better.”
“Gee, I don’t know”, Melvin stalled, thinking of Fatty and another possible argument.
Tony stared hard at Melvin, and Melvin started to get nervous. “Well, I don’t ! The others aren’t going to like it !”
“I could send Nick to convince you, when he gets well”, Tony said, watching Melvin start to tremble slightly, “But I don’t have that kind of time.” Tony eyed Melvin a bit longer, then relaxed his features. “What say, a Private Commission, me to you, that no else needs to know about ?”
“A...A Private Commission ?”, Melvin stuttered. “H-How Much ?”
“A couple of those C-notes”, Tony said, indicating the envelope in Melvin’s hand. “Just convince your guys to go along, and you’ll be a bit richer.”
“Um...Gee, I don’t know”, Melvin said slowly, but Tony could tell he was leaning. Leaning hard.
“Just think, you could take Jimmette to Shea Lewis for dinner....And the night”, Tony told him. “I think she’d like that.”
Melvin wavered, then gave in. “All right”, he said, “But I don’t know how I’m going to convince them....”
“You’ll think of a way”, Tony told him as the bell rang for the last class. “Oop, gotta go. Later.”
Melvin just stood there for a minute, thinking. He wound up being late for class.
_____________________________________
-
The rest of the School week seemed to go by pretty fast. Relaxed, more relaxed than they had been in all the years they had been here, time seemed to slip and flow a bit quicker. For the first time in the memory of many, there was Peace at Bullworth Academy. Behind, in the far reaches of their minds, there was the realization that is was just an interlude, an intermission. Trouble would be back, it was the nature of the Academy, the nature of the Vale Valley.
Except for Nick, Johnny, Gord, and Troy, all the rest of the students that had been injured in the raid were released from the Clinics. Back again, with their bandaged torsos and limbs, they were greeted like returning casualties of a great battle, who wore their war wounds like a crown. There was celebration and camaraderie among the Cliques and even the Non-Clique students, all that was, except one....The remains of the Preps. As Bif had predicted, Justin and Parker had gone to stay with Bryce at the Beach House instead of returning to Harrington House. This further angered Tad, who spent his time brooding in the big chair by the fireplace, unapproachable to all except Vanessa. Bif and Chad avoided him, staying only because they had no where else to go, no one else wanted them around, not even their former comrades.
Since the VX Nerve Gas had been spirited out of the Vale Valley by train, the Federal Agents had concentrated on their arrested captives, the late, unlamented Townies. The Blue Skies Jail had been re-opened to house the few who could be moved there, where they were incarcerated there under heavy guard by the Soldiers. More Solders guarded the rest of the Townies still in the Blue Skies Clinic, and the whole of Blue Skies was still under unofficial martial law and closed off to the rest of the Valley.
Amidst the era of good feeling, one person knew, better than anyone, that this peaceful interaction would all too soon collapse like a house of cards. Since the first day he had set foot in Bullworth Academy, he had been in the thick of all things bad. Tony Calderone had come from a bad place, but not this kind of bad. Unbelievable as it was, he had stepped into a world where a mentally unbalanced rogue runaway student had held a school and then a whole patchwork of small isolated towns in a reign of terror that had lasted the better part of the past year. Even more unbelievable was that those who were nominally in authority were powerless to find and capture Jake and allowed other criminal elements such as the Townies and the Punks to run rampant in the Valley due to a vast network of corruption that involved the highest level of the rich that reached down to the Judge, the Chief of Police, and even the Head of Bullworth Academy itself.
It was the peak of insanity to live in a place like this. A person who had nothing to lose would leave this place and try to forget they were ever here. But Tony couldn’t leave. He had too much at stake now. For one, there was Karen. Where she was, he would be. Had let her out of his sight at the wrong time, and he swore he would never let that happen again. He had friends here, too. Tony couldn’t bail on them either. He had no choice but to stay.
But if he had to stay, he must do something. Tony didn’t want to be what would amount to the Sheriff of Bullworth Academy for the next two years. He wanted, more than anything, to be a normal student in a normal High School and go afterward to a normal College and then live a normal life....Hopefully, with Karen at his side. He was the Mediator, and it was up to him.
So every night, he labored in the small Mediator’s Office for a permanent solution to the task before him....To implement a lasting balance at Bullworth Academy. The old and the envisioned new meshed together into a new school order. The same had been done by the enlightened ones on a world scale to allow hostile nations to co-exist with each other. Tony’s task was smaller, but no different, and just as important.
He was so glad that Karen was back, ecstatic in fact. More than the presence of her sexy body, he craved her sharp mind, her insightful intuition, her brilliant observations. Without her, Tony doubted he could craft such a thing as a Binding Agreement. But with Karen’s invaluable knowledge of what had taken place in the time before he arrived at Bullworth, there was a better than an even chance that they could succeed.
Tony had started off with a simple premise, and both added to it. The list grew, and each new concern was shifted into specific categories that they devised. By school week’s end, the category list read....
1. THE RIGHT OF CLIQUES TO EXIST.
2. CLIQUE TERRITORY AND OPEN AREAS.
3. RIGHTS OF PROTECTION AND DEFENSE.
4. RESOLUTION OF ALL DISPUTES.
5. COMMERCE BETWEEN CLIQUES.
6. RIGHTS OF WEAPONS PARITY.
7. PAYMENTS AND REPARATIONS.
8. CLIQUE MISSIONS AND ERRANDS
9. COLLECTIVE DEFENSE AGAINST ATTACKS.
10. ENDORSEMENT OF THE ADMINISTRATION.
___________________________________________
-
On Thursday night, Peanut and Binky were visiting Johnny in the Clinic. Johnny had rallied, proving he was tough enough to take a Pellet to his ribs, even if it wasn’t a Bullet. Lola was still keeping vigil with him, but unlike Melody she would go out from time to time to get something to eat for herself. She seemed cheered that Johnny was better.
Peanut was telling Johnny how it was going with the Greasers, and how Lefty and Lucky had been released earlier in the day. Ricky and Vance had already come back Tuesday. For now, they were splitting their time between the Autoshop and Blue Balls Bar. “Everybody’s been taking the change Ok”, Peanut told him, referring to his being the Clique leader once again.
“Theys should”, Johnny told him, “Since I ordered it. Theys know that, right ?”
“Right, Johnny, right”, Peanut hasted to tell him, “They knows. I tolds them it was a direct order from yous. They ain’t got no problems wit that.”
“Dat’s good”, Johnny said, seeming to relax. “If theys ever do, have thems come see me, I’se set dem straight. Fact is, tell dems dey can come see me now if’n dey wants. I be better now. Wanna talk to dems anyway, bout our future, Lola’s and me.”
“What you gonna do, Johnny ?”, Peanut asked, “Got plans ?”
“Donts know yet...Figgered I’d help run Blue Balls fer awhile, till we get a stake, den me and Lola here, maybe we blow town, go somewheres else.”
“Back to Detroit again ?”, Peanut asked.
“Naw”, Johnny said, “Mebbe somewheres closer...Jersey, or New York.”
“What’choo gonna do there ?”, Peanut asked.
Johnny shrugged. “Donno...We figgure somptin’ out, Lola and me, like before.”
And idea struck Peanut just then. “Hey, Johnny, had you ever heard that Pinky became sort of a singing star whilst you was gone ? She hooked up wit dat Rocker kid Kurt and his band, and wuz singing at the Golden Horseshoe, they got a packed house every time she was on.”
Johnny hadn’t heard, since no one had mentioned it to him until just now, and just shrugged again. “So what ?” He was a little mystified at the sudden change of subject.
“Well, I wuz thinkin’....Maybe Lola could do that. She has a good voice, we’s all heard her hum and sings to herself”, Peanut said, “She sounds pretty good, I’se bet she could do’s that, even better than Pinky !”
“Me ?”, Lola interjected, “On a stage ? With a microphone ? I’d be too nervous !”
Johnny just looked blankly at him. Peanut pressed on. “No, no....You sing at the Blue Balls, to start with, no pressure or anything...You gets used to it, see, and later yous can get bookings and stuff around here...Get some recognition. Den, Johnny can be your manager, make all the decisions on where you can go, like high-class nightclubs an’ stuff like they ain’t got around here. They pay big money for acts like that.”
Johnny didn’t really know, but the part about money caught his attention. Johnny had been to a few low-class clubs, usually referred to as 'Dives’ that had lousy singers, so he sort of caught on to what Peanut was talking about. He turned his head and looked at Lola. He would never dare tell it to anyone, but Lola sometimes sang him to sleep, and every night now this past week that he’d been injured...And she did have a good voice. “Wadda think, Doll...Wanna give it a go ?”
“Gee, I...I don’t know”, Lola replied, suddenly all flustered. “I mean...What if I...Can’t do it ?”
“You ?”, Peanut said, “The girl whose beat down that Townie ? Sure you coulds !”
“But...There’s no band !”, Lola exclaimed, “I can’t be up there alone !”
Johnny frowned. That was a problem. “What’s happened to dat kid’s band, dat Kurt kid ?”
“Um...They in Jersey, I heered, Jersey City, I thinks”, Peanut said. “But waits, one of dem is stills here....Guy named Winkie. Plays Gituar or something. He lives with Christy over in Bullworth Town.”
“Odd Name", Johnny commented. “What’s this guy...Winkie...What’s he do now ?”
“He, uh, gets gigs with other bands right now, so’s I heard”, Peanut told him. “I thinks I can get him to play for us, if the money’s right.”
“And, Pinky....She still sing with dem, or what ?”, Johnny asked.
“No...Not since Kurt disappeared”, Peanut told him. “He wuz found later, all crazy I guess, dey sent him off to somewheres, I heard.”
“So, what about...Christy ?”, Johnny asked, “Won’t shes get...Wells, like crazy if’n he woirks fer us, with Lola singing ?”
That all set them to thinking. Silent until now, Binky spoke up. “Hire them both.”
“Whats ?”, Johnny asked. “Hires dem both ? What would she do ?”
“Because”, Peanut said, suddenly remembering, “Christy can play Piano ! I remembers now, I seen her doin’ that, in Music Class ! Hire dem boths as backups, and Lola can be the star !”
Johnny thought for a bit, in his slow way. “Mebbe coulds work.” Turning to Lola, he said, “Hows about it ?”
“I...I don’t know”, Lola said uncertainly. Then a new thought struck her. “Won’t you be....Jealous ? Of me singing, if I did ?”
“I’se be your Manager, so’s I woulds be rights there, every time, so no funny business be goin’ on”, Johnny said firmly, “Rights ? So com’on, youse in...Or not ?”
Lola looked around at the three. Bashing a Townie was different from being on stage...It frightened her, but at the same time, excited her. She remembered being repelled at Pinky being up on stage at the school Auditorium, but at the same time, a bit jealous of her...Well, more than a bit. Maybe, here was the chance to have a little fame for herself ? With the others looking at her expectantly, she gave in. “Well....Ok. I’ll try. I can’t promise anything...But I can try.”
Johnny took her hand and squeezed it. “Dat’s my goirl”, he said, smiling. “Dis coulds be our ticket to fame.”
Lola wasn’t so sure about that, but gave a wain smile. She had doubts, but she pushed them away. If this was what Johnny wanted, she would do it....Or at least try to do it. How it turned out would be anyone’s guess.
Johnny looked over at Binky. “Dats some smart cookie you gots there, Larry”, he commented, using Peanut’s real name. “She gots brains, dat one.”
“She gots the whole package”, Peanut replied, smiling, gripping Binky close. “I thinks that what I’se was missing that whole year when yous was gone...But now, I know I’se can do a better job leading, with this fine one by my’s side.”
“Makes a real difference”, Johnny said, grasping Lola’s hand once again.
Binky said nothing, just flashed her lopsided smile. She hadn’t known she would soon be the Clique Leader’s girl when she first came to Bullworth this summer, seeking the Greasers. But here it was, and here she was. Binky the Short had come up in the world.
______________________________________
-
Gurney came aware in the Blue Skies Clinic that night. Nick’s bashing him in the head over and over had given him a nasty concussion, and although he had become conscious a couple of days ago, he was not yet aware of his surroundings until just now. The first thing he became aware of was the pain in his head and face. What the hell had happened ? He sought to remember, and couldn’t right away. He tried to move his arms to his face and found he could, as he did he felt his left thumb throbbing. That’s where that bitch bit me, he thought, and then the memories came flooding back. He had been in that tunnel, dragging that little cunt Melody along while he and Omar were making their escape. He remembered that Nick bastard catching up to them and challenging him, and himself pulling that bluff that caused Nick, and that Tony fuck who followed behind to drop their weapons. Then, that BITCH bit him. Although normally cool, he had lost his temper and slammed her to the wall in a flash of rage.
Gurney groaned. That’s why he was laying here right now, because he’d lost his cool in a critical situation, got distracted by his sudden anger. Because he took his eyes off his pursuers for just a second or two. Because when he looked back, that Nick bastard was coming at him, feet first, like some kind of Kung Fu move. He remembered getting a shot off at the boy, and then.....Nothing. It was blank after that until now. Gurney wondered if his shot had even hit Nick, he didn’t know. He raised his right had to his face and felt around.
Above his mouth and below his eyes was a heavy swath of gauze. He felt for where his nose should be, found it, and winced. It seemed flatter. He probed gently with his fingers. Definitely broken, he thought. So the Karate Kid had nailed him after all. But even so, why did his head hurt so much ? It felt disjointed somehow, like his skull had been beaten on severely. Gurney probed his head and found it to be heavily bandaged. Again, he wondered, What the hell had happened ?
Blinking, he focused on his surroundings. He recognized that he was in the Blue Skies Clinic, he had been here many times before. Unlike the other Clinics in the Valley, there were no private patient rooms here, just a large ward of beds. As Gurney’s eyes adjusted, he could see a few of his Townie friends on the other beds. They all seemed to be bandaged in one way or another. Some were awake and moving, he could see, but strangely nobody appeared to be talking.
“Heey !” he said weakly, trying to communicate. “HEEEY !” Several Townie heads turned his way, but nobody said anything. It was a silent as a tomb. A Nurse came hurrying his way from the side of his vision, and made her way to his bed. “You’re awake”, she said shortly. “What do you want ?”
“Uhh...Water, I think”, Gurney said. He was suddenly thirsty. “Yeah, water.” The Nurse turned to a side table out of his view, and Gurney heard water pouring. A cup of water was then held under his mouth with a straw sticking out of it. He grasped the straw and put it to his lips, sucking the water greedily. His eyes moved to the Nurse. He didn’t recognize her, in fact had never seen her before. Her name tag read “Naomi”. He thought he knew all the women in the Valley, but this one was a stranger.
Gurney finished, then asked, “Hey, uh, what’s happened ? I gonna be all right ?”
The Nurse said, “No Talking.” Her face was set in stone, and not an ounce of pity showed in her eyes. “There is to be No Talking here by anyone, or those men will see to it that you keep quiet.”
Gurney followed her nod towards the sides of the Ward, and he then saw something he hadn’t yet noticed. At least four Soldiers lined the wall. They stood attentive, and were holding serious weaponry. As his eyes scanned the room, the Nurse hurried away just as fast as she came. Gurney tried to sit up then and move his legs to the floor, but he couldn’t. A clinking noise that he knew all too well let him know the reason why. Lifting the covers, he saw his ankles shackled to the metal bed frame.
Gurney’s head flared pain from his efforts, and he laid back. He had assumed they were under arrest, but why were those Soldiers here, standing guard ? Where were the inept Bullworth Cops ? Why was he chained to this bed ? Gurney felt a stab of fear. Just what the Hell was going on ?
_________________________________________
-
Friday after classes, Beatrice returned to her Dorm room. It had been a trying week. Stupidly, she had let her emotions overrule her smarts, and had gone to the Clinic to see Nick, the future Father of her unborn 2.3 children. Then, she had made another mistake, assuming that Melody was still just a little kid, like Beatrice remembered she was.
She had spent a few hours more in the Clinic than she bargained for, getting treated for what that little Bitch had done to her. Beatrice’s nose, although unbroken, still throbbed. It was likely her Septum was Deviated, she self-diagnosed. Her gut and boobs were still sore where she’d been punched and kicked by Melody. Worse was the behind-her-back snickers and muffled laughter she heard when she went back to class after the unexpected attack. Normally, she could blot out the cruelty of others by reciting the Periodic Table of the Elements or calculating the value of Pi to the hundredth decimal. But not this time.
Beatrice sighed in frustration. She had only returned to this shithole to make up credits which she should have been rightfully hers to begin with. But after being welcomed back by her fellow Nerds of old, she had been ultimately snubbed by them. Seems they wanted no part of the new ‘Human Sexuality’ experiments she had planned for them. That was odd to her, since the boys at her Prep Med School had been more than eager to participate in her ‘Studies’ on the subject. She just couldn’t understand their reactions. Didn’t she look better now ? Wasn’t she sexier ? It was no use, she had concluded. As Thad had told her, she had ‘Thanged’ too much. She was still on good terms with Jimmette, and would sometimes go to the Observatory, but the Nerd boys only would acknowledge her with guarded looks and mumbled phrases, like they feared she would very suddenly strip off her clothes and attack them. Unlike Jimmette, she had declined to go on the mission to the Chem Plant, fearing for her own safety, and that had put further distance between them.
So, she had set her sights on that new boy she had met on her first day back, that fellow named Nick. He had been so kind and helpful, and such a stud ! For nearly a month, she had connived on how to get him alone somewhere in order to conduct a true human sexuality experiment with him. But he always seemed busy, or was with that twit Melody, or out on some mission or other. Then, she hit on a plan to lure him in....Hide her precious Diary in her worst antagonist’s Gym locker and send him after it on a mission of her own. Then, while standing by the side of the Girl’s Dorm, wondering how she was going to track Nick down, he had suddenly appeared in the yard of the Dorm, looking about. Quickly, she had sought the side steps, sat down, and went into her best crying act when she saw him approaching from around the corner.
The plan went off beautifully, as Nick 'recovered’ the Diary from Mandy’s Gym locker and brought it back to her in her room. In exchange for a trivial bit of information that could have been looked up in any Encyclopedia, Beatrice had gotten Nick to agree to the experiment. It turned out to be the most thrilling sexual encounter of her life.
Afterwards, Nick seemed to avoid her like the plague. The reason became apparent when the news of the Chem Plant raid had broken. He had been intent on rescuing his little twit Melody, and had gotten seriously hurt in the process. Blaming Melody for the damage of the merchandise, which was Nick, Beatrice had rashly (as it had turned out) decided to visit Nick in the Clinic. She was running out of things to write about their future in her Diary. It was time to let him know, in his hour of need, that they were intended for each other.
But little Melody had been there, it looked like she was LIVING there. How Pathetic. No matter, the Twit needed to know just what the score was, and that was, that Beatrice and Nick belonged together, and were going to be together, that’s all there was to it. But then the little BITCH had ATTACKED her, and had actually HURT her. How RUDE was that ? And now, Beatrice was in a quandary. How was she going to get Nick alone, so they could plan their future together ?
Things always came to her better when she wrote. She went to her desk to get her Diary. But pulling open the drawer, she got a shock. It wasn’t there, where she knew she had left it. Nervously, then frantically, she pulled open one drawer after another. The Diary was gone.
“Looking for This ?”, a voice from her doorway spoke. Beatrice whirled around and saw Mandy, with an evil grin on her face, holding her Diary.
_______________________________________
-
Trent wasn’t really surprised to see Amber in the Boy’s Dorm yard after school, looking forlorn. After all, Russell hadn’t gone to school in days, and maybe never would again. The other Bullies had been stunned by Russell’s decision, but seemed accepting of Trent’s once more taking over the leadership. But Russell had overlooked Amber in making up his mind to go out on top, as he put it. In his funk, he had forgotten his girl.
Trent went over to her. “Looking for Russell ?”, he asked.
It was a windy day, and Amber brushed her dirty-blonde hair from her face as she squinted at Trent. “Yeth”. she said, “I look fer Russell. Whereth he be ?”
“Um...Well actually, he’s at his house”, Trent told her, “Do you know where that’s at ?”
Amber shook her head. “Will youth showa me ?”, she pleaded.
Trent hesitated. Russell’s place was clear across the Towns, practically. “Well...I don’t know...”
“Pleese ?”, Amber pleaded. Trent looked about. Tom and Davis were standing nearby, eavesdropping, seeing what their Leader would do. “All right”, Trent relented. “Let’s go.”
Still nursing their wounds, none of the Bullies offered to come along. It had turned into a hot day, and they were too lazy to want to walk in the heat. Trent didn’t want to either, but as they cleared the front gates, he spied the bike rack and saw he was in luck. A battered BMX was there, along with a couple other bikes, one for a girl. Probably Edna the Cook’s bike. Trent went over and pulled it from the rack as Amber followed.
“Know how to ride ?”, Trent asked, wondering. Amber nodded her head Yes. Trent gave her the bike and she got on. It occurred to Trent that she was probably unaware they were stealing the bikes, since she was such a dim bulb. He took the battered BMX and off they went to the Vale.
The going wasn’t fast, but about 20 minutes later they arrived at Russell’s house, parking the bikes in front. Trent led Amber into the house. Russell was in front of the TV, as usual.
“Russell, look who I brought !”, Trent said loudly enough for Russell to hear.
Russell looked around and saw who it was. His morose face broke into a smile. “AMBY !”, he said gleefully, thrusting his arms open.
Amber ran to him and leapt into his arms with obvious relief. It had only been a few days, but felt far longer to her. Russell beamed at her for a moment. Then, remembering Trent, he looked over at him. “RUSSELL THANK TRENT FOR BRINGING AMBY.” Amber giggled at Russell’s booming voice. Russell toned down his next remark. “So How Things Going ?”
“Just fine, Big Boy, just fine, Trent said. “Soon as they’re all healed up, the boys are gonna come see you. They’re all back but Troy.”
But Russell’s attention was back on Amber. She snuggled up next to him in the big chair. Trent stood around awhile, and then finally said, “Um...Russell, we got to be getting back....I got, um, things to do....”
“AMBY CAN STAY”, Russell announced, “IT WEEKEND NOW.”
“Um...Sure”, Trent shrugged. “I’ll come back later for her, I guess.”
“NO NEED”, Russell said. “RUSSELL SHOW AMBY WHERE BUS STOP DOWN STREET IS, SHE CAN RIDE BUS BACK.”
“Um...Well, Ok”, Trent shrugged again. “Guess I’ll be going then...See you later, hey ?”
Russell didn’t answer, his full attention was on Amber as he held that goofy smile on his face. Trent left without another word. Outside, he stashed the battered BMX bike in Russell’s garage, deciding to ride Edna the Cook’s bike back to school and return it to the rack. He certainly didn’t want to be blamed for taking Edna’s bike, if that’s whose it was, since he didn’t fancy having a dead Raccoon in his Lunch Stew come Monday.
_______________________________________
-
Tony and Karen had left right after school and walked to Bullworth Town's new Electronics Store to get her, and Melody, new Cell Phones. Overlooked in the rush of things, Karen had reminded Tony that she barely had the time to even use her previous Cell Phone. The fate of that phone was unknown...The Townies took both, of course, Tony had found (or been given ? - It was still fuzzy) Melody’s Cell Phone in that Church, which he had turned over to the Authorities. But the fate of Karen’s Cell Phone was unknown. Tony thought Omar was probably the one to have had it last, and if the Feds had found it on his body, they hadn’t said.
Anyway, it all boiled down to one fact...Both girls needed new phones. Security of the girls was a top priority now, even though all the known threats against them had been removed. The Vale Valley’s apparent lack of adequate Law Enforcement for so many years was bring touted about the Internet as the “Wild East”. Hordes of strangers were now entering the Towns by it’s lone road to take a look at this seemingly lawless place, where petty crime included thievery, robbery, physical assault, kidnapping, rape, and even murder, that had went unchallenged and unchecked for so long. Things would change, oh yes....Outside scrutiny and pressure would force change. But right now, things were in flux....Any crazed or perverted individual could grab their claim to fame, or any group with bad intentions could move in and establish themselves in the Valley with ease.
A Cell Phone wouldn’t fix things, they both knew that. Both Karen and Melody had Cell Phones on them when they were abducted, and they had been of no use then, only later, when one of them had shown up in the old Church. But it was something, if even only a little bit of something. Tony couldn’t watch Karen every second of every day and night. There was still danger, even if only the chance of it. But the Cell Phone was still something.
As a point of fact, more and more of the Students were getting Cell Phones, those who could afford them. In time, all would have them. This was something that Tony would have to keep in mind as he was crafting the Binding Agreement. Soon, it would be possible for Cliques to just call each other instead of meeting face to face. And soon, it would be possible to text threats instead of shouting them. Social Media served also to enhance Social Problems.
New Cell Phone in hand, and one for Melody, they left the Electronics Store and headed for the Vale Clinic. It was time for their daily visit with Nick.
_______________________________________
-
Beatrice’s face registered the shock she felt in seeing Mandy holding her Diary. Speechless for the moment, she took a couple steps forward, a look of angst in her eyes.
“You know, for a Brainiac, you’re rather stupid, keeping this thing right in that desk drawer, where just anyone can find it”, Mandy said, her voice analytical. “Seems a really bright person would lock up something so valuable, or at least hide it under their mattress.”
Beatrice’s mouth moved like a fish, opening and closing, as she beheld her precious Diary in the hands of her worst enemy on Campus. Finally, she burst out with, “Give It Back !! That’s Mine !! You Have No Right....”
“I Have EVERY Right”, Mandy interrupted her. “I TOLD You To Stay Away From Nick, But Did You Listen ? Nooooo.” Mandy took a couple steps into the room. “Now, Your Diary Is Going To Pay The Price, Diddle-Brain !!”
“Oh...No, No, You Can’t !!”, Beatrice cried, a horrible feeling sweeping through her.
“Oh, Yes, I Can !”, Mandy shot back. “I think this Trash belongs in the School Furnace !”
A feeling of utter terror swept through Beatrice at the thought of her Diary burning up in the School Furnace. It didn’t occur to her that the Furnace was shut off for the summer. The shocking statement propelled her to momentarily overcome her fear of Mandy. Beatrice rushed at Mandy, screaming, “GIVE IT BACK, GIVE IT BACK, GIVE IT BACK !!!!”
Mandy was taken at a bit of surprise as Beatrice rushed at her, fists wildly swinging. She held the Diary out of reach as Beatrice came at her and landed a couple of ineffective weak punches. When Beatrice started pulling her hair, Mandy really got pissed off. She kneed Beatrice in the crotch and punched her in the eye with her free fist, finishing off by kicking her left leg by the knee. Beatrice went down like a small sack of potatoes.
“Oh, boo-hoo-hoo”, Beatrice started to cry. “Give it back...Please...Give it b-b-back...”
Mandy was unshaken by Beatrice’s unexpected attack, but realized there must be some really juicy stuff in her stupid Diary to make her try to attack her over it. A new thought occurred to her. “Oh, you’ll get it back...But only if you never trick Nick in to one of your ‘experiments’ again, or even talk to him or look at him again.” Mandy calculated. “There’s...about 3 weeks left for Summer School. During that time, if you behave yourself and leave Nick alone, then you’ll get this back...But then you must leave Bullworth Academy forever.”
Beatrice slowed her crying. Her eye, knee, and crotch were hurting, but she could barely believe what Mandy was saying. “F-forever ? I can’t....Just leave...Like that !”
“That’s the deal, zits-for-brains”, Mandy said. “When classes are done, you’ll have what you came back here for. You can go back to your fancy Prep School then, and diddle those aspiring young Doctors.”
“But...My Diary...”, Beatrice blubbered, “You’ve got to give it back !”
“The day you leave out the front gate with your baggage for the last time, I will personally hand it over to you”, Mandy said. “Otherwise, this Diary gets cremated, burned up, Poof !” Mandy stepped over to the prone Beatrice and grabbed her hair, yanking her head up. “Mess with Nick just one more time, and this is history”, Mandy threatened, waving the Diary in Beatrice’s face. “And you’ll get beaten to a bloody pulp by me, or Karen, or Melody. Maybe all of us together. We’ll take you to the Hole and pound your ass, Pig-Face. Do we understand each other ?”
Beatrice leaked fresh tears, but nodded her head yes. Mandy let go of Beatrice’s hair and dropped her head. “Good. I’ll be watching you”, Mandy said. "Don’t screw up.”
Mandy exited the room with the Diary in her hand, leaving Beatrice sobbing on the floor.
_________________________________________
-
Saturday came, dawning bright and hot. Tony went and met Karen in front of the Girl’s Dorm about a hour after waking up, then they went for a walk around Campus. They decided to take the day for themselves and take a break, as all work and no rest make for dull minds. Besides, there was really nothing to do until tonight, when the Nerds were going to Council. Melvin had told Tony Friday at school what time it would be. Getting the Nerds to again produce weapons for the entire school would be a crucial first step on the road to the Binding Agreement.
The Campus was calm. The News people had stuck to their agreement not to try to invade the School Campus in the wake of the News Conference, although they still lurked in Bullworth Town and the Vale. They were barred from entering the Clinics, but not from the streets. Even so, their presence was dwindling as more and more Students were released from the Clinics; the Press would interview them there on the spot. The released Students were more than eager to relate their adventures at the Chem Plant Raid and the Reporters lapped it up. But by Saturday, only the four who had been seriously injured remained at the Vale Clinic, and it would be some time before they would be recovered enough to be released.
Moving about campus, they greeted those others who were out and about. Many were heading down to the Pool, for it promised to be a hot day. The only ones who were not around were the Preps, or what remained of them. Justin and Parker had returned to Harrington House, only to leave the following day and join Bryce at the Beach House, unable to stomach Tad’s increasingly hostile attitude. Rumors swirled about the apparent new split in the Prep ranks, but none of the Preps were talking and the speculations went unanswered.
After a while, Karen got the Idea to go riding on the Go-Kart. Tony agreed, it was too hot a day to just walk around. They went to the Garage area on the North end of the Autoshop, facing the Parking Lot, and got the Go-Kart out. Riding out the Parking Lot gate and down the access road, the toured the Valley. It had been awhile since they had been out riding. Karen often thought of it during her captivity, trying to keep her sanity, and had wondered if she would ever get to ride again. Now, on this day, more than a week after her rescue, it was an exhilaration for her.
For two hours, they just rode, even going into New Coventry after motoring about Bullworth Town for awhile. They stopped and spoke to a few of the Greasers outside of the Blue Balls Bar, and then were off again, Karen showing Tony where the Junkyard was at along a long winding dirt road to the East. They dallied there for awhile, and then Karen asked Tony to ride her over to the Vale. There was a place she had to go to, she knew....The scene of the crime, the place of her Kidnapping.
Tony was appalled. “You can’t possibly want to go back there !”, he exclaimed.
“I have to”, Karen told him. “I have to face what happened, and face where it happened....Don’t you see ?”
“But...You’re not ready”, Tony said, shaking his head. “Maybe later....”
“I’m ready now”, Karen insisted stubbornly. "It’s time. Tony, Please ?”
Karen gazed at him with soulful eyes, and Tony knew he could not deny her this. He reluctantly agreed, and the got back in the Go-Kart. They wound their way back the way they came along the dirt road, and then through New Coventry back to Bullworth Town, taking a left onto the Great Bridge. Soon, they were cruising Vale Valley Boulevard, the waters of the Bay to their left. Taking the turn on Hill Street, Tony motored up to the Burger Joint and parked the Go-Kart in the small adjacent lot. Karen dismounted, and Tony followed after as Karen approached the Sidewalk and then just stood there, looking down.
“This...Was where”, she finally indicated, pointing at a spot just before the drive-thru lane. “Where....They grabbed me. I think they got Melody first, I heard something wrong, then....” She trailed off. Tony put his arm around her and pulled her close. Karen’s eyes were full of tears. “Mel was walking behind me, she had to pee....I should have been watching her closer...”
“It wouldn’t have mattered”, Tony comforted her. “They would have taken you both anyway, if not then, then on the way back. But it was actually a good thing they took you here, when they did.”
“What do you mean ?”, Karen asked him. Tony then related how Laurent had spotted the trail of pee from a knocked out Melody, and how they had followed it back to the archway and the stairs that led to Vale Valley Road. “Then Ray found your shoe on the first landing, so right then I knew something had happened to you. When we reached the road up top, the pee trail ended...I guess they must have carried the both of you off, somehow. But...If the pee trail hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have known.”
“That’s...So ironic”, Karen said, and thinking about it, she uttered a short laugh. “A pee trail, imagine that.” Karen loosened herself from Tony’s embrace and walked along the sidewalk to the archway as Tony followed behind. She looked around for a bit and drew a deep breath. “I’m not afraid of this place....It’s not evil, they were.” She turned to Tony. “I feel better now”, she declared. Tony nodded to show he understood. She had needed this. Together, they headed back to where the Go-Kart was parked.
“Tony...Let’s go to the Overlook”, Karen said suddenly. “We haven’t been there since....”
Tony hesitated, then nodded, understanding. The Overlook was the place of many of their visits over the time they had been together. Karen needed to see the place again, to remember it as theirs, and not the as the place she had last been to the night of her Kidnapping. They got in the Go-Kart and headed off, taking the road routes instead of trying to power the Go-Cart on a very bumpy ride up the stairs to Vale Valley Road.
Arriving at the Lighthouse Overlook, Tony parked the Go-Cart, and they walked to the rail together. It was mid-afternoon, and the place was empty, probably because of the hot day. Karen gazed out on the Bay below, her eyes searching for Pirate Island. “Remember our first night up here ?”, she said, reminiscing. “I wanted to go to that Island.” She laughed. “When we finally did go there, it was all rocky and barren, after the Tornado.”
“Yeah”, Tony replied. “Funny how that chunk of rock played such a big part of things.”
“But we got to see some better Islands later”, Karen went on. “Those, I’d like to go back to.”
“Maybe something can be arranged”, Tony smiled, “After Summer session is over and before Fall term starts. We need a vacation after all we’ve had to deal with.”
Karen knew what she had dealt with, but Tony had yet to relate all the events leading up to the Chem Plant Raid. She turned to him and said, “Tony, you ought to tell me what all you and Nick did to find us...I was always sure you would, but how did you do it ?”
Tony sighed. “It’s a long story....Maybe we should go sit in the shade, and I’ll tell you about it.” Karen agreed, and the went to the West part of the small park, where they sat in the shade of the huge boulder wall that bounded the Overlook. For the next two hours, Tony related the events of that frantic time, carefully leaving out his encounters with Pinky and Lola. He finished up with the start of the Raid, the events of which Karen already knew about.
“Wow, what a twisted trail that was !”, Karen exclaimed. She was particularly fascinated with the story of the Church and Tony’s vague remembrances of the Monks. “And then, the Asylum, and then those Tunnels under Blue Skies....Who knew ?”
“Well, everybody does now, I guess”, Tony said, and they both laughed. Their talk drifted over to what was ahead of them, and their work on the Binding Agreement. Tony told her he had to meet with the Nerds in a few hours, at 9 P.M. “I hope it works out and I can get them to agree to start making Weapons to supply everyone equally. It’s important for Parity. Trouble is, I’m going in blind....if I only could send Constantinos around to see what’s going on...”
Karen frowned, then said, “Just where is Constantinos, anyway ? I haven’t seen him around lately.”
“I guess he’s....”, Tony began, then stopped. Where was Constantinos ? Tony hadn’t seen him since....Well, since the Chem Plant Raid. Constantinos was well known for disappearing for long periods of time, a day or two was not uncommon. But it had been more that a week now. “I...Don’t know”, Tony amended. “That’s strange....I don’t know where he is at all.”
_____________________________________
-
Constantinos, at that moment, was in fact preparing to return to Bullworth.
The greater part of it was mental preparation. He was still consumed with enormous guilt for what had happened to Tiffany. He had failed to protect her. Worse, he had gone along with her participation in the Chem Plant Raid, even though he hadn’t taken her there and she showed up on her own. Worse still, he had given her the Spud Gun and told her she would have to fight like the rest of them.
“What did you expect ?” the Voice Of Reason had said derisively. “That she was a seasoned fighter with Spud Guns and Air Rifles ?"
“Nooooo....”, Comnstantinos had moaned. “She...She was a fighter....In Reform School...She was eager to fight them...”
The Voice of Reason had chuckled, a sound like dirt in a storm sewer. “So, this little girl, weighing all of a hundred pounds, was a seasoned fighter, all right. So seasoned that she exposes herself while firing shots which had little effect on her target, is that it ?"
“It...Wasn’t like that”, Constantinos had protested, “It was...Was....”
“No ?”, the Voice of Reason had uttered snidely, “How WAS it then ?”
Constantinos had stuck his thumbs in his eyes, using pain to blot out the Voice of Reason in his head. It had worked, that time. Now, he was trying not to dwell on the recent past. But it was hard to do, seeing as how it was the reason he was there. He looked about the huge waiting room. The place was crowded, it was always crowded day and night. Mostly, he slept here, but sometimes in the big trash bin out back, sometimes in the unkempt park across the street.
She was very sick. The three Pellets had been removed from her Intestines in a delicate operation. But those had carried something evil into her. Infection. Septicemia, they called it, although there was a new name for it now, Bacteremia. Her whole tiny system was in Septic shock. The Sepsis was caused by her immune system's response to the serious infection, caused by the shooting. She had been kept in a Controlled Coma since she had been Airlifted here.
“I....I think I...Love you....Really...Love you....So strange.....I’ve never....Loved anyone....Before....” Her last words to him still echoed in his mind, as they had every day and night for more than the past week. Their strange relationship had made a turning point that night on the Chem Plant roof, only he didn’t realize it just then. It was only when he heard those last words of hers. Tiffany had stopped using him and had grown to love him. If they had gotten through the night, they would have had a real relationship, not one based on the Klepto fantasies in the darker parts of her mind.
Tiffany had no family, he found out. She was an orphan, a street urchin, at a young age, going from Foster Home to Foster Home in-between, and finally to the streets when barely a teenager. Eventually, she fell in with other street-dwelling bad girls, committing crimes, and was sent to the Girl's Reform School. This he learned by eavesdropping on the Hospital personnel and the occasional Police Detectives who were trying to locate her family. Constantinos was good at being unobtrusive, and they never even knew that he had heard. Constantinos’ own Greek Parents had dumped him at Bullworth a long time ago, and he hadn’t heard from them since. They had probably returned to Greece. An only child, he could kind of relate to Tiffany’s situation. She had no one, he had no one. They had no one except each other.
Constantinos had sat with Tiffany every day when he could. In Intensive Care, only 1-hour visits were allowed at a time, and he had done far more waiting than being with her. He used the spare time caging something to eat. Sometimes, he ventured late night to Fast-Food dumpsters, where the day’s perfectly good cholesterol-laden burgers and fries had been thrown out. Sometimes, strangers at the Hospital took pity on him and got him a meal from the Cafeteria, of a snack from the Vending Machines. Constantinos ate mechanically, but he ate, for he knew what he must do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You know who’s responsible for this besides yourself ?”, the Voice of Reason had asked rhetorically. “The Shooter bears the Ultimate Responsibility for what he did, firing at a girl. What kind of scum does that ?"
Constantinos hadn’t minded listening to the Voice of Reason that time. In fact he was eager, so eager, to listen. “Yes”, he had whispered, “The Shooter....”
“You saw him, remember ?” the Voice of Reason had whispered in his mind. “They took him down, the others, but you saw him. The darkest one of their bunch, the most despicable one. You know who shot her....Don’t you ?"
“Yes”, Constantinos had answered himself. “It was....Leon.”
“You must return to Bullworth, and take revenge. It’s the only way to keep our sanity", the Voice of Reason had said. “He Must Be Punished !”
“But...The Feds have them !”, Constantinos had exclaimed. It was a good thing he was behind a Burger Joint in the dark at the time, else somebody might have heard him. “They’ve probably taken him away by now !”
“You’re not thinking straight”, the Voice of Reason had said. “Those Townies were all injured, those left in the Level. They can’t transport injured prisoners until they recover enough to be moved."
“Of Course !”, Constantinos had whispered. He struggled to remember. He HAD seen Leon taken down, and had seen others gathered about him, yelling something. Damon, maybe ? He now recalled Damon rushing by him, heading for Leon, who was down....He HAD been hit. But how seriously ? Enough to warrant an extended stay in one of the Clinics ?
“We must go back”, the Voice of Reason had said. “It will soon be too late.”
“Yes”, Constantinos had agreed with himself. “We must. She must be Avenged.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, he sat at Tiffany’s bedside for the last time, holding her small hand that was now limp. There had been power in that small hand, as it grabbed his junk and changed his world forever. If she recovered, the strength would come back, he knew. There was nothing he could do for her here, that was up to a higher power. But what he could do....MIGHT be able to do....was to remove the future threat to her, forever, that of the Shooter Leon.
He rose and bent down, placing a kiss on her cheek. Then, he left Boston General Hospital without being noticed and began walking down the street to the West, out of the City.
____________________________________________
-
Tony stood at the access door through the large barricade that separated the Football Field from the Nerds’ Observatory area. He was alone, electing not to bring Karen along on this, his first foray into negotiations. This wasn’t a social call, and Tony didn’t want it to be viewed as such. This was business, important business, even if nobody knew it yet.
He punched in the access code to get through the door, then entered. But instead of going right to the gates of the Observatory, he cut across through the scattered boulders and went through the open area to the tunnel that led out to the old rail line. The locking gate that the Nerds had been promised for this tunnel had not yet been installed, and that had turned out to be a good thing, considering many of the Students who had fought at the Chem Plant had come through here. Tony then crossed over the large cavern-like area and entered the tunnel that led to the Asylum. A ways down, he used his lighter to find the special rock that opened the passage to Jimmy’s secret cave.
Once inside, he located the lantern and lit the place up. He had been over here earlier in the week to get the money he had given to Melvin, but he now needed more, a lot more if his plan was to succeed. Going to the large bin where Jimmy had secreted the cash he had left for him to use, Tony unlocked the locks and opened it up. The large array of outfits and Weapons were still there and intact. Tony debated briefly on taking a Spud Gun, then decided against it. The cash would be his Persuader, not a weapon.
Tony accessed the cash box, and he was realizing that the money stock was getting far lower than he thought. He would probably have to get a job when the new term started, maybe a shift at the Burger Joint or maybe a Paper Route. Or maybe he could ask Mr. Galloway for pay for being Mediator...This was certainly an job, and an unpaid one at that. He smirked at that thought. Taking out what he needed, he put the cash box back and then closed and locked up the large bin.
Looking around at the cave before he left, he saw nothing out of place. It was just as Jimmy, and Zoe, had left it. Tony hadn’t been here but a handful of times since they had departed the School. Unlike Jimmy, Tony didn’t care much for caves. He didn’t see how Jimmy could have stayed here for months, only sneaking out every once in a while, mostly at night. Tony recalled how Vance had been trapped in that cave over on Pirate Island until they had found him, and shuddered.
Tony left through the narrow passageway into the tunnel and then traveled back to the Observatory. At the gate, he pushed the buzzer that the Nerds had installed outside and waited. It was a bit after 9 P.M. and they should have started their meeting by now. Tony waited, and after a minute impatiently pushed the buzzer again. A few seconds later, a voice came through the squawk box speaker mounted above the buzzer.
“Tony, is that you ?”, the anxious voice of Melvin asked through the speaker.
“Yeah, it’s me”, Tony answered. “What gives ? Thought someone would be here to meet me.”
“I’ll be right out to let you in”, Melvin said hurriedly, and then in a whispery voice said, “We started the Knights Council already, and....It’s not going well.”
Tony grimaced. It was already beginning to look like this was going to be a tough sell.
__________________________________________
-
Just a bit earlier, Ted and Mandy were sitting on the short steps out in front of the Jock’s Clubhouse. It had just been too hot to stay inside, particularly after what they had just finished doing. The Clubhouse had no Air Conditioning as yet, in fact that was one upgrade that no place on campus had gotten, and probably wouldn’t until it turned cool in the Fall.
Some of the other Jocks were playing a pick-up game on the Field, others had gone to Bullworth Town, notably Damon and Laurent with their respective girlfriends, Gloria and Nina. There was a light breeze blowing across the Football Field, it served to somewhat cool the heat of the day just ended. Mandy snuggled next to Ted, and they talked of their future.
“Just a few more months left of this place”, Ted said, “And we’ll be out of here.” Both Ted and Mandy were set to Graduate mid-term the following January, if this make-up summer went right. One more Football season in High School. It was unlikely they would play beyond the regular season, no matter what Coach Sanders would try to have them believe. Come the first of December, Ted’s High School Football career would be over, as would Mandy’s High School Cheerleading career. But both vowed they would go out on top, at least by Bullworth standards.
“You got any good Scholarship offers yet ?”, Mandy asked, her head on Ted’s shoulder.
“Got one”, Ted smirked, “From Alcorn State.”
“Alcorn ?”, Mandy asked. “Where’s that at ?”
“It’s, uh....Down in Mississippi, somewhere”, Ted answered. “It’s an...A Black school.”
“A Black school ?”, Mandy echoed. “Why would they want you ?”
“If you haven’t noticed, most Quarterbacks are White”, Ted answered. “There are a few Blacks that do it, but most Blacks are Linesmen, Running Backs, or Wide Receivers. I think that Recruiter came here to take a look at Damon, although he has another year to go, at least.”
“Oh”, Mandy said, thinking. “I wonder if I could get on the Cheerleading Squad in a place like that.”
Ted smiled. “You would sure be a novelty down there.”
“Well...You know I’ll go where you do, even if it means....”, Mandy said.
Ted interrupted her. “Don’t you worry...I might get other offers...We’re sorta famous now, and all...I’ll bet other Recruiters will show up this Fall, now that they know how to find the place. If we can have a halfway decent season, maybe one or more will want to pick me up for their College.”
“I sure hope so”, Many sighed. “Mississippi sounds really far away.”
“I’m sure some will come. They’ll want to see how the famous Jock fighters play on the Football Field.” Ted grinned. “Plus, I’m hale and healthy now, and can throw the pigskin like a rocket. Nobody in this whole state has a better arm than I do...All I need is Receivers who can catch the ball without dropping it.”
Mandy settled back into Ted’s arms. “Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t get hurt this time, after getting shot last Spring. That would’ve been a disaster, you wouldn’t have been able to play.”
“It was dangerous, sure”, Ted said, “But look at the opportunity it’s gonna give us...All that publicity will draw those Recruiters in to see the Hero Quarterback that done helped rescue them kidnapped girls, instead of just the Quarterback who was shot down on his own Field last Spring. It’s gonna be a lock, you’ll see.”
“I hope you’re right”, Mandy said. “But don’t a lot of your plays depend on what the Coach has you do ? What if he just sends in running plays all the time instead of passing plays ?”
“Why would he do that ?”, Ted asked. “He wants to win, he told us so ! I can throw more Touchdown passes than those Running Backs can score, that’s for sure.”
“You know, maybe you’re right”, Mandy said thoughtfully, “I’m sure that’s just what that man will do.”
“What do you mean ?”, Ted asked, unsure of what Mandy was getting at.
“Maybe...”, Mandy said, “Maybe he likes other players better than you, is all....Like Wide Receivers.”
Ted frowned. “Just what are you going on about ?”
Mandy shook her head. “Honestly, Ted, you know I love you dearly, but you can be such a dunderhead sometimes.”
“And just what does that mean ?”, Ted asked, beginning to feel offended.
Mandy pulled away from him and faced him. “Doesn’t it seem strange to you that Coach Sanders always has Kirby Olsen hanging around him ?”
Ted was confused. “So what ? Kirby’s was injured, there’s some workouts he’s restricted from doing for awhile....”
“So you don’t find it odd that he’s always standing next to Sanders when he’s not working out ?” Mandy went on, “Or the fact that Sanders was doing ‘Special Workouts’ with him before he was hurt in the Chem Plant Raid ?”
“Ahh, the Coach was just doing those sessions trying to make him a better runner and have him catch passes better", Ted replied. “I’m glad, because the more passes he catches, the more glory for me. What’s the big deal about that ?”
“The big deal is”, Mandy said slowly, “Is that Sanders touches that boy when none of you are looking....I’ve seen him doing it when I’ve been doing Cheerleading practice.”
“Touches him where ?”, Ted asked quizzically, still not understanding what Mandy was getting at.
“On the shoulder, on the back, on the head...”, Mandy said. “Maybe other places, too. Ted, I’m just saying, there’s something wrong here. Sanders doesn’t touch any of you other guys like that, not that I’ve seen....And another thing, Burton was always staring at me as if I was naked, he probably had one of those posters of me hid away somewhere. But Sanders has not so much as looked at me, ever. I could be a piece of furniture. I don’t think that man likes girls at all...I think he likes boys....Special boys.”
Ted stared out at the Football Field as he digested what Mandy had said. Sure, Kirby was odd and all, and sort of isolated from the rest of the Jocks since....Well, since they had found out he was queer. But he had trouble thinking his new horsefaced Coach could be some kind of...Predator. He refused to believe something like that. Casting his eyes about, he found an excuse to change this troubling subject. From far across the Field, he saw Tony Calderone walking to the Nerds Observatory Barricade. “Hey, Isn’t that Tony over there ?”, he asked, pointing.
Distracted, Mandy squinted through the glare of the sodium-arc lights which came on when it got dark, so that the Football Field was always lit. “It...Kinda looks like him. What’s he doing ?”
Ted watched as the figure disappeared through the small door set into the Barricade. “Going to see the Nerds, I guess. Hope he’s having them make some Weapons for us again. We’re the biggest Clique on Campus, but we still need to be able to protect ourselves.”
Their conversation turned to the need to keep the Jocks protected and uninjured for the next few months, and Mandy’s suspicions were not brought up again. But, in the back of her mind, Mandy remained troubled, convinced that there was something really wrong with their new Coach.
__________________________________________
-
“How bad is it ?”, Tony asked Melvin, as they walked through the Observatory.
“They don’t want to agree”, Melvin said, a bare tremor in his voice, “On Anything !”
Tony paused on the steps leading down to the Observatory’s basement. “And here I thought you were the great orator Knight. Are you losing control, Melvin ?”
“Ohh, don’t be mean !”, Melvin exclaimed. “They just don’t want to listen !”
Tony paused a few seconds longer, then started down. “Well, I’m just going to have to make them listen, then.”
He could hear them chattering as he walked down the stairs. As soon as he emerged and the Nerds could see him, they went quiet, as if a switch had been flipped. Tony walked to their Council Table, while Melvin followed behind. Tony didn’t take a chair, he just stood as Melvin scurried to his own chair at the head of the table, next to Jimmette.
Tony had learned one thing. Standing commanded more the appearance of power than sitting. He cast his eyes around at the seated Nerds,his face set with a stern look. “So. I’m going to assume that Melvin has told you what I’ve requested of you. What is your answer ?”
Tony’s hard face roamed from one Nerd to another. Only Fatty, sitting with his arms crossed, had the nerve to answer. “We’re not making Weapons for everybody again. Why should we ? Nobody will dare attack us now. We have the upper hand.”
Tony said nothing, just gave them all the best glare he could summon for all of 30 seconds. Then harshly, he said, “For a bunch of supposedly smart fellows, you Nerds are pretty dumb.” The Nerds began to fidget. Tony didn’t usually talk mean to them. “We’ve been through this before, what, twice ? Do I have to explain about Parity again ?”
“We’re just tired of arming the other Cliques”, Fatty said, somewhat uneasily. “It’s not really necessary....”
“But arming yourselves is no problem, now is it ?”, Tony asked. “How do you think the other Cliques will take that ?”
The Nerds looked at each other and blinked at the unexpected question. “I suppose...Like before...”, Fatty said, hesitantly.
“Like before ?”, Tony interjected, “You mean, like before Christmas ? When one of you single-handedly attacked all the other Cliques ? Before there was any such thing as Parity ?”
The Nerds shifted around uncomfortably. They didn’t like being reminded of what Algie had done, even though he had done those attacks seeking revenge for having his Nut blown off with an M-80 as he slept in the basement of the Dragon’s Wing. “He attacked us too”, Fatty grumbled. “Broke my leg because of him. Besides, he’s been Outcast.”
“That's not the point”, Tony said. “The fact is, the other Cliques won’t take kindly to you Nerds being armed while they’re not. They’ll remember what one Nerd can do, and eventually they’ll attack you in force and take your weapons from you.”
“B-but, we’re all at peace now”, Bucky ventured timidly. “It shouldn’t matter !”
“This won’t last”, Tony told them. “You boys should be smart enough to know that. People here...The Cliques here....Are too different to get along well for long.” Tony paused, then put on a friendlier face. “Look, Jimmy told me stories, about how it was here before....How you Nerds were the most bullied group on Campus. Told me one story, matter of fact, of how he had to fight off the whole Jock Clique with that Spud Cannon you all used to have up there above the gates out there, cause you fellows were too afraid. He beat them all, and you called him 'Defender Of The Castle’, or something like that." Tony looked about. “Although, this Observatory was pretty much a wreck then. Point is, you had Weapons then, and they didn’t, and if not for Jimmy, those Jocks would have still beat you senseless. Is that what you want to go back to ?”
“Do you think we’re Morons or something ?”, Donald suddenly said. “If we have Weapons and they don’t, we have the advantage in a fight !”
Tony fixed Donald with a withering gaze. “Yeah, that’s worked out real great in the past, hasn’t it ? Guess you want to go back to getting Swirlies every day, is that it ?”
“They’ll all be sorry for that one day !”, Donald said back unconvincingly.
“Sure they will”, Tony said, and Cornelius snickered. “Point is, boys, since Parity was instituted, all that kind of nonsense like that stopped, didn’t it ? When’s the last time any of you were bullied, and I mean really bullied, or attacked by ANY of the other Cliques ?”
The Nerds just sat in silence, unable to answer, as Tony hoped they would. He had no idea whether they had been really bullied in some time, since he had always seemed to be occupied with other things. “Now, I’m sure you’ve all preformed bravely at certain times, like when battling outside forces, such as when Jake and the Townies tried to take over the whole Academy. Fact, the bravest I’ve seen was when Melvin was firing that Super Spud Gun at them, on the Chem Plant roof and down in the Levels. But, all our enemies are gone now. It’s going to be a brand-new era from here on....And the first step to that is to equalize everybody so that the old ways don’t return. So whadda say ?”
The Nerds sat in silence thinking it over. Jimmette was the first to speak, surprising Tony most of all when she said, “I think you boys ought to make the Weapons.”
Even stranger, Thad muttered, “Yeath, we thould make Weapons forth everyone.” Thad had only recently come out of his self-imposed hiding in the Library, shying away from the other Nerds after they questioned his story of bravery in fighting on the third level.
A pause ensued. Tony could feel the moment was at hand. “And as an incentive, I’m prepared to offer you all $500 dollars to make them. Melvin, do you want to call a vote ?”
Melvin looked at Fatty, who shrugged. Clearing his voice, Melvin said formally, “The issue up for consideration is to manufacture Weapons for everyone in the School in the interest of Parity. All in favor ?”
Hands slowly raised, all but Fatty’s. Melvin glanced at him. “You voting nay ?”
“I’m abstaining”, Fatty said shortly. “I’ll make them, under protest.”
Melvin cleared his throat. “Well, then, the measure is passed, with 6 yea votes and 1 abstention. If there is no other business, I declare this Council of the Knights closed.”
There wasn’t, and the Nerds began to rise from their chairs. Tony gave a nod to Jimmette for her help, and Melvin escorted Tony back outside to the Observatory gate. Opening it, he said, “Um...You got something for me, like you said ?”
Tony dug in his pocket and handed Melvin a bill. Melvin looked at it and saw it was a $100 dollar bill. “Uh, wasn’t there supposed to be more ?”
“That’s for Jimmette”, Tony told him. “Spend it on her, like I suggested. You’re lucky to even get that, since you were supposed to do the convincing, and I had to wind up doing it.”
Melvin’s face grew red with shame, but he nodded. “How soon...Do you want the Weapons ?”
“In about a week”, Tony told him. “I’ll be back to collect and pay then....And something else.”
“Something else ?”, Melvin asked apprehensively. “What else ?”
Tony almost laughed at Melvin’s fears, but didn’t. “I’m working on a Master Plan for the protection of all the Cliques”, Tony told him. “I’ll present the details to all of you then.”
“What kind of....Master Plan ?”, Melvin asked uncertainly.
“One that everyone will join in, a Binding Agreement to govern the affairs of the School from now on”, Tony said. “A Plan to bring an end to the senseless violence at this School, just like Pete wanted. It’s a new era, like I said. Don’t you boys get left out now. See you.”
With that, Tony sauntered away, leaving Melvin to gape behind him, thinking. A Binding Agreement ? What could that be ?
_______________________________________
-
Tad sat alone in the big chair at Harrington House that evening, brooding. His eyes were on the recently-installed TV that he had ordered hooked up from the new Electronics Store. Ironically, they had also installed a a Dish off just off the third floor balcony. In the not-so-past days gone by, Receiving Dishes had been outlawed in the Vale Valley, as part of the bans that the rich had instituted to isolate the area. Only controlled access had been allowed, though the rich themselves had access to news of the outside world. There had also been some black-market Dishes in the Blue Skies area, but they were destroyed when found. Now, the gates were thrown open, and the whole Valley could access the goings-on outside of the confines of the mountains that ringed it.
A news report was on, just a squib in the day’s events before the weather report. The Federal Trials of the Prep Fathers had been set to begin in late October. New charges had been added, that of the manufacture and distribution of a banned substance, although the report didn’t specify just what that was. There was also the mention of a sealed indictment to be brought against them.
Unlike Derby’s Father, Mr. Spencer had not spirited Tad out of the country, but had left him to face the fallout. Perhaps he believed that by turning State’s Evidence, he would be immune from prosecution, but it hadn’t quite worked out that way. These new Federal charges would not be covered under the Immunity Deal his lawyers had brokered, nor the new indictment. Just from watching the short report, he knew his family’s money was going to be at serious risk.
It was the way of the rich to hide their assets in all sorts of places, however. Even though the bulk of the Spencer assets had been frozen, Tad still had access to his own accounts of around a couple hundred thousand dollars. That would last Tad through his final year of Bullworth Academy, and be enough to get him started in Business College, but then what ? Tad didn’t really know. His only hope, it seemed, was to marry into another rich family unconnected with the scandal and collapse that had befallen the rich men of the Vale Valley.
In the house that evening were Biff and Chad, upstairs in the parlor room, playing cards. Vanessa was up in their bedroom, having retired early. Nobody, it seems, wanted to be around him just lately. In a moment of brutal honesty with himself, he knew that his troubles had began when he invited Vanessa to live at Harrington House. He just had not been able to help himself, he had been instantly drawn to her the first time he’d seen her at the Independence Dance. In part, he was tired of Pinky mooning after Tony Calderone every time she was around him, and figured that maybe it was time for him to give some mooning looks at someone himself. But there was more to it than that.
In his arrogance, Tad had started courting Vanessa when Pinky wasn’t around, first by just touching her arms or shoulders. Vanessa didn’t seem to mind, and Tad grew bolder, turning the touching into caresses, which became longer caresses as time went by on both their parts. It had all culminated one night when all of them went to the Prep’s Gym in the Vale. Pinky had begged off, saying she wasn’t feeling well and having cramps. While the others were down in the Boxing Ring staging fights, Vanessa made her move by giving Tad a blow job upstairs in the Prep’s Private Clubroom, behind the bar counter. Ironically, that was the same night that Pinky had stolen out to the Beach House to seduce Tony in exchange for giving him information on the Monks.
Tad thought nothing of it. After all, he’d been banging Pinky while she had been with Derby, and so what ? It was a Prep Man’s prerogative to have a mistress on the side, wasn’t that what his Daddy taught him ? It was just the way things were in High Society, any Prep knew that. And besides, hadn’t Pinky been having him on the side while cheating on Derby ? To Tad’s mind, things had only come full circle and aligned themselves where they belonged.
But things had soon started going sour after that. Pinky had caught them on that Sunday morning, the big fight had ensued, and Pinky had moved out in a huff. Then, a few days later, Bryce. who never did much at all but punch the large bag at the Prep’s Glass Jaw Boxing Club, approached them all and fired up a few of the Preps to go on an insane mission to actually aid that trash Tony and his equally trashy friend Nick in the battle to free those slutty girlfriends of theirs.
Tad declined to help those faggots in any way, but he inexplicably let those Preps who wanted to go on the mission leave with Bryce, and made no move to stop them from taking along the Harrington House Shields. Then, after the big Chem Plant battle, Bryce returned with the Shields but not the other Preps, they had been shot with Pellets. Angry, Tad had accused Bryce of being an incompetent fool, blaming Bryce for getting the others injured. Words were exchanged, with Bryce finally declaring he was quitting the Preps and telling Tad he could go wank himself before storming out. Worse, as Biff had predicted, the other Preps who had gone along with Bryce elected to go with him, thereby splitting the Clique once again.
It was all a big mess. More so now, since Biff had made a veiled threat to his leadership, likely causing a loss of respect from the only Preps who were still left with him, Chad and worst of all, Vanessa. He must do something. Brooding for much of the night, a germ of an idea occurred to him. It was outrageous, but it just might work. Tomorrow, to get such a plan started, he would have to venture into the underbelly of the Vale Valley....The Docks.
___________________________________________
-
Sunday promised to be another hot day in the Vale Valley. Even in the morning, the Temperatures were spiking up past 80 degrees. The beachfront would be crowded with Townspeople and outsiders alike, seeking relief from the impending heat.
Shortly after dawn, a figure stole along Vale Valley Boulevard. He was dressed in somewhat Preppy clothes, though not of Aquaberry design. His face was partly hidden by the large jaunty incognito hat he was wearing. It may have looked silly, but the few people he passed by on the way to his destination totally ignored him. Still, he was nervous having to travel these streets alone, unlike the streets in New Coventry, where he felt more at ease.
His destination was the Vale Clinic. Reaching it, he eased inside, unseen, and made his way to the back rooms, making sure that he slouched along the opposite wall as he passed the room Johnny Vincent was in. He would see him later, with the other ones in his Clique, but not just now, and not in disguise like this. He reached what he thought was the right room. Pushing the door open, he eased inside, looking at the figure in the bed and feeling relief that he’d made the right choice, and that the patient was alone.
Gord looked up in surprise from the bed. “I say, who are you ?’
“Gord, it’s me”, Vance said, closing the door and pulling off his hat. “See ?”
Gord’s tensed face relaxed. “Oh, my...It’s so good to see you !”
“Yeah, wells I'se be glad dat nobody else is here”, Vance said.
“Ahh, the other Chaps...They haven’t been around to see me”, Gord replied, rather sadly.
“Did you really expects thems to ?”, Vance asked sarcastically.
“No, I suppose not”, Gord sighed. “That Tony and Karen were here to see me....
Bryce is the only Chap who’s been around. He split from Tad, and said that Justin and Parker were moving in at the Beach House with him....I’ll probably go there too, I guess.”
“Dat’s whats I wasnts to talk to yous about”, Vance said. “Johnny is retiring, and Peanuts is taking over da Greasers again. I thinks mebbe we shoulds go live on Pirate Island, yous and me.”
Gord reacted in surprise. “On the Island ? But that place....It’s just a pile of rocks now ! You said all the trees had been blown down. Where would we live, in the cave ?”
“I don’t means just rights now”, Vance told him, “I means later....Listen...” Vance hunkered down in a chair by Gord’s bed and began to tell him what he had in mind. “We shoulds build us a Resort dere. With alls the people commin’ into the Valley, it woulds be a perfect spot. Like, what I means is a high-class place....We coulds build it rights by the beach dere, and there’d be boats to brings out da paying guests, like a remote get-away but not that far aways, don’cha see whats I Means ? We could live out dere and run the joint !”
A bit of excitement stirred in Gord. “But....That would cost a lot of money !”, he exclaimed. “It’s a fine idea, a Capitol idea, but where would we get....”
“We gets them, what-you-callit, Investors, rights ?”, Vance interrupted. “Alls on credit, you knows how dat works. I can’t do’s dat, but yous could ! I could gets the builders and line up whats we’d needs for materials and all.”
Wordlessly, Gord settled back in bed and considered. It just MIGHT be possible. His family’s money was at risk, as were all the Prep families involved with the Harringtons. But his Daddy was the Prep’s Lawyer, and as of yet hadn’t been charged with the excessive crimes the others had. His family also owned various Hotels, and he might be able to convince them to make an investment, thereby tying up some assets in a dummy corporation. “Maybe...We Could !”, he exclaimed.
For the next couple of hours, Vance and Gord talked on excitedly on the plans for what one day would be the Pirate Bay Resort, the most sought-after accommodations in the Vale Valley.
___________________________________________
-
That morning, Mr. Galloway was also at the Clinic, but the one over at Bullworth Town. He had come to visit and sit with Ms. Phillips, who was still recovering from her three-story fall from Bethany Jones’ apartment. Her right arm had been broken, and it was encased in a cast still. Both of her Kneecaps had been broken also, but they were far less serious that had been at first believed. They were healing nicely, and within just a few days, she would be trying to walk again. She had also suffered a slight concussion, but had quickly gotten over that. Sadly though, her ear would never be the same.
Compared to Bethany Jones’ injuries, Ms. Phillips had gotten off lucky. Bethany had a badly twisted and broken leg, a broken nose, back injuries, and worst of all, had suffered a serious head injury when she struck the pavement, Ms. Phillips had found out. The head injury had caused brain swelling, and Miss Jones had been sent off to a Hospital in Provenience to have holes drilled in her head to reduce the pressure. She was still in a coma, Ms. Phillips had learned, and had never regained consciousness.
This was a big worry to Ms. Phillips. Not because she was one bit sorry for having had it out with Bethany Jones, but rather she was regretful for the way the fight had ended. Her goal had been achieved...Miss Jones wouldn’t be messing with her man, or any man, for quite a long time to come. But her worry was, what would happen to her if that bitch woke up and tried to get her charged with assault, or even attempted murder ?
Mr. Galloway was trying to sooth her from her fears. “But, you weren’t charged with anything, now were you ? The Chief found no probable cause to do so, now did he ?”
“No”, Ms. Phillips conceded, “But he only has my side of the story.”
“Well, she attacked first, right ?”, Mr. Galloway asked. “Certainly you didn’t start attacking as soon as she opened the door.”
Ms. Phillips shook her head. “I....Threw an empty bottle at her. It...Hit her TV. Then she charged at me, so I maced her in the face. Then she slammed my head. So...I suppose I started it.”
“But you didn’t mean to push her out the window, now did you ?”, Mr. Galloway persisted.
“Of course not”, Ms. Phillips replied. “It just happened in the heat of the fight. But she had more injuries than me, so they might think...”
“What did Chief O’Rouke say ?”, Mr. Galloway interrupted. “You told him all this, didn’t you ?”
Ms. Phillips nodded. “Yes...He called it....Accidental Mis-adventure.”
“See ?”, Mr. Galloway smiled. “I think you’re worrying for nothing. It’s all going to be alright, you’ll see.”
Ms. Phillips grabbed his sleeve with her free hand. “Really, Lionel ? Do you really think ?”
Mr. Galloway nodded emphatically. “I’m sure. If you want me to, I’ll talk to Chief O’Rouke.”
“Oh, would you ?”, Ms. Phillips asked. “It would set my mind at ease.”
“Sure thing”, Mr. Galloway said. “It’ll be all right, dear. You’ll see.”
Ms. Phillips still had ahold of his sleeve. She tugged on it and said, “Oh, Lionel...You seem so...Self-assured. What has happened to you ?”
“I’m the Captain of my own Destiny”, Lionel Galloway replied. “I’m in charge now, and there are going to be some changes, starting with the School. Together, we can remake the whole thing, from top to bottom.”
“We can ?”, Ms. Phillips asked, her fear over the repercussions from her fight temporarily forgotten.
“Sure we can”, Mr. Galloway answered. “And I think Tony Calderone has a plan to help us do just that.”
______________________________________
-
Tony was up long before the Bullies, but being Sunday, that was understandable. Fridays and Saturdays were the Bully’s late-night hang-out times, and they rarely were inside the dorm before 3 A.M. Tony watched a little TV and played a stand-up video game console, Nut Shots, while he waited. He had just missed beating the high score on it when Trent, bleary-eyed, walked into the Common Room.
Trent sauntered over to the Beam Cola drink machine, and started fumbling for some change in the pockets of his dirty jeans. Tony turned from his game and went over to where he was at.
“Here, this one’s on me”, Tony said, and pulled two quarters from his pocket. Depositing the change in the drink machine, he punched the button and a soda fell into the slot. Tony retrieved it and handed it to Trent.
“What gives, Carderone ?”, Trent asked suspiciously. “Why you buyin’ me a drink ?”
“Eh, no reason”, Tony replied smoothly. “Just that, umm, I wanna talk to you about something.”
Trent grimaced. “What’d I do now ? If it’s about what I told them Reporters at the conference, you know I’m the one who nailed that Punk when they was tryin’ to take over the school, I weren’t tellin’ no lies there....”
“It’s not about that”, Tony said, feeling like laughing in Trent’s face. “It’s something else, an important something. Come over to the card table, and I’ll tell you.”
Trent couldn’t think of anything to say, so he reluctantly followed Tony over to the card table and sat down. Tony sat down opposite him and began fiddling with a deck of cards. Trent started to get a little nervous as the silence stretched out. Uncomfortably, he said, “So, what is it ?”
Tony shuffled the cards and flipped Trent over a card, face up. Two of Diamonds. “I hear you’re back in charge of the Clique”, he said. Tony laid down a card for himself. Seven of Spades.
“Er...That’s right”, Trent said. “So....What ? You need somebody beat up or somethin’ ?”
“No”, Tony said, flipping Trent another card. Five of Diamonds. “It’s not what I need...It’s what you need.”
“I suppose....We need some Weapons”, Trent said, easing up a little bit. “You wantin’ to make us another deal ?”
“Weapons....And more”, Tony replied. He laid down a card for himself. Seven of Clubs. He flipped another card over to Trent. Three of Diamonds.
“What more ?”, Trent asked. “We’re even up now, for the last time, cuz we came and fought at the Chem Plant, right ? We’re square, ain’t we ?”
“You did well at the Chem Plant”, Tony said, laying down his third card. Seven of Hearts. He flipped Trent another card. Four of Diamonds. “So, we’re square on that. But these will be new Weapons.”
“We shouldn’t have to buy them or be your Army again for these”, Trent said, “Everyone 'cept me and Russell got shot for helpin’ you. Troy’s still in the Clinic. That oughtta count for sompin.”
Tony laid down another card for himself. Seven of Diamonds. “It does”, he said. “This time, the Weapons will be free, no strings attached. All you have to do is one little thing.”
“What’s that ?”, Trent asked, suspicion creeping back into his voice. He watched as Tony slid over his final card, face down, then put one face down for himself.
“I’m working on an agreement between all the Cliques”, Tony said easily. “Everybody’s gonna sign, even the Non-Clique kids. I call it, The Binding Agreement.” Tony set the deck aside, and outlined the nine points of the agreement. “I’ll be back to you in a few days with the entire agreement and explain more in depth”, he concluded.
“What if we don’t like it ?”, Trent said, “What if we don’t agree to sign ?”
“Then, you’ll be fair game for the other Cliques to attack you anywhere, anytime”, Tony said, “And you won’t have any weapons to defend yourself.”
“That doesn’t sound very fair”, Trent said disgustedly. “It will just let you rule the School.”
“I don’t want to rule anything”, Tony said. “I’m not Jake or Gary. I just want some peace. Look around, Trent....Our world in the Valley here is changing. We’re not isolated anymore. We can’t keep doing things the way we all were, our every move is gonna be watched by Reporters and News Cameras. If we keep doing shit the old way, the State will shut this place down. Then where will we go ? Where will YOU go ?”
Trent was silent as he digested that for several seconds that stretched out to a half a minute. Then, he said, “How can we trust that all this isn’t Bullshit ? That we won’t come out on the short end of the stick, again, like we always do ?”
“When I come back with the agreement, we will go through it point by point”, Tony answered sincerely. “You guys tell me what you want, in terms of area, resolution of disputes, Hole fights, all of it. I’ll be doing the same with all the other Cliques. Then, we’ll negotiate for each groups rights and work out a compromise. Once we institute the Agreement, it’ll be the law of the Campus, and if anybody breaks it, the other Cliques will make them pay. It’ll all work out, you’ll see.”
“Who will we Bully ?”, Trent asked. “We are Bullies, you know.”
Tony smiled. “There’s always the new kids, now isn’t there ? Until they join a Clique or sign on with the Non-Cliquers, they’re fair game.”
“I don’t know about this”, Trent muttered, looking down at the cards on the table. Suddenly, he had a clever idea. “Tell you what, big man....If I win this hand here that you dealt, then we’ll listen to you and do what you say. But if you win, then you can take your Agreement and Fuck Off. Hows’zat ?”
Tony arched his eyebrows in surprise. “So, if I win, I lose, huh ?”
Trent sat back with a smug look. “You got four of a kind there, only one thing beats that....And I usually lose at these fucking card games anyway. So how 'bout it ? Wanna bet ?”
Tony made it so he looked as if he was really thinking about it. Then he reached down and flipped his lone card over. King of Clubs. “It’s a deal”, he told Trent. “Turn your card over.”
Trent grinned as he reached down and turned his card over. As it was revealed, the grin froze on his face, which quickly turned to shocked disbelief. Ace of Diamonds.
“Huh...Straight Flush”, Tony said. “You’re the winner, Trent.” Tony rose to go. He had business elsewhere. “I’ll get back to you in a couple of days on the Agreement. Talk to your guys.”
Tony left the Common Room and headed out of the Boy’s Dorm, barely suppressing his laughter and leaving Trent still staring at the cards, wondering what the hell had just happened.
________________________________________
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Mandy stole away from the Football Field about noon. Ted and the Jocks were going through some workouts, since the heat had subsided somewhat today. She was carrying her Gym Bag, and inside it, tucked underneath some clothing, was her task for the day.
She saw a very few people, hanging around the Pool building, as she went past. Nobody paid any attention to her. Passing the rebuilt Fountain, still minus a statue, she saw Ricky Pucico of the Greasers walking away from her towards the Autoshop area. Nobody was on the Back Quad, so she carefully kept a lookout until she went in the Easternmost back door of the School.
The halls seemed deserted as she made her way to the stairway up in front to the second floor. Mandy didn’t even see any Prefects patrolling around. A couple were probably down at the Pool, keeping order, and who knew where the others were. She smiled to herself as she got to the Art Room undetected. She had picked Sunday just to have this opportunity to accomplish her task.
The Art Room door was still unlocked, as she had discovered Friday when she checked. Art Class itself had been suspended after Ms. Phillips and Miss Jones had gotten hurt. There had been some talk and speculation about that, but it was mostly forgotten about when the news of the Chem Plant battle and rescue of Karen and Melody broke. Christy Martin had been doing it in Ms. Phillips place, but had to work in the Office full time as there was no one else there. Obviously, someone had neglected to lock the door to the Art Room in the process, which suited Mandy just fine.
Once inside, Mandy went over to the big Copy Machine in the Photography area of the room. The Copier was old by normal standards, but still looked new against the ancient backdrop of the room. It was big and clunky, but worked just as fine as the last time it had been used, copying nude paintings of Ms. Phillips. Mandy opened the storage area underneath and got out a ream of paper. She turned the Copy Machine on, and then dug into her Gym Bag and withdrew Beatrice’s Diary.
Mandy proceeded to set the machine for 5 copies of each page. She had to remove the Diary each time and turn to the next page manually before making the next 5 copies. This took awhile, and it was an hour before the entire Diary was done, with one exception....Mandy left out the pages describing Beatrice’s seduction of Nick. She had promised Karen to keep that secret.
After the copying was finished, it took another half-hour to sort the copied pages into five different stacks and then punch side-holes into them, so they could be put into binders. When she was all finished, she stuffed all the copies and the Diary into her Gym Bag and left the Art Room, and the School, undetected.
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Ricky had not seen Mandy going by, as his back was to her. He had fiddled with the code at the new gate that gave access to the Autoshop area, opened it and slipped through. He’d come back for a pack of smokes he had stashed in his locker at the Autoshop. The other Greasers at the Blue Balls Bar were getting put out with his bumming smokes off them.
Ricky’s mouth was set in a thin line. He wasn’t as pleased as the other Greasers that the leadership of the Clique had been handed back to Peanut by Johnny. Ricky would be regulated to the lower echelon of the Clique once again by Peanut, who hadn’t forgotten that Ricky was the one who was really behind the short-lived takeover of the Clique by Norton, egging him on. He had now only gone along with Peanut being the Leader because it was what Johnny wanted, for what else could he do ?
Johnny had talked to both Norton and him after he returned about the importance of loyalty within the Greaser Clique. “We’s has got to all stick together”, Johnny had said, “Theres not many of us left. Wanna wind up like dem stoopid Preps ?” Norton had taken Johnny’s advice to heart, even if Ricky wasn’t so sure. In fact, Ricky felt he should be the Leader. See, Leaders made the decisions. Leaders got protected. Leaders weren’t made to drink piss while the others stood around looking. And, Leaders got the girls. Johnny had Lola. Peanut had Binky. Even Hal, who was second in command, had Angie. What girl did he have ? No one.
Trouble was, more than two years ago, Ricky DID have a girl. Her name was Amanda. She was a young love, his first love. While their passions never went past kissing and groping, Ricky always felt that someday they would come to that. Problem was, Ricky had another love as well, a love of bikes. He spent a lot of time learning how to plan them, make them, and ride them. Unfortunately, he spent too much time doing that and not enough time with Amanda, who broke up with him over it. Ricky was inexperienced in such matters, and was shocked when Amanda had dumped him, seemingly out of the blue. Despite his begging and pleadings, she refused to come back to him and she had left Bullworth Academy not long after, in the Spring. She had never come back, and Ricky was left with a busted heart. Too late, he realized he didn’t know just where she went....She was from Vermont, but Ricky had no address, and no clue.
Since then, and for over the past 2 years plus, he had alternated from being 'over it’ to still being 'torn up’ about it. He often wished that there was some kind of wrench he could use to fix his broken heart. He could have 'ridden off with her into the sunset’ someday, but instead, because of his inattention to her, he was left with just his centerfold pinups as the only thing he could count on to stick around. The final blow to his ego was that Amanda was seen flirting around with the Jocks on several occasions in the month before she left.
The passage of time should have relieved him, but it didn’t. What he really needed was another girl, another chance to make right where he had gone wrong. He had despaired at the slim pickings at Bullworth, however. The only available girls were too old, too fat, too few, and the only ones worth having were already taken by others. He had been hopeful that in the new crop of girls that had come to the School over the Summer, one would notice him. But it hadn’t happened, not for him. For others, but never him.
Ricky rummaged around in his locker and found his pack of ciggys. Closing it, he started to make the trek back to the Blue Balls. He would have rode, but unfortunately for him, someone had swiped his latest bike. He would have to build himself another one. In the meantime, he was stuck with just his legs and feet for getting around. Locking the Greaser Gate, he headed up the path and then the steps that led toward the repaired fountain, which still looked strange without that statue.
Before he mounted the steps, Ricky decided he wanted one of his smokes then and there. He stopped for a second to find his pack and dig one out, then stick the pack back in his pocket and find his lighter. There was a slight breeze blowing from the West, so he walked up the steps with his head down while cupping his hand over his face, attempting to light his smoke. As he reached the plateau where the fountain sat and turned left, still trying to get his ciggy lit, he ran smack-dab into someone coming the other way, who likewise couldn’t see well due to carrying a bunch of towels stacked up over their face.
The collision staggered Ricky and caused him to drop both his ciggy and lighter. The person carrying the towels was knocked back on their ass. “Why don’cha watch where youse is goin’ ?”, Ricky sputtered at the figure on the paving stones, who was covered in the dropped towels. “Youse coulda hurts somebody here....”
Ricky’s words cut off suddenly as he saw the face of a girl emerging from the pile of towels, laughing. “Oh, I’m such a klutz, I couldn’t see where I was going !”, she said. “I’m really sorry !” Ricky was struck momentarily speechless at what he saw, a cute pixie face surrounded by a mass of platinum-blonde hair.
Recovering himself, Ricky reached down with his hand to help her up. “Oh, no, my bad !”, he told her. “Here, lemme help you up !” She took his hand and Ricky suddenly felt an electric energy pass between them. He pulled her to her feet, but kept ahold of her hand. “Are’s youse Ok ? I didn’t means to hurts you any....”
“Nope, I’m just fine !”, she said cheerily. “I was just taking down a load of towels to the Pool, and I guess I had them stacked too high !” It was then Ricky saw that she was just a touch over 5 foot, 2 inches, and had a slim, cute figure.
Strangely, Ricky couldn’t let go of her hand as he gazed at her face. “I, umm, I’m sorry...Wasn’t looking either....”, he fumbled, in awe of her beauty.
“Oh, that’s all right”, she said, still allowing her hand to be held. Her eyebrow went up in a quizzical gesture as she looked at him. “You’re....Ricky, right ? Ricky Pucico ?”
“Um...Yes”, Ricky answered, somewhat in shock. “How did you know ?”
The girl uttered a musical laugh. “You’re all famous, you know. That’s why I came to Bullworth, I wanted to meet all you brave fellows.” She smiled in such a cute way that made Ricky’s heart suddenly flutter.
“Well...Er....Didn’t know I was THAT famous”, Ricky fumbled, for something to say. “So...What’s your name, anyhoo ?
The girl laughed again. “Oh...I’m Jessica Jamison”, she said, “But my friends call me Jessie.”
“Um....So then....Cans I be your friend, then ?”, Ricky said, a bit shyly.
“I, um, guess so, since we’re holding hands”, Jessica answered, and laughed again.
“Oh....Yeah....Sure”, Ricky said quickly, and went to release her hand.
But Jessica clasped his hand again. “I didn’t say to let go”, she smiled.
Ricky gazed into her blue eyes and took the chance he hadn’t gotten to take in over two years. “Um...Woulds you....Like to go out wit me sometime ?”
Jessica’s eyes sparkled as she looked a Ricky. “A handsome boy asks me out, I usually say yes”, she said. “So...How about tonight ? Around 8 o’clock ?”
“Uh...Sure !”, Ricky answered. His whole world had just turned upside down in two minutes.
“Great !”, Jessica exclaimed. “Meet me out in front of the Dorm. Ok ? I’ll be ready.”
“Um...Yeah, Ok !”, Ricky replied, feeling like he was in a dream. Jessica gazed at him a bit longer, then slowly disengaged her hand from his. She bent down to recover the spilled Towels, and Ricky hurried to help her, stacking them back in her arms.
“Well”, she said, stalling just a bit, “I gotta get these down to the Pool.” She stood looking up at him a little longer, then brushed past him. With a look over her shoulder, she said, “Bye...See you tonight !” Ricky raised his hand in response, not trusting himself to mess up with a snappy comeback. Instead, he just watched her little ass sway back and forth until she was out of sight. Then, he looked for his dropped lighter, spotted it and picked it up. He couldn’t find his dropped ciggy though, but he didn’t care. Like he was walking on air, he started back on the long trip to the Blue Balls Bar, not even minding he had no bike to ride.
________________________________
-
Tony had headed out from the Boy’s Dorm and went directly to the Girl’s Dorm. As he approached the Dorm’s yard, he saw a girl walking his way, carrying what looked like an armload of towels. Her face was mostly obscured by the number of towels she had piled in her arms, and Tony didn’t recognize her, although he thought she might be one of the new girls, based on her platinum-blonde hair color. He continued on to the Dorm Yard and spotted another new girl, Hannah, sitting on the Dorm steps. This one he recognized, although just barely. He had never spoken to her, though.
Tony walked up and greeted her, and she stood up. She was tall, somewhat like Christy, but had long dark brown hair that was braided. “Hi”, Tony said, “You’re one of the new girls, right ?”
“Yes, I’m Hannah”, she said. “I know who you are, you’re that Tony fella.”
“Yup, That’d be me”, Tony replied. “Could I ask you a favor ?”
“Well, sure”, Hannah told him, “What’cha need ?”
“Could you go and tell Karen that I’m here ?”, Tony asked, then added, “If you know who she is, I mean.”
“I know who she is”, Hannah said with a smile, “She’s famous too. Be right back !” With that, Hannah flounced up the steps and into the Dorm before Tony could think of anything else to say. He shook his head. Famous, indeed.
Tony sat down on the steps for awhile to wait. Looking straight ahead, he could see down the pathways clear to the Boy’s Dorm. In less than a week, construction would began to add a second story to the Dorm. Tony would have to find another place to stay in the meantime. It was said that it would take a month, as it was to be done before the next term started in September. The bulk of the boys there, the Bullies and Non-Cliques, were to be put up in the In-And-Out Motel again, he knew, but Tony wanted to stay closer to Karen this time, for obvious reasons.
As Tony sat contemplating this and other things for awhile, he saw a figure walk through on the wide intersecting pathway that led from the School to the Front Gates. Tony squinted to make out who it was. It was defiantly a Greaser by his outfit, though he couldn’t tell who from this distance. That got him to thinking of how he would approach the Greasers with the Binding Agreement. Right about then, the Dorm Doors opened and Karen came out, followed by Hannah, who stayed up by the doors.
“Hi there, lover”, Karen teased. “What’s for today ?”
“Oh, um, thought you’d like to come along with me as I talk to the Jocks about the Weapons and the Agreement”, Tony said, “Since you know them quite well, it might go easier.”
“Oh sure”, Karen said, “Uhh...They’re probably doing workouts right now....But we can watch until they’re done.” She smiled. “Probably make it better, catch 'em when they’re tuckered out.”
Tony grinned. “Not a bad idea”, he said. “Shall we go ?”
“Mind if Hannah comes along with us ?”, Karen asked, rising.
“Er...Sure, if she wants to”, Tony said. “More the merrier, I guess.”
“Com’on, Hanna !”, Karen called to her, “Wanna go to the Football Field with us ?”
Hannah came down the steps. “I...Guess so”, she said shyly. “What’s down there ?”
“Guys working out, what else ?”, Karen told her with a grin.
“Then, of course I’ll come along !”, Hannah said, smiling.
That settled, the three began the walk down to the Football Field Bleachers.
______________________________________________
-
Angie had a lunch date to meet Christy at Shinjo’s. She had stopped into the School Office on Friday and asked Christy to meet her somewhere, and Christy had suggested the place where she usually met up with Pinky. From their days on the Cheerleading Squad, Angie and Christy had been good friends. Gossip shared was their mutual interest, but Angie usually had the advantage of more factual and up to date information on the goings-on around the School and elsewhere.
The idea that Binky had broached about hiring Winkie and Christy had been passed along to Hal by Peanut, who figured the best way to approach Christy with the idea would be her friend Angie, who was Hal’s main squeeze. Angie was very receptive to the plan, as it gave her a good reason to reconnect with her friend. So, she waited anxiously outside Shinjo’s for some time until she spotted Christy coming around the corner, heading across Hill Street, and passing by the Ice Cream Shop, before climbing the sidewalk steps and hailing Angie.
“HI !!”, Christy said, smiling and waving, as she closed the gap to where Angie was standing.
“Oh, I’m so glad you could make it !”, Angie said, and they briefly hugged in greeting.
“Come on, let’s go in”, Christy said. “You ever been to this place before ?”
“No”, Angie admitted, “Hal doesn’t like to come to the Vale much. How’s the food ?”
“Just to DIE for”, Christy told her as they entered, “And a lot better than School food !”
They both tittered. It was just like the old days. The found a booth all to themselves and ordered some Lunch. Angie fretted on how to broach the subject of the Greasers hiring her and Winkie, but Christy saved her from having to start that conversation by first wanting to know the latest of the goings-on around School. Even though she now worked in the Office, she was cut off from the student life and the rumor mill that was always the student undercurrent.
“Say, what was it like going to that big battle ?”, Christy asked, referring to the Chem Plant raid. “Was it real bloody ? I heard a girl died over there, and they’re covering it up !”
“Well, no, she didn’t die”, Angie told her, “But got shot real bad, the only girl to get hurt. She went down into the plant with the boys, is why. I didn’t go down, Hal told me to stay put. There was about 10 boys shot on the roof, some were real bloody, We had to put towels and stuff on them that Mandy brought along....”
“So what happened to that girl ?”, Christy cut in, “Where’d she go ? Who was she, anyway ?”
“Oh, she was one of the new girls who came from that Reform School”, Angie said, “Her name was Tiffany, and a Helicopter took her away the next morning....But get this....She was Constantinos’ girlfriend !”
“No !”, Christy said, shocked, “That sneaky boy who always is watching everyone and who broke into the Dorm all the time ?”
“Yes, that’s him”, Angie said. “But what’s more, he’s disappeared, hasn’t been seen around since. You know he got expelled, right ?”
“I heard that it was Ms. Phillips who did that....” Christy related on and on, and so did Angie, for quite a long while, about that, the Raid, and some other things. Their food was served and eaten and they were still gabbing on about all sorts of things, including the scandal of Miss Jones. Finally, the conversation came around to Angie’s life with the Greasers, and in particular, Hal.
“So, what’s it like being a Greaser Girl ?”, Christy asked, “And Hal ? He seems like the last guy that would become your boyfriend ! Didn’t he just like fat girls ?”
“He likes fat boobs”, Angie told her, and thrust her pair high. It was then that Christy realized just how much Angie had grown, in more ways than just up.
“Those are really big tits”, Christy said, impressed. “Bigger than mine.”
“Biggest in the whole School”, giggled Angie. “Can you believe it ?”
“Guess I can, looking at them”, Christy said, somewhat wistfully. “Hal must really enjoy those.”
“There’s other things about me he likes”, Angie said, patting just below her tummy. “And he’s big, really big, not just all fat.” She laughed then, finding that funny. “I finally got to go to the big city with a boy !”
Despite herself, Christy had to laugh at Angie’s long-expressed wish fulfilled.
“Anyhow, Christy, Hal wants me to pass on a message from Johnny and Lola", Angie said, in a lower tone. “He asked me to because we're friends, and....Well, I think it would help you and Winkie out."
Christy was taken a little off-balance by the sudden change of subject. “What ? What are you talking about ?”
“Johnny....That is, Johnny and Lola....Want to hire you and Winkie to play some gigs at the Blue Balls Bar...You know, with you playing Piano and all”, Angie told her hesitantly.
“What ? Just us two ?”, Christy asked, still trying to get a handle on what Angie was asking.
“Umm...Well...There would be a third person, a singer, too...”, Angie ventured further.
“Aww...Who would that be, this singer ?”, Christie asked nasally.
“Umm...Hoo-Hoo....It would be....Um...Lola”, Angie said quietly.
Christy stared at her friend, slack jawed with her mouth open. “LOLA !?”, she finally exclaimed. “Errr....Can Lola even SING ?”
“Weell....Yes, actually”, Angie said, then hurried on. “She hums and sings all the time ! And she’s good, really ! She’s a little shy to do it in front of a lot of people, but after she gets used to it, I think she could be better than Pinky....Than Pinky was.”
Christy slumped back in amazement. “Who the Hell’s idea was this ?”, she asked, for lack of anything else to say.
“Umm...I think it was Peanut’s”, Angie said, then hurried on, “But Johnny wants to try it, see if it will draw in more customers to the Bar, and then maybe later on, if it works out, they could get a Band, and then have a career or something, with Johnny being her manager and Lola singing...So...What do you say ? How about it ?”
“I...I don’t know, really”, Christy shook her head. “I’d have to ask Winkie...”
“Johnny says he’ll pay $100 a night, for the both of you”, Angie went on, “For, like two hours, maybe two or three times a week.”
Christy considered. Winkie barely made $50 a night at his gigs, when he could get them, and even less when he played with the Trackers Band, when they were in the Valley. And, they sure needed money, if they ever wanted to get that car and a house someday.
“Well then”, Christy said slowly, “I think I will ask Winkie....But he’ll have to say yes, or we won’t play. That a deal ?”
“Oh, Hoo-Hoo-Hoo, that’s a deal !”, Angie exclaimed, getting excited. “I’ll tell the boys !”
The two girls talked on of other things until it was time to leave. As they went their separate ways, Christy still had doubts that such a venture would work out. But Angie, being her usual optimistic self, was totally sure that it would. She went off to call her Mother on her new Cell Phone before returning to New Coventry with the news.
___________________________________________
-
Arriving at the Football Field, Tony could see Karen had guessed correctly...The Jocks were indeed doing workouts. He could see, near the Bleachers, Bo, Dan, and Casey doing light workouts. They had been injured in the Raid, and this was their first time back on the field since then. Bob, Damon, Juri, and Luis were hitting the Tackling Dummies. Ted was throwing passes to Laurent, further out in the Field. Lance was limping his way around among them, providing water or any equipment they might need. Not yet ready to work out due to his injury, Kirby was standing close to Coach Sanders by the West Goalposts. The Coach had a hand laid on Kirby’s shoulder, Tony saw, but was watching his players intently, sometimes yelling out orders.
Tony, with Karen and Hannah following, climbed up into the West Bleachers and sat. Across the Field, they saw Nina, trying out some Cheerleading moves. Nina was having a tough time of it, even falling down sometimes, but she would gamely get to her feet and try again. Up in the Bleachers sat a smattering of Students in small groups here and there. The three waited, watching lazily. After a while, Hannah popped up with a sudden question.
“Who is that boy down there ?”, she asked, pointing, "And why is he limping ?”
Tony turned his eyes to the Field where she was pointing. “Oh, that's Lance, the Equipment Manager, and he limps because some Punks nearly beat him to death and crippled him."
“And they sure got what was coming to them", Karen added, almost savagely.
“Oh, that's terrible !", Hannah said, her hand rising to her face. "What a horrible thing !” She watched as Lance limped over to the Jocks at the Tackling Dummies. At a cooler, he lifted the lid and withdrew some sort of bottled drinks. These he gave in turn to the Jocks that were there and they commenced to chug them down. To the biggest one, Lance gave two bottles. Hannah’s eyes fixed on the big Jock. “Who’s that big one ?”, she asked.
“That’s Bob”, Karen answered. “He and Lance are....Good friends.”
“He so....Big !”, Hannah exclaimed. “But....He sure is dreamy !” She tore her eyes away for just a few seconds. “Do you guys know them ? Will you introduce me to them ?”
Tony shot a quizzical glance at Karen, who only gave a lopsided smile and shrugged. “Sure, if you want, I guess that could be arraigned”, she said.
Hannah fixed her gaze back on Bob, and just sat staring at him. Even as far away across the field as he was, Bob was an imposing figure. Another hour went by as they watched the workouts. About that time, Mandy appeared, carrying her Gym Bag, walking down the steps from the direction of the Gym and began winding her way towards the Bleachers. Mandy spotted the three sitting in the Bleachers and came up to where they were sitting. “Hi, Tony....Karen !”
“Hi, Mandy”, Karen said warmly, while Tony just waved. “What’coo doing today ?”
“Just taking care of some business on a slow Sunday”, Mandy said, sitting down on the Bleacher with them. She dropped her Gym Bag on the bleacher beside her, where it landed with a small Thump. “What brings all you down here today ?”
“We, um...Need to talk to Ted, and the rest of the Jocks”, Tony said. “Something important.”
“And here I was, thinking this was a social call”, Mandy said, but she was still smiling. She seemed to have an air of exuberance about her, as if she’d just completed a difficult task. “Is this something...Hush-Hush ?”
“No”, Tony said, matter-of-factly, “It’s about Weapons.”
“I’m Sure they’ll be interested in that”, Mandy said, sounding chipper. “Look, I’m headed to the Clubhouse. We can go wait for them, when they’re done and showered.”
“Beats sittin’ out here in the heat”, Tony allowed. “I’m all for that.” He rose from his seat and stretched.
“Oh, our manners !”, exclaimed Karen. "Mandy, this here’s Hannah.”
Hearing her name startled Hannah out of her staring at Bob. “Huh ?”, she blurted, her face getting red.
“Hannah, meet Mandy”, Karen told her, hiding her smile.
“How do”, Mandy said, eying her appraisingly. “You thinking about maybe trying out ?”
“Trying out ?”, Hannah said, flustered. “For what ?”
“For the Cheerleading Squad”, Mandy said. “We need cute girls like you.”
“Oh !....I don’t know”, Hannah replied, blushing anew. “You think I can ?”
“If that girl can, you can”, Mandy said with a smirk, pointing at Nina across the field. She looked at Karen. “How about you, Karen ? Gonna join the Squad this year ?”
“Oh gee, I don’t know”, Karen exclaimed. “With all that’s been happening, I totally forgot ! I guess maybe I could....”
“Hey, we going to the Clubhouse ?”, Tony interrupted, still standing there waiting. “You girls can talk along the way.”
Tony moved off, and the girls followed, chatting on the way. At the entrance to the Clubhouse, Mandy held Karen back for a second to tell her something. “Oh, Karen....What we were talking about before ? It’s been taken care of.”
“You sure ?”, Karen asked in a low voice.
”Oh yes”, Mandy grinned, patting the Gym Bag she was carrying. “Definitely.”
________________________________________________
-
Inside the Jock’s Clubhouse, Tony looked around, a bit surprised. He hadn’t been in here for a long time, not since the Tornado. The place was really spiffed up. The Equipment Cage was still in place in the North-West part of the large room, but that was the only recognizable thing. The rest of the room had been re-done and was a whole lot neater than it had been. It was still rather spartan, but the area to Tony’s right sported a brand-new widescreen HD Television on the North wall with a number of chairs facing it, and a long couch on the East wall. There was also a podium, and Tony was thinking that this was where the Jocks held their team meetings and reviewed game tapes, as well as their area for entertainment. To Tony’s left was a set of stairs that led up to the new second floor.
Mandy directed everyone over to the couch to await the Jock’s return. She turned on the TV for something to watch in the meantime. The girls grouped together on the couch and engaged in girl talk, leaving Tony staring at the TV. Spotting the remote on a small end table next to him, Tony grabbed it up and went channel surfing, stopping on an old movie which turned out to be “The Lords Of Flatbush”. After a while, Mandy and Karen decided to show Hannah the upstairs, and they all left to go up, leaving Tony to watch the movie.
“Hannah wants to meet Bob, and Lance”, Karen told Mandy on the way up.
“Oh ?”, Mandy said, arching an eyebrow. “I guess we can arrange that.”
The upstairs was gleaming and new-ish looking, with a small kitchenette off in the South corner, and an even smaller bathroom next to that with just a toilet and sink. The majority of the upstairs was taken up with bunks for the Jocks, including a separate room that had been intended for a computer and stats room, but had been appropriated for Ted and Mandy’s use. There was a large bed in there that took up most of the space and a small table.
Not long after, some of the Jocks trooped in, heading up to get a change of clothing before swarming the showers. Tony intercepted Ted and Laurent to ask for a meeting, only to find out that the Jocks had other plans for the rest of the day. Tony had to settle for a quick conference with Ted, and went about outlining the Binding Agreement and the promise of new Weapons to be delivered. Ted allowed as how they needed Weapons as before, and was all in favor of the idea of Parity. After all, they had the largest Clique now by far, and would probably grow even bigger as the new term got started. Ted did have some concerns, however.
“What about our Territory ?”, he asked. “Seems like the other Cliques have far more exclusive protected area that we do. The Nerds get the Observatory, The Greasers get the Autoshop, The Preps have Harrington House. All we have is this here Clubhouse, the rest of our area we gotta share. That’s my worry about all this. The others, they’ll get jealous, band together and attack us some night, right out here on our field. It’s happened before, y’know.”
“I sorta doubt they’re going to do that”, Tony replied. “But your point is well taken...It could happen in the future. I’m thinking that are times when the whole area South of the Fountain should be off-limits to the others. There’ll be negotiations with the other Cliques on just what times they want that will be acceptable to you Jocks as well. The same has to be done for the Bullies, since they don’t really have any area that’s exclusively their own. There’s still a lot to be worked out. But here’s the thing....Something like this is needed. This whole school will go back to being a jungle before too long, unless we do something.”
“I’ll have to run this by the other guys”, Ted said. “You know, me and Mandy are only going to be here one more term, then we graduate. Something like this will affect them for a long time to come, if I understand this right. And right now, I don’t even know who to hand the Clique over to then. Laurent don’t want the job.”
Off to the side, Laurent shook his head. “Non, that is right. I just want to play and be studying.”
“Well, do that, then would you ?”, Tony asked him. “But....With the outside world looking in now, something like this needs to be done, before even tougher rules and punishments are pushed on us from higher up, remember that. And those that don’t sign on to this, in whatever form it eventually takes, will wind up without Weapons and without protections of any kind.”
Ted mulled that over as Tony rose, saying, “Something to think about. Let me know when you can set up a meeting with everyone. I’ll be ready.”
_________________________________________
-
Upstairs in the Jock Clubhouse, Hannah was getting her introductions.
“Bob, Lance, this here is Hannah Tauge”, Mandy was saying. “She’s one of the new girls at the school.”
Both boys were looking at Hannah appraisingly. While not stunning, Hannah was the best-looking girl they had seen in quite a while, with the exception of Mandy herself.
“Um....Hi there”, Lance mumbled shyly, giving her hand a brief shake.
“Lo...Me Bob”, the giant Jock said, extending his huge paw. Hannah put her hand in his, and it looked like the hand of a baby in the hand of a adult. She looked up at him, and it was as if she were looking at a mountain. She stared into his eyes, fascinated. In the huge bulk of his face, they seemed the kindest of eyes she had ever seen.
Unable to grasp his hand with hers because of it’s giant size, Hannah seized a couple of his fingers and squeezed. “I’m...Real glad to....Meet you....Bob”, she said softly, mesmerized.
“Like-Wise”, Bob said, and suddenly winked. Hannah’s heart fluttered, a surge of emotions running through her like an electric current. Her knees felt weak. Quite suddenly, she had to go pee.
“Um...Mandy ?”, she stammered, tearing her eyes away from Bob. “I have to...Is there a place...?”
Mandy understood. “Sure...Right by the kitchenette there, see where that boy’s at, it’s just to left....”
But Hannah was already on her way, passing another large Jock, Juri, who was strangely wearing a Cowboy hat, facing the sink. Mandy noticed Juri then, and jeered, “Hey Juri, what’s with the hat ? Gonna rope some Steers for dinner ?”
“It is a Cows Boys hat”, Juri said in his Russian accent, “I will one day play for them !”
“Sure you will”, Mandy laughed, “Keep believing that.”
Juri just grunted in response and returned to what he was doing. Hannah found the small bathroom and hurried to relieve herself. Her heart was hammering with excitement, and she used the time to calm herself. This boy was the one, the man of her dreams. She couldn’t believe her luck.
Out in the bunkroom, Karen observed teasingly, “She seems rather taken with you, Bob !”
Mandy giggled. Bob kept a bland face, but inside his mind was boiling. He too had felt the instant connection with Hannah, but he had to keep up his pretense. His future depended on it.
Tony came up the stairs then. Spotting Karen, he said, “Hey, I’m done here for now. You ready to go ?”
“Um...Well, Hannah’s in the bathroom right now”, she said, “We oughtta wait on her...”
“I’ll look after Hannah”, Mandy interjected. Karen turned to her with questioning eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her”, Mandy laughed
“Oh”, Karen said, “Well, Ok.” She turned to Tony. “So, where we off to now, then ?”
“New Coventry”, Tony replied. “Time to see the Greasers.”
__________________________________________________
-
Trent grabbed the first Bully who woke up that afternoon and stumbled out into the Common Room. “Com’on, we gotta go somewhere.”
“What you want”, Wade said sleepily. “Gotta go where ?”
“To go get Troy outta the Clinic”, Trent told him. “They called just awhile ago, said they’re turnin’ him loose.” Trent had a Cell Phone now, one of the tourists had bought it for him. Fame had it’s perks, it seemed, even for the likes of Trent.
“So why I gotta go for ?”, Wade asked, searching his pockets for change.
“Cuz I need somebody to lift a bike, and you’re the first one up”, Trent told him.
“Awww....Why me...”, Wade grumbled, finding a quarter but nothing else. “Wanna get a soda first...”
Trent threw Wade another quarter, since Tony had bought his drink. “Here, Catch...Get you soda, and let’s go.”
Wade fumbled the quarter that Trent threw him, dropping it on the floor. While Trent laughed, Wade scooped it up and fed the change into the Beam Cola machine. Getting his soda, he chugged it down, then burped. “UUTTT !! Ok, let’s go.”
They headed out the front of the School. The gates were Prefect-free today, although they still had to be opened and closed. Out in front was Edna’s bike and another shitty-looking one. Trent told Wade to take the Edna bike while he took the other crappy one. Nobody left good bikes out front anymore, due to all the theft of them and mostly because of the Bullies stealing them all the time.
They slowly biked over to the Vale Clinic. Once there, Trent told Wade to go down by the Vale Shiny Bike Store and look around. There was always a bike to swipe in the vicinity. Trent headed to Troy’s room, where he found him talking in confusion to some Nurse lady. When he saw Trent, his anxious expression became one of relief.
“Trent ! Tell dem I supposed to stay here !”, Troy said, desperation in his voice. “Not ready to go, I have no dinner yet !”
“You’re well enough to leave, young man”, the Nurse said primly. “We need the room for paying patients.”
“It’s Ok, I’ll handle him”, Trent assured her, looking at Troy.
“See that you do”, the Nurse sniffed disdainfully, and left the room.
“Com’on, Troy, get dressed”, Trent ordered, “Let’s blow this place.”
Gingerly, Troy got out of bed, and wobbled across the floor to the chair, where the Nurse had laid out his clothes. They were the same ones he had been wearing the night he was brought in, the shirt had holes in the front, dried blood caked on it. Troy moaned. “Aww, I got to wear this ?”
“Just till we get back”, Trent assured him. While Troy was changing, Trent took the big white plastic bag the clothes had been stored in and started looking around. Spotting the urinal and bedpan, he swiped them and stuck them in the bag, followed by a blanket that looked to be in good condition. When Troy was ready, they walked out from the Clinic.
Outside, Wade was waiting with a swiped red bike, in addition to the ones they had ridden in on. Trent and Wade help steady Troy on the bike, and then got on their swiped ones, flanking Troy on either side. “Ok...All ready ?”, Trent asked.
Wade indicated he was, but Troy balked. “I...Donno bout this !”
“What, you forget how to ride ?”, Trent quipped, “Need training wheels ?”
“Not Funny !”, Troy exclaimed, but put his feet on the pedals.
“So, let’s go then”, Trent proclaimed, “Back to Paradise !”
The trio of three moved out slowly, picking up speed. Some pedestrians stopped to look at the strange procession, two Bullies on crappy bikes and the third bully sandwiched in-between on a slightly better one, as they hauled ass slowly out on Vale Boulevard, heading East to Bullworth Academy.
______________________________________________
-
About the time that Tony and Karen made it to the Front Quad, the Bullies of Trent, Wade, and Troy had returned through the Front Gates and were taking the turn on the path to the Boy's Dorm.
“That looks like Trent and the Bullies", Tony observed, and squinted. “Say, isn't that Troy in there with them ?"
“Yep", Karen confirmed, looking closer as the trio disappeared around the corner, “And that was Wade along with them."
“Looks like Troy got out of the Clinic kind of early", Tony commented, “Thought for sure he'd be in until at least the end of the month."
“Well, the Vale Clinic doesn't like to keep poor people too long", Karen remarked wirily.
“Johnny Vincent’s still there”, Tony pointed out. “He’s a Greaser, they’re not rich.”
“Oh, he’s got a wad of money they brought back from Detroit”, Karen told him.
“Yeah ?” This was news to Tony. “How do you know ?”
“Oh, just girl talk”, Karen responded, without elaborating. They cleared the Front Gate by then. Tony’s attention was drawn to the Bike Rack. The Cook Edna’s bike was slotted in there. Just in front of the rack, two other bikes lay there, dropped carelessly on the pavement.
Karen followed his look. “Thinking of stealing bikes now, are we ?”, she asked mischievously.
“More like....Borrowing”, Tony said, as he headed toward the Rack. “Here, you take Edna’s, I’ll take this red one.”
“Right, give me the slow one”, Karen joked as she went toward the Rack. “If you’re going to make a criminal out of me, I should be stealing something worthwhile.”
“Borrowing”, Tony reminded her. “And 'sides...We’ll bring 'em back. Long as they don’t get swiped in Coventry while we’re there, that is.
Getting on the bikes, they headed off to New Coventry as the afternoon blazed on.
______________________________________
-
As they were biking past the Bullworth Theater, on which the renovation was almost finished (The blown-out front had been reconstructed, other parts on the inside had been upgraded and repaired as well), Tony thought he heard a distant noise.
“Do you hear that ?”, he asked Karen beside him, as they biked closer to the Railroad Underpass, which was the dividing line between Bullworth Town and New Coventry.
“Yeah !”, Karen exclaimed, “It’s....Music ! Tony, it’s Music !!”
And so it was. As they biked underneath the underpass on New Coventry Road, it became even louder. It seemed to be coming from even further ahead, past the New Coventry Yum-Yum Store, it indeed grew louder as they biked past it. At the left turn in the road up ahead, where the street became Coventry Boulevard, Tony soon spotted the source of the music.
It was coming from two giant speakers set outside the former Slab-O-Meat store. The faded sign was still across the top of the building, but below it, the large glass windows had been repaired, and the door was standing open. They biked up to the front and stopped. The music was almost deafening, but it seemed familiar to Tony, who liked old movies.
Grease - Frankie Valli - (LYRICS) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQX9qvsk838#)
“I solve my problems and I see the light,
We got a lovin' thing, we gotta feed it right.
There ain't no danger we can go to far,
We start believing now that we can be what we are,
Grease is the word.”
“They think our love is just a growing pain,
Why don't they understand, It's just a crying shame.
Their lips are lying only real is real,
We stop the fight right now, we got to be what feel,
Grease is the word....
{is the word, is the word that you heard}
It's got groove, it's got meaning....
Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion,
Grease is the way we are feeling.”
“We take the pressure and we throw away,
Conventionality belongs to yesterday.
There is a chance that we can make it so far,
We start believing now but we can be who we are.
Grease is the word....
{is the word, is the word that you heard}
It's got groove, it's got meaning....
Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion,
Grease is the way we are feeling.”
“This is the life of illusion,
Wrapped up in trouble,
Laced with confusion,
What we doing Heeere ?”
“We take the pressure and we throw away,
Conventionality belongs to yesterday.
There is a chance that we can make it so far,
We start believing now but we can be who we are.
Grease is the word....
{is the word, is the word that you heard}
It's got groove, it's got meaning....
Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion,
Grease is the way we are feeling.”
“Grease is the word, Is the word, Is the word, Is the word....”
As the song came to an end, a voice overrode it, speaking loudly. They both realized that this wasn’t just somebody playing music on big speakers...This was something else.
“THAT WAS THE GREAT FRANKIE VALLI WITH A BLAST FROM THE PAST, HERE AT WPIG, THE VALE VALLEY’S NEWEST RADIO STATION !!! THAT’S A SHOUT OUT TO THOSE MARVELOUS GREASERS OF THE VALLEY, THE LAST OF A DYING BREED !!!"
Tony looked at Karen, open-mouthed. A Radio Station ? Could it be that they could really have something to listen to on the Radio besides all that crap that Harrington & Company had been funneling through all those years ? Dismounting, they went to the open door and looked inside.
____________________________________________
-
Mr. Martin looked around his apartment and sighed. Most of his things were packed up in boxes, what little he still owned. He had to move out by the end of the week. There was no other choice. In just a few days, his new home would be a hovel in Blue Skies. He had managed to rent a trailer for a cheap price that sat near some huge Power Lines, one that had been vacated some time ago by some of those Townie freaks. The Scumbags had probably been making Dope over there, he thought, and that was probably why the rent was so low.
The afternoon was hot. The Hermit Crabs would be out in the Bay, happy to be warm. They got stressed and weak when the water temperature was too low. Weak Crabs made for poor eating, that he knew. But it didn’t matter anymore, not this summer. He wouldn’t be selling any more Crabs, since his Crab Shack Seafood Restaurant had been blown to bits and now the building sat boarded up and useless to him. Already heavily in debt and without insurance, he couldn’t afford to rebuild after what those Terrorist Punks had done to him.
It had been a hard life, he reflected. Married young because of an imminent baby on the way, it seemed he had always been behind. The young red-headed woman he had married turned out to be a strident bitch, always nagging him and disrespecting whatever efforts he made. The birth of a second child made her even worse, and she shut him off from sex after that. In frustration, he began an affair with Karry Kopke, single at the time but who later married Mr. Buckingham. Regardless, the affair continued for several years until it’s eventual discovery, leading to a vengeful divorce from the Mother of his two children. But that wasn’t the end of of it, oh no.
His children had sided with their Mother, both refusing to see him or have anything to with him. Worse, he was forced by the divorce agreement to pay to send them off to boarding school at Bullworth Academy. Freed of the children she didn’t want, even though they remained loyal to her, his now Ex-Wife had then run off with another man.
Mr. Martin did have one break when he was able to finagle a loan from the Bank to buy the Seafood place along Vale Boulevard when it came up for sale. He envisioned a prosperous business and finally the respect he felt he had always deserved. But still, it seemed he wasn’t destined to become a winner in life. While the Bluebloods in the Vale Valley may have caught the Crabs from their own debaucherous activities, they sure didn’t like eating many of them. Mr. Martin lived on the edge of bankruptcy, even being forced to pay schoolboys to swim out and bring back Crabs from his Traps in the Bay, since he couldn’t afford to buy the high-priced Alaskan Crab that he was sure the Rich People would want to eat.
The net effect on his children had been bad also. His daughter Christy had become so insecure that she began talking about setting fire to the school and committing suicide. She also would threaten to strangle people with her tie. She began circulating nasty rumors about others, although those rumors rarely seem to have any basis in reality. There had been a scandal over a year ago involving her and a couple of the other schoolboys which caused her not to be able to graduate on time and having to spend another year at Bullworth.
His son Wade had fared even worse, falling in and then becoming a part of the low-life group of boys who called themselves the Bullies. He held a severe grudge against his Father for his parent’s a messy divorce because of Mr. Martin’s cheating with Miss Kopke. Already an angry kid, he also came to resent his lack of intelligence in comparison to the other kids in school, particularly the Nerds, whom he believed should be beaten up for being so smart. But his chief antagonism was reserved for his Father, and he hadn’t spoken to him in years.
His estranged children aside, Mr. Martin was now in the worst fix in his life. He was only hanging on because he had managed to secure a job as a Dock Worker in Blue Skies, ironically because of the bombing of the Chem Plant that had spread that noxious green gas over the area, set by the same Punks who had bombed his Crab Shack. The whole section of Blue Skies had been quarantined for so long after that, including the Docks, that many of the Dockworkers had left to find jobs elsewhere. When the Docks had at last re-opened, help was needed, and he managed to get one of the jobs offered.
However, the pay wouldn’t be enough to keep the Bank from foreclosing on his Crab Shack, not to mention fixing the place up in order to re-open for business. It would barely be enough to cover his Court-ordered obligation to pay tuition to Bullworth Academy. Christy had graduated, he knew, but there was still Wade there, for how long he could only guess. Wade wasn’t too bright and might never graduate.
Mr. Martin needed a stake, a large enough sum to at least give him hope that he could stave off total ruin. In that, a Dock job might just be the answer....There were valuable shipments that disappeared from Docks every day. He’d been keeping his eyes open for opportunities, but nothing lucrative as yet had presented itself. It would have to be soon, he knew....He was running out of time.
___________________________________________
-
Tony and Karen gazed around inside. Behind the still-whitewashed front windows was a changed interior. What was once a vacant Meat Shop with dusty metal counters had been transformed into a Radio Studio. Over to the right was a reception area, to the left was a maze of Control Boards, Turntables, CD and tape players, and Monitors.
A husky fellow with long dark hair a bushy beard sat behind the Main Control Board, a microphone suspended on a jointed movable arm next to his face. He was intro-ing the next song in a earnest manner that began to blare on the speakers outside. "WPIG, YOUR FAVORITE RADIO STATION, THE STATION BY THE BAY, THE STATION THAT ROCKS, THE STATION THAT NEVER STOPS !!!”
“We built this city....We built this city on rock an' roll.
We built this city.....We built this city on rock an' ro-o-o-o-ll.”
We Built this City w/ Lyrics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnUSGAi9j8I#)
As the song began to play, the man motioned them inside, pulling headphones off as he did so. Tony and Karen ventured inside, closer to the man. “Um....This a Radio Station ?”, Tony asked incredulously.
“Why, shore is, my man !”, the bearded man replied. “Today be our first broadcast day !”
“But...How ?”, Tony asked, looking around. “And...Who are you ? I...I don’t know you ?”
“Say you don't know me, or recognize my face,
Say you don't care who goes to that kind of place.
Knee deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight,
Too many runaways, eating up the night.
Marconi plays the Mamba,
Listen to the radio....
Don't you remember ?
We built this city,
We built this city on rock an' roll.”
“Oh...I’m Lou Jacks, one of the DJ’s here”, the man replied, “But on the air, I be Wolfman Jacks, baby !” He extended his hand, and Tony came forward and shook it.
“I’m Tony Calderone”, Tony said, “And this here’s Karen...Um, did you say, you’re one of the DJ’s ?”
“Oh yuah, my pardner in crime, Janet, she’ll do the night shift for now, she goes by ‘Janet From Another Planet’, yuh dig ?”, Lou Jacks said. “We gonna be bringin’ Classic Rock to the Valley here !”
“We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll.
Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll.”
“Well...We certainly can use some music here”, Tony said. “Is that all you’re gonna be playing ?”
“Ah, fer now, that’s what the Corporation that runs this gig wants”, Lou Jacks answered, “But later, we’re gonna upgrade...Coldplay, Train, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, that sorta thing.”
“Uh...What Corporation would that be ?, they send you out here ?”, Tony asked.
“Ah, Music Track America is what they going by now, but tomorrow, who knows ?”, Lou ‘Wolfman’ Jacks laughed. “You know them dudes always playing the name game, yuh dig ?”
“Someone always playing corporation games,
Who cares, they're always changing corporation names.
We just want to dance here, someone stole the stage.
They call us irresponsible, write us off the page.
Marconi plays the Mamba,
Listen to the radio....
Don't you remember ?
We built this city,
We built this city on rock an' roll.”
Tony didn’t know precisely what Lou Jacks was talking about, but nodded anyway. Then, he asked, “Um...Where’s your big antenna ? Don’t a Radio Station need one of them ?”
“Gots a little one on the roof for now, handles 500 Watts”, Lou Jacks answered, “But next week, we gonna have a big one built, over by the Junkyard, yuh dig ? That’ll pump us up to Five Thousand Watts, enough to cover this her whole Valley, and them some, baby !”
“We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll.
Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll.”
“That’ll get this place jumpin’, all right”, Tony observed. “We need something here, the streets seem so dead on days like these.”
“Yes, that ought to liven things up around here”, Karen said, “I think all the kids would like it !”
“I heard this place had it’s troubles, all rights”, the ‘Wolfman’ said, “Corruption and Skullduggery and all...Buts all kids needs to just chill and dance sometimes. Ain’t dat where the music scene took hold in the first place, in the Schools ?”
“It's just another Sunday, in a tired old street.
Police have got the choke hold, o-o-o-oh, but we just lost the beat.
Who counts the money, underneath the bar ?
Who rides the wrecking ball into our guitars.
Don't tell us you need us, 'cause we're the ship of fools,
Looking for America, comin’ through your schools”
Marconi plays the Mamba,
Listen to the radio....
Don't you remember ?
We built this city,
We built this city on rock an' roll.”
“Yes...I think it might help things here quite a bit”, Tony said.
“It’s just what this place needs”, Karen responded. They both had taken a liking to the bearish-looking Lou ‘Wolfman’ Jacks, and it got Tony to thinking how this might also work in favor of other things as well.
“Outtasight”, ‘Wolfman’ Jacks said. “Say, you kids wanna make some extra cash ? Take these here WPIG posters and pass ‘em around to yer friends over at yer school. Come back later and I’ll have some more, yuh dig ?” He dug around under the table the Control Board was on an pulled up a bundle.
Tony took it from him. “Sure, we can do that, I guess, no problem !”
“Far Out”, the ‘Wolfman’ replied. The song was coming to an end, and he checked the time left. “Oop, gotta fly, dudes....Time to make my money from da man, yuh dig ?” He put his headphones back on and pulled the microphone close, preparing to turn in on. Tony and Karen waved goodbye and went back on the sidewalk in time to hear his segway into the next song.
“We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll.
Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll.”
We built...We built this city....
We built...We built this city....
We built...We built this city....
We built...We built this city....
“THAT WAS THE STARSHIP ON WPIG FOR ALL YOU COOL CATS AND KITTENS OUT THERE IN THE VALE VALLEY. ROCK ON ROCK WITH THE WOLFMAN AT 93.7, THE SOON TO BE MIGHTY 93 AND THE WAY IT USED TO BE, BACK WHEN THIS WAS THE FIRST HIT ON MTV BY THE BUGGLES !”
Buggles.-.Video.Killed.The.Radio.Star.vob H.Q. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8h5OEivJdA#)
“I heard you on the wireless back in Fifty-Two
Lying awake intent at tuning in on you.
If I was young it didn't stop you coming through.
{Oh-O-Oh.....}
They took the credit for your second symphony.
Rewritten by machine and new technology,
and now I understand the problems you can see.
{Oh-O-Oh.....}
I met your children.....
{Oh-O-Oh.....}
What did you tell them ?
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
Pictures came and broke your heart.
{Oh-a-a-a Oh....}”
“And now we meet in an abandoned studio.
We hear the playback and it seems so long ago.
And you remember the jingles used to go.
{Oh-O-Oh.....}
You were the first one.
{Oh-O-Oh.....}
You were the last one.
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
In my mind and in my car,
We can't rewind we've gone to far
{Oh-a-aho Oh.....}
{Oh-a-aho Oh.....}
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
In my mind and in my car, We can't rewind we've gone to far.
Pictures came and broke your heart, put the blame on VCR.
{Ohhh, Video Starrrrrrr, Ohhh, Video Starrrrrrrr...}
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.”
Tony and Karen stayed to listen to the music, then as the song was ending mounted their bikes and resumed their journey to Blue Balls Bar, Tony balancing the package of posters on his handlebars as he rode.
_________________________________________
-
Over at the Vale Clinic, Nick and Johnny were taking their first shaky walks since their injuries. Out in the halls outside their rooms, Nick, being aided by Melody, and Johnny, being aided by Lola, moved slowly towards each other. Their steps were hesitant and their breathing was labored. Meeting up, the boys took a break, leaning against the rail that ran along the wall.
“Hey Melody”, Lola said in a friendly tone. “The boys are quite a sight, aren’t they ?”
“Yes...They are”, Melody agreed, but she still had a look of worry in her eyes.
“Ey, I be just fines”, Johnny said, still leaning on the rail. “De Outsiders always pull through, Rights, Nick ?”
“NYEAH”, Nick grunted, recognizing the reference, “SUVIVERS.”
“Um....Thank you for helping us”, Melody said to Johnny and Lola.
“Ey, dat’s allrights....Lola here dids some fine shootin”, Johnny replied, “Took out dat Townie ass who winged me.”
“Oh...Which one ?”, Melody asked with interest, her eyes narrowing.
“It was that Bastard Otto”, Lola replied, hate in her voice, “He shot Johnny.”
And Raped Me, Melody thought but didn’t say. Instead, she said, “Good !”, in a vengeful voice. “That Asshole deserved it.”
There was a tick of silence as the girl’s words settled in on the group. Then Johnny said to Nick, “I heered you foughts valiant, wit plenty of guts. I’se admire dat.”
“YOOUSE HELP PUTTUM ON THU RUN”, Nick said through wired jaws, “COULDNTA WON WIDOUTS YOOUS.”
“Ey, quites alrights”, Johnny said, “Youse foughts like a true champ.” Johnny extended his hand, and Nick took it. “Facts, Ise gonna makes you an Honorary Greaser.”
Nick shook Johnny’s hand. “PLEEZED TO ACCEPT”, he said through his teeth, and managed a painful grin.
Lola watched their friendliness for a few seconds, then said to everyone, “We should get you boys moving, if you’re gonna be gettin’ out of here by the end of the week. Gotta build up your strength !”
Melody smiled weakly in agreement and gently tugged at Nick’s arm. “Let’s go, Nicky...Gotta get you strong.” The group broke up and began to continue on their separate ways.
“Stay Gold, Ponyboy”, Johnny told Nick as they parted. Nick raised his hand in a thumbs-up gesture before continuing with Melody down the hall.
____________________________________________
-
Tony and Karen biked away from the former Slab O’ Meat Store, now Radio Station WPIG, up towards the Coventry Police Station past Hung-Lo, made the right turn at the Corner Bar, and biked past The Final Cut and Tasteful Tattoos, all gloriously repaired, and headed East on Coventry Boulevard towards the Golden Horseshoe. Even though Federal cleanup money hadn’t counted for much in the area yet, the place seemed cleaner somehow, more vibrant. The seedy side of the Vale Valley didn’t seem quite as despicable as it once was. A little further, they came to the Blue Balls Bar. A couple of Greasers were outside the entry door, smoking. It was Hal and Lefty, and they greeted Tony and Karen warmly.
“Hey, what’s up, Tono ?”, Hal chortled, “You looking fine, Karo !”
“Tony, Man !”, exclaimed Lefty, “Youse guys out slummin’?”
Tony and Karen parked the bikes up by them and got off. “Hi-De-Ho boys. We doin’ fine, just come to check the place out. Is Peanut inside ?”
“Yeah, back in da back there, somewheres”, Hal said, jerking his thumb in the general direction past the partly-open door. “We just takin’ a smoke break from our labors”, he guffawed.
“Labors. huh ?”, Tony asked, wondering just what the Greasers were up to now. “Like what ?”
Hal shrugged. “Youse can see, inside”, he said gesturing at the door.
“Mmm, Okay”, Tony said. “Watch our bikes, would’ja ?”
Hal eyed the bikes. “No worry, they ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
"And, hang some of these Posters in the window, Ok ?", Tony asked them, "They're for that new Radio Station." He gave Hal a few of the Posters and tucked the rest under his arm.
Hal looked at the Posters, and his face lit up. "Hey, I heards of dis guy ! He's a DJ Legend !"
Tony and Karen entered the Blue Balls Bar and looked around. Tony hadn’t been inside the Bar since the beginning of last Winter, when he had been scouring New Coventry looking for clues to the attacks on the Cliques and the identity of Piff the Skull. Then, the place had been a dump, practically a wreck. There had been trash all over, and an old mattress had been thrown on the floor next to an stand-up Arcade game called Monkey Fling. There had been no booths or tables like one would find in a regular Bar, and the Restrooms had been broken and wrecked. The only furniture in the place had been an old couch facing a TV against the far North wall.
Now, as Tony’s eyes adjusted to the darker interior, he could see the place had been transformed. Directly ahead of where they stood was a large Pool Table. Just where the Greasers had come up with that, he didn’t know. There were now a number of tables and chairs about the floor section, and in the front, to the left of where they stood, Booths had been installed in front of the windows that faced the street, and the mattress was gone. The only thing that still remained was the Monkey Fling game by the door.
One of the Restroom doors opened and Binky came out. Tony guessed that the Restrooms had been repaired as well. Binky saw Tony and Karen standing there and approached them. Flashing her quirky smile, she asked, “Stopping in for a drink, are you ?”
“Uh...No, we’re looking for Peanut”, Tony replied. “He in ?”
“He’s in the back room”, Binky said. “Follow me.”
Binky led them past the Pool Table and wound around some of the tables, past the ever-present Beam Cola machine, passing the Bar proper. There were barstools there now. To the right, the old couch was now gone. In it’s place was a newly built unfinished stage. The smell of the bare plywood filled the air. Lounging on the stage was some of the Greasers drinking beers, Lucky, Norton, and Ricky. For some reason, Ricky looked especially upbeat instead of his usually scowling self. They greeted Tony and Karen with offers of beers while Binky went to the door marked 'Employees Only’. “I’ll see if he’s dressed yet”, she said.
Karen frowned. “Is he still asleep this late in the day ?”
“Oh...No”, Binky said with her lopsided grin. “He just can’t leave me alone, y’know ?”
Karen grinned back, understanding. Binky went inside briefly and then returned. “He’ll see you now...He’s ready.”
Getting a beer anyway from the Greasers to fortify himself, Tony entered the back room, with Karen trailing behind. Binky got a beer from the others for Peanut and followed them in.
__________________________________________________
-
He was almost back. It had been a long trip, but now there wasn’t far to go. He had walked a great deal, had gotten a few rides. For food, he had done a few ‘eat and dashes’, leaving the Roadside Diners without paying and running off down the road. He had done much the same on the way up, first to Providence and then to Boston.
He’d had a lot of time to think. Think about what he was going to do. When he had first wandered down the road and away from the Vale Valley, there was no real direction, no plan. The Helicopter was from Providence, he saw that on the side of it, so that was the way he went. But, arriving in Providence, he found Tiffany had been transported to Boston, even further away. He set out after her, prodded on by his guilt and recrimination, accompanied on the way by the ever cruel and diversive Voice of Reason.
But the Voice was silent now, silent since he was set on his mission. He knew exactly what he must do, exact revenge for Tiffany. Just how, where, and when would be determined after he returned. But first, he would make amends. Pretend to have come to his senses, and act normally....For his mission he would need no help. It was something he must do alone.
“This is the road”, he indicated to the latest driver of his hitch-hiking trail, “Right here.”
Alighting from the car, he thanked the driver, who then sped away. Alone on the highway in the late afternoon sun, Constantinos walked to the other side where the road that led to Bullworth began and started the final walk down the 5-mile stretch towards the Vale Valley.
_____________________________________________
-
Peanut was just finishing getting his clothes back on as Tony and Karen entered. Binky trailed in behind and walked past them to pass the beer to Peanut. “Thought you said you were ready”, she said, smirkingly. “Whatsmatter, get your zipper stuck ?”
In the dimly lighted back room, it wasn’t easy for Tony to see whether or not Peanut’s face got red, as he suddenly stopped fooling with his clothing and took the beer from Binky. “Just weren’t expectin’ company, is all”, he muttered as he took a swig from the bottle. Motioning Tony and Karen to a couple of ratty-looking chairs in the small room, he said “What brings youse all around heres on dis foine day ?”
“There’s something I gotta talk to you about, and I want you to discuss it with your Clique guys”, Tony began, as he an Karen sat in the rickety chairs. “It’s a new way for all Cliques to interact at Bullworth, a way to control fighting and deal with any violence that crops up.”
“Yeah ? What’s in it fer us ?”, Peanut asked, taking another swig of beer.
“Replacement Weapons”, Tony answered, “Free and clear. It’ll be Parity again, like before, but with new agreements on handling disputes, trades between Cliques, everyone’s exclusive territorial rights, Protection and Defense, and a whole lot more.”
Peanut’s eyes lit up at the mention of Weapons, which the Greasers would surly need soon. “So’s, if’n we agrees to all dis youse talkin’ about, we gets free Weapons ?”
“That, and much more”, Tony told him. “Let me explain the points of the Agreement to you, part by part, and you’ll have a clearer picture of what I’m talking about here.”
Peanut flipped up his hand, indicating Tony to continue. For the next 20 minutes, Tony went through the points on the Binding Agreement while Peanut listened intently. Having been put back in charge of the Greasers was something he intended to take seriously this time around. Binky stood, leaning against the wall by the door, taking it all in without comment, puffing slowly on a ciggy.
Winding up, Tony gazed at Peanut as he digested what had been said. “What do you think of all that ?”
“Sounds....Pretty good”, Peanut shrugged, “If, and I means IF, youse cans gets everybodys to agree.”
“Those who don’t agree won’t get the protections that I’ve outlined”, Tony said, “They’ll be fair game for attacks from the others. Look, this way, everybody wins, and we can turn this place into a real school instead of it sinking back into a dump.”
From her spot against the wall, silent until now, Binky spoke up. “What about Girls ? How’s this going to protects us ?”
“There’ll be a place in the Protection and Defense section about that”, Tony assured her. “We want to emphasize that part to everyone.”
“After what happened to me, and Melody, I made sure that was to be included”, Karen spoke up, “and it will apply to all the girls, not just Clique girls.”
Binky said nothing, but just turned her head towards Peanut and gave a slight nod. Peanut eyed her for a moment, and turned his attention back to Tony. “All rights....I’sle talk to the boys abouts it.”
“You do that”, Tony said. “Get their thoughts and see what concessions they might want, and I’ll be back to negotiate a deal. When you sign, you’ll all get your weapons.”
“Ey, sounds fines to me”, Peanut said, and added, “You wants to sick arounds a while ? We coulds use some help finishin’ the stage out there.”
“Um...Sure”, Tony replied. “Just give a hammer and some nails, we’ll get it done in no time at all !”
As it turned out, it was to take a few more hours and a couple six-packs more before enough progress was made finishing off the stage. Worked in among that was the story of Lola’s upcoming singing debut with Winkie and Christy being a backup sort of band. It came as an amusement to Karen, but the worm of unease still wiggled about in Tony’s mind that Lola would accidentally someday let slip about their two encounters. But, as there was nothing he could do about that, he pushed the mental worm back in it’s hole and carried on.
After leaving Blue Balls, Tony and Karen went down the street to the Golden Horseshoe and got them to hang some WPIG Posters there. Then they biked to a number of other places in New Coventry and Bullworth Town, doing the same thing.
The Sun had set by the time Tony and Karen mounted their borrowed bikes after the last stop and headed back to Bullworth Academy. They were both a little tipsy, but tomorrow was Monday and classes were on. Just three more weeks, and then what remained of the rest of the summer would be theirs.
_______________________________________________
-
Just as the sun set, Constantinos returned to Bullworth, walking through the front gates. There was no one apparently about, but he didn't care. He went directly to the Boy's Dorm. While inside passing the Common Room, a glance told him it was also empty of anyone. Since he didn't want to deal with talking with anyone, that suited him just fine. Wearily slowing his steps, he shambled down the hall and opened the door to his room.
It was here his bit of luck ran out at not having to deal with anyone, as Ivan was lounging on his bed with an open book, apparently studying. Ivan looked up in surprise to see Constantinous back. He had gotten rather used to having the room to himself without the moody and depressing Constantinos about.
"So...You're back", Ivan said. It wasn't as much a question as it was an dissapointed observation.
Constantinos stood in the doorway like a Zombie, unmoving. At length, he walked into the room a few steps and stopped again. Looking at Ivan but appearing to look through him, he simply said, "Get Out."
"What..?", Ivan responded. "But...I gotta test tomorrow, I gotta study..."
"Get Out", Constantinos repeated, a hollow look in his eyes. "I want to be alone."
Ivan sat up on the edge of his bed. "Hey...This is my room, too. You just can't come back from wherever and order me around...."
"Get Out", Constantinos repeated again, cutting Ivan off. "Now."
Ivan started to reply, but seeing Constantinos gastly-looking face stopped him, plus the fact that Constantinos' fists were now balled at his side. It seemed he was willing to fight Ivan to get him to leave.
Ivan was having none of that. Gathering up his books, he grumbled, "Next term I'm rooming with someone who isn't a nut job." He sidestepped Constantinos and left the room. Constantinos moved to close the door, and then locked it. He slupmed against it wearily.
He was exhausted. He had been walking and riding a long time, but it was more that that. The guilt and turmoil in his mind over Tiffany had sapped his strength just as much as the lack of food and phyisical deprivations had. Constantinos staggered over to his still-unkempt bed and fell onto it. He badly needed rest and sleep, but feared it at the same time. None-the-less, his eyelids fluttered and closed and he was powerless to fight off the oncoming sleep.
Just before he dropped off, the Vioce of Reason came to him once more, cruel and malicious. "Finally drug our scrawny ass back here, did'ja ? You better get stout real quick, boy....We got lots to do."
"No-o-o-o-o", Constantinos moaned, bitter tears leaking from his closed eyes he was now unable to open. "I need....To rest..."
"Fine then...You rest", the Voice of Reason soothed, "But when we awake, you got much to do." Constantinos funneled down into the depths of sleep then, and the Voice of Reason followed, telling him just what had to be done.
______________________________________
-
Tony and Karen returned to Bullworth not long after, stashing their borrowed bikes back in front where they had found them. Instead of just going to their Dorms, they decided to go to the Mediator Office. There was just a few of the other students about, some returning from a day at the pool. They didn't talk to anyone as they made their way into the darkened school.
After some time discussing the Agreement, Karen asked Tony, "What about the Preps ? You haven't talked to them yet."
Tony sighed. "Not quite sure just who to talk to. Tad's still the Leader....But there's only two other Preps left there with him at Harrington House. Everyone knows Bryce and the rest are staying at the Beach House. So...Who do I pick ? It's a dilemma."
"Not really", Karen said. "Isn't Tad the 'Legal' leader ? I mean, even though they're split, nobody claimed a change of leadership, right ? So, Tad is still the leader, and he will be the one you will have to get to agree."
Tony thought, and finally had to concede. "I guess you're right...Tad has to be the one, as distasteful as that's gonna be. Tad's a Chamelion, no better than Derby was."
"So...Are you going to go see him tonight ?", Karen asked.
"No", Tony said, "It's getting late, and I'll be at a disadvantage meeting him in his own lair. What I need to do is talk to him on some neutral ground, alone."
"Alone ?", Karen asked. "Why Alone ?"
Because", Tony replied, "There's something I know that might just convince him to sign the Agreement, something that would wreck what reputation the Preps have left around here for good."
"What is it ?", Karen asked, fascinated. "What have you got on him ?"
"It has something to do with Gary", Tony answered, "Something Jimmy told me about...I wasn't here then, but a lot of kids were, and if it ever gets out, I think it would spell curtains for the Preps."
"If it was that bad", Karen wondered, "Why didn't Jimmy ever say something ?"
"It would have sparked a war against the Preps, Dr. Crabblesnitch's protected Clique, is why", Tony related. "Jimmy knew that, and so did Pete. This whole place would have turned into a War Zone, even worse that the Riot that happened right before Jimmy defeated Gary. They didn't know enough then, that was before Jimmy had the File, before before Gary got out of the Clinic and teamed up with Big Darrell to take over the Townies. Jimmy didn't want the whole place to erupt in mayhem then, especially since his Mother had never returned to pick him up that summer and he had to stay here. Then Gary and Omar got killed, Jimmy was arrested, and Pete was too afraid to say anything to anybody...There was no one he could trust."
"Pete didn't ever say anything to anybody either...did he ?", Karen asked.
"No....Pete didn't really tell me anything much until right near the end, before he got shot", Tony revealed. "Only then, I guess he felt he might be able to trust me, but then it became too late. He never told me anything about Tad though, Jimmy's the one who mentioned it, said it might come in handy if I ever had trouble with the Preps."
"And you think...This is the time ?", Karen asked.
"This is the time", Tony agreed. "A most splendid time."
___________________________________________
-
Neither Tony or Karen wanted to go back to their separate Dorms, so they just stayed in the Mediator Office for the night. Snuggling on the narrow couch became a hot makeout session, which led to the shedding of clothes and groping and panting. Karen turned the aggressor, having Tony do things to her he never would have thought she would. For her part, Karen was still needing to cleanse herself of what the Townies had done to her, and the more that she could have of Tony served to wash the feel and taste of them away from her.
Monday morning dawned, and they hurriedly got ready in order to get to class. At lunch, they elected to eat in the School Cafeteria, as the fare had been a bit better lately. Still, nobody would eat the perpetual Stew, no matter how much better the rest of the food had gotten.
While they were eating, Ivan approached their table. "Hey, can I talk to you a minute ?", Ivan practically begged.
"Um...Sure", Tony responded. "What's on your mind ?"
Ivan sat down in the chair Tony offered. "Constantinos is back", he began, "He come in last night."
"Well...We were wondering what happened to him", Tony said, and Karen nodded assent. "So, did he seem...All right ?"
"No, he looked like shit", Ivan responded, "But that's not all...The twerp made me leave our room, then he locked himself in. I hadda go stay in one of the Nerd's old vacant rooms for the night. He was still locked in this morning, I couldn't get in to get my stuff !"
Tony glanced at Karen. "Maybe...I should go check on him."
"Somebody should", Ivan said. "He seemed...I don't know...Ghastly, or something. I don't want no dead body in there, I just want my room back."
Tony rose. "I should go check it out." To Karen, he said, "You stay here...If I'm not back, get Ray or Laurent to escort you to class, Ok ?"
"I'll be alright", Karen said, "You go ahead."
Tony left the Cafeteria and headed off to the Boy' Dorm.
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-
The Preps rarely ate in the Cafeteria these days, despite the improved fare. Now, they normally went back to Harrington House to have lunch, which now had it's own little kitchen. Since the split, only Tad's bunch...Himself, Biff, Chad, and of course Vanessa...Were the only ones to go back to Harrington House for lunch. But today, Tad didn't go to to the Prep stronghold with the others. Making the excuse that he had a family matter to attend to for his Mother at Spencer Estates, he had slipped away after the morning classes.
Now, he stood in front of the Nerd's gate next to the Library, leaning over the keypad to punch in the code that nearly everyone knew about and that the Nerds had inexplicably neglected to ever change...1-1-3-8. The lock released, and Tad was on his way, through the Nerd's play yard that led to the Observatory. But that was not his destination today. Tad came to the tunnel that led out to the old Rail Line, the same place where less that two weeks ago a multitude of students, including four Preps, had traveled through on their way to the assault on the Chem Plant. Now Tad traveled through that same tunnel on an mission of his own, but not with the intention of rescuing anyone.
Over the wooden footbridge to the small tunnel underpass he went, winding up on the Blue Skies street that wound up to the Save Warehouse. That was his first destination. The side entrance door was locked, but that presented no problem. Tad withdrew a ring of keys from his pocket and selected one, sticking it into the lock and unlocking the door. Sticking the keys back in his pocket, many of which went to several places in the Industrial Area, he entered the Save Warehouse.
The interior hadn't changed much since the last time he had been in here, long ago. Tad went directly to the clothes Wardrobe, which was still in the same place. Rummaging around, he found the outfit he wanted, stuffing it into a cloth sack that was also in the Wardrobe. Then he closed the Wardrobe and left the Save Warehouse, walking North to the nearby Spencer Shipping Warehouse.
Even though Tad had keys to this building as well, since it was his Father's building, Tad wasn't going to get in here. The back of the building had been blown out from the office explosion his Father had remotely triggered, and was all boarded up. Tad knew that his Father had set off this explosion, and why. All of the shipping and business records had been destroyed in the blast, eliminating much of the potential evidence against his Father. The Feds had assumed it was just another of the Punk's bombing targets, but Tad knew better. As a point in fact, Tad knew a lot about his Father's business affairs, much more that Mr. Spencer ever realized.
Likewise, the front entrances to the Warehouse had been chained off and secured. It mattered little to Tad today, there would be time for Spencer Warehouse later, much later when all the heat died down. Time would be the great reliever until it was time for Tad to take the reins of the Spencer Empire. This was not his destination today at any rate. Tad continued West on the street in front of the Warehouse, going beneath the Railroad Underpass, and headed for the Docks.
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-
The door to Constantinos' room was still locked. Tony began knocking, softly at first, then louder. "Hey...Constantinos ? You In There ? Open Up !!"
Nothing. Tony tried again, knocking harder. "Hey...Open Up, Constantinos ! It's Tony, Man !!" Tony was literally pounding by now.
Still nothing. Tony stopped, trying to think of something to do. Should he try and break down the door ? Ivan had said Constantinos had returned last night, and that he looked 'like shit'....Maybe something was really wrong. Tony decided to try once more, and raised his fist to pound on the door.
But before he could strike the door, Tony heard the lock being unlocked. The knob turned and the door swung slowly open. Constantinos stood there, staring. "Hullo, Boss", he said shortly, "Com'on in."
Constantinos turned and walked back into the room and Tony followed. "Um...Glad to see you back. Just where you been ?"
"Away", Constantinos said dully. He went and flopped down on his bed. Tony noticed then in the weak light that his clothing was dirty and wrinkled badly.
"Where did you go ?", Tony asked, "Where have you been ?"
"Far away", Constantinos said wearily. "I came back though...No where else to go. Anyway...I need your help."
Tony pulled up a desk chair next to Constantinos' bed and sat down. "Well, sure, if I can. What is it that you need ?"
Instead of directly answering, Constantinos stared at the ceiling and asked another question. "Tell me....Who's in charge of the school now ?"
"Why...Mr. Galloway, of course", Tony answered. "He's all better now, and seems to have gotten over his...Um...Illness."
Constantinos nodded. "Good....It was Ms. Phillips who suspended me. Maybe..." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter though."
"What are you talking about ?", Tony asked. "What doesn't matter ? What is it you want me to help you with ?"
Constantinos sighed, a low mournful sound it seemed to Tony. "I want to....Confess", he said, "I need to...Come clean."
"Confess ?", Tony asked. "About what, exactly ?"
"The stolen Library Books", Constantinos muttered.
"But...You already got caught for that", Tony said, confused. "That's what got you suspended, right ?"
"I got caught with a backpack full", Constantinos said in an almost inaudible tone, "There's....Hundreds more."
"Hundreds ?", Tony repeated, astounded. "You stole Hundreds of books...For Tiffany ?"
"Yes", Constantinos whispered, "She...Wanted me to. But...If they're found, she'll get the blame...Because of where they are."
"Just where are they ?", Tony asked, almost knowing the answer.
"In the Girl's Dorm", Constantinos answered. Tony's eyes sort of bulged out a little at that. "Don't you understand ? I've got to tell them it was me. If I don't, they'll blame her, and she'll get sent back to the Girl's Reformatory...If...If she lives. I'll never see her again..."
"But...Maybe, we could sneak them back to the Library", Tony said earnestly. "It wouldn't take that long, I wouldn't think..."
"No", Constantinos interrupted. "It took me nearly two weeks to steal that many. There's no way. I'm surprised they haven't been found already." He shook his head. "No...I have to confess. That way, I take all the blame."
Tony had to admit to himself that returning that many books without being seen would be highly risky, even at night...Rather several nights, it would seem. "So...What is it you want me to do ?"
"Take me to Mr. Galloway", Constantinos answered, "And stay with me, so I don't lose my nerve."
"But...What if you get expelled for good ?", Tony asked.
"I don't care what happens to me". Constantinos said. "Tiffany is the important one. It's my fault she was down there in the Chem Plant and got shot...I gave her the Spud Gun."
Tony understood now. He could see that guilt was eating Constantinos to pieces. Tony knew all about guilt, he lived with it every day. But even though Karen's life had been in jeopardy, she hadn't gotten shot, as Tiffany had. Tony could only imagine what kind of agony that would have brought him.
Tony agreed then to escort Constantinos to see Mr. Galloway. He did insist that Constantinos change into some clean clothes, to which he reluctantly complied. Then together, they set off towards the School and to whatever fate awaited Constantinos.
_____________________________________
-
Tad walked out from under the Rail Overpass and took a right turn, going a little ways while looking about. Spotting somebody he knew who appeared to be taking a smoke break, he put on a grim look and approached him.
"Hullo, Mr. Buckingham", Tad said. "Working hard today, are we ?"
"Naw, hardly working", Mr. Buckingham responded, and then he realized just who it was. "Er...Just taking a break, Master Spencer...Totin' them crates is hard work, y'see..."
Tad's lips curved up in a smirky smile. Technically, the Dock Workers were employees of Spencer Enterprises, and Tad was the Boss' Son. "It's all right, Buckingham, I am not here to appraise you work ethics....There is someone I must see. Maybe you could direct me to him ?"
"Why, of course", Mr. Buckingham said hastily, dropping his ciggy to the pavement and grinding it out. "Who is it you want to see ?"
"I've heard that Mr. Martin is now working here", Tad said. "I need to speak to him on an important matter."
"Martin ?", Mr. Buckingham repeated, scratching his chin. "Oh, yeah, he just started here last week....He's back in the open area, burning some of the rubbish. It's through that gate there, I'll get somebody to buzz you through."
Tad knew well what area Mr. Buckingham meant, and how to get there. More than any other Prep, Tad knew the Docks area well. He followed along after as Mr. Buckingham approached the gate and spotted another worker on the other side. "Hey, McInnis, buzz that gate, would'ja ?"
Mr. McInnis grumbled a bit under his breath, but went over to a switch button and pushed it. A BUZZZZ sounded and the gate popped open. Tad walked past the both of them without another word and headed out beside the nearby building towards the open area.
"What's that all about ?", Mr. McInnis asked as they both watched Tad walk away.
"Search me", Mr. Buckingham said, "Maybe he's lookin' to get some Crabs off him." Both men laughed at the joke, as neither one of them liked the Spencers.
As Tad came around to the other side of the long building, he saw Mr. Martin was indeed in the open area, tossing some torn cardboard and splintered crate pieces into a burn barrel. He approached slowly and stopped. "Mr. Martin, I need to speak with you."
Mr. Martin looked around and saw Tad. "Um...Sure, Kid, what do you want ?"
"Since you are working for my Family now, there's a mission I want you to do."
Mr. Martin tossed another splintered piece of wood into the burn barrel, and turned to face Tad. "Yeah ? What kind of mission ?"
"Here is what I want you to do...", Tad began, and explained as the fire in the burn barrel blazed behind them. When he had finished outlining the plan, Mr. Martin shuddered. "Boy, I can't do that !!", He exclaimed loudly.
"Keep your voice down", Tad said coldly, "And I'm to be addressed as 'Master Spencer' in case you forgot just who I am." Tad fished in his pocket and withdrew a envelope. "There's compensation for this task, of course....Half now and half later." Tad handed Mr. Martin the envelope.
Mr. Martin took the envelope with suddenly-numbed fingers and looked inside it. "500 dollars ?", he said. "That means...A Thousand for the job..."
"All for a few minutes work, if you're up for it", Tad said coolly.
"I..I don't know...", Mr. Martin said. "What you're asking is...is..."
"Violent", Tad finished for him. "Yes,I know. But I have my reasons, which are none of your concern." Tad saw the indecision in Mr. Martin, and decided to tip the balance. "By the way, I can see this job doesn't suit you very well....You're a Businessman, not a common Laborer. How would you like to have the the Crab Shack back ? I can arrange that, you know...Buy up the Mortgage, and then turn the place over to you. All fixed up, of course."
Mr. Martin raised his eyes to Tad. "But...Your family's in trouble...Everyone knows that. How would you be able to..."
Tad laughed. "We Spencers have really deep pockets", he said. "Buying up a burned-out Crab Shop is just chump change, I assure you. What about it ? How badly do you want it back ?"
Tad kept a straight face, but inside he was laughing as he watched the man struggle with his decision. In the end, Mr. Martin's greed won out, as Tad knew it would. "All...All right, I'll do it...", Mr. Martin said. "When, and where ?"
"Saturday night", Tad said promptly, "Just after 11 O'clock. Sneak into the school and wait in the dark by the back South-East entrance. The School isn't much patrolled on weekends." Tad gave him the sack of clothing he had gotten from the Save Warehouse. "Wear this disguise...But leave the hat behind."
Mr. Martin looked into the bag. It contained black leather pants and a jacket, plus what looked like a Biker Hat. "And, use this", Tad said, withdrawing an object from under his clothing. Mr. Martin took it. It looked like a Police Nightstick.
"Attack from behind, and just keep laying it on", Tad continued. "But don't kill...The subject is to be beaten badly."
"But..Uh, how will you be sure this 'subject' will be there ?", Mr. Martin asked.
"He'll be there", Tad said, "Let me worry about that...You just carry it out, and that money and the Crab Shack will be all yours...Deal ?"
Mr. Martin nodded numbly. "Good. Saturday then, and don't be late", Tad said, then turned and walked away, leaving Mr. Martin holding the bag.
Mr. Martin watched Tad turn the corner and disappear. Then he looked at the Nightstick and the bag in his hands. He shook his head, thinking, "And I thought I was a loser! But this guy..."
_______________________________________
-
"Mr. Galloway in ?", Tony asked Christy in the School Office.
"Sure", Christy replied, "You want to see him ?"
"Yeah...Um...Me, and Constantinos here", Tony said.
"K, I'll go tell him", Christy said, and disappeared into the inner Office. In half a minute she was back, giving them a breezy smile. "You can go in, he's not busy with anything."
Tony and Constantinos went into Mr. Galloway's office, Tony closing the door.
"Well, hello there Tony !", Mr. Galloway exclaimed, "Good to see you again ! What brings you fellows in today ?"
"Well...It's about Constantinos here", Tony began, "He has something he wants to tell you."
"Oh ?", Mr. Galloway inquired, looking at Constantinos. "It's, um, Bakus, isn't it ? Weren't you...Suspended or something ?"
"It's Brakus", Constantinos replied dully. "And, I want to confess."
"Well, umm...By all means", Mr. Galloway said. "Confess to what ?'
"It's about the stolen Library books", Constantinos said.
"Oh, Yes !", Mr. Galloway exclaimed, "Ms. Phillips told me something about that. You were caught with those books sneaking them out of the Library one night." Here he stopped and frowned. "But...Those books got returned, right ?"
Constantinos shook his head. "Not all of them...There's more. I stashed them all in the attic of the Girl's Dorm."
"The Girl's Dorm attic ?", Mr. Galloway questioned. "Why did you put them there ?"
"I was taking them for a girl who liked to read", Constantinos said, "She was too...Shy to get them herself. I, um, took them over several nights....She had nothing to do with it, I took them all myself. There's nobody but me who's to blame."
There was silence for a moment, then Mr. Galloway asked, "Just...How many more books did you take ?"
"Oh..About a thousand", Constantinos answered in a low tone.
"A...Thousand ?", Mr. Galloway repeated, his eyes widening. It occurred to him at that moment that he hadn't had a Staff Meeting since he'd returned, something he made a mental note to do real soon. Maybe he should get to know what was going on at the School Campus, instead of getting blindsided with things like this.
"Yeah, about that many", Constantinos said hollowly. It did seem like a lot, now that he thought about it.
Well, Now", Mr. Galloway said. He rose and turned towards the window that overlooked the Back Quad. He knew that sooner or later, he would have to handle problems like this. He had missed the whole kids-being-out-after-cerfew-and-attacking-the-Chem-Plant thing, but he couldn't duck his responsibilities forever. Thinking, he decided to temper justice with mercy, and returned to his chair.
"Since you came to me and owned up to this, I'm not going to expel you", he said to Constantinos. "Somebody being truthful at this school is a pleasant change. So....Your suspension will remain in effect for the remainder of the term, which is...Only a couple more weeks anyway. For you punishment, you must gather and return all the books from the Girl's Dorm, under the escort of a Prefect."
"I would suggest Edward", Tony spoke up. Edward, in Tony's view, was the least objectionable Prefect on campus.
Mr. Galloway eyed him. "Edward it is then. Further", he said to Constantinos, "You will be on probation for the next term, which starts in September. Keep you nose clean, and this incident will be wiped from your record."
Unlike his predecessor, Mr. Galloway did not add "That Is All" to the end of his speech, but the boys understood and made to leave. "Um...Thanks, Mr. Galloway", Tony added as they left.
Out in front of the school, Constantinos said, "Uh...Thanks for helping there. That's one load off of things."
"I'd say you got off easy", Tony observed, "Real easy."
A small smile played around Constantinos' mouth. "Maybe so...Guess I'll have the rest of the summer off to do whatever. I'll see you, Ok ?"
Tony watched Constantinos walk off, back towards the Boy's Dorm, and wondered just what the hell he meant by that last remark.
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-
A group of Soldiers entered the large ward room at the Blue Skies Clinic, weapons at the ready. The whole group of them marched across the room to the bed where Gurney was laying and stopped. Two Soldiers in the lead went to the foot of the bed and unshackled Gurney's legs from the bed.
"Get Up", the one who seemed to be in charge ordered.
Gurney slowly sat up and swung his legs off the bed. Although he had obviously been here for some time, he had not been allowed to leave the bed or even stand up. As he attempted to stand, his injured head suddenly felt woozy, and he sank back down onto the bed. "Um...Just gimmie a minute...", he mumbled.
"No Talking", said the Soldier. "Scum like you are to keep quiet at all times." He took something from another Soldier behind him. Gurney saw it was an orange Jail outfit. The Soldier thrust it at him and said, "Put this on, and hurry up. We haven't got all day."
Gurney would have said something, but the Military Rifles being pointed at him by the remaining Soldiers were enough to convince him to hold his tongue. He struggled to a standing position and was able to pull off the ratty green clinic 'gown' he was wearing. His underwear was dirty and slightly soiled, but the Solders gave no indication that there was any clean underwear for him. He struggled to get the orange pants on, and then the orange shirt. The word JAIL was stenciled on the back in large letters. The Soldier then told him to sit back on the bed, the bent to attach a Leg Chain to both ankles. He then motioned Gurney to stand up, and attached a Waist Chain, similar to the ones the Townies had used on their captives, around his waist. Then, he cuffed Gurney's hands at the wrists and attached them to the Waist Chain.
Two of the Soldiers approached then, grabbing Gurney and hustling him forward. Instead of going directly toward the exit however, the went to another bed, where Otto lay. The process was repeated, Otto was unshackled, made to change into the orange Jail clothing, and then he was shackled in a similar manner as Gurney. Otto said nothing, but even if he had tried to it would be difficult...Gurney saw that his face was grossly swollen, with his lips looking larger that Mick Jagger's.
As they were being herded from the Clinic, Gurney cast a look around the big ward. He spotted Duncan, Leon, and Jerry shackled in other widely-separated beds. Duncan was the only one who didn't have his head or face bandaged. Apparently, they were not being brought along. Gurney didn't see the younger Townies of Floyd, Nate, Sam, or Ian, and had no idea what had happened to them. Nor did he see Omar. As they were going out, another contingent of Soldiers entered the Clinic to take up guard duty.
Out in the bright sunshine, Gurney and Otto were loaded into a Humvee, and driven the one block to the Blue Skies Jail, just down the street from the Clinic. There, they were off-loaded and marched into the building, past the offices and to the cells in the rear.
Gurney knew this Jail well...He had spent a fair share of time here in the past. Since he was the oldest of the Townies, probably more time than the others. Unlike the other Jails in the Valley, it was a windowless building. The only way that a breakout was possible was back out through the way they came in. Gurney had done that only once, when the Station was left deserted by Officers out on calls in the under-manned Police Force, and only because one of them had been lax about locking his cell properly.
Otto and Gurney were taken to separate cells and shoved in. It was only after the cell door had been closed and firmly locked did Gurney break his silence, asking, "Hey...I want a Lawyer, y'hear ?"
The Soldier eyed him through the bars with an icy stare. "You'll get one when it's time, you Rapist Fuck", he said coldly, then walked away.
"I know my rights !", Gurney called after him. "You people can't hold us without bein' charged !"
The Soldier who appeared to be in charge walked past his cell, and stopped briefly. "You lot have already been charged. Now shut the hell up, unless you'd rather be sedated." The Soldier continued down the hall and took up a guard position along with another Soldier. It appeared that they were to be watched over here as they had been in the Clinic.
Gurney sat down on the single bunk in the barren cell, lit only by a single light bulb too high to reach. Something was not right here. Kidnapping, Federal crime, sure. Confinement, Rape, State crimes, all right. That he understood. So why were they being guarded by Soldiers ? Why weren't they being given a hearing ? And...Where the hell was Omar ?
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-
It was too late for Tony to go to a class that afternoon, so he just hung around in front of the school for awhile, thinking things over. He was a little worried about Constantinos. His cryptic remark might mean nothing, or might mean anything at all. That was the trouble around a place like this, it seemed like someone was always scheming about something or other.
Ironically, Tony's thoughts turned to his own scheme of the Binding Agreement, although he didn't think of it as such. To his mind, it was a way to end the schemes at Bullworth Academy. His main dilemma was how to arrange a private meeting with Tad. It was pretty clear to him that he probably wasn't welcome at Harrington House these days...The split of the Preps that Tad blamed on Bryce would also be blamed on him, even though he had nothing to do with some of the Preps joining in on the assault on the Chem Plant.
Tony decided to head down to the Football Field. The Jocks would probably be out practicing their moves for the upcoming season. Tony wondered where they went when they actually played other schools. He would have to ask Laurent about that sometime.
On the way down, he passed the old Fountain. It had been re-built, but there had been no statue erected as yet to replace the one that had been blown up. Tony looked left to Harrington House and briefly considered waiting for Tad on the Quad there, but rejected that idea as soon he thought it. He needed to speak to Tad alone, without any other Preps around.
Tony found a spot in the empty bleachers, and idly watcher the Jocks go through their paces. Over by the West Goalposts, he noticed Coach Sanders calling plays and blowing his whistle. Kirby was also standing there, next to the Coach. Every once in a while, Coach Sanders would lay his arm across Kirby's shoulders, Tony noticed, but not when anyone appeared to be looking. He wondered, suddenly, if Coach Sanders was a Pervo like his predecessor, Coach Burton, but maybe in a different way.
Tony watched on for quite awhile, watching but not really looking, his thoughts busy with the problem of the Preps. He could more easily take the Agreement proposal to Bryce, he knew...But that would mean having to be around Pinky once more, something he definitely did not want. Besides, cutting Tad and the rest out of the Agreement would likely spark trouble up the line that could potentially wreck the whole thing.
The only way to corner Tad by himself, Tony concluded, was to catch him coming out of a class without any other Preps. For that, he would need to find out what class, if any, that Tad was the only Prep at....And Tony knew just where to get that information. He hopped off the bleachers and headed back to the school.
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-
"Nicky, you're getting stronger", Melody observed, as she walked with him in the hallways of the Vale Clinic.
And he was. Nick had been suffering with bouts of dizziness and Vertigo for a few days, but it appeared that was clearing up. He no longer had to grip the handrail when they were taking their daily walks, although he still gripped Melody's hand tightly. So tight that his grip actually hurt her sometimes....But she didn't mind. It was far, far better than not having Nick at all, which had come real close to happening. Where would she have been then ?
In truth though, Melody was still suffering. The repressed memories from her near-Cationic state were filtering back into her conciseness, little by little. The horrible rapes, the shackles, the lonely captivity....Worst of all, that poor dead animal in that cage. Barely, she had kept it together, for she had to take care of Nick, MUST take care of Nick. He was her only salvation, her only chance at redemption from all those evil and twisted things she had to bear. He must recover, and recover back to what he was before....Her strong, able Man. There was no other way.
Even though she knew better, Melody still harbored some resentment. On her visits, Karen seemed to positively glow now. And why shouldn't she ? Karen HAD her Man. Tony had been unscathed and uninjured, while Nick had been nearly killed. Karen and Tony had obviously re-bonded after their terrifying experiences, while Melody could only long for her much-needed intimacy with Nick. It just wasn't fair at all.
Still, Karen had been her rock while they had been held prisoners. She would probably be in Happy Volts Asylum right now, or someplace like it, without her. And both Karen and Tony visited them daily, always bringing food for her, since she didn't feel safe in going out alone as yet. She had to remind herself that if it hadn't been for all of them....Nick, Tony, and Karen....She would most likely have still been a captive of the Townies, probably in some far-away place where they intended to take her. There, they would have used her until she was completely broken, and discarded her like yesterday's garbage. Melody kept that uppermost in her thoughts, what could have been, and tampered her resentment down.
"GEETTIN STONGER", Nick responded, breaking into Melody's thoughts. "OUTTA HERR SOOOO.."
"End of the week", Melody said, returning to the present. "You keep improving, and that'll come real soon."
Nick gave her a lopsided smile and pulled her closer to him as they continued down the hall.
____________________________________________________________________
-
Tony went back to the School Office, where he asked Christy if she could find out what he wanted to know about Tad's schedule.
"Sure, no problem !", Christy replied brightly. She didn't ask what Tony wanted the information for. Christy had no respect for the Preps, especially after being played by Bif, and figured Tony had some sort of scheme afoot. She went to her desk and started fiddling with something that Tony hadn't noticed in the Office before.
"Is that a....Computer ?", Tony inquired curiously.
"Yeah, we just got it in last week", Christy replied. "It sure makes things easier to find....All the Student files are in here now." She made a few keystrokes, and in less time it would have taken to even open a file, she said, "Here it is....Tad is at Dr. Watt's class right now...And he's the only Prep there."
Tony thanked her and headed off down to the first-floor location of the Chemistry class, where he stationed himself against the wall by the door, as not to be seen by those leaving. When the bell rang, students flowed out of the room. Tony spotted Tad and fell into step behind him. When Tad turned the corner and was away from any stray students, Tony said, "Tad...I need to talk to you."
Startled, Tad swung around. "What the...Oh, it you. What do you want, Calderone ?"
"I just need a private meeting with you", Tony said, "It's important."
"Oh, it's important, is it ?", Tad sneered. "What is it this time, Mr. Hero ? Want to rescue some stray Dogs ? Or maybe some more lost Pussy Cats ?"
Tony held his temper over the obvious reference to Karen and Melody. Instead, he said, "Nothing like that. It's about...Security, for your Clique."
"Security ?", Tad jeered. "Security ? So, we're outnumbered right now, so what ? That won't last for long, I can assure you, if that's what you're on about."
"It's about an...Agreement, between all the Cliques", Tony said, "That's all."
"Agreement, hey ?", Tad laughed harshly. "What's in it for us ?"
"Weapons", Tony told him. "Free replacement Weapons. I'm sure you probably need some, don't you ?"
Tad considered. They still had some Weapons, but having some more wouldn't hurt, particularly for what he was planning. "All right Calderone, I'll have a meeting with you."
"It has to be private, and off-campus", Tony told him.
"Fine", Tad said, "Meet me at the Glass Jaw at 8 O'clock tonight."
"I was, umm....Thinking of some more neutral territory", Tony said with some hesitation.
"Don't be a boor, Calderone", Tad said. "I'll be in the big upstairs Bar Room, and all alone. Take it or leave it."
Tony considered, then relented. "All right then...It's a deal."
Tad walked away without another word. Tony watched him go, and set to thinking, concluding that there wasn't any way he was walking unarmed into the Glass Jaw Boxing Gym that evening.
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Ricky left Biology class. Normally, he hated dissecting dead Animals, the smell of Formaldehyde always reminded him of death and dead things. But today, he hardly paid that any attention, since his mind was on Jessica.
Their date had gone off very well. Ricky had squired Jessica to the Movie Theater over in the Vale to see the suspense movie, 'Who Murdered The Janitor ?' that was playing there. It was a good movie, so far as Ricky had heard, but he really hadn't paid attention to it much after the opening credits and the first scary scene, whereupon Jessica had gripped his hand tight. Ricky nearly passed out himself from the sweet smell and nearness of her. Halfway through the movie, she had grabbed him tightly during another scary scene, and that eventually led to a hot make-out session which lasted until the closing credits rolled and the lights came up.
Afterwards, he had taken her to the Shea Lewis for a great dinner (Thanks to Peanut, who had loaned him the money for such a ritzy place). They had talked then, between bites of delicious food, about themselves to each other. It had all gone so well, and upon their return to the School, Jessica had laid the sexiest French Kiss on him in front of the Girl's Dorm he had ever known, while rubbing herself seductively against the bulge in his crotch.
"Save that big boy for later", she had giggled, before running up the steps and into the Dorm. A promise of things to come ? Ricky wasn't definitely for sure, but he intended to find out. Right after school today, he was going to take her over to the Blue Balls Bar bar and introduce her to the gang. Maybe even later on, the back room would be empty, and maybe....Well, just anything could happen, now couldn't it ? Ricky hurried off to find Jessica.
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Come 8 O'clock, Tony was outside the Glass Jaw Gym building, the exclusive stronghold of the Preps. Though the Preps were seeing tough times of late, the building and all the stuff in it...The Workout & Weightlifting Equipment, and the Boxing Ring itself...Were held in a Legal Trust in perpetuity. No matter what, the Preps would always have the Glass Jaw.
Karen had wanted to come along, but Tony told her to stay at the Dorm instead. It was just too dangerous, he told her. Tad might have a sneak attack in store for him, he said. In reality, Tony didn't want Karen anywhere around Tad, in case he might bring up any suspicions he had concerning Tony ever being with Pinky.
But Tony wasn't a dumbo, either. What he told Karen was partly true. He didn't trust Tad at all, just as he had never trusted Derby before him. Tony was fully armed with a fully loaded Spud Gun, with a Super Slingshot in his back pocket. He would be ready for trouble, he hoped. Normally, he would have had Nick come along, but that was just not possible yet.
Tony entered the Glass Jaw. Going forward in the foyer, he could see into the ground floor. There was no one in the Workout areas directly ahead. Hearing noise, he peeked to the right and glanced towards the Boxing Ring. There, he saw Bif and Chad in the ring, apparently Sparring. Tony backed up, drew his Spud Gun, and took the stairs to the left up the second floor, moving quietly. There, at the door that led to the Prep's combination Bar and Observation Room, he cautiously turned the knob and opened the door. Leading in with his Spud Gun at the ready, he entered.
"I say, is that really necessary ?", a frosty voice spoke up.
Tony whirled to his left. Tad was behind the Bar, mixing himself up a drink. Even though his voice was cold, a smirk was across his face. He appeared to be unarmed.
"It is if you're laying a trap", Tony replied, looking around the large room. "Can't be too careful, you know."
Tad laughed harshly. "So, you think we would attack the Hero of Bullworth who came to pay us a little visit ? You're really losing it, old man."
"Crossed my mind, yeah", Tony said. He walked over to the large observation window which looked down on the first floor and the Boxing Ring. Bif and Chad were still sparring. "So where's the rest of them ?"
Tad came out from behind the bar, drink in hand. "They're at the Beach House...But you know that, don't you ?"
Tony turned to face Tad. He was unarmed. "Heard something about it", he said.
"I'll just bet you did", Tad said, a crude smile working about his face. "But not to worry, our Clique will be reunited soon enough, perhaps even before the summer is over."
"That's...Um, good to know", Tony said, lowering his weapon. "That's why I've come to you instead of going to Bryce and the others with this."
"And...Just what would 'this' be ?", Tad asked condescendingly. "Would it by chance be having to to do with this talk I've been hearing about something you've been cooking up ?"
"Matter of fact, yes", Tony said. "How did you know ?"
"I keep an ear out for things", Tad said, turning towards the Bar. "Come and tell me about over a drink. It should all be rather amusing."
The last thing that Tony would have ever expected was to be having a drink with Tad Spencer, but that was just what he did, as he explained the points of the Binding Agreement to him. Tad listened, mostly with an amused look on his face. When Tony had finished, Tad just sat there, brooding over his drink.
"Well, what do you think ?", Tony asked. "It's a reasonable Agreement for the benefit of everyone. I'd like for you boys to get on board. Everyone else is signing up for this."
Tad was silent for a moment as he drained his drink. He set the empty glass on the Bar. "You kill me, Calderone. You've only been here a year and you think you know everything. Big Man, save the School, save the Towns, be a big Hero, get all the girls. It's all been done before...Just last year, in fact...Chap named Jimmy Hopkins. But you know all about that, don't you ?"
"Yes", Tony said. "I do know all about that, and more...I know about you too."
"Just what do mean by that crack, Calderone ?", Tad asked, somewhat aggressively. "You don't know anything about me, you Fucking Pauper. I've been here for years and you haven't."
Tony drained his own glass and set it down before answering. "That's just it, Tad. You've been here for years, and you've known just about everybody. People like....Oh, say, Gary Smith, who as it so happened, you were good pals with."
Tad blanched. "How could you know something like that ?", he scoffed. "That Chap Gary was a Psychopathic Ass. He very nearly destroyed the School by tricking all the Clique Leaders into sparking a huge riot...."
"Which was your plan all along, now wasn't it ?", Tony interrupted. "You knew Derby would get the blame for all that, since he was at Harrington House in a Smoking Jacket, looking for all the world like he was in charge of the entire Complete Mayhem. Once the Riot was over, the finger of guilt would have been pointed at Derby. Dr. Crabblesnitch would have been forced to expel him and his sidekick Bif, and you would have been able to take over the Preps, which you felt had been unfairly denied you to began with." Tony didn't add that Tad would also been able to take over Pinky, but he felt it best he didn't mention her.
Tad suddenly looked absolutely ashen now, and sputtered, "But...But Gary Smith double-crossed me ! We were going to run the School together, with the Preps as the most powerful Clique, and he...." Tad stopped suddenly, knowing he'd gone too far and revealed his own complicity. "How...How can you know any of this anyway, Calderone ? You weren't here !"
"Simple...Jimmy Hopkins told me", Tony replied. "He told me everything..."
"How...How in the Hell was that ?", Tad Interjected. "You didn't even know Hopkins, he was in Jail, and...." Tad stopped there, remembering just then at seeing Tony talking to Jimmy in the crowd on the day Jake was defeated, after it was all over.
"I was in contact with Jimmy for months, after he made his Jailbreak", Tony said, not adding that he was a part of that Jailbreak. "He told me lots of things about you, including your dealings with Jake and the Clothing Scams."
Tad looked absolutely white now. "Lies ! All Lies !", he sputtered. "You have no proof of any of this !"
"Who needs proof ?", Tony asked. "All that has to be done is reveal this to the other Cliques, on the word of Jimmy Hopkins. They will turn on you, and the other Preps too. You have pretty low respect right now, you're just a laughingstock. Can you imagine just what it will be like once this gets known ? You all will be Outcasts, everyone will bully you. And without Weapons, none of you will stand a chance. Your own Clique will turn you out...Some have already abandoned you. If you don't become a part of this Agreement, it gonna be curtains for you."
Tad hefted the bottle and poured himself another large drink. "This is Blackmail, Calderone", he muttered. "There's things about you I can tell also."
"I don't think you want to do that", Tony said smoothly. He was prepared for this. "It would only make you look foolish if what you're thinking happened ever got out, now wouldn't it ?"
They both knew what that meant, Tony having sex with Pinky while she was supposed to be Tad's Girlfriend. Tad stewed on that awhile, but had to concede that Tony was right. "All Right, Calderone...You Win. I'll join the Preps up to your Fucking Agreement. But I want to read the whole thing first, on paper, before I sign anything."
"You'll have a copy tomorrow, after Chem Class", Tony told him. "If there's anything you want negotiated with the other Cliques, let me know." Tony rose to leave. "I'll be around Friday night to get the final signatures."
"Fine, whatever", Tad said, taking a big swig of his drink.
Tony stopped at the door and added, "This will make everything better for ALL the Cliques, including the Preps. You'll see."
Tad didn't answer, and Tony left the Glass Jaw. Dwelling on the matter for a long while after, Tad decided that maybe the Binding Agreement could work to his advantage after all, considering what he had planned. In fact, it might work out smashingly well.
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For the next few days, Tony went back a forth amongst the Cliques, negotiating and compromising changes that the Clique Leaders wanted to make to the Binding Agreement. For the non-Clique students, Tony picked Ivan to be the representative, since no one else seemed really interested in stepping up. In return, Tony promised Ivan a room to himself in the new Dorm addition. To represent the Girls at Bullworth, Tony picked Mandy, even though she and Ted only had one semester to go. At that time, the girl's rep for the Agreement would go to Karen.
Every Clique wanted something for their faction, naturally. The Nerds wanted exclusive rights to Technical Weapon Making, with the exception of Slingshots and Super Slingshots, which had originated with the Greasers long ago. They also wanted protection of the Library worked into the Agreement, despite the fact that they already had the Observatory under Protective Status, and despite that the Library was slated to be a neutral status, as in theory it was open to all students. A compromise was worked out for protection of the South-East section of the ground floor for the use of the Nerds only.
The Greasers wanted the exclusive rights to all the Bike Trade and Maintenance on the Campus, in order to halt the theft of Bikes in and around the School. This was finally agreed to, with the provision that Bikes owned privately by others would not be included. They also demanded one-third of the Parking Lot area to the South that lay directly in front of the Garages area. This was agreed to by giving the Bullies exclusive control of the other two-thirds of the Parking Lot, save for a corridor access for any student wishing to leave via the West Gate.
The Jocks wanted all the territory south of the Fountain (excluding the Observatory), which really wasn't possible, since a lot of Students used the Gym and the Pool, and many went to Gym Class and actually watched games and workouts from the Bleachers. A more sensible approach was worked out, where other students had access only at only certain times of the day, and a corridor access was given for Nerds and others to the Observatory. The Clubhouse would be kept off-limits.
The Bullies were the only regular Clique without a building of their own. Tony could do nothing about that, but they were granted exclusive control of the Boy's Dorm Quad, with a corridor reserved in and out of the building for the Non-Cliques.
The Prep's only stipulation to the Agreement was that all fight challenges involving them would be settled in the Glass Jaw Boxing Ring, rather than in the Hole. The other Cliques agreed to that only on the condition that they were to be given unchallenged access to the Glass Jaw during those fights, and that the Nerds were allowed to use Melee Weapons when fighting, being physically weaker than any of the others.
The Girls were to be allowed exclusive control of the Girl's Dorm Quad, unless boyfriends came calling to talk or take someone out for a date, and only if they had been invited.
The Non-Cliques didn't really want anything but to be left alone by the rest of the Cliques. Since they didn't really have any area, per se, they were granted De Facto protection in the Open Areas of the Front and Back Quads, along with the side pathways between them.
Each Clique would have monopoly on their specialty;, the Jocks over the Pool and all gaming contests and equipment; the Greasers over everything mechanical and all repairs to such; the Preps to all clothing and related items; the Nerds to all Weapons making excepting Slingshots; and the Bullies to all hire-for-protection.
The Parity issue was settled with the Nerds holding a slight advantage, since they were the ones who were making the Weapons. Tony knew that he couldn't control that...So it was agreed that the Nerds would not carry more Weapons than any other Clique were entitled to carry at any given time.
It wasn't a perfect Agreement, that Tony knew. But it was a start, a way to began to move forward to a more peaceful era and away from the violent history of Bullworth Academy. By Thursday evening, the final details had been worked out. Tony had two more meetings to attend to...First, a meeting with Mr. Galloway the next morning, and then a final meeting in the Auditorium with the Clique leaders for the signing of the Binding Agreement.
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During the week, Constantinos was kept busy by gathering up the books that he had stolen for Tiffany and had stashed in the attic of the Girl's Dorm, and transporting them back to the Library, one backpack load at a time, under the watchful eye of Edward the Prefect. He had taken much more than he realized, so for a hour a day, every day, he had to gather up as much as he could fit in the backpack and carry them back across the Front Quad to the Library in full view of everyone.
Edward was the least sadistic of any of the Prefects, but he still timed Constantinos' punishment to coincide with times that the maximum number of other Students would be out and about on the Front Quad, Lunchtime and right after school let out. This led to Constantinos getting as much humiliation as possible, since word of what he had done had quickly spread. He was subject to many jeers and catcalls as he walked the route from the Girl's Dorm to the Library time and time again, with Edward following just a few steps behind.
Constantinos bore his humiliation stoically and without comment, for he had a much bigger mission in mind than just serving punishment for his crime of theft. His mind was focused on atonement and retribution for the shooting of Tiffany.
Late each night, Constantinos stalked the streets of Blue Skies in the disguise of a Black Ninja outfit. He had somehow discovered that Leon was being held under guard in the Blue Skies Clinic, and he took up surveillance in the ruins of Zoe Taylor's old house across the street to the side of the Clinic. At times he would huddle in the shadows against the walls of the Clinic, and in such way learned that all the Townies were to be moved to the Blue Skies Jail as they recovered from their injuries, in preparation for their mass transfer to a Federal Prison to await their trials.
It would be difficult enough to exact retribution on Leon while he was being guarded at the Clinic, but near impossible once he was inside the windowless Blue Skies Jail. Constantinos gave a lot of thought to the problem, and on the third night hit upon a plan that just might work. It was risky, but the Voice of Reason approved. All it would take was a little subterfuge, something Constantinos was very skilled at doing.
While the weekend approached, he made the necessary preparations.
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Friday Morning saw Tony seated in Mr. Galloway's Office. He was anxiously awaiting the Headmaster's opinion on the Binding Agreement that had taken him so much time to craft and negotiate. The minutes ticked by as Mr. Galloway read through the Agreement without comment.
Finally, Mr. Galloway put the last page down and looked at Tony. "I'm impressed", he said. "Seems comprehensive enough. Do you think this will really work ?"
"I think so", Tony said with obvious relief. "There will be quite an adjustment to began with, I'm sure...But it's a start."
Mr. Galloway drummed his fingers on his desk. "But, will it be enough to draw such disparate groups close enough to co-exist in peace ?"
"Peace is just a matter of Human Rights", Tony replied, "The right to live our school life without fear. And, this is the time to do it. The level of cooperation between the Cliques has never been better than it is right now....Everyone banded together to defeat Jake Brown this Spring, and when we went to rescue Karen and Melody, almost everybody showed up to help and worked together to beat the Townies. We have to take this opportunity now to fix Bullworth for the future...Our future."
Mr. Galloway was silent for a moment as he absorbed what Tony had said. Then, he said, "You realize that I can't 'Officially' endorse this Agreement, or sign off on it, for obvious reasons."
"I understand that Sir, and I wouldn't expect you to do that", Tony replied. "But I hope you'll at least give it a chance to work...Why, the whole world knows of Bullworth now, what with all that's happened here this year. We've got something to prove here, that this doesn't have to be a School of Violence, that we can learn and move forward and be a School of Peace."
"That's a very astute assessment, Tony", Mr, Galloway said. "And, I will say...Privately...That you will have my full support in this, even though I can't publicly say so. But know this...If the School goes back to violence, stricter measures will have to be imposed. Like you said, we are exposed to the world now."
"That's all I needed to hear", Tony said gratefully. "Thanks a lot, Mr. Galloway !" Tony took the Agreement from the desk and rose to go, but stopped. "Oh...Could you have a few of these fellows excused from class this afternoon ?" He gave their names to Mr. Galloway, who said that he would.
Tony left the office then, carrying the Binding Agreement along with him that Karen had typed up the night before. He went down to the Art Room, which was empty since there were no classes there now (They had been cancelled in the wake of the fight Ms. Phillips had with Miss Jones). Once there, he made several copies of the Binding Agreement, adding a page for all the Clique Leaders to sign.
It wouldn't be long now, Tony thought, for the new era of Bullworth Academy, and his place in it, to began.
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Tony told all the Clique Leaders at lunchtime to meet him in the Auditorium, and that they were also excused from classes for the afternoon to attend. He also told Ted to have Mandy there also to represent the girls of Bullworth. Ivan declined to attend, claiming he wasn't really a leader, and on that point, Tony had to agree. He would sign for the Non-Cliques himself. Tony then left with Karen to get things set up in the Auditorium for the meeting.
Once there, they hauled a table out on the empty stage, and added a chair for Tony to sit on. Although Karen had done a fair share of work on the Binding Agreement herself in aiding Tony, she was not going to sit on the stage alongside him. Instead, she was going to observe from the Balcony. She didn't feel comfortable up on the stage just yet, she told Tony, and he understood.
The bell rang for afternoon classes then, and Karen left for the Balcony. Tony took the seat behind the table and waited. A few minutes went by until the Clique Leaders drifted in...First, Ted entered, with Mandy beside him, and Peanut followed soon after. Next was Melvin, and Trent came in a couple minutes later. Last to arrive was Tad, who sulked arrogantly through the Auditorium doors. Only Ted and Mandy sat together, the rest sat scattered in the front rows. They all looked at Tony expectantly, waiting for him to begin.
Showtime, Tony thought to himself, as he rose from the chair. Let's make this happen.
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"Okay", Tony began, "You all pretty much know about the Binding Agreement, and today I'm gonna run through the details and the changes that have been agreed to."
His captive audience settled in their seats but made no comment, so he continued. "I'm going to...Uh...Run thorough each section one at a time here..." Tony picked up the first page of the Agreement from the table. "First...Section One. THE RIGHT OF CLIQUES TO EXIST. This section recognizes all established Cliques as they presently exist...Jocks, Preps, Greasers, Nerds, and Bullies. It also recognizes the Non-Clique faction and the Girls faction as their own Cliques for the purposes of this Agreement. Further, the rights of those established Cliques shall not be denied or abridged in any way, shape, or form, and said Cliques are entitled to exist in perpetuity."
"What's....Per-pet-too-a-hee ?", Trent stupidly piped up.
Interrupted, Tony looked at him. "It means, like, forever...Or at least until there is no more Bullworth Academy." Up in the Balcony, Karen giggled, but not loud enough to be heard. Tony's eyes swept the group. "Now, if there is any questions, hold them until I read through each section."
The other Clique Leaders snickered, and Trent gave a sheepish grin. Tony continued, "Now, if another Clique wants to establish itself, like the Rockers tried to do this past year, they will have to wait for a year after they first arrive on Campus to apply to the Council of the established Cliques to do so, and can only be recognized by a unanimous vote of said Council as a valid Clique. Until then, they will be treated as Non-Clique. No other Cliques will be allowed to exist except under the conditions set out above. So, any Questions ?"
There wasn't, so Tony moved on. "Section Two...CLIQUE TERRITORY AND OPEN AREAS. First, exclusive areas...For the Jocks, this is the Clubhouse and territory West of the West End Goalposts. For the Preps, this is Harrington House and the House Quad, plus the pathway that leads to it from the Fountain. For the Greasers, this is the Autoshop and the entire areas around them, including the South third of the Parking Lot, plus the pathway that leads from the Fountain. For the Nerds, this is the Observatory, and the grounds around it that is behind the barricade, plus their Battle Staging Area to the East of the School Grounds. They will also have a protected area at the South-East corner on the first floor inside the Library. For the Bullies, who have no exclusive buildings, there is the North two-thirds Parking Lot, along with the old Hobo's area, and will include the Boy's Dorm Quad on either side of the pathway. The Girls will have the Girl's Dorm Quad on either side of their pathway. The Non-Cliques...Well, they get nothing, no exclusive areas, nor did they want any. But they are to be protected in all common areas, just as anyone else will be." Tony stopped to take a breath or two, then continued. "Now, the area South of the Fountain, including the Gym and Pool buildings, will be restricted from 10 PM until 6 AM to the Jocks. Similarly, the Library Quad will be restricted from 10 PM to 6 AM to the Nerds. This is in accordance with present practice, ans should be no surprise. In these areas, Cliques are free to invite any other Student or group of Students anytime they wish. Are there any Questions on Territory ?"
There wasn't, it had all been worked out. Tony picked up the next page and continued on. "Section Three....RIGHTS OF PROTECTION AND DEFENSE. This is pretty self-explanatory...Every Clique has the right to protect their territory from Invaders from either outside or another Clique. That mean, if anyone hostile is in your restricted area without your permissions, or are attacking you there, you have the right to repel them by whatever means necessary. Questions ?"
"So's, does dat means if'n somebodys is in our parts of de Parking Lot, we gets to beat da Shit outta dem ?", Peanut piped up.
"Just if they have hostile intent", Tony answered him. "Not if they are friendly, or maybe a newbie who just wandered into your territory by mistake. And, this also doesn't apply to Students who are taking Shop Class or Gym Class during the day. That will draw trouble from the Prefects, and probably the Administration as well."
That seemed to answer Peanut's question. There were no others, and Tony moved on. "Ok...Section Four....RESOLUTION OF ALL DISPUTES. Basically, this Section deals with the resolving of all Clique-on-Clique disputes, and also Individual disputes. In the case of Clique disputes, if no agreement can be reached, then the Parties may elect to settle in their dispute in the Hole, using their best fighters. If it be a dispute between Individuals, then those will also be settled in the Hole. The lone exception to that is disputes involving any of the Preps, those disputes will be resolved in the Boxing Ring at the Glass Jaw."
"Whatsmatter, dem Pussies can't fight in the Hole ?" jeered Trent.
"We like a Cultured setting", Tad spoke up, "Not the gutter like all you others."
"Dey always think dere better dan da rest of us", Interjected Peanut.
"We ARE better !", retorted Tad. "Not like you low-lifes !"
"But not very smart !", Melvin threw in.
"ENOUGH !", Tony said firmly. "Remember, this has all been negotiated and agreed to !" They subsided, and Tony went on. "One more proviso to this is that the Nerds are allowed to fight with certain Melee Weapons in Hole fights or the Boxing Ring."
"That doesn't seem very sporting", Tad said Icily.
"A lot you know about Sporting !", Melvin retorted.
"This has all been worked out !", Tony said from the stage. "Let's move on, we don't want be here all day." He waited a bit bit until everyone settled down, and continued. "Section Five...COMMERCE BETWEEN CLIQUES. This part covers things you buy, sell, or trade between you. These things include...Bikes for trade, sale or repair by the Greasers, Clothing for trade or sale by the Preps, all Athletic Equipment for trade or sale by the Jocks, Weapons and Computers and such for sale or trade by the Nerds, and Protection Services offered by the Bullies. Each Clique will retain exclusivity on the items mentioned above. Any Questions on that ?"
The Clique leaders were not aware of what this provision could mean later, and Tony was counting on that. Nobody asked anything, so Tony quickly moved on to the next part. "Alright, Section Six...RIGHTS OF WEAPONS PARITY. Now, everyone should be familiar with this by now. This section is meant to enforce mutual Parity between all the Cliques regarding Weapons. Naturally, the Nerds will have a slight advantage here, since they make the Weapons. Cliques are not allowed to hoard Weapons or make false reports of their Weapon Strength to the Board in order to gain more Weapons. Each Clique had the right to be protected from others, both from those inside and outside the School. Now, this has been working well these past few months, so this provision is just a re-assertion of your rights."
Tony paused, and got the next sheet from the table. "Moving on...Section Seven...PAYMENTS AND REPARATIONS. All goods and services commerce between the Cliques and Any others must be offered at a fair price or trade, and must be fairly paid for or traded for. In addition, any Reparations ordered by the Board for damages must be made in a timely fashion. Is that clear ?"
It must have been, since no one voiced any opinions on that sections. Tony continued on. "Next...Section Eight...CLIQUE MISSIONS AND ERRANDS. Each Clique and individuals within Cliques, along with non-Clique individuals and Girls, are entitled to Missions and Errands of their choosing, as long as they are not carried out AGAINST other individuals or Cliques. Further, the commission of legal Missions and Errands are not to be hindered or interfered with by any other individuals or Cliques. Does everyone understand this ?"
Apparently they did. This provision was one everyone had agreed with, at least in spirit. Tony picked up the last paper from the table. "So, on to Section Nine...COLLECTIVE DEFENSE AGAINST ATTACKS. Now, we have all seen how well this can work when we all pull together against an attack from outside the School...The Townies attack last Spring, and then the attack on the School and the Towns by the Punks, both engineered by Jake Brown. And, the cooperation in the assault on the Chem Plant to free the hostages....Everyone who fought valiantly at those times knows what I mean, for we all pulled together for the mutual good of everyone. I mean, we saved the School...We all had a part it it. The provisions of this Agreement will do the same thing, for all of us. You all will become famous in School History as being the founding Cliques in the beginning of this enlightened new era, and will be remembered as well as...Darrold Ford, the only player from Bullworth to make it in the Pros...Arthur the Fonz, who made it to Hollywood and whose acting made being a Greaser mainstream...George Harrington, one of the Co-Founders of Bullworth Academy...The REAL Piff the Skull, legendary G&G Gamer...And, Howard 'Biff' Tannen, the only Bully from here to star as the Villain in three consecutive movies. YOU will be the future remembered, the true Heros of Bullworth Academy !"
Listening in the Balcony, Karen felt swept away at Tony's impassioned rhetoric, and could tell the effect it was having on the others. The tension in the Auditorium had vanished, replaced by a feeling of...Well, call it cooperation, if nothing else. They were being primed to sign.
Tony even half-smiled himself. Looking back to the page, he said, "The last Section...ENDORSEMENT OF THE ADMINISTRATION. Now, the Administration has agreed in principle to support this Binding Agreement, although it can't be officially endorsed...But this is OUR Agreement, for Our Future...For OUR School. If you're with us, come up and sign now, and let's begin the New Era !"
One by one, they left their seats and climbed to to Stage to affix their signatures to the seven copies of the Binding Agreement Document that Tony had laid out on the table. Each one came to sign for their Cliques, Ted for the Jocks, Melvin for the Nerds, Peanut for the Greasers, Trent for the Bullies, and Mandy for the Girls. Tad was the last to sign, and he did so with a sneer, but he signed. Tony then signed off for the Non-Cliques, and it was a done deal. It would take effect immediately on this date, Friday, August 1. Tony congratulated everyone, even Tad, and the Clique Leaders and Mandy all left the Auditorium, each taking a copy of the signed Agreement.
Karen came down from the Balcony then, and ran up the Stage, throwing her arms around Tony and giving him a huge, wet kiss. "That was magnificent !", she exclaimed. "You had me wanting to sign that thing !"
"Yeah", Tony said, slumping into her embrace. "Boy, am I glad that's all over !"
"You did fine, Tony, really fine !", Karen went on. "Do you think they know just what they have now ?"
Tony sank wearily onto the chair, pulling Karen down in his lap. "A Republic, I think", he said, "The Republic of Bullworth...If they can keep it."
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------{{ END OF CHAPTER NINE }}----------
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THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY
{{ CHAPTER 10 }}
The Bullworth Resolution
Saturday was moving day for some of the Bullworth Students, those in the Boy’s Dorm in fact. That morning, the Outside Contractors had arrived and began moving in materials and machinery. It was time, after all those years, to build the second story on the Boy’s Dorm.
Tony was in his room, packing his things into the same duffel bag he had used when he had arrived at Bullworth Academy. There wasn’t much to take along, just what he needed. The room would still be his, and Nick’s, when the construction was finished. While the others who still lived at the Dorm....The Bullies and the Non-Clique Boys....Had already called dibs on the new second floor rooms, he and Nick had already decided that they liked it just where they were. The room was real close to the Common Room, and besides, it had been Jimmy Hopkins old room. It had a history, and a colorful one at that, as evidenced from the Panties still hung on the wall.
Tony packed up Nick’s things too. He was due to be released from the Clinic tomorrow, Tony had learned. He wouldn’t be coming back to classes though, as it was deemed best that he fully recover from his injuries. Instead, it had been arraigned for him to have a room on the first floor at the Boar Inn. It was probable that Melody would join him there, since she rarely left his side now. Melody hadn’t been back to class either since the rescue, and it was doubtful that she would return without Nick.
As for Tony, he would be returning to the In-And-Out Motel, along with the rest. This time however, unlike the others, he would have a room of his own for the next month that the construction would take. Karen, who stayed at the Girl’s Dorm, would not-so-secretly join him there most times, keeping her room at the Dorm as a cover. But nobody would be checking too closely, they both knew. They still enjoyed the status as Heros of Bullworth.
Tony went to the Autoshop Garage, toting both his and Nick’s stuff. He opened the Garage door and fired up the Go-Cart. It would be easier to tote the stuff by Cart than by Bike. Tony piled the bags in, then squeezed in himself. then, he laid on the gas and took off towards the In-And-Out Motel. It only took a few minutes to get there, and Tony pulled up in front of room number seven. Then he went in and got his key to the room from the strange Indian guy who ran the place. Returning, he then unlocked the room and piled his duffel inside. Just as quickly, he exited the room afterward, pocketing the key.
Next, he headed over to the Vale, zooming down the streets quickly. He pulled to stop on front of the Boar Inn. Hurriedly, he grabbed Nick’s belongings and went in, leaving them at the Desk to have the Clerk to take them back to whatever room Nick would be getting. Just as fast, he beat it out of there, having no desire to chance running into Pinky. Not that it would come to anything if he did, but why take chances ?
Tony pealed out and returned to the School. Putting the Go-Kart away in the Garage, he went to the Girl’s Dorm to wait for Karen to come out. When she did, they would get their Bikes and go on to the In-And-Out Motel, where Karen had promised to help him ‘settle in’....Plus a little more. Sitting on the steps of the Dorm, Tony allowed himself a smile, for the first of many peaceful days to come in the Vale Valley. So he blissfully thought.
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Late Saturday night, Constantinos was stationed on the Railroad Overpass, at a spot where he could overlook the the Blue Skies Clinic just a couple of blocks away. He was wearing an ill-fitting Army uniform he had swiped from the back of one of the Military Jeeps still in Blue Skies the night before. It was almost time to put his plan into action, quite probably the only good chance he would ever get. Leon was bound to be moved soon, and once that happened, any chance for him to receive just retribution for shooting Tiffany would be gone.
Inside a Kaki backpack Constantinos had also stolen from the Jeep were some items he had lifted from the basement of the Dragon’s Wing just the night before at three in the morning. He had picked up on the fact that the Nerds were in the midst of full scale Weapons productions, something to do with some sort of 'Agreement’ that was being worked on. Apparently, the Nerds hadn’t moved their Weapons making to the now much more secure Observatory and were still making them in the Dragon’s Wing basement while leaving the basement door unlocked. Constantinos could only figure that old habits died hard, no matter how smart people were, or claimed to be. At any rate, it sure made getting what he needed a whole lot easier than if he had been forced to infiltrate the Observatory.
Using some Binoculars he had also pilfered, Constantinos observed the 'Changing of the Guard’ at 11 PM. During the nighttime hours, he had come to know, there were only two Solders inside guarding the Townie prisoners instead of the usual four in the daytime. The shifts changed every four hours, two more would be coming at 3 AM to relieve the two who had just pulled up in a Jeep and went inside. Before that time, Constantinos would have to make his move. But he would have to wait about three hours from now, for the boredom and inattention to duty to set in. Then, he could set in motion something the Soldiers wouldn’t be expecting. As he watched the four Soldiers from the last shift drive off in the Jeep, he went over his plan again.
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The four Preps were gathered around the Card Table, playing the newest hot game, “Cards Against Humanity”. It had just been invented by a group of Rich Kids in Chicago, and Tad had gotten an advance copy of the loose ‘Rules’ of the game.....
"To start the game, each player draws ten white "answer" cards. One randomly chosen player begins as the Card Czar, and plays a black "question" card. The Card Czar reads the question out to the group. Each player answers the question by passing one white "answer" card, face down, to the Card Czar. The Card Czar shuffles all of the answers, reads them out loud in a humorous fashion, and picks their favorite. Whoever played that answer gets to keep the Black Card as one Awesome Point. After each round, a new player becomes the Card Czar, and every player draws back up to ten cards."
The game was so new that the Preps had made up their own Question & Answer cards. In this fashion, Tad was able to rig the game to his advantage, getting the most points. Vanessa played along, picking Tad’s answers over the others, although she had no idea of what task Tad was planning to have the losers preform. She guessed correctly that Tad would have her do something sexual to him later, and her innards twinged in anticipation. The game had began at 9 PM, and it was close to 11 PM when Tad was declared the winner.
Tad first turned to Vanessa and whispered into her ear what he wanted her to do. Her face reddened, but she giggled and nodded. Next, he addressed Chad. “I want you to.....Go outside and gather some of you dog Chester’s poop. Put it into a bag, then go up to the third floor balcony and throw it at the Nerd’s Observatory. If you miss, you’ll have to do it over until you splatter some Poo on their walls.”
Vanessa laughed. Tad then turned to Bif. “You, I want to go sneak into the School through the back entrance nearest my locker....Go to the Biology Room and get one of those disgusting dead Frogs and pin it to that old fart Dr. Slawter’s desk. Oh, and I need my Bio Notes out of my locker, get them for me and bring them back, eh old man ?” Tad pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. “Here’s my locker combo. Don’t get caught, hey ?”
Bif had a distasteful look on his face, as he disliked handling dead things, but at least it was better than picking up dog poop. He took the slip of paper from Tad, and it didn’t occur to him to wonder why Tad just happened to have it in his pocket, already made out. He and Chad both rose and started walking away to do their assigned tasks. Vanessa started off towards the bedroom, her ass twitching sexily at what was to come.
“Have fun, Lads !”, Tad said cheerily at the departing Chad and Bif, then he followed Vanessa to her appointed task.
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At that particular moment, Pinky was slamming herself up and down on Bryce in her room at the Boar Inn. It was amazing how much punishment Bryce could take, she thought yet again. He seemed like the Iron Man, in more ways than one. Her innards felt like a huge log was jammed into them, and yet she persisted in her frenetic movements. Most boys would be howling by now, but Bryce was just as stoic as if he had been punching the big bag. His lack of apparent passion troubled Pinky. Sure, he had professed his love to her, and Pinky had no doubt he was sincere. But his brand of lovemaking was sorely lacking. Pinky supposed it had to do with his lack of experience, or the fact he had never had a serious relationship with anything other than a giant punching bag.
Unbidden, thoughts of Tony entered her mind. The effect on her was to make her pummel Bryce even harder. She would be one sore pussy after this session was over, she knew. Still, she couldn’t help herself, not where thoughts of Tony were concerned. He had passion with her, even when he didn’t want to have her. Of all her lovers over her short span of years, he was one of only two who had given all of himself. The other had been Kurt, but he was gone now, never to return from the land of his psychosis.
Suddenly, jealousy of Karen washed over her. She had once thought that if Karen was out of the way, she would have Tony all to herself, but she finally realized that wasn’t true the last time she made Tony do her in this very room, this very bed. If Karen had not returned, Tony would never stop searching for her. If she had been killed, Tony would never stop mourning for her. Though Tony was unable to be faithful in matters of the flesh, he was wholly faithful in matters of the heart. She would never really have him. ever.
Bryce was supposed to be her redemption. Maybe in time she could teach him. Maybe in time, he would be. But the cost was high, ever so high. Perhaps, there was far more to pay for her past sins than she realized. Perhaps, it would take far longer to pay than she had imagined. Looking down on Bryce’s blank face, with his eyes closed, she certainly hoped that it wouldn’t be so. With a frantic burst of her energy, she slammed him harder, moving up and down like a piston under an open throttle and finally tipped him over the edge. She shuddered at the release, and fell off to his side, exhausted, her breathing coming in harsh gasps.
“That was great”, Bryce murmured, placing his arm around her midsection. Then, he promptly fell asleep. Pinky’s gaze moved to him, and she rolled her eyes. This was going to take a lot of work.
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The Jocks were having a late night party. There was plenty of smuggled-in booze hidden in the Clubhouse for just such an occasion, and the Jocks were living it up. Coach Sanders had departed for Warwick after school Friday for the weekend without giving any reasons for his trip. It didn’t matter to the Jocks why he was taking the weekend away, they were glad to free of the overbearing slave-driver for awhile. Though in principle they agreed that they needed to toughen up to be able to win games, they resented the Coach’s hard-driving every day workouts designed to ‘whip them into shape’, as he put it. Coach Burton had never forced them to have workouts outside in 90-degree heat (mostly because he was a lazy-ass pervert), but Coach Sanders would make them run the Football Field until they dropped from heat exhaustion. Everyone, that was, except Kirby.
By 11 PM, the party was in full swing. All the Jocks were there, and at Mandy’s invitation, so were Nina, Gloria, and Hannah. All evening, Mandy had been doing her best to get them all drunk, plying them with drinks. Prim Gloria, spouting he usual superiority, found her words getting more and more slurred as the evening progressed. Nina, who was not yet used to drinking, and Hanna, who claimed to have drunk Moonshine before, were getting toasted at a much faster rate. Mandy kept track, and at some point went to see Damon, who was busy drunkenly relating how he had stood Leon down in the Chem Plant for anyone who cared to listen. Whispering in his ear, she said, “Would you like to use Ted and I’s room for about 10 minutes ?”, and she directed Damon over to Gloria, who was spouting off some mathematical gibberish to the other two girls. Damon, though a bit wasted himself, got right away what Mandy meant. He went over and scooped up Gloria in mid-sentence and carried her back into Ted and Mandy’s lone room, closing the door behind him.
Next, she went to find Laurent, who never found a drink he didn’t like, and was downstairs bullshitting with Juri and Luis. There was some kind of Sports Event showing on the TV (Looked like Rugby, Mandy thought), but the boys were trying to drunkenly talk all at once, in their own languages, at each other. Mandy got his attention while the other two rambled on, telling him that her and Ted’s room would be free in about 20 minutes and that Nina was waiting upstairs and really tipsy. Laurent understood that at once, and went up to keep her company. Juri and Luis never even knew he left.
Returning upstairs, she saw the Laurent had taken Nina off to a corner of the kitchenette area and was making out with her. Smirking, she went off to find Bob, and when she did, simply told him to go keep Hannah Company, since she was sitting alone now. After 15 minutes had gone by, the door opened from the room, and Damon stumbled out. carrying Gloria, who was just wrapped in a sheet and was passed out. He took her over to his bunk, laid her down, and then lay down beside her. Mandy then went over to the kitchenette and nudged Laurent, who was now groping Nina as she was also groping him. Laurent took her off to the room and the door was closed.
Mandy smiled to herself. She was so glad that some of the other Jocks had girlfriends now. Now the rumor mill for the new term could start out with some fresh victims. Every since Mandy had come to this school, more than four years ago, she had been the target of intense rumors and vicious slander, the most enduring being of how she slept with the entire Football Team. That wasn’t true, of course....She had only slept with half of them. Starting with her Freshman year, she had gone from one dumb Jock to another. It finally paid off when one of them, Ted Thompson, had won the Quarterback starting job two years ago. Ted proved to be personable and able, and more than that, a bit smarter than the Average Jock. From then on, Mandy stuck to Ted, but the rumors and gossip-mongering also stuck, of how Mandy had slept her way to the top of the social strata at Bullworth Academy.
Then came the sneak in the Girl’s Dorm shower, and the nude pictures of Mandy turned onto nude posters by that slime Ernest Jones (The little brother of that tramp Bethany Jones), plastered over the School and the Towns by him and his Nerd underlings. The fallout from that had eventually led to her and Ted’s breakup and her fall from grace as the Queen Bee of Bullworth. The situation was finally resolved when Mandy and Ted were reunited after the Valentine’s Dance, which came to become known as the Bloodbath. Pinky had assumed the Queen of Buullworth title by then, but due to her antics since Christmas, the rumor mill had turned on her and Mandy was once more the most popular girl in School, and she intended to keep it that way. Mandy and Ted were Seniors now, with only one more term to go. By what she was engineering this evening would insure that the rumors would flow away from her now, onto other people. Her social power would be unlimited and unchallenged. Let them eat cake.
A snarky grin replaced her smile, as in a few minutes Laurent and Nina stumbled from the room, only half-dressed. Mandy went to the table where Bob and Hanna sat. “I think you two need some privacy....You can use our room for awhile.”
Hannah was clearly enamored with the giant Bob. She was also very tipsy herself, rising from her seat and swaying unsteadily on her high-heel boots. Bob held out a hand to steady her. “Let’s go....Shall we ?”, she said thinly. “It’s....Really noisy in here....”
Bob eyed Mandy, and she nodded Ok. “BOB GO”, he announced. Rising, he half-carried Hannah along with him, back to the room. Mandy watched them go. As the door closed, her eyes absolutely twinkled. In no time at all, new rumors would be flying. She went off to find Ted. After the party wound down in a couple hours, she wanted him primed and ready for her.
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The Greasers were having their own private party also, in the Autoshop area. Mr. Neil had gone home for the weekend, and the Greasers had taken the opportunity to openly break out the beer and stand around the Autoshop Quad, trading the latest stories and bullshitting. After one O’clock, they would head over to the Blue Balls Bar, when most of the adults would have left. The Bar was doing better business now since it’s re-opening, and still being minors, the Greasers had decided it would be better if they weren’t there during peak drinking hours.
The biggest topic of the night was the impending release of Johnny Vincent from the Clinic the next day. The Greasers had spent some time fixing up one of the vacant upstairs apartments over the Blue Balls Bar for them, since neither of them were in School anymore. It wasn’t too roomy, but it would do for now until they would get themselves a better place. Johnny would still have some recovery to do, and needed a place to continue healing instead of just running the streets. Lola had picked out the furnishings, and had insisted everything would be just so.
Although the Binding Agreement had been signed and things looked to be on their way for a peaceful campus, Peanut still felt that the area should be guarded anytime they were there. Being directly across from the Preps and Harrington House was precisely why....In the past, it wasn’t unusual for a Prep to sneak over and tag the walls with a nasty slogan, or even start a fight. Just because there were only three of them now didn’t mean jack to Peanut....Hal had been in a fight with Tad at the Carnival not all that long ago, and Agreement or no Agreement, bad blood still existed between the Greasers and the Preps.
So it came to be that while the Greasers were at the Autoshop area, the gate was always guarded. Tonight, Lucky was drawing the guard duty. With a beer and a smoke in hand, he kept a baleful watch towards the Fountain area, in case of trouble which no one really expected. After all, the Greasers outnumbered the Preps about three to one these days, and if they were foolish enough to start anything, they’d get their royal asses kicked in a real hurry.
Curiously, along about 11 O’clock, Lucky saw Bif appear at the Fountain. He appeared to hesitate for a few seconds, casting a look down the pathway to the Autoshop. Then, turning right, he continued on towards the School, and was lost to Lucky’s sight. Wondering what Bif was up to, Lucky considered following him, but decided he’d much rather have another beer instead. After all, there appeared to be no threat.
By the time the Greasers moved out to leave for the Blue Balls Bar a couple of hours later, Lucky hadn’t seen Bif return. In fact, he had forgotten all about having seen him in the first place.
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Tony and Karen finally settled down at the In-And-Out Motel that evening. After a day of moving stuff, to which Tony had collected quite a bit of. Tony wasn’t quite sure why all of his and Nick’s stuff had to be moved, since the workmen were adding on the second story, which had nothing to do with their room. He supposed it was just a precaution against having their possessions damaged or stolen, but truthfully, who who want to steal his stuff ? Like most guys, he just had a bunch of junk, mostly worthless to anyone else.
Karen had brought much less, probably because she wanted...Needed...To keep up the illusion that she was still living in the Girl’s Dorm. In a month she would move back there, as Tony would move back to the Boy’s Dorm. Unlike Mandy, who had openly moved to the Clubhouse, or Vanessa, who had openly moved into Harrington House, as had Pinky before her, Karen (and Melody also) felt it was more proper to live at the Girl’s Dorm, as did most of the rest of the new Girls at the school. There had never been any official standing on the matter from the Administration, even during Crabblesnitch’s time, or now, carried over into the Galloway Administration. It was a non-issue, Tony felt, due to the fact that no Girls had ever turned up pregnant for a score of years. The Students owed their sexual freedom to the presence of the Easy Drugs drug store, located in the middle of Bullworth Town. Their biggest selling product was cheap Birth-Control pills, and all the sexually activate girls and women were taking those pills, courtesy of Dr. Bambillo’s Scripts. There had been some anxious times, after the store was bombed and heavily damaged during the Punk’s takeover attempt, that Easy Drugs may not be rebuilt. But it had been repaired, better than ever, to be able to continue to dispense their drugs to a compliant population.
But that didn’t really matter to Karen and Tony on this particular evening. Still basking in the glow of success in getting the Binding Agreement signed, they felt all the bad stuff was behind them now, and the rest of their High School days would finally be normal. After some time of watching the tiny black & white TV for awhile (Tony vowed he was going to get a color TV for his room, once he moved back), they retired early, close to 11 PM, and commenced to making slow, sweet love for the next hour before falling into a peaceful slumber.
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Bif entered the back South-East door to the School, as Tad had directed. Tad’s locker was on the first floor, just around the corner from here, so Bif thought he would just get Tad’s stupid notes first, before heading off to the Biology classroom, which was upstairs and also on this side of the building. As Biff went through the doorway, he fumbled in his pocket to retrieve the slip of paper from his pocket, and his attention was diverted momentarily.
Because it was dimly-lit in the entrance hallway, Bif failed to notice the presence of Mr. Martin, who was backed up against the wall by the doorway waiting for him. As Biff walked past his position, fooling around with getting the scrap of paper from his pocket, Mr. Martin began to silently follow him, pulling out the Police Nightstick (Sometimes referred to as a ‘Billy Club’) that Tad had given him. It would have been hard for Bif to casually spot Mr. Martin anyway, dressed as he was in the black Leather Pants, the black Leather Jacket, and the black Biker Hat. Not being as big a fool as Tad Spencer thought he was, Mr. Martin had also added black gloves and was wearing a Gorilla Mask over his face.
Bif went around the corner, with Mr. Martin behind him a few paces. As Bif stopped at the locker, he bent over to read the combination that Tad had scrawled on the paper. At that moment, Mr. Martin brought down the Nightstick on the back of Bif’s head.
CRACK !!!!!!! The force of the blow stunned Bif, his face slamming into the locker as he sank to his knees. “I Say....Bloody Hell !!!”, he exclaimed. Bif tried to turn his suddenly aching head to see who was attacking him, and another blow whacked him in the side of the head, spilling him sideways. Disoriented, Bif tried to regain his footing, only to receive another blow to his back. He began to crawl away, in the direction of the Great Hall. There was more room there, and he might be able to get up on his feet and face his attacker. But Mr. Martin followed him, raining down blows on his back and head. At one point, Bif was able to swivel on a knee and start to stand, but as he did so, the Nightstick was thrust into his stomach.
“OOOOFFFF !!!!!”, Bif yelled, his breath chuffing from him. Doubled over, he fell to his back on the cold marble floor. Mr. Martin was on him in an instant, smashing down blows on his face from the Nightstick, left, then right, then left and then right again. Both of Bif’s cheeks and nose were broken, but still the assault continued. Bif struggled against his attacker, but grew steadily weaker as the attack continued. Finally, the unrelenting blows rendered him unconscious.
Mr. Martin got off Bif and stood up. His breathing was rapid, and he took a minute for it to slow down. He glanced around. The School was quiet, he heard nothing. Removing the Biker Hat as Tad had instructed, he threw it down next to Bif. He bent over to check on Bif, whose face was now a bloody mess. The boy was breathing raggedly, but regular. Little spittles of blood and mucus were leaking from his mouth.
Tucking the Nightstick away, Mr. Martin retreated from the scene of his distasteful mission, beginning to regret that he had carried it out. He left the School, and the grounds, unobserved, and made his way back to Blue Skies along the back roads, keeping out of sight. The next day, he would toss the Police Nightstick into the Fire Barrel at the Docks, along with a bag containing all the clothing he was now wearing, including the Gorilla Mask.
Bif was discovered by Edna the next morning, as she arrived to work in the School Cafeteria, preparing to skin what she said were Chickens for Sunday dinner. Help was called, and Bif was taken to the Vale Clinic, where he remained unconscious in serious condition throughout the day.
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By the time 3 AM came around, Constantinos had left the Railroad Overpass and maneuvered himself into position in the side yard of Zoe’s old ruined house, which was across the street from the Clinic. He was was situated behind a fence that ran from the side of Zoe’s old place to the house to the North. An intersecting side fence divided to two properties. Constantinos was next to a break in the fence, where a gate had been, now knocked down. Here he would be in the perfect position when the Jeep drove up with two Soldiers for the watch relief. Constantinos dug into the backpack and pulled out what seemed to be a modified Spudgun. This one had been sitting separate on one of the tables in the basement of the Dragon’s Wing, and had a new feature attached to it....A sort of Scope had been added to it. Constantinos hefted it and looked through it, it appeared to be come kind if Night Scope. Constantinos briefly wondered where the Nerds had gotten ahold of such a thing, then shrugged. They had no doubt pilfered it from the same Army Guys the he had just stolen stuff from.
It was a lucky break for him. The lighting for this part of Blue Skies had not yet been fully restored, and the only light showing was the one over the Clinic Door. The rest of the area was mostly dark. Constantinos reached into the backpack and pulled out some Stink Bombs he had also taken from the Dragon’s Wing. Setting them on the ground, he waited. The Jeep was a few minutes late, but Constantinos finally heard the motor, the Jeep coming down the street from the direction of the Jail. It turned and pulled to up to the entrance to the Clinic, then stopped.
The Soldiers left motor running as they slung their M-16s onto their shoulders. Some of the Soldiers did, Constantinos had noticed...After all, it was the Government’s gas, not theirs. Constantinos gripped the Stink Bombs and got ready. When the Soldiers made to depart the Jeep, he rose and stepped through the break in the fence and heaved the Stink Bombs, one right after the other, at the Jeep, and then immediately grabbed up the Modified Spud Gun. The Soldiers coughed and gasped as the fumes enveloped them, and they scrambled to unsling their M-16s. Sighting through the Scope, Constantinos waited a few seconds as the greenish smoke cleared enough for him to be able to sight the driver. Then he unleashed a volley from the Modified Spud Gun.
SPLAT !!!! SPLAT !!!! SPLAT !!!! The Spuds hit the Soldier, two in the head and one in the chest, and he went down, not even having time to cry out. Constantinos immediately targeted the other Soldier, who was just beginning to react to his buddy going down. He fired a second volley from the Modified Spud Gun.
SPLAT !!!! SPLAT !!!! SPLAT !!!! The Spuds struck the other Soldier, one in the arm, one in the chest, and one in the neck. “ARRRUGH !!!!!”, the Soldier yelled as he went down. Constantinos ran the 40 or so feet from the fence to the Jeep, circling around the front of it. The second Soldier was struggling to get to his feet, and Constantinos fired a single Spud at close range at him. With a SPLAT !!!!, it struck the Soldier in the forehead, and he went down and laid still.
Constantinos fought to control his rapid breathing, standing stock still with the Modified Spud Gun pointing towards the Clinic door in case the other Soldiers inside came running out. After a half-minute, it became apparent that the noise from the still-running Jeep had covered the sounds of his attack, as no one appeared at the door.
“Just stay calm, Boy”, the Voice of Reason piped up suddenly in his head, “Do what you gotta do.”
For once, Constantinos welcomed his alter-ego’s advice in his mind. He drew a shaky breath. There wasn’t much time. Fastening the Spud Gun to his belt, he approached the Soldier he had just shot, laying by the passenger side of the Jeep. He was too heavy to carry, Constantinos saw, so he began to drag him, pulling him around the corner of the Clinic. He dumped him there, and returned for the other one. Constantinos had to drag him as well to around the North side of the Clinic. It was then he realized that the soldiers could still be seen in the weak light, if anyone happened to look that way. Constantinos glanced towards the East side of the Clinic, where one of the Rail Spur Lines passed through. There was an empty Rail Car that had been left there. Quickly, but with effort, he dragged to two Solders there, and stashed them in the deep shadows between the Rail Car and the Clinic.
He trotted back to the Jeep, looking for the M-16‘s that the Solders had dropped. He scooped up one on the passenger side and then spotted the Army Cap that had fallen off the Soldier’s head. He jammed it on his head to better his disguise, and ran around to the other side of the Jeep. The M-16 there was easy to find, but that Soldier’s Army Cap had fallen in the Jeep. Constantinos searched for it frantically, finally locating it. He strapped one M-16 across his shoulder, and shut off the Jeep lights, but left the motor running. Then he sprinted across the street, back behind the fence, where he had left the Backpack. He jammed the Modified Spud Gun and the extra Army Cap inside it, then put on the Backpack, it’s Kaki color blending in with his pilfered Army Uniform. He stashed the extra M-16 in the shadows, then headed back across the street. It seemed like a lot of time had gone by, but in reality only four minutes had elapsed. Constantinos stood at the Clinic door, his hand on the doorknob, and took one last look behind him.
“It’s alright”, the Voice of Reason soothed, “You got this.”
Constantinos shuddered, and took a deep breath to calm himself. Then, he opened the door and marched into the Clinic.
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Tony was having another strange dream. Unlike many of his previous dreams though, he felt no sense of imminent dread. Instead, his general feeling was one of confusion. He was in a sort of familiar place, the Glass Jaw. Only this time, he wasn’t up in the Bar and Observation Room, looking out over the Boxing Ring. No, he IN the ring, and a bell was sounding. Tony walked forward slowly, feeling something weighted on his hands. Lifting his arms, he saw he had Boxing Gloves on.
Over in the other corner, a fighter was dancing around. He turned towards Tony and came forward. His face was a blur, like much of the dream. Tony wanted to rub his eyes, but couldn’t because of the Boxing Gloves. A movement to the right of him and caught his attention. When Tony looked that way, he almost busted out laughing. It was little Chad in a Referee outfit, with a little black bow-tie. Like Tony and the other fighter, he was walking towards the center of the ring. All three came together there and stopped. The face of the fighter lost it’s blur, and Tony could see now that it was Tad, with a cruel snarky grin on his face.
“All right Gentlemen”, Chad intoned, “Protect yourself at all times, make this a clean fight, don’t hit lower than the belt line.....When I say ‘Break’, I want a clean break.....In the event of a knock-down, you will be directed to go to a neutral corner. Okay, touch gloves and come out fighting at the bell.”
Tad mashed his Gloves against Tony’s. “You’re going to pay for this, Calderone”, he said. “This is all your fault, you and your stinking Agreement !” With that, Tad turned and danced back towards his corner, while Chad moved away. Tony backed up to where he supposed his corner was and leaned with his gloved hands on the ropes.
“Go Get 'Em, Tony-O”, a voice encouraged. Tony looked down and saw the speaker was Hal, of the Greasers. In fact there were a lot of people gathered about the ring, he suddenly noticed. “Knock His Block Off !”, Karen encouraged from behind him. Tony saw Nick, with Melody clinging to him. He should be fighting, Tony thought wildly, and then realized he couldn’t, not with a broken Jaw. Nick shrugged and gave him an amused look. Next to him was Laurent, drinking a beer. He looked soused already, and wasn’t giving any particular attention to Tony. Off to the side was Pinky, who blew him a kiss. Tony looked back quickly to Karen, but she seemed not to notice. Several of the Preps were there, some of the Jocks, some of the Greasers, a few of the Bullies. Only one Nerd was there, which was Algie, standing far off. “Don’t Forget About Me !”, Tony heard him say above the rising noise level.
The bell rang and Tony was propelled forward by unseen hands. He tried to think of what to do. He’d actually never Boxed before. He knew Jimmy Hopkins had, he had defeated three Preps in a row in this very Boxing Ring. Tony wished now that Jimmy had stuck around a bit more and taught him how to Box. Tad grinned at him evilly. “You’re going to pay now, Calderone, for splitting up my Clique !”, he hissed. Tony saw him ready to throw a punch, he supposed he should raise his arms to defend himself. But it seemed to take so long, his arms felt so weighted with the heavy Gloves.
WHACK !!! Too Late !!! A blow caught him on the left side of the head, stunning him. Tony stumbled backwards, arms flailing, barely keeping his balance. Tad moved in, throwing another punch that Tony somehow managed to duck. Tony tried to throw his own punch, but his weighted arms betrayed him. Tad easily evaded Tony’s attempt and sent a blow into his unprotected Stomach.
“Ooooof !!”, Tony heard himself whoosh, and he doubled over. “Ha-Ha !”, Tad gloated, “You can’t fight the Bullworth Boxing Champion, Pauper !” Tony stumbled away, against the ropes. “But...That’s not right...”, he heard himself say, “It’s....Bif who’s the Prep Boxing Champ....I heard him say so himself....”
“Not any more !”, Tad crowed. “And that’s your fault too !” Tad leveled another punch that connected and Tony fell to the mat. Chad ran over, telling Tad to “Go to your corner”, and then proceeded to count Tony out. “10 !...9 !...8 !...7 !...6 !...5 !...4 !...3 !...........”
Tony’s dream dissolved before the count-out ended, and he came awake with a start. Karen was slumbering peacefully beside him. It took several seconds for him to realize that he wasn’t laying on the mat in the Boxing Ring of the Glass Jaw Gym. He drew a deep breath and settled back, thinking. Usually, his vivid dreams like this meant something....Awful. Or, at least, something bad that COULD happen. But, for the life of him, Tony couldn’t imagine just why he would ever agree to be in the Prep’s Boxing Ring. So just what did his dream really mean ?
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-
“Yo, looks like our relief is finally here”, one of the Soldiers, whose khaki name tag read ‘Gunderson’, called to another Soldier, whose khaki name tag spelled out ‘Nickels’.
“Bout time”, the other Soldier remarked, as Constantinos strode into the Clinic, a bit unsteadily. “Hey Boy, what were you doing out there, pissin’ around ? And where’s West and Carter ? They’s supposed to be reliving us.”
“Um...They didn’t report”, Constantinos said, deciding to answer the last question with the story he had made up, and ignore the first. “I, uh, just got rousted out for guard duty.”
“Didn’t report ?”, Gunderson said, as Constantinos came closer. “Man, they’re goin’ be in hot water over that.” Gunderson peered closer at Constantinos. “I don’t recall seein’ you before, Boy...You new ?”
“Um....Yeah...I just got outta Basic last month”, Constanos replied, carefully telling his pre-planned story. “I just got assigned to my Unit here yesterday.”
“You look a little young”, Nickels remarked, coming closer. “What’s your name, Boy ?”
“It’s, uh.....Ratliff”, Constantinos replied, nearly wetting himself because for a few seconds there, he nearly forgot the name on the stolen uniform, “Jerryd Ratliff....See ?” Constantinos pointed to the khaki name tag on the uniform shirt he was wearing.
“Oh”, Nickels said. “Hey, you got a brother serving here or somethin’ ? That name’s familiar.”
“Um...Yeah....Tommy”, Constantinos said, “I don’t know where he’s at right now, though, since I just got here." He held his breath, hoping his subterfuge was working. People in the Military usually just referred to others by their last names, and it depended on just how well these Soldiers knew the real Ratliff.
“Ah, figures, that guy’s a real slacker, you know it ?”, Gunderson guffawed.
“Yeah, I knows it”, Constantinos shrugged and gave a little nervous laugh. The other two Soldiers laughed also, and Constantinos felt his perceived tensions ease a few degrees.
“Say, Gun, let’s get outta here, we’re five minutes over the end of our watch, Ey ?”, Nickels said.
“Fine by me”, Gunderson told him. To Constantinos, he said, “Where’s the other guy, still out at the Jeep ?”
“Other guy ?”, Constantinos repeated. “There’s...Um...Only me. I got ordered over here, is all I know.”
“Christ in a Sidecar”, Gunderson swore. “What’s wrong with them Jackasses ?”
“Aw, you know how it is”, Nickels said, “Always some kinda Snafu’s happenin’....They probably be sendin’ somebody else along directly.” He turned to Constantinos. “They give you any orders for us ?”
“Nope”, Constantinos replied, “They just ordered me to get over here on the double.”
“Well there, you see ?”, Nickels said to Gunderson, “We don’t gotta stick around. Don’t know about you, but I need to catch some Zzzz’s before revile....Mornin’ comes awful early.”
Gunderson debated. Constantinos held his breath and tried to keep a poker face. Finally, Gunderson conceded. “Ahh, guess it’ll be alright. Look, Ratliff, these scum be sleepin’ they dose 'em up with Sleep Meds for the nights anyhow, so they don’t be makin’ no trouble. 'Sides, they’re chained up pretty good, they won’t be gettin’ up or nothing. But, if they try to make a break, you can plug 'em, that’s our orders. You good with that ?”
Constantinos put a grim look on his face, something he could do very well. “I can handle it.”
“That’s good”, Gunderson said. “Com’on Nickels, let’s beat it....I’m tired too.”
The two Soldiers made to leave. “Oh, they ain’t supposed to be talkin’ any. Don’t be lettin’ 'em do that", Nickels said on the way out.
“I’ll see that they don’t”, Constantinos promised, and the two Soldiers exited the Clinic. Constantinos waited until he heard the Jeep drive away before slumping his shoulders and exhaling. He had pulled it off, just barely. He was alone with the Townies.
But he would have to move fast. There wouldn’t be too much time before his subterfuge would be discovered. When those two Soldiers he'd popped came to, they would raise the alarm. Constantinos removed his backpack, opened it and rummaged around in it for what he needed.
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-
Gord came awake in the middle of the night. He was a bit restless, as he was being released later today. The wound to his shoulder, which had chipped his right shoulder blade before lodging in his shoulder socket, was mostly healed now, but there was still a lot of stiffness there.
He sat up on the edge of the bed in the semi-darkness. Bryce had told him he would be around to pick him up. Gord supposed he would go off to the Beach House to stay along with Justin and Parker. He didn’t want to go back to Harrington House and have to deal with an overbearing Tad, who had been becoming more devious than Derby as he attempted to assert his dominance over the Prep Clique. The row that had erupted that night over Bryce’s plan to help attack the Chem Plant had been enough to make Gord consider leaving the Prep Clique and Bullworth Academy forever. It could be done...These days, one could get a diploma on-line, Hell, a person could even go to College on-line. It was the wave of the future, one day there would be no more schools or buildings or campuses. Everyone would learn in front of a computer screen.
But what Gord really wanted to do was to live on Pirate Island in the Dream Lodge that Vance had conjured up in his mind. The Project was entirely do-able, Gord was sure of that. It would probably take a Million Dollars, but that was no problem. As a former President had once said, he could get a Million Dollars, he knew where it could be gotten. And, he wasn’t going to enlist the other Preps to help, oh no. The Pirate Bay Resort would generate all sorts of ancillary services...Food, Transportation, Boating, Information Technology, Telecommunications, among others. At heart, Gord was still a Prep, and wasn’t about to let other Preps horn in on what could be the potential Gold Mine of Pirate Island.
Best of all, Gord was in a prime position to carry this off....Unlike the other Preps, his Father had not been Indicted or charged with the crimes the other Prep Fathers had, only minor things like Money Laundering and Abetting Racketeering, charges which were liable to be dismissed for lack of any real evidence, since Mr. Vendome always made sure he covered his tracks quite well. Gord could hardly wait to be free of the Clinic, so he could contact his Father and Uncles about this money-making opportunity. The Vale could be turned into a Resort Town within a year’s time. It was indeed an intoxicating vision.
Gord tried to return to sleep, but failed, so he just lay there making plans into the morning hours. It was because of this that he was the first patient in the Clinic to become aware of the commotion that ensued as a new seriously injured patient was being brought in from Bullworth Academy early that morning.
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Constantinos pulled the length of coiled rope from the backpack. Looking around, he could see the Townies on three widely-separated beds. None were stirring, it seemed the conversation he’d been having with the Soldiers wasn’t enough to wake them from their drugged sleep. Constantinos quickly located Leon, who was spaced apart from Duncan and Jerry near the center of the large room. Taking the rope and grabbing up the backpack, he moved over to the bed.
Constantinos took a few seconds to glare down with hatred and loathing at Leon’s sleeping figure, then reached out and grasped his lower arms, and bringing them together, swiftly tied them together at the wrists. The Clinic beds were the old Iron kind, with vertical bars set into the headboards and footboards. The Townie's ankles had been chained through the bars of the footboards, and the weight of the beds and the thickness of the vertical bars kept them from attempting any kind of escape.
(http://0.tqn.com/w/experts/Collectibles-General-Antiques-682/2010/11/rusty-iron-bed.jpg)
Constantinos had known about these beds in the Blue Skies Clinic, in fact, and that led to his plan of revenge once he realized where the wounded Townies were being held. Getting in here had been a slim chance, but on such slim chances revolved the matrix of history. However unlikely it was that Constantinos had made it to this point, he had nevertheless prepared for this contingency. The bonus was that the Townies were being given Sleep Meds, meaning he wouldn’t have to use the Chloroform he'd brought along, swiped from Dr. Watt’s Chemistry Classroom one night this past week.
Throwing the end of the rope over the headboard, Constantinos went around behind the bed and began pulling the rope, and kept doing it until Leon’s arms were pulled up over his head. Constantinos pulled the rope snug and tied it off on the bars of the headboard. As he did so, Leon began moving groggily, but not being able to come awake due to the sleep drugs. Satisfied with his knots, Constantinos came back around the bed to his backpack on the floor. Rummaging around inside, he withdrew a medium sized cloth sack with a long twined fuse.
Constantinos knew all about what Zoe and Trent had done to Big Darrell the Fall before, and it seemed fitting that Leon should suffer the same fate. Although Leon hadn’t raped Tiffany, he did do the dastardly act of shooting her, thereby nearly taking her life. Inside the cloth sack were seven M-80 Fireworks, all that he could find in the basement of the Dragon’s Wing, and Constantinos had tied the fuses together and onto the long twined fuse now poking out the opening of the cloth sack.
Constantinos stripped down the thin sheet covering Leon, and then yanked up Leon’s dirty T-shirt, exposing his belly. Leon let out a groan and began moving again, twisting about weakly on the bed. Constantinos dug in the backpack for one final item, a roll of Duct Tape, and ten laid the cloth sack containing the M-80s on Leon’s exposed belly. He then Duct Taped the sack in place so Leon couldn’t buck it off if he were to come fully awake. In his pocket was the last item he needed, a Bic Lighter, and he grabbed it out.
Constantinos stepped back, the twined fuse in one hand, the lighter in the other. He knew he had to hurry, but he took a moment to contemplate what he was about to do.
“Com’on, Do It, Hurry Up !!”, the Voice of Reason inside his mind suddenly blurted in a most unreasonable fashion. “Make This Bastard Pay For What He Did To Tiffany !!”
Constantinos obeyed, for it was what he wanted too. Gripping the twined fuse, he lit it, and it sputtered to life suddenly. He dropped it and began backing away, grabbing up the backpack. Retreating to the Clinic door, he watched in fascination as the fuse continued it’s rapid burn.
The smell of Cordite from the burning fuse brought Leon further awake, and he half-opened his eyes as the fire of the fuse climbed up towards the sack taped to his belly. He attempted to pull his arms down and couldn’t. A thin wail escaped weakly from his lips. “Hey, man, heyyyyy....”
BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! BLAM !!! The noise of the explosions was deafening in the large Clinic room, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. A scream escaped Leon as his belly was instantly turned into a bloody mess.
“BRUTAL, MAN, BRUTAL !!!!”, the Voice of Reason chortled inside his head, but Constantinos was already turning towards the Clinic door. His mission accomplished, it was time to get the Fuck out of Dodge.
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-
Peanut awoke that night also, Restless. He moved from the bed slowly, as not to disturb a naked, sleeping Binky beside him. Almost naked, that was....She was still wearing her killer high-heeled boots, like she always did when they had wild sex. Or any other time, for that matter. It occurred to him just then that he never saw her without them on, from the first time they met. In fact, he had never seen her feet. It was like she never took them off, but that was silly, certainly she would remove them to shower, which she did in the Girl’s Dorm.
This sudden train of thought intrigued Peanut. When she slept alone in the Dorm, as she sometimes did, did she wear her boots there too ? Or was it only with him ? Peanut dwelled on that for awhile. Was there something she had to hide ? Ugly feet, maybe ? Missing toes ? Webbed feet ? He shook that idea off, only Preps had webbed feet, due to their alleged inbreeding. Feet too tiny, like those Japanese Girls in the Porn Mags ? Maybe that was it. Maybe, she was embarrassed about them. Then, another thought hit him...Just how short was she, really ?
Peanut left the room quietly, and went out into the Bar area. The stage-building was done, but like most sloppy fellows, there was stuff laying around on it....Couple of Hammers, a Saw, some Paint Buckets, and....A Tape Measure. He grabbed it up, and found a Flashlight that was under the Bar, then re-entered the back room. Going down to the foot of the bed, he flicked the Flashlight on, shielding it with his hand as not to wake Binky up. Carefully, he pulled the sheet away to expose her left boot, and then measured the heel. It turned out to be 4 inches, which was more that he thought it would be.
Peanut himself was 5 foot, 4 inches, short for a grown boy and much shorter than the other Greasers, except Hal, who was about 5 foot, 7 inches. Binky, even in her boots, was shorter than he was...The top of her head came to just about his eye sockets. Peanut stuck the Tape Measure up to his face, nearly poking himself in the eye in the process, and measured from his eye to the top of his head. He had to set the Flashlight on the floor to do that, holding his other hand flat on his head, gripping the Tape Measure and marking it with his thumb and finger, then looking at it in the weak light, it was also 4 inches, just like her boot heels....So, that was 4 inches plus 4 inches, which meant she was really.....He struggled with the figures in his head, Math had never been a favorite subject with him.
Binky stirred just then. “Nut, whaat you doin’?”, she murmered sleepily. “Come back to bed, we gots to pick up Johnny in the mornin’....”
“Um....Nottin’, ain’t doin’ nuttin’ at all”, Peanut said, switching off the Flashlight and shoving it and the Tape Measure under the bed.
Binky pulled off the sheet and rolled over on her back, spreading those wonderful booted legs. “Well, you woke me up, mister, so you can just puts me back to sleep with a slow one”, she told him. “Right now !”
Peanut didn’t hesitate. He dropped his boxer shorts and climbed on the bed. He would figure out the mystery tomorrow....Or ask the new Math Teacher on Monday. ________________________________________
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The noise from the M-80‘s explosions and Leon’s scream brought Duncan and Jerry from their drugged sleep only far enough to comprehend in a confused way what was happening. By the time their blurry eyes focused to look about the large room, they could only see the figure of a Soldier exiting through the door and Leon withering in his bed in apparent agony.
Constantinos ran back across the street to back behind the fence after making sure the way was clear. Momentarily, he considered, then unslung the remaining M-16 off his shoulder and tossed it into the shadows with the other one. If he happened to be captured, it wouldn’t do be caught with those, oh no. Not that he had any plans to be captured. Quite the contrary.
Checking to make sure the way was clear, he headed for the cross street that led to the Spencer Warehouse. On the way, he heard some yelling coming from the inside the Clinic, but as yet there was no evidence of any Soldiers about. He made his way down the street to the Save Warehouse. There, he jimmied the lock to the door with a special card he carried for such occasions, and went inside. Once in, he went to the Wardrobe that was set against the wall and opened it, then stripped off the stolen uniform and stashed it under a pile of discarded clothes at the bottom of the Wardrobe, remembering to throw in the hat from his backpack as well as the one on his head. Picking out a workman’s outfit that more or less fit him, he put that on, and then quickly left the Save Warehouse. Less than five minutes had elapsed since his attack on Leon.
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"Whadda Mean, They Didn't Report ?", the Sergeant steamed. "They Left Outta Here Not Twenty Minutes Ago !"
"Well..Umm No Sir, Sargent Simon, they didn't", Gunderson replied nervously, "Ratliff told us West and Carter never checked in...."
"RATLIFF ?", Sargent Simon yelled. "Ratliff Is On Report For Losing His Uniform !! What's He Got To Do With Anything ?"
"But, Sarge, he's the one who showed up for our relief !", Nickels told Sargent Simon, suddenly dreading what was coming.
"You Fucking Morons !!", the Sargent ranted. "He's A FAKE !! Somebody Is Busting Those Scum Out Of There Right Now !! Get Your Asses Back There On The Double, And Just Pray Those Prisoners Haven't Escaped !!"
"Um..Yes Sir !", Gunderson snapped off a salute, as Nickels did also, and the two Soldiers raced back to their Jeep, all hope of rest before Reverie forgotten. The Jeep tore out the street by the Bullworth Courthouse, where the Army Command Post had been set up since control of the Towns had been taken back from the Punks.
Three minutes later, they arrived back at the Clinic, hopped out of the Jeep and raced for the door. Flinging it open, rifles at the ready, they were confronted by smoke rolling out at them. One of the Townie's beds were on fire, the other two Townies were choking and crying out feebily. Gunderson raced for the beds to unshackle them, while Nickels searched for the Fire Extinguisher.
Gunderson Unshackled Duncan and made him crawl on the floor over to Jerry's bed, where Gunderson unshackled him also, then forcing him to the floor as well, then ordered the two to crawl outside towards the door. He held them at gunpoint the whole way, but the Townies were too weakened by the drugs and smoke to offer any kind of resistance. In the meantime, Nickels had located the Fire Extinguisher and had doused the smoldering bed of the third Townie of Leon. As the smoke cleared somewhat, he was able to see that not only was Leon still shackled, but that his arms had been tied up over his head to the bedframe. Then, Nickels saw the blood.
Outside, Gunderson re-shackled the Prisoners. As he finished doing that, Nickels emerged, dragging Leon out the door. Nickels re-shackled him also, but it was clear by then that Leon wasn't going anywhere under his own power. Leon was unconscious and barely breathing.
"Shit, what a fucking mess !", Nickels exclaimed. "Our asses are gonna be in a sling over this !"
"It was that Goddam Boy Soldier", Gunderson said darkly. "Quick, check around the perimeter, maybe we can catch the little asshole if he's still around !"
Gunderson held his captives at gunpoint as Nickels began a search of the area. After hearing some faint groans coming from behind the Clinic, he returned a few minutes later, lugging a staggering two other Soldiers. "Lookit here !", Nickels called to Gunderson. "It's West and Carter ! They was around back !"
"I'll be Fucking Dammed !", Gunderson swore. "This is deep shit, real deep shit." He eyed the prisoners, and then the two other Soldiers, West and Carter, who were slowly coming around. "Tell you what, we need help....I'll guard the Prisoners...Take the Jeep and go up the Jail, see if Captain Larkin is there...Tell them we need assistance, and fast !"
Nickels was more than ready to head off for help. The words were barely out of Gunderson's mouth as Nickels leaped in the Jeep and speed off.
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Constantinos had already left the Save Warehouse and, traveling the Footbridge to the Cavern and through the Tunnel to the Nerd’s Fantasy Battleground, was unlocking the Nerd’s Gate by the Library. Dodging any prefects who might be about, he made his way to the Boy’s Dorm.
The place was empty, as everyone who had still been left in the Dorm, mostly the Bullies and Non-Clique Students, had moved out in preparation for the construction of the second floor onto the Dorm. There were all sorts of construction materials laying about....Pallets of Bricks for the outside and Wood for the inside, bags of Mortar, even crates containing urinals and stools. Seemed that the Dorm was getting a Bathroom at long last. No more having to take a piss out back or taking a dump with one’s ass hanging out a window. Too bad Constantinos wouldn’t be around to enjoy it.
Constantinos went to his room. The door was unlocked, as were all the other doors. He went and rummaged under his bed, pulling out the things he had prepared in advance should his mission be successfully completed. There was clothes, toiletries, non-perishable food, and drinks. There was also some extra ammo for the Spud-Gun. Constantinos jammed all of it in his backpack. He then went to his Wardrobe. Shedding the clothes he had just changed, he put on a Black Ninja Outfit, and threw the Workman’s clothes in the bottom of the Wardrobe, covering them up with other dirty clothes that hadn’t been washed.
He next went to his bed and pulled up his mattress to reveal a used dirty-looking envelope. He grabbed it up and checked it’s contents, then stuffed it into a side zippered pocket of the backpack. The Dragon’s Wing basement hadn’t been the only place he’d robbed since he had been back. If anything else, he could make a living as a Thief if his future didn’t work out so well.
Ready, Constantinos slung the backpack on and paused to take a look around. He wouldn’t be coming back this time. He left the room then, and went down the hall to Tony & Nick’s room. He paused again, and then went in through the unlocked door. Pulling his Flashlight, he went over to the big cluttered desk. Rifling through the drawers, he found some paper and a pen, and scribbled a short note. This he stuck in the center drawer of the desk and shut it. Then, he went out of the room, closing the door.
Constantinos left the Dorm, and snuck his way over to the Autoshop. In one of the back garages on the South side, he found what he was looking for, a decent-looking silver BMX Bike. Mounting it, he rode out through the back of the Autoshop, then past the Parking Lot, out the side gate and down the access road to Vale Valley Boulevard. He saw no one, and no saw him.
The streets were empty, not even a Cop Car was in sight as he pedaled past the Vale Clinic and then further on into the Tunnel, past the Carnival and onto the long road leading to the Highway. Less than an hour had gone by since his attack on Leon by the time he reached the quiet Highway, and he stopped for a moment and rested.
His way was clear now, he had done what he came to do, and now he must get back to Boston, back to Tiffany. Their future was as uncertain as the the sands blowing on the beach, but there was at least a chance. And for once in his miserable life, Constantinos wasn’t going to let that chance go by.
The Voice of Reason, silent since the Blue Skies Clinic, drifted in then. “You done it, Boy....Let’s get on with being a Man now, whadda say ?”
Constantinos didn’t reply, but just smiled as he turned the bike North and began the ride down the long lonesome highway.
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By the time Constantinos was biking off towards his destiny, the grounds around the Blue Skies Clinic was awash with lights and Army Personnel. Captain Mark Larkin surveyed the scene. There were groups of Soldiers scouring the area for clues as to just who had perpetrated the apparent attack. Far from being a means of escape, it looked like the motive had been purely one of revenge. It was going to be difficult to explain to the Government Agents just how his Guard Unit had failed to protect a prisoner under his watch.
A couple a Medics, roused from their sleep, had been able to staunch the bleeding from the apparent target of the attack, one Leon Williams. It appeared some kind of explosive device had been used on him, but more troubling was the burns he received when the bedding had caught fire. It could have been that the other two prisoners were targets also, but the fire and smoke may have made the perpetrator cut short his plans. Certainly, it was an obviously well-planned attack. Captain Larkin had very few details at this point, he would have to debrief all the Soldiers involved to get to the core of just what exactly happened. Right now though, he had some fast decisions to make.
Captain Larkin pulled out his radio unit, and called HQ for a Chopper. The one prisoner obviously needed far more help than was available at this small weird backwards place. He would have to be airlifted out to a secure Government Facility for treatment. The other two were a different matter, however. He walked over to where they were being guarded, ironically by the very Soldiers who had been fooled by the imposter.
“These two look well enough”, Captain Larkin observed, circling them. “Take them to the Jail and secure them. You think you can handle that, Soldier ?”
“Um, Yes Sir !”, Gunderson replied hastily, while Nickels just murmured something and saluted. Duncan and Jerry were loaded into a Jeep and driven off, two other Soldiers jumped on the back of the Jeep for extra Guards. Captain Larkin watched the Jeep go up the street to the Jail, where the two prisoners were unloaded and then locked away without incident, he then turned back to see about getting reports from the other men, particularly West and Carter on just how they had been attacked.
In due course, the Helicopter arrived, landing in the narrow street to the south of the Clinic, and Leon was put on a stretcher and loaded onto it. The two Medics went along, and the Helicopter rose into the night sky and headed north. Much like Big Darrell, Leon would never be seen or heard from ever again, the Government electing to cover up the whole affair and classify it Top Secret.
(http://www.defense.gov/dodcmsshare/photoessay/2014-09/hires_140902-A-KD550-830a.jpg)
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As the new day dawned on Bullworth, the Attendants brought an unconscious boy to the Vale Clinic. “Here’s one for you....Looks like he got beat pretty bad.”
“My Word !”, the woman in the White Lab Jacket exclaimed. “He’s all bloody ! What on Earth happened to him ? Who found him ?”
“Ahh, that old crazy Cook over at the school found him”, one Attendant replied, “As to what happened to him, I don’t know....Got beat up, obviously.”
“Well....Get him over to the Trauma Area right away”, White Lab Jacket Lady said briskly, “I’ll call Doctor Bambillo.”
“Looks to be a Preppy”, the other Attendant said, pushing the stretcher on wheels over to the designated area. “That’s why we brought him here.”
“It’s a good thing you did !”, White Lab Jacket Lady exclaimed. “Those Ruffians ! With everything this place has been through these past months, and now those School kids are going to start beating on each other again ?” She shook her head, and went off to call the Doctor.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Still restless, Gord had decided to walk the halls of the Clinic for a bit to quell his nervousness over his anticipation on getting out of the Clinic. So it was that he heard part of the conservation coming from the front about a new causality coming in. His ears really perked up when he heard the word 'Preppy’, so he decided to investigate. He turned and went out into the open area, and saw the Attendants moving a figure to a bed. He hurried over to look.
“Um, excuse me...Did you say something about a Preppy ?”, he asked the one of the Attendants, startling him.
“Whaa...?”, the Attendant said, swinging around. “Oh...Yeah....This kid’s a Preppy here, I can tell by his clothes. You know him ? There wern’t no I.D. on him.”
Gord looked down at the blood-smeared face, now dried to ghastly streaks of rust-colored red. “Why, that’s.....That’s Bif Taylor !!”, he exclaimed. “What in the world....Who would do such a thing ?”
“Like we told the Nursie there, that fat crazy Cook over at the school found him in the hall when she come in this morning.....Maybe she beat him up”, the other Attendant said, looking up.
Gord shook his head. “No....Miss Edna is nuts, but she certainly wouldn’t do that. He looks badly beaten ! It had to be somebody else. Was she able to tell you anything ?”
“Naw, just that she found him that-a-way”, the first Attendant replied, “Says she come in to make Sunday lunch.....Come to think of it, it couldn’t have been that fat bag, anyway. This here blood’s all dried and clotted....Had to be sometime during the night.” They finished getting Bif settled into the bed and covered him up, just as White Lab Jacket Lady came back.
“Doctor Bambillo will be here shortly”, she said, “He’s over in New Coventry, of all places. Seems those terrible Town boys the Army is holding set fire to a bed, and a couple of them have Smoke Inhalation. Serves them right, I say !”
“You need us anymore, Lady ?”, the Attendant asked, not caring about the Army’s problems with their no-good Prisoners. “I’m supposed to be off shift by now.”
White Lab Coat Lady shook her head, and he and the second Attendant gripped the now-empty stretcher and started to go. But pausing, the First Attendant looked at Gord in his fine Preppy outfit and said, “It’s funny though....Yer friend here has got some fine clothes, like you....But there was a Biker Cap layin’ next to him....Nothing like what you Preppy kids would wear.”
“Biker Cap ?”, Gord repeated. “What....What do you mean ?”
“A Black Biker Cap”, the Attendant replied, moving the stretcher past Gord as they headed towards the Clinic’s front doors. “Y’know, the kind like them kids in Coventry wear.”
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Tad rolled out of bed that Sunday morning. It appeared Vanessa had already got up and left. Tad put on his rich purple robe and headed out to the small kitchenette, where the Preps took many of their meals these days, expecting to have to get something to eat for himself. If there was one thing this place really lacked, it was Servants. Tad intended to do something about that once the new Term started. Providing his plan to re-unite the Preps would work, that is. Or even if it didn’t.
But, he was surprised to find Vanessa in the Kitchenette, cooking something that smelled vaguely familiar. For one thing, he didn’t know she even knew how to cook. “I say Love, what are you doing ?”
“Cooking Breakfast”, she replied, a bit sourly, “Since Bif doesn’t seem to be up this morning.”
Every since Derby had left the school, and the country, abandoning him and forcing him to crawl back to the Preps in disgrace, Bif had been relegated to cooking the meals, when such meals were made at Harrington House, a task usually done by the most junior of the Preps. In a way, it was a direct insult to Bif, who not long ago had been the second most powerful Prep in the Valley, due to his association with Derby. But Tad had seized control of the Preps by hinting to reveal embarrassing things about the others if they didn’t go along and anoint him the new Leader. In Bif’s case though, his ultimate secret was far worse than all the others, one that if known, would ostracize him from even the ranks of the Preps for all time. And Bif knew that Tad knew just what that secret was, which was why Bif declined to challenge Tad for Leadership and accept the scorn of the others for being Derby’s lapdog.
“Hmmm....Maybe someone should check his room”, Tad said smugly. “Where’s Chad ?”
“He’s not up either, apparently”, Vanessa replied irritatedly, struggling with something that looked like scrambled eggs in the pan.
Just then, Chad did appear, bleary-eyed and yawning. Tad told him to go check Bif’s room and wake him up. “As soon as I feed Chester”, Chad said, stifling another yawn. “He wasn’t back last night, so I finally went to sleep.”
“Odd”, commented Tad, but he just went and sat down in one of the chairs at the table where they had been playing that new game last night. He watched Vanessa fool around with the Eggs without offering to help, while Chad went off to feed his Dog out in the side yard. When Chad returned, he went and checked Bif’s room as Tad had directed. A few minutes later, Chad reported back to Tad.
“He’s not there”, Chad told him. “It don’t look like he even slept there all night.”
“Odd”, Tad repeated. “Just where could he be ?” Inside, elation began to build in Tad. That numb fuck Mr. Martin must have carried out the attack on Bif, making the first step of his plan complete. But he couldn’t let that on to the others. Nonchalantly, he said, “We’ll just have to look for him, after we eat. Go help Vanessa with that, would you Chap ?”
Chad went over to rescue Vanessa from the cooking, a job he had done countless times before the Summer, and unbeknownst to him, a job he would again be doing for quite some time to come.
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The Nerds shuffled up to the Library from the Observatory. Today was to finally be a free day, one they could call their own after a nearly a week of intensive Weapons-making. Thad, in particular, was sick of the whole thing, even more that Fatty, but he kept his mouth shut about it, secretly hoping that Tony Calderone’s Agreement plan would work. He was getting tired of making Weapons for the entire School that he might ironically be attacked with in turn.
Melvin and Fatty were going to head off to the Dragon’s Wing in order to meet Tony this morning and give him the Weapons for distribution to the other Cliques. Fatty, who had been and still was opposed to making Weapons for the other Cliques, was eager to get to work on re-creating the Super Spud Gun like the one that the Feds had confiscated during the Chem Plant Raid. Fatty didn’t believe for a minute that the Binding Agreement, or any kind of Agreement would ever put an end to the hostilities at Bullworth Academy. The bulk of the rest of the Nerds would camp out at the Library for the next few hours, planning a mock battle to be staged in their grassy and rocky area just to the East of the School, right after Summer School let out, and Fatty wanted to have the Weapon ready by then. Already, he was already making plans to arm the Nerds even more in the next few weeks, weather Melvin liked it or not. Parity may have worked to keep the World from Nuking itself into oblivion during the Cold War, but Fatty doubted it would restrain the kids at Bullworth from any future attempts to annihilate each other. Better to be prepared than not was his way of thinking.
When Melvin and Fatty arrived at the Dragon’s wing basement, they was to find that someone had been there already, as it became apparent some things were missing. Melvin cursed whoever had failed to lock the door again, and they hurried to check the small Closet Room where they had stockpiled the Weapons in burlap Potato Bags for distribution to the other Cliques. Relieved to find the bags apparently untouched, they nevertheless went through each in turn to make sure that the Weapons were still there. They both agreed on the spot to provide better fortifications to the Basement from here on, it was getting too risky to do otherwise. They set about making plans on just what would be the best way while waiting for Tony to appear.
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The Greasers came awake groggily that Sunday morning, a bit after 9AM. They were mostly scattered around in chairs and stools, or bunked down on the floor, like always, with the exception of Peanut and Binky, who had the little private room in back. The next project, not yet anywhere near completion, was to finish fixing up the upstairs rooms of the Blue Balls Bar for themselves. They had already gotten one room ready, for the return of Johnny and Lola from the Clinic, and that had spurred the idea of finishing off the rest. Some of the Greaser boys actually had homes in the New Coventry area, when one Parent or another could keep hold of a ratty apartment for a few months, but it was getting to the point that they were going to have to strike out for themselves as they became older, and that realization was sinking in a lot faster these days.
After about an hour of getting themselves together, they set off in a group to make the trek to the Vale, generally hostile territory for them. But being as it was Sunday morning, very few Townspeople would be out and about, and they were more likely to encounter the Tourists who had flooded into the Vale Valley this summer for the first time in decades, due to all the publicity and the Valley being opened up to the outside World. Still, it was safety in numbers as far as they had learned, even though their sworn nemesis, the Preps, were in total disarray these days.
As they were just passing under the Railroad Overpass into Bullworth Town, up ahead they saw Tony Calderone, with Karen walking by his side, and Ray Hughes trailing behind, munching on a bag of chips. Hailing Tony, Peanut went ahead to talk with him while Binky trailed behind.
“Hey Ton-o, what’cha know ?”, Peanut greeted him.
“Oh...Hey, Peanut”, Tony responded, “We’re just on our way to pick up Nick from the Clinic.”
“No lie ?”, Peanut said, “We’re on the way to get Johnny. Maybee we’s can go’s together, if’n you donts mind ?”
“Yeah, that’ll be fine”, Tony replied, “Cause on the way back, you all can pick up your Weapons with us from the Dragon’s Wing, it’ll save me a trip.”
Peanut agreed that would be a really good idea, as he was wanting to ask Tony just when they were getting them anyway. As they waited for the rest of the Greasers to catch up, Karen took a real good look at Binky. She was standing quietly, looking at Peanut interacting with Tony, with a quirky half-smile on her face. Karen could see they were about the same height, although Binky was wearing some high-heeled boots while Karen just had on her flat loafers, which meant Binky was definitely shorter than her. That pleased her somehow, for before the summer, she and Melody and Gloria had been the shortest girls on Campus.
But Binky was a mystery to Karen, who hadn’t really had time to socialize with any of the new girls before the Kidnapping. Since her return, Karen had spent little time in the Girl’s Dorm, other than to sleep and shower, being with Tony as much as she could. In the few encounters she had with Binky, it was always in the company of others, and Binky stayed mostly silent. But Karen didn’t think it had anything to do with shyness on Binky’s part, rather that she seemed to exude an aura of confidence and self-assurance.
Karen realized just then that she could do with a bit more confidence herself. She was still badly shaken by her degrading mistreatment at the hands (and other parts) of the Townies. But Melody had fared far worse, mentally, and Karen had taken it on herself to keep strong for the both of them. In doing so, she had denied her own mental needs for healing. She would have to come to terms with what had happened to her in a more real sort of way to fully heal. Here she was, walking about on a cracked heel, which still hurt, but more than that, there was a crack in her mind that needed mending. Sure, Tony could help, would help, greatly in that process. But more than that, Karen realized, she needed friends, Girl Friends. True, there was Mandy, whom she could talk to, and did, but she would be leaving Bullworth in a few months, her and Ted going off to the sunset of College. Her only other real friend was Melody, who had fared much worse from their ordeal, and had to bear the added burden of Nick being shot during her rescue. To help Melody heal, she would have to help herself heal first.
And then there was Tony. If his grand plan succeed and were to bring peace to the School, she would be the girl of possibly the most powerful boy on campus that Bullworth had ever seen. Much of that power depended on the support of others that Tony was now forging. She could aid him in that by developing a network of friends herself, which would benefit them both as they navigated the next couple of years. The older girls would move on soon, it was the new ones who would be the influences of tomorrow, just as Binky was doing now, working her silent magic on Peanut.
Right then, Karen resolved to get to know the new girls better.....Nina, Hannah, Jessica, Jimette, Paige, Amber, Joan, Claire, Misty....Maybe even the Reform School girls of Whitney, Carla, and Hayley too, if possible, but probably not Vanessa....She couldn’t ever see herself being friends with a Prep girl, not after Pinky.
But first, there was Binky, and right here was the perfect opportunity to start. As the group moved on, towards their way to the Vale Clinic, Karen fell in step with Binky and began to make conversation.
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After the wild party that Mandy had cooked up for the Jocks, and their associated Girlfriends, there were no early risers come Sunday morning, except for Mandy herself. She had purposely toned down her drinking to make sure the others got really loaded, and it had worked out perfectly. Three of the Jocks and their three Girlfriends had a ballsy good fling, and it was pretty obvious to all what had happened, drunk or not. Mandy knew that young girls couldn’t keep their mouths shut once they knew that others knew. Up until now, Gloria and Nina had only been having private sex with their respective partners, alone and away from the other girls, and this might have been Hannah’s first time. But no longer. Each of the three girls knew just what the others had done, snockered or not. They would talk about it among themselves. The girls would carry slightly distorted stories back to the Dorm, and soon enough, others would hear. And when they did, it would make the unattached girls jealous. Soon after, the rumors would began, just in time for the new term to start.
Mandy went about tidying up the upstairs, quietly picking up beer cans and spilled food, while the other Jocks and the girls were sleeping it off. Her own loins were aching, as she had seduced Ted by first going down on him, firing him up enough to really ram her hard. Of course, this was long after the others had passed out or went to sleep. Mandy was glad that horse-faced Coach had gone off for the weekend, this wild party that gave her the opportunity to spice up the rumor mill wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. While downstairs picking up the mess scattered on the floor, she idly wondered just why the weird Coach Sanders had left for the weekend. The Coach hadn’t so much as budged from the place since he got here, other than going into Town occasionally to eat. Those thoughts set Mandy to thinking about other things as she worked.
For many years at Bullworth, as long as she had been here at least, there had just been Coach Burton. As soon as Mandy had appeared down at the Football Field to do tryouts for the Cheerleading Squad as a Freshman, he had zeroed in on her. The Cheerleaders had then been run by a Senior by the name of Sue Jean, who was a real bitch, but then again so was Mandy, an up-and-coming bitch herself. Coach Burton would stand off to the sidelines, stripping the girls with his eyes as they went through their routines, but particularly focused in on Mandy. When Sue Jean had left Bullworth the following year, Burton put her in charge of the Squad, even though she was younger than most of the others. It was the break that Mandy needed to began her rise to power. By then, Coach Burton had fixated on another new girl, Zoe Taylor, and his attentions to Mandy, and the other Cheerleaders, had lessened somewhat. Still, it seemed like the missing Panty Raids continued unabated from the Girl’s Dorm, as did Coach Burton’s visits to Come Hither, the Porn Store over in Bullworth Town.
Coach Burton was an out-and-out Pervert, as had been finally revealed, but this new Coach Sanders was something else. He didn’t ogle the girls during Cheerleading Practice, in fact he barely paid them any attention at all. This had been rather a relief to Mandy at first...With only Angie returning, she was faced with building a whole new Squad with some of the new girls, and it was a whole lot easier to bring them along without an old, fat slob leering at them. Coach Sanders treated the girls like Equipment Managers and focused all his attention on the boys, in particular Kirby, Mandy had noticed. The other boys seemed oblivious to that, probably due to the exhaustive workouts the Coach had been putting them through. Mandy felt something was wrong here, maybe very wrong. Kirby had been ‘outed’ back in the Spring for his supposed relationship with Trent, the Bully Leader, and there had been a showdown of sorts that resulted in the other Jocks snubbing Kirby and refusing to shower with him present in the Shower Room. That relationship seemed to have cooled since then however, Mandy rarely saw Trent anywhere around anymore.
Kirby had gone to bunk under the Bleachers after that, away from the other Jocks, and that had lasted until the Punks attack on the Towns and Jake’s abortive takeover of the School. The Army had uncovered the secrets of Coach Burton, and the Feds had taken him away on a multitude of charges. Kirby had moved in to bunk with the Jocks once more, who seemed more accepting of him, now that some time had passed. They still wouldn’t shower with him anywhere around, though. Kirby even went along on the Chem Plant raid, and even though he had been wounded on the roof and never made it inside to the big battle, the other Jocks afforded him a measure of respect for his efforts. Kirby was an accepted member of the Jocks once more, and no mention was made to his gender preference after that.
But there was something definitely not right, Mandy thought. When she tried to bring it up with Ted, he diverted her attention off to something else. Ted seemed to be aligned with the new Coach in respects to the direction of of the Team....Intensive workouts would lead to tougher Jocks, which might lead to more wins, and in turn may lead to more lucrative Scholarship offers from College Recruiters. So, it was possible Ted didn’t want to look too closely at Coach Sanders or his apparent over-interest in Kirby.
Upstairs once more, Mandy noticed something else. She hadn’t been the one who had been up the earliest after all....Kirby’s bunk was empty, and he wasn’t anywhere around. Now where could he have gone ?
___________________________________
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Bryce was surprised to find Gord waiting out in the lobby with a bag of discharge stuff, rather than in his room. “Say, eager to get out of here already ?”, he said. “Or, do we have to speak with the staff around here for parking you out here with the common traffic ?”
“No, Bryce ! I had to vacate the room, because they brought in Bif !”, Gord told him. “He was beaten up at the School sometime last night ! He’s pretty bad off.”
“Beaten up at the School ?”, Bryce repeated, “At Night ? Inside the School ?”
Gord nodded. “Whoever did it messed him up really badly. His face....It’s all beaten up !”
Bryce sat down next to Gord. “Um....Any idea who did that foul deed ? And, what was Bif doing in the School at night on a weekend ?”
“No idea”, Gord said, “But one of those Attendants who brought him in....Said there was a Biker Cap laying on the floor by him. What would you suppose that would mean ?”
Bryce dwelled on that bit of information. “Sounds like....Something those Greasers might wear.”
“Yes, like Hal Esposito”, Gord said in a low voice. “I’ve seen him wearing such a thing before.”
Bryce shook his head. “Why would he....Or anybody....Attack a Prep ? We worked together with those Greaseballs at the Chemical Plant. They had our back. I don’t understand.”
“Bif didn’t go with us”, Gord pointed out. “It was just us, and Justin and Parker.”
“That’s true”, Bryce said, dwelling on it. “Maybe it was.....For Revenge....But why ?” Then, another thought struck him. “I say, have they let loose of Johnny Vincent from here ?”
“Er....I don’t think so”, Gord answered, “But...I gave up my room for Bif because they told me that no other rooms would be vacant until later this morning....I think Vincent, and Penty, both are getting released today also....”
“Then, we should go”, Bryce said. “The Greasers will be coming over here to pick him up. If they are responsible, they may be out to beat up Preps....We are outnumbered, and you are in no shape to fight.”
“Certainly, they would not attack us here, and in broad daylight !”, Gord said, aghast. “That would be dirty....And Unthinkable !”
“I’m not sure what they would do”, Bryce replied, rising, “But we should go before they show up....Get to the Beach House where Justin and Parker are waiting. We can discuss it more there.”
Gord rose and gathered his bag. He followed Bryce out of the Clinic and back to the Beach House, and the whole way Bryce didn’t speak. He was just as confused as Gord about what had happened, and try as he might, couldn’t sort it out in his mind.
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“Come on, Nicky, wake up !”, Melody teased gently. “We’re getting out of here today !”
Nick’s eyes fluttered open and he blinked them to bring Melody’s smiling face into focus. He tried to yawn, but couldn’t of course, with his jaw wired shut and all, so he just sucked air through his teeth and did the best he could. “UNNNGA”, he rasped, and pulled himself upright.
Melody helped Nick get dressed, though he pretty much could have done that for himself. But Melody fluttered around anyway, all charged up with excitement at the prospect of finally getting Nick, and herself, out of the Clinic at last. It had only been 17 days since Nick had been brought here, but it seemed like months had gone by. Even though he was being discharged, Nick had been advised to take it easy for the next month or so to allow for full healing.
Melody was a bit apprehensive, which tempered her excitement. The ordeal of her captivity still bore hard on her, and she dreaded the thought of going out in public or returning to School. The few times she had been away from the Clinic she had felt like she was being constantly watched and stalked. In fact, the News Media had descended on her once, early on, while she was out getting something to eat. She had run into the Chef’s Restaurant and hid in the basement for several hours, a nerve-racking experience in itself.
She was fearful that she would be cornered by those Buzzards from the Press. She didn’t want to talk about her experiences, did not want to re-hash the horrible degrading things that had been done to her, did not want to be reminded that a bunch of dirty perverts had used her body like that of a common street whore. Inside her burned the shame of her violation, and the guilt for being the reason that she and Karen were kidnapped in the first place, all because she couldn’t hold her pee. In the dark of the night amid her restless slumbers, the memories returned and the Monsters savagely raped her over and over again, their harsh laughter echoing off the cold walls of her prison.
Melody was hanging on only because of Nick. He needed her....But would he always ? Would there come a time when he was whole and strong once more, and would reject her because of what they had done to her, just like Omar had said ? Soon, she though would know the answer to this fear and was afraid, for without Nick, she didn’t want to live.
“WEEE REEDY ?”, Nick spoke through clamped teeth, startling Melody from her dismal thoughts. He saw the momentary flicker of misery and fear in her face before she masked it over. Nick was unable to smile, but he held out his hand. Melody hesitated, then took ahold, and Nick drew her close in a gentle embrace. “Goonnaa Beee Alritsss”, he vocalized softly, “Yoo Seees. Mee Ann Yoos....Fererrer....Promiss.”
Melody stifled a sudden sob and buried her head in Nick’s chest, gripping him tightly, holding on as if she would never let go. Nick held her and stroked her hair softly, and they stayed in that embrace for a long time.
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At that particular moment, Kirby was taking a shower in the Boy’s Locker Room. He had awoken before the others and thought it to be an excellent time to get a long, hot shower in by himself, without having to worry about the other Jocks coming in and hassling him to leave.
The hot water felt good against his skin, and his wound had finally healed as to where it was hardly noticeable. This week, he would start working with the weights again, small poundage at first, and then gradually work his way up to bigger weights. Before the month was out, his 'Big Guns’ biceps would be back to full strength and ready to rejoin the Team in workouts. There was excitement that the upcoming season could be their best ever, under the new game plans that Coach Sanders was laying out.
Kirby’s relationship with the Bully Trent had cooled over the summer, particularly since that girl Paige had started hanging around with Trent. She was definitely Bi-Sexual, Kirby could tell...It took one to know one. In fact, the last time Kirby had been anywhere near Trent was the night of the Chem Plant raid, and Trent didn’t even acknowledge his presence. He didn’t know if Trent was aware that Paige was Bi herself, though he must certainly know....Although there was a rumor that they had sex behind the Boy’s Dorm. He knew Trent fancied himself as a ‘Man’s Man’ despite his queer leanings, even though his brief time with Zoe last fall hadn’t come to anything at all. And when Trent was outed, along with Gord, Vance, and himself, Trent pulled back on any kind of further secret relationship with Kirby, striving to prove his manliness. Whatever the case, Kirby was alone now.
Kirby had fallen back on his other passion, catching glimpses of the Cheerleader’s feet, on the rare occasions that they took off their shoes. It was all he had now, as Ms. Phillips was in the Clinic, injured in that mysterious fall from the window along with Miss Jones. That was the only reason he ever took Art Class, to sneak peeks at her. Sometimes, when she posed on the Couch in the Art Room for the Students to draw her, she would remove her boots, and Kirby would just about cream where he sat. Kirby would just sketch her feet and legs, but never turn the drawings in, taking them with him instead to drool over later. Christy Martin, a notorious shoeplayer, had taken over the class in her stead, and that was all right too, but Art Class was soon canceled for the rest of the summer, as Christy had to work the School Office. Kirby felt sure he would take Art Class again in the fall, though....He never passed it, so as to be able to keep on repeating it.
Surprisingly, Ted Thompson had stood up for him when the others had wanted him off the team after he was outed, and so the arrangements were worked out to minimize personal contacts with the other players. So, Kirby showered alone and lived alone under the bleachers until the abortive takeover of the school and the subsequent termination of Coach Burton. Unexpectedly, he had been allowed to go bunk in the newly-remodeled Clubhouse with the other Jocks, and when the new Coach Burton came to Bullworth, he took a shine to Kirby. Over the summer, there had been private tutoring and workout sessions with the new Coach, who advised him to keep quiet about those to the other Jocks so they wouldn’t get jealous. Kirby, who was just starting to regain the acceptance of the others on the Team, wholly agreed and kept those private meetings secret. In return, Coach Sanders hinted that Kirby could be elevated to Quarterback, once Ted Thompson left the school later that winter.
In the meantime, though, Kirby would have to get back to running as soon as he could, as he WAS a Running Back, and battle to win the starting position from the other Running Back, Laurent Loiselle. Although the new Coach had befriended him, Coach Sanders still expected performance, and made it clear he would expect no less than total compliance. This did not seem odd to Kirby, as Coaches usually demanded much from their players. But, as Kirby was to learn in a couple of weeks, those demands could go far and beyond anything he ever would have imagined.
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The Group of Greasers walked along Vale Valley Boulevard in a jaunty mood, Peanut in the lead talking with Tony, Binky a step behind chatting with Karen, who was limping slightly, her cracked heel giving her a bit of problem. The rest of the Greasers followed, Lucky and Lefty talking among themselves, Hal waddling along, thinking of Angie’s breasts and what could be done with them later tonight, Ricky happily lost in thoughts of Jessica and their next date, also this evening, Vance hoping he could steal away from the others for a brief visit with Gord, and Norton bringing up the rear, as he did so often these days.
Norton hadn’t been treated so well since his abortive takeover of the Greasers and the failed fight against the Bullies in the Parking Lot that went wrong, and worse since he was beaten in the Hole by Nick. Peanut’s re-taking of the Clique and Johnny’s severe disapproval upon his return only served to cement his status as a fuck-up. Being the only Black Greaser further isolated him, much as Chad of the Preps was relegated into doing menial tasks for his Clique. Norton sometimes wished he had been born a Jock, for at least there he could have some comradeship, as nearly half of them was composed of foreigners and other races. Most of all, he wished he could have what some of the others had, a real girlfriend. Looking at Johnny and Lola, Peanut and Binky, Hal and Angie, even now what looked like Ricky and Jessica, made him long for someone to be with and talk to.
As the group reached the Clinic, they saw some News Reporters were gathered outside. Tony assumed they had gotten wind of Nick’s impending release this morning, and resigned himself to having to give a few non-committal “No Comment” answers to their impending incessant questions. But as the first microphone was thrust in front of him by Robin Miller, whom he recognized from her News Reports, the questions were not about Nick, they were rather very different from what he expected.
“Mr. Calderone, what can you tell us about the Prep boy that was brought in early this morning, said to be critically injured ?”, Robin Miller asked him. “There’s a rumor he was beaten in the School, do you have any comment on that ?”
“Ummm....No”, Tony answered, totally surprised by the news. “I have, umm, No Comment on that, at this time.”
“Does that mean you have no knowledge of what happened at the School, apparently overnight ?”, Robin Miller persisted.
“Well....No”, Tony responded, nearly dumbfounded. “I’ll have to....Assess the situation before I can make any kind of statement. Now, could you let us through, please ? We have business inside.”
The Greasers gathered around Tony and Karen then, acting as a shield for the last few steps to the Clinic doors. As they gained entry, another Reporter shouted, “Tony, is Nick Penty being released from the Clinic today ? Does he have any thoughts on this incident ?”
Tony threw a “No Comment” over his shoulder as he and Karen entered the Clinic, and the doors thankfully closed behind them as the last of the Greasers came through. Once inside, Tony began thinking, wondering just which Prep they had been talking about, and just what in the hell had happened. The thought also came to him that there was bound to be plenty of trouble coming over whatever it was. He had to get Nick and Melody out of here and settled quickly, and then carry out his delivery missions of Weapons to the Cliques. Because they were split, he doubted the Preps would try to carry out any kind of retaliation moves, as they would be vastly outnumbered....But, there may be other strikes on them, and they should be entitled to defend themselves. With a Weapons balance, Tony believed it would stalemate the Cliques from attacking each other....At least he hoped it would. And here was proof positive, no one save for the Nerds had a Weapons arsenal, and an attack on an individual had been carried out. It was imperative he get those Weapons delivered as soon as possible.
As they walked back towards Nick’s room, it also occurred to him that the Reporters had totally ignored Karen right there beside him, and that was a good thing. But the fact that they had ignored her also brought a chill, because they had focused on what appeared to be a bigger story of an injured Prep. Was there something ready to blow up here ? Tony hoped not, but soon enough, he would find out.
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At the Beach House, Gord told Parker and Justin of his encounter with an unconscious Bif and what the Attendants had told him of the apparent attack, repeating what he had already told Bryce.
“I say, that is ghastly !”, Parker exclaimed. “Beat him right bloody, did they ?”
“It must have been a sneak attack”, Justin said, equally horrified. “Why, Bif could take on all of them at once in a fair fight !”
“What I don’t understand”, Bryce said, shaking his head, “Is just why they would do something like that. I mean, there was no animosity from them when we went on that mission to the Chemical Plant.”
“Yes, everyone seemed to get along smashingly”, Gord commented, “I don’t understand it either.”
“Well, they can’t be after us”, Parker said, “We’ve been here since we got out of the Clinic ourselves.”
“Yes, if they wanted to attack us, they could have right well taken us down, we were in no condition to scrap”, Justin observed.
Bryce remained silent for a moment, then spoke. "It may be....That they were out after Bif for some reason.”
That set the others to thinking. Out of all of them, Bif had always been the Bastard, the Hit Man, Derby’s enforcer. There were as many reasons as kids in School for somebody to want to take him down. He had made enemies not only among the Greasers, but the Jocks, the Bullies, and even the Nerds. He was generally disliked by most students on Campus, but grudgingly respected for his enormous fighting prowess. Recalling Algie’s sneak attacks on the Cliques, even his own, made them wonder if he had somehow picked up his old ways. Gord discounted that though, Algie had used plenty of firepower in his attacks, it didn’t appear anything but a Melee Weapon of some kind had been used on Bif. Something up close and personal.
Justin raised the possibility that someone was seeking revenge for how Bif had seduced and then used Christy for information on Derby’s orders because of Pinky, and Parker then wondered if her man Winkie had waylaid him. Gord pointed out that there had been a Greaser-style Biker Cap found nearby, and that they had never seen any of the Rockers wearing such a hat, ever. “Besides, it just doesn’t seem like the work of just one”, Gord said, “Bif was too good of a fighter to let just one take him down...He looked like a Pack of Wolves had been at him, he was such a mess.”
Bryce had been thinking, and now he suddenly said, “I say...Now there is only Tad and Chad left up at the House now....They’re easy targets for attack now....Wouldn’t take very many of them to just overrun the place now.”
“They can’t just take over Harrington House !”, Parker exclaimed. “We’ve got to do something !”
“Yes...But what ?”, Bryce said quietly. “We’re not welcome there.”
Just then, a knock sounded at the Beach House door. Justin went to answer it, with the other Preps behind him for protection. Justin opened the door to reveal Chad standing there.
“Tad sent me”, he said. “Have you fellows seen Bif ? He didn’t return last night....”
__________________________________________
-
Rounding up Johnny & Lola and then Nick & Melody, the Greasers along with Tony & Karen moved out in a large group, the Greasers providing a shell around Johnny and Nick, and Tony and Karen sheltering Melody as they moved down the street, the group of Reporters following with shouted questions. Ray had decided to take off to the Burger Joint, and Tony told him to meet back at the In and Out Motel. Not too far away, the Group stopped in front of the Boar Inn as Nick and Melody were taken in and settled in the new room by Tony. Karen decided to stay with Melody there for now, who was fearful that the Reporters would try to gain access to the Inn and stalk them in the halls. Besides, her foot was sore and she needed to rest it, she assured Tony they would lock the door and would be alright.
But the Reporters paid little attention to Nick or Melody, their focus was the hot new story of the apparent sneak attack on Bif that left him in such bad shape. As Tony rejoined the Greasers, a couple of them were interviewing Johnny, peppering him with questions on the matter, which he knew nothing about. As they moved off, away from the Boar Inn, the Reporters followed them clear out of the Vale, until it became apparent that they weren’t going to get anything else in the way of comments. The Reporters decided then to camp out in front of the School in order to catch any unwary students who may know something of the attack.
That proved to be a great relief to Tony. The last thing he needed was to have the Reporters see him distributing Weapons to the Cliques. The entire group went off to Bullworth Town, and directly to the Dragon’s Wing. While the Greasers waited in the Alley, Tony went in through the Basement door to meet Melvin and Fatty, who were waiting for him.
“About time you showed up”, whined Fatty nasally, “We have things to do today, too.”
“Now, Fatty, that’s no way to treat or guest”, Melvin said, putting on a forced smile. “It’s all right here, in these bags”, he said, indicating the Burlap Sacks.
Tony quickly checked the sacks, assuring that the Weapons were indeed there and that there was an equal amount in each. Satisfied, he withdrew from his pocket the money he had gotten from Jimmy’s Cave earlier, and gave it to Melvin. “Here....Better count it.”
“Um...That’s all right, I know you wouldn’t cheat us”, Melvin said.
Tony looked at him hard. “Count it anyway. I don’t want there should be any question about it, now or later.”
“Ummm...Sure”, Melvin said nervously. He began to count it while Fatty looked on, suddenly uneasy.
“It all there, like we agreed ?”, Tony asked when Melvin finished.
“Umm...Yeah”, Melvin said, “It’s, uhh, all here.”
“Good”, Tony said, looking around. “Now, I need to borrow a Bike.”
“What for ?”, Fatty ventured, “Don’t you have your own ?”
Tony gave him a withering look. “Of course I do. Obviously, I don’t have it with me.”
“Well, take mine”, Melvin said hastily, “It’s out front. You’ll bring it back....Right ?”
Gathering up the bags, Tony didn’t answer. He hauled the bags over by the door. “Watch these for a minute, will you ? I gotta give the Greasers their Weapons. They’re right outside.”
“Why...Are they here ?”, asked Fatty, now as nervous as Melvin appeared to be.
“Relax”, Tony said, “They’re just here for delivery....And to see nothing goes wrong.”
Tony left the basement, taking one of the sacks, and turned it over to Peanut. The Greasers then left, continuing their return to the Blue Balls where they would settle Johnny and Lola into their new apartment. Tony then went around front and got Melvin’s bike, which had a basket carrier on the front. Most all the Nerd’s bikes had them, and they looked so ugly and slow that nobody bothered stealing them.
Tony then retrieved the rest of the sacks of Weapons from the basement, noting that Melvin and Fatty hadn’t moved since he left. He bid them farewell in a more friendly manner, and they seemed relieved. Tony left relieved as well. It had become even more important to get these Weapons distributed today than it had been yesterday.
_________________________________________
-
Gurney and Otto had been rudely awakened in the night as a sort of Pandemonium broke out in the Jail. There was noise and clanging cell doors as Jerry and Duncan were dragged into the Jail in chains by a group of Soldiers and literally thrown into cells. They were coughing and gagging, and not even dressed, still having on those stupid ratty green gowns from the Clinic.
“What’s the meaning of this ?”, Gurney heard one of the Guards say. “These Prisoners aren’t even dressed properly !”
“Captain’s Orders”, one of the Soldiers said, whose voice Gurney recognized as one of his Guards in the Clinic. “He said to bring ‘em over here pronto.”
“Sheezus Christ”, the Guard said. “He sendin’ over any extra Guards to keep watch over these scum ?”
“You’ll have to ask him about that”, the familiar-voiced Guard said. “I just follow orders.”
“Where’s the other one ?”, the Guard asked, “There should be three.”
“There was a....Fire”, the familiar-voiced Guard said, “And he ain’t coming....A Chopper was called to take him out. He was hurt pretty bad.”
Gurney came fully awake at that, and hopped off his bunk, going to the cell door. The Soldiers carried on a running dialogue about just who was going to have to be doing what as Duncan and Jerry were locked away. Eventually, they all went forward to the Offices area to hash things out, but Gurney knew they wouldn’t be gone too long. He called out to Duncan, who had been put in the nearest cell to him, “Hey Duncan...What the Hell’s going on ?”
“It was bad”, Duncan answered in a raspy voice, still coughing. “I think some Army dude set off’en some kinda explosives on Leon, and caught him on fire...*cough cough*....I can still hear him screaming....Dude took a powder, we almost died from all’s that smoke....”
“They carried him off, like they said ?”, Gurney asked, trying to make sense of it all.
“Think so...*cough cough*....Heard a Helicopter”, Duncan replied. “One other thing...*cough*...Them Soldier boys said on the way over that if’n he don’t make it, that’d be two of us dead...*cough*...That would mean....”
“Yeah..." Gurney knew what it meant. “Omar...He’s...He’s Dead.”
“So, guess that makes you...*cough cough*....The new Leader...”, Duncan finished.
The Soldier Guards were returning, apparently having worked it out, and Gurney fell silent, retreating to his bunk. He sat there lost in thought. No wonder they had seen or heard nothing of Omar. He must not have gotten away, after all. Gurney felt certain the Soldiers had probably killed him. And from what Duncan was telling him, may have killed Leon as well.
Something else occurred to him in the morning....The four of them left were all here now, in this Jail. It wouldn’t be long before they were all moved to a Federal Prison, away from here. A real sense of foreboding overtook him. Once that happened, there would be no hope for escape. They were doomed.
___________________________________
-
After riding over from the Dragon’s Wing, Tony arrived at the In and Out Motel a few minutes later, just in time to see the Greasers walking East under the Rail Overpass Bridge into New Coventry as he turned Melvin’s bike into the Parking Lot of the Motel. As he expected, Trent and the Bullies were hanging about in different areas of the Parking Lot, smoking ciggys and what not. This had long been a hangout for them off-campus, more so when the place had been closed down for quite a spell up until less than a year ago. The past Fall had seen it become temporary housing for the Students in the wake of the School Bombings, and again this Spring after the Town Bombings, just as it was now being used for the same purpose. The rooms were small and cheap, which served the School Administration just fine when the Dorms became unavailable for whatever reason.
As Tony pulled the bike further into the lot, he saw a man standing by a car, glaring at some of the Bullies who seemed to be engaged in bullying a group of the newer Non-Clique kids who had arrived at the School over the summer. Tony came to a stop to study the situation. The man was, as far as Tony knew, a shadowy figure named Milhailovich, who was said to be the true owner of the In and Out Motel. There was all sorts of wild rumors associated with him, chief among them was that he used to murder his customers, then store their dead bodies in the empty rooms of the Motel in order to eat them later. Tony doubted this had any real truth to it, but considering what all that had happened in this place since Tony had been here, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. It was also rumored that Milhailovich paid off bribes to Officer Williams to keep the place from being raided. Again, nothing proven, but as corrupt as Bullworth Town and the entire Vale Valley had been until just recently, entirely believable.
Milhailovich himself seemed to be of Eastern European origin. The only time Tony had encountered him, he had called Tony a ‘Lousy Stupid American’. He mostly employed transient Near-Eastern Indians as Desk Clerks and Maids who could barely speak American. Forced into fixing and cleaning the place up, he had re-opened the In and Out to recoup some of the costs by charging higher rates. The Punks’ bombings of the Towns had resulted in a real windfall for him, as the outside Reporters had packed the Vale Valley with so many people needing lodging. Tony didn’t know how much the School was paying to house the Students here because of the construction, but it was a sure bet that it was a lot more this time than after the School Bombings by Jake last year or the Town Bombings by the Punks this Spring.
Tony turned his attention to the new group of kids who were getting bullied by the trio of Wade Martin, Tom Gurney, and Davis White. After they had finished getting the Agreement signed, Karen had taken it on herself to go over the lists of the new kids in School, both boys and girls, as they would be covered under the new Agreement. She had spoken to Tony about it that very day, and from her descriptions, these new boys would have to be Alex Alda, Dave Castle, Art Harris, and Dylan Mitchell. These boys were all Freshmen, except for Art Harris, who was a brother to Carla Harris, one of the Reform School girls. Karen had said he was a Sophomore, which meant he was just a year younger than Tony himself. Unlike his sister though, Art was somewhat of a Beanpole, although while his companions were getting upper arm punches from Tom and Davis, Art was standing up to the older Wade, smacking his arm away and giving Wade a shove. Tony resumed pedaling over toward them.
“You better watch out there, boys, them new kids are liable to kick your ass”, Tony called as he got closer and stopped, dismounting the bike.
“Aw, we just havin’ a little fun over here”, Wade said lightly, but with a pissed-off look on his face. “We ain’t doin’ no harm.”
“That may be, but one day these boys may wind up whippin’ your butts”, Tony told him. “Maybe you all better chill.”
Trent had thrown down his ciggy and came over to where Tony was. “Hey, Calderone, these kids are fair game, that Agreement of yours says so !”
“You better read the fine print, Trent”, Tony said. “All the NEW kids are fair game starting at the new term, these boys here are covered under the Agreement, and they get Weapons, just like you boys do.” Tony reached into one of the Burlap Bags and pulled out four Spud Guns, which he tossed to each of the new kids. Tony then took another Burlap Bag and gave it to Trent. “Now, here’s your Weapons for your Clique. Use them wisely, and remember, getting new Ammo is entirely up to you guys.”
“That’s just not fair !”, Trent griped. “Who are we supposed to Bully in the meantime ?”
“I’m sure there will be all kinds of Fresh Fish coming through the School Gates for your enjoyment in just a few weeks”, Tony told him. “You all can get your jollies then. But until then, you best not piss anybody off who can attack you back.”
“This Blows”, Trent grumbled, but he waved the other Bullies off, and they all walked to the other side of the Lot. As they did, Tony saw Milhailovich give them a sneer before getting in the car and driving away.
“Um...Thanks Dude”, the one called Art said. “But we coulda kicked ass. I don’t take shit from nobody.”
“Not sayin’ you do”, Tony said, remounting the bike, “But just watch your back around here.” He biked the short distance away to his room without waiting for an answer. Knocking on the door where Gordon Wakefield, Ivan Alexander, and Trevor Moore were staying, he handed them their weapons through when Ivan answered. He kept one out to give Ray later, then re-mounted the bike once more and pedaled out of the Parking Lot. Taking a hard left turn, he rode back behind the In and Out to the back trail that led to the Rail Overpass, then up and onto the tracks themselves, riding down the half-mile to the spur that led to the Cavern rather than going back to the School from the front, where the Reporters were camped out. Once at the Cavern, he took the tunnel to the Nerds’ mock Battlefield and from there rode to the Observatory, where he grabbed the last two Burlap bags and Left Melvin’s bike by the gates. Then he accessed the door in the Barricade that led out to the Football Field. Only two more deliveries, and his mission would be done. He would at last be able to relax in the glory of Parity.
Unbeknown to him, clouds were gathering to rain on his peaceful imaginings, as one more battle remained yet to be fought.
________________________________
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The Boar Inn wasn’t as fancy as the Vale Hotel, in fact the place was little more than an upscale Boarding House. There were no Maids or Staff other than the oft-absent Manager and a couple of Desk Clerks, who doubled as Laundry People for the rooms with just overnight Guests. There was nothing to do there, and it was a place where bored people usually stayed, hence it’s name.
Pinky had the best room in the Place, the front room on the second floor, where three large glass windows were set a ways out from the building, affording a look not only to the front of the Inn, but also to either side of the block for a ways. It was here she had sat idly while waiting for Bryce to return after his task of getting Gord from the Clinic and then getting him settled in the Beach House. Bryce had promised to take her over to the Carnival after he completed the mission, but hadn’t returned as yet. So, it was then that Pinky took up a spot by the windows to watch for his return. While she had gotten her own Cell Phone not long after she had left Harrington House for good, Bryce had not, so she was unable to call him.
But instead of Bryce coming down the street, Pinky had been surprised to see the Greasers, with Tony and Karen, pass by. Surprising, because the last time she had seen so many Greasers in a group over here in the Vale had been that night last winter, when they had attacked Derby and Biff at the behest of Tony over by Shinjo’s restaurant. It had also been the night she had first seduced Tony, a secret she still kept only because to reveal it might turn him against her forever, and would surely result in another ass-whipping from an angry Karen.
Intrigued, she watched them head down the street. Since Tony was in the group, she could only surmise it had something to do with the Clinic, and she was proven correct when the group stopped and entered the Clinic. Less than a half-hour later, the group emerged, along with Johnny and Lola, and also Nick and that twit Melody. Coming by the Boar Inn again, the group stopped, and Tony, Karen, Nick, and Melody apparently entered, disappearing from her view, as the Greasers milled about outside. About ten minutes later, only Tony emerged, and the group then headed down the street in the direction of Bullworth Town.
Nobody had looked up and seen her, although Tony knew she was staying here, as this was the last place she had sex with him before the rescue mission at the Chem Plant. As she watched the group dwindle down the street, it occurred to her that Nick must be staying here, with Melody tagging along also. There had been rumors that she had rarely left his side the whole time while he was in the Clinic, and that she had beat up Beatrice when that crazy Nerd Bitch showed up at the Clinic, babbling something about being Nick’s future intended.
Karen had not come out either, which meant she was, for a time at least, in the building. Pinky had not been here when Tony had dropped off Nick’s things, instead being over at the Glass Jaw, being bored out of her gord watching Bryce punch on his big bag, so this whole thing was a surprise. Tony would be sure to be back around to get Karen, although Pinky wondered just why he had gone off without her today. Tony and Karen had been nearly inseparable since the rescue, so she heard. Pinky didn’t dare try to approach Tony when Karen was around, with what that girl had been through at the hands of the Townies, she was liable to go Psycho on her. Still, it set her to thinking on just what opportunities might be in store for her because of this unexpected turn of events. A little glimmer of a mischievous plan bubbled in her mind.
__________________________________
-
Tony toted his load across the Football Field. A few of the Jocks had come out and were lazily tossing a Football around....Juri, Luis, and Damon. On a Bleacher, close to Damon, sat Gloria, who for once wasn’t running her mouth. In fact, she was looking wistfully at Damon and rubbing her belly in a strange fashion. Passing by her, she didn’t seem to notice him, so Tony said, “Hey Gloria, how you doing ?”
Startled just a bit, Gloria’s eyes fastened on him. “Oh ! Tony...I’m so glad to see you !” Then, just as suddenly, her gaze shifted back to Damon.
Her belly rubbing continued, her hand making slow circles around her lower Stomach. “Uh...You got a Stomach Ache ?”, Tony asked.
“Wha...? Oh...Yess...”, Gloria said, trance-like. “It hurts...Sooo Good...” Her gaze fixed on Damon, it was like Tony wasn’t even there. After a few seconds went by, he shrugged, and moved on.
Further down the Bleachers, a lone figure sat. As Tony drew closer, he could see it was Kirby. His hair was wet, like he’d just taken a shower, and he too was watching the Jocks toss the Football around, but not as intently as Gloria was watching Damon. As Tony walked by, he said, “Heya, Tony, what’cha gots there ?”
“Something for Ted”, Tony answered, “To pass out to you guys.”
Kirby’s eyes lit. “Them Weapons ? Hot Dog !”
“Yeah, that’s what they are”, Tony told him. “Gotta get 'em from Ted, though. Any idea of where he is ?
“Um, he should be in the Clubhouse still”, Kirby said. “No practice today, Coach is outta town.”
“Ok, thanks", Tony said. “How you doin’ anyway ? Gettin’ your Poundcake back ?”
Kirby hefted his arms. “Sure am ! See, almost like new !”
Tony allowed as how Kirby looked much better and moved on. He walked to the Jock’s Clubhouse and entered. Laurent was on the couch, watching a Sports program, with Nina curled up beside him. She had a dreamy look on her face, similar to Gloria, and was slowly rubbing her lower belly.
“Hey, Laurent, how’s it going ?”, Tony greeted him.
“Good, good, is all good”, Laurent answered, looking around and squeezing Nina closer. “That ze Weapons ?”
“Yeah”, Tony said, “Is Ted around ?”
“Upstairs, with some of the others”, Laurent said, and winked. “Ess big party last night !”
“Ok, cool”, Tony said, then asked, “Could you watch this sack for me for a bit ?”
“Surely”, Laurent said, reaching for the Burlap Sack that Tony was handing over.
“Just for a few minutes”, Tony said, glad to be relieved of one of the bags. “I’ll be right back.”
Tony climbed the stairs to the new second floor. At the top, he stopped to look around. In a bunk lay Casey, still sleeping it off. On various chairs were Bo, Dan, Lance, and that big Jock Bob, all reclining in various stages of sobering up. In the Kitchenette was Mandy and Hannah, looking like they were preparing a late breakfast. Hannah was standing funny, and when she moved, she was walking a little bow-legged, like she had a big pole stuck in her or something. Tony saw she was also rubbing her lower belly.
Mandy turned and saw Tony. “Uhm...Is Ted around ? I got something her for him...” Tony said.
“Wait, I’ll get him”, Mandy said, wiping her hands. “Watch that for me, would you Hannah ?”
Hannah hobbled over to the small stove. It seemed she could barely walk. Even so, she cast an adoring look at Bob across the room, totally ignoring Tony. After a few minutes, Mandy emerged from the lone bedroom with Ted following groggily behind.
“Umm....Here’s your Weapons for the Clique”, Tony said, handing him the sack.
“Hmm....Good”, Ted said, stifling a yawn. “I’ll get these passed out today, thanks.”
Tony left the upstairs then, going back down to pick up the other Burlap Bag from Laurent, who handed it over with a question. “Who are these to go to ?”, he asked.
“The Preps”, Tony answered. “Not that I really want to deliver them, but I have no choice.”
“What do you mean ?”, Laurent asked. “Why not ?”
Tony briefly explained what he had learned about the attack on a Prep, although yet he didn’t know just who it was. “I’m a bit worried that maybe someone is out after them....Or maybe it’s an Inter-Clique war. I just don’t know. But if someone is out to get them, they deserve to defend themselves. For the sake of the Agreement, I have to arm them, though I wish I didn’t have to.”
“You are going alone ?”, Laurent asked. “I will come along, if you wish.”
Tony grinned. “Yes, I would like that, come along for backup....Though doubt if I’ll need any.”
Laurent rose to go, but Nina clung to him. “Do you have to ?”, she said, begging with her eyes.
“It will be fine, mon cherie....Why don’t you go up the stairs with the others until my return ?”, Laurent comforted. “I will be right back.”
Reluctantly, Nina went upstairs to join the others. Tony and Laurent stepped outside and started the trek to Harrington House.
___________________________________
-
“Well, Bouys, what be your report ?”, Chief O’Rourke asked wearily. Damn fine thing to be happening on a Sunday morning.
“It’s a boy from the School, all right. Older boy, name of...” Officer Monson flipped open his notepad. “Taylor...Biff Taylor. Talked to their Cook, named Edna...Something....She found the boy layin’ in a mess o’ blood near the Cafeteria when she come in this morning.”
“Talked to the Medicals over at the Vale Clinic, where he was took to”, Officer Ivanovich continued. “Looks like he was beat pretty badly, head and face. He ain’t regained consciousness.” He dug into a folder, withdrawing some photos and laid them on the Chief’s desk.
“Gorry be”, Chief O’Rourke muttered as he looked through the photos. “His face be a mess, all right. Looks like he was beat by something heavy. Any Suspects ?”
“Them Clinic people said said they overheard a couple of Preppy boys there sayin’ it was them Greaser boys from Coventry that done it", Officer Monson said, “And, there was this Biker Cap that was found beside the Victim.” He threw the Cap on the desk next to the photos.
“Why do these kids keep doin’ this to themselves ?”, Chief O’Rouke asked to nobody in particular. “After all this Valley’s been through this past year....” He looked up at the Officers. “Where are those Prep boys who’s was doin’ that talking ?”
“They...Uh...Might be at that Beach House, next to the Lighthouse”, Officer Ivanovich said. “Some of them been stayin’ over there lately, I hear.”
“Well, laddie, get over there and interview them, maybe they know who might’ve been wearin’ a Cap like this”, Chief O’Rourke ordered. “If they can identify such a person, go pick him up and bring him in for questioning.”
“Uh, sure....Right away, Chief”, Officer Monson said, and both Officers left on their errand. Chief O’Rourke shook his head. A Fire Chief before he took this job, it was still a wonder how inept the Officers were, after years on the job. More than anything, after a summer of running the Police Force, he wanted to go back to being a Fireman.
_______________________________________
-
As Tony and Laurent approached the pathway to Harrington House, they could see the Check Booth deserted, as they expected, with only a few Preps left living there. But it was a surprise was to find Chad sitting on the steps of Harrington House, looking mopey.
“Uhh....Hey there Chad”, Tony began. “What you sitting out here for ?”
“I just fed Chester”, Chad replied dully, meaning his dog that he kept in the Prep’s side yard ever since he had been a Prep at Harrington House. That Chad Morris (or anyone else) would be allowed to keep a Dog at School was always a mystery to Tony. Sure, other Students had kept some small pets (Bucky and his pet Rat, for instance), but Chad was the only Student who had his Dog with him on Campus. Though it was never spoken of, Tony suspected it had been a condition of his enrollment.
“Oh”, Tony remarked, not really caring about Chad’s stupid Dog. “We’re here to see Tad...Got a delivery for him.
Chad looked up, his eyes tearing. “Is that the Weapons ? If it is, you’re too late. They’ve already beat Bif unconscious...He must not have been able to defend himself.”
Tony and Laurent exchanged glances, and it dawned on Tony that it was Bif who was the injured Prep in the Clinic those Press People had been yammering about earlier. “Um...Yes, it is the Weapons”, Tony said. “How do you know about the attack, or rather, how did you find out ? I only learned of it a little while ago myself.”
“Bif didn’t come back last night, and Tad sent me to the Beach House, to see if he had defected to the others”, Chad said. “Bryce and Gord told me what happened to him, that they bushwhacked inside the School last night.”
“They who ?”, Tony asked, “Who attacked him ?”
“Who ? Why, those filthy Greasers, that’s who !”, Chad exclaimed. “There was one of those Greaser Biker Caps found next to him, after they beat him up ! Who else could it be ?”
Tony was speechless. He had just spent part of the morning with the Greasers, and there had been no indications of any kind that any of them had pulled off an attack the night before on a Prep, no bragging, no mention at all. Tony shook his head. “Look Chad...I need to see Tad. Is he inside ?”
Without another word, Chad led them inside, through the foyer and the double doors beyond, into the large room where Tad sat in Derby’s old chair by the fireplace, a Prep King whose subjects had dwindled to so very few. In a way, Tony almost felt sorry for him. It must be tough, attaining a Kingdom after wanting it for so long, only to loose it piece by piece. When Tad greeted him, however, Tony quickly lost any empathy he had for the Prep leader whose subjects had mostly taken a powder.
“Ah, Calderone”, Tad said, “A day late and a dollar short, as usual I see !”
“What do you mean by that ?”, Tony asked, handing the Burlap Sack with the Weapons over to him. “Here’s the Weapons, just as promised, and at no cost to you, I might add.”
“Yes, that is all fine and well for you, isn’t it ?”, Tad said snidely. “You got what you wanted, your fucking Agreement and all. But it came too late for poor Bif, being beaten down like a Dog in a dark hallway. He couldn’t even defend himself, because he didn’t have a Weapon to do so !”
“The Nerds didn’t have then all ready until today”, Tony said. “That’s not my fault, or anybody’s fault.”
“Oh, isn’t that just rather convenient ?”, Tad jeered. “It’s not you or any of your friends being bushwhacked and lying in a pool of their own blood for hours and hours, now is it ?”
“That isn’t the point, and you know it”, Tony said tightly. “And, by the way, just what was Bif doing, being inside the School last night, anyway ?”
There was a tick of a pause before Tad answered. “Oh...He was on a...Mission. A mission that I sent him on. What the hell difference does that make ? Your grand new Utopia is supposed to make this whole place safe, is it not ? Certainly doesn’t seem safe, not with those foul louts Greasers still allowed to attack anybody they want, anytime they want !”
“You don’t know it was them”, Tony shot back in return. “I could have been anybody.”
“Do ‘anybodys’ go around wearing Biker Caps ?”, Tad countered, “I think not !”
“I’ll investigate”, Tony said through clenched teeth, “We’ll find out who did this.”
“Oh, you do that, Mister high-and-mighty”, Tad said fiercely, “But when I find out, there’s going to be a fight, that you can count on !”
“As long as you keep to the Agreement”, Tony said, “That is your right to issue a challenge,”
“Bloody Damn Right I Will !”, Tad said hotly. “Those Greaseballs are going to Pay !!”
Silent until now, Laurent spoke up. “We had better go now, Tony...Nothing can be accomplished here right now....”
“Better listen to Frenchy there”, Tad said, “and just Get Out !”
“Gladly”, Tony said in disgust. “But you just remember, don’t be doing anything stupid, or else the whole world will know....Things.” Tony spun on his heels and stalked out of Harrington House, followed by Laurent.
“Trouble, it is coming, no ?”, Laurent said, once back outside.
“Trouble, yes”, Tony replied, “Just how much, I don’t know.”
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As inept as the Bullworth Police Force was, it came as no surprise that it took some time for Officers Monson and Ivanovich to carry out their assigned directive to interview the Prep group at the Beach House. First on their agenda was to get some Lunch at the Burger Joint and sit around and shoot the breeze for an hour or two. Empty stomachs made for weak Officers, as their former Chief Carcer had always told them, so they made sure to pig out on double cheeseburgers and double orders of fries before attempting to tackle the more than 200-yard walk across the sand to the Beach House in the hot sun. In a way, it was fortunate that the Vale Valley lacked a Doughnut Shop, otherwise the Cops of the area would be at such a place just about full time.
Noon had long come and gone by the time Officer Monson and Officer Ivanovich trudged across the sand towards the Lighthouse, finally climbing the ramp to the Beach House that sat beside it. At one time the place had served as Keeper’s Quarters for for the Lighthouse, but it had been nearly 70 years beforehand that the last Lightkeeper had left the Valley after the Lighthouse had been automated, and what was now the Beach House had been acquired by the Rich Prep families of the Valley, having been gutted and redone to suit their own pleasures.
Also long gone was Chad, who had left the Beach House and returned to Harrington House bearing the awful news of the attack on Bif to Tad Spencer, unaware that Tad knew full well just what had likely taken place in the darkened corridors of the School the previous night. When Chad delivered the news to him, Tad pretended to be outraged so convincingly that Chad had fled the House on the pretext of feeding his dog Chester, deciding to wait around outside until Tad cooled off. Secretly, Tad had been exhilarated to learn that his plan had indeed been carried out by Mr. Martin. Not too long after, that asswipe Tony had shown up with the promised weapons, along with his lackey Laurent, which gave Tad a reason to further display some more fake outrage.
The Officers found the Prep group of Bryce, Gord, Justin, and Parker more than willing to talk, even identifying a potential suspect, Hal Esposito, as the likely attacker. He had also been the last Greaser to be in a fight with any of them, the Preps told them, he had attacked their Leader, Tad Spencer, over at the Carnival earlier in the summer.
Until recently, the desires of the Rich had been marching orders for Chief Carcer’s Police Force, but that had changed drastically with the arrests of Carcer and many of the Rich by the Feds, a fact that Bryce was all too aware of. Accordingly, the Officers were offered Hot Toddies to drink as an incentive to go after the Greasers, and particularly Hal. The Officers accepted this 'bribe’ and it went just fine with the meal they had just consumed at the Burger Joint. Later that afternoon, a 'Task Force’ was assembled, which comprised of themselves and Officers Morrison and Williams, the objective being to conduct a raid on the Blue Balls Bar to secure custody of one Hal Esposito and bring him in for questioning as the prime 'Person of Interest’ in the attack on Bif Taylor.
_________________________________________
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Tony returned to Karen at the Boar Inn, a bit weary after completing his deliveries. Resting in a chair in Nick’s room, he told the others what he knew of the apparent attack on Bif that had transpired the night before.
“There’s something awfully odd about this”, he said. “We were just with the Greasers this morning...There was never any mention or hint that they had done anything like this....Fact is, they seemed a little hung over, actually.”
“DAAY BINN FIGTEN ?” Nick managed to ask through his wired teeth.
Tony understood. “No...Not that I saw. No cuts, scratches, bruises, none of that.”
“Did we see them all ?”, Karen asked pointedly. “Wasn’t anybody missing this morning, was there ? I wasn’t really paying that much attention...”
“No...They were all there, all right”, Tony said, sighing. “Maybe...I should go over there and talk to them, see if there’s anything to find out. If they...Or any one of them...Bushwhacked Bif, there might be a lotta trouble coming down real soon.”
He rose to go, and Karen did also, but she said, “Sweetie ? Do you mind if I don’t come along ? Just...If you could take me to the Dorm if you’re going to be away ?”
“Uh...Yes, I can do that”, Tony replied, looking at her. “Is there...Something wrong ?”
“It’s my...Heel”, Karen said with a grimace. “It’s really bothering me, with all this walking today.”
“Oh ...Ok, sure”, Tony said. “I could just leave you at the room at the Motel on the way over...”
“I’d feel safer at the Dorm, if you’re going to be away”, Karen replied. “Is that Ok ?”
Tony slapped his head. What was he thinking ? The Bullies were hanging out and staying at the Motel, too. Not that they’d bother her, but.... “Course, I understand”, he said.
“Mel ? You be alright ?”, Karen asked Melody. “I hate to just leave, but....”
“Me and Nicky will be fine”, Melody answered. “I’ll lock the door.”
“You sure ?”, Karen asked. “If you need anything....”
“We’ll be fine”, Melody repeated. She cast a look at Nick, and he nodded. “GOOO”, he said, motioning.
Tony and Karen left the Boar Inn, then. Upstairs, at the front windows, Pinky watched them go.
_______________________________________
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Gloria and Hannah were on their way back to the Girl’s Dorm, Nina electing to stay with Laurent, who had returned to the Jock’s Clubhouse.
Gloria kept up a stream of constant chatter on the way back, mostly concerning Damon and her relationship with him. Hanna followed along, mostly lost in her own thoughts about what has transpired the previous night. She was still walking along bow-legged, and was wondering if sex was always going to feel like this afterwards.
“Perhaps a strong showing in the History Bowl will win me a scholarship”, Gloria was saying. “I know all the Stats of all the Teams clear back to the founding of the school....You listening, Girl ?”
“Huh ?”, Hannah mumbled. “Umm, yes, of course...”
“You ought to check out you Man more, like I’ve done on Damon”, Gloria continued. “Do you know he’s been the biggest premiere Linebacker on the Bullhorns in twenty years ? And he’s an All-State Wrestler as well. He’ll be going places when he gets out of this place, I can tell you that. And, I’m going to tag along, every step of the way. He’ll get in a College, they will make him smart, and he will get drafted to the Pros and make millions, and we’ll get a bigger mansion than my Parents.”
“Um...That sounds...”, Hannah began, still trying to keep up.
“And the Sex !”, Gloria continued on, “I always thought I’d regret the loss of my chastity, but here is a BIG opportunity...” Here she giggled, uncharacteristically, “...To get a real fine start after College, you know ? The scuttlebutt is, they give Jocks preferential treatment in College and the Pros, you know, so we will be set for life, and have millions of dollars to be able to live the fine life.”
“Err...Yeah...”, Hannah acknowledged, lagging further behind.
“And it’s just like future security, you know ?”, Gloria chatted on. “Just like Machiavelli wrote, you can’t just leave things up to chance, luck, or fortune, you’ve got to have ambition and spiritedness, and go in pursuit of the glory. That’s just what Damon is going to do, you hear me, Girl ?”
Um...Yeah...”, Hannah said. By now she was behind Gloria by a few steps, and Gloria looked around.
“Say, what the matter with you, why aren’t you keeping up ?”, Gloria asked, and stopped to let Hannah catch up.
“I’m...Just having a little trouble walking...”, Hannah said with a grimace.
“What is it...That Boy’s Pole to big ?”, Gloria asked speculatively. When Hanna nodded, red-faced, Gloria said, “Well, you just need some Lubricant. I have to use some because Damon is so big. Come on up to my room, I can give you some.”
Totally embarrassed now, all Hannah could do was give a simple nod as they moved on towards the Dorm, and Gloria resumed her chatter. When they reached the Quad in front of the Dorm, Gloria spotted Claire Sullivan, another of the new girls. “Hey, there’s that Girl Claire, I got to talk to her. Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
Hannah sunk down on the steps, wincing in relief to take the pressure off her legs and groin. Gloria went over to Claire and began talking, her main objective being to invite the new girl down to the Football Field later to meet her Cousins, Bo and Lance. But Gloria couldn’t help blabbing beyond that about the wild night down at the Clubhouse, and about Hannah’s need for some Lubricant. By that evening, as Mandy had predicted, the rumor mill would be churning away among the the Girls of Bullworth once more.
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Tony went and got his bike from the Autoshop Garage by the Parking Lot. Like Karen, he was tired of walking around also, and he had walked a lot of ground today already. Intending to go see the Greasers, he first went to the Chef’s Restaurant, as it occurred to him how hungry he was, having eaten nothing today. After eating for a half-hour, he decided to get some take-out for Karen and take it back to her. Returning to the School, he biked all the way into the Girl’s Dorm Quad and pulled up to the steps. A lone girl was sitting on the steps, and no one else was in the Quad.
“Hey, uh...You’re Hannah, right ?”, Tony asked her.
“Er...Yes, that’s me”, Hannah replied. "We met already, Remember ?"
“Oh..Right. Er, do you know where Karen Johnson’s room is ?”, Tony asked. “On the second floor ?”
“I...I think so”, Hannah said. “Why ?”
Tony handed her a Styrofoam Container, which he had balanced carefully on his handlebars on the way back. “Take this up to her, if you could ? I’d really appreciate it.”
“Um...Sure, I guess”, Hannah said, carefully taking the Styrofoam Container.
“Great !”, Tony said, wheeling the bike around. “Tell her I’ll be back around later to get her.” He rode away without waiting for her answer.
“Um...Yeah...Great”, Hannah muttered. Having declined to go upstairs, she was still waiting on Gloria to bring her down that Lubricant. She stayed where she was for a while longer, and eventually, Gloria reappeared, coming out the front doors with Claire in tow behind her. Skipping down the steps, she handed a tube to Hanna.
“Here, keep it, I’ve got plenty more”, Gloria said as Hanna took the Lubricant. “I’m taking Claire down to the Field to meet the Jocks....See you later, Girl !”
With that, the two girls walked off and left Hannah sitting there. Sighing, since she would have to climb not only the front steps but the stairs to the second floor anyway, Hannah tucked the tube of Lubricant into her bra and slowly got up, carefully balancing the Styrofoam Container with Karen’s meal inside as she gingerly made her way to the Dorm’s front doors.
______________________________________
-
Had Tony arrived sooner, he would have been inside the Blue Balls Bar in the middle of a raid, but as it was he arrived only in time to see Hal being hustled into the back of one of the Police Cars in handcuffs. Tony was able to navigate his bike to the sidewalk in front of the Bar, where there was some of the other Greasers lined up against the wall, hurling epitaphs at the Police Officers.
“Stinkin’ PIGS !!”, shouted Peanut.
“You Gots No Rights !”, hollered Ricky.
“Where’s Dat Warrant ?”, yelled Vance.
“Fuckin’ Clowns !!” railed Lefty.
Over by the front door, Lucky sat spread out with a gash in his forehead, next to him Norton lay sprawled, apparently unconscious. At the edge of the building to the right of the door, Lola and Binky were holding back a shaking and crying Angie, who was screaming “HAL !! Oh, HAL, HAL !!!” over and over. Tony quickly parked his bike, and approached one of the Cops, which happened to be Officer Monson.
“What’s going on, Officer ?”, Tony asked, “Why are you taking Hal ?”
Officer Monson eyed Tony severely. “You don’t need to be butting in here, Hero. This is Official Police Business. This Scum’s being run in on charges of Assault and Battery with intent to kill. Stay outta our way !”
Tony retreated back to the sidewalk. Unlike the Media and much of the Towns, the Bullworth Cops were no fans of Tony these days, since he was the one usually credited with putting in motion the chain of events that brought down the corrupt Rich and Powerful in the Vale Valley. A secret joke before then, the Cops had become a public joke in the eyes of the World after the Media started spreading the stories of their ineptness in the wake of the Town bombings. They had held onto their jobs by only the slimmest of margins, even though their lackadaisical Chief Carcer had been taken away in disgrace.
Seemingly with no interest in anything else, the Cop cars pulled out, one by one, and made a procession down the street in the direction of Bullworth Town, the car carrying Hal in the lead.
_____________________________________________
-
There was a knock at Pinky’s door. Brooding and bored, she had been laying on the bed, trying to concoct another scheme. She moved lazily off the bed and went to the door and opened it.
It was Bryce. “You ready to go to the Carnival ?”
“Well, it’s about time”, Pinky pouted. “I don’t like being stood up !”
“Something came up”, Bryce said shortly, without elaborating. “Come on, let’s go.”
Pinky started to say something, then stopped. The look on Bryce’s face was impassive, inscrutable. And yet, there was an air of something....Unknown, Undecided. She glanced at him for a few seconds, then turned away, going the the bureau and gathering up her small purse. “All right...I’m ready.”
They left the Boar Inn in silence. On the way over, Bryce stayed silent, despite Pinky’s attempts at conversation. Going through the Tunnel, their footsteps echoed hollowly in the still summer air. At the gate, Pinky was surprised to see that Bryce had a Pass. Although it wasn’t unusual for Preps to have Season Passes to the Carnival, Pinky had never seen Bryce here before, now that she came to think of it. He always was the most reclusive of all the Preps.
They saundered down the Midway. Business was brisk, and the noise of the Carnival covered up the silence from Bryce. They went to the various booths where Bryce racked up a bunch of tickets that could be redeemed at the Souvenir Tent. Dorsey, Freeley, and Crystal were all busy at their respective posts, but Pinky noticed the Shooting Gallery was shuttered and locked down tight though. A sign of the times, she supposed.
They even went over to the Freakshow Building, which used to freak Pinky out, wandering down the aisles, and seeing the old familiar faces of Alfred the Skeleton Man, Drew the Crazy Painted Man, Courtney the Last Mermaid, Delilah and Jezebel, the Siamese Sisters...Zeke and Lightning, the Fighting Midgets, were doing their thing in the ring while being cheered on by the Midget Brandy, and Bryce tarried somewhat while watching them. Pinky was somewhat amused to see Algie in his role as the Beardless Fat Man still, snuggling up to Paris the Bearded Fat Woman watching the flickering TV screen, neither paying the slightest attention to the onlookers.
Bryce finished things off by amassing a lot more tickets at the Hi-Striker, being egged on with a few comments by Crystal. Cashing in their tickets at the Souvenir Tent, Pinky saw a new face behind the counter, a slim, bearded kid, who appeared to be Asian. Bryce wound up getting a huge Teddy Bear for her, which she clutched onto tightly, since she was easily swayed by Presents. “It’s So Cute !”, she exclaimed.
On the long walk back through the Tunnel afterwards, Bryce was more relaxed, though he still appeared troubled. Pinky felt he might open up now. “Hey...Is there something wrong ?”
Bryce appeared hesitant, but finally said, “I...May have to go back to Harrington House.”
“What ever for ?”, Pinky asked. “Did Tad apologize or something ?”
“Ha...Hardly”, Bryce said, then he proceeded to tell Pinky of the attack on Bif, the found Biker Hat left at the scene of the attack in the school the night before, and what he was sure would lead to a Prep-Greaser blowout in the very near future. “Justin and Parker want to go back”, Bryce continued, “They think the future of all Preps at Bullworth are at stake, and they may be right. If they do, I gotta go along and help defend them.”
“But why ?”, Pinky asked “Didn’t everyone sign Tony’s agreement thingy ? There should be no need for a big battle !”
“It was signed, so I heard...Still didn’t keep somebody from bushwacking Bif, though”, Bryce said. “I fear...Outnumbered, the Preps will go down. Everybody has Weapons now, except...Us, Justin, Parker, Gord...Me. We went to fight for that boy...You urged us to...And we get nothing while everyone else does.”
“I’m sure it was just an oversight”, Pinky told him. “Maybe Tony just gave all your Weapons to Tad ? I could talk to him about it....”
“Wouldn’t do any good, I’m afraid”, Bryce said sadly. “If it was the Greasers who pulled off the attack last night, then nothing will stop them from coming after the rest of us.”
Now Pinky was the one who was silent, digesting the shocking news. She certainly had no love lost for Bif, particularly not since the time he had tricked and seduced Christy, who she considered one of the few friends she had. But what Bryce said held some truth...Weapons or not, the Preps were divided and weak. It wouldn’t take much to destroy them to a level far lower than even the Nerds or Bullies. Their status, already low, would be less than zero if they remained permanently fractured, as it had been increasingly apparent they would be. And where did that leave her ?
They were out of the Tunnel now, and Bryce headed towards the steps to go to the Beach House, intent on checking up with the others. Crossing the Beach, they could see Chad at the Beach House door, and soon discovered he came bearing an urgent offer from Tad.
___________________________________________
-
Tony went to the Bullworth Police Station to try to find out more about why Hal was being run in. The Greasers were up in arms at this sudden turn of events, telling Tony that the whole thing was bogus, as Hal had been with them all night, as they would attest to. Tony told them he would find out what he could and get back to them, and they agreed to wait, as no Greaser wanted to even be around a Cop Station anyway.
That Hal had been taken to the main Bullworth Station, instead of the closer New Coventry Sub-Station, meant they intended to lock him up, and probably without bail for the time being. After some resistance, Tony was finally allowed to talk with Chief O’Rourke, who told him there was nothing that could be done today, they would have to wait for the Hearing on Tuesday, when Judge Kasper got back into town.
“Well....Why was Hal arrested for anyway ?”, Tony asked, “Is there some kind of evidence against him for the attack ?”
“Aye”, Chief O’Rourke told him, “But I can’t reveal just what that is until the Hearing, you know.”
“Oh, that’s just great”, Tony muttered, thinking about the Biker Cap. “If it counts for anything, the other Greasers will vouch for him, he was with them all last night.”
“I be sure they be saying that, but is it true ?”, the Chief asked. “The will have to be questioned, for us to be able to get to the truth ‘o the matter.” Here the Chief stopped for a moment, thinking. “Tell you what, Laddie, have them fellows show up at the hearing for witnesses, and we can perhaps get to the bottom 'o the whole affair.”
As frustrating as it seemed, Tony had to agree there was nothing else that could be done right now. He left the Police Station and began to bike back to the Blue Balls Bar. The Greasers would be none to happy to hear about this.
____________________________________
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Karen laid in bed, eating the meal that Tony had so thoughtfully gotten for her, and sighed. She had her right foot propped up on pillows, as it was really aching now. She had managed to get her loafer off, and that had been painful, as there was a lot of swelling around the heel and ankle.
Over in the other bed, which was Melody's, lay the new girl Hannah. Even through her own pain, she could tell Hannah was in some distress too, and Karen told her to lay down. By what Hannah had told her through her embarrassment, Karen surmised it had something to do with sex and a huge Log that Hannah hadn't quite been prepared for. As the day had worn on, the soreness had gotten steadily worse. She felt like she wanted to puke.
Karen was in a similar situation....She had been walking far too much on the cracked heel these past couple of weeks, and now, suddenly it seemed, it was flaring up badly today. She tried to think if it had been anything specific she had done to re-injure it today, and couldn’t. It must be she had been just putting too much stress on it lately. It was odd, she reflected...How she had gotten the cracked heel had quite probably saved her life, but it sure was giving her fits now.
In the middle of her thoughts, her Cell Phone suddenly rang. Karen had almost forgotten she had one again, and the sound make her jump. She pawed at the side table for her purse where the Cell Phone was stashed in, and nearly fell off the bed in the process. Her foot throbbed anew as she thrashed around trying to keep her balance, finally getting ahold of her purse and pulling the Cell Phone out. “Hello ?”, she said, grimacing in pain.
“Hey, it’s me”, Tony said on the other end of the call. “Look, I was just over to the Police Station, the Cops arrested Hal for the attack on Biff....I gotta go back an talk to the Greasers, so I’ll be a bit late...”
“Oh My, really ? Well, listen Tony....Please try to make it short, I think I gotta go back to the Clinic”, Karen told him.
“The Clinic ? What for ?”, Tony asked, worry seeping into his voice. “Are you hurt ?”
“It’s my foot...It’s all swollen up”, Karen said, “I think I may have...Re-cracked it or something...”
“Oh”, Tony replied, relief replacing the fear in his voice. “Um...Ok, I’ll make it as quick as I can...Can you walk at all ?”
“Um...Not very well, I’m afraid”, Karen told him. “It really aches.”
“Ok, then...I get back as soon as I can”, Tony said. “I’ll get the Go-Cart and come get you, alright ?”
“That’d be great, Tony”, Karen replied. “I love you !”
“You too, Sweetie”, Tony said, and then broke the connection.
Hannah had stirred during the conversation, and now asked, “Was that....Your boyfriend Tony ?”
“Yep, the one and only”, Karen said. “He’s going to come take me to the Clinic.”
“Yes, I heard”, Hannah said, waves of nausea washing over her. “Guess I’ll have to leave....”
“Oh, no”, Karen told her, “You can stay...Melody won’t be back for quite a long while, probably until next term at least....You can be my roommate until then.”
“Really ?”, Hannah said. “Well...I’m glad...of that. I don’t think I’m going to class tomorrow...”
Karen almost laughed at that. She was coming to like Hannah. Maybe it was time for another friend along with Melody.
_______________________________
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“Well ? What about it ?”, Chad asked nervously. “What do I tell him ?”
The other Preps looked at each other. “We’ll have to discuss it”, Bryce said, tentatively. “Let’s go over behind the Bar. Chad, you stay here.”
With that, Bryce led the way across the large Beach House room, and Justin and Parker followed, with Gord bringing up the rear. As they packed in behind the Bar, Chad glanced nervously at Pinky, who hadn’t followed the others. “Um....Hi, Pinky...You don’t want talk with the others ?”
“What for ?”, Pinky smirked. “I’m not going back there.”
“But...But...It’s no problem, really !”, Chad stuttered, “Tad said, you could come back too....He knows about you being with Bryce....”
“Is he still fucking that Slut ?”, Pinky interrupted, obviously meaning Vanessa.
“Well....I...I....Suppose....”, Chad stuttered more, “But....But, that doesn’t mean....”
“Sure it does”, Pinky hissed. “It means I’m not going back ! You think I want that conniving little whore laughing and smirking behind my back because she ‘stole’ Tad from me ? I’ll beat her ass again and again ! It won’t be the Greasers all you will be worrying about, I assure you that !”
“But...But, You’re with Bryce, now”, Chad said. “It shouldn’t matter...”
“Don’t you get It ?”, Pinky cut in, aggravated. “When this whole mess with our Daddies is over, where do think that leaves us ?”
“Why...I don’t know”, Chad said, confused at the sudden change of topic. “Hadn’t really thought about that...”
“We’ll be POOR, nitwit !”, Pinky said through clenched teeth. “That little Whore doesn’t need Tad, but he sure does need her ! HER Daddy isn’t in any trouble. Tad will hang on to her, no matter what, so he can stay rich, even if the rest of us go down and have to live like Peons !”
Chad could only stare at Pinky, his mouth slightly ajar. “Uhhh....”
Her tirade over, Pinky sighed. “I guess I can’t really blame Tad”, she said. “He’s just being a Prep, more than the rest of us, I guess. But, I can’t come back there to that.”
Chad turned away. He didn’t like the crazy thoughts that were suddenly swirling in his mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, at the Bar, the discussion was coming to an end. Bryce knew that the others would probably choose to reunite. There was the lure of Weapons, for one thing, since they had none to defend themselves with. And there was the real possibility that the Greasers WERE behind the attack on Biff...If that was so, they were sitting duckies.
“Let’s have a vote”, Bryce said quietly. “Justin ?”
“I say, go back”, Justin replied, “We need to fight those Greaseballs.”
“Parker ?”, Bryce asked. “How do you say ?”
“Yes, go back”, Parker said. “It’s time to show those Motorheads they can’t mess with us.”
Bryce turned to Gord. “I won’t ask you to go back...You’re still recovering from your Injuries.”
“I wasn’t going back anyway”, Gord replied. “I...I think I’m going to leave town anyway, at least for awhile....”
Bryce showed no surprise at that, although the other two Preps did. “Fine...I’ll see you have some Weapons until then”, Bryce told him. “I’ll make it a condition of our return, as I must go back as well, for the survival of the Preps.”
Unvoiced, there was another reason that Gord was refusing to return, and it had nothing to do with his still-healing injuries from the Chem Plant. He simply didn’t want to have to take the chance that he would be forced to fight Vance, his future partner. In Fact, as soon as he could travel, he was planning on leaving the Vale Valley and traveling to Connecticut to see his Uncles, and thus secure funding for the future Pirate Bay Resort.
The meeting concluded, they headed back across the room to tell Chad, who would take the answer to Tad’s proposal back to him. Within the day, three Preps would be returning to Harrington House. Pinky saw Bryce’s face and knew without asking what was going to be.
___________________________________
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Tony went back to the Blue Balls Bar to report back to the Greasers, telling them there was nothing that could be done until the hearing on Tuesday. As Tony had guessed, the Greasers were none too happy to hear about that. While he was able to convince them not to make any immediate attack against the Preps, Peanut vowed that they would they would return to the Autoshop Monday and stay there during the week, to protect their territory, and that the Greasers would show up in force at the hearing Tuesday.
It exchange for their holding off off against the Preps, Tony agreed to accompany Angie back to the Girl’s Dorm, as she appeared to be unable to stop her incessant hysterical crying and carrying on over Hal’s arrest. Even as much as she tried, Angie had never really been able to fit in with the Greasers, and they only tolerated her for Hal’s sake. Her continued sobs were really getting on their nerves, and Tony agreed she would be better off at the Dorm.
Transporting her was going to be a problem though, as Tony saw when he got her outside. Too upset to ride on her own, there was no way she could simply ride one of the Greaser’s bikes. After some deliberation, Tony half-assed solved the problem by setting her on the bike’s seat, while he himself would pedal standing up. This worked for awhile, with Angie gripping Tony’s hips to keep her balance as they rode, but soon Angie had buried her face in Tony’s ass as her hands crept around and gripped Tony’s crotch instead, bringing up a buldge of his own as his up and down pedaling continued.
Except for that one time that Angie had kissed him, Tony had never had any interaction with Angie, considered far too scatterbrained for most of the guys. A date with Angie was a 'one and done’ affair, as Nick had found out, Hal was Angie’s first and only steady fellow to date, and the depth of her grief over his arrest was immense. Tony was relieved, in more ways than one, to finally get her back to the Girl’s Dorm.
Spotting a couple of the new girls, Jessica and Misty, who were hanging around outside, he had them take charge of Angie. Tony also told them to look in on Karen and tell her that he be there in a few minutes to take her to the Clinic. On their way inside, Angie sobbed out the story of the raid and Hal’s arrest, which made Jessica worry over the fate of Ricky in all the mess. Turning Angie over to Ms. Peabody, she was taken to her room, where she gripped her huge stuffed Bunny for comfort as she sobbed into it’s fur.
As the girls let Karen know Tony would be back soon, Karen asked if they would help her downstairs and outside. Obviously in no shape to be of help, Karen told Hannah she could stay in the room and recover, and as she was helped downstairs and out the front doors, Tony came roaring up in the Go-Kart, which he had gotten after he stashed his bike in the Autoshop Garage. Getting Karen setteled, he drove off to the Clinic, at Bullworth this time. Luckily, Dr. Bambillo was there and took a look at Karen’s foot, after X-Rays, he had a cast put on it, as the cracked heel had indeed worsened. There was a protruding nub attached to the bottom of the cast, so that when she did start walking again, the pressure would be put on her arch instead of her heel. She also got a pair of crutches for the meantime.
Motoring back to the School a few hours later in the dark, they presented a strange sight, with the crutches sticking up in the air. Tony let Karen off at the Girl’s Dorm once more, after making sure she got inside. Then he took the Go-Kart back to the Autoshop Garage, exchanging it for his bike once more. Tony rode wearily back to the In-And-Out Motel to get some much needed sleep. It had been a very long day.
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As Monday morning rolled around, marking the final two weeks of Summer School, the focus of the Students wasn’t on their schoolwork, but on the twin events of the bushwacking of Bif and the subsequent arrest and detention of Hal that had happened over the weekend. Opinions were divided, but rumors were rampant on just who else might have been responsible. Also fueling the rumor mill was the wild party Saturday night at the Jock’s Clubhouse and the alleged drunken debauchery that taken place there.
The most pleased of all about this was Tad, as his plan to reunite the Prep Clique had apparently succeeded, for the most part. Three of four Preps would be returning to Harrington House, only Gord would not be returning, still recovering from his injuries from the Chem Plant battle. That mattered little to Tad, as he considered Gord a pussy and a closet queer anyway. From what he had heard, Gord and Bryce did no actual fighting at the Chem Plant raid, their roles being confined to just fending off the Townies’ fire with the Harrington House Shields.
That Tad had literally 'thrown Bif under the bus’ by arraigning the assault on him bothered Tad not in the least. Tad viewed Bif as a real threat to his Leadership, as he had been Derby’s second in command and would have been the one to take over the Clique had Tad not acted first after Derby’s abrupt departure. Tad felt that Bif had declined to do so because of the secret he carried, that he was a cousin to Zoe from dirt-poor Blue Skies, would wreck his standing as a Prep. But, after their little parlay in front of the Spencer Mansion that night, Tad wasn’t so sure. Bif still harbored loyalties towards Derby, even though Derby had apparently left him behind by ‘taking a powder’ overseas, and it had become possible (to Tad anyway) that he might attempt a power grab. Now, that worry had been put aside, at least for the foreseeable future.
Tad went to school in the morning, like always, but as soon as he had separated from the others right before the bell, he ditched his classes and left the School unseen. Returning briefly to Harrington House, he made a few phone calls on the Cell Phone he had obtained last week to certain family Lawyers. When that concluded, he went behind Harrington Hall where the Preps kept their bikes and selected one, then left the School grounds via the Parking Lot to lessen any chances of being seen. There was a lot of things to be taken care of this morning.
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The Greasers rode the School Bus in that morning, as their intent was to return to the Autoshop area after classes. Nearly everyone at the School was bristling with their new hidden Weapons, and tensions were escalating, with some accusations being thrown and heated denials returned. However, Tony, who had also rode the School Bus in with the Greasers, had cautioned them not to start or respond to any fight attempts, as that would certainly not be of any help to Hal’s pending case before the hearing tomorrow. For their part, the Preps were not yet prepared to fight, as their Clique was not yet solidified, and plus the fact they were outnumbered still. The presence of all four Prefects were also a factor in keeping any potential fights at bay throughout the day.
Students took care to walk around the taped-off area not far from the Cafeteria where Bif had been found, being horrified and fascinated at the same time about the place where the attack had taken place. Before the day was out, it was being referred to as ‘Taylor’s Spot’, a name that stuck and would be called by for many years to come, long after there was any Students left who remembered what had happened there. Though the Preps seemed properly outraged about the sneak attack, there was little love lost for Bif among the other Students, as he was wholly disliked by most, particularly the girls, for his callous playing of Christy just a few months ago in order to obtain information on the Rockers Clique for Derby. For her part, Christy had no comment on the matter, and Students approaching her in the School Office were told politely as possible that she had nothing to say about it. Some took that to mean that she did indeed know something about it, as she was well known to be living with the former Rocker, Winkie, and speculation arose that Winkie might have had a hand in the attack.
Neither Karen or Hannah had come to classes this morning, and there was plenty of gossip about Hannah also, mostly among the other girls. Piecemeal, the revelations of the Jock’s wild party at the Clubhouse had been leaking out, fueled on by one girl who was involved inability to keep her mouth shut. Nina wasn’t the one saying much, but it was Gloria who was doing a lot of the talking, feeling secure in her position as a powerful Jock’s girl. To her calculating mind, it was just the natural order of things, anything or anybody under pressure long enough would at some point seek a release. And the Jocks had been under an intensive amount of pressure this summer under the new Coach Sanders. It was bound to have happened.
Round and around the rumors swirled as the morning heated up in the summer sun, promising to be a rather hot one at Bullworth Academy.
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Tad took a deep breath inside the Leighson Bank in Bullworth Town. The smell of money was always intoxicating. It was in fact a Prep’s favorite place to be at. But he couldn’t dwaddle, he needed to get on with his business of the morning and return back to school before being missed by the others. He approached the Bank Manager, Mr. Keyser.
“Morning, my good man”, Tad said. “Fine day, isn’t it ?”
“Good Morning to you, Mr. Spencer”, Mr. Keyser returned. “How may I be of assistance to you today ?”
“I need to access the Spencer Safety Deposit Boxes”, Tad told him.
“Of course, Sir”, Mr. Keyser said smoothly. “Right this way, if you please.”
The Bank Manager led Tad back to the locked Vault containing the Safety Deposit Boxes. The Bank had recovered quite well after the bombings this past spring, as money has a way of speeding up construction repair. The Bank appeared just as whole as it had been before. Banker Keyser opened up the Vault, then took out a Master Key from his jacket. Tad likewise produced several keys from his pocket, and together the Deposit Boxes were opened, one by one. The Bank Manager then left Tad alone in the Vault so he could examine the contents of the Boxes in private.
There was only one Box in particular that Tad wanted to look in....The one that contained the ready cash. Tad scooped up the money and counted out $500 dollars. That was the rest of the amount he had promised to Mr. Martin for the attack on Bif. He started to replace the rest back in the Box, then hesitated. Counting off another $500 dollars, he added that to the pile. He then replaced the rest and closed the Box. Stuffing the money into his pocket, he then looked through the rest of the Boxes and pretended to take some Items from them and put items in others, a bit of subterfuge on his part. Tad had no idea if there were cameras in here, recording people going through their Boxes, but preferred to stay on the safe side. Normally, Bankers were quite discreet about their customers, but Tad was taking no chances. Closing up all the Boxes and replacing them, he closed the small doors, then rang the intercom. Banker Keyser returned and locked them up along with Tad, and Tad bid him farewell and thanks, tipping him a cool $100 for his services.
Tad the left the Bank, biking to New Coventry. It had been a long time since he had been in these parts, and he rode through quickly, taking the less-traveled brick street route. The Greasers were at the School, and the Townies were no longer around, but even so, he endeavored to get to Blue Skies with all possible speed. Once across the Blue Skies bridge, he rode the length of Industrial Road, seeing a couple of Soldiers along the way who paid him no attention. He turned right at Meats Street and rode to the Save Warehouse.
Using his key, he entered the Save Warehouse, pulling his bike inside, and went to the Wardrobe. Picking out a Worker’s Uniform, he quickly changed, remembering to get the money from the pocket of his Prep clothes. He grabbed a nearby Hard Hat and then left on foot, walking towards the Docks, in a disguise he assumed wouldn’t be much noticed.
On arrival at the Docks Area, he walked the long way around, looking for Mr. Martin. Tad located him where he had before, in the open area, burning stuff. The smoke from the barrel was a bit darker this time. Tad approached him. “Hello, Mr. Martin”, he said.
Mr. Martin turned. “Whadda want ? I’m busy right now.”
“Mr. Martin, it’s me...Tad Spencer”, Tad said.
Mr. Martin looked closer. “Oh...I guess you are. Nice disguise.”
“I see you carried out our deal”, Tad observed.
“Yeah...I did”, Mr. Martin allowed. He threw another busted piece of wood in the fire barrel. “Can’t say I liked it though.”
“You’re not getting paid to like it”, Tad told him, “That wasn’t in the deal. It was something that had to be done.”
Mr. Martin shook his head. “But beating a boy like that...It ain’t right...What you got against that kid to have me do that ?”
“Let me tell you about that boy, and maybe set your conscience at ease”, Tad said, a trifle tightly. “Last Spring, that same boy took advantage of your Daughter, and seduced her on orders from Derby Harrington, in order to get information on that Rocker group that was living over in Hattrick Manor...Not just once, but several times. He’s real Scum, all right, and deserves what he got.” Tad made sure to put just the right amount of outrage in his speech as to make it appear like he was offended, when in truth he could have gave a shit less about Christy, then or now.
“My...Daughter ? Christy....”, Mr. Martin said, his face hardening as he absorbed what Tad was telling him. “I....I should have Killed the Son of a Bitch ! Why didn’t you tell me this before ?!”
“Precisely why I did not, for he wasn’t to be murdered”, Tad said calmly in the face of Mr. Martin’s anger. “He was just to be beaten badly, which you did. That’s all that was required...He won’t be harming any other girls like that, and certainly not your Daughter.”
Mr. Martin drew a long breath. The rich kid was right, asshole or not. That boy had paid in spades with the beating he had given him. “I suppose you’re right, Master Spencer”, he said at last.
“No profit in a Murder charge”, Tad said, almost laughing as he said it, but keeping from doing so. “Speaking of which, here is the balance of your payment.” Tad handed him the money from his pocket. “Go on, count it.”
Mr. Martin did. “Wait...There’s too much here...”
“Call it a Bonus”, Tad said, “For taking care of a problem...Yours and mine.”
Mr. Martin looked up. “I thought your kind hung together.”
“Not in this case”, Tad told him. “The rich do things more subtle....What he did just gives us a bad Rep.”
“Huh...I guess so”. Mr. Martin grunted. He stuck the money in his pocket.
“Did you dispose of the evidence, as instructed ?”, Tad asked.
Mr. Martin indicated the Burn Barrel. “Just a bit ago...In there. The Nightstick too.”
“Good Man”, Tad told him. “The Hat you left was found, and is already pointing in another direction. That should be enough to keep you in the clear. As for the Crab Shack...I’ve set the wheels in motion to acquire the deed, it should be done in a week, they tell me. When it’s finalized, I’ll turn it over to you, free and clear.” Tad looked around briefly. “You should keep this job for another week or two...Don’t be making any sudden moves yet. And keep quiet about the whole thing...You can see that would be the best for everyone, especially your Daughter.”
There was certainly no arguing with that, and Mr. Martin agreed. Tad took his leave, telling Mr. Martin he would contact him later about the deed to the Crab Shack when it was ready. Tad then left the Docks as unobtrusively as he had came, returning to the Save Warehouse to change back into his Prep clothes and get his bike, then he returned to Bullworth via the wooden bridge and then the short tunnel, hoisting his bike over the wall by the Library and returning it to the back of Harrington House. He straightened his clothing and then snuck back into School just before class break, with no one the wiser. He would resume planning how to re-band his undermanned Clique together with the right amount of outrage and eventually vengeance. Soon, he would be more powerful that Derby ever was.
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The Greasers returned to the Autoshop area after classes, and the Preps returned to Harrington House. There were some ugly stares and glares but no fighting went down. Tony watched from the back Balcony of the school, almost expecting a fight would erupt, but none did.
“Looks like they may not fight”, Mr. Galloway remarked, who was standing beside Tony.
“Wait until tonight”, Tony said glumly. “I’m sure somebody will try something.”
“Haven’t you talked to them ?”, Mr. Galloway asked, “They all signed that Agreement, shouldn’t they stick with it ?”
“That was only three days ago”, Tony said, “I don’t think that’s even a factor in all this right now. I haven’t even called the first Leader’s meeting yet.”
“The Agreement needs teeth to back it up”, Mr. Galloway observed. “I could maybe...Tell the Prefects to bear down....Let them start beating people again...”
“No !”, Tony said, horrified. “If they go back to doing that, then the whole School goes back to doing that ! We don’t want that coming back, not after all we been through.”
“Hmmm....That’s right...”, Mr. Galloway considered. “But...Something must be done. I got a call from the State Board of Education this morning....Talking about sending armed Guards in here to patrol the halls, if we don’t get a handle on this...”
“Armed Guards ?”, Tony repeated, shocked. “How did they....Oh, yeah...The News Reporters, of course...”
“I’m afraid the story is out, Statewide”, Mr. Galloway said. “If stories like this keeps up, they might even close down the School....Public pressure.”
Tony had to think on that. Everything he had battled for, all that he and Karen were, his whole future, was tied up in this place. He couldn’t let that happen. “I’ll...Think of something, Mr. Galloway....I promise.”
“I certainly hope you can”, Mr. Galloway said, somewhat sadly. “I’d hate to have to go back to teaching English again.”
It occurred to Tony suddenly that there was Nobody teaching English now, since Mr. Galloway’s promotion, but that thought slipped away at Mr. Galloway’s next words.
“Oh, and...I need to ask you”, Mr. Galloway said suddenly, “Is that fat Nerd kid...I forgot his name...Is he coming back to the School ? I got a call from his Mother asking that yesterday.”
“You mean...Algie ?”, Tony asked. He had completely forgotten about Algie, with all that had been going on lately. “Uhh...Well...I don’t know. His Clique would have to take him back, and all...I’ll have to ask...”
“When you find out, let me know”, Mr. Galloway said. “His Mother is getting upset over him...Called him her Little Prince...”
“I will, Mr. Galloway”, Tony promised, but in truth, Algie was quite a ways down on Tony’s list of problems to solve. Maybe a compromise could be worked out with the Nerds, but it would have to wait awhile. Tony talked on with Mr. Galloway for awhile until he finally left, saying he was going to see Ms. Phillips at the Clinic.
Tony stayed on the balcony, watching until well after dark, thinking. He had no real idea of what the two Cliques were planning on doing. He could only guess at their intentions. The sudden appearances of Justin, Parker, and Bryce back to Harrington House had come as a surprise. Tad had somehow made good on his word to bring the Clique back together, although to Tony’s mind it seemed suspiciously opportunistic, coming on the heels of the attack on Bif. What was he up to ? What were they all up to ? Tony didn’t know.
Tony’s rise to power had not been all of his own doing. He had plenty of support along the way, first through information supplied by Constantinos, his friendship with Laurent, and backup muscle from Nick, arguably the best fighter Bullworth had ever seen. And, not to forget Karen, who provided emotional stability and logistical support. It was only because of those people that he was able to accomplish the final defeat of Jake and the rescue of the girls from the Chem Plant. His support system, his base of power.
But Nick was out of commission since the Chem Plant raid, and Constantionos was chronically missing. Laurent was still there, and could still be a good foot soldier when needed, but being constrained somewhat by drink and his fearful girlfriend. Even Karen was temporarily laid up at what was fast becoming a critical time. That left only Ray in the circle, a good kid who had risked his life to save Tony, but was fearful of most things and who would much rather eat a burger than solve a case.
Tony had been living in power on his fame as the Hero of Bullworth, which had allowed him to push through the acceptance of the Binding Agreement. The Cliques were slow to realize his power base had dwindled, but they would eventually. And when that happened, the violence that had plagued the school for decades would return, agreement or no agreement.
Aimlessly, his mind wandered over the past year, centering finally on what had allowed Jake to terrorize the School and it’s Cliques and manipulate them for so long when Jake himself was mostly absent from the School and the grounds. In so thinking, Tony suddenly seized on an obscure thing that the Explosive Experts from the Army had found in their search for the C-4 after the defeat of Jake and the Punks, a thing that was mostly likely Jake’s biggest aid in his quest for power. A thing that Tony was now realizing now that he needed, and needed badly.
There was one other that had been in Tony’s base of power, unseen by most, now gone....But replaced by another. If there was a chance, it would be there. Tony decided he must talk to Mr. Riddle first thing in the Morning.
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Melody returned to their room after her quick shower just down the hall at the Boar Inn. She had been highly nervous the whole time that somebody was going to bust in and kidnap her again, so she scrubbed quickly and dried off even faster before hurriedly putting on her bathrobe and practically running back to their room. She closed the door and locked it, leaning back on it in relief.
Nick had offered to go with her and stand guard, but she had declined, thinking she had better get used to doing things for herself again. Nick had accompanied her on her daily trips to the lone bathroom in the downstairs of the Boar Inn and stood guard outside in just the couple of days they had been here, but she couldn’t expect him to always do that. Going to pee or poop took a lot less time than a shower, however, and no matter how quick she tried to hurry herself, and her fear of being snatched grew the longer it took.
But she had to get clean. At the Clinic, the showers were just closet-sized rooms, but with sturdy doors and locks, so she felt mostly secure there. But this place, with it’s flimsy doors and ancient-looking locks unnerved her, as it seemed just a fair-sized kick would knock them open. So all the while, naked and exposed in the shower stall, she couldn’t help feeling like a target just waiting for an evil arrow to strike.
The troubling thing was that she never felt clean these days, no matter how many showers she took or how many times she douched herself. The feel of the Townie’s hands still crawled on her skin, and the countless times they had raped her over and over still poisoned her inner parts. She mouth-washed nearly twice everyday, but the taste of them still lingered. It weighed on her mind so heavily that Melody feared she was going insane.
While Karen and Tony had returned to their physical relationship, she and Nick had not, due to his serious injury. Melody longed for Nick’s touch in the way that she had experienced the night before her kidnapping. Melody stayed leaning back against the door as all these thoughts and emotions crashed suddenly through her mind. She felt overwhelmed and tears begin spilling from her eyes.
Nick was reclining on the double bed, propped up by a number of pillows. He had been eying a program on the room’s small TV when he heard her return. A sob escaped her, and Nick eyed her even closer. “ELLL ? WASSAMATTA ?”, he grunted.
Melody ran to the bed, her bathrobe falling open as she moved. She collapsed on the bed and buried her face in Nick’s chest. “I...I...I can’t....Take this...Anymore....”, She stuttered, the tears flowing faster. “I...I feel so....Dirty....”
“Isss Alllrites”, Nick soothed through clamped teeth. He stroked Melody’s hair, really not knowing what else to do. She cried on for a long time, and Nick held her. After a half-hour or so, all cried out, she nuzzled up next to Nick, her bare breasts against him through the open bathrobe.
“Nicky ?”, she asked in a meek voice. “I think...I need to be....Cleansed....Can you...Do you think we can...”
Nick understood. In a way, he needed to be cleansed too. The last person he had been intimate with had been not Melody, but Beatrice. Though he had not meant for it to go that far, it did, and he still held a large measure of guilt over it. “TRYY”, he said through clenched teeth.
“I’ll be...Careful, Nicky...I promise...”, Melody breathed. She began massaging him slowly, and after a bit, gently pulled down his boxers. Gripping his buldge, she straddled Nick and slowly lowered herself onto him. Moving in a careful rhythm, she felt herself relaxing more and more, but still glancing at Nick’s neck, fearful that too much exertion would open his wound and bring fresh bleeding thorough the bandage...but she saw none. Nick placed his hands on her hips as they slowly moved and locked his eyes on hers, communicating his feelings without saying anything.
The buildup was slow, but the climax was ever so sweet, and new tears now leaked down Melody’s face....Not of sorrow this time, but of joy. She collapsed against him and he held her gently as they pledged themselves to each other once more.
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At the appointed time Tuesday morning, the Court was in session. By that time, the viewer's Galley was packed with more than half the students of the School who had skipped classes to be here for the Hal's hearing. The entire Greaser Clique was present save for Johnny, along with their attendant girlfriends, and had taken up seats behind Hal's defense table. On the other side behind the Prosecution table were all the remaining Preps, including Gord. Various other Students had also come, Ted and a few from the Jock Clique, Melvin and a couple of Nerds, and even Trent showed up with Wade Martin tagging along. A good number of the newer Students had also showed up, the excuse to ditch classes proving too tempting. Some of the Non-Clique students were there, Ivan, Gordon, Trevor and Ray. Mr. Galloway was there, along with a few of the Teachers, plus Edna, who had been the one to find a beaten Biff at the end of the hallway near the Cafeteria. And also present was Tony
“Hear Ye, Hear Ye, all persons having business before the Honorable Judge Leonard Kasper of the Bullworth City Court, County of Washington, State of Rhode Island, draw near", the Clerk intoned. "Give your attendance and you shall be heard. All Rise !”
Judge Kasper entered and settled in his chair. "Be Seated", he said, and picked up the charge papers. “This will be Cause 0027....State of Rhode Island vs Halbert Esposito, on the charges of Assault and Battery with serious bodily harm on one Bifford Taylor at a State Institution, to wit, one Bullworth Academy.”
“Your Honor”, the man at the Prosecution Table began, “This defendant is charged with the brutal assault and grievous injury on Mr. Taylor sometime overnight between late Friday night and early Saturday morning just past, inside Bullworth Academy. We pray the Court to bind the defendant over for trial on these charges and the disposition of same."
“Thank you, Mr. Denton”, the Judge said. “Um...Miss Hall ? How does the Defendant plead ?"
"The Defendant pleads Not Guilty, your Honor", Miss Hall stated.
"So noted, Miss Hall, thank you", Judge Kasper said. He made a notation on the Charge Paper before him and turned back to the Prosecutor. "Do you have witnesses and evidence to support the binding of this Defendant over for trial ?"
"Yes, your Honor, we have several witnesses, and this Biker Hat that was found at the scene", Mr. Denton replied, pointing to the Cap lying on the table.
"Very well, call your witnesses", Judge Kasper said and settled back in his chair.
The first witness called was Edna. The Clerk read, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth ?"
"Of Course I Do !", Edna's loud voice permeated the Courtroom. "What Else Would You Expect ?"
"Take the stand, please Ma'am", Judge Kasper winced. Edna sat down in the witness chair.
"Now, Miss Edna, what were the circumstances in which you discovered Mr. Taylor ?"
"If you're a-meanin' Bifs, I founds him right outsides the Cafeteria when I comes in that morning to fix the Ca...The Stew up for Sunday Brunch", Miss Edna started in. "He was a-layin' there with a whole mess o' dried blood all around him. Right beat up, he was, I'ma tellin' you."
"Your Honor, the Defense will stipulate that the witness found the injured boy at that location inside the Academy", Miss Hall said smoothly.
"That is acceptable to the Prosecution", Mr. Denton said.
"Very well", Judge Kasper said. "Do you have questions for the witness, Miss Hall ?"
"Most certainly", Miss Hall replied, rising. "Miss Edna, at the time you found Mr. Taylor, was there any indication of person or persons about which may have perpetrated this fowl deed ?"
"If'n yorn meanin' was there anybody around, why no, there weren't", Miss Edna replied, "Just Bloody Bif !"
"No further questions, Your Honor", Miss Hall said and sat down. Hal stirred uncomfortably beside her as the courtroom crowd murmured.
In turn, Mr. Denton called the attendants who had taken Bif from the School to the Vale Clinic, who testified about finding the Biker Hat at the scene next to Bif’s beaten body, and that only Greasers were known to wear such a cap . Miss Hall countered with a cross-examination that revealed that the attendants could not specifically say that they had seen Hal wearing a hat just like that, nor had they seen him on that morning.
Next, Officer Monson was called to the stand. Mr. Denton questioned him as to why Hal was arrested, and he told the court that the Greasers had been implicated in the attack by some of the Preps, and that Hal had been identified as the prime suspect, since he had engaged in a fight with their Leader Tad Spencer at the Carnival just a few weeks ago. Miss Hall’s cross-examination established that none of the Greasers and particularly not Hal had actually been seen by anyone doing any attacking on Bif at the times in question.
Gord Vendome was called to the stand next. He related under questioning that he had indeed seen Hal wearing a Biker Hat like the one in evidence in the past. But when questioned by Miss Hall, Gord was unable to say just when, in fact, was the last time he had seen Hal wearing such a hat.
Next, it was the defense’s turn to present witnesses, and Miss Hall called every Greaser to the stand, one after another. They all swore Hal was with them the entire night, which elicited the catcalls of the Preps. Judge Kasper banged his gavel in irritation several times to get them to stop, and finally they fell silent when he threatened to eject them from the courtroom. Mr. Denton on cross-exam was unable to shake the Greasers’ affirmations. Finally, he said, “Your Honor, the State will stipulate that this entire group will give only the same testimony. It is a waste of the court’s time to continue on with this charade, since it is very obvious that the defendant’s friends are only sticking up for him, truth or not.”
Anything further from the Defense ?”, Judge Kasper asked wearily.
Hal, who had been eying the Biker Hat laying on the Prosecution table, had a whispered conference with Miss Hall. She nodded and addressed the Court. “If we may beg an indulgence, Your Honor....My Client would like to try on the Hat.”
Mr. Denton smirked. It seemed like this dumb kid was going to make the Prosecution’s case for him. “The State has no objections, Your Honor.”
“I’ll allow it, then”, Judge Kasper said, “Let the defendant try on the Hat.”
Mr. Denton handed the Biker Hat to Miss Hall, who gave it to Hal and had him stand up and walk around in front of the table. Hal took the opportunity to look inside the brim of the Hat as he did so, and as he looked, a strange expression showed on his features as he slowed and stopped.
“Young Man ? Mr. Esposito ?”, Judge Kasper asked. “The Court is waiting. Go on, try on the Hat.”
Hal set the Biker Hat on top of his large fat head. As soon as it settled onto his hair, the whole Courtroom could see that it looked like some sort of Toy Hat. Tugging on both sides, Hal tried to pull the Hat further down to his hairline. “It...Don’t Fit”, Hal exclaimed, “It Don’t Fit !”
Gasps and cries broke out from those seated in the Galley. “If It Don’t Fit, You Must Acquit !!”, Hal chortled.
Outrage erupted from the Preps, while Joyful noises of glee came from the Greasers. The Greaser Girls were openly weeping as they were smiling, even Binky. The rest of the Courtroom seemed stunned at this turn of events. Mr. Denton was staring with his mouth open at the sight, then closed his eyes and hung his head with a facepalm.
“Order !!! Order !!!”, Judge Kasper called, repeatedly banging his gavel. “We will have order here !!!”
It took several minutes for order to be restored, however. Hal took off the Biker Hat and once more took a look inside it before moving over and laying it on the Prosecution table. Mr. Denton paid him no attention, he was too busy holding his head in his hands for agreeing to such a colossal blunder.
Judge Kasper rapped his gavel again. “Seeing as how there is no compelling or conclusive evidence against the Defendant, the charges are dismissed !! This Court is Adjourned !!!”
Cheers broke out from the Greasers while cries of Injustice came from the Preps. But, even though he was egging them on, Tad knew this was coming, and he was in fact counting on it. Now, he would be able to whip the need for revenge against all the Greasers in his newly-reunited Clique, not just one Greaser. It had all worked out perfectly.
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After the Court hearing, the Preps all left for the Glass Jaw Gym in a huff. It was just sinking in to them in a most shocking way that the Rich weren’t going to be just automatically getting their way in the Vale Valley anymore. Just who was that Clown of a Judge, anyway ? Old Judge Starkweather would never have let that Greaseball go free, never. He’d been the best Judge money could buy. So had been Chief Carcer the best Head of the Police Department for the money, never allowing his Officers to bust a Prep for anything and keeping the riff-raff out of the Vale whenever possible with the limited manpower he had at his disposal.
They filtered into the Glass Jaw, angered and flustered. Chad did some sparring in the ring with Tad, Bryce gave his big bag a workout, Justin and Parker hit the weight benches to build some strength up. Gord stood around looking like a stupid goose, but was really thinking of how this was going to affect Vance and the plans for the Pirate Island Resort. Vanessa contented herself to just watch from the sidelines. After a while of blowing off steam, they grouped together in the upstairs Bar Room for a conference.
“I say Tad, what’s to be done now ?”, Parker asked. “It WAS those Greaseballs !! They‘ve always hated us !”
“I think...”, Tad began, pouring himself a drink, “It’s time to teach those poor disrespectful scum a lesson !”
“Hear, Hear !!”, Justin exclaimed. “What do we do, Tad ? How do show those Peons not to mess with us ?”
Tad took a big gulp of Bourbon before answering. “Simple, really....Since they outnumber us still, we will have to divide them up and then attack each group in force !”
“How are we going to be doing that ?”, Bryce put in. “It looks like they are always hanging together.”
Tad savored his drink, and savored his Leadership. The others were waiting for his answer now. “Do you boys remember that stunt last winter that Slut Lola played on us ? Luring us into the old Shower House by the Basketball Court ?”
How could they forget ? Lured by the lure of possible sex with the Greaser Queen, they had been led into a trap on their own home Vale turf, engineered by that pee-stain Nerd kid, Algie. And they had been taken in, every one here. Only Derby and Bif had not been present, instead they had been attacked that same night over on Hill Street by the Greasers.
“Yes, I remember”, Chad said shamefully. Lola had also played him before that, and Gord too. Gord made a face, and the other Preps nodded.
“Well, two can play that game”, Tad said with malice in his voice. “We have our own perfect lure now, right here.” He pulled Vanessa to his side. “Only, our lure is more classy than that trash deserves.”
“But...Several of them have Girlfriends”, Bryce said. “What about that ?”
Tad smiled a snarky smile. “Then we just separate the ones who don’t, and lure them to a place on their home turf. Disable them, take their Weapons, Then come and attack the others.”
“So, how are you going to do that ?”, Bryce persisted. “And, what about Vanessa ? She hasn’t even said if she’d be the lure.”
“Oh, I’m game”, Vanessa said. “It sounds exciting !”
“Leave that up to us”, Tad replied “I got a plan that those dimwits won’t be able to resist. First off though, I’m going challenge that oaf Hal to a Ring Fight.”
“You, uh, think that’s wise ?”, Bryce questioned in surprise. “He’s pretty big.”
Tad laughed. “Those cretins don’t know a thing about the finer art of Boxing. I can take him down in two rounds”, he predicted confidently. “Then, we can implement our plan to bring the rest down when they least expect it.”
Every Prep first and foremost was all out for themselves, as by breeding or training they all had to a degree a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. But they also recognized that they were dependent on others of their kind in order to gain and keep power. An attack from outside on one of them was regarded as an attack on them at all. Weather or not they cared anything about Bif, it was their status that had been assailed last Saturday night, their right to the power they believed to be their birthright.
It didn’t really matter to them either that the Biker Hat didn’t belong to Hal, as had been so obviously proven in Court. It was just as obvious that it WAS a Greaser Hat, and something had to be done. Chad, Justin, and Parker came around to the plan at once, and Bryce did too, after a bit. Only Gord did not give vocal support to Tad’s plan, but his silence was ignored and taken as assent.
“I say, good show Tad”, Justin said gleefully. “A fine plan !”
“It’s what we need, a return to the days when we were respected !”, Parker exclaimed.
“One day, none will dare to attack us ever again !”, Chad added.
In a flash, Tad could see his true life’s mission. Collecting the Preps back together to revenge on the Greasers was only the start. What lay ahead was regaining the power their Fathers had lost over the Vale Valley.
_______________________________________
-
Tony and Laurent walked away from the Courthouse while the Greasers were still celebrating their victory on the front steps. Even many of the other students, save the Preps, were gathered around congratulating them. It helped, of course, that that Bif was despised by most and the Preps as a whole were not held in very high regard by anyone other than themselves. The News Media was also having a grand time, reporting on the results of the Hearing and getting interviews from the Students.
“So....What is to happen now, do you think ?”, Laurent asked.
“I don’t know”, Tony replied. “Maybe, nothing....Or nothing good.”
“What does that mean ?”, Laurent inquired.
“Meaning...The Preps have pulled back together over this”, Tony said. “I don’t think this will be the end to it. After all, whoever beat Bif is still out there, and the Greasers are still the Prime Suspects.”
“Do you not think...There will be a retaliatory attack ?”, Laurent persisted.
“Maybe....Though the Greasers still outnumber them”, Tony said. “Tad may have been able to pull the Preps back together just because this happened, but he’s not stupid. The differences that split the Preps apart are still gonna be there....I don’t believe he’ll have them do anything rash. He needs to....Prove himself as a Leader to them first....Before they just blindly follow him.”
Laurent mulled that over in silence as they moved through the Town, headed back towards the School. Behind them, about a block away, some of the other Students were heading that way also, down Bullworth Town’s Main Street. Up ahead, past the Shiny Bike Shop, was the cross street that led to New Coventry to the left. From that direction suddenly, coming into view past J’s Nightclub, was a procession of Army Humvees, about five of six of them. It soon became obvious that they were the lead vehicles for what followed, a group of Army Prisoner Transport vehicles.
(http://cdn.img.ria.com/photosnew/auto/photo/gaz_66__97754396bx.jpg)
Tony counted four of them as they turned left and headed for the big bridge further down Main Street, followed by a few of those black Government vehicles. Still a block away, he couldn’t make out anything close, but he had a good idea of who must be in the procession. Three weeks after the battle of the Chem Plant, it appeared that the Townies were finally leaving Town for good.
________________________________________
-
Back in front of the Courthouse, the celebrations were winding down. Some of the Students began to walk in the direction of the School, separately or in groups, others decided to just skip classes the rest of the day and go do whatever they felt like. A bunch began to head towards the Carnival. But not everyone left right away. The Media interviews were getting close to being finished, as the Greasers were still gathered around in a group. Angie had grabbed hold of Hal as soon as she was able, and stayed stuck to his side like she was glued there. Wearing her leather Greaser Outfit of a black jacket and short skirt with Biker Boots was bound to give her Mother a shock when she saw her on the News, but Angie didn’t care about that, only that she had Hal back.
During the process, Norton’s eye was caught by the stares of Whitney Worth, who was standing a ways off with Carla and Hayley, the last remnants of the notorious Reform School Girls, whose numbers had been reduced in half at this very Courthouse just a month ago. Standing with them was Jessica Jamison, the girl on whose attack in the Laundry Room led to the revoking of parole for four of those Reform School Girls. She was saying something to Whitney as she was still fixing her gaze on Norton.
“Com’on, I’ll introduce you”, Jessica said to Whitney. Jessica, who was fast becoming known as Ricky’s Girlfriend, knew from Ricky that his friend Norton longed for a girl of his own, and sorely needed a bolstering of his ego after his disastrous takeover attempt of the Greasers had ended in disgrace earlier in the year.
“Uh...No...I can’t”, Whitney said, but continuing to stare a Norton.
“Sure you can”, Jessica said, laughing, and grabbed Whitney’s arm and began pulling her over Norton’s way. “You’ll like him, I promise !!”
“I...I really shouldn’t....”, Whitney weakly protested, but allowed Jessica to lead her towards Norton anyway. For his part, Norton stood impassively as he suddenly saw the girls approaching.
Ricky also came alongside Norton. “Oh, there’s Jessica....Who’s dat with her ?”
“I donno”, Norton mumbled. He vaguely remembered seeing the girl that Jessica was leading towards them around. She was about five feet, six inches tall and very skinny, like she had been doing crack all her life. She had a pretty face though, that offset her lack of curves, with long black curly hair. She was Black, like Norton, although much lighter skinned. The two girls approached and halted just a couple feet away.
“Um, Norton....Have you met Whitney here ?”, Jessica asked. Norton just stared while Ricky crossed his arms, wondering what his new girlfriend was up to.
“Ummm....Seen her 'round”, muttered Norton, almost too low to hear.
“Well, she needs a date for the Carnival, now that she’s allowed off school grounds and all”, Jessica went on, a bit bolder. “See, I’m needing Ricky to take me there like he promised, but we’re needing somebody to go with, see ? So, why don’t you, uh...Ask her out ?”
Ermm....Mebbe I could....”, Norton stammered, “If’n dats whats Ricky wants....”
Whitney had gone a shade of red under under her light black skin from sheer embarrassment, but with a poke from Jessica, she managed to say, “Err...Hi Norton...I heard a lotta about yous...”
“Yeah...? What you hears ?”, Norton asked suspiciously.
“Oh...Abouts hows yous was a reel good fighter over at that Chem Plant thing...”, Whitney ventured shyly. “Yous must be awful brave and all, to dos that...”
Jessica had moved over to Ricky, who was standing there grinning at Norton’s lame exchange. She punched him on the shoulder, motioning him to move away. “Dorkus, give them some space !”, she whispered loud enough for Ricky to hear. Shaking his head, he moved off with Jessica following, to several feet away.
“What you pullin’?”, Ricky asked her when they were well out of earshot.
“Hush, Silly”, Jessica replied, “She likes him, and I’m just fixin’ her up. You been tellin’ me how bad off he feels, with everybody havin’ a girl to take out and all.”
“Yeah, but that ?”, Ricky exclaimed, casting a look at Whitney. “She looka like some meal-starved, drug-addicted crack whore !”
“Shhhh, she’ll hear you”, Jessica scolded him. “Sides, she’s not so bad...Really !”
Ricky shrugged. “If’n youse says so. Wouldn’t be my choice, I’ma just sayin’.”
“Well, look, they’re getting along”, Jessica said. “Give it a chance, will’ya ?”
Ricky did look, and it seemed that they WERE getting along. Norton’s face had relaxed, and he even saw a flash of a smile from Whitney as they awkwardly conversed. As the minutes ticked by they seemed to be more at ease. Finally, Norton looked over their way, and gave them a signal. Ricky and Jessica went back to where Norton and Whitney were standing.
“Feels like goin’ to de Carnival ?”, Norton said, but it wasn’t a question.
“I guess so”, Ricky said, grinning. Jessica took Ricky’s arm and led the way down the Courthouse steps through the remaining crowd, with Norton and Whitney following.
_________________________________________________
-
In the School Basement, Mr. Riddle pulled out the tiny microphone from the case and fiddled with the dials set inside the case. When he was dialed into the frequency, he spoke into the mike. “BAL-7620, BAL-7620, Whiskey Victor Tango”, he intoned. “BAL-7620, This is CRB-3847, Do You Read, Copy ?”
A hiss of static issued from the speaker for awhile before an answer came back. “CRB-3847, This Is BAL-7620. Copy five by five.”
“7620, Switch To Secure Frequency”, Mr. Riddle said. He fiddled with the dials again, then spoke, “BAL-7620, CRB-3847, How Do You Read ?”
“Copy You Clear, 3847“, the voice responded. “EarthNet Link Is Confirmed Secure. What Is Your Report ?”
“There is a situation here that might involve our Subjects”, Mr. Riddle said in a more conversational tone, and went on to report what had transpired in the past few days, starting with the mystery attack on Bif Taylor, the arrest of Hal Esposito and the subsequent dropping of charges against him that morning. Tony had just stopped by the School Store an hour ago and informed him of what had happened at Court.
“3847, thank you for the update”, the voice replied. “Are our primary Subjects in any danger ?”
“Not at this time, 7620”, Mr. Riddle said, “But it has been requested that we look into the matter. It is unknown just who the perpetrators are, and the concern is that other attacks could be carried out in a like manner, endangering the fragile peacefulness of the School and even the Towns.”
There was a series of clicks and hums from the other end. Then, “There appears to be no criminal element known left in the area, 3847.”
“7620, Roger...Except for those Town Boys, but Subject informed me that it appeared they might have been removed this morning”, Mr. Riddle spoke.
“Can confirm their removal, 3847“, the voice returned, “And it appears the the Military Contingent will also be vacating the area soon.”
That was news to Mr. Riddle. “I thought they were staying into the Fall, 7620 ? Wasn’t that their plan ?”
“Apparently, there’s been a disturbance in Yonkers, and they are being deployed to that, 3847“, the voice returned. “Although it appears some of the Agents will be staying around for the short term. Can you look into the matters from there ?”
“I can try, 7620“, Mr. Riddle said, with a short laugh, “Although I don’t yet have the network of contacts my predecessor did.”
“That is true”, the voice replied, “We will see what we can ascertain from this end as well, Copy ?”
“Copy That, 7620“, Mr. Riddle replied, reverting to a stronger speaking voice. “Will Make My Next Report On Eight-Ten At Alpha Zulu Time, Copy ?”
“Copy, 3847“, the voice said. “7620, Out.”
_________________________________________
-
The remaining Greasers, minus Ricky and Norton, headed back to the Blue Balls Bar in a sort of victory parade after the Court Hearing where Hal had been clearly exonerated, eager to let Johnny know what had happened in Court. On their way, they were just passing by the new Radio Station, WPIG, and old Rock Music was blaring from it’s outside speakers.
“Oh, I dig dis song !”, Lefty exclaimed, as a Springsteen song was playing. The group stopped to listen and rock out there on the sidewalk. They could see Lou Jacks, becoming better known as Wolfman Jacks, and Janet From Another Planet, the other DJ, inside through the plate glass windows. As the song ended, his voice issued from the speakers, “ROCK ON, ROCK WITH THE WOLFMAN AT THE NEW MIGHTY 93 AND THE WAY IT USED TO BE !!”
Lou Jacks put on a Bon Jovi track then, and spotted the Greasers hanging about outside. He motioned them in, and they crowded into the building. “Say, whass happenin’ ?”, the Wolfman said as he came out to greet them. “Great to see you kids rockin’ out to the music out there ! Howzit going ?”
Peanut told him, “Eyy, we be celebratin’ ! Our man Hal here got acquitted on that bogus charge today!”
“Err, what kinda charge wuz that ?”, the Wolfman asked. “We ain’t got no News Team yet...Will have, come next week, guy named Andy from Cincinnati is gonna join us for a Vale Valley News Division.”
“It was Assault, and dem Preps was accusing Hal !”, Peanut exclaimed. He went on to tell Wolfman Jacks the story, finishing up with, “Hal was Framed, Man, Framed !! Dem dirty Bastards tried to stick da frame on Hal, but IT DIDN’T FIT !!”
The Greasers cheered anew at the conclusion of Peanut’s tale, and the Wolfman grinned. “I gots just the thing to broadcast this News to the entire Valley...Waits right here !” He rushed back into the Studio to change tracks and went back on the air.
“BREAKING NEWS, BOYS AND GIRLIES...OUR DUDE HAL FROM THE HOOD HAS BEEN AQUITTED OF OF BOGUS ASSAULT CHARGES LEVELED AGAINST HIM BY THOSE BLUEBLOOD PIGS OF TYRANY ! FACT IS, HE WAS FRAMED !!” The Wolfman spun the disc as he talked, and it began to blast from the speakers and out to the Vale Valley over the new 50,000-watt antenna just erected over by the Junkyard at the Eastside of New Coventry.
Cheech & Chong Framed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DelYvJHTvH0#)
I was sitting in the coffee shop, just minding my own affair,
When all of a sudden, this Policeman caught me unaware.
He said, “Is your name Pedro ?” I says, “Uh, yeah, I guess so.."
He said, “Then come with me cause you're the man we been looking for !!”
I said, “Hey, man, I been framed !!
Hey, no, really, man, I was framed !!
Aw, I never do nothing wrong, man,
But every time I get the blame !
I been framed !!”
They put me in the lineup and let the bright lights shine,
There was ten poor dudes like me standing in that line.
I knew I was the victim of somebody's evil plan,
When this scroungy looking dude came up and said,
“Yeah, That's him, man !!”
“Hey, wait a minute, man, I been framed, man,
Aw, listen to me, Judge, I was framed !!
I never do nothing wrong,
But every time I get the blame !
Hey, I been framed !!”
Then the Prosecuting Attorney started prosecuting on me,
That dude gave me the First, Second, and Third degree.
He said, “Where were you on the night of July 29 ?"
I said, “Man, I was home in bed !"
He said, “Judge, that man's lying !”
I said, “Wait a minute, man, I was framed, man,
Hey, Judge, listen to me, man, really,
You gotta believe me, I been framed, man !!
I never do nothing wrong,
But every time I get the blame !
Oh, I was framed !!”
“Now look, I deny the charges of having any weed,
And I also deny the charges of taking any speed !
I deny the charges of selling any grass !"
But when the judge looked down and said “GUILTY !"
I said, “Judge, you can kiss my ASS !!!”
Framed !!!!!!!!!!
“Judge, I'm telling you the truth,
I was framed, man !!
I never do nothing wrong,
But every time I get the blame !
Hey, I was framed !!”
Oh, Framed !!!
“You gotta believe me, Judge,
That wasn't even my stuff !!
I was holding it for a friend, man !!
Could this face lie, man ?
Oh, come on, Judge,
Don't send me to camp, man !
I just got my car fixed, man !
Look, I just got a new Tattoo and everything, man.
Oh, man, what a bummer, man.”
Oh, come on, Judge !!
Gimme a break, please !!
Aw, Judge, come on, man,
Don't take me away, I was framed !!
Man, really I been framed !!!”
As the song wound down, the Greasers jittered their way down the street, in a high celebratory mood. But Hal, the center of all the attention, became pensive as he walked, and eventually dropped back to the end of the procession that was making it’s way closer to the Blue Balls Bar. Peanut noticed, and dropped back to join him.
“Hey, man, youse Ok ?”, Peanut asked. “Ain’t you mighty glads to be outta dat place ?”
“Oh, yeas, fer sure, Daddy-O, don’cha know”, Hal replied, “Glader than glads....But dere was someptin strange abouts that Hat.”
“How’s so ?”, Peanut asked, wondering what the Hell Hal was going on about. “It wuz just an old Biker Hat, rights ?”
“Rights”, Hal agreed. “But, I copped a look inside its, just afters I tried it on, and dere was someptin marked in it, marked in da brim....It was a faints letter H...And, I thinks I knows whose hat it wuz.”
“Yeah ?”, Peanut asked, a faint icy finger leaking into his brain. “So...Whose hat do’s you thinkin’ it wuz ?”
“I think it belonged to...Henry Hinkler”, Hal said. “I remembers hearin’ dat he used to mark his stuff like dat...Wid just his initial. I bet dats his old Cap !”
Peanut was stunned. Henry Hinkler was a former Greaser Leader, back some 30 years ago. He was as famous in Greaser lore as Piff the Skull was to the Nerds. Henry had been a smaller fellow, such as Peanut himself, but he took shit from nobody and would stand up to anyone, even if they were twice his size. The story was that he had even beaten Derby Harrington’s father in the Boxing Ring. “How...Hows can dat be ?”, Peanut wondered. “Hows cans his hat be found at da scene of da crime ?”
“I...Donno”, Hal said. “But fer sure dat hat don’t belongs to any of us...It wuz too old. It weren’t nuttin but a setup !”
_________________________________________
-
Coach Sanders returned that evening to Bullworth Academy. Initially, he had gone to Warwick to get the fall Football games scheduled, but wound up going to Cranston and Pawtucket, then downstate to Wakefield and North Kingstown. Although he hadn’t planned on extending his absence, it was better to get these all out of the way at one time, he reasoned. Now, set with a complete fall schedule, he was back. A Taxi had delivered him to the Parking Lot, he disembarked and paid the fare. Clutching his briefcase and suitcase, he made to trek down to the Football Field.
Strangely, he didn’t see a whole lot of Students milling about as usual. There were a few in the Back Quad, but as he approached the fountain, the dividing area between the Preps and the Greasers, he saw no one about. Peering towards both Harrington House and then the Autoshop revealed both places to be empty. He shrugged and moved on, the snooty rich and the throwback poor were no concern of his, only the Jocks mattered to him, and one Jock kid in particular. He continued on, and in a couple of minutes was standing at the top of the steps overlooking the Football Field.
Many of the Jocks were down on the Football Field, though not all of them. However, they were not, as he might have expected, just goofing off. That Quarterback, Ted Thompson, had several of the Team out on the Field, running plays. Others were doing laps, and he noted that Kirby was running also. The kid was determined to make the starting lineup, the Coach knew, and Kirby had spunk. A lopsided smirk came to his face, for Kirby was going to be giving something more than just effort soon in exchange for his ambitions.
Across the Field, he saw the Head Cheerleader Mandy working it with some of the new girls, and they were looking better. In the Bleachers sat some of the Jock’s girlfriends, he noticed. Actually, he knew that was a good thing, most straight boys loved to preform and show off in front of the girls. Now, if he could devise a way to make sure they were here on game days, the Season might go better than expected. The Coach watched for awhile, then nodded, satisfied. It appeared they hadn’t been slacking off in his absence. He turned and made his way between the Gym and the Pool buildings, headed for his office. There was still some work to do this evening.
After a few minutes, Mandy stopped hustling the wannabee Cheerleaders and went over to Ted. “Looks like it worked”, she told him. “We can knock off now.”
“Guess you were right”, Ted said. “Hustle’s the name of the game, even if it’s only fake hustle. But you think he really won’t find out about the weekend ?”
“Nah”, Mandy replied, “He’s clueless. And if you’ve never noticed, he rarely goes up to the School itself except for their Staff Meetings, and never interacts with the other Students at all. Beaver-Face is lost in his own world.”
Ted grinned at Mandy’s use of the nickname for Coach Sanders. “Yeah, mebby so. I’ll go tell the others to pack it in for the evening.”
“It’s all about appearances, Teddy dear”, Mandy said with a smirk of her own. “Rumors only live if somebody listens to them, and that’s a fact...I oughtta know.”
Ted went off to tell the others, and Mandy dismissed the new Cheerleader girls. As she watched everyone relax though, nagging thoughts about the new Coach and his intentions still continued to fester in her mind.
__________________________________________
-
The Convoy arrived at the U.S. Penitentiary near Allenwood, Pennsylvania a bit after midnight, bringing Gurney awake. Through bleary eyes, he gazed from his bench in the back of the Army Prisoner Transport where he had rode shackled for the entire trip at Otto, sitting on a similar bench across from him. The Soldier who was guarding them rose, stepping between them to the back doors of the vehicle, where he waited. A speaker activated with a code word that was said by a Soldier outside, to which the Soldier inside responded with a code word of his own. The code words were different each time this had been done on the long, 400 mile journey from Blue Skies, as a precaution that if the prisoners somehow got free and overpowered the Guard, the doors would not be opened without the proper code words, if the wrong word was given, the compartment would be flooded at once with knockout gas.
Gurney and Otto had been able to only piece together the long trip since leaving the Vale Valley. They knew there had been four APT Vehicles, as they saw when they were being loaded into one before leaving the Blue Skies Jail, and knew that Jerry and Duncan were loaded into another one. The first stop after that had been Providence, to pick up the four Junior Townies of Floyd, Nate, Sam, Ian, who were being held there. Since they were the least injured of the group, they had been transferred as soon as possible away from the Bullworth Town Jail to much more secure facilities. They had been an hour there before getting on the road again, flanked by sleek black Government Vehicles.
There was nothing left to chance on the journey. All of the vehicles were in constant radio contact with each other and the drivers gave status reports every two minutes. There was an open con at all times between the two Soldier-Drivers in the front and the Guard in the back, who wielded a mean-looking high-power rifle at the ready. As in the Clinic and Jail, no conversation was allowed, if the Townies got even a little verbally out of hand, a nasty electric shock would be suddenly applied via their metal bench to their ass-quarters. Shackled down hand and foot as they were, there was no chance to get away from that.
The longest stretch of the journey had come next, some five hours of it, from Rhode Island across Connecticut, lower New York, upper New Jersey, and into Pennsylvania. Then came the first stop, at the US Penitentiary at Canaan, where the Junior Townies were dropped off, escorted in under heavy Guard. Gurney and Otto were unshackled just enough to be allowed to eat a couple of Granola Bars and drink some Beam Cola, afterwards being given some plastic jugs to piss in, all at gunpoint. After an hour, the convoy began again, with only two ATP vehicles now. This trip was shorter, about two hours, and the next stop was the US Penitentiary at Lewisburg, where Jerry and Duncan were to be incarcerated. Gurney and Otto plainly heard Jerry call out to them, although they could not see them, and also heard Jerry’s cry of pain as some punishment was dealt to him for breaking the no-talking rule.
Gurney was expecting that he and Otto would be taken in next, but after an hour went by, the convoy was on the move once more. It was then that Gurney knew they were all being separated from each other, and it would be unlikely they would see the others again before their Trials. He wondered anew as to just why they were being treated the way they were. They were Kidnappers, yes, and that was a Federal crime, but it seemed to him that they were being treated more like Terrorists. Finally, at this last stop where he and Otto would be taken into the US Penitentiary at Allenwood, while the Guard was waiting for the doors of the APT to be opened from the outside and away from the controls that would shock them, Gurney broke the no-talking rule.
“Man, whatta you Clowns doing ?”, he uttered. “We want our rights, we want a Lawyer, you Pigs can’t treat us like this....”
The Guard, who was not a kid but rather a well-built Sargent, whirled around and stuck his Rifle into Gurney’s face, the tip of the barrel splitting his lip. “You Fucking Rapist Trash”, the Guard hissed, “You’re gettin’ far better that what you scum deserve for what you done to them Little Girls....Just Give Me A Reason, Asshole, Just One !!”
Otto’s eyes were big and a look of horror came to his face, as it seemed that he was about to see Gurney’s head get blown away in an instant. Gurney tried to keep his face a mask of stone as he closed his eyes and awaited a bullet. Just then, the locks released and the doors of the APT swung open. A bevy of Solders awaited them.
“Sargent, is there a problem ?”, one of them asked. All had their Weapons at the ready.
The pressure of the muzzle on Gurney’s face lasted a few seconds longer, and then the Guard stepped back. “No Problem”, he said harshly, “Get this Trash out of here.”
Gurney and Otto were led out of the APT, their legs chained and their hands chained at their waist, much as they had chained Karen and Melody not so long ago. Led into the Prison to await their fate, Gurney would later learn that not only were they charged with Kidnapping, Confinement, and Rape, they were also to be charged with Treason.
_____________________________________
-
A curious thing happened the next day that furthered Tad’s reckless plans for total domination over the Prep Clique. It had just so happened that Bif had not regained consciousness from his severe beating, and in fact his condition was growing worse. Unable to handle Critical Care cases, the Clinic and Doctor Bambillo were forced to call in an Ambulance Transport from Warwick and have Bif sent to Butler General Hospital in Providence. There, he would most likely undergo a procedure to drill holes in his head to reduce Brain swelling. The transport was done quietly, without fanfare, but the Press caught on by seeing Bif being wheeled out and loaded into the Ambulance, which sped away soon after. The Preps found out after the fact, when Chad went to the Clinic later that afternoon that to check up on Bif’s progress.
Emboldened by the news of the transfer and also his belief that Bif would be unable to identify his attacker, even when he did awake, prompted Tad to put the next part of his plan in motion. Less than two hours after classes ended for the day, he gathered the Preps around the Fountain to await the Greasers return from New Coventry so that he could issue a direct challenge to Hal for a fight. They didn’t have to wait for long, as the Greasers had been zealously protecting their Autoshop territory in the evening ever since Hal’s arrest, after visiting with a still-recovering Johnny at his and Lola’s apartment above the Blue Balls Bar. They were soon spotted coming up the pathway by the Library and into the Back Quad, the entire group of them along with their girlfriends.
As they approached the Fountain with impunity, the Greasers were somewhat surprised to see the Preps blocking their path, and they came to a halt at the bottom of the short steps that led up to the Fountain. “What youse up to, Spencer ?”, Peanut asked sarcastically. “Youse wanna rumble ?” The other Greasers guffawed at that, even though the Preps were back together, they were still outnumbered by the Greasers.
“Hardly”, Tad replied. “Since the Law won’t give satisfaction for the dastardly attack on our Prep brother, I’m issuing a challenge to the guilty party for a fight under the terms of the Binding Agreement.”
“What do that mean ?”, demanded Peanut. “If’n youse wants to throw down, rights heres and nows, then let’s get it on !”
“Oh No, that’s not the way things are done now at the Brave New Bullworth”, Tad said snidely. “Don’t you remember that Agreement we all signed just last Friday ? It’s my right to challenge, I’m the aggrieved party here.”
Peanut didn’t quite understand, but he said, “Fines, den...I’ll kick youse snooty ass rights now, if’n dats whats youse wants so bad.”
Tad laughed, a really full laugh that made the Greasers wonder if he had gone mad. “No, you clueless Peon, my challenge is for your guilty fat buddy Hal right there. We have unfinished business.”
Hal piped up, “I’m not Guilty ! The Hat didn’t fit, so I’s was Aquit !”
“That doesn’t really matter, now does it ?”, Tad answered smugly. “Besides, we haven’t settled our disagreement from the Carnival, as I recall.”
Peanut turned to Lucky. “Go finds Tony, so’s we can settle dis.”
“Yes, go and get Calderone”, Tad said, almost jovially, “I’m sure he’ll find this most amusing.”
Lucky ran back in the direction of the Front Quad as the two Cliques began trading insults. Fortunately, he was able to find Tony quickly, as they had just seen him on their way in, assisting a hobbling Karen back to the Girl’s Dorm. Lucky found Tony just leaving the Dorm, and filled Tony in on the confrontation as they trotted back to the Fountain, and just in time. Weapons had been drawn by then on both sides, although no rounds had yet been fired.
“What Is This ?”, Tony asked loudly. “What are you pulling here, Spencer ?”
“Why, I’m just issuing a challenge to a fight, that’s within my rights under your Agreement we all just signed, Lord Procter”, Tad said, barely keeping the derision out of his voice.
Tony sighed. “Ok, first, everybody put down your Weapons.”
The two sides were a bit reluctant to lower their Weapons, but did after their Leaders signaled them to do so. “Alright....”, Tony continued, “Second, what is the basis for this challenge, Tad ? It better not be about what happened to Bif, cause everyone in Court could plainly see that Biker Hat didn’t fit Hal’s head.”
“Oh, most certainly not !”, Tad exclaimed sarcastically. “I just never got satisfaction from that Oaf attacking me over at the Carnival last month. He busted my nose, you know, and I demand to even the score !”
“Weren’t you the one who started the fight to begin with ?”, Tony inquired wirily.
“I most certainly was not !”, Tad said, self-righteously. “That Cretan rudely shoved me while I was still playing, and then just savagely attacked me ! I demand a match with him to settle this once and for all, as the Agreement states !”
“Youse can’t demands anything, Prepwipe !”, Peanut said hotly. “Sides, dat was before any Agreement thingy was in place !”
Tad’s lip curled. “Show me where in there it says I can’t”, he said smugly.
“Well...I donts have it rights here wid me, but you just cants demand that !”, Peanut said uncertainly. He turned to Tony. “He cants, can he ?”
Tony was on the spot. While it had been said at the Friday meeting and signing that the agreement was in force from that date, the issue of past wrongs had not been addressed, at least not in writing. It was something that obviously needed amending, but that should be done with a vote of all the Cliques, not just an arbitrary decision of his own. To do so would make the Binding Agreement look just like a personal power grab on his part, and that certainly was not what he had intended.
Everyone was waiting on Tony’s answer. If it was the wrong one, the Agreement would be no more than just yesterday’s trash. Finally, he said, “Tad...Has the right...To issue the challenge.”
There were exclamations of disbelief from the Greasers. “Tony held up his hands. “Look, I know....New things aren’t always perfect. When we have our first council, we’ll vote to amend that, but for right now, a legal challenge has been issued.”
“So that’s settled”, Tad crowed. “Now, I want an answer....Unless Dunce Cap Boy there is too Chickenshit to fight me !”
“I aints afraid to fights nobody !”, Hal exclaimed. “You’re on, Prep Scum !”
“Good !”, Tad shot back. “Meet me at the Glass Jaw tomorrow night at 8 O’clock, and we’ll settle that once and for all in the Boxing Ring.”
“Boxing Ring ?”, Hal repeated. “I ain’t no Boxer, Ima Street Fighter !”
“Oh, are you backing down ?”, Tad asked smugly. “Afraid to go a few rounds ?”
“Hey, he cants do that !”, Peanut interjected. “He donts gets to dictate what kinda fight to have !”
“Well...Um...Yes, he does”, Tony said slowly. “The Challenger gets to choose the place and method...That was negotiated, remember ?”
“Shit”, Peanut commented. “Dats a load of crap. Hal don’t know how to Box !”
“So, is my challenge being refused ?”, Tad called out mockingly. “Is the fat Greaseball too much a weakling to take me on ?”
“I aints no weakling, Mudderfucker”, Hal shot back, “Wid a big glove, I cans punch your whole face in ! Youse is On !!!”
“Excellent !”, Tad beamed. “Challenge Accepted !” He turned to his Clique. “Let’s go, boys...I got to prepare.” As they walked off, back towards Harrington House, Tad gleefully called out, “Tomorrow at Eight, don’t be late !”
Tony, Peanut, and the rest of the Greasers watched them go, and Tony was realizing that it wasn’t just an accident that the Preps were suddenly back together. Something had been planned.
__________________________________________
-
Later that evening, under the Sodium Arc Light at the Football Field, the Jocks were putting on an exhibition. A scrimmage, that was, where they turned out in full dress uniforms and played against each other, offense to defense. It was something they hadn’t done in a long while, not since last summer at least.
It had been Mandy’s idea, but she had played Ted along, in the way that girls do with their boyfriends, making Ted think it was really his idea. At the root of it all was her nagging suspicions about the Beaver-Faced Coach Sanders. She wanted to watch the new Coach a little more closely. Mandy stayed close to the sidelines, with a couple of her new Cheerleader recruits, Claire and Misty. She kept an eye on the Coach as he watched his players, occasionally shouting instructions to them.
Word of the impromptu scrimmage had spread quickly, mostly through Gloria’s blabber-mouthing, and many of the newer Students had come down to watch from the Bleachers. Surprisingly, the Bullies had shown up, mingling with the new kids in the Bleachers and actually behaving themselves, with the exceptions of making a few taunts here and there. Downfield, in the other Bleachers, the Nerds were watching, having trailed out of the Observatory gate. Although things had been fairly peaceful among the two Cliques since the Chem Plant raid, they still watched with a wary eye. Not forgotten were the numerous raids the Jocks had mounted against them at their Observatory Castle in the past.
“Say, who’s that boy ?”, Claire asked Mandy during a break in the action. “Number 1 there, with the ginger hair under his helmet ?”
Distracted from her spying on the Coach, Mandy looked around to where Claire was pointing. “Oh....That’s Dan Wilson”, she replied, “He’s a Junior....Well, he’ll be a Senior if he gets his credits from the summer here.”
“He seems a little short for a Jock”, Claire commented, gazing at him. “He looks about my size !”
“Yes, well he used to be a Nerd, when he first came here with his half-brother Thad Carlson”, Mandy told her. “But, he was different from them, tougher I guess....He used to show up at the Gym all the time, even though the boys would harass him and beat on him all the time. But he worked out with weights and got Coach Burton to let him on the Wrestling Team, when we had one, that was....Anyway, he eventually gained enough respect from the boys and was invited to join the Football Team, became the only Nerd to ever do that. He’s all Jock now, can’t ever tell he was a Nerd once.”
“That’s....Fascinating”, Claire said, staring at Dan as the Jocks set up another play. “So small and yet....So Manly.” She dragged he gaze away from Dan and looked at Mandy. “Could you....Introduce us ?”
Mandy shrugged. “Sure, why not ?” Inwardly, Mandy was thinking the more the merrier, as far as potential girlfriends for the Jock boys were concerned. Maybe their lackluster performances of the past was due to the fact of their not having any girls around....They certainly were looking much better playing in front of the small but mostly all-girl crowd today. Besides, more girlfriends would add more spice to the Rumor Mill, giving her the opportunity to fan the flames, deflecting them away from Mandy herself. She was going to see to that personally. And, an added plus was that if the boys played better, maybe better Scholarship Offers would be forthcoming, particularly where Ted was concerned.
Claire had happily set her sights back on Dan, knowing nothing of Mandy’s thoughts. But Claire had thoughts and ambitions of her own, which were the reason she had come to Bullworth Academy in the first place. This was just the start....She was only a wannabe Cheerleader now, but eventually she would rise to be a dominant force among the Jocks and on Campus itself, filling the void that Mandy was leaving behind.
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-
Tony sat alone in his Mediator’s Office, pondering. It appeared to him that things were slipping out of control, somehow. The most bothersome was Tad and the Preps, with Tad’s challenge to Hal for a Boxing Match. Clearly, it was a bid for revenge because of the attack on Bif, not for the reasons of the fight at the Carnival. If Tad had wanted redress for that fight, he could have done that already, long ago. But Tony felt it went much deeper than that.
It was a fact that Bif had been attacked, and likely it had been in this very building. But that was the only fact that there was. Who had done the attack, or why, was only a matter of speculation. Since the exact time of the attack had not been determined, it left the door open to all sorts of suspects. The Greasers all alibied each other as to being at the Blue Balls Bar that night, but they had been at the Autoshop earlier that evening. And there was as yet no answer as to just what Bif had been doing in the School alone at such a late hour, if indeed the attack had taken place there. One thing that was certain was that he was alone, somewhere.
Just as Tony rejected the idea that the Greasers had attacked Bif, he also rejected the notion that any of the Preps had attacked him either. While fights within a Clique were not uncommon, the members had never gone to the extremes of savagely beating and nearly killing one of their own. Tony considered that Winkie may have had something to do with Bif’s attack, because of how he had strung along and played Christy. But that made no sense, as that had happened months ago, and the result of Bif’s deception was what brought Christy and Winkie together. Tony was later to find out that Winkie had an airtight alibi for the night in question, he had been playing a gig in East Greenwich that night, and didn’t return to Bullworth until later the next morning.
Tony also considered the other Cliques, the Bullies, Jocks, and Nerds. Bif had not been well-liked on Campus by just about everyone, certainly because of his deception of Christy, but also for being Derby’s hatchet man and enforcer. The Preps were a weaker lot without him, for his fighting skill, stamina, and health were twice that of the others, with the possible exception of Bryce. Even bushwhacked, it was hard to imagine him going down without a fight. From what Tony had been able to find out, the Jocks had been engaged in a wild party that night down at the Clubhouse, the Bullies had been chilling over at the In-and-Out Motel, and the Nerds...Well, nobody had even seen them around Campus that evening.
But the oddest thing in all of this is that if the attacker had wanted to strike out at the Prep Clique, it instead had produced the unintended result of reuniting them, thereby making them more of a threat than they had been apart. That’s the thing that Tony couldn’t understand. Tad would never have been so bold as to confront the Greasers at the Fountain and issue any kind of challenge without the others backing him up. And, he had seemed so smug and arrogant while doing it, almost gleeful. It was like....Well, it was like something planned.
Tony leaned back and sighed. Karen was laid up for the evening, and wasn’t here to bounce ideas off of. Nick was still down, although not for a whole while longer, he hoped. Constantinos had gone missing again, and Tony suspected this time for good, although he couldn’t exactly say why. Laurent was the only one of his effective posse available at what might be a critical time, but was not well versed at unobtrusively gathering information. Ray, who was a good kid, was basically worthless for anything other than eating Burgers.
Again, the idea surfaced that he must do what Jake had done, and as much as he didn’t want to become a person like Jake, he could see no other choice. He hadn’t brought it up to Mr. Riddle earlier when he saw him, but now he was out of options. He had to know, and hoped Mr. Riddle could help him to obtain what was needed. Tony hauled himself up out of his chair and headed down to the School Basement.
_______________________________________
-
The Scrimmage over, the Jocks gathered around the benches at the side of the Football Field. Coach Sanders gave a few words of praise for their performance and left, but not before pulling Kirby aside and saying something to him. Kirby nodded, and Mandy noticed that he also left a few minutes later, headed off in the direction of the Gym.
Some of the girls watching filed down from the Bleachers and mingled with the Jocks, while the Bullies just left, unable to compete for their attentions. After a bit, Mandy took Claire over to where Dan was at, taking off his pads. “Hey, Dan...This here’s Claire. She’s going to be one of the new Cheerleaders.”
Dan looked up. “Whoa, nice !”, he exclaimed, eying Claire’s figure, then backtracked a bit. “I mean....Nice we’re gettin’ some new Cheerleaders....I didn’t mean, uh....”
“That’s alright”, Claire laughed, then said, “I was, er....Watching you out there.”
“Really ?”, Dan said, “How’d I do ?”
“I thought you did great”, Claire responded.
“Well...You know, playing Football defines my life.”
Claire liked what she was hearing. Dan had a strong and fairly deep voice, although his face was rough-looking. But that didn’t matter to her. They chatted on, and Mandy left them to let nature take it’s course. She wanted to follow Kirby and the horse-faced Coach up to the Gym. She went over to Misty. “Com’on, let’s get out of these sweaty uniforms.”
But Misty had her eyes on another boy who was still up in the Bleachers. “Who’s that boy up there ? He looks like he’s asleep !”
Mandy followed her gaze up to the Bleachers. “Oh...That’s Ivan. He’s got some kind of sleep disorder or something. Probably due to that weird roomie of his, that Brakus boy. Besides, he’s a nobody, really....Sorta friends with Ted, but not really exciting.”
“I still wanna meet him”, Misty said wistfully. “He’s got nice hair.”
“Well, meet him later when he’s awake”, Mandy said impatiently. “Right now, we need to go to the locker room to change.”
Misty reluctantly pulled her eyes away from Ivan and followed Mandy up to the Gym. Really, Mandy didn’t give two farts about changing her uniform just yet....But she didn’t want to go up to spy on the horse-faced Coach all alone. Something in her told her that wouldn’t be such a good idea.
_________________________________________
-
“You want a What ?”, Mr. Riddle asked. “A Listening Device ?”
“Yeah...Uh, like a Bug, you know”, Tony said, “I really think...Well, it’s the only chance I have....”
“You sure ?”, Mr. Riddle inquired. “Sounds a little extreme. What’s this all about ?”
Tony told him of the trouble brewing between the Preps and the Greasers, supposedly over the aquittal of Hal for the attack on Bif. “It’s gonna get outta hand, and I need information. There’s something going on, and I think Tad Spencer’s behind it all, somehow...He wants to trash the Binding Agreement, and if he has his way, it won’t be worth Toilet Paper !”
“Now...Why would he want to do that ?”, Mr. Riddle asked. “He signed on to it, just like the others, right ?”
“Well...Because...I sorta tricked him into doing that....”, Tony admitted.
“How in the world did you do that ?”, Mr. Riddle asked, genuinely interested.
“I, uh...told him I’d expose him for being in cahoots with Gary Smith”, Tony said in a low voice.
“Smith...Smith...Wasn’t that the boy that tried to take over the School ?”, Mr. Riddle mused, “And that Brown boy too ? I heard things about them...”
“Yeah...Gary and Jake”, Tony said, “They was Cousins, Grandkids of Mr. Smith in town....They terrorized this School for two years.”
“Mr. Smith in Town ?”, Mr. Riddle said. “Wasn’t he the one that went over the Dam with that Punk Sid and got blown up ?”
“Yeah, that’s him”, Tony said. “I heard he was into some shady shit, but also heard he wasn’t in league with Harrington’s bunch...Kinda hard to know what to believe about him, but the Townspeople think he’s a Hero now for somehow keeping Sid from blowing up the Dam. Heard they might even put up a Statue to honor him or something.” Tony paused. “You seem to know things about this place...?”
“There were some things I had to learn before being sent here”, Mr. Riddle allowed. Before Tony could question him further, however, he said, “About a Listening Device...I’ll have to check around. If you’re sure you really need it.”
Tony nodded. “I’m sure.”
“How soon do you want it ?”, Mr. Riddle asked.
“Tomorrow night, if possible”, Tony Replied.
“I’ll see what I can do”, Mr. Riddle said.
_________________________________
-
The Locker Rooms actually served two areas, as they were located in a downstairs area between the Gym and the Pool buildings, with a set of stairs from each building leading down to them. In effect, they were directly underground of the wide pathway to the Football Field that cut between both the Gym and the Pool buildings. Mandy led Misty through the Pool building to access the stairs that led down to the wide hallway where the Boys and Girls Locker Rooms faced opposite of each other, she didn’t want to take the chance of having the Horse-Faced Coach see her lurking around. If Misty thought this was odd, she made no comment. Before long, they had gained the Girl’s Locker Room.
Her whole school career, Mandy had hated the way the Locker Rooms were set up. First off, there was no door on either one of them, which had never made any kind of sense to her. Plus, there was only one Shower Stall, which meant that each girl had to wait her turn to shower, if she chose to do it here. Most girls, like Mandy, preferred to shower in the Girl’s Dorm, where there were four Stalls with glass doors. Granted, that wasn’t always foolproof, for that was where those naked pictures had been taken of her that had been eventually been put on posters and hung up around the School and Bullworth Town. Though Mandy had never really found out who had taken those photos that nearly ruined her life, she suspected that Pervert Ernest had done it. If it hadn’t been for Jimmy Hopkins going around and taking those down for her, she would have been finished at Bullworth Academy.
But Misty had no compunctions about getting a quick shower here, she had stripped off her uniform and gone right to the stall to shower. Mandy had quickly stripped as well, but she put on some sweats and took the opportunity to sneak out of the Locker Room and go up to the Gym. Poking her head around from the top of the stairs past the Bleachers, she could see nobody in the Gym itself. That had to mean that Coach Sanders was in his Office under the South Bleachers, and likely Kirby was there as well. Mandy crept over to the section where the Bleacher opened up to the Office, it was closed, but she placed her ear against it to see if she could hear anything.
Muffled voices were speaking. Mandy strained to listen, finding a crack where she could hear better. Then, she heard Kirby’s voice speaking.
“Gee, Coach, you really think these new 'Roids will help me bulk up ?”, she heard Kirby say.
“Sure they will”, Coach Sanders replied, “They’re in pill form, and in cumulative doses will work a lot better than injectable ones you were getting from Burton. Here, try this and we’ll see how it makes you feel.”
“I sure hope you’re right, Coach”, Mandy heard Kirby say, “I really want to be the starting Running Back again.”
“I’m sure you will be, M’boy”, Coach Sanders assured him, “You’re making great progress...In no time at all you’ll be the Star of the Team. Here, have another pill.”
Mandy imagined she heard a noise then, but when she looked toward the Gym doors, nobody was there. Still, she didn’t want to be discovered eavesdropping, so she pulled back and silently returned to the Girl’s Locker Room, just in time as it turned out, for Misty was just finishing up with her shower. She stepped from the stall and quickly dried off, then started putting fresh clothes on.
“It’s all yours, I guess”, Misty said to Mandy as she finished dressing. “Hey, you don’t mind if I go off ahead, do you ? I want to see if I can catch that sleepy boy.”
Mandy smiled at that. “Sure, go on ahead....One thing about Ivan though, he’s holding out for a French Girlfriend.”
“Ha, that’s Ok”, Misty tittered, “I’m part French on my Mom’s side. Bye now !”
Misty left then, and for a long while, Mandy sat on the bench, puzzling out what little she had overheard from her eavesdropping. It was no surprise that Coach Sanders would be giving out Steroids, Coach Burton had done the same thing with all the Players, only he called them 'Vitamin Boosters’. But the strange thing that came to Mandy’s mind was...Why was only Kirby getting these pills ? Why not the rest of the Team ? Mandy hadn’t heard any of the other Players mention anything about them getting Steroids, and Ted would have certainly told her if that had been happening.
Quite a bit of time passed, and Mandy decided she should try to overhear more. She rose and was almost to the doorway when she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the steps from the direction of the Gym. Mandy backed up and flattened herself against the inner wall of the Locker Room, so she couldn’t be seen from the wide hallway. Voices drew near.
“I...Feel kinda funny, Coach...”, she heard Kirby say.
“That’s all right, M’boy, it’s just a little side effects is all....Get to the showers, that’ll make you feel better”, the voice of Coach Sanders said.
“Alll righs, I’suppose....”, Kirby replied, his words appearing to slurring. Listening, Mandy thought his walk wasn’t too steady, it sounded as if he were dragging his feet. She stayed against the wall as the voices diminished somewhat, she thought they may have entered the Boy’s Locker Room. Then she heard a Locker door bang, and the talking resumed, with that echo quality that is heard in Locker Rooms. Mandy chanced to peek around the open doorway into the hallway. Nobody was there, and the sounds were definitely coming from the Boy’s Locker Room. She heard the showers come on. For a few minutes she stayed there, then suddenly went across the hallway and flattened herself against the outer wall, next to the doorway to the Boy’s Locker Room. Still unable to make out what was being said, she took a chance, poking her head cautiously through the open doorway.
What she saw froze her. She was looking directly in a line of sight into the shower area. Kirby was naked in the running shower all right, but he was strangely slumped against the side of the stall, facing outward. His eyes seemed cloudy, and he appeared disoriented. But what shocked Mandy the most was the sight of a naked Coach Sanders, his back to her, heading towards Kirby in the shower stall.
Suddenly, Kirby’s eyes seemed to clear somewhat, and it seemed to Mandy that he was looking at her, staring back into her shocked face. Kirby raised his arm and pointed at her. Coach Sanders begin to turn around.
Seeing Coach Sanders turning, following Kirby’s pointing finger, broke Mandy’s paralysis. She yanked her head back from the doorway and turned and ran for the stairs to the Pool building, and she didn’t bother to try to do it quietly. What she had seen somehow terrified her, and she ran faster once she had cleared the Pool and hit the door to the outside, making it bang with an audible noise.
Coach Sanders had grabbed a towel and wrapped it around him before going to the doorway and poking his head out into the hall. He saw no one, but heard the running footsteps and the door banging open. Spooked, he hurriedly dressed, abandoning his plans for Kirby. He reached into the stall, turning off the shower.
“Who was that, Boy ?”, he asked Kirby, “Did you see ?”
“Ummm....No....Ise-a juss....Ghosts....”. Kirby mumbled.
The Coach swore to himself. He had probably given the boy too many Roofies for him to be coherent. He pulled Kirby out of the shower stall and told him to get dressed. Kirby did so, but slowly, and the Coach fumed. When Kirby was finally ready, he guided the stumbling boy back up to the Gym and put him in the other room under the North Bleachers, where Kirby used to stay. Kirby lay down and quickly went to sleep.
Coach Sanders had no fear that Kirby would remember anything about this evening past the time of being in his Office, as the drug he had given him was well known for wiping out memory. But to be on the safe side, he left the campus and went to the Vale, renting a room at the Shea Lewis Hotel. He wasn’t sure if anyone had actually seen him in the Locker Room or not, but it would be their word against his. As for Kirby, he would wait for awhile longer before making a move on him again, and be more careful next time.
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By the next day, the School was abuzz with anticipation of the coming fight between Tad and Hal. By word of mouth and Cell Phone, the news had spread like wildfire. The only disappointment was that it wasn’t a Hole fight...One of those hadn’t been done in many months, way before the Town bombings....But it was something. It was Excitement.
But Tony was on a different mission. Seeing Mr. Riddle after classes, he found he was in luck. It seemed that in the seven years he was here, Mr. Luntz had been up to quite a few things more than anyone would have ever expected, including....Electronic Eavesdropping. Mr. Luntz hasn’t bothered to bug the Cliques or the Students, he was after bigger game. But he had bugged the School it seemed...Places like the Teacher’s Lounge and Dr. Crabblesnitch’s Office. “I recovered those two, last night”, Mr. Riddle told Tony, “And I found the Receiver, Luntz hid it in the Basement before he left, since he wasn’t coming back and wouldn’t have any use for it.”
Mr. Riddle showed Tony the two tiny transmitters. They were about the size of a round knob from a dresser, flat, only a half-inch thick. One flat side had tiny holes in it that Tony assumed were for tiny speakers inside that would pick up voices. The other flat side was coated with what felt like a clear, rubbery substance. “That’s that new stuff they invented years ago, that will stick to just about anything, but can pull off easily”, Mr. Riddle told him.
Tony examined the Bug. “Where’s the Antenna ?”. he asked.
“It’s internal”. Mr. Riddle said, “Just like the light-rechargeable battery. These are some top-of-the-line Listening Devices. Not sure about the range, but I’d bet it was considerable.”
“So....Do these work ?”, Tony asked, fingering the tiny object.
“Sure do”, Mr. Riddle said, “I checked them out myself a while ago. Apparently they’re voice activated, so that saves on battery time. I have the receiver set up down in the Basement in a secure location...You’ll have to listen from there, it’s too risky to have anywhere else.”
Tony nodded. “Guess that’s all I need then...Now, I just gotta plant them.”
“Tony...Are you sure you want to go down this road ?”, Mr. Riddle asked. “There’s no turning back once you do.”
“I have to”, Tony replied. “I feel...Know...That the future of the School is at stake...I have no other choice.”
Mr. Riddle nodded, understanding. “Well then, good luck Tony. I’ll be waiting in the Basement tonight.”
______________________________________
-
It was growing late, although there was still a couple hours of Summer daylight left. Tony waited on the back Balcony of the school, hunkered down to conceal himself and peering through the slats of the railing around the Balcony to conceal himself. Someone looking closely enough would be able to spot him from the Back Quad, but it was rare that anybody looked upwards in this direction.
Tony watched as the different Cliques made their way through the Back Quad, headed on their way to the big fight shortly after 7 PM. The Nerds made their way from the Observatory first, having the farthest to walk. They moved as they always moved, slow and ambling, Fatty hampered by his bum leg. Next came the Jocks, the whole group of them, girlfriends and all, eager to see the fight. A while later, the Greasers appeared from their Autoshop territory with their girlfriends. All were headed to a rare night's entertainment in Bullworth Vale at the Glass Jaw, such an event hadn't happened for quite a while, not since the early Spring, at least. The Bullies wouldn't be coming through here, Tony knew, so that just left the Preps. They finally emerged at 7:30, gathered around Tad, who was walking with a definite swagger, Vanessa at his side, acting for all the world that the fight was already a decided event. The Preps as a whole even had their old arrogant walk about them, as if they were conquering Heros about to claim their kingdom back. Again, Tony couldn't help but feel there was something out of kilter, a plan in the hatching, some mischief afoot.
Tony waited ten more minutes for any stragglers before standing and then climbing down the trellis and the hopping down from the wall, moving quickly across the Back Quad to the fountain. Still seeing no one, he turned down the path to Harrington House. The new booth was unguarded and Tony made his way onto the Quad in front of Harrington House. Soon enough, he found that the front doors had been locked tight and most likely dead-bolted against intrusion. Tony wished he could have brought Karen along on this mission for her lock-picking skills, but she wasn't too stealthy hobbling about in a cast. There were other ways to get in to the building though, Tony knew....He would have to rely on his own skills.
Over to the right of the building, there was a ten-foot wall. Behind it was a small side yard with a narrow path that led around to the back. Tony sized up the wall and backed up on the Quad to get a running start, then ran full speed at the wall and easily Parkoured over the wall into the side yard. Tony took a moment to get his bearings. There was another wall to his right, where an old Dumpster had been pushed up against it for easy access to a dirt pathway that Tony knew led down to right by the Pool Building. That path had become notorious as the spot where Mr. Hattrick, the former Math Teacher, had used to sell test answers to the Preps. On the side of Harrington House was another door, but it too was locked up tight. Tony glanced upwards and saw the small balcony from the second floor with an outside stairway that led to the third floor back Balcony. Tony judged the distance to the small Balcony, and saw it would be an iffy thing, there wasn't much room to run for Parkour. Tony backed up against the wall and tried anyway, failing in his first two attempts. Undaunted, Tony made a third attempt an managed to grab hold of the railing and haul himself up onto the small balcony.
The glass entrance doors were open, and Tony cautiously entered. The lights were always left on in Harrington House, as the Preps had no concept of the meaning of Thrift, and this would work to Tony's advantage as the Bugs were light-rechargeable. Across the wide upper room were some card-gaming tables, the largest being at the far end next to a couch facing a Television. To the left of that was a small new-looking Kitchenette. The large table looked sturdier than the others, and Tony decided to plant the first Bug there, correctly guessing that it was the one that was used the most. He got down underneath the table and selected a suitable spot that was hard to see unless one was looking directly at it.
Tony then found his way downstairs to the large open common room. He considered placing the second Bug in one of the two massive chairs in front of the Fireplace, which was always lit, but instead decided to put it there, under the lip of the Mantle, where there was just enough of an overhang to keep it out of sight. The constant light from the Fireplace would keep it charged. Tony made sure it was stuck firmly and then stood up. It was time to leave. Tony exited through the front doors, setting them to lock behind him, and set off for the Preps side yard where Chad kept his Dog, Chester. Tony was prepared for this however, he pulled out some Jerky from his pocket and tossed it to the growling Dog, keeping Chester occupied while he crossed the side yard and went over the gap in the wall, which had never been repaired. This led to a short dirt path to the Library, and a climb over two short walls found Tony on the Library Quad.
From there he left the Campus, which appeared deserted, and headed towards the Glass Jaw in the Vale. He hoped his absence had not yet been noticed by anyone, for it certainly would be conspicuous if he didn't show up.
________________________________________________________
-
By the time Tony arrived at the Glass Jaw, the Boxing Match between Tad and Hal was in the third round, and Hal wasn't looking so good. Tony
pushed his way to the front of the Ring and found his way to Hal's corner, where the other Greasers were gathered. Tony was able to get a
closer look. Up close, Hal looked battered. His lip was split and bleeding, and there was fresh bruises on the sides of his face. In Contrast,
Tad was dancing about the Ring in apparent glee, punching Hal at will.
As the bell sounded and the round ended, Hal walked slowly back to his corner and sat down on the stool provided, as the others went to work on
his cuts and gave him some water. "Little fuckin' Fairy", Hal spat, "Jumpin' around lika little Queer."
"You got dis, Buddy", Peanut encouraged, "Bash his face in !"
"Corner him", Norton advised him, "Back him up so's he cants get away !"
"Get him in the ropes !", Ricky exclaimed, "Punch him outs !"
Tony took the moment to look around. It seemed practically the whole school was there, packed into thr Glass Jaw in rows deep. Over by Hal's
corner were also the Greaser Girls of Binky, Jessica, Angie, and one other Tony didn't recognize at first until it dawned on him that she was
that thin Reform School girl who looked like a Crack Addict. Angie herself looked highly agitated and worried as the bell rang for the fourth
round and the fighters returned to the middle of the Ring, circling each other.
Hal bored at Tad like a lumbering express train, but Tad just danced away, not planting himself in any particular spot, always moving. Hal got
close enough a few times to take swings and punches at Tad, but even the few that connected did little damage with Tad moving away from the hits
and dispelling their force. Tad though would dive in every so often and quickly unload a two or three hit combo on Hal's head or over-sized
guts. Hal was slow to defend himself and many of Tad's strikes found their mark. By the time the bell rang to end the round, Hal was lurching
around, seemingly aimless, and Tad was able to land a good one upside Hal's head as the round ended.
Hal staggered back to his corner and sat down heavily on the stool provided. "Lil Fucker won't stands still", he huffed through puffy lips that
had taken more than a few punches already. "Just keeps jumpin' around likes some freakin' Fairy inna Dairy."
"Hang Tough, Hal, he's bound to be gettin' off his guard sometime", Peanut said, putting some stop-bleed on a new and nasty cut over Hal's left
eye. "When he comes in to attack, go for his guts, knock the wind out of him !"
"Will if'n I can catch the crum-scum", Hal muttered just barely loud enough for Peanut to hear.
Angie had worked her way around the side of the Ring to where she could get a better look at Hal, and what she saw upset her. "Oh Hal, Please
Be Careful !!", she pleaded. Hal looked around at hearing her voice and winked at her with a eye that was going to black. At that moment, the
bell rang for the next round, and rose stiffly to his feet and tottered out into the Ring.
Hal didn't fare so well in the fifth round either, with Tad increasing his attacks as the round progressed. Hal was unable to move fast enough
to box Tad in anywhere near a corner, let alone get him trapped against the ropes. Time and time again, Tad danced in and walloped Hal with
some fair-sized hits, wearing him down some more. Virtually untouched, Tad stayed clear the whole round, Hal's attempt at his own punches met
only empty air. As the bell rang to signal the end of the round, Hal staggered back to his corner, fresh blood coursing down his face.
"You gots him on the run !", Peanut encouraged, but even he could see it would take a miracle for Hal to get anywhere near landing a knockout
blow. "Keeps hangin' in dere, he's gettin' tired !" Norton washed Hal down briefly with a splash of water and then stuck some smelling salts
under Hal's nose before sealing up his new cuts. Hal said not a word as the bell rang for the sixth round, getting jerkily to his feet and
moving out. Angie hid her face in her hands, unable to watch.
Hal came to the center of the Ring, the crowd noise swelling around him, and tried to imagine he was Rocky, going in for the kill. Unfortunately, Hal was no Rocky, and Tad danced circles around him, punching and connecting at will. Now it was Hal who was being pushed closer to the ropes as Tad continued to dive in, punch with increasing combos, and back away before Hal could respond. At two minutes into the round, Tad was able to land a heavy punch to Hal's midsection. As Hal reflexively dropped his gloved hands to cradle his belly, Tad stood his ground and delivered huge roundhouse left to Hal's temple, stunning him. Hal staggered backwards a couple of steps, closer to the ropes, and dropped to his knees. Tad followed this time, ready to deliver the knockout blow. But Hal never regained his feet, instead falling to his side onto the mat. He weakly grabbed for the ropes and tried to pull himself up before failing and laying there stunned. The noise from the crowd of Students increased sharply, and Angie screamed.
"Go To Your Corner !", Chad, who was refereeing, told Tad, and he complied. While dishonest in many of their dealings, the Preps were
strangely scrupulous when it came to the art of Boxing, observing all the rules. That fact was not lost on Tony, as he watched Chad do the
countdown on Hal.
"ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN !!", Chad intoned, "YOU'REEEE OUT !!!!!!"
Bedlam erupted inside the Glass Jaw from the crowd of Students who had just witnessed Hal's takedown. They pressed up close to the Ring and
began booing as Tad raised his arms in triumph. While the Cliques had little use for one another, they universally disliked the Preps more than
their dislike for each other. As they pressed closer, Tad shouted "A HIT FOR THE ACQUIT !!! THIS ONE'S FOR BIF !!!"
Tad's parody of Hal's Courtroom statement only served to enrage the Greasers, who began to climb the ropes into the Ring, intent on going after
Tad for his impunity. Right then, Tad called, "I WOULDN'T DO THAT, MY CRETIN FRIENDS !! LOOK !!", and he pointed behind and up to the second
floor balcony walkway that led to the upstairs Bar and Observation Room. Unnoticed and unseen, three of the Preps had climbed the stairs and
were lined up, facing the crowd down below. Justin, Parker, and Bryce were aiming loaded modified Egg Gun Launchers on the Ring and on those
attempting to climb over the ropes and get to Tad. Tony watched it all unfold with a feeling of icy dread that an all-out hard-boiled shooting
fest was about to happen, but everybody froze in place, mainly because they were unsure what kind of damage the Prep's modified Weapons would
do. The noise died down to almost a silence.
"Ah, That's Much Better !", Tad exclaimed. "Now, The Fight Has Been Decided, And I Am The Victor. All Of You Can Now Leave Our Boxing Gym,
Posthaste, Else Suffer Our Eggbourne Wrath !!" Nobody moved for a period of about 20 seconds, and Tad sighed. "Did You Hear ? All You Peons
Can Leave...NOW !"
Slowly, the Students withdrew, and began leaving the Glass Jaw, the stunning defeat of Hal sinking into their adolescent brains. Peanut, and
Ricky entered the Ring to recover Hal, who was coming around at last, helping him to his unsteady feet and getting him through the ropes and to
the floor. Chad brought Tad his Victor's Robe and they also started to exit the Ring. Before leaving, Tad said, "That Means You Too,
Calderone...And Don't Show Your Face Here Again. You're Not Welcome Here."
With a sneer, Tad left the Ring and swept grandly up the stairs, his Robe flowing out behind him. Tony turned away disgustedly and followed the
others outside. By then, the Greasers were walking away, Hal between them like a man coming off a bad drunk. It occurred to him suddenly that
not all the Greasers were there...Johnny and Lola had been missing, but that wasn't it. Like Nick, Johnny was still recovering from the Chem
Plant Raid. No, the missing Greaser had been Vance. And although he wouldn't realize it until much later, a Prep had also been missing at the
fight...Gord had not been there either.
_____________________________________________________
-
Gord VenDome hadn’t returned to summer classes at Bullworth since the Chem Plant raid, although he was recovering better than most of the more seriously injured Students. Long before all the nonsense of Jake and the Punks bombing the School and the Towns, he had intended on working as an apprentice at his Father’s Law Firm of VenDome & Associates over the summer. But with the fall of the Rich Families that had been associated with the Vale Valley, coupled with the subsequent decree by the State that everyone must return to School and make up their disallowed credits, that had put a fork in those plans. It also appeared that Gord’s longtime plan for Law School in his future were now in serious jeopardy.
Gord himself had always been a conflicted sort of person. He came from money, but always seemed to have a growing obsession with the Poor Class. While he outwardly shared the same contempt for poor people and the Working Class as his fellow Preps did, he was nonetheless fascinated with them. Added to that was the fact he had been a closet bi-sexual for years, not unusual for those of his kind, but not as common either. His attempts to put the moves on Lola had proved disastrous, as Lola only played him for his money, and worse.....He was seen and photographed while on a date with her, bringing the wrath of Johnny Vincent down on him. But it was his secret association with another Greaser, Vance Medici, that proved to be a more lasting relationship. True, they had been 'outed’ the past spring, and there had been repercussions for both of them, but in the wake of the events right before the end of the semester, they had both been accepted back into their Cliques.
Being shot in the Chem Plant raid had fundamentally altered Gord, however. Even though being lauded as a Hero by the Press along with the other injured fighters, his future plans for Law School were no longer assured. Alone and virtually isolated except for visits from Bryce and Pinky in the Vale Clinic gave him plenty of time to ponder about his future life. When Vance came to secretly visit him there with his plan for the Pirate Bay Resort, Gord’s future view suddenly shifted. It was like a spotlight had suddenly been turned on in his dark cave of uncertainty. When Gord had gotten out of the Clinic and was able to get ahold of a Cell Phone, he called the only person whom he could think of to see if there was a possibility of making such a thing happen...Not his Father, who was now embroiled in legal problems of his own....But his Uncle Donald in New Haven, Connecticut, who was a big-time investor.
That very morning Gord had heard back from his Uncle Donald, before he left the Beach House. It was indeed a possibility, his Uncle told him. The barren rock that was Pirate Island could be bought cheaply from the Township for a song, his Uncle said. Would Gord come to New Haven soon and discuss the particulars with him ? Gord asked a few more questions, then hung up and left the Beach House where he was now staying by himself, and caught the last Bus to Bullworth, which was empty aside from the driver and himself. Going into the School after the bell rang, he located Vance’s locker and tucked a note into it, directing Vance to meet him under the Boulevard Bridge that evening, while the big fight was going on nearby at the Glass jaw Gym.
So it came to be that Gord was waiting under the Bridge, not having gone to the fight, when Vance came looking for him, giving the secret Pirate Whistle they had worked out for secret meetings so long ago. Gord gave a whistle back, and Vance approached.
“Gordy ? Youse here ?”, Vance said quietly.
“Under here”, Gord replied, just as quietly.
“Wots up ?”, Vance said as he came into view. “I hads to sneak away afters we gots there.”
“I did what you said, looked into the Resort idea you had”, Gord told him. “Talked to my Uncle, and he wants to meet with us as soon as possible to discuss it.”
“Really ?”, Vance said, growing excited, “Like, whens ?”
“Tomorrow”, Gord said, “He’s sending a car around to take us to New Haven in the morning.”
“Where’s dat at ?”, asked Vance, known for not being well-schooled in Geography.
“It’s in Connecticut”, Gord told him, pointing. “Next State over from here, that ways.”
“Tomorrow ?”, Vance hedged. “Wot about School ?”
“There’s only a week left to go”, Gord said, “And I haven’t attended since the Chem Plant raid, being injured and all. Don’t tell me you have a perfect attendance record either ?”
“Well...No”, Vance admitted. “It just seems like...Sudden, y’know ? Won’t anybodys miss us ?”
“Not me”, Gord replied. “Do you really think anybody will miss you ?”
Vance thought about that. Even though he had come back to the Greasers some time ago, he was still virtually ignored by the others. “Naw....Guess not”, he replied.
“Come along with me back to the Beach House, and I can tell you more”, Gord said. “Nobody’s there but me now, and we can both go in the morning.”
“Yeah, sounds lika plan”, Vance asserted, and they both began walking the Beach in that direction.
And so it was that Gord and Vance left the Vale Valley the next morning at 10 AM, not knowing that Hal lost the fight in the Ring with Tad. But that really made no difference, since they would finally be together. Gord knew full well that Tad was planning to attack the Greasers, and by removing himself and Vance from the possibility of fighting each other and destroying their future dream, this was the best solution all around. They would be gone for well over a month, making plans, and when they returned, Pirate Island and the future Resort would be theirs.
__________________________________________
-
After the Boxing Match, Tony returned to the School. Briefly, he stopped in at Girl's Dorm to see Karen, who was faring much better and could again put some weight on her foot. Having snuck up to her room, he found her alone, as her new roommate Hannah had gone off to see the fight with Bob, the big Jock, and hadn't returned yet. Briefly, her told her what had happened at the fight, and what he had done with the Listening Devices and why.
"I don't want to become a Jake, eavesdropping on everyone's on everyone's conversations", Tony sad, "But I really can't see any other way in this case...Those Preps are up to something, I can feel it !"
"Tony", you should do it", Karen said, grabbing his arm. "Do it to everyone."
"What ?", Tony replied, shocked. "What do you mean ?"
"Bug them all, bug all the Cliques !", Karen said. Tony started to protest, but Karen shushed him. "Listen, what kind of power over them do we really have ? So you got them to sign an Agreement, but how do we back that up ? No matter what they agreed to, they can NOT agree anytime they want. Everybody is armed...I know, I know, that had to be done to get them to agree to sign the thing...But what I'm saying, how do we enforce it ?"
"Well, there's the sanctions that can be put against whoever violates the Agreement..."Tony began, but Karen's laugh stopped him.
"Do you think that's going to mean anything to them, really ?", Karen said, "Half of them are so full of themselves, and the other half are dumbasses. They will just go back to doing what they've always done. Oh, they'll be more careful, more sneaky, but it will still be the same thing. And what do we have ? You, me, Nick, Melody, Laurent...Ray ? How can we stand against the whole school, if it comes to that ?"
"Maybe you're blowing this out of proportion", Tony said, "We can handle whatever comes up..."
"Oh, Really ?", Karen said, rising and hobbling over to her desk. She retrieved a paper that she had apparently been working on, returned and thrust it into Tony's hands. "Look. All this went on in just one week....The Agreement gets signed, then the very next night, Bif is attacked and nearly beaten to death inside the school. The Greasers get blamed because a Biker Hat is left at the scene, and someone implicates Hal. But it turns out it isn't his hat, and it's pretty clear that someone left it there so the Greasers would get blamed. But that doesn't matter to the Preps, so Tad tricks Hal into having that fight over on his own turf and under his rules...And he beats Hal like a little pussy because Hal doesn't do that kind of prissy stuff, he's a street fighter. And now you think the Preps are up to something ? Of course they are, they're always up to something, and so are all the others ! And we are always going to be one step behind unless there's a way we can find out what the're up to, instead of after the fact."
"Woah", Tony commented, 'You put a lotta thought into this, didn't you ?"
"Well, I've sorta been trapped up her for a few days cause of this cast on my heel, so I had lots of time to think", Karen said. "But don't you see ? This is our future. If we have to control the School for the next two years or whatever, we have to be on top of things...And that means Information. Knowledge is Power, y'know...And if it takes bugging everybody and hiring a Goon Army to back us up, then so be it. Because I don't want another year like we just had, not the bad times anyway, and you don't either. In this place, you can't lead from a position of trust or even authority...It has to be from a position of Power."
Tony dwelled on what Karen had said. He was glad for her opinion, as he had come to value it highly. It was just talks like this one that he had desperately missed while she was being held by the Townies. He really felt lucky just then, to have her with him. They made a good team. "I, um...I think you're on to something there...I used to rely on Constantinos to bring me information. But that's not happening anymore, at least until he comes back."
"I don't think he's coming back", Karen said, "Not this time."
"What makes you say that ?", asked Tony with surprise. "He's always came back before."
Karen sighed. "I don't know...Just a feeling, I guess. From what you've told me from when I was...Gone...He must have fallen hard for that girl, Tiffany. He's never had a real Girlfriend that I ever knew of." She paused, then resumed, "I know you consider him a friend and all, but the truth of it...Is that Constantinos has always been a real creep. He used to sneak in here at the Dorm all the time, hide in the girl's Wardrobes and whack off while we undressed. He got caught a lot of times, but a lot of times he didn't." Karen saw the look on Tony's face, and added, "He didn't much hide in our Wardrobe, me and Melody were a lot younger then...He mostly hid out in the rooms of the older girls...Mandy, and Lola and Pinky, when they lived here, and even Beatrice and Angie. When Mandy would catch him, she'd kick him in the balls."
"Well...It was kind of common knowledge that he could sneak around everywhere", Tony said reflectively. "That sure was a big help last Fall, when the whole Jake thing was just starting up."
"And, just my point", Karen said, "We don't have access to whatever Information he would come tell you about. That's why we need an edge over the others...We haven't got a clue as to what's going on around here, and we don't have an Enforcer to back the Agreement up, not while Nick is laid up. We NEED to put those Bugs...Listening Devices...in the midst of every Clique, if we are going to ever have a chance to keep on top of things."
"Even the Jocks ?", Tony asked, well aware that Karen was aligned with them.
"Yes, even them", Karen said. "Do you know what they did over last weekend ?"
Tony shook his head. "No, I just heard it was some kinda party..."
Karen continued, "They had a HUGE party in the Clubhouse, got themselves and some girls drunk and had sex with them ! One of those girls was Hannah, my new roomie....She got Poled by Big Bob, and laid in that bed over there for two whole days, couldn't hardly walk ! Gloria and that Nina were down there screwing too, it was like some kind of Orgy."
Tony was mildly amused, but tried not to show it. "So why didn't your friend Mandy put a stop to it ?"
"Put a stop to it ?", Karen exclaimed, "She Instigated It ! Set the whole thing up, to feed the Rumor Mill, I'm sure of that."
"Why would she do something like that ?", Tony asked, but he probably could guess why.
"Because...", Karen sighed again, "Because Mandy is a Social Climber. She slept her way up to the Quarterback, discarding the other players along the way. She has to be on the top of the Social Order, that's just how she is. I found all this out when I went to the Jocks for protection last summer. It's really no big secret. But here's the thing...Ted broke up with her over that Naked Poster thing, the one that Pervo Ernest did to her, before you came here...She got him back, though, and is always afraid something like that will happen again. So, she needs to be in control of the Rumor Mill, and have dirt on everyone else in case she needs to Blackmail them."
"So, she's like...Real Catty, huh ?", Tony observed. "But, when you girls were...Missing...She made up posters, had them put up all over. She never impressed me as being all that bad..."
"She's not, really", Karen sighed yet once again, trying to explain. "She's just...Complicated. But if it had been one of the other girls, she wouldn't have bothered herself doing that. She's tied herself to Ted's future, and when they leave School after next term, she's gonna go with him. And when that happens, the Jocks are going to be in disarray, It's hard telling just who's going to take over. I'm guessing things will go to Hell in a hurry, without someone strong enough to lead them. So, yeah...Bug them too, for future insurance. Anything can happen after Ted and Mandy leave."
"You present a compelling argument, my dear", Tony said. "I'll see if I can't get any more Bugs from Mr. Riddle, and then I can plant them also. It just might give us an edge."
"Yes, you should...WE should", Karen said. "And, we should keep this just to ourselves, Ok ? Never tell anybody, ever."
Tony frowned. "What about Nick ? He should know, shouldn't he ?"
"No, because he'd tell Melody, and Melody can't keep her mouth shut", Karen said. "She's a friend of mine and all, but...She's a little blabbermouth. When we were smaller, she'd run to the Prefects all the time about being Bullied. She's the second biggest Rumor starter here after Christy, maybe the biggest one now since Christy graduated and moved up to the Office. No, we can't tell anyone, this has to be kept secret between just you and me if it's ever going to work for us."
Tony considered, and concluded Karen was right. "You're right, of course. We keep it totally secret." Tony knew all about keeping secrets, a couple of them anyway, that he hoped Karen would never have to find out about. "Let's shake on it...Or better yet..." Tony moved over to Karen and embraced her, and soon they were kissing deeply. In no time at all, they were removing certain articles of clothing for a blissful intimate encounter.
______________________________________________________
-
Afterwards, Tony went to the School Basement and sought out Mr. Riddle. He already had the Listening Receiver set up on a table near to where his quarters was, awaiting Tony’s arrival. Tony sat at the Table as Mr. Riddle showed him how to tune the unit to the specific frequency the Bugs were using to transmit on. There seemed to be an infinite amount of frequencies that could be used in that bandwidth, or so it seemed to Tony. The unit seemed of newer design, and therefore the frequencies were UHF above 800 MHz (Ultra High Frequency) of less that 1 Meter wavelength in height, as opposed to the Walkie-Talkies Jake has stolen from the Nerds and used, which were pegged to 49 MHz HF (High Frequency) which were 6 Meters wavelength in height, Mr. Riddle explained. The more compact waves made for a clearer signal and less interference from atmospheric conditions. The Receiver, Mr. Riddle told him, had been stashed by Mr. Luntz just prior to his leaving Bullworth for good. Mr. Riddle was able to find out from his contacts just where, and some other interesting information as well.
“Seems my predecessor had a lot of places bugged”, Mr. Riddle said. Some Businesses and places in Bullworth Town, the Vale, and Coventry, and especially the Blue Skies Industrial area.”
“What about the School and the Campus ?”, Tony asked. “Are there more Bugs here ?”
Mr. Riddle shook his head. “Just these ones in the School that I gave you. I don’t believe Mr. Luntz had any particular use for you kids most of the time, except right near the end of his stay here. From what I could find out, he mostly used the Bugs to track the shipments of goods and....Weapons.”
“Something to do with the Harrington bunch ?”, Tony asked.
“Probably”, Mr. Riddle said, “But I can tell you no more. Security constraints, you understand.”
Tony nodded. He had come to find out from their past conversations that Mr. Riddle had been sent here to look after him and his friends, somehow, and that Mr. Luntz probably had a hand in that. Tony still didn’t know the whole story on Mr. Luntz, and probably never would, but it was a small comfort to know that someone had his back.
Tony tuned into the frequencies of the Bugs he had placed, but heard nothing but background sounds of things like a Refrigerator running and the gas fire burning that the Preps always left going in the Fireplace downstairs in Harrington House. The Preps must not have returned from the Glass Jaw, Tony thought, and on that he was right. Tony listened for another two hours, then gave up for the night. Before leaving, he asked Mr. Riddle if there was a way he could obtain more Listening Devices, to Bug the other Cliques.
“Are you sure this is the course you want to follow, by spying on your fellow Students ?”, Mr. Riddle asked. “That’s how Tyrants are made, you know.”
Tony explained the conversation he had with Karen earlier, and her concerns of how chaos would return to the school, and how their small reduced group would be no match for it. He also related his own concerns that the Binding Agreement that he had worked so hard to craft would not withstand in the face of new Wars between the Cliques without something powerful to back it up.
“Information is that Power”, Tony concluded, “It can keep them in check. It’s what I’ve used before, when I had access to it...But now I’m in the dark, and I need to know certain things to keep the place from exploding. This School is a powder keg, always has been, and it’s up to us to prevent someone from lighting the fuse. I’m not out to be a Dictator or King of the School...I’m just the Mediator. We want to be able to go to School in peace, not at War. But to be able to do that at this place, we have to be on top of things, to have a chance to stop any evil plans before they can be carried out.” Tony paused, and then said, “Y’know, even in a so-called Free Society, the Governments listen in on Cell Phone conversations and snoops Social Media”
Mr. Riddle considered Tony’s arguments, and finally said, “That’s very reasoned approach. Karen is one smart girl you have there.”
Tony smiled. “I think so, too. So...How about it ? Can you help us ?”
Mr. Riddle drew a breath, and said, “Remember, as I told you before, you must also help yourself.” Tony started to object, but Mr. Riddle raised his hand. “My job is just to guide you...So here’s what you need to do. Riddle me this...From the place where things come and where things go, search it all both high and low.”
Tony absorbed this latest puzzle. “There’s....Lots of places like that....Where would I start looking ?”
Mr. Riddle smiled. “From underneath you were already there, look it over but take some care.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tired, Tony had left the Basement and the School, starting the long trek back to his room at the In-And-Out Motel. He wished Karen could join him, but it would be another few days before she would be mobile enough to walk that far. He couldn’t take his bike to the Motel for fear of it being stolen, as the Motel was still a seedy place, populated right now with the Bullies, the Non-Cliques, and some of the new Students. His thought about Mr. Riddle’s latest puzzle along the way, but his brain was too tired to come up with anything. He needed some sleep. Entering his room at last, he fell to the bed and into his dreams.
_____________________________________
-
The dream was in the past this time, Tony knew. The Snowstorm, the back West steps of the School at the back Quad. Pete waving the Magnum in the air, the Great Clique War stopped in it’s tracks, the gathering of weapons, Pete ranting at the Cliques over the howling wind. Tony was back there again, and strangely it wasn’t cold at all, even though the snow swirled all around. Then Algie, on the far left, screaming, shooting at them, Tony catching a Pellet in his arm, Constantinos with a shredded ear, Algie pitching forward, shot by one of his own. Pete railing, telling the Cliques to disarm, “DO IT NOW !!!!”, the Wheelbarrow, the piled weapons, the Furnace. Back at the Quad, Pete ranting again, waving the Magnum, “"SHUT UP !!!! SHUT UP !!!!! YOU MORONS BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELVES !!!!! THIS ISN'T A SCHOOL, IT'S A WAR ZONE !!!”
Then the shot, barely heard over the wind, Pete turning in slow motion, blood spurting as the Pellet finds it’s target, Pete falling, crumpling to the ground in a heap. Prefect Karl racing, scooping up the Bullhorn, shouting unheeded orders, panic, chaos. Tony hadn’t been present when Pete was shot, but it played out clear in the dream just as if he had been there. Suddenly he was kneeling, holding a gasping Pete, trying to hear....But instead of “Pirate Island”, Pete mouthed, “Get Up, Tony, Get Up !! .....Go for the Belly ! THE BELLY !!!”
Then it dissolved, falling away, and the crowd noise grew, cries of stunned disbelief. WHACK !!! The punch connected, and he fell to the mat, Tony was down, his head spinning from the blow, Karen screaming from outside the Ring to “GET UP, TONY, GET UP !!!!”, grabbing for the ropes, the countdown, Tad grinning from the other side of the Ring. Then Pete, with an eyepatch, suddenly there at the side of the Ring, shouting “Go for the Belly ! THE BELLY !!!”
The dream abruptly ended as Tony’s eyes popped open and he came awake in a panic, hyperventilating huge gulps of air as his heart raced. It took several minutes before he could calm himself, disoriented by the dark room. He blindly reached for Karen, but she wasn’t there. Fresh panic set in, until he remembered she was at the Girl’s Dorm, safe and sound. Sweat poured from him and he sat up, the bedsheets a tangled mess around him, trying to processes what he had experienced. It had to be a Metaphor, he rationalized. He wasn’t a Boxer, had never boxed in a Ring. There were tricks to it, sure there were, but it was a whole different style of fighting. Look what had happened to Hal.
Tony had no plans to fight Tad in the Boxing Ring. But Tad had to be beaten, somehow...At his own game ? Just where was Tad’s soft vulnerable underbelly ? Was it his money ? Was that why dream Pete was telling him to hit him there ?
Tony couldn’t think. His mind was muddled with Mr. Riddle’s riddles, and now this dream. He was groggy and exhausted. He lay back after a few minutes and dozed fitfully. The dreams did not return.
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The next morning, Tad put his plan into action. An hour after classes were underway, Vanessa managed to get herself excused to go to the Bathroom. Armed with a Hall Pass, she instead roamed the halls, looking for specific Lockers, those of certain Greasers. Tad had been able to get their Locker numbers by buttering up Christy in the Office, telling her that Bif had probably gotten what had been coming to him for the way he had treated her, stringing her along for sex. Tad went on to say that he never liked what Bif had done to her and considered it despicable, and by the way, the Preps wanted to leave some notes of apology for the Greasers for suspecting them of the attack and make amends, could she perchance find their Locker numbers for him ?
Although Christy was Graduated and had now moved into the Adult World, she still loved a good rumor and a juicy story, and since this partly concerned her, more the better. And because she was still naive, believing in Tad’s seemingly good intentions, she pecked at her trusty new School Computer and provided Tad with the Locker List for every Greaser. She even confirmed that the Greasers were present that morning for class, with the exception of Hal and Vance. Tad took the list and commented on how Christy looked exceptionally stunning today before leaving the Office, to which Christy smiled and beamed.
Now Vanessa, armed with some notes, was seeking out the Lockers Tad had pointed out to her earlier of the specific Greasers to be targeted....Those of Lefty, Lucky, and Norton, the ones who didn’t have steady girlfriends. In the case of Vance, Tad knew all about him and Gord (who hadn’t been seen all day), so he was left out of getting any note. That would still sizably cut down on the Greasers left if the lure and subsequent bushwacking was successful, leaving only Peanut, Ricky, Vance, and a beat-up Hal to defend against the surprise attack, which would come afterwards.
Finding the Lockers one by one, Vanessa tucked the perfume-scented notes into them through the vent-holes. She shot a little sprite of perfume onto to each Locker for good measure. Then she actually did go to to the Bathroom, to primp her hair, before returning to class. The halls had been empty, no one had seen her.
Tad was gambling on what the Greasers habits were. Normally, they would gather at the Autoshop area on Fridays after class and Saturdays also, waiting until way after dark to troop over to the Blue Balls Bar, when the weekend drunken customers would be thinning out. Thereby, by closing time, they could just enter the Bar and have a bit of fun themselves. To insure that the Greasers would stick around, Tad got excused from Chemistry Class, claiming to be feeling sick to his stomach, and left School to go spray a Tag by the Greaser’s gate, reading “SLOWBACK ATTACK”, a reference to the Greaser’s 69 Mustang Fastback, which had been returned a couple of months ago to the AutoShop after extensive repairs.
Tad then went back to Harrington House to await Bryce, while Justin, Parker, and Chad went to the Glass Jaw after class, taking along the Bait....Vanessa. She would get ready as well, stripping away her bra underneath her thin white shirt, and then changing into an short-short Aquaberry pale blue skirt, teasing her hair out to look sexier, and then the coup-de-gras....Five-inch Blue Stiletto High Heels. Taking their bikes, they all rode across the Towns to the indoor Bike Park just inside New Coventry to await their victims. The stage was set.
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Lucky was the first to go to his Locker that afternoon, trading out his Math book and intending to pick up his Geography textbook for the next class. Although only barely an average Student, Lucky was probably the only Greaser who studied anything else but Porn Mags. He really desired to ‘Get Edumicated’, as he put it, and was constantly encouraging the other Greasers to stay in School and graduate one day. As he was fond of saying, "If you drop out of school, your life is pretty much over. Better to stay in, even if you suck." Mostly due to his attitude, the Greasers DID stay in School instead of becoming Dropouts, and most (but not all) would graduate in due course.
The note fell to the bottom of his Locker as he traded textbooks, and he scooped it up. He noticed the perfumed smell right away, and his heartbeat picked up. Opening the note, it read:
”Hello, Lucky...You don’t know me, but I’d like to meet with you. I’m new here, but I saw you at the Trial. I think it’s awful what those dirty Preps are trying to accuse you boys of. I just think all you boys are soooo handsome in your leather outfits, and that YOU are the best looking one. Can you meet me at the Bike Park in New Coventry at maybe nine-thirty tonight ? I’m sort of shy, or I’d ask you in person. I’ll be waiting there for you. P.S. come alone and don’t tell anyone, Ok ? I’ll have a surprise for you.”
The note was unsigned, but had the lipstick imprint of kissing lips at the bottom. Lucky looked around, but could spot nobody watching him read the note. He quickly folded it back up and stuffed it in his pocket before tucking his book for the next class under his arm and closing his Locker. His heart beat a little quicker at the prospect of meeting this mystery girl that evening.
None of the Cliques had their Lockers together in any one place, and it made for some interesting confrontations from time to time, with the weaker loser generally being stuffed in his own Locker or a nearby empty one, of which there were many. So it was that Lefty and Norton in due time found their own similar notes from the mystery girl. Reading his note, Lefty immediately made plans to be at the Bike Park, whereas Norton was suspicious at first. He’d been kind of hanging with that thin Whitney Worth girl for a few days, but this note didn’t seem like something she would have written, since she was kind of a space case. Still, he remained undecided about what to do until later that evening.
Peanut and Binky were the first to arrive at the Autoshop entrance after classes, and saw the spray-painted Tag. Peanut then checked the Fastback for any signs of tampering, and thereafter marshaled each Greaser as they showed up, telling them to get their Weapons ready and to be on the lookout in case of an imminent attack. But as the late afternoon hours wore away to evening, the sprayed Tag began to seem less of a threat and more like a prank...A close watch on Harrington House on the other side of the Fountain yielded sightings of only two Preps, Tad and Bryce, the whole time. Gradually, the Greasers and their girlfriends relaxed and broke out the beer, getting a head start on the night’s drinking before the group would head off to the Blue Balls Bar close to midnight.
As darkness approached, first Lefty and then Lucky stole off on their bikes without anyone noticing. Norton followed a bit later, his ape-like curiosity finally getting the better of him. None of them saw any of the others. Unfortunately for them, they all left their Weapons behind.
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“He said What ??”, Karen asked Tony.
Tony described to her again what Mr. Riddle had told him, adding “I’m pretty sure that ‘underneath you were already there’ refers to me and Nick being in the Tunnels. But I’m not sure where the 'place where things come and where things go’ he refers to is at.
“Well, just where did you go in those Tunnels when you were looking for us ?”, Karen asked.
“Oh, gosh...We went to lots of places over there”, Tony said. “A bunch of buildings...Gloop Oil, Beam Cola, Spazz Industries, Wonder Meats, Blue Skies Shipping, Red Star Industries, Bullworth Paints, Spencer Warehouse...”
“Wait !”, Karen exclaimed, “It’s...It’s Spencer Warehouse ! It’s got to be !”
“The Spencer Warehouse ? Why there ?”. Tony asked.
“Didn’t you tell me it was blown up during the bombings as you and the others rode by it ?”, Karen asked, “You and Nick, and Laurent and Zoe ?”
“Well...Yeah, so what ?”, Tony said, confused. “What’s that got to do with anything....”
“So was there any of those other places you went up into from the Tunnels that was damaged ?”, Karen asked quickly.
“Uhh...Well, Wonder Meats...”, Tony hesitated. “But no...We couldn’t get up there, the way was blocked....” He shrugged. “What’s the difference, anyway ?”
“Don’t you see ?”, Karen asked with a trace of excitement. “That’s the other part of the riddle....’Look it over but take some care’.....It’s damaged, so you would have to be careful looking !”
Tony mulled that over. Karen had a good point there. He grinned sheepishly. “I guess...That just hadn’t occurred to me. Mr. Riddle did say that Mr. Luntz was using the Bugs to track the shipments of goods and Weapons.”
“So I’m right !”, Karen said, her eyes sparkling. “There’s Bugs in that Warehouse ! Told you so !”
That’s why I need you around, sweetie”, Tony smiled, “To tell me things.”
“And here I thought it was just my good looks”, Karen joked as she snaked an arm around Tony and snuggled him.
Tony squeezed back. “I guess that’s where I’ll start looking then. I’ll go in the evening, after the workday is finished over there in Blue Skies.”
“Tony, you be careful in that place”, Karen warned. “We’ve had enough happen to us, all of us, without you getting injured or something.”
“I’ll be real careful, don’t you worry”, Tony told her. “That place was a real wreck.”
Come early evening, Tony made his way over to Spencer Warehouse, but he was unable to get inside. The front entrance was locked tight and chained off, and the wooden rear stairway that had led up to the second floor offices in the back part of the building had burned in the aftermath of the explosion. Even had there been room to Parkour, the upstairs doorway had been boarded up in any case. Tony had to go to the Rail Yard and access the tunnel system from the building where he and Nick had first found the tunnels, and then make the long way back underground to Spencer Warehouse. After getting inside at last, Tony would spend several hours searching the wrecked interior and burned offices for the Bugs, long after dark. So it was that Tony completely missed the events of Tad’s unfolding notorious plan that very night.
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Lefty arrived at the Bike Park first, entering through the automatic double-lift-doors that would only work if one were riding a Bike. He heard and saw no one though, the place seemed as empty as a Graveyard where all the dead people had been dug up and moved. Lefty rode around the facility for awhile, but didn’t see anyone. An odd thing he did notice as that a chair had been placed in the raised portion in the center of the Bike Park.
Shortly after, the double-lift doors rumbled open and Lucky rode in on his bike. They gaped at each other from across the Bike Park, and then Lucky slowly rode to where Lefty was.
‘Whatchoo doin’ here ?”, Lucky asked in a shocked tone.
“Whatchoo doin’ here ?”. Lefty said back in a defensive voice.
The two stared at each other for a full minute. Then Lucky said, “I, uh....Got dis note...from a goirl...in my Locker....”
Lefty’s eyes widened. “I....I dids too.”
“What...What is goin’ on heres...”, Lucky began, but their parlay was interrupted by the sound of the double-lift doors rumbling open once more, and in rode Norton. He braked to a stop just a few feet away. “What’s shakin’ ?”, he asked.
The three stared at each other for a bit. Then, Lucky asked, “Youse get a note too ? From a goirl ?”
Norton considered. “Thought so....Mebby not. Youse ?”
Lucky and Lefty nodded. “Somethin’ funny goin’ on heres”, Lucky said.
“Yeah”, Lefty said. “Why woulds a goirl be sendin’ all of us dis....?”
“Hello, Boys !!”, a feminine voice suddenly called. Three heads turned in the direction of the Bike Ramps at the north part of the Bike Park. Having hidden from sight under one of the Ramps, Vanessa was now walking sexily towards them, carrying what looked like a Boom Box. Her high heels clicked on the floor and echoed in the silence as she walked. She approached the raised portion in the middle of the Bike Park, actually a small 360 degree Bike Ramp used for jumping bikes, with a flat top area in the center. Vanessa mounted the Ramp, showing plenty of legs on the climb.
The three Greasers gaped as she teetered on her heels as she climbed, and when she walked to the chair and bent over to set down the Boom Box beside the chair, their tongues licked their lips as her panties came into view under her short-short skirt. Vanessa then turned and addressed them. “Edna's Cat got your tongues, boys ?"
“W-what are y-you doin' heres ?", stammered Lucky. “I-I weren't expectin'.....I means...Youse is Spencer's goirl..."
“I don’t always agree with Taddy”, Vanessa said with a sigh. “So bull-headed sometimes....Like blaming you boys for what happened to poor Bif.....And then, tricking Hal into that fight Tad knew he would win....He should apologize, but he won’t, you know.....So I’ll do it for him....When I’m done dancing, I’ll let you boys have a taste...” She motioned down her body from her breasts to her ass. “So....Watch !”
Vanessa reached down and pushed play on the Boom Box, and Stripper music began playing, echoing all about the Bike Park as she went into a dance around the chair, using it as a prop. The Greasers watched as she loosened her thin blouse, sexily squeezing her Boobs while batting her eyes at them. Motioning the Greasers a bit closer as their boners grew, she removed the blouse, one sleeve at a time, and tossed it to them. Lefty caught it, standing there dumbfounded.
As the music continued, so did Vanessa’s dance, as she swirled her hips and shook her way out of her skirt, dropping it to the floor and kicking it towards the group. Lucky was the one to catch that item of clothing. Vanessa twirled around the chair like a high-class Strip Dancer, and next reached behind herself and unhooked her satin Bra, pulling it free as her luscious Boobs popped into full view. She flung the Bra high and Norton was the one to catch it as Vanessa smiled and laughed at them. What panting dogs they were, what all boys were, it was just sooooo easy to snare and trap them. She grasped her Boobs and began squeezing them as the music played and these sex-starved Greasers could not take their eyes from them.
From behind the long Bike Flume at the south end behind the Greasers, Justin, Parker, and Chad appeared, their approach unheard over the music blaring from the Boom Box. Vanessa removing her Bra had been the signal to spark the attack. As Lucky, Lefty, and Norton watched mesmerized, the Preps crept up behind them, closer and closer. They were armed with their modified Egg Guns, packed full with rock-hard boiled eggs. As Vanessa hooked her thumbs into her Panties as if she were going to pull them down, the Preps had their Weapons sighted on the back of the Greaser’s heads and pulled their triggers over and over, taking the Greasers down.
SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
Lefty and Lucky were knocked out swiftly, but Norton took a little longer. All three Preps fired Eggs into his face, guts, and nads, until he too was subdued. As the attack had started, Vanessa ducked and took cover behind the chair, when it was over, she clacked her way down off the raised ramp and recovered her clothing. Now the Preps were watching her body at close range, she told them to turn away while she put her skimpy clothes back on.
The Preps dragged the unconscious Greasers over behind the Bike Ramps and tied them up there with rope they had brought along. Finished, the recovered their stashed bikes from behind the Flume and rode out of the Bike Park, leaving New Coventry and heading towards the School. It was time for Phase Two of the attack. ______________________________________
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Things were winding down at the Autoshop. Being Friday night, the Greasers were usually eager to get themselves over to the Blue Balls Bar where they could run their own party after closing time. But this particular Friday had been different. A mood of depression had settled in on this night in the wake of Hal’s defeat in the Boxing Ring at the Glass Jaw the night before. While they usually gathered as a group, on this night they were too depressed to be together and parlay with their usual banner, they had split off into solitary groups and eventually alone, for those who didn’t have girlfriends. This had been why Lefty, Lucky, and Norton had been able to leave separately and unobserved. By the time 10 O’clock had rolled around, Peanut and Binky were in the Shop Area in the large building, Hal and Angie had gone to the back Garage building, and Ricky and Jessica were in the Garage that was attached to the large building where the '69 Fastback was being kept.
Long about that time, Jessica decided to go back to the Girl’s Dorm. Ricky offered to walk back with her, but she told him no, as his mood was just too gloomy for her. She bid Ricky goodbye at the Greaser’s gate and headed off by herself. Unlike Binky and Angie, she had not moved in with the Greasers full time, preferring the comfort of her own Dorm room. Ricky gloomily watched her go and hung around the Gate area for awhile. The night was quiet, and he eventually went back to the side Garage.
Walking around the West side of the School, Jessica reached the Front Quad in time to see a group of Preps biking in. She held back against the wall surrounding the raised Patio area in the front of the School and watched as they biked towards the East side of the School and disappeared from view. It struck her as odd, since in her short time here, she had never seen the snooty Preps riding bikes. Particularly Vanessa in that skimpy outfit. She was tempted to go back and tell Ricky, but decided against it and continued on her way to the Dorm. It was just too gloomy there right now, and her bringing back news of some Preps biking around wouldn’t help the mood any.
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Chad, Parker, and Justin, with Vanessa bringing up the rear, biked their way back to Harrington House in the gathering darkness. Except for Jessica, no one had seen their return, even as they pulled passed the Fountain. The Preps snickered, it looked like no one was guarding the Greaser’s gate, and even better, it looked like had been left slightly open. The Preps turned into their path, entered through their new gate, and quickly ditched the bikes and went inside.
Tad and Bryce were waiting for them, since Vanessa had called Tad on her new Cell Phone and reported the success of the first phase of the attack. For her, it was another first at seeing violence up close, and this time she had been on the winning end instead of getting beat around by Tad’s ex-psycho girlfriend. And, she was going to get in on the action in the final phase too...Tad was giving her an Egg Gun to participate, her job would be to take out any Greaser girls. First though, she went upstairs and changed out of her skimpy clothes and heels, putting on a more fashionable Prep battle outfit.
Tad sent Chad out to spy on the Greasers positions, and Chad was gone for about 15 minutes. When he came sneaking back, he reported that the Greaser’s gate was indeed open, and their Quad appeared empty. That meant the Greasers were still inside the buildings. Tad knew their weekend schedule, just as he had known it a week ago when he set up the attack on Bif. Tad held back for another half-hour, then made sure all their weapons loaded with a full round of rock-hard boiled and then frozen Eggs. Then, as a group, they headed out.
There were going to be no worries about Prefects this night, Tad had given Edward $300 and told him to ‘Take the boys out for a treat’ that evening, courtesy of the Preps. There hadn’t been a Prefect to be seen on Campus since shortly before dark. Sneaking past the Fountain and onto the Greaser’s path, they saw no one. Lately, Tad knew, a bunch of the School kids, mostly the newer ones, had been going down to the Bleachers at the Football Field until way after dark to watch the Jocks work out and hob-knob with them afterward. Tad didn’t really care about that, what those sport buffoons and their weenie fans did was no concern of his. After he put the Greasers in their place, he would deal with the Jocks next. With a possible influx of new Preps in just a few weeks for the new term, eventually the Preps might be able to regain their supreme status on Campus once more.
Sneaking silently past the open Greaser gate, the Preps took up positions in the shadows around the dumpster and fence with loaded Weapons, waiting for the remaining Greasers to come out and play.
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“Where dis’t everyone go ?”, grumbled Peanut irritably, “It’s about time to leaves for da Bar.”
“Maybe they be outside or back in the other Garages”, Binky said coolly, taking a last drag off her ciggy, then dropping it to the concrete floor and mashing it out with her high-heeled boot. “Let’s go look for them, Ok ?”
Binky was becoming well-attuned to Peanut’s shifting moods, and right now his mood was depression, as were all of the Greasers moods that night. Being new to the school and the group, she was not emotionally invested as yet and was still an observer, so Hal’s defeat in the Ring didn’t trouble her. She understood, though, what effect it was having on the others, and Peanut in particular as the Leader of the Greasers. Peanut, and the others would get over this blow to their pride, she knew...It would just take some time.
“Yeah, allrights, I guess”, Peanut said, and they exited the Autoshop. But the small Quad area in front appeared deserted. Peanut and Binky headed to the attached Garage by the inner fence. Hidden in the shadows, the Preps held off their attack, as their plan was to surprise attack the group as a whole.
Only Ricky was in the attached Garage where the '69 Fastback was being kept, chain-smoking a pack of ciggys. “Where be everybody ?”, Peanut asked him. “Time to leave for da Bar.”
Ricky looked up. “I donno....Think Hal and Angie are in da back Garage. Maybe de others are in’s da back yard area.”
Hal, along with Angie, were indeed in the back Garage. Hal’s face looked terrible, with some cuts and deep purplish bruises blooming. Angie had been crying, as her red eyes could plainly be seen. Peanut told them it was time to make the trek to the Bar, but didn’t ask about the other Greasers, as it was plain they weren’t in there. Alone, he circled the back inner wall to the larger back area where the junked Parts Cars were still kept. Nobody was there, and the gate to the Parking Lot was closed and secured. Peanut returned, gathered up Binky, Hal, and Angie, then Ricky from the attached Garage. As a small group, the headed back around the inner fence to the front.
“I wonder wheres dose guys got off to”, Peanut remarked to Binky.
“Maybe theys just went off ahead”, Binky told him soothingly.
“Mebbe so”, Peanut groused, “But dey knows we always goes together. Somptin’ seems fishy here.”
“Everybody’s down on accounts of hows the fight turned out”, Binky said, “Dey probably just forgot.”
“Yeah, mebbies”, Peanut said, as the group cleared the fence. “Buts dey ouggta knows better den to just goes off alones.....”
Peanut didn’t have time to finish that thought, as the Preps stepped from the shadows and opened fire.
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Tony soon discovered that finding any Listening Devices in the wreckage of the Spencer Warehouse wasn’t going to be an easy job. The blast had done overwhelming damage to the facility. All up and down the vast Warehouse, the giant racks which held the merchandise had been tumbled over in the massive explosion, and their contents scattered everywhere. Most of the contents had been broken, but a few items had escaped damage. As Tony had noted before when he had been here, the sliding doors in the roof were damaged and open to the night sky.
That the lift that brought Tony up from the tunnel was next to the inner South wall that had sparred that area from damage, most of the rest of the place was trashed. It was almost as if the bomb had been set to where it would do maximum damage to the building, or at least the contents of it. Tony was able to climb over debris on the staircase to the second floor. There he encountered a devastated area that used to contain glassed-in offices. There was little left other than that but ashes, a fire resulting from the explosion had burned or melted everything in sight. The remnants of file cabinets could be made out, their metal twisted from the heat, their contents incinerated. It was obvious to Tony, as he shined his flashlight about, that others had already been looking in here. There were large boot-mark-like impressions on the floor amidst the mess, probably the Feds, Tony figured, looking for evidence to use against Mr. Spencer. Tony sighed, if there had been anything salvageable here, it was sure gone now.
Tony retreated back down the stairs, and began the task of looking through the huge warehouse. It would be several hours before he would check the place he overlooked...A small Shipping Office near the stairs. The small entry door was locked, but the door had a good-sized window. Tony found one of the iron statues from the mess in the Warehouse, and used it to bust out the glass and gain entry. Tucked under the devastation of the second floor, the small office had escaped damage. Inside was a small counter and a shelf-like box behind it, presumably used for order-storing. The small counter and box were cleaned out, someone had already searched in here too. Tony got down on hands and knees and began looking, shining the light up under the small counter. After a few minutes, he saw what he had looked all night for...A tiny Bug attached up underneath the back of the small counter.
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A storm of rock-hard-boiled Eggs hurled towards the suddenly surprised Greasers. A gust of summer wind had been blowing down the side of the building next to them, funneling like a small vortex because of the inner fence. It was just enough to alter the Preps shots, as Peanut realized at that instant an attack was in progress. Instinctively, he stepped in front of Binky to shield her while reaching for his own weapon, catching an Egg hit on his upper left arm. Pushing Binky up against the inner fence while pulling his Spud Gun free and blindly triggering off a couple of shots in the direction of the attack, he had little time to think.
SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
The volley of Eggs slammed into the Greasers in back of Peanut, and Angie screamed out in pain as a rock-hard Egg smacked into her left boob. Ricky dived right while reaching for his own Weapon, but as he drew it knew he would be unable to fire with Peanut and Binky directly in front of him. Poor Hal fared the worst, several hard Eggs splatted into his chest, driving him backward. Meanwhile, one of Peanut’s shots had hit Chad in the knee, spinning him around into the way of Justin and Parker, who were still triggering off shots from their Egg Guns. Several ‘Friendly Fire’ rounds slammed into Chad at close range, taking him down.
The unplanned diversion was just enough for the Greasers to retreat backwards, around and behind the attached Garage, Peanut and Ricky marshaling a stumbling Hal out of the line of fire, while Binky drug a sobbing Angie around the corner as the Preps re-organized, stepping past the fallen Chad and continuing forward. Peanut had no wish to become sitting ducks in the attached Garage, and urged the others around to the back, where they could find a better position of defense. Their element of surprise lost, Tad urged the Preps forward, and they followed cautiously, intent on finishing the attack.
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After 22 days and nights in a coma, Tiffany woke up. Her lips mumbled, “Dangerrrr....Attackkkk....”
At a chair by her bedside, Constantinos was pulled out of his dozing. Sitting upright, he searched Tiffany’s face. Had he heard something ? As he watched, her eyelids fluttered, and came half open. Constantinos could hardly believe his own eyes. He reached and grasped her hand and Tiffany weakly squeezed back.
A sense of hopeful relief began to cascade throughout Constantinos’s mind. For once, the Voice of Reason was silent, probably too stunned to slip in any snarky comment. He searched Tiffany’s face as her lips parted and her tongue licked them, then she voiced again, stronger, “Dangerrr....Attackk....”
“Danger is over”, Constantinos said, his voice dry and sounding horse, “You’re safe now....Can you...Can you hear me, Tiff ? It’s all over....We’re safe now, Safe !”
Tiffany’s eyes rolled towards the sound of his voice. She blinked, twice. “Constan....Izzat you ?....”
“Yes !”, Constantinos said, louder, “It’s me, I’m here !”
“Wherrr....Wherr am I ?”, Tiffany said weakly.
Constantinos gulped, trying to keep the shaking out of his voice. “At, uh, at a Hospital in Boston...You were...Uh, injured...At the Chem Plant....Do you remember ?”
“Rememberrr....No....Only...Hurrrs....”, Tiffany mumbled.
“You...Had an...Infection”, Constantinos told her, “But you’re going to be all right...Do you....Understand ?”
“Yesss”, Tiffany breathed, “All Riiite....Sleepy.....Now...”
Her eyes fluttered and closed. Constantinos suddenly began to panic. What was happening ?
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The Preps rounded the corner, firing volleys, but the Greasers had managed to pass through the detached Garage by that time, so the rock-hard-boiled Eggs only struck the building and a nearby dumpster producing funny-sounding 'BONG’ noises. After a couple minutes they crept forward, Tad, Vanessa, and Bryce in the lead, with Justin and Parker behind. Tad fumed that the Greasers had escaped what seemed the perfect trap on their own turf. Dammed night breezes ! He should have accounted for that, as even frozen hard-boiled Eggs weighed far less than a Spud.
The Preps crept around the detached Garage. The smaller back area was littered with several Trash Cans that would slow their escape. There was also the Junk Pile, heaped up against the outer wall that had provided Jake with his means of escape during the failed Townie assault on the School this past Spring. The Greasers had their backs to them, except for Angie, who was sobbing and holding her wounded boob, looking at Hal. Peanut and Ricky were helping up Hal, who had stumbled and fallen. Binky was watching them trying to wrestle Hal to his feet and not looking behind her. Tad motioned the Preps, and they silently lined up past the end of the detached Garage and leveled their Weapons.
But Binky did look around then. “Peanut, Look Out !”, she cried.
“OPEN FIRE !”, Tad commanded, and the Preps let loose with a barrage from their Weapons. Peanut grabbed Binky and pulled her behind some nearby Trash Cans as Tad shouted his order. The frozen rock-hard-boiled Eggs slammed into the Trash Cans just as Peanut and Binky dived behind behind them.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG !!!
Ricky tried to make a break for it, while firing wildly back and climbing the Junk Pile to escape, but the Preps turned the barrage in his direction before he was halfway up.
SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
Ricky was nailed in his back multiple times, and tried to keep climbing, but then was hit in the buttocks and legs as the barrage continued. His knees buckled, and he fell to the pavement, striking his forehead on a piece of protruding junk on the way down, knocking him out. Hal had managed to get to his feet, and now moved toward Angie, who was screeching in fear now, and the barrage was centered on him next.
SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
Weakened, Hal went down in a hail of frozen rock-hard-boiled Eggs before reaching Angie, who now screamed as Hal was shot down. “HAL !! Oh, You BASTARDS !!!” Vanessa leveled her Egg Gun at Angie and shot five rounds into her midsection to shut her up. Angie fell to the pavement, moaning.
The barrage of rock-hard-boiled Eggs had knocked the lids off the metal Trash Cans, and Peanut had scooped a couple up while the Preps were firing on the others. Both he and Binky now used them as Shields as they backed around the inner wall. “GET THEM !!”, Tad ordered, and the Egg Guns were turned back on the pair.
CLANG !! CLANG !! CLANG !! CLANG !! CLANG !! CLANG !! CLANG !!
The Trash Can lids deflected the rock-hard-boiled Eggs harmlessly, and Peanut and Binky escaped around the inner wall to the larger lot directly behind the Autoshop. As there wasn’t time to unlock and push open the heavy sliding gates to the Parking Lot, they sought refuge behind the nearest Junk Car and waited, with only one Spud Gun for the two of them.
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Constantinos ran to get a Nurse. Tiffany had been moved from ICU long ago, after the infection had been cleared, and was now in a regular room on a section known as Ward C, for comatose patients. The Staff was used to his near-constant presence by now.....Constantinos had told them he was a distant Cousin of hers, and he was not questioned about that. All the Hospital knew about Tiffany was that she had no other family and was a charity case, which meant they were fairly disinterested in her as a Human Being.
When Constantinos reached the Nurse’s Station, he had to calm himself as he approached. It wouldn’t do to look too overly concerned. He took a deep breath as he reached the Station and got the attention of the night Nurse on duty. The shift change had come not long ago, and rounds had not yet started. He told her that Tiffany had woken up and talked, but wasn’t now, could she come take a look ? The Nurse told him she would come check now, and that he would have to wait in the Waiting Room.
Nurse Stephanie Kronos was middle-aged and halfway through her career as a Nurse. She had never married, but held a soft spot for youngsters in trouble not of their own choosing. She had read the file of this waif of a girl when Tiffany was sent to the Ward, and looked in on her more than the other shifts would have. She also knew Tiffany had been shot with some kind of unusual Weapon, and about the infection that resulted. She could also tell that Constantinos was of Greek heritage, as she was herself, and that Tiffany was not. She suspected that Constantinos was not the ‘Cousin’ he claimed to be, but never questioned him about it, for he also seemed like a troubled youngster himself.
Constantinos waited with growing unease in the Waiting Room, afraid that Tiffany would never awake again. He has been staying here the better part of the time since he returned to Boston after dealing with Tiffany’s attacker, Leon. Unaware of the fire that had broken out after he had set off the M-80s attached to Leon’s belly, he hoped that the Bastard would burn in Hell someday, ironically not knowing he had brought the fire of Hell to Leon early.
When not at the Hospital with Tiffany, Constantinos had stayed at a variety of run-down vacant houses, of which there were many, and would occasionally do some break-ins of seedy joints for cash to supplement his meager supply, using his talent of being able to get into places. Although he could afford to eat at places like McDonalds, he mostly did so from their dumpsters, or he would cage some leftover Hospital food from the big steel rolling 'Warmers’ before they were taken back to the Kitchens on the Elevators.
As with the rest of the Students, he had been held briefly and questioned the morning after the Chem Plant Raid, but as most all the others, there was little he could tell them. Nervously, he kept expecting the F.B.I. or some other Deceives or Cops to show up here, but they never had. Constantinos suspected that since the Townies were being guarded by the Army, they had probably been into some far deeper shit than just the Kidnapping of two teenaged girls, and on that hunch he was right, although he didn’t know it.
It was nearly midnight when Nurse Kronos returned to tell him that Tiffany was now just merely asleep and was showing signs of coming out of her coma. Her pupils were reacting to light, and Tiffany had moved some as she examined her, as a person would when someone was trying to wake them up. “But, it will take awhile for her to return to normal”, she told him, “People don’t just wake up all at once from a coma. It takes time.”
“Time ?”, Constantinos echoed, “How long a time ?”
Nurse Kronos shrugged. “Days...Weeks...Months, sometimes.” Seeing the alarmed look on Constantinos’s face, she added, “But her coma time has been short....Just three weeks....She’ll probably recover a lot quicker. Now that she has woke, and even spoken, is a real good sign.”
Relief washed over Constantinos, like a great weight was being lifted from his very soul. Nurse Kronos took notice and said kindly, “She’ll sleep for long periods of time, but will return to normal soon, you’ll see. She’s young and strong.”
“That’s...A big relief”, Constantinos said gratefully. “Thank you.”
Nurse Kronos looked at him. “You could use some sleep yourself....There’s an empty room across the hall from Tiffany. You can sleep there tonight, if you like. I’ll wake you before shift change.”
Constantinos nodded, his gratitude evident. “I’d...Like that.”
Nurse Kronos gave him the room number, and Constantinos headed that way, stopping off at Tiffany’s room first. He watched her slow, regular breathing for a bit, looking like his Angel in repose. Then he went to the empty room and laid down on the bed. Relieved for the first time in weeks, he fell asleep thinking of the ways to get Tiffany out of here when she was ready to go.
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The Preps followed Peanut and Binky, but were driven back when Peanut unloaded some shots of his own as they started around the inner wall. “What now ?”, Bryce asked. In the background, Angie’s moans could be heard over the slight breeze. “Let me think”, Tad responded, irritated by Angie’s moans and whimpering. “First, shut that Damn Tart up, will someone ?”
None of the male Preps was going to shoot Angie, so Vanessa walked over to where Angie was laying, centering the Egg Gun on her head. Angie looked up with hatred in her eyes. “I hope you all go to Prison !”, Angie spat.
Vanessa decided she didn’t need to shoot Angie again. She cast the Egg Gun aside and instead reached down a grabbed Angie by the hair, yanking her up, and cold-cocking her with a right to the jaw. Then she hauled Angie the rest of the way up and stuffed her head-first into a nearby Trash Can. That done, she picked up her Egg Gun and rejoined the others.
“I say, good show !”, Tad said admiringly. The other Preps just looked at Vanessa with bugged-out eyes.
“Ok, that’s done”, Vanessa said. “What’s the plan ?”
Tad thought for a moment. “Turn those Trash Cans over. We’ll stand on them and shoot over wall, using that for cover.”
The Preps did as Tad directed, turning over four Trash Cans. While the Preps mounted them, Vanessa stayed near the edge of the wall, out of Peanut’s line of fire, and took several potshots at the Junk Parts Car that Binky and Peanut were holed up behind. When the Preps were mounted on the Trash Cans, they opened up on the hapless pair. Just in time, Peanut and Binky saw the Preps and raised up the Trash Can Lids for cover.
CLANG !! CLANG !! CLANG !! CLANG !! CLANG !! CLANG !! CLANG !!
Peanut had Binky hold both Trash Can Lids in front of them as they hunkered behind the front of Junk Parts Car, so he could fire the Spud Gun between them. The Preps ducked as they saw the barrel of the Spud Gun emerge in the moonlight, and the two sides exchanged potshots for the next ten minutes, until dry clicking was heard from Peanut’s Spud Gun. He was out of Spuds.
“Oh, out of Ammo, are we ?”, Tad cried gleefully. “You may as well just come out and take your medicine then, for poor Bif’s sake !”
“I ain’t gots nuttin’ to do wid whats happened to Bif”, Peanut retorted, “An’ youse knows dat.”
“Well, ONE of you Greaseballs had something to do with it, I’m sure !”, Tad gaily responded. “So now, ALL of you must pay !”
“Youse needin’ to buy some test answers, Prep scum ?”, Peanut laughed. “We aints all heres, Numbwad....Youse missed a few, and dey’ll take youse down !”
Tad roared laughter. “We already took care of you Slimeball buddies earlier tonight. It’s just you left now ! So, come on out and get what’s coming to you !”
“Youse dirty bushwhackin’ Prep Fucker, why donts youse come fights me like a real Man”, Peanut challenged. “Or, is youse too much of a Pussy ?”
The other Preps looked at Tad. He had led them into this, and he knew he couldn’t back down from Peanut’s unexpected challenge and lose their respect now. “Why, of course, Little Man...Since I just beat you Ape friend Hal, I can surely beat you. Throw out your Weapon !”
“It’s empty, Dumb Fuck”, Peanut said, “And I aints gots no more Ammo.”
“Low Lifes like you are full of tricks”, Tad said. “Throw it out anyway, or we shall just finish you off right now.”
With no choice, Peanut tossed the empty Spud Gun out into the lot, where it landed with a clatter. The Preps dismounted the Trash Cans and moved cautiously around the inner wall with their Egg Guns at the ready. Unknown to Peanut, the Preps were nearly out of Ammo themselves. They had shot off hundreds of rounds, and empty Egg Cartons littered the small lot behind them from all the reloads they had done. There was barely a few rounds between all of them, and Vanessa’s Egg Gun held the most of those.
“Come on out”, Tad challenged, “Your little girlfriend too.”
Peanut stepped out, and Binky laid the Trash Can Lids on the Junk Car’s hood stepped out. “Examine that”, Tad ordered, and Bryce went to where he could see in front of the Junk Car. “Nothing there”, he reported.
“Well, it’s you and me now, Peon”, Tad said. “I’m going to make you cry.”
“Puts down your Weapon”, Peanut said, “If’n you wants to fight lika Man. Them others too...I’m unarmed.”
Tad’s temper seethed, but he kept it in check. “Put them away, boys....I’ll handle this.” Tad handed his Egg Gun to Bryce, and the Preps put all their weapons away, except for Vanessa, who was standing by the wall. Nobody appeared to notice, as she was further away from the others, but she lowered it and clutched it by her side,
“All right, let’s Go !”, Tad exclaimed, and the two started to circle each other. Tad danced about as he did in the Ring, as Peanut bored forwards. Tad struck first, coming in and punching Peanut in the jaw; Peanut struck back but only whiffed air as Tad danced back beyond his reach. With shorter arms, Peanut didn’t have the reach that Tad did, as as the fight progressed, Tad would land ten punches for every one that Peanut could connect, and those were just glancing blows. Peanut’s arm was also sore from where the rock-hard Egg had struck it earlier, but he gamely hung in there. The Preps, except for Vanessa, made a half-circle between the fighters and the Autoshop. Binky held her place by the Junk Car, and Vanessa remained by the inner wall.
About ten minutes into the fight, Peanut’s face was starting to resemble a punching bag, and he was tiring badly. Tad stepped in to finish him off, but Peanut suddenly exploded a hard punch to Tad’s guts, and then clipped Tad a shot on the jaw as he doubled over. Peanut moved in to follow it up, but Tad suddenly kicked Peanut hard in the Nuts as he spread his legs to power his next blow. “OOOFF !!!”, Peanut cried as he sunk to his knees on the pavement and gasped, “"Ahhhhh !!!! My Johnson !!!!!" ”
Binky suddenly grabbed one of the Trash Can Lids and charged Tad. “You Can’t Do That !”, she yelled, and wielding the Trash Can Lid, she smacked Tad on the face with it with all her might. Tad staggered back from the blow, his face bleeding from where the Lid had cut into him, stunned. Binky advanced on Tad to deliver another blow.
Over by the inner wall, Vanessa raised her Egg Gun, but she feared hitting Tad instead of Binky, as the two were so close. So, she charged Binky instead, raising the Egg Gun to use as a Melee Weapon against her. But Binky saw her coming just in time and turned, raising the Trash Can Lid as Vanessa brought down the Egg Gun. The Weapon smashed against the Trash Can Lid, bending the barrel of the Weapon, and the recoil pushed both back. Binky recovered first and smashed Vanessa across her face with the Trash Can Lid, drawing blood. Vanessa responded by grabbing Binky’s hair, and Binky did likewise to Vanessa, both trying to batter each other with their respective weapons.
Tad had recovered by this time, and moved in to take control of the situation, as Binky was really battering Vanessa now. Unlike Derby, Tad would never hit a girl, so he did the next best thing. Using the same foot he just used to disable Peanut by kicking him in the nuts, he stomped down hard on Binky’s high-heel booted left foot. The result was immediate. The sound of Binky’s small bones breaking was audibly heard, and the heel was snapped off from the force of Tad’s stomp.
“AAAAAARRRRRRUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!”. Binky screamed as she dropped to the pavement. “AAAAUUUUHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU FUCKING BASTARD !!!!!!!!!!! “OOOOWWWWWHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!”
It had happened so fast that the other Preps barely had time to react. Bryce said, “Hey, we better go....She’s screaming so loud, she’ll wake the whole school.”
Tad looked around helplessly for a solution. None of the male Preps were going to quiet Binky, and Vanessa was reeling around like a drunken Sailor from the attack. Tad stepped over and cold-cocked a defenseless Peanut, who was vainly trying to crawl to Binky’s aid. “Guess we got what we came here to to do. Let’s go !”
The Preps raced away from the area, Tad leading an unsteady Vanessa along and bringing up the rear. They gathered up Chad, who could at least hobble, and left the Autoshop grounds, going past the Fountain and back to their home turf. The screaming continued from far off now, and Tad was extra glad he had paid off the Prefects to be absent for the night. As the last one through the gate, Tad made a critical error by forgetting to lock it, a mistake he would soon regret.
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Jessica awoke from an uneasy sleep. Her bleary eyes focused on the clock, it read exactly 3 AM. She propped herself up on her elbow and rubbed her eyes, then swung her legs over and got up. Something was nagging at her.
She decided to go to the Girl’s Bathroom, as she felt a little pukey. The Greasers drank a lot of Beer, and she had drank some, but she really didn’t like the taste. But when she arrived at the Bathroom, her stomach had settled down, even though the uneasy feeling remained. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Was it that she had turned down Ricky when he had offered to walk her back to the Dorm ? He was down, all the Greasers were, but maybe he needed just to talk to someone...And maybe that someone was her. Boys didn’t usually open up to others, but would with an understanding girlfriend.
But there was something else. She puzzled for a moment, and then it came to her. Those Preps she had seen, riding bikes. There was something odd about them. What had it been ? She stared at her reflection a bit longer, and suddenly her eyes widened. Jessica turned and ran back to her room, and quickly dressed.
She was downstairs in a flash, going out the side door, and taking the shortcut at the wall to the Front Quad. Once she jumped down from the wall, she ran ipast the Parking Lot in the moonlight, rounding out to the Back Quad and then up the steps to the Fountain. She cast a look down the Prep’s pathway to Harrington House, saw no one, and turned and ran to the Greaser’s gate. Suddenly her dread increased. Not only had it not been locked, as the Greasers usually did when they all went somewhere, it was standing open.
She quickly slipped through and ran around the inner fence before she remembered to be cautious. She slowed her run to a fast walk, listening intently. She heard nothing and saw no one. First she went to the Autoshop door and tried it. It was Locked. Jessica stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. Then it occurred to her...The Garages ! She turned and sprinted quickly but silently towards the South, past the inner fence towards the attached Garage. When she reached the corner, she stopped and looked around it like someone in a spy movie. Seeing no one, she continued on, going into the Garage, circling the car inside and seeing nothing. Going out, she went down to the other garage. There was no one in there either, and she crept onto the small back lot.
At first, Jessica could hardly believe what she was seeing in the moonlight. Hal was laying on the pavement ahead, and there was a Trash Can not far from him with what looked like a girl’s legs sticking out of them. She came closer, and looked. She knew who it was in the Trash Can, it was Angie. She recognized her shoes. She bent to check Hal, and saw he was breathing. Then she went to the Trash Can. Using all her strength, she grasped Angie’s legs and pulled her from the Trash Can, laying her down on the pavement. She had a nasty bruise on her cheek, but was breathing also. Then Jessica heard a groan. She looked in the direction of the Junk Wall and saw another figure. She went over to see, and saw it was Ricky.
She knelt down by him and laid her suddenly shaking hands on him. “Ricky ! Oh, Ricky, can you hear me ? Please be all right !”
“Unnnnnngh”, Ricky groaned. “J-Jess....Dat you ?”
“Yes, it’s me !”, Jessica said, close to tears. “Did....Did the Preps do this to you ?”
“Ohhhhh....Hows did youse guess that....Einstein ?”, Ricky said gruffly.
“I...Well..I...”, Jessica began, but right then she heard something. A sound of someone crying....Crying in pain. “I’ll tell you later”, she told Ricky. She rose and followed the sound, around the inner wall back to the larger lot behind the Autoshop. There in the moonlight she saw two figures. She walked closer and saw Peanut. He was sitting on the Pavement with his arms around Binky, who was the source of the crying.
“Peanut ?”, Jessica said softly. “What’s happened ?”
Peanut rolled his face around. He looked like Hell. There was a large bruise blooming on the side of his face, and his eyes looked unfocused. “Spencer did this.”
“B-B-Bastard broke my Foot !”, Binky sobbed, in obvious pain.
“I’m gonna kill him”, Peanut muttered.
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Jessica stood there, unsure of what to do. Finally, she said, “I’ll...Um...I’ll go get some help, Ok ?”
Peanut just grunted. Jessica took a couple steps back, then trotted back around to the smaller lot. Ricky was trying to get up, and Jessica went to him, helping him to stand. “Ricky...You gonna be all right ? We got to go get help for the others !”
Ricky shook his head to clear it. “I’se a little dizzy...Just guides me alongs, Jess....”
Jessica took Ricky’s arm and started off slowly, watching his steps. It was then she noticed all the empty Egg Cartons scattered about on the pavement. They moved past the Garages, turned the corner by the inner fence, and made their way out to the Autoshop’s front Quad.
At that moment, three figures rode through the Greaser’s gate and onto the Quad. Ricky had tensed, expecting another attack, but was immediately relieved to see that it was Lefty, Lucky, and Norton. They pulled to a stop in front of Ricky and Jessica.
“Wheres youse guys been at ?”, Ricky asked them. “We wuz lookin’ for you all.”
“We gots sneak attacked by some Preps”, Norton answered, without elaborating. “Dey tied us up, buts dey ain’t no Boy Scouts...We gots outta dem ropes soon after we woke up. We’s been lookin’ for you’s too....Went to de Bar, but no ones wuz dere, looked around Coventry for a whiles, den decided to come back heres.” His eyes narrowed. “Where be Peanut ?
“He’s out back”, Ricky said, “So’s da others. We gots attacked by dat Prep scum too !”
“They’re hurt”, Jessica added, “They need help !”
Without a word, Norton, Lucky, and Lefty rode around to the back, anger in their eyes. Jessica and Ricky turned back and followed them. Ricky was walking better now, and by the time they reached the small back lot, they could see Hal sitting up, and Angie was starting to come around. Lucky was helping here, Norton and Lefty were back with Peanut and Binky in the large back lot. Jessica went to aid Angie, who was now softly crying, and Ricky went to help Hal up. Lefty came back and told them that Peanut wanted everyone to gather for a meeting on the large back lot.
When they were all gathered, Peanut addressed them. “Dey ain’t gettin’ away wit dis. We’s gonna ammo-up, and hits dem tonight, rights now, at dere own place. Everyones unnerstand ?”
The fire of revenge burned in the eyes of every Greaser, but Ricky spoke up. “What if’n dere gate’s locked ? Or dere door ? How’s do we gets in ?”
“Takes a Crowbar from da Shop”, Peanut said, “We’s pry it open, we’s gets inside, and blow dem Bastids to Hell ! Dey wonts be expectin’ us so soon.”
“What about Binky and Angie ?”, Jessica said. “They need Medical help right now.”
Peanut thought, and then said, “Yer right. Lola’s bike is in da Shop....Can you ride ?”
“Like a Champ”, Jessica told him. “What do you want me to do ?”
“We loads Binks on the bike, an’ you pedals her dere to da Clinic”, Peanut said. He looked at Binky. “You thinks youse cans do dat ?”
“I cans”, Binky said tightly, her anger equal to her pain. “Go and get dem Bastards, Nut.”
Peanut looked at Angie. “Can yous ride along ? I’ll gives youse another bike.”
“I...I’m awful sore”, Angie sniffed, “But, yes I can.” The fire was in her eyes too, she wanted revenge on the Preps also. Not just for herself, but for what they had done to Hal.
That settled, they all made they way to the front. Norton picked up Binky and carried her. Peanut produced a key and unlocked the Autoshop, and they went inside. They stocked up full loads into their stored Spud Guns, and stuffed their pockets with Spuds for reloads. Peanut also grabbed a coil of rope and a Pocket Knife. Going to his Shop Locker, he spun the Combo Lock and opened it, and dug for his hidden stash of M-80s.
Lefty, Lucky and Norton put their bikes away, then got Lola’s bike, which she had hardly used since the Chem Plant attack, and one other old bike for Angie. Then they all assembled outside on the Autoshop Quad, and started out. Reaching the Fountain, the bikes were taken down the short steps to the wide path to the Back Quad of the School. Carrying Binky, Norton deposited her in the large basket attacked to the handlebars while Jessica steadied the bike. Sore, Angie got on her bike and nodded.
Everyone was silent the whole time and no one else was out and about. The girls pedaled off, slowly at first, then picking up speed as the rode the Quad to the side path around the School and disappeared from sight. Then the Greasers, armed to the teeth, returned to the Fountain and then crept down the pathway to Harrington House.
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Jessica worked up to a moderate speed, but was afraid to go any faster for fear she would spill the bike, and Binky, onto the hard pavement, not to mention herself. Binky was leaning back in the basket, gripping the handlebars behind her, and that also made it hard for Jessica to steer. When they rode out of the Front Gates of the Academy and onto the street, the wheels dropped off the curb, jarring Binky, and she cried out in pain.
“Sorry !”, Jessica said. Binky moaned and gritted her teeth against the throbbing in her foot.
“It’s....Okay”, Binky said, “I knowed it weren’t gonna be easy.”
Jessica chanced a look around to find Angie, who was starting to lag. “Com’on, keep up !”, she said irritably.
“I’m....Trying !”, Angie panted, “Hard....To breathe...”
The girls crossed the big Iron Truss Bridge and came into Bullworth Town. “Just a few more blocks”, Jessica said in the way of encouragement. Binky and Angie didn’t answer, their teeth clamped against their pain.
It was nearing 4 AM, and there was no one about on the streets as they covered the final three blocks to the Clinic on the corner not far from the Police Station. Jessica braked to a stop, as did Angie. Now the job of getting Binky out of the basket presented itself. Jessica had Angie drop her bike to the sidewalk and come hold hers as she got off, then with some effort she lifted Binky out of the basket. She then told Angie to drop that bike also as she stood Binky up, then had Angie come around on the other side. Binky was shaking in pain while trying to balance on the high-boot of her good foot while Jessica steadied her. With Angie on her good side and Jessica on the other, they managed to boost Binky one slow step at a time up the steps of the Clinic and then inside.
Fortunately, the Staff of the Clinic was having a slow night, the only other patient in the Clinic was a sleeping Ms. Phillips, still recovering from her run-in with Bethany Jones. Binky was helped to a wheeled cot and was laid on it, and Angie was taken to a nearby bed to be looked after.
The Attendant, whose name-tag identified him as Mark, took a look. Binky’s foot was swelled inside the boot, and it bulged out. “We’re going to have to cut that off”, Mark said.
“Noooo...”, Binky moaned, “Not my Greaser Boot...”
“Sorry, if I try to just pull that off, it would damage your foot further”, Mark commented. He went to get some scissors, and tears began to leak from Binky’s eyes.
“It’ll be alright”, Jessica soothed her, “You can get some new boots.”
“It’s...Not that”, Binky said, beginning to sob now. “I...I donts want anybodys looking at my feet !”
That struck Jessica as odd. Puzzled, she said, “Well....Why not ? What’s wrong them ?”
“Theys....UGLY !”, Binky choked, tears running down her face. “They is Too Small, dey look like Kid’s Feet !”
Jessica didn’t know what to say to that. Mark returned with the scissors and began to cut down Binky’s boot that was missing it's heel. Binky turned her face away. “Donts Look !”, she begged Jessica.
But as Mark the Attendant cut down to the arch and started easing Binky’s foot out, Jessica did look. Binky’s high-heel boots had long pointy toes on them, making her foot size look normal, but once the boot came off, she could see that her foot was small indeed. Jessica guessed it was a size four, maybe less. Binky moaned in pain as the boot came off.
Mark the Attendant gently examined her foot, which resembled a bloated white fish with a large bruise on it. “You’ve got a break there, for sure”, he said. “Looks like a broken Metatarsus. We’ll get some X-Rays of that, get it set and put a Cast on it.”
“Will it...Be a big Cast ?”, Binky said anxiously, “Likes, cover my whole foot ?”
“Oh yes, real big”, Mark the Attendant told her, “Cover your whole foot and half-way up your Shin. Only your toes will be barely poking out.”
That seemed to relive Binky, and her tears slowed and stopped. Mark took her away to X-Ray, and Jessica turned to check on Angie. There was a curtain pulled around her bed, and she peeked in. A woman Attendant, whose name was Jane, was examining Angie, who was stripped naked from the waist up. Jessica could see a huge ugly bruise on Angie’s left boob, and several other bruises on her belly.
“Well, no serious damage”, Jane the Attendant said, “But you’re going to be sore for awhile.” She shook her head. “Really, I thought all this School Violence would be over by now, after that Raid you kids pulled last month.”
“So did I”, Angie said in a low voice. “Guess not.”
Both girls were given something for pain; Angie was to stay for a few hours, Binky for probably far longer. As the Attendants were getting the girls settled, Jessica slipped out of the Clinic before anyone started asking her questions. Outside, she picked up Lola’s bike and left the other one, biking back to Bullworth Academy. She was now worried about Ricky.
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The Greasers approached the Preps new gate with caution. Peeking through, they could see nothing moving in the limited view they had. Peanut hefted the Crowbar, fully intending to pry open the gate, but as he slid it quietly in place to do so, the gate just came open. The Preps had forgotten to lock it. Peanut was relieved, he’d been worried about the noise it would have made prying it open. Peanut handed the Crowbar back to Norton. Silently, the Greasers filed through the gate.
“Stays Low”, Peanut whispered as they approached the steps that led up to the Prep’s Quad. Peanut crept forward and looked over the steps. The Quad appeared empty, but there was a figure in a chair by the front doors of Harrington House. There was another chair pulled up beside him there, his leg was extended on to it. The figure was dark in the waning moonlight, it had to be Chad. Peanut could confirm that when he saw a small white dog curled up beside the chairs, it was Chester. Chad wasn’t moving, he appeared to be asleep. Peanut withdrew his Spud Gun and took careful aim. These new Spud Guns had an added feature...a better targeting system indicator at the top. Peanut braced himself, laying on the steps, and took careful aim. The earlier breeze had died down somewhat, Peanut adjusted for the slight breeze and the drop of the arc from this distance, and squeezed the trigger.
(whump).........SPLAT !!!!!!!!!!!
The Spud smacked Chad near dead center in his forehead, and he fell from the chair without a sound. Chester made a YIP ! as Chad fell, then started sniffing his Master. “Hal !”, Peanut whispered hoarsely, “You got your Jerky on you ?” When Hal came forward and nodded, Peanut whispered, “Hand it over !” Hal reluctancy gave up his Beef Jerky to Peanut. “Stay Here !”, Peanut whispered hoarsely to the others.
The Prep Quad was dotted with six chest-high square Pillars leading up to the Harrington House entrance, three on a side. Peanut quietly dashed to the first Pillar, and looked around the edge. Chester was still sniffing at Chad’s prone form. Peanut snuck to the next pillar, staying low, something easy for him to do. Peanut looked around the edge, Chester was sniffing the air now. When the Dog looked away, Peanut made a dash for the the last Pillar. He snuck a look around. Chester was looking in his direction, an issued a low growl. Peanut pulled out the Jerky and flung it around the Pillar in the Dog’s direction. Still growling, Chester came to where the Jerky lay and sniffed at it. Then the Dog snatched it up in his jaws and ran to the Prep’s Side Yard with his prize.
Peanut rose and motioned the others forward. They all came up to the doors to Harrington House. Ricky tried them. “They’re locked !”, he whispered.
Norton pulled out the Crowbar, but Peanut said in a low voice, “Wait !” He pointed to Chad. “Search his pockets !” Lefty and Lucky fell to the task, and pulled out a Key Ring attached to a pink Rabbit’s Foot. Peanut took the Key Ring and tried out every key until the right one slid into the lock and he unlocked the doors.
Peanut opened them slowly and peeked inside at the Foyer. There was no one behind the Counter, the small room was empty. Peanut held the doors open for the others to enter, when Ricky whispered, “What about him ?”, pointing to Chad.
Peanut thought, and then said in a low voice, “Bring him inside...And Hogtie him !”
Hog-tying was something the Greasers learned from their country cousins, the Hick Greasers. They didn’t use it much, but it was very effective. Chad was drug inside and laid on his stomach, then his wrists were bound behind him and then his ankles were bound. Then, his legs were bent back at the knee, and the bound wrists and bound ankles were bound together by a short piece of rope. It was nearly escape proof.
The Greasers smirked and quickly Hogtied Chad. “Should we gag him ?”, Lefty asked.
“No...He’s be out for a long time”, Peanut said, “And we’s will be finished by then."
They turned their attention to the doors to the Prep's huge Parlor Room next. Peanut grabbed the doorknobs and prepared to fling them open as the Greasers lined up behind him with Weapons at the ready.
_______________________________________
-
Tony decided to throw in the towel. He’d searched Spencer Warehouse high and low for most of the night, and had only found that one Listening Device. If there had been others, they must have been in the burned-out offices on the second floor. Tony sighed and went to the damaged set of double doors where he had come in, and walked back downward into the tunnels. Not wanting to walk clear back to the Rail Yards, he took a left turn at the next tunnel, walking for awhile until it sloped up to the doors he and Nick had opened and stepped into the Warehouse that had the dead Rats and Cocaine smell.
He walked to the West part of the building in the fading flashlight beam to the front broken-out windows with mesh wire that he remembered. Tony looked around for the door, found it, but it was barred shut with thick rusty bands. Tony then remembered the overhead walkway that led to the building he remembered seeing across the street, the BULLWORTH PAINT SUPPLY. He searched around for some stairs and eventually found them and the overhead walkway. This part of the building seemed less filthy and unused. There were several crates stacked near the walkway to the other building that looked newer, but Tony didn’t bother with them. He took the walkway across to the BULLWORTH PAINT SUPPLY building, and found some stairs leading back down.
Contrary to his impression of looking at the building from across the street, the inside of the Paint Supply Building was neither dilapidated or deserted. There were fresh stores of Paint Cans stacked all over, with a large section for cans of Spray Paint. It was no wonder that the Yum-Yum Stores always had Spay Paint, the cans probably came from here. There were also offices, and on a whim, Tony decided to check them out. It was here he found another Listening Device, stuck underneath an important-looking desk. Just why there was a 'Bug’ in a Paint Supply Store, Tony couldn’t imagine, and he didn’t bother trying. He was tired and badly in need of sleep. Finding a front door, he was able to unlock it and step outside at last.
The moonlight was waning, and to the East faint light was showing. Tony started the long walk back to the In and Out Motel, where he would crash and sleep when he reached his room until the afternoon.
_____________________________
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Peanut flung the inner doors to reveal.........Nothing.
The giant room was empty of Preps. The fact was, the downstairs parlor room of Harrington House was pretty empty of everything, except for the two Suits of Armor by the double entry doors and the big overstuffed chairs near the always-lit fireplace. In the past, this had been the Prep Party Room for all their fancy high-class affairs. The lights were on, as they always were in Harrington House. Preps never had any worries about paying the Electric Bills.
Regardless, the Greasers entered the room with Weapons drawn, silently looking in every corner, making sure no one was sitting in the chairs, even. Finally, Peanut pointed toward the stairs to the second floor. “Upstairs !”, he whispered.
The Greasers crept up the stairs, quickly but cautiously. When they reached the landing, Peanut sent Lucky and Lefty to the right to go and check out the Preps Game Room, and sent Ricky and Norton up the third floor stairs to check out the Arboretum, while He and Hal guarded the hallway that led to the Bedrooms. In a few minutes, they returned, in brief whispered conversation.
“No’s body upstairs”, Norton reported.
“Yeah, justa buncha Plants”, Ricky added.
“Aints no-bodies in de Game Room”, Lefty reported.
“Checked da outside balconys too, alls clear”, Lucky chipped in.
Peanut curled his lips in a smile. In their arrogance, the Preps had simply gone to bed after their ruthless attack, believing the Greasers were too beaten to retaliate right away. That was the way it usually happened in clashes between Cliques, the beaten had to 'lick their wounds’ and recover before mounting any payback attack. But not this time.
Peanut motioned the Greasers down the hall to cover the Prep’s bedrooms. In contrast with the rest of Harrington House, the bedrooms were small, smaller even than the rooms in the Boy’s Dorm. But they were in a whole lot better shape. The room on the corner had to be Tad’s room, Peanut correctly guessed. It had had formerly been Derby’s room. Lined up and down the hall, they waited. Peanut gave the signal, and the doors were all kicked in at once.
SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
The Preps were shot with a hail of Spuds before they even had time to awake and react. One by one, they were rendered unconscious as they were hit multiple times in their bodies and heads. The light from the hallway gave just enough illumination to show the Greasers where to aim, and it only took as long to bushwhack them as it took time for the Greasers to repeatedly pull the triggers on their Spud Guns.
Only Peanut held back fire after he kicked open Tad’s door, knowing that Vanessa was most likely in bed with him. At the sound of his door being bashed in and all the commotion, Tad suddenly sat up in bed. Vanessa came awake and screamed.
“What’s the meaning of this ?”, Tad cried in confusion.
“Dis means your whitebread ass is toast !”, Peanut said grimly, firing a Spud into Tad’s belly.
“OOOOFFFF !!”, Tad grunted, his face suddenly draining of color. His stomach was his most sensitive spot. Peanut followed that with several more Spuds, to Tad’s shoulders, legs, and groin. SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
Vanessa screamed again. Clutching his belly and nuts, Tad groaned, gasping, “You....Filthy....Dirtbags !!”
Peanut lowered his Spud Gun and pulled out an M-80. “Heres extra fer whats yous done to Binky.” Lighting it, he tossed it on the bed and quickly lit another, tossing it after the first.
BAM !!!!!!!!!! BAM !!!!!!!!!!
The M-80s landed between Tad and Vanessa on the bed, exploding and blowing them both off the bed to either side and knocking them out. The smell of sulfur and gunpowder filled the room. One by one, their task done, the other Greasers crowded around the door of Tad’s room.
“Dey is alls out”, Norton reported. “Nows what ?”
A grim smile of retribution came to Peanut’s face. “Hogtie Dem....Alls of Dem.”
____________________________________
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Jessica was waiting for them by the Greasers Gate as they returned from Harrington House. She ran to Ricky and threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re safe !”, she said tearfully, “I was so worried !”
‘Piece of cakes”, Ricky told her. “We puts all dem Bastids down. Dey wonts be be gettin’ up fer awhiles, neither.”
Peanut and Hal asked how Binky and Angie were doing. She told them what had happened, and they both were going to be at the Clinic for awhile, Binky longer than Angie, who would probably get released the next day. But they both would recover just fine, Jessica said. With that news, Peanut and Hal seemed relieved, and Peanut decided that they should all just go to their original destination for the rest of the night, the Blue Balls Bar....Not to party, but to recover themselves. It had been a long night. He told the Greasers to get their bikes.
“I’m coming too”, Jessica said. “I can ride Lola’s bike, if that’s all right. Maybe I can help.”
Peanut agreed, remembering there was a First-Aid Kit underneath the bar at Blue Balls. Then he went and unlocked the Autoshop so the Greasers could get their bikes out. After that, he and Norton went around to the back lots, where the attack had happened. On the way, they stomped over a lot empty Egg Cartons.
Norton’s eyes widened, he hadn’t noticed just how many there were. “Dey really laid into youse guys, dinna dey ? Tooks dem awhile to gets me knocked out over dere., buts Lucky and Lefty wents down foirst.”
“We’s wuz outnumbered”, Peanut said. “We wuz lucky to hold dem off as long as we dids. It’s a good thing youse guys got lose an’ come back here when youse dids.”
“Dem prissy-asses are bad knot-tiers”, Norton said. “We wuz free in just a while afters we come to.”
They walked around to where the Junk Parts Cars were at to check the sliding back gate. Peanut made sure it was secured, then said, “Norton, I knows we’s had our differences....Buts, you did all rights tonight. Youse wuz a true Greaser Warrior.”
Norton felt humbled. “Youse knows, I’se sorry I tried to take de Clique over likes I did....Whens Johnny picked you for Leader, he picked rights. I’se never do dat again, my loyalty is to yous now.”
“Dats all rights, man", Peanut said. The two shook hands. They turned and started walking back, but Peanut spotted something. He bent and picked it up.
“What’zat ?”, Norton asked, peering at the object.
“It’s the heel to Binky’s boot”, Peanut said. “I’se gonna keep it fer good luck.”
“Dats kinda long”, Norton observed, as Peanut stuck it in his pocket.
“Yeah...She’s really short, but she be a true Greaser fighter”, Peanut said.
They returned to the front, where the rest were waiting. After locking up the Autoshop, and then locking and securing the front gate, they all set off for the Blue Balls Bar. The sky was beginning to lighten in the East as they reached New Coventry. Curiously, they just missed crossing paths with Tony Calderone, returning from his own mission. Once they reached the Bar, they shuttled their bikes inside, leaving them by the door. Jessica helped out, getting blankets and spreading them on and around the new stage for them to sleep on, then she tended their wounds, one by one, applying soothing salve to their bruises and bandages to their cuts. Peanut let her use the back room, since Binky wasn’t there, so she saved Ricky for last, taking him in with her and closing the door. She had Ricky strip to his Boxers and lay on the bed while she gently rubbed salve on his bruises. “Feeling better ?”, she said softly.
“Oh, yeas”, Ricky sighed, “Buts, I gots a bit of’s a headache.”
“Let’s see if this helps”, Jessica said, but instead of rubbing his head, she rubbed the buldge in his crotch, which got bigger at her touch. In a bit, Ricky forgot all about his headache, and Jessica rose and stripped all her clothes off. Climbing on top of Ricky, she freed his member and sank down on him. The rest of Ricky’s pain vanished as they made love for their first time.
___________________________________
-
Tony slept until 3 PM the next day. Shaking himself awake, He got his shit together, dressed (making sure to secure the two 'Bugs’ he had found), and left the In-and-Out Motel. He was suddenly very hungry, so he walked to the Chef’s Restaurant, where he pigged out on some Apple Croustade and Gâteau Millasson before getting a take-out order to take to Karen at the Girl’s Dorm. She must be hungry herself, not being able to get out. To Tony’s surprise, Karen wasn’t in her room, but was in the Parlor Area instead, watching the new TV that had been installed. Tony was allowed by a grumpy Mrs. Carvin to come in an sit with her. Karen welcomed the food, all right, scarfing it down in big bites.
“What, were you out all night ?”, Karen asked between bites.
“Just about”, Tony replied, “It was breaking dawn by the time I got back to the Motel.”
“Did you find any of those Bugs ?”, Karen asked in a low voice, although there wasn’t anyone else around.
“Yeah, a couple”, Tony said lowly, pulling them from his pocket to show her. “Only one at Spencer Warehouse though....The other one I found at Bullworth Paint Supply.”
“Paint Supply ?”, Karen asked, “Why would they be bugged ?”
Tony shrugged his shoulders. “Beats me. They ARE the only paint supply place in the whole Valley, though. All the paints and spray paints must go through there.”
“So, where you planning to plant those ?”, Karen asked, still eating.
“I donno”, Tony replied. “Hadn’t decided yet....Where do you think they should go ?”
“Let me think while I eat the rest of this”, Karen said.
Karen finished up her food as Tony looked around. “Pretty dead in here for a Saturday”, Tony commented. “Where is everybody ?”
“Well...I know Hanna, Claire, Nina, Gloria, Joan, and Misty went down to the Football Field”, Karen said, chugging down some Bean Cola. “Whitney and Hayley, they’re in their room. Amber is staying over at Russell’s house for the weekend, Paige is with Trent and the Bullies....Haven’t seen Angie or Jessica today at all, but they’re probably with the Greasers somewhere.”
“That’s quite a list”, Tony said. “You keeping track of everyone ?”
“Mostly”, Karen replied. “Think somebody should. I left out those who are staying with their Cliques, like Mandy, Binky, Jimmette, and Vanessa...And Pinky, she’s staying over in the Vale somewhere.” Karen’s nose wrinkled in disgust at that last name. Tony was afraid Karen would ask if he knew where Pinky was, but she didn’t. Instead, she suddenly got to her feet.
“Hey, look what I can do now”, Karen said, and proceeded to hobble around the Parlor on her cast.
“Wow, I didn’t know you could do that ?”, Tony said, rather amazed. “That just happen ?”
“How do you think I got downstairs today, Silly ?”, Karen retorted, prancing around. “And before you ask....No, it doesn’t hurt. So I want to get out of here....I feel like a Girl Hermit. Where are you going today ?”
“Well...Um, thought I’d go over to the School Basement”, Tony said. “Listen in, see if I can pick up on whatever Tad is scheming.”
“Well then, let’s go Mister !”, Karen said brightly. “Sooner we crack this mystery, the sooner we can have overtime for ourselves.”
________________________________
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The Preps came awake that afternoon also, and were horrified to find that they could not move. The Hog-tying we so effective that the most they could do was squirm around on their bellies. One by one, their cries went up, heard but unheeded by the others, for there was nothing any of them could do. Chad, in particular, was worse off than the rest, not even knowing that a counter-attack had occurred, or just why he awoke to find himself in such a situation. Alone in the alcove inside the front doors of Harrington House, he called out uselessly for help over and over.
Upstairs, Tad groaned as he came to. At first, he didn’t understand why he couldn’t move. Then he remembered....Those dastardly Greaseballs had done this to him somehow, invading his very bedroom and attacking him ! How was that possible after leaving them unconscious and beaten on their own turf ?
“So, you’re finally awake”, Vanessa said from the other side of the bed. Tad strained his neck around, but could not see her. “What now, O Lord and Master ?”, she continued disdainfully, “How do we get out of this mess ?”
“I...I don’t understand !”, Tad gasped, “How is it I can not move ? What did those Devils do to us ?”
“Tied us up somehow, isn’t that obvious ?”, Vanessa retorted. “Some plan you had. Look where it got us. I didn’t come to Bullworth just to be trussed up like a Turkey.”
“The plan worked....We beat them", Tad shot back angrily. “You went along with the plan, if you recall, and I’ll bet you enjoyed doing it !”
“Yes, I did go along with it”, Vanessa admitted, remembering how the three Greasers had feasted their lusting eyes on her body as she danced nearly naked in front of them. “But that doesn’t help us now. My side hurts from where those little bomb things went off. I think some of my nails are broken", she pouted. “So, how do we get out of this mess ?”
To that, Tad had no answer. He heard the other Preps calling for help down the hall, their weak cries filtering to his ears. Tad tried to move forward by using his chin, but only succeeded in falling over on his side. Tad seethed in anger. Damn those Greaseball Cretins !!
__________________________________________
-
The Greasers were up and about that afternoon also, though most of them elected to just hang around the Blue Balls Bar. Jessica once again put salve on their wounds, although many of the Greasers were still stiff and sore from their experiences from the night before. Jessica was becoming rather popular with the Greasers of late, and her tending to their wounds only made them like her all the better. Unlike the mysterious Binky or the ditzy Angie, Jessica had an outgoing personality and a charming manner that appealed to them, and her actions in helping out the night before paved her way to acceptance into the Greaser Clique.
Jessica also had an effect on how the other Greasers regarded Ricky Pucino. Previously, they had been disdainful of him after his behind-the-scenes manipulation of Norton in taking over the Clique, which came to a disastrous end just a month later. Ricky’s hostility towards Peanut on his return was quickly stifled, as Peanut damn near choked him against the Autoshop wall. Every since then, and especially since Johnny had returned from Detroit, Norton and Ricky had been relegated to lower respect among their fellow Greasers. And while Norton had humbled himself and now apologized to Peanut for the abortive takeover, Ricky had not, rightfully maintaining it had been Norton’s idea all along.
Ricky had other personality traits that the others didn’t like, such as acting all superior and condescending much of the time. The other Greasers were always quick to remind him of the incident where Nick Penty had forced him to drink a bottle of piss, and the fact that his last girlfriend left him for a Jock. Ricky had nothing to say about the piss-drinking, and would just shut up and seethe inside whenever it was mentioned, but lately he had a comeback when being reminded of his former girlfriend....”Yeah, well I gots one now, Pal...Where’s yours ?” However, this only worked on the Greasers who didn’t have girlfriends, which was now down to Lefty, Lucky, and maybe Norton, depending on how his strange relationship with Whitney worked out.
But now, the others were looking at Ricky in a new light, wondering how in the hell he could attract a cool girl like Jessica, and with a bit of jealousy as well. Being with Jessica had mellowed Ricky somewhat, and the others had began grudgingly affording him a measure of respect. That his relationship with Jessica had obviously just gone to a new level was a further cause in the change of their way of thinking about Ricky, a change for the better.
___________________________________
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Peanut and Hal decided to ride over to Bullworth Town to check on the girls at the Clinic not long after. On the way though, Hal became more and more wobbly on his bike, and complained of his head hurting...The punches he had taken in the Boxing Ring, combined with the attack of the night before, had taken their toll on the beefy Hal. By the time they reached the Clinic, Hal could barely ride. Inside, seeing Angie, she noticed his condition and insisted Hal get checked out. The result was Hal was put into a bed in the Clinic with a possible concussion. Angie was being released, but stayed with Hal the rest of the afternoon and on into the evening.
Peanut went over to see Binky. Though clearly upset by the attack, she still harbored anger towards the Preps for what they had done to her and the others. “Did yous get ‘em, Nut ? Makes them pay ?”
Peanut smiled grimly. “Oh, we gots dem, all rights”, he said, and proceeded to tell her about the retaliatory attack. Binky seemed to relish the part where Tad and Vanessa were surprised in bed. “Good....They seen it comin’ then”, she said.
“At close range”, Peanut assured her. “And den, we Hog-tied dem.”
Binky actually knew what that was. A painful smile touched her face. “Goods...Dey won’t be gettin’ loose for awhiles. But.....You shoulds have stomped on dat Bastids feet, like he did mine.”
“I, um, didn’t thinks of dat”, Peanut said, almost apologetic. “It was....Heat of the moment type thing, Y’see....”
Binky merely nodded. She was quite sure that Peanut had at least shot a Spud in Tad’s nuts as payback for what he had done to him. She pulled back the sheet covering her legs. “Look”, she told him.
Peanut looked at the big cast on Binky’s left foot, and could see the tips of her little toes poking out. They looked swollen. Peanut’s eyes shifted then over to her other foot, and wasn’t surprised to see that she was still wearing her other high-heel pointy Greaser Boot. “How...How bad is it ?”, he asked.
“Two broke bones”, Binky sighed, “A Meta-sompthin’ and one other next to it. Nut...I cants walk....Cants even stands up....I gots to pee in a pan....” A tear leaked from her eye and she quickly wiped it away. “I gotta stays here awhile....Maybe a weeks or two, afores I can puts any weight on....” Binky choked up then, unable to finish.
Peanut didn’t know what to do, so he just bent down and embraced her. This was quite a bit different Binky than what he had grown used to. Instead of the wise-cracking, smirking, Devil-may-care attitude she usually exhibited, this Binky was vulnerable and probably scared, finding out that being a Greaser was a tough person to be sometimes. It was a cold, cruel world out there. Binky reached up suddenly and grasped him, her sobs breaking through. Peanut let her cry it out while he held her.
After a few minutes she subsided. “Nut ?”, she said in a small voice. “Will you do’s sompin’ for me ?”
“Sures”, Peanut told earnestly, “Anything you wants !”
In a low whispery voice, Binky told him what she wanted.
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“You hearing anything ?”, Karen asked, holding her hands up in a gesture. With Headphones on, Tony couldn’t hear her, but understood the gesture. Shaking his head No, he pulled off the headphones.
“Nothing, nobody talking, but it’s strange”, Tony said. “There’s these weird noises....”
“What do you mean, weird ?”, asked Karen, “Like how ?”
“Here, you listen", Tony replied, “See what you think.”
Tony handed her the headphones and Karen put them on her head. They were sitting at the table in the basement, the Receiver in front of them. Mr. Riddle was apparently gone somewhere for the weekend, much as the mysterious Mr. Luntz had always come and gone.
Karen listened intently, trying to hear the strange noises Tony said he had heard. At first she heard nothing, but after awhile she detected faint noises in the background. “I hear it ! It sounds like.....Like....” Shouting, she wanted to say, but it wasn’t quite that. It reminded her more of the background noise in a disaster movie, one of those where Aliens had invaded and were busy with trying to take over the planet. “.....Like, maybe they left their TV on”, she finished lamely, pulling the headphones off.
Tony took back the headphones and listened some more. Try as he might, he just couldn’t make out what the faint noises were. Apparently, they were too far away from his planted 'Bugs’ to be made out. On the one 'Bug’ he planted upstairs, the faint noises were louder, on the other ‘Bug’ downstairs they could barely be heard. Tony finally had to conclude that Karen was probably right, that it was probably the TV in the Game Room. It would be just like the Preps to leave it on while they were away.
Tony listened for an hour more, and finally gave up. So far, his bugging plan had produced zero results, and he was beginning to wonder if it would work at all for uncovering Tad’s plans. The Preps were probably over at the Glass Jaw, or possibly staying at the Spencer Mansion for the weekend. He decided he needed a break, anyway. Turning off the Receiver off and putting it away, Tony and Karen left out of the basement door on the West side of the School, and went to the Garages by the Parking Lot. There Tony unlocked the far door and got out the Go-Kart, then he took Karen to the French Restaurant for dinner. Later on, after dark, they went to to Overlook for some long-delayed romance.
Angie arrived late back to the Girl’s Dorm. Most of the rest of the girls were still down at the Football Field, mingling with the Jocks. Wore out and still sore from the night before, she just went right to bed. It wouldn’t be until the next day that she began blabbing the story about the twin attacks to the other girls, ensuring another long night for the Preps to remain Hog-tied on the floors inside Harrington House.
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-
Angie was up late the next morning, and planned to go to the Clinic to be with Hal, but before she left, she began blabbing to the other girls about the Preps attacking them Friday night at the Autoshop. She even lifted up her shirt, showing the bruises on her belly where the rock-hard Eggs had smashed into her guts, but didn’t show her bruised boob. She made mention of a retaliatory attack, but since she had no real details, she was unable to blab about that, other than to say the Preps had been “Got Back” somehow. Shortly afterward, she had departed for the Clinic to be with Hal, who really hadn’t been in much shape to tell her what the Greasers had done in Harrington House the night before going to the Clinic.
The story made its way back to Karen, who heard it in a slightly distorted form from Hannah. Karen called Tony on her Cell Phone right after that and told him what she had heard. It seemed Tad had already carried out his plan against the Greasers virtually right under their noses. Although Tad had beaten Hal in the Ring, that apparently hadn’t been the end of it. Tony felt like an Idiot. While he had been spinning his wheels yesterday, listening futility for clues, Tad and the Preps had already pulled off an attack on the Greaser’s own turf. They all must be laughing their asses off about right now.
But Karen also mentioned that she had heard that there had been a retaliatory attack of some kind, and that Angie had been injured along with one of the other girls, and that she was going to see Hal in the Bullworth Clinic. His mind racing, Tony made the decision to go to the Bullworth Clinic to see what more he could find out, as it was closer than going further into New Coventry to the Blue Balls Bar. But little did Tony know as he headed over on his way that the full truth of the attacks would not be revealed today, and one crucial element would be left out of the stories he was about to hear.
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Arriving at the Clinic, Tony spotted Hal and Angie right away, as they were in the short-term outer ward. Hal was asleep, and Angie told him basically the same story he had heard from Karen, with a few additions about being surprised by the Preps and being stuffed in a Trash Can. She also related her ride to the Clinic along with Jessica and Binky in the basket of the bike. “Look where they shot me !”, Angie exclaimed, and yanked up her blouse, practically shoving her Boobs in Tony’s face. On her left Boob was an ugly bruise, and Tony decided he had heard enough and seen too much.
Tony then sought out Binky, who had been moved to one of the separate rooms. Walking in, he also found Peanut by her bedside. Tony set about electing from Peanut the story of the Prep attack and the retaliatory attack that the Greasers had done. “Dem Bastids just showed up and started shootin’ on us”, Peanut related. “Dey’s got the drop on us, and we runs to the back to finds a place to defends ourselves, buts dey followed and shoots down Hal, Ricky, and Angie. Me and Binks run back around and took cover behinds da Junker, and we fired back on dem till we runs out of ammo. Den I calls Tad out, and he fights me, but kicks me in da Nuts. Binks went afters him wid a Trash Can lid, ands that new Prep girl attacked Binks, and den, Tad stomps on Bink’s foot and brokes it ! Den theys all runned off afters that.”
Peanut went on to relate their counter-attack, once Lefty, Lucky, and Norton showed up and told of being attacked by the Preps at the Bike Park. “Den I realized dat dey had planned all dis, it weren’t no spur ‘o the minute thing....Tad used his his new slut-whore to distract dem and bushwhack dem, so’s dey coulds come afters us.” Peanut felt perfectly justified in launching the surprise counter-attack on the Preps, and Tony was inclined to agree. “We’s snuck up on dem, took out Chad, den we went to theys upstairs....Dey wus all sleepin’, not expectin’ us so soons...We gots our paybacks.”
“Dat bastid oughtta have his legs broke”, Binky said from her bed. “And dat Bitch Vanessa, I’ma gonna clean her clock whens I heals up.”
Peanut gave out a few more details but neglected to reveal that the Greasers had left the Preps tied up inside Harrington House. Tony told Peanut that Tad needed to be stopped before things got further out of hand. “We need to make him adhere to the Agreement that everyone signed, or the whole School is gonna go back into chaos. We need the cooperation of the other Cliques to enforce sanctions on them. I’m going to call a Clique Council meeting for tomorrow after School, in the Auditorium. I don’t want you to be messing with them now, your retaliatory attack was probably justified....”
“It WAS justified”, Peanut said, “We’s never done nuttin’ to thems, even after Hal lost dat fight ! Ands, even whens we didn’t have nuttins to do whit whats happened to Bif !”
“I believe you”, Tony told Peanut, “But your retaliation cancels out their attack. Still though...Tad started this whole thing somehow....I don’t know how....But be at that meeting, tell your side. It’s the only way to put a stop to this.”
Binky gripped Peanut’s hand. “Do It”, she said, her face bitter. “I’se can fight da Bitch later.”
Peanut looked back at Tony. “I’lls be dere, den.”
Tony nodded, and left. On his way back out of the Clinic, he passed another room’s open door, stopped, and looked back. He went to the doorway. “Um...Hi, Ms. Phillips.”
“Oh...Tony dear”, Ms. Phillips said surprised. “I’m glad to see you ! How are things going ?’
Tony gave a weak, but he hoped convincing, smile. “Um...We are holding our own, Ma’am.”
“That’s good, dear”, Ms. Phillips responded, “My Gally-Bear needs all the help he can get. Are you here to visit someone ?”
“Er...Yeah”, Tony evaded, “One of the new girls broke her foot, I was just seein’ how she’s doing.”
“Oh, how nice of you”, Ms. Phillips commented, and then said, “I’m able to walk a little now...Think I’ll finally be out of here next week !”
“Oh...That’s great !”, Tony said sincerely. “Next term, I want to take Art Class again.”
“That would be wonderful, dear”, Ms. Phillips said. “You can take the Advanced Class.”
They talked on for a few minutes more about the new Advanced Art course, then Tony said he had to get back to the school. “I gotta go, some Mediator stuff I gotta do.”
“Well, you go on then, keep the School safe”, Ms. Phillips said. “Have Karen come see me sometime, would you ?”
“I’ll, um...I’ll do that”, Tony said, and left. On his way back to the School, he began thinking of how to convince the other Clique Leaders to attend the very first Clique Council meeting without telling them too much beforehand.
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Tony had checked the Dragon’s Wing before returning to School, but the Nerds weren’t there, which meant that they were probably at the Observatory. As Tony approached the school, he called Karen back, telling her what he was going to do and that Peanut had essentially confirmed Angie’s story. He then headed down to the Observatory via the Football Field. Luckily, the Jocks were out on the Football Field, running some plays on their own. Tony found Ted and pulled him aside, explaining what was going on and telling him of the Clique Council meeting set for the next day. Ted readily agreed to be there, as Tony figured he would, since there was no love lost between the Jocks and the Preps.
Tony next went to the Observatory. After gaining admittance, he found the the Nerds were preparing to go run some G&G battle simulations. Tony pulled Melvin aside and told him of the Clique Council meeting meeting set for after classes the next day. Melvin appeared a little reluctant to come until Tony explained what had happened late Friday and early Saturday between the Greasers and the Preps. Once he heard that, Melvin agreed to be there. There was no love lost between the Nerds and the Preps either.
On his way back, Tony approached Harrington House. He had yet to tell Trent about the meeting, but figured he could catch the Bully leader at the Motel Parking Lot later that evening, as the Bullies weren’t around the School on Sunday. But Tad had to be told also, and Tony figured he’d better get that over with. By now, with all he had been through, Tony was no fool. He went through the unlocked gate with his Weapon drawn.
He found the Prep’s quad deserted, as well as the side yard. Over by the entrance doors were two overturned chairs and....Chad’s Dog, Chester. Tony approached the entrance doors, but Chester began to growl menacingly. Tony could have just shot the Dog, but held off. Chester wasn’t threatening to attack him, he saw, but was guarding the doors. When Tony backed away, Chester quieted down. Tony didn’t know what to make of that. He had been to Harrington House before, had been inside a few times, and the Dog never acted like that before. Something was fishy here.
Tony left the Harrington House Quad and headed to the side Garages by the Parking Lot, calling Karen on his Cell Phone along the way.
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Tony got his Flame Job Bike out of the Garage and headed off to the Vale. First he stopped at the Glass Jaw Boxing Gym to see if the Preps were there, licking their wounds. He went inside with his Spud Gun drawn, as he had zero trust in the Preps considering what had happened. But the inside was empty, both downstairs and upstairs in their Club Bar.
Next Tony biked off to the Beach House, not really expecting to find them there, and he was right. Not in the Beach House or anywhere around on the beach. Tony next rode up to Vale Valley Road where Spencer Mansion was located. The front gates were closed and locked and there was no one in evidence outside. Tony rode back around to the fancy Garage and found that gate unlocked. Proceeding with caution, he approached the Mansion from the side, walking around to the front door. He knocked and then pounded on the front door with no response. Before leaving, Tony checked the Gazebo in the side yard with no results.
Tony returned to his Bike and rode up and around to the upscale Basketball Court that was behind the old Bathhouse, where the Preps had been lured to by Lola before being sneak attacked by Algie last winter, and then he rode through the Park, seeing no Preps anywhere. Finally, he rode back down to the upscale Business District of the Vale and check out the Vale Hotel and Shay Lewis, then even looked in the Aquaberry Clothing Shop. Lastly, he rode to the Boardwalk by the River not far from the Glass Jaw and looked. No Dice.
Frustrated, Tony called Karen on his Cell Phone, and told her of his failure to locate the Preps, and that he was going back to the Motel and try to track down Trent to tell him of the next day’s Clique Council meeting. “But, something seems hinky here....Has anybody at School seen the Preps today ?’
“Not anybody I’ve talked to”, Karen said, “Course it’s Sunday....They don’t much hang around anywhere else on Campus except Harrington House on Sundays.”
“Well that’s what’s odd”, Tony said, telling her about Chester guarding the Prep’s doors and the overturned chairs outside.
“Maybe they’re just licking their wounds”, Karen suggested with a giggle.
“Well...Maybe”, Tony said. “But there was something strange about how that Dog was acting.” Tony thought for a moment while Karen waited. Then he had an idea. “Say....See if someone can find a Prefect and have them check Harrington House....Preferably Edward, he seems to like those rich creeps.”
“That’s because he used to be one himself”, Karen laughed. “I’ll see if some of the girls can find him to go check.”
With that, they finished their conversation, and Tony rode to the In-and-Out Motel. There at least, he was in luck...The Bullies were there, all right, entertaining themselves playing a game of Hackysack. Tony got Trent aside and told him of the next day’s Clique Council and what had led up to it. Trent readily agreed to be there. The Bullies had always had beefs with the Preps going back for years, the latest had been when Derby and the others had tried to horn in on their drug trade last year. There was no love lost between the Bullies and the Preps either.
Tony mounted up and rode to the French Restaurant. There he would get a delayed meal and get some take-out for Karen before heading back to School. Maybe there would be some news of Tad and the Preps by then.
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“Are you sure, Nicky ?”, Melody asked. “You think you’re well enough ?”
“Aww, Surr”, Nick replied through his teeth. “I Neeeds to Geet Ouuu, I Goinn Nuss Binn Cootd Upp Inn Tisss Plaass. It Juss Donn Thuu Steee Annie-Waas....Less Goo, Eey ?”
“All right, if you’re sure...”, Melody said, a little doubtfully.
“Surr I Surr”, Nick hissed, “C’mon.”
The two left the room and exited the Boar Inn. It was a bright sunny day out, and Nick had to squint as they headed up Vale Valley Boulevard. People were out and about, locals who lived here and also a lot of tourists. The shops and boutiques of the Vale’s upscale Business District had a goodly amount of customers this summer, now that the Valley was opened to the outside world. Ringed in by the State’s only real mountainous area and close to Narragansett Bay, the place was fast becoming a tourist destination.
As they passed the Crab Shack, Nick saw that the place was being fixed up. A sign in the window proclaimed, ‘GRAND RE-OPENING SOON !!’ Nick was glad, he missed having some Crabs to eat, a taste he had acquired while living in California. He particularly liked Alaskan Crab, billed as 'The Deadliest Catch’. Thinking of Crabs made him hungry, and he indicated to Melody that they should stop in at the Chef’s Restaurant. He could at least get some pudding or something he could suck through a straw.
Going inside, Melody spotted Tony eating in one of the booths, and nudged Nick and pointed. “Look !”, she said, “There’s Tony !” Nick nodded and they went over to his table.
“Oh, hey...Hi, guys !” Tony exclaimed through a mouthful of food, which he quickly gulped down. “Sorry we haven’t been around to see you for a few days....Some things have been going on.” Melody slid into the booth in the seat opposite and Nick sat beside her.
“Telll Usss”, Nick said. Tony proceeded to tell them the events of the past few days since Tad’s defeat of Hal in the Boxing Ring, the sneak attacks of the Preps and the Greaser’s retaliation, leaving out any mention of the Listening Devices he had been occupied with.
“Sooo Whaa Now ?”, Nick asked, “Whachooo Goin Doo?”
Tony told him about the Clique Council set for the next day. “Gotta shut the Preps down”, Tony said, “Get the other to condemn them and impose sanctions. It’s the only way for the Binding Agreement to work.”
Nick digested that information. The he said, “Iss Shuud Bee Therr.”
Tony leaned forward. “Are you sure you’re recovered enough ?”, he asked. “If the others see you as weak...”
“Theyy Woont See”, Nick told him. “Iss Bee Therr T’morrr.”
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The workout finished, the Students began to disperse from the Football Field Bleachers. A few of the girls held back from leaving, those with Jock Boyfriends and those who had their sights set on getting Jock boyfriends....Gloria, Hannah, Claire, and Joan.
Although the youngest, Gloria was far the more senior girl in terms of the length or her relationship with Damon and the amount of time at Bullworth Academy, the other girls were new to the School. Hanna Tauge, who had already been intimate with Bob Southby during the wild party thrown by Mandy, was pretty much recovered from her encounter and looking forward to more with the proper Lubricating Cream. Claire Sullivan, who would one day become the bitchy equal of Mandy, had already caged Dan Wilson into taking her out once already, and more dates would follow in quick succession. Joan Trimbly, one of the last eligible girls to come to Bullworth that summer, had her sights set on Luis Luna. She trotted down on the Field just as the practice was breaking up.
Standing by the bench where Luis was sitting, taking off his pads, Joan said “Looking good out there, chico grande !!”
Luis looked around to see a thinnish, pretty-looking girl with very long blondish-reddish hair. Belying her hair color, she had a darker completion, and stood about the same height as Lola, the Greaser girlfriend of Johnny Vincent. Luis could see that she had ample-sized boobs and good curves. “Umm....Gracias, uno más fino....You like my moves out there ?”
“Oh, Yes”, Joan said, coming closer. “I’m Joan....You must be Luis ?”
“Si, that’s me”, Luis replied. “You know my language ? Where are you from, señorita ?”
“I know a little”, Joan said, sitting on the bench beside him. “I’m from North Texas, but I got relations down in Coahuila on my Mamá’s side....She’s part-Mexican.”
“So how are you up here ?”, Luis asked, “A long away from domicilio ?”
“My Daddy moved here for a Job”, Joan sighed, “and Mamá and the others stayed in Texas...I’m the oldest.” She turned to Luis. “I’ve been watching you...You’ll seem like the closest thing to home here ! Everything seems so strange here !”
“Hmmm....Not so much different”, Luis told her, “Once a señorita gets used to things here, it is not so bad....I can show you.”
“Does that mean we could go on a Date somewhere ?”, Joan asked coyly.
“Absolutamente, Yellow Rose Joan !”, Luis said, “Have you seen the Carnival as yet ?”
They talked on, and yet another Jock was destined to come under a girl’s spell, moving the School one more step into the realm of normality. As they talked, the other girls were already moving off the Field with the Jocks they had snared. Prefects Edward and Max came down from the Bleachers also, and started back towards the School. There would be no trouble here, in fact there had not been much trouble around Bullworth lately, at least when they had been around. So little, in fact, that Seth and Carl had just taken the entire weekend off.
Gloria left the Field also, telling Damon to come and get her later to go out, she had a Math assignment to finish for the next day. She followed out after the two Prefects, feeling perfectly safe.
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By the time Tony returned to the School, bringing Karen a meal from the Chef’s Restaurant, the Preps had been found. As Karen had sat in the lounge area at the Girl’s Dorm, Gloria had entered, and Karen had inquired of her the whereabouts of Edward the Prefect. This Gloria knew, having followed both Edward and Max back from the Football Field. “They’re inside the School right now”, Gloria told her, “At least Max and Edward are.”
“Could you....Find Edward and have him come see me ?”, Karen asked. “It’s important...I can’t yet get out and about real fast with this cast very well.”
“I have to finish this Math assignment”, Gloria said primly. “I want to actually pass Math Class this time.”
Karen sighed. Gloria hadn’t gotten any credit for the Math Class last semester that Tony had taken her out of, after his confrontation with Mr. Hattrick. “Gloria, that wasn’t Tony’s fault, you know....The State canceled those Credits for everybody because of Hattrick’s selling test answers.”
“I didn’t buy any test answers”, Gloria said with a superior air. “I could have stayed, Mr. Hattrick would have passed me...”
“Tony told me you were upset and crying”, Karen said. “Hattrick had no right to leech on you.”
“That’s because Damon was missing, and...and....and....” Gloria took a deep breath, remembering, her words failing her for once.
“Gloria, he didn’t have the right to treat you like that”, Karen said gently. “Nobody does.”
Gloria looked at Karen. They had never been the best of friends, due in large part to Gloria’s snooty attitude, but they had never been enemies either. “I, um....I guess I could go tell Edward you want to see him...”
“Tell him that Preps are missing”, Karen said, “That’ll get him to come.”
Karen had hobbled outside and waited on the front steps. It only had taken about ten minutes before Gloria was back, having found Edward on the ground floor of the School. Karen had known that Edward was more likely to come than the others, since he had been a former Prep himself. She set about explaining to Edward about the events that had transpired over the weekend. Edward wasn’t really surprised that the Preps had attacked the Greasers, but when Karen told of the retaliatory attack against the Preps and the fact that the Preps hadn’t been seen at all since then, not around Campus or in anywhere in their hangouts in the Vale, Edward became interested. Karen topped it off by telling him of the overturned chairs and Chester guarding the doors to Harrington House.
Edward decided to go check it out, and returned to the School to get Max to go along with him to Harrington House. There was no growls of protest from a very hungry Chester as the two Prefects entered Harrington House and found Chad, bound and Hog-tied just inside the doors. The ropes were so well tied that they had to be cut free. Chad indicated the other Preps were in the building, they were found and released from their bonds in a similar fashion. They all had injuries, the most major of them at this point seemed to be the rope burns on their wrists and ankles from being bound for nearly 40 hours. They were all very dehydrated also. Tad and Vanessa had powder burns on their sides where the M-80's had gone off in their bed.
As the Preps were being freed from their bonds, Tony returned to the Girl’s Dorm to find Karen still waiting on the front steps. She had called him right before he left Nick and Melody at the Chef’s Restaurant and told him what was going on. When Tony had pulled up his bike in front of her, it was already getting dusk. Sitting down next to her, he gave her the take-out meal.
“Heard anything yet ?”, he asked Karen.
“Nothing yet”, Karen replied, opening up her meal. “Shouldn’t be long, though.”
“What, are they going to report back to you ?”, Tony asked, laughing.
“Somebody will”, Karen said, digging into her meal. “You know how the grapevine is around this place. We’ll find out soon enough.”
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Stiff from their long ordeal, the Preps were slow to limber up. It was rather comical to watch them try to move around after their ordeal of being Hog-tied for so long. Tad complained bitterly to Edward about the Greasers attack on them and denied having had anything to do with attacking the Greasers first. He demanded that punishment be dealt out to the Greasers for their insolence in even spreading such a scurrilous story.
“It seems there is a young girl in the Bullworth Clinic with a broken foot that tells a different tale”, Edward said mildly. “Are you sure your group didn’t provoke this attack ?”
“Liars !”, Tad exclaimed. “They’re all Liars ! Are you going to believe what those low-life Peons say ? After what they did to Bif ? They’re the ones who should be punished ! Arrogant Bastards !”
“I don’t know what to believe”, Edward said, “You’d better get you stories straight !”
Tad tried a different tact. “We’re injured....We all need to go to the Clinic to document our injuries ! There will be Lawsuits !”
The Preps were made ready to be escorted to the School Clinic by Max while Edward fed and watered Chester the Dog. It was a funny sight as the Preps filed out of Harrington House, walking jerkily like broken robots. It would take quite awhile for them to work out the stiffness in their joints from their captivity. Unfortunately for them, the Jocks and their girlfriends were passing by the Fountain, on their way out to an evening at the Carnival. Seeing the strange sight of the Preps walking like drunken Winos, they erupted into gales of laughter as they pointed and jeered. The Preps, trying to concentrate on walking one step after another, said nothing in their shame.
While Max took them inside the School, Edward went back to the Girl’s Dorm to fetch Nurse McRae. As he did, he questioned further Tony and Karen, who were still on the front steps. Tony told him more about the Prep attacks on the Greasers, and who they said was involved, plus those who had been injured and how badly. “Binky and Hal are still in the Bullworth Clinic because of their injuries”, Tony told him, “And might be there for awhile, looks like. I seen 'em myself.”
Edward digested that information. “I don’t know what’s the matter with those boys. Things haven’t been right with those fellows since Miss Pinky broke up with Derby and started hanging about with that Mobster’s son.”
Tony didn’t bother to say that the Prep’s troubles probably started long before that, when they had joined in league with Gary Smith to try and take over the School. What was the point ? Edward went in and got Nurse McRae and they went to the School Clinic. A little while later, a Cab was called to transport Tad and Vanessa over to the Vale Clinic for treatment of the burns on their sides from the M-80s. Tony left Karen at the Dorm, putting his bike away in the garage, then taking the long walk back to the In and Out Motel. Tomorrow was bound to be an interesting day.
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By Lunchtime on Monday, the final week of Summer School, the news of the attacks and counter-attacks had spread like wildfire and was the trending subject of nearly every conversation. The Lunch Room was packed much more than normal, and it had nothing to do with the quality of Edna’s food, but the quantity of the rumors and wild stories being bandied about. None of either the Greasers or the Preps had shown up for class, and that only served to fuel speculation on what exactly had gone down.
Tony chose to have his Lunch with Karen, picked up from the Chef’s French Restaurant, and was for the time sparred from answering the seemingly endless stream of questions from the other Students. But the time came where he had to return to afternoon classes and be nagged for information, to which he tried to deflect the inquiries by pleading a lack of facts about the attacks. He was sparred from further badgering by the Students by being called out of class by Mr. Galloway before the end of the period.
“Well, my boy, it seems like there was a really big problem over the weekend”, Mr. Galloway said, sounding somewhat like Dr. Crabblesnitch. “What do you know about this ?”
“Well, it seems like beating Hal in the Boxing Ring wasn’t enough for the Preps, they decided to do some sneak attacks on the Greasers”, Tony began, and went on to detail all of what he knew about the attacks, including the injuries that were suffered. As he finished up, Mr. Galloway rose and turned, staring out at the Back Quad through the window.
“This is going to create quite a problem”, Mr. Galloway reflected. “This School is already on thin ice with the State Board of Education, what with those bombings and attempted takeover by those Punks, and then that unfortunate business of those girls being kidnapped...” He paused. “And then there was that fight between Ms. Phillips and Miss Jones....And just last week a boy was savagely attacked and beaten inside the School....All of those are already weighing against us.” He sighed. “What are we going to do, Tony ?”
“I've called a Clique Conference for right after School today”, Tony said, “We can sort this out, impose sanctions, recommend punishments....”
“Do you really think that will work ?”, Mr. Galloway reflected sadly. “Once those News Hounds get ahold of this, there will be another nail in the Bullworth coffin.”
“None of this is out to the Media yet”, Tony told him, unsure if that was true or not. “Let us try to deal with this and use the Binding Agreement, give us a chance to work it out....It’s our only chance, to take action first !”
Mr. Galloway deliberated. This entire summer had seemed like one big nasty roller-coaster ride, and he so badly wanted a drink. A feeling of hopelessness enveloped him. He glanced towards Tony’s searching eyes, looking to him for guidance. Tony, the boy who had helped pull his ass from the fire when what Bethany Jones had done to him could have nearly had ended his career. “I....Think it worth a try”, he said at last. “But Tony, it’s got to work. It just has to, or else....” He left the implication unspoken.
“It will, Mr. Galloway”, Tony assured him, rising to leave, “I’ll make it work, somehow.” But on his way to the Auditorium, Tony was only sure of one thing....He had no idea of just what would happen.
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As Tony entered the Auditorium, he was surprised to find Nick already there waiting on him. He walked down the aisle towards the Stage where Nick was leaning up against it. “I wasn’t expecting you so early”, Tony said, “It’s still about 15 minutes before the bell.”
Nick shrugged. “Nottin’ Berrr Ta Doo”, he replied. “Mo’on...I’ss Elp Youu Getss Daa Staase Seet Upp.”
The two went up on stage and back to the Props area and moved out a couple of tables, which took some time, returning for some chairs. “You Ok to be doing this ?”, Tony asked.
Nick shrugged again. “Gesss Soo”, he said. “Theey saad Nott Too Exxrt Selff Too Mucch.”
Except for the small square flesh-colored bandage on his neck, Nick looked the same as he always had. When the wires came off his jaw, Tony suspected he would once again sound like the old Nick, also. But Tony knew just how close the Pellet came to Nick’s right Common Carotid Artery. He also knew that until Nick healed completely, even a small punch to the head could hold serious danger for him....Maybe even death.
“Nick....You know, don’t you ?”, Tony asked, “You know that it could be dangerous for you if....Y’know, someone tries to fight you....Right ?”
“Ohh, I’ss Knoos”, Nick replied. “Butt Theey Doont. Derr Stilll Affraid Oves Mees.”
“What about Melody ?”, Tony asked, “What does she think ?”
Nick shrugged a third time. “Harrd Too Telll....Shess Stilll Affraids....Woont Goos Outs Aloone....I’ss Gots Too Bee Strongs Ferr Herr.”
Tony wanted to talk further, but the bell rang just then. In less than a minute, there was a noise as the Auditorium Doors were opened. The first of the Clique Leaders was coming in.
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Ted appeared first, along with Mandy and Damon. Approaching the stage where Tony and Nick sat at a table, he stopped and asked,
“Isn’t this supposed to be a private conference ? Cuz, there’s a whole buncha kids out there milling around.”
Tony hadn’t thought of that. “Um, yeah....We need somebody to guard the doors, just let in the Clique Leaders and their Seconds....”
“And their Girlfriends”, Mandy chipped in. Tony hadn’t thought of that, either.
“Damon can do that”, Ted said. “He’s real good at guarding things. He’s gonna keep me from getting sacked all this season.”
That bit of praise from Ted did the trick. “I’se just...Go guards the doors, den”, Damon said, and headed back up the aisle. Ted and Mandy took seats in the front row to wait on the others. I wasn’t long before Peanut appeared, with Norton trailing, who had recovered better than the others. Binky of course wasn’t with him, still being in the Clinic. Next, Trent appeared, all by himself. Finally, Melvin came through the doors with Jimmette close behind. They took seats, waiting with the others.
After some small talk for about 10 minutes, Tony said, “Well, I guess that’s all that’s coming...Let’s get this show on the road. We’re here to consider the actions of the Preps and the Greasers in the attacks on each other over the weekend, and to consider any sanctions or punishments that should be imposed. We’ll first hear testimony from Peanut and Norton here.”
Peanut stood and said, “It wuz like this...Dem Joirks lured some of my guise away to da Bike Park, den had dem distracted so’s dey could shoots dem in da backs ! Den afters dat, dey come and hid like cowards arounds da Autoshop an’ bushwhacked us when’s we comed arounds da corner ! Dey shot Hal’s goril Angie several times, and den Tad kicked me’s in the balls when I tries to fight him man to man...Den he stomped on Binky and busted her foot !” He went on to detail the attack behind the Auto shop and then had Norton tell of how Vanessa lured the others to the Bike Park and stripped nearly naked and danced to a boom-box in order to distract them.
Tony next directed Peanut to relate their retaliatory attack on the Preps, since no one from the Preps had showed up. Peanut said, “It was like dis, sees...We hads the rights to get dem backs, so’s we done it, sneaked into der place like dey sneaked into our place. Dey weren’t expecting no hitback so soon, ands we caught dem in der beds, an’ let 'em have it fer what dey done’s to us ! I just calls dat as bein’ Justified !”
Tony then opened up discussion with the other Cliques as to what should be done. Although each and every one present had at one time or another pulled off surprise attacks against others as a Clique, they had not bushwacked them, per se. The whole thing brought up the spector of the sneak bushwhack attacks engineered by Algie, and reminded them of the ultimate unfairness in this place of unfairness.
Tony then called for a vote of sanctions against two Cliques. It was unanimous against the Preps, as the Clique leaders wanted to send the message that what the Preps had done was not at all right, particularly since the Jocks and Bullies were uneasy that those tactics could be used against them if they did not condemn them. When it came to the Greasers, however, there was quite a bit of discussion of whether sanctions were warranted or not, since in effect the Greasers had done the same bushwhack, only without the girl for a lure. In the end, no sanctions were leveled against the Greasers and their attack was ruled Justified, mostly due to the fact that the other Cliques hated the Preps more.
Then it came time to decide just what sanctions and punishments were to be leveled against the Preps. After some discussion, it was decided to withhold any goods or services that the Preps might request from the other Cliques or Students, and to make the Preps relinquish their Weapons for a period of one month. Peanut argued for more, but in the end had to compromise. That seemed to wrap things up, as the meeting had been going on for nearly an hour, and Tony prepared to close the Clique Council. But before he could do so, there was a commotion from the doors leading into the Auditorium.
Tad burst in then, followed by Bryce. Not exactly walking, they moved like Crabs down the aisle. “Everyone start this Lynch Party without us ?”, Tad sneered.
“How Rude of you all !!”
_______________________________________
-
The Auditorium went silent as Tad and Bryce moved down the aisle. “What ? Nothing to say ?", Tad mocked as he came closer to the Stage. “Well that's just fine, because I have plenty to say !"
“You couldn't be found to be contacted", Tony said coldly into the stillness, “So, the matter has been decided in your absence. It's over and done."
“Over and Done ?", Tad mocked. “Over and Done ? This whole thing is a Farce !! Do you really think anyone is going to abide by what YOU decide here ?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do”, Tony replied. “Your Reign of Terror is gong to come to a halt before it even gets started."
“MY Reign of Terror ?”, Tad ridiculed, “MY Reign of Terror ? HA, that’s Rich !! There’s your Terrorists right there”, he said, pointing at Peanut and Norton. “THEY are the ones who ATTACKED US in our BEDS !! And, the ones who waylaid poor Bif !!”
“Youse Knows Dats A LIE !!”, Peanut shot back before Tony could answer. “We’s had nuttin’ to do with what happened to hims, And Youse Motherfuckers Bushwacked Us !!”
“OH ?”, Tad cried, “Is That So ? Where are your Witnesses, then ? Besides any of you Greasebags or your filthy Girlfriends, that is !”
“Why, Youse ASSHOLE !!!”, Peanut shouted, leaping up as best he could in spite of his injuries, “I’se Gonna Kick Your Sorry Prep Ass !!”
“Like You Did The Last Time ?”, Tad taunted. “You Couldn’t Fight Your Way Out Of A Paper Bag !!”
“Youse Cants Fights Like A Man, Youse COWARD !!”, Peanut shot back, “All’s Youse Can Do’s Is Cheap Shots Inna NUTS !!”
“ENOUGH !!!”, Tony shouted. “This Ends Now !! Tad, it’s been decided...By vote, you Preps must turn over all your Weapons for the next month, and....”
“WHAT ?”, Tad interrupted. “We Will Do No Such Thing !!”
“Then....They will be taken from you by force”, Tony told him.
“You Can’t Be Serious !”, Tad exclaimed. A look around at the other Clique Leaders were only met with cold stares. The Auditorium fell silent as the others looked at him with hostility. Tad decided to change tactics. “This whole thing is between us and the Greaseballs....It isn’t any of you other’s concern”, he said haughtily.
“That’s not the way we see it”, Ted commented. “If you Preps can do that to the Greasers, you can do that to any of us.”
Tad turned to Ted in disbelief. “There’s no fight between us and the Jocks ! I can’t believe you are teaming up with these people after my Father’s money built you a new Clubhouse !” Tad then whirled on Melvin. “And you...After my Father’s money restored you precious Observatory !”
“Yeah, well you’re not buying anyone’s allegiance with your Daddy’s money now, are you ?”, Tony said cuttingly.
Tad glared back at Tony. Hatefully, he said, “This is all your fault, Calderone ! We were all just fine before you came here, playing Hero and getting our Fathers arrested ! You’re the REAL Scum here, mucking up the School with your glory and now your fucking Agreement !”
“Well, life Sucks, don’t it ?”, Tony shot back. “Get used to it or get left behind !”
“I was here long before you, Interloper !....It’s YOU that’s the problem here, not us Preps !”, Tad retorted. He came closer to the Stage and glared at Tony. “I demand satisfaction ! I challenge you to a Fight !!”
“You’re calling ME out ?”, Tony said, surprised. “On what grounds ?”
“On the grounds of destroying the traditions of Bullworth Academy”, Tad said testily. “Are you going to Man Up or Chicken Out ?”
All eyes were fastened on Tony. Unthinkingly, he said, “Sure, I’ll fight you. Just say when and where, and I’ll be there ! And when I win, you are going to abide by the rulings of this Clique Council from now on, give over you Weapons and take whatever Sanctions are imposed on the Preps. Agreed ?”
A snarky half-smile came to Tad’s face. “Agreed”, he said. “Next Thursday night, at the Glass Jaw. It’s only fair that I have time to recover from those Slimeball’s dastardly attack. And when I win, we keep our Weapons and us Preps opt out of all this Agreement nonsense. We go back to how things were. Do you agree ?”
At the table, Nick, who had purposely stayed silent, gave Tony a look that read, What The Fuck Are You Doing ?
“Yes”, Tony said, well aware that all eyes were on him. “It’s time to settle this once and for all.”
“Fine, then”, Tad said, and turned to go. “Thursday at Eight, and don’t be late, or it’s a Forfeit...If you don’t show, everyone will know what a Chicken Shit you really are.” Tad marched out of the Auditorium, as well as he could. Bryce hesitated, and then followed.
As they did, Tony was mentally kicking himself for letting Tad trick him into a fight at the Prep’s Boxing Ring. His dream of more than a week ago flooded back on him then. What had he gotten himself into ? He had never Boxed. What now ?
Still standing, he felt the stares of the others on him. “This meeting is Adjourned !”, he said loudly.
___________________________________
-
Melody looked out the door to her room down the hall at the Boar Inn once more. She was increasingly being fraught with anxiety that Nick hadn’t returned yet. It had only been a couple of hours, but they had not been apart this long since shortly after her rescue, when she had been waiting by his bedside in the Clinic for him to wake up. And neither Nick or her had been much of anywhere since then, and certainly not back at the School, where he was now. She agonized for his safety, sure that something was bound to happen to him, and was at the same time terrorized by that possibility.
Her mental state was very fragile still, less than a month after his valiant rescue of her from her tormenters. They were gone now, but in her mind the fear was still there. She was like a broken Vase that was being held together by Crazy Glue. Vile images still filled her distorted nightmares of what those Townies had done to her, and many times she awoke in horror, sobbing as Nick comforted her. If he wasn’t there, she just knew she would go crazy.
She wished she could have dealt out justice to her attackers the way that Zoe Taylor did. Karen had told her what Zoe did (with Trent’s help) to Big Darrell after he raped her last Fall, and what she had done to Otto and Leon when they threatened to rape her afterwards. Melody would never get that chance, the Townies being taken away now, locked up somewhere. But, it sure would have helped.
Melody stole another look out of the door to her room, looking down the long hall towards the front. She was much like a Dog, waiting hungrily for a meal, looking for several moments. Then she saw someone enter from the front, only it wasn’t Nick...It was Pinky. Her eyes narrowed. She knew Pinky was staying here too, having caught her seemingly spying from down the hall a few times when she would come out of the Bathroom near the rear of the Boar Inn. Pinky would always be gone from sight before Melody reached her room, however.
As she stood watching, peeking down the hall, several things came to mind. One was Nick mentioning that Tony didn’t like to visit them much because Pinky was staying here also. Another was the time was an offhand comment Christy made not too long after her breakup with Bif in the spring that the all the Preps were nothing more than lying seducers bent on leading others outside their class-standings into phony relationships for their own evil plans and purposes. And then, there was Karen’s absolute hatred of Pinky herself, having slammed Pinky into a wall at least twice during the past year because of her supposed attentions to Tony.
And then the thought struck Melody that maybe there was more to it than Karen knew. She suddenly remembered one early morning last Winter, right before Christmas and the Great Clique War. She had awoken early, before dawn, and couldn’t get back to sleep, so she had dressed and went outside the Girl’s Dorm to sit on the front steps to await the dawn. From her vantage point, she could see down the pathway to the main path from the Entrance to the School, and beyond that, down the pathway straight to the Boy’s Dorm. Right about the time the sky began to lighten, she saw Tony appear from the main pathway and turn into the path to the Boy’s Dorm. His head was down, and he was moving wearily as he mounted the steps to his Dorm and went inside. The very next day, she heard Pinky had moved back into the Beach House after her final breakup with Derby. But instead of being morose, Pinky carried an air of satisfaction, particularly if Karen was anywhere in the vicinity. It was almost as if.....
As Pinky came a little ways down the hall, she noticed Melody peeking out of her room and gave her an odd, condensing, smarmy look before mounting the stairs to the second floor and disappearing from sight. The look chilled Melody to the bone, and suddenly, she knew. Pinky had somehow gotten to Tony, and now she was after Nick.
_____________________________________
-
“Merde, you have really done it this time, No ?”, Laurent exclaimed. He was sitting in the sparsely-populated Bleachers alongside Tony, whose troubled eyes were watching the Jocks working out on the Football Field without really seeing them.
“Yeah, I guess so”, Tony replied glumly. He had wandered down here to think after the Clique Council meeting, but wound up revealing what had taken place there to Laurent. “I donno what to do now. I can’t Box.”
“It may be....You can Parkour them with you feet ?”, Laurent suggested.
“I don’t think that’s allowed in Boxing”, Tony said morosely, “Leastways, I never seen any fighters doing that. “Maybe in Kickboxing....”, he trailed off.
“Oui, that is what I was thinking of”, Laurent replied. “I have seen it on the Television before.”
“In the kind of Boxing the Preps do, it’s just with the big gloves”, Tony said, “I’ve watched a couple of their fights. I think kicking is a foul in their type of boxing.” Although, it seemed fine for Tad to kick someone in the Nuts during a regular fight, Tony reflected.
“So, what are you going to do ?”, Laurent asked. “Take some training from somebody ?”
“The only ones who know Boxing Moves are the Preps”, Tony answered, and then something occurred to him. “And....Nick ! He fought Derby in that Ring, and Won !” But as he said that, reality asserted itself. Nick was in no shape to fight, let alone train. Deflated, Tony added, “But....He’s still recovering. He won’t be able to do any training for awhile....” If Ever, Tony thought, but didn't say.
“Just where is Nick right now?”, Laurent asked. “Even I have not seen him in awhile.”
“Oh, he went off with Peanut and the rest of the Greasers”, Tony said glumly, “Said he’d see me later.”
The two boys sat in silence for awhile. It didn’t occur to Tony to ask why Laurent wasn’t down on the Field, working out with the other Jocks. If he had asked, Laurent would have told him they weren’t doing any running plays in this particular scrimmage. Nor did Tony notice the absence of Kirby or Coach Sanders. He had other things on his mind, namely how to beat Tad and salvage the whole Binding Agreement. If he failed....Well, he didn’t want to think about that. There had to be something he could do.
“Um...I could show you some evade moves”, Laurent said suddenly. “I have to keep ze Footsball away from the other team...I could teach you that.”
It sounded to Tony like at least a start. After all, Laurent had taught him how to Parkour, maybe he could show him how to stay away from Tad’s punches. “Sure, that sounds good”, he said, “Only...Not here. Someplace Private.” He thought for a bit. “The Nerd’s Battle Yard....That’s the place. Can you meet me by the Library later ?”
“Oui, I can do”, Laurent replied. “But when later ?”
“Couple hours”, Tony said, “I got to go see Karen first.”
_____________________________
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Monday bled over into Tuesday, bringing ever closer the end of Summer School. Tony awoke from another sorted dream having to do with the upcoming fight, and strangely, the Monks were also present in that dream as silent onlookers which no one was able to see but himself. The whole dream seemed jumbled and bizarre, and he could remember little of it. Tony went to the Motel room’s small bathroom to get himself ready for School. Once that was done, he set out for the Bus Stop near the Motel.
While waiting, Tony got a Cell Phone call, and digging the phone from his pocket, he was surprised to see it was from Nick. From what he could understand through Nick’s slurred words was that he wanted to meet Tony back at the Motel after school, as he had something he wanted to show him. Nick urged him to bring Karen if he could, but didn’t try to explain what it was that he wanted Tony to see. Mystified after the conversation, Tony boarded the School Bus with the Bullies and went to Class.
When Lunchtime came, he grabbed some fruits to take to Karen at the Dorm. While they sat talking, Tony told her about Nick’s strange phone call. Karen had no idea of what Nick wanted to show them. She couldn’t call Melody to find out either, because she had yet to replace her Cell Phone. They speculated on just what it cold be that Nick wanted them to see, but Tony decided it wasn’t urgent, as Nick would have probably insisted that he see it sooner. Karen, who was getting around even better in her cast now, assured Tony she could make the trip if he would ride her over on his Bike handlebars. With that settled, Tony returned to School for his Math Class, where he found out his Math finals would be given on Thursday, the same day as the upcoming Boxing match with Tad.
After school, he went and got his Bike from the Garage and stopped by the Girl’s Dorm and picked up Karen, placing her sitting on the handlebars facing him. They took off then, a little wobbly at first, then picking up speed. Karen began to make funny faces at Tony to lighten the mood, and by the time they reached the Motel, some laughter relieved their tension. As Tony coasted toward his room, Nick was already there along with Melody, whom he has coaxed from the Boar Inn to come along. Both girls took to talking as soon as Karen had dismounted, and Tony turned to Nick to find out what he wanted him to see.
“Stash your bike in your room”, Nick said. “What I want to show you isn’t far, we can walk it from here.”
“Well, Ok, guess I can, long as it’s not too far....”, Tony began, then stopped in surprise. “Hey, you can talk !!”
“Got those damn wires removed today”, Nick said, pointing at his jaw. “Kinda sore, can’t open it all the way...But yeah, feels better. I won’t have to suck Jello through a straw anymore. Com’on, let’s go. Can Karen walk ?”
“Depends on how far”, Tony answered. “Where’s this at, anyway ?”
“Not far”, Nick said, and no matter what Tony asked, he refused to tell him anything further, only saying that it was a “Surprise.” Mystified, Tony put his Bike in the room and locked it up. They all set out then in the direction of New Coventry. With the boys in the lead, Karen clumped along with Melody, still talking. Being a little slower, the boys had to stop and wait several times for them to catch up. It wasn’t until they had passed under the overpass and then turned to the right at the next street that Tony would realize that they were heading to the indoor Bike Park building. He still had questions, but Nick would tell him nothing. Going inside, he led the group towards the back and then to the left, where Tony would see just what Nick had brought him here to show him.
Ahead was a crudely-constructed Boxing Ring, complete with ropes and poles holding them up. Peanut and Norton were there, along with a few of the Greasers, awaiting them. Nick then told Tony that he had gotten the Greasers to construct the Boxing Ring overnight, and that he was going to train Tony how to Box.
“But....You can’t spar with me, you’re not in shape !”, Tony exclaimed.
“Not yet”, Nick said, “But I know how to Box, from way back. Took training out in L.A. when I lived there. Don’t forget I beat Derby in the ring. But I’m not going to spar with you....Norton is.”
“Norton ?!?”, Tony exclaimed again. “He doesn’t know how to Box either !”
“I know that too”, Nick said, “But I’ll be right behind him all the way.” He looked at Peanut. “You guys ready here ?”
“Will be, just gives us a minute”, Peanut said. Turning to the other Greasers, he said, “Ok, gets Norton ready !”
Lefty, Lucky, and Ricky went to some boxes by the Ring that Tony hadn’t noticed, and pulled out an array of stuff....Pads, Pillows, Rope, and a couple of Headguards. They began applying them to Norton while Tony watched in amazement. “Where’d you get this stuff ?”, he asked Nick.
“The Pads and Headguards came from the Jocks”, Nick said, “And the Pillows and Rope came from the Bullies....They probably stole them from somewhere. All the Cliques chipped in with something. Everyone wants you to beat Tad.”
“What about the Nerds ?”, Tony asked as the three Greasers finished with Norton and made their way to Tony do dress him up similarly in Pads and Pillows. “What did they chip in ?”
Nick went to a second, smaller box next to the first and reaching inside, pulled out two sets of Boxing Gloves. “These....From the junk in the Dragon’s Wing basement. Sure is a lotta crap down there.”
The last thing Tony would have expected was that the Nerds would have stashed Boxing Gloves. While the Greasers tied on the Pads and Pillows to him, Nick Laced up one set of Boxing Gloves on Norton, the came back over to Tony to lace up the other set of Boxing Gloves on him. Then he told both to get in the Boxing Ring, and climbed in after them.
Tony still didn’t know how Nick was going to train him and still stay out of possible harm’s way himself. “Simple”, Nick told him. “I’m gonna stand behind Norton here, and just grab on to the ropes from his back to guide him. I’ll tell him what punches to throw and how to block and evade, just like I saw Tad do in the fight with Hal. At the same time, I’m gonna instruct you on punches, conter-punches, blocks, and evades. We’ll start out slow and work our way faster as we go. Are you both ready ?”
Lacking a bell, Peanut comically said “DING !!” real loudly, and the training began. It was very slow at first, with Nick guiding Norton around from behind and telling both what to do, the padding and pillows keeping any of the punches from inflicting any damage. Ricky went and got a couple of chairs from somewhere so Karen and Melody could sit down. As the afternoon bled away into evening, they picked up the pace, taking breaks along the way. By the time 10 O’clock came around, Tony seemed to have mastered the basics, Nick judged, and called it a night.
“But there’s more”, Nick said, “We need to train tomorrow too. Then, I’ll teach you speed and how to counter your opponent’s own moves and speed.”
“But...I got a Math final I gotta study for”, Tony said. “How about I come later ? I can make it....About 7 O’clock ?”
“That’ll do, I reckon....That all right with you guys ?”, Nick asked the Greasers.
“We’s be heres”, Peanut said. “We gets to learns stuff too.”
That settled, Tony and Norton had their Pads, Pillows, and Gloves undone and stored away. Everyone exited the Bike Park, which the Greasers then locked up. Going back to the Motel, Tony and Karen bid goodbye to Nick and Melody, who returned to the Boar Inn. Karen stayed with Tony in his room. As tuckered out as he was, Tony still had enough energy to snuggle with Karen and more until Midnight.
_______________________________________
-
As Wednesday came around, it was more of the same. After dropping Karen off at the Dorm and putting his bike away, Tony went to Class. At Lunch, he again brought Karen some fruits from the Cafeteria, and they sat on the front steps of the Girl’s Dorm. As she ate, she told Tony that she would smuggle him up to her room and help him study for his Math final after School. Having already passed that particular Class that Tony had walked out of, she felt sure she could prepare him. Relieved, Tony did just that after School, working and learning with Karen, marveling again as to what a brainy person she was, in addition to all her other attributes.
By the time that 6 O’clock had passed, Tony felt confident he could not only pass the Math final, but actually do better than average. It was the time to return to the Bike Park and finish his training with Nick to also gain confidence to be able to outlast Tad in the Boxing Ring. Karen however declined to go with him this time. “You’re going to be up rather late, I expect, and if we do what we did last night, you’ll be too weary to win the fight tomorrow night.” Reluctant as he was to leave her, Tony knew what she said was true. He needed to get the maxim rest possible tonight, with no distractions. There would be plenty of time for that once tomorrow night was over, one way or another.
So, Tony went and got his Bike, and headed off to the Bike Park building. Nick was there, waiting on him, but without Melody this time, who had also elected not to come. Peanut, Norton, Lefty and Lucky were there once again, but Ricky was off with Jessica somewhere. It made no difference other than taking a bit longer to attach the Pads, Pillows, and Headgear to both Tony and Norton once more. Then, it was back in the Ring, where Nick continued his instruction.
Tony was able to evade much better, after having been shown some evasive maneuvers by Laurent. Nick added some pointers, as in how to evade punches by throwing his body back away from an attacker. Mostly, Nick worked on moving the fighters around the Ring, as he had observed that technique from Tad’s fight with Hal, who had been unable to move fast enough due to his bulk. Tad had run circles around Hal, swooping in and punching him at will. Nick intended to see that didn’t happen to Tony. He also coached Tony to hit with more body shots and belly punches also.
Around 11 O’clock, Tony actually got in a side punch that knocked the much bigger Norton down. Due to all the padding and Headguard, Norton wasn’t hurt any at all, just surprised. Nick decided to call it a night then. If Tony wasn’t ready now, he never would be. But Nick thought Tony would have at least an even chance against Tad now. “Let’s call it, Gentlemen...Put your money on the Great Calderone for tomorrow night !”
Tony extended a glove to Norton and helped him back up. “Er...Sorry Norton....I didn’t mean to do that.”
“S’allright”, Norton answered, “I ain’t hurts none.” He brushed himself off. “But lisssens....You kick dat dog’s sorry ass tomorrow nights, y’hear ?”
Tony grinned. “I’m sure gonna try my best....Thanks for being my sparring partner, Norton.”
All their padding was removed, and the gloves unlaced. Watching, Peanut thought he should get Nick to train all of the Greasers, including himself, how to Box. It occurred to him just then that if his Clique could learn how, it would take away the advantage the Preps had over them. He thought also, they could upgrade this here crude Boxing Ring, make it a permanent fixture in this corner of the Bike Park.
All the equipment was packed away in the boxes again, except for the Boxing Gloves, which Nick took charge of. There wouldn’t be a need for Padding, Pillows, or Headguards come tomorrow night. Tony and Nick left the Bike Park and went back to the Motel. Before moving on to the Boar Inn, Nick had some words for Tony.
“Get plenty of rest, and don’t stress over the fight”, he advised. “I think you’re ready. Believe in yourself....You can take him out, and this sorry shit will all be over. I’ll see you tomorrow, after Class. Think WIN, and you will be a Winner.”
___________________________________________________
-
Tony awoke with confidence. Today was the big day, but he felt prepared for it. As he got ready for School, he mentally reviewed the finals he was going to take today. The one for Biology one would be simple....Just cut up another dead Animal, take it’s guts out, identify them, and dump them haphazardly back into the carcass....Simple. And the Geography final ? It would be on States and Countries, facts that Tony knew already. In fact, he was looking forward to visiting many of those places himself someday.
And, he had confidence he would stand a chance against Tad in the Boxing Match. Tony suspected that Tad had been injured more than he had let on by the Greasers retaliatory attack, and probably had done little training for the Match, believing himself to be superior to a non-boxer such as himself. He may have the edge in Boxing experience, but Tony felt that maybe he had a few tricks up his gloves. Karen had let him know that practically the whole School was planning to turn up at the Glass Jaw tonight to show their support. The place would be packed, she predicted.
Still, a little uneasiness nagged at Tony. Why had he so rashly taken Tad’s bait for a Boxing Match in the first place ? Images of his dream about being knocked down for the count still haunted him, although the dream hadn’t returned last night. And, even so, his dreams didn’t always turn out to be true, they were more like warning him of what could be rather than what would be. Still though, that little finger of doubt remained, like a splinter in a thumb.
But he vowed not to let that small doubt grow and consume him. There were other things he must do this day to move his life forward, namely, pass his finals. Tony went to School, and went to Class. The first two were easy, as he predicted....Cut up what turned out to be a dead Piglet. They were greeted by Dr. Slawter, the Biology teacher, with the phrase, “Good Morning Class...Are we all ready to cut something open for a grade today ?” As the time progressed, Tony did well, working with almost surgical precision. Near the end of the period, Dr. Slawter was heard to inhale and say, “Ahh...how I do Love the smell of Formaldehyde in the morning !” Tony breezed through the dissection and was finished before the few others in Class.
Mr. Matthews, the Geography Teacher, greeted them by saying, “For the Finals, We’ll be looking at some exciting new Maps ! Can you believe it ?” Usually dour, Mr. Matthews only became animated when talking about Maps or Globes. Tony thought he probably knew what places were named on the Moon or even Mars, and on that he would have been right. Again, Tony was finished before the others, and allowed to leave early. He took the opportunity to get some Lunch for himself and Karen, taking it to the Girl’s Dorm where she was waiting.
“How’d you do this morning ?”, Karen asked as she ate. “Do good ?”
“Aced 'em”, Tony said. “They were easy. At least, I won’t be having to cut up any more dead things from now on. There’s still the Math Final to go, though.”
“Do you remember what we went over ?”. Karen asked sweetly. “You’d better !”
“Umm....”, Tony pantomimed, then ducked when Karen playfully balled up her fist. “Umm, yeah, I remember....Don’t hit me, I gotta fight tonight !”
Karen became sober. “I don’t want you to be thinking about that right now. You need to focus on the Final....There’s plenty of time after the Test to be concentrating on tonight.”
“You’re right, of course”, Tony said, sighing. “I think I fear a Test more than I do a fight.”
“You’ll do fine”, Karen said, “Cause you studied with the best !”
Tony nodded. He wasn’t sure if she was referring to her helping him with the test, or Nick helping him with Boxing moves. They talked on, the time flew by, and before he knew it, he had to go back into the School to face the Math Final.
______________________________________________
-
Tony was spared having to deal with any of the Preps in his classes for finals, as the Greaser’s retaliatory attack had served to keep them away from the School this past week. But still, as he took his seat, he couldn’t help but feel a little anxiety. For the few others in this class, they had already faced a similar test in the Spring at the hands of the now finally-fired Mr. Hattrick. But Tony hadn’t been around to take that test, he had walked out of Math Class with a month still left to go, taking an upset Gloria with him.
He glanced around at the other Students, most of whom didn’t seem in the least way worried. His eyes came to rest on Gloria, up near the front and a couple of rows over. From what he could see, she didn’t appear the least bit anxious either, but then again she wouldn’t be....Gloria was the biggest Math whiz in the whole School. As if she felt his eyes on her, Gloria looked around at Tony, and gave him a reassuring smile.
Tony felt his jitters melt away then, and a measure of relief came over him. He had heard Gloria was still bearing a grudge over Tony failing to deliver on his promise to see that she wouldn’t fail Math Class after he had taken her out and away from the lecherous Mr. Hattrick on that warm May day. With all that had been happening, he had just not gotten around to seeing about that before the bombs started going off later that month. But it appeared that Gloria was no longer holding that against him.
Mr. Newton arose from his desk and began handing out the tests, saying, “All right Students, this is it....Put your knowledge to work !” Tony actually liked Mr. Newton, he was an easygoing Teacher in just about the same way that Mr. Galloway had been. Tony tried to relax more and focused on the test before him. Much of it contained Algebra problems, as this was Math III, and was Tony’s least favorite subject. Still, he tried to concentrate on what Karen had tutored him in, and he slowly began to progress through the test.
As the time went by, some of the other kids finished, handed in their tests, and were allowed to leave. Gloria was the first to finish, no surprise there, but sat and waited to hand in her test. With just a minute to go in the period, Tony finished the last problem on the test, and rose to hand it in. Gloria got up then too, and they put the tests on Mr. Newton’s desk. “Good Show !!”, he exclaimed, “I’ll see you in Math IV next term !”
The bell rang just then, and Tony and Gloria left the room together. Out in the hall, Tony said, “Um...Thanks for sticking around....I didn’t want to be the last one. I, uh...Thought you might still be, um...Mad at me about...You know....”
“Oh, I was”, Gloria said airily, “But it wouldn’t have mattered if I’d stayed in Mr. Hattrick’s Class for another month, since the State pulled everyone’s credits anyway....I still woulda had to take it over.”
“Well...Yeah...Guess that’s so....Hadn’t thought about that. I’m just glad all this make-up stuff is over, long as I passed, that is”, Tony said as they walked toward the main doors. “So, how do you think you done ?”
“Oh, I got a 99“, Gloria said without hesitation.
“A 99 ?”, Tony asked, “How do you know that ?”
Gloria laughed. “It was one of Hattrick’s old tests....He always put one unsolvable problem in there, so nobody would ever get 100.” They were outside, going down the front steps by then. “I’m off to see Damon”, she said. “The Jocks are all coming to the fight tonight, to see you beat Tad....Those Preps need to be put in their place. Bye now !”
She hurried off and Tony watched her go. It heartened him that the Jocks, along with the Greasers, were going to be at the fight. He would need all the support he could get.
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Pinky watched out her upstairs window as Nick and Melody left the Boar Inn and headed up the Vail Boulevard. Pinky knew all about the fight tonight, and knew where Nick and Melody were going, to the Glass Jaw, since it was going on half-past 7 O’clock. As she had sat bored at the back of classes all week that she had already taken, she could hear all the stories being bandied about, and the anticipation of seeing the big showdown between Tad and Tony.
Not that anyone really talked to her much these days, more and more she was being treated as a social outcast....Even though she had nothing to do with the Preps latest actions, the stigma rubbed off on her. With the Preps loss of status and respect, they had fallen from the elite to the ordinary, their popularity sinking to lower than that of the Nerds and Bullies. Worse, there was outright condemnation and disgust by the Students over their sneak attack on the Greasers, and any sympathy over the attack on Bif inside the School had completely disappeared...Not that there had been a whole lot of warm feelings for Bif in the first place, seeing as how he had tricked her friend Christy into sex in exchange for information about the Rockers.
Pinky hadn’t seen or heard from Bryce all week, not since before the incidents of the attack and counter-attack. He hadn’t called the Boar Inn’s desk, seeking to talk to her, nor had he come around. In fact, she had seen little of him after his decision to go back with Tad and the Preps. They all had probably been hanging around the Spencer Mansion all week, with no regard whatsoever about her. Even though she had been through much since last Winter, she still considered herself a Princess who didn’t like being ignored, or worse, rejected.
Since her breakup with Derby (who wound up breaking her jaw the last time she ever saw him), there had been the inexplicable abandonment and disappearance of Kurt, her failure to lure Tony away from that insipid Karen, Tad throwing her over for that younger (and richer) slut Vanessa, and now this....Being roundly ignored by Bryce, who had declared not so long ago that he had wanted to be with her for a long time. Enough was enough, she decided. She knew just where Bryce was going to be this evening. She made ready to go to the Glass Jaw and confront him, and the Devil be Dammed.
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“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN”, Chad crowed into the dropdown microphone at the center of the Boxing Ring. “In This Corner, The Current Bullworth Boxing Champion, The Leader Of The Preps, The Wise Sage Of Harrington House, The Greaser Destroyer....TAD SPENCER !!!!”
Tad bounded up off his corner stool and danced around, to the cheers of the Preps assembled around his corner at the North-East section of the Ring. The rest of the crowd, which looked to be nearly the rest of the School that was jam-packed into the Glass Jaw, issued hisses and boos, to which Tad blithely ignored as he strutted around.
When the noise subsided, Chad continued, “And, In This Corner, The So-Called Hero Of Bullworth, The All Mighty Mediator, A Greenie In His First-Ever Boxing Match, The Underdog....TONY CALDERONE !!!!”
Cheers, shouts, and whistles broke out as Tony rose from his stool. Not wanting to look unsure, he gave the crowd a fleeting smile as he raised his gloved hands high over his head and touched his Boxing Gloves together. While he realized that Chad’s use of the term ‘Underdog’ was meant to demean him, he also realized it was the truth. As much as he tried to maintain his confidence, he knew he was going to be in for the fight of his life.
The Preps were once again using their Sound System for this fight. Curiously, they had not used it for Tad’s fight with Hal, although there didn’t seem to be any reason why they hadn’t. Tony approached to center of the Ring, where Chad was standing, all done up in a Referee outfit with a black bow-tie. Tad approached confidently from his corner, and the two glared at one another as Chad gave out the instructions.
“All right Gentlemen”, Chad intoned, “Protect yourself at all times, make this a clean fight, don’t hit lower than the belt line.....When I say ‘Break’, I want a clean break.....In the event of a knock-down, you will be directed to go to a neutral corner. Okay, touch gloves and come out fighting at the bell.”
They both were topless, without any headgear, like professional boxers. Tad had on his fancy Boxing shorts with the gold trim, while all Tony could scrounge up was some old Sweat Pants. Tad, with a cruel snarky grin on his face as he mashed his Gloves against Tony’s, said, “You’re going to pay for this, Calderone !! This is all your fault, you and your stinking Agreement !!” With that, Tad turned and danced back towards his corner, while Chad moved away. Tony backed up to his corner was and leaned with his gloved hands on the ropes.
The bell rang to open the first round, and the two fighters approached each other. Over at the scoring table by where the Preps were , Parker Ogilvie was doing the play-by-play with a microphone attached to several speakers about the Gym. Parker did this quite often, and Tony supposed he would retain his neutrality in calling the fight, otherwise a riot would would surly break out. As the round started, the two fighters circled each other. Parker began to call the Round One action.
"Spencer jabs a couple of rights. Calderone is evading the jabs. Slow pace in the first 30 seconds. Calderone tries a hook to the ribs. Spencer evades. Both fighters on the move. Spencer lands a short right to the body, Calderone counters with a shot to the shoulder. Good straight left by Spencer. Now a clinch. Both fighters are not doing much now. But now, both fighters move in and swing. Both are misses. Now Calderone lands a left to the side, now a counter to the chest by Spencer."
The bell rang then to signal the end of the round. Tony went to his corner. Laurent handed Tony some water, which Tony swirled and spit into a bucket.
"Looking good out there, Tony....Keep after him", Laurent said encouragingly. Nick, standing nearby with Melody and Karen, tugged at Laurent and motioned. Laurent understood, and said, “Try for his ribs, where the Greasers hurt him.”
"Oh...Yeah", Tony replied, realizing that Tad couldn’t be completely recovered from the attack as yet, it was probably why he wasn’t being as aggressive as Tony assumed he would be. Either that, or Tad was just playing with him in order to wear him down.
Over in the other corner, Bryce was wiping off Tad. "Kinda started getting to you there towards the end. Better watch that left hook."
"He's moving more than I thought he would", Tad replied. "But I'll get him. Time to show him some real stuff." Tad replaced his mouthguard, and the bell rang for Round Two. Both fighters moved back out into the ring, and Parker resumed the Round Two commentary.
"Spencer charges and opens with a double jab and then a hook to the body. Combination inside by Spencer. Now Calderone evades, stepping back. Spencer follows, trying trying to box Calderone against the ropes. But now, Calderone lands a hook to the ribs. Spencer backs up. Both fighters are on the move now, circling the ring. Now a sudden hook to the body from Spencer. Now Calderone is flicking a jab. Good 1-2 from Spencer. Calderone lands another left hook. Left to the body by Spencer, answered by a left to the body from Calderone. Spencer lands a right. Calderone is backing toward the ropes, covering up. Spencer lands a hard left at the bell."
Both fighters returned to their corners at the sound of the bell. Tony had a small cut on his right temple. Laurent washed the spot, and Tony spit in the bucket. “You are letting him get too close”, Laurent said. “Remember what I showed you with the evade !”
“I’m trying, Dammit !!”, Tony retorted. “He’s just so damn fast.”
“Then, you must be faster”, Laurent told him. “Remember the ribs, keep working on them !”
Over in the other corner, Bryce said, “That was good, you had him on the ropes. Get him a little quicker this time and you can finish him off.”
“I’ll run him into the ground”, Tad sneered. “He’ll get so dizzy, he won’t know which was is up.” The bell sounded for Round Three, and both fighters moved in. Parker resumed his play-by-play.
"Both fighters stalk each other. 30 seconds into the round, no blows thrown yet. Now, Calderone misses a wild left. Spencer lands a good right hook to the head, then a straight left by Calderone. Both fighters on the move again. Another 30 seconds gone by, now they close in again. A flurry of punches from Spencer. Calderone is covering up, blocking the blows. Now Calderone is jabbing occasionally, but it's short ! Lead right from Spencer, but Calderone evades ! Calderone gets in a gut punch and Spencer backs off ! Calderone follows, but Spencer evades ! A flurry of missed blows by both fighters at the bell !”
Both fighters returned to their corners. There was a lot of crowd noise, as the Students felt the tempo pick up near the end of the round. Tony slumped down on his stool. He was a little out of breath as Laurent gave him a drink and wiped him down. “There is a crack in his Armor !”, Laurent declared. “Those punches hurt him !”
“Yeah, but not enough”, Tony said. “He’s tougher than people think. It’s gonna take a whole lot more.”
Over in the other corner, Bryce was telling Tad to land his punches better. “He’s evading too well, you got to get an uppercut in or something. Make him see stars !”
“I’ll make him see the Moon”, Tad responded. “Next time he moves in, I’ll trick him into going high while I go low.”
The bell sounded for round four, and the fighters once again took the ring. Both had determination, and both had speed. However, only one had experience. Parker resumed his commentary.
"Both fighters are wary, circling, circling. Now a flurry of punches from both, but nothing landing consistently. There's a nice left inside by Spencer. Combination to the body and head from Calderone. Spencer gets in a couple of shots, now the two back off. Circling again, circling....Spencer appears to be taunting Calderone. Calderone moves in, throws a roundhouse. Spencer ducks, and lands a right uppercut !! Calderone reels !! Still on his feet, Calderone backs up. Spencer follows, a left to the body, a right to the head. Calderone on the ropes ! Calderone is being punched, left, right, left, right ! He’s Down, He’s Down !! Calderone is down !!”
The blow had caught him under the jaw, stunning him. Tony had stumbled backwards, arms flailing, barely keeping his balance. Tad moved in, throwing another punch, then another. Tony tried to throw his own punch, but his suddenly weighted arms betrayed him. Tad easily evaded Tony’s attempt and sent a blow into his unprotected Stomach, then leveled another punch that connected and Tony fell to the mat. Chad ran over, telling Tad to “Go to your corner”, and then proceeded over to count Tony out. Cries of stunned disbelief surged through the crowd. Tony barely heard the crowd as he fell in what seemed to be slow motion to the mat. Down but not yet knocked out, he managed to hook his arm on the second rope as he fell. Everything seemed at once surreal, as it had been in his dream. And just like his dream, he heard Karen screaming from outside the Ring, “GET UP, TONY, GET UP !!!!”
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“ONE !! TWO !! THREE !!......”, Chad intoned, starting his count.
But in the suddenly surreal slowed down time, Tony latched on to Karen’s voice, even as the other crowd noise seemed to diminish. At once it seemed, a kind of clarity came to him. The answer was there before him, as it had always been there. All he had to do was get up.
“FOUR !! FIVE !!.......”, Chad continued, as Tony struggled, using the rope to pull himself up to a sitting position. He threw up his other arm to grab the top rope.
“SIX !! SEVEN !!......”, Chad continued the count, but before he could get further, Tony hauled himself up to his feet. With disappointment showing on his face, Chad stopped, and then gave the mandatory standing-eight count. Without asking if Tony was Ok to Box, Chad moved off and said, “OK, FIGHT !!” Tad moved in, a bit pissed that Tony hadn’t stayed down. Didn’t this peon know when to quit ?
Tony knew he had to stay on the move for the rest of the round. He stumbled away from Tad, who began to chase him about the Ring. Using the best evade moves that Laurent had shown him, he managed to duck Tad’s punches for the 45 seconds it took for the bell to sound, ending the round. Tad stopped chasing him, shaking his gloved fist at Tony before going to his corner. Parker only resumed his narrative then, saying lamely, “That’s....The end of the Fourth Round !”
Over in Tad's corner, Bryce said, "Good Show, Tad ! You got him now ! Finish Him Off !!"
Tad swirled water in his mouth and spit in the bucket. “I will, if they don’t throw in the towel. I'm gonna take that Peon and finally put him in his place.”
As Tony plopped down on his stool, Laurent looked at him with anxiety. “Merde ! Are you all right ??”
“Just give me a whiff of those salts, and wipe my head”. Tony replied. “I’ll be fine.” Laurent did as Tony asked, and taking a whiff of the salts, his head cleared. He knew exactly what he had to do. He had even worked on the scenario while training with Nick. It was all before him, his dream had already told him. Tony glanced at Nick by the Ringside. Nick was patting his stomach. Tony nodded his understanding. The Belly.
The bell rang for the Fifth Round. Tony stood up, ready to do what he had to do....A little Subterfuge. “Go Get 'Em, Tony-O”, a voice encouraged. Tony looked down and saw the speaker was Hal, and nodded. He glanced over at Karen and gave her worried face a reassuring smile. “Knock His Block Off !”, Karen encouraged, as Tony headed out into the Ring. Parker resumed his commentary as the crowd noise ramped up.
“Umm, all right, the fight is still on.....Calderone seems a bit shaky on his feet, but he’s moving around. The fighters circle each other, looking for an opening. 30 seconds now, and no punches yet. Spencer moves in, Calderone back-pedals, evading a punch....Make that two punches. A swing and a miss by Calderone. Neither fighter is getting close to the ropes. Calderone looks tired, spent...But manages to keep moving. A minute into the round, and Spencer closes in, looking for the payoff. Calderone stumbles, Spencer throws a huge punch. and...and....Oh My !! Oh, My Word !!”
The ruse worked. Tony pretended to stumble backwards, dropping his defense. Tad moved in for the kill with an evil smile, and unloaded a mighty punch towards Tony’s head. But Tony evaded it at the last split-second, ducking underneath. As Tad’s punch hit only empty air, Tony powered his own left punch deep in Tad’s unprotected belly, pushing him backwards. As Tad doubled over from the unexpected blow, Tony followed that with a huge roundhouse right blow to the side of Tad’s face. Flung sideways, Tad fell in a heap to the canvas.
Bedlam erupted from the Student spectators as Tad went down. Chad froze in the Ring, a look of dismay on his face. Tony started to move off to his neutral corner, but then realized Chad was just still standing there. “What are you waiting for ? Count Him Out !!”, Tony shouted. Chad still didn’t move, and his frightened eyes darted about.
“Youse Heards The Man, Count Him OUTS !!”, Peanut shouted from the ringside, leveling a Spud Gun at Chad. “Do’s It NOWS !!”
Chad backed towards to where Tad had fallen and was laying senseless on the canvas. He knelt and said nervously, “Uhh....One...Two...Three....Four....Five....Six....Seven....Eight....Nine....Ten.....You’re....Um...Out !”
Fresh pandemonium greeted the announcement. Tony had won the fight, although Chad would not be announcing him as the victor. He sat down by Tad with a dazed look on his face. The other Preps at Ringside were in stunned disbelief, and Vanessa screamed and fainted. Too late, it occurred to them to pull their weapons and perhaps try to reverse the outcome. Peanut had already anticipated their treachery and had sent the Greasers around from both sides of the Ring to get the drop on them with their own Spud Guns.
“Drop 'em, NOW !!”, barked Norton. Faced with armed Greasers from both sides, the Preps let their Egg Guns fall to the floor. The Preps were herded back against the wall and guarded. Only then did Tony approach the ropes on their side, stepping over an unconscious Tad. Only Human, he coudn’t help but gloat.
“That’s Right Losers, Who’s The Badest ? ME !! Who’s the Toughest ? ME !! Who’s The Man ? ME !!”. Tony crowed. “ME, Losers, ME !! The Champion, Number One !! I’m The Boss Now !!”
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Pinky had watched surreptitiously from the back of the Glass Jaw as Tony knocked out Tad. Because of the crowd, she had held off on her planned confrontation with Bryce. It would have been hard to get his attention anyway, as he was the the main handler looking after Tad between rounds. She stood back in the shadows around some of the newer kids who didn’t really know her. Pinky silently cheered when Tony defeated Tad, although she remained back while the crowd of Students slowly dispersed bit by bit from the Glass Jaw.
Tony had climbed down out of the Ring, and was confabbing with Karen, Nick, Melody, Laurent, and Ray. A portion of the Students were clumped around them, and an almost party-like atmosphere prevailed. Pinky walked unnoticed through the crowd around to the other side of the Boxing Ring. The remaining Preps, downhearted and disarmed, were at last being allowed to remove the unconscious form of Tad from the Ring, being guarded by the Greasers as they did so. Pinky saw Bryce and approached him.
“Time enough for games, but no time for me, I see”, she said harshly to a startled Bryce. “What, didn’t expect to see me here ? Just like you haven’t bothered to see me all week ?”
Bryce gulped. “Pinky....This isn’t the time...We have a situation here...”
“So, when is the time, Bryce ?”, Pinky asked angrily. “Tomorrow ? Next week ? Whenever you feel like having a Booty Call ?”
“Please, Pinky, not now”, Bryce almost pleaded. “Can’t you see that Tad’s hurt ? We have to get him to the Clinic....Got to take care of the Clique now....”
“Oh, Fuck the Clique !”, Pinky suddenly retorted. “How many of you are left now....Four ? That’s less than half of what you were. Tad’s schemes have brought all of you to ruin, can’t you see that ? There’s no respect left now.”
Vanessa, who had recovered from her faint, said, “Why don’t you just leave us alone ? You’re not even....”
Pinky glared at her, cutting her off. “Why don’t you shut your trap, Slut, before I beat your bony ass again ??” Vanessa mumbled something, but went silent. Pinky turned her attention back to Bryce. “Well ?”
“Look, I’ll come see you in a couple of days, Ok ?”, Bryce said. “This is just a bad time...”
“It’s ALWAYS a bad time”, Pinky retorted. “And you know what ? If you don’t have time for me, I don’t have time for you. We’re Done !”
“Pinky...Wait...”, Bryce entreated, but Pinky had already turned and was walking away. She stopped briefly though, to say something to Peanut. “There’s more Weapons, upstairs, stashed in that little room behind the Bar in the big Trophy Room”, she told him, “And some at Harrington House, and Spencer Mansion too. Make sure you get them all.”
Peanut, to whom Pinky had never ever spoken to before, was somewhat surprised. But he said, “We’s will round them alls up”, and touched his cap as a sign of thanks. Pinky merely nodded and walked away, out of the Glass Jaw and out of the Prep life. Less than a year ago, she had been the Queen of the Preps, but tonight, she was splitting from them forever.
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Beatrice was in her room at the Girl’s Dorm, packing. Most of the girls, but not all, had gone to the big fight over at the Glass Jaw, and it was real quiet. It was to be her last night at Bullworth Academy, and she was glad of it. Regretfully, her plans to snare Nick Penty had not worked out, but there would be plenty of Med School boys to fill up her empty nights in her near future. She was glad to be leaving. This place had never been anything but heartbreak and trouble, pain and misery. Even her own kind had shunned her.
At last she was finished. Only one thing was missing, however. Her Diary. Beatrice sighed. She would have to go find Mandy and see if she would return it to her, like she said she would. She didn’t want to go clear down to the Jock’s Clubhouse, however. Mandy might beat the living shit out of her if she so much as dared to venture into Jock Territory. But then she hit on a plan. Since most everyone had gone to the big fight at the Vale, she would wait outside for Mandy to come back. Then, she would ask Mandy to return her Diary.
Beatrice waited near the Front Gates. To pass the time, she fell by on an old familiar standby, reciting the elements from the Periodic Table. It served to calm her nerves. About the time that twilight was beginning to settle over the Vale Valley, a few of the Students began trickling back from Bullworth Vale, and by the time Beatrice was reciting the elements for the 25th time, a larger group was making it’s way back to the School. Beatrice almost missed seeing Mandy in the group, and sprinted after her, catching up to her where the Dorm pathways intersected the main walkway.
“Mandy !”, she puffed, “Wait !”
Mandy turned around and stopped. “Oh, it’s you”, she said disdainfully. “What do you want, Zit-face ?”
Beatrice no longer had Zits, but she let that pass. “You promised you’d return my Diary. Can I have it back now ? I’m all packed to leave tomorrow !”
“Oh, that”, Mandy said. “Sure, you can have it back, Metal Mouth...Tomorrow, when School is over, and I see your bags sitting right here and you ready to leave. Not one minute before.”
Beatrice no longer had braces either, but let that go by also. “So...You’ll bring it to me then ?”, she said weakly.
“No, you’re going to come get it from ME”, Mandy informed her. “School gets out at Noon tomorrow....I’ll be waiting up on the front steps of the School with your stupid Diary. If you don’t show up to get it, I’ll just pass it around for everyone else to read it.”
“Oh, No, you can’t !”, Beatrice exclaimed, stricken. “Please don’t do that !”
“Then don’t be late”, Mandy told her with a snarky smile, and then turned around an walked off, leaving Beatrice standing there with her eyes bugging out.
Mandy laughed to herself. She was going to return the Diary tomorrow, all right, and that Bitch was going to be in for one big nasty surprise.
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The final day of Summer School at Bullworth Academy dawned bright and hot, making the Students glad that it was only a half a day of class. Fresh from his victory over Tad from the night before, Tony found out he won another battle...He got an 82 on his Math final. Along with his easy Finals in Geography and Biology, that got him three credits closer to his eventual graduation. Karen, Melody, and Nick were forgiven their absentees during the Summer and allowed to take their finals. It marked the first time that Melody had returned to School since her kidnapping, and the first time that Nick had returned since the rescue. All three took their finals in the Staff Room that morning, away from the rest of the Students, and they all did well enough to score their credits.
When the School let out at Noon, many kids skipped Lunch to finish packing. More than half were leaving Bullworth to take the three-week break away before the start of the Fall term. One of the Students that was leaving was Beatrice. But first, she desperately wanted her Diary back that Mandy had promised to return to her. Wheeling her suitcase out along the Girl’s Dorm pathway and out on the wider pathway that led to the front gates, she could see her ride was already here in the long line of cars waiting on the road. She wheeled the suitcase over to the car and loaded it in, telling her prissy Aunt Alice that she had one more thing to get and that she would be right back, to which her Aunt replied testily to hurry up, since it was going to be a long trip.
Beatrice re-entered the School grounds and hurried towards the School. She could see Mandy waiting impatiently on the front steps, holding something. Focusing on Mandy, she didn’t pay any attention to the groups of other Students that were clustered about on the Front Quad. She approached the steps and said to Mandy, “All right, I’m leaving now. Can I please have my Diary back ?”
“Here, take it, Four-Eyes”, Mandy said, thrusting the Diary at Beatrice.
Beatrice took her Diary, leafing through it quickly to make sure none of the pages ware missing. “Oh, it’s all there”, Mandy told her. “Pretty interesting reading. You should publish it.”
“Oh, no, I just couldn’t !”, Beatrice said, clasping the Diary to her chest. “I’d just die if other people read it !”
“Oops, too late”, Mandy said with a satisfying grin, “Other people are already reading it.”
Beatrice’s face froze in fear. “What....What are you talking about ?”
“I made copies”, Mandy smirked. “Look around !”
Mandy pointed to the groups of gathered Students on the Quad that Beatrice hadn’t paid any attention to. Beatrice could now see that each group was gathered around in clusters, holding something and apparently reading it and laughing.
“NO !!”, Beatrice cried, “You Didn’t !!”
“I did, half-tits”, Mandy replied. “Now, everyone can enjoy your little exploits.”
Beatrice gazed in horror at the gathered groups. As if on cue, the Jocks noticed her staring, and began to point at her and laugh. The Bullies also began to point at her and made racy comments. Her eyes moved to the other direction and saw the Greasers, laughing and pointing at her, and nearby was the Nerds, slapping their thighs and doubled over with laughter. Another group, that of all girls, was giggling and pointing at her.
“AAAUUUGGGGHHHHH !!!!!!”, Beatrice screamed. Tears leaking from her eyes, she ran blindly towards the front gates in shame as the other Students jeered and cat-called.
“And Don’t Come Back !”, Mandy cheerily called after her. The Diary clutched to her chest, Beatrice stumbled out the gates of Bullworth Academy, never to return.
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All that afternoon saw an exodus from the School, as about half the kids packed up to leave and were picked up by various relatives. Most of the newer kids left for their homes, with exceptions of the remaining Reform School girls of Whitney, Hayley, and Carla, who had no real homes to go off to. As for the rest of the Girls, Binky was staying also, even though she was still stuck in the Clinic for a few more days. Jessica decided to go stay with Ricky and the Greasers instead of traveling home, and Amber was now living with Russell at his house. However, Nina, Paige, Jimmette, Claire, Joan, Misty, and Hanna all left for their homes until the new term started. All of the new boys also left for home, Alex, Dave, Art, and Dylan among them. Eddie and Geoff, the two misfits, left Bullworth and would never return.
Of the regular Non-Clique kids, Ray, Gordon, Trevor, and Eunice were all leaving for home. Too poor to continue to stay at the In & Out Motel on their own dime, the Bullies all went off to their homes (such as they were), Wade traveling the farthest to his Mother’s home in Liberty City. Most of the Nerds were also traveling home for the brief time until the new term started, only Melvin delayed his departure for a couple of days to fabricate a special object that Peanut had requested him to make. Algie, still working as the Beardless Fat Man at the Carnival, was torn between going home to his Mommy and staying with his fat crush Paris....In the end, he elected to remain, as just walking down the Midway these days was exhausting.
Defeated and Weaponless, the Preps left for their own homes outside the Vale Valley, only Tad remained in the Vale Clinic. Vanessa stayed on alone at the Spencer Mansion until Tad was released the following day, then she took him to her Parent’s home in New Haven. They all knew that some newer Preps were signed up to come to Bullworth the next term, and the Preps could be rebuilt and eventually become a force to be reckoned with in the future. Pinky also left the Vale Valley to go home to be with her Father, since her quirky Step-Mother was divorcing her him in order to suck as much money out of him as possible before the corruption Trials.
The Greasers were staying on, not at the School, but at the Blue Balls Bar and the refurbished apartments above it along with Johnny and Lola in New Coventry. Mr. Neil locked up the Autoshop tightly before heading off to parts unknown, probably to further investigate his wild conspiracy theories regarding the Government and Aliens. He had kept it a secret of what he had witnessed almost two years ago, that of the Hobo Mr. Grant being pulled into the sky by a beam from the small, fenced-in area next to the Autoshop’s back lot. One day, he just knew that the mysterious Aliens would would return to the skies over Bullworth.
The Jocks, however, were staying on. The new season was due to start soon, and there was no time to slack off in their training. Some of the players were foreigners anyway....Luis, Juri, and Laurent, and it would be just too far to travel to their homes before having to return. Mandy stayed on too, having already assembled her Cheerleading Squad for the coming year. There was still something she was keeping an eye on also, and soon something would happen that would leave the Jock’s hope of a championship season seriously in doubt.
Within a day, the School Campus became like a Ghost Town, as even the Teachers fled the School. Only Nurse McRae and Mrs. Peabody remained to look after the Girl’s Dorm and any injuries that might be encountered. Mrs. Carvin locked up the School Library and left, no one would be checking out any books until the new term anyway. Edna the Cook left also, the remaining Students would all have to eat in town, which wasn’t really much of a change anyway. With no troublemakers to deal with, the Prefects left town also. When they returned, it would be as employees of the School, as they were now too old to be classed as ‘Students’ under the new system.
Only Mr. Galloway continued coming into the School, overseeing the business of the coming enrollment for the new term. Christy continued to come in and help out in the Office at the now-empty School. Soon though, the place would be filled with workmen, as the third-floor renovations got underway, there would be more classrooms and some new courses and new Teachers coming in for the fall. Ms. Phillips would be discharged from the Clinic soon, and would eventually return in time for the new term.
Nick would continue his recovery at the Boar Inn, and Melody would stay there with him. Tony and Karen were also staying around, but just for a few days. Since most of the Students had departed the School for the time being, Tony deemed it safe enough for them to take another trip to the Islands in the Narragansett Bay, using Spencer’s yacht as they did the last time. But, before that could happen, something strange was to come up, compelling Tony to take an unexpected trip back to a place he had hoped never to have to visit again.
________________________________
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Constantinos prepared to put his plan to free Tiffany from the Hospital into action over the weekend. During his time in Boston, Constantinos had bumped around in some of the seedier places in the Dorchester area of Lenox Street, not too far from the Hospital. In that time he had run into some interesting characters, and because of his ability to blend in and be unobtrusive, discovered ways to make a little cash and hook up with people who could provide him with what they would need once he was able to sneak Tiffany out of the Hospital.
Tiffany had made remarkable progress since waking from her coma. Even though Nurse Kronos had told Constantinos that her recovery could take much longer, Tiffany was actually up and walking around within a few days, and by week’s end, she was taking regular walks around the halls of Ward C with Constantinos by her side. In fact, her progress was so good that she was due to be moved to a regular room after the weekend, and would probably be discharged soon after. Constantinos knew he had to act fast before that happened. Since Tiffany was technically still a Juvenile Prisoner of the State, there was the very real possibility that she would be taken back to Reform School.
Several things had to be done during the past week, and Constantinos had managed to get those done. First, he had to get Tiffany a set of clothes, which was the easiest part. He merely swiped them from a Thrift Store, like he had been doing for his own clothes. The next thing was a bit harder, stealing a Cell Phone. Not that he needed one to call anyone, but did need it to take pictures for the thing they both needed the most....Fake ID’s. But he did manage to get one, taking a picture of Tiffany wearing the ‘new’ blouse he had swiped for her, set against the backdrop of the light-blue Hospital wall in her room. Tiffany then took a photo of Constantinos against the same backdrop. The final thing he needed to do was to find a seedy Nerd-ish someone to actually make the Fake ID’s. This proved to be easier than he thought, as there were plenty of them in the Roxbury area. With those in hand, all he needed to do was to check out the Bus Schedules.
Come Sunday night, they took their chance. Walking Tiffany around the halls as he normally did, they surreptitiously left the area of the Coma Ward, stopping at the first Restrooms they encountered so Tiffany could change into the street clothes. Constantinos had bunched up some extra pillows and blankets on Tiffany’s bed and dimmed the room’s lights to buy them a bit of extra time in case anyone checked the room. Tiffany stuffed the Hospital Gown in the trash, and then they then hurried quickly to the nearest elevator that would take them to the Basement level. Once there, Constantinos escorted Tiffany through a rat’s warren of corridors towards the back exit. As they hurried down the last narrow corridor towards the exit, a lone Janitor watched them go. When they hit the bar to open the door, a small alarm went off. As they burst out the door to the night, the Janitor went to a nearby control panel and shut the alarm off. Going down to the open door, the Janitor looked after the retreating pair as they crossed the Hospital grounds and smiled. The name tag sown on his shirt read LUNTZ.
“I’m Free !”, Tiffany exclaimed as they cleared the lights of the Hospital, “We’re Free !”
“Not yet”, Constantinos said, “We gotta keep moving. You all right ?”
“Oh, Yes !”, Tiffany said happily. “Where are we going ?”
“To the Bus Stop”, Constantinos replied. “Where else ?”
(http://www.wanderu.com/bus-travel-review/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Boston_South_Station.jpg)
Navigating a maze of streets, they wound up a a Bus Stop that Constantinos had already scoped out. There was a brief wait for the City Night Bus, which gave a tired Tiffany time to rest before they boarded. Riding their way around various stops, they eventually wound their way around to South Boston, where there was a large Bus Station nearby. Walking a few blocks, they entered the huge building that was bigger than the School. Constantinos consulted the schedules for the next Bus leaving the city. Then he went and bought two tickets to New York from a bored-looking clerk.
They had to wait a couple hours on the Bus. By now, Tiffany’s absence had probably been noticed. Constantinos nervously wondered if Tiffany was important enough to raise an alarm and start a city-wide dragnet, then decided not. His Voice of Reason, silent for all these weeks, suddenly piped up. “You got this, Boy....Don’t Worry !!" After that, the Voice of Reason went silent once more.
When the Bus arrived, they boarded it and soon left Boston behind forever. Eventually, a few years down the road, Constantinos would meet up with Tony Calderone and several of his former schoolmates once more in Liberty City. Life is funny like that sometimes.
_____________________________________
-
“Now, where is it we’re going ?”, Nick asked a bit irritably, trying to keep up with Tony.
“Though I told you, we’re going to the Graveyard”, Tony answered as they crossed under the North Bridge, the sound of the Dam waters cascading over the spillway becoming louder.
“Graveyard ? Why the Hell back to that place ?”, Nick asked. It was early in the week, just a few days after the end of Summer School. Tony had went to the Boar Inn after waking up, blabbering about some dream he had just had, telling Nick he had to come with him right now, that it was important.
“Because of my dream, I told you”, Tony answered. “They want to see us.”
Nick could just imagine who, but he asked anyway. “Who are they who want to see us ?”
“Why, the Monks !”, Tony exclaimed. “Didn’t I tell you ?”
Nick stopped walking. They were at the fork in the trail now, to the left led to the Church and Graveyard, to the right was the Dam, which had escaped being blown to smithereens just a scant three months ago. “Well, you were going on with so much gibberish, I didn’t catch it all. The Monks ? Really ? What on Earth would you want to go back an meet with those...Ghouls...Again ? I sure don’t. Once was enough !”
“Because....”, Tony explained, the dream memory surfacing in his mind. He was in the Dome again, yet it wasn’t the Dome...The landscape was the same, but different. Ahead of him was a strange-looking structure, one that Tony was sure he knew. It’s double doors were open, but it was black inside, oh, so black. A hooded Figure in a black robe stood before the opening, a Figure Tony knew and yet did not know, the fish-white hands, the red glowing eyes set back in the shadow of the robe’s hood, the bluish upside-down cross glowing on the figure’s chest. The figure spoke to Tony’s dream mind, “YOU MUST COME. ONLY YOU HOLD THE KEY TO WHAT WE NEED. OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU KNOW.” The Figure gestured inside. “YOU MUST COME SOON, AND BRING YOUR FRIEND LIKE BEFORE.” The Figure turned then, seeming to float inside the dark interior as the double doors slowly closed, blocking the Figure from view. The structure became more familiar to Tony, it was...was..“.....The Mausoleum !”, Tony finished up. “Not the Church this time, but the Mausoleum !”
“Huh”, Nick commented. “You and your dreams.” He shook his head. “What the Hell do I have to do with all this ? This here’s your compulsion, not mine.”
“I don’t know....Maybe you have to be there, for some reason”, Tony said. “Maybe we both do, for them to communicate with us....Anyway, what’s it matter ? They’re not gonna hurt us...They woulda done that already, when we was there the first time. Besides, we owe them...They did help some in finding the girls”, Tony pointed out.
Nick expelled some air through his cheeks. “All right then...Let’s go. But whatever they want, I ain’t gonna like it.”
The boys moved down the pathway to the Churchyard and to whatever awaited them there.
________________________________________
-
Tony and Nick accessed the Graveyard by the Church through the rusted gate. Walking up the pathway, they turned right at the Obelisk and continued on forward to the large building set behind the Church that was the Mausoleum. As they approached, a definite change in the weather ensued...Where the day had been sunny and pleasant, it suddenly became overcast and darker. A cool wind picked up that ruffled the boy’s hair. At the same time, from the top of the Obelisk, strange rays began emanating from the capstone downward, imprinting a Pentagram in the circle all around it, showing up as blood red. Suddenly the rays shifted, shooting instead towards the Mausoleum’s double doors. causing them to glow.
“Nice”, Nick muttered. “How we supposed to get in now ?”
“I think it’s an invitation”, Tony exclaimed. “So...Just like before....”
Tony stepped forward and pounded the Devil’s Code onto the doors, six bangs, a pause, then six more bangs, another pause, then the final six bangs. At once the doors began to lurch, not inward but outward. Tony and Nick stepped back as the doors slowly opened. From within the dark interior, a chant began to issue.
goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo !!!!!!
The boys tentatively walked into the dark interior. When they were but a few steps inside, the large Mausoleum’s doors began to close, and the chant abruptly ended. The boys drew their flashlights and stabbed them ahead in the darkness, but just like in the Church Basement, they revealed little. As the doors closed, the boys began walking forward, slowly moving the flashlights from side to side. Along the walls on either side were Crypts from floor to ceiling. A pervasive cold set in, making them shiver, as they filled their lungs with the chill air and exhaled. All of a sudden, the hooded figure of a Monk was revealed in front of them only a few feet away. Tony and Nick came to a stop.
“THAT IS FAR ENOUGH !!”, the hooded figure intoned. By their flashlight beams, they could see that it was as it had been before, all robed all in black, with a hood that covered the whole of it’s head. There was just a slit where It’s face would be, and the boys could see glimpses of the hawkish nose and red eyes set into the white death-mask of it’s face. Again, the feature that could be seen the clearest by the boys was the large upside-down Cross the figure wore around it’s neck, the virtual copy of the one in the Church Alter. It’s dark blue light shimmered in the flashlight beams.
“We are here”, Tony said tentatively. “Did you wish to see us ?”
“YES, WE HAVE CALLED YOU HERE”, the Hooded Figure intoned. “IN YOUR MIND, YOU HOLD THE KNOWLEDGE. YOU HAVE SEEN THE FOUNDER !!”
Tony was taken aback. He had come to think of this Cross-wearing figure as the Head Monk.
“What do you mean ?”, Tony asked, “Aren’t you the Founder of...Your Group ?” It somehow escaped him just what name the Head Monk had called themselves.
“WE ARE THE MONKS OF THE ORDER QUANTUM ELECTI”, the Hooded Figure told him. “WE HAD TOLD YOU OF THIS BEFORE, BUT THAT MEMORY WAS STRIPPED FROM YOUR MIND.”
A bare memory registered in both Tony and Nick’s minds of their last encounter with the Monks, and that memory increased slightly as the blue light of the upside-down Cross on the Hooded Figure’s chest shimmered and pulsed briefly.
“THE FOUNDER WAS THE ONE WHO BROUGHT US HERE, FROM THE PLACE YOU KNOW AS ENGLAND”, the Head Monk continued. “THAT IS WHERE OUR PEOPLE WERE INTEGRATED WITH THIS CORPOREAL FORM.”
“So what’s this got to do with us ?”, Nick suddenly asked.
“PATIENCE, INSOLENT ONE, FOR I WILL TELL YOU”, the Head Monk said. “WE, THE ELECTI, LIVE LONG IN YOUR SENSE OF TIME, BUT WE ARE NOT IMMORTAL, AS OUR POWER IS LIMITED. I AM THE OLDEST REMAINING OF OUR KIND, HERE IN THIS VALLEY. MANY YEARS AGO, AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR KIND’S NUCLEAR EXPERMENTS, WE BECAME UNABLE TO REPLICATE OURSELVES. WE NEED THE SUBSTANCE FROM THE UNTAINTED CELLS OF OUR FOUNDER TO BE ABLE TO RENEW THE ELECTI.”
“So....What happened to your Founder ?”, Tony asked, intrigued.
“THE FOUNDER WENT OFF ON A MISSION TO THE SOUTH OF HERE MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED OF YOUR YEARS AGO”, the Head Monk answered. “BUT SOME TRAGEDY BEFELL HIM. THE ELECTI FELT HIS DEATH, BUT COULD NOT LOCATE HIM, ONLY THE CRYSTALS OF THE BLUE DWARF WERE FOUND.”
The upside-down Cross on the Hooded Figure’s chest shimmered as the Head Monk said that, leading Tony and Nick to think that the shimmering bluish substance in the Cross was what he meant. The red eyes of the Head Monk bored in on Tony.
“BUT NOW, YOU HAVE DISCOVERED THE FOUNDER !!”, the Hooded Figure proclaimed. “WE HAVE SENSED IT, BURIED IN YOUR MEMORY. YOU MUST TELL US WHERE HE IS !”
Tony thought. Just what did the Head Monk mean ? The upside-down Cross on the Figure’s chest shimmered brighter, and seemed to beam the dark blue light at Tony. “GRASP HOLD OF YOUR FRIEND, AND HELP HIM TO REMEMBER !”, the Head Monk directed Nick, and Nick grabbed ahold of Tony’s arm.
Then it came to him, crashing into his conscious mind in horrifying detail that he had strove to suppress. The awful image of that decayed face in the shredded hood, strips of waxy flesh peeling off of the bone-white skull, it’s eyeless sockets staring up into his from the stuck Lead metal tray. Reacting in horror, Tony had fallen back from that nightmarish figure, and even though he had tried to convey what he had seen to others, he had pushed the memory to the back of his mind in the days since, occupied as he was with trying to save Karen and Melody from the clutches of the Townies. That horrible image was in.....
“The Morgue !!”, Tony cried. “The Morgue Vault at Happy Volts Asylum !! That’s Where Your Founder Is !!”
The bluish light from the Cross subsided, and Tony’s revulsion from the images receded. Tony felt dazed, but in a burst of clarity, suddenly understood that the lead-lined vaults of the Mortuary had, at the same time, both hidden the Founder from his Brother Monks and protected the Founder’s corpse from the contamination of any subtile nuclear fallout so prevalent all around the World since the old above-ground nuclear testing blasts days of the 1940s through the 1960s. But something else puzzled him. Tony asked, “But...How...How are you going to ‘Renew’ the Electi, even with this ‘Substance’ from your Founder ?”
The Hooded Figure didn’t say anything to that, but just raised It’s arms, palms outstretched. Both boys watched as the robe slipped down it’s forearms. They were fish-white, as were the hands, with very long, bony fingers. The dark blue light of the Cross shimmered faster, and a reddish light flooded the Mausoleum, revealing a half-dozen beings grouped behind the Hooded Figure. Unlike the other Monk Figures the boys now remembered seeing earlier, these were dressed in white robes, and underneath their hoods showed whitish feminine faces.
“BEHOLD !! THESE ARE THE QUANTUM ELECTI NUNS, THE LAST WHO SURVIVE”, the Hooded Head Monk told them. “THEY WILL BE THE VESSELS TO REVIVE THE ELECTI ! OUR MISSION TO PROTECT THE VALLEY WILL CONTINUE !!”
”How...How is all this possible ?”, Nick muttered to Tony, not really expecting an answer.
“ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE UNDER THE CARE OF THE ULTIMATE”, the Hooded Figure intoned. “WE ARE THE MONKS OF THE ORDER QUANTUM ELECTI !!” At that pronouncement, there was a swelling of voices from further back in the Mausoleum that was still in darkness.
goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo, goaghedlo, goagheadlo, goagheadlo !!!!!!
The Hooded Head Monk raised a hand and the chanting subsided. “FOR YOUR HELP, YOUNG HEROS OF BULLWORTH, THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO FOR YOU.”
“Well...I don’t know that there’s anything that we really need right now....”, Tony began.
“YOU HAVE BOTH BEEN INJURED IN YOUR MISSIONS TO DRIVE THE CORRUPT ONES FROM THE VALLEY”, the Hooded Head Monk said, “WE WILL HEAL YOU, AS IF IT HAD NEVER BEEN SO. PREPARE !!”
The upside-down Cross on the Hooded Figure’s chest suddenly began to pulsate, literally shooting out the dark blue light in the direction of Tony and Nick. Before they could turn and flee from the light, they were frozen there, as had happened to them before. The light played up and down their bodies, and an overwhelming healing feeling spread through them. Then the intensity of the blue light diminished, but stayed steady. The Head Monk spoke again.
“AND NOW, IT IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO GO. YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER ANY OF THIS, BUT THE ELECTI WILL WATCH OVER YOU.....MAY THE QUANTUM ALWAYS BE WITH YOU !!”
The blue light elicited a hypnotic power over the two boys. The intensity of the light built once more until it culminated into a blinding flash as the chanting reached a crescendo.
abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi, abbidomi !!!!!
________________________________________________________________________________
-
The next thing Tony and Nick knew, they were sitting outside the Mausoleum on the stone pathway. The Mausoleum doors appeared shut tight. Tony then noticed it was going on dusk. Just how long had they been inside there ? Or maybe they had been sitting out here ?
“Whoa”, Nick muttered. “Freaky...I remember going in there....What happened ?”
“Damned if I know”, Tony said. “I.....Can’t really remember.”
“Think you gave them what they wanted ?”, Nick asked, getting to his feet.
Tony got up too. “I expect so....They let us go again, at any rate.”
“Huh, that’s strange”, Nick said. “My Jaw feels better.” He flexed it, and then felt his neck. “Funny, that doesn’t even hurt.”
Tony felt around on his ribs, which had always given him trouble since falling from the School overhang roof onto Ray. “Yeah, these don’t hurt either....Odd.” He felt around his face. “It’s just like Tad didn’t land any punches a few nights ago, either.”
“I feel like my old self”, Nick said, and to prove it, he jumped up and executed a roundhouse kick in the air before touching down back on the pathway.
“Yeah, I do too”, Tony commented, feeling his upper left arm where he had been shot by Algie’s Air Rifle last Christmas Eve, and also his shoulder where he had been shot with the Air Rifle wielded by Jake at the Valentine’s Dance. It felt normal, and there was nothing there, not even any scars.
Tony then Noticed something else. In the growing twilight, he could see two lines of white powder marks, running from the Mausoleum doors clear to the Obelisk Circle. “Look !”, Tony exclaimed.
Nick saw the whitish powder lines too. “I say, let’s get the Hell away from here, sound like a plan, Brother ?”
“Hey, I’m with you Man, let’s friggin’ go and get gone”, Tony answered. The boys quickly exited the Graveyard, hurrying past the Graves and Crypts of the long-dead and out through the frozen-with-rust Iron entry gates. Their Spirits lifted the further away from the Graveyard they got, and soon even the Church Steeple was lost from sight.
_____________________________________
-
Tony’s Cell Phone rang, and it wasn’t Karen calling...It was Algie. In the rush and crush of events, Tony had forgotten to get back to Algie on what he had asked for so long ago. But, Tony had at least had stopped by and had a parlay with Melvin at the Dragon’s Wing as he worked on some really weird-looking object he said he was making at the request of Peanut.
“Um...T-Tony ?”, Algie stuttered, “Did’ja talk to Melvin ? What did he say ?”
“Um, yeah...I did”, Tony replied, “And I clean forgot to get back to you, something important came up. But, yeah, I talked to him Saturday about it.”
“Wh...What did he say ?”, Algie asked, almost fearfully.
“Well, it’s like this...And this is only if he convinces the rest of the Nerds to go along”, Tony began. “You may be taken back as a Probationary member of the Clique, come the new term. But there will be several conditions that you will have to agree with.”
“Erm...uh, what conditions are those ?”, Algie asked nervously.
“Welp, let’s see”, Tony sighed. “First off, you won’t be allowed to have or carry any weapons of any kind, not so much as a Apple from the Cafeteria.”
“No Weapons ?” Algie nearly blubbered. “How will I defend myself ?”
“It won’t be so bad”, Tony told him, though he knew that was a lie. Algie would become the most bullied kid on Campus should he return to School. “Things are changing here...Have changed. You can seek protection, even hire protection, if the price is right. But we’ll discuss that later. Let me tell you about the other conditions, Ok ?”
“All right”, Algie said, somewhat mollified. He knew he couldn’t come back scott-free from all his crimes.
“Secondly”, Tony said, “You won’t be allowed to live with the other Nerds at the Observatory, but you may hang at the Library if you choose to. You will have to bunk in the Boy’s Dorm, or you can just stay nights over at the Carnival, like you’ve been doing.”
“I...I don’t expect they’re going to trust me right away”, Algie said, regret sounding in his voice.
“I wouldn’t expect so either”, Tony said, and Continued, “Next conditions are....You are stripped of any and all of your ranks and titles, be it in any Battle Games or Grottos & Gremlins standings. You will have to start over at the bottom, just as any newbie Nerd would have to, subject to orders from Melvin or ANY of the present established Nerds. Further, you won’t be invited to participate in any activities, at least not yet....You’ll still have the status of ‘Outcast’....Those things will be for the Nerds as a Clique to decide whether to lift those restrictions or not in the future. Also, you won’t be allowed to work on projects of any kind of Weapons or Explosives, not even Stink Bombs or Meelee Weapons.”
“That...That’s pretty tough restrictions”, Algie almost whined, “But...I guess that what after I’ve done, I can’t blame my....Former Brothers.”
“I’m kinda surprised Melvin is going to stand up for you on this”, Tony said, “But I did tell him that you provided Valuable Information on the Townies and Jake. I think that Melvin understands, at least, what drove you to do what you did...I imagine having parts blown off yourself can be pretty traumatic.”
“It sure was”, Algie sniffed, remembering. “I almost became just as bad as that Rat that did this to me. But, I’m a better person now, you’ll see !! Everybody will see !! I can...I can do favors for people, get them free passes to the Carnival, and Rides and stuff. I...I really miss School....And the others....I’ll make it up to them, somehow, I promise !”
“That’s good to hear, Algie”, Tony said. “I hope it all works out for you.” Tony went on to tell Algie that he had talked to Mr. Galloway, and the School wasn’t going to prefer any Charges against him, and that Police Charges had been dropped by Chief O’Rouke against him, citing mitigating emotional distress under pressure. This greatly relieved Algie, for he could come out of hiding now and be able to start clean.
As Tony ended the conversation, he reflected on whether he was doing the right thing by interceding in Algie’s behalf, and then decided, what the hell....While a select few kids deserved no second chances, many others did. This would mark a turning point in this fat kid’s life...And chances were, it could turn out the right way.
_____________________________________________
-
“Did you gets it, Nut ?”, Binky asked anxiously.
“Sure, gots it rights here”, Peanut told her, showing her a package. “It’s in dat box.”
Binky looked at the box that Peanut had. “Well, shows it to me...Take it out.”
Peanut opened the box and pulled out the strangest-looking contraption that Binky had ever seen. It was shaped almost like a hollow prosthetic leg. It was made with a seeming maze of aluminum tubing and foam padding, with a lot of latches and small hinges. Binky looked at the thing with a mixture of wonder and uncertainty.
“Will that...Thing even works ?”, she asked with doubt in her voice.
“Shoulds”, Peanut told her. “I give all the measurements I tooks to Melvin to haves him makes dis thing. Only way to knows it to try’s it....Com’on, let’s puts it on.”
“All rights...Just be careful”, Binky told him. Peanut pulled her blankets aside, and gently moved her left leg to the edge of the bed. Then he undid the latches on the contraption and opened it up, lifting her casted leg and foot and placing it in the object. Closing it back up, he latched it back up. Binky’s leg, cast, and foot was now snugly fitted inside the strange-looking contraption.
At the top of the thing, the tubing padded by the foam circled her leg snugly just below her knee, and would bear the most weight for her support while standing. Her ankle and foot, encased in the cast, was held in place by the maze of latches around the tubed structure. But the most unusual part was the bottom, which was raised up four inches by a spider-web of supporting tubing, as she had requested, so that when she stood, it would match the height of her booted right foot. Short as she was already, she had no intention of appearing any shorter during the time it would take her broken foot to heal.
Peanut then helped her from the bed to test out standing with the contraption, and wasn’t at all surprised to see her still wearing her right high-heeled Greaser boot. Peanut stood her up, and though she felt a bit wobbly, she could tell to her great relief that the unusual-looking leg brace was going to work. With Peanut’s help, she took a few unsteady steps around the bed. She then threw her arms around Peanut, a smile lighting her face.
“It’s Perfects !”, she said, “Just Perfects ! I can’t waits to get outs this ole Clinic now !!" Peanut hugged her in return, he was glad to see her getting back to her old self.
“Um....Lola sez dat she’ll be able to gets you some new boots in your size by the time youse gets dat cast off”, Peanut told her.
“Really ?”, Binky exclaimed, “She do thats for me ?”
“Sure”, Peanut told her, “And, everybody’s gonna chip in to get youse some killer boots. Da whole Clique respects youse now cause of how youse scrapped with dem Preppie scum. You is the new Greaser Queen !”
__________________________________________
-
Tony and Karen again held up their departure because of a big event that was going to be happening at the end of the week. Lola was going to make her singing debut at the Blue Balls Bar on Friday night, and as the news leaked out via Christy, the suspense built among the remaining Students. Already a well-known Legend in the Vale Valley for her ability to lure boys with the promise of sexual fulfillment of their wildest fantasies, the speculation built to see (and hear) if she could also entice with a sweet singing voice.
As the week passed, the expectations built, until just about all the Students planned to go. As the big day arrived, many wondered if Lola might encounter any stage fright while giving her performance. At 7 PM that evening, an exodus of Students left the School and trekked over to New Coventry. For many of them, it marked the first time they had ventured into New Coventry, as they wound their way under the Railroad overpass, past the lone Yum-Yum Market in the area, turning left at the new Radio Station WPIG, passing the Chinese Restaurant and heading East past the Final Cut, strolling down Coventry Avenue past the Golden Horseshoe to arrive at the Blue Balls Bar beyond.
Other Patrons were already there from the Greasers Tennament areas, and soon the place was packed. It turned into standing room only as the lights dimmed down for the first song of the act. Lola, dressed in her Greaser black leather and knee-high boots, took the stage in the shadows before anyone knew, and backed by Winkie and Christy along with the Axel Flowers Band, started into her first song, which was naturally all about her.
“Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.
And little man, little Lola wants you....
Make up your mind to have, no regrets,
Recline yourself, resign yourself, you're through.”
“I always get, what I aim for.....
And your heart and soul, is what I came for !”
“Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.
Take off your coat, Don't you know, you can't win.
You're no exception to the rule,
I'm irresistible, you fool, Give in.”
“I always get, what I aim for.....
And your heart and soul, is what I came for !”
“Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.
Take off your coat, Don't you know, you can't win.
You're no exception to the rule,
I'm irresistible, you fool... give in...
Give in, you'll never win.”
Whatever Lola Wants- Sarah Vaughan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g5YNPzr8NM#)
There was stunned silence as Lola finished the number for a few seconds, then the crowd broke into spontaneous applause. A few whistles and catcalls sounded at her saucy performance. The lights came up and Lola nervously took a small bow with a tentative smile. As the first notes struck up for her next number, she removed her Greaser jacket, and shook out her hair, giving her a more relaxed look. The next song was a humorous one, but still a bit racy. Lola started singing.....
“Let's make a Sex Tape, the camera's in the corner,
Or else use your Cell Phone, and make sure the light is good.
Unless you don't wanna, we don't have to, I mean yeah,
I kinda wanna, I sorta think we should.”
“Let's make a Sex Tape, I wore my purple push-ups,
Get down to your boxers, sit down over there.
I wore extra makeup, do you think I look trashy ?
I want this to be perfect, please don't mess up my hair.”
“Don't you want to have something to prove that we're in love, Y'know ?
Just something we can show to all our disbeliving friends,
Don't you want to have something to prove that we're in love, Y'know ?
Just so we'll know forever, that true love never ends,
So let's make a baby.....I mean a Sex Tape !
Didn't mean a baby, really meant a Sex Tape, You're barely seventeen,
I'll just take my shirt off, Didn't mean to scare you,
It's just I mean I love....You know what I mean.”
“Don't you want to have something to prove that we're in love, Y'know ?
Something we can look at forever down the line,
Don't you want to have something to prove that we're in love, Y'know ?
Cause I am yours, and you are mine....”
“Get ready, a Sex Tape, It's gonna be so special,
At least it is something, to stop us getting bored,
I'm ready to do this, I really really love you,
Forget about the Condom, go on and press RECORD.
Woah, Ho, Woah, Ho, Ho, Ho !!!"
"Let's Make a Sex Tape" - Phoebe Strole (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtGNXelFxyk#)
There was thunderous applause when the song ended. A few calls of “Yeah, Baby !!” sounded out, along with a few other rouchy shouted comments, but it was all in fun. Tony turned to Karen, who he had ridden over on his bike, and said, “Whoa, she sounds really good, huh ?”, to which Karen replied, “Don’t you be getting any ideas, Mister !” in a playful way. Tony had already gotten more than just ideas a couple of times with Lola, and was glad that there hadn’t been any sex tapes made of those encounters. The lights dimmed for Lola’s final song, coming back up a bit to reveal Lola in a swanky sleeveless top. She looked a little hesitant as she began the slow, mournful song.
"It’s six a.m.
And we’re still up.
Drinking cheap wine from a Solo cup.
We talked all night,
And yet I’m wide awake.
We see the end.
There’s no debate.
We’ve got a clear expiration date.
And if I fall,
My heart is bound to break.
You’re beautiful,
A beautiful mistake.
But you’re a chance I must take.
My beautiful,
My beautiful mistake.”
“The sun comes up.
The summer flies.
Whiskey, and laughter, and sea blue eyes.
A summer full,
Of feelings I can’t fake.
It’s been so long,
Since I could feel,
Anything that’s remotely real.
I open up,
Allow myself to make,
A beautiful,
A beautiful mistake.
I try to hold on to each day.
My beautiful,
My beautiful mistake.
But time keeps sliding away.
Cause nothing this good is meant to stay.”
“In looking back,
I never knew,
How far I fell in love with you.
I’m stuck inside,
These memories I can’t shake.
I see that I was happy then.
And though I don’t know how or when,
You’re one mistake,
I need to make again.
My beautiful,
My beautiful mistake.
Someday we’ve got to remake,
That beautiful,
That beautiful mistake.”
Phoebe Strole - Beautiful Mistake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eaVAchAza8#)
Somehow, Tony felt that Lola was singing to song directly to his heart. It had been pretty obvious since the Chem Plant Raid that she was wholly devoted to Johnny now, word had gotten around that they were getting married. And, Tony was forever devoted to Karen, those times with Lola had indeed been a mistake. But, at least it hadn’t a really bad mistake after all, as it made him appreciate Karen all the more. At any rate, Tony’s guilt was somewhat soothed as Lola finished the song and left the stage to thunderous applause. She had been a Hit.
The Flowers Band continued to play after Lola departed, and some of the crowd began to disperse. Lola went to Johnny and embraced him tightly in relief. “I Did It !!”, she exclaimed.
“Never a doubts, Lola-Bear”, Johnny told her, “I’se is so Proud of yous !!” Lola’s eyes began to leak tears of happiness. This was the first shining moment of her life.
A man approached them out of the crowd. “Hey there....I’m Nash Graham, Promoter. You this girl’s Manager ?”
“Um...Yea’s, I is”, Johnny replied, “Ands, her future intended, too. Why’s do youse ask ?”
“How would you like to take this marvelous voice out on tour ?”, the Promoter asked. “I can get you bookings all over the North-East with that kind of sensational singing !”
Lola grasped Johnny, her eyes big a wide. “A Tour ? Oh, Johnny, what do you thinks ? Should We ?”
“I’se thinks we could, if’n dat what you wants”, Johnny replied. He turned to the Promoter. “Tells us what you gots in mind.”
The World spun away as Tony, Karen, and much of the School crowd left the Blue Balls Bar, while Johnny and Lola talked to the Promoter about their fabulous future.
_________________________________
-
Tony again gazed out over the water of the Narragansett Bay. It had been less than three months since he and Karen had been here last, but it felt like years, due to all the stuff that had happened over the Summer. They had left the day after Lola’s smash singing debut at the Blue Balls Bar, still giving them about 10 days to sail around the Islands and Ports of the Bay before they had to head back.
Since Tad Spencer had turned the boat over to him for $1 last spring, Tony had no qualms about sailing off with it again. Tad might be having second thoughts about that deal, now that Tony had beaten him at his own game. But there was nothing Tad could do about it, Tony held title to the boat now, at least until next Spring. By then, maybe they could fight a re-match for ownership of the boat to the winner. Tony was confident that he could beat Tad in the Ring again if it came to that.
Unlike last time, they had not sailed off alone. They had invited Nick and Melody along, and after some discussion, both had agreed. Nick really felt that it would do Melody a world of good to get away from the Vale Valley for awhile, since her rescue she had not fared near as well in dealing with her kidnapping and repeated assaults as Karen had, and added to that was the fact Nick had been seriously injured during her rescue.
So it was for the first few days, they did all they could to pamper Melody and bolster her spirits. Since her rescue, she had become practically a hermit, first at the Clinic while Nick recovered, and then at the Boar Inn where she rarely left the room. In fact, she was very near being a ‘Basket Case’, suffering from what had become known as PTSD. It took some convincing, but once they headed down the river from Blue Skies and out into the Bay, Melody seemed to relax, coming out of the cabin and out on deck at the urging of Karen.
A few days into their trip, they sailed up the Providence River from the Bay, and stopped in at a Marina. Tony and Nick went ashore for some take-out, amusingly at a place called Lola's Cantina, nestled between the Whiskey Republic and The Hot Club Bars. Karen and Melody stayed on the boat while they were docked and waited on the deck chairs until the boys returned. Melody seemed much more relaxed than when they started out, and Karen thought it was time for a little girl to girl talk.
“You seem to be doing better”, Karen observed. “How are you feeling ?”
“Oh....Ok, I guess”, Melody answered, staring towards shore where Nick had gone. “Still a little nervous, maybe....I keep thinking, that....” She trailed off.
“Thinking what ?”, Karen asked, “That something like what we went through might happen again ?”
“Well....Yes....I mean....Anyone could grab us again, when we go back...It’s not safe there, anywhere...”, Melody stammered, finding it hard to express her fears.
“Look, Mel, you can’t be thinking of it that way”, Karen told her. “Those Bastards that did those awful things to us are gone, they’ll be locked up the rest of their miserable lives. There’s nobody else in those towns that ever bothered us like that. If you keep on being afraid, then those low-lifes win. The way we beat them for good is to live our lives free from the fear of what they did to us.”
A tear rolled down Melody’s cheek. “It just seems so easy for you....”
“It’s not easy”, Karen said. “Every day, I remember what those Pigs done.”
“Then....How do you....Cope ?”, Melody begged. “How do you push down the fear ?”
“Because, I survived”, Karen told her, “WE survived. Every day, the fear is a little less....But you have to get out and LIVE, you can’t hide yourself away, always dwelling on what happened. It’s over, and we lived. We can’t change what happened, but we can change what WILL happen....With our lives, how we live them, from now on. We were wounded, but we can heal.”
“Can we ?”, Melody asked sadly. “What about, when we go back, how will others treat us, gossip about us, whisper behind our backs ?”
Karen sighed. “Well, for the record....Most everyone has been real nice to me, real compassionate....But there’s bound to be a few who will be snarky. All I can tell you, is we focus on what we have....A couple of real fine boyfriends, for one, who will stand by us, no matter what. A couple of guys who have real character, and wouldn’t dump us over like Omar thought they would. We’re actually the winners here, Mel....We are gonna be stronger for what we we went through. So, it really don’t matter what anybody else says.”
“I hope you’re right”, Melody said. “It’s still going to be tough, going back.”
“Don’t worry, you got me and Tony, and most important, you got Nick”, Karen said, “And we all got your back. Nobody is gonna do that to us again, Ever.”
A silence ensued, broken only by the lapping of the water against the boat. “Look, the boys are coming back”, Melody ventured.
“They better be bringing us something good to eat, I’m starved”, Karen said.
“Me, too”, Melody said, and broke into a smile. “I’m really hungry.”
Tony and Nick indeed returned with some good eats, and after awhile they headed back southward into the Narragansett Bay to resume their Island hopping. Though most were gone from the School and would be until the new term started, and Tony had deemed it safe to leave for awhile, there were still a few things that would happen in the Vale Valley before their return.
_____________________________________
-
Christy left the School Office early in the afternoon. It was mid-week, and there had not been much to do. Most of the new registrations had been processed for the new term, and there had only been a little filing to do. She didn’t go to her apartment, however....Winkie was on the road, doing a two-night gig with the Alex Flowers Band. Christy had the idea she could try to find Pinky at the Boar Inn and see if she wanted to go to Shinjo’s for lunch, so she headed off walking towards Bullworth Vale.
It had been awhile since she had been over to the Vale. Walking West on the Boulevard, she was startled to see Mr. Martin out in front of a newly-remodeled Crab Shack, hosing down the pavement out in front. It had been quite awhile since she had spoken to him. She approached cautiously and stopped.
“Ummm.....Hello, Daddy”, she said in a meek voice. “How did you get the Crab Shack back ? I thought it got foreclosed.”
Mr. Martin turned to her and stopped spraying. Christie was afraid he would be gruff with her, but Mr. Martin smiled. “Hello, Angel”, he said warmly. “It was, but I managed to get it back, free and clear, with a little help. I’m open for business once again.”
“Well...That’s great, I guess”, Christy said. “But you know, I graduated, so I’m not in School anymore....So, you don’t have to pay my Tuition now.”
“I still gotta pay for Wade, though”, Mr. Martin remarked, “Probably for a long time, since he probably won’t be Graduating any time soon....Or at all. Just where is that Brother of yours, anyway ? Still up to no good ?”
“Erm...He went home to see Mama during the break”, Christy told him, and immediately regretted mentioning her Mother.
“Still a Mama’s Boy, is he ?”, Mr. Martin said sourly. “Ungrateful young Pup.”
“Daddy, don’t be like that”, Christy said. “Our family’s already ripped apart enough already.”
Mr. Martin sighed. “I suppose you’re right. It’s just....A Man works all his life, tries to give the best to his family....See that his children have the best opportunities....Then it just all just blows up.”
“But, I’m doing Ok”, Christy told him. “I graduated, got a job, and I have a really good boyfriend looking out for me now.”
“Better than that Prep-Scum who took advantage of you, I hope”, Mr. Martin said.
Surprised, Christy blurted, “You know about that ? How did you know ?”
“I hear things”, Mr. Martin said shortly. “Hard not to, in a place like this.”
There was silence for a moment, then Christy asked, “Daddy ? Did you ever hear who beat up Bif in the School that night ? Do you know ?”
Mr. Martin didn’t answer right away. Instead, he resumed spraying the walk. When he did answer, it was in a musing tone. “Whoever beat up that Trash didn’t go far enough. I woulda killed him if I’d known just how bad he degraded you.”
It was an ambiguous answer at best, making Christy think that her Father knew much more about Bif’s beating than he was letting on, but she let it go...For once, she was afraid to actually find out if there was any truth to what she was thinking.
Mr. Martin stopped spraying. “So, this fellow you got, he treat you all right ?”
“Oh, yes, the best !”, Christy said, relieved. “His name’s Winkie....Well, his real name’s Bruce....He’s a Musician, and he gets regular work. In fact, we may be going out on tour together real soon with this new singer.”
“Well....That’s real fine, I suppose”, Mr. Martin said. “If you do leave....Stop around and see me before you go. I’d like to meet your fellow.”
“I will, Daddy”, Christy promised, and she meant it. It was long past time for the estrangement from her family to end.
“And, keep it touch, wherever you go”, Mr. Martin continued. “I’ll be right here, for a long time to come, now....Trappin’ and Sellin’ Crabs.”
Christy promised she would, and they said their goodbyes. Christy continued on to the Boar Inn, where she found Pinky, who was glad for the chance to go out to Lunch like they used to in days gone by. Christy noticed that Pinky was not wearing her blue Aquaberry outfit, and commented on it. Here she got the second shock of the day when Pinky told her she had quit the Preps for good.
Christy was aghast. “Well, what will you do then ?”
“I’ll just be a Non-Clique, like you”, Pinky answered, as they neared Shinjo’s. “Maybe I can find me a decent boy, who will treat me as a Princess like I deserve !”
The two girls went into Shinjo’s for what would turn out to be their last Lunch together. While catching up on the latest gossip and happenings, neither one would know just what their futures held for them.
_______________________________
-
Clint Henry was wandering the halls again at Happy Volts Asylum. Since his Electroshock Treatment at the hands of those mysterious boys whose names he couldn’t quite remember, Clint just hadn’t been the same. Something had further short-circuited in what was left of his addled brain, and since then he had become docile, almost Zombie-like in his demeanor and behavior. Eventually, the Staff had allowed him out to the Rec Room during free time, and just recently had allowed him to free-roam during those times, a privilege given to the more docile Patients. Along with that, he was largely ignored just like a Dog in a Pound, and spent his time ceaselessly walking about in a protracted daze. He had no past and had no future, Clint Henry just....Existed.
So it was that bright day in early September as he roamed the halls as usual, winding up back in 'C’ Block on his ceaseless travels. The section of the Asylum had finally been cleaned up and refurbished, intended as use for those Patients whose Psychosis had finally rendered them incapable of looking after themselves in any humanistic way, marking time in their empty minds waiting for the end that they no longer knew was coming. Clint reached the terminus of 'B’ Block and shuffled into the corridor that led to the Morgue. There was a sound coming from there that drew him.
At the doorway to the Morgue, Clint hesitated as the source of the noise became apparent. There he beheld a fearful sight, if only he had the awareness to know is as such. A dark figure was bent over at the far wall, where the corpses were kept before being removed to their final destinations....The 12 ‘Meat Lockers’....Refrigerated Vaults where dead bodies were kept until they were buried or disposed of. Clint Henry just stood there, neither fearful or curious, merely staring.
One of the Vault doors on the bottom row was stuck. The figure had been pulling on it without success. Clint Henry walked further into the Morgue and stopped. Then he saw that the figure was robed all in black, with a hood that covered the whole of It’s head. There was just a slit where It’s face would be, and only the best angle to the light would have revealed the hawkish nose and red eyes set into the white death-mask of a face. But the feature that could be seen the clearest was the large upside-down Cross the figure wore around it’s neck. It’s dark blue light shimmered in the light as Clint stared at it.
The upside-down Cross on the Hooded Figure’s chest suddenly began to pulsate, literally shooting out the dark blue light in a strange circular pattern as the Figure appeared to be pulling on something. One of the bottom Vault doors was open, the one that appeared to be damaged. Inside was the tray that Tony Calderone had struggled to pull out partway just a couple of months before. Someone had shoved it back in, and it was stuck tightly. After awhile, the blue light dimmed, and the pulsations slowed. The figure stood up, sensing a presence, and turned toward where Clint Henry stood.
Clint stared at the figure in the black robe as a baby would stare at an object. He was neither afraid or unafraid of this strange out-of-place figure. The figure faced him and reached into what was left of his mind. A voice boomed in Clint Henry’s head. “COME HITHER, STRONG ONE, AND GIVE OF YOURSELF TO LOOSEN THIS !!”, the voice ordered him. Clint shuffled forward, casting a look downward at the open Vault door. Stopping in front of the Vaults, he sat down, bracing his feet and legs against the bottom of the Vault wall, grasping the tray within, and began to pull.
The tray came out slowly, making a low screeching sound as it did, like rusty nails on a chalkboard. As Clint strained, more and more of the tray revealed itself, along with what was laying on it. Clint pulled to the limit of his reach, until the tray, now halfway out, rested against his thighs. He stared with a vapid look at what lay on the tray, drool running from his mouth.
Another hooded figure lay on the tray, it’s black robe molded and torn. Eyeless sockets stared out of what was left of the horrid white face with strips of peeling flesh revealing more more of the age-bleached skull beneath. “THAT WILL DO”, the hooded figure intoned. Clint pushed away and stood up. The hooded figure extended a fish-white boney hand and pointed to the corpse on the tray. “GIVE HIM TO ME”, he ordered.
Clint Henry obediently knelt and pulled the Monk corpse off of the tray, fragments of it’s black robe trailing like tentacles. Dead for over two hundred years, the gruesome boney corpse was feather light. Another person would have screamed in revulsion and terror holding such a gruesome object, but Clint’s circuits were fried, his connections shorted. Impassively, he handed his bundle to the hooded figure, not even flinching as his arms came in contact with the Head Monks freezing fish-white hands. “GO NOW”, the hooded figure ordered, “YOU WILL REMEMBER NONE OF THIS.”
The Monk’s last command was unnecessary, as Clint Henry couldn’t remember where he’d been five minutes ago, let alone what he had just seen and experienced. Clint shuffled off in the direction from which he had come. The hooded figure shifted his burden to one boney arm, and with the other grasped the pulsing upside-down Cross and held it out in front of him. The bluish light pulsed faster and intensified into a blue-white beam that stretched out about three feet in front of the Cross. A small vortex formed at the tip of the beam and began to swirl counter-clockwise, growing larger and larger as it swirled.
(http://ak.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/3662057/preview/stock-footage-swirling-blue-light-vortex.jpg)
The sound of crackling electricity made Clint Henry slow his steps. This was a sound he DID remember from the painful Electro-Shock machine. A finger of dread crept into his addled brain, and he turned around in slight apprehension, seeing the ever-growing vortex. Within seconds, the vortex had grown to the height of a man. The Head Monk, cradling the remains of the Founder of the Quantum Electi, stepped through the portal that would return him to the Mausoleum behind the Church in the woods of Bullworth Vale.
Before Clint’s eyes, the vortex collapsed with a BANG as the air pressure equalized. Clint stared dumbly without comprehension at the sight he had just witnessed. After a while, he turned and shuffled back out the doorway to the corridor. By the time Clint reached the hallways of ‘B' Block, what he had seen and done in the Mortuary was already receding from his addled mind.
__________________________________________
-
“Gee, Coach, why do these new 'Roids make me feel so funny ?”, Kirby asked.
“They’ll do that sometimes”, Coach Sanders replied, “. Here, try this one and we’ll see how it makes you feel.”
“Well, all right, Coach”, Kirby said, obediently swallowing down the pill and chasing it down with a drink from his Sports Jug. “I really want to be the starting Running Back again.”
“You will be, M’boy”, Coach Sanders assured him, “You’re made great progress...You’ve healed up nicely, and all set to go for the opening game.” He watched Kirby closely. “I know you’ll be the Star of the Team. Here, have another pill.”
Eavesdropping outside the Coach’s Bleachers Office, Mandy heard Kirby say, “I...Feel kinda funny....Coach...”
“That’s all right, M’boy, it’s just the side effects is all....Get to the showers, that’ll make you feel better”, the voice of Coach Sanders said.
Mandy snuck away. It was just like the last time, Coach Sanders was luring Kirby to the showers. But this time, she was prepared. Running silently down to the Girl’s Locker Room, she grabbed her Cell Phone that she had gotten after the last time and called Ted, whom she had made get a Cell Phone also when she had gotten hers.
Ted answered on the third ring. “It’s happening right now”, Mandy told him. “Sanders is luring him to the showers after giving him something, just like the last time.”
Mandy had told Ted all about the last time, with a naked Kirby in the shower, and a naked Coach Sanders heading for him. At first, Ted didn’t want to believe her, seeing the new Coach as his ticket to a winning season at last and a chance for Recruiters to bestow him with Scholarship offers to a better place than some Podunk University in the deep South. But as Mandy graphically described what was about to take place when she interrupted the scene in the Boy’s Locker Room shower, a sense of revulsion had overcome Ted. And though he wasn’t used to thinking about such things, he did know in the dim, unspoken ways of the Jock culture that such sick shit did in fact occur at some Schools. When Mandy further pointed out that those Pervert Coaches who got caught had their won-loss records negated, essentially wiping out all the Players whole seasons (and the Coach would eventually get caught), Tad could kiss his chances for offers from Recruiters goodbye. This alone spurred Ted to take action, and he agreed to organize the other Jocks if such a repulsive thing was going to happen.
“Are you sure ?”, Ted asked, dreading her answer.
“Yes, I hear them coming now”, Mandy whispered as she pressed against the wall in the Girl’s Locker Room. “Hurry !!”
“Uhh..Ok, I’ll get the boys together”, Ted told her, “Be there as quick as we can."
_________________________________________________________________
-
Back from his trip and now in the School Basement, Mr. Riddle pulled out the tiny microphone from the case and fiddled with the dials set inside the case. When he was dialed into the frequency, he spoke into the mike. “BAL-7620, BAL-7620, Whiskey Victor Tango”, he intoned. “BAL-7620, This is CRB-3847, Do You Read, Copy ?”
A hiss of static issued from the speaker for awhile before an answer came back. “CRB-3847, This Is BAL-7620. Copy five by five.”
“7620, Switch To Secure Frequency”, Mr. Riddle said. He fiddled with the dials again, then spoke, “BAL-7620, CRB-3847, How Do You Read ?”
“Copy You Clear, 3847“, the voice responded. “EarthNet Link Is Confirmed Secure. What Is Your Report ?”
“Confirming pickup from the Courier of the package you had sent”, Mr. Riddle said. “Safely transported to the School.”
“Roger, 3847“, the voice responded. “Those ought to easily last for the next two years, and probably beyond.”
“I’m sure they will, 7620“, Mr. Riddle smiled as he patted the box of Listening Devices that lay on his cot next to him, “I’m sure they will. Nothing further to report at this time. CRB-3847, Out.”
_____________________________________
-
It seemed like a real long time that Mandy waited for the Jock boys to show up. Kirby had stumbled down to the Boy’s Locker Room and Coach Sanders had followed a few minutes later. Squeezed up against the wall in the Girl’s Locker Room, Mandy had heard their footsteps on the tiled floor in the nighttime stillness, and had peeked around the wall just in time to see the back of the Coach entering the Boy’s Locker Room. Soon after, there was the sounds of lockers opening and closing, echoing through the deserted hallway, and a few minutes after that, the sound of a shower running.
He had picked his time well, Coach Sanders thought. Most all the School kids were gone, and only the Jocks remained, safely esconded in their Clubhouse after having already showered earlier in the evening after the day’s workout. There would be no reason for anyone to be in the Gym-Pool Complex this late, unlike the last time. Since Kirby didn’t shower with the others, the Coach had told him to meet up in his under-the-Bleachers Office before he took his own solitary shower to tell him he was going to be the starting Running Back. It was the last weekend before the start of the new term, and his time had come at last.
Over the shower noise, Mandy peeked into the hall several times, looking for Ted and the others. At last, she spotted them, making their way down the stairs from the Gym. She silently moved out from the Girl’s Locker Room and went to meet them. “Shhhh...!”, she said in a low voice, “They’re in there now !”
“Are you sure he’s in there, doing something to Kirby ?”, Ted asked, also in a low voice. He was not looking forward to what they might find. None of this kind of stuff had ever happened when Coach Burton was here, as he took no personal interest in the Jocks whatever, other than urging them to bully the other Students in Gym Class. Although his perversions for the girls of Bullworth were a well-known secret, Coach Burton had never turned his attention to any of the boys of Bullworth, as he was satisfied to be just a watcher and panty-collector.
“Well...I didn’t look inside, like last time”, Mandy admitted, “But they’re in there, all right. What else could be going on ? A Coach and a boy, alone in the Shower Room ? What do you think ?”
Ted set his jaw. “Well, we will just have a look. It’s probably nothing....Least, I hope.” He motioned the others and they silently crept into the Boy’s Locker room. Mandy followed in behind.
As they quietly entered the Locker Room, a shocking sight met their eyes, and their eyes bugged out in disbelief.
__________________________________
-
At the Bullworth Town Clinic that evening, Mr. Galloway was visiting Ms. Phillips. It would be the last visit, as she was being released the next day. “I sure will be glad to get out of here”, she sighed. “Seems like I’ve been in here for months, even though it’s only been a few weeks.”
“Kind of empty in here”, Mr. Galloway observed, “Seems like there was more people here the last time.”
“That girl with the broken foot was taken out this morning”, Ms. Phillips said, “She was the last one left, poor little thing.”
“I think we are going to see a new era here, a less violent one”, Mr. Galloway told her. “It’s looking like that Agreement thing Tony Calderone put together is going to hold up.”
“Oh, I do hope so”, Ms. Phillips sighed. “It would be so nice to have a normal School. Maybe we should hire a Drama Teacher so the children could channel their aggression into something more constructive.”
“Well, that’s a idea we should look into”, Mr. Galloway mused. “We are also going to need a new English Teacher, and...A new Art Teacher.”
“What ?”, Ms. Phillips exclaimed. “But, I’m the Art Teacher !”
“Not for long”, Mr. Galloway told her, “You’re getting promoted to handle the School Office.”
“But...That’s now Christy Martin’s job....Isn’t it ?”, Ms. Phillips asked.
“Miss Martin just informed me that she is leaving to go on tour with that Lombardi girl”, Mr. Galloway told her. “Seems like her talent on the Piano Keyboards is needed. So, the Office job is yours, if you want it.”
“Well...Of course I do !”, Ms. Phillips exclaimed. “Only....I still want to be able to fill in as Art Teacher, sometimes....Maybe a day or two a week ?”
“I think that can be arranged, my Dear”, Mr. Galloway smiled. “We can work something out, I’m sure. After all, it’s our School now, the Crabblesnitch era is over.”
“I hope you don’t mind I’ll be on crutches for awhile”, Ms. Phillips said. “You’ll have to get me up to the second floor somehow.”
“Not a problem”, Mr. Galloway told her, “The Workmen are also repairing the broken Elevator along with the third floor renovations....We’ll be able to zip you up and down with ease.”
“Oh, Lionel, I can’t wait”, Ms. Phillips gushed. “It’s going to be so wonderful !”
Mr. Galloway smiled again. “My Dear, it’s going to be glorious !”
_________________________________
-
“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE !!!”, Ted’s voice echoed inside the Boy’s Locker Room.
Startled, Coach Sanders turned without thinking, forgetting the fact he was naked. Beside him in the running shower, a dazed and naked Kirby slumped against the wall. Warm clouds of steam billowed from the shower out into the room.
“What Are You Boys Doing Here ?”, Coach Sanders bellowed. “This Is A...Private Training Session ! GET OUT !!”
“NO !!”, Ted responded. “It’s You Who Should Get Out !!” With a nod to the others, they all drew their Weapons.
Coach Sanders emerged from the shower. It was quite obvious what he had been doing. The sight repulsed and disgusted the Jocks, and they laid their fingers on the triggers of their Spud Guns.
“Now, Boys, Don’t Interfere Here....You Got Your Careers To Think Of !”, Coach Sanders said. “A Winning Season ! Don’t You Want That ?”
Ted shook his head. “Not Like This !” He nodded to the other Jocks. “Take Him Out !!”
Ten Jock fingers pulled on the triggers of their Weapons.
SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !! SPLAT !!
The Spuds found their target, smashing into the Coach’s belly, chest, groin, and legs.
“OOOOFFFF !!!!!”, Coach Sanders screamed, “THAT HURTS !!!!”
The sudden assault dropped him to the floor, withering in agony. “You....Have...No Right ! All Of You...Are....Suspended !”, he gasped.
Mandy, a little less shocked and actually more angry than the others, said loudly, “I Don’t Think So....We’re All Going To The COPS In The Morning And Show Them What You Were Doing !!” She held up her Cell Phone, which she had taken pictures with as she and the Jocks had entered the Boy’s Locker Room. “You’re The One Who’s Suspended Here !”
The Jocks advanced on the groaning, withering, Coach. “Now...Now, Boys...This Was....Harmless....Training....”
Bob, the largest Jock, grabbed the Coach by the short hairs of his head. “BOB SMASH”, he said grimly, and planted his huge fist directly to the center of Coach Sanders’ horse-face, producing a crunching sound. The Coach fell back, knocked out.
“Get Kirby Outta There”, Ted ordered. Kirby had slumped to the floor of the shower, apparently unconscious. “Take Him Back To The Clubhouse.”
Damon and Laurent went to collect Kirby, shutting off the shower as they did so. The others got some towels and wrapped Kirby up in them, then carried him out of the Locker Room. Taking a last look at Coach Sanders, Mandy, Ted, and the other Jocks filed out of the now-silent Locker Room.
The next morning, the Jocks all rode to the Bullworth Police Station and showed the pictures to Chief O’Rouke, telling him what had happened. The Chief dispatched Officers to Bullworth Academy to arrest Coach Sanders. But on their arrival, they found that his Under-Bleachers Office was cleaned out, his car missing from the Parking Lot. Sometime overnight, Coach Sanders had disappeared, never to be seen at the School or the Vale Valley ever again.
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Tony and Karen, along with Nick and Melody, returned to the Vale Valley on that final weekend before School was to start up again. With a visit to the School Basement, Tony obtained the Listening Devices from Mr. Riddle, which would prove invaluable in the next couple of years. On that Sunday night, he planted the Devices at the Observatory, the Library, the Autoshop, and inside the Boy’s Dorm, which was just getting finished having it’s second story added. Tony placed one Device in the Rec Room, and another in the new upstairs Foyer. Karen helped by planting Devices in the Girl’s Dorm and the Jock’s Clubhouse during a visit to see Mandy, who told her all about the showdown with Coach Sanders.
After much discussion, Nick and Melody decided to return to the School Campus. Melody would room with Karen as before, and Nick would room with Tony. All agreed that it would be better for them to remain in close proximity to each other, in case the School should come under threat again from any future deranged Students. Nick, now healed fully by the Head Monk, would provide the muscle for enforcement, and Tony would continue in his role as Mediator, and would sharpen his negotiating skills in the years to come.
The way would be easy, for awhile. The Criminal elements had been cleansed from the Vale Valley for the present, along with the controlling Rich. But evil would seep back into Bullworth and the Valley eventually, it was just the way of things in this Gaming World, the constant battle of good versus evil. Tony would still face many things in his last two years at Bullworth Academy. Still, Tony would go on to Graduate in the Spring of 2010, and Karen in the Spring of 2011. Tony would wait for Karen, staying around in the Vale Valley, getting a place and a job while doing College Credit work on-line. Then together, they would go off to NYU, living the College life in the Big Apple, pursuing degrees in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice. They would be married in the Summer of 2014, and Tony would start his career in Liberty City, eventually becoming a crack Detective.
Though Nick and Melody also graduated from Bullworth Academy in the same time-frames as Tony and Karen, their lives took different pathways. They wound up going to a Junior College in New Jersey, and also wound up in Liberty City, where Nick became the owner of a Fight Club. The stakes were high, and Nick often participated in the fights himself, winning thousands in cash for his cut of the fights, and much more for the fights he did personally, sometimes fighting against two or three opponents at once himself. All that money would allow Nick and Melody to live the finer life, even before they were married. However, graft and corruption always abounded in the fight game, and Nick would often work with Tony to control the criminal element who threatened his livelihood.
But what of the other players in the Bullworth Drama ? All in all, their lives would become their own Never Ending Stories, as it is with all of us for the time we have to live on Planet Earth. And quite a few of them would intersect with Tony Calderone in unexpected ways in the years to come.
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Vance Medici and Gord Vendome would return to the Vale Valley, and with funding in hand, would build the Pirate Bay Resort on Pirate Island. It would turn out to be a great success, as it would be the only resort area in the Vale Valley. Vance and Gord would get rich in the process, becoming one of the new power players driving the Towns’ economy.
Johnny Vincent and Lola Lombardi would go on to successful music tours, along with Christy Martin and Bruce “Winkie” Waters; they would later be joined by the members of the old Rockers Clique on the road. Both couples would be married within a couple of years, Lola and Johnny after she became pregnant. She even started singing a funny song about it while out on tour......
I'm looking good today, I'm looking extra Hot,
Check out the Revlon wet and dry eyeliner that I just got,
Don't you wish you looked this good, Girlfriend you do, you know it too,
You only wish you could, look half as good....HA !
I'm looking good today, in fact I'm looking great,
I am the finest Sophomore girl in Carolina State,
Nothing's going to get to me now, whatever someone says or does,
I know they can't because, I'm looking good.
More Mascara....A little eyeliner,
And they're not gonna know, not gonna know, not gonna know,
I'm don't need them anyway, and I'm not gonna tell.
If I go ahead and speak out, my Mom and Dad would freak out,
And my Gram-Ma would say, I am going to Hell...
So they're not gonna know, not gonna know, not gonna know,
I can't tell them, not now.....not never,
Cause all my friends would shame me, and I know Johnny would blame me,
He'll say I should have made him use protection.....
And he'd break it off forever.....
More Mascara, I'm looking good, I'm looking good,
Yes, I'm looking good today, everyone can quit this,
I'm independent like Beyonce, take care of my own business,
So what if my tears run black, or my foundation starts to crack,
I've got more than enough, I'm looking good...and stuff...
But what'll I do, what'll I do, what'll I do,
How can I do this on my own?
But they wouldn't understand me, they just yell and repermand me,
So I better keep going on alone...
But what'll I do, what'll I do, what'll I do,
I can keep covering, but what happens when I have to buy new clothes,
Cause I'm starting to show, and then everyone knows, everyone knows Why.
And I can't bear to look them in the eye....
And I've run out of makeup...To apply.
What do I do, what do I do, is there someone I could talk to ?
Maybe they'd understand...Maybe I could....
How do I look today, do I look good, do I look good ?
Do I look....Good ?
Phoebe Strole - "Lookin' Good" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN8FkDPLmb8#)
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As For Peanut Romero and Binky Rose, they became the premier leaders of the Greasers Clique, gaining lasting fame in the Greaser Culture. They would go on to graduate at the same time as Tony, along with Lucky De Luca, who would live up to his name by becoming a marketer of Greaser-related items on-line and employing his friends Lefty Mancini and Norton Williams.
Melvin O’Connor and Jimmette Jumpers would also stay together, graduating with honors as was the case with most of the Nerd Clique...Fatty Johnson, Thad Carlson, Bucky Pasteur, Donald Anderson, and Cornelius Johnson. Melvin and Fatty would build the Ultimate Spud Gun for their protection, and later start a Video-Game Corporation producing battle-oriented games, and hired their former Clique-Brothers as Developers.
Ted Thompson and Mandy Wiles would stay together and would go on to an upscale College in the Mid-West, after Ted had a stellar last Season at Bullworth Academy. This was in part due to the hiring of a new Coach named Bryant right as the new term was to start, a no-nonsense sort of fellow who took the Bullworth Team to a 9-3 record for a winning season at last, even getting as far as the Quarterfinals of the State Championship. Bo Jackson would take over as Quarterback the following year, and although less successful, all would get Scholarship offers to different Colleges...Damon West, Casey Harris, Luis Luna, Dan Wilson, Juri Karamazov, and Bob Southby. While Damon and Gloria Jackson stayed together, many of the others did not....Both Bob and Hannah Tauge, and Dan and Claire Sullivan, would break up at the end of their Senior years, and would most all would go off to different locations after graduation. Bo’s brother, Lance Jackson, would go off to a College in Vermont.
The Bullies would fared less well, as could be expected. Russell Northrop would continue to live at the house in Bullworth Vale, along with Amber Anderson. He was only smart enough to work at the most menial jobs, and was often unemployed, but Amber helped keep him on the straight and narrow. But the other Bullies would fall on hard times in their future. Only Trent Northwick, Paige Parsley, and Wade Martin would eventually graduate, Davis White, Troy Miller, Tom Gurney, and Ethan Robinson would not. They would eventually become the core of a new breed of Townies in Blue Skies.
Decimated as they were, the Preps would try to pull together as the new term would get underway. Though they were undermanned, they would be bolstered by the addition of a couple of new Preps, Presley Pembroke and Preston Cox, plus some new girls, Chloie Parker, Jenna Busch, and Jill Von Crastenburg. Bif Taylor would eventually recover from his beating at the hands of Mr. Martin, but was never again the same. He would become Tad’s lackey, much as he had been Derby’s. Tad Spencer would manage to hold off any takeovers during the next couple of years. and at the end of it all, was able to go off to a fine New England College, with the help of Vanessa Bouvier’s family. Tad and Vanessa would eventually marry, and Tad would later take over the remains of his Father’s empire, becoming the only rich family to remain in the Vale Valley. The other Preps, Justin Vandervelde, Parker Ogilvie, and Chad Morris, would go off to less-than-stellar Prep Colleges. Bryce Montrose, however, would have to work his way through a College. Derby Harrington, who’s family had been responsible for much of the imbalance in the Vale Valley for scores of years, would arrogantly step off a curb in London, expecting that traffic would stop for him, and be hit by a Double-Decker Bus.
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Perhaps the most tragic of all the stories of Bullworth was Pinky Gauthier, who didn’t get her redemption in the Vale Valley. Pinky would only attend the School for another semester, forced to leave when the money ran out. Her Father went to Prison, taking much of the brunt of the Harrington Prep Scandal. By then, Pinky’s Step-Mother had bled him dry in the divorce settlement, and whatever was left went to legal fees. With no funds to pay tuition, Pinky would leave Rhode Island by Christmas, going to stay with a crotchety Aunt in New Haven, Connecticut. But Public School life would not suit the former Prep Queen at all, and she would take off to pursue her money desires in the Big City as a high-price call girl. New York would chew her up though, and Pinky would wind up in Liberty City, working as a common Prostitute. Ironically, her Pimp would turn out to be Ricky Pucino, who would also abandon Bullworth for Liberty City after his breakup with Jessica Jamison. Pinky’s chances on salvation would hinge on a surprise reunion with her lost flame, Kurt Fonzerelli, some years up the road.
The few heralded Non-Clique boys, Gordon Wakefield, Ivan Alexander, and Trevor Moore, would quietly disappear after their graduations, and would never return to the School afterwards, not even for any reunions. They would be replaced by a score of other nameless, faceless, lonely boys, who had no desire for either the limelight or power, those who merely wanted to make it through High School and forget about it afterwards. he Non-Clique girls would fare about the same, Misty Halter, Hayley Harper, Whitney Worth, Carla Harris, being never heard from again after leaving Bullworth, the latter three finally off probation at last. Eunice Pound, however, would sign on as assistant Cook for the School, serving up slop to a whole new group of Students for most of her life.
Sheldon Thopmson would return to Bullworth for each of the next four years, despite the fact that he couldn't ever stop snitching, which would earn him quite a few beatings. Pedro De La Hoya would also return, and surprisingly to everybody, would be named the next Mediator after Tony's graduation. Although not as effective a leader as Tony Calderone, he was nonetheless able to turn the tables on some of his past tormentors.
Laurent Loiselle would leave after another year to his native France to study, but the lure of Nina Boulanger would bring him back to America and eventually to Liberty City. Constantinos Brakus and Tiffany Cartier would also show up in Liberty City, as would Jimmy Hopkins and Zoe Taylor. Pete Kowalski would also appear there, as would Ray Hughes, Hal Esposito and Angie Ning. Another former Bullworth Student who would show up at Liberty City was one whom Tony had never met, but had heard about and would have to deal with eventually, was Earnest Jones. He would head up the largest Porno and Smut operation that had ever been seen in the area, still not cured of his sex addictions.
But all of this was far in the future, as Tony stood on the Patio in front of the School, watching the kids coming back to Bullworth the day before the new term was to start. For the moment, all was in control and hopefully would be for this new next year. Next to him stood Karen, who was his rock, his love, and his life. Both looked forward to a more peaceful School Year than the last turbulent one, a year and then one more of normalcy for good measure. Their future was unwritten, theirs to make, and they both vowed to make it so as they embraced each other and kissed.
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-
The Old Man peered into the round Monitor that rose from the floor of the ship, which was set into a shielded geostationary orbit of 22,236 miles high over the World. The Monitor gave off a eerie greenish glow that lit up his face in the otherwise darkened hold of the vessel.
“Well, I’ll be Hogged”, he muttered, “So that’s how things worked out.”
"It appears to be so”, drifted a thought from one of the silent silverly beings gathered around him. ”Are you not pleased, Grant ?”
“No tears being shed over that spineless weasel Crabblesnitch, that’s for sure”, Grant mused, “But I cana hardly kin to all them other happenings, what with all that evil being spread about down there.”
"Much evil is inherent in your race, is that not so ?”, drifted the thought from another of the silverly beings.
“Tis so”, Grant answered, “Seen a lot of that in the War. But...There is some good, lika that boy I teached how to fight, and some o’ them that came after that.”
”They need proper guidance, from those who would teach them”, drifted the thought from yet a third one of the silvery beings, who appeared to be somewhat the Leader. “You were a Teacher of them once, were you not ?”
“Aye, for awhile, till that cursed drink took me over”, Grant replied, his eyes watering just a bit. “It was all too much despair, it was, that drove me to it....So much corruption, so much waste....Too much evil influences on them for me to be able to overcome...”
”You could go back now”, a thought drifted suddenly from a fourth silvery being, ”The Corrupt Ones have been vanquished for now, though others will arise to take their place without intervention.”
“Go Back ?”, Mr. Grant exclaimed. Startled, he lifted his gaze from the Monitor. “Nah, I be too old...Besides that, I like bein’ with you fellows. That’s why I built that Transmitter, so’s your Ship here would come beam me up, away from all that madness down there.”
“Age does not matter, Grant”, the thought from the fourth silvery being came, stronger this time. ”We can restore what you call your DNA to an earlier time in it’s cycle. You can be whole again, at the peak of your corporeal strength.”
“But I wanna stay here”, Grant said, the thin whine of an old man showing through in his voice, a whine he hated. “It’s safe here, and I don’t hafta get any older and don’t never hafta die, like you fellows.”
”That is not the way of the Universe, Grant”, the thought from third silverly being came. ”You are corporeal, we are not. But everything dies in due time, even us. The Universe itself will end in a cataclysm some trillions of years hence.”
“That doesn’t seem very fair”, Grant commented. “Life is most Precious.”
”Indeed so”, the third silverly being’s thought replied, ”But everything comes to an end....Worlds, Stars, Galaxies....All are born and all will die.”
“I still wanna stay”, Grant said stubbornly, “Like them others you fellows told me about. The ones you returned to the Earth.”
”Those were the enlightened ones we trained to help save your planet from extinction”, the thought drifted from the third silverly being. ”Many of them were with us for years as you count time, and were released at a high place called the Devil’s Tower in your year of 1978.”
The irony was not lost on Mr. Grant as to the location of the release of the Earth’s Saviors. He had been, after all, a Teacher of such things. “So long ago...”, he mused. “Did they do any good ?”
”Your world has not yet destroyed itself”, the thought came from the first silvery being. ”It is all we can hope for. In your future, more evil will arise.”
“Exactly why I wanna stay here”, Mr. Grant answered. “I’m done with all that nonsense.”
”It will not be possible for you to stay”, the thought from the third silvery being revealed. ”We must leave soon for our home. What you know of as a wormhole, our way back, will close soon.”
“Then...Take me with you !”, exclaimed Mr. Grant. “I won’t no trouble, honest !”
”That will not be possible”, a thought drifted from a fifth silverly being, deeper in the vast bowels of the ship. Grant could not see this one in the darkness, but knew somehow that this being was akin to the Chief Engineer of the ship. ”Inside the Event Horizon on the way to our home, this vessel will be stretched into a wire string many parsects in length. Your corporeal form would not survive such a thing.”
"Gorr, that's too bad", Mr. Grant said dejectedly. "You Sure 'bout that ?"
"Most definitely, Grant", the fifth silverly being drifted the thought, "You would be stretched like one of your worm-beings."
"Then...Why don't you fellow just hang around to the next Wormhole opens up ?", Mr. Grant said hopefully.
"Alas, we cannot", the thought from the third silvery bring drifted, "We are near the end of our mission here, nearly 62 of your years, as you count time....There is only one revolution of your world before we must leave, else we will not have enough blue fuel to power the long travel back.
“Blue Fuel ?”, Mr. Grant asked, “What is that ?”
”It is the Fuel of the Stars”, the thought drifted from the fifth silvery being. ”It is how we power our Craft. Behold !”
A shimmer appeared, and it was like Grant could see through the whole ship, as if it was translucent. In one part, what resembled Blue Sapphire Gems pulsed brightly, their color going from dark blue to light blue and back again, over and over.
“Dilithium Crystals !”, Mr. Grant exclaimed, thinking of Star Trek.
”If that is what you wish to call them”, the first silvery being’s thought floated his way. ”They are of Immense Power, and must be mined from the Blue Dwarfs themselves.”
“They glow !”, Mr. Grant said, fascinated. “Are they hot ?”
”When they were Star-Matter, they were indeed very hot, as you know heat, millions of your degrees”, the thought from the fifth silvery being informed him. "But cooled and condensed, they give off their power by Cold Fusion. That is why they pulse.”
”But as in everything, there are limits to their power”, a thought floated from the fourth silverly being. ”While they allow us to do many things, their power is not Immortal.”
“Could a fellow....Rule a Planet with one of them Rocks ?”, Mr. Grant asked.
”No, it would take much more than one”, the thought from the second silverly being answered, ”And they are very dense. While in Space they weigh not much, but in gravity, they weigh very much, as their molecules are packed tightly together.”
“But...You fellows could carry some down there”, Mr. Grant speculated, “Mebby do some good for the World....End the Madness !”
”No, we could not survive long on your world”, the thought from fourth silverly being drifted in. ”There is only one way, and that was already tried.”
“Tried ?”, Mr. Grant asked, “Tried how ?”
”About 400 of your years ago, some of ours went down to your Planet”, the thought answered him from the third silverly being. ”They...Incorporated themselves into some of your being’s DNA, using the power from the Blue Fuel. But by becoming mostly Human, they corrupted themselves. They were no longer us, they became....A Mutation.”
“What happened to them ?”, Mr. Grant asked, “Where did they go ?”
”We do not know what became of them”, floated the thought of the third silverly being. ”They went down to a place you call England. But since they were no longer us, but mostly Human, contact was lost after their forms....The bodies they inhabited....Ceased to live.”
“So...They Died ?”, Mr. Grant said, “I thought you fellers lived a long, long time ?”
”Yes, that is so, Grant”, the thought flowed from the third silverly being. ”We are not corporeal as you are. But by inserting their essence into your kind’s DNA, they became mortal.”
”And not only that, they changed from themselves, from their thinking”, floated the thought of the second silverly being. ”Long before contact was lost, they had organized themselves into what your people refer to as a Cult.”
Mr. Grant sat considering. “Well, I’ll be Hogged. I suppose we are just way too different after all”, he mused. “So, why take the effort with our World ? What does that matter to your kind ?”
He could almost see the Alien smile as it answer floated to him, ”If properly guided, your Earth will gain enlightenment, and your people will ascend and leave their corporeal forms behind. They will travel the Stars as we do, and nourish others along their way in this part of the Galaxy, as we do. That is why we take and teach those of your kind, it is why we watch. There are many who have come before us, and many will come after us, until your fellow beings are able to do as we do, for every World needs a Teacher.”
Mr. Grant understood then. It was finally clear to him what he needed to do. So it was in 2009, he was returned to the Earth as a young man, and in the year of Tony Calderone’s Graduation, he was hired as the new History Teacher at Bullworth Academy.
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----{END OF CHAPTER 10}----
(http://vgboxart.com/boxes/PS3/45974-bullycanem-canem-edit-second-year.jpg)
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END OF THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY