The Bullworth Never Ending Story

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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 ?
__________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“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.
__________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“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.
________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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. 
_________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
_____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“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.
______________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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. 
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
__________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
___________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
___________________________________