The Bullworth Never Ending Story

[Mercury]

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.

[BloodChuckZ]

“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.”
__________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
_______________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“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.”
___________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
_________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.”
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
_______________________________________

[Mercury]

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."

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
___________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.”
___________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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.
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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 !”
_____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

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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[BloodChuckZ]

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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