The Bullworth Never Ending Story

[BloodChuckZ]

“You thinkin’ that’s a good idea ?”, Gurney said, somewhat shocked at he was hearing.  “That’s a Fed Crime, y’know.”

“Don’t mean nothing”, Omar replied.  “Them whacked-out Rocker kids did it, and not a damn thing ever happened to them ‘cuz of it.”

“Things is changed now”, Gurney went on, doubtfully.  “There’s them Guard soldiers still patrollin’ the streets over there, and then that curfew things still in place....”

“Yeah ?”, Omar cut in, “So you see ‘em over here ?  Or in Coventry ?  Fuck No, you don’t, not much, this still be the poor people’s area, where us scum live, ain’t nobody wants to bother with the likes of us, not even those do-goody yessir soldier boys.  As for that curfew, that’s a joke...Have we had any problems getting around at night ?  I think not.”

Gurney had to allow that that was so.  “But....It just seems risky.  We gotta have a place to stash them, and then keep ‘em from escapin’, and then there’s feedin’ and stuff....”

“We’ll keep ‘em right here”, Omar said, sweeping his arm grandly around.  “Since that there EPA shut this place down, this whole section of town’s deader than hell.  Nobody comes back here anymore for fear they’ll get poisoned or something.  They haven’t even re-activated the Cop Station.”

All that was true.  The Chem Plant had been shut down by the Environmental Protection Agency as a result of the bombings and fires that had spread the toxic gas throughout Blue Skies, and there was still a massive cleanup and repair to do before the plant could be deemed anywhere near safe to resume operations.  The closing had put a lot of people out of work, but they were being propped up by receiving unemployment and other disaster aid, which they used mostly by drinking it up in the few bars that were still open in the Vale Valley that escaped being bombed.

Blue Skies was still a mess.  Where FEMA money was busy re-building most other parts of the Towns, not much was being done here.  Quite possibly, that was due to there being so little housing or still-operating businesses left in the section.  It was true that the docks were still working, and that the old Blue Skies Shipping had been geared up to handle the freight shipments to the railroad, which has also resumed operation within a week after the bombings.  Spencer Warehouse still lay partially in ruins, but would probably be repaired if a new owner ever got ahold of the building, since it was still in a prime location to transfer cargo from ships to the railroad and vice-versa.  But the rest of the sector was dead for now, and probably for some time in the future....Just what Omar was banking on.

“There be nobody even come lookin’ back at this place for a real long time”, Omar continued, “And if’n we have to, we can take 'em down the river and stash 'em somewhere where they won’t never know where to look.”

“Well...Suppose it could work”, Gurney said.  “But why this ?  We could just face down them two, get them on OUR turf.....”

“That won’t do”, Omar said, “We can’t lure them over here alone.  And even so, don’cha remember what happened the last time, one on one ?”

Gurney did.  He recalled how Tony had beat him nearly senseless on the Football Field in the face of the coming Tornado, and blackened his eyes.  “Yeah”, he said bitterly, remembering that Nick had actually knocked Omar out in the same fight.  “We owe them payback, big time.”

“Oh, we will get that payback, and then some”, Omar said, somewhat sadistically, “We’ll control those two fucks like puppets on a string.  We will make them crawl, then destroy the very things they cherish the most.”  He gave a rough laugh.  “If you know what I mean.”

Gurney nodded.  “So, when do we do this ?”, he asked.

“Two weeks”, Omar said.  “We bag ‘em on the fourth, while the fireworks are going off.  Good ole Independence Day is gonna be Captivity Day for them assholes.”  He brayed a bit of laughter, and Gurney joined in.  Their laughter bounced off the inner walls and echoed about the inside of the deserted Chem Plant.
______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Oh, This Is Fun !!!”, Karen exclaimed as the Carousel Horse rode up and down.

Beside her, Tony grinned.  She was right, it WAS fun.  And he sure felt better, getting out and being a kid again, his worries and cares being put aside for the evening.  The Merry-Go-Round whirled about as the calliope music played, Tony and Karen riding the plastic gallant steeds as they made their eternal trek to nowhere speared in the middle by a ten-foot shiny metal pole. 

Prospect Park Carousel in Brooklyn, New York

It had been years, it seemed, since he had ridden such a ride.  In the hazy days of his youth, he recalled being taken to Coney Island and spending the day there, riding all sorts of rides at a place called Astroland.  He dimly recalled his Father telling him about a grand amusement park called  Palisades Park he had went to as a boy.  Then, there were county fairs and the like, small temporary ride parks that came and went with the breeze. 

Tony sighed.  The parks were long gone from his life, just like his Father.  But, this place...!  With all that had been happening over the past year, he had rarely had time to get over here and enjoy it.  There were few rides here, an Octopus-type ride called the “Big Squid”, a Roller Coaster called the “Big Canyon Railway”, and a Ferris Wheel called the “Round The World”.  But, there were other things, primarily the Freakshow House, the Fun House (in which Tony had never been), and all the Midway Games, where one could win tickets to cash in for prizes at the Souvenir Tent.  It wasn’t much, but enough for a small burg like this.  Now, the Merry-Go-Round was restored, and the Go-Kart Raceway Track was being reconstructed.  Soon, the place would be even better, if the extra jolt of tourists kept coming through the summer.  It would do for now.

“Hey, What’s Going On Over There ?”, Karen shouted suddenly, interrupting his reflections.  Tony craned his neck around to look, but the Merry-Go-Round had already spun past the site where Karen was pointing to.  Tony had to wait until the ride circled around again to see what was happening.  Meanwhile, people, adults and kids alike, were running towards the commotion.  When the Merry-Go-Round had come around to the spot again, Tony saw what the disturbance was.  There was a fight going on in front of the Midway booth “Strike Out”.  Tony could see figures, one in a blue sweater and one in a black leather jacket fighting. 

Tony slid down off his horse and indicated to Karen to do likewise.  “Com’on...Let’s go see what’s happening !”

They hopped off the ride that was already slowing down, and ran towards the booth. 
______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“UNNNHHH !!!!”, Tad screamed, as Hal’s meaty fist smashed into his face with an audible crunch, bringing a spray of blood from his nose.  “You Filthy Lowlife !!”

Hal threw another fist, but Tad ducked it and landed a blow to Hal’s Solar Plexus that made him gasp suddenly for air.  “Fuckin’.....Femboy !!”, he spat out as he retreated a couple of steps.

Both fighters began to circle each other as a crowd gathered.  Tony and Karen arrived and pushed their way through.  Off to the side stood Pinky, who was clutching a large stuffed Bear.  Nearby, holding an equally large stuffed Bunny, was Angie, who was extremely agitated, jumping up and down in frustration and screaming something.  The moment she spotted Tony, she yelled, “Eeeee, Tony, Make Them Stop !!”

Pinky appeared to be the calmer one, but her face showed an anxious expression.  She turned imploring eyes at Tony that seemed almost begging. Tony approached the fighters cautiously as he said,  “Com’on, fellows, break it up !”

“This is none of your concern !”, Tad hissed through the blood leaking from his nose.  “This Peon rudely Shoved me and made me miss my shot !!”

“It was MY turn, Prepwipe !!”, Hal said savagely.  “Youse been Hoggin’ dat booth long enough !!”

“Com’on, guys, it don’t matter, you can’t fight here”, Tony said, “You’ll get busted....”

But it was already too late.  Pushing through the crowd came two burly men that Tony had never seen before.  They had on black shirts with the word “SECURITY” across the front in neon yellow letters.  Before the two fighters could so much as try to throw another punch, they were grabbed and wrestled to the ground.

It was all over in seconds.  Both Hal and Tad were taken down swiftly despite their yells of protest.  Tony had never seen that kind of speed before, not from the Prefects or even from the Bullworth Cops.  The Security men were lean, tough, and they meant business.  Tony wondered where they came from.  Carnival Owner Billy Bob Crane must have hired his own goons to patrol the Carnival grounds since the last time he had been there.  Logical, it seemed.  Business must have really been picking up.

“Hey, Watch It !”, Hal howled as he was thrown to the ground.

“Like to fight, huh ?”, one of the Security Men said.  “Let’s see how you Hoodlums feel about it after a night in jail !”

“Hoodlums ?”, Tad gasped.  “Do you not know who I am ?  I’m Tad Spencer !”

“Don’t care if you’re the King of Siam”, one of the Security Men said, “You’re Goin’ down !”  He turned to the other and said, “Get on the radio and have the Cops meet us out front.”

Angie uttered a small scream, and Pinky seemed to become agitated.  Tony stepped forward and spoke to the Security Men.  “Um...Sirs ?  That really shouldn’t be necessary, they were only fighting....”

The Security Men looked at Tony.  “Who the hell are you kid ?  Their Babysitter ?”

“Um...I’m the School Mediator”, Tony said, a bit hesitantly.  “It’s sorta my job to....Look after things.....”

“Well, this ain’t the School, kid”, The Security Man said.  “We got our own ways of handling Hoodlums like this.”

“They’re not Hoodlums, they’re just students”, Tony said, “And they just had a misunderstanding.  Really, there’s been no harm.  Nothing is damaged, is it ?  Sending them to Jail for just a little fight seem excessive, really...”

The crowd about them had gone silent.  The two Security Men took notice of that and exchanged a look between themselves.  Then the Security Man who was holding down Tad said, “Tell you what....We’ll take these two to Mr. Crane.  He can decide what to do with them. You can Come along and plead their case.”

Tony nodded at that.  The skill of negotiation learned from Mr. Galloway had worked again.  The Security Men hauled Tad and Hal to their feet, positioning their arms behind them in an arm lock, then marched them down the Midway to Billy Bob Crane’s office.  Tony and Karen followed, with Pinky and Angie trailing after.  The crowd behind them dispersed quickly, the excitement over.  There were still rides to ride and games to play.
__________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Whacha got here ?”, Billy Bob Crane said as his Security Men hauled Tad and Hal into his office, followed behind by Tony and Karen with Pinky and Angie silhouetted in the doorway, unwilling to venture in any farther.

“These two were fighting on the Midway”, one of the Security Men said. 

“And, who are those two ?” Billy Bob asked, indicating Tony and Karen.

“Um...I’m Tony Calderone, and this is Karen”, Tony spoke up. “I’m the Mediator over at the School.....”

“Ah, right, the Hero Kid and all”, Billy Bob interrupted.  “That was a fine thing you did there, getting rid of that maniac and his buddies.  Bad News there, them ones was.  Bad for business, too.”

“Err...Thank you Sir”, Tony began.  “Umm....I’d like to take charge of Tad and Hal, here.  They was fighting, sure, but there wasn’t any damage or anything, ‘cept to themselves.”

“Would you like us to turn these two over to the Police ?”, the other Security Man inquired.

Billy Bob tented his rather fat fingers before him.  “Miscreants, Heh ?  I don’t take kindly to fighting here.  This is a place of fun for everyone.  I got paying patrons and their safety to consider.”

“It was just a....Misunderstanding, Sir”, Tony went on, “Just one of those things, I’m sure they meant no harm.  If you could give them a break....I’ll see to it they cause no more trouble.”

Billy Bob Considered.  The Carnival was packed on this fair summer evening.  It might not do to have the Cops show up just now.  Maybe bad for business.  Besides, what was the harm ?  He cleared his throat.  “All right. No Cops.  But there must be a punishment.”  He pointed to Tad and Hal, who had stood sullenly silent until now.  “You two are banned for a month from the Carnival.  Show your faces here, I’ll have you arrested for Trespassing.  Got It ?”

Both boys mumbled assent.  “Escort these....Boys to the gate”, Billy Bob said to his security men, “And make sure they go down the road.”

Both Security Men nodded, and grabbed ahold of their charges by the arms, hustling them out of the office.  Karen and Tony followed, and were at the door when Billy Bob said, “Say there, Tony....How’s your friend Algie getting along ?”

Tony stopped, and looked around.  “Um....Better, I guess.  He got shot in the butt, y’know.  I can...Um...Check for you, if you really want to know ?”

“You do that”, Billy Bob said, and a grin spread over his face.  “And....Tell him he’s welcome to have his job back here anytime he wants it.  Tell him also....That Paris is missing him terribly.”   With that, he bellowed a gale of wild laughter.  Tony nodded and then hurriedly escorted Karen out to the Midway.
_________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony and Karen followed the Security Men down the Midway, who were in turn closely following Hal and Tad towards the front gates.  Pinky and Angie were also walking along behind, Pinky not saying anything because she couldn’t, and Angie was also being silent for once.  Tony knew his fun at the Carnival was over for this evening.

The Security Men halted at the gates while the kids filed through, and stood there with arms crossed, waiting for them to be on their way down the road and through the tunnel.  They milled briefly.  Both groups couldn’t leave at once.

“Better take off”, Tony said to Hal and Angie.  “See you back at school tomorrow, hey ?”

“Yeah”, Hal said, giving a nasty look at Tad.  “Hey, thanks a lot, Tony-Boy.”

“Don’t mention it”, Tony replied, and watched as Hal and Angie walked off towards the tunnel back to town.  When they were almost out of sight, he turned to Tad.  “Well, your turn.  Start walking.  Don’t be thinkin’ about gettin’ in any more scuffles tonight.”

“So, what do I owe you for this ?”, Tad said in a flat voice.

Tony looked at Tad for a moment.  “Nothing.  Consider it a payback for the boat loan.”

Tad nodded with the trace of a smirk.  “Fair enough.”  His eyes darted around to Pinky, and he noticed suddenly that she had resumed her mooning look at Tony, and said hastily, “I say, luv, let us go to the Beach House, shall we ?”

Pinky reluctantly drug her eyes away from Tony.  She seemed unaware that Karen was glaring icicles at her.  Pinky looked at Tad, and for a moment, she seemed confused.  Then her face cleared, and she nodded assent.  The two walked off and soon were going through the tunnel and out of sight. 

“I swear, as soon as she heals up, I’m gonna clean her clock”, Karen said angrily.  She started off, and Tony followed, shaking his head.  What a night.
________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Good Morning Mr. Galloway !”, a pert, chipper voice said.

Mr. Galloway looked about to see who had spoken to him.  He had been looking out over the Great Hall from the second-floor railing just outside the School Office. 

It was Christy Martin.  “Why, Hello, Miss Martin”, he said, “And a fine day to you, also.  Heading to class ?”

“Yes, I am....I’m helping Ms. Phillips today with some of the student’s artworks”, Christy said.  “And, you can just call me Christy, like before, if you want.  ‘Miss Martin’ sounds so formal !”

“Well, yes, it does a bit at that”, Mr. Galloway conceded, “Sound formal, that is, but out about in the school we use our formal titles, in front of the students you know.”

“Oh, yes, I completely understand !”, Christy replied.  “It’s just that....I don’t know, it’s like, I’m not ready for that yet, I guess.  To be called ‘Miss’.  It just sounds....Strange, is all.”

“You should come to the Teacher’s Lounge for lunch, or after school, then”, Mr. Galloway smiled, “We use our first names there.”

“That sounds nice”, Christy said, “But I’m just a Teacher’s Ade, not a real Teacher yet....Am I allowed to go in there ?”

“Why, most certainly, my dear”, Mr. Galloway answered, “We don’t stand on ceremony here about that.  You’re on staff now, don’t forget.  Please do come.”

“Ooh, that would be Super !”, Christy gushed.  Impulsively, she reached out and gave Mr. Galloway a hug.  “You were always my favorite Teacher, you know !”

Mr. Galloway suddenly felt a deep stirring that he hadn’t felt since he was a High Schooler himself.  “That’s.....Quite nice, my dear....To hear that....Thank you....”

Christy disengaged herself from the hug.  “But....I don’t know anyone’s first name, except for Deidre....Umm, Ms. Phillips.”  She looked about.  The students were thinning out, as it was getting close to class time.  Even though there was no one near, her voice dropped to almost a whisper.  “So....What’s your name, Mr. Galloway ?  What do I call you in the Lounge ?”

“Umm....It’s.....Lionel”, Mr. Galloway managed to get out, despite his strange feelings.

“Oh !  Ok, I’ll remember that”, Christy said in a conspiratorial whisper.  “Lionel.  I like that !”

Just then, the bell rang, summoning students to their first morning class.  From behind Mr. Galloway, there came a familiar voice.  “Why, there you are dear !  Come along, we’re late for getting class started !”

They both turned to see Ms. Phillips standing there.  “Oh, right !”, Christy twittered.  “I’m on my way, right now !  Bye, Lionel...Um, Mr. Galloway !”  She gave him a wink and hurried off.

Watching Christy head down the hall towards the Art Room, Ms. Phillips observed, “Getting a little chummy there, wasn’t she.”  It wasn’t a question.

“She was just...Er....Expressing gratitude, I suppose....”, Mr. Galloway said lamely, his stirring feeling somewhat abating.

“Gratitude ?  For What ?”, Ms. Phillips asked.

“Um....For me being a good Teacher....She said...”, Mr. Galloway replied uncomfortably.

Though she was known as somewhat flighty, Ms. Phillips stare bored right into Mr. Galloway.  “That better be all it is.  Remember who has always been your real champion around here.”

With that, she turned and flounced off.  Headed for class, Mr. Galloway supposed.  He turned and leaned on the railing once more, and sighed.  One more piece of trouble he hadn’t asked for.  Little did he realize that this wouldn’t be the end of it.  No, not at all.
___________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

All morning, Tony struggled with the question of just what leverage he could use with the Nerds to convince them to start making and selling weapons to the other Cliques.  Then, during Math Class (now being taught by a new Teacher, a Mr. Berryhill Newton), he hit upon a plan. 

Lunchtime found him in the School Office.  Miss Jones looked up inquiringly.  “Yes ?  May I help you ?”

“I’d like to see Mr. Galloway, if it’s not too much trouble”, Tony said.  “It’s rather important.”

“Well....He’s taking lunch in his office now”, Bethany Jones said uncertainly, then she brightened into a smile.  “But I’m sure he will see you, at that.  Let me go ask !”

Tony had a seat while he was waiting.  He had already decided not to mention anything about weapons to Mr. Galloway.  Instead, he was going to try a different angle.  Miss Jones returned soon and said the Headmaster would see him, and he was ushered into his office.

“Tony !  Good to see you !”, Mr. Galloway said, taking a bite of his sandwich.  He motioned Tony to a chair.  “What is it you need to talk about ?”

“Well Sir, it’s like this....”, Tony began, “All this while, we’ve been trying to increase security for the students here, and to avoid any more mishaps here with the likes of people like Gary or Jake ever rising to gain control of the school or the grounds again.  But, in order for the kids to feel truly safe from attack here, each needs their own specific areas where the can feel relatively safe from attack, by lone people or other Cliques.  Granted, it’s peaceful now, but you know that eventually tensions will break out again, and we’ll be right back to the way things were.  So, here is my proposal......”

At that, Tony launched into what he had envisioned.  Mr. Galloway listened with rapt attention, for he had in fact been pondering the same thing himself.  As Tony concluded with his plan, Mr. Galloway was nodding.  “That sounds like a super idea, Tony”, he said.  “Been giving a lot of thought to this, have you ?  That’s an extraordinary solution, and really so simple.”

“Then we can do that ?”, Tony asked, holding his breath.

“I don’t see why not”, Mr Galloway said enthusiastically. “I’ll direct some of the recovery funds to it right away.  Great idea, Tony !”

“Thanks Mr. Galloway !”, Tony exclaimed, and rose to leave.  “I think this will help a lot !”

Leaving the Headmaster’s office, Tony then ran down Melvin, and arranged a meeting for after school down at the Observatory.  By the time the bell rang for afternoon classes, Tony felt certain that his plan to re-arm the Cliques would be a success.  There was only the Nerds left to convince.
____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The final class of the day over, Tony met his friends in the Lunchroom, where after-school snacks were now being provided as part of the ‘New Image’ of the School.  Edna’s food was still as terrible as ever, but no one seriously expected that would ever change.  The snacks, however, were being trucked in from the outside world, and included things like Twinkles, Cupcakes, Fruit Pies, Chips Ahoy, and similar items.....So the students deemed them safe to eat.

Assembled at the table were Tony, Karen, Nick, Melody, Laurent, Constantinos, and Ray.  In a low voice, Tony told those trusted friends an outline of his overall plan, and swore them to secrecy.  It would depend of a lot of factors if his overall re-arming plan was to be successful, and at the core of it was Tony’s new plan to make certain areas more secure.  This is what he had been discussing with Mr. Galloway, he told them, and even though forms of it had been used in the past, there had never been an effort to really make it a campus-wide reality.  “But now”, Tony said, “With these new funds pouring in to re-hab this place, this can be possible, for probably the first time in school history !”

Laurent frowned.  “About how long will this take ?”, he asked, “And how will we hold things together and keep any incidents from happening in the meantime ?”

“About two weeks, I estimate”, Tony replied, “All of it could be in place around the 4th of July holiday.  As for keeping any trouble from happening in the meantime, we will just have to be vigilant.  Constantinos, you’re the best digger of information in the whole school.  Keep your ears to the ground and report anything you find out, no matter how trivial it might seem.”

Constantinos nodded. “I can do that”, he grinned.

Tony turned to Ray.  “And Ray, you keep your eyes open for anything happening around the Dorms and in School.  Dirty looks, threats, name-calling, rude remarks, things like that.”

Ray vigorously agreed to that, happy to be included in an important job at long last.  Next Tony said, “Nick, it’ll be your job to walk the areas of the campus where trouble most likely happens and just look mean and tough.  Nobody will be starting any trouble if they know they have to deal with you, the toughest kid at school.”

Nick had to agree with that.  Then Tony addressed the girls, “Karen, Melody, I want you girls to look after the other girls, particularly those new ones.  I got a feeling they’re gonna be trouble, and probably soon, too.”

“You got that right”, Melody piped up, “They already tried to take over the Dorm.  If Mrs. Peabody didn’t have that Cattle Prod, they’d have been all over us by now.”

“They’ve already been taunting the younger girls”, Karen observed, “I don’t think they’re used to any kind of civilized behavior.  Those two big black girls, particularly.”

“That’s the kind of stuff I’m talking about”, Tony said.  “We have to stop things like that, before they turn into fights, like last night at the Carnival.  It’s stuff like that, that will get Cliques fired up against each other again.”

“How do you think that we are going to ‘keep a lid’, as you say, on things ?”, Laurent spoke up.

“Look”, Tony said, “Right now, we’ve got just about 100% respect from everybody, saving the school and all.  So, they’ll do what we say....For now.  But, that won’t last forever.  That’s why these plans have just got to work.  It’s really this place’s last chance.”  Tony settled back, and sighed.  “And, with most of us looking at another two years at this place until we graduate, we have to do something.  I can’t take another year like the one we just went through.”

There was mumbled agreement at that.  In their hearts, every one sitting at that table on this warm summer’s day wanted nothing more than to have a normal school life.  This was perhaps as close as they could ever get to realizing that wistful dream.

Their snacks finished, the friends broke up and went on their separate ways.  Tony walked with Karen to the back Quad.  “Well, I’ve got to go and meet with the Nerds now....Wish me luck.”

“I should come with you”, Karen suddenly said.

Tony frowned.  “I think Melvin is only expecting me....I don’t know if he wants a girl around sitting in on our talks.”

“Oh, Pshaw”, Karen said.  “Melvin’s already got a girl down there now, her name’s Jimmette.  She’s down there most of the time when she isn’t in class.  I hear Melvin is quite taken with her.”

This was news to Tony.  “No shit ?  What kind of girl would hang around with Melvin ?”

“She’s a Nerd girl”, Karen said, “Surprised you haven’t noticed her around school.”

Tony had to admit he hadn’t.  “Well, no, tell the truth. I haven’t.  But there’s a whole bunch of new ones that came in, I just assumed they were all from that Reform School.....”

“No, not her”, Karen said, “She’s nice, I’ve already talked to her.  Seems she has a thing for Melvin, saw him on the Internet and wanted to go here, whatever.”  She shrugged.  “But...If you take me down with you, I can talk to her some more....And maybe it could be another way to convince Melvin to go along with all this.”

Tony brightened.  “That’s a super idea !”, he exclaimed, and planted a kiss on Karen’s sensual lips.  “You always amaze me !  But I guess I should be used to that by now !”

“You better believe it, Mister”, Karen said, and then stole a rub on Tony’s sensual parts.  “And, if this works out, maybe you and I should go celebrate somewhere private, afterwards...Huh ?”

“You got a date, Lady !”, Tony told her, trying to quell for the moment his rising passion.  “Let’s go do this !”

Arm in arm, they headed down towards the Observatory.
______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Lucky DeLuca looked into the bay and squinted.  He could see a couple of figures inside in the gloom, smoking ciggys.  He entered to find who he had been looking for, along with somewhat of a surprise.  Sitting beside him was that new girl, Binky.  “Hey, Peanut, Johnny’s been lookin’ for yer.”

Peanut turned lazily on the bench towards Lucky. “Yeah ?  Wut’s he want ?”

“I Donno”, Lucky answered, “Why don’cha go see ?  What am I looking like, a message board ?”

Peanut took a last couple of drags off his ciggy before dropping it to the floor and grinding it out with his biker boot.  “Well, alright......I’ll get back wit you Binks, a little later.  Maybe, around that place we wuz talkin’ about ?”

Binky nodded, a quirky smile curling on her face.  Peanut rose and faced Lucky.  “So, where be Johnny at ?”, he asked.

“Out in front of the Autoshop, by the front door”, Lucky answered.  “Youse know, where we usually hang ?”

“Oh, right, right”, Peanut said.  He seemed somewhat distracted.

“Where you been all day, anyhoo ?”, Lucky asked.  “Didn’t see youse in school.”

Peanut brushed by him.  “Cuz I weren’t.  Me and Binky skipped the day to hang out.”

Lucky shook his head.  “You shouldn’t oughter do that.  We gotta lot to make up.”

Peanut stopped in the doorway.  “What’s it matter ?  Hell, we’re all famous now, so’s I hear.  Who needs a buncha edu-macation ?”

Lucky, who probably had the best attendance in class out of all the Greasers and was an advocate of staying in school, was aghast.  “Why, we do, blue....Never knows what’s gonna come down the pike o’ life, y’know.  How you gonna get a good job witout it ?”

“Gaaaa....I don’t give a shit, Sherlock”, Peanut said as he walked off, leaving Lucky open-mouthed without a good comeback. 

Feeling eyes on him, Lucky turned to where Binky was still sitting.  Although it was shady in the bay, he could make out her features quite clearly.  On her face was a smirk of contempt.  “What’s wrong wit you ?”, Lucky asked.  “Youse been corruptin’ Peanut or somethin’?”

Binky gave out a little laugh.  “Hardly.  Why don’t you mind your business, little boy ?”  She took a last drag off her ciggy before dropping it and grinding it out. 

Lucky felt insulted.  “Cuz, Peanut IS my bizness.  He’s one of us, and you ain’t !”

Binky stood up and arched an eyebrow.  “That so ?  We’ll see about that.”  She started to leave.

As she brushed by Lucky, he laid a restraining hand on her shoulder.  “Hey, where you goin’?  I ain’t done talkin’ to you....OOOF !!!!!!”

Catching Lucky completely unaware, Binky had whipped around and planted the pointed toe of her booted foot directly in his nuts.  Lucky fell to his knees, unable to speak.

“Don’t EVER touch me !!”, Binky hissed.  “Just because I’m short don’t mean you got any rights to do whatever you wants !”

Lucky groaned with pain and fell on his side.  Thorough half-lidded eyes, he watched Binky walk away.  Next time, he was thinking, someone else could be the messenger boy.
____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Passing the Football Field, Tony noticed the Jocks already working out under the steely gaze of their new beaver-faced coach.  Even Laurent was huffing and puffing about the field, as it looked like they were doing tackle runs today.  Tony was glad he had opted out of Gym Classes last year and had not attempted to join any teams.  Not that Bullworth Academy had any other real teams to speak of, but all that might change now.  Unlike Coach Burton, this guy was a workout demon. 

Unnoticed, Tony and Karen walked along the bleachers and came to the opening in the wall that led to the Observatory.  They walked up the path to the gates.  Tony’s eyes were on all the wrecked masonry still waiting to be repaired, and did not notice the chained gates until they were right up on them.

“Whoa, look at this !”, he exclaimed to Karen, pointing to the log chain with the big padlock.  “Just shows how much they really need protection, now that the Spud Cannon was blown to smithereens.”

As they had reached the gates, they noticed a box-like thing with red and green push buttons on it attached to the bars.  After a few seconds, Karen figured it out and pushed and held the red button, then released it.

“Who Goes There ?”, a tinny voice issued from a speaker on the box.  “Identify yourself !!”

Karen showed Tony to press the green button, and he did.  “Um....It’s Tony Calderone.  I’m here to talk with Melvin.  He’ expecting me.”

For a full minute, there was no answer.  Then, “What is the code ?”

Tony was ready for this. “THX-one-one-three-eight”, he spoke into the box.

A few seconds dragged by.  Then, “Wait.  Someone will be right out.”

‘Right Out’ turned out to be about 5 minutes.  Then the big doors of the Observatory were pushed open, and Donald came out, followed by a limping Fatty.  When they reached the gates, Donald began unlocking the padlock and undoing the chains.  Fatty spotted Karen and whined, “We didn’t hear about any Girls coming.”

“It’s just Karen”, Tony said, as patiently as he could.  “You know who she is.  Maybe, she could talk to that new girl, Jimette, while me and Melvin talk ?”

Donald and Fatty exchanged a look.  Then Fatty said, “Sure, yes, that sounds fine.”

The chains were pulled off, the gates opened, and Tony and Karen walked through.  Fatty escorted them inside while Donald rewound the chain about the bars and re-locked the padlock.

“That must be a real bitch to have to do that every time”, Tony observed.

“Yes, well, we have to keep ourselves protected”, Fatty said. 

“I believe I can help with that”, Tony said, as they headed to the steps leading to the basement.  Fatty gave him a quizzical look, but Tony did not elaborate.  Instead, he asked, “Is Melvin down below ?”

Fatty nodded, and Tony and Karen headed down the stairs.  At the bottom, Tony found himself in familiar surroundings once more.  The room with the big long rectangular table, and the smaller doors dotted along the one wall that he knew were the storage rooms.  Some of the doors were open, and Tony could see mattresses thrown on the floor within, the Nerds must be using those places for their sleeping areas now. 

Sitting at the big table was Melvin, and the new girl Jimmette.  Tony approached Melvin. “Hi, Melvin.  How you been ?”

“Greetings !”  Melvin returned, and shook Tony’s hand.  “And, Um.....Nice to see you too, Umm, Karen...”

“Oh, I just came to meet Jimmette”, Karen said brightly.  “I thought she could show me around while you boys talk.”

“Why....Uhh...Sure”, Melvin said.  “That would be....Just fine !”

“I feel like I know you both already !”, Jimmette said, getting up, “I’ve read so much about you both !”

“We’re just regular people”, Karen said, “Really nothing special.”

“That’s not what the world thinks !”, Jimette said with a trace of awe in her voice. “Everyone here is famous !  But you two are the most famous couple !”

“Well”, Karen said, a bit nervously, “What do you know about that !”

“Jimmette, dear, could you show Karen about, and let her see our new improvements ?”, Melvin said. 

“Most certainly !”, Jimmette said brightly.  “We’ll be right back !”

“Take your time”, Tony said, “We got a lot to talk about.”  He shot Karen a meaningful glance.

“Right, lets go !”, Karen said.  “I’ve never seen the inside of the Observatory before !”

As the two girls headed to the stairway, Fatty was clumping down.  They waited until he cleared the opening with his huge bulk, then headed up the steps, chatting.

“Uh, I hope you don’t mind Fatty sitting in on our talk”, Melvin asked.

“Course not”, Tony said, taking a seat opposite Melvin.  “This concerns him as well.”

Fatty sat heavily in a seat next to Melvin, the poor chair groaning in protest as he did.  Both boys looked at Tony expectantly.

Tony didn’t waste any time with preliminaries. “I hear you’re making weapons again.”

Both Nerds were suddenly wary.  Nervous sweat popped out on their foreheads.  “Wh...Where’d you...Hear that ?”. Melvin asked, his eyes darting about.

“A little birdie told me”, Tony said.  He hadn’t known for sure, until this moment, that the Nerds were in fact making them. “Com’on, you know I have sources.”

“But...But...That’s not true !”, Fatty protested.  “We couldn’t do that, it’s...It’s.....”

“Relax”, Tony said.  “It’s alright.  I WANT you to make weapons for yourselves.”

Both Nerd’s eyes bulged.  “You....You DO ?”, Melvin stammered.

“Most certainly”, Tony said.  “What’s more, I want you to make them for Everyone.”

There was a tick of dead silence as if the Nerds couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Then the both began to jabber at once.

“Impossible !  We’re not doing that again !”, Fatty spouted.
“We finally have the upper hand here, this time”, Melvin protested.
“There shouldn’t even be any them having any at all !”, Fatty put in.
“No way are we going to arm the others when we’re so vulnerable !”, Melvin sputtered.

Tony let the jabber on, sitting with his arms crossed.  When they seemed to have run out of protests, he said, “Gentlemen, have you ever heard of Parity ?”

Unlike the other, dumber Cliques around Campus, the Nerds knew exactly what that meant.  “Balance of Power”, Fatty said sourly.  “The downfall of every empire who believes in that false premise.”

“We tried this before, and look what happened”, Melvin pointed out.

“Ahh...But things are different now”, Tony said.  “There will be security just about everywhere on campus now, in one form or another, to keep open attacks from happening.  The only problem, as I see it, is your position down here, in a relatively secluded area, that just might invite....Shall we say, unwanted visitors ?”

The Nerds appeared confused.  “That’s exactly why we don’t want anyone to have them but us !”, exclaimed Melvin.

“What If I told you that you could have the most secure stronghold on Campus, right here ?”, Tony asked craftily.  “Your lifelong dream, an impregnable fortress, secure from any attack ?   What would you say to that ?”

Both Melvin and Fatty say somewhat speechless at that.  “H-How ?”, Melvin choked out.

“It’s simple”, Tony said, rather enjoying himself.  “There will be money compensation, of course.  But beyond that, if you agree to what I ask, I am authorized to offer you the following.”  Tony leaned forward and stared into their faces for emphasis.  “A brand new dividing wall between here and the Football Field, with a door built in that only YOU can access.  Barbed wire on the top that not even Laurent can Parkour over.  AND, a fixing of the fencing at the gate by the Library, with the same barbed wire strung along the top.  Your whole G&G Battle game area returned to you alone between here and there.  No one tramping through there any more, with a new gate built into the access tunnel that only you would control.  And that’s not all.”  Tony’s eyes bored into theirs.  “A complete rebuild of the front gate here at the Observatory, with a special locking code that only you control.  And with the same barbed wire set-up, naturally.”

Both Melvin and Fatty sat with big rounded eyes. “And....Um....Our Spud Cannon ?”, Melvin whispered.

Tony shook his head.  “Can’t get you you that.  But, with what you’re going to be raking in in bucks, you can build yourselves a new and improved one, hell, a double-barrel one if you want. You won’t really need one though....You boys will be Impregnable.”

Fatty found his voice.  “How is all this going to happen ?”

“It’ll all be arranged, if you agree to my proposals.  Recovery money will be diverted to this project with top priority”, Tony said, fudging the truth just a bit.  Actually, what he had discussed with Mr. Galloway included all the Cliques in the project, each with their own area secured....All except the Bullies, that is, who were still living in the Boy’s Dorm.  But that would be another matter.  “Just think of it, boys....You can have a clear shot from the Library to here with no hassle once more, just the way it was intended.  You won’t ever have to even go anywhere on Campus except the school, if you don’t want to.  And with all the new security, you should have safe access out the front gate to go to Bullworth Town and the Dragon’s Wing.”

Tony stopped and watched the reaction of the two Nerds.  He kept a poker face, giving no hint to his uncertainty that the Nerds might not go for it.  But he felt relatively sure they would.  He certainly couldn’t outsmart them, but appealing to their greed would carry the day, he was sure of that.  He resumed, bringing home the deal.  “Just think....Total freedom.  To live the way you were meant to live, free from hassle, free from bullying, free from fear.”  he leaned forward again, this time like a carnival barker, reeling in a mark.  “So, whadda say ?  Ready to grab the chance, right here and now, and live the good life ?”

Melvin and Fatty sat in total silence, their eyes holding a dreamy, far-away look.  One could almost see the drool beginning to run down their chins.  At long last, they turned their gaze at one another.  An unspoken communication, then both faced forward once more.  “Umm....Could we talk of this with our comrades ?”, Melvin asked, almost pleadingly.

“Why, of course”, Tony said, leaning back in his chair. “Just don’t take too long.”  He rose, as then coming back down the stairs was Karen and Jimmette.  Both girls were carrying on a conversation like old friends by this time.  Melvin mumbled something to Fatty, and Fatty struggled up and headed towards the stairs, presumably to gather the others.  Jimmette broke off and went to Melvin, sitting beside him.  She began whispering something to him. 

Tony rounded up Karen and headed upstairs.  Once there, they watched the other Nerds file down.  When they were alone, Tony asked Karen, “Did you put a little bug in her ear ?”

“Yep, I did”, Karen smiled mischievously. “I told her how great the security was going to be here from now on, if Melvin and the others took the deal.  She got real excited.”

“I’ll bet she gets excited a lot, just to be here”, Tony observed.

“I think she is stuck hard on Melvin”, Karen said, "And he is stuck just about as hard on her.”

“Welp, I guess you can show me around now”, Tony said.  He hadn’t really gotten the chance to see all the new stuff that the Spencer money had paid for, the new Telescope and all.  They ascended the platforms as down below, they could hear the sounds of voices drifting upwards.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tony thought it would all be over quickly, but 25 minutes dragged by before Melvin appeared at the top of the stairway from the basement.  Hand in hand with Jimmette, he came over to where Tony and Karen were standing.

“Tony, you have yourself a deal !”, Melvin said, a trace of joy and exuberation on his face.

“Hey, that’s just fine, Melvin”, Tony said.  “You won’t regret this.  This will make this school a new place, and no one will be attacking anyone else.”

“More than that”, Melvin said, squeezing Jimmette close to him, “Now, I have someone more to watch out for than just the other fellows.”

Tony drew Karen close.  “I glad we could reach an understanding of what’s important.”

“Yes”, Melvin said. “They are, at that.  One question....About how long will the improvements take ?”

“About two weeks”, Tony said, “Should be in place by the 4th of July holiday.  So, I trust you can construct enough weapons by that time ?”

“We can”, Melvin promised. “We will start tomorrow, to be sure.”

“Fine”, Tony said, “I’ll broker the deals with the other Cliques.  You won’t even have to deal with them.”

“Oh, Wonderful !”, Melvin spoke.  “How thoughtful of you !”

“Guess we’ll take our leave now”, Tony said. “Thanks, Melvin.  It’s been fun.”

“Farewell, Gallant Knight !!”, Melvin cried, as they made their way to the door.  Donald went ahead of them to unlock and unchain the gate.  Soon, Tony and Karen were out once again in the late afternoon summer air.

“Hey”, Tony said to Karen, “Where was that Beatrice girl ?  I thought she was hanging with the Nerds ?”

“That’s because she IS a Nerd”, Karen replied.  “But she’s been staying at the Girl’s Dorm.”  She wrinkled her nose.  “It’s not ‘proper’ for her to bunk with the boys, she says.  But, then again, she always thought she was better and smarter than anybody, when really, she’s just a little conniver.”

“Really ?”, Tony asked, surprised.  “Nick said she seemed nice...”

“Oh, what does he know ?”, Karen laughed. 

“Nothing, that I know of”, Tony answered.

“Anyway, Mandy’s got it out for her”, Karen said.  “She’ll make her life miserable, just like before.”

The Football Field was empty as they walked by.  “That new Coach musta wore the Jocks out”, Tony observed.

“There’s something queer about him”, Karen said suddenly.

“Yeah, I think so too”, Tony said, that strange feeling he had had before coming back.  “Can’t put my finger on it though, but I think I heard something about that guy, somewhere.”

“What sort of something ?”, Karen asked. She wasn’t much of a Jock girl anymore, having been with Tony for so long, but she still felt a kinship with them.

Tony shook his head.  “I...Don’t really know.  Something.....  It’ll come to me, I suppose.”

“Hey”, Karen said, changing the subject, “Want to go somewhere to celebrate ?”

“Hell, Yes”, Tony said.  “Let’s go to Chef’s and have a decent meal.  We deserve it !”
_____________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The next week went by rather peaceably, much to Tony’s relief.  Tad and Hal never did settle up their fight that had been interrupted at the Carnival, though Tony was sure it wasn’t forgotten.  There were no other major incidents at the school or on the grounds, only some minor stuff like name-calling and shoving in the hallways, and those were quickly quelled by the Prefects, who were frankly quite bored out of their skulls and began to long for the days gone by when they would bust up to 10 students a day each. 

Part of the reason was that there was still a large adult presence at the school and on the quad areas.  Much of it was the workers who were refurbishing the school and the grounds.  Some, like specific tradesmen, had been brought in from the outside.  Others were the out-of-work Dockmen and Chem Plant Workers that used to have jobs over in Blue Skies.  Though the Docks were technically still open, there was a lot less being shipped in and out these days.  Much of the products were arriving by truck, now that the road was open to the world.

Most of the soldiers were gone, although they maintained a presence in Bullworth Town and the Vale, as there was still Martial Law in effect.  Mostly, the soldiers didn’t bother much with New Coventry, only running a patrol a day through the streets.  With Blue Skies, they didn’t even bother.  That was almost like a Ghost Town these days, since much of the workplaces hadn’t re-opened as yet in the wake of the attacks.  There was still a trace of the poisonous gas that hung in the air and seemed to cling to the buildings and even the landscape.  The Police Sub-Station hadn’t re-opened, nor had the Clinic.  Blue Skies Shipping was operating, but just barely had enough to ship in and out since it was difficult now to hoist their loads up and down to the rail cars.  It had been an efficient set-up doing that from the Spencer Warehouse, but that place now sat damaged without much hope of being repaired.  As the business was in receivership, due to Mr. Spencer’s legal problems, it was to be a long spell if it were ever to open for business again.

The crown jewel of the Harrington Empire in the Vale Valley, their money-maker the Chem Plant, sat shuttered by order of the EPA.  Investigators had descended on the site, and declared it a likely candidate for the Superfund Cleanup List.  With the slowness of the Federal Government in such matters, it would take months or years for any actual cleanup to even began, and even longer to be deemed fit for operation.  The investigators had shuttered the plant and left town.  The Chem Plant’s only occupants now were the Townies, who had broken in and moved in, lock, stock, and barrel.   Just like in the old days of the late Edgar Munsen, they had the run of the place.  The posted skull & crossbones signs that were peppered everywhere around the property proclaiming toxic poison virtually guaranteed everyone else would stay far away.
_____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

True to his word, Mr. Galloway arranged for the workers to began setting up the gates and barriers that Tony had envisioned.  The workers had arrived promptly arrived the next morning and began repairing the stone wall in front of the Observatory.  By the time school had let out for the day, that much was finished.  In another day, the gates were repaired, as was the front doors of the Observatory itself.  That completed, work moved on to the building of the large steel barrier wall between the Observatory and the Football Field.  That occupied the better part of the rest of the week.

After the stonemasons had finished repairs to the Observatory wall, they began construction of a new wall on the West end of the Football Field, in front of the Jock’s Clubhouse.  The wall extended both North and South, giving a small yard space in the front of the Clubhouse. This pleased the Jocks immensely, as they would finally have their own private area.  It also quite displeased Coach Sanders, who felt he ought to access to the Clubhouse just the same as all the other areas.  But, in the end, he had to reason that there was still access to the showers.

Before the week was out, construction was also done at the end of the path leading to the Autoshop, replacing the rickety corrugated metal contraption the Greasers had cobbled together to protect their turf with a nice-looking wall containing a secure entry gate.  The same was done at the North end of their domain, where the Garages faced the Parking Lot to the old fenced-in Hobo’s Lair.  This gave the Greasers a secure back lot area as well.

Last to be done was the gated entryway at the end of the path leading to the Harrington House quad and yard.  This was a more simple, but elaborate affair, built to match the decor of the Prep House.  Also on the bill was the repair of all the fencing that had been knocked down over the years, cutting off the shortcut between the Library and Harrington House, and the shortcut from the Greaser’s area to the back quad of the school.  Such was the price of progress. 
____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

As the week wound down, the Nerds were in full production mode, making their weapons over in the Dragon’s Wing basement, the place where all of their creations came from.  Since there was a scarcity of Gunpowder these days, the Nerds elected not to make any more Bottle Rocket Launchers.  Instead, they focused of producing Spud Guns and their variant, the Egg Gun.  What little Gunpowder that they had went into the making of M-80 Firecrackers. 

The making of the Guns was simple....Several empty cans were soldered together end-to-end to make the barrel, and then the addition of the Piston Valve and the Manual Air Pump at one end, operated by a simple pump action of the user.  Then, a trigger was set in place and soldered to the barrel.  Working steadily, a Nerd could turn out about two guns an hour. 

Since they were Pneumatic Launchers, they required no fuel or chemical powder.  Their ammunition was plentiful, as a large store of potatoes was always in a pile in the Basement of the school, used incessantly in Edna’s strange stew concoctions.  Since the absence of Mr. Luntz, the Janitor position had not been filled with any sort of regularity, giving most anyone free access to the Spud pile without fear of getting busted.  As for the Eggs, they had always been readily available at any of the Yum-Yum Stores.  The Nerds didn’t bother with the ammunition aspect for the weapons, as that wasn’t part of the deal.  The Cliques were on their own to find their own, as it were.

It was entirely possible that the Nerds could also make Air Rifles, if they had the material to do so.  But that was one thing that Tony forbade.  After what had happened to Pete and a few of the others, those were deemed far too dangerous to be in any kid’s hands at the school.  Tony had heard the rumors that there were still some around, somewhere.  It was difficult to tell just how many Jake had robbed from the Carnival, and how many still existed after their mass destruction in the school’s furnace and the sweep by the soldiers.  But there were some, Tony knew.  The Carnival was still operating the Shooting Range, so there was some known Air Rifles there. 

Tony gave this matter a lot of thought.  Near the end of the week, it was Karen who came up with a splendid idea, as they were sitting alone in his Mediator Office. 

“It’s simple really”, she had declared, “We just need a Mole to keep watch on them.”

“A Mole ?”, Tony repeated, and then he got it.  “You don’t mean....”

“Exactly who I mean”, Karen giggled. “There wouldn’t be anyone better !”

Tony picked Karen up in his excitement and spun her around in the air.  “That’s a GREAT IDEA !!”, he proclaimed, finally setting her down again.  “That just might work !”

Karen snaked her arms around Tony’s neck.  “Here’s another Great Idea”, she said, and planted a huge french kiss on Tony’s unprotected lips.  Their passions flared, and quickly discarding their clothing, they sank to the floor and forgot anything about weapons for awhile.
______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Algie struggled awake in his Clinic bed on that Saturday.  Another day of shit, his bleary mind thought, as he unwillingly banished dreams in where he was the owner of a large Internet company and nobody ever dared to call him 'Pee Stain’.  As he opened his gummy eyes, he was startled to find a group of people gathered around his bed.

“Whaa....What are you all doing here ?”, he croaked.  “What...Do you want ?”

Around his bed were standing Tony and Karen, Nick and Melody, Constantinos, and that fat Ray kid (Who Algie always thought of as fat, even though Algie was way fatter).  There was also an adult there, whom he recognized as Chief O’Rouke.  As his still-cloudy eyes went from one to the other, he relaxed somewhat from his initial anxiety.  Instead of the hostile stares he had come to expect these past few months, they were looking at him in what appeared to be good humor.  One might even say they were friendly looks.

“Umm...What is it ?”, Algie said warily, “Why are you all here ?”

“Up and at ‘em, Algie”, Tony said cheerfully.  Algie shot Tony a confused look.

“It’s release day for you !”, Constantinos said, and for once Algie noticed he spoke without his usual depressing tone.

“Oh.  Hooray.  Lucky me”, Algie said morosely. “Did you all come to take me to Jail ?”

“Nay, nothing of the sort”, Chief O’Rouke spoke up robustly.  “Far from that, me boy.  The lads have a mission for you, and if you accept, all charges for your past mis-deeds will be swept grandly away and dismissed !”

Algie was confused.  “How...is that even possible ?  Everybody hates me.”

“But that’s just not true !”, Tony exclaimed. “If you hadn’t tried to throw that Stink Bomb, the Punks wouldn’t have gotten dis-armed, and maybe none of the other stuff would have happened that led to the school being saved.  Don’t you see, you played a part in the overthrow of Jake, just like the rest of us here.”

“Still, my brother Nerds hate me.  They made me Outcast”, Algie said sadly. “Melvin told me.”

“Doesn’t mean that can’t change”, Tony replied.  “If you do this mission we have in mind for you, I can just about Guarantee that everyone will accept you back, even your brother Nerds.”

A small spark of hope lit Algie’s eyes for a second.  “Umm...What mission would that be ?’, he said warily.

“It’s like this”, Tony said, and went on to describe the mission for Algie, that of watching over the Air Rifles at the Carnival and see that those remaining there didn’t get stolen. “These weapons need to be kept away from the school and out of the kid’s hands, so that what happened to Pete and others, including yourself, will never happen again. “  Tony didn’t mention that at this very moment Algie’s former brother Nerds were busy making other weapons to re-arm the school. 

“Weell....I don’t know....”, Algie said indecisively.  “How am I supposed to do that ?”

“It’s all been arraigned”, Tony said.  “Billy Bob Crane wants you to come back to work at the Carnival.  All you would have to do is check in with that Crystal every night to make sure none of the Air Rifles has gone missing.  If that happens, you just come tell one of us.”

Algie’s hopes rose a little.  “Yeah....But how’s that going to help me at the school ?  I’m nothing but a big traitor.  They’ll never accept me again.”  He looked down at the bedsheets, tears welling in his eyes.

“But that’s just not true either”, Tony said earnestly.  “Look, Algie, everyone knows how Jake tricked you and used you.  He tricked a lot of other people too.  They’re no better than you, and just as ashamed.  But most of them didn’t do anything on that day to help save the school, and you did.  That’s gotta count for something.  And when we tell them that you’re making amends by helping to keep things safer, I can promise you that the word will be out that you’re one of the good guys.”

Algie sat there considering.  “Yeah....But, I attacked them all.  They’re not going to forget that.  They’ll all want revenge.”

“Or”, Tony said, “They’ll remember you carried those attacks out all by yourself, without help from anyone else.  My guess is that they’ll all fear you might be prompted into doing that again, somehow.  I think you’ll find a sort of respect for that kind of ability.  None of them ever had the brains to pull off what 'Piff The Skull’ did.  They’ll be afraid to bully you ever again.”

Algie had never really thought of it from that angle before.  For the first time in many, many months, his future didn’t seem so dark and dismal.  “And....I’d be able to come back....To be accepted ?”

“Sure you would”, Tony said encouragingly.  “Hell, you’ll be a legend.  Just work the rest of the summer at the carnival, and I’m sure Mr. Galloway would let you come back to school in the fall.  Fact is, we’ll all talk to him about it, won’t we guys ?”  Everyone around the bed nodded assent.  “And besides that....I hear that Paris has been missing you lately.”

A sudden burst of emotion overtook Algie as he thought of Paris, her huge rounded curves so much like his dear mommy.  He had almost despaired of ever again being able to sink his face into her enormous bosom, or the feel of her chip-stained hands caressing him.  At that moment he was decided.

“All Right, I’ll do it !” he declared, looking at the faces around him.

“That be right fine !” Chief O’Rouke declared.  “I’ll go get your transport arranged.  Plus, I got other things to attend to, City Bussiness !”  And with that, he was off.

Tony and the others took their leave as well.  Outside the Clinic, they gathered.

“Want to go over to the Burger Joint to celebrate ?”, Ray asked, meat always being on his mind. “The others are going.  Hear they got a new Saturday Special, half-price !”  At the mention of a reduced price, the others began clamoring to go.

“You guys go on ahead”, Tony said.  “Me and Karen are gonna drop by the Dragon’s Wing and see how the Nerds are coming along.  We’ll catch up with you later.”

The group split up then, with Ray, Constantinos, Nick, and Melody heading off towards the Vale. Tony and Karen trudged the few blocks to the Dragon’s Wing. 

“I hope they’re all on schedule”, Tony commented on the way over.

“Are you going to say anything to them about Algie ?”, Karen asked.

“Nope, not yet”, Tony replied.  “Not until the time is right.”

“Kinda walking a fine line with all of this, aren’t you ?”, Karen observed.

“It’ll all work out”, Tony said.  At least, he hoped so.
____________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

During the course of the next week, the Nerds were able to complete enough weapons to re-supply all the Cliques.  Getting them into the Academy grounds were no problem, the Nerds just did as they always did, concealing a few weapons under their clothing each time they went back and forth to the school.  Nobody ever paid much attention to the Nerds anyway, even the remaining Media that still lurked in the area.

At the end of the week, on Saturday, enough weapons had been gathered at the Observatory for Tony, Nick, and Constantinos to began deliveries to the Cliques.  The first were to be delivered to the Jocks, as they were the closest to the Observatory.  But what should have been the easiest of all turned out to be the hardest.  The problem was the new Coach.  He constantly hung out on the Football Field, from morning to night.  Except for the Jocks themselves and the Cheerleaders, anyone else who tried to venture onto the field was run off.  The gaming field was no place for pussies, Coach Sanders declared, and only the fittest of the school were to be allowed there.

The Coach didn’t, or couldn’t, ban anyone from the bleachers or the general area of the Gym or Pool.  Not that a lot of Non-Jock kids wandered down there anyway, but just as with any other restricted place, the field ban drew the curiosity of the students.  They began to come down to the Football Field, first in trickles of just a few students, then in larger Clique groups, to sit in the bleachers and gaze on the now-forbidden field.  It was the same old Football Field, nothing had changed there, but the denial of their perceived rights to even walk on that field, which had always been taken as a matter of course, made it suddenly an object of tantalizing desire.

Sitting in the bleachers, the students beheld the rigorous new training schedule the Coach had imposed on his new charges.  The blasts of his whistle became so commonplace that soon it just became part of the decor of the Football Field.  At first, the gathered students would laugh and guffaw at the Jock’s discomfort and exhaustion, cracking jokes and pointing with hilarity at their unfortunate schoolmates.  But as time went on, and the Jocks slowly began to show more stamina, a sort of school pride began to creep into their senses, and the laughter and jokes began to subside.  The daily 50-lap run became a central event, with some even cheering on their favorites and some others betting and wagering on the outcomes.

Coach Sanders would finally retire after 9 PM to the office areas under the Gym bleachers, inherited from his predecessor, and it didn’t take him long to discover the spy tube that angled down into the Girl’s Locker Room.  He took to bunking in the area under the North bleachers, however, upon the discovery of a similar spy tube which angled down into the Boy’s Locker Room.  Unlike Coach Burton, he didn’t set up any taping equipment though, being quite a bit smarter than that.  Coach Sanders had been at this game a very long time without getting caught.

Tony came to realize that he would have to deliver the goods after dark....In fact, to be safe, after curfew.....To the Jocks in the Clubhouse itself.  Leaving the Observatory with Nick and Constantinos, each of them with a ring of Spud Guns strapped about their waists and covered with bulky sweaters, they traversed the space between the Observatory and the Jocks Clubhouse.  They had to keep a sharp eye out for the Prefects, who were patrolling the area much more than they used to, having for some strange reason taken a liking to Coach Sanders and his authoritarian ways.

The new wall between the Football Field and the Observatory area had been completed, but Tony was privy to the new passcode at the small door set in it’s base.  He and his friends stealthily traversed the distance to the Clubhouse without incident, and Tony rapped out a code on the Clubhouse door that he had prearranged with Ted the day before in school.  They were ushered inside, and unlimbered the weapons, then the agreed-upon cash payment was handed over by Ted.  Tony was to keep a part of that for his and his friend’s commission.  While not a large amount, it was more than adequate for the night’s work.

Tony and his friends left just as silently, meeting behind the bleachers to divide the commission, then Nick and Constantinos faded off into the darkness, returning to the Dorms.  Tony himself returned to the Observatory and gave the Nerds their asked for price for the weapons, then snuck back to the Dorm himself, taking the way around via the Nerd’s pathway to the gate by the Library.  This same process was to be repeated with the other remaining Cliques, and by Monday morning, the whole of the campus would be re-armed.  Full Parity, and hopefully lasting peace, would be realized.
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