The Bullworth Never Ending Story

[BloodChuckZ]

Sunday saw a repeat of the deliveries, first to Johnny Vincent and then to Tad Spencer.  Both times Tony, Nick, and Constantinos packed the weapons around their waists as they had for the Jocks, and merely covered them with bulky sweaters.  They were not accosted on their way to the Clique’s locations, other than a far-off shout by one of the Prefects, “Why Are You Wearing Those Clothes ?”, which they ignored.

At the Greaser’s Autoshop, Johnny peeled off the amount from a large roll of bills he pulled from his pocket.  Not ones to be trusting banks, the Greasers always carried cash if they had any.  But it was unusual, in Tony’s experience, for any one Greaser to have so much.  However, that wasn’t his concern, so he kept silent as the bills were plunked in his hand.  Johnny even included a hefty tip for Tony and his friends over the asking price.  Tony briefly wondered if Johnny would have been so generous had he known of his one-time liaison with Lola, and decided not.  At least Lola was keeping quiet about that, much to Tony’s relief.

A small bit of trouble arose in Harrington House when Tad tried to pay for their weapons with a check drawn on a New York bank.  Tony demanded cash money and threatened to pull out of the whole deal, leaving the Preps weaponless.  Reluctantly, Tad complied, having the other Preps 'pony up’ their share one by one.  There was some delay as they searched the house for hidden cash, but finally enough was produced.  Tad grumbled something about 'Blood Money’ as he counted out the bills, thrusting them rudely at Tony, while Pinky stood silently behind them casting mooning looks at Tony once more.  For the first time, Tony wondered if he was making a mistake in re-arming the Preps, but shook the idea off.  Everyone would have to be armed for this plan to work.  Even so, he was glad to have the business completed and get out of Harrington House. 
____________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The final Clique to re-arm was the Bullies, the most broke-assed students in the school.  They were always the laziest kids whose chief occupation was stealing from others.  Tony knew they wouldn’t be able to come up with the cash to buy their weapons outright, since their sources of income -- Dealing Drugs and swiping things from the town’s stores -- had been severely curtailed of late.  They were also at a loss of what to do now, since there was no one left for them to bully.  They couldn’t go after the Nerds anymore, not without getting a spud in the nuts for their trouble, and the last of the little kids....Sheldon and Pedro....Had gone home for the summer.  As a matter of fact, there wouldn’t be any more little kids come fall, either.....The State Board of Education had decided that Bullworth Academy was to be a High School only from now on, as part of their restructuring.  Sheldon and Pedro would be allowed to come back, as they were to be Freshmen in the coming school year. 

But Tony thought he had a solution, of sorts.  He would finance their weapons, out of what Jimmy Hopkins had left behind.  In return, he was going to impose a set of conditions on the Bullies.  Not that he was ever going to change them for the better, or curb their wild ways.  In fact, Tony figured that most of them would wind up in Prison eventually.  But what this might do was buy him a whole lotta time, and give him some sort of control over them for the foreseeable future.  Tony still had two years to go to even see graduation himself, and the Bullies would always be here....Some were older than he was, and still they persisted in hanging around.  They would probably still be here when he finished High School, as they were too stupid to graduate themselves. 

Tony, Nick, and Constantinos made the trek from the Observatory as before.  This time, they went to behind the Boy’s Dorm, and waited.  Tony noticed that the hole that led to underneath the Dorm had been bricked up and mortared.  His memory went back to the time when he first saw that hole, when Jake had pulled away the bricks to show it to him before having Tony stick the stolen clothing boxes inside.  Was that only just a short 10 months ago ?  It seemed to Tony that years had passed since then.

Tony’s remembering was broken soon enough, as Trent came into sight, followed by Russell.  As they came up to the dumpster that the boys were standing by, Trent said, “You got the stuff ?”

Tony pulled up his sweater to show off the ring of Spud Guns around his waist.  “Right here.”

Trent looked at the weapons with a gleam in his eye.  “So, hand 'em over already !”

“Not so fast”, Tony said, dropping his sweater.  “You got any cash to pay for these ?”

“You...You Know We Don’t !!!!”, Trent cried. “You said....Uhh, we’d work out something !”

Tony slowly grinned.  “Did I now ?”, he said slyly, and almost laughed at Trent’s comical expression of despair.

“You know, I’m wondering”, Tony said as he stared to pace back and forth along the dumpster, “Just HOW much you fellows really need these weapons.  I got to thinking, surely you all could take care of yourselves, even though every other boy in this school will be armed.  You guys are tough, right ?  It shouldn’t matter to you.  Why, you could take a few spuds to the nuts, and bounce right back up, kick some ass anyway.  I mean, what’s a few injuries among enemies, anyway ?  A little time in the Clinic, and you’re as almost good as new.  Oh, you might get knocked out a few times by some shots to the head, but so what ?  You can bushwhack them later, you all are good at that, right ?”

Trent stood agape.  “Are you Loco ?  Those apes will....Will.....”

“They Will Come After Us”, Russell suddenly intoned.  “Settle Old Scores.”

Trent looked around, startled.  He had completely forgotten Russell was standing right behind him.  “Uhhh...Yeah !  That’s Right !  What he said !  Com’on, Tony, you can’t do this to us !  We need protection too !”

It was all Tony could do to keep from laughing out loud.  Beside him, Nick was trying to hide a smile, and even the corners of Constantinos’ mouth were twitching.  Tony laid a hand to the side of his head like he was thinking and coming to a decision, although he knew exactly what he was doing.

“That’s pretty rich, considering what you all do”, Tony said. 

“But...But we’re Bullies !”, Trent exclaimed. “That’s what we do !”

Tony stopped pacing. “That’s exactly right.  But if you want these weapons, you’re going to have to use your talents in a different way.”

Trent was confused, not an unusual condition among the Bullies.  “But....How ?”

“Simple”, Tony said.  “You Bullies are about to become my personal Army.”
____________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Trent stood stock still as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard.  “Uhh...Say WHAT ?”

“I need to have an Army”, Tony said, “And you’re it.”

“An Army ?”, Trent said, confused.  “What for ?”

“For when I need one”, Tony replied.  “In case things get out of hand this summer.  In case another Jake comes along.  Or another Sid and his gang.”

Trent’s eyes bugged.  “You can’t be serious !  We can’t stand up to adult criminals !”

“Why Not ?”, Tony asked.  “Isn’t that what you tried to do already ?”

“Yeah, but....That was a....Fluke, man!”, Trent sputtered.

Suddenly Russell spoke up.  “Russell Surrounded By Weaklings !”

Trent recoiled at that, once more forgetting that Russell was standing right there.

“See, Russell knows”, Tony said.  “Don’tcha big guy ?”

“Russell Help Make Jimmy King !  Trent Help Save School !”, Russell rumbled.  “We Can Do This !”

Trent stood undecided.  “What does this mean, then ?”

“It means”, Tony said, “You take these weapons, you work for me.  With Conditions.”

“What Conditions ?”, Trent asked suspiciously.

“Here’s the way it is”, Tony said. “There are now no weak Cliques at Bullworth....Except you fellows.  Everyone is armed.  There’s no one left for you to Bully.  Even the Nerds will have twice the firepower you will have, which will just about make up for them being physically weaker.  Everyone, that is every boy, will be armed.  All will be equal.  If one Clique attacks another Clique, there will be no winners. Each side will be defeated.  It’s called, 'Mutually Assured Destruction’, and everybody will be spending their summer in the Clinic.”

“Yeah....So ?”, Trent said.

“So, the conditions are....One, you can’t Bully anyone anymore.  There won’t be anyone left to Bully, until new kids arrive in the fall.  Two, there will be NO Drug Selling.  Already have that in place, from our earlier agreement, but just want to remind you.  Three, there will be no more stealing.  That means bikes, lunch money, anything.  You need money, go get jobs.”

“JOBS ?”, Trent yelped, as if it was a dirty word.  “Jobs at What ?”

“Running Errands, Delivering Papers, Mowing Grass.”, Tony said.  There’s plenty of work out there.  I figure you guys would be experts at grass mowing, as many times you gotten detentions.”

“We can’t Work !”, Trent exclaimed.  “It just so....Ehhhhh....”  He shuddered.

“Time to grow up Trent”, Tony said.  “What are you gonna do when you finally leave this place ?  Live in the Tennaments ?  On Welfare and Food Stamps ?  Rob and Steal and Murder ?  Spend most of your lives in Prison ?  Don’tcha want the finer things in life ?  Don’tcha wanna be important ?”

Trent didn’t have anything to say to that, just like at any other time when someone confronted him with the facts. 

Tony tried another tact.  “You know, it only took ONE Nerd to bushwhack the lot of you.  Without Weapons, you think you’ll be safe ?  From Anyone ?  There’s still a lotta payback coming your way.  Think about it.”

There was silence for a moment.  Then Russell bellowed, “TONY RIGHT !!  We Take Weapons, Make Army !  We Be STRONG !”

Trent finally gave in.  “Ok....Deal”, he said.  Tony, Nick, and Constantinos unlimbered the weapons from around their waists and handed them over. 

“Glad to see you made the right choice”, Tony said.  “I may never have to use you, but in case we’re ever attacked again from the outside, we’ll be ready.”

We Be Good Army”, Russell said.  Tony noticed he suddenly didn’t look his usual chipper self, and rattled the words off without enthusiasm.

“You all right there, Russell ?”, Tony asked.
 
“Cafeteria Food Made Me Puke All Night”, Russell moaned, looking positively greenish now.

“That Sucks”, Tony said.  “Get jobs, and you won’t have to eat there anymore.”

Their business concluded, the trio headed back to the observatory for their final mission of the day, to pick up the last load of weapons to be distributed to all the non-Clique boys.

“That was some speech, Boss...Er, Tony”, Constantinos remarked.  “Was that just bullshit, or for real ?  Had me convinced.  We expecting trouble from anybody ?”

Tony’s jaw set.  “There’s still one group out there that’s proven trouble.”

“Eh....Lemme guess...Those Townie boys ?”, Nick said.

“Bingo”, Tony said. “They got away scott-free for attacking us at Easter.  Now that Sid and the Punks are gone, they got the rule of the roost.  Wouldn’t put it past them to try something again on their own.”

“But another attack on the school ?”, Nick said, “They’d be crazy to try that.”

“Maybe something more sinister”, Tony said darkly.  “I know there was a couple of others besides that Big Darrell fuck involved in Zoe’s rape last year.  They never paid for that, either.  If anything else, we gotta be prepared to protect our girls from those slimeballs.”

“Amen to that”, Nick said.

Little did Tony know just how prophetic his words would soon turn out to be.
____________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The new school week began on Monday, as the last of June bled away.  It was to be a week of anticipation, however, thanks to the efforts of Christy Martin.  The holiday of Independence fell this year on a Saturday, and the plan was already in place to dismiss classes very early on Friday.  Christy had prevailed on Mr. Galloway to allow a school dance that evening in the newly-repaired Great Hall.

In the Teacher’s Lounge at the weekly staff meeting, Mr. Galloway had informed the other Teachers and staff of the upcoming event.  “I believe it’s time to began the process of returning this school to normalcy....Or, at least make it more like a normal school.  To that end, I’ll be needing chaperones for Friday evening.  Whoever is next on the list will be required to attend.”

One could almost hear the sound of crickets chirping as the staff digested this bit of news.  “Or...I’ll take volunteers”, Mr. Galloway finished lamely.  The Teachers looked around.  Just as in class, nobody stuck their hand up. 

“It’ll just be another bloodbath like the last one”, Mr. Wiggins commented sourly.  “Count me out.”

“Hush up, you weren’t even there”, Miss Peters retorted.  “As I recall, you had the Boogie-Woogie Flu.  Or maybe it was Keep-On-Truckinitis.”

Mr. Wiggins muttered under his breath something about History repeating itself and people being doomed to repeat it, then fell silent. 

The seconds dragged on with with nobody volunteering.  “Come on now, somebody should volunteer.  I’ll be there, and so will Miss Jones”, Mr. Galloway said entreatingly. “And, the Great Hall will be thoroughly checked for any...Ahh, trouble.”

The new math teacher, Mr. Newton, hesitantly spoke up.  “Um....I know I’m new here, but I wouldn’t mind.”

“Splendid !”, Mr. Galloway said, relieved to have at least somebody break the tension. “Who else ?  Com’on, don’t be shy !”

“I guess I can do it”, Miss Peters sighed, “Even though there’s some others here that should be taking their turn.”  As she said that, she looked pointedly at Dr. Watts and Dr. Slaughter.  It seemed unfair to her that anyone who had stuck a “Doctor” title in front of their names felt that they were somewhat exempt from chaperone duties, or just about anything else that involved being around teenagers except for class.

“I have some plants to grow”, Dr. Slaughter said evasively.

“And I have a date with Lady Edna”, Dr. Watts said suddenly.

“I’m sure you both are very busy”, Mr. Galloway added hastily, trying to stem any discontent.  His comment was mostly unheard as the others reacted with shocked looks that the Chemistry teacher would be taking the Lunch Lady out again.  It bordered on madness.

After a pregnant moment, Miss Peters spoke again. “I sure would like to have a man along.  What about you, Harold ?”, she said, looking at Mr. Matthews, the Geography teacher.

“Well, I was planning on reading that new documentary about unexplored Antarctican mountians....”, he began in his faint English accent, but stopped as Miss Peters shot him a withering look.  Before she could get nasty, he hastily amended, “Umm....But surely, I could very well find the time, I do believe.”

“Excellent !”, Mr. Galloway beamed.  “So, it’s all set.”  He turned to Christy.  “Since this was your idea, Christy, you should be there also.”

Christy smiled self-consciously and said, “Uh...Ok !  Can I bring Winkie along, book him for the entertainment ?”

“That would be just fine, my dear”, Mr. Galloway said grandly.

“I’m coming too”, Ms. Phillpps said suddenly, throwing frosty looks at both Bethany Jones and Christy Martin.  “Someone has to show these new girls their responsibilities.  And how to keep control”, she added pointedly.

“Um....Why yes, of course”, Mr. Galloway said quickly.  “I just assumed you would be there.”

Mrs. Peabody piped up, “Are those hooligan girls allowed to attend this ?”, Referring to the Reform School girls.  “Because they should be kept under lock and key.  I have to recharge that Cattle Prod almost every night.”

“Uh...No”, Mr. Galloway replied.  “Why ask for trouble ?  Keep them away.  But...”, he said, moving on, “There’s going to be some new students coming in this week.  I hear they’re alright kids, for the most part.”

Mrs. Carvin groaned.  “How many this time ?  We’re running out of space at Dorm.  Any more and I’ll have to bunk four to a room.”

Mr. Galloway shuffled through some papers. “Let’s see”, he mumbled, “Looks like...Eleven girls and.....Three boys.  That’s going to be it, least until fall.”

Protests began issuing from the older teachers attending.  This meant more work.
“Great.  More kids to blow stuff up in class.”, said Dr. Watts.
“More Girls who don’t know a thing about Home Economics”, complained Mrs. Peabody.
“More kids who don’t know where anything is at”, interjected Mr. Matthews.
“And have no clue to what animal insides look like”, commented Dr. Slaughter.
“No idea of where they came from or where they’re going”, said Mr. Wiggins.
“I’m gonna need more bicycle parts for building projects”, Mr. Neil put in.
”More books to be filched from the Library”, Mrs. Carvin grumbled.
“Where are we going to put everybody ?”, Miss Peters asked.

Mr. Galloway raised his hands.  “All your concerns will be addressed”, he said hurriedly. “Soon, construction will be underway to re-furbish and open up the third floor for extra classroom space.  And, new teachers will be hired this summer, like Mr. Newton here, for Math and to take over English classes.  And, maybe start some new ones, like Calculus and Honors classes.  Just be patient.  I know this isn’t easy for anyone.”

“Be a lot easier if I got a raise”, Mr. Wiggins remarked to cries of “Hear, Hear !” from the others.

“There will be raises come fall, when your contracts are re-negotiated, I’m sure”, Mr. Galloway continued, “So just hold on until then.”

The idea of possibly more money mollified the staff somewhat, and Mr. Galloway took that opportunity to close the meeting and escape the Teacher’s Lounge.  This was getting even harder than he thought it would be.  No wonder Crabblesnitch had largely ignored Teacher’s concerns over the years and let the place go to hell.  But then again, the 'Good Doctor’ was one corrupt son-of-a-bitch who was content to line his own pockets at the expense of everyone else.

Mr. Galloway squared his shoulders.  Certainly he was made of stronger stuff.  If he could conquer Alcoholism, surely he could tackle this.  It was up to him now, his skills, his leadership. If things were to be put right at Bullworth Academy, it would have to be on his watch.  He must succeed and allow no room for failure. 

Still, a icy shiver traced along his spine, and he couldn’t help but wondering if he was equal to this enormous task.
________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

July dawned hot and humid in the Vale Valley, unseasonably so for their location not that far from the ocean.  Summers in the North-East usually were pleasant, idealic affairs, but as the day wore on, it became positively a scorcher.  Since Bullworth Academy had never had air-conditioning of any sort, the classrooms became nearly unbearably hot.  Even prying up the old windows in their ancient frames offered little relief.  Some of the teachers gave in and dismissed classes early, while others soldiered on while the students sweated.  In all, it made for a fairly miserable day.

In the midst of the afternoon, a transport bus pulled up to the front of the school and disgorged the new students that had been assigned to the school.  Unlike the lot of the Reform School girls, there were no guards accompanying these new students.  Miss Jones met them at the gate and quickly ushered them to the office to be registered and set up with schedules.  The new kids consisted of nine girls, ranging from 13 to 16 years old, and four boys, who were all around 15-16 years old. 

The new kids were registered in and given schedules to start classes the next day.  The girls were obviously from different backgrounds, and some would eventually blend into some of the existing Cliques on campus.  There was Vanessa Bouvier, a snotty-looking Preppish type of girl, and athletic-looking Paige Parsley,  There were other girls too, rather nondescript New England-type girls, neither strikingly pretty or downright ugly, but suddenly sweating and uncomfortable in the unusual heat.  Their names were Hannah, Claire, Nina, Joan, Jessica, Amber and Misty.  They all took their schedules without comment and followed Mrs. Carvin to the Girl’s Dorm to get settled in, hoping their new rooms at least had fans.

In Contrast, the new boys seemed to be a lively lot, cracking jokes about the heat and and snickering about the apparent old age of the school.  And it appeared that they were friends, of a sort, despite their obvious differences.  There was Alex Alda, Dave Castle, Art Harris, and Dylan Mitchell, all from Long Island.  As the summer waned, they would disappear into the underground of the Bullworth students, much the way that friends Geoff and Eddie did, preferring their own company and content to be just observers of Bullworth’s life and times, avoiding the inherent violence of the School as much as possible by keeping a low profile.

It was at Bullworth Academy these new kids landed, by choice or not.  They were to be the next generation to walk these not-so-hallowed halls in an seemingly endless procession of time.  Slowly, if they stayed on, they would be incorporated into the fabric of the school, and one day pass into history, just as Tony and his friends, and everyone else at Bullworth would.  But, the new kids promised to be the first lot in a kinder, gentler school, that is if Tony’s grand plans were to succeed.  Only time, the great equalizer, would tell.

The new boys were turned over to Seth, who resented being a babysitter, even if it was only walking the newbies to the Dorm.  This certainly didn’t seem the sort of work befitting those who wore the Blue Jackets of pseudo-authority.  “Allright, Get A Move On !”, he grumbled loudly.  “I Haven’t Got All Day !”

The group headed towards the Boy’s Dorm, with Seth in the lead and hating every step.
____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Steve the Greaser returned to Bullworth Academy that very evening.  He hadn’t even been on campus since he had left last year to start his own Bike Repair business.  But he wasn’t returning to the school to take up classes again, nothing of that sort.  Instead, he had come to tell the other Greasers of some news he had just learned, both good and bad.

It seemed that the owner of the Blue Balls Bar, old Charley ‘The Fonz’ Barduchi, had just died up at a hospital in Providence. He had gotten the rundown bar just the year before from Damon West’s father, who had been a Wide Receiver for Detroit once upon a time.  The Blue Balls had been closed since the bombings, even though it had not been targeted.  Business had been spotty before that, with the place only open sporadically, as bartenders came and went and with Old Charlie being sick and away.  The Bar was a wreck, and needed some fixing up....Not a major makeover, by any means, but a bunch of cleanup and particularly fixing of the bathrooms and such.  The Greasers had long used Blue Balls Bar as a hangout in New Coventry, despite their being underage and technically shouldn’t have been allowed in the place.  But this was the Vale Valley, which for years had been mostly cut off and isolated from the rest of the world due to the control of the Harringtons and Spencers.  The Greaser had had free run of the Bar for ages, and old Charlie 'The Fonz’ had always had an accepting attitude to it all, seeing as how he was an old Greaser himself.  And the Greasers had mostly only used the bar in the afternoons and late in the evenings after hours, so it had never been a real problem.

The good news was, however, that Steve’s Uncle,  Salvatore Salmineo, had worked out a deal to buy the Bar from Charlie ‘The Fonz’ a week before the old man died.  Salvatore (known as ‘Sal’) wanted Steve to take charge of the repairs, and then to manage the Bar as it re-opened.  Steve broached the idea that the Greasers could be the ones to fix up the place after school for a few days until it was done.  In fact, he already had some new toilets that had been delivered to the place earlier in the day just awaiting installation.  The Greasers, usually a lazy lot except where bikes and cars were concerned, jumped at the chance to fix up their old digs.  The Johns had been particularly nasty for quite a long time.

The Greasers had skills outside of just motors and bikes.  They were handy at all sorts of carpentry and such, and they would occasionally make skateboards although they rarely ever used them.  So it came to pass that after school that afternoon, the all went to New Coventry to began the fixing up of the Blue Balls Bar.  The three Greaser girlfriends of Lola, Angie, and Binky tagged along to make sure that the Girl’s Bathroom was fixed up to their liking.  Although Lola still regarded Angie as sort of a flake, she seemed to be forming a bond with the new girl, Binky.  They had been hanging out quite often of late, that was when Lola wasn’t with Johnny and Binky wasn’t hanging out with Peanut.

Entering Blue Balls Bar, one would see a large forward area with tables and chairs for the patrons.  There was an old stand-up video game console just to the right of the entrance called ‘Monkey Fling’.  It hadn’t been played for quite a long time, more than a year that anyone could remember.  Over a ways from that was an old stained mattress supported by a rather rotted bedframe.  That would be the first thing in the dumpster, as it was infested with all sorts of numerous  bugs.  Toward the back to the left was the Bar, with a Beam Cola machine to the left of it, next to a door marked ‘Employees Only’ where the liquor was kept.  To the right of the Bar was a large couch that faced a TV.  There was once some Pool Tables in the area, but they were long gone now.  Steve had a plan to bring some back in, at least two, and set them up in the area behind the couch.  There was another door set into the back wall here also, this one led to a back bedroom where Old Charlie used to crash, and it also led off into a room to the left of it that served as an office.

The Greasers fell to work in earnest, pulling out the old stalls and toilets and leaky pipes and replacing them, fixing the holes in the walls and doors and re-setting the stall walls.  It was late in the evening when they finished up, and after Johnny and Lola left for their apartment down the street, the other Greasers began drifting away, one by one.  Hal and Angie departed after the others, leaving just Peanut and Binky, who were curled up on the couch, watching the TV. Peanut had wanted to stay and watch the movie “Rebel Without A Cause”, which was playing that night on the Classic Movies channel.  Although he had seen the movie before, it had been a very long time, and he wanted to watch it again.  Besides, it was the chance to spend some alone time with Binky.

As the Valley had opened up to the world after the controlling rich and powerful who had blocked access from it were brought down, there had literally been an explosion in electronic media now available.  The past month had seen the installation of scores of satellite dishes and other antennas, picking up hundreds of channels.  A particular passion had arisin in Peanut in the watching of the old movies of the eras of the Gangsters and Greasers of the 50s.

Binky surprised him by snuggling up to him soon after the movie started.  To this point, they hadn’t even kissed or anything.  But each had become more comfortable with the other in their short time together, and there was a certain rapport that had been building between them.  Binky reached up and began to gently stroke Peanut’s hair.  Engrossed as he was in the movie, he barely noticed, but he did slide an arm around her and hold her closer.  Binky’s face softened in the flickering light of the Television, and she came to a sudden decision.

A few minutes into the movie, Binky announced, “I’m going to use the Bathroom.  Be right back.”  Peanut let her go with a curious glance, then resumed watching the movie.  After a few minutes, during a scene change, he briefly wondered what was keeping her.  Then, the scene in the Police Station started and his full attention was drawn back to the movie once more.

As Binky returned at last from the bathroom, Peanut had become so engrossed in the movie he had no longer noticed just how long she had been gone.  Moving up behind the couch so that she was nearly directly behind him, Binky bent close and said softly, “Peanut.....”

His eyes glued to the screen, Peanut didn’t respond.  Binky waited a few seconds, then said, louder, “Peanut !”

“Whaaa....”, Peanut said distractedly, still watching the screen.  The powerful Police Station scene was playing, and James Dean was just starting into his drunken ramblings.

“Peanut”, Binky said firmly, “Look At Me.”

Peanut reluctantly dragged his eyes away from the movie and twisted around.  “Whadda want ?  It’s just gettin’ to the good part here, and....and....and.....”  He suddenly stopped as Binky came into his full vision. 

Binky was standing there naked except for her killer high-heel boots.  A small smile played around her lips.  Peanut was left agape, his mouth hanging open like a caught fish out of water.  When he could recover his speech, he could only manage, “Binks.....You look.....Awesome !”

Binky stepped around the couch.  Peanut’s eyes followed her every move, the action of the movie totally forgotten about as he beheld this beautiful creature.  Binky came to a halt directly in front of him.  Her smile growing, she said, “Peanut.....I want you to Do Me.”

A sudden excitement he had never know surged up within him, and his loins were suddenly on fire.  Lust overtook him as the heat stoked higher and higher.  Teasingly, Binky reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a standing position.  “Com’on”, she breathed, and began walking backwards, guiding him towards the door to the small bedroom.  She opened the door, then playfully grabbed his belt buckle, pulling him inside the rest of the way.  On the TV screen behind him, stabbing through to his consciousness,  James Dean cried out, “YOU’RE TEARING ME APAR-R-R-RT....!!!!”  To this, Peanut could relate.

Binky kept pulling him over to the bed.  Then she quickly undid the heavy belt and then put her hands to Peanut’s sides, gripped and pulled down.  In the dim light, she saw that there was one thing about Peanut that wasn’t short at all, contrary to what everyone seemed to believe.   Clutching it with her hand, she lay back on the bed, and repeated once more, “Do Me.”

Peanut complied, eagerly.  After a few minutes, he discovered something else about Binky that he hadn’t known before.  She was Sweet.  Oh, So Sweet.
______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Mandy Wiles was put in charge of what was being called the ‘Independence Dance’.  At first, she was reluctant to do it, considering what had happened the last time.  But Ted gave her a pep talk, telling her that there had been no fault on her part that the Valentine’s Dance had ended so horribly.  Everything she had done was perfect.  That it had turned into a bloodbath (and would forever be remembered as such) was the the fault of that bastard Jake Brown, not her. 

So Mandy had agreed.  Her first task was to secure the buffet food.  Headmaster Galloway had given her an unlimited budget, so Mandy decided to have the affair catered as before, this time with bar-barque and ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, apple pie, cole slaw, clam bakes, and watermelon.

It had been decided to cancel all classes for Friday instead of even bothering with a morning session, so right after classes let out on Thursday, Mandy assembled her all-girl work crew to put up the decorations.  Angie, Karen, Melody, Gloria, and even Pinky were a part of the crew who were doing the decorations.  Pinky was scheduled to get her jaw unwired on Friday morning, so she would only help on Thursday, but Mandy tapped some of the new girls that had just arrived to help with the final Friday set-ups.  Christy and Bethany also chipped in to help.

The Tables were covered with red, white, and blue crêpe paper, decorated with small American flags that were also cut from colored crêpe paper, and pasted on a base of white cheesecloth, which had been cut the size of small table cloth covers.  The napkins were speckled with fireworks bursts decorations to complement the table covers.   The centerpieces, made in the form of beautiful flowers, were mounted in the arms of Statue of Liberty bases.  Red, White, and Blue crêpe streamers wound around the tables completed the effect.  Draped from the railings on the second floor were posters of the Statue of Liberty, Washington crossing the Delaware, American Flags on the Moon, John Paul Jones’ ship in battle, and other patriotic themes.  Nothing was to be hung from the ceiling, however.  The Red, White, and Blue balloons would stay on ground level. No one wanted to be taking those kind of chances, supposedly safe or not.

In the Auditorium, the Theater Group, comprised mostly of the Nerds, also had the task of putting up streamers and balloons over and around the stage area in preparation for Winkie’s solo performance.  There was talk of somebody who would accompany him in some form, and rumors were going around as to just who it would be.

Close to midnight, the final touches were put in place to Mandy’s satisfaction, and everyone was released to go on their way.  There was nothing to do until the catered food would arrive the next afternoon.  The Prefects would again be given the task of overseeing the delivery and then guarding the food once it was in place, much to their dislike.  They would also be policing the dance itself to prevent any shenanigans.  Mr Galloway emphasized that it wasn’t to be like the last time....No doors were to be locked and no student was to be barred from leaving at any time.

The Prefects as a group still didn’t like taking orders from the likes of Mr. Galloway, whom they still considered a raging alcoholic and an usurper to the title of Headmaster.  They grumbled among themselves about maybe staging a rebellion by refusing to enforce the rules.  But it was made clear to them that if they slacked off in such a manner, they would be demoted back into just being students, which would certainly expose them to retaliation from several of the Cliques.  Even dumb kids possessed long memories when it came to revenge.
_________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“.....And, this here is where we keep stuff like, uh, Paper Towels and, er....Toilet Paper, for the bathrooms”, Mr. Galloway said, opening the door next to the School Store.  The man with him silently followed Mr. Galloway into the room, and saw right away the two sets of steps that went down to different parts of the basement. 

Silently, the man looked around the room.  It seemed well stocked, the cabinet full of toiletry supplies, 2 mops and buckets on wheels, and a pushcart with cleaning supplies.  It seemed adequate.  He asked a brief question about what the far stairs led to.

“Oh, uh....This goes to the Furnace Room, I believe”, Mr. Galloway said, pointing to that set of steps. “Farther back is basement storage rooms, I think.....And somewhere back there is a workshop, and umm....quarters”, he finished somewhat vaguely.  The man then quietly asked where the other set of stairs led to.  Mr. Galloway repressed a shudder.
 
Mr. Galloway had never been down in the basement, not even to hide his liquor bottles, although it would have been just about the perfect place.  Two things had prevented him form doing so -- Rats, whom he had an unreasonable fear of, and Mr. Luntz, the former Janitor, whom he also had a fear of, but to his mind, not unreasonable.

“They...Uh....go to the Sewers....I believe”, he managed to get out.  “And....Some kind of ‘Hole’, where some of the students go to.....Settle their differences”, he said lamely.  He had only heard about the place times uncounted, and a group of Budwiser Horses couldn’t have dragged him down there.  Those Rats !!  He shuddered again.

“Now, ummm.....Here, let me show you the School Store, it’s where you’ll be for part of the day....It’s been closed for awhile, so I know the students will be glad to see it open again so they can get the required clothing they need....”  Mr. Galloway led the newcomer over through the door into the School Store, flicking on the lights, and they entered.

“You’ll see it’s well stocked, with just about any article of school-related clothing they will need”, Mr. Galloway continued, somewhat more at ease now that the basement was left behind.  “On these shelves here are the uniforms, and over here are the jackets....This one has sweaters, and over here....”  The man listened while Mr. Galloway droned on.  He allowed himself a small hidden smile.  Yes, he was going to be able to fit in here.  The pay wasn’t much, but combined with the monthly bonus his bosses were giving him to take the job at this craphole, it would do just fine.

Mr. Carl Riddle, the new School Janitor, was going to have a dandy time here.  Just Dandy.
_______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

A festive mood prevailed on Friday, as the Vale Valley geared up for the biggest Independence day bash that was to be had in years.  Harrington and his rich cronies had discouraged such activities in years past, concluding that the Townspeople, when reminded of the freedoms everyone else in the country took for granted, might just ferment a bit of rebellion of their own against their iron-fisted authority the rich and powerful exercised over them here in the valley.  On that point, they were probably right.  Best not to take chances, so the thinking went.

But the Vale Valley was open to the world now, and the inhabits were more then ready to celebrate their new-found freedoms.  It had been a highly stressful time, these past few weeks, and each and every citizen was eager to blow off steam and party like it was 2009.  Grand things were being planned.....An All-Star Parade, with some regionally famous people coming in, was in the works for Saturday afternoon, and was to be capped off by the longest, biggest, and grandest Fireworks Show the Valley had ever seen. 

But on this Friday, it was more like a street festival.  Stores that were open piled their wares on tops of tables out on the sidewalks.  Patriotic Music played everywhere, fed to loudspeakers mounted on poles all over Bullworth Town and Bullworth Vale.  Red, White, and Blue bunting was hanging from stores and buildings, and the streets spilled over with people in a joyous mood, like long-time captives that had been released from the bonds of slavery....Which, in point of fact, they had been. 

Billy Bob Crane had waited for this, literally, for years.  The Carnival had opened it’s gates at 7 AM, and it was to stay open for the next 64 hours, day and night, until Sunday at 11 PM.  It was going to be the biggest money-making weekend of Billy Bob’s life, and he had been in the Carny business for just about all his life.  He drooled with anticipation of counting all the greenbacks that would be piling his desk come Monday morning. 

The Bulworth Academy kids, freed from threats for the first time in a very long time, populated the streets with the Townspeople and others, confident in their new-found and hard-won safety.  It was to be a grand holiday for the most of them.  But, for a chosen few, it would become a decidedly darker one.
________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Christy Martin sat at the table in a crowded Shinjo’s Restaurant, waiting.  Yesterday, as she was leaving Art class (where she was a Teacher’s Ade to Ms. Phillips), she was approached suddenly by Pinky, who had slipped her a note without a word.  Christy could understand that, seeing as how Pinky couldn’t talk with her jaw wired shut and all....But something was amiss.  Pinky had been furtive, nervously looking about as she passed her the note.  She had flashed an almost pleading look at Christy, and was then gone as suddenly as she appeared.

Christy fished out the note and scanned it once more.  It read, “Meet me at our old table at Shinjo’s, noon tomorrow.  Important !”  That was it.  No clue to what it was that Pinky wanted to see her about.  Christy sighed and put the note away.  Glancing at the clock, she saw it was already 20 minutes after.  It was just like Pinky to be fashionably late, she was thinking as she toyed with what was left of her Lasagna.  It had been fortunate for her to have even gotten this table to herself, considering the crowds because of the festivities.  The place was packed.  Still, she couldn’t help feeling something was wrong. 

They hadn’t met for quite awhile, not since just before Kurt’s disappearance.  When Derby had broken her jaw, Christy had gone to see her in the Clinic, but of course Pinky couldn’t talk, and was drugged up on pain meds anyway.  So much had happened in the last few weeks that she had just been too busy adjusting to her new life to keep a check on her friend.  She was regretful of that, but the fact was, she hadn’t seen Pinky around very much at all since her release from the Clinic.  She resolved to wait just a bit longer before giving up.

Ten minutes later, as Christy was thinking that she wasn’t going to show, Pinky walked in.  She glanced around at the crowd, searching faces.  There were only adults in the restaurant, most all the other kids went to the Burger Joint these days.  Seemingly satisfied, Pinky headed back to the booth where Christy was and slid into the seat opposite her.

Pinky attempted a smile with some difficulty and said, “Hello !”

“Pinks !”, exclaimed Christy, “You can talk !!”

“Yup”, Pinky said, “But...It’s a little...Hard...”

“So you got the wires off ?”, Christy asked with a smile.

“Today”, Pinky replied. “Just a while ago.  I still sound like me ?”

“Why sure !”, Christy enthused, “Just as normal as ever !”

“That’s good”, Pinky said, “Because I need to talk.”

Christy leaned forward.  “Your note said Important.  Is anything wrong ?”

Pinky sighed.  “I...I Don’t know.  I feel so....Trapped.”

“Trapped ?”, Christy repeated.  “But...What ?  I thought you were with Tad now, and safe ?”

“Oh, he keeps me safe, all right”, Pinky said, sounding discouraged.  “A little too safe.  He watches me like a hawk.  I can’t go anywhere or do anything on my own.”

“But....You’re here now !”, Christy exclaimed.

“Tad doesn’t know that”, Pinky said.  “He dropped me off at the Clinic and is going to pick me up in about an hour from now.  He has something to do at the Gym, I think the boys are rigging up a float for the Parade tomorrow, something about using that to be accepted back by everyone and all that rot.....Ouch !”  Pinky rubbed her aching jaw.

“Try to just keep to short sentences”, Christy said, repressing a smile. 

“Right”, Pinky said.  “Anyway, I feel trapped.  He treats me like....A child, or something.”

“Maybe because you’ve been through a lot ?”, Christy sugguested.  “He’s just being protective ?”

“It’s....More than that”, Pinky said, “More like....Obsession.”

Christy considered what Pinky was saying.  “But....You Love Tad....Don’t you ?”, she said softly.

Pinky sat for a moment before answering.  “I....Don’t know.  He says he loves me.  Calls me his Princess.  But still.....I don’t know.  He’s nothing like Kurt.”

Christy leaned forward again.  “Yes...What happened to Kurt ?  Do you know ?”

Pinky nodded.  “Bif...He told me.  Him and....umm....Derby gave him over to the Monks.  They messed with his mind, or something.  He’ll never be right again, I hear.”  She sobbed, “It’s like he....Died, or something.”

Christy reached a hand over and laid it on Pinky’s arm to comfort her. “Gee, that’s tough.  I felt soooo bad when Bif betrayed me, when I found out he was just using me under Derby’s orders....These are rotten feelings to have, just rotten !!”

Pinky sniffed.  “And it was all because of that Bastard Derby”, she said vehemently.  “How I HATE Him !!!”

Christy commiserated, “And I hate Bif, too, for what he did to me.  But we have to move on, Pinky.”  She patted her arm.  “We’re better than that.”

“I suppose so”, Pinky replied, her anger slowly deflating.  “Still....I need to be with somebody who treats me right, like a human and not just....An object.”  She sighed, and a far-away look came into her eyes.  “Someone like....Tony.”

“Oh, Pinks, you still don’t have the hots for him, do you ?”, Christy asked, startled and just a bit scandalized.  “He’s solid with Karen, you know that !”

“Things change”, Pinky said airily.  “Who knows, something might happen to her, then where would he be ?"

“Oh, Pinky, you wouldn’t do anything to her, would you ?”, Christy said, shocked.

“Of course not”, Pinky replied.  “How could I ?  Just saying, things happen sometimes, y’know ?  When it does, I’ll be there for him in a hot minute.”  Pinky’s face took on a longing look.

“Pinks, you’ve got to stop this”, Christy said.  “Tony is taken, that’s all there is to it.  He’s never going to leave Karen.  Getting a bit obsessive there yourself, don’cha think ?”

Pinky considered.  “I suppose you’re right.  Still.....”, she sighed, “It’s nice to dream.”  She looked up at Christy.  “What about you ?  You still with Winkie ?”

“Oh, Yes”, Christy answered, “He’s the best, the very best.  We’re just so much in love.  We have our own place, over in Bullworth Town.  He treats me real nice, I can do what I want, and....and....”

Christy stopped.  A wiry look come to Pinky’s face as she said,  “I know....You have this perfect life, and I’m such a mess.”

“Oh, Pinks, I didn’t mean it like that.  It’s just....just....Things will get better for you, I’m sure they will !”, Christy faltered.

“Only if I make them happen”, Pinky reflected, pensively.  The girls were silent for a moment, then Pinky resumed.  “If I leave Tad, can I come and stay with you guys ?  I can’t go back to the Dorm, there’s too many of those new girls there.”

Christy was taken aback.  “Why....Of course you can....If it’s alright with Winkie, that is.  I’m sure he won’t mind, though.  Are you really thinking of leaving Tad ?”

Pinky smiled, as much as she was able.  “I might.  I just might.”  She glanced around, and spied the clock.  “Oh, my.....It’s way after One.  I’ve got to go.”  She rose suddenly.  “We’ll meet again, Ok ?  I’ll let you know.  Bye !”

Christy watched Pinky hurry off, out the door and down the street, making her way back to the Clinic.  She sat in reflection for a while before finally leaving herself.  Pinky had certainly had a time of it these past few months.  A series of breakups with that monster Derby, being kidnapped, falling for her kidnapper, only to lose him too, getting her jaw broken by her Ex, and now caught in the clutches of still another obsessive Prep.  It was a story of tragedy, all right, fit for the finest soap opera.

Christy walked from Shinjo’s down to the Ice Cream Shop.  Turning left and looking down the Vale Boulevard, she spotted Pinky through the crowds a block off, with a group of Preps.  They were making their way back towards the school.  Tad had his arm thrown around Pinky in a protective grip....Or so it would seem to an impartial observer.
__________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

As the afternoon wore on, the festivities continued.  The Carnival was packed, the Restaurants were filled, the shops ane store had shoppers by the score.  Tradewise, it became the biggest day in all of the history of the Vale Valley.  The local populace was supplemented by hordes of people that swarmed the valley, brought in by the pure sensationalism of the story of Bullworth.  Even the reporters returned, bringing their huge hulking news vans with them, their monolithic satellite dishes poking upwards towards the sky like a new breed of modern-day dinosaurs.  Students and Townspeople alike were once more stopped in the street and interviewed again about the events of the past year.  Not being jaded or paparazzi-shy like so many of today’s celebrities were, they would cheerfully, almost eagerly, comply.

Though the Media were still barred from school grounds, they nevertheless camped their vans out front, reprising the time of just a month ago when the news had first broken of the bombings and the salvation of the Vale Valley by a particular band of heros.  The students, still reveling in their new-found fame, gathered around the front of the school giving interviews to any reporter who would ask.  All was still under the eye of the National Guard Soldiers, still in the valley, though in reduced numbers.  After their initial action, their tour of duty had become rather boring as the very peace they were assigned to protect became a tedious watch.

Towards dusk, students began appearing in their finest clothes, making their way towards the Great Hall at the school for the Independence Dance.  Even the Reform School Girls filed out under the watchful eye of Mrs. Peabody and her Cattle Prod.  The other new girls were heading for the dance as well, some had only been at the school for a couple of days.  Boys from all the Cliques were attending, spurred on by the promise of finally getting acquainted with the new girls at Bullworth, and maybe getting the chance at having some potential future girlfriends.  It would prove to be a stellar affair.
_________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The Independence Dance was slated to start at 7 PM, but it took more than an hour for all the students to get there and sign in.  Unlike the last, disastrous dance that had been held in the school, there was to be no mandatory participation.  Students could attend, or not, so some stayed away, most notably Bif, who was in the awkward position of not only being mostly shunned by his Clique but also reviled by the girls on campus for how he had taken advantage of Christy, by tricking her into having sex and making her believe he really cared for her.  Girls tend to have long memories, and once a cad, always a cad.

Others who weren’t coming included Russell, for as he said, no girl wanted him....Some of the Jocks, Bob, Bo, and Lance, who just wanted a wild night off from Coach Sanders’ rigorous training schedule.....A couple of the Greasers, Lucky and Lefty, who were putting in time getting the final touches done on Blue Balls for it’s grand re-opening the next day.....And Fatty, who was working in secret these days, when he had the time, to develop a combination Super Spud Gun and Bottle Rocket Launcher with the capability to explode the Spuds with fireworks upon impact.

Things were fairly tame to start with, as soon as the students entered the Great Hall everyone was nervously peering up at the ceiling, trying to spot potential balloon bombs filled with some god-awful substance.  There were none, but it didn’t keep anyone from glancing up from time to time during the evening, even the Prefects and Staff.  But, soon the attention was focusing on the new arrivals.  Despite his original misgivings, Mr. Galloway relented and The Reform School Girls, under the watchful Prod of Mrs. Peabody, were allowed to attend.  Even the normally boisterous Shideed was struck to silence as she looked at all the fixings, particularly the food.  Ladonna, Whitney, and Katrina followed suit, while the lesser white girls, Tess, Carla, and Tiffany just kind of looked around in boredom. 

The new unattached girls arrived then, Hannah, Claire, Nina, Joan, Jessica, Amber, Misty, Hayley, and the obvious Prep girl Vanessa, followed by the body-builder Paige.  The Prep boys drifted over to hover around Vanessa, who quite purposely ignored them, being the snob she was.  In contrast, Paige went right over to the Bully boys and began talking with them, flexing and showing off her muscles. 

Then, one by one, the regular girls began arriving in all their finery, along with their escorts.  There was Mandy and Ted, looking spectacular, as befitted their status of Class President and his consort.  For Mandy, this was to be the regaining of her most popular girl on campus status, a role that had been usurped by Pinky for much of the past year.  Pinky herself arrived with Tad, looking more like her radiant self than she had for some time.  Still, she seemed uncharacteristically restrained, as if not quite enjoying the evening as much as she should.

Lola and Johnny made their entry then, and were hands down the hit of the night.  They wore matching cool leather outfits with all the trimmings.  The sight of Lola in her shortest leather skirt and killer stiletto boots had most of the boys drooling, although they did their best to hide it. Nobody wanted to rouse Johnny’s famous jealous temper, and the boys weren’t so sure to try to test him in battle, as he had been away in Detroit for the past year, one of the toughest towns around.  Having missed the Valentines Dance Bloodbath, they were about the only ones not to look up during the whole evening.

Almost unnoticed except by his fellow Nerds, Melvin entered the hall with Jimmette on his arm.  They made quite a picture, the slim Jimmette next to the bulk of Melvin, but the couple seemed happy and paid no mind to the few stares of surprise that greeted them.  The other couples came in then, a glowing and still-dazed Peanut with Binky, who looked for all the world to be the coolest girl there, Hal followed with Angie, who was going to a dance for the first time with a boy,  Damon with Gloria, who was looking quite grown-up these days.   Beatrice showed up, escorted by Bucky, who she quickly ditched just a few minutes after they arrived to hang around the new kids of Alex, Art, Dave and Dylan, who were laughing and pointing at some of the more unfortunate kids and cracking jokes.

The last couples to arrive were Nick and Melody, followed by Tony and Karen.  Both girls had killer outfits on that highlighted how they were obviously blossoming, their fine curves and shapely legs paramount as they moved with confidence and grace.  The four were roundly cheered as they entered, their roles in saving the school still fresh in the minds of the students.  The did some waving, and then quickly began to mingle as music started playing from the large speakers set up about the hall, signaling the start of the dance.
_____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Say, Chap, who is that marvelous creature ?”, Tad said in an aside to Bryce, who happened to be standing there with him.  Pinky was off at the refreshment table, getting some drinks, or else he wouldn’t have said anything.

“Ummm....One of the new girls, is all I know”, replied the usually quiet Bryce. 

“I do say, she looks absolutely intoxicating !”, Tad went on.  “I must know her name !”

Bryce gave Tad a sidelong look.  Pinky was still at the refreshment table area.  “Want me to find out ?”

Tad nodded his head.  Stealing a glance over at Pinky, who was just collecting the drink cups, he said, “Yes....And tell her, the leader of the Prep Clique would like to speak to her at her earliest continence, will you Chap ?”
----------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Galloway and Ms. Phillips stood watch on the second floor balcony to keep check on how things were progressing.  Mrs. Carvin, Miss Peters, Miss Jones, Nurse McRae, Mr. Newton, and Mr. Matthews were serving as chaperones.  Edward was over by the entrance to the lunchroom, as Seth was in the opposite corner, next to the Auditorium entrance, both guarding the access to the hallways in the school near the back.  Karl, over by the School Store, and Max, at the other end of the Great Hall, guarded the access to the hallways in the front of the school.  As the evening grew longer, the Hall became more crowded, making their jobs of keeping the students out of the rest of the school harder.  A few did slip by them, those that were seen were chased down and hauled back.  But not all were seen.   
-------------------------------------------------------------

Long about 9:30, a bunch of the students began drifting towards the Auditorium, as the concert  was due to start.  About half the others stayed out in the Great Hall, eating food from the tables, or preparing to rock out on the floor to the music, which was being piped in via the large speakers.  Tony escorted Karen in to front-row seats, followed by Nick and Melody. The Nerds were going to be putting on a little program in advance of the main performer, Winky.
_________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Mr. Riddle had observed the entrances of the students as he slouched unnoticed against the wall by the School Store.  The old adage that nobody ever noticed the Janitor was certainly as true here as it was elsewhere, as not even Karl paid him the slightest bit of attention, even though he was standing just a few feet away.

After nearly an hour, he was starting to get bored.  Then suddenly a cheer went up as two couples entered through the small foyer.  Mr. Riddle’s eyes focused on the two couples, and he narrowed his eyes to nearly slits as he again conjured up the image of the person he sought.  Ignoring the girls they were escorting, his gaze locked on to one of the two boys.  He scanned the face, comparing it against the mental image he had been trained to recognize.  As the couples moved off across the floor of the Great Hall, he nodded to himself, satisfied. 

Pulling away from the wall, he moved around the shuttered School Store and into the adjacent hallway.  Quickly, he strode to the door that led to the basement and, looking both ways to make sure he was unobserved, unlocked the door and slipped through, re-locking it behind him.  Once inside, he headed for the steps that led into the bowels of the basement, past the new furnace and winding around in the several connecting rooms that led to the back. 

Eventually, he came to the loading area where a door was set for access to the outside.  Before that, there was a small area containing his quarters, with a cot-looking bed and a small TV and Radio that could be played while attending to his duties.  Veering towards the cot, he knelled down and pulled out a suitcase from underneath. 

The suitcase was heavy, and laced with triple-combination locks.  Mr. Riddle set the case on the cot, and accessed the combo-locks one by one, finally opening the case to reveal not clothes, but a sophisticated Radio Transceiver Unit.  To this he attached a slim cable that led to one of the outside vents, where it terminated in a tiny, nearly invisible UHF antenna.  He then attached a special power cord with a plug-in of which design was unlike anything else.  When all this was complete, he powered up the unit.

Mr. Riddle pulled up a tiny microphone from the case and fiddled with the dials set inside the case.  When he was dialed into the frequency he desired, he spoke tersely into the mike. “BAL-7620, BAL-7620, Whiskey Victor Tango”, he intoned. “BAL-7620, This is CRB-3847, Do You Read, Copy ?”

There was a low hiss of static.  Mr. Riddle repeated his call, and waited again.  Within seconds, there was an answering voice.  “CRB-3847, This Is BAL-7620.  Switch To Secure Frequency.”

Mr. Riddle complied, fiddling with the dials again, then spoke, “BAL-7620, CRB-3847, How Do You Read ?”  The signal from the small Transceiver zipped along the cable and to the small antenna, where it was flung hundreds of miles into space, bouncing off an orbiting satellite to it’s destination.

“Copy You Clear, 3847“, the voice responded.  “EarthNet Link Is Confirmed Secure.  What Is Your Report ?”

“Have Confirmed Target Subject”, Mr. Riddle said.  “Are There Any Instructions, Copy ?”

“None At This Time, 3847“, the voice spoke.  “Continue Observation Mode Only.  Report If Any Contact With Target, Copy ?”

“Copy That, 7620“, Mr. Riddle replied.  “Will Make My Next Report On Seven-Five At Alpha Zulu Time, Copy ?”

“Copy, 3847“, the voice said. “7620, Out.”

Mr. Riddle replaced the microphone, then powered down the Transceiver.  As he closed and re-locked the case before secreting it underneath the cot once more, he reflected on just how easy an assignment this was turning out to be.  A little too easy, maybe.
________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

As the Students settled in the Auditorium for the show, the curtain rose to reveal the Nerds, dressed in patriotic costumes, the funniest one being Melvin, dressed up as the statue of Liberty.  Just why Beatrice or even Jimette wasn’t chosen for that role wasn’t clear, but it probably had something to do with with them being dressed up in their dance clothes.  A recorded version of “America” played over the speakers while Bucky, Cornelius, Thad, and Donald pranced in a circle holding sparklers around Melvin, who was holding some sort of battery lit torch aloft.

The whole performance was rather lame, and the students began booing and cat-calling, which continued until Melvin split the pants part of his costume when turning to leave the stage.  The Auditorium exploded in laughter and jeers, and the curtain was quickly lowered.  The Students began to babble amongst themselves, and the noise level increased while waiting for Winkie’s appearance.

Then the lights were dimmed, and the curtain rose again to reveal Winkie, seated on a stool with an electric gituar.  Behind him was a band called the Trackers, who had come to the Vale Valley only recently from the Boston area to play local gigs. But the surprise of the evening was Christy, who was seated behind a piano off to the left.  A number of the students were dumbfounded, only a few knew of Christy’s ability to play. 

Winkie began to strum the gituar and rock out with a rendition of  “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A."

They come from the cities
And they come from the smaller towns
Beat up cars with guitars and drummers
Goin crack boom bam
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. yeah, yeah !
Rockin' in the U.S.A......

R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP

As Winkie sang, the Auditorium began to rock out, tensions being released with the music for the first time in a long time.  In the back, Johnny and Lola got up and began dancing in the aisle, and then Peanut and Binky joined in.  Hal and Angie were a bit too shy, but some of the newer girls, not so inhibited, streamed towards the front and front and began to dance, sans pardners.  To the Reform Girls in particular, jaming out to the music was second nature. 

As Winkie wound down the song to cheers, he immediately swung into his next song, the Neil Young classic, “Rockin' in the Free World"

Neil Young - Rockin' In The Free World

There's colors on the street, red, white and blue,
People shufflin' their feet, people sleepin' in their shoes.
But there's a warnin sign on the road ahead,
There's a lot of people sayin we’d be better off dead.
Don't feel like Satan but I’m to them,
So I try to forget it anyway I can.

Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.

I see a woman in the night with a baby in her hand,
Under an old street light near a garbage can.
Now, she's put the kid away and she's gone to get a hit,
She hates her life and what she's done to it.
That's one more kid thatll never go to school,
Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool,

Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.

We got a thousand points of light for the homeless man,
We got a kindler, gentler, machine gun hand.
Weve got department stores and toilet paper,
Got styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer.
Got a man of the people says keep hope alive,
Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive.

Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.

As the song ended, the Auditorium exploded in cheers that went on for several minutes.  As it got quieter, another surprise was in store, as Pinky, who had been waiting backstage, emerged and walked to a microphone to sing harmony and backup to the next song.  This had been pre-arraigned, and Tad hadn’t objected.  Even if he had, Pinky would have done it anyway.  She missed her days with Kurt and the band, and that would probably never change.  Besides, she was beginning to chafe under Tad’s increased dominance.  She was used to being the center of attention, not being locked in a cage.

Winkie set into his last song, “Pink Houses", the tale of everyday America, starting with a slow pace.  Pinky, while rusty and without the vocal range she once had until her jaw was fully healed again, nonetheless did well.   

Pink Houses by John Mellencamp (with Lyrics)

There's a black man with a black cat livin' in a black neighborhood,
He's got an interstate runnin' through his front yard,
You know he thinks that he's got it so good.
And there's a woman in the kitchen cleanin' up the evenin' slop,
And he looks at her and says, "Hey darlin', I can remember when...
You could stop a clock."

Ah, but ain't that America, for you and me !
Ain't that America, somethin' to see baby !
Ain't that America, home of the free,
Little pink houses, for you and me.

There's a young man in a t-shirt,
Listenin' to a rock & roll station.
He's got greasy hair, greasy smile,
He says, "Lord this must be my destination !"
'Cause they told me when I was younger,
"Boy you're gonna be president."
But just like everything else those old crazy dreams,
Just kinda came and went.

Ah, but ain't that America, for you and me !
Ain't that America, somethin' to see baby !
Ain't that America, home of the free,
Little pink houses, for you and me.

Well there's people and more people,
What do they know, know, know....
Go to work in some high rise,
And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico.
And there's winners and there's losers,
But they ain't no big deal.
'Cause the simple man baby pays for the thrills,
The bills, the pills that kill.

Ah, but ain't that America, for you and me !
Ain't that America, somethin' to see baby !
Ain't that America, home of the free-e-e-e-e....
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.....
Little pink houses, for you and me !!

The song left the Students exulted, and they cheered and cried out for more.  Winky was finished playing his set, though he promised to come back a bit later and do a couple more.  In the interim, the Trackers would play some tracks.  When the lights briefly came up as they left the stage, Pinky spotted something disturbing.  Seated with the Preps, right next to Tad, in fact, was that new girl, Vanessa.

The crowd thinned out a bit before the Trackers began their set.  Some of the couples were leaving the dance, but not to call it a night.  Special plans had been made for the remainder of the evening.  Private, intimate plans, to be done at other locations besides the school.  And what better time for those plans than the Holiday ?
________________________________________