The Bullworth Never Ending Story

[BloodChuckZ]

“Are you sure, Nicky ?”, Melody asked.  “You think you’re well enough ?”

“Aww, Surr”, Nick replied through his teeth.  “I Neeeds to Geet Ouuu, I Goinn Nuss Binn Cootd Upp Inn Tisss Plaass.  It Juss Donn Thuu Steee Annie-Waas....Less Goo, Eey ?”

“All right, if you’re sure...”, Melody said, a little doubtfully.

“Surr I Surr”, Nick hissed, “C’mon.”

The two left the room and exited the Boar Inn.  It was a bright sunny day out, and Nick had to squint as they headed up Vale Valley Boulevard.  People were out and about, locals who lived here and also a lot of tourists.  The shops and boutiques of the Vale’s upscale Business District had a goodly amount of customers this summer, now that the Valley was opened to the outside world.  Ringed in by the State’s only real mountainous area and close to Narragansett Bay, the place was fast becoming a tourist destination.

As they passed the Crab Shack, Nick saw that the place was being fixed up.  A sign in the window proclaimed, ‘GRAND RE-OPENING SOON !!’  Nick was glad, he missed having some Crabs to eat, a taste he had acquired while living in California.  He particularly liked Alaskan Crab, billed as 'The Deadliest Catch’.  Thinking of Crabs made him hungry, and he indicated to Melody that they should stop in at the Chef’s Restaurant.  He could at least get some pudding or something he could suck through a straw.

Going inside, Melody spotted Tony eating in one of the booths, and nudged Nick and pointed.  “Look !”, she said, “There’s Tony !”  Nick nodded and they went over to his table. 

“Oh, hey...Hi, guys !” Tony exclaimed through a mouthful of food, which he quickly gulped down.  “Sorry we haven’t been around to see you for a few days....Some things have been going on.”  Melody slid into the booth in the seat opposite and Nick sat beside her.

“Telll Usss”, Nick said.  Tony proceeded to tell them the events of the past few days since Tad’s defeat of Hal in the Boxing Ring, the sneak attacks of the Preps and the Greaser’s retaliation, leaving out any mention of the Listening Devices he had been occupied with.

“Sooo Whaa Now ?”, Nick asked, “Whachooo Goin Doo?”

Tony told him about the Clique Council set for the next day.  “Gotta shut the Preps down”, Tony said, “Get the other to condemn them and impose sanctions.  It’s the only way for the Binding Agreement to work.”

Nick digested that information.  The he said, “Iss Shuud Bee Therr.”

Tony leaned forward.  “Are you sure you’re recovered enough ?”, he asked.  “If the others see you as weak...”

“Theyy Woont See”, Nick told him. “Iss Bee Therr T’morrr.”
_____________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The workout finished, the Students began to disperse from the Football Field Bleachers.  A few of the girls held back from leaving, those with Jock Boyfriends and those who had their sights set on getting Jock boyfriends....Gloria, Hannah, Claire, and Joan. 

Although the youngest, Gloria was far the more senior girl in terms of the length or her relationship with Damon and the amount of time at Bullworth Academy, the other girls were new to the School.  Hanna Tauge, who had already been intimate with Bob Southby during the wild party thrown by Mandy, was pretty much recovered from her encounter and looking forward to more with the proper Lubricating Cream.  Claire Sullivan, who would one day become the bitchy equal of Mandy, had already caged Dan Wilson into taking her out once already, and more dates would follow in quick succession. Joan Trimbly, one of the last eligible girls to come to Bullworth that summer, had her sights set on Luis Luna. She trotted down on the Field just as the practice was breaking up.

Standing by the bench where Luis was sitting, taking off his pads, Joan said “Looking good out there, chico grande !!”

Luis looked around to see a thinnish, pretty-looking girl with very long blondish-reddish hair.  Belying her hair color, she had a darker completion, and stood about the same height as Lola, the Greaser girlfriend of Johnny Vincent.  Luis could see that she had ample-sized boobs and good curves.  “Umm....Gracias, uno más fino....You like my moves out there ?”

“Oh, Yes”, Joan said, coming closer.  “I’m Joan....You must be Luis ?”

“Si, that’s me”, Luis replied.  “You know my language ?  Where are you from, señorita ?”

“I know a little”, Joan said, sitting on the bench beside him.  “I’m from North Texas, but I got relations down in Coahuila on my Mamá’s side....She’s part-Mexican.”

“So how are you up here ?”, Luis asked, “A long away from domicilio ?”

“My Daddy moved here for a Job”, Joan sighed, “and Mamá and the others stayed in Texas...I’m the oldest.”  She turned to Luis.  “I’ve been watching you...You’ll seem like the closest thing to home here !  Everything seems so strange here !”

“Hmmm....Not so much different”, Luis told her, “Once a señorita gets used to things here, it is not so bad....I can show you.”

“Does that mean we could go on a Date somewhere ?”, Joan asked coyly.

“Absolutamente, Yellow Rose Joan !”, Luis said, “Have you seen the Carnival as yet ?”

They talked on, and yet another Jock was destined to come under a girl’s spell, moving the School one more step into the realm of normality.  As they talked, the other girls were already moving off the Field with the Jocks they had snared.  Prefects Edward and Max came down from the Bleachers also, and started back towards the School.  There would be no trouble here, in fact there had not been much trouble around Bullworth lately, at least when they had been around.  So little, in fact, that Seth and Carl had just taken the entire weekend off.

Gloria left the Field also, telling Damon to come and get her later to go out, she had a Math assignment to finish for the next day.  She followed out after the two Prefects, feeling perfectly safe.
_________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

By the time Tony returned to the School, bringing Karen a meal from the Chef’s Restaurant, the Preps had been found.  As Karen had sat in the lounge area at the Girl’s Dorm, Gloria had entered, and Karen had inquired of her the whereabouts of Edward the Prefect.  This Gloria knew, having followed both Edward and Max back from the Football Field.  “They’re inside the School right now”, Gloria told her, “At least Max and Edward are.”

“Could you....Find Edward and have him come see me ?”, Karen asked.  “It’s important...I can’t yet get out and about real fast with this cast very well.”

“I have to finish this Math assignment”, Gloria said primly.  “I want to actually pass Math Class this time.”

Karen sighed.  Gloria hadn’t gotten any credit for the Math Class last semester that Tony had taken her out of, after his confrontation with Mr. Hattrick.  “Gloria, that wasn’t Tony’s fault, you know....The State canceled those Credits for everybody because of Hattrick’s selling test answers.”

“I didn’t buy any test answers”, Gloria said with a superior air.  “I could have stayed, Mr. Hattrick would have passed me...”

“Tony told me you were upset and crying”, Karen said.  “Hattrick had no right to leech on you.”

“That’s because Damon was missing, and...and....and....”  Gloria took a deep breath, remembering, her words failing her for once.

“Gloria, he didn’t have the right to treat you like that”, Karen said gently.  “Nobody does.”

Gloria looked at  Karen.  They had never been the best of friends, due in large part to Gloria’s snooty attitude, but they had never been enemies either. “I, um....I guess I could go tell Edward you want to see him...”

“Tell him that Preps are missing”, Karen said, “That’ll get him to come.”

Karen had hobbled outside and waited on the front steps.  It only had taken about ten minutes before Gloria was back, having found Edward on the ground floor of the School.  Karen had known that Edward was more likely to come than the others, since he had been a former Prep himself.  She set about explaining to Edward about the events that had transpired over the weekend.  Edward wasn’t really surprised that the Preps had attacked the Greasers, but when Karen told of the retaliatory attack against the Preps and the fact that the Preps hadn’t been seen at all since then, not around Campus or in anywhere in their hangouts in the Vale, Edward became interested.  Karen topped it off by telling him of the overturned chairs and Chester guarding the doors to Harrington House.

Edward decided to go check it out, and returned to the School to get Max to go along with him to Harrington House.  There was no growls of protest from a very hungry Chester as the two Prefects entered Harrington House and found Chad, bound and Hog-tied just inside the doors.  The ropes were so well tied that they had to be cut free.  Chad indicated the other Preps were in the building, they were found and released from their bonds in a similar fashion.  They all had injuries, the most major of them at this point seemed to be the rope burns on their wrists and ankles from being bound for nearly 40 hours. They were all very dehydrated also.  Tad and Vanessa had powder burns on their sides where the M-80's had gone off in their bed. 

As the Preps were being freed from their bonds, Tony returned to the Girl’s Dorm to find Karen still waiting on the front steps.  She had called him right before he left Nick and Melody at the Chef’s Restaurant and told him what was going on.  When Tony had pulled up his bike in front of her, it was already getting dusk.  Sitting down next to her, he gave her the take-out meal.

“Heard anything yet ?”, he asked Karen.

“Nothing yet”, Karen replied, opening up her meal.  “Shouldn’t be long, though.”

“What, are they going to report back to you ?”, Tony asked, laughing.

“Somebody will”, Karen said, digging into her meal.  “You know how the grapevine is around this place.  We’ll find out soon enough.”
______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Stiff from their long ordeal, the Preps were slow to limber up.  It was rather comical to watch them try to move around after their ordeal of being Hog-tied for so long.  Tad complained bitterly to Edward about the Greasers attack on them and denied having had anything to do with attacking the Greasers first.  He demanded that punishment be dealt out to the Greasers for their insolence in even spreading such a scurrilous story.

“It seems there is a young girl in the Bullworth Clinic with a broken foot that tells a different tale”, Edward said mildly.  “Are you sure your group didn’t provoke this attack ?”

“Liars !”, Tad exclaimed.  “They’re all Liars !  Are you going to believe what those low-life Peons say ?  After what they did to Bif ?  They’re the ones who should be punished !  Arrogant Bastards !”

“I don’t know what to believe”, Edward said, “You’d better get you stories straight !”

Tad tried a different tact.  “We’re injured....We all need to go to the Clinic to document our injuries !  There will be Lawsuits !”

The Preps were made ready to be escorted to the School Clinic by Max while Edward fed and watered Chester the Dog.  It was a funny sight as the Preps filed out of Harrington House, walking jerkily like broken robots.  It would take quite awhile for them to work out the stiffness in their joints from their captivity.  Unfortunately for them, the Jocks and their girlfriends were passing by the Fountain, on their way out to an evening at the Carnival.  Seeing the strange sight of the Preps walking like drunken Winos, they erupted into gales of laughter as they pointed and jeered.  The Preps, trying to concentrate on walking one step after another, said nothing in their shame.

While Max took them inside the School, Edward went back to the Girl’s Dorm to fetch Nurse McRae.  As he did, he questioned further Tony and Karen, who were still on the front steps. Tony told him more about the Prep attacks on the Greasers, and who they said was involved, plus those who had been injured and how badly.  “Binky and Hal are still in the Bullworth Clinic because of their injuries”, Tony told him, “And might be there for awhile, looks like.  I seen 'em myself.”

Edward digested that information.  “I don’t know what’s the matter with those boys.  Things haven’t been right with those fellows since Miss Pinky broke up with Derby and started hanging about with that Mobster’s son.”

Tony didn’t bother to say that the Prep’s troubles probably started long before that, when they had joined in league with Gary Smith to try and take over the School.  What was the point ?  Edward went in and got Nurse McRae and they went to the School Clinic.  A little while later, a Cab was called to transport Tad and Vanessa over to the Vale Clinic for treatment of the burns on their sides from the M-80s.  Tony left Karen at the Dorm, putting his bike away in the garage, then taking the long walk back to the In and Out Motel.  Tomorrow was bound to be an interesting day.
____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

By Lunchtime on Monday, the final week of Summer School, the news of the attacks and counter-attacks had spread like wildfire and was the trending subject of nearly every conversation.  The Lunch Room was packed much more than normal, and it had nothing to do with the quality of Edna’s food, but the quantity of the rumors and wild stories being bandied about.  None of either the Greasers or the Preps had shown up for class, and that only served to fuel speculation on what exactly had gone down.

Tony chose to have his Lunch with Karen, picked up from the Chef’s French Restaurant, and was for the time sparred from answering the seemingly endless stream of questions from the other Students.  But the time came where he had to return to afternoon classes and be nagged for information, to which he tried to deflect the inquiries by pleading a lack of facts about the attacks.  He was sparred from further badgering by the Students by being called out of class by Mr. Galloway before the end of the period.

“Well, my boy, it seems like there was a really big problem over the weekend”, Mr. Galloway said, sounding somewhat like Dr. Crabblesnitch.  “What do you know about this ?”

“Well, it seems like beating Hal in the Boxing Ring wasn’t enough for the Preps, they decided to do some sneak attacks on the Greasers”, Tony began, and went on to detail all of what he knew about the attacks, including the injuries that were suffered. As he finished up, Mr. Galloway rose and turned, staring out at the Back Quad through the window. 

“This is going to create quite a problem”, Mr. Galloway reflected.  “This School is already on thin ice with the State Board of Education, what with those bombings and attempted takeover by those Punks, and then that unfortunate business of those girls being kidnapped...”  He paused.  “And then there was that fight between Ms. Phillips and Miss Jones....And just last week a boy was savagely attacked and beaten inside the School....All of those are already weighing against us.”  He sighed.  “What are we going to do, Tony ?”

 “I've called a Clique Conference for right after School today”, Tony said, “We can sort this out, impose sanctions, recommend punishments....”

“Do you really think that will work ?”, Mr. Galloway reflected sadly.  “Once those News Hounds get ahold of this, there will be another nail in the Bullworth coffin.”

“None of this is out to the Media yet”, Tony told him, unsure if that was true or not.  “Let us try to deal with this and use the Binding Agreement, give us a chance to work it out....It’s our only chance, to take action first !”

Mr. Galloway deliberated.  This entire summer had seemed like one big nasty roller-coaster ride, and he so badly wanted a drink.  A feeling of hopelessness enveloped him.  He glanced towards Tony’s searching eyes, looking to him for guidance.  Tony, the boy who had helped pull his ass from the fire when what Bethany Jones had done to him could have nearly had ended his career.  “I....Think it worth a try”, he said at last.  “But Tony, it’s got to work.  It just has to, or else....”  He left the implication unspoken.

“It will, Mr. Galloway”, Tony assured him, rising to leave, “I’ll make it work, somehow.”  But on his way to the Auditorium, Tony was only sure of one thing....He had no idea of just what would happen.
_________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

As Tony entered the Auditorium, he was surprised to find Nick already there waiting on him. He walked down the aisle towards the Stage where Nick was leaning up against it.  “I wasn’t expecting you so early”, Tony said, “It’s still about 15 minutes before the bell.”

Nick shrugged.  “Nottin’ Berrr Ta Doo”, he replied.  “Mo’on...I’ss Elp Youu Getss Daa Staase Seet Upp.”

The two went up on stage and back to the Props area and moved out a couple of tables, which took some time, returning for some chairs.  “You Ok to be doing this ?”, Tony asked.

Nick shrugged again.  “Gesss Soo”, he said.  “Theey saad Nott Too Exxrt Selff Too Mucch.”

Except for the small square flesh-colored bandage on his neck, Nick looked the same as he always had.  When the wires came off his jaw, Tony suspected he would once again sound like the old Nick, also.  But Tony knew just how close the Pellet came to Nick’s right Common Carotid Artery.  He also knew that until Nick healed completely, even a small punch to the head could hold serious danger for him....Maybe even death.

“Nick....You know, don’t you ?”, Tony asked, “You know that it could be dangerous for you if....Y’know, someone tries to fight you....Right ?”

“Ohh, I’ss Knoos”, Nick replied.  “Butt Theey Doont.  Derr Stilll Affraid Oves Mees.”

“What about Melody ?”, Tony asked, “What does she think ?”

Nick shrugged a third time.  “Harrd Too Telll....Shess Stilll Affraids....Woont Goos Outs Aloone....I’ss Gots Too Bee Strongs Ferr Herr.”

Tony wanted to talk further, but the bell rang just then.  In less than a minute, there was a noise as the Auditorium Doors were opened.  The first of the Clique Leaders was coming in.
___________________________________ 

[BloodChuckZ]

Ted appeared first, along with Mandy and Damon.  Approaching the stage where Tony and Nick sat at a table, he stopped and asked,
“Isn’t this supposed to be a private conference ?  Cuz, there’s a whole buncha kids out there milling around.”

Tony hadn’t thought of that.  “Um, yeah....We need somebody to guard the doors, just let in the Clique Leaders and their Seconds....”

“And their Girlfriends”, Mandy chipped in.  Tony hadn’t thought of that, either.

“Damon can do that”, Ted said.  “He’s real good at guarding things.  He’s gonna keep me from getting sacked all this season.”

That bit of praise from Ted did the trick.  “I’se just...Go guards the doors, den”, Damon said, and headed back up the aisle.  Ted and Mandy took seats in the front row to wait on the others.  I wasn’t long before Peanut appeared, with Norton trailing, who had recovered better than the others.  Binky of course wasn’t with him, still being in the Clinic.  Next, Trent appeared, all by himself.  Finally, Melvin came through the doors with Jimmette close behind.  They took seats, waiting with the others.

After some small talk for about 10 minutes, Tony said, “Well, I guess that’s all that’s coming...Let’s get this show on the road.  We’re here to consider the actions of the Preps and the Greasers in the attacks on each other over the weekend, and to consider any sanctions or punishments that should be imposed.  We’ll first hear testimony from Peanut and Norton here.”

Peanut stood and said, “It wuz like this...Dem Joirks lured some of my guise away to da Bike Park, den had dem distracted so’s dey could shoots dem in da backs !  Den afters dat, dey come and hid like cowards arounds da Autoshop an’ bushwhacked us when’s we comed arounds da corner !  Dey shot Hal’s goril Angie several times, and den Tad kicked me’s in the balls when I tries to fight him man to man...Den he stomped on Binky and busted her foot !”  He went on to detail the attack behind the Auto shop and then had Norton tell of how Vanessa lured the others to the Bike Park and stripped nearly naked and danced to a boom-box in order to distract them. 

Tony next directed Peanut to relate their retaliatory attack on the Preps, since no one from the Preps had showed up.  Peanut said, “It was like dis, sees...We hads the rights to get dem backs, so’s we done it, sneaked into der place like dey sneaked into our place.  Dey weren’t expecting no hitback so soon, ands we caught dem in der beds, an’ let 'em have it fer what dey done’s to us !  I just calls dat as bein’ Justified !”

Tony then opened up discussion with the other Cliques as to what should be done.  Although each and every one present had at one time or another pulled off surprise attacks against others as a Clique, they had not bushwacked them, per se.  The whole thing brought up the spector of the sneak bushwhack attacks engineered by Algie, and reminded them of the ultimate unfairness in this place of unfairness. 

Tony then called for a vote of sanctions against two Cliques.  It was unanimous against the Preps, as the Clique leaders wanted to send the message that what the Preps had done was not at all right, particularly since the Jocks and Bullies were uneasy that those tactics could be used against them if they did not condemn them.  When it came to the Greasers, however, there was quite a bit of discussion of whether sanctions were warranted or not, since in effect the Greasers had done the same bushwhack, only without the girl for a lure.  In the end, no sanctions were leveled against the Greasers and their attack was ruled Justified, mostly due to the fact that the other Cliques hated the Preps more.

Then it came time to decide just what sanctions and punishments were to be leveled against the Preps.  After some discussion, it was decided to withhold any goods or services that the Preps might request from the other Cliques or Students, and to make the Preps relinquish their Weapons for a period of one month.  Peanut argued for more, but in the end had to compromise. That seemed to wrap things up, as the meeting had been going on for nearly an hour, and Tony prepared to close the Clique Council.  But before he could do so, there was a commotion from the doors leading into the Auditorium.

Tad burst in then, followed by Bryce.  Not exactly walking, they moved like Crabs down the aisle.   “Everyone start this Lynch Party without us ?”, Tad sneered.
 “How Rude of you all !!”
_______________________________________     

[BloodChuckZ]

The Auditorium went silent as Tad and Bryce moved down the aisle. “What ?  Nothing to say ?", Tad mocked as he came closer to the Stage.  “Well that's just fine, because I have plenty to say !"

“You couldn't be found to be contacted", Tony said coldly into the stillness, “So, the matter has been decided in your absence.  It's over and done."

“Over and Done ?", Tad mocked.  “Over and Done ?  This whole thing is a Farce !!  Do you really think anyone is going to abide by what YOU decide here ?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do”, Tony replied.  “Your Reign of Terror is gong to come to a halt before it even gets started."

“MY Reign of Terror ?”, Tad ridiculed, “MY Reign of Terror ?  HA, that’s Rich !!  There’s your Terrorists right there”, he said, pointing at Peanut and Norton.  “THEY are the ones who ATTACKED US in our BEDS !!  And, the ones who waylaid poor Bif !!”

“Youse Knows Dats A LIE !!”, Peanut shot back before Tony could answer.  “We’s had nuttin’ to do with what happened to hims, And Youse Motherfuckers Bushwacked Us !!”

“OH ?”, Tad cried, “Is That So ?  Where are your Witnesses, then ?  Besides any of you Greasebags or your filthy Girlfriends, that is !”

“Why, Youse ASSHOLE !!!”, Peanut shouted, leaping up as best he could in spite of his injuries, “I’se Gonna Kick Your Sorry Prep Ass !!”

“Like You Did The Last Time ?”, Tad taunted.  “You Couldn’t Fight Your Way Out Of A Paper Bag !!”

“Youse Cants Fights Like A Man, Youse COWARD !!”, Peanut shot back, “All’s Youse Can Do’s Is Cheap Shots Inna NUTS !!”

“ENOUGH !!!”, Tony shouted. “This Ends Now !!  Tad, it’s been decided...By vote, you Preps must turn over all your Weapons for the next month, and....”

“WHAT ?”, Tad interrupted.  “We Will Do No Such Thing !!”

“Then....They will be taken from you by force”, Tony told him.

“You Can’t Be Serious !”, Tad exclaimed.  A look around at the other Clique Leaders were only met with cold stares.  The Auditorium fell silent as the others looked at him with hostility.  Tad decided to change tactics.  “This whole thing is between us and the Greaseballs....It isn’t any of you other’s concern”, he said haughtily.

“That’s not the way we see it”, Ted commented.  “If you Preps can do that to the Greasers, you can do that to any of us.”

Tad turned to Ted in disbelief.  “There’s no fight between us and the Jocks !  I can’t believe you are teaming up with these people after my Father’s money built you a new Clubhouse !”  Tad then whirled on Melvin.  “And you...After my Father’s money restored you precious Observatory !”

“Yeah, well you’re not buying anyone’s allegiance with your Daddy’s money now, are you ?”, Tony said cuttingly. 

Tad glared back at Tony.  Hatefully, he said, “This is all your fault, Calderone !  We were all just fine before you came here, playing Hero and getting our Fathers arrested !  You’re the REAL Scum here, mucking up the School with your glory and now your fucking Agreement !”

“Well, life Sucks, don’t it ?”, Tony shot back.  “Get used to it or get left behind !”

“I was here long before you, Interloper !....It’s YOU that’s the problem here, not us Preps !”, Tad retorted.  He came closer to the Stage and glared at Tony.  “I demand satisfaction !  I challenge you to a Fight !!”

“You’re calling ME out ?”, Tony said, surprised.  “On what grounds ?”

“On the grounds of destroying the traditions of Bullworth Academy”, Tad said testily.  “Are you going to Man Up or Chicken Out ?”

All eyes were fastened on Tony.  Unthinkingly, he said, “Sure, I’ll fight you.  Just say when and where, and I’ll be there !  And when I win, you are going to abide by the rulings of this Clique Council from now on, give over you Weapons and take whatever Sanctions are imposed on the Preps.  Agreed ?”

A snarky half-smile came to Tad’s face.  “Agreed”, he said.  “Next Thursday night, at the Glass Jaw. It’s only fair that I have time to recover from those Slimeball’s dastardly attack. And when I win, we keep our Weapons and us Preps opt out of all this Agreement nonsense.  We go back to how things were.  Do you agree ?”

At the table, Nick, who had purposely stayed silent, gave Tony a look that read, What The Fuck Are You Doing ?

“Yes”, Tony said, well aware that all eyes were on him.  “It’s time to settle this once and for all.”

“Fine, then”, Tad said, and turned to go.  “Thursday at Eight, and don’t be late, or it’s a Forfeit...If you don’t show, everyone will know what a Chicken Shit you really are.” Tad marched out of the Auditorium, as well as he could.  Bryce hesitated, and then followed.

As they did, Tony was mentally kicking himself for letting Tad trick him into a fight at the Prep’s Boxing Ring.  His dream of more than a week ago flooded back on him then.  What had he gotten himself into ?  He had never Boxed.  What now ?

Still standing, he felt the stares of the others on him.  “This meeting is Adjourned !”, he said loudly. 
___________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Melody looked out the door to her room down the hall at the Boar Inn once more.  She was increasingly being fraught with anxiety that Nick hadn’t returned yet.  It had only been a couple of hours, but they had not been apart this long since shortly after her rescue, when she had been waiting by his bedside in the Clinic for him to wake up.  And neither Nick or her had been much of anywhere since then, and certainly not back at the School, where he was now.  She agonized for his safety, sure that something was bound to happen to him, and was at the same time terrorized by that possibility.

Her mental state was very fragile still, less than a month after his valiant rescue of her from her tormenters.  They were gone now, but in her mind the fear was still there.  She was like a broken Vase that was being held together by Crazy Glue.  Vile images still filled her distorted nightmares of what those Townies had done to her, and many times she awoke in horror, sobbing as Nick comforted her.  If he wasn’t there, she just knew she would go crazy. 

She wished she could have dealt out justice to her attackers the way that Zoe Taylor did.  Karen had told her what Zoe did (with Trent’s help) to Big Darrell after he raped her last Fall, and what she had done to Otto and Leon when they threatened to rape her afterwards.  Melody would never get that chance, the Townies being taken away now, locked up somewhere.  But, it sure would have helped.

Melody stole another look out of the door to her room, looking down the long hall towards the front.  She was much like a Dog, waiting hungrily for a meal, looking for several moments.  Then she saw someone enter from the front, only it wasn’t Nick...It was Pinky.  Her eyes narrowed.  She knew Pinky was staying here too, having caught her seemingly spying from down the hall a few times when she would come out of the Bathroom near the rear of the Boar Inn.  Pinky would always be gone from sight before Melody reached her room, however.

As she stood watching, peeking down the hall, several things came to mind.  One was Nick mentioning that Tony didn’t like to visit them much because Pinky was staying here also.  Another was the time was an offhand comment Christy made not too long after her breakup with Bif in the spring that the all the Preps were nothing more than lying seducers bent on leading others outside their class-standings into phony relationships for their own evil plans and purposes.  And then, there was Karen’s absolute hatred of Pinky herself, having slammed Pinky into a wall at least twice during the past year because of her supposed attentions to Tony. 

And then the thought struck Melody that maybe there was more to it than Karen knew.  She suddenly remembered one early morning last Winter, right before Christmas and the Great Clique War.  She had awoken early, before dawn, and couldn’t get back to sleep, so she had dressed and went outside the Girl’s Dorm to sit on the front steps to await the dawn. From her vantage point, she could see down the pathway to the main path from the Entrance to the School, and beyond that, down the pathway straight to the Boy’s Dorm.  Right about the time the sky began to lighten, she saw Tony appear from the main pathway and turn into the path to the Boy’s Dorm.  His head was down, and he was moving wearily as he mounted the steps to his Dorm and went inside.  The very next day, she heard Pinky had moved back into the Beach House after her final breakup with Derby.  But instead of being morose, Pinky carried an air of satisfaction, particularly if Karen was anywhere in the vicinity.  It was almost as if.....

As Pinky came a little ways down the hall, she noticed Melody peeking out of her room and gave her an odd, condensing, smarmy look before mounting the stairs to the second floor and disappearing from sight.  The look chilled Melody to the bone, and suddenly, she knew.  Pinky had somehow gotten to Tony, and now she was after Nick.
_____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Merde, you have really done it this time, No ?”, Laurent exclaimed.  He was sitting in the sparsely-populated Bleachers alongside Tony, whose troubled eyes were watching the Jocks working out on the Football Field without really seeing them. 

“Yeah, I guess so”, Tony replied glumly.  He had wandered down here to think after the Clique Council meeting, but wound up revealing what had taken place there to Laurent.  “I donno what to do now.  I can’t Box.”

“It may be....You can Parkour them with you feet ?”, Laurent suggested.

“I don’t think that’s allowed in Boxing”, Tony said morosely, “Leastways, I never seen any fighters doing that.  “Maybe in Kickboxing....”, he trailed off. 

“Oui, that is what I was thinking of”, Laurent replied. “I have seen it on the Television before.”

“In the kind of Boxing the Preps do, it’s just with the big gloves”, Tony said, “I’ve watched a couple of their fights.  I think kicking is a foul in their type of boxing.”  Although, it seemed fine for Tad to kick someone in the Nuts during a regular fight, Tony reflected. 

“So, what are you going to do ?”, Laurent asked.  “Take some training from somebody ?”

“The only ones who know Boxing Moves are the Preps”, Tony answered, and then something occurred to him.  “And....Nick !  He fought Derby in that Ring, and Won !”  But as he said that, reality asserted itself.  Nick was in no shape to fight, let alone train.  Deflated, Tony added, “But....He’s still recovering.  He won’t be able to do any training for awhile....”  If Ever, Tony thought, but didn't say.

“Just where is Nick right now?”, Laurent asked.  “Even I have not seen him in awhile.”

“Oh, he went off with Peanut and the rest of the Greasers”, Tony said glumly, “Said he’d see me later.”

The two boys sat in silence for awhile.  It didn’t occur to Tony to ask why Laurent wasn’t down on the Field, working out with the other Jocks.  If he had asked, Laurent would have told him they weren’t doing any running plays in this particular scrimmage.  Nor did Tony notice the absence of Kirby or Coach Sanders.  He had other things on his mind, namely how to beat Tad and salvage the whole Binding Agreement.  If he failed....Well, he didn’t want to think about that.  There had to be something he could do.

“Um...I could show you some evade moves”, Laurent said suddenly.  “I have to keep ze Footsball away from the other team...I could teach you that.”

It sounded to Tony like at least a start.  After all, Laurent had taught him how to Parkour, maybe he could show him how to stay away from Tad’s punches.  “Sure, that sounds good”, he said, “Only...Not here.  Someplace Private.”  He thought for a bit.  “The Nerd’s Battle Yard....That’s the place.  Can you meet me by the Library later ?”

“Oui, I can do”, Laurent replied.  “But when later ?”

“Couple hours”, Tony said, “I got to go see Karen first.”
_____________________________ 

[BloodChuckZ]

Monday bled over into Tuesday, bringing ever closer the end of Summer School.  Tony awoke from another sorted dream having to do with the upcoming fight, and strangely, the Monks were also present in that dream as silent onlookers which no one was able to see but himself.  The whole dream seemed jumbled and bizarre, and he could remember little of it.  Tony went to the Motel room’s small bathroom to get himself ready for School.  Once that was done, he set out for the Bus Stop near the Motel. 

While waiting, Tony got a Cell Phone call, and digging the phone from his pocket, he was surprised to see it was from Nick.  From what he could understand through Nick’s slurred  words was that he wanted to meet Tony back at the Motel after school, as he had something he wanted to show him.  Nick urged him to bring Karen if he could, but didn’t try to explain what it was that he wanted Tony to see.  Mystified after the conversation, Tony boarded the School Bus with the Bullies and went to Class. 

When Lunchtime came, he grabbed some fruits to take to Karen at the Dorm.  While they sat talking, Tony told her about Nick’s strange phone call.  Karen had no idea of what Nick wanted to show them.  She couldn’t call Melody to find out either, because she had yet to replace her Cell Phone.  They speculated on just what it cold be that Nick wanted them to see, but Tony decided it wasn’t urgent, as Nick would have probably insisted that he see it sooner.  Karen, who was getting around even better in her cast now, assured Tony she could make the trip if he would ride her over on his Bike handlebars.  With that settled, Tony returned to School for his Math Class, where he found out his Math finals would be given on Thursday, the same day as the upcoming Boxing match with Tad. 

After school, he went and got his Bike from the Garage and stopped by the Girl’s Dorm and picked up Karen, placing her sitting on the handlebars facing him.  They took off then, a little wobbly at first, then picking up speed.  Karen began to make funny faces at Tony to lighten the mood, and by the time they reached the Motel, some laughter relieved their tension.  As Tony coasted toward his room, Nick was already there along with Melody, whom he has coaxed from the Boar Inn to come along.  Both girls took to talking as soon as Karen had dismounted, and Tony turned to Nick to find out what he wanted him to see.

“Stash your bike in your room”, Nick said.  “What I want to show you isn’t far, we can walk it from here.”

“Well, Ok, guess I can, long as it’s not too far....”, Tony began, then stopped in surprise.  “Hey, you can talk !!”

“Got those damn wires removed today”, Nick said, pointing at his jaw.  “Kinda sore, can’t open it all the way...But yeah, feels better.  I won’t have to suck Jello through a straw anymore.  Com’on, let’s go.  Can Karen walk ?”

“Depends on how far”, Tony answered.  “Where’s this at, anyway ?”

“Not far”, Nick said, and no matter what Tony asked, he refused to tell him anything further, only saying that it was a “Surprise.”  Mystified, Tony put his Bike in the room and locked it up.  They all set out then in the direction of New Coventry.  With the boys in the lead, Karen clumped along with Melody, still talking.  Being a little slower, the boys had to stop and wait several times for them to catch up.  It wasn’t until they had passed under the overpass and then turned to the right at the next street that Tony would realize that they were heading to the indoor Bike Park building.  He still had questions, but Nick would tell him nothing.  Going inside, he led the group towards the back and then to the left, where Tony would see just what Nick had brought him here to show him.

Ahead was a crudely-constructed Boxing Ring, complete with ropes and poles holding them up.  Peanut and Norton were there, along with a few of the Greasers, awaiting them.  Nick then told Tony that he had gotten the Greasers to construct the Boxing Ring overnight, and that he was going to train Tony how to Box.

“But....You can’t spar with me, you’re not in shape !”, Tony exclaimed. 

“Not yet”, Nick said, “But I know how to Box, from way back.  Took training out in L.A. when I lived there.  Don’t forget I beat Derby in the ring.  But I’m not going to spar with you....Norton is.”

“Norton ?!?”, Tony exclaimed again.  “He doesn’t know how to Box either !”

“I know that too”, Nick said, “But I’ll be right behind him all the way.”  He looked at Peanut.  “You guys ready here ?”

“Will be, just gives us a minute”, Peanut said.  Turning to the other Greasers, he said, “Ok, gets Norton ready !”

Lefty, Lucky, and Ricky went to some boxes by the Ring that Tony hadn’t noticed, and pulled out an array of stuff....Pads, Pillows, Rope, and a couple of Headguards.  They began applying them to Norton while Tony watched in amazement.  “Where’d you get this stuff ?”, he asked Nick.

“The Pads and Headguards came from the Jocks”, Nick said, “And the Pillows and Rope came from the Bullies....They probably stole them from somewhere.  All the Cliques chipped in with something.  Everyone wants you to beat Tad.”

“What about the Nerds ?”, Tony asked as the three Greasers finished with Norton and made their way to Tony do dress him up similarly in Pads and Pillows.  “What did they chip in ?”

Nick went to a second, smaller box next to the first and reaching inside, pulled out two sets of Boxing Gloves.  “These....From the junk in the Dragon’s Wing basement.  Sure is a lotta crap down there.”

The last thing Tony would have expected was that the Nerds would have stashed Boxing Gloves.  While the Greasers tied on the Pads and Pillows to him, Nick Laced up one set of Boxing Gloves on Norton, the came back over to Tony to lace up the other set of Boxing Gloves on him.  Then he told both to get in the Boxing Ring, and climbed in after them.

Tony still didn’t know how Nick was going to train him and still stay out of possible harm’s way himself.  “Simple”, Nick told him.  “I’m gonna stand behind Norton here, and just grab on to the ropes from his back to guide him.  I’ll tell him what punches to throw and how to block and evade, just like I saw Tad do in the fight with Hal.  At the same time, I’m gonna instruct you on punches, conter-punches, blocks, and evades.  We’ll start out slow and work our way faster as we go.  Are you both ready ?”

Lacking a bell, Peanut comically said “DING !!” real loudly, and the training began.  It was very slow at first, with Nick guiding Norton around from behind and telling both what to do, the padding and pillows keeping any of the punches from inflicting any damage.   Ricky went and got a couple of chairs from somewhere so Karen and Melody could sit down.  As the afternoon bled away into evening, they picked up the pace, taking breaks along the way.  By the time 10 O’clock came around, Tony seemed to have mastered the basics, Nick judged, and called it a night.

“But there’s more”, Nick said, “We need to train tomorrow too.  Then, I’ll teach you speed and how to counter your opponent’s own moves and speed.”

“But...I got a Math final I gotta study for”, Tony said.  “How about I come later ?  I can make it....About 7 O’clock ?”

“That’ll do, I reckon....That all right with you guys ?”, Nick asked the Greasers.

“We’s be heres”, Peanut said.  “We gets to learns stuff too.”

That settled, Tony and Norton had their Pads, Pillows, and Gloves undone and stored away.  Everyone exited the Bike Park, which the Greasers then locked up.  Going back to the Motel, Tony and Karen bid goodbye to Nick and Melody, who returned to the Boar Inn.  Karen stayed with Tony in his room.  As tuckered out as he was, Tony still had enough energy to snuggle with Karen and more until Midnight.
_______________________________________     

[BloodChuckZ]

As Wednesday came around, it was more of the same.  After dropping Karen off at the Dorm and putting his bike away, Tony went to Class.  At Lunch, he again brought Karen some fruits from the Cafeteria, and they sat on the front steps of the Girl’s Dorm.  As she ate, she told Tony that she would smuggle him up to her room and help him study for his Math final after School.  Having already passed that particular Class that Tony had walked out of, she felt sure she could prepare him.  Relieved, Tony did just that after School, working and learning with Karen, marveling again as to what a brainy person she was, in addition to all her other attributes.

By the time that 6 O’clock had passed, Tony felt confident he could not only pass the Math final, but actually do better than average.  It was the time to return to the Bike Park and finish his training with Nick to also gain confidence to be able to outlast Tad in the Boxing Ring. Karen however declined to go with him this time.  “You’re going to be up rather late, I expect, and if we do what we did last night, you’ll be too weary to win the fight tomorrow night.”  Reluctant as he was to leave her, Tony knew what she said was true.  He needed to get the maxim rest possible tonight, with no distractions. There would be plenty of time for that once tomorrow night was over, one way or another.

So, Tony went and got his Bike, and headed off to the Bike Park building.  Nick was there, waiting on him, but without Melody this time, who had also elected not to come.  Peanut, Norton, Lefty and Lucky were there once again, but Ricky was off with Jessica somewhere.  It made no difference other than taking a bit longer to attach the Pads, Pillows, and Headgear to both Tony and Norton once more.  Then, it was back in the Ring, where Nick continued his instruction.

Tony was able to evade much better, after having been shown some evasive maneuvers by Laurent.  Nick added some pointers, as in how to evade punches by throwing his body back away from an attacker.  Mostly, Nick worked on moving the fighters around the Ring, as he had observed that technique from Tad’s fight with Hal, who had been unable to move fast enough due to his bulk.  Tad had run circles around Hal, swooping in and punching him at will.  Nick intended to see that didn’t happen to Tony.  He also coached Tony to hit with more body shots and belly punches also.

Around 11 O’clock, Tony actually got in a side punch that knocked the much bigger Norton down.  Due to all the padding and Headguard, Norton wasn’t hurt any at all, just surprised.  Nick decided to call it a night then.  If Tony wasn’t ready now, he never would be.  But Nick thought Tony would have at least an even chance against Tad now.  “Let’s call it, Gentlemen...Put your money on the Great Calderone for tomorrow night !”

Tony extended a glove to Norton and helped him back up.  “Er...Sorry Norton....I didn’t mean to do that.”

“S’allright”, Norton answered, “I ain’t hurts none.”  He brushed himself off.  “But lisssens....You kick dat dog’s sorry ass tomorrow nights, y’hear ?”

Tony grinned.  “I’m sure gonna try my best....Thanks for being my sparring partner, Norton.”

All their padding was removed, and the gloves unlaced.  Watching, Peanut thought he should get Nick to train all of the Greasers, including himself, how to Box.  It occurred to him just then that if his Clique could learn how, it would take away the advantage the Preps had over them.  He thought also, they could upgrade this here crude Boxing Ring, make it a permanent fixture in this corner of the Bike Park.

All the equipment was packed away in the boxes again, except for the Boxing Gloves, which Nick took charge of.  There wouldn’t be a need for Padding, Pillows, or Headguards come tomorrow night.  Tony and Nick left the Bike Park and went back to the Motel.  Before moving on to the Boar Inn, Nick had some words for Tony.

“Get plenty of rest, and don’t stress over the fight”, he advised.  “I think you’re ready.  Believe in yourself....You can take him out, and this sorry shit will all be over.  I’ll see you tomorrow, after Class.  Think WIN, and you will be a Winner.”
___________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony awoke with confidence.  Today was the big day, but he felt prepared for it.  As he got ready for School, he mentally reviewed the finals he was going to take today.  The one for Biology one would be simple....Just cut up another dead Animal, take it’s guts out, identify them, and dump them haphazardly back into the carcass....Simple.  And the Geography final ?  It would be on States and Countries, facts that Tony knew already.  In fact, he was looking forward to visiting many of those places himself someday.

And, he had confidence he would stand a chance against Tad in the Boxing Match.  Tony suspected that Tad had been injured more than he had let on by the Greasers retaliatory attack, and probably had done little training for the Match, believing himself to be superior to a non-boxer such as himself.  He may have the edge in Boxing experience, but Tony felt that maybe he had a few tricks up his gloves.  Karen had let him know that practically the whole School was planning to turn up at the Glass Jaw tonight to show their support.  The place would be packed, she predicted.

Still, a little uneasiness nagged at Tony.  Why had he so rashly taken Tad’s bait for a Boxing Match in the first place ?  Images of his dream about being knocked down for the count still haunted him, although the dream hadn’t returned last night.  And, even so, his dreams didn’t always turn out to be true, they were more like warning him of what could be rather than what would be.  Still though, that little finger of doubt remained, like a splinter in a thumb. 

But he vowed not to let that small doubt grow and consume him.  There were other things he must do this day to move his life forward, namely, pass his finals.  Tony went to School, and went to Class.  The first two were easy, as he predicted....Cut up what turned out to be a dead Piglet.  They were greeted by Dr. Slawter, the Biology teacher, with the phrase, “Good Morning Class...Are we all ready to cut something open for a grade today ?”  As the time progressed, Tony did well, working with almost surgical precision.  Near the end of the period, Dr. Slawter was heard to inhale and say, “Ahh...how I do Love the smell of Formaldehyde in the morning !”  Tony breezed through the dissection and was finished before the few others in Class. 

Mr. Matthews, the Geography Teacher, greeted them by saying, “For the Finals, We’ll be looking at some exciting new Maps !  Can you believe it ?”  Usually dour, Mr. Matthews only became animated when talking about Maps or Globes.  Tony thought he probably knew what places were named on the Moon or even Mars, and on that he would have been right.  Again, Tony was finished before the others, and allowed to leave early.  He took the opportunity to get some Lunch for himself and Karen, taking it to the Girl’s Dorm where she was waiting.

“How’d you do this morning ?”, Karen asked as she ate. “Do good ?”

“Aced 'em”, Tony said.  “They were easy. At least, I won’t be having to cut up any more dead things from now on.  There’s still the Math Final to go, though.”

“Do you remember what we went over ?”. Karen asked sweetly.  “You’d better !”

“Umm....”, Tony pantomimed, then ducked when Karen playfully balled up her fist.  “Umm, yeah, I remember....Don’t hit me, I gotta fight tonight !”

Karen became sober.  “I don’t want you to be thinking about that right now.  You need to focus on the Final....There’s plenty of time after the Test to be concentrating on tonight.”

“You’re right, of course”, Tony said, sighing.  “I think I fear a Test more than I do a fight.”

“You’ll do fine”, Karen said, “Cause you studied with the best !”

Tony nodded.  He wasn’t sure if she was referring to her helping him with the test, or Nick helping him with Boxing moves.  They talked on, the time flew by, and before he knew it, he had to go back into the School to face the Math Final.
______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony was spared having to deal with any of the Preps in his classes for finals, as the Greaser’s retaliatory attack had served to keep them away from the School this past week.  But still, as he took his seat, he couldn’t help but feel a little anxiety.  For the few others in this class, they had already faced a similar test in the Spring at the hands of the now finally-fired Mr. Hattrick.  But Tony hadn’t been around to take that test, he had walked out of Math Class with a month still left to go, taking an upset Gloria with him.

He glanced around at the other Students, most of whom didn’t seem in the least way worried.  His eyes came to rest on Gloria, up near the front and a couple of rows over.  From what he could see, she didn’t appear the least bit anxious either, but then again she wouldn’t be....Gloria was the biggest Math whiz in the whole School.  As if she felt his eyes on her, Gloria looked around at Tony, and gave him a reassuring smile.

Tony felt his jitters melt away then, and a measure of relief came over him.  He had heard Gloria was still bearing a grudge over Tony failing to deliver on his promise to see that she wouldn’t fail Math Class after he had taken her out and away from the lecherous Mr. Hattrick on that warm May day.  With all that had been happening, he had just not gotten around to seeing about that before the bombs started going off later that month.  But it appeared that Gloria was no longer holding that against him.

 Mr. Newton arose from his desk and began handing out the tests, saying, “All right Students, this is it....Put your knowledge to work !”  Tony actually liked Mr. Newton, he was an easygoing Teacher in just about the same way that Mr. Galloway had been.  Tony tried to relax more and focused on the test before him.  Much of it contained Algebra problems, as this was Math III, and was Tony’s least favorite subject.  Still, he tried to concentrate on what Karen had tutored him in, and he slowly began to progress through the test.

As the time went by, some of the other kids finished, handed in their tests, and were allowed to leave.  Gloria was the first to finish, no surprise there, but sat and waited to hand in her test.  With just a minute to go in the period, Tony finished the last problem on the test, and rose to hand it in.  Gloria got up then too, and they put the tests on Mr. Newton’s desk.  “Good Show !!”, he exclaimed, “I’ll see you in Math IV next term !”

The bell rang just then, and Tony and Gloria left the room together.  Out in the hall, Tony said, “Um...Thanks for sticking around....I didn’t want to be the last one.  I, uh...Thought you might still be, um...Mad at me about...You know....”

“Oh, I was”, Gloria said airily, “But it wouldn’t have mattered if I’d stayed in Mr. Hattrick’s Class for another month, since the State pulled everyone’s credits anyway....I still woulda had to take it over.”

“Well...Yeah...Guess that’s so....Hadn’t thought about that.  I’m just glad all this make-up stuff is over, long as I passed, that is”, Tony said as they walked toward the main doors.  “So, how do you think you done ?”

“Oh, I got a 99“, Gloria said without hesitation.

“A 99 ?”, Tony asked, “How do you know that ?”

Gloria laughed.  “It was one of Hattrick’s old tests....He always put one unsolvable problem in there, so nobody would ever get 100.”  They were outside, going down the front steps by then.  “I’m off to see Damon”, she said.  “The Jocks are all coming to the fight tonight, to see you beat Tad....Those Preps need to be put in their place.  Bye now !”

She hurried off and Tony watched her go.  It heartened him that the Jocks, along with the Greasers, were going to be at the fight.  He would need all the support he could get.
____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Pinky watched out her upstairs window as Nick and Melody left the Boar Inn and headed up the Vail Boulevard.  Pinky knew all about the fight tonight, and knew where Nick and Melody were going, to the Glass Jaw, since it was going on half-past 7 O’clock.  As she had sat bored at the back of classes all week that she had already taken, she could hear all the stories being bandied about, and the anticipation of seeing the big showdown between Tad and Tony. 

Not that anyone really talked to her much these days, more and more she was being treated as a social outcast....Even though she had nothing to do with the Preps latest actions, the stigma rubbed off on her.  With the Preps loss of status and respect, they had fallen from the elite to the ordinary, their popularity sinking to lower than that of the Nerds and Bullies.  Worse, there was outright condemnation and disgust by the Students over their sneak attack on the Greasers, and any sympathy over the attack on Bif inside the School had completely disappeared...Not that there had been a whole lot of warm feelings for Bif in the first place, seeing as how he had tricked her friend Christy into sex in exchange for information about the Rockers. 

Pinky hadn’t seen or heard from Bryce all week, not since before the incidents of the attack and counter-attack.  He hadn’t called the Boar Inn’s desk, seeking to talk to her, nor had he come around.  In fact, she had seen little of him after his decision to go back with Tad and the Preps. They all had probably been hanging around the Spencer Mansion all week, with no regard whatsoever about her.  Even though she had been through much since last Winter, she still considered herself a Princess who didn’t like being ignored, or worse, rejected. 

Since her breakup with Derby (who wound up breaking her jaw the last time she ever saw him), there had been the inexplicable abandonment and disappearance of Kurt, her failure to lure Tony away from that insipid Karen, Tad throwing her over for that younger (and richer) slut Vanessa, and now this....Being roundly ignored by Bryce, who had declared not so long ago that he had wanted to be with her for a long time.  Enough was enough, she decided.  She knew just where Bryce was going to be this evening.  She made ready to go to the Glass Jaw and confront him, and the Devil be Dammed.
_____________________________________