Bully: Attempt to Rise
Chapter I: Arrival
Assignment 1: Summer's Over
At seventeen years old, he stood at six foot five and two hundred and fifty pounds. He was viewed as his school's '(not so) gentle giant'. Those less kind had deemed him 'Sasquatch', and even among friends the nickname stuck. Most stories start out like this; 'but (insert name here) had a secret. He was no ordinary boy. He had powers.' However, sadly, Seamus a.k.a. Sasquatch was an ordinary red headed boy with glasses and acne. He had no powers. He could not fly, nor could he shoot flames from his fingertips, nor was he a vegetarian vampire. He was simply an unpopular boy with a slight Irish accent from a small town in Michigan. He did normal things with his ordinary friends and was average in school. He was in a band, but his guitar playing was mediocre, as was his best friend's bass playing. The only thing I can really say for him: he was a damn good fighter.
At sixteen going on seventeen, Sasquatch's best friend Noah, A.K.A. Loki was, how you say...short and fat. He had long brown hair down to his chin, and occasionally a bad case of lazy eye. He was five foot four and two hundred-ten pounds. Sadly, he was not a vegetarian vampire either. In fact, he was proud to say that the taste of blood disgusted him. He was...well, he wasn't a bad fighter either...I guess.
Well, I am he. And Sasquatch is my best friend.
I wish we could say we were victims of what happened that fateful day, and that we didn't have what we got coming to us. But then, I'd be a liar. And liars suck. We deserved everything that led us to that messed up town, as well as the worst, most despicable boarding/reform school in the country: Bullworth Academy. We deserved everything that led us there, and nothing that happened to us once we got there. But if there's one thing we've learned, it's that life isn't fair.
It all started on the first day of the 2014-15 school year. Our junior year.
Sasquatch stepped out of his antique 1976 Chevy Nova SS, keeping his wits about him. I climbed out of the passenger seat, sticking close by his side.
"I'm surprised that thing still runs." I said.
"Things last when you actually bother to take care of them," he replied. I was about to retort when I saw a blond guy in a red Aquaberry sweatshirt
"Shit, there's a prep," I whispered. We ducked behind Sasquatch's car until he went by. We waited for a few seconds before slowly inching out.
We looked around for any sign of anybody else wearing Aquaberry. When we saw no one, we darted from the parking lot toward the entrance of the high school. Sasquatch opened the door and went in first.
"The hallway's empty except for a few girls. Let's go," he said.
We bolted in and ran toward the staircase that would lead us to our first period Algebra class. However, a short blond boy in bleached out jeans and a white dress-shirt stepped out from the shadows and looked down at us from the top of the stairs menacingly. He was blocking our path
We turned back the way we had come, and saw two brown haired guys in Aquaberry shirts blocking the only escape route. Typical day at Cancer Regional High School.
We readied ourselves for a fight, standing back to back, Seamus facing the two near the entrance, me facing blondie, fists raised. Ironically, the school's mission statement was posted on the wall between us. I noted the familiar poster and I chuckled.
Cancer Regional High School exists to offer a place where every child can feel safe and welcome, and be able to thrive in a stable, respectful working environment designed to better each of them and help them prepare as they journey forward into adulthood.
What a load of horse shit.
My thoughts quickly returned back to the matter at hand as another boy joined the one at the top of the stairs. My blood ran cold. Christopher Augustine. It HAD to be Christopher Augustine. On the first day back?
"Hello gentlemen," he greeted.
Christopher Augustine (he refused under any circumstances to be called Chris) was a tall athletic eighteen year old with short, neatly slicked back platinum blond hair, piercing light blue eyes, and an elegant almond shaped face. He was the American dream child in one package. Tall, strong, athletic, popular, and richer than half the rest of the school put together. His father was old money, and had inherited the position of CEO of some national investment firm in Liberty City from his father, and his father before him.
He and his mother lived more or less alone in a gigantic mansion on the outskirts of Cancer Township. He had gotten in some trouble a few years back and had the choice of leaving Liberty City for Cancer, Michigan, or Bullworth, New Hampshire. He wanted to go to Bullworth. So instead, his father sent him to Cancer to punish him for dishonoring the family name, and here we are today.
The rich bastard was nothing but a pretentious bully with a fake British accent. Everybody knew it, and nobody outside his own rich circle of friends could stomach him, but as they say, money talks. That, and Christoper was known to hire thugs to beat on anybody who gave him any trouble. Not that he would've needed to with his muscles threatening to bulge from the fancy tuxedo he wore almost every day.
Therefore, to anybody on the outside looking in, Christopher appeared to be almost universally liked, with the exception of three working class punks who hated him for his money. Guess who they were?
"Hey dickweed," Sasquatch greeted harshly, sensing the danger and switching positions with me rather quickly.
In case you didn't know who the working class punks were? That'd be us, and our other best friend, Tristan Bialeck. I wished Tristan were here to help even the odds right about now, but he was still on the bus, which by my watch wouldn't arrive for another ten minutes. My right hand inched toward the back pocket of my skinny jeans nervously.
"Well that's dreadfully rude," The pompous asshole said, pretending to be offended.
"That's kinda the point. Dickweed."
Christopher quickly dropped the pleasantries. His smile faded. The school was deathly silent.
"You really were dimwitted enough to think I didn't see you, weren't you? You think I didn't realize that it was you and Noah that vandalized my property last weekend? Now you assume that you can just walk into MY school, and have a pleasant first day back without any retribution? I don't think so."
If I could pick only one thing I didn't miss about Christopher Augustine, it was the way the pretentious fuck talked. Every syllable made me want to stab him in the throat. I knew I wouldn't have a chance against him though, so I held my tongue.
Sasquatch didn't. He never did
"Oh. I knew you saw me. I just didn't give a shit."
I cringed inwardly. Sasquatch just didn't understand that there was a time and a place to talk shit, and this was NOT it. Not when we were outnumbered two to one, and not while we were still on behavioral probation from the school year before.
"I don't know whether to commend your bravery or chastise your idiocy," Christopher said, shaking his head.
"You shouldn't talk. It gives me a fucking headache" Sasquatch said with a groan.
"I apologize. I forget that you aren't used to multisyllabic words." The pretentious asshole retorted.
"I understand what you said you arrogant prick. I just can't stand that nasally fucking voice. You sound like a congested bitch choking on semen. Kinda like your mother."
File that under things never to say, ever. Christopher's face contorted with rage.
"Do not talk about my mother, you alcoholic bar brawling son of a whore."
File that under things never to say, ever, as well. That was it. The two of them leapt at each other, pounding every inch of the other they could reach. They both tumbled down the stairway, slamming into me, causing me to slam into the two brown haired boys behind me, turning us all into human bowling balls. The short prep at the top of the stairs just looked on, somewhat stunned.
I quickly oriented myself and got to my feet. The two thugs I had landed on a second earlier were almost on me, ready to attack, when I pulled a switchblade from the back of my jeans and flicked it open, ready to cut those rich fucks to ribbons. They backed off. They always did. Nobody was dumb enough to try to fight me when I had my blade. I may not be the best fist fighter, but with my switch, I can take on guys twice my size.
The blond prep at the top of the stairs snapped out of it and ran the other way, although none of us were really paying attention to him. He was clearly a new recruit into their little club and wasn't nearly loyal enough to risk tangling with a pissed off Irishman, or a scrappy emo kid with a switchblade.
Sasquatch ducked a fierce right hook from Christopher, and hit him with an uppercut that sent him reeling backward onto the stairway. He wasted no time in giving chase, going stomp happy on the guy.
Christopher was no weakling though, He grabbed Sasquatch's incoming boot with both hands, pushing backward, knocking my friend off balance. He was on his feet in an instant, tackling him and decking him repeatedly in the face. One particular punch shattered Sasquatch's glasses, though the fists were flying so fast on both ends, I could barely keep track of the action.
Sasquatch managed to get the prep in a scissor hold, choking the life out of him with his tree trunk legs, while the prep continued to throw punches for all they were worth.
"BOYS!" a deep, booming male voice yelled. Everything stopped. It was Mr. Hattick, the school principal. His shocked expression made me want to laugh. Just like old times.
Christopher and Saquatch grudgingly stopped and got off each other, getting to their feet and straightening themselves up. We all followed him to the office. We knew the drill. All five of us had been in confrontations with each other a million times before. This time though, had been especially violent. It was also the first time I'd ever been caught with my switch out. That was bad news. He immediately confiscated it, and called the police.
Hattrick informed me that I was expelled as the police officers handcuffed me and put me in the back of their car. I put on the waterworks on the way to the jail. I wish I had been female at that moment, as I'm sure I would have been instantly let go, and taken out for ice cream. I'm a pretty damn good actor. As it was, the officers were trying to comfort me, telling me that I would not be held overnight, that I was being charged only with a single misdemeanor weapons charge, and that they would call my parents to pick me up as soon as they got my information in the system.
They took me downtown, took my mugshot, fingerprinted me, and asked me if it was the first time I had ever been incarcerated. I told them it was, which was the truth. I was put in a holding cell just long enough for my parents to get there, and was then released into their custody.
I put on a suit for the court date, and just like when I was arrested, cried my eyes out and tried to appear much younger than sixteen going on seventeen. It helped that I had a good record. I had never before been in any kind of trouble with authorities outside of school detentions and suspensions. I had good grades, mostly Bs, and couple Cs, and I was involved in volunteer work at the local soup kitchen.
I laid it on thick. It was kind of embarrassing, but hey, I did what I had to do. The judge, a middle aged female who I learned had a son a year younger than me, ate it up. There's a reason my nickname is Loki.
"Your honor, I'm aware that what I did was wrong. I felt very threatened and afraid to attend school because of the bullies. I was so scared. I did what I did on impulse, but you can rest assured that I will never do such a thing again. I have learned my lesson, and wish to do anything it takes to clear my record and become a productive, law abiding citizen."
She beamed at me like she might have an orgasm.
"Mr. Fox, normally, you would be sentenced to some time in juvenile detention center. Or at least put on probation. Brandishing a dangerous, illegal weapon is a serious crime. However, I believe you to be sincere, and your records certainly indicate you to be a good student. Are you aware of a boarding school by the name of Bullworth Academy?"
I nodded. "Yes your honor. I've heard it's a wonderful institution."
Actually, I had heard Bullworth Academy was a school full of maniacs that made Cancer regional look like a school for the gifted and pure of heart. But I figured what I had said sounded better.
She nodded. "Bullworth is a wonderful place that turns young men and women into respectable members of the community and helps them excel in a safe, effective learning environment."
I tried not to laugh my ass off. I knew all about Bullworth. It was absolutely a school for nutjobs. Nine years ago, there had been a riot that had injured almost the entire student body, damaged much of the building, and ended up with one student sentenced to serve time in an insane asylum.
I nodded. She cleared her throat. "If you agree to attend Bullworth Academy for one full year, I'll waive the charges. You'll begin immediately, and you'll stay until the end of next summer. After which, you will be free to attend school wherever your heart desires for your senior year. Or I can put you on house arrest for a year if you prefer, and you can take classes online."
I mentally pumped my fist. I didn't have to be under house arrest or go to juvie? Just attend a different school, out of state, where nobody hated my guts and I wouldn't have to deal with my parents' bullshit? The choice was pretty clear.
"Thank you for this opportunity your honor, I would very much like to attend Bullworth."
She smiled. "I hereby sentence you to one year at Bullworth Academy. Case dismissed."
She banged the gavel, and sealed my fate.
Chapter I: Arrival
Assignment II: Brothers
Loki's POV
As I stepped off the shuttle bus that had brought me all the way from Cancer to Bullworth, New Hampshire, I stared up at the menacing looking gates to Bullworth Academy and sighed. It was going to suck to leave behind my two best friends for an entire year, and having to start over in a different state wasn't nearly as thrilling as I had thought it would be.
I had informed Tristan of my predicament, but I had been forbidden by my parents to have any contact with Sasquatch. They would take away my phone whenever I wasn't in their sight, and I could make calls, but had to show then the number before pressing dial, and was forbidden to text. My laptop had been taken away and locked up, so I had absolutely no way of talking to him. The only thing they allowed me to do was to tell Tristan to pass on to Sasquatch that I was not in any serious trouble and would be leaving the state to attend Bullworth for the next year.
I wheeled my two suitcases up to the gate, which had just been opened by an older woman who, judging by the way she was dressed I guessed was a secretary.
"You must be Mr. Fox. We've been expecting you. This is Bullworth Academy, the finest reform and boarding school in the country. We're happy to have you here. I'm Miss Danvers, and if there's anything that you don't like about it here and want us to fix, take it to someone who cares."
"Tch. Awesome." I griped.
She looked at me sternly. "Yes, well, the headmaster is waiting for you in his study. I'll escort you there."
As we walked through the giant wrought iron gates, I got my first look at the campus at Bullworth. It was enormous, and absolutely DWARFED Cancer Regional. Then again, I reasoned, Cancer only had a population a little over 16,000, whereas Bullworth was sitting at over 130,000 easily. I quickly learned that despite the school's massive size, there were a relatively small number of students.
A large, very muscular strawberry blond boy was leaning against the side of the building. I waved to him, and he looked at me like I was a puppy that had peed on the carpet. Awesome. I could already tell I was going to be very popular here. I ignored the menacing look and followed Ms. Danvers through the front doors of the building. The school interior looked like cross between a high school and an old fashioned English mansion. I had to admit, it was pretty cool.
The school's crest lie in the middle of the first floor. It was interesting to say the least. A bull's head with a nose ring, was on top, and what looked like golden leaves came down around the sides. The crest itself was composed of a fist, a snake, a large rat, and a cracked skull. It read 'Bullworth Academy. Canis Canem Edit'.
"How quaint. What does it mean?" I asked her.
She stopped, looked me straight in the eye, and said "It's Latin. It means 'Dog eat Dog."
I couldn't tell if she was serious or not, but if I were to make an assessment based on what I already knew of the place, I would say she probably was.
As we walked through the main building we saw several kids in leather or denim jackets staring menacingly at some rich looking punks in Aquaberry. Several kids in Letterman jackets threw a football back and forth gently, while boys and girls in nerdy looking sweater-vests with slacks and skirts studied together. Boys in white polo shirts glared at a group of kids dressed in dark clothes who were reading from a poetry book on the other side of the main hall. A very tense silence hung in the air.
We strolled into the office, and she pointed to the headmaster's office. "Go," was all she said.
"Bitch" I muttered under my breath, before walking into the office.
Upon entering the principal's office, one thing was certain. This guy was no stuffy, boring principal like Hattrick. He kept a neat work area, and papers were neatly filed on his desk, yet band posters of bands such as The Used, and My Chemical Romance were pinned to the wall, and an acoustic guitar was propped against the wall. I could tell he liked music from the 2000-2009 era, just like Sasquatch and myself. The newer era of bands just didn't have the same soul as the one before. There was a picture on his desk of his young self. On his right was a mischievous looking boy in a dirty teal uniform with a scar on his eyebrow, and on his left stood a bald boy with freckles, in a brown jacket and jeans. The boy on the right had his arm around the young Principal's waist, and the one on the left had him in one of those 'manly' one-armed hugs.
Another thing I noticed immediately was that he was extremely young. He couldn't have been more than seven or eight years older than me. He had chocolate brown hair in a short fade cut and dark tan skin, and would've looked like a kid if it hadn't been for the professional looking glasses in front of his friendly, if somewhat distracted brown eyes. I sat down in the overstuffed arm chair front of his desk and he looked up from the picture he'd been staring so intently at.
"Ah, hey man. You must be Noah Fox, from Michigan, right?"
I nodded. "Yes sir."
He laughed lightly "Please, call me Pete; I'm a little too young to start going by sir."
I relaxed ever so slightly, and slouched a little bit. "Ok."
"So, did Miss Danvers show you around at all?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"Well, I guess she doesn't really have much time either, what with the planning for tonight. Our previous headmaster just died, and we're having a memorial for him in the auditorium at seven. You passed the boys dorm though, right?"
I nodded again. "Yeah, I saw it."
"Good. I don't have enough time to really get your properly acquainted with the school, although I would if I could. But here."
He handed me a small brass key with a number 5 engraved into it. "Your roommate is already there. He's actually a transfer student too, pretty recent. Just got here yesterday night. You should get to know him a little. You need friends to do well here."
I nodded again, surprised he was so friendly. I expected the headmaster of a reform school to be a mean old bastard in his sixties who spat when he talked and would treat me like a naughty little kid in need of supervision. "Thanks." I said.
He smiled. "No problem. I know you got in a bit of trouble at your old school, but here at Bullworth Academy we give every single student a clean slate when they start, no matter what their past is. I have a lot of work to do, but if you need anything, just come on back and I'll help you as well as I can."
I smiled back. I liked this guy already. "Ok." I waved goodbye, and walked out the door, and out of the main building toward my dorm room. I got to the boys dorm without any trouble, and saw room five was the first door to my right upon walking in. A bunch of pretty average kids were hanging out at a pool table in the common room, though I did see some kids who were a little different too. A tall, really thin kid with dyed neon orange hair and black snakebite piercings nodded at me. I nodded back, inserted the key into the lock on my room, and opened it.
"Hey man, don't you know how to fuckin kno-" he trailed off. I stared at him, and he stared back. Then we ran to each other and high fived.
"NO….FUCKING…WAY," I gasped. Standing in front of me, a whole six foot five, two hundred and fifty pounds, was Seamus Flynn. Sasquatch, my best friend in the world, was my roommate at Bullworth Academy.
"WAY dude, WAY. Tristan told me, and I told my parents that I found this place online. I got expelled too, so I needed someplace to go to school. My dad had heard about it, and thought it might quote straighten me out" He picked me up in a bear hug and I laughed my ass off. Apparently, God wanted us to be together no matter what.
I was beyond euphoric. Nothing had to change. My best friend was gonna be here with me, we weren't gonna have to deal with our stupid parents anymore for a whole year. Life was sweet.
"Man, this is just the ultimate win," I said, lying on the bottom bunk, "you just can't make shit like this up."
He nodded. "I knew we'd get to be in school together, ya know, but I had no clue we'd be roommates! This is epic! Oh!" he said, fishing through his stuff until he found what he was looking for. "I know you had a shitty week bro, so I swiped you these from my dad."
He threw it to me and I caught it. It was a pack of Camel Filters, my favorite cigarettes. He also handed me a bic lighter.
We stepped outside, and went behind the boy's dorm. I shook a cigarette out of the pack, put it in my mouth and lit it. Yeah. Things were definitely starting to look up. As I smoked, he told me everything that had happened for the past week. Christopher and his cronies had bribed Hattrick to stay out of trouble, and were still going on at Cancer Regional like nothing had happened. Tristan was so pissed off about the whole thing; he picked the prep's locker, and put a stink bomb in it.
"It ruined his fuckin tux man, nobody ever has to look at that thing again," he said with a laugh. I laughed too. I finished my cigarette and threw the butt on the ground.
"We got about an hour to kill before we have to be at that memorial thing, you wanna go into town and check it out? I drove here, so I got the Nova too!" Sasquatch exclaimed.
I nodded. That was just the icing on the cake. We had our own car, and our own place, and we weren't even out of high school yet. There was so much opportunity. We could turn our room into a bachelor pad, play xbox until all odd hours of the night. This was living. I smiled, and we fist bumped. Nobody was gonna tear us apart. We were brothers till the end, and I knew that we could take on anything as long as we had each other to help us through.
The thing is, I had no idea of the kind of hardships we were going to have to take on before the year was through. I was going to learn soon enough though, that there's a reason Bullworth Academy is called hell on earth.
Chapter I: Arrival
Assignment III: Razors, Leather, Footballs, Aquaberry
Sasquatch and I hopped into his Nova, and tore out of Bullworth Academy, taking to the streets, headed nowhere in particular. We arrived in Bullworth town, and went to a thrift store called Worn In. He had saved up his last two paychecks from McDonalds back in Cancer, and my parents had given me two hundred bucks for things I might need through the year.
I found a pair of black skinny jeans and a retro purple and black checkered button down from the eighties. Sasquatch found a green army jacket and a pair of baggy black cargos, as well as a pair of real army boots. We dressed in our new clothes and threw our old ones in the trunk of the car. From there, we headed out to a burger joint and grabbed dinner. We ate in the restaurant, as nobody, and I mean NOBODY ate messy food in his car.
After that it was about 6:45, and we had to head back to the academy for the memorial service.
Sasquatch and I walked into the crowded auditorium, looking at all the different groups of kids. There were several cliques, and looked to be between eight and thirteen in each, though I couldn't tell for sure. There were kids who were obviously bullies; there were nerds, preps, and some guys that looked like they belonged in the 1950's, some kids in emo type clothes, some jocks, and the majority of the school, who didn't seem too important of affluent, and didn't look like they fit in anywhere.
Though the cliques chatted animatedly amongst themselves, the atmosphere was thick with tension. I could tell that some of these kids absolutely despised each other. It felt like a powder keg ready to blow. Several of the emo kids glared at the kids in white polos. They would occasionally flip each other off, or make threatening gestures. Same with the preps and greasers, and well as the jocks and nerds, though to be honest, the nerds just looked like they were going to shit themselves.
There were only two empty student seats in the auditorium, one near the fifties rejects, one near the emos.
Sasquatch frowned. "I guess we're not sitting together." I shook my head.
"Which one you want?" I asked.
"...I'll take the one by the greaser kids." He said wearily.
I nodded, and we went our separate ways. I walked over to the emos and sat next to them, not saying a word. I sat on the end, next to a kid with shoulder length jet black hair and horn rimmed glasses. He didn't really pay any attention to me. I saw the orange haired kid from the dorm room another two seats in, and he gave a slight wave. The boy next to him, a tall skinny boy with spiky blue hair and a nose ring gave me a similar look to the ripped bully I had met upon my arrival.
"Why exactly are you sitting over here?" he asked pointedly. I shrugged.
"Not like there are very many other seats Marcus," the black haired guy said. Mr. Nose ring blew him off.
"Don't let him bother you. He's just moody. I'm Jacob," he said. He stuck out his hand cautiously. I grabbed it and shook.
"Noah," I replied.
"You're one of those new transfer kids from Michigan right?" he asked
I nodded. "Didn't realize we were celebrities."
He shrugged. "Bullworth doesn't get many transfers from out of state. It's usually kids from the area, or Liberty City or San Andreas kids that come here to avoid Juvie."
"Well, I'm here to avoid a year of house arrest, so pretty much the same deal."
"What didja do?" he asked
I smirked. "Pulled a switch on some trust fund babies."
He whistled. "What about the other guy?"
I laughed. "Sasquatch? He was choking one of em out when we got caught. Speaking of Sasquatch, those kids he's sitting with, don't they know it's 2014? What's with the leather jackets?"
"Greasers" Jacob answered "Think America was damn near perfect in the 1950s, so they're stuck there. Don't realize it's been about fifty years since that was even remotely cool. But whatever, at least they're not complete conformists like all the other Justin Bieber wannabes at this school."
I nodded, and then I turned, and saw Sasquatch arguing with a guy who appeared to be the greasers' head honcho. Their words were faint, but angry.
"I can sit wherever I want asshole," Sasquatch growled, gritting his teeth.
"Says who?" The angry Italian boy said.
"Me, you dick." Sasquatch replied.
"Watch it kid. I'm the king around here. I'll kick your ass to the curb."
"Whatever pretty boy. You'll get yours if you think you're gonna mouth off to me"
Fuck you"
"No thanks."
The two boys growled.
"Hey back off ginger" the guy next to the head greaser said defensively, "nobody fucks with Donny Ferrari."
"Except you, right?" Sasquatch retorted.
The boy blushed and sank into his seat, red faced. "'M not a fag" he muttered.
Donny's nostrils flared like a bull's. "Alvin is a friend. Period."
"Whatever punk. Just back off and leave me the hell alone."
Both of them were fuming through the entire service, glaring at each other and mouthing obscenities.
The memorial service lasted about forty-five minutes, and before long, the auditorium was empty save for Sasquatch and myself. We trekked back to the dorm in silence. He was angry, I could tell.
"I swear...I was one step away from pounding that kid's face in." he fumed.
"I know. He would've deserved it. But the last thing you want is to be expelled before you even start your first day. You just need to chill out."
"Dude, I need a beer." Sasquatch said.
"Me too" I agreed, before changing the subject. The last thing Bullworth needed was a drunken Sasquatch walking around campus. He would beat down half the school.
"Let's get some sleep. I'm tired," I said.
He nodded. "Sure. Not like there's anything better to do right now."
We trekked back to the dorm room, and sat down on the bottom bunk. It was then that I noticed that despite the room being fairly empty of personal effects, there were a few things remaining from previous residents. There was a large faded graffiti star sprayed onto the wooden floor, and on the wall, "Jimmy Wuz Here 9/1/05-6/5/09" in purple spray paint. The bookshelves were empty. There were nails in the wall where posters or pictures had been hung, but the effects themselves were no longer there.
"How is this supposed to be one of the most prestigious schools in the country? It's like half the idiots that say it have never seen this place." Sasquatch said with a derisive snort.
"Hey, I think it's kinda cool. We should do something with it though, make it our own," I said, smiling and pulling out a switchblade I had hidden in my suitcase in a hollowed out book. I had also hidden an extra pack of Camels, and my silver zippo. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it, repeatedly speckling the desk with burns until it spelled out "LOKI" and taking hits every so often so as not to waste a good cig. Sasquatch then took my switch and carved his nickname next to mine. I pulled down the blinds so nobody would be able to see in, locked our bedroom door, and sat down.
"We should find a way to make some money so we can buy a TV, couch, and X-BOX." He said. I chuckled.
"Great minds think alike. I said the same thing to myself earlier. We should put a stripper pole up in this shit too," I said.
Sasquatch gave me an odd look.
"Too much?" I asked.
"I don't really want to watch you strip bro," he said.
"I MEANT FOR CHICKS…and maybe one or two really hot guys when you aren't around."
He threw my cigarette pack at me and hit me in the face, which immediately put us in a wrestling match. He won of course. Seeing as he had a foot and close to sixty pounds on me, it was no surprise.
I laughed. It was good to have him here. I crawled into bed and lie down. It was early, but considering that we had no TV, no books, and as of yet, no homework, there was really nothing to do. I opened the window and lit up another cigarette.
He glared at me, slightly irritated. "Two things, one I really don't want our room to smell like smoke all year, and two, the more you smoke the quicker you'll run out. You aren't exactly loaded, and I'm not supporting your habit when I can't just jack them from my old man."
I shrugged and took a hit. "I won't do it anymore after this. I'm just bored."
He shrugged as well, before climbing up to the top bunk.
I don't really remember much else before I fell asleep out of boredom.
When I woke up in the morning, I was immediately hit with a wave of hunger. I got out of the bunk and walked toward the guys bathroom. One thing I discovered immediately that I hated about Bullworth was the showers. They weren't a hundred percent communal, but they only had a thin curtain covering them from the outside, and the walls only went up about five feet, which left my head and neck exposed. I started to clean up and get ready when I heard the bathroom door open, and heard a group of several boys walk in.
It wasn't difficult to tell that they were Jocks. One of them spoke in a thick german accent about football season and when it would start.
"No way man, the season never starts till a month in" one of them said.
A big African American guy, who appeared to be the leader of their rag tag group of three spoke next. "Listen Dave, if Bernt says practice is tomorrow, it's tomorrow. His dad's the damn coach, I think he'd know."
Dave dismissed the statement with a wave. I quickly finished showering, and wrapped a towel around me before stepping out. Apparently they hadn't noticed me before. Now, they had. There was that familiar look. I didn't get it. I was not a damn dog, nor did I piss anywhere but in the toilet. I was intent on ignoring them, and just going back to the dorm room. They had other plans.
The one called Dave spoke. "Hey kid, what's your name?" The question was innocent enough, but his tone was condescending and rude, so I ignored the question. He didn't like that. He grabbed me by the shoulder and shoved me. My towel slipped off, exposing my body. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily small in any of the respects, but I'm not huge either. I'm just a pretty average guy. Apparently they thought they were hot rods, because they busted out laughing.
"I asked yer name…runt" he said with a chuckle.
I kept my cool. "Noah. Happy?"
He laughed "I'm real happy I'm not a little runt like you. Shouldn't you be in the middle school showers?"
I glared at him. "You shouldn't talk moron. I hear steroids stunt your growth down there, so I can guarantee I'm bigger than you."
Dave didn't like that. His friends let out a collective "OOOOHHH" and acted like they were cross between wanting to give me props and beat my ass. Dave glared at me. Being 6'1, and built like I tank, I knew I didn't stand a chance. I quickly put on my boxers and jeans. I at least didn't want to have to fight naked. He started toward me, and that was when a miracle happened via intercom.
"DAVE SIPES TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, I REPEAT, DAVE SIPES TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, YOUR MOTHER HAS BROUGHT YOU CLEAN UNDERWEAR."
I laughed. Could they really say that shit over intercom?
"You're dead pipsqueak" he growled, and left. His friends followed after him, razzing him the whole time.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I really hadn't wanted to get in a fight my first day here. In fact, I was kind of hoping to turn over a new leaf here, but I just couldn't be friendly to arrogant thugs that liked to mouth off. In a way, I kind of did want a safe, effective learning environment. I wanted to maybe go to college eventually, I had the grades. Nothing stuck with me though when I was too focused on fighting.
I shrugged inwardly and got fully dressed, went back to the room and met up with Sasquatch. I didn't bother him about the incident with the jocks, just told him I had went to take a shower. We left, and went to breakfast.
Sasquatch and I walked into the cafeteria for breakfast about fifteen minutes early, and sat at the nearest table, wolfing down a plate of waffles, ham, and eggs. The previous cook had been fired the year before. I was thankful. I had heard horror stories about the food. Stories about green eggs and ham that were not green from any kind of food coloring. Of course, when it came to lunch, all the new cook would serve was Italian, but I supposed it was a far better alternative
"So what's your first class?" I asked him, shoveling egg into my mouth.
"Math. You?"
"I got Chemistry." I replied.
"Damn" he said, but it sounded more like "Bam" because of the amount of egg in his mouth.
I snorted. "You eat like a pig dude."
"And you look like one tubby" he replied, after swallowing his egg.
"Fuck you," I said. I grinned and flipped him off.
"There you go again, for the last time, the idea of having my butt pounded does not appeal to me," He said, snickering.
I opened my mouth to retort, but thought better of it. I knew he would just have a smart-ass remark no matter what I said. Instead, I continued to shovel egg and ham into my mouth.
Then, without any warning whatsoever I was yanked out of my seat and onto the floor. A split second later Sasquatch landed beside me.
I looked up to see a very handsome blond boy in Aquaberry smiling darkly over me.
"You must be new. Nobody else would be foolish enough to steal our table"
A group of kids in Aquaberry stood beside him.
"We aren't looking for any trouble" I said cautiously.
The leader knelt down beside me, looking first sympathetic, and then mischievous. "Then next time you ought to find a better place to sit."
Then I shouted in pain as the heel of his dress shoe came crashing into my ribs.
Chapter I: Arrival
Assignment IV: The Caste
System
The pain was blinding. White spots filled my vision. It felt as though my ribs were splintered, no, shattered. They weren't, luckily. I screamed in pain anyway. Don't judge me. It freakin hurt. He followed by a kick to the face. Ouchie.
"Just count yourself lucky that all you got was two kicks. I heard what you ingrates did to my cousin Christopher. I'm August Masters by the way. I'm guessing since you're short and fat, you would be Noah."
"That's me!" I shouted deliriously. Fantastic. Two kicks from the guy had had knocked me loopy. The prep laughed coldly. I heard a growl.
"You won't fucking get away with that you little bitch," Sasquatch breathed. He attacked, throwing several punches that the kid blocked fairly effortlessly. I stared up at them from the floor and let out a hollow laugh followed by a groan. Clearly I was hallucinating. Nobody could block Sasquatch that easily. So the only explanation was that I was in dreamland.
"Night night" I said, still seeing stars and stripes.
Sasquatch began attacking even harder, and August dodged quickly, sliding gracefully behind him with a dancer's step, and hitting him in the back of the neck with a chop that send him to his knees. He kicked out behind him clumsily, and August once again stepped lightly away, throwing a kick and nailing him in the side of the head. He crashed to the floor.
It was embarrassing. A massacre. But seeing as it was also a dream, I wasn't too concerned. But then, slowly, I began to get my wits back, and I mean slowly. It dawned on me that I was fully awake; it seemed unrealistic to be able to feel this level of physical pain in a dream. Once I realized that, I was truly afraid.
Sasquatch rose shakily to his feet and threw an awkward punch, which the prep grabbed, and twisted behind his back.
"Take your pathetic friend and leave Seamus. Our fight is done for now. If you try to continue, I will send you straight to the emergency room," he said, and he shoved him hard into the table. He caught himself, and managed to stay on his feet this time. He started back toward him.
Just as Sasquatch was about to throw another punch, students begin to enter the cafeteria.
"This isn't over scumbag. You just made a dangerous enemy," my friend warned.
"Slightly formidable, but nothing I can't deal with. As for your friend, maybe I could set him in a match with my girlfriend Carol." A tall, slim redheaded girl in a skintight red Aquaberry shirt gave a girly little wave. It was only then that I even realized that August's clique was in the room with him. That was how out of it I had been.
August smirked. "He might have a slim chance, that is, if he can avoid her right hook".
I gritted my teeth, still unable to move to get off the floor. Sasquatch helped me to my feet, and we began walking out, me leaning on him for support.
I began to shake the hazy feeling from my mind and focus. We had just gotten our asses absolutely handed to us in a matter of approximately three minutes. By one kid, who looked stunningly like our former tormentor. Swell.
"And next time gentlemen, if you'd be so kind as to not sit at our table, we'd greatly appreciate it." August shouted.
Awesome. The asshole even talked like his cousin. My reply was to flip him the bird.
On our way out of the cafeteria, an underweight nerdy looking Asian boy with long black hair, glasses, and a white dress shirt grabbed me. I raised my fists, ready to knock his teeth out.
"Easy friend, I'm not here to fight."
I lowered my fists cautiously. Sasquatch eyed him suspiciously.
"I just saw you trying to fight August Masters. Are you suicidal?" he asked.
"What exactly were we supposed to do? Let him just beat on us? Asshole attacked us for no reason" Sasquatch fumed.
"Well you definitely offended him by sitting at his table. That table is pretty much owned by the Preps."
"Well excuse me. This is my first freaking day here. I'm sorry I don't know how the caste system works," he said.
"That's why you need someone to show you around. I'm Keen by the way, Keen Collins."
"Well sorry Keen, but we really don't need any help. We can take care of ourselves." I said.
"As you clearly demonstrated back in the cafeteria. Listen to me, both of you. Drop the tough guy act. You just arrived at the toughest school in the entire country and I'm offering to be your friend. And in a place like this, you're gonna need friends. You gonna play nice, or would you prefer to get your ribs kicked in again, next time when there are no witnesses around."
Sasquatch and I thought for a moment, and then, almost simultaneously said "Sure, why not."
Keen smiled a warm, friendly smile. "Good, then how about I show you guys around, teach you the ins and outs of Bullworth?"
"Sounds good" I replied.
"Follow me" he said, and the three of us entered the now full cafeteria.
First off, we've got the group I lead. They call us nerds. I call us the only people around here with brains. My second in command is Pedro De La Hoya over there. Then there's Gloria Jackson, his girlfriend, there's Sheldon, the really fat guy is Carter, the skinny dude over there flicking his lighter is Darth, there's Gradin, he fancies the principal, the fat drugged out chick over there is Juliet, and the little guy is Carl. He's ten, he's the youngest in the group, but he's extremely intelligent.
Then there are the Bullies, the strawberry blond kid, Zeke Miller, rules them with an iron fist. His second in command is Alex Turner, the kid that never takes his hat off. They're nothing but a bunch of thugs, and there's only six. And one of them is a chick. I'm pretty sure you can handle them. Maybe not Zeke, but everyone else should be cake.
I nodded; taking note of the one he called Zeke, the same kid who had been the first to give me the look.
"Next up, we have the Jocks. Sid Sinclair is Ted Sinclair's younger brother, and Ted's a pro football player. Naturally, the coach picked him as quarterback without even holding tryouts, and honestly, it was probably the best choice anyway. His second in command, Victor West is the brother of Damon West. Yes, Damon west the UFC champion for two consecutive years. He's tougher than Sid, but he's too dumb to take over so he just repeats everything Sid says. That's Dave Sipes," He said, pointing to the kid I had had a run in with earlier. "He's invisible compared to the other jocks, and that pisses him off since he's a senior. There's Bernt Metzger, the son of the coach. He's from Germany. The short pale kid is Jackson Kidd, There's Daisuke Yamaguchi and his little brother Daijiro. The rest are pretty much useless. Well, they're all useless but you get my point."
I nodded. "So in other words they're all moronic 'roid monkeys."
"Precisely. Next up, the Greasers. A bunch of 1950s rejects who love to street race cars and bikes. Their leader is Donny Ferarri. He's got a really hot girlfriend, but she's a total skank. He's also Antonio and Bella's brother, so don't say anything to either of them unless you want a wrench to your face. Then there's his second in command, Alvin. He's hopelessly in love with Donny, and Ferrari's only one who can't see it."
"Hah, I knew that Alvin kid was queer! Maybe my gaydar does work after all" Sasquatch said. He pointed at me and began making beeping noises before saying "Yep, definitely working."
I responded with a jab to the stomach.
"Oh and see those two older black guys with them? Robbie Carson and Ace Cameron. They're the most dangerous drugged out lunatics in this hellhole. Stay away from them if you don't want to end up at the bottom of a river."
Sasquatch rolled his eyes. He wasn't impressed.
"Then there are the Emo kids. They just sit around smoking, reading poetry all day and calling people conformists. Jacob is their leader, and Marcus is second in command. Jacob's girlfriend Maddie is one of the most sought after girls in the school, except for Sid's girlfriend Karen, and Donny's sister Bella. Nobody wants Donny's girlfriend because it's very possible she has syphilis. And Herpes. And Gonorrhea. And...well, you get the point. Jacob, and the Italian guy Emelio are two of the hottest guys in the school." He said, before quickly adding, "According to most of the girls, that is."
Yeah. Great cover bro.
I noticed the orange haired kid whom had been fairly friendly to me. "Who's the kid with the orange hair?" I asked.
"That's Jeremy Sinclair. He's friendly enough, but…kind of an enigma. Nobody really knows that much about him, other than that he likes to fight a lot, and he hangs out with the ninth grade kid, Alijah like they're joined at the hip. Apparently he doesn't let anybody outside his group get to know him at all."
I made a mental note to try to get to know Jeremy, just to say I could.
"Last and definitely not least, the Preps. These kids are the richest, toughest assholes here, especially August Masters, and his second in command Baron Harrington. Nigel Waterford seems to have a lifelong streak of bad luck going for him. And the Asian kid Balin has delusions of grandeur. He thinks he's royalty. He's a creep, but one thing is, he's probably the only prep that fights fair. Believes in chivalry. The rest are just cheap cowards. But they have boxing skills, and are the most influential kids here. If they say jump, and tell you how high to go, you better do it, and jump even higher. Just try to stay away from them if you don't want to get you asses kicked. The rest of all the clique members aren't really that important. But seriously, stay far away from the preps."
"Whatever" Sasquatch scoffed "We're not afraid of some trust fund bitches."
Speak for yourself. That August kid is brutal. I thought.
Keen smiled knowingly and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. "You'll learn" he said.
The bell rang and kids began to file out. "Come on, let's get going" Keen said.
My stomach began to knot up. The gears were turning in Sasquatch's head. He was already working on how to get back at August, and I didn't doubt he would get me dragged into it one way or another.
"So much for starting over this year. Goddamnit" I muttered.
I turned on my heel and followed Keen, since he and I both had first half chemistry together. All I could do was breath and try not to puke the whole way there. I was still dizzy. Unfortunately, the feeling of this all being some vivid and strange dream had fully left me. This was all too real.
(Sorry about the formatting. i copied and pasted it from Fanfiction.net. I don't have the time atm to properly format the first four chapters. I may come back and do it later. Or I may just do it starting with chapter I:V Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the first four chapters. More to come soon
