resident-sociopath-blog

[resident-sociopath-blog]

Peteykowalski

Petey had never had detention before, and to say he was angry at Gary for landing him in trouble was more than an understatement. Of all the years to go and pull something immature to get Petey into hot water, Gary decided to do it as soon as he was the Head Boy, the very person who should not be flinging things at teachers. Not only did Petey feel this way, but Seth, who was overseeing his detention, seemed to share the sentiment. An air of disapproval was draped over him as he watched Petey circle around on the lawn mower, trying to keep the grass in the prestigious yard of Harrington House from coming out choppy. Luckily, this was the sort of job Petey got saddled with a lot at home. He finished quickly, and did a reasonable enough job that Seth only shook his head at him as he left the premise. He was still broilingly bitter about Gary. The fact that he was uncomfortable and sweaty from mowing grass beneath a sun that was still in full tilt Summer mode, and that he now he had one less hour in which to get his homework done, only made it worse. As he made his way back to the dorm, dwelling on one annoying event after another, his mood only soured. He really wished he had Jimmy’s uncanny ability to put Gary in his place, or at least get Gary as powerlessly infuriated as he was now. Unfortunately, everything but Jimmy seemed to slide off Gary like he was covered in vinyl. What was Gary up to now? he wondered. Was there some nefarious reason that he’d gotten Petey out of the way, or had the act been simply what it seemed: a spontaneous explosion of douchebaggery that he could not contain? Petey couldn’t help but be somewhat paranoid. After the events of last year, even Gary would not be able to protest that it was an unreasonable reaction. At least the boys’ dorm was cool. Petey breathed a sigh of relief as it washed over him, feeling instantly less sweaty and therefore slightly more agreeable. He was still ready to tear Gary a new one as soon as he saw him, but maybe he’d be a little more rational now. With one last infuriated huff, he reached for the door to their shared room. Petey was not actually capable of staying angry for long. If he were, he’d be pissy all the time. Evolution had granted him with a goldfish’s ability to hold a grudge. Now that he was here, he wasn’t sure he’d say anything to Gary at all. What good would it do? Resigned to pathetic silence, he cracked the door open. And froze. The thing to do when one walked in on one’s roommate intimately close to another person was to slam the door and get the heck out of dodge, but of course, as soon as Petey realized that the person Gary was so uncomfortably close to was Jimmy, his leg muscles seemed to turn into lead bars instead of functional body parts. All the energy he might have expended to run the hell away was used up fueling the blush that turned his whole face red. He couldn’t tell if Jimmy was just about to punch  Gary in the face or kiss him. They both looked furious, but they were far too close to be brawling. Petey opened his mouth to say something, but there weren’t any words that would help make this situation less awkward. He very sincerely hoped he was dreaming. Jimmy would more likely mack with Eunice than with Gary, that was a proven fact. Gary would more likely mack with Edna than with Jimmy, that was unproven but still entirely believable. That was the way the world was. Right? Right? He stared helplessly at Jimmy, hoping that he would explain. It was Jimmy, after all. Good old rational Jimmy, who was not going to do anything weird like start making out with Gary any time soon, because that would be insane. But no one spoke, so Petey finally let out all the air he hadn’t realized he’d been witholding. “Sorry.” And he was sorry. Definitely, definitely sorry he’d witnessed this.

Gary felt like he wanted to pull off his own skin and wash it out, just to rinse the sleaze off. He'd wanted Jimmy to snap -- to lose his temper and give Gary something to work with, but this hadn't been what he had in mind. Jimmy furious and hitting things he knew and could deal with, but he hadn't done that. In fact, he'd realised what it was Gary had been angling for. Jimmy had actually worked something out, and was pushing Gary in a way he didn't know how to deal with.

Maybe it was because Jimmy was known for getting hot and heavy with anyone or thing that'd let him, or maybe there was a weird air between them just then -- as Jimmy shoved him against the wall like they were straight out of a movie. He disliked like look in Jimmy's eyes, purely because he couldn't read it. When he couldn't read someone, he didn't know what to expect and that put him on edge.

Then, with perfect timing -- although they'd been hanging around like that for a little too long -- the door opened and behind it was none other than Petey; what timing, Gary thought, but as he rolled his eyes sideways and glanced at Petey, he saw the little welp standing in the doorway like it was the centre of the road and he and Jimmy were an eighteen-wheeler hurtling towards him.

He looked so totally shocked, overwhelmed, mouthing words without actually making any sound, that Gary realised either he and Jimmy must've looked a lot more suggestive than he thought, or -- and this was the interesting part -- Petey was reading into it. Meaning he cared, was hurt, upset or maybe jealous of even the implication that he'd do something as disgusting as associate with Jimmy like that.

I wonder, Gary thought to himself, puzzling how far down the horror ran. If poor Petey was all conflicted and sexually confused, that presented a whole host of fun Gary could have with him. His being Head Boy this year meant it'd be even more important Gary had him right under the thumb, and the first stage in getting Petey's throat under his hand was finding out where and how he could hurt him.

In these matters, the best way was usually the simplest; with shock-treatment already in session, Gary figured he could swallow his bile and give Pete another dose.

So he twisted his lips into a smirk so he couldn't scowl, fixed his face like a mask and dropped his eyes -- he couldn't look at anyone -- then craned his neck froward and put his face to Jimmy's. It wasn't a real kiss, but it was meant to look like one, and his mouth was pressed over Jimmy's as if that was exactly what they'd been doing before Petey's interruption. He held it for a good few seconds, Jimmy's monolithic brain working too slowly for him to give an adequate reaction, and then before he was physically sick, Gary pulled back and turned towards his audience.

“Oh, femme-boy,” he murmured with a toxic, poisonous tone. “I didn't see you there.”

[resident-sociopath-blog]

Don't be such a pill, Petey. This is Darwinism at its finest.

Hello, Everyone

Uh, hi. I heard that there’s been some fighting already this year. I hate to have to be a stick in the mud or anything, but you guys know you’re not allowed to beat on each other, right? If any of the prefects see you fighting, you’re going to get in trouble, so the easiest thing to do is to not fight in the first place.

[resident-sociopath-blog]

You idiots going to fight? Somebody kill someone.

Whoah whoah whoah!

Back the hell off man, you’re way outta line. If you want your homework done go to the study club and do it YOURSELF!

[resident-sociopath-blog]

((In case anyone missed it, this is our new hub.))

Announcing two new features to the Bullworthless-RP, for the benefit of roleplayers and non-roleplayers alike!

The first is the QDB or Quote Database. A collection of quotes or links to certain posts that entertained or amused me while going back over the RP history to compile the school...

[resident-sociopath-blog]

Even as Gary recoiled from Jimmy's touch, he found himself hoping that Jimmy lost it and let out some aggression. It would make it incredibly easy to sway people to his side if he exposed Jimmy early on for the violent thug he was. Gary was suddenly even more pleased with himself at having landed Petey in detention. Without that little snitch around, whatever happened in this room was between him and Jimmy, and Gary was much better at spinning events into a favorable light than Jimmy, who communicated primarily in grunts and scowls. The spark of anticipation fizzled out when he realized that Jimmy wasn't going to act on the impulse so clearly flitting through his pea-sized brain. Instead, he held Gary aloft for an uncomfortable second, during which Gary did his damnedest not to make eye contact, and then set him back down on his feet. He stumbled once, then caught himself, struggling with a surge of disappointment. It would have been so sweet to be proven right, even at the expense of a few bruises later. Reducing Jimmy to physical violence had given him an unprecedented amount of satisfaction last year too. It was gratifying that he could whittle the king of Bullworth down until he had nothing left to do except lash out with his fists - to Gary, even if he couldn't best Jimmy in that regard, that was a victory. He could work with mindless violence. This, though? This was just a standstill. It was unbearable. Gary glanced at the table where Jimmy had slapped down his meds. The very thought of taking them made his stomach churn, and having Jimmy there watching him like a child made it ten times worse. It wasn't an option. He just needed to figure out how to make Jimmy leave - other than provoking Hopkins until he tried to murder him. Something subtler than that, obviously. Now it was inconvenient that Petey wasn't here. Bringing him into the argument could probably have solved everything. Pete was usually willing to be a punching bag or a shield, whatever the situation required. Too bad. All Gary had in his arsenal right now was scathing, pent-up insults - too provocative to be of any use, as they'd get him right at the top of Jimmy's shit list. Assuming he wasn't there already. It was obvious Jimmy doubted his sincerity, and that couldn't be helped. Time to change the subject.  "I'm hurt, pal," he said, falling back on sarcasm. "Why would I bother lying to you? You're not gonna believe me anyway." This would be the time to step away. Instead, he leaned forward, banking on the hope that Jimmy would grow uncomfortable and be shaken enough that Gary could convince him to leave. They were already close, thanks to Jimmy hauling him off his feet a moment ago. Now he could see the crease between Jimmy's eyebrows very clearly as it deepened in confusion.  "Not fishing for sympathy. Not from you," he added, this time in a steady, quiet voice. Something that suggested intimacy. "It's just a fact. You already have me pegged, right? So nothing I say or do is going to matter to you. I'll just have to do something unpredictable. Maybe that's what you're hoping for. Poor Jimmy, starved for excitement, poking until he gets a rise." That was it. Turn the situation on its head. Make it something it wasn't. Gary's eyes blazed with the challenge to prove him wrong. Drop it. Leave.

The Conflict || Gary, Jimmy, (& Petey?)

Gary had a very annoying habit of talking to Jimmy half a minute faster than Jimmy could keep up with. He threw out so many insults and phrases that it took Jimmy far longer than he would’ve liked to process it all.

So when he finally stopped talking -- or threatening, babbling... laughing like he was off his trolley, whatever it was he did -- all Jimmy could register for the moment was the accusations. As if Gary’s twisted mind was his fault somehow; making points about pushing and getting involved in Gary’s business like Jimmy wanted any place in his life.

So before he thought about what he was doing -- and because Gary had already moved so they were close enough to do it anyway -- he whipped his hands up to Gary’s torso and bunched them into fists, grabbing tight handfuls of his sweater and jerking him up onto his toes. Ready to headbutt or hit or something until his twisted smirking mouth was bleeding, or at least shut.

However, then the rest sunk in -- Gary saying he didn’t want to fight him, that if Jimmy just backed off and left him alone, he’d take his meds.  Jimmy realised suddenly they were so close he could actually smell Gary, a faint, barely-detectable scent that wasn’t any kind of deodorant or artificial perfume; just the natural, underlying insignia that rose off his lying, scheming skin.

He resented that he knew it -- that he couldn’t draw up in his memory exactly what Zoe or any of the others he’d made out with smelled like, but that he could put down to a fucking tee if Gary Smith was next to him, blindfolded and with his ears blocked.

So slowly, like peeling open a corpse’s hand, he unknotted his fists and let Gary down. He didn’t want to fight, Gary said, he’d take the pills once Jimmy had gone, he said.

“How do I know that?” Jimmy questioned, feeling the tension run right through his jaw as he clenched and unclenched it. “Nothin’ you say is ever what you mean.”

If Gary was going to convince him they could all play nice, then he was going to have to prove it. Big time.

[resident-sociopath-blog]

"You know what's funny about my problems, Jimmy?" Gary seethed, unable to back down though he knew he should. If any of his plans were going to work, he needed to drop off of Jimmy's radar, but every time Hopkins got in his face, he was unable to contain himself. All that pent-up rage that surged inside him when he so much as thought about Jimmy suddenly had a single, oh-so-deserving outlet. And it felt so good to blow off some of the steam, especially since Jimmy was the source. It didn't matter what was good for Gary's ambitions in the long run. The impulse to butt heads with his nemesis was greater than any foresight he possessed. The rush of satisfaction when he let himself do it was far too tempting to keep him in check. With everything on the line, he would still risk losing just to have the last word. The fact that he couldn't help it only made it worse, made him angrier, turned the gears in a perpetual machine. He couldn't afford to sabotage himself this time. He couldn't resist rising to Jimmy's bait.  "What's funny about my problems," he breathed, his voice low and dangerous. He didn't have to speak up. One wave of aggressive motion had brought him close enough to Jimmy to bump noses. "Is that they all started when you showed up." He didn't specify which time he meant. Either, both. It didn't matter. Jimmy ruined everything no matter where he went, blundering in and trampling over all of Gary's well-laid plans. "The best part is," he continued, "you just keep pushing. Every way you can, as if everything I do is somehow your fucking business." Gary laughed. He didn't mean to. He tried to swallow it down, but the bubble of sound escaped anyway. It was quiet, almost a gurgle, but he knew it didn't look good. He was supposed to be in control, assertive enough to drive Jimmy away and straight enough to handle himself without anyone interfering. He was supposed to prove to Jimmy that he didn't need to be observed like a child, so that he could slip out of Jimmy's mind and operate in safety. It was thin ice with Hopkins. Any sign of a crack, and he was likely to throw Gary right into the water, right back out of Bullworth, right back into experimental therapy. Spontaneous laughter did little to convince anyone that Gary was in his right mind.  "I don't want to fight you," he said, with more than a grain of honesty, forcing himself to be calm. "Just leave me the fuck alone and I'll take the damn meds, okay?" Like hell.

The Conflict || Gary, Jimmy, & Petey

Jimmy wasn’t exactly expecting Gary to start necking bottles like he was going through extra-sugar Beam, but Gary could’ve looked a little more like he wasn’t planning on throwing all his prescriptions straight out the window the moment Jimmy turned his back. This was the sort of thing he needed Petey around for -- Petey was good at getting people to do things without just pounding the snot out of them.

Gary was also looking at him like he was thinking some real nasty thoughts too, and Jimmy didn’t like it. He didn’t let anyone look at him like that, least off all jumped up little shits like Gary.

“You got a problem, Gary?” he stated aggressively after his snarky ‘well?’ comment. He spread his arms out a little and stared him straight in the eye, no room to bullshit or compromise. “Because if you wanna rundown of last year I’m more than happy to oblige.”

Gary tripping out because he was off meds or generally nutso was not high on Jimmy’s list of things he wanted with the new year, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to back down. If he budged a fucking inch, Gary would take a mile. He knew that too well. 

Because Jimmy wasn’t dumb enough to think he’d beaten Gary, not deep down. Sure, he said it, and reminded Gary of who’d ‘won’, but the reason Gary had lost was because of himself -- he’d blabbed his own big mouth and given the game away, he’d pushed the school into going wacko and then let Jimmy come in like a saviour. Gary had nailed his own coffin shut, and if they ran that game again, he might not be so stupid as to make the same mistake.

[resident-sociopath-blog]

Gary rolled his eyes when Jimmy advised him not to feed his pills to the cats. Maybe that was exactly what he would do. It'd be funny. Probably. And he sure as hell didn't want to take the damn things himself, especially not at Jimmy's behest. He didn't think the school nurse was vindictive enough to have sent Jimmy to him to deliberately rub salt in the wound, but Gary had a bitter taste in his mouth over it all the same. "Still a good little errand boy?" he asked, unable to resist the jibe as Jimmy blundered through his room. He slapped a few bottles on the desk. Gary could recognize which prescriptions were which based on size and shape. He knew which ones tasted chalky and which ones would make him feel stunted, like a crucial part of his brain was in quarantine. There was no way he was taking them unless McRae hired somebody to hide it in his food or shove it down his throat like he were a dog. Plans were forming in his mind, and he couldn't afford to blunt himself. No, he needed to be as keen as possible, focused on achieving what he failed to last year. Not even Jimmy Hopkins was going to hinder him this time. Gary wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating him again, but he couldn't say the same for Jimmy. Jimmy seemed to think Gary intended to quail in his presence. He'd pull the rug right out from under Hopkins' feet. Jimmy didn't seem to be planning on leaving any time soon. He was looking at Gary expectantly,  not budging. Gary had to swallow his insults. If he wanted Jimmy to leave so he could trash his pills, Gary couldn't piss him off. Hopkins was as stubborn and as stupid as a mule, and if Gary rubbed him the wrong way, he wouldn't back down. It was one reason why Gary loathed him so fucking much.  "Well?" he prompted, raising his eyebrows. Maybe the problem stemmed from the fact that he himself was so loathe to let go of a grudge. Maybe it would always be unstoppable force, immovable object with them. It didn't matter what Jimmy had gotten into his head, Gary wasn't going to crack. He wasn't Zoe. Jimmy didn't have to wait and watch and make sure he swallowed.

The Conflict || Gary, Jimmy, & Petey

Jimmy had been avoiding this door for a while. He'd known when he agreed to help Nurse McRae with the school's prescriptions that G. Smith was going to feature on the list somewhere, but that hadn't stopped him hoping that it wouldn't come up by some divine convenience.

Because he really didn't want to get involved with Gary and his medication, he had more than enough trouble in his life already. He knew that Gary was meant to take his pills or he went crazy in the style of last year, but he also knew that he'd be pissed as hell if someone wanted him to take pills for violence or psychopathic tendencies or whatever it was doctors decided was wrong with him. Not to say he thought Gary shouldn't be on medication, but he understood why he was going to kick up a bitchfit about it.

That was why he knocked on the door with a touch of dread, a bag of missed prescriptions in his hand, and hoped that Petey might be there to soften the blow.

Unfortunately, he wasn't. Gary opened the door just a crack, peering out like a paranoid old man living in a shack.

"What?" he asked, only cementing the crazy-man persona, and Jimmy got fed up of waiting for him to open the door and shouldered it instead, knocking his way inside.

"Long story short I'm delivering all pills everyone missed taking this week because of some fuckup with the prescriptions," he announced with a blunt, armoured force that he hoped would stop Gary lashing out straight away, that might protect him for just a sentence longer. "So this shit is yours," he announced, and then crossed the room to dump it on the desk. "If I were you, I would try to stop the cats eating it."

Whatever Gary's pills did to him, they'd probably do something much worse to the animals, and the last thing either of them needed was a distraught Petey sobbing over dead kittens. Although he probably had some pills for that now.

[resident-sociopath-blog]

The Conflict || Gary, Jimmy, & Petey

Gary's day couldn't have gone better if he'd planned it himself. God, you had to love it when things fell into place on their own. That said, it was always good to have a hand in shaping certain events, and now he happened to have an in with the preps that he did not intend to waste. He was a far cry from laughing maniacally as he made his way back to the boys' dorm, but he was still filled with a grim satisfaction, as if some debt owed to him had finally been paid. He was in a good mood by Gary standards, as evidenced by the fact that the kittens romping around his room when he entered neither phased nor annoyed him. He was too busy compartmentalizing his racing thoughts to pay either of them much attention. He had missed this, the planning. The assurance that he was indeed smarter than the rest of the idiotic mass of students in this place. The thrill when he made everything come together into one seamless idea that would cement him in a position of power again. Things were hardly seamless yet. Tad was a gamble if Gary ever saw one, but he had at least accomplished something: Gary's inspiration was restored. He couldn't rest on his laurels while Jimmy paraded around, thinking himself a king. Thinking he was invincible. Thinking Gary would roll over on command and submit himself to a life under his rule, like a beaten dog. No, sir. The thought that he had once been prepared to do just that made him feel sick. He couldn't dwell on it. That was a decision shoved into his head by a mélange of therapists, all blending into one fake-sympathetic face. Pawning his pills off onto the hobo had been the first step toward thinking like himself again, and he could differentiate now between his own thoughts and the ones they had given him. The idea of submission definitely did not originate from him. Having Jimmy think he was docile was a bonus, however. The longer he could keep that idea in James's head, the better. Gary plopped himself on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, hunched forward. The room was quiet. He could only guess Petey was still in detention. Good. Not only did he deserve it, but Gary could use the quiet time to think. He needed a plan of attack, a way to bring Bif Taylor to his knee- Knock. Knock. Knock. With a scowl, Gary got up and tugged the door open a notch, only to find Jimmy's unpleasant features peaking in at him through the crack. Gary's eyebrows lowered.  "What?"

[resident-sociopath-blog]

theanarchyprincess replied to your post:

Oh, I’m sorry. Did I hurt your feelings? Difference between you and me is that no one wants to even touch you. I don’t know why you want to “run” this school. Do you really think anyone would listen to a self-centered, insane, douchebag like yourself

Give it a rest. You want to get a rise out of someone, stick with James. He's easier.

[resident-sociopath-blog]

Hey Gary, I was wondering what it's like to be an insufferable prick. How does someone even reach your level? You truly have a gift to be so impassively cruel. Is it because your parents dumped you here, sick of dealing with all your bullshit? They never visit you, we all know it. You don't even exist to them. Clearly you have abandonment issues. That or you're just fucking insane. Either way, fuck off.

Oh look, Jimmy's sending in his underlings to pester me now. Or it's just that time of the month. What's the matter? Is Bullworth's resident manwhore not keeping you satisfied? Please, put his tongue back in your mouth. When it isn't obstructed, you obviously can't keep from embarrassing yourself. I can't believe you're spewing this pseudo-psychological bullshit."Oh, Gary, you're so mean. Must be your upbringing!" So growing up piss poor and trailer trash, sticking your legs up in the air at the first whiff of testosterone is the way to go, I suppose? No, please, tell me all about how my childhood environment shaped me into the nasty, nasty person I am today.Here's an idea: the next time you get bored, just keep your nose up Hopkins's ass where it belongs, and out of my business.

[resident-sociopath-blog]

swheresd your ewssay on Shakespeare's iompklications ofd love?> I dwemand a report nowee

Gross, you smell like someone Jimmy's mom would date. Is my essay really what you're worried about? I heard Ms. Philips was regularly sneaking out to meet the hobo by the parking lot and make out. Your job can wait, this is personal and you should sort it.

[resident-sociopath-blog]

The distraught look on Petey's face as he floundered for words was absolutely priceless. Poor, big-in-the-britches Head Boy didn't expect to be yelled at, obviously. Too bad, so sad. He needed to learn right now that just because he was in an influential position, it didn't mean everyone was automatically going to bow down to him. Especially not Gary. He was still a feminine loser, and this pretending to have a backbone thing was tiresome. Gary shot him a disappointed look from behind Mr. Galloway, as if to say, "Petey, how could you? I'm ever so surprised at your bold and outlandish actions." He hadn't counted on Petey getting detention. That was just a wonderful unintended consequence. Gary was grinning from ear to ear as Galloway shuffled drunkenly back to his seat to nurse his cup of "tea", a forlorn expression on his reddened face. The classroom gradually filled with chatter again as people lost interest. Femme-boy had deflated several degrees, looking dismayed. His crossword puzzle sat untended.  "Why would you do that, Pete? It's only the first day of class. Are you bored already?" Gary asked, shaking his head. Petey didn't respond. The shock of actually being in trouble for once was probably too much for his goody-goody little mind. Gary shrugged and went back to his work, tutting.  "Oh, I lost that pencil you gave me. Can I borrow another?" Whether realization had finally dawned on Pete or not, Gary would never know. The fire alarm suddenly began wailing, which resulted in complete anarchy in the classroom as people scrambled from their desks, using any excuse they could find to descend into chaos. Mr. Galloway got up and opened the door with a sigh of resignation, and a horde of children stampeded past him. Gary calmly got out of his chair and followed at a leisurely pace, whistling. He hadn't arranged for that, but it was just as well. He was supposed to meet Tad in town today, so maybe he'd go early and find something to occupy him until then. You never knew what there was to glean from passing conversation. He might keep his ear to the ground for a while and see what the townsfolk were up to. Had to be better than sticking around for these stupid classes.

Back to the Grind

“I-I-what? No! That wasn’t me!” He waved his hands in a “no” motion, his face stuck in shock and disbelief.  Pete should’ve expected something like this from Gary, first day or not.  Why was he always such a… such a… jerk! Ugh!

Don’t laugh, Pete’s not good at insults when he’s in a panic.

Without giving him time, Galloway launched into a speech about Bullworth dignity, the duties and responsibilities of being Head Boy, and all sorts of other things with his drunken slur.  Not once Pete could even get a small edge in, so he just slumped in his seat, letting the unfairness of it all weigh him down.

“Now, young man,” Mr. Galloway said, “I want you to meet me at the end of the school day.  We’ll be going over some exercises.  Now back to work!”

So much for having a good school year.  Guess that was just too much to hope for.

[resident-sociopath-blog]

Gary laughed, a pitying look on his face as he shook his head at Tad. The sound made the couple who had been tentatively listening to their conversation (thinking they were subtle, because they weren't looking directly over at Gary's table) give a start and awkwardly go back to their coffee.

"Don't be boring," he scoffed. "I don't want your money, Spencer. I don't need it."

There was a cutting jibe forming at the back of his throat about how far it had gotten Tad to be worth ten figures, but Gary swallowed it. This was still tentative, still in the stages where Tad needed him, but he needed Tad, too. Keep it cool, keep him hooked, reel him in. Three easy steps. He just needed to keep his acerbic tongue in his cheek, no matter how amusing it would be to see Tad wither.

"I don't want much, actually. It's enough to see Derby taken down a notch. Just one thing, Tag. A tiny, superfluous little thing: you gotta have my back from now on. That's not too much to ask, is it? I mean, if I rig it so that you're in charge of the preps, then you can do me a favor now and then, like keeping Hopkins off my back, right?"

He extended his hand, waiting for Tad to shake. After a small pause, he did. Gary didn't know exactly what was going on in Tad's head, but he could hazard a guess. Was this the devil's handshake? The thought almost made Gary smirk.

"Great. Don't worry, this will work if I... if you play your cards right," Gary concluded, retracting his hand and scooting back his chair so he could get to his feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me, duty calls. I'll get started on Bif and you whittle at Derby."

He paused before making his exit, with a thoughtful tilt of his head. "Oh, and you should drink your water, Tad. You paid good money for that."

Tad concentrated, thinking about how he would play this out. He had trashed the Harrington House a little bit ago. He knew that Derby had no idea it was him, but he was still investigating. Tad really had taken a different approach than Gary in the past. Now, all he had to do was play the part of Harrington’s friend. That should be easy.

“Perhaps I can suggest an Aquaberry outing with Derby. That might warm him up to me a little,” Tad said, narrowing his eyes in focus.

Had Tad ever heard anyone complaining about Derby? Possibly Pinky, but he believed that was only because Derby hadn’t gotten her what she wanted for Christmas. Maybe some of the lower profiled Preps… Bryce was always the target of Derby’s pecking, due to their fathers’ indifferences, and Gord was such a drama queen, he could complain about anyone at any given time.

He looked up at Gary at the mention of a price in return. Money was not an issue, obviously.

“How much are you wishing for?”

[resident-sociopath-blog]

Written on the other side of the previous note, in the same careful hand:

Christy,

Perfect, I will see you then. Looking forward to it.

-Gary

Someone told me...

[Slipped into Gary’s locker] Written on a page of lined notepaper ripped out of a journal, in a red smell-gel pen:

Hey Gary,

That sounds awesome I’m free right after first period if you want to ‘talk’ about stuff. I heard some totally dishy stuff about Zoe Taylor now she’s joined up, and Gord and me went shopping yesterday so we had a great chat then. Meet me by the staircase in the main building after 1st?

Christy <3

[resident-sociopath-blog]

Written in a deliberate, neat scrawl on a cleanly ripped sheet of notebook paper:

Hey Christy,

It was great catching up the other day. Thanks. When are you free tomorrow? I'd love to talk some more. I've got some stuff I'm dying to tell you about Bif Taylor. You wouldn't believe. See you soon?

-Gary

PS. You really have to keep this hush-hush though. It's BIG.

Someone told me...

That Pete Kowalski’s mum gave Crabblesnitch a BJ so he’d make Petey Head Boy.

[resident-sociopath-blog]

"Start showing interest then," Gary told him. "And don't be obvious about it, Tad. These things take some finesse. He's a pompous tyrant, so make him think you're content to be lesser than him. That said, we both know you'd appreciate the position of leadership so much more. Derby treats it like like it's owed to him, so it's no wonder he lost your respect. I'm betting that there are those in your clique that feel the same."

He paused. The couple at the table across from them was casting them suspicious glances. Gary stared at them until they turned around, looking distinctly unsettled, then returned his attention to Tad. At least it seemed like Tad had come into this fully prepared to listen to him. He had some potential, though this kind of ambition was volatile. In the end, after all, only one of them could really be in charge.

But for now, Gary could settle for helping him along like an awkward little fledgling being pushed out of the nest (gosh, could he pause a second and just be proud? thanks) and earning a favor to cash in later. Lucky him.

"Find them. You need allies. Don't complain about Derby directly, but feed the fire if you hear anyone else doing it. Sow some unrest. In the meantime, we go for Bif. He's Derby's right hand, and if you can get Derby to trust you more than him, it's game, set, match, my friend."

He emphasized his point by flicking Tad's glass. A few droplets of water scurried down the side and onto the cheap, floral patterned tablecloth.

"Leave that bit to me. You just play your part, man. Keep a low profile, make it seem like everyone but you is out to get Derby, if anyone confronts you about it. I'll get some rumors circulating about Bif- oh, just as soon as we discuss what I'm getting in return for this."

And there it was. Nothing in this word was free, as Tad should know very well. He'd probably come here with a bargaining chip already in mind. If not, Gary would be sorely disappointed. Amateurs.

The Plan || Gary & Tad

Gary Smith: The Plan || Gary & Tad

Tad took a seat across from Gary, his eyes unable to direct away from the drips of tap water running down a tall but sketchy looking glass.

Tad nodded at Gary's orders and suggestions, taking in every detail. When it came to everything sneaky, sly, and downright maniacal, Smith would always be the man to go to. That was obvious to everyone at Bullworth. Still, because of this, Tad knew that he shouldn't let himself get too comfortable with boy. He didn't want to be another Hopkins; Just someone to be used for Gary's own personal agenda.

That being said, Tad always had a problem with letting himself being stepped on like a bug. He didn't have much courage to stand up to others, and when it came to confidence, his was lacking. He believed that this was partly probably mostly due to his father.

"Derby and I? Well... I hate him. Obviously," Tad added an eye roll for dramatic effect, "And I can't tell if he hates me back, or if he's just being the pompous tyrant he is. He may be a bit untrusting at this point. I haven't shown as much interest in him as the other Preps."

Tad looked up at Gary. He stared at the thin scar running across his eye. It seemed as though Smith only had one expression, which made him look like he was always carefully thinking... Plotting... Observing.

[resident-sociopath-blog]

Gary didn't order anything. He had decided to meet at this place simply to see if Tad would come, so he could gauge the importance of his request. That, and partially to push Tad out of his comfort zone. Someone had to do it to the preps on occasion or they became insufferably content on their pedestal. It was just good fortune that Tad wanted to disrupt the entire prep hierarchy. It would save Gary some time, doing it all in one go. They took a seat in the back corner of the tiny room, which was lit primarily by sunlight. The dinky overhead lights had to pass through some grungy orange filters, which would have added to the atmosphere of the shop, if it hadn't been such a putrid, dark color of orange. Gary had lovingly chosen this place with Tad in mind. They were similar, trying to rise above their stations by putting on a tacky veneer of class. It was downright poetic, really. It did not escape Gary's notice that 'your genius mind' had now become 'our genius minds'. Such ambition. It brought a tear to the eye.  "I'll need as much information here as you're able to give me," Gary stated, getting right to business. "Make sure you and Derby are always on good terms. You've got to glean this stuff from him. As it is, where do you stand with him? I need to know where we're starting from." Last he'd heard, Tad was little more than a whipping boy for Derby, but that was pretty much true for every member of Harrington's little posse. Anything could have happened over the summer though. With the preps, these things were a family matter, and if someone's daddy had insulted someone else's daddy, then Gary needed to know. Needed any asset he could find to add to his arsenal. Their arsenal, he meant. Of course.

The Plan || Gary & Tad

Gary Smith: The Plan || Gary & Tad

Tad began to get a bit nervous at the silence coming from Gary. It was as if Smith was just observing Tad, watching his every move. It wasn't until Gary started to laugh that Tad became visibly startled.

“Relax, Tad,” Gary said, “Rule one, you don’t have to grease my hole to get my help. I’ll do it out of the goodness of my heart. Know why? Because you’re better than Derby.”

Tad's eyes widened as a huge grin spread across his lips. He walked through the door Gary had opened for him.

"I know I am, Gary. I think we can all see that's obvious, yes?" Tad said, regaining some confidence.

Tad walked up to the counter, eying up the menu. He narrowed his eyes at the pathetic selection.

"Erm.. I'll just have water," Tad scoffed, visibly repulsed.

He looked over at Gary.

"Splendid! You know Smith, I have no doubt that once we put our genius minds together, something absolutely fabulous with come out of it."