blueinhaler

bully screenshot redraw (og under cut)

anyways, here ya go. Free set of jimmy sprites. might try to make another set next time.

PLEASE CREDIT ME IF YOU USE THEM FOR EDITS, YUME POSTS OR WHATEVER.

stealing art isn't nice. AND IF YOU TRY TO FEED IT INTO AI I SWEAR TO GOD

also don't trace my art too thank you❤️

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ────── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ──────

Gary x fem reader! Jimmy x fem reader!

Your new life for the years to come resides in a small town which houses the infamous Bullworth Academy. You try to navigate through the struggles of being left behind to fend for yourself in a new environment during your sophomore year of high school. But what happens when two boys known for trouble make it their goal to stir up your boring life, making sure you'll never be alone, even if they have to fight for your attention

Chapter 6

Masterlist for all chapters

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Chapter 7: Why Should I Be Sad

The walk back to your room was weird, weird as in you're actually glad tomorrow is Sunday, which means one more day until you start school. All this drama and extra stuff has made you excited for school and work of all things. Ready to finally engross yourself in something that'll actually be worth your time, and used more resourcefully in the future. You thought you’d be more affected by Gary’s words, or Jimmy’s actions, in the moment it did yea, but now, you realized it wasn't really that deep. The day you almost got assaulted in town was deep though, Jimmy saved you, but clearly it was a one time thing.

“This school has some real nutjobs, I can't believe I'm actually feeling sad for somebody i just met not even a day ago.” You had made it back to your room, and now ranting to Zoe about your day. You didn't wanna talk about it at first, but she bombarded you with questions as soon as you came back, so of course you couldn't leave her hanging.

“Yea don't feel down about it, boys dont know how to communicate without using 100 percent of their brain, Jimmy is no exception. And let me guess, he left you for another ‘mission’ he had to complete?” Zoe sat in her bed, sewing up her clothes while you continued to unpack your stuff into the closet and onto your desk. 

“Yes he did! He made me go to the carnival to get tickets for some teddy bear saying some girl wanted it. But when I saw them later he was handing the girl the teddy bear, flowers, and some candy, all stuff that was at the carnival. He used my tickets just to get her stuff when he could've just said from the start he wanted to get stuff for a girl. To be fair he did get me all my uniform stuff when I couldn't, but still I feel like I was in the dark.” You ranted to her, now aggressively dumping all the items out your bookbag onto the bed, sorting through it realizing you may have overpacked.

“Yea that’s Jimmy for you…wait he bought all your uniform clothes??” She stopped sewing to look up at you now placing stuff onto your desk.

“He did, my card declined so he stepped in to pay for my stuff. I wanted to pay him back so he said he’d take me on one of his missions to help him, and that's my payback. When I got the tickets, it’s like his attitude immediately switched, like he was done and didn't need me anymore. He ran off somewhere after we left the Ferris wheel, I only saw him again when i was waiting at the bus stop and he was waiting for the girl-”

“Yea you told me that already, but him paying for your stuff like that…you may not know this but Jimmy is a real penny pincher, so for him to pay for your stuff and then leave, that’s wayyyy different then the Jimmy I know.” Zoe cut you off, which to be deserved was fair, if she had let you continue you were gonna loop back around the same topic over again, and feel bad about it all over again.

“Well maybe you knew a different Jimmy, maybe he’s turned over a new leaf.” 

“I doubt that, Jimmy’s nice and all but not that nice, you can keep dreaming though.” She stopped looking towards you and paid attention back down to her sewing. The room fell silent only you finishing up sorting through the pile of stuff making any sort of noise, ready to do your nightly routine and call it a night. As you finished, Zoe finished up sewing the same, also ready to go to bed.

“What’s up with you and Gary now?” Zoe asked this question out of the blue, when she asked you sighed heavily.

“I don't wanna talk about it, he makes my head hurt.”

“That's fair, sorry I asked.” She quickly replied, now putting her stuff up.

“I have a question Zoe, can I ask?”

“Yea shoot me what is it?” You shouldn't ask the question, but eventually you’d have to know for your own sake, or else you’d drive yourself mad thinking about it, and you don't want the weight on your shoulders like that when you finally enter school. 

“What happened with Gary last year…everyone always talks down on him and Jimmy even got mad when I asked about him. So is it something I'm missing out on or is he really just that much of a dick?” The words spewed out your mouth quickly, as if there was a time limit on speaking about Gary, or even mentioning him. Zoe laughed at your remark, and then deadpanned stared at you, feeling her eyes bore into your eyes from all the way across the room.

“You better sit down for this one, because this is gonna be a longgg story.” You listened to her and pulled out the chair from under your desk, sitting down ready to hear the real reason why people hate Gary so much. Everything leading up has been amounting to this exact moment, the moment you're finally in the loop on why you should have a reason to avoid Gary like the plague, even if your brain screams you still wanna go back and talk to him. He said he’s gonna see you later, that means he wants to meet up and talk to you later right? Still want to try and make himself look good for you to tell his mean sarcastic jokes, for you to hear his voice again calling out your name because he wants to be with you. 

Zoe did in fact take a long time explaining, she prefaced by saying she came to the school way later in the year so she only saw Gary in action once, but from other peoples accounts she was able to piece up a story to tell. Manipulation, bullying, mentally unwell, and being a dick were all things she described Gary as while she told the story, the story on how he manipulated his way to the top, rivaled Jimmy, to put out his plan to take over the school as his own, to have power over every individual group that rested on this campus, and to get rid of people that stood in his way. Each word she conveyed made your emotions twist, realizing each thing she said, does sound like something Gary would do, or would do again.

“Most people only hate him because of the rumors spread around about him. They say the only reason he was let back into the school after being expelled by Crabblesnitch is because his parents paid him a large sum of money, and then sent their son away to the Happy Voltz, the insane asylum that’s in this town. All kinds of kids say he had ‘electric shock therapy’ and that's why he’s not such a dick anymore. He was dropped off to the school with a counselor right by his side, so the rumours only got worse when they figured out it wasn't some random lady and was his therapist.” Zoe rambled, now completely disregarded the fact to sit down and paced around the room, using hand gestures to express words more with actions.

“I mean…did the therapy work because he is still a dick, but also nice if he is really nice on a weirdly random occasion.” You still sat down, your first time talking since Zoe started her story. Gary did all that fucked up stuff, and deep down you still believe theirs some nice in him, maybe it was a undiscovered savior complex you had buried deep within you.

“To be completely honest, yea it did. He likes to help around the school n shit now, but he’s still really impulsive and crass at times. People still avoid him like the plague though, so he has nothing to do but stay by himself.”

“What if he had a change of heart and is trying to redeem himself?” As soon as you said that, Zoe shook her head and slapped her hand against your forehead, now looking at you crazily.

“Don’t tell me you're trying to defend Gary.”

"I'm not! I'm just saying the therapy worked, everyone deserves a second chance right?”

“At this school? He’d been better off going to some other boarding school if he wanted to pull that off. In my opinion I think he’s just trying to work his way back into peoples head’s again, but the Bullworth student body isn't falling for it again.”

“Yea, I guess you're right…” You didnt wanna fight with her on why you believe Gary has changed, so you shut up, keeping your opinion to yourself. You're a new student, what should you know if you've never been here before? This is what you're thinking as you get ready for bed. You and Zoe both went your separate ways on your night routine and went to sleep, now ending the chaotic day you had to start fresh on Sunday.

And when you did wake up the next day, Zoe already gone doing who knows what, you did nothing, well nothing to eventful that would stress you out even more. You went to Crabblesnitches office and got a key replacement and your schedule. You then packed your school bag with all the supplies you needed, that was the one thing you came prepared with extras, the amount of pencils you bought could last a classroom a whole year. Overall your whole day consisted of getting ready for school the next day, you didn't run into Gary, Jimmy, nor Petey surprisingly throughout the whole day, so it just consisted of you and your thoughts every hour of the day until you finally went to sleep at a normal hour.

The next day soon rolled around, finally it being Monday you had to wake up a little bit earlier, luckily for you Zoe had an alarm clock so the both of you woke up at the same time to get ready.

“You ready for your first day?” Zoe asked, sitting at her desk in front of a mirror now applying her eyeliner. 

“Kind of, we don’t have any of the same classes today so I’ll just hope I’m able to make it through the day unscathed.” It’s true you and Zoe don’t have any classes today. Bullworth runs on a block schedule so you won’t have the same classes everyday. The two of you compared your schedules and found out the only class you have together is Tuesday Thursday and Fridays Art class. Zoe got up and picked up her bag, ready to leave before you even finished getting dressed.

“You want me to wait for you?” She asked, standing by the door.

“No you don't have to, I need some alone time anyway.” After you said that she quickly walked out the door, letting it slam behind her.

“Well she clearly didnt wanna stay..” Finishing up getting dressed and making sure you looked good for the day, feeling a bit more confident than usual, the uniform wasn't all bad when you pair it with the right items. Now officially ready to leave you stepped out the muggy room to feel a face full of the AC that blasted through the building, enjoying it while it lasted you saw everybody else loitering around the downstairs area, clearly having no sense of urgency to get to class. But can you blame them? The early morning air tied in with the chilling AC made for an almost drowsy atmosphere that if you sat down on the couch for 5 minutes longer than needed you’d be fast asleep again. Not wanting any of that to happen, even though you did want to go back to sleep, you stepped out of the building into the sun, feeling the warm rays but not enough to make you sweat, just enough to make you feel warm inside out.

Finally making it to the school, and now you have to figure out where to go. No guidance, no Gary or Jimmy to help, just yourself and your brain to figure out what the class numbers mean and where they are located. Your first class was English, which you found relatively easy to find since it was on the first floor. Walking in you were the first one in class surprisingly, so the teacher noticed you immediately.

“Are you the new student…uhhh.”

“(Y/n).”

“Oh yea (Y/n), Crabblesnitch told me to look out for you as you were being added to my roster. Since you're the first one here, I'll assign your seat and once everyone is here you can introduce yourself.” The man clearly didn't expect anyone to come in his class so early, he still had papers all over the desk, and the board not erased from the last lesson he taught. But in the corner of the board you saw the name ‘Galloway’, which you assumed to be his name.

“Your desk will be in thee….back row first chair.” He said, head down looking at the seating chart, then quickly switching over to another paper to focus on. You walked and sat down in your seat, passing the time by doodling on your notebook and in some of the pages inside. Enthralled by this you completely disregarded the people starting to fill up the classroom, little by little each person noticed you, asking amongst their friends ‘who is that’ and ‘is she new’. All being true you only looked up when you heard somebody pulling their chair out beside you, screeching it against the floor in the process. Turning to the side you hoped it would be someone you’d get to know more, as of all you’ll be stuck sitting them all semester, hell maybe all school year if Galloway is too lazy to change it up. But who sat next to you only disappointed you. It was none other than Gary Smith, already smirking when he saw your expression drop.

“Hello again (Y/n), I see fate has brought us back together, it must be meant to be.” He was obviously sarcastic, it was seeping through his voice every word he spoke. You turned back and started to doodle again, trying to ignore him all together.

“Are you ignoring me? I don't know if you’ll be able to do that for much longer, because I don't give up when it comes to something I want.”

“Something you want? Have you ever thought maybe you shouldn't be handed everything on a silver platter?” You were honestly sick of Gary’s shit, after hearing what he did in the past, and other stories Zoe told you, all of his actions towards you started to make sense.

“I knew that’d get you talking, love hearing your voice again.” Gary smiled and then pulled out his notebook, dropping the conversation completely. He just gypped you into talking, and now leaving you without the satisfaction of seeing his reaction. 

“Okay class settle down, we have a new student here so if she’d please come up and introduce herself that’d be great.” Galloway said this while standing in front of the class, and soon after everyone snapped their necks to turn around and look at you. Gary snickered under his breath when he saw you physically shrink down from the stares from everyone else. You never wanted to present yourself as being weak, especially in front of Gary of all people, so with a new found confidence to prove him and yourself wrong you stood up and walked towards the front of the class, standing right next to Galloway. Everyone's eyes on you, but you felt Gary’s cold gaze the most, eyes full of an emotion that couldn't be described.

“Hi-hello my name is (Y/n) (L/n). I’m a new student and I hope to feel welcomed here at Bullworth. Pleasure meeting you all.” You were so awkward, everyone stared, saying absolutely nothing, not even any side commotion to talk about you, silence. Galloway probably smelling the nervousness off of you and soon took over talking to everyone, and then that’s when the chatter started back up. Your mind flashed to a memory you thought you had deep stored away in your mind.

。。。

“Everyone be quiet, we have to listen to our new student, go on and introduce yourself sweetie.” It was the middle of 7th grade, arguably the worst year in anybody going through puberty to move and restart all over. The teacher patted you on your shoulder before the class went quiet, paying attention to you and all your flaws, but you had to talk over them still to get the stupid introduction over with.

“H-hi, i’m (Y/n) I just moved from-”

“H-H-H-Hiiiii (Y/n).” Somebody in the back of the class mocked your stutter, everyone else busted into an immense laughing fit, the teacher yelled at everyone to shut up, but they didn't listen, they never listened. You felt yourself sniffling as the tears started to pour, but quickly wiping them you tried to introduce yourself again, but someone else caught you wiping your face.

“Awww are you crying? Come on you can't even introduce yourself or take a joke, now you're crying. Just a fucking waste of space.”

"Yea nobody gives a shit where you moved from, your family must be stupid to send you out dressed like that. My dog wouldn't even wear that!” The laughter continued, the taunting, the names, the mocking. Everything was directed and targeted to you because of one mistake, one slip up that set it all off like pulling the pin out of a grenade. The mistake so small you thought nobody would notice, but that’s foolish, everybody notices everything.

。。。

Back in the world that isn't warped into your mind, you sat at your desk, head down trying to regulate yourself. Galloway dismissed you to your chair as people talked, but your brain warped it as ‘he sent me back to my seat because you absolutely bombed that introduction’. Nobody noticed, or cared frankly because they all didn't care about you, or the fact you stumbled over your words. Nerves get to everyone, and for once at Bullworth nobody in the class tormented or talked about you, or even tried to talk to you after you practically ran to your seat. But that one person notices, every time without a fail a pair of eyes is always on you.

Gary watched you, feeling his brain pull emotional strings which would never ever be pulled for anyone else. Your head on the desk, fist clenched as your leg bounced making your whole body shake, it was all so…real to him. All the emotions you felt he could feel, like he was some sort of empath superhero, but his brain still fighting tried to push down these feelings.

“Dont trust her, don't trust anyone at this school.” Is the only thing that rang through, biting his lip he also started to bounce his leg the same as you, in sync almost if he really tried. Without his body ever telling him to do so his hand reached out to rub your back, warm fingers brushing your neck faintly as he continued the circle motions. Your mind was blank at first when you felt the hand, it was comforting, almost like a tight embrace that signals ‘i'm here for you’. As soon as you felt his hand start to make its way to your neck you shot up, Gary pulling his hand back as you saw him…blushing? Embarrassed might be the right word to describe it.

“Don’t let them bother you, you’re…great! You’re great.” Gary stumbled over himself, finding the words to say that doesn't make him sound so pathetic, but even though it was a small gesture, your heart fluttered. His face held a soft expression, not with his usual smirk, a soft smile as he uneasily rubbed the hand that was just on your back. Gary fully expecting you to just ignore him, or talk about how creepy he was, braced for impact but was never affected.

“Thanks, I needed that” was the only thing that left softly out of your lips. Your oh so soft lips Gary just noticed as he looked down but immediately shot his eyes back up. Kind of reminded you of a puppy.

“Your welcome…” Gary turned to face forward after his response, now on full display was his chiseled jawline, that was being stared at by none other than you.

“His side profile is really nice.” Was what went through your mind, everything else before that taking a step beside as you found a new way to distract yourself. Eyes traveling down now landed on his neck, Adam's apple prominent on his long neck, but not too long it makes him look lanky. The uniform buttoned all the way to the top but the last button opened, if he were to button the last one it would practically choke him.

It was like a spell was put on you, your eyes wandering his body from top to bottom just looking. Gary, probably feeling your hungry gaze flicking his eyes towards you, quickly you turned your head back forward, realizing what you caught yourself doing without any influence to stop.

“This is gonna be a long year”

。

。

。

The next few classes, your mind raced, realizing you might be developing feelings for Gary of all people. It just felt so…random, but maybe it was just your brain doing tricks on you, telling you to start having feelings for him because he helped you once. But thinking back to what Zoe said yesterday, he doesn't trust anyone, not even the people he calls his friends. So for him to comfort you like that, something that requires physical contact and support, that takes a lot of trust. It was like he was letting you into his circle of trust, if he even had one to begin with. All his actions and atrocities he committed last year according to Zoe’s story, all still on your mind, but..defending him in a way by making up reasons to why he acted the way he did, and why he treats you so differently.

You didn't have any new classes with him, so the rest of the day mostly consisted of regular class stuff. You made an effort to not introduce yourself to any of the classes, just telling the teacher ‘oh i already introduced myself to all the students, they were in my last class’ or something along those lines. They believed it, or they were just too tired to care and let you sit with everyone else and continue on like nothing else happened. It was a normal day, nothing else going on, though tomorrow had something else completely different in store.

You did your same morning routine and made sure to not show up to class early, giving you extra time to get breakfast and actually sit down and eat. When you walked to your first class of the day, Chemistry, yea a real shit class to start the day off with, at least it wasn't a Monday it took place. You again dodged the question to introduce yourself and the teacher told you to sit at one of the tables. He explained that during the entire year you will have an assigned lab partner and you will do stuff with them all year. He’s planning to assign partners today based on seats, but the only seat open was the one all the way in the back. Turning to look, their face covered by the beakers you finally saw who was sitting at the table.

And it was none other than Jimmy Hopkins, just your shit sense of luck striking once again. The sigh that left your throat made the teacher look at you sideways, before shooing you away to your seat. Slowly you trudged to your seat, somewhat not wanting Jimmy to notice you, but he was going to anyway.

“Hey, haven't seen you in a while, I guess we're lab partners now.” Jimmy spoke to you first, not looking in his direction you sat down at the table, upset he even acknowledged your existence.

“Yea I guess we are…” Speaking quietly, trying to give off the ‘I don’t want to talk to you’ signal to Jimmy, but clearly his thick skull must've bounced the signal off, completely ignored.

“You okay? Is this about the other day?”

“I don't know you guess”

“I mean, I cant guess thats why im aski-”

“Yes this is about the other day! Why would you leave and pretend all along your ‘mission’ was for some random girl, but it was actually meant for your girlfriend?? Why keep me in the da-”

“I got you a bike.” Jimmy cut through your words, angering you before you realized what he said.

“You what?? If this is your way of lying it isn't working. Tell me why you pretended the gift wasn't for your girlfriend??” Agitated wasn't even a strong enough word to describe how you were feeling. Jimmy avoided you, now he’s lying?? He might be as dumb as Zoe says he is.

“Do you want me to explain? Because I can't do it if you're not calm.”

“Oh I'm calm, go ahead.”

“We're in the middle of a classroom, not tryna draw too much attention on you, afterall you are new to these people.”

“I know them already, get to speaking before I ask Dr. Watts to move my seat somewhere else.” You crossed your arms, glaring daggers at Jimmy who looked like he was holding something back.

“Okay…the girl you saw while waiting at the bus stop wasn't my girlfriend, in fact I'm pretty sure she hates me now..”

。。。

“Why do you keep looking at her, can't you even pretend to love me?!” The girl yelled at Jimmy, him still staring as you stepped onto the bus, it pulling away and leaving his line of vision. It’s true, Jimmy was the mission man, but his missions required him to do some weird things. For example, pretending to be someone's boyfriend to get their ex-boyfriend jealous as he watched from the beach house. There's something so funny about how his missions used to be centered around helping people, and helping the school, now it's just all about stupid favors from people who couldn't be bothered to handle something on their own. But hey, money is money.

“I am, I got you the flowers, the teddy bear, and chocolate, what more do you want?? Because clearly this guy you're trying to get with isn't buying it.”

“Because you're selling it, I mean ever since that girl walked over here and just stood by the bus stop you've been staring at her like a long lost loverboy. If you like her that’s fine, but don't act and pretend with me just to get some cash.” The girl frankly, was pissed, and her ex was too. With all the items in hand she stormed over to him, and not even 10 seconds they’re kissing, both saying sorry while eating each other's face out. 

“Eugh, get a room.” Jimmy mumbled this to himself before turning around, walking back through the tunnel to the carnival, which was inevitably stupid considering he punched the shit out the worker, and outran the cops, but their shifts switched, leading Jimmy to now pay and walk through peacefully. His motives weren't clear in his mind, but he knew he had to make it up to you. The sad look on your face when he saw you out the corner of his eye pulled at heart strings, feeling as if he did wrong, and wanted to make it right.

His lateness, miscommunication, and downright lying were all consciousness of him taking on those stupid missions that only lead to more mess between you and him. For once he considered someone becoming a recurring constant in this life. He wanted to make sure you were always happy, no matter what. 

。。。

“Soooo you're saying you only got her those gifts and pretended to be in love with her to spite her ex, who still ended up getting back with him??”

“Yep, now do you understand why I left?”

“Yea, I understand that girl wasted her money, and time.” You smiled at your own remark, Jimmy laughing quietly as the teacher started the lesson, now not allowing you and Jimmy to speak so freely. Sure he might still be bad at communicating, but at least he puts in the effort and tries with you. Gary just seems to let the problems sweep themselves under the rug, and then pretends nothing has happened. Fuck youre thinking about Gary again, even thought Jimmy literally mentioned getting you a bike, which you still dont fully believe but still, its better then whatever excuse Gary wouldv’e pulled out of his ass.

As soon as the teacher dismissed the class, Jimmy pulled you out of your seat to show you your bike, and ‘another’ surprise he had in store. Walking across campus, he again pulled you to the hot asphalt plate, all the garages lined up, him standing in front of them.

“Get ready to feast your eyes.” He dramatically announced this, pulling up the garage to reveal he indeed wasn't lying. Two bikes stood next to each other in the garage, one being his, blue with the back standing pedals on it. And the one you assumed to be yours yellow, a cruiser bike used to travel long distances.

“You actually got me a bike…Thank you Jimmy I-I don't know what to say.” Stunned isn't even the word, you didn't believe him for a second he’d get you something again, but alas he pulled through.

“Used the leftover tickets to get you that, then I had to play more games to get just enough. Took me a while but I feel like it’s right for you.” Jimmy watched as you excitedly walked towards the bike, kicking out the stand and rolling it out the locker. A huge smile stayed on your face, making Jimmy smirk as he felt the happiness radiating off of you.

“That’s not all, I got something else for you.”

“What is it?” You questioned, a few seconds later he pulled out a paper, flipping it over to show you.

“I got you a job, you now work delivering food on that bike. Go up to the burger place we went to and you can start whenever you like, just tell them your name and they’ll know who you are.” You grabbed the paper out of Jimmy’s hand, reading the not-so official application with your name on it, stating you'll work whenever you're available.

“Oh my gosh…Thank you Jimmy!!” You completely ignored the bike and embraced him in a tight hug, you had no other way to express your gratitude so this was the best way to do so, with physical reassuring love. Jimmy hugged you back, not pulling away and enjoying your tight embrace. You looked at his face, seeing it turn a slight tint of pink, so to tease him even more you planted a soft kiss on his cheek, then you pulled out of the hug, looking at Jimmy almost malfunction after your impulsive action.

“Y-your welcome (Y/n). It wasn't anything that complicated, it just took some be-”

“Whatever it took, thank you. Ugh I could literally kiss you right now im so happy, you have no idea how shitty it's been being so broke!”

“But that really wasn't a kiss…” Jimmy muttered, making sure you didn't hear him, but clearly his voice carries some weight so sound comes naturally with it.

“Well if that wasn't a real kiss, this one is!” You pulled Jimmy’s collar and placed a kiss on his lips, clearly he wasn't prepared, he stayed still until you let go, moving away to see his face has reached a new level of red, looking around to feel if what he experienced was real. The feelings of your lips lingered on his, you smiling as you turned to leave on your bike.

“Thank you Jimmy, I’ll see you later!” Was the last thing he heard before you pulled off with your bike, ready to test out your new transportation.

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝ ── ⟢ ・⸝⸝ ── ⟢ ・⸝⸝ ── ⟢ ・⸝⸝ ──

Gary x fem reader! Jimmy x fem reader!

Your new life for the years to come resides in a small town which houses the infamous Bullworth Academy. You try to navigate through the struggles of being left behind to fend for yourself in a new environment during your sophomore year of high school. But what happens when two boys known for trouble make it their goal to stir up your boring life, making sure you'll never be alone, even if they have to fight for your attention.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5

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Chapter 6: C U Girl

Jimmy walked towards the restaurant and opened the door, you followed after him hesitantly. The inside was significantly better looking than the outside, the bright red and blue aesthetic makes it look like a typical burger diner you’d see in a retro movie, but the smell of the old oil and not-so retro looking employees brought you back to reality. Jimmy without looking at you pulls you to the cash register with an employee waiting to take his order.

”Hey welcome to Benny’s Burgers, what’d you want to order dude?! And…mam.” The employee was a teenager who doesn’t care enough to be proper, and also clearly not from anywhere near Bullworth, his valley-sounding accent giving it away. 

“Benny’s Burgers…so this place does have a name then.” 

“Okay…dude, I want a number 5 with a beam cola.” He spoke awkwardly to the guy, the teenager inputted what he wanted onto the screen.

”Number 5, okay that’s what’s uppp. And what would you like missy? Or would you want your boy toy here to speak for you?”He tried to sound flirty talking to you, but mixed with the accent it sounded more like someone speaking while drunk out of their mind. 

”I can speak for myself, I’d like the same as him, but no fries and drink.”

”So you don't want a number 5 then, you just want the cheeseburger?”

”Yep, just the cheeseburger.” You said, speaking through your teeth, Jimmy has been basically paying for everything you’ve touched today, you didn't want to put more of a hole in his pocket with your inability to have money, so you ordered less to lighten the blow. 

“Um she doesn’t actually just want the burger, you can make that a combo again.” Jimmy said this, confusing the teenager even more.

”Uhhh okay, sooo 2 number 5’s with a beam cola?” Before you could say what you actually wanted Jimmy spoke.

”Yes, and that’ll be all.” You looked at Jimmy crazily. Surely you’re more than $100 in debt to Jimmy, and this just made it go up even more. The cashier said the price and Jimmy handed him the cash amount, he counted the money and then handed him his change back.

”For here or to go?”

”To go” Jimmy replied quickly. He walked towards the booth and sat down, you followed and sat on the opposite side, now waiting for your food sitting awkwardly at a table with no words being exchanged until you broke the silence.

”Why’d you change the order? I was fine with just the cheeseburger.” 

“I got you what you wanted.”

“But that's what I wanted..” You said trying to convince Jimmy.

“Look if it's like some weird diet thing then don't worry, the fries and beam cola will not go to waste.” 

“It’s not that.”

”Then what is it? I said I’d pay for it, you didn’t need to try to skimp yourself out of a full meal.”

”That’s the point, I'm too broke to handle myself so I have to depend on you, so to lessen the blow I ordered less so I wouldn’t owe you as much money.” You paused briefly.

”I didn't wanna be a burden more than I already am…” You looked down towards the table, feeling ashamed for spilling your feelings onto Jimmy. You’re already in debt to him, why give the sob story now?

”You’re not a burden, how many times do I have to tell you I want to do this.”

”Do what?”

”Help out, do everything I can to make sure you have a good time at Bullworth. That’s what I'm known for after all.” He said in a soft, sincere voice.

”You're not burdening me by tagging along, it's actually nice to have someone to talk to when im on the way to a mission, gives me more motivation to get it done.”

”I give you motivation?”

”Hell yeah you do, talking to someone normally and they're not asking for something is refreshing. I’m able to do good things on my own terms instead of someone else asking for the next stupid thing to be done.” After Jimmy’s rant you laughed. When you did he looked at you and smirked.

”See, I already made you feel better.”

”I got better on my own thank you.” You replied back swiftly, making both you and Jimmy now laugh. The two of you continued to wait for the food, but there was something awkward lingering in the air. Without even thinking you grabbed the piece of leftover straw paper on the table and fidgeted with it, now growing anxious trying to distract yourself.

”I’m sorry...for yelling at you about Gary.” You stopped fidgeting and looked up at Jimmy.

”No I should be the one sorry, I intruded on a sensitive topic and didn't take the hint to back off.”

”It’s not exactly a sensitive topic, it’s just a lot to unpack.”

”I get it, if you don't want me to know I won't bother you anymore.” You said, thinking that was the end of it, you weren’t gonna get any answer on Gary, and who he was anytime soon.

“If you wanna know about Gary, there are people who know him for who he truly is. If you want to talk, go to them.”

”But I don't wanna burden myself, is there drama that's still going on??” You questioned frantically.

”No, there isn't any current drama, I just want you to hear about him from a un-bias standpoint. I’m not the best at storytelling.” He paused.

”And you do have a right to know the loops, being new and all. I don't want you to fall into the wrong crowd.”

”Well thanks, I’ll gladly take my time being nosy.”  Soon after you  finished speaking, they called out the number for the food being ready. Jimmy quickly got up and brought over the big bag with the two drinks to the table.

”Is it okay if we eat in here? I know you said to go but this AC feels soooo nice.”

”This AC does feel nice, but we gotta make it quick before we go.”

”Okay!” You said happily, digging through the bag to grab your food, Jimmy did the same. The both of you sat down and ate, the occasional side talk, but you were mainly focused on the food, and Jimmy was the same. The atmosphere was comforting, going back to what it was this morning before everything happened. To think you barely knew Jimmy this morning, now you’re sitting in a run down burger place eating and letting the conversations flow.

“Does this mean we're friends now? I mean you never said it officially we were.” You said chewing on the last remainders of your food.

“I paid for your stuff twice today, and got you breakfast. If you don't refer to us as friends after that I hope you're labeling me as your boyfriend instead.”

“Ew never, I'm not that easy to get with.”

“Then I guess we're friends then.” Jimmy said quickly, also finishing up the remainders of his food. 

“You done?” He asked you, nodding your head you gathered all the trash on the table and threw it away, now ready to head out and complete whatever the hell mission Jimmy is going to send you on.

“Let’s get going, the place isn't that far so we can walk.” Jimmy said, pushing the door and holding it for you. As soon as the two of you stepped outside, the temperature difference hitting your body caused you to immediately heat up.

“I know summer’s nice and all, but this heat is terrible.” You complained to Jimmy, now walking down the sidewalk with no way to shade from the sun. The sidewalk was packed with other people walking in different directions and ways. The area was a dense metropolitan area filled with other stores and places to go to, so it made sense why the area was so packed, it looked like the heart of this town.

“Well you better get used to it, we're gonna be outside for a while.”

“Is it too late to back out? I think I might melt.”

“Yes, it's too late! Stop being so lazy and get to stepping.” Jimmy’s demand made you groan, he sped up his walking so you had to keep up whether you liked it or not.

“Are you gonna tell me now where we're going and what I'm going to be doing?” You questioned, looking towards Jimmy right beside you.

“We’re going to the carnival.”

“The carnival..Why are we going there? Isn't that place known for rides n stuff.”

“Theirs other stuff there, like games.”

“Ohhh like those games where you get scammed and never win the prize?”

“Yes you're right, but we're going to try and not get scammed this time.” Jimmy paused briefly, thinking of what to say.

“A girl came up to me and said she’s been wanting this giant stuffed bear from the carnival prize shop, but she's never been able to get it because she can't win the games. I rejected her offer at first because like you said, it's a scam those games are never meant to win. But she insisted I try, and gave me $100 to pay for the games, and as my reward if I somehow get the teddy bear without spending all the money.”

“So what I'm hearing is I help you win these games, not get scammed, and spend little to no money so you can pocket most of it.” You questioned sarcastically.

“Exactly that.”

“That’s gonna take forever, is the girl who asked you for this insane?!”

“Relax, that's why I brought you as backup. More people equals more tickets, which means less time spent.”

“But that also means more money spent Jimmy, I suck at those games.”

“Well you better suit up, because we have a quota to meet, and I don't wanna lose one of my most valuable customers.” Jimmy leaned closer towards you, now slowing down his walking speed.

“And it'll be bad for business, so I suggest you drop the attitude and be prepared to be here for some hours.” He slowly backed away, trying to look more intimidating to get his point across, but he just looked like his normal, squinty eyed self.

“Youre going to have a budget, me and you are going to split half of the money.”

“So were each getting $50? That’s using up all the money tho-” Jimmy jokingly hovered his finger over your lips, making you go quiet as you looked at his calloused finger.

“We're not splitting the $100 my new found helper, we're splitting the $50 You get $25, I get $25.”

“Wow you know basic math.”

“Okay smartass, just for that I'm gonna make your budget $15.” 

“So less games for me? Sounds good.” When you stated this fact, Jimmy was hit with a wave of realization. He just unintentionally lightened your load of work. 

“It’s back to $25.” He said, too embarrassed to admit his mistake. Chuckling you watched as Jimmy’s face turned a light hue of pink, trying hard not to snap at you, but also embarrassed he made such a simple dumb mistake in front of you. Out of shame Jimmy dug through his pocket and held out the money for you, not looking your way as his face was still beaming hot.

“Take the money, we just gotta walk through this tunnel and we’re here.” Still smiling, you took the money out of his hand and put it in your pocket. 

“Why would we walk through the tunnel? Come on Jimmy!” You turned towards Jimmy and yanked his arm, now pulling him as you ran the rest of the way through the tunnel. The downhill spike from the tunnel made the two of you run even faster, causing you to grip onto Jimmy’s arm harder, and his face to glow even brighter.

“It’s been a lot of running today, have you noticed that!?” Jimmy said, now having the courage to face you and he continued to be dragged by the arm.

“Yea I know, that's why I wanted to run!” You said, an infectious smile plastered onto your face. Jimmy couldn't resist and he also started smiling, his stomach feeling fluttery with different emotions as you never let go of his arm and kept him close as the two of you ran until you could see the giant ferris wheel and the bright lights of the carnival just up ahead. The concrete road soon turned dirt as the tunnel ended, halting your running and you let go of Jimmy’s arm to look at the entrance of the carnival. Jimmy looked at you longly before he snapped out of it, realizing why you had let go, but wished it lasted longer. You walked ahead to the entrance of the carnival and walked up to the ticket booth, ready to pay the admission fee.. You pulled out your money to pay for your ticket, but Jimmy pushed your hand down, preventing you from handing the money to the man in the ticket booth. 

“Are you gonna pay for my ticket?” You questioned, shoving the money back into your pocket. Jimmy looked at you and scoffed.

“No, we're getting in for free, watch this.” Jimmy soon trailed off after this, walking up towards the booth.

“Good afternoon on this fine pleasant day sir, I'd like 1 ticket please.” Jimmy’s whole demeanor switched completely like it was night and day. He spoke with a clear high pitched voice, trying to make himself sound more proper and caring then he actually is, and the booth worker didn't buy it whatsoever. Through the tinted window from the side you were standing on you could see him roll his eyes, and visibly clench his jaw.

“So Jimmy’s plan is to act like a goody two shoes…like anyone would believe that.” You looked at Jimmy puzzled, deep down knowing you're going to be spending some money. 

“That’ll be $5.50.” The booth worker replied back flatly. Jimmy then started to dramatically start digging through his pockets, having a pouty expression on his face as he pretended to look for his money.

“I-im sorry sir, could you just get my ticket ready while I look for my money? I wouldn't want to hold up the line.” There was in fact no line, you were the only one standing around the booth area, so Jimmy out of options referred to you as the ‘line’. The worker not caring enough to fact check him turned around in the small booth to get his admission ticket. Jimmy stopped digging through his pockets and turned to you and smirked, and motioned for you to move up closer towards him. Following him up your belief in him slowly started to fade away, now realizing what he might be planning.

“He’s planning to snatch the ticket…”

Jimmy faced forward and put on his innocent dumb face again right before the worker held the ticket in his hand. With his other hand was flat out signalling to put the money down for the ticket. Again he dug through his pockets which made the worker breath out a heavy sigh of frustration, again having to wait longer through his antics. Sooner or later Jimmy pulled out the exact change amount for his ticket. As the worker leaned forward to receive the money, you thought of all the things that would go wrong if he did go through with just snatching the tickets. How would you get through? Was he leaving just you to pay for the ticket? Why didn't he ask for two if that was the case? So many questions swam through your mind, but were put to rest immediately as you saw Jimmy put the money in his non-dominant hand and quickly cocked his arm back and watched as his fist connected to the worker's face, punching him square in the middle of his face. 

It became all so evident, His plan wasn't to scam the worker, it was to assault him.

Distraught, you watched the worker drop the ticket as his hands flew to his face that now housed a bloody and bruised nose. Before he could regain focus and realize he had been punched by Jimmy, he ran towards the gate and signalled for you to follow after. He pushed through the gate and started to speed walk away from the booth, purposely not running to draw the least amount of attention to you and himself, but it didn't work out. The worker walked out the booth to the police officer on the opposite side of the gate and pointed towards the both of you. Wasting no time the cop started to chase after screaming at the top of his lungs for the both of you to stop. Jimmy turned around and saw the cop charging full speed ahead and immediately whipped his head back around to dash ahead, pulling you along causing you to stumble before regaining your footing to dash along with him. 

“Follow my lead exactly, don't fall behind!” is the last thing Jimmy yelled before he cut the corner and dragged you to the back side of an empty game stall. The area was tight, and due to the velocity Jimmy flung you from, the front of your body was now flesh against the front of his. Jimmy raised his arm to cover your mouth to conceal the loud breathing and panting sounds you produced, his face a mere inches away as his lips pursed, still regaining his breath the same you were doing. The feeling of his chest rising and falling kept you steady, and quiet. Jimmy locked eyes with you, as you were staring at him first hoping he’d notice you.

“Keep still, we're only gonna be like this for a little longer” he whispered, speaking into your ear. Your body tensed up as you felt the air from his voice trickling the side of your ear. You nodded, his hand still over your mouth. The feeling of his body heat mixed with yours is what made the time feel like it was moving slower then it actually was. We’re you enjoying being so close to Jimmy? Or were you glad he helped you? Questions like these are what you would normally ask yourself, but the same fluttery feeling you felt in your stomach so many times was back in full force, except it wasn't just an unknown feeling, it was butterflies. Staying in a position like this for too long would've made your head explode, so you were glad when Jimmy took his hand away from your mouth and moved away from you, stepping out of a tight area, you scooted out the space too, finally being able to move around and breathe again without risking blowing your cover.

“Is he gone…? You asked, still weary about fully stepping back into the busy pathway of the carnival.

“Yea he’s gone, the cops around here are super lazy when it comes to dealing with anything that isn't a real crime, so we’ll be fine.” Jimmy walked out into the sun again, double checking by looking around at the bright lights from the games flashings, and all the people walking about. You stood frozen, still in shock about what happened not even a few minutes ago, and it finally hit. You knew Jimmy was aggressive, but punching someone like that and not even hesitating? That’s scary. And he just pulled you so close to him and you didn't say anything, just going along with Jimmy’s so-called plan. Your mind almost short-circuited from the amount of back to back situations that's been happening, but thinking about it wasn't gonna do anything. So not wanting to start up anything again you kept quiet, and pretended everything that just happened didn’t phase you.

“Since that’s out of the way, let’s start playing these games, we’re already behind enough as it is.” He talked so casually, as if nothing in the past 30 minutes didn't just happen. But to keep the peace, you played along.

“Yea we are behind, come on!” To put on a cheery voice and walk ahead pretending to be confident, but you were still petrified the cop might still be out looking for you. But like Jimmy said, you guys are behind.

“The teddy bear that we need to get is 100 tickets. Meet me back in 2 hours by the ferris wheel.” You watched as Jimmy spoke quickly, not directly facing you and walked the opposite direction you were originally heading to. Before you could react he already sped walked away from your line of sight, leaving you alone only being surrounded by the sounds of other people having fun enjoying themselves.

Everything about Jimmy you've seen today is just so…weird. But nonetheless, even though your brain went into overthinking overdrive, you still had work to do. Turning around you walked along the dirt road and looked at the various games, still thinking, but also not sure how to feel.

“I feel cursed, first Gary turns out to be fucked up in the head. I meet Jimmy, and he’s also fucked up. I mean who punches someone like that so casually?? And then runs away and knows exactly where to hide and what to do, that means he does this often…”  You walked up to a game booth titled ‘Duck Boat’. The bright colors of the ducks, and the not-so challenging premise of the game caught your attention. Pick up 5 ducks out of the boat with the fishing pole, and you get 5 tickets, but you only get 8 tries to pick up 5 ducks, a good simple game to start with. You handed the worker the dollar owed to start the game and she handed you the fishing pole to officially start.

“Did Jimmy just coincidentally know what to do? Did he know the guy he punched? AGH I cant bear to think anymore, this stupid game isn't even clearing my mind the way I thought it would.” The fishing pole dangled as you attempted to grab the ducks, but to your surprise and the workers, you succeeded, all while stressing over something that would've inevitably affected your playing skill.

“Congrats, here’s your tickets.” You looked up to the worker holding out a line of 5 red tickets, putting the fishing pole down, you grabbed the tickets and walked away, quietly saying thank you before leaving.

“I actually won first try, it must be beginner's luck.” You held the tickets in your hand until you reached the next game booth. ‘Shootout’ was the next game, grab the shotgun and shoot 8 bandits to win, 12 tries to get all 8. The reward for the game was still the same 5 tickets. As you handed the worker the dollar to start the game, your thoughts started to flow once again.

“Everything I feel for Jimmy is also confusing. When he pulled me into that backspace and I was all up against him, and I felt butterflies?? Why would I feel butterflies for someone who just dragged me and threw me against him to keep quiet. I'm quite literally being treated like a ragdoll and I like it?? What does that say about me…”  You held the shotgun and shot at the moving objects, now again not even paying attention to the game. But again by pure luck, you won. Looking up the worker already ripped off 5 red tickets and placed onto the table below you holstering the other shotguns. Picking up the tickets you put them in your pocket and scurried off. And this cycle repeated over and over again. Darts, bucket ball toss, ring toss, cornhole, each game you played you won. Everytime the game started you blacked out, only thinking of other stuff that has nothing to do with the game whatsoever. The time had gone by quickly and the two hours had passed, and you had a total of 125 tickets, way more than the amount needed to get the teddy bear. You walked to the ferris wheel and not to much surprise Jimmy was nowhere around.

“Of course he’s not here, what’d I expect? He set the time and he’s late??” To kill time before Jimmy arrived you decided to get on the ferris wheel, maybe getting some air high in the sky would clear your mind. The ferris wheel came to a stop and everyone who was previously on it started to get off, as it spun and more people started to leave and board, it was your turn to board. You walked on the platform and sat in the shaky booth-like seat and waited for the green light to be able to pull down the lap bar. As soon as you grabbed the metal bar you saw Jimmy talking to the worker and pointing towards you, annoyed you quickly pulled down the lap bar and turned your head away from the scene, but Jimmy, not taking the hint still walked onto the platform to your seat. 

“You’re late.” You said, crossing your arms and looking over at Jimmy, his facial expression was soft, softer than his usual scrunched up face.

“I know I am, got caught up. Can you get out so we can get what we came here for?”

“Im already on the ride, you might as well get on with me.” You thought your reply was sarcastic, but to him it was a genuine request. He lifted up the lap bar and sat down next to you, lowering it once again.

“I wasn't being serious…” You mumbled. Jimmy's shoulders were now right against yours, since the booth was already small for you, with someone else sitting next to you the space was even more confined. 

“Why do I always end up being so close to him..” 

The ferris wheel soon started up and the booth slowly moved up into the air. The wind hit your face, cooling you down, but you couldn't truly relax. It was awkward, you sat next to Jimmy with nothing to say and he said nothing. No glance in your direction, or an attempt to start up conversations, just pure, awkward silence. Your body still tense as your shoulders press against his on the presenting calming ride, but nothing about you was calm, and Jimmy could feel it. But in his classic fashion he let it pass, not saying anything if you weren't vocal about it. The ferris wheel stopped, now at its highest peak. The view was stunning, but you couldn't fully enjoy it because of the tense atmosphere that was so thick it could be cut with a razor blade. 

“How many tickets did you get?” Jimmy questioned, ignoring the tension by facing straight forward and asking the question in a neutral tone.

“125.”

“Just give me your tickets, you can leave after this and go back to the school, I'll get the teddy bear.”

“Can I keep my extra tickets? The teddy bear is only 100 tickets so with the amount you have, we will be well over the amount.”

“That’s okay, just give me the 100 tickets.”

“Okay…” You pulled the stack of red tickets out of your pocket and handed it to him. You wanted to question why he needed 100 tickets if he also played games, and why he needed all the extra tickets. But you stopped caring, leaving the rest of the work and whatever he’s planning to do. You did your job, you met your quota, and you repaid him, why should you care? The ferris wheel ride soon came to an end, stopping as soon as your feet were able to touch down on the wooden platform. You lifted up the lap bar and the two of you stood up at the same time, desperate to leave to put an end to the awkwardness. Jimmy walked ahead to the exit and disappeared quickly into the growing crowd of people surrounding the ferris wheel. It's like Jimmy's whole demeanor switch up, it went from him talking to you, and staying around, but it's like now he's doing everything in his power to stay far away from you.

You walked off the platform and also exited, immediately switching your footing to go to the prize tent to exchange your tickets for something you'd actually want. Walking around aimlessly for an extended amount of time, you finally found the small prize tent. Moving the curtain and walking in you looked at all the items that presented themselves on the shelves and other glass cases and shelves. Out of all the prizes, big and small, you decided to ask the worker for a bag of randomized candy. The only other prizes that were worth your mere 25 tickets were trinket toys obviously meant for little kids, so the candy seemed the most appropriate. 

You left the prize tent and started making your way to the exit, finally being able to leave and go back to the school and relax. You exited through the entrance gate on the opposing side, meaning the ticket booth was connecting both of the gates. Curious you peeked your head to look if the same guy was still in the ticket booth, and to your surprise he was. With the quick glance taken you saw he now sported a thick white bandage wrapped around his face to cover his damaged nose. 

“Jimmy was really fucked up for that, kind of feel bad for the poor guy.” You quickly left the scene, making sure the worker didn't see you, afterall he was the one that sent the police running after you and Jimmy, who knows if you're officially off the radar just yet? You didn't want to take any chances. The walk through the tunnel back to the town made you feel empty, only a few hours ago you were smiling ear to ear running along with Jimmy through the tunnel. The walk was long, but like everybody always says, theirs is always a light at the end of the tunnel, figuratively and literally in your case. 

Luckily for you there was a bus stop just down the sidewalk at the end of the tunnel, right by the beach side. You walked to the bus stop sign and stood by it, waiting for wherever the bus may be to arrive. Not knowing how long the wait may be, you opened your candy bag to look through, and pulled out a jolly rancher. As you were opening the jolly rancher and about to pop it into your mouth, you saw a figure move along the beach, holding a load of items, walking around looking for someone. Looking closer, you finally realized who it was. 

It was Jimmy, holding the enormous pink teddy bear, a bag of candy, and a bouquet of flowers. He used not just his tickets, but your tickets to get more than the teddy bear. You unknowingly assisted him in getting gifts for another girl. He’s a player, you knew it, but it still hurt as you watched the girl he was meeting walk up to him and the first thing he did was embrace her, and plant a kiss tenderly on her cheek. You watched as he then exchanged the gifts with her, the girl's face lit up and she leaned in again. You turned away, partly not wanting to invade their privacy, but you didn't need to hurt your heart more than it already has been hurt today. 

“They look so happy…” You thought, now turned around staring to the ground, swirling the jolly rancher in your mouth. It's true, they did look happy, but you knew it wasn't genuine, realizing if Jimmy were to ever treat you like that, it wasn't because he had feelings, it's because someone paid him to do it. Why didn't Jimmy tell you he was getting the teddy bear for a girl he liked? He wasn't descriptive for who the teddy bear was for, he only said it was for a girl, not his girlfriend. He made it seem like the teddy bear was just for some random girl that asked and paid for it, but why did he have to hide the fact it wasn't just a random gift? Sure it may not be your business, but for crying out loud you unknowingly helped him get a gift for his date you had no idea about.

“Why am I even thinking like this, I don't like Jimmy, why would I want him to treat me like that.” Jimmy wasn't someone you foresaw ever dating, but the idea was so nice. All day he had moments where he treated you with kindness and care, something no one has ever really done for you unless you asked for it, or forced to comply. He brought you breakfast, bought your clothes, let you work to pay you back, bought you food even when you didn't want him to, and helped you get back to the school when you were lost. All these things he did out of the kindness of his heart, because he truly wanted to help. But Jimmy was…confusing when it came to emotions, he made you feel bad, but also good at the same time, for various things either you started, or him just acting on his own accord. You didn't know if you were actually his friend, or a pawn he could take advantage of and throw away once you've been used.  

You know what it feels like to be used, taken advantage of and then discarded. You didn’t want it to happen again with someone you just met, ruining the rest of your experience in a fresh, brand new environment. You don't want to feel like you have to depend on a person, because at any moment they could get up and leave.

The sun wasn't as high in the sky anymore, leading to cool air now sweeping in. You complained with Jimmy all day about how hot it was, and how you’d wish the sun would just disappear out of the sky. But as the temperature cooled down, you were only reminded of the time you spent with Jimmy now passing by, probably already insignificant to Jimmy’s chaotic lifestyle. You were just a speck in his life, and you only blew away as the wind settled in. 

After an uncomfortable amount of time waiting by the bus stop knowing what was happening just behind you, the bus arrived. Gripping the bag of candy tightly you stepped up the steep stairs of the school bus and walked to the back of the bus. You threw yourself on the hard chair and laid your head against the window, letting your body now fully decompress. The bus slowly pulled off, leaving Jimmy and the girl to now have to find their own way home, or wait another hour for the bus, and if you were to guess, they’d take the wait an hour for the bus route.

The windows down on the bus made for a cool, relaxing environment, an environment where you can put your brain to rest. You dug through the candy bag again to eat another piece, and settled on a small pack of M&M’s. You turned your head to the window, looking at the scenery, the town the bus driver was now driving through had big suburban homes lined up all the way down the block. Big lawns of grass, basketball hoops on the driveway, those type of big fancy suburban houses. The bus stopped and picked up 2 kids from a bus stop that also go to Bullworth, probably just getting done visiting family and ready to start up the school week again. This cycle repeated until the bus driver hit every bus stop in the area, and was now enroute back to the school.

The bus stopped at the school, now opening its doors to let the kids get off. You let all the kids on the bus get off before you got up to exit, being the last to exit as soon as you left the bus shut its doors quickly and skirted off. With your hands in your pockets you walked through the gate that led to the entrance of the school, your candy bag was now half empty, so you took the time to sort through the bag and discard all the wrappers in your bag at the trash can by the entrance. As you finished throwing away all of the wrappers, you closed the bag up and started to walk back to your room, but as you lifted your head up to look forward, your face and mood immediately dropped.

It was like the universe itself had it out for you, never having your back. There stood just a few feet away, was Gary fucking Smith. His dark gaze was already on you, clearly looking before you even noticed he was around. You stood frozen, in shock, do you walk up to him? Do you casually strike up a conversation like nothing happened? Do you ask why everyone at Bullworth seems to hate him? All these questions circulated through your mind, biting your lip to prevent yourself from saying something you didn't want to. Gary, seeing this, walked up to you as you so clearly didn't have the guts to do it first.

 “Hello (Y/n).” His voice, smooth and sultry piercing your ears, pulling you out of your crisis thinking. Still, even with the person you so desperately wanted to meet and get to know more about all day standing in front of you, no words came out of your mouth.

“Oh? Cat got your tongue. Are you that surprised to see me?” Gary leaned in closer, a smirk now plastered on his face as he watched you internally battle with yourself. 

“Gary’s standing right in front of you and you're not saying anything?? Come on now move your mouth before he walks away.”

“I’m not.” Lies, first word spoken to him and its a lie, but not wanting to seem weak you had to. Gary already seemed egotistical enough, feeding into it by showing you were surprised would only make it worse.

“Aw, that’s too bad, I've been looking for you.” 

“Ive been out since this morning, I doubt you've been looking for me for that long.” Your tone was dry, harsh almost. Even though Gary presented himself to be this nice, almost caring person, you can sense he had other motives than to just converse with you. If it weren't for the outside influence of other people being completely disgusted just by the mention of Gary’s name, you would've easily fallen for him.

“Who were you out with?”

“Why do you wanna know?” Gary went from leaving you in the middle of town, to now being concerned about your whereabouts. It may seem like an innocent question, but his tone was forceful, demanding an answer. 

“Oh just asking, but I already know who you were out with all day.” He paused.

“And if you didn't say anything because you’d think I would get mad, I'm not. I just know based on your face you didn't enjoy hanging out with him.” Gary’s smirk widened, his arms crossed as he watched your face scrunch up.

“Jimmy helped me today in more ways than you ever would. You left me in that town all alone yesterday, and Jimmy had to help.” Your voice was stern, now attempting to scold Gary, but he scoffed at your remark.

“Then why isn't he with you now? The Jimmy I know makes it his sworn job to make sure every girl he hangs out with gets back to the school safely. So for him to just up and leave you, something must've happened and you know it.” You stayed quiet, Gary read you like a book, front to back. His words were starting to penetrate.

“I know there's no apology in the world that could make up for what I have done, but please consider forgiving me, we stepped off on the wrong foot and I want to try again.”

“I..”

“You don't have to say anything, we can talk again later.” Gary turned away from you and began to walk away, but you grabbed him by the shoulder, keeping him in place.

“Why did you leave me yesterday, and why did you pretend to act like you only cared when you saw Jimmy dragging me back to the school.” You talked lowly, now asking the real question you've been dying for an answer to.

“I wasn't pretending to care. When I left you I realized what I did, and tried to go back to look for you, then I realized even if I found you, there was no point in apologizing.” His voice was soft, now dropping the original attitude that was in his voice beforehand. It sounded like he was actually sorry, and you not even realizing it, slowly but surely you started to fall for it. Gary gently removed your hand from his shoulder, your arm stiff as he placed it right by your side.