Extra Baggage Chapter 1: Claim Your Luggage, a bully fanfic

"Extra Baggage"

Story #1: "Claim Your Luggage"

By: Seinasu

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A lot of the themes (character and plot-wise) used in this story have originated from TURMOIL's lovely Bully fic masterpieces (i.e. "Clockwork", "Keeping Him Afloat"). She came up with them first and I thought they would work great here. I'm just not that damn original to come up with anything like she can!

Anybody who willingly hung out with Gary Smith had to be a total psycho. At least, this was according to the students of Bullworth Academy.

Despite this, Tabitha Bailey devoted herself to following the formally expelled sociopath—much to everyone's shock and his dismay.

"You're so brilliant, Gary! I wish I could think the way you do...!"

"Will you tell me what you WOULD do if you could manipulate the students all over again?"

"Gary! It's time for your medication! Remember, you miss a dose and you'll get expelled for good!"

"Gaaary, want me to carry your books?"

"Here, I got you some lunch from the Yum Yum Market! It's better than that stuff Edna calls food!"

"GAAARY! Where are you? I have your homework finished!!"

Much to Gary's sadistic delight, no matter how much he degraded her (in a similar fashion to Petey's treatment), she would continue to be there for him, devoted to him as ever. It started almost immediately when he was allowed to return to the academy. After his expulsion, his parents hired one of the best lawyers in the New England area and took Dr. Crabblesnitch to court. After months and months of legal battling and psychotherapy treatments, Gary was allowed to return to school only because no other school would take him with a ridiculously tarnished record. This time, the students of Bullworth were clearly aware of what he was capable of. This made him a target for every clique on campus. Never the less, he kept his cool but his eyes ever alert.

"Um... G-Gary... Smith?"

Tabitha Bailey was nobody special nor did she belong to any clique. She was the same age as Gary, with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a thin frame. She didn't have a big chest or any curves on her body. But her direct approach, accompanied with nervous stammering, caught him, Jimmy Hopkins, and Peter Kowalski off guard on that fated day as she approached them over by the entrance to the Boys Dorm.

"I-I REALLYLIKEYOU A-A-AND IJUSTWANTEDTOLETYOUKNOW… H-HOWIFEELABOUTYOUBYE!"

It was strange to have someone approach and single out Gary, so it caught everybody off guard. However, Tabitha scrambled off before she could get a response out of him. It left the burning questions of "why?" and "what the hell just happened here?"

Later that week, when Gary approached her, she didn't hesitate to tell him what she thought of him.

"The way you... you took control of the school... U-Using those people you called your friends... M-Manipulating everyone... it was... was..."

Tabitha eyes lit up like Christmas lights and her shy facade vanished as fast as lightning.

"IT WAS BRILLIANT! I don't know of anybody more fantastic and smarter than you, Gary!! Please! Let me be of service to you!"

"What the hell?!" Gary exclaimed with a hint of amusement in his voice. "What're you? Some sort of stalker?"

"Well... not e-exactly... BUT! I have this!"

Tabitha reached into her backpack and pulled out a photo album. Inside, each and every page contained a photo of Gary: whether he was talking to someone or just standing still, his moment in life was captured on color and black and white.

"These were taken last year," Tabitha admitted as she turned the pages. "I wanted to talk to you for the longest time but I was so shy... And then to find out you were going to turn the whole school upside down...!"

She slammed the book shut and beamed proudly at him as she proclaimed, "YOU ARE A PURE AND ABSOLUTE GENIUS!"

"Sooo..." Gary drawled as he and Tabitha stood outside of the teacher's parking lot. It was almost curfew and the prefects were prepared to haul any student caught on campus after hours. But it didn't stop Gary from walking the line; after all, he did much worse.

He flexed his fingers at his sides as he moved around in circles. His ADD was at work as he clearly couldn't stand still. And yet he suddenly stopped and looked at Tabitha with piercing brown eyes.

"What's your deal with me?" he asked. "How come I know about every lame ass in this pathetic school but you?"

Tabitha hung her head in embarrassment. "U-Um..." she stammered, "that is... I-I didn't want you to find out about me until I was ready...!"

"Uh-huh... Yeah, right."

Gary cracked his knuckles as he strolled dangerously close to Tabitha. The blonde kept still as his arm brushed against hers.

"Well then..."

Turning around, he reached out and roughly gripped her by the upper arm. He spun her around so that he was looking right into her eyes.

"You know what I did?" he asked in a low voice. "Remember last year? I did all of that because everybody here is an idiotic moron. They can't handle the fact that I used every one of their sorry asses. I ran this school because I was, and still am, smarter than everybody. Even you."

Tabitha offered him a nervous smile. "I know," she said as she tried not to wince at his painful grip. "I-It's okay... You are smarter than everyone... That's why I like you, Gary!"

"You LIKE me? YOU like ME?"

He released his hold on her and took a few steps back, laughing his head off. He staggered back a few more feet and shook his head as he tried to contain himself. He was almost in tears. Tabitha's cheeks were bright red.

Eventually, Gary's laughter died as one of the burly prefects glared in their direction.

"HEY! You've got five minutes before you need to go back to your dorms! Don't make me catch you out here in my next round!"

"Oooh, I'm so scared!" Gary said mockingly as he pretended to shrink back with fear. "I'm gonna wet my pants like Pee Stain!"

The prefect growled but said nothing; normally the prefect would chase after any student who dared to mock them. But this particular prefect was a transfer student from the next county over, so he had yet to transform into a complete asshole. He continued on his way and once he disappeared past the brick wall, Gary sighed heavily and turned his attention back to Tabitha.

"So, you like me, huh? Well, I know I'm a stud and everything. I guess this'll break poor Petey's heart to know that he's got competition."

He chuckled lightly at the thought of his favorite torture victim. Then he strolled back over to Tabitha, who remained frozen in her spot. He snatched her chin and forced her to look at him once more.

"Just know this," he stated: "you're just a liability. I don't need anybody."

"I-I know I am but I don't care," she replied sincerely. "Please, please, please let me do something for you. Anything! I've never been of use to anybody! My own family barely knows I exist! They only recognized me enough to send me to this school! I want to be of use to someone! I want to be of use to someone like you!"

"And I'm supposed to feel sorry for you? Oh, lemme guess—you want to prove your self worth to someone and that someone is me, right? Man... you are absolutely pathetic, you know that?"

"Please!! I'll die if you reject me!"

"'Please, I'll die!'" Gary mimicked as pushed her away and waved his hands in front of him. He lowered his hands to his sides once more and chuckled. "Do you ever listen to yourself talk?"

Tabitha swallowed a lump in her throat and added, "Ever since I heard rumors about your take over of the school, I just knew I had to be close to you. What you did was sheer brilliance! You had everybody eating out of the palms of your hands—even the teachers!"

Tabitha took a bold step forward, while Gary took a step backwards, a look of surprise was shown upon his face. The blonde giggled nervously, like the way Angie Ng giggled whenever there was a cute boy around, and she clasped her hands together.

"I've decided on my purpose in life," she declared fiercely. "is that..."

She abruptly pointed a finger right at Gary and shouted, "I will be your personal servant! No task is too great or small! As long as I can be close to you then I will do whatever it takes!!"

From around the corner, Jimmy and Pete could only watch in amusement as this bizarre girl cornered Gary. Pete was squatting on the ground, in hopes that Gary wouldn't see him. Meanwhile, Jimmy was standing over Pete, keeping half of his body hidden in case he had to turn around and run off for one reason or another.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Pete whispered, despite the fact that they were far away enough from Gary. "She seriously likes him?"

"She's gotta be from outer space or some kinda escapee from the Happy Volts Asylum," Jimmy remarked. "She's nuts if she hangs out with him willingly."

"What does that make us?"

Jimmy snorted as he leaned against the wall and stared over at the Girl's Dorm. "He only sneaks his way over to us because nobody else will tolerate him."

Pete nodded and leaned a little closer. He couldn't help but think about Tabitha. She really was one of the most elusive students of Bullworth. He'd never seen her hang out with anybody or walking on campus, and the only class he had with her was Home Economics. Even then, she kept to herself and seemed so devastatingly introverted. How she kept away from the Bullies and bitchy females was a mystery. Maybe she could tell him her secrets someday? Well, he always had Jimmy to stand up for him but he couldn't always be around him. He eventually had to stand up for himself. After all, he was the Head Boy and representative of the academy.

Tabitha's personality further puzzled him. She was, as he just described her, painfully shy, and yet when she was with Gary, her personality took a 180. She was loud, unafraid to speak her mind, and passionate about her... "dedication" to the former corruptor of the school.

She was a female version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Pete shifted the weight of his body onto one knee and tried to listen better to the conversation. Suddenly he reached behind and tapped Jimmy.

"Check this out!"

"What the hell—Pete! Don't touch me THERE! What is it?"

Jimmy turned his head and witnessed Gary actually running out of the parking lot and away from Tabitha. The blonde girl cried out for Gary and quickly gave chase. She was surprisingly fast.

"Get away from me, you freak!" Gary cried as he vanished around the corner with Tabitha hot on his trails. His voice echoed throughout the cool, autumn evening.

"Gary, waaait!! I WON'T HURT YOU!"

Pete looked up at Jimmy and asked, "Should we... Should we do something?"

He kind of felt bad about Gary and his "stalker" situation. But a quick flashback of what he did to him in the past made him regret even thinking about what he'd just asked.

"US? Do something for HIM?" Jimmy shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, as he gradually walked away from the area. He decided he would visit the Girl's Dorm and see if Zoe wanted to hang out.

"Let the loser deal with his problem. We've done enough to 'help' him before. Besides, it wouldn't hurt him to get some exercise. Maybe he'll be too tired to run his mouth the next time he tries to hang out with us."

Pete climbed to his feet and dusted the dirt from his knees. "Oh, I-I guess you're right... HEY! Jimmy! Wait for me! Where are you going?! Quit leaving me behind!"

Hours later, Gary lied in his bed with his hands behind his head, his fingers twisted painfully around pieces of hair that were starting to grow longer. It was almost time for another hair cut.

He chewed on his bottom lip as he stared up at the ceiling. He was feeling quite restless, as he always was but his mind was also moving a mile a minute. He smirked as he remembered telling Jimmy time after time that he was gifted with brains. There was no way that moronic jackass could understand what it was like to be constantly thinking.

His thoughts shifted from Jimmy to the freak girl Tabitha. It amazed him that someone was that crazy over him. He'd managed to ditch her hours earlier, after running through the main building and even racing through football field (with those pea-brained 'roid monkeys right on his tail).

Crazy... He'd heard that word enough throughout his life: his parents, his teachers, fellow students, his many therapists... But this chick really topped the cake. She was timid and quiet around everyone but get her near him and she was suddenly a monster who wouldn't shut up about her devotion to him.

Well, if he wanted to rule the world, he needed a cult of devoted followers. Hell, he wouldn't have just a cult—all of mankind would bow down before his brilliance!

Shut up, shut up, shut up.

Not again.

He couldn't have those feelings of superiority. He couldn't get kicked out again. He was lucky that the authorities allowed him to return under certain conditions. There was no way he could go back home. His parents wrecked his life (along with the medication he was forced to take) and the schools in his home town wouldn't never take him back, even if it meant saving mankind from extinction.

He released his grip on his hair and with a finger, he lightly made a trail along the scar that crossed through his eyebrow.

"Medication... I don't need them..." he mumbled to himself with such bitter resentment. "I feel great until they shoved those damn things down my throat."

He bolted up from his pillow and stared at the text books which rested on top of his desk. One of the perks of being who he was, was that he didn't have a roommate. Nobody wanted to room with a so-called psycho. Even though he'd made number one on everybody's shit list, nobody wanted to take a chance being alone with him.

He needed to get out and do something. Homework? Nah, he had better things to do... Once he figured out what exactly. But the work was supposed to be ready by tomorrow and it was almost midnight. He couldn't find Pete anywhere (probably following Jimmy around like a little, disgusting puppy) and the Nerds threatened to pelt him with Stink Bombs until there was no tomorrow.

But then... there was one lucky person he could blackmail into doing his homework.

Oh hell—she'd do it because she was infatuated with him and that was good enough. And maybe having someone like Tabitha wouldn't be too bad. She'd be the first sacrifice he could use for the next time he'd unleash a master plan...

Whenever that may be.

"Gary, I finished your homework! Let's get you something to eat!"

"Gary? Gaaary! Where'd he go? You can't hide from me!"

"Oh Gary, that's such a good idea! You're so smart!"

"Come on, Pete! He didn't pinch you THAT hard. I saw it!"

It bothered Jimmy that Tabitha was so stuck on Gary. Every time he saw them together, Gary teased her or did something to her that if he did it on anyone else, he would've gotten wailed on. The problem was, it shouldn't bother him at all. He was King of the School. He ruled over all the cliques. He had respect from everybody, even if it was false respect. He had plenty of other things to worry about. So why in the hell would this little situation tug at the back of his mind?

From what he learned, Tabitha had skipped a day of school last year—it was that day that Gary's ultimate plan was executed upon Bullworth. Maybe if she had actually been there, she could've gained a better, more sane perspective of him. Or maybe it would've made her worse off. Who knew.

Perhaps it was the fact that he thought Gary was his friend. In the past, it was hard for Jimmy to make friends because of his overall attitude and his inability to trust people. Coming from a broken home didn't help matters either. And yet he should've known something was wrong when Gary was willing to be his friend right off the bat. Meanwhile Gary knew Tabitha since the beginning of this school year and so far, he hasn't done anything horribly wrong to her—yet.

Fortunately Jimmy had Pete. He may not be the best fighter (if anything, he was one of the worst) or may not be able to speak out or even stand up for himself, but at least Pete's proven to be a true friend. He was there for him when nobody else would even bother. Now if he could only get him to quit wearing that ridiculous, fruity pink shirt...

Jimmy stared through his bedroom window and watched down below as Gary and Tabitha stood outside with Pete. Gary was up to his usual "teasing" with Pete: calling him names and questioning his manhood. As long as he wasn't physically harassing him, then there was no need for Jimmy to step in. Meanwhile Tabitha stood by and was practically staring at Gary with sick admiration.

"What a screw-loose," Jimmy mumbled to himself with disgust. But he quickly leaned forward as he watched Gary turn away from Pete and give Tabitha a rough shove. She staggered back a few feet, almost falling to the ground, but she managed to keep her footing. She stood upright once more and could only smile at Gary and she said something that Jimmy couldn't hear. It was probably another lousy compliment for Gary. In the meantime, Gary went back to talking to Pete.

Jimmy shook his head and forced himself to look away. Gary didn't even seem to treat Tabitha like a girl or a human being for that matter. Normally the prefects would be all over any boy who harassed a girl or a kid. But then again, she chose to be with Gary and has made it quite clear to the whole school. She knew what he was capable of. None of the prefects, nor the other students, would ever come to her aid if anything did happen at Gary's hands.

She was digging her own grave.

"What is with you?" Jimmy asked Tabitha one day as she stood outside of the Boys Dorm, waiting for Gary. First period was going to start in fifteen minutes, but Jimmy had time to spare. "Why are you hanging with someone like Gary? Do you know what he's capable of?"

"I-I know," she answered shyly, her long blonde bangs hiding her blue eyes. "But... But that's okay. I-I like Gary for Gary. He's so smart."

"You've got some serious issues. Listen, Gary is a manipulative jerk-off who is a target of the cliques. He's lucky I even bother to tell those idiots to back off of him and anybody who's weaker than they are. But they won't always listen to me. They can jump him any time if I'm not around and you'd get hurt in the process. Is that what you want?"

Tabitha fell quiet for a few moments. Jimmy wondered if he'd finally gone through to her. But then she gave him a frightening smile, as she answered his question.

"Y-Yes, I know, Jimmy and yes, it's what I want. I-I... want to be of use to someone. Even if Gary pushes me aside... Even if... Even if he develops a crush and goes after that person... I-I'll be there to support him. And even if—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out," Jimmy interrupted. "Do you realize what you're saying? He can do whatever he wants to you and that's OKAY with you? Are you that messed up in the head?"

Tabitha said nothing. One of the double doors swung open and Pete was literally shoved outside and he fell down the steps. A moment later, the other door open and Gary walked out, laughing.

"Light on your feet as always, Petey Boy!" Gary remarked scathingly as he walked down the stairs, putting one foot on top of Pete's head in the process. "See, I told you that you oughta pursue your dream as a ballerina."

Jimmy growled at Gary and warned him to knock it off. But Gary simply walked right past him. Tabitha threw a quick, pitiful glance at Pete as he struggled to peel himself off the stairs, and then she turned around and followed Gary.

Now for some reason, Gary froze in his tracks and Tabitha accidentally bumped into him from behind.

"Don't walk into me!" he warned Tabitha. The small blonde scooted off to the side and offered him a quick apologize.

Then looking over at Jimmy and Pete, he jerked a thumb at Tabitha and said, "Isn't she great? I've got my own little mutt that follows me around and does whatever I want. This is what I always wanted to do from the beginning. People to control and to do whatever I want."

"G-Gary!" Pete cried with his eyes wide with shock as he rubbed the top of his head, where Gary had stepped on. "How can you say such a thing about her? You need to be more respectful towards someone who's... who's...!"

"Someone who actually gives a rat's ass about you," Jimmy finished with a sour look upon his face. "She may be fooled right now but if you're not careful, you might lose your only friend."

Gary bit his lower lip and placed a hand over his heart, as if somebody stabbed him. "Friend? FRIEND? Oh... ow… ouch... You touched me so deep, Jimmy! This compassionate side of you is giving me chest pains."

He regained his composure and said in a cynical tone of voice, "Really Jimmy, aren't we the best of buds? After all we've been through? And Femme Boy wouldn't even be a speck of a memory of this school if I hadn't wasted my time with him on the first day."

Pete went still as Jimmy snorted and forced himself to turn away. Instead of walking through the main archway, he decided he would go through the short cut over by the brick wall to the east. Pete broke out of his statue mode and hollered after Jimmy. A moment later, Gary's voice was directed at him.

"Hey, Petey."

Pete froze at the tone of Gary's voice. It was treacherously low and it reminded him all too well of the tone he'd use on him in the past. Going against his better judgment, he turned his attention to the other boy and asked, "W-What do you want, Gary?"

Gary offered an arrogant smile. He shook his head and muttered something about medication. Afterwards he said, "I'm sorry, Petey."

"Huh?" Pete blinked in confusion.

"I'm... sorry…" Gary said in a louder voice, as if he were talking to someone who was mentally challenged. Narrowing his eyes, he leaned forward until he was practically nose to nose with Pete and added, "Sorry that you're such a pathetic puss who wants nothing more than to kiss Jimmy's ass. You know you want to use that little tongue of yours, Petey. Tell Jimmy how much you love licking the crap out of his ass crack. How about I give you a little kiss?"

"Gross! Shut up! Leave me alone...!" Red faced Pete shrank away from Gary and raced across the lot, over to the broken part of the brick wall where Jimmy slipped off to.

Meanwhile Gary dusted his hands together and motioned to Tabitha to follow him. The blonde grinned proudly as she wordlessly went along.

"C'mon," he said as he proceeded to lead them away from the dorm, towards their first period classes. "You still have to finish that math assignment I forgot to do the other night only because I mixed my meds up again. You know I was up all night thinking about... How about we have a little fun with the freshmen? You're gonna be the bait, of course."

Gary was still uncaring and delighted in causing emotional trauma upon others. That is, if he could get away with it; which he could hardly do anymore, with so many people watching him. Tabitha wasn't much fun to torture only because she happily accepted whatever he did to her. It was more fun when his victim reacted with cries of pain or begs of mercy. Or possibly humiliated beyond repair.

This devotion of Tabitha's was alien to him. He constantly wrestled with the notion that someone actually cared about him. Even if he didn't care about her, she was vehemently dedicated to him. She was quite aware that his feelings for her would probably never be a constant. Never the less she was there for him. He more or less accepted her in his life and she did whatever it took to make his school days more tolerable.

At least until his medications wore off.

THE END