Brandon walked the short distance to the campus and noticed a few things along the way:

Across from his dormitory stood the girls' dorms. Adults in blue blazers walked around with badges on their chest looking like some kind of security or police. A large building to his left he assumed was another class building or a library, and a garage of some kind with a parking lot to the left. He walked up the stairs and into the main building.

Inside to both sides were bulletin boards surrounded by students writing on various sheets. He joined a group to the left and saw signups for Astronomy Club, Glee Club, Debate Team, Mechanics Club, Spirit Squad, and Drama Club. Walking to the other side he saw sheets for Boys and Girls Football, Soccer, Basketball, Wrestling, Boxing, Weightlifting, and Cross Country, and something called Foam Fighting.

Being more inclined to athletics than matters of the mind, he put his name down for Boxing one one wall and Mechanics club on the other hoping it had something to do with cars. No one seemed to give him any notice or make effort to talk to him, so he went back out the door he came and took a walk around campus. He started to his left towards the large building he saw near his own dorm and saw it mostly barren of students outside, and saw it was the Library. He kept going around the main central building and saw a path towards a statue of a bull in a fountain. Nearing that, he saw a rear entrance to the garage building, and another smaller building to his left labeled Harrington House. Passing the fountain seemed to lead him to the gym and the athletic field, nothing of much note for a school campus except that Harrington House.

He walked over the the building and saw a few older students outside in crisp white dress shirts with light blue patterned sweater vests on. They simply looked at him and he felt unwelcome, turning around and walking the other way. Near the gym he saw the typical jock types in Bullworth sports jerseys and letter jackets. He decided to check out the garage and found that it was actually multiple buildings. Looking around he noticed most of them were closed and locked but they were labeled Transportation Technology Shop, Wood Shop, and Metal Shop. There didn't seem to be any students around but there was an adult in a leather jacket and jeans who spotted him and called over.

"Hey, you look like you're new. Name's Mr. Romano, but just call me Peanut since I ain't stuck in the teacher duds. I teach auto and metal shop here." The man sounded like he had a somewhat high pitched Brooklyn accent. He just sounded like the kind of guy you didn't want to mess with even if he wasn't very tall.

"Hi, um, my name's Brandon. Yeah I'm new here, just getting lay of the land I guess. The garage kind of caught my eye."

"Thinking of signing up for my Mechanic's Club? Cars, bikes, go carts, skateboards. If it goes on wheels, we teach you to work on 'em. Even allowed to make a bit of money at it if you're good enough to do actual repairs for people."

"That actually sounds pretty cool. Yeah I signed up for it in the big building over there. I hoped it was cars. Not really a lot in there that sounded interesting."

"Really? Most boys your age jump at football, wrestling, and Boxing. Especially kids who get sent here, lots have some, let's just say behavioral issues and they like to get their hands on someone and not get in trouble."

"I signed up for boxing too. I don't know if it's really my thing though. Mom and dad want me to stop using my fists to solve my problems."

"Ah, kids like that are a dime a dozen around here. Oughta listen to your mom and dad on that, no good comes from jumpin' into a scrap if you got other choices. But boxing's different. It's a healthy outlet, just gotta keep your temper. Its not about beatin' people up, it's about learning to protect yourself if you do get in a scrap. Learn you ain't made of glass too, but we got plenty of sports for that. You see about that foam fightin' thing?"

"Oh, yeah, what is that?"

"Really hard to explain. Got started by the nerds way back in the day not long after I graduated from here. Started out a bunch of the wimpy kids smacking each other with sticks with foam on it. But now, woo, those kids can flatten you and beat you til you cry for mercy. Not everyone's thing but well worth a look."

"Thanks for the tip I guess. Hey, what's that Harrington House over there? Kids there didn't seem too friendly."

"Oh, yeah, them kids. Private dorm for the area's more 'affluent society'." Mr. Romano used his fingers for heavy air quotes. "We used to call em preps, don't really know what kids call em these days when they aint just swearing about em. Not all bad kids really, if you get on their good side they're probably good to have there. But if you're not one of them, they think you're a nobody. Me and mine really didn't get on too well with those types but I knew a guy as a kid who helped us all get over lots of our problems. Still in the area, never know, you might meet him, works as a cop in town. Just hope you don't meet him the same way he met local fuzz." Peanut laughed remembering the hooligan from his youth.

"I'm not quite like that. I just give people what's coming to them. Beat up a few teachers and kids who were pushing around other kids. Someone's gotta stand up for the little guy, right?"

"They sure do, but we got rules. Can't go beatin' people up just cause you don't like what they're doing. We might not like it but that's life. Just gotta find a better way that doesn't get you in trouble. Believe me, I know, lost some good friends to prison cause they couldn't learn to put their hands down and their mouths shut. Hope you don't end up like them, kid, you seem a little smarter than we were."

"Thanks. I'll try, sir, don't really want to get kicked out and make my parents mad again. I just don't like seeing people getting picked on."

"Me neither, kid. I don't know, something about this school fixes kids. Not saying you're messed up or anything, and not saying we don't got problems. All about the right kids deciding to do the right things. Only so much we teachers can do with kids doing everything behind our backs. Do us all a favor, keep an eye out. If you care about the little guy as much as you say, don't be too proud to get a teacher or one of the Prefects, you've probably seen em, blue jackets with gold badges. Kind of rule enforcers around campus."

"I'll keep that in mind. I think I'm gonna keep looking around, but it's good to know at least one teacher here gets it. I guess I'll see you whenever that mechanic club starts up." Brandon turned to walk back towards the statue.

"Was good talkin' to you, what you say your name was? Bannon or something?"

"Brandon, Brandon Grinder."

"I'll try to remember that. New guy, probably still need to make some friends. Don't be afraid to try out something new. And like old man Crabblesnitch always said, keep a clean nose, don't want ol' Peanut to have to clean it for you."

There's that nose thing again, Brandon thought. Really don't think I want to know what they mean. Then he caught the sounds of what sounded like shouting and being hit. He followed the sound running over to the sports field just in case he needed to help someone out.