Thanks for all the reviews guys, I really appreciate it! Also I tried to make this chapter shorter but it turned out to be my longest one yet, sorry ^^; Hope you enjoy and keep the reviews coming! ;)
Sledgehammer
Chapter 4 – In the Doghouse
Their first week at Bullworth had been dreadful. It had taken more than just a few days to grow accustomed to the harsh environment of their new school. Figuring out which students to avoid, which cliques to evade, who to trust, which teachers were reliable, and what areas of the school were best to avoid due to clique control, it was all extremely draining, and as their opening week finally began to draw to a close, Flora and Rose found themselves sprawled about in their dorm room, accompanied by Kaden, all three of them feeling far too exhausted to partake in any activities or explore the Bullworth town, despite it being a fairly nice day. Though rather chilly due to it being October, the sky was completely clear, and the air rather still.
"I can't believe I've only been here for a week already," Flora stated, her voice sounding extremely muffled due to the fact that she had her face pressed down into her pillow. She'd just gotten back from English class, and after witnessing Mr Galloway talk to his reflection in the classroom window after mistaking it for a student, she felt extremely done with the place. "A whole week. It feels like I've been here for years. When will it end?" She whined into her pillow, kicking her feet like a toddler.
"I can't believe you've been here for a whole week and haven't been beaten up yet," Kaden stated from his little spot on the floor, his back resting against the wardrobe door. He was currently filing his nails, taking extra care to make sure they were in perfect shape.
"She was close to being beaten up to be fair," Rose piped up, as she lay spread-eagled on her bed. Flora had of course informed them both about her run in with the bullies, as well as her saviour, the Greaser king. She'd tried to appear as nonchalant as possible when informing the two of the incident, however, they'd immediately cottoned on and teased her mercilessly about her small, developing crush on Johnny Vincent. "Until she was saved by lover boy," Flora rolled her eyes as Rose let out a small giggle. Ever since Flora had told her about the near attack, Rose hadn't let the subject go, grasping as many opportunities as she could to tease the raven-haired girl.
"Well what about you and your lover boy, hmm?" Flora countered, finally flipping over onto her back so she could glance over at Rose, who looked extremely confused at this statement.
"Who's my lover boy? I wasn't aware I had a lover boy? Is he hot?" Rose questioned, sitting up straight so that she had a clear view of her roommate, who now wore a rather devious smile on her face, her green eyes alight with mischief.
"You and that Gary Smith. I saw you two the other day, giggling away on the bleachers. Being all cute and stuff," Flora answered. Upon hearing this, Kaden sat up straight, looking rather alarmed at the gossip. This did not go unnoticed by the two girls. "Who shoved a stick up your ass?" Flora immediately questioned, raising an eyebrow almost judgingly.
"No," Was all the boy answered, shaking his head at Rose, who merely looked completely and utterly baffled. She had no idea what either of her friends was talking about. Gary Smith was most definitely not her lover boy, and Kaden's reaction was more than a bit puzzling. "No. You can't like him. No way, I won't let you,"
"But I don't?" Rose tried, though it appeared to fall on deaf ears.
"Don't you know how crazy he is? He's a psycho! He'll stab you in the back the first chance he gets. Seriously, Rose, stay away. Nothing good can come from crushing on that boy. He is one sadistic fucker," Kaden declared, not bothering to keep his voice down, despite the fact that Mrs Peabody was just downstairs, probably listening out for any sign of trouble amongst the girls. Rose merely stared at her friend.
"But aren't you two supposed to be friends?"
Kaden shrugged, "Well yeah, but I'm not the one who wants to fuck him," Flora giggled at this statement, especially as Rose began to splutter with indignation. She felt completely appalled at the suggestion, confused as to where they'd gotten these ideas from.
"I don't want to fuck him either! Ever! He makes me uncomfortable if anything!" Rose began, still not quite believing that she was actually having this conversation. She didn't even understand how the subject had sprung about. "All I'm asking is why you hang round with him if you dislike him so much," Again, Kaden shrugged in reply.
"I only hang with him because of Jimmy and Petey. They're okay, but Gary's just weird. I was kinda hoping they would've ditched him by now or something," He answered, going back to filing his nails. "I don't think Jimmy or Gary can be friends for much longer, though. They're both far too power hungr-"
"Hey girls, how ar- WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING IN HERE YOU PERVERT!?" Rose had never moved so fast, as she hopped off her bed and dashed over to the Preppy girl who had so suddenly entered the room, placing a hand over mouth so as not to attract the attention of any members of staff. The last thing they wanted was Kaden getting in trouble for being in the girl's dorm.
"Ssh, Pinky! It's okay, it's only Kaden, it's fine!" Rose hissed, trying her best to listen out for the approaching footsteps of Mrs Peabody who could usually hear trouble from a mile away. Thankfully, it seemed her trouble radar wasn't as accurate as usual today. Pinky, however, still looked rather affronted at the fact that there was a boy in the dorm.
"It is not fine! Boys are not allowed in here! And a poor boy like him obviously can't be trusted, he might rob us or something! Get him out of here! NOW!" Pinky stomped her foot, rather like a child, as she stared down at the completely unbothered Kaden, who merely held the brunette girls gaze, his eyebrows raised rather judgingly.
"First of all honey, I bat for the other team-" He began, before immediately being cut off by the enraged Preppie princess.
"What do you mean? What team? Is this some sort of joke?"
"He likes dick," Flora interjected bluntly. Kaden nodded in agreement, as Pinky's mouth began to form an O-shape as the realisation of the situation began to settle in. The answer seemed to appease her, and thankfully put an end to the princess act. Though pleased with the fact that Kaden was not here to spy or creep on any of the female students, the answer she'd received had rendered Pinky speechless, and she merely nodded, seemingly forgetting her reason for barging into the room so suddenly. It wasn't long before she'd composed herself, however.
"A-anyways I'm just here to take you to the cheerleader tryouts, Fiona," Pinky began, finally regaining her usual composure. She ignored Flora's attempt to correct her on the name mishap, and instead barrelled on, "You do still want to be a cheerleader, right?" Flora nodded.
"Oh, goodie! This is going to be so exciting! And Mandy's bound to let you join, she's been saying forever that we need more cute girls for the team! The squads really been lacking with only four of us," Pinky gabbled, grabbing Flora's hand, ignoring all protests as she all but dragged the poor raven-haired girl out of the room. Kaden merely raised an eyebrow, staring at Rose.
"How are you even friends with that brat?" He asked, glancing at the spot where Pinky had previously been with a look of distaste on his face. He'd never been fond of the Preps, and had been even less so after his little run in with Gord the other day. How anyone could stand those delusional, trust-fund fairies, he'd never understand.
"Eh, she's not that bad once you get used to her, I suppose," Rose replied, before glancing at her watch. The two had art next, a subject she was not looking forward to due to her seatmate. However, skipping wasn't exactly an option for her, and the lesson was looming closer and closer. "C'mon, we'd better head to art," She sighed reluctantly, as Kaden hopped to his feet, giving his friend a sympathetic look. Rose had of course informed her friend on what had occurred during their last art lesson, giving him all the details of her falling out with the Greaser boy.
"I'm sure it won't be as bad this time. Peanut's bound to bunk off anyways. It's very rare the Greasers attend lessons. I was actually surprised he was even there on Tuesday, if I'm honest," Kaden attempted to reassure the girl. Rose grabbed her notebook and pen, taking once last look in the mirror before they departed.
"I hope you're right."
Kaden was not right.
Despite arriving to the class approximately ten minutes early, Peanut was already sat at their shared desk, apparently enthralled in his work already, as he didn't bother to even glance up as the two entered the near-enough empty classroom. Even Ms. Philips hadn't arrived yet, so to see the Greaser boy hard at work already was more than slightly baffling.
"What the fuck is happening to the world?" Kaden muttered, beginning to head over to his desk, with Rose following closely behind. She still had ten minutes left before the lesson began, and she didn't want to sit next to the Greaser for longer than she had to. "It was shocking enough him turning up last week, but being early? That's fucked up," Kaden whispered, glancing over to Peanut, who was currently glaring at the newcomers, obviously sensing they were discussing him.
"Y'know I do know you guys are talkin' about me, right?" Peanut challenged, looking extremely unimpressed. His cold eyes stayed glued to the duo. Rose merely let out a tut, rolling her eyes as she turned away from the boy. It weren't as though they were saying anything bad about him.
"Exactly, we're talking about you, not to you, so butt out, Greaseball," Kaden replied scathingly, copying Rose by turning his back on the disgruntled student. This was not well received by Peanut, who stood quickly, his stance defensive. The movement caught Kaden's attention, and he followed the Greasers actions, getting to his feet at lightning speed. Rose hoped they weren't about to square off against each other in the middle of the art classroom.
"You wanna say that again, loser? Keep talkin' like that and see where it gets you, hero," Peanut began to make his way over to the pair, making Rose feel slightly panicked. Surely he wasn't about to start a fight? Kaden seemed to think so, as he began to ready his fists. Rose had no idea if her friend could actually handle himself or not, nor had she seem him particularly angry before. This new behaviour of his took her by complete surprise.
"Come on then, bitch! Bring it! You wanna start something!?" Kaden began to square up to the taller boy, much to Rose's dismay. There was no way she about to let this happen. No way. Nothing good could come out of letting Kaden do this.
"Oh my God, stop it!" Rose immediately stood between the two boys, pushing Kaden back into his seat, "Just ignore him, Kaden, he's not worth it. You'll only get yourself in trouble. And you had better get back to your seat too!" She turned to Peanut, her gaze hard. He seemed rather surprised at her demand, clearly not expecting her to speak to him in such a manner. Much to Rose's surprise, however, he obliged, holding his hands up in surrender as he backed away.
"Whatever. You're lucky your little girlfriend was here to step in,"
Kaden turned to snap back at the boy, but was quickly stopped by Rose, who muttered "Don't bite. It's what he wants. I'll deal with him once class starts," Kaden merely nodded in reply, following his friends words of wisdom. It was at that point when Ms. Philips stepped into the classroom, followed by a few students who immediately headed towards their assigned desks. Rose took this as her cue to finally make her way to her own seat, albeit reluctantly. She wasn't looking forward to sitting next to the Greaser who was no doubt in a rather foul mood by now.
"That was really uncalled for, y'know," Rose stated as she slid into the seat next to Peanut, not bothering to waste any time. He immediately glanced up at her with a rather offended look on his face, and Rose almost wished she'd kept her mouth shut like she usually did. No doubt they would be at each other's necks for the rest of the hour now.
"What? You think I'mma just sit here whilst you two talk shit about me?" Peanut immediately retorted. He had a point. Though they hadn't exactly been saying bad things about the Greaser, they had been discussing him, and at Bullworth, conversing about another student usually involved a lot of unkind words about the individual.
"We weren't talking about you, though," Rose lied, fully aware that Peanut most likely wouldn't believe her.
Peanut scoffed, "Yeah, whatever. You've had it out for me since the egg thing," It was Rose's turn to look offended now. She hadn't even spoken to the boy since their first ever art lesson almost a week ago, so how Peanut had come to believe that she 'had it out' for him, she had no idea.
"I was actually willing to forget about that, y'know," She answered rather heatedly, her temper beginning to flare at his stubbornness. Was this boy even capable of being civilised? "But you seem intent on annoying me further,"
"Whatever, man. You're just like all those other trust-fund turds,"
"Excuse me!?"
"I hope you two aren't arguing over there!" Ms. Philips called from across the classroom, her eyes trained carefully upon both Rose and Peanut. Rose scowled at her seatmate angrily, annoyed that he'd gotten them told off. She let out a huff of indignation before angling her seat and herself away from him, which only earned a scoff from the scorned boy. "There will be no hostility in my classroom, please. Positive minds and attitudes only." At this Rose rolled her eyes, casting a dark glance towards Peanut, who looked almost as equally irritated.
The rest of the lesson passed by agonisingly slow. The atmosphere was unbelievably tense, and though the two refused to so much as glance in each other's general direction, both Peanut and Rose would let out an inaudible series of irate mutters every now and again, no doubt cursing each other. Rose just couldn't understand how one person could be so stubborn and defensive all the time. The whole situation was petty in her opinion. She didn't understand why Peanut couldn't just be a little more civilised. Ms. Philips seemed to sense the animosity between the two, as her eyes seemed to constantly drift over to the incompatible students who sat in dead silence for near enough an hour, not daring to breathe a word to one another in fear of starting another heated disagreement. The last thing Rose wanted was a detention for arguing during lessons, though based on the way she was currently feeling, she wouldn't be surprised if the arguing escalated to her smashing a blank canvas over Peanuts head. Just his mere presence seemed to infuriate her now. How dare he compare her to those narrow-minded, selfish, cruel Preppie pricks?
Rose could have cried with joy when the end of lesson bell finally decided to ring, and she immediately jumped out of her seat, practically racing out the door so she didn't have to be next to that Greaser boy for longer than she needed to be. Luckily, Kaden seemed to sense her need to escape quickly, as he followed her out almost instantly, a deep frown set in his face.
"What was that jerk saying to you?" He immediately demanded, going into protective friend mode. They began to walk towards the stairs.
"Can you believe that imbecile compared me to those rich brats?" Rose stated through gritted teeth. She was utterly livid. "Apparently I've had it out for him since he egged me. That's what he thinks anyways. And no matter what I said he wouldn't listen to me. I mean, I tried to be civilised but honestly he is the most infuriating boy I've ever met! I hope he crashes his bike so he can't make it to any more art classes for a good while," Upon saying this, someone roughly pushed past Rose, knocking her shoulder rather hard. She squeaked in surprise, glancing at the culprit, only to find Peanut glowering at her over his shoulder as he walked away. He looked rather upset, and Rose couldn't help but feel slightly guilty over her harsh choice of words. Kaden, however, seemed to be enjoying the wounded look on the Greasers face.
"Ouch. I think he heard you," He stated with an amused glint in his eyes, as the two watched Peanut hurry off. Rose bit her lip worriedly. She wasn't usually this mean, and she found herself feeling rather distressed in regards to her behaviour.
"M-maybe I was a bit harsh," She mumbled, glancing down in an ashamed manner. Kaden shook his head and patted his friend on the shoulder.
"C'mon, he was being a dick to you. Besides, he'll get over it. I doubt he'll care what some trust-fund kid has to say about him anyways," He teased, nudging Rose gently. "At Bullworth you've got to be a bit harsh at times, otherwise you'll get eaten alive, honey," His words did nothing to quench Rose's guilt, however, as they exited the school building, all thoughts of Peanut were immediately erased from her mind.
"If it isn't femme-boy number two and the shrimp," Came the familiar taunting voice of Gary Smith, who was stood with Jimmy and Pete just outside the main doors. Rose groaned internally. After that dreadful art lesson, she wasn't so sure she could deal with Gary's incessant mocking right now.
"The shrimp?" Jimmy asked, looking rather confused at Rose's newly acquired nickname. Gary merely rolled his eyes in response.
"It's because she's short, numbnuts," He replied in the usual mocking tone of his. It was Rose's turn to roll her eyes now. "Don't question me. Anyways, we're gonna go harass that homeless guy behind the car park. You guys coming?" Rose frowned deeply, not seeing how picking on an innocent homeless man was supposed to be funny. Apparently, Pete shared her sentiments, as he looked rather apprehensive, and Rose had a strong feeling that he had been bullied into accompanying them by Gary.
"Eh, I've got nothing better to do," Kaden agreed with a small shrug. Rose quickly turned her gaze to him in an appalled manner. He couldn't be serious, could he?
"Don't you think this is kinda...mean?" She questioned, eyeing each of the boys up in a scolding manner. Pete nodded quickly, seizing the opportunity to try and back out of the situation.
"S-see? That's what I said. Maybe we should do something el-"
"Quiet, femme-boy!" Gary cut the smaller boy off, before turning to Rose, "It's just a bit of fun. Besides, the old psycho is probably off his head on drugs right now, it's not like he's gonna do anything about it. Now stop being such a wuss and come on," He stood rather challengingly in front of her, as though daring her to try and oppose what he was saying. The mischievous glint in his eyes as well as the devious smirk on his face gave him a rather devilish look overall, and Rose found herself feeling far too intimidated to make any further objections. Seemingly satisfied with her silence, Gary backed off, and the group of five began to head towards the car park.
"Just stick by me and you'll be fine," Kaden muttered in her ear as they trudged behind Jimmy and Gary. Pete was trailing behind a little, clearly feeling even more reluctant than Rose. "When these two come up with a plan, it's best to just go along with it, trust me. You don't want to get on Gary's bad side," Rose merely nodded. She still felt incredibly worried, but decided against voicing her feelings any further.
"What are you two girlies whispering about?" Gary asked, glancing over his shoulder at the pair. Rose muttered a barely audible 'nothing'. He fell back, walking beside Rose now leaving Kaden no other option than to fall back next to Pete whilst Jimmy led the way.
"C'mon, lighten up! Is the shrimp scared of getting in trouble?" Gary mocked, with his usual smirk plastered on his face. Rose huffed.
"No. I just don't see what's so entertaining about tormenting the homeless,"
"Oh, how sweet. Little Rosie-Poo here cares about the homeless. Tell me, Rose, can you be alive and still be made a saint?" Gary's grin widened, as he stared at the girl beside him, clearly enjoying the fact that he seemed to be annoying her. Rose merely huffed again and turned her head away from the boy, refusing to acknowledge him any further. How could one person be so antagonising? Sensing her reluctance to interact with him any further, Gary swung an arm around Rose's shoulders, forcing her to lean into his side. She squeaked in shock, surprised by the sudden contact. "C'mon, man, lighten up! I'm just messing around,"
"Yes, well I don't find it very funny!" Rose snapped, attempting to prise herself out of his grasp. Her actions were ceased when the group suddenly stopped walking. They were now stood in front of a run-down, grimy school bus, which had been placed strategically to block a rather large gap in the old, rickety fence that edged the back of the car park.
"C'mon, it's just through here," Gary stated, removing his arm from around her shoulders and instead pushing Rose through the school bus doors after Jimmy. She stumbled from the force of the push, and would've fallen if it weren't for Jimmy being placed directly in front of her. She collided with his back, though managed to steady herself rather quickly.
"Cut it out, Gary! Stop being such a jerk!" Jimmy snapped, turning to glare at the scarred boy. Gary merely smirked in reply, and held his hands up in mock surrender. Apparently this was as good as an apology for Jimmy, who continued his way up the aisle, making his way out of a second door halfway up the bus. Rose followed suit, hyper aware of how closely Gary pursued. Clearly he had no concept of personal space, and it was starting to render Rose rather flustered. Was this normal behaviour?
As they all filed off the bus and into the fenced area, Rose found herself feeling rather nervous. The other four seemed at complete ease, barging into the homeless mans personal hideout, showing no concerns whatsoever. Thankfully it seemed the man they'd been planning to torment wasn't around, but Rose still refused to enter the area any further, and instead stood rather close to the gate. She felt like she was breaking into someone's house, after all, this was the only home the houseless man knew of at the current time. This was his safe place. It didn't feel right, intruding like this. A dirty and no doubt flea riddled mattress lay in one corner. Other than that, the area was virtually empty, other than a battered shopping cart and a scorched looking metal drum that was clearly used to contain fire during the colder nights. Rose couldn't believe she'd be cowardly enough to tag along with the boys, knowing fine well their intent on bullying an already unfortunate soul. She felt ashamed, and this feeling only intensified as Gary's mocking words commenced yet again.
"Where is this dirty, old perv?" He asked, turning to face the others. He looked rather disappointed at the fact that the place seemed to be abandoned at the present time.
"Y'know, you're not very nice, Gary," Petey stated, starting towards the taller boy. Clearly he had similar sentiments to Rose, though he was brave enough to voice them. His words, though they seemed to have no major effect on Gary, were retaliated with more scathing words from the scarred boy.
"And you're a loser, Petey. One of life's unfortunate's-"
"GET OUT OF HERE, YOU LITTLE SCUM!"
Rose screamed out in fright as a wild looking elderly man, suddenly came storming out of nowhere, his arms swinging wildly as he approached the group. They backed away slightly, Kaden making his way so that he was now standing beside Rose. He didn't find this enjoyable any more. He hadn't actually believed that there was some living behind here. He'd heard rumours of course, but believed them to be just that. Fictitious gossip spread by bored students who had nothing better to talk about.
"Okay this is getting fucked up," He muttered, his eyes glued to the threatening hobo. Rose merely nodded in agreement, feeling rather terrified at this point. Gary, however, seemed thrilled at the newcomer's appearance.
"Well, I guess the rumours are true, Jimmy!" He began in a loud, sardonic tone. "Your dad does live on campus," Rose's eyes widened in fear, as Jimmy's angry protests were drowned out by the incoherent yelling of the homeless man, who clearly was becoming more and more aggravated at the intrusion. He threw a brick at the offending boy.
"OW!" Gary yelled in pain as it made contact with his shoulder. His usual smirk had for once disappeared, and instead was replaced with a rather livid expression. As enraged as he was at the attack, even Gary knew how stupid it would be to attempt to start a fight with an intoxicated, homeless man. Instead, he began to back away. "Let's leave this guy to his welfare payments! C'mon, let's get outta' here!" Rose noticed the note of panic in his voice as he quickly turned around, grabbing her hand as he ran out of the clearing, followed closely by Pete and Kaden. They didn't stop running until they reached the other side of the car park.
"See? See? I told you it was a stupid idea!" Rose stated. It took her a moment to realise her hand was still tightly grasping Gary's, and she quickly pulled away, her cheeks beginning to heat up slightly. She edged closer to Kaden, who looked rather pale.
"W-where's Jimmy?" Pete asked, as he panted for breath. It was clear he wasn't used to so much physical activity. Rose glanced round, expecting to see the stocky boy lurking nearby. There was no sign of him.
"Fuck! You think the hobo got him?" Kaden asked, glancing back at the school bus. Rose bit her lip worriedly.
"Y-you think we should go get help? Tell a prefect or something?" She asked nervously.
"No way! Are you crazy? You tell someone and you put all our asses on the line!" Gary snapped. He looked to be in a rather bad mood, and it was clear that the attack from the homeless man had wounded his ego. Kaden glanced back at the school bus again, feel extremely worried for his friends welfare. Would Jimmy be okay? "It's sink or swim, my friend. If Jimmy gets his ass kicked by that old scumbag then that's his own fault, and if you even think about snitching on us, girly, then I swear to God I will-"
"That's enough, Gary! You're outta' line!" Kaden snapped, stepping closer to Rose in a protective manner. Pete merely stared between the two boys his, eyes wide as the pair stared at each other in a threatening manner. Rose prayed that the two weren't about to fight. "C'mon, I'll take you back to your dorm," Kaden muttered, keeping his eyes trained on Gary in a menacing manner as he grabbed Rose's wrist and began to lead her away from the two boys.
"I-I see what you mean about him now," Rose stated, once they were out of ear shot. She felt rather shook up about the whole ordeal. The way Gary had suddenly turned on her, it was all rather unexpected, and she found herself feeling extremely grateful for Kaden's presence. If he hadn't of been there, who knows what else would have spewed from Gary's mouth. What if he'd taken it further and turned hostile?
"He's crazy, Rose. He'd stab anyone in the back if it meant saving his own ass. He's been getting worse ever since Jimmy arrived here," Kaden informed, shoving his hands in his pockets. Rose nodded, falling silent as the two trudged towards the girl's dorm. She hoped she wouldn't be subjected to Gary's company anymore, however, something told her that this was incredibly unlikely. The way he pushed Pete around, forcing him to tag along to partake in stupid activities, Rose had a feeling that she was going to be facing the same treatment.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so glad you made the squad! Cheerleading practice is gonna be so much fun with five of us now!" Pinky stated merrily, as she and Flora made their way out of the gym, both adorned in their cheerleading outfits. "Mandy seemed to really like you as well! Which is, y'know, kinda odd actually because she hates almost everybody,"
"Oh, really? I never would've guessed," Flora said sarcastically, her mind reminiscing on the many disdainful glares and scornful comments the head cheerleader had thrown Angie's way, as well as the insulting way she would talk about the other students. Mandy was clearly a big fan of gossip, and seemed to take great joy in spreading humiliating and cruel rumours, particularly in regards to the nerds. However, she'd treated Flora almost nicely, even complimenting her makeup at one point.
"Okay, so cheer practice is every Friday at four, and if you're late or miss a session Mandy will kill you," Pinky informed, "Also, avoid Mr. Burton at all costs. He's such a pervert, I swear he's obsessed with us cheerleaders. I caught him spying on us from behind the bleachers one time and it was so creepy," Flora snorted dryly. Why she wasn't surprised by this news, she had no idea. It seemed nothing at Bullworth shocked her now. How it hadn't been closed down by now was puzzling. It was clearly an appallingly bad school, the teachers were either corrupt or useless, the school equipment and supplies vandalised, and the majority of the students were nothing but bullies.
"Ooh! Mind waiting here a second? I need to go speak to Gord quickly, I'll be right back!" Pinky hurriedly made her way over to the brunette Preppie boy who stood just a little way in from the Harrington House archway. Flora nodded, now feeling rather awkward as she stood by herself near the grimy fountain. She hoped that Pinky was telling the truth when she'd told her she'd be quick, though this seemed unlikely considering how much the Preppie girl seemed to love talking.
Flora shivered, noting how cold it was. Her cheerleading uniform wasn't the warmest of garments, and she found herself wishing she'd changed back into her uniform. She considered heading back to the gym, wondering if she could get changed and make it back before Pinky had finished her conversation with Gord. She decided she wouldn't risk it, just in case Pinky cut her conversation short for once.
"Hey! If it ain't my apprentice," Flora turned round instantly, suddenly coming face to face with Johnny Vincent, who was currently eyeing her new outfit up. She felt herself growing rather hot under his gaze. "I didn't know you were a cheerleader," He stated, his eyes finally returning to her face.
"Yeah, I just finished tryouts before," Flora answered, smiling up at the Greaser King. "I've never been a cheerleader before, I'm kinda hyped," She fiddled with the hem of the cheerleading skirt, trying not to appear too pleased with herself. She did feel rather proud though, considering she'd never been a part of any sort of athletic squad before. It was quite an achievement in her opinion.
"Yeah, well, I like the outfit," Johnny stated, smirking rather cheekily. He scratched the back of his neck in an attempt to appear casual, "It...uh...It suits you," He finished. Flora didn't know if she was imagining it but she could've sworn there was a slight pink tint in his cheeks as he uttered the compliment. It was nothing, however, compared to the blush that now adorned her own cheeks.
"T-Thank you," She said, smiling shyly up at the Greaser boy. Her eyes slid past him suddenly, landing on a girl who stood a little way in the Auto Shop area. She wore a leather outfit, and her short auburn hair was styled into a neat bob. Her pretty features were pulled into a deep frown as she glared over at the two, her eyes full of loathing. Flora's study of the girl was suddenly interrupted by a hand waving in front of her face, and she blinked in surprise, glancing up at the boy in front of her who wore a rather amused grin. Clearly she'd been zoning out.
"H-huh?"
Johnny let out a small laugh at her apparent bemused state, "I said, we still need to figure out a time so I can teach you how to ride a bike," He repeated. Flora nodded, her eyes focusing back on the girl, who continued to glower at her.
"Y-yeah, of course,"
Johnny studied Flora, noting her gaze. He turned round to see what had her so fixated. "Fuck," He muttered, turning back around, a rather worried expression plastered on his face. A look of realisation appeared on Flora's features, as it suddenly clicked in her brain who this girl must be. Johnny's girlfriend, or at least some sort of hook-up. She found herself feeling rather disappointed at the thought. " L-look I'd better go...I'll see you around, kid," Johnny stated, flashing Flora a rather strained smile before he hurried towards the girl, who stood with her arms crossed. It was clear the Greaser King was going to be in the doghouse tonight.