"Gooood morning, Bullworth. It's time once again for the on the hour news. First up, tensions are running high as world leaders continue their nuclear pissing contest. Everybody wants them, a few people are allowed to have them and someone might be threatening to use them. Is the world coming to an end as we know it? More on that later. But first, it's official. Acting juggernauts Sally Finster and Hartly Mann have divorced after she outed his less popular brother Manny as gay through aggressively homophobic remarks. Whose side are the Vinewood royalty openly or secretly on? Let's go to our correspondent Steve Tatler for his educated guess…"


Clay quietly strolled across the campus to the main building. He managed to get a little extra sleep since Jimmy made their workouts every other day. Still, his mind was wrestling with a number of things. The state of the school cliques. His little payback mission against Trent. Auditioning for the musical. The stuff with Lola. A lot had happened in one night and not all of it went down well. How he managed to get himself caught up in so many things over the course of a weekend was beyond him.

The door slowly closed behind him as he entered the school building. There weren't as many students wandering around since he got there earlier than usual, but he did spot a couple random non-clique and new students going about their business. He also saw a couple of the bullies huddled in a corner talking about something he could care less about at the moment. He could also hear them laugh at his direction as he walked up the stairs, with one of them definitely calling him 'Crabblebitch.' He didn't care about that either though. Right now, he had something to do.

Clay power walked down the hallway leading to the drama club room. Sure enough, as he hoped would be the case, Mr. Felton was outside taping the audition sheet on the door. It was quiet enough that Mr. Felton could hear Clay's footsteps approaching, causing him to turn around and notice him.

"Oh hey," Mr. Felton said in his usual flamboyant tone. "An eager beaver signing up for the musical?"

Clay nodded unenthusiastically.

"Excellent! Well, don't let me get in the way," Mr. Felton said backing up from the door and holding out a pen.

Clay took the pen and stepped up to the sign-in sheet. It was a pretty basic piece of paper, with the name of the musical in cheap font with the word 'Audition' in bolder print. Below it was a two column table with the top lines reading 'Name' and 'Preferred Part (write 'any' if not).' Clay clicked the pen and began writing. Under the preferred part column, he wrote 'ELDER WHITEY' in the largest letters he could fit to make sure Trent didn't miss it. Clay didn't worry if it was a bad idea doing that or not, because he knew it was. Still, after what happened last night, he wasn't in much of a mood to worry.

That did not escape Mr. Felton's notice.

"Hold on," the teacher said stopping Clay from leaving. "I only just met you, Mr. McKinley, but blue is not a color or mood that suits you very well. Is everything ok?"

Clay didn't respond, crossing his arms and looking away.

"Hm…" Mr. Felton said putting his hand to his chin and taking the pen back from Clay. "Nope nope! This will not do." He walked past Clay and opened the door, motioning for him to follow. Clay looked out to the clock nearby, seeing that he still had plenty of time before his next class. He sighed and followed Mr. Felton into the room.

"Bad vibes are like an anchor, young man," Mr. Felton said pulling up some chairs. "And nobody likes watching a boat with open sails being weighed down for no good reason. Sit."

Clay wasn't quite sure if that metaphor translated well, but he obliged the teacher and sat down, leaning back in the chair as Mr. Felton eased himself into his own seat.

"Ugh, my back is killing me today," the teacher said. "Gotta ask the hubby to be less cuddly when I'm sleeping. Now, what's got you down with a case of the grumps?"

Clay sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Silence is not a golden rule here," Mr. Felton said waving a finger. "You can tell me whatever is on your mind. Nothing leaves this classroom."

It looked like Clay wasn't getting out of this without saying anything, so he looked up to speak his mind. "Why does everyone suck at this school?"

Mr. Felton raised an eyebrow.

"All they do is argue, fight and hurt people," Clay said. "It's just-"

"They're teenagers, Clay," Mr. Felton said. "Young people are confused and stupid at this age."

Clay crossed his arms.

"I'm seriously serious! It's nothing personal. When I was in high school, you would not believe the catty bitches I had to deal with. All the kids would say, 'Hey, it's Big Gay Albert!' Like, was that supposed to be a clever insult? Even the gays thought I was too gay for them. They all ignored me, threw food at me, and teased me. I felt like the biggest loser for years."

Clay continued to listen without emoting much.

"But then one day, I decided to be an adult and embrace what I was. I am big. I am gay. And I am Albert! If anyone had a problem with that, they could kiss the fattest part of my fabulous ass. You wouldn't believe how much that boosted my confidence."

"…did you make more friends after that?" Clay asked.

"Oh lord, no. I waited until college to meet people worth my time."

Clay sighed. That wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"But you don't have to be like me," Mr. Felton continued. "Kids are mean, but it all stems from demons they bottle up inside. Maybe it's something they can't let go or something they're afraid of admitting. Part of becoming a good grown-up is confronting those demons and getting past them. Sometimes, people have to learn the hard way. And let me tell you, if people don't confront whatever is inside them, they become super weirdos. Just look at some of the teachers here. Really messed up. True story."

Clay mulled over what Mr. Felton said before speaking again. "Someone got their feelings hurt badly last night."

"You don't have to address yourself in the third person," Mr. Felton said.

"No, I actually mean someone else."

"Oh…ok! Silly me. I shouldn't interrupt. Continue."

"She had it coming...kind of. I just…I don't know. I shouldn't feel bad about it, but I do."

Mr. Felton rubbed his chin again. "Ah, empathy. What a twisted sister you are."

"…yeah," Clay said before continuing. "I felt like I should have said something, but I didn't know what would make her feel better."

"Hm…out of curiosity, was it that girl who's attracted to you?"

"I mean, maybe she is, but-" Clay started before realizing what he said. "Wait, which girl?"

"Oh, that sweet little black girl who sat next to you yesterday. I thought it was obvious."

Clay's mouth was agape at that statement, but he brushed past it to continue. "No! No, a different girl."

"Ah. Sorry. I have a seventh sense for spotting that kind of chemistry and a sixth sense for spotting gayness. Such a blessing and a curse!"

That was something Clay would file away for now as he attempted to continue. "I…uh, I…I just feel bad. Like, I should have said something to her."

Mr. Felton thought for a moment before he continued. "You said she had it coming?"

"Yeah…I mean, she…she sometimes acts like….I don't know. She talks about herself a lot. And she can be kind of rude."

"Mmhmm," Mr. Felton said nodding. "People like that are tough nuts to crack. Especially teenage girls. Ugh, just the worse! If they really want to change though, they have to do it on their own. You babying them enables their bad behavior. I say give her a little space. If things change, then that's dandy. But you don't want to get sucked into something that'll hurt you in the end."

That wasn't what Clay wanted to hear, but he had a feeling Mr. Felton was right. Maybe Lola was just a bad influence on him. It was probably for the best if he left her alone for now. Though to be fair, she usually found him when she wanted to talk.

"And you can always talk to Big Gay Albert about anything," Mr. Felton continued. "I may not be 'one of the guys,' but I've taught enough classes to handle a lifetime of teen drama. Also, if you're going to be a part of this play, we need a good working relationship and any relationship has to be built on trust."

Clay smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Felton."

"Oh, don't you sweat it, Mr. Thespian. Now run along. I'll see you tomorrow."

Clay sat up and walked to the door. Admittedly, talking to Mr. Felton made Clay feel a little better. He still felt bad about Lola, but hopefully that could be resolved for the best. He didn't like the thought of anyone being sad and cast out, considering he had been on the receiving end of that stick once before. That little revelation of Janet having a crush on him though was…interesting to say in the least. Was that Mr. Felton reading too much into it or not? That would have to wait.

Clay pushed open the door and was about to leave…until he looked at the sign-up sheet.

"Oh geez…" he said seeing what was on it.

"What what?" Mr. Felton said walking over and seeing the sign-up sheet. "Oh dear…"

Clay's name had been heavily scribbled out from the top of the list and the word 'Crabblebitch' had been written off to the side. The second line, to no surprise at all, had Trent Northwick's name on it with a preference for the Elder Whitey role

"I smell competition brewing," Mr. Felton said giving Clay back the pen. "Write your name again. I'll make sure no one scratches it out."

Clay groaned as he went to write his name once more, while also crossing out the 'Crabblebitch.' The gauntlet had been thrown and the challenge made. He could only imagine what was coming next…


Clay entered the art classroom a few minutes early and took a seat at the nearest canvas. The classroom was very much what he expected an art class to look like. There were shelves upon shelves of paint cans, brushes, easels, canvases and all sorts of supplies on every way. The wall were very colorful and there was a rustic wooden design to the floor. There was no traditional teacher's desk though, with a small table in the middle of the room serving as the central hub of the class.

The students slowly but surely trickled their way into the class. Most of them were people he wasn't familiar with, but seemed to be the types of people who would enjoy an art class. So it surprised him when he saw who the student was that sat at the canvas on his left.

"Oh, hey," Mandy said noticing Clay.

Clay turned to face her. Sure enough, she continued to wear her cheerleader outfit and her hair was up in a ponytail. She definitely had a style.

"Hey," Clay replied back. "How's everything going?"

"Fine, I guess," Mandy said. "God, school can be boring." Clay didn't have anything to follow that up with, but he didn't really have time to before she started to talk again. "I heard you and Casey beat up Norton after you left the party."

"Well…" Clay said. "I kind of accidentally tripped him. That's it."

"Yeah I figured Casey was exaggerating. Still, the guys seem cool with you so far."

Clay was about to say something before he clued in on what she said. "So far?"

"You never know when you'll be back at the bottom of the food chain. Jimmy's been up and down with them after the big game."

That was…not very encouraging. It was right then Clay noticed Beatrice sit at the canvas to his right.

"Hey Clay," she said. "How did you-?" She started before seeing Beatrice next to him. "Oh…"

"Speaking of bottom of the food chain," Mandy said to Clay. "Still not getting any dates, four eyes?"

"Still failing your classes, bimbo?" Beatrice shot back.

The two of them huffed at each other while Clay awkwardly looked to see if the teacher was coming. Apparently he inadvertently stumbled into the middle of a catfight.

"Careful around her, Clay," Mandy said. "I hear 'loser' is contagious."

"Not nearly as contagious as stupidity," Beatrice sniped back. "This 'loser' is going to medical school. Remind me what job prospects you have again?"

"Too bad no one from Bullworth has ever gone to med school."

"You take that—!"

"Can we…" Clay interrupted lifting up his hands to metaphorically separate them. "Can we not fight right now? It's too early in the morning."

The two girls glared at each other for a few seconds before looking back to their canvases. Great…more girl problems, Clay thought to himself. As if last night wasn't enough.

The door opened and a couple of adults walked in. Clay recognized Mr. Galloway right off the bat. The other woman who walked in with him was an interesting sight to see. She was a very attractive woman overall, with a beautiful face, lean body and…well, large breasts. Just to put it simply. She also had brown hair with blonde highlighted tips, a gray turtleneck with a brown jacket over it, a leather skirt, dark nylons and high heel boots. Even if he hadn't already guessed she was the art teacher, he would have believed it if someone had simply described her appearance.

"Your lunch's in the fridge," Mr. Galloway said before kissing her on the cheek.

"Not in front of the students, Gallybear," the woman giggled with a sultry, smoky kind of voice.

"Oh god…" Mandy muttered to herself disgusted.

"Hey everyone," Mr. Galloway waved as he walked out of the room. "Make sure to do your assignments for next class."

As he left the room, the teacher walked over to the table and sat on top of it. "Good morning, class," she said. "For the new students, my name is Ms. Phillips. This class is to help enlighten the mind to abstract concepts and explore the inner depths of the soul. Art is not simply painting after all. It's expression of what cannot be put into words." She then pulled out a clipboard. "Before we get started, I'll do a quick attendance."

While she started at the top of the list, Clay felt something on his right knee. He turned to see Beatrice discreetly put a folded piece of paper and a pen there while keeping her eyes towards Ms. Phillips. Clay took the paper and pen, also discreetly opening the paper so no one else would notice. On the paper, Beatrice had written something:

DO YOU THINK I'M COOLER THAN MANDY?

Y/N

Clay hated this kind of question. He wasn't a guy who enjoyed playing favorites when he had no strong opinions on the people involved. Mandy did grill him the first day they met, but they seemed to be on good terms at the moment. Still, he didn't want to say no or not answer either. He circled the 'Y' and slid it back to Beatrice.

"Luis Luna?" He heard Ms. Phillips say.

"Here," Luis replied.

"Lola Lombardi?"

No reply. Clay looked around and didn't see a trace of her.

"That's odd," Ms. Phillips said. "I know I saw her yesterday. Anyone seen Lola this morning?" None of the students replied. Whether it was that they didn't know or didn't care, Clay wasn't sure. Ms. Phillips raised an eyebrow. "Huh. I hope she shows up next class…"

Clay hoped so too…


Lunchtime came again and Clay followed Beatrice out of the class towards the cafeteria. The art class was pretty easy this week. Mostly them doing some basic sketches to see what their basic skills and styles were. Ms. Phillips did say he had an excellent eye for bold characterization from the sketches she saw. 'Like a top tier graphic novel' was how she put it. It was a nice little confidence boost.

Beatrice looked back to see Mandy leave the classroom and meet up with another jock nearby a locker. She scoffed and looked to Clay.

"God, why does she have to be so mean all the time?" Beatrice said.

"Well…" Clay said. "You weren't being very nice either."

"I'm just sick of it," she replied. "All last year she teased me. Calling me 'four eyes,' 'metal mouth,' 'ugly,' 'fugly,' 'pig ugly,' 'stupid,' 'loser.' I can only take so much, Clay."

Clay nodded. He could sympathize with that.

"Thanks by the way," Beatrice said.

"Hm?"

"For saying I was cooler than her. You didn't have to."

"Oh well…" Clay said. "I mean, you are cool."

"How?" She said as they walked down the stairs to the center of the building leading to the cafeteria.

"Being smart is cool," he said. "And you've been nice to me since I've been here."

"Aw thanks," she said. "I think you're cool too."

"How?" He said redirecting the question.

"You're a lot nicer than most guys here. More balanced too. It feels like all the guys are compensating for something, but you don't have anything to prove."

"I don't know about that…"

"And no one else would have walked me home like that, so that's cool."

"Well, you're welcome."

Beatrice grinned happily as they reached the bottom of the stairs. As they were about to head to the cafeteria though, Clay felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to see Janet looking somewhat troubled.

"Hey," she said. "Can I talk to you?"

He still felt conflicted about Janet at the moment, what with everything that happened last night and Mr. Felton's observation that morning. Still, she seemed like she had something important on her mind. He looked back to Beatrice and held up a finger. "Be back in a minute."

"Ok," she said. "See you inside."

Beatrice walked into the cafeteria while Janet pulled Clay off to the side to talk. A few students passed them by on the way until they were more or less alone.

"So…" Janet said. "I'm sorry for insulting you last night."

Clay raised an eyebrow while crossing his arms.

"I called you a 'naïve teenage boy.' That was….that was mean."

"Yeah…" he said. "It kind of was."

"I know. I felt really bad about it. You're…you're not naïve for wanting to be people's friend. I just…I didn't want Lola to push you around."

"She wasn't?"

"No, she was. You might not have seen it, but she's been trying to wrap you around her finger. Still…I let myself get carried away."

Just a little, Clay thought to himself before choosing something better to say. "I mean, nothing you said was wrong."

"Yeah, but getting carried away has caused me problems before and I don't want to push away a friend because of it."

Clay nodded but noted what she said there. "So…we're friends?"

"I want to be," Janet said. "If that's cool with you."

A small pause lingered before Clay nodded again. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

Janet smirked and gave Clay a big hug, which he reciprocated after the initial surprise. "Good," she said breaking the hug. "I'd hate to awkwardly avoid each other the rest of the year."

"Yeah, that would suck," Clay said. "You should probably apologize to Lola too."

"Do I have to?" She said.

"You did kind of yell at her until she cried. Plus, it would make you the bigger woman."

"Well there wasn't any doubt of that. Alright, where is she?"

"I don't know. She wasn't in class this morning."

That caused Janet to pause. "Oh…"

"Yeah…"

"…well, if you see her, let me know," she said slightly worried.

Clay didn't want to heighten the worry, but he sort of felt the same way. Lola didn't seem like someone who would vanish without a word. If anything, she'd make as noticeable an exit as she could. Hopefully, they could find her before she did anything drastic.

"Come on," Janet then said. "No sense worrying on an empty stomach."

The two of them made their way to the cafeteria and were about to get in line…when Clay spotted Trent and his goons at a table next to them. He had no time to react before one of the bullies pointed at him.

"There he is," the guy said as Trent stood up and walked over to him.

"The hell you think you're doing, Crabblebitch?" Trent taunted.

"…getting lunch," Clay replied sarcastically as Janet stood beside him.

"That part's mine. I've been in that club for too long not to earn it. I'm not letting some damn new kid wimp take what's mine from me."

"Are you really that chicken shit?" Janet taunted.

"Shut up and let him not be a pussy," Trent said before looking back to Clay. "Or does she have bigger balls than you, Crabblebitch?"

Their little show drew the attention of some of the other students, including Beatrice, Bryce, Mandy and Jimmy at a couple tables nearby. Clay didn't reply to Trent's insult.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Trent said getting up in Clay's face. "You're just a little minnow in a tank full of sharks. Well you know what, sharks eat minnows like you. So how about you go back to the classroom and take your name off the sheet right now?"

Clay wasn't sure if he was more upset at Trent making fun of him so close to his face, disgusted by his bad breath or confused at the odd metaphor he used. Still, he did his best to hide his nervousness. He wanted that part just as badly as Trent did and he had promised everyone he was going to audition. He couldn't back down now. So, even though it was a struggle, he didn't budge.

"What? Are you deaf AND stupid? I said go do it!" Trent said.

After several more seconds, Clay finally mustered up the courage to say something he shouldn't have said before.

"…no."

Trent's eye twitched at that. "I'm sorry. I don't think I heard that correctly."

"I said no," Clay said more sternly.

Trent glared at him harder. "You're going to take your name off—"

"Or what?" Clay taunted back feeling slightly more confident as something took over. "Are you going to cry?"

Trent took a step back as Clay tried to look bigger. He had to stand up for himself here. What would Jimmy do in this situation? Probably hurl insults. That would be very out of character for Clay to do, but what else could he do?

"Yeah," Clay continued. "That's what you'll do. You'll cry because you know you suck so bad at acting that you have to bully people out of auditioning." Trent seemed angry and very confused at Clay's sudden surge of aggression. Clay was honestly surprised too, but he was on a roll. "What's the matter? Are you scared I'll get the part? Scared I'm going to mop the floor with you without even trying?"

Clay thought he saw some very confused looks from his friends watching the scene, but he wasn't paying attention to them as he got up in Trent's face. "I don't have to scare you out of auditioning. You know why? I got big balls, Trent. Huge ones! And I'm going to slap you in the face with them so hard you'll stink of my sweat for weeks. You know why? Because you're nothing but a big freaking loser!"

Trent gripped the collar of Clay's uniform and cocked a fist to slug him.

"You throw one punch and you're going straight to detention!" They then heard Edna yell while she served something that looked completely inedible to a student. That drew everyone's attention to the two of them.

Trent held his hand up for a few seconds, still gripping Clay's collar. Clay did not flinch at all when Trent was about to hit him, which was impressive considering how the first day went. He was still sweating bullets, but he couldn't look weak right now. He talked too much smack to back down.

After another few seconds, Trent released Clay and pointed to him backing away. "You're going to regret this, Crabblebitch."

"My name is Clay!" Clay said even more boldly. "You remember that, because that's going to be on the callback sheet when I get the part."

Clay thought he saw a vein bulge on Trent's forehead before someone from a nearby table spoke up.

"Nerds," they said nonchalantly.

"Shut up!" Both Clay and Trent said to the student at the same time before looking back to each other. "No, you shut up!" They said at the same time again. "Stop doing that!"

Both of them went silent before Trent looked to his gang. "Come on!" He said…but no one followed him as he started walking, prompting him to stop. "Today, ladies."

"We're kind of eating here, dude," that Tom bully from the other day replied.

Trent was about to yell something else, but calmed down before looking back at Clay. "Fine. Whatever. I need to go practice anyway. Because I'm going to blow Mr. Felton's mind." Trent started to walk away….only to walk back and pick up his lunch tray. He took a bite of an apple he got and pointed at Clay as he walked off. "Like I said, you're going to regret this."

As soon as Trent walked out, everyone in the lunchroom went back to business as usual. Well, except for Clay still standing there letting his guard down and shaking much more noticeably. That just happened. He stood up to Trent. He almost got socked in the face for it, but he did it. He looked over to where Jimmy was sitting, who gave Clay a big thumbs up. Well, he got some approval for his little show.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Janet then said to him concerned. "That's definitely not the Clay I've been talking to."

Clay tried to offer an answer, but he had nothing to give. That did feel really weird acting out the way he did. Almost like he was a different person. He had only had one major incident where that happened before…and it was the reason he got sent to this school. All he could do was stare blankly at Janet and shake his head.

"I…I don't know," Clay replied meekly.

Janet crossed her arms for a bit before giving him a pat on the shoulder and led him to the lunch line. "Guess I'm rubbing off on you after last night," she said somewhat joking. "But I suggest you don't apologize to him yet…"


The second class bell rang and Clay was sitting on the bleachers in the gym dressed in his school appropriate workout clothes. He was still buzzing over what happened in the cafeteria, with an equal amount of excitement and anxiety. He had never done something like that before and it felt good to stand up for himself. Still, it scared him how easily he could shift into that demeanor. He usually was so mild mannered. Was the school bringing that part of him out again? And Trent's expected threat of retaliation had him on guard. People have already harassed him on and off since he arrived, so he wondered what else they could do. Well, as long as he was around other people and in sight of adults, despite how unhelpful they can be, Trent could only do so much.

He noticed all the other students surrounding him on the bleachers. It was kind of strange seeing the nerds and preps mixed in with the jocks and the greasers, but here they all were. There were also some of the girls mixed in, though they were likely to split off into their own group for cheerleading or other physical exercises.

It was then that Clay saw Jimmy and Ricky sit next to him on the bleachers.

"How's it hanging, tough guy?" Jimmy said giving Clay the same playful jab on that shoulder every jabbed at. "Look how fast you've progressed under my tutelage. Trent thought you were his bitch the first day. Now he's yours."

"I don't know about that…" Clay replied.

"What's that guy's problem anyway?" Ricky added. "It's a freaking play. Who the hell gets bent out of shape over that?"

"Guys insecure about their own self-worth," Jimmy said.

"Yikes," Ricky said. "If that's how he gets over a musical…"

Hearing the guys talk about that brought Clay back to his chitchat with Mr. Felton that morning. Perhaps Trent was just like everyone else at this school. All the bravado, threats and aggression were just outlets to hide their true shortcomings and fears. It didn't exactly excuse the behavior, but it gave Clay something to think about. So then what was Clay's little outburst covering up for?

The gym doors opened and an adult walked inside. This was someone Clay had not seen before and he almost wish he hadn't. It was a middle aged woman with her messy brown hair tied in a bun and school appropriate sweats. She was also incredibly butch, with a stocky build and frumpy general appearance. She also had a huge mole on her nose and he swore he saw yellow teeth. Before he could think anything else about her, the teacher blew the whistle around her neck.

"Get on your feet!" She barked with a deep voice.

Everyone immediately stood at attention as the teacher paced in front of the group like a drill instructor.

"My name is Mrs. Langley and I will be your physical activities instructor this year," she said not letting up from her barking tone once. "After what happened with the sexual predator last year, the school board decided the program needed a woman's touch. But don't you men think that I'm some pansy ass because I am a woman. If I hear even one hint of degradation or harassment from you miserable worms, I will personally gouge out your eyeballs and make you run laps until the soles peel off your feet!"

"Burton 2.0?" Clay heard Ricky whisper to Jimmy.

"Gender swapped Burton," Jimmy whispered back. "I'll give her a semester."

"And you know why I am harsh like that?" Mrs. Langley continued. "Because I am fair! Life is hard, so I will be hard. You will run laps! You will wrestle! You will play whatever games I choose! There will be no room in my gym for wimps, losers or crybabies! You!" She then said pointing out Algernon from the front row. "Get up here!"

Algernon groaned as he waddled his way to her.

"What is your name?" She said.

"Al…Algernon?" He replied.

"What's your excuse?"

"…huh?"

"I'm asking the questions here! What's your excuse for your sorry state?"

"….I…I read books a lot."

"A smartass, huh? If you're so smart, you'd know what horrible things you're doing to your body by being so fat. Do you know the strain that much weight puts on your bones? Do you know what it does to your internal organs? Your heart?"

"…ye-yeah…"

"Then why the hell don't you do something about that?"

Clay could see Algernon shaking from the embarrassment this teacher was subjecting him to. This was starting to get really uncomfortable. He then saw Casey giggle at the situation, which drew Mrs. Langley's attention.

"Oh you think that's funny, meathead?" She snapped at Casey, who seemed incredibly surprised to have the attention drawn his way. "Get down here!"

Casey hurried from his spot to the bleachers, clearly confused why he was being singled out.

"What is your name?" Mrs. Langley said.

"…Casey," he replied.

"Answer me truthfully, Mr. Casey. Are you know or have you ever used steroids?"

Clay saw a small bead of sweat form on Casey's brow.

"…n-no, ma'am."

"Don't you dare lie to me, numb nuts! I know disproportionate muscles when I see them and we know for a fact Mr. Burton gave steroids to the players. Are you telling me that all of this bulk was legitimately earned by hard work and healthy eating?"

"….y…yes…"

"Do you know the health risks 'roiding out can cause to your heart? What it does to your balls?"

"…no, ma'am."

"On your faces! Both of you!"

Casey immediately dropped to the ground for push-ups, while Algernon hesitated before seeing what she meant and slowly positioned himself.

"Fat Albert, give me ten!" She barked. "Little nuts, give me a hundred!"

Casey started doing push-ups like a machine while Algernon's arms shook as he attempted to do his first push-up.

"Fairness!" Mrs. Langley said to the rest of the class. "I want everyone here to be in the best shape possible. You have futures to live and being fat or cheating will only make things worse. We are going to be so health conscious in this school that even the thought of a chocolate bar or television show will fill your very being with disgust! So while Laurel and Hardy finish their push-ups, everyone else give me ten laps around the basketball court. Double time!"

She blew her whistle and everyone filed out to start running. What she was doing felt wrong. Still, she was the one in charge. One thing was for sure though: he was going to be sore after this class…


Sure enough, Clay felt every muscle in his body tingling or throbbing as he left the shower room and left the gym. Running, push-ups, crunches, up-downs. This lady was running them like a proper military with how intense the workouts were. And all because 'she cares too much' about their health. Sure she did…

A few of the nerds nearby were still wincing and moaning from the workouts, with Algernon in particular looking especially humiliated. She was particularly brutal to them, as she considered them the low end of the totem pole. Not that anyone else got it any easier, but Clay figured that burning that much fat or building up that much muscle should be a more gradual process. This lady was all or nothing though. The only thing impressive about her was how long she could keep shouting at everyone. Clay's throat hurt thinking about the strain that much yelling would cause and he didn't even say anything that entire class.

While he rubbed a muscle under his arm, Jimmy and Ricky strolled out looking eagerly exhausted.

"Crap…" Ricky exhaled.

"I didn't even know I had some of these muscles," Jimmy said rubbing his side.

Clay looked to see Casey and a few of the jocks leave the showers. For some reason, Casey's stride was a little off. Clay couldn't quite explain it, but it was almost as if Casey was being overly conscious about his balls after what Mrs. Langley said. So he really was taking steroids…

Clay returned his attention to Jimmy and Ricky as he decided to ask something that was still on his mind from before.

"You guys seen Lola today?" He said.

"Nope," Ricky said.

"Why?" Jimmy asked.

"She wasn't in class this morning," Clay replied.

"So?" Ricky asked.

"…so, that just seemed weird."

"She's probably letting off steam," Jimmy said. "Don't worry. She can act that way."

Clay sighed. His sense of guilt over certain things may seem unreasonable, but he couldn't help himself. He felt responsible for letting Janet go off on Lola like that, even if it was bound to happen at some point.

"Hey," Jimmy said to Clay. "I ever show you the clubhouse on the field?"

Clay shook his head.

"Good enough a time as any then," Jimmy said before looking to Ricky. "Wanna join?"

"Eh, fine," Ricky said as Jimmy led them past the gym to the lower part of the campus.

A grass field came into view as they approached a large flight of stairs. Clay always knew football fields were a big part of a school campus, but that was especially true here. A large scoreboard loomed over the field and the goal posts looked equally imposing. There were quite a few bleachers around the field and a wooden fence encircled the outskirts. There was also a route that led somewhere else behind the campus on one side, but Clay couldn't see where.

Finding the Clubhouse, however, was not very hard. It was a large brick building on the right side of the field, with big windows on the front and a small stone staircase leading to the door. Clay had a feeling it was there for storing sporting equipment, but apparently it was also a clubhouse? He decided not to question that too much.

It was strange, however, that the field was devoid of jocks at the moment. The only other people there were a couple students chitchatting near the bleachers.

"Is the team practicing today?" Clay asked while they walked down the stairs.

"Last I heard," Jimmy said. "They're still learning the basics on how to handle a female coach."

"How long does that take?" Ricky asked.

"I don't know. They have to sit through a bunch of 'sensitivity training' videos to remind them how awful they are and how much women can do anything they can."

"Glad I never signed up for sports," Ricky said as they crossed the field and walked to the clubhouse.

"What's the scoop on Norton?" Jimmy asked Ricky.

"I hear he's still a bit peeved after actor boy here tripped him," Ricky said pointing to Clay. "Otherwise, he's really quiet lately."

"Hm…I'll see if I can do some digging."

Once they made it to the clubhouse, Jimmy walked a little faster and pulled out a key to open the door first.

"Just to warn you," Jimmy said. "The stink of jock is going really strong here. Sweat, sports drinks, empty futures. The usual. But if you ever need a place to stay outside the dorms after curfew, it's pretty cozy."

He proceeded to stick the key into the door…only to find it had already been unlocked.

"Huh?" He said.

Jimmy pushed open the door and did a quick check-up on the area. He sure wasn't kidding about this being a jock haven, as Clay could see tons of sports equipment arranged in piles, stacked on shelves or in those little boxes at nearly every corner. There was also the usual assortment of inspirational posters and manly decorations about to not seem too sissy. There was even a bed and a dresser presumably for when people crashed here like Jimmy mentioned.

What seemed to be out of place, however, was who was sitting on the bed with their shoes off, head against their knees and staring at the back wall without acknowledging their arrival.

"Lola?" Jimmy asked confused and kind of concerned.

She didn't reply.

"Lola, what's going on?" He continued. "How'd you get in?"

"…I asked the teacher nicely…" She murmured still not looking at them.

Clay and Ricky looked to each other confused. She had been hiding out here all day? That was at least sort of good news. Still, she seemed…unusually sullen. To be fair, Clay had only seen her at her usual speed before now, so he couldn't tell for sure. Jimmy's reaction to it made it seem unusual though.

"…is something up?" Jimmy asked again.

She refused to answer once more.

After a slight hesitation, Jimmy walked back towards Clay and Ricky. Clay peeked over his shoulder to see Lola still sitting there motionless. Something felt off about this and it was bothering him.

"Maybe we should just leave her alone," Jimmy whispered to them, urging them to follow. However, Clay didn't budge. "Hey…"

Clay raised a finger to ask for a minute as he walked over towards Lola. Maybe this was a sort of sign. He didn't get his chance to talk politely to her yesterday, so maybe this was a chance to try again. He could also potentially make things worse, but he felt he should do this. Whether she would try to wrap him around her finger again or not, it was the right thing to do to cheer her up.

He approached the bed and stopped, giving them a little space. He looked back to Jimmy and Ricky, who watched curiously.

"…Lola?" Clay then said looking back at her.

He couldn't tell if he saw her relax slightly or not for sure, but she still didn't respond.

"Hey…" He said gently sitting at the opposite end of the bed. "You ok?"

Her hand moved a little to scratch an itch.

"You can talk to me," he continued thinking back to their chat by the fountain. "You shouldn't be here by your lonesome."

After a slight pause, she quickly glanced back towards the door before facing the wall again. "Make them leave," she whispered to him.

Clay turned to Jimmy and motioned for them to leave. Jimmy nonverbally protested, but Clay insisted. With a sigh of annoyance, he and Ricky closed the door and waited outside…or maybe they left. Clay wouldn't be able to tell.

He returned his attention to Lola, who finally moved to look at the wall to her right. Her mascara had smeared under her eyes from crying and her overall expression was surprisingly depressed. He wondered how long she had been here and how long she had been like that. He didn't say anything though, letting them sit their quietly for a couple minutes to allow her to speak when she felt like it.

Which she eventually did.

"…am I just a skank to you?" Lola said not looking at Clay.

He shook his head.

Lola slouched forward resting her head on her knees once again with her feet firmly planted on the mattress. "What else am I if I'm not a skank?" Clay didn't really know how to answer that question, but she didn't give him time to speak anyway. "Seems like that's all I'm good for. Being selfish, getting guys hard and manipulating people."

Clay twiddled his thumbs and listened patiently.

"…people are stupid," she continued. "Life's stupid. It's just an endless parade of shit upon shit. You try to be a nice person and you're weird. You try to be a bitch and you're a terrible person. You try to stand out, people ignore you. What's the point of even trying? School's a waste of time. Friends leave you. People die. Nobody gets what they want. It all amounts to nothing in the end…"

Clay rested his hands on his lap and took a deep breath before speaking. "…what is it you want?"

She finally looked into his eyes, unsure how to respond. "I…I…" She said before looking back at the floor again. "…I don't know."

Clay waited again for her to speak. He didn't expect what Janet said to shake Lola up that badly. He suspected this wasn't the first time she had been called a bad word like 'skank,' but he didn't think last night would be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Maybe she had finally reached her limit.

"…I don't want to be nothing…" Lola then said.

Clay rubbed his arm and looked over to her. "…I don't think you're nothing."

She didn't reply to that.

"…Janet felt really bad about last night," he said. "She…she went too far. I felt really bad too."

"…how am I not nothing?" Lola said not acknowledging that last statement.

Clay paused. He didn't expect that question, but he decided not to wait. "….everybody's something."

"You don't really believe that…."

"I do."

"…why would anyone care about me?" She said. "I can't do anything but seduce people. And even that doesn't work anymore. Everyone hates me."

Clay could sense the possibility she was fishing for compliments, but he tried to be respectful as he could.

"…you've been kind of mean to people," he said. "And you hurt a lot of feelings." She didn't reply to that. "People make bad decisions. But…it doesn't have to define you."

"How can it not?" She said. "Everyone tells me how terrible I am around every corner."

"…well…." Clay said sighing trying to think of the right way to approach the next thought he had. "…do you think you're a skank?"

"…sometimes."

"When do you not think you're a skank?"

"…I don't know."

Clay turned to face her. "Still…the fact you don't always think that means you don't have to be one."

"…but that's how I've always done things."

"Well…maybe you can try something else," he said trying to sound a little more confident. "You don't want people to call you a skank? Change that."

"…then how will they pay attention to me?"

Clay didn't expect that question but he wouldn't let that stop him. "Well…how do other people on campus get noticed?"

"Beating people up?"

"Ok, don't do that," Clay replied rephrasing the question. "What kind of people do students genuinely like the most here?"

Lola didn't answer right away.

"Um…what kind of people do you genuinely like the most here?"

After another short pause, she finally replied. "…people like you."

Clay blushed intensely and looked to the floor. "Oh…uh, like…how so?'

"You're honest…and you're a nice person."

The two of them said there in silence for a while, not budging or making a sound. This was proving to be a tricky conversation to work with, but at least she was talking now. He tried to think of something to continue that line of thinking organically. She beat him to it though.

"…the first day you got here," Lola finally said. "When I said I told the prefects about the fight…"

Lola didn't finish that sentence, but Clay figured out what she was about to say. "…that wasn't true, was it?" He asked.

Lola shook her head. "I wanted the credit so you would trust me."

Clay slightly kicked his feet against the ground. So…everyone was right. She was just trying to manipulate him. It shouldn't have surprised him, but it was still a bummer to hear. However, he didn't expect for her to confess. That seemed like a big deal for her.

"You looked so…innocent," she continued. "Like you could really use a friend. So when I saw the fight, I saw an opportunity that could benefit me. Because that's all I do." She sighed and looked away from him. "So why would you want to hang out with a lying skank after hearing that?"

Clay sighed. It was sad that she lied, but he did truly believe that people didn't have to be defined by one or two things they did. Lola probably did more than two, but the point still remained. An idea then crossed his mind. She had been honest confessing something to him. He should return the favor. Plus, it had been in the back of his mind ever since his little show at the cafeteria.

"…back in Utah," he started. "When I got into that fight…I broke a guy's arm."

Clay could sense Lola slowly turn to look at him, but he didn't look up as he continued. "I was so scared when they attacked me. They had me backed into a corner and they just kept punching me. I didn't know what to do…and then…and then something happened. Like I just…"

He snapped before continuing. "…like that. I didn't know what came over me, but I tackled one of the guys and…" He paused as the memories of the fight flashed in his head, almost making him lose his train of thought. "It was so quick."

He thought he could hear Lola slide over closer to him as he continued to speak. "I regret it every day. I still feel bad when people call me a nice guy. I don't…I don't feel like I am. But I really want to be. I just…don't want to be 'that guy' ever again. I don't want it to define me…."

Silence lingered for several more seconds before Clay turned to see Lola sitting right next to him. He wasn't quite sure what that look in her eyes was. Sadness? Concern? Longing? Maybe it was something more complex than that. Still, they stared at each other's eyes for several more seconds like that, not saying a word…

"I guess…I guess we've all done our fair share of bad things, huh?" Lola asked.

"Yeah…" Clay replied curious over what she was think.

And then Lola leaned forward, closed her eyes and kissed him!

The shock on Clay's face must have been as intense as it felt, but what was stranger was how…sincere the kiss felt. It wasn't like that first kiss they had where she planted it on him like a stamp. This one felt more genuine. Like a moment of connection that they had not had before then. Like someone who wanted to feel something more than just empty pleasure. And it did feel as nice as before. Apparently recalling horrible stories about his past was kind of romantic…which was something he never would have assumed.

Clay closed his eyes and returned the kiss, placing a hand on top of hers. They held that kiss for a while before she broke it, leaned back and they both opened their eyes.

"…sorry," she said blushing.

"No, it's…" Clay replied equally embarrassed. "It's…it's fine."

They sat there quietly for about a minute before Lola spoke up again. "…have you told anyone that before?"

"…no. Just you." He admitted. "Figured you shouldn't be the only one to come clean."

Lola smiled at him, her fingers stroking against his hand. Clay's heart was beating so hard it would burst from his chest if it could. Maybe this was them being hormonal teens and getting carried away, but it was definitely a moment of bonding whatever it was.

"…why can't more guys be like you?" She asked.

Clay shrugged. "I guess...it's what makes me something and not nothing."

Lola looked down to her hand on his and then back to him. "Will you help me become something?" She asked. "I don't have anyone else I can trust."

"Absolutely," Clay said with a smile.

Lola beamed and wrapped her arms tightly around Clay for a giant hug. He gasped at first at how tight she hugged, but he managed to return the hug back once he positioned himself better. She stroked his back slightly and rested her head on his shoulder. It felt warmer than usual between them, but Clay could handle it. He felt good being trusted and that was what mattered the most.

After several more seconds, Lola slowly backed herself up from the hug and looked deeply into Clay's eyes again, stroking a hand on his cheek. He could sense what she was thinking and he felt nervous about acting on it. Thankfully, she decided to say it anyway.

"Maybe we could…" She said nervously with some anticipation as she connected her hands behind him. "…indulge a little more…"

The two of them almost in synchronization leaned forward and kissed again. This time, however, Lola seemed to be a little more…hungry. Clay was slightly caught off-guard as he felt her tongue against his lips, but matched her as they moved into a full-on make-out. She moaned and wrapped her arms around him, reaching up and stroking the back of his neck. He equally embraced her, sliding a hand through her hair as their tongues danced together. She pressed her body close to his, with her ample top resting comfortably against his chest. Time seemed to melt away as they continued from one messy kiss to another. He really wasn't that experienced with making out, but he was in too deep to admit he was an amateur now.

Lola then leaned backwards and dragged Clay towards her onto the mattress. They continued to lock lips while they positioned themselves comfortably with him on top of her. Feeling himself pressed against her body like that was certainly…arousing. She could definitely tell, but didn't seem bothered in the least bit as their hips pressed against each other and she wrapped her legs around his body. That just made him more excited. He cradled her head in one hand while her hands explored his back and chest. After a little bit more, Lola stopped their make out and looked up at him, though with a hand still caressing his cheek.

"Can we…not have sex?" She said between pleased pants.

"I wasn't…planning to," he replied also panting.

"Good," she said planting another kiss on him. "Though it's going to be…" She planted another kiss. "…hard not wanting…" Another kiss. "…to be skanky…" Once more. "…with you."

They chuckled as they continued kissing more. He honestly did not expect things to go this way, but hey…he wasn't complaining. Maybe that was part of what being a naïve teenage boy was all about…


Clay approached the door of the Lighthouse right around 6 PM as planned. He still felt a little…dazed. Probably confused too. That was the most intense make-out he had ever been in…and the only one. He had kissed a couple people before, but never like that. He couldn't even believe how fast it went by. By the time they felt like they had worn themselves out, it was already time for him to meet Janet.

He was also impressed that they managed to resist going too far that whole time. He was certainly tempted, but he managed to keep himself in check. Though he had to be honest…he had an intense case of blue balls after all of that. It was starting to die down, but it was an uncomfortable feeling. He almost felt like Casey after Mrs. Langley insulted his balls. Hopefully things would improve while he rehearsed.

Clay checked the door to make sure it was unlocked and opened it slightly as he looked inside. Janet was inside preparing a CD player and organizing some sheet music, but she wasn't alone surprisingly. That Cornelius guy from the other day was off in the back practicing his vocal scales while Christy and Algernon conversed at the table. Even Bryce was there, though he seemed to not look in the mood to rehearse.

Ok, so more of a full house than Clay expected, but they can work with that.

"Hey Clay!" Janet said as everyone else directed their attention to him and she noticed he was blocking something out of view from the door. "What's up?"

"Well, uh," Clay said nervously. "I was just wandering about the neighborhood and, uh, bumped into someone."

He opened the door to reveal Lola. Both of them had cleaned themselves up after their little session, with Lola taking a little longer to reapply her mascara. She was also snacking on an energy bar they picked up from the Yum Yum Market, since she hadn't eaten anything since the night before. Everyone in the Lighthouse had a variety of reactions to this little reveal, ranging from Janet's surprise to Cornelius's indifference.

Lola sighed as she entered the building next to Clay and put her energy bar in her pocket. Clay wasn't sure how she would respond, but he did say that coming here would be a good first step to making amends. Which she decided to do to Janet first as she walked up to her.

"Hey…" she said still a little embarrassed.

Janet looked over to Clay surprised, who shrugged and motioned for her to talk to Lola. She put her hands to her sides and took a deep breath. "Lola, I…"

"No, I'm…I'm sorry," Lola interrupted. "I was being a bitch all night and…and that's not cool."

Janet seemed…unsure about this. Clay figured maybe she thought she was being pranked or something, but at least he knew the truth. After a couple seconds, Janet looked to Lola and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for yelling at you too."

Lola smirked and then turned to everyone else. "And…I'm sorry to everyone else for…well, a lot of stuff, I guess."

A silence lingered over the group before they answered all together.

"Ok," Algernon said.

"Sure," Christy said.

"Whatever," Bryce said.

"I've got a song to memorize," Cornelius said not looking up from his script.

Lola looked to Clay, who gave her a discreet thumbs up. She had been super worried how this would all turn out, but he assured her everything would be ok. And it looked like he was right for once.

"So…can I watch you guys practice?" Lola said.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Janet said. "I mean, we won't sound great-"

"Nah, you'll be fine," Lola said moving to take a seat. "I bet you and Clay have a great set of pipes."

Clay then notice Janet give him a most peculiar glance. Was it confusion over what just happened? Surprise that Clay managed to humble her? Concern for what might happen? Or did she suspect something happened between Clay and Lola? Which that part did, but that wasn't something she needed to know about. Whatever the case, she eventually shrugged and brought some sheet music over to Clay.

"Here's the Elder Whitey songs," she said handing him some papers, which were copied from the original songbook. "Take your pick, Oh and you owe me $15 for the music."

"$15?" Clay asked surprised.

"Hey, getting that book wasn't cheap," she said with a smirk. "If you had been there, you'd understand."

Clay rolled his eyes as he looked through the songs. With Lola in the audience and everyone else there practicing, it was going to be a very interesting evening…