The Price of Face

The Price of Face

Chapter 7: Retributions

Author's Note: No sex this time. D;

Tad's face had fallen somewhere between confusion and sadness. A bomb had dropped, and it took a few moments of general din and noise before he awoke from his shell-shocked state. Gritting his teeth behind a thin-lipped smile, he hoisted himself into the ring. He stepped over Bif, not looking down, striking out his hand in a bold motion towards Derby. "Congratulations, old chap." He was amazing himself with the control of his voice. "Boxing champion! I knew you had it in you!"

Derby turned, regarding Tad with a haughty air. He was sticky with sweat and blood, his eye swollen and blood caked on his lip. He had never looked more terrifying. He looked down at Tad's hand - smirking - and awkwardly grasping his hand with his boxing gloves. "Thank you, Spencer." His voice whistled slightly from his lost tooth. He shook his hand firmly, looking Tad in the eye. He averted his gaze downwards. "You put on a good show," Derby continued, the grip on Tad's hand becoming hard. "Not good enough, though."

Tad smiled, his eyes thinning. "Yes, not good enough." He jerked his arm forcefully away from the handshake, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his slacks. Derby smiled, pulling his gloves off, and tossing them to the ground. He looked towards Bif, and Derby walked over to the knocked out boy, bending down and hoisting him up by his armpits.

"Spencer, help me drag Bif to the locker rooms. Parker's a bit too busy to help."

The audience had swamped Parker at his tiny judge's table. Johnny and his boys were calling out for their money, and the majority of preps were accusing Parker of putting them down for the wrong side. (Though, everyone knew they were just being bad sports only because Vincent was walking away with eight thousand dollars, and even Pete Kowalski managed to gain two-hundred and eighty dollars from his meager bet of thirty-five. They had been the only ones to bet for Harrington.) Now that Derby was the winner, of course everybody thought it was silly that Parker even thought they had the silly notion of Bif Tremblay winning. Bif! Bif who? Derby was the champion.

Tad snorted. He had lost five hundred dollars today, though it was the least of his losses at the current moment. "Of course." He grabbed Bif's feet - he was surprisingly heavy -and together they carried him out of the ring, all one hundred and fifty pounds of dead weight.

"Don't drop him!" Derby snapped, edging the door open with his shoulder. On the nearest lounge chairs, which were littered through out the locker room, they dumped the battered boy there. Tad frowned, dusting himself off.

Derby walked towards a locker. When Tad made a move to leave, he was stopped dead in his tracks by a low chuckle. "Are you… leaving, Spencer?" The hair on the back of Tad's neck stuck up, and he turned around, swallowing thickly.

"Of course not, Derby, I was just…" He fumbled for something to say, trying to ignore Derby's much too wide smile.

"I'm a very controlled person. But, even though you can't see it, I hope you realize how absolutely furious I am with you." he said callously. Tad fidgeted uncomfortably as Derby undid the lock, throwing the door open. "I have half a mind to kick you out of Harrington House."

"Then do it!" Tad bristled, and Derby looked over at him with a sneer. "Kick me out, then, if you feel so inclined."

"I really ought to. But, I think I'll let you stay." Derby smiled as Tad's face fell. "No doubt, everybody else will be hesitant to even be seen with you after such a terribly public loss like that. I'll enjoy watching you squirm, Tad, like the despicable worm you are." he hissed, his jaw stiffened. Tad backed up a few steps, clenching his fists at his sides.

"You…" Tad never finished his sentence. There was a groan from the side, and they were both focused on Bif. Derby quickly grabbed the towel and first aid kit from the locker, walking towards the sink and wetting the towel. He came back, placing the cold rag over Bif's forehead.

Bif let out another groan, his eyebrows furrowing. Tad made a noise in the back of his throat, his arms crossed. "Touching…"

"Shut up, Spencer." Derby growled, pressing the rag against Bif's forehead. He left it there, turning back to the first-aid kit.

"You know, you would do better if you simply let Tremblay go to Nurse McRae."

"Good idea, Tad…" Derby said. "Why don't you carry Bif the mile or so it is to school?" Tad gave him a dirty look, which went unnoticed as Derby searched through the first aid kit.

"Your mouth is bleeding."

"It is..?" Derby reached up, touching his mouth. Pain flashed through him, and he hissed, drawing his hand back. That's right, he had lost that tooth, and he was still bleeding. He grabbed a box of tissues, taking a few, and stuffing into his mouth. Derby growled, trying to ignore the pain. He grumbled to himself, dragging a chair next to Bif, and pressing the cold rag up against Bif's forehead.

Bif's eyes fluttered open, and he groaned in pain. His nose and chin were throbbing duly. Derby was leaning over him, wincing and holding a wad of bloody tissues into his mouth. He noticed Bif as soon as he started to sit up, his face softening. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," He sat up straight, the wet rag from his forehead falling wetly onto his lap. His voice was nasally. "Tissues?" Derby handed him the box, and Bif took a few, blowing his nose, and cleaning off the blood. It hurt, but not enough to be broken. He had his nose broken before, and this type of pain was much easier to deal with.

"Is it broken?"

"No…" He gazed down at the Kleenex, making a face and throwing it into a nearby trash bin. "It just hurts, that's all…" Bif's head was pounding, and he rubbed at his eyes.

"I could've sworn it was broken." Tad piped up from his seat on the bench. Bif's eyes snapped over to him, noticing his sour look and uneasy disposition. And then it hit him- the boxing match. He had fought against Derby, and had lost. And Derby… He frowned, picking up the rag and pressing his face into it.

"Derby really put a hammering on you. Really ruthless, really-"

"Shut up Spencer." Derby snapped, wincing and pressing the tissues against his gum. He looked over at Bif - but he refused to even look at Derby. Instead, he stared angrily off to the side. "Would you mind fetching some Tylenol from the bar upstairs? Take your time." Derby said off-handedly, though it was obviously an order; not a suggestion. When Tad opened his mouth as if to protest, Derby's eyes thinned in a glare, and Tad sighed, heading towards the door.

"Of course, Derby…" He pushed open the door, the sound of people talking loudly reaching into the quiet room as the doors swung close behind him. Derby audibly sighed, looking over at Bif.

He was leaning over, his elbows on his knees and his face once again pressed into the rag. Bif was so still; Derby touched his shoulder to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep. "Bif?"

Bif flinched, pulling away from his touch violently, dropping the cloth to the ground. "Don't…" He shook his head slowly, pushing himself off the bench, and walking shakily towards the sinks. He leaned over one, hands tightly gripping the sides as he gazed at himself in the mirror.

Derby looked at him peculiarly, picking the rag up. He squeezed it in his hand, glaring down at it. "What do you mean, don't? You suddenly adverse to me touching you?"

Bif looked at Derby through the mirror, frowning. "The last time you touched me, if I recall, was you knocking me out cold."

"That was then," he said quickly. "Why does it matter? Because it doesn't."

Bif whirled, his face livid. "What do you mean, it doesn't matter! It doesn't matter! Are you absurd?" How dare he? It doesn't matter? He could feel bile in the back of his throat, he felt so disgusted.

Derby worried the rag in his hands, looking tense. "I beat you, Bif. It's over."

Bif gaped, opening his mouth, and then closed it. He shook his head, throwing his hands up in a grand gesture, and turning around to the sink again. He leaned against it heavily, a ragged sigh escaping him. "Why did you do it, Derby? I told you… I told you, I would go down…"

"Because I had to…" Derby's hands were wet from fingering the cloth, and he looked up at Bif. "You were going against me, what else was I supposed to do? Back down from a fight?"

"That's not the real reason. You and I both know that," Bif said slowly. Derby stood, walking over to the sink. "That's not the real reason…" Derby quietly stood next to Bif, putting the cloth under the sink and turning it on. He soaked it thoroughly, turning the sink off, and wringing it out. Bif watched him, gripping the sink. "It can't be…" Derby folded the towel, and very calmly, he turned to Bif and placed the rag against his forehead.

Bif closed his eyes, inhaling a shaky breath. "Let it go," Derby said softly. "It's over. It's done."

Bif's eyes opened wide, stark green and bright. He moved forward suddenly, pushing Derby against the wall as he pressed his lips against Derby's in a brutal kiss. Derby said nothing - gripping the rag still, and an arm snaking around his waist. Just as quickly, Bif bit Derby's lip, reopening the old wound, and he pulled his face away, keeping his body pressed against the startled boy.

"It's not done. Why'd you do it, Derby?"

Derby's eyes narrowed, and he turned his head away, his cheek pressed against the cold tile wall of the locker room. "I told you."

"You're going to lie to me?" Bif sounded hurt, and he gripped Derby's chin, twisting his head with some force. Derby growled, slapping Bif's hand away. Bif looked at him blankly, and when Derby made a move to push him away, he suddenly grabbed his hands and wrestled them above his head, pinning them to the wall. The wet rag fell to the ground with a plop. "Tell me now, Derby, just tell me, before I lose all faith in you-"

Derby tore away from his grip, "Why?!" he yelled. "WHY?! You ask me, why, and you know why the hell I did it. I had to beat you, Bif!" Bif looked at him, shocked. "You're my god damn weakness. I hate weaknesses."

"You're my fears, you're my vices," And when Bif tried to push his lips onto him again, to just shut Derby up, to get him to start lying again, Derby threw his head back and away from the kisses. It was too far for lies now, and the answers were coming out. Even if Bif realized that maybe he didn't want to hear them. "You're my weakness, and you're my heart! You're everything that I should despise, that I should push away and defeat!"

Bif's mouth finally found Derby's, and he immediately thrust his tongue into his mouth. Derby groaned and arched; he tasted like blood and pain. Bif's tongue flicked over the gap in his tooth, and Derby yelled in his mouth, bucking his hips up and biting down.

Bif let go of his arms, swearing and pulling away. Derby was breathing heavily, grasping his cheek where his tooth had been. He leaned against the wall, shaken. "If I beat you, Bif," he said softly, his eyes glinting slightly. "Then I've beaten it all. Nothing else can bring me down."

Bif shook his head, "Just because you knocked me out, Derby, doesn't mean everything goes away! What happened doesn't go away, and what I know sure as hell doesn't go away! Vincent did things to you!" He swung his arms out. "Look at all of this! You've accomplished nothing!"

"Why do you care?!" Derby snarled. "Why does it matter to you?! Forget what happened! Leave it be! Leave it alone!"

"I can't, Derby," He grit his teeth, turning around towards the door. "I can't… do that to you. I care too much to let you do that."

"Let me forget?" Derby stalked forward. "Isn't ignorance bliss? You'd do me a favor for letting me forget all about that night!" He was right behind Bif when he suddenly turned around. His eyes were slightly wet, and he had a look of utter frustration.

"Don't you get it! I love you too much to let you do this to yourself! You can't hurt yourself like this… you just can't! It isn't good for you…" Bif shook his head sadly, wiping quickly at his eyes.

Derby's eyes softened, and he looked at Bif, who couldn't meet his eyes. "Bif… I…" He looked away. It was so awkward. The anger and bitter air had replaced with such a stark emotion known as sadness. He couldn't even look at Bif. Those words… words as naked as that were suicide in Bullworth. He reached out to grab his arm, and Bif reeled away.

"Don't! Just… leave me be, Derby! You said it yourself; I'm nothing to you anyway! Just a tool!" He turned on his heel running out. Derby followed him, trying to grasp his shirt.

"Wait-!"

Bif bowled through the doors. There was a collective cry as the group of people that had their ears pressed against the door fell backwards. Bif said nothing- just strode through the crowd, choking down tears as he left the building loudly. People stared, absolutely silent.

Derby stood there, quietly, watching the door. He wondered numbly how much everyone had heard, how much they all knew now. He felt something press into his hand, and he grasped it before he even looked down. The sight of Tad on his ass would have made him laugh in any other circumstance.

"I… got your Tylenol."

"It's so…" Gord paused, letting out a loud, drawn-out sigh, "Romantic."

Parker fidgeted, moving closer to his side of the couch. Chad sighed, rolling his eyes. "There really isn't anything romantic to it. Embarrassing is more like it. You know that almost everyone heard those two?"

Gord frowned. "Yes, I know. Even though it was a little embarrassing that we heard something so…" Again, his eyes got that dreamy look, "Personal. Things happened that day that are more worthy of embarrassing. Like, a certain someone walking out in rumpled clothes…"

Chad tensed, throwing Gord a glare. "It wasn't my fault! He dragged me in there, and promptly told me to get undressed!" Parker stifled a snicker, and Chad's dark face suddenly had a tinge of red in it. "Oh, shove it…"

Parker smirked, leaning back, and placing his hands behind his head. "Well, I personally think the most embarrassing moment was when Vincent walked away with eight thousand dollars." Both Gord and Chad frowned. They had lost a lot that night. Everyone had been so sure… "Luckily, I didn't put anything down."

"Of course you didn't. You were the judge…" Gord fretted. Chad sighed, suddenly nabbing the controller from Parker's side. He started to flick through the channels.

"Though, I think we can all agree…" Chad said softly, looking over his shoulder, "That the most embarrassing thing was Spencer."

The two murmured in agreement. "It's a shame." Parker shook his head. "But, it was a brilliant fight, all the same."

"I, for one, am surprised he's still here." Gord said in hushed tones, leaning towards the two others so that he wouldn't have to speak loudly, "I think Derby would have dropped him if it wasn't for the recent scandalous gossip that's surfaced about him and Bif."

"It's not exactly gossip when you hear it yourself," Chad said, "We all heard what they said. Well… most parts of it."

"I still swear one of them said something about Vincent…" Parker muttered.

"You also have horrible hearing." Gord said dryly, "The only thing we can agree on is that Tremblay said 'Love'. Everybody else has a different side to the story."

Parker chuckled, "You know, Tad swears he heard them groaning."

"Pervert." Gord scoffed. Both Chad and Parker glanced over at him. Gord blushed, glaring angrily at them. "What? Don't look at me like that!" He suddenly snatched the remote control from Chad, crossing his arms as he stabbed his fingers into the numbers. Chad reached for it, but Gord pulled away out of Chad's reach.

"Nope, that's it! We're watching Lifetime for that!" he said with determination, "You two think you're clever, huh…?" Gord pouted, and Parker stifled another laugh as Chad groaned and threw up his hands.

"Channel for women! For women!"

"Oh, bugger off, messy clothes!"

"That wasn't my fault-!"

Derby tapped his new tooth, marveling it in the mirror. He didn't even feel his touches. Though at the moment, he really couldn't feel much at all. He had gotten a nice dose of morphine from the doctor at his father's request after moaning for a whole day about how utterly painful it was. Right about now, he was feeling weightless, a bit groggy, and weirdly perky. He smiled, pulling himself away from the mirror, and walking towards his bed, flopping down onto it.

It probably wasn't wise for his father to send him back to school on powerful pain tolerance drugs- but Derby didn't care. He had demanded to be sent back to school once he got them so he wouldn't look too disheveled. Everything was in a state of limbo right now, and he had to be there to make sure nothing bad happened. A drugged-up king is better than none at all.

Derby rolled onto his side, noticing his digital clock on the nightstand. '12:45.' Everybody else was just finishing up lunch by now. Of course, he had gotten the whole week off from having to attend classes, so he didn't have to bother himself with the time at the moment.

'I just got my allowance this week…' he thought, smiling up at the ceiling, 'I'll take off an extra week in math. Hattrickwill get me an A for the upcoming test…' He idly tapped his new tooth, his mind feeling fuzzy. It was awhile before he realized that the hollow noise he heard wasn't from his tooth, but was coming from the door. Derby let out a small, spontaneous giggle, "Oh! Who is it?"

"You've just come back from home, haven't you?" Chad asked in a meek voice, "Are you alright? Are you decent?"

"Of course," Derby sat up in bed, tucking his hands behind his head and crossing his legs. "All I got was a new tooth. Now stop being daft, and come in." Chad pushed the door open, and Derby sighed. "It's silly, isn't it, talking through a door. Now, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Chad stood awkwardly in Derby's grandiose room, rubbing his bandaged hand.

"Well…" he looked to the side, clearing his throat, "Ah, how rude of me… how did everything go? The surgery?"

"Splendidly." Derby grinned widely, his foot bouncing.

Chad arched an eyebrow at him. "Are you in pain?"

"Of course not!" Just as he suspected. Chad visibly relaxed. "I've taken some pills…"

"Well, that's marvelous," Chad said hurriedly, cutting in before Derby had a chance to say anything else, "But, I've got something important. It's a message for you." Derby watched him silently as he fished a note out of his back pocket. It was a small square of lined paper, with 'Give to Derby' written in chunky letters on the front. He handed it over to him. "This was passed to me from Constantinos in English, and he had gotten it from Bo, and, well…" He trailed off as Derby let out a drug-induced laugh, finding the fact he had nearly ripped the paper in half when unfolding it hilarious. "I don't know who the note is originally from. But, I didn't read it!"

Derby nodded, and Chad watched quietly as he started to read the note. Derby's serene, happy face suddenly darkened, and he gripped the paper tightly. When he had at last finished, he looked over the last line, reading it so many times that he was mouthing it to himself.

When he looked up to glare, maybe yell something meaningless at Chad, he was met with air.

Chad was out of breath, his chest heaving as he suddenly stopped running like a maniac. The dirt wasn't kind to his wooden Aquaberry shoes; he tripped over his feet, his momentum still carrying him forward into Parker's back. They both fell over onto the ground with a yell, face first into the brown grass of fall.

"Chad! What's wrong with you?!" Parker yelled, pushing him off roughly, and squirming out from under him. Chad sat back on the ground, grasping his chest, and still trying to catch his breath. Parker sighed, picking dirt off of his sweater.

"I believe you, Parker!" Chad gasped. And when Parker gave him a questioning look, he held up a finger, taking another sweet gulp of air before continuing, "When I gave the note, he got so upset… I saw him… he mouthed Vincent. Johnny Vincent."

Parker's eyes narrowed, and he stood slowly, holding out a hand for Chad. Chad pulled himself up with his help, dusting his clothes off diligently. "I knew it!" Parker said. "Poor hearing be damned, I knew it…" He paused, looking around. The area around Harrington House looked empty, but… Chad motioned back towards the door, and they moved into the dormitory, walking towards the living room, and sitting on the couch.

"…So," Parker began slowly, seeing that there was nobody else around, "The note was definitely from Johnny Vincent…"

"I think so…" He rubbed his hand nervously. "I… never actually read it."

Parker gaped. "You…?" Chad shrugged hopelessly. "No wonder they gave it to you…"

"But, I think Vincent did send it to him…"

"So, what do you think that means in all of this?"

Chad shrugged, nabbing the remote control from the coffee table, and turning the television on. "I don't know, maybe… oh." His face fell. "What if… Bif had really said I love you…"

Parker's eyes widened. "And… Derby said that he was in love with Vincent?"

Chad frowned, shaking his head. "No, that can't be right. That's absurd. Harrington would never stoop down to Vincent." He tapped the remote against his chin in thought.

"What if, though? Hasn't Harrington done some odd things when he got bored? What if Bif found out about some lurid affair between Derby and Johnny-?"

"Derby and Johnny are having an affair!?" Gord suddenly popped up from behind the couch, shouting. Chad's face turned ashen, and Parker nearly keeled over from fright. Gord was totally oblivious, his face flushed as he pressed a hand against his forehead. "My god! It's like that show I watched, oh, where there was a terrible love triangle, and Sue got pregnant with George's baby-" he rambled, stopped only by Parker suddenly lashing out, and clamping a hand over his mouth.

"Shh! Keep it down, Gord, we don't know who could be listening…" he hissed. Gord frowned making a face- and Parker shrieked, snapping his hand back so hard he accidentally hit Chad in the face.

"Ow! What the bloody hell-"

"He licked me!" He cried indignantly, rubbing his hand furiously on the couch, "My god, he licked me!"

Gord smirked, crossing his arms and waggling his tongue at Parker. He turned a light shade of green, rubbing his hand harder against the couch.

Chad scoffed, waving the remote controller at him, "You're going to give yourself brush burn."

Gord rolled his eyes at Parker's frantic movements. "But, what if Derby and Johnny are having an affair?"

"Derby and Johnny are having an affair?" A voice from the left corridor suddenly asked. All three turned, and Tad stepped out, looking smug as he ran a hand through his hair. The couch trio's faces all turned sour as they gazed at him. "That's interesting." he said softly, his eyes glinting slightly as he tucked his hands behind his back.

"Its just rumors, Spencer." Gord said briskly.

"Nothing concrete yet." Parker affirmed.

"I doubt it's even true…" Chad murmured with a shrug. The air had suddenly turned tense, but Tad was relaxed, his shoulders back, and his face in a soft smile. He laughed.

"Oh? But, you two had such great points…" he said, eyeing Chad and Parker, "Vincent sent Derby a letter, most likely either saying that he wanted to break up, or even something worse…" When Gord leaned forward, obviously entranced by his smooth words, he shrugged slightly. "Like, I don't know… since we heard things, maybe they're deciding to finally come out and combine the cliques?"

Gord gasped dramatically, "No!" Chad and Parker shot him a dirty look, and he blushed and collected himself. "I mean… that's funny, Tad, but highly unlikely."

"I see…" Tad smirked, tilting his chin up, and looking over at the three. He had planted a seed, and it would grow on it's own accord. His eyes then traveled over to the TV. His face suddenly fell blank.

"You're watching Lifetime?"

Gord snickered, "Wasn't my choice…"

Chad dropped the controller like it was on fire, looking violated. "I didn't mean too…! It was left on this channel, I swear! I just turned it on!"

Gord patted Chad's shoulder, grinning. "Don't be ashamed." He paused, picking off a bit of dirt that still clung onto Chad's shirt from his tumble outside. "Oh, and by the way, your clothes are dirty."

Chad shot him a sour look. Only Parker noticed Tad slipping away upstairs, a smile on his face.

Yaay, so, thanks for the reviews. Oh, and I killed two birds with one stone- other then getting a huge self-esteem boost, I caught all of you sneaky people who just lurk and don't review! ;D You know what that means? YOU MUST REVIEW NOW! (I know where you live.)

Oh god, Chad/Parker/Gord is my OT3. XD And Tad? YOU GO TAD! I love all characters, even the 'bad guys'. The next chapter… will take a while to write. Of course, like always, reviews help and all.