Sledgehammer
Chapter 7 – Feed Me
After her rather traumatising night, it was fair to say that Rose spent the majority of the morning in bed, absolutely refusing to attend her morning lesson, and whilst usually, Flora would have practically dragged her roommate out of bed and forced her into attending, on this occasion, she was fully understanding. The poor girl had been ditched in an asylum and then taken on a trip to the police station. She deserved a break, and Flora wasn't the only person who thought so. Kaden was also extremely worried for his friend.
It was lunch time, and Flora and Kaden found themselves sitting on the steps of one of the back entrances of the school, gazing towards the fountains and watching various students interact as they chatted, their main topic for today being last night's incident.
"What made you guys even go along with his stupid idea?" Flora questioned for what felt like the fiftieth time. She was of course referring to Gary and his twisted desire to break into Happy Volts Asylum. She just couldn't grasp the fact that he found it entertaining, and the fact that Rose and Kaden had agreed to tag along confused her even more. Sure, as Kaden had said, Gary was a scary individual, but the idea of breaking into a fully functional and occupied asylum seemed to conquer in terms of fear.
"Look, you don't know Gary," Kaden began, running a hand through his already tousled hair, "He's fucking twisted. I mean, before Jimmy came, sure he was weird, but he wasn't scary weird. Now he's just plain creepy. Refuse him and he'll target you for the rest of your life," An involuntary shiver ran down his spine at the thought. Although he was incredibly mad at Gary, and though he usually didn't have a problem with standing up to people, he found himself reluctant to do so with the scarred boy. Instead, he'd found himself desperately avoiding him for the majority of the morning, even waking up earlier so he could leave the dorm without bumping into the boy.
"But breaking into an asylum?" Flora countered. She counted herself extremely lucky to have not been subjected to the presence of Gary Smith so far, however, she also couldn't understand how one student could be so intimidating. Sure, Russell was pretty terrifying, but that was due to his immense size. Surely Gary couldn't be that bad?
"There's a rumour going round that he likes to torture people, and at first I thought it was just straight up bullshit, but now, I'm not so sure," Kaden stated darkly, glancing at Flora who was currently staring at him, her attention unwavering. As doubtful as she was, Flora had to admit that she was beginning to feel a slight wave of fear every time this Gary Smith boy was mentioned, and she hoped she would never have to meet him.
"D'you think he has it in for Rose?" She asked. Kaden shrugged.
"I'm not sure. To be honest, I think he's taken a liking to her," He started, his expression turning extremely sombre. He felt incredibly worried for his friend right now, and he was grateful that Flora was willing to listen to his concerns. No doubt she was incredibly worried for Rose too. "But it seems to be more than just a liking, I think he's growing obsessed, and he's twisted as fuck. He probably finds some sort of pleasure in tormenting poor Rose, if I'm honest," Kaden, though he didn't voice this out loud, noticed that Gary treated Rose pretty similarly to little Petey, and if that were anything to go by, it was obvious that the scarred boy was going to make Rose's school life miserable, unless someone put a stop to it, but who? Sure the more popular cliques weren't afraid of him, but it wasn't as though they would help. Maybe Jimmy would be willing to have a word with Gary? He definitely wasn't afraid of the boy.
"I hope you're wrong," Flora replied rather sullenly, "The last thing she needs in this place is some sort of psycho stalker,"
Kaden nodded in agreement. He was about to reply, but the sound of the door opening behind them reached their ears, and before the two could move out the way for the newcomers to descend the steps, the sound of a familiar, disdainful voice reached their ears.
"Move out of the way, pauper, you're blocking our way."
Kaden rolled his eyes as he turned to face Gord, whom he hadn't seen since the Dodgeball incident yesterday. Thankfully, his nose hadn't bruised, but that didn't mean he'd forgiven the Prep boy. Beside Gord stood Tad, who was just as despicable and snobby. Flora merely stayed seated, looking up at the three boys nervously. The tension in the air had increased immensely, and she wondered if an argument was about to break out. She'd never spoken to these Preppie boys, but Kaden appeared to be fairly well acquainted with them.
"Y'know, if you tried asking nicely for once in your life-" Kaden started before immediately being cut off by Gord, who seemingly had not forgotten their little disagreement yesterday, and was still feeling incredibly offended.
"What are you doing sitting here, anyways? Hoping that some poor fool will think you're homeless and give you some cash?" Gord smirked as Tad laughed heartily at the smaller preps joke. Kaden merely raised his eyebrows in a judging manner, used to this sort of treatment. All the preps were the same, always mocking people for not being as rich them. It was a habit that had gotten old real quick.
"Oh, another poor people joke, how original," Kaden stated, throwing the two preppies a sarcastic grin. He did however, move to stand behind Flora, to allow the Preps to pass by. He would rather be rid of their presence as quickly as possible. Regardless of this movement though, it seemed as though the two boys were just getting started.
"What's the matter, poor boy? Getting defensive?" Tad spoke up, before turning his attention to Flora, who sat watching the fray open-mouthed. She clearly had no idea why the boys were getting so hostile. "Ah, look, if it isn't the new girl. She looks rather gormless, doesn't she?" He turned to Gord, talking about Flora as if she weren't even there. She immediately closed her mouth, quickly getting to her feet. She didn't have time for this shit.
"C'mon Kaden, let's just go," She muttered, grasping his hand and leading him down the last two steps, not wanting to be caught in any type of dispute. She just couldn't be bothered, she was over the rich boys. However, despite Flora and Kaden's retreat, it seemed as though Gord and Tad hadn't finished with their teasing yet.
"And just where do you common folk think you're going?" Tad questioned.
"Probably heading off to blow some random hobo," Gord stated, laughing nastily as both Kaden and Flora turned to look at the prep duo, "I suppose they have to earn a living somehow. Their parents are probably too poor to send them money," It seemed as this though this last statement struck a nerve somewhere inside of Kaden, and before Flora could stop him he was squaring up to the brunette prep. Flora glanced at Tad, wandering if he was going to stop the two. Instead, he looked rather amused, as though the thought of the two beating the crap out of each other was funny.
"What's your fucking problem, man?" Kaden asked, finally decided that he'd had enough. The Dodgeball incident yesterday had annoyed him greatly, but now he was at boiling point. The mention of his parents was too much. No, they weren't poor, but they had their reasons for not bothering with their son. Or so they claimed. Unfortunately for Kaden, his parents were not supportive of his sexuality, to the point where he had to stay at Bullworth over the summer holidays because they couldn't stand having him in the house. Even the mere mention of his parents from the wrong person was enough to spark him off, and Gord appeared to realise he'd struck a nerve. He seemed to back down, perhaps realising that he'd gone too far.
"You're getting awfully uppity there, chap. You don't want to start something that you'll regret now, do you?" Gord asked. It was obvious that he was just attempting to save face in front of his prep friend, however, overall he seemed rather reluctant to fight Kaden. His words did nothing to appease Kaden, and instead antagonised him further, Flora noticed. It seemed as though Kaden had taken the words as more of a challenge rather than a truce. Flora was beginning to wonder if she should perhaps jump in. No doubt, judging by the angry expression on Kaden's face, a fight was brewing. She hadn't seen her friend fight before, but she knew he couldn't possible take on two preps. They were extremely skilled at boxing, and Kaden was outnumbered. She couldn't just stand by and watch her friend get beaten up. Nervously she stepped forward, her eyes trained on Tad, who looked as though he was attempting to square up to her. She knew this wouldn't end well, and could only hope that they wouldn't batter her face too harshly. She didn't fancy sporting a black eye for the next week or so.
"Hey! What d'you two chumps think you're doin', huh? You lookin' for trouble?"
Flora couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief at the sound of that familiar voice, and glancing to the right, she was glad to see none other than Johnny Vincent approaching, accompanied by Norton, whose height and large build was enough to intimidate the two preps to a great extent.
"Oh, it's you." Gord stated, trying his best to sneer disdainfully at the new arrivals. Flora noticed, however, that his voice shook slightly, and that his stature was rather tense. He was afraid. "What do you Greaseball's want? Can't you see we're rather busy, here?" He eyed up Norton uneasily, apparently taken into account how much bigger the Greaser was, in both height and width.
"Don't be pissin' me off now, scumbag! Do you know who you're talkin' to, kid?" Johnny walked forward, cracking his knuckles threateningly. Gord appeared to cower slightly as the Greaser King towered over him, his gaze hard and cold. The small prep boy seemingly failed to notice that his friend, Tad, had disappeared a few seconds ago, apparently managing to run away unnoticed. He was alone now and cornered. "I suggest you scram before you get hurt," Johnny threatened. Gord spluttered in indignation, apparently not knowing when to back down. Kaden found the sight incredibly satisfying, glad to see that Gord was on the receiving end for once. It seemed as though he were finally getting a taste of his own medicine.
"Y-you can't tell me what to do! You touch me and my daddy will sue you!" The prep declared. Though he clearly meant it threateningly, it came out more pleadingly, as though he were attempting to give reasons for Johnny not to pound his face. It seemed to have no effect. Instead Johnny shoved Gord rather aggressively, causing the small brunette boy to stumble backs, falling rather heavily on his backside. Flora couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for Gord, despite his unpleasantness towards her and Kaden. He looked rather helpless as he struggled back to his feet, a look of obvious fear plastered on his face.
"D-Derby's going to be hearing about this, poor boy! You'll be sorry!" Gord gabbled out, sounding rather close to tears, before he quickly darted past the Greaser leader. Kaden felt incredibly amused as he watched the brunette practically sprint in the direction of Harrington House, throwing a scared look over his shoulder, obviously worried that the Greasers would follow. It seemed as though they had had their fun though, and instead they too watched the rather pathetic display.
"Yeah! You'd better run, kid! Next time you ain't gonna be so lucky!" Johnny called, chuckling as Norton nudged him in a joking manner, obviously pleased with how the Greaser King had handled the situation.
"Nice one, boss! Look at that twerp run," He stated, following Johnny's previous actions as he cracked his knuckles threateningly, "I might go keep an eye out for him. That kids just been askin' for a beatin'," Johnny nodded in approval, slapping Norton's arm in a friendly manner as the larger Greaser wandered off after Gord. Flora looked at Kaden awkwardly, hoping that he would get the hint and leave. It seemed as though Johnny was hovering, and she had a feeling he wanted to talk to her without the presence of Kaden. Thankfully, Kaden got the hint right away, and he smirked knowingly. Flora cringed internally at the obviousness of her friend, as he proceeded to raise his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
"I suppose I'll see you guys later," He started, slowly beginning to back away, a sly grin on his face, "Don't wanna be a cock block," This last statement was said in a much quieter tone, and thankfully, Johnny appeared to be too occupied with lighting a cigarette to hear. Kaden hurried off, smirking to himself and knowing full well that Flora would probably attempt to skin him alive later for his bluntness.
"You're such a shit," Flora muttered under her breath, glaring at the back of her friends head as he retreated.
"What was that?" Johnny asked, causing Flora to turn back immediately, a light blush covering her cheeks. She hoped the Greaser boy didn't think she was referring to him. She shook her head, smiling awkwardly. This seemed to amuse Johnny for some reason, and he chuckled, before taking a drag of his cigarette. "Y'know, you're kinda cute when you do that."
If Flora's cheeks had felt warm before it was nothing compared to how they were now. She felt as though her face was on fire, and she could only hope that her blush wasn't as visible as she believed it to be. Had Johnny Vincent just called her cute? Really? Was this actually happening?
"D-do what?" She asked nervously, cursing as she stuttered. She noticed that the two were gaining curious looks from nearby passing students, and she couldn't help but wonder what they were staring at. Was it that weird to see Johnny talking to a girl who wasn't Lola? At the thought of the Greasers girlfriend, Flora felt her stomach drop. She'd been so distracted by drama with the preps and the compliment from Johnny that she didn't realise how bad it would be if someone overheard him calling her cute. Sure, it was just a compliment, but it could easily be taken out of context, and the last thing she needed was to become enemies with this Lola girl. Vance had warned her about Johnny's promiscuous girlfriend, and Flora most definitely did not want to get on the bad side of her.
"When you go all shy and shit," He elaborated, cocking his head to the side as he proceeded to apparently scrutinise her reaction to his words. Flora tried her best to appear offhand, not wanting to appear too pleased with the compliment. He paused to drop his cigarette onto the concrete, squishing the object with his foot to ensure it was fully out.
"Look, kid," He began, suddenly appearing rather tense. It was obvious he was attempting to mask his sudden nervousness, as he shoved his hands in his pockets, standing tall. Flora couldn't help but wonder what he was about to say to her. "I hope this don't seem too forward or anythin' but how'd you feel about grabbin' some food?"
Flora gaped at the Greaser King, feeling rather taken aback by his question. Was he asking her on a date or had she completely misunderstood the question?
"Like...now?"
Johnny began to look rather uncertain, seemingly taken Flora's display of surprise as a sign that she was uninterested and appalled at the suggestion. "Y-yeah, unless you don't want to of course...if you ain't feelin' up for it then...uh...that's cool," Flora couldn't help but smile up at the sheepish boy in front of her. It was a rather weird thing, witnessing the Greaser King suddenly become all uncertain and awkward. It was quite endearing actually. She shook her head quickly, disagreeing with his assumptions.
"No, no. I'd like that, it's just...what about Lola?" She stated, finally voicing the reason for her reluctance. How would Lola react if she found out her boyfriend was taking another girl out for food? Flora wasn't entirely sure if it was a date or not, but regardless of the circumstances, any woman would be suspicious of the situation. Johnny, however, did not seem to share these concerns, and instead he merely shrugged, apparently unaware of how unusual it would look to the other students if they noticed him taking a girl other than his girlfriend for food.
"We're only goin' for food, Lola ain't gonna mind," He replied. Flora seriously doubted this, judging by the look Lola had been throwing her way a few days ago when Flora had been speaking to Johnny by the school fountain. Still, Flora wasn't about to turn the boy down. It obviously wasn't intended to be a date judging by his previous words, so what was the issue? Sure Lola might not be too happy about it, but Flora found herself not really caring. The concept of spending quality time out of school with the Greaser King was far too tempting to turn down.
"Okay, I'm cool with that. It'll be nice to eat something that doesn't look like vomit for once," Flora stated, wrinkling nose as she thought back to the casserole Edna had served two days prior. She wasn't sure what it had contained, but it had been enough to put her off casserole for life. Johnny snorted at this.
"Anythin' you cravin' in particular, kid?" Johnny asked, as the two began to make their way around the building, heading in the direction of the school gates. Flora didn't have to think of an answer, she knew immediately what she craved.
"Nuggets."
"What is it with you chicks and your obsession with nuggets?"
Johnny watched in an amused manner as Flora happily popped the last nugget neatly into her mouth, a look of pure satisfaction on her face as she did so. She shrugged, glancing round the fast food restaurant. It was rather quiet, other than a few students who sat at nearby tables, staring at the two curiously, clearly wondering why the Greaser King was hanging round with the new girl. He'd been nice enough to pay for her food, which Flora found rather sweet, though unnecessary considering this wasn't supposed to be a date. Still, she wasn't about to complain.
"Nuggets are the way to a girl's heart, all men should know this," Flora stated, wiping her hands on a napkin. Johnny had finished his food way before Flora, who was a rather slow eater, especially now with the handsome boy sat across from her. She'd been extra careful not to slop or cause a mess, trying her best to still appear ladylike.
"Seems like I'm gonna have to get you them more often then, huh?" Johnny smirked from across the table, and Flora desperately attempted to avoid eye contact at this. Again, her face felt as though it was on fire, and she found herself feeling incredibly confused. The boy had a girlfriend, and she'd assumed that this wasn't a date, so why was he seemingly flirting? Apparently Johnny noticed Flora's sudden wave of embarrassment, and thankfully he changed the topic of conversation, opting for a more relaxed subject. "So I hear you fucked up Vance's hand pretty badly in Shop the other day,"
Flora smiled sheepishly at this, remembering the incident in which she'd accidentally jammed the small Greaser boys hand in the chain of the bike. "He told you about that, huh?"
"I mean the kids hand was bruised to fuck," Johnny laughed, resting his arms on the table as he leaned forward slightly, his eyes quickly scanning the area before coming to a rest on the girl in front of him. "It was kinda hard not to notice. Vance ain't too pleased, he asked me not to skip Shop again. Says he wants to avoid gettin' assaulted with a wrench," His grin broadened as Flora laughed. Of course Vance had told Johnny. The red-head had probably given his leader a full detailed account on how Flora had almost managed to assault him numerous times throughout that particular lesson.
"I wasn't that bad," She attempted to reason, immediately being cut off by Johnny who scoffed.
"Yeah, yeah. I still remember you stabbin' me with that screwdriver in our first lesson," He countered. Flora hung her head in mock shame. Though it had been an incredibly embarrassing incident at the time, she couldn't help but laugh. The way the Johnny had attempted to act like it hadn't hurt, and the proceeded to wince and cradle his hand like a baby when he thought she wasn't looking had been rather funny to witness.
"I thought we'd established that I was useless with bikes?" Flora looked at Johnny, a small smile on her face as she thought back to their first lesson, remembering one promise in particular, "Hey, I thought you'd said that you were gonna teach me to ride a bike," Johnny's eyes widened slightly, as he looked at the girl in disbelief.
"Shit, I keep forgettin' you can't ride a bike," He smirked at Flora, his brown eyes boring into hers as he spoke. She noticed that his eyes were always rather intense. Not in a bad way, of course, but in a way that caused her to have a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. This boy was just far too attractive. "You should come hang at the clubhouse sometime, there's a bike park nearby. I could take you if you wanted,"
"Clubhouse?" Flora asked. Did all the cliques have their own little hangouts outside of school or something?
"Yeah, the Blue Balls Pool Hall," Johnny elaborated. He paused as Flora suddenly spluttered in surprise. No way. Was that the actual name of the place? Surely that wasn't allowed. Not in an old fashioned town like this.
"Blue Balls? Really? That's actually what it's called?"
Johnny merely rolled his eyes in amusement at the girl's reaction. "Real mature, kid. Anyways, like I was sayin' you oughta' come hang sometime, I'm sure my boys won't mind. We'll give you a game of pool, although don't be expectin' us to go easy on you," Flora couldn't help but feel flattered at this invitation. She doubted it was one Johnny extended regularly. The Greasers seemed to be a real exclusive clique due to their intimidating nature, and she doubted that it was easy to get in their good books. However, there was one problem.
"I don't know how to play pool," Flora stated, once again feeling rather sheepish. Surely Johnny would think she was an imbecile by now, considering how clueless she was when it came to his interests and hobbies. She hoped it wouldn't put him off. Thankfully, however, it seemed to have the opposite effect.
"Looks like I'm gonna have to teach you about pool as well as bikes then, huh?" He asked, his eyes full of warmth. Apparently it seemed that her cluelessness amused him rather than annoyed him, which Flora was grateful for. She liked the Greaser King, and if it weren't for the fact that he had a girlfriend she would've been trying her best to flirt with him right now. Again, at the thought of Lola, her eyes glanced at the tables that contained a small number of Bullworth students nearby. Though they weren't staring at the Greaser King and the new girl anymore, their eyes would dart to the duo every now and then, obviously still curious. Flora wondered if one of these students would go and tattle to Lola about their little trip to the fast food joint.
"A-are you sure Lola isn't gonna mind about this?" Flora questioned, looking at Johnny in a rather apprehensive manner. She didn't want to gain the reputation of being a boyfriend stealer. "Like, I'm not gonna lie but if I were her I wouldn't be too pleased..."
Johnny sighed heavily, his mood suddenly darkening. Flora almost regretted bringing the topic up. "It doesn't matter. She's probably off with one of those rich kids right now." He replied, casting a dark glance at the students nearby. Flora couldn't help but feel shocked at this. Sure, Vance had said she was promiscuous and slept around a lot, but the fact that Johnny knew and yet he still decided to stay with her was mind blowing. She just couldn't understand it.
"S-surely you can't be okay with that?" She asked, her eyes narrowed in confusion slightly. Johnny shrugged.
"I used to hate it, but now, I ain't that bothered. I've been thinkin' of breakin' it off with her for a while now," He replied in an offhand voice, as though they were merely having a conversation about the weather. Flora didn't understand how he could be so casual about this. "The boys ain't too keen on her, and she's been nothin' but trouble recently," He paused, looking at Flora, his expression now rather serious.
"O-oh...that kinda sucks," Flora replied, not really knowing how to reply. It was a touchy subject, one that she didn't wish to delve in. It did, however, make her feel slightly less guilty about hanging around with the Greaser leader. If anything, Lola deserved it.
"Enough about her though," Johnny stated, finally standing up. Flora followed suit. "I'll walk you back to your dorm. Last period is over now so you shouldn't get busted for skippin',"
Flora nodded, feeling disappointed that their little food date was over. She'd enjoyed being in Johnny's company, he was a lot less serious than she thought he would be. She did, however, regret bringing up the Lola thing. Sure, it had given her insight on the clearly rocky relationship between the two, but the dampening of Johnny's mood had definitely contributed to the date being cut short. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned it? Still, at least it seemed as though if Lola found out about their little outing, she wouldn't be cross with Flora. Or at least Flora hoped she wouldn't be.
Following Johnny out of the building, she glanced back, noting the stares the other students were giving her now that the Greaser King had his back turned. It was obvious that their little 'date' was not going to be kept secret.
