Chapter XIV:

"A Little Bit Of Tender Love and Sabotage"

There was absolutely nothing she could do with her hair until she went to a hairdresser, but with only six dollars to her name she doubted that she would be able to get that anytime soon. It had taken her three full hours after Gary left to scrub off the marker pen from her skin and it had left her face and arms sore and dry. Eunice hadn't been too happy about the state of her shirt, but Elliott could do nothing but apologise.

She had slept surprisingly well. She supposed it was the horror of seeing a giant guy armed with a pair of scissors bursting out of a toilet cubicle that tired her out so much. When she had woken up in the morning she had been hoping that it was some kind of horrible dream, but unfortunately her reflection told her otherwise. So she had pulled on a black woolly hat she had found lurking in the bottom of her suitcase, which was probably a good idea seeing as the temperature was beginning to drop outside.

There was a loud knock at the door at approximately ten minutes past nine, causing Elliott to freeze halfway through buttoning up her shirt. She said nothing and just stared at the door, trying to think of a weapon she could use if it turned out to be Mandy or Christy. Instead it was Beatrice. She entered the room quickly and closed the door behind her.

'Are you okay?' she asked, moving towards her. 'Someone said you were attacked by Jocks yesterday.'

Elliott shrugged. 'You could say that.' She pulled off her hat, revealing her slaughtered hair.

Beatrice gasped and put her hands to her mouth. 'Oh my!' she cried. 'They did that?'

'Well at least they got me back.' Elliott sighed, pulling that hat back on her head. 'Maybe now they'll leave me alone.'

Beatrice sat on the edge of the bed. 'You should have told Dr Crabblesnitch.'

Elliott laughed humourlessly. 'And make myself into a snitch as well as everything else? I don't think so.' She shrugged as she finished buttoning up her shirt. 'It's hair. It'll grow back. It's my dignity I'm worried about.'

'And even with that happening you still managed to give Algie his math notes.' Beatrice sighed. 'That's very admirable. Algie's very grateful.'

'Yeah, well he nearly didn't get them.' Elliott mumbled.

'What?'

Elliott paused and decided not to mention that Gary got them for her. She just shrugged her shoulders. 'Tell him he's welcome.'

Beatrice nodded. 'Well… do you want to walk to English with me?'

Elliott glanced at her watch. 'We still have twenty minutes.' She pointed out.

'I know but… I like getting there early.'

'Well… I was going to skip it if I'm honest…'

'Elliott.' Beatrice frowned and put a hand on her hip. 'You've only been two four classes since you started a week ago, and one of those turned out to be cancelled. If you keep this up they'll put you in detention.'

Elliott shrugged. 'Nah, they haven't even noticed.' She grabbed her dark grey hooded Bullworth jacket she had found in the locker rooms and pulled it on. 'And detention? How can they possibly make life at Bullworth any worse than it already is? I'll see you later, Beatrice. Enjoy English.'

Beatrice only watched her worriedly as she left the dorm room to head into town.

Elliott stood at the ticket booth of the Carnival, grimly poking at her measly pocket change. There was a queue of people in front of her; a group of four Preps, a couple of Nerds and a morose looking man fiddling with his camera. She already had a ticket for the Carnival as Beatrice had bought her one when they had swung by a few days ago. Apparently though it had gone AWOL, meaning she would have to buy another. Only she didn't think she had enough money.

It hadn't occurred to her that she was heading to meet Gary until she was passing the lighthouse. She hadn't thought she actually would go, but apart from Beatrice it seemed that Gary was the only person on campus who was willing to spend time with her. Albeit in secluded places and he was nothing but a jerk to her but… well, when you had no friends you kind of got desperate.

The group of Preps headed on into the Carnival, leaving three people in front of her. Maybe she could blag her way in – try and convince them that she had walked out by mistake. Worth a shot. It wasn't like she had anything to lose.

'Psst! Post-Op!'

Elliott glanced around with raised eyebrows to see Gary near the exit gates, waving her over and grinning. She glanced around, not sure why she would be checking that anyone was watching, although she had noticed that when she was with Gary it felt like they were running some secret covert operation and if they were spotted by anyone something would go horribly wrong. It seemed his paranoia was contagious. She headed over, pushing her hands deep in the pockets of her hooded jacket.

'Nice hat.' He grinned.

'Why are you lurking in the corner?' Elliott frowned. 'You look like you're here to snatch some little kids.'

Gary nodded to the ticket booth. 'You weren't actually going to pay in, were you?'

Elliott shrugged. 'Depended if I had enough.' She replied.

Gary chuckled and then pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. 'This way. It's cheaper.' He turned and slipped off through a gap in the wooden fence. Elliott glanced around to see if anyone was watching, which they weren't, and then followed him.

It looked like a tight squeeze between the fence and the back of the Carnival stalls. Gary was slipping through easily, despite the fact he did have quite broad shoulders. Elliott was narrower than him so she figured she could get through if he could. She wriggled after him, grimacing at the rough fence snatching at her clothes.

'Surely a one dollar ticket isn't worth this?' she whispered, frowning as something scratched her bare leg. She wished she had worn trousers instead of this stupid skirt.

Gary just turned his head, having to press himself right up against the fence to do so, and grinned. 'Come on, don't whine. You're ruining it.'

Elliott rolled her eyes and continued to follow him. They seemed to go quite far before the gap began to widen and Gary finally hopped out and disappeared. Elliott struggled to catch up, once again catching her leg on something. She stumbled out of the gap and frowned at her scratched legs.

'This so wasn't worth a dollar.' She muttered.

Gary slapped her on the back. 'Cheer up. We're in!'

Elliott glanced around to see that they had come in by the prize tent. She straightened up and brushed off her clothes and readjusted her hat. 'Fantastic,' she replied sarcastically. 'But I'm guessing because you snuck in too that you have about as much money as I do, meaning we can't go on any of the rides.'

'Who said anything about going on the rides?' Gary grinned, and then began to jog away. 'Come on!'

Elliott rolled her eyes, wishing that she had just stayed at school. She couldn't be bothered with running around. She followed him, having to half walk and half run, around the corner until they got to the Ferris wheel. She stopped beside him and regarded him thoughtfully as he looked up at the large ride with a grin on his face.

'Now what do you know?' he said through his snaky grin. 'Look who's up there.'

Elliott looked up, narrowing her eyes to see. After a moment of searching she noticed that letterman jacket and that blue cheerleader dress. She heard herself hiss in anger. 'Ted and Mandy.' She growled. 'Oh great.'

'It is, isn't it?' Gary grinned. He tugged her sleeve to get her attention. 'Come over here.'

Once again, Elliott followed him. 'Are you going to blow up the Ferris wheel? Because that would make my day.'

He ignored her and instead nudged her towards the guy who sat in the control booth. 'Go distract him.' He urged.

Elliott frowned. 'What? How?'

'I dunno, show him your surgery scar or something.' Gary shrugged. 'Just distract him, will you?'

He nudged her forward harder and she headed towards the booth, rubbing her arm. The guy in the booth was scruffy looking, and also quite miserable looking. He was sitting back in a rusted chair, counting through a handful of dollar bills. Elliott leaned on the wooden beam that acted as a counter and peered into the little hut.

'Uh… hi.' She said, wondering what the hell she was doing.

The guy looked up at her without lifting his head. 'Yeah?' he grunted. 'What do you want? It's a dollar if you want a ride.'

Movement caught Elliott's attention and she glanced to the door of the hut to see Gary lingering there. He raised his eyebrows at her and mouthed her to go on. Elliott shifted on her feet and managed a lopsided smile.

'I uh… No, I don't want a ride…' Elliott began.

'Well buzz off then,' the guy grunted. 'You're holding up the line. Ain't you got school to be at?'

Elliott glanced behind her but there was no one else around. She frowned and then returned her attention to the hut. Gary was glancing around, checking for people who could be watching. Elliott watched the guy counting his crumpled dollar bills and then cursed herself for what she was going to do next.

'Well?' the guy frowned, noticing she was still there. 'What you still hanging around for?'

'Actually…' Elliott said, tracing shapes on the wooden beam with her finger. 'I just came over to chat with you. Cos, you know… you look good to chat. To. You know.' She offered him a weak smile. She had never been good with this kind of stuff. She saw Gary stifling a belly laugh and frowned at him, before looking back to the guy and hoping he hadn't noticed.

He looked at her for a long moment. 'You're from that school, ain't ya?' he enquired.

'Yeah.' Elliott replied, and then added the lie, 'I'm a um… a senior.'

This caught the carnie's attention and he took his feet off the counter and leaned forward. He narrowed one eye at her. 'You are? You look a little young to be a senior.'

Elliott laughed awkwardly. 'Sucks for when I want to go out,' she replied. 'To clubs, I mean. For when I drink. Alcohol. With my uh… senior… friends.' She allowed her eyes to quickly flick to Gary and then back to the carnie.

'You can't be old enough to drink if you're a senior.' The carnie pointed out suspiciously, beginning to lean back. 'What are you, eighteen?'

Gary was half in the hut when the carnie began to move back, causing him to freeze. Elliott laughed a little too loudly.

'Well,' she replied. 'I mean, of course… um… My other friend buys the beer, you see. You've got to be eighteen to get into the club. The one we go to.'

The carnie pondered this for a moment, and then leaned forward again. The sleazy grin she had been hoping for spread across his face and she knew she had succeeded. If he thought she was eighteen he would try and hit on her. It was creepy and made her feel a little trashy, but it was the only thing she could think of to do. At least he hadn't tried hitting on her when he thought she was under eighteen.

'So you've got a break between classes, huh?' he grinned, leaning with both arms on the counter, closer to her. She wanted to move back but didn't want to ruin her distraction. Behind him, Gary had snuck into the hut and was fiddling with the controls.

'Yeah,' Elliott replied, trying not to stare at what Gary was doing. 'We thought we would just come down and hang out for a while. Here. At the carnival.'

'We?' the carnie enquired.

'I mean me.' Elliott replied quickly. 'I talk like that sometimes. I forget I'm on my own.'

'So it's just you?' the carnie asked. 'On your own? No, uh, boyfriend?'

Elliott had to restrain herself from grimacing at him. 'Uh, no.'

'Shame. Pretty girl like you.' The carnie grinned, showing slightly yellowed teeth. 'I'm Devon, by the way.'

Elliott was still fighting back a grimace of disgust. 'Elliott.' She said, sounding a little sick.

'So, Elliott…' Devon grinned, leaning a little closer to her. This time she had to move back. 'You don't have a curfew if you're a senior, do you?'

Elliott searched for a response that didn't involve calling him a creep, but thankfully there was a squeal of scraping metal and a heavy thump from the Ferris wheel. Elliott and Devon looked up to see the Ferris wheel come to a complete halt, the decorative lights going off in a flash.

'What the-' Devon started, but was distracted by Gary's gleeful giggle as he fled the hut. He looked around in bewilderment as Gary grabbed Elliott by the back of her jacket. He pulled her a little way, causing her to stumble precariously before letting go and allowing her to follow him of her own accord.

'You little bastards!' Devon the carnie yelled after them. 'Don't think I won't tell your school about this, you little twerps!'

Elliott ran after Gary, her heart pounding in her chest. As she ran after Gary, who was shoving his way through the people who were gathering to see what was happening, she realised she was laughing. She was actually enjoying herself. She picked up the pace, running after him to the exit. They narrowly missed being grabbed by a police officer and burst out of the gates, laughing the whole way.

'Ew, this one is coffee flavoured.' Elliott complained, screwing up her face as she chewed the disgusting chocolate. 'I'm sure someone puts the coffee ones in here as a joke.'

Gary picked another chocolate out of the box and sniffed it. 'Orange.' He confirmed, and then launched it with a swift overhand throw. It soared towards the frozen Ferris wheel and it plummeted down to the faraway ground.

'Hey, I like orange!' Elliott frowned, and then peered over the edge. They were perched on the top of a hill overlooking the Carnival. The Ferris wheel was still stationary, and had been for nearly three hours now. Whatever Gary had done he had done a good job of it.

Gary shoved her. 'Go get it then!' he laughed.

Elliott grabbed the ground beside her and let out a cry of alarm, and then turned and glared at him. He chuckled and returned his attention to the view, tossing another chocolate in his mouth. After leaving the Carnival they had seen a guy put his shopping bag down to unlock his car. Gary had snatched the shopping bag and ran, and Elliott had followed. She didn't particularly approve of stealing, but it seemed to be cheering her up so she went along with it. In the bag had been chocolate, eggs and a bottle of whiskey. Unfortunately on the climb up the hill Gary had dropped the bag, making the chocolates the only thing that could be salvaged. The alcohol had soaked him, making him stink like a hobo even though a single drop hadn't passed his lips.

'I wonder how long they'll be up there.' Elliott mused, watching the Ferris wheel. For a while they had been able to hear Mandy's faint yells to be let down from the top of the wheel, but now the wind had changed so they couldn't hear her anymore.

'I hope there's a thunderstorm.' Gary said, picking at the grass around him. 'And a huge bolt of lightening hits the wheel.'

Elliott laughed. 'Now that would be cool.'

They both sat there a little while longer in silence. It was about lunchtime now, meaning that they would have to leave soon if either of them were going to go to afternoon class. Elliott had no intention of going, but Gary was getting fidgety – the way people did when they were about to leave.

'Why do you keep talking to me?' Elliott asked, turning and frowning at him. 'I don't actually like you very much. I think you're a jerk.'

'I don't really like you much either.' Gary replied, and pointed at her legs. 'You have freakishly large calves.'

Elliott glanced down at her scratched legs and pulled them up to her chest. 'Seriously though.'

Gary shrugged and tossed another chocolate over the edge of the hill. 'I like being the one to violate the new kids.' He replied. 'Gives me purpose.'

'Violate? Elliott chuckled. 'You think you've violated me?'

He shot her a grin. 'Look at you. You do remember that it's because of me that you have that new choppy little do on your head. And I've reduced you to a petty thief and vandal today.'

Elliott frowned at him. 'Are you saying you're doing all this just to turn me into some kind of stupid haired, petty criminal?'

Gary shrugged. 'Not really, but I managed it.'

Elliott frowned and shook her head. 'You're completely insane. You make no sense.'

Gary nudged her with his elbow. 'Why does everything have to make sense? Why does everyone have to live in this world full of motives and rules and reasons? Why can't people just do things because it's what they want to do?' He shook his head and launched yet another chocolate ahead. 'It's just stupid. You agree with me, don't you?'

Elliott shrugged. 'If I understood I probably would.'

They both watched as there was a flash of lights on the Ferris wheel and it jerked into motion, only for it to stop dead again. Faint cries of impatience and anger floated towards them but they both just watched impassively. After a moment, Gary clapped his hands and started to get up.

'Well, I believe I have things to be doing.' He said. 'Important things that don't currently include you.'

Elliott looked up at him. 'When do I have to pay you back for these favours, as you so aptly call them.'

Gary just grinned. 'Soon enough.' He turned and headed away, pushing his hands in his pockets. 'Catch you later, Post-Op! Try to avoid that pervert carnie on your way back to school, I think he liked you.'

Elliott watched him head away down the hill over her shoulder and then looked back towards the Carnival. She decided to savour this pleasant moment and lay back on the grass with her hands behind her head.

Elliott strolled back to school in quite a good mood. Okay, so she was currently attending one of the worst schools in the country and yesterday a burly Jock had cut off half her hair, but that punishment she had received probably meant the Jocks had had their payback and would probably leave her alone from now on. The Nerds didn't blame her for the photo incident anymore, so she wouldn't have to be embarrassed when they attempted to insult her. It seemed like everything had calmed down. Maybe this was the way everyone's first week at Bullworth was? Full of chaos and insanity. It would be the beginning of her second week tomorrow. A fresh week and a fresh start.

It was about three thirty when Elliott passed through the iron gates of the school, and she was too busy wondering if Mandy and Ted would ever get down from that Ferris wheel when she was suddenly and quite roughly grabbed from behind. She looked up in alarm to stare into the face of an angry looking Prefect.

'Elliot Nixon?' he growled at her.

She blinked. 'Um… no?'

'Dr Crabblesnitch wants you in his office.' The Prefect snarled. 'Come with me. And no funny business, okay?'

He shoved her forward and she stumbled along. 'Okay, okay,' she muttered as he walked behind her towards the school. 'Chill out, I'm coming.'

She sighed heavily. A fresh start? A fresh boatload of trouble, more like.