EvilChick101: Thanks. Ha, I guess my disliking a Derby in general is showing through. Even though he barely had a part, I liked Bif much better.
A Boy Named Troy
Chapter Twenty-Five
"Hey," Jimmy stretched the simple greeting out into a loud yawn. "You didn't kick me off the bed again." He sat up, shoving his legs off the side of the bed to the short fall to the floor. Gord was laying on his side, facing him.
"Hooray." the prep mumbled unenthusiastically, barely conscious.
"You've gotten a lot better about that."
Not even awake enough to have seen anything but the insides of his eyelids yet, the natural brunette was still able to think of a slightly naggy reply. "You've been spending more nights." The thinner of the two was clutched to his pillow as his body formed around it. Jimmy had to admit, only inside of his own head of course, that it was sorta cute. Still, what good was the guy if he was sleeping? Had Troy been around, he could have hung out with him, but the kid was probably gone by then. Hopkins checked his cheap digital watch. Yup, he was gone; it was already past twelve. The future king was going on a group date to an early showing of a movie. The little dog was going to be the youngest one there by two years. Jimmy was quite proud.
"It's Valentine's Day; don't you want to get up?"
"Do you have anything unbelievably romantic for me to open my eyes up to yet?"
"I'll let you get your sleep."
Jimmy had dreaded this day for a long time. To him, it just seemed like an unnecessary hassle. It was the kind of thing that was created just for people like Gord. He'd either get pampered with all the mushy crap he loved, or he'd get to whine and bitch, another thing he loved. At first, he wasn't going to get Vendrome anything. It'd be like buying a bone for a dog that pissed on the carpet. Now that the day had actually arrived though, he began to readjust his thinking. "He's been pretty tolerably lately. It'd be more like rewarding a dog that stopped pissing on the rug." He glanced down at the softly breathing Gord. The guy'd done nothing wrong but basically worship him. "And what do I do? Go fool around with Trent." The thought caught him by surprise, forcing him to push back a little shame. "I'm not doing anything wrong." he told himself for the millionth time and began to feel a little better. "I should probably go get the prep a present though."
`*~~~*`
By the time Jimmy had finally found something good enough (which took several stores since everything was so picked over) and walked back to the beach house, Gord was already awake and out of bed. He found the prep sitting on the floor (back straight of course) in front of the T.V., eating cereal. "I thought you had abandoned me." he apathetically greeted, not bothering to even face the king of Bullworth.
"Oh hey." Jimmy quickly hid an Aquaberry bag behind his back. He thought he'd have at least enough time to stick the present in a box or something.
Gord turned his head when he heard the plastic. "What do you have?"
"Just something I picked up today."
"Hm." he twisted his head back to the screen with a nod, and Jimmy allowed himself to breath a sigh of relief. "What did you buy?" Shit.
"Wait a minute," Hopkins thought to himself in an attempt to cool off his suddenly warm nerves. "What do I care if it's wrapped or not?" With a seemingly careless movement, he flung the bag onto the floor beside Gord. "For you."
The prep took a lazy glance down towards the bag. "I thought we weren't getting each other anything for…" As he trailed off, his eyes widened and he stared down again. He had recognized the blue plastic. "J-Jim! This is-!"
Hopkins began to shuffle towards the area behind the bar that had become their makeshift kitchen. A low gurgle came from his middle and he realized that he hadn't eaten yet. "Yup."
"But how did you…?" His hands had not yet even touched the bag, too busy revering it.
With his stubby fingers, he retrieved and opened a cookie in a white and red wrapper. "Afford it? You know, I'm not as poor as you make me out to be. Bullworth is a private school."
"I was going to ask how you managed to get service. The people that work there can be so stuffy."
"Wha do yu need servees fo?" Hopkins asked with a mouth full of chocolate chip.
Gord knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. "Why, to service you of course." Jimmy chuckled, spraying crumbs, and, with a roll of his eyes, the prep explained himself. "Don't let your mind be filth! The workers help fit you and gather the clothes you pick. They usually deny any help to those of lower stature."
"And why would I need their help?"
"What exactly did you do?"
"I just walked in there, saw something you might wear, grabbed one, and then slammed it down on the counter." He did the last thing as part of his distaste for that store; they shouldn't have treated Vendrome, formally one of their best customers, like shit.
"Can I open it?" Gord's eyes were once again focused on his gift.
"Sure," Jimmy shrugged indifferently.
Gord didn't just open up the bag and pull out the shirt that Jimmy bought him. He went into the back room with the lights off and put it on. Said something about wanting the first time he saw it to be on him. It didn't take a genius (which Hopkins certainly wasn't) to be able to tell when he finally looked at it. The light switched on and half a scream closely followed. The shriek was interrupted by a gasp, which Jimmy took as a good sign. An even better sign was when Gord came rushing out and leapt on him, throwing his newly sleeved arms around his neck. "Oh Jim you are the absolute, top-notch, best boyfriend in the entire universe!" Today, the king didn't feel so much like correcting him. The grateful prep peeled away. "I had no idea they had a line of pink now." When Jimmy saw the shirt in the store, it reminded him of a light yellow sweater that he saw Gord wear a few times. It looked like a businessman's basic white button up collared shirt, but it was a light pink. Over it, there was a darker rose colored sweater vest; two hearts were stitched by the Aquaberry logo near the top on the right.
"I think it's new for V-Day and junk."
"Goodness, this feels amazing! I have not had new Aquaberry in such a long time." The prep began to cling back onto the bully again, and Jimmy felt thankful that he had made the purchase.
`*~~~*`
Later on that day, Jimmy and Gord sat together with their backs propped against the bar. They were watching a rerun of an old T.V. show, but Hopkins was more focused on the other boy that he had an arm around. He rested his chin of the top of Vendrome's head that was laying on his chest. "Jim, I feel quite ashamed now." he piped up.
"I already told you that it's fine you didn't get me anything; we weren't supposed to buy anything."
"No, it is not that."
Jimmy groaned softly when he didn't explain himself. "Then what is it?"
"I have not exactly let you—oh how would you put it—get very far."
"What're you talking about?"
"Well, I have heard about some of the things that you used to do with the other people that you've dated. I feel like I am obligated to do those things too and I am just being selfish."
With a steady hand, Jimmy hit Gord on his shoulder. "Don't talk like that. It makes me sound like some kind of freak that pressures people into that. I've told you a million times that I'd rather never do anything with you, than for you to not be ready."
"But Jim—" Gord never did get to finish whatever he was going to say. He was interrupted by a loud knocking on the door.
`*~~~*`
Jimmy had been the one to offer to get up to answer the door, but when he did, nobody was there. "Musta just been some little ass." he called over his shoulder to the prep. He was about to slam it shut, when something on the ground caught his eye. Lying out was one of those big, red, heart-shaped, boxes that contained mixed chocolates. In the middle "Jim" was scribbled out with a sloppy hand. "Wow Gord, and I seriously thought for a second that you didn't get me anything."
"Hmm?"
"Who did you have bring these over?" Finding both excitement and pride in being able to predict the prep, he plucked the heart up.
"What is that?" Gord stood and looked genuinely peeved at the present. "And who did you get it from?"
For a split second, a heat rose to Jimmy's face, fearing that his affair might be unearthed. Then he remembered that A) Trent would never even consider validating Valentine's Day; B) Trent had no idea where this place was; and C) Trent wouldn't have run off without getting any.
Now curious, the bully king flipped off the top of the box. Almost instantly, another fire started up. "Get the fuck out Gord!" he snapped. His voice could have probably been heard all the way up the beach. The prep straightened up all the way.
"W-What?"
"You heard me, get out." His volume leveled out to a chilly low. Vendrome cowered. Taking steady, heavy steps, the king walked right up to the boy he had just been having a pleasant enough day with. Right in his face, he spoke in the same tone, "If you stay around any longer, I'm afraid that I'll beat your big nose in, and I don't want to have to live with that."
"What's going on, Jim?" Gord could only manage up a whisper.
"Like you don't know, little miss 'I'm ashamed of not letting you screw me.' You don't look very ashamed there." He grabbed the top photo off a stack of pictures that were inside his 'present.' It was of a barely clothed Gord being held intimately by a greaser. A greaser of all things!
"I don't… I don't…" The tears were starting to form. Jimmy walked away from the sniveling 'boy' and turned to a wall. "Jim, I'm so sorry."
"Leave."
And so Gord left, looking like a complete wreck. He flew past Troy on his way out, but the boy did not look very surprised. It almost crossed Jimmy's mind to wonder just how much Troy knew about the both of them.