Chapter XXXI:

"Everyone Needs A Good Girl"

Well, Elliott thought as she back of her hand across her wet eyes. At least I managed to get to my dorm before I broke down.

She had practically run from the school building to the Girl's Dorm, shirt buttoned oddly and sweater balled up under one arm. Gary had again tried to apologise after she emerged from the bathroom, but she just stuffed the bed sheet in his arms and hurried down the stairs. He hadn't bothered following her. Outside Algie had tried to speak to her but she thought she might have told him to fuck off, she couldn't really remember. Once in her room she had immediately dived under her bedcovers and proceeded to sob pathetically.

She felt like a fool. Everyone had told her what he was like but she insisted on thinking that they had no idea what they were talking about. As if she, a brand new student, knew more about Gary Smith than everyone who had spent their entire school lives with him. Like he had said himself, he was just another hormone driven adolescent. And he hadn't had to try hard at all to get her into bed with him.

She cringed into her pillow. Christ, she was even giving Lola a run for her money here. When this came out it was going to be awful. And she thought the way Trent was around her was bad – when Gary got around to telling everyone in the school all the guys would probably be like that with her. Slutty Elliott Nixon. She had been right, things didn't stay good for long at Bullworth.

Elliott heard a knock at her door before it creaked open. She wiped her nose and became still, hoping that the person wouldn't notice her under the blanket.

'Elliott?' Beatrice's tentative voice enquired. 'Are you okay?'

She sniffed and wiped her eyes again. 'I'm not here.' She replied, voice muffled under the blanket.

She heard Beatrice shut the door and moved towards the bed. 'I um… I thought I heard you crying.'

Elliott was silent for a moment, trying to hold back the lump in her throat, but it just seemed to get bigger. A sob burst out of her and she pulled the duvet tighter over her head. 'I'm such an idiot.' She sniffed, pressing the blanket against her face. 'Why didn't I see that coming? You told me what he was like and so did Jimmy and about eighty percent of the school but I ignored everyone and now I'm nothing but a nasty tramp and now everyone is going to know and I'm going to look like even more of an idiot and I'm never going to live it down and I'll probably have to start dating people like Trent and Wade Martin because that's what will be expected from me and I'll be like the new Lola Lombardi and… and…'

'Elliott, slow down.' Beatrice sat on the edge of the bed. 'Come out of there and tell me what happened.'

'I don't want to come out.' Elliott sniffed. 'I want to stay under here until I suffocate or everyone forgets I ever existed.'

'Come on, it can't be that bad.'

'It is that bad.'

'Well you'll feel better for telling me.'

Elliott sighed heavily and wiped at her face, before slowly emerging from underneath the blanket. Her blonde hair was sticking up all over the place and her eyes were red and puffy. She wiped her nose on the back of her hand. 'I wasn't crying.' She lied.

Beatrice looked at her sympathetically. 'Oh, Elliott. What happened? You look so upset.'

Elliott pulled her knees up to her chest. 'I don't want to talk about it.' She replied in a husky voice. 'Let's just say I'm not going to be speaking to Gary Smith ever again. Never ever.'

Beatrice tilted her head curiously. 'What did he do?'

'He's a bastard.' Elliott said viciously. 'He's just another… boy. Another stupid boy who was only after one thing and I gave it to him because I thought that he was actually different. Which he was, in a kind of weird, crazy way… but beneath all the schemes and his weird flirting techniques that made me wonder if he was even flirting at all he was just the same as the rest of them. He was just sneakier.'

Beatrice frowned thoughtfully. 'What do you mean you gave him…' She stopped and then her eyes widened. 'Oh. Oh… You mean you gave him your, y'know…' She pitched her voice to a whisper. 'Your flower.'

Elliott frowned slightly at her. 'My flow… Oh for God's sake.' She hung her head in her hands. 'I feel like such a tramp.'

Beatrice shifted uncomfortably. 'Don't beat yourself up about it,' she said. 'I'm sure it's happened to loads of girls. I mean, hardly anyone at Bullworth is a, y'know, virgin anymore…'

Elliott shook her head. 'That's not the point. I wasn't a virgin before Gary.'

Beatrice blinked. 'Oh. Right.'

'The point is that I allowed him to manipulate me like that. I mean…' She sighed and looked glumly at Beatrice. 'I really thought he cared about me, y'know?' She shook her head and sighed again. 'I feel like such a moron. This is why I don't bother with guys, Beatrice. I wish I was more like you, you never have this problem with boys.'

Beatrice frowned vaguely, trying to decide whether she should be offended or not. 'What happened, exactly? I mean, for you to get upset. I don't want any gory details or anything like that…'

'He just… blew up at me. Said some pretty harsh things.' Elliott shrugged. 'I don't know, I might just be over reacting. Cos, y'know, he did try to apologise and stuff…'

'Well there you go! If was apologising then maybe he was just upset. Cos I read somewhere that some people do get upset after… giving people their-'

'Please don't call it giving away your flower.' Elliott frowned. 'It's weird.'

Beatrice shrugged. 'Well did you do something for him to blow up at you?'

'I found loads of prescription drugs that he hadn't been taking.'

Beatrice nodded knowingly. 'Ah, for his ADD.'

'You knew he had ADD?'

'Well, yeah. Why did you think he was so crazy?'

Elliott frowned. 'I just thought he was a bit weird. Anyway… I asked him why he wasn't taking them and he just threw a wobbler. He implied that I might take them to use for myself. Like some skanky little junkie.' She shook her head and looked away. 'I'm just upset because I'm annoyed with myself for not seeing it coming. It's my own fault.'

Beatrice glanced away and pulled at the hem of her dress thoughtfully. 'Well… to me it sounds like he was just embarrassed.'

Elliott glanced to her. 'Embarrassed?'

'Well, yeah. I mean, you find all his pills and he's embarrassed you saw them because he obviously doesn't want you to think that he's some mental patient. So because Gary is the kind of person who can't deal with feeling inadequate or embarrassed he decided his best chance at defending himself was to attack you. You said he tried to apologise so obviously he felt bad about what he said and probably didn't even mean it. I'm sure if you just talk to him…'

Elliott crossed her arms stubbornly. 'I don't want to talk to him.' She sat brooding for a moment, frowning deeply, and then her expression relaxed. 'Do you think so?'

Beatrice nodded. 'I might not be the expert on these kinds of things, but you're better off at least trying to talk it out with him. I can tell you like him, Elliott, even if I think you're completely insane for it… but… it's stupid to fall out over one stupid little argument.'

Elliott frowned at her hands. 'I suppose…'

Beatrice eyed her for a moment. 'Did you use… y'know… protection?'

Elliott rolled her eyes. 'Beatrice, come on.'

'I was just asking.' She paused, still watching the other girl. 'Because there's a million and one things you have to worry about if you didn't, and that's not even counting pregnancy.'

Elliott spluttered. 'Way to go to make me feel better, Beatrice!'

'So you didn't?'

'Shut up!'

'It's important, Elliott.'

'I don't care! I'm not talking about this!' Elliott climbed out of the bed and moved to the window. 'Geez.'

Beatrice watched her for a moment. 'Well… it's only eight. Do you want to go into town or something? We can go to the cinema. My treat.'

Elliott stood looking out of the window, arms folded. 'I don't really feel like it, Bea.'

'Come on.' Beatrice said, rising. 'It'll get your mind of it.'

Elliott considered it for a moment and then glanced tentatively to Beatrice. Then she managed a weak smile. 'Alright then. But I have no money.'

'I said, my treat.' Beatrice smiled.

'Alright. Well… I'm just going to get changed. I look like I've just been fooling around in the bell tower.'

'Come down to my dorm when you're sorted.' Beatrice nodded.

Elliott smiled again as the other girl went to leave. 'Beatrice? Thanks.'

Beatrice shrugged. 'It's what friends are for, yes?'

'Yeah.' Elliott half laughed.

She watched as Beatrice left, closing the door behind her, and then sighed heavily before moving to the closet to get a change of clothes.