Chapter XXXII:

"Two Sides To Every Story"

'That film was terrible.' Elliott decided as they filed out of the cinema. She shovelled a handful of the remaining popcorn into her mouth and shook her head. 'I think it's probably one of the worst things I've ever seen, and believe me, I've seen some pretty dire things.'

Beatrice giggled. 'Did you see the dog humping the teddy bear when the killer janitor came in the room?'

Elliott looked at her with lowered eyebrows. 'What? When?'

Beatrice giggled again. 'When that girl was in her room reading that stupid magazine in her underwear and the janitor crept through the door. That little Chihuahua thing was humping a teddy bear just off screen.'

Elliott laughed, covering her mouth to stop the popcorn from escaping. 'Seriously? Oh man I totally missed that! Ha, you think they would have re-shot the scene.'

'The director must have been too busy staring at that bimbo's… y'know…'

'Flower?' Elliott smirked in a bad imitation of Beatrice's voice.

Beatrice laughed unflatteringly. The way you knew when Beatrice was really laughing was when she started to bray like a donkey. 'Don't make fun of me!'

'I wasn't!' Elliott replied, mocking innocence. 'I was merely parodying you. There's a difference.'

The pair of them broke away from the other people who had also just left the dire horror movie and crossed the road to be on the side of the beach. Elliott balled the popcorn bag and tossed it in a trashcan. The movie had been on longer than they had thought, so they had about ten minutes before curfew came into effect. Neither of them felt like hurrying though.

'So do you feel a bit better?' Beatrice asked, glancing warily at her.

Elliott shrugged. 'I guess so. It helped that that guy who got beat up in the beginning of the movie looked a bit like Gary.'

'He did?' Beatrice frowned. 'I didn't see it.'

'Then maybe it was my brain going psycho.' Elliott replied, and then sighed. 'I wish there wasn't any stupid curfew. I hate having to rush around.'

Beatrice glanced at her watch. 'We still have ten minutes. We shouldn't have to rush. Although… walking a little faster than usual is probably a good idea because, well, I don't like being late.'

'I'll hurry,' Elliott half smiled. 'Just because you managed the impossible in cheering me up. A bit anyway.'

Beatrice smiled at her. 'Well I'm glad. Have you decided what you're going to do?'

'Well, when I've simmered down and stopped dreaming up various painful ways to castrate him I'm going to have a word.' Elliott shrugged. 'I think I did just overreact. But still… I had the right to be a bit annoyed, didn't I?'

'Oh certainly!' Beatrice replied. 'I would have been exactly the same in your position.'

Elliott laughed. 'We both know you wouldn't let yourself get in that position in the first place.'

Beatrice blushed a little. 'Well, I am saving myself for the right person…'

A shrill squeal of bike brakes interrupted her and they both looked around to see someone had skidded to a halt by the curb. 'Evening, ladies.' Jimmy announced.

Elliott rolled her eyes and folded her arms, looking away. Beatrice turned to him, grinning coyly. 'Hi, Jimmy.'

'Isn't this kinda late for you to be out Beatrice?' Jimmy asked. 'You're normally studying about this time.'

'Well,' Beatrice shrugged shyly. 'I thought I'd make an exception seeing as Elliott needed-'

'We've been to see that Janitor movie.' Elliott interrupted, shooting Beatrice a warning look. She didn't want Jimmy to suspect in the slightest that something was up. 'And for the record, it sucked.'

Jimmy nodded, eyeing Elliott. 'Right. Well I'll make sure I don't see it then.' He got off the bike and held it by the handlebars. 'So, would you lovely ladies like to be walked home?'

Beatrice almost melted and giggled girlishly, where Elliott just rolled her eyes again. She knew he was just doing it to humour Beatrice, but she still found it irritating.

'If you're headed that way,' Beatrice smiled. 'It would be nice.'

Jimmy nodded ahead and began to push the bike along. Beatrice quickly fell into step beside him and began to tell him about the teddy bear humping Chihuahua. Elliott frowned and waited a moment, before sighing and trudging after them, staying a few steps behind them.

They were five minutes late back to the school, and the Prefect was quick to pick them up about it, bustling Elliott and Beatrice along to their dorm. Jimmy managed to slip by unnoticed, and Elliott thought that was the last of him before she saw him waiting by the steps of the Girl's Dorm and looking quite pleased with himself.

'Jimmy, you never cease to amaze me the way you slip past those Prefects.' Beatrice said admiringly.

'It doesn't take much,' Jimmy shrugged. 'And there's always some idiot beating on a little kid to take the heat for me anyway.' He glanced back to the dorm. 'Well here we are, ladies. Safe and sound.'

'Thanks, Jimmy,' Beatrice grinned. 'Much obliged.'

'Yeah, thanks.' Elliott mumbled, arms still folded over her chest. 'Well, see ya.'

'Actually, Elliott,' Jimmy said quickly, blocking her path. 'I was wondering if I could have a word.'

She looked at him expectantly and said nothing. Beatrice watched him also.

'In private.' He said, shrugging apologetically at Beatrice.

'Oh,' Beatrice sounded a little disappointed, but she waved her hand and smiled. 'I should really go to bed anyway. I'm pretty sure we have another dissection in Biology, and I don't want to have shaky hands again in the morning.' She looked coyly at Jimmy. 'Night Jimmy.'

'Yeah, night Beatrice.' He waved back. Both he and Elliott watched as Beatrice skipped up the steps and slipped inside. He headed towards the bench and nodded for her to follow him. 'Over here.'

Elliott remained where she was stubbornly. 'I thought you said a word. That doesn't warrant sitting down.'

Jimmy looked at her impatiently. 'Don't start being a bitch again. If the Prefects see me hanging around the girl's dorm they'll grab me, and I can't afford to get busted again.'

Elliott rolled her eyes and glanced around, but the campus was apparently deserted apart from the faint sound of cracking eggs coming from the boy's dorm. After a moment she gave in and followed him to the bench. He sat down but she remained standing.

'Okay then,' she shrugged. 'What do you want to talk about? Let me guess. Gary.'

Jimmy shrugged and glanced past her, towards the alley behind the Girl's Dorm. 'Guess I'm pretty predictable, huh?'

She glanced over her shoulder to see what he was looking at and frowned at the sight of Christy making out with one of the white shirted bullies. She clicked her tongue and turned back to Jimmy. 'What a tramp.' She muttered.

Jimmy half smiled in amusement and leaned back. 'It's just, I've been thinking about it, and I can't understand why you're wasting your time with a freak like Gary. You must be able to see how much of a loser he is. You're not stupid.'

Elliott frowned at him. It occurred to her that the only reason she disliked Jimmy was because Gary had drummed it into her that he was some kind of crazed psychopath, but she was yet to see any evidence of it. Well, apart from the trail of unconscious kids, but that was normally because they had stupidly picked a fight with him. If she was honest, she didn't actually think there was anything wrong with him. He wasn't judging her for hanging around with Gary, he just seemed genuinely curious to why she would.

'Sometimes I think the pair of you just broke up or something.' Elliott said, looking away. 'The way you're both constantly bitching about each other.'

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. 'So he talks about me a lot, huh?'

'Well, yeah.' Elliott replied, and then chuckled. 'He hates your guts.'

Jimmy leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and frowned ahead. 'I didn't do anything to him. He's totally paranoid. The bastard set me up with Russell, and he's been running around making up all this stuff about me and telling people I've been saying stuff about their moms and farmyard animals.' He sighed and shook his head. 'I don't know what his problem is.'

Elliott regarded him thoughtfully, and then sat down. She made sure there was quite a gap between them. 'He can be pretty crazy.' She shrugged.

'Can be?' Jimmy echoed in disbelief. 'He's a fully-fledged mental patient. He should be down with all the other crackpots in Happy Volts.'

'He's not that bad,' Elliott found herself saying. 'At least with me he's okay. Sometimes.' She paused, and added bitterly, 'Although he wasn't tonight.'

Jimmy glanced to her curiously. 'Oh yeah? What did he do?'

She realised what she had said and looked away. 'Nothing.'

Jimmy waited to see if she would elaborate, but she didn't. 'Well I just don't like seeing him messing with other kids. It's me he has the problem with, and I'd rather he just showed his stupid backstabbing face instead of messing around out of my reach. The guy's like a ghost. He's been going to all his classes but I never see him anywhere. All I want is a chance to beat some sense into him…'

Elliott suddenly found herself opening her mouth to tell him that Gary was living in the bell tower, but abruptly stopped herself. Instead she just shrugged and made an indifferent sound.

'He's already screwed up Johnny Vincent by telling everyone that Lola is a slut. I mean, yeah Lola is a slut but… he didn't have to make it so hard for Johnny, you know? And he had the Preps turn against me, and now the Nerds are being kinda funny with me. I'm working my ass off to get people on my side while he just spreads a couple of rumours and a few empty promises and everyone's eating out of his hand! I just don't get it. And then there's you, hanging around with him even though you obviously know he's completely insane.' He looked to her, looking genuinely puzzled. 'Why do you do it, man? You're smarter than that.' He shook his head and frowned. 'You know, I always had respect for you after that deal with the pictures of Ted and Algie…'

Elliott winced. 'Well, that wasn't really me…'

Jimmy seemed not to hear her. 'And the way you managed to get all the Jocks off your back like that. I know from experience that it takes a lot to calm those guys down. I just…' He sighed and stood up. 'I don't get it, man. I don't even know why I'm bothering anymore. All I wanted to do was put the bullies in their place and make everyone get along without the fighting and the stupid rivalries.'

Elliott remained silent and thoughtful. After a moment, Jimmy just waved his hands as if saying goodbye to the whole mess.

'Sorry, man. I guess I just needed to get it out.'

Elliott shrugged. 'It's fine.' She told him in a small voice.

He turned to her and gestured between them. 'We're okay though, aren't we? Cos I think you're cool, Elliott. I have no problem with you. Sorry for anything I might have said that pissed you off before.'

She managed a smile and waved a hand. 'Water under the bridge, man.'

Jimmy nodded. 'Cool. Well, I better be going. No doubt I'll be running around all over for these ungrateful bastards again tomorrow.' He headed away raising a hand to her. 'It was good to sort things out with you, Elliott. Catch you later.' Elliott just watched after him, her head hurting a little.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any more complicated.