Extra Baggage Chapter 5: Crack!, a bully fanfic

"Extra Baggage"

Story #5: "Crack!"

By: Seinasu

It started off like any normal school day. Lunch was almost over and a number of students were wandering about the campus. Gary stood against the soda machine next to the main entrance of the school building and was critically eye every student who went to purchase a soda. Sometimes his cold stares were enough to cause the smaller children to tremble back in fear and take off running.

But there was one particular girl who approached the soda machine with a calm demeanor. She was rather tall, a head taller than Gary, with brown hair pulled up in a ponytail and brown eyes. She was nothing spectacular but Gary couldn't help but notice what nice legs she had.

Tabitha emerged from the noisy cafeteria after being held up in a long line. She carried a bag full of fruit and two containers of chocolate milk in her arms. The last time she bought soda from the delicatessen, someone shook them all prior to her knowledge, and when she opened a can...

Well, at least everybody gave me some kind of attention when they laughed at me, Tabitha thought as she walked through the main hall over to the large wooden doors. Even if they were all making fun of me. Gary's laugh, however, was like music to my ears!

She waited until Fatty walked through the doors before she attempted to get through. However, the rest of the Nerds waddled through, almost knocking her and her food over.

"E-Eeep!" she croaked as her foot was nearly smashed by Beatrice's orthopedic shoes. Fortunately there weren't too many of them and she was able to slip through. That's when she arrived outside and saw Gary and an unfamiliar girl talking.

Tabitha dropped her bag and her two milk containers splattered on the ground, staining her socks and shoes brown.

Who is she? Who is this girl? I've never seen her before! She's standing so close to Gary—MY GARY! She isn't brilliant enough to stand next to him! NOBODY IS!!

Taking a deep breath, Tabitha had a wave of calm suddenly wash over her as she approached the two by the soda machine. Without saying a word, she purposely slipped in front of Gary and right in front of the taller girl.

"What's up, Leech?" Gary asked nonchalantly.

Tabitha didn't hear Gary's question and huffed at the girl, "EXCUSE ME...!"

There was a hint of steel behind her voice. It sounded firm and possessive. In her mind, she refused to let her devotion slip away any further. She had to re-cement her position with Gary before someone else threatened to take it over! Without warning, Tabitha exploded.

"GET AWAY FROM GARY!!!" she snapped as she lunged at the taller girl. The two girls collided against the cement and without hesitation Tabitha started pulling on the girl's hair. Meanwhile, the girl tried to grab some of Tabitha's long bangs but quickly became aware of Tabitha's teeth trying to snap at her fingers.

A crowd quickly gathered around them. They kept their distance as they started cheering. Hoots and hollers chorused in the air, as Jimmy Hopkins arrived and tried to keep an eye on everyone to make sure nobody interfered. He found himself intrigued with the way Gary's yes-girl went nuts (at least in his own, humble opinion). He wasn't too surprised to see Gary across the way yelling at Tabitha.

"Kick her ass! Don't be such a puss!" he shouted while trying not to laugh at the sight.

It didn't take long for a couple of the prefects to arrive on the scene. The audience quickly disbanded and the two girls were hauled off of each other.

"Explain yourselves!" one prefect demanded as he held Tabitha by the back of her collar. In the background, the school bell rang.

Tabitha said nothing as she huffed and puffed in his grasp, her eyes locked on her victim.

The other girl started crying as she too was lifted off the ground. She couldn't answer the prefect's question so they were both swiftly taken inside the main building to serve detention.

In the meantime, Jimmy stood just a few feet away and had witnessed the entire scene. He looked down and saw the abandoned lunch bag and milk splatter on the floor. He took out his skateboard and was prepared to take off when Gary approached him.

"The fun never stops here, does it?" he inquired. "The zoo is still alive and kicking and with these new kids around, who knows what'll happen?"

"Were you actually cheering on Tabitha?" Jimmy asked as he placed his skateboard on the ground next to his feet.

"Who, me?" Gary shrugged. "Maybe. It's funny seeing her get mad because she never does unless it has something to do with me. If only the rest of Western Civilization could be so obedient, then I'd probably wouldn't be such a pessimistic."

Jimmy sneered. "You? Pessimistic? I always thought you were an overbearing, egotistical little bitch."

"Me? Egotistical? How could you even say such a thing? My feelings are so fragile... You just crushed them with those harsh words!" Gary's sarcasm always annoyed the hell out of Jimmy. It was fine in small doses, but Gary tended to pour gallons of it every time he was insulted in any way.

Jimmy placed one foot on his skateboard and said, "Give it up, you damn actor. Why don't you do us all a favor and leave Bullworth and go to Hollywood. Maybe someone'll actually buy that crap act of yours."

With a steady push, Jimmy rode away from Gary and headed towards the Boys Dorm. His thoughts went back to Tabitha and what she did moments ago.

I'd never have any girls get that physical when it comes to me, he thought somberly as he recalled the many times he'd accidentally kiss a girl in front of another girl he'd previously kissed. It would result in the girls slapping each other, or pulling each other's hairs, or kicking Jimmy in the groin and running away crying. Tabitha's reaction was just absolutely vicious!

That girl needs some serious help. She really didn't want that chick to talk to Gary. Damn, what if I had a girlfriend like that? I'd only hope she isn't a crack-case like Tabitha.

He was only sixteen, but Jimmy had his fair share of female admirers. So far, the only possible candidate for pure girlfriend material was Zoe Taylor, a feisty girl who shared many of his personality traits. But the furthest they've gotten was establishing themselves as "make-out partners" and he was perfectly fine with that. He figured he had a long time to figure out which girl was right for him. In the mean time, he was going to enjoy his days as a kid as long as possible.

I wouldn't let any girl tie me down just yet, Jimmy concluded as he waved hello to Tom Gurney, who was trying to shove one of the emo-goth kids into the garbage can.

"How you doin'?" Tom hollered at Jimmy before he went back to shoving his victim ass-first into the bin. "Stay down there, ya fairy!"

Suddenly Jimmy stopped and turned his board around. He fixed his line of stare at Tom and it took a few moments for the Bully to notice him.

"What can I do for ya, Jimmy?" Tom asked as he walked over to him. Meanwhile, the emo-goth kid was struggling to pull himself out, tearing his fish-net stockings in the process.

Jimmy motioned Tom to come closer. When he did, Jimmy smacked Tom on the forehead with the palm of his head.

"HEY!" Tom cried as he rubbed his forehead. "What'd you do that for?!"

"Don't go any further than what you're doing with that kid," Jimmy warned. "I don't wanna have to kick your ass or anybody else who doesn't listen. I don't want anybody picking on anybody weak and that kid right there—he's probably one of the weakest of the bunch."

"But he makes these funny noises when you try to stuff 'im the first time around! He sounds like a total girl!"

Jimmy tried not to laugh. The kid looked absolutely pathetic and he could easily imagine him making some kind of strange, girly noise. With the wild black hair and black lipstick, accompanied with the multitude of piercings, he could see the kid acting anything but normal.

Tom got the hint and reassured Jimmy that his bullying wouldn't go beyond stuffing the emo-goth kid and his friends into garbage bins or lockers, or throwing water balloons at them. When Jimmy was satisfied with what he heard, he turned to leave when Tom called out to him.

"Kinda weird seeing Gary with a girl, ain't it?"

"What do you mean?" Jimmy asked as he looked over his shoulder at Tom.

"I mean, the guy's a complete psycho and I'm bigger than him, yet he's got a little dame doing everything for him. You think they've... Y'know...?"

"Ugh, I don't wanna hear anything more about what you think they're doing!" Jimmy insisted as he skateboarded away. He quickly shook the mental image of Gary and Tabitha doing anything besides walking together side by side. But the images appeared more and more frequently, as he saw Gary and Tabitha holding hands, looking into each other's eyes, and then leaning towards each other for a kiss...

Jimmy suddenly felt gravity betray him, as his skateboard smacked into the bottom of the stairs. He flew off of his skateboard and crashed against the upper stairs. Groaning, he rolled onto his back and staring up at the gray winter skies.

"I hope nobody saw that," he grunted.

It was well after the last period ended when Tabitha finished serving her detention. She and the girl she tried to murder were forced to clean the cafeteria with Edna supervising. She couldn't get the smell of cigarettes off of her clothes as she left the main building and walked down the stairs. She figured she'd spent at least three hours scrubbing down the place, all the while Edna was preparing tomorrow's lunch by saving a bucket of spit and keeping it warm by the oven.

Tabitha's eyes wandered over to the brick wall that surrounded the Boys Dorm. She wondered if Gary was there.

Forgive me, Gary! I was only trying to protect you! I promise I'll make up for lost time!

She took a deep breath, exhaled sharply, and proceeded to walk to the Boys Dorm. When she got there, however, she found no sign of Gary. She was too shy to ask around so she went ahead and wandered over to Gary's bedroom window. She knocked on the glass using her typical knock pattern and waited. After a few minutes of silence, she knocked again, this time much louder. She took a few steps back and forced herself to take long, deep breaths.

Calm down now. He can't be far. He'd never go anywhere without me... Maybe he's thinking of some brilliant plan somewhere? Yeah, that's it. Or maybe he's tormenting some weak, defenseless student—but without me? I'm his loyal subject! I should be there to cheer him on!!

"What're you doing?" a voice asked her from behind.

Closing her eyes and balling her fists up at her sides, she said dangerously, "I will not be ignored, Gary."

"What the hell're you talking about?"

Snapping her eyes open and turning around, she literally cried out when she saw that Jimmy was standing behind her.

"O-O-Omigod! Jimmy!"

She fell flat onto her bottom, ignoring the sharp shooting pain of needle-like branches poking at her lower body. She lifted her head and saw Jimmy giving her a strange and puzzled look.

"If you're looking for Gary," he said as he held out his hand to her to offer her help, "he's not here and don't ask me where. I could give a rat's ass what he's doing and where."

Tabitha lifted a hand off the ground and timidly reached out to Jimmy. His much larger, firmer hand grabbed hers and in an instant she was pulled off the ground and onto her feet. She dusted the dirt and leaves off of her butt then turned right back around to face the window.

"I wouldn't hold your breath," Jimmy advised as he folded his arms across his chest. "Oh, and 'you're welcome' for helping you up."

"Wha... Oh! T-Thank you... Thank you, J-J-Jimmy."

She didn't look at him because her eyes were still staring at the closed blinds of Gary's window.Jimmy sounded a little annoyed but she couldn't hear him. She closed off the world around her as she tried to figure out where Gary was.

Maybe if I can channel his energy using my... uh... loyalties to him.

She placed the tips of her fingers on each side of her head and rubbed her temples in a circular motion. She closed her eyes once more and murmured quietly under her breath.

"Gary... if you can hear me... if you can sense me... tell me... tell me where you are..."

"Oookay, I'm outta here," Jimmy said as he backed away from Tabitha. "You've done your job of completely freaking me out for the day."

"JIMMY!" Tabitha opened her eyes and spun around and offered him a pleading look. "If you... I-If you see Gary before I do... Please, please, please have him contact me! Or come find me and I'll... I'll go see him!"

"Yeah, sure." Jimmy's response was dripping with sarcasm but Tabitha didn't care. She couldn't stop thinking of Gary and it was almost maddening. Why would he just leave and not tell her?!

"I-I have to go," Tabitha said as she took off with a mad dash back to the Girls Dorm, almost colliding into a couple of the Bullies along the way.

"Hey loser, watch it!" Wade cried as he grabbed onto the side of the nearby wall for support.

Trent turned around and hollered after Tabitha, "LAME-OID!"

Inside Tabitha's room, the doors were locked and the lights were dimmed. The curtains were drawn shut and the middle of Tabitha's room was cleared except for a group of candlesticks that were situated in a circle. In the middle of the circle were various pictures of Gary, accompanied by locks of his hair, half-eaten pieces of food, and empty medication bottles.

She'd never done any research on witchcraft or of the black arts. This was something she decided to do after she returned to the Girls Dorm in a panic.

"Where the hell can he be?!" she exclaimed to herself as she stood over the circle. She looked at the candles and realized that none of them were lit; it was only because the fire alarms would go off and she was afraid the sprinklers would be activated and ruin her precious treasures. Otherwise, having them lit might help channel her searching abilities.

Whatever those may be.

"How dare you leave me without telling me," Tabitha whispered as she eye every photo she'd taken of Gary last year. In all of them, he was looking so smug and so self-assuring. It was part of his charm and one of the many reasons she adored him so.

"Your brilliance is going to be wasted without my presence. Wherever you are, Gary, please let me know! I only live to serve you!"

There was a knock on the door, followed by someone trying to turn the knob.

"Hey, why's the door locked?" It was Eunice.

Tabitha freaked out and cried out, "J-Just... Just a minute, please! Um... I'm... I'm changing!"

Falling to her hands and knees, she pushed everything underneath her bed, which was already chalk full of other Gary-items that she collected over the course of time. Minutes later, she scrambled over to the door and unlocked it. She saw Eunice looking down at her.

"Dinner's ready," Eunice announced. "You okay?"

Tabitha nodded as she stood up and hung her head shyly. "I... I was just... changing," she reiterated softly. "I'm... I'm sorry..."

Eunice shrugged as she motioned for her to follow. "There's some yummy pot roast and seasoned rice waiting for me—I mean, for us!"

Unfortunately, dinner could not keep Tabitha's thoughts away from Gary. She sat in front of her plate and was stirring her food all over. She squint her eyes and tried to formulate the picture she had in her head onto her plate. It didn't take her long to make a picture of Gary's face using the mashed potatoes, gravy and slices of pot roast. The skipped the rice only because she had no more room on her plate.

By now, everybody was looking in her direction. Tabitha sighed miserably as she fell face first onto her plate.

"Miss Bailey!" Mrs. Peabody exclaimed as she got up from her seat and went over to Tabitha. She pulled the girl's head back by her bangs. "What on earth is the matter with you?!"

The girls giggled amongst themselves as Tabitha was forced to leave the table and go clean herself up.

"Proper young ladies do NOT dive head first into their food!" Mrs. Peabody admonished as Tabitha dragged herself up the stairs.

It was nearly nine o'clock when Tabitha stood outside of the Girls Dorm. She had taken a long, hot shower and afterwards, Mrs. Peabody reprimanded her in front of the girls once more. But no matter what anybody said to her, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

I can't believe I'm freaking out because of Gary. I've never been this bad before. I think he's staring to get to me... but he's so wonderful! He's so smart! He's a genius! I want to be just like him someday!

A few yards away, just as one of the prefects turned and walked out of sight, she spotted Gary under one of the light posts as he walked over to the Boys Dorm.

Tabitha gasped, "Oh... Oh... OH!"

She quickly rubbed her eyes and pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. With her heart soaring, she almost flew away from the Girls Dorm, pushing her way past Christy and Mandy who were in front of her, and over to Gary. Apparently, she had yet to notice how rude she was whenever she tried to reach out to Gary in the physical sense.

"Omigod, like what the hell?!" Mandy exclaimed in utter annoyance.

Her complaint fell on deaf ears as the blonde narrowly missed tripping over someone's marbles, a banana pill, and Cornelius who was on the ground, doubled over in pain. With a mighty leap, she reached out, grabbed Gary in a single swoop and tackled him to the ground. She gripped him with such intensity that he could feel her nails digging through his teal sweater.

"Where have you been?!" she exclaimed as she lifted her head from his chest and stared at him. "I've been so worried!"

"I had therapy after school," Gary replied as he tried to push her off of him, but to of no avail. "Your hair's getting my uniform wet!"

"You didn't tell me! You didn't!"

"Ow, let go, Leech!"

Tabitha loosened her grip but she didn't get off of him. Instead, she clung onto his arm and rubbed her face against his shoulder.

"I was so lost without you! I freaked out! I missed you so much!"

"Calm down for a second and get off of me!"

She was quick to obey his snappy request. She slid off of his arm and sat on the ground as Gary picked himself up, though he remained sitting on the ground.

"Are you on drugs?" he asked abruptly.

Tabitha shook her head and replied, "I'm high on your ever wonderful presence, Gary!"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "... Right… Okay. I hear you. Oh yeah, my science class is going on a field trip tomorrow, so I won't be around after second period."

Tabitha tilted her head to the side and simply stared at him, as if she couldn't understand a word he said.

Gary leaned forward and tapped her forehead. "Hello? Is your brain working? Make sure you process this: I won't be here tomorrow. You'll be on your own so don't bother waiting for me in the morning."

He shook his head and felt the effects of his medication kicking in. Tabitha reminded as quiet as a mouse, her face a complete mask of her true emotions that churned and bubbled within.

No Gary?

Gary won't be here with me?

My precious, precious Gary?

The man I will serve until my dying breath?

The reason for me to exist won't be here tomorrow?

I'll be alone again... Oh god, the thought of being alone again!

This... This... THIS WILL NOT STAND!!