Extra Baggage Chapter 6: Evolution of the Leech, a bully fanfic

"Extra Baggage"

Story #6: "Evolution of the Leech"

By: Seinasu

It was one of the coldest days of the month but Tabitha moved about frantically as if to keep her body temperature up. In actuality, she was trying to do everything she could to distract Gary from going on his field trip. When he managed to ditch her, she flew into a panic. She didn't find him until half an hour later, when she discovered him standing out in the parking lot with his science class. The disgruntled bus driver was smoking a joint inside the bus as the science teacher and his assistant were arguing outside of the vehicle.

Tabitha snuck upon Gary from behind and clapped onto one of his arms.

"Nooo! You can't go! You can't leave me alone! We've never been separated this long before!"

Tabitha clung onto Gary's arm and squeezed it tight, desperate not to let go. One by one, the students climbed inside in the vehicle while some of the Bullies who skipped their classes were throwing snowballs at any kid inside foolish enough to have rolled down their windows.

"Back the hell off of me," Gary said in annoyance as he pushed Tabitha off of his arm. She shrank back just a bit but her eyes were locked onto him.

"Can't I come with you?" she begged. "You can't leave me alone! I'll be lost without your brilliance!"

"I know, I know I'm brilliant," Gary admitted without shame, "but why don't you get a hobby or something? How about you find out if Edna really is a man? It's a strong hypothesis but you can do the heavy research. Besides, I'm only going to be gone for the day. I'll be back later."

"But... But... it won't be the same without you..."

She reached out and tried to hug him when he placed his hand on her chest and gave her another shove back.

"Easy there," he warned as he withdrew his hand. "By the way, are you wearing a bra?"

Tabitha's cheeks flared red and she wrapped her arms around her chest protectively.

Before she could answer, Gary said, "While I'm gone, you should go shop for a pair oranges or apples to stuff in your bra. What're you, a size zero? Or are you a boy in disguised as a fairly unattractive girl?"

In the background, the assistant teacher hollered out Gary's name. Tabitha silently watched as Gary ran over to the bus and climbed inside. Once the two instructors boarded the bus, the doors closed shut. The Bullies continued to pelt the bus with snowballs, despite half of them being chased away by the nearby prefects.

Gary's words echoed in her mind but she wasn't hurt by what he said. In fact, whenever she heard his voice, it soothed her very soul. It sounded like angels singing from the heavens! He could say anything to her and it wouldn't bother her in the least. However, a slight visual disturbance forced her back to reality. How in the world could she survive without hearing his voice for nearly hours?!

Her blue eyes fixed themselves at one of the back windows. She watched in horror as the tall girl whom she tried to beat up yesterday took a seat next to Gary and started talking to him. Tabitha's blood boiled and her eyes seethed.

What does she think she's doing to MY Gary?! Nobody can get that close to him but me!!

She was about to approach the bus when a female prefect stepped in front of her.

"Are you a part of this class?" she asked the smaller girl.

"I-I-I... I... um..." Tabitha stammered nervously as she tried to move around the woman but with no success. "I have to... u-um c-c-can I... go with them?"

"Not a part of this class, I see. Why aren't you in your assigned class?"

"I... uh..."

"Be on your way now. Shoo!"

The prefect motioned her aside as she turned around and walked away. At that instance, the bus started to drive away. Tabitha knees shook as she stared after the bus, trying to stare at Gary as long as possible. Even after the bus was long gone, she remained standing alone. By this time, the rest of the Bullies ran out the parking lot when they saw a bunch of easy victims, the little kids, walking near the Greasers garage.

Tabitha's mind was now in a whirlwind of panic. Omigod, omigod, omigod! I can't do this! I just can't do this! I haven't been separated this long from Gary before! What am I going to do? What am I going to?!

She felt someone brush against her. She spun around and watched as Jimmy skateboarded by.

"SORRY!" he cried out as he turned his board and headed out in the same direction as the bus did. A couple of male prefects were running after Jimmy, yelling and waving their fists at him. They were soon tired of chasing him and both of them stopped to catch their breaths. Meanwhile Tabitha's eyes widen as she stared long and hard at Jimmy's vanishing figure.

"Jimmy," she whispered under her breath as she lifted a hand from her side and placed it over her gaping mouth. "Oh... oh my... I think... I have the way...!"

"Tabitha, is that you?"

Turning around, she saw Petey approaching her. She lowered her hand once more and offered a shy wave to the Head Boy of Bullworth.

"What're you doing here by yourself?" Petey asked as he held a stack of folders with one arm. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I... I-I was seeing Gary off," she admitted shyly as she looked over at where Jimmy slipped off too. "Petey, I... I don't think I-I can keep this up."

"Keep what up?" Petey asked innocent. "What's the matter?"

Suddenly, she smiled ever so innocently at the boy and answered, "I think I have my solution."

"Um... huh?" He noticed that she hadn't stammered once in that last sentence. That was a first.

"Petey..." Taking a few steps towards him, Tabitha threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. Petey dropped his folders into the snow as he froze instantly at her touch. She gave him a gentle squeeze and giggled.

After a few awkward moments, Tabitha pulled away and sighed in relief. "Now," she said confidently, "I'm just one step closer to being with Gary."

"Huh?! Tabitha?" Petey's call went unanswered as he watched Tabitha take off running into the direction of the dorms. He gradually picked up the folders he was supposed to deliver to Dr. Crabblesnitch. As he walked out of the parking lot, he thought to himself,

Hours after he visited the Old Bullworth Vale district, Jimmy arrived at the observatory behind the football field. With his skateboard on the ground next to his feet, he leaned against the wall and finished eating an apple he found along the way. Snow was beginning to fall all around him but he was pretty well dressed for the weather: a thick sweater, thick denim jeans, and black boots. It made it hard to run but he couldn't complain about being cold. The chase he endured from the prefects also helped keep his body temperature warm. He had to give them credit—last year's prefects were too bulky and slow to ever catch him most of the time. This year's prefects weren't as big but they were faster and a few times, they'd almost caught him. The key word was "almost."

"Jimmy Hopkins comes through again," the boy said proudly to himself as he tossed the apple core away and reached into his pocket for a candy bar. Pulling it out, he started to peel the wrapper open when a large shadow fell over him. Lifting his head, he saw that it was none other than Russell.

"Hey, what's happening, Russell?" Jimmy greeted as he took a bite of his candy and chewed.

"Jimmy's gonna come with Russell now," the much larger boy said as he reached out and covered his entire hand over the candy.

"What the hell, Russell?!" Jimmy yelled as Russell threw the candy aside and grabbed a fistful Jimmy's sweater. "What're you doing?!"

"Kick ass, Russell found him!" Trent's voice was heard in the distance. Jimmy watched as he and the rest of the Bullies hiked up to the observatory.

"Someone better tell me what's going on now!" Jimmy snapped as he pushed Russell back and freed himself. Quickly growing suspicious, his eyes scanned his surroundings but discovered that the gates were now closed shut.

"We've been paid very handsomely to bring you in," Wade replied cryptically as he smashed his fist into his hand.

Jimmy looked extremely ticked off. "Paid? Someone paid you to bring me? Where? And who'd be stupid enough to do that? They outta know I can, and have, kicked all of your pansy asses."

"You can't take all of us down, Hopkins," Troy warned as he took it upon himself to stand close to Russell.

"Who paid?!" Jimmy demanded as he clenched his fists at his sides. "Tell me now!"

"You're gonna know once we're done with you!" Ethan shouted.

"You are all pissing me off," Jimmy hissed as Davis and Tom decided to go after him at the same time.

Jimmy managed to kick Davis in the legs, flipping the boy over his head and crashing to the ground. Tom's fists connected with Jimmy's face, forcing him to smack against the wall. Jimmy rolled along the wall just as Tom tried to assault him again. Spinning on his heels, Jimmy threw a series of punches at Tom that eventually caused the Bully to land on the snow-covered ground and curl up in fetal position. That's when the rest of the Bullies charged at Jimmy, making Jimmy rethink his strategy.

Stupid Troy was right—no matter how good of a brawler he was, he couldn't take them all down if they were all going after him at once, especially if Russell was among the group. That's when he decided to take the fight inside. The observatory was big and while it contained various furniture and odds and ends that belonged to the Nerds, it would prove to be a more controlled atmosphere for Jimmy. He wouldn't have to worry about the Bullies spreading too far for him to keep his eyes on.

So Jimmy took off running and like a line of ants, the Bullies followed him, waving their fists in the airs. His heavy clothing prevented him from running as fast as he wanted to but his adrenaline kept him up and moving. Eventually, Jimmy managed to make his way to the front doors and throw them open. Upon opening the doors, he threw himself behind one of the doors and watched as the Bullies raced inside to get their hands on him. That's when Jimmy slammed the door shut, along with the second door, and locked them all inside.

Turning around, he saw his first victim of choice, Ethan and ran into him head first. He successfully tackled him to the ground and started throwing a mix of punches and kicks. But of course, he knew it wouldn't go uninterrupted. The other Bullies swarmed over Jimmy like bees and were quick to remove him from Ethan. The Bully groaned in pain and was holding his hands over his crotch.

"I knew... I should've unleashed my... martial arts... on his ass..." Ethan grunted under his breath.

Jimmy felt more painful blows on his body than he had in a very long time. It'd been a while since he'd gotten into a good fight. Well, this wasn't exactly a good or fair fight, but it made him realize that he needed to work out more so the next time this happened, he wouldn't feel so much pain. Never the less, Jimmy was able to fight off many of his opponents but because of his clothes, he grew more tired than usual.

Eventually, the fighting ceased and most of the Bullies were on the ground, knocked out or groaning in pain, painful reminders of Jimmy's excellent fighting skills. The only one standing was Russell, who was holding Jimmy up off the ground by his wrists. Because Russell was the biggest student in Bullworth, Jimmy's legs dangled helplessly off the ground and Russell stretched his arms out far enough so Jimmy couldn't reach back and kick him.

"Why're you doing this?!" Jimmy demanded angrily as he continued to struggle, despite how tired and weak he felt. "I thought we were friends, Russell!"

Footsteps echoed in the observatory. Jimmy paused from his struggles and watched as someone in the upper tiers emerged from one of the back rooms. To his shock, Tabitha appeared under a swinging ceiling lamp wearing Gary's school uniform complete with a wrist watch. Her hair was cut boyishly short and dyed (haphazardly so) brown, and she even drew what was supposed to be a scar down her eyebrow but it was drawn with a black, permanent marker.

"Hi there, Jimmy boy!" Tabitha greeted cheerfully as she walked down the tier and approached him. "What do you think?" She twirled around and placed her hands on her knees. "Did I do good?"

"Can someone tell me what is going?!" Jimmy asked as he once again wrestled with Russell's constraints. "And are you actually wearing Gary's clothes?"

Tabitha grinned. "Heh, yes I am! You see, doing this allows me to be this much closer to Gary! If I can't be with him on the field trip, I can BE him until he returns! But you know the one thing that bugs me the most, Jimmy Hopkins?"

"Besides the fact that you're probably wearing Gary's underwear?"

"HA! No wonder Gary likes you!" Tabitha leaned forward and cupped Jimmy's face with both of her hands. Her hands were almost ice cold, as her blue eyes bore deep into Jimmy's harden gaze. "You're very funny. You keep Gary very entertained, don't you? That's why you're a good, solid figure in Gary's life whether he knows it or not. Guess what, Hopkins? I want to be that much closer to my precious, precious, wonderful, brilliant Gary.

Jimmy yanked his face back and narrowed his eyes at Tabitha. "You know something? You are the most pathetic and twisted bitch I've ever met!"

"And now," Tabitha said as she dug her nails into his cheeks with both of her hands and suddenly pressed her lips against his for a quick kiss. After that she pulled away and wrapped her arms around herself, laughing hysterically. "Now I feel I'm as close to Gary as I can possibly get!"

She walked back a few feet and closed her eyes thoughtfully. "No matter what I do for Gary, I'll never obtain that intimacy that you and Petey share with him. You guys have a history and it's something I don't think I'll ever get with him! When I'm alone, I feel so incomplete and useless. But with Gary, I feel like I can be something worth while! His brilliance shines like the golden sun! He's obtained power once and I get help him get it again! Don't you see, Hopkins? GARY'S BRILLIANCE IS WORTH MORE THAN ALL THE GOLD IN THE WORLD!"

Jimmy made a "tsk" noise through his clenched teeth as Tabitha giggled like a school girl in love. He looked over his shoulder at Russell then back at Tabitha. He spat on the ground, even though Tabitha hadn't slipped her tongue into his mouth (there WAS a god!).

"So I'm guessing you paid Russell and his moronic clique to bring me to you for this?" Jimmy said after a few more spits to the ground.

Tabitha stopped laughing and nodded. "I knew I had to get your attention and I know you don't think too highly of me now. No matter what you've done in the past, Hopkins, money rules everything, even friendship."

"You're right, Tabitha. I don't think too highly of you—right now, if you were a guy, I'd seriously kick your scrawny ass out of Bullworth!"

"YES! That's the spirit, Jimmy! Threaten me! Keep going! I must hear more! I'm doing this for you, Gary! Oh, if only you could see me now!!"

A loud crash was heard by the entrance. All of the Bullies were up on their feet at this point. The doors had been blasted open and a thick blast of cold air emerged from outside, followed by the sounds of glass being shattered on the ground.

"STINK BOMB!" Wade cried as the familiar, green gas quickly spread throughout the room from the broken shards of glass.

The stink bomb's stench was more foul and putrid than usual, and it spread at a much faster rate. Russell released his hold on Jimmy and started coughing as the stench reached him. Jimmy fell, rolled along the ground, and jumped to his feet. Covering his nose with his hand, he ran away as far as he could to regain his sense of smell. He hid behind a pile of cargo boxes and searched through his mini arsenal inventory. He pulled out a bag of marbles and hurled them over at the Bullies. Some of them staggered back from the green fog, unable to see where they were going, and slipped on the marbles.

During all of this, Tabitha fell to her knees, coughing heavily. A pair of arms scooped her off the floor and carried her to the other side of the building directly across from Jimmy.

Jimmy saw the fog was about to fade completely. He took out some dynamite and started tossing them at the nearest Bully, Troy. The impacts forced Troy to fall backwards, slip over some of the marbles, and land flat on his back. Jimmy broke open one of the boxes he hid behind and discovered a soda. Quickly opening it and gulping it down, Jimmy was able to regain some of his strength. He tossed the empty can away and emerged from his hiding spot. Running over to the remaining Bullies, he began fighting once again. He was quick to re-establish his status as the best fighter among them and the reason as to why he was considered King of the School. In the frenzied aftermath, Russell was the only one standing.

"Russell, c'mon! Cut this out!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Why're you doing this? It seriously can't be for just money!"

"Russell needs money for Russell's mother's birthday," the giant hulk replied as he cracked his knuckles. "Russell was given lots and lots of money. Sorry, Jimmy."

"No, Russell, you have to understand that you can't do this! If you need money, I'll lend you some money, okay? You can get your mom something really nice."

Jimmy hated sounding so wussy, but he remembered the last time he fought Russell. He had to admit that Russell was probably one of the toughest guys he'd ever fought and he was glad to have someone like him on his side—supposedly.

Russell stared down at him for a few minutes and then shrugged his shoulders. He eased back from his fighting stance and nodded.

"Okay, Jimmy, Russell will take your money and Russell will pay you back. Okay?"

"Alright, I think we can do that."

Jimmy reached into his pocket and produced a wad of bills. Russell took the money and stuffed it into his back pocket. By this time, Dr. Crabblesnitch hurried inside the observatory with a couple of prefects nipping at his heels.

Tabitha opened her eyes and saw Petey kneeling before her. She was sitting against the boxes and behind her was the sound of fighting and heavy cursing.

"P-P-Petey?" Tabitha said as looked at him with frightened blue eyes. "What're you doing here?"

"I can't believe you did this," Petey said with a look of disappointment on his face. "Why, Tabitha? I didn't know you had a problem with Jimmy."

"Petey..." She looked away, suddenly very ashamed. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. "I hate the way you two are so close to Gary. No matter what I do for him, no matter WHAT! I'm always there for him and he treats me second fiddle compared to you two. I want him to like me like he likes you!"

Petey sighed and placed a hand over hers. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as she opened her eyes and looked at him once more.

"I know," he said, "I know what it's like, remember? Except for the whole worshipping part, I was just like you. I told you that a few months back."

"I worship the ground he walks on but it isn't enough for him, is it?"

"For Gary? It will never be enough."

"... I'm sorry, Petey."

"You know what you have to do. There's no way around this."

"Who is responsible for this disaster?" Dr. Crabblesnitch demanded as he approached Jimmy and Russell. "Hopkins! Do you have any idea?"

Before he could answer, Tabitha spoke out.

"I-It was me... sir..."

Tabitha emerged from behind a pile of wooden crates. Her brown, splattered dyed head was lowered in shame as she slowly walked over to the principal. She stopped just a few feet away and she said, "I'm sorry... I-I guess I got... I got carried away."

Jimmy shook his head as he and Russell started helping the Bullies to their feet. Petey walked out as well and apologized to Dr. Crabblesnitch for breaking down the observatory doors.

"The gun that Earnest keeps outside was still loaded," Petey explained as he placed his hands behind his back and stood next to Tabitha, "so after I told you what happened, I ran over here to see what I could do."

"Kowalski, you did a fine job," Dr. Crabblesnitch congratulated as he patted the young boy on the shoulder. "This will be noted in your permanent record, so you should be proud."

He turned his attention to Tabitha and said, "As for you, young lady, you are in a world of trouble!"

Petey said nothing as he watched the two prefects quietly detained Tabitha. The blonde didn't object as they roughly took each of her arms and escorted her out of the observatory and presumably to Dr. Crabblesnitch's office. As for the Bullies, they quickly slipped away before Dr. Crabblesnitch could even look in their direction. When the principal left not long afterward, Jimmy stood next to Petey and gave him a light slap on the back, causing him to stumble forward.

"You okay?" Jimmy asked as he wiped his lips with the back of his sweater.

Petey nodded as he regained his footing. "Yeah, I'm okay, I guess."

"What's the matter?"

"Jimmy, I feel kinda bad about what I did... but I didn't have a choice. I knew something was wrong and... Well, did I do the right thing?"

"I didn't know you were gonna show up," Jimmy admitted as he and Petey started to make their way through the mess. "I could've taken 'em, but you did the right thing in the end. If she hadn't been caught, who knows what she could've done."

"You really think she could've done worse than just pretend to be Gary?"

"She might've convinced him to stop taking his pills and go back to his old ways. I'm not a mind reader, but since she went nuts, it's safe to say she wasn't going to get any better."

"Yeah, I guess so...

By the time they left, Earnest scrambled into the observatory and screamed bloody murder.

"MY LABORATORY—OH DEAR GOD!!!"