In the past, the day was coming to an end at Summer Cove Middle School. As the final bell rang, there was an almighty cheer going up from the kids, all except Monty. While all of them were thinking about whatever they were planning to do that weekend, Monty had some work to do. He had a very small window of opportunity, the kids at the school and the staff would spend the usual amount of time milling around, grabbing what they needed for the weekend, they would be leaving the school grounds like the place was on fire pretty soon. The staff would be a little later, but most of them would be making a pretty hasty pace out as well, so he only had a short time, perhaps a couple of minutes to set up.
He stood a little way off, watching as Ace laughed and joked with his friends by his locker, checking his watch. Trust this day, the one day he was hoping that Ace would be heading out quickly, he was hanging around. He could see some money being exchanged, and knew that it would likely be for the tests.
"Come on man, just spot me, you know I'm good for it." One of his friends complained. "I don't get my allowance until next week."
"Hey man, no pay no play." Ace told him.
"But if I flunk geography I'll be in summer school for sure!" The kid whined.
"Then go to the library and check out an atlas." Ace responded as they others laughed, putting the money in an envelope and putting it inside the locker, before closing it over. "Alright, come on let's get out of here. Being at school when we're meant to be is bad enough, being at school after hour's just gives me the creeps!"
As he watched them leave, Monty moved quickly. Thanks to Ace's delay he didn't have long, but he'd still have enough time. He started to work the combination lock on Ace's locker, making short work of it. Setting down his bag, he pulled out a device and slipped it inside.
It was small, and crude, but would be more than powerful enough to do what he intended it to. The blast would be unlikely to be powerful enough to rip apart the locker, which would mean it would act like a barrel, channelling the force outwards through the path of last resistance. He started to close over the locker door and flipped a switch, which activate a pressure system. He took in a sharp breath as he held the door, ensuring it held. Now, when the door was opened, the bomb would go off. Since the whole force of the blast would propel directly outwards, if someone was standing right in front of the locker, they'd get the full force head-on...and since Ace's locker was the top one, he'd get it right in his stupid face! Monty locked the locker door, before turning in time to see someone standing next to him.
"Monty, what are you doing here?" She asked. It was a girl, somewhere in her early twenties, with wavy blonde hair and just a few freckles.
"M...M...Ms Lewis!" Monty stammered, seeing her. Ms Lewis was a teaching assistant in the school, attached to the geography department as an internship for academic credit while she studied for her teaching qualifications. She was also easily the biggest crush for pretty much every boy in the whole school. She had a sunny, cheerful demeanour and a bright smile that was infectious and she always had time to talk to the students. "I...I was just..."
"If you're having problems with the locker, it might help if you were trying to get into the right one." She suggested light-heartedly. "Yours is down there silly."
"Oh...right...yeah, of course." Monty answered. "I'll just get my homework and be on my way."
"Have a good weekend Monty." She told him. "Don't work too hard!"
With that, Monty went to his locker, pretending to get some books out of his locker, while he waited for Ms Lewis to go. She seemed to hang around for a little bit, almost like she was waiting for something, before she got a call on her cell phone. She glanced Monty's way as she answered and smiled, before waving and leaving.
Back in the present, at the school, the Rangers were in music class, something of a nice change of pace for them since Levi was taking the class. While he didn't go easy on them, he really couldn't since they had been seen together outside of class and so they didn't want to risk any accusations of favouritism, but he certainly didn't come down particularly hard on them if they chatted a little in class so long as they kept discrete about it.
"I think you're still a little sharp there Preston." Sarah told him as he hammered out a tune on his keyboard. "Maybe a little further down the keyboard?"
"You OK Brody?" Calvin asked as Brody started rubbing his stomach.
"I'm not sure; I think I might have eaten something a little dodgy." He grumbled.
"More like you ate too much!" Sarah teased him. "We all saw how much of that chocolate you were hovering down. Some of it IS meant to go to the kid's auction you know."
"Say, has anyone seen Monty?" Levi asked as he did his rounds of the classroom. The class all started looking around and shaking their heads.
"He was looking for Victor earlier." Preston told him. Levi just scratched his head and looked around.
"Yeah, that's a thing...has anyone seen Victor?" He asked. Just then, Monty burst into the room.
"VICTOR!" He called out.
"Whoa, Monty, why are you so...?"
"Victor! Have you seen Victor?" He begged Levi.
"Um...not since earlier...what's going on?" Levi asked, now forgetting all about the fact Monty had come into class late.
"I spilled chocolate on him earlier, and then I went to get help." Monty told him. "When I got back, all the chocolate was gone...including Victor!"
"So you haven't seen him since this morning?" Levi asked. "Where could he have gone...?"
"What's up teach?" Victor declared as he came into the class. Monty rushed over to him, hugging him tightly.
"VICTOR!" Monty yelled. "I was so worried! When I couldn't find you, I thought, I...I thought, you were covered in chocolate..."
"Exactly, so I had to go home and get changed and shower before afternoon class." Victor told him. "Sorry I'm late teach."
"No worries." Levi answered. "You can work with the xylophone today."
"Victor, I was so worried, when I saw the chocolate was missing and so were you..."
"You thought...you thought what?" Victor asked. "You thought I was still in that chocolate?"
"Well...you were when I left!" Monty told him. Victor just laughed.
"I broke out!" He told him. "I just needed to freshen up, that's all!"
"But...you were a statue..."
"Monty, it was chocolate. It wasn't concrete." Victor told him, clapping his friend on the shoulder as they both went to take their seats.
"Well, I guess that's one mystery solved." Hayley commented. "I just wish all the mysteries resolved themselves so easily."
As Victor and Monty sat down, Monty was delighted, and smiled brightly. He'd allowed his imagination to run away with him. Thinking about it, being trapped in chocolate did seem pretty far-fetched. She was just glad he was alright.
Back in the past, Saturday came, and Monty arrived at the school on his bike, watching as Ace and his friends hung around outside the school. He was here to watch, to make sure everything went to plan. He hid his bike and pulled in to watch. He watched on, but seeing Ace just smoking and laughing with his friends, he was itching and impatient. Why was he hanging around? Why didn't he just go to his locker like he was here to do?
"What's with the gum?" Ace asked as Victor popped some chewing gum into his mouth.
"I'm trying to quit." Victor answered. "So what's the dealio? Why aren't we getting those tests?"
Monty wanted to know that too. What was the delay? Normally Ace looked as comfortable around the school as he would in a prison cell. Why was he spending any more time here than he needed to?
"You just need to be patient." Ace told him. Victor just sighed and looked to him. "Alright, the delivery hasn't been made yet."
"Delivery?" Monty asked himself, hearing this.
"You haven't got the tests yet?" Victor asked. "What the hell?"
"There was some delay or something; I'll get a text when they're delivered." Ace told him. "Trust me, we'll all be on easy street soon enough!"
Monty froze as he heard this. He hadn't thought to look in the locker to see the tests were there. If the tests hadn't been delivered yet, that meant someone else was going to open the locker!
He looked up as he saw a car coming in and heading for the staff car park. He held his breath as he realised to his horror that it was Ms. Lewis. Now it all made sense, he hadn't stopped to think how Ace was getting the tests. As a teaching assistant, Ms Lewis would have access to them. Hell, as a TA she was probably the one that actually made up the tests in the first place! He broke into a run, heading for the back door of the school. Ace saw him coming and smiled.
"Well, well, well, it looks like we get some entertainment while we wait!" He taunted him as he grabbed Monty. "Now, what could you be doing here...?"
"Let me go Ace!" Monty screeched, struggling to get away.
"Now, that isn't very nice now is it?" Ace asked him as Monty struggled to get away from him. "I think for that, you need to spend a little time in the dumpster..."
"Let go of me Ace! I don't have time for this!" Monty screamed.
"Sorry twerp, but you showed up here and interrupted..."
"I PUT A BOMB IN YOUR LOCKER!" Monty screamed. Everyone suddenly stopped laughing and just stared at Monty.
"You really think I'm going to buy that?" He asked.
"Let me go Ace!" Monty screamed at him. "If someone doesn't warn Ms. Lewis, she's going to die!"
Victor grabbed Monty off his cousin and ran with him into the school.
They got there just in time to see Ms Lewis arriving at Ace's locker with a folder in hand. She didn't seem to see them as she started to enter the combination.
"Ms Lewis, don't open it!" Monty screamed. Unfortunately, it was already too late. She had unlocked the locker and was starting to open it.
Victor sprinted at her as fast as he could, tackling her at speed. The door of the locker flew open, and the blast went off, leaving them both lying unmoving on the ground. Ace and his friends had arrived when they heard the blast, only to see the aftermath. Monty stood, frozen to the spot, looking in horror at Victor and Ms Lewis.
"You...you...you really did it!" Ace gasped as he looked to his cousin, before turning back to Monty. He grabbed him around the neck and dragged him outside, consumed with rage. Monty didn't even fight back as he was dragged away.
In the present, back at Sumer Cove High, the day was just breaking up and the team were going their separate ways.
Principal Hastings was loading up her car when Levi came over.
"Can I give you a hand there?" He asked. Principal Hastings seemed to be a little startled to hear someone, but seeing him, she just nodded.
"That would be very much appreciated Mr Weston." She answered. Levi picked up a box as she opened the trunk. "I trust you're settling in well?"
"I can't complain." He answered with a smile. "The kids are pretty good."
"Little monsters, all of them." She answered. "Trust me, once the novelty of your celebrity wears off you'll just be another teacher to them and then you'll have to deal with the basest parts of human nature like the rest of us."
"That's...a little more pessimistic than my world view." He told her. "Surely you can't hate it here that much."
"Who says I hate the job?" She asked him as she looked to him. "I take the basest, most animalistic and uncouth elements of society and turn them into productive citizens."
"That sounds a lot more like a prison warden than a principal." Levi commented.
"Is there really such a difference?" She asked him. Levi placed the box in the trunk, and noticed something odd.
"That's...that's a lot of offal." He stated. She just stared at him. He pointed to a container in her trunk. "That's a butcher's box, and if I'm not mistaken, that's a lot of kidney and heart and..."
"If you MUST know Mr Weston it's for pet food." She told him. He just looked a little surprised. "I have a dog, and I don't particularly like the store-bought pet food that's available. I like to know where the food I feed her comes from. I'm sure as a farmer you're no stranger to making feed."
"Right." He replied, thinking it was still a little odd. Principal Hastings just sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Is there something I can help you with? Or were you just planning on comparing notes on pet care?" She asked him. He just nodded.
"Well, I was just thinking, a lot of the students here are really talented; maybe we should take advantage of that." Levi suggested. "I was thinking of putting together a talent show..."
"Fine, whatever." She said in an off-hand way, almost more like she cared more about ending the conversation and getting on her way than she was in what he said.
"Wow, really?" He asked her. "I was thinking I could get my brother Tom to judge..."
"You're in charge and you're responsible for whatever happens." She told him. "If I see a signed permission slip for every student participating does whatever you want. I really don't care."
"Right...um...thanks Principal Hastings!" Levi stated as she went to get into her car.
"I meant what I said about those permission slips Mr Weston!" She told him. "As long as the school, and more importantly I'm not liable, the kids can go juggle chainsaws to their hearts content."
As she pulled out of the parking lot, Levi smiled and dialled his phone.
"Say, Tom, you know that idea I was floating?" He asked. "Yeah...I just got the go-ahead from Principal Hastings. Yeah...yeah, I know...just let me know when you have an opening on your schedule. Cool, thanks bro."
Back in the past, in Summer Cove Middle School, Victor got up, his ears still ringing as he tried to get his bearings. He could see Ms Lewis looking more than a little dazed and confused, but otherwise unharmed. He had been fortunate, and also fast enough to tackle her clear of the blast, meaning all it had really done is shake them up.
His heart had frozen as soon as he had heard the word 'bomb'. His dad had been killed in action, a victim of an IED attack, and so all he could think about was the fact that someone else could suffer the same fate.
Now that he was starting to come around, his confusion turned to anger. Monty had brought a bomb into a school. He had intended to unleash it on his cousin, and had almost killed Ms Lewis. He got to his feet and started to stagger outside, where he could already hear a fight going on. He was sure his cousin had to have grabbed Monty and taken him to teach him a lesson. He just hoped to get a piece of him before the cops showed up.
When he got outside, he found Ace was indeed enacting his revenge, though calling it a fight was somewhat glorifying it. Although he had no doubt that Ace would beat Monty like a drum in a fight, it didn't even look like Monty was fighting back...it didn't even look like he was CAPABLE of fighting back!
He was being held up, and thrown from one to the other as they took turns beating on him, Ace taking the lead for obvious reasons. Monty's legs were rubbery, and it looked like he couldn't even stand on his own. His face was bloodied, so much so that he wasn't sure he'd have been able to identify Monty if it wasn't for his hairdo. He whimpered pathetically and his head rolled around, like he couldn't even hold it up anymore.
Looking at the beating going on, Victor found his anger dissipating. Now, he could only see a kid that was on the point of being beaten to death! Ace grabbed Monty by the throat, squeezing hard.
"You tried to kill me you little shit! You couldn't leave well enough alone could you?" He yelled, bringing back a fist. "Now you're going to PAY!"
Victor grabbed Ace and wrenched him away from Monty, standing between them.
"Victor, what are you doing?" Ace yelled at him.
"Leave him alone Ace, he's had enough!" Victor responded.
"I'll say when he's had enough!" Ace said as he made his way towards him. Victor grabbed him and shoved him back.
"Look at him, he can't even stand up!" Victor told him.
"He could have killed you Victor! Hell, he tried to kill me!" Ace called back. "Now I'm going to make sure he doesn't ever try anything like that again!"
Victor could see the intent in Ace's eyes as he went past him and headed for Monty. Taking a deep breath, Victor grabbed his cousin, and spinning him around, stopped him the only way he could think of. He connected with a hard right hook that almost knocked Ace out cold. His cousin just stared up at him from the ground as they heard sirens and the police arrived.
"Alright kids, everyone stay right where you are!" One of the cops called out. "Jesus, look at that kid! Call an ambulance!"
The cops quickly rounded up the kids, putting them up against the wall to keep them until their parents could be called. As one of the cops called in an ambulance, Victor could only stare at Monty, hoping beyond hope that he had acted in time.