For a Townie bastard, Duncan was okay. He and I were not friends, nor would we ever be, but I found him tolerable.
Despite the fact that my bike looked horrible, I appreciated him having his friend repair it to a ridable state for me. And despite the fact that he was too senseless to buy me a pack of good cigarettes when I asked, I appreciated him taking the time to buy me anything.
He was ugly, stupid, and poor, but he was a fairly decent person.
For a Townie.
Duncan informed me of a path leading directly into the school parking lot, before the one to Happy Volts. He didn't show me, claiming he was too tired to walk all the way down there (as I said, decent for a Townie), but he told me exactly where it was, near the industrial area of Blue Skies through a tunnel. It was so convenient. Not only did I avoid New Coventry and the Greasers, but I also avoided passing anyone who mattered on my hideous excuse for a repaired bike.
It was a rather scenic path, as well. It crossed through the wooded area of Bullworth, very peaceful, and very hidden. If I were a pathetic, ugly Townie failure, I might have considered using that path to leave school. I'm sure that's how Duncan knew of it.
I thought, still pedaling down the path. Duncan really wasn't that ugly. For a Townie, he was actually... sort of...
I skidded to a stop. Wait a minute, where had that thought come from?
Duncan? He was repulsive! His teeth were crooked and he dressed like a slob, the little hair he had was dirty and he always looked like he was squinting.
He was muscular, but not to the point that it was blatant, with only a subtle hint of upper arm strength. He had a frame similar to most of the boys I'd been on dates with. His voice was surprisingly comforting. It was gravelly, but at the same time it was deep and smoky. And he was kind to me, even though he probably shouldn't have been. He didn't mind going out of his way to assist me with my stupid problems...
Stop that!
This was disturbing me. I shook those putrid thoughts from my head.
It must have been the heat.
Yes, of course. The heat. That wretched Bullworth heat.
The path didn't lead directly into the parking lot as Duncan had said, but rather the road connecting it to the street in front of the academy. Which was fine. I was still close enough to avoid any confrontation with my peers.
I left my bike against the broken down school bus near the auto shop, unsure of what else to do with it. I couldn't possibly bring it back to Harrington House; Derby would yell at me. I understood the likelihood of the Greasers finding it and taking it for themselves, but honestly, I hardly cared at that point. It wasn't like it was of any use to me looking like this.
I couldn't let any of my friends see my bike like this!
But what was I going to tell them? My bike got stolen? I lost it? I forgot how to ride so I gave it to charity?
I rubbed my forehead. I shouldn't have had to deal with this. This was all that damned Townie's fault. My hands balled into fists at my sides and my eyes clamped shut. This whole situation was infuriating. The next time I'd see that Duncan, mark my words…
"Your bicycle just screams dumpster-find, Gord."
My eyes shot open. Oh, no. I spun around to face who was behind me.
I groaned. I was worried I'd find someone more important. "Shut up, Vandervelde."
Justin walked over to my side. He was in a polo and athletic shorts, carrying a gym bag over his shoulder. He didn't look sweaty yet, so he must have been on his way to the gym. Perfect timing.
"What did you do to it?"
What was I supposed to say? I crashed while acting out on my obsessive need to protect Pinky and had some gross Townie kids fix it for me because I didn't want to spend money?
"Uh... I don't know."
He knitted his brows. "You don't know?"
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Um... nope."
As clever as my excuse was, Justin wasn't buying it. He laughed. "I bet you foolishly left it out in the open and the Greasers came to switch your parts as some kind of joke."
Well, okay. I supposed that sounded better than the truth. I chuckled. "Alright, Vandervelde, it seems you have me figured out."
He shook his head. "Gord, you are pathetic."
"Yeah, whatever."
He and I walked towards the courtyard together. We were mostly silent, thank goodness. I wasn't in the mood to deal with his stupidity. Justin always showed up at the worst times. It was almost as though someone planned our encounters. How pathetic.
The school grounds were mostly empty, only one or two students off to the side. It was very quiet, so quiet that I felt uncomfortable. Justin's presence only added to that. He made the quiet feel tense.
I internally sighed in relief once we reached the fountain. We were about to part ways. Justin would head off towards the gym, I'd probably go back to Harrington House; we wouldn't have to see each other for the rest of the day.
I didn't bother saying goodbye to him, merely starting off towards Harrington House. Before I could make it very far, Justin held me in place by my shoulder. I glared. It must have been foolish of me to believe he'd let me go without delivering some snarky comment first.
"You know," Justin began. He held a straight face, but a smirk clearly lined his voice. "Chad has the exact same bike model as you. He just bought it a few days ago."
"So?" I had no clue where he was going with this. And really, I didn't care. I just wanted to get away from him.
"So... I'm sure no one would notice if you rode his bike instead of your own."
I cocked my head to the side. He was always going on about something. "What are you talking about?"
Justin rolled his eyes. "Are you an idiot? Just take his bike for yourself!"
My jaw dropped. "You're suggesting I steal Chad's bike? You must be mad!"
He had to have been joking. I couldn't steal from a fellow Prep! Especially not when said fellow Prep had done absolutely nothing to provoke me into stealing from him. Chad and I weren't exactly close, but we weren't unfriendly with each other. Not like me and Vandervelde.
Justin got closer to me, his voice low. "Well, has anyone seen you on that abomination?"
"No." Thank god.
"Then who'd notice? Chad's bike is brand new with no distinguishing features."
I laughed. He couldn't possibly be serious, could he? "Um, Chad would notice when his bike has gone missing."
He backed away, feigning acceptance. "Well, alright then. Unless you want to stick with that pile of trash, I guess you're bike-less." He turned on his heels, towards the gym.
"Just remember," he said, giving me a final look over his shoulder. "It's an option."
An option? It most certainly was not an option! Stealing Chad's bike? That was absurd.
What would happen should I get caught in the act of stealing his bike? He'd hate me! He'd probably get the other Preps to hate me, too. I'd have to hang out with poor kids! My whole life and future would be ruined!
I couldn't risk that. I had a reputation. I wasn't some thieving, lowlife thug.
An option.
Justin was insane.
An option…