I'M FREE! FREE! NO MORE SCHOOL FOR A MONTH! I LOVE COLLEGE! :D

Last chapter was a big one wasn't it? I didn't plan for it to be that long but that's how it turned out to be.

I would like to thank my reviewers for the feedback I received for the last chapter and the name I've chosen is…..in the chapter: D. So there's that to look forward to. Lastly, if I didn't state it in the last chapter, the last chapter took place on a Monday and this chapter takes place on the following Friday for reasons stated in the chapter. I also made Gordy king. Hope that doesn't offend anyone.

Read on!

Since his massive change in character, TJ didn't bother to take promises as seriously as he once did. Now promises seemed like a hindrance that held him back from doing what he really wanted to do. And he wanted to do what he wanted to do when and how he wanted to do it, making promises impossibility. Moreover, he felt that he kept enough promises for a few years and he deserved a break.

So he couldn't quite understand why he didn't feel the need to continue his revenge on the playground. He still wanted to do it; who wouldn't after having their beloved bike (which cost him $750 at that) destroyed? They deserved to be punished through his most well-conceived pranks. Their actions were beginning to bring out the worst in him. But he couldn't bring himself to come up with anything else. It was as if his motivation had disappeared.

He had plenty of time; after the last fiasco he was suspended from school for the rest of the week. He also had the skill and that goes without saying. Still, nothing was written down in the aspect of causing horror and instilling fear on all the kids at Third Street. That didn't include the kindergarteners however, because they helped him, and he considered them to be innocent. Plus, what would it look like if his bullied a bunch of little kids?

In an attempt to clear his mind and give himself a fresh start, TJ found himself sneaking out of the house through his window, breaking into Principal Prickly's house (though it could exactly be called breaking in when he just climbed through an open window), and waiting for him to come home. The first two days he started to do this he was told to go home before his parents were called. But after having a few very long conversations with his principal, he became almost an expected presence in the house and the threat of calling his parents faded; something he appreciated because he didn't feel like a was exactly wanted in his own home.

While TJ treated his house like a second home, Prickly was wondering why the boy felt the need to pry into his personal life all of a sudden. He knew that it would be best if he called the boy's parents to come and get him and that if he didn't he could easily be charged with kidnapping, but he still didn't do it. Soon his guest was staying over until it got dark outside. It wasn't like they were doing anything special in his eyes. Only talking about random topics and watching old cartoons that they both liked. They even tossed a ball back and forth in the backyard once. But it was nothing he thought the child couldn't do with his own friends. Then he remembered that after his behavior changed Detweiler didn't have his friends to go to.

Then once Thursday rolled around the two of them had a conversation that changed his view of his student.

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

"You know Detweiler," Principal Prickly said as he and TJ sat in the living watching the Senior Fusion Movie on television. "Most kids hang out with their friends, not their principal."

"I'm not really friends with those guy's anymore," TJ said looking at the floor.

"Maybe if you stopped doing what you're doing now and apologized they would take you back," He said. "It's not impossible."

"I think it is. All my pranks included them as victims and every time I look at them they seem really angry at me," Said TJ. "But it's okay 'cause you're my friend."

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

After that brief conversation something dawned on the principal: this kid was starting to look up to him and if that was true then maybe that was all he really needed. Perhaps all the discipline and punishments bestowed upon the student didn't work because he didn't need to be punished, just someone to look up to, a role model. That and a smack across the head once in a while.

Prickly's theory was backed but by him not seeing any sign of his student coming up with any plans for the school. Normally he would be able to tell if TJ was coming up with something by the way he was talking and acting but he hasn't seen any of that lately. Then again he could've already come up with something and was just sitting back, waiting for Monday. Until then, Prickly took a mental note to keep an eye on him. In the meantime he was focusing on not looking like an old man as he the boy tossed a Frisbee in his backyard.

"Hey, where's your wife?" TJ asked as caught the flying disk. "I've been over here for five days and I haven't seen her. Does she work late or something?"

"I wouldn't know," said Principal Prickly. "We're divorced."

"That would explain it," Mumbled TJ. "So um, what was your son's name?"

"That is none of your concern," Said the Principal. "You don't need to know that."

"Just asking," TJ said. "I wanna know." As silence settled in between them TJ tossed the Frisbee back across the yard. It didn't make it because halfway there a wind came by a lifted the disk up into the air where it landed in a birds nest near the top of the tree standing in the backyard. "That wasn't my fault."

"It's alright. I'll get a ladder from the garage…."

"You don't need to get a ladder," Said TJ."I can just climb the tree and get it." Not waiting for a response he grabbed the closet branch and began to ascend the tree.

"Get down from there, Detweiler," Principal Prickly said. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"Do too! I'm a kid, and kids climb trees," he said as he continued to climb. Setting his foot on a branch he slipped and almost fell but grabbed another branch to stop that from happening. Far from being deterred, TJ still kept climbing.

"Get out of that tree right now!"

"C'mon, I'm so close to it," He said reaching for the bird's nest that the Frisbee was in. As he reached he almost lost his footing again, slipping but managed to grab onto another sturdier branch. J saw this as a minor setback to getting the disc, while Principal Prickly saw it differently.

"ZACKARY DAVID YOU GET OUT OF THAT TREE RIGHT NOW!" Prickly yelled.

"Zackary?" TJ asked, grabbing the Frisbee. "Who's that?"

"Nothing," The Principal sighed. "Just get out of that tree before you fall." With that he walked back inside the house, leaving TJ by himself. Sensing the seriousness in his voice he quickly but carefully TJ made his way down, Frisbee in hand. He left the plastic disc on the ground and walked through the backdoor of the house and made his way to the living room where Principal Prickly was sitting on the couch. He sat down next to him unsure of what to say.

"Zackary David," The Principal said staring straight ahead.

"Huh?"

"That was is name. Zackary David," Prickly said. "Zackary David Prickly."

"Oh," TJ mumbled. "But why did you call me Zackary out there?"

"The accident," Prickly said just above a whisper. "We were playing outside, and I swear I only had my eyes off of him for a second. I turn back around and he's at the top of the tree. And he slipped and fell twenty feet. He hit the ground head first. Then you climb the tree and I was taken back to that day."

"Sorry about that," TJ apologized. "Should I go?"

"Nah, it's not your fault," He said. "But yeah, I think you should go home." Nodding, TJ headed to the door. "You better not have anything planned for Monday!"

~*~AT HOME~*~

"Where have you been?" TJ heard his mother asked him only second after he came through the front door. Due to a lapse in judgment he forgot to lock his bedroom door when he snuck out and when he came home to climb back up the rope that was tied to the bed post and hung outside the window he saw that it wasn't there. He couldn't get back into the house any other way than to go through the front door and he knew as soon as he would come in his parents were going to be down his throat about where he was.

"Out," He said, heading for the stairs and walking past her unfazed by the tone of her voice. He heard her as she continued to ask him questions and scolded him for sneaking out. Reaching his room he closed his door shut and locked the door to keep his parents out. Grabbing a bottle from his backpack and the CD player and headphones that sat on his dresser under a pile of papers he laid down in bed, taking a long drink and while listening to music.

~*~THE NEXT DAY~*~

The next morning as he walked to school TJ was trying to recover after getting the third degree from his parents. All morning they insisted on following him around as he tried to get ready for school, aggravating his headache he received from drinking the night before. Instead of snapping at them like he wanted to do oh-so badly, he stayed quiet to avoid making the confrontation any worse than it already was. Taking a mental note to make a stop in the alley, he was finally let go to go to school.

Rubbing his forehead he turned down the alley he was so familiar with. He reached the end and, like the other two times, the older kids wearing the black hoodies were there.

"Haven't seen you in a long time," Said the one closet to him. "Need some more stuff, huh?" TJ nodded. "Sorry, we don't have any. Drinking's out," he said bringing a stuffed rolled up piece of paper to his lips. "Smoking's in. Wanna try?"

"Aw, c'mon dude!" Another one yelled. "We spent all day rolling these! You can't just give them away to some kid!"

"Relax; we made enough to last us for forever. We can spare some. Well, do you want it?" He asked, holding out and unlit roll. "I'll make you feel the same as before."

"Really?" TJ asked, looking at what was in his hand. "Okay, I'll take it." He reached out and grabbed the three stick in the older boys hands.

"Here, you'll need this," He said, pulling out a lighter and handing it to him. "It's just like a cigarette." Flicking the lighter on, TJ lit on end and as the older boy said, treated it like a cigarette. Within seconds he felt what he did with the alcohol would've taken ten times as long to feel, and it was better too. With another long drag the entire stick was used and he tried to keep his balance. Cautiously, he made his way out of the alley and started to walk towards the school.

~*~AT SCHOOL~*~

'Has the sky always been this blue?'

Walking up the path to the school, TJ was wonder why everything was, and was currently wondering why the sky was the particular shade of blue that it was at the moment. Normally he wouldn't be thinking about such ridiculous things, but he was sure it was the result of whatever he smoked. He didn't know how long he would feel the way he did, which was in his own words, fantastic, but he wanted it to last as long as it possibly could.

"There he is!" Turning around, TJ couldn't react fast enough to avoid the small crowd of students coming after him. After a few seconds of struggling, he was being dragged onto the playground and was on top of the jungle gym tossed in front of Kind Gordy sitting on his throne.

"Why am I here?" TJ drowsily asked getting onto his feet. "Wait, I bet you're pissed about last Monday….."

"Oh well gee what was your first clue?" Gordy snapped at him. "Most of us had to get our hair cut to get the paint and glue out!"

"Really?" TJ turned around and looked at the kids below. Although his vision was blurry he could see the bald patches and cut hair of those on the ground. "That sucks. Like that really sucks."

"Is that all you have to say?" Gordy yelled.

"Gordy," TJ said, rubbing his eyes. "Stop yelling okay? It's 7:15 in the morning, Christ…."

"I'll yell if I want to!" He yelled again. "I demand you tell us what you're going to do next!"

"Well I was planning on walking away 'cause your wasting my time—"

"I'M SERIOUS," Screamed Gordy. "We are not going to suffer through any of your pranks anymore! You are going to tell us what you have planned or we're taking you to the dodge ball wall for every recess until you reach 7th grade!"

"Gordy," TJ said calmly. "W-Why are you hating? It's not good for you. You're not going to send me to the dodge ball wall okay? You're not. It wouldn't even hurt 'cause I have balls of steel. Remember Mr. E? I was the only one who stood up to him while the rest of you coward in fear. And I either had to be crazy of have balls of steel. I was already a little crazy so I must have balls of steel. You're not going to do anything Gordy, go back to playing Pac-man like you always do, you little video game playing, freckled faced, no friends, loner, hatin' bitch."

"You're pushing it, Detweiler," Gordy warned him. "Tell us right now!"

"Why are you even King?" TJ asked in a daze. "You suck. You really suck. You didn't even talk to anyone before you became king. What was the question? What I was going to do next? I dunno, I haven't been able to think of anything."

"Like we're supposed to believe that!"

"No, really hater. I don't have anything," TJ told him. "But since you keep threatening me maybe I should do something, like set the school on fire just to shut you up."

"Take him to the dodge ball wall!" Gordy ordered. TJ was grabbed by the arms and taken down of the jungle gym to be dragged over to the dodge ball wall.

~*~LATER~*~

As he wiped the blood from his nose in the boy's bathroom, TJ noticed that the effect of whatever he had used in the alley began to wear off. It luckily lased throughout his beating, lessening the pain he would've felt, but now he was left to deal with the bruises, scratches, and scrapes he received as a result. But those could wait, because revenge was on his mind. Scratching his head (his hat had been knocked of his head during the pummeling and he didn't think to find it) he tried to come up with something up quick. It had absolutely had to be today.

'It needs to shock them back into their place,' He thought, looking at himself in the mirror. 'They need to learn not to mess with me ever again.' He pulled out the lighter from his pocket flicked it on showing the flame. It was everything he wanted to do to the student body; strong, powerful, fear and respect inducing to those who saw it. Smiling, he put it away as an idea came to mind. He left the restroom to put it all together.

~*~AT RECESS~*~

Like for most of the week before after TJ was suspended, the kids of the school played free of any worry that something would happen to harm them. Kids played tetherball, swung on the swings, climbed the jungle gym, played tag, and did other things to relieve the stress they felt from being in what the adults called school but they called prison. This was cut short by a blood curdling scream being heard across the playground. They all turned to the source of the scream which seemed to come from the school, but they saw nothing. That was until they looked at the roof. Standing on the roof was TJ, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world, but he wasn't the source of the screaming.

It was the kindergartener he was holding over the edge of the roof by the leg.

The little child screamed in fear and was being to be let go by her captor as the students below gathered and looked on in horror.

"This is what happens when you all decide to fuck with me," He yelled over the playground. "This is what happens when you all decide that I'm someone to be messed with! People get hurt!"

"PUT HER DOWN!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?"

"YOU'RE A PSYCHOPATH, DETWEILER!"

As he listened to the screams for him to let the little girl go, TJ smiled and waited. He looked over the edge for any faculty member to come out of the school and make an attempt to stop him. Son enough, Principal Prickly and Ms. Finster was on the scene to see what was causing all the commotion.

"What the hell are you doing Detweiler!" Ms. Finster screamed at the top of her lungs. "You put that child down RIGHT NOW!"

"Down?" TJ asked with a smile. "Down? I'll put her down, but I'm pretty sure a fall from this height would kill her. But if that's what you want…" He began to loosen his grip on the kindergartener but was stopped by another voice.

"You know what she means!" Principal Prickly yelled at him. "You put that child on the roof before we call the police!"

"If you call the police I'll drop her before they get here."

"NOW, DETWEILER!"

"Okay, okay. Gee, don't get you toupee in a knot…" Slowly he brought the smaller child back over to the roof and set her down on her feet. The moment she was safe she ran back into the school before any more harm could be done. He let her run for a few minutes before he made his way back into the school as well. Walking down the hallway he looked around for anyone who might be there. Seeing that the halls were empty he turned the corner and continued to walk. Halfway down the hall he bumped into something and landed on the floor. Looking up he saw a very enraged Prickly glaring down at him.

"Hey, Prickly," TJ said with a nervous smile. "What's going on?" Without an answer he was grabbed by the arm of his jacket and pulled down the hall to the principal's office.

~*~TEN MINUTES LATER~*~

"What the hell is wrong with you, Detweiler? You could've killed that girl!" Prickly yelled from his seat.

"I wasn't planning on dropping her," TJ calmly said. "I was bluffing."

"That doesn't matter!" Said Principal Prickly. "You held her over the edge of a two-story building! Do you realize what you did?"

"I hung her over the edge of the school," TJ said. "What's there to get?"

"THE FACT THAT YOU COULD'VE KILLED HER!"

"I already said I wasn't going to drop her. What more do you want?" TJ asked him.

"I don't understand you," Prickly said, taking two aspirin. "I thought you said you weren't going to do anymore big pranks."

"This wasn't a prank, sir," TJ told him. "It was more of a warning so they wouldn't do anything to piss me off and make me do the pranks in the first place. And she didn't get hurt, so it's not a big deal. I kept my promise."

"What is it going to take to get you to stop acting like this?" Prickly asked the unfazed student.

"Nothing much, just for the whole playground to know that they shouldn't cross paths with me. I think that should be simple enough for them but they keep pushing me sir, so half of it isn't even my fault because they should know better. But if they keep messing with me then I'm going to retaliate. That's just how it has to be. I would think after knowing what I can do they would back off by apparently not," TJ explained. "I'm not saying I didn't do what I did, just that it wasn't completely my fault. Can I go now?"

"I don't know! I'm afraid that you'll pull something else crazier than this!"

"I'm not gonna do anything," Said TJ. "I don't feel like it. I'll see you later."

I don't know if you all have read a certain authors note in another story of mine so I'm going to say it again. I was watching the Magic School Bus one day even though I think it's such a cheesy show and I noticed that one of the characters looks just like TJ. I think his name was Ralphie and the two of them look so alike it's scary. And that's sort of how I came up with this story. But it still creep's me out to this day.

Final note, I read this particular story and it…..disturbed me to say the least. It's in this section and it made it hard to think about the show and not think about that story O_O anyways….

RandallXSpinelli: Speaking of sociopathic tendencies, before I was sure of how I wanted this story to go I spent like, two weeks trying to convince myself that he could turn out to be a psychopath. That didn't work out so well. :P Well actually the verdict is still out on that one, but still. :D I used the longer verision of Zack (Zackary).

Donna nnov: …I forgot what I was going to say. :P Sorry.

Please review!