"I don't get it! He never treats us like this. Like those...those poor people," Pinky seethed. She paced about the common room in Harrington House, griping incessantly over complaints spoken by the entire student body. "Crabblesnitch can't lock us up like animals."

The only difference was, most of them couldn't afford to pay off Crabblesnitch and the prefects on a regular basis, enough to grant them access to town and all its stores. He wouldn't have it, though, and denied them their usual special treatment. He had meant it that day, that no one would be leaving until they had learned to keep their noses clean.

A little over a month into our punishment, and still no one had learned. Bullworth had turned into a battleground and it was every man—and woman—for themselves, and I had to give it to the old man; he held his ground. Admirable, considering the savages that occupied this forsaken place.

"Well, technically he can," I said from my spot on the end of the couch, half expecting the sound of tires screeching to fill the room as she came to an abrupt halt near the stairs. The look on her face was one meant to instill fear into the hearts of those who fell under her infuriated gaze, and from beside me I heard Tad mumble a sympathetic good luck and I knew I'd need it, but still swatted at his arm anyway.

"Are you agreeing with the torture he's putting us through?" Pinky marched across the room toward me, a finger accusingly pointed at my face.

"Now, is it only torture for you and the other rich kids, or..." I trailed off, watching her face turn a deeper shade of red. My grave was getting deeper by the minute, and I didn't mind. "But to answer your question, no, I don't agree with it."

A hmph was her only response, and I stayed planted on the couch while she headed up the stairs without another word. Pinky was angry, everybody was angry, and I took her disappearing as my chance to do the same. It had grown boring just sitting there for hours while the other Preps drank themselves into oblivion, grumbling about how they were missing another sale or an opportunity to race their expensive bikes, and all I could think about was whether or not I had a decent enough internet connection to catch up on all the shows I was missing.

I ducked out before my roommate could return, and waved my goodbye to Tad on the way out of the Preps' sanctuary, tugging my sweatshirt on over my uniform shirt as I stumbled down the stairs toward the fountain. It was unusually quiet this afternoon. I was used to seeing everyone running about as if there were some horrid creature chasing them, but not today. They all looked as if someone had kicked their collective puppy, and I wondered if they had lost the will to fight, to rebel against the evil Dr. Crabblesnitch after realizing their attempts were futile. So far.

Or maybe it was the weather, all grey skied and cold, it wasn't at all pleasant out. Not that it had been anyway, having been in the heart of winter. Still, a week without sun can get to a person.

The walk to the library was an uneventful one, and I thanked whoever was listening that it was. The quiet was longed for after spending most of the day listening to Pinky's high pitched voice. Granted she was great company, one can only take her in small doses, and after today, I think I might have finally OD'd.

I could feel the heat radiating from the inside of the building before I even opened the door, and I began tugging off my sweatshirt, knowing I wouldn't need it once I was inside. The smell of sweat, cheese, and cheap soda hit me like a slap in the face as I walked in.

"Disgusting," I said to myself, nearly jogging past the tables filled with above average intelligence students. You'd think with how smart they are, they would know the importance of personal hygiene.

My legs carried me up the flight of stairs and to the lone table hidden behind the bookshelves, and I plopped down, resting my head on the cool surface.

I didn't know how long I was sitting there, or just how tired I actually was, until I felt the sharp sting of someone's finger nail against my forehead and jolted upright, bleary eyed and ready to cram my foot up the ass of whoever decided it was a good idea to flick me. I followed the sound of snickering to a shelf just a few feet away and rounded the corner, finding a familiar scarred boy standing with his back to the wall.

Gary grinned at me, and it took every ounce of restraint I had left in me not to kick the laughing boy in the shins.

"Besides being a dick, what reason do you have for waking me like that?" I asked, pulling a random book off the shelf.

"Why not? I thought it was funny."

"You're not the one who got flicked in the face."

"Exactly."

I rolled my eyes. "So what hole have you been hiding in for the last few weeks? I haven't seen you in a while."

"Not surprising, considering you've shacked up with those rich kids," He said, a hint of contempt in his voice. "You don't look like the Preppie type to me."

"Oh? And here I thought I screamed Pretentious Asshole. Disappointing," I sighed. "And to think I thought I actually fit in for once."

Gary smirked. "With them? Not with the way you look."

I glanced down at myself. He wasn't exactly wrong about that. I wasn't as prim and proper as they were, if at all really, which was often the topic of discussion whenever I accompanied the lovely Pinky on the days she hung around Harrington House. I had grown used to the comments, and they to my snapping and insistence that I would not dress myself in their ridiculously overpriced clothes.

I shrugged. "Yeah...anyway," I trailed off, searching for something to say. I had nothing. There was nothing going on, nor the possibility of anything exciting with the school being locked down, and so I was left with a short list of conversation topics.

"This place is boring," Gary blurted after a long moment of silence.

I looked up at him. "You have something better in mind?"

His face lit up. "I thought you'd never ask."

Without another word Gary took off toward the stairs and I followed after him, stopping to collect my things, and met him at the doors. He looked rather impatient standing there in the cold, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets, body stiff, his face fixed into a deep scowl. I almost asked what was bugging him, but lost the chance, as he ran off once more, and I had to rush to catch up with him.

I found him sitting in the bleachers at the top row, hidden behind the stone wall and the several inches of snow that covered it. The whole area was blanketed in white, untouched snow. It was the only thing beautiful here, and I wanted to run through it, mar the field's pristine white face with tracks made by my muddied shoes.

"Hey, idiot, I'm over here," Gary called, and I turned around. He was hunched over with his arms wrapped around his sides. As I neared him, I could see his face had turned red from the cold. I thought about returning to the library for his sake—I enjoyed the cold to an extent—but knew we'd only be told to leave a short while after. It was getting close to curfew, made earlier, hours earlier, and we'd have to return to our dorms soon.

I'd have to enjoy my freedom while it lasted, even at the expense of his well being.

"I know where you are," I said, sitting down on the row in front of him. "So, this is what you do for fun?"

"Yeah, because I love sitting in the snow and freezing my ass off," He rolled his eyes and jerked his thumb to my right. "Have you ever explored this shit hole? Or have the Preppies kept you on too tight of a leash to do anything without them?"

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Shut up, Gary. And no, I haven't. What's there to explore?"

There it was again, that mischievous grin and I couldn't help but smile back at him, at the almost child-like excitement that filled him. I thought he might have started squealing.

"Come on. I'll show you."

I trudged alongside him through the deep snow, down a long trail that cut through the only forestry this crowded town has left, bumping into Gary every so often because I found myself gazing at the snow capped trees just a little too long, and I'd apologize quietly earning a shrug in return. Ten minutes into our walk I paused between two large boulders and asked him just where the hell we were going. It wasn't that great an idea to be wandering around in a remote area with a boy I barely knew, but it was something to do, and he didn't seem like that bad of a guy, or maybe I was just trying to rationalize another one of the many stupid things I've done.

Regardless, I was curious. "Hey, I asked you a question, you know."

"I'm aware of that," Gary said, continuing on ahead.

I began walking again. "Are you going to answer me?"

"Nope."

"At least give me some sort of an answer," I mumbled. "I've got no idea where we are."

"Relax. I'm not going to kill you or anything if that's what you're worried about."

"Something about your tone makes me not trust your words," I narrowed my eyes at him, and he laughed.

"This path leads to Happy Volts—"

"Isn't that the asylum?"

"Yes, but we can head into town through there, and finally do something interesting."

I shoved my freezing hands into the pockets of my jacket. "Like?"

He thought about it for a moment and then looked over at me, eyebrow raised. "How do you feel about disturbing the peace?"

"Oh, I'd love nothing more," I beamed. "Gary, I must say, you are a troublemaker after my own heart, now come on, you've got me all excited," I reached out and grabbed his wrist and dragged him along the trail as fast as we could move through the heavy snow. "You know, I don't have a clue as to where we're going."

He tore his arm from my grasp. "I didn't think so."

. . .

We emerged from the mouth of a tunnel that brought us to the edge of the fenced in property just a few feet away. The infamous Happy Volts Asylum. Gary glared at the building, making no attempt to hide whatever disdain he held for that place and I was glad I wasn't on the receiving end of his gaze.

Screams filled the air as we just about crawled around the perimeter of the asylum. The area was rife with orderlies, and in the event we were spotted, our punishment was sure to be more unforgiving than what Crabblesnitch had already doled out. Once we reached the road, we resumed standing, and ran the rest of the way into town.

By the time we reached the trailer park, my lungs were burning, and Gary looked no better. We were both cold, shivering in the December air, red faced and oozing noses. He pointed to a rack conveniently holding two bikes and we made our way toward it, our quick getaway out of this bad part of town.

New Coventry hadn't looked much better, with its abundance of hobos and stray animals, abandoned slums and garbage that smelled so rank I was afraid it might seep into my clothes. Luckily the ride wasn't that long and we were back in Bullworth. I had remembered driving through here the first day. It was the first thing I saw since I had slept most of the way, and it reminded me of the small town I had lived on the edge of for the last few years.

"I thought we were going to cause a little mayhem, not take a relaxing bike ride through town," I said, pedaling beside him. Gary and I weaved through the back roads to avoid police and the occasional adult that strolled around.

"You might just be more impatient than me," He shook his head. "Wait a few. Then we'll be at our destination."

So vague, I thought, and decided it was best to keep quiet the rest of the ride. If we had traveled this long, whatever he had in store had to have been at least mildly entertaining. Either that or he really was going to kill me.