Everybody's Fool[]
Even in a quiet corner of Blue Balls, I couldn’t find peace and quiet. Johnny’s epiphany hadn’t even lasted twenty four hours. Both he and Lola were in a full swing argument, that had claimed most of the bar. Johnny called her a slut, and shouted on how she gets off on making an idiot about him. Lola started off saying they never said they were exclusive, to eventually crying and begging him to forgive her—not once did she promise to change. As it appeared, Johnny might just cave and forgive her again.
Norton and his loyal followers, Lucky, Lefty and Vance were deep in a whispered conversation. I did my best not to listen, focusing on the music on the jukebox. Surprisingly it was more modern rock than fifties music.
“Oi, Josh,” Norton whispered in my direction.
I turned to face him. “Yeah?”
“Tomorrow after the race, we’re breaking away. We gotta split from Johnny, before he does something stupid. You in? There is a place as my second for ya.” I already saw through his offer. He just didn’t want me on Johnny’s side.
“I’m out,” I told him. “I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. I’m always loyal to Johnny. No matter what.”
I stood, walked into the bathroom. Grasping the sides of the wash basin with my hands, I stared at my reflection in the dirty cracked mirror. How did it come to this? This morning seemed like such a promising day.
The ground still coated with snow, but it was sunny. Not enough to melt away the cold icy blanket covering the ground. I woke in such a good mood. On the way upstairs to the bathroom, I had a bit of a spring in my step. There was actually warm water for a change. Outside my dorm door, when I returned for my leather jacket and gloves, I found a unwelcome guest; Gary. And he looked seriously pissed.
“What is this I hear about you setting Becky up with one of those imbecile grease monkeys?”
I rolled my eyes, and pushed past him to get in my dorm. “Let me guess; nothing escapes your notice. Just ask her out already.”
Gary followed me in, and slammed the door behind himself. He grabbed me by the sweater vest, and slammed my back against the mahogany book case. His forearm across my throat. The brown of his eyes looked evil. “Do it again, I will ruin your world, moron.” Gary let me go, and turned walked towards the door.
I didn’t move.
“You’re all talk,” I told him. “You’re still yet to get me back for Halloween.”
Gary turned around, shooting a glare at me. A smirk spread across his lips. “Push me, and you will find out exactly what I’m capable of. This whole Greaser thing. I can take it away just as easily as I could enter this dorm. Drag Becky back into that Greaser life again, and I really will get you back. I’m talking big. Your worst nightmare brought back into your life. Got it?”
Gary wasn’t the only one to chew me out about helping Johnny either. I headed to the school building, hoping to get a quick breakfast. Weekends were the best time to eat. The home economics teacher Mrs. Croft cooked for us, to give Edna some time off. Needless to say, the place was packed—practically standing room only. Mrs. Croft never cooked small portions either.
I crossed the foyer, to find myself face to face with Lola. If that were even more possible, she looked even angrier than Gary. She grabbed me by the collar of my jacket and pulled me away from the mouth watering smell of breakfast, to near the English classroom. She flung me against the door.
Angrily poking me with her finger. “Keep your big nose out of my relationship!”
“Your relationship?” I said, eyebrows raised. “Really? Because, while Johnny was hanging out with a girl—as friends I might add, you weren’t all that far away, with your tongue down Justin’s throat.”
“That is none of your business!” She slapped me hard around the face and stormed off.
I faced a delicious breakfast, that seemed like it would be my last meal. Only the drama didn’t seem to be the end. All this was like a game of dominoes. Not the kind where you match up the numbers. The kind where you line them all up, and knock one over. Me choosing to get Becky to hang out with Johnny was the first domino, ripping through, until it lead to me meeting Johnny outside Blue Balls.
“Is it true?” Johnny asked, at the sight of me. Already I knew what he was talking about. “Lefty told me what you said to Lola. Don’t you lie.”
“Yeah, Johnny it is true. Pete and Sarah saw them together, near the tunnel that leads to the carnival. Before you even decided to give her a second chance.”
“That slut! We’re through. No one is gonna make a fool of Johnny Vincent anymore.”
That was it. Three confrontations lead to their worst argument yet. Leaving me finding salvation in the bathroom, feeling like shit. Having memory flashbacks to when my parents used to fight. What had I done? I just wanted to help.
I headed into the stall, hoping to just cry it out. I locked the door, rested my back against it.
Maybe I should have just thanked Pete for the jacket, and avoided the greasers all together. Angry voices came into the bathroom. Johnny and Lola, only they had changed the whole tone of their fight. Lola no longer threw accusations at him.
“Johnny, please… you know I love you. I’m just not ready to love you exclusively yet.”
“You’re not?” For a moment there, it seemed like he might just believe her.
“Just give me time. I promise. When I’m ready, we can be together.”
I couldn’t stand it anymore. All those angry words I wanted to scream out at my parents channeled through me all at once. I opened the lock, and pulled the door open. Lola had her arms around Johnny. He looked into her eyes like a boy hypnotized. Once again, Lola had almost gotten him under her spell.
“Bullshit!” I shouted.
Johnny shoved her away from him.
“Johnny, she is never going to change, and neither are you!” I wanted so badly to scratch my own nails down my face, to give me another reason to cry. “God, you are both so like my parents, it isn’t even funny! Let me tell you your future. Both of you are going to grow bitter and hateful, until no one wants to know you. If by some cruel twist of fate you have kids, they will be desperate to get away from you. The only words you share with each other are verbal abuse, because all you have left is each other. Johnny, you can give her as many chances as you want, and she will throw them back in your face every time. And Lola, this stupid game of cheating on him to bring out this rage you find exciting? Well, there will come a day when it won’t be your numerous disposable boyfriends, he will turn it on you and make you really regret it. Both of you open your damn eyes, and see you’re killing each other. Do yourself a favor and just break up already. In fact, do us all a favor and find someone else, instead of pulling us all into this sick vortex of constant fighting.”
I didn’t give them a chance to respond. I stormed out into the bathroom. The bar was silent. No longer music on the jukebox. All the other greaser boys looked at me stunned. They had heard every single word. I couldn’t stand it anymore. To get away from them, I ran out into the street. That didn’t help. I found myself running further and further away. Only on the beach of Old Bullworth Vale, did I come to a stop. I fell to my knees on the cold snowy sand, and let the tears come.
All this time, I had desperately tried to run away from my parents, but I found myself back where I started.
I stayed on the beach for hours. Until I got so cold, I started to lose the feeling in my fingers and my face. The only place I wanted to be was back in my dorm. Pete was already inside, talking to someone. Someone familiar, but through the wood of the door, I couldn’t place their voice. Or I was too cold and upset to want to. I opened the door.
Johnny sat on my desk. A look of relief claimed his features. “There you are. I was about to send the boys out lookin’ for you.”
“What do you want?” I asked.
“To thank you.”
“Me?” I said, stunned. I shut the door behind me. Slipped off my jacket and slung it down on a chair.
“Yeah. You. I got thinking after what you said. You’re right. All the boys were too scared to speak up. Me and Lola broke up. For good. Ain’t ever going to get back together.” He stood. “An don’t worry about the race. Norton’s gonna ride in your place.”
“But if he wins, he is going to leave.”
“Norton is going to split away from the gang if he loses. Something you can’t change.”
“And you’re just going to let it?”
Johnny nodded. “Some things you just can’t change, kid. You taught me that. I hurt too many people to fix it now.”
^^^
Everyone was getting ready for the big race. Johnny and Ricky were tuning their bikes in the auto shop. To my surprise, Lola had come to wish us well. Apparently both she and Johnny had decided to make a go at being friends. No one had any hopes of that working out. But as long as they didn’t drag us into a big argument, who was to object?
Peanut set to work tuning a BMX for me.
“Why do I need it?” I asked. “I’m not racing.”
“Me, you and Hal are following along, to see how it goes,” Peanut explained. “Make sure the other boys don’t try nothing, to give Norton an edge.”
“And this is normal to all of you?” I said. “Your friends screw you over, and you’re talking about them trying to sabotage Ricky and Johnny?” I couldn’t believe it.
“It happens,” said Johnny. “Over the years, we split apart, and figure it out. We got other stuff to focus on. After the race, we’ll give those trust fund turds something to complain over. They’re getting’ a bit full of themselves while we fight.”
I was going to point out that Johnny had a personal score to settle with three of them, but with Lola stood right there, I thought it best to keep my mouth shut.
“Done,” Peanut said, finishing up the blue and white BMX he had chosen for me.
I was still a little unstable on the bike. Easily the slowest of our group, I followed behind.
Our group met up with Norton and his followers near the school gates. The preps didn’t need to know we were on the brink of a fight. If they knew, somehow they would use it against us. Probably use it to create a wedge that couldn’t be fixed.
Johnny, Ricky and Norton took their place at the starting line, just across the bridge that lead into Bullworth Town. Derby, Justin and Bif were competing. Peanut tapped me on the shoulder. I nodded, following him towards an alley. When the race begun, there was no place for anyone to cheat even if they wanted to. The racers went through the streets of Bullworth Town, spilled through Old Bullworth Vale, looping off towards New Coventry. Then making a full circuit, as they came through the underpass. The winner was anyone’s guess. Just when I thought someone had the lead, someone else would take over. According to Hal, this was the longest race ever done this year, but necessary. To take part, each side’s turf had to be included.
At the finishing line, it was a close call between Norton and Johnny. Just a few feet away from the finishing line, Norton slowed down, and Johnny won. Us greasers roared into cheer, and gloated at the Preps—who were very sore losers.
Pete rode towards me on his bike, with Sarah trailing behind him on a little kid’s bike. She had her red hair tied back out of her face in a ponytail. In the basket was a some kind of paperback book. Shirley by Charlotte Bronte, judging by the spine.
“I knew you’d win,” said Pete.
Johnny high fived me. “Josh, we’re headin’ back to the tenement to party.” He turned to Pete. “You two can come if you want.”
Pete seemed all for the idea, but Sarah however did not. She said her goodbyes and headed back to the school.
The party was awesome. Johnny had a fake ID, and got some booze from the store. Some of the kids drinked it—I had a couple of sips from a can, but didn’t much care for it. Norton still planned to break off and do his own thing, I heard him talking to Vance in the corridor, when I made a trip to the only working bathroom. He just wanted to wait a couple of days, to see if Johnny really had turned a corner.
And things didn’t stop there. Ricky came in the room where we had the party, and told us the preps were having a party. Apparently they thought they were going to win the bike race and planned a party to celebrate.
“We should give ‘em something,” said Hal.
“Maybe we should,” said Johnny.
“Eggs or stinkbombs?” said Vance.
“Bit of both,” I suggested.
Johnny patted me on the back. “Good idea, kid.”
The whole gang—including Pete—took to the streets. Mounted their bikes and headed through the tunnel, going towards New Coventry. We split up in smaller groups to get supplies from different stores. Johnny, Peanut, Pete and I headed to Dragon’s Wing in Bullworth Town to stock up on stink bombs.
We all met in the drive way at Tad Spencer’s place. Johnny told the others to wait in the shadows, and egg the preps who ran out. I grabbed a couple of packs of stink bombs, keeping one in each pocket.
I crept along the side of the house, and looked through the window. The whole party was a typical prep ordeal. All of them sat around, listening to classical music, eating pretentious foods, drinking beam cola from a martini glass as if it were a fancy cocktail, chortling away over some not funny joke Parker told.
Waving my hand to Johnny, I ducked out of the way. A stink bomb sail through the window, and exploded in a cloud of green smog. The façade of the preps dropped instantly. Any class they had disappeared with the stink bomb. Swearing and shouting came out the window, in a mixture of faux-British accents and pretentious American ones.
I hurled a stink bomb in, just as Justin looked out the window. The stink bomb exploded right in his face. I couldn’t help laughing.
Justin coughed and spluttered. “Hyde!” he choked between gasped for air.
I scrambled to my feet, and threw another at him. I didn’t see where it landed. His coughing indicated it landed somewhere in his direction. The rest of the preps flooded out the doors, and were covered in eggs thrown by their sworn enemies. Sooner or later the preps will get revenge.
Along with the greasers, I ran back to my bike. Johnny gave me a fist bump, and told me I earned it. As we made our way back to the streets of New Coventry, I was a hero among the clique. No one had caught the same prep twice in the face with a stink bomb during the same raid. I was pretty proud of myself.