21 Jump Street (Tom Hanson)

Fight Club

November 1989

I walked into the chapel and my eyes instantly landed on Mickey's desk. She was already in her chair, preparing for her day by memorizing her assignment. I glanced over at my own desk, and saw that there was a folder waiting for me too. I was expecting to have a new assignment because I closed a case before the weekend.

I set my bag down on the ground and planted my butt in the chair. I thought of something that would make Mickey laugh, so I let out a dramatic and exasperated sigh to grab her attention.

It took a couple of tries before she looked up from her papers and she asked, "what's wrong with you?"

"I think my hand is broken," I said as I looked over at her with my longing gaze.

Her eyebrows came together in concern but she looked skeptic. She asked, "what?"

"Yeah, I can't shoot."

She leaned back in her chair and she said, "show me."

I lifted my hand in the air, keeping my fist completely level. I said, "look at that."

She looked even more confused. She said, "it's as steady as a rock."

"Yeah, but I shoot with this hand," I said while lifting up my other hand, letting it shake and wiggle and flap as much as I possibly could as I elevated it above my head. I watched Gene Wilder's Blazing Saddles over the weekend, I've been waiting to do that joke for a while.

The smile that perked up her lips made me melt. My ears begged to hear the twinkle of her laugh, but she suppressed it. She looked down at her folder so she wouldn't get distracted by me and she said, "you're ridiculous."

"I thought that was funny, Michelle," I laughed.

"Dumbest joke I ever heard," she chuckled.

I thought of something else to bring her joy. I was determined to distract her. I turned my chair around so my back was to Mickey, but then I sat up straight and tilted my head back, letting it hang. My neck rested on the top of the back of the chair, and I was able to see Mickey upside down.

"Hey, hey you," I said to her in a low voice. Her head shot up and she smiled at me. I grunted at her papers and asked, "where you going?"

Mickey spun her chair around and copied my goofy position. She leaned back and let her head hang, and she was the only thing that was no longer upside down. My face relaxed in a smile.

Mickey lifted her hands up to bring the folder in front of her face, and she said, "Westview High School. Looks like there is a series of robberies over there. What about you?"

I did the same thing and I read off my folder. I said, "I'm going to Maple Ridge because of a surge of overdoses."

Her face was getting red, but she still smiled at me. I was starting to get light-headed from being upside down for so long, but I was trying to fight it as much as I could. Then, I heard Fuller come out of his office and he said to us, "not anymore. There's a new threat over at Brookside High."

Mickey and I exchanged annoyed looks and we both picked our heads up so we were sitting normally. I felt lightheaded from the rush of blood and my visioned darkened for just a second. I gave myself a moment to get back to normal before I followed him to the table.

Fuller called for all of us to meet him at the table. When we were all there, he gave us the news. "At Brookside, steroids and needles have been found left and right of the place. I had Officer's Dallas and Davis figure out who was selling a few weeks ago, but it hasn't stopped. Another thing is that kids have been turning up left and right with broken bones and bruised faces from all grades. So far it's only been guys who have been getting injured so I want my best guys on this—" he pointed at me and Doug "—that's you two."