For Love Or For Lust

Chapter 4: Happy Days

 Dinger's POV:

The most amazing thing happened in 8th period(history) today, here's the story. "Uh this place is out of it", Bam wined beside me. And she was most definitely right, Mr. Plum's class is, always has been, and always will be 'out of it'. I patted her on the knee telling her that she better get used to it.

Mr. Plum(as usual) gave me the stink eye. "Why does he hate you so much, this is my first day and I can tell he would just love to see you dead", said Bam. I rolled my eyes, "lots of people would love to see me dead. But Mr. Plum is just butt hurt after I might've let the fact that he and some sicko student were having an affair slip after he sent me to the principle. So romantic", I added, putting both of my hands on my chest as if I was going to faint. This made Bam laugh, hystericaly.

At first, I was taken aback at the fact the she was actually laughing. But then I broke into hysterics out of happiness(mission very much accomplished).

Mr. Plum threw a piece of chalk at me(just like he did in summer school). This is the amazing part I was talking about earlier. The chalk was about three inches from my beloved, and prized, money maker face when Bam caught it in midair!!

The whole class gasped(including Bobby, Lainie, Brandi, Joel, Shelly, Angel, and me-we're the heart of the class).

Mr. Plum is semi-bald, and when he gets real upset there's this angry vein that protrudes out of his forhead. It was really showing then, with his red face and spittle forming around his mouth.

That's when the whole class started laughing loudly, Mr. Plum tried to silence us. But it only made it worse on him, because we started laughing even harder, I feared that one of us would explode or something!

"All of you-detention for three days-morning and afternoon! Dinger and Summer you both stay after class, there will be and end to this-this-this-"

"Madness", me and Bam chimed, only making us all laugh harder. "Out of my room now, both of you hoodlums"!

The class settled down some, partly because when Mr. Plum sends you out of his class, he won't allow you to come back until you serve a weeks detention. And partly because the fact that they had three days of detention, had finally settled in.

I dramaticly stood up, grabbed my cane and Bam's hand, leading her to the door. But before we left, we bowed to the class and blew kisses to Mr. Plum, who's face turned purple at our act of defiance.

When we were outside Bam and I continued to laugh, all the while high-fiving each other. Until, all of a sudden, Bam sighed. "Dinger my parents are gonna kill me, then bring me back only to kill me again", she vised.

I watched as her magnificent eyes, that I had fallen in love with the second I looked in them, lost all the previous bubbles and joy. Only darkness and despair remained, "I won't let that happen Bam", I replied, truly meaning what I said.

She looked up at me through her bangs, "not even once"? Pulling her in a tight hug(just putting it out there I'm almost as good at hugging as I am at kissing and other fun stuff).

"Not even once", I replied. Then she stuffed a strip of gum in her mouth(her thinking tik)."See you in hell Trudy", then she strided off down the 800th hall, leaving me chuckling at her joke about detention.

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I was making my way to detention. While laughing it up about Bobby kicking Dumus's ass in the courtyard at lunch, for terrorizing Bam.

"And he was like -'dude what the hell, she's not your girlfriend'- and then I was like-'eat shit Dumass'- heh"! I love the way Bobby describes stuff, how you can hardly follow him in what he's saying. Yet you still no how it starts, how it ends, and whats happening. But I hate the  sound that he calls his laugh "heh", I mean what the hell?

Bobby and I did our special-secret handshake. And waltzed in the detention room(which is essintialy just the schools ancient and unused science lab). I waved to Bam who was talking up a storm with Lainie, Angel(who is one of many exes), and the other members of our friend group. I quickly limped over to Kristy, pecking her on the cheek lightly. Then I sat down in my favorite spot by the window.

"Alright guys, you know the drill, no talking to anyone, no leaving, and no fun", Mrs. Tannerson droned. We all watched her leave, "she won't be back for another two hours, Joker anyone"? I pulled out my trusty deck of cards and dealed them to everyone around the table skillfully.

Everyone had put out fifty bucks each on the table, but I(the pro Joker player I am) already knew who it was gonna come down to. Bobby, Bam, and of course me, were gonna be the ones to risk it all.

A long time passed before everyone besides Bobby, Bam and me bailed. Why, well because they knew they would lose a good chunka' change if they kept playing. It was now my turn, and Bam had me corned, and to make it all worse Bobby knew. So he just kept on shouting, "money, money, money", every once and again.

But then, I turned over my wild card and it was just what I needed it to be, an Ace of hearts. And just like that, I had knocked Bobby right out of the game with one flick of my wrist.

"Goddamnit Dinger, you do that to me every time! Every time", he yelled, slamming his cards on the table. Everyone laughed because it really was true, I either always kick him out of the game like that or win like that every time.

"Just you and me Dinger", Bam said laying down a two of diamonds. Which was a big ass mistake, because this guy right here, countered it with a Jack of clubs. This usually would make anyone either forfeit, or flip their wild card(which wasn't a guaranteed save). This could only mean that Bam had the Joker card. Which couldn't be possible because, I could almost guarantee that the Joker card was dealed to Bobby.

But Bam-get this- laughed, "haha sucker, you just bought yourself a ticket to loser city"! Then she did the enivitable, by pulling the Joker card out of her hand.

In case you didnt know, the Joker card is like some what of a virus in the game(hence why the game is called Joker). And if that card gets played on you, it doesn't matter how many Aces you have. Or even if you have the other Joker card(which I did not have) you instantly catch the virus. So in other words, I lost! Dinger James Holfield, me, the Joker pro losing at his best game.

I don't know why I didn't do my usual losing tantrum, maybe it was because I lost to Bam. Or maybe because I've never lost a game of Joker to anyone.
So of course I didn't know how to act, so I said nothing.

I just lost a game of Joker to a girl, and on top of that this is the second time I've lost to Bam, I thought. Reministing about the time Bam beat me at ping-pong. And that's when I realized that my "pal" was better than any girl I'd ever met.