Rise and Fall of Jimmy Hopkins

Chapter one

As I sit in the abandoned old school bus in the Academy's parking lot I start to think about the crazy old war veteran who used to live behind it. He was a drunk but he taught me some combat moves that I had to use to bring the bullying here to a stop. Arm bars, flying kicks, even to properly throw a head butt without causing a headache. I do miss that old man. Every time I gave him a transistor he would teach me a move as a thank you. After the last one I gave him he built this contraption and moved out of here. Still have no idea what he built but I do hope he's doing better.
"Jimmy Hopkins please report to the principals office!" I hear on the loud speaker. I sighed as I set my head against the window of the bus. The last time they called me in the office is when Gary fed all those lies to Crabblesnitch and got me expelled, however that didn't end well. Gary. That guy still lingers in my mind like the smell of a skunk. I wish they wouldn't have taken him away to Hapoy Volts so quickly, I wanted Pete to be able to say what he needed to say before he left. Pete never got a proper "fuck you goodbye" after all that Gary put Pete through. I was lucky enough to kick his ass to show him he had lost, that he wasn't going to take over the school that he bragged so much about, and to show crabblesnitch aswell that everything the "Head Boy Gary" has told him was a lie.

I slowly get out of my seat as I shuffle out of the bus. As I step off I look in the parking lot in front of me i see Trent, Tom and Wade leaning on the half concrete wall separating the parking lot from the main campus. As I walk towards the main building behind them I see that they're sharing one cigarette as they pass it around with straight faces. I'm assuming they do this not because they like smoking, but to look tough to the other cliques that may see them. I slightly shake my head as I pass them as I try not to make eye contact, however I'm famous on campus whether I like it or not.
"Jimmy! Want a drag?" I hear Wade say as he holds up the half smoked stick with his two fingers in the air. I snicker as I put my hand up as I shake my head. Wade shakes his shoulders as he brings the stoge to his lips as he inhales. I look over at Trent who stares me down with a straight face, not looking away as Wade hands him the cigarette. I continue looking forward, not to stir up anymore drama. As I get onto the main campus as I make a left towards the main building.

I'll always find it a little off setting now that the cliques aren't bullying one another. This past semester every time I'd walk to my morning class I'd see a bully picking on one of the nerds or a Greaser picking on the Preps. Now everything either keeps to themselves or will strike conversations. I can't believe in a matter of a year I made an almost impossible change. All I had to do was stand up to each one of the 7 clique leaders to show them who's boss, I guess no one had the guts to do it. I couldn't even have done it without Pete; he was the brains and I was the muscle. I walk up the stairs as I push open the front doors and see the main hall hasn't changed a bit since I last been here. I haven't set foot in Bullworth Academy since Pete and I took down Gary, I just needed a break from it all. The tile floors that had the schools emblem was shining bright with a fresh coat of wax for the new school year, the long stairs in front of me that parted in two were dusted and had all the trash picked up, even the re election banners were finally taken down that stayed up from my first day here. As I walk up the stairs I realized this year went by so fast, I wonder if that felt like that to my Mom since I haven't heard from her. I am only supposed to attend one year here, she told me she'd pick me up days before the next school year started when her honeymoon with step dick was over. I will never believe my mom fell for such a phony.

As I reach the top of the stairs I turn right into the office where I am greeted my Ms. Danvers.
"Hello Mam" I tell her as I raised my hand to her. For the first time this was the time I saw her smile back at me. Almost creepy in a way.
"Hopkins! Magnificent to see you my young boy! Crabblesnitch is expecting you in his study." I nodded to her as I walk past the front desk into his office. I look to see that everything was still the same except for the freshly patched whole Gary and I made in his ceiling. I am thankful for being alive after falling through the roof into his office. I had some major bruises but nothing major like Gary. he had two broken ribs, a cracked skull, and a broken arm. I will never understand why he wanted to fight on the roof, but that wasn't going to scare me away.
"Ah young Hopkins! Come take a seat dear boy!" He told me as he stands up from his chair behind his desk to gesture the chair in front of him. I shoved all the thoughts about Gary the Asshole in the back of my mind and tried to focus on the present.
"You wanted to see me sir?" I told him confidently, waiting for him to kick me out once again. I sat down in the seat as I put my ankle across my knee and my elbow behind the chair. He smiled at me as he looks down at his desk and opens up a file.
"I first wanted to thank you again for opening my eyes to the horrid actions that were going on in my academy under my nose. Without you Smith would've been head boy instead of you, couldn't imagine how long it would have taken for Bullworth to turn into a prison." He chuckled at him.
"You have to admit it was already a prison..." I mumbled as I scratched my nose. Crabblesnitch cleared his throat as he pulled some papers out from the file.
"Well I contacted your mother the other day, she cleared this with me however it would only be fair to give you a choice in the matter aswell." He told me as he flipped a paper and headed it to me. I take it as I look to see the Bullworth emblem on the top of the page with the words under it saying "studies of 2006". I continue to look down to see that there's 7 classes with my name at the top of the list.
"What's this? I'm leaving this year." I told him bluntly. His smiled faded as his vison went to his interlocked fingers on his desk.
"James, I'm sorry to say your parents are moving to Calirfornia...they said you'd have it better here than with them. So, with all of the help you've done for us I'll pay for the next three years here at Bullworth. How does that sound?" I couldn't help but to smile. Not for staying at this shitty school but the fact that they're abondoning me to move cross to the whole other side of the states. It was too good to be true and I guess I wouldn't mind staying here, being the new kid is exhausting. Everyone knows me and will leave me alone as I please.
"Sounds good sir, thank you for the oppurtunity." I told him as I stood from my chair and held out my hand. I cheery smile swept his face as he stood and shook my hand.
"I'm glad to hear it, classes start tomorrow at 9:30 to-" He caught him self as he cleared his throat, sitting back into his seat. "You already know the drill." I smiled and nodded. I walked out his doors as I look to see Zoe standing with her back against the wall as her arms were crossed. She met my eyes and gave me a half smile.
"Did you have anything to do with this?" I told her as I pointed behind me at Crabblesnitches office. I walk to her as I brought her into a hug.
"Maybe, since you got me back in this hell hole I had to do the same for you." She told me as she broke away from the hug and bent down to kiss me. I kissed her back instantly as my hands rested on her hips.
"You just couldn't stand to be away from me now could ya?" She giggled as he interlocked our fingers as I followed her out from the office into the halls. After getting our P.E. teacher, Mr. Burton, fired after sexually harrassing Zoe Crabblesnitch knew that Zoe wasn't lying after all and reconsidered her application.

As we walked to the parking lot she stopped and looked down at me.
"I have an idea Jimmy Boy." she blurted out to me. I hate when people call me that, that was the nickname Gary would give me. Just like the name Femme Boy he gave Pete, all for just wearing that pink shirt under his uniform.
"Stop, you know that gets under my skin." I told her as I let go of her hand. She sighed with a slight smile as it looked like she was studying me eyes. "What? Wipe that shit eating grin off your face." I spat as she giggles at me.
"I know something that would literally get under your skin tough guy. Take me to Blue Skies, I have something to show you." I lightly shook my head as I unlock my garage and fling up the door as the light shines on the gray moped I won at the carnival after graduation. I wasn't old enough to get my license so this was the fastest thing I could get my hands on without cops giving me shit. I get on a start her up as I feel Zoe sit behind me as she wraps her hands around my waist.
"Hang on beautiful." I said as I sped off out of the parking lot.

As I watched Bullworth pass us on our right we start to head towards the bridge that led to the town. After we pass the bridge we swing a right as we head down to a little more run down town called New Conventry. This was the Greasers spot in the county, where all the shops were run down and boarded up, homeless and garbage dog ran amuck, walls were tagged up with remarks to the Academy, even adults picking fights with students. As we start to get deep into this run down place we make a right and pass the sign that read Blue Skies. We go over the bridge to see the once paved, pothole filled roads turned into dirt as the sides on the roads were littered with trailers. We called Blue Skies the Buissness Town, it was made of drug addicts and industral factories. As we get deep into the trailer park i feel Zoe pat my shoulder, signaling me to stop. I pull over onto the grass and turn off the motor.
"I thought we were heading to your house, I had a feeling you wanted me to try out your new sheets again." I snicker as I look back at her and give a wink. She gives me a slight smile as she smacks my back.
"See that trailer with the cardboard sign outfront?" I nodded her trying to figure out what it said. "Pull the bike over there." I turn the motor back on as I slowly drive over there as I park it on the side of this run down tin can. I get off and put the keys back into my jean pocket. I walk infront of the sign to finally read what it said, "Tattoos $30 & Piercings $10" I smile as I look at her. She had her hands on her hips as she looked at me with those piercing brown eyes.
"Told you I could get under your skin." She smiled as she started walking into the trailer. I grab her by the wrist as I pull her close to me gently.
"Zoe as much as I'd love to, I'm only 15, there's no way he'll get a needle anywhere near me. Sorry babe." She frayed her eyebrows at me as she yanked her arm back as I followed her up the steps.

We walked in and I saw this skinny man who had some nicely scatter tattoos on his arms but a few that looked like prison poke tattoos.
"Alright Jason I have a new one for ya!" Zoe said as she left go of my hand. He looked at me with this wicked smile plastered across his face.
"What would you like?" I looked at Zoe, not knowing what I did want. I was a little upset that she didn't let me have time to prepare and she backwood forced me to get this. Another part was excited that I could feel what a tattoo was and look like a badass having ink so young.
"Well let's see what you got for me." I told him with confidence. Really I didn't give a fuck what I got, I'd be happy with anything.
"I think I have the perfect thing for you" Zoe told me as she smiled at Jason, that nodded to her with a smile.