Chapter Text
Jimmy
It had been two months or so after that final encounter with Gary and it wasn’t that he’d been keeping track of time, but he could feel it in the summer now slowly dragging into autumn. It’d be three or four weeks before going back to school and he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to the other boy. The thought always assaulted him when least expected, making Jimmy grit his teeth while lying on bed before sleep took over, rubbing at already disappearing bruises. He chewed on the inside of his cheek while musing; he knew he wasn’t the thinking type.
However, nights were longer now and Halloween was around the corner once again; he’d plans to go out with Zoe, probably even have a quickie before going out trick or treating. It’d be one hell of a night. Still, as oblivious as he’d been, thinking about All Saints Feast always reminded him of Gary. He wondered if he’d be doomed to cherish that night as one of the best ones he’d ever had, sex or not, and that was something to say for Jimmy.
Gary had been the first one to offer him his friendship at Bullworth, and he wasn’t using “offering” lightly, he was actually quoting the shithead. And he’d noted his words, for even before speaking, Jimmy had spotted the other teen walking around. It’d only been seconds before Gary began to talk, but Jimmy had eyed him over as quickly as the other boy had; the deepest and nicest facial scar he’d ever seen, full and playful lips that made the image of a large cat spring into his mind, and a mean broken nose and an angular anatomy that only made the readhead think about the odd curves and edges of his own developing body. That son of a bitch had not only looked handsome, but kind of dangerous as well, and Jimmy had always found himself pretty drawn to both.
Shit, he’d thought, he’d have to be careful about this one, something in the pit of his stomach rang that bell and he’d always trusted it, but there was something about that guy that beckoned to his lowest and basest notions of interesting. He’d never met someone with such an edgy air about them, with such delusions of grandeur and skills to achieve it; to be more than just a phony.
“Hey, you’re the new kid…”
“Yeah, what’s it to you?”
"Listen to me, tough guy! You just arrived at the toughest school in the country and I am offering to be your friend… Trust me, in a place like this, you’re gonna need friends. So, it’s up to you, you’re gonna play nice, or what?
He’d been cynical and scornful about it, it was his way not to play easy but, what the hell was that fucker’s name? He’d smelled so damn good. Was it soap? Jimmy tried to sniff without being too obvious. He sure wouldn’t mind starting something with someone at this new place, specially such an attractive and good looking bastard. And damn, he had his way with words, but did he have to be such a big mouth?
However, sooner than later, he’d showed him around school and taught him how to pick locks, which only made Jimmy feel more eager to be his… What now? Friend? He’d always thought of himself as a loner. He knew his way around people, but he’d never had a friend in the strict notion and right sense of the word, and he hadn’t minded until now, but then again, he’d never met someone with Gary’s dexterity of analysis, demeanor and overpowering personality and, damn, he could be so much fun to hang around with.
‘You and I… We can do things.’
Dude, if it was up to Jimmy, they could be doing more than just being naughty and pranking around campus, he was used to being an early bloomer in terms of sex, but he’d settled for that strange, symbiotic friendship, playing the role of Gary’s fighting dog until Smith would somehow notice the only way he’d enabled Jimmy to be physically devoted to him. Thus, Hopkins would punch as many faces as Smith told him to and wouldn’t stop until that puzzling day at the pit.
What the hell?
They’d had such a great time that Halloween. Gary had even gotten him a costume and it had really caught Jimmy off guard. It meant Gary had spent his pocket money on him and it only made Hopkins keep a mental note to store that gear, for it’d been the first present Gary had made to him. Should he give him something in return? Smith already had half his devotion and, by now, he was more used to Gary’s mean ways of treating life and its other inhabitants, so he wouldn’t venture touch the subject. Smith was far more dexterous with words anyway; he would probably end up mocking him saying it was necessary for trick or treating and then laugh at him for being stupid, or even corny, which was far worse. However, Jimmy got somehow stuck on his memories, reminding old times with the darker boy.
Zoe was sooo much fucking fun to be around with, she was lively and blunt, always teasing, always flirting, and damn, she was as venturous as he was in sex; it seemed both of them had their histories and they brought that experience with them into bed, alongside their own still young and somewhat inexperienced curiosity for exploring another body. Yes, he had so much fun with Zoe, and he often lulled himself to the image of her perky boobs, lush hips and warm thigs, but there were many other times, late at night, even after jerking off to his memory of her straddling his hips, that he couldn’t help but wonder about Gary.
Students usually gossiped around school and, if you eavesdropped close enough you’d always get useful bits of information. This time, however, it didn’t seem to matter how hard he tried to spy on people, not a word had been whispered about Smith. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about him. Everyone, but Jimmy. He recalled that manic smile like it was yesterday; that grin and thick dark eyebrows drawn into a deep frown. Those dark eyes looking through and sometimes past him. Those wide, kittenish lips mouthing insults, cruelty and schemes, then talking about pills for which Jimmy had no reference to. That slender, yet strong body that would sure grow into a taller frame than his. That top fade that made the redhead think of military discipline at home. That scar and broken nose that made Smith look like one of those deadly outlaws Jimmy liked to read so much about in old strips at the comic book store. And, damn, that body language that spoke of strange aversions, early abuses and even stranger and stronger affections. That demeanor in which he walked next to Jimmy, as if they were invincible. Two sides of the same coin. Brains and brutal strength. Wits and physical know how; elegance and coarseness, for Gary was refined where Jimmy would only dream to be and he had to grant him that in spite of his pride.
‘You and I… We can do things.’
Jimmy thought of all those hit-men and mobster movies he’d watched and suddenly knew that, when they grew up, Gary would sure be like one of those guys, clever enough to be on top, bossing people around and never getting his hands dirty. No, he’d never met someone that smart, he realized and chewed harder on the inside of his cheek at that thought. And, damn, smart, dangerous and handsome was something he’d always wanted by his side, one way or the other. His childish dreams of early bravado and gun point tooth for tooth spoke of it.
Hopkins knew his own intelligence wasn’t that outstanding, but he’d never thought of himself as stupid. He was pretty resourceful indeed; he had his ways with people. He could be beyond charming with girls and the boys who’d play along, frankness hung around his every word, and he liked to think his heart was in the right place, for he’d been born with a stupid conviction for making justice. His justice.
However, Jimmy realized with a sigh, he needed his gears to be set in motion and, even though summer had been more than enjoyable, some kind of stupor had taken over him. Everyone seemed to like him, Crabblesnitch included, and his relationship with Zoe had sure gone to the next level, though commitment wasn’t on the table by now.
Still, something eluded him; a strange void that had been eating him up like a cancer since Gary had been truly missing. Damn, someone would have to kill him before even giving voice to it, but he did miss Smith and how he pushed his buttons. Jimmy couldn't believe himself, but this time he'd gone to sleep with the urgency of asking for the other's whereabouts the next day, too groggy to argue and still too sane to feel comfortable about it. Shit, everything seemed like a distant vision... Faraway... Close... Zoe... The beach... Gary... His bloody fists... Broken bones... And that scar.