Chapter Text
“I am so excited!” Justin enthused as he headed towards the gym from the Harrington House, leaving with Tad and Gord.
After the first day of school, it would be their first time seeing the gym’s pool filled with water. The project was funded by Justin’s father after his son’s non-stop begging.
“It really is our territory since my daddy paid for it, but I’m more than willing to share it with the Jocks. I really hope they’ll start up a swim team again this year."
“At my daddy’s vacation home, our pool is eight-hundred square feet just for us.” Tad bragged, disregarding all Justin said, especially the sentiments upon cross-clique inclusion. “Compared to that, this pool is really nothing special.”
“Why of course, were you really expecting something grand?” Gord questioned. “I really don’t think I could get into this pool after seeing all the grime in it the past years. You’d have to demolish the whole thing and build it again for me to touch that water.”
“Don’t be so dramatic!” Justin called. “My dad didn’t donate seven grand for you to whine. I’ll shove you in myself if I have to.”
Seven grand? Gord expected to see a pool worthy of being a Prep’s, or he’d be wondering how much of that Dr. Crabblesnitch pocketed for himself.
They stepped down the stairs into the Jocks’ territory, getting near to entering the gym. Thankfully Damon had graduated, so he wasn’t there to ambush them for simply passing by. Ted Thompson, the Jock Justin would especially admire, was also gone. The last time he saw Ted, when he’d finally tried to make some sort of move, was plainly horrendous…. Justin didn’t exactly miss him since he’d found out how he truly felt towards him, but he missed the ignorance he had when he could simply admire him from afar and think he could have a chance.
“Well, don’t get me wrong, I am excited as well— more so to see the sorts of people there.” Gord then said, anticipating the opportunity of being nosy a shared-clique space offered.
“As am I.” Tad said, making Justin smile slightly, no longer feeling out-of-place as seemingly the only excited Prep, but Justin’s smile quickly dropped as Tad continued to speak.
“Who do you think will be the first to drown?” Tad asked enthusiastically. “My bet is on that Nerd Thad!”
“Oh please! Nobody is drowning!" Justin cried, his tone drawn-out and sounding even more pompous. “That liability was exactly why Dr. Crabblesnitch was so reluctant…”
“What?” Tad cried in response, “Was that not the ploy all along— to eliminate some of the undesirables? Why else did you think Derby and Bif were so amused by the idea?”
Justin's face dropped further as he heard this, staring at Tad in disappointment.
Telling the former Prep leaders, who would not be there for the pool as they’d graduated, he felt truly supported. Justin had no idea they approved of it for an entirely different reason. Their reason was exclusion of the students who were unable to afford top-tier swimming lessons. If on top of that they were either overconfident, accident-prone, or targeted— it opened a gate of tragedy for a true Bullworth “undesirable”.
Thankfully, Justin wasn’t the only Prep horrified by that idea.
“Dying at Bullworth? I don’t wish that fate upon anyone. How horrid.” Gord remarked, displaying his new attitude as the Prep’s new leader— a less callous one of more tolerance. Tad, bitter over not earning that place, wouldn’t have nearly as close of an attitude; also, not nearly as much as the charm and alliances Gord had as a leader, which was why Derby selected Gord and not him.
“Yes, I suppose. I wouldn’t wish that fate on the most insufferable.” Tad said. “The place would surely be haunted after. The school would be hearing whispers of Thad’s lisp forever! It’d be better as someone not so annoying.” He added, diminishing the hope of him building more empathy for lower classes.
Gord sighed, not expecting better of him. Tad hadn’t changed, but his need of placing himself above others only made sense as a way to cope with such a home life.
Justin wanted to retort by saying the drowned student may just be Tad if he keeps being so annoying, but he preferred not to start a fight. They were nearing the gym, and he preferred to take in the scene rather than be caught up in annoyance.
Standing beneath the sign reading “POOL” above the gym building, Justin excitedly opened the blue double-door.
It was never a scene like ever before. The school didn’t seem like a wasted dump and instead actually happy. The pool was filled with clear water and the room was filled with students.
Justin’s lips curled into a confident smile as he admired what his daddy’s money created. The pool was about the same, but certainly restored.
There were the same red triangular flags hung above it, and the same tiles that spelled out the school’s name in the pool, but they were certainly a lot cleaner. The same banners for Bullworth’s championship in swimming and diving still hung high on the wall. Justin had memorized that year: 1974. It was the only time the school had won, and the pool had been drained and the team non-existent for the amount of time Justin had been at the academy. He hoped soon the team would be restored, and there even could be more banners.
Christy sat in a red swimsuit in the lifeguard’s chair which was set up. She was already a trained lifeguard for her summer job, so it was perfect that the school then offered the position. She greeted Gord as the Preps approached, acquainted with him by their shared love of gossiping.
He greeted her back, and she then complained about how bored she was. She said how she wished someone would at least pretend to drown so she could save them and everyone would talk about it.
Unbeknownst to her, Donald, the sneaky bastard, was already thinking about it as he saw the CPR instructions poster on the wall.
Gord was sure to tell Christy that Justin’s dad funded the pool, telling it on behalf of Justin— he was shocked he wasn’t gloating about it right then to capitalize on the social credit he’d receive.
Justin didn’t care to say it to Christy; he was only excited to tell the Jocks. Rather than talking to her, he was more interested in admiring the other students around the pool who had the same idea of checking it out on the first day.
He was surprised to see Nerds there, but some Nerds came after Donald presented the bright insight that they should go check it out while they still had the chance, before sports started in the gym and the pool really was fully Jocks’ territory. Thad, their new leader, agreed that it was a good opportunity to strategically take advantage of, but said he had better things to do than partake in it.
Many other Nerds had no interest. Donald tried to convince Cornelius, who previously said the pool was “neat”, but he then said he couldn’t since he had no swimsuit. After Donald said he also needed to buy one and that Cornelius could go to Worn In to get one with him, Cornelius then admitted that he was too scared and that it was too much for his sensitive disposition. It was understandable, and Donald tried no further convincing, knowing how that said sensitive disposition of his may be impacted being in an unfamiliar territory with Jocks.
Some others were willing to join Donald though. Bucky said he’d go. Algie agreed excitedly, saying how he used to go to swimming pools with his mommy, but hadn’t been in once since he’d had an “accident” the last time. Saying this should have evoked apprehension in his invitation, or at least glances of uncertainty, but possibly breaking social or sanitary rules wasn’t revolting for the Nerds— and so what if he peed in the Jocks’ pool?
So, Donald, Bucky, and Algie were there. None wore their glasses, and Bucky had his watches off. Algie was sporting a lime green swimshirt and bright yellow waterwings. They sat at the edge of the pool with their feet in— perfectly set up for someone to push them in.
There were some Bullies there too, which Justin also didn’t expect to see. Trent and Davis sat in the lounge chairs that were newly set up.
Justin was annoyed noticing the chairs: a cheap white plastic. He remembered picking out pool furnishings himself for his dad to buy with the high budget, everything in a matching tan wicker and dark blue cushions. He picked the theme to match both the school’s antique and old-fashioned feel and the dark blue color of the Bullhorns’ football jerseys. He didn’t know that Dr. Crabblesnitch dismissed the idea and picked out cheaper options— claiming he needed the rest of the donation for the pool setup, but really used it to pay off the debts of the clock tower’s renovation.
Justin wondered less about the furnishings and then more about what the Bullies were doing there. His question was soon answered as he overheard Davis complaining that he’d expected to see more chicks. Trent wasn’t complaining though.
“That’s totally cool.” Christy said, responding to Gord telling her it was Justin’s idea and his dad’s funding. “Everyone’s talking about it and trying to guess whose idea it was. I’ll, like, let everyone know it was you, Justin. It will make you so cool. That’ll be, like, my way of thanking you.”
It was quiet for a moment as they awaited Justin's response; it was unheard of for a boy not to be paying attention when a girl as pretty as Christy was praising him. He really wasn’t lying when he expressed not being interested in girls, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t interested in anyone… His attention was captivated by the Jocks that were there.
He’d expected there to be more, but correctly figured many had yet to cross over from the gym after working out there. Bo sprung off the end of the diving board and nearly did a frontflip— not quite completing the trick, but his performance was far from embarrassing and impressive regardless. Bo then swam out of the way for Dan, who was making his way to the diving board, to jump off after him.
Another Jock, a new boy Justin had never seen, one with a blond buzzcut and impressive muscles that let everyone know which clique he was in, stood by the diving board as well. Those abs of his certainly were chiseled…
“Ah-hem, Justin.” Gord called.
“Oh, um,” Justin said, looking at Christy. He’d sort of heard what she said, and got the general idea she was thanking him. “Thank you.”
“Wow! Did you see that?” Christy asked following a splash coming from the deep end.
“What a show-off.” Tad dismissed, also seeing.
Justin looked over, seeing Dan’s head come up from the water. He’d just done something impressive and he’d missed it. He only watched him swim away, his eyes glued upon his impressive arm and back muscles, reminding himself of how much he loved Jocks.
“I already have sooo much to gossip about. It's so fun to people-watch here.” Christy then said.
“Oh, yes, all sorts are here.” Gord commented.
“Yes. I expected this.” Tad said. “No Greasers though, which is good. I couldn’t imagine them here, or how dark the water would turn!”
“I suppose the requirement of showering scares them off, but I would be curious to see them with the grease washed out of their hair...” Gord said.
Even if the clique warfare was over, that didn’t mean they were beyond privately making fun of each other. They’d still even tease each other to their faces, or egg each other’s territories, but no one wished the other dead anymore. Simply, it got boring without some slight rivalry.
“I don’t think everyone will be here for long. I’m sure the Jocks will claim the place soon once sports start. But I bought it, so they’d have to let me, and us, stay.” Justin explained.
“Well, I don’t particularly care. I really don’t see myself coming back here.” Tad said.
“You haven’t even got in.” Justin said. “Let’s change and go, then maybe you’ll change your mind.”
A lot of Jocks weren’t in the mood to be at the pool. Their numbers had decreased since Ted, Damon, Mandy, and Luis had graduated. Almost all the remaining Jocks left were seniors. The only exception was Bo as a junior; it was rare for younger students to be let into the clique that ran the school. Kirby was practically the only student in Bullworth history to get on the varsity team as a freshman, but to his misery, his performance tapered out and Ted stole his place as quarterback when Ted had transferred to Bullworth his junior year. Now, with new students enrolled, anyone who could make the cut for the football team could become a Jock and even disrupt everyone’s positions if they were especially promising.
It was a tense atmosphere for the remaining Jocks, as their places on the football field were still being decided, especially of who would take Ted’s role as the quarterback. There wasn’t even a distinct clique leader yet, and it seemed whoever would replace Ted’s role as quarterback would also replace his role as clique leader.
That all would be decided by Mr. Osbourne, their new coach. There weren’t exactly many people eager to become teachers at said academy, but he was willing to quit his blue collar job he already hated in New Coventry and get the necessary qualifications. He used to be the quarterback on the Bullworth Bullhorns in his youth —and wouldn't shut up about it— and rushed to the opportunity to fill Mr. Burton’s place and get back on the Bullworth Academy football field.
The day prior, when students were boarded but before classes started, there was a meeting of sorts for anyone interested in joining the football team. It was of course not a practice, as no team was established, but not quite a tryout either. It was more of a social gathering with a bit of competition, students displaying their speed and stamina running laps around the field or their ability to catch a ball; nothing was recorded, but Osbourne’s eyes on them all was enough pressure.
There were some students who weren’t Jocks the past year that seemed promising. One was once a Jock though, who had returned after a year at public school. He was perhaps even the most promising out of everyone: it was Bob. He was a Jock there two school years prior, expelled unfairly for being not-so-discrete about his homosexuality— as Mr. Burton and Dr. Crabblesnitch feared parents might complain about their kids playing games with a boy so crassly homosexual. Like many other injustices at Bullworth, Jimmy Hopkins stepped in. Bob was now back at the school and certainly a possibility for the next quarterback.
Russell, a senior (for the second year in a row), was also there— not by his own choice of wanting to join the team, but after Osbourne saw him roaming around campus and questioned why the hell he wasn’t carrying the Bullhorns football team. His question was soon answered as Russell was too busy staring at birds to catch the football, and became enraged as the ball he failed to catch hit him in the face— ending up with Kirby in the infirmary and Osbourne giving up on him.
Additionally, Karen Johnson kept her word of wanting to play on the football team. Growing about a foot over the summer and getting stronger, she proved herself capable while there. She could catch and throw a football well, and she undoubtedly ran better than many of the former football players. A lot of them were horribly out of shape due to Mr. Burton no longer being around to give them “medicine”, but still losers nonetheless. Juri was especially peeved by this, being outperformed by a little girl— literally.
“Do you think I’m losing my muscle?” Juri asked Casey, calling his attention while in the boys’ locker room after he’d changed into his swimsuit, ready to try out the new pool.
His muscles were the least attention-grabbing part of him. “Dude, is that what you're wearing?” Casey questioned.
“Yeah,” Juri answered, looking at himself in the tiny swim briefs. “Something wrong with it?”
“I dunno, buddy— you’d have to pay me a lot for the whole school to see my ass cheeks.”
Juri turned around, looking at himself in the locker room’s mirror from behind. He saw Casey in the reflection standing behind him, wearing long swim shorts that would certainly weigh down his swimming speed. Looking back at himself, distracted admiring his physique for a moment, he realized that he really wasn’t hiding much.
“Do I look girly?” Juri then asked.
Casey hesitated in responding. It was a bit feminine to be practically wearing a bikini bottom, but Juri was his buddy, and he knew how much it bothered him to think of himself as anything but purely masculine.
“I dunno, you look like a man for sure, with all that muscle. I just don’t think I’d pick out that swimsuit. A lot of attention.” Casey answered.
“Whatever. I will show them all how strong and manly I am.” Juri said, trying to reassure himself as he stared in the mirror, then flexing his arms. He then glanced lower; the swimsuit really didn’t hide anything. “I prove wrong that vicious rumor it is shrinking.”
“All right, buddy.” Casey dismissed, uninterested in hearing about his friend’s penis, unlike some of the other Jocks. “Let’s meet the boys there, and don’t start whinin’ to me when everyone’s staring.”
Juri and Casey made their way to the swimming pool, strutting out from the locker room. They entered cinematically, while making heads turn as they walked slowly, looking as if they’d warrant some sort of theme song for them to walk to the beat of.
Juri looked ahead, pouting his lips and pushing his jaw forwards, repeating to himself how manly he was in his head. He tensed his muscles and pushed them forwards, his biceps twitching from the strain of how hard he was trying to flex them.
Casey turned his head, swishing the blond front strands of his mullet upon his forehead, completely visible as he wasn’t wearing his typical baseball cap. His blue loose swim trunks swung around his legs as he walked.
Juri didn’t have that, nothing loose about his swimsuit— only his anatomy visibly swinging. Casey walked with a confident swagger that contradicted Juri who was trying hard. Juri tensed his body and inflated his muscles so much it looked like he’d burst like a balloon.
Whatever cinematic entrance they performed would have had its theme song abruptly cut as Davis shouted through his laughs: “Dude, where are his pants?”
Trent's smirk as he looked at Juri turned into a cruel smile. “He took them off when his boyfriend creamed all over them.” He replied loudly.
Casey scowled at his grotesque taunt. Juri glared at him.
“Just shut up, girly-boy!” Juri responded, continuing to walk over towards his Jock friends by the diving boards.
The Preps, changed into their swimsuits, watched this scene from one of the white plastic tables. The sight of Juri in such a swimsuit interrupted Justin’s complaints surrounding Dr. Crabblesnitch not buying the furniture he’d requested. Tad pointed and laughed, and Gord giggled along with him.
Justin wasn’t laughing. “I gave Jimmy a tiny swimsuit like that last year.” He commented, neglecting to mention the reason of it being an award for Jimmy beating his swimming record, as his own shortcoming was something he’d rather not admit.
“You gave him a tiny one like that?” Gord questioned. “You pervert!”
“No, no!” Justin called. “It was for the purpose of swimming, for the sport. He proved himself a good swimmer, and those types of swimsuits really improve speed.”
“So you bought him one?” Tad asked, wondering what sort of charity it was; donating old clothes was common practice, but buying a poor person clothes was certainly scandalous.
“No. It was just my old one, what I wore when I was on that swim team before going here.” Justin explained.
Gord opened his mouth as if to speak, and quickly glanced between them, wondering if he should say how it sounded even more perverted, giving Jimmy Hopkins something that touched his genitals and bare wet ass countless times. He decided he wouldn’t say anything; it was charity to a pauper anyway, and he wasn’t one to judge what other rich people did.
Justin then placed a hand on his own tight swimsuit, but one that went down to half his thighs. “This is a sport one too.”
“Ah, so that’s why it’s so tight.” Gord said, solving the feeling of a knot in his throat just begging him to speak. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but it’s quite the way of telling everyone you're not interested in girls.” He added quietly, making Tad giggle.
“You mean telling people I’m athletic.” Justin corrected sharply.
He glanced down at Gord’s legs, seeing him wearing expensive Aquaberry swim trunks that were much shorter than needed, resting more than halfway up his thighs, but not at all tight. He next looked ahead at the Jocks, none of them wearing athletic swimwear except for Juri, which surprised Justin a bit. He saw that Dan and Bo appeared to be laughing at Juri as well. That new blond Jock slapped his ass and said something with an approving nod, Justin reading his lips as saying “I like it!”
“These Jocks are a bunch of closet cases, I’m telling you.” Gord remarked.
“You really think?” Justin asked, hoping it really was true.
He kept watching them, the Jocks getting loud, doing some sort of weird chant together behind the diving boards.
“Why, of course. Did you see that?” Gord asked. “Now look at those meathead dunces, howling like a bunch of animals.”
Meatheads, dunces, animals… Justin tried to follow Gord’s words, to feel the same way, but he just couldn’t. Were they really closet cases too? He hated that he was still interested after what happened with Ted.
Justin stared ahead blankly at the group of Jocks as he was reminded of that summer night… It was Ted and Damon’s shared graduation party. Derby and Bif were invited unenthusiastically as some sort of peace-offering, and finding this out, Justin begged to come along. They reluctantly agreed, and Justin didn’t care about their warnings that he probably wasn’t wanted there.
At the party, Derby didn’t have a good time at all. He was disgusted by Ted’s middle-income house and the profane music being played. When he found out Damon had a hot sister who was getting awfully friendly with Bif, he made his quick exit and demanded Bif to leave with him in a concealed jealous fury. He’d completely forgotten about Justin, leaving him stranded there and with no one to give him the needed encouragement to approach his crush, Ted Thompson.
When realizing Derby and Bif certainly had left him behind, Justin ended up finding and using Ted’s house phone. On his way, he’d heard some people laughing at him, at how he wasn’t wearing typical preppy Aquaberry and instead a Bullhorns shirt and Jock-like attire— he wore it hoping to impress Ted. As he reached the phone, he was trying not to cry, feeling horribly out-of-place and unwanted; just like the warnings Derby gave which he didn’t listen to.
On the phone, he called Derby, then Bif, and neither answered. He then had his family’s chauffeur dialed to come get him, but as he was about to call, he figured he should take his chance while he was there, and set the phone down. After waiting still with a pounding heart, building up his courage while admiring the household photos of Ted —especially the football-related ones— upon the wall, he decided he would really try to at least become Ted’s Prep friend.
He approached Ted, interrupting a conversation he was having with Damon— he tried to wait until the two of them split, but they never seemed to do so. Justin spewed praise for Ted before expressing a hope that they could keep in contact while he played college football. Damon bursted out laughing, and said horribly cruel things about him being a Prep. Ted joined in on the laughter, said something along the lines of that Justin could be his water boy— then something like that his tight end was open for a lot of balls: in Jock language, Ted was saying that he understood how he truly felt, and he wasn’t interested, not at all.
Justin walked off not responding with anything at all, making his way to the bathroom to sob. He hid there until he heard no one around and he could make his way back to the phone and call his chauffeur— being a Prep had its benefits, but it seemed connecting with Jocks wasn’t one of them.
Watching the Jocks, after that event, Justin felt completely hopeless, that he should just give up on his interest. Yet, he still insisted on the damn pool, and there it was. He did have a genuine interest in sports, especially swimming, so why was it so wrong to be interested in the Jocks too?
Maybe Ted and Damon didn’t like him, but there was a whole new group, and new ones too. Maybe this year Justin could have his chance with one?
Tad shook his head and glared at the Jock crowd judgmentally. “They’re so loud. How rude— and low-class.”
Justin forced himself to look away from them and instead towards the pool’s water. “Well, are we going to get in or what?” He then called.