Gus' last stand
The time was 13:30 o'clock and we see most kids all outside on the playground enjoying recess, all except for one boy who was looking around the corner of a hallway, when he saw nobody there he slowly crept out past the stairs and made it to his classroom. He opened the door and peaks in to make sure the coast is clear ins is r the classroom before he enters fully, making his way to the teachers desk and opening the top drawer, taking out a pencil case that was just sitting there. "My blaster man pencil box. Couldn't leave without this." It then seemed like the school was shaking with the sounds of loud footsteps. The boy looked at a glass of water sitting on the desk and saw the water sloshing around with every step. "Oh no." The boy then ran out of the classroom, trying to make a break for the main doors.
"Stemple!" A voice shouts out, making the boy stop in his tracks.
"G-Gelman." 'Stemple' stutters seeing the school's main bully walk around the corner.
"Where do you think you're going, Stemple?"
"I'm-I'm-I'm getting out of here!" Stemple turned tail and ran out of the other doors, leading him onto the playground, with Gelman chasing after him.
"Come back here, you little dork!" Gelman shouts as other students look at them with different expressions on their faces.
"Run, Stemple, run!" TJ shouts.
"Evasive manoeuvres, Stemple, go serpentine!" Dede shouted and Stemple did just that, instead of continuing to run in a straight line, he started to zigzag around on the grass, making it harder for Gelman to catch him.
"Run for your life, Georgie boy." Stemple's dad yelled from inside a moving van.
"Dad, dad, start the engine." Stemple shouted before he jumped into the moving van and buckled up his seatbelt. "Hit it dad." And his dad did just that, driving around before Gelman could get to them.
"Get back here, worm!" Gelman tried chasing the van but gave up after a few steps.
"So long, Gelman." Stemple leaned out the window to wave back. "I'm moving away, and nobody knows where! Hahaha, I'm free, free!" He cheers before going out of sight.
"Well, there goes Stemple." TJ said as Gelman screams in frustration.
"Man, he put up with being Gelman's punching bag for a whole year." Said Spinelli. "That's gotta be a record."
"Yeah, but you know what that means." Replies Vince.
"Gelman will be looking for a new victim." Gretchen answered.
"SCATTER!!" TJ shouts and all kids do just that, finding different places to hide, some getting dragged by their friends into hiding.
"Come out, you little cowards!" Gelman shouts from the middle of the playground when he sees everyone hiding. "Ain't one of you little geeks brave enough to stand up to me! Even one!"
At this Dede was going to stand up, having enough of seeing her fellow students being bullied but was grabbed by her arm and pulled back down, looking over she saw Spinelli was the one to do that.
"What are you doing!" She hisses when she let go of Dedes arm.
"Standing up to him? If I don't do it now while he has no primary target, I won't get another chance until the next poor soul has to move."
"Are you crazy? Then you'll become his target!"
"I can handle guys like Gelman!" Dede went to stand up again but TJ wrapped his arms around her neck and pulled her down again.
"Spinellis right Dee, you're as skinny as a stick, he'd break you!" TJ said not letting her go, knowing that she'd try to make it so that no other kid was bullied by Gelman, by taking that place herself.
"But-" Dede started but was cut off by the boys bathroom door that was connected to the playground, opening and poor Gus walking out. "Oh no! GELM-" Spinelli quickly covered Dedes mouth as both she and TJ kept Dede down, knowing it was already too late for Gus as Gelman already had his eyes on him, walking over to his new victim.
"Hey, where did everybody go?" Gus asked, looking around.
"You!" Gelman pointed at him.
"Me?"
"What's your name, kid?"
"G-Gus Griswald, sir."
"I don't like you, Griswald."
"Well, I bet you would if you got to know me." Gus smiles before Gelman picks him up and carries him under his arm. "Whoa! Lots of kids like me. Well, maybe not lots, but some. Please, please, don't do this to me, I'm a really nice guy." Gus begged as he saw Gelman walk over to a trash bin and hold him over it.
"Oh, I'm not a nice guy, Griswald. I'm not a nice guy and I don't like you. Which means from now on, whenever I see you pale, pasty face, I'm sticking it where it belongs, in here!" Gelman said before he stuffed Gus in the trash bin, putting the lid on so only Gus' eyes were seen. "Any questions?"
"Not really, no."
"Good. See you tomorrow, garbage boy." Gelman laughed as he walked away, leaving gus there, when the coast was clear, TJ and Spinelli finally let Dede go and raced over to the trash bin that Gus was stuffed Into.
"Gus, Gus, are you okay?" TJ asked, taking the lid off.
"I think so." Gus replies.
"Man, that Gelman guy is such a jerk." Scoffed Spinelli.
"Yeah, somebody ought to teach him a lesson." Said Vince.
"Oh, really!" Dede said standing behind them all, making them all flinch as that was what she was trying to do. Dede sighed before walking up to Gus. "I'm sorry, Gus. I tried to get Gelman to focus on me as his next target, because I know I can handle him, but SOME people-" she glared back pointedly at her other friends as they looked away. "Clearly don't think I can take care of myself."
"Oh, come on Dee, you know that's not why we stop you." TJ said trying to calm the situation down, but she just turned away from them.
"It's alright, Dede, I appreciate it, but I'll be fine." Gus reassured. "oh, who am I kidding, I'm gonna be picked on by the biggest, meanest guy on the playground, and all because I went to the bathroom."
"Hey, guys like Gelman won't pick on guys that are surrounded by their friends." TJ suggested wanting to calm both his annoyed and upset friends down.
"TJs right, there's safety in numbers." Said Gretchen.
"Yeah, if we stick close to you, you should be ok." Vince agrees.
"Well, yeah, but how close can you stick?" Gus asked.
The next day at morning recess we see the gang walk out of the school Gus in the middle with the boys in front and the girls in the back, covering all angles. They first went to the swings, then the boy's bathroom, which the girls stood outside for before walking around on the playground, this time with the girls leading and the boys following. However, it was about this time that the plan failed as while they were walking they didn't notice Gus bend down to pick up a quarter.
"Hey, look, a buffalo head quarter....hey, wait a minute, there's no such thing as a buffalo head quarter." Gus dropped the coin he was holding as a hand rested on his shoulder, realising the others weren't with him. "Uh-oh."
"Hiya, Griswald, know what time it is?" Gelman asked when Gus looked up at him.
"Uh, 10.02 a.m?" Gus looked down at his watch.
"Nope. Garbage time." And with that, Gelman threw Gus straight back into the trash bin. It was at this point that the other six realised that Gus wasn't with them and looked over to see what had happened.
"You ok, man?" Vince asked when they got to Gus.
"Look Gus, you gotta stick with us." TJ said as Spinelli and Mikey helped Gus out of the bin.
"Oh, it's no use. I can't stay with you guys every minute of my life. I'm doomed! Doomed!" Gus cries.
"I say, you cream the jerk!" Spinelli suggested.
"Yeah, right. Gus couldn't cream corn." Replies Vince.
"Well, you could always tell a teacher." Mikey suggests. This plan, however, seemed to be the wrong approach, as when Gus was left with Gelman, after Ms Finster scolded Gelman for bullying, Gelman threw him straight back into the bin.
"And if you ever tell a teacher on me again, I'll hit you so hard, your clothes will hurt." Gelman threatened before walking away.
When the bell rang for lunch time all the students in Miss Grotkes class stood up and ran out, well, most of them.
"Aren't you coming, Gus?" TJ asked, seeing Gus still at his desk.
"You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up. I've gotta reline the hamster cage." Was Gus' excuse.
"Gus, it's ok to be afraid of Gelman." Vince reassures. "Heck, we're all scared of him."
"I'm not, but no one will let me deal with him." Dede muttered as she followed her friends to Gus' desk.
"Yeah, but he's not picking on you guys, he's picking on me, and if I go out there, it's gonna be garbage time." Gus whined.
"Unless you went out there, but Gelman couldn't see you." TJ says, thinking of a plan.
"What do you mean, TJ?" The plan was simple: just have Gus put on a beard and act like an old man. Did it go over as well as TJ would have liked? No! Gelman spotted him pretty much straight away.
"Maybe I can get plastic surgery, or see if my dad could get transferred again." Said gus as they all sat on the merry go round after school. "I wonder if Gelman can find me in Bangkok."
"Oh, for criminy's sake! I've been telling you all along, there's only one way to deal with a bully, Gus, fight back." Spinelli snaps.
"Really? That's your advice." Dede grumbled. "I've been trying to do that for a past couple years but you keep stopping me when I try."
"Fight back? But he'll kill me." Gus said having not heated Dedes mutters.
"Maybe he will and maybe he won't." Answers spinelli. "But let me tell you something, Gus. The only reason Gelman's picking on you is cause you're afraid. Animals like Gelman can smell fear and they feed on it. I say fight back."
"No, Gus, don't do it. Violence is not the answer, it's never the answer." Mikey, the pacifist guy, says. "Violence only begets more violence."
"Don't listen to him, Gus, fight the big idiot."
"No, be peaceful!"
"Fight back!"
"Be peaceful!"
"Fight back!"
"Be peaceful!"
"STOP!" Gus shouted, having enough of Spinelli's and Mikey's fight. "I appreciate what you guys are trying to say, but this is something I gotta figure out for myself." With that Gus walked away.
The next day we can see the group of six walking out of the school when the bell rang, following other students. "I can't believe Gus didn't show up for school today." Spinelli said.
"Poor guy, he's probably halfway to Mexico by now." Said Vince.
"Or, maybe he's right there." Dede said pointing to Gus who walked by carrying a backpack with him.
"Gus, are you okay?" Asked TJ.
"Where are you going?" Asked Vince.
"I'm going to the tetherball court." Replies Gus.
"But, Gus, Gelmans over there. He'll squash you like a bug." Gretchen tried to change his mind.
"Maybe he will and maybe he won't. But I'm Belgium and Belgium wants to play tetherball." Gus walked over to said court and saw Gelman hit the ball so hard that it popped.
"Griswald, I thought you were staying home today." Gelman said, spotting Gus. "What is it, garbage time already."
"Sorry, Gelman, but there isn't going to be a garbage time. Not today, not ever. From now on, you're leaving me alone."
"What?" Gelman asked, shocked as kids started surrendering the two.
"You heard me, Gelman. You can't pick on me anymore. It's over."
"You mean, you're actually standing up to me? No one's ever had the guts to stand up to me before."
"Does that mean you're not going to pick on me anymore?"
"No. It means no one's ever stood up to me before. Now stand still so I can beat the living tar out of you."
"Wait!" Gus said before bending down to the bag he sat beside himself and got out some boxing equipment, which included a helmet, gloves and mouth guard. "Okay, Gelman, let's go."
And thus, Gelman started to pummel Gus, making everyone flinch and knocking him back into his friends.
"Ok, Gus, you've made your point, just fall down." TJ said as he was the one to catch Gus.
"Yeah, I was wrong ok? just take the fall, will ya?" said Spinelli.
"No way. See? I figured it out. The worst he can do is beat me up. After he's done that, there's nothing to be scared of anymore." Gus said before going back for more. The beating lasted for a few more minutes before Gus was thrown back against the fence.
"Say goodnight, Griswald. It's beddy-bye time." Gelman went to give Gus another punch but was stopped by Dede jumping in front of him.
"Ok, that's it. I've had it with you, if you want to pick on my friend, or any other kid, you're gonna have to go through me."
"Oh, is the little girly going to stop me. Ha you and what army."
"Us!" Said Spinelli as she and the rest of the gang all lined up behind Dede.
"Hahahaha, don't make me laugh, I'll beat the tar out of all of you."
"Go ahead and try." Dede said, getting into her fighting position.
"You asked for it." Gelman then went to hit dede.
"Dee, look out." TJ shouted as he held up Gus, however his worry wasn't needed as Dede easily dodged Gelman's punch, ducking under his arm before she jumped up and landed a kick in his chest, sending him backwards, landing on his back.
"Woah!" Spinelli whispered as everyone was silent, shocked by what just happened.
"Since when could Dede do that?" Asked Vince as Gelman stood back up.
"That's it, come here you little screlp! I'm gonna polvarise you." Gelman went to fight again but was stopped by all the other kids in the playground getting in his way.
"Well, we'll, Gelman. Can you beat up everyone at once, or are you gonna call it quits and leave us all alone?" Dede asked as she pushed her way through the crowd.
"Oh, yeah? Well, I'll just... just... oh, forget about it. This is stupid." With that Gelman walked away making all the kids cheer.
"Nicely done, Gus, you stood up to Gelman." Dede said as TJ finished helping him stand.
"I did?" He asked.
"You most certainly did." Said Gretchen. "And now the horrors over."
"For everybody." Cheers Spinelli.
"How does it feel, man?" Asked Vince.
"Great. Ow, for the most part." Said Gus. "But, where did you learn to fight like that, Dede?"
"Yeah, I've never seen you do something like that before." Said Spinelli.
"Err... I'll explain some other time, right now, we need to celebrate Gus standing up to Gelman, who's up for some sundaes at Kelso's, my treat." Dede said, making the others in their group cheer, effectively changing the subject.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A / N
So, il won't be uploading for a little bit because for the next chapters I've got planned, it'll be a plot centric few episodes I want to write and make good, so I'll be writing all them and posting them all together, it'll be about 3 chapters. Though, because valentines is coming up in a few weeks, if I don't finish them before than, I'll probably take a little break and do the valentines episodes as a good middle ground for the 3 part idea I have cooking in my brain. I just hope it comes out as well as I want it to.