Help (Get me some Help) by Tony Ronald (1971)
https://youtu.be/rN8-v_xjWmQ?t=60
Clifton's POV.
It was Thursday when the special assembly we had all been expecting the past few days was finally called straight after breakfast. Not only were all the Master's present but representatives from the Board of Governors were too.
"I can't see Nessie," Xander remarked as Jock began the Assembly by announcing that Mervyn Rees-Jones had been expelled for an attempted rape of a fellow student.
I looked around to see if he was behind us but I couldn't see him. "Maybe he will come in later," I suggested as Jock was praising Merv the Perv's intended victim's bravery for seeking help from one of the Masters before the attack took place, stressing that was the correct way to report sexual abuse and blackmail.
Jock then stressed that anyone reporting sexual abuse, blackmail, or bullying in the future, would be given anonymity, and making it very clear that sexual abuse, of any sort, will not be tolerated in the school. He then went into a lengthy spiel about the school's faculty being shocked at the high level of degradation and humiliation inflicted on the Gruesome Threesome, stating that he believed that the intensity of the assault was solely down to the fact that the victims were being held accountable for the rugby team losing their recent cup game.
Jock didn't waste time in hauling Leo and Bradley up onto the stage. He cited that, as the main perpetrators, they had used unsubstantiated claims that the Gruesome Threesome had been involved in blackmail, sexual abuse, intimidation, and harassment on other boys purely as an excuse to exercise a vigilante style of justice simply to settle old scores.
"There is no place for vigilantes in this school. Taking revenge in this manner is not acceptable and it will not happen again," Jock stated as he promptly expelled them.
The response from Archie Troughton, sitting not far from me, surprised me. "Three cheers for Bradders and Eyetie..... Hip! Hip!"
The response was almost unanimous and very loud.
"Hooray!"
"Hip! Hip!"
"Hooray!"
"Hip! Hip!"
"Hooray!"
Then the applause started. A deafening and sustained sound of hands clapping or banging so hard on the floor that you could feel the vibrations. Boo's and jeering filled the air, obviously aimed at Jock for expelling them.
You could see the annoyance on Jock's face as he tried to maintain order as calls of 'Resign' rang out.
"Silence please!" he called out, raising both hands as if he was Moses and about to part the Red Sea. Masters began walking down the rows of boys trying to curb their enthusiastic clapping.
The noise only subsided when Bradley held up his hands and appealed for calm.
He was instantly obeyed.
"I'm sorry Headmaster but your reasons why Harrington, Hayes, and Johnson were subjected to this punishment is clearly not accepted by the boys in this school, especially his victims. Yes, there is anger for their part in us losing the cup game, which is why Hayes was included, but you do have proof enough that Harrington and Johnson abused, blackmailed and intimidated other boys. To say that the evidence you have been given is unsubstantiated is absolutely not true. Just expelling us and not addressing the facts is farcical."
His impassioned statement was met with applause and cheers as Mr Mead led them both from the stage.
"The evidence presented was unsubstantiated," Jock claimed, as he took to the centre of the stage. "The so-called evidence was allegedly obtained by stealing a mobile phone. Stand up Alexander Morgan."
Xander gingerly rose to his feet. I wasn't sure why he had been called out and from Xander's face I guessed he didn't either. Nessie hadn't warned us at all.
"You arranged for Harrington's mobile to be stolen so you could exact revenge on him for the alleged bullying and intimidation that you claim he inflicted on you. I suggest that it was you who uploaded those incriminating pictures onto his mobile. You claim that you deleted all the files that showed sexual abuse of other boys you found on his mobile in order to protect his alleged victims. I am convinced of your guilt because in an act of spite and revenge you deleted important, private, and personal files not only from Harrington's mobile but also from his Dropbox. For this act of cyber vandalism I am also expelling you."
I stood up. I wasn't going to just sit there and let Xander be made a scapegoat when I was equally responsible. "I agree with Bradley Cooper!" I bellowed out at the top of my voice. "This is farcical. You have had the facts and you are distorting them. If you are expelling Xander for exposing sexual abuse in this school then you will have to expel me too as I helped him."
I was aware of movement to my left as Jacob and Roland stood up. "We helped too, Sir!" They said almost in unison.
Zane, Chalky, and River stood up and said exactly the same thing. Other boys stood up. It was like a Spartacus moment meets a 'Me Too' moment. Boy after boy stood up claiming responsibility.
The boys then began stamping their feet and chanting Xander's name.
From the side of the hall where the Prefects and House Monitors were seated, I saw Tristan Hambleton-Whyte, the Earl of Hedingham, one of the most popular boys in the school, stand up. He appealed for silence and motioned everyone to sit down
Xander and I looked at each other, wondering which side he was going to speak for as we both knew his father was Lord Sudbury, the proprietor of one of the largest national newspapers.
"Headmaster. Last year you were advised of the sexual misconduct being carried out by Harrington and Johnson and although you were given evidence to support that they were not expelled. I am suggesting that Mr Dickinson's intervention in dismissing that evidence as a fabrication is happening once again. I am more than happy to provide my father with the evidence that I have in my possession that Mr Quick has entrusted to me. I do not know what this file he has given me contains but I am sure that it would make interesting reading for every boy's parents once my father publishes it. Whatever this evidence is, it would seem that Alexander has shown respect for every boy here by deleting highly embarrassing and compromising images in order to protect their right to privacy. Expelling him for that is inappropriate and unjustified. I am sure that the Board of Governors would not like to see every boy's parents remove their son from this school citing mistrust of the faculty as the primary reason. I therefore suggest that they dismiss this assembly and wait for the arrival of Mr Quick, who is on his way back here with damning and compelling evidence to support the evidence the Board have possibly not been correctly presented with."
You could hear a pin drop as Tristan sat back down.
As the Governors began whispering to each other Dickie stormed out onto the stage. "How dare you, Hambleton-Whyte, accuse me of any undue intervention. Harrington is being victimised because of alleged...., and I repeat alleged intimidation of Morgan, a boy known to be a deviant and a homosexual. After Morgan's gross display in public, and without shame, molesting one of my players on Sunday I wholeheartedly support the decision to suspend him for cybercrime vandalism and indecent behaviour."
I stood up again. Angry that Xander's character was being trashed once more. "I wasn't being molested. I had a groin strain that without his skill in massaging it would mean that I would be out for the rest of the season."
"Any normal person would have stopped him," Dickie yelled back as Jock and other Masters tried to remove him from the stage. "You didn't though, did you? Because you're gay too..., just like your dead twin brother was!"
The words hit home as Dickie was eventually silenced and the Chairman of the Board of Governors dismissed the Assembly, telling everyone, including Xander, Leo and Bradley, to go to their next class at the allotted time.
I was suddenly aware of Bradley and Leo immediately manhandling me out of the hall. I could hear Xander saying not to worry as we ghosted swiftly down the corridors to our room.
"Fucking Dickie!" I yelled as I slumped at my workstation.. "How the hell did he find out?"
"Your brother was your twin?" Leo queried, as he leant on my desk.
Xander answered as I only nodded. "Yes! An identical one. He died in an accident at the beginning of summer. He was gay too, that's partly why Cliff changed schools. Dickie must have made some inquiries at his old school to have found out."
"How do you want to play this?" Bradley asked. "Deny being gay or confirm you are? Whatever you choose, we will support you 100%."
I gave a false laugh. "Deny of course, because how can you support me if you've been expelled?"
"If we get permanently expelled then there's no point in anyone staying at this school." Bradley answered me. "If what Tristan said was right then any exposé would see a mass exodus."
"Look how everyone stood up and supported you, Cliff." Leo added. "I don't see anyone worrying about whether you and Xander are playing hide the sausage or not. They just want to be free from Harrington and the sexual abuse the school seems riddled with."
"Did you know about Rhys-Jones?" Bradley enquired
"Yes! Xander and Nessie entrapped him because he was going to rape another boy in the toilets on Tuesday night."
"Fuck!" Bradley exclaimed. "I never knew he was that sort of player. Not from the way he talked about girls."
"The school needs to put a stop to all this now." Leo demanded. "They need to monitor those toilets more effectively. I think parents will now insist on it once this all gets out."
"Granted but if boys want to play with each other they will find a way," Bradley remarked.
"Do you think it will all come out, then?" I asked, worried that I would be publicly outed.
Bradley laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I would think so but how you deal with that is important. You just need to hold your head up and show pride in who you are... Think of the message that it sends to other gay boys at every other school. The days of gay baiting should be ancient history by now and in lots of school's there are boys, straight as well as gay, that are standing up and saying there is no place for homophobic behaviour anymore. You have rights, Cliff. Use them."
Xander's POV.
There was a knock on the door and Leo opened it for us, revealing Tristan standing in the corridor.
"Ah! Leonardo.... Bradley..... Hoped I might find you here. No need for you guys to start packing yet as Mr Braithwaite, the Chairman of the Board of Governors wants to see all four of you in Mr Cunningham's office at 12:30pm. You are all expected to attend wearing formal dress."
"Can you tell me if we are still suspended?" Leo asked.
"I would think you are, as I haven't heard anything to the contrary as yet. I live in hope of your reprieve. If you will all excuse us I would like a private word with Alexander."
I pulled Cliff back down as he stood up to leave. "Stay. You know I need you."
I saw Tristan raise an eyebrow.
"He stays. We don't like having any secrets between us."
Tristan nodded and smiled at me. "That's good to hear as I think you will both need each other's support, what with the speculations other boys are now making. I've just had a communication from Mr Quick. He's just arrived back and is in a meeting with the Board. I don't know anything other than he has said for you to keep the faith. He has everything in writing."
He hesitated. It looked like he was going to say something else as he was looking at me pensively. "I want to apologise to you for not doing anything about the intimidation and bullying you were subjected to the past couple of years. I had my reasons for not doing so. Drawing attention to it would have caused problems for a close friend. It would have made things very difficult for him."
"I totally understand." I answered knowing exactly what and who Tristan was referring to. "That's what prompted me to delete everything in Trevor's Dropbox. You can tell your friend that I pixelated all the images I found before giving them to Mr Quick. There is only one full master copy that I will destroy once Mr Quick advises me it is okay to do that."
"Just so you know I haven't seen that master copy." Cliff remarked. "I don't want to either. I promised Niko De La Cruz that I would expose Harrington and do everything I could to protect the identity of the boys in those pictures and videos. Only Xander knows who those boys are..... and that's the way it will stay."
Tristan gave an easy smile as he opened the door to leave. "My friend will be pleased. Thank you. One day he may be able to be his true self, but for now that is not possible."
He offered me his hand to shake. "I wasn't sure of your intentions at all but knowing Mr Quick trusts you makes a big difference. You have my thanks and my support."
I shook it. "You're welcome and thank you," was all I could answer.
"Shit!" Cliff exclaimed as soon as Tristan had gone. "Don't tell me you found compromising pictures of him on Trevor's phone?"
I laughed, as the signal for classes sounded. "Hell no! But I know exactly who he was referring to though........! And don't bother asking."
As we walked along the corridor, boys greeted me with big smiles and pats on the back.
"My oh my! Aren't we the popular one now!" Cliff exclaimed. "How many of them are bricking it that you have compromising pictures of them and are wondering what you're going to do with them?"
"My lips are sealed!" I teased as we entered Runny's class for our Latin tutorial.