Never Simple: The High School Years.

A Fillmore! Fanfiction

Please note Ingrid and Fillmore are properties of Disney. X High School and all it’s residents are properties of my own fevered imagination. This is just for fun, please don’t sue.

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Jacob Pesanto looked up at his partner Helen Miyakuni a look of distaste on his face. “Okay, let me try to figure this out. Two kids actually WANT to work here?”

“Yeah,” Miyakuni took out a cigarette and lit up. “As soon as these two fresh came in they went to Highsent and asked to be on the ‘Safety Patrol’.”

Pesanto barked with laugher. “Safety Patrol?! Good Lord that brings back memories. Can I bum one of those?” Miyakuni gave her partner one of her cigarettes and a light. “Thanks, man those were the days weren’t they? There was right, there was wrong, and there were only two shades of gray.”

“Don’t forget the chases, and only having to worry about someone toppling a basket of dodgeballs on you.”

“Or locking you in a room, and the principal whatshername actually had power.”

A knock on the door to the pair’s office. “Is that them already?” Pesanto asked. “I thought they were still in the orientation assembly.”

“Probably just Mr. Desant.” The Asian and Hispanic teens stubbed out her cigarettes. “Come in!” Miyakuni opened the door, adjusting her orange Enforcer uniform and waving the smoke away.

“Hey kids, how are you doing?” Mr. Desant smiled as he picked up his mop and the cleaning bucket. “Do you guys want anything? Another desk maybe? I hear you are getting some new recruits.”

“Would there be room?” Pesanto asked the janitor.

“It’s no problem, move the cleaners and the rat poison shelves. There should be room for another double desk.” The janitor smiled at the two Enforcers as he left.

“He’s a senile old fool.” Miyakuni lit up again. “But he’s alright.”

“Yeah, he is. Should we go to the Orientation assembly? See our new recruits and the new blood?”

“I suppose we are needed for an appearance. The Organized Parties expect it. By the way how is the situation for this year?” Miyakuni stubbed out her cigarette again and readjusted her Enforcer uniform. “Is my armband alright?”

“It looks fine. The racial borders are as they always are, no surprise. The T-trade is up and running already, first payment on Thursday. The Organized Parties have agreed to come down tomorrow and draw up territory and talk about the set up for the S-room. So everything looks good.”

“What do we do with the rookies?”

“Set them on Tray Watch. What else?” Pesanto smiled

“Of course. Same thing we did to the Chestnutts?” Miyakuni wiped her sunglasses clean. “That one with the bad writing. He could be a problem.”

Pesanto scoffed as the two walked to the auditorium. “All he knows is who the Organized Parties are and the existence of the T-trade. Only enough to look like a paranoid fool and, thanks to our rookies, he’s a convicted felon. Who’d believe him?”

“They were the ones who caught Chestnutt? That’s troubling.” Miyakuni frowned.

“I pulled their records. They’re two kids who believe in right and wrong, know about gray, and believe that justice will prevail.” The two entered the auditorium; Principal Highsent was in the middle of ‘Opportunity Speech #2’. Pesanto scanned the west bleachers, the one filled to the point of near breaking with freshmen, he pointed at two. “That’s them, the black kid and the Goth sitting together, Cornelius Fillmore and Ingrid Third.”

“They seem to be bright ready and eager. Man, that brings back memories doesn’t Pesto?”

He smiled and rolled his eyes at the mention of his old nickname. “Yes it does ‘Kuni’. They look like us, three years ago.”

Enforcers Pesanto and Miyakuni stood at attention staring down the West bleachers. The green shirt and orange armbands along with the sunglasses bored into the visions of everyone on that stand. The message was clear, they were the law, you did not mess with them. Ever.

In the East and North bleachers other eyes saw the two Enforcers and nodded with a smile. Pesanto and Miyakuni were the best of the best, and most importantly they knew how things worked in High School.

“That’s them Fillmore. Those two by the door.” Ingrid Third pointed at the two figures staring down the freshmen.

“Only two people are on the Safety Patrol? For a school this big? They must be good.” Cornelius Fillmore looked at the two rather imposing characters.

“They’re called Enforcers here, and they’re better than good. That’s Jacob Pesanto and Helen Miyakuni. The only-“

“The only two Safety Patrollers who have a longer record of successful busts than the Chestnutts. I know. They’re legends.”

“Is anyone else going to be joining the Enforcers?”

“No. The…Enforcers,” Fillmore didn’t really like the name. It made them sound like a military unit. “Anyone who joins the Enforcers has to relinquish all other groups and organizations in return for the…” Fillmore grasped for the word.

“Power?” Ingrid supplied. “They say the Enforcers are little more than bullies with a badge. The stories I hear that they make the patriot act look like the ethics of the ‘60s.”

“It’s not as simple as that. You have to be tough, just look at this school body. The gangs, the cliques, and it has more than twice as many clubs as X Middle School did. And with only two people? No wonder they have to crack down.”

“You’re just excited to be working with Pesanto and Miyakuni.” Ingrid said smiling.

“Well why not? They’re legends. It’s an honor to be wor-“

“THIS IS ALL LIES!! YOU ARE ALL LAUGHING AT ME!!” Someone in the North bleachers had jumped up screaming nonsense. Fillmore and Ingrid gasped as they saw the gun he was waving around.

Almost immediately the two Enforcers were dashing across the gym floor. Miyakuni grabbed one of the basketballs in the basket. They were there for the traditional contest where the Seniors humiliated the Freshmen. She hurled the ball at the screaming boy. It hit his hand and caused him to lose focus on his gun, and be distracted from his rant. It was more than enough for Pesanto, he had reached the bleachers and using the first step as a springboard launched himself at the would-be gunner. He tacked him hard and the two fell beneath the bleachers through the gap. He swatted the gun out of the boy’s hand and it skittered across the floor to where Miyakuni picked it up. In the span of a few seconds she had ejected the clip and taken out the bullet in the chamber.

“Clear!” She cried.

“Clear!” Pesanto said as he pulled the strap tight on the plastic handcuffs around his wrists.

Dead silence as the two Enforcers took the disturbed teenager out of the gym to, presumably, the proper authorities. The West bleachers were shocked, horrified, and enthralled. If there were any doubts about the Enforcer’s authority it was gone. Fillmore and Third were amazed. They were more than just good, more than legends, they were absolutely amazing.

“A gun?” Ingrid choked.

“Are you going to question the validity of the Enforcers power?” Fillmore said in a shocked monotone.

Ingrid could only shake her head.

Later that same day the two teens came to the Enforcer Office/Supply Closet. Neither of them could grasp why the school hadn’t dismissed everyone. The only thing that had happened was the police had came, a few people gave statements to the police, and the day had proceeded. It was surreal.

“They work in a supply closet?” Ingrid asked.

“I suppose the budget is spread thinner here.” Fillmore reached out to knock on the door then he stopped. “There’s someone in there.” He gestured for Ingrid to be quiet as the put their ears to the door.

“-need to be informed. Blanks or not.” Pesanto was pissed, but he was talking calmly like he wanted to not upset the listener.

“It was like necessary.” A female voice said.

“No one is gonna even think about dissin you dude.” A deep male voice.

“It doesn’t matter.” Miyakuni this time. “It sets a bad tone, it could inspire others, and it’s a stupid dangerous thing to do. They could have panicked, someone could have gotten really hurt.”

“You’ve crossed a line. This was reckless and stupid.” Pesanto again.

“WE will be the ones telling you where the line is OFFICER.” Another female voice, this one had an accent, couldn’t tell what. “And right now you are dangerously close to that line.”

“Now, now. This is very unproductive.” A soft male voice. “It was a bit too much, but there is no need to worry. My parents will keep any repercussions from happening.”

“Fine.” Pesanto one more time. “However, I am delaying the S-room for two weeks.”

“Also the T-trade for this week is halved AND free protection to the Outliers for a month.” Miyakuni who was also pissed.

“WHAT?!” The two female voices.

“Dude, no way! The S-room HAS to be up this week, if we delay it for week and it wont be ready for homecoming!” The deep male.

“The OUTLIERS?!” The accented female. “They’re less than human!”

“ENOUGH!” The softer male voice. The other three voices went quiet. “Your terms are acceptable. We will be back tomorrow to draw up lines.”

“Fine.” Pesanto stated. The sound of a scraping of a chair. “It’s good to know that you are reasonable people.”

“As are you Officers, as are you.” The soft voice.

The door opened suddenly and four people left the closet. An Asian female in a pink miniskirt and a designer shirt, an African-American in a letterman jacket, a Caucasian woman in casual clothes, and finally a small, rail thin Caucasian Male who looked like he came from a boarding school. Black slacks, white button down shirt, and a black tie. They stopped and looked at Fillmore and Ingrid. The two shrank back; they had a feeling like they were two little guppies staring into the faces of four Great White Sharks.

“Are these the two recruits you spoke of Officer Pesanto?” The small teenager said, his eyes not leaving Fillmore’s face.

“Yes. They are.” Pesanto said nervously.

“They just arrived, they don’t know anything about High School.” Miyakuni said quickly.

“I see. Cornelius Fillmore and Ingrid Third, I’ve heard a lot about you. The two mischief-makers that turned into X Middle School’s finest. Well, lets hope you continue that trend here as well. We could always use more Enforcers, especially when the old ones move on.” He shot the two Enforcers a pleasant look with a smile. “Well have a nice day.” The four teens walked away to the cafeteria.

“So!” Pesanto had come out from the Supply Closet and smiled at the two. “Welcome to X High School and the noble ranks of the Enforcers. I have high hopes for the both of you.”