Canis Canem Edit

Pairings: Gary/Petey, with some Jimmy/Petey (triangle goodness!)

Warnings: Language and Adult Situations

Overall Rating: M

Summary: Post-End Game. One year has passed since the uproar, and slowly Bullworth has settled back to normal… Or perhaps, it is the calm before the storm.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rockstar and anyone else I might have missed. On the off chance an OC makes an appearance, credit goes to the authoress. All characters are of legal age.

Chapter One: Wake Up Call

It was a rather chilly day for the spring season in the town of Bullworth. Many were still in sweatshirts or thick jackets, others with scarves and then the weakest donned all three. Usually it was warmer by now, so many found the extended winter weather unpleasant.

James Hopkins particularly was displeased as he trudged out from the warm Boys Dormitory. It had been two years since his row with Gary, and a year settling back into Bullworth Academy as top dog. He had gained a good head of height to his fairly strong frame, which left him looking a bit more balanced. Bright ginger hair was kept to a short-medium men's cut with the bangs swept up and off to the right.

He was mainly disgruntled because he hadn't yet gotten around to updating his wardrobe after his growth spurt. This left him in the blue vale sweater vest and white undershirt, all far too small, and some old black sweats. Screw the prefects' rants about dress code; he was not going to walk around freezing his balls off because the dress slacks were too damn tight and thin.

Not far behind Jimmy trailed out his friend, loosely termed, Peter Kowalski.

Pete was cozy in his blue long sleeved Bullworth sweatshirt and winter slacks. Of all the other senior students, he was still the smallest though he had grown half a foot since. His chocolate hair was still kept rather short, since the thought of the unruly curls growing any longer made him antsy; the less ammo for taunting, the better.

He had rather hoped he would have more spine as Head Boy, but he still received a lot of the same treatment as when he first arrived. If it weren't for Jimmy, he'd probably be stuffed in a trash can every other hour.

He rushed down the stairs and ran to catch up to Jimmy's side, always trailing a little behind however. He kept his hands in his pockets where they would stay warm and offered a small smile to the taller male. "Had to wait last minute to size up your clothes," he commented with a light, teasing air. James snorted flippantly and muttered. Petey laughed as they passed by a group of jocks peering their way, concluding they would have to wait until Jimmy was gone to try anything on him.

Although he still had no real close friends, Jimmy was the only one that fit the bill best. The protection that came with it was merely a bonus; at first there had been groups approaching him, wanting to rub elbows until the hype from what happened that freshmen year died off. Then it was back to normal, for the most part.

While Petey did what he could to not think of the incident those years back, there was many times where he couldn't keep the thoughts suppressed.

He hadn't seen Gary Smith since he'd been hauled away to Happy Volts Asylum, perhaps for the best. There was a panic, one that bordered on fear, that he might not ever see the other boy again. The worry grew with time. Yes, Gary had tormented the ever living crap out of him, but at least he acknowledged his existence to some degree. Never mind the strange pattern his heart would beat at the thought of the dark chocolate eyes focused on him once more.

"Let's hit the clothes shop before class, m'fuckin' freezin' my ass off" Jimmy grumbled, bringing Petey out from reflecting on things he'd rather not at the moment. The shorter of the duo nodded and followed along as the direction changed for their bikes by auto class.

While Jimmy had the fastest around, Petey had to settle for what he could afford. The canary yellow BMX did its job in getting him where he needed, albeit slightly slower than Hopkins' slick blue racer. Glancing his watch to check their time before setting off, Pete judged they had forty minutes to spend getting there, getting the clothes and being back in time for English.

It took all of maybe seven minutes to get to the main shopping district, and two to figure out which clothes store to give business to. Jimmy led the way and wasted no time in grabbing things off the racks to change into. Before disappearing to the dressing room, he handed off his wallet to Petey. "Hold this. I don't wanna lose it or some bullshit while I change."

Nodding, Peter smiled as he turned to browse around and stick the item in his pocket, but collided right into a much larger man in the shop. Knocked back, he caught himself before he fell and scrambled to straighten himself "Sorry Sir!"

The large man was dressed mostly in black and seemed rather shady, but flashed a quick grin and shook his head "My fault."

Smiling politely Petey watched the man briefly weave out of the shop. He smoothed out his sweatshirt some and was about to see if there were any jeans on sale before Jimmy emerged from the back. He was now comfortably dressed in a black sweatshirt and dark jeans, even a new pair of sneakers. The old clothes were no where to be seen, so it was guessed that he was just going to leave them behind.

He smiled as the redhead walked up to him, and faltered for a moment when an expectant hand shot out. Peter rushed to hand the wallet back but suddenly realized just how empty his pockets were, and right about that moment his stomach hit his toes with a realization. "Oh shit!"

James blinked a little in confusion at the outburst before he found no old leather wallet returning from the small brunette. He scowled and growled lightly "Where's my wallet Petey?"

Panic. "I just had it Jimmy, I swear!" Peter almost danced in place as he realized the man before must have yoinked it after the purposeful collision. He shrank when his ginger-haired companion suddenly seemed to be growing larger and he could see and hear the temper gauge rising, "Where is my wallet?"

"I-! Th-the guy that ran into me! He must have stolen it when he did! Oh God, I'm sorry Jimmy, I—," the stammered, rushed words were cut short by a more vehement growl. "Stolen?" Jimmy's fingers flexed some as he kept himself from throttling little Peter, "You gotta go get it, I can't leave wearin' crap I haven't paid for, an' I'm not gonna change an' freeze my ass off lookin' for it!" he hissed lowly. The shop clerk peered at them curiously from the register up front.

His throat went dry, "Me?"

"Yes, you!" James reiterated and started shoving him for the door, "Take my bike, and you'd better not lose that too or I swear" he broke off with a heated grunt.

Trying to get a word of argument in, some sort of denial to this sudden decision, Peter's jumbled words went unheard and he was unceremoniously shoved outside. He rounded right away on his heel to go back in but stopped dead at the look Jimmy set on him from behind the glass barrier. He swallowed thickly.

Hesitating only for a moment before trudging to the blue racer, ridiculously intimidating now, and climbed on. He looked everywhere when he set out, trying to find the large shadowy figure from before and wondering why he hadn't gotten a better look at the face.

'Rotten luck,' Pete thought miserably as wind whipped around him, peddling for all he was worth. The man couldn't have gotten very far, unless there was a car involved. In which case, he was fucked.

Very nearly mowing down an elderly woman, he chanced a look to his watch and his heart sped faster in panic; twenty minutes.

Petey had come to the conclusion that he might die by the end of the day.

Aside from having five minutes left to find the thief and get back to Jimmy in one piece, there would be a sure scolding when they got back to school having missed a class. Peter had pretty much gone in a loop and was just passing out of Blue Skies Industrial Park before Lady Luck smiled.

A black figure passed the corner of an eye and he whirled on the bike, breath catching in his throat, face numbed from the cold wind. There was the thief, skulking along the long road for Happy Volts. Petey ignored the minor ache in his chest and focused on the lurching of his stomach; he had a slim chance of mowing the guy down and nabbing the wallet.

With few options left, he hoped to any God that would listen he didn't vomit on the stranger when he was close enough, though that might come in handy for some other option. Pushing off with determination, shaky though it may be, Peter took aim of the man whose back was turned and started a new prayer that gravity would be kind to kind today.

Almost there…

Popping the bike back, the front wheel slammed right into the hulking frame with force to knock him down and then some. Peter's luck of gravity lasted that moment before losing his grip and tumbling off, the blue bike jetting ahead until crashing down on its side.

Although the fall took half the wind from him, he was quick to his feet and over to the burly man in a flash. Amber eyes searched desperately and he was almost afraid he'd have to somehow frisk the guy, when he realized said person was out cold. Must have hit his head on the asphalt, for which Peter felt a bit guilty for.

Moving cautiously, he shoved him onto his side with a foot and found the old worn wallet tucked in the inside of his coat.

Pete snatched it and checked to make sure everything was still inside, a wave of relief crashing down when nothing appeared to have been removed yet. One last glance to make sure there was no blood coming from the man, Petey turned and trotted to the racer, feeling a new sense of dread; he hoped the bike didn't sustain any damage that would get him skinned.

Righting it, a weight lifted from his shoulders when everything seemed fine. Still shiny, too.

He climbed on and kicked off, feeling a smile stretch his lips. He wasn't going to die. Jimmy would get his wallet back, nothing was stolen. He could handle a lecture from Crabblesnitch for missing class. All that mattered is that he would not die a bloody death at the hands of his friend.

Having not really paid attention to where he was going, Petey blinked when he realized he was almost to the gates of Happy Volts. The ache from before suddenly doubled and he slowed to a stop, not wanting to draw attention to himself as there was a rather expensive car parked and people conversing near it.

Although he knew he should be high tailing it back to the clothes shop, Peter felt almost compelled to look.

His heart raced with a new adrenaline, a new fear.

Eyes scanning the patients out on free roam, something churned and dropped in the pit of his stomach when there was no sight of him.

Joy slipping away from the previous triumph, he felt almost somber.

About to turn and go back like he should have, an outraged sort of sound from the elder visitor at the gate echoed.

"Take him back?" the old man sputtered, face gone a reddish tint. "You're just as mad as they are in those cells! He'll be eighteen in a week, I'll stick him back in some ruddy school but he'll no longer be our concern if I have anything to say about it!"

Something about the older man's words made the hairs rise on the back of Peter's neck. Some prickle of some emotion coiling within, one he couldn't quite decipher, nor was he sure he wanted to for fear it would be hope or something else.

They couldn't possibly be talking about…

He shook his head some, lips thinning. Muscles tensed as if to kick off again yet he remained frozen in place; this would surely eat at him. He had to know who they were talking about.

The conversation lowered again beyond hearing range, so he waited until the flustered old man got in the car and tore away. A moment afterward Peter found his legs acting before he told them to, nonchalantly cycling up to the guard by the gate. Stomach twisting nervously, an anxious smile spread across his face as he waved "Hey there!"

The guard looked to him with a slight curl of the lip, probably frustrated from the irate elder. Peter swallowed thickly and mustered what courage he could to make sure his speech was casual, "Fun with family, huh?" He hoped the man would be in a sharing mood.

The heavy guard chuffed and rolled his eyes, "Hardly. Old coot is making a stink about his grandson."

Struggling not to show a reaction, inwardly he almost had to replay those words; Gary never spoke of family. Maybe is wasn't him after all, then…

"Ah..," Peter nodded offhandedly, "Doesn't want him back?"

The guard shifted to a hip and seemed to relax, gauging that the smaller teen was no threat to his current headache. "Something like that. You know that nutcase kid a while back, came from Bullworth Academy?"

He couldn't conjure any words for the breath had caught in his throat, so he settled for a nod.

"Well, he's gonna be out in a week. S'been on good behaviour for a while, 'least that's what the quack inside said. But he needs t'be monitored to make sure he takes his meds, an' his immediate family is off in Peru or somewhere on extended vacation and the old man doesn't want him."

The guard frowned curiously some as he watched Peter's face drop for a moment. The latter male just nodded again mutely, somehow unsticking the tongue from the roof of his mouth for a low "Oh." A rather awkward pause stretched between them before he was able to form a coherent thought and speech, turning again to the heavy man "So… What's gonna happen to him?"

The guard shrugged lightly, "Well the old man said he's gonna stick him back in some school again. A caretaker can be assigned through the system to check in on him, I suppose… But I doubt any place'll want him after the stunt he pulled."

Peter nodded and gripped the handlebars of the bike so tightly his knuckles went sheet white. The smile was forced this time, "Well good luck with that mess."

The guard nodded and laughed mirthlessly, "Sure. Later kid."

This time there was no hesitance in taking off, and the cold wind hardly registered in the torrents of his mind. The scenery blurred as he sped back for the clothes shop, running on autopilot in a way so that he could digest what he'd just learned.

Gary would be getting out in a week. Did that mean he was cured, or were the doctors half-assing it like they usually did and calling him fit enough for society again? The old man mentioned sticking him in a school. No other academic facility in their right mind would take him in, not with the track record he carried and certainly not after the stunt two years ago.

Peter paled as he clambered off the bike, having parked it somewhere along the line. He walked slowly for the door, something cold and heavy striking the pit of his stomach.

Bullworth Academy was known for taking in the students no one else wanted, even ones that had almost destroyed their system once.

END A/N: I'm going back and putting the time breaks back in where they somehow got edited out now (arg). Also, my beloved italics are back. I apologize if I seemed to have missed a typo or two, I've done my best to re-polish this from the beginning to make it more enjoyable now for first-time readers; I never realized what had gotten reformated until I went back one night - ick! Please enjoy the fic now that it's all cleaned up!