Bad Boy Boogie

B a d B o y B o o g i e

Fictional Novel by In Loving Memory


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Summary: Cody has done some pretty stupid things in his life. But snogging the pants off a guy who’s rumoured to have mafia connections and then blackmailing him to be your bodyguard against other thugs has to rank in the top three.

Author Notes: Well. The attention this has got has certainly exceeded my expectations (and dreams), so thank you very much. Hope this chapter isn't too muh of a disappointment!


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Chapter Two

Kung-fu Devil


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My father once told me that ‘if you find yourself cornered by three big fuckers who are out to beat the crap out of you, then take the leader down with a punch to the face and the others will be too chicken shit to take you on’.


Well, that was all well and good if you could take the biggest fucker down in the first place and you weren’t a helpless skinny midget like me.


I was by no means a fighter. I liked to think of myself as a non-violent type of guy who would rather settle things by calmly talking the problem out (Translation: squirming out of danger by boring them to death with my grandfather’s war stories so they lose interest) rather than bellowing out a war cry and jumping in with fists pumping and teeth flying. It probably had more to do with the fact that I was barely five foot three and had to get my Mother to open the jar of raspberry jam I liked on my toast. The little buggers had child locks on them or something.

My mother would always tut at such ‘advice’ and would strongly protest at the idea of her son doing something so violent. Boys like her sweet little darling weren’t born to fight, especially taking on boys who were double his size and twice his weight. I would be better off talking to them and if that didn’t work then run like hell in the opposite direction.


I would just smirk in reply. The fact that we lived in a rough area put me at a disadvantage. Gangs were common on the street and violence was just day-to-day life in ‘da neighbourhood. It wasn’t my fault that trouble followed me around like some kind of bad smell. I just liked proving the point that I wasn’t going to back down to some bully who thinks I’m an easy way of getting lunch money every single day.

I had never been much of a fast sprinter, anyway.

Narrowing my green eyes on the biggest thug who was standing right in front of me, I clenched my fist and aimed for the centre of the thug’s face, knuckles smashing against the bone of his nose.

Touchdown!


The moment of triumph quickly disappeared as pain blossomed in my hand from the contact and I cradled my wrist, massaging feeling back into my knuckles. Awareness soon came rushing back and I looked guiltily up at the now furious thug. The guys behind him were ominously cracking their knuckles and leering at me like mangy hounds that had caught a whiff of their next meal.

The leader had barely moved an inch from my blow and the only proof of ever actually hitting him was a slight pink tint across the bridge of his nose. He looked ready to rip my head off and use it as a basketball.

I let out a nervous little giggle. “Um…. whoops?”


“Whoops isn’t going to cut it, princess.” The leader growled. He pressed a large palm against my shoulder and shoved me forcefully until my back collided with the rough concrete wall behind me. The air in my lungs came out in a wheeze and pain lanced up my spine from the collision.

Unable to stop myself, I sneered up at him. “Princess? Who the hell are you calling princess, you good for anything asshole? Hitting someone smaller and younger than you makes you feel tough, does it? If-“

At that moment, I really wished I had clamped my mouth shut and just taken the insult like a good little princess. Instead, my mouth had earned me a sucker punch to the stomach and I curled in on myself and fell to my knees. At least I hadn’t made an embarrassing noise that made me look like a pathetic pansy.

“For someone who is so weak and helpless, you sure have a nasty mouth on ya. Right boys?” He asked his cronies who all laughed and chorused ‘yeah, boss’ like good little puppets.

I just clenched my eyes shut, water leaking from the corners to run down my cheeks. Owie.

Perhaps now was the good time to take the chance and leg it like the hounds of hell were snapping at my heels. Maybe, if I exaggerated my injuries just a teeny bit, my mother would take pity on him and let me stay off school to watch crappy soaps and eat a bucket load of Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream I knew my father was hiding.

‘I should have aimed for the crotch…’


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“Dude, what the hell happened to you?” Donnie asked as I pushed in to the lunch queue beside him and cheerfully waved at the protesters behind me. “Had a run-in with a grizzly bear or something?”

“Or something,” I grumbled as I grabbed a can of Dr pepper from the army of drinks at the bar. Donnie reached for a carton of milk and proceeded down the lunch line. I gave a crooked grin at his choice and he chose to ignore it. “I got caught by Saunders and his gang on my way to school today.”

Donnie looked up from his perusal of the plates of food to stare at me in concern. “Dude, not again.” He groaned.

I shrugged. Even shrugging hurt. Obviously spines and brick walls were not a great combination. “Dude, again.” Food for today was lasagne, curry or fish and chips. I chose a large slice of cheesy lasagne and a healthy portion of chips while muttering curses at myself. I picked up my tray, moodily snatching a piece of chocolate cake from the dessert cart and heading over to our usual table towards the back of the crowded dinner hall.

Donnie quickly scrambled after me, choosing the curry and skipping right over the cake in his hurry to catch up and grill me for information. If there was one thing Donnie was good at, it was gleaning information with a series of cute expressions and the doe eyes. I find it endlessly amusing when this happens, since his whole image is so at odds with his choirboy face. He sported a blood red t-shirt with the ‘psst, God hates you’ slogan and baggy faded jeans that were ripped in several places and patched up with punk logo patches and pins. His messy sky blue Mohawk (he said it matched his eyes) was probably the most startling of all.

“Alright, spill the beans,” Donnie said in a commanding voice as he set his tray down on the table and sat opposite me.

“I don’t have any beans,” I countered with a mouthful of hot food. Donnie just raised his eyebrow at me in disgust.


“You know what I mean, idiot.” He began shovelling the curry into his mouth like it wasn’t actually hot. The school’s cook put a whole load of curry powder in it in her way of revenge against ‘ungrateful brats’ such as ourselves. Donnie didn’t even flinch.

I sighed and ate at a more leisurely place. “Not much to report, really. They didn’t let me off easily this time.” I couldn’t help the childish whine from entering my voice, but what the hell. My friend would give me some sympathy for the pain and humiliation I went through.

“You couldn’t keep your mouth shut again, could you?” Donnie deadpanned.

Sympathy, my arse.

“Hey, could you take that kind of crap and keep your mouth shut?” I asked defensively.

“Probably not,” Donnie conceded and I smiled triumphantly at him. He smiled sweetly back. “But I wouldn’t deliberately go out of my way and provoke them.”

I was about to defend my honour when the sound of another tray hitting our table and the squeal of a chair being dragged across the floor broke me off. I jerked my head around to see our friend, Chloe, take the spot between us at the head of the table. Now this girl was pretty hard to put into a stereotype. One look at her and you would naturally assume she was a bimbo. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and slender with killer legs. But she was far from the bimbo you see everywhere. A self-confessed feminist, this girl had to be the most high-strung, cheerleading-hater, man-killer that I had ever met.

I’m just glad that Chloe was Donnie’s next-door neighbour and not mine. The two of them had been friends since playschool and quite the interesting combination. While Donnie was tactful and knew when to be serious, Chloe was brash, a rather in-your-face sort of person and was never one to mince her words. Despite her gregarious and sometimes outright rude personality, she was a good person and never failed to put a smile on your face.


Chloe took one look at my face and whistled. “Who socked you one and left that massive shiner?” She reached out to touch it and I batted her hand away.

“No touchie!” I slapped her hand away from my face and mock glared.


She smiled sickly sweet. “Shame, it ruins your rugged good looks.” This, of course, was an inside joke between us. Or rather, an inside joke between Donnie and Chloe at my expense. I was anything but rugged and manly. I was incredibly short for my age and had no muscle tone. In fact, I was quite curvy, which is a little mortifying. I make up for it by wearing baggy jeans and big hoodys that have manly and aggressive logos. It probably didn’t help that I had longish blonde hair and wide green eyes. It makes me look perpetually scared. I try to narrow them but Chloe tells me I look constipated.


Donnie decided to answer for me since I wasn’t so forthcoming with an explanation. He’s a decent guy like that. “Cody got his ass handed to him by Saunders and his crew.”


Chloe’s eyebrows disappeared beneath her fringe line, making her look like a surprised cow. “Huh. They are starting early today, aren’t they? Normally they try to corner you after school.”

I shrugged despondently and went back to my half-eaten meal. “I guess they are running out of victims to beat the crap out of. I get extra special attention.”


Chloe nodded sagely. “You should feel honoured.”

Donnie elbowed her in the side and cast a concerned glance at me. “All kidding aside, this is getting stupid. Something has to be done or you’re going to get seriously hurt.” I get the distinct feeling of being a tiny insect under the microscope and Donnie’s the mad scientist, with milk-bottle glasses and white fluffy hair to boot. Definitely not a comfortable feeling, I can tell you.


I raised an eyebrow. “Well then, what do I suggest I do? I’ve changed the route that I take to and from school at least four times but he must have spies or something. He keeps finding me.”


Donnie’s eyes lit up. “How about telling a teacher?”


Chloe smacked him around the head without even glancing at him and Donnie glared at her. “Don’t be so stupid, Donnie. All they will get is a boring lecture and a tap on the wrist for being naughty little boys. School can’t do shit when it doesn’t happen on school grounds. Besides, it will only make them more angry and baying for Cody’s blood.”

“Alright, alright. No need to get violent with me,” Donnie grumbled while rubbing the saw spot on the side of his head.


Chloe waves her head absently. “I’m just trying to slap the idiot out of you.”


Donnie gestured wildly at me. “What about Cody? He’s more of an idiot than I am!”

I hold my hands up. “Hey, I already had the idiot slapped out of me. I am all slapped out. It’s your turn.”

“I will be the judge of that.” Chloe’s hand inches towards my head and I decide to do a speedy change of subject.

“I thought you guys were trying to figure out a solution to my problem and not add to my injuries?”

“I think this is more fin, don’t you thi-“

Chloe was suddenly cut off by a roaring war cry and we all turned around in time to see Ashley James, a particularly dumb jock who was the size of a double-decker bus, take off across the food hall towards a couple on the other side. Upon closer inspection, we saw Ashley’s ‘supposed’ girlfriend (don’t remember her name, some cheerleader or other) in the arms of another senior.

I was expecting to see a look of sheer terror cross over the senior’s face but he just stood there, eyes unwavering and a cocky quirk to the mouth as if he thought this whole thing was terribly amusing.

This guy was so dead.


I was already silently saying my prayers for the senior, who was soon to be mince meat, when he suddenly burst into action and ducked beneath Ashley’s flying fist and sent his elbow into the jock’s stomach. The crowed ‘ooohed’ in wincing sympathy as Ashley doubled over with a pained squeak. As Ashley went down, the senior went with him with reigning blows to the face and chest. A ring of spectators soon emerged; screaming encouragement to them and the pair of brawlers disappeared from view.

I turned back with wide eyes to my friends who had identical expressions of incredulous awe. At the same time, we leapt up from our seats and onto the table so we could get a better view of the fight.

“I can’t believe he’s winning against Ashley!” Chloe squealed, clapping her hands in delight. We all cheered as Ashley took a solid punch to the nose, blood spurting down his face.

Watching the senior fight had to be the highlight of my day. I had never seen anyone fight like him that weren’t in some movie or other. He didn’t look like a fighter. He was tall, lithe and lightly muscled. His dark hair had copper highlights and was longer than the usual cut and it got into his eyes, obscuring their colour.

Haggard teachers soon darted into the fray and pulled them apart with great difficulty. Ashley was still clawing at the air to get closer to the other Senior. They were quickly dragged from the hall still hurling insults at each other while the crowed was dispersed with mutters and protests.

We clapped and jumped back down into our seats before the evil eyes of the teachers landed on our sorry asses.

“I knew Brighton was a good fighter, but I had no idea he was that good.” Donnie commented as he pushed his food tray to the side, eating forgotten.

I raised my eyebrow. “Who?” They both stared at me as if I had just said that sheep reminded me of large tampons. “What?”

“Are you taking the piss?” Chloe demanded.

“Why would I be taking the piss about someone I don’t know?”

“Because if you weren’t you would have to be taking stupidity to a whole new level.” Chloe informed with a shake of her head. Donnie put a hand on my shoulder to stop me from lunging over the table and strangling the life out of her.

“Cool it, guys.” He warned before directing his attention on to me. “We were just surprised you didn’t know him, that’s all.”

I crossed my arms in front of me and pouted. “I don’t see how you could be surprised. About 2000 students go to our school. Not knowing one of them isn’t a crime.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Anyone else, it wouldn’t be a crime. But Brighton isn’t just anyone. He’s part of the mafia.”

I tried to be serious. Really, I did. For about two seconds. I burst out laughing. “Oh, come on! Where the hell did you hear that?”

“Everyone knows it!” Chloe protested indignantly. “His dad is like an Italian mafia boss or something.”

“Right. And his dad would name his Italian son ‘Brighton’. He doesn’t even look Italian.” I guffawed again. HA.
Mafia.



“Fine, don’t believe it. But he is in a gang. He has their signia tattooed on his wrist. They are really badass. I heard they took on a whole load of gangs in the city at the same time and won.”

Now I could readily believe that. The whole story of his gang taking on a bunch of other gangs may be wildly exaggerated but the way he fought the great oaf Ashley told me he was very used to it. Especially used to winning.

Donnie stared after the boys who were now long gone. “I heard he got expelled from his previous school for starting a fire in his cooking class.”

“I heard it was because he bit the head off of a chicken and drank its blood.” Chloe mused. “God, he is so fucking hot.”

We stared at her for a couple of seconds. “Ew.”

Chloe’s eyes lit up and she laughed. “Hey Cody, maybe you could get Brighton to be your personal bodyguard and he could fight off all of your bullies for you. Oooh, and maybe you could get his phone number for me.” She grinned cheekily at me and I scowled.

“I’m not your damn pimp, Chloe. And there is no way in hell I am entrusting my well being to someone who bites the heads off of chickens! I think I will pass, thanks.”

Chickens? Ugh.


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In hindsight it was a pretty stupid thing to do. Thinking about it, pretty dangerous too. But when I have in my possession a Bunsen burner and different flammable objects, I just can’t help myself.

Said flammable objects being Laura Frame’s hairbrush. In my defence, the hussy sat at the desk in front of me and kept brushing her hair, leaving strands of it all over my work. I asked her nicely to stop it. She gave me a scathing look of utter contempt and ignored me. I set fire to her hairbrush.

Simple.

After being yelled at for what felt like an hour, I got my ass tossed out of the class and into the principal’s office. What joy.

On my way towards the office, Brighton was heading back from what I guessed was his talk with the Principal. For some reason I grew nervous, my fingers itching to wring themselves in the pockets of my school trousers. What happens if he looks at me? Would he beat the shit out of me if I made eye contact?

I didn’t really have the chance to think of what to do. His eyes landed on me and I literally froze. Since I was too far away when we saw him at lunch and his hair had obstructed the view, I finally saw the colour of his eyes and it made me swallow hard.

They were grey.

I don’t know why it stopped me in my tracks. I have seen grey eyes before. Bit on this guy, it was just….I don’t know.

Intense, maybe.

He noticed me staring and a smirk tugged at his lips. He probably thought I had stopped because I was frightened of him. Was I? “Enjoyed the show?” His voice was deceptively soft but it carried.

I swallowed, trying to get my throat to work properly. “It was certainly something.” I manage to say, completely devoid of my usual snarkiness.


I don’t think he was expecting me to answer, because he stopped beside me and kept me in his gaze for what felt like ages. It was only then that I realized he was a whole head taller than me and I felt horribly vulnerable having to look up at him.


I wasn’t too sure what I was supposed to do, so I waited for his next move. I didn’t have to wait long. The smirk/frown thing was suddenly replaced with a tight-lipped smile. Obviously this guy wasn’t used to any other expression other than smirking. “I’m glad you liked it.”

And then he was sauntering down the corridor and leaving me there to gawp at his back.

And people call me strange.

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To Be Continued...


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