"What's wrong with you?" Were the first words that came out of Jimmy's mouth. He wasn't holding anything back from Amelie, not when she had already (obviously) gone so far with Gary and hadn't realized how fucked she was.

"What's wrong with me?" Amelie's eyes widened in awe. "I didn't know it was a crime to be someone's friend." Jimmy snorted, interrupting her. "Yeah, because friends just like to hang out and fuck during their free time. Look, I know what you're doing with him. And fine, if you're into that kind of thing, being hurt, ruining your non-existent rep at Bullworth, fine. But I wanted to warn you. And I want you to seriously think about what I'm saying."

Jimmy took a long gulp of his soda and then slammed the can back on the table. Amelie stayed quiet, feeling hopeless. Jimmy looked down at his hands, playing with the soda. "He told you about what he did." Jimmy stated without looking up.

Amelie felt her heart start racing. Oh god, here it comes. Just stay calm. "Well, a girl told me, Christy was her name, I think."

Jimmy sighed. "So, he never told you?"

Amelie pursed her lips. She recalled back to when Gary and her were on the shore, sharing a cigarette and talking about their problems. Gary had opened up to her about the psychological warfare in his mind, which was a feat she thought nearly impossible for him. A product of domestic abuse. A so-called crazy kid that needed sedative meds. He admitted his faults.

Jimmy look up at Amelie's face, which looked thoughtful. "Well? Did he tell you or not? Or did you find out the hard way, like I did?"

She slumped her shoulders and looked back at Jimmy's fierce colored eyes. "Not in so many words. But he told me about his past. About Happy Volts and about his parents and—"

"And now it's all fine and dandy? There's a reason he didn't tell you that stuff. He's trying to use you, Amelie." Jimmy slammed down his drink after finishing the rest of the can. "Why wouldn't he just tell you when he met you so you knew upfront he was a psycho? Oh right," Jimmy said heatedly to himself, "He's a manipulator. Gary doesn't want you to know that he hasn't changed. Not since the moment he stepped foot in Bullworth, since he left Happy Volts, or since he met you."

Amelie was now shaking from the rush of adrenaline. "H-how would you know…" She stuttered.

"HAH!" Jimmy laughed out loud. He made a face like he was sincerely amused, then his face turned into a deep frown. "Why the fuck would you want to be with someone like that. Honestly. Are you a masochist or just stupid?"

Aaaaaand… here are the tears. Just in time.

Small, clear teardrops fell from Amelie's eyes and ran down her rosy cheeks. She put her hands up to her face, shielding her expression from Jimmy. "No," she replied, in between small sobs. "I'm not stupid."

With a loud sigh, Jimmy got up from his seat and sat down next to Amelie on the other side of the table. He tentatively put his hand on her shoulder, letting Amelie rest her head onto his chest and cry. He looked down at her and relaxed his face, feeling bad. This obviously wasn't the right way to approach the situation, but he said what needed to be said. And who knows, maybe Amelie could learn from this before having her heart broken, or worse.

"Shh..." Jimmy shushed her, patting her on the back. "I'm not trying to be mean to you. Like I said, I'm just trying to help. And I know it's not easy. I got screwed over by Gary. I know it's hard." Amelie stayed silently, still letting her chest rise and fall from the sobs. Jimmy patted her once more then gently pulled himself away from her. Amelie sat up and looked up with her tear-stained face. Jimmy couldn't bring himself to make her anymore upset.

"Okay… I'm sorry for calling you stupid. But I'm not sorry for what I said about Gary. Look, if you ever want to talk to somebody, I'm here. I'm always in the courtyard by the boy's dorm around nine at night. Come see me if you need to." He slowly untangled himself from the table bench.

"And hey," Jimmy called. Amelie turned around in her seat. "Stay safe."

Stay safe.

Stay safe.

How am I not staying safe?

Gary helped me stay safe my first night here…

Amelie had to leave the cafeteria for fear that people might see her crying and ask her what was wrong. After Jimmy left, she had walked to the library and found a nice, quiet spot in the corner of the building to collect her thoughts.

He did hold me up by my dress that one time.

The look in his eyes was scary.

But other than that, she had no reason to be afraid. Sure, more than one person had warned her about Gary. In fact, three people had: Christy, Pete, and Jimmy. But for some reason, Amelie didn't overthink about Gary's time in a mental hospital, or the time he tried to overtake the school. What mattered was now. And the way he was acting now made Amelie feel so loved and wanted, which she never had known before.

But all of this was stressing her out, and her chest pain was acting up because of it. It was hard to be around Gary and the drama surrounding him. So she was going to relish in this peace and try to compose herself. In her favorite spot: the library.

From her secluded spot in the library, Amelie heard a muffling of voices coming from nearby. Shit, your face is probably still read and people are making fun of you. Way to go, crybaby. Her inner voice never shut up. I guess the saying is true that you are your own biggest critic.

"Now who wants to sign up for the meet next weekend? I think we need to bring four people to compete, but we can have some extras too." A male voice was talking, coming a few bookshelves away from Amelie. She moved from behind a bookshelf to peek at who was talking. A bunch of guys in green plaid oxford shirts, almost all of them with glasses, were huddled around each other in a group. The one that had been talking had red hair and had a round face. "C'mon people, I know we just started classes and we don't want to get behind, but we can't afford to get behind in the competition this year." The other boys looked at each other, unsure if they should volunteer or not.

Since the school's cliques had disbanded, people mostly hung out in diverse groups, not labeling themselves as a Prep or a Jock and pitting themselves against other groups. However, it seemed like this group was still a bunch of Nerds.

"Okay, I'm going." A black haired, lanky boy stood up and raised his hand. "I've been practicing my math flashcards this summer."

The red haired boy grinned. "Alright, so that's two including me. Who else?"

"I will," A short, fair-haired Nerd stood up. "Count me in for the history portion. I've seen 32 documentaries this summer. Four of them exclusively on Theodore Roosevelt."

The other Nerds seemed a little more confident, now seeing who would take the last spot for the competition. "Okay, one more. And don't forget gentlemen, this competition counts towards your attendance to see who gets to go to the regional championship. It's in New York this year." The boy beamed proudly.

Amelie stayed watching the boys from her spot by the bookshelves. Looking through the group of boys, she gasped when she spotted Pete sitting amongst the nerds in a green plaid shirt. Was this the academia club Pete had been telling her about?

Pete shuffled his feet, waiting for someone else to speak up. "So we have math, science, history, and literature. Are you saying you guys haven't been studying over the summer?" The black haired boy questioned the group.

Hey, you know about literature. Go ask. Make a friend. Don't be scared all your life.

Joining the club didn't sound like a bad idea. Although, it was nerve-wracking talking to a group, they weren't Jocks or anything. She might even fit in.

Amelie strode over to the table while the boys turned and stared at her in shock. She glanced at Pete and gave him a small smile, sitting in the chair next to him. The leader of the group didn't take his eyes off Amelie. "Um… who are you?" He muttered.

Amelie forced a big smile and tucked her hair behind her ear. "My name's Amelie Engel, and I was wondering if I could join your club. I'm new here and—"

"Wait," a wiry boy with a bunch of freckles interrupted her. "Amelie Engel? You're a Spelling Bee Legend. You're from Florida, right?"

Her eyes widened and she nodded. "Yeah, I've won the state Bee a few times. But it's really not that cool," she said modestly.

The other Nerds guffawed. "I saw you at Nationals. That's great you competed so much." The same boy chirped.

Amelie blushed, feeling glad that she talked to them. "Yep! I've never been in an academic competition, but I'm used to that atmosphere. I think I could help you guys with literature especially." Amelie looked to the red-haired leader. "Can I go on your competition? You don't have to let me compete, I just want to see how it works."

After deliberating with the boys next to him, the boy nodded. "Sure, you can come. And it'll be even better that you're there because each group is required at least one girl!"

The other Nerds cheered and Amelie laughed, partly insulted she was being considered for being a girl. Nonetheless, she was determined to do well and maybe even get the chance to get to New York.

Who knows, maybe this would take her mind off Gary. And maybe that's what she wanted.