Bully: Reunion

It's Alive! Business Empire Will Revitalize New Coventry
An Op/Ed Interview with Mr. Derby Harrington, Esq. by Roberta St. Clair

     Let's face it, everyone. Bullworth Township has Aquaberry en Mode and Premier Enterprises to thank for its induction into the enviable world of fashionable cities. Everyone can remember when the Bullworth Theater had just three screens instead of twenty-one. The night life just wouldn't be as bright without the beautiful Three Cranes Resort and Casino, attracting to Bullworth around 4,000 tourists per year, a dazzling amount for a township of 20,000. Yes, Bullworth wouldn't be the same without the man who made dreams into reality, raising the standard of living per capita and attracting valuable jobs to the area. That man is Mr. Howard L. Harrington, who makes his living in international trade in energy resources and commercial real state.

     The Harrington family was present in Bullworth upon its founding in 1895, watching it build up from a fishing village into the cosmopolitan town on the rise it is today. These English transplants cite hard work and solid family ties as the secrets to their success, and successful they have been: the senior Mr. Harrington has signed major deals with such companies as Whoa!Mart Inc. and Moonstags Coffee to buy real estate within the township. The lovingly rebuilt Bullworth Bay Boardwalk, aside from being a profitable and family-friendly recreation zone, is also a charming gift to the town.

     Now the senior Mr. Harrington is preparing to pass the time-honored crown of business down to his eldest son, the young Mr. Derby Harrington, Esq. (23). A recent Harville grad, Derby is heading into the law aspect of business, focusing on commercial law. The charming blond was all smiles when we met to discuss his fresh, savvy plans for Bullworth's future.

St. Clair: What can we expect to see happening this season in Bullworth?

Harrington: We are very much expecting to continue to bring in new opportunities to ease the suffering the recent economic recession has caused. Lay-offs have become a fact of life, and we find that to be completely unacceptable. Everyone should have a job.

St. C: What sort of jobs can we look forward to? Will these be sustainable jobs, or temporary work?

Harrington: A fair amount of it will be in construction, that's true. Once the construction is over, we'll most certainly need contractors to continue to maintain our beautiful new additions, and the incoming companies should continue to hire employees at a steady rate. There will be plenty of opportunities in the tourism and sales industries.

St. C: Bullworth has never been known before as a tourism town. What made Harrington Industries turn their focus onto that?

Harrington: (laughing) Well, you see... we've always adored the allure of the small New England town. I myself have numerous fond memories of growing up on the beach, exploring the docks, and being an all-around sportsman, if you will. We thought that encouraging tourism would be an excellent opportunity to share in our nostalgia for simpler times with the world... invite them to take off from the hustle and bustle of the large cities to enjoy a bit of New England hospitality.

St. C: (laughing) It's some hospitality, isn't it! I can't say that the Three Cranes Resort is a conventional New England bed and breakfast! What are your thoughts on Mr. William Crane's developments?

Harrington: Ah, Mr. Crane and I are very good friends. He has consulted my father on numerous occasions during the design of the resort, and we're all very proud of it. We didn't want to mindlessly copy every design aspect of every other New England city... we thought it'd be quite alright to infuse Bullworth with a little of the town's own personality, and thus the Three Cranes was born.

St. C: I see, and it really does have a personality of its own, doesn't it? Let's talk about personal matters for a moment. Was it strange for you, moving from Bullworth to such a famous city as Camden and back again?

Harrington: Not at all. In fact, it made me appreciate the charms of Bullworth that much more. I've always been a homebody, really. (smiling) I've had numerous opportunities to spend time in New York and such for internships, but nothing ever really compared to what we have here [in Bullworth].

St. C: A homebody, really? That's wonderful, especially when the economy these days is turning everyone away, making them want to run for cover and all that. It's nice to hear from somebody who's intent on sticking around.

Harrington: (smiling) Thank you.

St. C: So, tell me a little more about your personal life. Have you rekindled any friendships since your return to Bullworth? Recently, Bullworth Academy, your alma mater, had a reunion, is that correct?

Harrington: Yes, Ms. St. Clair, that is correct... The highlight absolutely was rekindling old friendships with all of my old acquaintances. It was a pleasure to see Mr. Tad Spencer, for instance, who is currently working hard to [clean up] the Bullworth Bay and [revitalize its assets] and [create new opportunities].

St. C: Our time is running short, so for our final thought, I understand that a bit of a surprise happened during your speech at the reunion. Is it true that Mr. Gary Smith, the alleged mastermind behind the Forgotten Pines rebellion several years back, attended the reunion?

Harrington: I'm not at liberty to discuss those matters. I'm not in touch with Gary Smith in any way.

St. C: I see. What do you have to say in response to allegations on the internet that you revealed your homosexuality at the reunion?

Harrington: (smiling) Those allegations are completely unfounded. I have never said anything like that. It's really a shock that some people would assume such a thing, as I'm engaged to a woman. She was my "high school sweetheart", if you will.

St. C: Ms. Pinky Gauthier?

Harrington: Yes, indeed.

St. C: Do you have any wedding plans currently?

Harrington: We haven't set a date yet... but it's definitely coming!

St. C: Congratulations in advance, Mr. Harrington. It's been a pleasure speaking with you.

Harrington: You as well, Ms. St. Clair.

Constantinos Brakus is a 20-something bestselling writer of Young AND Miserable, a novel about getting out, getting in, getting loaded, getting laid and getting real.

I did one thing I always swore I'd never do tonight, folks: I returned to my home town and the dreaded school reunion. Of course, for many of us, the School Reunion (intentionally capitalised because that makes it look like a Big Deal which is is to some people-- I wonder if it is so big, does this mean that the rest of their lives pale so hideously in comparison because they haven't achieved anything?) isn't an event of social inclusion and wonder, but a time of stress and bewilderment. But you go. You go because a part of you wants to see how fucked up everyone else has become. You go because while your fantasies can do some wonderous things, sometimes the reality is better. And taht's what I crave; stark, cold, track-marked ugly reality. I build my art on people's lives falling to pieces. It's what I do. If my books had been about kittens giving birth to sunshine and fuzzy bunnies copulating with rainbows, I doubt I'd have had the commercial success I get to enjoy now. (Go on, call me a sellout-- I'm still unhappy) as I do now: deal. The night was typical of what one would expect at a reunion-- you turn up, you mill around, you look for familiar faces, and you realise that ultimately no one changes that much because we live in a world that doesn't really allow people to change, and back then, I was the same weedy little pessimist I'd been when I was 14 and penning articles for the school newspaper and being tormented by the jocks. Yes, my life sucked back then, too. Of course there was The Speech: that event where they grab a couple of shining bright examples who either conformed so well that they practically embody the school's mundaness and wear it like a badeg of honor, or the ones who were just so noticably weird that they knew most of the school population turned up just to see them. Sadly, Bullworth Academy didn't have anything or anyone that weird within its walls. We had a lecture about the joys of joining the armed services and responsibility, which made me suspect they're about to send more troops off to bomb the crap out of some other country the Republicans don't like-- and then he was scooted off-stage for Derby Harrington to do his thing. Derby Harrington. He was one of those kids who had it all: he was dating one of the beautiful, popular girls, his family had been donating to the school probably since it was founded, and Derby had amassed a group of rich kid followers like him. Derby kept to himself unless the rest of the school had something to do with boxing, or unless he and his argyle-vested friends (they all looked like they belonged in an Aquaberry catalogue) wanted to annoy the other major clique in the school, the Greasers. Derby exuded arrogance, nothing brought him down. Until along came the dark horse-- he'd been expelled, and I'd honestly forgotten about him-- he was another one of those people who school had irreparably fucked up-- put a dint in Derby's armour, interrupting his speech and apparently causing the lights to go out. (Personally, I suspect a power failure-- I'm pretty sure one man, no matter how determined he is to cause chaos and have a laugh and interrupt conformity-- can control the electricity on the school grounds). But before the lights went out, we all got to see a side of Derby Harrington which we hadn't seen before. Appaerntly Smith, who'd overtaken the speech, was leaking little details he'd become aware of, about Derby's personal life. Derby was gay. And I saw him standing there, looking in shock and horror as his speech was hijacked as the lights went off, affording him some dignity and the cover of darkness. For the first time ever, I'd finally realised something: we all still had our vulnerabilities and secrets, no matter how much we'd grown up and changed; and Derby Harrington was just another nervous, naked creature standing there, despite the enormity of what he looked like under the expensive clothing and the power haircut. And I wondered: had we all known then, would we have treated him differently back in school? Would he have treated us differently? Why was his gayness such a big deal: and why did the remainder of the night turn into bedlam following that? And how must it have been for Derby in high school, having to enact the disguise of heterosexuality, having to date and be seen lusting after girls, having to hide behind something and pretend you were something you were not? Probably rough as a teenager. But how would it be, having to do the same thing as an adult? When I was a teenager, I was jealous of Derby Harrington, the fact that he'd been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had the world at his feet. But last night, I realised something: maybe the spoon wasn't really that silver. Maybe Derby was a scared, frightened kid as much as we'd all been back in high school.

Praise for Young AND Miserable: "Brakus writes with dry wit and a perfectly bleak outlook on a perfectly bleak existence. But he does it in a way that can't help but make you smile. Reg Walton, The Daily Times "Sometimes you read a book that has nothing to do with your life, but you feel it understands you. Young AND Miserable is that book for this generation. Liz Daly, Writer's Press "An anthem for this generation plagued by darkness, self-loathing and societal turmoil. I wouldn't want to be young today, and Brakus tells it like it is with unflinching honesty. Jeremy Somers, FictionPress "An important, uncompromisng peek into the underbelly of the artistic elite and surviving in a hostile world. With sharp and sardonic humour, Brakus has written a winner. S. Reever, The Morning Tribune Will somebody think of the children?! Oh, wait, they didn't... and that's why we've got kids like Brakus bitterly complaining about their misadventures with illegal drugs, back-alley gay sex, and waking up the next morning and not remembering anything about it. Sarah Stevenson, Family Moments magazine Hot AND cool Grant Shelby, Grant Shelby Tonight

Status: Finished

Who: Derby, Tad, and Jimmy
What: Walking on the boardwalk and encountering one another... fatefully!
When: Friday, June 17th 2005, weekend before the reunion.
Where: The big boardwalk in the Vale.
Warnings: Fighting and mean words!

The Thread.

Guess what? We got our lucky number five. :D Welcome Johnny Vincent by Julia!

We will be starting the rp tomorrow night (for me, eastern US time). Check for the intro post!

And please please please drag in more victimsfriends? *puppy eyes*

Hello, everyone! I am happy to say that we will be starting play once we get ONE more character app, because I promised we'd start when we had 5 characters that did not belong to me or Az (my unofficial co-moddish person).

And so, with that said, I would like to ask you all a very important question. Does anyone have any other friends they can con into joining? :D We still need a couple of important characters. Here are those that are most important to the current main plot, either for those who might join or if anyone would like more multiples:

Earnest -- Has a plot with Gary!! Will also have Melvin to play with (he'll be in shortly)
Beatrice -- Has a plot with Earnest and Melvin.
Pinky -- Has a whole slew of preps to play with and plot with Derby.
Trent -- Has a plot with Kirby.
Russell -- We just like you.
Peanut -- Will have Johnny.

If you think of any other characters you want, post a comment here and I'll add them to this list.

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