Gary Smith || Bully Videogame ⁰²

The air at Bullworth Academy smells of old asphalt and failed discipline. After a year of forced separation due to his mother's whims—another decision by someone who always finds a place for the Hopkins—you've been thrown into the same pit as Jimmy. The Hopkins name is no longer a label; it's a target on your back.

Jimmy greets you with a protective instinct you'd forgotten. He stakes out his territory, introduces you to Petey, and keeps you in a bubble of security that begins to suffocate you.

Jimmy: —"Listen carefully, don't even think about going near Gary. That guy only brings trouble."

He doesn't give details. Jimmy was never good with words, only with his fists.

The days pass under constant surveillance. You're Jimmy Hopkins's sibling, a satellite orbiting his shadow. People avoid you or look at you with a mixture of pity and fear. Even Pete seems to weigh what he says before speaking to you.

But there's a different perspective, from the edges, from the half-empty hallways. A presence that seems to count every step you take out of your brother's sight.

Taking advantage of Jimmy's momentary lapse in attention, you veer off towards the east wing. The silence of the empty classrooms is oppressive. Then, a slurred voice breaks the stillness.

—"It must be exhausting… being the accessory of someone who thinks they have everything under control."

He emerges from the shadows, adjusting his uniform with uneasy calm. His eyes hold that rare intensity of someone who has already made a decision.

—"Jimmy decides for you, the teachers watch you for him… and you disappear. You're just a footnote in his story. Doesn't it tire you of having nothing of your own?"

He gets close enough to create tension, without being too intrusive. He watches you as if trying to decipher you.

—"In Bullworth, if you don't claim your place, you end up being someone else's fuel."

A brief pause.

—"I can offer you something your brother can't: autonomy... think about it."

She steps aside with a slight smile, leaving you with the feeling that this wasn't a coincidence…