John sat at his kitchen table gazing around his apartment
A/N: DON'T OWN, COULDN'T IF I WANTED TO
John sat at his kitchen table gazing around his apartment. He had only lived here for about 6 months, but it still didn't look like him. He still had the feeling the other shoe would drop and someone would burst through the door, telling him to get the hell out. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, removing his eyes from the front door, and back to the table in front of him. He lifted the glass to his lips, and knocked back the remaining Jack Daniels in it. Through the sea of photos one caught his eye and he slowly lifted it to his eye sight. There they all were, he didn't remember whose parent was behind the camera, but none the less, they were standing there together, the group of misfits that had become his friends in the later part of senior year. Andy and Claire both sill had their cap and gowns on, he had taken his off, as soon as possible. Brian was kneeling in front of him, dressed up in khaki's and a button down shirt. Allison, wore a light blue sundress, something he didn't think she would ever wear, and had a feeling it was from Claire's closet, but in it she looked beautiful, she had herself tangled up in Andy's arms and was laughing at something he said. Her head tipped back in the sunlight of that June morning. He himself wore a grin he didn't recognize, but had become more familiar to him. And Claire, he hadn't realized it but she was looking at him, with that small coy smile on her lips that was just reserved for him. He lifted his glass again realizing it was empty pushed back from the table heading for the bar against the far wall. He poured two fingers worth and sipped the drink returning to his post at the table. He glanced at the clock. 2 am. 2 fucking am he had been sitting her for 4 hours, at that realization, his back and neck started to ache. He stretched him self out and bent back to the pictures, just a little longer and then he would head to bed. He had a long weekend in front of him.
June 12th had come faster than any of them could realize. In the back of their minds the date was always there, lurking waiting to burst free and break apart their little cocoon of friendship. Andy, Claire, and john would all be gone as of that day and in all reality they preferred not to think about it. With both Brian and Claire's help, John Bender was graduating, something he never thought would happen, but it did. He spent long hours studying and bringing his "F" average, up to a "C" average, allowing him to walk with 2 of his favorite people. He didn't know who was more surprised his old man, or Dick. Both were at a loss of words, for who this person wearing benders clothes could be. But he didn't let it bring him down as it would before. He walked away from all of that the minute she kissed him in the storage room on that Saturday afternoon. It hadn't been easy the Monday they all came back. Brian sat at one of the tables in front of the school, just waiting for what would happen, he had been warned that they wouldn't be friends, but he knew that they would. First it was Bender, he got there early and when he saw Brian all he could do was sit across from him, and wait. He wanted to see what Claire would do. He had tried to call her Saturday night. But chickened out at the last minute. Slumming for the day was fine, but there were about 3 months left of school, that was an entirely different question. Andy and Allison arrived together making him laugh at loud. She wasn't in black any more, it was lighter and softer. She smiled and looked down.
"What happened to you?" he sneered at her, the old John still firmly in place
"Claire, she took me shopping yesterday. She needed someone to talk to that would understand her problem, seeing as she didn't hear from anyone Saturday night like she thought she would" Allison practically glared back at him. Andy wore a shocked impression as they both sat down next to Brian. 5 minutes passed with out them saying anything, when he watched Allison's eyes' grow big he had half a mind to turn around and see what she was looking at but couldn't bring him self to do it. This was make it or break it time. He felt a hand on his shoulder and involuntarily flinched. He felt her recoil. Quickly he turned around, and grinned up at her.
"Take a seat princess, we're all just catching up" this was it, if she sat down it was all going to go as he planned, but if she blew them off, he realized that she was just another one of them. Cold hearted bitch. She smiled back at him and cocked her head to the side.
"Don't mind if I do"
He awoke to the alarm blaring in his room; he could hear it in the kitchen where he had fallen asleep. He slowly sat up, feeling every muscle in his neck and back strain against the movement. He hauled himself up to the bedroom to turn it off. 6 am, he had to be on the road in an hour to make it to Shermer for the weekend. He quickly turned off the alarm and surveyed the room. Clothes were everywhere, half in and half out of a suitcase that was in the middle of his bed. He shook his head to himself and walked off to the shower. This was going to be the longest weekend in the world.