Just because I don't speak, don't think I have nothing to say. The quietest people notice the most, and that includes me. I don't like when people notice me, though. It makes my heart race and my palms sweat. I have a few friends. Sometimes I wish they'd leave me alone, too. That's not fair. It's just...it's hard for me. To act normally. I want to sit and draw, write, let out my emotions, but then they talk to me. Or, at least, someone does. They act so pitying and sympathetic. "Oh, bless the little basketcase. She's all by herself! Let's go annoy her." Well, don't. I don't want your looks, I don't want your words, I don't want your company!

Until I met The Breakfast Club, I was like this. Okay, I still am. But I'm a little better. I'll glance up if Bender sits down at my table in the cafeteria, pencil hovered in mid air as I tear my attention away from my drawing for a mere couple of seconds. That's what I like about Bender. He simply gives me a smile and enjoys the quiet company I provide. Claire, on the other hand, won't shut up. It gets so irritating to the point of me walking away while she's in mid-rant, slipping away so silently she doesn't notice. She only tells me off about it the next time she sees me by saying, "Hey! I got a bone to pick with you." It always makes me laugh, and it lights up her whole face. I overheard her talking to Bender about me once. I hid round a corner, listening in.

"You know, John, I just can't get over Allison." My heart dropped and I turned to walk away but she continued and I stayed, "She's so...unique. Not in a bad way," she says quickly, sighing. "I like seeing her laughing. It just about makes my whole day."

"You making her laugh, makes your whole day?" He scoffs. But I know when I smile at him, he gets a little less mad, a little less sad, a little less bad.

"Yes," she says firmly. "And I know seeing Brian using your street language makes you have a little twinkle in your eyes." That was true. He had formed a strong bond with him. "And I know you wanna beat the crap out of Andy. For the way he treated us."

"Allison." He says, and I bite my lip. Andy turned out to be the rat in our group. I hate him! I kicked the garbage can sitting next to me and started to rush off. I'd been caught eavesdropping. Like they'd wanna be friends with me now.

"Ally!" Claire calls, but I rush off, my cheeks flaming.

"We're sorry for talking about you," Claire says at lunch, sighing as she sits down at the cafeteria table, and Bender nods.

"Yeah." I frown, and Bender kicks my leg gently. "What's up, Crazy?" Claire glares.

"John!"

"No, it's okay. Come on, Criminal," I grin, "Do you think that bothered me?"

"Well, you did kick a garbage can.." Claire says, her eyebrows knitting together in confusing. I hold up my foot, bandaged but stuffed into my boot.

"I was angry." I explain. "Not with you. Andy, that rat."

"We know," Bender says softly, surprising me. "He was an idiot for cheating on you. Any guy would be lucky to have you. I mean, you heard Claire, she wants to get in your pants, too." Claire blushed scarlet.

"That's not what I said!" Claire yells, hitting Bender with her purse. I laugh, watching them play fighting.

"Don't laugh, Ally Cat," Bender mutters. "I told you, she'll be ripping your sweater off."

I dropped onto the seat in the courtyard. Brian and his physics nerds were sitting there. "Hey, Brian," I say, smiling. I can always count on him to be there for me.

"Hi, Allison," they all say in unison. It always startled me a little, but I'd mostly gotten used to that.

"Hey, Nerds," I say, smiling at them. They don't mind me calling them that, honestly. I'm pretty sure they call me crazy, and it's only adjectives. Who cares about labels? It's a fact of life that people are always going to put you in a box, label you, and labels can stick. You might as well embrace it with a smile.

Brian has helped me in a lot of ways. For one, I'm not failing science anymore. He's alseo helped with accepting that people will always judge you. And he tells me that I've helped him. Ha, the basketcase of the group, helping someone. Amazing, I know. I asked him once how, and he shook his head.

"You don't know the impact you have on people." He told me. He then continued to say that I've helped him with standing up for what you believe in - even if you do it in a dignified silence. That made me smile.

I guess that's what makes our little group so great. We're all so different but we can teach each other things that we never would have known, if we'd have listened to the stereotypes each one of us face every day. Sure, we might be a brain, a basketcase, a princess, and a criminal, but I wouldn't have it any other way.