I do not own the Breakfast Club or it's characters. I make no money from the creation or publishing of this story.
Allison Reynolds was feeling nervous when she walked into the school Monday morning. Saturday had ended with promises that things would be different, that the members of the Breakfast Club would still be friends Monday morning. Allison wanted to believe it but there was still a large part of her that remained unsure. Words were easy, it was actions that could be hard.
Brian was standing by the door when Allison entered and she thought he might be waiting for her considering the way his face lit up when she started walking his way.
"Allison." She was pleasantly surprised when Brian greeted her with a warm smile and a hug.
"Hey Bri." Allison replied awkwardly hugging him back. Having friends was going to take some getting used to and physical contact of a friendly variety was going to take a little bit longer.
"Basket case, Brain." Bender greeted them as he walked over.
"Criminal." Allison and Brian chorused together.
Bender nodded as if he'd expected nothing else.
"Shouldn't you two be in class?" Bender asked looking over their heads at the clock above them.
Allison watched Brian open his mouth as if he was going to speak but then shut it as if he'd decided that it was better not to speak.
"See you at lunch?" Brian asked instead.
"You buying?" Bender asked. To Allison it was clear that he was teasing but Brian took the criminal seriously.
"Of course." Brian readily agreed.
"I'll be there." Bender said before giving Allison a look silently asking her to explain to Brian that he was teasing.
Allison nodded before grabbing Brian's arm and leading him away from Bender and to class.
Claire and Andrew were in the class with Allison and Brian and the basket case and the brain were wondering if either the athlete or the princess would speak to them. Brian appeared hopeful but Allison wasn't so sure. The fact that neither Andy nor Claire had been waiting for the others spoke volumes to Allison.
Claire and her cohorts were sitting in the middle of the room and Allison walked over to them intent upon addressing Claire.
"Hello Claire."
Claire looked up at Allison and a look that was combination of apology, guilt and sadness before asking icily.
"Do I know you?"
"My mistake. I thought you were stronger." Allison apologized walking away.
She walked back over to Brian and shrugged as if to say, I tried.
Brian nodded and gestured to Andrew who'd just walked in the classroom door. Allison watched Andy's eyes trail over Allison and Brian briefly before he moved to sit next to Claire's friend Heather.
"We still on for tonight, Heather?" Andy asked in a voice that was a little louder than necessary. It was obvious he wanted the other Breakfast Club members to hear him.
"Absolutely Clark, I can't wait for our date." Heather said happily before turning to glare at Allison, a smirk of triumph on her features.
Brian partially stood at his desk and Allison could see on his face that he wanted to go confront Andy.
"Leave it alone, Brian. Sporto's not worth it." Allison said resigned.
"You know you have Bender and you have me, you'll always have us." Brian comforted her.
"I know. As long as I have you two, I'll never be alone." Allison agreed.
"As long as I have you two, I'll never be alone."
Dr. Brian Johnson watched his patient Allison Reynolds pace the gray walled room that had been her home for the last three years.
"Not alone." Allison repeated to herself as she walked back and forth across the room.
"Allison, who's there with you?" Dr. Johnson asked speaking through the barred window in the door.
"Bender's here, Brian. Don't you see him?" Allison asked finally ceasing to pace and facing the door that Dr. Johnson stood behind.
"Where's Bender?" Dr. Johnson asked fearing the answer would be the same as it always was and hoping that this would be the moment that Allison's journey back to sanity would begin.
"Right here." Allison said pointing to the mirror. Her own face was the only reflection looking back at her.
"I'm right here, Big Bri something the matter with your eyes?" The voice was deep, almost masculine sounding but still unmistakably Allison's voice, her mouth speaking the words.
Dr. Johnson didn't reply as he watched Allison resume pacing again.
"As long as I have you two, I'll never be alone." Allison spoke the words like a talisman, a prayer.
Brian closed his eyes in frustration. He'd tried for three long years to help the young woman in front of him.
Allison Reynolds had described herself as a basket case during their initial interview. She'd also described herself as a criminal. He'd thought she'd meant her kleptomania but had learned she meant John Bender. John was a personality that manifested itself as an angry young man with a chip on his shoulder and a grudge against the world. The criminal had been the personality that had taken all the physical and verbal abuse that Allison's parents had heaped on her. She stopped speaking and the criminal shouted at the world for her.
Allison had used the word princess to describe herself too. The princess was a personality that was a spoiled vapid, bitch that had few redeeming qualities but that had plenty of friends. She was also the personality that Allison disliked the most, Claire Standish was her name. In Claire Allison dumped everything she didn't like about herself.
Allison's personality that called himself Andrew Clark was an athlete who claimed to have no control over his life. He came out and took over when Allison felt like she was being forced into doing things that she didn't want to do. He had anger issues too, like Bender but unlike Bender Andy channeled Allison's anger by injuring others. Andrew's biggest appearance had occurred when Allison had entered the boys' locker room after gym class and had attacked Larry Lister. As Andy, she'd taped the young man's buttocks together.
Richard Vernon was a personality that had only appeared recently. Unlike the other personalities who seemed to be teenagers like Allison herself Vernon was an adult. Vernon oozed contempt for the other personalities and for most of the world around him. Vernon was Allison's distrust of authority figures tenfold. Unlike Bender or Andrew Vernon wasn't dangerous to others but Vernon had the ability to hurt Allison more mentally and verbally than the other personalities combined.
New personalities often appeared during therapy sessions so Dr. Johnson wasn't too surprised when a new personality had immerged during an intense session a few months ago but he was surprised at the new personalities' identity. The personality identified himself as Brian Johnson. He was quiet, nerdy type. Allison as Brian had identified herself as a brain, much the same way Bender was the criminal, Andrew, the athlete, Claire the princess and Allison herself, the basket case.
After a few sessions Dr. Johnson realized that the Brian in her head was a protector. Her unlikely knight in shining armor. Dr. Johnson had found this odd but had hoped that he would be able to use the connection of Allison's Brian and himself being the real Brian to lead her back to reality. So far it hadn't worked but he wasn't going to give up easily. He was willing to fight for Allison until she could fight for herself.
"Good night, Allison." Dr. Johnson called through the barred window in the door.
"Night, Brian. Don't let Bender con you into doing his homework again." Allison replied.
"Sure, Allison." Dr. Johnson responded walking away.
"You're heading the wrong way if you're going home, Doc." Carl, an orderly on Allison's floor called out in greeting as Dr. Johnson walked past him.
"Paperwork first, Carl." Dr. Johnson replied.
"She okay?" Carl asked referring to Allison.
Carl was Allison's uncle and the only one in her family, as far as Dr. Johnson could see, that cared about her. Carl was the one who'd gotten her into the hospital after discovering the hell his niece had been put through by her parents.
"Getting there." Dr. Johnson responded as he did every time Carl asked.
"As long as you two are with me." Allison's chant carried down the hall to the two of them.
"She's on her way to saying goodbye to two of them." Dr. Johnson said.
During the session she'd had with Dr. Johnson earlier, he'd gotten Allison to confront Andrew and Claire. While the confrontation hadn't been pleasant for Allison, she'd faced them and started to deal with them.
"Thanks." Carl said knowing that there wasn't much Dr. Johnson could share with him and being grateful for even that little bit of information.
"Have a nice weekend, Doc."
"You too, Carl."
Allison's words echoed through Dr. Johnson's mind as he entered his office. No, you aren't alone in your head, Allison but someday you will be, he silently promised.