Eat My Shorts Chapter 1: Not Lacking in Moral Fiber, a breakfast club fanfic

A/N: This is my first fanfic in a really long time. I'm trying to get back into the groove of things after a bad year. Reviews would be nice. Feel free to send flames. I really just want to improve my writing. I do not own The Breakfast Club.

Ch. 1- Not Lacking in Moral Fiber

Saturday Night

Claire couldn't sleep. She kept replaying the events of that day over and over again in her head. She should regret it. After all, it had gotten her grounded for a week. Not only had she been punished for her Saturday detention, but also she had kissed a guy right in front of her father. But she didn't regret it. She touched her lips and remembered the feel of his breath on them. Just thinking about the way that his calloused fingers skimmed the skin right above the waist of her skirt…it drove her mad.

John Bender. The criminal. A teacher's worst nightmare. The man who had kidnapped Claire's heart. It just didn't seem to fit.

Claire drifted off to sleep thinking of diamonds and whatever Monday would bring.

Monday

The halls were surprisingly crowded for 7:45 in the morning. It was almost as if the student body knew that something huge had happened that weekend, and they wanted to be the first to see what it was.

Claire marched to her locker, eyes pealed for the gray trench coat. Of course she wouldn't see it. Since when did John Bender arrive at school 15 minutes before the start of class? But then again, she had never looked for him before?

"Claire! Why weren't you at Stubby's this weekend?" Melanie asked. Her permed blonde hair bounced up and down with excitement.

"I'm grounded."

"Oh yeah. You had detention this weekend right? How was it?"

Claire couldn't lie. She didn't want to, and so she felt the words spilling from her lips before she could even think about the social consequences. "Not bad."

And with that, she moved away. Gliding down the hallway. Melanie just stared, mouth agape. Claire had never brazenly walked away. She could tell there was something different, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

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Bender was smoking a cigarette. It's how he always started off his mornings. A ciggy before first period, he would come crashing into Gomez's Spanish class at least twenty minutes late, and get himself kicked out within the next ten. Usually he liked insulting the old man's hair or lack there of, but sometimes he would mix it up a bit and bring Mrs. Gomez into the mix.

The diamond glinted in his ear. He didn't have the heart to take it out. Maybe it was a beacon of hope. A symbol that life would eventually get better once he got out of this shithole.

Bender had seen Allison already. She was avoiding Andy probably out of a fear of rejection. Now that it was Monday, the jock would realize how big of an idiot he had been and go right back to his tights wearing friends. Bender could relate. He had seen Claire's car pull up, and he wanted nothing more than to approach her and press himself so close to her that she would be unable to breathe. Then he wanted to smother her lips with his own until she made that little moaning sound in the back of her throat just like she had done that fateful Saturday. But it would never happen. They belonged to two different worlds. So he would keep the earring and his memories but expect nothing more.

Just at that moment, Claire was making her way to the back of the building. She knew where he'd be (subconsciously) and she'd made her choice. The stoners always smoked behind the school by the dumpsters. Fuck the social stigma that she was going to have to face. He was worth it and even if he wasn't, her happiness was.

He saw her approaching though he couldn't figure why. She probably wanted to tell him to keep their kiss a secret. Maybe she was going to ask for the diamond back.

"Hey, Princess…" But her lips cut him off. It was a forceful kiss. One that carried all of the pent up passion from Sunday. Just one day apart had driven her to the brink. Led her to make the decision that would change her life forever.

He was surprised at first but quickly got lost in the ecstasy of her lips brushing against his. He licked her bottom lip as a silent question. He didn't want to scare her because he knew that she hadn't been too far with a guy before. She responded eagerly. Catcalls and whistles finally caused them to separate.

"Hi." She said.

"I could use a greeting like that more often." Her cheeks turned a bright red at his words. She passed him a crumpled piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"My number. Call me tonight."

"What makes you so sure I would want to do that?"

"I spent all Sunday hoping that you would." She mumbled, but he heard.

"Can you repeat that?" She blushed bright red again. The nickname Cherry was well deserved.

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't."

"You're an ass!"

"And you love it." He was right. Claire knew it. The reason that she was attracted to him like this was because he was an ass. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Plus, he liked to push her buttons. He could make her angry at the drop of a hat. She didn't even know she had that much emotion inside of her, and he managed to bring out every ounce of it.

"Listen, John, I've got to go."

"To wear? Class."

"Yeah, to class."

And with that she walked away leaving him standing by the dumpster with his stoner friends. They had watched the exchange but none of them had the balls to say anything. Bender could kick their asses.

"Claire! Over here!" They were all sitting together in study hall. The entire clan of 'richies' that Claire had grown to hate in a matter of only 48 hours. She knew that their shallowness would get under her skin. Rub off on her until she became one of them again. A mindless drone that only cares about prom and the newest designs from Ralph Lauren.

"Hi guys." It was mechanical. She couldn't avoid them forever anyway.

"So…you'll never guess what I heard?" Tiffany was talking. Claire realized right then that all of her friends had terrific stripper names. Mel, Tiffany, Jenn. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, have you heard the rumors too?" She had assumed that Claire was laughing about the gossip that was floating through the hallways.

"Yeah. I heard that you made out with a burnout with all of his stoner friends watching!" Jenn felt the need to clarify which rumor they were even talking about.

"What?" Claire was well aware of the fact that all of the color had just drained from her face.

"Mhm." Tiffany took control of the story once again. "Apparently you hooked up with that criminal. What's his name? James Bender?"

"It's John." Claire couldn't believe what she was doing. For the second time that day, she had let herself act without considering the consequences.

"What?" It was Tiffany's turn to act horrified.

"His name is John Bender."

"Well, whatever his name is, you wouldn't stoop so low." It almost sounded like a command.

"I wouldn't?" The fact that they were trying to tell Claire what she would or would not do was provoking her. Before this week, she would have taken Tiffany's words as law. Now, the fact that Tiffany even thought that she could control her was almost too much to bear. "I don't think you know what I would or wouldn't do. I also don't think what I do with John is any of your business. And for your information, yes, I spent first period with him. Now if you'll excuse me…" With that she raised her hand. "Mr. Roberts, could I get a hall pass to use the restroom?"

Claire felt vindicated. This was the first time in her life that she had been able to do what she truly wanted. Screw the consequences. If she was going to fuck up her life, at least let her be the one making the decisions.

The classroom was silent for at least fifteen minutes after Claire left. It was as if they believed that the longer they stared at the door, the sooner she would appear and reveal the fact that she was only joking.