Title: Claire's Choice
Summary: This is a Challenge and it's just what the title says, Claire's parents are getting a divorce, who will she really choose to live with?
Disclaimer: I don't own The Breakfast Club.
Challenge Title: Truth & Lies
Challenge Issuer: Del Schiz
Claire sat in the court room beside her brother, Jake. He had come to support her since her parents we're going through their divorce. He acted just as surprised as she had when she called him to tell him about the divorce. Their parents had always seemed to have the perfect marriage. They never fought, they had enough money to do just about anything they wanted. Claire could remember a trip to Palm Springs just months earlier when life had seemed perfect. Now the judge was asking her to make a decision. She would have to choose between her parents. Not that Claire really needed to think about it. She already knew what her choice would be.
As her parents walked up to sign the papers she thought about the night she had finally realized that her mother and father's marriage was over. It was the night of her last birthday. They had been sitting at the dining room table eating dinner when the argument began.
"This meat is burnt," her father had began, slamming his fork down onto the table beside his plate. She had seen her mother jump at the sound of his voice before responding to his remark.
"Well, what do you expect me to do about it?" her mother asked, heatedly. At that her father had glared back at her mother with an expression of anger on his face that Claire had never seen.
"Maybe you should hire someone who can actually cook instead of trying to do it yourself!" her father had yelled in response.
Of course, Claire remembered that her mother had broken down and hired someone else but her father had disapproved of the twenty-five year old Italian man his wife had hired. The smile on her mother's face the day the man showed up was proof enough to Claire and her father that her mother had hired the man just to anger Claire's father. It could be said that it was then that Claire had made her decision but in reality she had always known who she would choose. Even before her parents had started fighting. Even when she was in detention with the four other kids that she now considered some of her good friend's she had known. She had lied to them when they asked, of course, but she knew that even now they knew who she was going to choose.
"Claire," the judge said aloud pulling Claire away from her thoughts. Claire looked up at the judge, a woman in her mid-forties who motioned for Claire to walk up and stand in front of the bench. Claire made her way slowly to the bench and stood looking up at the judge. She knew why she was there and what the question would be yet she didn't want to have to answer like that. She wanted to be alone. Somewhere in another room so she wouldn't have to see the face or hear the gasp from the parent that would lose her. She realized, however, that she didn't have much of a choice. She had to respond and give the judge an answer. An answer so that the judge would know and everyone else would know.
"Claire, who do you want to live with?" the judge asked, as if it was as simple as that. As if the last sixteen years of Claire's life had never even happened. Claire turned back to look at both of her parents and they both gave her reassuring smiles. She couldn't help but wander if they would both still love her once she responded to the question and then she decided she just had to respond and get it over with. She just had to tell the judge who she wanted to live with. Who she thought had been the better parent.
"My father," Claire replied, loud enough to make sure she wouldn't have to repeat it for the judge to hear her. She heard her mother's gasp and sobs behind her but she couldn't make herself turn around and look at her mother.
"Alright, Claire. You may sit back down," the judge finished. Claire made her way back to her seat beside her brother without looking over at her mother. She couldn't face her after what had just happened.
In the end, things went by okay even though she missed her mom things we're better with her father like she always knew they would be.
Well, there is my story for the Challenge. Please leave reviews!