A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, or even just read it. You are actually the best. And reviews help me become a better writer :)


Bender woke up to the sound of crashing plates, loud swearing, and someone screaming bloody murder, but at least for once it wasn't coming from his house. It wasn't exactly a pleasant change but he's become an expert at blocking out shit he doesn't want to hear, so he rolls over and pulls his pillow over his head. Even though he's heard it a million times before, it's still far too early for this shit.

He only manages a moment of silence before his bedroom door is being slammed open and he groans from underneath his pillow.

"Get up; you'll be late for school!" He hates it when his dad is somewhat sober, mainly because he gets up at the crack of dawn just so he can start drinking.

"Kiss my ass." He mumbles into the bed. Unfortunately, the pillow doesn't muffle his voice quite as well as he wanted.

"What did you say to me?"

Bender pulls the pillow from his head and turns to look at the asshole stood in the doorway. Everyone says they look alike, but he can't see any resemblance to the ageing alcoholic stood before him. John decided long ago if he grew up to be like his father, he would throw himself off the nearest bridge.

"I said, I'm getting up."

He father remains in the doorway for a moment, hand still clutching the doorknob. For a minute Bender thinks his dads going to come in, smack him around a bit like he did a couple of nights before, then the old bastard finally speaks. "You know what. Don't bother. Just stay in bed and do nothing all day like you normally do. It's not like the school's going to even notice if you're there or not you fucking low life."

Bender flinches as the door slams shut. "Fuck you." He mutters out loud as he lies back down, fixing the pillow under his head. Staring up at the cracks in his ceiling he waits for the sound of doors slamming and his dads fucked up trucks engines loud roar leaving the front of the house, then he finally pushes himself up and lights a cigarette. Fine. He wouldn't go to school. Like his dad said, it's not like anyone there would give a shit.

When he finally gets up he searches for clean clothes in his room, well, ones that don't smell too bad. He showers, brushes his teeth, gets dressed in the slightly clean clothes, then sits on the counter in kitchen drinking his mum's lukewarm leftover black coffee with too much sugar as he plans what he's going to do for the day. He knows there's something he needs to do that he just can't quite remember but it couldn't have been extremely important, otherwise he wouldn't have forgotten.

Fifteen minutes later he's dressed and searching for his sunglasses that fell underneath his bed. He's decided to go down the Junk yard to look for parts for his bike. It had been a gift from his uncle for his seventeenth birthday a few months back. Quite frankly, it was a piece of shit. It barely run, it needed a new engine, new battery, new wheels, and a new coat of paint. He knew his uncle had given it to him because he couldn't be bothered to fix it himself but Bender didn't really care; now it belonged to him, which was the main thing.

There was something oddly satisfying knowing he was the one fixing it up, that reason it would run one day was all down to him. That's what he had been doing when he spilt paint in the garage, fixing that god damn bike. The cigar had burnt like hell, but he didn't yell or cry out when it singed his flesh, he didn't want to give his old man the satisfaction.

Before leaving he searches his room for every spare dollar and dime he can find before finally resorting to taking some money out of the jar hidden beneath one of the floorboards. He had almost three hundred and forty nine dollars saved so far, a little from selling weed to the morons at school, some of it from doing odd jobs for Thomas Dwight at his auto shop. Sometimes Bender would slip a twenty or a ten into his mum's purse when she wasn't looking, and definitely when he knew that his dad wouldn't go rummaging around in it looking for some beer money. That was only once in a while, he needed to save what he could. Every cent was going to count in the long run.

It takes a thirty minute bus ride and a fifteen minute walk to get to scrap yard on the outskirts of town, but you needed to get there early if you were going to get anything good. Joe David Rodgers, the skinny recovering meth head who owned the place always seemed to be in a good mood in the morning, so if that meant Bender had to skip school occasionally so that he could get the good stuff for cheap, so be it, it's wasn't as if school was high on his list of priorities anyway.

It's oddly homey there, the people that work there don't look down at him as if he's a piece of trash, they are loud and have probably eight or nine teeth between the three of them, but at least when Bender walks in they actually greet him like he's not the scum of the earth.

"Well isn't it mighty fine to see you on such a glorious morning young Bender."

Joe is the type of man who will never recover from the years of smoking meth. He's so skinny Bender wonder's how he even manages to pick up the heavy car part he's luging into the back of his pickup. Even his face makes Bender depressed, that gaunt sad pox marked face. That's the face only a mother could love, if she happened to be blind that is.

"You got my Battery, Joe?"

The southern gives him a one tooth smiled. "Take a seat and I shall be with you shortly."

Bender takes a seat in one of the longue chairs located outside the unofficial 'office' area. It consists of Joe's double wide trailer and his pickup truck and what bender assumes is some form of outhouse. He pulls his shades up on to his head, staring out at the hundreds of smashed up cars and bikes. It would be easy to sneak in at night, look for the shit he needs and steal it, but Joe's a good guy, and that's not really benders style.

"No battery." He finally hears as Joe comes back into view carrying a large box in his arms. "But I got a bunch of other parts that I think you might find useful." He drops the box at the teen's feet and takes a seat in the longue chair next to him. Bender rummages though and actually managing to find some stuff he needs. Joe actually did alright on this one. "I'll give you fifty for the parts I want."

Joe ponders for a bit as he pulls a cigarette from his pocket and places it between his lips. "Eighty."

"Seventy. But you have to throw in an ounce as well."

The older guy laughs as he lights up, but he nods all the same. "Fair enough."

Shermer isn't the worst place on earth, but like every town it has the good part and the bad part, Bender just happens to live in the incredibly shit part. The bus back has to travel through the good part, and as soon as people get on the bus they always avoid him. He can't help that his look just screams vandal to them, then again, he doesn't really care much.

Bender arrives home by lunch, pleased to see that his dad's car is still gone from the front of the house. He dumps the box of parts in his room and pry's up the floor board so he can put the forty dollars that's left over back in the jar. He throws his coat and sunglass onto the end of his bed before heading to the kitchen to grab himself a beer and the box of lucky charms he stashed away so his dad wouldn't get to them first.

Bender settles on the couch, picking marshmallows from the box one by one, chucking them in the air and catching them expertly in his mouth, rewarding himself with a swig of beer every fourth marshmallow or so.

He was up late reading, drowning out the sounds of his parents shouts with Cream as he read through another four chapters. Then it suddenly hits him. "Shit…it's Wednesday."

He secretly wishes he had just kept his mouth shut in class, just sat there and slept for the hour instead of having to stick his stupid hand up and make a fuss out of not having a partner, but he never could help himself. No one would care if he didn't show up, especially that girl, Janis, even though she did ask him to. He sighs slightly. They had been in the same class for three years and he had only learnt her name two days ago. He had seen her around school, she was pretty enough, but it was obvious they were both in very different circles, she actually showed up to lessons, and she worked on the god damn year book of all things. He thought only riches did that. Maybe she was one; she didn't dress like it though.

He looks over at the clock, it's already pretty late in the day but if he left now he might only be five minutes late, but at least he would get there eventually. He let out a small huff of air. He wouldn't have even considered this before Saturday. That fucking detention had messed around with his head. No. He wasn't going. Fuck her, fuck that stupid class.

Bender drains the last of the beer and slams the empty bottle on the table. "God damn it." He stands and rolls his eyes as he goes into his bedroom to grab his coat and sunglasses, shoving his wallet and her book into his pockets before heading out the front door. He was getting soft, and he didn't like it.

Even though he walked at a slightly faster speed than usual he still manages to arrive five minutes late. It's deserted as he enters the school, everyone's in lessons, so he reckons he should be able to make it to the classroom without being spotted.

"Bender!"

Vernon. Typical. Just the sound of his voice makes Bender want to punch a wall.

"Why aren't you in class, Bender?"

Bender pulls his sunglasses up. "Well, Dick, I had an important meeting that I simply could not miss."

"Empty your pockets. Now."

"I don't think you can ask me to do that sir."

"I can ask you to do whatever I god damn like. Empty them."

Bender clenches his jaw as he pulls out his wallet, his keys and the book; luckily the weed was still with the car parts. The only thing Vernon seems to be interested in was the book, which he snatches from Benders hands.

"I wasn't aware you could read, Bender."

He wants to bark back, but he forces himself to stare directly at Vernon and keep his mouth shut. .

"And I'm expected to believe you've changed your name to Janis Hunter?"

Shit. Of course she wrote her name in it. "She let me borrow it, Rich. I was behind in Lit."

"Well I believe you are definitely behind in all your classes, Bender. But why would Miss Hunter give a second thought about a degenerate like you?"

One more year. One more year then he could punch Vernon's lights out. "I just so happen to be on my way to that class, you can ask her yourself if you like." Fuck. Why did he say that?

"I might just do that. Front and centre Bender."

Bender let out a small groan as soon as Vernon turned. That was another fucking Saturday that was going to be wasted when he could have been spending it fixing his bike or doing anything else but sat in the stupid library all day. He followed Vernon all the way to the classroom, resisting every urge he had to kick the vice principal right in the ass several times on the way.

Two kids he wasn't sure the names of were already at the front speaking by the time they arrived. Bender leans his back against the hall way wall, staring at the lockers opposite as he listens to Vernon interrupt the class.

"I need a word with Miss Hunter."

He hears the scrap of a chair and listens to her footsteps walk out into the hall. His eyes lock with hers and she shoots him a curious look as she stands in the middle of the hall. She's dressed more like a human today, that stupid tweed skirt replaced by jeans, converse and a Springsteen t-shirt, although she's still wearing that same grey jacket from the other day.

"I found your book in Mr Bender's possession."

Her eyes roam over the book, then to Bender, before finally landing back on Vernon. "Oh. And?"

It was clear that wasn't the reaction Vernon was looking for, it certainly wasn't the one Bender had expected. Despite her attitude of not giving a fuck about it, Vernon continues to question her. "Did you allow him to borrow it?"

"Well he lost his copy," she immediately replies, "so I said he could borrow mine for a couple of days. You know, since he was so behind."

Was this girl a mind reader? Not only was she covering for him but she even used the same story. Bender knew it was only a book, that it didn't matter in the long run, but if Vernon could give Bender a detention for sneezing he probably would.

"Are you sure, Hunter?" Vernon asked, Bender could see him getting more enraged by the second, and he had to fight hard to supress the smirk.

"Yes sir. I even saw him before class and asked if I could have it back, to check some quotes for the presentation and he went to get it for me."

The corner of Benders mouth lifted a little. She was good at bullshitting, he'd give her that, and she did have that whole big doe eyed thing going on for her. Still, he couldn't believe Vernon was eating this shit up.

Obviously not satisfied, but unable to do anything about it, Vernon hands the book back to Janis. "Back to class, both of you."

Bender opened the door, and like a gentlemen allowed her to go through first, mainly so he can flash a final smug glance at Vernon. When she sat back in her seat, he dumped his coat on the desk behind before choosing the sit next to her this time. He wasn't at all surprised by the questioning glance she gave him, but his eyes stay on her a bit longer than he had intended them to after she looks away.

The two at the front carry on talking. Bender leans closer to Janis, talking in a low voice. "Why'd you do that?"

Janis slides her notebook over to him, the small speech on the page it's open to. Her eyes look over to the teacher to make sure he's not paying attention before answering. "I write it, you read it."

"No."

"I covered for you. I didn't have to."

"So? I should be thankful that you're an idiot?"

She glares angrily at him and grabs the notebook back. "Forget it." She mutters under her breath. "Why did you even bother to show up at all?"

He leans back in his chair, holding back what he wants to say, that he in fact had nothing better to do. It's partly true at least. He's not going to tell her he did it simply because she had asked and no one had ever actually ask him to help them with a class before. That would be stupid.

"Mr Bender. Miss Hunter. You two next."

Besides, she did cover for him, no ever usually does that. Before she can stand Bender grabs the notebook from in front of her, shooting her a scowl before strolling up to the front of the class. He stands up straight, clears his throat, eyes glancing over to Janis who's still sitting in her seat, albeit with a surprised look on her face. Several of the class laugh slightly but a dirty look in their direction soon shuts them up.

So he reads, his eyes not once moving up from the paper or her neat handwriting, but he makes sure that his voice remains in the same bored condescending tone, the same bored look on his face, just to get the point across that he in fact does care about any of this. As he drones on he starts wondering why she cared so bloody much that he read it out. Finally he forces his eyes to look over to her, and she's looking directly at him, a small smile on her lips.

When he's finally finished, which feels like years later, he finally looks up to see everyone's stunned faces. Even Brannigan. It wasn't like he had written the bloody thing. "Uh, that was good, very good. You can sit down now."

He drops down back in his seat as the teacher calls the next person to read. He leans back, eyes glancing over to Janis who's listening to the new people at the front, until finally he catches her, looking towards him and smiling slightly. She finally pulls her notebook towards her and opens to a fresh page, scribbling something down before sliding it back over to him.

We're still not even.


A/N: So yeah, I've seen a few fics on where John/oc rush into things and end up declaring their undying love for each other after a week, not that there's anything wrong with that, but I prefer a slow burn ;)