3.

Monday Afternoon, March 26th

"Sweets … you couldn't ignore me if you tried!"

– John Bender

"Claire? Earth to Claire!"

It was one o'clock. Claire went to meet her three best friends Harvey, Lisa and Del in the Cafeteria, as was routine for this time of day. But today was distinctly different to any other. Claire hadn't seen her friends since the end of last week. Yet, after everything that went down on Saturday, it seemed like years.

"Claire!" said Harvey, raising her voice and clicking her french polished fingers in front of Claire's face.

"Sorry, what?" said Claire suddenly, blinking a couple of times. "I spaced out."

Lisa and Del laughed. Harvey was perturbed, but amused.

"Jesus, what's wrong with you? I said guess who asked about you at Stubby's the other night."

Unless it was either John Bender or Kevin Costner, Claire honestly wasn't interested.

"Who?" she asked, out of requirement.

"Todd Dale," said Harvey, smiling. She looked to the others for backup.

"We think you two would be perfect together!" said Lisa, enthused.

"Totally complimentary!" added Del.

All three girls stared at Claire, expecting her to be pleased.

"Todd Dale?" Claire repeated. Of course Claire knew perfectly well who Todd Dale was. He was one of the stars of the football team, a total jock. Kind of good-looking, in a 'white bread' sort of way. A week ago she might have found this appealing but now …

"Claire," said Harvey, sensing Claire's uneasiness. "I know you say you don't want to date anybody unless they're in college, but Todd Dale? C'mon! Make an exception. You guys would be shoe-ins for Prom King and Queen."

"Nah," said Claire, shaking her head. "I don't want to go out with Todd Dale."

"Why!" all three girls exclaimed at once.

"Because he thinks he's the shit! And he's got too much gel in his hair."

I prefer a guy whose hair I can sink my hands into.

While Claire was thinking this rather perverted thought, she noticed Brian on the otherside of the Cafeteria, heading out the exit.

"I gotta go," said Claire to her friends, standing from her seat. They were all ogling her as if she'd been possessed by someone they no longer knew.

"Go where?" questioned Lisa.

"Are you feeling all right?" said Harvey. "You haven't got your monthly, have you?"

"Eh … yeah. I'm early," Claire lied, keeping her friends at bay for now. "Drag! I'll see you guys later."

Claire departed the Cafeteria to talk to Brian, only once she left she couldn't see him anymore. She kept walking, and then stopped. Something – or rather someone caught Claire's eye out the window ahead, facing the back of the school. The sky was dull and overcast, just as it had been on Saturday. John Bender smoked a cigarette while talking animatedly to one of his friends on the concrete steps. He wore his long grey coat and red scarf …

That kiss.

Somewhere back down the hall Claire's friends and everything she once knew continued on without her. She was likely to be missing an imperative discussion about Stubby's party or the Prom at that very moment, and for the life of her she didn't care. She watched John … his mouth especially. The way his lips moved as he talked; the way he puffed out cigarette smoke into the cold air, not giving a damn if a teacher or anyone saw him. God how she wanted to defy everyone and everything and just –

"Ahem."

"Brian!"

Brian was standing right behind her. Claire swerved around, hand on her heart. She was caught completely by surprise.

"Sorry!" Brian apologised, holding up his hands in defense. "Sorry, I was trying not to scare you. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Brian peered inquisitively from Claire, to John through the window, back to Claire again, grinning the same way he'd done in English.

"I ah," Claire began, feeling embarrassed and motioning vaguely to the window. "That's … John. Outside."

No shit, Claire!

Brian suppressed a chuckle. "Yeah! Yeah, I remember him quite well. So listen, if you're not too busy do you want to come to the library? I'm supposed to meet Andy and Allison."

He sounded hopeful. Claire nodded.

"Sure. Let's go."

"Well well well!"

This was the friendly greeting Claire received from Andrew when she approached him and Allison in the library. The two of them were sitting together on the lounge upstairs – the same lounge where she, Brian and John previously got high. Fond memories!

"Hey Claire!" said Allison, glad to see her. "We definitely weren't expecting you."

Claire sat across from them, next to Brian. They all stared and smiled at her, as if she'd performed her lipstick-in-her-bra trick again.

"Okay … " said Claire warily, feeling self-conscious. "What's the deal?"

"We had this bet," Andrew explained, quickly looking to Allison and Brian. "That out of the five of us, you'd be the least likely to talk to any of us again."

"Actually the precise terms were 'deny our existence'," Brian clarified.

"Nice!" said Claire, pretending to be more offended then she was. After all, she did pretty much say she would ignore them if she got the chance. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"We're happily disappointed," said Allison. She was telling the truth.

Allison appeared nearly the same as she had at the end of detention, although Claire noted her make-up could do with some tweaking. And her clothes were still verging on fashion disaster, but at least her hair wasn't hanging over her face anymore. And as for her status with Andrew, the body language said it all: they were sitting hip-to-hip, with Andrew sneaking glances at her here and there. The guy was smitten; so much so that not even alleged tales of nymphomania and compulsive lying could thwart it.

"Have you talked to Bender yet?" Andrew asked Claire, taking a break from Allison-gazing.

"Yeah! I did," said Claire, her voice slightly higher then normal. She brought it down. "We talked after English this morning."

Talked … swapped spit …

"Is he okay? I mean … are you guys okay?" Allison asked, with some caution.

Everyone knew, out of the entire Breakfast Club, that John and Claire were the most passionately opposed that day in detention. However, somewhere along the way passionate dislike had turned into … well, passion!

"We had an argument about tights and him getting expelled. Other then that, we're okay I guess."

Claire did a quick, sideways take of Brian. She was certain he'd spotted her as he was leaving English class, just as John had walked away. Her hair all ruffled, her lipstick rubbed off …

"John was our second choice," said Allison. "In the bet, I mean. The second least likely to acknowledge our existence."

"Oh," said Claire, intrigued. "Has John said hi or anything to any of you today?"

"He high-fived me at the beginning of English!" said Brian proudly. "Kind of hurt my hand though."

"Yeah. He yelled out 'CLARK!' this morning at the front of the school when I was getting dropped off. Then he did this … "

Andrew held up his hand in the 'corna' gesture – a.k.a. 'rock on'. Everybody laughed.

"So what are you all doing up here?" Claire asked, curiosity overwhelming her. "You guys miss the library?"

"Brian's my new tutor," Andrew declared. "I want to give being smart a try. Get my grades up."

"He's going to quit the wrestling team this week," Allison disclosed. Claire was stunned.

"You're not lying again, are you?"

"No, she's not," said Andrew shyly. "My old man will be out for blood once he finds out. I'll have to move into my cousin's place for a while, until the storm dies down. If it ever dies down … "

"He also wants me to introduce him to Larry," Brian divulged. "In the strictest confidence."

"Maybe introduce me to Larry," Andrew emphasised. "I'd like to apologise to the guy, though if I were him I'd probably never want to see me again."

"Wow, Andy. You're turning into a saint," said Claire, genuinely impressed. If somebody as popular as Andrew could consider giving up wrestling and apologising to Larry Lester for taping his buns, why couldn't Claire change? Defying everyone and everything was sounding better and better.

The four of them talked through lunch, until the bell rang. Andrew and Allison went their separate ways, while Brian walked off with Claire. They ended up passing the window where Claire had seen John earlier, but he was gone.

"He'll make another appearance," Brian assured her, catching her trying to scope out John. "Knowing Bender he's probably released himself for the day."

"How are you going, Brian?" Claire decided to ask. On the surface Brian seemed normal. Cheery, even. But Claire knew deep down he must be going through some stuff, considering what he'd told them all on Saturday.

"I'm fine," he said sheepishly, looking into her eyes and then quickly away again. "Better then before."

"You should get John to help you in shop class," Claire suggested.

"Do you really think he'd help me?"

"Crazier things have happened."

Once Claire reached her next class, Brian said goodbye. She wondered if anybody had seen them walking down the hallway just now. It was more then possible. After all, everyone knew who Claire Standish and her friends were. Anyone who mattered, anyway.

Conceited Claire thought and groaned, checking herself. Then she realised it didn't bother her as much as she thought it would – the idea of one of her friends spotting her and Brian together. Well … maybe it bothered her a little. She hadn't quite reached sainthood just yet.

Thoughts of John Bender swiftly intercepted all other thoughts from her mind.

There goes concentrating in class!

John and Claire wouldn't reunite until tomorrow. On Tuesday.

4.

Tuesday, March 27th

"I'm not that pristine!"

– Claire Standish

A note was crammed in her locker. It read, in capital letters:

'TBC, BACK OF THE SCHOOL. LUNCHTIME.'

He didn't sign his real name. Instead he wrote: 'the Airborne Ranger'. Claire smiled, hearing John's less-than-musical singing voice ringing in her ears …

I wanna be an airborne ranger!

It was one o'clock sharp when Claire went outside to find John. Another cold, dreary Chicago day …

From the moment she arrived at school and found John's note, Claire had barely been able to function. She squirmed and fidgeted all through her morning classes, constantly checking her watch or the clock on the wall. Three hours to lunchtime … two hours to lunchtime … one hour to lunchtime!

Her friends rode her off, blaming her period – which was thankful because Claire couldn't concentrate on anybody or anything for long without drifting into her imagination where she and John frequently kissed one another … or worse. Over the weekend Claire hadn't dared let herself imagine anything beyond kissing John Bender. But now, ever since that kiss yesterday morning Claire's daydreams were taking a turn for bolder territory.

Unbelievable. I can't believe I'm letting some guy affect me this way. It's so pathetic!

Pathetic. She was Claire Standish, a girl with a reputation. A girl who wouldn't let the boys near her with a ten foot pole and a condom attached. Sure she always used the excuse she was only into college guys, but that was more or less a cover …

"Don't you just want to do it? Aren't you even curious?"

Harvey liked to challenge Claire's virginity, as did her other friend Lisa. Del was similar to Claire, so she was naturally on Claire's side. Claire remembered a conversation they'd all had in the girl's bathroom the previous Friday, one week before the Breakfast Club. They were standing at the sinks, fixing their make-up in the mirrors.

"Have you ever seen one before?" said Lisa devishly, giving Claire a half-smile.

"Seen one what?" frowned Claire, blushing her cheekbones.

"Cock!" Lisa blurted out, making Harvey laugh. Del screwed up her lipstick.

"Now look what you made me do!"

"Charming. Really!" said Claire snootily, continuing with her blush. "I felt one against my leg on my sixteenth birthday, from that Ted guy who used to stalk me … "

"Ew," groaned Del, disgusted at the thought.

"That would be a big, hard … long no then?" joked Harvey, laughing with Lisa. Claire snickered and rolled her eyes.

"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?"

"Because! I just think it's time you 'widened' your horizons a bit more. You too, Del."

"Nuh uh!" said Del, sounding horrified. "I'm a Christian, you know that. I don't do anything below the hips."

"Claire's not a Christian. What's her excuse?"

"Have you not seen the cretins that infest our school?" said Claire harshly, moving onto plucking her eyebrows. "The selection's about as appetizing as what they're serving in the Cafeteria."

"You've just got to have a good eye," said Lisa optimistically. "True, we are cretin heavy at this school, but there's still hope. I saw Andrew Clark from the back yesterday! I swear, he's got the most biteable ass … "

Everyone laughed, Claire included. "Lisa, you're a health hazard!"

"Claire, take my advice," began Harvey, once they'd calmed down. "Do it before college. Any guy at this school would readily serve your needs in a second."

"Only a second?" Claire raised an eyebrow. "Please, sign me up!"

"Okay, hopefully longer then a second," Harvey chuckled. "But we are talking high school boys. Pick a decent one and go for it! Sexual frustration is bad for your complexion."

"I'm not sexually frustrated!"

"Then why are you plucking your eyebrow off?"

Claire put down her tweezers. She hadn't realised she'd been plucking so vigorously.

This had been fourteen days ago. How much Claire's world had changed since then.

Though Harvey and Lisa teased Claire about her virginity, it never really struck a nerve. People rarely struck Claire's nerves at Shermer High because everyone basically worshipped her and her clique. Boys brave enough to ask he out were always turned down; and Claire, honestly, enjoyed turning them down. Until Saturday came along, Claire liked keeping them all at a distance. Admired from afar like a cool, elegant Hitchcock blonde on the silver screen. Someone like Grace Kelly … a princess.

And now, here she was! Skipping lunch and braving the weather outside, dressed in her brown leather jacket and matching gloves to meet up with John Bender. He'd struck a nerve – countless nerves. Like no one had ever done before. What was that word he'd used to describe her? Pristine. John had been right. Claire always turned her nose up at people who surrendered to their emotions. People who got 'messy'. Romance, passion … lust. It was pathetic! Pathetic and … liberating.

The back of the school was deserted. Claire crossed her arms, searching up and down. At least none of John's 'burner' friends were present, that was the last thing she needed. Suddenly …

He was waving to her, about twelve metres ahead. She could only see half of him, the other half was concealed behind a tree. One of the rare trees to occupy the grounds of the concrete jungle that was Shermer high.

With a deep breath and her arms still crossed, Claire paced forward. She couldn't see any part of John now, he'd disappeared completely behind the tree. On instinct, she turned to look behind her. Nobody. She scanned the windows … as far as she could tell, nobody was watching. They were all holed up in the Cafeteria, where it was warm.

"John?" she whispered, approaching the tree. "John!"

Claire yelped. John surprised her, grabbing her hand and pulling her round to his side. She found herself in a similar place to Monday morning – though instead of being pinned against a locker, John had her against the tree. And he was mighty happy about it!

"You came!" he whispered sarcastically. The innuendo was not lost on Claire.

"Don't be a prick!" she hissed, returning the sarcasm. John cocked his head and smacked his lips.

"I'm in luck. Did you know it's national kiss-a-prick-day today?"

They both laughed. Claire smoothed her hands up his chest, over the grey fabric of his coat, and said, "I'd still kiss you even if it wasn't."

"Well that's good to know … "

She'd imagined he'd kiss her hard like yesterday, but he didn't. He leaned into her slowly, like how he'd done after detention, and kissed her softly. Intimately. All of sudden the cold, dreary Chicago day wasn't so cold and dreary anymore …

They stayed like that for a while. Wrapped around eachother, kissing. Exploring eachother in small, tentative stages. John removed the pink scarf Claire had been wearing and started kissing her neck. Soft, butterfly kisses … working his way down to her collar bone. Claire was breathing so fast she was panting. Her gasps for breath hung in the winter air in front of her face like steam. She was getting so hot, ripping her jacket off was becoming awfully tempting … but would that give John the wrong idea? On that thought, she felt the zipper of her jacket being opened. Thank god! John was kissing her collar bone … then her breast bone, over her blouse. Then –

"Oh god!" she breathed, bringing his face level to hers. "John, you can't do that."

To this he growled. Low in his throat, like a dog that'd been denied its favourite bone.

"It won't hurt," he mumbled.

"John, I can't go back to school with drool on my … " she hesitated.

"Nipple, Miss Standish?" John offered, smirking.

"Yes! Thank you."

"It'll feel good … "

"No!"

"I'll let you kiss mine!"

"What!"

"I'll stand on my toes so you don't even have to bend down. See?"

He proceeded to do just as he said, opening his coat and offering his chest to her like a gift. Claire laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.

"Do it!" he pretended to plead, throwing his head back. "They're erect, that's when they're most sensitive."

"John, stop!" Claire laughed, her hand on her stomach. "Stop it! I can't breathe."

He kissed her mouth again, and Claire stopped laughing. He kissed her until the end of the lunch hour, when they faintly heard the bell go off in the distance.

I hate bells.

"We better go," said Claire, sounding glum.

"Yeah," he said, playing with a strand of her hair. "I'll go first?"

Claire nodded. "Okay."

"You ah … up for this again some time?"

She answered him with a kiss. "Write me."

John smiled – satisfied. The diamond ring in his ear glinted as he walked off, leaving Claire to catch her breath. She waited a few minutes, before coming out of hiding.

You know when you know something's going to happen to you? Not necessarily because you want it to happen, but just because … you know. Like a premonition. Claire knew, calmly and without a doubt as she walked back towards the school …

John's going to be my first.

Fun Facts: Judd Nelson starred with Kevin Costner in 'Fandango' before 'The Breakfast Club' (great movie, if you haven't seen it). That's why I wrote the line, "Unless it was either John Bender or Kevin Costner, Claire honestly wasn't interested." Also, when Claire says, "I felt one against my leg on my sixteenth birthday, from that Ted guy who used to stalk me … " This is in reference to Farmer Ted (Anthony Michael Hall) who was in love with Molly Ringwald's character Sam in 'Sixteen Candles'. Yes, I know my 80's trivia …