"Two Can Be Complete Without The Rest of the World"

-Red Light, The Strokes

Outside of the restaurant, the Breakfast Club said their goodbyes, feeling at least slightly more optimistic about whatever it was that they had together. Andy offered Brian and Allison a ride home in his father's car (Bender had said he was fine to walk.)

Claire could feel Bender's eyes on her as Andy drove off with the others. She looked down, turning away from him as if she were going to her car. She had no idea what to say to him, and she definitely didn't want him to see her blushing. He couldn't know the impact he had on her.

"So, Cherry?" He said, and she could tell he was coming closer to her. "And I want you to know that it's no skin off my back either way, but…. are we really just going to pretend like yesterday didn't happen?"

And that did it. Claire knew she was noticeably red. "Well, I know for you it was probably just your average Saturday, but I don't just do that every day, you know. Or ever."

"I knew it. Pristine." He teased her. She rolled her eyes.

"So, tell me, how did a peasant like me end up being Mr. Lucky Number One?"

The smiled faded from her face. Bender looked down at her with confused eyes.

"John," she said softly, and he was taken aback, not used to most people calling him by his first name, "you shouldn't… don't talk about yourself like that."

"What, Queenie? Don't like being reminded of how low me and Klepto and the dweeb have sunk you?"

"Don't call him that!" She was serious. Whoa. He didn't realize Claire cared about Brian. "And no, that's not what I meant. I just meant… you're not a peasant."

Bender was silent. He'd never had anyone counter him when he'd made jokes about himself before. He didn't know how to react. He'd always just accepted that he was worthless and would never amount to anything, and if he made jokes about it then no one could use it to hurt him. And it usually worked. There was only one time when he'd forgotten to beat the other person to the punch. That time had been yesterday. He could still hear the words ringing in his head. "You know, Bender, you don't even count…. You may as well not even exist at this school." He could kick himself for the brief moment of hurt he knew must have shown on his face; for even letting stupid fucking Sporto's words get to him.

Bender realized that he had zoned out, and Claire was still talking to him. "And you know what's, like, the really screwed up part? You know you're not a peasant. I can tell. It's either easier for you to let everyone think you are so they don't expect anything of you, or you use that image to push people away so they won't hurt you."

Bender was frozen. No one had ever spoken to him like this. And while he didn't like it, he knew Claire was right. As much as it hurt him to be called worthless by his own parents, the people who were supposed to fucking love him, he'd used that label to his advantage. He used it until it started to use him, and until he had started to believe it. Only, he didn't believe it. Not really. Claire was right about that.

He turned on her. "Do me a favor, Cherry. Save that touchy feely counselor talk for the basket case, alright? Before yesterday you wouldn't have even looked at me for two seconds. You spend one stupid detention with me, and what? Now you think you know me?!"

Claire had gone from being surprised, to confused, to scared, to hurt in the seconds it'd taken him to get those words out. "I didn't say that! Look, I was just trying to help, okay?!"

They stood there staring at each other, both angry. Claire wanted to yell back at him. She wanted to call him all kinds of names. But she knew better. It was as if yesterday had opened her eyes to things she'd been oblivious to before, like other people's feelings for example. She knew Bender wasn't really mad at her, he just wasn't used to anyone caring. And as far as Claire was concerned, he definitely had his guard up. Claire couldn't blame him. He was the only one who'd had the guts to come even close to pointing out that she was the weak link. So she couldn't blame him for being suspicious of her and her motives. Besides, she was pretty sure people like her had been making Bender's already rough life even more miserable since he was a child. So it wouldn't kill her to cut the guy some slack. She owed him at least that, especially after the snotty way she'd treated him yesterday. Sure, he'd been obnoxious and a jerk to her too, but she understood now that it had only been because he knew what people like her thought of him, and he was giving her what she expected—while at the same time forcing conversation with her to let her know that she wasn't above people like him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, only to realize that he was saying the exact same thing. Looking up at him, she saw a look of shock on his face.

"What are you sorry for, Cherry?" he asked. All she could do was shrug. Then he moved closer to her.

"Do you really not think I'm a peasant?" he asked. He tried to smile at her but his sincerity and nervousness betrayed him. Claire smiled warmly at him. "I don't. You may be able to fool goons like Vernon, but you can't fool me. I'm guessing that you're probably actually very smart. You read people well, and you make people laugh and you're actually one of the most mature people I've met, I think. That is, when you're not being beyond obnoxious."

Bender gave her a genuine laugh. "What can I say? I'm a complicated person." And Claire laughed back. "I better go."

But as she turned to get in her car, he said, "Hey, Cherry? So, this plan of the basketcase, how does it lend itself to us continuing what we started yesterday?

Claire moved back towards him. "I gave you a diamond earring, didn't I? Unless you think I've given one to all the boys that I don't let touch little old pristine me, obviously that means I'm interested in moving beyond just a one-time kiss in a closet. I just don't want to move too fast. If we all stick strictly to Allison's idea, we're only going to be hanging out, like, once a week."

"Well, then," said Bender, as he pulled her closer to him, "we'll just have to make the most of the weekly kumbaya sessions. Sneak away and give Sporto and Klepto something to envy." And before either or both of them could overthink it, he kissed her.

Claire blushed as they broke the kiss, and asked him, "You sure you don't want a ride?"

"Nope. I got a car of my own I'm fixing up; friend of mine said I could have it if I can get it running. Shop's nearby. Later, Cherry." And he turned and started walking off.

"Oh," he called over his shoulder, "and if you see Sticky Fingers before I do on Monday, and should you decide to have a backbone, tell her I WANT MY KNIFE BACK!"