Princess turned and glared at him. I am sure that my feelings of utter repulsion and slight amusement left a very strange look on my face.
Bender took notice and turned his attention on me with a nod.
"What's the matter, sugar? You want a ride instead?" With that, he scooted his chair out from under the desk and gestured towards his lap.
My jaw dropped and my brows furrowed in offense. Any amusement I had faded and was quickly replaced with rage.
"Hey!" The jock shouted. We ignored him, too focused on each other to pay him any mind. I could feel a small smile playing on my lips as I riposted.
"Oh puh-lease! I'm sure the only action yer joystick has gotten is from yer own hand. I bet ya wouldn't even know what to do if I was ready and willin'!"
There was a momentary look of astonishment on his face before he shook it off. He assumed a suggestive grin before he countered. "Oh no? Well, why don't you climb on up and find out."
I will admit, I had expected to stump him with my comment. So his rebuttal had me somewhat flustered, leaving me to respond with the first thing I could think of.
"Ugh! Eat shit and die!" ….Not my most eloquent comeback. His grin grew wider as he went to retort. Thankfully, the jock was adamant about getting his attention.
"HEY!"
Bender turned his attention to him. "What?"
"If I lose my temper, you're totaled man!" The jock threatened him; it was a painfully empty declaration. I sighed and shut my eyes, feeling slightly embarrassed for him.
"Totally?" Bender asked, mocking him.
The jock seemed oblivious to the jibe because he reiterated in all seriousness, "Totally."
To my genuine surprise, princess chimed in. "Why don't you just shut up?! Nobody here is interested!"
"Really!" Letterman enthusiastically agreed. He then turned toward the princess and muttered, "Butt face."
Apparently, I lose complete control of my actions when I find something funny; I snorted which quickly turned into a fit of breathy giggles. "That is so stupid!" I managed to gasp out.
Princess and Letterman looked murderous. "Shut up!" They barked at me in unison.
My face became stoic as I turned to look at them. With a scowl they turned away to talk to each other, trying to ignore the rest of us. It was to no avail because Bender decided to he wasn't finished talking with them.
"Well hey Sporto! What'd you do to get in here? Forget to wash your jock?"
He looked quite pleased with himself as the athlete whipped around to face him. The nerd, to his credit, mustered up the courage to try to diffuse the situation.
He rambled nervously. "Uh, excuse me, fellas? I think we should just write our papers..."
He was cut off by the athlete who was chastising Bender. "Look, just because you live in here, doesn't give you the right to be a pain in the ass...So knock it off!"
Bender wore a faux hurt expression before he stated, "It's a free country."
Ms. Prissy leaned in to the jock and tried to ease his temper. "He's just doing it to get a rise out of you! Just ignore him..."
Bender looked at her, a smug smirk plastered to his face. "Sweets..." She looked at him before he continued. "You couldn't ignore me if you tried!"
What an arrogant prick..The princess rolled her eyes and turned away; but apparently he wasn't finished harassing the popular kids.
"So.." he started softly before growing louder. "So! Are you guys like boyfriend, girlfriend?"
There was a pause. When they didn't respond he continued.
"Steady dates?" Still no response.
"Lo—vers?" They shifted uncomfortably but actively ignored him.
"Come on Sporto, level with me. Do you slip her the hot...beef...injection?"
That one did it. They violently whirled to face him, screaming in fury.
"GO TO HELL!" from the princess.
"ENOUGH!" came from the jock.
He let out a small chuckle, pleased with himself for getting such a vehement response.
Vernon could be heard bellowing from his office. "Hey! What's going on in there?"
We all froze in place, waiting to see if Mr. Vernon was going to storm in. When it was apparent he wasn't coming in, we let out a collective sigh of relief.
Princess was still facing Bender, who made an obnoxious face at her. She looked away with a surly expression.
Allison caught my eye, giving me a small smile. I beamed at her. She silently mouthed, "what the fuck?" while tilting her head toward Bender and the populars. I just shrugged and shook my head.
The jock turned away from Bender and muttered to himself. "Scumbag."
I narrowed my eyes at 'Sporto'. He was seriously starting to piss me off. It was maddening how quick he was to pass judgment on others. He seemed rather hypersensitive, maybe he was just projecting.
Bender got up and went over to the railing near Claire. He hoisted himself up so he was sitting on it as he spoke.
"What do you say we close that door? We can't have any kind of party with Vernon checking us out every few seconds."
"Well, you know the door's s'posed to stay open..." I have to admit, the nerd was much braver than I initially thought.
"So what?" Bender asked indignantly.
"So why don't you just shut up! There's five other people in here you know..." Sporto was taking on an 'alpha male' bravado, exacerbating the situation. I wish he would take his own advice and shut up.
Bender couldn't resist the urge to patronize Sporto. "God, you can count. See! I knew you had to be smart to be a...a wrestler."
"Who the hell are you to judge anybody anyway?" Sporto countered.
"Really..." Princess voiced her agreement with a small laugh.
"You know, Bender… You don't even count. I mean if you disappeared forever it wouldn't make any difference. You may as well not even exist at this school." The jock's voice was filled with disdain as he looked up at Bender. What a dick...
I chanced a look at Bender. He looked like a wounded puppy before quickly masking it with his usual apathetic demeanor. I shouldn't have cared especially after his foul comments to me but seeing that pained, sad expression made me quake with rage.
"'EY!" My voice boomed, causing everyone to turn and look at me. I glowered at Sporto before lambasting him. "What the hell is your problem, man? Who are you to judge anyone? What makes you so fucking important that you can deem whether someone matters or not?"
He snarled at me in disgust. "Who the hell asked you anyway? You're just as bad as he is. No, actually, you're worse. I've seen you around school, moving from group to group. You don't fit in anywhere. Not even Bender's gang will take you. So you go hang out with the other losers and rejects."
His words hurt far more than I'm willing to admit. I had always considered myself someone who got along with everyone, not needing to have an exclusive clique. I felt like I got slapped in the face with his harsh critique of me. I felt angry tears stinging my eyes but blinked them away in haste.
I thought about my friends and couldn't imagine him knowing that kind of loyalty and acceptance. Who the fuck was he to dub them "losers"? My temper got the best of me. I launched out of my chair and stalked towards him, ranting the whole way.
"Fuck you, you knuckle draggin' neanderthal! What makes you above anyone else? Because yer good at playin' grab ass with other dudes? MY HERO!" I paused as I sneered down at him before continuing. "Well on behalf of all of us mere peasants that you've placed below you in the loser's club, let me just give ya this token of our undying love and appreciation."
I jerked my hand back and catapulted it forward, connecting with the side of his face. The sound of the slap resonated over the room while the force made him lurch to the side. He caught himself before he fell off of his chair though.
I was still seething as I stomped back to my desk. I snatched up my jacket, rucksack and thermos before storming over to the table next to Allison's. I flopped down in my new seat and pulled out a cigarette. I lit it and took a long drag, trying to calm myself down. I felt everyone's eyes still on me but did my best to ignore them.
"Well..." Bender said in a daze, unable to think of anything else to say.
I looked up with a grimace and he gave me an appreciative nod. I hesitantly nodded back, slightly confused. He smiled before turning back to the popular table.
I could feel my eyebrows scrunch together in annoyed confusion. I don't get him.
Author's Note: Well here's the next chapter. I hope you like it! Thank you to the people that added this story to their favorites and alert list.
CohanLove0106: Thank you for the comment! I hope you like this chapter. And I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
Guest: Thank you! I am happy to hear you like it. I plan to update quite regularly. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
