1.1 John
Upon arriving at the party, John left Claire to talk with her friends for a little while and he went out back to a brown VW bus parked across the street. His friends Marty and Crackhead Sean were in the van of course, reading some Playboys and smoking pot. "Bender, my man. It's about time you got here. The grass is melting, man," Sean said dreamily.
"Okay, that's enough Mary Jane for you, my friend," Bender said, flicking the joint from the dude's mouth. "Hey I thought you guys were gonna crash this party."
"We were, but then we forgot our plan of attack," Marty explained.
"We even forgot who we were for a minute there," Crackhead Sean laughed, slapping Marty a high-five.
Bender smiled and shook his head, "You guys are real princes, you know that. Bum me a leaf, will ya?"
"So you coming to veg and throw things at the house while sitting crouched in the van hoping to God they don't call the cops on you with us?" Sean asked, fingering a toilet paper roll and eyeing up a couple kissing on the front stoop.
"Nope. I was invited."
"No way! Who'd you do it with to get into high society?"
"No one."
"Yeah that's right. You're a cherry."
"I am not."
"Look, Marty, his face's getting red. Cherries are red, aren't they?"
"Just shut up! Sometimes you don't have to do somebody to get a step ahead, all right?" The three were silent then, and Bender said, "You want I should swindle some booze for ya?"
"Nah," Marty shook his head. "They'll just have richie beer in there. Sweet junk. By the way, Bender, we got a surprise for you."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Look right over there."
Bender looked, and coming out of the house was this gorgeous blonde wearing a midriff and a very short skirt. "Her name's Buffy. Needless to say she's very nice and easy."
"We was thinking you could show her a good time, if you know what we mean," Crackhead Sean smiled, nudging Marty.
"Oh please, you guys. You probably don't even know her."
"Wanna bet? Want us to call her over?"
John gulped and panicked. "Well, sorry to disappoint you boys but I'm seeing someone."
"You are? And you forgot to tell us?"
"Yeah, so shut up."
"Well what's her name?"
"What do you care?"
"Is she easy?"
John grew furious. "Look who cares about that? Women aren't only about being easy you know!"
"What's up with you? The old Bender'd jump at the chance!"
"See look at him! He's a cherry if I ever saw one!"
"So?" John retorted. When he felt like he was being cornered, that was the only comeback he could think of to save himself. He couldn't believe his own friends were getting on him like this. Brian and Claire and them may have asked him questions, but they respected him enough to not interrogate him and they defended him against Vernon directly. The most Marty and Sean would do would flip Vernon the bird behind his back. "You know I'm getting sick of you retards always setting me up like this. Stuff's happened and I've changed and have found someone and am happy now, and I'm not gonna have you two dopeheads jerk it up! There's only one girl I wanna hook up with now and if you can't accept that then screw you!" He slammed the door of the van, storming his way back up towards the house.
He passed by Buffy who stopped him and said, "Hey you wouldn't by any chance know a guy named Bender, would you?"
John stopped a second, searched the room, then pointed out a guy. "He's over there," he said.
When he got into the house he started looking for Claire. He stopped when he noticed a dark shape sitting near to the top of the staircase. He walked up towards it and noticed it was Allison. He shook his head. He knew it. "Allison? Yo!"
She looked up, her head buried in her lap. "Hi." Her mascara had run down her face in long black streaks. It pained him to see her like that.
"What'd Sporto do?"
"He went back on what he said." She didn't need to say anymore.
"He totally dissed you?"
"No, but, he didn't want to introduce me. I don't know. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe I don't trust him like I think I do. It's all too confusing. I don't want to be here."
"Are you gonna leave?"
"No." She wiped her eyes. She noticed the mascara smudges on the back of her hand. "Oh, I must look horrible now. And I don't know how to fix it."
Compassion welled within John. "Come on. I'll get Claire to fix you back up. Then you can hang with us for the rest of the time, ok?"
"Really?"
"Did I stutter?" he grinned.
"No." She smiled and hugged him. John had never really been hugged before. He wasn't really the type of guy who you could really go to for advice or for help or anything like that. It amazed him so how these people had changed him within a single day, but he wasn't mad at the changes. He kind of liked them.
When they finished hugging, he asked, "I wanted to ask you to do something for me. You're an artist, right?" He had seen her draw the winter scene with the bridge and the trees complete with dandruff snow on the table she had sat at in the library when he was threatening Andy with the knife. She nodded. "Could you draw something on my arm? Like a temp tattoo? Until I get a real one."
"What do you want me to draw?"
"A rose. With thorns and stuff and some red tints in it."
"Okay." She said, getting out her pens from her loaded bag she always kept with her. "By the way," Allison said, "Who's that blonde in the miniskirt talking to Brian?"
John laughed loudly. "Let's just say I set them up."
Upon arriving at the party, John left Claire to talk with her friends for a little while and he went out back to a brown VW bus parked across the street. His friends Marty and Crackhead Sean were in the van of course, reading some Playboys and smoking pot. "Bender, my man. It's about time you got here. The grass is melting, man," Sean said dreamily.
"Okay, that's enough Mary Jane for you, my friend," Bender said, flicking the joint from the dude's mouth. "Hey I thought you guys were gonna crash this party."
"We were, but then we forgot our plan of attack," Marty explained.
"We even forgot who we were for a minute there," Crackhead Sean laughed, slapping Marty a high-five.
Bender smiled and shook his head, "You guys are real princes, you know that. Bum me a leaf, will ya?"
"So you coming to veg and throw things at the house while sitting crouched in the van hoping to God they don't call the cops on you with us?" Sean asked, fingering a toilet paper roll and eyeing up a couple kissing on the front stoop.
"Nope. I was invited."
"No way! Who'd you do it with to get into high society?"
"No one."
"Yeah that's right. You're a cherry."
"I am not."
"Look, Marty, his face's getting red. Cherries are red, aren't they?"
"Just shut up! Sometimes you don't have to do somebody to get a step ahead, all right?" The three were silent then, and Bender said, "You want I should swindle some booze for ya?"
"Nah," Marty shook his head. "They'll just have richie beer in there. Sweet junk. By the way, Bender, we got a surprise for you."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Look right over there."
Bender looked, and coming out of the house was this gorgeous blonde wearing a midriff and a very short skirt. "Her name's Buffy. Needless to say she's very nice and easy."
"We was thinking you could show her a good time, if you know what we mean," Crackhead Sean smiled, nudging Marty.
"Oh please, you guys. You probably don't even know her."
"Wanna bet? Want us to call her over?"
John gulped and panicked. "Well, sorry to disappoint you boys but I'm seeing someone."
"You are? And you forgot to tell us?"
"Yeah, so shut up."
"Well what's her name?"
"What do you care?"
"Is she easy?"
John grew furious. "Look who cares about that? Women aren't only about being easy you know!"
"What's up with you? The old Bender'd jump at the chance!"
"See look at him! He's a cherry if I ever saw one!"
"So?" John retorted. When he felt like he was being cornered, that was the only comeback he could think of to save himself. He couldn't believe his own friends were getting on him like this. Brian and Claire and them may have asked him questions, but they respected him enough to not interrogate him and they defended him against Vernon directly. The most Marty and Sean would do would flip Vernon the bird behind his back. "You know I'm getting sick of you retards always setting me up like this. Stuff's happened and I've changed and have found someone and am happy now, and I'm not gonna have you two dopeheads jerk it up! There's only one girl I wanna hook up with now and if you can't accept that then screw you!" He slammed the door of the van, storming his way back up towards the house.
He passed by Buffy who stopped him and said, "Hey you wouldn't by any chance know a guy named Bender, would you?"
John stopped a second, searched the room, then pointed out a guy. "He's over there," he said.
When he got into the house he started looking for Claire. He stopped when he noticed a dark shape sitting near to the top of the staircase. He walked up towards it and noticed it was Allison. He shook his head. He knew it. "Allison? Yo!"
She looked up, her head buried in her lap. "Hi." Her mascara had run down her face in long black streaks. It pained him to see her like that.
"What'd Sporto do?"
"He went back on what he said." She didn't need to say anymore.
"He totally dissed you?"
"No, but, he didn't want to introduce me. I don't know. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe I don't trust him like I think I do. It's all too confusing. I don't want to be here."
"Are you gonna leave?"
"No." She wiped her eyes. She noticed the mascara smudges on the back of her hand. "Oh, I must look horrible now. And I don't know how to fix it."
Compassion welled within John. "Come on. I'll get Claire to fix you back up. Then you can hang with us for the rest of the time, ok?"
"Really?"
"Did I stutter?" he grinned.
"No." She smiled and hugged him. John had never really been hugged before. He wasn't really the type of guy who you could really go to for advice or for help or anything like that. It amazed him so how these people had changed him within a single day, but he wasn't mad at the changes. He kind of liked them.
When they finished hugging, he asked, "I wanted to ask you to do something for me. You're an artist, right?" He had seen her draw the winter scene with the bridge and the trees complete with dandruff snow on the table she had sat at in the library when he was threatening Andy with the knife. She nodded. "Could you draw something on my arm? Like a temp tattoo? Until I get a real one."
"What do you want me to draw?"
"A rose. With thorns and stuff and some red tints in it."
"Okay." She said, getting out her pens from her loaded bag she always kept with her. "By the way," Allison said, "Who's that blonde in the miniskirt talking to Brian?"
John laughed loudly. "Let's just say I set them up."