I'm Back! That's two votes for Bender! However I am adding a little something into the mix to see how it sits with my readers, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this! Here's to you!
"Oh, such obscene finger gestures from such a pristine girl." Bender whistled and Clare scoffed, "I'm not that pristine." She sneered. And Bender leaned forward, "Are you a virgin?" he asked and Vasya glanced at him, "Uh, Bender?" she began, "One moment Ruski." He held up on finger.
"I bet you a million dollars that you are." He said slowly. "Let's end the suspense, is it gonna be a…" he paused, "white wedding?" Clare glared at him, "Why don't you just shut up?" she said resentfully. "Have you ever kissed a boy on the mouth?" Bender continued, "Have you ever been felt up? Over the bra, under the blouse, shoes off...hoping to God your parents don't walk in?"
Vasya could tell Clare was getting uncomfortable and prepared to intervene and defend Clare's dignity before the red head spoke up. "Do you want me to puke?" she asked in a low voice. "Leave her be Bender." Vasya finally spoke up. John turned to her now and Vasya knew it was her turn to face the blows of vulgar interrogation.
"Well how about you Ruski?" He asked, "Have you ever had someone to keep you warm in those cold Russian winters?" Vasya kept her chin up and didn't answer, "I can only imagine what could be hiding under those baggy sweaters and slacks." He motioned to her modest dress and Vasya blushed brightly, years of a sheltered life having left her vulnerable to the rude comments passed to her in the halls and in classes, but no boy had been so direct about it before.
"Leave her alone." Andy snapped, sparing Vasya further embarrassment. Bender turned to face an advancing Jock, "I said leave her alone!" he barked.
"You gonna make me?" Bender hissed, "Yeah." Andy said plainly and Bender strode up to him, "You and how many of your friends?" he asked, Andy's face was hard as stone as he faced off with the taller boy, "Just me…" he assured, "Just you and me, two hits. Me hitting you, you hitting the floor. Any time you're ready pal." Vasya watched the exchange with interest and Bender scoffed and swiped at Andy with his right hand only for it to be caught by the wrestler and easily taken down at an impressive speed.
"I don't want to get into this with you man." Bender said from under Andy, who released him quickly, "why not?" Bender flipped his hair out of his face, "Cause I'd kill you." He sniffed, and opened his arms, "it's really simply, I'd kill you and your fuckin parents would sue me and I don't care enough about you bother." Vasya rolled her eyes; that was a cop out if she ever heard one.
"Chicken shit." Andy muttered and began to turn, pausing at the sound of a knife slicing through the air as Bender pulled a switchblade out of his pants and stabbed it into the wood of a chair. Andy turned and stared at him, "Let's end this now." He said as Allison stole the blade quickly. The wrestler pointed to Vasya and Clare, "you don't look at them, you don't talk to them, and you don't even think about them! You understand me?!"
Vasya smiled a little, she had never had a boy defend her before, mainly because she had never been in social distress before now. "I'm trying to help them." Bender defended himself.
The sound of a swinging door called their attention as Carl the Janitor waltzed in whistling a tune. "Brian, how you doin?" He asked cheerfully, Bender looked at Brian incredulously, "your dad work here?" he asked and Brian blushed.
"Hey Carl" Bender called to the Janitor, "Yea?" Carl turned to face them, radio strapped to his hip, "Can I ask you something?" the delinquent asked and Carl shrugged, "Sure."
"How does one become a janitor?" Bender asked and Carl arched an eyebrow, "you want to be a janitor?" he asked and Clare leaned over to Vasya, "Well the way he's heading I think it's a logical career choice." She muttered and Vasya covered her mouth to suppress a giggle.
"No, no I just want to know how one becomes a janitor." Bender clarified "because Andrew here, is very interested in pursuing a career in the custodial arts..." Andy looked back and him and Carl pressed his tongue to his bottom lip. "Oh really" He cast his gaze over all of them, "You guys think I'm just some untouchable peasant? Surf? Peon? Huh?" he leaned on his cart, "Maybe so, but following a broom around after shitheads like you for the past eight years I've learned a couple of things..." They looked at him inquisitively.
"I look through your letters, I look through your lockers...I listen to your conversations, you don't know that but I do...I am the eyes and ears of this institution my friends." He made them all shift uncomfortably, he grinned and when back on his way, only stopping to point to the clock, "Oh by the way that clock's 20 minutes fast." They all checked the clock and some of the boys checked their watches and all groaned.
Soon the clock read 11:30 and Vasya sighed. After Bender's verbal assult she had taken her former seat and as now laying back on the table, her hair hanging slightly off the edge but mostly fanned out around her head like a halo, usually she would have been on her second hours of viola practice by now. Bender began to whistle a catchy tune and Brian picked it up, then Clare, then Allison, then Andy and finally Vasya, and they were all whistling in sync. Their jolly ditty was cut short by Vernon's abrupt entrance. Vasya slipped into her seat quickly as Bender began to whistle the opening to Beethoven's 5th symphony.
"Alright girl's that's thirty minutes for lunch." He informed them. "Here?" Andy gawked and Vernon nodded, "here."
"Well I think the cafeteria would be a more suitable place for us to eat lunch in, sir" Andrew protested. "Well I don't really care what you think Andrew." Vernon snapped back.
"Uh Dick" Bender began, "Scuse me, Rich? Will milk be made available to us?" He asked. "We're extremely thirty sir." Andy agreed, "I have a very low tolerance for dehydration sir." Clare explained. "I've seen her dehydrated sir, it's pretty gross."
Bender Stood, "relax, I'll get it." Vernon protested, "Grab some wood their bub, you think I'm just going to let you roam these halls?" Vernon pointed to Andy, "you! And…" He hummed and Andy pointed to Clare, "You two." He pointed to Vasya and Allison. "Come on, on your feet girls." He ordered, Vasya obeyed and Allison didn't move, "Hey, what's her name?" he pointed to Allison, "Wake her up, come on wake her, wake her!" Allison turned to him, "Come on, to your feet missy, this isn't a rest home.
Allison snatched her bag and stormed up to the front, "there's a soda machine in teacher's lounge."
The trio walked down the empty halls, their feet echoing with each step. "So, what's your poison?" Andy asked them and Vasya tilted her head, unsure it this was another American saying, "how's that?" she asked. "uh, what do you drink?" he clarified. She nodded, "Uh, Cola is fine with me," she turned to the dark dressed girl, "Allison?" Allison looked up at her, "you two know each other?" Andy asked, "Sorta, she's in my Honors Chemistry class." Vasya explained. "we haven't really spoke before but…" she shrugged.
"Alright then…." Andy let out a low whistle, wondering how two people could be friends if they have never spoken. "Vodka." Allison said suddenly. "Vodka?" Andy said incredulously, "When do you drink vodka?" Allison grinned and took the lead, "when ever."
"a lot?"
Vasya lagged behind as the two sped up,
"Tons."
"Is that why you're here today?"
Allison didn't answer, "Why are you here?" Andy asked, "Why are you here?" She snapped back. Vasya watched the two with interest. They stopped and Andy leaned against the white walls.
Um, I'm here today...because uh, because my coach and my father don't want me to blow my ride. See I get treated differently because uh, Coach thinks I'm a winner. So does my old man. I'm not a winner because I wanna be one... I'm a winner because I got strength and speed. Kinda like a race horse. That's about how involved I am in what's happening to me." Andy let out a rather long winded, possibly rehearsed speech.
Allison nodded, "That is fascinating." She said in mocking awe, "now why don't you tell me why you're really here?" she deadpanned and Vasya grinned when Andy frowned. "forget it." He turned and them entered the Teacher's lounge, got six Cokes and began to return, Allison running ahead of them quickly.
"I believe you, you know." Vasya told him. "About what?"
"That you get treated different because you're talented." She nodded, "I mean I don't think that's why you're here but…" Andy eyed her, "Well what if I told you I was making it all up?" he asked as they approached the Library doors. Vasya shrugged and paused by the large wooden door, "you could say that but it would be as we say, doyeniye a mertvykh korova" She explained
Andy looked at her curiously, "What does that mean?" he asked. And Vasya let a small cheeky grin slip, "Milking a dead cow."