Claire was intimidated to go into the highschool by herself. Sure, she had been there on countless occasions in the past two years, but it was always a parent-teacher interview after hours, or a weekend activity that she attended with Allison. The last time she was in Shermer High during a school day was Friday, June 15 1984, the last day of her senior year.
She remembered it a bit too well, considering it was 20 years ago. She had spent all morning trying to get her hair and makeup just perfect for the last day, only to have it fall flat as soon as she stepped outside. It was humid that day. Cloudy, thunderstorms rolling in the distance, mist. She remembered her blouse sticking to her back, and the smell of the old car John was driving as he picked her up 10 minutes late. She could still hear him swearing at her as she complained about his tardiness, and they argued all the way to school only to end up making out heavily in the driver's seat, resulting in completely missing first period.
Claire sighed, looking around the entrance for a place to sit before finally giving in and flopping down on the top of the front steps, thankful for her long coat giving her body some heat from the cold concrete. She checked her watch. 1:25. She hoped John wouldn't be too late.
She remembered how he hadn't shown up for lunch that day, and Andy mentioned that he saw him walking towards the bleachers with the rough crowd he usually smoked up with. He was late then too, finally appearing with 15 minutes left of lunch, his breath and hands smelling strongly of weed as he stole the last part of her food. She had avoided his lips meeting her cheek, and he had slammed his hand angrily into the table before distracting Brian from finishing his last physics assignment.
Her 'friends' had long since abandoned her, unable to comprehend why she would prefer to hang out with the so-called "Breakfast Club", and Claire was surprised to learn that she didn't care. She certainly hadn't missed them. It had taken her longer than the rest to come to terms with what happened that Saturday in March. She avoided all four of them, even Andy, that first week after, feeling both guilty and jealous, watching from afar as John took Brian under his wing, and Andy and Allison paid no mind to the rumours circulating their relationship.
It wasn't until John had come stalking down the hall toward her locker one day, ignoring the shocked expressions on her clique's faces, and slammed his hand so hard into the wall above her head that it left a dent the size of his fist, that she rose above her mistake. His face had been so deadly angry and hurt simultaneously. She had wanted to melt into a pool of shame right there on the sticky hallway floor to get away from him, his accusing glare.
"So much for a change, huh, CHERRY?" he had spat in her face, his breath reeking of cigarette smoke. "You learn fuckin nothing last Saturday? Just ran back to your fuckin friends, didn't you?" He had grabbed her face then, cupping her chin with his long fingers, his grip firm but not pressing, as if afraid to hurt her. She saw with a shock that he was still wearing the diamond earring. It took her all of three seconds to commit social suicide, launching herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. Her clique was gaping, and there were cat-calls from down the hall, but she hadn't cared. John's lips were stiff against hers, shocked, and it took him a moment to respond from the surprise. Then he had pressed her back against the lockers and kissed the living life out of her.
The group had welcomed her back easily, asking no questions, and she was glad. They became practically inseparable after that, and she had never been so happy.
So when John had started up the last day of school with his angry glare, and sullen attitude, she couldn't figure out what was bugging him. His torso and arms showed no signs of recent arguments with his father - she would know, having gotten his shirt off earlier that morning in the car - and although he was graduating by the skin of his teeth, he was still graduating. He had stormed off again once the bell rang for third period, and she hadn't seen him again until the middle of their last Study Hall, when he sauntered in halfway through, giving Mr. Saunders, their monitor, a sarcastic salute before heading towards the back desks where they sat.
"Where were you?" Brian asked him as he sat down, kicking his boots up heavily onto the side of the desk.
"What do you care?" he had snarled and Brian had looked at Claire as if for some explanation. She had just shrugged, wordlessly, at him. It wasn't as if they had any assignments that period, seeing as though it was the last of their high school careers, but the four of them suddenly wished they had something to do to break the tense silence.
Andy finally spoke. "What the hell's your problem?" he snapped as John glared at him.
"Fuck you, Sporto."
"Seriously, Bender."
"Don't get your tights in a wad."
"It's the last day of school. Quit acting like a motorhead."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is my attitude pissin you off? Good thing you only have to put up with me until September when you can go and roll around with other guys until the cows come fuckin home."
Claire smiled at the memory of John's hurt expression, trying to hide it behind his hair. She shivered in the cool air, checking her watch again. 1:28. She looked up as a beat-up truck came screeching into the school parking lot, finally pulling up beside the front steps. John climbed out of the front seat, slamming the door loudly after him as he came walking towards her, not wearing a jacket and the brisk winter wind ruffling his shirt to his torso.
"What in the hell are you waitin out here for, Claire? You'll catch a fuckin cold," John said as he took the steps two at a time and before Claire could even stand up, he grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her into the front entrance, between the two sets of doors.
"I was just reminiscing," she smiled at him. Then frowned. "You're covered in sawdust, John." She started dusting the wood shavings off his shoulders and he was still as she fixed his appearance.
"Reminiscing about what?" he mumbled as she took the glasses off his nose and started wiping them off with the hem of his shirt. She settled them back on his face and ran her hands through his hair, shaking out the sawdust.
"About the last day of school here. And how you were all upset because you thought we were going to ditch you for our cooler college friends."
John rolled his eyes, but she saw a tinge of pink around his ears. Then he gave her a stern look. "I would've thought you'd remember that day for something else, Miss. Standish."
"Mrs. Bender," Claire corrected him softly, teasing him as she took a step closer, pressing her front against his chest.
"Was that night not memorable enough for you?" John asked, his voice rough as his strong fingers wrap around her arm tightly. "It was, after all, the day I could stop accurately calling you a cherry."
Claire tried not to blush at the memory. "Shut up." She could still feel the humidity of that night in her bones. The feeling of his smooth chest and shoulders as she clutched them tightly in pain, his lips against her neck, the groan from his throat as he finally-
"Claire?" John was smirking at her as if he knew exactly where her mind was. She immediately checked her watch. She couldn't get into that now, not with Vernon waiting for them down the hall... She swallowed heavily before setting her shoulders and turning on her heel, heading into the school.
A/N: Sorry about the long wait! My how time flies...
