Chapter Nine
John carefully stepped out of Thomas Standish's BMW, looking up at the giant house that was his new inhabitance. Great… I'm a richie now… He grimaced at the thought, the bandage around his stitches suddenly becoming uncomfortable. His life hadn't been paradise before, but he'd rather be in the hood with the gangs and sickos, than be stuck in a place where the most exciting thing that ever happened was getting a new purse from a fancy store. John caught sight of a little kid staring at him from across the street, and shot him a look that said 'I'll kill you.' It was a look that he was familiar with. In his neighborhood that was as good as a handshake, and getting a knife pulled on you was like saying 'welcome to the family.' He just hoped that he could find a dealer here.
Thomas opened the door to his home, letting the boy inside. "Welcome home." He smiled, watching John drag his feet into the house.
John was thankful to have his boots on again, they brought him some form of comfort in the world he knew was a living hell -plus they were dirty as hell. "Eat my shorts." He muttered, not noticing the other people in the house.
"Hey!" Andy threw an arm around Bender's shoulders as the rest of the Breakfast Club gathered around him. "Back from the dead!"
Allison gave a little smile, blowing a stray hair from her forehead. She was wearing the white headband that Claire had given her and surprisingly a pink dress that actually fit. "Glad you're okay."
Brian gave him a pat on the back, grinning from ear to ear. "Good to see you."
John shook his head, but the others noticed how he shied away from them, protecting his side. "What're you assholes doing here?" He smirked, keeping a keen eye out for Claire's mother. He had to find a way to really piss her off. That would be his chance outta here. "Shouldn't jail be in session now?"
That earned a hard laugh from all of them, even quiet little Allison.
She walked with him over to the sofa, whispering something to him. "You… you didn't say anything to my Dad, did you?" She asked, as he took a seat next to her.
He took a sidelong glance at her, tilting his head slightly. "Why ya ask?"
"He's actually paying attention to me…" She let Andy take her hand, holding it in a firm grasp.
John shrugged, leaning back into the cushions and kicking his feet up on the table. "Don't know what that's about." But he let a proud smirk play on his lips, to let her know that it was indeed him.
"What are you guys doing?" Claire's voice rang in John's ears, like church bells on a Sunday.
His head snapped toward her, and he saw what she was wearing. A ratty pair of jeans, and a too-big t-shirt with the bad logo of Simple Minds on it. She didn't have a drop of makeup on, and she looked like she'd just woken up, but he knew she hadn't. "Good morning queenie." He tried to push himself up to meet her halfway, but Andrew caught the back of his shirt and held him there. "Is the school a buzz yet? About you and a burner from the slums?"
She squeezed between him and Brian, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Yeah." She gave him a little peck on the cheek. "But I don't care."