Principal Vernon froze and turned quickly. "What was that?"
Bender repeated himself, louder this time. "Eat. My. Shorts."
"You just bought yourself another Saturday, mister!"
"Oh Christ." Bender chuckled.
"You just bought one more right there!"
Defiance sparked in Bender's eyes. "Well, I'm free the Saturday after that. Beyond that, I'm gonna gave to check my calendar!"
"Good, 'cause it's gonna be filled, we'll keep going! You want another one? Say the word, just say the word! Instead of going to prison, you'll come here! Are you through?"
Bender looked distracted, like he was counting something in his head. "No!"
"I'm doing society a favor!"
"So?"
"Bender, stop!" Charlie hissed.
"That's another one, right now! Both of you!" Vernon shouted, then turning his attention back to Bender. "I've got you for the rest of your natural born life if you don't watch your step! You want another one?"
Bender glared up at his antagonist. "Yes!"
"You got it!" Vernon sounded like he was an auctioneer selling the Mona Lisa for a zillion bucks. "You got another one, right there! That's another one, pal!"
"Cut it out!" Princess shrieked at Bender, then mouthing 'Stop'.
"You through?" Vernon questioned.
"Bender..." Charlie whispered. "John, please."
He looked at her, his eyes softening, before again falling on Vernon with actual hatred. "Not even close, bud."
"Good! You got one more, right there!"
"Do you really think I give a shit?"
"Another..."
Bender glared, and again Vernon asked; "You through?"
"How many is that?" the boy asked.
"That's seven, including the one when we first came in and you asked Mr. Vernon here whether Barry Manilow knew he raided his closet." Brian recited.
Vernon spoke to Bender. "Now it's eight." And then turned to Brian. "You stay out of it!"
"Excuse me sir, it's seven." Brian held up his fingers.
"Shut up, Peewee!"
Charlie rose abruptly. "Don't talk to him that way!"
"Sit down, missy!" Vernon shouted.
Not liking all of the noise so close, Johnny began to wail from his carrier.
"And shut that kid up!"
Still standing, Charlie lifted her son up and began to bounce him lightly, hushing him softly while Vernon returned his attention to Bender.
"You're mine Bender. You and Grayson. For two months, I gotcha! I gotcha!"
"What can I say, we're thrilled!" Bender's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh I'm sure that's exactly what you want these people to believe." Vernon spat. "You know something, Bender? You ought to spend a little more time trying to do something with yourself and a little less time trying to impress people."
Charlie didn't see Vernon glance in her direction.
"You might be better off..." the principal then addressed everyone as he prepared to leave. "Alright, that's it! I'm going to be right outside those doors. The next time I hafta come in here...I'm cracking skulls!"
If he saw Bender mock him, Vernon didn't notice. He stormed out the door and as soon as it closed, Bender screamed at the top of his lungs;
"FUCK YOU!"
Charlie glanced up at the clock, it read quarter to eight. With a small huff she looked down at Johnny, who had fallen asleep soon after Vernon left. Rules are no sleeping, hon. She thought with a smile.
Over at his seat, Bender lit his shoe on fire with a match, and then used the flames to light his cigarette. Charlie breathed in the smell with envy. She had quit when she found out she was pregnant, but damn did that smell good.
Princess was lost in her own bubble brain, oblivious to the fact that Brian was staring at her. Andrew was goofing around with the tassles on his sweatshirt, and the quiet girl in the back was tying a string around her finger, turning it purple.
Bender put out his shoe and began playing air guitar. Maybe he plays...Charlie thought.
More time passed, the girl produced a beautiful landscape drawing from her bag and began working on it. Andrew was entertaining himself with paper football.
The library was so silent, the ticking of the clock grew loud and hypnotic. Charlie felt her eyelids growing heavier. Unable to resist, she put her head down and nodded off to a light sleep.
Bender looked out on the room of detention newbies. The weird girl was...well, weird. He had seen her shake her dandruff onto her drawing to make it snow. Even he thought that was pushing the gross factor.
Nerd boy was just another dork that pitched a tent whenever the Princess moved. Hell, even when she didn't, Nerdo got hard.
Her majesty...Bender had considered her when he first came in. Lord knew he loved a challenge. But then there was Momma.
What he'd said before was true; Bender had seen her when she was with Crib Midget fat. But he'd seen her before too, and damn did he like what he saw. Tall, curvy, sexy. And then she had that slutty reputation following her. Hell, he still remembered the day he planned to ask her out.
Of course, all he really hoped for was a good lay, but she didn't show up to school. Bender waited about a week, then forgot about her. Then he saw her when he was hanging around in one of the many unused stairwells he frequented when a teacher was dumb enough to give him a hall pass.
She had burst through the door, booked it down the stairs till she nearly reached where he was near the final flight down to the basement. Then she sat and sobbed, asking 'Why me?' over and over.
Bender later found out that she had gotten herself knocked up, and the reason she was crying was because one of the jocks had 'requested her services', but she told him no, and why.
The jock didn't like her answer, so he'd punched her in the gut. Bender didn't know why, but when he heard the story he hunted down the jock after football practice and taught him a lesson about hitting girls.
Said jock was benched for the rest of the season, because his throwing arm just wasn't the same anymore. But he never hit anyone again.
This very same girl was resting her head on her desk, Crib Midget next to her. Glancing around quickly, making sure everyone else was sound asleep, Bender crept over to the carrier. What was the big deal about babies anyway? All they did was eat, shit, sleep and scream.
"You're like a miniature version of my dad." He whispered, running a finger along the sleeping kids face. What he wasn't expecting was the kid's eyes to open and gaze up at him curiously.
"He's a light sleeper during the day." Momma whispered. Bender jumped a bit, not expecting her to still be awake.
Instead of making a scene, screaming 'Don't touch my baby!', she just stretched and propped her head up on her hand. "What's up?"
Bender thought for a moment. "What's your name?"
"What's yours?"
"You know it."
"Fair enough. Charlie."
"Charlie?" Bender repeated.
"Yeah, like Charlie Chaplin." She smirked lightly.
"Wow," Bender 'marvled', "Your parents sure do hate you."
She tried to hide it, but he saw Charlie flinch at his comment. There was a soft groan from behind them as Brian shifted in his sleep. From down the hall, a faint squeaking could be heard.
"You'd better sit." Charlie whispered.
"Is Charlie short for something?"
"Yes, now go sit down."
"What's it short for?"
Charlie laughed quietly and smacked the palm of her hand against her face. "Charlotte, you infuriating man, now go sit before Vernon catches you."
With a quick wink Bender traipsed back into his seat, pretending to be asleep.
