Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Especially astrakane and roguegambit! Big hugs to you guys and thanks for the ongoing support:D

Chapter Ten: Lunch

Claire paid no attention to the bell as she stormed through the corridors and crowds of people who were heading off to the cafeteria.

She kept on walking until she made it outside the school building. Still she kept on walking, not caring where she was heading because she was in a shitty mood.

Making her way to the empty football ground seats; Claire stomped her way to the very top row and sat right in the corner on the far right side.

All the way to the seats she had heard heavy leather footsteps behind her and Claire had known who was following her. But she refused to turn around.

When she sat down Bender sat down right next to her.

Neither said anything or even looked at each other as they sat. Bender, leaning forward, fiddled with a loose thread on one of his gloves, looking very interested in it. Claire simply looked up at the clouds in the sky, trying to find pictures that made sense.

"You drive me crazy Claire." He suddenly said and Claire looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

He wasn't looking at her but he had stopped fiddling with his glove. His head was bent, causing his face to become covered by his long hair.

"Why did you follow me John?" she asked sadly, still hurt from his attitude in history.

Bender finally turned his head and looked Claire in the eye. The look in his eyes portrayed so much emotion and depth, Claire found herself gazing into them.

Gently, Bender placed a gloved hand on her cheek and sighed as Claire shut her eyes and leant against his hand.

"Why did you follow me?" she repeated quietly, not opening her eyes because she could feel the familiar burn of tears.

"Because princess Claire stood up to her bitchy friends because she believed in something different." He answered quietly. "Because cherry Claire sat at the back of a classroom because she was fine with sitting alone for the first time in her life. Because Miss Claire Standish told those bitches to fuck off after she heard them talk about her. Because you walked out of class and not even I do that often with Mr. Segger." He said with a strange smile and when Claire opened her eyes to look at him and saw it was admiration.

"Why did you follow me?" she asked again and Bender smiled sadly at her tears.

He cupped the other side of her face in his hand.

"Because you believed in me and stood up for me." He replied before leaning down and kissing her.

The rollercoaster of emotions inside Claire suddenly made her tears rise to the brim. Luckily they did not fall, but a great hunger came up inside Claire and she clung to Bender the whole time his mouth was joined to hers.

Bender's hands roamed up and down her back while Claire's arms held on around his neck.

The feel of Bender's hands made Claire feel safe in a way she had never felt before. It felt like the whole world had faded away and all she was aware of was his mouth on hers, his tongue entwining with hers, the warmth and strength of his body against her and his firm hands on her back.

Never had she felt like this before. Even though it was completely new and alien to her, Claire didn't even care because she loved every second of it.

She couldn't get enough of it…and him.

Soon they were both gasping for air and Bender suddenly placed his hands on her hips and lifted her up onto his lap.

Wrapping his arms around her, Bender felt Claire fully lean against his chest.

"Was I ever that bitchy?" she asked quietly, rubbing her face into the soft material of his shirt, not caring about her makeup. She could always fix it up later.

"You really need to ask that?" he asked, sounding slightly shocked.

Claire gave a small sigh, "I'm a bitch aren't I?"

"Yes you are." Bender replied and quickly Claire sat up and glared at him.

He smiled and continued, "But not a big one. You're not to Bri, Sporto or Alyson. But we have to work on me though."

She blinked at him once before giving an amused smile and nodded.

"Yeah I guess but…" she paused and looked away, feeling very confused and a little hurt.

Bender sensed her troubles and brought her closer against him.

"But what cherry?"

Claire didn't look at him but leant her head back against his chest.

"But I didn't expect everything to change so quickly."

Bender didn't know whether to feel pissed off or supportive but he too couldn't help but feel the same way about today.

He had first seen his friends in shop this morning and they had all made jokes about the rumors that the Bitch Brigade had spread around.

He, of course, had joked back as well but when he had heard Claire stand up to her own group about him and told them to fuck off…

Bender was now feeling rather guilty and he realized that he would have to be brave like Claire and stand up to his friends.

It was something he was not looking forward to.

Claire had noticed his silence and she knew he was keeping quiet for a reason. Her gut feeling was bad but when she sat upright and looked at him, the guilt on his face made her heart clench in terrible confirmation.

"What? What is it?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm as terrible possible answers ran through her head.

Bender saw her confusion and worries on her face and he knew that she had a right to know. But he knew she wasn't going to like it and he could only hope that she wasn't going to scream and freak out like most girls.

"Cherry I haven't told my friends about you." He said simply but guilt clouded his eyes. "I was an asshole this morning and joked with them about the Bitch Brigade's rumors."

Claire felt like she had been slapped hard across the face. She breathed in sharply and her face went with emotion.

She's gonna freak…

Bender braced himself for the inevitable bitchy hurt rant he expected, but he was sorely surprised when Claire just nodded slightly and said, "Ok." really quietly.

Slowly Claire shifted and tried to get off Bender's lap but everytime she went to stand, he would just pull her back down. Everytime he did this though, Claire would just try again and again, each time getting more and more pissed off with how annoying he was being.

Finally Bender got her temper to snap after he pulled her back down again for the umpteenth time.

Rage and hurt filled her as she began to struggle against his hold on her arms.

"John let go of me!" she yelled at him, frustrated as hell with him.

"No!" he growled back, just as annoyed with her as she was with him.

Bender's hold around her tightened and Claire knew now there wasn't a hope in hell of her being able to get away from him now.

Still she struggled against him but he just held on until her adrenaline ran out and she was so physically tired that it seemed she didn't have any resistance left.

Claire was puffed out from her exertions but she muttered, "I hate you."

Bender studied her face for a second but couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"No you don't cherry." He replied with such cocky reassurance Claire's annoyed expression turned into the death-stare.

"Why didn't you tell them?!" she demanded, the fight rising again in her voice.

Bender, seeing Claire's anger, knew he would have to answer carefully otherwise she would turn against him forever.

"Because Claire," he said with slight annoyance, "I didn't think you'd have the balls to stand up to your friends if they had seen us together. I needed to see if you were serious about…this…and if you were worth it."

Claire suddenly began raging against his hold on her with all of her strength and she managed to loosen his unprepared grip on her enough that she ripped herself away fro him and jumped off his lap in one fluid motion.

The sight of Claire standing enraged, above him made Bender jump up as well and stand away from her.

"You were seeing if I had balls?" she asked angrily, offended at his vulgar expression. "What about you John? If I had the balls to stand up to my friends and you can't, what does that make you?"

Bender didn't reply but Claire saw a dangerous anger appear on his face. It was radiating off him so strongly that Claire felt a small spark of fear, but her own anger drove her on to finish her own question.

"That, John," she seethed, "would make you ball…"

Claire was silenced when Bender stepped forward and clamped his mouth on hers with such force it hurt.

Their anger at each other fused and turned into a rough, raw need of the physical kind that made them completely forget the reason they were mad at each other in the first place.

This pure and utter need was something neither had felt before and they clung to each other with something that came close to desperation.

Claire couldn't help but give a small moan in her throat as she felt every nerve in her body come alive wherever she felt his hands go on her back.

Bender heard her moan and the sound of it made him respond instantly as the urge to feel made his hands roam up and down her back.

He was still in control enough that he wouldn't allow his hands to roam to other places…her chest and breasts for example.

It was too soon for that sort of thing with her anyway…

It was this thought that made Bender remove his lips from her bruised ones and look at her with a slightly exasperated expression.

"Why did you do that?" he asked but Claire was still blown away by her numbingly sensitive body.

"Do what?" she finally asked as she got her body back under control.

"Make me kiss you like that?"

Claire looked at him with a blank expression, "How is it my fault?"

Bender shrugged and found himself focusing on her lips again. He didn't know why but he wanted to kiss her again.

The raw hunger showed on his face and Claire nearly didn't recognize the cocky, smirky, smart-ass guy she had first fallen for.

God, how do I look like when I'm like that?

His eyes were dilated and they were so focussed on her lips that he didn't notice Claire slightly inch herself away from him. She didn't get far though with his hands resting quite comfortably on her hips.

Suddenly loud whooping noises came from the football pitch and the entangled pair turned to see the entire football team staring at them.

Seeing the intimidating jocks on the pitch, staring and cheering at them suddenly made Claire draw herself against him and wrapped her arms under his long grey jacket around his waist.

Bender didn't know if she was doing it for show or she genuinely was afraid of them. Quickly glancing down at her, immediately he knew that she was not hugging him for show.

She was seeking security and protection.

Security…he wasn't sure about that, but protection…

"Piss off you fuckers! Do yourself a favour and go and replace some of those muscles with a dick and some brains!" Bender bellowed at the jeering jocks, quickly rendering into silence by his insult.

Nerves caused Claire to hide her face against his shirt and tighten her arms around him. She knew what the football jocks did to people if they got pissed off or if they didn't like a person…

Bender wrapped his arms protectively around Claire and just glared dangerously at the jocks.

They all looked at one another and back at the embraced couple.

Every jock looked at Bender with disgust and hate before turning their backs in unison and walked away from the football grounds.

Bender and Claire were alone once more.

Claire hadn't even noticed the jock's departure for she was still so strung up with nervous tension.

Seeing her still hiding against him made Bender smile. He didn't know why he was smiling but a strong sense of comfort and happiness bubbled in him.

It was her simple action and emotion of needing him to protect her.

Bender realised why he was smiling…

It was because nobody had ever asked that of him…and never had he expected a girl to do it.

And never had expected himself to provide it.

Someone had needed him and he, having never experienced that before, had protected her without a second thought.

He had done something good and right for someone…

And it felt good!

This girl in his arms had made him feel something that was better than smoking dope…and she had managed it only in two days.

Two days…how much things can change.

Bender quietly sighed and rested his head on top of Claire's soft hair.

"They're gone cherry."

Claire gave a sigh of relief, "Thank god…I can't believe what you said to them."

Bender gave a small chuckle, "I had to say something to those brainless fuckwits that they would understand."

"Thanks." She mumbled quietly.

A warm fulfilling feeling ran through him and Bender knew that he had never felt like about a girl before.

It was fucking terrifying because it had been only two days for Christ's sake!

Suddenly he felt Claire give a small sigh of content and immediately he knew that she was falling for him just as fast.

Ah shit…

Whatever it was, it was scary and new but something deep inside him craved it because it felt that Claire was his salvation for everything bad in his life.

Only time will tell…he thought blankly, moving his head off hers and burying it at the base of her neck.

Suddenly the siren tolled off in the distance and Bender heard Claire sigh sadly.

"What you got now?" she asked, her face still against his chest.

"Free period. You?" he asked against the side of her neck.

"Hmmm…science I think," she replied before adding sarcastically, "fun."

"You wanna skip?"

His question threw her completely off guard and she tilted her head up to look at him. His expression was completely serious and hope shone bright in his eyes.

Would I get away with it???

Claire chewed her bottom lip slightly before giving in to temptation.

"Ok."