"They're finally ready!" Claire squealed as she placed a freshly printed poster advertising the upcoming homecoming dance next Friday night on their table. Andy sat next to Allison, holding her hand as he picked up the poster and quirked an eyebrow at it.

"Shermer High Starry Night Homecoming Dance, a night to remember. Get your tickets now." Andy smirked as he set it back down in front of Claire. "Guess I'll have to buy a couple of tickets to homecoming, huh?" He nudged Allison as she squeaked and turned her head into his shoulder.

Brian, sitting across from them, smiled as Claire sat next to him with a beam on her face.

"Wow, these posters look great Claire. Any chance, you'll be running for Homecoming Queen?" Brian nudged her slightly. She laughed and shook her head.

"I dunno, something tells me I won't be high on the list of girls to win Queen this year. Not with my reputation having been ruined by you people."

They all chuckled at her little slight. Claire was glad it was something they could joke about now. After that fateful Saturday, she wasn't sure if she was strong enough to let go of her old friendships, and conversely her place in Shermer society. She knew that if she were to be friends with people like Brian and Allison her highbrow bitchy friends would not accept it. Andy she could have gotten away with, but a nerd and a basket case? No chance.

So, Claire had been hesitant to continue the friendship, but there was something about seeing them on Monday that made her so very happy. She had arrived with butterflies in her stomach, more than a little miserable. She spent the whole weekend thinking about them, all of them. A part of her knew that they couldn't be friends, not without disrupting the status quo. She decided at that point that she would ignore them, pretend she'd never met them and put the whole day behind her.

She never would have imagined that seeing one of her prissy friends Joanne (a girl who Claire had never liked) making fun of Allison because she was holding hands with Andy would make her so mad. She had decided then that she didn't care what the consequences were. She hated who she was when she was with her old friends, so she promptly decided to tell Joanne to go fuck herself and then grabbed Allison's arm and walked away.

Ever since then, the club had been pretty close. They spent time together outside of school seeing movies, going to parties, and generally just having a fun time. Claire could honestly say she had never been as happy as she was with these people.

"Hey Princess."

That included the one person she was closer to than the rest of them.

"Hi," Claire said as John Bender sat next to her at the table. She leaned over and kissed his cheek before grabbing his gloved hand.

John and Claire had been going steady pretty much ever since that Monday. Of course, at first they were afraid to let everyone know about their budding relationship and so spent the rest of their junior year sneaking around, making out in broom closets and empty classrooms. It wasn't until after they had spent the summer together that they decided to go public. By that point, they had known a lot about each other, spoken words they never imagined they'd speak to each other and even consummated the relationship, something she was nervous about at first but in the end was very happy she did. Since then she had gone on the pill, and now they did it pretty much whenever they could. Sometimes she couldn't believe she was so scared of it in the first place. She loved being with him, in every way possible.

"What's going on?" Bender asked as he eyed the poster that Brian was holding. He yanked it out of his hand, holding it in front of him to read the words and grimace at them. "Homecoming Dance? You gonna take a chick to this, Big Bri?"

"No," Brian rolled his eyes. "Claire brought it. It's freshly printed." Brian smirked, knowing where this was going.

Andy and Allison chuckled to each other as they eyed Bender holding the poster. He turned his head to see Claire staring at him with gleaming eyes and a slight pout. He let go of her hand and scowled at the paper.

"No fucking way am I going to some prissy little school dance, not unless we're gonna get high in the parking lot and make fun of those dumbass football guys," Bender said, shoving the poster face down into the table.

"Please John? I have to go since I'm on student council, and I think it would be really fun!" Claire grabbed onto John's bicep and squeezed, pursing her lips and giving him a sultry look.

Damn those lips.

"No! All the guys at those things look fucking stupid, being dragged around like dogs on leashes and forced to dance to some bullshit pop music like Madonna just so that chicks can make em' think they're gonna get laid in the end"

"So you have been to a dance?" Allison asked as she made her classic pixie stick and Cap'n Crunch sandwich. Bender grimaced at Allison's antics before getting defensive.

"I went to one in Sophomore year with my buddies. We sat on the bleachers and made fun of the nerds on the dance floor. Come to think of it, that part was actually fun."

"So then you can do that again. C'mon John, you don't even have to dance with me, I just don't want to go to it alone," Claire said, leaving John a little skeptical. He supposed it wouldn't be too bad if he didn't have to actually get up and do any dancing. Plus, it would be nice to see Claire all dressed up. Who knows, he might even get laid. But, he might never live it down if his friends saw him dancing at the school's Homecoming dance, and knowing Claire, she would probably try to cajole him into at least one dance with those plump lips and those come fuck me eyes.

"I dunno," he hesitated.

"Well, if you don't go, I'll have no excuse to not dance with any guy who asks me to. I'd have to be pressed up against him while romantic music plays, and it would be awful," she said, putting on anther pout.

Damn it.

"Fine," he conceded. "But I'm not paying for it."

"Great!" Claire squealed as she kissed his cheek.

What had he gotten himself into?

Bender couldn't believe he was doing this.

He had managed to get out of going to the Junior Prom with her the previous school year as it had been at the beginning of their relationship and they weren't exactly public yet, but he knew there was no getting out of this.

Alas, he had picked up Claire in his shitty Toyota that he had borrowed from his mom (he was saving up for a car, for the time being driving Claire's BMW that her father bought her when she turned sixteen) and they drove to the school to attend the stupid homecoming dance.

He had to admit that she looked good though. More than good, actually. She was wearing a tight little purple number that went to her mid thighs and showed off a good amount of leg. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, and her makeup was minimal but elegant. She managed to look ethereal and smoking hot at the same time. He let out a whistle when he saw her.

"Damn, Cherry. If I knew you were gonna dress up like this I wouldn't have pushed back so much on this lame dance idea," John smirked. Claire rolled her eyes but put her arm through his.

"Well, I guess that's the best compliment that I should have expected from you, John," Claire replied, looking down at the ground to avoid his eyes.

"Hey," John grabbed her chin gently and lifted her head so her eyes would meet his. "You're beautiful. You don't need all this shit to make me believe it."

Claire smiled softly as he leaned in to lightly kiss her lips. She grinned against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled away, smirking at her as he unwrapped her arms from his neck.

"C'mon. Let's get the princess to her ball."

Once they arrived at the school, Claire took the lead as they walked into the gymnasium, John trailing behind her while holding her hand. He had looked pretty much normal, opting to wear black jeans, a white button up and a leather jacket. He couldn't help but feel the contrast between himself and Claire as they walked in together, her all pretty and dressed up while he still donned his infamous Doc Martens.

Claire dragged John over to the bleachers where they found Andy and Ally drinking punch. She stopped in front of Allison gushing over how good she looked in her black dress and high heels. John sat down next to Andy, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Having a good time, Bender?" Andy grinned. Bender groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Dances are lame. Look at them. All these assholes being forced to dance because their girls threaten to make sure they don't get any for the next month if they don't. It's madness."

"Maybe they actually like dancing with their girlfriends," Andy said as he put his arm around Allison. Bender scowled in response before turning to look at Claire.

"Hey, you think I can spike the punch?" John pulled out a small flask from his jacket. Claire rolled her eyes at the sight, not at all surprised that he would want to pull something like this.

"Doubtful. Vernon seems to be monitoring it pretty closely." Claire nodded towards the punch table where Vernon was standing, his arms crossed and scowling at anyone who dared to loiter near the bowl.

"Fuck," John swore as he took a seat on the bleachers. Claire sat next to him and rubbed her hand up and down his arm. He sighed and put his arm around her. He figured if he was going to be seen here, he might as well show off his girl a little bit.

He was proud to have her on his arm. Not that he viewed her as a prize or anything, but he wasn't quite sure she'd be able to handle the obvious drop her social status would take being associated with him and the rest of their club. Not that John was necessarily unpopular. Everyone knew who he was, but he knew they also somewhat looked down on him. Especially her old friend group.

So yeah, he was proud that she was able to look past all of that. He genuinely liked being with her, something he hadn't felt with any of his previous girlfriends. Of course, it was probably because he loved her. It wasn't something he said often, only a couple of times had the words escaped his lips. He had never said them to anyone before, and terms of endearment weren't really his thing, but he knew that he felt that for her. He just felt so different with her. The sex had been different with her too. It felt more special, like it was about more than just pleasure, although she could be quite wild in bed. A part of him was scared that one day she'd realize what a piece of shit he was and leave him, and he'd never feel that way again. For the time being, he figured he'd take what he could get and spend as much time with her before this inevitably ended, because all good things had to. For now, though, he'd take every minute he could get, even if that meant coming to this stupid dance.

The dance had been going on for about an hour now. Claire sat next to John, giggling while he pointed out the terrible dancers that were currently embarrassing themselves in front of their dates. Brian had showed up and said hi to them before he decided he was going to 'build up some more confidence' and ask Stacey Thompson, one of the most popular girls in school, to dance. Stacey was actually quite nice, and so she accepted. Now they were watching Brian as he danced pretty terribly, jumping around and shaking his head to the music. Stacey seemed a little embarrassed but was giggling, seemingly finding him a little cute. John of course, found it hilarious and was cheering him on. Claire was glad that Brian could find the confidence to be himself when surrounded by all of his peers.

Claire ran her hand down John's arm, lacing her fingers with his. She felt at peace when she was with him. With John she wasn't 'Claire Standish: Teen Princess' although he would often call her Princess, she knew that it was a term of endearment for him. Somehow, he saw underneath the popular pretty girl front that she put on. They were at a good point in their relationship. She taught him what it meant to have someone truly care for you while he taught her how to let go of her airs and be comfortable with who she was.

She was thrilled that he had agreed to come to the dance with her, not because she wanted to show him off or make him do something he didn't want to, but because it meant that he was willing to let down his guard in order to please her. She truly appreciated that and wanted more than anything to make it up to him.

She got an idea then. Something that she had been wanting to do ever since the first time she and John had gone all the way together. She had never quite found the right time before, but now was perfect.

"Hey, do you wanna go somewhere?" she whispered in his ear, her hot breath on his neck.

"Where?"

Claire smirked as she grabbed his hand and led him outside the gymnasium. She began walking quickly, her fingers still laced in his as she brought him down the hallway.

"Where are we going, Cherry?" John asked. Claire turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, fusing her lips to his in the middle of the hallway. He melted into the abrupt kiss and grabbed onto her waist, not caring if anyone caught them making out there. Claire leaned back, breaking the kiss and causing John to chase her lips.

"You'll see," she giggled and started down the hallway again. John laughed as they walked quickly towards wherever Claire was taking him.

He raised an eyebrow as Claire stopped in front of the closet that they had shared their very first kiss in. It was there that Claire first lightly brushed her lips against his as he gently grabbed her face and stroke her cheek with his thumb. She thought it to be uncharacteristic of him at first to be so gentle and chaste with the kiss, but soon learned that John would always take care not to hurt her.

"You wanna make out in the janitors closet instead of dancing?" he asked. Claire shook her head as she dragged him into the closet and turned the light on.

Once inside, Claire planted her lips on John's again. She ran her hands up his neck and into his hair, tugging lightly on it as he kissed her fully. His arms went to wrap around her waist, running his hands up and down her back. They kissed passionately for a couple of minutes, hands wandering before Claire broke the kiss, panting heavily.

"I wanted to thank you for coming to the dance with me. I know it's not really your thing, but you came anyways" she smiled, lightly peppering kisses down his neck.

"Well, someone has to make sure those freshmen dorks don't try to cajole you into a dance or two," John breathed, finding it hard to think as Claire lightly sucked on his skin just above his collarbone.

"Well anyways, I want to show you how much it means to me. How much you mean to me." She started unbuttoning his shirt now, John's pants getting a little too tight.

"Claire, are you saying…"

"Yes, John," Claire smiled innocently as she looked up into his eyes. "I want you to fuck me. Right here. Right where we first kissed."

John growled at this and grabbed the back of Claire's head, bringing her lips to his in a forceful kiss. His hands slipped down to her ass, he kneaded it softly causing Claire to let out a slight moan. She finished unbuttoning his shirt, sliding it with his jacket off of his torso.

John broke the kiss in order to slide the thin straps of her dress down. He pulled the top of the dress down, freeing her breasts. She hadn't been wearing a bra, he realized, causing him to feel a rush of blood flow directly to his cock. He leaned down, placing his mouth over one of her breasts while palming the other.

God, he loved her tits. He knew she was slightly insecure about them because they weren't as large as some other girls, but they were perky and full. Her rosy pink nipples pointed out, hardened by his touch. She moaned as he switched breasts and started lightly sucking on the other one.

"Oh God, John," Claire panted as he sucked on her. His hands went lower to the hem of her dress, pulling the tight material up until it was over her hips and her ass was exposed. John kissed down her chest, getting on his knees as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties, dragging it down her body leaving kisses in its wake.

"Jesus, you're fucking perfect," he growled as he kissed up her legs. She leaned backwards onto the table as he raised her right leg, placing her thigh on his shoulder. He placed hot wet kisses on her thighs until he finally reached the one place she was aching for most.

His lips found her center, hot and wet. Claire let out a breathy moan as John began to lick and suck on her pussy. His tongue found her clit and started flicking it back and forth and his fingers came up to linger in her heat before sliding into her wetness. He added a second finger as he continued his onslaught of her clit, causing her to let out a loud groan and almost collapse on the table.

"Careful baby," John leaned back to say. "We don't want anyone finding us in here do we?"

No. That would be the height of embarrassment, Claire thought. Yet, there was something undeniably hot about the idea that they might get caught. John returned to his mission, sliding his wet tongue down her lips then back up to suck on her clit.

He began fucking her harder with his fingers, triggering her to come violently, her juices gushing out in streams, soaking his hand. She had felt a little embarrassed the first time she had done that, not knowing if it was normal to be so wet. She felt a little relieved when John told her it was one of the hottest things ever and that he didn't expect her to be a squirter.

"Damn, I love it when your pussy does that," he smirked, his fingers leaving her but his mouth staying attached to her clit, licking and sucking again until she screamed his name and hit her second climax.

"Shhh," John whispered as he came back up, his chin glistening with her juices. "With you screaming my name like that, Vernon might come running to get us."

"The music's probably too loud anyways," Claire panted as she pulled John back into another fiery kiss. He grabbed her dress, pulling it down and off her body as she unbuckled his jeans, pushing her hand down his pants to grab his hardened cock.

"Mmm, is this for me?" Claire purred into his ear as she kissed it, stroking his shaft and finding a bit of precum at the tip.

"You know it, Princess. I've always wanted to fuck you in the school. Knowing we might get caught is kind of hot isn't it?"

"Well, someone once told me that being bad feels pretty good."

John lifted her then, her legs wrapping around his waist as he pinned her to the door. He pushed his pants down far enough for his length to be freed from its restraints. Claire panted as he slid the tip of his cock against her. She groaned impatiently as he teased her.

"John, please" she moaned, not knowing how long she could take it for.

"Please what?" He breathed, placing hot kisses against her long, pale neck.

"Please fuck me."

He slid into her with a deep thrust then, causing both of them to let out a loud moan. He pulled back and began thrusting, the door moving a little with each thrust.

He was mesmerized by her pert breasts bouncing up and down as he fucked her against the door. They jiggled tantalizingly, and he couldn't help but put one in his mouth as he thrust deeper into her.

"John" Claire moaned, her hands running through his hair as her head hit the back of the door. "Faster, John."

John complied and began thrusting into her at a rapid pace. He looked down to see his cock sliding out of her pussy, glimmering with her juices before it went back in, nestling itself deep inside of her. He continued to fuck her relentlessly, her panting getting louder as his grunts got deeper.

"Jesus, you feel so good baby," John groaned as he pinned her against the door. Her lips came down onto his as they kept the pace. They kissed fervently as he kept diving into her, faster and harder building up a crescendo until Claire let out one loud string of curses.

"Fuck, fuck John yes, oh my God, yes!" She shouted as he brought one hand down to her clit, rubbing it relentlessly and tipping her over the edge into her climax.

"Oh God baby, yes," John panted as he felt her squeeze around him, triggering his own climax. She felt him cum in her, leaving her oddly satisfied as his thrusts slowed down and he stopped, him still inside her as she leaned against the door. She let out a lazy smile as they both tried to catch their breath.

"Mmm, are you glad you came to the dance now," Claire smirked as John slid out of her and gently put her down on the ground.

"Fuck, yes. If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn't have been such a hard ass about it earlier." John ran his thumb up and down her cheek as he cradled her head and brought her close to chastely kiss her lips, pecking them a few times before smiling against her mouth.

"We should probably go back before someone finds us here." Claire picked up her panties, sliding them on before searching for her previously discarded dress. John helped her find it, getting dressed himself before helping Claire straighten out her dress and fix her hair. She smiled as he brushed her hair behind her ear and grabbed her hand.

They stopped at the bathroom for Claire to fix her makeup before heading back into the gym. They both giggled as they walked past the refreshment table where Vernon was still standing, scolding the odd kid for loitering around the precious punch bowl. Claire began walking towards their spot on the bleachers but was stopped by John pulling her out towards the dance floor.

"C'mon Cherry, let's dance," he said as he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"But don't you hate dancing?" It was true, he did, and at the moment they were playing Time After Time by Cindi Lauper, a song that seven months ago he never would have believed he would be dancing to, much less with Claire Standish. But he knew, somehow, that this is right where he wanted to be. Standing in the middle of the gym with the girl he loved in his arms.

"It's not too bad if you have the right partner." He lifted her chin up and gave her a kiss, causing her to go weak in the knees. She beamed up at him as they pulled away before she laid her head on his chest and swayed with him in the middle of the school gym. He felt his heart soar and, not for the first time, wondered what he did to ever deserve a feeling like this.

"I love you, you know?" he said into her hair, realizing then just how much liked saying it.

She lifted her head back and looked up into his eyes before giving him a shy smile. "I know. I love you too."

Maybe school dances weren't so bad after all.