Kyle was stunned beyond comprehension.

Kyle was stunned beyond comprehension. Was Angel, the Angel Luther who was such a bullying bitch a moment ago, going to actually break down in tears? His whole defense softened at the sight of her vulnerability. "Angel" He reached out to her, only to be shoved away.

"What?!" She snapped, blinking back any evidence of tears. Angel reached into her pocket, pulling out her shades. She placed them on like she had done so many times before.

"Angel," John began, his voice also light and concerned. "Please take a seat."

Angel turned violently at John, her voice hard as ever. "What, John? You gonna turn all soft on me now, huh? Just because I blinked a few fucking tears? Just because I'm a girl?"

"Just sit, Angel. Please." John's voice was strained, guilt riding on him due to his initial first reaction to rage on her.

Angel regarded him, then she regarded Kyle. She bowed her head, then glanced up back at them "Fuck" She murmured, a light calm seemingly to come over her.

"Angel" John coaxed again, but only to have her react violently again.

She swiftly kicked a chair, nearly hitting both John and Mark, who was right behind him.

Everyone in the room stared at her, shocked by her erratic behavior.

"Angel!" Meg cried, her tolerance for her peer on the border of extinction. "Just do whatever the hell Bender tells you! Damnit! Don't you dare take us down with you with your bitchy tantrums!"

"Meghan" Todd placed a kind hand on her tense shoulder, wanting to calm her down.

Meg glanced up at him, surprised by his touch yet again.

"And why should I listen to you? Miss I'm So Fuckin' Perfect! Miss the whole God damn varsity football team can screw me over whenever they please! Miss so what that I set fire to poor Missy Carl's Backpack, I'm still playing in the all-star game!"

Meg gasped, surprised that Angel even knew about that. She felt Todd's grasp on her slip, causing her to gaze up at him, just to see his reaction.

Todd was as shocked as Kyle and Mark were. He looked at Meg with eyes that tore at Meg's heart. Softly, "It was you?"

Meg felt the tears of guilt blur her vision. Quickly, she wiped her eyes, then turned towards Angel, refusing to answer Todd. "How do you know her?"

"How'd I know her?! Fuck, Meg! Are you so God damn high up on that social food chain that you can't even recognize your inferiors?! Missy was actually a nice person! A good friend of mine's! Shit, I wouldn't even be a fuckin' Senior if it wasn't for her always offering her notes to me! And I didn't even have to beat her senseless for them! She actually gave it to me!"

Meg felt her whole knees tremble, filled with immense guilt that she thought she had buried, but only managed to grow.

Todd could sense her faltering, and he quickly came to her rescue. He softly coaxed her to sit down, easing her by softly rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry, Ang" Meg whispered, pain and regret in her voice.

"Oh no, Princess Meghan. I don't fuckin' want your apology. It should be Missy that you should be groveling on two knees at, not me." Angel growled, her anger towards her still evident.

An awkward silence fell upon the room, each on reflecting on the recent revelation. It was John who broke the silence, "Alright, I know that emotions are running pretty high right now, so I just want to urge each of you to take a seat please."

The Seniors regarded Bender, quite surprised by the gentleness in his voice. Usually, John Bender was infamously the biggest prick of a V. P. in the tri-county area. His rules were strict, yet somewhat fair enough that most would still argue with his policy just to argue with him! He was also known for his calm temper getting mad when the need arises, letting everyone know when he was pissed, yet still having enough self control to cut off his rage. Hearing him with actual kindness in his voice was somewhat rare nowadays, yet a joy to hear in itself. John used to speak with laughter and lightness daily until a recent tragedy caused him to lose the smile, and have it replaced by a pensive look.

Angel looked at Bender, slowly sitting down. "And not just because you told us to, Johnny boy, so don't get used to the idea of me listening to you all the time."

John and Kyle exchanged a knowing look, both trying their best to hide their smirks.

Angel continued, propping her feet up, sunglasses still on. "My legs. I'm just wiped out with all the standing and shit."

Kyle sat on the seat next to Angel, causing the young woman to momentarily falter her calm stance. He looked her over, a smirk on his face, "What? Don't worry, Angie. I'm not gonna bite you."

Angel stared at him for a couple of long seconds, until Kyle felt himself completely nerved by her stare. Finally, as if she planned it, Angel placed her feet down and propped up her fist up towards him. With a smirk all her own, "Call me Angie' again, preppy, and you won't be having any teeth to bite me with."

Todd pulled out a seat next to Meg, causing her to shift uncomfortably. When he saw her reaction, he smiled shyly at her, and in a quiet voice, "Is this seat taken? May I sit here?"

A soft smile came to her face, surprised by just how kind he's been, to her of all people! She nodded, a small smile still on her face. "Sure you can." She quietly replied.

Mark watched the interaction, amused himself by just how awkward each individual was to the other's total extreme. He sat himself down on the seat across from Todd, and felt suddenly left out by everyone until Todd turned towards Mark and nodded at him, acknowledging his presence.

John regarded the teens, blown away by how similar they were to the former "Breakfast Club."

"John?"

He glanced up as Brian poked his head into the library.

"Yeah, Bri?"

"You got a phone call it's Nicole."

John blinked, and a wave of concern filled his heart. He glanced over at the group, noticing that they have fallen into silence. John numbly nodded, then replied, "Uh, okay. Tell her to give me a second."

When Brian left, John turned towards the group. Forcing the gruffness in his voice, "Okay, I need to take this call. I expect you all to be on your best behavior for the rest of the day, you got that?"

Angel opened her mouth, but, as she caught sight of Kyle, she thought better of it and sealed her lips.

John gave them one last warning look, before exiting to take that phone call from his, and Claire's, only daughter.


*********************************

"Fuck, I'm tired!"

They gave her this look, causing her defenses to build again. "What?! Take a fuckin' picture of me, why don'tcha?"

"Can't you stop swearing for at least one second?" Kyle asked, a small smile on his lips, "I bet you can't."

Angel looked at him, smirking. "Okay one. Fuck!"

"Angel!" They groaned, causing her to get riled up again.

"What?! What the fuck is wrong with cussing up the ying-yang?! Shit, I make Kevin Smith's Jay seem like a fuckin' Saint! Which, by the way, Smith is a God! So if I hear one fuckin' criticism towards any of his shit load of movies, you will so have to answer to," Angel held up on fist, "Mr. Siskel," Then she placed up the other fist, "And Mr. Egbert."

"You're a Kevin Smith fan?" Both Mark and Kyle replied simultaneously.

"Hell yeah!" Angel grinned. "Check, check this out" She cleared her throat, looked down, then brought her head up to face the group, "Fuck, fuck, fuck, mother motherfuck, mother motherfuck, fuck, motherfuck, motherfuck, nooinch-nooinch-noinch, one two, one two three four, nooinch-nooinch-nooinch, smoking weed, smoking weed, doing coke, drinking beers, drinking beers-beers-beers, rolling phaties, rolling blunts, you smoke the blunts, you smoke the blunts, rolling blunts and smoking them,"

"Uh can I have a nickel bag?" Both Kyle and Mark cut in, causing Angel to smile and continue with Jay's infamous rap.

"Fifteen bucks, little man, put that shit in my hand, and if that money doesn't show than you owe me, owe me, owe!"

Kyle, Mark, and Angel began to crack up, and even Meg and Todd seemed to smile.

"You two Smith bitches too?" Angel grinned, enthusiasm shining in her eyes.

"Hey, is mass genocide one of the most exhausting activity one can engage in, next to soccer?" Kyle asked, returning Angel's smile.

"Shit! Dogma, right?" Angel asked, referring to what Kyle had said. When he nodded, Angel began to grin even more. "Holy shit, that gun shop scene was the fuckin' shitznit!"

"With Jeff Anderson from Clerks, right?" Mark added.

Angel nodded, "Yeah! Oh shit, Randal fuckin' my idol! Not only is the guy hella fine! But the dude has no respect for authority, does whatever the hell he wants and says whatever the shit he feels like saying!"

"He is kinda cute in Clerks, despite the whole black and white thing."

Angel turned towards Meg, amazed by her soft revelation. "YOU saw Clerks?"

Meg turned towards Angel, "And Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and his latest, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back."

"So you saw the whole Viewaskew Universe, huh?" Todd looked at Meg, causing her to momentarily smile at him, before Angel got her attention.

"Well what do you know the bitch jock is a closet case Smith fanatic."

"I think we all are." Todd answered for Meg, who was grateful for his interjection.

"Well, what'd you know what'd you know" Kyle nodded, a small knowing smile on his face.


**********************


"Nik? You okay, baby?"

"Yeah, dad it's just that..."

"What is it, hon, huh?"

"I want to come home, daddy. I don't wanna stay with Aunt Connie anymore. I miss you."

John Bender's heart twisted painfully, hating himself for putting his sweet Nicole through this.

"But but sweetheart, I thought you liked it there with Aunt Connie?"

"At first but I want to come home. I want to be with you and with mommy"

"You know you can't, darling you know that mommy's that mommy's" Damnit, it was always so difficult for him acknowledge, much less say the fact that

"Is in heaven? That's what Aunt Connie says mommy went. Is that where mommy really went, dad? Did she really go to heaven? To be with God?"

"I'm sorry, honey" John breathed a deep sigh, "Your aunt's right"

"So she's not coming back then, huh?"

His heart broke as he heard the sadness in her young voice. His darling daughter, his little Nicole their little Nicole, his and Claire's.

"I'm sorry, honey I'm so sorry" Was all he could say, his own soul breaking down and crying.

It tore him inside, having to face the inevitable fact that his Claire was dead. Died a year ago to cancer. Leaving him alone, leaving him alone to take care of their six year old daughter. John couldn't do it, couldn't take care of little Nicole, who looked so much like her mother. He loved his little girl, but it ate him up inside, and it scared him for he feared that he would fail her, if he already hadn't by letting their Claire slip away from them. Thinking that it would be best for little Nikki, John allowed for Claire's older sister, Connie, to have guardianship over Nicole. They only lived two towns away, but the distant still pained both John and Nicole.

"Daddy? I miss you. When are you coming to visit me again?"

John sniffed back a tear, trying to calm himself from crying over the phone. "Uh I don't know, sweetheart. I'm very busy at work and"

"Please, daddy. I want to see you! Don't you want to see me too?"

"Oh, Nikki you know I do more than you could ever realize it's just that"

"You miss mommy? It's because you miss mommy and it makes you sad whenever you see me? Because I look like mommy?"

John stiffened up, stunned by her words. Guilt flooded through him, feeling ashamed for making his daughter think that, though it was partly true but still "Oh honey Nicole, I"

"If that's why, daddy then it's okay. You don't hafta visit I don't wanna make you sad"

"Nicole" John began, wishing so much that she was here so that he could tell her that she wasn't the cause of his sadness.

"I hafta go, daddy. Aunt Connie came home and she promised to take me out for ice cream."

A pause was made before she then said, "I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, sweetheart"

"Good bye."

When all John Bender could hear was a dial tone, did he utter to his daughter, "Good bye."

************************

Okay, little DISCLAIMER here so that I don't get my butt sued... any reference to Kevin Smith and his View Askew Universe, they do not belong to me! I'm just a fan of his genre of movies.

Snoogins.