Author's Note: well, this started out as the shortest chapter of the first six, and is now the second-longest. Scary. Especially considering Brian is probably my least favourite character…as well as Andy, I guess. Not that they aren't great characters, too, I like them, but I just like John, Claire and Allison better. And I only like Claire because she isn't as conceited as she seems…in this fic, anyway *winks*. And because she likes John…
For all other author's notes and the disclaimer see
Chapter One. Please read them before reading the fic. Thanks. Send feedback to
nova_mist@yahoo.com Please read and review.
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The Altered View
Monday Can Bring
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March 26th,
1984
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Chapter Five – The Beginnings of Vicissitude for the Stereotypical Geek
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BBBBRIIIIINNG! BBBBRIIIIIIIINNNNGG! BBBBRIIIIINNG!
BBBBRIIIIIIIINNNNGG!
Brian Johnson rolled over in his bed and groaned. "How can
it be time to get up already?" he muttered, rolling over onto his side, and
squinting at the glowing red numbers of his digital clock radio. The numbers 3:00AM blinked
in sequence. Only then did it occur to Brian that it had been the phone that
had woken him, and not the strings of Duran Duran.
Rolling over again, he got out of bed, and walked into the
hallway, annoyed at his own stupidity of leaving his door wide open. "No wonder
I could hear the damn phone ringing." He muttered to himself. He picked up the
handset, and was about to say the mandatory "Hello?", when he heard his father
say it instead. He was going to hang up the phone when he heard something that
woke him up better than any caffeine-induced drink ever would.
"Dominic, Dom, Aunt Mabel is very ill."
"What, on her death-bed?" Dominic, Brian's father, sounded
alarmed. "Is she on her death-bed, Marge?"
"Oh, Heaven's no!" Dominic's sister, Marjorie, responded
quickly. "Just very, very ill. She is requesting your presence." She added.
"Me? Why does she want to see me?" Dominic asked,
confused.
There was a great sigh of exasperation from the other end
of the line. "Because you, Dom, are her favourite nephew. Actually, you
are her favourite relative, period. And she wants to see you."
Listening in on the extension phone in the upstairs
hallway, the mouthpiece covered by his hand so his father wouldn't hear him
breathing, Brain could hardly stop himself from shouting with glee. Dad's going
away for a while! Brain thought happily. Finally, he'll get off my arse
about my schoolwork for a while! Now if only Mum could go away suddenly…
"Oh, oh, right, right, of course." Dominic stuttered, and
Brian had to bite down on his bottom lip to keep from bursting out laughing.
"I'll be there ASAP. But…err…Marge, you know that money is a bit tight…"
Brian felt a red blush creep up his neck. He hated being
financially insecure.
"Yes, yes, as it always is." Marge cut in impatiently. "Aunty Mabel wants to see you so much that she's paid for you plane ticket."
"WHAT?!" Dominic yelled in surprise, causing Brian
to jump back and hold his ear. He nearly had a heart attack when he heard his
mother, Sally, and his younger sister, Angelica, both groan in their sleep
because of the noise his father was making. But neither of them had woken up.
Brian breathed a deep sigh of relief, and pressed the
phone back to his ear.
"What?!" Dominic repeated in a low hiss a moment later,
when he had calmed down.
"Just come over to my place now, Dom," Marge sounded
tired. "I have the ticket here. Your flight leaves in two hours."
"Two hours?!" Dom shrieked, but quietly. "Shit! I
have to get packed! I'll be there in twenty minutes. Bye Marge, and thank you."
"That's alright. Bye." Marge replied.
But Brian had already hung up, and raced back to his
bedroom. He dived under the covers, trying to regulate his breathing to sound
like he was asleep. The next time he opened his eyes, it was because Duran
Duran was blasting through his clock radio.
"I went back to sleep?" Brian asked no one. Then, he
shrugged, and walked downstairs to eat breakfast.
His mother, Sally, and little sister, Angelica, were
already downstairs, reading a letter that Dominic had obviously left for them
before bolting out the door at the speed of light to catch his plane on
time.
"Brain, your father has gone to see Aunt Mabel," Sally
informed her son, without so much as a 'Good morning, darling,' "and I have to
take Angelica to the doctor." She added, looking at her daughter.
Brian followed her gaze. Angelica did indeed look a little
under the weather. In fact, she'd gone a rather eye-catching shade of green.
Brian had to distribute great self-control to not burst out laughing. His
sister glared at him. Brian glared back at her.
Sally didn't notice the glaring competition going on
between her offspring, and continued with what she was saying. "I will have to
take Angelica to the doctor, and your father is out of town. I'm afraid that
means you may have to get a lift from one of your friends. Or otherwise walk."
Brian grinned brightly, unable to stop himself. "That's
okay, Mum," he told her. "I don't mind. Besides, we want Jelly to get better,
don't we?" he asked them both, smiling pleasantly at his sister, who smiled
back, forgetting their previous staring competition in a flash. "I'll just call
Jeff. He'll give me a lift."
"Alright then, Brian, dear, call Jeff, and get to school
ASAP. We don't want you winding up with another detention, now do we?" sally snapped.
Brian grinned again. "Nope." He responded airily.
And that was how Brian ended up sitting contently in the
back seat of his friend Jeffery Ferguson's car, listening as Jeff and his
mother, Anne, talked about last night's re-run of Charlie's Angels.
"I'm telling you, Mum," Jeff told Anne. "One moment Farrah
Fawcett's t-shirt was red, and in the next shot it was burgundy!"
"But Jeff," his mother countered. "How do you now the
change of colour wasn't just caused by a change in the lighting?"
"And that's another thing!" Jeff responded. "The sky was
bright and sunny in one shot, but in the previous shot, it had been grey and
stormy!"
Brian smiled. If only I could have such normal, relaxed
conversations with my mother. he thought to himself. All his mother and
father did was nag him about his grades. They hadn't found out about the
elephant lamp yet, but when they did, Brian was sure that there would be hell
to pay.
But for now, they didn't know, and Brian felt better for
it. The very reason why he was being driven to school this morning by his
friend's mother was enough to make him feel better: his father was out of town
visiting his sick, elderly aunt, and his mother had taken Brian's sister,
Angelica, to the doctor for an early appointment.
Brian's thoughts drifted to Saturday detention, where they had been focused all weekend. Allison, Andy, Claire and John…Brian considered these people his friends now. But were they really his friends? Would today be like Claire had said on Saturday: no different to before? But I Claire had really believed that, why had she been so nice to them all? Why had she given Allison that makeover? Why had Claire, Princess of Shermer High, entrusted him, Brian Johnson, with that all-important essay? And why had she kissed John if she didn't believe they would remain friends?
Because maybe she hopes we all remain friends, as well. Brian
mused.
Would they remain friends? Shit, would they even acknowledge
each other? Brian didn't know. He just hoped that they all did remain friends.
He liked these people. They were all a lot deeper than he had first thought. A
lot stronger, too.
But were they strong enough to stand up to their own
respective cliques and remain friends with the others that they had shared
detention with, or would they be weak and dismiss them?
"Have fun at school, boys." Anne's voice cut into Brian's
thoughts.
Brian looked up and smiled. "Thank you for driving me to
school, Anne." Brian said.
Anne grinned at him. "Anytime, sweetie."
Brian and Jeff got out of the car, and walked to the
library, so that Jeff could return a few books.
While Brian waited for Jeff to pull his library books out
of the car, he looked over his shoulder and-
His heart caught in his throat.
"John! John!" Claire running over towards John, who was storming across the car park, looking severely disgruntled, his black trench coat flying out behind him. He had his longish hair pulled halfway across his face, and he had his arms folded across his chest. Claire reached out and touched John gently on the arm, and John looked up startled. Brian squinted, trying to make out what they were saying; but he couldn't make it out. They were too far away, and well out of earshot. He watched, mouth open in shock, as Claire gently grabbed John by the shoulders and steered him elsewhere. Brian stood on his toes, trying to see where they were going when-
"Here, carry some of these, will you?" Jeff asked,
grinning, and giving Brian a whole bunch of books to carry. He then noticed that
Brian hadn't yet looked in his direction. "What're you looking at?" Jeff asked.
Then, he frowned. "Hey, isn't that Claire Standish with John Bender?" he asked
Brian.
"Um, yeah…" Brian trailed off. She went to him, not the
other way around. Brian thought. She confronted him about something, and
she is taking him somewhere…probably somewhere private where they'll be able to
talk. She went to him, not the other way around…
"Um, Brian?" Jeff's voice disrupted Brian's train of thought.
Brian looked at Jeff for a moment. "Sorry, I was distracted." He replied.
Jeff raised an eyebrow. "Distracted by John Bender and
Claire Standish?" he asked dubiously.
Brian had to laugh at that. Oh, if only you knew, Jeff.
If only you knew what this means…or could mean…Brian thought
as a puzzled expression crossed Jeff's face. Claire went to John, not the
other way around. That means that Claire still wants to be friends with all of
us! Well, with John, at least…"Yeah, something like that." Brian
replied cryptically.
Jeff frowned, and then suddenly grinned. "Come on
slowpoke!" Jeff yelled playfully. "I've seen frozen blood cells that move
faster than you!"
Brian laughed and followed his friend.
Yes, hopeful was a good feeling…
And now it had true foundations.