Don't You
Chapter Four: Will You Recognize Me? Part Three
Brian sat with his friends in the lunchroom, glancing at the jock table where Andrew was eating with his friends. Most of them, he noticed, had two trays full of food. He glanced down at his own tray and thought of how many times he'd dropped it on the way back to his table. He couldn't imagine having to balance two overloaded trays. Granted Andrew and his friends didn't have to deal with other students trying to knock them over.
"You know staring at him isn't going to fix anything." Brian turned around to face Larry Lester. It hadn't even occurred to him that Larry might notice Andrew there as well.
"Umm. I was just trying to see what he was like." Just that morning Larry had told him about the incident in the locker room. Brian had feigned ignorance and was now regretting it.
"What do you need to know? He's like a major ass. He'd have to be to do what he did."
Brian nodded. "Yeah, but maybe, you know, he feels bad about it?"
"Yeah right!" Larry was upset now. Brian tucked his head down, hoping no one would notice. "He was laughing at me Brian! Him and his friends... They were all laughing. It was terrible."
Brian looked at him solemnly. "I know."
They both sat silently and picked at their lunches for a bit. There were a couple of other labeled "nerds" at the table, but they didn't know each other well enough to talk. Suddenly a new face sat at the table next to Brian. He glanced over nonchalantly. Not wanting to seem too interested in the student willing to sit at their table.
"Allison?"
She nodded with an apprehensive smile, not making eye contact.
"What are you doing here?"
She shrugged stiffly. "If you don't want me here or whatever, just say so."
"No no. Sit. Stay." He laughed nervously while Larry leaned in to whisper.
"Brian. You never told me you knew any chicks."
"She's one chick, and I just met her." Clearing his throat he straightened up. "Allison, this is Larry. Larry, Allison."
"Larry Lester?" Allison questioned.
"Yeah. How'd you know my last name?"
"Andrew told us about you."
Brian tried to get her to stop talking about Andrew without Larry noticing. He wasn't sure how his friend would react if he knew he was "fraternizing with the enemy."
"Andrew Clark? You know him?"
"Yeah. He was in detention with us."
"With Brian too?" He turned to his nervous friend. "Brian, you know Clark?"
"Ah... Yeah... Well... Not really."
Allison elbowed him in the side and whispered. "You promised."
Knowing she was right Brian told him. "Yeah. He's my friend."
Max Sterwin who had been sitting next to them turned. "You're friends with Andrew Clark? Wow. How'd you manage that?"
Feeling mildly popular, Brian smiled. "Nothing really. I mean he's really not a bad guy once you get to know him"
"Cool. Maybe you could introduce us."
"Why don't you shut up Sterwin!" Larry snapped. Max quickly pulled out of the conversation.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me Brian. I thought we were friends."
"I know. I'm sorry. I just didn't want to upset you."
"Yeah? Well you did. How can you be friends with that jerk? After what he did to me. And it's not like he's always been nice to you. Remember that time he and his friends knocked us over in the hall in front of everybody?"
"Yeah, but I really don't think he means to-"
"Yeah, because their laughter filled apology was so sincere."
Allison watched the two go back and forth, intrigued. Finally she asked, "Is this what having friends is like?"
They both turned to her.
"I mean, I don't have any friends, but I didn't think it was supposed to be like this."
They turned to each other solemnly."No it's not." Larry told her. "But you're not supposed to lie to your friends either." Before Brian could respond, he took his tray and left, going to sit at a nearly empty table at the other end of the cafeteria.
"Sorry about that." Brian apologized. "I didn't want to tell him about Andrew, because I knew he'd get upset."
"Sorry if I pushed you then."
"No, you were right. I didn't realize that I was doing what I promised not to do until you said something."
"Yeah. It's hard, huh?"
Brian nodded. "Oh, guess who I spent the morning with?"
She thought for a moment. "Who did you say?... Oh, Kralky, right? That horrible bird teacher."
"Bird teacher?"
"Yeah. She got that hooked nose, and beady eyes. She even walks like a chicken."
"She does not." He laughed. "But anyway, I actually ditched on helping her."
"You did? Why?"
"Bender invited me to hang out with him and his friends."
"Really?" She had been skeptical about whether or not any of them would remain friends, and Brian and Bender were the last two she expected to pair up.
"Yeah. It was kind of cool. They have this secret hangout place behind the bleachers and everything."
Allison sat silently for a moment before speaking. "Brian, what do you think is going to happen to all of us?"
"I don't know. I hope we stay friends, but I think it may be a bit much to ask. I mean, you, me, and Bender sure; we don't really have a lot to lose. But Claire and Andrew?"
"I know what you mean. Everything was so different on Saturday. I was there kissing Andy. Kissing. And now... I haven't even talked to him since then."
"Well, he's right over there." He gestured to the table he'd been watching before. Allison shook her head.
"No. If he doesn't want to talk to me now it'll just be embarrassing for both of us. Maybe I should just call him."
"Do you really think that would be better?"
"Yeah. I called Claire yesterday and she talked to me. I think with no one else watching, it's easier."
The bell rang, startling them both. They'd been so absorbed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed the rest of the students gathering near the exits. With mild embarrassment they threw out the remainder of their lunch and left in opposite directions.
~~~~~
Andrew and his friends walked down the hall, each of them splitting off as they reached their class. While they made their way along the second floor, Andrew caught sight of a figure clad in blacks and grays. He turned around as they passed her, but her eyes were downcast and she didn't notice him as they went by.
He figured he could make up some excuse to leave the group, then hang back and talk to her once they'd gone, but he didn't get the chance.
"Hey Andy." A seemingly random girl joined them and began talking to him. "Where were you the other night? We missed you at Stubby's."
"Oh, I was kinda busy." He answered, trying to place the girl. She was familiar, but he couldn't come up with a name or remember ever talking to her.
"Jen! Come on. We have to get to class or Mr. Ryan will yell at us."
Now that voice was familiar. Claire came up from behind and grabbed Jennifer's hand. "Who are you talking to anyway?" She turned and looked at Andy.
"Oh. Hey." She greeted.
"Hey." They looked at each other quietly for a minute as if there was more to say between them but they knew they couldn't say it.
"All right, whatever. C'mon Claire."
The redhead followed her friends lead, waving a quick good-bye. Andrew was the only person from Saturday that she'd seen so far and she wanted to ask if he'd talked to anyone else. She wasn't really planning to talk to the others, but if he did, then she'd have to or risk being seen as the bitch they thought she was.
"Hey Claire!"
She turned around to face Andrew who was walking over. "Yeah?"
"You might see Allison down the hall. Just thought I'd give you a heads up."
"Okay, thanks." She turned back around and found Jen right behind her.
"Who's Allison?" She asked with grated nerves, as they continued down the hall.
"Uh, just a girl."
"I could have guessed that much. Who is she? She's not his girlfriend, is she?!"
"Well, I don't think so..." What could she say? That Andy and Allison were making out that weekend, but they'd probably never talk again?
Up ahead Claire could see Allison, standing outside of a classroom right across from where they were headed. As they got to their class, Allison looked up and gave a quick glance in Claire's direction. She smiled back weakly, then went inside.
~~~~~
The last hour or so of classes went by in a slow drag. At the sound of the last bell, all of the students filed out en masse, eager to get home. The rain had finally dwindled down to a drizzle and the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds.
Allison stood to the side of the front stairs, watching as everyone passed by until she found a familiar face and called out to him.
"Brian!" He didn't hear her so she sped up to walk alongside him.
"Oh, hi Allison."
"I was calling you, you know."
"You were?"
She nodded. "That's okay though. Are you walking home?"
"No. I take the bus."
"Oh. Well shouldn't you be lined up with everybody else?" She gestured to the line of students near the sidewalk.
"No, I usually wait until everyone else is on. It cuts back on how much they do."
"Is it really that bad?"
"Mostly they just push me around and stuff. But I guess it helps to avoid what I can. What about you?"
"I take the public bus."
"You do? Why?"
"My parents didn't bother to register me for the school bus so..."
Brian nodded and chewed his lip a bit. "My parents, they don't like me taking the city bus alone."
Allison couldn't help laughing a bit. "It must be nice to have parents that care about you like that."
"Nice... Is not the word." He smiled and looked over the girl who stood next to him. Even though she was dressed nearly the same way she had before, there was a different air about her. She was now approachable.
"What?" She asked, noticing his stares.
"N-Nothing. Just, you're talking. It's kind of strange."
Allison's head sunk into her shoulders. Was she really acting all that strange? Were the chances she was taking and changes she was making, only worsening her situation? Suddenly uncomfortable, her legs fidgeted a bit and she quickly moved away from her... friend. "I gotta go." She told him quickly, trying to get away as fast as possible without being conspicuous. Brian merely watched her with slight confusion.
"Hey Big Bri!"
Brian jumped as a hand slapped down on his back. A few seconds later Joe came into view, his T-shirt pulled over his head from behind to block the rain. Brian nervously smiled back. Was he being sincere? Or could this be a trick to get him off guard and then humiliate him?
'You're being paranoid' he told himself. 'They didn't do anything to you before, so why can't you trust him now?'
"You need a ride kid?"
"Uh..." Brian stammered for a moment. The burnouts were known for recklessly driving a total clunker, and he was sure that, assuming there even were seat belts, they wouldn't be wearing them. Still, despite the risks, it had to be better than taking the bus home.
"Yeah, sure." He answered finally. Throwing one last glance at the bus line he felt guilty, noticing a friend of his hanging back from everyone else, but he was sure he'd understand. How could he pass up a chance at hanging out with "cool" kids? They weren't the in-crowd, but they were higher up than the brains at least.
"Cool. Come with me."
They made their way along the side of the school to the small parking lot. It wasn't hard to find the car. All of the other preppy cars shone brilliantly in the sun, while one spot stood out like a smudge on a window. As they went past the rows of cars Brian spotted Claire getting into a friends car. Feeling brave he decided to say hello.
"Hey Claire."
She looked up and paused for a moment, looking back at the long haired brunette who was opening the car. Brian gave her a hopeful look and she couldn't help smiling. "Hi Brian."
Katie turned around to see who was talking and was shocked to see Claire associating with one of the school dorks. Hoping to save her friend, she moved to join the conversation.
"Come on Claire." She said insistingly. "We have to go. I don't want this nerd holding you up." Suddenly a thought occurred to her. Could the kid from detention be thinking he could use that essay against her? If that was the case she had to act fast to get Claire out of there. A little humiliation would be enough to slow him down.
"Oh, I see. Is this the dork you were telling us about?"
Claire had actually told her friends about him? Now that was a shocker. While everyone stood uncomfortably, Joe nudged Brian.
"Hey. What's with you and the prom queen?"
"Oh, hasn't he told you some story about the two of them by now?" Katie answered. "The truth is she got him to write some paper for her. Apparently he's somehow gotten the idea that that makes them friends." She laughed haughtily while Brian's face fell.
"That's not true." Claire whispered silently. Brian looked at her sadly, then turned away.
"Come on Joe."
Joe threw one more glance at the girls, then followed Brian to the car where Chris was already waiting. He flicked his head up in greeting as they approached.
"So you guys all share the car?" Brian asked. He'd seen them all driving around together but he didn't know quite how they had it all worked out.
"Yeah. We bought it from Dirt's dad."
"Dirt?"
"'Nother guy. He'll be around soon. I split the cost with him and Nate."
"Oh. What about Chris and Bender?" He'd whispered his question so he wouldn't offend Chris, who was currently sitting on the front hood, leaving quite a dent. Joe laughed.
"They couldn't front the cash all at once. But it's cool; they just pay for gas to cover it."
Brian nodded. "Do I need to pay? Because I- I don't have any money. My Mom doesn't like letting me go to school with a lot, so she just gives me some for lunch."
"Nah, that's okay."
They waited around for a few minutes until Bender, Nate and, presumably, "Dirt" showed up. John looked at Brian with some surprise, not expecting him to so easily move into their group. But if the others were so accepting of it, who was he to judge? But at the same time a gnawing thought told him that perhaps they were merely following his whim. He knew he'd thrown some harsh stares earlier, so they could simply be doing what they thought he wanted.
"You must be Dirt." Brian smiled apprehensively.
"Yeah, I am. Whose the dork?" He pointed his thumb at Brian and looked to Joe and Chris.
"Bender's friend." Joe answered, prompting Dirt to shift his view to Bender, who shrugged with a half smile.
"Don't worry about it."
"I have to 'worry about it'." You guys are inviting total freakazoid strangers into my car without sayin' shit about it."
"It's our car too." Chris interjected.
"And I guess it was you who invited him along?"
"Uh, no. He came with Joe."
"Oh, so Joe's got himself a new boyfriend. Maybe they'd like the back seat to themselves."
"Hey. Lay off." Bender warned.
Brian watched the interchange with tightening nerves. "Umm, if it's a problem, I don't need a ride." He offered. The school buses were already gone, but he might be able to find a teacher who could drive him.
"No." Joe cut in, finally joining what to him was an inane argument."Chris is right. We all split the cost of the car. This ain't some Dirt ruled monarchy."
"Hey! You bought the car from my dad. He can take it right back if he wants."
"No he can't!" Chris shot back. "We bought it, now we own it."
"Whatever." Fuming, Dirt thumped into the drivers seat and waited for the others to follow. Since he wasn't sure what to do, Brian approached Bender.
"Should I get in? I don't want to if it's causing problems."
"Get in." Bender pushed him jokingly. "He's always like this so don't sweat it."
They all piled in, four of them squeezing in back while Chris took shotgun. Showing a bit more acceptance, Dirt took Brians directions and drove him home first. When they'd gotten there, he quickly climbed out and thanked them, then waved as they drove down the block.
They'd passed the school bus about two blocks back so he was home at about the usual time. His only worry was his younger sister. Often times they'd meet on the way home and he'd be stuck walking home with her. On occasion the timing of their busses wouldn't match up, so it wasn't so odd for him to get home before her, but any discrepancy could lead to his mother asking questions, and he was sure she wouldn't be happy to know he came home in such an unsafe manner.
'Well, no sense waiting around.'
Brian walked up the stone pathway and into their home. He could hear a vacuum running down the hall, telling him that his mother was home as usual. She didn't work, and she liked to be there when they got home to inquire about their day, and make sure their homework was done.
"Hi Mom!" He called. A few seconds later the roaring ceased and he heard her footsteps on the plastic carpet cover in the hall.
"Hi Honey... Oh, Mary's not with you today?"
"Uh, no. Our bus left early today."
His mother nodded and smiled while ruffling his hair. "Well, that'll give you a head start on homework then. Go on. Get to it."
He smiled back and grabbed his schoolbag, then walked past her to the stairs. He had to finish his assignments, and then get some extra work done on his physics project, just in case Ms. Kralky would question his alibi for earlier that day. He shook his head on the way upstairs. An alibi... Him. Things truly had changed.
~~~~~
"So, do you think Harrison Ford works out?"
"What are you talking about? Of course he does. No one looks that good without work."
Claire looked up from the toenail she was painting. "What about Kevin Bacon?"
"I dunno. I mean he's fit, but not really buff." Ashley answered. "Oh, hey! Did you hear about the sale they're having at Ralph Lauren?"
"No. When is it?" Jen asked, excited by the possibility of an all day shopping trip.
"It's this weekend only. Half off on a ton of stuff. We gotta be there before the open on Saturday."
"Okay, sure." Claire smiled. "I should have my car back by then."
"That is such a bummer. I can't believe they took your car for the whole week over one detention. It's totally not fair."
"Yeah, it sucks royally, but I can deal." She was about to say it seemed like more of a punishment to her mother since they were forced to spend time together, but she stopped herself. That wasn't the kind of thing she and her friends talked about. But it was something she could share with the others from Saturday. Suddenly she was reminded of Allison's call.
"Hey guys?" Jen and Ashley stopped talking for a moment and looked over at her. "Would you mind if I brought another friend along on Saturday?"
Jen shrugged. "Sure. I'm sure we can fit someone else in the car. Who is she?"
"Oh, just a girl I met on Saturday. She's pretty cool."
"Awesome. Does she go to Shermer?"
"Uh, yeah."
"You have to introduce us then! Tomorrow, okay?"
Claire smiled hesitantly. "Yeah. Sure."
~~~~~
Allison sliced through her salmon with the side of her fork, then carefully maneuvered the flaky piece to her mouth. It was the second night in a row that she was eating dinner with her parents and they were both eyeing her suspiciously, but saying nothing.
Classical music played softly in the background, the sound of violins accentuating the silence of the room. Finally, eating one more string bean, Allison excused herself to her room. On the way up the stairs she heard the phone ring, and a moment later her mother called her name flatly. She found her standing in the kitchen holding out the phone.
Allison took the phone from her mother who quickly retreated to the dining room.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Allison. It's Claire."
"Oh... Hi."
"Hey, listen, I can't really talk, but do you want to go shopping this weekend? My friends and I are going to this huge sale. I figured you might be looking to buy some new clothes so..."
"Ah... Mm-hmm." She hadn't really thought about it, but if she continued changing her looks and behavior like she was, a fresher wardrobe might help. She could always pull some money from her "emergency" stash.
"Okay." Claire said cheerily. "My friends want to meet you tomorrow, so I'll catch up with you around 7th."
"Yeah, sure. Bye."
Allison set the phone back in the receiver and adjusted to cord which tended to tangle on the drawer knob below it. When she'd agreed she had no idea she'd have so little time to prepare before meeting Claire's infamous friends. She had a lot to do before morning.