"Alive and Kicking"
PG-13, maybe R
Chapter Three
Note: This Chapter is kind of reflective, I think... I want to develop some background to our TBC heros (at least for John and Claire...) before the writer's block arrives, hehehehe... If you'll find English mistakes, please, let me know...
Dinner at the elegant Standishs' house was already served. Claire was sitting opposite to her parents, just observing them, all of them eating in complete silence. Her father, James Standish, was a prominent attorney in town. He was a self-made man, and proud of it. James came from the "poor side of town", but almost had forgotten his roots. Claire's grandparents were humble enough for James but his marriage to Beatrice Clermont, a rich beauty from Shermer's "in-crowd" just kept James even more distant from his parents. Claire almost didn't have any contact with them, which had always seemed rather strange to her.
Her mother's voice interrupted her thoughts:
"Darling! You aren't eating... You don't need to lose weight at all...", Beatrice said in her usual pretentious way.
Claire sighed, and responded quietly, "Mom, I'm just not hungry today, that's all..."
"You're more quiet that usual, dear", James commented without staring at his daughter.
Claire was going to talk, but her mother was faster:
"James, I think that you have to be blamed... You have been so condescending to Claire... I only hope that she won't return to that awful Saturday detention..."
"Thanks, Bea, for your kind judgement..." James said ironically.
Claire widened her eyes:
"Hey mom, this detention wasn't because of dad... It was my problem, my fault..."
"Darling, don't be silly...", James told, "Shopping is not a problem..."
"Of course it is, James!", Beatrice answered back, "Claire needs to keep her image intact! She can't be a disciplinal case! Our family doesn't tolerate things like this!"
"But we know that she'll be the Prom Queen anyway, Bea! As you were!"
"Enough about me!", Claire yelled, and ran to her bedroom, in tears, used to her parent's idiotic arguing.
"They want me to be like my mother and I won't!", Claire was telling to herself, "I want to be more than that!". She was in tears, lying in her bed.
She looked around her bedroom. It was lovely: the expensive wallpaper had a dellicate flower-pattern, in various shades of pink. The furniture was in light shades, which were a perfect contrast to the wall. It was a "perfect bedroom", but Claire thought that something was missing. Needless to say, John's image came to her mind instantly. She sighed, remembering his kiss, his touch, his gaze... John * did * do something to her... And it was good.
Suddenly, the telephone rang. Claire didn't want to talk to anybody, but soon Beatrice came into the bedroom and told her: "Camilla Taylor wants to talk to you, honey..."
"Oh, holy shit..."
"...And we must have a conversation as soon as possible, because your behaviour has been quite inconvenient" – Beatrice left the room abruptly.
Claire picked the phone up , and Camilla just started to talk:
"Claire! I'm very concerned about you... Today you acted so bitchy to all of us! Jenna Fainberg and Terry Rhodes want to seriously talk with you, and..."
"Cam, could you stop, please? Are you able to understand that I have the right to choose the people I hang out with?"
"Yes...", Camilla hesitated, "but... John Bender?"
"What's the matter, Cam? John is a friend, I told you." Claire said nervously:
"He's a criminal, for God's sake! Claire, I can't understand why you gave him your earring... In fact, even if you had given the earring to that cute Brad Dawson I wouldn't approve.. It's a damn diamond earring!"
"Cam..." – Claire whispered in desbelief , "That's my earring, and I can do anything I want with it..."
Camilla was talking fast:
"And everybody seems to be nuts at the school! You and that John Bender, Andrew Clark hanging out with that weird girl, all of you laughing with that geek Johnson...", Cam sighed, " It's just, you know, sick!"
"No, it's not sick. It's a friendship, Cam... a true friendship..."
"True friendship? Look, Claire, I bet one dollar that tomorrow that Bender guy won't even give a shit about you... and when that happens, I'm gonna laugh!"
Claire's patience ended, "Listen, Cam... Let's talk tomorrow, okay? I think we better sleep now, because I honestly can't bear this conversation anymore! Bye!", she said and hung up the phone.
Claire lay in her bed, praying that her mother doesn't came back and talking just to annoy her. In minutes, Claire was sleeping.
It was cold at John Bender's bedroom. He was still crying, a silent cry, a painful cry..
"Oh God, what the hell did dad do with Claire's earring?.
Hesitantly, John came to the kitchen. Louise Bender was still there, quietly cooking something.
"M-mom?"
"Yeah, Johnny?", Louise asked, without looking to her son.
"W-where's Dad?"
"He went to Clyde's... Maybe drinking a ton of beers... again!"
John sighed. He said:
"I am going for a walk", he blurted. Louise only nodded.
"Come back soon, Johnny"
John kissed her briefly in the cheek and left the house. His left earlobe was inflamed, and hurting a lot. But nothing more than his heart. He wanted to change his life and felt that Claire would be the person to help him do this.
But Claire's life were so different from his. John had some kind of social consciouness. He knew that he and Claire would have lots of problems in developing their relationship. It wasn't just a clique problem. It was a social class problem as well... But John was falling for Claire...
"Shit, I've become some fucking philosopher...Just because of the Princess...And how can I explain to her about the missing earring? I don't wanna to tell her what really happened... I won't show my weakeness to the world... even to Claire. How can I deal with her and my fucking dad at the same time?"
It was incredible, John didn't hate his father. John knew that Bender Sr. had a problem, a serious problem. His mind could still retrieved some really good moments of Bender Family. But they were confined in some lost moment in the past...
"Hey, Bender how's things?" Jake Collins, a member of the "Chain Gang" of John's, approached.
John immediatly recompose himself to "toughest guy in the world" mode and responded:
"Hey, dude! I was lookin' for you anyway... Want a joint, y'know..."
"Oh yeah, I've got some brand new..."
John needed to forget his problems for a while...
"Tomorrow will be another day...", he thought, just wanting to melt and disappear.
(What do you think is gonna happen? Let me know! And r'n'r, for God's sake)
PG-13, maybe R
Chapter Three
Note: This Chapter is kind of reflective, I think... I want to develop some background to our TBC heros (at least for John and Claire...) before the writer's block arrives, hehehehe... If you'll find English mistakes, please, let me know...
Dinner at the elegant Standishs' house was already served. Claire was sitting opposite to her parents, just observing them, all of them eating in complete silence. Her father, James Standish, was a prominent attorney in town. He was a self-made man, and proud of it. James came from the "poor side of town", but almost had forgotten his roots. Claire's grandparents were humble enough for James but his marriage to Beatrice Clermont, a rich beauty from Shermer's "in-crowd" just kept James even more distant from his parents. Claire almost didn't have any contact with them, which had always seemed rather strange to her.
Her mother's voice interrupted her thoughts:
"Darling! You aren't eating... You don't need to lose weight at all...", Beatrice said in her usual pretentious way.
Claire sighed, and responded quietly, "Mom, I'm just not hungry today, that's all..."
"You're more quiet that usual, dear", James commented without staring at his daughter.
Claire was going to talk, but her mother was faster:
"James, I think that you have to be blamed... You have been so condescending to Claire... I only hope that she won't return to that awful Saturday detention..."
"Thanks, Bea, for your kind judgement..." James said ironically.
Claire widened her eyes:
"Hey mom, this detention wasn't because of dad... It was my problem, my fault..."
"Darling, don't be silly...", James told, "Shopping is not a problem..."
"Of course it is, James!", Beatrice answered back, "Claire needs to keep her image intact! She can't be a disciplinal case! Our family doesn't tolerate things like this!"
"But we know that she'll be the Prom Queen anyway, Bea! As you were!"
"Enough about me!", Claire yelled, and ran to her bedroom, in tears, used to her parent's idiotic arguing.
"They want me to be like my mother and I won't!", Claire was telling to herself, "I want to be more than that!". She was in tears, lying in her bed.
She looked around her bedroom. It was lovely: the expensive wallpaper had a dellicate flower-pattern, in various shades of pink. The furniture was in light shades, which were a perfect contrast to the wall. It was a "perfect bedroom", but Claire thought that something was missing. Needless to say, John's image came to her mind instantly. She sighed, remembering his kiss, his touch, his gaze... John * did * do something to her... And it was good.
Suddenly, the telephone rang. Claire didn't want to talk to anybody, but soon Beatrice came into the bedroom and told her: "Camilla Taylor wants to talk to you, honey..."
"Oh, holy shit..."
"...And we must have a conversation as soon as possible, because your behaviour has been quite inconvenient" – Beatrice left the room abruptly.
Claire picked the phone up , and Camilla just started to talk:
"Claire! I'm very concerned about you... Today you acted so bitchy to all of us! Jenna Fainberg and Terry Rhodes want to seriously talk with you, and..."
"Cam, could you stop, please? Are you able to understand that I have the right to choose the people I hang out with?"
"Yes...", Camilla hesitated, "but... John Bender?"
"What's the matter, Cam? John is a friend, I told you." Claire said nervously:
"He's a criminal, for God's sake! Claire, I can't understand why you gave him your earring... In fact, even if you had given the earring to that cute Brad Dawson I wouldn't approve.. It's a damn diamond earring!"
"Cam..." – Claire whispered in desbelief , "That's my earring, and I can do anything I want with it..."
Camilla was talking fast:
"And everybody seems to be nuts at the school! You and that John Bender, Andrew Clark hanging out with that weird girl, all of you laughing with that geek Johnson...", Cam sighed, " It's just, you know, sick!"
"No, it's not sick. It's a friendship, Cam... a true friendship..."
"True friendship? Look, Claire, I bet one dollar that tomorrow that Bender guy won't even give a shit about you... and when that happens, I'm gonna laugh!"
Claire's patience ended, "Listen, Cam... Let's talk tomorrow, okay? I think we better sleep now, because I honestly can't bear this conversation anymore! Bye!", she said and hung up the phone.
Claire lay in her bed, praying that her mother doesn't came back and talking just to annoy her. In minutes, Claire was sleeping.
It was cold at John Bender's bedroom. He was still crying, a silent cry, a painful cry..
"Oh God, what the hell did dad do with Claire's earring?.
Hesitantly, John came to the kitchen. Louise Bender was still there, quietly cooking something.
"M-mom?"
"Yeah, Johnny?", Louise asked, without looking to her son.
"W-where's Dad?"
"He went to Clyde's... Maybe drinking a ton of beers... again!"
John sighed. He said:
"I am going for a walk", he blurted. Louise only nodded.
"Come back soon, Johnny"
John kissed her briefly in the cheek and left the house. His left earlobe was inflamed, and hurting a lot. But nothing more than his heart. He wanted to change his life and felt that Claire would be the person to help him do this.
But Claire's life were so different from his. John had some kind of social consciouness. He knew that he and Claire would have lots of problems in developing their relationship. It wasn't just a clique problem. It was a social class problem as well... But John was falling for Claire...
"Shit, I've become some fucking philosopher...Just because of the Princess...And how can I explain to her about the missing earring? I don't wanna to tell her what really happened... I won't show my weakeness to the world... even to Claire. How can I deal with her and my fucking dad at the same time?"
It was incredible, John didn't hate his father. John knew that Bender Sr. had a problem, a serious problem. His mind could still retrieved some really good moments of Bender Family. But they were confined in some lost moment in the past...
"Hey, Bender how's things?" Jake Collins, a member of the "Chain Gang" of John's, approached.
John immediatly recompose himself to "toughest guy in the world" mode and responded:
"Hey, dude! I was lookin' for you anyway... Want a joint, y'know..."
"Oh yeah, I've got some brand new..."
John needed to forget his problems for a while...
"Tomorrow will be another day...", he thought, just wanting to melt and disappear.
(What do you think is gonna happen? Let me know! And r'n'r, for God's sake)