She shook her head. The hurt look on her face enough for anyone, but John Bender's dumbass friends, to realize something more

then a simple detention happened Satruday.

"John..." She began. He laughed.

Ow.

"Awww, what sweets?" He paused and then gently continued as if he were saying the sweetest thing in the world to her, "Too

fucking innocent for a real man?" More Ow.

And Bender didn't seem to care. A sigh escaped her lips and she ran off to class.

11:35 Lunch hour. At her locker Claire gathered her lunch and turned. Spotting Bender outside the doors, alone, she ran out and

stood hopefully beside him.

"Hey, John..."

He looked over at her coldly, "What the fuck do you want?"

Taken back by his rudeness she cringed, "I, Um, Just wanted to say Hi."

"Yeah? I haven't heard any fuckin hi yet. So say it and be on your merry way. " And with that, the criminal took a cigarette from his

pocket , placing it inbetween his lips and using a bright, silver, lighter to light it. The tip growing to be a cherry red.

"What's your problem?" She asked almost fed up.

"Whatcha' mean, princess? This IS what you wanted, right?" She rolled her eyes "Don't roll you fucking eyes at me, you really don't

remember shit, huh?" He inhaled from his cigarette. Then a girly voice errupted from his throat, " 'No, I don't think so...we can't be

friends anymore...I'm too. Fucking. Popular."

Tears welled in her eyes, she weakly attempted to stop him, "Bender, stop..."

"Oh , give me a break! You thought we would be dating? Let me take a chance to be conceited Claire. I don't wanna' be seen with

you princess, you're bad for my image." He grinned. Mocking her. And by now the waterworks were on. Tears pouring out of

her beautiful eyes.

- - -

Bender's POV

----------------------------

Yes, he felt bad. Claire was crying because of him again. But this IS what Miss Priss wanted, right?

"Don't cry, I'm bad for your reputation." Bender shrugged and began to walk away. Claire grabbed his shoulder. Just as he turned

around, her delicate hand connected with his right cheek and he felt a sharp, stinging pain on that very cheek for about 5 seconds.

His father had done so much worse. He merley shrugged the pain off.

"Asshole..." the salty tears stung her big, green eyes, "how could I ever think you'd change? You're nothing. The exact same

nothing that walked into detention that morning and walked out with nothing but the satisfaction of pissing Mr. Vernon off once

again!"

Okay, Bender could take being smacked, but being called a nothing killed him inside.

"You are a bitch!"

---------- ---------------------

Claire's POV

----------------------

"..you are a bitch!" that statement pounded in her head just as it had that Saturday. She parted her lips to protest but was soon

silenced. Her mouth covered with the very lips that had called her a bitch only seconds earlier. But unlike their quick kiss before, on

that Saturday, this one was long, hard, and brutal. Claire drew back for air. Wow..

Her eyes were glazed over and Bender quickly took notice, "Yeah, Cherry, see what you've been missing?" He only recieved a weak nod and that made him grin.

"Am I still an asshole?"

"Sometimes." His nostrils flared. "But you're a GREAT kisser." She gushed and his grin widened. Just as she was about to say

something else he interrupted,

"Pen." and she dug into her jean pocket pulling out a pen. A crumpled piece of paper was pulled from Bender's pocket and he

quickly jotted something down:

1630

Glenbrook St.

Downtown Shermer. 7:30, Cherry.

Folding it, he handed it to her. She unfolded it as he walked away. Her eyes glancing over it and her heart started pounded. She

anticipated the arrival of 7:30.

7:30

Claire was at the house, paper in hand. Is this really where her criminal lived?

A shaggy house. The once blue paint that covered the house had chipped away and the dark, thick wood that covered the house

revealed itself. Then she noticed the actual wood was beginning to rot. The front door was painted red, and beginning to peel from

the door's surface. Blending with the rest of the shattered house.

The car was junky and the engine was under the car. It was suddenly then obvious to her why Bender walked to school every

morning. The garage was a complete shit hole with a large hole in the roof and half of it painted an extremely ugly brown. She could

also see the large pain splatter on the garage floor where Bender had spilled painted in the garage, and claimed he ' didn't need to

sit with you fuckin' dildos anymore..'

Claire slowly approached the door. The handle was severly rusted. She gently knocked at the door. Afraid that if she knocked any

harder it may fall down. A large balding man answered the door and appreciatively looked her up and down.

"Yeah dool? " his voice was that of a true pervert.

"Um... is John here?" Her voice shook slightly.

"That little shit?" and in that moment Claire knew Bender hadn't been lying about his father.

"Yes, sir.." her voice still shook, slightly frightened.

"Ahh, go on then! Don't see why anyone would want to see that asshole." he shooed her towards the downstairs and she slowly

walked down them. John was laying there on the bed in the clothes he'd been wearing at school.

"John..." she said in attempt to wake him. His eyes shot open.

"Claire..you faced my dad? Brave woman." he got up and sat on the edge of the bed, patting he spot next to him, "We gotta talk."