Clair had refused to let any of it get to her that day. After that first episode of tears in home room, she had made a vow for no more crying. This is what some people had to go through on a daily basis, like Alison, the girl from detention with no friends. Aha! Clair thought. I am a genius! I'll just get Alison to be my friend. With that thought Clair sped down the hall to the front steps where she could usually find Alison sitting on the steps alone, reading or writing or something near the corner.
As Clair came out the huge double doors at the front of her school, she saw Alison sitting there, her back to Clair. Clair Rushed out the door and stopped in her tracks. There in front of Alison was a boy and a girl, seeming to be deep in discussion about something or another. Since when did weirdo have friends? Clair thought, her face revealing her emotions so much that the girl looked up and asked "Umm what do you want, Princess?"
Clair glared at her "My name's Clair, if you want to address me." she said coolly "And I was wondering if I could talk to Alison for a moment."
At the mention of her name, Alison whipped her head around. When her eyes rested on Clair they widened in surprise and then narrowed in suspicion. "What do you want?" she spat.
Since detention that Saturday, Clair had ignored Alison like the others had predicted. The only person she really kept in contact with was John, but that was because she loved him. Alison had tried to talk to her a few times, but even with her made-over look, Alison was still the school freak, and before everyone had found out about her kissing John Bender, Clair had still been worried about her reputation. Now she had nothing to loose, and Alison knew that.
"Hey Alison." Clair said as if they had been talking to each other every day for ages "Can I have a word… in private?" She glanced at the girl and boy still sitting near Alison.
The girl was wearing all black and had short spiky hair. The guy looked much the same as the girl, but with more 'boyish' features on his face, they were obviously related. They both wore the same glaring faces as they looked at Clair and Alison. The boy spit on the ground, dangerously close to Clair's designer shoes, never taking his eyes off of her and Alison.
"What is it, Clair?" Alison asked, clearly annoyed.
"In private, please, Alison." Clair begged.
Alison sighed and followed Clair around the corner of the building and to the track in the yard. They started circling around it, both looking at their feet and kicking up reddish-brown dirt around them.
"So, what is it? What could take any of your precious time away from yourself, to talk to a lowly loser like myself?" Alison spat at her, glaring.
"Oh, please, Alison. I'm just coming to apologize to you after the way I treated you. I mean, you're not the only one who's allowed to act oddly because of your problems!" Clair took a breath to stop herself from getting any louder "Please, Alison, I'm at a very desperate time right now, I'm giving everything away for love. I need your help and support." tears were coming down her cheeks again now. Alison opened her mouth to say something, but Clair cut her off before she could say it "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened, I'm a total jerk for not talking to you all that time, but just look at what's happened to me! I mean, it would have been this bad if I had hung around with you too. Twice as bad even. I just want your forgiveness… please, Alison." Clair had a desperate look on her face as she looked at Alison, waiting.
"No, it wouldn't have." Alison said calmly. "I… I started telling people about you and Bender."
Clair gaped at her. Alison? She was capable of doing this in a school that didn't even know who she was? Clair felt the heat rising to her face, she raised her arm and brought it down on Alison's cheek, hard. Alison let out a little cry, and a red hand print started showing on her face.
Then Alison spoke in the same calm voice she had used before "Clair you spoke, now it's my turn. And you'd better listen."