A/N: There was some question about Claire's age. In the film, Bender refers to her as the "Prom Queen", but the prom queen isn't elected until May, so there's no way that she could have been Prom Queen yet. It's true that he could have been referring to the fact that she was a candidate, but in my opinion it's more likely that he was just making fun of her, just like he was when he mentioned her "drunk mother in the Caribbean". So, Claire's age is indeterminable. For my intents and purposes, everyone in the story is either a junior or senior at this point.

Also, keep in mind that all of this is happening nearly seven months after the first detention, so their characters have changed a little bit to adapt to their circumstances. I imagine that they continue to fight a lot, but it's unrealistic to assume that they would have the energy to be friends if they did nothing but fight. I think they would have gotten to know one another and mellowed a little bit after all this time.

This story is going to focus primarily on Brian, and I have my reasons for that, so you'll just have to trust me. The others will have lots of action as well, so don't worry. Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Two: Are You Sure This Isn't Illegal?

After school on Wednesday, the five members of the Breakfast Club gathered in the library to do a little bit of research while they waited for Carl to finish up work for the day. Brian, who was used to seeing him after Physics Club meetings in the afternoons, knew that he would be around until at least four o'clock, if not later.

"That gives us…" Brian glanced at his watch. "Almost one hour."

"So, what are we looking for?" asked Claire.

Brian shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted, handing Claire a yearbook marked '1963-1964'. "I guess we'll know when we find it."

Claire nodded and opened the yearbook. Allison pulled up a chair beside her, and the girls started flipping through the pages.

"What is this?" asked Andy, who was sitting in the seat next to Brian's.

Brian opened the large, leather book and started flipping pages. "It's archive of the student newspaper for the 1963 to 1964 school year. It has every issue they printed that year. I was thinking there might be an article on him, like from when he won Man of the Year or something."

Andy nodded. "Okay."

Brian started flipping through the pages, scanning the headlines for anything that might be relevant to their search. A few minutes passed, and no one spoke. The only sound came from Bender, who was leaning back in his chair a few feet away, fiddling with a metal lighter, snapping it open and closed.

"Wow," Claire said finally. "Look at this."

Everyone looked up to see a full page picture of Carl, with the words "Man of the Year" written above it. The photo was very similar to the one in the trophy case, but this time he wasn't wearing a suit, just a button-down shirt and tie.

"He looked so young," said Claire.

Bender smirked. "Young?"

Claire narrowed her eyes. "Yes, that's what I said."

Bender cocked an eyebrow. "Are you saying what I think you're saying, Claire?"

Claire's face flushed with embarrassment. "I just said that--"

"Do you think Carl's a stud? Do you want to--"

Claire slammed the book shut. "Shut up!" she exclaimed.

"Shhhh!"

Everyone turned to see Mrs. Lee, the librarian, sitting at her desk, one finger poised above her lips. "Please use your indoor voices!" she hissed.

Bender nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he whispered loudly. "We will."

The older woman narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything else.

"Here's something," said Brian, pointing to the book of newspapers in front of him. "It's about 'Man of the Year'."

"What does it say?" asked Claire.

Brian scanned the article, looking for pieces of information that would be valuable to their search. "It says he was valedictorian," he said finally without looking up. "Valedictorian?" Andy echoed, pulling the book closer so that he could get a better look. "Seriously?"

Brian pointed to the corresponding piece of text. "And officer of lots of clubs."

"What clubs?" asked Allison.

"It doesn't say," Brian answered.

Claire immediately started flipping through the yearbook. "It'll be in here. They always list clubs and honors in the yearbook." She stopped at a page at the back of the book and smiled. "Here. It says he was on the student council. He was vice president of the student body as a senior!" she exclaimed, looking up at the others. "Do you realize how popular you have to be to become vice president?"

Bender rolled his eyes. "No, Claire, why don't you enlighten us?"

Claire just glared at him. "Why don't you stop making fun of everything I say?"

Bender frowned and flicked on his lighter, running his fingers swiftly through the flames. "Where's the fun in that?"

Brian rolled his eyes. "Can we just focus, guys? What else does it say, Claire?"

Claire continued glaring at John for a couple of seconds, then looked back at the yearbook, jaw still locked in anger. "He played football. All four years."

"First string or second string?" Andy asked.

"Um…first. He was running back."

Andy's eyes widened. "Seriously? First string running back? Do you realize how good you have to be to--"

"Not you, too, Sporto," said Bender, pulling his hand away from the lighter. "He's not a god, you know. He's a janitor."

"He wasn't always a janitor," Brian pointed out. "Keep reading," he said to Claire.

Claire looked back at the yearbook. "Um…it says that he was vice president of the Archery Club, president of the--"

"Archery Club?" Bender echoed as he started rummaging around in his jacket pocket. "As in Robin Hood?"

"Or Green Arrow," added Andy.

Brian's eyes widened, and he glanced over at the jock. "I love that comic book! Remember the one where Ollie found that street thug robbing that old lady and he--"

"Hey, nerd!" Bender called out, waving his hand in front of Brian's face. Brian stopped talking and looked over at him, startled.

"Sorry," he muttered. "It's a good comic book, though."

Bender looked back at Claire. "So, Carl is Robin Hood."

"Or Green Arrow," Brian interjected defiantly.

Bender rolled his eyes, ignoring him. "Did they have to wear tights?" he asked Claire.

She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't say."

"Because maybe this is something that Sporto should look into if this whole wrestling thing doesn't work out. You know, if--"

"You know what, man?" Andy exclaimed. "I'm tired of you bringing this up everyday. Tights are part of the uniform!"

"Can we just stop arguing?" Claire asked, massaging her temples with her fingertips. "All of this yelling is giving me a headache."

"It doesn't make it any less gay," said Bender, ignoring Claire completely.

"I am not gay!" Andy shouted.

"It's true, he's not," said Allison bluntly.

"Can we just get back to the yearbook?" Brian asked desperately. "I really want to know what other clubs he was in because maybe--"

"How do we know psycho chick here is telling the truth?" asked Bender. "Maybe she's lying. Maybe you told her to say that so that--"

"She's not lying!" Andy yelled.

"I'm not lying," Allison confirmed, nodding solemnly.

"The yearbook!" Brian exclaimed.

"Does anybody have any Tylenol?" Claire asked.

"Excuse me!"

Everyone turned to see Mrs. Lee standing behind them, staring down at Bender, who was holding a lit cigarette in his hand. He smiled and offered her the pack, but she just pointed towards the library door.

"Out."

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

The five of them were sitting in Andy's Bronco in the faculty parking lot, waiting for Carl to come out.

"I mean, this is just so absurd," Claire continued. "I can't believe we're sitting here in the cold, waiting for Carl, like we're stalking him or something."

"Well, we kind of are stalking him," said Brian. "That's the point."

"Yeah," Claire said, as if she was speaking to a three-year-old. "And it's weird."

Brian shrugged and leaned back in his seat. Next to him, Bender was fiddling with his lighter again, snapping it open and closed. Andy was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he stared blankly out of the window at a group of cars on the other side of the parking lot. After a moment, he sighed. "I thought you said he finished at four," he said to Brian, glancing in the rearview mirror to get a better view of the backseat.

"No, I said he stayed until at least four."

Andy sighed angrily. "This is so stupid," he muttered.

"Yeah, really," said Claire, who was leaning against the door in the back seat, staring out of the window.

"Don't you have a radio?" Bender asked.

Andy shook his head. "Broken."

"Heater?" asked Claire.

Andy sighed. "Also broken."

Bender snapped the lighter shut and pulled the pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket again. "Mind if I smoke, Sporto?"

"Yeah, actually, I do," Andy spat out, glaring into the rearview mirror. "I don't want my car smelling like cigarettes."

"I understand," said Bender, putting the pack away again. "Wouldn't want to interfere with the sweaty jockstrap and rotting laundry motif you've got going on."

Andy clenched his jaw angrily, but didn't respond.

Suddenly, Allison, who was sitting next to Andy in the front seat, pointed straight ahead. "There he is."

In unison, everyone leaned forward to get a better look. Carl was dressed in his usual grey jumpsuit, and he was carrying a brown paper sack in one hand, his car keys in the other. He unlocked the driver's side door of a dark brown sedan and slipped into the front seat.

As soon as Carl's car pulled out of the parking space, Andy turned the key to his own ignition and put the Bronco into Drive. He'd just released his foot from the brake when Bender yelled, "What are you doing?"

Andy slammed his foot down on the brake, causing everyone to pitch forward in their seats. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked irritably.

Bender shook his head. "You can't just pull out like that. Haven't you ever seen Magnum? Or MacGyver?"

Andy glared at Bender through the rearview mirror. "Yeah, I have. What's your point?"

Bender rolled his eyes and started speaking very slowly, as if he was explaining the theory of relativity to a four year old. "My point is that you need to be inconspicuous. Inconspicuous means that you don't get noticed, which means that--"

"I know what inconspicuous means, asshole," Andy said angrily.

"Well, then maybe you should put that good knowledge into effect," Bender responded evenly.

"What do you want me to do then?" Andy asked, turning around to face Bender.

"Uh, guys?" Brian asked hesitantly.

"What?" Bender and Andy asked simultaneously.

"He's leaving," Brian said, nodding in the direction of the parking lot's exit.

Andy swore under his breath and released his foot from the brake, aiming the car towards the exit. He pulled out onto the street just as Carl's car turned a corner at the stoplight two blocks away.

"Is this inconspicuous enough for you, Bender?" Andy asked sarcastically, glancing up at the rearview mirror.

Bender smirked. "Perfect, Sporto. You're doing a brilliant job."

Andy just rolled his eyes and looked back at the road. The drove in silence for a few minutes, keeping at least one block between Andy's Bronco and Carl's sedan at all times. About ten minutes after they left the parking lot at school, Carl turned into a older, middle-class neighborhood identified by a large billboard that read "Westing Estates".

"Estates, my ass," Bender observed with a sneer. "Why do they always give neighborhoods such bullshit names anyway? Like 'Magnolia Manors' or 'Lakeside Park'."

"That's my neighborhood," said Claire, turning to frown at him. "What's wrong with 'Lakeside Park'?"

Bender scoffed. "There's no lake."

Claire's brow wrinkled thoughtfully, but she didn't say anything.

"Or a park," Bender added helpfully.

Claire looked a bit dejected. "I think it's a nice name."

"Here it is," said Andy, pulling up to the curb in front of a house with an empty driveway. A few houses down, Carl was getting out of his car, fumbling with his keys. The brown paper bag was jammed under one arm with no apparent concern for the safety of is contents.

The group held its breath as Carl slid the key into the lock and pushed open the door to the modest one-story house with missing shingles and a crooked drain spout. He picked up a newspaper from the front step, then disappeared into the house.

As if on cue, everyone released the breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding. "Well…" said Andy.

There was an awkward pause as everyone kept their eyes glued to the front door of Carl's house, afraid to look away in case they missed something.

"It looks so normal," Brian said finally.

"It looks like my house," said Allison.

There was another moment of silence before Andy spoke. "What do we do now?" he asked.

Brian shrugged. "Make observations."

Andy frowned. "Like what?"

"Like…" Brian craned his neck for a better look at the house. "There aren't any other cars in the driveway."

"So?" asked Andy.

"So, he's not married," Claire answered.

"Maybe his wife isn't home from work yet," Andy countered.

"Yeah, or maybe she's porkin' her boss and she just told Carl that she was working so he wouldn't get suspicious," Bender suggested.

Claire made a face. "That's disgusting."

"Sex isn't disgusting, Claire," Bender said patiently, offering her a tender smile. "It's a beautiful thing, a symbolic union between two people who--"

"You're disgusting," Claire interrupted. "Really disgusting."

Brian cleared his throat and pulled a small notebook and a ballpoint pen out of his pocket. "So, uh, there's not another car in the driveway," he reiterated. "Which may mean that he's not married…" He uncapped the pen and opened the notebook to the first blank page. "No car in driveway," he said slowly.

"What's this?" asked Bender, grabbing the notebook from his hand.

"It's, uh, it's a note--wait, be careful, that's…that's my physics assignment," said Brian, attempting to pull the notebook out of Bender's grasp. Bender just brushed his hand away and continued flipping pages.

"'Valedictorian, football all four years, first string running back…'" Bender looked up from the notebook. "Is this your casebook or something?"

Brian felt his cheeks growing warm. "Um, sort of. I just thought--"

"It's just like Scooby Doo," said Bender. "And Matlock."

Brian paused uncertainly. "I don't think Matlock had a notebook."

But Bender wasn't paying attention. "'Bought one roll of F-11, Christmas trees.'" He turned to look at Brian. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

Brian grabbed the notebook out of Bender's hand, his cheeks flaming even further. "I just thought it might be important later," he said defensively.

Bender frowned doubtfully. "For what?"

"He's definitely single," Claire interrupted.

Bender turned to look at her. "How do you know?"

Claire smiled triumphantly and nodded in the direction of the house. "Look at his curtains. They're old and ugly. No woman would choose that pattern."

Andy turned back to face her. "That doesn't prove anything. Maybe they don't have enough money to replace them or--"

"No," Claire said firmly. "He's not married."

Andy frowned, but didn't argue. Brian wrote down her observation in his notebook, then looked back up at the others, waiting for further observations.

No one said anything.

Brian cleared his throat. "So, uh, he's not married…and he has ugly curtains."

Claire nodded, but the others remained still.

Brian shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Does anyone have anything else?"

"He needs to mow his lawn," Allison offered.

Brian paused. "Um, okay…"

Claire sighed. "This is stupid. We're not learning anything."

Andy nodded. "She's right. Let's just go home."

"Give up?" Brian asked, suddenly panicked. "But--"

"I have an early practice tomorrow," Andy interrupted.

"And I have homework to finish," Claire added.

Brian looked over at Bender, then Andy. "So, we'll pick it up again tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

Andy nodded and put the Bronco in Drive. "Sure. Tomorrow."

Brian smiled. "Okay. Tomorrow." Andy released his foot from the brake, and the Bronco took off down the winding street. Brian glanced down at his notebook, which was still sitting in his lap, open to the page of clues. He paused thoughtfully, then wrote, "Needs to mow lawn".

Just in case.

A/N: Thanks for all of the great reviews. I'm glad that so many people are interested in this story. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter.