WE DO NOT OWN THE BREAKFAST CLUB. SHOUTOUT TO POPPY471 FOR THEIR HELP AND AWESOME WRITING.
Wednesday. April 4, 1984. Standish Family Home. Clarendon Hills, Illinois.
(Luke)
Honestly, I felt a little better and a little worse after talking to Claire. Having her insist that she loved me despite all of my baggage was really my only lifeline to sanity at this point. On the other hand, hearing her say that I hurt her when I blew up at her was sobering. The absolute last thing that I wanted to was hurt Claire after she had done so much for me. It couldn't just be all about me all the time, I needed to be there for Claire.
The next day was uneventful which wasn't really a bad thing. The drive home was silent. It seemed as though Mr. Standish had something on his mind, but decided to wait on telling us. Once we got home, Claire's parents called both of us into the living room.
"Luke, we have something to tell you," Mrs. Standish said as she and her husband both turned their eyes towards me.
"I talked to judge Owens," Mr. Standish continued. "No one wants a trial. Partly because we don't want to put you through the pain of reliving your abuse and partly because your father has been...quarrelsome and judge Owens does not want him in his courtroom any longer than absolutely necessary."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"It means that the prosecutor offered your father a deal and he took it. They dropped the attempted manslaughter charge and in return, he'll plead guilty to three counts of assault. One for you, your mother, and your brother." As Claire squeezed my hand, I didn't quite know what to make of it. On the one hand, I was kind of relieved to not have to go through an entire trial, but on the other hand, I felt that he was getting off way too easy.
"We also heard from your mother," Mrs. Standish said. "The Department of Child and Family Services has been hounding her like crazy."
"Figures, DCFS never showed up when we actually needed it," I shot back. I hadn't meant to make a smart ass remark, but sometimes my mouth gets a head start over my brain.
"Anyway, they are planning to take your mother to court for custody of your brother Dustin," Mr. Standish continued. "She...wants your assistance."
"What could I do?"
"Your mother wants you to serve as a character witness on her behalf, she wants you to say that she never abused your brother and that she tried to protect him from your father as much as she could so that she can keep custody." I was incensed and Claire was astounded.
"She has some nerve!" Claire exclaimed. "She physically and verbally abuses Luke his entire life and now she's asking him for a favor? His mother is such a bitch!"
"Claire Kathleen Standish, we do not use that kind of language!" her mother chided.
"Regardless of whether Mrs. Henderson is a...female dog, or not, she has made us an offer:" Mr. Standish interjected. "If Luke is willing to speak to the DCFS on her behalf, she is willing to completely give up all parental rights to him and surrender him to our custody."
"So basically, if she gets his brother, she'll cut Luke loose?" Claire asked.
"Yes." Joshua said. I shook my head as I stood up.
"What a surprise, I can go die in a gutter as long as she gets her precious Dusty," I mocked. "I'll tell them whatever she wants." I stormed off to my room and slammed the door. The idea of Dustin being my mother's favorite was not new to me, but just because it was expected didn't make it hurt any less. Dustin had always had all of my mom's love when I'd had none. I tried not to resent him for it; after all, he was the only member of my family that gave a damn about me. However, his abuse had not been as bad as mine because he had my mom in his corner. It was hard not to owe him a spite. As I was pacing around in my room, I heard a knock on my door.
"I don't want to talk right now!" I exclaimed as the door opened to reveal my girlfriend.
"Not even to me?" she asked.
"I thought it was your parents," I said as she moved closer.
"They wanted to talk to you, but daddy thought that you might be more receptive to me," Claire explained.
"Wise man," I shot back as she cupped my face in her hands.
"Luke, what do you need from me?" she asked. I knew what I needed in that moment.
"I need...to touch you" I said as I leaned in and started kissing Claire's neck. She was so beautiful that every time she allowed me to run my fingers over her freckled skin felt like a privilege that I didn't want to lose. Every night I fantasized about being in bed with Claire: holding her, kissing her and at some point...making love. I knew I wasn't ready yet and neither was she. Claire said that she wanted to have sex with someone who loved and respected her and while I thought that was me, there was always that cruel voice in the back of my mind that made me doubt whether I actually loved her or if I was just using her. We continued to kiss as I held her close to me. Claire planted kisses in my ear and whispered that she loved me. I wouldn't trade moments like that for anything in the entire world. She was my escape from the cesspool that was my life.
NEXT TIME, WE SEE IF LUKE CAN ACTUALLY CUT TIES WITH HIS TOXIC FAMILY. REVIEWS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED.
