Summary: John and Claire have an...interesting...encounter, Brian cheers up a bit, Allison feels all too normal and Andrew realises something very important….

AN: I realise this is about 6 times longer than the last chapter, but I had a lot more to say in this one…

And thanks for all your awesome reviews, I love getting them so keep it up: D

MONDAY:

John:

She's a funny girl.

Today I was walking down the corridor, going toward my locker, when I saw her. All dressed in pink, her hair and make-up done, Claire was waiting for me. At my locker. She was smiling too, when she saw me, and she gave a little wave. And that's when I felt it. This weird feeling, mainly in my knees, like if she would just smile at me again, everything would be good.

"Hey." She smiled shyly at me when I got closer.

"Hey." I said, trying to act unimpressed.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Umm...yeah...can we go somewhere private?"

I should've known.

"Actually, I'd rather we do it here if that's okay Princess?"

She looked pretty hurt.

"Well if that's how you're going to be John, I don't think this is going to work."

As she went to walk away, I grabbed her arm.

"I'm sorry ok? I just have to get used to-"

But I couldn't finish, she was already kissing me. Breaking apart briefly, I looked at her incredulously for a moment, but as she was about to start talking, I shook my head, and pulled her back toward me.

Quickly, as fast as it had begun, it was over. She pushed me away, smiled at me, and headed off to class. Smiling stupidly, I slumped against my locker. After the first bell had gone and everyone shuffled off to class, I turned around and went to open my locker, but I had a nasty surprise waiting for me.

"Shit!"

I yelled, and the last of the stragglers in the hallway turned around to look at me. Shaking my head I searched my memory and came up blank.

Where the hell was my lock?

Cursing, I opened my locker and saw all my stuff was still there.

Who would want to steal it anyway?

I didn't actually go to class in the morning, I just sat in the library thinking about Claire. It sounds dumb but it was the one place I had in common with her, that everytime I went there would make me think about her.

It wasn't until lunch that I realised the drawbacks associated with feeling that way about her. I did whatever she wanted me to, because...and this sounded really stupid...because I didn't want her to be mad at me.

Usually I try and get as far away from girls I like this much as I can, saves me getting hurt. But Claire...everything feels right about her. And I think when she knows me, really knows me...she won't get scared. I never trusted someone like that before.

Brian:

It wasn't aregular lunch.

Instead of sitting with the rest of the Latin Club in the Foreign Language section of the library for an hour, I went to Bender's locker when the bell went.

He and Claire were there, he had her backed up against the lockers, and she was smiling at him. He was stroking her hair, and leaning against the locker on one arm.

"Hi guys!"

I went up and stood next to them. Turning around slowly, Bender's neck cracked, and he looked at me the way he had that first time in detention, like he might actually kill me.

"Hey Bri!" he said brightly, and I smiled again, thinking he had totally forgiven me in that millisecond.

"So...you were planning on having lunch with us?"

Bender looked at the paper bag in my hand, and I nodded. Claire slipped out from under Bender's arm and stood beside me.

"That's great Brian. This'll be fun, having lunch together."

While she was speaking, she was looking at John, furiously indicating to him. But he just rolled his eyes and I looked at my feet.

"You know what, forget about it. I'll just go to Latin Club."

I turned to walk away.

'Wait! Dork!" John grabbed my lunch out of my hands. I turned around and Claire smiled at me encouragingly while John rummaged through my lunch bag.

"So what are we having?"

I hang out with nerds normally, people like me. But they've never really known me. They know my grades, my favourite aspect of Chemistry, that I want to go to Harvard.

But they don't know about the gun. Or about my self loathing. Or that I got high on Saturday and acted like a Jack Ass in front of total strangers.

Now I know though. That I don't need to hang out with people like me to feel accepted. And that if I fail one class I don't need to die. Those total strangers taught me that. The ones I now call my friends.

Andrew:

It was the second last class of the day, and the only person I'd seen so far was Claire in the hallway. When she waved I nodded back, but that was the easy part. Nobody batted an eyelid on the wrestling team if I befriended Claire. But what about the rest of the Breakfast Club? What about Allison?

I spent all of yesterday revising my speech. Today at practice I was going to march up to Coach and say I was quitting. No excuses. No delays. I was out of there.

Who the fuck was I kidding?

I had marched right into practice, straight up to the coach and done exactly what he told me to for two hours before school. And I was going to do it again this afternoon. Because I don't have the strength to stand up to him, or my Dad, or my friends. And I was going to tell Allison I couldn't be with her, or anywhere near her. This was all just too hard.

But then Allison walked through the door.

She was wearing her hair the same way as Saturday, and her face was just as nervous, and pretty. She had my jumper tied around her shoulders, but she also had on an enormous black hooded jumper. Her skirt went to her knees, and she was wearing her tattered Gym Boots. Somehow she was a perfect mix of the person I knew Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon. I was staring, mouth open, when she came right over to me and dumped her books next to mine on the desk. Biting her lip, she cocked her head to one side. Without a word, she stuck out her hand and pushed my mouth closed. Squeaking her satisfaction, she sat down. When I turned to smile at her, she just passed me a picture she pulled from her note book.

It was me, a portrait sort of. I was sitting on the bench in the gym. She must have drawn it this morning, I was wearing my uniform and my knee was taped up. I realised she must have come to training, and sat with the other girlfriends and parents in the back of the gym. For two hours. Before I could say thank you she leaned over and kissed me. That's when I knew.

I'm not going to training tomorrow.

Claire

I am such a hypocrite

I spent my lunchtime with John and Brian and Allison. Brian helped me with my Trigonometry and I watched John teach Allison how to light her shoe on fire. I was half expecting her to try and eat the flames, but she settled for half of Brian's sandwich with some gummy bears and raisins. We all just sat and watched her make this little concoction, and John went as far as ask her what it tasted like. With her mouth full she couldn't answer, but she offered some to him.

"Not for me thanks…but I'm sure Claire would like some."

Looking hopefully over at me, Allison held out the sandwich. When I shook my head John flicked a raisin at me.

"Don't pretend you don't love it!"

Allison and Brian looked sideways and smiled at each other, I blushed. John put his arm around me and I felt my legs tremble under the table.

"Hey Bri!" Brian looked at him.

"I bet you wish you could do this!"

And he kissed me again, right in the middle of the cafeteria. Pulling my head away, I tried to motion to Brian and Allison. But they had picked up their lunch trays and were leaving. Using his thumb, John turned my head to face him again.

"You do realise that you're entire group of jocks, cheerleaders, snobs and preps are staring at us don't you?"

John wasn't grinning anymore.

"So?" I asked, trying to convince myself along with him that I didn't care.

"That's my girl." John smiled and kissed me again.

But I cared. A lot more than I thought I would. Because when I was waiting for him at his locker this morning I never expected everything to be so…public. I just hoped that the girls would still speak to me when I tried talking to them tomorrow.

And John still has my earring.

Allison

It's bad

I have never been honest with people. It's not just a habit it's a medical condition. I am a compulsive liar. But when I'm with Andrew…everything changes. I tell the truth, I do weird stuff (or should I say weirder stuff) and I act different.

I went to his wrestling practice today. I always get to school early, but I figured that instead of sit in the art room throwing paint at a canvas for two hours I would go and see him wrestle.

I think sweaty boys rolling on the floor together are funny. But apparently it isn't as funny as I thought it was because everyone was staring at me in the back of the gym when I was laughing. So I did what I always do. I glared at them until they stopped.

I drew him a picture. I don't often do portraits; I always seemed to turn people's faces evil so I gave up a while ago. But the pencil strokes seemed to flow out of me when I watched him on the bench. I wanted to give it to him then, but he left before I could walk over to him.

I spent the morning the way I usually did, sulking in the back of my classes, ignoring the teacher's attempts to include me in discussions. But all I could think about were the others, the Breakfast Club. I drew so many faces, so many things about them I could remember. I took Andrew's patch out of my bag and stared at it for a whole period, trying to think of where he was, what he was doing.

Was this what it felt like to be normal?

I spent my lunch with Claire and John and Brian. John showed me how to light my shoe on fire, and I had fun watching him and Claire pretend they were interested in me and Brian. I ended up leaving the table with Brian soon after I arrived; I took him to the art room and did his portrait properly. I could only remember the way he looked before, and that's not enough to do a portrait. You have to incorporate someone's smell, their feel, their noise.

I saw Andrew after lunch. In geography I sat with him. And I did my little experiment. It worked. He took the picture, and he didn't push me away. He kissed me back. Underneath the table, his sweaty runner joined with my foot, and after class he walked me to my locker. He kissed me again, in front of everyone. At some point, I guess I closed my eyes, because when I opened them again he was halfway up the hallway.

Some guys on the wrestling team had joined him and one of them laughed, pointing at me.

"Who's that lover boy?"

Andrew looked back at me, and I quickly looked away. Heading down the hallway in the opposite direction, I resolved never to try this kind of experiment EVER AGAIN.

'Hey Allison!"

I heard Andrew call me. Turning around to glare at him, I gritted my teeth.

'Guys, that's my girlfriend." He said loud enough for me to hear. Smiling at him, I squeaked my approval and kept moving to the guidance office.

It wasn't until I got inside that I realised what it all meant. A boyfriend. Friends. Normality.

It's bad.

Ha ha! Did you actually think I was going to break up Ally and Andy? They're my favourite couple! And anyway, I have great plans for those two mwahahaha!

Btw midnight blue 88 I have decided that since my miniscule brain could not possibly come up with enough quotes for EVERYONE in EVERY CHAPTER, I will always have one person with no quote.

As always, lots of feedback please! Tell me if you think Allison is too sane or John is too much of an arse hole….whatever you think, drop me a review and I promise you I will be very appreciative!