Title: Running With The Devil
Author: TWBasketcase
A/N: I know it has been a little while now but that is only because I got my muse running rampant on 'basketcase'. So I decided that this was going to be a completely pointless and fun chapter. And to Lazaefair: you found a Bender/Brian story? That is such a weird, strange, and scary pairing! Oh dear…what was it called? I would have used that if it was much more detailed rather than 'Sequester'…I think that would have had a much funnier reaction to it.
Dedication: I wanna dedicate this Chapter to Pam (UnicornPammy). I was writing her an email and we were talking about characters trapped in cliché – land. So it gave me the idea to write this chapter about who the most clichéd character is.

Chapter 6 – Who's got it bad?

Brody and Brian let out a few breaths to regain their composures; the four other teenagers left still confused as hell. Yet at the same time Claire felt extremely happy that Brody had gotten through to him. She felt that often times Brian took things a little too seriously – hell a lot too seriously. But that is just the way Brian is and it was nice to see someone making him chill out a little. She stood up and straightened out her skirt, "So Brody…is there anything interesting to do around this place?"

Brody regarded her with a smile, "Well there is the movie theatre…putt putt golf, a diner…the mall?"

"Please do not drag her to the mall!" Andy and John groaned in unison.

Claire put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes, "Why do you guys think I am so bad at the mall, huh? So I like to go when there is good sales, and when I'm bored, or sad…"

John widened his eyes and smirked, "or any old time of the week that would do you good?"

She scoffed, "Not true! Everyone thinks that just because I'm a 'princess' or whatever that I just am naturally a shop-a-holic?"

Brody raised her eyebrows, "But you did ditch school to go shopping…"

Claire dropped her arms down to her side in exasperation, "Okay fine, so I like to shop."

Brody grinned, "Well then technically that is one cliché that has been nailed as a fact." She laughed at her theory but stopped when she saw the oncoming glare. She swallowed and looked at her with an innocent smile.

Claire huffed and sat down on the bed next to Allison, "So what other stupid shit does everyone else say about me?"

Brody hesitated, "Well most commonly your mother is a drunk…she ends up slapping you and you run to someone for comfort. Um let's see that you hang around in a group full of complete air heads; that you are pretty bad in school so you usually ask Brian to mentor you…and strangely that brother that you mentioned in the movie doesn't appear too often in the fandom."

Claire's eyebrows were raised a mile high, "My mom, a drunk?" She let out a girly giggle and raked her fingers through her hair, "She gets so completely disgusted with drunks. She thinks our family is so high up in the societal social ladder that drunks belong at the bottom. Why would they think she is a drunk?"

Brody shrugged, "Probably more than likely due to the 'poor, rich, drunk mother in the Caribbean' comment."

Bender looked at her innocently, "I didn't mean to start an uproar."

Claire rolled her eyes, "Even if she was a drunk she would NEVER do it in front of me; my parents are in an ongoing battle to get me on their side, do you think she would honestly be a drunk in front of me in that case?"

Brody shook her head and Claire smiled, "Good…and if she ever did hit me – which would never happen – I would not run to anyone for comfort. I wouldn't tell anyone…my family has a reputation to maintain."

Brody let out a laugh and looked at John who was smirking at her, "What the hell are you so worried about reputations for? I thought you were passed that Miss Priss?"

She shrugged, "No it's just that my mom is one of those typical 'mommy' mom housewives…it's really annoying. She just wants everything to be perfect all the time; even if she is a tad bit over bearing she is still my mom and I still love her so I respect her wishes, even if sometimes they can be a little outrageous."

Bender nodded, "And besides if it was anyone getting the dork to do their homework it would be me, not Claire."

Claire and Brian nodded in agreement; Brian looked at Claire with a smile, "I mean she reads Molet and understands and loves it; she is also very good with math because she loves designing and styling clothes."

Claire blushed, "Okay guys."

Bender went back to the initial topic at hand, "I would be the one to make geek do my homework! I hate homework but I gotta graduate sometime soon."

Brian smiled at him, "Only if you fix my elephant."

John rolled his eyes, "Brian I can't fix your elephant…get over it. It blew up in your locker so it's gone. You failed, accept it. Besides I can't help with shop class anyways because shop isn't a take your project home class. You do it in school so the teacher can monitor progress…hello!"

Brian pouted, "I would so love to be good at shop though."

Bender snorted, "It doesn't take a genius!"

Brody smiled at the banter, "So you never helped him fix the elephant at all then?"

Bender shook his head, "No I did not. End of discussion."

Brody laughed, "So Brian you may be even more clichéd than Claire is!"

Brian frowned, "How is that?"

Brody smiled and crossed her legs underneath of her from her spot on the floor, "Well first things first – you mom is ALWAYS screaming at you and laying down ridiculous rules. You also tend to get beat up at school constantly and your only real friend is Larry Lester."

"Larry Lester?" Brody nodded his head and Brian hesitated, "I'm not that great of friends with him…in fact I only really know him from the Math Club. He is the president and I am the vice president…so we talk things over a lot; but I don't hang out with him after school or anything."

Brody nodded, "People make him seem so depressed and bitter."

Brian widened his eyes, "What? No way! Larry is a very funny guy who has an excellent sense of humor, you know! He is always getting into some funny situation or another and he never ceases to crack me up. He is a very enjoyable nerd…which is why he isn't mad at Andy."

Brody cocked an eyebrow, "He isn't mad at Andy?"

Andy shook his head, "I guess not…I apologized when Vernon made me in the office and I haven't spoken to Lester since."

Allison spoke up, "Andy is also a chicken shit around him though when he does see him in the halls."

Brody looked at Andy suspiciously…the one who may be the least butchered character of them all, "Really?"

Andy nodded, "Larry doesn't give a shit anymore but it stills bothers me to this day. I personally don't think there is anyway to apologize for what I did and I just have to live with the fact that I am an asshole for the rest of my life."

Brian looked at Andy sympathetically, "He doesn't think that way…he thinks by you hanging out with us you have pretty much redeemed yourself. Like I said, Larry is a pretty easy going guy and he is happy that you and I are friends."

Andy nodded slowly, "Yeah I hope so." He looked over to Brody, "So tell me about my life."

Brody nodded, "Actually most people do really well with you…most commonly brought up scenarios are you hurting your knee, you fighting with your father, and you being mean to Allison."

Andy nodded quietly, "I'm not mean to Allison. We disagree a lot but I am not mean to her." Ally nodded in agreement and grabbed his hand, "But your knee IS pretty messed up."

"Well Andy is automatically the loser of the contest!" Bender announced in a sing-song voice.

Andy cocked an eyebrow, "What contest you idiot?"

Bender folded his arms, "Over who is written the worst, Sporto!"

Andy sighed, "Bender that is a good thing I lost because that means people write me the best."

Allison let out a laugh, "I bet you people don't write me very well."

Bender snorted, "Yeah they probably think you are a witch or something."

Allison rolled her eyes, "Let me guess…my parents never talk to me, I spend ALL of my free time drawing, I spy on people, and…I cry a lot."

Brody processed the information, "Well…yeah. Come to think of it you are pretty much written the exact same in every single story. I mean Bender has so much stupid shit written about him that it would take forever to just go through them all but when it comes to being cliché I think you win hands down Allison.

Allison sighed, "Always being ignored…doesn't anyone ever pick up on my other character traits?"

Bender grinned, "I do."

Allison narrowed her eyes angrily, "You think you know me so well but you are an idiot, John. You steal my lines!"

John folded his arms, "I still say I don't steal your lines."

Allison went to lunge at him put was quickly caught by Andy; he gave her an unsure look and then looked at Brody, "She really isn't how they make her out to be."

Claire glanced at Andy worriedly, "No she really isn't…"

Brody sighed, "Okay so now that we got your home lives down, and your…different…personalities…what about your relationships with each other?"

Brian grinned happily, "I'm friends with all of them."

Brody regarded him skeptically, "Just so I got this right, you don't have a crush on Claire do you?"

Brian's eyes widened, "No! Why would you say that?"

Brody shrugged, "A lot of people think you do."

Brian looked at Claire, "No offense…but no. She is just too complicated for me."

Claire laughed, "Hardly."

Brody nodded, "Okay so you are friends with everyone and you don't secretly love Claire…that works."

Andy burst out laughing, "Brian I feel so sorry for you sometimes."

TBC