A/N: Hey guys! Welcome back to chapter three of, "The Gossip Around Shermer". I'm Bambi and I am so happy that you're here. I hope you all have had a great week and are ready for an even better weekend. I know I am because it's my birthday weekend! What a better way to kick off a birthday weekend than a new chapter, right? Anway as always, I do not/have not/probably, nor will I ever own the rights to the Breakfast Club or any of its characters and themes. That belongs to the estate of the late great John Hughes and Universal Pictures. Xia Marie Hart is completely mine though. Now, onto chapter three. Enjoy.
Vice Principal Vernon walks into the library to address the room. "Well, here we are. I want to congratulate you for being on time." he greeted them sarcastically. Not thinking his lecture will be long enough, Claire raises her hand. "I don't belong here, sir." Claire piped up causing Xia to roll her eyes. Of course, Claire doesn't feel like she belongs there. Luckily, Vernon is not interested in indulging her and continues on. "It's seven - oh - six. You have eight hours and fifty minutes to think about why you're here." Vernon explained.
Eight hours and fifty-four minutes? That's perfect. It gives Xia just enough time to get a proper chunk of information. At this rate, this week's Hart Blast is going to need a three-page spread. The thought of it almost made Xia giddy. That's short lived as Bender hocks a logy into the air and catches it back into his mouth. Claire and Xia cringe in disgust. Vernon starts walking around the room handing out blank pieces of paper. "You will not talk, you will not move, and you will sleep." Vernon reprimanded, punctuating sleep as he yanked a chair out from underneath Bender's legs. "We're going to try something a little different today. I want an essay. One thousand words telling me who you think you are." Vernon pressed on, giving Xia a look of contempt as he gave her a piece of paper. In response, Xia waves her hand in a small sweeping motion. "This a test?" Bender asked. "When I say essay, I mean essay. Not a word repeated over and over again. Clear, Bender?" Vernon asked.
"Crystal." Bender replied sarcastically. "Good. Maybe you'll learn something about yourself. Like if you want to come back." Vernon suggests as the younger blonde stands up. "That's a no for me, sir." The boy promised. Xia scans him up and down. Clearly, he's a goody two shoes/a nerd. His backpack, clothes that looked as if they were carefully selected from the sales rack at Sears, and his need to please authority even though they're dicks, being a few indicators. "Sit down, Johnson." Vernon dismissed him. "Thank you, sir." The boy replies as he withers back into his seat. "My office is right across the hall. Any monkey business is ill advised. Any questions?" Vernon asks. Bender raises his hand. "Yeah, I have a question. Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?" Bender asks. Vernon just rolls his eyes as the other kids try and stifles laughs. "I'll give you that answer next Saturday." Vernon replied before leaving the room. "That man is a brownie hound." Benders announces to the room.
Xia tries to block out the others and begin work on her Magnum Opus. She writes in her notebook about her encounter with Carl, who she was in detention with, the exchange with Bender, and about Vernon forcing them to write an essay. In the midst of her focus, Xia starts hearing chomping sounds coming from behind her. Turning around, Xia see's it's the quiet girl who barged in earlier, chomping away at fingernails. "Nervous tick?" Xia asked but the girl ignored her. However, she does respond to Bender by spitting her nail at him. Xia probably shouldn't write this in her notebook. This wasn't news, this wasn't gossip. Yet she can't help but overhear Claire's laughter. Claire probably couldn't wait to get home and tell all her little shallow friends about the weird nail-biting girl from detention. If this was to be Xia's magnum opus, then she'd need to get ahead of the rumor mill. She turns back to her notebook and writes, "QUIET GIRL HAS A NERVOUS TICK THAT MAKES HER BITE HER NAILS AND SPIT THEM OUT AT PEOPLE." probably didn't need the nervous tick part, but it'll draw people in. Xia continues her people watching. Her eyes go to Johnson again. This time he had a pen hanging out of his mouth and was muttering to himself.
Has Xia been wrong? Was he a high functioning head case? Would the student body actually believe that? The boy just called himself a Walrus, it was plausible. Johnson and Bender have a moment over who takes their jacket off first. Bender won that moment the only way he knew how, through bullying and intimidation. Maybe that's why Xia writes about him. He was a bully who deserved to be taken down a peg. He deserves whatever she writes about him.
"Oh shit! What are we supposed to do if we have to take a piss?" Bender shouts, as Xia writes in her notebook. "Please." Claire scoffs. Xia is silently begging him not to do it. Then she'd be forced to write it in. It was gross, juvenile, and nobody would believe her. On the other hand, it was too wild for it not to be true. That's all cut short by a familiar voice. "You're not urinating in here, man." Andrew attempts to stop Bender. He sounds like a superhero protecting innocent townspeople.
Guess he became the leader his father always wanted him to be. "Don't talk. It makes it crawl back up." Bender warned. "You whip it out and you're dead before the first drop hits the floor." Andrew threatens. "You're pretty sexy when you're angry." Bender growled teasingly before he turned to Johnson. "Hey homeboy. Why don't you close that door and we'll get the prom queen impregnated?" He finished. Xia makes a face in disgust. "Gee, Bender. I didn't know you wanted to be a father of two." Xia snipped.
"Shut up." Bender snapped. Andy began to yell hey over and over again until Bender had enough. "What?" Bender shouted at him. "If I lose my temper you're totaled, man." Andy warned. Xia had forgotten how protective Andy could be. She had to admit, it was very attractive. "Totally?" Bender asked, not buying it. "Totally." Andy confirmed softly. That's when the butterflies in Xia's stomach start fluttering. Xia didn't want this, though she couldn't say she was surprised. It's not like Andy wasn't attractive and deep down, Xia still DID harbor feelings for him. "Just shut up. Nobody here cares," Claire piped up to Bender. "Really." Andy backed her up. "Hey, sporto. What did you do to get in here? Forget to wash your jock?" Bender taunted. "Fellas, let's just write our papers." Johnson tries to intervene. Xia turns to him and stares as if he's crazy. "Let them go." Xia suggested.
There was no need for that because Andy and Bender were showing no signs of stopping. "Look, just because you live here doesn't mean you get to be a pain in the ass. Knock it off." Andy warned. "It's a free country." Bender shrugs unfazed. "He's just doing it to get a rise out of you." Claire reminded Andy. Xia wants to know why Claire keeps talking to Andy as if she's his girlfriend. It was starting to annoy her. Claire would take Andy knowing how in love with him Xia was. "So, are you guys like boyfriend and girlfriend? Steady dates? Lovers? Come on, Sporto. Level with me. Do you slip her the hot beef injection?" Bender asked, causing Claire to spin around in her chair. "Go to hell!" Claire screeches. "Enough." Andy groaned. "Hey! What's going on in there?" Vernon yelled from his office across the hall. The room gets quiet for a few minutes before Xia speaks up. "Not to piggyback on Bender's question, but are you?" Xia asked softly.
This the most painful question she could ever ask. "Are we what?" Andy answers her. "Are you two dating?" Xia questions. She sounds so pathetic. What a dumb question. "Why do you care? It's been two years." Andy asks. Xia had to save face. "I don't, but my readers might." Xia replies with a smug smirk on her face. When in doubt, fall back on the people. Her readers couldn't give a damn. "I swear to god if you write that I'm-" Xia cuts her off. "What are you going to do, Claire? Like destroy me socially?" Xia asked in a valley girl accent.
"Look, I get you're a loudmouth psycho now, but you need to mind your own business." Andy dismisses her. Hurt flashes briefly on Xia's face but she quickly wipes it away. "Don't like it? Don't read." Xia shrugged. Xia was shocked. Andy had never spoken like that to her before. It was absolutely devastating.
A/N: Ooooh things are starting to heat up in detention. Thank you guys so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you have a great weekend. I'll see you next Friday! Bye guys!
