CH. 4 History Lesson
Bender had gotten out of his seat and was sitting on a wooden railing close by the door. "We should close that door. We can't have any fun with Vernon watching us." He suggested. "The door's supposed to stay closed." Johnson reminds him nervously. "So?" Bender asks. "So, just shut up. There's five other people in here you know." Andy interrupted, annoyed. "You can count, see, I knew you had to be smart to be a wrestler." Bender scoffed. "And who are you to judge?" Andy asks. Claire backs him up with, "Really." Andy's eyes turn to slits as he continues to confront Bender. "Bender, you don't even count. If you disappeared tomorrow it wouldn't make a difference. You might as well not even exist at this school." Andy grimaced as Xia's face turned to shock at her ex's cruel words.
"Andy, that's mean. You shouldn't say things like that." Xia warned. Andy turns to face her with an almost surprised look. "Really?" He asks. "What?" She replies confused. "You don't get to tell me or anybody else what's mean and what we shouldn't say. You're a hypocrite. You hurt people all the time with the shit you write." Andy snapped. "And how would you know, Andy? What? Are you keeping tabs on me?" Xia rolls her eyes. How dare he. "You wish, Sunshine." Andy scoffed as he sarcastically calls her the pet name he gave her. "And you don't get to call me sunshine. You lost that right, but whatever you say, superstar." Xia shot back, throwing her pet name for him back in his face.
A sly grin spreads on Bender's face as his eyes go back and forth between the former flames. "You two know each other?" Bender asks, already knowing the answer. "Uh huh." Xia replies with a nod. "How?" Bender pressed further. "We're exes." Xia explained. "Sporto. Maybe you're not so smart after all." Bender shrugs. "And why the hell is that?" Andy wonders unamused. "Cause anybody who sticks their dick in her, has to be a little slow." Bender laughed. The smirk that Xia had proudly worn was now wiped off her face. "Maybe you don't count." Xia glared. "Well then, how about I run out and join the wrestling team? Prep club? Student council? School paper?" Bender asks.
"Wouldn't take you." Andy shook his head. "Are you even literate?" Xia asks coldly. "And that's not mean?" Andy asks her. "You said he didn't count. That's way worse!" Xia exclaimed. "How?" Andy asks. "I'd rather be told I was illiterate than being told I didn't count. Besides, it doesn't matter now. He called you slow and insulted me. He just negated everything we just said." Xia brushed off. "I'm hurt." Bender interrupts their conversation. Claire remembers she hasn't heard her own voice in a while and decides to speak up. "You know why guys like you knock everything?" Claire asks Bender. Xia couldn't wait to hear this life changing revelation.
"Why?" Bender asks. "Cause you're a big coward." Claire replied. A back and forth ensues until Johnson decides to speak up. "I'm in the math club." He says. Xia looks at him confused. How did the Beaver get detention? Xia turned back to Claire and Bender who were still going.
"You don't know any of us." Claire shrugged. "I don't know any lepers either but I'm not gonna go out and join one of their fucking clubs." Bender retorts. "Let's watch the mouth, huh?" Andy asks. "No. Also, Claire and her friends aren't lepers." Xia started. Claire turns to her former friends surprised. "Uh thanks?" Claire replies confused. "They're really more like a loud pack of idiot bitches." Xia finishes feeling satisfaction in the way Claire's face drops. "Oh, really? Remember when you used to be one?" Claire asks. "Yeah, before they stuck the knife in my back, and you turned it." Xia broadcasted. "You two also know each other?" Bender pointed out.
"Clearly and please don't remind me." Xia brushes off. "I'm in the physics club too." Johnson speaks up again. Bender turns to Andy, Claire, and Xia. "Do any of you belong to the physics club?" He asks them. "That's an academic club." Claire replies. "So?" Bender questions. "Academic clubs aren't like social clubs." Claire replied snootily. Xia wondered if Claire was always this conceited or had she been blind at the time. "Ugh." Xia groaned in annoyance at her former friend's attitude. "But to dorks like him they are. What do you do in your club?" Bender asks Johnson. "Uh we talk about physics." Johnson replied nervously.
"So, it's sort of social. Demented and sad but social." Bender shrugged. Xia just stares in confusion. Does he do anything else? How was she supposed to tell a compelling story with Howdy Doody over there as one of the main characters? Xia picks up her pen and into her notebook she jots down, "IF JOHNSON WERE A SPICE, HE'D BE FLOUR." When Xia tunes back in with the group, Johnson is stuttering his way through a story. "And my cousin Kendall from Indiana, he started eating really weird foods. He felt like he didn't belong anywhere. You know, kind of like the Twilight Zone." Johnson sputtered.
"Oh, so like Bender." Claire teased, earning an eye from Xia. Just because they hadn't been around each other in a while didn't mean Xia had forgotten Claire's tells. For example, when she had a crush. No matter how big or small. Could Claire be getting a mini crush on Bender? Her parents would freak. "You guys keep talking like that and Vernon's gonna come in here. I got a wrestling meet this Saturday and I'm not gonna miss it on account of you boneheads." Andy griped. "It's not like you haven't missed a wrestling meet before. You used to skip them all the time in middle school." Xia pointed out. "I don't do that anymore." Andy shook his head. "Why not?" Xia asks.
"We're not in middle school anymore. I got a full ride that I'm not trying to blow. Grow up." Andy explained. Xia rolled her eyes. Andy used to hate wrestling, he only did it because it made his dad happy. "Guess daddy finally took over." Xia scoffed. "Shut up, Xia. You don't know anything." Andy shook his head. "Whatever, Andy." Xia rolls her eyes disappointed at the person he's become. "And what a bite huh? Missing a whole wrestling meet." Bender taunts as he pretends to get worked up. "What about it? You've never competed a day in your life." Andy replied really not in the mood for Bender and his antics.
"Yeah, I feel really empty inside. I have such a deep admiration for guys that roll around on the floor with other guys." Bender brow beats. "You'd never miss it. You don't have any goals." Andy brushed him off. "Oh, but I do." Bender replied. "Yeah?" Andy asks. "Yeah, I wanna be just like you. Figure all I need's a lobotomy and some tights." Bender snipped. "You wear tights?" Johnson asked. Andy looks like he's about to have an aneurysm as he turns to Johnson. "I wear the required uniform." Andy replies, trying to sound stern. Johnson shows no signs of care as he fires back quickly with, "Tights."
Xia couldn't help but crack a smile. Maybe Johson does have a personality after all. "Shut up," Andy shouted more than annoyed at this point. Suddenly. They hear the door from Vernon's office open. That's when the room goes quiet.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Have a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday! Bye guys!
