A/N: …. Hi guys. Yes, I'm well aware that this chapter is late, but I can explain. Really quickly though, my name is Bambi and welcome to, "The Gossip Around Shermer". I hope you're all doing well because I'm doing just fine. So, about my tardiness. First of all, I just wanted to apologize for the late upload, but I needed a week off. I've been stressed out and just wanted a minute to breathe. But now I'm back, good, and I'm ready to give you guys a new chapter. As always, I do not/ have not/ probably, nor will I ever own the rights to "The Breakfast Club" and any of its characters and themes. Now, onto the chapter. Enjoy.

Ch. 8

The room is fairly quiet until Vernon walks in. "You now have thirty minutes for lunch." Vernon informed the six as he checked his watch. "Here?" Andy asks, looking around the library then back to Vernon confused. "Here." Vernon repeats with a nod. "I think the cafeteria would be better, sir." Andy suggests. "I don't care what you think." Vernon snaps. "Uh Dick? Excuse me, Rich? Will milk be made available to us?" Bender questions. "We are extremely thirsty, sir." Andy backed up Bender.

"I have a very low tolerance for dehydration." Claire piped up. Andy also backs Claire up. "I've seen her dehydrated. It's pretty gross." Andy agreed. "I'm sure my readers as well as the school board would love that headline. I can just see it now, Vernon allowed six students to suffer from dehydration in detention." Xia adds fuel to the fire. "No need. I'll get it." Bender offers while he stands up from his seat. "Sit down there, bud. I'm not gonna let you roam these halls." Vernon demanded as he looks around the room

Finally, his eyes go to Andy. "Clark, Hart. Go get drinks. There's a soda machine in the teachers lounge. You are to grab those sodas and come right back here, you understand?" Vernon commanded as he's flicking change from his pockets into Xia's hands. Xia hadn't been left alone with Andy since the night he broke up with her. It made her nervous. What was he going to say? Would they even talk? It'd be nice, but Xia won't hold her breath. The pair for the teacher's lounge

Little did Xia know the moment she left the library would be the moment her notebook would get stolen. "Why'd you look at me like that?" Andy asked as they're walking down the hallway, startling Xia. She didn't expect them to talk right away. "Like what?" She asked with a look of confusion. "Back there? When I had Bender on the ground? You looked like you wanted to screw me." Andy pointed as Xia felt her face get hot. Don't do it, Xia. Keep your composure.

"Yeah? Well I don't, Andy. We've never even slept together. Is that why you broke up with me?" Xia deflects in order to take the heat off her. Andy stops in order to look at her. He looks almost offended. "No." Andy replied simply. "Then why?" Xia questions. "Xia, I really don't want to get into this with you right now." Andy tries to stop. "No, Andy. Tell me. I've gone two years without knowing why. I've been through enough. The least you can do is this." Xia fights back.

"You really wanna know?" Andy asked with a sigh, running a nervous hand through his hair. "Yeah I really wanna know." Xia nods. "Fine. You became a different person after your old man got locked up. You didn't want to be around me, you didn't want to talk to me, You were so mean and cold. I tried to stick by you for as long as I could because I did love you. I just couldn't sit there with a shell anymore." Andy explained. Xia's eyes widened in shock and anger. How dare he. "I didn't change." Xia snapped. "Yes you did. You wouldn't go out, you wouldn't hold my hand, you barely talked. I was scared. I didn't know what to do." Andy fought back.

"There was a reason for that, Andy. I was sad and confused. I didn't know what to do either. My dad was gone, my mom checked out, Claire stopped being my friend, and the only person I had left that actually gave damn, decides that I'm a basketcase and dumps me underneath fireworks. Do you realize how much that hurt?" Xia asked. A weight was being lifted off her shoulders. She had held all of this in for so long. Hiding behind her column and using pettiness and school yard gossip in order to get back at them.

In reality, all she needed was her own voice and a face to say them to. It felt so good to just let it all go. "I'm sorry, Xia." Andy apologizes. "You should be." Xia nods. She felt better, the wound was still very much open but this was a good start to close it. Finally, the two reach the soda machine. Things are quiet as Andy slides a few dollar bills into the machine. Individually, he pulls out five cokes before turning to Xia. "You still drink Sprite like a weirdo?" He asked.

Xia looks at him, surprised that he actually remembered her favorite soda. "Liking sprite doesn't make me a weirdo." Xia scoffs. "Yeah it does. Who drinks lemon lime soda?" Andy wonders. "Really? Sprite, 7Up, and Mellow Yellow exist. I'm sure there are people besides me who like it." Xia suggested with a shrug. "So what? Still gross." Andy grimaced. "To you." Xia playfully rolled her eyes. It was nice to talk to him normally. Even if it was just about soda.

Andy shook his head before turning back to the soda machine. He puts another dollar in and out comes a cool green can of sprite. As Andy is handing the can over to Xia, she leans up and kisses his cheek as a thank you. He stares at her confused. "What was that for?" He asked. "Just saying thank you." Xia shrugged. "Over a soda?" he mused with a raised eyebrow. Andy sets the cokes by a nearby counter. Something was rolling around inside his head.

Andy admits it's risky, but she just looks so pretty and has been giving him signals all day. Does she want him back? Meanwhile, Xia is just watching him, wondering if he's okay. She can't ignore the glint in his eyes. Does he want her, again? Xia decides to start testing out her theory by starting to walk away. Xia barely made it past the door frame before Andy started gently pulling her back in. "What?" She asks with a giggle as he pulls her in closely.

"I wanna talk to you." Andy tells her softly. "Oh yeah? About what?" She asks rhetorically. Andy's hands slide down her waist. Instinctively, she wraps her arms around his neck. "Just this." He shrugs before leaning in to kiss her. Xia immediately kisses him back. The butterflies in her stomach would not stop fluttering. This kiss felt like coming home. Like something Xia had been missing. They deepen the kiss, tongues swirling as they do so.

Andy had backed Xia into the soda machine. He pulls his lips away from hers. Slowly, they travel down to her neck. Soft moans start escaping Xia's lips. As fun as this was, they're supposed to be getting sodas for everybody. Not to mention, they know Vernon would come looking for them eventually. They would get into trouble, get another Saturday detention, or worse get expelled. "Andy." Xia called to him softly. "Yeah, sunshine?" Andy responds breathlessly.

"We have to go back. We're gonna get caught." Xia warned. Andy pulls away from her to think. He was having a great time but knew he'd be in even more trouble if Vernon found them. And honestly? He didn't want to hear his dad. Who would definitely be pissed because he'd have to miss another tournament. "You're right." Andy agrees. Awkwardly, the pair exit the teachers lounge. Xia was reeling. "So, why are you here?" Andy asked.

"Hartblast about Vernon wearing a toupee. It was a joke I made off the record and my editor decided to put it out there. Vernon read it and the next thing I know I'm in his office. It was either this, give up my column, or get expelled. You see which one I chose." Xia explained. "All that column does is get you into trouble. Why do you keep writing it?" Andy asked. There's a question Xia's never been asked before.

Why does she like writing it? She has no idea. "It's fun." Xia lies. Andy doesn't look like he believes her. "No it isn't." Andy shakes his head. "Yes it is." Xia defends herself. "Really? If it's so fun then why do you look so miserable?" Andy asks, once again catching Xia off guard. "You're one to talk." Xia shot back. "What's that supposed to mean?" Andy questions. "Seriously?" Xia asks. "What?" Andy groaned.

"You hate wrestling. You always have. Yet here you are. Varsity letterman jacket, trophy after trophy, yelling about not wanting to miss a meet, and talking like you're superman. Shermer's golden boy. What happened to you?" Xia points out. Andy suddenly feels self conscious under her watchful gaze. "I told you. This is growing up." Andy replied softly. Xia had him dead to rights. "Andy, this isn't growing up. This is about you accepting something you don't even want. So if I'm miserable, then you're worse for wear." Xia sighs.

This wasn't fair to Andy. He shouldn't have to accept this life. "You don't get to say that to me. You have no idea about the pressure I'm under." Andy defends himself. "Pressure from who? Your friends? They're jerks, Andy. You were never a jerk. Your dad?" She grills. Andy looks away from her hurt. "It is him. This is all him. He took over." Xia concluded as her heart breaks for Andy. "Let's just go back to the library." Andy suggests, not wanting to have this conversation anymore.

"No, Andy. Come on, it's me. You can tell me anything. Just talk to me, please?" Xia begged, clutching his arm. Andy is beside himself. He could tell her all about his dad and what he's become but it's just too much. Plus, what if Xia didn't want to keep it a secret? He couldn't let this get out. "Why? So I can be in your column?" He snapped before gently pulling his arm away from her. Xia watches sadly as he walks away.

Once he's at a safe distance, she follows him back to the library. She walks inside and passes the other coke she was carrying to Claire. "What happened?" She asks in a whisper, noticing the sad expression on Xia's face. Xia doesn't answer. She just shakes her head and goes back to her table. She had been setting up her lunch when Andy came to give her; her Sprite. He doesn't even look at her as he does so. Xia had fucked up now.

Xia is unwrapping her pizza when she notices her pile of books isn't as big as they were when she left. What was missing? She had her precal book, her precal notebook, and her book to read. That's when it hits her, fear creeps in. Her heart-shaped notebook was missing. She just has one question, who the fuck took it?

A/N: That was a doozy. Again, I am so sorry that this chapter was late. I just didn't have it in me last week. I promise that my uploads will go back to normal. Thank you for reading and I'll see you guys next time. Bye guys!