A/N: For one finale time, hello and welcome back to, "The Gossip Around Shermer". My name is Bambi and I hope you're doing well. I'm doing great. Well, we're here. The final chapter. I'm not gonna take up too much of your time. 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. Those all belong to the estate of John Hughes and Universal Pictures. Xia's mine. Now, let's get on with the final chapter. Enjoy.
Ch. 14 The Long Goodbye
Brian looks around at the group. Currently, he's feeling worried yet optimistic. "I know it's a bad time, but what happens Monday? I consider you guys my friends. I'm not wrong am I?" He asked. "No." Andy agreed. "So what happens on Monday?" Brian questioned. "Are we still friends?" Claire checks to make sure she understood his question. "Yeah." He replies. "You want the truth?" Claire asked.
"Yeah, I want the truth." Brian urged. "I don't think so." Claire admits. "That's terrible to say, Claire." Xia cuts in, feeling hurt. After everything that's happened today she thought they'd be fine. "Really nice attitude, Claire." Andy scoffs sarcastically.
"Oh come on. You two know just as well as I do what's gonna happen. Andy, you'll be with all the jocks. Brian will say hi. Of course you'll say hi back, but then cut him up into pieces when he leaves so nobody thinks you actually like him. And as far as you and her are concerned, she's never gonna be accepted again. Not after all the stunts she's pulled." Claire harshly paints the scenario.
"No way." Andy denies, shaking his head. "What if I came up to you?" Allison asked. "Same thing." Claire snapped. "You are a bitch. You know how shitty it is to do that to someone. You just don't have the balls to tell your friends you'll like who you wanna like." John shouted.
"You're a hypocrite. If it's so easy then why don't you take Allison or Xia to one of your heavy metal vomit parties? Or take Brian and Andy out to the parking lot to get high during lunch? And what about me? What would your buddies say if they saw us walking down the hall? They'd laugh their asses off and you'd tell them we were doing it so they get off your back about seeing me." Claire calls his bluff.
"Don't talk about my friends. You don't know, look at them, or speak to any of them. Stick to what you know. Shopping, nail polish, daddy's BMW, and your poor - rich - drunk mother in the Caribbean. We're never going to walk down the hall together. So bury your head in the sand and wait for your fucking prom." John sneered.
"I hate you!" Claire sobbed. "Yeah? Good!" John snapped. The room goes silent. Maybe Claire was right. Maybe they're just all not meant to be friends. "I guess Allison and I are better than you guys. Us weirdos. Would you do that to me?" Brian asked Allison. "I don't have many friends." Allison admits meekly. "And if you did?" He added. "No." Allison confirms. "I just wanna tell you guys that I wouldn't do that. I think it's really shitty." Brian cried. "I wouldn't do that to you either, Brian. If you wanna be a friend to a girl without a country, I don't mind." Xia welcomed, hoping he would take her up on her offer. "Thanks." Brian nodded, "Brian, your friends wouldn't mind. They look up to us." Claire suggests.
"Yes, Claire. Everybody looks up to you so much that they read about me bashing you and your friends every single week." Xia snipped. "Claire, you're so conceited. Why are you like that?" Brian asked her. "I'm not! I hate having to do what my friends say." Claire whined. "Why do you do it?" Brian quickly asks her. "You don't understand. You don't know the pr-" Brian, who's almost in tears, cuts her off.
"I don't understand pressure? Fuck you! You know why I'm here today?" Brian asked the group. "Why?" Allison wondered. "Mr, Ryan found a gun in my locker." Brian confessed, now full on crying. "Why did you have the gun?" Andy asked. "I tried to pull the trunk." Brian starts to explain. "What was the gun for?" Andy asked again. "Just forget it." Brian tried to brush it off. "You brought it up man." Andy reminded him.
"I can't have an F. Neither can my parents. Even if I aced the rest of the semester I'd only have a B. Then everything is ruined." Brian explained. "Oh, Brian." Xia sighs sadly. "I considered my options." Brian confesses, "Killing yourself is never the option." Claire warned, "Well I didn't do it, did I?" Brian snapped. "Was it a handgun?" John asked. "It was a flare gun. It went off in my locker." Brian admitted.
Everyone looks at each other trying not to laugh. "It's not funny." Brian tries to stop them. Nobody could hold it in after that. "Yeah it was. Fucking thing was ruined. "Wanna know what I did to get in here? Nothing! I had nothing better to do." Allison laughs.
After their laugh fest, Brian puts on a record and everybody begins to dance like fools. It's more than they've ever thought they'd have. Then the clock struck three.
John went back to wherever Vernon had put him. Meanwhile, Allison, Andy, Brian, Claire, and Xia were sitting on a rail. Brian is the first to get off in order to go finish their essay. Claire and Xia notice Allison staring as he walks away. "What are you doing?" Claire asked her. "Yeah, go after him!" Xia urged. "I-I don't know." Allison shook her head.
"Yes! Look, you two have been making eyes at each other and standing up for each other all day. It's obvious you have feelings for each other. Go help him." Xia pushes. They watch on as Allison gives herself a second to think. What has she got to lose? Allison stands up off the rail. "Wait!" Claire calls out, gently grabbing Allison by her wrist. "Claire? What are you doing? Let her go!" Xia demands.
"I just wanna fix her up a little bit." Claire explained. "What! No! She doesn't need it! Brian likes her just the way she is." Xia shouts. "But I just-" Xia cuts Claire off. "No." Xia shakes her head. "What about just a little bit-" Xia cuts Claire off again. "No. Al, go knock 'em dead." Xia smiled at Allison. Allison nods and is about to walk away before she turns around to face them. "Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked.
"Cause you're letting us." Claire spoke up. With that, Allison races away. "I guess you made the right call." Claire admits as she slightly nudges Xia. "Thanks. Can I ask you something?" Xia starts. "What?" Claire replies. "Did you really mean all that stuff about not accepting me back?" Xia wondered nervously. "No. I'm sorry for everything. Leaving you when you needed me the most, completely ignoring you, and all the stuff I said." Claire apologizes.
"I'm sorry too. For all the horrible things I wrote and the fact that I hurt you. Claire, I was so lonely and angry. I didn't know what to do." Xia apologizes as well. "It's okay. I don't understand it and I probably never will, but it's okay." Claire assures Xia. The two girls hug. When they pull away they're holding hands. "I missed you, Princess Claire." Xia teases with a small smile. "I missed you too, Flower Child." Claire smiled back.
They let go and Claire starts to grab her things. "Where are you going?" Xia asked. "To see a friend." Claire shrugs then begins to leave. "I don't like him for you but I was right!" Xia exclaims as Claire is walking out. "Whatever." Claire retorts. Xia goes to her table and starts to pack up her stuff. A cough sounds off from behind her. "Hey." She turns in the cough's direction. "Hey." Andy greeted her.
"So, are we doing this?" Xia asks. "Do you want to?" Andy questions. "I do." Xia nods. Andy pulls her in close. "You mean?" he checks in. "Absolutely." Xia replies. The pair seal their reunion with a kiss. "Andy, I'm so happy we're back." Xia admits. "Me too, Sunshine. Now let's get outta here." Andy urges. They leave to go join the others in the hallway. "See you next Saturday." John calls out to Carl. When they get outside it's hugs and high fives before they depart.
"Brian, could you call me later? I wanna know what you wrote in that essay." Xia explained. "Are you gonna use it for gossip?" Brian asks. "Not this time. Here." Xia hands him a slip of paper. "I'll call you later." Brian promised before walking to his dad's car with Allison. "What do you have planned?" Andy asks. "You'll see." She smirked.
Epilogue
Bright and early on Monday morning, Andy Clark's AMC Eagle pulls into the student parking lot of Shermer high. When he's parked, Andy turns to his passenger/girlfriend. AKA, the freshly honey blonde, Xia Hart. "Are you ready for this?" Andy asks her. "As I'll ever be." Xia nods with a sense of determination. "Good. Now remember, if he tells you no, you walk." Andy reminded her. "I know. I'm just so nervous. Where am I supposed to go if he says no?" Xia asked.
"Join the radio station, morning announcements, creative writing club. Trust me you'll find a place." Andy assures Xia as he's moving a piece of hair out of her face. "I hope you're right." Xia sighs. "I am. Now let's go. Everybody is waiting on us." Andy waves her out of the car. The usually short walk from the parking lot to the school felt like it went on for an eternity. Worry, fear, dread, and anxiety riddle themselves through Xia's body as she and Andy make their way to the plate glass door windows of the journalism room. When they get there, Allison, Brian, Claire, and John are waiting for them.
"About time. We were starting to think you weren't gonna show. Is she ready?" Bender asked Andy. Andy places his hands on Xia's shoulders as if he's a boxing manager "Yep. She's all good to go. Just needed a little pep talk." Andy explained to the group. "Good luck, Xi." Claire wished. People who walked by were gawking at them. Especially as Claire wished Xia luck. "Show him who's boss!" Brian encouraged her.
Xia turns around to give one last look at her friends and boyfriend, takes a deep breath, and walks inside the room. Lorenzo stands up when Xia enters the room, surprised by her appearance. "Hart, what happened?" He asked. "I needed a change. Here's the Hartblast for the week and my letter of resignation from the Blue & White Observer." Xia hands him the sheets of paper. "What? What are you talking about? Are you switching schools?" He shouts.
"No, I'm switching my line of thinking. Lorenzo, I would love to stay but only if you take me off gossip. The HartBlast hurts a lot of people and I don't want to do it anymore." Xia lays down her ultimatum. "Oh come on, Hart. It entertains people. Besides, you're great at it! Why would I put you somewhere else?" He asked. "And that right there is why I need to leave. I don't like what this enabled me to do. I'm sorry but I have to go." Xia apologized.
"Hart, we can work this out." Lorenzo tries to stop her. "No, it's okay. Just please publish that. Thank you for the opportunity to write." Xia begged. With that, she exits the room. "Well?" Allison asks as she's walking out. "I'm out." Xia broadcasts with a shrug. Claire reaches out to hug her. "Are you gonna be okay?" Claire asked. "I'm gonna be fine. Besides, we have bigger problems." Xia motions to the onlookers, wondering what the hell is going with the six. "Are you guys sure you wanna do this?" Brian asked nervously. "Hell yeah. We're gonna be late. Let's go." John urges. Together, the six walk down the hallway ready to face whatever Shermer has to throw their way.
Xia's final Hartblast would be,
"Hello my faithful readers, I hope you're all well. This week's edition of the Hartblast was supposed to be a big expose on life in Saturday detention. But I'd rather tell you all that I'm leaving The Blue & White Observer. This column started out as a place to house my anger and it spiraled into something very ugly. I have hurt so many of you and I'm sorry. I will do everything I can to make it right. Also, I'd like to discuss our Vice Principal Richard Vernon. This past weekend, I watched Vernon being rude to students, being verbally abusive, forced to do manual labor, try to goad John Bender into a physical altercation, and put him in a closet. Richard Vernon doesn't deserve to be an educator. He's an out of touch egotistical bully. And my friend Brian Johson has a little something he'd like to say to Vernon.
Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write a whole essay telling you who you think we are. You see us how you wanna see us. In the simplest terms, in the convenient definitions. But what we found is each one of us is a brain, an athlete, a gossip, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?
Lastly, this past weekend I made three new friends, reconnected with my childhood best friend, and got my ex boyfriend back. So, if you see me in the hallway talking to John Bender, Andrew Clark, Brian Johnson, Allison, Reynolds, or Claire Standish. Shut up. Cause we don't care what you think. Open your heart and mind to the unfamiliar. It might surprise you, dear reader.
For the final time, this is Xia Hart blasting off.
Goodbye, Shermer
THE END
A/N: Hello! My name is Bambi and I wrote this little story. So, when I wrote my first Breakfast Club fic, I knew I'd be back again. I just didn't know what or who. Then this girl with pink hair and rebellious attitude pops into my head and it's Xia. I'm so proud of this story and to bring a character like her to life. This is my sixth story on this site and it's been my most daunting but most fun I've had. Thank you all so much for reading. I appreciate you guys for all the love and support for this story. I couldn't have done it without you. As for if I'll be returning to this tag? I don't know. I've thought about it. I just actually have to sit down and brainstorm. If I do, it'll be a girl for our favorite nerd. Anyway, thank you, I love you, I appreciate you. Until we meet again. Good bye guys!
