Detention

Cw: Edward-teasing

Summary: The Cullen kids are the inspiration for one of the most iconic 80s movies.

North Glenbrook, Illinois

March 1982

Edward told Esme he was going to the library today. It was a cloudy Saturday and he told his pseudo-mother he'd be there researching a paper for school all day.

The truth was that Edward had detention. Earlier in the week, he had felt a bit peckish, and to tide him over until the end of the day, he caught a squirrel outside between third and fourth period and drained it, stashing the body in his locker to be disposed of after school. Only he got distracted by Emmett clowning on him and he forgot about the squirrel. The overnight janitor noticed a smell coming from the locker, found the bloodless squirrel inside, and alerted the principal.

Edward passed it off as a taxidermy project when questioned, and knew Esme and Carlisle weren't around when the principal called to inform them of Edward's disturbing behavior. Edward left campus during study hall and returned the principal's call pretending to be Carlisle and promised punishment, but that didn't stop Principal Decker from giving him Saturday detention.

Edward was walking up to the North Glenbrook High School in their current home state of Illinois when he heard the inner voices of his siblings. Jasper and Alice were inside the building and Rosalie and Emmett emerged from the trees a moment later.

Brow creased in confusion, Edward asked, "What are you doing here?"

"We have detention," Emmett answered with a chuckle, to which Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked Edward in a clipped tone.

"I have detention too."

"What? Little Miss Perfect has detention? What the hell did you do?" Emmett guffawed.

Edward bristled at Emmett's impromptu nickname. "Nothing really."

"Right, whatever." Rosalie scoffed.

"Whatever it is, it's not as cool as why we have detention, right, babe?" Emmett nudged Rosalie with his elbow and Edward was treated to Emmett's memory of the two of them making out and losing clothes in the utility closet before getting caught by the janitor. The poor janitor had been through the ringer this week.

"Emmett, please. I can hear Jasper and Alice in there. Do they have detention too?"

"Jasper definitely does," Emmett snickered.

"When you cut out early the other day, Jasper pulled a fire alarm," Rosalie explained.

Edward was baffled, mainly that he hadn't already heard this in anybody's minds. "W-why?"

"Somebody smelled extra good and he needed to get them away from him." Emmett shrugged.

"Alice didn't see?"

"Guess not."

"Wow, okay. What's Alice doing here?"

Emmett and Rosalie both shrugged.

"Well, we better get in there. Wouldn't want to get in deeper trouble."

"God, you're such a goody-two-shoes."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They filed into the detention classroom to find Alice and Jasper already sitting in there. Rosalie and Emmett pulled their desks close to each other, but the rest sat apart. Edward turned around in his seat to look at Alice. "So, what did you do?" He scrutinized her, searching her mind for a truth she might want to hide.

Alice only grinned at him. "Oh, nothing," she chittered. "I just saw you'd all be here and I didn't want to be left out."

Emmett guffawed at that and Rosalie chuckled too. Edward was amused but held back his smile.

The moment was interrupted when the teacher walked in. None of them had ever seen this man at the school before. The man had a round face with a pug-ish nose, large frame eyeglasses, and a Members Only jacket.

"Hello, I'm Mr Hughes, and I'm subbing in for detention today. The rules are simple: stay put, no talking for the next four hours." He started weaving through the desks, passing out paper and pencils.

"We're going to do something a little different today. I want you each to write a thousand-word essay reflecting on what brought you here today and describing who you think you are. I want to see a deep dive, people. Is that understood?"

Edward, Rosalie, and Alice nodded. Mr Hughes left the room after giving them each a scrutinizing look, saying he would be back to check on them in a little while.

Jasper picked up his paper and waved it at his physic mate. "Did you see this, Alice?"

"The essay? Yes."

"Thanks for the warning, pixie," Emmett commented.

"You just don't like writing," Edward said, and then he revealed to them what he'd heard in the substitute's mind. "This guy isn't even really a teacher. He's a writer. Wants to write something about high school. A book or a movie, I'm not sure which. He'll use our essays in some kind of exposé. He's already labeling us in his mind."

"Oh yeah? What's he thinking?" Jasper asked, intrigued.

"Well, he was being very stereotypical," Edward warned.

"Just spit it out, Edward," Rosalie huffed.

"Alright, fine. He thinks Emmett is into sports, an athlete."

"He's not wrong," Emmett said.

"He thinks I'm a brain–"

"Nailed it!" Emmett twisted around in his seat to high five Jasper.

Edward growled at them before continuing. "He called you a princess, Rose." No one dared to comment on that. Edward turned to look at Alice. "He thinks you're crazy-a basket case. And he pegged Jasper as a bad boy, criminal type."

Jasper's lip curved in a smirk. "This Mr. Hughes is a perceptive one."

"He's going to use our essays to enrich his own writing," Edward explained.

"I didn't see that the essays were going to end up as research for him," Alice huffed.

Jasper got a wicked glint in his gold eyes. "Well, let's lean into his idea of us for the essays."

"Like, make up a character and backstory?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, it'll be fun. We do it all the time anyway."

"Alright! Let's give this guy something to write about," Emmett agreed, eager to mess with someone, even if it was only on paper.

Jasper rose and flashed over to the shelving in the back of the classroom, pulling out a thick book. "Yeah, let's. He thinks I'm a criminal? I'll show him some delinquent behavior."

"Oh no, Jasper, I don't think that's such a good–" Edward started.

But Jasper was already ripping pages from the old reference book. Edward looked on, his mouth agape, appalled by the blatant and willful destruction of literature. He looked to Alice and she shook her head, mentally telling him it had been a spur of the moment decision. Then Emmett joined Jasper, laughing as he opened the teacher's desk drawers and mixed up all the papers and files.

"Come on, guys, be serious. We have to write these essays," Edward insisted.

"Okay, MOM, don't get your panties in a bunch," Emmett teased.

"I just don't want to be here again next week," Edward muttered, then inclined his head and started writing.

"The Boy Scout does have a point, unfortunately," Rosalie pointed out.

After some grumbling, they got to work.

Xxxxxxx

When they had all laid down their pencils, Jasper quipped, "Okay, why don't we share with the class. What did you tell him in your essay, Rose?"

She smiled. "I told him I didn't deserve to be in the detection because I'm above it. The rules don't apply to me because I'm rich and beautiful."

"How humble. Emmett?"

"I'm a wrestling champ who's going for a scholarship because my coach and dad want me to, not because I want to. They live through me and none of my choices are my own."

"That's…kind of dark," Edward commented. "Jasper?"

"This Jasper Hale is a stoner, a rebel who likes riling people up. He has an abusive dad too. He's tough on the outside but vulnerable on the inside because of his terrible home life. The ripped-up books only add to the picture I'm painting. The papers were a nice touch, thanks, Emmett."

Emmett performed an exaggerated bow. "What'd you say, little bro?"

Edward bristled. "I just made myself really smart, in all honors classes and applying to Ivy League schools. Only it's my parents pressuring me to achieve such high marks."

"Booooooriiiiing!" Emmett cried.

Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning toward Alice. "What did you write, Alice?"

"I didn't write anything; I just drew a picture of one of my visions."

Jasper moved to look at the picture. "A library?"

Alice shrugged. "I don't know, it seemed like the right thing to do."

"Oh-kay…" Rosalie turned back around in her seat. She was still a little less open to the whole psychic thing. She found Alice's visions weird and off-putting and was often skeptical.

The rest of detention passed quickly for the vampires. They just sat still as statues and stared off, lost in thoughts. Mr Hughes came back once they'd served their time, collected their essays, and sent them on their way. When they returned home, Carlisle and Esme were outside in the garden.

"Hi, everyone," Carlisle greeted. "Did I miss a memo or something?" he asked, taking in the large group. The younger Cullens exchanged glances with each other, which made him suspicious. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Jasper and I found Edward at the library," Alice piped up, "and then we ran into Rose and Emmett in town." The others nodded vigorously. Esme exchanged a dubious look with Carlisle, but they didn't question Alice. Carlisle and Esme never found out any of them had been in detention all day.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, there's this new movie, supposed to be good. We should check it out."

Nobody ever argued with Alice's movie recommendations. She always knew what films would be a hit. So, the family went to see the poorly-titled film, The Breakfast Club. Imagine their surprise when they saw the library in the movie was the same as the picture Alice had sketched three years before. It was set in small-town Illinois, where they had lived at the time, and most damning of all, the characters mirrored the essays the Cullens had written that day in detention.

When the film ended with 'Directed by John Hughes,' the five 'kids' exchanged wide-eyed looks. The theater lights came up and they filed out of the theater.

Esme raised an eyebrow when she said, "The kids in the movie felt familiar to me somehow."

"Hmmm, yes," Carlisle agreed. "I can't put my finger on what it is though."

Carlisle and Esme walked ahead as they puzzled over their feelings of recognition, and the others lagged behind.

"I can't believe Hughes made me a nerdy virgin," Edward muttered.

"But…that's what you are…" Rosalie told him.

Edward stopped walking. "Jerk."

"He called it like he sees it," Emmett said, slinging his arm around Rose's shoulders.

"Told you Hughes was perceptive," Jasper added unhelpfully.

Edward was left gaping after them. Come on, Brian! Carlisle called to him in his mind. Edward's eyes went wide before hurrying to catch up.

END

A/N: The Breakfast Club was released theatrically on February 15, 1985. The film was directed by John Hughes, the second film he ever made. It starred Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald, and Judd Nelson. It is the quintessential 80s high school movie. If you haven't seen it, change that.

Thanks as always to palmofafreezinghand for prereading this for me.